Parent Bulletin

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you had a safe and enjoyable bank holiday weekend. It’s been a slightly disjointed time in school at the moment with the bank holidays alongside the disruption of the planned NEU industrial action. That said, we are making the most of the time in school with our students. Year 11 and 13 continue to work hard in the preparation for their written examinations that start the week commencing 15 May. Meanwhile our GCSE Art, Textiles and MFL students are already busy completing their practical GCSE examinations or GCSE speaking tests. On Wednesday we welcomed our Year 11 students and their families as part of our revision skills evening. It was great to see so many of you there and we hope that you found the event useful. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the Year 11 team.

We also managed to fit the following into the shortened week – a Year 12 Protective Service Army residential visit and a Year 7 visit to the urban farm at SPARK which is a project centred around positive social change. Students visited the aeroponic urban farm which is run in association with the University of York. We also welcomed families into school as part of our EAL afternoon tea event which was brilliant!

A few photographs from the EAL afternoon tea event

The Year 7 urban farm trip

We have been working with the University of York this year taking part in the Leaders for Change Programme which provides opportunities for young people from across Yorkshire secondary schools to get involved in research, debates and activities all relating to the FixOurFood Project. As part of this project a group of students will be involved in different events throughout the year; the first one of these was a trip to Grow It York at Spark in York.

Grow It York is an aeroponic vertical farm bringing cutting edge urban farming to the centre of York for the first time. The farm grows micro herbs and greens some of which are used by the food traders and local restaurants in the area and their General Store for members of the local community.

Students and staff had a wonderful time learning about the work of the farm and getting to try some of the herbs that they are growing. We were then treated to pizza for lunch topped with fresh basil grown on site.

This week our preparations for the summer exam season continue as does the GCSE Art, Textiles and MFL speaking exams. Our Year 9 students are out of school on Friday as part of their final Art Award cultural trip. Finally, we will start next week on Tuesday 9 May after the bank holiday following the coronation of King Charles III.

Pre-loved Uniform

As we near the end of the academic year, we wanted to appeal once again for any high quality, pre-loved uniform parents may be able to donate to the school. The shop continues to be very popular, and we are welcoming of any items of uniform that are no longer needed or have been outgrown. Please could any donations be dropped off in the main school reception.

Should you wish to access the pre-loved uniform shop, please find further information and a link on our school website.

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

Y13 Support:
Please continue to support us in encouraging students to attend P6 in the final weeks to stand-down

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• Leavers’ Celebration Service – Thursday 11th May (6:30-7:30pm in the Main Hall)
• A Level Stand-down – Friday 12th May
• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York
• A Level Results – Thursday 17th August

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

It has been a busy but successful week for Year 11, who are making some excellent strides toward their exams in a few weeks time.
Firstly it was great to see so many parents at the revision evening on Wednesday, and many students who attend independently. I hope you found the evening useful, and I am sure the students will make the most of the revision resources they received and the information that was given to them. We plan to continue revision work with all the students who could not attend the evening next week. If you have any questions following the evening please feel free to contact a member of the Year 11 team.

I have been so impressed with the students who took part in practical examinations this week. The students in PE moderation on Thursday were excellent and a credit to our school. I know the students who were not selected for moderation really stepped up in training with the students in order to bring the best performances out of them. I think this is an excellent example of the school values on display in our year group. I have also been really pleased to see the students in Textiles and Art work so hard in the first few hours of their practical exam. The work that has been put toward this by the staff and students has been excellent, and I know they will continue to work hard on this on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Finally, this week has seen the MFL speaking exams take place. The students have been really calm and impressive in their approach to these exams, and I know the MFL teachers are very proud of them.

The students in Year 11 were exemplary in their conduct and hard work on Thursday, and it was so good to see the vast majority of students in attendance. Please be aware that the practical exams will continue on Tuesday next week, even though it is a strike day.

