6th Form News
Congratulations to all those students. We will also appoint our sixth form captains and subject ambassadors in the coming week, please do look out for our announcements.
University Open Days
We continue to see our students booking places on university open days. This is a very valuable experience for them and will always be an approved leave of absence.
Here is the feedback from one of our students on her experience at Queen Mary’s last week:
On Friday 16th June, I visited Queen Mary University of London for an open day, where I participated in subject talks for Geography and Psychology. The talks were very informative and supported my future pathway, helping me realise that I would like to continue studying Physical Geography at university. Furthermore, I received the opportunity to talk to current Mathematics students who inspired me to do a joint honours degree of Physical Geography and Mathematics. The university is located in Mile End next to Regents Canal where we were able to sit and eat lunch. Queen Mary is a campus university so it feels safe and relaxed but is located in London so also allows students to experience city life. Having visited Queen Mary, LSE and Kent, which we visited with the school, I have discovered that I would prefer to attend a campus university. Seeing these universities in person and speaking with students has heavily influenced my decision. This trip was beneficial as well as enjoyable as it provided an insight into university life and helped narrow down options that are best suited for me - Olivia
At this time of year, it is essential that year 12 are actively researching their chosen universities. Please do support them with this. We have our annual post-18 information evening coming up on 4th July, during which we will share information all about the UCAS process, apprenticeships as an alternative pathway, and we also have two guest speakers: one from the University of Exeter and another who is an alumnus. We hope you will be able to join us.
Dates for your diary
4thJuly Post-18 Information evening - 6.30-7.30pm
5th July Year 13 Leavers’ Assembly - 9am Year 13 prom - 7pm Strike day - only year 12 on site
6th July Sports Day Year 12 Concerns Evening (by invitation only)
7th July Strike day - only year 12 on site
For our latest 6th Form Bulletins please click on the links below. Sixth
Form Bulletin w/c 12/06/2023 Sixth Form Bulletin w/c 05/06/2023
This week at Science and Medicine Society, we carried out dissections to celebrate Insect Week! We have also produced new posters, which you can look out for in your Science lab!
Every Friday at 3pm in S2, the Sixth Form team run Roding Valley's Science and Medicine Society where we put on fun activities and practical’s. If you're interested in Science or Medicine, feel free to come along, it's open to all year groups, regardless of what you want to do for a career. We hope to see you there!
As part of the National Insect Week, we did an insect dissection to investigate their gas exchange system, which is actually a required practical in Year 12 Biology. It was great to see the younger students interested in such higher level content.
- Tuna Parlar 12R
In honour of insect week this week, we have done a practical of dissecting bugs! Once dissected we observed the bug's respiratory system and how it differs from a human system. The practical was incredibly interesting and fun and I really enjoyed learning about insects!
Aneta Charvatova 8Ma
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"Academic Marathon" is a new initiative that discovers students' potential through an immersing and challenging event. Just like "Marathon Running Race", "Academic Marathon" holds similar spirits and takes students' academic learning to a completely new level. Academic Marathon is not only about the championship but also about extending students' limits in academic learning and exploring their own potentials.
On Tuesday 20th June, a dozen Y12 Scientists took part in the continental qualifiers of the International Academic Marathon, choosing to participate for either Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. Miss Hodges
The academic marathon was a great challenge, allowing me to read further than my A-level course and learn new things. Since the marathon was done online it was very convenient to access and participate - Anish
Amin 12Q
It was really fun to learn about a wide variety of applications of Chemistry. The marathon allowed me to explore my interests within the subject as some articles were more enjoyable than others, and I might even research them further
- Tuna Parlar 12R
I found the academic marathon very interesting as I got the chance to learn about new topics and discoveries that we don't cover in the curriculum. For the A-Level exam essay question, this wider reading will be really useful - Nancy Tabram 12U
Being a part of the Academic Marathon was a really fun and enjoyable experience as it helped me gain valuable and interesting information about Biology outside of the specification. The sources provided were very helpful as it can support us when writing Biology essays in the future - Lucy Luong 12S
Anglia Ruskin
University Health and Social Care Careers Expo
On Monday 3rd July a group of Y10 students attended the ARU Health and Social Care Careers Expo. They learnt about the numerous different careers available within the field, learnt first aid skills, and had the opportunity to speak to a range of professionals - Miss
Hodges
I really enjoyed the practical’s some career stalls had. I learnt a lot and I now understand how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre. I also learnt the difference roles people have in an ambulance. The lectures were very informative and proved different pathways can still lead to success in STEM
- Xenia Tseka
I enjoyed hearing about a range of different careers in the NHS, as well as learning some potential lifesaving skills- such as how to correctly perform CPR. I also enjoyed being able to visit a university, and actively engaging with people who work, and study there -
Macie Garwood
I really enjoyed the workshops and I learned that people with dementia can get given toys with heartbeats to help trigger memory - Ellie
Babbs
Last week, we took 100 Y7/Y8 students to Lincolnshire on a PGL residential trip where students experienced lots of outdoor activities whilst facing their fears at times as well as developing their skills.
