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As we begin the final week of what has been an extremely challenging academic year I would like to start this bulletin by thanking everyone across our school community – students, parents/carers, staff, governors – for the fantastic collective efforts during the past months.  I am extremely proud of the way we have stayed strong as a community throughout this period and the determination, resilience and good humour on display throughout this period.  I sincerely hope that everyone has a good, safe and restful summer and that the 2021/22 academic year is more straightforward than the one we have just navigated.

In my planning for the next academic year one of the key areas of focus for the school, in line with our commitment to John 10:10, will be around ensuring that we can support and enrich our students’ experiences beyond lessons with as many extra curricular opportunities as possible.  This is something we have taken pride in, but this will be more important than ever as young people continue their AHS Journey.  On Tuesday morning I observed Year 8 during their first enrichment morning for many months (socially distanced of course) and seeing how much the students enjoyed this experience, not only my highlight of the week, but also another reminder of what I’m alluding to here.  The final week of term is as usual our Enrichment Week and whilst this cannot be on the same scale as normal, I am still very confident that students will enjoy the combination of activities available.

I look forward to seeing Year 7 and Year 12 on Tuesday 7 September and everyone else on Wednesday 8 September.

We will send home later in the week further information relating to the start of term. We will also be providing details around testing arrangements for September. As a city we are working hard to try to arrange a number of testing sites around York to support this process. We will provide further details as soon as we have them.

Please find below the usual link to the Wellbeing Newsletter:

WB. 19th July Wellbeing Newsletter 22

York Mind information
Please find attached the poster for York Mind’s Creative Lives Group Support which is starting face-to-face again in August, this support runs as a 12 week course for anyone aged 8-21 struggling with their mental health, emotional wellbeing, confidence or dealing with difficulties with friends, family or identity. They are also continuing with online group support for those who are unable to access face to face support which will run as a six week course. The course will involve building coping strategies to help with emotional regulation, communication skills, confidence, improve self-esteem and social skills as well as offering a safe space to talk and lots of fun games and creative activities. They are open for referrals now and will be closing them again on 6/8/21. Parents/carers or young people themselves who may be interested can submit referrals online via the York Mind website. If anyone has any questions or would like to speak informally about a possible referral, please do not hesitate to contact York Mind, asking for the Young Persons’ Coordinator – 07593797328.

Holiday Food and Activities Programme
Please find attached contact booking details for holiday schemes in York which are offering free places to children who are eligible for free school meals. Families are being asked to approach their children’s school to check if they are eligible and can then be helped to book a place/given booking details. The schemes are part of the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which was trialled in York at Easter, and publicised nationally by footballer Marcus Rashford. Parents/carers and schools can find more information about the schemes on a dedicated page on the City of York website: www.york.gov.uk/HAF.

Head of Year Awards
The final winners for this year are…

Head of Year updates
Year 7 – Miss Kincell
It is very hard to believe this is my final parent bulletin. After what has been an incredibly challenging year, I could not be more proud of everything this cohort has achieved and it has been an honour to be their first head of year. We are so excited for the final week of term where students will experience subject enrichment through one-off interesting lessons in their timetabled subjects, a whole school sports day, the incredible Speedkix reward event and the fun sessions on the last day. 

Well done to our Head of Year award Winners this Week:
Caspar Farrell for working on his literacy skills using Toe by Toe, and being so enthusiastic and committed.  He works on this every day and he is making terrific progress, so we are all enormously proud of him.
Charles Spruce– thank you for showing our school values by supporting our new student.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the year group’s new Head of Year for Year 8:
In this final bulletin of the year, I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself and colleagues to the parents and carers of the current year 7’s, as when the students return in September as year 8’s, we will be their new pastoral team. Mrs Mandy Mennell is key as our highly experienced Pastoral Support Worker; Mr Chris Handley a seasoned teacher,  is the new Assistant Head of Year 8 and I ( Mrs Dawn Avey) will be the Head of Year 8. Together we intend to best support your children’s journey through the next four years at AHS and we look forward to building relationships with you and your children in order to best do so. In the meantime, all best wishes to you and your families and  have a lovely summer break.

Library newsletter:
This week in the library, as always on the last week of term, we think about anyone at school who has been kind to us, making Y7 a good place to be. This person could be your form tutor, a school assistant that helped you in class or looked out for you at break. Maybe you have a favourite dinner lady or you are really grateful to the school cleaning team for making the place clean and safe. You might even want to say thank you to a friend just for being lovely!

Whoever it is, you can come to the library and make a card for that person, letting them know that you appreciate them. We could also think about writing a short poem in there, something like…

Thank you for cooking my lunch,
You know we are a hungry bunch.
You make my favourites every day,
So that is why I want to say,
THANK-YOU

Most of us are kind to people every day because it’s the best way to be. Kindness is a big deal and there are loads of books about it. One of them is The Boy at the Back of the Class by Pippa Curnick. (Quiz 234973. Level 5.4. colour Green)

There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He’s nine years old (just like me), but he’s very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn’t like sweets – not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite! But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn’t very strange at all.

You can read the first four chapters of the book by opening the following link.
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Boy_At_the_Back_of_the_Class/YgFHDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

Another book about friendship and kindness is Little Darlings by Jacqueline Wilson (Quiz 217232. Level 4.8. Colour Purple)

Meet Destiny, unacknowledged daughter of an ageing rock star. She lives on a run-down estate and her mum struggles to get by. Sunset is Danny’s legitimate daughter, but she hates the luxury lifestyle, the constant photoshoots. When Destiny and her mum attend Danny’s film premiere, Destiny’s secret painfully unfolds – and the step-sisters tentatively discover a genuine friendship.

You can read over 40 pages by clicking on the link.
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Little_Darlings/V5Zy_drHJw8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

You can also listen to Jacqueline Wilson reading the first chapter of the book by using the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oditpf5-kZU

Book Borrowing/Returns
Please let me know if you would like to borrow books over the summer holiday. I can extend the loan date to September 9^th so you will not have an overdue loan. However, if you do want a long-term loan on the library books, remember that you are responsible for their safe return. Our library, and our library community can only survive if we all bring back the books after we have read and looked after them.

Please use bookmarks rather than turning down the corner of the page. Bookmarks are free from the library or even better, come in and make one of your own and/or one for a friend.

Please return any overdue books before we break up for the summer. If you are still enjoying your book, just let us know and we can extend you loan to September 9^th. We still have 475 overdue books which is better that the usual 500 but not by very much!

Don’t forget, you are never in trouble for bringing back an overdue loan. We will be delighted to see both you, and the book!
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

You can still sign up to a free ten minute read by clicking on the link below. I now get 10 minutes worth of reading sent to my phone every day. The first novel is chosen for you and you can read the whole thing over ten days. After that you can choose your own. The current book is The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald (Quiz 200123. Level 7.3. Yellow)
https://www.10minutereads.com/?fbclid=IwAR0xW-KHf0fDythHRiAT4BTh4st3vD2MYFYWi3CATrq-Qo-Y0fUEuF_UPu4

Year 8 – Mr Arthur
Well it has finally arrived – the final week of the 2020-21 academic year. It has certainly been an incredibly challenging one, but Year 8 have taken everything within their stride throughout. This was clearly evident to me during the careers activity that took place last Wednesday – ‘The Trading Game’. Students in Year 8 were given the opportunity to be stockbrokers for the day, and quite frankly it was one of the most wonderful days I can ever remember having in school! Watching students engage with a fun activity delivered by an external provider seems such a novelty after everything we’ve all been through. The enjoyment and enrichment they gained from it was absolutely wonderful to see! Of course, this was all conducted in an extremely COVID safe environment, but it certainly provided a glimmer of hope as to what is to come as restrictions ease and scope of enrichment opportunities that we as a school can offer continuously widens.

In this week’s Act of Collective Worship, as part of ‘Healthy Week’, Year 8’s Collective Worship was around healthy eating. We began by considering the associated scripture from Corinthians 6:19 “Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you.” Our bodies are something we need to take care of as a gift from God, and this will also help us all to love our lives to the full. We discussed the importance of a healthy, balanced diet with the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. We also discussed the kinds of foods where we get these food groups from.The key message was that we can eat the foods we like, but we must also make sure we eat everything in moderation. We also do not have to eat until we are bursting full, and in many cultures around the world, this is not really the ‘done thing’. We also discussed the impact of large amounts of ‘junk food’ on our bodies – such as tiredness, stress, lack of energy, reduced work capacity and poor concentration. This, of course, is not particularly conducive to an effective day spent at school! It is important that students understand the impact that nutrition has on us, but then we don’t deprive ourselves of the foods that we love. Everything in moderation – that’s the mantra!

Congratulations to the winners of the Head of Year Award this week – they are…
Harry Glaves (8MDn) – For being consistently positive and hardworking, and a great example for others to follow. Well done!
Amelie Darwin (8Pi) – For consistent hard work, perseverance and resilience. Amelie is a great example for others to follow. Well done!
Well done – a £5 Amazon Gift Card will be on its way as soon as possible!

Thank You for taking the time to read this bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please contact me on aarthur.ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (PSW For Year 8) on rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy I wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable summer break – myself, Mr Dearmer and Mrs Deacon as your new Assistant Head of Year look forward to seeing you all in September.

Year 9 – Mr Avery
We have finally reached the final week of term, and I am delighted Y9 have some well deserved rewards to look forward too. This week the students will take part in some careers day activities, which will hopefully get them thinking about their next steps as they approach Y10 and the opportunity to complete work experience. The students will be taught about the local job market in York, and the importance of key employability skills like communication and teamwork. Alongside this the students will have fun taking part in ‘speed kicks’ which will give them the opportunity to enjoy inflatable zorbing and obstacle courses. Finally the students will be looking forward to sports day on Thursday and activity day on Friday, especially as this was cancelled last year. The students in Y9 very much deserve these treats and I really hope it brings them some enjoyment.

As it was ‘healthy week’ this week, the act of collective worship focussed around diet and eating in moderation. The students were taught that we can enjoy all foods, as long as we have a sensible balance. I hope it got them to reflect on their eating habits, and perhaps inspire some to eat a little more fruit and veg now and again if they need to!

As this is the last bulletin of the year, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you, the parents, for your support in what has been a very difficult year. The excellent communication (especially during lockdown) has allowed us to really support your child in school. I am really keen to keep this successful partnership going next year, so if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact myself or anyone on the Y9 team.

We have some exciting news to finish the year. Miss Clark will be taking on a new role next year as an intensive support worker in school. This means she will be working across the school with a number of different students that need a little extra support. I’m sure you will join me in thanking her for all she has done for our year group, and wish her all the best in her new role. We have replaced Miss Clark with Miss Johnstone, who continues to settle in well and is building and excellent rapport with our students. Please feel free to contact her if you wish to discuss your child needs. I’m also delighted to announce we will have a new assistant head of year as of September, with Miss Montagu taking on this important role. This is part of the schools on going commitment to support the pastoral needs of the students, and I feel having an extra member of the team will ensure no child feels they do not have the required support in school.

I wish you all the best for the summer and I hope every family manages to enjoy the sunshine and have a well earned break. I look forward to seeing All of our students back safe and well in September.

Year 10 – Miss Turvey
As we approach the final week of term and the final week of Y10 I am aware of how much we all need a holiday. Hopefully the summer will be full of opportunities to catch up with friends, relatives and a time for fun, laughter, rest, relaxation and recuperation. The final week incorporates the Speedkix reward on Monday ~ so your young people need to be in their PE kit, with Careers day on either Tuesday or Wednesday (full school uniform), Sports Day on Thursday (again students need to be in PE kit) and for Friday’s activities morning students can wear their own clothes which are suitable for the activity they have chosen. 

Y10 exam grades will come home to you on Wednesday and I would like to remind you that, given the circumstances of the past year, some of the results will not reflect the ability and intellect of your child. However, we, at school, are not worried about the actual grade but more pleased and proud of the manner Y10 conducted themselves throughout the exam process, the resilience that has been shown during the covid pandemic and we have an eye on the future and next steps. There is a plan. 

As ever please do contact us on 01904 411341 if you have any queries. 

Post 16 – Miss De Lashley and Post 16
Thank you for your support across this very challenging year. You sons and daughters have been exemplary under such circumstances and we are very pleased to be working alongside them. Y13 have fled and are about to embark on their progression plans – a really exciting time. We look forward to seeing you all on results day. We very much look forward to next year with Y12 and seeing their aspirations come to being. We will see you in progression meetings over the summer to celebrate your sons and daughters’ successes. Have a happy, safe and restful break.

Y12 Mock Results
Results will be posted home this week alongside a reminder of your progression meetings appointment in August. If you are unable to make your appointment and have not yet rescheduled, please do so before the end of the week. swalton@ahs.pmat.academy

Y11 and Y13 Results Day
Please be reminded that you must attend your scheduled appointment. If you are unsure of your appointment then please get in touch before the end of the week. We look forward to seeing you soon. swalton@ahs.pmat.academy

Y12 Enrichment Week
A reminder of the events taking place this week to support Y12 with their next steps in progression. We strongly encourage full attendance to make the transition to Y13 an easier and more effective process.

Thursday 22^nd July – Sports Day
Friday 23^rd July (finish at 12:30) – Wellbeing Workshops

Collective Worship
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” John Bunyan 17th C English write, author of Pilgrim’s Progress
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu, former Archbishop of Cape Town
“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” Barbara de Angelis
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable weekend. I am looking forward to meeting Year 6 families who will be joining us in September on Monday and Tuesday evening. These Zoom sessions will then be complemented the following week with similar meetings with form tutors and members of the leadership team. Whilst as a city we had hoped to be able carry out transition activities in person the current situation with the Delta variant means that this is not possible. We realise that this will be disappointing for families, especially as the Open Evenings were also cancelled earlier in the year. As such we think that it is important that the first day of the next academic year is set aside for the new Year 7 (and new Year 12) students to give them a chance to begin to feel comfortable in school before other students return. We are also planning (subject to restrictions) to have an evening early in September where families of the new Year 7 students can visit school.

I do also need to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of Year 10 students this week in terms of their conduct and attitude towards their summer exams. I have been present outside the exam venue to wish students the best of luck at all but one exam this week and I have been thoroughly impressed with each and every student. This is the first time they have been in the Sports Hall to sit exams and to date they have been a credit to themselves and the school. Year 10 have also had to manage the additional disruption of some of them needing to self isolate during the course of the week. The key message in the letter I sent home and which applies equally to all of Year 10, is that they should try not to worry about these exams and simply do their best – this is the only important thing at this stage.

Please find attached the latest Wellbeing Newsletter. As ever I hope it is helpful.

WB. 28th June Wellbeing Newsletter 19 (1)

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year updates
Year 7 – Miss Kincell
We have had the pleasure this week of finally being able to allow our Sixth Form Student Leaders to host our assembly and focused upon well-being. It was great to see students being able to engage with other young people, who can understand their current worries and concerns. This is part of our ongoing AHS ‘Four Steps to Well-Being’. 

