Welcome back Year 9,
We've officially reached our last half-term before we enter the Summer holidays and I can't quite believe it. Notoriously, this is the half term where our Year 11s would usually be sitting their exams and things start to become a little quieter around school. Classrooms get so hot and stuffy, to the point at which you're making fans out of paper and your legs start sticking to your chair. There are some things I'm sure we won't miss during the latter half of this Summer Term, but there are also so many more things that we will be missing: Trips, lunches outside in the sun, extra-curricular events, sports day...the list goes on. I hope I am not alone in saying that the main thing we are missing is each other's company.
It's been a real pleasure getting to go in to school on more of a regular basis this week and I've managed to see a handful of you whose parents have now returned to work. It might seem like things will be like this forever, but slowly life will start returning to normal and this might be quite daunting for some of you. I know that those of you who have come back to school are enjoying the social interaction and I hope, before long, we'll be able to get more of you back too.
As humans, we adapt very quickly to change and you have demonstrated that beautifully with how you have responded to this situation. However, coming back to school might be harder for some than others. If you are worried about the possibility of returning to school, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. We have teachers at school who can help you with any anxieties that you might be having- that goes for your parents as well!
Microsoft Teams
This week has seen the start of Teams meetings with your teachers. On the whole, minus a few teething problems for some of you, these seem to have had a positive impact on your learning and the feedback I have had from some of you has been great. If you have any issues with logging in to Teams, remember to get in touch with someone (Mr Hamshar is a bit of a guru in this) so any issues can be fixed. Similarly, if you have a great idea about how the use of Teams might benefit you even more, I'd love to hear your 'EBIs'...teachers like responding to feedback too!
This week's most common question:
"Do I still have to complete work for subjects that I am not doing for GCSE? I keep seeing work being set on SMHW and I am being invited to Teams Meetings"
The short answer for this is 'No'.
Although you will still see tasks appearing on SMHW, you only need to complete these if you are planning on taking the subject as an option next year. Equally, if you have been invited to a Teams meeting, this is because teachers have sent this to whole classes. Again, you do not need to attend these unless you are doing the subject for GCSE.
Later this week, you should receive a booklet that will provide 'short guide' to your GCSE courses. This will help you to get ahead between now and September, as I know some of you are already worried about falling behind.
If you have any further questions about GCSE subjects, you can always drop me an email.
Videos to watch this week:
If you still haven't checked out the School Youtube Channel, make sure you get on there and look through the playlist of videos for each subject.
Also, you might have spotted Mr Kibble's most recent message. Just in case you haven't, here it is below:
Making Changes
Some of you may remember that, prior to 'lockdown', we completed a survey about altering the timings of the school day.
If you haven't seen the letter from Mr Kibble, here was the outcome for those who took part in the survey:
Category
|
Responses
|
For
|
Against
|
Staff (Teachers)
|
69
|
91%
|
9%
|
Staff (Support)
|
14
|
79%
|
21%
|
Students (Years 7-11)
|
377
|
80%
|
20%
|
Students (Years 12-13)
|
133
|
61%
|
39%
|
Parents
|
197
|
83%
|
17%
|
Others
|
2
|
50%
|
50%
|
Overall
|
794
|
79%
|
21%
|
As you can see from the results, the vast majority were in favour of the earlier finish. Therefore, from the start of the next academic year, the timings for the school day will be as follows:
8.45 School starts
8.50 - 9.10 Registration
9.10 - 10.00 Period 1
10.00 - 10.50 Period 2
10.50 - 11.10 Break
11.10 - 12.00 Period 3
12.00 - 12.50 Period 4
12.50 - 1.35 Lunch
1.35 - 2.25 Period 5
2.25 - 3.15 Period 6
Of course, with all of the ongoing changes due to COVID-19, there is a high chance that this may have to be altered slightly for the initial return to school. By this, I mean staggered timings to allow for social distancing- by now, you know the drill. However, eventually, we will get back to a normal routine and it is going to look like the one above.
A super quick puppy update...
Don't lie, I know you were desperate for one!
We've had a busy half-term running around after Lola. She's now 4 months old and ginormous to say the least. Her favourite thing to do is chase her tail and eat anything edible...or non-edible in some cases.
 |
| We won't be able to lift her soon! |
 |
| 'Socially Distanced' Picnic with Mrs Clarke, Miss Cella and Miss Peterkin |
That's about all I have from the little lamb look-a-like at the moment. Right, now I have to get back to creating some 'An Inspector Calls' videos for you all to enjoy over the next few weeks.
Good luck with starting that GCSE course content and remember to give me a shout if you're struggling.
Until next week, stay safe!
Miss M x
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