Sunday 18th July

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…
Charles Spruce | 7Cm | For being helpful and welcoming new members to the AHS community. Well done! Miss Kincell |
Casper Farrell | 7Cm | For being enthusiastic and committed to learning, and making great progress! Well done! Miss Kincell |
Harry Glaves | 8MDn | For being consistently positive and hardworking, and a great example for others to follow. Well done! Mr Arthur |
Amelie Darwin | 8Pi | For consistent hard work, perseverance and resilience. Amelie is a great example for others to follow. Well done! Mr Arthur |
Esme Pounder | 9Kx | For a positive ‘can-do’ attitude across the year. Well done! Mr Avery |
Freddie Fenwick | 9BMo | For a positive ‘can-do’ attitude across the year. Well done! Mr Avery |
Laila McIntyre | 10Wa | For showing excellent resilience during the Year 10 examination period. Miss Turvey |
Aimee Lansbury | 10Wa | For showing excellent resilience during the Year 10 examination period. Miss Turvey |
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 9th 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 9th. 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.
Monday 19th July | |||
Group | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 |
8.30-8.50 | Am registration | Am registration | Am registration |
8.50-9.50 | Post 18 Progression Assembly | Post 18 Progression Assembly | Post 18 Progression Assembly |
Break | Break | Break | Break |
10.10-10.50 | HE Outreach | UCAS | Apprenticeships OR Competitive Admissions |
10.50-11.30 | Apprenticeships OR Competitive Admissions | HE Outreach | UCAS |
11.30-12.10 | UCAS | Apprenticeships OR Competitive Admissions | HE Outreach |
Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
12.45-1.45 | UCAS/ Apprenticeship | UCAS/ Apprenticeship | UCAS/ Apprenticeship |
1.45-1.50 | Pm registration | Pm registration | Pm registration |
1.50-3.00 | SPEED KIX | SPEED KIX | SPEED KIX |
3.00-4.00 | Extra Speed Kix (optional) | Extra Speed Kix (optional) | Extra Speed Kix (optional) |
Tuesday 20th July | |||
Group | Group 1 – | Group 2 | Group 3 |
8.30-8.50 | Am registration | Am registration | Am registration |
8.50-9.50 | HE Trip | UCAS: Personal Statements | EPQ |
Break | Break | Break | |
10.10-11.10 | UCAS: Personal Statements | EPQ | |
11.10-12.10 | |||
Lunch | Lunch | HE Trip | Lunch |
12.45-1.45 | EPQ | UCAS: Personal Statements | |
1.45-2.05 | Pm registration | Pm registration | |
2.05-3.00 | EPQ | UCAS: Personal Statements |
Wednesday 21st July | |||
Group | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 |
8.30-8.50 | Am registration | Am registration | Am registration |
8.50-9.50 | UCAS: Personal Statements | EPQ | HE Trip |
Break | Break | Break | |
10.10-11.10 | UCAS: Personal Statements | EPQ | |
11.10-12.10 | |||
Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
12.45-1.15 | Progression Review | Progression Review | Progression Review |
1.15-1.45 | Review Task | Review Task | Review Task |
1.45-2.05 | Pm registration | Pm registration | Pm registration |
2.05-3.00 | Summer Social | Summer Social | Summer Social |
Thursday 22nd July – Sports Day
Friday 23rd 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