RVHS Bulletin for Weekending25th September 2020

“Our vision is to be the school of choice for our local community, developing successful young people with high aspirations, who show respect for all and endeavour to become the very best that they can be.�

RVHS Bulletin Weekending Friday 25th September 2020

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Message from the Headteacher Dear Parents and Carers, It has been really great to see the students settled back into school and the new routines now embedded as part of the new normal. The students have shown great engagement and enthusiasm to be back in the classroom and really enjoying school. It remains my priority to ensure the safety of all in the school community and to keep the school operational.

Attendance at school has been excellent and students who are self-isolating have been encouraged to join the google classrooms to maintain their studies. I have been asked to distribute a letter from NHS Test and Trace to all our parents, it can be found in full in the bulletin.

I am grateful for your support with our safety guidelines and for ensuring that your child has a face covering with them every day. We are insisting that these be worn inside communal areas and as students move around inside the school building. I am also grateful for your support with the journey times and the recognition of our staggered start and end times to the school day. It is important that students only arrive at their start time and immediately leave the area at their finish time. Please see my letter 8th September for a reminder of the arrangements. Unfortunately, there is a small minority of students who are letting us down in the community, congregating in groups in the high street, and not following guidance with regard to face coverings in the shops whilst wearing our school uniform. I do understand that the local community would currently be feeling heightened levels of anxiety and it is important that our students appreciate and follow the rule of 6 on their travels. However, I also appreciate that there are 1400 students traveling to and from our school and often groups are not doing anything wrong but given the current situation, I would appreciate you reinforcing the message that students are expected to travel directly to and from school with congregating. Naturally, we would take a very dim view of any student who appeared to be deliberately bringing the good name of our school into disrepute and appropriate sanctions would be applied in line with our Expectations and Behaviour Policy.

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We have amended our Behaviour Policy as circulated to parents earlier this week. Addendum to Behaviour Policy

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Last week’s assembly for our students was all about “it’s ok not be ok” and what students should do if they feel they need some support. We asked a number of staff to discuss their own fears and anxieties and how they deal with them. Please discuss this with your children. The feedback from them so far has been very positive.

Do remind them that we have the iamnotok@rodingvalley.net email address if they are not sure who to talk to and need some help.

In assemblies this week we have focussed on resilience and again, a number of staff have shared their own personal experiences and understanding of what it means to be resilient - definitely a personal quality we would want to encourage, particularly in the current climate. In assemblies this week we have also reminded students about the appropriate use of social media platforms and in particular references to our school or other students. We have reminded students about some simple safety measures they can take, for example only accepting ‘friends’ that the actually know and keeping WhatsApp groups to a small number of known participants. Please speak with your child about security settings and as always, our advice would be to ensure you are involved in their accounts and regularly monitor their mobile phone and computer use. As I am sure you would expect we will not tolerate the use of social media to offend, upset or hurt another individual or group.

Please can I also remind parents that to reduce the risk of transmission, they should only ever be visiting the school site for essential meetings and only by prior appointment with a member of staff. If you attend, then you must wear a face covering and adhere to strict social distancing. I would expect that the majority of meetings can be held remotely over google meet or by telephone. Only one visitor will be allowed into the school reception area at any time and I have asked my staff to avoid holding any physical parent meetings unless absolutely vital to a child’s welfare.

Unfortunately, due to the current situation, we are unable to hold our usual Year 6 Open Morning event but I am delighted to invite you to attend our Virtual Open Morning which will go live on Saturday the 3rd of October at 10am. The advertisement contains a QR code that will allow parents to register their interest in receiving the link to our Open Morning event and they will also then receive a digital copy of our prospectus.

The online registration form can also be accessed directly from our website. https://rodingvalley.net/ I also attach the link to our 'Year in the Life of RVHS 2020' which contains a celebration of students’ achievement and useful information for both current and prospective parents.

I trust that you will enjoy the rest of the bulletin Best wishes Mrs Sharon Jenner Headteacher

RVHS Communications Update Please can we take this opportunity to remind all parents that RVHS no longer uses MyED to communicate with our parents/carers and any messages sent through this app to the school will not be picked up by our staff.

All parents should now have received an Activation Email for our new Communication software Edulink 1. If you have not received your activation email or if you require any support with Edulink1; please contact our Data Manager Ms Stewart on lstewart@rodingvalley.net.

As we can no longer accept cash on site, parents will now be able to purchase the following stationary packs on ParentPay. Once an order has been placed, it will be collected from Resources the following morning by the Year Progress Leaders and delivered to your child during registration.

