It has been wonderful to see students and staff back in school this week. Everyone has settled into routines very effectively and we have already had some exciting events to start 2025.
Thank you to Mrs Holden for arranging a really good trip to The Mayflower Theatre to see Hairspray – Feedback from the students was that they thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to Mrs Barkshire (Progress Leader), Mr Taylor (Assistant Progress Leader) and Mrs Cooke (Admin Assistant) for organising Year 11 Parents’ Evening. We were delighted to see so many Parents/ Carers and feedback was again very positive. Parents/ Carers reported that the individual personalised feedback sheets were extremely helpful. We will send you a separate email with further information for Year 11.
We know that there is a national recruitment and retention crisis in education, however, we completely ‘buck’ this trend and are currently fully staffed. We do anticipate a small number of vacancies for support and teaching staff later in the year as some movement of staff always takes place. We are therefore running a Recruitment Event on Thursday 16 January; please sign up or share if you are interested in becoming part of #TeamHamble. https://forms.office.com/e/k82UAQ4UvZ
A reminder that if you wish to have your voice heard with regard to the Cemex Appeal and the plans to build a quarry next to the school, you need to submit your views by this Monday (13 January). We have been advised that even if you objected last year, you still need to submit your views again.
Next week is WEEK 1
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 13 January
w/b 13 January – Year 9 Review Assessment Week
Tuesday 14 January – Year 11 Afterschool Intervention
Thursday 16 January – Year 11 SUN revision workshop during the school day
Thursday 16 January – Year 11 Afterschool Intervention
Thursday 16 January – School Recruitment Fair
Future Dates
w/b 20 January – Year 11 NEA Food Preparation & Nutrition exams
Thursday 23 January – Year 7 Parents’/Carers’ Evening – Please see the letter distributed last week
Friday 24 January – Year 11 Maths Test for Success
Tuesday 28 January – Year 11 Achieving Excellence Evening at 5:30pm. Sign up will be distributed in due course.
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 – Healthy Lifestyles
This week in the assembly and tutor programme, students will be looking at Healthy Lifestyles. As part of this, students will understand what a ‘healthy lifestyle’ entails, compare different lifestyle choices and how these can affect how ‘healthy’ this would make them. They will also focus on how they can make any changes to their lifestyle to give them the best opportunity to remain physically and mentally healthy throughout their lives. The main aspects of healthy living students will be looking at are: healthy diet, keeping active and managing stress.
Here are some hints and tips…
Physical health: Taking care of your body
- Exercise regularly: Teens should be physically active at least 60 minutes of every day.
- Eat a healthy diet: Healthy eating is an important part of your growth and development. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, a variety of protein foods, and low-fat dairy products. Avoid junk foods such as fizzy drinks and fast food. This will help you as you get older.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Children and teenagers with obesity are more likely to have obesity as an adult. They are also at higher risk of other chronic lifestyle illnesses.
- Get enough sleep: Most teens need between 9 and 9 ½ hours of sleep every night. Many average only 7 hours. Sleep has a strong effect on your ability to concentrate and do well at school.
- Brush and floss your teeth: Make it a habit now and prevent tooth and gum problems in adulthood.
- Wear sunscreen: Getting just one bad sunburn as a child or teenager increases your risk of getting skin cancer as an adult. Do not use tanning beds. They increase your risk of skin cancer.
- Don’t listen to loud music: This can damage your hearing for the rest of your life.
Mental health: Taking care of your mind
- Learn ways to manage stress: You can’t avoid stress, so you need to learn healthy coping skills. This will help you stay calm and be able to function in stressful situations.
- Study and do your best in school: There is a strong link between health and academic success.
- Try to maintain a good relationship with your parents: Remember that they want what is best for you. Try to see where they are coming from when they set rules.
- Develop a good balance between school, work, and social life.
- Don’t try to take on too much: Limit your activities to the most important ones and give those 100%. Overextending yourself can lead to stress, frustration, or exhaustion.
Emotional health: Taking care of your feelings
- Pay attention to your moods and feelings: If you’re worried about something, ask for help. Speak to someone at home or school.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it: If you can’t talk to your parents, talk to an adult such as your tutor at school.
- Be kind to others and yourself: Spread positivity and see the good in others and yourself.
