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I hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable weekend. The last week of this term has certainly arrived quickly!

I have quite a large amount of information to share with families so will also send another bulletin tomorrow evening. In this update we will concentrate on the feedback from Heads of Year along with a reminder about the end of this term and the start of next term. Tomorrow will focus more on information giving, especially testing arrangements for over Easter.

A reminder that school breaks up for the Easter holidays at 1.10pm on Friday.  If your child qualifies for Free School Meals, they can come to the Main Hall at this time to collect a pack up.  The buses have been adjusted to the early finish. School re-starts on Monday 12th April.  As normal, we are asking students to arrive between 8.30 and 8.45, ‘drifting’ into their new form rooms.

We continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the systems of control in place at school are of the highest standards. There are seven control measures recommended by the Department for Education to keep schools safe and operational during the pandemic. There are

1) Minimise contact with individuals who are required to self-isolate by ensuring they do not attend the school.
2) Ensure face coverings are used in recommended circumstances.
3) Ensure everyone is advised to clean their hands thoroughly and more often than usual.
4) Ensure good respiratory hygiene for everyone by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
5) Maintain enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents.
6) Consider how to minimise contact across the site and maintain social distancing wherever possible.
7) Keep occupied spaces well ventilated.

When school reopens after the Easter break we will continue to use all seven measures however we would like to clarify the change being applied to measure six.  Students are currently restricted to zones across the school and taught within year group bubbles. Upon return students will continue to be taught within these bubbles however we will be removing the zones to enhance students access to different facilities. There will be no cross year activities and students will continue to wear face coverings in all communal areas whilst transiting to other locations. As part of this process we will have a full school one way system in operation and we will are explaining this week to support students to fully understand their routes to and from their form rooms and teaching classrooms.

Form Rooms: Please see the attached list of form rooms for after the Easter holidays, including the entrance they need to use. They need to use the hand washing facilities which are outside that entrance.  Students will be provided with more detail this week in form time.

Form rooms – Sheet1

One-way system: We are currently putting together a video to show the one-way system to the students.  In this week’s newsletter we will provide the link to the video and make it accessible on the school’s website.  Students will also be shown the video during Thursday’s form time.

Pathfinder Newsletter
This week’s newsletter is available on the MAT website:
https://pathfinder.academy/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pathfinder-Weekly-Newsletter-19.03.21.pdf

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year Updates
Miss Kincell and Year 7
Well, what an unusual Term! This term has shown Y7 to have immense resilience and initiative and we have also seen an incredible increase in their independent learning skills. Year 7 have impressed us each and every day and we are so excited for them to expand their wings after Easter.

Key Messages:
– Bewerley Park is cancelled. It is with regret we are announcing that the Bewerley Park trip has been cancelled, students will receive a letter today outlining refund procedure- everyone will be refunded in full and we will be in contact with you, there is nothing further for you to do at this point.
– Transition into Main School: Up until now, students have had the luxury of the lovely new maths block all to themselves and haven’t had to leave the building for their lessons. This has been excellent for stability, and students not getting lost. It is now time for students to venture out into the rest of the school, and we are so excited for them to have their specialist lessons in specialist classrooms. Cooking in cooking rooms and science experiments in science rooms. In order to support Year 7 with this we have put the following support in place: 

• Students will have a tour to each of their classrooms during their lesson over the course of the week. E.G During technology, students will walk to their new classroom for after Easter with their teacher.
• There will be three ‘buddies’ per form, they will be trained this week to have further insight into where all classrooms can be around the school.
• Students will watch videos in form time of the ways they enter and leave the buildings.
• Some individual students will have additional support walking around.
• Students will be able to leave each lesson a couple of minutes early to support them in getting used to moving around school.
• Access to lockers- you may purchase lockers via ParentPay and these will be allocated next week.

Students of the Week:
7Cm: Hollie Smith, 7Cy: Aya Harper, 7CAd: Mo Almasari, 7Bl: Juliana Nouh, 7Hf: Anurag Lokesh, 7Hv: Anton Morgenroth, 7Gr: Theo Parker, 7Cmp: Sol Van Der Zee, 7Mr: Otto Kearns, 7Nth: Ruby Overhill-Cossu, 7Wno: Karla Horrocks

Head of Year Award:

1. Emma Guarino – Well done for your insightful description of your home country. It is so wonderful to hear about this and enriching our cultural capital.
2. Mary Cornforth- Well done for your excellent extra-curricular Shakespeare work.

Library Newsletter:
Do you know that it’s National Shakespeare day on Tuesday 24^th?  Some of you are reading Macbeth in English at the moment and I was lucky enough to be in a lesson where some of you were preparing a mock trial for Macbeth. All very interesting stuff. What you might not know, is that Will S was the forerunner of modern day hip-hop, spittin’ bars and droppin’ beats before his time. If you don’t believe me, have a look at the grid at the end of this newsletter and see if you can tell your Eminem and Kanye West from our Will-I-Am -Shake! Continuing with the theme of poetry/hip-hop/Rapp the Y7 recommendation for this week is Rebound by Kwame Alexander (Genre Poetry. Colour Purple. Level 4.3. Quiz 233708) It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

Rebound focuses on resilience, picking friends, and making good decisions.
“You put the wrong people on your team and you gonna lose every time, whether you mean to or not.”

Don’t let the fact that this is a poetry book put you off reading it. The book tells the story of Charlie Bell, packed off to live with his grandparents after getting into trouble too many times.  You can see Kwame Alexander reading/rapping some of his book by opening the link below. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rebound+by+kwame&&view=detail&mid=E9F6E84D3C026C5B79DEE9F6E84D3C026C5B79DE&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Drebound%2Bby%2Bkwame%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX

We have been delighted to see some of you in the library choosing books this week. What a lovely bunch you are, helping others select a book and chatting to me about what you are reading.

Please bring back all the books you have finished with as promptly as possible, especially if they are part of a series. Someone else might be desperate for the book lurking under your bed! 

Don’t forget that if you would like to spend time in the library other than to choose/return a book, you must stay seated, and use the signing in sheet for your designated chair.  Thank you for your assistance with this.

Insult Competition
So, not only was Shakespeare the first master of hip-hop, he was also king of the one liner and insults. Have a listen to author Michael Rosen reciting his ten favourite Shakespearian insults, including one from Macbeth by opening the link https://youtu.be/Yf6VzuSlb3c  

Thou cream-faced loon! Where got’st thou that goose look?
Have a go at writing a couple of insults in the style of William Shakespeare. I’d love to hear what you can come up with!

Usual reminder about literary links.
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

We hope you have a wonderful Easter and relaxing holiday.

Mr Arthur and Year 8
I would first of all like to express how wonderful it is to have Year 8 back in school and back in their classrooms – AHS has ‘life’ once again and it is marvellous to see the school as a hive of activity; as it well should be! Year 8 have returned exceptionally well, and there is certainly a palpable sense of relief at being back and regaining some semblance of normality. Students must remember that Year 8 is all about ‘Opportunities’ in their AHS Journey, and over time these will continue to grow. With the government’s announcement of the re-opening of schools, they also gave the ‘green light’ to reinstate Extra-curricular activities. Timetables of the activities on offer have been put up in form rooms, and this brings with it the return of lunchtime clubs as well as those after school. There are a wealth of opportunities on offer at AHS, and this will develop even further in the summer term – watch this space!

A big focus this week has been a school-wide discussion to raise awareness on the issue of bullying. During the period of school closure earlier in the Spring-term, our Deputy Head Mr Furniss invited volunteers to contribute to a ‘working party’ on updating our approach towards the issue of bullying and make it more ‘student-friendly’ and easy to understand. The outcome has been extensive, and posters on the working group’s outcomes have been placed all around school. Students will certainly have noticed the rising profile of our approach to bullying, and we have taken students through the key aspects of how we can collectively tackle this issue during our weekly Act of Collective Worship. Every student at AHS has the right to feel safe and happy in school, and we are committed to tackling bullying in all its forms within the school community. First, students were taken through a carefully worded definition of ‘bullying’, which we have set out as…

“the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.”

This definition comes from the Anti-Bullying Alliance, and we made sure we took the students through this carefully. Key aspects of this to highlight include the deliberate and repetitive nature of the behaviour which happens over a period of time, and how it usually involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrators and the victim. Further to this, we discussed the reasons why people bully and how this is important to tackling the issue. Whilst these reasons do not excuse the behaviour, they certainly help us understand the behaviour in a productive way to help tackle the issue effectively. If we understand why people engage in these sorts of behaviours, it is much easier for us to address directly and prevent it from happening in the future. Finally, we discussed the different roles that individuals have within instances of bullying, and this terminology is something we will continue to use when addressing these issues with students. There is the initial perpetrator who initiates these behaviours; referred to in this case as the ‘ringleader’. They are supported by the ‘assistant(s)’ who are also involved in perpetrating these unsavoury behaviours. Whilst these roles will be fulfilled by a very small minority of students in school, we also explained the importance of the role of ‘reinforcer(s)’ – these people will not stand up to bullying when they see it, and may even laugh or encourage people to continue their negative behaviour. It is important for students to realise that we need to work as a community to tackle these issues, and we ended with the quote to this effect from Archbishop Desmond Tutu…

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

It is vital that we have more students who perform the role of the ‘defender’ in these instances – someone who stand up for someone who is being bullied. This could be something as small as discouraging another student from engaging in this behaviour, or preferably telling an adult in school so the issue can be dealt with in a timely and productive fashion. If your child has been a victim of verbal, physical, emotional or social bullying, please do either get in touch yourself, or encourage your child to speak to an adult in school and we will work to get to the bottom of the issue.

Finally, a big well done to this week’s Head of Year Award winners…

 A £5 Amazon gift card is waiting for you in school when you return!

 If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, related to bullying or not, please do get in contact with me at aarthur@archbishopholgates.org, or Mr Deamer (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at rdeamer@archbishopholgates.org

Mr Avery and Year 9
I have been delighted to welcome back Year 9 to school, they seemed to have adapted to the new systems really well, and have displayed a very positive attitude toward their subjects. The attendance figures have been exceptional, showing the students are delighted to be back and ager to make up for their absence from the classroom. I have also been really pleased with the sense of community shown across the year group. This most recent lockdown has been very hard on all of us, yet the students continue to support each other’s wellbeing and happiness. I have been extremely proud to see this over the last two weeks.

In order to allow the students of Year 9 effectively, we have set them the 3 easy short term targets:

1. Uniform – The students need to be in full school uniform. We have ordered a vast quantity into school to support the students and parents in achieving this target. Please let us know if you require any assistance with uniform.
2. To be on time and work hard in lessons – the vast majority of students have excelled in this.
3. To be aware of their own wellbeing, and ask for support where they require it – Miss Clark and I have been really pleased with this, and we have been able to help many students settle back into school. If you are worried about your child’s wellbeing, please contact us and we will do all we can to help in school.

Further to this, there is a big drive on anti-bullying in school currently. Students will be addressing this in collective worship, and there are posters dotted all around the school that we really encourage students to stop and take a look at. This has all been put together following a student consultation, and we really want students to understand and take ownership of this so we can all tackle bullying effectively in school no matter what form it presents itself.

Finally, a big well done to this week’s Head of Year Award winners…

Miss Turvey and Y10
Y10 have shown their resilience in the manner that they have conducted themselves over the past two weeks and I am sure are looking forward to an Easter break. Could I remind you that we do have a uniform policy and if there are items that you are unable to get hold of during the current lockdown then please let us know; Mrs Tomlinson has a comprehensive stock of spare new uniform. It would also save a certain level of conflict if you actively encouraged your children to leave their jewellery at home.

We are currently completing a data drop, based on engagement in online learning and assessment grades with reports due out after the break.  As ever, if you would like any support then please phone or email.

Mrs Avey and Y11
It was good to welcome back our isolating students last week and we want to publicly thank them for their superb mature attitude dealing with the disappointment, frustration, inconvenience  and challenge the situation afforded. In the year group ACW last week we shared the new AHS bullying policy , arrived at via a working party consisting of students and staff. Teaching staff continue to heap praise on the application and conduct of year 11 students in lessons. Homework for this week remains in line with the last 2 weeks where it is set by staff if necessary for the delivery of the particular subject, so as not to add any undue pressure on our students. The year group ACW this week will focus on recognition and reward and the student will receive further detailed information about the prom on the 15^th July at the racecourse. The Parent Pay system has now  been set up to accommodate  allow part or full payments to be made.

