Newsletter December 2017 Principal’s Welcome A week is a long time in the life of a school. The snow has completely disappeared but this time last weekend I was glued to social media and the online weather forecast, trying to make sure that I’d got every available piece of information to help me decide about school closure. Regardless of the decision, there was one thing that would not be in doubt - there was always going to be somebody who would disagree. This has always been the case, but what is noticeably different now is the willingness with which some individuals rush to post their outrage online, including some who are old enough to know better. I guess I should see this as part of the territory, a challenge amongst many of being Principal of such a high-profile institution as AGS. I think I've learnt to deal with it pretty well, but it did bring home to me just how difficult it must be for some of our youngsters when they first enter the online world, unaware of its capacity for irrational and harmful content and the opportunities for people to comment without thinking. It’s been a sensible decision that in my professional capacity I stay away from Facebook, and don’t use WhatsApp - an app that has many useful features but whose overuse we are beginning to see increasingly associated with poor mental health due to the distress caused by over-sharing or sharing of inaccurate information. And that’s before we get into the inadvertent safeguarding risks of sharing information about a child with a group where you cannot be 100% certain of the background of everyone. It's now become clear that the creators of some of the most common social media and communication platforms have incorporated features akin to those in slot machines or arcade games. This makes them highly addictive and easy to spend far too long on. The more time you spend on them, the more chance of encountering something unpleasant. After a couple of days on Twitter last week posting updates, it was quite a challenge to put my phone down when we got back to school, but within a few hours I felt much happier for it. This holiday I urge you to take some time out with your children to make sure that they avoid some of the most common pitfalls. Some of the students tell us that what they really want for Christmas is to have quality time with their parents and loved ones. They’ve explicitly described their wish for time when everyone's phones are away and they can relax together without the pressure of having to capture the moment, or compete online with their peers for validation. So switch off, enjoy each other's company, and I look forward to seeing you all in the new year. If any of you do wish to exercise your freedom to email me over the holidays, let me make it clear that I will be exercising my freedom to disconnect my work emails until at least the day before we come back to school! Alcester Grammar School We are grateful to all those parents who have already pledged a regular monthly amount to our school fund. If you have not already done so, please read the letter from the Principal and Chair of Governors on our website at : http://www.alcestergs.co.uk The level of funds raised will determine to what extent the school will be able to deliver the “essential extras” - those extras which contribute so much to the quality of education at AGS but which soon won’t be able to How you can help secure be supported from our budget in the light of reductions to our funding. our financial future Exams update Well done Year 11 for all the hard work you have put in for your mock GCSE exams. All missed papers from our ‘snow days’ have been rescheduled for 08/01 and 09/01 - details are in your portal. Timetables for Summer 2018 entries are also available on your AGS portal, so please do take a look. Year 12 mock exams begin on 10/01/18 - please check your AGS portal for timetables and clash resolutions. ID cards will be issued in the Spring Term which you will need to bring to every exam. All Year 13s can now access both their mock and summer entries via the AGS portal; and don’t forget you can apply for re-sits directly on ParentPay. Years 10 to 13 - if you have any spare time over the holiday you can always check out the Examinations section of the school website, where you will find links to past papers, the ‘Route to Success’ exams handbook, and the rules and regulations set by the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications). Have a very Merry Christmas!! Mrs Dancy, Examinations Officer Sixth Form Open Evening The Sixth Form Open Evening on 16th November was busier than ever with in excess of 500 students pre- registering and the theatre ‘sold out’ for the three presentations - standing room only. A fantastic whole staff effort showed the range and quality of what we do here in the Sixth Form, despite the difficulties of the current financial environment. Key messages were our adherence to keeping the option open of AS exams, studying four subjects to retain flexibility, the huge range of options and, of course, the emphasis on quality pastoral care and being a decent human being. Mr Young, Head of Sixth Form Year 13 visit to Westminster On Friday 24th November Year 12 history students enjoyed a day visiting Parliament. It was an excellent day although Friday traffic out of London delayed the coaches a little. All students took part in workshop on Democracy and voting systems. Being the end of the week, it was a shame that students could not meet with their local MP as most parliamentarians spend Friday's in their constituencies. However this did give our tour guides the chance to take our students into the House of Commons and enjoy the experience of standing the at very heart of the British political establishment. Mr Kendall Hot off the press - Psychology trip to Munich 39 students braved the snows of Munich for this year’s Psychology trip. Some of the highlights were the Dachau concentration camp, the Nazi rally grounds of Nuremburg and the famous Trial buildings themselves . Library and Information Centre … … working together … … reaching goals together A warm welcome to our new Library Independent Services Assistant, Mrs Jenni Maltby who will be working part time with Mrs Watson, Wednesday to Friday. Jenni succeeds Mrs Louise Beeson who retired at the end of the Summer Term. Jenni has joined us from another educational environment and with two children herself and previous management experience is already proving to be a great asset to the team. BOOKBUZZ Our new Year 7s will shortly be given the opportunity to buy a book at a reduced cost as part of our annual Bookbuzz programme, a reading programme from Book Trust, which supports schools to encourage reading for pleasure, independent choice and develop a whole school reading culture. Students will be able to choose their own book to keep from a list of 17 titles suitable for 11-13 year olds and selected by a panel of experts. REFURBISHMENT A selection of some of the mainstream titles included: We have been delighted to receive Murder in Midwinter – Fleur Hitchcock new book cases in the Upper The Boundless – Kenneth Oppel Library/Sixth Form area. These are S.C.R.E.A.M. – The Mummy’s Revenge now housing our Sixth Form history The It Girl: Superstar Geek – Katy Birchall and careers section and look very smart. Wonder – R J Palacio Ocean Animals – Johnna Rizzo Phoenix – S F Said Danger is Everywhere – David O’Doherty 6TH FORM BOOK CLUB (with cakes) Now in its 3rd year but with our new Student Library Assistant Manager, Jennifer Mills in charge. Jennifer will soon be re-launching the student book club and has some great new ideas. The club will run regularly on the 3rd Thursday of every month and will include homemade cakes or biscuits! For further information on joining the group, please see Jennifer or ask at the Library desk. Library and Information Centre … … working together … … reaching goals together YEAR 7 LIBRARY ASSISTANT TRAINING/DUKE OF EDINBURGH We now have our team of Librarian Assistants and DofE volunteers up and running with their new training programme. Some of our students continued from last year so have been able to hit the ground running with their knowledge and have been a great help in supporting the training of the new team. We will be joined by a member of the Warwickshire Schools’ Library Service team , Hannah, towards the end of the year to help provide further training to enhance the students understanding of the value of the Library. ALCESTER SCHOOLS’ BOOK AWARDS Returning for its fourth year is the eagerly anticipated Alcester Schools’ Book Award. Librarians and Student Librarians from the three local schools; AGS, Alcester Academy & St. Benedict’s, are currently shortlisting 5 books for the competition. This Year, AGS will be playing host to a visit from a successful author. The event is hugely popular and really gets the students excited about reading again. In the past we have had incredibly imaginative writing and illustrating workshops as part of the visit so watch this space for an update of what to expect this coming year! A sneak - peek at some of the shortlist….