It was a pleasure this week to welcome Sir John Rowling to Roding Valley High School. Sir John heads up the PiXL organisation which is focused on School Improvement and he was visiting to look at the work that we are doing in order to raise standards in terms of student progress. As a former Headteacher of an Outstanding School, he was knighted for his Services to Education so he was certainly someone we were keen to invite in. He was very impressed with the work that is going on in Year 11 with the tracking of the students throughout the year and the focus on each individual to ensure that they all make their expected progress at the very least. He also commented on how much work we have carried out to support students throughout their time at the school and we were able to show him how the students are making excellent progress in every year group. He also had the chance to meet a number of students who had achieved the highest Attitude to Learning grades across the school. He was full of praise for their efforts and presented them with their certificates and you will be seeing some of the photographs in the forthcoming newsletter. Sir John visits a huge number of schools throughout the country and it was lovely to hear how impressed he was with our work, the students and the school in general. We will certainly continue to work with PiXL as we have been invited to take part in several projects designed to provide students with a range of opportunities to further their learning. We are signed up to take part in a Debating programme which will see the winners have the chance to take on Eton College in a debate in their famous halls. In addition we are looking to share our outstanding practice with a number of other schools which is certainly a feather in our caps. I would also like to congratulate Sidney Jethva (Year 10) and Conor Tyrrell (Year 11) both of whom have been selected to represent Essex at Football in their respective year groups. The competition for these places is fierce as Essex Schools football is highly competitive and highly rated. It is testament to the hard work of these boys and their fantastic attitude that they have been chosen to represent the county. Very well done to them. Lastly, following the recent Parent Governor Ballot, I am pleased to advise that you have elected Sharon Famiglietti onto the Governing Board of Roding Valley High School by a majority vote. Full details of the numbers of votes are available upon written request to the school. J Luck Headteacher
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Week ending 13th November 2015 Year 7 Highest Attendance
7Q
Form with the Highest Honours
7R
Student with the Highest Honours
Jade Hardy 7U
Class of the week
7qt/MaE1 nominated by Mr Crabbe for their consistent hard work throughout the week. They have been working really hard right from the beginning of this academic year and are still going. Excellent homework, Excellent classwork, Excellent enthusiasm to learning.
Year 8 Highest Attendance
8U
Form with the Highest Honours
8X
Student with the Highest Honours
Tyler-Blue Kirby-Arif 8X
Student of the week
Class of the week
Kyle Alexander 8W and Jonnie Harrison-Wall 8U nominated by Ms Williams for doing so well on their assessment. Clearly worked hard on them and have shown a more mature and motivated attitude to their learning Dylan Oxborough 8V nominated by Mr Wooten for 100% effort & focus – excellent work produced, great to see! 8uv/Mu3 nominated by Mr Savage for Aspiration, Respect, Endeavour, Perseverance, Attitude & Achievement – Wonderful!
Year 9 Highest Attendance
9S
Form with the Highest Honours
9Q
Student with the Highest Honours
Freya McLaughlin 9R
Student of the week
Class of the week
Freya McLaughlin 9R nominated by Mr Dowd for outstanding work on her English Research Project in lesson Billy Roome 9V nominated by Ms Patel for being fantastic throughout Science lessons, continuing to work well and making a positive contribution. 9qs/MaE1 nominated by Mr Crabbe for performing well in their Post-Test as well as consistently completing homework on time for the whole of last half-term.
Year 10 Highest Attendance
10V
Form with the Highest Honours
10Q
Student with the Highest Honours
Jake Carter 10Q
Year 11 Highest Attendance
11Q
Form with the Highest Honours
11T
Student with the Highest Honours
Jessica Galloway 11T
Students of the Week
Natasha Hooper 11T nominated by Ms Wilson for good work during her recent Controlled Assessment Task. Javier Selman 11S nominated by Ms Ahmad for excellent analysis of Mice and Men and hardwork in class. Emily Girvan 11T & Shyla McDonald 11V nominated by Mrs Barrett for exceeding their target grade by 2 grades in their mocks Ben Broder 11S nominated by Ms Dyer for gaining an additional 23 marks in his Maths test paper since the start of Year 11 Ross Xenofondos 11W nominated by Ms Patel for having a much improved and better attitude to his learning. Well done Ross, keep up the good work!
