Newsletter 21 03 2014

All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Easter Term

PRAYER In memoriam of Archbishop Oscar Romero who was killed on March 24 1980 Lord, we bring before you all who are imprisoned unjustly and all who are tortured.

We think of those people who live in fear of Injustice and repression.

We pray that the minds of those who abuse others may be turned to what is good and honourable.

May those of us who live in freedom not take our heritage for granted, but be of good influence in leading others to value one another as brothers and sisters.

Amen.

SPECIALISM SUCCESS Nine primary schools based in the local learning community of All Hallows Catholic College sent their winning 'Time 2 Change' teams to The Romero Centre of All Hallows for a final 'enterprise' competition on Thursday, 6 March 2014. The College challenged KS2 pupils to be enterprising in linking Business and Enterprise skills with Foreign Language skills. Nine countries and languages were represented in an activity that encouraged students to use foreign language in an exciting and fun way designing a shop. Teams were further challenged in being asked to include a Fairtrade element into the activity to reinforce the fact that the competition took place during Fairtrade Fortnight. The winning team was from St Alban's and the Runner Up team was from St Mary's, Congleton. Best Journal Award went to St John's.

The Competition was judged by Pete Pealing from Peaks and Plains Housing Trust and Tom Agar of MS Events Ltd. Prizes were awarded by Hannah Bristow, Y11 student at All Hallows who became world champion in a sailing competition last year. Congratulations to all students who took part and a very special thank you to the Year 12 BTEC Business students from All Hallows who helped in organising the event from start to finish! Total fundraising from The Time 2 Change Competition this year was in the region of £2,000, with around 15 local and national charities benefitting. (JL)

Friday 21st 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 rearranged 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) PRINCIPALS SURGERY Parents / carers are invited to attend a Principal’s Surgery to discuss any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates Thursday 27 March, 9am-10am There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait

EXAM TIP– WHY DOES REVISION HAVE TO BE SO BORING? It Isn’t, if you vary your revision methods—reading, taking notes, testing, reciting out loud, working with a study buddy, listening to and watching audio and DVD’s. Create colourful and memorable revision notes– posters, maps flow charts and diagrams GSCE AND A LEVEL COUNTDOWN 52 Days until Monday the 12th May 2014, the date of the first GCSE exam.

YEAR LEADER "DROP IN SURGERIES” 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.

COLLEGE UNIFORM SUPPLIERS 2014 ONWARDS We are pleased to announce that we will have a new on-line supplier of uniform in additional to a shop supplier of uniform in place from 2 June 2014.

The on-line supplier is Price and Buckland, based in Nottingham. Tel: 0115 964 0827 We are also maintaining a shop supplier - Finesse, Mill Street, Macclesfield. Tel: 01625 616986 These are the only official suppliers of uniform and the combination of 'on-line' and 'shop' suppliers is designed to make it more convenient for parents to purchase uniform at any time during the year and irrespective of whether they live in or near to Macclesfield.

Truetex, a former supplier are currently selling a limited range of uniform items at a reduced cost to clear stocks. If parents are purchasing items from Trutex now to be worn in September please ensure that the items bought have sufficient growing room as they cannot be returned later in the year.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT ALL HALLOWS GOES ‘BANANAS’ ABOUT BANANAS Over 500 All Hallows’ students demonstrated their passion about Fairtrade bananas by signing the petition in support of the campaign to persuade shoppers to buy Fairtrade bananas instead of cheap bananas from their local supermarkets.

Whilst the real cost of producing bananas has doubled, supermarkets have driven the price of bananas down by almost half; Fairtrade banana producers such as Foncho thinks this is unfair, as it is trapping him and other producers in poverty.

Foncho traveled from his banana farm in Colombia to the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight, to ask Vince Cable to investigate unfair supermarket pricing practices and act to protect the producers of the UK’s favourite fruit.

Commenting on the response from students to the campaign, Chen Ji, a member of the All Hallows Fairtrade Council said that, ‘it was very rewarding to take part in the campaign and to witness such a high level of enthusiasm from students.’ In between campaigning, Council members Tyler Bates, Julie Breed, Ellie Pointer and Nica Reyes also ran a competition to see who could tell the difference between Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade chocolate.

Chen Ji and Ella Pointer also represented All Hallows at the Fairtrade Coffee morning at Macclesfield Town Library on Saturday March 8. Chen and Ella, together with members of the St. Alban’s & St Edward’s Justice & Peace Group and other school reps met with local MP David Rutley who tweeted, ‘Good to see local schools in Macclesfield, like All Hallows Catholic College and St. Alban’s actively supporting Fairtrade’.

