MANGOTSFIELD SCHOOL BULLETIN
September 15 2017
Headteacher's News
Two weeks already. Year 7s are settling in nicely and the extra ten minutes just before lunch have helped them to have a better lunchtime experience. In talking to them, they tell me universally that they are enjoying the “freedom” of secondary school and lots of new teachers and subjects.
We are going to keep the year 7 lunch at the slightly longer length for the foreseeable future. We want to make some adjustments to the Dining Hall to support better queuing too.
I am largely pleased with how are students are wearing the uniform. However, regarding piercings and nose studs our uniform code clearly states: “one pair of plain stud earrings no bigger than 5mm in diameter”. They must be removed. Please support us with this.
We are planning busily for two events next week, Open Evening (18th) and Meet the Mentor (21st). We are very keen for as many of your children take part in the Open Evening as guides as possible. They are such good advocates for the school. Please get them to see Miss Hawkins if they haven’t signed up to be a guide or departmental helper. We will have some cameras in the building. CSET is the subject of what will be an amazing series on the work of schools. Thank you to all parents who attended the Information Evening this week. Label 1 are committed to more such information evenings. Please direct any queries or questions to school@label1.tv.
We are really trying to pull out all of the stops on attendance. We have to improve the attendance of our students. If you’re not in school, the likelihood of academic success reduces sharply. At home, please:
- talk about the link between good attendance and success in school;
- do not make avoidable appointments in the school day- we will only authorise 2 hours for a medical appointment.
Our target is high - 97%, the green group - we can do it together.
We are talking all the time in mentoring about attendance. There are House Points available for weekly attendance improvers.
Thank you very much for supporting our drive to maintain uniform standards. It has been a strong start and our students look very smart. I know there have been some issues with our supplier which we are rectifying.
We have also made some adjustments to our behaviour system. We are now operating a 20 minute “Red Card” detention for poor behaviours outside lessons. Numbers are low - long may this continue!
The message around attendance is really stark for everyone connected to the school - you cannot learn if you are not in school. 97% has to be our target and we appreciate your support in not booking appointments, unless absolutely necessary, during the school day. This is a key focus for us this year.
House News
Pomphrey are currently in the lead with 1512 house points, continuing the momentum from their success last year. Attendance is 96 % and we expect this to rise each week. We have had a big uptake of Pomphrey volunteers to help out at our Open Evening, which demonstrates the positive attitude of our Pomphrey students. Year 7's have taken the lead in terms of their conduct and points, so a big well done to them.
Siston have made an excellent start to the year in terms of house points awarded to students in lessons. As usual I continue to hear nothing but positives about Siston students from fellow teachers and have witnessed first-hand the strong peer relationships which Siston students demonstrate.
Rodway’s attendance has started strongly with the average attendance now standing at 96%. We need to build on this strong start to ensure students are getting the most out of their time in school.
Firstly, can I thank you all for the warm welcome that students, teachers and parents have given me into Chase. A number of students have achieved amazing things both at the start of the academic year and over the summer.
Departmental News
P.E.
The P.E staff want to say a big “thank you” to Prima Languages Services and the Kingswood Rotary Club for sponsoring our rugby and netball teams’ new kit. They have invested a lot of money in some excellent kit which the students can’t wait to play in.
There is girls' football after school for all years (Bristol City Coaching).
Netball for all years on the Tuesday and Rugby for all years on Wednesday, afterschool until 4.30pm.
The draw for the football national knockout has taken place. Year 11 have a home fixture against Froome College, Year 10’s face BBA and Year 7 go on the road to play Melksham.
Drama
Rehearsals are up and running for We Will Rock You and we are very excited about the show itself. The talent here is amazing! More information regarding tickets etc will be available in the next few weeks...
English
The English department are about to launch a new Reading Log with year 7- thanks to Mr Suttle.
Student Achievements
Katie Robbins (ex year 11 2017) is now the Junior Women National Champion for Target Sprint. Participants run 400 metres before shooting down five targets with an air rifle. They then run another 400 metres, shoot five more targets and then complete a final 400 metre run. Katie is now at Millfield School.
Jude Moore has won numerous UK and international boxing competitions. His main accomplishments are the National Championships for England schoolboys, and the Tri-nations. He also competed in the European championships this year in Romania. He shows discipline and commitment to the sport and trains regularly.
Unifrog
In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing their next step after school, we will now be using Unifrog; an award-winning, online careers platform. All students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 now have access to this excellent website.
Unifrog brings into one place every university course, apprenticeship, and college course in the UK, as well as other opportunities, such as School Leaver Programmes, MOOCs and every college at Oxford and Cambridge. This make it easy for students to compare and choose the best university courses, apprenticeships or further education courses for them. They have recently added a Dutch tool to their offering allowing students to search courses in the Netherlands in a way that has never before been possible.
Additionally the platform helps students write their personal statement, applications and CVs by guiding them through the process and allowing teachers to give live feedback. Students will be guided through accessing the tool during their PSHE lessons (Y7-11) or during their mentor sessions (Sixth Form). They then login using their email address and password and they can do so from any computer, tablet or smartphone.
We would encourage you to use the platform with your child so you can support them through the process of deciding their next step. We have also set up a parent login so that you can use Unifrog as if you were a student yourself, allowing you to truly support your child. The form code you need is: parentmangotsfield and you can sign up here: www.unifrog.org/code.
For more information, go to www.unifrog.org or contact your child’s mentor.
Dates for Your Diary
21 September Year 7 Meet the Mentor and Curriculum Evening
This evening is designed to give all year 7 parents and carers the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress since joining us in September. Parents and carers will meet with their child’s mentor and will be able to ask questions or raise any concerns they may have. During the evening a short presentation will provide an overview of the school curriculum and key resources such as ‘Show my Homework’. Time to be confirmed.
28 September Year 11 GCSE Support Evening
A Year 11 GCSE Support Evening will be held in the Assembly Hall on 28th September from 6.30 - 7.30 pm. This is an opportunity for parents and carers of current Year 11 students to come and get advice and guidance on ways to best support their children over this important academic year. The Year 11 Raising Achievement Team will share information, advice and support for parents on issues such as revision techniques, resources, important dates and most importantly student well being.
Term Dates 2017-18
Term 1
Friday 1 September 2017 to
Friday 20 October 2017
Term 2
Monday 30 October 2017 to
Monday 18 December 2017
Term 3
Tuesday 2 January 2018 to
Friday 9 February 2018
Term 4
Monday 19 February 2018 to
Friday 23 March 2018
Term 5
Monday 9th April 2018 to
Friday 25th May 2018
Term 6
Monday 4 June 2018 to
Friday 20 July 2018
Inset Days 2017 - 18
Friday 1 September 2017
Friday 20 October 2017
Monday 18 December 2017
Tuesday 2 January 2018
Monday 9 April 2018