Well done to our Students of the Week:
7CAd – Faisal Almohimeed
7Hv – Chloe Slater
7Bl – Bradley Sircer
7CMp – Morgan Foster
7WNo – Lincoln Keith
7Cy – Liam Molloy
7Gr – Shannon Smith
7Cm – Joah Rhodes
7Nth – Josh Binns
7Hf- David Wood
7Mr – Noah Smee-Brown

Well done to our Gold Award Winners:
Callum Miller 7CMp: Well done for writing poems for the newsletter two weeks in a row.
Sky Farrar 7CMp: Well done to Sky for improved attendance and punctuality.

Virtual Parents evening
Wednesday 30th is our Virtual Parents evening, students should be making appointments themselves via Google Classroom, those who have not yet started to make appointments should have received a text message on Friday. If you need any support in making appointments, please call main reception and ask to speak with The Year 7 Team. Just to politely highlight, teachers who teach several Year 7 classes may not be able to meet all students, if you are unable to make an appointment and you are concerned about anything in their full report please contact main reception and ask to speak with Miss Kincell and I will support in co-ordinating feedback. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Year 8 – Mr Arthur
I hope this bulletin finds you all safe and well. As we approach the final weeks of the year of the summer, I wanted to take this opportunity to again highlight the issue of attendance as I have previously. Attendance at school is crucial to the success of students. Recent studies have shown that absence from school has a significant impact on the success of students, and can have a long-term impact through to their GCSEs. In one of these studies, it has shown that of those students that have 100% attendance, 79% of them achieve 5+ good GCSEs. At 95%, this figure falls to 69%. At 90%, this falls even further to 53%, and by 85% attendance, this figure for success becomes 36%. When considering that 5% attendance is around 7 days absence, it really is crucial that students are in school every single day. To put this into further context, if your child has lower than 95% attendance, this means that they are attending school less than the average child across the country.

As a school, we fully understand that there are appointments that cannot be moved, or emergencies that mean a child may have to take some time off school. However, wherever possible, please can non-emergency appointments be made outside of school time, or ensure that students return to school in the afternoon if their appointment is in the morning (or vice versa). With regards to illness, the message that has been given to students is that if they are feeling unwell, the question they should be asking themselves is not “Do I want to come into school?” Of course, if you’re feeling unwell the answer will be no! However, what they should be asking is, “Can I be in school?” In this instance, the answer is almost always “Yes”. We do have the Intervention Room for students that are feeling unwell, but we would very much appreciate your support in ensure your child is in school as much as possible to give them the best chance of success in the future.

This week’s Act of Collective Worship focuses on the idea of ‘failure’ – a word that can carry with it a certain sense of fear and dread. My aim with this collective worship was to change the narrative around the word ‘failure’, and help students to understand that ‘failure is not the opposite of success, it is part of it.’ We considered different characters such as J K Rowling, Richard Branson and Walt Disney, who underwent significant adversity and failure before they reached the dizzying heights of their success. We then considered what we can do in our own lives to turn success into failure – including being resilient, not taking failure personally, viewing failure as part of the process of being successful, and seeking support where necessary. There is plenty of support in school for students to help them to be successful, but failure along the way is certainly not the end of the journey – we must all view ‘failure as a teacher’ on the road to success. Finally, we drew inspiration from the Bible and its message on the value of resilience in James 1:12 “Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward”.

Congratulations to the winners of the Head of Year Award this week – they are…

Declan Childs (8NAm) – For his dedication to the school show rehearsals – he has a major part and is clocking up a lot of rehearsal hours currently for this. Well done!
Bethan Williams (8MDn) – For doing exceptionally well in RE of late. Really well done!
Well done – a £5 Amazon Gift Card will be on its way as soon as possible!

Thank You for taking the time to read this bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please contact me on aarthur.ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (PSW For Year 8) on rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy

Mr Avery and Year 9
I can’t quite believe we have reached the final weeks of the school year, and what a year it has been! Twelve months ago things looked pretty bleak, and despite an interrupted year, the students of Year 9 have built an excellent foundation to progress and develop into Year 10. Their resilience, engagement in lives lessons, hard work and positive attitude has meant the impact of COVID has been less intrusive on their education. Walking around the classrooms, speaking to teachers and teaching Year 9 myself, I can see that they are ready to make the step toward Year 10, and to begin their GCSEs.

Next year the focus of the AHS ‘journey’ is on ‘Responsibility and Resilience’ and is full of enrichment possibilities that will hopefully make up for some of the experiences they missed out on this year. Students will have the opportunity to experience a range of academic trips, take part in education enrichment days and take a foray into the world of work, through two weeks work experience in the summer term.  I am proud to say that the students of Year 9 have already begun to show ‘responsibility and resilience’ in abundance this year, therefore the transition to focussing on this should be a smooth one. As former US president Barack Obama said ‘ Being responsible is a privilege…it’s what marks anyone as a fully grown human’.

We have a big push this half-term regarding standards across the school – we really want to make sure student finish the year strongly, ready for the summer break. They key focus is fourfold in terms of focus…

1. Timekeeping – students must ensure that they are getting to school on time, and making their way to lessons on time. Students that are not on school site before 8:45 will receive a HOY Detention after school the following day. Students that arrive to lessons or form time late will receive an ‘L’ code in their planner – Three ‘L’ codes would result in a HOY Detention after school the following day.
2. Staying in lessons – Students must ensure they do things like go to the toilet, or fill up their water bottles, at breaks and lunchtimes. Only in exceptional circumstances will students be allowed to go to the toilet during a lesson.
3. Uniform – Students must make sure they are wearing the correct uniform. Reminders of the school uniform policy can be found on the school website. Students must accept when they are challenged on incorrect uniform, and work with us to help correct the issue.
4. Accepting when things go wrong, and learning from mistakes – we have explained to the students that we understand nobody is perfect! Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. The key thing we wish to stress is that students learn from the mistakes they make, accept any sanction that comes as a result, and endeavour to not make the same mistake again.

We very much hope with an emphasis on these things in the coming weeks, that students will finish the half-term and the year strongly.

If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 9, please do get in contact with me at navery@ahs.pmat.academy, or Miss Clark (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 9) at sclark@ahs.pmat.academy

Miss Turvey and Year 10
Wow, what a week. It has been a nerve wracking adrenalin fuelled first week of the Y10 exams ~ and we have all survived, the world is still turning and the students have adapted to circumstances exceptionally well. I empathise with the frustration of those who are having to isolate and would ask for your patience at this time; if there is a need for a chromebook to enable your child to access the exam papers online please telephone school and let reception know. If the internet goes down or someone is digging up the cable down the street (both issues which occurred during lockdown 3) then please do not worry as, with the exam papers online, your child can choose to do them at the convenience of your family circumstances. For the remaining five sixths of the year group who are in school, the Head Invigilator would like me to share some of the words she has used to describe the first week: “hard-working and organised year group, polite and respectful who have listened well and been accommodating, shown great self-control (very few toilet breaks needed) and should be very proud of their outstandingly excellent behaviour”.

Thank you to those of you who have moved hospital appointments and the like in order to ensure your child’s attendance; for the first time this academic year Y10 has the best attendance in the school. Well done. There is a second week of exams next week and I am confident that having had a well earned rest over the weekend your children will dig deep into their reserves and face the coming exams with the same focus and resilience. 

As ever, any problems or issues please do contact the Y10 Pastoral Team. 

Mrs Avey and Year 11
Last Friday marked the official stand down of our present year 11. Following numerous conversations we have had with students – and some  parents – either when they have returned for transition sessions or over the phone, it is clear that they are relaxing and enjoying the long awaited freedom away from the constraints of a school timetable. We hope that they continue to unwind, relax and stay safe.

We  look forward to seeing them all  on results day, in their timeslot, on Thursday 12th August as per the details in the June 2021 letter. Obviously the letter explains the alternative arrangements should the student be unable to make that day. Those of our students intending on enrolling into 6th have all been offered an appointment to discuss transition plans. May we remind you if they are unable to make the meeting, to please let Mrs Walton know by Monday 19th July at swalton@ahs.pmat.academy.

Miss De Lashley and Post 16
Y12 Mock Prep – This is the final week of Summer Mock prep before they commence next week. This week our BTEC ICT students are undergoing their mock task in their timetabled lessons.  

Y13 Transition – This week’s Y13 Transition Workshops are listed below. If your son/daughter would like to join, please get in touch fde.lashley@ahs.pmat.academy 

• Student cooking class – Tuesday 29^th June (all day)
• Student storage solutions – Wednesday 30^th June (am)
• Higher Education Talk – Thursday 1^st July (10-11am

Year 13 Student Voice: Exit Interviews May 20201
Our Year 13 students formally stood down before May half term after a unique and challenging two academic years. They currently await their Teacher Assessed Grades this August. Mrs De Lashley and Mr Charlton conducted exit interviews with each student to help support the transition process whilst gathering further student voice which we can use to further improve both the school and the sixth form. Here is a selection of the ideas offered:

What are the aspirations of the current Year 13?
 Students offered a range of dreams and aspirations, including the following:

• Travel (a popular one)
• Have families
• Secure enriching and fulfilling jobs
• Succeed in HE
• Cure cancer!

What have students loved about AHS?

• Relationships with staff and teachers especially over lockdown
• Support to succeed and the structure of the school day
• The strength of friendships, particularly in-light of COVID
• Developing real passions for subjects
• Learning to manage time effectively

What are the worries of students leaving AHS?
Students naturally have some concerns as they leave the Sixth Form. These include the following:

• The aftermath of the pandemic on their economic future
• The pressures of living independently and making new relationships 
• The uncertainty of the job market and future employability
• Money and finances  – securing mortgages

What suggestions did the Sixth Form offer?

• More structured support with academic pressure and wellbeing
• Further expansion of the social areas

We wish all of Year 13 the best of luck next year and welcome any further feedback from students and their families.

Y12 Shout Outs

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Collective Worship
We are continuing to watch some reflection videos from the Christian charities Thy Kingdom Come and the Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust. This week in our Collective worship we’ll listen to Joe Winterschladen, who works for The Message Trust, speak about offering Jesus his life and musician & artist Elle Limebar talk about the value of saying sorry.

Quotes
“An apology is the superglue of life! It can repair just about anything!” – Lynn Johnston; Canadian cartoonist
“An apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift.” – Margaret Lee Runbeck; 20th C. US author
“Never forget the nine most important words of any family – I love you. You are beautiful. Please forgive me.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr; American inspirational writer
“The art of a sincere and heartfelt apology is one of the greatest skills you will ever learn.” – Jeanette LeBlanc,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” – The Bible, Matthew ch5: v9

I hope families have had a safe and enjoyable weekend. Earlier today I had the privilege of reading through the Year 7 Reports in order to help prepare me to write my SLT comments that will accompany the reports when they go home. Given the challenging circumstances of the last two academic years (both in Year 6 and the first part of Year 7) these were hugely encouraging, the resilience and determination that students have shown extremely admirable. It is also good to see so many of these young people taking advantage of the enrichment opportunities available across school. I know the staff share my view of just how tremendous Year 7 have been since September, well done to all of them.

In less positive news the ongoing impact of the pandemic has meant that despite our very best efforts to keep moving dates backwards, the Y11 and Y13 Proms (like most across the country) have now had to be cancelled. I know both Mrs Avey and Miss De Lashley (as well as the wider teams) are devastated about this and we are aware of how upsetting this will be for students. I am really sorry about this. I know this from personal experience having a son who missed out on this last year. Whilst the compromises that have been forced on our young people over the past two years have been absolutely necessary there is no doubt that students have missed out on important moments in their education journeys. As a school we will continue to do our very best to ensure that the things that we can control are of the highest and most enriching standard possible, a good example of this being the Y11 transition days that have been running for the last two weeks.

Unfortunately across the city the Year 6 Induction Day has also had to be cancelled. This is especially disappointing as these young people and their families have not actually had the opportunity (unless they have siblings) to visit the school of their choice this year. This makes the online meetings that we will be having in the coming weeks vitally important, and also the first day back after the summer holidays which needs to be focused on those new to our school.

Please find below the link to our latest Wellbeing Newsletter:
WB. 21st June Wellbeing Newsletter 18

Covid testing
Many thanks for the ongoing support in terms of the regular testing of students. A reminder that this testing should be done on a Monday and Thursday morning. It is also important to remember that the only reason to go for a test is if your child is displaying symptoms, this also applies if they are identified as a contact. Finally, thank you for not sending your children to school if they are displaying symptoms, the new Delta variant is as we know more transmissible.

Working together as a City
Throughout the pandemic I have been proud of how the city has worked together to manage a collective response. As part of this work we are looking to get as much information from families as possible about how the pandemic has affected children’s learning and wellbeing. The surveys below are being sent out in every school in the city and responses will be completely anonymous. I appreciate your support with this endeavour.

York Education Futures surveys
Parents/carers: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YorkEducationFuturesParentsCarers
Pupils: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YorkEducationFuturesChildren
City of York consultations web page: https://www.york.gov.uk/consultation

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year updates
Year 7 – Miss Kincell
I hope you are all well during these uncertain times and want to thank you all for your ongoing support of the school.Whilst we know Monday’s announcement was disappointing for many to say the least, I just wanted to re-highlight the successes of our processes in school. Masking wearing is still mandatory in common areas and corridors, masks are now optional for students in lessons. This has been very welcomed by students who now are able to have their own choice, many still continue to wear their masks. We also have a whole school one way system, which has been very effective for the school as a whole and helped on busy corridors. Our test and trace system, with very rigorous seating plan tracing has worked very well and we continue to only send home students who we know have been a contact, allowing for business as usual to continue as far as possible.

Our online work has also been greatly received and many students continue to access the same work at home as if they were in school. I would just like to focus on assessments, I understand that students who have been at home have been worried about taking assessments at home or missing assessments. Please now, teachers are fully aware of the disparities between working at home and in school and students will not be penalised in any way for this and will be supported upon their return. 

A key reminder that virtual parents evening is taking place Wednesday 30 June, and students have been booking appointments themselves online via Google Classroom, overall this has been very successful, however if you need further support or guidance please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Year 7 Team. In advance of parents evening, you will receive your child’s full reports and parents evening is your opportunity to discuss this. However, if you have any immediate concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Well done to our Gold Award winners this week:

Alex Grist 7Gr: Well done for being selected for Tadcaster swimming club. What an excellent way to represent the school. Keep it up!
Natalie Bowler 7Cm: Well done for your excellent contribution for form time and supporting your peers with their understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. Keep it up!

Library Newsletter
Well, what a hot week! Weirdly, when it’s really warm we don’t seem to have the energy to read heavy books that need a lot of thinking about. I fancy reading something a bit lighter/easier, which is known as a holiday read. Michael Rosen and Anne Fine are the perfect authors for this.

