A message from Mrs Rothenburg
This week, we were delighted to welcome the Heads from across Excel Learning Trust to Millthorpe. They spent time visiting lessons, with a particular focus on movement time and our ‘Go for Gold’ lesson entry initiative. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Our visitors commented on the high levels of student engagement, noting how calm and purposeful lessons were. They were especially impressed by the mutual respect displayed between staff and students, which contributes to the positive learning environment we strive to foster at Millthorpe. I am very proud of the feedback and grateful to our staff and students for their ongoing commitment to being the best that they can be.
Thank you to all our students who have adapted well to the new social times introduced this week, and thank you also to those who have provided useful feedback on the new arrangements. Moving five minutes of social time from lunchtime to breaktime has, for the vast majority, proved to be a positive change. To ensure students are getting ample downtime between lessons, a longer break time in the morning now gives students the opportunity to reset, and enough time to buy food from the canteen if they wish. We have now opened another section of the canteen at break time to help serve students more quickly.
At lunchtime, students still have plenty of time to relax and socialise before or after lunch and enjoy their meal without feeling rushed. Lunch service in the canteen will be even quicker soon, when our Year 11 students begin to go off site at lunchtime.
Even though we’re still only a few weeks into the new school year, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming our next cohort of students into school for our Open Evening. The event will take place on Wednesday 2 October from 6.00-8.00pm and Year 5/6 pupils and their families will have the opportunity to tour the school, meet staff and students and experience a range of activities in our different subject areas. A big thank you must go to colleagues for making the event possible and to the large number of students who are giving up their time to help us showcase Millthorpe to our visitors.
Today I hosted the first Principal’s Breakfast with those students nominated by colleagues for demonstrating being respectful, ready and responsible. I enjoyed pastries and hot chocolate with a lovely group of students including Jack, Darcey, Joshua, Elena and Freddie.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend – fingers crossed for some better weather! We’ll be back in school on Monday for an ‘A’ Week.
With best wishes,
Kavina Rothenburg
Acting Principal
What is my child learning at the moment?
Please see below to find out what your child has been learning about in the first couple of weeks of this new academic year in order to have productive discussions about their education:
Year 7 – Faculty: Science
Conversation starter
Year 7 classes are studying a variety of topics in Block 1: Cells; Particles, Atoms, Elements and Compounds; and Forces.
- For those students who are studying Cells, you could ask them to name the parts of animal and plant cells and their functions.
- Students studying Particles, Atoms, Elements and Compounds could be asked about the structure and properties of the different states of matter.
- Students who are studying Forces could be asked about the difference between mass and weight and to describe balanced and unbalanced forces.
All Year 7 Science Lessons in Block 1 are available in the Year 7 Science Google Classroom. In addition, next week we will be launching Sparx Science for all Year 7 Science Homework – the first Sparx Science Homework should be completed for Thursday 10 October.
There are more details later in today’s email about Sparx Science.
Year 8 – Faculty: Global
Conversation starters
- Computing: We are continuing to explore the idea of themes in design for our websites. We will also start to look at layout and designs.
- French: We are continuing to learn about free time in French. Can your child talk about what books they like to read in French?
- German: We are continuing to learn about holidays in German. Can your child talk about their favourite holiday they’ve been on in German?
Year 9 – Faculty: Humanities
Conversation starters
- History: What caused the First World War? Was it the Alliance system, militarism, imperialism or nationalism? We have tackled this complex subject in the first few weeks of term and students have/will be completing a knowledge test. Quirky questions (can you and your child work them out?):
- How did one sandwich cause the death of 20 million people?
- If only 32 countries went to war, why do we call it a ‘World War’?
- Why does Germany get the blame for World War One…shouldn’t it be Russia? Or are all of the combatants equally responsible?
- If the name of the terrorist organisation who killed Franz Ferdinand is not the ‘Black Hand’, why does everyone use this name? And what was their correct name?
- Geography: What happens when a volcano erupts? Why are there so many volcanoes in Iceland?
