Friday 16 Oct 2015 All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Michaelmas Term

Prayer for Mission Sunday Loving Father,

You so loved the world that you sent us your only Son,

that we might believe in him and have eternal life. May we encounter Jesus Christ anew this day

and live the Good News with joy. Through the power of your Holy Spirit,

help us to “go out to the whole world and proclaim” our faith with confidence.

Give us the courage to witness to the Joy of the Gospel

by our words and actions. Help our Communities to become ever more

welcoming and missionary, so that you may be known and loved by all people.

Amen. FOCUSON: The Spread of the Gospel

COLLEGE PRAYER

The newly rebranded Career Ready (formally CAUK) Programme was officially launched this week with a visit from Steve Bridge, Regional Co-ordinator for NW England. He spoke to students who have applied on line to give them an insight into what to expect in what will be a far more structured programme spanning 18 months of study under the new brand. The Programme is open to all Business and Economics students and is based on a model that integrates employability and enterprise skills. Students can look forward to working with a business mentor, a paid internship and attending a range of masterclasses amongst many other fantastic opportunities. The first masterclass will take place after half term with a second in London on 10 December, when students are due to be formally inducted into The Career Ready Programme at a ceremony at The Dominion Theatre. We wish all our new Career Ready students the very best as they begin this exciting pathway that could help determine their future careers.

In schools we have lots of opportunities to learn about safeguarding, particularly the online aspect. Parents on the other hand need access to support too. It is not always easy to encourage parents to meetings about esafety, but it is crucial they understand the risks.

The government has recently launched a brand new website to support parents. The website has being developed with ParentZone and CEOP, the police command responsible for child exploitation and online protection.

Parent Info is a collection of articles, tips, expert advice and resources designed to help parents keep up with what their children are doing on-line. For example, the site currently includes information about staying safe on Minecraft, mental health, and building online resilience.

You can find further information here: http://parentinfo.org/

NEW SAFEGUARDING WEBSITE FOR PARENTS - PARENT INFO

SPECIALISM SUCCESS

The effects of computer gaming in education

A report has been published that provides the findings of how video gaming and social media affects GCSE examination performance. To summarise the investigation found that children who play video games twice a day are less likely to achieve five good GCSE grades. It reported that 41% of children who used portable gaming devices at least twice a day achieved at least five GCSE A* to C grades, compared with 77% of those who used them less than once a week. The 'ICT and Me' report is available as both a report and a video for young people at: www.ncb.org.uk/ictandme.

We would be really grateful if you watch the short video

(just under 4 minutes long) and ensure your child

maximises their chance of success in their education by

limiting their access to computer games.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

COLLEGE TERM DATES

Term College Opens to Students College Closes to Students

Michaelmas Wednesday 2 September 2015 (Year 7, 12 and 13 in only)

Thursday 3 September 2015 (All students in) Friday 23 October 2015

Christmas Tuesday 3 November 2015 Friday 18 December 2015

Epiphany Monday 4 January 2016 Thursday 11 February 2016

Easter Monday 22 February 2016 Thursday 24 March 2016

Whitsun Monday 11 April 2016 Thursday 26 May 2016

Trinity Monday 6 June 2016 Tuesday 19 July 2016

Parents are reminded that they should not pick

their child up by car from the bus turning circle at

the end of the day. The potential for gridlock and

the subsequent hazard this would pose for the

students, staff and wider community including the

emergency services needs to be avoided. The

College is grateful for the partnership of the vast

majority of parents who already avoid the turning

circle at 3.30pm

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

Homework club for students in Year 10 and 11 has started. Students will be required to attend if they have not completed homework in one or more subject areas for 3 weeks. A student in the homework club will need to demonstrate commit-ment to their learning by completing their homework to their target grade for a minimum of 3 weeks. The member of staff who requested the students attendance at homework club will then ask for them to be removed. Text messages will be sent to parents Fridays (Year 10) and Tuesday (Year 11) to inform if attendance is required.