Mr Williams and Post 16
From Easter, Mrs De Lashley will be returning to her role as Director of Sixth Form after maternity leave. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank both the students and parents for the last two terms. Whilst Sixth Formers have, undoubtedly, faced more challenges and setbacks than any normal year, the last two terms have still been extremely rewarding. Throughout this year, it has been a pleasure to support students through these challenging times and I have greatly admired their maturity and positivity. Even though I will not be leading the Sixth Form, I will still be involved with the students and will do everything I can to continue supporting students as they progress either to Year 12 or future destinations after Year 13. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss further.

OddBalls Assembly
Year 12 accessed an excellent assembly from OddBalls, a Testicular Cancer Awareness campaign. The talk focused on raising awareness of Testicular Cancer, breaking down the taboo and stigmas associated with young men talking openly about their testicles and encouraging young men to check themselves regularly. This assembly was appropriate for everyone. Fun, informal and got students thinking about really important health issues from a less serious perspective. All in all, a great way to start the day and evoke a conversation! 

Key Dates
Monday 22nd March:  Easter revision tasks set on Google Classrooms.
Friday 26th March:  All students will break up for the Easter holidays.  Students will also get a finalised timetable for the May assessments.
Monday 12th April:  Return to school.  Year 12 assessment week.
Monday 3rd May:  Bank Holiday
Friday 30th April:  A Level Assessments for Year 13 will begin in the Sports Hall
Friday 7th May: Assessment week for Year 13  A Levels finishes
Monday 10th May-Thursday 27th May: Final teaching of Year 13 subjects; enrichment and progression activities and leavers assemblies will take place during this period.
Friday 28th May:  This is now a training day.  This will take place to enable teachers to mark and moderate the May assessments.   This is also the day that we break up for half term.
Monday 5^th July-Friday 9^th July: Year 12 Summer mocks
Friday 9th July: Year 13 prom (subject to government restrictions)
TBC: Sixth Form (Year 12 and 13) summer celebration

 Head of Year Awards
Hannah Townson 12Lv- Excellent performance on the Law exam – 100%! Well-deserved for consistent hard work – Well done. Miss Cox
Anna Pattichi 12Lv-Excellent essay competition entry, interesting read on animal testing. Miss Cox
Katie Fearnley 13Ala- Katie has been working consistently well across her subjects, working hard and making terrific progress. Well done Katie – Mr Charlton
Joshua Tobin 13Yg – For working hard and being a pleasure to have around the Sixth Form! Well done – Mr Charlton

 Sixth Form Shout Outs

UCAS – Student Finance
The window for applications for student finance is now open, and is available here:
https://logon.slc.co.uk/cas/login?_locale=en_GB&service=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.student-finance.service.gov.uk%2Fcustomer%2Fhome%2Fpages

Student Finance England have a really helpful YouTube channel which is a useful source of advice.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQvTND9RLlsIpEYirK-XMTA

 Online Enrichment: Speakers For Schools – Live Talk

HOW TO JOIN THE LIVE BROADCASTS

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

Reading Recommendations from Mrs Short
Y7 – Rebound by Kwame Alexander (Genre Poetry. Colour Purple. Level 4.3. Quiz 233708)
Don’t let the fact that this is a poetry book put you off reading it. The book tells the story of Charlie Bell, packed off to live with his grandparents after getting into trouble too many times. You can see Kwame Alexander reading/rapping some of his book by opening the link below.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rebound+by+kwame&&view=detail&mid=E9F6E84D3C026C5B79DEE9F6E84D3C026C5B79DE&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Drebound%2Bby%2Bkwame%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX

Y8 – The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. (Genre Poetry. Colour Green. Level. 5.2. Quiz 236183)
Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. In Harlem her fists and fierceness do the talking. But X has secrets. Her feelings for a boy in her class, the book of poems written by her that she keeps under her bed, and a poetry slam that will put those secrets in the spotlight.
You can listen to Elizabeth Acevedo talking about the book, her writing, and watch her perform some of it, by opening the link below. It will make you realise that poetry and song lyrics are one and the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH4gIM6TZkQ

Y9 – A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Genre Poetry. Colour Purple. Level 4.3. Quiz 233755)
This is an award-winning book. The author wrote it to reach out to those who claim not to like reading. It is focused on a moment of decision. It happens in an elevator — teenaged Will is on his way to take revenge for the murder of his brother, but his plan is interrupted by a few visitors on the way down to the ground floor. You can watch a trailer for the book by opening the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVQnyL6y6do

KS4 – They came on Viking Ships by Jackie French
When Vikings raid and destroy a small coastal village, Hekja and her dog Snarf, are captured and taken to Greenland. In this harsh and cold land, Hekja becomes a thrall, a slave – to Freydis Eroksdottir, daughter of the infamous Erik the Red. Hekja’s fiery determination earns her the respect of her mistress. But Hekja’s journey was just the beginning, as she and Snarf join their leader of a voyage where more perilous adventures await them….

KS5 – Monarchy
So many of us will have an opinion as to whether we should or should not have a monarchy. With recent events shining the spotlight on the British monarchy and its role in society, Simon Jenkins gives us his thoughts…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/13/britain-royal-family-prince-charles-monarchy

Collective worship for the wk commencing 22^nd March 2021
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.

Monday – “You have not lived today until you have done something or someone who can never repay you.” – John Bunyan; 17th C. English writer and preacher

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

As mentioned on Friday we have been delighted with the way that students returned to school last week. Compliance in terms of the additional controls around face coverings has been exemplary and conduct in classrooms and around school has been very good. I saw this first hand throughout the week as I visited lessons and delivered Chapel each day.

A reminder that the Newsletter will return this week providing details of life in school. To complement this I will continue to write to parents each weekend and of course at any point where important additional information is needed. I really appreciate all the positive feedback that has been received about the value of regular contact each day during lockdown.

On Monday students will be reminded about the importance of maintaining the highest standards in terms of school uniform. Thank you in advance for the ongoing support in ensuring that all students are in the correct school uniform each day. A reminder that this includes appropriate school shoes and an absence of jewellery beyond the one pair of small earrings. Form tutors will be focusing on this during tutor time each day. The same is true in terms of mobile phones which should be switched off and not seen in the school building. As ever if families need any support in terms of uniform please contact school and we will be happy to help. Thank you.

As families are aware schools up and down the country are preparing to award centre assessed grades for students in Year 11 and Year 13. To help support this process extensive moderation and standardisation is required in all subjects towards the end of the next half term. We do not want to put an additional training day into the school calendar so have decided that the best way forward is to move the scheduled training day for Monday 12^th April to the last day of the half term, Friday 28^th May. This means that students will now be in school as normal on Monday 12^th April. To support this process on Friday 26^th March school will finish at 1.10pm for all students, with period 4 lessons running for all year groups from 12.10pm to 1.10pm. Food will be provided at break as usual and at 1.10pm for anyone who wants this. We hope that these arrangements combined with the full return to school last Monday will minimise disruption for families. If you have any questions please do contact school.

Clarification on the system of controls
We continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the systems of control in place at school are of the highest standards. There are seven control measures recommended by the Department for Education to keep schools safe and operational during the pandemic. There are

1) Minimise contact with individuals who are required to self-isolate by ensuring they do not attend the school.
2) Ensure face coverings are used in recommended circumstances.
3) Ensure everyone is advised to clean their hands thoroughly and more often than usual.
4) Ensure good respiratory hygiene for everyone by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
5) Maintain enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents.
6) Consider how to minimise contact across the site and maintain social distancing wherever possible.
7) Keep occupied spaces well ventilated.

When school reopens after the Easter break we will continue to use all seven measures however we would like to clarify the change being applied to measure six.  Students are currently restricted to zones across the school and taught within year group bubbles. Upon return students will continue to be taught within these bubbles however we will be removing the zones to enhance students access to different facilities. There will be no cross year activities and students will continue to wear face coverings in all communal areas whilst transiting to other locations. As part of this process we will have a full school one way system in operation and we will use the last week before Easter to support students to fully understand their routes to and from their form rooms and teaching classrooms. This will be especially important for Year 7 and Miss Kincell will be sharing this plan with parents this week.

Lockers
In readiness for post Easter lockers for Year 7 students will be available to buy from Monday on ParentPay at a cost of £3.00; once payment has been received a locker will be allocated. As part of their orientation around the rest of school (more details to follow) Year 7 will be shown where these lockers are located by their form tutor. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact main reception on 01904 411341

Head of Year Awards

Whispering House Project
We are inviting your child to be part of an exciting National history initiative exploring almost 150 years of Census records. The Whispering House project is being led by professional historians, writers and theatre makers, and AHS students are being given the opportunity to work on their own response to the project, with input from the professional creative team. Students will be invited to play detective using previous census data and other historical records to find out all they can about the people who used to live in their house. We’ll be asking interested students to conduct research on the history of their homes and the lives of former occupants, and turn it into their own creative response to what they discover.

Creative responses could include:

• Drama performance
• Artwork / Photography
• Poetry / Creative writing
• Piece of music / Soundscape

Once completed and digitally submitted, there is an opportunity to share this information with the community, through attaching a QR Code to a front fence or a garden gate. This would allow passers-by to scan it and see the history of the house! However, we would like to stress at this point that this is completely optional, and the decision of the house owner.

The Google Meet to launch The Whispering House project is on TUESDAY 16th MARCH at 4pm
Google Classroom code is here for anyone who would like to find out more:
https://classroom.google.com/c/MjkyMTA2MjM4NDk5?cjc=t2r5cv5

Thanks, Mrs. Newton

Head of Year Updates  – Mrs Avey and Year 11
The year 11’s conducted themselves incredibly well on their return to school last week and have reminded us what a positive, conscientious hardworking  group of students they are. For those who have had to resume their online learning for an extended period, though no fault of their own, we appreciate everyone of them for their resilience, their understanding and for them all working as best that they can under difficult conditions. Well done. Last week the year group ACW theme was Aspiration , based around the life of Steven Frayne, with the encouragement to focus any aspirations on their ‘ next steps.’ They also received up to date information on the key dates of the assessment, which you yourselves will receive today. There was an exciting post to the school community  on Thursday, asking for those interest in supporting a School Show  to attend a Google Meet on17th march ( this Wednesday) I would be fantastic to have as many of our year 11’s involved as possible this year. In the past we have been strongly represented as we have so many talented students who support both in the orchestra, behind stage and on stage. Normally, it is a commitment too far in year 11, but for this year, I am confident that our students will not only greatly enjoy the whole experience but will be able to manage the rehearsal  schedule with their school  work. I am already looking forward with anticipation

Miss Kincell and Year 7
It has been a delight to welcome the Year 7s back this week, they have been absolutely outstanding.  

Key Notices:

• Bewerley Park is cancelled. It is with regret we are announcing that the Bewerley Park trip has been cancelled, students will receive a letter today outlining refund procedure- everyone will be refunded in full and we will be in contact with you, there is nothing further for you to do at this point.
• Please continue to notify us if we can support you with uniform or equipment, this has been an uncertain time for everyone and we want to help however we can.

Head of Year Award:
Noah Smee-Brown: Well done for setting up a fundraising website called move the masses during lockdown to help get people into exercise.

Students of the Week:
7Cm: Jayden Castle
7Cy: Aiden Strangeways
7CAd: Jess Wray
7Bl: Sasha Crosby
7Hf: Lily-Jo Hemmings
7Hv: Thomas Graham
7Gr: Lucy Gilbertson
7Cmp: Willow Pedley
7Mr: Fearne Grant
7Nth: Charlie Blades
7Wno: Marley Lewin

Library Newsletter:
The Y7 book of the week is Small Steps by Louis Sachar (Young Adult Read. Colour Purple. Level 4.2. Quiz number 212592) I chose this as many of us in school read, and managed to finish Holes during book time. Small Steps is not a sequel exactly, but lets us catch up with some of the characters after they left Camp Greenlake. Armpit and X-Ray are living in Austin, Texas. It is three years since they left the confines of Camp Green Lake Detention Centre and Armpit is taking small steps to turn his life around. He is working for a landscape gardener because he is good at digging holes, he is going to school and he is enjoying his first proper romance, learning what it takes to stay on course. He’s learned that doing the right thing is never the wrong choice, but is he going to be able to stay out of trouble. You can read an excerpt, book summary, and find out about characters old and new by clicking on the link below. https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/1742/page_number/1/small-steps#excerpt

It’s Mother’s Day this weekend. So, think about doing something nice for a person you care for this weekend. It could be your Mum, Gran or anyone who would like the gift of your time. Choose a book that you can either read to them, or read together.

 We have lots of books in the library where multiple copies are available so you can read together very easily. If you pick one from the Book Club Shelf then there will be questions/discussion notes to go with it.

