Manshead CE Academy PARENT BULLETIN 19Th July, 2021 One
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Manshead CE Academy PARENT BULLETIN 19th July, 2021 One Way or Another You may have noticed that over the past few weeks our Parent Bulletin has been published by Jeni Byrne, our Business Manager. This is due to the fact that Leonie Powell, the Headteacher’s PA was taken into hospital several weeks ago, very poorly. It is with a heavy heart that I must write to say that Leonie sadly passed away on Wednesday. Our Heartfelt thoughts go out to Leonie’s family in this time of sorrow. Many of you would have had conversations with her, when making contact with the school, and remember her to be warm and professional. She was at the very heart of our community, and one of the most generous, kind and funny ladies that we have had the privilege to work alongside. Recently, Leonie presented the following verse to a member of staff which ironically characterised her so well. When you think good thoughts, They will shine out of your face, Like sunbeams And you will always look lovely (Roald Dahl) Leonie loved to read the opening piece in the parent bulletin each week, and if there was a song attached, she would play it loudly in her office and sing along. One week, she tasked me with writing a piece which could use one of her favourite songs. It was a song from Debbie Harry (Blondie) called ‘One Way or Another.’ Two weeks later I was preparing a piece for the bulletin around our Improvement Journey, and the track was a perfect complement to the description of our work here. She was so happy and sang along in her office…beaming. In memory of her devotion and commitment to everything Manshead, we are proud to have her chosen song embedded in the work we do at the school. This will be one of the wonderful ways we will remember her. For Leonie Powell ‘One Way or Another’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zBwRDEFMRY Debbie Chivers-Shepherd Deputy Headteacher Manshead Sports Day rescheduled Wednesday 21st July We have taken the decision to reschedule Sports Day to next Wednesday: • Period 1 Year 7 • Period 2 Year 8 • Period 3 N/A • Period 4 Year 9 • Period 5 Year 10 Please make sure your son / daughter is dressed in full Manshead PE kit all day. Also please ensure that they apply enough sun cream and bring along water in a refillable bottle. No jewellery is to be worn. Students will be asked to remove all jewellery at the gate. School bags are to be left in classroom. Teachers to accompany the Year Group to field. Mr Gordon Head of PE Message from Beds Police The school have been notified of an increase in Anti-Social Behaviour within some of the Dunstable parks especially Bennetts Rec. If you witness any Anti-Social behaviour, please contact the Police on either 101 for non-emergencies or 999 it is an emergency. Please can we also remind parents and carers to make sure their own children are behaving in a way that is not going to get them into trouble. The local Policing Team are going to be paying attention to these areas to make sure that everyone can enjoy the parks in the manor they are intended and to put a stop to any Anti-Social Behaviour. Thank you for your help. Mrs G Dumpleton LINC Manager Duke of Edinburgh Dates for Your Diary Year 10 Bronze Award • Group Meeting Wednesday 21st July S12 from 15:15 until 16:15 Many thanks Mr Bishop and Mr Jeffs Parents’ Consultation Evenings 2021-22 Thank you for your feedback on SchoolCloud. It was overwhelmingly positive, with most parents expressing a desire to never return to ‘the bun fight’ (I quote) in the Hall. There a few individual issues which we have reported to SchoolCloud. The other huge positive was the increase in attendance. Attendance was 85%. This is a 20% increase on face to face evenings. Therefore, we have decided to conduct all parents’ evenings next academic year over SchoolCloud. Jo Lynam School Performance Associate Key Dates for 2021-22 Parent Consultation Evenings: Year 12/13 02/11/21 22/03/22 Year 11 13/01/22 30/03/22 Year 10 24/11/21 21/04/22 Year 9 18/01/22 Year 8 24/02/22 Year 7 09/02/22 Form Tutor Evening: Year 7 and 8 28/09/21 Open Evening: Year 6 into 7 07/10/21 Year 11 into 12 11/11/21 Mrs J Lynam School Performance Associate New life for your old school shirts As many of you will be buying new school shirts for September, can I please ask for donations of old school shirts for Textiles. We have found an artist who embroiders into shirts. Can any shirts no longer needed be handed in to reception in September during the first week back. Thank you Miss Barry Textiles Student Travel 2021-22 Dear Parents and Guardians, As we approach the end of Summer term Arriva would like to take this