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RVHS Parent Bulletin Aspiration Respect Endeavour Week ending: Friday 8th February 2019 “Our vision is to be the school of choice for our local community, developing successful young people with high aspirations, who show respect for all and endeavour to become the very best that they can be.”

Message from the Head of School Today, we were delighted to welcome actor Rudolf Walker OBE to the school, best known for his role in EastEnders. His visit was highly inspirational for our Year 10 Drama students. Congratulations to Lara Bobkov, Lukrecija Cizikaite, Elliot Crookbaine, George Bleakley and Ethan Lyons; who have been selected to work alongside his foundation and create a short performance for a competition. Please see full details later in the bulletin. Thank you to all those parents who attend our Parents’ Forum on Monday, where the focus was ‘Study Skills and Revision Tips’. For all those that were unable to attend- the resources used are now on the school website. The evening was an opportunity for us to share our 'teaching and learning vision' and to show you, as parents, that we are striving for excellent teaching across the school. It was also great to introduce our new Assistant Headteacher, Paige Larkin. We also shared top revision tips that are easy to use at home. These revision tips are strategies that we, as a school are aiming to embed into our current practise. Please note that these strategies are a work in progress and our aim is that they will be embedded across the entire curriculum by the end of the school year. 'Pupil learning checklists' were also referred to throughout the evening. We have taken your feedback on board and are now working to have these PLC's on our school website for you to utilise at home, we will notify you when they are available. Please do note that PLCs take many different guises. Again, thank you for your continued support of 'teaching and learning at RVHS.

Last night, whilst our Year 9s were planning their future options, the Year 7s were being entertained by our fabulous support staff; who put on a Harry Potter night that included potion lessons and ended with a firework display. It was a fun night for the muggles!

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Please can I ask for your continued parental support in ensuring that students are going straight home at the end of the school day. It is still getting dark very early and this in itself can cause problems with safety. Encourage your child to only use well-lit roads and pathways on their journey home and if possible travel with a friend. My Senior Leadership Team always patrol the station area at the end of the school day, above and beyond that expected. We want to ensure that all our students catch their buses and trains home safely. However, it is not the school’s responsibility to ensure their safety if they continue to hang around in the vicinity of the station and Sainsbury after normal travel times. The school’s expectation would be that our students would be away from these areas after 3:30pm, unless they are meeting parents or have stayed for extra–curricular activities. School closes for the half term on Friday 15th February at 3.05pm. The students are expected to be in full uniform. We return on Monday 25th February normal time. The Year 7’s have been performing acts kindness during their Character and Culture lessons this week, I for one am going to follow their example. Have a lovely weekend Mrs S Jenner

Date

Event th

Monday 11 February

Year 10 Assessments begin

Monday 11 February

Year 11 MFL Speaking Exams begin

Wednesday 13 February th

Monday 18 February

Year 12 and 13 Parents Evening 4pm to 7pm Half Term Starts

Monday 25 February

Year 11 PPE’s begin

Wednesday 27 February th

Thursday 28 February th

Thursday 28 February st

Friday 1 March

Year 7 and 8 Pancake Master class @3:05pm Altered Ego Event As/A Level History Conference Year 12 UK University and Apprenticeship Fair

Friday 1 March

Year 12 Emirates Visit

Monday 4 March

Year 10 Maths in Action Event

Tuesday 5 March

Year 8 & 9 Maths Challenge

Thursday 6 March

World Book Day

Thursday 6 March

Year 8 Drop Down Day

Thursday 6 March

Year 7 Parents Evening

Parents are invited to the events that are highlighted blue.

Morning Drop Off Please can Parent /Carers remember that students must be delivered to school in a safe and secure manner, students must be dropped off in Brook Road and you must not stop or pause your vehicles on the yellow Zig Zag lines at the front of the school on Alderton Hill, so your child can hop out. We would also like to ask parents not to reverse into the school gates as this is a busy time with lots of pedestrians. Thank you for your support with this.

Remember your childâ€™s safety is our priority.