Overdue books are now a problem. We have nearly 600 books that need returning. Now that we are all back in school, please can you have a good look at home for any library books that can be returned. Don’t worry if you’ve had the book/books for ages, you’ll never be in trouble for a late return, we are always happy to see them again so that others can enjoy them.  As you know we stock lots of series of books and a lot of the first/second books of these series are missing. It’s really important that these are returned. We all know how annoying it is if we can’t get our hands on the first book of a series that we want to read.

Usual reminder about literary links.
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. You can borrow virtual books from York Explore using your library card. To find out how to borrow books and apply for a card, click on https://www.exploreyork.org.uk/

Finally. Congratulations to Sasha Crosby in 7Bl who won our World Book Day writing competition. The prize was a collection of nine World Book Day Books.  Sasha managed to write a short story containing ten words from Roald Dahl’s dictionary. You can read the winning entry below. The ten words are highlighted and are also listed at the bottom of the story. Why not read this to someone this week and see if they can guess the meaning of the words. Most of them are self-explanatory, as Sasha’s writing enables us to picture the scene.

We can’t wait to see what the rest of this term brings!

Mr Williams and Post 16
It has been a genuine pleasure to welcome students back into the Sixth Form. Students have settled back into routines extremely well and it is like they have never been away. We have been impressed with the mature approach to mask wearing and COVID safety precaution. I would like to remind all students that it is essential masks are warn at all times within the building and that medical exemption certificates or evidence is needed if they cannot be worn. It is also important that students continue to follow government guidelines and avoid congregating in large groups outside of school. If you need further support, please do contact either your child’s Head of Year or myself.

Year 13 Assessment Arrangements for Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG)
As promised, we will be sending out further guidance on Monday, providing detail of the topic areas in each A Level. Below is a reminder of the assessment arrangements for both A Level and BTECs. Due to the differing nature of these two qualifications, there are slightly different arrangements in place:

A Levels

• Teachers will award grades taking into consideration a range of sources. These will include:
  • Year 12 and 13 interim data
  • Year 13 winter mocks
  • Any NEA/coursework
  • Outcomes from the Year 13 May assessment week
• Year 13s will sit one paper in each of their A Level subjects. Each paper will be 90 minutes long and will assess topics identified as a priority by the Head of Department.
• Students will only be assessed on topic areas they have been taught.
• The Year 13 assessment week will take place from Friday 30^th April until Friday 7^th May, inclusive.

Level 3 BTECs
BTEC students have completed a mixture of internally and externally set work throughout the two years of their course. Last summer, BTEC students were already awarded Centre Assessed Grades for 50% of their course. For this reason, BTEC students will not sit examinations in May. Instead, students will collate and use evidence they have completed within lessons to determine their final grade outcome.  To ensure that there is sufficient evidence, subject tutors will work with students to ensure the following:-

• Year 12 work, completed prior to lock-down 2020, is printed and reviewed.
• Outstanding Year 13 internal coursework is complete, including re-submissions.
• Externally assessed units are evidenced in terms of ‘in-class assessments/mocks’.

Students will be asked by their subject leader to place their evidence in a portfolio, to enable an overall qualification grade to be calculated.  The portfolio will then be submitted to the school’s BTEC Quality Nominee and Head of Vocational Learning for final quality assurance.

Year 12 Enrichment
A reminder that all students are expected to actively engage with the Year 12 Enrichment programme, which includes RE Enrichment on alternative weeks and a scheduled programme of activities on a Wednesday afternoon. These choices will be reviewed after Easter and attendance is part of the student contract within Sixth Form.

Year 12 Parents’ Evening and Year 12 assessment week
Thank you to everybody who attended Parents’ Evening on Wednesday evening. This was an important evening as it allowed parents, students and teachers to reflect upon progress made during Year 12 and their Post 16 courses so far whilst framing the next stage of their qualifications. If you were unable to meet your child’s teacher, please do get in touch and we can arrange for either an alternative meeting or information to be passed to you. The re-arranged Year 12 assessment week will take place from Monday 12^th April. This is an important week as it will allow students to demonstrate their progress so far and highlight areas for further support or development. Teachers will be provding structured revision in the final week of this half term and will provide appropriate revision materials for over Easter.

Student Leaders:
Gabby and Olly led a really successful meeting with the Student Leaders where they collaborated to create a manifesto of ideas. Praise goes to the following students for their successful appointment as team leaders.

• Transition group = Maddy Hatch
• Charity = Lucy Austin
• Campaign Awareness = Anna Pattichi
• Christian Ethos = Eldho Alias and Jennifer Burlison
• Sport and Positive Wellbeing = Gaurie Sunil
• Social Media and Newsletter = Chloe Rowan
• Celebration and rewards = George Atang

Head of Year Awards and Shout Outs
Year 12 Head of Year Awards
Tegan Meek – really positive and proactive return to school.
Maisie Thackway – really positive and proactive return  to school.

Yr13 Head of Year Awards
Alice Anderson 13Da – Fantastic effort and engagement with her home learning, I’m receiving lots of positive message from your teachers. Well done! Mr Charlton
Ruby McAughtrie 13Bm – For consistently producing work of a high standard throughout lockdown and making rapid progress on her EPQ having on started in at Christmas – a fantastic effort! Mr Charlton

Student Shout Outs

 Online Enrichment Opportunities: Speakers For Schools Program

• You can join without needing an account – Watch how here

Oddballs
Next Friday we have an interactive talk from Sam@ OddBalls . This talk will focus on raising awareness of Testicular Cancer, it is for all year 12 students. The talk is fun, informal and gets students thinking about really important health issues from a less serious perspective. More information about the charity can be found here;  https://www.myoddballs.com/pages/charity

Wellbeing – Mindful Monday

Collective Worship
Throughout Lent we continue with our Pilgrim Pathways theme in Form Tutor Collective Worship. Our fifth item is shelter. In Form Tutor Collective Worship we will find out more about the shelters found on Lindisfarne in Northumberland, also known as Holy Island, and where we can take shelter during the storms of life. Our daily quotes are also on the theme of Shelter.

Monday – “This life will never be without storms. Stop fearing the storm. Build your inner shelter.” – Yasmin Mogahed; American Muslim writer on spirituality, psychology, and personal development

It has been a really successful first week back at school! I would like to thank staff, students and families for their support in making this possible.

I hope everyone has a good weekend and that young people continue to observe the guidance that is in place in terms of social distancing arrangements and Covid-19 protocols. This is really important in terms of restricting the spread of the virus both in the community and in school. Thank you.

Testing at home
A reminder that students should have brought their test kits home yesterday..  There are three tests in each box meaning all children have enough to start testing on Monday morning at home and carry them through until after the Easter break – Students are not expected to test over the holidays. All students must test on a Monday and Thursday morning, should the result be positive they must not attend school but let us know as soon as possible so we can provide further guidance on next steps. Taking the test on a Monday morning will limit the impact of a positive case on the school community as it will have been over 48 hours since they were last in school.

Head of Year update – Mrs Avey and Year 11
It is with immense pride that we  are sharing with you and celebrating the actions last week  of one of our year 11’s. Sam Grainger, when out on a run, came across a woman in a great deal of distress. He coolly and calmly took charge of the situation, demonstrated enormous compassion, called  the  police, talked with the woman and successfully removed her to a place of safety. Sam was mature and brave beyond his years. Well done to Sam.

It is with pleasure that there has again been a plethora of young people highlighted for a shout out from their members of staff:

George Burt – Going above and beyond by completing English revision and contributing well to online lessons, Olivia Wilkinson – Some great contributions to live lessons, getting really involved using the chat and being responsive to feedback; Kenzie Booth outstanding effort –  Mr Hunt; excellent presentations on global warming and climate change today from 11S1 – and in particular Arthur Sharpe, Amelie Hind-Davis and Billy Hearld, Aimee Reed and Phaedra Wright, Adam Peters and Peter Carr and finally Maggie Wakeling, Katie Suchomska and Jess Machen. Well done to all of you and to the rest of the class for providing such a supportive audience  – Mr Williams

Fantastic effort in your end of unit assessment: Alessandra Hough; Aleyna Ceylan; Joe Dennis; Louisa Spence – Miss Hollinger; Emma Leopold in
Geography for producing exemplary work and clearly developing all her key arguments-  Miss Montagu; Abbey Driffield ; Klaudia Romanska; Robyn Darwin; Amber Atkinson; Jess Machen; Aaron Leaning – All working brilliantly in Textiles-  Mrs Harvey; The following students in 11e/Re1 working putting in 100% effort at the moment and producing some great work, Well done guys: Elisa Andrew; Isla Barrett-McHugh; Peter Carr; Tala Halawani; Daisy Hardy; Kirsty Harrison; Jessica Machen ;Adam Peters; Aimee Reed; Katie Suchomska; Holly Tasker; Charles Ting; Maggie Wakeling; Sophie Warburton; Adam Wong:  Lily Doyle has worked really well this week she is always engaging in the life lessons.

Finn Blogg has shown improvement by doing well on his maths assessment. – Miss Bhogal: Olivia Marshall – consistently working hard in RE and giving excellent reasons.

Josh Maynard – superb reasoning and justification of viewpoints in RE – very thoughtful and mature ideas-Miss Harper: Alessandra Hough, Louisa Spence, Dimitri Georgiou and Ashleigh Roberts all working really well in English – Miss Balmer:Lento Yamagata, Onett Perera, Reilly Adams, Emma Beale, Josh Ridell , Katie Richardson all working hard and displaying a very positive attitude to learning in RE – Mr Nihill: My maths group continue to impress with their hard work and dedication. Keep it up! Mrs Price;  Aimee Reed, Charlotte Walker, Abi Emerson, Josh Roe, Jack Stephenson, Ivy Tegetmeier and Isla Barrett-McHugh have produced extensive notes on the NT production of Jane Eyre- Miss Darlington; Oliver Wootten – pleasure to teach in English; always ready with an answer and a smile; Ben Hields – sterling work in English. I’m very grateful for his input in lessons; John Monk – produced some amazing work over lockdown in English – Miss Darlington; Evie James, Harvey Watson, Jake Noel; Fin Blogg    all working hard in English and producing good work-   Mrs Short;  Tia Hardy for doing extra practice essays in her own time to secure great progress in RE!  -Mr Hepplestone; Katy Hillyard,  Georgia Handley, Ellen Morrel, Jess and Rebecca Lee, Ashleigh Robert’s, Alice Widd and Leoni Hinchcliffe all continue to work hard and keep meeting coursework deadlines in food – Mr Martin;  Matthew Barber for working incredibly hard to improve his listening results.  – Miss Armes; For Luke Johnson – hard work in lesson and in his own time, which is definitely recognised!  Miss Milner; Emma Beale is doing great it online lessons in Computer Science – Mr Appleyard; Olivia Day, Sophie Watkins, Emy-May O’Donovan, Hannah Leach, Hannah Kirkman, Josh Ffrench-Adam, Bader Almohimeed, Wiktoria Kwiecinska and Olivia Tunnicliffe for engaging well in RE discussions and answering questions;  Shout out to 11b2 English students with Ms Evans who have done some great work on narrative writing this week, in particular Leah Wright, Wiktoria Kwiecinska, Ellen Morrell, Rowan Fearnley, Jess Firth, Tom Fuller, Luke Johnson, Hannah Kirkman, Hannah Leach, Josh Roe and Ben Soulsby;  Big well done to George Burt, Hannah L, Hannah K, Jess F, Luke J, Ellen M for completing lots of the half term revision quizzes as well – real commitment to success; Sophia Mackender for an exceptional piece of work – Mrs Price; Kirsty Harrison produced some immaculate Vectors work in Maths Mr Dodson; The continued resilience shown by 11C1 is excellent in these trying times. Well done to you all! Mr. Webb;  I would like to say a big thank you to my 11s3 Science group for showing resilience and continuing hard work. If I tried to pick out particular names, I would end up with the whole group! So, thank you and keep going! – Miss Gray; Philo Derbyshire and John Monk in 11a1 have both stepped up in Triple Science with a positive, “can-do” attitude and with a pleasing consistency in quality of work –  Dr Osman; Thank you to all in 11b1 working hard, you deserve the great successes you are getting! – Miss Gray and Natasha Pugh for being kind and thoughtful and generally wonderful – Mrs Price.

 As previously referenced in the Head’s bulletin, a letter will be sent home to parents on Monday that will contain some more detail about the May assessments and also a list of topics that students will need to revise for each subject.  Some key dates to highlight in advance of this:

• These assessments will take place week beginning Monday 10^th May.
• These will be one paper per subject (two in combined science) and last for an hour in most subjects
• Science papers for combined and triple will last for 45 minutes
• In this week you will have assessments in:
  • English Literature
  • English Language
  • Maths
  • Science
  • RE
  • MFL (German, French, Spanish)
  • History
  • Geography
• On Monday 17^th May, you will have some more assessments in subjects that need them. 
• These will take place in
  • PE
  • Music
  • Business Studies
  • Health & Social Care
  • Computer Science
• You will receive a full timetable for these assessments after Easter
• After the Easter holidays, all of your lessons in subjects with May assessments will be focused on revision and preparing you for the assessments – please do not worry about these – they will not be the only thing that determines your grade!

