A message from Mrs Rothenburg
It’s been another jam-packed week at Millthorpe with lots of highlights!
On Monday, our Languages department hosted a French Café experience for Year 5 pupils from our fellow Trust primary schools, Scarcroft and Knavesmire. The pupils immersed themselves in the French language during the day, creating fantastic café stalls and selling delicious French treats to their families and visitors – all in French of course! Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to our Language Ambassadors who helped on the day.
On Monday evening, we gathered for our Recognition Evening. This is always a very special event where we celebrate the success and progress of those students who have a real passion for learning, who work relentlessly to make good progress, or who have been selected by their teachers to receive an award in their subject. Congratulations to everyone who received an award and thank you to everyone who came along on the evening.
We’ve also enjoyed two sporting events this week. The first was our school Sports Day on Tuesday when students participated in a whole host of track and field events. It was a brilliant day with perfect weather! Some of our students also took part in Excel Learning Trust’s SportsFest on Wednesday, an afternoon of sports and fun, which brought together pupils from Year 2 through to Year 10 from across the Trust, to collaborate and engage in a range of sports and activities.
I was blown away this week by the standard of the artwork on display at both our Recognition Evening and at the Trust’s art exhibition at City Screen. The work by our Year 11 students is truly exceptional. During my visit to City Screen I overheard a member of the public say “They are like professional pieces of work”. I felt so proud. The exhibition runs until 19 July so please do go along if you can.
Our Charity Week ended on a high with three of our wonderful teachers being gunged to much amusement! Our Student Leaders also announced the winners of the ‘Name the Dinosaur’ competition and the raffle winners. Thank you to everyone who contributed a prize, well done to the winners, thank you to our teachers for being such amazing sports and a huge thank you and well done to our student leaders for organising such a great week. You can read more below.
Congratulations to those students who joined me for Principal’s Breakfast this morning after being nominated by their faculty, including Esme L, Florian P, Mark M, William R, Jemima B, Alice B and Abigail C. It was far too hot for hot chocolate, so we indulged in pastries and ice lollies instead whilst we chatted!
Next week, following a request from our students to have a ‘rehearsal’ ahead of the new school year, they will move to the new school day timings for the final week of the summer term. They will also have the opportunity to experience some of the many enrichment activities that will be available in September. Further details about the arrangements for the week can be found below.
Our Summer Concert, which takes place on the evening of Tuesday 15 July, promises to be a lovely celebratory event featuring our school ensembles and solo performances. Tickets are available on ParentPay. We’d love to see you there!
Have a lovely, sunny weekend and we’ll see everyone back in school on Monday for an ‘A’ Week and the last week of the school year!
With best wishes,
Kavina Rothenburg
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
What does the ‘average’ Year 7 look like? What questions do you need to ask to answer this question? How can you present your findings? What different charts or graphs can you interpret and what are their advantages or disadvantages?
Year 8 – Science
Conversation starters
Year 8 have been studying two schemes of learning on Health and Wellbeing and The Science of York. The Health and Wellbeing scheme looks at diet, exercise, vaping, sleep and blue light. The Science of York covers a variety of topics such as Seebohm Rowntree, the Tansy Beetle, Askham Bogs, horse racing and Nestle chocolate – bringing to life the Science all around us in our community.
Year 9 – Global
Conversation starters
- Computing: Students are expanding their knowledge of networks by learning about network hardware. We make sure that students know the difference between a network and the Internet and that the Internet is not needed for a network.
- French: We are studying a cultural module, and looking into a French film called ‘Belle et Sébastien’. Can your child talk about the context of the film?
- German: We are studying a cultural module, and looking into a German film called ‘Balloon’. Can your child tell you something about the Berlin Wall?
Year 10 – Humanities
Conversation starters
- RE: Students have begun the learning for Paper 2. We are starting with theme A – Relationships and Families. You could ask your child to explain to you the different Christian views regarding sex before marriage and/or homosexuality.
- History: Students have just completed their study of Conflict in Asia 1950-75. Ask your child why public opinion in America turned against the war and why ultimately, South Vietnam fell to Communism. We have just started our new topic on Britain: Health and the People. Ask your child about the seven big factors of change throughout the 1,000-year study.