On arrival students settled into their accommodation and had their first meal before embracing a game of kick rounders in the rain!
Over the next three days, students embarked on lots of exciting activities including canoeing, high ropes, giant swing, trapeze and the thrilling zip line! Students were fantastic and some really did face their fears encouraging other group members too.
Evening activities included a quiz lead by the leaders, outdoor games and Karaoke which saw students sing their favourite songs as well as staff which the students loved!
Overall the residential trip was fantastic; students were fantastic and I would like to thank all the staff who gave up their time to enable the students to gain this experience.
Miss Reed & Mr Ryan
Students got to enjoy exploring the Natural History Museum on Tuesday 27th June. A range of exhibitions were available from fossils to dinosaurs-the students were impeccably behaved and really had a good experience-please have a look at the pictures and student feedback.
- Mrs Patel (C & E Coordinator)
On Tuesday 27th June we went to the National History Museum. It was a great adventure and a new experience going up to London with my mates. We learned about dinosaurs, earthquakes and rocks and diamonds –Connor Winkworth 7Li
It was a great experience since I had never been, I loved the earthquake section and how interactive it was. During the time I was there we got to see so many things: Earthquakes, Evolution, Human evolution and even birds. I learnt about extinction and evolution of birds. I even saw this suit which Mrs Patel explained how when people do experiments about volcanoes.
This week is celebrated as Healthy Eating Week, please see the link below which is a very informative webinar
My favourite thing about the trip was the beautiful rocks and fossils we saw. It was incredible to think about how old they were but still were in such amazing condition. They interested me as they all came in so many different shapes and sizes and they each had something that was unique to them. I thought everything there was really cool as well though! – Anya Gosling 7Fl
Healthy Eating Webinar
Click here for Recipes
The earthquake section was interactive it included quizzes and a scenario which I believe was a true story. I enjoyed the dinosaur sections which the bones
Overall the trip was really good and I would definitely recommend it - I learnt so much – Ciena Julien 7Ca
I would like to start by congratulating the newly appointed house captains and well done to all those who applied and went through the interview process!
House Captains
Year 13
Would also like to congratulate Ruby
who was awarded Deputy Head Girl and will be overseeing the house system here at Roding Valley. Well done!
We have got the results from our last house week's super retrieval quiz and the gap between Murray and Churchill is getting ever so small has Murray got what it takes to knock them off that top spot and win this year's silverware!
Next week is Sports Day which means house week returns! Students have been signing up throughout the week for all of the events available, next week in form will be the last opportunity to do so. Remember, no entry means no point!!
The banners are also going through the printing process and will be there to support the competitors, exciting to see pupils' designs put on these banners!
Do not forget to sign up, put yourself out there, give it a try!
Hannah Luxton Joseph James
Makayla Steele Elan Wainer
Henry Williamson Amy Lewis
Emilie Clubb Gideon King
Poppy Arnott Alfid Nedumparackal
Coyte
Below are some of the other delicious entries
1st - Kimi Oliveira Da Costa Murray
2nd - Piper Brown Churchill
3rd – Valentina Santos Altafin Murray
Here is your update on this year's AR competition.
7b/Lb2 continue to hold a commanding lead at the top of the table, still leaving 7b/Lb1 and 7b/Lb4 in their wake. Can either of their rivals muster a final resistance as we reach the final straight of the championship?
In mid-table, 7a/Lb2 remain in 4th place, with 7a/Lb1 and 7a/Lb3 maintaining their positions in 5th and 6th places respectively. Can either class up the ante in the final weeks to overtake 7a/Lb2 before the end of term?
