Week 36 (2013-14) Parent bulletin 27 6 14

After a year of planning, preparation and fundraising, our Year 11 students finally left for their trip to Zambia on Wednesday to work with the Greater Joy School in Kitwe. I know how much hard work so many people have put in to get the trip to this stage and it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that the students left on Wednesday afternoon. I have spoken with Miss Bentley today and they have arrived safely at the guest house near the school and will be, as you read this, working with the students in the Greater Joy School. You can follow the progress of the students as they are regularly updating their blog: http:// beyondrodingvalley.blogspot.co.uk/ Congratulations go to Max Wintle (7U) who, following his 2nd place in the 800m at the Essex Schools Athletics Championships a couple of weeks ago, has been selected to represent the county in national competitions. Very well done Max! Congratulations also go to our Tennis squad who continued their impressive run this year with a demolition of Debden Park High School earlier in the week.

We welcomed our new Year 7 students to the school today and it is always a pleasure to see our new students arrive for their practice day. It is always a great day and I am looking forward to the inter-form ‘Tug of War’ this afternoon.

Our Year 10 students are finishing their week of work experience this week and the feedback we have received from the employers has been, once again, incredibly positive. The students return to school on Monday and are off timetable as they are taking part in their ‘de-brief’ day.

We have appointed our prefects and they have already started to make an impact across the school and, next Thursday, we will be interviewing for our senior prefect team including Head Boy and Head Girl. I will update parents next week as to who is on our new senior prefect team.

It has been a busy couple of weeks as we have been securing our staffing for September. I am pleased to say that we are, once again, fully staffed with qualified, specialist teachers in every faculty. There have been a number of internal appointments recently. Miss Bentley has been appointed to the position of Assistant Headteacher and Miss Preston has been appointed as Head of the Humanities Faculty. Mrs Cain will now take over as Head of Year 7 and I would ask any parents of Year 7 students to contact Mrs Cain if they have any issues regarding the progress of their child from Monday onwards.

I regret to inform you that I have been informed that a number of trade unions have announced that they will be involved in strike action on Thursday 10th July. As well as one of the large teaching unions, a number of other unions that represent a large number of our support staff are also striking on this day. I am currently looking into the implications that this action will have on our ability to operate on this day and will inform parents early next week as to the impact of this action on the school.

I wish you all a good weekend.

Paul Banks 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

Year 8 Sports Day Friday 20th June Many congratulations to 8W for winning Sports Day. The scores were incredibly close all day.

All competitions were very keenly contested and the sportsmanship on display was superb.

The final results: 1st 8W 2nd 8V 3rd 8Q, 8R, 8X 6th 8U 7th 8T 8th 8S

Tickets now on sale Pay via ParentPay or at Student Reception Tickets ÂŁ22.00 Price includes a photo and a ÂŁ2.00 donation to the Zambia trip

Lambourne End Outdoor Centre Volunteering Opportunity for Students in Year 10 and Year 11 Lambourne End Outdoor Centre is holding an open day on 28th June and are looking for some young people to volunteer and help out on the day.

This is an excellent opportunity to add to your CV especially for students who are considering going to University.

The event is an Arts and Music festival and they are looking for volunteers for marshalling/stewarding people around site, pointing people in the right directions, litter picking, car parking, crowd management. Students will be split into groups to cover the 8 areas across the site (including both stage areas, car park, entrance etc) and will be liaising with everyone nearer the time to make sure the event is well organised and everyone knows what’s going on! Ideally they would like age 14+ for volunteers, Year 10/11 to be there from 10am – 8pm. Please contact them if you would like to apply: 020 8500 3047 michelle.dawkins@lambourne-end.org.uk www.lambourneend.org.uk Forest School Open Evening – Monday 30th June 2014 4.30pm-7.00pm Forest School are inviting prospective parents to a Summer Open Evening. It will be an opportunity for prospective parents and students to visit Forest before the flurry of open evenings in the autumn term. It will be a relaxed event with no tour guides but the school grounds will be open as will the sixth form for parents and students to explore. Teaching staff will be on hand to answer any questions. If you wish to attend you can book places at www.forest.org.uk/friends Epping Forest College Taster Day On Wednesday 2nd July students in Year 10 are all attending a taster day at Epping Forest College. Students will be given the opportunity to try out courses they may be considering when they leave Roding Valley in Year 11. All students have been given a letter to be signed by parents but I am still awaiting lots of permission slips to be returned. Please ensure your son/daughter returns their permission slip ASAP. They are to make their own way to the College to arrive by 8.45am. If they have chosen a sport session please remind them to bring their sports kit and a towel.

Kind regards Mrs Mason Careers Development Manager dmason@rodingvalley.net

PE Kit

Science Revision for Year 10 every Wednesday a er school

At the end of this academic year, RVHS is changing the PE kit.

If you have any items that have been lost or are too small, please call the office where we have a large selection of donated, good quality PE kit that your child can have until the end of term.

Geography Catch-up Clinic and Homework Help Every Monday at 3.10pm Starting 23rd June

Governor’s Update The Governors’ Student Related Committee gives oversight to any matters involving the students such as academic achievement, discipline and child protection. We have met five times this year and carried out a range of visits, discussions and reviews.

At the start of each meeting we receive a detailed presentation from a faculty head or other senior/middle manager. At our most recent meeting (last week) we heard from attendance officer Jeanette Low about the strategies and interventions which have been put in place to further improve and sustain good attendance at the school.

