Welcome to this week's newsletter
Term 3 of the academic year has drawn to a close, and once again it has been a busy week at Manor. There were teams playing futsal, a trip to see The Lion King, High School Musical rehearsals, and plenty of KS4 projects going on. Every day this week, I (and many members of staff) have had the opportunity to taste the culinary journeys of our Year 11 and sixth form students, who have been completing their food practical components. We have experienced healthy takeaway alternatives, family meals and three-course meals, amongst other things. Students have been self-motivated and focused, and have welcomed the feedback on their creations. They should be so proud of their efforts and what they have achieved. The five days have been ably supported by Miss Armitage and Mr Isaacs, who have challenged the students to produce some great dishes.
On Thursday I was able to meet Year 8 parents and carers at our Consultation Evening. It was good to speak to parents/carers about their thoughts and what we can do to help students even more. Students were keen to hear what they can do to improve and many were reflective about their next steps. It was also noted that we could provide refreshments at these evenings, so I am looking at how we can do this for future events, with the help of some of our other students to help raise money for good causes.
Finally, today the whole school learnt the basics of CPR, which is a vital skill that could save a life. We will continue to remind students of this moving forward, so that they all have the potential to save a life with this important knowledge. Students also wore red or pink to raise awareness of the importance of CPR and the vital role our community first responders play in helping people in need.
I am looking forward to Term 4 already, but I know a half-term break will allow everyone to recharge and relax.
Have a great break - we go again on Monday 24 February.
Adam Crawte, Interim Principal
Logging student absences on Arbor
It is now possible to record same-day absences on the Parent Portal and Arbor App. Once submitted, school staff will then approve or reject the absence, and if approved the absence will be visible in the attendance tab of your child's profile.
For a detailed guide on how to use Arbor to log absences, please click here.
Cashless catering
A reminder that WisePay for cashless catering was turned off at 2pm today (Friday 14 February).
We will be activating the function to pay for school meals via Arbor from Tuesday 18 February. This is the next phase of centralising all systems and functions into Arbor, leaving school transport as the only remaining item that is to be paid for via WisePay.
Once we have activated the Arbor meals function you will be able to top up your child’s account and view their account balance. Existing food balances on WisePay will transfer across to Arbor by Tuesday 18 February.
Service dog
From Monday 24 February a service dog will be working alongside one of our Year 11 students.
Please discuss with your child that this is a working dog and is not in school for other students to play and interact with. Students need to make sure that they give the dog space so that it can do its job.
We also need to be aware if anyone has any specific allergies that a dog in school could heighten. Please email send@manor.school if you believe your child suffers with allergies that could be affected.
Year 9 vaccinations
The School Aged Immunisation Service will be visiting Manor School on Monday 24 February to deliver the 3-in-1 teenage booster and meningitis vaccinations to Year 9 students.
Please complete the e-consent form linked to in the below information letter - the link will close at 8am on the day of the session.
Year 9 Consultation Evening
Thursday 6 March, from 4pm
Bookings for meetings with teaching staff must be made using the Arbor app or online portal by following the link to the Consultation Evening on the dashboard.
You will be able to start making appointments at 9:00am on Tuesday 25 February, and the system will close to new appointments at 12:00pm on Wednesday 5 March.
If you have not already done so, the simplest way to register is to sign into the parent portal - please visit https://login.arbor.sc/ and select 'Forgotten password'. You will then be sent an email containing further instructions. Once you have registered, you can download the app from Google Play or the App Store and log in with your details.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding this event, please contact M. du Pille by emailing mdupille@manor.school
Year 11 and 13 trial exams
Please click the links below to download the Year 11 and Year 13 trial exam timetables. These have been distributed to students in school this week, and they will receive a personalised version containing room and seat information when they return after the half-term break.
The trial exam window runs from Monday 3 - Friday 14 March inclusive. If you have any questions or queries, please email icooper@manor.school
Futsal results
This week, both our U13 futsal teams made it to the district finals after qualifying through the East Northants competition. It was an exciting night of futsal, and Manor was one of only two schools to have both girls and boys teams in the finals - a remarkable achievement.
In a closely contested match, the girls narrowly lost 2-1. After both teams scored through deflected own goals to make it 1-1, Weavers clinched the win with a late goal.
The boys team followed with a solid and well-controlled performance, securing a 1-0 victory and being crowned district champions.
Congratulations to both teams on their fantastic efforts!