Parent Bulletin

Dear parents and carers,

Last Friday we had the privilege of hosting a visit from Dominic Barrington, the Dean of York Minster. As part of the visit, the Dean of York Minster led the morning reflection for staff and met with students currently acting as guides for the Anne Frank exhibition.. The students spoke about being peer educators alongside sharing their knowledge and understanding of the Anne Frank exhibit which is currently in our school Chapel. Prior to touring the school with our School Captains and visiting students in lessons, the Dean met with our RE Ambassadors to find out more about their role and the excellent work they are doing in school.

Last week, our Year 7 students took part in the Big Talk where they explored themes including safeguarding, reproduction, puberty, relationships, body image, gender and reliable sources of information. The ‘Big Talk’ company visit hundreds of schools around the country and spoke very highly of our young people in Year 7, they emailed us especially to say what a fantastic day they had working with Year 7.

This week sees our Year 11 students will be busy with the additional mock examinations for English, Maths and Science. We wish them all the best in these assessments as they further prepare for their summer examinations.

Alongside this, we have a number of trips running this week including Sixth Form visits to the Courts, Edinburgh as part of the A level Art examination and a Year 9 trip to see the Inspector Calls play.

Finally, I would like to wish you and your families a restful break over half term and I am very much looking forward to hearing from our students who are attending our ski trip on their return.

Year 9 Pathway Deadline
Thank you to all Year 9 families for their support during the pathway process. There have been lots of meaningful conversations about Year 9’s future aspirations and their next steps. A reminder that the deadline for completing the online form is Friday 10th February. If your child has an issue accessing this form, please ask them to speak to their form tutor in the first instance.

Library Book Donations
If you have any children or teenage books at home which are no longer needed, we would be happy to take them off your hands and put them to use in one of our libraries. Any donations would be greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the school reception.

Library Book Returns
A reminder to students and parents that overdue library books need to be returned to the library to ensure records are kept up to date and students are not restricted from further loans in the future.

Wellbeing
Health and wellbeing is an important part of life at Archbishop Holgate’s School, in order to read the wellbeing newsletter for this week – please click here.

Head of Year Awards

Year team messages to parents and carers

Each week, the pastoral year teams will communicate any key messages, successes and upcoming dates to be aware of in this section of the parent bulletin.

A message from the Sixth Form pastoral team

BTEC External Assessment Results
These will be issued on Thursday 16th March. Each Year 13 student will receive a 1-2-1 on results day to discuss current position, likely end point and second sitting requirements. Year 12 students will be spoken to in departments about the same information but over the following week.

TEFL
We are excited to be hosting a two-day certification TEFL course on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th April (first two days of the Easter break). We have hoped to offer this opportunity for a number of years but there is a min requirement for student numbers that have never reached before now. The course is open to all Year 12 and Year 13 students and targeted at those keen to travel or gain employment teaching English as a Foreign Language. There is a fee which is set by TEFL but if the certification is utilised this will be a small amount compared to the earning potential. Students that have shown interest have been issued letters requiring a response. If there are any other students interested, there is still time to collect a letter detailing more information.

REMINDER Year 12 Mock Exams
Students will have received their mock results by the end of this coming week at the latest. The Sixth Form team will collate the raw mock results and plan intervention for each student requiring intervention. This will result in some parental meetings to communicate those plans. Parent’s Evening is in March following the release of the Full Report.

REMINDER Year 13 March Mocks
These take place wc 6th March and will be the final chance to have exams in exam conditions before the summer exam series. Students will be directed to focus their attention on specific topics/units in the coming weeks but independent revision should be ongoing.

REMINDER Year 13 Subject Support
Please continue to encourage your son/daughter to attend P6 for their subjects. This is an invaluable opportunity to get guided tuition in their ongoing revision. All opportunities should be seized whilst still in school for the short-term remaining.

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team
This week I have been really pleased with the time and preparation that Year 11 have shown toward their mock exams next week. In particular on Wednesday the students conducted themselves really well, and had a very productive day. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this week was the impromptu game of basketball that occurred between staff and students at lunchtime. Mr Arthur, Mr Green-Harding and myself gave a good account of ourselves until age (and lack of skill!) got the better of us and the students snatched victory at the end. A really good moment and hopefully we will get a chance for a rematch before the end of the school year.

Another success story this week has been the students who completed their BTEC exams in Health and Social Care, Engineering, IT, Business and Travel and Tourism. These were real BTEC exams that counted toward their final grades. The students conducted themselves impeccably throughout and it was lovely to see some smiling faces after the exams were over. I have also been impressed with the students who have spent the last six lessons completing their controlled assessments in Food Technology. I have been in lessons to see the students writing away and making the most of gaining all the marks on offer before their practical cooking exam at the end of February. A huge well done to all our students involved in any form of exam this week, we are very proud of you all.

