What an incredible first week back for all of our Year 7s!
It has been great to welcome students back after the Christmas break and to hear all about their exciting time off. Year 7 have started their second term in Toot Hill with enthusiasm and it has been great to see them enjoying their lessons again. It is hard to believe that we are already a third of the way through the academic year when it seems like only yesterday that they were nervously lining up in the bus park to meet their tutor set.
We continue to see students build relationships with teachers and to see lots of new friendships and support systems blossom. The transition from primary to secondary can be very daunting but we are so happy to see that all Year 7 students are taking this adventure on with enthusiasm, excitement and dedication.
Year 7 have thrown themselves into the new term and we know that this will continue to grow from strength to strength. This week we enjoyed both our Headteacher and Head of Year address, which focused on the importance of purposeful practice and always aiming for the stars. A theme that we will continue to revisit during the year. We have all been blown away and we cannot wait for more learning and fun next week.
A special mention to Harry A and Alfie G who took part in an athletics event on Thursday 12th January. Miss Sheldon was amazed by their tenacity and we all hope many more students take part in extra-curricular activities in the future. It seems we have lots of budding sporting stars!
Keep it up Year 7 – you are doing a great job.
Head of Year 7: Miss B Marshall
Assistant Head of Year 7: Miss H Barker
Happy New Year!! It has been brilliant to welcome back students this week especially Year 8.
Tutors have had the chance to catch up with students on Monday as well as an assembly period 1 from SLT regarding standards. On Tuesday there was an assembly from Mr Mordue using some dance moves to remember how difficult learning can be and to not give up if you don't achieve something first time.
Mr Mordue also had to do a quick assembly on Wednesday regarding disappointing behaviour in the community that happened in Bingham on Tuesday evening. Thursday we were back reading the class book and on Friday we had our Fab Friday celebration assembly from Miss Jordan.
In the Year 8 PDC lessons we have moved on to careers/skills/ambitions and students will be expected to update their Unifrog details which will help their development in the long term towards employability and college applications. There are also lots of sporting events happening in the first couple of weeks with hockey, indoor athletics and football fixtures all taking place.
Head of Year 8: Mr D Mordue
Assistant Head of Year 8: Miss L Jordan
Welcome back Year 9 and Happy New Year to our students and families. We hope you have enjoyed the Christmas period. It has been great to welcome back the Year 9 students this week. We have had a busy first week back and it has been good to speak to students and see how well they have settled in to the new term. We are really pleased with the start that the Year 9 students have made this week and as a group they have achieved 3981 positive points. Well done Year 9!
There have been high levels of engagement in lessons this week. Students have shown responsibility and independence and we have been pleased with the work which is being produced in lessons. In Fashion and Textiles and Music, students have focused on the practical aspect of the subject. In Food Technology students have learnt about food safety. In Our Personal Development lesson, students have started a new topic focused on careers. Students learnt about transferrable skills this week and will use ‘UniFrog’ to log their skills and experiences.
This week during our Personal Development Curriculum we have covered a range of topics. Our wellbeing focus this half term is ‘Keep Learning’. On Tuesday morning, students discussed three skills they would like to improve and what steps they would need to take to achieve this learning. Our focus on Thursday morning continues to be reading and this week students discussed the benefits of reading, along with discussing their favourite books. Page 39 in the Student Planner provides a list of ’14 books to read before you’re 14’. On Wednesday morning we had our first year group assembly of the year. We continued to recognise achievements during our first Fab Friday of 2023, with the following students being recognised this week:
Positive Behaviour Points:
Home learning Positive Points:
Attendance Prize Draw Winners (100% attendance this week):
Finally, our Extended Study provision starts next week. We will be sharing the timetables for this half term with students on Monday morning. We look forward to seeing students attending our Extended Study sessions this half term.
Thank you for your support in ensuring students have a positive start back after the Christmas break. If there is anything we can do to support students, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Tutor.
Well done Year 9!
