All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term Friday 06 February 2015 SPECIALISM SUCCESS
COLLEGE PRAYER International Day of Prayer against Human Trafficking, February 8 God, who led Saint Josephine Bakhita from abject slavery to the dignity of being your daughter and a bride of Christ, grant, we pray, that by her example we may show constant love for the Lord Jesus crucified, remaining steadfast in charity and prompt to show compassion. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Congratulations to the January students who have been named linguist of the month. We celebrate linguists of the month who are students who seize the opportunity to use the language they are learning as the natural means of communication. They are not afraid of making mistakes and use all the resources available to them to express themselves in the foreign language. September October November January 2015
KS3 Alistair Nickson KS4 Emma Nay KS3 Ryan Martin KS4 Charlie Fox KS3 Ashley Capinianes KS4 Grace Murtagh KS3 Isabella Cook KS4 Sophie Royle
TRIP LETTERS
Please note that all letters regarding school trips are available on the College website. We are aware that letters don’t always make it home, so we take care to upload them to the College website to ensure the information is readily available. Letters can be found by going to http://www.allhallows.org.uk/parent-information/letters-magazine/trip-letters
YEAR 13 UNIVERSITY FINANCE APPLICATION Year 13 students have now received letters outlining the application process for student finance. Applications for student finance are now open and can be made on line. Students don't need a confirmed place at a university or college to apply. Applications are made direct to student finance at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance. Please log on for further guidance. ARRANGEMENTS FOR PARENT CONSULATION DAY
INSET DAY Wednesday 13 May 2015 Year 7
Attend College Activity Day
Year 8
CONSULTATION DAY Reading Blog at home when not in for appointment
Parents are reminded that Friday 13 February 2015 is an inset day and students are not required to attend College
PRINCIPAL’S SURGERIES Tuesday 10 February '15, 3.45pm - 4.45pm
Year 9
Work Related Learning Reading Blog from home(Careers Theme)
Wednesday 11 March '15, 9am - 10am Tuesday 24 March '15, 3.45pm - 4.45pm
Year 10
CONSULTATION DAY Reading Blog at home when not in for appointment
Year 11
Home Study—Science Revision Study in College/Exams
Parents / Carers are invited to attend a Principal's Surgery to discuss any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates
Sixth Form
Revision Day/ Private Study In College for at home
There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait
All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term COLLEGE INTERNAL EXAMS / ASSESSMENTS
Year Group
Dates
Type
12&13
Friday 6 March 2015—Friday 13 March 2015
Mock Exam
10
Monday 16 March 2015—Friday 20 March 2015
Mock Exam
7,8,9,11
Monday 16 March 2015—Friday 27 March 2015
Assessment
7,8,9
Monday 15 June 2015—Friday 19 June 2015
End of Year Exam
10
Monday 15 June 2015—Friday 26 June 2015
Assessment EXAM COUNTDOWN
There are 91 days left until the start of the Year 11 exams. Students who were more than one grade below flight path in their mock exams will be required to resit. These resits will take place on Saturday 7 February. For all Year 11 students a revision booklet is available on the College website under Student revision. Further details will be sent shortly to parents of those students required to resit EXAM TIP
Do you need help remembering long list? - Take the first letter of each word in the list and see if they make a word or short phrase. For example, the colours of a rainbow can be shortened to: ROY G BIV PARENT AS PARTNERS - TRAVEL TO COLLEGE Dropping off and collecting students: For reasons of health and safety, parents are requested not to use the Brooklands Avenue gate car park. The residents of Brooklands Avenue also respectfully request that parents do not park in their avenue. PARENTAL GATEWAY
Reports for Years 7 to 13 are now available to view on the Parental Gateway. Reports will all be issued in this electronic format unless a paper copy is requested. Tasc Software, the makers of the software we use, are now offering access to the Parent Gateway using an app for iPhones, iPads (iOS 8.1 minimum) and also most Android devices. The app can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store by searching ‘Tasc Insight’ and costs £2.49. The Parental Gateway is also accessible for free from any internet enabled device through common web browsers using your user name and password. PARENT PAY When topping up your child’s school meals account with ParentPay, please can we ask that you are extra vigilant that you top up the School Meals account and not the College Shop account? We have had a few instances of this and unfortunately, we cannot transfer the money on the College Shop account to the School Meals account because the canteen is managed by a third party. The account for the Pod in the Quad is called “College Shop”. The account for the canteen is called “School Meals for All Hallows Catholic College” Many thanks, Finance. CAN ANY FAMILIES HELP? We received a request from a Spanish family looking for accommodation for their two daughters who hope to study for one term in autumn 2015 in our college. The girls are aged 14 and 13 and the family is willing to pay for board and lodgings. If you are able to help and would like more details then please contact Mr Blades, Assistant Principal, at the college for more details (01625 426138 staffmpb@allhallows.org.uk).
