25 september 2015

All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Michaelmas Term

Friday 25 Sept 2015

COLLEGE PRAYER SPECIALISM SUCCESS

This week the new cohort of Y12 L3 BTEC Diploma Business students have launched The Time 2 Change Project with local primary schools. As part of their unit called 'Organising a Business Event', students will co-ordinate the whole project throughout the year, preparing resources, monitoring progress and judging in schools to find a winner to come to The Final Celebration in March 2016. The same group of students have also shown a keen interest in signing up for the newly branded 'Career Ready' Programme (formally known as CAUK). Students now apply on-line on the Career Ready website for a programme of activities that will see them through the next 18 months of their studies. Congratulations to these students for making an excellent start to their study of Business.

Lord, you are the God of Surprises.

When we feel sad, Surprise us with laughter.

When we expect it to rain, Surprise us with sunshine.

When we feel tired, Surprise us with energy, And when we feel lost, Surprise us with You. Amen.

NEW SAFEGUARDING WEBSITE FOR PARENTS - PARENT INFO

In schools we have lots of opportunities to learn about safeguarding and, particularly the online aspect. Parents on the other In schools havetolots of opportunities learn about safeguarding and, particularly theabout onlineesafety, aspect. but Parents on the they other hand needwe access support too. It is nottoalways easy to encourage parents to meetings it is crucial hand need access to support too.

It is not always easy to encourage parents to meetings about esafety, but it is crucial they understand the risks. understand the risks.

The government has recently launched a brand new website to support parents. The website has being developed with The government has recently launched a brand new website to support parents. website has being developed with ParentZone and CEOP, the police command responsible for child exploitation andThe online protection.

ParentZone and CEOP, the police command responsible for child exploitation and online protection.

Parent Info is a collection of articles, tips, expert advice and resources designed to help parents keep up with what their Parent a collection articles, tips,the expert advice and resources designedabout to helpstaying parents keep with what their childrenInfo areisdoing on-line.ofFor example, site currently includes information safe on up minecraft, mental childrenand arebuilding doing on-line. example, the site currently includes information about staying safe on minecraft, mental health, online For resilience. health, and building online resilience.

You can find further information here: http://parentinfo.org/ You can findparents furtheran information here: http://parentinfo.org/ To support information evening is being held at All Hallows on 15 October at 6pm. This is being delivered by Cheshire police specialising in the area of e-Safety.

BUS TIME CHANGE – AH7

Parents may be aware that there have been difficulties since the start of term regarding the lateness of the AH7 bus. Whilst some of the delays related to roadworks, the issues have continued. Therefore, from Monday 28 September there will be a change to the timings on the AH7 route, with pick up at the first stop being 10 minutes earlier (07.35) than previously advertised.

Full details and timings from all stops can be found at, http://www.allhallows.org.uk/parent-information/transport-trips/ Please note, students are not marked late on registers when it is due to lateness of the College buses.

COLLEGE TERM DATES

Term

College Opens to Students

College Closes to Students

Michaelmas

Wednesday 2 September 2015 (Year 7, 12 and 13 in only) Thursday 3 September 2015 (All students in)

Friday 23 October 2015

Christmas

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Friday 18 December 2015

Epiphany

Monday 4 January 2016

Thursday 11 February 2016

Easter

Monday 22 February 2016

Thursday 24 March 2016

Whitsun

Monday 11 April 2016

Thursday 26 May 2016

Trinity

Monday 6 June 2016

Tuesday 19 July 2016

PARENTS AS PARTNERS: EQUIPMENT

All students should be carrying the correct equipment in a bag appropriate for school. A full list of uniform and equipment expectation can be found on the website.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Assistance for families on Free School Meals/Working Tax Credits All Hallows offers assistance to families on free school meals each academic year through vouchers that can be used for uniform and bus passes.

If you are eligible for free school meals, you will be entitled to a voucher from All Hallows up to the value of £100 towards replacement uniform annually. The claim form for this is available on the College website under Parent Information > Uniform Matters.