YEAR 10 AND 11 HOMEWORK CLUB

KS4/5 students

DROP IN SESSIONS 2015/16

Parents / Carers are invited to attend a Principal's Surgery to discuss any concerns or ask questions, on the following dates:

Monday 30 November 2015, 9.00.a.m. - 10.00.a.m. Tuesday 15 December 2015, 3.45.p.m. - 4.45.p.m.

There is no appointment system so please be prepared to wait

PRINCIPAL’S SURGERIES

DAY SUBJECT TIME

Monday Science/Languages

3:30 – 4:30

Tuesday Maths 3:30-4:30

Wednesday Art 2:45 – 4:00

Thursday Product Design 3:30 – 4:30

Friday

TRIPS IN 2015/16

Please see the College website for details of trips in this academic year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

October Events November Events

German Exchange Visitors at All Hallows 18 - 25 October

Royal Shakespeare School’s Festival Production Wednesday 4 November 7.00.p.m.

Year 7 Music Showcase Tuesday 20 October 6.00.p.m.– 7.00.p.m. Wednesday 21 October 6.00.p.m.– 7.00.p.m.

Royal Shakespeare School’s Festival Production Friday 6 November 7.00.p.m.

Year 13 Higher Education Information Evening Wednesday 21 October 7.00.p.m.-8.00.p.m.

Year 12 Retreat Wednesday 18 - Friday 20 November

Year 11 Post 16 Curriculum Evening Thursday 22 October 7.00.p.m.– 9.30.p.m.

Gold D of E Assessed exhibition 22-26 October

Year 7 and Year 9 Parent consultation day Thursday 19 November

October Half Term Booster Classes Monday 26 October Tuesday 27 October

Year 11 Retreat Tuesday 24 - Friday 27 November

SRE Parents Information Evening Thursday 26 November

Congratulations to those students who have made a commitment to work towards their Duke of Edinburgh award.

Currently we have 35 students working on their bronze award, 21 on silver and 5 on gold.

If any students are unsure, need help or want more detail please see Mrs Connor.

Well done to all those who are uploading their evidence for each of the areas on eDofE. If you have not started to do this yet can you please have a go. You will need to have completed two of the three sections before the expedition. Again if you need help with this come and see Mrs Connor. We will be recruiting new members for 2015/16 shortly

Gold DofE assessed expedition Thursday 22 to Monday 26 October 2015

DUKE OF EDINBURGH FUTURE IMPORTANT DATES

“I was hungry and you fed me…” (Matthew 25)

Dear Parents and Students as part of our annual Harvest Appeal, families are kindly asked to donate non-perishable food items and toiletries which will in turn be passed to the Tree House Food Kitchen in Macclesfield. Items can be donated to the RE department or through OMEGA House and could include: Tinned meats/Fruit and Savoury Pies, soups, beans. Dried pasta; rice. Biscuits, tea; coffee, sugar. Shower gel; toothpaste etc…. Thank you …. The Sixth Form

Whilst the College requires parents to contact us on each day of absence, school policy now requires that any student who accumulates 7 or more days of absence during the course of the academic year will be asked to provide medical confirmation of the need to be absent before any further absences are authorised for medical reasons. This is a necessary measure as we closely monitor absence due to illness / medical reasons in order that we can ensure students are supported where needed. For your information medical confirmation does not have to be a doctor's note but can also take the form of a medical appointment card, a copy of a relevant dated prescription or evidence of medication being taken If no medical evidence is provided then the absence will be coded as unauthorised. Ten or more unauthorised absences may result in you receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice. This incurs a penalty of £60 per parent / carer to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty. The link between attendance and achievement is well researched and documented and students should be aiming for an attendance rate of no less than 97% over the year. Thank you for your continued support with this importance issue.

