Newsletter 07 03 2014

All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Easter Term

PRAYER Lord our God, You made us from the dust of the earth and breathed into us the spirit of life, but we turned away from You and sinned.

In this season of repentance we call out for Your mercy.

Bring us back to You and to the life your Son Jesus won for us

by His death on the cross, for He lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen

Friday 7th March 2014

EXAMS Friday 23/05/14 INSET DAY EXAMS Please be advised that the following GCE/GCSE exams will be taking place on the above date.

GCE (AS) CHEM1 @ 9.00 am GCE (AS) 6RS02 @13.00 pm (Ethics and Psychology Paper 2) GCSE (Year 11) Drama Unit 3 @13.00 pm GCSE (Year 11) History Unit 2 @ 9.00 am Dates and times are set by the exam boards and cannot be re-arranged by the college. Students taking these courses are therefore expected to attend their exams on this date in school uniform or business dress. School buses will be arranged for students concerned. Parents/Guardians please complete transport requirements slips and return to Form Tutor/Reception/ Exams Office. Thank you.

Exam Results Days - August 2014 Thursday 14th August 2014 8:30am - 10:30am A2 Results (Year 13) 11:00am - 12:30am AS Results (Year 12) Thursday 21st August 2014 10:00am - 12:00 noon - GCSE Results (Y11 only)

SPECIALISM SUCCESS The Time 2 Change Competition reached its final stage on 06 March, 2014 in a grand celebration in the Romero Centre of All Hallows Catholic College. Winning teams from ten primary schools competed in a Fair Trade Enterprise Challenge to design and build a shop for one of ten different countries which were allocated as a surprise to students when they opened their Challenge envelopes. Students had to buy resources in a foreign language and use recycled materials in their build. The standard was extremely high and judges, Pete Pealing from Peaks and Plains Housing Trust and Tom Agar of MS Events had a very difficult job on their hands in reaching a final decision. The overall winners were St. Alban’s Catholic Primary School and the runners-up were St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School. Best Journal went to St. John the Evangelist C of E Primary School. Prizes were awarded by Hannah Bristow, Year 11 student at All Hallows who became World Champion recently in an International sailing competition. Many thanks to everyone who was involved especially the Year 12 BTEC Business students who organised and ran the event. (JL)

PRINCIPALS SURGERY Parents / carers are invited to attend a Principal’s Surgery to discuss any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates Thursday 13 March, 3.30pm – 4.30pm Thursday 27 March, 9am-10am There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait EXAM TIP– WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER Put a mark alongside the unanswered question and leave time to come back to it. You may remember the answer and get full marks, or gain some marks with an educated guess. Never– ever leave a question unattempted.

GSCE COUNTDOWN 66 Days until Monday the 12th May 2014, the date of the first GCSE exam.

YEAR LEADER "DROP IN SURGERIES” Year 7 and Year 8 Friday 14 March 2014 between 8.30 am and 9.30 am with Mrs Moffat and Mr Parke.

Year 10 Thursday 24 April 2014 between 12.00 and 1.00 pm with Mrs Remfry.

Year 9 Friday 25 April between 9.00 am and 10.00 am with Mrs Moulsdale 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. Future dates for other year groups will be confirmed shortly.

YEAR 8 PATHWAYS Parents/carers of Year 8 students should note the following important dates concerning the Pathway (Option) Process.

Date

Event

Tue 11th March 3.45 pm – 5.30 pm Mon 17th March

Leadership Team Y8 Parental Surgery Conference Room Deadline for Pathway Choices

BIOMETRIC Can we remind all parents that we urgently need the biometric consent forms returned to college as soon as possible. You can also email your consent to parentpay@allhallows.org.uk, stating the name and tutor group of your child. At present, we have only received 19% of them. A copy of the letter including the consent form can be found on the college website. Thank you to those parents that attended our drop in session, the afternoon was a success. If you have any further queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Many thanks, All Hallows Finance Team.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

97.00%

Over the last week of College attendance was as follows: 96.00%

Year 7 - 96.4% (up 1.4% on the previous week, well done Year 7) Year 8 - 96.1% (up 1.1%, well done Year 8) Year 9 - 96.4% (up 3.0% excellent Year 9) Year 10 - 93.4% (down 1.4%) Year 11 - 94.6% (down 1.6%) Year 12: 96.11% (up 0.41% on last week) Year 13: 96.58% (down 0.77% on last week) The average for the week was 95.4% (up 0.5%). Since 3rd September attendance is still 95.6%. We aim for 97%.