YEAR 10 EXAM WEEK Please find below a copy of the Year 10 Exam Week Timetable. These exams will be conducted under full exam conditions and will start to prepare the students for the rigour and preparation to sit their actual GCSE's. They will also provide us with a current assessment grade. This is a generic timetable and students must refer to their individual timetables for precise timings of examinations relevant to them. Students will receive their individual timetables next week. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. J Draper Examinations Officer jdraper@rodingvalley.net
POLITE NOTICE FROM FOOD TECHNOLOGY
Could parents/guardians please return the slip attached to the contributions letter. Whether paying by cash or via ParentPay it helps keep our records up to date. Many thanks for your continued support.
* Summer Term only
LIBRARY OPENING TIMES The library is open to all students for homework, G.C.S.E. work and private study/reading at the following times: Monday - Friday (excluding Tuesday): Before school 7.15am – 8.30am, break time, lunch times & after school for homework club 3.15pm – 4.15pm. Tuesday: Before school 7.15am - 8.10am, break time and lunch times. Access for early opening is via the door by resources.
Drop in times for Students with Special Educational Needs Drop in times for parents of SEN students are to enable you to discuss your son/ daughter's progress in detail. We will be available at the following times: Mondays 11.20am—12.20pm Wednesdays 12.20pm—1.20pm Thursdays 10.00am—11.00am
Supported Homework Club Learning Zone Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 3.05pm - 3.40pm Everyone welcome A drink and biscuit are provided
Please email me to book one of these times, or an alternative time if these are inconvenient, at asmith@rodingvalley.net
ICT Coursework Sessions Every Tuesday Lunchtime With Miss Wilson in ICT4
Maths Support Monday & Friday After school in M5 Maths Club Tuesday & Thursday Lunchtime in M3
Message from the PE Department Please remember that the PE department has a no jewellery policy. Students are not allowed to wear earrings for PE lessons and will be asked to remove them so if your child is going to have their ears pierced this should be done at a time when they are not in school for enough time to allow the ears to heal, e.g. at the beginning of the summer holidays.
The Humanities Faculty has a Twitter account designed to promote sites of interest, pre-reading, revision, humanities information, news and general humanities support. It is aimed at all KS3, KS4 and A-level Humanities Students and can be followed
Attention all RVHS students Send photos of yourself reading a book or Kindle to Mrs Martin at: jmartin@rodingvalley.net and see your picture(s) on our @RVgetcaughtreading Twitter feed. The more weird & wacky the better! Mrs Martin, School Librarian
@humsrvhs
School Website Please visit our school website to find details of any recent letters home, the Student Bulletin and previous copies of the Parent Bulletin - www.rodingvalley.net You can follow us at www.rodingvalley.net , on Facebook at the ‘Roding Valley High School Official’ page or on Twitter (@RodingValleyHS). You can also sign up to our free electronic media release service at rodingvalleymedia@gmail.com
PE Twitter Account The PE department have activated a Twitter account where regular PE updates, extra-curricular news and curriculum information will be regularly published. Follow @RodingValleyPE to keep up to date with our department. Mr Hudgell
The Non Uniform day that was scheduled for Friday 20th November has been cancelled.
at Roding Valley High School, Loughton Tuesdays 6.30pm (please use Brook Road entrance) Our successful ProPoints Plan makes weight loss as effortless as possible. Whatever you like to eat, you can lose weight; no food is off limits with WeightWatchers —Your Way. You’re guaranteed a warm, friendly welcome, motivating activity, advice and support, inspiration, a confidential weigh-in and successful weight loss. I look forward to meeting you!
Thank you Needed! Any unwanted good quality badged uniform, skirts especially, for the PTA to sell on at a huge reduction. Good quality used uniform is always available from the school from 3.15pm - 4.15pm daily.
