Head's Newsletter
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KING JAMES'S SCHOOL, KNARESBOROUGH HEAD’S NEWSLETTER Dear Parents …. Easter 2014 As we reflect on another busy and fulfilling term at King James’s you will find this letter packed with news of the activities and successes of our students and staff. There are so many highlights but I would like to make a special mention of the German exchange trip to Bebra. You will probably be aware that Knaresborough and Bebra are twinned and that we have a regular exchange with the Brüder Grimm Schule. 2014 is the 40th anniversary of this exchange and this is quite a milestone; we cannot find a school in the country with a longer running languages exchange trip. It is so special that it has made the national news both in the UK and in Germany. Mr Hemsworth, who retired in 2010 but started the exchange in 1974, is joining us for the trip. I am Inside this issue: also very much looking forward to joining the group to celebrate 40 years at a party in Bebra on Friday 4th April. Introduction Exams news Much of my own energy this term, along with that of the Governors, has been Photographs permissions given over to recruiting for a number of senior positions. As a parent of a student Contact updates in such a large school it is the individual teachers which matter the most. These are Reception the people that you meet at parents’ evenings and have the most direct influence Lost property Design News over the learning, welfare and progress of our young people. To help me to run Knaresborough Fun Run the school, however, I rely heavily on a senior leadership team of deputy and Gala headteachers, assistant headteachers and a business manager. Sport Relief Asdan News After having had pretty much the same team of senior staff for the last 6 years all Music News the changes seem to have come at once. After an intense period of recruitment PE Highlights and interviews there will be four new senior leaders in school by September 2014. Trips and Visits Library News These are: Art News Drama News Deputy Headteacher: Hannah Millett, currently Assistant Headteacher at Young Enterprise Thirsk School. Amp Award Director of Sixth Form: Clair Foden, currently Assistant Headteacher at Thirsk Volunteering in Philippines Languages News School. Tour de France Assistant Headteacher, Support and Progress: Helen Handley, currently Year 9 Maths & Engineer- ing Challenge Assistant Headteacher at Ryedale School. Business Manager: Justin Waters, currently Business Manager at Outwood Academy Ripon. Remember to check Mr Wood, Mr Giles, Dr Walton (until Christmas 2014) and Mr Issatt will remain on our website for latest the team and we are all looking forward to working with our new colleagues. Mr news, pictures, calendar and events Waters will be taking up his post in early June. It is purely coincidental that we have recruited two staff from Thirsk School. There will be time to say goodbye to www.king-james.co.uk the senior staff that are leaving in the summer but Mr Laycock’s departure will be in May. Mr Laycock was the first Business Manager that we appointed. In the 9 years in his role Mr Laycock has been responsible for developing the impressive range of facilities that the school enjoys today. Far from being behind the scenes in a purely financial role, Mr Laycock has always kept the students as his first priority, even coaching the hockey teams as part of his extra curricular contribution. May I wish you all a good Easter, I know that the GCSE and A Level students have to begin stepping up their revision but I hope that there is some quality family time for everyone too. Carl Sugden, Headteacher ►►► Easter Holidays: school closes 3.25 p.m. Friday 4th April Start of Summer Term: Tuesday 22nd April ◄◄◄ Exam Timetables Two copies of final exam timetables will be issued to all students in May. One copy is for students to bring to each exam session the other is to display in a prominent place at home where others can see it. These copies will show any re-sit entries and changes to tiers made since the issue of the first version. The final timetables also contain a copy of the student photo and are used as a means for invigilators to identify students and these too should be taken to all exam sessions. Once issued, this version can also be viewed and/or printed by students and parents via e-Portal. Reminder of results days: Thursday 14th August (A/AS levels) Thursday 21st August GCSE Photographs of Students for Publicity Purposes Throughout the school year we regularly take photographs of students participating in lessons, trips and other activities, e.g. sport, music, art and drama. Largely these photo- graphs are used internally but on occasions we publish photographs on the website and use them for other purposes. We would never name a student on a photograph without the express permission of parents and only in very limited situations, e.g. articles in the Knaresborough Post. If you do not wish your child to be in any photographs or articles, please inform your child’s Head of Year, in writing, at the start of the Summer Term. CONTACT DETAILS A reminder please to keep the school informed of changes of address, e-mail, home and mobile telephone numbers, emergency contacts and medical details, etc. Just drop us an email with details of any changes as and when they happen so that we can keep our records bang up to date. [email protected] RECEPTION Can we respectfully ask parents to avoid dropping off non-essential items and/or asking us to pass non-urgent messages to their children during the school day? If you receive a request from your child during the school day and agree to drop some- thing off, please ask them to collect it from reception. Whilst we endeavour to deliver messages and items (it would be helpful to have the child’s name clearly marked), this cannot always be guaranteed. LOST PROPERTY We thought it might be helpful to remind parents of the arrangements for dealing with lost property. The amount of lost property in school frequently reaches mammoth proportions (over 30 black sacks of lost property are regularly donated to charity) and in an attempt to tackle this problem students are regularly reminded of the arrangements for collecting lost items. Students are encouraged to take their possessions home every Friday as, after school on a Friday, the locker areas are cleared of lost property and ALL items left by students, including bags, coats, footwear, etc. and even items on pegs, are placed in the lost property bins provided. Items remain in the bins until 2 days before the end of each half term when they are sorted and bagged and removed to the Chaloner Hall. Students have the opportunity at break and lunch times to collect lost items. For seven school days after each half term students have a final chance to check for their belongings by making a request, via their Heads of Year, to inspect the property displayed in the Chaloner Hall. After this time all remaining items are donated to charity. We hope you agree that by this stage students will have had sufficient opportunity to claim their belongings. ►►► Easter Holidays: school closes 3.25 p.m. Friday 4th April Start of Summer Term: Tuesday 22nd April ◄◄◄ DESIGN NEWS Literacy Week In Food Technology Mrs Garbutt ran a series of KS3 lessons: "Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes". Students focussed on Bruce Bogtrotters experiences with cake and Miss Trunchball; making mini chocolate Brucey cakes and learning about the imagery used by Roald Dahl within Matilda. Year 9 Hospitality Visit to The Majestic Hotel and The CELEBRATION CAKES PROJECT Cairn Hotel, Harrogate "Rachel Capstick Cakes"(www.capstickcakes.co.uk) Year 9 Hospitality students visited two very well-known came in to school to do a presentation to year 9 Hotels in Harrogate to get a feel for how they operate hospitality students. behind the scenes. They are doing a celebration cakes project, so Rachel At the Majestic the focus was more general looking at all showed students some techniques and ideas that they departments of the hotel whereas the visit to the Cairn are looking forward to trying out on their own designs. was looking specifically at job roles in kitchen. The visits gave students a realistic view of life working at a busy hotel and we got to find out the hotel’s plans for the forthcoming Tour de Yorkshire! GREENPOWER CAR We have entered races at Croft in June and Aintree in September and we are hoping to have both our cars completed to race at both events. The bodyshell has arrived in school for the new car. This was made in our old mould by Martek in Huddersfield and looks fantastic. We do need to do a bit of work to the shell and chassis to get them to fit together and a big thanks to Mike Craig who has offered to do this for us. This should happen shortly and we can then start position steering components etc. The club are involved in other activities as well as Greenpower. Students are currently completing prototype clockwork powered dragsters. This format developed by DT teacher Steve Hutchinson will hopefully feature in the Engineer- ing Inspirations event in June with schools across North Yorkshire involved. Students are also start- ing the building of solar powered boats with a competition at Engineering Inspirations as well.