Last but not least, we are busy preparing to make Prom a wonderful experience and the Prom committee have made a decision on the theme ‘Under the Night Stars’. As a reminder, Prom will be taking place on Friday 30th June at York Racecourse. Students have indicated whether they will be attending or not and we will be making the final arrangements in the coming weeks. All year 11s will be given a free ‘Leaver’s Book’ and those who have ordered a ‘Leavers Hoodie’, will be receiving it in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for keeping up with the payments on ParentPay and if you need support, contact our Finance Team (swillsden@ahs.pmat.academy ).

I hope our students in Year 11 have a well earned break over the bank holiday weekend, and I look forward to seeing them all on Tuesday in school.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

Year 10 have done a fantastic job settling into the summer term. It has been lovely to welcome them back and I’ve been impressed with their efforts with uniform, working hard in lessons and excellent behaviour throughout whether it be break or lunchtime, moving between lessons or in class it has been excellent.

Just a reminder that parents evening is next week, the 10th May from 3:45 -7:15pm. Students were given a parents evening letter in form time, so please check with your young person they have received this so they can make appointments on your behalf. If you have any concerns you’ve not received this, please get in touch.

Another reminder that work experience is now two weeks away. Students who have not secured placements will be placed by school or contacting home to arrange, potentially staying in school, please check with your young person. Everyone else who has a placement was given another letter with guidance this week for what to do to reconfirm their place and check requirements such as what to wear and time to arrive etc. Again please can you check with your young person they’ve received this and they are following it to confirm their placement. Any concerns please get in touch.

As families are aware we are having a refocus on school uniform which is a key part of our Archbishop Holgate’s School community. Students must also ensure they maintain high standards with regards to footwear, jewellery, nails, trousers and skirts, and that they are wearing an Archbishop Holgate’s School tie. We very much want to work with families to make sure that students meet the uniform expectations of the school so please get in touch if you have any concerns.

Furthermore, a number of parents have contacted me about mocks, they start the 19th June for two weeks. Students will be given guidance on what to revise and taught revision skills in school which we will start to action over the next few weeks. Once received we do expect students to revise at home and prepare well for their exams. We know students will do well and it is a great opportunity to showcase their knowledge.

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 – Miss Deacon

A message from the Year 9 pastoral team

An absolutely fantastic week from all of Year 9. We would like to thank all of you for working so hard, having such high standards of uniform, and behaving brilliantly. The start of our collective worship saw Mr Daly and Mr Green-Harding take the time to tell the year group just how well they have come back from Easter and that they have made an excellent start to the summer term.

Our act of collective worship this week looked at the case of Stephen Lawrence and the institutionalised racism within the police force. This was an important message to the year group of being kind to each other. For standing up for each other if someone will not do so for themselves. To not be a bystander and let people get away with discriminatory language and behaviour. As a school we cannot stop this unless we know about it, so if there are ever any instances of this then we would like it reported, either in person, or by the ReportIT form on the school website.

On Friday the 5th of May, all of Year 9 will be out of school taking part in the third and final round of the series of Cultural Visits. Students will be going on these trips as they are linked to the arts award that they have begun studying for this year. Each student will get the chance to visit the Media Museum in Bradford, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

• Students will be wearing school uniform, but you can wear trainers/comfortable footwear
• They need to bring a packed lunch with you – lunch will be provided for students who are Free School Meals)
• Please remember a pen as students will be expected to complete tasks throughout the day.
• Remember to bring any medication/inhalers with you on the day
• Students will arrive to school at the normal time, and go to AM Reg as normal
• After AM Reg (8:55am), students will head to the Main Hall and sit down in a designated area depending on which trip you’re on.

Friday will see 9Lp, 9KCe, 9NTh and 9WNo visit the Royal Armouries. 9Ap, 9CBe and 9ECe will be visiting the Media Museum, and 9Cr, 9DBs, 9Ev and 9JDl will be visiting the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The bus lists will be shared with students and we are expecting students to be back in school by 3pm to be able to make their normal way home.

