A message from Ms Greenhalgh
I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely half-term break last week. School is back in full swing for the final half term of this school year. Year 11s are now on the home straight with their GCSEs and continue to make me a very proud headteacher. Keep it up Year 11s, you’re almost there!
This week, Year 8s have taken their end of year assessments, and Year 9s have been preparing for their assessments which will take place next week. Year 10s will also be sitting their PPEs over the next fortnight. Please remember that if you or your child need some support, please speak to their form tutor or a member of their year team. You can also visit our Padlet on our website where there’s a host of resources and support.
Some of our students will be taking part in SportFest next week, an event organised by the Trust, which celebrates being part of a family of schools. Some of our Year 9 Sports Leaders will be leading teams (made up of children from the South Bank MAT schools) through a fantastic programme of activities.
On Saturday 1 June, Millthorpe staff and students joined thousands of others in the York Pride parade to celebrate diversity and the LGBT+ community. Thank you to all those who took part – it looked to be an incredible event as ever!
Huge congratulations to those students who enjoyed an ice lolly with me on the Friday before the half-term break including Sam, Sonny, Alexi, Ellen, Amber, Amelia, Lilah, Grace, Ryan, Agatha, Sofia, Harry, Tom and Alice. They were all nominated by their faculty for trying hard every day to be the best that they can be and being respectful, responsible and ready.
This week, Mrs Armitage, Deputy Head, enjoyed a chat and ice lolly with another group of students including Finn, Luis, Freya, Isaac, Daisy, Isaac, Lilah, Lucy, Sofia, Joely, Rowan and Kelsey. Well done to you all!
Have a lovely weekend everyone, we’ll be back in school on Monday for a ‘B’ Week.
With best wishes,
Gemma Greenhalgh
Headteacher
What is my child learning at the moment?
Please see below to find out what your child has been learning about recently in order to have productive discussions about their education:
Conversation starters
- Computing: Why is it often far better to have a system that is managed and controlled by a computer rather than a human? What are computer systems? How does the input, process and output model work in computing?
- French: We are describing where we live and talking about where we go in our area.
- German: We are describing where we live and saying what there is to do there.
Year 8 – Faculty: Maths
Conversation starters
Students have been revising all of the topics from this year and how they can interlink in readiness for the end of year assessment.
- How does drawing a triangle help with a distance-time graph?
- How does solving equations help find missing values in perimeter problems?
- What skills do ratio problems and probability questions share?
Take a moment to reflect on all the ideas you have learnt or improved this year, and how much progress you have made.
Year 9 – Faculty: Creative
Conversation starters
- Fine Art: following in depth Banksy studies and the creation of stencils, Year 9 are developing a personal response to the ‘Art & Issues’ project. Asking your child about their choice of contemporary issue would support their research and development of ideas. Suggested issues included mental health, environment, cost of living, homelessness, body image, gender equality, LGBTQ+, Pride, feminism, #Metoo, women’s rights, environmentalism, politics, anti-racism, Islamophobia, unity, displacement/refugee, inclusivity, Black Lives Matter, poverty, inequality, anti-war/peace and animal rights.
- Design & Technology: Year 9 are continuing their studies of Emerging Technology and its applications, with time block 4 starting just before half-term. Please ask your child which discipline (Product Design, Graphics, Textiles or Food Preparation and Nutrition) they are currently doing? You could also ask about the Modern Technology and materials they have studied and what product they are making.
Year 10 – Faculty: Humanities
Conversation starters
- History: We have been revising hard for the Year 10 Paper 1 PPE. This focuses on “Germany 1890-1945” and “Conflict in Asia, 1950-75” (Korean and Vietnam Wars). Please ask your child everything that they know about these topics and ensure that they have a space to revise at home. A few questions that you might want to ask your child:
- How was Hitler able to become the Chancellor in 1933?
- How did Germany become a dictatorship within 18 months?
- How did the Korean War become an international crisis in 1950?
- Why did the Vietnam War escalate?
- What happened during the Tet Offensive, in My Lai, and at Kent State University?
- Ethics: Students are coming to the end of their Christianity Practices unit and are looking at the Church’s response to world poverty.
- Geography: What are the causes of desertification? How do we manage desertification?
