Dear Families
Covid
We have had no positive cases in our community since the last bulletin.
You should have received a box of 7 more LFT tests this week to allow you to complete twice weekly testing at home with your child. Please continue to do this, especially as we are entering the darker - colder months when Covid and other viruses flourish.
Assembly
This week we learned about the school's chosen charity for the year 'Steel Bones'. This is a small charity that works with amputees. Each year there are around 5,000 amputations in the UK. Going through an amputation is obviously a difficult thing to do and people can feel lonely and struggle with their new reality. The charity works to support amputees and to connect them to other amputees to help them motivate and inspire each other.
One of our own staff, Ms Lennon, went through just such an experience 8 months ago and returned to school to continue her amazing work in Horticulture, Hairdressing and many other areas of the curriculum. Yesterday, Ms Lennon spoke to pupils about the charity and her own experience and invited them to ask questions to better enable them to understand what being an amputee means and what a prosthetic is.
We also looked at many examples of amputees to see what they had gone on to achieve. These inspirational stories were an amazing example of Aspire! Work! Achieve!
Black History Month
As we continue to learn about Black history in our lessons, pupils were also treated to two dance workshops this week. One was a Jerusalema dance workshop and the other a traditional dance workshop specifically for KS3 pupils.
Evidence for Learning - call for pilot group volunteers
We would still like to invite 2 or 3 more parents / carers to join our pilot group. If your child is in the following classes, please consider volunteering:
7CH / 7FM / 8LB / 8NC / 8CB / 9KK / 9CL / 10RE / 10MC / 10ZK / 11JT / 11BA / AP / KM / AM / VL / MS / GM / DL / MR
If you sign up for the group you will be asked to:
- Sign up to the Evidence for Learning parent app
- Undertake training
- Provide feedback as requested
This is to enable us to smooth out any issues before rolling out the app to all families. Please be aware that we are not expecting to present you with the finished article and system, but are rather working with you to get to that point.
Early Bird Club
We have had such a low uptake for this provision that we are not currently able to offer it. If you didn't express an interest in the club but would now like to do so, please phone and request a form to complete. My apologies to those families who did express an interest. I will keep you details on file, so that should we have enough pupils to make this club viable I can contact you.
Sports and Trips
It has been wonderful to see that our visits to the community and sporting events have been able to restart with earnest this half-term. Pupils benefit hugely from being able to go out and learn in 'real' situations. Transferring the skills and knowledge they learn in school and generalising this in the community is a vital part of their development.
For our sporting enthusiasts it has been great to get back to events where they can play with or compete against other individuals and teams. We very much believe that sport is about participation and enjoyment not winning!
If you would like any advice and guidance about how to support your child in the community and to access local provisions, please arrange a chat with your child's form tutor. They would be happy to help and to provide prompt / sequence visuals to support you and your child.
Support
On the subject of support, please don't hesitate to contact your child's form tutor should you need support with any challenges you are facing regarding your child in the home or community. They will be able to support you with many issues or can signpost you to other staff or organisations that can support.
Dates reminder
Pupils will now be expected in on:
- Friday 22nd October
- Monday 1st November
- Tuesday 2nd November
- Wednesday 3rd November
If you have already booked holidays on the above dates, please provide your booking information to school or your child's absence will be unauthorised. Only bookings made prior to the 6th of October will be accepted and authorised.
The new dates when pupils are NOT in are:
- Friday 12th November
- Monday 15th November
- Tuesday 16th November
- Wednesday 17th November
Very best wishes to you all,
Mrs J Rigby
Headteacher
