Newsletter `17 01 2013

All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Epiphany Term

PRAYER Christian unity and world peace.

Merciful God, as you have made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, so draw us together, strengthening us to do your will.

Just as your son, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought mankind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death He endured. Teach us, the people who bear His name, to follow the example He gave us: may our faith, hope, and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, and death to eternal life.

Amen

ECO FACT A fifth of all the heat lost from a home can be through poorly insulated window frames and single glazing.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS – OUTDOOR WEAR Now winter is here, we ask the support of parents in ensuring that College policy is carried out regarding suitable coats, scarves and jumpers. Coats must be a black rain jacket that can be worn over the blazer and, for Year 7 students, have the College badge embroidered on it. Smaller jackets or hoodies are not allowed.

Scarves must be plain, dark, functional and not a fashion style scarf. Students should not wear scarves and coats in the main College buildings during the day. Jumpers must be V-necked black in Years 9-11 embroidered with College badge , and V-necked grey in Years 7-8 embroidered with the College badge. Cardigans or other style jumpers are not allowed.

Friday 17th January 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 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 OF THE WEEK Abi Sherratt, newly appointed Festival Co-ordinator of The Barnaby Festival, provided a fascinating input for Y12 BTEC Business students studying Market Research this Tuesday. To begin with students were introduced to the marketing mix for The Festival in order to fully understand how the Festival works and how it has developed over the past five years. From here students were able to identify market research methods used to gain feedback from key stakeholders including festival goers, volunteers and sponsors and the decisions made to improve The Festival year on year. As a spin off from Abi's visit, many volunteer opportunities have been made available to our enterprising students across the whole college in the run up to The Barnaby Festival 2014.

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

YEAR LEADER "DROP IN SURGERIES” Year Learning Leader "Drop In Surgeries" will be run on the following times and dates: Year 12/13 – Thursday 30 January 2014 between 8am– 9:30am with Mr Howells and Mrs Garvey Year 7 and Year 8 - Friday 7 February 2014 between 8.30 am and 9.30 am with Mrs Moffat and Mr Parke Year 11 - Tuesday 4 March 2014 between 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm with Mrs Williams 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.

CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS The College is delighted to welcome our new careers advisor, Mrs Jean Pilling, from Changing Education who started with us just before the Christmas holiday.

Mrs Pilling is a very experienced careers advisor who will be seeing students for 45 minute careers interviews across Years 9 to Year 13. These students may have requested appointments themselves, or been nominated by pastoral staff. 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. In the first instance she is seeing students who are unsure as to their career paths after the end of their studies as well as students who would benefit from an interview to motivate them. She will also run a series of workshops over the next 6 months with more details to follow.

YEAR 8 AND 10 PARENT CONSULTATION DAY On line booking for this event is now available through the College website. Please go to "For Parents>Parental Gateway". For problems with log-in please contact the College on 01625 426138/01625 410287. The College hopes to see all parents/students in Years 8 and 10 as we consider this an essential aspect of home-school partnership. As a College event, students are expected to attend in full College uniform.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS 96.50%

Year 7 - 95.9% (down 1.2% on the previous week) Year 8 - 96.2% (up 2.2% - well done Year 8) Year 9 - 94.6% (down 0.4%) Year 10 - 94.5% (up 1.1% - well done Year 10) Year 11 - 95.0% (up 3.0%- very well done Year 11) Year 12- 94.78% Year 13- 95.78% This is a good start to the term for our students overall. The average for the week was 95.2% (up 0.8%). Since 3rd September attendance is still 95.6%. We aim for 97%.

96.00% 95.50% 95.00% 94.50% 94.00%

93.50% YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10 YEAR 11 Year 12

Year 13

Last week GIRLS attendance has increased 0.4% to 94.8%, BOYS attendance has increased 1.2% to 95.7% so well done boys this time!. Since 3rd September boys are still winning girls 96.0% to 95.2%. Come on girls, you can beat the boys!

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

Epiphany

Monday 6 January 2014

Friday 14 February 2014

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 Writing 2 Speaking 2

11g Tuesday 21 January Thursday and Monday 13/17 March

Year 10 Writing 2 Speaking 1 Speaking 2

10y Tuesday 6 May 10g Thursday 8 May Tuesday/Wednesday 10/11 March Thursday/Friday 3 /4 July

Year 9 Speaking

Tuesday/Wednesday 8/9 July

RECOMMENDED READS Holes by Louis Sachar Stanley Yelnats is convicted for a crime he did not commit; he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's all the fault of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather! Sent to Camp Green Lake, each day Stanley must dig a hole in the burning sun. Whilst they are told digging is character building, Stanley senses all is not as it seems. In the adventure of a lifetime, Stanley must uncover the truth and end a hundred-year-old family curse.

Beyond by Graham McNamee Jane is not your typical teen. She and her best friend Lexi call themselves the Creep Sisters. Only Lexi knows why Jane is different from anyone else: Her own shadow seems to pull her into near-fatal accidents. Jane is determined to find out why these terrifying things happen, and to overcome her shadow enemy. Her sleuthing with Lexi connects her own horrors to the secret history of a serial killer.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE READING BLOG (Year 8 Parent Consultation Day 30th January 2014) Go to the All Hallows Website - www.allhallows.org.uk Log in using their REALSMART username and password.

