Polesworth Matters Dear All We have had a show-stopping spectable of a week with the Addam’s Family! What a show! I want to say a huge congratulations to cast, crew, audience members and everyone involved in making sure that this year’s production is amazing. Our year 11s have taken their mock GCSE speaking exams this week. Well done to all as we realise that this is an incredibly challenging exam but they have all approached it maturely and sensibly. Well done year 11! Looking ahead, our parent consultation evening is taking place on 4th February. Appointments will be available soon so please keep an eye out for the notification. Headteacher Headteachers Message Wishaw Cricket Club Enhanced Learning Development (ELD) i Child Information Update Days Governor Vacancy PE News In Children and Family Centre Drop In Octavian Droobers - School this Contact Details Orienteering News issue Deadline for Prefect January 7th applications Y13 Science trip to 12th Body Worlds Museum, London 30th ELD Day 2 7th Out of Uniform Y12/13 English trip, Jane Eyre, Lichfield Y11 History trip to Raglan 13th February 11th Garrick theatre Key Dates and Grosmont Castle for CSW Talent Contest, 13th Early Finish, 1.10pm January / 4th Parents Evening 4 24th January 2020 11th Leamington Spa — February 13th Year 8 into 9 evening Dance Showcase, 6.30pm, 11th 5th Y11 Photographs Main Hall Issue 272 ( ) As discussed in an earlier newsletter article, at The Polesworth School we are committed to a broader programme of education which extends beyond the academic, technical or vocational. Our School of Character and PSHEE programmes help our students to confidently question, consider, challenge and embrace the wider issues they face growing up in today’s society and give them the cultural capital to move forward. Over the year, through three Enhanced Learning Development (ELD) days, students explore ‘age related’ topics to encourage personal development and understanding of key issues such as sex and relationships, online safety, protective behaviours, mental and emotional health, CPR, road and water safety, anti – social behaviour and accountability. ELDs also cover topics such as careers, citizenship and finance and wider issues are explored in the weekly School of Character sessions such as Holocaust Memorial Day and World Book day. : – As a key part of the Y11 students’ exam preparation, ELD day 2 involves a revision conference. We have invited the dynamic Education company Elevate in to deliver an exciting workshop called ‘Ace your Exams’ to support students’ understanding of the preparation and revision process. The students will also have sessions on Growth Mindset and revision timetabling and, in the afternoon, they will be involved in a variety of activities to encourage work/life balance and mental health. Every student will also receive a conference folder which includes revision materials, subject information and their exam timetables. Please encourage your children to discuss their exam preparation and revision with you as this is a challenging and stressful time in their lives. Our next parents’ consultation evening is on Tuesday 4th February, prioritised for Y11 and Y13, and we encourage you to come in and chat to your child’s teachers. ENHANCED LEARNING DAYS at The Polesworth School th ELD 1 - 24 Sept 2019 ELD 2 - 30th January, 2020 ELD 3 - 23rd June, 2020 Relationships and Sex Smoking & e smoking Education Community / road safety CONKERS Year Online Safety Protective Behaviours / Developing character and Respect Social Media 7 cooperative skills Careers 1 (JED / self- Careers 2 (JED / self- organisation) organisation) Drugs / Alcohol Contraception Democracy – Charity awareness Body image Fundraising Year Water / Road Safety Family relationships Economics – credit / debit 8 Diet LBGTQ+ Government Peer pressure Peer pressure Careers – Skills and Work CPR 1 CPR 2 Sexual health Protective behaviours Emotions Citizenship - Prison Me No Way – Safer Year Teenage pregnancy consequences behaviours and citizenship Sexting 1 Drugs awareness 9 programme Relationships Careers - Work experience The Real Game Health questionnaires LBGTQ + Antisocial behaviours Understanding Mental Emotions, hormones and Road safely Health logic Sexting 2 Hitting On- line Safety Year Life choices and NHS – health Finance understanding - 10 consequences questionnaires Cash V Credit Consent Careers - Introduction to Careers - Interview Body image – gender work experience Techniques groups Sexual Health and Stress management Exam preparation and Year Post 16 pathways revision conference On Study Leave 11 carousel Careers – CVs Careers - Planning / CV The Challenge programme Target Setting ENHANCED LEARNING DAYS – Post 16 PSHE Programme at The Polesworth School th ELD 1 - 24 Sept 2019 ELD 2 - 30th January, 2020 ELD 3 - 23rd June, 2020 Preparing for the future Health & Safety Day Revision strategies and UCAS & HE Fair Y12 Induction Future planning: UCAS