Keeping in Touch Lees Brook Community School’S Newsletter for Parents
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Keeping in Touch Lees Brook Community School’s Newsletter for Parents A Founding Member of the Northworthy Trust Dear Parent July 2018 Keeping in Touch I can’t quite believe that we are breaking up for the summer! This year has been a really positive one for the school; it has been an extremely busy one for the students and staff but all the hard work that has been going on is really starting to have an impact. We are looking forward to a positive set of GCSE results this summer. Hot Weather The weather has been amazing over the last few weeks. It is lovely being in the new school, some of us can remember the temperatures reached in the old buildings! The new school is designed to manage the heat and has a fresh air cooling system, this has meant that although definitely warmer than usual, the environment has remained pleasant and students have been able to get on with their work as usual without being too distracted by the heat. Staff have used a common sense approach and have not expected students to wear blazers in the warm weather. Activities and Events Overall, it has been a really exciting year with lots happening; I hope that the extra curricular newsletters you have received have given you a flavour of some of the events on offer. Lees Brook is a very busy place with lots of opportunities for students; this year we have ran an incredible 163 in and out of school events for our students – that must be a record! In particular this year we have had a high number of career and employer encounters for students and have tried to promote the use of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) in future career options. We have strong links and frequent visits from many of the city’s global employers, such as Rolls Royce, Toyota, Tomlinsons and Bombardier, among many others. One of the (many) highlights from this year was the winning of the Big Bang Trophy earlier this year. One of our groups of students created an app to improve the independence of visually impaired travellers – it would organise a person’s journey completely, from home to destination. This idea won the group, the regional competition and entry into the national competition in March 2019. What an amazing achievement. Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh has been a massive success this year, we have had an amazing 101 students working towards their D of E award. This year we have also introduced the Silver Award and have had 19 students working through the programme. In February, we had our first D of E award evening; it was lovely to celebrate the achievements of all the students involved. School PE Kit From September, there will be a change to our PE kit. Students will now be expected to wear black kit regardless of the activity/sport they are taking part in. The white T‐shirt is being phased out so when you buy any new PE kit, please only replace old kit with black kit. The outdoor kit remains the same, black/orange reversible Rugby shirt (or plain black sweatshirt) black shorts, black tracksuit bottoms or plain black legggings are also permitted. Studentss will not be allowed to wear any kit that does not conform to the school PE kit including, hoodies and any other colour clothing. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of the PE team if you have any further questions regarding this matter. Dress code The dress code is in the planner, on the website and is part of this newsletteer. Please take time to read it again before purchasing any new uniform this summer. Some concerns that have crept in are short black skirts, as a reminder skirts must not be more than 2” above the knee and must not be tight or made of a stretchy material. Similarly shoes must be formaal in style, not a black trainer. If you are unsure about an item, please contact the school before spending any money. Morleys’ Offer I have been discussing with Morleys an offer for Lees Brook parents. We have agreed £5 off when ovver £50 is spent and £10 off when spending over £100. I hope this goes some way towards helping with the costs, especially if you have more than one child in school. Work Experience Congratulations to Year 10 students who have been out on work experience over the last two weeks; we have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from the employeers with many stating that they would employ the students straight away if they were available!! Work experience is a really valuable experience for our students and helps Year 10 to realise the importance of working hard and their academic results for their career paths in the future. Class Charts We now have over 75% of parents using the Class