6th Form News

Exams

Our year 12 students are mid-way through their PPE timetable. PPEs (Pre-public exams, also known as mocks) have started very well this week, with lots of revision evident from students and some exemplary behaviour in the exam room. Well done to all the year 12s for their hard work.

Our year 13 cohort go on study leave on 18th May. We have been working with students on staying positive and motivated in these last few weeks before exams. We have stressed the need for some balance - reflecting on what went well and celebrating successes, getting a good night's sleep, avoiding phones late at night, as well as exercise or meditation as strategies to manage stress. We wish them every success in their exams and look forward to celebrating their achievements on results day (17th August). If you need any advice on supporting your child through exam season, please do get in touch.

Employer talks

We have two more talks before the end of the year, one from Day Webster Recruitment on 22nd May and another from Teeside University on 5th June. Full details have been shared with students on our weekly bulletin and signup sheets are outside Ms Sellears’ office. By attending employer talks you can find out about careers, find out how to apply, what skills are needed and how they can help you. All companies offer a variety of careers and opportunities.

Prom

A reminder that the year 13 prom is on 5th July at the Kings Oak in High Beech. Please ensure your payments are in.

Uniform

As we enter summer, we are already seeing a slight dip in the dress code, largely among our female students. For ease, the link to our uniform policy is here: https://rodingvalley.net/sixth-form/sixth-form-uniform/

We want all students in school, learning, but where standards slip, this can have a detrimental impact on the professional conduct around school as I'm sure you can understand. In exam season in particular, this is something we must monitor carefully. Therefore, students not adhering to the dress code will be asked to go home to get changed. In particular, students wearing skirts that are an inappropriate length, cropped tops with midriffs on display or low-cut tops, will not be admitted to school.

We would like to avoid sending any student home so would appreciate your support in this.

Brook Library - outdoor area

We are pleased to have been able to open our outdoor study area now that the weather is warmer. This area is offered as a way to revise in the fresh air, designed for working rather than socialising. The area is starting to flourish, with bedding plants and wildlife providing some enjoyable green space. Special thanks to Ms Sellears and Ms Parton who voluntarily devote so much of their own time and money to the care of this area.

Pride in our sixth form

Lastly, I’d like to say how proud we are of our sixth formers. They have received many compliments recently, for example from visitors from the Trust (CLP) and from prospective parents being shown around the school. Visitors are always impressed with the buzz of hard work in Brook library and the students are a real credit to the school. We have had several students win places on very competitive apprenticeships too.

We have a very capable, polite and kind student group and we are very proud of them. We wish them every success in this last, very important part of the year.

For our latest 6th Form Bulletin please click here.

On Thursday 12th May Xenia Tseka (10Ma) took part in the Jack Petchey Speak Out Regional Final at The Ongar Academy. The whole process leading up to this consisted of different parts: Initial selection of 30 Year 10 students took part in preparing and delivering a speech to their peers on 9th March. The students were then judged by a Speak Out facilitator and the 7 winners delivered their speech to take a place in the regional final to the Y7/8 cohort during an assembly and were judged by members of the CLP trust and Mrs Jenner. Xenia won this part and secured her place in the Regional final where last night she delivered her speech on Mental Health and the effects of it. Xenia did herself and RVHS proud - A big well done to Xenia for making it that far!

On Friday, 12th of May, 2023, the whole of year 10 and 11 got to watch “Shakespeare’s Players” theatre company’s production of Macbeth. An hour of timeless action, tragedy and evil, tailor-made for students studying the play for their upcoming GSCEs.

This production puts a delightful spin on Shakespeare’s murderful masterpiece by adding parts in the performance where the actors will come out of character and discuss what has just happened. By adding exposition, insight and useful interpretations of the text, the company shows the audience that there is always more than one way to interpret a source material, and that we should always approach a text with an open mind. One of my personal favourite things about this production was the use of multi-role in this company’s production. It was always fun to spot which performer was playing what role, and to see characters from the text that we had been analysing for months now performed in person made for an experience that I and many others I am sure, will never forget - Anthony Dean (Year 10)

Today Year 10 watched a version of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Macbeth is one of the texts we are studying for English literature GCSE so this was useful to visualise the play we have been reading in class. As well as acting out scenes we had read in class, they also explained key moments and quotes to improve our understanding of the classic Shakespearean play. It was great to miss lessons to see a performance that could help us learn - Bethany Cooper (Year 10)

The time of the year is approaching... the biggest house competitions of all... the annual sports day! Let’s just have a quick look back to last year's results where we can see Churchill took home the cup and will they do the same this year? Anything can happen on sports day and it is all down to the amount of entries each house makes so stay posted for those sign-up sheets!!

Sports Day 2021/22 Results

Leading up to the end of term where we will be going into house week where we will have the opportunity to start devising plans and banners for the big day! The more support and encouragement from each house, the better! There is nothing to stop Rendell taking that 1st place on the podium!

The structure of our week is going to be centred around sports day and enterprise so plenty of things to look forward to. Do also keep your eyes posted for all competitions coming up across departments in the new summer term, plenty of exciting ideas flourishing.

House leaders, it is an opportunity for us to have a meeting next Thursday so check your emails!

You can see below how the house podium is currently looking and it is the last term to make any massive changes so get on those competitions and make sure you are signing up for as many different events at sports day as possible.

REMEMBER: There are non-sport activities too such as welly wangling, tug of war, so definitely something for all! See you in house week!!

Here is your latest update in the race for the Accelerated Reader crown.

