Parent Bulletin Week ending 12th October 2018 by Roding Valley High School

RVHS Parent Bulletin Aspiration

Respect

Endeavour

Week ending: Friday 12th October 2018 “Our vision is to be the school of choice for our local community, developing successful young people with high aspirations, who show respect for all and endeavour to become the very best that they can be.” Message from the Head of School Roding Valley High School has opened its doors to hundreds of prospective parents and members of the community this week. Our Open Morning was incredibly well attended and the feedback has been extremely positive. I was exceptionally proud of all the students who attended on Saturday morning; they were all in immaculate uniform, were very polite and showed real passion for their school. I have received nothing but positive comments about their conduct and I thank all the parents who supported this event. Thank you to all the students who helped performed and supported their school. Please do look at the selection of photos included in this bulletin; it was a really great day for the school. Quotes from the feedback forms: ‘Absolutely fantastic presentation from a wonderful school, teachers are so committed and the students praised the school highly’ ‘The guides were very well mannered’ ‘Having had 2 children that have come here (one still here) I am very impressed with the direction of the school’ Our open morning tours have also been very well attended; parents wanted to see the school in action on a normal day. Again, our students are a credit to the school, the parents were impressed with their conduct, the facilities and the learning that they saw happening in the classrooms. I am delighted that we are now oversubscribed in many of our year groups. We have enrolled record numbers into the 6th Form and early indications show that we will be oversubscribed in our 2019 intake. It is a very exciting time for the school with more to look forward too. The students have been really excited to start their lessons in the new Brook Building. It is officially being opened by Dame Eleanor Laing, MP next Friday. Please do review the calendar of upcoming events at the school on the following page and note that we will close for half term on Friday 19th October at 3.05pm. School reopens on Tuesday 30th October at 8.35am. The extra day closure is in lieu of the Saturday Open Morning.

The PTA has asked me to promote their next meeting on Monday 15th October at 7pm, please meet in the main school reception. They would really appreciate some additional support. In the last year, the funds that they have raised from the various events have purchased new outside benches, table tennis tables and visualizers for all of the classrooms. They have also paid for water fountains to be installed in the sports facilities. School funding remains an issue for all schools and we are affected by this. The extra money raised for these extra bits is greatly appreciated and to the benefit of all the students. If you can’t attend the meeting then please put Thursday 8th November in your diary and come along to the Christmas Market. The school provides regular updates on events on Twitter; please follow us @Roding Valley HS. The website is also updated regularly with recent communications to parents and key events. Enjoy the rest of the bulletin and have a lovely weekend Sharon Jenner Head of School

Morning Drop Off Please can Parent/Carers remember that students must be delivered to school in a safe and secure manner, students must be dropped off in Brook Road and you must not stop or pause your vehicles on the yellow Zig Zag lines at the front of the school on Alderton Hill, so your child can hop out. Remember your child’s safety is our priority.

We would like to ask Parents to remind our students that all mobile phones should be switched off at all times throughout the school day. If they are seen or heard by a member of school staff they will be confiscated.

The schools main form of communication with parents is by email. If you are not receiving emails from the school, you can:  Check your Spam and move the last school email to your Inbox. Future emails should then make their way into your Inbox.  Phone the school to re-subscribe if you have unsubscribed to our emails in the past.  Provide us with an alternative email address Please see instructions on how to join at the bottom of this email. Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS, @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Date

Event

Monday 15th October

Year 7 Assessments begin GCSE Music Controlled Assessment

Wednesday 17th October

D of E Training Day Year 9 STEM Chemistry at Work Trip

Thursday 18th October

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition Year 10 STEM Chemistry at Work Trip Year 9 Food and Nutrition Masterclass

Friday 19 October

Year 11 GCSE Drama Composition Exam

Half Term Break begins

School Closed

Normal School Day

Monday 22 October Monday 29 October Tuesday 30 October

Year 11 MFL Speaking Exams KS3 Drama Shakespeare Festival @Boswells School st

Thursday 1 November th

Monday 5 November

KS3 Awards Event Year 11 Assessments begin Year 13 Love through the Ages Conference

Tuesday 6 November th

Wednesday 7 November

Year 11 to 13 Senior Maths Challenge Year 11 NCFE Exam PE VCert Exam

Thursday 8 November

Year 12 and 13 Study Skills Day PTA Christmas Market

Monday 12th November

Year 11 Assessments continue Year 9 Road Safety Event

Tuesday 13th November th

Wednesday 14 November

Year 12 A Level English Conference Prisoner Me No Way Event Sixth Form Open Evening

Thursday 15 November

Year 11 Maths in Action Event

Friday 16th November

Parliamentary Debate

Monday 19 November

Year 10 assessments begin

Tuesday 20th November

Year 11 Catering PPE Primary Maths and Science Event

Friday 23rd November

School Closed

Saturday 6th October 2018 Our students are really amazing!!