Choosing Crumble Choosing Crumble (Quiz 226526. Level 3.5. Colour Black)
Terri-Lee is applying for a new job. She arrives at the pet shop and is led into a back office for her interview. Apple Crumble, the dog, is sitting behind the desk. Crumble grills Terri-Lee about his basket, vet trips, what he’ll get to eat and not running too fast. Crumble is very particular about his owners, will Terri-Lee’s dance moves and tickling be enough to convince Crumble that she should get the job. You can read the first eleven pages by clicking on the link. https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Choosing_Crumble/KmA2AgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

The Diary of a Killer Cat Diary of a Killer Cat (Quiz 201696. Level 3.3. Colour Black)
I killed the bird. For pity’s sake, I’m a cat. Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can’t understand what all the fuss is about. …You can listen and read along to the whole book by clicking on the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A1WrVjpbU8

Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed Uncle Gobb (Quiz number 229866. Level 5. Colour Green)
Malcolm is in all ways an ordinary ten-year-old. This is a perfectly ordinary story featuring one perfectly ordinary ten-year-old, his very bossy uncle, some baked beans, a school which tries to make interesting things BORING, the famed Italian city of Ponky, and a genie who appears when you rub your nose. You can listen to the author reading the first few chapters by clicking on the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK2Dn8ZbtN0

Poetry Corner
Callum Miller 7CMp brought me another poem for you all to enjoy. It is written as a kenning, a type of poem that shows but doesn’t tell you what it is about. The fun is to guess what the poem is about. He actually used the answer as the title so I’ll give the title at the bottom.

They are small and blue,
They are mythical creatures.
They stopped a witch’s curse.
They live in a forest,
They live in mushrooms too!
They go on adventures and have fun.
No one beats these small creatures,
They work together as a team.
They are small and blue.

Of course, the title of the poem was Smurfs. This was perfect for Mrs Murphy, our librarian, as Smurf was the nickname she was given at school, even before the Smurfs burst onto the scene! (Because of her name S Murphy. She may be small, but she’s never blue)

Weekly Reminders
Time Capsule – The clock on the time capsule is ticking away. Look on the notice board in your form room for ideas of what to put in, or call into the library and write something in there.

Book Quiz
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

Overdue Books
Please return your library books, we still have over 502 outstanding. Remember, you will not be in trouble for a late return. We will be delighted to see both you and the book again!
Some of you are telling us that you have left your books in your form room. If you have, please can you return them to the library, otherwise the system will show that the book is still on loan to you. Other books of course will be languishing under your bed. Please have a look and return any lates before we break up for the summer.

Year 8 – Mr Arthur
I can’t quite believe it, but we have now reached the final half-term of the academic year. Students in Year 8 have faced a lot of challenges over the past two years and have missed out on quite a bit of their time at Secondary School. However, through all of our collective efforts and the excellent resilience of the students, we are finally moving slowly and steadily towards ‘normality’. It has been wonderful to see students in Year 8 develop and grow in the past year, and make the most of the wealth of ‘Opportunities’ available to them in line with their stage of the Archbishop Holgate’s School Journey. Next year, in Year 9, students will move onto the next, crucial stage of their Archbishop Holgate’s School ‘Journey’ with a focus on ‘Understanding yourself and others’ – where students are encouraged to consider their own values and beliefs, engage with the beliefs of others, and understand how this fits into the wider world of which they are a part. We hope that this focus next year will contribute significantly to students leaving AHS as ‘Global Citizens’ with a firm understanding of themselves, and compassion towards others who share the world around them. 

In other news, this week saw the beginning of organised lunchtime football on the field for Year 8. Miss Halifax will be out with Year 8 students each day organising football games at lunchtimes (posts, bibs, rolling subs – the whole nine yards!). It has been so wonderful to see so many students engaging with football in this way and with such excitement and enthusiasm, and we may get to a point where we can organise a ‘Euros’ style tournament to improve the student’s enjoyment and engagement with organised lunchtime football – watch this space!

We have a big push this half-term regarding standards across the school – we really want to make sure student finish the year strongly ready for the summer break. They key focus is fourfold in terms of focus…

1. Timekeeping – students must ensure that they are getting to school on time, and making their way to lessons on time. Students that are not on school site before 8:45 will receive a HOY Detention after school the following day. Students that arrive to lessons or form time late will receive an ‘L’ code in their planner – Three ‘L’ codes would result in a HOY Detention after school the following day.
2. Staying in lessons – Students must ensure they do things like go to the toilet, or fill up their water bottles, at breaks and lunchtimes. Only in exceptional circumstances will students be allowed to go to the toilet during a lesson.
3. Uniform – Students must make sure they are wearing the correct uniform. Reminders of the school uniform policy can be found on the school website. Students must accept when they are challenged on incorrect uniform, and work with us to help correct the issue.
4.  Accepting when things go wrong, and learning from mistakes – we have explained to the students that we understand nobody is perfect! Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. The key thing we wish to stress is that students learn from the mistakes they make, accept any sanction that comes as a result, and endeavour to not make the same mistake again.

We very much hope with an emphasis on these things in the coming weeks, that students will finish the half-term and the year strongly.

Finally, this week in our Act of Collective Worship, and as part of wider work we do around online safety, we discussed the idea of a ‘Digital Footprint’. We explained the difference between a ‘Passive Footprint’ (data that is collected online without you knowing) and an ‘Active Footprint’ (data that is deliberately inputted online – e.g. commenting on someone’s Instagram Post), and how this is something we all leave behind when we go online. Whilst nothing to worry about, students must be aware that what they post online can come back to them later in life, so they must be very careful and aware about what the post online. The recent example of Ollie Robinson clearly demonstrates how the internet never forgets, and things from the past can come back to haunt you. For those that do not follow cricket, Ollie Robinson recently made his debut for the England cricket team, but has since been suspended since some sexist and racist tweets have re-surfaced from when Ollie was 18. Ollie has since apologised profusely, and explained how he was a ‘different person’ back then, however this has not saved him from suspension from the England cricket team. We therefore feel it is imperative, as part of our wider work around e-safety, to make students aware of their digital footprint so they can make sensible choices online that will not come back to haunt them in later life. The world of social media can be amazing at bringing people together and helping people to interact. However, as with most things, it must be used in moderation and with care and due diligence.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter item. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please do get in contact with me at aarthur@ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy. All the best to you all,

Mr Avery and Year 9
The weather has been excellent this week, and it has been really nice to see the students in the year group enjoying the opportunity to socialise outside. It seems to have put the students in a really good mood, and I have been delighted with the positive attitude they have shown this week.  The new extra curricular timetable is now available for students at lunchtime and after school, and I would encourage all of Y9 to take up the opportunity to take part in sport this summer term. Euro’s fever has gripped the year group, with many forms taking part in friendly sweepstakes and wall charts proudly on display in form rooms. I myself have managed to draw Belgium in the staff sweepstake – I am quietly confident…. This week the Act of Collective worship was based on the importance of Mental Health, and was delivered expertly by a group of Y12 students. It’s a very proud moment for any teacher when the older students mentor their fellow students, and this was no exception. I know it has had a very positive impact on students in the year group, and the one-to- one mentoring with y12 students is also going from strength to strength. If this is something you feel would benefit your child, please feel free to contact me to discuss this further.

I am delighted to announce that we have a new member of staff joining our year team. Miss Johnstone is the new Pastoral Support Worker for the year group, and will be working alongside myself and Miss Clark until the end of term and into next year. Her roles and responsibilities will cover the wellbeing and day to day needs of the students in the year group. Her experience and expertise will play a very important role, so if you hear a new voice on the phone in the coming weeks I hope this explains why! It’s been really nice to see the positive rapport the students are already establishing with Miss Johnstone, who I know is looking forward to getting to know the students as quickly as possible.

The students of the week are Flo Wakeling (9Gs) for being polite, hardworking and a credit to our year group and Zoe Williams (9EMl) for her resilience and maturity toward a difficult situation. Well done to both.

Miss Turvey and Year 10
It is the first week of the Y10 exams and as parents your main job is to ensure your children are at school, on time with the correct equipment and preferably having eaten some breakfast. Your child’s main job this week is to follow instructions and attempt every question on the exam papers.

Our job, as the school, is to reassure your children that some form of nerves, butterflies in the tummy, lack of sleep etc is perfectly normal. As well as reminding them that these exams will NOT form the basis of any teacher assessed grade, should we go into another lockdown at any stage next year and have the government cancel the exams for a third year in a row. The results of these Y10 exams, as your children have been informed in assembly, in registration by their form tutors and by their subject teachers, indicate to us what level of support is needed for the individual student to ensure they are as prepared as possible for summer 2022. 

There are four possible outcomes for an individual from these exams:
Those who revised and did well need ongoing encouragement; those who revised and did badly need greater guidance in exam technique; those who chose not to revise and did well will be expected to attend extra classes and aim for higher grades; and finally those who chose not to revise and did badly will need to attend extra classes in order to catch up with the learning they have chosen not to access so far. Your support is important in ensuring that your children choose to succeed, so thank you for it.

Mrs Avey and Year 11
The year 11 team is devastated that The Prom has had to be cancelled and know that  our  students are devastated too. Unfortunately for schools, whilst the restrictions lift in society in a further 4 weeks’ time,  they remain in place for all schools until the end of term We explored numerous alternative avenues before reaching this impossible decision. We thank parents and carers for their understanding and acknowledgment that this is beyond our control or wishes.

All money paid will be refunded. If you have paid via Parent Pay, these funds will be paid directly back into your parent pay account, by Wednesday 23rd June. Once you have received funds into your parent pay account, if you wish, you can transfer these back into your own personal bank account. If you have paid by cash or cheque, the Finance department will refund you via a BACS transfer straight into your bank account. The Finance  team will need your account name, sort code and account number. These can be emailed to: tburgess@pmat.acadmey. If you would prefer to speak to Ms Burgess from the Finance team, please tel: 01904 411341 choosing option 4.

All the extra money we raised, which was  intended to supplement the prom experience, will be donated. The money from the Just Giving page will be donated to St Leonard’s Hospice – as per the original letter; the money raised by the brilliant  Prom Committee will go to the Unity Fund and the amazing  £100 raised by Mrs Stephenson and the One Stop raffle, it has been agreed, will also go to the Unity Fund.

Our team is really sorry that this decision was forced upon us. We are glad that Mr Daly generously gifted  the students with a leavers’ book and hoody free of charge and that we enjoyed a relaxed, last morning sharing memories, signatures  and an ice cream. 

Miss De Lashley and Post 16
Year 13 Prom – It was with great sadness that we had to cancel the Prom this year due to the extension of the current restrictions and a lack of further dates to select. If you have paid for prom a refund will be issued. Please do get in touch should you need any support with this. We will be in touch with students in due course.

Y13 Transition – Thank you to all of the students that have been in school over the last few weeks supporting departments and shadowing teams. If your son/daughter is interested in the below scheduled workshops then please do let us know.

• Student cooking class – Tuesday 29^th June (all day)
• Student storage solutions – Wednesday 30^th June (am)

Year 13 Shout Outs

Y12 Mock Prep
We are entering the exam revision window in lessons and set homework. You son/daughter should be busy both in school and at home. The subject support sessions are underway and most sessions are in Period 6 after school. Please see the exam timetable attached.

Year 12 Shout Outs

Collective Worship
Over the next few weeks we are going to watch some reflection videos from the Christian charities Thy Kingdom Come and the Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust. Each week we will watch two short videos from young influential Christians across different spheres of influence. This week we’ll listen to Catholic missionary Pippa share a spoken word about the difficulties and joys of praise and Methodist Youth President Phoebe share her thankfulness for the beauty of our world.  

“Strive to find things to be thankful for, and just look for the good in who you are.” – Bethany Hamilton; professional surfer and Christian speaker & writer
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton; 19th C. Christian writer and thinker
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart; 13th C. German philosopher and theologian
“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” – Elie Wiesel; Concentration camp survivor, writer and Nobel Prize winner
“O God, I will praise you with all my heart and tell everyone about the marvellous things you do.” – Psalm 9: v1, The Bible

As we begin the final week of the half term I would like to thank families for their continued support. Our students have continued to respond extremely well to the challenges they have faced over recent weeks and they have fully embraced both the new one way system and the decision to continue to wear face coverings in corridors. It is also encouraging to see so many of them taking advantage of the opportunities presented by being back in normal teaching classrooms and now having access to the new Library and Resource Centre as well as a full range of extra curricular and enrichment opportunities. Well done! We look forward to the final half term and the further opportunities this will bring.

An additional well done to both Year 11 and Y13 for their effort and conduct during their recent assessments and the way that they have continued to apply themselves both in lessons and around school since these have finished. We look forward to a positive final week and hopefully seeing lots of students next half term as part of the exciting and enriching transition programme we have designed.

We should also take this opportunity to commend Year 10 for the way they prepared for their recent English Speaking Assessments. I know that Mrs Edmondson and the English team were very impressed.

Please find the link below to the latest Wellbeing Newsletter. I hope that this is helpful.

WB. 24th May Wellbeing Newsletter 15 (1)

A reminder that students are not to bring any form of medication into school. If there is a need for a child to take paracetamols etc they need to ask at the reception. If students have to take any other form of medication this is to be left at the reception and not carried around school in their bags. Thank you.

I am pleased to confirm the term dates for next year, including planned Training Days:

• Monday 6th September to 22nd October (includes training day Tuesday 28th September Open Evening)
• Monday 1st November to Friday 17th December (includes 6th Form Open Evening 2nd November and training day Friday 26th November)
• Tuesday 4th January to Friday 18th February
• Monday 28th February to Friday 8th April (includes training day Friday 8th April)
• Monday 25th April to Friday 27th May
• Monday 6th June to Monday 25th July (includes twilighted training day Monday 25th July

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year Updates
Miss Kincelll and Year 7
This week we have been thinking about kindness and how this can look in different ways. 

Mr Furniss in the chapel looked at how we can be kind to others as well as being kind to ourselves. And in assembly we looked at the Festival of Eid and how the Muslim community are particularly charitable during Ramadan and for Eid. We explored what Ramadan and Eid are and how important these events are in the Islamic calendar it has been lovely to see our Muslim students and our school community celebrating Eid- and I received a lovely little gift, it was a really lovely feeling to feel part of this celebration. A piece of scripture we looked at in assembly was ‘There are many rooms in my father’s house’ (John 14:2) I am always reminded of this when I see our school community, we have families from lots of different cultures, faiths and races and all are welcomed.

We have a particularly exciting Year 7 challenge at the moment: Year 7 Time Capsule!

Do you want your words and/or photographs to be a primary source of information in history lessons for the next generation? If so you can do any of the following.

Write a letter to Year 7 starting school in 2031, telling them about your first year here and how it was affected by Covid.
Write an article for a newspaper explaining what was enjoyable about lockdown. (Did you see more of nature? Did you enjoy working at home?) Also tell the reader what you didn’t like.
Have you got any photographs that you’d like to share? From you wearing a mask as part of your uniform, where you worked from at home to any hobbies that you took up over lockdown.
You can send me anything you’d like to be included in the time capsule either via your form tutor, hand to me in the library or email them to smurphy@ahs.pmat.academy

We will collect items until the end of term when the capsule will be sealed for 10 years!