Well done as well to our top 5 readers, likewise to those of you who have increased your personal word counts this week.
Remember: DEAR time is period 3 this week. Remind your teachers at the start of your lessons at 9:00 and enjoy your 20 minutes of reading!
For the latest edition of Roding Reads please click on the image on the left
#Team drama and the sixth form production team are excited to announce that the 2024 whole school production will be, Mary Poppins Jr! This classic Disney musical, which has recently been a smash hit in the West End and on Broadway, comes to Roding Valley High School in February 2024. Auditions will be in September and all year groups are invited to attend. Tickets will go on sale via ParentPay as soon as the show is cast. As always, the production, auditions, rehearsals and performances will be run by our excellent sixth form production team, headed up this year by Ruby Coyte. Students currently in Y11, who will be joining our sixth form in September, are invited to support Y13, after all, it'll be your turn to run it in 2025!
Friday 23rd June saw the PE Department take a 56 plus strong squad of students from Years 7, 8, and 9 to the First West Essex and Harlow District Sports at Melbourne Park, Chelmsford since 2019. As one of the highlights of the school calendar it was great to be back at a fantastic athletics venue and the application, attitude and effort of the students involved was brilliant all day. The day was a hugely successful day from an individual students’ perspective and as a collective team Roding Valley perspective.
Year 7
Ayla Zolfaghari – 1st High Jump
Tyleah Edwards – 1st Shot Put & 200m
Isobel McKay – 1st Long Jump & 3rd 1500m
Bobby Witchell – 2nd Long Jump & 3rd 100m
Ramtin Nemati – 2nd Shot Put
Isabella McLoughlin – 3rd 800m
Noahm Wainer – 3rd High Jump
Tyleah Edwards , Bobby Witchell, Sam Passmore & Ayla Zolfaghari – 2nd Mixed Relay
Year 8
Noah Green – 1st 100m
Oliver Keen – 1st 300m
Ferne Johnson – 1st 300m & 2nd High Jump
Matthew Sutton – 2nd Javelin & 3rd 800m
Leo Sami – 3rd 1500m
Francesca Hussain – 3rd Javelin
Lea Horakova – 3rd 1500m
Noah Green, Alex Diaconescu, Audrina Souha & Fearne Johnson – 3rd Mixed Relay
Year 9
Sapphire Fyffe – 1st 100m
Zoe Hedges – 1st 200m
Ava Margetts – 2nd Long Jump
Ruby Sharman – 3rd 800m
Ethan Joyce – 3rd Discus
Joe Foot – 2nd Triple Jump
Tom Davis, Jaden Fyffe, Zoe Hedges, Sapphire
Fyffe – 2nd Mixed Relay
We also had a lot of students who finished 4th, 5th and 6th in their events over the course of the day which helped their teams’ overall points totals. This led to the Year 7 and 9 girls teams finishing 2nd and the Year 7 team overall finishing 2nd out of 12 schools on the day.
Year 7 – 2nd
Year 8 – 4th
Year 9 – 5th
Well done to all the students who took part on the day and represented the school brilliantly on what was a hugely successful day! - The PE Department
Wednesday 28th June saw five Year 7 students selected to represent West Essex and Harlow after some brilliant performances at District Sports at Melbourne Park, Chelmsford for the Year 7 Essex Schools District Athletics Championships.
In what is the best of the athletes in Year 7 from across Essex it was brilliant to see five of our students taking part and holding their own against such brilliant competition. Although no medals or top 3 finishes were achieved it was an excellent day.
Ayla Zolfaghari – High Jump
Tyleah Edwards – 200m
Isobel McKay – Long Jump
Bobby Witchell – Long Jump
Isabella McLoughlin – 800m
On Saturday 10th June the Essex Schools District Athletics Championships was held for students in Years 8, 9, 10 and 11. For the second year running Roding Valley had two students competing for the West Essex and Harlow District. Unfortunately, both athletes didn’t manage to reach the finals this year and I would like to thank them both for their fantastic effort and dedication to represent the school, compete for the district and give up their Saturday to attend this event.
