Welcome to this week's newsletter
The school always comes alive when we have a special event taking place, and this week has been no exception. It has been fantastic to see students engaging with Competitions Week by participating in subject competitions and attending today's Lip Sync Battle where teachers took to the stage to give some truly memorable performances. Look out for the results in next week's newsletter.
In other news, I am sorry to have to inform you that I have taken the decision to resign from the post of Head of School at Manor School at the end of this academic year. This is a personal decision and is in no way a reflection on the school or people in it and connected with it. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Manor School and I am committed to continuing to move the school forward in the coming months ahead. As a prospective parent with children who will soon be attending the school, I am looking forward to watching the school grow from strength to strength. I want to take this opportunity to thanks all families for their support in my time at the school and will continue to value it in the weeks and months ahead.
The Nene Education Trust will soon be advertising for a substantive principal to start in September '23.
Lee Towers, Head of School
A message from the Nene Education Trust:
Lee Towers has led the school through a challenging couple of years and for that I would like to place our thanks on record for the dedication he has shown to all students, families and staff. There certainly have been unexpected and uncontrollable events that have been sent to test us over this period of time. Lee's humility and person-centred leadership is something that we have greatly valued and will be missed.
Chris Hill, CEO
School musical
Last week our students put on a fantastic show of SIX: Teen Edition. This school musical production was of such a high quality and it was wonderful to see all the hard work result in three brilliant performances. Huge congratulations to the six performers - Kiera, Amelie, Imogen, Chloe, Kyra and Rose, and well done to the musicians. The backstage crew were vital to it all as well. Thank you so much to all the family, friends, staff and students who came to watch - your continued support is always so appreciated!
There will be a review of the musical from our student Performing Arts journalist in next week's newsletter.
Student radio interview
Harry I from Year 11 was invited to speak on The Saints Show on BBC Radio Northampton this week. He was being interviewed in his role as rugby referee and the pressure and abuse that referees can experience during their games. He spoke at length about the topic, answering questions from the presenter, Graham, and also questions sent in by members of the public. He also spent time chatting with former Saints player and manager Lennie Newman and current Saints fly-half James Grayson.
If you wish to listen to the show you can do so via the link below. Harry is on air from the 20 minute mark and the 54 minute mark.
Word of the Week
Each week, the English department focuses on encouraging students to use one ambitious word – it is displayed in classrooms and discussed during teaching. It would be great if adults at home could try to encourage the use of this word too. You could try to fit into a conversation or even question your young person on the meaning. It will be fantastic for the students to see us all working together to help improve their language. Thank you for your support.
The Word of the Week for 20-24 March is sardonic.
Non-uniform day
Don't forget that we are holding a non-uniform day on Thursday 30 March in memory of Callum Woodcroft. If possible, we would like to see everyone dressed in blue or yellow, but if this means just your socks then that's fine!
We will be raising money for We Mind and Kelly Matters who have supported us and the Woodcroft family over the last year. Have your £1 ready!
Year 8 Consultation Evening
Our Year 8 Consultation Evening is taking place on Thursday 20 April.
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 the appointments at 8:00am on Wednesday 29 March and the system will close to new appointments at 12:30pm on Wednesday 19 April.
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 mdupille@manor.school
Careers events and opportunities
Did you know that we share details of student career opportunities and events on our website? Students are encouraged to check the dedicated page on a regular basis to see what is on offer. For example, we have a visitor from the University of Northampton coming into school on Wednesday 29 March to speak with interested students in Years 11 and 12 about the university's English degree course.
Year 11 Easter revision sessions
We will be hosting a number of revision sessions for Year 11 students during the Easter break. All sessions will be supervised by staff between their start and end time. Parents/carers should be aware that the site is open for community use outside of these sessions and so students and their parents/carers are responsible for transport to and from school.
Extra-curricular timetable
Football programme open day
RAF Cadets recruitment event
Stanwick Film Night
Credits:
Created with images by luismolinero - "Young man with yellow shirt over isolated blue background pointing up a great idea" • meeboonstudio - "Hand holding of an empty white speech bubble against a yellow background"