Well done this week to our students of the week:
7Cm: Mary Cornforth
7Cy: Evie Simpson
7CAd: Lydia Scott
7Bl: Brooke Haywood
7Hf: Matthew Watkins
7Hv: Danuli Jayawardena
7Gr: Erin Smithson
7Cmp: Holly Gregson
7Mr: Noah Smee-Brown
7Nth: Amali Estabrooks
7Wno: Theo Beattie

Well done to our gold awards students this week:
Libby Lynch 7Cy: Well done for your resilience this week, you should be really proud of yourself. Keep it up, Miss Kincell
Josh Bailey 7Cy: Well done for your Well done for being incredibly brave and showing the form your best dancing! Keep it up, Miss Kincell.

Library Newsletter 21^st May
What a lovely term it has been, having everyone back in the library has made the place come alive again.  We want to remind you of our Book Group selection. We have more than thirty titles with multiple copies. Why not see if you can get together with a group of friends and read the same book over half term? You have until Thursday to make a selection. I’ve given you a few suggestions below, all from different reading levels. We really do have something for everyone!

Where the World Turns Wild Colour Black. (Quiz number 239139 Genre Fantasy)
Animals, trees, flowers, our city forbids them all… Juniper Greene lives in a walled city from which nature has been banished. While most people seem content to live in such a cage, she and her little brother Bear dream of escaping into the wild. To the one place humans have survived outside of cities. To where their mother is. Will they ever find the home they’re searching for?

You can read a short extract, synopsis and a review of the book by opening the link below. https://bookmurmuration.wordpress.com/2020/02/03/where-the-world-turns-wild/

Smart by Kim Slater. Colour Purple (Level 4.7. Quiz 227854)
A homeless man has been found murdered and no one cares apart from Kieran. He is determined to find out what happened. Kieran struggles to fit in, but has an amazing ability to draw. There seems to be dangerous secrets everywhere, not just outside but under his own roof. Will he get to the bottom of the murder?

You can read the first 13 pages by clicking on the link below. http://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Smart-Chap-1.pdf

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone Colour Green (Quiz number 238050. Level 5)
Eleven-year-old Scoob has had a rough time of it of late, so the prospect of going on a road-trip with his gloriously wilful grandma seems pretty good. Travelling with the Green Book guide that lists ‘safe’ places for African Americans to travel, they visit sites such as the bombed church where civil rights activists used to gather, including Dr Martin Luther King, and the former home of Medgar Wiley Evers, a black soldier who fought in WWII and came home to fight for civil rights.

 You can watch a trailer for the book by clicking on the following link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zKomZFZGoI

This book gives us loads to think about. It is set in America, and tells a short history of racism in the United States. If you would like some discussion topics, and learn more about the real people in the book (Medgar Evers, Emmett Till and Ruby Bridges) click on the link below. https://images.randomhouse.com/promo_image/9781984892973_6648.pdf

Please return Your Library Books
Lots of you are telling us that you have brought your library books back to school, but have left them in your form room. Please can you return them to the library. We are still showing as having over 500 books outstanding. I called into a class this week with eleven students and they had 21 overdue books between them!

Mr Arthur and Year 8
As always, I hope this bulletin finds you all safe and well, and that you have been taking advantage of the new raft of ‘unlocking measures’ that were initiated this last week – it’s been a long and arduous road, but we really can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

A key focus for Year 8 at the moment continues to be the completion of homework. Staff are working hard to ensure all measures have been taken to make homework meaningful and accessible. Students should be receiving homework on paper currently as we are in the process of organising KS3 students to be set homework on Google Classroom after the May half-term break. Non-completion of homework will result in an after school detention the following day, and I very much hope that Year 8 will begin to set the standard for making sure homework is completed consistently and to the best of their ability. Homework club will also be running for Year 8 in ML2 for anyone that is struggling to complete homework and needs extra support. This can be attended on a voluntary basis, or myself and Mr Deamer may be in touch to discuss if your child may need to be in compulsory homework club if they are failing to meet deadlines consistently. Furthermore, if you will need a device for your child when Year 8 move across to receiving homework on Google Classroom, please do get in touch using the contact information at the bottom of this post.

Further to this, I would like to include a reminder from something I  have mentioned in previous weeks regarding punctuality. This is a key contributor to the success of students . It is important that students are sat in their form rooms ready to start the day before 8:45. This means that students must ensure they arrive on school site well before then – form rooms will be open from 8:30 for them to ‘drift in’ on a morning, and there are wellbeing resources available for when they arrive. This will also ensure that any important messages that are relayed to students during morning Tutor Time are given to all of the students. Furthermore, it is also vitally important that students arrive to lessons on time. Studies have shown that re-capping on old content through low-stakes testing is crucial to consolidating their learning. The first few minutes of a lesson is where most re-caps take place. It is therefore vitally important that students arrive to lessons promptly and ready to learn to ensure they maximise the input that is given to them by teachers across all subjects.

Finally from me, this week’s Act of Collective Worship focuses on the idea of climbing mountains (and involves a brief listen to the Miley Cyrus song – the Climb!). We look at the metaphor of climbing mountains – these challenges of varying different sizes that we face in our lives. For us, this can be arguments within friendship groups, the negative voices in our heads, exams and assessments in school or a deep fear of not being good enough. We seek to conquer our own personal mountains every day, and we as a school look to support students when overcoming these issues. Whilst it is certainly the summit the drives us to overcome these obstacles, it is the climb itself that matters – the Journey we take that helps us to grow and makes us better people in the face of adversity. In one of the most widely known scriptures from the Book of Matthew, Jesus says “You have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Faith, in God and in one’s own abilities, is crucial to overcoming these mountains. If we have faith, and we work hard to overcome these mountains, the view from the top tends to be spectacular!

Congratulations to the winners of the Head of Year Award this week – they are…

Ed Candlin (8ABt) – For demonstrating vast improvement in personal organisation this term! Well done!
Rosie Liddell (8JHe) – For excellent resilience and consistency this term. Well done!

Well done – a £5 Amazon Gift Card will be on its way as soon as possible!

Thank You for taking the time to read this bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please contact me on aarthur.ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (PSW For Year 8) on rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy

Mr Avery and Year 9
It’s hard to believe that the students are coming to the end of another half term, and their GCSE transition Year. In only 7 weeks time, the students will depart for their summer holidays and Y10 students. I mentioned this to some Year 9s the other day, and as shocked as they were at the short time they have left in Year 9, many explained they were ready to make the next step in their school journey. From the evidence I have seen over the last few weeks, I have to agree with the students. Their hard work and focus in lessons, and their dedication to completing learning away from the lesson, all points to a smooth transition to year 10 – where the real hard work begins! I am hoping for a more settled year, and as the national vaccine program continues (i had my jab the other day!), I am more confident the students will have a settled two years in preparation for their GCSEs.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents about the uniform policy in school. Over the last few weeks, with a minority of students,  there has been a decline in the very high standards set by the Year 9  earlier in the year. The main concern is around trainers, jewellery and leggings. A polite reminder that these items are not allowed to be worn in school, and students will be asked to change their shoes or trousers if they wear them to school. After a long period out of school, we are working hard to reinforce expectations with the students, and we appreciate the support of parents on this matter. 

This week it has been a real pleasure to see a select number of students in Year 9 continue the peer mentoring programme with students in the sixth form. The students have been really positive about this, with the aim to raise aspiration and support with emotional wellbeing. If this is something you feel your child might benefit from, please contact either myself or Miss Clark and we would be happy to discuss it further. 

This week the head of year award was given to Ben Blackburn (9MSt) and Caitlin Wright (9CAl) for their hard work and positive attitude since Easter. Well done!

As always please feel free to contact me on navery@ahs.pmat.academy to discuss any concerns or issues.

Mrs Avey and Year 11
As we enter our last week before transition the team would like to highlight what a pleasure it has been to interact with out students who have continued to come into school daily  and make the most of the lessons on offer. The animated videos – soon to be available on google classroom –  are amazing: creative; fun; educational and witty. Students have also received information in ACW about the transition programme in place for after half term and are encouraged to continue to sign up for what promises to be an enjoyable, informative, helpful confidence boosting time.

A huge thank you to those of you who have been able to donate to our prom  ‘Just Giving’ page. You are being so generous and we thank you for it. A number of our wonderful, resilient, giving and tough students braced the rain last week to wash staff cars to further boost the coffers. A huge thank you and well done to them too. Project Prom has been open in the new library and it has been well attended by our students. We are arranging for any clothes that are borrowed to be dry cleaned and we have a seamstress who is willing to make any necessary /possible alterations. 

On Friday last week, those students in school at morning registration received  their Leavers Books. We hope that they are very happy to receive them. Opportunities to sign up for potential seating arrangements for the Prom will be taking place this week. Whilst the vast majority of our students in school are extremely reliable, trustworthy and mature, we would like to finish by reminding that lessons  still need to be attended this week  and good behaviour is expected in and around school at all times.

Collective Worship
This week our form tutor Act of Collective Worship looks at how we can understand poverty better, its impact on people’s lives and what can be done to make a difference.

“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” Proverbs ch29, v7, The Bible
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs ch31, v8, The Bible
“As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” Nelson Mandela
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs ch31, v9, The Bible
“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” Nelson Mandela

I hope everyone received the letter I sent on Friday regarding our position on face coverings in light of the new government guidance. A reminder that the only thing that will change from Monday morning is that students do not now need to wear a face covering in lessons. However, staff are aware that that is a choice for each family and if young people wish to continue to wear their face coverings in lessons they can do so. Outside of lessons the rules around face coverings remain unchanged. At present we believe that a continued cautious approach remains the correct one. I thank all families for their continued understanding and support.

The latest wellbeing newsletter can be accessed via the link below:  WB. 17th May Wellbeing Newsletter 14

I hope families have had a chance to have a look at the latest Newsletter, edition 397, which contains details around many of the exciting things currently going on in school as well as details of next year’s planned trips to Germany, France and Spain, the excellent addition extra curricular music opportunities that Mrs Morrison has secured in partnership with Arts Council England, full details of the further investment in pastoral capacity to support students and details of opportunities to join our Pathfinder Teacher Training programmes for September 2021.

Non-uniform day on Friday
This Friday is a non-uniform day to raise awareness of ‘York Mind’.  York Mind are a local charity who promote recovery from mental ill-health, emotional well-being and independent living.  They are currently providing our students with counselling, a telephone support line, online groups, Visual Art & Self-Esteem group,  Emotional Wellbeing Toolkit group,  Drama & Self-Expression group and telephone mentoring. We are therefore asking that students donate £1 on Friday in order to wear their own clothes. If you will struggle to donate £1, please either write a note in your child’s planner or contact the relevant Head of Year.

If you want to make a donation directly please visit: Donate to York Mind

If you want to find out more about the services York MInd offers, please visit: www.yorkmind.org.uk

Year 11 donations will be towards their Prom. This is because normally they are able to raise money for the ‘extras’ throughout the year, but due to COVID this has not been possible

School Uniform
Thank you very much for the ongoing support in ensuring that all students are wearing the correct school uniform.  Full details of this can be found via the link below:  https://archbishopholgates.academy/parents/school-life/school-uniform/.

We have worked very hard to keep the cost of school uniform to a minimum but please do contact school if you need any support with buying new uniform. We will always try to help families in this regard. At present we have a small number of students who are choosing not to wear the correct uniform and I would like to thank parents/carers for their support in advance when this occurs. It is really important that we continue to work together to provide clear guidance, boundaries and support as all students must attend school in full uniform. Thank you.

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year Updates

Miss Kincelll and Year 7

I just wanted to say, in these testing times, thank you all for your support of our school community. Year 7 are truly thriving, more and more teachers have commented on their success, please see an example from PE about the girls who have been long distance running:

‘They were full of positivity and energy! We were running the 800m. They weren’t all impressed to begin with… but they showed determination and finished with smiles! I was very proud of them’ 

This week we have been discussing the use of social media, the benefits and risks. We discussed the pros and cons of the main outlets used by students. We discussed how  Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram all have a minimum age requirement of 13 and Whatsapp is 16 and how they needs to have support from their parents when using them. I have found a great website this week for parents, it explains how many of these apps work, how to support and monitor your child’s access, how to block any unwanted access or contact from strangers. It is run by the NSPCC and I have personally found it really useful to support my conversations with students to discuss how to be safe online. Please find it here: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/

Well done to our Students of the Week:

• 7Cm: Zaki Traboulsi
• 7Cy: Faisal Al-Sadeed
• 7CAd: Eleanor Jones
• 7Bl: Scarlett Shaw
• 7Hf: Emily Morrison
• 7Hv: Damien Sparkes
• 7Gr: Mya Southgate
• 7Cmp: Jess MacDonald
• 7Mr: Poppy Love
• 7Nth: George Chapman
• 7Wno: Mark Hazzard

A huge well done to our Gold Awards this week:

To both Finn Cullivan and Dexter Wright – Well done and thank you both for the cultural capital you provided your form, articulately explaining your religion and lifestyle. What an excellent way to support our school community. you should be really proud of yourselves. 

As ever, if there is anything we can do to support your child, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Mr Arthur and Year 8

I hope this bulletin finds you all safe and well, and that you are excited for the new raft of ‘unlocking measures’ that come into being tomorrow (17th May) – it’s been a long and arduous road, but we really can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

As we approach the final weeks of the first half-term of the summer, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the issue of attendance (as I did in the bulletin a couple of weeks ago). Attendance at school is crucial to the success of students. Recent studies have shown that absence from school has a significant impact on the success of students, and can have a long-term impact through to their GCSEs. In one of these studies, it has shown that of those students that have 100% attendance, 79% of them achieve 5+ good GCSEs. At 95%, this figure falls to 69%. At 90%, this falls even further to 53%, and by 85% attendance, this figure for success becomes 36%. When considering that 5% attendance is around 7 days absence, it really is crucial that students are in school every single day. To put this into further context, if your child has lower than 95% attendance, this means that they are attending school less than the average child across the country.

As a school, we fully understand that there are appointments that cannot be moved, or emergencies that mean a child may have to take some time off school. However, wherever possible, please can non-emergency appointments be made outside of school time, or ensure that students return to school in the afternoon if their appointment is in the morning (or vice versa). With regards to illness, the message that has been given to students is that if they are feeling unwell, the question they should be asking themselves is not “Do I want to come into school?” Of course, if you’re feeling unwell the answer will be no! However, what they should be asking is, “Can I be in school?” In this instance, the answer is almost always “Yes”. We do have the Intervention Room for students that are feeling unwell, but we would very much appreciate your support in ensure your child is in school as much as possible to give them the best chance of success in the future.

