Rossett News Update - 8 September 2023

Welcome back...

At the end our first week back, I want to thank all our students for the way they have returned to school.  Despite a few tired and nervous faces on the first morning we have seen lots of happy, smiling young people, glad to be back at school, although they might not say it out loud! 

I have been especially impressed with the way our young people have coped this week. They have responded to some changes that have been made, as well as new routines that have been introduced, all done during a mini heatwave.  

This week we have spoken to students about the importance of our school values in ensuring ‘success for everyone’. The values are now part of the fabric of the school, appearing on the walls of corridors and classrooms. Their visibility in school provides a consistent, common language that gives real clarity about the behaviour we can expect of one another.  If we all live out these values then we can be successful, as both individuals and as a community.  

Alongside our school values we know that regular, consistent, routines are an important part of being successful. To support students in forming effective habits we have introduced ‘Six steps to success’. These are lesson routines for all teachers to use in their classroom and students will experience the same routines regardless of which lesson they are being taught. These six steps are rooted in our values, reinforcing why this is important to everyone being successful. Our six steps are: 

• Strong start – This includes a ‘meet and greet’ at the door, where students are warmly welcomed into the classroom. Any issues can be remedied quickly so as not to interrupt learning. Students sit in an agreed seating plan and automatically engage in the first activity. 
• Do now task – This short task, which encourages retrieval of prior knowledge, and done in silence, establishes the conditions for learning to take place. 
• STAR – When discursive activities are being used expectations are made clear to all. Students must Sit up, Track the speaker, Ask and answer questions by always raising hands and Respecting others. 
• Silent and solo – Independent work is set so students can concentrate without interruption and so the teacher can circulate and support. 
• Transitions and attention – When student attention is needed then a clear signal is given by the teacher. Teachers will countdown from 3. By the time they get to 1, all students are ready to listen for the next instruction, information or activity. 
• Exit routines – The students take responsibility for their environment and for themselves. They check to make sure the classroom is ready for the next group, and they check themselves to make sure they are ready and smart for their next lesson. The teacher then, calmly and orderly, dismisses the group. 
• By having these regular, consistent, routines students will form effective habits and be able to maximise learning each and every lesson. 

It has been very encouraging to see how well-presented students have been this week, especially given the heat wave we are experiencing. Although staff have been making adjustments to ensure students remain comfortable, they have continued to look smart. We appreciate that the uniform is a significant cost to you as parents but we all very much welcome your support in making sure your child gets it right. If you need any further clarification or support with the dress code please visit our website here or get in touch with us.  

As you know the timings of the day have shifted slightly and from this year learning begins at 8.45am with period 1 lessons.  Therefore, is really important that our students take responsibility for themselves in a morning and ensure that they arrive in plenty of time for the start of the day. 

I am sure, like me, our students are relishing a weekend in the sun to rest and recharge but I also hope, like  all the staff at Rossett School, they will  be excited about the year ahead. Thank you for your support this week and I look forward to working with you as we continue to strive for ‘success for everyone.’ 

Mr Milburn

Congratulations to all of our students in Year 11 and Year 13 celebrating their GCSE and A Level results

Mr Milburn praised the fantastic achievements of our Year 11 and Year 13 students following the GCSE and A Level results days in August.  As both of theses cohorts have had their education affected by the pandemic we are particularly proud of their  results and Mr Milburn said: "It's been lovely to see our students on both results days and hear how well they have done.  The results achieved are a real testament to their resilience, commitment and dedication.  Young people have faced unprecedented disruption to their education over the last three and a half years  but that only makes these results more remarkable and we wish them well in their next steps.  I would like to thank all the parents/carers and staff at Rossett School for their support in helping our students achieve such great results.

For further, detailed information about our results click here.

Headteacher Friday 5 Awards

Well done to all of the students who received a Friday 5 Headteachers Award this week.  These students have been nominated by members of staff for exemplifying Rossett School's 5Rs culture of  learning.  This week's winners are:

• Bradley Flintoft-Lee (Year 7)
• Luke Hatten (Year 7)
• George Dill (Year 7)
• Grace Guest (Year 8)
• Toby Hudson (Year 9)
• Natasha Littlejohns (Year 9)
• Theo Philip (Year 10)
• Millie Baxter (Year 10)
• Onwuchekwa Ogba (Year 11)

50th Anniversary

We would like to invite former students and staff to join our current staff on Thursday 28th September 4pm-6pm to celebrate! There will be an opportunity to meet old friends (and make new ones), enjoy celebratory refreshments and have a tour of the school.

We look forward to welcoming you. If you are able to attend, please RSVP by filling the form available here or by scanning the QR code:

For our students the day will  feature a 1970s theme and will include retro sports, Rossett’s biggest ever bake sale, tree planting, burying a time capsule, a bubble release and a whole school photo. The afternoon will feature a ‘Rossett Rocks Fest’ on the field, with a DJ and photo booth.  More details to follow.

