The Castle School
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 5AU
01823 274073

Bulletin No 14/2009/2010 Tuesday 4th May 2010

PARENT/STUDENT BULLETIN NO 14 /2009/2010 Tuesday 4 May 2010

NAME: ………………………………………………. Form: ………………….

Dear Parent

1. Year 11

With only 4 weeks until half-term and with some written examinations taking place in the two weeks prior to half-term, students should now be in the midst of a revision programme. Parents and carers can be very supportive of the revision process and hence give considerable support to students during a demanding period.

We are often asked to give advice on the amount of time students give to revision and, whilst this is often difficult to do because each student will have her or his own approach, an outline guide is given below.

The starting point is that every student should have a revision timetable covering the period from now until the end of the examinations. This timetable should show the times of each day that will be spent on revision and, as the examinations approach, the subjects that will be studied. It is helpful to keep a copy of this timetable both in the student’s bedroom and in the main part of the home. This will allow parents or carers to monitor that the programme is being followed.

A guide to the minimum amount of revision that a student should be carrying out (many students will be spending considerable time in excess of this minimum) is:

School days - an average of two hours each evening.

Weekends - an average of between two and three hours each day.

Half-term - an average of five hours each day.

Study Leave (following the half-term holiday) – an average of five hours a day unless an examination is being taken.

By following, or exceeding, this guidance a student will place herself or himself in a good position to achieve success.

2. GCSE English Chief Examiner workshops

On Wednesday 5th May the AQA chief examiner will be coming into school to work with all year 11 students. We have run this day over the past few years and found it to be very successful in helping students with their final examination preparation and in achieving the best possible grades for each individual student.

3. GCSE Exams start

GCSE Exams start Monday 17 May. Individual examination timetables and examination booklets will be issued to each student during their PHSE lesson on Tuesday 11th May 2010. Students should have received a general revision guide and be attending the revision sessions taking place in school.

Students need to be outside the examination room at least 10 minutes before the examination is due to start - if a student is going to be late, please telephone the school as soon as possible.

Your son/daughter needs to ensure he/she has the key equipment necessary for all subjects, eg calculator, protractor, ruler. Examination papers need to be completed with a black pen. Hair needs to be tied back and school uniform must be worn (school hoodies are acceptable).

Students must leave mobile phones/valuable items at Student Reception in advance of each examination – phones are not permitted in the examination room and cannot be left with invigilators. Students leaving mobile phones/valuable items in bags outside the examination room do so at their own risk.

Good luck to all Year 11 students.

4. Year 11 Prom – Wednesday 30 June 2010

This year’s Prom takes place on Wednesday 30 June 2010 and will once again be held at Oake Manor Golf Club. The cost of the evening is £25.00 and this will include a three course dinner, disco, karaoke and a DVD of the evening. Tickets for the Prom will be on sale from Monday 17 may until Wednesday 23 June. Tickets are only available from Mrs Marney in Return to Learn.

The evening will start at 7.00pm and will end at 11.45pm. We would be grateful if you could arrange to collect your son/daughter at this time.

Oake Manor has requested if anybody is going to be arriving by helicopter to please contact Steve Purchase on 01823 461992 to arrange an arrival time. This is for Health and Safety reasons.

If you require suit hire, we have arranged preferential rates with Moss Bros, Taunton:

For example – Hire of a 2 piece dinner suit - £26.00 Hire of a dinner suit, shirt and bow tie - £30.00.

Vouchers for the discount are available from Mrs Marney in RTL.

5. Parents/Carers - Help is on its way! Triple P Positive Parenting Programme

Coming soon to you a practical and effective parenting course delivered in a friendly, supportive environment by qualified leaders.

This course suggests simple routines and small changes that can make a big difference to your family.

The course will include:

• Effective parenting strategies to tackle common problems eg bedtime routines, lying, rudeness and lack of respect towards you and others.

• How to manage common child behaviour problems in a positive, consistent and decisive way.

• How to build positive relationships with your children so that conflict can be resolved without resorting to hostility.

• How to take care of yourself as a parent.

The Course involves 4x2hour group sessions (once per week) followed by 3x15-30 minute telephone calls (once a week) to discuss individual progress and then one final 2 hour group session.

For more information contact Ruth Gavenlock – Emotional Health Worker or Clare Pound – Parent Family Support Advisor on 01823 349853

6. Quiz Night!

- Our regular teams are booking their tables but there is still time to come along to this enjoyable event. Please see the booking form at the end of this Bulletin.

7. Lost Muffin Tin

- Someone out there must remember buying a deep muffin tin and leaving it at the Main Reception for their student to collect – this never happened – would you ask your student to collect it as it has been in the office for a while now – thank you.

8. Boys Sports Activities

Monday - Lunchtime - Year 10's Cricket Afterschool - Year 9's Cricket Lunchtime - Athletics

Tuesday - Lunchtime - Year 7's Cricket Afterschool - Year 8's Cricket Afterschool – Cross Country

Wednesday - Lunchtime - Year 8's Cricket Afterschool - Year 10's Cricket

Thursday - Lunchtime - Year 9 Cricket Afterschool - Year 7's Cricket

Friday - Year 11's Cricket Afterschool - Tennis Afterschool - Fencing Afterschool – Cross Country

9. Host Families

We have been asked by HOST UK to include the following in our bulletin to families:

“Would your family enjoy introducing someone from another country to your way of life? There are international students from all over the world at universities in the UK: they speak English and most are in their 20's. They would love to spend a weekend sharing your family life in order to understand more about the UK. You could have fun introducing them to British food, customs, your local community and area; and you could learn about their country and culture. This is an opportunity to make friends across international boundaries. Geography comes alive, and afterwards, any news bulletin about your guest's country will have much more meaning. HOST is a national charity, backed by the Foreign Office, which has been linking students with volunteer hosts for many years. See www.hostuk.org or call Margaret Astridge, the voluntary organiser in Somerset, on 01458 251699.”

10. Tesco and Sainsbury Vouchers

Please carry on sending these into school – the collection boxes are in the Library.

Yours sincerely

K J FREEDMAN

Headteacher

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Friends of The Castle School

QUIZ NIGHT – Friday 7 May 2010 – 7.30pm

Please return to the School Office.

Name of Team ……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Name of Team Members (Maximum of 6) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Cost @£3.50 per head

Total Enclosed: £ ………………………………………… cash £ ………………………………………… Cheque

(Cheques should be made payable to “Friends of The Castle School, Taunton).

Child’s Name: ……………………………………. Form ………………………………………………..