A message from Ms Greenhalgh
It’s been lovely to have everyone back in school after the half-term break. Some of our Year 7 students attended the York ISSP Breakthrough Event at St Peter’s School on Wednesday, where they got to debate the greatest historical breakthrough of all time. The students had to choose between fire, the printed word, bicycles, numbers or aqueducts, with the winner being aqueducts. A great first introduction to the ISSP. We’re excited for more events in the future.
We’re looking forward to welcoming Year 7 students and their parents/carers into school on Wednesday 15 November for Parents’ Evening. You should have received details of how to book appointments with your child’s teachers, but if you haven’t, please contact the School Office.
I’d like to give a special mention to Griffin Evans who was nominated by his faculty to have hot chocolate with me on the last Friday of half term – apologies that we missed you off the list Griffin!
This week, I got to chat with Milo, Jessica, Jenna, Libby, Meredith, George, Charlie, River, Meg and sisters Ursula and Alice (pictured below middle), who were all nominated by their faculty. Well done to you all but particularly to George who has been nominated four times so far this term.
Congratulations to those who received a Golden Ticket this week too – it’s great to see another long list of names!
I’ll look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday for a ‘B’ week.
With best wishes,
Gemma Greenhalgh
Headteacher
Anti-Bullying Week 2023
We have signed up to be part of Anti-Bullying Week from 13-17 November 2023, which this year has a theme of ‘Make A Noise About Bullying’.
Next week all students will attend assemblies focusing on anti-bullying and some of our Year 10 students will perform a themed drama piece.
Further information about Anti-Bullying Week can be found here.
Year 10 students help improve dining
Big thanks to Year 10 students Billy, Sidney, Skylar and Lauren who came forward to share their views about possible improvements to the lunchtime experience and met with the Head Chef, Mr Darbyshire, and Mr Collins the Business Manager. They were all keen to find ways of making dining as healthy and enjoyable as possible for students and to provide them with good value for money. They showed a mature understanding of some of the challenges and factors beyond the control of caterers or the school but also made a number of sensible suggestions, some of which have been fed back to the Directors of the catering company and one of which has already been put in place: a dedicated terminal where students can check their balance before buying food to help them budget effectively.
York SEND Local Offer
City of York Council are delighted to launch the new York SEND Local Offer. It has been an exciting opportunity to revamp the existing Local Offer website, to provide updated content, all on its own platform.
You can see the Local Offer at: yorksend.org and contact the team by email at yorklocalofferSEND@york.gov.uk
You can also see the Council’s letter and poster here.
Message from Mr Boothman – changes to Key Stage 3 PE
We have reached the end of our second block of sport and from Monday our classes are moving onto their new sports. This particular junction brings a significant change as the boys will now be doing PE outside and the girls will be moving indoors. This has an impact on kit requirements. Below is a summary of the changes:
- Mr Boothman moving from volleyball/gymnastics to football on the astro.
- Mr Randall moving from badminton to rugby on the main field.
- Miss Watts moving from football to Year 7 basketball, Year 8 badminton and Year 9 volleyball in the sports hall.
- Miss Lansdall/Mrs Armitage moving from netball to gymnastics in the gym.
Sports practices
The following sports practices are taking place this half-term:
All are welcome to attend, no experience is necessary! The aim is to have fun and enjoy being active and moving.
Normal PE/games kit is required and students must have appropriate footwear for their sport eg trainers or football boots. Lunch passes are available and are encouraged. Students should collect them from their teacher.
Please note that this rota may change due to matches after school and usually changes each half term.
Digestive System: Year 8 Science Competition
Just before we broke up for half term, we launched our Year 8 Science Competition – to build a digestive system model. Students who wish to enter will need to create a model of the digestive system out of any material that they can find; the more creative the better! The winner will receive a prize.
All entries need to be handed to their Science teacher by Friday 1 December.
All this information can be found on their Science Google Classroom.
If any student is struggling to find material for their digestive system, please speak to your Science teacher who can provide some for you.
Millthorpe Remembers
As Remembrance Day falls on a Saturday this year, this morning our whole school community observed a two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day. Year 10 student, Charlie Walker, sounded the Last Post in the quad (see video below) as all students impeccably observed the silence. You could have heard a pin drop.
Thank you to all those who have made poppies for our stunning display. We think you’ll agree it looks beautiful.
Lest we forget.
Isaac is World Champion!
Huge congratulations to Isaac Calvert in Year 11 who has become kickboxing world champion after competing at the WKC World Championship in Orlando, Florida.