We would like to ask Parents to remind our students that all Mobile Phones should be switched off at all times throughout the school day. If they are seen or heard by a member of school staff, they will be confiscated.

Parent Forum

On Monday, we held our Parent Forum and the focus of the event was ‘revision and study skills and how you can support your child’. The evening was led by our new Assistant Headteacher Miss Paige Larkin. Thank you to all the parents that attended and we hope that we were able to provide some useful skills that you can use to support your child in their studies. All of your feedback has been taken on board- and we will be sharing the ‘pupil learning checklists for key stages on the website over the next few weeks. We have also included some of the tips that were discussed at the Forum on how you can support your child below:

How Can I, as Parent Help?

You’re not expected to know subject specific terminology- ‘Mum, what’s mitosis?!’ Provide Structure to learning at home:

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A Schedule: day by day. Timings: ‘I will time 30mins and homework piece one should be done!’ See SMHW for timing details- it’s very handy!

 Monitoring- use SMHW to monitor- R.A.G- has it been handed in?  Communication: if your child cannot complete the homework- then they can contact their teacher directly using the app!

 Opportunities: Using reading lists and available resources on the school website- curriculum maps for all year groups are also available. Year 11- revision guidance available from ALL faculties to keep you in the loop.

 Recognition: Check SMHW and look for the green! Notice their organisation commitments- ask them for their books/assessments to see their progress.

 Interactions: Try to create moments at home to ask questions about your child’s homework or reading-

the ‘Five W’s are helpful- Who? What? When? Where? Why? Encourage them to tell you WHY they are doing this particular homework- how does it link to what’s taught?

 Modelling: Here at RVHS, we are really trying to create a culture- the love of reading. Could you possibly share your favourite reads etc.?

Questions That Unlock the Thinking of Students  Evidence: How do you know that? What evidence is there to support that position?  Clarification: Can you put that another way? Can you give me an example? Can you explain that term?  Explanation: Why might that be the case? How would we know that? Who might be responsible for…?  Linking and extending: Can you add to what X just said? How does this idea support/challenge what we explored earlier in the lesson?  Hypothetical: What might happen if…? What would be the potential benefits/impact of X?  Summary and synthesis: What remains unsolved / uncertain? What else do we need to know or do to understand this better/be better?  Metacognition: What was the most difficult part of that task? How would you do it differently next time? How could you approach this question?

TheFollow presentation for this event is available on our school website us on: @rodingvalleyHS @humsrvhs @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Today, actor Rudolf Walker OBE visited our Year 10 Drama students as part an Inter-School Drama Awards Programme run by the Rudolph Walker Foundation. The foundation was founded by the actor himself, with the aim to enhance the creative talents of young people and provide opportunities to work with professional actors. The programme has proven a great success with students and teachers alike allowing both parties to tackle social & personal issues/tell a story while working with an outside party in a creative way. The programme encourages students to take part in positive activities outside of school hours, while also creating opportunities to gain confidence, experience, skills, connections and to even perform to family, friends and prominent figures in the entertainment industry. Mr Walker has had a long and distinguished career on stage and screen, and will be familiar to you from such shows as Love Thy Neighbour, The Thin Blue Line and as Patrick Trueman on BBC's EastEnders; although Mr Wilson was just as impressed that he was in Doctor Who in 1969! He talked about his life and career and took questions about his job and how he got to where he is today. Best of all, Mr Walker announced that five students will be working with his foundation; with input from other know TV actors, to create a short, devised performance for a competition. Congratulations to Lara, Lukrecija, Elliot, George and Ethan. We look forward to seeing how this project develops and also have our fingers crossed for an ongoing relationship with the Rudolph Walker Foundation in future years.

- January Congratulations to Skye Salek-Haddadi 8V - Pankhurst. Check out her winning entry below. And thank you to the house captains for helping to choose a winner.

Primary Visit On Wednesday, our Year 12 students visited Cambridge University to attend sessions on 'University Life' and 'Interview Questions'. After a lunch in the grand hall of Emmanuel College, students met up with our own ex-RVHS student Olivia Tinker, who attends Selwyn College, to learn more about her life at Cambridge. The day finished with a tour and Q and A session with Olivia, where students were able to gain a personal insight into the collegiate structure and the social side of university.

