Dear Parent/Guardian

 

1. Year 9

 

In the light of the changes made to improve our system of Consultation Evenings the School Leadership Team thought it would be useful to outline how this will be organised for Year 9 during this school year.

On Thursday November 12th, four working days after the Year 9 Interim Assessments should be with you, there will be an evening consultation for the core subjects: English, Maths and Science. We have also included early-entry French in this programme so that an accurate picture may be formed of your child’s progress in this subject too. These core subject consultations will be in the traditional mould of five-minute slots and may be made beforehand.

On January 27^th a consultation evening entitled ‘Facing the Future’ will allow all option subjects to be considered. A presentation explaining the options system will be made during that time to all parents. There will be no pre-arranged appointments but parents may go from one subject to another to gather information from teachers and also from students who are already embarked upon a course. Informally parents may choose to ask about their own child’s progress in an option subject and consider their suitability for study at Key Stage 4. Later in the year each student will have the opportunity to consult 1:1 with tutors about their options choices and, again, these consultations will be open to parents also.

We believe that this new system, with each year’s unique circumstances being catered for, will better serve the needs of our students and help them to make more informed choices after discussion with better-informed parents. We will explain the different systems for each year group in appropriate bulletins through the year. Details about an opportunity for parents of Year 10 students to receive feedback on academic progress are given below.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

2. Year 10

Parents of Year 10 students will be sent details within the next few days of an appointment for a meeting with either Form Tutor, Head of House or member of the School Leadership Team. These 15 minute appointments will give you an opportunity to discuss academic progress across all subjects. We have introduced this system of consultation because we feel it will provide valuable information for parents early in the Key Stage 4 course.

 

3. Non-pupil Day – I would like to remind families that Friday, 27 November is one of our five non-pupil days.

 

 

 

4. Autumn Concert – Thursday 19^th November at 7.45 pm

We warmly invite you to our Autumn Concert which will take place on Thursday 19^th November 2009 at 7.45 pm.

 

The concert gives an opportunity for all our students to display their talents and show what they have learnt in the many different extra-curricular activities which take place within the school.

 

It is always great to see the hall packed with a supportive audience and we hope that you will continue to ensure that the students have the chance to perform to a capacity audience.  We would like to have a sell-out! 

 

Tickets are on sale at the School Finance office at a cost of £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children and concessions.  If you would like to purchase tickets, please complete the booking form at the end of this bulletin and return it to the Finance Office. 

 

5. For the attention of parents/guardians of Year 11 History students

Dear Parent/ Guardian,

 

Beginning on Monday 16^th November, and every Monday lunchtime thereafter until Christmas, the History Department will be running coursework guidance sessions for Year 11 students. The attendance of these sessions will be voluntary unless you have been otherwise notified by a member of the History Department. However, we do feel that these sessions will be incredibly useful as their coursework equates to 25% of their final grade. Therefore, if they have this element of their History GCSE secure we can concentrate our efforts upon supporting your child further with the exam based part of the GCSE.

 

We would be grateful if you could urge your son/daughter to attend these lunchtime sessions, as obviously it will be of a huge benefit to them. Many thanks for your support in this matter. Students should come to their normal History classroom; they are welcome to eat lunch while doing this work!

 

Yours Sincerely

 

Matthew Lowe

Head of History

 

 

6. AGM  NOTICE

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the committee that the Annual General Meeting of “The Friends Of The Castle School” will be held at 7.00pm on Wednesday 18 November in the School Library.  The AGM is to enable the Group (Registered Charity No:1076848) to present their Annual Report and Accounts for approval by the Group.

 

An election of officers will be taking place and the Current Chairperson Julie Watson and the Current Treasurer Caroline Lewis are offering to stand for re-election.

If you would like to join or find out what  “The Friends of The Castle School” are doing please come along  

You are all are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.

 

 

7. The Times & The Sunday Times Free Books For Schools

We are collecting tokens again!

By collecting the special tokens printed in The Times and The Sunday Times you can help us claim free books for the school library. The tokens are available from September 13 to December 6.

