Parent bulletin 15 7 16

It has been a busy but enjoyable penultimate week here at Roding Valley High School.

On Monday the Computer Science Faculty took 92 Year 8 students to Chessington World of Adventure in Surrey to look at how Computing is used in real-life scenarios. All the students were impeccably behaved and a credit to the school. It was a fun day all round, apart from when I am told they got caught in a torrential downpour.

On Wednesday we had over 250 primary school students from our local feeder schools on site to watch the final rehearsal of our production Lion King. The students were all delightful and thoroughly enjoyed the show. They particularly loved Simba and all seemed to find Timon and Pumbaa hilarious. The show is looking amazing and our students have worked so hard. I really hope to see lots of you there on Monday 18th July in the main hall at 7pm.

Tickets are now on sale at £5.50 each or £2.50 for a child if accompanied by an adult. Last remaining tickets can be bought at student reception.

Yesterday 24 employers visited RVHS for the Year 10 mock interview day over 215 students had an interview throughout the day. The students had been prepared during their careers programme and had been practising their interview techniques in preparation for their first interview.

Students were allowed to dress as they would for an interview. The day had a fantastic atmosphere and lots of employers commented on how articulate the students were, how well they presented themselves and what excellent communication skills they had. Employers included Barclays Bank and the Armed Forces.

Our Chair of Governors, Mr Paul Wershof, came into school yesterday and presented certificates to a group of Year 7 and Year 8 students who have made excellent progress on their Lexia Course which supports their reading. The outstanding progress award went to Tommy Valdiny in 8R. It was a fun afternoon with cakes and biscuits served but many chose to race off to take part in the Year 7 Fun Run. The Fun Run was organised by Mr Cocker to raise funds for Beyond Roding Valley our partner school in Zambia. I am delighted to announce they raised £1,191.

Last night was the Challenge and Enrichment Celebration evening. What a lovely celebration of the work students can create when challenged. There were 4 categories for the prize giving:    

Innovative & Imaginative—High commended in this category were Sam Copeman and George Fairhead, the winner was William Fairhead.

Informative & Engaging—Highly commended were Ella Margetts and Ryan Clark and the winner was Saskia Cushings Insightful and Engaging—Highly commended were Morgan Hardy and Francesca Salmon and the winner was Charlotte Copeman The People’s Choice (voted for by all the guests on the evening) - Third place, Saskia Cushings; Second place, Will Fairhead and First place went to Eloise Hadley.

See @RodingValleyHS twitter account for photos of the evening.

Finally, today has seen many of our Year 8 students enjoying a day trip to Boulogne. It looks like they have been having a lot of fun. We have been putting regular updates of their antics on the school website (www.rodingvalley.net) and posting photos and regular tweets on Twitter. Our Twitter feed can also be viewed on the website @RodingValleyHS If your child is on this trip please do take a look.

Please note the letter attached, detailing end of term/start of new term arrangements. School will close at 12.20pm on Friday 22nd July. We start again on the 2nd September for Year 7 and 12 only, all other years start on Monday 5th September.

Have a lovely weekend Sharon Jenner Deputy Headteacher

You can follow us at www.rodingvalley.net , on Facebook at the ‘Roding Valley High School Official’ page or on Twitter (@RodingValleyHS). You can also sign up to our free electronic media release service at rodingvalleymedia@gmail.com

On Friday 22nd July 2016 registration will take place as usual at 8.40am and lessons Periods 1—3 inclusive will be normal lessons. Make sure you bring all your books and equipment for your lessons.

School will close early at the end of Period 3 (12.20pm) and you will be able to go home. Please see the letter in this bulletin for full information.

The school switchboard, reception and office will close at 1pm on Friday 22nd July 2016. After this time any messages left on the switchboard will only be picked up occasionally over the summer holidays.

The school will be open on two days over the holidays in order for students, or their representatives, to collect exam results. Please see the letter in the bulletin for full details.

Have a wonderful Summer Holiday and see you all next term.

14th July 2016 Dear Parents and Guardians As we approach the end of term I thought that it was a good time to thank you all for your support this year. It has certainly been a busy 12 months and I feel that we have made a great deal of progress in a comparatively short space of time. I am fully aware that the support that our students receive from home is crucial in driving their success and goes a long way to ensure that they make the best of their opportunities at Roding Valley High School.

