WEEKLY UPDATE - January 22nd 2021 - Bolton St ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
WEEKLY UPDATE – January 22nd 2021
Message from Rachael Lucas, Headteacher
Happy Friday to you all!
I hope you week has gone well and you have enjoyed the seasonal weather!
YEAR 8 OPTIONS: The Senior Leadership Team, and other senior staff, have been calling all Year 8
students this week to chat about their options - a lovely opportunity to speak about what they
enjoy in school. It was really pleasing on my calls to hear about how much Year 8 seem to be
enjoying their remote leaning and, once again, engagement and attendance has increased this
week. Well done to all those students who are really getting on board with their remote learning. It
is a pleasure to see and makes us very proud as school that our young people are showing such
resilience in these difficult times.
KEYWORKER PLACES: We are currently having to operate a waiting list of some students who have
requested a Key Worker space as we are at full capacity. We will be in touch with those parents if
a space arises.
REMOTE LEARNING POLICY: Below is the link on the website for our updated Remote Learning
Policy and Plan. Please do take a few minutes to read.
CLICK HERE – REMOTE LEARNING POLICY AND PLAN
Below is an excerpt from the updated Remote Learning Plan outlining our responsibilities as a
school, what the students need to do and how families can also support home learning through
this difficult time.
BSCA will:
▪ Provide remote education which follows students’ timetables and includes a
combination of live delivery, pre-recorded content and tasks and assignments.
▪ Monitor engagement and take steps to safeguard all students
▪ Provide students with feedback, through a range of means appropriate for the task
▪ Continue to reflect on the effectiveness of the provision, learning and improving as we
gain experience
▪ Provide support for students with an EHCP
▪ Provide feedback to families on students’ engagement
▪ Contact families when students do not log in to Teams
Pupils will: Families will:
▪ Log in to Teams and complete all ▪ Ensure that students are logged in,
lessons, RISE and assemblies, engaging with their learning and
following their usual timetable. following their timetable
▪ Engage in the learning, activities, ▪ Ensure that students are focused, not
tasks, and assessment that are engaging in other activities, instead
provided for them completing the learning, tasks and
▪ Act in line with the usual school rules, assessments that are required
respecting staff and other students ▪ Support pastoral and attendance
and not doing anything that teams if they notify of poor
interrupts the learning of others engagement
▪ Use chat responsibly, for learning ▪ Support the school’s behaviour
related comments and questions expectations
▪ Remain on mute unless the teacher ▪ Not get involved in the delivery of
instructs lessons
▪ Take care of all equipment loaned ▪ Let the school know if there is
▪ Let the teacher or your head of year anything preventing students from
know if there is anything preventing engaging with their learning
you from engaging with your ▪ Raise any concerns with your head of
learning year as usual
ASSEMBLY THEMES: This week’s secondary assembly theme is commemoration of Holocaust
Memorial Day, which falls on January 27th. I will be taking all assemblies next week and I am really
looking forward to seeing all students online as we collectively remember, and reflect on the
horrific events of the holocaust.
Wishing you a safe weekend filled with kindness and hope.
Rachael Lucas
Headteacher
ARE YOU LOOKING TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
Bolton Council are running workshops online for anyone who wants to know more
about starting their own creative business. Topics include:
• How a Creative Business Works
• Your Ideas for a Creative Business – Will They Work?
• Earning Regularly Through Your Creative Business
The sessions run each Thursday, 10am – 12pm, for three weeks, with the first session starting on
Thursday January 28th. All sessions are FREE. Click the name of the workshops above to book in.
SUPPORT ON TEAMS FROM TEACHING ASSISTANTS - SECONDARY
For those students who have been receiving Teaching Assistant support online on TEAMs, the
location of this support online has been moved.
This is so you can find the support more easily than having to go to a separate group while you are
in lesson. TA Support will now appear as a channel in each lesson team as shown below, only those
who usually get support in lessons will see this.
FREE VIRTUAL LIBRARY
Internet classroom Oak National Academy has created a virtual library, after schools moved to
remote learning again. Formed with The National Literacy Trust, the library will provide
a book, or audiobook, every week from its ‘Author of the Week’.
This is great opportunity for our students, and parents, to access new books whilst at
home. If you haven’t listened to audiobooks before, why not give one a chance – they
are brilliant to have on in the background, for bedtime stories or for listening to whilst
on a walk.
This week’s free book is ‘The Story of Tracey Beaker’ by Dame Jacqueline Wilson DBE.
Click HERE to read the book, and see a video message from the author.
FREE SCHOOL MEALS UPDATE – PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
I need to let you know that as the Government is encouraging schools to use Edenred to supply the
Free School Meal Vouchers, the Trust have asked that we also use this company rather than Wonde,
who we wrote to you about last week. My apologies for the possible confusion about this.
Please look out for your vouchers that hopefully should appear with you the week beginning 25 th
January. I do have to say however, that having previously used this voucher scheme in lockdown
one, it was not the speediest of systems, therefore we cannot guarantee your vouchers will arrive
on the 25th January, but they should certainly arrive during the week. Please also check your junk
folders. The email is from the Edenred, not BSCA.
