Parent/Carer Monthly Update Sheet July 2019/September 2019

01384 816395 info@dormston..sch.uk @DormstonSch http://www.dormston.dudley.sch.uk

WE’RE GOING ON-LINE - This Monthly Update Sheet will be emailed to you from October 2019 onwards! Academic Year 2018/2019 This will be our last Parent/Carer Update Sheet for the Academic Year 2018/2019 and what a year it has been! There have been so many fantastic events and opportunities for our students to take part in, too many to mention! Our students have each been on their own personal journey this year as they start to mature into the young adults they will one day become. With a new Head Teacher, the launch of a new Behavior System and our new Core Values we certainly have been busy. Next year promises to be as ex- Quote of the Month citing, as we see the foundations that were laid this year start to permeate through “Education is not the school. All that is left to say is we hope you have a wonderful summer break and we look piling on of learning, in- forward to working alongside you again in September 2019. Thank you for your on- formation, data, facts, going support and co-operation this year. Wishing you all a safe and happy Summer skills, or abilities- that’s break! training or instruction- Sports Day 2019 but is rather making visi- Our Sports Day took place on Friday 5 July 2019 and the sun was certainly shining on us ble what is hidden as a all. The day was a tremendous success and we would like to thank all parents/carers for seed”. their support in getting students to and from the venue and for also coming along to Thomas Moore watch! It was great to see so many parents in attendance. The winning House this year was Trent House with 1, 772 points, 2nd place went to Derwent with 1,696, 3rd place went to Avon with 1,674 and 4th place went to Severn with 1,100. We had a staggering 13 school records broken including; Matthew Cox in the Year 7 Boys 100m, Isobel Eagle in the Year 10 Girls 800m and 1,500m and Emma Millington in the Year 8 Discus. A mas- sive thanks also goes to our PE staff for all their hard work in planning this brilliant event. Learner of the Month June 2019 Our Learner of the Month for June 2019 was awarded to Sophie DiBernardo in 10TX for her hard work and commit- ment in English. Nominations were also received for the following pupils:  Mya Sullivan - 10SX  Joe Burbridge - 7DY  Kyle Harper - 10DX  Sophie Whiteside - 8AX  Shania Taylor - 11TX

Sports Day 2019

Year 7 - 9 Activities Week - WC 15 July 2019 As you are aware, Activities Week begins on Monday 15 July 2019. We have lots of exciting activities in school and visits to a variety of different venues such as Warwick Castle, Drayton Manor, Cadbury World and even an over night trip to London! All pupils should have now paid and will soon receive information on the arrange- ments for each day for their chosen activity. If you have any queries please contact Miss Leigh via email [email protected]

Year 10 Careers Week - WC 15 July 2019 During the last week of term, instead of Activities Week Year 10 will be having a Careers Week and attendance to this week is compulsory.

 Monday 15 July 2019 - all students will be involved in the follow- ing sessions; CV/Personal Statement writing; employability/ interview skills; finance;

 Tuesday 16 July 2019 - all students will be out on school on trips to a local college, university or employer. Full details will be sent out shortly;

 Wednesday 17 July 2019 - ‘Medical Mavericks’ will be in school delivering workshops;

 Thursday 18 July 2019 - Team Building activities to be delivered by Armed Forces;

 Friday 19 July 2019 - (AM) Normal lessons.

Last Day of Term Arrangements - Friday 19 July 2019 We break up for the Summer Holidays on Friday 19 July 2019 at 12.00pm. Year 7 students return to school on Tuesday 3 September 2019. (Monday 2 September 2019 is an INSET Day) and Years 7 - 11 will all attend school on Wednesday 4 September 2019.

We hope you all have a lovely holiday and enjoy the summer. We look forward to welcoming all our students back for the start of a new aca- demic year; refreshed and ready to learn.

Year 7 Photographs - Tuesday 3 September 2019 *School Open to Year 7 ONLY Our Year 7 photographs will be taking place on Tuesday 3 September 2019. Please make sure your child is in full and correct Winter Uniform. Photographs will be available to pur- chase in due course.

Year 7 Parents’ Welcome to Dormston Evening - Monday 16 September 2019 at 6.00pm We will be holding a Year 7 Parents’ Welcome to Dormston Evening on Monday 16 September 2019 at 6.00pm in The Theatre. It is really important that all Year 7 Parents/Carers attend this very important event. You will receive a letter shortly containing full details about this evening.

Year 8 Moving on Parents’ Meeting - Monday 16 September 2019 at 7.00pm Parents and carers of Year 8 are invited to come along to be informed of the upcoming plans for Year 8. Year 8 Strategy Leader, Miss Barrett, will be giving an overview of the year to come. Key dates will be shared with parents as well as an overview of the PSHE and careers programme. Talks will also be given by the KS3 strategy leaders for Numeracy and Eng- lish. This is a great opportunity for parents and carers to ask any questions they may need answering about the transition to Year 8.