Other items on the most recent meeting agenda looked at monitoring behaviour, the bid for the school to acquire a Sixth Form, the impact made by the introduction of the Pupil Premium, Year 9’s option choices as they move into Year 10 and the area known as Challenge and Enrichment (formerly Gifted and Talented).

We are closely following the imminent national changes to the school curriculum and the examination system with interest.

John Chapman Chair of Student Related Committee

RVHS—too good!

Victory against DPHS in perfect tennis weather Debden Park 5 RVHS 16 (mini sets) RVHS win A convincing victory played in good spirits and etiquette against our local rivals.

Plenty of action with singles and double matches, Many great serve and volley winners!

Well done to Thomas for his first game for the school Squad Toby Parsons 9V Jake Smith 9X Will Garcia 9U Tommy Fox 9S Timmy Moncur 8X Joshua Tebbutt 8X Thomas Compton 7T K Bailey

Roding Valley High School students head to Zambia Fifteen Year 11 Roding Valley High School students and four members of staff have headed out to work in The Greater Joy School in Kitwe, Zambia.

The students will spend the next ten days helping improve facilities in the school as well as teaching the pupils there and experiencing life in a very different culture.

This is the second consecutive year that students from Roding Valley have worked with the 'Beyond Ourselves' charity and this trip builds on the hugely successful visit last year.

Staff and parents saw the students off from the school on Wednesday at the start of their long journey This is an experience of a lifetime for everyone involved and from speaking to the students who went last year this trip will have a profound impact on those going.

Our students are amazing ambassadors for the school and we are sure they will enjoy every minute of the trip.

Everyone has worked so hard for the last 12 months in raising funds for the trip and all their hard work has been worth it.

We would like to thank all the students, parents and staff who have made donations through the various events held and we look forward to hearing about their experiences during the trip.

You can follow the students and staff as they will be blogging regularly at http://beyondrodingvalley.blogspot.co.uk

Year 8 Skern Lodge Trip On Monday 2nd to Friday 6th June Year 8 had their week long residential trip to Skern Lodge in Devon. It was a really fun week with loads of activities and things to do such as a difficult high ropes course, raft building, archery, an assault course, zip line, kayaking, tunnels and abseiling.

In my opinion, the best activity we did was surfing. We travelled down to the sea by minibus from the centre and were taught how to surf before getting into the water. It was exciting because it was hard to get balance standing up at first but when you did, it felt like a real achievement. Over the week, lots of people had done things they admitted that they would never normally have tried, or even found scary. We were encouraged by the staff to try new things, and a lot of the time, we did actually enjoy them.

The week was strongly balanced on team building exercises which were fun because as well as staying with our friends we had to work with other people. Overall, it was a really enjoyable week at a nice centre with friendly staff and unusual activities. I hope we can go back sometime because it was a really interesting week.

By Lorelei Booth 8V

Week ending 20 June 2014 Year 7 Highest Attendance

7X

Pupil with Highest Honours

Jack Albertsen 7U

Form with Highest Honours

7U

Year 8 Highest Attendance

8V

Pupil with Highest Honours

Amber Goodman 8W

Form with Highest Honours

8W

Year 9 Highest Attendance

9R

Pupil with the Highest Honours

Alanya Lewin 9X

Form with Highest Honours

9X

Year 10 Highest Attendance

10X

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 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 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 020 8508 1173.

GCSE (Mock) Examinations Please find attached a GCSE (Mock) Examination timetable for the forthcoming Year 9 and Year 10 end of year exams which are taking place after half term.

Students will have received their individual timetables via their form tutors, these have been printed on BRIGHT PINK paper. If your son/daughter was absent on Friday 23 May, timetables will be posted home. If you have any further questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jenny Draper Examinations Officer Roding Valley High School

Drum Lessons

Guitar Lessons Lessons slots are available on Mondays with lessons priced at £12 per half hour.

One to One, Two to One and Small Group lessons available.

Learn with your friends!

Learn to play the drums from as little as £5 per week Contact: jameswelsted@hotmail.co.uk

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

www.jwdrums.co.uk

School Shop Opening Times Before School: 8.30am - 9.00am Break: 11.00am - 11.20am Lunch: 1.20pm - 2.05pm After School: 3.05pm - 4.00pm PUPILS WILL NOT BE SERVED OUTSIDE THESE HOURS FOR FURTHER MATCH REPORTS, RESULTS, FIXTURES AND TEAM SELECTION, LOG ONTO rvhspeblog.com

Supported Homework Club Learning Zone Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 3.05pm - 3.40pm Everyone welcome

LIBRARY OPENING TIMES The library is open to all students for homework , G.C.S.E. work and private study / reading at the following times : Monday - Friday (excluding Tuesday): Before school 7.15 am – 8.30 am , break time , lunch times and after school for homework club 3.15 pm – 4.15 pm.

Tuesday: Before school 7.15 am - 8.10 am , break time and lunch times.

Access for early opening is via the door by resources.

Julia Martin / Stephen Murray

Singing Lessons Private singing lessons are now available. Please contact Gemma Kirk for more details and to book your slot.

email: g.kirk_88@hotmail.com GCSE ICT Catch up sessions Every Tuesday Lunchtime Starting 10th June IT4 These sessions are for students who have fallen behind or want to improve their grade.

Please encourage your child to attend Miss Wilson