Dear Parents/Carers, It has been a very busy few weeks at the school. I would like to start by praising the way in which our Year 11, 12 and 13 students have approached their GCSE and A Level Examinations. Students have to sit a lot of examinations, with some subjects requiring students to sit numerous papers. Our students have prepared thoroughly and I am sure that this diligence and preparation will be reflected in their results this summer. In her bulletin last week, Mrs Jenner introduced our new system of communicating with parents. ‘RS Connect Ed’ has been designed to make it far easier for parents to keep in touch with what is happening at the school. There is also an app called ‘My Ed’ and if you haven’t already downloaded this, instructions on how to do so can be found further on in the bulletin. We will be expanding the functionality of this app over the coming weeks, however, I would encourage all parents to start to use this app. We are also introducing a system called ‘Show My Homework’ and staff receive training on how to use this next week. This system allows parents to see what homework has been set and makes homework very transparent. It also does away with the need for your child to write down their homework in their planner as it is all set electronically. We will be explaining these in more detail at the Parents’ Forum meeting on 3rd July and I would encourage all parents to come along and see how you can get the best out of both of these systems. Following on again from last week, I have also included a copy of our new Home School Agreement. This has already gone out via email to parents and was included in last week’s bulletin. For those parents who have yet to digitally sign this form, I would be grateful if you could do so by clicking on the link found further on in this bulletin. I’d like to remind parents that our school uniform policy does not allow students to wear trainers to school. Our uniform is a fundamental part of our community and we expect all our students to wear their uniform correctly and smartly. If you are unsure about what type of footwear is or is not acceptable then please check against the pictures on our website. In the current hot weather students do not have to wear their blazers whilst on site and we will review this regularly over the next few weeks, depending on the weather. Next Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be very warm so I would ask that students bring water to school to stay hydrated and that they also ensure that they have applied suncream. On Thursday 29th June Year 7 will be participating in a sponsored fun run to support the work of our partner school, Greater Joy, in Zambia. This is a great opportunity to promote the importance of exercise, education for all and going the ‘extra mile’ for the benefit of others. All Year 7 pupils will be participating in the run and we would encourage pupils to gain sponsorship for this fun event. There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place as well as a prize for the highest fundraiser. I hope you child enjoys the afternoon and we appreciate your ongoing support. As a Leadership Team, we have worked incredibly hard to ensure that we are fully staffed from September and I am delighted with the high quality and experience our new staff will bring to the school. In times of teacher shortages it can be difficult to recruit staff, so it is very pleasing to note that we will be fully staffed with subject specialists in every faculty area. One of the Deputy Headteachers from The Boswells School, Mr Cheema, will be working with us until the end of term. I have worked with Mr Cheema for a number of years and am looking forward to him using his skills and experience to work with our staff and students. I am thoroughly enjoying my role at Roding Valley High School and I have been very pleased with the work that is going on in the school at the moment. Whilst we still have work to do, it is great to be working with the Roding Valley community again. As ever, if you do need to contact me, please do not hesitate to do so at: pbanks@rodingvalley.net Have a lovely weekend Mr P Banks Executive Headteacher
Essex Schools Athletics
Ella Margetts (9U) & Louise Gilbert (11R) were selected to represent The West Essex & Harlow district at the Essex School Athletics Championships on Saturday 10th June at Melbourne Park, Chelmsford. Both girls participated in the 800m. Ella made the final of the junior girls and came 4th in her heat & 7th in the Final. After struggling with injury over the last few weeks, this was a fantastic achievement.