- Geography: Year 10s will be finishing their unit on Rivers. Questions to ask could be: What are the four types of erosion? What are the four types of transportation? What is a hydrograph?
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.
New School Day – rehearsal next week
Next week, of course, we will be rehearsing the new timings of the school day ahead of the changes in September. The full details of the timings for Years 7 & 8 and Years 9 & 10 can be found on the website. Students have each been issued with a copy of the timings for their year group and we have displayed them across school.
- gates open at 8.25am
- students to be over the blue line and in school by 8.35am, ready for form to begin at 8.40am.
Charity Week round-up
We’ve had an incredible week raising money for Save the Children. So far, thanks to all the events the Student Leaders have organised, including the raffle, gunge the teacher, the bake sale and name the dino, we have raised a whopping £536. £292 of this is from the raffle which will go towards additional water fountains around school.
There is a live link on ParentPay if anyone would still like to donate towards Save the Children – this will be live until Monday. We will let you know a final fundraising total in next week’s email.
And the winners are….
The Student Leaders gathered together all the donations and wrapped three lovely hampers as raffle prizes. Our three lucky winners are Jodie C (9NHO), Ella C (9RPR), and Meredith F (9GST) – congratulations!
The winner of the ‘name the dino’ competition was Arwen T – well done!
Who got gunged?!
‘Gunge the teacher’ took place at lunch time to the huge amusement of the students (and those teachers who did not get enough donations)! The three lucky teachers who received the most donations to be gunged were Mr Daunt, Mr Ferguson and Mr Baybutt. Thank you all for being such good sports – you can see the gunging in action on our social media accounts.
A massive thank you and well done to the Student Leaders for all their organisation and hard work. Their efforts have really brought a sense of community to the school this week as well as raising money for the school and Save the Children!
Uniform shorts
In response to abundant student feedback, especially in younger age groups, as well as parent and staff comments, we are seeking to introduce shorts as an optional uniform item. Because of lead in times, these will be available from Easter 2026, ready for next summer, via our usual uniform supplier, Keal Teamwear. We will share more details in the autumn.
Summer Holiday Reading Challenge
The benefits of reading are endless. It improves creativity, imagination, vocabulary, the ability to learn, concentration and attention span and writing skills. It can also reduce stress, boost empathy, develops understanding of the wider world, and some studies even report it can help us to live longer!
We therefore wanted to set our students and staff a Summer Holiday Reading Challenge. You simply need to be photographed reading a book in an obscure or unusual place over the holidays.
Please send any photographs to reading@millthorpe.elt.org.uk. Please include your child’s name and year group (their year group next year) when sending the photographs. There will be prizes for the best submissions in each year group, and one for the staff too!
We will share all entries on our social media accounts throughout the summer, unless you let us know that you prefer your child’s photo not be shared.
If you need inspiration, please see below. The top row are previous winners and the bottom row are other ideas online. Happy reading!
KS3 students surpass previous highest fundraising total for Readathon
Over three weeks this term, Key Stage 3 students were asked to “Keep reading, raising, and being amazing.” Our students in Years 7-9 participated in our annual Readathon, where they were challenged to read as often as they could and be sponsored by families and friends for doing so. We know that the benefits of reading regularly are endless, but this is extra special because our students were raising money for children in hospitals across the country.
Thanks to incredibly generous donations, for which we are eternally grateful, we raised a whopping £1,171, surpassing our ambitious target of £1,000 and beating our previous “best total” of £909.
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sponsored our students, but also the students themselves, who have supported people their age in hospital whilst also enhancing their own reading skills. We hope that our avid readers enjoyed it, and our more reluctant readers realised the benefits of reading for pleasure and will continue. For more information on supporting your child to read, please click here.
Field trip pics
Here are just a few photos from our recent field trips.
Last Friday our Year 7 Geographers enjoyed a day at Bolton Abbey where they gained invaluable first-hand experience of a rapidly changing upland river environment.
Yesterday our Year 10s completed their Geography fieldwork at Hornsea. It was a great day out and everyone enjoyed the obligatory fish and chips by the seaside!
Lost property
A reminder that if your child has lost an item of clothing / PE kit, please ask them to go to the office to check if it is there.
