Events Coming Up
16th Year 7 Rugby Away – Testwood
16th Dance live auditions
17th Year 8 & U16 Netball away – Ringwood
18th Musical theatre workshop
19th Careers Fair years 10 & 11
19th U16 Rugby Away – Ringwood
19th Year 7&8 Netball away – Testwood
23rd Year 7 Rugby at home
24th Year 9 & U16 Netball at home
24th Year 10 Thorpe Park Trip
25th Year 11 History Trip
25th Year 7&8 Girls football
25th Year 9 Rugby at home
26th Year 7&8 Netball at home
26th Open Evening for Yr 6 parents and early closure at 12.30 pm
27th INSET Day
Saturday 30 November – Christmas Themed Craft Fayre. All funds raised will be going towards our International Fund. If you would like to book a table to sell your goods, or know someone who would, please click this link: Christmas Craft Fayre Further details will be sent out nearer the time regarding entry tickets.
Message from the Leadership Team
Dear Noadswood families,
We have had our first full week of the school year now, and we were delighted to see already, a strong commitment and enthusiasm for learning in each classroom we have visited. Students are actively engaging with their studies, showcasing creativity and collaboration that really embodies the spirit of Noadswood at its best.
As always, we remain proud of our extra-curricular offer and encourage all students to explore the diverse range of clubs available. There's no need to sign up for these, just come along. If you have any questions regarding the club, please contact the subject running the activity. You can find their email address on the link below:
Click on the link below for our autumn term club offer – apologies we struggled with IT gremlins in getting this out to you as we intended last weekend After School Clubs
We continue to be impressed with how year 7 have settled into school life, it’s brilliant to see them fully embrace new challenges and experiences. We hope that the staggered homework timetable that Mrs Rollett messaged families about earlier in the week has helped your child settle into school life and to immerse themselves in school life. If you have any questions or concerns, please do reach out to the year 7 team- Year7@noadswood.hants.sch.uk
We know that the return to school period can be expensive for families. If your family would benefit from financial support, we have a number of supermarket and skool kit vouchers available. All requests are treated in confidence and are not means tested: the vouchers are available for anyone who might benefit from them- please reach out to your child's year leader.
We are delighted next week to open our school to year 6 families for our open events. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting started on our roadshow visiting our local primaries- Wildground, Waterside and Beaulieu shone with brilliant questions. We were asked what we like best about our school and what we would look to improve when we were at Waterside – such insightful questions. We all commented, me, Mrs Martin and the Senior Prefects we had with us, that what we love the most is the sense of team here and the connections we all have, student to student, student to staff and colleague to colleague. It’s what helps the Noadswood family get through the tough times that happen as well as to celebrate all of our joys.
We also talked about our facilities for music, sport, drama and science, and then we talked about moments of joy, care and laughter every day without fail. For me, these have included in the past month:
- News of one of our former students’ graduation from university – bravo, Molly B, your old school salutes you!
- News of one of our former students’ success at college in the world of animal care, not to mention that GCSE success – congratulations, Ryan W. It was so lovely to catch up with in the summer for an afternoon tea and hear all your brilliant news!
- Congratulations to Amelia W, on winning our Summer Reading Challenge!
- Catching up with so many of our students around site on my break and lunch breaks, seeing how much they’ve matured over the summer and having a laugh with them.
- Singing with our new Y7s – Blake and Sophia, so brave and brilliant!
- Witnessing the hard work in Y8 Maths this afternoon – I took some sneaky peeks so as not to disturb things. Such focus straight after the lunch break.
- Hearing about one of our awesome parent’s voluntary work in our local area – congratulations to you! And how lucky we are to have people who give this their time.
- Meeting a parent who’d like to try to bring their child back to us after a difficult Y7 – doing their all to give things another try and we will do the same.
- Meeting the remaining Matilda cast members I didn’t get to see before the summer and hearing about loads of elite athletes and sports people in all our year groups – such talent. Keep the news coming!
In terms of improvement, as well as continued work to help all subjects do as well as so many of our best, I commented to the Y6s on whole school attendance – we still have work to do, like many I know, on making school work out for all and not most, and this has our absolute focus this year.
I also couldn’t help but comment on school toilets – I am on duty at one set of ours every day and I still want us to do more to keep them less busy, and occupied just for what they should be, and not for eating, socialising, making mess because of being silly. Mr Rowling and I will continue to work with the Student Leaders and the whole school on this this year.
We can’t wait to visit Orchard and Marchwood Juniors next week. We love meeting Year 6 families but one of the very best things about open events is the opportunity to showcase our students - they represent Noadswood, your support of them and our values so brilliantly.
Looking forward to another great week ahead, during which my Key Stage 3 Choir will relaunch its joyful self and I am excited for the new House Championship Working Party to get off the ground with Miss Skinner – lots more House events for your children to get involved with.
With all our best,
Kathryn Marshall and the Noadswood Leadership Team
Open Evening – Noadswood early closure
As we wrote last week, we would like to remind all families that Noadswood will close early on Thursday 26/09/2024 to allow for our Open Evening set up. Students will leave site by around 12.30pm. Those who would usually claim a free school meal will be able to do so prior to their departure. We will be in contact in the coming weeks with regards to Noadswood helpers, who are the heart of our open events. If your child is unable to leave site at 12.30 pm and will need to remain in school until 2.50 pm, do please complete this form below:
Modeshift Active Travel Ambassador (ATA) Programme
We have previously communicated about our commitment ensuring safe travel to and around our site as well as our commitment to creating student leadership opportunities. We are delighted to write to you about a project run by ATA which we will be involved in. TA coordinators work with specially selected secondary schools that are committed to changing attitudes and behaviours in active travel. Their collective goal is a healthier county through the promotion of active travel. During the 2023/24 academic year, the ATA team have worked with 75 secondary schools nationwide and have trained over 750 pupils as Active Travel Ambassadors to promote safe and sustainable journeys to school.
Noadswood will be taking part in the 2024/25 programme.
If your child is interested in taking part in this programme and becoming an Active Travel Ambassador, could they please let Mrs M Wyse know. All students will be given 6 x one-hour sessions from an ATA coordinator spread over the next few months. They can pop into her office in the main block or email her on mwyse@noadswood.hants.sch.uk.
Safeguarding and Signposting
As we’ve welcomed our new year y7 cohort and welcomed back our older students, it’s a good time to remind our whole community of a few links and examples of where you can find some good support for you and your children should you need it.
Firstly, we’re here! Please do get in contact with your child’s tutor, Year Leader or if you’ve got specific safeguarding concerns, do drop our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Loveday, a direct email: hloveday@noadswood.hants.sch.uk
We’ve got a superb well-being site on our Frog site; just log in to the system and search ‘well-being’ and you’ll find various links to help with a whole range of concerns.
We often signpost parents to these useful websites which include a wealth of well-being support:
RE, Philosophy & Ethics
The RE, Philosophy & Ethics Department is thrilled to announce that we will be hosting a visit from Mr. Chris Lubbe, the former bodyguard to Nelson Mandela.
Mr. Lubbe will be sharing his experiences and insights with our students on Thursday, 17th October. His unique perspective and close association with Nelson Mandela offer a valuable learning opportunity for our students to gain a deeper understanding of history, ethics, and resilience.
A letter has been sent home to all parents. Please sign students up for the event in Arbor by 4 pm on Friday 27th September.