This week’s Act of Collective Worship focuses on the school value of Compassion, with particular focus on the importance of Kindness. Students are encouraged to consider how they interact with one another (almost like a ‘Kindness Audit’ on themselves) and think about times when they might have been more patient, more compassionate or kinder to the other person. We consider this through two pieces of scripture – the first coming from Proverbs 21:20 where it states “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honour”. Students are invited to consider the positive effects of kindness not only on other around them, but on themselves and their own wellbeing. One small, seemingly insignificant, act of kindness can have a huge impact on people around you by beginning a chain reaction of good deeds and kindness that has a huge benefit to the community around us. It can also make us feel good in ourselves that we were able to have a positive impact on someone else. Kindness is also a good way to get what we want (genuine kindness that is!) whereas confrontation and aggression and a sure way to push people away. We also consider the things we can do practically to try and spread kindness, compassion and positivity – through simply saying “thank you” to someone, holding a door open, offering a genuine, heart-felt compliment, or apologising when we get things wrong. This links into the second Bible verse we consider, from Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you”. We all, as a school community, need to be the change we want to see and not expect that it is down to others to initiate.

Congratulations to the winners of the Head of Year Award this week – they are…

Daniel Real (8KMd) – For always displaying a positive attitude, and being an absolute delight in form time! Well done!
Corin Haywood (8MHe) – For always being kind, caring and compassionate towards others, and doing everything to the best of her ability. Well done!

Well done – a £5 Amazon Gift Card will be on its way as soon as possible!

Thank You for taking the time to read this bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please contact me on aarthur.ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (PSW For Year 8) on rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy

Mr Avery and Year 9

This has been an eventful week for year 9, but once again I am proud of the hard work and resilience the students have shown. I am delighted that the students who have needed to self isolate have now returned to school, and have been really impressed with the work they completed independently while at home. I hope now the shops, pubs and restaurants are beginning to re-open, the students are finding ways to enjoy time with their family and friends away from school. I am certainly seeing more happy faces around school and I am sure this due to some aspects of society returning to normal. Now we just need the nice weather! Linked to this, it has been excellent to see participation in the extra curricular sport increase over the last few weeks. It really is beginning to feel like a return to normality, and hopefully we will see more of this in the coming weeks.

This week it has been a real pleasure to see a select number of students in Year 9 begin the peer mentoring programme with students in the sixth form. The students have been really positive about this, with the aim to raise aspiration and support with emotional wellbeing. If this is something you feel your child might benefit from, please contact either myself or Miss Clark and we would be happy to discuss it further.

I would like to reiterate the expectations around masks from Monday, with a slight change to the government guidance. As the Headteacher has explained, the students will continue to wear masks in corridors, but now have the option to remove their mask in lesson. I know this will be welcomed by students in Year 9, who have done so well in playing their part at keeping our community safe during this difficult time. In the weekly Act of Collective worship, we looked at the pros and cons of social media. It was really interesting to receive the views of Year 9, with many agreeing that it has become a very important part of their lives. Whilst many understood the benefits of this excellent resource,  I hope the students took a great deal from the message that overuse or inappropriate use of social media can lead to unhappiness or poor wellbeing.

This week the head of year award was given to Phoebe Clark (9Wb) and Eva Van Der Zee (9MSt) for their compassion, hard work and positive attitude. They are both a credit to our year group and school. Well done! As always please feel free to contact me on navery@ahs.pmat.academy to discuss any concerns or issues.

Mrs Avey and Year 11

Only two days of assessments left for this coming week and we are confident that they will run as smoothly as last week’s where the students were well prepared and largely came out pleased with their efforts. We were impressed  with their positive attitude and commitment. Well done! Work undertaken in lessons this week will be especially tailored to continue to provide last opportunities which may contribute towards the final holistic Teacher Assessed grades. We are expecting the completed Leavers’ Book to arrive from the printers this week and a blank table plan will be posted for our students to sign up on giving their preference for whom they would like to sit next to at Prom. We can not guarantee their choices – and our students will need to have a mind to this-  but  we will do our best to accommodate where  possible. Hoody and Jeans day will take place this  Friday 21st May; money raised will go towards funding extras at the Prom, and the Just Giving page is now up and running, should anyone wish to contribute. This Friday will be the last core PE lesson for our students and the PE department would like to encourage any student who is willing to contribute their kit to the department to do so. Any will be gratefully received. They can even leave it at the end of the lesson if they so wished and it will be collected up and washed, ready for future use. Alternatively, we are happy to receive it at reception/HOY office at any time.

Miss De Lashley and Post 16

Y12 Assessments
Following the April assessments Miss Cox and I have met with numerous families and continue to do so to discuss progression plans. These have been constructive meetings and very positive. All families will have a 1-2-1 meeting following the summer assessments that will take place w/c 5th July. These are very important assessments that help us to establish UCAS predicted grades and the curriculum route for Y13 for your son daughter. It is important that students treat these as though they are real exams especially as they have missed out on real exam experience to-date. Students will be prepared in class and have two weeks of in-class revision in the weeks prior to the exam period. If you have any questions regarding these assessments or the ones that took place in April, please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Y12 Next Steps
As we return from May half-term our attention will move to considering next steps for Year 12. We will be providing families with information on how to apply to Higher Education and talking you through what we will be doing to prepare your son/daughter. Although the vast majority of our students progress to Higher Education we also have an increasing number that decide to pursue apprenticeships and employment. We also support students through this process and will be explaining both options to the whole year group.  

Y12 Attendance
Attendance is crucial in ensuring continued progression and we pride ourselves in having exemplary attendance in the Sixth Form, one of the reasons we feel students are successful. Please encourage your son/daughters to attend school unless they absolutely cannot. There has been so much missed school due to the pandemic and we are almost at the end of their first year of post-16. It is important that we have as much time to teach as possible. If your son/daughter cannot attend, please notify school at the start of the day. 

Y13 Last day
Year 13 will have their official last day on the last day of this half-term, Thursday 27th May. They will be stood-down following their period 3 lesson at 12:10 to enjoy the afternoon. Those students that have not completed their BTEC coursework by that date will be invited in each until they have completed. 

Year 13 Transition – last call
Please remind your son/daughter to sign-up for the Transition opportunities next half-term. They have a link on the Google Classroom. We will be closing the sign-up at the ned of next week so that we can arrange the provision. It is a valuable opportunity to gain work experience and important transition information.   

Y12 Shout Outs

Y13 Shout Outs

There you’ll find the latest weekly reflection. This explores the theme of what we might learn from birds; from a family of Oyster Catchers resident in school to Jesus’ teaching on birds:Archbishop Holgate’s School Chaplaincy YouTube channel

Archbishop Holgate’s School Chaplaincy YouTube channel has material connected to whole school worship and Collective Worship. There are also moments of Reflection from the school Chaplain and items reflecting our School Values. The address is:

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC68i0uL4LZNIIVcu8B03iqw/about or you can search the name.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yax6x6nZNyo&t=18s

You will also find last week’s reflection about Justice in the bible and our lives, and the recent events where Judges in the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former postmasters:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luY-CyPVozs

Collective Worship
This week our form tutor Act of Collective Worship looks at the festival of Pentecost.  This is the Christian celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit celebrated next Sunday, 50 days after Easter. This is God coming alongside us. Our daily quotes are on the theme of God being with us.

Quotes

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” The book of Isaiah ch41: v10, The Bible

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” – Saint Augustine, 4th C. theologian, philosopher, and Bishop

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Jesus in the gospel of Matthew ch28 v20, The Bible

“The best of all is God with us.” – John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church

“I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” – Psalm 16:8, The Bible

I hope that everyone enjoyed the weekend. I’d like to start this bulletin by saying well done to Year 13 in terms of their conduct and effort in the assessments last week and by wishing Year 11 all the best for the assessments they will be sitting this week.

The latest ‘Student Wellbeing Newsletter’ is accessible via the link below:

WB. 10th May Wellbeing Newsletter 13

Online homework for Year 7 and 8
This week Year 7 and Year 8 students have received a letter with information about the intended progression from paper-based to online homework. From 7th June onwards homework will be set using the Google Classroom online learning platform, something that many students were used to in primary school. This has already proved to be very beneficial for our KS4 and KS5 students given that it allows for a variety of supporting documents to be used eg. videos, narration and links to further information. It also provides the opportunity for immediate feedback to students for a number of tasks. Students will still complete and submit their homework using a blended approach of both paper-based and online but the tasks will be set online. If you have not received a letter or if you would like further information, please contact Mrs Short. eshort@ahs.pmat.academy

Exciting extra curricular music opportunities
I’m delighted to highlight additional extra-curricular music opportunities available over the coming weeks. This is thanks to collaboration between Mrs Morrison and the Arts Council. This is on top of the already extensive extra curricular offer provided by the AHS Music Department.

Two exciting new musical opportunities for Primary and Secondary students to take part in at AHS after half-term, beginning on Monday 7th June. They will run as a pilot scheme for 6 weeks on Mondays from 5-7pm in the 6th Form block. All students are welcome to apply but places are limited and will be on a first come first served basis. For more information please contact Mrs Morrison: cmorrison@ahs.pmat.academy  or visit the rockgodacademy website for more details:   www.rockgodacademy.com

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year Updates
Miss Kincell and Year 7
This week in Year 7 we have been focusing upon being our best selves and this has been used in assembly too. We discussed this in two ways- being our best selves in school and being our best selves out of school. Some suggestions we discuss of how to be our best selves in school included:

-Wearing smart, correct uniform
-Being sensible and quiet on the corridors
– Sticking to the hands off rule
– Not littering (or if you see it pick it up)
– Living the school values, be kind and polite to all staff and peers
– Trying your best in class
– Always doing your homework
– Not using any discriminatory language-
– Following the Covid guidelines

Some suggestions on being our best selves out of school included:

– Be sensible on the roads – especially on bikes
– Remembering that when in uniform you are representing the school
– Being vigilant and sensible on social media
– Living the school values everywhere you go
– Helping your parents around the house
– Doing your homework
– Following the Covid guidelines
– Not using any discriminatory language
– Being kind to your siblings

And I can hand on heart say that the overwhelming majority of Year 7 are showing their best selves each and every day. Some examples are the winners of our Gold Awards and Students of the Week below.

Well done to our Gold Award Winners:

1. Thomas Iddon: Well done for your outstanding Whispering House Project. Your hard work here is inspiring. Keep it up, Miss Kincell.
2. Jess Cavanagh: Thank you for showing our school value of compassion by consistently donating books for your form reading box. Keep it up, Miss Kincell

Well done to our Students of the Week:
7Cm: Tilly Mills-Wood
7Cy: Caitlin Moffat
7CAd: Lucy Johnson
7Hf: Angus East
7Hv: Charlie Carr
7Gr: Fearn Powell
7Cmp: Tilly Platten
7Mr: Sophie Bloomfield
7Nth: Bea Garrett-Craig
7Wno: Amy Luck

Library Newsletter
May is National Share-a-Story Month. It is a celebration that takes place every year throughout the month of May. It is to remind us about storytelling and how powerful it can be. A different theme is used for each year and this year’s theme is  “Myths, Magic and Mayhem”. Which book would you choose to read to someone this month, will it be Myth, Magic or Mayhem?

On the theme of Magic, Harry Potter would be an obvious one. I’m sure lots of you have seen the films, but how many of you have read the books? Why not open the link below and read the first  chapter? Even better, read it out loud to someone else.

https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/452/page_number/6/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone#excerpt

Some of you will be looking at Myths and Legends in English lessons. One of the texts might be The Story of Beowulf, an ancient Anglo-Saxon story. It’s a really tricky read, but if you are up to the challenge then the whole book is available by clicking on the link below.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50742/50742-h/50742-h.htm

An example of Myths and Mayhem is Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge. This is available from the library in the Fantasy section. (Quiz 219393. Level 7.1 Yellow) In a cut-throat world of highwaymen, spies and smugglers, and insane rulers in silly wigs, runaway Mosca Mye and her goose companion have uncovered a dark plot winging its way towards the city. Soon mischief and mayhem will lead to murder.

As the realm struggles to maintain an uneasy peace after years of civil war and tyranny, a twelve-year-old orphan and her loyal companion, a grumpy goose, are about to become the unlikely heroes of a radical revolution. Mosca Mye is on the run, heading for the city of Mandelion. There she finds herself living by her wits among cut-throat highwaymen, spies and smugglers. With peril at every turn, Mosca uncovers a dark plot to terrorize the people of Mandelion, and soon merry mayhem leads to murder . . .

Usual reminders
You can still sign up to a free ten minute read by clicking on the link below.
https://www.10minutereads.com/?fbclid=IwAR0xW-KHf0fDythHRiAT4BTh4st3vD2MYFYWi3CATrq-Qo-Y0fUEuF_UPu4

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

York libraries are now open for browsing and borrowing. Those with reading café’s such as Tang Hall library will also be offering a table service for refreshments outside. If you have any questions or concerns about your child in Year 7 please do not hesitate to get in touch

Mr Arthur and Year 8
It might not feel like May at the moment with the low temperatures and the wet weather, but a new month brings with it new hope and optimism. I very much hope that students in Year 8 will be taking as many ‘Opportunities’ as they can, looking at the extra-curricular timetable for different activities they can get involved in. If you wish for someone to speak to your child in school and encourage them to take part in more extra-curricular activities, then please do get in touch via the email addresses at the bottom of this bulletin.

A key focus for Year 8 at the moment is the completion of homework. Staff are working hard to ensure all measures have been taken to make homework meaningful and accessible. Students should be receiving homework on paper currently as we are in the process of organising KS3 students to be set homework on Google Classroom after the May half-term break. Non-completion of homework will result in an after school detention the following day, and I very much hope that Year 8 will begin to set the standard for making sure homework is completed consistently and to the best of their ability. Homework club will also be running for Year 8 in ML2 for anyone that is struggling to complete homework and needs extra support. This can be attended on a voluntary basis, or myself and Mr Deamer may be in touch to discuss if your child may need to be in compulsory homework club if they are failing to meet deadlines consistently.

Further to this, I would like to include a reminder from something I mentioned last week regarding punctuality. This is a key contributor to the success of students . It is important that students are sat in their form rooms ready to start the day before 8:45. This means that students must ensure they arrive on school site well before then – form rooms will be open from 8:30 for them to ‘drift in’ on a morning, and there are wellbeing resources available for when they arrive. This will also ensure that any important messages that are relayed to students during morning Tutor Time are given to all of the students. Furthermore, it is also vitally important that students arrive to lessons on time. Studies have shown that re-capping on old content through low-stakes testing is crucial to consolidating their learning. The first few minutes of a lesson is where most re-caps take place. It is therefore vitally important that students arrive to lessons promptly and ready to learn to ensure they maximise the input that is given to them by teachers across all subjects.

Congratulations to the winners of the Head of Year Award this week – they are…

Sarah Norman   8Pi   For being so kind, caring, compassionate and hardworking. Well done! Mr Arthur
Rhys Coop   8ABt   For insightful and passionate contributions to the News item discussions this week. Well done! Mr Arthur

Well done – a £5 Amazon Gift Card will be on its way as soon as possible!