This Week at the Dinner Table…
- What habits do you have now which you think will make a difference when you are older?
- Who do you think you can talk to if you are worried about anything?
- What could you change to have a healthier lifestyle?
- Do you have a good sleep routine?
- Do you think you eat enough healthy food and do enough exercise?
Further information is available here: https://families.barnardos.org.uk/13-19-years/healthy-lifestyles
Curriculum Information
You said that you would like more in depth information about curriculum areas. So once a fortnight we will now showcase a department and share a video about what students are learning. This week we will focus on MFL.
Curriculum Introduction: MFL – French & Spanish
Reading
We know that reading is important to academic success and wellbeing. Please do look at the Recommended Read for the Spring Term: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/library/recommended-reads/
Class Charts
We would like to take this opportunity to encourage Parents/ Carers to make the most of their Class Charts access for updates and feedback on their child’s education. Through Class Charts, Parents/ Carers can monitor behaviour, academic progress, and attendance, providing lots of information and feedback on your child’s school life. Additionally, Class Charts can be used to support your son/ daughter with their homework.
If you have any questions or experience any issues with Class Charts, please don’t hesitate to contact Miss Griffiths at classcharts@thehambleschool.co.uk or call 02380 452 105.
Exercise Books
We would like to remind all Parents/ Carers of the importance of students bringing their school books to every lesson. Having the correct books and resources ensures that students can fully engage with their lessons, complete their work, and make the most of their learning opportunities. Students now have their own personalised wallet to put into their bag and carry books/ work to and from school. Students have suggested that they have found this addition really useful.
When students forget to bring their books, it can disrupt their learning, cause delays in completing assignments, and ultimately have an impact on their progress. From Monday 13 January students will receive -2 points if they do not have their book. For the vast majority of students who bring their books in everyday, this will not cause any issues, however, we kindly ask for your support in encouraging your child to check that they have all necessary books and equipment before leaving for school each day. It is advisable that students pack their back the night before and cross reference with their timetable on Class Charts or in their planner.
Cemex Appeal – Quarry
As you are aware Cemex have appealed Hampshire County Council’s decision to reject the proposal to build a Quarry next to the School. Earlier in the week Miss Cambridge wrote to Parents/ Carers to encourage you to share your views with the Planning Inspectorate. Please be aware that the deadline for submitted any views/ letters is Monday 13 January 2025.
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk
Year 11 – SUN Revision and Study Skills Workshop:
On Thursday 16 January, Year 11 students will be having a 1-hour workshop session, delivered by SUN (Southampton University Network) to support them with their study skills, revision techniques and how to cope with exam pressure. The students will come out of one of their Science lessons on that day for this to happen. This is a really good opportunity to support students in the lead up to their next set of mocks and, ultimately, their GCSEs.
Year 7 Parents’ Evening
On Thursday 23 January it is Year 7 Parents’ Evening. This is a perfect opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, discuss their progress and behaviour for learning. As well as discuss the next steps to help them continue to make good progress across the rest of the year. If you have not yet made appointments for this evening, it runs from 4pm-7:30pm and there are still appointment times available for booking with most teachers. Please see the letter sent earlier in the week and if you need support booking online, email Mrs Cooke via general@thehambleschool.co.uk or telephone the school.
Please be aware that Year 7 Progress Reports were emailed home on Friday. All Parents/ Carers are asked to complete the response form on the letter. If you would like us to send another copy of the report, please complete the form here: https://forms.office.com/e/gVRkRxxrcT
Social Media
22% of 8 to 17-year-olds lie about their age and pretend to be adults when creating social media profiles, a survey from Ofcom has found. While some social media platforms, such as Instagram, are starting to roll out age verification tools, it is currently still very easy for children to pretend to be adult to avoid any privacy settings designed for children and teenagers. Please do ensure that you monitor your children’s phone and social media use.
Celebrating Achievements
The students listed below achieved the most reward points this week – Well done to you!
- Year 7 – Annalisa K 7-4
- Year 8 – Alistair F 8-2
- Year 9 – Natalia Z 9-5
- Year 10 – Dylan S 10-5
- Year 11 – Tatum T 11-2
Our staff love receiving Special Recognitions. Please do thank or nominate staff for special recognition here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/staff-recognition/
Support
If you or your 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.