Parent Newsletter 15/01/16

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS UPDATE Friday 15th January 2016 Calling all Radio Operators

This Term’s Events at a Glance…

Here are just a few important forthcoming events—for our full calendar, click www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk/media/ calendar Tuesday 19th—Friday 22nd January Year 7 Entrance Examinations

If any girl or parent has an Amateur Radio licence (Foundation course is sufficient) and would like to be our radio operator when we contact Tim Peake next month please contact Miss Black, Head of Physics (cblack@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk) or Mrs Timoney, Head of Science

Thursday 28th January Non Uniform Day

(ntimoney@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk)

Friday 29th —Sunday 31st January Exeat Weekend Second Hand Uniform Sale

Thank you!

Saturday 30th January Year 11 At Home Wednesday 3rd February Year 9 Options Evening

Extra Curricular Sports Coaching

Monday 8th February Life Skills Evening

The registers for Senior School Extra

Monday 8th—Friday 12th February RMS to make contact with Major Tim Peake on board the International Space Station—timings to be confirmed

to download and view under Extra Curricular

Tuesday 9th—Thursday 11th February The Wizard of Oz—KS3 Performance

(Monday 18th January)

Friday 12th February Year 9 At Home

Curricular Sports Coaching are now available Activities.

Please note that all activities begin next week

If you have any queries, please contact Mrs Spendiff (espendiff@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk)

Saturday 13th—Sunday 21st February HALF TERM

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.twitter.com/RMSforGirls

www.facebook.com/RMSforGirls

INFORMATION Emails Sent this week If you have not received any of the emails listed below, please contact Pippa Hopkins phopkins@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk Year 10 English (Mrs Adamson’s set)

Letter regarding set text change

Year 11 History

Hitler on Trial letter

Whole School

Booking details for “The Wizard of Oz”

Boarding Parents

Boarding Schools Association survey details

Whole School

Extra curricular activities leaflet

Year 13 Biology

Biology Student Conference Letter

Parent Portal queries & updating contact details To advise us of any changes to your contact details, change of boarding status etc., please contact changeofdetails@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk . This is a group email address and your communication will be sent to all the relevant parties within the School. If you have any other questions relating to the Parent Portal, please contact our Data Systems Manager Mrs Bulow on datasupport@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

This week’s sports results Hockey RMS vs St Michaels Year 7 A Team won 11 – 0 Year 7 B Team won 5— 0

County Netball RMS v Sandringham Year 9 A Team won 11—6

RMS vs Parmiters Year 9 team drew 1 – 1

Other Sports Congratulations to the Year 6 indoor athletics team who won the semi finals and now progress to the Partnership Finals next month.

Cadogan House girls also performed well at Cross Country at York House this week. The Under 9 team came second overall (missing out on first place by just 4 points), and there were some fantastic individual performances in both the Under 9 and Under 11 categories. Congratulations to all the girls who took part.

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.twitter.com/RMSforGirls

www.facebook.com/RMSforGirls

IMPORTANT INFORMATION As part of the national debate on preventing extremism I would like to draw the community's attention to an interesting article from Parent Info on how parents might be more involved in helping to prevent extremism: http://parentinfo.org/article/preventing-violent-extremism-what-parents-can-do At RMS our values actively promote a positive message of respect and tolerance and we recognise that extremism can take many forms. The following are extracts from our strategy for preventing extremism at RMS and highlight why and how RMS is involved in preventing extremism.

Why is it important for schools to discuss extremism?

Education can be a powerful tool, equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and ability to think for themselves; to challenge and to debate; and giving young people the opportunity to learn about different cultures and faiths and to gain an understanding of the values we share. Exploring ideas, developing a sense of identity and forming views are a normal part of growing up.

Schools can support young people in this: providing a safe environment for discussing controversial issues and helping young people understand how they can influence and participate in decision-making. We need to encourage young people to express their views but also to appreciate the impact their views can have on others, to take responsibility for their actions and to understand that the use of violence to further any cause is criminal.

