Newsflash 21/09/2018

Community Fair Saturday 22^nd September 12pm–4pm

Our Community Fair and Family Fun Day will have lots of attractions, stalls and fun activities

It is sure to be a great day and we hope you can come along with family and friends to enjoy the fun: go-karts; inflatable obstacle course; zorbs; arts and craft stalls; soap and candles; jewellery; holistic and wellbeing therapies; cakes and wedding favours; magic tricks; food, ice cream, chocolates and confectionery; Masterchef 2010 winner; live DJ, samba band and music plus performances from local Dance Schools and primary school choir.

Open Evening Wednesday 26^th September 5pm – 8pm

We are opening our school on Wednesday evening to all parents and carers of Year 6 and Year 5 pupils. This is our opportunity to talk about and show all the things we are exceptionally good at and proud of.

I would like to extend an invitation to current, or very recent past parents and carers, who feel they have time to spare on Wednesday and be part of Gateacre Parent Panel which will be on hand to talk to prospective parents about your experiences since I have been Headteacher.

If you think you could spare some of your time, please contact either Lisa Mitchel or Gina Kane so that we may begin to organise the panel. As this is the first time we have done this I have no idea what response I am going to get, but I am hoping to have between 5 and 8 parents at the event.

Standards and expectations – attendance

Good attendance is crucial to being successful in school: those that attend school the most perform the best.

We have seen this with our Year 13 A Level students last year who, again, performed exceptionally well and we think looking at provisional results has helped place the school in the top 10% nationally for the second year running – those that did the best turned up and worked hard.

We have an aspiration that all pupils will eventually attend over 97%, we very much want every pupil in every day for 190 days.

That is where we need your support as parents and carers discussing with your child how important attending school is and equally how important trying to achieve your personal best is also.

Year 11 Information Evening Tuesday 9^th October 2018

More information will be provided over the coming weeks but, in brief, it is an opportunity for us to talk to you about the best use of the time left in Year 11; to share with you learning from the Year 11’s who sat their exams in the summer; and how those pupils that achieved the best grades do so. I will be present, along with members of staff from my Senior Team and department leaders; there will be a formal presentation and then a more informal opportunity to discuss any issues or concerns you may have.

Year 11 and Year 13 countdown

You have 29 school weeks and 145 school days left.

This week have a look through your work from the previous year and see what you can remember, and where you are possibly still unsure.

The process of revisiting your notes will help your brain reconnect the neural pathways and increase the strength of the memory process, meaning that whilst you may struggle to remember or retain the information right now, in a month or two months’ time by repeating this process you will have retained far more knowledge than not doing this.

Another reminder about GCSE Pod, it is such a fantastic resource and it is yours for FREE. The more you use it, and the more you interact with it, the more confident you will feel in the summer sitting your exams. We have some early indication that those students who watched/downloaded/listened to the most ‘Pods’ performed better in their exams when compared to their expected targets.

Simply put, hard work and effort matter.

Dates for Your Diary:

Community Fair: 22nd September 12pm - 4pm

Y13 Parents' Finance Information Talk 6pm - 7:30pm

Open Evening: 26th September 5pm - 8pm

Year 11 Information Evening: Tuesday 9th October

Half Term: 22nd to 26th October

INSET Day: 3rd December

End Of Term: 21st December