Headteacher Update

I hope everyone has had a restful weekend. As we enter February I would like to reiterate my thanks for the ongoing support that families are providing and the way that we continue to work in partnership to make sure that all students are able to access their learning at this time. As well as teachers planning the best lessons possible I know that our pastoral team are working tirelessly with families to put in place arrangements specific to their individual circumstances. As ever please do not hesitate to contact school if you need any support.

Thankfully February also brings with it slightly lighter mornings and evenings and a little more scope for opportunities for regular exercise, something very important at this time. With this in mind I would like to highlight to families the following opportunity from Mr Goldsmith:

15 Minute Fitness!! – If you would like to get your mornings off to a fun and energetic start, then click the link in your PE classroom and join Mr Goldsmith for 15 Minute Fitness. No fancy equipment required; all you need is a little bit of space to do it in.
Tuesday and Thursday, 0830 – 0845.  See you online!

A reminder that the following subjects will be ‘trialling’ some live teaching for Year 7 and Year 8 over the next two weeks, with a roll-out to further subjects after half term. Subject teachers will have made clear to their classes which lessons will be live and parents have been sent documentation to make clear how to access this. I know that Miss Kincell and Mr Arthur are on hand to offer support as needed.

Year 7 will access some live teaching in the following subjects:

• Maths (starting week 5 – w/c 1^st February)
• History (starting week 5 – w/c 1^st February)
• Design Technology (starting week 5 – w/c 1^st February)
• RE (starting week 5 – w/c 1^st February)

Year 8 will access some live teaching in the following subjects:

• History (starting week 5 – w/c 1^st February)
• Geography (starting week 5 – w/c 1^st February)
• RE (starting week 6 – w/c 1^st February)

I would also like to stress that for these younger year groups there remains a great deal of value in the narrated lessons we have worked hard to produce and these will also continue after half term supplemented by live lessons each week..

This week’s Pathfinder newsletter is available on the MAT website: https://pathfinder.academy/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Pathfinder-Weekly-Newsletter-29.01.21.pdf

Student Wellbeing – Mindful Monday

Head of Year updates – Miss Kincell and Year 7…

Key Notices:
BEWERLEY PARK TRIP: We are optimistically hoping that the trip in July may still be able to take place. In this case, if you are able to make the payment by the deadline next week Monday 1^st February then please do so as you usually would via wisepay. However, if you have concerns about this payment or need further support please contact main reception and ask to speak with the Year 7 team.

Important change to Y7 lessons:

All lessons for year 7 should be considered as ‘live’, as teachers are following their time table and responding to questions and giving feedback in the hour for that lesson and we encourage all students to follow their timetable so that they may maximise their time with their teacher.

However the following changes will take place W/C 1^st Feb. Students will have access to live face-to-face teaching in the following subjects:

• Maths (starting week 5 – w/c 1^stFebruary)
• History (starting week 5 – w/c 1^stFebruary)
• Design Technology (starting week 5 – w/c 1^stFebruary)
• RE (starting week 5 – w/c 1^stFebruary

NB: It will be subject and lesson dependent how long the ‘live’ section takes place, and this may change week on week. The ‘live’ part of the lesson will be recorded and posted to the classroom for those unable to follow their timetable, as it normally would as a narration (if you are not following your timetable for a specific reason please could you notify us so that we know to expect the work at another time). If students would not like their face or name in the recording, they may have their camera off and their initials instead of their name, and may ask any private questions after the recording has ended.

Students will continue with the narrated lessons for the rest of their subjects, which have been overwhelmingly successful so far. With the potential of a more prolonged period out of school this blended approach should help continue to keep students motivated and engaged.

Please consider all lessons 50 minutes long (whether they are live or not) and spend the final 10 minute of the lesson getting up and away from the screen. I will be posting optional activity challenges each day for you to do in the 10 minutes.

Form Time:
Your form tutor will invite you to join a google meet, this will be in small groups Tuesday-Thursday and a full group meet on Fridays. This is compulsory, but should be a lovely way to have some interaction with other students and your form tutor. Please make sure you have a good look at your form google classroom for when your meets are so you don’t miss them.

