Newsletter 180714

All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Trinity

PRAYER O God of all beginnings and endings, we praise and thank You for the gift of this academic year.

It has been a time filled with grace and blessings, and with challenges, opportunities, joys and sorrows.

Give us the rest and refreshment we need this Summer.

Let our efforts of this past year bear fruit. bring all of our plans to a joyful conclusion, and bless us, according to Your will, with the fulfillment of our summer hopes and dreams.

Watch over us in the weeks ahead, and guide us each day. May we continue, with a new spirit and a new energy, and to grow in age, wisdom, knowledge and grace all the days of our lives.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Friday 18th July 2014

EXAM RESULTS DAYS - AUGUST 2014 Thursday 14th August 2014 08:30am - 10:30am A2 Results (Year 13) 11:00am - 12:30pm AS Results (Year 12) Thursday 21st August 2014 10:00am - 12:00 noon GCSE Results (Year11 only) Students are expected to collect their results in person on the appropriate day. If this is not possible, students may: write a letter authorising a responsible adult to collect the results on their behalf. This letter must be given to Exams Office staff on Results Day or they can provide the Exams Office with a stamped addressed envelope, so that results can be posted to their home address.

SPECIALISM SUCCESS Miss Easter has been successful in securing funding for three colleagues to attend week long immersion courses in France. The funding is provided through the Erasmus programme and will help secure the range of languages we are able to offer at All Hallows.

The aims of the Erasmus funding are: Staff return motivated and engaged.

Staff can advocate the work of our College to partner institutions abroad.

Staff can find out about the latest developments across Europe.

It will improve the international standing of our College.

Staff return enthused with new ideas to improve your institution’s performance.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS—THE NEXT NEW TERM Parents – please can you check your child’s equipment for learning and uniform over the holidays and replenish any items as necessary. Students should carry with them everyday a pen, pencil, ruler and their planner, in addition to their exercise books and textbooks. A calculator is also required for Mathematics, Bible for RE and dictionaries for languages and English. Students are also expected to have a suitable bag (see policy) for carrying books and equipment.

Please can you also check your child's uniform . In particular:  Coats must be a black rain jacket that can be worn over the College label and , for Year 7 students , must be embroidered with the College badge. Smaller jackets or „hoodies‟ are not allowed.  Jumpers must be V-necked black in Years 9-11, embroidered with the College badge and V-necked grey in Years 7-8 embroidered with the College badge. Cardigans or other style jumpers are not allowed.  Footwear should be black shoes, not trainers. Female students should not wear any heels greater than one inch. The ballet style shoes some of our female students are wearing are not suitable or robust enough for all-day wear. Fabric shoes, pumps or boots are not acceptable.

All students should have the College bag with BEC logo YEAR LEARNING LEADERS Dates for our "Drop in Surgeries" for 2014-15 will be announced in early September. Thank you to all parents who have visited the college during the surgeries held this year. Year Learning Leaders find these meetings most useful and informative.

The Year Learning Leader team for 2014-15 will be: Year 7 - Mr J Mercer Year 8 - Miss S Thomason Year 9 - Mrs L Remfry Year 10 - Mr D Aspinall Year 11 - Mrs S Williams Year 12 - Mr T Parke Year 13 - Mr D Howells

j.mercer@allhallows.org.uk s.thomason@allhallows.org.uk l.remfry@allhallows.org.uk d.aspinall@allhallows.org.uk s.williams@allhallows.org.uk t.parke@allhallows.org.uk d.Howells@allhallows.org.uk

The Pastoral Team at All Hallows would like to thank both Mrs Moffat and Mrs Moulsdale for their hard work, dedication and care for students as they move to on new ventures.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT OUR STAFF Students (and parents) are encouraged to use our two dedicated email address should they need help and support from staff. bullying@allhallowslearning.org.uk is for students and parents to report bullying issues if required. beingme@allhallowslearning.org.uk is for students to use should they find themselves in need of help, support and guidance for any other issues that they face.

Emails will be read by a senior member of staff who will then seek out other staff volunteers (we have 17 of them) to offer the help and support that is required.

CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS Our careers advisor, Mrs Jean Pilling, as now seen 266 students for impartial careers interviews since she started in mid-December 22% of the whole College. She has now seen 47 students in Years 12/13, 87 students in Year 11, 115 students in Year 10, 17 students in Year 9 and several Year 7/8 students at her Thursday lunch time drop in. 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 is now with Year 10 students who will all be seen over the coming months as well as into Year 11.