Bronze Pack £1.00 Silver Pack £1.50  A5 Zip wallet  A5 Zip Wallet  2x Gel Pens  X2 Black Biros  Highlighter  Blue Biro  Eraser  Green Biro  Sharpener  HB Pencil  Non-Stop Pencil  Small Ruler  Eraser  Sharpener Maths Pack £1.60  Small Pencil Case  Biro  HB Pencil  Set Square  Protractor  Compass  Small Ruler  Eraser  Sharpener Scientific Calculator £8.40

Year 7 It has been a fantastic start to the term for Year 7 students who are continuing to adapt immensely to secondary school life. I am looking forward to being part of their journey as they progress through year 7 and take up all the opportunities that are on offer for them.

Reminder: Students should arrive no earlier than 8.15am in the morning at Zone 3.

They should ensure they line up in an orderly manner and keep the pathway clear for the general public. Please can I remind all that face coverings are compulsory and students should have one on them at all times.

Miss Reed – Year 7 Progress Leader

Congratulations to the following the Element

Atijus Aputis Leah Dethridge

Zoe Hedges

Holly Horide

group Lithium for being nominated as Class of the Week by Mr Wilson.

Charlotte Lemka

Many thanks to all of the KS3 students and parents who responded so swiftly to the offer of extra-curricular clubs in music, art and photography.

The following club for Year 7 will be starting next week and further details will be emailed out shortly.

The response was overwhelming and I apologise that we couldn't accommodate all of the applications. We plan to offer further opportunities later in the term.

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Year 7 Spray Painting with Mr Tisdale

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Year 7 Clay Club with Mr Baidoo

Anna Staucean

Etalia Johnson

Year 8 Yet another fortnight has flown by, with year 8's showing such resilience and independence and adjusting brilliantly to this new normal. I have been so impressed by all in the year group who have shown excellent commitment to their learning. It has been an absolute pleasure to visit so many year 8 lessons, where students are actively engaged in their learning and making such wonderful contributions and progress. You should all be very proud of yourselves.

In my earlier communication this week, I stressed the importance of students arriving to school at the correct time, which will help in facilitating our year group bubbles. Students will enter the top Brook Road gate at 8.30am (or just before), which will then be closed by 8.35am. Can I ask for your support in communicating to your child the importance of lining up along Brook Road in single file, with face coverings on, whilst waiting to enter the school site. This will help keep everyone in our community safe and well.

I would also like to remind parents and students about the rule of 6, and reinforce our expectations that whilst students are wearing our RVHS uniform in the community, that they need to act in a mature, respectful and appropriate manner at all times.

I have heard from many of the teaching colleagues, how delighted they are with how their year 8 classes have begun the year. I wanted to celebrate these in this bulletin and recognise all of their hard work. Well done to the below listed classes for making such a positive start to the year and being recognised as 'Classes of the Fortnight!' Well done to all and keep up the brilliant work.

Miss Edwards – Year 8 Progress Leader Congratulations to the following Element group for being nominated as Class of the Week by their Teacher:  Oxygen- Nominated by Miss Hodges for their excellent work each morning in ensuring they have all of the correct equipment!  Argon- Nominated by Mr Melvin for starting the year in Spanish so brilliantly.

 Lithium- Nominated by Mrs Boulis for an excellent start to the year in Drama with real positivity and encouragement for each other

Many thanks to all of the KS3 students and parents who responded so swiftly to the offer of extra-curricular clubs in music, art and photography. The following club for Year 8 will be starting next week and further details will be emailed out shortly.

The response was overwhelming and I apologise that we couldn't accommodate all of the applications. We plan to offer further opportunities later in the term.

 Monday: Year 8 Logic programming with Mr Savage

 Tuesday: Year 8 Song Writing (and Rap!) Miss Kalaycioglu

Year 9 I would just like to say that the Year 9s have settled very quickly since coming back to school and we can all be proud of the way they have adapted to the 'new normal'. It's been great to see everybody back and I have been amazed at how much everyone has grown up since the beginning of lockdown.

Soon there will be many leadership opportunities for Year 9 students ranging from Subject ambassadors to House Leaders and of course student voice representatives. I look forward to sharing with you these excellent opportunities and how our Year 9 students can get involved.

Just a few key points to remember as we move into the autumn months:

 Year 9 students should arrive no earlier than 5mins before the gates open at 8:30 am.  Whilst waiting to come through the Brook Road entrance students should keep pathways clear, wait in single file, and should wear face coverings.

 As the weather turns more unpredictable students will need to be well prepared with raincoats because while we have indoor spaces, they are limited at break times due to COVID-19 restrictions.

