PARENT BULLETIN - Crestwood Community School
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
PARENT
BULLETIN
Friday 15th March 2019
Week commencing 18th March: Week 1 Timetable
School Website Extra-Curricular Clubs Term Dates General School Notices Menus
Dear Parents / Carers,
It has been another great week at Crestwood. Year 11 have started their final set of mocks with earnest. From the
looks on their faces as they have left the exam hall, to the quiet conversation as they walked away analysing the
questions with their peers, shows there is a feeling that they are on the right track with their revision. To aid them
in the final months before the real GCSEs we have run two revision events for parents this week, to advise them
on how to support their children at home. Both events, one on each campus, were extremely well attended, with
parents and students working together on how to get the best results in the coming months.
This week we also held our Welcome Meetings for parents of Year 6 who have chosen Crestwood for their
children in September. The great news is that Crestwood will again be full in Year 7 for September. In the coming
months we will be visiting each primary school, speaking to the Year 6 teachers and getting to know each of the
248 children who will be joining us as part of the Crestwood Family.
Finally, on Friday the school was painted red as Comic Relief was celebrated. There were a great many events
run by students from all year groups. There were cakes sales, raffles and students were encouraged to come in
dressed in Disney themed costumes. The best costumes must be the 5 Year 11s who came dressed as the Power
Rangers, as well as Tim Downs as Timothy Mouse. Well done to all students and staff that took part.
We would value ongoing dialogue with parents on what else you would like mentioned in this bulletin. So if you
have any thoughts please do not hesitate to contact us on the email addresses below. There are some key dates
for parents to be aware of, in the coming weeks:
● Year 11 Exams 11th-22nd March
● Year 9 Parents’ Evening, Thursday 28th March, 5.00-7.30pm (Shakespeare Campus Sports Hall)
● Year 7-8 Disco, Tuesday 2nd April, 6.30-8.00pm (Cherbourg Campus Main Hall)
● Year 11 Parents’ Evening, Thursday 4th April, 5.00-7.30pm (Shakespeare Campus Sports Hall)
● Last day of Spring Term, Friday 5th April (2.50pm finish)
● Year 11 group photos have been postponed until further notice. This is due to the new GDPR guidelines
and permissions that we have to seek from parents before the photograph can be taken and
distributed/displayed. Further information will be coming out to Year 11 parents shortly.
Krista Dawkins Tim Nash Steve Gibbs
Head Teacher Head of School - Cherbourg Head of School - Shakespeare
krista.dawkins@crestwood.hants.sch.uk tim.nash@crestwood.hants.sch.uk steve.gibbs@crestwood.hants.sch.uk
Mathematics Mymaths Website Some pupils have been experiencing problems using the mymaths website at home when using tablets. To overcome this issue Mymaths have given the following guidance: When searching for the app it should look like the following: After downloading the app and clicking on it, it will take you to the following window. If you click on the Mymaths icon it will take you to the Mymaths website and pupils need to login as normal. They should then be able to access everything and complete all homework tasks without any issues.. If you still experience problems using the site you can contact me on the following email address paul.caplen@crestwood.hants.sch.uk and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Year 11 In preparation for their Mathematics exam in June, Year 11 will be set different types of homework on a three week cycle. . week 1: Problem solving questions . week 2: Knowledge organisers and topic specific revision . week 3: Completion of a GCSE mathematics paper. This week they will be given some problem solving questions which will need to be handed in the following week. Last week All pupils were given a GCSE paper to complete and were given two weeks to complete it to the best of their ability. This will also need to be handed in next week. Completion of homework is vital in preparing them for their GCSE exam in the Summer. Your help supporting these pupils in completing their homework to the best of their ability will be gratefully appreciated. PIXL Maths App All year 11 pupils have been shown how to access the pixl maths app and should have now downloaded this app on their phones if they have one. The app contains a range of in-built questions that allow students to practice (on or offline) the core skills within the Mathematics curriculum to ensure success in any GCSE exam. The app then
allows areas of weakness to be remedied through therapy videos to ensure progress is made. With the ability of
creating endless questions around the same topic, students are then able to test themselves to ensure that the
problem has been resolved.