Further to this, we offer assistance with bus pass costs. If you are eligible for free school meals, All Hallows may fund up to 100% of the bus pass or 50% for those on working tax credits. The claim form for this is also on the College website under Parent Information > Transport and Trips. A copy of a refusal letter from Cheshire East or your 2015/16 Working Tax Credit Award will be required to approve this claim.

Throughout the academic year, each student eligible for free school meals is allocated an allowance of £50 which can be used towards the cost of educational trips and materials.

If you have any questions on any of the above, please contact Miss Wakefield in Finance.

TRIP PAYMENTS

Please can we remind all parents that the College does not accept payments for trips by cash or cheque. All payments should be made using our online payment system, ParentPay. If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Finance Office.

TRIPS IN 2015/2016

The College is planning a number of foreign trips and other visits in the new academic year. The major ones are: Date 18 - 25 Oct, 2015 18 - 20 Nov, 2015 24 - 27 Nov, 2015

Details German exchange students visiting UK Retreat to The Briars, Derbyshire Retreat to Soli House, Alton

Year Group Year 8 to Year 13 Year 12 Year 11

Estimated Cost TBC £95.00 £130.00

07 - 11 Dec, 2015

Retreat to Castlerigg Manor, Keswick

Year 10

£180.00

10 - 20 Feb, 2016 03 - 08 Feb, 2016

Trip to India project Spanish exchange to Barcelona

Year 12 Year 12 and Year 13

12 - 17 Feb, 2016 12 - 19 Feb, 2016

Year 10 – Year 13 Year 8 to Year 13 Year 12 and Year 13 Year 8 Year 8 and Year 9 Year 12 - Physics Year 9 to Year 13 Year 12

TBC £115.00 £575.00 £400.00 £1,050.00 TBC

13 - 15 July, 2016

Language / culture visit to Paris German exchange – UK students visiting Germany Spanish exchange students visiting UK Retreat to Alton Castle Andalucia CERN, Switzerland Beijing and Xian Enrichment visit to either New York or Rome Malta – Performing Arts

£700.00 £200.00 for flights plus excursions £500.00 £475.00

Mixed

TBC

Early July, 2016

Belgian Battlefields

Year 10

£500.00

March, 2016 04 - 06 May, 2016 26 - 30 May, 2016 Late June / early July 2016 26 June – 03 July, 2016 July, 2016

A letter containing details of these trips can be found on the College website

DROP IN SESSIONS 2015/16 UPCOMING EVENTS

KS4/5 students

DAY Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

SUBJECT

TIME

Science/Languages

3:30 – 4:30

Maths

3:30-4:30

Art

2:45 – 4:00

Product Design

3:30 – 4:30

October Events Year 7 Service of Welcome Thursday 1 October 6.00 p.m.- 7. 00. p.m.

Open Mornings Year 5 and Year 6 Thursday 1 October 9.30.a.m.– 11.00.a.m.

Target Setting Parental Information Evening Thursday 8 October 7.00.p.m.- 8.00.p.m.

Open Mornings Year 5 and Year 6 Thursday 8 October 9.30.a.m.– 11.00.a.m.

PTA Quiz Night Friday 9 October 7.00.p.m.- 10.30.p.m.

PRINCIPAL’S SURGERIES

Parents / Carers are invited to attend a Principal's Surgery to discuss any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates: Monday 28 September 2015, 9.00.a.m. - 10.00.a.m.

Tuesday 13 October 2015, 3.45.p.m. - 4.45.p.m.

Monday 30 November 2015, 9.00.a.m. - 10.00.a.m.

Tuesday 15 December 2015, 3.45.p.m. - 4.45.p.m.

There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait

E –Safety Awareness Thursday 15 October 6.00.p.m.– 7.30.p.m.

Year 7 Music Showcase Tuesday 20 October 6.00.p.m.– 7.00.p.m.

Wednesday 21 October 6.00.p.m.– 7.00.p.m.

Year 13 Higher Education Information Evening Wednesday 21 October 7.00.p.m.-8.00.p.m.