Weekly reading recommendations from Mrs Short
Y7 – Small Steps by Louis Sachar
Armpit and X-Ray are living in Austin, Texas. It is three years since they left the confines of Camp Green Lake Detention Centre and Armpit is taking small steps to turn his life around. He is working for a landscape gardener because he is good at digging holes, he is going to school and he is enjoying his first proper romance, learning what it takes to stay on course. He’s learned that doing the right thing is never the wrong choice, but is he going to be able to stay out of trouble.
You can read an excerpt, book summary, and find out about characters old and new by clicking on the link below.
https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/1742/page_number/1/small-steps#excerpt

Y8 – PAX by Sara Pennypacker
From the moment Peter found Pax, an orphaned fox cub, boy and fox have been inseparable. But after Peter’s father enlists in the army and forces his son to return his pet fox to the wild, Peter and Pax both embark on perilous journeys to find each other again. As war draws near, Peter races to find Pax, but can the love the boy and the fox have for each other survive in such dangerous times?
There are copies available from the library and a set of book group questions. You can listen to a fifteen-minute extract by using the link below.
https://soundcloud.com/harperaudiopresents/an-excerpt-of-pax-by-sara-pennypacker

Y9 – The Skylarks War by Hilary McKay
The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay. Historical Fiction. Colour Green. Level 5.1. Quiz 235046.
Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and cousin Rupert. When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them. Can their family survive this fearful war? The Skylarks’ War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One.
You can read the first four chapters by opening the link below, and clicking on ‘open preview’
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39903894-the-skylarks-war

KS4 – The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
This story is about what is was like to be a woman during World War II when women’s stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked. Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years  and experience, by ideals and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France. You can read an extract here:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/3140/the-nightingale

KS5
This week saw the shock exit of Piers Morgan from the morning news show Good Morning Britain. Here Jane Martinson explores the future of impartial broadcasting in the UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/11/piers-morgan-uk-impartial-broadcasting-rupert-murdoch

Wellbeing – Feel-Good Friday

 Collective Worship
As we continue through the Christian season of Lent we continue with our Pilgrim Pathways theme in Form Tutor Collective Worship. We have thought about the metaphors of a Lamp, a Map and a First Aid Kit. Many people who go on a walking pilgrimage take a walking stick to help them stay stable. A walking stick can also be a symbol of all the wise people who have gone before us, who inspire us and help us continue on our journey. Our daily quotes are about Supporting others.

Friday – “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan: 40th president of the United States

I am pleased to say that students have made a successful return to school. Over the past two days I have had the opportunity to visit each classroom and have been really impressed with the way our young people have settled back into routines and how they are meeting the high expectations we have of them. Of course if families need any support please do not hesitate to contact school.

I have attached for information the welcome back letter that has been sent to all families across the ten Pathfinder schools.

Welcome Back – Letter to Parents

Testing
Wednesday concludes the final day of in school Covid-10 lateral flow testing before we move to students testing at home. On Thursday and Friday this week all students who have attended the school testing site will be issued with a home test kit. This kit has 7 tests to allow students to test twice a week 3- 5 days apart. Your child should be confident in carrying out the test themselves after being supported by trained staff in school over the past week. Instructions on how to register tests and record results with NHS Test and Trace will be included with the test kit.

If your child has attended a test site at another location please do contact us at reception@archbishopholgates.org so we can ensure your child receives a test kit.

Most importantly once your child starts to test please notify school immediately of a positive test result so we can advise you on the next steps – your child must not attend school if the test is positive. Siblings and members of your bubble/support bubble must also self-isolate. Please refer to guidance which can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/how-long-to-self-isolate/

If your child has any problems carrying out the test at home please contact school so we can support your child with assisted testing in school

Year 9 Guidance work for isolating students
Due to the sensitive nature of our Guidance topics students who are isolating can instead access the excellent Citizenship resources on Oak Academy. The topic students can complete is ‘What are the strengths and weaknesses of the legal system?’. All students need to do is click the link https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/how-are-laws-made-6hh30c  and it will take them to the first lesson ‘How are laws made.’ There are videos to watch and then quizzes to follow. If there are questions then please email khollinger@archbisohpholgaes.org .

Head of Year update – Mr Avery and Year 9
It has been wonderful this week to see the students back in school. The atmosphere at school has been really positive, with many students eager to get back to the classroom and a sense of normality. I am really pleased to see them all looking so well, and their time away from school does not seem to have dampened spirits too much. Thankfully for all, the time has come where we can all return to school. It is important that every child feels happy and supported with their return to school. If you have any concerns, please do get in touch on the contact information at the bottom of this bulletin.

Our focus now turns to the return to school. As I outlined in last week’s bulletin, here are some key points, some specific to Year 9, to consider with regards to the return to school…

• The school will remain in bubbles for the time being – students will still wash their hands in the Year 8 social area first thing each morning, and follow the one-way system to their form rooms from 8:30am
• Students MUST ensure they have a facemask when they arrive at school, and wear it for the entire duration that they are in the building. Students can only take their facemasks off when they are sat eating their food at lunch and break, or when they are outside on the school field. It is imperative that students follow these rules – students without a mask will be challenged and given an M code in their planner. Three M codes in a week will result in a Head of Year detention after school the following day
• If your child in Year 9 has a medical reason that means they cannot wear a facemask, please provide school with medical evidence and they will be given a lanyard as a sign of their medical exception. If students do not have a lanyard, they will need to ensure they are wearing a face mask
• Students must ensure they are in correct uniform on their return to school from today (8^th March), and they will be challenged on this if not. Uniform can be purchased online or in supermarkets, and Keal Teamwear in York is open from 10am-1pm as of last week  for school ties and jumpers. If there is any problems regarding this, please do get in touch as soon as possible and we will see if and how we can support.

Year 9’s stage of the AHS Journey relates to ‘Understanding Ourselves and Others’, and we are hoping that Year 9 will reflect on the time they have had away from school, and return with a positive outlook on the future. As part of their return to school, we really want to focus on the wellbeing of the students, and encourage the students to speak to either myself or Miss Clark with any worries or concerns they may have. This week’s act of collective worship was based on positivity, and reflecting on the achievements of the year group so far this year. But also we took time to consider the appropriate mind set of a year 9 students, and the difference between a fixed mind set and a growth mind set. This is something we will return to as we enter the final stage of Year 9.

With the government’s latest announcement last week, I’m excited to announce that extra-curricular opportunities will be made available to students in school. I would encourage students in Year 9 to take these opportunities on offer to immerse themselves in what AHS has to offer – something that the disruptions from COVID have limited for Year 9 to date. It is brilliant to bring back a programme that is closer to the normal AHS Extra-curriculum offer.

Well done to this week’s Head of Year Award winners…

 A £5 Amazon gift card is waiting for you in school!

Finally, here is some teacher recognition for all the hard working students in Year 9:

– Please could you give a shout out to the following pupils who have really impressed during lockdown maths lessons.
Mazen Abdel Razek
Phoebe Clark
Michaela Lynch
Marcie Pickering
Lila Yengle Duncanson
Joseph Yoward (Mrs Price)
– Thank you to my 9c4 science group for working so hard as always, particularly Aiden Allan, Hannah Commins, Rosie Davies, Lyla Hodgson, Fin O’Driscol, Emily-Sue Toye and Ruben Wood! – Thank you – Miss Gray
– Another thank you to my 9a3 science group for showing great resilience learning a difficult topic online! A particular mention for Blair Bailey, Jamie Bulmer, Jorja Geesing, Alisha Langhorn and Cameron Scott! – Thank you – Miss Gray
– 9d4 Science – All working very hard on Google Classrooms!  Well done, Mr Evans
– Joshua Botha, Thomas Ellis, Lottie Hardy, Lenda Moharrk, Elliot McNulty, Freya Rowley, Cassie Staines, Lily Storey, Kelsy Wheatland and Leland Taylor Have all worked really hard!
– Y9- Thank you for your hard work and regular contributions to live science lessons: Betsey Greenway, Zoe Cardy, Robyn Strangeways. Miss Day

If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 9 that you wish for me to be aware of, please do get in contact with me at navery@archbishopholgates.org, or Miss Clark (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at sclark@archbishopholgates.org.

Wellbeing – Wonderful Wednesday

Collective Worship
As we continue through the Christian season of Lent we continue with our Pilgrim Pathways theme in Form Tutor Collective Worship. We have thought about the metaphors of a Lamp, a Map and a First Aid Kit. Many people who go on a walking pilgrimage take a walking stick to help them stay stable. A walking stick can also be a symbol of all the wise people who have gone before us, who inspire us and help us continue on our journey. Our daily quotes are about Supporting others.

Wednesday – “If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.” – An Arabian Proverb

I hope students enjoyed their first day back in school. It was great to welcome everyone back to classrooms and to see young people engaging positively with their friends. I also appreciate the impeccable way that students observed the new temporary arrangements in terms of face covering in lessons. Thank you.

During this first week back as things continue to settle I have decided to continue writing to parents each day to keep families up to date with key back to school information. From next week we will return to the format we used before Christmas with the weekly newsletter at the end of the week and a full update from me at the start of the week.

Mass testing
The roll out of mass tasting both in school and across the city should allow parents to be reassured that transmission of the virus is tightly controlled and managed. As part of this process two positive cases of Covid-19 have been identified and potential close contacts have been notified of the need to isolate for 10 days. Whilst this incredibly frustrating, especially for the families impacted, it will ensure that we keep maximum numbers of children in school by not allowing the virus to travel further. As of Friday this week all students who have attended an assisted test centre will be able to take part in lateral flow testing at home to continue the positive work so far in school. In the meantime those young people who need to self-isolate will immediately have access to lesson resources and will be supported by the pastoral time. I am sorry that this has happened but this is likely to be a more frequent occurrence in the short term as mass testing continues.

Wellbeing – Thought-Provoking Tuesday

 Head of Year Awards

Head of Year update – Mr Arthur and Year 8
The day has finally arrived – it is wonderful to be able to welcome Year 8 back into the building as we begin our road back to normality. I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff who have worked so hard during this period of school ‘closure’ looking after the vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. I would also like to thank you as parents during this difficult time – this cannot be have been easy, and managing the difficulties of life as well as home schooling is a significant challenge. Thankfully for all, the time has come where we can all return to school.

It is important that every child feels happy and supported with their return to school. If you have any concerns, please do get in touch on the contact information at the bottom of this bulletin.

Our focus now turns to the return to school. As I outlined in last week’s bulletin, here are some key points, some specific to Year 8, to consider with regards to the return to school…

• The school will remain in bubbles for the time being – students will still wash their hands in the Year 8 social area first thing each morning, and follow the one-way system to their form rooms from 8:30am
• Students MUST ensure they have a facemask when they arrive at school, and wear it for the entire duration that they are in the building. Students can only take their facemasks off when they are sat eating their food at lunch and break, or when they are outside on the school field. It is imperative that students follow these rules – students without a mask will be challenged and given an M code in their planner. Three M codes in a week will result in a Head of Year detention after school the following day
• If your child in Year 8 has a medical reason that means they cannot wear a facemask, please provide school with medical evidence and they will be given a lanyard as a sign of their medical exception. If students do not have a lanyard, they will need to ensure they are wearing a face mask
• Students must ensure they are in correct uniform on their return to school from today (8^th March), and they will be challenged on this if not. Uniform can be purchased online or in supermarkets, and Keal Teamwear in York is open from 10am-1pm as of last week  for school ties and jumpers. If there is any problems regarding this, please do get in touch as soon as possible and we will see if and how we can support.

The testing programme in this past week has been a resounding success and should go a long way to provide a further layer of security for the return to school. It’s also been lovely to see the students in school when they have come in for their test! I want to say a huge thank you to all of those staff involved with the testing, and to all of the students in Year 8 who attended to have their test conducted. There will be further opportunities for students to have a test in the first week of the return to school. Further to this, testing kits will be distributed for students to have their tests done at home over the coming weeks.

Again, as I mentioned last week, Year 8’s stage of the AHS Journey relates to ‘Opportunities’, and we are hoping that these will open up more and more as time progresses. During this period of school closure, we have been running extra-curricular activities remotely, and my thanks go out to all of the staff that have been involved with offering these opportunities (many of which were directed specifically at Year 8!) With the government’s latest announcement last week, extra-curricular opportunities will be made available to students in school. I would encourage students in Year 8 to take these ‘opportunities’ on offer to immerse themselves in what AHS has to offer – something that the disruptions from COVID have limited for Year 8 to date. It is brilliant to bring back a programme that is closer to the normal AHS Extra-curriculum offer.

