Welcome Year 9 to your area of the school website           2nd September 2020

Mrs Riggs                                                                                                                    

Head of Student Progress Year 9

Not surprisingly I like to cook/bake!!  Which means I also like to have get-togethers with friends and family on a regular basis to enjoy some nice food! I can sail and ski (despite not being overly keen of water or heights!) The one claim to fame that I will share is that my grandmother was a stunt double for Elizabeth Taylor (an old actress!) in a movie a long time ago.

Miss McLean                                                                                                 

Assistant Head of Student Progress Year 9/9MCN

I love to spend time in my garden, going on walks and I also enjoying cooking. Listening to music is one of my favourite things to do, especially going to see live bands. Friends and laughter are really important to me and make me happy. My little bit of a claim to fame is that I used to run a school choir and we sang on the stage at the Royal Albert Hall and I also performed on stage in a teachers choir at the Genting Arena singing along side well known Opera singer Laura Wright (Google her!)

Miss McMurray                                                                              

9MMY

9CST

Things I enjoy doing are; running, cooking, baking, gardening, travelling, spending money!!! My favourite quote is "Life is a stage and you only get one performance. Make it a good one."

Mr Nunn                                                                                             

9NUN

I am a modest(!) rugby playing PE teacher. I like travelling,History and coaching. I also enjoy cooking and I am good at making a Jalfrezi. I am not keen on buttons... Have I ever mentioned I once scored for AC Milan?

Mr Bainbridge                                                                      

9BNB

Welcome back!

Welcome back Year 9! I can honestly say your teachers, tutors, myself and Mrs Riggs have really missed you. We have been lucky enough to see a few of you out and about, or when you came in and collected certificates and wow you have all really grown! We can't wait to start our new school year with you on Friday. The staff have been working very hard to ensure your smooth return to school.

So, what's happening when you return? Well, the day is going to look slightly different (for the time being at least) Rather than go straight to tutor at 8.30, when you arrive you will go straight to your first lesson Period 1, instead tutor will now be at 11.15- 11.30. You will be on break at 11am. Your lunch time will now be at 12.30-1.15 and the entrance you will arrive into will be the Shelly Avenue entrance. Your day will finish at 2.45pm.

The Year 9 block will be where Learning Support/Science usually is and you will have a new tutor room for the time being and these are as follows;

9MCN-F8 , 9BNB-G7 , 9CST-G10, 9BNS-G8 , 9MMY-F13 , 9NUN-F10 , 9MHM-F7

On Friday September 4th it will be your first day back. The first lesson will be a year period with your tutor, this will give everyone time to catch up, hear news, get your new timetables, listen to the new procedures and have a quick tour of the new one way system. Please head to your new tutor room for 8.30. Staff will be on the gates to guide you in and point you in the right direction.

We do understand that the first days back after such a long break might feel a bit daunting but as always, the whole Year 9 team, Mrs Riggs and myself are always here for you, to help with any worries or questions no matter how big or small!

If parents want to see any more information about the new school arrangements. It can all be found on the main website page.

See you on Friday Year 9!

Miss McLean and Mrs Riggs.

Huge congratulations to Ragley House, who are this years house champions. Unfortunately, due to lock down, the exciting announcement and cup lift was done without the usual sports hall full of students.  A massive well done to all Ragley tutor groups and also well done to Charlecote, who came in 2nd place and Stoneleigh who were 3rd place. The results were very close and there has been a lot of Kudos points awarded to well deserving students this year.

A delighted Miss McLean and Mr Nunn, Heads of House for Ragley, collecting the trophy on behalf of the students.

Ok, another observation round as you seem to like them. I have taken some photographs around school at unusual angles. How many places/items can you identify? I want the item and where it can be located. Bonus points if you can guess who the shoes belong to in picture 10!

As always, email your answers to Year.Eight@aylesfordschool.org.uk or send them in to Miss McLean or Mrs Riggs on SMH. Kudos points for the winners :) 

1. Book art-Hall foyer. 2. Nets- Sports Hall. 3. Bench-Courtyard. 4. Stage box-Drama. 5. Paper mache heads-Hall foyer. 6. Bike shed-under Charlecote window. 7. Wheelchair-Sick bay/Student Services. 8. Band Saw-BNB room. 9. Ragley banner-Hall. 10. Sports court-Sports Hall. Bonus. Miss McLean and Miss McGreavy's shoes.

What do you call a boomerang that won’t come back?
A stick.

Continuing on from last weeks theme, we have been hearing more about how kind and generous our Year 9 students are. It makes us all so proud to hear about all the lovely things that you are doing during this difficult time.

However, this week we are going to give a shout out to our very own Mr Nunn. Please have a read of what he is up to in August and follow the link if you want to donate.

*UPDATE*

Congratulations to Mr Nunn and his team mates who reached John O'Groats on day 6 of their charity cycle ride. They have been raising money for the Mat Davis Foundation. The foundation helps young people in many ways, with the primary aim of providing relief to young people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Well done to Mr Nunn and everyone else involved. 

There is still time to donate to this very worth while cause. Please click on the link below.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ride4jessandmat20

Please let your tutors know about anything you would like to share that you are proud of. I update the page each week.

Bitesize is the BBC's free online study support resource for school-age pupils in the United Kingdom. It is designed to aid pupils in both schoolwork and, for older pupils, exams.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/learn

Family Information Service (FIS) We provide information, advice and one-to-one support for families with children and young people aged 0 to 25 across Warwickshire.

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fis

Useful Apps: 

Forest - I love this idea! (I pinched it from Mrs Reeves sshh!) ! This is a simple game that rewards you for not using your phones! One of the worst habits for destroying concentration and ruining quality time is constantly checking your smartphone – whether to play games, look at social media or stay up to date with endless group WhatsApp threads. With this App, you plant a seed in the ground and within 30 minutes the seed can grow into a tree, you simply need to ignore your phone to allow the seed to grow.  While the tree grows the App displays messages like 'Put me down!' or 'Leave me alone!' it keeps track of how long you have waited for each tree to grow.  I really need to get my 20 year old son to download this!

Warwickshire Music Hub are holding free taster sessions for instruments. Please see leaflet below and click on attached website to book.

https://www.warwickshiremusichub.org/

Take a look at the next wellbeing action calendar 'Self-Care September'. It's full of little tips on how to take of yourself. Remember, you need to take care of yourself first, before you can take care of others.