RTS Parents' Newsletter 30 April 2021
Head Teacher's Message
Thank you to those parents/carers who were able to attend this week's Parent Forum - the presentation and Q&A session are available on the website for all to read.
It is wonderful to be able to write to you once again about activities that are now taking place outside of school. This week we are delighted to share with you Ethan's account of attending the ANZAC Day commemoration last weekend. Also this week our Year 7 Rugby Sevens team competed (in line with all government and Sport England Covid-19 guidance) in an inter-school rugby tournament with Orleans and Sir Richard Reynolds schools. By all accounts the event was thoroughly enjoyed by all and Year 7 competed well, winning one game and losing two. Well done to all who took part. Next week it will be the turn of Year 8 and Year 9 to represent the school on the field.
One way or another our children have been affected by the last 12 months, I would urge you to encourage them to engage with the Big Ask survey as detailed further below. It is a unique opportunity for their voices to be heard.
As restrictions are lifted more and more over the coming weeks and opportunities are beginning to open up once more, we are excited to tentatively look ahead at planning trips and visits and hope, all being well, that one or two can take place before the end of term.
I am sure that even though we have only been back in school for two weeks we are all looking forward to a bank holiday weekend and meeting friends and family - as always, please continue to stay safe.
Ms K Dooley
Dates for the Diary
Monday 03 May
Bank Holiday - School closed
Wednesday 05 May
Early finish due to Year 7 Parent - Subject Teacher Evening.
Years 7 and 9 will finish at 14:45
Years 8 and 10 at 15:00.
Immunisations
Tuesday 18 May - Year 9: DTP/MenACWY (boys and girls)
Wednesday 09 June - Year 9: HPV1 (boys and girls)
Wednesday 07 July - Year 8: HPV1 (boys and girls) + Year 10 HPV2 (girls only)
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:
For further information, read this news release from London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council; and information from London Borough of Hounslow.
RTS Art Gallery
This week Ms Williams has shared with us entries for the Royal Academy Young Artist Summer Show. Most of these pieces of work were created by students on their own during lockdown. The Academy judges will make their selections shortly and results will be shared with participants by the end of May. Good luck to our students.
Summer Enrichment Programme
We are delighted to inform you that our Summer Enrichment drop down afternoons will begin as follows:
Year 7: Tuesday 04 May
Year 8: Thursday 06 May
Year 9: Wednesday 12 May
We have a lot of exciting activities planned including: basketball, football, karate, calligraphy, model making, horse riding and much more! We are looking forward to seeing our students participate fully in these afternoons and hope, all being well, to return our enrichment programme back to its full capacity from September.
The RTS Way
We are proud to share with you this account by Ethan L., Year 9, of his participation in ANZAC Day:
ANZAC Day, 25th of April, is a day of great significance, a national day of remembrance that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. ANZAC Day is observed in London through events that are open to the public. Due to the pandemic this had not been possible last year - 2020 marked the first time in 105 years no official event took place. This year, a Service of Commemoration was held at Westminster Abbey. Restricted numbers of dignitaries and representatives were invited, including Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence KCVO CB. I was fortunate to be invited to attend and give a prayer reading. It is a huge honour to be selected. I was proud to represent young New Zealand citizens in London, Ngāti Rānana (London Māori Culture Club), Te Kōhanga Reo o Ranana (London Māori Language School for Children) and the Richmond upon Thames School.
Poppy in hand, I decided to wear my school uniform and a kākahu (contemporary Māori cloak). The Service began at noon. The event was planned with socially distanced seating and in accordance with the Abbey’s Covid-19 plans. Masks were worn while we were in the Abbey and only removed if you were speaking as part of the service. Security was very tight with metal detectors, bag checks, sniffer dogs and a full police presence. A special Westminster Abbey Service Choir sung during the service for the Hymns and Anthems. The congregation were discouraged to join in, following the government guidelines.