All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term TRIPS AND UPCOMING EVENTS Geography drop-in session KS4/5 students every Thursday 3:30p.m.- 4:30p.m. The session will provide assistance on case studies, exam questions and key terms. AHLC Basketball Tournament Wednesday 16 February 2015 - 1p.m.-3p.m.
Year 12 and 13 Mock Exam Week Friday 6 March - Friday 13 March Year 11 photos Tuesday 10 March 2015 Year 7, 9 and 11 Assessment Week Monday 16 March 2015
Andalucía Trip Thursday 12 February 2015—Monday 19 February 2015 SKI Trip Friday 13 February 2015—Saturday 21 February 2015 Celebration Assemblies Week Monday 2 March 2015 Year 8 Pathways Evening Thursday 5 March 2015 —7p.m.-9.p.m.
SCHOOL APPLICATION PANEL Applications are invited for new panel members to join independent education appeals panels in Cheshire East. If you have an interest in education and feel able to offer some time, we would be most grateful to hear from you. Appeals are heard Monday to Friday during normal office hours. Each panel is made up of three members who are independent of the Local Authority. The panel hears admission appeals against decisions not to admit children to particular schools. Applications are invited from people of all backgrounds as the panel is made up of lay members and those with experience in education. A lay member is a person without personal experience in the provision of education in any school (disregarding experience as a school governor or in another voluntary capacity). A member with experience in education is a person who has experience in education (such as a retired headteacher or teacher); or has knowledge of educational conditions in the local area or is a parent of a registered pupil at a school. Full training will be provided for new members and if you are successful you would be required to attend a training day on Tuesday 21 April 2015. The work is unpaid but panel members are eligible to receive travel allowances for all meetings they attend. If you are interested in becoming a panel member, please contact Brett Dainty by email: brett.dainty@cheshireeast.gov.uk or telephone 01270 686469 for an application form and more information. FRESH MILK NOW AVAILABLE IN CANTEEN Students on free school meals can now get a 189ml carton of semi-skimmed milk every day for free from the school canteen. This will not affect their free school meal allowance of £2.25, as this is additional. Students simply need to pick up the milk and take it to the till. The milk is also available to students not on free school meals at a cost of 65p.
PEANUT & NUT ALLERGIES
A number of our students have allergies to nuts. In some cases they will only react when they touch or eat nuts, but in rare cases their reaction may be caused when traces of nuts are in the air. It would help these students if nuts or nut related products were not brought into school. We thank parents and students for the co-operation with this matter.