Year 9 – Zoe Hedges – 200m
Year 11 – Jessie Briggs – 100m
Congratulations to the following students for their fantastic work in Literacy and during Drop Everything and Write (DEAW)
Charlie Bird – 9Fl
Jonah Harris – 9Fl Sara Chowdhury – 9Ne
Sara Akhazzan – 7Ox
Kitty Tabram – 7Ca
Karen Kaw – 7Ca
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
The school does not authorise any holidays during term time except if the Headteacher deems it an exceptional circumstances. A ‘Leave of Absence’ form must be completed (these are available at Student Reception) detailing your exceptional circumstances.
Please be aware if the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case will be referred to the Local Authority 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 here.
Who to contact
Should you have any concerns about your child’s attendance or punctuality please contact your child’s Year Progress Leader or our Attendance Officer Ms A Parsley (aparsley@rodingvalley.net)
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Explore together: Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps and what they do on them. Listen, show interest and encourage them to teach you the basics of the site or app.
Chat about online safety little and often: Young people are likely to want to explore new apps and websites this month, whether that is for learning or for fun. Take this opportunity to talk to them about how to stay safe on these new services, and in general. Ask if anything ever worries them while they are online. Make sure they know that if they ever feel worried, they can get help by talking to you or another adult they trust.
Help your child identify trusted adults who can help them if they are worried: This includes you and other adults at home, as well as adults from wider family, school or other support services who they are able to contact at this time. Encourage them to draw a picture or write a list of their trusted adults.
Be non-judgemental: Explain that you would never blame them for anything that might happen online, and you will always give them calm, loving support.
Talk about how their online actions can affect others: If your child is engaging with others online, remind them to consider how someone else might feel before they post or share something. If they are considering sharing a photo/video of somebody else, they should always ask permission first.
Parental controls: Make use of the parental controls available on your home broadband and any internet enabled device in your home. You can find out more about how to use parental controls by visiting your broadband provider’s website.
Direct your child to age appropriate information about relationships and sex: It’s natural for young people to start exploring their sexual feelings online and adolescents are more inclined to take risks. It’s important to understand this and to talk to your child in a positive way. Thinkuknow, Brook, The Mix and Childline all provide age appropriate information about relationships and sex that you can signpost your child to.
Make sure they know about CEOP: Young people can report a concern about grooming or sexual abuse to CEOP at www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/ and get support from a specialist Child Protection Advisor.
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Support your child with Thinkuknow websites
The age appropriate Thinkuknow websites are a great way to start and continue chats about online safety.
11-13yrs Thinkuknow website: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/11_13/
14yrs + Thinkuknow website – https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/14_plus/
Our websites provide open and honest guidance for young people on friends, relationships and the internet, covering topics like dealing with pressure; consent; and getting support when you are worried.
You will find lots more advice on keeping your child safe online at www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents.
If you are worried that a child or young person is at risk of harm online, you should call the police. Young people can make a report to CEOP at https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
Other Recommended Resources
Parent Info: Expert information for parents about building their child’s resilience both online and off. Produced by NCA-CEOP and Parent Zone. This free service can be embedded on to your child’s school website. www.parentinfo.org
Brook: Information and advice for young people on sexual health and wellbeing, including staying safe online. https://www.brook.org.uk
The Mix: Support service for young people with information and advice on sex and relationships. https://www.themix.org.uk
Internet Matters: A useful tool showing how to set parental controls across a range of devices and websites. http://www.internetmatters.org/parentalcontrols/interactive-guide/
NSPCC Net Aware: Provides reviews and guidance on the most popular social networks, apps and games that children use. https://www.net-aware.org.uk/
Childnet – Information and advice for parents and carers on supporting people online. https://www.childnet.com/reso urces/supporting-youngpeople-online
How Can I Access Edulink?
EduLink can be accessed on any device – PC, laptop, tablet or mobile device – via the web browser or via the EduLink app. The link to access the EduLink login page on a web browser is www.edulinkone.com
Alternatively, you can download the EduLink App which is available to download for free on Apple or on Android.
Both the App and the web browser will display this log-in screen.
The School ID is ‘Roding’.
Parents/Carers will need to enter the Username and Password they have been provided with and click ‘Log in’.
