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Friday 21st September 2018

Well, I can't believe it's only the end of Week 3!

I was reflecting with colleagues on SLT in our meeting this week what a busy and eventful few weeks it has been. There really can't be many other jobs that provide the same levels of excitement, enjoyment, variety, reward and stimulation as teaching, and particularly for me in my privileged position as Headteacher.

Year 7 Information Evening - Monday 17th September
Thank you to all Year 7 parents that were able to attend on Monday. You can see the Presentation and handout from the evening on the Year 7 Parent page on the website.

Year 7 parents have been sent an e-mail with sign-up details for our Parent Progress View and individual Link codes for Show My Homework for their Year 7 child. Any feedback from parents of Year 7 after the first 3 weeks of 'big school' is always welcome. Locker keys are now being issued by Mrs Todd.

The PiXL Club - Power to Perform
I have mentioned in previous ENews updates we are members of PiXL (Partners in Excellence) This is a not-for-profit partnership of over 1,600 secondary schools, 500 sixth forms and 600 primary schools Together we share best practice to raise standards and to give students a better future and brighter hope.

One of the recent strategies they were looking at is how we can help students to cope with the exam period (relevant to all students) so you are fully prepared to perform at their best. Managing a busy life when you are studying can be challenging but there are many areas which you can control to help you perform better when it comes to exam time or a busy school week. One of the areas they looked at was PiXL Power to Perform is all about what students are eating and how we can use food to enhance their performance, concentration and energy.

I have linked to 20 recipes designed especially by chef Mark Lloyd, all including ingredients that will enable students to feel fuller for longer and perform well. I made a few of these over the summer with my youngest daughter – I recommend the Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Bake! The recipes have been put onto cards that can be given to students/parents to cook at home. Happy cooking!

Student Success
Katie Piper - One of our ex-students, Katie Piper, is one of the contestants on this year's Strictly Come Dancing programme on the BBC. We are looking forward to seeing her in action this weekend.

Libby West in Year 10 is currently taking part in the British Tumbling Championships. We wish her the best of luck! Here is a link to her video from last year's championships.

Ex-Student Jake Archer is British Motostar Champion 2018 - With one round to go Jake Archer has secured the British Moto3 title of Hel Performance British Motostar Champion 2018. Jake has scored an unassailable 330 points with two races remaining.

Sporting Activities
Sports Clubs are now available to view on the website here.

Year 10 Football team played in the County Cup last week. They played well but lost 4-3 after extra time.

Year 8 boys also took part in the District Rugby Tournament at Wellington Academy last week and enjoyed their experience. They took many positives from the tournament to bring to their training sessions.

Year 7 boys played John Hanson in the football District League this week. Unfortunately they lost heavily, but kept their spirits up. Congratulations to Henry Anoma for scoring our two goals.

Year 9 boys played their first round match in the football County Cup against Costello last night in very gusty conditions. A good match but Costello were the winners 3-2.

Next week sees the start of a series of House sporting activities, the basketball hoop challenge. Every student has an oppertunity to earn house points for their house by trying to score five baskets.

School Visits
There are two visits taking place today, one to Harmony Woods to celebrate the United Nation's International Day of Peace. Year 7 students joined students from different schools around Hampshire and local dignitaries to fly the UN's giant dove of peace, share cake and plant a tree. All of the students left smaller doves in the tree, with pledges about how they could make their world a better, more peaceful, place. Dr Jane Goodall has sent a video message, which will be played at the event, thanking us for our involvement with the the Roots & Shoots programme.

Mrs Robertson is taking a group of computing students to IBM Hursley today; this is always a great opportunity for our students to experience workplace technology.

We have also welcomed Year 5 pupils from Vernham Dean and Hatherden for computing lessons this week and Year 5 Appleshaw pupils have enjoyed the challenge of our climbing wall.

Open Evening - Tuesday 25th September 6.30pm
An early reminder that the school will close at 12.45 pm on Tuesday 25th September in preparation for our Open Evening. Buses have been requested for this time. Students who have been asked to help will bring home a letter requiring a permission slip to be returned to the relevant department.

Punctuality to School
Parents are asked to support their child in arriving at school in good time to allow them to be at their tutor's door by the time the bell goes at 8:45am. Students arriving after this time will be marked as late and receive a lunchtime detention on the same day. Building good habits like being on time are essential for success in all spheres of life and we want to develop this skill in our students; it also ensures that they do not miss important messages in the morning.

End of Day Pick Up
Please do not drive into the school to collect students at the end of the school, this causes a risk to students leaving school and also creates congestion for the buses. Please arrange to pick up your child from outside the school grounds.

Safeguarding Concerns
If you or your child have any concerns for the safety or well being of a child in our school please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or their deputy to share those concerns. The DSL is Mrs Pearce and the deputy is Mrs Buckley. If a concern is regarding possible bullying please contact the tutor in the first instance or use the Bully Support button on the front page of the VLE. We are a telling school and always encourage our students to tell us if they have a concern, we will listen and act to support our students.

These visits for 2018/19 have currently been agreed by the Headteacher. Others will be added throughout the year. There is no guarantee that they will all go ahead as this depends on student uptake. Further details on each visit will be given out to the year group/classes involved by the member of staff organising the visit.

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