All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term STUDENT SUPPORT ACROSS THE COLLEGE NAME
JOB
Mrs J Pilling
Careers Advisor
Student Support Office
Mrs L Nolan
Visyon Counsellor
Student Support Office
Mrs J Jones
College Nurse
Student Support Office
Mrs P Shatwell
Family Support
Office next to rooms A9 and A10 Pastoral Office (ground floor of Fisher Building)
Education Welfare bullying@allhallowslearning.org.uk beingme@allhallowslearning.org.uk esafety@allhallowslearning.org.uk
MON
TUES
WED
Mrs J Beard and Mrs P Prince
THUR
FRI
VENUE
emails will be read by a Senior Teacher
= Staff Present MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS DURING THE COLLEGE DAY
Students must sign out at the Attendance Office before leaving College to attend a medical appointment. When they return to College the student must sign back in. This ensures registers will be accurate and we know the student is off site should we have a fire alarm. The Attendance Office is located in the office along the RE corridor. We thank parents for making medical appointments, where possible, that do not take up a whole day of schooling. This often allows a student to have their legal registration mark for both morning and afternoon sessions and so their overall attendance does not fall. BEING PUNCTUAL AT ALL HALLOWS
Most students appreciate the importance of being in College on time. Children who are regularly late do miss out on their education and form bad habits that will not be tolerated in the workplace. As a result of the change to the College day we need to inform parents that students must be in the registration form class for the register to be taken at 8.45a.m. This means students should arrive 5-10 minutes earlier in College to be on time. Any student who arrives after 8.45a.m. will receive a L code. Two L codes within a week will result in a whole college detention (which started on Thursday 6 November). This is a recent change in procedures and moves the detention away from the form tutor and it will now be seen as a whole college issue. Any student who arrives after 9.05a.m. will receive a U code. This means they will be classed as absent for the whole morning and this may have consequences for overall attendance. We are aware that College buses are sometimes late and we can confirm these students are not negatively marked in the register when this happens. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS
If any parent would like their son or daughter to have a careers interview with Mrs Pilling, our Careers Advisor, this year then please notify the relevant Year Learning Leader who can ensure names are added to the list. Priority is now with Year 10 students (now Year 11 have all been seen) and also with sixth form students. Students in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 are welcome to attend her lunch time drop in. She uses the Student Support Office based next door to Music. YEAR LEARNING LEADER “DROP IN SURGERIES” Year 7: Two surgeries have been held recently, more dates will be announced soon Year 8: held on 11 February (1.15p.m. – 2.15p.m.) and 25 March (1.15p.m. – 2.15p.m.) Year 9: held on 16 March (9.00a.m. – 10.00a.m.) Year 10: held on 27 March (1.15p.m. – 2.00p.m.) Year 11: held on 24 March (9.45a.m. – 10.45a.m.) These are for parents who would like to discuss any concerns relating to their child. No appointment is necessary but please be prepared to wait. Please contact our Pastoral Assistant (Pastoral@allhallows.org.uk 01625 410285 x215), should you require an appointment with a Year Learning Leader at any other time.
All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term The following are the remaining dates for training days in 2014-15. Students are not required to attend on Friday 13 February 2015 and Friday 22 May 2015 unless taking an external exam. COLLEGE TERM DATES Term
College Opens to Students
College Closes to Students
Epiphany
Monday 5 January 2015
Thursday 12 February 2015
Easter
Monday 23 February 2015
Thursday 2 April 2015
Whitsun
Monday 20 April 2015
Thursday 21 May 2015
Trinity
Monday 1 June 2015
Tuesday 21 July 2015
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Year 7 - 91.3% Year 8 - 89.1% Year 9 - 89.7% Year 10 - 86.8% Year 11 - 89.7% Year 12 - 91.20% Year 13 - 87.90%
92.00% 91.00% 90.00% 89.00% 88.00% 87.00% 86.00% 85.00% 84.00% YEAR 7
YEAR 8
YEAR 9
YEAR 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 YEAR 13
Attendance last week was 89.5% (a decrease from 95.4% in the previous week and largely due to snow related absence). Our overall attendance since 2 September has fallen 0.2% to 95.1%. We aim for 97%. Last week GIRLS attendance was 89% (down from 94.8% during the previous week), BOYS attendance was 90% (down from 96%). The overall girls attendance since 2 September is 94.6% whilst boys is 95.5%
ATTENDANCE COMPETITION All students in Year 7 and Year 8 are challenged to full 100% attendance between Monday 2 February and Thursday 12 February. Those students who achieve this will be entered into a prize draw for £25 worth of Amazon vouchers. The same competition will run for Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 students just before Easter and for all students between Years 7 to Year 11 in the summer term. This first competition is a challenge to Key Stage 3 students to not let their attendance slip at the end of a term. HOLIDAY ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE Holidays have not been authorised since 1st September 2013 under new legislation on all English schools. Requests for holidays must still be made in writing to the appropriate Key Stage leader (Mrs Garvey KS5, Mr Blades KS4/KS3), but in the vast majority of cases they will be unauthorised. A Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued of £60 per parent / carer per student, to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty. Please can all holiday requests be made well in advance of the holiday being taken if not before the holiday is booked. MEDICAL ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE Whilst the College requires parents to contact us on each day of absence , school policy now requires that any student who accumulates 7 or more days of absence during the course of the academic year will be asked to provide medical confirmation of the need to be absent before any further absences are authorised for medical reasons. This is a necessary measure as we closely monitor absence due to illness / medical reasons in order that we can ensure students are supported where needed. For your information medical confirmation does not have to be a doctor's note but can also take the form of a medical appointment card, a copy of a relevant dated prescription or evidence of medication being taken If no medical evidence is provided then the absence will be coded as unauthorised. Ten or more unauthorised absences may result in you receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice. This incurs a penalty of £60 per parent / carer to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty. The link between attendance and achievement is well researched and documented and students should be aiming for an attendance rate of no less than 97% over the year. Thank you for your continued support with this important issue.