Well done to this week’s Head of Year Award winners…

 A £5 Amazon gift card is waiting for you in school when you return!

Finally, here is an inspiration quote ready for the new journey we are about to embark upon…!
“Today, I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, take a deep breath, step on through to start a new chapter in my life…”

If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8 that you wish for me to be aware of, please do get in contact with me at aarthur@archbishopholgates.org, or Mr Deamer (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at rdeamer@archbishopholgates.org.

From Miss Gray and Science
– Year 10 – I would like to say well done and thank you to my whole Year 10 Triple Science Class – Your maturity and effort throughout the lockdown has been terrific.  Looking forward to seeing you all next week.  Mr Lever.
– Year 10 – Well done to Ruby Wedge, Kyle Noddings, Joe Taylor, Sidar Cedin, Oli Graham, Liv Grant, Jamie Hope and Fran Turpin.  Great engagement with Science during the lockdown.  Mr Lever
Roong Saiyut, Y13, has been a fantastic Chemistry student all through lockdown.  Great engagement and top quality in all work.  Dr Osman
– 7NTH – All working  really hard.  Very well done – Mr Lever
– Year 9 – I would like to say well done to all my Year 9 class for their excellent effort during the lockdown.  See you next week.  Lv
– Katy Douglas, Y12, working hard in Chemistry, asking lots of questions and making super progress.  Dr Osman
– Daisy Hardy, Y11, has been brilliant in Science during on-line lessons.  Two grade 9s in Physics unit tests!  Dr Osman
– Year 10 – Liv Wong, Beau Crofford and Henry Lucas for excellent engagement in online lessons. Mr Thompson
– Year 9 – Kai Gatenby, Summer Langhorn, Charlie Hope, Arda Timur, Jordan Handley, Laura Waddington, Lauren Waddington and Wessam Alrehaily for their efforts and positive atmosphere in online lessons. Mr Thompson
– Year 9 – 9d2 Science keeping me entertained and working hard through the lockdown. Mr Thompson
– Year 12 – 12a/Ch1 have done some fantastic work throughout lockdown. Mr Thompson
– Year 11 – 11b1 for being amazing for almost 4 years now! I always look forward to our lessons and am continually impressed by the attitudes and atmosphere in the room. We are so nearly there, keep going for a last push and do yourselves and us proud. Mr T

Collective Worship
As we continue through the Christian season of Lent we continue with our Pilgrim Pathways theme in Form Tutor Collective Worship. We have thought about the metaphors of a Lamp, a Map and a First Aid Kit. Many people who go on a walking pilgrimage take a walking stick to help them stay stable. A walking stick can also be a symbol of all the wise people who have gone before us, who inspire us and help us continue on our journey. Our daily quotes are about Supporting others.

Tuesday – “Never look down on anybody unless you are helping him up.” – Rev. Jesse Jackson: American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician

Before we give families some final reminders about the return to school tomorrow I would like to take a moment to pause and reflect on what we have collectively achieved to this point. At Archbishop’s we tend to quietly go about our business but at this point I do want to take this opportunity to thank my staff for their efforts over the last year and more specifically for the high quality online provision, in school support and pastoral care during the latest lockdown, I’m really proud of their efforts which have in turn helped young people continue to access and be engaged in their learning.

As we welcome students back after what I hope will be the last interruption to their learning I can honestly say that each time we have been presented with a new challenge we have responded to this in as timely and full manner as we could possibly. This is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that on each occasion students at Archbishop’s (and indeed across the ten Pathfinder schools) have returned to school at the earliest possible time, a result of our collective efforts to make sure all government guidance and measures of control were quickly put in place.

This was illustrated again last week with the fantastic community effort in terms of the mass testing of students. I am extremely grateful for those parents, governors (both at AHS and local primary schools), members of the community and members of staff who gave freely of their time to make this possible. This in turn was supported by our students whose conduct during this process has been exemplary. As a result we have been able to provide two tests to all students who gave consent (the second test confirming the outcome of the first) and am able to inform families that in total 2813 tests were carried out with not one positive result. This means that well over 80% of our students were tested on site which is excellent news. This is before we add in those families who chose to be tested at one of the city sites. I hope this along with all the other measures we have in place will give families additional confidence for the return to school. A reminder that the third test will take place for those that want it after school (either at AHS or one of the city sites) to avoid disruption to learning and routine.

I am extremely excited (as are the rest of the staff) about welcoming students back on Monday and can assure families that we will work tirelessly to ensure that the rest of this academic year is as successful as possible.

Return to school
Last week we sent information in what we hope were manageable amounts each day about different parts of the return to school plan. Below is a brief summary of some of the things you might want a reminder of for tomorrow:

Practicalities for Monday morning
Staff – First and foremost staff will be highly visible, ready to welcome students back into school. This will start with me and Mrs Robinson at the Black Bull Gate, Mr Furniss at the main entrance, Miss Kincell at the top of the drive and Mr Williams outside the Sixth Form building. In addition all Heads of Year will be outside the relevant entrances to welcome their year group back and then all form tutors will be in their rooms for the beginning of ‘drift in’ at 8.30am.

School buses – These will be running as normal from Monday.

The school day – The school day has been tweaked (please find attached), to make all lessons 1 hour long.  Please do note the change in the end to the school day and the longer lunchtimes.

The School Day V3

Start of the school day – Please can all students arrive between 8.30 and 8.45.  They need to do as they were prior to lock down, i.e. go to their social areas handwashing station, wash their hands and go direct to their form rooms (same as pre-lockdown).  Students will be late and receive an afterschool detention if they are not in their form rooms by 8.45.

Lessons and equipment – Please can students bring the correct equipment and books for all lessons as their timetable they were following pre-lockdown.  This includes a suitable reading book.  If they have PE, they will need their kit (this will be outdoors).

Lunchtimes – Please can you ensure you have ‘topped up’ your child’s Parent Pay account, in order to pay for food/drink at break and lunch times.

Uniform – Students must arrive in full school uniform.  Any issues please do contact the school. Remember this must include a face covering.

Minimising the risks
We have done everything we can to minimise the risks.  Below is a summary of the actions all members of the school community are being asked to follow:

• If you have symptoms self-isolate.  Do not attend the school.
• Wear face coverings in schools.
• Clean hands thoroughly and more often than usual.
• Ensure good respiratory hygiene by following the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
• Keep to your bubbles.

It is essential every member of the school community follows the governments guidance outside of school at all times.

These are summarised in the schools ‘Code of Responsibility’, which is attached and the students will receive an extended form time on Monday to ensure they fully understand exactly what they need to do to keep everyone safe.

COVID-19 Code of responsibility posterV2

Letter from Public Health
Please find attached a letter from the Local Authority and Public Health regarding the return of children and young people across the city to school/college on Monday 8^th March.

Letter to parents back to school with covid19 advice – March 21. pdf

Extra-curricular PE
As families are aware one of the best things about our school is the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer. Indeed in the period up to Christmas we were able to continue some of these when many other schools were not. We are very keen to get our extra-curricular offer up and running as soon as students return, this is an absolutely essential part of helping students ‘catch up’ and a key part of enjoying the return to school. Today we have attached the extra-curricular PE timetable but throughout the week Mr Arthur will keep us updated in terms of all the other opportunities on offer.

the extra curric prog new.pdf

Pathfinder Newsletter
This week’s newsletter is on the MAT website here: https://pathfinder.academy/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pathfinder-Weekly-Newsletter-05.03.21.pdf

Head of Year updates – Miss Kincell and Year 7
We are just absolutely delighted to begin this week with you all back in school. Please know, we know this may cause some anxiety in both children and parents but we are here to help you with whatever you need. We have taken every precaution necessary to ensure students have a safe and happy transition back into school, in their visit, Public Health England confirmed we have outstanding and model procedures in place. Just so you are aware- every single test from students has been negative so far, and not a single positive from any staff or students who have been in school since Christmas- showing that our procedures are working well. We know that for each of you, your return to school will bring up all sorts of different feelings from excited to nervous. Please tell us how you are feeling and let us know if you need additional support. We are ALWAYS here, please email myself akincell@archbishopholgates.org or Miss Greenhalgh our pastoral support worker lgreenhalgh@archbishopholgates.org or your child’s form tutor.

Some Important changes to note until Easter:

• Homework- there will be no homework set.
• Clubs – Clubs are allowed to run at lunch and after school- however they may differ to before Christmas.
• Masks are compulsory and to be worn at all times. Students may choose to remove them: in their outdoor social areas at break/lunch, when they are sat in hall eating/drinking during PE. If your child has a medical exemption which means they are exempt please contact us to confirm this and they will receive a lanyard. Students not wearing their mask will receive an ‘M’ code, 3 codes will result in a detention.
• Students should not start to enter their building until 8.30, if they arrive before this they can go to breakfast club.
• The Year 7 library will be open EVERY break and lunch, and we are so excited for it!

Special Mentions
Thomas Bate – super, passionate views on our opinion writing this week!
7BL: Really impressive level of participation and effort from the whole of my class in our live lesson this week.
Tamara Alahendrage and Jacob Fletcher: A huge well done for an outstanding electromagnetism assessment.
Caspar Farrell, Jessica Macdonald, Shannon Smith and Tayla Langham for their amazing effort in Science.
7Cy – It was fabulous to see you all in a live lesson and we want to say thank you for working so hard during lockdown. THANK YOU! Miss Gray and Dr Osman
Amy Luck: For lots of hard work and engagement over the lockdown period!
Lily Subritsky and Flic Munzer for excellent English work
Kira Precious: Kira produced an excellent video recording her investigation into the formation of different bubbles.
Phoebe Riley-Ennis: Phoebe produced a video showing her practical investigation of the effect of salt on the freezing point of water.
Yasmina Boudjema, Toby Leach and Charlie McGovern for attending every form meet promptly and always contributing well.
Neve Wilson: For guts, determination and never giving up with her maths work
Tilly Platten: For being incredibly inventive and creative in her art lesson submission this week and going over and above expectations. Wonderful work Tilly.
Loic Clegg – Thank you for your enthusiastic contributions to the 7MR class stream.
Callum Miller  – for always trying your best and engaging with every English lesson. Well done! Mrs Holmes
Lowri Spruce – for being so enthusiastic and conscientious in English lessons. Well done! Mrs Holmes

Head of Year Awards
Lucy Johnson – Well done for consistently living the school values, working hard and being an all-round model student during your time in school.
Isaac Ellis– Well done for your consistently lovely attitude for the whole time you have been in school. And well done for your outstanding work on your Mars project- seriously impressive, keep it up! 

In School Students of the Week:
BS1 – Destiny Smith 7CMp.   For living the school values, working well independently and completing all school work.
BS2 – Charlie Hallam 7Gr.      For always living the school values, completing his work to the best of his ability whilst displaying excellent behaviour and for showing such                         creativity with his brilliant World Book Day costume.
App1 – Karla Horrocks 7WNo.  For getting on with her work independently, working well and for being polite.

Top Mathematicians
Most number of tasks attempted : Annie Wedgewood (8)
Most number of questions answered correctly : Annie Wedgewood (91)
Highest total hours of learning (inc. watching videos, attempting and reattempting tasks): Annie Wedgewood (5.4) 

Library Newsletter:
A massive thank you to all those who took part in our World Book Day Activities. Especially those who made the effort to dress up. We had everyone from Fabulous Foxes and Gangster Grannies, to Hermione Granger and Willy Wonka himself, please check out our twitter to see lots more!

 Over 100 books were hidden around school wrapped in bright yellow paper. Those lucky enough to find one could take it home to keep. Congratulations to those of you who found one.

 Everyone who took part in the competitions won a small prize of a sweet, but one or two in each class found a Golden Ticket. The tickets were exchanged for Roald Dahl books. Thank you to everyone for being so enthusiastic about World Book Day, we weren’t sure how successful it would be in these strange times, but we had a lovely day. We will have more activities when you all come back to school. I’ll let you know when the library is up and running. I also have lots of £1 book tokens to give out. We are looking forward to reading some of the competition entries. You can still hand them to me in the library, ask your form tutor to give me it, or email me your entry smurphy@archbishopholgates.org.

This week we have chosen Seven ghosts by Chris Priestly (Genre Horror. Colour Purple. Level 4.5. Quiz Number 237347) as Y7 recommended read. Jake enters a story competition and as a result is invited to look round a large stately home. They are told the stories of seven ghosts which is spooky enough without their tour guide acting very strangely. We thought as lots of you are entering competitions this week it would be a good one to choose. You can read the first chapter by clicking on the link below. There are several copies available in the library. https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/books/seven-ghosts/

 We are still in lent, and thinking about doing something nice, offering a random act of kindness every day. This will be all the more poignant as we return to school and are all looking out for each other.

