Isn’t it wonderful, Spring is definitely in the air; it’s light when I walk into school and the sun has almost finished setting as I walk home. The school grounds are starting to show the first signs of springtime and the birds are chirruping away as I write to you.
You can also tell it’s Spring as you walk around the school; the Year 7 students are now growing into their blazers and some of the students have put on a growth spurt and are definitely growing out of their skirts and trousers. The February half term break is always a good time to see just how much your child has grown and to make sure that their uniform still fits them. I appreciate that finding the right skirt can be tricky. To make this easier, we have a full range of skirts in school all with different waist sizes and lengths so that you can find the right one that fits well and is on the knee.
As many of you know, we set up a uniform shop on site where we sell pre-loved school uniform (blazers for £5 and all other items at £1). It’s clear to see that many of parents have taken sustainability to heart and when the shop first opened in the summer holidays, the stock sold out within an hour. If any of you have uniform items that your child has grown out of, we would be very grateful if you would kindly donate it to the uniform shop so that it gets a second lease of life. An act of kindness that benefits another family as well as the planet.
The highlight of this half term has been the production of Romeo and Juliet. It was truly heart-warming to see so many students involved on stage, backstage and front of house. Seeing young people getting involved and creating something special for their community is so important. Seeing my colleagues supporting these young people and giving time away from their own families to enable this opportunity to happen is humbling. Their work has brought joy to many and, I hope, much enjoyment and reward to themselves.
I wish you all a restful half term break with quality time with your nearest and dearest.
Click here to see what's on next week:
Monday 20 February INSET Day
Cross Country on the Mountbatten Field, 4.00pm - 5.00pm
Tuesday 21 February
Nothing advised
Wednesday 22 February
Nothing advised
Thursday 23 February
Nothing advised
Friday 24 February
Nothing advised
INSET Days for 2022/23
Monday 20 February 2023
Monday 19 June 2023
Friday 21 July 2023
Every effort is made to ensure these dates are accurate. There are occasions when circumstances beyond our control may result in changes
Children's Mental Health Week
This week was Children’s Mental Health and the theme was ‘Let's Connect’. Students have had assemblies this week looking at what it means to connect with people. We have talked about the importance of making meaningful, face-to-face, in-person connections. People thrive in communities and this connection is vital for our wellbeing. When we have healthy connections – to family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. We have encouraged students to spend less time making online connections and more time making real connections.
We hope that through our assemblies and RSHE lessons, students understand that Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Physical activity, sleep, talking and sharing, enjoyment and fun, mental challenge and relaxation are some of the strategies recommended for positive mental health and wellbeing. We hope students are able to recognise what those things will look like for them as an individual.
We have also used this week to launch our Wellbeing Ambassador programme to Year 8 and 9. This is a new and exciting project to get involved in if any students would like to learn more about how to support and maintain good mental health and wellbeing for themselves and others. Students will have the opportunity to:
Gain a deeper understanding of their own mental health
Gain the skills to support their peers with their wellbeing
Access resources to give other students practical strategies to promote positive wellbeing
Develop an action plan on how to promote positive mental health around school.
Students will have a link to a Google form in their tutor group Google Classroom if they would like to apply for this role. We can’t wait to get started!
Sparx Maths Certificate of Achievement
The Maths Faculty would like to congratulate those students who have “levelled up” in recent weeks on Sparx Maths through a combination of weekly homework and additional online challenges.
66 students have progressed to Level 1 (Year 7 – 36 students, Year 8 – 14 students, Year 7 – 16 students)
The following students are worthy of special mention having progressed well beyond this!
Level 4: Sam H 8JFR
Level 3: George H 8JFR
Level 2: Amy W 8SFN and Sebastien K 9AOR
Students need 10,000XP to progress from level to level, so this is a fantastic achievement.
Well done to everyone!
Mr Folliot
Helping Year 11
Mr Davenport has put together a video outlining his recent assembly on Prom Points and how to succeed in the upcoming mock exams (from 8min 35sec). The video can be found below.
Look out on social media over half-term as we will be sharing top tips for revision.
Full time, permanent - Main Pay Scale
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our highly successful RE department. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, innovative and has a passion for RE to join us from September 2023. You will join a thriving, creative and well-resourced depa...
Jasmine B 7IBR and Martha H 7RAD for gaining the Bronze Award (7books read and reviewed)
Geography Department
Geography Stars
Natasha G 7CBN
Rosie F 7IBR
Maria D C 8IHS
English Department
English Stars
Amelia W 7AWS
Emily E 7AWS
Mia T 7ERL
Tom S 8SFN
Polly T 8IHS
Josh C 8RLE
Ben H 11MAZ
Samaya S 11LAD/DDN
Alexis T 11MRA
Grace F 11MRT
Music Department
Percussion Academy Drum Kit Exams
Elsa H 9HCS has passed Percussion Academy Drum Kit Grade 6 with Distinction.
Jerome P 10NKN has passed Percussion Academy Drum Kit Grade 4 with Distinction
Click the drop-down menus below to find out more about different careers opportunities coming up for our students.
National Apprenticeship Week
All year groups learned about the different apprenticeships available in their favourite subjects and what the life of an apprentice looks like.
A big thank you to Eastleigh College for talking to Year 11 students about the apprenticeship application process and the realities of apprenticeships.
Junior Chef Programme - Years 9, 10 & 11
Eastleigh College is running an exciting 6-week programme within their Hospitality and Catering Department. The Junior Chef Programme is designed for Years 9, 10 and 11 to give them an insight into the professional cookery experience within the Hospitality and Catering industry. Spaces are limited.
If your child is interested in booking a space, click here.
