Volume 10 Issue 27 W/C 15 March 2021

Chiltern Hills Academy Chartridge Lane Chesham Buckinghamshire HP5 2RG Telephone 01494 782066 [email protected] www.chilternhillsacademy.co.uk

Message from the Principal

COVID 19 TESTING - SCHOOL AND HOME TESTING By the end of the week, those students with consent to have a lateral flow test will have had three Covid tests. We have therefore, in the last two weeks, completed 2,100 tests! This is something all secondary schools have been asked to complete in the last two weeks. Students have been amazing in carrying out these tests and have acted in a mature and sensible way as they have been undertaking the test.

We move on now to home testing. These kits will be distributed to each student next week. They are in a sealed box with 7 tests in each and a separate instruction booklet. Please follow the separate instruction booklet and not the one in the sealed boxes.

Although the test remains optional, we of course hope that you will ensure that your child(ren) are tested twice a week. You will need to register the details with the NHS yourselves. We also ask that after every test completed you use this form: Your child's Covid test result to notify us of the test results, whether the result is positive, negative or void. The link will also be placed on the front page of the school website to make it easy to find in the coming weeks.

In addition, should there be a positive test please advise us immediately, using this email address: [email protected] to tell us about the positive test. We will then contact you with the next steps to take.

Thank you in advance for using these tests, it does give an added layer of risk mitigation for all of us in the CHA community. Staff have been using the same test kits successfully for the last two weeks.

SCHOOL UNIFORM As we returned to school last week, we have given a little flexibility regarding uniform. This week we are ensuring that students are reminded of some of the uniform expectations:

• May we please request that students should only wear their PE kit on the days they have a timetabled lesson. • We are aware that hoodies are popular garments out of school but they are not appropriate to be worn with PE kit or school uniform. • Skirt style is a pleated skirt with the length being no more than 5cm above the knee. • Trainers are acceptable for PE days but not to be worn with the main school uniform.

With the shops closed and mail order not always an easy option to buy items, if your child(ren) does not have the correct uniform please write them a note that they can show to staff. It is pleasing to see most young people are looking very smart and are correctly dressed. Thank you for your support.

CYCLE TRAINING The Bikeability scheme is normally offered in Primary schools to support the safe use of the road on a bicycle. Due to the pandemic, a number of students now in Y7 may have missed this opportunity. The training will take place in the summer term.

There is a small charge (£10) for the scheme with the remainder paid through a Government Scheme.

Here are the details of the Level 2 training: https://bikeability.org.uk/bikeability-training/bikeability-level-2/

We have offered Level 3 before at this time of year but students need to have passed Level 2 first. The sessions will be held after school (probably on a Wednesday). If you are interested in your child(ren) being involved in this scheme please email Mrs Sanders ([email protected]) to indicate your interest. If we have sufficient interest we will then send you joining details and an application form.

RED NOSE DAY – FRIDAY 19 MARCH We will raise money for this charity event by holding a non- uniform day on Friday. Red noses are going to be difficult to wear over our masks this year!

Here is a link to the national event information: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/55899823 This year it is about ‘sharing a smile’ - we all need this opportunity during these difficult times. Thank you in advance for ensuring that your child(ren) have £1 to donate as they enter the school on this day. We should be able to raise over £1,000 on Friday.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS A reminder that students who are entitled to free school meals, and whose parents/carers had been in receipt of vouchers from Edenred, will now be able to collect free school meals at lunchtimes up to the value of £2.50.

Dates for Your Diary

Date Event Email address

19 March Comic Relief Red Nose Day - non-uniform day for £1 22 March to 1 April Y11, Y12 and Y13 Mock Examinations [email protected]

22 March Y8 Options confirmed [email protected]

25 March Y10 Parents’ Evening via Schoolcloud, [email protected] 3.45 to 7.00pm 31 March Y7-Y11 Spring Concert, postponed

1 April Last day of Spring term, school closes 1.00pm 2 to 6 April Warsy trip to France, postponed [email protected]

19 April STAFF INSET DAY

20 April First day of Summer term, Y7/Y11 8.40am Y9/Y10 8.45, Y8/Y12/Y13 8.50 20 April Y11 Art practicals

21 April Y11 Food preparation practicals

22 April Earth Day

22 April Y11 Photography practicals

22 April A Level revision Media workshop, [email protected] 12.15 to 3.15pm 22 April Y12/Y13 Parents’ Evening via Schoolcloud. [email protected] 3.45 to 7.-00pm

PE—Extra Curricular Activities

Timetable Monday 15 March to Thursday 1 April DAY YEAR GROUP ACTIVITY 9 (on AGP) Monday Football 11 (on Field) Tuesday 7 (on AGP) Football 8 (on AGP) Thursday Football 10 (on Field)

These activities will take place from 3.00pm to 4.00pm. Students must wear clean football boots for these sessions

If your child(ren) does not have a PE lesson on the day, they MUST come to school in full school uniform and get changed at the end of the day into their PE kit.

