THE PARK COMMUNITY SCHOOL Weekly Parent Bulletin Week Commencing 3rd December, 2018 - Week 1 Date Sat 1st Nov Tues 4th Dec Weds 5th Dec Thurs 6th Dec Event SCHOOL CALENDAR Ten Tors Dartmoor Practice (2 days) Leaving 8am Y7B 7-a-side football 4-6pm Year 9 School Rugby Cup Final @ Bideford RFC 3.30-5.30pm Y7/8 & 9/10 mixed tennis doubles all day at Tarka Tennis New York Trip Meeting 4pm Dining Hall Boston Tea Party Art Exhibition Private Viewing 6.30-8pm FOOD AT PARK The Autumn term menus have been added to our website on our website food page Main meals are 1.80, and 2 courses are 2.30. Breakfast club opens 8.15am-8.45am. HEADTEACHER UPDATE Year 11 Support It was great to see many parents in attendance at the year 11 exam ready evening this week. The feedback was positive and we will be offering a similar session to focus on Year 10 soon. Resources from the evening are available on our website, under Students Menu, Exam Information. The timetable for study and revision sessions are also available on the school website under Events. Canteen Purchases Our canteen is a popular place within school providing breakfast, break snacks and school lunches. As you will be aware we operate cashless payment system and accounts can be topped up in school or via Wisepay. Currently, we are experiencing delays at the tills as several students have exceeded their account and are operating overdrafts. As of today, student overdrafts are in excess of 2500, this is not sustainable. Therefore we are planning to reduce the individual overdraft limit from 6 to 2.30. Can parents/carers please ensure any overdrafts are cleared ASAP through adding credit to wisepay or PARK COMMUNITY SCHOOL PRESENTS Tues 18th, Weds 19th, Thurs 20th December, 2018 Tickets from the School Office 6 Adults 3 Child (U16) Performances at 7.30pm at The Theatre, Petroc, Barnstaple A School production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd sending your son/daughter into school with cash to add into the revaluation machines. School of Rock Tickets for our school production go on open sale from Monday. As we have limited availability, please buy your ticket early to avoid disappointment. Computer Science Update We were informed today that Alice (year 8) has achieved the Silver Duke of York award. This is an amazing achievement considering less than 1000 have been awarded nationally. Furthermore thirty Park School students have been placed in the top 10% of the Oxford University Bebras Computing Challange. Gareth Roscoe - Headteacher
YEAR 11 EXAM READY EVENING On Thursday 29th November 2018, we invited parents/carers and students to an Exam Ready Event providing talks covering a range of practical tips and tricks, looking at specific revision and exam techniques. Here is a link to the powerpoint presention shown on the night. Powerpoint presentation GCSE ART/PHOTOGRAPHY TWILIGHTS There are Art and Photography twilight sessions for Year 10s on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Students can attend if they have any outstanding work. The computer suite is also available for those students needing to catch up or print out images. HISTORY REVISION If any parents would like to support their children with history revision but do not know how, then please get in touch with their History teacher who will be happy to help. There are revision support books available for all 4 GCSE modules at pupil reception. They can be purchased for 10.50. They contain key content, questions to practice and model answers. They are available for new Year 10 History students and any Year 11s who have not yet purchased them. KS4 INFORMATION YEAR 11 REVISION SESSION TIMETABLE Please see link to the current Year 11 Revision Session Timetable. This timetable has started, any future amendments will be uploaded on our website under the Events menu. It would be great if parents/carers could encourage their sons/daughters in Year 11 to attend these revision sessions. YEAR 11 ENGLISH REVISION Year 11 English Tutor sessions Year 11 English Tutor sessions are running on Mondays-Thursdays 8.50-9.10. Parents/carers will have recieved an email if your child is expected to attend these sessions If invited, your child has been informed, and has been asked to attend either the week 1 or week 2 sessions. If you have any questions, please contact: mjones@theparkschool.org.uk Year 11 English Drop-in And Revision Sessions The drop-in sessions are before school 8-8.30am. There are also revision sessions on a Tuesday lunchtime week 1 and also Friday after school week 1 and 2. All times and rooms for these sessions are on the Year 11 Revision Session timetable. Please encourage your son/daughter to attend these sessions as and when appropriate to help with any questions or areas of concern.
