This week we enjoyed a terrific Open evening on Wednesday. The Hall was absolutely packed with prospective parents and it was great to see so many people so keen to get their children into Roding Valley. I did have the chance to speak to a large number of parents and every one of them was incredibly complimentary about the school as a whole and the students in particular. We had over 350 of our students helping on the night, acting as tour guides or taking part in activities in faculty areas. I was stopped on numerous occasions by prospective parents who wanted to say how impressed they were with the student who had shown them around and been such wonderful ambassadors for the school. I would like to thank all of the staff who worked so hard to make the evening such a memorable one. The Premises team did sterling work to ensure that the school looked at its best. However, I would like to make special mention of four students who spoke during the presentation to parents in the Hall. Olivia Tinker, Head Girl, and Will Cain, Head Boy are old hands at this sort of thing and again spoke confidently and warmly about their first six years at Roding Valley. Then George Howard and Ellie Crookbaine from Year 8 stood up and gave a lovely account of their time in Year 7. I must say that they spoke with clarity and fluency and it was tremendous to hear such positives comments about the school. They were a real credit to the school and I must confess that I got a lump in my throat just listening to them. On Thursday evening it was great to see so many Year 7 parents in the Hall for the Information Evening. It is more important than ever that parents are aware of how their sons and daughters are being taught and the changes that are taking place in education. I spoke about the new 9 to 1 curriculum and how we are ensuring that every student is challenged from day one in school. Mr Vermaak and Mrs Routledge then discussed the way Maths and English are being delivered to make sure of the best outcomes in years to come and give the parents an insight into what their children are doing in class. Mr Hudgell, Progress leader for Year 7, also spoke about the positive start the year group have made and the extracurricular opportunities that they have already enjoyed. Again, it was an excellent evening and a real treat to speak to so many supportive parents. Have a lovely weekend. James Luck Headteacher
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
Piano Lessons: To book piano lessons please contact rosswall@gmail.com
Singing Lessons: Private singing lessons are now available. Please contact Alex Larke for more details and to book your slot. email: alex@thevocaltutor.com Drum Lessons: One to One, Two to One and Small Group lessons available. Learn with your friends! Contact: marksevel@hotmail.com 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.
Educational visits We would like to inform you that the school has now moved to an on-line procedure for medical and consent forms for all educational visits. (apart from P.E fixtures). If your child is successful in gaining a place on a visit, an email will be sent to you from a company called Evolve (a national company that helps schools administer educational visits), along with our school form, that requests consent, medical details etc. This information is then sent directly to the school, where we are governed by data protection. Please ensure that these digital forms are promptly returned and accurately completed, as failure to do so may compromise your child's place on the trip. It is vitally important that the school holds current email addresses for parents/guardians. If you need to update or provide an email address, please inform the school office.
College Open Days coming up for Year 11 Epping Forest College Saturday 15th October 10am‐12 Harlow College Wednesday 3rd November 5.30-7.30pm Students in Year 11 can apply to any college of their choice. All websites, contact details and open days for colleges are detailed in the FE Booklet given to Year 11 students last week. Kind regards Mrs Mason Careers Development Manager dmason@rodingvalley.net Twitter: Follow @RVHS_Careers to keep up to date with our department.
YEAR 11 PARENTS Please see below the generic timetable for the forthcoming Year 11 Examination Week. These examinations will take place under formal conditions for every subject area. Your son/daughter will receive an individual timetable from their Form Tutor during registration next week. Individual timetables will be printed on YELLOW paper. A further copy will also be emailed to all students and parents. This sheet of information is very important, please encourage your son/daughter to take responsibility and look after their timetables. If timetables are lost, student’s can refer to the seating plans pinned up on the door at the Science Playground. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Miss J Draper Exams Officer
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 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 @humsrvhs
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.
You can follow us at www.rodingvalley.net and on Facebook at the ‘Roding Valley High School Official’ page. Our Twitter (@RodingValleyHS) account is a great place to keep up to date with some of the latest news and activities in school. You can also sign up to our free electronic media release service at rodingvalleymedia@gmail.com
Year 7 Year 8
Highest Attendance
7X
Form with the highest Honours
7S
Student with the highest Honours
Shamyah Binns 7Y
Highest Attendance
8Q
Form with the highest Honours
8S
Student with the highest Honours
Ellie Crookbaine 8Q
Student of the week
Lucy Jarvis 8U nominated by Ms Bingham for her remarkable painting relating to culture poetry and for her effort in lessons Arin Ozerin 8Q and Terence Adams 8W nominated by Miss Kaur for continuous good work and effort in Maths
Highest Attendance
9U
Form with the highest Honours
9X
Student with the highest Honours
Benjamin Rawlinson 9R
Student of the week
Lucy Goodyear-Smith 9U & Patsy Stow 9V nominated by Mrs Humphreys for their dedication and hard work in RS – Well Done!
Class of the week
9B/Cs4 nominated by Mr Hussain for superb work ethic and focus. Very keen learners that wanted to impress!
Year 10
Highest Attendance
10S
Form with the highest Honours
10X
Year 11
Highest Attendance
11S
Form with the highest Honours
11Q
Year 9
Class of the week
8B/Rs3 and 8A/Rs3 nominated by Mrs Humphreys for excellent attitude and behaviour during exams, they were all focused – Well Done!
Fancy trying something new? Spending time with friends and making new ones? Do you like to do adventurous activities like Zorbing, Abseiling or Camping? Why not try Guides? 7th Loughton Guides currently have a few spaces, so if you are a girl aged 10+ and answered yes to any of the above, please contact us by email on 7thloughtonsouthguideunit@gmail.com
ATTENDANCE MATTERS….. 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 or medical evidence if requested 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 holiday 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. Guidance for Common Ailments Please see, on the following page, guidance from the NHS of common childhood illnesses; this advises what type of illness requires time off from school and what does not. Should you require further guidance please contact the school.