I’d like to wish everyone the very best for the weekend ahead. As we reach the half way point of the half term it’s important that students find time to rest and relax after another week of hard work either at home or for some in school.
As promised last night an update on form time arrangements for the last three weeks of this half term.
We hope that the extra contact with form tutors and other members of form groups will be appreciated.
Monday – Head of Year Act of Collective Worship – All students should watch the Head of Year Act of Collective Worship (Assembly). I know colleagues spend a great deal of time each week preparing these and they are full of important messages for the year group.
Tuesday to Thursday – Form time in small groups via google meet – All students will receive an invite from form tutors for one of these sessions. This will be the same day each week and sessions will be in groups of 8 or 9. All students are expected to attend their allocated slot.
Friday – Whole form google meet – All students will be invited to a whole form google meet. All students are expected to attend
– On Tuesday to Thursday if students are not meeting their tutor the online tutor programme will still be available. Tuesday is the News, Wednesday Thought of the Week and Thursday Cultural Roadmap resources.
– On Monday when the form tutor is not meeting students they will make a small number of phone calls, probably two or three a week.
Recommended Reads from Mrs Short – Week 3
Y7: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket lives on the outskirts of town with his poverty-stricken family: his parents and all four grandparents. Each day on his way to school, Charlie passes the best and biggest chocolate factory in the world, run by the secretive Willy Wonka. When Charlie’s father loses his job, things go from bad to worse. Grandpa Joe tells Charlie that in the past, competitors stole Wonka’s candy-making secrets, and the factory shut. One day, Wonka announces that he has hidden golden tickets in five Wonka chocolate bars, with the prize of a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of Wonka products for each child who finds a ticket.
You can read an extract using the link https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children/2017/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-extract.html
Y8: My Brilliant Life and Other Disasters
My Brilliant Life and Other Disasters (Quiz 228 996. Level 4.9. Colour Purple) is very funny and is the sort of book where you always want to know what’s going to happen next. It follows the story of Jessica, an avid cartoonist who has just been reunited with her best friend after a year of teasing and bullying.
Use the links below if you would like to have a go at creating your own cartoon drawings.
https://www.pinterest.ca/barnesga9731/drawing-cartoon-animals/
Y9: My Sister Lives on the mantlepiece
My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece (Quiz 220 719. Level 5.2. colour Green) this book is also part of the Apollo reading programme. I can guarantee that it will make you laugh and cry.
My sister Rose lives on the mantlepiece.
Well, some of her does.
A collarbone, two ribs. A bit of skull, and a little toe.
Jamie is ten. His family is torn apart after the loss of is sister Rose, someone he barely remembers. His father turns to drink, his mother leaves. Jamie, Rose’s twin Jas and their dad move from London to the Lake District. Jamie makes a new friend, but why is he afraid to introduce her to his dad?
The whole book is available to read by opening the following link.
KS4 Yrs 10 and 11: The Kite Runner
Set in Afghanistan in 1975, this novel hinges on one event afterwards which will change Hassan’s life forever, and one which years later he seeks to put right. Read an except here:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/1232/page_number/1/the-kite-runner#excerpt
KS5
Recommended read this week is a transcript of the Inauguration poem, written and performed by Amanda Gorman at the Inauguration of President Joe Biden ceremony. You can read the transcript here:
https://funkypedagogy.com/2021/01/20/inauguration-day-poem-by-amanda-gorman/
or alternatively, view the poem here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdKdyemxbew
Head of Year update – Tonight is Mrs Avey and Y11…
We hope that Year 11 are pleased with their mock results – we know how hard many of our young people have worked to prepare for these assessments and they provide a really good starting point for students to make further progress. A reminder to both parents and students that these are not predicted grades, rather they are a snap-shot of academic performance during November and December. Most students make further progress between the mocks and the summer and we would expect the same pattern to be followed with this year’s cohort. Year 11 parent’s evening is planned to take place on Wednesday 3rd February, this evening will be key for informing parents of their child’s progress in each subject, providing a review of the mocks and also providing targets to aid future progress. Letters regarding the online systems we have for parents evening will be sent home shortly.
To further support year 11 around this time, a Mock Chat room has been set up by pastoral staff for students to utilise when they receive their results. Students can privately message via the year 11 Classroom and will be able to receive support, advice, congratulations , whatever they need from a member of the pastoral team who will be on hand all day both Thursday and Friday and into Monday if so required.
A second classroom named ‘Listen and Lounge’ has also been set up if students wish to ‘meet’ up with their friends on a lunch time. The students simply supply names, request a meeting time and the pastoral staff will allocate a lunch time and facilitate a lunch time meet for them.
The vast majority of students have been excellent at attending their online lessons (thank you for letting us know of any illnesses) and it is great to hear the positive feedback from staff about their positive engagement, contributions to lessons and proactive approach. We hope that Y11 are also looking forward to some more social contact with their form, that will be facilitated with the planned changes to form time from next week. However, should a student miss the daily register at the beginning of the day, a reminder to the student will be sent. Not attending lessons will also prompt a message to the student, from the pastoral team, to please join the lesson. If a student is missing for more lessons on a day, we will inform parents to help rectify the situation.
Core P.E Creativity
Here are some brilliant pieces of work from some of our Core P.E. students in school and at home that were sent in by parents and students. Beneath these are some of the work from GCSE PE Y9 students creating their own skeletons at home using whatever they could get their hands on in 10minutes as part of their bell work.
Sophie Beard
Josh Rhodes
Thomas Iddon
Kieren Rooke
GCSE P.E. Work:
Henry Tegetmeier
Esme Pounder
Dan Clarke
Zoe Cardy
Wellbeing messages
Please find below the key messages for the day:
Collective Worship
This week our Form Tutor Collective Worship is entitled The Secret of Happiness and our daily quotes follow the same theme. We are going to consider how Denmark has yet again been ranked the second-happiest country in the World Happiness Report and how this might link to the concept of Hygge.
Friday – “The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.” – James M Barrie; Scottish author and dramatist, creator of Peter Pan
Safeguarding
If you have significant concerns for the welfare of a child, in addition to being able to contact Gaynor Stainsby or Sam Stead (our Designated Safeguarding Offices during school hours, you may wish to make direct contact with the York MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) on 01904 551900, option 3. They operate an out of hours service so concerns can be raised with them at any time.
Please see the attached document called ‘Safeguarding and Family Support’. This provides a wide range of links to services which might be helpful.
Anti-bullying and Discrimination
If your child is experiencing any bullying or discrimination please contact the school (and the police if appropriate) in order that we can help:
- Phone: 01904 411341
- Email: reception@archbishopholgates.org
Our website has lots of useful resources available to you: https://archbishopholgates.academy/anti-bullying-and-discrimination-2/ including an anonymous form to report bullying on.