Year 4 students from Buckhurst Hill Primary had a fantastic time this week, when they experienced a cooking lesson in our Food and Nutrition Department

Sportability – Learning to Lead It was a great day on Thursday for our Sportability team today who visited Davenant for a ‘Learning to Lead Day’ and met Olympic GB Swimmer Thomas Haffield, who shared his experiences and helped our students play lots of games that were both engaging and interesting. Students Abigail Akers and Oliver Hawkins both said "The day was great especially when a boy called Lyncoln talked about his disabilities and his own determination to become a Paralympian. This has made us want to do more sports and be more confident in our own lives." There is only one word to describe today: inspirational! Thank you to Mrs Lafferty for taking them

Last night; our students enjoyed a Harry Potter themed evening hosted by our Librarian Mrs Martin and Science Technicians Mr McNally and Mr Ryan. It was a fantastic event, which included a ‘Potions Lesson’ and finished with a short fireworks display. Thank you to all of the staff that were involved for all of their hard work!

Over 1,500 students and their families attended our annual Careers Fest last Thursday. It was our 10th Careers Fest and probably the most successful yet! The event now in its 10th year was organised by Mrs Mason along with the six Epping Forest District Secondary School Careers Advisors to provide students with a chance to view the different opportunities that are available to them Post 16 and Post 18. The event was attended by over 75 exhibitors including local and national employers from private and public sector organisations, as well as Institutes, Universities and Colleges. Throughout the event the exhibitors provided information and advice to students at all levels. Students were given advice about apprenticeships and in some instances were supported to apply for current vacancies. We encourage all students in years 9-13 to attend the careers fest annually. As well as showing them first-hand what careers and courses are available to them Post 16 and 18, it also really helps them to develop their networking and communication skills. What was so nice to see this year was how many of our students are now employed by these companies and they are now manning the stands and sharing their experiences with students from their own school. KPMG, M&G Investments, Hill and Epping Forest District Council exhibitors were all supported by students from Roding Valley now employed in apprenticeships and sponsored degree programmes with these employers. Stephen Isherwood CEO of the Institute of Student Employers gave two very good talks during the event outlining what is current in the workplace and what employers are looking for. Stephen is our Enterprise Advisor at Roding Valley and has been incredibly supportive of staff and students alike. One parent said â€œI have been really impressed with the event, especially in terms of giving my daughter options and things to think about early on. We look forward to coming back next yearâ€?. A huge thank you to all the parents and students that came along on Thursday. I hope you will agree it was a fantastic event. Annually we arrange for new and varied employers and exhibitors to attend and we need the continued participation and support of parents and students for the employers to see it is a worthwhile event to attend.

Surgery All sociology students are welcome Room: E10 Teacher: Miss Garip Time: 3:05pm to 4pm

Thank you to everyone that supported the Cake Sale. ÂŁ28.12 was raised for Crisis. Well done to all of the students that not only baked the cakes but also stayed to sell them! Gemma Hughes

Message from Mr. Dobson As YPL for Year 7; I get many enquiries and comments from pupils and parents .One issue which has been raised by parents was the RVHS PAL system. Many parents who do not have older children at RVHS will not be totally aware of our system. Below is a brief summary of our PAL system - please contact me if you need further clarification on this or other issues regarding your child in Year 7 at RVHS.

