Newsletter December 2018

Dates & Principal’s message A new initiative working well! I am pleased to share with you that the new behaviour Events management system with yellow and red cards, warnings, conducts and detentions is working extremely well. Allied to that, the number of fixed term exclusions became very

low during the first year of the new system’s operation and has remained so. I thank parents for their support in our drive to improve behaviour which is noticeably  Last day of term benefitting all students and has created a positive and mature atmosphere that Wednesday 19 pervades the school. December A head’s up to parents that we are migrating from paper to electronic reports. The first entirely electronic reports were successfully released to Year 13 parents. Reports for  Term starts Years 7, 8 and 9 will be revised to include an over-arching tutor comment, in Thursday 3 January accordance with the government’s new initiative on teacher workload. All reports,

including those for Years 10, 11 and 12 will be electronic for this academic year.  Year 7 Parents’ Evening Monday 21 January The Friends of St Gregory’s Christmas Fair was a huge success and a wonderful gathering of the school community, made possible by the collective effort of many  Last day of term parent volunteers ably led by Mrs Chris Wilson to whom we are very grateful. The Thursday 14 February funds raised by the Friends are a vital source of income to the school and your support is always very much appreciated.  Staff Development Day Bringing a community together is made easier these days through social media and Friday 15th February many of us use it to connect with those we cannot meet so easily. However, in schools it has always been one of our concerns that mobile phones and social media should  Half Term not be a substitute for face to face interaction. The school years are a precious time for Monday 18 February - social contact with a wide variety of different people. At St Gregory’s our mix of boys Friday 22 February and girls, different ages, faiths, nationalities and backgrounds provides a superb opportunity for students to interact, develop friendships and respect for others which in

 Term 4 starts turn helps them develop confidence and the skills to co-operate with a range of people Monday 25 February in their later working lives. We want to encourage our students to interact more directly with one another whilst

they can at school, and reduce the time they spend on their phones. As such, you should have received a letter about our new mobile phone policy which is being implemented from January. The key points of the new policy are that students should keep mobile phones switched off and put away in a safe place, either their blazer pocket or bag kept with them, unless a teacher permits students to use them for learning. I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

S McQuillan Principal News International diplomacy experienced at local level 30th November, a sky-blue flag flying over Tunbridge Wells Town Hall. Once again, students from St Gregory's and 12 other schools were holding the annual Model United Nations General Assembly. Our three delegations represented Nigeria, Germany and Australia. In addition, Issy Stevens was one of the Committee Co-Chairs and two Year 11s joined the Secretariat.

This event takes place annually and it is attended by several local schools who send a delegation to debate international issues. Students get to learn about diplomacy and international relations at the same time as exercising their debating skills, critical thinking, leadership and teamwork. In preparation for the event, students study their country and prepare to act as ambassadors. There are three committees and each country seeks alliances and plans changes for the resolutions before revising its position on draft resolutions.

Everyone had an exciting and enjoyable day d