Louise, however, finished 3rd in the inter girls race, gaining a bronze medal and is now in contention to be selected for the Essex School Squad to go and compete at The National Schools Championships in Birmingham later this month. Both girls did the school and themselves proud and they should be immensely proud of their achievements. Well done ladies. Mr Jones
THURSDAY 29TH JUNE 2017
Period 5 Supporting education in Zambia More details to follow by letter
Dear Parents and Guardians At home please take time to let students know how proud we are of them at Roding Valley, they all need to “Make the Minutes Matter” right up to the last exam on Thursday June 29th, and then take the time to relax. Kind regards
Mr Harris Year 11 Students—Transition Day Dear Year 11 Parents Following feedback from Year 11 students, we have decided to bring our Year 11 into Year 12 Transition Day forward to Monday 3rd July. The aim of the day is for students to gain an insight into the Sixth Form at Roding Valley and ease the transition from Key Stage 4 to 5. On the day, students will receive a personalised timetable based upon A-level option choices. During the day students will have a short presentation regarding the Sixth Form, including topics such as the EPQ, the personalised mentor programme for Ox-bridge and medical students and key information about the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. Students are expected to wear smart business dress and have with them the necessary school equipment to fully engage in lessons. Kind regards, Mr Harris
Year 12 students only I would like to invite you all to our forth coming Business Breakfast at Roding Valley High School on Wednesday 28 June. The aim of the Business Breakfast is for our Year 12 sixth form students to engage and network with local business people to enhance their confidence and communication skills. th
The Business Breakfast is being held in partnership with the YES Partnership organisation, if you would like further information detailing how the YES Partnership support local young people please follow the link to their website http://www.yespartnership.org/ Currently they offer two conferences annually to our Year 9 and Year 10 students. Kind regards Donna Mason Careers Development Manager
Roding Valley Bake Off 22nd June 2017 3.15 ‐ 4.30pm
Brief! Prepare up to 12 cup cakes of your choice Imagina vely decorate and choose your best 8 to serve in an interes ng way Entry forms from T2
Year 10 English Language Exams Revision begins on 12th June for the next three weeks so that students can prepare for Year 10 exams at the end of the month. All students are welcome, but some targeted students who have been informed by letter and email MUST attend. English corridor 3.10-4pm Monday Year 9 GCSE Text Purchase A letter was emailed home before half term regarding the purchase of GCSE exam texts. If you have not paid, could the payment be made as soon as possible as we would like to start the study of the first text . Students will be issued with their books when we begin studying the texts. Thank you. Mrs Routledge Head of English
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10
Form with the highest Honours
7T
Student with the highest Honours
Leya Hines (7V), Rory Langdell (7X), Steve Postolachi (7Q) Joshua Swinson (7T) & Hannah Ward (7W)
Student of the week
Daniel Mehr (7Q) Nominated by Mr Steward for working well in class and getting involved with extra curricular activities outside of school
Class of the week
7A/Rs3 Nominated by Ms Williams for outstanding class work and insightful and well thought out contributions to class discussions
Form with the highest Honours
8X
Student with the highest Honours
Jude Kelly (8X)
Form with the highest Honours
9X
Student with the highest Honours
Conor Briggs (9X) & Callum Hilton (9X)
Student of the week
Eren Tyler (9Q) Nominated by Mr Tisdale for completed a timed task with GCSE quality pencil work
Form with the highest Honours
10W
Student with the highest Honours
Georgia Martin (10W)
Class of the week
10MaEA Nominated by Mr Naidoo for their consistent hard work and effort in class and revision tasks.
Parents of Year 10 Year 10 Careers Programme During this summer term students in Year 10 will be writing a CV and letter of application in tutor time in preparation for the mock interview day on Thursday 13th July. Over the coming weeks they will all participate in careers group work sessions in the Careers Office. Post 16 Options will be discussed and students will be encouraged to start some thorough research into which pathway they wish to follow at the end of Year 11. Parental Involvement Encourage students to complete their CV, discuss with them your own experiences of job interviews and applications. Ensure they save their CV on a computer at home so it will always be accessible to them in the future when searching and applying for jobs. Encourage them to start researching which A levels or courses they may choose to study at the end of Year 11. In September I will provide Parents with detailed information about further education and the open day dates of local colleges and sixth forms. Mock Interview Day Thursday 13th July 2017 I will send out more information regarding the day nearer the time. The mock interview day will prepare students for their first interview at either sixth form, college or with an employer. They will have a ‘mock interview’ either with an employer at the school or with a local employer at their premises. To participate in this students MUST submit a CV and letter of application to Mrs Mason by the end of May. If you require any further information or advice please contact me. Kind regards Mrs Mason Careers Development Manager dmason@rodingvalley.net Twitter: Follow @RVHS_Careers to keep up to date with our department.
GCSE and GCE Examination Timetables Please see on the following pages the FINAL GCSE and GCE Examination Timetables for May/ June 2017. All students in Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 have been issued with an Examination Booklet containing all relevant information regarding the forthcoming exam season. Tucked inside the front cover of this booklet is a Statement of Entry, this indicates all subjects that each student has been entered for and the level of entry (where applicable). Some subjects only have one tier of entry; some have Foundation or Higher tiers. All information must be thoroughly checked. In particular, all personal details (date of birth, spelling of names) are accurate as these will appear on certificates and could prove difficult to change once certificates have been awarded and you may be charged a fee. If you feel something is wrong or missing, you must speak to Miss Draper the Examinations Officer immediately. Students will receive their individual examination timetables after the Easter Break. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards Jenny Draper Examinations Officer Roding Valley High School
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 Rachel Espeute on racheleds@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested.
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. Come up to Homework Club Monday after school to become a times tables expert. Time: 3.05pm - 3.40pm Place: Learning Zone ACHIEVEMENT CERTIFICATE GIVEN EVERY TIME!
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
KS4 Computer Science revision/ intervention sessions are running in IT4 on Thursday lunchtimes
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.
After school sessions mainly targeted at Year 11s (but any student from all key stages KS3, KS4 and KS5 are welcome) in order to help support students to close the gap in either coursework or homework/classwork.
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