 Also, chewing gum is not permitted and is seen as a breach of our safety measures.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me via email cdobson@rodingvalley.net Mr Dobson – Year 9 Progress Leader

Many thanks to all of the KS3 students and parents who responded so swiftly to the offer of extra-curricular clubs in music, art and photography. The following club for Year 9 will be starting next week and further details will be emailed out shortly.

The response was overwhelming and I apologise that we couldn't accommodate all of the applications. We plan to offer further opportunities later in the term.

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Wednesday: Year 9 Photography with Ms Kalair

Year 10 I want to express my gratitude towards year 10 and their mature approach to school. I have witnessed a year group take on the challenge of starting GCSE head first. They have shown true resilience by doing this within the current situation. I would also like to thank parents for the support you have given to students and the school during these unusual times.

Please be aware for the few notices I would like to make clear: 

Student should be in Zone 1 maximum of 5 minutes before the day starts at 08:50am. Students should keep pathways around the outside of the schools clear, waiting in a single file line wearing face coverings. Students must discard any chewing gum as this is not permitted on site.

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I would also like to remind students that the weather in the coming weeks is set to change. Students will need to be well prepared with rain coats and warm clothes because while we have indoor spaces, they are limited at break times due to the current restrictions.

Congratulations to Megan Chilvers, Year 10 and brother Tom Chilvers Year 8 for organising a concert in their driveway and raised £400 for the Epping Forest Food Bank.

Fantastic!!

Due to the decision to send students home when they are timetabled to have P.E. I have created I.D. passes that allow the students to leave at the end of the day, they clearly identify the day in which they can leave. These passes have been handed to students and will need to be shown to the member of staff on the gate.

Students who lose or forget their pass will not be allowed out of the gate at the end of lunch.

Again, my congratulations to the Year 10 students for their hard work and maturity shown in the first few weeks of the new academic year.

Mr Warry – Year 10 Progress Leader

Year 11 I would like to firstly say how impressed we have been with our year 11 students so far. Your behaviour around school and approach to learning has been fantastic and we hope you maintain this level of aspiration and endeavour over the coming months! We have been especially impressed by the brilliant commitment to the intervention sessions - please continue to approach them with enthusiasm and effort to ensure you are getting the most out of these lessons.

A reminder to you all that your PPEs will be commencing on the 5th October so ensure you are revising and seeking help from your teachers where needed. These mock exams are going to be of great importance so please make sure you are preparing yourself and trying your best in them.

You have been setting an excellent example to the younger years in school and we hope you will continue to do so! Please remember to stick to your allocated zone, wear your face coverings inside the school building and sanitise your hands.

We have really enjoyed our first week with you Year 11 and please do come and find us if you need anything!

Miss Woods & Miss Fazakerley – Acting Year 11 Progress Leader

Mrs Mason, our Careers Manager has been contacted by a local nursery. They have a vacancy for a 'Nursery Apprentice'.

If you have sons or daughters who have left Roding Valley High School and are seeking an apprenticeship.

Please contact Mrs Mason directly for further details dmason@rodingvalley.net

Year 12 We are now well settled into the new academic year and students have responded brilliantly to the new regime in terms of Covid 19. Students have embraced the challenges of Sixth Form studies and home learning and seem to have coped with the transition very well.

Year 13 Our senior students have returned back from their PPE exams and started their Year 13 studies. Key information has also been sent out to all students and parents’ regarding the university application process, from now it is imperative all students adhere to the deadlines and make the necessary arrangements to see Mrs Sellears and myself at the stages stated regarding their UCAS application. Students who are not considering university would be well advised to arrange a meeting with Mrs Mason, in Careers, to investigate other opportunities.

I would just like to take this opportunity to clarify the arrangements for Sixth Form students on site for the foreseeable future.

Sixth Form Procedures Whilst On Site 1. Sixth Form students enter at the start of the day via the top door at the front of the building.

2. The door will open at break 11am to allow students out who have no further lessons. Students with lessons after break must not leave the site. If they have a period with no timetabled lesson they are able to use the Brook Building Computer Suite to work independently.

3. The top door will open again at 11.25am but only allow students to enter who had no lessons periods 1 & 2.

4. Those left in the building at break will have access to food and drink at the snack shack 5. Any students arriving for lessons after break will also enter via the top door at the front of the building.

6. Students then remain in school until their lunch break at 1.30pm when all Sixth Formers will then be allowed to leave the site.

