A message from Mrs Rothenburg
Well, that’s the first half-term of the school year completed! A reminder that tomorrow (Friday 25 October) is a Training Day for all staff, so school is now closed for the half-term break until Monday 4 November. The first week back after the break will be an ‘A’ Week.
It has been a full eight weeks with lots of learning, activities, trips, sports, clubs and fun. I am so impressed with our Year 7 students who have settled in really well, adapting to a new school and taking everything in their stride. Our returning students also never fail to make me proud, demonstrating our school values every day. The school has an air of calm and purpose where students are ready to learn, respectful and responsible.
On Monday, our Year 7 and 8 students watched a performance by Smashed Live! followed by a workshop about the dangers and impacts of underage drinking. The students all participated with maturity, giving thoughtful input and asking great questions. If the play’s content has raised any concerns, please contact us.
Yesterday, we welcomed Year 7 students and their families into school for our Transition Review Evening. It’s really important to us that our students are happy, safe and settled at Millthorpe, so this event gave families the opportunity to meet their child’s form tutor, ask any questions, raise any concerns and hear about key information, available support and upcoming events. Thank you to everyone who came along. Any further questions can be directed to the School Office E: admin@millthorpe.elt.org.uk and they will direct your enquiry to the appropriate colleague or team.
After the half-term break, on Wednesday 6 November our Year 9 students will be watching a Theatre in Education production when we welcome the return of The Invisible Man Theatre Company. They will deliver a play called YOLO which is about risky behaviour, followed by a 45-minute workshop. This further supports the Personal Development curriculum.
On Friday 15 November we will be holding the first of our Non Uniform Days. Organised by our Student Leaders this will raise awareness of and money for men’s mental health charities. Students are encouraged to pay £1 to come in appropriate non-uniform. Further details can be found below.
Enjoy the half term break and I’ll see everyone back in school on Monday 4 November!
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: Creative
Conversation starters
- Design & Technology: Students are now well into Time Block 1 and studying Emerging Technology through Graphics, Textiles, Food Preparation & Nutrition and Product Design. Please ask your child about what they are designing and making. They have multiple choice quizzes for homework (Google Forms) on Google Classroom and can also show you the work booklets we use to help explain their project to you.
- Art: Students have completed a line drawing self-portrait using the grid system. They responded positively to the challenge of pressing lightly to record accurate proportions (the size, shape and position of facial features) and include hair and clothing details. The amazing hyper-realistic self-portraits created by current Year 10 students provided inspiration and illustrated how skills develop over time. Tonal shading will be added to the line drawings using soft tissue modelling ‘the Millthorpe Method’ and pressure blend shading. Exploring the amazing, shaded portraits and fascinating career of the African American artist Lois Malliou Jones would be the perfect way to support your child’s learning beyond the classroom. Additional artists relevant to Year 7 learning are contemporary artists Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu, Andrew Tift and Arinze Stanley Egbengwu.
Year 8 – Faculty: English
Conversation starter
Students are carrying on with their work on The Most Haunted scheme, which will run until Christmas. From Shakespeare to Edgar Allen Poe to Wordsworth, the students are being given the opportunity to explore some key writers and significant, challenging works – you could ask them what the ghost of Hamlet’s father is so enraged about, or for an intriguing fact about the life of Edgar Allen Poe!
Year 9 – Faculty: Maths
Conversation starter
Having completed the topic of transformations, can you:
- Name all four transformations?
- Tell someone at home what information you need to know in order to complete each transformation?
- Describe how you identify which transformation has been completed?
- Explain the words ‘congruent’ and ‘similar’?
Year 10 – Faculty: Science
Conversation starters
- Last week Triple Science students completed their Key Assessed Pieces (KAP) for Biology Unit 1 Cells, Chemistry Unit 1 Atomic Structure and Physics Unit 1 Energy. You could ask them how many marks they got and more importantly their areas for improvement? Students will be moving on to study Biology Unit 2 Organisation, Chemistry Unit 2 Bonding Structure and the Properties of Matter and Physics Unit 2 Electricity.
- Combined Science students are continuing their studies of Biology Unit 2 Organisation, Chemistry Unit 2 Bonding Structure and the Properties of Matter and Physics Unit 2 Electricity. Can they tell you about the heart and its main blood vessels? Can they tell you the difference between Ionic and Covalent bonding? Can they draw circuit symbols and tell you the difference between series and parallel circuits? All Year 10 Science lessons for both Triple and Combined Science are uploaded to the respective Google classrooms.
Year 11 – Faculty: Global
Conversation starters
- Computer Science students are learning about high and low-level computer languages and how they are translated either through a compiler or interpreter. We are also looking at the features of integrated development environments, then moving on to further programming practice.
- French: We have just been revising the topic of jobs in French. Students should be able to use the future tense to talk about what they want to be in the future and why.
- German: Students have been learning about holidays in German and have completed a writing test in German. Can they talk about what is involved in a writing test for German, and speak about a recent holiday?
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.
Pirecings, nails and lashes
Over the holidays we know some students will visit professional beauticians. Please can parents ensure that any nails/eyelashes are considered ‘natural’ for when we all return to school after the half-term break? Similarly, students who decide to have piercings, for example a nose stud, will need to purchase clear plastic retainers.
Our aim is to welcome students back into the building, find out how their holidays have been and then focus on learning rather than addressing uniform/appearance concerns. As ever, your support in this matter is very much appreciated.
School email addresses
Following the Trust’s name change to Excel Learning Trust, all email addresses across the Trust have now been updated. All Millthorpe email addresses now have the suffix @millthorpe.elt.org.uk.