Isaac qualified for the world championships at the English National Championship back in March this year and headed stateside last month to compete against teams from all over the world.
Isaac competed in two kickboxing categories, points and light continuous. He successfully took the gold medal in his light continuous category, officially gaining him the title of World Champion for his age and weight category. He also took a bronze medal in a very talented points category.
Mr Baybutt, Assistant Headteacher: Teaching and Learning said “We are absolutely thrilled for Isaac. We know how hard he works on his martial arts and is so dedicated, committing lots of time to hone his skills. What is equally impressive is how humble he is about his amazing achievements. All of the students in school are “rubbing shoulders” with a World Champion, but you would never know. Isaac just takes it all in his stride and gets on with things. Furthermore, just hours after landing back in England, Isaac was back in school sitting his mock exams. He is a remarkable and talented young man, and we are very proud of him.”
Eco Laundry – donations needed!
Our Eco Laundry provides affordable items of preloved uniform, all of which are clean and in excellent condition. We are however in need of stock again and would like to make a plea to families to donate their unwanted uniform and PE kits please. We will also gratefully receive any donations of revision guides.
Uniform and books can be brought into the School Office any weekday between 8.00am – 4.00pm. Thank you in advance!
Post-16 pathways guide 2023-24
Post-16 pathways guide 2023-24City of York Council have produced the ‘2023-24 Post-16 Pathways – a guide for young people, parents and carers on next steps after Year 11’.
The guide is available on the CYC website – Post-16 Pathways guide and also on the new York SEND Local Offer website Post-16 education options – York SEND Local Offer. Please take a look.
Post-16 open evenings
Year 11 students and their families are invited to the following events next week:
- Joseph Rowntree School: Tuesday 14 November
- All Saints RC School: Wednesday 15 November
- Fulford School: Thursday 16 November
Summer 2024 career experiences in London
InvestIN have announced the launch of their 2024 Summer Experiences in London. Taking place at University College London (UCL) and offering the opportunity to visit iconic industry locations across London, InvestIN provides teenagers with the chance to experience life beyond school, as well as receive unparalleled career preparation.
Their Summer Experiences run during the summer holidays and include the opportunity to:
- Work with world-class industry professionals across 15 top careers.
- Participate in hands-on career simulations.
- Visit exclusive professional venues.
- Receive personalised industry reference letters and certificates to showcase on university and job applications.
As an InvestIN partner school, all Millthorpe students are entitled to 10% off any programme using the code: MILLTHORPE10 at the checkout page when completing any bookings.
National Saturday Art Club
A reminder that the National Saturday Art Club starts at York St John University on Saturday 25 November.
This is a popular club available to students across the city with limited places. Interested students must sign up as soon as possible, which can be done by following this link.
The deadline for sign up is mid-November.
Elf the Musical rehearsals
Well done to everyone who has been practising hard to make sure our school production is awesome!
Next week’s rehearsals are as follows:
Monday 13 November, 3.30-4.30pm: All singers – please make sure you are happy with your part in the following songs: Happy All the Time, World’s Greatest Dad, Sparklejollytwinklejingly and A Christmas Song.
Tuesday 14 November, 3.30-5.00pm: Principals and New Yorkers.
Thursday 16 November, 3.30-5.00pm: Principals and New Yorkers.
Elves can have a week off acting rehearsals next week!
Girls rugby players wanted
York Acorn Rugby Club are now recruiting players for its 2024 girls rugby league team. They are welcoming girls aged 11-14 who are wanting to try out, be part of a team and more importantly be part of a family orientated club where friends for life are made! Training starts Monday 13 November at 6.00pm.
#WakeUpWednesday guides from National Online Safety
A parent and carer guide to X (formerly Twitter)
X is hugely popular but as this guide shows, there are some things for parents and carers to be aware of if their child is using it.
A parent and carer guide to Microtransactions (MTX)
$76 billion! That’s the value some experts have assigned to this year’s global online microtransaction market – those additional in-app and in-game purchases which offer young players a temptingly quick way to enhance their digital experience for real-world money.
With concerns over the impact of allowing these paid-for upgrades to be available to children, some countries have already either banned microtransactions or subjected them to stringent legislation.
This week’s guide from National Online Safety outlines the risks and what can be done about them. Please take a look.
Safeguarding
If you have significant concerns for the welfare of a child, in addition to being able to contact Mrs Cole, Mrs Cooper or Mr Beever during school hours by emailing safeguarding@millthorpe.southbank.academy, you may wish to make direct contact with the York MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) on T: 01904 551900, option 3. They operate an out-of-hours service so concerns can be raised with them at any time.
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