If you have any concerns about any of this please do contact David Rostron via the main school
reception.
Mrs Lucas
TIME2TALK SESSIONS – COME AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Children’s Mental Health Week is 1st – 7th February 2021. We want to ensure we give both students
and parents time with staff to discuss this important area. There are two events below that you are
very welcome to join – we would love to hear from you. Remember, we are all doing the best we
can, and sometimes sharing with someone else is helpful both to you, and so that we can look at
new ways to provide support.
Student Time2Talk TEAMS Meeting Parent Time2Talk TEAMS Meeting
2.30pm-3.00pm 2.00pm-2.30pm
Wednesday 3rd February 2021 Thursday 4th February 2021
Students are invited to join a team of staff to Parents and carers are invited to join a staff
discuss and share how we can combat poor and parent team to discuss and share what
emotional health during our second is and isn’t working for us at home. We would
lockdown. We would love you to share what love to share this time with you to sign post
you are doing to stay POSTIVE and would local support and to give you a space to ask
love to ask you what YOU think we should do questions and to encourage each other
to support our student’s emotional well- that we are all in this together. Parent
being in these coming months. engagement is really important to us and
we would love to share some of your advice
Each Year group will receive a TEAMS invite.
through our website.
If you know of anyone in our Secondary
School who would benefit from a little
Time2Talk please encourage them to be
there by inviting them to join with you. If you would like to join please email
COVIDsupport@boltonstcatherinesacademy.org.uk
YEAR 8 OPTIONS UPDATE
If you have a student in Year 8, a senior member of staff will be calling you over
the next week. As we continue our Options process, and students choose their
subjects, we will call and speak to every student to make sure they have made
the best choices for them.
Please look out for a call and let your children know that they will be speaking with
a member of staff about this.
Even though we are not physically in school, we want to make sure our Year 8 students are aware
of the choices they have, and receive good advice about choosing the subjects they will be
studying for the next three years.
Mr Ward
REMOTE LEARNING AWARDS
A massive well done to all of our students who are continuing to embrace
their online lessons, and consistently displaying our school values, even whilst
at home.
Last week the recipients of our Remote Learning Awards were:
Student First Name Year Group Value Demonstrated Subject
Hawraa Year 7 Strive Technology
Connor Year 9 Care Technology
Josh Year 10 Strive Technology
Megan Year 9 Achieve Sport and Vocational
Keeley Year 11 Care Sport and Vocational
Abdullahi Year 10 Believe Sport and Vocational
Bradley Year 9 Care Science
Liam Year 7 Care Science
Connor Year 8 Strive Science
Fazal Year 10 Care Science
Abdullah Year 11 Strive Science
Zak Year 7 Care Maths
Carmel Year 8 Strive Maths
Violet Year 9 Achieve Maths
Callum Year 10 Achieve Maths
Libby Year 11 Strive Maths
Hawraa Year 7 Achieve Humanities
Carmel Year 8 Strive Humanities
Connor Year 9 Care Humanities
Mia Year 10 Achieve Humanities
Will Year 11 Achieve Humanities
Hawraa Year 7 Strive English
Ify Year 8 Strive English
Lacey-Jo Year 9 Achieve English
Brooke Year 10 Strive English
Lily Year 11 Believe English
Ruby Year 7 Strive Creative
Madison Year 8 Strive Creative
Mason Year 9 Achieve Creative
Brooke Year 10 Strive and Care Creative
Jessica Year 11 Achieve Creative
Keeley Year 11 Achieve Year 11
Ryan Year 9 Believe Year 9
Carmel Year 8 Strive Year 8
Jasmine Year 13 Achieve Sixth Form
Mrs Platt and Mr WhittakerSOCIAL MEDIA
Don’t forget to keep in touch via social media. The team will be posting regularly, with information,
challenges and support.
This week we continued with our theme of ‘I am Influential’, and looked at those
who have been influential on our own lives. Some are people we see daily, and
others are those famous figures, well-known for their achievements, contribution
to society or for standing up for what
they know is right. Our Wellbeing
Wednesday video came from Miss Platt,
this week, who gave us some great tips
on remaining engaged whilst working online. One of
those was making sure we have some downtime in-
between lessons, and plenty of snacks! You can see the
video on our Instagram page.
We would love to keep in touch with you so make sure
you check our social media pages regularly and get involved with the posts, encouragements and
challenges.
If you haven’t already, make sure you ‘Like’ the page to receive notifications when we post.
ONLINE SAFETY
As students spend increasing amounts of time online, we feel it is important to remind you that their
safety is paramount. We will continue to share ways you can ensure your family are safe online.
You can also download a free app from National Online Safety. Here you can access help and
information about all aspects of online safety, including the latest apps, online games and viral
trends. Follow the links below to download:
Apple: https://hubs.ly/H0Dlwk50
Android: https://hubs.ly/H0DltPM0
Desktop: https://hubs.ly/H0DltPN0
ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!
We hope you can get some fresh air this weekend and stay away from screen as much as you can, both
parents and students. Why not follow on from our theme ‘I am Influential’, and think of a way in which
you, as a parent, can be a positive influence for someone else.
As always, please contact us if you need any support.
Have a great weekend!You can also read