Three highlights stood out for me (not including the Reading and my name in the Service book): Meeting the High Commissioners for Australia, New Zealand, the Ambassador of Turkey and the New Zealand Police Detective Superintendent; having an updated photo with Ben the cartwheeling Verger who, became a YouTube sensation after the Royal Wedding of Prince William; and thirdly, the acknowledgment The Princess Royal gave me as she was leaving will forever be a memory I will never forget. I am grateful for the opportunity, and significance of what ANZAC Day means, and for what my ancestors fought for and sacrificed. Lest We Forget. We Will Remember Them.
Assessment Point 6 (AP6)
A reminder that Year 9 AP6 takes place Monday 10-Friday 21 May during lesson time. An email was sent to parents/carers on 23 April with details and the following guides:
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. These assessments will be sat in GCSE exam conditions and students will be informed of the protocol and expectations in an assembly leading up to the assessment week. An email was sent to parents/carers on 29 April with details and the following guides:
Careers Corner
This term, every student in Year 10 will receive an individual careers interview with a qualified careers adviser. These interviews will happen during school time and have been facilitated to support our students develop a plan for their steps after Year 11, and beyond! If you have any questions about this please contact Mr Kemp at info@rts.richmond.sch.uk with 'Careers' in the subject heading.
If you were interested in the Sixth Form event at Teddington School mentioned in the 23 April Parents' Newsletter and were unable to access the registration form, please contact Teddington School direct as this event is organised by them: 020 8943 0033.
Reading Newsletter
Wimbledon Bookfest Young Writers Competition
Students in Year 7, 8 and 9 were set a creative writing challenge over the Easter holidays to write a poem or short story with the title ‘My name is…’The result was an impressive range of writing and it was fantastic to see how many students took up the challenge.
The students chosen to represent the school in the competition are Lottie (Y8), Rachel (Y8), Elif (Y8) and Evelyn (Y7) - whose poem is shown below. Their entries were wonderfully creative and showed a real engagement with the challenge that was set. We will keep our fingers crossed for the results!
‘My name is…’ by Evelyn (7MA)
My name is a title given to me
A title, chose by my family
Influenced by predecessors long forgotten and old
Some timid as a mouse, some terribly bold
Names can hold elegance and grace
Or represent the scorn that some people face
Some names are special, and have to be earnt
While some are created when you're thrown in the dirt
Names hold forwardness, boldness, uniqueness
Names hold togetherness, bonds, forgiveness
Love, light, hope and an all round peacefulness
Some are the only clue to finding lost family
Spread near and far by war
While some families hearts stay scarred
Never getting a chance to fix what's been torn
Some hold a story waiting to be told
Some hold a lesson ready to unfold
All names, long, short, intricate, simple
Created by your loved ones, your folks, your people
Remember this, no names are wrong
And ones from the heart always carry a song.
Carneigie Medal Shadowing
The Carnegie Medal shortlist has just been announced and we have wasted no time in ordering copies of the books for our shadowing scheme.
The short list includes a really diverse range of stories including: a tale of a mysterious dolphin; a girl who finds herself transforming into a bear; a tale of friendship in the height of the Great Depression; Madrid under the Franco dictatorship; and several novels in verse.
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be reading the books in small groups, then come together to share their ideas and submit reviews to the Carnegie judging panel. We are excited to find out what they think!
Transition - Year 7 September 2021
Please ensure that you have completed the first part of Enrolment into RTS - an email was sent to parents/carers on 31 March. Do also have a look at the Transition pages on the RTS website for updates.
We are also pleased to announce that as part of the RTS transition programme we are able to offer ‘Summer School’ places to our new year 7 cohort (current year 6 students). An email was sent to parents/carers on 27 April.
If you have not received one or both of the above mentioned emails, contact the School Office via: info@rts.richmond.sch.uk, with 'Transition' as the subject heading.
After School Sports
A reminder about after school sports activities:
Monday, 14:25-15:30 - Year 7 (not Monday 03 May)
Tuesday, 16:00-16:45 - Year 8
Wednesday, 15:45-16:30 - Year 9
Thursday, 16:00-16:45 - Year 10
For this term the activities on the field will consist of girl's football and boy's rugby. The activities on the MUGA will consist of basketball and netball. These will change after half-term.
