Download - 22 may 2015
PRAYER FOR THE PENTECOST
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the gift of
Pentecost and for new life in the Holy
Spirit. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and set
ours hearts ablaze with the fire of your
love that we may serve you in joy and
freedom. We ask this through Christ Our
Lord.
Amen
Friday 22 May 2015 All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Whitsun Term
COLLEGE PRAYER
SPECIALISM SUCCESS
YEAR 5 PARENT OPEN MORNING
It’s that time of year again! As students prepare to
leave All Hallows, we are mindful that many of them
will have balances on their school meal accounts.
Please be aware that any balances below £5.00 will
not be refunded. With this in mind, can you ask your
children to run down their account balance as they
get towards the end of the school year? Any
balances over £5.00 can either be refunded or
transferred to another sibling staying at All Hallows.
Unfortunately, no money can be transferred to trips
as the school meals money goes directly to our
outside caterer. If you have any questions, please
contact the Finance Office
[email protected] or 01625 426138. Thank
you for your continued support.
DINNER MONEY FOR LEAVERS
All Hallows is part of the Ensemble project and we are pleased that the project has been awarded funding by the Department for Education for a second year. In the first year we focused on primary languages teaching. In the second year we will look at easing transition from primary to secondary school in languages.
SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD IN EXAMS
Supporting your child through their GCSE's can be difficult. One top
tip is how to cope when your child falls behind with work. The
solution would be to help them prioritise their work load
and create a plan that helps get the balance right with college
work and social time. To help with this all Year 11 students have
been given a revision pack, that includes a revision timetable,
which students are completing this week. Please ask to see the
revision timetable your child will bring home and have a
conversation around it. Future Link Publishing have also produced
a useful guide for parents that contains 101 top tips to help. This
can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.futurelinkpublishing.co.uk/publish/publications/
GCSE.html.
Year 10 mock results
Saturday 16th May 2015 9:00am
EXAM RESULTS
PARENTS AS PARTNERS—BANNED ITEMS
Parents are reminded that there are certain items which are banned from the College site. One of these items is aerosols of
any type. Aerosols are banned to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and all who work within the All Hallows
College community. We welcome the support of parents in ensuring that this aspect of the College behaviour policy is
adhered to. A full version of the policy, which includes all banned items, is available on the Parent Zone section of the College
website.
GOODBYE TO OUR YEAR 13’S
This week we say a fond farewell to our year 13 students as they
commence their study leave. We offer them our prayers and best
wishes as they complete their final assessments, and look forward to
celebrating their successes in August. Following a reflective Mass
which the students prepared they celebrated their final day with an
Awards Ceremony, BBQ and by letting off steam on the inflatables!
Year Group Dates Type
7,8,9 Monday 15 June 2015—Friday 19 June 2015 End of Year Exam
10 Monday 15 June 2015—Friday 26 June 2015 Assessment
COLLEGE EXAMS / ASSESSMENTS Friday 22 May 2015
YEAR 12 EXAMINATIONS
Year 12 have now commenced their study leave until the 8 June. Subject teachers will be available throughout this
time should students wish to come in to College for extra support, and arrangements have been made for all BTEC
students. Students are expected to check the website to confirm examination venues and start times; they should
also arrive promptly to all examinations in full Business Dress, with all appropriate equipment (including a black ball
point pen). We wish Year 12 the best of luck in their forthcoming examinations.
EXAM COUNTDOWN
THE YEAR 11, 12 AND 13 SUMMER EXAMINATIONS HAVE NOW STARTED. GOOD LUCK TO ALL STUDENTS
RESULT DAY DATES All students have now been provided with a paper copy of
their timetables for the forthcoming GCE A Levels and GCSE
exams. Parents can view their child's timetable via the
Parental Gateway under the "Assessments" heading.
STUDENT TIMETABLES
EXAM EQUIPMENT
Please ensure that your child has the appropriate equipment for their
exams: Clear plastic pencil case, black ink pen, pencil, ruler, eraser,
protractor, compass and a calculator (for Maths, Science& Business
exams)
YEAR 7,8 & 9 SUMMER 2015 MOCK EXAM TIMETABLE—WEEK COMMENCING 15 JUNE
Students are now able to use our fantastic new Fitness Suite.
Those students who have completed a Fitness Suite. Induction and wish to use the facilities must sign up on the
day using the sign up sheet on the notice board in the Sports Hall. Places will be allocated on a first come, first
served basis, up to a maximum of 28 students for each session.
The following sessions are available:
Monday - Y7/8 (mixed) until 4.30p.m.
Tuesday - Y7/8 (girls only) until 4.30p.m.
Wednesday - Y9/10/11 (girls only) until 4.00p.m.
Thursday - Y11/Sixth form (mixed) until 4.30p.m.
Friday - Y9/10 (mixed) until 4.30p.m.
FITNESS SUITE
The Fitness Suite is also open at lunch (second
break).
Any queries please contact Mr Lawson or a
member of the PE staff for more information.
Please make sure students are bringing appropriate clothing to their PE lessons if they are on an outdoor lesson. Also, a
reminder that all girls should now own football boots/astro-turf trainers for use on the new 3G Astro-turf pitch.