Year 11 Post 16 Curriculum Evening Thursday 22 October 7.00.p.m.– 9.30.p.m.

October Half Term Booster Classes Monday 26 October Tuesday 27 October

DUKE OF EDINBURGH FUTURE IMPORTANT DATES

Bronze DofE assessed expedition Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2015 Gold DofE practice expedition Thursday 24 to Monday 28 September 2015 Gold DofE assessed expedition Thursday 22 to Monday 26 October 2015

Congratulations to those students who have made a commitment to work towards their Duke of Edinburgh award. Currently we have 35 students working on their bronze award, 21 on silver and 5 on gold.

If any students are unsure, need help or want more detail please see Mrs Connor.

Well done to all those who are uploading their evidence for each of the areas on eDofE. If you have not started to do this yet can you please have a go. You will need to have completed two of the three sections before the expedition. Again if you need help with this come and see Mrs Connor.

PTA QUIZ NIGHT

PTA quiz night Friday 9th October at All Hallows Catholic College Tickets £7.80 per person via Parent Pay or please ring finance. Ticket includes cheese and biscuits supper. Licensed bar available. Over 18's only. From 7-10.30pm. For more information please email a.heaton@allhallows.org.uk

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

Over the last week of College attendance was as follows: Year 7 - 97.4% (down 0.7% from last week) Year 8 - 96.9% (up 0.8%, well done Year 8) Year 9 - 96.2% (down 0.4%) Year 10 - 94.9% (no change) Year 11 - 94.2% (down 0.5%) Year 12 - 98.0% (down 0.6%, but still the highest in the College) Year 13 - 96.0% (down 0.5%) This was another disappointing week with several year groups falling. Year 10 and Year 11 are still too low for students at this key stage in their education and we ask for support of parents to help this improve.

Attendance between Year 7 and Year 11 last week was 96.0% (down 0.1% from last week). We aim for 97%.

Last week GIRLS attendance (Years 7-11) was 95.7% (down 0.4%), BOYS attendance (Year 7-11) was 96.2% (up 0.1% so well done boys) CHANGES TO ATTENDANCE POLICY From September 2015 the College will change the definition of “persistent absence” we use to include those students who are under 90% attendance. This is in line with national guidelines and increases the threshold from 85% at present.

MEDICAL ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE Whilst the College requires parents to contact us on each day of absence , College 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 importance issue.

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 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.

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 Diamond/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.

STUDENT SUPPORT ACROSS THE COLLEGE 2015/16 NAME

JOB

Mrs J Pilling

Careers Advisor

Mrs L Nolan

Visyon Counsellor

Mrs J Jones and Mrs J Fox

College Nurses

Student Support

Mrs P Shatwell

Family Support

Office between rooms A9 and A10

Education Mrs J Beard and Mrs P Prince

Welfare

bullying@allhallowslearning.org.uk beingme@allhallowslearning.org.uk esafety@allhallowslearning.org.uk

MON

TUES

WED

THUR

FRI

VENUE Student Support Office Student Support Office

Pastoral Office (ground floor of

emails will be read by a Senior Teacher

= Staff Present 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. Mrs Pilling will prioritise Year 10-13, but students in Years 7-9 are welcome to attend her Thursday lunch time drop in. She uses the Student Support Office based next door to Music.

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.

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 to be held each Thursday.

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.

Gates are manned by members of staff and names will be taken of those students who are late.

YEAR LEARNING LEADER “DROP IN SURGERIES�

Year 7: will be held on Tuesday 10 November (11.45-12.30) Year 8: will be held on Wednesday 7 October (9.15-10.00) and Wednesday 2 December (9.15-10.00) Year 9: will be held on Friday 2 October (2.15-3.00) and Friday 4 December (2.15-3.00) Year 10: will be held on Monday 12 October (9.00-9.45) and Monday 14 December (9.00-9.45) Year 11: will be held on Friday 23 October (11.15-11.45) and Friday 11 December (11.15-11.45) 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.