- RE: Students are learning about Buddhism and they have started to learn about the Buddha’s luxury lifestyle before he became the Buddha. What was his life like? What are the four sights? (The things he saw which made him leave his lifestyle). Can you name four things that you cannot live without?
Year 10 – Faculty: Performance
Conversation starters
- Drama: Students are working on developing their group devising skills in preparation to begin the Theatre in Education pieces that they will perform in assemblies after half term to support the message of anti-bullying week.
- Music: Students are developing their core musicianship skills this term and applying them to the three areas of performing, composing and listening. By half term students will have a strong understanding of notation reading, chord structures, primary and secondary chords, cadences and different keys.
- PE: In PE, students are well on their way with their curriculum blocks with the boys on football and fitness and the girls on badminton and netball. In Sports Studies, students have started their GCSE content and have been learning about fitness, health and wellbeing. Students have been learning the definitions of health, positive and negative lifestyle choices and the impact of a sedentary lifestyle on their health.
Year 11 – Faculty: Creative
Conversation starters
- Food and Nutrition: Students are completing their research sections for NEA 1, finalising their hypotheses and beginning their practical investigations into the chemical and functional properties of the ingredients used in making scones.
- Fine Art: Students are presenting and extending their Summer Holiday Homework Tasks to create a second coursework project based on the starting point ‘Sense of Place / Space’. Exemplar projects from previous students have been shared to illustrate how to fulfil AQA assessment objectives. Sketchbook development work to date evidences initial ideas, photographic recording skills and artist research. Students are starting to select and refine the initial ideas they intend to further develop. Exploring techniques/media, additional photographic studies and in-depth artist studies will be required to inspire personal responses.
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 will be learning over the academic year.
What to do if your child feels unwell during the school day
If your child contacts you during the school day to say that they feel unwell, we kindly ask that you contact the school office before coming to pick them up.
Our medical team always triage students who feel unwell and make a professional decision about the next steps. This could be contacting you with an update or advising you that your child needs to be collected.
By following this procedure, we can ensure every student is properly assessed, remains safe, and is cared for while at school. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and supportive environment for all.
Expectations around nails and makeup
A polite reminder that any students with false/acrylic nails which are too long and/or are coloured/patterned, should have them removed by Monday 30 September please. We also ask that all students arrive at school without nail varnish.
A reminder also that makeup should be kept within what might reasonably be considered natural and that false eyelashes should not be worn to school.
Science and Sparx
The Science department is joining Maths and English in using Sparx as an online platform for KS3 homework this year. From next week your child will be using Sparx Science to complete weekly homework.
Homework will be based on topics that students have recently studied to help consolidate their learning. Tasks will be set weekly on a Thursday starting next Thursday 3 October and should also be completed by a Thursday at 9.00am – the first one should be completed for 10 October.
Homework is personalised in order to be challenging yet achievable for every student. Over time, Sparx learns a student’s ability and adjusts the number of questions and their difficulty.
How do they log in?
- Visit https://sparxscience.com and click Log in
- Choose Millthorpe School
- Use their Sparx account to log in, using their school Google account using the same username and password that they use for Sparx Maths.
How can I support my child with their homework?
Sparx Science adapts to each student’s ability level, so it’s important that you don’t help too much, eg by answering questions for them. This can lead to Sparx giving homework that is too long or hard in future.
We recommend letting students answer each question themselves and you can give help if they are stuck with the support and follow-up questions.
You can also help to provide a quiet space for your child to focus on their homework each week.
How can I monitor my child’s homework?
You can keep track of the homework your child is doing by clicking through the link to the Parent Portal in your Sparx Maths weekly homework email.
On the Parent Portal, you can choose to view homework progress for any Sparx learning system your child is using. Effort for homework will also be recognised via Classcharts, as will incompletion of homework
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s Science teacher. We look forward to sharing the results over the course of the year.
Students travelling from Copmanthorpe
A big thank you to the parents/carers from Copmanthorpe who have kept us informed when the bus is running late.