Mr S Falcon Teacher of PE

Parent Voice

Thank you to all parents who sent feedback regarding parents' evenings. As more online parent/student meetings are conducted over the next few months, further feedback will be collected to help support the school moving forward in ensuring future parents' evenings are efficient and of value.

I would now like to invite you to send me your thoughts and suggestions regarding the Chiltern Hills Academy newsletter that you receive via email. The newsletter is an essential part of communication between Chiltern Hills Academy, its parents and students and should inform, remind and connect our school community. Staff work hard to ensure that your newsletter remains relevant, easy to read and informative. Here are some questions that may help you with your feedback:

• How useful do you find the newsletter? • Do you feel the newsletter provides you with current, relevant information in an easy to read format? • What features of the newsletter work well? What doesn’t work well? • How can we improve our communication with you and your child through the newsletter?

Please do email your thoughts and suggestions to me at [email protected]

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Mrs Caroline Mastrorilli Parent Governor

Young Enterprise 2021

Happy Hampers Lockdown Hampers

Happy Hampers is a Young Enterprise company comprised entirely of Chiltern Hills Academy students in Year 12 who have started up their own business as part of the Company Programme.

Happy Hampers assemble luxury pamper hampers and aim to provide a selection of home comforts and treats to enable you to survive the lockdown period. We are developing gift hampers for Easter, Birthday and all occasions.

The students would be very grateful for your support. Please follow the links to our website and social media, to view and purchase their products which are now on sale. https://jandrews04.wixsite.com/happyhampersye https://www.ye-tradingstation.org.uk/company/3428 https://instagram.com/happyhamperss_ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe6gWt1H/

Mathematics

As a department, we have been pleased with how our students have returned to their maths learning.

In year groups 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 for the next few weeks we are reviewing everything that was taught online in order to ensure our students are confident with the concepts covered during Teams lessons.

With regard to Y11, Y13 and those Y12 students who are taking resits, the focus of all lessons is revision for either their GCSE Maths or A Level/s.

HOMEWORK As from this week, all our maths groups should be receiving regular homework. This should consist of an average two pieces of homework a week that take between 20 and 30 minutes. Please do encourage your child/children to complete their homework within the given time frame and to the best of their ability. If your child is struggling to complete their homework do encourage them to speak to their teacher about it – ideally, they should let their teacher know before the homework is due in either in person or via email or Teams.

Another way of supporting your child with their maths work is asking them what they did in class and if possible, to explain to you what they have learnt. The more a student recalls of their learning, the more likely it is they will remember it. This is all part of retrieval practice that was mentioned in the newsletter that went out during week beginning Monday 7 February.

SCIENTIFIC CALCULATORS Part of the equipment that all our students need for maths is a scientific calculator. As a school we recommend for KS3 and KS4 the CASIO fx-85GT series that costs approximately £10 to £15 and, if looked after, will last at least five years.

There are other scientific calculators that are cheaper but they will have a different layout to the CASIO and different ways of undertaking specific mathematical calculations. This therefore makes it difficult to teach students how to use their calculator if it is not the same as the majority of the class are using.

We discourage students from using scientific calculators that they can find on their phones for homework (mobile phones are not used in the classroom) for the same reason as above. Also there is the fact that they need to be familiar with using a scientific calculator for their GCSE examination papers, currently two of the three papers entail using a calculator. If you have any concerns about purchasing a scientific calculator please do contact me on [email protected]

QUESTIONS OR QUERIES If you have any questions or queries regarding the teaching and learning of mathematics at CHA or if your child is having difficulties accessing online lessons for whatever reason, please contact the following members of staff:

KS3 (Years 7 and 8) – Mrs Keith at [email protected] KS4 (Years 9 to 11) and KS5 (Years 12 and 13) - Mr Raju at [email protected]

Attendance

A Message from Mr Vaddiraju It has been fantastic to see all of our students bright and happy and back in school.

Well done to all our whole school community for helping us with our fantastic attendance level last term.

Term time holidays Why should you take holidays outside of term time? You do not have to look very hard to find statistics to tell you how good attendance can massively affect your child’s life chances. Children who are taken out of school for holidays in term time miss huge chunks of their learning, they miss out on social interaction with their friends and peers, (sometimes they lose their friends) and they miss out on certificates of achievement and being able to boast about them to their friends. 95% of work missed is never caught up on, leaving your child at a serious disadvantage.

Term time holidays are much cheaper than in the school holidays Q. What will my child really miss? A. Everything. Your child is important! Their education is important, their friendships and social life are important. It is cheaper financially to take your child on holiday in term time but it is your child that will pay the price in lost learning, lost friends and poor results. You are excluding your child from their right to education so please consider your child before you take leave.