TO ALL PARENTS
UPCOMING SPORTING FIXTURES
Year 7 Minor Cricket Year 7 Wednesday 27 May Away
SUMMER EXTRA-CURRICULAR PE TIMETABLE
Italy Trip
Saturday 23 May - 28 May 2015
History trip - London
Sunday 7 June – 8 June 2015
Normandy Trip
Friday 12 June - 15 June 2015
Rome Trip
Sunday 5 July - 8 July 2015
College Production
Wednesday 1 July 2015
KS4/5 students 3:30p.m.- 4:30p.m.
TRIPS AND UPCOMING EVENTS
DAY SUBJECT
Monday Science/History/Languages/Hospitality
Tuesday Maths
Thursday Music/Geography
Other ICT any break/lunch Business – by arrangement Art – by arrangement
DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD
Congratulations to those students who have made a
commitment to work towards their Duke of Edinburgh
award. Currently we have 35 students working
on their bronze award, 21 on silver and 5 on gold.
Thank you to those who attended the drop in last
week with Steve Wilson and Nicky Young who are
supporting the College with DofE.
If any students are unsure, need help or want more detail please see Mrs Connor.
Well done to all those who are uploading their evidence for each of the areas on eDofE. If you have not started
to do this yet can you please have a go.You will need to have completed two of the three sections before the
expedition. Again if you need help with this come and see Mrs Connor
Thursday 14 May 1:15pm - 2:00pm - DofE drop in, in Mrs Connor Office
Silver DoE practice expedition Friday 26 to Sunday 28 June 2015
Silver DoE assessed expedition Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July 2015
Bronze DoE practice expedition Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2015
Bronze DoE assessed expedition Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2015
Gold DoE practice expedition Thursday 24 to Monday 28 September 2015
Gold DoE assessed expedition Thursday 22 to Monday 26 October 2015
Good luck and well done so far.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH FUTURE IMPORTANT DATES
DROP IN SESSIONS
Friday 22 May 2015
Parents / Carers are invited to attend a Principal's Surgery to discuss
any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates
Wednesday 13 May '15, 9am - 10am
Tuesday 19 May '15, 3.45pm - 4.45pm
There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait
PRINCIPAL’S SURGERIES
Whilst the College requires parents to contact us on each day of absence , school policy now requires that any student who accumulates 7 or more days of absence during the course of the academic year will be asked to provide medical confirmation of the need to be absent before any further absences are authorised for medical reasons. This is a necessary measure as we closely monitor absence due to illness / medical reasons in order that we can ensure students are supported where needed. For your information medical confirmation does not have to be a doctor's note but can also take the form of a medical appointment card, a copy of a relevant dated prescription or evidence of medication being taken
If no medical evidence is provided then the absence will be coded as unauthorised. Ten or more unauthorised absences may result in you receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice. This incurs a penalty of £60 per parent / carer to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty.
The link between attendance and achievement is well researched and documented and students should be aiming for an attendance rate of no less than 97% over the year. Thank you for your continued support with this importance issue.
MEDICAL ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE
Term College Opens to Students College Closes to Students
Whitsun Monday 20 April 2015 Thursday 21 May 2015
Trinity Monday 1 June 2015 Tuesday 21 July 2015
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Holidays have not been authorised since 1st September 2013 under new legislation on all English schools. Requests for holidays
must still be made in writing to the appropriate Key Stage leader (Mrs Garvey KS5, Mr Blades KS4/KS3), but in the vast majority
of cases they will be unauthorised. A Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued of £60 per parent / carer per student, to be paid within
21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then
the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty. Please can all
holiday requests be made well in advance of the holiday being taken if not before the holiday is booked.
HOLIDAY ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE
COLLEGE TERM DATES
Over the last week of College attendance was as follows:
Year 7 - 95.9% (down 1% from last week) Year 8 - 93.1% (down 1.6%) Year 9 - 94.4% (down 2.1%) Year 10 - 94.0% (up 1.6%, well done Year 10) Year 11 - 95.1% (down 1%) Year 12 - on study leave
Year 13 - on study leave
Last week was a better week for attendance after a fall last week.
Attendance between Year 7 and Year 11 last week was 94.4% (a decrease from 95.3% during the previous week and 0.5% down on the same week last year). Our overall attendance since 2 September is still at 95.1%.We aim for 97%.
Last week GIRLS attendance (Years 7-11) was 93.7% (down 1.4% on the previous week), BOYS attendance (Year 7-11) was 95.2% (down 0.4%).The overall girls attendance since 2 September is 94.7% whilst boys is 95.5%.