YEAR 7/8 DRAMA DAY On Thursday 22nd November, fifteen year 7 students attended a specialist Drama Day at Pilton Community College. Park students worked with students from Pilton to enhance their performance skills and focus upon techniques of Devising and paly building. The Drama facilitator, Miss Edwards (from Pilton) and I were thoroughly impressed by the standard of work on display and the way in which students from both schools collaborated so productively. Students learned new skills, made new friends and had fun. We hope that this is the first of many creative collaborations between schools in North Devon. Mr R Carroll - Head of Drama
SPORTS NEWS L to R: Max Standen, William Pengelly, Kyle Pearson, Caleb Pirie, Benjamin Smith and Finn Phillips CROSS COUNTRY COUNTY FINALISTS The Park Junior Boys Team, consisting of Year 8s Will Pengelly, Finn Phillips, Kyle Pearson, Caleb Pirie, Ben Smith & Year 7s Max Standen, took part in the English School s Cross Country National Final on Saturday in Suffolk. As South West champions, they were up against some serious contenders; the majority of other runners were from Independent and Grammar Schools. On arrival at Woodbridge School in Suffolk, Mr Pirie had already set up HQ, where all team members and parents assembled. The race began with a serious sprint for over 100m, with all involved jostling to get in to a good position, thus avoiding the bottleneck areas on the 3.2 km course. With 500 schools initially taking part in the previous rounds, the final was reduced to 27 elite teams from across the country. As results were announced, Park boys finished 11th best in the country and were the highest positioned state school in the competition. Park Boys: you should be extremely proud of yourselves for participating in the school s first national final in cross country. I know that parents, Mr Slee and I were extremely proud of you all on your outstanding effort and we look forward to watching you mature into very capable athletes. An amazing day boys: well done again on what was a fantastic achievement and one that you will treasure for many years to come. Another big thank you must go to parents for consistent support and travelling with the boys to the venue. Mr Blanchard - PE Teacher
SCHOOL TRIPS New York July 2020 Students who are interested in the trip can pick up a letter from Miss Vidler, we will also be giving further details and an opportunity for you to ask further questions at the trip meeting for parents and students on Wednesday 5th December, at 4pm in the canteen. Copy of letter - New York Letter Ski 2019 There is one place available on the 2019 Ski trip. The trip departs on 6th April and returns on 13th April. Each students who has joined us on the trip has had a wonderful time. If interested, students should collect a letter from Pupil Reception. Thank you, Mrs Freeman Torquay Residentials The next payment is due on 1st December for the Torquay Residential. Please kindly keep up with payments according to the payment schedule, as we are regularly paying the travel companies and it is important we have sufficient funds to do so. Many thanks Poetry Live Event There is a change to the departure time for this trip. Students need to be at school for 7.15am prompt, for a 7.30am departure
PSHEE (PERSONAL SOCIAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC EDUCATION) Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education is an important part of the curriculum for all students. There is a structured programme of personal and social development, encouraging healthy approaches to life, taught during Tutor time. The following topics will be covered on 5th December. Year Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Anne Duthuit - PSHEE Coordinator Topic Peer Pressure Disability CV or Careers Research Pornography and misrepresentations of relationships County Lines COMMUNITY EVENTS/INFORMATION CHRISTMAS FAYRE There is a Christmas Fayre at St John the Baptist Church, Newport on Saturday 8th December from 10.00am to 12.00pm. Stalls include cake, books, gifts, various crafts, toys and bric-a-brac. There will also be children's activities, a raffle and refreshments. Free entry and all are welcome. All proceeds in aid of the church's local community work and if you have any donations of books, toys, bric-a-brac of fancy baking a cake for us, please contact Nicola Kennaugh on 01271 549248 who will be happy to arrange collection from your home.