Weekly Message 244 – 15 November 2024
15th November 2024
Remembrance Day
Thank you to all parents and carers who were able to join us for the Year 8 and Year 9 Tutor Evening on Tuesday and for the feedback provided on the questionnaire; it is important for us to hear parents’/carers’ perspectives, alongside pupil and staff voice, as we continue to develop the school for its community.
If parents and carers have a query or concern they wish to raise with the school, please note that this can be done at any time – details on how to contact the school can be found on our website.
We also remind parents and carers that the school is closed to pupils on Monday 25 November 2025 as it is an INSET Day. Please refer to the school calendar for all activities and events taking place across the year.
Remembrance Day
On Monday, we took part in Remembrance Day commemorations, to recognise all of those who have lost their lives in conflict. The whole school took part in the national 2-minute silence at 11am, accompanied by Aiden playing the ‘Last Post’ and ‘Reveille’, and a reading by Lilly, also in Year 10, ‘For the Fallen’, by Laurence Binyon. These were all streamed live to the whole school for pupils and staff to observe in their classrooms. Pupils in Key Stage 3 have also been focusing on remembrance for their Art lessons, with a fantastic array of remembrance themed homework on display in the main corridor and reception.
Odd Socks Day
On Tuesday 12 November our school community embraced the opportunity to wear odd socks as a sign of respect and acceptance of each other. The socks provided an opportunity (alongside assemblies and tutor time activities) to have conversations about diversity and the importance of every pupil feeling safe and welcome at school. As expected, Cams Hill pupils and staff rose to the challenge and it was great to see so many odd socks around the school!
City of Portsmouth College Student Leadership Network – Year 8 and Year 10
Pupils from Year 8 had their first pupil leadership session at Unloc Portsmouth at the Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday and pupils from Year 10 also attended a session on Tuesday. They explored what it meant to be a leader and what leadership meant to them. They took part in team building activities and used AI to create an image of what leadership looked like to them. They represented the school fantastically and their enthusiasm was noted by the course leaders.
Year 10 Music Workshops
On Wednesday we took the Year 10 GCSE Music class to a workshop at Havant and Southdowns College. The pupils analysed two versions of a classic song by Burt Bacharach and then learned to perform the piece to develop their ensemble skills. The pupils were well motivated and engaged by this opportunity and conducted themselves brilliantly.
Cams Hill Community Cookbook
It’s not too late to submit your recipe! If you would like your favourite family dish to be included in our cookbook, please upload via the link or QR code below:
https://forms.office.com/e/Xg4V0mxVSb
Maths Countdown
Pupil’s Success – Photography Competition
Our very own Oliver recently entered a local photography competition run by Pompey Darkroom. The Open24 Young Photographers show encouraged young people to enter photographs on the theme of ‘Common Ground’. The work from eleven different local photographers was on show at the Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth. From Portraiture to Still Life and landscapes, the young artists embraced this year’s Photo Fringe festival theme, using photography to explore shared understanding and new perspectives.
“It was nice to see my photo in the exhibition; although it was only small it felt really good to see them up on the wall amongst other young photographers. I like to take my photographs wherever I go without much editing, these were taken in Southsea and Cornwall, Pentewan Sands.”
Pupil’s Success – Ice Skating
Annabel and her partner won the gold medal last weekend at the Pavel Roman Memorial in Olomouc, Czech Republic! This achievement is a testament to a lot of hard work and dedication—an incredible milestone in their ice dance journey.
Relationships and Sex Education Consultation
Thank you to all our parents and carers who viewed or responded to the Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) consultation. The results of the consultation can be viewed here.
Sports Results
Year7/8 girls’ football won against Portchester 10-1
Year 7 boys’ football won against Fareham Academy 4-0
Year 11 boys football won against Henry Cort 7-1
Well done to everyone who took part.
Menu w/c 18 November 2024
We will be featuring a NEW Chef’s Pod which will be Roast Turkey Baguette with all the trimmings… Also due to the popularity of the hot sweet we will be doing a Warm Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate Custard.
Keep an eye out for our Warm Doughnuts & Churros after school.
Whole School Letters Published This Half Term
Below is a list of letters emailed to all parents/carers this half term together with the date and time they were sent. If you are unable to find any of the communications, please email office@camshill.com and we can send you a further copy.
Christmas Lunch, 11 December – 8/11/24 1801
Odd Socks Day, 12 November – 8/11/24 1700
Non- School Uniform day, 15 November – 8/11/24 0905
Remembrance Day – 5/11/24 1405
Uniform Expectations – 31/10/24 1318
Homework for Learning – 28/10/24 1414
Statistics
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week – 4-day week
Year 7 8.46 points
Year 8 6.45 points
Year 9 6.57 points
Year 10 6.37 points
Year 11 8.13 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/carers to check in with their child to see whether they are accessing these resources routinely and to encourage the best use of them.
If there are issues with access, please bring this to the school’s attention as soon as possible so that we can help.
MathsWatch
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 6.9 questions
Year 8 9.2 questions
Year 9 8.1 questions
Year 10 6.9 questions
Year 11 8.4 questions
Highest Number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 44 questions
Year 8 209 questions
Year 9 45 questions
Year 10 146 questions
Year 11 212 questions
Over 50% in Maths Homework
Year 7 65%
Year 8 46%
Year 9 43%
Year 10 42%
Year 11 47%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 60%
Year 8 37%
Year 9 30%
Year 10 26%
Year 11 32%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 44%
Year 8 26%
Year 9 17%
Year 10 7%
Year 11 7%
Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages.
Maths Assessment dates for Autumn term
w/b 2 December – Year 10 – 2 papers, one using a calculator
w/b 9 December – Year 9 – calculator paper
w/b 16 December Year 8 – calculator paper
w/b 16 December – Year 7 – calculator paper
A revision list will be published a week before the assessment to support with homework preparation for the test.
Assessments will be marked by the class teacher and then feedback will be given in class along with a pupil feedback sheet to support future learning.
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculators can be bought via Scopay and collected from the Finance Office. Prices of these and other items for sale are shown below:
Calculators and other equipment for sale
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculators can be bought via Scopay and collected from the Finance Office. Prices of these and other items for sale are shown below:
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculator- £9.00
Pre-packed pencil case – £2.50
Pair of compasses – 29p
Protractor – 9p
100 blank flashcards – £1.00
A range of GCSE Maths revision materials for KS4 use – See Scopay for details
Please note that pupils in Years 9 and 10, who are currently in middle sets for Maths are covering the Higher tier syllabus. This will be shown as Intermediate on the assessment feedback sheet that gets emailed home.
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 35.45 questions
Year 8 79.72 questions
Year 9 233.98 questions
Year 10 56.80 questions
Year 11 71.58 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 606 questions
Year 8 475 questions
Year 9 1,333 questions
Year 10 228 questions
Year 11 409 questions