Fines We refer all parents who take their children out of school to Buckinghamshire Council and they, in turn, will fine both parents, so if you are a couple with 3 students at CHA, there will be 6 fines to pay.

Permission In very exceptional circumstances permission may be granted for term time leave but, before you book your holiday, permission must be sought from the Principal. You will need to complete a Leave of Absence form which can be found here: https://www.chilternhillsacademy.co.uk/parentinformation

Other Absences There are 190 school days in a year - this leaves 167 days to:

GO ON HOLIDAY – GO FOR A CHECK UP AT THE DENTIST – GO SHOPPING – HAVE LUNCH – ETC.

If your child is going to be late or absent you must inform the school. Please call or email before 9.00am 01494 782 066 - Option 1 or [email protected]

Attendance Counts: <95% = Huge learning gaps

Wellbeing

G R E A T Giving time Relate, talk, Energise, sleep, Awareness be Try something and helping listen. exercise. aware, be new, keep each other. grateful. learning.

It has been wonderful having our students back in school and they have settled back into school routines remarkably well, given that this has been a year that has seen challenges that no-one has ever experienced before.

As a staff, we are aware that some of our students may be struggling in different ways with the return to school and all that it entails. Please do contact your child’s Academic Year Leader or another member of staff if your child is anxious or worried about any aspects of being back in school. We fully appreciate that while in school it may appear that they are fine when actually your child needs some extra support in settling back into school.

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we can further support all our students at CHA, please do drop me an email: [email protected]

A regular feature of the Wellbeing Update is exploring sources that aim to provide practical support for parents and carers whether they are organisations, information leaflets, courses or publications to name a few: below gives an overview of one such publication.

15 Minute Parenting: The Teenage Years by Joanna Fortune Joanna Fortune combines neurological insights into the key stages of adolescence with a road map for playful connection. She gives ideas on how to navigate your way through the teenage years and adolescent behaviour, including how to:

• Build self-esteem and confidence • Establish a relationship of trust and respect • Encourage emotional resilience • Deal with mental illness including anxiety • Handle teenage friendships including when they turn toxic • Have brave conversations about sex, gender and sexuality • Tackle the dark side of social media.

In this book, Joanna gives many simple and effective ways that you can support your child or children through their teenage years and stay connected with them.

The following link will take you to the Amazon website where you can find further information about this book and read reviews from parents who have already read the book: 15 Minute Parenting the Teenage Years on Amazon

SATURDAY 20 MARCH - INTERNATIONAL HAPPINESS DAY The past year has been tough and even with the gradual unlocking of current restrictions, there will still be obstacles to overcome as we return to ‘normality’ and get on with day-to-day living. With this in mind, to celebrate International Happiness Day, let’s find positive ways to look after ourselves and our community including:

STAYING CALM—there are so many things outside our control but let’s try and focus on what really matters so that we can respond in a positive way.

BEING WISE—make wise choices that help everyone and try and undertake positive actions that support our wellbeing and, where we can, help others to do the same.

SHOWING KINDNESS—to ourselves and others. Stay connected to friends and family even though you are unable to see them. Ask for help when you need it and help others when you can.

"Everything can be taken from us but one thing: the freedom to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances" Viktor Frankl an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor

The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity have been granted a sum of money by National Lottery Awards for All so that they can offer free places on our HELP Parents Course to lower-income families. The courses help parents of children with Dyslexia to support them at home with reading, spelling, maths and study skills. There are six online 1.5 hour sessions with support slides and recordings available if the parent cannot attend live– the online course begins in May. This is especially helpful while lots of children are doing their lessons at home.

If you feel as a parent that you or your family may benefit from this course and perhaps be eligible for a free place on the course, please click on the attached link below for details: https://www.helenarkell.org.uk/news/new-dates-help-course-for-parents-online.php Telephone number: 01252 792 400

TAFT is a website that has been set up by Dr Lucy Russell a clinical psychologist with many years of experience of working with young people and their families. The aim Dr Russell’s website is to support parents and teachers to do their best for the wellbeing of children and young people.

The links below will take you to articles that you may find useful:

Helping Your Child Cope With Worry - including worry about returning to school: https://www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/helping-your-child-cope-with-worry When Your Child Feels Too Anxious To Go To School: https://www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/child-anxious-school Panic Attacks In Children: How To Help: https://www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/panic-attacks-in-children-how-to-help Supporting An Anxious Child As An Anxious Parent: https://www.theyarethefuture.co.uk/anxious-child-as-an-anxious-parent

Mrs S Keith KS3 Wellbeing Lead

Y8 Success

Congratulations to the Year 8 students who have been working very hard and have achieved excellent Learning and Homework grades in their Progress Check 2.