Again, what a wonderful week of online learning it has been. I have decided to use this week’s bulletin to give some key messages about online learning well-being tips!

Staying Focused:
Get rid of distractions – turn off notifications for apps, or even leave your phone out of sight. The same goes for other distractions, like games consoles.
Get into study mode – Stick to a structured routine, including having a shower, getting changed, having breakfast etc. Then treat online learning like a proper school day, with a start, end and specific scheduled breaks.
Reward your accomplishments – working non-stop without a break or reward, will become really hard as well as the impact on your ability to focus.  The human brain can only concentrate for so long. Take breaks, and use these productively – ideally in ways that don’t require much thinking. Catch up on household chores, go for a run, or reply to messages from friends. Use rewards as motivation. Don’t forget to recognise your progress, or remind yourself of what you’re working towards, either. This is particularly relevant for online learning or part-time students, or students working towards long-term goals.

Work Area:
Having a dedicated, physical space to work in, can train your brain to focus. This doesn’t have to be a whole office or study room. If you’re short of space, this could be a particular area, like a part of your bedroom or living room. However, try to keep places like your bed or sofa for relaxing, where you can properly ‘switch off’. If you have a table or a desk, definitely work there. However here are some tips for when you don’t:

-Keep your room tidy and clean- this will help you to feel prepared and organised for learning.
-Make a clear difference between day and night- get those curtains open and windows slightly ajar to get in some fresh air.
-If you are working on your bed, make it, but make it differently, and not in a sleepy way! Make sure you are not under your quilt and align your pillows in a way that makes it more like a sofa behind you so you sit up straight- laying down is not a way to work.
-At the end of the school day put your working devices and resources/stationary away and put your bed back to a comfortable arrangement.

Feeling Connected
-Groups chats and texting/IM is great but not the same as phone call/face time.
-You all have break and lunch at the same time- arrange for a phone call/face time/group face time with your friends/so you can have that much needed contact and it gives you something to look forward to.
-At the end of each lesson, get up and go and speak to someone in your house face to face, do this each hour.

Our Head of Year Awards this week currently have a £5 voucher and certificate:

Faith and Olivia Lister: Well done for you relentless cheer, politeness and kindness to those around you, a multitude of positive comments from teachers and outstanding Just Dance partner work- very impressive!

Our in school students of the week are:
BS1: Sophie Beard: well done for your consistent hard work, positive attitude and always living the school values.
BS2: Callum Miller: Well done for your positive attitude, and always being so polite and helpful
APP1: Erin Smithson: Well done for your independence, trying your best and living the school values.

Top MyLexia Reader:
Well done to Brayden Richardson for top effort with your reading

Top Hegarty Mathematicians:
Most number of tasks attempted : Callum Cowling (12)
Most number of questions answered correctly : Callum Cowling (208)
Highest total hours of learning (inc. watching videos, attempting and reattempting tasks): Tameem Alrehaily (3.5)

