A message from Ms Greenhalgh
We’ve had another good week in school and I continue to be impressed with our Year 11 students who have applied themselves so diligently to their GCSE exams.
A reminder that next week is the last week of this half term. School will finish at the normal time on Friday 24 May and we will reopen after the break on Monday 3 June.
End of year assessments take place next week for Year 7 students and for Year 8 students, assessments will be straight after the half-term break, from 3-7 June. Full details about the assessments and topics to revise can be found here:
This week’s warmer weather has meant we’ve made the move from ‘hot chocolate with the head’ to ‘ice lollies with the head’! It was great to chat with those students nominated by their faculty, including Henry, Orla, Catherine, Yana, Leo, Matthew, Corran, Alice, Chloe, Esther, Harris, Esther, Joely and Rose. Keep up the great work everyone!
We love celebrating our students’ successes so please remember that if your child(ren) has done something you, or they, are proud of, perhaps raised money for charity, achieved sporting success, starred in a show, shown kindness to others or something else, you can let us know. Just email news@millthorpe.southbank.academy with a few details and ideally a photo or two, and we can shout about them in our newsletter and on our social media accounts: Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram.
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. We’ll be back on Monday for a ‘B’ Week.
With best wishes,
Gemma Greenhalgh
Headteacher
What is my child learning at the moment?
Please see below to find out what your child has been learning about recently in order to have productive discussions about their education:
Conversation starter
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 – Faculty: Creative
Conversation starters
- Design & Technology: Year 8 are all continuing their cultural studies and designs, with time block 4 having started in the last fortnight. Please ask your child which discipline they are currently doing? (Product Design, Graphics, Textiles or Food Preparation & Nutrition). You can also ask about the culture they have studied and what product they are designing and making.
- Fine Art: Year 8 have made an impressive start to our Art & Science / Insect Art project. Illustrator Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) is a key inspiration using endangered Red List Insects from the UK as a starting point for observational studies. Students will start to explore mixed media to create their own collage materials before creating a personal response. Finding out about the importance of insects to our ecosystems and how environmental changes are impacting on insects would support your child’s learning. Finding out about illustrators would broaden your child’s understanding of art-related careers.
Year 9 – Faculty: Humanities
Conversation starters
- History: What were the benefits and drawbacks of being a British colony under the Empire? Is the British Empire something we should be proud or ashamed of? How has the Windrush Generation been treated and what are your opinions on this?
- Geography: How does transport, agriculture, deforestation and industry lead to the enhanced greenhouse effect?
- RE: We are drawing near to the end of the Holocaust unit. We have had many discussions about the victims’ and survivors’ experiences of the Holocaust as well as the survivors who decided to forgive the Nazis. Are there some things that are unforgivable? Should God have some responsibility for the Holocaust? Is it important to always try to forgive?
Year 10 – Faculty: Science
Conversation starter
Students have been completing their final topics of GCSE Paper 1. We are going to begin revising for our end of Year 10 exams. Students will be sitting three Science exams – Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Each of the papers will assess knowledge and understanding from distinct topic areas.
- Biology topics 1–4: cell biology; organisation; infection and response; and bioenergetics.
- Chemistry topics 1–5: atomic structure and the periodic table; bonding, structure, and the properties of matter; quantitative chemistry; chemical changes; and energy changes.
- Physics topics 1–4: energy; electricity; particle model of matter; and atomic structure.
Year 11 – Faculty: English
Conversation starter
Students have been revising hard for English Literature Paper 2 this week! In lessons we’ve been revising the modern text, power and conflict poetry, and the skills needed to tackle the unseen poetry questions. They will have many quotes and flash cards based on their set texts – any help you can give them in quizzing and testing their recall will be much appreciated by them!
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 is, has, or will be learning over the academic year.
Year 10 PPEs
The Year 10 Pre Public Examinations will take place from Monday 10 – Monday 24 June. For full information and an exam timetable, please see Mrs Armitage’s letter to parents/carers.
SEND update
SEND Parent Network
The SEND Parent Network meeting will take place on Thursday 23 May at 4.00pm in the school library. Our guest speaker will be Jen from Family Matters York, who will discuss the work of Family Matters (who they are and what they offer) and their course ‘Parenting Children with Additional Needs’. For more information, you can visit their website.
SEND reviews
Our SEND reviews will take place on Tuesday 18 June, booking information will follow soon. Parents will be able to book a slot to meet and review current student plans.
Any questions?
