We have five Whole School Priorities which we are working towards every day. These are listed here on our website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/aims-vision-values/ Number five states: ‘Embed a culture of outward facing collaboration, positive communication and strong community links’. This week we have been working particularly hard on this priority. On Monday we hosted a Parent Forum focussed on the topic of ‘SEND and Inclusion’; we welcomed Mr Dudgeon (Assistant Headteacher and Senior SENDCo) to talk to parents/ carers. The meetings were really positive and ‘thank you’ to those parents/ carers who were able to attend – Collaboration with parents/ carers is really important. On Thursday Mr Dudgeon also hosted a SEND Coffee Morning.
As a school we have a commitment to listening to the views and experiences of students through Student Voice activities. Each member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) met with groups of students on Friday to ask them about different aspects of the school. Mrs Valleley (Deputy Headteacher) and Mr Wood (Assistant Headteacher) met with a number of Year 10 students to talk about experiences in the classroom, Teaching and Learning and the improvement journey. We had some very interesting and useful discussions. Some of their comments are outlined below:
- ‘Using mini whiteboards in lessons help me learn because everyone contributes and you don’t get embarrassed if you are unsure about an answer’.
- ‘Total Recalls at the start and end of lessons help me to review what I know and my teacher uses this to help me moving forward’.
- ‘Teachers provide assessment feedback sheets which help me to know what I need to improve on’.
- ‘We receive more homework than last year but it is manageable and useful for our learning’.
- ‘Behaviour is good in lessons and we can focus and get work done’.
- ‘So much has improved since we were in Year 7; it is a different school now’.
Last week we also had a number of trips taking place – Year 10 Winchester College STEM Competition, Year 7-11 Blood Brothers Theatre visit and the Year 8 Battlefields Trip. All of these were very successful and great experiences for students.
Another highlight this week was the Science Department Live Chick Hatching. They have become celebrities across the school (and wide community!) Seven chicks hatched in total. Six girls Miss Amy, Chloe, Paula, Andrea, Cuthberta, Candy and one boy – Sir Christopher Stewart. Sadly, Tim, Carla and Hannah didn’t hatch. You can see one of the chick’s hatching on our social media pages.
Next week is WEEK 2
Question of the Week
Please select your answer in the form below, all fields marked * are required and to help prevent SPAM this form is protected by Google reCaptcha v3.
Each week we will ask parents/ carers a question in the Weekly Message – This will either be about a topic we are focussing on or an aspect of our school improvement plan. We would appreciate it if everyone answers it when reading the Weekly Message.
Events w/b 4 March
w/b 4 March – Year 11 Mock Exams continue for students studying Art, Photography, PE and anyone who has missed exams due to absence. Intervention will take place on Tuesday 5 March, but is cancelled on Thursday 7 March due to Year 8 Parents’ Evening. The timetable is available here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/examination-information/ and below.
Tuesday 5 March – Year 9 National Careers Week event at Fareham College for selected students.
Thursday 7 March – World Book Day (see below).
Thursday 7 March – Year 8 Parents’ Evening – See letter previously emailed home.
Future Dates
Friday 15 March – INSED Day – The school is closed to students.
Letters
You can find all letters sent home over the week here – https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/letters-to-parents/
The canteen menus can be found here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/food-and-drink/
Please check your child’s Attendance regularly on Class Charts
Theme of the Week – Reading Week
The week commencing Monday 4 March is our next reading week. This will involve all Tutor groups in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. Tutors will deliver three sessions across the week. The theme for the sessions is World Book Day, which the school is celebrating on Thursday 7 March. Students will be reading extracts from three books and writing reviews.
The purpose of these sessions is to give students more opportunities to read. Therefore, we will be supporting students to read aloud to their peers.
Reading is so important to for academic success and mental wellbeing. The main benefits are:
- Reduces stress and helps you relax
- Improves your concentration and memory
- Expands vocabulary and strengthens your writing abilities
- Enhances knowledge
- Increases creativity and imagination.
This Week at the Dinner Table…
For many parents/ carers, it would be much easier and simpler to forget about family dinners. Jobs, children, after-school activities all contribute to families being constantly on the go, thus feeling the need to eat on the run.
But more and more parents are realising the importance of shared family time at the dinner table. Often, this is the only time when all family members are all together in one place.
Sometimes when you sit together with teenage children the dinner table can be a place of awkward silences and it is difficult to get them to open up about their day. Each week we will provide some ‘nudge questions’ to start a conversation and get everyone talking.
- What books have you read at school this week? What were they about?
- What is your favourite book of all time?
- If you wrote a book, what would you write about and why?
World Book Day
This week we are celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 7 March. There will be lots going on:
- Fancy dress competition for students and staff
- Emerald tickets for students
- Signed book competition
- A tea party for student librarians and winners of the fancy dress competition
- School corridors decorated in our ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme.
We would encourage students to dress up as their favourite book character. There is no need to spend money on costumes – some of the best we have seen previously have been homemade. Check out this website with easy ideas suitable for older children: https://www.netmums.com/world-book-day/easy-world-book-day-costume-ideas-for-adults/17-max
PTA
We are aiming to develop a new Parent-Teacher Association to raise much needed funds for the school and organise some fun events for the community. We are really keen to hear from parents/ carers who would like to get involved. Maybe you have experience of working with a PTA at primary school or you are just keen to support us and give something back to the community. Please register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/e/70E1xg1sxd
Quarry Update
Our Student Leadership Team met with Cllr Keith House and Cllr Tonia Craig this week to discuss our continued campaign against the proposed Quarry next to the school. Cllr House commented that the students asked ‘excellent questions… and are a massive credit to their school and community’. We would advise you follow this group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/341011544616215/ for up-to-date information. Hampshire County Council are currently running a consultation looking at the suitability of Hamble Airfield as a gravel pit. The consultation ends on Tuesday so we would really encourage parents/ carers to contribute: https://www.hants.gov.uk/landplanningandenvironment/strategic-planning/hampshire-minerals-waste-plan/minerals-waste-plan-partial-update-consultation
Year 11 Update
Intervention will begin again on Tuesday 5 March 2024 but will be cancelled on Thursday 7 Match as teachers will be involved in Year 8 Parents’ Evening. Results from the Mock Exams will be distributed to students in a Results Day Assembly on Friday 22 March – these will also be emailed home to parents/ carers.
A reminder you can still purchase the CGP Revision Skills and Revision Plan book https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/secondary-books/gcse/revision-tips/xhr42-new-how-to-revise-for-gcse-study on Scopay for £2.50 (recommended retail price – £5.99) and collect from reception.
The mock exams for this week are listed below:
Assessments and Reports
We are still awaiting responses to the Year 10 Progress Reports from some parents/ carers – A reminder that we ask you to complete the form here: https://forms.office.com/e/9BEYdEpYBC Mr James (Progress Leader) and the tutor team will then be in touch to answer any questions you have.
Year 8 Progress Reports were emailed home on Friday. If you have not received this report, please check you ‘junk’ box and if you still can’t find the report, please complete the request form here: https://forms.office.com/e/R8PSgqXMXM The report response form is in the letter.
National Secondary School Offer Day
On Friday we received notification of students who will be joining The Hamble School in September 2024. We are pleased that 337 families selected us as one of their preferred schools. We look forward to welcome the parents/ carers of students who have been offered a place to a welcome meeting in April. Further transition information can be found here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/transition-2024-2029/
Support
If you or you child would like support with wellbeing, please check out the links of our website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/student-wellbeing-support/
We have recently added information about a number of free parent/ carer courses or events to this section of our website.