The school office email, which should be used for the majority of enquiries, is now admin@millthorpe.elt.org.uk. Some other key email addresses you may need are:
attendance@millthorpe.elt.org.uk
news@millthorpe.elt.org.uk
safeguarding@millthorpe.elt.org.uk
send@millthorpe.elt.org.uk
To ensure you continue to receive the weekly email every Friday, we recommend that you add news@millthorpe.elt.org.uk to your safe senders list to avoid the messages going into your spam folder.
Maths classes – information for parents of Year 7 students
After getting to know the children mathematically this half term through lessons, topic assessments and a Year 7 baseline assessment, we will be making changes to the Year 7 classes after the half term break.
The purpose of setting is to give children the best combination of support, challenge and time to support deep understanding of different topics. Sets are reviewed regularly and any concerns or questions can be raised with Mrs Tucker E: c.tucker@millthorpe.elt.org.uk after half term when we have communicated with the students what, if any, changes apply to them.
Non Uniform Day – 15 November
This week, the Student Leaders have done a fantastic job delivering their assembly on Men’s Mental Health. With Men’s Mental Health Day coming up next month, the Student Leaders will be holding holding a Non Uniform Day on Friday 15 November to raise funds for MANUP?, their chosen charity. More information can be found about MANUP? here.
Students can bring a £1 in on the day or alternatively, a link will be available on ParentPay after half-term.
Author visit to Middlethorpe Hall – date correction
The Creative Writing Group have been invited to meet and have a Q&A with Sean Lusk, author of A Woman of Opinion at Middlethorpe Hall next month. The date on the letter was incorrectly communicated. It should read Friday 8 November. Apologies for any confusion.
Piano fundraiser – an update
We’re delighted to let you know that the piano fundraiser is now at £1141! Thank you again to everyone who has donated. Anyone still wishing to donate can do so via ParentPay.
Prom preparations – a call for donations
In June, our Year 11 students will be celebrating in traditional fashion at their prom. Of course, for many students, looking and feeling your best on the night is a vital part of the experience. We would love to be able to reward some of our students who have made an exceptional effort by offering them the chance to get some professional grooming beforehand but, as always, funds for this are limited. So if you (or someone you know) own or work for a hairdresser, barber, nail salon or other beauty/grooming business, and would be prepared to donate a voucher of any value, we’d love to hear from you, so you can help us recognise as many of our incredible students as possible.
Careers Fair – appeal to local businesses
As part of our ongoing programme of events to ensure pupils are prepared for their next steps after school, we are looking for representatives from a variety of local organisations and professions to attend our annual Careers Fair.
The Careers Fair will take place on Tuesday 14 January 2025, from 9.45am-3.15pm, during which students from Year 7 through to Year 10 will have the opportunity to visit the stands, talk to representatives and gain useful careers advice.
Any local businesses interested in finding out more should contact Miss Watts, Careers Lead.
Army Information Days
The Army Careers Centre York is hosting Information Days to inform students and parents about what an Army career can offer them.
The event will take place over two days at Yeomanry Barracks in York. The two days will consist of a briefing about basic training for regular soldiers, the opportunity to speak to lots of different soldiers about their careers and also have a look at kit, equipment and vehicles. There will also be some fun activities such as the climbing wall (weather dependant) and Batak competition.
- Thursday 31 October: the day will be specifically shaped for students in Years 10-11 with more information on the Army Foundation College Harrogate.
- Friday 1 November: the day is aimed at young people in Years 12-13 and up with more information on senior Army Entry, Army Officer and Army Reserve.
Matilda rehearsals – a message from Mrs Sladen
Well done for all of your hard work this half term – the show is already looking brilliant and I am becoming increasingly excited about sharing it with everyone in just a few weeks time!
As we move into the second half term we will have more rehearsals together as a full cast – principals, big kids, little kids and ensemble/choir all together. Therefore, our rehearsal schedule for the first week back looks like this:
- Monday 4 November, 3.30 – 4.30pm: Drama Hall – Full Cast – Act One Review
- Tuesday 5 November, 3.30 – 4.30pm: M1 – Full Cast
- Thursday 7 November, 3.30 – 4.30pm: Drama Hall – Principals, Kids, Big Kids – Blocking Act Two
We will also begin to see the set, props and costumes coming together and Miss Watts (Stage Manager) will start to join us for some rehearsals on the Main Hall stage – there’s lots to be excited about!!!
Looking forward to it all already – have a wonderful half-term break, but do keep learning those lines and rehearsing your songs!
Job of the week – Confidence
As we finish the half term, we thought we’d step away from Job of the Week to look at a key employability skill.
What is it that employers are looking for when recruiting for positions within their companies and businesses? Today we are focusing on ‘confidence’. Confidence, or being ‘sure of yourself’ enables us to carry out a variety of roles, be it talking to colleagues and customers to standing up and delivering a presentation. Watch this short clip to give you hints and tips about how you could evidence this in your written application or CV.
For more information on demonstrating confidence in the workplace, watch this video.
SEN and Safeguarding update from Excel Learning Trust
Every month, Sue Wight, Director of SEN and Safeguarding at Excel Learning Trust circulates tips and advice regarding SEN and safeguarding to parents/carers.
The October SEN and Safeguarding newsletter can be found here.
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.
#WakeUpWednesday – Ten Top Tips for Supporting Young People to build Emotional Resilience
Making a mistake isn’t the end of the world, but that can be a difficult thing to learn for a lot of people. Most children are still learning it, in fact. These kinds of setbacks and the feelings they bring on can provoke severe and unhealthy reactions in young people, if they’re not taught how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way.
However, it’s sometimes tricky to know what you can do or say to help these youngsters develop the confidence and adaptability to process these feelings in the future. That’s why National Online Safety has put together this guide featuring expert advice, letting you know how to build emotional resilience in the children and young people in your care. Please take a look.
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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