There is also a letter available with more information included.
Young Chefs Academy - Year 10 & 11 Students
The City College Young Chefs' Academy is designed to give students, from Years 10 and 11 the first taste of working in a professional kitchen and within the hospitality and catering industry.
The aim of the course is to excite, develop and nurture young talent over a period of 6 weeks.
If you're in your final years of school and have a passion for cooking or are considering a future career in the hospitality and catering industry, then sign up to our exciting Young Chefs' Academy!
Apprenticeships with Specsavers
Spectacle Maker, Optical Assistant, Customer Services and Hearing Aid Dispenser (age 18+) are just some of the apprenticeships available with Specsavers. Click here to find out more.
Labour Market Information
November’s edition of Insights provided a summary of the latest vacancy demand by sector using data from the ONS Vacancy Survey. The top five in-demand sectors are: IT, Health Care, Business Management, Sales and Finance.
Year 11 College Application Deadlines
As a reminder, please see the application deadlines below:
28 February: Brockenhurst
31 March*: City College, Eastleigh, Itchen, Richard Taunton, Sparsholt and Totton College
*Recommended deadline as courses can fill up fast.
Top Tip
Did you know that we waste approximately 9.5million tonnes of food every year in the UK?
We can all do our bit to bring this number down. Here are some top tips to reduce household food waste:
Make a list of the meals you want to cook for the week. This way you will go into the shop with a clear plan.
Don't buy more than you need and keep track of what is already in your fridge before you go to the shop.
Use your leftovers. There are lots of great sites that can give you inspiration on how to use up these leftovers to create new meals. You never know - these new recipes could become your new household favourites!
Check the temperature of your fridge. It should be between 0-5°C. This will keep your food fresh for longer.
RSHE (Relationships, Sex, & Health Education) is taught by Tutors to their Tutor Group once a week. Tutors deliver discussion based lessons which allows our students to explore a range of topics to effectively prepare our young people for success in the modern world with the knowledge, understanding and desire to keep themselves safe, happy, healthy, respectful and tolerant. Our aim is to empower them with the resilience and confidence to make a difference to their own and others’ future.
Year 7
This half-term Year 7 have been looking at how to lead healthy lifestyles by considering what health and fitness is before identifying the need for good food, sleep and exercise habits. Students have also explored the impacts of energy drinks and caffeine based drinks on health and fitness and the law.
Students have just started to look at the body’s physical changes during puberty and this will continue after half-term. They will then move onto the importance of sleep and the benefits of good sleep hygiene. The half-term will then finish with a look at how the virtual world can impact how you feel about yourself and what behaviours are and are not appropriate online.
Year 8
This half-term Year 8 have been exploring the benefits of healthy lifestyles and good physical health as well as how to maintain positive mental health and wellbeing when using social media. Media bias and different media sources has also been covered so we can encourage students to consider what influences they may be exposed to and how they can start to consider the validity of information.
Next half-term Year 8 are looking at mental health and wellbeing and different ways of coping or managing their feelings and emotions. They are encouraged to identify what strategies they respond positively to and why self-care is important.
Year 9
Year 9 started the New Year considering what supports healthy living and how they can lead a healthy lifestyle. They have then considered what body image is and how this can be influenced and affected by internal and external factors. This then led onto covering mental health and wellbeing. Year 9 have explored what mental health is, what the different stages of mental health are and what strategies can support good mental health and wellbeing.
Next half-term Year 9 move onto completing a practical workshop on Emergency First Aid. The students who demonstrate a good practical understanding of the emergency aid will be certificated through St John’s Ambulance. This half-term also includes the topic of consent and how to avoid assumptions as well as freedom and capacity to consent. The law around consent and intimate relationships is shared with students also.
Year 10
Year 10 started the term with a recap on healthy living and positive lifestyle choices.
They then went on to identify what a role model is and how this can support personal progress and decision-making. This then led into exploring the impacts of drug and alcohol use. This will continue into the next half-term before they start to prepare for their work experience placements.
Year 11
Year 11 recapped healthy living before moving onto some practical emergency aid training. Students who engaged well with the sessions and demonstrated good practical understanding of CPR will be certificated by St John’s ambulance.
Students have also explored contraception and sexual health. The different methods of contraception and their efficacy have provided to ensure students are as informed. Students have been signposted to some external agencies that offer support. Youth In Romsey offer support and guidance and information can be found on their website, where details of further services can also be found, as well as what they offer.
Next half-term, students will prepare for mock exams and then revisit consent, explore coercion and consider risky behaviours.
Should your child wish to seek support in any of these topics or about anything else that is worrying them, please advise them to speak to their form tutor in the first instance or request some support from our Student Support team by completing the Student Support form on the student area of the school website.
We have our reporting system 'TootToot' where students can report anonymously or with their name.
Childline also offer a range of support and resources.
Part of the healthy living topics include discussing the need for good sleep habits. Support with teenage sleep can be found at Teen Sleep Hub which is part of The Sleep Charity.
To support with children’s mental health and wellbeing please visit Place2Be's Website.
Emergency First Aid at Work One Day Training Course
Personal Best Education is running a Level 3 nationally recognised Emergency First Aid at Work training course on Wednesday 1 March from 9.00am to 4.00pm for only £80.00pp. If you would like to book a place, please click on the button below.
In this episode, a group of students meet Mr Portas, our new Headteacher, and ask him questions about the things that matter to them. From what makes Mountbatten special through the controversial topic of pineapple on pizza!
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AJ A 7RAD
Jasmine B 7IBR and Martha H 7RAD for gaining the Bronze Award (7books read and reviewed)
Natasha G 7CBN
Amelia W 7AWS
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