95.00% 94.00% 93.00% 92.00%

91.00% YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 YEAR 13

Last week GIRLS attendance has increased 0.2% to 94.1%, BOYS attendance has increased 0.7% to 96.8%. Since 3rd September boys are still winning girls 96.1% to 95.0%. Come on girls, you can beat the boys.

Parents are politely reminded to avoid absence unless it is absolutely necessary. Thank you for your on-going support regarding medical absence and holiday absence.

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 and Mr Diamond 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.

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 importance issue.

CALENDAR

Term

College Opens to Students

College Closes to Students

Easter

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Friday 4 April 2014

Whitsun

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Thursday 22 May 2014

Trinity

Monday 2 June 2014

Tuesday 22 July 2014

The following are the dates for training days in 2013-14. Students are not required to attend on these days. Unless taking an external exam.

Monday 24 February 2014 Tuesday 25 February 2014 Tuesday 22 April 2014 Friday 23 May 2014 Wednesday 23 July 2014

ADVANCED NOTICE Languages Controlled Assessments 2013-2014

Please find below the list of dates for the languages controlled assessments. Each assessment can count for 15% of the final GCSE. Teachers will let your son/daughter know on which dates they will complete assessments. Please avoid time off both on the date and in the lessons preceding these dates. Please contact a.harrison@allhallows.org.uk with any queries.

Year 11 Speaking 2 Year 10 Writing 2

Thursday and Monday 13/17 March 10y Tuesday 6 May 10g Thursday 8 May

Speaking 1 Speaking 2

Tuesday/Wednesday 10/11 March Thursday/Friday 3 /4 July

Year 9 Speaking

Tuesday/Wednesday 8/9 July

RECOMMENDED READS The History Keepers: The Storm Begins - History Keepers 1

by Damian Dibben Imagine if you lost your parents - not just in place, but in time. Jake Djones' mum and dad have gone missing and they could be anywhere in the world - at any time in history. Because the Djones family have an astonishing secret, which for years they've managed to keep - even from each other. They belong to the HISTORY KEEPERS: a secret society which travels through the centuries to prevent evil enemies from meddling with History itself. In the quest to find his parents, Jake is whisked from 21st Century London to 19th century France, the headquarters of the mysterious History Keepers, where he discovers the truth about his family's disappearance - and the diabolical Prince Zeldt's plan to destroy the world as we know it.

Jinx

by Meg Cabot It wasn't just the power failure the night Jean Honeychurch was born that earned her the nickname Jinx: misfortune seems to follow her wherever she goes. Which is why she's been shipped off to New York to stay with relatives -- including her sophisticated cousin Tory -- until the trouble she's caused back in her small hometown dies down. Tory couldn't care less about Jinx -- until Jinx's chronic bad luck starts wreaking havoc in Tory's perfect world. Only then does Jinx learn that beneath Tory's big-city glamour lies a world of hatred and revenge. And now Jean's jinx could be the only thing that can save her life.

PARENT VIEW SURVEY FOR 2012-13

8 parent responses so far to the OfSTED Parent View Survey for 2013-14.

Each week we will be presenting a statistic from the 2012-13 survey and asking you a question or two about how we can continue to work together to do our very best for our young people. 130 parents responded last year and we’d like to reach a minimum of 200 this year!

