Welcome to this week's newsletter
The weeks are flying by, as a new month began this week. We started the week in very hot weather, and it was good to see students being Ready in their correct PE kit, Responsible by staying in the shade and keeping rehydrated, and Respectful as they usually are. Even with the change in temperature, we have been blessed with beautiful conditions for the rest of the week too. This meant that today's REACH Fest was able to go ahead in perfect conditions. It was so good to see our best students enjoying the music and inflatable games as a reward for being what we want Manor students to be: Ready, Respectful and Responsible. Thanks to Mrs Parker and the student helpers for making this happen and being so organised.
I have had the great privilege to meet other groups of amazing students this week as well. I had breakfast with our Trust music performers on Thursday and our Royal Shakespeare Company students on Friday. It is a great opportunity to reward students who are raising the standards and expectations of those around them with great performances. They were able to give me ideas and opinions from a student point of view as well, whilst enjoying hot chocolate and pastries. These were some of the best moments of my week.
The great performances continued on Tuesday at the Summer Concert, with our students providing a full range of music from Metallica to more classical pieces. There was something for everyone. The highlight was our outgoing Year 11s returning to pay a musical tribute to Miss Bishop for her help and support over the years. Thank you to staff and families who supported the event and made it a productive evening for all involved.
Earlier in the week, our Sports Leaders were helping out at the Windmill School Sports Day. It was great to receive positive feedback from staff and Windmill parents/carers on what a superb contribution they made to the smooth running of this event.
Finally, we have welcomed many new students to Manor this week. On Monday and Tuesday we had our sixth form induction, where potential Year 12 students came to get a taster of life in the sixth form. They experienced KS5 lessons, met the sixth from team, as well as enjoyed games with the current Year 12s. We look forward to seeing them again in September and I wish them all the best on results day.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was a chance for our future Year 7s to get a taster of what 'big' school is like. They have been brilliant, with the right amount of excitement and questions. They have met key members of staff and got a full experience of life at Manor. It was great to meet parents and carers on Thursday, where they were able to ask more questions and speak to our uniform suppliers. They were exposed to more wonderful musical performances from some soloists. September will come around quickly, and I look forward to welcoming them on the first day back.
Thank you to all the staff who have been involved in the whole week of transition, but especially to Ms Collier, Miss Bishop and Mrs Hammond who have been instrumental in making the week so successful.
Have a good weekend.
Adam Crawte, Principal
Lost property
There is a large quantity of items that have not been claimed by students. If your child has lost any of their belongings, please ask them to check the lost property collection in the LRC.
Healthy Minds blog
Please click the following link for this week's mental health blog.
NMPAT survey
We have been asked by Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust (NMPAT) to share a link to an anonymous survey to families of students who have had lessons or activities led by a member of NMPAT staff while they are at school.
The survey seeks to understand whether students have protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010) or any barriers to participation, in order to assess how well NMPAT are doing at meeting their aim of being inclusive to all.
All information given will remain anonymous. Please do get in touch with NMPAT Inclusion Lead, Rachel Coles, rcoles@nmpat.co.uk, should you have any questions or concerns regarding the survey. Please find the link below.
Careers information
Manor events
In September our current Year 10 students will be starting the process of finding out when college open days take place and thinking about whether they are interested in college, sixth form or apprenticeships. In preparation for this, we have invited local colleges into the school over the next two weeks to speak with our students, giving them a basic overview of the courses they offer and to answer any questions the students might have.
- Thursday 10 July: Northampton College
- Friday 11 July: Moulton College
- Thursday 17 July: Ask Apprenticeships
- Friday 18 July: Tresham College Group
External events
Starting Off are running an apprenticeship information webinar for parents of secondary students on Tuesday 15 July from 6:00pm-7:15pm. See the poster below for details, and click here to register.
They are also hosting an open day on Friday 18 July that Year 13 leavers who are interested in accounting apprenticeships and careers may find useful. See the poster below for details.
Extra-curricular timetable
Please note that there will not be any PE, dance or music clubs taking place for the rest of the term.
Our German and Japanese clubs are also not running next week (7-11 July) due to the French trip. These two languages clubs will be back on the following week (14-18 July).