A message from Mrs Rothenburg
A very warm welcome back after what feels like the coldest week of the decade so far! I hope you had a lovely Christmas break and on behalf of everyone here at Millthorpe, I’d like to wish you a slightly belated Happy New Year.
Our students have made a very strong start to 2025. It’s been a delight to see the vast majority coming into school in full uniform, with all the required equipment and ready to learn. ClassCharts is also looking fantastic, with 96% of students on green. Keep up the great work everyone!
In preparation for their English PPE later this month, our Year 11 students had their English Walking Talking Mock this week. The session was very well received and I’m very proud of the students for the commitment and focus they showed.
Some of our Year 11 students began their PPEs this week, sitting exams in certain subjects, with staff reporting how impressed they have been with the maturity the students have shown. A reminder that a full PPE timetable can be found on our website together with information about revision and support.
Next week has a Careers focus with our Year 11 students taking part in taster days at a variety of post-16 providers on 14 and 16 January. The rest of our students will attend our Careers Fair on 14 January where they will have the opportunity to chat to representatives from a range of businesses and post-16 education and training providers. A reminder that if a Year 11 student is not attending a Taster Day on either of the above dates, they must come in to school.
Next week, we will also kick off the Options Process for Year 9 students – further information about this is available below.
I hope you have a great weekend – stay warm everyone! We’ll see everyone 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 this week in order to have productive discussions about their education:
Year 7 – Faculty: English
Conversation starter
Year 7 are continuing to enjoy their journey into Magic and Mystery as they get underway with the classic, CS Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Ask your child when the book is set, and which characters they have been introduced to so far!
Year 8 – Faculty: Maths
Conversation starter
Draw or describe the distance time graph for any journeys you have made recently, can you work out how fast you were going?
Year 9 – Faculty: Science
Conversation starter
Classes have been studying a variety of topics in Block 2 which aims to ‘bridge’ between KS3 and GCSE. Students are studying The Fundamentals of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These are newly created for this Year 9 cohort. Can students tell you what happens to enzymes at high temperatures or changes in pH? Can students draw and label an atom? Can students tell you the rules for current and potential difference in series and parallel circuits? All Year 9 students have weekly Science homework to complete on Sparx Science which is due every Thursday at 9.00am. The next Sparx Science Homework is due on Thursday 16 January.
Year 10 – Faculty: Global
Conversation starters
- Computing: We have been learning about Two’s Complement which looks at how binary can be represented in positive and negative numbers.
- French: We are learning about school subjects to give our opinion on what we study in school.
- German: We are learning how to describe family members to talk about relationships with family and friends.
Year 11 – Faculty: Humanities
Conversation starters
- History: Although we have paused our study of Elizabethan England due to the forthcoming PPEs, you could ask your child how Elizabeth used a variety of skills to control her Privy Council and Parliament, including patronage, privileges, bullying tactics and charm. The PPE will focus on Britain: Health and the People and all students have received a GCSE Rubric to assist with their revision. They should focus on surgery and anatomy, treatment of disease, and public health, as well as ensuring that they have clear examples of how the seven big factors (war, role of the individual, government, science and technology, communication, religion and superstition, and chance/luck) led to significant improvements in the field of medicine across the 1000-year study. GCSE History students should also revise America’s increased involvement in the Vietnam War and be prepared for answering a 12-mark question analysing the usefulness of two sources, when taken together, in studying the Vietnam War.
- RE: We are starting to learn our third theme for Paper 2 which is Crime and Punishment and we are focusing on more Muslim attitudes towards this to ensure students keep revising the Muslim beliefs, teachings and practices from Year 10. So far, we have looked at what crime and punishment means and how we can link that to what is good and evil. We will then be focusing on reasons people may commit crimes, different types of punishment in the UK and around the world, the aims of punishment, how we should treat criminals, different attitudes towards the death penalty, and finally forgiveness and what that could mean to others and whether we should always forgive people. For PPEs, please revise everything for Paper 1 Islam. We will also do some revision lessons before the exam.
- Geography: We have paused our curriculum learning to focus on revision for the PPEs. The students will be receiving revision lessons from their teachers based on the needs of the class. A good question to ask Geography students may be, “What topics are in your PPE for Geography?” or “What topics do you need to study the most before your PPE?”
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.
Key Stage 4 Options Process
Earlier today, all Year 9 students and their families received an email with important information about the Options Process and Options Evening, which will take place on Wednesday 22 January.
Next week, we kick off the Options Process with a full week of informative assemblies for our Year 9 students. Each day, students will hear from our subject specialists, who will provide an overview of what studying their respective GCSE courses involves.
In order to support our students through this important decision-making process, on Thursday 16 and Monday 20 January every Year 9 student will have a 1-to-1 meeting with a member of SLT to discuss their options, ask any questions they may have and receive guidance.
Help us secure Tesco funding for new gym equipment
We’re delighted to announce that Millthorpe School is in the customer vote for a Tesco Stronger Starts grant!
Stronger Starts is a scheme which gives community projects like ours, grants of up to £1,500, through its blue token scheme which you will have seen in store if you are a Tesco customer.
We applied to the scheme to help us to invest in new gym equipment to help children access sports and fitness activities, including gymnastics, keep fit and yoga, in school and at after-school clubs. Our project now goes forward to a customer vote from mid-January 2025 until the end of March 2025 in the following stores:
- Acomb Wood Tesco Express
- York Tadcaster Tesco Extra
- York Low Ousegate Tesco Express
- Piccadilly York Tesco Express
The customer vote will decide how much funding we get, so please support us next time you shop at Tesco! All you need to do is pop a blue token in the box.
To find out more about the Stronger Starts scheme, please visit https://www.tescoplc.com/strongerstarts
Sponsor a Key – piano fundraiser
We’ve counted up all our donations so far, including some of the money raised by the winter concert and I’m delighted to say we have raised an incredible £1294. If we can reach £1500, this will enable us to get a high-quality refurbished piano suitable for both leading music lessons and for students, including our most accomplished players, to learn on and play. Donations can be made by ParentPay – please spare what you can to get us over the line!
Can you help our Trust?
Behind every multi academy trust sits a network of volunteers who make sure that it is well-managed and delivers the best possible education to all our children. As trustees, these volunteers provide support and challenge to the leadership team, in order to drive and support school improvement. Many trustees are not education professionals, but are drawn from parents and members of the local community. Every person brings different skills and life experiences, and we welcome volunteers from all backgrounds.
We are now looking for committed and enthusiastic people to join Excel Learning Trust as trustees. If you’re interested, we’d love to hear from you.
Full information and details of how to apply can be found here.
Job of the Week – Jewellery Designer
Are you creative and artistic and like working with your hands to make something special? Then becoming a jewellery designer could be the job for you.
Jewellery designers work with precious stones, gold, silver and platinum to create bespoke, unique and one-off pieces, or pieces that will go on to be mass-produced for selling in stores around the country or the world. Communication is key to this role in order to create the piece exactly to the client’s requirements.
Watch this video for more information about becoming a jewellery designer.
Virtual Work Experience with the NHS
Next week, as part of National Work Experience Week 13-17 January 2025, the NHS is hosting virtual work experience opportunities for students.
Hosted on Microsoft Teams, these 45-minute sessions take place outside of school hours, making them easily accessible. In addition to listening to a briefing by NHS colleagues, students have the opportunity to complete a career challenge at their own pace, which carry certification upon completion.
The career challenges are designed to develop key employability skills such as problem solving, data literacy, storytelling, and presentation.
These events provide valuable insights into emerging careers and help students build skills that will enhance their future education and employment choices.
Quick with the facts, help the NHS be swift to react!
- Tuesday 14 January at 4.30pm (virtual session hosted on MS Teams)
- Student year groups 7-9 in England & Wales, S1-S3 in Scotland, 8-10 in Northern Ireland
- Register now.
After a sudden bump and fall, should they visit A&E or is first aid enough for all?
- Wednesday 15 January at 5pm
- Student year groups 10-13 in England & Wales, S4-S6 in Scotland, 11-14 in Northern Ireland
- Register now.
More NHS virtual events are coming up in February for National Apprenticeship Week.
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.
Attached are Hospitality 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.
Other apprenticeships are available and can be accessed through the Careers section of your child’s Google Classroom.
Family Matters course – Time Out for Parents: The Teenage Years
Family Matters York will be running their popular Time Out for Parents: The Teenage Years course again in March 2025.
To sign up for your FREE place, click here: Parenting course Teen Years March 25
(The course is free, although any donations towards the running of this course are a great help towards the work of this small charity.)
#WakeUpWednesday – A parent and carer guide to JusTalk Kids
JusTalk Kids is billed as a child-friendly version of the JusTalk social networking platform and boasts a strong community of younger users, with approximately 20 million accounts having been created on the app. In theory, a social media site designed specifically for children and young people should avoid many of the usual risks associated with other platforms.
In practice, however, it’s important to note that JusTalk Kids has its fair share of online safety concerns. You’ll find expert advice on the hazards in the app, and how you can safeguard the children in your care as they use it in this week’s free guide from The National College, empowering you to make a young user’s time on the platform as secure as possible. Please take a look and speak to your child if they are using this platform.
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
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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