The displayed is dependant of the platform you are logged in to:
Via Web Browser
Via the EduLink App
Navigating Edulink
You are able to navigate each of the following areas in EduLink:
Achievement: You van view all positive achievements that have been awarded to your child
Account Information: In this section you can view the current address we have for your child on file, your child’s Year group and the name of their Form tutor
Timetable: In this section you can view your child’s daily timetable
Absence Reporting: This feature will allow you to send a direct message to our Attendance Officer, to notify us of any absence for your child
Linked Resources: This section contains links to all the schools learning resources available to your child both at school and at home
Update Information: This section shows all of the contact information we hold for yourself and your child. You can review and update this information with any changes that may occur
Exams: You can see all of your child upcoming exams; your child can also access this information so they can manage their own exam schedule
Documents: In this section you can view your child’s reports
Parents can access information on all their children currently admitted to Roding Valley High School. If you require any assistance, please contact Mr Vermaak or Miss Stewart (mvermaak@rodingvalley.net or lstewart@rodingvalley.net )
Classroom
How to Log on to Google Classroom?
Students can log into their Gmail using their school email address and their password. Their school email will be the year they started at RVHS started plus their first initial and surname @rodingvalley.net (example- 19plarkin@rodingvalley.net).
Once your child has have logged in, they will need to click on the google apps button and then select ‘Google Classroom’
Your child will then be able to see all of the classes they belong to. They will then need to click on the class they want to use resources for and take a look at everything that their class teacher has posted for them to work on. They will be able to download items and make comments on them. Teachers will be regularly posting new work on their Google Classrooms.
What to Do if your child is a Missing a Subject their Google Classroom?
If your child is missing a Google Classroom for one of their subjects, they will need to click on the addition symbol, followed by ‘Join Class’ and then enter the Class Code for their missing subject. Class Codes are available from their subject teacher.
Top Tips for Our Students
Students must keep up to date with their lessons by using Google Classroom every day.
Use their workbooks to complete the work shown on their Google Classroom.
Don’t slack on presentation! Keep their notes in order of the lessons on the Google Classroom.
Year 11 and 13 Students: There will be revision materials available on Google Classroom. Please use them.
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 to view and track your child's homework with this short video.
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.
We have also included a link to a very useful guide on Troubleshooting
This is a valuable resource that will assist parents in supporting their child’s progression. Please use the following link to the log in:
What is Seneca?
Seneca is a free home learning & revision platform that is very popular with our students. It is based on cognitive science, has adaptive learning and can be accessed by our students via their phones!
What Content is available to our Students through Seneca?
Seneca has resources available for KS3, KS4 and KS5 students that has been supplied to them from AQA, OCR, EdExcel Pearson and IGCSE.
Our students will be able to access content designed for each of their subjects and also for their specific courses. There is so much to choose from.
Some areas are even linked to the Exam Boards Course Specifications.
How to Access Seneca?
Students will need to go to https://www.senecalearning.com/, click try for free and create a log in with their school email address.
Once Logged in
Once they are logged in, students are able to search for different subject areas and learn about their chosen topic. At the end of each subject presentation there will be a quiz on the presentation
This Online tool will enable our students to stay on top of their home learning.
Year Progress Leaders
Year 7: Miss Reed – hreed@rodingvalley.net
Year 8: Mr Ryan -fryan@rodingvalley.net
Year 9: Miss Fazakerley – jfazakerley@rodingvalley.net
Year 10: Ms Pinches – cpinches@rodingvalley.net
Year 11: Miss Edwards – cedwards@rodingvalley.net
Sixth Form: Ms Curling – lcurling@rodingvalley.net
Heads of Faculty
Creative Arts: Mr Tisdale – dtisdale@rodingvalley.net
English: Mrs Routledge – lroutledge@rodingvalley.net
Humanities: Mr Cocker – mcocker@rodingvalley.net
IT/Business: Mr Hussain – ohussain@rodingvalley.net
Maths: Mr Edeko – oedeko@rodingvalley.net
MFL: Mr P Melvin – pmelvin@rodingvalley.net
Personal Development: Ms Preston – tpreston@rodingvalley.net
Science: Mr Poovillingham - npoovillingham@rodingvalley.net
Sports & Nutrition: Mr Jones – ljones@rodingvalley.net
SENDco: Mr T Taylor– ttaylor@rodingvalley.net
General Enquiries
office@rodingvalley.net
Sixth Form Enquiries
sixthformoffice@rodingvalley.net
Finance
finance@rodingvalley.net
Safeguarding:
safeguarding@rodingvalley.net
How to contact any member of staff at Roding Valley High School: Initial + surname+@rodingvalley.net
Student Executive
House Captains