RTS Parents' Newsletter 16 July 2021

Head Teacher's Message

What can I say that does this Academic Year justice?

A huge thank you goes to you, the RTS school community. It has been a challenging 18 months for us all, and it bears repeating again, that your support has been incredible and much appreciated. The many messages that we receive really do make a difference to staff morale - so thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to send them in.

We are extremely excited to be looking ahead to September. Reaching the milestone of a full school is one that seemed a very long way off when I accepted the post of Head Teacher at RTS back in 2016. We will have 750 students and nearly 100 staff across the site.

It has been an incredibly busy week with much positivity and excitement with the streaming of Alice in Wonderland (the link expires today, so please do try and catch it!), Year 10 Geography trips, the Celebration Assembly, and much more!

I do hope that you have many opportunities over the Summer break to relax, meet up with family and friends, spend time with your children, and perhaps manage to have a holiday - be it abroad, in this country, or a staycation.

I look forward to welcoming you all back in September - please look out for my Head Teacher's Start of Term letter towards the end of August.

Ms K Dooley

RTS Art Gallery

This week Ms Williams has curated a wonderful selection of art works from across the school. The students have worked exceptionally hard and have produced some incredible pieces of work. Week in, week out, Ms Williams has provided a wealth of content for the newsletter and we hope that you have enjoyed seeing just a small fraction of what the students are producing. A huge thank you to Ms Williams!

RTS Values

Year 10 were saddened to hear of the racist abuse England players faced in the wake of their fantastic journey to Wembley for the final. As an RTS year group community we recently took part in 'taking the knee' in solidarity. We felt that this action was one that the England team held in high regard as demonstrated at the start of every match they played, right the way through to the final.

Here's what Hadassa, Ana-Laura and Toni had to say:

"Our RTS community recently took part in taking a knee to make a stand against the appalling outpouring of racism after England's loss in the finals. Those of us in year 10 wanted to show our intolerance of racism in any form, both in school and in the wider community. We felt that we needed to do something to show that such behaviour is unacceptable and that the horrendous acts against Saka, Rashford and Sancho should not have happened. We stand in solidarity with them."

LFD and PCR Testing

LFD at Home Tests - Students

Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation over the last few months in continuing to encourage your child/ren to take LFD tests and to report them. We know how burdensome it has seemed at times and we thank you for continuing to keep the school community protected and safe.

Over the summer, if you wish to, LFD tests are available free of charge from the following:

PCR Tests

If you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive (identified as a close contact) you are now advised to seek a PCR even if you are not displaying symptoms. These can now be ordered free of charge from:

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, 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.

Dates for your diary

  • Monday 02-Friday 06 August - Summer School, details were emailed on out 09 July to all those who have signed up. We are looking forward to meeting students during this week

  • Thursday 02 September - First day of Autumn Term for Year 7 students only

The RTS Way

We are delighted to share with you the success of George, 10SP outside of school. A newcomer to volleyball only last year, George has excelled in the sport, believing in the power of effort, and last weekend he and his team mate came fifth in their tournament, travelling to Cardiff. Overall London came 3rd - winning bronze. He played really well against highly seeded opponents, many of whom play for U18 England Cadets. Incredible achievement George - well done!

Richmond Council Vaccination Event - Heathfield Town Centre

Over 500 people had their vaccine at the walk-in event in Richmond Town Centre last weekend. Now, residents in the Heathfield area are also invited to attend a local event on Saturday 17 July - with no appointments or NHS numbers required.

As the nation gears up for the removal of COVID restrictions later this month, it is more important than ever that people get both doses of their vaccine, to protect themselves and those around them. In Heathfield, we know that around 37% of residents aged 18 to 39 have not yet had their first jab.

The clinic will be at Heathfield Junior School (Cobbett Road, Heathfield, TW2 6EN) from 10am to 6pm on Saturday 17 July.

No appointments will be needed and both Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines will be available. The walk-in clinic will allow people to attend at a time that is convenient for them and means groups of friends can attend together to have their first doses.

It is also an opportunity for people who missed their second dose of the vaccine or haven’t got round to booking it, to ensure they are fully vaccinated. However, please remember that second doses are ONLY given to those who received their first 8 weeks ago or more.

This is the latest walk-in clinic available in Richmond upon Thames – with others planned in the weeks ahead around the borough. See all the other locations here.

FoRTS News

Staff End of Year Collection – closing on Sunday

If you would like to donate and leave a message to thank staff for their work over the year, please visit the RTS staff collection page. Thank you to all of those who’ve donated so far and for all the great messages which we’ll pass on to the school. Staff hope to buy a coffee machine with money raised. We plan to close the collection on 18 July, so if you’d like to donate, please do so by then.

Second Hand Uniform Donations and Sales

Don’t forget that you can donate any uniform by emailing fortsuniform@rts.richmond.sch.uk (please do not take directly into school). Items are re-sold on oldschooluniform.co.uk, so please consider shopping there for any uniform you need for the next school year. Any funds raised go to FoRTS. Thank you for your support.