Deadly Distraction The whole of Year 7 had a Road Safety Play on 1st October. This is part of Safer Essex Roads Partnership’s (SERP) road safety programme and delivered to highlight key road safety messages at a time when students will be making independent journeys. Students learnt about the importance of being safe and not being distracted around the roads when moving to and from school. The play was delivered by ‘The Riot Act’ and the play consisted of three actors assuming the roles of three teenagers who are dealing with their own issues and not paying full attention the roads they are near. The actors’ performances were fantastic and was delivered with music, video imagery and references that the pupils could really relate too…namely ‘Pokemon Go’. After the play; the actors broke character and conducted an interactive workshop to analyse the story and their characters and to go over some of the sad and hard-hitting facts about the tragedies that occur on the roads in the UK particularly with the students’ age group. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the play and certainly left the hall with a fresh perspective on the dangers of being around the roads.

Congratulations to all of the Year 8 students that have been nominated for the position of Form Representatives

Zhara Kazmi 8U

Alfie Lambert 8U

Coby Mizzi 8T

Fred Sylvia Duong Elan Wainer Jarvis-Atkins 8R 8R 8W

Emily Bagshaw Teddy Lewis 8X 8X

Monica Jaye 8T

Lola Collings 8Q

Tilly Carr 8W

Archie Sherrin 8Q

Charlotte Erescova Joseph James 9R 8S

Joshua Conway 8V

And our nominated School Council Representatives are:

Tilly Carr Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS, @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Teddy Lewis

Sophie Compton 8V

Congratulations to all of the Year 9 students that have been nominated for the position of Form Representatives

Amelia Martin 9T

Loui Sofcoli 9T

Natasha Halliday 9R

Leah Thomas 9W

Arda Culcuoglu 9R

Ayse Ibrahim 9U

Hannah Ward 9W

Kelly Nan 9U

Rhys Brown 9V

Vienna Igwe 9S

Daniel Mehr 9Q

Jessica Field 9V

Ethan Digman 9S

Grace Smith â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Burrell 9Q

Harri Smith 9X

And our nominated School Council Representatives are:

Vienna Igwe

Rhys Brown

Charlotte Gadeke 9X

PTA News Thank you to all the students who attended our Year 7 Disco on Friday 28th September, we raised ÂŁ200 towards the school. The Winner of the Golden Ticket was Jacob McCanna 7V, who received his prize of a free Pizza and refreshments throughout the evening, congratulations!

Our next PTA Meeting will be on Monday 15th October at 7pm, please can all members meet at main reception. We are constantly looking for parents to support our PTA, if you would like more information on how you can support us, please contact nsellears@rodingvalley.net

Year 11 English Drop in Sessions Start 27th September in E3 All Year 11s welcome to come and get some advice on answering the Macbeth question. In the meantime, listen to Macbeth by downloading the audio version on to your phone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGBQsQoWvA0

You can also start your Macbeth revision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzAujyWpK_s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt13FbL1xyw&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k46vDzUqPrg

Carnegie Shadowing Reading Group After Christmas, we will begin our Carnegie Shadowing Reading Group in E1 on Friday lunchtimes. Students can borrow the latest and best young adult fiction from the previous year, read it in their own time and then we write reviews online about the books. We also do some arts and crafts around the books, play games and make quizzes relating to the novels, and will make use of the outside garden area in the summer to read and discuss books. The Carnegie group is open to KS3, with the help of KS4 as assistants. Some of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books were fantastic and all are thought provoking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one is even being turned into a movie!

English Literacy Games Club The English Department run a Literacy Games Club every Friday lunchtime in E1. We have a variety of games from Bananagrams and Scrabble to Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit. We even have prizes for the winners! It is a great place to escape the winter cold, or simply chat with some friends over a game. It is open to any ages, but we particularly encourage KS3 to make friends and test their word and book knowledge!

GCSE Geography Revision Classes The Geography department will be running GCSE revision classes after-school on a Monday. These sessions will run from 3:30pm until 4:30pm for the remainder of the year. They will start week beginning 22nd October. Students should arrive to the classroom (H1) with a Geography revision guide, pen and paper. The sessions, although delivered with specific content, will also work as a drop in centre. This means student are not expected to stay the full hour necessarily and may only wish to query a couple of items or gain help with homework. The revision session is primarily targeted at year 11, but anyone is welcome. Best regards, Geography RVHS

      Dear Parent / Carers, We are delighted to share our exciting plans with you - all of which can be found on our dedicated website: https://toolkit.edwindoran.com/tour/view/rdv15812-2 Our aim is to travel with girls from 2019/2020 Year 9-11 (current year 7-9) cohort on a 9-day tour departing on 17/10/2019. Full details of the planned itinerary, as it currently stands, can be found by clicking on the corresponding tab above. The trip aims to strike a balance between offering first class training opportunities, competitive fixtures and a truly fantastic cultural experience - a once in a lifetime opportunity that students will never forget! If you would be interested in this trip, please contact Miss C Edwards: cedwards@rodingvalley.net

