A message from Ms Greenhalgh
We’re a day early with our weekly email this week as we have a Teacher Training Day on Friday. A reminder that school will be closed to students tomorrow. We’ll see everyone back on Monday for a ‘B’ week but in the meantime, have a lovely weekend all!
Have a lovely weekend all. I’ll see everyone back on Monday for an ‘A’ week.
With best wishes,
Gemma Greenhalgh
Headteacher
Assembly this week – resilience stories
Assemblies this week focused on the vital skill of resilience. Mr Baybutt shared resilience stories from Ronald McNair (American Astronaut), Mary Earps (England Women’s Goalkeeper), Kevin Sinfield (former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player, and current England Rugby Union coach), and Isaac Calvert – our Year 11 student who demonstrated amazing resilience to win a Gold and Bronze medal at the recent Kickboxing World Championships. Year 7 students viewed this assembly via a video recording as we are not in school on their assembly day this week.
This will be followed up by a Form Time session next week where students will further explore the importance of resilience and aim to identify areas of their life where they can develop their resilience.
Key Stage 3 Readathon
Students in Key Stage 3 have made a positive start on their readathon challenge. This challenge lasts for two weeks and all sponsorships are gratefully received. They will support children in hospitals across the country, and Millthorpe also receives 20% of the total monies raised in book tokens to improve our wonderful library.
Please continue to encourage your child to read for pleasure, and make a donation if you can. The easiest way to do this is online here.
SEND update
Thank you to the parents/carers who have taken part in our SEND reviews this week. There will be an opportunity to book these termly and we are currently planning to hold these again mid-March.
Should you ever need to reach out to the SEND team, please don’t hesitate to contact us at send@millthorpe.southbank.academy.
Millthorpe SEND network: 4 December, 4.00-5.00pm
We are delighted to invite our parents, particularly those with children with SEND, to a special event on 4 December from 4.00-5.00pm in the school library. Think of it as a ‘coffee morning’ style event where you can connect with the SEND team in a relaxed setting.
For our first event, we look forward to welcoming Laura Brown from the Local Authority, who will showcase the new York SEND Local Offer website. This platform outlines the services and activities available to children and young people with SEND, offering support from birth to 25 years old. The website provides valuable information for families at every stage of their journey, covering topics such as understanding Special Educational Needs, available support with or without a diagnosis, and insights into the preparations for adulthood for young people with disabilities.
There will be tea, coffee and perhaps some mince pies! All parents are warmly welcome. We are keen to gather your feedback during this event, shaping the future “Millthorpe SEND Network” gatherings.
Christmas dinner
A reminder that Christmas dinner (traditional turkey or a vegetarian option) will be served on Friday 15 December this year. Tickets, priced at £2.50, are now available via ParentPay.
Children eligible for free school meals?
Children who are eligible for free school meals will not have to pay but will still need to register so that we know whether they would like the meat or vegetarian option. Please complete this Google form to make your choices (you do not need to register via ParentPay too).
Year 11 taster days
A reminder that as part of students’ preparation for post-16 education, schools and colleges offer the opportunity to attend their institutions for a day to get an idea of what a ‘day in the life’ would be like. The taster days are being held on Tuesday 16 January and Thursday 18 January. As all students must be in education up to the age of 18, this is a wonderful opportunity to help them make an informed choice for the next two years that is right for them.
Year 11 Fine Art and Art & Design PPEs
A huge well done to our Year 11 Fine Art and Art & Design students who had their PPE sessions this week. They created some super outcomes and conducted themselves brilliantly in the exam morning sessions. Keep up the good work!
Vikings Cheerleading
New ASD-friendly gymnastics classes are being offered by Vikings Cheerleading at Millthorpe School on a Saturday morning. There is an 8-12 and 13-17 year old group. For further information or to register your interest, please email: vikingcheerkids@gmail.com.
Congratulations Fionn!
Fionn O’Toole in Year 10 took to the course at the British Schools Orienteering Championships at Temple Newsam Park, Leeds, last weekend and came away the proud owner of a bronze medal!
The 2023 British Schools Orienteering championships saw the very best orienteers from Britain gather together and Finn knew he would have to dig deep and come up with a great performance if he was to clinch a top three spot. And he did just that! He came up with his best ever race when he needed it most and has improved a long way since his seventh place of last year.
We’re very proud of you Fionn and know how hard you train. Congratulations – way to navigate success, Fionn!
Summer 2024 career experiences in London
InvestIN have announced the launch of their 2024 Summer Experiences in London. Taking place at University College London (UCL) and offering the opportunity to visit iconic industry locations across London, InvestIN provides teenagers with the chance to experience life beyond school, as well as receive unparalleled career preparation.
Their Summer Experiences run during the summer holidays and include the opportunity to:
- Work with world-class industry professionals across 15 top careers.
- Participate in hands-on career simulations.
- Visit exclusive professional venues.
- Receive personalised industry reference letters and certificates to showcase on university and job applications.
As an InvestIN partner school, all Millthorpe students are entitled to 10% off any programme using the code: MILLTHORPE10 at the checkout page when completing any bookings.
Donate a coat to keep a refugee warm this winter
Every year, Millthorpe parents and students have donated hundreds of coats to keep refugees fleeing conflict and sleeping rough in Calais warmer this Christmas.
A large collection box is now in reception until 15 December if you would like to donate a spare or outgrown warm winter coat that you no longer use (men’s smaller sizes most in demand) or sturdy walking boots (size 7 plus).
Your clothing donations will be delivered to Calais before Christmas by a local volunteer.
No spare coats to give? You can also buy clothing and supplies for refugees from just £10 and Care4Calais Christmas gifts online.
Thank you for caring!
#WakeUpWednesday – Top tips for safer online shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have ballooned in popularity during the past few years, as prices on almost everything are slashed for a few precious days. With consumers in the UK alone spending a staggering £9.4 billion over last year’s discounted digital shopping weekend, it can often become a frenetic rush to grab tech, games and other products at knock-down prices.
Such radical reductions are especially welcome at this time of year – but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are also peak season for scammers, who bet on a sense of urgency blinding shoppers to the red flags in their ‘offers’. This guide from National Online Safety highlights some common warning signs to help you bag the goods without being left out of pocket.
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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