As ever, if you have any questions about SEND provision, please email: send@millthorpe.southbank.academy. We will ensure that it gets to the right person. There’s lots of useful information on the school website and you can take a look at the support available for parents on the local offer website: Universal Offer Calendar.
End of term trips to Flamingo Land or Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Parents/carers were emailed earlier in the week with information about our end of term celebration trips. Please login to ParentPay to select the trip your child would like to attend, provide your consent, and pay the relevant amount if your child would like to attend.
These trips are available to students in Years 7, 8 and 10, and any students in Year 9 who are not going to Carlton Lodge in the final week of term.
Trips abroad next year
We are currently seeking expressions of interest for trips to Iceland in the Easter Holiday 2025 for students in Year 9 and Year 10, and Krakow, Poland in February half term 2025 for Year 10 students.
Letters about the Iceland Trip are available from any of the Geography Teachers. Year 10 parents have had the information about Krakow, with a link to a short Google Form to complete, emailed to them. The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 20 May.
Arts Fest rehearsals
The South Bank Multi Academy Trust Arts Fest will take place on Tuesday 9 July at York Barbican. We will be performing an ‘Elf’ showcase at the festival, which is a celebration of the arts, starring pupils from all six of the Trust’s family of schools.
Rehearsals will begin on Monday 20 May, 3.30-4.30pm in the Drama Hall. Students involved know who they are!
York and District Athletics competition
Year 7 and 8 students
We are excited to be hosting the York and District Athletics First Round event for Year 7 and 8 students at Millthorpe School on Thursday 6 June. The best athletes from this event will go forward to the second round hosted at York University on Thursday 13 June.
Year 7 students will compete in track events, whilst Year 8 students compete in track and field events. Students can sign up to one running event, one relay and for Year 8s, they can sign up to compete in one field event too.
Students should speak with their PE teachers to sign up. We will be holding practices next week after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Students just need to turn up to the Sports Hall with their PE kits and they can practise their favourite events. We will finalise the teams after the practice sessions.
Year 9 and 10 students
Year 9 and 10 students do not have a first round. They can sign up to be in the team we take to York University on Thursday 13 June. Year 9 and 10 students are welcome to come along to the practice sessions next week too.
All students from Year 9 and 10 need to express their interest to their PE teachers before the event. Students can sign up to a maximum of one running event, one relay and one field event.
All participants will receive a letter with all the details about the event and a reply slip in due course.
Mr Boothman and the PE team look forward to seeing students on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday next week.
Job of the week – Paramedic
Fancy being a lifesaver? Being the first medically trained professional at an emergency puts you right in the heart of the action. A cool head, nerves of steel and a caring and compassionate nature is what is required to be a paramedic. After providing immediate first aid to a patient, you are then responsible for transporting them to the hospital and providing as much information to the doctors and nursing staff to help them treat the patient. Think this could be you?
For more information on becoming a Outdoor Pursuits Manager, you can watch this video.
‘Left To Their Own Devices’ parenting event
York Family Matters York is providing this FREE parenting event to help support parents and protect children as we all navigate the digital world. Join them online on Saturday 18 May to share your concerns and consider helpful strategies to support your family.
York College 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 Hair & Beauty 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.
Getting Sorted event at York College
York College is holding two Getting Sorted events aimed at current Year 11s who are planning to start York College in September who may feel worried about new environments or situations. The events will be held on Wednesday 31 July and Wednesday 14 August.
Further information can be found here.
Year 11 girls – are you looking for a football team?
Bishopthorpe White Rose Girls U18s are looking for experienced football players who are currently in Year 11 to join their existing two teams. The team will be playing in the York Girls U18s league next season.
The team trains on Monday evenings at Ferry Lane in Bishopthorpe and matches are on Saturday mornings.
Anyone interested should contact Joanne Hollings by email: johollings1@gmail.com.
Make Space for Girls Festival
The Make Space for Girls Festival is a month-long programme of over 30 FREE events aimed at 10-18 year olds. It includes sports and exercise, arts and crafts, health and wellbeing, the performing arts, social awareness events and more. The festival is about creating a welcoming park for teenage girls and reducing the drop off of park use as girls enter their teens. The Festival encourages girls into the public space trying new things, meeting new people and having fun.
National Online Safety’s Guide on School Avoidance
National Online Safety provides weekly ‘Wake Up Wednesday’ guides to help parents and carers keep their child safe online. They are also producing helpful guides for other concerns relating to young people and this week’s guide is about Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA). This guide helps adults to understand EBSA and its impact, as well as providing practical advice.
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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