Next week sees the beginning of mock exam week, this time the students will spend a week focussing on the core subjects. These mock exams will allow the students to see the progress they have made since their previous exam in November/December and give a good indication of where they are before the summer examinations. Please see below a copy of the exam timetable for that week. The students have been sent home with a copy of this exam timetable and it can also be found in their Year group Google Classroom.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team
Another half term has quickly passed and what a great half term Year 10 have had with some great report results and the School show and Duke of Edinburgh is well underway which is great to see.

I love to start with positivity and as a year group last week Year 10 got a great 3306 merits – well done!
Our top 5 students for merits this week:

4th – Callum Patterson (10SLa) – 38
4th – Thomas Smith (10MHe) – 38
3rd – Caitlin Casey (10MHe) – 41
2nd – Ruby Watson (10Ha) – 46
1st – Sharanyo Mazumdar (10RDn) – 51
Congratulations to them all.

I will on Friday be popping to form rooms and giving the top forms and students for the whole half term some prizes for merits and attendance. I will also report on these results in my bulletin before we come back after the holiday. You can track your young person’s individual progress on ClassCharts, please do contact us if you haven’t downloaded the app to do so.

Another positive to share is students that have done well in their school reports have been invited to join Mr Green-Harding and I on Monday break time for a small celebration, these aren’t always the top grades but students with the most improved performance or effort, well done to the below students, a fantastic effort. There are still a few more reports this year and a range of opportunities for students to achieve rewards this year, which I love to do! Please see our students who have been invited this time below, well done to them:

Olivia Perry
Kornel Kotlarski
Declan Childs
Austin Currie
Clementine Ensor
Harry Glaves
Jimmy Hendon
Mac Kadela
Joshua Lai
Sarah Norman
Freddy Peel
Reuben Stockdale
Edon Taylor
Nada Zahira

A few dates for your diary which I think is worth noting:

• Next report home is the end of March
• Y10 parents evening is the 10th May
• Y10 mocks exams start on the 19th June
• Final Y10 report with mock results for Y10 is sent home on the 17th July

Just a reminder that students will also be completing work experience in May, which will bring breadth and diversity to their curriculum as they work to learn exam skills and new knowledge. The deadline has now passed so please check with your young person they are sorted and have submitted details on GroFar (login details have been sent to students school email) it is crucial this is sorted as it is such a valuable experience for our young people.

Any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with myself or Mr Arthur (who is organising the work experience), I know a number of students have approached me and asked questions about it which is great to see.

If you have any queries regarding your young person in Year 10, then please do get in touch by emailing myself (mdeacon@ahs.pmat.academy), Mr McPaul (cmcpaul@ahs.pmat.academy) and/or Mrs Robinson (jrobinson@ahs.pmat.academy) or calling main school reception and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you, have a lovely half term – Miss Deacon

A message from the Year 9 pastoral team
Another fantastic week from Year 9. Attendance has been improving and behaviour has been excellent since returning from Christmas and they have had a fantastic.

Full reports have been sent home with students or have been posted out if there has been any absence on the day they were given out. These will hopefully give you a clear indication of the progress being made in school and any areas of strength and where there is room for improvement.

This is followed by a delayed progress evening, which has been moved to the 8th of February because of the industrial action. As it is such an important evening to talk to subject teachers about how students are progressing in lessons and any further questions about options, it was decided to postpone it by a week so that all teachers will be present for the evening. Students have been given a letter and sign up sheet in form time to seek out teachers and arrange appointments. The evening runs from 15:45 – 19:15. If you would like to speak to any of the pastoral team please get in contact and we can arrange to see you on the day.

Friday the 10th of February is the deadline for GCSE option choices. Students will have their individual pathway booklets with all the information required to help them make this important decision. Business is referred to as “Enterprise” on the pathway forms. It is also called “Enterprise” in the booklet, there has been some confusion over this after the taster day so anyone wanting to take business should select Enterprise.

On Monday a small handful of students were taken to Scarborough for the day by Mr Stevens and Mrs Mennell. They students had the opportunity to explore some of the culture of the South bay and received glowing reports from both members of staff about just how amazing they had been and that there had been a credit to the school and everyone involved.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team
Here we find ourselves again in the final week of half term – it has flown by yet again! As always, we are very proud of all our Year 8 students have achieved with lots of hard work and new content learned in lessons.

Last week, students did well to keep up their enthusiasm and positivity around school despite the end of half-term tiredness setting in. A big thank you also from the Year 8 team to our students and families for your support and understanding around the change of routine on Wednesday. There was some fantastic online learning taking place in adaptation to this day as well as many other students using the day to learn new skills or reconnect with friends and family.