MEDICAL ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE

CHANGES TO ATTENDANCE POLICY

From September 2015 the College will change the definition of “persistent absence” we use to include those students who are under 90% attendance. This is in line with national guidelines and increases the threshold from 85% at present.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

Over the last week of College attendance was as follows: Year 7 - 97.3% (down 1.3% from last week) Year 8 - 96.7% (up 1.1%, well done Year 8) Year 9 - 97.4% (up 1.6%, well done Year 9) Year 10 - 96.1% (up 0.3%, well done Year 10) Year 11 - 92.6% (down 0.5%) Year 12 - 98.0% (up 0.7%, well done Year 12) Year 13 - 95.0% (no change from last week) This was a better week for attendance with four year groups improving and three year groups currently have attendance over 97%. Year 11 are too low for students at this key stage in their education. Attendance between Year 7 and Year 11 last week was 96.0% (up 0.3% from last week but 0.1% lower than the same time last year). Our overall attendance since 2 September 2015 remains at 96.2%. We aim for 97%. Last week GIRLS attendance (Years 7-11) was 95.6% (down 0.7%), BOYS attendance (Year 7-11) was 96.4% (up 1.3%, well done boys).

Students must sign out at the Attendance Office before leaving College to attend a medical appointment. When they return to College the student must sign back in. This ensures registers will be accurate and we know the student is off site should we have a fire alarm. The Attendance Office is located in office along the RE corridor. We thank parents for making medical appointments, where possible, that do not take up a whole day of schooling. This often allows a student to have their legal registration mark for both morning and afternoon sessions and so their overall attendance does not fall.

MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS DURING THE COLLEGE DAY

Holidays have not been authorised since 1st September 2013 under new legislation on all English schools. Requests for holidays must still be made in writing to the appropriate Key Stage leader (Mrs Garvey KS5, Mr Diamond/Mr Blades KS4/KS3), but in the vast majority of cases they will be unauthorised. A Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued of £60 per parent / carer per student, to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty. Please can all holiday requests be made well in advance of the holiday being taken if not before the holiday is booked.

HOLIDAY ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE

STUDENT SUPPORT ACROSS THE COLLEGE 2015/16

bullying@allhallowslearning.org.uk emails will be read by a Senior Teacher beingme@allhallowslearning.org.uk

esafety@allhallowslearning.org.uk

= Staff Present

NAME JOB MON TUES WED THUR FRI VENUE

Mrs J Pilling Careers Advisor Student Support Office

Mrs L Nolan Visyon Counsellor Student Support Office

Mrs J Jones and Mrs J Fox College Nurses Student Support Office

Mrs P Shatwell Family Support Office between rooms A9 and A10

Mrs J Beard and Mrs P Prince Education

Pastoral Office (ground floor of Fisher Building)

Welfare

CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS

If any parent would like their son or daughter to have a careers interview with Mrs Pilling, our Careers Advisor, this year then please notify the relevant Year Learning Leader who can ensure names are added to the list. Mrs Pilling will prioritise Year 10-13, but students in Years 7-9 are welcome to attend her Thursday lunch time drop in. She uses the Student Support Office based next door to Music.

Most students appreciate the importance of being in College on time. Children who are regularly late do miss out on their education and form bad habits that will not be tolerated in the workplace. We need to inform parents that students must be in the registration form class for the register to be taken at 8.45a.m. This means students should arrive 5-10 minutes earlier in College to be on time. Any student who arrives after 8.45a.m. will receive a L code. Two L codes within a week will result in a whole college detention to be held each Thursday. Any student who arrives after 9.05a.m. will receive a U code. This means they will be classed as absent for the whole morning and this may have consequences for overall attendance. We are aware that College buses are sometimes late and we can confirm these students are not negatively marked in the register when this happens. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. Gates are manned by members of staff and names will be taken of those students who are late.

BEING PUNCTUAL AT ALL HALLOWS

Year 7: will be held on Tuesday 10 November (11.45-12.30) Year 8: will be held on Wednesday 2 December (9.15-10.00) Year 9: will be held on Friday 4 December (2.15-3.00) Year 10: will be held on Monday 14 December (9.00-9.45) Year 11: will be held on Friday 23 October (11.15-11.45) and Friday 11 December (11.15-11.45) These are for parents who would like to discuss any concerns relating to their child. No appointment is necessary but please be prepared to wait. Please contact our Pastoral Assistant (Pastoral@allhallows.org.uk 01625 410285 x215), should you require an appointment with a Year Learning Leader at any other time.

