Weekly Bulletin

• There will be no Extended Study next week, it will restart on Monday 7th November 2022.
• There will be a cake sale on Friday 21st October 2022 to help raise funds for the recent floods in Pakistan.

Well done Year 7, another great week with lots of positives to share! This week Year 7 have been working so hard in lessons. It is fantastic to see the development of many positive relationships between students and staff alike, and to see your personalities coming out!

We have enjoyed visiting a wide range of lessons this week, including: Science, where students were engaging in a practical to find out the composition of the substance by investigating its boiling point; and Drama, in which students were acting out weird and wonderful objects including a church, a washing machine and a train! 

Please see some photos of some of the fantastic work we have witnessed this week.

In tutor set in the morning, we have discussed the importance of Mental Health following World Mental Health Day 10th October, students impressed us with their kindness and maturity in their discussions. Students have mostly received their school photos if these were ordered by parents/carers. 

This week in our PD lesson, students continue to learn about Healthy relationships and the importance of being ‘a positive bystander’. We have been so impressed by the kindness and compassion shown over the past few lessons by Year 7, they can discuss bullying sensitively and know how to act as a positive bystander. Students also recognise the importance they play in not turning a blind eye to unkindness. Next week, our Personal Development Period will be on Monday Period 3.  

It is brilliant to see so many Year 7 students participating in sports teams, we had some fantastic successes at cross country last Friday and Saturday and the football teams (both boys and girls) continue to impress us with fantastic attendance and participation in fixtures. It is wonderful to see you throwing yourselves into all these new opportunities available at Secondary School. 

Well done Year 7, keep up the fantastic work! We look forward to recognising all your achievements and successes on Thursday morning, in our first Achievement Assembly.

Head of Year 7: Miss B Marshall    

Assistant Head of Year 7:  Miss H Barker

This week during tutor time Year 8 have had an assembly that touched upon mental well-being and that it is ok to not be perfect, we also sign posted students to where they could find support.  Mr Mordue also outlined how important it is to be a nice person and get it right even when nobody is watching.  Class reading continued on Thursday with 'In the Sea there are Crocodiles' which is a proving to be a powerful book creating lots of discussion points around refugees.  Fab Friday as always was a great way to end the week celebrating attendance and positives.

A huge to thanks to Mr Walters for organising the girls’ trip to the Ada Lovelace STEM celebration event at the University of Nottingham Boots Campus.  The girls had an amazing time especially taking part in some intriguing chemical experiments.  Excellence in Science must be a theme this week as some classes have been using their knowledge of pH and neutralisation to make test tube rainbows.

Well done to the Junior Girls Cross Country Team who competed last week and won their event, qualifying for the next round of the national competition.  This is a fantastic achievement as we are one of the few comprehensive schools at the event.  Special mention to the Junior Boys Team as well who competed to the best of their ability in tough conditions.

Head of Year 8: Mr D Mordue    

Assistant Head of Year 8:  Miss L Jordan

Well done Year 9 for another fantastic week. This week during tutor time, we have focused on Home Learning. We have shared ‘top tips’ for completing Home Learning, including developing a good home learning routine. We are pleased to see that as a year group, we have achieved 897 positive points for Home Learning this half term. Well done to Sebastian (9.1), Adam (9.8) and Grace (9.9) who are currently top of the positive points for Home Learning in the year group! We have also continued to discuss wellbeing during our assembly on Wednesday morning. We discussed strategies to support with our wellbeing and the support available to students, in school, and in the wider community.