AmazonSmile, easyfundraising and Virgin Money Giving

As you shop online over the summer, remember you can continue to support FoRTS with free donations at easyfundraising and AmazonSmile. You can also make direct donations, including Gift Aid, via our Virgin Money Giving page, or use the “Just Giving” button on the RTS website.

The Big PTA Summer Raffle

Thank you for all your support, we did amazingly well with 77 supporters and parents purchasing 374 tickets. This has helped us raise £561.00. Don’t forget to check the website to view the winning numbers. Good luck!

FoRTS End of Year Newsletter

Look out for our end of year newsletter for full details of what’s been happening at FoRTS.

FoRTS would like to wish you all a happy and healthy summer break, stay safe.


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

Pedal-Up Summer Courses

Pedal-Up have organised some more on-road safe cycling courses for the Summer holidays - please see the flyer for details.

Harlequins Healthy Holidays Scheme’ (FUEL)

Sign up now & join us at the world famous Twickenham Stoop stadium, home of the double English champions, Harlequins!

Feeling inspired by the wonderful world of sport & everything that’s taking place this summer? Join The Harlequins Foundation & take part in an action packed summer of sports, games, team building activities and so much more, plus some very special guests!

Who?

Anyone aged 5-16 years, living in Richmond or Kingston.

When?

Every Monday - Thursday this August (2nd - 27th).

Where?

Twickenham Stoop Stadium, Langhorn Drive (TW2 7SX)

Cost?

£25.00 per day.

*places are fully subsidised for those who would otherwise receive free school meals during term time.

More information can be found on AfC’s website - https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/community-information/information-and-advice/fuel-holiday-activities-and-food-programme/fuel-summer-holiday-programme-2021

The booking link is here - https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TheHarlequinsFoundation/HHHP.html

Hockey Club - Teddington

Teddington Hockey Club are celebrating their 150th year, being the oldest Hockey club in the World, and have a Youth section – male and female – in excess of 600 Children.

They are running Summer Camps to which all are welcome - please see the flyer.

Teddington HC are also keen to offer a ‘ reach out’ to local Schools – including RTS – from early September 2021, the new school year, whereby they will offer some dates to try out hockey on their hockey pitches at Teddington School – more details to follow in September.

THCSummerCampFinal-1625418915175.pdf

Join a Football Team

A parent at RTS has shared with us the following information:

"I coach an U12s football team, Twickenham Saints, that plays in the Epsom & Ewell league with matches on Saturday mornings, our Home games are at Orleans Park School.

Our values are respect, commitment, teamwork; and of course to have fun. We have enjoyed some reasonable success over the years and play in Division 5 - we reached the semi-final of the cup this year!

We are looking for players that would like to join our team from next season. We train on a Friday 6:30-7:30pm and it would be great to welcome your child to join us for a kickabout to see if they'd like to join the gang.

Please message me, Nick, on 07961 357 350 if you think that your child or a friend may be interested.

We also have spaces in the U13s team (current Y8 going to Y9), so if there are any siblings keen, I can put you in touch with the coach for that age group."

Inspiring children and young people, transforming lives

The Eikon Charity supports children and young people to overcome difficulties, become resilient and develop into confident adults who contribute positively to their communities.

Wherever a young person is on that journey and whether they’re feeling good about life or are really struggling, we’re there for them. We believe in their potential.

We invest in young people and give them the skills to respond positively to life’s challenges. We believe in prevention, and where that’s not been possible, in helping early on, before a concern becomes a crisis.

We work with young people directly in schools and communities across Surrey and beyond, one-to-one, in groups and clubs – and with and through partners, supporting them to deliver services that improve young people’s physical and emotional wellbeing and mental health. We work in partnership with schools, communities, health & social care and other organisations, because we believe that working together works.

We recognise that the environments, systems and people surrounding young people play a huge role in achieving the best outcomes for them. So, we work collaboratively with others to understand and shape those influences on their lives and the services that we and they provide. We help other organisations in their work by providing resources and working alongside them to develop whole system and whole school approaches to wellbeing.

Family Explorer Trails

Family explorer trails are a creative way for young Londoners to explore this great city and learn about the world of work.

They will learn about jobs from the past and discover the work people do today. The trails are based in five locations across London. If you would like some of our trails posted to you, please get in touch at curriculum@london.gov.uk

Or they can be viewed and downloaded from our London Curriculum portal.

ADHD Richmond and Kingston Webinars

Please see below some information about our ADHD Richmond and Kingston upcoming webinars in July. For more information and to book, please visit https://adhdrichmond.org/webinars/

ADHD and medication - 20 July 2021, 8pm

This webinar is for parents, carers and professionals wanting to understand more about the use of ADHD medicines for children and young people.

Our speaker, Professor Peter Hillis a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. He is a medical doctor (rather than a psychologist) who specialises in the psychiatry of children and teenagers. He is the author of a new publication 'The Parents' Guide to ADHD medicines'.

Term Dates 2020-2021

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

  • Y7 students ONLY: Thursday 02 September and Friday 03 September

  • Year 7 & 11 students: Monday 06 September

  • All Year Groups (Y7-Y11): Tuesday 07 September

Parents' Calendar