Weekly email – 4 October 2024

A message from Mrs Rothenburg

This week we held our Open Evening for Year 5/6 pupils and their families. The event, which was very well attended, was a massive success thanks to the huge team effort from colleagues and students. Six of our students (four from Year 7 and two from Year 11) showed great confidence as they took to the stage three times to present to halls full of people, and more than 100 students gave up their time to help us showcase our wonderful school to visitors. Thank you to everyone who came along and for the positive feedback we have received.

Next Thursday, we are hosting our Afternoon Tea and Revision Tips event for Year 11 students and their families. We hope to see as many families there as possible as this is a great way to support your child with the challenges of Year 11. On the day, to accommodate everyone, there will be two sessions:

I hope you all have a great weekend. We’ll be back in school on Monday for a ‘B’ 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: Global
Conversation starters

• Computing: We are completing looking at how to identify Phishing emails and what to do if you get one, and beginning to study how to use Microsoft Word / Google Docs to their full potential.
• French: We are studying colours in French and talking about animals. You could ask your child to talk about their favourite animal in French and say what colour different objects are. They can also use their knowledge organiser to get ahead and describe family members in French.

Year 8 – Faculty: Humanities
Conversation starters

• History: This term students are studying the problems faced by Elizabeth I during her reign. What sparked the conflict between England and Spain in 1588? Sir Francis Drake is revered as an English hero but hated by the Spanish. Why is this? Please also ask your child how the English defeated the Spanish Armada (tips – leadership, tactics, weather, fire ships and the cutting of anchors!). Year 8 students will write an essay on the defeat of the Armada, so please ask to see their work.
• Geography: What are the four economic sectors? What is an economy? Why did Terry’s close in York?
• RE: Students are starting to look at the life of Prophet Muhammad, focusing on the Hijrah.

Year 9 – Faculty: Performance
Conversation starters

• Drama: Students are working on creating their own group devised pieces of Theatre in Education, exploring the theme of homelessness and using non-naturalistic techniques for dramatic effect – please do ask them to tell you all about it!
• Music: This term, students are learning about how music is used in films and video games. We are looking at how musical devices can be utilised to create different atmospheres.
• PE: In PE lessons, students have been working on their skills in badminton, in particular developing their doubles gameplay. The other half of the boys’ groups have been working on their volleyball skills looking at serving, the set and the dig. The girls have been working hard developing their skills in team sports such as netball and handball.

Year 10 – Faculty: Creative
Conversation starters

• Fine Art: ‘Identity’ is the theme for our first coursework project. After creating a detailed eye study students have progressed to an A3 observational self-portrait. This is a challenging task which allows pupils to refine their observational and recording skills. Studying and responding to the work of other artists is an essential feature of the course. Students have researched, discussed, described and compared hyper realistic shaded portraits by Chuck Close, Lois Malliou Jones, Sabin Howard, Chiamonwu Joy and Arinze Stanley Egbengwu and Jonny Shaw. The next step is a personal photographic study which will provide students with a second opportunity to record ideas and respond to other artists.
• Engineering: Our engineers have been studying and producing 3rd Angle Orthographic Drawings. They have videos and homework on Google Classroom and can show you their first technical drawings. They have now moved onto manufacturing their first products (Trisquare) and precision engineering using CAD/CAM.
• Food and Nutrition: Students have completed their end of unit test for the food safety topic and did fantastically. We are now moving onto the very important topic of nutrition and will be studying the different macro and micro nutrients and cooking a range of balanced (and not so balanced) meals to embed the knowledge and continue to develop our practical skills
• 3D Design: Students are working on their Grand Designs project, designing their own Eco House and developing their 2D Design Skills. Students will be laser cutting their houses and using a range of techniques to build their own architectural model.
• Graphics: Students are working on their Lettering Project including a wide range of graphics techniques including Poly Tile printing and developing and manipulating images.

Year 11 – Faculty: English
Conversation starter
Year 11 are continuing their exciting journey through Macbeth – a GCSE highlight for both students and teachers! Now they are in Year 11, we have an increased focus on writing timed answers in class, and quote learning for homework – any support parents and siblings can offer to help with this challenging job I’m sure would be gratefully received! Ask your child what quotes they can remember about Macbeth so far.

