This week, Year 7 received a poignant assembly about respecting peoples differences to mark International Tolerance Day. We were reminded to: accept feelings, habits or beliefs different to our own because we are all the same on the inside; invited to be curious to learn about other people; and were challenged to speak up for what is right. This week is also UK Parliament Week, an annual worldwide event teaching young people about what parliament is, how it works and how to engage in its topical issues. Students had the opportunity to take part in activities each day this week, ranging from a model UN session, student debates and a politics quiz. Finally, Year 7 have started a new Wellbeing Wednesday series, with the theme of 'organisation' to help students fine-tune their planning and organisation to become independent learners.

It has been a joy to visit Year 7 students in lessons this week to see their range of skills developing across different lessons. From practicals on forces in Science, learning dance routines in PE and 3D-printing in DT.

Next week's theme is ‘Thinking of Others’, starting with an assembly on kindness launching our 100 Acts of Kindness in December challenge, where the much-anticipated Children in Need Fundraising total will be revealed. 

A huge congratulations goes to Elizabeth H 7PX on winning 1st place in the Over 10’s Taylor Wimpey Manchester 'Festival of The Girl' Dream Room Design competition with her outstanding entry (as seen below). 

A big well done goes to Chloe V 7PX, Lauren K 7PY, Kaitlyn D 7CX and the Epsom Eagles team for representing their Ultimate Frisbee Club in the UK Ultimate Junior Women’s Indoor National U14 Championships. They played their hearts out and won every game! Congratulations to the Epsom Eagles for making it to the National Championships! 

Finally, as the weather turns wintery, a reminder to wrap up warm for school in a blue or black coat to stay warm for those icy journeys to school and back.

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

7CX - Damaris M-K – for having the highest number of merits so far.

7CY  - Alejandra N - for demonstrating exceptional effort in her lessons and consistently earning the most merits each week.

7EX - Mila D P - for her willingness to help me with every little task and her enthusiasm for Parliament Week.

7EY - Juliet V - for all her sporting endeavours competing for Rosebery!

7MX - Abi P - for her amazing effort in raising money for Children in Need.

7MY - Chiara D - for always being positive and friendly during form times, and embracing the Rosebery way.

7PX - Sophia C - for showing kindness to her friends all week and consistently showing excellent effort in her lessons.

7PY - Emily B - for her positive attitude.

This week has been a very thought-provoking one for Year 8. Our week started with Mr Sheffield’s assembly on the topic of International Tolerance Day on 16 November. The assembly focused on the vital themes of tolerance and respect, fostering an environment where kindness thrives amongst our students. The assembly served as a powerful reminder of the importance of valuing diversity and understanding one another’s perspectives.

To complement some of themes from Mr Sheffield’s assembly, our 'Kindness' project this week focused on how we can encourage people to show more kindness to one another. Students were able to show how grateful they were for their peers by nominating them for 'Stars of the Week', a role usually reserved for their form tutors.  Below, you can see some of the individuals that were acknowledged by their peers. Some of the stories that I have read this week have been truly heart-warming!

In lessons, it was lovely to see Year 8s in action.  They truly showcased their creativity across various subjects! In the realm of English, students delivered imaginative writing pieces that spoke volumes about their individual talents and perspectives. Their apron designs shared in DT classes were not only unique, but highlighted their artistic flair and attention to detail - what a delightful way to merge creativity with functional design! In addition, it was wonderful to see our students taking the initiative with mental health awareness campaigns in their Citizenship classes.

As if this week couldn't get any better, we also celebrated the winners of our form logo competition! The creativity and thoughtfulness that went into each design were simply astounding, showcasing the incredible talent that we have within our Year 8 cohort. A round of applause to all the participants for their hard work and dedication.

To top it all off, we concluded the week with an incredibly inspiring talk from our Member of Parliament, Helen Maguire. Her insights into leadership, community, and the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs resonated deeply with our students. It’s moments like these that help shape their values and aspirations as they embark on their own journeys of personal growth.

This week has been a true celebration of kindness, creativity, and dedication, and I couldn’t be more proud of our Year 8 students.

I wish you all a very restful weekend!

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

8CX: Kimberely K - for being so resilient and brave.

8CY: Robyn T - for being such a kind and caring friend to everyone in the form.

8EX: Eva P - for demonstrating kindness to everyone in the form. She was also nominated for always trying her best in everything and for being a good listener.

8EY: Saanvi M - for showing kindness and for contributing to the form, Rose L - for helping friends with their classwork, and Iona H - for helping with litter-picking.

8MX: Ivy M - for her kindness and for making everyone feel included and always having a smile on her face.

8MY: Jasmine P - for always smiling and being lovely to everyone around her. She is such a nice classmate.

8PX: Moriah Q - for demonstrating kindness towards others.