There are a few points of order that I thought you may find helpful at the end of term: 1) End of Term – Friday 22nd July School will end at 12.20pm for all students. Students will be escorted to the gates at the end of Period 3 on this date and will be expected to make their way home.

2) Start of the New Academic Year Year 7 and 12 students only will start back on Friday the 2nd September.

They will be expected in school for an 8.40am start. They will spend time in their Form Groups and will have a full day of activities before being dismissed as usual at 3.05pm.

For the other year groups, term will start at 8.40am on Monday 5th September 2016. Assemblies will be held in the morning and lessons will start thereafter.

3) Examination Results Days Our Year 11 and Year 12 students have had information about how and when to collect examination results. Results for AS exams will be released on Thursday 18th August and GCSE results will be released on the 25th August. Both will be available for collection from 10.00am.

Mr Harris will be on hand to support those Year 11 students who have applied to our Sixth Form on AS results day.

4) School Uniform Please can I remind parents/guardians that students must wear leather or leather effect shoes. As a result of our commitment to continue to raise standards, no trainers are permitted to be worn. Please refer to the Website where there are photographs of what is, and isn't, deemed acceptable. In answer to several parental queries, Kickers are permitted but only the shoe version. No boots may be worn.

In addition to this it should be noted that girls' skirts must be below the knee. A number of girls have been reminded that they will need a new skirt for September as they have grown considerably since they were fitted for their skirt originally.

Thank you for your support with this. It is much appreciated.

5) E-Safety Please do view the Website as we have updated our guidance with regard to E-Safety. It is critical that you keep yourselves up to date with developments in this area as it is an important part of Safeguarding. We will continue to inform you of best practice in overseeing your child's use of technology in this way.

Can I remind parents that they should, by now, have signed the Acceptable Use ICT Policy to allow their son/daughter to be issued with an individual key and returned the signed agreement to the school. This key will give them access to the school’s internet from their own devices. I attach another copy of the letter and policy for your convenience. If you have not returned this form yet please can you do so as soon as possible?

If you have any queries about any aspects of this letter please do not hesitate to contact the school.

May I wish you and your family an enjoyable summer break.

Yours faithfully

J Luck Headteacher

I would just like to thank all those who participated in the Y7 Fun Run yesterday. I am please to announce that we have raised £1,191 for Beyond Roding Valley.

Thank you for your continued help and support. We would not be able to support our partner school in Zambia without it.

Matthew Cocker History Teacher Narrowing the Gap Coordinator 9Q Form Tutor Dear Parent/Guardian As you may be aware, ParentPay have now changed their website, but with this comes an extra step that needs to be completed in order to update your child’s online School Meals & Trips Account.

Once you have uploaded an amount to “your account” you then need to complete the following steps: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Once you are on your home screen it should appear in the top right hand corner “your account” with the value that you have just topped up Under your child’s name, select “pay for items” It will then give you a list of all items you are able to pay for. Please click “view details and pay” next to your chosen item A box will then appear and in the “edit amount” box please enter the value you would like to add to your child’s lunch/trip account

Please be advised that if the above steps are not completed the money will not appear on your child’s account.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the finance office who will be pleased to help you with your query.

Kind Regards Karen Salmons finance@rodingvalley.net 02085081173 Finance option 3

Week ending 8th July 2016

Year 7

Highest Attendance

7V

Form with the highest Honours

7Q

Student with the highest Honours

Ella Payne 7X

Student of the week



Trent Campbell 7W nominated by Miss Kaur for continuous good work and effort in class

Class of the week



7t/HuS nominated by Ms Williams for their enthusiasm, inquisitiveness & intellectual discussion during their RS lesson 7u/Hu1a nominated by Ms Williams for their team work & contribution to the form during Sports Day



Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Highest Attendance

8W

Form with the highest Honours

8R

Student with the highest Honours

Jasmin Kelly 8R

Student of the week



Highest Attendance

9U

Form with the highest Honours

9R

Student with the highest Honours

Anna Vidojevic 9X

Highest Attendance

10X

Form with the highest Honours

10V

Student with the highest Honours



Joshua Roberts 10V

Class of the week



10C/Fr1 nominated by Ms Langlet for being hard working

Clara Rodriguez 8W nominated by Miss Williams for creating excellent GCSE style revision resources for her class

Follow the BFG Dream Jar Trails around London this summer and celebrate Roald Dahl’s centenary!

