Family Fun for under 12 years

To obtain second hand uniform before Half Term please send in with your child an envelope with the following information. His or her name and surname, form, details of item/s requested and sizing, correct monies. This must be handed into Pupil Reception first thing Friday morning. The item will then be ready for collection by your child Friday afternoon. Any queries please contact Lesley Leadbitter at Pupil Reception on 015242 71275. If you require 2nd hand uniform during Half Term, please ring school and a member of the office staff will arrange for a convenient time for collection.

The Ingleborough Overground Underground Festival runs from 25 - 31 May and brings together volunteers and professionals to share their passion and expertise about the Ingleborough Dale.
A booklet with further information about events can be obtained from the Main Office.

Arrangements for the last year 11 exam on 14th June.

Information regarding payments and documentation.

As I’m sure you are aware GCSE Coursework in Physics has been replaced by Controlled Assessment. pupils will be completing a Controlled Assessment in Physics (called an ISA) in lessons over the coming weeks.

All Year 11 pupils are working towards their GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics and have their final (Unit 3) exams very soon.

All Year 10 pupils are working towards their GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics and have Unit 1 mock exams very soon.

All Year 9 pupils are working towards their GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics and have their end of year exams very soon.

All Year 7 & 8 pupils are part way through their Key Stage 3 science studies. In lessons pupils are working towards end of topic tests and also exams at the end of the school year.

Parking request
Please can we ask that parents avoid parking in the bus bay outside St Mary’s School as it has been causing some difficulties particularly when buses need to use the bay to collect St Mary’s pupils. Parents may not be aware that it is illegal to park in this area. There is often parking available at the astro-turf pitches if there aren’t spaces available at the front of school. We are aware that parking is quite tight at the moment and we are currently exploring how we can provide additional parking areas.

Please find attached the payment schedule for the Paris Trip in July 2013. If you have any queries please contact Mrs Baines on 015242 71275.

Please find attached the payment schedule for Barcelona 2013. The payments can be made on Wise Pay. If you need any more information please contact Mrs Lomax/Mrs Armistead on 015242 71275

Parents might find the information from Cumbria NHS about supporting adolescent emotional well- being useful. We do have a team of specialists in school who can provide support too, from our school nurse to our Educational Welfare Officer so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you feel that your child needs some support at this or any other time. Do let us know if your child is affected by recent tragic events and we will do all we can to support them in school and bear in mind that we can always do a better job of looking after your child if you let us know when they experience difficulties.

•Students CAN wear coats – just not inside school buildings. Because the pullover is a fleece and will keep them warm outside, the best thing to have is a rolled up waterproof in their school bag then they don’t have the problem of what to do with their coat when they’ve taken it off. Please just wear sensible water proofs as an outer layer though- we don’t allow hoodies, sweatshirts, fashion coats, denim jackets etc.
•Think carefully about visibility when buying a waterproof jacket: the best ones have reflective strips or piping. Look out for bags with reflectors or light colours on them too
•It’s a really good idea to wear a base layer under uniform on very cold days.
•Make sure shoes are sturdy ones that can cope with wet paths and puddles: we’re still advising people against coming to school in canvas pumps and ballet shoes!
•On snow days, students can by all means wear snow boots/ wellies if they’ve got a bit of a trudge to the bus stop. Ideally bring a carrier bag to put them in and change into school shoes when they get here. We will try to find somewhere to put bagged up boots- but they might have to tote them around a bit sometimes.
•When students are in school they don’t need snow boots on as the pathways will be cleared and they will be inside unless they are going between lessons or to lunch. We ask that students spare a thought for our site staff and stick to the paths, wipe their feet and keep the carpets as clean and dry as possible.
•Get them black scarves and black gloves if they want a bit of extra warmth. Again bear in mind that they’ll need to put them in their bag when they’re in school buildings.
•Get them a brolly…. and a carrier bag to put books in to keep them dry inside their school bag if it’s not very waterproof.

Remember to have a plan B just in case the weather prevents school attendance: make sure students know where to go and what to do if the bus can’t get to them in the morning or if the school has to close. It’s time to re read the Enforced School Closure advice on the Starting at QES section of our website.
Make your preparations now and then we can stay safe and warm this winter.

Dear Parent

We know how difficult it is for parents when their child comes home and says they haven't been able to find their PE kit, glasses, keys, project folder, tie etc.

We are as committed as ever to trying to help parents out with this one and wanted to let you know about recent improvements to our lost property 'department'.

We are now based in a larger office on the main corridor in school. This means that everything is on rails, in storage crates or on pegs and is easy to look through if you've lost something.

The entire school site is 'swept' for lost property on Friday after school. All the new 'found' items are processed on Monday morning and if the item is named it is returned to its owner straight away. Usually there'll be a note telling a pupil to come along and collect it.

Sadly, items are often nameless and end up being ticketed, catalogued and stored in the lost property office. At the moment there are over 250 items in there including coats, uniform items, PE kits, shoes, trainers and dozens of sets of keys to name but a few. (The keys are a particular concern for us because of the obvious security issues for you.)

The office is open to pupils at break time and it's right by the Main Hall so it's really easy for them to pop in and look for something. Mrs Wilson will be there to help them.

The office will also be open for 15 minutes at the end of school. Again, it's near the areas where pupils wait for buses so there's no excuse for not checking in there if they've lost something.

We are finding that pupils who routinely leave their PE kit lying around in the hope that it will still be where they left it a week later are falling foul of the Friday 'sweep' when they go back for it so a few reminders about bringing it home after each PE lesson would be really helpful - our PE staff are reinforcing that message too.

Of course, making sure that all property is named is an enormous help and means you get it back really quickly.

If you are missing something and wondering if it's sitting forlornly in our lost property office, please do encourage your son or daughter to go along and look for it. By all means pop in yourself during the opening times if you want to have a look for it.

Even though we've expanded our storage area, we can't hold onto things for ever: much of the clothing will be recycled at the end of each half term. Please don't leave it too long to look for items mislaid in the past few weeks.

We are looking forward to reuniting you with your property!

Alison Wilkinson

Parents Evenings for Yrs 7 - 11 are changing this year - they are now Subject Review Afternoons and school will close to students at 1.05pm on the relevant days. Dates and further details can be found on the attached letter.

Attached is a brief guide to facebook for parents. A more detailed guide can be found on an earlier post entitled A Parents Guide to Facebook