RTS Parents' Newsletter 11 November 2022
Head Teacher's Message
I hope that you all had a restful two week break. It really is a good amount of time for students to rest and recharge their batteries after a very busy first half-term and start to the academic year. Thank you to those Year 11 families who supported and encouraged students to attend the additional sessions that teaching staff put on during the break - we had great turnout and we hope that students found the sessions useful.
This half-term is busy with ongoing assessments, including Mock GCSEs for Year 11 students, which are a vital part of their preparation for next summer.
Although I hesitate to mention the word so early in the term, it will soon be here! FoRTS are busy behind the scenes planning and organising the Christmas Fair and Creative Showcase - this will be the first Christmas event in 3 years, so please do come along and support FoRTS and the students on Thursday 15 December. Contact FoRTS if you are able to offer any ideas or support. The RTS kitchen team have also planned their Christmas Menu and in order to assist with numbers and planning in supplies we will be asking students to complete a Google Form with their choice in the next week. The planned menu is included in the newsletter if you would like to take a look.
The school community were proud to recognise Remembrance Day with a 2 minute silence today at 11am, Friday 11 November, honouring those who have lost their lives whilst serving in the Armed Forces.
My next Head Teacher's Surgery will be on Wednesday 30 November. Appointments will be online between 18:00-20:00 and there will be approximately 10 slots available for parents to ask questions 1:1. Please email Ms Munro, Head Teacher's PA on pa@rts.richmond.sch.uk to make an appointment.
I hope that you have a lovely weekend.
Ms K Dooley
Christmas Lunch.pptx.pdfDates for the diary
Monday 14-Friday 18 November
AP3 Assessments Years 8 and 10
Monday 21-Friday 25 November
AP3 Assessments Year 7
Monday 28 November-Friday 09 December
GCSE Mock Exams Year 11
Monday 08 May 2023
Additional Bank Holiday: Coronation of King Charles III - School closed to all students and staff
Contacting the School
If you wish to contact the school, the School Office is open (term time only):
Monday-Thursday - 08:15-16:30
Friday - 08:15-15:00
Telephone: 020 8891 2985
Email: info@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Please use the Parents Communications Summary for guidance on types of query and where advice may be found/who to direct your query to.
RTS Art Gallery and Remembrance Day
Art Attack enrichment this week has been about the significance of wearing a poppy and making our own. Shreya and Ria show off their beautiful poppies made in the lesson on Tuesday.
Keeping Children Safe on WhatsApp
You may have followed the recent news reports about the potential dangers of bullying and harmful content on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, following the inquest into the death of a schoolgirl in North London. We would urge you to share this information, taken from a factsheet produced by The Key (an educational support service for schools), with your children.
Keep your child safe on WhatsApp
What are the risks?
Bullying, particularly in group chats
Seeing content of a sexual nature, or showing violence and hatred
Settings that allow messages to disappear after 24 hours or 7 days. This could make it harder to track bullying, and your child might share things they wouldn’t otherwise because it’ll disappear
Sharing their live location, particularly with people they don’t know in person
Spam or hoax messages
Being exposed to strangers through group chats
WhatsApp says the minimum age to use it is 16, but younger children can still use it easily.
6 steps to help your child use WhatsApp safely
1. Keep their personal information and location private
By default, WhatsApp shows profile photos, status and when you last used it to all users.
Encourage your child to only share this information with their contacts, and be careful about who they talk to on the app, as anyone could pretend to be a child online.
To check and change these settings:
On an iPhone, open settings in WhatsApp (the cog icon), then Account > Privacy. Tap the setting you want to change, then choose who it should be visible to
On Android, tap the 3 dots in the top-right of the home screen, then > Settings > Account > Privacy. Tap the setting you want to change, then choose who it should be visible to
WhatsApp also has a feature that you can use to share your ‘live location’ with others. Tell your child to keep this turned off, or to only share their location with people they trust.