On Friday morning we celebrated the achievements from this week. We are pleased to see so many students achieving positive points for their hard work and engagement in lessons. Our year group attendance continues to increase and we are looking forward to celebrating student attendance in our Achievement Assembly next week. This week’s Fab Friday winners are below:

Behaviour Points:

1st – Kayla 9.2 – 49 Points

2nd – Daniel 9.1 – 46 Points

3rd – Isaac 9.1 – 45 Points

Attendance Prize Draw winners:

Idina 9.5

Oliver 9.6

Joey 9.4

Amy 9.9

Malakai 9.2

Shay 9.8

Students have been busy in Food Technology this week. Well done to Olivia (9.9) and Kelsie (9.8) for their contributions to the ‘future chef’ competition. Olivia and Kelise made hasselback potatoes with marinated lamb steaks and minted pea puree (see photos). The school final of the ‘future chef’ competition takes place next Thursday. Good luck to all students involved! In lessons students have made focaccia and tatre au citron. These were the first practical lessons of the year for our Year 9 students, and the technology department were impressed with the resilience shown during more complex practical tasks. Home learning has also been excellent in Food Technology where students have summarised the key messages from the Eatwell guide.

Next week we will be celebrating Year 9 Achievements this half term, during our ‘Achievement Assembly’. We look forward to recognising students for attendance, positive behaviour points, star of the lesson award and teacher and tutor nominations. We have lots of prizes to give out and look forward to sharing this with you next week.

Finally, well done the Year 9 boys football team this week. Students showed determination in a competitive game. Unfortunately, the teams did not win but they worked well as a team and should be proud of their positive attitude and resilience throughout the game.

Well done Year 9. Keep up the great work! 

Head of Year 9: Miss I Sheldon     

Assistant Head of Year 9: Miss A Lloyd

During tutor time this week, Year 10 have focused on mental health and well-being by considering ways of supporting each other and how you could help a friend in need.

We shared pathways in and out of school, so students know how to help a peer in need. Our peer mentoring programme is also well under way with twelve Year 10 students supporting Year 7 students with their individual areas of need and helping them settle into secondary school. Following the success of this we hope to invite another cohort to take part next time. 

Year 10 have continued to lead the school with our Pride Point total; special mention to the top students in the year group: Faye N, Ella L, Beth H, Ashton J, Angad SK and Jessica Pr.

We look forward to rewarding these students alongside others in our Achievement Assembly next Friday. We will be recognising students for their extra-curricular efforts and attendance to Extended Study as well as their fantastic attitude to learning. 

Head of Year 10: Mrs L Munro    

Assistant Head of Year 10: Miss C Thomas

In sociology this week, Year 11 have been looking at social class and crime. Students have engaged brilliantly with this and built upon their prior knowledge on gender and crime. In Science they have also moved onto new topics, primarily focusing on homeostasis.

Outside of lessons our students have started to attend their one to one careers appointments, put in place to support them with their steps beyond this year. 

The girls football team did incredibly well this week, winning their match against Stamford High School 6-0!

Thank you for your support and attendance at the Year 11 Information Evening on Thursday. The evening provided further information on how you can support your son/daughter throughout Year 11. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions following the event.

Thirty of our budding Oxbridge candidates attended a talk from Cambridge University this week to discover what university looks like at Cambridge, and information on how to apply. The student’s engagement and questions were a credit to the school.

This week in tutor set, we have been supporting our students to design a revision/home learning timetable. Please discuss the plan your son/daughter has written and look at ways to support implementing this timetable at home. The photo gives an example of a completed revision planner.

Please note, that you can find GCSE support information on the yellow pages in your child's planner.

Head of Year 11: Miss L Hughes         

Year 11 Achievement Leader: Mr R Wickens 

October is Black History month. Every October we make this a focus, but this year we are asking an important question – is Black History month enough? Or does it hide the bigger issue at hand – that often Black voices and black stories are removed from the narrative?

The real question is – should we use this October to teach pupils briefly about some key Black individuals and then carry on teaching our subjects as before? Obviously, this is far from enough to really improve our understanding of Black History, and Black voices in all areas of British life.

The actor Morgan freeman said that “Black History is American History” which is the same with Black British History, and all Black History in general. It is not a different story, it is not separate to other histories. It is an absolutely integral, vital part of understanding the world around us. If we fail to include the voices of Black Britain, we will never have a truthful and full understanding of our own past.