Thank You for taking the time to read this bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please contact me on aarthur.ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (PSW For Year 8) on rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy

Mr Avery and Year 9
This has been an excellent week for Year 9 students, who seemed to have benefited really well from the bank holiday break. This week many of the students had their immunisations, with the students being very brave and understanding the importance of it. I tried to calm many of them by retelling stories from my own experience of this immunisation, however as some (brave) students pointed out that was a very long time ago! The nurses were wonderful and did a much better job at calming the students than I did, and we successfully immunised the vast majority of the year group in one day. If your child missed the process, please feel free to contact the school and we can arrange for them to receive one at a later date.

It has been really good to see so many of the students in Year 9 begin to take part in the extra curricular opportunities on offer to them. Having spoken to many students this week, the chance to use the brand new gym we have, and take part in team sports such as basketball, football and netball has been a very welcome change. I would encourage parents to promote these clubs with students, as this is a great way to say fit, make new friends and improve wellbeing.

I am delighted to see the students continue to thrive in their lessons, with many of the teachers of year 9 continuing to praise their hard work and determination. It’s becoming a real challenge to select a student for the Head of Year award. This week I have selected Kate Newton and Ben Pomfrett, who took part (along with a number of students) in the ‘Whispering House Challenge’ that required the students to research the History of their house and the families who lived there. The students then turned this information into a piece of art, a song, a poem or another form of creative expression. Rory Eckers, also of Year 9, produced excellent work on this project, and it was fascinating to learn about the History of the students’ homes. Well done to all involved.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend. As always if you wish to contact me, please feel free to do so on navery@ahs.pmat.academy.

Miss Turvey and Year 10
Y10 Parents Evening on Wednesday 12th May. Your appointment will only open at the time you have booked. Please do not worry if your technology fails, contact school and we will do our best to ensure that you have a new appointment. Face to face or telephone appointments will occur with those of you who are at work Wednesday evening.

Mrs Avey and Year 11
This week sees our year 11 students sitting their final assessments to help inform their holistic final Teacher Assessed Grade. They have been well supported preparing for these assessments, which are either of  an hour’s duration or less. They must arrive in plenty of time, in school uniform and with all the necessary equipment. When our students return to their lessons, teachers will further support the students by allowing them to use the time before the next assessment to do some final independent revision. We send them our best wishes for this  week and hope that they all do themselves proud.

We have had pleasure last week in already loaning out some prom dresses and suits as part of Project Prom and still welcome and encourage any other students who would like to have a look through and choose – we also have shoes, bags and shirts – to come and ask us and we can arrange a time to facilitate this.

Our prom committee, comprised of student volunteers,  has been busy collaborating with Mrs Mennell on how to raise some extra funds for the Prom. This includes a non uniform day, Friday  May 21st, where the theme will be hoodie and jeans day. The money raised will be  split with half going to charity – which one to be confirmed- and the other to  support the Prom. Car washing, bake sales and form games are also being pursued ( time permitting) and you will also receive a letter explaining about a Just Giving page which you may feel that you would like to contribute to.

Good luck to all our year 11 students this week.

Miss De Lashley and Post 16
Year 13 Transition
For the rest of the academic year, post-May half-term break, we want to utilise the time to provide opportunity and wellbeing for a year group that have been deeply impacted by the uncertainty and inconsistency the pandemic presented. We have released a menu of options for students to pick and choose from for as little or as much time as they want and can spare. The vast majority of this year group missed out on Work Experience at the end of Y12 and our menu offers a wealth of options to participate in to gain hands on or a shadow experience or areas they may not have even considered exist inside a school. Please see the student menu below. We will write a full reference for each student experience to support employment and education admissions. We really look forward to spending this time with your sons/daughters.

Y13 Leaver’s Celebrations
Prom is on. We have been working with our Prom venue to ensure that it can go ahead in a safe manner. We are still aware that there may be changes to government legislation but we are assured by Hilton York that our current plans can go ahead with the government road map. Formal invite letters with payment details will be issued this week. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Y12 Progress
Following analysis of the Y12 assessments that took place on our return after the Ester break, we have identified some students that need some support to ensure that they make the necessary progress to meet their progression goals. Please don’t be alarmed if you are invited for a parental meeting with myself of Miss Cox. These meetings are supportive in nature to determine effective plans for your son/daughter to continue making progress. We understand the challenges this year group have faced and the lack of necessary experience they have had in formal assessment. We have an uphill journey ahead but we will ensure students are exam ready, confident and aspirational.

Y12 SFS
Due to Y11 Assessments taking place across school this week, we are re-locating Y12 Subject Study. This will still be taking place but in different rooms. Students will be reminded each morning of the day’s locations. Thank you for everyone’s patience this week.

Y12 Shout Outs

Y13 Shout Outs

Archbishop Holgate’s School Chaplaincy YouTube channel
The channel has material connected to whole school worship and Collective Worship. There are also moments of Reflection from the school Chaplain and items reflecting our School Values. The address is:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC68i0uL4LZNIIVcu8B03iqw/about or you can search the name.

There you’ll find the latest weekly reflection. This explores the theme of Justice in the bible and our lives, and the recent events where Judges in the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former postmasters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luY-CyPVozs

You will also find last week’s reflection about the Resurrection appearances of Jesus to Thomas and then to Peter on the shore:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEa__lkffLw

Collective Worship
This week our form tutor collective worship considers the wonder of the human body and how as a community we are like a body. Our daily quotes consider what our purpose is in life.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” – Charles Dickens, 19^th C. English writer
“God made you on purpose, for a purpose.” – Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer 20th C. French-German theologian and philosopher
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” – Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people
“Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.” 1^st letter of Peter ch4: v10, The Bible

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend.
As I said in the Newsletter on Thursday it has been great to see all the Year 11 students in their ‘Leavers Hoodies’ this week. Given the disruption they have had over the past two years we thought it important to make sure that all students had one of these. I can now confirm that May half term will represent the point for Y11 when their full normal timetable stops. As a school we really want to continue to provide access to learning after this point and will be writing to families in the coming weeks with details of a full transition programme throughout the final half term. This will include opportunities for students to come into school each day for the first four weeks after May half term if they wish as well a full range of online learning for those who would prefer this. We intend to provide taster sessions of all subjects offered at Post 16 as well as opportunities for sporting and musical enrichment and enhanced Careers sessions during this time.

In terms of Y13 we will also be looking to give those students who want it access to further support and enrichment in the final half term. This will include opportunities to gain work experience in-school, something that this year group were unable to do last summer. We will also run Post-18 workshops on HE transition, employment professionalism and living independently. Full details to be issued late this half-term.

Evaluating our response to COVID 19
As we look to review the provision and support provided by the school over the last twelve months I would be very grateful if families could take two minutes to answer the four question survey that will be emailed home this week. Thank you.

Tackling prejudice and discrimination
In our society there is no place for bullying or discrimination in any form. Everyone has the right to feel safe and our differences to be celebrated. These are important messages that we will continue to focus on with students both in form time and collective worship this week. In line with our school values it is important that we continue to work together to stop bullying and discrimination and would ask that parents/carers report any instances to school and reinforce with their children the importance of equality, tolerance and celebrating the differences that exist between us all.

Head of Year Awards
As ever a very difficult job deciding this week…

Head of Year Updates
Miss Kincell and Year 7
It has been such a lovely week for Year 7, the sunshine has meant more running around, football and lunch outside. We are really starting to see resemblance of normality and what Year 7 is all about. 

Students have been excellent in navigating the building and developing their independence. Students have been so excited to tell us about their specialist lessons in the specialist classrooms and this week have been learning all about lab safety in preparation for their first experiments.

We are also starting to reintroduce rewards due to staggered timetables and zoning of the school which have not been possible. We are delighted to host our ‘Breakfast with the Head’ for our Bright Sparks winners, these have been back dated across the year. One Wednesday the following students have been invited to join the head for breakfast at break time. A huge congratulations to:

Ala Elgabou
Annie Wedgwood
Abbie Atkinson
Hollie Smith
Jack Lawrence
Loic Clegg
Mohammed Almasari
Tameem Alrehaily
Thomas Iddon
Tilly-Mai Harton
Tom Cain
Willow Pedley
Yoonroh Lee

Well done to our Students of the Week this week:

7Cm: Flo Mangan
7Cy: Edward Shakeshaft
7CAd: Layla Ruane
7Bl: James Phillip
7Hf: Yasmina Boudjema, Daniel Norris, Livvie Curran
7Hv: Jak Carey
7Gr: Erin Smithson
7Cmp: Olivia Thomas
7Mr: Mathew Martin
7Nth: Sam Whyte
7Wno: Marley Lewin, Efe Akgul, Georgina Richardson

Well done to our Gold award students this week:

Lysander Illing-Ahmed – Well done for increased independence and making great progress. Keep it up.
Jayden Castle – Thank you so much for living our school values and supporting your peers. Keep it up.

If you have any questions please get in touch, we look forward to hearing from you.

Mr Arthur and Year 8
What a difference twelve months can make. This time last year was one of apprehension, confusion and fear. Whilst we are still, slowly but surely, creeping our way back to normality, I feel this is certainly a period of optimism. Whilst there are still some unavoidable restrictions to our practice within school, I feel it is important to take stock of the plethora of positives that we can be certainly be thankful for. De-zoning the school and returning to subject specialist classrooms has been a significant development for both staff and students. This is the greatest shift we have taken since returning to school in September that brings with it the greatest sense of normality to date. I am fully aware that the current Year 8 students did not even receive two full terms to settle in at AHS during the 2019-20 academic year, and if students are finding the adjustment a challenge in any way, please encourage them to speak to a member of the pastoral team – whether that be their form tutor, myself as Head of Year or Mr Deamer as Pastoral Support Worker. We are here to help and support your child in any way we can.

As the focus of my Newsletter Item on this occasion, I wish to draw your attention to a quote from the American author Marianne Williamson that I found very thought provoking and relevant to our times…

Often as a society that a feeling of inadequacy is the deepest cause of our fears and anxieties. However, it is often the case that many students, whether consciously or not, feel exactly the opposite – that their anxiety comes from standing out as a result of their excellence. As a school, we wish to promote excellence and encourage students to make the most of the opportunities laid before them. This is especially in Year 8, where ‘opportunities’ are the key focus on their stage of the AHS Journey. We want to provide an environment where students can grow in confidence and excel in a variety of different facets of life. This we promote in the spirit of the words from John, 10:10 that we prize so highly as a school, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full”.

There are certainly a wealth of opportunities within our school – in sport, the arts and academically. Please encourage your child to, for instance, have a close look at the extra-curricular timetable and take part wherever they can. Encourage them, if they are perhaps feeling nervous or apprehensive, to bring along a friend to go with them. As the quote from Marianne Williamson states “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” Any student can be an inspiration and an example to follow to any other, if they can put their mind to it and overcome their inner fear of standing out through excellence. As Mr Daly always says “Our present circumstances do not determine where we end up, they simply determine where we start.”

If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please do get in contact with me at aarthur@ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy

Mr Avery and Year 9
The weather this week has been excellent, and I am delighted to see Year 9 making the most of it. We have lots of students now taking part in the lunchtime and after school extra curricular clubs such as basketball, football, netball, Dance and fitness club. I can already see the impact this is having on the students’ wellbeing, and I encourage more students to take up the opportunity to let off some steam in the sunshine!  The students are also making the most of the new Library, that gives them the opportunity to complete homework or go somewhere for some peace and quiet. I even saw some of them beating teachers in a game of scrabble the other day!

The students have taken our back to school priorities really seriously, and are wonderful in their compliance with the new rules and regulations. They are now getting used to our new one way system, and the maturity and dedication they have shown toward wearing their masks has been excellent. Speaking to them it is clear to see they are enjoying the freedom of the school, while also appreciating the small queues at break and lunchtime!

This week’s act of collective worship has been around the same theme of ‘tolerance and acceptance’ with the focus being on Sexual Harassment. We looked at the case of Sarah Everard, and how this tragic event has led to women speaking out about their experiences in society and their feeling of being unsafe. Despite being a very sensitive and serious topic, the students met it with outstanding maturity, with the message being very clear – if you experience or witness any form of sexual harassment to report it immediately. 

Once again I have been delighted with the feedback I have had from teachers of year 9, who continue to commend the hard work and positive attitude of the students. I have had the very difficult task of selecting two students of the week. The winners of the award this week are:

Matthew Robson 9CAl – Matthew has had an excellent return to school and is working hard. He is always very smart and extremely polite. Well done.
Mo Boudjema 9EMl – Mo is a fantastic student, who consistently works hard and is a credit to our school. 

Both students will receive a certificate and Amazon voucher for their efforts.

As always, should you like to raise any issues or speak with a member of the pastoral team, please do not hesitate to get in touch with either myself or Miss Clark.

Miss Turvey and Year 10
Parent’s Evening is virtual through Google Meet; if you do not own the technology to enable you to meet virtually then please contact school and we will do our best to provide you with the hardware, and IT knowhow. If you leave a telephone contact number then our IT support team will phone you back. If you have a concern or issue to discuss with one of the Pastoral team which is separate from any curriculum or subject concern then please email me directly to arrange a mutually convenient time to hold such a conversation either over the phone or face to face: hturvey@ahs.pmat.academy  

A couple of Frequently Asked Questions at Parents Evening are answered below:

1. Can my child give up one of their current option subjects as they are struggling in it or doing badly in it?
   

No. As a school we have worked hard to ensure that each child is on the correct educational pathway and we have a thorough and robust option process. The balance of subjects and the number of GCSEs your child is sitting will best afford them future employment or a place at university.

2. When are the Y10 exams?

Year 10 exams take place over a two week period beginning on June 21st. An exam timetable will be published in the AHS newsletter this coming week, along with guidance from each department on which topics are going to be tested in these examinations. Y10 students will be guided, by the pastoral team, through revision skills, preparing an exam revision timetable and the health and wellbeing necessary for optimum performance including diet, sleep, hydration and time away from your studies.

If you would like to contact school for any reason, good, bad or ugly, then please phone: 01904 411341 or email reception@ahs.pmat.academy. Thank you for your continued support of your son’s and daughter’s and of the school. Miss T. 

Mrs Avey and Y11
As we enter the  third week of this half term,  the year group have all received a further copy of their assessment timetable – there has been one sent electronically to yourselves and the students are in receipt of a paper copy. This will help them prioritise their revision time and give them clarity on timings and organisation. You will obviously have seen that the hoodies arrived last week and the array of colours is a joy to see. The students have been given permission to wear them around school and it is heart warming to see so many of them doing so. With reference to the Prom, please may I encourage you to return the consent forms ASAP so that we can further solidify our planning. Once we have them back, we can organise tables for example. Lessons continue to focus on revision and the students are responding positively and maturely. Please continue to encourage our students to attend school and to be both punctual on arrival and to lessons. in order to maximise their remaining few weeks.