Behaviour and Conduct: Positive Action for Learning (PAL) Rewards At Roding Valley High School, we will praise, reward and celebrate the achievements and efforts of those students that work hard and follow the school’s expectations. There is an extensive range of rewards where students will be rewarded for high levels of attainment and effort in all subject areas. Please speak to the Head of Faculty or Head of Year if you feel that a pupil has made an outstanding effort. Sanctions RVHS Positive Action for Learning (PAL) policy within the classroom is;

 PAL 1: The student is warned by the classroom teacher and has the opportunity to correct their behaviour within the classroom.  PAL 2: To help an individual focus back on their learning they will be moved to another seat within the classroom.  PAL 3: In order for the individual to continue to work productively and minimise the disruption to learning of other students, the student must be sent to the nominated Internal On-Call classroom, located within the faculty. To keep you informed; the following key events are fast approaching:  Year 7 Student Reports Sent Out: Week of 11th February 2019  Year 7 Parents Evening: 7th March 2019

Acts of Kindness 7R have been talking about wellbeing and kindness this week in the Character and Culture sections of the Period 1 Curriculum. Students have been sharing ‘Acts of Kindness’, for example: one student had made her mum a cup of tea when she got home from work (dream child!), others had sent messages to people that they cared about to see how they were. We decided to send a message to family and close friends to let them know that we were thinking of them and that we care about them. I think there were probably a few surprised people receiving a message to put a smile on their faces and 7R really enjoyed an opportunity to share their feelings. We're planning more 'Acts of Kindness' soon!!

I am extremely pleased and proud to announce that Ruby Coyte has been elected to join the ‘The Young Essex Assembly (YEA)’. This is the youth council for Essex and is supported by Essex Youth Service. There are 75 YEA members, representing all districts across Essex, who decide on the priorities for young people and campaign to make a positive difference. The YEA are all about making the future and changing the world. Currently; the YEA are involved in charity work working on supporting young people with their mental health and community engagement.

“When I got the news that I had made it into the YEA, I was very pleased and excited to begin. I hope that being a part of it will allow me to help others in Essex to feel safer and happier”. Ruby Coyte

Congratulations Ruby, you are an incredible addition to the YEA and will do an amazing job!

8U “For the fantastic attitude and hard work shown by all students, whilst revising for their exams". Well done! I’m sure all your hard work will pay off” On Monday 11th February 2019; the Young Shakespeare Company will be visiting Roding Valley High School to perform Romeo and Juliet to our Year 8 students. Year 8 will be studying Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet next half term and this is a brilliant opportunity for students to see first-hand Shakespeare in action. Parents of Year 8 students are kindly encouraged to make a voluntary contribution to the performance. If we do not have enough payments, the performance may be cancelled. The amount is £4.50. You can pay for this via Parent Pay or alternatively by cheque handed into the Finance Office. Thank you for your continued support. Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS @humsrvhs @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Year 8 Residential Trip to Mersea Island If you would like your son/daughter to go on the trip, the cost will be £150 for the three days, this includes activities, accommodation, food and travel. Please return the completed Trip Form to Student Reception, as soon as possible. Due to popular demand for this trip, places will be allocated via a ballot. You will be notified if your son/daughter has a place and asked to pay £50 deposit.

Message from Mr Ryan It was great to see so many parents at the year 9 options evening last night. It is always wonderful to have the support of so many parents at these events. As explained in the meeting last night you have until the 1st of March to get the completed options forms in. When making options choices it is always good to have an end goal in sight. I know that there are students who like a particular subject but aren’t clear about where that interest will lead. Or there are students who want to pursue a particular career but aren’t sure what qualifications they need to achieve this. For example if your child is into sport but has maybe missed the chance to play or compete professionally there is still a plethora of jobs out there; Sports Science, Sports therapy, Sports rehab, Sports management, P.E. teacher to name a few.

Lola Jacobs

This is why I would recommend speaking to our school’s Careers Advisor Mrs. Mason as she has a wealth of knowledge to share about career paths and careers of the future.

U16 Netball: Message from Miss Reed I would like to say a huge well done to the following students who represented Year 10 and Roding Valley by being on the student panel for recent interviews which took place for a new school within the Chelmsford Partnership Trust. 

George Howard 10Q

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Ryan Donnelly 10V

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Elizabeth Wheeler 10U

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Mia Ali 10S.