OFFICIAL OPENING Official opening of the John Paul II 3G Pitch and Changing Rooms at All Hallows Catholic College. Alex Bedford, Chief Operating Officer of the Cheshire FA cuts the ribbon watched by Tony Billings, Principal; Mgr Vladimir Feltzmann of the John Paul II Foundation for Sport; and students of The Macclesfield Football Academy.

RESULTS 

Y10 English schools cup V Weaverham. Lost 2-1.

Great performance from the team who were very unlucky to get beaten. A promising start to the season. Goalscorer - James Chadwick/Jack Shields! Man of match - Sam Knight. Well done!



Congratulations to the Macclesfield Football Academy students who won 4-3 against Congleton High

ALL HALLOWS CHOIR

REMINDER 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 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.

INSPIRE CHOIR INFORMATION Rehearsals are on Friday, 3:30 – 4:30 pm Inspire Choir Form (during registration) will be: Monday – None Tuesday – Year 9/10/11/12/13 Wednesday – All Years Thursday – Year 7/8 Friday – Year 9/10 After School Commitments will be: Thursday 1st October – Year 7 service of welcome at AHCC 6:00pm Sunday 22nd November – St Alban’s Church Macclesfield 6:30pm Thursday 10th December –Carol Singing and Christmas Service 6:00pm Sunday 28th February – St Gregory’s Church Bollington 10:30am 13th - 14th April - 'An Evening at the Movies' Performing Arts Concert 7:00pm Friday 17th June – St Alban’s Macclesfield Confirmation Service 6:30pm There will be other commitments during school time for other masses throughout the year.

The Inspire choir is entry by audition. In addition to singing ability, you must have a good sense of commitment, and the values required to be in such a group. It is with a common sense of purpose that we sing, and this makes it more enjoyable for both the listener and the performer.

Auditions : 9th October / 16th October We are hoping to go on a trip this year to Malta. You must show excellent commitment and attendance to all rehearsals and performances in order to be included on the trip. The performing arts department will cancel your place and offer it to someone else if you are not fully committed to the choir. We hope to get more information out to you about price in a few weeks - the airlines confirm their prices for next summer in October.

OPENING TIMES Welcome to the Library!

Monday - Thursday 8.15.a.m. - 5.00.p.m.

Friday 8.15.a.m. - 4.00.p.m.

The library is open before school, during breaks and after school for students to research, complete homework, browse the shelves, read and return books.

OVERDUE BOOKS There are a number of students who have yet to return books borrowed before the summer holidays. Notices have gone out to tutors and letters home are in the process out being sent out. We do ask that if a student has lost a book that a contribution to a replacement copy is made. All details are on the letters. Your support in this is greatly appreciated.

ONLINE RESOURCE: COMPLETE ISSUES Complete Issues is a reliable and valuable resource that students can use from any computer 24/7. The site contains thousands of articles and statistics on, as well as links to a wide range of social issues. The resources can be used for many different subjects, including RE, English and Geography.

Log on to: http://www.completeissues.co.uk/ to get started and take a tour. The username is AHCC and password is allhallowsuser (both case sensitive).

Please ask if you have any questions about the resource.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB Why not invest in some of Autumn's new read or some classics by logging onto to http://schools.scholastic.co.uk/all-hallowscatholic and searching the huge range of discounted books available? For the total of orders placed above ÂŁ10, the library will receive 20% of the value back in free books.

This half term's ordering period finished on Friday October 9th to allow the books to be delivered in time for the half term break.

Why not have a look as there are videos, interviews and competitions as well!

RECOMMENDED READS The Sound of Whales by Kerr Thomson This book is a magical, wild adventure set on a Scottish Island. It tells the story of Fraser and Danny, two brothers and Hayley, an American visitor who are shocked to find the body of a whale and man washed up on the island's shore. Where can they find the answer to the mystery? The sea itself but someone has to learn to listen....

MAN BOOKER SHADOWING GROUP THE SHORTLIST HAS BEEN REVEALED!

Any year 11 or 6th form students who wish to take part in the shadowing group which will read and comment on the books should contact their English teacher or Ms Sinclair in the library.