Special mentions of outstanding work from teachers:
Tommy Macdonald – Geography work has been outstanding this week!
Brayden Richardson – has been amazing in Maths! His work has been fantastic and he even completes extra Hegarty Tasks!
Shannon Smith – Shannon has worked so hard during our Maths lessons.  She tries every question and watches the videos very carefully!
Jessica McDonald – Consistently displaying outstanding effort and commitment in English.
Alex Phillips – great work ethic and a real determination to do well in English.
George Dodsworth – continually high effort and engagement in English lessons! Well done
Sophie Beard – For some beautiful and outstanding maths
Tayla Langham – Trying really hard in her preparation for the half termly assessment. Well done!
Dec Dalgleigh –Always engaged in lessons and has clearly prepared for his assessment and is trying hard in all his RE lessons. Well done!
Hollie Smith – for her outstanding effort in all lessons
Theo Beattie – for his enthusiasm for taking up the chance to watch a live event for Holocaust Memorial Day
Josie Shut – For her outstanding score in the Buddhism assessment
Callum Sherratt– For his outstanding score in the Buddhism assessment
Leo Crossman – For his outstanding score in the Buddhism assessment
Oliver Meakin – For his outstanding score in the Buddhism assessment
Damien Sparkes has worked really hard on his assessment this week in art and shown real progress in his work. Well done Damien
Poppy Keogh, for showing excellent detail in her art assessment, and using all the skills she has built up so far this year in a great piece of work.
Tom Cain – engaging positively with the form google meets.
Scarlett Shaw – engaging positively with the form google meets.
Holly Hunter always puts a huge amount of effort into her tasks in the lesson, often completing the bright sparks questions with much detail.
Tommy MacDonald consistently completes task with detailed answers, including the bright sparks questions and shows solid understanding of the concepts introduced in the lesson.
Noah Smee Brown continently puts a huge amount if effort into his work during the lessons and regulary add extra details that go above and beyond what was taught in the lesson.
Faith Lister shows great enthusiasm in the lesson and completes her tasks to a high standard, showing a solid understanding of the concepts introduced.
A big shout out to Mrs Price’s Maths class. They are trying so hard even when they find some of the work difficult. Keep trying everyone!
Evie Price – for fully engaging in all aspects of her Maths lessons
Thomas Iddon – for pushing himself to complete Bright Sparks challenges
Georgina Richardson –  working really hard in geography
Theo Beattie – listening to feedback making amendments and work becoming impressive
Robert Wilkinson for his extra effort when completing his food and textiles task.
Robert Wilkinson for an outstanding science experiment video
Annie Wedgewood has made a brilliant pop-up book page at home for technology
Rosa Gladwin has made a brilliant food safety sheet at home

Library Newsletter from Mrs Murphy
Well, we’ve managed to get through dreary January already, and we are now into February, the month of love! If we were in the library we’d be promoting novels such as Ally’s world (Green/Blue) If you’ve never heard of this series, it is about the Love family who go through various adventures. They have normal family problems e.g. messy houses, teenage crushes, irritating siblings, and love lurks around every corner. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that all romance novels are all lovey and slushy. Don’t forget we have a Dark Romance section in the library. One example is the Morganville Vampires, which tell the storey of university student Claire and her housemates in a vampire-controlled city. You can read the first few chapters by clicking on the link below. But, be warned, it might be classed as romance, but it’s also really scary! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299235/glass-houses-by-rachel-caine/

Carrying on with the theme of love, we’re so disappointed that we won’t making and posting valentine cards this year. Normally we have a post box in the library, and cards are delivered to form. We combine this with writing short poems to go inside the cards. We use the old-fashioned rhyme of

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
Why not have a go at writing one yourself using the first two lines, and rewriting the second two. Just make sure that the last word rhymes with blue. (Who, zoo, blew, ewe, flew, threw, chew, queue, true, you to name but a few!)

Seeing as we’ll be sharing the love this month, why not make it your quest to do a good deed/random act of kindness every day throughout February. It could be as simple as reading to someone. Let me know if you manage an act of kindness and/or share your poems with me please. 

Mrs Short has sent out her recommendations this week, and we thought Millions would be a good read for Y7. (Purple. Level 4. Quiz 207463) You can watch a trailer by clicking on the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHcQF8LNvfE Lots of great stories like this one start with a grain of truth. I was working in Ireland just before the currency changed from punt, to euros. Lots of people treated themselves to anything from a new dress to car. All paid for in cash! So, if you are thinking about creative writing, think of an event that actually happened, and then think about what might have happened, and there you have the starting point for a story. You can read the first four chapters of Millions by clicking on the link: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Millions.html?id=p3pOaP9_ueQC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y

Also, don’t forget to complete a quiz for any books you have read. You can access Accelerated Reader quickly by using the following link https://ukhosted83.renlearn.co.uk/1893564

Finally, just a quick reminder that you can borrow virtual books from York Explore using your library card. To find out how to borrow books and apply for a card, click on https://www.exploreyork.org.uk/