When logging onto the app the following screen with appear
The school id is CR1270.
For a pupil named John Smith,
- The user id would be smithJ
- The password would be smithj19Awards
Spending a little time on this app each day the tools they can use to help them prepare for their Summer
examinations. As such I would appreciate it if you could encourage any year 11s in your care to do this.
Mr Russell is preparing a folder of revision resources for year 11. A guide to using this app will be
included in this.
Thank you,
Mr Caplen
Science
THE WORLD OF PLANTS
Year 7 have been studying the world of plants this week. Miss Bax was very pleased with how her students conducted
themselves during their lessons; they learnt all about the different parts of a flower.
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Crestwood Community School
Comic Relief - Red Nose Day - Disney Theme
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Crestwood Community School
Reminders/Important Notices
Textiles Extra Enhancement Sessions
Miss Dewey's Textiles class have their practical deadline for their coursework in two weeks time.
Miss Dewey will be running extra enhancement sessions for the next two wednesday's in G4 from 3-6pm.
“Please make sure you attend - there will be snacks provided! Well done with all your hard work so far!”
Miss Dewey
ENGLISH - YOUNG WRITERS SHORT STORY COMPETITION
Permission forms for the Young Writers short story competition need to be posted back as soon as possible. The
organisers are hoping to publish over 130 of our students’ stories but can only do so with parents’ permission. The
address for completed permission forms is listed in the letter that came home.
Thank you.
If you require any further information, please email me.
Mrs Duffy
charlotte.duffy@crestwood.hants.sch.uk
BOOK CLUB
A short while ago Year 9 students were invited to join our after school Book Club and the first meeting took place on
Thursday 7th March. Our first book was ‘The Island at the End of Everything’ which received mixed reviews from our
members. Our next book is ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, a well known classic. If any students would like to join, the
next meeting is on Thursday 4th April, 3-4pm on the Cherbourg Campus. A minibus service is provided between
campuses. Please see your English teacher to put your name down and collect a copy of the book.
Ami lives on Culion, an When the downtrodden
island for people who have animals of Manor Farm
leprosy. Her mother is overthrow their master Mr
infected. She loves her Jones and take over the
home - but then islanders farm themselves, they
untouched by sickness are imagine it is the beginning
forced to leave. Ami's of a life of freedom and
desperate to return before equality. But gradually a
her mother's death. She cunning, ruthless élite
finds a strange and fragile among them,
hope in a colony of masterminded by the pigs
butterflies. Can they lead Napoleon and Snowball,
her home before it's too starts to take control. Soon
late? the other animals discover
that they are not all as
equal as they thought, and
find themselves hopelessly
ensnared as one form of
tyranny is replaced with
another.
YEAR 10 - WORK EXPERIENCE
Work Experience - Year 10 - 1st to 12th July
The deadline for work experience is fast approaching.
Thank you to all the parents and businesses who have help with placements.
If you or your child still has not returned a completed WEX8 form, please help them or contact me and I will help them.
Any students who do not have a placement will be expected to be in school during those weeks.
Thank you
Mrs Dawn Smith
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Crestwood Community School
Careers Where am I going? Are your children wondering about their futures? Do you have questions about qualifications and careers? Why not take a look at the fantastic careers resource on the school website? http://crestwood.hants.sch.uk/school-information/curriculum/careers/ Career Companion gives information about all sorts of pathways - Apprenticeships, A-Levels, Vocational and practical courses for all year groups and for parents. Just follow the link, click on the Career companion Logo and find a whole host of information on possible future pathways. If you are not sure what you want to do, try the free SACU student test (parents can do this too - find out if you are in the right job!) https://sacu-student.com/ Simply sign up for free and take the test - all you have to do is choose the pictures which most match you and this amazing resource will point you at a range of possible careers - it also tells you how to get into those jobs and even what the salary might be! Any questions about careers - please contact Andrew.whittick@crestwood.hants.sch.uk or Dawn.smith@crestwood.hants.sch.uk
Music - Orchestra Trip
THEME OF THE WEEK: KNOW YOUR APPS - A PARENT’S GUIDE
Mobile phones and other devices have become “vital” appendages in most teenagers’ lives. It’s how they connect
with one another, and the rest of the world. While there are many advantages and fun-aspects of social media,
there are also some very real dangers. Cyberbullying, sexting, and gossip are often taking place inside apps that
were not necessarily designed for such use. Here is a list of a number which do concern us:
Yubo has been called “Tinder for kids,” and is marketed to 13- to 17-year-olds as a way to make new
friends. Yubo has more than 15 million users worldwide, despite vocal concerns about allowing
children to use it. it embodies one of the most dangerous aspects of social media: It allows teens the
ability to easily meet people (strangers) outside their parent’s sphere of knowledge or control and ...
