Heading towards the end of the first half term provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved so far, this academic year. Year 7 has had a settling in evening, and they do seem to have adapted well to the demands of secondary school life. They have had or are due to have their team building event in their colleges where they are building bug hotels. Planning one on Friday 13th was maybe a little too ambitious; it is unfortunate that todays has had to be postponed due to the continuous rainfall. We will let everyone know when we will rearrange it for pupils in Lovell. Year 13 have just completed their mocks, and many have submitted their UCAS applications for university. It is an exciting time. Please do not panic if your child has not submitted their form; it is still early.
Hopefully the Y11 pupils can put their revision skills to good use in the run up to their mocks. The revision workshop, ‘preparing to perform’ was really well attended, but if you are experiencing challenges at home, trying to help with revision but being met with resistance, please do contact us so that we can support. Our progress team has a wealth of experience in this field. Email the head of college in the first instance and we will get back in touch.
We are looking forward to the KS3 showcase event on Thursday 19th October. Please do come along. I can’t guarantee my talk on tackling teenagers will be as exciting as all the other events taking place, but it would be lovely to see you all next week.
It was great to see so many of our Y11 at the sixth form open evening. Contact our new Director of Sixth Form, Mr Rayner, if you require any additional information. The deadline for submitting applications for the first wave is November 30th, so there is plenty of time to think through choices and for your child to talk to subject staff.
I have attached as a gentle reminder the parents’ charter; a document put together in conjunction with all secondary headteachers across Cheshire East, outlining expectations so that we can work together to support our children. Part of our whole staff training this year uses the Paul Dix programme ‘When the Adults Change, Everything Changes’. He has recently published a new book building on this, entitled ‘When the Parents Change, Everything Changes’. It has been passed around our staff and I strongly recommend it, not just if you are experiencing challenges at home, but it offers some fantastic advice and tips. Parenting is hard, no one tells you that before you have children, and we should embrace any and all support out there.
We have had a number of exciting trips advertised recently all with limited spaces. I know that many pupils have been disappointed at not securing a place. Please help to manage their disappointment at home rather than sharing your annoyance with our trip leaders. These trips are run on the good will of the staff who give up their own time to organise and facilitate them.
We have had some fantastic sporting success this half term and it was great to see so many pupils out on Tuesday playing netball against Holmes Chapel. You may also have seen that it was a perfect time to show our respects for Pat Arnott. I mentioned reflection at the start of my message and this week reflection has been more poignant following Pat’s death. There have been many tributes for her across Staffordshire and Cheshire and again we extend our condolences to all of Pat’s family and friends. She will be greatly missed. A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at St Mary’s, Alsager at 11am on Saturday 4th November. Should you wish to attend, the request is to wear a bright outfit, not black.
A reminder to contact me to share your child’s achievements out of school. I do love hearing about what they have been involved with.
As always, thank you for your continued support and whatever your plans, have a lovely weekend. I am sure the rugby fans amongst you will be glued to the telly.
“Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be.” (David Bly)
