Weekly Message 222 – 19 April 2024
17th April 2024
Welcome back to all our readers following the Easter break. The Summer Term is always a busy one as Year 11 embark on their exams, the Year 6 into Year 7 transition programme gets underway as well as other activities that are mapped into the calendar for the term ahead. Please do visit the school calendar to see all upcoming events.
We ask that parents/carers continue to support their child to be equipped for school, to be on time and to maintain regular attendance. Later in this message you will find information that illustrates the impact of good attendance to school.
We also remind parents and carers that their child’s Tutor, Assistant Head of Year and Head of Year are available should there be any areas of concern or matters to bring to the school’s attention. Please visit the ‘contact’ page on our website for information on how to get in touch.
Ski Trip
On Friday 29 March,
36 pupils and 5 staff embarked on the long journey to Austria for the ski trip. There was plenty of excitement about what the week would hold.
The journey passed quickly, made more enjoyable by the comfortable coach and the drivers from AC Travel. We finally arrived at our hotel on Saturday afternoon. Once unloaded and rooms organised it was time for ski fit, with the realisation that the next day would be the first day of mountain skiing for most of the pupils. An early night was the order of the day as everyone was super tired from the journey.
Sunday was day one of skiing and since most of the pupils were total beginners, the learner slopes was where we started. Sadly, the weather halted our progress and due to high winds, the mountain was closed but the pupils had a full morning and soon realised that skiing is tiring. Sunday was quiz night, thank you to Mrs Cother for organising that.
Monday was wet but the winds dropped, and the mountain was open again; despite the conditions, everyone made progress. The day concluded with movie night ‘Cars 2’.
On Tuesday the weather was stunning, with some fantastic views the higher up the mountain the groups went. The instructors were full of praise with all groups, not just about their engagement but their politeness and resilience. In the evening we went bowling and swimming. The pupils also got to grips with ‘old skool’ skittles, pool, and table football.
We had another beautiful day on the slopes on Wednesday and progress was evident. Most pupils made it further up the mountain and were experiencing t-bar lifts, chair lifts and gondolas. Wednesday evening was spent swimming in Zell am See; we had diving displays and flume rides.
On Thursday the conditions were fantastic and for everyone the skiing penny had finally dropped! It was wonderful to see everyone’s progress and hear about the runs and races that the top group got involved in. An Après Ski Awards Evening provided a lot laughs with silly awards and glow sticks!
Friday was our final day of skiing, which everyone enjoyed and then the long journey home.
We would like to commend all the pupils who attended the trip. They were polite, respectful and above all an absolute credit to their families and the school. Thank you to all the staff involved in making this a fabulous trip for all.
Disney Netball Tournament
On 7 April, 29 pupils travelled to Paris to take part in a netball tournament and visit Disney. We had one Year 8 team, one mixed Years 8 and 9 team and one mixed Years 9 and 10 team. All pupils played so well, and represented the school brilliantly, even though they were challenged at times.
The school is so proud of how they played. The U16 team came 2nd overall out of 16 teams! We then spent a whole day in Disney. We laughed so hard, especially with the girls on the Tower of Terror! This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip with lovely pupils. A massive thank you to all the staff who gave up their holiday to accompany the trip.
Cams Hill Dance Show
This week 80 pupils took part in the ‘Cams Hill Dance Show 2024’ at the Titchfield Festival Theatre. This featured Year 11 GCSE practical work along with Year 10 trios, multiple performances from our dance companies, who have been working tirelessly since September and some KS3 duets and solos that pupils have made in their own time. The pupils rehearsed at the theatre on Thursday before performing a show on Thursday night and Friday night. The first show was a huge success, and the pupils are all looking forward to performing again on Friday!
Along with dancers, we had many pupils volunteer to support with hair and make-up, stage crew and to photograph and video the show. The pupils were impeccably behaved, and it was great for parents, carers, and friends to see their talent and hard work showcased on a professional stage.
TECH:TRUCK
On Thursday we were lucky enough to have the TECH:TRUCK visit Cams Hill School for the entire day. This allowed 14 pupils from each year group to spend an hour in the truck learning all about advancements in technology and how these can be applied to careers in the future. Pupils were able to try out two different VR headsets, interact with a robot and programme a remote-controlled ball around the courts. We look forward to the truck returning next year when they will have a robotic arm and 3D printer for pupils to interact with.
Attendance
What does Good Attendance look like? Do you know your child’s attendance?
Regular and punctual attendance to school is a legal requirement and vital for young people to fulfil their potential socially and academically. Missing lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind.
We want all our pupils to receive an excellent education which maximises opportunities to thrive. Regular attendance is directly linked to raising achievement and develops skills for life and work. Research indicates that there is a direct link between poor attendance and poor achievement. A child with only 90% attendance across a year will miss almost four weeks of school (100 lessons). Over a period of five school years, a pupil with 90% attendance will miss half a whole school year. Similarly, pupils with poor punctuality miss valuable lesson time and, if it happens regularly, progress will be jeopardised.
We take school absence very seriously. We identify pupils whose attendance drops below 95% and provide support and intervention to help improve this. It is therefore important for parents/carers to work together with the school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance.
What can you do to help?
- Ensure your child arrives to school on time each day, equipped and ready to learn.
- Take an interest in the education of your child by talking to them about school and by attending school events.
- If your child is not able to attend school, call before 9.00am on each day of absence.
- Be alert to any signs that could affect school attendance.
- Inform the school immediately if there are any matters that arise that may affect the attendance of your child.
If you are concerned about your child’s attendance, please get in touch. The Attendance and Year Teams are here to help and support you. If you would like to meet to discuss attendance, possible fines, absences, strategies to raise attendance or if you need help with understanding EBSA (emotional based school avoidance) or to assist with any concerns you may have regarding your child’s attendance, please call the school (01329 231641) and speak to our Attendance and Home Link Officer
Menu
Next week features
- Bubble Tea!!! Peach & Jasmine bubble tea with peach popping bubbles on Friday
- Ice Cream with the warmer weather approaching we are going to get the ice cream machine out and give it a whirl!
Parents/Carers of Year 11 – please be aware of your child’s account balance. If your child has an overdraft, please can you clear it. Please also be advised that we will not be authorising any further overdrafts, so for the exam period, please make sure your child has funds available to make purchases.
Statistics
Attendance this week
Attendance for this week is 93.36%
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 6.39 points
Year 8 3.67 points
Year 9 3.95 points
Year 10 4.04 points
Year 11 2.81 points
MathsWatch and Educake
These are two online resources that we expect pupils to be accessing routinely with homework set by teachers and independently to support their progress in Maths, Science and other subjects. We ask parents to check in with their child to see whether they are accessing these resources routinely and to encourage best use of them.
MathsWatch
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 2.5 questions
Year 8 3.0 questions
Year 9 3.2 questions
Year 10 3.2 questions
Year 11 16.8 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 90 questions
Year 8 53 questions
Year 9 34 questions
Year 10 26 questions
Year 11 252 questions
Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages. Figures are lower this week due to the Easter break, Work Experience for Y10, no upcoming assessments and trials with other Maths websites.
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 8.62 questions
Year 8 5.83 questions
Year 9 5.12 questions
Year 10 74.19 questions
Year 11 50.51 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 244 questions
Year 8 182 questions
Year 9 164 questions
Year 10 508 questions
Year 11 1081 questions