 Just as always to remind you the following links: You can still sign up to a free ten minute read by clicking on the link below. All the books are classics, but seem less daunting in ten-minute chunks. Why not sign up and plan to read to someone for ten minutes each day. Use this as your random act of kindness during lent. https://www.10minutereads.com/?fbclid=IwAR0xW-KHf0fDythHRiAT4BTh4st3vD2MYFYWi3CATrq-Qo-Y0fUEuF_UPu4

Please send us a review if you have really enjoyed a book, or even if you hated it! You could also tell me if you have read to anyone, and if so what, and to whom? Also, don’t forget to complete a quiz for any books you have read. You can access Accelerated Reader quickly by using the following link https://ukhosted83.renlearn.co.uk/1893564

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

Sixth Form Updates
We are delighted that, after 8 long weeks of online learning, we will be welcoming all of Year 12 and 13 back into the Sixth Form on Monday. This has been a very challenging time for everybody and the Sixth Form have embraced the challenges of google classrooms; technical issues and extensive screen time admirably. After seeing lots of Sixth Formers when they came into school for their tests, I know they are keen to get back to a sense of normality. The bulletin this week aims to outline some of the priorities for the Sixth Form in the coming weeks.

If you have any concerns over the next week as students return, please do get in touch.  Mr Williams

Year 13 Updates, including teacher assessed grades
Thank you for your patience over the last week as we have finalised our plan for teacher assessed grades.  As you will appreciate, it is important to have everything in place before we outline to students exactly what is expected of them, Ofqual guidance for Heads of Centre was released on Monday, meaning we are in a position to give an interim update before we return to school:

We will be completing assessments in Year 13 and Year 11 in May to provide a final opportunity for students to demonstrate progress towards their final grade. This will provide a further piece of evidence for teachers awarding the final grade; these are not terminal assessments.  These are one piece of evidence that will help inform teachers and contribute to students’ final grades.  It is therefore expected that both Year 11 and Year 13 students will return to school full time and be working hard to prepare for these assessment.

Year 13 Students

• Teachers will award grades taking into consideration a range of sources. These will include:
  • Year 12 and 13 interim data
  • Year 13 winter mocks
  • Any NEA/coursework
  • Outcomes from the Year 13 May assessment week
• BTEC students may have slightly different arrangements due to the variations in course structures and requirements. We are still awaiting final confirmation from Pearson but these will also be teacher assessed grades.
• Year 13s will sit one paper in each of their subjects. Each paper will be 90 minutes long and will assess topics identified as a priority by the Head of Department. The details of topic areas will be shared with parents and students on Monday 15^th March.
• Students will only be assessed on topic areas they have been taught.
• The Year 13 assessment week will take place from Friday 30^th April until Friday 7^th May, inclusive.

What happens next?
We will be writing to Year 11 and Year 13 parents on Monday 15^th March with a detailed timeline and plan. This letter will outline:

• The specific topics and areas to be examined in the May assessments for each subject area
• Details of stand-down arrangements
• An overview of our QA process and the evidence sources we will use to award the final grade

Teaching from March 8^th until the assessment period, including any homework, Easter homework and revision tasks, will help prepare students for these final assessments.

The Return to school
Form time
We will have an extended form time on Monday 8^th March. Students should arrive between 8:30-8:45 as usual. Form tutors will be available to welcome them in their normal form rooms. We will then have an extended form time until 9:30 where we will outline the plan until Easter and any changes made following government guidelines. After this, we will be back to normal lessons and the usual business of a Sixth Form day. We are really excited about this!

Please note, we intend to make some changes to Year 12 forms due to the capacity to have an extra form tutor in Year 12. This is a helpful opportunity as it will mean students can access further support These will start from after Easter. Therefore, students should just go to their normal form room on Monday.

Testing
Thank you for your support with the in-school testing this week. It was excellent to be able to welcome Year 12 and 13 back into school twice last week.

Returning to normality within the Sixth Form
You will have read the whole school guidance for returning to school and what students must do to ensure both themselves and others stay safe. I wanted to highlight a few specific which are particularly important within the Sixth Form:

New one way system: There is a new one way system in the Sixth Form block. This will take some getting used for students and staff. We now need to only ever enter the building by the front doors and always leave out of the back doors. The front stairs are only for going up and the back stairs are only for going down. We will go through this on the first day back but it important we all make an effort to do this properly.

Masks: It is vital that all students are wearing masks whilst inside the building. We have communicated with a very small number of families who have provided sufficient medical evidence for exemption. We appreciate that this is an uncomfortable experience and hope this will be for the shortest amount of time possible. If students forget a mask, they will be issued with a new one and given an after school detention. It is students responsibility to ensure they have a mask with them.

Social Spaces: The Sixth Form café, library and common room (Year 11) will continue to be available for students during break and lunchtimes. It is important that students do not remove the furniture as this has been arranged to be forward facing. Students can take their masks off whilst they eat but must replace them again immediately. We have identified several spaces outside for students to use and we would encourage all students, wherever possible, to be outside during break and lunchtime. They are not expected to wear masks outside but should observe social distancing as normal.

Handwashing and sanitising: Sixth Form students are reminded to wash their hands each time they enter the building, use the toilet or before they eat. They should also hand sanitise before entering a new room.

Chromebooks
If you borrowed a Chromebook during lockdown, please ensure this is returned on Monday 8^th March to Mrs Walton. These will need to be reassigned either to different students or will be used in lessons. Therefore, it is important all Chromebooks are returned. Thank you for your support with this.

Year 12 Updates
We are really looking forward to getting the sixth form students back into school and lessons. If any students feel like they need any extra support, please remind them that we are here for them. We have set aside time in the first week to work with students who found lockdown challenging and have an open door policy where we will happily chat through and problems and be proactive in our support. 

The Career Ready students had a really positive workshop with their mentors on Wednesday and are keen to go. 

Gabby and Oliver (Student Captains) have collaborated and have some excellent ideas for the first Student leader meeting on Tuesday.  The Student leader team will then vote for their team leaders. 

It’s now coming to the time where we will start to launch the UCAS, this starts with liaising with students interested in the Competitive Entries (Oxbridge, medicine, veterinary, dentistry and the specialist Music Colleges). Students interested need to respond to the question on the y12 Google Classroom, I’ve also shared a link with more information on the Oxbridge application process. These students should look into the Sutton Trust summer school opportunity.

Please discuss future plans with your child. 

As always, there’s lots of Career and virtual opportunities posted on here too. The Police Cadets are now recruiting. 

Head of Year Awards
Year 12
Oliver Pugh (12HGa)  and Gabby Moore (12HGa) – for being really proactive in their new role as School Captains.

Year 13
Ella Hatfield (13Sl – Ella has consistently worked, for all subjects, to an exceptionally high standard perhaps most in Applied Law. Her attitude continues to be  first class. Well done Ella – Mr Charlton

Maia Leites (13Da) – For making brilliant and positive contributions to live lessons. Well done for continuing to work efficiently throughout the lockdown period, particularly in French! – Mr Charlton

Shout Outs

Wellbeing – Mindful Monday

 Collective Worship
As we continue through the Christian season of Lent we continue with our Pilgrim Pathways theme in Form Tutor Collective Worship. We have thought about the metaphors of a Lamp, a Map and a First Aid Kit. Many people who go on a walking pilgrimage take a walking stick to help them stay stable. A walking stick can also be a symbol of all the wise people who have gone before us, who inspire us and help us continue on our journey. Our daily quotes are about Supporting others.

Monday – “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” – Mother Teresa: 20th C. Roman Catholic nun and missionary to India

 I hope families enjoyed World Book Day today, I know that we had fun in school with some really good costumes on show!

As we get ready for the weekend we do so whilst really looking forward to welcoming all our students back to school on Monday. As ever I will be down on Hull Road from just before 8.30am and cannot wait to welcome everyone back…

We also had another successful day of COVID testing in readiness for the return to school on Monday. Once again we tested over 700 students in the period from 8am to 5pm and look forward to the end of tomorrow when students will have had two tests each. With one day to go we have not had a single positive case and very few invalid results, both of which are encouraging. I would also draw families attention to the letter sent out today in terms of the options for a third test should families want this. Any questions please contact school as usual.

Years 7 to 11 Chromebook loans over Lockdown
We are all very excited at school at the prospect of all students being able to attend from Monday.  As such we need all the Chromebooks that we have loaned to students returning to school in order that they can aid learning in school as normal from Monday’s return.  These are those Chromebooks that we have loaned over the Lockdown and not those that we issued at the start of the academic year.

As outlined in the email yesterday we are asking that all parents/carers return these to reception tomorrow (Friday 5^th March), between 8.00am and 3.30pm.  There will be a member of staff in positioned just outside for you to deposit them with.  We really need them returning tomorrow in order that we can clean them to be ready for Monday.

If tomorrow is not possible (apologises for the very short notice), please can parents/carers return them on Monday 7^th March to the Year 10 social area between 4.00 and 6.00pm.  If this is not possible students will be able to return them at breaktime on Monday 7^th March in their social areas (however, we need this to be an absolute last resort.

PE kit
Every student in all year groups will need indoor PE kit plus either their AHS hoody or reversible rugby top. If students are in year 7 and year 8, they will also have one swimming lesson this half term. The details of this can be found on their P.E. Classroom and also their year group Classroom.

Teacher assessed grades
Thank you for your patience over the last week as we have finalised our plan for teacher assessed grades.  As you will appreciate, it is important to have everything in place before we outline to students exactly what is expected of them, Ofqual guidance for Heads of Centre was released on Monday, meaning we are in a position to give an interim update before we return to school:

We will be completing assessments in Year 13 and Year 11 in May to provide a final opportunity for students to demonstrate progress towards their final grade. This will provide a further piece of evidence for teachers awarding the final grade; these are not terminal assessments.  These are one piece of evidence that will help inform teachers and contribute to students’ final grades.  It is therefore expected that both Year 11 and Year 13 students will return to school full time and be working hard to prepare for these assessment.

Year 13 Students

• Teachers will award grades taking into consideration a range of sources. These will include:
  • Year 12 and 13 interim data
  • Year 13 winter mocks
  • Any NEA/coursework
  • Outcomes from the Year 13 May assessment week
• BTEC students may have slightly different arrangements due to the variations in course structures and requirements. We are still awaiting final confirmation from Pearson but these will also be teacher assessed grades.
• Year 13s will sit one paper in each of their subjects. Each paper will be 90 minutes long and will assess topics identified as a priority by the Head of Department. The details of topic areas will be shared with parents and students on Monday 15^th March.
• Students will only be assessed on topic areas they have been taught.
• The Year 13 assessment week will take place from Friday 30^th April until Friday 7^th May, inclusive.

Year 11 Students

• Teachers will award grades taking into consideration a range of sources. These will include:
  • Year 10 and 11 interim data
  • Year 11 winter mocks
  • Any non-examined assessment (coursework)
  • Assessment work produced throughout Year 10 and Year 11 (for example, progress checks in your assessment books)
  • Outcomes from the Year 11 May assessment week
• BTEC students may have slightly different arrangements due to the variations in course structures and requirements. We are still awaiting final confirmation from Pearson but these will also be teacher assessed grades.
• Year 11s will sit one paper in English Language, English Literature, Maths, Science, (two for Combined Science and one each for Triple Science) History, Geography, RE and MFL. Each paper will be 60 minutes long and will assess topics identified as a priority by the Head of Department. The details of topic areas will be shared with parents and students on Monday 15^th March.  These assessment will take place in the Sports Hall in examination conditions, with the provision of extra time for any student who is entitled to it.
• Students will only be assessed on topic areas they have been taught.
• The Year 11 assessment week will take place from Monday 10^th May for Ebacc subjects (listed above) plus RE.  Any subjects in addition to those listed will have assessments taking place in the week commencing 17^th May (these subjects will be confirmed shortly)

What happens next?
We will be writing to Year 11 and Year 13 parents on Monday 15^th March with a detailed timeline and plan. This letter will outline:

• The specific topics and areas to be examined in the May assessments for each subject area
• Details of stand-down arrangements
• An overview of our QA process and the evidence sources we will use to award the final grade

Teaching from March 8^th until the assessment period, including any homework, Easter homework and revision tasks, will help prepare students for these final assessments.

Please see the summary images provided by Ofqual which summarise the assessment arrangements for 2021:

GCSE, AS and A Level Qualifications
You can access more information here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/how-qualifications-will-be-awarded-in-2021

Vocational Qualifications

Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series
We’re pleased to announce that parents of AHS have access to Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series this year. Elevate works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation.