All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term FITNESS SUITE Students are now able to use our fantastic new Fitness Suite. Those students who have completed a Fitness Suite . Induction and wish to use the facilities must sign up on the day using the sign up sheet on the notice board in the Sports Hall. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, up to a maximum of 28 students for each session. The following sessions are available: Monday - Y7/8 (mixed) until 4.30p.m. The Fitness Suite is also open at lunch (second Tuesday - Y7/8 (girls only) until 4.30p.m. break). Wednesday - Y9/10/11 (girls only) until 4.00p.m. Any queries please contact Mr Lawson or a member Thursday - Y11/Sixth form (mixed) until 4.30p.m. Friday - Y9/10 (mixed) until 4.30p.m. of the PE staff for more information.
UPCOMING SPORTS FIXTURES
GIRLS NETBALL
WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY
Macclesfield Academy
3:30pm
Away
WEDNESDAY 4 MARCH
Wilmslow High School
3:30pm
Away
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH
Fallibroome Academy
3:30pm
Away
WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH
Eaton Bank Academy
3:30pm
Away
YEAR 7/8 INDOOR ATHLETICS THURSDAY 12 FEBRUARY
Knutsford Academy
4:00pm
Home
BASKETBA:LL WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY
All Hallows
1:00pm-3:00pm
Home
PE NOTICE TO ALL PARENTS Please make sure students are bringing appropriate clothing to their PE lessons if they are on an outdoor lesson. During extreme weather (and extreme cold conditions as it has been recently) parents are reminded that students can and are advised to wear the following: All Hallows PE trousers (plain black joggers/tracksuit bottoms will also be allowed during the cold weather) All Hallows Black jacket (or a plain black sports jacket/waterproof) All Hallows black fleece Hats (black/dark in colour/plain) Gloves (black/dark in colour/plain) Under-armour/skins/undergarments - as long as red/black or white in colour Also, a reminder that all girls should now own football boots/astro-turf trainers for use on the new 3G Astro-turf pitch. Many thanks, PE department
All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term
LIBRARY NEWS
BOOK AMNESTY There are still a number of missing and very overdue books that we like returned to the library as soon as possible. Please search at home and bring them back - no questions asked! We have recently installed a new Library Management System and are in the process of updating the catalogue so that when this is completed all students will be given log in details and be able to use the system to search, reserve and review books. Your support in finding and returning these books is very much appreciated.
LIBRARY COMPETITIONS The Librarian is currently running two competitions open to Year 7 & 8 students with prizes of Wimpy Kid and Dork diaries to be won. All details are available from form tutors, English teachers or the Library.
CHESHIRE SCHOOLS’ BOOK AWARD 2015 Please see this term's Aspire Magazine for information on the annual county book awards and the seven shortlisted titles. The award runs until May so there is plenty of time for students and their parents to read one of the books and vote.
500 WORDS If you are a Radio 2 listener, you will have heard about the 500 Words competition and all students in years 7 & 8 have been given information through their tutors about this national writing competition. If you want to find out more about it search BBC Radio 2 500 Words. As the closing date is Thursday 26th February, it might be a half term activity!
WORLD BOOK DAY Thursday March 5th is World Book Day and we will be celebrating at All Hallows with a week of book/reading themed events. Students will all receive a ÂŁ1 book voucher to spend either on one of the special World Book Day books or to put towards the cost of a book of their choice. You can find out more about World Book Day at www.worldbookday.com
The highlight of our week is an author visit by Jon Mayhew, who is also our Author of the Month for February. More details about his visit will be given to students through their English lessons. All of Jon's books are available from the AH library or a local library, so why not read one? Log onto his website: www.jonmayhew.co.uk for more information.