Rossett News - 28 May 2021

Class of 2021 Celebrations

Year 11 Leavers Celebrations were held this week for our Year 11 and Year 13 students as their school year drew to a close. On Wednesday Year 11 students took part in a remote assembly where we celebrated their final years at Rossett. The students then enjoyed a special 'BBQ and buns' lunch in the main hall within their year group bubble, followed by the collection of hoodies and yearbooks.

Our Year 13 students were invited to a graduation ceremony last night where they were treated to canapes and drinks on arrival. The main hall was decorated with balloons and banners and Ms Woodcock started the proceedings with a welcome speech that celebrated their seven years at Rossett and their resilience in the face of two challenging years.

Dr Reed spoke of the students' memorable times in the Sixth Form and introduced the 2021 Sixth Form awards which were presented by Ms Woodcock. Speeches were heard from the Head Boy and Head Girl (Oliver Houseman and Sophie Jones) and musical performances included Jai Sagoo on the piano, Sophie Westwood sang "I will always remember you" and there was a celebratory final performance from our resident rock band 'Renegade'. "It was the first time we have been able to hear a full music programme with an audience in such a long time", said Ms Woodcock. "It was a magical evening". The evening concluded with a photobooth, the distribution of yearbooks, and final tearful goodbyes. We wish all of our 'graduates' every success in the future.

Sophie and Ollie Graduation

Graduation Arch

It was a wonderful evening of celebration for all tutors, staff and students.

Rossett Summer School Transition Event, 31st August - 3rd September

This week we have written to our parents/carers of students currently in Year 6 who will be joining Rossett School in September 2021. From Tuesday 31st August - Friday 3rd September we are running a summer school to help support the transition from primary to secondary education. Working in partnership with an expert external provider - who will provide literacy and numeracy sessions each morning followed by exciting enrichment activities each afternoon - we look forward to welcoming our new cohort.

Places are allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis so parents are invited to complete an application form here to request a place. A copy of the information letter sent to parents/carers can be accessed here. Applications close at 5pm on Sunday, 13th June. Please note that if you do want your child to attend it is expected that they will attend for each day of the event. For further information please email our Transition Team at transition@rossettschool.co.uk who will respond to queries as soon as possible after the half-term break.

Junior Maths Challenge

The Junior Mathematical Challenge is a sixty minute, multiple-choice competition aimed at the best students across the UK in Years 7 and 8. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. The problems in the Junior Mathematical Challenge Competition are designed to make students think!

This year, we were delighted with another great set of results. Well done to all of the students that took part to showcase the incredible Maths talent at Rossett School. Two stand-out performers were Alex Winston, who achieved Gold (Best in School); and Zahra Mahmood, who achieved Gold (Best in Year 7). Alex Winston, Zahra Mahmood, Eilidh Owens, Martha Connolly and Katelyn Lim have all qualified for the next round of the competition - The Junior Kangaroo round - which will be sat in mid June. We wish them luck.

Crowdfunding Success!

Rossett Sports Centre has reached it's £10,000 crowdfunding target thanks to fantastic community support and an incredible financial contribution of £3,000 from our brilliant, and incredibly hardworking, school PTA, and £5,000 from Beckwithshaw Saints FC. We are extremely grateful and delighted that the future of this community facility is secured. Work will start soon and we can't wait for it to be in use. Thank you to everyone who has contributed as part of the individual schemes or added to PTA funds.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) Summative Assessment Weeks (14^th June-2^nd July 2021)

At the beginning of the year, students in KS3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) were given a target in the form of a band (see below) for each of their subjects.

Excellence (9-8)
Secure (7-6)
Developing (5-4)
Foundation (3-1)

Target bands have been generated using Key Stage 2 test results for writing based subjects (English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, RS, French, Spanish, ICT) and our own baseline assessments for more practical subjects (Music, PE, DT, Drama and Art).

