Headteachers Letter – 17th June 2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had another great week- and the students have done themselves and the school proud with the way that they have conducted themselves this week, particularly during the hot weather today!

 

School Uniform

Last week, I was privileged to work with a small group of our students on photos for our new school prospectus and to update our school website. Sat looking at the proofs this week, I must acknowledge how immensely proud I am of our students and how, for the vast majority, they wear our uniform with pride and look incredibly smart. Indeed, we welcomed some external visitors to the school this week who have commented on how amazing our students are and what a lovely atmosphere there was around school. This is testament those students and staff who have high expectations and who consistently work hard and achieve great success.

However, I must also acknowledge that for some of our students I have noticed that uniform compliance is not quite where it needs to be. Therefore, I have directed year teams to ensure that our high standards are maintained and that persistent uniform issues are addressed. If you are aware that your child has any missing uniform items please be reassured that we have a good stock of new and reconditioned uniform on site that can be purchased through the school website. Should current circumstances be a barrier to ensuring your child is in school uniform please contact the relevant head of year may be able to provide some additional support.

 

District Athletic Championships

The District Athletics Championships took place on Wednesday 8th June at Oundle School. This competition was against all the local schools in the district with the top 2 placed athletes advancing to the County Schools Finals.

Fifty students, across three different year groups (Years 8-10), were selected to take part. Every student who took part were a great credit to the school in both their athletic performances and their attitude on the day.  Several pupils gained podium finishes and gained selection for the East Northants Districts for the County Schools Athletics Finals. Well done to all those who have taken part and good luck for those who have qualified for the County Schools Finals!

 

Duke of Edinburgh

The second half of our Year 10 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh cohort completed their expedition last week. It was another successful trip with superb walking conditions. There were some great displays of navigation skills, teamwork and perseverance. Despite a hard days walking and some rather sore looking blisters there was still lots of energy on camp at the end of day one and it was lovely to see the cohort come together as a group (although rather less lovely when some were so keen they woke staff up at 5am!). This expedition was the final Bronze trip out this year, although we do have our Silver/Gold trip to the Peaks coming up in July. We would also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the staff that have been involved and given up their time to make our Bronze training programme and expedition season so successful.

 

2022 Wollaston School Careers Fair

Preparations are taking place for the 2022 Wollaston School Careers Fair on Friday June 24th. The careers fair is an annual event that forms an integral part of our careers education provision and is always invaluable to our students, giving them the opportunity to not only find out essential information regarding future careers and educational pathways but also giving them the opportunity showcase Wollaston School to the wider community. We are delighted that, at the time of writing, 38 organisations have agreed to attend and we are sure the Year 10 and year 12 students will greatly benefit from this experience. In advance of this, parents and carers of children in Years 10 and 12 may find it beneficial to help them prioritise which industries or educational providers they wish to speak to and to help them prepare relevant questions.

We are hugely appreciative of the many organisations who have agreed to support this event.

 

Student Achievements

On Saturday, Rhythmic gymnasts from all over the county took part in the County Championships in various age groups and levels. One of our Year 8s,

Regan (junior level3),  performed two routines in the Junior Level 3 category. This included ribbon and clubs and she placed 1st overall in her category becoming the new Junior County Champion. Well done Regan!

 

Summer reading challenge

This term and during the summer holidays,  students will be challenged to read as many books as they possible. For students wishing to participate, between July 1st and September 3rd 2022 they should create a list of all the books they have read, and have this list checked and signed off by a parent or carer and either emailed or handed to our school librarian, Miss Francis by September 3rd.

Miss Francis would like to encourage students to write a short review of each book that they read and she is more than happy to help students with examples of reviews, reading lists of exciting books we have in our library and lots of recommendations.

There will be three competitions running as part of the challenge:

    • students who complete as much of the provided Reading Grid as possible will get a book and prizes.
    • students who read the most novels, comic books, graphic novels or poetry books will win prizes.
    • students who write the best reviews will be awarded some fancy stationery prizes to continue working on their writing.

 

Simon Anderson 

Head of School