Effort Lottery Week - Monday 23 September 2019 The first of our 3 Effort Lotteries will be taking place WC 23 September 2019. Students will be cho- sen at random and provided with a Lottery Card. At the end of the lesson the teacher will give them an effort grade of 1 - 4 for their effort. Those who get 1s for every lesson will earn House Points to contribute to their House total as well as towards their next reward tie.

Year 7 Fresher’s Fair - Monday 24 September 2019 In order to help our Year 7 students sign up for the many Extra-Curricular Activities we have on offer at we will be putting on a Fresher’s Fair for them during the school day on Monday 24 September 2019. Here they can find out more about all the after school activities taking place. Please speak to your child about this and encourage them to take part in these exciting after school activities. Participation in Extra-Curricular Activities helps con- tribute towards your child’s overall educational experience. House Points are also awarded for participation in Extra-Curricular Activities. IMPORTANT - We’re Going On-Line We will shortly start emailing out correspondence and other important school related information to you. A hard copy of any reply slip letters will still be sent out! Any emails sent to you will be directly relevant to your child or contain information we think you might need/want to know. We will move away from the GroupCall text overload that is currently happening. GroupCall texts will still be used but ONLY for emergency alerts. We will be moving to electronic communication on Monday 30 September 2019. Alongside this, we are also launching GO4SCHOOLS in the Autumn Term which is a FREE app that will give parents/carers access to a host of extremely important information about their child’s attendance, homework, and progress. ALL parents will be sent a GO4SCHOOLS letter detailing the current email address we hold. If we don’t hold an email address or you wish to change the one we have registered for you then you will be asked to provide it. We will also be using this email address as your contact email address to receive all our electronic communication so it is imperative you respond to this letter with your email address if required. Using electronic communication is instant, environmentally friendly and cost effective and is now used by many schools. We hope this streamlined approach will be an improvement in how quickly, effectively and easily we can communicate and share information with you.

IMPORTANT - Data Collection & GDPR Forms On Monday 9 September EVERY student will be coming home with their Data Collection Form (and GDPR Consent Form if not previously returned). These forms MUST be returned by Friday 13 September 2019. 100% return is required. Without this information we don’t hold vital/up-to-date information about your child. If your child does not return their form they will NOT be allowed on any school trips. Prizes are up for grabs for the first form in each year group to get 100% return. Any pupils who have not handed their form in will be called to the Gym on Monday 15 September 2019 at 3.00pm.

Staffing Update We are pleased to inform you that we have successfully recruited another Science Teacher; Mrs Pajaj who will be starting with us in September 2019. You can find out more about Mrs Pajaj in our September/October Update Sheet. Mrs Vyse, Science Teacher who joined us in April 2019 will however unfortunately be leaving us in July 2019 due to personal com- mitments. Dance Teacher, Miss Knight who was with us on a temporary basis will also sadly be leaving us. We will also be saying goodbye to Mr Lee, Head of Maths in July 2019 as he has been promoted to Assistant Principal for Behaviour & Safeguarding at RSA Academy. Mrs Jacques however will be Acting Head of Maths in the interim so worry not, the Maths Department is in safe hands!

We will also be saying goodbye to Mrs Baker, Head of MFL and Mrs Windmill, English Teacher in July 2019. They have both worked at Dormston for a number of years and will be sadly missed by staff and pupils. Mrs Baker has been a great teacher and Head of Department and her passion for MFL has inspired so many students over the years; with many of them going on to study MFL at colleges and universities. Mrs Baker is also well known for her creativity and has encour- aged countless students to take up arts and crafts. Mrs Windmill is an expert in Shakespeare and has awakened a passion for literature in many past and current students. She has also been heavily involved in all of our school productions, in- cluding pushing numerous full size cars onto the stage in Grease and Blues Brothers and also making several children ‘fly’. We would like to thank them both for all their hard work and commitment over the years and wish them well in the next chapter of their lives. Severn House Charity Success Well done to Severn House for their charity raising efforts. Students have organised a number of Charity days and fundraisers to raise money for the brave patients in Birmingham Children's Hospital care. As a result, Dormston have appeared in their 100 Heroes 2019 brochure and have also been presented with an award. Well done Severn House!

Jimmy Mcevoy-Cox Cricket Triumph Congratulations to Jimmy Mcevoy-Cox 7SY who recently played for Worcestershire County U12's Cricket Team. Jimmy was picked from a squad of 45 Worcestershire County U12's cricket players to compete against Warwickshire U12's on Sunday 9 June 2019.

Jimmy put in a great performance. It was a 40 over match, Jimmy (Leg spin bowler) bowled 8 of these, tak- ing 2 wickets, 1 maiden over and just going for 20 runs. Worcestershire won the match by 5 wickets. A lovely day of cricket and the rain kept away too!

