RTS Parents' Newsletter 14 May 2021

Head Teacher's Message

We have much to begin to look forward to as we tentatively plan for school trips and activities. So far we have plans for:

  • Inter-school sports tournaments - check the RTS Parents' Calendar

  • After school sports' activites - check the RTS Parents' Calendar

  • Whole school Sports Day - date in July to be confirmed

  • New Year 7 (2021) Induction/Transition Day - Monday 05 July

  • Year 8 trip to Shakespeare's Globe and the Tate Modern - Friday 09 July

We have also reinstated Enrichment and it is wonderful to hear the excitement of the students as they look forward to the activity that they have selected. The MUGA, playground and fields are once again dotted with RTS students in their Games and PE kits participating in group sports, and inside the school a variety of activities are also taking place.

Whilst many restrictions will be lifted on Monday 17 May (including the 'Stay in the UK' restriction - opening up travel abroad to certain countries), it remains vital that as a school community we continue to stay safe. I have shared with you this week a letter on the what the next steps in the roadmap looks like for RTS. Please do take the time to read this and to discuss the contents with your children.

May I also kindly remind you that the whole family should self-isolate if anyone in the household:

  • Develops symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, a high temperature, a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia),

  • Tests positive via a LFD test,

  • Is waiting to take a PCR test, and/or waiting for the test results; or,

  • Tests positive for COVID-19.

Thank you for your continuing support and cooperation.

Ms K Dooley

Dates for the Diary

Assessment Point 6 (AP6)

  • Year 9 AP6 takes place Monday 10-Friday 21 May during lesson time

  • Year 10 AP6 takes place Monday 24-Friday 28 May. Students will be off timetable for the week and only attend school for their scheduled assessments.

Immunisations

Consent forms were sent home with Year 9 students on 07 May; and we also sent an e-form via email on the same day.

LFD Testing

LFD at Home Tests - Students

Tests should continue to be taken across all year groups by participating students on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.

LFD at Home Tests - Parents/carers

You can now order/collect LFD tests free of charge from the following:

RTS Art Gallery

The Year 9s have been working on self portraits for their AP6. Ms Williams has been impressed with how well the students have done, using all the facial proportion skills they have learnt this year.

History Work

Ms Sant has shared with us an amazing example of Nevaeh, 8MA's recent work:

"The work was produced following two lessons in looking at Protests in the 19th Century as part of studying the Industrial Revolution. Designing the poster was one of the optional tasks. I highlighted her poster because it was eye catching, had an effective combination of images and texts to convey the plight of these workers and what they wanted. It also included good technical language, facts and persuasive language. Demonstrates a clear understanding of this 19th century protest."

MFL Competition

Ms Fossey and the MFL department would like to offer students the opportunity to take part in an exciting MFL competition for the May half-term, celebrating bank holidays in France and French regions.

Tourism and celebrations are key themes for the French GCSE and an essential part of French culture. This competition will allow students to enhance their knowledge of French culture and discover new horizons. Further details, including information on dates and prizes, will be posted on Year Group Notices on Google Classrooms. Please encourage your child to participate in this event, which will support their path to fluency in French.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing their entries!

EU Settlement Scheme

For those RTS families this may affect, Richmond Borough Council have shared the following reminder (more information is available on their website):

EU nationals living in the borough are reminded that there are less than 50 days to go until the deadline to apply for the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

Government figures show that 19,830 Richmond residents have submitted an EUSS application and, of these, 18,680 have been concluded. However, the Council believes that there are still many people who are eligible for the EUSS who are yet to apply, in particular vulnerable citizens such as older people and non-EEA nationals.

The Council is urging all residents from EU countries and eligible non-EEA nationals who want to stay in the UK to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme as soon as possible.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday 30 June 2021. Those who have not applied by the deadline will lose their legal rights to live, work and access benefits in the UK.

Transition - Year 7 September 2021

We are regularly updating our dedicated RTS Transition website for our new Year 6-7 parents. If you have a query about enrolment, Summer School, school uniform, Induction Day, or anything else; please check on the Transition website in the first instance. There is also a wealth of information on the main RTS website.

FoRTS News

Art Easels

As you know, each term subject leads at the school have an opportunity to bid for funds from FoRTS to enable them to buy additional equipment or resources for the students. We are delighted to share with you the pictures below of the easels bought for the Art department. FoRTS has been able to pay for these, along with new sports equipment and library books in the spring term. Please email us if you can help FoRTS in any way so that we can continue to fund such projects.

Rugby Parking

FoRTS raises most of its funds from the sale of car parking spaces on rugby days. As you can imagine, our income has been severely cut with the cancellation of events at Twickenham Stadium owing to Covid-19. Fortunately, there are now some fixtures planned with fans being welcomed back, the first being the 2021 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals with 10,000 fans in attendance on 21 and 22 May. If you can help marshal on these days, please email us.

The Captain Tom 100 Challenge

Around £170 including Gift Aid has been raised for FoRTS so far – so thank you! A reminder that you are still able to make a donation on our Virgin Money Giving page. All donations will be used to enhance every RTS student’s learning experience at school. As we are now a registered charity, FoRTS can claim Gift Aid on any voluntary contributions, so please select this option if you are a UK taxpayer.

AmazonSmile and easyfundraising

Please help raise funds for the school, at no cost to yourself, by signing up to easyfundraising and AmazonSmile, as a supporter of ‘Friends of RTS’. With such a tough year for fundraising, we really would appreciate as many supporters as possible.

The Big FoRTS Summer Raffle

Tickets will go on sale at the end of the month. Watch this space for more details!


To contact FoRTS at any time, please email forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Second Hand Uniform Donations email fortsuniform@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Second Hand Uniform Sales oldschooluniform.co.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

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 or

  • Signvideo using British Sign Language (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)

Local News - Please note RTS does not endorse items included as Local News

The Big Ask - Children's Commissioner's Consultation

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza, has just launched a once-in-a-generation review of the future of childhood. The review asks children how the pandemic has changed their lives, what their aspirations are and the barriers to reaching them, how things are at home, how their communities and local environment could be improved, and how they feel about the future and the challenges facing the world.

Visit the Big Ask website and encourage your children to take part.

Heatham House

Heatham House is back open with a full term-time programme and are happy to also announce some new projects that have launched and now operate from Heatham House!

Girls In The House: A safe space for young women to come and interact with female workers to seek advice or simply chill in an environment where they feel comfortable with discussions, activities and trips!

The Lighthouse Project: A closed group for young people with ASD/ADHD/Aspergers to socialise with one another in a safe space where they feel comfortable. Each week there is a structured activity along with free time to play/socialise and also lots of trips coming up too! (Please note this group is by referral so contact me for more information).

Term Dates 2020-2021

Full term dates and Inset day information is available on the website:

  • Summer Half-Term break: 31 May-04 June 2021

  • Last day of Summer term for students: Friday 16 July 2021

Parents' Calendar