Parent Bulletin Week ending 2nd November 2018 by Roding Valley High School

RVHS Parent Bulletin Aspiration

Respect

Endeavour

Week ending: Friday 2nd November 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 Welcome back to school, after what I hope was an enjoyable extended half term break. Students have come back to school re-charged and prepared for the hard work ahead. Year 11 students start their Pre-Public Exams on Monday and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them in advance for their hard work. I hope that they achieve the grades that are reflective of their preparation at this stage. Next week we also have the Senior Maths Challenge, this is a national challenge that will test the students in Years 11-13 for their problem solving skills – we wish them well for Tuesday. Our Sixth Form Open Evening is on Wednesday 14th November and we will be hosting a number of Taster lessons for Year 11 students later in the half term, please encourage your son/daughter to sign up. We look forward to welcoming them to our Sixth Form – please see media release further in the bulletin. On Friday 9th November, we will mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War by holding a minute silence in remembrance with the whole school. We will have poppies available for students to purchase and I encourage you to discuss this with them ahead of Friday. Further information on the centenary can be found at https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/ I would like to mention that as the nights draw in, the weather deteriorates and the evenings get darker. I would like to urge all parents to speak to their children about remaining safe when travelling to and from school. We often discuss how important it is for students to be aware of their surroundings, so please ask your sons and daughters to take care when travelling home. Please can you also remind your son/daughter the dangers of letting off Fireworks (see RoSPA guidelines to Firework Safety, which are detailed in this bulletin). Finally, can I remind parents/carers that the drive way at the front of the school is for passing through and not somewhere that you can wait at the end of school to pick up your child. If you need to wait, can I encourage you to do this in Sainsbury’s car park or round in Brook Road. Have a fun but safe Fireworks night. Sharon Jenner Head of School For regular updates on activities at school please follow us on twitter @RodingValleyHS

Date

Event th

Year 11 Assessments begin

Monday 5 November

Year 13 Love through the Ages Conference

Tuesday 6th November

Year 11 to 13 Senior Maths Challenge

Monday 5 November

Wednesday 7 November

KS3 Awards Evening: 6pm to 7:15pm

Thursday 8th November

Year 12 and 13 Study Skills Day

Thursday 8 November

Year 9 Road Safety Event

Tuesday 13th November

Year 12 A Level English Conference

Wednesday 14 November

Prisoner Me No Way Event

Wednesday 14th November

Sixth Form Open Evening: 5pm to 7pm

Thursday 15 November th

Year 11 Maths in Action Event

Friday 16 November

Epping Forest Schools Parliamentary Debating Competition 2018@6:30pm in the Main School Hall

Friday 23rd November

School Closed - Staff Training

Parents are invited to the events that highlighted blue.

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 We hope to send more information through the MyEd App once the subscription rates increase.

Firework Safety The Firework Code and Safety Tips for Sparklers and Bonfires Despite annual safety warnings, firework celebrations still end in painful injuries for too many people, including very young children. Yet fireworks can be great fun for families, not just around November 5 (Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes Night), but also Diwali, New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year. Injury figures support the advice that the safest place to enjoy fireworks is at a large public display: far fewer people are injured here than at smaller family or private parties. Did you know? 

Over 550 children under 16 are taken to A&E in the four weeks surrounding bonfire night alone.



Many more boys than girls are injured by fireworks – especially boys aged 12 to 15 years.



It is Illegal for anyone under the age of 18 years to buy fireworks (Sparklers are classed as a firework) or to possess them in a public place. There is a fine of up to £5000 and imprisonment of for up to 6 months for using fireworks illegally.



It is against the law for anyone to set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on following occasions: Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight, New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am. Firework Code Only adults should deal with setting up firework displays, the lighting of fireworks and the safe disposal of fireworks once they have been used. Children and young people should watch and enjoy fireworks at a safe distance. Follow these top 10 safety tips for a safer fireworks party: 

Plan your firework display to make it safe and enjoyable



Keep fireworks in a closed box and use them one at a time



Read and follow the instructions on each firework using a torch if necessary



Light the firework at arm's length with a taper and stand well back



Keep naked flames, including cigarettes, away from fireworks



Never return to a firework once it has been lit



Don't put fireworks in pockets and never throw them



Direct any rocket fireworks well away from spectators



Never use paraffin or petrol on a bonfire



Make sure that the fire is out and surroundings are made safe before leaving.