Should you have any questions or concerns about anything sport related as always please do not hesitate to contact the School Office via: info@rts.richmond.sch.uk, for the attention of Mr Roberts.
Sport in Richmond
Sport in Richmond is a new newsletter that has been produced in partnership between Richmond Borough and Sport Richmond. The aim is to keep residents up to date with all things sport happening in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The first issue can be found here.
FoRTS News
The Captain Tom 100 Challenge
On 06 April 2020, Captain Tom Moore set out round his garden to thank our NHS heroes. One hundred laps later, he had raised an incredible £38.9 million for the NHS Covid-19 Appeal. Now it’s our turn to build on that legacy, starting today, on what would have been his 101st birthday. All money raised goes to FoRTS for the benefit of RTS students.
How to get involved
Take on a challenge based on the number 100 anytime and anywhere over this weekend.
Dream up your 100 challenge – whether it’s walking 100 metres, baking 100 cookies, or hopping on one leg 100 times - it’s time to get creative!
Take on your challenge any time between Friday 30 April and Monday 03 May.
Help raise funds for FoRTS. There’s no minimum fundraising or donation commitment, simply raise or give what you can. Remember to share our fundraising page link wide and far.
Shout about your challenge by sending in a picture to info@rts.richmond.sch.uk and encourage others to get involved. Add in your class name so that your tutor can see it.
Watch the promotional video below to see Dame Judi Dench, David Beckham, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and many more sharing their challenges. Hopefully you’ve already heard about some ideas the RTS students have been discussing in their tutor groups.
Help FoRTS win £250!
We often ask you to help raise funds for FoRTS by signing up as a supporter of ‘Friends of RTS’ on AmazonSmile and easyfundraising. If we can get just three new people to register with easyfundraising before 31 May, FoRTS could win £250! So, if you’ve been thinking about it, or just haven’t quite got round to it, now would be a great time to do it! Please share with friends, family, work colleagues…the more supporters the better! Thank you in advance.
Next FoRTS General Meeting – 06 May, 8pm
A reminder that the next FoRTS meeting will be held virtually next Thursday evening at 8pm. A link and agenda will be sent out closer to the date. Please join us for updates on recent FoRTS activities. If you’re unable to attend the meeting but would like to volunteer to help with upcoming fundraising events, or would like any information, please email us.
To contact FoRTS at any time, please email forts@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
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 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.
Understanding ADHD in girls and women
Dr Jo Steer, Associate Director for Emotional Health, has just published a book called Understanding Girls & Women with ADHD.
She says: ‘I am super proud of leading this project, which involves lots of contributions from local experts in the field: Val Ivens from ADHD Richmond & Kingston, Dr Alex Doig from Tier 3 CAMHS, Eva Akins from local solicitors Russell Cooke; and Claire Berry and me, from the Emotional Health Service at AfC. We were also lucky enough to secure contributions from Prof Peter Hill, Dr Sally Cubbins and Dr Allyson Parry, along with an amazing foreword from Andrea Bilbow OBE. Importantly the book also contains the voices of girls and women with ADHD, many of whom live in our boroughs.’
The book is available from Amazon and all your usual book sellers, along with the publisher Jessica Kingsley. All royalties from the book will go to ADHD Richmond & Kingston.
Richmond Climate Change Youth Fund
Would you like action on climate change?
If you're aged 11-19, you can apply for money from the Youth Council’s Richmond Climate Change Youth Fund, which is backed by Richmond Council. You could get funding of up to £1500 to support you in a project to raise awareness of and/or tackle climate change.
All projects must focus on one or more of the following areas:
Energy efficiency and water saving
Air quality (travel)
Waste and recycling
Re-using / repurposing / fast fashion
You can find out more here: afcinfo.org.uk/climatechangeyouthfund. Application deadline: 31 May.
Watch this message from Praneeth, Kingston and Richmond Youth Council
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:
Bank Holiday: Monday 03 May 2021
Summer Half-Term break: 31 May-04 June 2021
Last day of Summer term for students: Friday 16 July 2021