A Church of England Academy NEWSLETTER TO PARENTS and CARERS March 2019 Dear parents and carers, This has been a short and very busy half term in school. Year 11 students have just finished their second set of Mock exams and both Year 11 and Year 13 are working hard as they approach the final examinations at the end of next half term. A revision schedule is available on the website for both year groups and much is going on in school to support students. We are encouraging all students who are sitting exams this summer to make good use of the spring break for revision and preparation. As you know we were visited by Ofsted last week; the outcome is confidential until the final letter is received and we will communicate this as soon as we are able to do so. What we can say is that we are incredibly proud of our students who were praised by the inspectors for their politeness and for the warm welcome they gave to the inspection team. Students showed the high standards of conduct that we expect of them and demonstrated their pride in being part of the Trinity community. We are very proud of the success of so many of our students in a whole range of events and you will read about some of these in the body of this newsletter. Particular mention must go to our singers and musicians who did brilliantly in the Carlisle and District Music Festival last week. Our Senior Choir came first in the secondary competition with an outstanding score of 90, an exceptional performance. The Trinity and Austin Friars Combined Chamber Choir came 2nd in the Open Choirs competition, losing by only one mark and again achieving a score of 90, classed as outstanding. Trinity won four of the special trophies too, as well as the vocal ensemble and orchestra classes. There were many individual successes too, both for performance and composition. Well done to all the students who took part. Many of the students involved in the festival also performed in the Spring Concert on Tuesday evening this week, showcasing a huge range of musical talent. In a diverse programme ranging from Bohemian Rhapsody to Schubert the students were a credit both to themselves and the school. Thanks are also due to our music staff for their commitment and hard work; they raise the bar each year in the standard of performance achieved by our students. Congratulations to our Table Cricket team from the Year 8 Home Group who won a stunning victory in the Lord Taverners’ regional competition last week. They beat off stiff competition to bring the trophy back to Trinity; you can read a detailed account of how this came about later in the newsletter. Finally, congratulations to the Under 16 Girls’ Football team who became County Champions this week following an 8:1 victory against Walney School: a superb performance. Well done to all. As we approach the Spring Break it is worth a final reminder that this holiday is separate from the Easter weekend this year: we return to school on Monday, 15th April until Thursday 18th April, prior to the Bank Holiday weekend, in line with other Cumbrian schools. Yours sincerely, Sheila Johnston and Derek Kay Co-Headteachers 1 CHAPLAINCY As you can imagine, this short half term has gone very fast. In form time at school our themes have been called The Word, Fighting Battles and Easter. Through The Word we thought about the power of words to damage as well as encourage and build each other up, and the privilege and responsibility of having voices and using them well. We heard the story of Andrew Johnston, a former Trinity student and Cathedral choir boy who is about to take up a scholarship to a London opera school and who now sings in three languages! Words in the form of song are the currency of Andrew’s life, and he spoke to students, via our TFTD video, about the importance of finding and following the things they’re passionate about. He encouraged them to believe in their dreams and to keep working towards these. Andrew’s own journey has held quite a few challenges, and he is currently working as a roofer, out in all weather, to fund some of his time in London. In Fighting Battles we’ve been looking at the theme of Lent and the story of Jesus facing temptations in the desert. The temptation of wealth and power is one we’ve made connections with in terms of industrialised nations and climate change. Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager who is mobilising young people across the world, has been featured in our videos as someone who uses her voice for good and challenges the powerful about their responsibilities. Gareth Malone, the choir master, has also featured in this half term’s videos. In the BBC2 programme The Choir, he has been seen helping students at a secondary school in the shadow of Grenfell Tower to fight their own battles. These are battles to heal, remember and move forward in community. This move towards new life is referred to in our first video in the Easter theme. The Year 7 students who meet me on a Wednesday lunchtime in the Curve Room are reflecting on these themes and contributing ideas. This group is for now called Conversation Club, but we may well become The Word 7, as we focus on communication, including the skill of listening. Some students have pledged to use less plastic during Lent, and some to moderate use of their phones. A plastic display in Jubilee Hall encourages our community to ‘Turn around’ this Lent and to think of ways to stop contributing to plastic waste. In the last two weeks, Mrs Reay and Mrs Trevorrow have visited the Curve Room to give ideas about its development into a more creative space for students; a place for self-expression, sanctuary, rest and prayer. After Easter a group of Sixth Formers are going to be involved in creating colourful stained-glass windows. Other ideas are a blackboard area for students to write on and a comfy space for reading. Hope you enjoy the Easter holidays, and if your children have exams coming up, that they’re able to stay calm and focused. Sending lots of good wishes to you all. Caroline Kennedy, School Chaplain INFORMATION AND REMINDERS Instrumental Fees 2018/19 A reminder to parents/carers who are not paying by monthly standing order payments: the second instalment is due by 31.03.19. If payments are not up to date unfortunately students may not be allowed to continue with lessons. Payment can be made by standing order, credit/debit card either with ParentPay or by phoning the Finance Office. Payments by cash and cheque are still acceptable, cheques should be made payable to “Trinity School”. Should a student wish to stop taking lessons we will require 4 weeks paid notice in writing. Cumbria Music Service operates an Instrument lease scheme which is available to any young person in Cumbria. There is also an Assisted Instrument Purchase Scheme run by Cumbria Music Service enabling students receiving tuition with Cumbria Music Service Teachers to purchase their own instrument without paying VAT. Please contact Mrs Richardson, Head of Music, for more information about this scheme. 2 Payment for School Meals Please ensure you give your children the correct change for topping up their school meal a/c’s at the re-valuers as change is not given. The new re-valuer machines unfortunately do not take Scottish notes so please make sure your child has acceptable money to use in them. Payment by cheque is acceptable but cheques must be made payable to ‘Mellors Catering Services Ltd’. Parents/carers are reminded that topping up can also be done via ParentPay with a credit or debit card. As we are becoming a cashless school, change is not be available. Cheque Payments: Just a reminder that if you are sending a cheque payment into school you should write clearly on the back the students name, form and reason for payment. If you have a query or you require further information, please contact the Finance Office on 01228 516051 ext 215. Payment Due for Trips and Duke of Edinburgh Awards: Please ensure that payments for School trips and D of E Awards are up to date. Mrs A Larking, Finance Manager Year 7 Parents’ Evening A letter regarding the forthcoming Year 7 Parents’ Evening will be sent home after the spring break giving details of the opening and closing times of the online booking system for making appointments. Classcharts Since January, as some of you may know, we have been using a new online platform with our Year 11 students called Classcharts. This platform allows our staff to set homework, upload resources and provide information about the tasks, all in one place. Students have a password exclusive to them for this, but much more interestingly, so do parents and carers. This means that all Year 11 students and their parents and carers know what tasks have been set, when they are due, what they need to complete them and most importantly, who hasn’t done them! The feedback from staff, parents, carers and students has been overwhelmingly positive and so the plan is now to roll this system out to other year groups. After Easter we will be sending out information on how to use this system along with the all-important passwords and log in details.