In an Emergency: 

Cool any burns immediately with cold water. Keep the burn under the running water for at least 10 minutes.



Don’t touch the burn or pull at any clothing that might be stuck to it.



If someone’s clothing catches on fire, get them to stop and drop to the ground and roll them any heavy material (like a curtain).



Get advice from a doctor, the A&E department at your local hospital, or call the NHS for advice on "NHS 111" in England.



Get medical advice for any burn on a child larger than a postage stamp.



If the burn involves a child’s face, hands, feet, joints or genitals, it should be seen by a doctor.

This morning saw the first Primary School event of the new school year at Roding Valley; with 125 Key Stage 1 pupils from Alderton Infants, Staples Road, Whitebridge, Lambourne and Chigwell Primary attending and all ably assisted by a fantastic group of Year 10 GCSE Students. They took part in a multi skills event which covers the fundamental movement skills of running, throwing, jumping and hopping with a few fun alternatives as well such as curling and balance walking.

It was a great morning and was brilliant to see so many young pupils engaged and having fun by doing exercise which is a credit to the Year 10 leaders who ran each station.

Mr C Allen PE Department

On Tuesday 30th October, some of our KS3 Drama Students visited Boswells School in Chelmsford to take part in a Shakespeare Festival. They joined students from King Edwards VI Grammar School, Sandon Arts School, Chelmer Valley High School and Boswells School to celebrate Shakespeare and each school showcased a performance. It was a fantastic event and the student performances were amazing. Well done to all of the students that took part!

Up Coming College Open Days 

Stansted Airport College: Tuesday 6th November – 5:30pm to 8:30pm, www.stanstedairportcollege.ac.uk



Hertford Regional College: Tuesday 7th November – 5:30pm to 8pm, www.hrc.ac.uk



Epping Forest College: Wednesday 21st November – 4pm to 7pm, www.efc.ac.uk



Ada College: Wednesday 28th November – 5:30pm to 7:30pm, www.ada.ac.uk

Please remember to always check the relevant website prior to the event to ensure the timings are correct and have not changed.

Message from Mr Dobson: Year 7 YPL It is that time of year when the mornings are a bit colder and the evenings a bit darker as we draw towards the Christmas holiday season. We work hard at ensuring that all of our students are safe in school and encourage them to stay safe on the journey to and from school. These are some options to think about to ensure our students are seen during dark mornings and nights. Colourful coats: Outer clothing like coats, jackets and hats would benefit from being bright, vibrant colours, ideally with some fluorescent sections to make students as easy to spot as possible and keep them warm during the winter months. Reflective materials: Wearing synthetic materials that reflect well like waterproof materials will likely catch light reflected from cars and bikes better than natural fabrics. Most waterproof coats and high visibility jackets will use these fabrics.

Message from Mr Ryan The assembly this week was about making correct choices. I asked students a series of questions to get them to think outside the box. An example was; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Would you rather have an easy job working for someone else or work for yourself but work incredibly hard?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; My aim through this week's assembly was to get students thinking about making decisions. Are they the kind of person who will let an injustice go unchallenged or are they going to stand up and make a change like Rosa Parks or Sir Nicholas Winton (who saved 669 Jewish Children from the holocaust). The overall message was to encourage students to think about making the correct choices and not to expect something in return.

