RTS Parents' Newsletter 18 December 2020
Head Teacher's Message
I will be sending out a separate email as soon as I can to all parents/carers regarding the new government changes that were announced only yesterday; and with it our proposed plans for January. It is important that you access and read the email as soon as you receive it. Please note, as guidance is changing daily, I am not likely to be able to update you until the new year. I know this is probably not the news you'd like to hear, but it important that we are able to provide clear direction on how the first weeks of the new term in January will operate, rather than rushing through a plan that may then need to be changed after Christmas.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support during these past few days, weeks and months. The many kind and thoughtful messages that we have received this week have been shared with staff and I know just how appreciated they are. Thank you.
I wish you a pleasant and well deserved Christmas break. Please continue to stay safe.
Ms K Dooley
Virtual Christmas Showcase
The staff and students at RTS wish you all a safe and restful festive break and look forward to seeing you all again in 2021! With thanks to the Creative Arts Department - Mr Paoli, Ms Charles, Ms Mears and Ms Williams - for their hard work and combined efforts in producing this showcase - and of course, thank you to our talented students. Enjoy!
Year 7 Update
Congratulations Year 7!
You have officially completed your first term at secondary school. It may not have exactly been the term we had all hoped for, but your perseverance, determination and excellent work ethic have shone through. It has been a pleasure not only teaching you, but also popping in to your lessons and hearing your French, looking at your sewing skills in DT, and hearing your presentations about human impact on the environment in Science. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to welcoming you back in January!
Miss Speed, Assistant Head of Year 7
Christmas Jumper Day
Thank you to everyone so far - RTS have raised a total of £390 across WisePay and Just Giving. If you haven't already done so, there is still time to donate your £1 to Save the Children for Christmas Jumper Day. Please log in to your WisePay account where you will find a link. We have also set up a Just Giving page for staff, friends and family to be able to donate if they wish. Thank you again for your support.
RTS Art Gallery
This week we are showcasing still life drawings from Year 10 students.
Virtual Choir
One more delight for you - the second piece by the RTS Virtual Choir. You may need a tissue - it certainly made some of the staff feel emotional when we watched and listened to it. Thank you to Mr Paolli and all students who took part, displaying the RTS Way.
Christmas Choir final.mp4Year 7 Science
Year 7 were asked to design a 'scientific Christmas tree' which had to be: colourful, include scientific content and/or keywords, be creative, imaginative or innovative; and it could be any medium.
The winners received a Golden Ticket and some chocolates. Well done to all of the students, and especially the winners!
English Update
The English department hope you have a lovely holiday where you are able to relax a little bit. But perhaps that will come with a little bit of reading too! Find a few recommended reads from The English and Media Centre by following the link.
We ended the year by completing the STAR reader tests again and I'm pleased to say that we have seen some wonderful progress for many students which we will be sharing in the new year.
Coming up in the new year we are looking forward to our Oxford Classical Conversation for Year 10 and Year 7. In Year 7 we will be chatting to an Oxford University Lecturer about their favourite mythical monsters, and in Year 10 we will be running a mini-university style seminar for English and Drama high achievers on Classical tragedy.
And finally: we ended the term with Year 9 creating some fabulous trailers for Macbeth, which you can see here!
C_W Remote Learning Creative Tasks (17 Dec 2020 at 15_33) (2).MOVGames Update - Rugby Next Term
In light of the most up-to-date guidance from the RFU, we are delighted to be able to offer Rugby on our curriculum once again.
Throughout the Spring term, all students in KS3 (years 7, 8 and 9) will have the opportunity to participate in Rugby during their games session and therefore will need the appropriate safety equipment, as follows:
Studded boots together with a boot bag
Mouthguard
Tracksuit bottoms (these are particularly advisable if the weather is wet)
We will keep you updated regarding sporting fixtures and are looking forward to returning to competitive sport soon.
Thank you for your continued support and we wish you all the best over the Christmas season.
FoRTS News
Please read the last FoRTS Newsletter of the year.
FoRTS Newsletter 20201218.pdfTerm Dates 2020-2021
Full term dates and Inset day information is available on the website:
Last day of Autumn term for students: Friday 18 December 2020 (remote learning only, NOT on site)
First day of Spring term for students: Tuesday 05 January 2021
Spring Half-Term break: 15-19 February 2021
Easter break: 01-16 April 2021
Summer Half-Term break: 31 May-04 June 2021
Last day of Summer term for students: Friday 16 July 2021 (amended)
Local News - Please note RTS does not endorse items included as Local News
Kooth - Online Counselling Service for ages 11–22
The NHS wants to remind young people that an online service called Kooth is available for them in South West London, which can provide extra support during this difficult time.
Kooth is an online counselling and emotional well-being service for children and young people aged 11-22. Young people can search ‘Kooth’ or visit kooth.com and get support for anything that's on their mind. The service was introduced following feedback from young people that it is something they would find useful.
A short video (see below) has been produced for young people to example how Kooth can help – you and your child can watch it on YouTube.
More information on Kooth
Accredited by the BACP, and as a trusted delivery partner of the NHS, Kooth has supported over 250,000 children and young people across the UK since 2004. It’s anonymous and free at the point of use. Children and young people can chat to professional counsellors, read articles written by young people, receive peer-to-peer support and keep a daily journal.
Qualified counsellors, therapists and support workers provide guided and outcome-focused support for each individual. Kooth is accessible through any connected device - young people can log on wherever they are to access professional counselling up until 10pm 365 days a year.
For more information about the service, you can visit the XenZone website www.xenzone.com.
Aged 13-17? Living in Kingston or Richmond? Volunteer with Youth Out Loud!
Youth Out Loud! (YOL!) is a group of young people working with Healthwatch in Richmond and Kingston. YOL! use their voices to make health and care services better for young people. Watch YOL! introductory video here.
YOL! are looking for two young people who wish to help us manage our social media.
They are also looking for up to 10 young people to support them making, recording and editing podcasts on wellbeing topics (mental health, exercise, healthy eating, bullying, relationships and friendship etc).
This is a unique opportunity for young people to be heard, make a difference to the community and gain new skills. To express an interest or apply, click here. For more information visit https://www.yolweb.info/ and follow YOL! Twitter and Instagram.
Richmond online art exhibition from Collective Arts
As we all contemplate the present and look ahead to the future, Collective Arts is asking Richmond Borough residents to explore how they can create joy for themselves, for each other and within their world. They welcome original artwork (paintings, drawings, collage, photographs, etc.) from all ages and abilities. For each creation, please include and complete the following sentence, “We can create joy by…” and submit your artwork via Instagram using the hashtag #createjoyrichmond. To welcome in a new year, Collective Arts will launch a virtual exhibition on their Create Joy webpage: https://collective-arts.org. Create Joy is supported by The Richmond Council Coronavirus Emergency Support Fund.