Contact Julie Faulkner 07981 744746 jfaulkner@weight-watchers.co.uk See our website for current offers www.weightwatchers.co.uk
Roding Valley High School PTA UPCOMING EVENTS For up to date information on all events please check the weekly Parent Bulletin and/ or go to our website:www.rodingvalleypta.co.uk Our email address is:admin@rodingvalleypta.net if you have any questions or would like to offer help at an event. Yr7 Christmas Disco, Friday 11th December 2015
Is your son or daughter a fan of David Walliams and his wonderful books? Then how about entering this fantastic competition? The winners of a prize draw will spend an evening with David Walliams ‘after hours’ at the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, South London. You must be over 18 to enter the prize draw, but winners can take 2 guests (i.e. excited children) with them. Closing date: 18th November 2015 For information on how to enter the prize draw click on this link: https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/win-100-tickets-to-be-won/ For full terms & conditions click on this link: https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/competition-terms-and-conditions/ GOOD LUCK! Mrs Martin, School Librarian
Students are regularly coming into school with cheques with the payee being left blank
School Shop Opening Times Before School: 8.30am - 9.00am
Can you please ensure that all cheques are made payable to
Break: 11.00am - 11.20am
Roding Valley High School
Lunch: 1.20pm - 2.05pm
The school cannot be held responsible for any cheques which go missing and are then cashed elsewhere
After School: 3.05pm - 4.00pm STUDENTS WILL NOT BE SERVED OUTSIDE THESE HOURS
Student Absence If your child is unable to attend School for any reason then please report their absence by phoning the school number by 9.30am, you must also ring in each day of your child’s absence.
020 8508 1173 On their return to School please ensure your child brings with them a letter explaining the reason for the absence for our records.
Medical Appointments When possible please make sure you make any medical or dental appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible then please try to ensure that your child attends before and/or after their appointment.
Holidays in Term Time It is not school policy to authorise any holidays during term time except in exceptional circumstances. If you put in a request a ‘Leave of Absence’ form must be completed (these are available at Student Reception). Please be aware if the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case may be referred to the Education Welfare Service who may issue a Penalty Notice for £120 (or £60 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school. For full details regarding attendance please see our Attendance Policy which can be found in the ‘Parents’ section on our website or contact Mrs Jeanette Low our Attendance Officer on the school number 020 8508 1173.
Access to Water in School
Parents, please be aware that the canteen has jugs of water available both during lunchtime and break time for all students to access. Bottled water is sold at all outlets Large bottle 50p Small bottle 25p If a student is overdrawn or has no money on their lunch account, they will always be sold water.
Piano Lessons To book piano lessons please contact
Singing Lessons Private singing lessons are now available. Please contact Alex Larke for more details and to book your slot.
rosswall@gmail.com
email: alex@thevocaltutor.com
GCSE Health and Social care I wanted to say a huge thanks to the parents that got into contact regarding my plea for volunteers that work in the Health Care, Social Care or Early Years Sector. A special mention goes to the following parents who gave up their valuable time to deliver fantastic presentations on a range of different roles. Mrs Welch Mrs Cain Ms France Mrs Walters The Year 10’s found this experience really enjoyable and it has helped them immensely with their GCSE coursework. Thanks again for your continued support. Mrs Barrett
College Open Days coming up for Year 11 Writtle College Saturday 14th November 10-2pm
SKILLS LONDON - 13-14 November 2015 Skills London 2015 is London’s biggest jobs and careers event for young people. Two days of interactive activities and inspiring jobs and careers, held at ExCeL London, for 15-24 year olds and their families. The 2015 event takes place on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th November. For more details about the event please visit. http://www.skillslondon2015.co.uk/
Essex Primary Health Care Careers Fair Essex Primary Care Careers Fair on Saturday 14th November 9.30am-4.30pm 2015 at Hylands House, Chelmsford. Roding Valley Students from year 9 – 11 and sixth form students who may be considering a career within the Primary Health Care sector, such as a GP, Practice Nurse or Clinical or Community Pharmacist are invited to attend the fair. There will be a number of professionals and trainees at the event available to talk about their career, what their dayto-day role involves and the course they took to attain their qualifications in order to pursue their career. There will also be various organisations at the event exhibiting including Anglia Ruskin University and The University of Essex. To book your free place please email: info@epic-wd.org.uk Kind regards Mrs Mason Careers Development Manager dmason@rodingvalley.net
Guitar Lessons Lessons slots are available on Mondays with lessons priced at £12 per half hour. Please contact Steve van Niekerk on vn.steve.vn@gmail.com if you are interested.
Drum Lessons One to One, Two to One and Small Group lessons available. Learn with your friends! Contact: marksevel@hotmail.com