And finally, please remember we are not closed and here for anything you need, please email myself akincell@archbishopholgates.org or our pastoral support worker Miss Greenhalgh lgreenhalgh@archbishopholgates.org

Post 16 update from Mr Williams and the team…
As we start the fifth week of home learning, I wanted to reiterate my thanks to all sixth form students, parents and their teachers. It has been an enormously successful collective effort to ensure students have continued to learn and engage in their subjects and maintain our Sixth Form community remotely. This is down to the sheer commitment and determination of our students; the continued support and positive challenge of parents and the flexibility and commitment of teachers to deliver the best possible lessons online.  I have been impressed that students have not only engaged with online learning so quickly, but have also managed to maintain it throughout this term. I have listened to feedback provided by students and parents in regards to wellbeing and work load in particular. This is a priority for me and I continue to liaise with students and teachers to ensure students can cope whilst ensuring they do everything they need in order to progress and fulfil their potential. You will see the temporary changes we have made to our homework and independent tasks. I would urge students to stick to the guidelines given and not work excessively beyond these. I would also ask students to talk directly to their teachers or the Sixth Form team, whether at the end of a lesson or via email, to discuss specific and personal needs if they are struggling to cope. We can always support students and I am grateful for students who come forward and express this. Nobody should ever suffer in silence; please keep talking to us!

Each week, I try to focus on the positives happening in the Sixth Form and, incredibly, we are as busy as ever. There is loads to celebrate and lots of opportunities over the coming weeks. I have provided a sample of these below.

Homework/Independent working
We have reflected upon various pieces of feedback we have received regarding the amount of homework and independent study expected during lockdown. We appreciate the difficulties working from home creates and how it can be more difficult to separate work and home life. However, we are also mindful that students need to continue working hard towards their A-Levels and BTECs. Therefore, we have introduced the following principles during lockdown:

In addition to their scheduled lessons, each teacher will aim to do the following:

1. Set no more than 90 minutes of independent work each week (This is less than we would usually expect, but these are not usual times)
2. In essay based subjects, try to alternate the setting of long essay between a subject’s two teachers
3. Provide a variety of activities which include: lesson preparation including pre-reading, note taking, consolidation tasks and essays
4. Provide clear guidelines as to the maximum amount of time a student should spend on a piece of work.

If a student feels it is beneficial to spend longer on a piece of work or wishes to undertake private revision, they should continue to do so. However, we ask parents to help their child find a healthy work balance. We believe the temporary arrangements above should help students structure their independent work more effectively and allow them find opportunities to relax each day.

How can students reach us if they are struggling?
We appreciate everyone’s experience during this lockdown is going to be different and students will all need different levels of support. For many, the daily contact through live lessons and form times is enough. Others need further opportunities to discuss concerns. If students feel like they are struggling with either their well-being or work load, it is important they speak to us directly so we can put a plan in place. We can be contacted through the following methods:

• The Sixth Form leadership team are available for 1:1 drop in meets every form time and can arrange these at alternative times as needed.
• Through email or phone.
• Through form tutors
• Through classroom teachers who will be available after the lesson ends at 50 minutes.

Form time
Our first week of live form time sessions has been well received from students. We hope these continue to be positive experiences where students can, to some degree, maintain the sense of community and connection form time creates. If students feel they would still like to have a personal conversation with their form tutor or a member of the pastoral team, the form tutor is more than happy to facilitate this and direct students to an appropriate time and person. Equally, these form times will continue to provide opportunities to discuss the news, issues or enjoy University Challenge. Friday sessions are particularly important as the fun of the weekly quiz continues. Collective worship also continues to happen each week on a Monday and we are pleased that this continues to be well attended by students.

Speakers for Schools
These are great enrichment opportunities if students wish to take part. Here is next week’s full Live Broadcasts Schedule.