Charts app. It is an exceellent resource that we want to encourage all parents and students to be using from September, all homework will be logged on Class Charts primarily rather than the school planner. Please be aware that, due to the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), it is a parent’s responsibiility to ensure that the contact information (email address) is up to date and correct on both Class Charts and the Parents Evening System. Pease use the ‘quick start’ guides on the website under the parent tab. School Calendar Please find attached a calendar for next year, similarly to last year, we willl be having two INSET days over a weekend in November. Please make a note of key dates for your children, such as examinations during the year as well as form tutor and subject evenings. It just remains for me to wish all the students a happy and safe summer holiday; school finishes at 1.30pm on Wednesday 25th July. Exam results day is Thursday 23rd Auguust and results will be available for Year 11 students at 10.00am. The school has two INSET days on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th September, therefore students will return to school on Monday 10th September. Yours faithfully Zoe House Headteacher IMPORTANT DATES FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS 2018‐2019 ACADEMIC YEAR THE SCHOOL YEAR Autumn Term *Thursday 6th September – Friday 21st December Half Term Holiday Monday 29th October – Friday 2nd November Spring Term Monday 7th January – Friday 12th April Half Term Holiday Monday 18th February – Friday 22nd February Summer Term Monday 29th April – Thursday 25th July Half Term Holiday Monday 27th May – Friday 31st May May Bank Holiday Monday 6th May *Please note students return on Monday 10th September due to Staff Development Training Days STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING DAYS INSET Day 1 Thursday 6th September INSET Day 2 Friday 7th September INSET Day 3 Friday 30th November INSET Day 4 Monday 3rd December INSET Day 5 Friday 21st June EVENTS AND MEETINGS School Photographer Tuesday 25th September Winter Fair and Christmas Market Friday 7th December Year 7 Form Tutor Evening Wednesday 7th November Year 7 Grade Reports issued Friday 21st December 7 th Year 7 Subject Evening (Grade Reports issued) Thursday 7 March Year 7 Grade Reports issued Friday 12th April Year Year 7 Exams Begin Monday 1st July Year 7 Form Tutor Evening (Reports issued) Thursday 18th July Year 8 Form Tutor Evening Wednesday 7th November Year 8 Grade Reports issued Friday 21st December 8 th Year 8 Subject Evening (Grade Reports issued) Tuesday 26 February Year 8 Grade Reports issued Friday 12th April Year Year 8 Exams Begin Monday 1st July Year 8 Form Tutor Evening (Reports issued) Thursday 18th July Year 9 Form Tutor Evening Wednesday 7th November Year 9 Grade Reports issued Friday 21st December 9 th Year 9 Subject & Options Evening Wednesday 6 February Year 9 Grade Reports issued Friday 12th April Year Year 9 Trial Exams Begin Tuesday 7th May Year 9 Form Tutor Evening (Reports issued) Thursday 18th July Year 10 Subject Evening (Grade Reports issued) Tuesday 15th January Year 10 Subject Evening (Grade Reports issued) Tuesday 30th April 10 Year 10 Revision Evening Thursday 23rd May th Year Year 10 Trial Exams Begin Monday 17 June Year 10 Form Tutor Evening (Reports issued) Thursday 18th July Year 11 Revision and Post 16 Evening for parents Wednesday 17th October Year 11 Trial Exams Begin Monday 5th November Year 11 Subject Evening (Grade Reports issued) Thursday 10th January 11 Year 11 PiXL Exams Monday 25th to Wednesday 27th February th Year Year 11 Subject Evening (Reports issued) Wednesday 10 April Year 11 GCSE Exams Begin Monday 13th May Year 11 Prom Friday 21st June th Skills Academy Welcome Evening Wednesday 12 September 16 Skills Academy Student Progress Evening Tuesday 4th December Post Skills Academy Student Progress Evening Tuesday 30th April GCSE Revision and Reward ‐ Breadsall Priory ‐ 23rd March 2018 Year 11 students had the day at Breadsall Priory taking part in master class workshops in English, Maths and Sciences with the idea of aiming for the top GCSE grades of 8 and 9. Students were then treated to lunch and use of Breadsall's leisure facilities. A fantastic day was had by all the students and it was great to reward all their hard work in school. County Indoor Athletics Sports Hall Final ‐ 18th April 2018 The students who took part in the County Indoor Athletics Sports Hall Final were a real credit to the school. They worked together and supported each other all afternoon. The results; Year 7 boys 1st Year 8 boys 1st Year 8 girls 5th Huge congratulations to all the teams but especially the boys’ teams for becoming the County champions.