Understanding, embracing and celebrating Black voices has never been more important. Racism is certainly not a problem of the past and it continues to plague the world today, and it is time we all work towards embracing Black culture and Black history.

The reason Black history is often not included is because of the story we sometimes tell ourselves. That Black History happened elsewhere, or that Black history only arrived in Britain in 1948… but this is far from true. Black people have been in Britain before the English even arrived, and their voices make up our country’s history.

At Toot Hill, we have made it a priority to celebrate and embrace our diversity, to teach pupils the whole story, and to challenge racist attitudes at every step. Our teachers have been working incredibly hard to improve the curriculums pupils will be taught while you spend the 5 or 7 years with us. In every subject, you will learn Black stories, hear from Black authors, learn about Black scientific achievements, look at Black artists, learn about Black migration to Britain, and so much more – not just in October, but all year round, and every year.

This month, instead of teaching pupils about one Black individual, teachers will share with pupils where Black History is in their curriculums – pupils will get to see how we have included, quite rightly, Black voices that should always have been there, throughout our curriculum.

And remember – Black History month is a force for good, but if it is ALL we do it is not enough. So, this Black History Month I look forward to seeing Black History all year round, and I hope you do too.

2022-23 Enrolments

The closing date to enrol for the Year 9 Bronze and Year 12/13 Gold DofE Awards is today, Friday 14th October - if you want your child to get involved, please enrol by 5pm! 

Year 10 Silver DofE will be launched soon.  Enrolment letters can be downloaded from www.toothillschool.co.uk/dofe  

To enrol, use these links: 

Year 9 Bronze:    : www.toothillschool.co.uk/dofe-register

Year 12/13 Gold:  https://www.toothillschool.co.uk/forms/doe_gold_2022.php

Year 9 Bronze and Year 10 Silver DofE

A common question I receive is "Can I start my activities yet?"  The answer is definitely...Yes, all pupils are most welcome to start their activities. Once the enrolment process is finished, we'll be able to backdate your start date to ensure your participation is rewarded. 

Dates for Your Diary

Sept / Oct 2022      - Y10 Bronze Graduations

                                - Launch of Y9 Bronze, Y10 Silver and Y12/13 Gold 

Summer 2023         - Expedition Season

FAQ's – see www.toothillschool.co.uk/dofe

Mr Tinsley

mtinsley@toothillschool.co.uk 

This week the Learning Lounge has advertised student librarian roles for this academic year. We have been completely bowled over by the enthusiastic response from our students in years 7, 8 and 9 with 27 completed application forms received so far. A rota will be put together starting after the half term break and we look forward to getting to know our new librarians in training.

College students have been offered the opportunity to be reading mentors to some of our yr7 students. We have had a fantastic response with over 20 students signing up to take on this role. 

Training for our new reading mentors took place in the Learning Lounge in advance of the reading sessions starting. We explored the reasons why reading for pleasure is important, not just for academic success but for development of general knowledge, empathy and understanding and also in supporting mental health. 

We then discussed what the reading sessions will actually look like, including how to assist readers in choosing an appropriate book, how to support readers if they come across new words, and how to question in order to ensure that readers have a deeper understanding of the text. Library staff will be on hand to support in these sessions. 

Some great questions were asked during the Q & A session which followed, and our reading mentors are looking forward to getting started. 

KS3 students have enjoyed browsing the selection of spooky reads on our Halloween themed book display, the Better Book Covers competition continues, we have two students doing the volunteering element of their D of E with us, and the Learning Lounge after school clubs are well attended.

Due to the recent floods, we are holding a Pakistan Flood Relief fundraising day on October 21st.

This will consist of a cake sale (main school only) to raise funds and a Quiz to raise awareness.

We would be very grateful if cakes could be donated and brought into school on Friday morning.

Many thanks in advance for your support and co-operation.

Mrs Rahman 

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