A message from Ms Greenhalgh
I hope everyone is managing to stay warm now the weather has becoming a lot chillier! We know that this can be a difficult time of year for some families and we all need additional support from time to time. Now more than ever, many families are facing pressures linked to the fallout from the Covid pandemic as well as the current financial situation in the UK. Help is available, so please ask for support if you need it. You can find a list of resources on the South Bank Multi Academy Trust website here.
It is wonderful to see that more than 100 Golden Tickets: Academic have been awarded this week, with some students being awarded two and even three tickets. To those who have been recognised for going the extra mile this week, well done on receiving a Golden Ticket: Wider Contribution.
Have a great weekend, stay warm, and we’ll see everyone back on Monday for an ‘A’ week.
With best wishes,
Gemma Greenhalgh
Headteacher
Attendance survey
A reminder that we are undertaking some research to try to understand why attendance rates in our school (as they are across York and nationally) are lower than pre-pandemic levels. We would really value your feedback to help us understand current attitudes towards attendance, and what additional barriers there might be.
If you have not already done so, please follow this link to a short survey where you can share your views.
Key Stage 3 Readathon nears its conclusion
All students in Key Stage 3 have been invited to participate in our Readathon over the last two weeks. Students aim to secure sponsorships for reading and the money raised will support young people in hospitals across the UK. We also receive 20% of the total amount raised to improve our own library, so it really is a win-win situation! The easiest way to sponsor a child is online here.
We still have some way to go to surpass our total from last year, which was over £800, but we appreciate many of you will be waiting until the challenge concludes on Monday 4 December before donating. It would be great to beat last years’ total and if every child in Key Stage 3 raised just £2 each, we would raise over £1200. Thank you in advance for your support and also for any donations that you are able to make.
Support for encouraging reluctant readers is available on our website here.
Non-uniform day
On Friday 8 December we are holding a non-uniform day in aid of the Millie Wright Children’s Charity. This charity has been chosen by the student leaders as it is one personal to some of them.
Students can either bring in a £1 on the day or you can pay on ParentPay.
Millthorpe Christmas Charity Appeal
This week, Ms Greenhalgh led an assembly highlighting the issue of homelessness. The assembly focused on the theme of ‘home’: the difference between a house and a home, and how Christmas is often a time for families to come together at home – but that for some people, it can be a difficult time. This includes people in York and elsewhere who don’t have a home for a variety of reasons, including family breakdown and mental health, and displaced people – refugees fleeing conflict or persecution, many of whom are displaced within their own country, including in Ukraine and Gaza. This links to our regular Christmas charity collections for RAY (Refugee Action York), SASH and Carecent, which we have been supporting for a number of years.
Details of the collections we will be making to support these fantastic charities has been shared with students and all items need to be brought in by Friday 15 December please. They can be brought to forms or placed under the Christmas tree outside the office.
Many thanks for your support!
Mr Sloan and the Student Leadership team
Christmas dinner
Final call for Christmas dinner! If your child(ren) wants to enjoy Christmas dinner (traditional turkey or a vegetarian option) on Friday 15 December, tickets must be obtained by Wednesday 6 December at the latest. We will be unable to take bookings after this time as we will need to place the food orders with our suppliers.
Tickets, priced at £2.50, are now available via ParentPay.
Children who are eligible for free school meals will not have to pay but will still need to register so that we know whether they would like the meat or vegetarian option. Please complete this Google form to make your choices (you do not need to register via ParentPay too).
Elf the Musical tickets and rehearsals
Tickets for our school production, Elf the Musical, are now on sale at £3 each via Parentpay. On booking, you will need to pick the day of your choice and tickets will be delivered to students via their form tutors.
Mrs Sladen wants to thank everyone for their efforts so far with rehearsals – we are so nearly there now! With just over two weeks to go until showtime it’s important that everyone continues to learn all of their lines/songs/choreography to make sure that they can be confident and proud of their final performances.
Next week’s rehearsals will take place on the following days:
Monday 4 December, 3.30-5.00pm: Full Cast – Main Hall with Miss Gillespie (minus Year 11 Drama students who will be in the Drama Studio with Mrs Sladen)
Tuesday 5 December, 3.30-5.00pm: Principals, New Yorkers and Dancers with Miss Towers (minus Year 11 Drama students who will be in the Drama Studio with Mrs Sladen)
Thursday 7 December, 3.30-6.00pm: Full Cast – Main Hall
Millthorpe SEND network: 4 December, 4.00-5.00pm
We are delighted to invite our parents, particularly those with children with SEND, to a special event on 4 December from 4.00-5.00pm in the school library. Think of it as a ‘coffee morning’ style event where you can connect with the SEND team in a relaxed setting.
For our first event, we look forward to welcoming Laura Brown from the Local Authority, who will showcase the new York SEND Local Offer website. This platform outlines the services and activities available to children and young people with SEND, offering support from birth to 25 years old. The website provides valuable information for families at every stage of their journey, covering topics such as understanding Special Educational Needs, available support with or without a diagnosis, and insights into the preparations for adulthood for young people with disabilities.
There will be tea, coffee and perhaps some mince pies! All parents are warmly welcome. We are keen to gather your feedback during this event, shaping the future “Millthorpe SEND Network” gatherings.
Any SEND enquiries as ever please email: send@millthorpe.southbank.academy
Year 11 visit to see Macbeth at the Grand Opera House
The English Department would like to invite Year 11 students to visit the Grand Opera House in York to see Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Part of the ‘Revision on Tour’ sequence of productions specifically designed to enrich and enhance the GCSE literature experience for students, this is an exciting opportunity to experience a live performance of our set text.
The visit will take place on Monday 22 January 2024, with the performance starting at 7.30pm. If you would like your child to attend the event, please complete the consent form on ParentPay by Friday 15 December. The cost of the trip is £16.00, and can be paid via ParentPay. If your child is in receipt of Pupil Premium you will only be required to provide consent via ParentPay.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Dr Bates.
YIK’s Parent Carer Forum
To find out more about events and support available from the YIK Parent Carer Forum, please take a look at their latest newsletter here.
Vaping support: Help to stop smoking and vaping for teenagers in York
There has been a national rise in teenagers smoking and vaping. City of York Council Health Trainers are offering free confidential one-to-one support and guidance, face-to-face or remotely, to help 12-17 year olds stop smoking or vaping.
If you are interested, please email cychealthtrainers@york.gov.uk. Please also take a look at this leaflet for parents and carers.
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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