Either: A) Click the image on the homepage that says “Student Work for Parental Consultation Day” on the homepage and then click “Year 8 Reading Blog” OR B) Click “For Students” in the main menu and the choose the link that says “Parental Consultation Day Year 8 Blog” At the bottom of the page there is a comments box. They need to type their response to the blog in the comments box and hit submit.

Their blog will then be checked by staff in College and then published once spell checked.

PRINCIPALS SURGERY Parents / Carers are invited to attend a Principal's Surgery to discuss any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates Wednesday 29 January, 9am - 10am Wednesday 5 February, 9am - 10am There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait CHILDRENS TAKEOVER DAY Many thanks to all parents, relatives and friends of families who will allow the 71 students of Year 9 and Year 11 the chance to experience Children's Takeover Day on Thursday 30 January. Can any employers take a second child? If so then please contact Mr Blades in College and we will match a student to the placement. Please can students going take a photo of themselves in the workplace and email this to Mr Blades (staffmpb@allhallows.org.uk) for our website?

CAN ANY FAMILIES HELP? We have received a request from an Italian family about their son who would like to spend 3 months with us in 2014 and study at our College. His name is Nathan Martignoni and he would be in our Year 11. His aunt, who lives locally, was going to care for him, bur sadly this has fallen through. His mother has asked if any of our parents would be able to accommodate him for his time in the UK. His family are willing to pay up to 400Euros per month for his lodgings. If you can help please do get in touch with Mr Blades by Friday 24th January for more details.

PAY IT FORWARD Students should have passed on a letter outlining a simple 'Pay it Forward' activity we are running in College over the next couple of weeks. Students have been asked to make a donation of a pencil case or basic equipment to fill it e.g coloured pencils/crayons. These should be passed on to your son/daughters form tutor. We will then take these out to India for distribution to some of the children in Varasanadu during February half term.

EPIPHANY TERM – PRINCIPALS BLOG What are we looking for the?

The Epiphany Term is named after the story of the wise men looking for and finding the baby Jesus. ‘Epiphany’ comes from a Greek word – ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, meaning a “manifestation” or showing of something of great importance. This term we have already started working on showing things of great importance!

On the first day we had a Pay It Forward fund-raiser with a difference, wearing our Christmas Jumpers and Socks in return for a small donation to our Community project in India. Many students and staff joined in, we had a very colourful day and we raised over £300 pounds! When we think of others we are showing something of great importance – a belief that things don’t have to stay as they are, and that we can make a difference in our world or in the words of our mission statement ‘Aspire not to have more but to be more’ – both for ourselves and for others.

Over February half term a group of students and staff will be again visiting the village community in the hills of Varasunadu, South India, to find out how the second phase of our project to build All Saint’s Clinic with community rooms is progressing. The last time we visited, the students decided we needed to dig a well and provide the clinic with its own source of electricity during the daily power-cuts that are a feature of life in India. The new group will think about what we need to do next and will also be making links with a school and a teacher training college so we can share ideas and learn from each others’ lives and cultures – as you know we really value the International School dimension in our learning.

During the first-week assemblies, we thought about the importance of making promises or resolutions and wondered how we could use the gifts of the wise men – Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh – as symbols of what we might give to our God, to our neighbour, and to ourselves. Many of you committed yourselves to making a Pay it Forward promise in the assemblies and it would be great to share our thoughts and ideas, to encourage each other.

Once again I am looking for the best responses to the Principal’s Blog with a reward of a free breakfast in the canteen for selected students in each year group… Here are a few questions you might like to consider:

 

With the gift of Gold showing what is precious: What does having a heart of GOLD mean to us today?

With the gift of Frankincense showing how the ordinary can become special or ‘extra-ordinary’: What is extra-ordinary or special in everyday life?



With the gift of Myrrh showing the need to sooth pain: What can we do to help people through pain and difficulty?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!

Parental Consultation Day - Work for Students THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2014 – ARRANGEMENTS

Year 7 students attend College as normal for a day focused on Mathematics and Physical Education.

Year 7 ATTEND COLLEGE

Attend College with parent/carer(s) for booked appointments.

AND Reading Challenge (Accelerated Reader – blogs to be sent between 9.30am-3.00pm)

Year 8 HOME STUDY AND ATTEND APPOINTMENTS

Year 9 DO NOT ATTEND COLLEGE

Young People’s Take Over Day (Self placed – take your child to work day) OR Maths based work agreed with teachers if not attending work day.

EXPERIENCE OF WORK DAY

Attend College with parent/carer(s) for booked appointments. AND Subject Reading Day (Making Science revision notes/cards for copies agreed with students)

Year 10 HOME STUDY AND ATTEND APPOINTMENTS

Year 11 DO NOT ATTEND COLLEGE EXPERIENCE OF WORK DAY

Young People’s Take Over Day (Self placed – take your child to work day) OR Subject Reading Day (Making science revision notes/cards for copies agreed with

Sixth Form DO NOT ATTEND LEGE SUBJECT READING

Subject Reading Day Work Experience Opportunity First Aid Training (selected students)

COL-