RNL Respect the Water Campaign Jimmy Mcevoy-Cox in action! With the summer break fast approaching we would like to make you aware of the RNLI campaign. If you get chance please look at the link below to educate your child not only of the risks of drowning, but also how to assist themselves should they find themselves in water and at risk. https://www.respectthewater.com/

Brierley Hill & Dudley Schools Football Cup Well done to both our Year 7 & 9 Boys’ Football Teams who have BOTH recently won the Brierley Hill & Dudley Schools Football Cup. Year 7 won against Wordsley with a whopping 8 - 0 victory. Our Year 9s beat 9 - 0. This means that collectively our football teams have achieved the following:  Junior Girls - won the Cup (looking at the records this seems to be the first team from Dormston to win a West Midlands Cup!);  Year 7 Girls 5-a-side - runners-up in the Brierley Hill & Dudley Schools 5-a-side tournament;  Year 7 Boys - won the Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools Cup;  Year 7 Boys 5-a-side won the Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools 5-a-side tournament and represented Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools in the West Midlands Championships;  Year 8 Boys reached the semi-final of the ESFA U13 Divisional Cup;  Year 9 Boys won the Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools Cup;  Year 10 Boys won their section of the Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools league;  Year 11 Boys won their section of the Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools league;  Year 11 Boys finished runners-up in the Brierley Hill and Dudley Schools Cup.

The Chief Scouts Gold Award On Sunday 23 June 2019 Frankie Cast and Stephen Ward both took part in an award ceremony or- ganised by West Mercia Scouts. This was to present a certificate of recognition to them both for gaining the highest award in Scouting; The Chief Scouts Gold Award. This means the boys are ad- venturous, have helped the community and learnt about the world. It also means they have gained skills, worked in a team, completed their challenge awards in all Activity/Staged Badges. This is an absolutely outstanding achievement. Well done to you both!

Football Talent Well done to Olivia Ellis and Katie Robinson of 8DY who both play for Panthers Under 13s Girls Football Team. They have both achieved outstanding success this season by winning the Treble. They have won the Shropshire Girls League Cup, Shropshire Charity Cup Final and are also Shropshire Fustal Cup winners. The girls have worked their socks off to achieve this as we are very proud of them at Dormston School.

Katie Robinson (Left) & Olivia Ellis (Right) Under 14s Girls Football Team Victory Congratulations to our Girls’ Football Team who won the West Midlands Junior Girls Cup beating Sandwell Academy 5 - 4. This is the first time the school has won a West Midlands Cup so this really is an achievement. As you can imagine we are thrilled with the victory. Well done to the team and the PE department for this brilliant victory.

English Summer Nationals Qualification Thomas Harris 9AX has achieved the standard to compete in 3 events in the English Summer Nationals. He has qualified in the 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke and 200m breaststroke. We wish Thomas the very best of luck and we will keep you posted of his progress.

Camps International - Peru Trip Thomas Harris This Summer we have two current and one ex Year 11 student going to Peru for 3 weeks to complete an expedition with Camps International. Alfie Caddick, Arron Tonks and Alex Vaughan will be helping within local communities whilst camping in 4 locations. We are very proud of them for choosing to do this, without their family or friendship groups. They raised some of the money for this by Climbing Snowdon and do- ing car boots. We will be sharing their story and hopefully some pho- tos in September. Have a great trip lads! We can’t wait to hear all about it. This opportunity was promoted to Years 9, 10 and 11 pupils in assemblies followed by a parents evening and drop in sessions by Camps International. In 2021 there is the opportunity of a Borneo or Cambodia trip on the horizon! Well it happened ……. our Year 11 Prom! A fabulous time was had by all. We thought we would share a few sneaky photos with you. We are incredibly proud of how hard our Year 11s have worked over the last few months with their GCSEs and this was a well earned celebration! As they embark on the next chapter of their lives we wish them all the very best for the future. We look forward to seeing them all again for results day on 22 August 2019.

Goodbye & Good Luck Class of 2019! We will miss you! Our annual Oscars celebration took place on Wednesday 26 June 2019. Over 90 pupils were invited to this very special evening. With canapes served on arrival and the stage set we were all ready for this special evening to begin. The show opened with a live performance from Challan Carmichael along with performances throughout the evening from some of our very own home grown talent (Evelyn Newey and Rachel Robinson). There were awards, badges and certificates galore, along with some spoof ’live by satellite’ VT links. Challan Carmichael performed again at the end of the evening with pyro- technics going off which made lots of guests jump! A photo booth was also set up for the evening and the atmosphere was just super! Thanks to everybody who came along and supported this event. Well done to everybody who was nominated for an award. Extra-Curricular Activities Spotlight

Family Learning Workshops

This month we would like to put the spot-light on some of our Family Learning Workshops that have been taking place after school with our pupils and parents over this academic year.

We started in December 2018 with a Christmas Cake Decorating Workshop which was great fun and the cake tasted pretty good too!

In April we offered a Pottery Workshop. Using the theme of ‘Fantastic Beasts’ we have created some pretty amazing pottery monsters.

It is really beneficial for parents to be engaged in their child’s learn- ing experience. Attending a Family Learning Workshop is an ideal way of spending quality time with your child whilst also supporting them with their learning.

Thank you so much to all the parents and pupils that have attended so far. It really has been great fun to get to know you all better and to see how creative and talented you all are.

If you are interested in becoming involved in any of our future Fam- ily Learning opportunities please contact [email protected].