The next webinar is Tuesday 23^rd March 6pm – 7pm and is on technology and focus. The webinar will focus on overcoming reliance on technology, how students can use technology productively to enhance their learning, and practical strategies for reducing procrastination and increasing focus.

Registration is essential and is free for parents of our school.

You can register by clicking here or going to https://get.elevatecoaching.info/uk/register

The webinar is run live online from 6pm – 7pm where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and skills and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly.

Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below.

📞 01865 987 732

✉️ ukcoaching@elevateeducation.com

Reading  recommendations from Mrs Short…
Y7 – Seven ghosts by Chris Priestly (Genre Horror. Colour Purple. Level 4.5. Quiz Number 237347)
Jake enters a story competition and as a result is invited to look round a large stately home. They are told the stories of seven ghosts which is spooky enough without their tour guide acting very strangely.
You can read the first chapter by clicking on the link below. There are several copies available in the library.
https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/books/seven-ghosts/

Y8 – Cow Girl by G.R.Gemin. (Colour Black. Level 3.6. Quiz Number 228992)
If Gemma ever stops to think about it, she knows hiding a load of cows from Cowgirl’s farm on a housing estate is a bit mad. After all, Cowgirl’s a weirdo and the estate is no place to bring up a cow. But it’s exciting, she loves it and knows it’s making things better. Can the feeling last?
You can read the first 24 pages by clicking on the link below. Several copies are available from the library.
https://nosycrow.com/blog/cowgirl-by-g-r-gemin-shortlisted-for-the-ukla-book-award/

 Y9 – Smart by Kim Slater (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. There are several copies available in the library.
http://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Smart-Chap-1.pdf

KS4 – Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Approaching loss and grief with sensitivity and emotional intelligence. Alice Sebold’s bestselling novel also presents one of the most fully realised evocations of heaven in contemporary literature. The heart- breaking tale of a girl in the afterlife unable to let go of the temporal realm, The Lovely Bones is a thoroughly engaging and rewarding read. (Waterstones) You can read an extract here:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/1057/the-lovely-bones

It was made into a film in 2009 rated PG-13.

KS5
This weekend will see the airing of the highly anticipated Oprah Winfrey interview with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. So much has been written about their situation and decision to ‘step back’ from the Royal family. Many articles currently circulating comment on perceived institutionalised or systemic racism within the royal family and the British Press. The following is an article from the New York times exploring some aspects of this..
ttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/opinion/sunday/meghan-markle-prince-harry.html–

Head of Year update – Mrs Avey and Year 11
Of key interest to Year 11 parents will be the information in the bulletin regarding GCSE and A Level assessment and grading.   I would also like to take the chance to say that we (the Year 11 team) are very much looking forward to welcoming back on Monday  our year 11 students. We are delighted with the way that the very vast majority of students engaged with our online learning provision and look forward to seeing them make further progress over the coming weeks and months.  Whilst lock-down has not been an easy experience for any one, there is still plenty of time for students to return to school ready to try their best, make the most of all opportunities and work towards securing the grades that they aspire to for their GCSEs.

You will be aware, as they are too –  as information has been placed on their google classroom – that they will be in their year bubble based in the science department, as they were last term. They will also be required to wear masks in lessons and when travelling around school and socialising inside. As well as continuing to work towards informing Teacher Assessed Grades, they will be compiling their contribution to the year book – which we very much look forward to reading. The deadline for returning the year book and hoody order is this Monday 8^th March please. Forms can be returned via email to mmennell@archbishopholgates.org or can be handed directly to one of the pastoral team on Monday morning.

Student Wellbeing – Feel-Good Friday

Collective Worship
As we move through this half term and the Christian season of Lent we are continuing with our Pilgrim Pathways theme.
Going on a journey can be a great transforming experience, but it can also be difficult. It can be physically tough and sometimes even difficult mentally and emotionally. The key item on our pilgrimage this week is a first aid kit.

Friday – Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” – The Bible, The Gospel of John 10: 10

We are very much looking forward to welcoming back all our students on Monday 8^th March. I hope families have found the information in the bulletins this week helpful in terms of preparing for this. The key thing to remember is that young people are returning to the same arrangements that they left all be it with further enhanced safety measures in terms of the increased wearing of face coverings, the introduction of a one way system in places and the added security of having had two tests before returning to school.

Indeed the second round of testing begins today and once again I appreciate the support from families with this.

Please do not hesitate to contact school if you have any questions regarding either testing or the return on Monday.

Return to school
When students return we have (until Easter) tried to keep the same routines as when they left.  Key reminders are:

• Students must wear masks on buses
• Before school is Breakfast club, this is held in the Main Hall between 8.00am and 8.30am.  Everyone is welcome.
• We are asking that students arrive between 8.30 and 8.45, washing their hands on arrival before going directly to their form rooms, to complete ‘Wellbeing activities’.
• Anyone arriving after 8.45 will be classified as late and receive an after school detention.
• Breaks and lunchtimes are staggered as before.

We have however tweaked the school day (please see the attached).  The key points are:

The School Day V3 (pre-Easter)

• Period 4 is now 1 hour (10 minutes shorter, but the same length as all the other lessons)
• Lunch is now 35 minutes (5 minutes longer). This will feel longer than this with only one year group having lunch at a time in a venue and thus moving through very quickly
• PM registration is now from 1.45 to 2.05
• Period 5 is now 2.05 to 3.05
• Years 7, 9 and 6^th Form finish at 3.00
• Years 8, 10 and 11 finish at 3.05

All students will be expected to be in full school uniform.

The biggest difference to students on their return is that they will have to wear masks in all lessons (except PE).

The government has said “…face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained. In addition, we now also recommend in those schools, that face coverings should be worn in classrooms…”

 We are expecting that the wearing of face coverings in lessons will be a temporary arrangement until Easter.

Thank you to all parents for providing their child with a face covering.  It is recommended they have  a clean face covering each day.  We will be enforcing the wearing of face coverings at all times in the school building and during the transitions between lessons.

Food Corner
We are excited to announce our new menu starting in time for the children’s return on Monday 8 March, we are anticipating their return as much as you are.
For the next three weeks we will be trialling our new menu and speaking to students to see what they like and dislike.  Please be assured that although the menu simply states pizza, there are plenty of hidden vegetables in the sauce to ensure they get some of their 5-a-day. Lockdown has been hard on us all, but our focus for the rest of the term is “healthy food-healthy mind”.  In terms of healthy mind for us as parents, we realise how lonely lockdown has been for children, that is why we are making lunchtime an experience for students to meet and chat with friends in a welcoming environment.  As much as we will still be Covid-safe, we would like to encourage them to have a hot meal and sit with their friends in a relaxed atmosphere.  It has been scientifically proven that eating healthier promotes feel-good hormones. All our staff wear face coverings at all times, and as hard as it is, please reassure your child we really are smiling behind our masks and are looking forward to seeing them on Monday. If any parent has any concerns with regards to the new menu we will also be offering jacket potatoes, cold sandwiches, a hot snack, homemade cakes and biscuits.  We also have an allergen file located in the main kitchen, please do not hesitate to email the kitchen dcalvert1@archbishopholgates.org with any queries or concerns.

Week 1 menu

Head of Year update – Miss Turvey and Year 10
This is a screen shot of my final Y10 google classroom online lesson and I am so pleased online learning is over and your children will return to us in the flesh on Monday. Don’t get me wrong I have hugely enjoyed learning new skills, having a voyeuristic peek into your homes and meeting various cats, dogs, younger siblings but part of me is so relieved that we will return to being able to discuss without having to unmute, see people without the screen and even though social distance and masks are still in place it will be delightful to have Y10 back in the Harris block. There are only fifteen school days from return until Easter and I am sure the time will fly by.

Please thank your young person for the first lateral flow test day on Tuesday as the efficiency, courtesy and positivity as they came into school, many of them for the first time in twelve weeks, was a joy. I hope to catch up with a few more of them on Friday for their second test ~ again the only test they are allowed to fail by getting a negative result.

 There are a few habits which may need to be worked on in the next few days before the return on Monday, such as making sure they are up with the alarm, dressed in their school uniform and focussed on their learning in the classroom rather than looking at their mobile phone. I know that many Y10 students have been in their live lessons AND at the same time in a group chat with other students in the same live lesson over their mobile phones. Or they have been in a live lesson listening to the teacher through the earphones while watching something on YouTube or playing a video game. Obviously this cannot happen in school. Ideally mobile phones need to stay at home (or be switched off in the bottom of a school bag). If we see the phone then we will ask for it to be handed over. Excuses such as “I was checking what the time was” will not be accepted. Let’s work together now to avoid this potential conflict.

 Y10 will be working in the Harris block in their Y10 bubble, as they were prior to this latest (and last?) lockdown. Life in school has not changed. Rules in school have not changed. Expectations in school have not changed. Aspirations in school have not changed. Y10 are continuing on their AHS journey and our roadmap takes us through a route of resilience and responsibility. So, remember to wear correct uniform, remember your mask, remember your equipment, remember your indoor PE kit (those who have PE period 1 on Monday need to arrive in their PE kit and have their school clothes in their bag). Remember that we are #teamten.

 As ever if you have any concerns, issues, suggestions or just fancy a chat please do contact us by phone 01904 411341 or email. Miss T.

 Student Wellbeing – Thankful Thursday

Collective Worship
As we move through this half term and the Christian season of Lent we are continuing with our Pilgrim Pathways theme.
Going on a journey can be a great transforming experience, but it can also be difficult. It can be physically tough and sometimes even difficult mentally and emotionally. The key item on our pilgrimage this week is a first aid kit.

Thursday – “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go.” – The Bible, Proverbs 3: 5-6

We have now completed the first set of tests for all students whose families consented to being part of this process. Over two days this has amounted to 1430 tests, well over 80% of the entire student population. Tomorrow is a rest day in terms of testing but on Thursday and Friday each student will receive the important second test to confirm the outcome of the first. As ever I really appreciate the support we are receiving from families.

To further support the back to school planning for Monday please find attached what I hope families will find to be an easy to understand ‘Guide for Students and Parents’. If anyone has any further questions please do of course contact school.

AHS Returning to School – Guide for Students and Parents

Return to school – Uniform
Please ensure that your child is ready to return to school with regards to uniform – you can access the link to the school uniform guidelines by clicking HERE.

Please be aware that we do expect that students return to school in full uniform, and we will be monitoring this as part of the return to school process. The website outlines places where non-AHS branded items of uniform can be purchased, and many of these places (particularly supermarkets) are open during this period of lockdown. Furthermore, Keal Teamwear (105 Walmgate, York, YO1 9UA) has opened as of 1^st March from 10am to 1pm where you can purchase specific AHS uniform (e.g. ties and jumpers)

If you are having significant issues with acquiring uniform for your child’s return to school, please contact us as soon as possible and we will as ever offer support to families.

Unity Fund
A reminder as we approach half term that through the Unity Fund the school can offer confidential and discrete support to families who are struggling financially. If you are struggling in any way please contact us and we will do our best to help:
krobinson@archbishopholgates.org
gstainsby@archbishopholgates.org

Return to school – Face Coverings
A reminder to families about the letter we sent home before half term about the importance of wearing face coverings when inside the school building and when transitioning between lessons. Families will also be aware that until Easter the government have announced that face coverings should also be worn in lessons. As we know face coverings are an essential method of helping to minimise the risks from COVID-19 and when students return on the 8^th March the wearing of face coverings will be something that we will be insisting upon and I very much appreciate families support with this.

We will continue to require every student to bring their own face covering to school. Form tutors and Heads of Year will check each morning that every student has a face covering. Re-useable face coverings will continue to be available for students to buy from reception however, a disposable mask will be provided to the students should they forget theirs.  Students without a face covering will be issued an “M” code and persistent failure to do so will result in an appropriate sanction.

We do have a very small number of students who are medically exempt from wearing a face covering.  We will be providing all those students with a lanyard to wear so we can easily identify who should and should not be wearing a face covering.  As such we now require a letter from your child’s medical professional to confirm exemption.

Year 12- 13 Homework
Following on from the main school information yesterday I can confirm that homework will continue to be set for Post 16 students, following the normal expectations of the Sixth Form. It is important students are set homework and independent work to enable them to make strong progress through their courses. Students will also receive an appropriate level of Easter revision homework, in preparation for the Year 12 in class assessments and final assessments in Year 13.