To check this:
On an iPhone, go to phone Settings (the cog icon) > WhatsApp > Location, and tap to change if you need to
On Android, go to privacy settings as above, then scroll down to ‘Live location’, and tap to change if you need to
2. Remind your child to be careful about what they share
It’s easy to forward messages, photos and videos to others on WhatsApp. Even if your child sets a message to automatically disappear or deletes it after sharing it, the person they send it to could still screenshot it, forward it to someone else, or save it.
So before they share anything, tell them to ask themselves: “Would I want others to see what I’m about to send?”
3. Remind your child they can leave group chats
If they see something they’re not comfortable with in a group chat, or are in a chat with someone they don’t know and are uncomfortable with, they should leave the group. To do this:
On an iPhone, go into the group chat, tap the group subject, then > Exit group > Exit group
On Android, go into the group chat, tap the group subject, then > Exit group > Exit
4. Make sure your child knows how to report and block people
When they first receive a message from an unknown number, they’ll have the option to report it.
If someone in your child’s contacts is upsetting them or making them uncomfortable, they can report or block them at any point (WhatsApp won’t tell the user they’ve been blocked/reported).
To do this:
On an iPhone, open settings in WhatsApp, go to Account > Privacy > Blocked > Add New…, then find the contact they want to block, and tap the contact
On Android, tap the 3 dots icon, then Settings, then tap Account > Privacy > Blocked contacts, tap the icon in the top right showing a person and a plus sign, search for the contact they want to block, then tap the contact to block them
To report issues like offensive or abusive content or spam:
On an iPhone, open the chat with the user you want to report, tap the contact then then tap Report Contact > Report And Block
On Android, open the chat with the user you want to report, then tap the 3 dots icon, then > More > Report
5. Encourage your child to watch out for spam and hoax messages
These can appear to come from contacts, as well as people they don’t know. Tell your child to watch out for messages that:
Ask them to tap on a link, or specifically to click on a link to activate a new feature
Ask them to share personal information like bank account details, date of birth or passwords
Ask them to forward the message
Say they have to pay to use WhatsApp
Have spelling or grammar errors
6. Tell our school about any bullying they experience
Look for signs that your child may be being bullied, like being afraid or reluctant to go to school, feeling nervous, losing confidence or becoming distressed and withdrawn, or losing sleep.
Sources used in this factsheet
The Hygiene Bank
As a school we are now collecting to help tackle hygiene poverty in the UK. Please donate new and unused hygiene essentials, beauty and personal care products for those in desperate need. The items needed as priorities are:
Toothpaste
Toothbrush (child/adult)
Shampoo/conditioner
Shower gel
Razors
Shaving foam
Deodorant
Hairbrush/hair ties
Nit comb/nit shampoo
Period products
Nappies
Baby wipes
Toilet roll
Laundry detergent
There is a collection point in Reception for students to drop off items. Thank you for your support. To find out more: https://thehygienebank.com/
RTS Head Students
Good afternoon to all RTS parents,
Allow us to introduce ourselves: I am Cameron, and I am Nora, and we are the new head students at RTS. We have worked hard to get this position and we hope to be able to make positive changes to RTS with the help of parents and students.
We want to combine our skills to further improve our already fantastic school. We want to work with parents and the student body to provide new experiences and opportunities, as it’s not just our efforts and ideas, it’s all of ours together.
We take this role seriously and really want to make a positive change within our community. We have already implemented some ideas to improve the school and are closely working together with staff members to get more started.
Thanks to the students for voting for us and the parents who will be able to support our views/ideas in the future.
Year 11 Careers Corner
Insight Evening with British Airways
Are you ready to take your career to new heights? From Pilots to Cabin Crew, Project Management or Business, to Engineering and Digital careers. British Airways, one of the U.K’s most iconic brands has the right career waiting just for you!
On Monday 14 November from 5-6pm join an exclusive event with British Airways to showcase the huge range of career opportunities that are available to you after school!
British Airways are the UK's largest international scheduled airline, flying to nearly 600 destinations around the world!