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.

Communicating with school

A couple of weeks ago in the weekly email we included an update for parents about communicating with school.

A polite reminder that if you do need to contact the school with a general enquiry or something to do with subject teaching or form time, please use the admin@millthorpe.southbank.academy email address. This allows us to give a quick response or direct the enquiry to the most relevant person.

Please do not contact subject teachers directly, as this will only slow down the response.

Introducing Fiction Form Time Reading

Parents and carers will hopefully be aware of our carefully planned Form Time Activities which we launched in September 2023. There is a different focus each morning across the week: Reading, Maths, Culture Curriculum, Retrieval Practice and an Assembly.

The Reading Session has utilised topical news articles, where students read the article as a form and discuss its contents. This develops students’ reading and comprehension, improves vocabulary and ensures that they are kept abreast of current affairs.

We also want to develop our focus on reading for pleasure. Following a successful trial with current Year 9 students in the Summer Term, our wonderful school librarian Miss Brooks has worked tirelessly to select age appropriate, engaging short stories for each year group to read together and has provided excellent resources to support these sessions.

The Fiction Form Time Reading session will launch with Year 7 students on Monday, as they read a short story called High Tension, taken from the book Secret Weapon by Anthony Horowitz. This collection of short stories focuses on Alex Rider, a teenage MI6 spy and in High Tension, 14-year old Alex is trying to enjoy a parasailing holiday in France, but in the high-octane world of an MI6 spy, this is not always possible, leading to a tense, nail-biting scenario.

Year 7 students will read this on a Monday morning over the next few weeks so please do ask your child about it and discuss it at home. Additionally, our school library has all of the Alex Rider series and short stories available, so please encourage your child to loan one.

Fiction Form Time Reading will be rolled out to all other year groups during the course of this academic year.

If your child is a reluctant reader, please see Reading support – Millthorpe School on our school website for help and advice.

Phones

Our students are already aware of the importance of restricting phone use when at school for both safeguarding and learning purposes. However we kindly ask parents to remind their children that mobile phones should be switched off and placed in their bags before they walk through the school gates every morning. Phones must remain switched off until they have exited the gates at the end of the day. The end-of-day bell is not a signal to check their devices – phones should only be used once students have left the school premises.

Jewellery

We are pleased to report that our equipment and uniform support and checks at the school gates each morning have been a great success, helping ensure that students are fully prepared for learning before entering the school site. However, we have identified an area where improvement is needed: some students have been wearing excess jewellery, which is not in line with our ‘ready to learn’ strategy. To address this, students wearing excess jewellery are asked to remove it before entering the school grounds. This will allow form tutors to focus on essential activities, such as reading and our culture curriculum, during form time instead of managing jewellery concerns.

As always, students wearing excess jewellery during the school day (see our uniform expectations) will have the items confiscated and returned to them at the end of the day. If this happens three times, parents will be asked to collect the item(s) from the main office.

Thank you for your support.

Fobs

This week we have reminded students that they must have their fob with them every day if they want to buy food from the canteen. Having their fob ready helps the queue move quicker for everybody.

If they do need to buy a new fob, they can do so from the canteen for £1. It’s best to do this towards the end of break when the queue has died down.

GCSE Geography Revision Guide and Exam Practice Workbooks

The CGP AQA GCSE Geography Revision Guide and Exam Practice Workbooks are now available for purchase for Year 10 and 11 students. These guides provide comprehensive support for both physical and human geography, including exam-style practice questions, case studies, and advice for Unit 3 (Issue Evaluation & Fieldwork).

You can also benefit from the digital extras, such as multiple-choice quizzes and videos that help students tackle tricky exam questions.

Through our school’s bulk purchasing, we can offer these at £4 per book (regular price £7.50). Both the Revision Guide and Exam Practice Workbook are recommended for full preparation.

