Weekly email – 8 November 2024

A message from Mrs Rothenburg

I hope you all had a lovely half-term break. Students have made a great return to school, showing responsibility for their learning and behaviour, and demonstrating maturity and respect as they engage with school events and activities.

On Wednesday, our Year 9 students watched a Theatre in Education production by The Invisible Man Theatre Company. They performed a play called YOLO focusing on risky behaviour and then led a workshop for the students which further supports our Personal Development curriculum. All of the students were incredible throughout and the theatre company were blown away by their engagement.

In preparation for Remembrance Day, Mr Ferguson has lead Remembrance assemblies for all students this week (you can read more about this below). A big thank you to Charlie in Year 11 who played an amazing rendition of ‘The Last Post’ as students entered the hall. It was very moving!

Next week we are looking forward to welcoming our Year 11 students and their parents/carers into school for a very important Parents’ Evening as the students progress through their final year at Millthorpe. Parents should have all the necessary information, but please do contact the School Office if you have any queries.

On Friday next week our Student Leaders have organised a Non Uniform Day to raise awareness of and funds for men’s mental health charities. Further details can be found below.

Have a great weekend and I’ll see everyone 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 this week in order to have productive discussions about their education:

Year 7 – Faculty: English
Conversation starters
Year 7 are continuing with their study of Childhood Then and Now, which will take them up to Christmas. Ask your child what they have learnt about child labour in Victorian times, and what they have learnt about modern child labour. There are some depressing similarities as well as some encouraging differences between the two.

Year 8 – Faculty: Maths
Conversation starters
Students are beginning the topic of ratio this week so lots of new vocabulary, and some old vocabulary in a new context. Can you remember where you have used these words before: simplify, share, evaluate, equivalent, proportional, rate, multiple, factor?

Year 9 – Faculty: Science
Conversation starters
Classes have been studying a variety of topics in Block 1. Next week is Revision Week for the Block 1 Standard Assessment Piece (SAP). We will be in touch with parents and carers about this.

Students who are studying Motion and Pressure – you can ask how do we calculate speed?

Students studying Reactions of Metals can be asked if they remember the signs of a chemical reaction? And how can we show that hydrogen has been made in a chemical reaction?

Students studying Earth’s Atmosphere can be asked what caused the early atmosphere to form? What gases did these release? What happened to the water vapour? What did the carbon dioxide do?

All Year 9 Science lessons are uploaded to the respective Google classrooms. All Year 9 students have Weekly Science Homework to complete on Sparx Science – this is due every Thursday!

Year 10 – Faculty: Global
Conversation starters

• Computing: We will be finishing the topic of data representation by looking at the different ways files are compressed and begin learning about networks and the internet.
• French: Students are learning how to describe their identity in French. Can they give you a description of their interests in French, and tell you about their weekend routine?
• German: Students are learning about free time activities in German. Can they describe what they normally do online and what they’re going to do this weekend in German?

Year 11 – Faculty: Humanities
Conversation starters

• History: We are nearing the end of our third (of four) modules for the GCSE History course – Britain, Health and the People c1000 to the present day. Ask your child which of the seven factors have made the most significant difference to improving the health of the people of Britain. What does “Laissez-Faire” mean and how did the government’s approach move away from this after 1848? Can they prove it? How did the Great Stink, the Boer War, the rise of the Labour Party and influential reports from people like Booth, Pember Reeve and York’s very own Rowntree result in the government taking a more active approach in improving the health of their people?
• Geography: How are tropical storms structured? How will climate change affect tropical storms?
• Ethics: We are learning about Christian attitudes towards animal rights and then will be moving on to look at attitudes towards abortion.

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.

Millthorpe Remembers 2024

This week, students have attended assemblies led by Mr Ferguson, Head of Science Faculty, to explain to them the purpose of remembrance ahead of Remembrance Day on Monday.

Mr Ferguson requested the opportunity to deliver this assembly as a former serviceperson, and he delivered a poignant and thought-provoking assembly which explained why we remember, how we remember and why the “big and little stories” from conflict are so important. He also explained how the ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem was used as motivation by two women, Moina Michael and Anna Guerin, to spearhead the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. Students also listened to ‘The Last Post’ being sounded by Year 11 student Charlie as they entered assembly, and he played it impeccably. Thank you, Charlie!

You can watch and listen to Charlie’s rendition here:

We have also once again displayed our ‘Millthorpe Remembers’ poppy display and we are already in discussions to make this even better next year.

On Monday, the Form Time Reading session will be dedicated to remembrance, as students listen and read along to two poems; John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’ and a more recent poem, ‘The poppy: I am not a badge of honour’ by Paul Hunter.

At 11am on Monday, the whole school community will come together to mark the national two-minute silence as six students, and Teaching Assistant Mr McGregor, sound ‘The Last Post’ from various places around the school. We think that this will be a really moving experience where our community comes together to remember the sacrifices and suffering caused by war, and ensures that we “never forget.”

Detentions

For clarity, consistency and staff workload reasons we ask that detentions are served on the night stated on Classcharts. It becomes very difficult if students/parents ask for detention dates to be altered due to other commitments. There will of course be the odd occasion when moving a detention is necessary. In these rare situations please can parents contact their child’s Head of Year requesting a date change.

We can’t be in a position where students can’t serve detentions on a particular night due to a regular outside of school commitment. Should your child receive a detention then it is best served as soon as possible so they can remember the issue and reflect on how they should approach things differently next time.

Non Uniform Day Guidance

With Men’s Mental Health Day coming up this month, the Student Leaders will be holding a Non Uniform Day on Friday 15 November to raise funds for MANUP?, their chosen charity. The Student Leaders in Y11 have selected this charity in a bid to raise awareness about Men’s Mental Health. The Student Leaders delivered assemblies in the final week of last half term to raise awareness and share the importance of supporting this charity. The team also created a presentation for form tutors to deliver to students that had contained strategies and to support wellbeing. More information can be found about MANUP? here.

Students are encouraged to pay £1 to wear non uniform. Whilst this allows the opportunity for students to express themselves as individuals, it should be in an appropriate way for a school setting. It is particularly important that any student dress on these occasions recognises that the school is still a working environment. When not in uniform, therefore, students are to follow the non uniform dress code:

• Shorts, skirts and dresses, if worn, should be of at least mid-thigh length.

The following items are unacceptable on non-uniform day:

• See-through clothing, for example see-through blouses
• Strapless or ‘string-strapped’ tops
• Clothing which is revealing; for example, exposing bare midriffs
• Baseball caps or other headgear which conceals all or part of the face
• Clothing which reveals underwear
• Flip-flops or backless footwear, due to health and safety issues
• Clothing with offensive logos or text (eg swear words)

Admissions consultation

In line with the School Admissions Code 2021, City of York Council holds a coordinated admission consultation on behalf of schools within York and the School Admission Authorities. The Co-ordinated Admission Consultation for admissions in 2026-2027 is open until 18 November 2024.

The consultation includes the admission policies and planned number of places available at each school in the year(s) of entry 2026-2027. All documents can be found in their draft (pre-determined) form at https://www.york.gov.uk/SchoolAdmissions2026To2027 during the consultation period.

If you wish to contribute, you are invited to go to https://www.york.gov.uk/SchoolAdmissions2026To2027 and complete the appropriate survey online.

Whatsapp/Snapchat group – important notice for parents/carers

Following the alert we sent out last week about a Snapchat and WhatsApp group called ‘Add Everyone,’ we wanted to remind parents/carers about monitoring your child’s social media activity. Please do check in with your child regularly about the sites and apps they are using.

If you have concerns, a library of parental online safety guides can be found on the National College website or you can speak to a member of staff.

Educational Psychology (EP) Support Line

A confidential telephone support service, staffed by Educational Psychologists, is available through City of York Council, to talk through questions or concerns about children and young people’s wellbeing or learning.

It is open to all parents/carers of children with additional needs or SEND living in the City of York (who have not had recent EP involvement), and any practitioners working with children who live in/attend an educational setting in York.

Take a look at this flyer for further information.

Matilda rehearsals – a message from Mrs Sladen

Well done for all of your hard work this week – it was so nice to be able to have everyone rehearse together on Monday – we are really getting there now!! Next week’s rehearsal schedule is as follows:

• Monday 11 November, 3.30-4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – Blocking Act Two
• Tuesday 12 November, 3.30-4.30pm: M1 – Full Cast
• Thursday 14 November, 3.30-4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – Blocking Act Two

Please make sure you are learning your lines for Act Two now if you don’t know them already!

Online support for students and parents

We wanted to remind you about our online support app called Padlet, which is a directory of support available for students and parents.

Padlet signposts the user to a range of websites and resources, providing support and advice relating to mental health, exam stress, online safety, self care, managing emotions, young carers, family support and more.

You can visit the Padlets by scanning the QR codes or clicking the links below.

Visit the Parent Padlet
Visit the Student Padlet

Job of the week – Dramatherapist

This is a very unique position. Dramatherapists use drama to help support people who have suffered trauma in their lives and help them through their experience. In this job, you can work with people of all ages and backgrounds including people with complex emotional needs.

For more information on becoming a Dramatherapist, watch this video.

Apprenticeship vacancies

York College is currently advertising a couple 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.

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 – Encouraging Children to “Choose Respect”

11 November marks the beginning of Anti-Bullying Week, and this year’s theme is “Choose Respect”. Statistics from this week’s experts, the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), reveal that 40% of children in the UK have suffered some form of bullying within the last year, with the most common experience being name-calling and verbal abuse. While it can have several causes, this kind of behaviour is commonly seen when a disagreement between two youngsters gets out of hand and emotions take over.

Many children are still learning how to conduct themselves, and it can be difficult for them to know how to act when faced with someone who disagrees with them, or otherwise find themselves in conflict with another person. It can also be tricky for parents and educators to teach them how to resolve disputes in a mature and healthy manner. By teaming up with the ABA for Anti-Bullying Week, National Online Safety is bringing you expert advice on encouraging children to choose respect.

Students will also attend assemblies focussed on Anti-Bullying Week next week.

#WakeUpWednesday – A Guide to Fortnite

If you have children in your care, or you’re a gamer yourself, there’s a decent chance you’ve heard of Fortnite already. It’s a free-to-play ‘battle royale’ title that pits up to 100 players against each other in a fight to be the last one standing. With an average of 1.1 million people logging into Fortnite each day, plenty of players meet on this game for what will hopefully be a good-natured competition.

However, Fortnite isn’t without its own hazards to plenty of users, especially young gamers, and it can be difficult to know exactly where these lie, or how to address them effectively. That’s why National Online Safety has put together an updated guide on this extremely popular title, giving you expert advice on both the risks associated with the game and how to keep children and young people safe as they go for that Victory Royale!

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.