It’s an exciting time to be at British Airways. They’re growing their global route network, investing in their fleet, and transforming the experience they offer their customers. From Customer Service to Aircraft Engineering, you needn’t know everything about the world, or even be well-travelled! Provided you’re curious, mindful and open to new experiences, you can make a real impact from day one.
Their Apprenticeship opportunities appeal to the adventurous and those who want to start earning right away, whilst getting a head start in their careers. Whether you aspire to work in their global head office, be face to face with customers at Heathrow Airport, or behind the scenes in their engineering and operations teams, there’s an opportunity for you.
Discover where a career with British Airways could take you. Click the link below to register yourself for the online event. This event will be held virtually by Zoom.
Registration Link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BA-Insight-Evening
Want to get into the games industry?
We are excited to share with families information regarding a free livestreamed event for students considering a career in the games industry on Tuesday 15 November 4-6pm.
The global games industry is a $159 billion industry, and one of the few to see growth as a result of Covid-19; nearly 50,000 people now work in the UK's games industry, with constant demand for talented programmers, artists, animators, designers, musicians, testers, and more.
"How to get into the games industry" is a FREE livestreamed event, featuring acclaimed developers giving their advice and taking questions about getting into the games industry, including:
Codemasters (F1 2022, Dirt 5, Fast and Furious Crossroads)
Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed, FarCry)
Creative Assembly (Total War, Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2),
Unity (Unity engine)
Abertay University, Escape Studios, University of Liverpool and the University of Salford will also talk about the games courses they offer, and be available online for the event duration to answer any questions.
Anyone interested can register for free at: careers.gamesjobs.live
Careers at a Global Law Firm
Thinking about a career in Law? We’ve recently partnered up with a brand new global law firm that we think you’d like to hear from!
On Tuesday 15 November from 5-6pm we're hosting an online event with international law firm Bird & Bird.
Bird & Bird is an international law firm with a focus on helping organisations being changed by technology and the digital world. With over 1400 lawyers in 31 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, a career with Bird & Bird could take you all over the world.
The support Bird & Bird provide to aspiring cohorts of diverse potential leaders of the firm is demonstrated through their school leaver and graduate programme. Join us to hear more about their fantastic programmes they lead within the firm.
If you are fortunate to be part of this cohort you will be given the time and space to focus on what you want from your career and what really matters to you. Bird & Bird spend time thinking about what being a leader of the firm really means and what it takes for you personally to get there.
Throughout the event you will get some incredible insights from top lawyers at the firm and leave with a really great understanding of the many routes into this specialist area of law.
To sign up to this online event click here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Bird-Bird-Law
RTS Reading Updates
Getting Into Reading
Are you looking for a new book to read, but not sure where to start? Students can use the RTS Library Google Classroom to dip into a sample of some books that they might not have heard of before and discover a new author or genre. There are a whole range of book trailers and clips of authors reading from their books. If any of these catch your imagination, you can borrow all of these books from the ILZ. Join the RTS Library Google Classroom - ask your English Teacher or Ms Nockolds for the code.
KS3 and KS4 Reading Lists
Reading at home is a great way to switch off from screens and relax, as well as developing skills that will help children succeed across the curriculum. If you are looking for something new to read, have a look at our list of recommended books. They are tailored for each year group and organised by genre so you can find the perfect book!. Suggested reading for KS3 (Y7, 8 and 9) and KS4 (Y10 and 11) can be found on our website.
Y9/10/11 Book Club and Creative Writing Club
Y9_10_11 Book Club.pdfCreative Writing Club Drop In.pdfLiterature Lovers Enrichment
The Literature Lovers enrichment group have been reading The Crossing by Manjeet Mann in the first half of the Autumn term. Students have really enjoyed exploring a contemporary novel that has a unique narrative style and addresses real world issues.
Scarlett, 7SP, said that the best part of the novel has been ‘That it’s in verse, therefore it makes reading it more intriguing.’ and Jia-Yun, 8BL, said that she would recommend it to a friend ‘because it’s very relevant to what’s going on in the world.’.
