Dear Parent/Carer

After a busy few weeks, we hope that students have settled into the new academic year. We’re seeing some great work already and attitudes to learning have been impressive. Here is the latest news from , but as always, please check our website and social media pages for daily updates. We are a very busy place, as I’m sure those of you who are new to Rawlins are finding out! If you have any questions or need to get in touch, details are online.

Among many other important items, this bumper edition has a social invitation from our PTA, an important request to our community from heartwize and details of a Parish Crossover Project survey, which we hope all students will complete.

Thought for week Each week, a thought for the week is shared in our daily message to students. This thought is linked to part of The Rawlins Way and a Christian value which we are exploring. The thought is also explored as part of weekly assembly (worship), on our TV display screens and on our Christian ethos noticeboards as promoted by our St.Bartholomew’s Church family worker, Wendy Walker.

We’d like to share the thought with parents each week and you’ll see these appearing at the start of this parental email from now on. Each is an opportunity for discussion with your son/daughter and by sharing with parents, we can start a collective discussion and reflection. This week we explored how We respect and care for each other.

Parent time Our first Parent Time of the academic year takes place on Monday 10 September, between 3:20 and 5.00pm. We look forward to welcoming parents who have made appointments. Appointments are now closed.

For those who have missed out on this occasion, or are new to Rawlins and haven’t had the opportunity to fully get to grips with our parental meeting system, details for the year are on our website and can been found here.

Open Evening day pattern – Tuesday 18 September Each year we host an Open Evening to showcase Rawlins Academy to parents of year 6 students. To prepare for this day, our day pattern changes and the day concludes for students at 2:20pm. Buses will arrive early and depart at 2:30pm. Please ensure that plans have been made for your son/daughter with this early finish in mind.

7,8,P16 9,10,11 coaching 8:40-9:00 8:40-9:00 1 9:00-9:55 9:00-9:55 2 9:55 – 10:50 9:55-10:50 Break 10:50-11:05 (15 mins) 10:50-11:05 (15 mins) 3 11:05 – 12:00 11:05 – 12:00 lunch 12– 12:35 (35 mins) 4 12:35– 1:30 12:00 – 12:55 lunch 12:55 – 1:30 (35 mins) 5 1:30 – 2:20 (50 mins) 1:30 – 2:20 (50 mins)

Enrichment and Enhancement Our full enrichment and enhancement schedules for this term can now be viewed here. Please encourage students to get involved. We will remind all students that it is our expectation that they attend at least one session a week.

Gymnastics/sports teams We provide the majority of our sports clubs and sporting activities with no cost to parents. However, there are a few exceptions. We have a coach from Mayes Academy who delivers two gymnastic sessions (Thursday for years 9,10,11 & Fridays for years 7 & 8). These sessions are limited to 24 students each term at a cost of £10. Sign up and payment are now open via Wisepay.

For those who are selected to represent the school in fixtures, we ask for a voluntary contribution of £1 per match (home or away). This contribution helps towards the washing of kit, transport costs and neutral officials for National competition. Your support is gratefully received.

Cross country All students are invited to represent the school at cross country. Events take place on Saturday mornings at various locations throughout the year, with race one starting at 10:30am. It’s not always possible for Rawlins staff to be present and we are reliant on parental support and transport.

If your son/daughter would like to represent the school during the 2018/19 season, please email [email protected] who with the support of some willing parents (who have kindly identified themselves to the PTA) will coordinate and send a more detailed letter to competitors. Dates and venues are shown below and we look forward to another successful season.

League race 1 – Saturday 15 September – , Loughborough

League race 2 – Saturday 29 September – Long Field Academy,

League race 3 – Saturday 17 November – Rutland Water (Sykes Lane site)

County Schools Relays – Saturday 8 December – Thomas Estley Community College

League race 4 – Saturday 12 January – Burbage Common

County Schools Championships – Saturday 2 February –

Rawlins PTA - September soirée! As a parent or member of staff, you’re already a member of the Rawlins PTA!

We’d like to invite you all to our September soirée. Yes, we’re desperately clinging onto summer and what a great opportunity to meet with members of our community and to raise money for our school. Live music will be provided by a talented duo, fresh from the Theatre Royal Nottingham and Nottingham Playhouse.

Details about our fundraising plans for 2018/19 will be shared shortly and we’re always open to suggestion.

Please join our Rawlins PTA Facebook page to meet like-minded parents and for information about up and coming events.

Heartwize Rawlins – Could you help create a generation of young lifesavers?

Please see the attached letter from Dr Doug Skehan and Dr William Toff, who will be working with Rawlins Academy to create a Heartwize community. This item will run for the next few weeks and we look forward to the creation of Heartwize Rawlins and to potentially saving lives.

Parish Crossover Project The Parish Crossover Project will survey students at three local secondary schools in an attempt to find out what local students do in their spare time and how they feel that funding could be spent, to improve their social time out of school.

We are really keen to get the views of as many students as possible. Students have received this link, but we ask you as parents to encourage them to take the survey.

It’s crucial that the opinions of our young people are taken into account and that funding is spent appropriately. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ParishCrossoverProject

Celebrating student success – Libby Bell We encourage staff and parents to share stories of success away from the Academy. Please send any news items and they will be displayed either on our website or shared through this publication.

Next week, Libby Bell will be representing the East Midlands at the British Cycling Inter-Regional Cross Country Mountain Bike event at the Olympic Park, Hadleigh.

Libby has had an incredibly busy and successful year racing Cross Country Mountain bike events, culminating in a bronze medal at the HSBC Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships at the Olympic Park Haleigh at the end of July. This was followed by her first win at national level at the beginning of August and then finally onto the UEC Youth European Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships in Pila, Italy at the end of August.

Libby competed in a team from the East Midlands representing the U15 category and raced over four days in a magnificent setting against teams from 21 countries. As a first year U15 rider Libby was thrilled to finish the individual race in 24th position out of 89 girls after struggling to adjust to the altitude for the first few days on a particularly challenging but interesting course. Everyone at Rawlins wishes Libby all the best for the event and we’ll keep you informed of her progress.

Loughborough Round Table Sponsor Year 7 Basketball Team

We’d like to thank the Loughborough Round Table for their kind sponsorship of our Year 7 basketball team. A donation has allowed us to purchase a new kit that the team will be wearing this season. Such generosity supports an already successful programme and we look forward to a long standing relationship. Once trials are complete and the season begins, we’ll share a picture of the team in action.

If parents or staff would like to find more out about the Loughborough Round Table or are interested in membership, please use the contact details below. Tel: 01509 809240 Email: [email protected]

Matt Byrne Assistant Principal