As ever, if there are ever any questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with the year team.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

We have had another fantastic week in year 8 this week: students have continued to uphold our high expectations of behaviour and effort as well as settling back into routines of the school day. The forthcoming week will prove to be a slightly strange one with the bank holiday and the strike day but we are looking forward to seeing our students back in school on Wednesday and working hard for the short time they are in school that week.

We have lots of exciting opportunities upcoming – most importantly our year 8 rewards disco. Details are in year 8’s longer segment in the newsletter this week as well as a letter that should have gone home with your child this week. Students have since decided on the theme of ’90s neon’ and we are looking to make some decorations in school in the upcoming weeks. The disco will be non-uniform although if students would like to wear some neon items they already have in their wardrobe then they are welcome to. We have a staff member who has kindly volunteered their time to be our disco DJ. Students: get your song requests ready…

The summer schedule for lunchtime and after school clubs are now out; a copy of this can be found on our school website. Please encourage your child to have a look and get involved in something. These clubs are of a fantastic quality and kindly run by members of staff giving up their free time. They are an excellent way for your child to learn a new skill or meet some new friends.

Finally, as the weather begins to heat up, we encourage your child to bring in one or two water bottles to fill up at breaks or lunchtimes to keep them hydrated throughout the school day. It would be a good idea to label your child’s water bottle with their name and form.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do get in touch with the school reception who will pass on the message to our team.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We have had another great week in Year 7 and students have been working hard in their lessons to prepare for their upcoming assessments. Whilst we know students will want to prepare for their assessment at home too, please know there is no expectation for them to do this as they will be recapping lessons in school. The assessment week is an important part of Year 7 and helps to prepare students for exams in the future, building resilience and helping them to understand expectations of assessment time.

Well done to all students who are doing so brilliantly during days they are not in school due to strikes. It is great to see everyone in the Google Classroom and proactively doing work. However, if students cannot access work or do not complete it there will be no sanction in school.

If you need any support or have any queries regarding your child in year 7 please do not hesitate to contact the Year 7 Team through main school reception.

Well Done to our Head of Year Awards this Week:
Verity Kerans 7MPE – For working hard every day and living our school values. Well Done!
Charlotte Crowe 7CMM – for having a great week and building resilience. Well Done!

Well Done to our students of the Week:
7ASU – Harry Lynn – for being an excellent presenter of The News.
7CMM – Charlotte Crowe- For being so helpful this week for the Year 7 team.
7PI – Ryan Pang for being a great advocate of the school on our school trip.
7HV – Monia Katesh -For being top quizzer, well done!
7MPE – Jasper Garnett – Your contributions during form discussions are always great. Thanks for putting a smile on all our faces.
7CST – Jacob Oakes- For your contributions to the form time discussions especially the news this week when it was about aeroplanes. Well Done Jacob!
7MLN – Elsa Martin – for your organisation, which has improved so much, and for always being so polite and helpful in form!
7JHE – Morgan Smith – for always participating in form. Well Done!
7BL – Paige Outterson- for being organised with equipment and homework. I hope it continues into the summer term.
7ZBL – George Grant – for being a positive role model for others across the school
7CY – Masie Smith for always being so organised and helpful and contributing positively in form time.

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 1 May is:

Plausible
Adjective: seeming reasonable or probable
It seems plausible that one or two things may happen.

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship this week is entitled The Servant King. It explores ideas about what model of leadership Jesus offers and how this links to the coming coronation. Our quotes are all on the theme of servant leadership.

Quotes
Monday – “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – The Bible, the letter to the Philippians ch2:v4

Tuesday – “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian leader and civil rights campaigner

Wednesday – “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires but in his integrity and in his ability to affect those around him positively.” – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter.

Thursday – “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian leader and independence campaigner

Friday – “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” ― Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian leader and civil rights campaigner