6th Form News

Emmanuel College Cambridge Trip

On Wednesday 8th March 2023, we took a group of year 12 students to visit Emmanuel College in Cambridge. As part of the itinerary for the day, they were able to explore one of the university colleges with a guided tour from a current student, gain insight into what life is like at a prestigious collegiate university and they were given the opportunity to ask questions to a student who attends Cambridge University.

• We were given plenty of information about the admissions process and the college life at Cambridge, along with really useful insight into the career paths that stem from the courses available. Doing a Q&A with current students definitely made me more comfortable and familiar with the student life there. Furthermore, we had a lovely tour of the Emmanuel College, which really allowed me to imagine myself living there as a university student – Tuna

• I greatly appreciated the opportunity to visit Emmanuel College. It was an insightful experience into the life of a Cambridge collegiate student. I believe that the visit will be key in my decision making when deciding which universities to apply to in year 13. I am grateful to have been gifted this opportunity and hope that one day I might attend Emmanuel College as a student myself – Gideon

• The visit to Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, was a highly insightful and useful experience. We began the day with an introduction to Cambridge University itself and what makes it special, before promptly being taken on a tour of Emmanuel College. The tour was very informative and we were allowed to ask questions to the students guiding us, which was extremely helpful. Lunch took place soon after, and there was then a debate/discussion about climate change which I learnt a lot about from just this experience, combining both English skills and general knowledge in this way. Lastly, there was a Q&A with one of the current students, and from this I gained a lot of knowledge due to the fact that many helpful questions were raised, particularly concerning application to the university – Keira

• We started the day with a tour of the college grounds, being shown beautiful buildings such as the chapel and undergraduate accommodation, alongside study areas and dining halls. Following this, we were given the chance to take part in a seminar experience about climate change, which encouraged everyone to debate and get involved to promote their views. We were also given valuable information on super curriculars, and a Q and A with a Cambridge student, where we received information on student life, the admissions process, and choosing universities - Amy

Another successful house week, looking at our word of the week this week which is Collaboration it has been brilliant to collaborate with the Science Department this house week and create some activities for the students to engage with throughout science week. Students having the opportunity to vocalise their journeys at RVHS and share wisdom and knowledge with one another regardless of being at the beginning or end of that journey.

Some really exciting opportunities on the rise across the school from music competitions to baking edible gifts. It was really nice to see all pupils across all ages conversing and sharing stories with one another. Another brilliant opportunity for pupils to raise competitions and activities they want to take place and for house leaders and captains to facilitate these! - Exciting times ahead!

Well done to a much changed RVHS Y9 football team who won 4-2 in the league despite being behind twice in the game!

Goals: Kevin, Tom and Blu (x 2)

A huge congratulations to our U14’s team who won 6-3 against their opponents in our Sisters in Sport cup game – now on to the next round!

Over 1000 students and their families attended our annual Careers Fest last Thursday.

Over 65 exhibitors including local and national employers from private and public sector organisations, as well as Institutes, Universities and Colleges joined us. Throughout the event the exhibitors provided a huge range of information and advice to students about future careers and pathway choices. Some of our Year 11 and Year 13 students received advice about current apprenticeship vacancies and how to apply, some even have interviews pending. In the past our Year 13 students have achieved employment by attending this event.

It was nice to see so many of our alumni students join us this year and represent the companies they are now employed by. Having chosen the apprenticeship route they are all now employed by these companies in apprenticeships and sponsored degree programmes which they applied for after attending a previous Careers Fest.

Students and parents that attended, I hope you will agree it was a hugely successful event, even though it was very crowded at times!

A very special thank you goes to The Hill Group for once again sponsoring the Careers Fest over 14 of our students have been employed at Hill on the degree apprenticeship route. It was so nice to see some of them sharing their experiences with students.

Dear Parents/Carers

If you are seeking further information about Post 16/Post 18 Options, please remember to take a look on the Careers Microsite

Latest College Open Day dates are published as well as lots of careers information on the weekly bulletin.

Here is this week's Accelerated Reader update…

After the frantic quizzing of the past few weeks, it seems to have been a week for reading books rather than adding to word counts for many of you. Nevertheless, some classes have made impressive gains. 7b/Lb1 continue their spell at the head of the AR table, but once again 7b/Lb2 continue to narrow their lead at the top. Meanwhile, 7b/Lb4 remain in the race for top spot.

In mid-table 7a/Lb2 have suddenly opened up a 700,000 word gap to consolidate their 4th place in the league. Can 7a/Lb1 and 7a/Lb3 respond by adding to their scores this week?

Well done, as ever, to our top 5 readers. Also, special mention goes to 7a/Lb4, who have improved their word count by 59% this week - a fine effort!

Top tip: remind your period 6 teachers about DEAR time this week - use this time effectively to complete your books, fill out your reading passports and then complete your next AR quizzes.

A selected group of students were able to participate in a great workshop session provided by 'Resilience Journey's'.

They were in small groups and discussed County Lines, drugs, knife crime and much more. Following discussion, they had an escape room style activity based on Prison Life and Release

A thoroughly memorable experience for them all.

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

Medical and Dental Appointments

All non-urgent medical appointments should be made outside of school hours. However, when this is not possible please remember, your child can sign in and out around the appointment. There is no need for them to miss out on a whole day at school. This way, in some cases, it can mean a child will not miss out on a morning or afternoon session mark, meaning their attendance percentage will not be effected.

If you would like further information regarding attendance please see our Attendance Policy here

If you have any attendance concerns or queries please contact your child’s Year Progress

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

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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 supp 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

• Behaviour: You will be able to see all behaviour points given to you child and any sanctions given to your child including detentions.

• Medical Information: In this section you can see all of the medical information that we have on file for 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 )