RTS Parents' Newsletter 17 March 2023
Head Teacher's Message
We had the absolute pleasure this week of meeting over 250 members of our new families! Our new intake evening for September 2023 families was well attended. They were treated to refreshments from our wonderful catering team, presentations from the Senior Leadership Team and FoRTS; and Ms Carrick-Steele led them in a rousing rendition of the Haka - their first introduction to the RTS Way!
Whilst we are excited to look forward to the future our minds are still very much on our current students. Our Year 11 students have worked exceptionally hard this week (and last) coming in to sit their mock GCSE exams under exam board conditions and with external invigilators. We believe that this will help them prepare and focus for their GCSEs in just a few weeks time.
All year groups are working hard and I am sure that all students are looking forward to the Easter break coming up.
Wishing you a lovely weekend with your families.
Ms K Dooley
Dates for the diary
Tuesday 28-Thursday 30 March
A Monster Calls - School Production
Friday 31 March
End of Term, early finish at 12 noon
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 School Production
Don't forget to purchase your tickets for our upcoming school production. Students have been working behind the scenes for all aspects of the show - from back drops, to lighting, to costumes and make-up; and also rehearsing!
We look forward to seeing you come and support your children!
RTS_A Monster Calls.pdfCambridge Trip
On Thursday 09 March, Ms Tania took 41 Year 9 students to Cambridge. This trip consisted of a visit to Homerton College, University of Cambridge and Cambridge Central Mosque. At the university students experienced a fantastic lecture about 'How to get into Cambridge and what university is like?'. This was a great opportunity for our Year 9 students as they experienced what it would be like as a student at Cambridge University. Students interviewed a panel of Cambridge students about what their life is like at Cambridge and what courses they are studying. Year 9 were also given a tour of Homerton College. To conclude the visit at the university, students took part in a Theology and Philosophy Academic Taster session led by Dr Jon Phelan, Director of Studies in Philosophy and Theology, about 'The Kalam- The cosmological argument'.
The second part of the trip consisted of a visit to Europe's first eco-friendly Mosque. Students thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the Mosque, as it was the first time some students had visited one. Year 9 were given a tour of the large mosque and some of the girls tried on some traditional religious attire which Muslims wear when praying.
Students shared some great feedback on the trip:
George M. - 'Thank you for letting me go on this trip - I really enjoyed the experience at Cambridge University and I have learnt so much in a small amount of time'.
Libby - 'I enjoyed the university tour because it gave me an insight of what university will be like when I go in the future. The Mosque was very eye-catching and beautiful to visit'.
Enrichment Trip
On Thursday 09 March 12 students from across Years 7-9 went on a trip to the Imperial War Museum as part of their History Makers enrichment. The students explored the Second World War and 1945 to present day galleries and participated in a documentary making workshop - armed with clapperboards and cameras!
Many thanks to FoRTS for funding the workshop, it was a fantastic experience for everyone and we are looking forward to screening the documentaries in our next enrichment session.
English Trip
On Tuesday 28 March all Year 7 students will be going to watch a performance of 'The Tempest' at Shakespeare's Globe on Bankside in London. The performance has been especially adapted for young audiences and is the perfect culmination of our unit studying the play last half term. A letter with full details has been sent to all Y7 families.
RTS Way
It is not just our students who are able to celebrate and represent the RTS Way. We are also proud to share achievements of parents.
Following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey/Syria, Ms Sensu (Year 10 parent) helped organise an event on 26 February at St Stephen's Primary School. The event raised £10,000 in a single day. Following this she was invited to represent the group (who organised the event) at the Hayes Islamic Centre on 09 March. This event was attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Year 11 Notice
Year 11 parents, this is a kind reminder that the deadline to sign up to and pay for the Year 11 prom is 31 March 2023.
Please complete the google form and make the £35 payment to Manju - please contact her for bank details.
PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS BEING ORGANISED BY PARENTS AND NOT BY THE SCHOOL. DO NOT SEND ANY QUERIES TO THE SCHOOL AS STAFF ARE NOT INVOLVED IN THE ORGANISATION OF THIS EVENT.
Please contact Manju or Kelly at manjwalia@yahoo.co.uk / kellybatten@hotmail.co.uk if you have any questions.
Railway Safety
With the Easter holidays approaching, we have been asked by Network Rail to share the following information in order to keep your children safe near and on the railways.
Network Rail in partnership with Learn Live are working to help raise awareness by educating children about the dangers of the train tracks through interactive digital delivery. Please watch the video and share with your children.
