Congratulations on another fantastic week in Year 7!
It is always difficult to get used to the early mornings again after the long Christmas break, but Year 7 have taken this all in their stride. Students are purposefully walking to lessons and therefore maximising their learning time. We are incredibly proud of the hard work that has been displayed inside and outside of lessons especially considering that this term can be considered as the most tiring of them all. It has been a pleasure to see lots of students chatting during break and lunch as they head to the Concert Hall to stay warm, this has led to many new friendships which has been lovely to see.
As always, Year 7 are actively engaging in their learning and addressing areas of key focus as they begin to finetune their learning styles. This week we have seen a return of the Extended Study timetable. A special mention must go to the Year 7 athletics club, the Year 7 girls came third and the boys won so we are now off to the district finals. Very exciting!
Finally, this week students have enjoyed a special lesson delivered by some of our Cantonese students. This is to celebrate and learn more about Chinese New Year and the events that surround such an exciting celebration. Students have discussed the traditions, events and also practised the language. On Monday 23rd January we look forward to watching a traditional dragon dance during lunch!
Head of Year 7: Miss B Marshall
Assistant Head of Year 7: Miss H Barker
This week Year 8 had a really positive start celebrating their credits and attendance. Tuesday's assembly was led by Mrs Smith on the topic of belonging. She talked about how important it is to feel part of the school and wear the green blazer with pride. Well-being Wednesday covered the topic of advertising and how it can affect a person's health, young people can become materialistic and always want the next fashionable product which never leads to true happiness. Thursday tutors read aloud and then Fab Friday this week was presented by Mr Mordue.
The Extended Study programme went 'live' this week so it would be great to see lots of our pupils attending different sessions or trying something new.
Last Saturday the boys table tennis team travelled to Bradford to play in a regional tournament, the boys finished 3rd overall narrowly missing out on the national finals. Well done to the boys’ football team who progressed to the quarter final stages of the South Notts Cup with a 2-0 win over Carlton Le Willows. The goals were two fantastic strikes from Oliver who came off the bench to win the game. The indoor sports hall athletics team also had a competition on Thursday evening which leads into the county finals and we are awaiting the results.
Head of Year 8: Mr D Mordue
Assistant Head of Year 8: Miss L Jordan
Well done Year 9, a fantastic week. This week, students have continued with the high standards they set last week and we have enjoyed visiting lessons and seeing the fantastic work they have been producing. In Technology, students have enjoyed the practical element of the subject where they have been applying cooking skills in Food Technology. In Product Design students have been starting to create their ‘sweet dispensers’ using the equipment in the workshop to bring their designs to life! In English students have been exploring modern poetry and have discussed ‘what makes a poem a poem?’. Students will begin to craft their own poetry towards the end of the term.
We have continued to focus on Careers during our Personal Development lesson. This week, students created a CV for a superhero. It was great to see students applying so much creativity to task! Students have engaged well in our Careers focus and we encourage them to continue to use UniFrog to support their careers work.
During tutor time we have discussed a range of topics and we continue to have a focus on wellbeing and reading during the week. Our assembly this week focused on our ‘Toot Hill Community’ and the important role students play in shaping our community. On Thursday morning, we shared some of our options information with students. This is an exciting time for students who will soon be choosing their GCSE option subjects. More information will be shared on this soon.
We had lots of students to recognise in our Fab Friday celebrations again this week. Well done to the following students who were included this week:
Positive Behaviour Points:
Attendance winners:
Home learning:
Well done to the following students who have achieved ‘Bronze Award’ for achieving 400 positive points this half term:
Fantastic work from the following students who have achieved ‘Silver Award’ for reaching 600 positive points this year:
Well done Year 9, keep up the excellent work!
Head of Year 9: Miss I Sheldon
Assistant Head of Year 9: Miss A Lloyd
In their Personal Development lesson this week, Year 10 have continued with their focus on Careers with looking at how to write professional emails, CV writing and preparing for their Work Experience placements later this year. Mrs Farmer will be sharing additional information shortly to help your child in securing a placement.
In our assembly this week, Mrs Smith discussed the idea of 'belonging' and how that looks at Toot Hill and within the wider community. We invited students to think about their understanding of this and the positive reflections they may have about school; their peers, their learning, the opportunities available and care and commitment from their tutors, teachers and the wider staff team.
Finally, we look forward to celebrating Chinese New Year this Friday with a performance at lunchtime and the sharing of positive messages between students. "Gong hei fat choy!" to our families celebrating this weekend.
Head of Year 10: Mrs L Munro
Assistant Head of Year 10: Miss C Thomas
This week Year 11 have been very busy getting back into the swing of things following our Christmas break.
We were so pleased to see half of Year 11s attended the Careers Fair, which was run by Mrs Farmer on Tuesday night. Which provided students with an opportunity to meet both higher and further education, providers, apprenticeships, and employers.
Alongside this, we had our Mock Results Day on Wednesday and Parents Evening for T and S on Thursday evening. It was so lovely to see how many parents were able to attend and we look forward to welcoming the parents and carers on Wednesday 25th January 2023 for H band Parents Evening.
During tutor time this week, we have been encouraging students to pick at least two Extended Study sessions to attend each week and they have been provided with paper copies of the timetable, please take the opportunity to look through this with your child, so that they can let you know which sessions they would like to attend.
Head of Year 11: Miss L Hughes
Year 11 Achievement Leader: Mr R Wickens
Thank you to all the students and parents who attended the Careers Fair this week. I hope you enjoyed it and learnt about all the amazing pathways available to students for both Post 16 and Post 18. The feedback from the exhibitors who attended was fantastic. They were all very impressed with the maturity of the students and the insightful questions they asked. The exhibitors also remarked that they enjoyed meeting parents and having meaningful conversations.
If you attended could you please provide some feedback:
Parent Feedback Form
Hi! Would you mind taking 4 minutes to complete this form? It would be great if you can submit your response by 26/01/2023. Thank you! Start now
Toot Hill School
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