As a Catholic College we pride ourselves on trying to address the needs of the whole child. 97% of parents strongly agree or agree that their children is being well taught at All Hallows. We’ve invested many resources in the development of teaching. Teachers have professional development sessions every Wednesday and our quality of teaching and learning is regularly judged against OfSTED standards. We have a special Learning Cycle with underpinning elements which all teachers are expected to use in their planning and teaching. (The programme is called the Teacher Enhancement Effectiveness Programme or TEEP for short) What do you think about your child’s lessons? What do you think would make them even better? Why not have a discussion with your child and Email your views to parentview@allhallows.org.uk. Please also follow this link to complete the questionnaire this year - http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk

COULD YOU BE THE GOVERNOR WE ARE LOOKING FOR? ALL HALLOWS IS AGAINST BULLYING We would like to remind students and parents that our website has links to an anti-bullying email service.bullying@allhallowslearning.org.uk is the email address that can be used to confidentially report incidents of bullying to a senior teacher.

Students are also encouraged to report bullying to their form tutor and Year Leader.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS: STAYING HEALTHY Only plain water in clear plastic bottles is allowed in class. Fruit juices and squash may be brought into College for drinking before College, at break, lunch or after College. No cans or any kind of carbonated drinks are allowed at any time during the College day or in after-College clubs. These, when found, will be confiscated.

A drop-in information session for potential Parent Governors The Local Governing Body of All Hallows Catholic College has completed a skills audit and is now seeking a Parent Governor who can complement the skills of existing members. We are particularly seeking Governors who may be able to help us fulfil our duties in areas such as Finance, Health and Safety, Evaluation, Recruitment and Interpreting Data. A drop-in question and answer session will be held on Monday 17 March at 10am with the Principal and Chair of Governors for interested parents to find out more. Please give this your full consideration. Please let the Principals' PA know if you can attend on principalpa@allhallows.org.uk so we can have an idea of numbers. Advice will be given on how to write your statement and the elections process.

COMMUNITY MASS All Hallows Chapel every Friday 9am-9.45am Parents/Carers/Parishioners are all welcome

CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS Our new careers advisor, Mrs Jean Pilling, has now seen 81 students for impartial careers interviews since she started in mid-December. If any parents would like their son or daughter to have a careers interview this year then please notify the relevant Year Leader who can ensure names are added to the list. Priority will be given to Year 11, 12 and 13 students, but she will also see other students lower down the college for careers interviews. She has a drop in on Thursday lunchtime for students of any year and Year 8's are particularly welcome as they chose their option subjects.

ECO FACT UK households use £1.2 billion worth of electricity on refrigeration every year. To help cut costs don’t leave the door open any longer than is necessary as cold air will escape. Avoid putting hot food into the fridge, defrost the freezer regularly to keep it running efficiently and economically, and check the door seals are working properly. If you absolutely have to put your fridge or freezer next to a cooker or boiler, leave a good gap between them.

PARENT DROP IN SESSION - "HELPING CHILDREN MAKE CAREER CHOICES" - 3 APRIL Would you like some advice on how to talk "careers" with your son or daughter? Are you unsure as to which careers route is best for them? Do you need help understanding apprenticeships, GCSE choices, post 16 choices and decisions regards universities? Don't worry as help is at hand. On Thursday 3rd April between 4 pm - 6 pm we are holding an informal drop in session for any parents of our students to help them answer such questions. Mr Jean Pilling, our careers advisor, together with Mr Blades, Assistant Principal, will be in the Romero Centre Conference Room in our college reception area to help. Feel free to come along, have a drink and ask any careers COMING SOON– OUR NEW ONLINE PAYMENT SERVICE We’re pleased to announce that we will be launching ParentPay as our preferred method of payment to school from 23 April 2014.

ParentPay offers you the freedom to make online payments whenever and wherever you like, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week safe in the knowledge that the technology used is of the highest internet security available.

Parents will have a secure online account, activated using a unique username and password (these will be sent to you shortly); making a payment with your credit or debit card is straightforward and ParentPay holds an electronic record of your payments for you to view at a later date.

In addition to payments ParentPay also offers an integrated email/ SMS reminders option ensuring you never need miss a payment and helping you keep your child’s school meal account in credit.

We look forward to your support in using ParentPay as it will help us further support teaching and learning by reducing the burden of income collection in the classroom and school office whilst improving school-home communication.

We will be sending letters to parents in the near future and holding a ‘drop-in’ session on 4 March 2014 between 2.30pm-4.30pm to answer any queries