27th April 2017
A warm welcome back to everyone in the Simon Balle community. I trust that every family has managed to enjoy a break and the wonderful spring weather over the past few weeks. Last year Ian Finch and I interviewed a number of applicants for the posts of Head Boy and Head Girl from our Year 12 students. It was an incredibly strong field and therefore difficult to choose. One of the most interesting parts was when the candidates were asked to bring something that symbolised what ‘Simon Balle All-through School’ stood for. We heard a number of interesting ideas supported by visual aids including a multi flavoured pizza, a packet of seeds, weighing scales, a jar of jelly babies and a cactus! All spoke passionately of the great strength of community and how the individual is valued, appreciated and supported to grow and develop. I am therefore proud to announce that our Head Boy is Harry Ingram and our Head Girl is Molly Robinson. The deputies will be Louise Reilly, Oak Hamilton-Hill, Oliver Murphy and Alex Willis. Mr Finch and I will be meeting with the other candidates to look at their senior roles. A big thank you to year 7 parents for their incredible support and words of encouragement at the recent Parents Evening. It has been great seeing how the year group has settled and they have been making big strides in their learning (especially as I have now taught most of them!) Dates this Term 28th April - Non Uniform day (Hospice UK) 1st May - Bank Holiday Monday 6th May -PSA Quiz Night 29th May- 2nd June—Half Term 12th June - 16th June - MFL Paris Trip 19th June - Globe Trip 23rd June –Non Uniform Day
Vacancies PE Teacher Lead English Teacher History Teacher
HAND News - the online newsletter from Hertfordshire Additional Needs Database can be accessed at:www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/handnews . It has details of free courses for parents, inclusive activities for children and much more.
April 2017
Attendance Matters WHOLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Dear Parents/Carers This term we are continuing to focus on attendance and punctuality and we are writing to remind you that we expect our student’s attendance to be at 97% - this is our school target for the academic year. Currently, we remain below this and need your continuing support to ensure we hit this important mark. THANK YOU SO MUCH to those families who work hard to ensure their child’s punctuality and attendance is high. THANK YOU for getting these important habits embedded early on in your child’s life as it will make a difference in their futures. There is a link between attendance and achievement and therefore it is very important that your child attends school every day unless there are exceptional circumstances. Education lays the necessary foundations of a child’s life. Regular and punctual attendance at school is key to both academic and social development, which in turn will Improve the life chances of children and young people.
What does 90% attendance mean? 90% attendance = ½ school day missed every week! One school year at 90% attendance = 4 weeks of learning missed! Over 5 school years of school = ½ school year missed! All children and young people nationally whose school attendance is 90% or below are considered to be persistent absentees.
Aim for term 3 - 97%
Form Attendance Awards for last term 1st 2nd
Y11 L Y9 A
98.87% 98.12%
3rd 4th
Y7 N Y9 M
98.08% 97.86%
5th
Y10 A
97.57%
6th 7th
Y9 B Y11 M
97.36% 97.30%
8th 9th
Y12 M Y9 R
97.29% 97.23%
10th
Y10 R
97.17%
Punctuality Matters too! Missed minutes = missed learning = missed opportunities! As a school, we are aware lateness can severely affect achievement. We monitor punctuality closely and have strategies in place to .address lateness. Awareness of the impact of lateness is raised with students, staff and parents regularly. Registration begins at 8.50am for Primary students and at 8.45am for Upper school. Students are expected to be in their class rooms at this time. Students arriving after this time will be marked as present but arriving late (L). For late arrivals, students must immediately report to the school office to sign in. This is for Safeguarding reasons, to ensure that we can be responsible for their health and safety whilst they are in school.
Family holidays and term time leave Holidays during term time will not be authorised. If permission is not granted, but the child is still absent, the absence is classed as unauthorised. Parents/carers should ensure that family holidays and any term time leave are arranged outside of school term time. All requests for authorised absence will be responded to in writing and will only be authorised in the most extreme circumstances. Parents/carers should not remove their child from school during term time without having first requested a leave of absence in writing to the Headteacher. If your child’s attendance falls below 90%, the school will send you a letter.