Next, we are going to read Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgewick. Students are excited about starting this book as it is partly written in prose and partly in manga!
Kingston University Saturday Clubs: Year 10 students
Kingston University are excited to announce that applications for their Year 10 Saturday Clubs are now open!
Running on-campus and with in-person workshops, there will be two clubs running in 2023:
Science and Engineering 1030 - 1300 (2.5. hours)
Art and Design: 1030 - 1230 (2 hours)
Both are completely free to successful applicants (except for individual travel costs to and from the clubs).
Dates: 21st January - 17th June 2023 with breaks for holidays.
The application deadline is Monday 5th December 2022 by 6pm.
There are two forms to be completed:
Student application form: https://forms.office.com/r/HLzMMe85Vd
Parent/Guardian support form: https://forms.office.com/r/bDHsWKvAW4
Both forms need to be submitted before the deadline for your application to be considered.
Applicants will be notified by email on Thursday 8th December 2022.
RTS School Production
We are delighted to announce that next year's school production by the Creative Arts Department will be 'A Monster Calls'!
Posters will be going up around school for students in Years 7-10 to sign up and register their interest in being a part of the production - all are welcome!
A Monster Calls Poster - Newsletter.pdfFORTS NEWS
Rugby Parking
Thank you to all our volunteer marshals who helped with the parking on Sunday especially as the weather was very inclement! With a record visitor level we collected over £2500 for FoRTS to use for the benefit of RTS pupils - definitely worth getting a little wet for!
We have more rugby parking events each Saturday for the rest of the month. If you would like to volunteer at future events please contact Rob our parking coordinator at fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk.
Autumn Subject Leader Bids
The subject leader bids are now in and a further £2,000 will be spent over the coming month on a wide array of items to enrich the learning experience of RTS pupils for years to come. The money comes directly from FoRTS fundraising efforts. We have items for the library, music, history and english departments, and lego club enrichment, so something for everyone.
Uniform
If you have any donations of school uniform in good condition for our pre-loved sale please send these to the school with your child. They can be dropped off at Reception.
Easyfundraising/Amazon Prime
A reminder to any parents who have not swapped their support over to FoRTS since moving schools. Go to Amazon Smile and easyfundraising select Friends of RTS.
Let’s play Spin to Win
Back by popular demand, Spin to Win returns to easyfundraising, where thousands of daily prizes are up for grabs. Last time, over 33,000 prizes went to fantastic charities and good causes like ours, so there are plenty of opportunities to win!
Committee Member Role Vacancy
We have a free position as Committee Member, so if you’d like to find out more or step up to this role, please contact us on forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk.
Have a great weekend, your FoRTS team,
Carey (Chair), Mark (Treasurer) and Carmelle (Secretary)
General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Safeguarding
If you have concerns in relation to a student at RTS or indeed with regards to your own child, you may want to contact Single Point of Access (SPA) which acts as a central information hub for all professional agencies in Kingston and Richmond.
Richmond and Kingston SPA
The SPA phone lines are now open as follows:
Monday-Thursday 08.00-17.15 and Friday 08.00-17.00 - the phone number during these times is 020 8547 5008
Out of hours: 020 8770 5000
Hounslow Early Help Assessment
Telephone number: 020 8583 6600
Out of hours: 020 8583 2222
Email: earlyhelp@hounslow.gov.uk
NSPCC:
Speak to a counsellor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Telephone number: 0808 800 5000, or text 88858
Email: help@nspcc.org.uk
Signvideo using British Sign Language (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)
Local News - Please note RTS does not endorse items included as Local News
Brentford Women’s Game at the GTECH Stadium
For the first time, the Gtech Community Stadium will host a Brentford Women’s fixture on Sunday 13 November, 3pm, against Watford Ladies Development.
This game is FREE to watch.
Families are urged to take up the free tickets and show their support as we aim for a record crowd.