Over the course of the year their work has been assessed by their teachers, to see if they are on track to meet their target by the end of Year 11. Students will have received periodic written and verbal feedback to inform them what they need to do in order to improve.

As a final check to see how students are progressing towards their GCSE target, they will complete an end-of-year assessment activity in each of their subjects. These assessments will take place during lesson times between 14^th June-2^nd July 2021. The timetable for when the individual subject assessments will take place and the nature of the individual subject assessments can be found here. Subject teachers will be placing revision and preparation materials on ClassCharts in advance of the assessments to support students with their preparation.

Although these assessments are only for internal use, I would like to emphasise the importance of preparing for them. Essentially, the assessments will form part of the data used to determine how much progress your child has made over the year. In addition, the information gained from the assessments will also enable teachers to establish any gaps in knowledge that have arisen as a result of lockdown/remote learning period and plan intervention accordingly. I would therefore ask that you encourage your child to carry out some revision for each of their exams in their own time. This could include retrieval practice activities such as creating flash cards, writing out notes from memory, concept mapping, asking themselves questions and also using any available test material, where applicable, to check their knowledge and understanding. There is a video which explains the best six study skills for effective revision.

The outcome of these assessments, along with an indication of the overall progress your child has made will be reported to you in the final SPM cycle on Wednesday 21^st July.

If you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with: Mrs H Thompson (Associate Assistant Headteacher) via email hthompson@rossettschool.co.uk.

Changes to School Day Timings and Rooming after Half-Term

A further reminder that after half-term we are making three temporary changes to the timing of the school day and the location of some student lessons. Please find the details of these changes listed below:

Year 9 students will be moving to a late break and late lunch from 7th June - 23rd July

After half term, Year 7 and 8 students will return to an early break (10:05-10:25) and early lunch (12:25-1:10) each day;
Year 9 students will join Year 10 and Year 12 students on a late break (11:05-11:25) and late lunch (1:25-2:10) each day;
And, as a result, students' social spaces will also change. These changes are highlighted in the table below and allow us to continue to keep students safe in their designated social space:

Break and Lunch Times:

Year Group	Indoor Space	Wet Outdoor Space	Dry Outdoor Space
Year 7 (Early)	Blue Dining Hall	Top Tennis Courts	Top Tennis Courts or Field
Year 8 (Early)	Main Hall	Bottom Tennis Courts	Field
Year 9 (Late)	Main Hall	Bottom Tennis Courts	Field
Year 10 (Late)	Blue Dining Hall	Top Tennis Courts	Top Tennis Courts or Field
Year 12 (Late)	Sixth Form Block	Sixth Form Block	Field

Year 8

Year 8 lessons will be moving out of our Science corridor after half term and into our suite of R rooms;
This will mean that our Science department can fully return to practical Science lessons for students in all year groups;
Year 8 students will have new timetables issued to them in due course, showing these changes.

Year 10 lessons currently timetable to be in B4 and B5 are moving

Year 10 lessons and form times that are currently held in B4 or B5 are moving to rooms R1 and R2;
Year 10 students affected will have new timetables issued to them in due course.

Prestigious Cycling Academy for Year 13 Student

Congratulations to Sixth Form student, Lucy Elmore who has been selected for a prestigious cycling academy and will develop her skills under Dame Sarah Storey. The SKODA DSI Cycling Academy is a university-style programme that aims to provide ambitious female cyclists, aged between 17-22, with a route to the elite level of the sport.

Lucy said “In February I applied for the ŠKODA DSI Cycling Academy and was one of 17 applicants selected to go to a testing day at Lee Valley Velodrome on Monday 17th May. Two riders from the testing day were due to be chosen but due to the high standard they couldn't decide so four were picked in the end with me being one of them. The riders were picked by Britain's most successful para athlete Dame Sarah Storey and ex pro-cyclist and national champion Adam Blythe.

I am set structured training sessions by my coach for between 12 and 20 hours a week on the bike, depending on what the focus of the training is at that time, and also do strength and conditioning off the bike three times a week. I have been competing in time trials and road races since April now that they have resumed after Covid”. Read more about Lucy's story here.

Traffic Safety Petition

Following the easing of lockdown restrictions and the increase in local traffic once again, we are supporting local residents and parents in their quest to seek the return of the vehicle-activated speed signs on Pannal Ash Road.

These flashing speed signs which were installed approximately 10 years ago had a major impact on reducing drivers' speeds on this commuter road, busy with children walking to a number of schools in the locality. The flashing signs were removed by the council at the start of lockdown and a recent speed survey has shown that out of 3974 vehicles that used the road recently only 366 adhered to the 20 mile-an-hour speed limit.

For more information and a link to the petition click here. In addition, we have written to the council expressing our concerns at the removal of these signs.

We would like to remind you of further important safety measures for drivers when travelling to and from our school:

Please adhere to all speed restrictions;
Please turn off idling engines at drop off/collection time;
Please be considerate when waiting/parking in the surrounding area;
Please encourage your child to walk/cycle to school where possible.

Thank you for your support in ensuring the safety of all our children travelling to and from school in our local community.

The Importance of Testing and Reporting

Testing continues to play an important role in the national and local on-going fight against COVID. As we approach the May half-term break I would remind you that students and staff should continue testing throughout the school holiday and into the summer term.

Students and staff have been provided with the self-test kits and are asked to test twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday evenings). Following the receipt of the results– whether positive, negative or void – reporting should be made to NHS Test and Trace, via the self-report option. The site for the NHS and school reporting can be found at https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result and: https://rossett.school/studentcovidreport.

To read further government guidance on the importance of testing and reporting click here.

Read @ Rossett

International travel may be uncertain at present, but books can take you anywhere! This week Mrs Huett has collated a selection of books that will transport you to different countries and cultures via the written word. Try 'The Bone Sparrow' a moving and important story set in Australia about a young Rohingya refugee from Myanmar or a gripping adventure set in Brazil with kidnap, forest fires and destruction of the rainforest; 'World Burn Down' is also in dyslexia friendly print.

Click here for the full selection of recommendations for holiday reading.

Musical Exam Success

Well done to the following students on their recent success in their music exams:

Ethan Smith - Grade 8 Drums (Merit)

Henry Hull - Grade 3 Cornet (Merit)

Amber Horner - Singing Grade 5 (Distinction)

Daniel Golding - Grade 4 piano (Merit)

Nadia Othman- Grade 6 piano (Pass)

Tomas Isherwood - Grade 2 Clarinet (Pass)

Inter-form Results

Our Inter-form PE competition was luckily, largely unaffected by the weather this week. See below for the latest results, with one competition to go before the league winner is decided:

Results after Interform Competition No.4
Year 7	Year 8	Year 9
1^st - LRS	1st-RHF	1^st - TPE
2^nd - HGR	2nd- KMD	2^nd - MPS
3^rd - ECS	3rd- RSN	3^rd - MET
4^th - LMQ	4th- IHK	4^th - MWN
5^th - ARZ	5th-LGM	5^th - LAW
6^th - LMA	6th-THS	6^th - RSG
	7th-SLG	7^th - KTL
	8th- MCT	8^th - VBR

Running total after all Inter-form events
Year 7	Year 8	Year 9
1^st = ECS	1^st= RHF	1^st - MWN
1^st = HGR	2^nd-RSN	2^nd - MPS
1^st = LRS	3^rd- KMD	3^rd - TPE
2^nd - LMQ	4^th=SLG	4^th - MET
3^rd - ARZ	4^th=THS	5^th= KTL
4^th - LMA	^4th= IHK	5^th= RSG
	5^th-LGM	6^th - LAW
	6^th- MCT	7^th- VBR

PTA AGM: A message from our PTA

Our PTA AGM will take place at 7.00pm on Thursday 24 June 2021. The current Committee are now due to stand down as their children move through the Sixth Form. This will enable a smooth transition for new members to take over.