The Humanities Team is offering a trip to Krakow at February Half Term 2025 for current Year 10 students. Please see your email for further details and to secure your child’s place.
Year 11 – All faculties
Conversation starters
We have been amazingly impressed with our Year 11 students during their ongoing GCSE examination series. Their last full day in school is on Monday. After this, Year 11 students should be continuing to attend all timetabled revision sessions and obviously, all of their exams. Please check in with your child to see how they are doing and if they need any support.
If needed, you could direct your child to some online resources for managing exam stress or general wellbeing:
Padlet – exams and revision support
Exam stress – Student Minds
Coping with exam pressure – a guide for students – GOV.UK
We hope that you will find this information useful when talking to your child about their learning.
Additionally, you might want to take a look at the curriculum section of our website which has lots more information about what your child is, has, or will be learning over the academic year.
Millthorpe secures exciting partnership with Middlethorpe Hall
We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Middlethorpe Hall to further develop our Careers Programme.
Careers Lead at Millthorpe, Miss Watts met with Mr Chatard (Director and General Manager) and Mrs Betteridge (Conference and Banqueting Co-ordinator) from Middlethorpe Hall over the half-term break to arrange some exciting opportunities for our students.
As part of the launch, Miss Watts and Mr Dunn attended a lovely event, also attended by the Lord Mayor of York, where Millthorpe was officially partnered with Middlethorpe Hall.
Miss Watts said “It was a real pleasure to spend the afternoon at Middlethorpe Hall; we are all looking forward to working with the team and developing the partnership.”
Mr Chatard also attended Millthorpe just before half-term when he toured the school and met some of the students who will be involved in the project.
School uniform
Our uniform lending sytem is a great resource for those occasions when students forget an item of uniform. However, the supply has dwindled because a large number of borrowed items have not been returned.
To ensure everyone has access to this resource, please help us by checking that your child is in full school uniform, so that they are not regularly visiting the uniform store. Please also remind them to return borrowed uniform pieces promptly. This way, the lending room can stay stocked for when it’s truly needed.
If purchasing uniform items poses a financial burden, please don’t hesitate to contact us confidentially. We have resources and support available to help ensure all students can wear the proper uniform with pride.
National Thank a Teacher Day
National Thank a Teacher Day is celebrated on 19 June 2024. You may be aware that we do our own in-house “Staff Appreciation Cards” each term, where students write a thank you card to one (or sometimes more) member of staff in school whom they appreciate. These have proven very popular with staff and many are proudly displayed in classrooms or in offices around school.
National Thank a Teacher Day does something similar, where a card can be sent, free of charge, to a member of staff in school. We have shared this with students in school this week, and would like to ask you to encourage them to send a thank you card to a member of staff in school who they feel deserves it. Despite its name, National Thank a Teacher Day recognises all staff in schools, so your child may want to appreciate a member of staff other than a teacher. They can send as many as they wish, send one to a whole team or even one to the whole school.
They just need to go to https://thankateacher.co.uk/national-thank-a-teacher-day/ and complete a brief form.
Parents and carers are also able to send a thank you card so if one of our colleagues has gone above and beyond and you would like to recognise them, we are sure that they will really appreciate it. Simply click the above link and follow the instructions.
SEND Team update
Thank you to the parents who attended the SEND Network before the half-term break. Next term we will run an information evening to discuss how the SEND support system works at school, particularly for our new students.
Next week, we will contact parents of children on the SEND register with details about how to book a slot for our SEND virtual Parents’ Evening, which will be held on 18 June. If you would like to meet to discuss SEND support/your child’s passport, then please book a slot to meet a member of the inclusion team. This will be particularly important as we look to transition for next year.
If you have any questions or concerns about SEND provision, please contact: send@millthorpe.southbank.academy in the first instance. There’s also lots of useful information on the school website and you can take a look at the support available for parents on the local offer website: Universal Offer Calendar.
Awards Evening 2024
Please note that the annual Awards Evening will be held on Wednesday 10 July (not on 9 July as advertised in the Millthorpe Messenger). Award winners and their families will be notified in due course.
Girls social football
We’re excited to announce a new initiative: Girls Only Social Football every Friday lunchtime on the Astro! This is open to girls in all year groups, and we’d love to see a big turnout.