Year Group Contact Information

Each year group has a Director of Learning (Head of Year) and a full-time Learning Support Officer.

The Learning Support Officer’s main role is to help students overcome barriers to learning in order to achieve their full potential at school. Learning Support Officers will work with students on a one to one basis. Our aim is to build a co-operative link between home and school.

Year Group	Director of Learning	Ext	Support Officer	Ext
7	Mrs Grimshaw	332	Miss Higgins	342
8	Mr Grainger	228	Miss Dean	264
9	Mr Bainbridge	250	Miss Dean	264
10	Mr Fell/Miss Winterschladen	308	Miss Ali Yosef	248
11	Miss Mooney	312	Miss Ali Yosef	248
Head of Sixth Form	Mr Keyworth	242	Miss Higgins	361
Assistant Head of Sixth Form	Mr Durbin	225

 

Changes to the School Day

We would like to remind you of the times of the school day.

Extra-Curricular Programme - Autumn Term

Rossett School is very proud of its extra-curricular programme for students, which enhances the curriculum and provides extra learning opportunities for all. There are a number of opportunities for your child to take part in extra-curricular activities after school, here at Rossett.  Please see below for our Sports programme which commences next week - please encourage your child to get involved .   All new Year 7 students will be expected to get involved with at least one extra-curricular activity.  A full schedule of activities will be published shortly. 

The late bus to Leeds runs Wednesday to Friday and students need to sign up for this using the QR code which can be found in Reception.

Learning Resource Centre News from Mr Asker

A very warm (literally) welcome back from Rossett Learning Resource Centre and I hope you had a good and bookish summer.  I would like to particularly welcome our new Year 7 students and it has been great to see that despite the temptations of the lovely weather outside that some of them have already crossed the library threshold at breaktime and I have really enjoyed talking about the 'Heartstopper' books with two students.

Over the next few weeks, I will share some thoughts on how to keep encouraging your child to read.  A new academic year gives us an opportunity to develop an enjoyable and positive reading habit with all the benefits that this brings.  Above everything reading is a fun, fantastic thing to do that excites the imagination and leads us down roads both familiar and unfamiliar.  I am very proud to run the Rossett LRC and hope that all students continue to find it somewhere where they feel valued and encouraged to read.  Libraries really do matter and as multi award winning author Neil Gaiman has said about libraries, they are one of with the few buildings left that are not after your money when you walk in the door. In the meantime, we have 'Book Buzz' for all students in Year 7 and 8 to look forward to and more on this soon.

Have a bookish weekend everyone. Mr Asker

Lunch Menu

Rossett School recognises the importance of good quality, nutritious meals to ensure good health and maximum educational achievement for our students. Our catering is provided in-house by a dedicated catering team who are passionate in sourcing local and seasonal produce ensuring exciting dishes are made with the freshest ingredients. We listen carefully to the views of students as we design new menus and exciting dishes from around the world whilst meeting and exceeding the ‘Healthy Eating’ guidelines issued by the DfE.

We know it is helpful for parents/carers to discuss the following week's lunch menu with their child.  We update  our catering page each week to make this easier to access for all.  Please click HERE for next week's lunch menu.

Congratulations to Rachel Daly and the Lionesses

As you may have seen in local media over the summer we are delighted to confirm that our 4G pitches will be renamed in honour of Rachel Daly, Rossett alumni, following her contribution to the fantastic Lionesses team after they reached the World Cup Final in August.  We hoped that Rachel would be able to join us for our 50th celebrations at the end of September but she will be playing for her club, Aston Villa, at that time.  We are hopeful to organise another date when an official opening of the newly-named pitches can be done with Rachel as guest of honour.  

Congratulations also go to...

Mrs Normand (Teacher of MFL) who won a sliver medal at the European Masters Hockey Tournament at the end of last term.  After a hard fought game Scotland lost 2:0 to England in the final.  Well done, to Mrs Normand and her team who showed great resilience in playing in very high temperatures in Valencia, Spain.

Community Notices...

What's happening this term...

Wednesday 20 September

• Year 7 Photographs
• A Level Geography Trip

Thursday 21 September

• American Exchange Parents' Evening; 6.00pm Main Hall

Thursday 28 September

• 50th Anniversary Celebrations

Friday 29 September

• Training Day: No students in school

Saturday 30 September

• Open Day for Year 6 Parents/Carers: 9.30am-12noon

Monday 9 October - Wednesday 11 October

• Year 13 Geography Field Trip

Thursday 12 October

• Year 7 Settling in Evening

Monday 16 October

• Re-start a Heart Day

Thursday 19 October

• Year 11 Supporting Your Child Evening

Thursday 19 October

• American Exchange Departs