YEAR LEARNING LEADER “DROP IN SURGERIES”

Congratulations to the following students who represented All Hallows at the recent Cross-Country Championships at Macclesfield Track. Well done to all students especially the following who will now go on to represent the District - Francesca Bartoli , Sian Heslop, Lucy O'Donovan, and also Owen Wright who just missed out finishing 7th. Other excellent performances from Max Linton, Drew Evans, Stephen Hughes, George Tyldsley, Holly Malins and Holly Robinson!

DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY - TUESDAY 13TH OCTOBER

Y10/11 Pat Penny Stehen Hughes Ethan Hardman Tom Coates George Tyldsley Tom Silcock Alfie Tyldsley Holly Malins Phoebe Lennon Lucy O'Donovan Holly Robinson

Y8/9 Alistair Nickson Max Linton Kanta Sibbett Drew Evans Harrison Waddington Sian Heslop Hannah Bristow Rhea Jegge Hannah Booth Orlagh Grimshaw Isabella Moody

Y7 Roan Clarke Alex Opelt Tom Vitta Owen Wright Hayden Ronan Ethan Rowley Dara Fowler Adam Richardson Yasmin Smith Francesca Bartoli Hannah Wainwright Madeleine Whitehurst Ebony Watt Eleanor Pollard

Year 8 boys football result in the English Schools Cup Round 1: All Hallows won 3-2 versus Chorlton High School Scorers: Fregapane 1, Speed 1, Box 1 Man of the Match: Patrick Pardillo

Year 7 v Eaton Bank Won 8-3 Hayden Ronan - 3 Aidan Butterworth - 4 Owen Wright - 1 Man of the Match Aidan Butterworth

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS

REMINDER TO ALL PARENTS

Please make sure students are bringing appropriate clothing to their PE lessons if they are on an outdoor lesson. During extreme weather parents are reminded that students

can and are advised to wear the following: All Hallows PE trousers (plain black joggers/tracksuit bottoms

will also be allowed during the cold weather) All Hallows Black jacket (or a plain black sports jacket/

waterproof) All Hallows black fleece

Hats (black/dark in colour/plain) Gloves (black/dark in colour/plain)

Under-armour/skins/undergarments - as long as red/black or white in colour

Also, a reminder that all girls should now own football boots/astro-turf trainers for use on the new 3G Astro-turf pitch.

EXAMINATION / ASSESSMENT DATES 2015-16

Y11 MOCK EXAM TIMETABLE NOVEMBER 2015

GCE Results Day: Thursday 18th August 2016 GCSE Results Day: Thursday 25th August 2016

Date Exam/Test

12 Oct – 23 Oct 2015 Y7-10 & Y12 Internal Assessments

3 Nov – 6 Nov 2015 GCSE English/Maths/ University Entrance Exams

9 Nov to 18 Nov 2015 Y11 Mock Exams

30 Nov – 11 Dec 2015 Y7-10 & Y12 Internal Assessments

1 Feb – 5 Feb 2016 Y13 Mock Exams

1 Feb – 5 Feb 2016 Y11 Internal Assessment

29 Feb – 4 Mar 2016 Y12 Mock Exams

29 Feb – 4 Mar 2016 Y11 & Y13 Walking Talking Mock Week

7 Mar – 18 Mar 2016 Y7-9 Internal Assessments

7 Mar – 11 Mar 2016 Y10 Mock Exams

Apr – May 2016 GCE/GCSE Languages, PE, Dance, Drama & Art Exams

4 May – 29 Jun 2016 GCE/GCSE Public Exams

13 Jun – 17 Jun 2016 Y7,8 & 9 Mock Exams

13 Jun – 24 Jun 2016 Y10 Assessments

OPTION K (2 Sessions) Monday 9 November: Science, PE & ICT in Assembly Hall. Fine Art, Catering, Drama, H&Soc, Prod Design & Textiles in nor-mal classrooms Monday 16 November: Catering, H&Soc & Drama in Assembly Hall. Fine Art, Science, It, Prod Design, PE & Textiles in nor-mal classrooms OPTION J Wednesday 18 Nov: Business Studies, Geography, IT & Science in Assembly Hall. Wednesday 18 Nov: Catering, Dance & PE in Drama Studio Wednesday 18 Nov: Fine Art, H&Soc, Latin & Music in normal classrooms OTHER 1. Art & Textiles Mock exams: Option J & K Friday 6 November – all day 2. Product Design Mock Exams: Option K – Thursday 5 November – all day 3. Music Mock Exams: Opt J – Wednesday 25 November P7&8, Drama Studio 4. PE Mock Exams: Option J & K – Monday 23 November – all day

