Albeit a shorter week - Year 7 have been busy during their three days at school. In food technology this week, students were making fruit salad in their first practical of the new rotation, practicing some very safe chopping! In MFL, Year 7 students are giving opinions on their hobbies and already wow'ing their teachers as they combine the past, present and future! In Geography, students have been breaking free of the classroom to investigate different microclimates around the school site.
Last week, our Year 7 girls played in their very first competitive Netball Tournament- Miss Gale said they played so well and tried so hard and can see medals on the horizon with their continued training and hard work. Well done!
Miss Marshall delivered an assembly on Thursday morning about having a Positive Attitude. She read Year 7 a poem by Smiling Poem which left students smiling as they headed off to their Period 1 lessons. We are hoping that the wonderful, positive message of this assembly was as infectious as all the smiles in the room on Thursday morning. We hope the poem makes you smile as much as it did us:
Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw me grin,
When he smiled, I realised, I’d passed it on to him!
I thought about that smile, then realised its worth,
A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth!
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected,
Let’s start an epidemic, quick and get the world infected!
We hope Year 7 and their families enjoy another wonderful bank holiday weekend however you are celebrating or enjoying the occasion. We would love to see any photos of the children celebrating the Coronation to share in our FAB Friday assembly next week! Please send these direct to Miss Barker on hbarker@toothillschool.co.uk
Well done Year 7 and enjoy the nice long weekend!
Head of Year 7: Miss B Marshall
Assistant Head of Year 7: Miss H Barker
Year 8 have crammed a lot into their shortened week. Well-being Wednesday students continued with their look at the benefits of staying active and ideas for staying active. Thursday students either continued with their class reading book or moved on with their short stories. Tutor set 8.8 were reading an extract from Harry Potter with Miss Yates who was using her English specialism to capture everyone's imagination. Miss Jordan used Fab Friday to celebrate weekly tutor awards, attendance improvements and high numbers of credits.
We have lots of sporting events coming up this term including football semi-finals or finals, cricket competitions and athletics tournaments. This week however was all about the boys dodgeball squad which travelled to East Leake Academy for a sports partnership festival. Results didn't quite go our way however the boys had a great time and were in high spirits throughout, a huge thank you to Mr Cox for coming along.
Please can we continue to ask for parental in support in checking that students have all of their stationary for school.
Head of Year 8: Mr D Mordue
Assistant Head of Year 8: Miss L Jordan
Well done Year 9, 1784 Positive Points achieved this week. We are continuing to see fantastic work being produced in lessons. Students are showing high levels of focus and engagement in lessons. Students are beginning to develop skills which will be used as they approach Year 10. In English students are making detailed annotations in their ‘An Inspector calls’ books, which will be the text they study throughout the GCSE course. In History students have finished studying the Pilgrim Fathers which was part of the unit ‘How did Britain shape the Americas?’. Students have been applying knowledge to exam questions and it was fantastic to see students using purple pen to further develop answers. In History, students will be moving onto studying the Indigenous people and how they were treated by the colonists.
Students practical skills were put to the test in Food Technology this week. Students were challenge to complete the ‘Tunnock’s Teacake Challenge’. Students were asked to create a piece of culinary art, using their creativity and food preparation skills. We were really impressed with the work students produced and are pleased to share some of the photos with you!
This week our Wellbeing Wednesday discussions focused around keeping safe in the sun. Students watched an informative video on sun safety and discussed precautions which can be taken. Students have continued to show high levels of engagement in the Personal Development lesson. Students have learnt about Human Rights and engaged in discussions around important features of a democracy. Next week students will learn about what is meant by ‘Fake News’.
Next week we will be celebrating students’ achievements from this week and next week in our Fab Friday celebrations. We look forward to sharing the names of our award winners next Friday!
Well done Year 9, have a great weekend.
Head of Year 9: Miss I Sheldon
Assistant Head of Year 9: Miss A Lloyd
During their assembly last week, Year 10 were encouraged to reflect on choosing to do the right thing and allowing themselves to 'shine' in different ways, perhaps in sports, academically or creatively. I also pressed on them the contagiousness of kindness and in allowing themselves to shine (through their character and the person they are), they unconsciously give each other the permission to do the same.
The final careers trip to Nottingham College this half term, took place on Thursday. Again 15 students had the opportunity to visit the Construction department and did themselves, and Toot Hill proud through their engagement, questioning and manners. We are also pleased to share that Cropwell FC attended the 2023 SCI Mitre cup in Great Yarmouth last weekend. They were up against very tough competition but amazingly found themselves top of the table after day one. Day 2 was a tough day with the end result coming down to their final game of the day. The result was 2-2 meaning the team came away 1 point off the winners and the runners up trophy. The evening presentation saw the boys being presented their trophies by Stuart Pearce and they also were presented with the Under 15 fair play award which was voted for by the tournament referees. Big well done to the following players Charlie A, Shay F, Tom S, Ollie N, Lincoln G and Jack M.
Please continue to support your child in applying to local businesses and companies for their work experience. The deadline for this to be arranged and confirmed is Friday 16th June. The work experience booklet given to students and emailed to parents will support you with this process, but any queries, please direct these to your child's tutor or Mrs Farmer at ffarmer@toothillschool.co.uk.
Head of Year 10: Mrs L Munro
Assistant Head of Year 10: Miss C Thomas
We would like to start with a HUGE well done to lots of the pupils this week in Year 11.
On Wednesday 3rd May we had the South Notts Cup Final Vs West Bridgford School for our Year 11 girls Football team! The girls won 3-0 and we are so proud of them.
Alongside this some of the staff got the opportunity to attend a workshop involving two of the BTEC Dance groups performance. Both groups were absolutely brilliant and had produced incredibly emotive pieces, showcasing their skills. Well done to all of you.
Since returning this term we have had 153 students join us at Extended Study and we cannot wait to welcome more of the year group after school to support their revision so far.
Updated examination timetables have been sent home with all of Year 11 this week, and we would ask that you check these carefully with your child at home. If you do have any queries about any of the examinations listed then please contact their tutor asap.
Head of Year 11: Miss L Hughes
Year 11 Achievement Leader: Mr R Wickens
News this Week
Year 9 Bronze DofE participants Charles D, Luke K and Ellis L have become the first pupils to upload assessor's reports for their physical, volunteering and skill sections - well done! This is fantastic news because it means they can graduate as soon as they complete their qualifying expedition. All DofE participants should ask their assessor to write an assessor's report as soon as they have finished their activity. It's quick, easy and convenient, using www.dofe.org/assessor/
Best of luck to the Year 10 Silvers who are embarking on their Practice Expedition in North Notts from 9-10th May!
Photos of the Week - Skill (cooking)
For their skills section, lots of our DofE participants are spending an hour per week cooking and baking both sweet and savoury dishes. Congratulations to Lewis HT on his sausage and mash dinner, Lewis H with his lasagne and salad, Sarah H with her eggs avocado, Rainbow T with her stir-fry, Will S with his pie and veg and Cody E with his fajitas. Well done everyone!
Useful DofE Links
Click on the relevant link for Skill, Physical & Volunteering ideas, a DofE Activity Log or a DofE Assessor Report.
Upcoming Dates for Your Diary
FAQ's – see www.toothillschool.co.uk/dofe
Mr Tinsley
mtinsley@toothillschool.co.uk
Toot Hill School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT