UTC Oxfordshire
Newsletter - 8th July 2022
Dear all,
It’s been a busy week this week when you would usually expect things to be quietening down as we head towards the end of term. We welcomed some of our new 6th Formers for a Transition Day on Wednesday and gave them the opportunity to work alongside some of our Business Partners such as REME and UKAEA.
The following day we welcomed our new Year 10 cohort who spent time in the engineering department producing dog tag key rings and phone holders before going on to science and creating an iodine clock.
We look forward to welcoming them all back in September.
Engineers compete in UTC DSTL Callisto Moon base challenge
This week our Year 12 engineers have taken part in a 3 day challenge against 10 other UTC's across the country. Monday morning started with online careers talk about jobs and apprenticeships in the space industry then the project was launched. Students were tasked to work in teams to develop a Lander and a base to put onto Callisto, Jupiter's second largest moon. They had to consider issues such as how to create power, heat, oxygen, food, keep the team healthy, communications, crew members, how they will build the base and how they would live in it.
Our students had an internal competition on Wednesday morning to decide which team would enter the final and the winning team then presented their project to DSTL and the other UTC's. We are awaiting the results!
All teams did a fabulous job and created some excellent presentations with creative solutions to the problem. Excellent employability skills such as resilience, problem solving, communication and teamwork, were demonstrated over the 3 days. Great job Year 12!
Many thanks to Baker Dearing Trust, DSTL for organising the challenge and to Emma and Sue for judging the internal part of the competition.
The image below is of a Callisto space lander drawn by Emily on Fusion 360.
City of Oxford Schools Careers Fest 2022
The City of Oxford Schools Careers Fest 2022 is taking place on Tuesday 12th July at MINI Plant Oxford, Eastern By-Pass Rd, Oxford, OX4 6NL.
There are still some spaces left for the Twilight Session that runs from 4-7pm, so it’s been opened up to all Oxfordshire schools for students in Years 9 to 13. There are three time slots available to book during the evening and remaining places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
- Please register via Eventbrite here or at https://careersfest2022twilightsession.eventbrite.co.uk
- Book a time slot and please keep your visit to one hour
- Only one parent/carer per student, with a maximum of two people per booking
- Please bring your Eventbrite booking confirmation with you to show on arrival.
Parent App
Please make sure you have the latest update of the Parent App. You should be running Version 1.5. It is available to download in both the Play and App stores.
UTC Sports Day
A reminder that we are organising a UTC Oxfordshire vs UTC Swindon sports day at the Foundation Park, County Ground in Swindon on Monday 18th July. Our student leadership team have chosen to use the event to fundraise and support the British Heart Foundation. If you would also like to show your support by donating to the British Heart Foundation than please follow the link below, all donations would be greatly apricated. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/UTC-OxfordshireSwindon
End of Term Trip – Chessington World of Adventures
We are running a trip for the end of term to Chessington World of Adventures on Tuesday 19th July. Open to students in Year 10 and 12, they will leave school at 8.45am and return at 6:30 / 7:00pm (depending on traffic). Students who use the minibus will need to make their own way home that evening. Please check your emails for more details.
Race for Life
As part of our ABC week, on the 20th of July, we will be doing our annual Race for Life event in hope to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK.
To help with fundraising, we will be asking all students to come in non-uniform, however, this must be appropriate to take part in a 5K walk or run. In order for your student to participate in non-school uniform day, please follow the link here to pay a minimum donation of £1. If you would like to contribute more to Cancer Research UK, you can ether increase this payment through parent pay or visit the Cancer Research UK Giving Page. All donations are greatly appreciated.
We also please ask students to bring loose change as there will be other fundraising events going on throughout the day. John’s Whippy ice-cream van will be joining us on the day so students can purchase a well-deserved treat after completing the race. We hope to raise as much money as possible with your support and we will keep you updated with our successes.
Opportunities
Online Get Into Veterinary Conference
If you are a Year 12 student interested in applying for Veterinary Science at University sign up for this online conference Medic Mentor - Get into Veterinary Online Conference
Stagecoach Performing Arts Summer Workshop
Stagecoach Performing Arts in Abingdon, Didcot and Wallingford are holding 3 weeks of Summer Workshops this year! Childcare Vouchers and Tax Free Childcare payments accepted!
In their Show in a Week Workshop, students put on a costumed show after rehearsing through the week. More details can be found here: https://www.stagecoach.co.uk/abingdon
Results Day
A level results day is Thursday 18th August and GCSE results day is Thursday 25th August. Further details will be sent to you shortly. If students are not able to come and collect their results, they need to give permission via email (sloveland@utcoxfordshire.org.uk) for someone else named to collect and that person needs to bring ID please.
If students would like their results e-mailed to them they should request this in advance and please note that results can only be sent to their school email address.
Chromebook Return
If any Year 11 (are not returning for 6th form) or 13 students have not returned their Chromebook they can do so until the end of term (20th July) or bring them in on results day. Chromebooks should be returned in the same state they were in when they were issued, complete with charger. Devices will be checked for damage etc and your deposit will be refunded, minus any costs, when we return after the summer break.
Branded Clothing Donations
If your student is leaving at the end of this term and they have a lab coat or PE top that they no longer need, we would welcome them to be donated back to school so that they can be used for students who are not in a position to buy the items brand new or to be used as spares when students forget theirs, meaning they can continue with their studies rather than having to miss lessons.
Elements Café
Dates for the diary
- Monday 11th July 2022 to Friday 15th July New York Science, Engineering and Business Trip
- Monday 11th July – Year 10 Product Design visit to the V&A Museum, London
- Monday 18th July – UTC Oxfordshire vs UTC Swindon Sports Day
- Tuesday 19th July – Year 10 and Year 12 reward trip to Chessington World of Adventures
- Wednesday 20th July – Race for Life
- Thursday 18th August – A level results day
- Thursday 25th August - GCSE results day.
Remaining Term dates for 2022
- Wednesday 20th July 2022 - last day of term, lunch time finish
Term dates for 2022/23
- Friday 2nd September 2022 – First day of term for year 10 and 12 only
- Monday 5th September 2022 - Whole school in attendance
I hope those of you going to New York on Monday have a fantastic time.
Stay safe
With good wishes
Sam