The session is less than 15 minutes and explains why it is important to stay safe near the tracks. Over 14 million students, parents and teachers from across the UK have already watched these videos which has led to a significant decrease in the number of incidents in their area through watching the safety videos.
Remember 15 mins can help save lives and provide important safety information to young people.
Secondary school version: Age 11-16 https://learnliveuk.com/network-rail-secondary-school-safety-talk/
The safety videos are free - use the email railsafety@learnliveuk.com in the "I am registered field" when you first watch the videos.
FORTS NEWS
Rugby Parking
Last Saturday, 11 March, we made a huge £2500 from one day of marshalling. In total for February and March around £6800 was raised for FoRTS. A massive thank you to all the volunteer marshalls. Without your help this would not have been achieved.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Rob on fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Your FoRTS team,
Carmelle (Chair & Secretary), Mark (Treasurer)
General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Uniform: fortsuniform@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk
Voluntary donations: Peoples Fundraising
Curry Flyer 2023.pdfQuiz and Curry night - Friday 24 March, 7-10pm (Parents / carers / staff only)
Tickets are now on sale for the popular quiz and curry night (meat and vegetarian options). £12 per person to include entry, food and ticket in the raffle. There is just no cheaper night out and there’s a chance to win a prize!
If you would like to join but don’t have a team, we can put one together for you. The raffle will be drawn at the end of the evening.
See the flyer for full details and to book your ticket - Deadline to purchase is TODAY!!
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
"I love you Mum, I promise I won't die" - Monday 20 March, 18:00 at Waldegrave School
You are invited to a free performance of 'I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die'- a powerful verbatim play by award-winning playwright Mark Wheeller, commissioned by the DSM Foundation to tell the story of Dan’s joyful life and tragic death, as part of the range of drug education resources and support they have developed. Published by Bloomsbury, it has been studied and performed in schools, colleges and theatres across the UK and around the world, and has been touring schools as a professional Theatre in Education production since 2017. Since September 2022 it has been a GCSE Drama set text in England and Wales.
This event is hosted by drug education charity The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation and funded by the Richmond Voluntary Fund. The play is being performed by Wizard Theatre to schools in Richmond as part of a seven-week London wide Theatre in Education tour - this community performance is an opportunity for parents and community leaders to see its powerful story.
Click here to read on: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Td2DHqKcOLaDPuKEasJA-LT47OqmKkYY/view?usp=sharing
Booking here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/richmond-community-performance-of-i-love-you-mum-i-promise-i-wont-die-registration-514171830787
ADHD Embrace Webinar & Coffee Morning
There are two upcoming events organised by ADHD Embrace:
The work and scope of the Educational Psychologist in relation to children with ADHD
This remote session will be run by: Amanda Gaukroger, Lynn Delafosse, and Paul Killerby Education Psychologists at AFC on Tuesday 21 March, 8pm-9:30pm.
They will be covering:
What is an Educational Psychologist? ·
The role of the Educational Psychologist at Achieving for Children · Educational Psychology assessment ·
Sharing of findings and support ·
Overview of ADHD literature and research ·
What an Educational Psychologist would look for when assessing. General strategies and signposting.
TV series needs Dads!
A new C4 adventure series featuring Ed Stafford is looking for dads to take part! The show will take a group of dads, who want to better connect with their children due to the pressures of the modern world, to live in the jungle for 2 weeks (but they would need to be available for 3).
There they will get the chance to experience back to basic living, take on challenges together and bond over the once in a lifetime experience.
For further information see the flyer and get in touch with:
Glen Bartlett, Casting Producer – Kings of the Jungle
Dramacube: Easter Workshops and May Show!
Bursting with much-loved songs, memorable moments and colourful characters - Oliver Jr is a wonderful musical all the family will enjoy!
Based on the classic novel Oliver Twist and Lionel Bart's stage show Oliver, this official production is performed by a talented cast of local children.
Come support them on stage at The Cecil Hepworth Playhouse on 19th March or Hampton Hill Theatre between 5th – 7th May.
Book tickets at https://www.dramacubeproductions.co.uk/tickets/
DC-Easter-Workshops-23-A5-Flyer-2 (1).pdf
Secondary Parent Webinars Poster 2022.23. Education Wellbeing Service (2).pdf
Parent_and_Carers_Infographic.pdfTerm Dates 2022-2023
Full term dates and Inset day information is available on the website:
Spring Term 2: Monday 20 February-Friday 31 March