Welcome to this week's newsletter
Dear families,
School is now in full swing! We've seen students and staff alike enjoying Competitions Week, engaging lessons, plus the intellectual highs of chess club alongside the flamboyance and talent of lip sync.
I also want you to know about some lovely things our students have done in our community this week. Members of our sixth form have shown great Humanity and Empathy in helping both an upset child outside of school and a member of the public who took a tumble on the pavement. They will all be receiving Principal Commendations for their selfless efforts. In addition, the bus driver commented to Mr Bateman last week that ‘every single student on the bus thanked him as they got off’. He added that he did not normally drive our bus and although he often drove to other schools, this was the first time he had ever experienced that kind of response. I am so proud of all of the students who stand for our values, help others and share joy and kindness. They are a credit to our school and the wider community. Thank you for sending them to us - we are richer because of them. They are what make a school great.
We have another informative newsletter this week which includes the following key school events:
- Year 11 Pledges Evening – how to help your child to maximise their outcomes and success
- Year 12 introduction event – helping your child move into the world of sixth form
- Year 6 into 7 Open Evening
There's also important safeguarding information and details of how to use Tassomai for home learning (homework).
As always, please watch or listen to the accompanying videos to get a comprehensive understanding of our vision, message and opportunities for your child at school.
Kind regards,
Dr Louise Newman, Principal
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and next week in assembly time I will be talking to our students about where they can find support in and out of school and how we can work together to keep our whole community safe.
We would appreciate it if you could reinforce the importance of speaking to a trusted adult if something doesn't seem right and also direct your young people to Manor Watch, our in-house reporting app, that can be accessed via a QR code that is displayed around the school.
A culture of safeguarding starts at home so please ensure that your conversations guide your young people to make safe and responsible decisions for themselves.
Student IT systems
Guidance has been provided to students throughout computer science lessons on accessing Office365 for emails and documents as well as Arbor. A reminder of this document can be found here. For some students, particularly in Year 7 or those who are new to school, the process of logging onto systems can take longer than expected so these will be resolved in their lessons over the next few weeks. Please send initial queries to enquiries@manor.school.
Tassomai and Arbor
This week we are proud to launch Tassomai for students in Years 7-11.
If your child has previously had an account (which is the case for Year 8 upwards unless they have recently joined the school), their Tassomai account is already set up. All they need to do is visit app.tassomai.com and log in with their school email address. If they can’t remember their password, they can reset it by clicking on ‘forgot password?’.
From here, they need to select their English, maths and science sets from the drop down. It may help to have their timetable available to check the class code. Some of the Year 10 and 11 maths and science classes will have two versions of the class with either [H] or [F] after the class code. Students should select [H] for higher tier or [F] for foundation tier. If in doubt, select the [H] option.
If your child is in Year 7 or is new to the school, they will have a preset password. Please watch the video below to hear the password. Your child will need to set a new password on first login and select their classes from the drop down menu.
We have also responded to feedback and altered settings on the Arbor parent portal to include positive and negative incidents shown to parents and carers. Therefore we recommend that all parents/carers ensure they are able to access this platform.
Year 11 update
A letter was sent to all Year 11 families on Thursday 21 September. Please look out for this and read it carefully. Of particular note, please remember:
- After school sessions have now started, with maths on Mondays, English on Tuesdays and science on Fridays. Please encourage your child to attend.
- Our Pledges Evening takes place on Tuesday 26 September for Year 11 parents and carers. We encourage you to attend to ensure that you are aware of key information.
Welcome to the Sixth Form event
We would like to invite parents/carers of our new Year 12 students to an introduction to the sixth form event, to be held in our Sixth Form Centre on Tuesday 3 October at 6:45pm. Managing the transition from Year 11 into the sixth form can sometimes provide challenges for students, and we know that the support and guidance parents/carers can offer is incredibly valuable. This event is intended to ensure you are aware of expectations and the support on offer; it will also provide an opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have.
To reserve your place, please book tickets via the following link.
Non-uniform day
In support of Kelly's Heroes, we will be participating in a non-uniform day that is taking place across the Nene Education Trust. For us, this means that students should wear an item of pink or red clothing in return for a contribution to the work of this charity. This does not alter our behaviour or expectations around jewellery. Students in Years 7 to 11 should use the Sixth Form uniform guidance as a measure as to appropriate clothing for the school environment. Students who arrive in school without uniform or who do not adhere to the expectations established around appropriate clothing will be asked to correct this on the day.
Ski and snowboarding trip 2025
Following our successful trip in 2023, we would like to invite expressions of interest to participate in our proposed trip to Folgaria, Italy, in February 2025. Please download the following letter for details of the trip and how to register your interest.
University and careers advice update
Year 11
Most Year 11 students have completed their post-16 intentions forms. Individual meetings with Mr Hill for advice and guidance related to their intentions will begin next week.
Year 11-13
On Monday 2 October we have a representative from Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust coming into the school to run a careers talk on allied health professional roles. This includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiography and operating department practice etc. Students in Years 11-13 have the opportunity to put their name down to attend. Places are on a first come first served basis.
Year 13
Year 13 students wishing to study music at a conservatoire are currently preparing their personal statements and applications for their deadline on 2 October. Those wishing to study medicine or apply to Oxford or Cambridge are currently preparing their personal statements for their UCAS deadline on Monday 16 October.
House system
All students joining Manor School are allocated into one of three houses named after native British trees. During the year, students can take part in a variety of activities through which they will earn house points. These allow students to claim rewards and also to contribute to the annual competition for the House Cup.
Staff members are also allocated into one of the three houses, with form tutors belonging to the same house as their tutees. There is also the opportunity for staff to compete in activities and challenges across the year to earn points for their houses.
Each house has its own characteristics that align to the school's REACH values, as outlined below:
The most recent house point totals are shared on screens across the school, on the school website, and in each edition of this newsletter.
Extra-curricular timetable
Our extra-curricular clubs were launched this week, with over 250 enrichment points logged for student attendance.
We would love for even more students to get engaged next week. Students receive an enrichment point for each session they attend, with these points then going towards the house point totals. Please encourage your child to take advantage of the extra-curricular opportunities on offer.
Year 6 into 7 Open Evening
A reminder that we are now taking bookings for our Year 6 into 7 Open Evening taking place on Thursday 5 October. Please visit our website for details and to book your ticket.