On Wednesday 6th February, the U16 netball team played the Bancroft’s School in the last 8 of the Essex Cup Plate. Unfortunately they narrowly missed out losing 11-13. However, I would like to congratulate them on their performance and on reaching this stage of the competition. This was their first game since before the Christmas break but they put in a fighting performance. Well done girls! Player of the Match: Jenny Lycett 10R

Primary Sports Hall Athletics It was a fantastic morning of Year 5 and 6 Sports Hall Athletics for the local primary schools today. A huge thank you to the Year 10 GCSE students who helped run the competition and well done to Whitebridge who were the overall winners.

Tops Tips for staying Healthy during Exams  A good night’s sleep

11U

 No phone before bed!

98.8% attendance. Great effort

 Taking regular breaks during revision  Healthy diet  Exercise

Nominated by Mrs Vermaak

For more information and advice on Careers, please speak to Mrs Donna Mason at dmason@rodingvalley. net

DST Insight Event This event is open to parents and students in year 11-13. DST offer apprenticeships in Financial Services at their offices in Brentwood and Basildon for school leavers. Date: 21st February 10am-2pm Venue: To be held at their offices in St. Nicholas Lane, Basildon. Essex. SS15 5FS If you would like to attend the event you need to register with Amanda Munday by 14th February Amanda.Munday@uk.dstsystems.com There are only TEN available spaces so you need to be quick if you want to attend.

INSIGHT EVENING Students and Parents are invited to attend to find out about careers in Investment Management. At this event, Columbia Threadneedle Investments will be discussing their Investment 20/20 programme and the different entry routes into the industry. Date: 13th March 2019 Time: 17.00 -19.00 Venue: Columbia Threadneedle Investments Students can register on their Website

M&G INVESTMENTS SCHOOL LEAVER INSIGHT DAY The afternoon is open to any student (current or recent), parents, teachers or career advisers, who would like to find out more about School Leaver Programmes. Date: 19th February 2019 Time: 16.00-18.15 Venue: M&G Investments Students can register on their Website

Before School: 8:15am to 8:40am Break: 11:00am to 11:20am Lunch: 1:20pm to 2:05pm After School: 3:05pm to 3:30pm Please be aware that from Monday 12th November, students will not be served outside of these times.

HB Pencil Non-stop Pencil Biro (Black, Blue or Green) Handwriting Pen (Black or Blue) Gel Pen (Black or Blue) Gel Clear Pen (Black or Blue) Felt Tip Pens (pack) Coloured pencils (pack) Highlighter Pen Multi - Pen Rollerball Pen (Black, Blue or Red) RVHS Pen 15cm Ruler 30cm Ruler Eraser Sharpener Protractor Set Square Compass Calculator Scientific Calculator Small Pencil Case Large Pencil Case

10p 30p 10p 10p 40p 50p £2.00 £1.00 20p 60p 30p 50p 10p 20p 5p 10p 15p 15p 30p £1.70 £6.50 80p £1.00

Maths Set Maths Set with small pencil case Revision set Glue - Small Glue - Medium Glue - Large Post Its Card Document wallet Popper Folder – coloured Popper Folder - clear Display file - 20 Pockets Clip File Ring Binder Zip wallets (A5) Zip wallets (A4) Zip wallets (A3) 10 stage dividers A4 clear pockets Lever arch file Box File Data File Small Note Pad- Lined

90p £1.60 £1.80 30p 80p £1.00 20p 10p 40p 70p £2.00 60p 50p 20p 25p 30p 40p 5p £1.40 £2.20 20p 30p

At RVHS, we use Show My Homework; an account has been created for you to keep up to date with your child’s homework progress from home.

What is ‘Show My Homework’? Show my Homework is a simple online solution for students and parents to view homework details and upcoming deadlines. Mobile apps and notifications ensure you always know what homework your child has and when it’s due. How to Log In?  Go to https://www.showmyhomework.co.uk/login What are PINs? PINs are unique codes that ‘Show My Homework’ has assigned to each parent that allow us to confirm their identity on initial login. After logging in for the first time users will be asked to provide more memorable login details for future use. PINs are then only be used as a backup in case you forget these logins.

 Or you can download the app.  Enter your PIN details that you have been given in the letter provided by your school.  Click ‘Log in’  Create a memorable password and enter your email address then click ‘Update you details’.