Head of Year 9: Miss I Sheldon
Assistant Head of Year 9: Miss A Lloyd
Whilst it has been wonderful to welcome Year 10 back after a long Christmas break, it has also been challenging adjusting to the loss of a peer. Students' have been of a great support to each other this week and I have felt very proud of their compassion, maturity and respect for one another during this difficult time. If you feel your child is struggling; please don't hesitate to get in touch with myself or Mrs Gray (our Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead).
Our Personal Development Curriculum kicked off this week with a Teams call and presentation from Ask Apprenticeships sharing with students the increasingly popular post-16 pathway of apprenticeships and technical qualifications. During our focus on 'Preparing for the world of work' this half term, we will be exploring a variety of topics such as T-Levels, CV-writing, leadership skills and interview techniques. We are very excited for our mock-interview day in March and work experience later in July.
We have continued to celebrate our student's achievements with the following students receiving their Bronze Award in assembly this week. Receiving the Bronze Award means these students have earned 400 PRIDE points for their attitude to learning since September; a fantastic feat after just one term. Well done to Beth H, Joe R, Harry J, Sydney C, Evie S, Lucas P and Eva H. Finally, a special mention to Faye N and Ashton J who are both well on their way to achieving the Silver Award after securing the Bronze last half term!
Head of Year 10: Mrs L Munro
Assistant Head of Year 10: Miss C Thomas
A huge welcome back to Year 11 following their break. We have been so pleased to see the positive attitude and work ethic the students have returned with. Just a quick reminder that anyone still wearing Christmas nails need to make sure they have been removed by Monday 16th January. This week Year 11 have been busy with their photo taking place, and looking at dealing with exam stress in tutor time.
We have shared the Extended Study timetable with students in the Head of Year assembly and look forward to seeing as many of the year group as possible attending. On the Thursday 19th January we have our first Parents Evening of the year for T and S band, and an email reminder has gone home to anyone without appointments.
If you need any support with this then please contact tutor or Mr Garner. We also have the Career's Fair on Tuesday 17th January and if you and your child would like to attend then please book your place on the Toot Hill College website.
Head of Year 11: Miss L Hughes
Year 11 Achievement Leader: Mr R Wickens
Assessor's Reports
Year 9 Bronze students will shortly be finishing their 3-month activity. This means it's time to submit a DofE Assessor's Report. The quickest and easiest way for students to do this is to send this link to their assessor https://www.dofe.org/assessor/, along with their ID Number (you can find this on eDofE). As soon as I receive the assessor's report, I can sign it off for your child.
Photos of the Week
Our DofE students have taken part in lots of festive activities during December. Here are Charlie D's homemade mince pies and Ellie E's Christmas card which she created for her skill activity, Also, published is Nianh O's textile creation, Madelief J's goat's cheese and tomato star bread, and Lilly B's dog grooming certificate - just a few examples of the amazing skill, physical and volunteering activities Toot Hill students are engaging with.
Useful DofE Links
Click on the relevant link for Skill, Physical & Volunteering ideas, a DofE Activity Log or a DofE Assessor Report.
Dates for Your Diary
FAQ's – see www.toothillschool.co.uk/dofe
Mr Tinsley
mtinsley@toothillschool.co.uk
Here in the Learning Lounge we are looking forward to an exciting and very busy half term.
As we start the new year, there are lots of new books which have just arrived and are now ready to borrow. The Learning Lounge is open at break and lunch for quiet reading, changing or renewing a library book, or independent study. Additionally, themed lunches are running this term; quizzes on Tuesday, chess on Wednesday and crafts on Thursday.
We have a new Booktrust challenge; The Climbers by Keith Gray. Students can take the book to read, answer the ten questions on the accompanying bookmark and then hand it in at the issue desk to gain credits
This term also sees the launch of a new reading challenge: Read Around the World. In order to complete the challenge, students need to read a book set in each of six continents, filling in the Around the World bookmark for each book. There will be credits given for each completed bookmark and when all six continents have been visited students will gain extra credits for completing the whole challenge. We have some students who have started their journey already!
The week beginning 30th Jan is Reading Week and the Learning Lounge has a host of activities planned including quizzes and an author visit from Jamie Russell, who wrote the Skywake series of books. More details will be coming soon of everything that is happening in reading week.
Toot Hill School
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