EXAM NOTES

IMPORTANT DATES

OVERDUE BOOKS

RECOMMENDED READS

The Company of Ghosts by Berlie Doherty. A spooky tale just right for a dark Autumn night! ' The Company of Ghosts' by award winning writer Berlie Doherty, tells the story of Ellie. 'Ellie is excited to be going with Morag's family to their beautiful island but when she finds herself abandoned there, things begin to change. Footsteps, shadows, strange lights, a haunting song: more and more she becomes aware that she is not really on her own...

The holiday would be a good time for students to search for their overdue books, ready to return on Tuesday 3rd November.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Welcome to the Library! Monday - Thursday 8.15.a.m. - 5.00.p.m. Friday 8.15.a.m. - 4.00.p.m. The library is open before school, during breaks and after school for students to research, complete homework, browse the shelves, read and return books.

I have been advised that our order is currently being processed and will be delivered after half term,so not long to wait! In the meantime, if students want to read any of the books on the shortlist there is a set in the library to borrow from. The winners of our Bookbuzz competition were Lily Ward 7BS Holly PIck 7BS Lily Smith 7JP Madeline Ward 7JP Ethan Rowley 7TR Finley Walker 7JBA Henry Johnson 7TL

YEAR 7 - USING ACCELERATED READER

BOOKBUZZ BOOKS

Now all year 7 students have completed their Start Reading Test and have been assigned their levels, they can begin reading and quizzing. Unfortunately, students can not quiz from home, so as soon as they have finished a book they should pop into the library and complete a quiz. There is a reward of a merit and edible treat if a student gets 100% on a quiz! There is presentation on how to quiz called 'Using Accelerated Reader' in the Library Folder on the Stu-dent Shared drive.

Educational Psychology Team Drop-in Sessions 2015/16

Parents, carers and education professionals; do you have any questions or concerns about the well-being, behaviour,

learning or development of your child or a child that you work with? (Parental consent required for staff).

‘Drop in’ and speak to an Educational Psychologist. We will be holding free 45 minutes sessions for parents/carers and

educational professionals in Children’s Centres between October and December 2015, January and March 2016, April

and June 2016; booking is recommended.

Conversations tend to be more open and productive without the focus child present; please do not feel you need to

bring your child out of school. Pre-school children MAY be able to join a session on a one-off basis if no alternative child

care facilities are available. Please enquire with the individual centre when booking.

Please telephone the host Children’s Centre to book an appointment and please let them

know if you cannot attend.

Oakenclough

(01625 374 180)

& Poynton

(01625 383 090)

7rd October

9.15-12.15

Knutsford

(01625 374 904)

14th October

9.15-12.15

Congleton &

Holmes Chapel

(01260 371 061)

11th November

9.15-12.15

Hurdsfield

(01625 378 081)

25th November

9.15-12.15

Monks Coppen-

hall (01270 371

240)

2nd December

9.15-12.15

Sandbach

(01270 371 235)

9th December

9.15-12.15

Nantwich

(01270 375 390)

13th January

9.15-12.15

Ash Grove

(01625 374 484)

27th January

9.15-12.15

Knutsford

(01625 374 904)

3rd February

9.15-12.15

Hurdsfield

(01625 378 081)

24th February

9.15-12.15

Broken Cross

(01625 374 470)

2nd March

9.15-12.15

The Brooks

(01270 371200)

9th March

9.15-12.15

Broken Cross

(01625 374 470)

27th April

9.15-12.15

Ash Grove

(01625 374 484)

4th May

9.15-12.15

Congleton &

Holmes Chapel

(01260 371 061)

11th May

9.15-12.15

Sandbach

(01270 371 235)

18th May

9.15-12.15

Nantwich

(01270 375 390)

8th June

9.15-12.15

The Brooks

(01270 371200)

15th June

9.15-12.15