Departing: 17 Oct 2019 Duration: 8 Nights Returning: 25 Oct 2019 Transport: Flight Price per person: £1860 Tour valid until 30 Sep 2018

At RVHS, we offer lessons in Piano, Drums, Guitar and singing. If you are interested; please email the below contacts and full details will be sent to you:

Piano: To book piano lessons or find out more please contact rosswall@gmail.com

Singing: Private singing lessons are now available. Please contact Alex Larke for more details at alex@thevocaltutor.com

Drumming: The following lessons are available: One to One, Two to One and Small Group lessons. Contact: marksevel@hotmail.com

Guitar: To book lessons or find out more, please contact Rachel Espeute on racheleds@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested.

At RVHS, we use Show My Homework; an account has been created for you to keep up to date with your child’s homework progress from home.

What is ‘Show My Homework’? Show my Homework is a simple online solution for students and parents to view homework details and upcoming deadlines. Mobile apps and notifications ensure you always know what homework your child has and when it’s due. How to Log In?  Go to www.showmyhomework.co.uk/pin What are PINs? PINs are unique codes that ‘Show My Homework’ has assigned to each parent that allow us to confirm their identity on initial login. After logging in for the first time users will be asked to provide more memorable login details for future use. PINs are then only be used as a backup in case you forget these logins.

 Or you can download the app.  Enter your PIN details that you have been given in the letter provided by your school.  Click ‘Log in’  Create a memorable password and enter your email address then click ‘Update you details’.

Students do not need a pin to be able to access their homework. They can gain access to their Show My Homework account though their Gmail account.

You are now able to access your account and view all the homework that has been set for your child. If yourself or your child experience any difficulties with using ‘Show my Homework’ or you no longer have your pin, please contact Mrs. Hodges: jhodges@rodingvalley.net

What is DODDLE? Doddle provides students with access to thousands of engaging, formative resources and guides students through the curriculum. Doddle Progress automatically tracks student attainment in key curriculum skills. Parents can see student attainment and progress through our easy-to-use Doddle Parent feature. Skills within Doddle are rated as red, amber or green. These ratings give a clear indication of how much progress a child has made and highlight the weaker areas to be targeted with revision. Each student has a personal Doddle account where they can access their homework to-do lists and families can view the work their child has been assigned. These accounts enable parents to view their child's results and encourage them to better their scores by using Doddle's revision resources.

Find out how to create a Doddle Parent account and then link that account to your child with this short video:

We have also included a link to a very useful guide on how to view your child's due and submitted homework:

Find out how our school uses Doddle Progress by watching our short video to find out how Progress works.

We have also included a link to a very useful guide on how Progress works and how you can use it to help your child's learning.

This is a valuable resource that will assist parents in supporting their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progression. Please use the following link to the log in: Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS, @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Find out how to view and track your child's homework with this short video. .

We have also included a link to a very useful guide on Troubleshooting.

School Communications: We have been communicating by email for over a year now in a bid to get information to you quicker and more cost effectively. We found, however, our previous parental communication system did not give the functionality that people expect from smart phone apps today. So the school has invested in a new communication system call RS Connect Ed and with this comes a shiny new App.

MyEd is the free parent app that gives you a multitude of communication and information features to stay in touch with what is going on at school. The app gives you direct access to your child's attendance, timetable, absence records, achievements, behaviour and much, much more. You will also see that we update and change the information in the app as the school year moves along. Click here to see a short video about the app We are able to send you messages directly to the MyEd app relating to important information about your child's education and to remind you of events that are taking place at school. We can also embed links to regularly used systems, for example ParentPay & Doddle so you can keep everything in one place. You will receive a notification if we send you a message and there is no charge for the messages you send to us. The App can be downloaded by anyone and they will have access to information also available on our website. Only parents will be able to access their own studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information as long as we have the email address and mobile number you are using to access the App. Everyone will be able to see image to the left. But only parents of students in the school will be able to access this when clicking on the My Students tab. The MyEd app is available for both Apple iOS and Android devices and can be found using the links below: Step 1 - Go to your App Store Step 2 - Search for My Ed Step 3 - Download the Free app Apple iOS App Google Android App

Once you have installed and opened MyEd, search for Roding Valley High School and follow the simple instructions to identify yourself.

Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you are having any @rodingvalleyHS, problems and we will help you get set up. @rodingvalleyPE

RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Student Absence If your child is unable to attend School for any reason please report their absence by phoning the school number by 9.30am at the latest, you must also ring in each day of your child’s absence. 0208-508-1173 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 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. A ‘Leave of Absence’ form must be completed (these are available at Student Reception) should you require leave for your child, a letter detailing your exceptional circumstances should accompany it. 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 on our website or contact Mrs Jeanette Low, our Attendance and Welfare Manager 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 on 0208-508-1173