8PY: Katie E - for being a good and supportive friend, and Leah P - for always trying her best! 

Despite the temperature dropping this week, the standards in Year 9 have remained as high as ever, which chimed well with Mr Sheffield’s assembly this week for International Tolerance Day. Mr Sheffield reiterating the message of acceptance, tolerance, community and kindness is one that we hold dear both in Year 9 and at Rosebery as a whole, and acts as a wonderful reminder of the exceptional qualities the students choose to uphold each and every day.

It has also been lovely to hear that Year 9 have engaged so well in the Parliament Week activities that have been conducted in form times this week, and I’m so pleased that Year 9 have taken such a vested interest in the society that we live in, especially as some of these students will absolutely be running the country one day!

Next week, Year 9 will have the eagerly awaited launch of DofE during our assembly on Wednesday. We are really excited to get as many students into this initiative this year and I know that Year 9 will absolutely rise to the challenge. More information will be sent out to parents and carers following this assembly, and I know that Year 9 are raring to hear more and get signed up - which is phenomenal!

I’m also excited to share a couple of celebrations for this week. Firstly, we have Alice M 9CY, who has recently performed on the West End as part of the Phoenix Arts Club Theatre. She sang a solo musical theatre song called 'One Perfect Moment' with piano accompaniment to a live audience and musical theatre professional panel, all as part of a talent show called 'Kids Takeover The Stage'. This is such a wonderful achievement and such a reflection of the dedication, hard work and talent that you possess. We are super proud of you Alice for all of your successes you have in performance and cannot wait to hear what your next achievement will be!

I’d also like to give a huge congratulations to Quinn H 9PX for her recently exploits in gymnastics. Quinn has recently competed in the IGA National Finals on 10 November, and having only had her birthday in September, was competing in the 14+ age category for the very first time. This huge step is accomplishment enough, however, Quinn went on not only to perform brilliantly, but she also achieved the title of beam national champion, floor national champion and all-round national champion. Once again this is such a marker of how determined, meticulous and dedicated you are to achieve such an astounding feat. I’m lucky enough to have been shown a clip of the routine and it was truly incredible. We’re so proud of you!

Have a lovely weekend.

It's been a week of Rosebery joy! Not every school can comment on the success of a Parliament Week, which so many Year 10’s were involved in, with exceptional work being completed in lessons on the subject of this. Then, to top it off, a spectacular evening of music last night from our extremely talented musicians.

Our assembly this week focused on setting target grades, with information based on FFT data and Cat4, which students completed in Year 7 due to not completing SATS in Year 6. It is clear for some that this data has no correlation to their ability to achieve the highest of grades in their GCSE’s. For example, it doesn’t take into account the artistic talent that so many of our students have, or their sporting ability and so much more. There will have been mixed emotions in response to this data. We ask that you discuss this with your child over the next week and either agree the targets or change them to a higher, more aspirational target. The deadline for all the completed forms to be handed in is Monday 2 December. All the information is on Google Classroom with an example completed sheet for the students to take a look at.

Finally, next week we will see the launch of Silver DofE in our assembly, with information being provided in form time as well as on Google Classroom for those who completed Bronze DofE to complete their online portal and get everything ‘signed off’ ahead of the awards evening.

A reminder that Friday 29 November is a Staff PPA Day, so students will not be in school on this day. Regular updates and notices can be seen on our Instagram and X sites (@roseberyyear10).

⭐ STARS OF THE WEEK ⭐

10CX: Hannah T - for always acting with integrity and kindness.

10CY: Heidi R - for her excellent effort in lessons.

10EX: Jenna H - for getting involved and being brave!

10EY: Rose C - for braving the ski training on her own and contributing a drawing to the biodiversity sign!

10MX: Caitlan H - for participating in the EES Swimming Gala.

10MY: Mia HE - for being the top of the leaderboard in Sparx Maths!

10PX: Jenny H - for achieving a very high merit in her piano exam.

10PY: Brooke A - for being a Sparx Maths star!

The first week of mocks is done and, as we wrote to students this week, this year group continue to amaze us with their attitude. We know that preparing for this set of mocks has required a lot of hard work and sacrifice from students, and it certainly can’t have been fun at times to prioritise revision. Yet, the atmosphere before each exam has been one of such positivity – they have been laughing, joking, buoying each other up and generally being a delight for their teachers and invigilators. In fact, the invigilation team said that they were one of the best cohorts they have seen, so we have one very proud Head of Year team here!

We want to say that all students have been remarkable this week, and have made us proud. Despite the increased workload, we are amazed to hear that our students have found time for some very high profile extra-curricular activities. One such example is Rosie G 11MY, who danced at Sadler’s Wells at the weekend with her dance group – all while maintaining her sunny smile for the mocks! A very well-deserved Rosebery Remarkable student this week.