Friday 28 January 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
There are finally signs of Spring around and with afternoons staying a little lighter for longer, we are hopeful that many more students will stay in school to take advantage of the enrichment clubs and activities we offer!
Please do chat with your child about what they might like to get involved in, as this term as we have late buses Monday to Thursday for their safe return home.
School Activities and Student Brilliance!
Mrs Brennan, our Head of Sixth Form, says: “In line with this term’s key focus for the Sixth Form: Independent Learning, I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to our fantastic Aspire6 Programme.
This programme takes place within our ‘providing challenge for our students’ initiative and aims to encourage and support High Prior Attaining students in Years 12 and 13 in continuing their academic success at Altrincham College Sixth Form and beyond.
The Aspire 6 group meets regularly, both as a group and on a one-to-one basis, with Mrs Court, our UCAS Advisor and Learning Resource Centre Manager. The meeting agendas prioritise discussion of student progress and attainment, as well as strategies to offer stretch and challenge. Additionally, the group focuses on discussing the opportunities that are available to support students with their post-18 options, with many students striving to seek a place of degree study at one of the Russell Group Universities.”
This week, we have a number of students from the Aspire6 team, visiting Altrincham Grammar School for Boys for an exciting presentation by the University of Oxford. The presentation will focus on progression to Higher Education and Oxford and how this might be accessed. There will also be a Q&A with Oxford student ambassadors and a ‘virtual tour’ of Corpus Christi College.
“Enzo has left the building”!
Enzo in Y7 has won a medal at the European Elvis Championships, which took place on 8th-9th January, at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole! He performed a showcase of five songs!
Enzo has wanted to be an ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist) since he was about 3 ½ & has been singing Elvis songs ever since then. You can watch a short video of Enzo performing on our Facebook page!!
Covid Update
Face coverings in schools are no longer required. As I have said before, if your child wishes to continue wearing a face mask they may do so; however, they must bring their own from home.
We have a small number of student and staff absences due to Covid. Please do not send your child into school if they are still testing positive or indeed if they still feel too unwell from Covid to return. LFD kits are readily available in school if you need any more.
Attendance
There seems to be an increase in the numbers of students staying off school with (non-Covid) coughs and colds. Whilst it is that time of year when many more of us suffer, are the symptoms really bad enough to not come into school?
Please ensure your child comes into school every day unless to do so would seriously affect their health. Small amounts of lost learning take a long time to catch-up and after several lockdowns we need students in school wherever possible. We will look after them and if they are not well during the school day, we will of course contact you.
Free School Meals
Sadly, one huge impact of the pandemic has been that many families have been hit with unemployment and financial worries; I know that several of our AC families have been affected. Your child may be able to get free school meals if you receive any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Job-seekers’ Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
Children who receive any of the above benefits in their own right (i.e. they receive benefits payments directly, instead of through a parent) can also receive free school meals.
To find out more about how to apply and check your child's eligibility for Free School Meals, please use the link below:
https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims-trafford
Or take a look at our website here.
Safeguarding Update
Whilst on duty at the start and end of the school day, the Senior Leadership Team have had concerns about the safety of students being dropped off in Dobbie’s Garden Centre car park. Some students have been hanging around there when they should be coming straight into school.
If you need to drop your child(ren) off in that car park, please ensure they go straight into school. If collecting at the end of the day, please be aware that traffic on Green Lane is often worse than in the morning and take extra care when exiting the car park. Thank you.
We currently have a vacancy on our Board of Governors for a Parent Governor.
To be a parent governor you should have:
- A strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for children.
- Good inter-personal skills, curiosity, and a willingness to learn and develop new skills.
- The specific skills required to ensure the governing board delivers effective governance.
The governing board is keen for candidates to have skills in the following areas:
- Finance
- Primary Education
A letter has gone home to all parents/carers today with further information; this is also available on the school’s website HERE, and includes a Candidate Form for those who would like to apply.
The deadline for the return of these forms to express interest is Monday 28 February.
Completed forms should be returned to the Governors’ Clerk, Mrs Shields, at dss@altrinchamcollege.com, or dropped off/posted to school.
Should we have sufficient applicants, a ballot will be organised. More information will follow after half-term!
Department in Focus: Geography
The Geography department is a small friendly team that prides itself on excellent teaching and a warm and welcoming approach to students. The department consists of a team of four:
Head of Department: Mr J Kevan
Mrs C Hardy (also Head of Year 9)
Mr S Hughes (also Head of Year 10)
Mr S Nelson
Our vision is to provide pupils with the skills and knowledge to navigate the changing world around them and to inspire them to use that greater understanding to help take better care of it.
Geography underpins a lifelong ‘conversation’ about Earth as the home of humankind, and therefore contributes to a balanced education for all young people in school. Year 7 pupils have been working on map-work skills and will be studying Settlements, whilst Year 8 students have been developing skills to locate places using latitude and longitude and will use these skills to carry out investigations into our weather and climate. Pupils in Year 9 have investigated eco-systems, especially Tropical Rainforests and Hot Deserts to show the importance of these fragile environments and our interaction with them.
Geography helps you to make sense of the world around you. It's hands on, relevant, and fun!
From left to right: Mrs C Hardy (Head of Year 9), Mr S Nelson,
Mr J Kevan (Head of Department), Mr S Hughes (Head of Year 10)
Charity Fundraising
Our recent fundraising event by Y11 has taken place in school. Their “Own Clothes Day”, raised £191 for Cancer Research! Amazing efforts by students showing how much they care about those facing serious illness. Well done to them and a huge thank you to their Head of Year and Form Tutors!
Altrincham Leisure Centre Consultation 2022
Trafford Council has announced multi-million-pound plans to redevelop three leisure centres in the borough following the successful redevelopment of Urmston Leisure Centre.
Altrincham Leisure Centre is set to be the next in line for redevelopment and the Council would like to hear your views on the initial proposals. They are keen to hear from those who currently use the centre as well as those who do not.
Floor plans and frequently asked questions can be found at the consultation at the below link or QR code:
Altrincham Leisure Centre Consultation 2022 - Trafford Council's Citizen Space - Citizen Space
Please could you take a moment to have their say by using the above link / QR code or by emailing alcd@trafford.gov.uk.
Stars of the Week
We had several nominations for Student Star of the Week this week: Jack V, Joanna D and Kieron D in Y13, Gracie C and Ella H in Y12, Oliver H and Millie H-M both in Y11 and Charlotte T in Y9. The winner this week is……..
Erin-Beau C in Y10 for her wonderful contributions outside of school through her girls’ football team! Many congratulations Erin-Beau (please see below for the wonderful article Erin wrote for her club programme!).
This week’s Staff Star nominations included Ms Gatward, Mrs Robertson, Ms Bruckshaw, Mrs Blewitt, Mrs Pearson, Mrs Armitage, Ms Otway, Miss Matthews and there were two winners……Miss Brickland and Mr Kevan! Many congratulations from all your colleagues!
SAVE THE DATE!
Our next musical event is scheduled for Thursday 3 March and will involve KS4 and GCSE Music students. More details to follow, and we look forward to seeing you then!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe!
Thank you for your continued support of our school!
Ms K Earle
Headteacher