Matt Fletcher (Director of Sixth Form)

Congratulations to Bethany Cooper in Year 8 for her creative description of a lakeside town:

KS3 Star Writer Award

“I ran down to the lakeshore. Everything here demanded my attention: the tall mountains at my back, the vast expanse of trees and my reflection in the pristine waters of the lake. The faded sound of bells reached my ears as I stared around myself in wonder of this place. Behind me, mountains reached towards the sky as if they were trying to touch the sun. Clear blue water stretched in front of me as far as I could see, shimmering and shining in the sunlight. I could hear the gentle susurration of the trees as they danced in the wind.

Birds sang sweetly from their branches. The day’s worries seemed to wash away from me, like the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore”.

Definition:

In a Truthful way

The 1920’s are often referred to as the Roaring Twenties, an economic boom created by New Industrialism and mass consumerism. The 1920’s were a curious period in American history as it followed the end of the war, where it was a time of great despair and sadness.

However, Americans saw this as a time to be independent and be more liberal. This is also the first time we would see women acting more independent politically and culturally (for example the passage of the 19th Amendment sparking the start of Feminism, as they were now able to vote). This would eventually lead to the rise of the Flappers, these were young women known for their energetic freedom viewed by many as immoral. Flappers pushed barriers who wore more flamboyant clothing and wore more bold makeup, giving the stepping stone for women to become more free and less controlled by men than before the 1920's.

Leading, to more of a diverse In the 1920’s capitalism was king metaphorically and in the US people saw rising salaries, as steam engines were scrapped to electric powered engines, which shifted the economy Immensely. This required more skilled workers, which meant higher wages. Therefore, people had more disposable income and free time: so advertising came in. Due to more advanced and newer machines, well known car manufacturer Henry Ford thought cars could save rural American families by making it easier to get around to and from work, this would attract them more to the city for work; making the country more amenable. Success of advertising particularly in New York, made more people around the world envy the life America had built for themselves and give rise and definition to the ‘American Dream’.

American had been seen as the land of opportunity ‘a beacon of light’ for less wealthy countries. American investors define the American dream as “The belief that anyone regardless of ethnicity or class can attain their own version of success through hard work and sacrifice”. This ‘Dream’ that was portrayed all over cities such as New York gave rise to immigration as immigrants would see successful business people that would have worked their way up from poverty to the top of the hierarchy in America. Desiring this sense of reality and wealth which would not be as easily obtainable in Europe etc., which we later know would cause hate spikes by Native American groups such as the KKK and the rise in Nativism.

During the 1920’s, some freedoms were expanded yet some were curtailed. The 18th amendment made it illegal to manufacture and sell alcohol. While prohibition had some upside - decrease in alcoholism and car accidents it gave extreme rise to the black market and secret speakeasies owned by bootleggers that would illegally import alcohol. This made drinking alcoholic substances seem more appealing to the citizens of America as it was banned. For the wealthy, it was more attainable to get alcohol through hidden parties that we see presented by countless parties by Jay Gatsby. The 1920's America was a pivotal point in American history as it represented an era of substantial growth and change. Helping establish America’s position in the world through its entertainment, investments and inventions.

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KS5 Star Writer Award

Congratulations to Hollie White for her answer to the question: 'Why are the 1920's (America) often referred to as the 'Roaring Twenties'?'

Accelerated Reader Welcome to Year 7, and Accelerated Reader!

The English Department are delighted to announce the launch of the Accelerated Reader scheme for the 2020-2021 academic year. Here is a bit about it: “Accelerated Reader” is designed to encourage students to develop their independent reading skills and to foster a love of reading. The whole idea behind it is for children to quiz books once they have finished reading them, helping them to show their understanding of what they have read.

By logging in to Accelerated Reader, children can find the book they have been reading and quiz it once they have finished it. What is great about the scheme is that there are thousands of books, from classics such as Alice in Wonderland to action books like Artemis Fowl; popular authors such as J.K Rowling, David Walliams and Jacqueline Wilson; and even non-fiction books, too! Most books that children would usually read will have quizzes available.

We ask for your support with this initiative by encouraging your child to read at least 30 minutes a day and reminding them to quiz their book online when they have finished it.

Star Reading At the beginning of the year, all Year 7 students completed an online Star Reader Test to determine their individual reading level. Upon completion of the test, students were then assigned to a unique book range (ZPD) that challenges each student individually based on his/her ability. Each Year 7 will complete this testing at the start of every half term to determine how their reading levels have progressed.

Rewards To encourage students to engage with the program, they will have plenty of opportunities to receive awards. Year 7 will compete in a fortnightly “English Class Competition,” whereby the English class completing the highest number of quizzes each term will receive a prize!