Gates will open at 2pm on Sunday 13 November for the 3pm kick-off against Watford Ladies Development in the London South East Regional Women’s Football League Division One North. The South Stand will be open for this big day for the team.
Please see the flyer for full details.
Year 5 Class Teacher Maternity Cover Vacancy
Bishop Perrin CE Primary School in Whitton are advertising for a class teacher to cover their Year 5 class whilst their usual class teacher is on maternity leave, starting in February 2023.
If you are interested please click through on the link below. Please also feel free to share with anyone you know that might be interested. https://www.eteach.com/job/class-teacher-maternity-cover-1282886
Carer Support Worker Vacancy
There is an exciting employment opportunity at a local respite charity - Homelin. The role is mainly Mon- Fri 09:30-14:30 so would fit around the school run.
Please view the job description and the online advertisement with application link via Indeed.
Living Support campaign
With more people being expected to come into hardship due to the rising cost of living in 2022, Richmond Council has developed a campaign to help de-mystify and de-stigmatise hardship support and to empower and enable residents to access the support they need.
You can help support the campaign by sharing the assets and social media copy below on your own channels.
Visit the Richmond Cost of Living Hub
Resources
The Richmond Cost of Living Hub has gathered information about lots of schemes, benefits and support services - both national and local - into one place. Residents can either browse the information on our website or use our helpful calculator, that will tell them exactly which scheme or support they may be able to access.
You can also sign up to email updates on cost of living support to receive useful information and tips straight to your inbox.
Where people cannot access the internet, we are encouraging them to ask a family member, friend or caregiver to help and look at the information for them. Alternatively, they can visit their local library and a staff member will be able to help them use a computer to find out what you could be entitled to.
Help for Households
The Government has launched the 'Help for Households’ scheme. The homepage brings together over 40 support schemes that the public can access, depending on eligibility, including help with:
Household costs
Energy Bills
Childcare costs
Income support
Transport costs
Additionally, a range of online tools will help citizens quickly and efficiently check the support they might be eligible for and how to access it.
Arts Richmond
Arts Richmond is delighted to announce the Young Writers' Festival for 2022! The competition is open to all young people who either live or attend school/clubs in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames.
The rules are simple - write about any subject of their choice, in any format. They could write a story, a poem, a script as long as it's under 500 words or 25 lines for a poem.
Entries close Friday 02 December. The competition rules and entry template can be downloaded from www.artsrichmond.org.uk
Young Writers Poster A3 2022_Arts Richmond.pdfReview of Borough Leisure Centre Facilities
Richmond Council are currently undertaking a review of the Leisure Centre Facilities in the borough and as part of that review are in the early stages of collecting information which will guide decision making about future leisure centre provision.
As part of this review the Council are currently running an online survey for those who live, work or exercise in the borough to participate in. A key user group of the centres is young people and as leisure centres help facilitate swimming lessons which are part of the national curriculum we wanted to get in touch and make you aware of the consultation.
The survey can be accessed here.
Leisure Survey Poster.pdfAfC Local offer (SEND)
Achieving for Children have developed a new leaflet to raise awareness of the Local Offer in Kingston and Richmond and some examples of the types of information and services that can be found on the website. We have based the leaflets on the "New to SEND" section of the local offer and also included services and support that we know parents are often not aware of.
Printed copies will be available to pick up at SEND Futures if you are attending.
Richmond Dyslexia Coffee Morning
Fellow parents of Dyslexic children meet to discuss our experiences, ideas, and tips etc on how to raise competent, confident children and help them manage life at school, home, etc.
The next coffee morning is Friday, November 25, from 9:30 to 11:00, outside (so dress warmly) at the Tide Table Cafe under the arches of Richmond Bridge. TW9 1TH. Contact Kim Pryde for more details.
Enchanted Woodland - Richmond Parent Carer Forum
Richmond Parent Carer Forum are hosting a family event at the Enchanted Woodland, Syon Park for Richmond PCF Members on Saturday 19th November.