Attitude to Learning 86% of the grades awarded to Year 8 students across all subjects were 1 or 2. This means that most of the students in Year 8 were either always fully engaged in the learning process, completing all work to the very best of their ability and contributing positively to the lesson, or were engaged in the learning process, completing all work and making a positive contribution.

Homework 83% of the grades awarded to Year 8 students were either 1 or 2. This means that most of the students in Year 8 always completed their homework to a very high or good standard and always completed and submitted it on time.

I am so proud of you all and expect you to keep up this amazing effort in the next few weeks as we approach Progress Check 3!

Well done.

Mrs E Forssling Mr P Toovey. Academic Year Leader Assistant Vice Principal

Chiltern Hills Academy Chartridge Lane Chesham Buckinghamshire HP5 2RG Telephone 01494 782066 Fax 01494 783185 [email protected] www.chilternhillsacademy.co.uk

Online use Spending more time New places online. Secretive activity, Discovering they refusal to come offline. have been going to Have they distanced Missing new places where themselves from family, Day or Night they have no obvious friends and usual connections. Missing from home or activities? education. Not knowing where they are or who they are with.

EXPLOITATION Injuries SPOT THE Unexplained N AWAR bruises, cuts, burns, IO EN T E Change in A S T I S marks. Reluctance O D L

P A

Y to seek medical

X appearance E Clothing, personal SIGNS attention. 1 hygiene, talking 8 MARCH differently, tired. Coping mechanisms Alcohol/drug use/self-harm – what they may be doing or using in order to cope. Change in behaviour Possessions Have they become Change in friends Unexplained items unusually secretive, fearful Sudden changes in who e.g. New clothing, or withdrawn, aggressive, they are ‘hanging out’ with money, phone, distanced themselves from including meeting new drugs. family and friends, involved people from social media. in anti-social behaviour.

HELP US STOP EXPLOITATION

SAY SOMETHING, IF YOU SEE Contact: SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS. CONTACT: Crimestoppers OR Police OR 0800 555 111 101 WWW.STOP-CSE.ORG

TRS Chester Department of Theology Religious Studies Webinars and Religious Studies Series 2

Every Tuesday 4.00pm–4.50pm Open to all A level students of any subject and their teachers!

30-minute lecture plus anonymous Q&A in the chat (audience neither seen nor heard).

20th April Prof David Clough The Ethics of Allocating Health Care in a Pandemic: Kantian, Utilitarian, and Christian Approaches David teaches Christian theology and ethics and is a leading international scholar on Christianity and animals. He founded CreatureKind and DefaultVeg to work for practical changes in the consumption of animals. 27th April Prof Paul Middleton Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Paul is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity. He specialises in martyrdom and violence in the ancient and modern world. 4th May Dr Alana Vincent Is Liberation Theology just for Christians? Alana is Associate Professor of Jewish Philosophy, Religion and Imagination. She specialises in modern Jewish philosophy. 11th May Dr Dhivan Jones “It’s wrong so don’t do it!” – An Introduction to Metaethics Dhivan teaches philosophy, Buddhism and Hinduism. He researches early Buddhist philosophy. He also leads Buddhist meditation retreats. 18th May Jonathan Dunn Is Bonhoeffer’s Theology Relevant Today? Jonathan is Lecturer in Theological Ethics and teaches on modules in Christian Ethics and Theology. His research examines the interaction between Christian eschatology and social and political ethics. 25th May Dr Ben Fulford Symbol, Metaphor and Story in Religious language Ben is Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology and specialises in modern and historical Christian Theology. 1st June Dr Hannah Bacon Is God Male? Hannah is Associate Professor in Feminist Theology. She specialises in Christian Thought, especially around sin and salvation and how it intersects with the lives of women. 8th June Dr Amin El Yousfi The Qur’an as a Source of Religious Authority Amin is an anthropologist who researches the intersection of Islam and politics. He is currently a Research Associate exploring the interpretation of the Qur’an in the UK. 15th June Dr Wendy Dossett Is Mindfulness Buddhist? Wendy is Associate Professor of Religious Studies. She specialises in Buddhism, Religious Education, RS methodology, and spirituality and health. She is an A level examiner and textbook writer. 22nd June Dr Dawn Llewellyn “There has never been only one form of family” (Rosemary Radford Ruether): Christianity, Religious Change, and the Family Dawn is Senior Lecturer in Christian Studies and teaches Religious Studies, Sociology of Religion, and Religion and Gender. She is a qualitative researcher, focusing on gender and contemporary Christianity. 29th June Dr Caroline Tee Islam and Secularism Caroline is Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies and is an anthropologist of religion focusing on Islam in contemporary Turkey. 6th July Dr Steve Knowles Is there a Cosmic Designer? Steve is Senior Lecturer in Religion and Popular Culture. He specialises in contemporary apocalyptic ideologies. @TRSChester #AlevelRSWebinar