February/ March 2013
Another half term!
The external examinations for GCSE and AS/A2 level are now over and the signs for silence have been removed. February is a relatively short month as a week will be taken up with the half term break (Monday 11th February – Friday 15th February.
Inclement Weather
The weather continues to be cold and unsettled but hopefully improving. In the event of any emergency school closure or inclement weather, please ring 08447 70 75 76 and enter code 62237. This is a dedicated telephone line which will provide you with the relevant information for Crickhowell High School. Alternately, visit the School Closure Notices on the School Website. This information can also be found in the Student Planner on page 11.
The Thought for the week beginning Monday 18th February is ‘Sacrifices’
The Thought for the week beginning Monday 25th February is ‘Pleasure’
The Thought for the week beginning Monday 4th March is ‘Examinations’
Thought for the week beginning Monday 11th March is ‘Justice’
Thought for the week beginning Monday 18th March is ‘Resolutions’
Thought for the week beginning Monday 25th March is ‘Questions’
Congratulations to 7C, 8C and 9C who led their Year Group Assemblies this week. They were well thought out and very interesting. We look forward to the ideas and performances from the other Tutor Groups over the next few weeks.
Year 9
This is obviously a very important time for Year 9 who are opting for their Key Stage 4 courses.
A copy of the letter sent to parents is below:
Dear Parent/Guardian,
KEY STAGE 4 OPTIONS FOR YEAR 9 STUDENTS
So far in your child’s schooling; study has largely been determined by the National Curriculum with little choice regarding subjects studied. As we prepare now for Key Stage 4, there are still some aspects of the curriculum which are pre-determined. This in many ways is positive as it guarantees a degree of continuity and balance equipping students with some all-important key skills. Even so, there are still some genuine choices to be made. During this year important decisions will be made regarding your daughter/son’s choice of subjects for next year
A structured programme of guidance is in place to assist students with their option choices and we would encourage parents to be actively involved.
Year 9 will be issued with their reports on Friday February 8th. Please discuss your child’s progress with them as well as their interest in pursuing the subject to a higher level.
An Options Guidance Evening will be held on Tuesday 19th February 2013 from 6.30 – 7.30pm which will include option talks and guidance giving additional help and advice as required. You will be issued with the Options Booklet and senior members of staff will be available to talk to you if required during the evening.
This will be followed by the Year 9 Parents’ Consultation Evening on Thursday 21st February 2013 at which subject teachers and the KS3 and KS4 School teams will be available to discuss academic progress, option choices and other related matters.
During the week beginning Monday 25th February 2013 there will be an opportunity for you to book individual appointments with the Headteacher, Deputy Headteachers, or Directors of Key Stages 3 and 4 if necessary to help to advise you and your child.
At this point we anticipate that students will be at the point of being able to make informed choices as they will also have had Careers Education and Guidance through their P.S.E. lessons from the 30th January 2013 to 27th February 2013.
Please discuss options freely with your daughter or son and encourage them to find out as much as possible. As a parent you will have the chance to ask any questions you may have during the Options Evening.
To enable the school to begin to plan ahead, however, students have completed a ‘dry run’ option choice. We must emphasise that dry run choices are in no way binding and serve only to prepare students for the real process and to assist us with timetable planning.
If, after the Options Evening and Parents’ Consultation Evening, students need further advice, they are welcome to approach members of the Key Stage 3 and 4 School Teams.
The final day for options forms to be handed in will be Friday 1st March 2013.
Year 9 Meetings:
- We look forward to seeing you at the Options Guidance Evening on Tuesday 19th February 2013 from 6.30 – 7.30pm.
- The Year 9 Parent Consultation Evening will be held on Thursday 21st February (4pm until 7pm)
We would like to take this opportunity to ask you to remind your child to book appointment times with all of their teachers (5mins).
Advance warning of dates for February/ March:
- Tuesday 19th February Options Guidance evening For Year 9 parents
- Thursday 21st February Year 9 Parents Evening
- Friday March 1st – Eisteddfod
- Friday March 15th – Comic Relief (Details to follow)
- Friday 22nd March Year 7 reports issued
- Thursday 28th March – TRAINING DAY
- Friday 29th March – Friday 12th April – Easter Holidays.
- Advance Warning: Year 8 examinations commence Monday 15th April,
- Year 7 Parents Consultation Evening Thursday 18th April.
We encourage all students to make good use of their Break times and Lunchtimes but we take this opportunity to remind them to use these times wisely and to think of others as well as themselves. There are numerous clubs and practises taking place during the week (Sporting, Musical, and otherwise) and we encourage students to attend and participate in these activities as often as possible. If your child is still unsure of what is happening during each week then please encourage them to ask their Form Tutor in the first instance.
As always, we recognise the great importance of Home and School working together and so if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us
Mrs N Thomas and Mrs H Sullivan
Key Stage 3 Pastoral Team