We know the Astro has become a bit male-dominated at lunchtimes. This isn’t what we intended, and we’re taking steps to create a more inclusive space.
Women’s football is booming right now, and we want to inspire Millthorpe’s future Lionesses as well as providing the opportunity to stay fit, make friends, and have a good time! We want to provide a fun and welcoming environment where girls can learn the ropes, practice their skills, and just have a good time playing football without any pressure.
Any girls wanting to join in, just need to bring their boots and plenty of enthusiasm. We can’t wait to see you there!
York and District Athletics competition
The York and District Athletics competition will take place at York University on Thursday 13 June. The event includes athletes from Years 7-10, with students form Years 9 and 10 being involved for the first time.
Please note that Year 7 and 8 athletes will only qualify for the event on 13 June if they were placed FIRST or SECOND in their round one event this week, NOT third. Apologies for any confusion.
All athletes wishing to compete next week must have signed up with PE staff and handed in their reply slip and consent form before Thursday’s event.
If you have any questions please speak to your PE teachers or email Mr Boothman.
Year 7 cricket
Year 7 cricketers are invited to attend a practice after school on Monday 10 June. We will be preparing for an away match against Bootham School on Tuesday 18 June.
Interested students should bring their PE kit and meet in the Sports Hall.
Job of the week – Sports Coach
Do you fancy helping people work towards a target and helping them reach their potential? In this role you can work with a variety of people from an individual level to a team, from a school group to a whole community. Sometimes the work is done voluntarily, and other parts you can get paid for.
For more information on becoming a Sports Coach, you can watch this video.
York College apprenticeship vacancies
York College is currently advertising a number of apprenticeship vacancies which can be seen on the attached pdf. Each vacancy has a hyperlink to the Apprenticeship Service website, where you will find full job details and where you can submit your application.
Also attached are Hair & Beauty and Construction vacancies, which require an email or phone call directly to the employer.
A note on closing dates: vacancies often close earlier than the stated date, so if you are interested please make sure you apply as soon as you can.
You can also read the attached guidance on how to write a strong application to ensure the best chance of success.
Getting Sorted event at York College
York College is holding two Getting Sorted events aimed at current Year 11s who are planning to start York College in September who may feel worried about new environments or situations. The events will be held on Wednesday 31 July and Wednesday 14 August.
Further information can be found here.
Volunteering opportunities with Explore Libraries
Explore Libraries are looking for young volunteers (aged 13+) to support their Summer Reading Challenge. Take a look at the poster below for more information.
Volunteering opportunities with the North Yorkshire Youth Commission
The Youth Commission consists of a team of volunteers (ages 10-25) who strive to give young people a voice on issues that are important to them. They pride themselves in uniting young people to raise awareness of certain topics and the opportunity to share their opinions.
They advise the York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning, part of the York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority. This partnership allows young people to discuss their concerns and views directly with those who can make a difference for young people across the county. It’s a great opportunity to develop skills, work directly with key decision-makers and gain valuable CV experience.
They are keen to recruit a diverse range of young people, particularly those who may have experience of the police, criminal justice or as victims of crime. Equally, the opportunity may be of particular interest to those passionate about social subjects, or individuals just wanting to share their views or learn more about social issues and police, fire and crime services.
Anyone interested should see Miss Watts for an application form. Closing date for applications is Friday 14 June.
Find out more about the Youth Commission here.
The North Yorkshire Youth Commission has also just published their latest report, reflecting on their work from March 2023 to January 2024. This annual report focuses on the Youth Commission’s extensive peer-to-peer research and engagement with 1,704 young people across York and North Yorkshire between March 2023 and January 2024.
#WakeUpWednesday – A Parent and Carer Guide to Palworld
With an all-time peak of 2.1million concurrent players, Palworld rose to prominence after its release earlier this year on PC and Xbox, resonating in particular with the younger audience – both those who saw their favourite influencers playing it and those who bought the game themselves.
Despite its light-hearted presentation and cartoonish art style, Palworld has been noted for its mature references that could be inappropriate for children. What’s more, the presence of online multiplayer and the potential for interacting with strangers can pose further online safety risks. This week, we’re bringing you expert advice on how to protect young people from the concerns associated with Palworld.
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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