Parent Newsletter 11/09/15

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS UPDATE Friday 11th September 2015 This Half Term at a Glance…

Here are just a few important forthcoming events—for our full calendar, click www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk/media/ calendar

Letter from the Headmistress Please note that Mrs Rose’s results letter and accompanying statistics for public examination results in 2015 will not be

Tuesday 15th September

circulated until next week due to the high

Individual School Photographs

level of re-marks that are still outstanding at

Duke of Edinburgh Launch Meeting 4.00pm

this point.

Friday 18th September 4.15pm

Thank you for your patience.

Year 10 Coping with GCSEs Tuesday 22nd September Year 12 Politics to the Houses of Parliament Year 10 YELLIS testing Thursday 24th September Year 9 to the Black Country Museum Year 11 Geography to Oxford

Trip Consent and Medical Forms Please be sure to return the trip consent and medical forms that were sent out at the end of last week. By filling in these

Thursday 1st October

forms, you no longer need to complete one

Non-uniform day

for each “non-hazardous” trip your

Friday 2nd October—Sunday 4th October

daughter/ward may take during this aca-

First Exeat weekend

demic year (for example, trips to the

Monday 5th October Harvest Festival

theatre, museums etc).

Please ensure that you communicate any change to the details provided on the form

Tuesday 6th October

to us as soon as possible.

Cake Sale at Break

Consent forms will still be sent out for any

Sunday 11th October

other trips (e.g. residential).

WHOLE SCHOOL OPEN DAY—ATTENDANCE

Form should be returned to Form Tutors

IS COMPULSORY FOR ALL GIRLS

as soon as possible

Thursday 15th October CEM Information Evening (Years 7-9) Friday 23rd October Senior School Prize Day Friday 23rd October—Sunday 1st November Half Term

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

OTHER INFORMATION Emails Sent this week Apologies for the large number of emails that have been sent since the beginning of term.

If you have not received any of the emails listed below, please contact Pippa Hopkins phopkins@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk Year 10

Coping with GCSEs Information Evening invitation

Year 12/13 English

Information about “Get Writing” workshop

Year 7 to 9

CEM Information Evening

Year 10 Art

Letter regarding trip to Tate Modern and Wellcome Foundation

Year 11 Geography

Letter regarding Oxford trip

Year 12 Geography

AS Level Enrichment

Year 13 Geography

A Level Enrichment

Year 10/11 Geography

Wide World Magazine information

Year 10/11

Duke of Edinburgh Award Launch Evening

Year 9

Letter regarding Battlefields Trip 2016

Year 9

Black Country Museum visit

Years 7 to 13

Opro Mouthguard Information

Years 7—13

Launch of new school website

Years 7—13

Important Announcement from the Chair of Governors

Years 7—13

Trip Consent and Medical Forms, iPad Acceptable Use Policy, Email Protocol and School Uniform guidelines

Parent Portal queries & updating contact details To advise us of any changes to your contact details, change of boarding status etc., please contact changeofdetails@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk . This is a group email address and your communication will be sent to all the relevant parties within the school.

If you have any other questions relating to the Parent Portal, please contact our Data Systems Manager Mrs Bulow on bbulow@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

SCHOOL NEWS New School Website We are delighted to have been able to launch our new school website (www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk) this week and hope that you find it an improvement on our previous rather outdated version. If you have any comments or questions regarding the site and where to find information, please do not hesitate to contact Pippa Hopkins (phopkins@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk) The new site will be updated frequently with news stories from the School community— you may also choose to follow us on Twitter for up to the minute happenings in School @RMSforGirls. Please look at the gallery for pictures of yesterday’s Focus Day.

Testing in Schools—Discussion Parents may be interested in going to what promises to be a lively discussion on the topic of testing in schools. Intelligence Squared, sponsored by Vogue magazine, are holding a debate on the topic "Let's End the Tyranny of the Test". The Sixth Form Debating society will be going, and the organisers have offered a special discount to you if you book on line (see details below). Chairing the debate will be Sir Anthony Seldon, Master of Wellington College and the speakers will be Tony Little, former Head Master of Eton College, Tristram Hunt, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Toby Young, journalist and proponent of the Free Schools, and Daisy Christodoulou, education researcher.

Date: Thurs 1st October, 7.00pm, Emmanuel Centre, Marshal Street, London SW1) 3DW. Book online at http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/lets-end-the-tyranny-of-the-test/

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

SCHOOL NEWS A message from the Bursar, Mrs Diana Robinson Welcome back to all parents and girls, old and new. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and invite you to contact me at any time should you have any queries or concerns relating to matters affecting the school buildings, grounds, security etc. I also need to run through a few matters relating to the Car Park (as is a Bursar’s wont), particularly for those that are experiencing its delights for the first time!

Use of Car Park As many of you will be only too aware, the school car park gets very congested at certain times of the day, particularly at pick up time. Unfortunately, despite the apparent room for more parking spaces, we are in fact bound by planning restrictions on its layout and use. Whilst the paddock at the end was used temporarily some time ago as a car park during the building of Waitrose, it is rated as agricultural land and we were therefore required to restore it to its original state afterwards. We are now only permitted to use it on a limited number of occasions during the year – and cannot use it in wet weather at all. We are continually reviewing this situation, both in terms of longer term opportunities to permanently increase available parking space and bus routes; and in the shorter term by moving as many staff cars as we can away from the main Car Park. May we ask you to help as much as you can in this respect by restricting your use of the Car Park to as short a time as possible whilst on school business. In particular, please do not leave your car in the Car Park whilst you are away from school, eg to travel on the tube.

The Car Park at the station is large and costs a reasonable £2.70 a day.

Car Park Permits In order for us to monitor usage more accurately, we issue Car Park permits to all authorised users of the Car park; you should recently have received two in the post which have been registered against your name. I would appreciate it if you would ensure that you (and your daughter if applicable) clearly display this pass in your windscreen whilst on the school site. Please contact Janet Ford or Elaine Hoile in the Bursar’s Office if you have any queries on this.

Parking on Chorleywood Road Please may we request that parents/guardians do not park or drop girls off in the area off the Chorleywood Road near to the locked gates at the Cadogan House side of the site, where a No Parking sign is clearly displayed. Whilst the erection of the bollards by the Council following an injury to one of our pupils a while ago has made the situation safer for pedestrians, it has been noted that cars are being parked outside the bollards or in the adjacent bus stop. This clearly represents an obstruction and potential hazard to passing traffic, as well as an annoyance to our neighbours, and I would ask for your co-operation in refraining from inconsiderate/dangerous parking.

Old Chorleywood Road This is the small crescent off the main road opposite the entrance to the school. Please show consideration to the residents in this road in your driving and parking, in particular not blocking their driveways at any time.

Exiting the School Finally may I remind all drivers that we operate a no right turn when exiting the school gates to assist in the flow of traffic.

Your co-operation in these matters is very much appreciated, and I hope you and your daughter(s) have a happy and productive term.

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls