A message from Mrs Rothenburg
I continue to be hugely impressed with our Year 11 students who have left their GCSE exams feeling confident this week. This is testament to all the hard work they have put in so far and the brilliant teaching and support from our wonderful staff. The wraparound revision sessions and lessons are proving invaluable, providing last-minute support and consolidation before the exams. These sessions continue right through until the last day of GCSEs on 17 June and are vital for all students so they can score every mark possible in their exams, so please encourage your child to attend. The full timetable can be found on our website here. (Please note that the last day for compulsory attendance for Year 11 students is 9 June.)
Our next cohort of students who are currently in Year 6 will have completed their SATs this week – congratulations to you all. I’m sure you will have done your very best! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone again for the second event in our enhanced transition programme next week. Taking place on Thursday 22 May from 4.00-6.00pm, this will be another opportunity for the Year 6s to get to know each other during a fun Design Technology session whilst their families spend time learning more about our school. The presentation on the evening is based entirely on feedback from our families about what they would like to learn next, so we’re hoping to share as much useful information as possible!
As ‘Screen Free Week’ took place last week, over the last two weeks Miss Boyd and the Progress Leaders have delivered an assembly about screen time. They discussed the benefits of screen time such as global connections, creativity with digital art and education and also the potential impacts of too much screen time, such as eye strain, the impact on people’s mental health and disconnecting with people and physical hobbies. We also discussed setting targets to strike the balance with screen time. We hope the assemblies provided some real food for thought and perhaps encouraged students to put their screens down a little more.
We were very fortunate to welcome Kat Thorne to our Staff Professional Development session this week. Kat, who is the author of ‘The Morning Game Changer’, delivered a great session to staff about the small things we can do to help with our wellbeing. Kat’s session also gave us many ideas we will share with the students over the coming months.
This week I have been lucky enough to host not one but two Principal’s Breakfasts! The first, which took place yesterday, was with our wonderful Year 8 Restorative Peer Mentors who not only delivered training to staff at last week’s CPD session but also had the courage to deliver an assembly to the whole of Year 7. They all did an amazing job – well done to Amelia, Elena, Samuel, Charlotte, Henry, Rosie, Reuben and Chloe. Thank you to Mrs Cole for coming along for a hot chocolate too!
At today’s gathering we celebrated the fantastic work, effort and achievements of those students who were nominated by their faculty to have breakfast with me, including Ella, Jacob, Harry, Elsie, Mohamad and Eylul. Keep up the great work everyone!
A couple of weeks ago we launched our staff profiles, beginning with our Senior Leadership Team, to help you to put faces to names and to get to know the Millthorpe team a little better. We know that parents/carers can sometimes feel less connected with school life once their child is in secondary school, so hopefully these profiles will help bridge that gap a little. Please do have a look at the SLT profiles which you can find here.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend and we’ll see everyone next week 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 – Maths
Conversation starters
Describe how these patterns grow:
- 4, 7, 10, 13, 16…
- 3, 6, 12, 24, 48…
- a, b, a+b, a+2b, 2a+3b, 3a+5b…
Can you research the Fibonacci spiral, Theodorus spiral, logarithmic spiral and follow the pattern?
Year 8 – Science
Conversation starters
Classes have been studying a variety of topics in Block 3: Adaptation and Inheritance, Separating Mixtures & Electricity and Magnetism. This week has been revision week for the upcoming Block 3 Standard Assessment Piece (SAP). Students will complete their assessment next week. You can ask your child: What information does DNA carry? How can we obtain it as pure substance? How does electricity travel in a circuit?
All Year 8 students have weekly Science homework to complete on Sparx Science – this is due every Thursday at 9am. All Year 8 Science lessons are uploaded to the Year 8 Science Google Classroom.
Year 9 – Global
Conversation starters
- Computing: We will continue to look at threats to computer systems by looking at different kinds of Malware and how to mitigate its effects.
- French: We are finishing our topic of ‘my life’, including what is important to me and what makes me happy, and have completed an end of topic test. Can your child talk about what makes them happy in French, and why?
- German: We are finishing our topic of ‘rights and responsibilities’, including talking about what is important to us, and making the world a better place. Can you child talk about how to make the world a better place in German?
Year 10 – Humanities
Conversation starters
- History: This term, students are looking at the British Empire through the lens of the East India Company. Ask your child to tell you about Clive of India – does he deserve his statue?
- RE: Students are coming towards the end of their Christianity Practices unit. They’ve just been looking at mission and evangelism and will be moving onto reconciliation and persecution. Ask your child if they can tell you the difference between the two definitions. If they’re struggling, remind them to use the keywords sets I’ve created on Quizlet.
- Geography: What is the difference between upland and lowland areas? What are the four erosional fluvial processes?
Year 11 – Performance
Conversation starters
- Music: Students have been working hard on their listening skills in preparation for the exam in June. Please encourage them to focus their revision on Toto, Bach and DR SMITH.
- PE: Students have been working hard revising for their Paper 1 exam. At the end of April, they completed their practical moderation which is worth 30% and they have also completed their personal exercise programme which is worth 10%.
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.
Year 10 Pre-Public Exams (PPEs)
The Year 10 PPEs are scheduled to commence on Tuesday 10 June and will run until Tuesday 1 July 2025.
These exams serve as a pivotal milestone in your child’s preparation for their final GCSE year. They provide a valuable opportunity for your child to experience exam conditions, assess their understanding of the curriculum, and identify areas where they may need additional support or revision.
For full information about the PPEs, please take a look at this letter from Mrs Armitage.
You can also view the Year 10 PPE timetable here.
If your child is on a trip during the PPEs we will ensure they catch up during the catch up slot on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 July.
Year 10 assembly – Exam Rubrics
Next Tuesday, 20 May, Mrs Sladen will deliver an assembly to Year 10 students, launching ‘Exam Rubrics’ in preparation for the PPE revision period.
Rubrics are documents that clearly explain the criteria by which students’ assessments are marked. Please take a look at Mrs Sladen’s presentation here.
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.
Please also note that as a school we do not administer paracetamol. If a student is feeling unwell they are allowed to bring two paracetamol tablets with them (but only two) or we can arrange for family to drop some off at the school office.
Warmer weather – requests
Now that the weather is getting warmer, please send your child(ren) to school with a refillable water bottle which they can replenish at a number of points across school during the day.
Can we also ask that students are protected with suncream (applied before they come to school please) if they expect to be outside during the school day, either at social times or for PE lessons.
Year 8 impress in high-energy stock market simulation
Last week, we were delighted to invite NYBEP into school to deliver the amazing Trading Game for our Year 8 students.
The Trading Game is a stock market simulation that engages students in a fast-paced, interactive learning experience that is both fun and educational. Students participate in a simulated stock market, buying and selling shares to learn about investment strategies and risk management whilst working alongside employers from our local community – thank you to Brendan from GMI Construction and Jeni from Mott MacDonald. The aim is to help students develop valuable employability skills, as well as financial literacy and critical thinking.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the game, with some even taking charge of the Trading Table. Praise for our students was very high with Sharon from NYBEP emailing after to say “These were the best students ever to have participated!” and Jeni from Mott MacDonald who said “A huge thank you to all of Year 8 who were the most polite, funny and fabulous Year 8 we’ve worked with!”
Well done to all of our amazing Year 8 students!
Stan continues to make a huge splash!
Year 9 student, Stan, is going from strength to strength in the swimming pool, adding to his achievements as he goes!
Back in February, he secured multiple gold medals at the Yorkshire Championships. He subsequently went on to the North East Championships earlier this month, where he qualified for five finals in the highly competitive 16 years and under category. Stan competed against the best swimmers in the region, most of whom were two years older.
He has also qualified for this year’s National Age Group Championships in July with a fantastic five British qualifying times (where you need to be in the top 24 in the country) and two English Championship qualifying times (taking the next 24 fastest times).
Stan is now training hard in preparation, with seven pool sessions and three land-based sessions a week, including specialist strength and conditioning sessions at York University.
This is a truly amazing achievement and shows true dedication. Well done Stan – we are very proud!
Ex-Millthorpian selected for Team GB Roller Derby Squad
Ex-Millthorpian, Ursula Jarvis, who left us last year, has been selected to be part of the Team GB Roller Derby Squad, competing at the World Cup in Brisbane, Australia in July this year.
This is a remarkable achievement, and we are incredibly proud to see Ursula representing her country on the world stage. As with many international sporting events, participation comes with significant costs, and Ursula is currently seeking support to help with fundraising.
She says “In addition to studying for my A Levels, I am now attending weekly GB team training sessions, undertaking weekly personal training sessions and working a part-time job! I’ve already done lots of fundraising activities, including car boot sales, a Christmas Fair, and a roller disco and have raised £4,000 of my £6,000 target. I would be hugely grateful for any help!”
You can find Ursula’s GoFundMe page here.
Job of the Week – Border Force Officer
Border Force Officers are part of the frontline law enforcement organisation. They work to protect the UK from terrorism, human trafficking, smuggling, fraud and much more. They are responsible for checking passports, searching people and their luggage, as well as reporting concerns to the police. A degree is not compulsory and it is possible to enter this job as an apprentice.
Watch this video for more information about becoming a Border Force Officer.
Speakers for Schools – inspirational talks
Each week, as part of our careers and aspiration-raising programme, we are featuring a talk from Speakers for Schools.
This week we are featuring a talk by Bill McCaffrey, Emeritus Chair in Earth Sciences, University of Leeds entitled ‘Classroom To Career: Be True To Yourself To Navigate The Big Decisions’.
Big decisions about your future can feel overwhelming – but what if the best guide is you? This session will explore how your experiences, values, and unique perspective can help shape the right path for you. Learn how to tackle self-doubt, make choices that align with what truly matters, and build confidence in your own journey. Whether you’re thinking about further study, work, or something completely different, this talk will help you navigate the next steps with courage and self-belief.
Just click the image below to view.
York College – ‘Getting Sorted drop-in events
York College is holding two ‘Getting Sorted’ events in the summer holidays:
- Tuesday 29 July, 10.00am – 3.00pm
- Tuesday 5 August, 10.00am – 3.00pm
These events are aimed at students who plan to start at York College in September and may be feeling particularly anxious about this and their new environment. Parents and carers are very welcome too!
Students will meet the Wellbeing team, discuss the support available, and can visit key areas of the College and their subject classrooms if they feel it would be reassuring to see where they will be based. There will also be a wide range of support teams to chat to if you have questions about travel, funding, careers choices etc.
For more information, please contact Julie Murgatroyd E: wellbeing@yorkcollege.ac.uk
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 or details of who to apply to.
Also attached are Hair and Beauty, 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.
Make Space for Girls project
The ‘Make Space’ in Rowntree Park project focuses on reducing the drop off of park use as girls enter their teenage years. Parks have numerous benefits for physical and mental health and it’s important that girls, and women, are able to access and make the most of the opportunities which parks offer.
Please take a look below for a couple of free events aimed at teenagers. A good number of Millthorpe students have attended past events and one student is helping with the exhibition as part of their Duke of Edinburgh volunteering.
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.
New Survey on Smartphones – South West Grid for Learning
The South West Grid for Learning launched a new survey this month. The survey seeks to understand the concerns, expectations and experiences that parents and carers expect to face after giving a child their first smartphone. The overall objective is to map how this milestone is seen by those charged with caring for children. This is a little understood area, despite the impact that smartphones have on children. In particular the role these devices play in introducing children to the digital world. This survey is designed to change that. With concrete insights into how families navigate this transition, the SWGfL seeks to produce a support kit to help with these issues.
If you would like to complete this survey please follow this link.
#WakeUpWednesday – A guide to Minecraft
Still the best-selling game of all time, Minecraft has hundreds of millions of players – making it more important than ever to stay informed. With its vibrant worlds and endless potential for creativity, it’s no wonder Minecraft continues to capture young imaginations.
With the Minecraft movie hitting cinemas in April, interest in the game has remained strong. But whether they’re mining resources or building digital castles, children could also encounter strangers, scary content or bullying behaviour online.
The National College has created this free guide offering parents and carers the latest top tips on how to keep children safe from issues like griefing, chat risks, and unintended purchases, while still embracing the game’s educational and creative benefits. Please take a look.
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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