Well done to Charlotte Gadeke, who came third in the Woodford and Essex Cross country competition

Monday th 5 November

Tuesday th 6 November

Wednesday th 7 November

Thursday th 8 November

Friday th 9 November

Monday th 12 November

Tuesday th 13 November

Wednesday th 14 November

Thursday th 15 November

Periods 2 + 3 9.00 – 11.00 English Language P1 (1hr 45m) SPORTS HALL START : 9.00 Science (Combined) P1 (1hr 15m) Biology (Triple Science) (1hr 45m) SPORTS HALL START : 9.00 Hospitality & Catering (1hr 30m) HALL START : 9.00 Media Studies (1hr 30mins) HALL START: 9.00 Religious Studies P1 (1hr 45m) Computer Science (1hr 30m) HALL START: 9.00 English Language P2 (1hr 45m) SPORTS HALL START : 9.00

Science (Combined) P3 (1hr 15m) Physics (Triple Science) (1hr 45m) SPORTS HALL START : 9.00 History P1 (1hr 15mins) SPORTS HALL START : 9.00 History P2 (1hr 45mins) HALL START : 9.00

Periods 4 + 5 11.20 – 13.20 French/Spanish Reading Foundation - 45mins Higher - 1hr SPORTS HALL START : 11.30 Maths P2 (Calculator) (1hr 30m) SPORTS HALL START : 11.30

Periods 6 14.05 – 15.05 Maths P1 (Non-Calculator) (1hr 30m) SPORTS HALL START – 13.30

Geography (1hr 30m) HALL START : 11.30 Music (1hr 45m) HALL START : 11.30 Business (1hr 30m) HALL

NCFE VCert in Fitness & Health (2hrs) HALL START – 13.30 French (Listening) Foundation - 35m - HALL Higher- 45m - DRAMA HUT START : 14.05 Spanish (Listening) Foundation - 35m - DRAMA HUT Higher- 45m - HALL START: 14.05

START: 11.30 Science (Combined) P2 (1hr 15m) Chemistry (Triple Science) (1hr 45m) SPORTS HALL START : 11.30 Maths P3 (Calculator) (1hr 30m) SPORTS HALL START : 11.30

Religious Studies P2 (1hr 45m) SPORTS HALL START : 11.30 Physical Education P2 (1hr 15mins) HALL START : 11.30

Physical Education P1 (1hr 15mins) SPORTS HALL START : 14.05 French/Spanish (Writing) Foundation - 1hr Higher - 1hr 15m HALL START : 14.05

Tips for Preparing Effectively for the PPE Examinations PPE’s (Preparation for Public Exam) are the pre-exams that students face before their summer exams. The purpose of these exams is to prepare students for the final exams. If you do well in your PPE examinations, then there are better chances of your excelling in the summer exams as well.

How to Relieve Stress Students usually get stressed before their exams which affects their performance. Know that PPE’s Examinations are not your final exams. These are just to help you prepare for your real exams. So take these exams as a part of the preparations. So, relieve the stress and help students pay complete attention towards their studies. This way they will be in a better position to maintain a focus, and get better scores even in the summer.

Study on a Daily Basis Make studying daily as a habit. It is seen that most of the students don’t prepare on time and leave things till the last moment and then they face problems when they start their preparations a few days before their exams. They should be re-organising folders, attending revision sessions, making independent sessions count in school, and carrying out a significant amount of additional work at home.

Prepare a Proper Schedule Now this is something very important that all students must need to do. Preparing a schedule will help students in studying or covering the course in a disciplined manner. Students should make a list of all the chapters that they need to cover. Calculate how much time they have left in their preparation. Set time for each chapter on the basis of the time left. If they have more days, then study at least two chapters daily, and if they have less time then cover as many chapters as you can in a day. In this way, they will also get time for revision.

Discuss your Problems If you have any kind of problem or confusion regarding your studies, then discuss it with subject teachers. Many teachers are now A-level examiners.

Do Not Panic Help students to stay calm so that they can prepare for the PPE’s with a relaxed mind.

Set Your Priorities Help students to use their Personalised Learning Checklists, and support them in identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Working through examination technique on extended answers has been more of our main focus points this year.

Timing is everything Encourage students to complete essays and examination questions at home under timed conditions. This will support the PPE’s further. Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS, @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Good luck and work SMART.