opportunity to inform of the options, we have available to support you getting your child to school safely during the next academic year. We provide frequent and reliable bus services across the region; all our buses are Covid-19 secure and undergo enhanced touchpoint cleaning every day. Arriva’s Student & Child Saver do not only cut your bus travel costs to and from school, but the same ticket can also be used to travel at evenings, weekends and throughout all school term holidays. You can spread the cost of our saver tickets over affordable monthly payments using our easy-to-use direct debit system. It’s simple to apply, there’s no setup fee or minimum contract required, which means you can cancel your direct debit and stop your ticket anytime should your circumstances change. To arrange your Direct Debit and for further information please follow the link below: www.arrivabus.co.uk/monthlytickets To ensure delivery of ticket in time for the start of the new Academic Year we recommend registering as soon as possible. Once you have your bus pass, you won't need to worry about paying bus fares again, safe in the knowledge that you have saved money through our Direct Debit scheme You can choose to receive your monthly pass by post, or you can download the Arriva UK Bus app onto your child phone, and we can send it there. For travel Information including local maps and timetables please visit: www.arrivabus.co.uk/find-a-service Student Saver tickets are valid for College, University, and 6th form students Child Saver tickets are valid for pupils up to and including year 11 For any queries regarding the scheme, please email: [email protected] Uniform Support for Families Please find links to COM Church in Dunstable’s School Uniform Drive. This support is for families living in Dunstable and surrounding villages. COM Church Pre-Loved Uniform giveaway - Facebook: https://fb.watch/6sgfV-c7Fl/ COM Church Pre-Loved Uniform giveaway - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXW0zI0kS8M Katie Jeeves Community Partner Early Help Team - Dunstable Locality Children’s Services I am a Domestic Abuse Responder, you can talk to me about domestic abuse. Central Bedfordshire Council Watling House, High Street North Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1LF Direct Dial: 0300 300 6681| Internal: 76681 | mobile: 07471025525 Email: [email protected] Central Bedfordshire - A great place to live and work – www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Careers Information, Advice and Guidance ‘Workpays’ are a leading training provider who specialise in Apprenticeships. They are offering a series of information workshops for all parents and carers during June and July. These aim to debunk any myths about apprenticeships, outline the wealth of opportunities available and the application process, and answer any questions you may have. If you would like to take part, please register for your chosen event and you will receive a Microsoft Teams invitation to join the meeting. Audience Day Date Time Link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/helping- my-child-with-an-apprenticeship-a- seminar-for-parents-carers-registration- Parents/Carers Tuesday 20th July 6:30-7:30pm 158386577517 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/helping- my-child-with-an-apprenticeship-a- seminar-for-parents-carers-registration- Parents/Carers Tuesday 27th July 6-7 pm 158387759051 Amazing Apprenticeships – The Parent Perspective Podcasts Parents and carers are one of the biggest influencers on a young person making their career decisions. Amazing Apprenticeships has created a series of 8 podcasts, enabling parents to feel more informed and confident in providing careers support and guidance to their child, so that they ultimately make the best decisions. This podcast will provide a space for listeners to: • Explore which careers are available today • Showcase the experiences of interesting and diverse role models • Provide real-time insights into how the world of work is changing …all through a parents’ perspective. Each episode will feature a panel of diverse parents, bringing their questions and insights to expert speakers to try to tackle and offer practical solutions to some of the challenges parents currently face in supporting their children to make informed decisions. Please see the link below to the first podcast: https://amazingapprenticeships.com/the-parent-perspective-podcast/ Please contact me if you have any questions. Mrs S Hawkins Careers Adviser Library News “I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most!” This quote by Margaret Attwood describes why we are so keen for our young people to keep up their reading skills during the holidays.