registration Year Anthony Nolan PPE Planning and revision Unifrog Fatal four – driving strategies Alternative Aspirations 12 safety Unifrog Options Motivational Talk by a UCAS basics Cooking University National Apprenticeships Sport Debate Preparing for the Future Aston University Preparing for the Future UCAS launch Financial literacy Optional Aston Uni Year Road Safety personal statement On Study Leave First Aid 13 workshop Relationships UCAS forms Meta Cognition Non-university options CVs PE News Football Congratulations to the year 9 girls 5 a-side football team who played on Tuesday. They won one game against George Eliot and drew against Nicolas Chamberlain. They are leading the tournament going into round 2 next week. Alicia Fearing Gracie Adams Charlie O’Neil Georgia Coleman Ruby Stowe Athletics Well done to all of the students who competed in the district indoor athletics competition at Higham Lane School. The boys finished in 2nd position, narrowly missing out on going to the county finals and the girls finished in 3rd position. YOUTH WINTER CRICKET COACHING 2020 WITH WISHAW CRICKET CLUB Based on Church Lane in Wishaw, Warwickshire, we are a local, family orientated club that have built our foundations on playing the game of cricket in the intended spirit of the sport. We play competitively, entering 3 adult teams playing in the Warwickshire Cricket League on Saturdays, and utilise our Sunday team to incorporate a good balance of experience and youth development for the enjoyment of all. Our thriving youth cricket section has provided us with the ambition of coaching and supporting young people to play cricket and most importantly, have fun! The club is affiliated to the Warwickshire Cricket Board with a number of ECB qualified and experienced coaches. The club already has a successful junior section, last summer running junior teams at U9, U11, U13 and U15 level. However, we are always looking to attract more junior players to the club, and we are offering a unique opportunity for children, both girls and boys, to come and try out cricket at our Junior Winter Cricket Academy. The Academy will run for 9 weeks and will be held on Sunday mornings from 9.30am to 10.30am for younger players and 10.30am to 11.30am for older players. The venue is Wilnecote Sports Centre at Wilnecote School, Tinkers Green, Wilnecote, Tamworth. The first session will be Sunday 26th January 2020. We are looking for children of all abilities, whether they have tried cricket before or not, ideally aged 6 to 15, though other age groups will not be discounted. The sessions are run by qualified coaches and all necessary equipment is provided. Cost will be £4 per child per week with the first ‘taster’ session free for new participants. I would be grateful if your school could support this initiative by publicising the details of our Academy in school and in your newsletter to parents. Parents can contact me for further information and to register their child by email: [email protected] or phone: 07890 138062. Many thanks in advance for your support. Kind regards, Steve Hern For and on behalf of WCC When did you last update your child’s information? We collect personal data on our students when they start school in Year 7 but it is your responsibility to update these details on ‘My Child’ as they change throughout the years e.g. change of address, mobile numbers, medical details etc.. For school trips, it is vitally important that your child’s medical and contact details are up to date so the trip leader is fully aware of any requirements such as allergies, asthma, dietary needs and so on. Please email [email protected] if you have problems updating your child’s details at any time. Thank you for support with this. Governor Vacancy Birchwood Primary School are seeking to recruit quality Community Governors to join their Local Governing Body. We are looking for people who have the skill to act as a ‘critical friend’ and ask challenging questions about performance and use their skills and experience to support the school in addressing its aims. You will be involved in creating and developing a strategic plan for the school, setting and agreeing its objectives, and monitoring and evaluating its success by focusing on progress and outcomes. Your role will also include collectively allocating and controlling the school budget as well as being influential in the appointment of staff. If you are over 18, able to commit approximately 10-15 hours per term to the role we would be delighted to hear from you. You do not need to be a parent of a student at the school. No prior knowledge is needed – training and support is offered and available to all new and existing governors. This is an extremely rewarding role, one which holds great importance within our school and trust. If you feel that you have skills which could be transferred to help make a real difference to childrens’ lives, please contact us for further information.