Year 9 Bulletin 13.09.24

This weekly bulletin contains the latest news updates across Year 9.

WEEKLY BULLETIN

13 SEPTEMBER 2024

A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEADTEACHER HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE

KEY SCHOOL DATES

It has been lovely to welcome all our school community back to school over the last two weeks and, after the excitement of the first couple of days, to see students settling back into calm focused learning. I have been particularly impressed by the kindness students have shown to new students, helping them to find their way

Year 12 Subject change deadline - 16 September Year 12 & 13 Information Evening - 17 September

around the school. On Friday afternoon last week, I toured two former students around the school, who had started their first year of secondary school when it was Thames Valley School in 1964. It was inspiring to hear their happy reminiscences about learning and see how their friendship, forged in school, had lasted so many years. Seeing our own students making new friends and becoming passionate about their subjects is one of the great joys of teaching. On Tuesday we welcomed Year 10 parents and carers into school for an information evening to learn more about GCSE study. It was fabulous to hear such positive feedback at the end of the presentation. Over the coming weeks we will be hosting evenings for parents and carers in other year groups. Meanwhile please remember that you can contact the school via the info@waldegravesch.org email if you have any queries. On Wednesday our Year 11 Drama students went to Wimbledon Theatre to enjoy a performance of War Horse as part of their GCSE studies. Everyone greatly enjoyed the production even if there were a lot of tears as the audience was transported by the mesmerising puppeteers. I would like to remind parents that we encourage students to walk or use public transport on their journeys to and from school. Fifth Cross Road is a quiet residential street and doesn’t have capacity for heavy traffic at the start and end of the school day. Thank you for respecting this as congestion in the road endangers our students and neighbours.

School Photographs - 18 -19 September

HOLIDAYS & NATIONAL DAYS

Sleeptember - achieve better sleep in September

Every Woman Day - 16 September

World Cleanup Day - 20 September

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send us your achievement stories and photos to share by email to info@waldegravesch.org STAY CONNECTED WITH US:

~ Ms Tongue, Headteacher

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

As we start the new school year, it seems a good opportunity to remind you of the ‘Helping teens with’ series of webinars being offered by the local Men- tal Health Support Team. You can book now for upcoming sessions on sleep difficulties, exam anxiety, and friendship difficulties. The organisation Let’s Talk Mental Health is also offering an online workshop about Teen Friendship Do and Don’ts for Parents at 8pm on 16 September. Additionally, it was World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September and lots of organisations shared excellent resources and webinars. The Charlie Waller Trust have produced this webinar on Supporting a young person experiencing thoughts of suicide Thrive LDN, funded by the London Mayor, have also put together a 20 minute suicide prevention video that aims to help us all meet the aims of the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign.

SUPPORTING THE PTA

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A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF YEAR 9

Year 9 have had a wonderful first full week back in school. They have started the school year with positivity and engagement which has been lovely to witness. It has been inspiring seeing our students getting to grips with their new timetables. Having newly mixed classes is a great opportunity for your child/ren to get to know other students in the Year group. It will also hopefully help our students build resilience in the lead up to GCSE options classes - where they will be mixed based on their choices across the whole year. Many of our Year 9s have participated in sporting, dance and creative activities over the summer, and their tutors have loved hearing about these during our first week back. If your child/ren has achieved an award/level or grade in a particular extra-curricular area, then we always love to hear about it and want to celebrate with them. If you wish to share an achievement with us then please email ks3@waldegravesch.org with the subject line FAO Ms Mortimer and Mr Greaves (then add the students name/form and topic). Next week we will be focusing on getting back into good routines in terms of punctuality, attendance and uni- form. I want to say well done to all our students for adhering to the uniform policy and parents for supporting us with the updated information sent out by Mr Goulbourne which clearly sets out our expectation in terms of jewel- lery and makeup. We are looking forward to another great week ahead. Next week on Wednesday 18 September we will have the final set of school photographs for our cohort. Please can we ask that you help support us upholding the uniform policy of no fake eyelashes and minimal makeup. Thank you in advance for your support.

MRS MORTIMER, HEAD OF YEAR 9

BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

A feminist, LGBT reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this novel gives a back story and humanity to the soulless vampire women in the original novel, exploring where they might have come from and their lives before. It follows the lives of seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy, when they are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a gothic, tense story.

~ Recommended by Mrs Nowicki, Joint Head of English

HOW TO CONTACT YEAR 9 HEAD OF YEAR AND TUTORS

Please contact us with any queries or problems you may have. To get in touch with a member of staff from your child’s year group, you can:

Send an email to KS3@waldegravesch.org

Or you can contact the school via phone by calling: 02088943244

WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL Fifth Cross Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 5LH

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