This week and the first week back after half term, we have the Swimming Fundraiser taking place in PE lessons. All students will take part in their normal scheduled swimming lessons with their usual classes, so there is no disruption to your child’s normal routine. Students have taken some time in their Forms to set themselves a target number of laps they will try to swim during the lesson and they will also be awarded a merit for every lap they manage above this. We would really value your support at home in encouraging your child’s efforts to engage in Swimming and celebrating their aspirations to achieve the personal target. We have taken the decision not to make this a sponsored swim as part of our poverty-proofing plan, however we will have a donation bucket in each Form as a show of support for the event. Any spare change you have to donate is much appreciated.

All the funds we raise for the Swimming Fundraiser will be rolled back into Year 8 Rewards for the end of the Spring and Summer terms. We have raised £219 so far from our Christmas Fayre and Quiz fundraisers and the first reward (as voted on by the Year 8 Student Council) will be an after school Pizza party and Disco to take place next half term.

Our Act of Collective Worship this week will be led by Form 8CBn who have been working hard to prepare during Form time – we very much look forward to this.

One important reminder to students this week will also be about our school’s Hands Off Policy: we are currently seeing a lot of pushing, kicking and playfighting at social times and between lessons. This does often become a trend in Year 8 (especially among the boys, unfortunately)… However, we know that this “banter” behaviour can escalate and lead to upset very easily and therefore cannot be something we tolerate in school. Any help you can offer at home in reminding your child of our Hands Off Policy and why it is important to avoid being physical would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any queries or concerns about your child in Year 8, please contact school reception to speak to someone in the Year 8 team, or you can email reception@ahs.pmat.academy.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team
It has been another great week in year 7 as we creep towards half term. Our Year 7’s have been busy attending lots of clubs, representing the school at sporting fixtures, enjoying exciting lessons and working hard. We have enjoyed watching students make pizza in food tech and they have enjoyed eating them during lunch too! The year group were brilliant during The Big Talk on Tuesday, they were respectful, inquisitive and showed great maturity during their sessions. This week has also seen us reflecting on Holocaust memorial day. During their RE lessons students have visited the Chapel where we have our Anne Frank exhibition. Once again, they showed their maturity and showed respect whilst discussing such an important topic.

In assembly on Thursday we had a visit from The Bikeability Team. Bikeability will start after half terms and letters will go out this week. Please return these to reception or to the year 7 office if your child wishes to participate. This is a free opportunity for all year 7 students to get involved in. They will complete a 2 hour session during school time either on their own or in a pair with one instructor. They will learn how to navigate roads and junctions. Most of our students will be completing their level 3, if your child does not yet have their level 2 please let us know so we can arrange this for them.

If you do not do so already please do follow us on twitter @AHS_Year7 to keep an eye on all the exciting things our year 7’s are getting up to. Should you need any support please contact the year team via school reception reception@ahs.pmat.academy or email the team directly. Miss Cooper acooper2@ahs.pmat.academy, Miss Powell hpowell@ahs.pmat.academy or Mrs Halifax jhalifax@ahs.pmat.academy.

Well Done to our Students of the Week:
7ASU – Favour Ojo – for always being a polite and cheery member of the form.
7CMM – Penny McDermott- for always bringing plenty of personality and humour to our time in form, and for providing some great reflections during DEAR time this week,
7PI – Natty Greenhouse – a constant calming presence who works hard and is kind to everyone. You are a pleasure to have in the form.
7HV – Seb Wilford- Excellent and thoughtful contributions during form discussions, well done!
7MPE – Anna Davies – For getting involved with the school netball club. Well done.
7CST – Numan Ahmed- for settling in really well to year 7, joining in and making some great friends. Well done Numan!
7MLN – Evie Wilkes – For your excellent contributions in form, well done Evie!
7JHE – Lilly Thompson for living our school values. Well Done!
7BL – Seth Stagnell – showing a positive attitude in his learning in all lessons and engaging in form time discussions. Well done!
7ZBL – Esmee Mason – For being a kind and supportive member of our form, always!
7CY – Frances Lilley – excellent contributions to “The Big Talk”, provided lots of amazing answers during group discussions. Behaviour was brilliant as always! Well Done!

Well done to our Head of Year Awards this Week!
Andra Mulvenna 7ZBL – Working really hard at school and at home – well done Andra!
Joseph Bastow 7BL – For being so welcoming to new members of the AHS community. Well Done!

Word of the week
The word of the week for week commencing 6 February is:

Justification
Noun: The action of showing something to be right or reasonable
“He made a speech in justification of his career.”

Collective Worship
Theme
This week our form tutor collective worship is linked to Childrens Mental Health Week and the theme of connecting well to each other. Our daily quotes are all bible quotes that link to positive mental wellbeing.

Quotes
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
The Bible – the letter to the Philippians ch4:v13

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
The Bible – the Gospel of John ch14:v27

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The Bible – the book of Isaiah ch41:v10

“…God has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
The Bible – the letter to the Hebrews ch13:v5

“Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
The Bible – the first letter of Peter ch5:v7