Weekly Message 66 – 03 April 2020
3rd April 2020
Weekly Message – Issue 66
Today we conclude the Spring Term and tomorrow we begin the Easter Break.
Pupils, parents and carers have been advised that teachers will not be setting any new home learning activities over the Easter Break; instead we encourage pupils to take some time away from home learning and to enjoy some relaxed family time where possible.
There does, however, remain a wealth of resources for pupils to access should they wish to do so 😊. Please note if you are having difficulty accessing the home learning using the ClassCharts app, you can log in from the ClassCharts website, www.classcharts.com, which should resolve any formatting issues.
Cams Hill School wishes all our pupils, parents and carers the very best over the next two weeks. Issue 67 of our Weekly Message will be shared on 24 April 2020, the beginning of the Summer Term!
Communication with pupils, parents and carers
A letter has been sent to all parents/carers today, 4 April 2020 from Mrs Harrison-Jones (Headteacher) and we offer here a link to a government publication for parents and carers https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers
Head of Year and Tutor Messages
We thank pupils, parents and carers for the lovely feedback we have received following the year group ‘Assemblies’ delivered to all pupils last week. The HOYs really enjoyed putting these together and have therefore broadcast again this week, shared via the pupils’ school email accounts.
In addition, all Tutors, missing the regular contact with their Tutees, have written to their Tutor Groups to check-in and keep in touch.
As well as an assembly, Mrs Newman has written separately to Year 11 pupils to include some signposting ahead of next year.
Let’s hear from you…….
HOYs and Tutors would welcome responses from pupils; just a hello or perhaps to share what they have been up to whilst spending this time at home.
We have heard some lovely stories in Year 11 of new football tricks being learnt, exercise plans in the garden, the best music to be listening to right now, what films to watch, books to read and some are even looking at completing courses online. One pupil is even learning Korean because she wants to visit Korea in the future.
Facebook and Twitter
Please do keep visiting our Facebook page and Twitter @cams_hill account to for some useful tips and information and to ‘keep in touch’ with the school.
What has been going on in Maths….?
Do follow us on Twitter: @CamsMaths for puzzle solving, to enter competitions or seek further resources during this lockdown period.
Maths Challenge
Several classes of pupils took part in the Liverpool University Maths Challenges earlier in the term. These featured 8 challenging questions that encouraged pupils to think of their own ways to solve problems, clearly explaining their methods. We have a history of Cams Hill pupils having success in this competition and were delighted to hear that this year was no exception with two pupils receiving certificates of merit for their work, namely Ella Barty (Year 7) and Saranne Charlton (Year 10). Congratulations to both of you and the others who participated!
Great Woman of Mathematics
A couple of pupils had a go at a competition posted on Twitter (through their parents following @CamsMaths). Great Women of Mathematics (@GWOM) has over 7000 followers and posts a daily Maths puzzle for people to solve. Two of our Year 8 pupils solved the problem on Monday, and both had their solutions posted the following day! Well done to Charlotte Williams and Abi Moorhouse!
A new competition …….
Launched yesterday, we invite pupils (and adults) to enter the Cipher Challenge run by Southampton University. It is open to all (pupils and adults alike). We have lots of pupils who love coding, so think this might well appeal. Visit the website to register and see the first challenge: https://www.cipherchallenge.org/account-login/
Acts of Kindness
As a school community we are always keen to take part in local initiatives to support vulnerable members of our wider community, not least whilst we are all living in such uncertain times.
We invite you to follow this link which shares information about local initiatives and Support Services in place during Covid-19, accessible through Fareham Borough Council.
Key Workers School (KWS) – emergency childcare provision for critical workers
Our second week of KWS has been packed with activities ranging from baking, orienteering, sports to art and creative chalk drawing. Oh… and of course mornings with Joe Wicks!
Mr Anderson-Poore has shown he is a man of many skills, and trampled staff and children in his quest to be the orienteering and assault course champion! He’s also pretty good at Mario Cart but we don’t want him to get too big-headed!
We were privileged to have the lovely Mrs McBride take us through an online live yoga session to help us all relax and feel calm during these uncertain times. Both staff and children came away feeling truly grateful to have such a talented member of staff as part of the Cams Hill School Community.
It goes without saying that although we are enjoying our time at KWS, we are all missing fellow staff and pupils dearly. We are turning into a lovely little family but cannot wait to see everyone when things return to normality.
Keep safe and please check in with us on Twitter to see what we’re up to and share some messages 😊
Mental Health
It’s important for pupils to remember that whatever they are going through and however it’s making them feel, it’s okay to talk about it – everyone reacts differently to different events and talking can be an important first step in helping you feel better.
Looking after our mental health is as important as learning our times tables. School closure might be harder for some pupils than others.
Please follow this link for 5 ways to help pupil with their mental health.
Other useful links
Hampshire CAMHS Innovations and Events (@Hampshirecamhs1)
Apps
ThinkNinja
Calm
Websites
https://www.headstogether.org.uk/
https://www.annafreud.org/what-we-do/anna-freud-learning-network/coronavirus/
@HANTS_CAMHS
@YoungMindsUK
The Headteacher’s blog contains more informal reflections and is available here:
https://camsheadteacher.wordpress.com/