Miss DeLashley and Post 16
Year 12 Assessment Results
Students are receiving assessment results as and when they are marked by subject teachers. Should students require intervention to support further progress this will be put in place. Where student show particular concerns, you will be contacted.  

Year 13 Assessment week
Y13 commence their assessments this Friday and will continue them next week. There are two exam start times. Please see below the expectations.

 AM exams

• Students do not register in forms
• Students go directly to Black Square for no later than 08:45

PM exams

• Students go directly to Black Square for no later than 11:00
• Students are permitted to get lunch straight after their exam BUT they must be back in lesson for 13:00 (20 min food break)
• Students can access food from the Y11 Hatch
• Those with Extra Time to speak to Mr Charlton about lunch arrangements 

Year 13 Celebrations
We will be opening WisePay this week to start collecting payment for the scheduled prom. We will release table plans and take menu requests also. An alternative plan is underway should there be reason that the Prom cannot go-ahead.

Year 13 Enrichment
As Mr Daly has mentioned, we are offering an Enrichment period following half-term for Y13 to have the opportunity to gain some work experience should they wish, to further socialise as a year group for some well-earned well-being pampering and to enter some workshops to support post-18. A sign-up will be circulated over the next fortnight. This is a voluntary opportunity that we hope students will be keen to participate in.

Year 12 Shout Outs

 Year 13 Shout Outs

School Chaplaincy YouTube channel
This week the school has launched the Archbishop Holgate’s School Chaplaincy YouTube channel. This channel contains material which is illustrative of the life of the Chaplaincy at Archbishop Holgate’s School. You will find material connected to whole school worship and Collective Worship. There are also moments of Reflection from the school Chaplain and items reflecting our School Values. The address is:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC68i0uL4LZNIIVcu8B03iqw/about or you can search the name.

Recent additions include a short reflection on what the Japanese art of Kintsugi can teach us about how our wounds and the challenges of life make us who we are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSRlIt2WnEU&t=1s

There is also the latest weekly reflection from this week, about the very first Resurrection appearances of Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the disciples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57ZAEFvjylc&t=4s

Collective Worship
This week in our form tutor collective worship we are looking at the topic of diversity and inclusion. We are all different and our diversity is our strength, a beautiful expression of who we are who God is.

Monday – “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian independence leader
Tuesday –  “A lot of different flowers make a bouquet.” – Islamic Proverb
Wednesday – “When everyone is included, everyone wins.” Rev. Jesse Jackson, American civil rights leader
Thursday – “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou, American author, poet and speaker
Friday – “Every person possesses one valuable trait that cannot be found in any other.” – Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz

I would like to start this bulletin by congratulating all students on an excellent return after the Easter break. Everyone has very much enjoyed being able to access all lessons in specialist classroom and as you would expect our extra curricular timetable is already up and running. Stringent measures of control remain in place to ensure the school site remains safe and this has been supported by excellent levels of compliance from students in terms of mask wearing and following the comprehensive one way system that is in place. Whilst we are proud of the way that as a school community we have managed the last twelve months we are hoping that the summer terms will provide students with even more opportunities to make the most of their AHS Journey. At Archbishop’s we very much believe in the words from John 10:10 ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full‘ and we will continue to strive to ensure that all our students have the fullest experience possible.

School Show
The rehearsal schedule for Beauty and the Beast is now up on Google Classroom. Please email Mrs Newton if you have any questions or issues. It was great to see young people enjoying preparing for this on Friday evening

Teaching School Hub latest news
As families are aware Archbishop’s has been designated as one of the new national Teaching School Hubs. Our remit stretches throughout Rydale, Scarborough and York and we are looking forward to supporting teacher development across the region. I look forward to sharing further information about this venture in due course.

Head of Year Awards
This has been an especially difficult decision given the excellent return to school following the Easter break.

Year 9 – Mr Avery
This week has been really positive, with lots of students embracing their new found ‘freedom’ at being able to attend lessons across the school. It feels like the first step toward normality, and I know how the students have enjoyed being back in art classrooms, science labs and music rooms. The students are also delighted to now have access to the new maths block, with the new spacious classrooms being welcomed by many. I have been really pleased to see the students making use of the new school library that is on offer to students of Year 9 at lunchtime everyday. It’s an excellent space to read, complete homework or just have to enjoy a quiet space! The students have also been excellent at observing our safety protocols we have established in school, with all them following the new one way system around school, and consistently wearing their masks both in lessons and corridors. 

This half term, we are continuing the theme of ‘positivity’, and the importance of having this mindset. This is regularly referenced in acts of collective worship, where students are reminded that ‘happiness is a mood, but positivity is a mindset’. I am always encouraging the students in year 9 to have a ‘growth mindset’, and accept disappointment or challenges as an opportunity to learn and become better. Another theme we have focused on this week  (and will continue to in the coming weeks) is tolerance and peer relationships. This week the focus was ‘When ‘banter’ becomes bullying’ . The students were encouraged to think about what is ‘banter’ and what is being unkind to people, supported by some excellent resources created by students of all ages. I have been delighted to hear feedback from Year 9 students that it has encouraged them to reflect on how they interact with their peers, and to now have a better understanding of ‘where the line is’ when interacting with others. 

This week I could have picked a hundred students to be student of the week, and this is becoming one of the hardest decisions I have to make each week. However two students who have stood out to me are Isabel Hobby (9Kx) and Shane Drake (9Wb), who have both displayed a positive attitude on a consistent basis, and who are a delight to have as part of the year group. Both students will receive a certificate and amazon voucher. Well done! 

As always any communication from parents is welcomed by myself and Miss Clark, and please feel free to contact me on navery@ahs.pmat.academy should you have any questions or issues to raise.

Year 10 – Miss Turvey
As I reflect on this past week with Y10 since the Easter break, I want to share with you how incredibly proud I am of them. To remain focused on their learning in lessons, to remember to socially distance during our gloriously sunshine bathed break and lunch times, to be permanently masked in school and, as the covid test kits were handed out, to twice a week test themselves in order to keep the staff, their friends and the wider community safe is something that you as parents, and we at school, should celebrate. 

The maturity levels of the majority have again reminded me that this generation of young people have learnt to be flexible in the face of constant change, resilient and resourceful in order to cope with that change and could certainly teach those who manage our country something about responsibility, courtesy, respect and honesty. 

We have a parents evening coming up on Wednesday May 12th and I hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us remotely from wherever you may be. Please contact school if you do not have remote access at home and we will endeavour to get you online. It would be lovely to see, albeit virtually, as many of you as possible. As ever, the form tutors, pastoral team and myself are available via reception@ahs.pmat.academy or on the phone 01904 411341, if you have any concerns or critiques. Take care, Miss T.

Year 11 – Miss Avey
It is incredible to believe that our year 11 students are now in their final term at Key Stage 4 and this is already the beginning of their second week. Time really is flying. We are excited as we anticipate the arrival of the hoodies this week and we will be giving them out so that they can wear them for their remaining weeks at school. 

Lessons are focussing on preparing for the final assessments, revising the necessary subject matter and guidance on how to answer questions. We continue to be impressed with the level of goodwill, hard work  and maturity this particular year continue to demonstrate, and the atmosphere in the year is one of positivity.  They have  settled extremely quickly back into moving around the building using the one way system and have been very responsible in terms of remembering to wear their masks. We do ask that they continue to be on time to school – in the form room for a 8.45am start- and that they continue to wear the correct school uniform, minus jewellery, for their last few weeks with us. If anyone has any uniform issues at this late stage of the year please do be in touch with us.

Post 16 – Miss DeLashley
Our Sixth Formers returned with smiles and a lot of focus. They have supported the school’s efforts to remain safe by leading the way with the new one-way system and exemplifying mask wearing. They have approached study with maturity and commitment. A huge thank you from the team!

Year 12 Assessments
Year 12 sat their in-class assessments this week. The results of these assessments will not be sent home, it will be up-to students to share their results at home, however we will be reviewing performance and putting in place intervention to support progress where required. Students will be given their results by class teachers as and when they are available.

Year 13 Celebratory Plans
Plans are underway for this year’s Prom however we are making alternative plans in-case there is reason to change form an indoor event. We are at the planning table with our pencils out marking up a lovely outdoor summer treat. More info to follow.

Year 13 Stand-down
We do expect Year 13 to be with us in school each day until May half-term where we will return after half-term with a range of opportunities for them to volunteer to engage in. More information to follow.

Year 12 Shout Outs

 Year 13 Shout Outs

DEAR Time
This week’s DEAR Time is a Hockney interview from an Art blog. I also plugged a trailer to a lovely film reminding us of the beauty of Art ‘Modern Art’.

Vacancy – Midday Supervisory Assistant
Our shift to split breaks and lunches has been extremely successful both in terms of reducing queueing for food and also in terms of ensuring dedicating outside social spaces for each year group. As a result of this we now have opportunities to join our team at AHS. Details are below:
Required as soon as possible
Grade 2 – £4,342 (this is the pro rata salary)
Part Time (10 hpw), 12.00-2.00pm, Monday-Friday, Term Time Only
For more information visit: www.archbishopholgates.academy/staff/vacancies/

Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.  Enhanced DBS check will be required.

Collective Worship
Here is the latest reflection from School Chaplain Richard Nihill. A 5 minute thought on what the Japanese art of Kintsugi can teach us about how the wounds and challenges that we experience as a society and as individuals make us who we are. And can add to our strength and beauty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSRlIt2WnEU

Our Collective Worship this week focuses on the topic of modern slavery, explaining what that means in the modern world, highlighting some of the signs to be aware of and what to do if those signs were spotted in someone we know.  

“You should defend those who cannot help themselves. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” – The book of Proverbs 31:8-9, The Bible
“Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.” – Psalm 10:17, The Bible
“It’s every person’s business to see justice done.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Victorian writer and creator of Sherlock Holmes
“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” – Benjamin Franklin, 18th C Founding Father of the United States
“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” – The book of Isaiah 1:17, The Bible

I hope everyone has had a safe, enjoyable and restful Easter break and are looking forward to the return to school on Monday morning. A reminder that the Training Day that was planned for Monday 12th April has now been moved to Friday 28th May so all students are expected in school as normal on Monday with arrival between 8.30am and 8.45am as part of our staggered start to the school day. All the key information for families about the start of the new term was shared before we broke up for Easter but the following should provide useful reminders:

Testing
A reminder that those students who are testing should continue to do so on a Monday and Thursday morning. In the unlikely event that the test is positive then please contact school immediately and we will offer support from this point. Obviously if the test is positive students must not come to school.

It is crucial that results are reported each time a test is taken whether that be negative, positive or invalid via https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result.

Students have enough test kits to complete two tests this week. Future deliveries of test kits are scheduled by the Government and so we hope to issue further kits on Thursday but this is dependent on the delivery arriving on time.

Monday: Form time and one-way system
On Monday we will have an extended form time to reinforce the students’ understanding of the new one-way system. This will include the following back to school message which importantly focuses on two key priorities for the summer term, continuing to stay safe and making the most of the increased opportunities on offer during the summer term. If students are engaged, involved and enjoying learning then we will have had a successful final term.

I hope everyone has had a safe, enjoyable and restful Easter break and are looking forward to the summer term as much as I am! As ever I’ll prepare the News each week to keep everyone up to date with what is going on both in our country and around the world. I know all the school staff have been extremely proud of the resilience and determination you have all shown over the last year, both in terms of completing online learning at home and the positive way that you returned to school in March after what we hope will be the last lockdown. Well done for your efforts so far! We have worked extremely hard to get to a position where we can allow you to safely move around school and have all your lessons in specialist classrooms, I know that this is something many of you have been looking forward to. To ensure that this goes well it is vital that:

• Everyone continues to wear face coverings around school and in classrooms
• Everyone follows the new one way system at all times

Both these things are important parts of our COVID control measures. I’m really hoping that this term will be more normal and my key message to you all is to enjoy your lessons, get involved in as many extra curricular opportunities as possible and make the most of whatever part of the AHS Journey you are currently on. Have a great first week back, Mr Daly.I

In terms of the start of the day it is really important that students enter via the correct door and go to their form rooms the correct way.  Please can parents/carers make sure their child knows the correct entrance and where to wash their hands by using the following link:

• https://archbishopholgates.academy/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Form-rooms-Sheet1.pdf

For those students who are concerned about the one-way system they can use the following link to watch the video again about how to move around the school.  This will however be covered again and all questions answered during the extended form time.

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vFNlEulSuq6iuFT0nWYurLjp9TRfAm0f/view?usp=sharing

Homework
A reminder that homework for all year groups will return to the usual arrangements upon our return from the Easter break.

Years 7 & 8: Students in Year 7 and Year 8 shall be set homework from English, Maths, Science and Modern Languages weekly, while other subjects shall set homework using a two-week timetable. This will allow students to plan their homework schedule more effectively, while giving them a little longer to complete the work that has been set.  Homework for Years 7 & 8 will continue to be set on paper, using the system of supporting documents to help students complete the work.

Years 9, 10, 11: Homework will be set in each subject once a week, using Google Classrooms.

In all instances, homework will provide an important opportunity for students to consolidate their learning, review key points from their lessons and prepare for following lessons, as always, we appreciate parents support with the completion of homework.

Beauty and the Beast
A HUGE well done to ALL of  the students who auditioned for a role in our forthcoming show Beauty and the Beast. It has been an extraordinary experience, over 60 students from Y7-13 submitted audition material and the standard was incredibly high. We were so impressed with the effort everyone went to. We had some very difficult decisions to make – compounded by the challenges that Covid has brought us. Huge congratulations to Joe Pipe and Maggie Wakeling who will be leading the cast in our forthcoming production.

The rehearsals will be beginning W/C 19th April in year group bubbles. There will also be some occasional weekend commitment required in order to accommodate some of the large scale filming. There is still time to get involved if you would like to be part of the ensemble cast. All details will be on the google classroom – code here: https://classroom.google.com/c/Mjk1MTY3NTk4ODUy?cjc=y65mb53

Massive congratulations again to all of the students who auditioned – we can’t wait to get started!

The Whispering House
It’s been great hearing from students about the amazing ideas so far for this unique and exciting local history project. Huge thanks to Oscar Rosen in Y8 for designing our logo.

Please keep posting on the google classroom if you’re planning on using the Ancestry account. There’s just over two weeks to get your submissions in. If you have any general questions about the project please email Mrs Newton: mnewton@ahs.pmat.academy

If you’ve got any creative questions please do ask Mr Stevens: tstevens@ahs.pmat.academy
If you’ve got any Historical questions please do ask Mr Beard or Mr Crawford.
tcrawford@ahs.pmat.academy
gbeard@ahs.pmat.academy

Are you eligible for support? Pupil Premium and FSM (Free School Meals)
Each half term, we like to remind parents about the support available if you are struggling as a family. People are often eligible for Free School Meals and don’t realise it:

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

Due to the current situation, your circumstances may have changed. Please apply for FSM through the council here: https://www.york.gov.uk/SchoolMeals

Accessing FSM will allow your child to receive a range of support, including meals and help with uniform. It is an extremely discreet process at Archbishop Holgate’s and no child can be identified as free school meals by any other children.