7b/Lb2 continue to hold a commanding position on the AR throne, still over 3 million words ahead of second placed 7b/Lb1. 7b/Lb4 remain in 3rd place, although they are at risk of becoming pretenders rather than contenders in the competition. Can either 7b/Lb1 and 7b/Lb4 make inroads on 7b/Lb2's lead this week? We are not ready to hold a coronation for our league leaders just yet!

In mid-table, 7a/Lb2 once hold 4th place, although 5th placed 7a/Lb1 have once again closed in, adding close to a further 700,000 words to their score. 7a/Lb3 need to get quizzing as the gap is now growing between them and 5th place.

Well done as well to our top 5 readers, likewise to those of you who have increased your personal word counts this week.

Top tip: to be a king or queen of reading, use extra time at home and DEAR time effectively in order to focus on your books and take those quizzes.

For the latest edition of Roding Reads please click on the picture on the left

Hello Year 11s and Year 13s

I know it is a very busy time for you with all the exams and that you are working hard to achieve your very best, but that sometimes it can also get quite overwhelming…

Remember that we have lots of brilliant revision resources on the microsite for you:

 Y11 Revision Microsite

 Y13 Revision Microsite

If you need anything or just want someone to talk to - your subject teachers, academic mentor, Ms Edwards, Mr Price and I - are always here to help.

Good luck! – Mr Miah

On 21st April, at RVHS, we spent the day celebrating Creativity and all the different ways in which we can be Creative in lessons, including: using our imagination, being inquisitive, collaborating with others, being persistent and being disciplined. The Oxford dictionary defines creativity as ‘the use of original ideas to create something’ but as a school, we learnt that creativity can be so much more than that.

To demonstrate their use of imagination, a Year 9 Religious Studies class designed a new water product, based on the different philosophies of life. This reflected imagination through the use of intuition and playing with different possibilities, and as a result produced a variety of different designs and snappy slogans.

Inquisitiveness, was displayed through the Sixth Form students questioning different politicians and asking hard hitting questions; wondering and questioning, exploring and challenging assumptions.

In our first lecture, Dr Richard Pinder explained how financial status affects healthcare and educational outcomes. We engaged with the lecture by answering questions and polls which were both fun and challenging. During the Hackathon competition, I observed the teamwork and communication skills displayed within the groups. I wanted to participate as much as possible, therefore I began to ask questions to Dr Brian Wang about his presentation about selfreflection and how to behave as a leader in the group dynamic. Overall, the day was very helpful in understanding how to tackle situations as a young medical student - Henry Twyford

Collaboration, was exhibited through Year 9 working in groups to use their knowledge of photosynthesis in an ‘apprentice’ style task in order to try and sell a variety of greenhouse additional features. This allowed the students to work together and collaborate ideas in order to ‘sell’ their product, strengthening cooperation and feedback skills.

Persistence, was illustrated by Year 13 CTEC sport students utilising their PLC’s and revision booklets to assess their knowledge levels ahead of their upcoming A-Levels. This signified persistence through identifying where their ‘difficulties’ within the topics lie, and sticking with the topic in order to overcome the challenge.

I am very glad to have attended the conference on a Saturday with an open mind because the In2MedSchool event couldn't have been more engaging. The two lectures that we watched were really thought-provoking, and there was a lot of discussion on the causes of healthcare inequalities across the country. It was especially charming when we had to reflect on our group's performance leading up to the competition on the day, commanded by the CEO Dr Brian Wang - who inspired us with his confidence. Our group is motivated to attend again next year and win the competition! – Efe Kurtcebe

Lastly, discipline was evidenced through drama students school-wide planning and rehearsing their upcoming production of Sister Act Jnr, allowing each student to develop their techniques, critically reflect on theirs and peers performances and therefore improve the production overall.

These skills aren’t just used on Creativity Day however, students are always prompted to unleash their creative side by the use of simple tasks within lesson time - for example peer assessment, mind maps, and retrieval of previous learning. - Emma-Louise

Kutner 12Q

My trip to the In2MedSchool Annual erence on the 29th April was a very valuable experience. I had the opportunity to converse with current medical students, fully qualified doctors, and medical professors. Hearing about their academic journeys and achievements was motivating. The competitions helped me fully understand the competitive nature of this career, increased my skills, and allowed me some extracurricular learning. This trip was beneficial in supporting my pathway into the Dharam Sharma

My trip to the In2MedSchool Annual Conference on the 29th April was a very valuable experience. I had the opportunity to converse with current medical students, fully qualified doctors, and medical professors. Hearing about their academic journeys and achievements was motivating. The competitions helped me fully understand the competitive nature of this career, increased my skills, and allowed me some extracurricular learning. This trip was beneficial in supporting my pathway into the field of medicine –

Dharam Sharma 12T

I am very glad to have attended the conference on a Saturday with an open mind because the In2MedSchool event couldn't have been more engaging. The two lectures that we watched were really thought-provoking, and there was a lot of discussion on the causes of healthcare inequalities across the country. It was especially charming when we had to reflect on our group's performance leading up to the competition on the day, commanded by the CEO Dr Brian Wang - who inspired us with his confidence. Our group is motivated to attend again next year and win the competition! – Efe Kurtcebe 12U

In our first lecture, Dr Richard Pinder explained how financial status affects healthcare and educational outcomes. We engaged with the lecture by answering questions and polls which were both fun and challenging. During the Hackathon competition, I observed the teamwork and communication skills displayed within the groups. I wanted to participate as much as possible, therefore I began to ask questions to Dr Brian Wang about his presentation about selfreflection and how to behave as a leader in the group dynamic. Overall, the day was very helpful in understanding how to tackle situations as a young medical student – Henry Twyford 12U

Congratulations to the following students for their fantastic work in Literacy and during Drop Everything and Write (DEAW)

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)

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. 1

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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.

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 )