ECO FACT As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted

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

ECO NEWS The future of the planet is safe in the hands of All Hallows Catholic College students who are flying the flag for the environment.

All Hallows has been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag award in recognition of the work it does every day to protect the environment while saving money and after carrying out a range of projects. The Green Flag Award is the highest accolade given out by the Eco Schools scheme. All Hallows is the first secondary school in Cheshire East to achieve this prestigious award.

The award has been the culmination of more than five years’ hard work to transform the environment and raise awareness of a wide range of eco issues, which are now embedded in the whole College curriculum.

The award is managed in England by Keep Britain Tidy and Eco-Schools. Students had to set up a committee involving students from all years. They then set to work on an audit that highlights areas of the College which could be made more environmentally friendly. From this the students devised an action plan.

Students, led by the Eco Council, have made simple changes, such as ensuring all unnecessary lights are switched off and that paper and other materials are recycled. The Eco- Council even visited the Biffa Recycling plant to see what happens to the College’s waste.

The College’s Eco-council has been involved in initiatives designed to save energy including running a ‘Switch Off ‘ campaign, reduce litter, attract wildlife and improve the appearance of the College with the development of the Peace Garden which has been planted with wild flowers to attract birds and bees. The College organises regular litter picks, grows its own fruit and vegetables and has developed its own farm.

Students say they will fly the Green Flag with pride.

Principal, Mr. Billings said, “It is so inspiring to see students taking the lead on environmental matters and being committed and enthusiastic in leading campaigns on local environmental and climate change priorities demonstrating one of the College’s core values Stewardship. The students on the Eco-Council do a fantastic job of promoting sustainability issues within the College and work hard towards their projects. We are determined to try our best to make a positive impact on the world in which we live.”

The College would like to thank the Eco-Council for their continued hard work and commitment to giving us all a better learning environment.”

RECOMMENDED READS Seizure - Tory Brennan

by Kathy Reichs This title is the breathtaking follow-up to Virals, Kathy Reichs' brand new forensic series. It is the heart-stopping forensic action with a lethal twist. The Virals' home on Loggerhead Island is under threat, and only one thing can save it: a lot of money. A 300-year-old legend Rumour has it that notorious pirate Anne Bonny hid her treasure somewhere in Charleston in 1720. No-one knows where, but Tory Brennan - great-niece of famous forensic anthropologist Dr Tempe Brennan - is certain that the Virals can work out Bonny's cryptic clues. A deadly path - It isn't long before the Virals are on the right track. But they aren't the only ones searching for the treasure. Someone is following them, and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Dead bodies litter the trail. Time is running out before the island will be sold. Will the Virals' special powers be enough to save them?

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

by Aimee Bender On the eve of her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice. All at once her cheerful, can-do mother tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes perilous. Anything can be revealed at any meal. Rose's gift forces her to confront the truth behind her family's emotions - her mother's sadness, her father's detachment and her brother's clash with the world. But as Rose grows up, she learns that there are some secrets even her taste buds cannot discern. The "Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" is about the pain of loving those whom you know too much about, and the secrets that exist within every family.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS Over the last week of College attendance was as follows:

96.50% 96.00%

Year 7 - 96.3% (down 0.1% on the previous week) Year 8 - 95.6% (down 0.5%) Year 9 - 94.7% (up 0.5%, well done Year 9) Year 10 - 96.2% (up 2.1%, excellent Year 10) This was a good week overall for this stage in the year and higher than in previous years.

95.50% 95.00% 94.50% 94.00%

93.50% YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10

The average for the week was 95.7% (up 0.5% on the previous week). Since 3rd September attendance has remained at 95.8%. We aim for 97%.

Last week GIRLS attendance has decreased 0.1% to 94.8%, BOYS attendance has increased 1.2% to 96.7%. Since 3rd September boys are winning girls 96.4% to 95.2%.

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

Trinity

Monday 2 June 2014

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Michaelmas

Tuesday 2 September 2014 (Year 7, 12 and 13) Wednesday 3 September 2014 (All Students)

Friday 24 October 2014

Christmas

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Friday 19 December 2014

Epiphany

Monday 5 January 2015

Thursday 12 February 2015

Easter

Monday 23 February 2015

Thursday 2 April 2015

Whitsun

Monday 20 April 2015

Thurdays 21 May 2015

Trinity

Monday 6 July 2015

Tuesday 21 July 2015

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.

Wednesday 23 July 2014 Monday 1 September 2014 Monday 3 November 2014 Friday 13 February 2015 Friday 22 May 2015