We would like to invite nominations for the following positions: Chairperson, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. As a PTA, we must hold an AGM but following the short formalities on the agenda, we aim to make the meeting as informal as possible. If you would like more information regarding the PTA and any of the vacant roles, or, wish to submit a nomination for a position, feel free to have a chat with us by contacting info@rossettpta.co.uk . We will confirm whether the meeting will be held remotely or at school nearer the time.

PTA Lottery raising funds for Rossett School

Your School Lottery is an exciting weekly lottery that raises money for schools in the UK. Play the lottery to support our school - it’s that simple!

Tickets for the lottery cost just £1 per week, with a top prize of £25,000!

Each ticket consists of six numbers and each number is between 0 and 9. There is a draw every Saturday night when a six digit winning combination is picked. Match all six and you win the JACKPOT! Winners will be sent an email notification of their success.

Every week, there is a guaranteed winner from Rossett School who will win 30% of the ticket sales for the week!

Just visit the online lottery site, buy your tickets - for full details and to buy your tickets, see the website - https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/rossett-school

Mental Health and Wellbeing

We would like to remind you of the support groups, websites and text-based helplines that exist to help our students combat any feelings of anxiety. We know that many students continue to have some concerns about their future, or the continuing national coverage of the pandemic.

The Go-To – www.thegoto.org.uk – is a portal or ‘single point of information’ for the wide range of mental health support services available to help children and young people in the county address their social and emotional health needs.

https://www.kooth.com/ https://www.minded.org.uk/

Covid-19: Reporting

Below is a reminder of the reporting procedures and symptom checker for the duration of the May half-term break.

If your child has any of the symptoms described in the attached parental letter from Public Health England here, they must stay at home and arrangements need to be made to have a test.

We would remind you that you should only book a test if your child has any of these three coronavirus symptoms:

A high temperature: any new high temperature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature);
A new continuous cough: coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours;
A loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste: a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal.

A Message from NYCC: Online Resources for Parents/Carers from North Yorkshire

Maybe you have heard about the brilliant online courses for parents, FREE (with access code: NYFAMILIES at: www.inourplace.co.uk) for residents in our area? The Solihull Approach (NHS) have launched a NEW online course.

How do I access?

www.inourplace.co.uk

What’s the code?

If you haven’t used it already here is the access code for all the online courses (funded for residents of North Yorkshire): NYFAMILIES
If, like many parents, you have already used this code, log into your account here and this course will be ready in your dashboard to start whenever you are ready.

Can I tell my family and friends?

Absolutely! Share the news with other families in the area so that they too can take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.

How long is it?

There are 7 modules which each take about 5 minutes to complete and will benefit from time to digest in between.

If you like this…

…you might like the bigger ‘Understanding your child’ or ‘Understanding your child with additional needs’, or other courses in the series. www.inourplace.co.uk

Lunch Menu

We know it is helpful to parents/carers to discuss the following week's lunch menu with their child. We are happy to include a link to our catering page each week to make this easier to access for all. Please click HERE for the school lunch menu for the first week of term.

Important Dates for your Diary

Monday 7 June

All staff and students return to school.

Monday 14 June - Friday 2 July

Year 7-9 Internal Assessments begin.

Wednesday 23 June

Year 12 UCAS Evening.

Thursday 24 June

PTA, AGM - 7.00pm. Contact PTA for further information info@rossettpta.co.uk

Monday 28 June - Friday 4 July

Year 10 and Year 12 Internal Assessments

Wednesday 14 July

Year 6 Parents' Information Evening

Saturday 17 July

Family Learning Day

Tuesday 31st August - Friday 3 September

Transition Summer School

H Woodcock

Headteacher

Back to all news stories