Head of Year update – Mr Avery and Year 9
I am really looking forward to welcoming Year 9 back to school from next Monday. Despite their excellent engagement in live lessons, there is no substitute for the high standard of teaching and learning that can be delivered in a classroom setting. I know many students have missed the social aspect of school as well, and I hope the chance to see friends and take part in extra curricular clubs will be of great benefit to them. I was delighted to see so many Year 9 students in school during today and yesterday, to receive their Covid tests. The response to this measure has been excellent, with the vast majority of the year group taking part. This will hopefully give students and parents peace of mind upon the students return to school.

I was delighted to hear how so many of them were looking forward to coming back, even if this means leaving behind some of the home comforts they have had while remote learning! I am hoping that the improvement in the weather and a lift In the lockdown restrictions will see a more positive feel in the community, and lead to a very successful summer. At this point I would like to reiterate the message from the Headteacher around the measures we have put in place to keep students safe upon their return to school. For the time being, year 9 will be taking in their ‘bubble’ in order to adapt to their return to school. Handwashing once again becomes extremely important, and students will be expected to wash their hands upon their arrival to school each morning, and throughout the day (particularly before and after eating). Wearing face masks is also extremely important for the protection of themselves, their peers and the school community. As we know face coverings are an essential method of helping to minimise the risks from COVID-19.  This is why we will be insisting that all students wear a face covering whenever they are moving between lessons and anytime they cannot appropriately socially distance (including outside). 

We will continue to require every student In Year 9 to bring their own face covering to school. Form tutors and Heads of Year will check each morning that every student has a face covering. Re-useable face coverings will continue to be available for students to buy from reception however, a disposable mask will be provided to the students should they forget theirs.  Students without a face covering will be issued an “M” code and persistent failure to do so will result in an appropriate sanction. We do have a very small number of students in Year 9 who are medically exempt from wearing a face covering.  We will be providing all those students with a lanyard to wear so we can easily identify who should and should not be wearing a face covering. 

I understand that change can be difficult for a number of students, and some may be worried about returning to school. If your child is in this position, please feel free to contact either myself or Miss Clark, and we would be happy to arrange a meeting with the student to ease their worries about returning to school.

On a final note, I’d like to once again reiterate how proud I have been of the students In Year 9 since Christmas. Their positive attitude and commitment to live lessons put s them In an excellent position coming back to the classroom. I know the students will continue with this, and carry on their school journey and transition to becoming excellent GCSE students.

 Wellbeing – Wonderful Wednesday

Eco Club update from Mrs Deacon

Collective Worship
As we move through this half term and the Christian season of Lent we are continuing with our Pilgrim Pathways theme.
Going on a journey can be a great transforming experience, but it can also be difficult. It can be physically tough and sometimes even difficult mentally and emotionally. The key item on our pilgrimage this week is a first aid kit.

Wednesday – Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” – The Bible, The Gospel of Matthew 19: 26

We have had a very successful first day of testing. This was supported by the mature efforts of the 738 students who came into school between 8am and 5pm and the efforts of the 23 members of staff and community volunteers involved each hour. Such an undertaking would not be possible without the school community working in partnership and I am grateful for these combined efforts. By the end of today everyone who has consented should have received their first test. I’ve included a reminder of the arrival slots below:

First Bus York – Returning to school
Please find below a copy of an email received about efforts to support a successful return to school next week:

I am getting in touch on behalf of First Bus – York.
We are looking forward to helping students get back to school. With the expected increase in passenger numbers we would like your help in promoting to students about the importance of wearing face coverings and maintaining social distance, whilst using our services.
Keeping all passengers safe is our priority, therefore we have appointed a dedicated team of Covid Marshalls. Covid Marshalls will be operating across bus services in York to ensure safety measures are followed and to provide information should it be required. They will be identifiable by their First Bus uniform.
We wanted to make you and your students aware of this before the 8^th March to ensure the return to school is as smooth and safe as possible.
If you have any questions about our Covid safety measures or our Covid Marshalls, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Homework:
Prior to Christmas, we were very pleased at the changes we made to our homework policy and the positive impact that Google Classroom was having, on the setting of homework for students in Years 9-11.  Indeed, the homework policy played a key role in having students in these year groups ready to make a smooth transition to online learning in January.  The whole-school homework policy is currently under review for September 2021, with the extension of Google Classroom homework in Years 7-8 a key consideration.   In the meantime, in order to support students and parents with the transition back to school, we are making the following changes to our homework policy, these will be in effect until Easter, at which point we will review and communicate any updates to parents and students.

Years 7- 9: No homework will be set for these year groups for until after the Easter holidays.  Whilst we are fully committed to the positive impact that homework can have on children and their progress, we would like to prioritise a successful return to school and student involvement in extra-curricular activities wherever possible, in lieu of homework for those initial three weeks.

Year 10- 11:  Homework will still be set for these year groups, but the whole school policy of a mandatory once a week homework for each subject will be temporarily suspended.  Instead, between 8 March and the Easter holidays, students will be set homework where it is necessary for them to make continued progress through their courses.  For some subjects, this might be every week.  For other subjects, this might be less frequent until the Easter holidays.  This will provide students with slightly more flexibility as they settle back into the routines of school and learning.

Extra-Curricular Music
All extra-curricular music sessions are running this week via zoom or google meet. Students should email their music teacher if they would like to be involved in any of them. Once they are added to the relevant google classroom they will receive an invite. This will be where we will post information and resources.

Soul/Jazz Band – Monday
Orchestra – Wednesday
Boys Aloud singing group – Wednesday
Year 7 Choir – Thursday
Music Tech Club – Thursday
Unity Choir – Friday

From Monday 8^th March, we will resume the ‘live’ sessions in school in year group bubbles as before Christmas. Such extra-curricular opportunities will be really important for young people as they return to school.

Online AHS Spring Music Concert 
As we would normally be preparing for our annual AHS Musical Show around this time, I thought it would be wonderful if we could put together a video of performances and compositions from students in years 7-13 performing at home during this second ‘lockdown’ period.

Please send Mrs Morrison an audio and video version (landscape is preferable) of the performance and an audio recording from a composition if your son or daughter would like to be involved. It can be any style (it doesn’t have to be a song from a musical – although it could be) and any instrument, including voice. It should be no more than 3 minutes long. We would also like to include some student artwork/images to accompany the video recording so if there are any AHS artists who would like to be involved in this project, please send those to Mrs Morrison as well.

‘We Transfer’ is the best way to send a recording and very easy. Select the free option and you just need to enter Mrs Morrison’s email and your own email and add the file. The deadline is Friday 5^th March.

Please contact Mrs Morrison for further information: Cmorrison@archbishopholgates.org

Music lessons
If any student is interested in having instrumental or singing lessons, please contact Mrs Morrison for further information as most tutors are continuing to teach online: Cmorrison@archbishopholgates.org

Head of Year update – Mr Arthur and Year 8
So we now finally have a date for the school reopening, and this week will be our last of Remote Learning. This is excellent news, and Mr Deamer and I cannot wait to welcome Year 8 back into school from 8^th March. Of course, safety is our number one priority, and as Mr Daly has already outlined, we will be following government guidance to make sure the return to school is as safe as possible.

Here are some key points, some specific to Year 8, to consider with regards to the return to school…

• The school will remain in bubbles for the time being – students will still wash their hands in the Year 8 social area first thing each morning, and follow the one-way system to their form rooms from 8:30am
• Students MUST ensure they have a facemask when they arrive at school, and wear it for the entire duration that they are in the building. Students can only take their facemasks off when they are sat eating their food at lunch and break, or when they are outside on the school field. It is imperative that students follow these rules – students without a mask will be challenged and given an M code in their planner. Three M codes in a week will result in a Head of Year detention after school the following day
• If your child in Year 8 has a medical reason that means they cannot wear a facemask, please provide school with medical evidence and they will be given a lanyard as a sign of their medical exception. If students do not have a lanyard, they will need to ensure they are wearing a face mask
• Students must ensure they are in correct uniform on their return to school from 8^th March, and they will be challenged on this if not. Uniform can be purchased online or in supermarkets, and Keal Teamwear in York is open from 10am-1pm as of today (1^st March) for school ties and jumpers. If there is any problems regarding this, please do get in touch before 8^th March and we will see if we can support.

Year 8’s stage of the AHS Journey relates to ‘Opportunities’, and we are hoping that these will open up more and more as time progresses. During this period of school closure, we have been running extra-curricular activities remotely, and my thanks go out to all of the staff that have been involved with offering these opportunities (many of which were directed specifically at Year 8!) With the government’s latest announcement last week, extra-curricular opportunities will be made available to students in school. I would encourage students in Year 8 to take these ‘opportunities’ on offer to immerse themselves in what AHS has to offer – something that the disruptions from COVID have limited for Year 8 to date. It is brilliant to bring back a programme that is closer to the normal AHS Extra-curriculum offer.

Well done to this week’s Head of Year Award winners…

A £5 Amazon gift card is waiting for you in school when you return!

For the last time before school re-opens, here is a positive quote to take away…
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8 that you wish for me to be aware of, particularly if there are any issues surrounding access to our online learning provision, please do get in contact with me at aarthur@archbishopholgates.org, or Mr Deamer (Pastoral Support Worker for Year 8) at rdeamer@archbishopholgates.org.

English Home Learning Certificates
Caitlin Wright
Charlie Moss
Elliot McNulty
Fin Wood
James Harrison
Olivia Wilkinson
Sam Skelton
Warren Grant

From Miss Gray in Science
– The continued resilience shown by 11C1 is excellent in these trying times. Well done to you all! Mr. Webb.
– Emily Bamford, Ellie Holliday, Amal Salman, Kyle Taylor, Jess Taylor, Laura Wilkie, Gideon Ogbemudia, Ben Middleton and Ben Mcbride all continue to impress me with their engagement in Science lessons. Keep it up 10C1! Mr. Webb.
– Thank you to my 9c4 science group for working so hard as always, particularly Aiden Allan, Hannah Commins, Rosie Davies, Lyla Hodgson, Fin O’Driscol, Emily-Sue Toye and Ruben Wood! – Thank you – Miss Gray
– Another thank you to my 9a3 science group for showing great resilience learning a difficult topic online! A particular mention for Blair Bailey, Jamie Bulmer, Jorja Geesing, Alisha Langhorn and Cameron Scott! – Thank you – Miss Gray
– I would like to say a big thank you to my 11s3 Science group for showing resilience and continuing hard work. If I tried to pick out particular names, I would end up with the whole group! So, thank you and keep going! – Miss Gray
– Ella Walker continues to work consistently in Y13 Chemistry.  She makes sure every subject is understood thoroughly before we move on.  Dr Osman
– Caitlin Harrison has impressed me enormously in Year 12 Chemistry.  She is tenacious!  Dr Osman
– Philo Derbyshire and John Monk in 11a1 have both stepped up in Triple Science with a positive, “can-do” attitude and with a pleasing consistency in quality of work.  Dr Osman
– Fausta Jablonskyte, 10d3, has been making some fantastic contributions to on-line Science lessons!  Dr Osman
– Jola Fairess, 8c1 has shown just what a good Physicist she is in the recent unit test, well done!  Dr Osman
– 9d4 Science – All working very hard on Google Classrooms!  Well done, Mr Evans
– Joshua Botha, Thomas Ellis, Lottie Hardy, Lenda Moharrk, Elliot McNulty, Freya Rowley, Cassie Staines, Lily Storey, Kelsy Wheatland and Leland Taylor
– Y13 Biologists have shown excellent focus, determination and understanding throughout home learning and performed brilliantly in their genetics assessment. Miss Day
– Y9- Thank you for your hard work and regular contributions to live science lessons: Betsey Greenway, Zoe Cardy, Robyn Strangeways. Miss Day
– Y10- Thank you for your hard work and regular contributions to live science lessons: Livvy Peel, Henry Lucas
– Y10- Great continued effort and work in Science: Natasa Vas, Olivia Barton, Parish Edge, Aidan Marr, Anatolia Boguc, Chloe Rouse, Louisa Shaw, Alice Woolway, Onila Weerasinghe. Miss Day
– Y7- I was really impressed with the high level of participation and effort from the whole of my class (7Bl) in our live lesson this week. Miss Day
– A huge well done for an outstanding electromagnetism assessment to Tamara Alahendrage and Jacob Fletcher. Miss Day
– I have been really impressed by the amazing effort in Science from Caspar Farrell, Jessica Macdonald, Shannon Smith and Tayla Langham. Miss Day

Student Wellbeing – Thought Provoking Tuesday

Collective Worship
As we move through this half term and the Christian season of Lent we are continuing with our Pilgrim Pathways theme.
Going on a journey can be a great transforming experience, but it can also be difficult. It can be physically tough and sometimes even difficult mentally and emotionally. The key item on our pilgrimage this week is a first aid kit.

Tuesday – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” – The Bible, Psalm 46:1