You may also be entitled to Pupil Premium and not realise it. This is money we use, within school, to support your child in a variety of ways. Your child is eligible for PP if you have any of the following:

• If you are currently FSM
• If you have received FSM at any point in the last 6 years.
• If a parent is serving in the forces or receives a pension from the Ministry of Defence.

Pupil premium allows us to support students with trips, revision opportunities, enrichment opportunities and additional academic intervention within school. Again, it really is worth taking up if you are eligible. You can find out more about PP here: https://archbishopholgates.academy/our-school/disadvantaged-students/

Are you struggling but not eligible for the above?
We actively try to remove all barriers and understand that people’s circumstances change all the time. If you are struggling, please talk to us. We can provide short term and long term support, whether with uniform, food or advice on external services. If you require more information, please contact either Mr Williams (Assistant Head) or your child’s Head of Year or Pastoral Support Worker (PSW) 

Head of Year Updates
Year 7 – Miss Kincell
We hope you have had a lovely Easter break, filled with sunshine, chocolate and hopefully not too much snow!

We are so excited to welcome Year 7 back and can’t wait for them to start exploring the school and to be taught in specialist classrooms. This half term is going to bring so much joy, as we are able to open up more and more opportunities of science experiments, cooking and building in technology rooms and hopefully very soon we will see more extra-curricular activities starting at lunch time. Please remember we have lots of extra-curricular afterschool too, remember to ask your child to check the timetable regularly. 

We know that Sunday night might present excitement, coupled with nerves. Here are some reassuring pointers, you may want to discuss with your child to help Monday morning start with smiles. 

– Just like always, myself and Miss Greenhalgh will be stood welcoming students at the front of school and can help with any worries.
– Just like always, students will go straight to their form room, but it will be their new form room, they should have visited this with their form tutor already.
– There will be an extended form time Monday morning to remind students of the changes, but also to ask any questions and form tutors will be on hand as well as myself and Miss Greenhalgh to address any concerns.
– Students should have visited all of their new classrooms and will have a general sense of where to go.
– All doors and buildings have very clear signs regarding whether doors are for ‘Entry’ or ‘No Entry’ and arrows showing the one way systems.
– Additional students have been trained as ‘Buddies’, and have looked at all areas of the school. They will be wearing orange lanyards, if students are unsure of where to go, these are the people to ask (they don’t need to be the buddies from your child’s form).
– ‘L’ codes for lateness to lesson will not be issued to Year 7 for the foreseeable future.
– We all know that the school is big, and takes some getting used to- please tell you child to always ask staff if they are unsure of where to go, we are ready and waiting to help them. 

We are so looking forward to welcoming you.

Year 8 – Mr Arthur
We are now embarking on the final term of Year 8. As the days get longer and the temperatures rise, there is certainly an air of hope on the horizon. As the weeks and months progress, more and more ‘opportunities’ will be open to Year 8 that they must take advantage of – as I have mentioned previously, this is the key focus for their stage of the AHS ‘Journey’, and one which they have the next few months to take full advantage of. There will be many clubs and Extra-curricular activities open up to students, and I very much hope to see as many Year 8s taking part as possible in the coming weeks and months.

As you will be aware, the start of this Summer term means the ‘De-zoning’ of the school. Whilst the year group will still be ‘bubbled’ in all their activities around school, lessons will take place in specialist classrooms once again. There is also a new ‘one-way system’ in place to limit the contact students have with one another throughout the school day. Before the end of the Spring Term, students were taken through the one-way system and the map of the school in their tutor groups. This will also be gone through in an extended form time from 8:45-9:20 on Monday morning. If your child has any questions regarding any of this, please do encourage them to speak to their form tutor or any other member of the pastoral team, and we will gladly help them as they become familiar with the new systems in school. Furthermore, if you yourself have any questions prior to the start of term, please do get in touch using the contact information at the bottom of this bulletin.

Finally, in this week’s collective worship, we will be building on the excellent work we have done recently regarding bullying in school. The theme surrounding this Collective Worship is around the concept of ‘Banter’ and at what point this becomes bullying. The message I have always used with students to simplify it for them is that ‘banter’ is a two-way dialogue between friends, and does not involve an imbalance of power as bullying does. It is vitally important that students accept responsibility for their actions when they hurt someone’s feelings, and do not try to disguise these behaviours as ‘banter’.

If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please do get in contact with me at my new email address aarthur@ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy.

Year 9 – Mr Avery
I am really excited at the prospect of welcoming back Year 9 after the Easter Holidays, for what I hope will resemble the most ‘normality’ the students will have experienced since the beginning of the pandemic last year. I am delighted that the students will now be able to leave their ‘bubble’ and make the most of the specialist classrooms across the school. I know many in Year 9 have been looking forward to this, and often value the time between lessons travelling to another part of the school. The Arts Awards lessons the students have taken part in will now be able to become even more interactive and a return to the science labs means students will once again be able to experiment, something I know they have missed!  However, although the school will no longer be ‘zoned’ we will still be in year group bubbles. This will mean students will continue to have lessons, clubs, break and lunchtime with their year group. The students were informed of the new one way system around school prior to Easter, and following the recent government announcement, masks will continue to be worn both in corridors and lessons.

The focus for Year 9 this half term will be very much on a ‘spring clean’ and a chance for our students to reflect on their time in school. It’s hard to believe that the students are only 14 school weeks from becoming Y10 students – where the serious hard work begins for GCSEs! I would like the students to look at the summer term as a chance to reflect on the success of the year, but also as a chance to improve as we approach the end of the academic year. As the weather improves, I hope the students will take advantage of our extra curricular programme. It was really pleasing to see so many students getting involved in sport again after school and lunchtimes, and I hope this will continue in the summer term. 

I  hope everyone has had a restful and happy Easter, and I look forward to welcoming all our students back on Monday. If there are any questions regarding form rooms, timetables or any other concerns, please feel free to email me on navery@ahs.pmat.academy

Year 10 – Miss Turvey
I always look forward to the summer term of Y10 as a time when the adult your child will become manifests itself; the increased focus on the future, the acceptance of responsibility to the learning environment and the mature conversations all contribute to ensuring the next thirteen weeks are filled with exploration, decisions, sometimes frustrations and clearer ideas as to the next step on the journey through life. I am also saddened by the summer term of Y10 as it is the last summer your child will have in mainstream education and it flies by.

The Y10 reports are due out at the beginning of May and will be followed by a parents evening, in July there will be Y10 exams and given the year we have all been through I cannot underestimate the importance of these exams. All else remains the same. We have a uniform policy, a no jewellery policy, a no mobile phone policy and a behaviour policy. 

A reminder to those Y10 students who have a PE lesson timetabled p1 on Monday that this will not be happening due to the extended form time so please do not arrive at school in your PE kit. Remember your masks and see you Monday. Miss T. 

Year 11 – Mrs Avey
We hope that our Year 11 students have enjoyed time with their families over Easter and are returning to school ready for a ‘final push’ towards the summer.  We were delighted with the mature, sensible and positive way the students’ returned after our period of remote learning and we look forward to seeing more of the same from them over the coming months.

As parents and students will be aware, we continue to work towards the awarding of summer GCSE grades, including the May assessment period that parents received details of prior to Easter.  Hopefully, the revision materials provided in all subjects prior to Easter starting have been useful for students during the last two weeks, teaching staff will be looking forward to reviewing the work that has been completed by students during this period and will be starting revision for the May assessments over the course of the next few weeks.  

This period between now and summer is a vital one for our Year 11 students – the chance to succeed and achieve the grades that they want is fully in their hands.  As part of this, we would urge full attendance (wherever possible); stress the importance of punctuality, both at the start of the school day and to lessons, where the first five minutes is always spent doing vital recap work; highlight the need for all homework to be completed to a good standard and, finally, remind our Year 11s that they have done an an excellent job so far – this is now the final stretch and we look forward to seeing them work hard and achieve their significant potential.

Sixth Form Updates – Miss De Lashley
I hope you have all had a restful Easter break with opportunity to spend some well-deserved time together in the very brief yet beautiful sunshine. I am excited to join the Sixth Form again after my maternity leave and meet all the familiar and new faces. Despite the challenges the cohort have stood out as hard working and exemplary in their study and conduct and I look forward to working alongside them over the coming term. It is hard to believe we are entering the Summer Term, but a term of anticipation for what we hope to be a period of returning to elements of normality both at school and at home.

Year 12 Form Group Changes
Please be reminded that there have been changes made to the form group allocations in Year 12 to accommodate the size of the year group. These changes were notified prior to the break and not everyone will have changed. If there is any uncertainty as to which form group your son/daughter is now in, please direct them to Mrs Walton on Monday morning,

Year 12 Assessment Week
Please also be reminded that this week sees our Year 12 Assessment week where most of our subjects will be undergoing in-class assessments to measure progress and inform intervention required. Students should be prompt to class to enable assessments to commence in good time.

Year 12 Student Leaders
I have thoroughly enjoyed familiarising myself with the faces of the new Student Leadership Team and i look forward to working alongside them to guide the student body. They have already made quite the impression. Congratulations and thank you! 

Year 12 message from Miss Cox
We’re looking forward to welcoming the y12 students back on Monday. It’s an important week of assessments and we’re confident all of their hard work and preparation will have paid off.
The new enrichment rotation starts on Wednesday, with plenty of interesting options to choose from. Students should have made their selection on the G Form posted on the y12 Classroom, if not please remind them to do this by Monday.The Student Leaders are also ready to put their planning from before Easter into action. As always, we’ll be there to welcome students at the door with a big smile. Enjoy the rest of the break. Miss Cox 

Year 12 Shout-outs 

Year 13 Shout-outs

Year 13 message from Mr Charlton
I hope you have all had a restful Easter and have managed to stick to your revision plan in between devouring Easter Eggs. I’m looking forward to seeing you all back in Sixth Form on Monday as you begin your final term as an Archbishop Holgate’s School student and am excited to see you finalise your progression plans. We remain hopeful of arranging a Yr13 Leavers Prom for your and other events to celebrate coming to the end of your AHS Journey but there is still significant work to do in the remaining weeks. Please contact us if you have any questions or queries and we will endeavour to answer them as quickly as possible.

Sixth Form DEAR Time
This week sees the return of Sixth Form DEAR Time where an extract of text or audio is discussed each week. This week we are listening to a Ted Talk and discussing some of the issues raised. Feel free to have a listen.

Year 11 Sixth Form Subject Choices
If your son/daughter was spoken to prior to the Easter break regarding their Sixth Form subject choices, and there are any questions resulting from that, or a further discussion is required, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.Sixth Form DEAR Time

Collective Worship
Our first collective worship focuses on the meaning of Easter. As we start on this new term it is good to think more deeply about the holiday we have just enjoyed. A true story from WWII and a story told by Jesus will help us to do just that. Our daily quotes are all on the theme of Grace.

Monday
“Shame says that because I am flawed, I am unacceptable. Grace says that though I am flawed, I am cherished.” – Michelle Graham

Tuesday
“The more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you.” – Timothy Keller

Wednesday
“In the midst of ALL circumstances God’s grace, peace, and joy are there.” – Rev. Billy Graham

Thursday
“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace.“ – The Bible, Galatians ch1, v15

Friday
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” – Jesus in the gospel of John, ch14 v1

Today like many schools throughout the country we will be observing the National Day of Reflection, showing our support for all those who have been bereaved or impacted during the pandemic. It has been a challenging year and the focus on Reflecting, Supporting and being Hopeful are extremely important at this time.

Social distancing before and after school
We politely ask that all parents remind their children that they should be socially distancing before and after school. We must all continue to comply with the governments lockdown rules. From the 29^th March, we are ‘allowed to meet outside, either with one other household or within the “rule of six”, including in private gardens’

This week we are highlighting to our students the importance of consideration and care for those around us, including our local community.  We will highlight that to many people, groups of teenagers can be intimidating and that whilst we all have the right to enjoy ourselves, we should always think of others first and how our actions might affect them.  Any student in school uniform who does not live the school values into being outside of school and does not pay due regard to our local community will be disciplined within school and the police contacted if appropriate.  We are fully aware that the majority of our students are excellent ambassadors for their parents and the school and would ask that no-one accepts or condones inappropriate or inconsiderate behaviour.

Bike security
Please can parents/carers ensure if there child cycles to school, that they are using a suitable bike lock when at school.  Unfortunately the school cannot accept liability for any loss or damage, but we do, do everything we can to keep them safe and secure. On Friday 19^th March, we had 4 bikes stolen from the school site.  This was a targeted theft where the thief’s climbing over the fences during the middle of lessons.  We are currently working with the police to support them in their investigation.

Start and end of the school day
Please can parents/carers not drive onto to school between the following times:
– 8.25 to 9.00am
– 2.50 to 3.35pm
This is a highly effective system that we have had in place for some time and which allows for the safe entrance and exit of our students.

Testing
Many thanks for the ongoing support in terms of testing. As we approach the Easter holidays I would draw families attention to the key information below which I hope they find helpful:

• Additional test kits will be sent home this week
• Students should continue to test on Monday and Thursday morning over the Easter holidays
• Only children who have attended an assisted test centre can have test kits issued, if you would like to have your child tested in school please contact the office
• If your child tests positive contact school for further guidance
• It is really important that results of the test are reported online straight away, even if your child’s result is negative or void. It’s easy to do at www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result.
• Please could I remind parents that over the first week of the holidays you still need to inform school of a positive test result. This can be done in the same way as in other holidays.

Switch to Gmail
As part of our commitment to the best possible ICT provision we are integrating our digital platforms into a single system. Part of this integration is moving our email system to Google Workspace (a system pupils have been using during lockdown and for completing homework). From the Easter holidays students will find the mail icon available when signed into Google, using the same login details they use for Google Classroom.

This will help students with homework on Google classroom. Students will find the “mail” button is now enabled so they can contact teachers directly from their online classroom. If you child needs any support accessing Gmail please contact itsupport@archbishopholgates.org

For those who need to isolate
Those families in receipt of free school meals who have children isolating and need to take time off work to support them may be able to claim a £500 payment to support them. Details are below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme

To apply:

https://www.york.gov.uk/selfisolate

Collective Worship
Throughout Lent we have explored our Pilgrim Pathways theme in Form Tutor Collective Worship. The final item needed on our pilgrimage is food and nourishment. In both tutor time and our daily quotes we are reflecting on the theme of serving others.

Tuesday – “The measure of a men’s greatness is not the number of servants he has, but the number of people he serves.” – John Hagee; American pastor
Wednesday – “You can always give without loving, but you can never love without giving.” – Amy Carmichael; Christian missionary in India, established orphanages
Thursday – “Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” – Sally Koch; American author
Friday – “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr; Civil rights campaigner