We have a commitment to our ethos embodied in our mission statement and we are also committed to: 

“traditional” values of respect, courtesy, consideration and honesty



working together to fulfil our aims



open leadership and management



working with and for our community



providing a broad and balanced curriculum that helps protect students against extremism and promotes community cohesion.



consistently reviewing the curriculum, pupil participation and safeguarding processes,

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.twitter.com/RMSforGirls

www.facebook.com/RMSforGirls

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Effectively tackling controversial issues can help learners challenge the perceptions and misconceptions of their own and of other people. To do this classroom, practices include 

developing questioning techniques to open up safe debate



exploring and promoting diversity and shared values between and within communities e.g. RS curriculum



building confidence to promote honesty about a plurality of views



ensuring freedom of expression and freedom from threat



consistently reviewing the curriculum, pupil participation and safeguarding processes



developing critical thinking skills



debating fundamental moral and human rights principles



promoting open respectful dialogue and affirming multiple identities.



challenging all prejudices including sexism, ageism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism



developing positive relationships with the wider community.

Parent Info is a collaboration between CEOP and Parent Zone. CEOP is the child protection

command of the National Crime Agency which reaches over three million children and young people a year through its Thinkuknow education programme and its vital online safety messages to over 100,000 practitioners. Parent Info provides information to parents and carers about their children's wellbeing and resilience. In line with CEOP’s Thinkuknow programme, some of the content covers internet safety and advice to help young people make the distinction between their online and offline lives and the issues for parents.

The aim is to help parents help their children be discriminating, web-literate and resilient.

If you have any questions about the above, please contact Mr Cox dcox@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.twitter.com/RMSforGirls

www.facebook.com/RMSforGirls

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Tickets are now on sale at http://www.trybooking.co.uk/340

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.twitter.com/RMSforGirls

www.facebook.com/RMSforGirls

FORMS NEWS FORMS would like to warmly welcome everyone back after the Christmas break and thank all that helped and supported us last year.

The FORMS Christmas Fair proved to be an enormous triumph and we will be posting the substantial money raised very soon. However we are always looking to improve events so please any feedback is gratefully received either positive or negative.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: After a successful 2015 FORMS are really looking forward to hosting a variety of events this year. To start the year is our hugely popular Quiz Night on Saturday 12 th March, so start thinking tactically about your team players as reputations and a title are at stake!!

The next FORMS meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd February at 7.30pm in the Governors’ Dining Hall SECOND HAND UNIFORM: The general rule is that the Room is open every Friday morning from 8.00am to 9.00am except for exeat Fridays when we will open from 3.00pm to 4.00pm. The new location is the double doors to the left of Ruspini House. Contact details for any second hand uniform enquiries are forms.rms2hu@gmail.com. We are now preparing all the refunds for last year’s sales – please do get in contact if you want information about your sales in the meantime. We also need volunteers to help run the weekly sale sessions – please do mail us if you can spare an hour one Friday a year!!

Here is the current timetable: DATE

DAY

TIME

15/01/2016

Friday

8.00—9.00am

22/01/2016

Friday

8.00—9.00am

29/01/2016

Friday

3.00—4.00pm

05/02/2016

Friday

8.00—9.00am

12/02/2016

Friday

8.00—9.00am

19/02/2016

Friday

8.00—9.00am

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.twitter.com/RMSforGirls

School Note

exeat

half term

www.facebook.com/RMSforGirls

COMMUNITY NEWS Three Rivers Youth Council The Three Rivers Youth Council is open to any young person aged 11-19 who lives or goes to school in the Three Rivers District, and is a great opportunity for young people in Three Rivers to have their say, make a difference in their local community, and have fun. Meetings are very friendly and relaxed, and new faces are always welcome.

The agenda for the meeting on the 3rd February from 5:30pm to 7:00pm includes Youth Connexions talking about the PREVENT campaign, which will include tips for young people to improve their personal resilience so that young people can be protected from extremism, media, peer pressure and help develop digital awareness. Young people, who are interested in attending, can also listen to a speaker from Healthwatch Hertfordshire, the organisation which helps deliver health, public health, and social care in Hertfordshire. Lastly, it will be decided which local clubs and charities gets donations from the ÂŁ1000 grant.

To be added to the mailing list, receive details of future meetings, help with transport or any other information, young people can contact 01923 776611 or enquiries@threerivers.gov.uk. The address for the meeting is the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth, WD3 1RL.