Students do not need a pin to be able to access their homework. They can gain access to their Show My Homework account though their Gmail account.

You are now able to access your account and view all the homework that has been set for your child. If yourself or your child experience any difficulties with using ‘Show my Homework’ or you no longer have your pin, please contact Miss Paige Larkin: plarkin@rodingvalley.net Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS @humsrvhs @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

What is DODDLE? Doddle provides students with access to thousands of engaging, formative resources and guides students through the curriculum. Doddle Progress automatically tracks student attainment in key curriculum skills. Parents can see student attainment and progress through our easy-to-use Doddle Parent feature. Skills within Doddle are rated as red, amber or green. These ratings give a clear indication of how much progress a child has made and highlight the weaker areas to be targeted with revision.

Each student has a personal Doddle account where they can access their homework to-do lists and families can view the work their child has been assigned. These accounts enable parents to view their child's results and encourage them to better their scores by using Doddle's revision resources.

Find out how to create a Doddle Parent account and then link that account to your child with this short video:

We have also included a link to a very useful guide on how to view your child's due and submitted homework:

Find out how our school uses Doddle Progress by watching our short video to find out how Progress works.

We have also included a link to a very useful guide on how Progress works and how you can use it to help your child's learning.

This is a valuable resource that will assist parents in supporting their childâ€™s progression. Please use the following link to the log in: Follow us on: @rodingvalleyHS @humsrvhs @rodingvalleyPE RODING VALLEY DRAMA@rodingdrama

Find out how to view and track your child's homework with this short video. .

We have also included a link to a very useful guide on Troubleshooting.

School Communications: We have been communicating by email for over a year now in a bid to get information to you quicker and more cost effectively. We found, however, our previous parental communication system did not give the functionality that people expect from smart phone apps today. So the school has invested in a new communication system call RS Connect Ed and with this comes a shiny new App.

MyEd is the free parent app that gives you a multitude of communication and information features to stay in touch with what is going on at school. The app gives you direct access to your child's attendance, timetable, absence records, achievements, behaviour and much, much more. You will also see that we update and change the information in the app as the school year moves along. Click here to see a short video about the app We are able to send you messages directly to the MyEd app relating to important information about your child's education and to remind you of events that are taking place at school. We can also embed links to regularly used systems, for example ParentPay & Doddle so you can keep everything in one place. You will receive a notification if we send you a message and there is no charge for the messages you send to us. The App can be downloaded by anyone and they will have access to information also available on our website. Only parents will be able to access their own studentâ€™s information as long as we have the email address and mobile number you are using to access the App.

But only parents of students in the school will be able to access this when clicking on the My Students tab. The MyEd app is available for both Apple iOS and Android devices and can be found using the links below: Step 1 - Go to your App Store Step 2 - Search for My Ed Step 3 - Download the Free app Apple iOS App Google Android App Once you have installed and opened MyEd, search for Roding Valley High School and follow the simple instructions to identify yourself.

Student Absence If your child is unable to attend School for any reason please report their absence by phoning the school number by 9.30am at the latest, you must also ring in each day of your child’s absence. 0208-508-1173 On their return to School please ensure your child brings with them a. letter or medical evidence if requested explaining the reason for the absence for our records.

Medical Appointments Please make sure you make any medical or dental appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible then please try to ensure that your child attends before and/or after their appointment.

Holidays in Term Time It is not school policy to authorise any holidays during term time except in exceptional circumstances. A ‘Leave of Absence’ form must be completed (these are available at Student Reception) should you require leave for your child, a letter detailing your exceptional circumstances should accompany it. Please be aware if the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case may be referred to the Education Welfare Service who may issue a Penalty Notice for £120 (or £60 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school. For full details regarding attendance please see our Attendance Policy which can be found on our website or contact Mrs. Jeanette Low, our Attendance and Welfare Manager on the school number.

Guidance for Common Ailments Please see on the following page guidance from the NHS of common childhood illnesses; this advises what type of illness requires time off from school and what does not. Should you require further guidance please contact the school on 0208-508-1173