Any items that are unclaimed at the end of this term (Friday 18 July) will be donated to charity or added to our Eco Laundry.
Lockers
A warm welcome back to Lionel Chatard from Middlethorpe Hall
Last week, we were delighted to welcome Lionel Chatard, Director and General Manager of Middlethorpe Hall, back into school. As part of the Hospitality Connect Programme, Millthorpe were linked with Middlethorpe Hall towards the end of last academic year and Lionel has been supporting the school with their career enrichment programme since then.
Lionel has encouraged our Business Leaders who planned and hosted a Christmas event at Middlethorpe, welcomed our students into the hotel gardens to work with the gardening team, and attended our careers fair. Last week he spoke to some of our students who have expressed an interest in a career in Hospitality. Lionel talked about his career path and gave excellent advice to the students about what skills and attributes would benefit them in the industry.
Thank you to Lionel and all of his team at Middlethorpe for their support this year – we look forward to continuing this next academic year.
Year 9 student Katie W signs for Huddersfield Town U15s
We are delighted that Year 9 student Katie W has signed for Huddersfield Town Under 15s.
Katie, who is a talented striker with a keen eye for goal, has been playing football for years, and was recently approached to sign for Huddersfield. Katie also plays for York School Girls and Bishopthorpe White Rose Blacks. She has also starred for Millthorpe School’s girls team, scoring plenty of goals.
We are so proud of Katie and look forward to seeing her career go from strength to strength and hopefully one day, we will be watching her star for the Lionesses in the Euros!
Millthorpians take to the stage
Four of our students will be appearing in a play at the York Theatre Royal from 19 July – 3 August.
Billy (Year 9), Edmund (Year 9), Marlo (Year 7), and Esther (Year 9) are taking part in the York Theatre Royal community production, His Last Report. The play tells the story of Joseph Rowntree’s son, Seebohm, and how he worked to improve the lives of those in poverty. The cast is made up of professional actors and local people. The young people have been rehearsing since Easter, and are in two teams playing alternate performances.
If you would like to see the show, tickets can be purchased here.
Athletics record holders
Apologies to Marianne L in Year 8 as in last week’s email, we hadn’t updated the athletics record for the Year 8 1500m with her recent record breaking run. Marianne broke the school record at the recent athletics final with a time of 5mins 9secs (previous record 5mins 23secs). We’ll get the board updated too!
Job of the Week – Intelligence Analyst
Intelligence Analysts work to keep the country safe by analysing and interpreting data and usually work for the armed forces, police, MI5 or MI6. Work could include preventing terrorist attacks, organised crime and more. You will usually need a degree or experience in the military or police.
Watch this video for more information about becoming an Intelligence Analyst.
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.
As last month was Pride Month, we thought this talk – Pride! Careers and Creativity in the LGBTQIA+ Community With BAFTA – was fitting.
Screenwriter Edward Cripps and talented Director and Writers Yasmin Godo and Nosa Eke, share their journeys and how the entertainment industry is evolving to make space for everyone. From storytelling to production, design to direction, discover the wide range of careers connected to BAFTA, and how they’re driving change to ensure the screen industries truly reflect the world we live in. Whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, this is your chance to see how representation in entertainment matters – and how you could be part of the next generation shaping the future. Come be inspired, celebrate Pride, and explore your place in the creative industries!
Just click the image below to view.
Anyone for tennis?
Rowntree Park Tennis Club is running free junior sessions throughout the summer. There are still places left but we suspect they will fill up quickly! You can find out more here.
Jill Le Pla is also running summer camps throughout the summer at Rowntree Park. To find out more, please click here.
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
#WakeUpWednesday – A Guide to AI-enabled scams
AI can be a useful tool but sadly, it’s also become a tool for online scammers. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide from The National College shines a light on the dark side of using AI, including phishing emails, fake voice calls, and influencer-based frauds targeting younger users.
From deepfake videos to romance scams powered by chatbots, the tactics are getting more convincing – and the consequences more serious. If you’re looking to help children and young people navigate the online world with confidence and caution, this guide offers key insights and practical advice to keep them safe.
This week’s guide complements Mrs Cole’s assembly, which was delivered to all year groups this week, explaining how they can keep themselves safe over the summer holidays, both in ‘real life’ and online.
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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