The 7.55am bus is consistently arriving too late for students to get through our gates by 8.40am so to help ensure a smooth start to the school day, we kindly ask that parents consider the 7.20am bus instead. We realise this means some students may arrive at school before the gates officially open at 8.30am. To accommodate this, we are happy to allow Copmanthorpe students to enter the school site early and wait in the canopy area. Simply ask your child to buzz main reception, and we will open the gate for them.
Our goal is to reduce the stress and worry for students sitting in traffic, worried about being late, and ensure they start the day calmly and on time. Thank you for your continued support.
Year 11 virtual art gallery
Our Virtual Gallery of student artwork is now live on the school website. Take a look to see the amazing pieces produced by last year’s Year 11 students as part of their GCSE coursework.
Help us to fundraise for a new piano at Millthorpe School
At Millthorpe School, we are proud to have a vibrant musical community with over 200 budding pianists. To support our students’ musical development, we are fundraising for a new acoustic piano, which will allow them to play and practice regularly on a high-quality instrument.
We are inviting parents and supporters to sponsor a key (or half a key) of the new piano.
If you’d like to contribute, we’ve made it easy by adding the sponsorship option to ParentPay. Your generous support will make a meaningful difference in enriching the musical experience for our students.
Thank you for your continued support!
Alice Longbottom
Subject Lead for Music
Calling all singers! Join the School Choir!
Mrs Longbottom would love to welcome new voices to the school choir! They meet on a Wednesday lunchtime and students enjoy a lively and fun repertoire – just last week, they sang Viva la Vida by Coldplay.
If your child loves to sing or is curious to give it a try, please encourage them to come along next week. It’s a wonderful opportunity to build confidence, make new friends, and enjoy the joy of singing – smiles guaranteed!
Year 11 boys football team advance in North Yorkshire County Cup
Earlier this week, our Year 11 boys’ football team travelled to George Pindar School in Scarborough to compete in the first round of the North Yorkshire County Cup. Millthorpe secured an outstanding 6-1 victory, with goals from Finn, who netted an impressive hat-trick, Oscar, Luca and Rowan.
Finn Davis was named ‘Man of the Match’ for his stellar performance in central midfield. Congratulations to the entire squad for this exceptional team effort – every player played their part in this fantastic win. The team will now play Ryedale School at home in the next round.
Job of the week – Quantity Surveyor
In this job you are trying to save people’s money by finding safe ways to reduce construction costs. You are also responsible for ensuring that a project sticks to strict legal quality and safety requirements. You need to be able to understand the needs of the clients, negotiate contracts and prepare and analyse costings. Good organisational skills are key.
For more information on becoming a Quantity Surveyor, you can watch this video.
York College Open Evening
York College is holding an Open Evening on Tuesday 8 October, 5.30pm to 8pm. This is a great opportunity to explore courses, meet staff, and discover what the college has to offer.
To register, simply visit the York College website.
Matilda rehearsals – a message from Mrs Sladen
Rehearsals for Matilda are well underway and everyone has made a great start! Next week’s rehearsals will be as follows:
- Monday 30 September, 3.30-4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – blocking
- Tuesday 1 October, 3.15-4.15pm: Harmony group (Group 2 from Tuesday’s rehearsal) and the Mums and Dads from Miracle
- Wednesday 2 October, 6.00-8.00pm for OPEN EVENING: Drama Hall – we need Principals, Kids, Big Kids please for blocking. (Please note that we need permission slips for all students taking part.)
- Thursday 3 October, 3.30-4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – blocking
Really looking forward to getting lots of the show blocked next week!
SEND update from Excel Learning Trust
Every month, Sue Wight, Director of SEN and Safeguarding at Excel Learning Trust circulates tips and advice regarding SEN and safeguarding to staff and parents/carers.
The first SEN and Safeguarding newsletter of this academic year, can be found here.
Parent Carer Forum
To find out more about events and support available from the Parent Carer Forum, please take a look at their latest newsletter here.
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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