SEND families are eligible to join Richmond Parent Carer Forum for FREE and book this fun activity. Parents of children and young people aged 0-25 who have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities can join Richmond PCF if their child lives or attends school in Richmond. Please see the flyer for full details.
Enchanted Woodland 19th November 2022 Digital Flyer.pdfSpecial workshops for parents and carers this November
Richmond Borough Mind are providing some special workshops for parents this November as well as an eight week equine assisted psychotherapy programme for young people.
Carers Connect evening, Wednesday 17th November, 7pm, Elleray Hall, Teddington, TW11 OHG
Join us for an evening of networking with other unpaid carers and parents who support a loved one with a mental health problem.
Enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbles or a soft drink on arrival and canapes throughout the evening. Guest speaker Jayne Ayris - Carers Champion, Richmond Council joins us to talk about Carers Rights, in line with Carers Rights Day 2022.
RBMind Operation Centaur FREE 8 Week Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Programme starting Friday 4th Nov 22 from 9am to 11am
Following successful fundraising we are able to offer a number of young people (12 to 18 year olds) the opportunity to participate in an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Programme run by Prof Andreas Liefooghe, Founder and Director of Operation Centaur, in the heart of Royal Richmond Park.
Prof Andreas Liefooghe is a registered Psychologist and Psychotherapist who delivers Equine Assisted Psychotherapy to a full range of client groups, and is assisted by a team of psychotherapists and horse experts. As you are probably aware Equine Assisted Psychotherapy consisted of working in partnership with horses, through conservation, heritage, wellbeing and community projects.
The young people referred to the programme would need to meet the following criteria:
· Between 12 and 18 years old
· Available for the full 8 week programme, commencing Friday mornings (9am to 11am) 4th November 2022 for 8 consecutive weeks (Nov 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, Dec 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd - tbc)
· Able to get to and from (whether travelling alone and/or be escorted/accompanied) from Richmond Park (we plan to meet at the main gates at 08.30am and walk the 20-30mins to/from the stables together)
· Arrive in suitable footwear and clothing for outdoor activity
· Interested in learning about other ways that Richmond Mind support Children and Young People following the programme
Given the need to confirm names as soon as possible places are being offered on a first come first served basis (subject to meeting the above criteria). Please see the attached referral form.
Feel free to contact James, Georgie and/or our youth.service@rbmind.org for further information.
You can book your place on any of the above by emailing us at carers@rbmind.org or calling on 020 8940 7384.
Fear-Less Parenting: supporting children with anxiety
The Positive Parenting Project are running an online webinar for parents of children with anxiety: practical tools to help you support your child (for parents of children aged 6-14yrs).
When children have anxiety, it impacts the whole family. It can be incredibly hard for parents to know what to say and how to help. And, without support, children’s anxiety often escalates or becomes entrenched. It’s normal for parents to feel frustrated, worried or distressed when children are struggling – but there are parenting strategies you can learn that will make a real difference to your child’s anxiety.
This specialised Triple P® Fear-Less parenting seminar has been specifically developed to help parents cope with the challenges of parenting a child with anxiety. It will help you understand what causes anxiety and take you step-by-step through concrete strategies you can use to help reduce your child’s anxiety.
Know what to do when your child is anxious or upset.
Help your child develop a toolkit of coping skills to overcome anxiety.
Break the cycle of anxiety and avoidance.
The webinar will be delivered by international parenting expert Anita Cleare (MA Adv.Dip) and is relevant for parents of children aged 6-14yrs.
Click on the link here to take you to the EventBrite booking page.
Education Wellbeing Service
Secondary Parent Webinars Poster 2022.23. Education Wellbeing Service (2).pdfTerm Dates 2022-2023
Full term dates and Inset day information is available on the website:
Autumn Half-Term: Monday 24 October-Friday 04 November 2022
Autumn Term 2: Monday 07 November-Friday 16 December 2022
Additional Bank Holiday: Monday 08 May 2023