Purchases can be made via ParentPay from Monday 7 October. The books will be distributed directly to students once the orders are complete. If you have any questions, please contact Mr Figures through the school office.

Reminder for parents/carers of students attending the 2025 Iceland trip

A friendly reminder for those with children attending the 2025 Iceland trip – could you please ensure that the Google Form is completed by Monday 7 October. Thank you.

Science and Sparx

The Science department has joined Maths and English in using Sparx as an online platform for KS3 homework this year.

Sparx Science went live yesterday and at the time of writing students have already answered 3,172 questions correctly in the first 24 hours and 32 hours of personalised learning has already been completed by students.

Robin Stevens author visit – Friday 18 October

We are excited to welcome acclaimed author Robin Stevens to Millthorpe on Friday 18 October.

Robin is the bestselling author of the Murder Most Unladylike series and other related books. Year 7s will have a talk and Q&A session with Robin, after which she will do a book signing.

If you would like to purchase Robin’s new puzzle book for signing (priced at £8.50), please express your interest to Miss Brooks in the library. Once we have an idea of numbers we will order the books and set up payment which can either be cash or via Parent Pay. Please express your interest by Friday 11 October.

Help us to fundraise for a new piano at Millthorpe School

A reminder that we are fundraising for a new acoustic piano, which will allow our students to play and practice regularly on a high-quality instrument. As such 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!

Millthorpe Alumni – where are they now?

We love to hear from our ex-students to find out what they have been doing since they left school – their careers, achievements and their tips for success.

To share your career pathway memories and advice for the next generation of Millthorpe students, simply fill in this short form!

Bike Club is back!

If you love cycling, why not come along after school on Tuesday 8 October from 3.30-4.15pm, for a cycle with others?

Mr Randall is organising a ‘friendly cycle’ event around the school fields and the woods. If you have a bike that works (it MUST have working brakes!) and a helmet (or are happy to borrow a helmet from school), then please come along.

All are very welcome – students, staff, young and not so young! To help with numbers, please sign up on the Bike Club list in the Sports Hall outside the PE Office.

Matilda rehearsals – a message from Mrs Sladen

Thank you so much to everyone for their enthusiasm and efforts at rehearsals this week – particularly those of you who rehearsed at Open Evening – that was a late one! Next week’s rehearsal schedule is as follows:

• Monday 7 October, 3.30-4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – Blocking
• Tuesday 8 October, 3.15-4.15pm: M1 – Full Cast – Singing Rehearsal
• Thursday 10 October, 3.30-4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – Blocking

Please make sure that you are continuing to learn your lines, songs and dance moves – you’re all doing great, but we want this show to be the very best that it can be!

Job of the week – Anaesthetist

An anaesthetist administers anaesthetic to a patient and checks on the patient’s status whilst under the anaesthetic. Knowing your patients really well is a key part of this role so good people skills are important. It’s a job with a high level of responsibility.

For more information on becoming an Anaesthetist, 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.

Tadcaster Grammar School – Sixth Form Open Evening

Tadcaster Grammar School will be hosting its Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 10 October. Please take a look at the attached pdf for further information.

York Kidical Mass Ride

The York Kidical Mass Ride takes place on Sunday 6 October as part of York Environment Week.

This is a fun, family-friendly protest cycle ride that welcomes everyone to campaign for safer riding around York. Cargo bikes, decorated bikes, placards (#Room to ride #Safe cycle routes to schools), flags, and speakers encouraged!

Further information can be found here.

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 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.

Other apprenticeships are available and can be accessed through the Careers section of your child’s Google Classroom.

#WakeUpWednesday – A parent and carer guide to Instagram

Instagram is one of the most well-known social media platforms around, frequented by users of all ages all over the world, and allows them to share photos and videos with friends, family and the wider public if they wish. The site has many younger users, allowing people as young as 13 to create an account and engage with its community.

As a popular choice of platform for teenagers, it’s vital that parents and educators understand the risks associated with the site and what can be done to mitigate them. This free guide lets you know about the most prominent safety concerns on Instagram, offering expert advice on how to make young people’s experiences on the app as secure as possible.

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.