Year 8 Induction Booklet by Box Hill School

INDUCTION BOOKLET

Welcome

A warm welcome to all our new families starting RGS Surrey Hills in September!

This Induction Pack will give you a flavour of the range of activities that you will enjoy and can be a part of during your journey through RGS Surrey Hills.

As you may know, there is an Induction Day for new pupils on Thursday 4th September and we will write with more details in due course. The first day of term for the whole school will then be on Friday 5th September - this will be the first opportunity for the school to be together as a whole after the summer break.

We hope you have an enjoyable (and hopefully sunny!) summer. We will be sending you content throughout the holidays. RGS Surrey Hills really looks forward to meeting you in September.

Hayley Robinson Headmistress of RGS Surrey Hills

DAILY ROUTINE

07:20 - 07:50 08:15 16:30 16:35 17:15 18:30 19:00 19:30 21:00

Breakfast for boarders

School day starts for pupils

School ends for pupils

Tea for boarders and prep

Boarders’ free time and activities

Supper (Junior Houses)

Supper (Senior Houses)

Prep

Registration in Houses (Sixth Form House at 21:30)

21:30 onwards

Bedtime for different age groups

Activities happen throughout the school day. We do not have school on weekends.

UNIFORM

To purchase new uniform items, please visit our uniform suppliers’ website; Unismart, where all our School uniform is available to buy online – www. unismart.co.uk/product-category/our-Schools/box-hill-School.

They can arrange delivery of uniform to a destination that suits you; either your home address or the School shop.

Appointments are available at the on-site uniform shop. To arrange please contact Unismart on unismartltd@gmail.com. Please note appointments for the on site shop must be booked in advance, unfortunately we can not accommodate direct walk ins.

Telephone Consultations are available if you need any help or advice with sizing and quantities, please contact Unismart directly.

Appearance Standards

Hair should be kept tidy. In years 7-9 long hair should be neatly tied back and in Years 10 - 13 hair may be worn long and is not required to be tied back. Unnaturally coloured or excessively styled hair that draws attention to the wearer is not allowed. The Headmistress is the sole judge of this standard.

Jewellery may not be worn apart from a watch and small, stud earrings – no hoops.

Make-up is not allowed in Years 7 – 9 and in Years 10 - 13 it must be worn discreetly. Only clear nail polish is allowed. No artificial eyelashes or nails.

For the full Uniform List please visit: https://www.boxhillschool.com/school-life/ uniform/

Secondhand Uniform

We have a limited supply of good quality secondhand uniform and to see what is available, please email helen.sage@boxhillschool.com. These items will be recharged. To collect, students must visit Student Reception (located in Languages Block).

EQUIPMENT LIST

Lightweight day bag for books and equipment

Water bottle leak proof and indelibly named with students name

Pencil case large enough for full set of stationery*

Headphones for use in music lessons

they don’t need to be fancy

Reading book to be changed regularly

Hair ties selection to keep hair up as per school regulations

Geometry divider (compass)

A4 Notebook

*The pencil case should include: 30cm ruler

Colouring pencils small selection

Black fine-line pen

Handwriting pen

2 Biro pen blue or black

Highlighter

2 HB Pencils must include a propelling pencil with 0.5mm pencil leads

Pencil sharpener

Glue stick

Scissors

Eraser

Set square

Protractor

Scientific calculator

YEAR 8 EXPEDITION

AquaSports, Redhill or Queen Mary’s Reservoir, Surrey

Monday

Departure from School: 08:30

Watersports Trial Day: Sailing, Windsurfing, Canoeing, SUP Boarding

Return to School: 16:30

Tuesday - Thursday

Students choose one of the watersports activities available to focus on for the remainder of the week. It is hoped that students will achieve a nationally recognised award in their chosen watersport.

Departure/Return times: 08:30/16:00

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme

GENERAL INFORMATION

This guide should help you to find out what you do and when and how you claim your awards.