What is The BFG Dream Jar Trail?

The BFG Dream Jar Trail brings to life the long-held dreams of celebrities and artists with Dream Jars across London and beyond this summer. Each jar contains “splendiferous” sculptures based on dream stories from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Stephen Hawking, the Delevingne sisters and many more.

You can discover The BFG Dream Jars in iconic spots such as Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace - see 32 Dream Jars from 9 July and a further 18 Dream Jars by 22 July, in time for the release of The BFG in UK cinemas.

Get photos taken of you reading Roald Dahl’s The BFG, or any other book of your choice, at dream jars around the trail and email them to Mrs Martin, School Librarian at jmartin@rodingvalley.net and your photos will be uploaded to the school library’s Twitter feed: @Rvgetcaughtreading.

For more information on the BFG Dream Jar Trail follow the link below: http://www.visitlondon.com/bfg/maps-and-trails #BFGDreamJars Keep dreaming and have a great summer!

Mrs Martin School Librarian

Well done to 7Q, who won this years Year 7 sports Day

The summer holidays are nearly here so it’s time to

Get Caught Reading and see your photo on the school library’s Twitter feed!

Simply: Get a photo of yourself reading a book on holiday, at home, or wherever you like.

You can be on your own, with friends or pets - the choice is yours, and the more weird and wacky the location the better!

Email your photo(s) to me at:

jmartin@rodingvalley.net and I shall upload them to the library’s

Twitter feed: @RVgetcaughtreading Prizes for the best entries!

So don’t forget to

Get Caught Reading

during the holidays and have a great summer!

Mrs Martin School Librarian

ATTENDANCE MATTERS…..

Student Absence If your child is unable to attend School for any reason then please report their absence by phoning the school number by 9.30am, you must also ring in each day of your child’s absence.

020 8508 1173 On their return to School please ensure your child brings with them a letter or medical evidence if requested explaining the reason for the absence for our records.

Medical Appointments When possible please make sure you make any medical or dental appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible then please try to ensure that your child attends before and/or after their appointment Holidays in Term Time It is not school policy to authorise any holidays during term time except in exceptional circumstances. If you put in a holiday request a ‘Leave of Absence’ form must be completed (these are available at Student Reception).

Please be aware if the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case may be referred to the Education Welfare Service who may issue a Penalty Notice for £120 (or £60 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school.

For full details regarding attendance please see our Attendance Policy which can be found in the ‘Parents’ section on our website or contact Mrs Jeanette Low our Attendance Officer on the school number.

Guidance for Common Ailments Please see, on the following page, guidance from the NHS of common childhood illnesses; this advises what type of illness requires time off from school and what does not. Should you require further guidance please contact the school.

PE Twitter Account The PE department have activated a Twitter account where regular PE updates, extra-curricular news and curriculum information will be regularly published. Follow @RodingValleyPE to keep up to date with our department.

Mr Hudgell The Humanities Faculty has a Twitter account designed to promote sites of interest, pre-reading, revision, humanities information, news and general humanities support.

It is aimed at all KS3, KS4 and A-level Humanities Students and can be followed @humsrvhs

You can follow us at www.rodingvalley.net and on Facebook at the ‘Roding Valley High School Official’ page.

Our Twitter (@RodingValleyHS) account is a great place to keep up to date with some of the latest news and activities in school.

You can also sign up to our free electronic media release service at rodingvalleymedia@gmail.com

Singing Lessons Private singing lessons are now available. Please contact Alex Larke for more details and to book your slot. email: alex@thevocaltutor.com

Piano Lessons To book piano lessons please contact rosswall@gmail.com

Access to Water in School Drum Lessons One to One, Two to One and Small Group lessons available.

Learn with your friends!

Contact: marksevel@hotmail.com

Guitar Lessons Lessons slots are available on Mondays with lessons priced at ÂŁ12 per half hour.

Please contact Steve van Niekerk on vn.steve.vn@gmail.com if you are interested.

Parents, please be aware that the canteen has jugs of water available both during lunchtime and break time for all students to access.

Bottled water is sold at all outlets Large bottle 50p Small bottle 25p If a student is overdrawn or has no money on their lunch account, they will always be sold water.