IS YOUR CHILD ADOPTED? CAN YOU HELP US SECURE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO HELP OUR CHILDREN ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL? From April 2014, schools in England are entitled to receive a grant called the 'pupil premium for children adopted from care or who left care under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) on or after 30 December 2005.' Schools can also claim the pupil premium for children who left care under a Residence Order (RO) on or after 14 October 1991. In order to claim this valuable grant, we would be grateful if adoptive parents could inform the college if their child is adopted and provide supporting evidence, for example, the Adoption (Court) Order. This information will be dealt with discretely and confidentially and the grants will be used to help this particular group of children achieve their potential in their education.

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: E-SAFETY In February 2014 the NSPCC published a new report which describes the experiences of 11-16 year olds on social networking sites and the strategies they use to deal with things that upset them online.

This includes a breakdown in gender as well as the use of the various social networks available. You can find a copy of this on www.nspcc.org.uk

COULD YOU BE THE GOVERNOR WE ARE LOOKING FOR? 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 Check out your hot water tank, if it is fitted with an insulating jacket, it will save you money. An insulating jacket only costs around £10 and pays for itself within months. Fit one that’s at least 75mm (3in) thick to save the most energy and money – around £10 - £15 every year.

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. Mrs 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 related questions that may be on your mind.

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 10 Writing 2

10y Tuesday 6 May 10g Thursday 8 May

Speaking 2

Thursday/Friday 3 /4 July

Year 9 Speaking

Tuesday/Wednesday 8/9 July

RECOMMENDED READS Mary Poppins - by P. L. Travers The original best-loved classic about the world's most famous nanny - Mary Poppins. When the Banks family advertise for a nanny, Mary Poppins and her talking umbrella appear out of the sky, ready to take the children on extraordinary adventures. Mary Poppins is strict but fair, and soon Michael and Jane are whisked off to a funfair inside a pavement picture and on many more outings with their wonderful new nanny! Needless to say, when at last 'the wind changes' and she flies away, the children are devastated. But the magic of Mary Poppins will stay with the Banks family forever. The original story of the world's most famous nanny, Mary Poppins, is a timeless classic that has enchanted generations.

The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas The dramatic tale of love, intrigue and revenge. Young Edmond Dantes has everything to look forward to. He is soon to be captain of his own ship and to marry his beloved Mercedes. But his future is cruelly blighted when spiteful enemies provoke his wrongful arrest and he is condemned to life-long imprisonment. Dante's fate seems sealed. How can he avenge his accusers and reverse his fortune ? The answer lies hidden on the island of Monte Cristo.

PARENT VIEW SURVEY FOR 2012-13

15 parent responses 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. 95% of parents strongly agree or agree that All Hallows make sure children behave well, the figure moves to 97% if we assume that don’t know means there is no issue. We have developed graduated systems for making sure children behave well and we are intolerant of any behaviour, which disrupts learning or the good order of the college. Children learn best when there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere and many visitors comment very favourably on our values and ethos. 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

ATTENDANCE MATTERS 98.00% 97.50%

Over the last week of College attendance was as follows: Year 7 - 97.4% (up 1.4% on the previous week, well done Year 7) Year 8 - 95.8% (up 0.2%, well done Year 8) Year 9 - 96.7% (up 0.6%, well done Year 9) Year 10 - 97.1% (up 1.6%, well done Year 10) Year 11 - 95.7% (no change, well done Year 11) Year 12: 95.33% (up 0.36% on previous week) Year 13: 96.87% (up 0.29% on previous week, very close to that magic 97% year 13!)

97.00%

96.50% 96.00% 95.50%

95.00% 94.50% 94.00% YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 YEAR 13

This was an excellent week for attendance across the college and our best weekly total since October. It was the third best week so far this academic year.

The average for the week was 96.6% (up 0.9%). Since 3rd September attendance is still 95.6%. We aim for 97% Comparisons on the same week in the previous 4 years are: 94%, 93.9%, 94.4% and 92.7% so once again we have made big improvements.

Last week GIRLS attendance has increased 1.1% to 95.8%, BOYS attendance has increased 0.6% to 97.4%. Since 3rd September boys are still winning girls 96.2% to 95.1% but the gap has closed.

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.

Tuesday 22 April 2014 Friday 23 May 2014 Wednesday 23 July 2014

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.

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.