Next week during their registration lesson, our Year 12 and 13 Form Tutors will be learning how to successfully plan their revision time, by balancing the fun stuff in life with their studying. Our Form tutors will be showing them how to build a successful revision timetable using the website ‘Get Revising’. With this free online Study Planner, which is part of the Student Room, will allow your child to:  Get all the information you need - this includes your exam dates, lesson timetable, shifts at work and when you’re meeting your friends.  Pick a revision start date - pin down a day to get started and think about your revision priorities. Some subjects and topics will take longer than others.  Plot your revision sessions - decide how much time you’re going to spend on each topic and schedule in breaks.  Display your plan - a plan is no good if you don’t check it. Print it out and put in on your wall so that you can remind yourself what you’re studying and when. For more information or to sign up for this service, please visit https://getrevising.co.uk/planner

Start : 09.00

Duration

Room

Monday 3 December

History Paper 1 Geography Paper 1

1h 30m 1h 45m

Tuesday 4 December

Psychology Paper 1 Computer Science Paper 1

2h 1h 30m

Wednesday 5 December

Psychology Paper 2

Thursday 6 December

English Literature Paper 1 Physics Paper 1

3h 2h

Friday 7 December

History Paper 2 Geography Paper 2

1h 30m 1h 45m

Hall

Monday 10 December

Maths Paper 1 Religious Studies Paper 1 Media Studies

2h 2h 2h

Tuesday 11 December

Chemistry Paper 1 Politics Paper 1 Computer Science Paper 2 Psychology Paper 3

2h 1h 30m 1h 30m 2h

Wednesday 12 December

Maths Paper 2 Religious Studies Paper 2

2h 2h

Thursday 13 December

English Literature Paper 2

Friday 14 December

Politics Paper 2 Biology Paper 1

2h 30m 2h 2h 2h

Hall

Hall Hall

Hall

Start : 14.05

Duration

Room

Business Paper 1 Economics Paper 1

1hr 1hr

Hall

1hr

Hall

Business Paper 2 Economics Paper 2 Physics Paper 2

1hr 1hr 1hr

Hall

Chemistry Paper 2

1hr

Hall

Biology Paper 2

This Week’s Results Year 9 Football: Essex Cup 1st Round RVHS won 4 - 1 against Palmers Catholic Academy Year 7 Netball: RVHS lost- 8-1 against Epping St Johns at home Under 16 Netball: RVHS won 18-17 against Epping St Johns at home

Up Coming Fixtures Date

Event

Monday 5th November

Year 10 Girls Football Festival @ Shrub End, Colchester Under 14’s Boys Rugby versus St Marks @ home All Year Teams Netball versus Davenant

Wednesday 7 November

Open Cup 1st Round: 6th Form versus South Essex College @ home District League: Year 10 Boys Football versus King Harold – away game Under 13’s Girl’s Football versus Kingsford @ home

Monday 12 November

Essex Cup: Year 7 Netball versus Emerson Park – away game

Tuesday 13th November

Year 13 Football @ home

Wednesday 14th November

All Years Netball versus Ongar - away

Thursday 15th November

Under 13 Girls 7 aside Football Festival @ Debden Park High School

Calling all Budding Actors and Actresses. Auditions for our upcoming school production “Legally Blonde Junior” are being held after school on Friday 10th November in room CA1, please come along!

For more information please speak to Mrs Walker or Mr Wilson in the Drama Department.

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

www.wgel.org.uk Woodford Green Athletics Club offer the following for young athletes, all based at our clubhouse at Ashton Sports Centre, Woodford Bridge. We can offer competition at track & field, cross-country and road running to all levels of performance.

For under 11â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Woodford Wasps Saturday morning 10.00am Ask for Wendy ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Young members from 11 to 17 years of age Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5.45pm Training for young members. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those parents who would like to compete or simply to get fit we can offer the following: Introductory training sessions on Tuesday evenings 7.00pm Training for adults with Bertie Powell -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The club is also looking for coaches and helpers. We run a number of teams at senior, junior and youth level, which need support. If you are interested in taking up coaching, the club can help with obtaining qualifications or if simply to get involved in athletics Please come down on Tuesday evenings at 6:00pm to meet our coaches/Officials.