18Th September 2020
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Head Teacher’s Message We have now been back in school with our students for two weeks and I am delighted with the progress we are making. Our students (and staff) have settled into positive routines and are saying that they are enjoying being back in a busy educational environment. Students have spoken about how much they missed school last year, and it seems that many have appreciated just how important being in school is. They are certainly aiming high and working hard at the current time, and this is even more important given that we don’t know how next year’s exams may play out or when a Health Protection Team may inform us that we have to close to a group of students, a year group or even as a whole school. In order that our school community does all that it can to guard against the transmission of coronavirus, I wrote to you yesterday to explain that we have now made the decision that students, from Monday 21st September, must wear face coverings unless they are: in a classroom eating or drinking in their designated bubble on the field I ask that you reinforce this message with your children over the weekend and provide them with a suitable face covering in time for Monday morning. The infographic above may be helpful when explaining why we are doing what we have decided to do. I hope you enjoy this week’s Keep In Touch and wish you a pleasant weekend. STUDENT COUNCIL The ballot papers are ready for Chenderit’s election day! On Friday 18th, students will be voting for the two candidates they would like to represent the year. Results will be announced in next week's KIT, and I look forward to sharing the details of our meetings in the following weeks. Good luck to all candidates! - Miss Sackman 16.09.2020 Dear Parents, You will be aware that COVID-19 testing capacity in England is limited at the moment, this shortage of testing availability is due to limited capacity in laboratories responsible for processing tests. As a result, we are limiting the number of testing appointments available locally, in order to avoid overwhelming the current laboratory capacity and creating a situation where samples have to be discarded because these are not processed for results within appropriate timescales. It is crucial for all to book their tests ahead of time to allow the testing centres to ensure the number of testing slots matches the number of tests the laboratories can process and avoid any unnecessary distress caused by insufficient capacity. Who should get a test and who should not - Do seek testing if you have symptoms, which are; a new continuous cough, a temperature or a loss of or change in taste or smell - Do not seek testing if you have no symptoms - If you are a contact of someone who has tested positive but do not have symptoms, please don’t get a test unless you develop symptoms. If you were to test negative, it does not mean you can leave isolation earlier if you are a contact, as the virus can take up to 14 days to develop. The 14 day self-isolation period has to be observed - Do book a slot for a test in advance - Do not just turn up at a testing site. New slots get released each evening and again in the morning. - We are assured by central government that they are working on expanding lab capacity We have also had reports of increased attendances at A & E from members of the public seeking testing. A & E should only be used in a medical emergency. Please do not visit A & E for a test. Likewise, please only contact your GP if you require medical assistance, your GP will not provide you with a test. We understand that this is disruptive to students, parents and staff, and indeed the wider population and we are assured by central government that they are working on a solution. In the meantime, it remains important to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces and communal areas and to keep 2 metres apart wherever possible. These measures will help to prevent onward transmission of the virus. Yours sincerely, Lucy Wightman Director of Public Health Northamptonshire County Council Public Health Northamptonshire One Angel Square Angel Street Northampton NN11ED Tel: 01604 361500 (PH Main Office) WEEKLY CANTEEN MENU (21-25 Sept) https://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children-families-education/schools-and- education/school-admissions/secondary-school-places/Pages/default.aspx Year 7 news: Stars of the week were: Reynolds Maddison 7C 14 positive SIMs Stevenson Finn 7C 11 Squire Jay 7D 11 Thomas Seren 7D 11 Cottom Noah 7F 10 Sellick Sam 7C 10 Sherrin-Jones Georgia 7F 10 Tomczak Martyna 7E 10 Woods Amber 7E 9 Clowes George 7E 9 Tustian Kiya 7C 9. A real achievement for their first full week of school. My congratulations to them all. Tutor group 7D currently have the most positive SIMs. Well done. On Tuesday 22nd September all year 7 students will sit CATs tests. These test will help us to gain some information about how your child learns and their strengths and weaknesses. We have run CATs in previous years and find the information accurate. Please be aware they do not test how a child has worked in Y6 or what progress was made in Y6. They test verbal reasoning, non -verbal reasoning, spatial awareness and quantitative ability. Please discuss with your child that these tests will be taking place. We have organised plenty of support from exam invigilators and TAs and Mrs Coleman (SENDCO) will run the sessions. RS Welcome back! Mrs Butler, Mrs Coleman and I would like to extend a warm welcome back to school; we are thrilled to be teaching students face to face, knowing how hard our students have worked through the lockdown period. So far we have had an excellent start to the year. A big change for the Religious Studies team was that we moved from the mobile classrooms and into our new rooms that used to belong to the maths corridor. This has been very exciting for the team who have been really looking forward to getting out of the mobile classrooms. We welcome the new Year 7 to Religious Studies, all classes have had a great start to their RS journey and students have been starting to consider the first topic of the year – beliefs about God. Year 8 have jumped straight in to considering the relevance of religion in the UK today and Year 9 have started to consider Christian attitudes towards marriage and family life. In Key stage 4, Year 10 have made a great start to the year by beginning the crime and punishment topic. This week they have considered what Justice means and why justice is important to them. Students have raised excellent discussion points and I look forward to sharing exemplar work in the future. We are extremely pleased to see so many students in Year 11 opting to sit a GCSE in the subject. Mrs Butler, Mrs Coleman and I are ready to work hard together with the students in order to help Year 11 achieve success. This week we have considered both scientific and religious explanations for the origins of the universe, which has sparked great debate within lessons, exactly what we love in Religious Studies! A final welcome back to our fabulous A Level students. We are very happy to see you back in school and have been so impressed with the fantastic start you have made to Year 12 and Year 13. We look forward to delving into the depths of philosophical and ethical thought this year! Here’s to a fantastic school year Mrs Millan Head of Religious Studies History We have had a great start to the new term in the history department. The new GCSE and A-Level students seem very keen and ready to learn. GCSE and A Level history remain incredibly popular. History is the most popular subject at A-Level and we have more GCSE students than ever before. We are also very excited to have welcomed a new teacher to the department, Ms James, who is settling in well to her new role. Year 7 students have begun their studies on medieval history. They will soon be learning about the Battle of Hastings; a great introduction to history content and skill. Year 8 students are currently studying the origins of the slave trade. They will then look at the impact that slavery had on the lives of the enslaved. The new year 9 students have begun their studies on the Crime and Punishment part of their GCSE course. They will soon be learning about Crime and Punishment in the medieval period-grim as you can well imagine. Year 10 students are currently recapping learning achieved during school closures. They will then be continuing with their depth study on Elizabethan England; exploring the legacy of decades of religious turmoil, plotters and spies and war with Spain. Year 11 are at the start of their Weimar and Nazi Germany module. They are currently looking at the failings of the Weimar Republic, so that they can explain why Hitler became leader of Germany in January 1933. Year 12 students kind of study history as two separate subjects at the start of the year. They study Fascist Italy for two lessons per week and the Stuarts in three lessons per week.