Last year the winning class got to play games in the library during their final ‘library lesson’.

We will also be awarding “Weekly Top Reader Prizes,” which acknowledges students for being either “Top Quiz Takers” (students who complete the most quizzes), “Top Challenger” (the student who reads the most books at the top of their personal ZPD) or “Highest Quiz Scorers” (the students who complete the most quizzes with the highest scores). These lucky readers will win individual prizes!

The Millionaire Reading Club Finally, there is the BIG ONE. The Millionaire Reading Club. Once a student achieves this massive milestone of reading a million - yes 1,000,000 – words, they become an Accelerated Reader Millionaire ensuring a great end-of-year prize. In years gone by we have had trips and other great rewards for the legendary few who make it to this milestone.

Our students have been excellent with their home learning studies since starting back in September. As you're aware, Google Classroom contains everything our students need in regards to their home learning. Please remember that home learning tasks to be done after school (at home!) are always labelled as ASSIGNMENTS with a clear due date and instruction; they must also be submitted via Google Classroom too. If your son/daughter is self-isolating, then classwork for the week in each subject will be posted as MATERIAL. Again, they can submit this directly to their teacher via Google Classroom.

If you need any support with home learning, then please do either contact me on plarkin@rodingvalley.net or you can watch our FAQ video by clicking the link to the right or by scanning the QR code

RVHS Tried and Tested Revision Techniques Here at RVHS, as you are probably aware, we teach our students our 'tried and tested' revision techniques. We really want to encourage our Year 11 students in particular to practise this on the run up to their mini tests. During lockdown, Mr Ryan and I led a revision technique session- that has been replayed to all our students last week. If you would like to access our revision materials and templates to try at home, then please either click on the link below: https://rodingvalley.net/highschool/revision-resources/

Over the next few pages of this bulletin, we have some EXCELLENT examples of the home learning submitted by our students over the last two weeks, please do take the time to look through them.

Or you can scan the QR code to the right: If your son or daughter would like some extra support with their revision, please do contact plarkin@rodingvalley.net

We would like to showcase some of the fantastic work our students have done over the last two weeks from home. We are so proud of the incredible achievement and dedication to their studies our students have shown. Please do keep up the amazing work!

Well done to Matthew Hopkins in Year 8 for his amazing History work.

Well done to Enru Li - Year 8, for his great History work on the ‘Changes in society between 1924 and 1929’.

Congratulations to Megan Allgood Year 12 for her fantastic Science work on Spiracle Movements.

Congratulations to Tolani Aradeon for her amazing English work Well done to Demi Watts for her excellent English work.

Well done to Bo Green in Year 11 for her great History Paper 2 work.

Congratulations to Amelia TomlinsonYear 8, for her amazing science work Well done to RouXi He for his excellent work on ‘Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens.

At the start of September the Art department gives every student the same pencil drawing task as their first piece of assessment work. Here are just three examples of the outstanding work created.

Each of these Year 10 students are just starting their GCSE studies with Mr Baidoo and I'm confident they'll be hugely successful!

Esther Richards

Skye Salek-Haddadi

Jack Carr

Year Progress Leaders  Year 7: Miss Reed – hreed@rodingvalley.net  Year 8: Miss Edwards – cedwards@rodingvalley.net  Year 9: Mr Dobson – cdobson@rodingvalley.net  Year 10: Mr Warry – bwarry@rodingvalley.net  Year 11: Mr Ryan – fryan@rodingvalley.net

USEFUL CONTACTS

 Sixth Form: Mr Fletcher - mfletcher@rodingvalley.net

Heads of Faculty  Creative Arts: Mr Tisdale – dtisdale@rodingvalley.net  English: Mrs Routledge – lroutledge@rodingvalley.net  Humanities: Ms Preston – tpreston@rodingvalley.net  IT/Business: Mr Hussain – ohussain@rodingvalley.net  Maths: Mr Edeko – oedeko@rodingvalley.net  MFL: Mr P Melvin – pmelvin@rodingvalley.net  Science: Mr Poovillingham - npoovillingham@rodingvalley.net  Sports & Nutrition: Mr Jones – ljones@rodingvalley.net  SENDco: Mrs Tarantini-Amor – ltarantini-amor@rodingvalley.net

General Enquiries  office@rodingvalley.net

Finance  finance@rodingvalley.net

Safeguarding:  safeguarding@rodingvalley.net

How to contact any member of staff at Roding Valley High School: Initial + surname+@rodingvalley.net