Please collect as many tokens as you can and give them to your child to bring in to Mrs Stothard in the library by December 11. Many thanks for your support.

 

 

8. Christmas Shoe Box Appeal - The Samaritan's Purse Christmas Shoe Box.  The deadline for handing in the completed shoe boxes is Friday 13th November.  Please bring them wrapped and labelled for a boy/girl to Miss Shallow in T15.  Many thanks.

 

9. Quiz Night – Our next very popular Quiz Night is on Friday 20 November 2009 at 7.30pm – so plenty of time to gather your team together! See cut off slip at the end of this Bulletin for entry details.

 

 

                    

 

 

For their Enterprise project, 10M have decided to host a show jumping competition at Conquest Centre for Disabled Riders on the 20^th December 2009. We are desperately looking for people or companies (horsey or non-horsey!) to sponsor some classes or donate some money towards it. Advertisements/mentions will be put in the schedule in return. The schedules will be scattered around Somerset and Devon.

Our charities are SHIPS (supporting head injured children) and Make a Wish (granting wishes to terminally ill children), but Conquest will also benefit as they will charge to hire the school. With your help, 3 charities will be able to receive some money.

The donations will go towards hiring the Arena, buying rosettes, providing refreshments . . . the list is endless. Any money, however big or small, will be a great help.

Many thanks, the 10M Enterprise Team.

 

10. Mr Wilkins & Mr Jones (The Castle School, Taunton)

 Having recently joined the staff at the Castle School, Taunton, I read with revulsion and disgust the treatment of former student Matthew Weston.  Matthew, 20, was abused in the street near Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham whilst recovering from his horrific injuries sustained whilst on patrol in Afghanistan, horrific injuries that have left him without his legs and with only one arm. http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/search/4653919.Taunton_soldier_Matthew_Weston_welcomes_national_support/

Matthew was carrying out his normal day job.  However his normal day job was on patrol with 33 Regiment Engineers clearing mines in Afghanistan.  On patrol in enemy territory, on patrol due to a conscious decision by a young man to join our armed service in light of the current turbulence in the world, on patrol acting as a brick in the silent wall that acts as our protection day and night, affording us the safety we take for granted and that allows us to sleep safe and sound and enjoy our freedoms.

It is with these men and women in mind that Mr Barry Jones (Head of PE) and I are planning to canoe to and from school on Armistice Day to raise funds for Help the Heroes.  We will set off from The Swingbridge at Bathpool and paddle along the canal to Firepool Lock before finishing the last leg up the River Tone to The Castle School, a distance of around 5 Miles, hopefully before the bell!

I have to say that I am no canoeist; from memory I’ve been in one once!

Please dig deep, whilst donating a little more than usual may challenge your finances this month, think of the challenges that our injured men and women will now face month after month for the rest of their lives, coping with the injuries they sustained defending our freedoms and fantastic quality of life. Thank you for reading our fundraising page (www.bmycharity.com/mrwilkinsmrjones). Mr Wilkins

11.  Help Session – This is to remind everyone that every lunchtime in J18 there is an opportunity for students to get help with their study/homework/coursework between 1.15 - 2.05pm. Just come along!

 

12. HPV (cervical cancer) Vaccination

 

Tues 1^st December  – Year 8 – First Dose     and     Year 11 catch up HPV (those girls requiring their first vaccination still)

 

If there are any consent forms still outstanding, please return these to Mrs Cooper in the Welfare Room immediately – spare copies of forms are available.

 

13. Year 10 - History Theatre Trip: ‘The Doctor’s Show’, Bristol - 19 January 2010 – Reminder – please return the letter and SV2 from the last Bulletin to the Finance Office along with monies by Friday 23 October. 

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

  

K J FREEDMAN

Headteacher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUIZ NIGHT – Friday 20 November 2009 – 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

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

I/We would like the following tickets for the Autumn Concert on Thursday 19^th November:

 

.....................   adults @ £3.50 each

 

.....................   children and concessions @ £2.50 each

 

Cheques should be made payable to "The Castle School" please.

 

Signed: ........................................................................... (Parent/Guardian)

 

Name of Student: ............................................................................. Form: ................