WEEK STARTING MONDAY 1^st FEBRUARY

 HOW TO JOIN THE LIVE BROADCASTS

• Join 10 minutes before the broadcast to be ready
• You can join without needing an account – Watch how here
• For full speaker descriptions visit the Broadcast Schedule here

LIVE BROADCASTS LIBRARY & MORE

• Watch pre-recorded broadcasts from our library here

NHS Shadowing programme
Well done to the following students who are undertaking extra enrichment work through the NHS shadowing scheme. Gabriella Moore; Sean Bazira; Devanara Wijeratne; Elin Alias; Malak Hashem; Suyork Rai. This is a practical and proactive strategy to access vital work experience needed for potential competitive admissions next year. Well done!

Radio Star!
A big shout out to Lucy Austin who will be interviewed on Jorvik Radio about her new song (which is fantastic!) on Monday 1^st February between 4-6pm. Her song will also be played every day that week as “Song of week” on the station. If you’d like to hear a sample, follow this link: You by Lucy Austin – DistroKid 

Shout Outs in Year 12 and 13
Well done everybody!

Gold Award
Jemma Blanchard (12Lv) -For consistently working hard and being an asset to the Sixth Form!
Marta Garofalo (12Bki)-For her determination and hard work in everything she does. Well done!
Faith Battersby (13Bm) – For consistently excellent effort across all subject, but particularly in Business and Music!
Bobby Lamb (13Yg/Gl) – For being brilliant in school, working hard and being a pleasure to have around the Sixth Form – Well done!

UCAS: This year and next…
The deadline for applications has now closed. However, students in Year 12 may want to start some preliminary thinking into their future progression routes. This will be a large part of the summer term in Year 12. However, if they would like to get ahead, we suggest students check out this new quiz from UCAS.

What job could you do?

The UCAS “Buzz Quiz” is a great way to start exploring opportunities that might suit individual needs. It highlights apprenticeships, traineeships to providing some research into job families. It highlights a huge variety of options students might not have thought of and is useful for both current Year 12 and 13 students. https://www.ucas.com/careers/buzz-quiz

Enrichment Opportunities
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Careers Work Experience Programme

Take your first steps towards a healthcare career with the UK’s only LIVE Virtual Work Experience Programme created and delivered by healthcare professionals.  You can select from one day or a full 6 month work experience programme where you will follow patients from admission to discharge in the high fidelity simulation suite, designed to provide you with an immersive experience from the comfort and safety of home.

https://alliedhealthmentor.org/product/live-virtual-work-experience-programme/?fbclid=IwAR0j-K6S-3QDblxizrfgvBbl0Ukc2oL4IE7Qw13_RzDGp9w1v9zIAhe8614

There’s some excellent opportunities that have been shared on the year group Google Classrooms, this includes virtual events, interactive sessions, webinars, student conferences,  shadowing and work experience, videos,UCAS and apprenticeship tools and lots more. It’s updated regularly so worth a look with your child.

(https://classroom.google.com/u/0/w/MTY1OTgxODg1NzM3/tc/MjUxMjc1OTcwNzQ2).

Many students will be thinking about Work Experience opportunities, here’s a few options that have been shared and full details can be found on the Google Classroom; 

STEM and medical science Work Experience
NHS Health Care Careers Work Experience
Vodaphone Innovators Work Experience
Virtual half term Work Experience. 

Student Leaders
We were impressed with all of the effort that went into the Student Leader and Captain applications. Student Leader applicant interviews will take place over the next two weeks. The first round have been allocated a slot on Wednesday 3^rd February. The remaining students will be contacted with their time slot over the next week. Student Captain interviews will be scheduled for 10th February. We look forward to the collaboration and seeing their ideas put into action. 

Well-being tips
Our wellbeing activity this week focuses on “character strengths”. Students have the opportunity to complete a 25 minute questionnaire through the resource which explores the six different virtues of strength and helps individuals highlight which aspects they have most of in their character.

Collective Worship
This week our form tutor collective worship focuses on the question of Does our behaviour really matter? This is considered in the context of working against injustice in society and our local communities, especially racial injustice. It includes an interview with Daniel Eduardo sharing his experience of growing up mixed race. Our daily quotes are on the theme of Justice.

Monday – “Blessed are they who strive for justice, who constantly do what is right” – The Bible, book of Psalm 106:3