• There are three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold

• At Box Hill the Bronze Award is compulsory but Silver and Gold are voluntary

• Each level has four to five sections: Expedition, Skill, Physical Volunteering, Residential Project (Gold level).

Expedition Section

• At Bronze this consists of two days and one night’s camping

• At Silver it is three days and two nights’ camping

• At Gold it is four days and three nights’ camping

In addition to this, everyone needs to do training and at least one practice expedition for each award.

Skills Section

There are literally hundreds of possible things you can do in this section including Film and video making, Cake decoration, Circus skills, Bee keeping, Singing. See the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website for more information www.dofe.org.

Physical Section

All sports and physical activities count here including Fencing, Horse riding, Skateboarding, Climbing and Swimming. You are allowed to change your activity once during any one section.

Volunteering Section

This is about doing things to help others without payment. Participants can choose to organise something themselves or take part in a service activity at school. Suggested volunteer work can include looking after animals, helping to teach children with special needs, working at a shelter.

Residential

This is an additional level for those taking the Gold award, which involves spending five days and four nights away from home on an activity with people who you have not met before. An example of this would be attending a conference on climate change as a youth representative for your Local Authority.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN?

Year 9 - Bronze Award

Throughout Year 9 - Train and prepare for the expedition section at bronze level. Complete bronze qualifying expedition. You need to do each section (volunteering, skill and physical) for a minimum of three months and one section of your choice for a further three months.

Year 10 - Silver Award

In Year 10 you do a training day, a practice expedition and the qualifying expedition for Silver. You need to do each section (volunteering, skill and physical) for a minimum of six months (and one section of your choice for a further six months if you have not completed bronze).

Year 12 - Gold Award

The expedition section will involve a training day towards the end of Year 12, a practice expedition in the summer half term, a preparation day in September and the qualifying expedition in October half term of Year 13. You will need to complete voluntary work for 12 months, 12 months of either physical or skill and six months for the other. (You need 18 months for one section if you have missed one or both of the lower levels of the award.)

There is also the Residential Project section at Gold; see your record pack or www.dofe.org for more details.

HAVE I FINISHED?

I think I have finished my award. What do I do now?

You log into your e-DofE account via the website (login details will have been sent to you by email) and just enter what you have done for each section with some evidence. When you have completed a level you can then be advanced to the next level. You will receive training for e-DofE at the start of Year 9 and there will be sessions arranged in Years 10 and 12 for those who need them. Alternatively, you obtain a form from the DofE Manager Fill it in and get it signed by the Assessor for each section. For Bronze and Silver awards these then get sent for sign off by the DofE Manager before being sent to the Verifier. Once this is complete you will receive your badge and certificate. Gold is slightly different and once it has been signed off by everyone at school it has to be verified by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Headquarters in Windsor. Your badge will then be sent directly to school for presentation and you will be invited to one of the Royal Palaces to receive your certificate. For any further information on the award scheme, either refer to your handbook or visit the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award official website www.dofe.org. If in doubt, please contact our Duke of Edinburgh Manager.

DIGITAL DEVICES

Starting soon, you’ll all be getting your very own digital devices to use at school and at home. These devices are going to make learning more fun, engaging and effective. Here’s why we’re so excited about it and why you should be too!

Why Digital Devices?

1. More Engaging Lessons:

Lessons will be much more interactive. You’ll be able to watch videos, create projects and use cool apps that make learning fun and interesting.

2. Better Organisation:

No more losing your homework or important notes! Everything you need will be saved and organised on your device.

3. Creative Learning:

The devices come with digital pens, so you can draw, take notes and annotate directly on the screen.

4. Preparing for the Future:

Using these digital tools will help you develop important skills for the future. You’ll become more confident with technology, which is super important for both school and future jobs.

We’ll have special sessions to show you how to use them and get the most out of all the cool features they offer.

If you have any questions or need help with your device, our friendly IT Support Team is here for you. Plus, your teachers and tutors are always ready to help with any learning questions.