matching [them] with another person geographically near them, facilitating face-to-face meetings.
The app changed its name in December from Yellow to Yubo and did some rebranding, It should be noted there is
still no age verification when you create an account. That means that the door is still open for adult sexual
predators who lie about their age and create fake profiles to lure children.
Marco Polo allows you to interact with friends via disappearing videos. The danger in this app lies in
the fact that your teenager may receive inappropriate videos and then have no proof of the bullying
or harassment done to them via the app. The same can also be true in reverse.
Omegle is a live streaming video and chat app that exists solely so that strangers can talk to one
another. It also has a website that can be accessed on a mobile device and is a platform that
parents should have on their radar. Here’s the app’s description on the Omegle website: “Omegle is
a great way to meet new friends. When you use Omegle, we pick someone else at random and let
you talk one-on-one. To help you stay safe, chats are anonymous unless you tell someone who you
are (not suggested!), and you can stop a chat at any time. Predators have been known
to use Omegle, so please be careful.” Most parents will go on high alert over that last sentence.
These next 3 Apps are very similar in nature. They can be downloaded as apps or used via websites. They allow
people to follow users anonymously, and ask any question they want. You can share photos, organise events,
share games, news and anything of interest to you from the internet.Due to its anonymous nature, they can be
quite conducive to cyberbullying. It also brings sexually explicit messages to the table. Because any user can ask
any other user a question (anonymously), there’s no telling whether your child is talking to someone their age or
someone much older. Therefore there could be a risk of attracting sexual predators.
Another anonymous messaging app, Whisper allows users to connect in groups based upon their
interests and location, and is used for “telling secrets”. While the app is rated 17+, the application
allows 15-17 year olds to use the platform. Posts are “whispers” and users can search under topics
and then reply publicly or open a personal chat. What makes Whisper one of the most dangerous
apps for kids is that the anonymous aspect of the platform, paired with the location-based grouping,
can easily connect your child with a predator.
On Blendr, kids can message, exchange photos and videos, and rate the “hotness” of other users,
based upon GPS location -- this, alone, poses an obvious issue with teens and tweens who are
basing their identity and self-esteem on the feedback they receive from their peers. There is no age
restriction, so your children can potentially be having exchanges with adults through this app.
What can we do to keep our kids safe?
● Communicate. Talk to your child often about sexual victimization and potential on-line danger. Share
current news stories with your tweens and teens (make sure the see the ‘real’ faces behind the fake,
friendly avatars).
● Explain “the why” behind not allowing them to use these apps. Encourage them to use sites where you can
monitor what is being said yourself.
● Spend time with your children online. Have them teach you about their favorite apps, networks, and
destinations. Ask about apps like SnapChat, Instagram, Twitter etc. Now is a great time to ask them to
open it up and show you around. If they hesitate, that’s a great sign, the app needs to go.
● Regularly monitor your child’s phone. And, keep laptops and family computers in a common room in the
house, not in your child’s bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate
with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
● Utilize parental controls. Compare and contrast filters based on how your children use their devices.
● Teach your child the responsible use of the resources online. There is much more to the online experience
than chat rooms.
● Understand, even if your child was a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, which he/she is
not at fault and is the victim. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions.
You can also read