Jean competes for Herts in UK finals Congratulations to Jean Nwahba who was part of the Hertfordshire athletics team who finished 3rd in the UK Sportshall athletics finals. Jean competed in the shot putt, standing long jump and 4 lap race scoring some valuable points, finishing 8th overall in the UK and top Herts scorer. A phenomenal achievement and definitely a star in the making. Jean's next competition is the County League which takes place next Weds at Wodson.
The Larch Centre had a ‘Cracking’ start to the Summer term! Last week we welcomed the arrival of some eggs from Posh Poultry. The children (and staff) waited patiently for their arrival, so on Friday we were overjoyed to see the hatching of 4 chicks. On Saturday another 4 had hatched. So you can imagine the egg-citement on Monday morning when the children returned to school. We have all had a hold and continue to care for the chicks for another week still!
This week was very exciting for our year one classes as they attended their first school swimming lesson! It went with a Splash!
North Weald Art Trip Monday 24th April saw the launch of the Yr12 Art and Photography project ‘A Sense of Place’ and ‘Beyond the Postcard’. Students were challenged to respond to two different locations using experimental photographic techniques and sketching. Our first visit was to North Weald Redoubt. This late 18th century structure was one of twelve Mobilisation Centres built to store guns, ammunition and tools to protect London if war broke out and these forts were considered the last line of defence. Whilst the site is a scheduled monument of national importance it is now covered in graffiti and overrun by foliage. It was certainly a struggle to locate and photos taken highlight how the site is gradually being reclaimed by nature. A short mini bus trip brought us to North Weald Airfield, where, following a quick panini down by the runway our students were able to individually explore a large hanger full of smaller aircraft which spanned a period of almost eighty years. Back outside we were introduced to a dilapidated DC4 / C54 Skymaster. This was one of the iconic planes which were used during the Berlin airlift following WW2. It was rather eerie exploring this abandoned aircraft and students were able to glean some interesting studies. Overall, the day was a great opportunity to explore unfamiliar locations and develop a wealth of first hand observational studies which should lead to some exciting experimental studies by our students.
Haworth English Trip Recently, 14 English Literature A-Level students travelled to Haworth in Yorkshire to visit BrontĂŤ country and learn about the life and works of the sisters. The highlights of the trip were the steam train journey, the walk on the moors and the fascinating lectures we received in the BrontĂŤ parsonage and museum. Apart from the fortified vinegar sachets, the youth hostel in Haworth was lovely and the lounge made the perfect setting for our Kate Bush Wuthering heights music video recreation competition (Which I won. Comprehensively). We will be using the information and experiences we gained from this trip to aid our coursework, in which we will be using critical theory to evaluate famous works of literature. Huge thanks to Mr Davies for organising and running such a fantastic trip, Mrs Parris for being her usual brilliant self and Amy for letting me borrow her hairdryer! Alex Willis Y12
Sixth Form EduTech Ambassadors The EduTech department at Simon Balle ensure that our students are educated on all aspects of social media. Our EduTech team has recently implemented the EduTech Ambassadors scheme with a number of sixth form students. These eight students have a range of experience in respect of social media. They have also been trained by EduTech staff to help outline the positive and negative impacts of social media Through group discussions, one to one work, video animations and meetings they are delivering information to the whole school and wider community. They are currently working across the school community educating students on understanding key aspects that impact on them whilst using social media. This term we are currently collaborating with the Hertfordshire Police Cadets and their Social Action Project. Our Ambassadors will be responsible for working with the elderly in the community by helping them build icloud memories, along with learning how to access Skype and Facebook. We are hopeful that this will reduce social isolation and help those elderly that may be suffering from dementia. If students should ever need advice of help with social media they can contact the Edutech ambassadors by emailing socialmedia@simonballe.herts.sch.uk
eSafety newsletter Parent edition
NSPCC warns that Yellow app is like ‘Tinder for teens’ Many teenagers worldwide are signing up to use the Yellow app. Yellow advertises as a ‘free way to make new chat friends’. It has been compared to the adult dating app Tinder as users swipe right to like someone and left to pass. Users must be 13+ to sign‑up for the Yellow app. According to the terms of service, users between the ages of 13 – 17 years old should have parental permission before signing up or creating an account. The NSPCC has raised huge concerns about the app as teenagers are publicly sharing sexually suggestive photographs of themselves which can easily be accessed by strangers. When two users ‘like’ each other they can chat by adding each other on picture messaging service Snap Chat. Yellow has no checks in place to verify the age of anyone joining the app. Check out the online safety concerns raised by the Internet Matters Team. Visit: http://bit.ly/2nvHUc9
Summer 2017
Kayleigh’s Love Story
This is a chilling five minute film to show young people and adults the dangers of grooming and sexual exploitation. It documents the true story of the murder of Kayleigh. Kayleigh, a 15 year old school girl, was groomed online via Facebook over a 15 day period before being raped and murdered. The video ends with a warning: “Stop and think. When you meet someone online, you don’t always know who you are talking to.” The film has been made by Leicestershire Police with the support of Kayleigh Haywood’s family and would have a 15 rating if shown in a cinema. There is a fact sheet that has been published that contains information for parents and carers about online grooming and signs and behaviours to watch out for. http://bit.ly/2ocqfVj Watch the full film on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2o6h4cj
Sexting, Selfies and Nudies When people talk about sexting, they usually mean sending and receiving naked pictures or ‘nudies’, ‘underwear shots’, sexual photographs or rude text or video messages. For young people under 18 it is against the law for anyone to take or have a sexual photo of them – even if it’s a selfie. A study last year for the NSPCC and children’s commissioner found 13% of 11 to 16 year-olds reported that they had taken topless pictures of themselves and 3% had taken fully naked pictures of themselves. It is an issue that has become increasingly worrying for parents. A YouGov survey found that parents were now more concerned about the impact of sexting on their children than about alcohol and drug abuse.
LEGO Life
Lego has launched a ‘safe’ social network for under 13s through a new app called ‘LEGO Life’. It allows children to put photographs of their creations on the site. There are protections in place to help ensure the site is child friendly. Users can use the predetermined text comments or customised Lego emoji’s to respond to posts. Children have to use parents’ details to sign up. The app prohibits the sharing of personal information or photos that could be used to identify a user or give away their location. Children can only comment on posts rather than have a continuous chat.
The NSPCC website is a good source of information for parents and helps explain the risks of sexting. It offers advice on how to talk to your child about this issue. Visit: http://bit.ly/SexT55
Do you talk to your child openly, and regularly about ways they can keep safe online? Why not use the NSPCC parent resources to help you start a conversation. http://bit.ly/2nqIvu3 Try these conversation starters from the Childnet website http://bit.ly/2nHQk0v Take a look at the O2 and NSPCC ‘A parents’ guide to being Share Aware’. http://bit.ly/2nqIzKj And finally…Need help setting parental controls? Take a look at the guidance from the NSPCC on how parental controls can be used to block upsetting or harmful content, to control in-app purchases or to manage how long your child spends online. http://bit.ly/2nHwvGI
Cyberbullying ’Letter X’ game on Snapchat
The ‘Letter X’ game is a new craze and involves targeting one person that several people know and posting mean and nasty comments about them. It starts by one member of a group chat sending the letter X to another member in a message. The recipient then has to send back the name of someone known to the whole group for all of the group to write mean comments about. The comments although made anonymously can be posted publically for all to read! Snapchat is an app age rated 13+. If your child is on Snapchat check this is not a game they are involved in. Encourage them to come and tell you if they are invited to join in and post inappropriate comments about anybody.
Useful websites “I want to make it less likely that my children will get into trouble at home when online”
“I don’t want people to see that when they search on the internet”
Find out how to make internet access safer at home on the Internet Matters website: http://bit.ly/ParentCont
Find out how to ask Google to remove information from their search results here http://bit.ly/RemInfo
“I have found a website that holds illegal content. How do I report it?”
Report illegal website content here: https://www.iwf.org.uk
For further eSafety advice visit: http://bit.ly/eSafetyAdviceforParents