Friday 22 May 2015
91.00%
92.00%
93.00%
94.00%
95.00%
96.00%
97.00%
YEAR7
YEAR8
YEAR9
YEAR10
YEAR11
Most students appreciate the importance of being in College on time. Children who are regularly late do miss out on their education and form bad habits that will not be tolerated in the workplace. As a result of the change to the College day we need to inform parents that students must be in the registration form class for the register to be taken at 8.45a.m. This means students should arrive 5-10 minutes earlier in College to be on time. Any student who arrives after 8.45a.m. will receive a L code. Two L codes within a week will result in a whole college detention (which started on Thursday 6 November). This is a recent change in procedures and moves the detention away from the form tutor and it will now be seen as a whole college issue. Any student who arrives after 9.05a.m. will receive a U code. This means they will be classed as absent for the whole morning and this may have consequences for overall attendance. We are aware that College buses are sometimes late and we can confirm these students are not negatively marked in the register when this happens. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. From 20 April - gates will be manned and students names will be taken if they are late.
CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS
BEING PUNCTUAL AT ALL HALLOWS
Year 7: held on 3 June (11.00a.m. – 11.45a.m.) Year 8: held on 8 July (1.15p.m. – 2.15p.m.) Year 9: held on 1 June (9.00a.m. – 9.45a.m.) and 13 July (9.00a.m. – 9.45a.m.) Year 10: held on 22 May (1.15p.m. – 2.00p.m) and 17 July (1.15p.m. – 2.00p.m)
These are for parents who would like to discuss any concerns relating to their child. No appointment is necessary but please be prepared to wait. Please contact our Pastoral Assistant ([email protected] 01625 410285 x215), should you require an appointment with a Year Learning Leader at any other time.
YEAR LEARNING LEADER “DROP IN SURGERIES”
NAME JOB MON TUES WED THUR FRI VENUE
Mrs J Pilling Careers Advisor Student Support Office
Mrs L Nolan Visyon Counsellor Student Support Office
Mrs J Jones College Nurse Student Support Office
Mrs P Shatwell Family Support Office next to rooms A9 and A10
Mrs J Beard and Mrs P Prince Education Welfare
Pastoral Office (ground floor of Fisher Building)
[email protected] emails will be read by a Senior Teacher [email protected]
= Staff Present
MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS DURING THE COLLEGE DAY
Students must sign out at the Attendance Office before leaving College to attend a medical appointment. When they return to College the student must sign back in. This ensures registers will be accurate and we know the student is off site should we have a fire alarm. The Attendance Office is located in the office along the RE corridor. We thank parents for making medical appointments, where possible, that do not take up a whole day of schooling. This often allows a student to have their legal registration mark for both morning and afternoon sessions and so their overall attendance does not fall.
STUDENT SUPPORT ACROSS THE COLLEGE Friday 22 May 2015
If any parent would like their son or daughter to have a careers interview with Mrs Pilling, our Careers Advisor, this year then please notify the relevant Year Learning Leader who can ensure names are added to the list. Mrs Pilling has seen 461 stu-dents this year for impartial careers advice. Priority is now with small groups of Year 11 and 12 students with any remaining Year 10 students being seen shortly. Students in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 are welcome to attend her lunch time drop in. She uses the Student Support Office based next door to Music.
LIBRARY NEWS
This is how the Carnegie site describes the book:
When her mother dies from a snake bite, Comity's life in the Australian Outback changes for ever. With her
father lost in his grief, Comity makes friends with Fred, the Aboriginal yard boy. But then the evil Quartz Hogg
arrives, who delights in playing cruel games. And when he sets his murderous sights on Fred, it's up to Comity to
stop him.
The judges said:
Geraldine McCaughrean's powerful storytelling evokes a sense of place, isolation and spiralling chaos in this
novel. The isolation and loneliness of the Australian Outback is reflected in the inner thoughts and behaviour of
the characters, especially Comity, who is left on her own for much of the story. The portrayal of Aboriginal
culture, racism and segregation comes alive on the page and is handled with sensitivity. This novel provides a
real and immersive read with plenty of drama.
OUR PICK OF THE WEEK IS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE BY GERALDINE MCCAUGHREAN
BOOK AMNESTY
A big thank you to all those students who have returned their overdue books. A polite request for you to
continue to search for any school library books and return them - no questions asked. The library catalogue
is slowly being updated but we still have a lot of missing stock that readers want to borrow.
If you want to view our catalogue click on the Library Search tab under the For Students tab on the AHCC
website. That takes you to the Eclipse homepage and then click on the Search icon
Friday 22 May 2015
THE REVIEW CREW
Students who would like to read and review any of our new books should sign up in the library with Ms
Sinclair. Advice will be provided and all reviews will earn rewards.
More information about our new books in next week’s letter
CARNEGIE/GREENAWAY BOOK AWARDS
It is definitely book award season at the moment and we are following (shadowing) the judging process for the
most prestigious children's award.
Log onto: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/carnegie/current_shortlist.php
Students (and staff) can read the shortlisted titles and post reviews on our group page : http://
www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/shadowingsite/index.php To find our page, click on Reading Groups and the
AHCC group, A New Chapter, is under A.
The shadowing group will be meeting weekly in the Library, Tuesdays break 2. All are welcome.
We also have a large and varied selection of previous Carnegie winners from across the decade if students want
to see what was considered 'outstanding' in past years!
We also have a number of students reading and reviewing the shortlisted books for The Greenaway Awards -
this is for the most outstanding picture book. Log onto the site to find out more.