Welcome to this week's newsletter
We would like to say well done to Year 11, 12 and 13 students for their focus and determination as we complete the first week of trial examinations. We hope to see this continue for the final week.
As part of our focus to provide as many opportuntities to develop their subject knowledge and skills as possible, all students in Years 7-11 now have access to the use of a resource called Tassomai for maths and science. Further information on this can be found later on in this newsletter.
We will not apologise for our high expectations and standards, which includes the importance of punctuality and being on time for school, as well as having the correct uniform including being equipped with a pen, pencil and ruler for each lesson.
Finally, it is so nice that this year we have got the school Christmas concert and pantomime to look forward to. Keep reading for details of how to purchase tickets.
Have a lovely weekend.
Glenn Martin and Lee Towers, Co-Principals
Tassomai app
We are really excited to announce the relaunch of Tassomai for use by all students. Tassomai is an online learning and revision platform that uses quizzing to test and teach.
Researchers into revision and learning techniques found the best way to study and get knowledge to stick is to work for concentrated short bursts, regularly test yourself and to frequently switch between topics. The Tassomai app does this by using an algorithm to decide which quizzes should be taken as part of the Daily Goal for each subject and a ‘Combined Daily Goal’, which shows the total number of questions a student needs to answer correctly across all subjects. The Daily Goal could be anywhere between 15 and 40 questions per subject and all correct answers gain points. If a student is struggling with a specific topic, the algorithm will bring up more questions from that topic until their points improve! There is also a YouTube channel that features summary videos of subject topics to support further.
The Manor School teaching team can use data collected by the app to get a better idea of how to target revision on the lead up to examinations and improve the chances of our students getting the grade they deserve.
Signing up to the app is really easy and we ask that all of our students in Years 7-11 do this over the next two weeks:
- Visit app.tassomai.com/signup
- Enter the school’s unique code: 97M8KMP8
- Enter their details. Use school email account to sign up.
- Choose correct classes from the drop-down menu. They can find their class codes on their timetable.
And that’s it! Once set up, students can download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store if they prefer to use a phone or tablet.
If you need more information about Tassomai, or have problems getting set up, please email science@manor.school or maths@manor.school.
Glenn Turner, Director of Learning (Science), and Jo Bristow, Director of Learning (Maths)
Sixth Form Open Evening
We are delighted to invite parents, carers, and students in Year 11 to attend our Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 13 January. The sixth form has benefitted from significant investment in facilities and leadership in recent years, so please book your space to find out why we're so proud of our post-16 offer.
The event will allow you to hear from current students, ask subject leaders questions and watch an introduction from the sixth form leadership team.
To book your space, please visit our ticket booking website.
Our open evening is strategically timed to coincide trial examination results as we believe students benefit from having this information prior to making decisions about post-16 destinations. In preparation for this event, students can visit our website and watch subject information videos. We also encourage students to talk to their teachers to discuss the subject at post-16.
Darren Carter, Assistant Principal
Ski trip 2023
All 60 places for the ski trip have now been allocated.
If you have made payment via Wisepay, your child has been successful in obtaining a place.
Any remaining students that have expressed an interest by returning the consent form will be placed on a waiting list.
Cambodia expedition 2023
We are very excited to announce that we are again partnering with Camps International to offer our students the opportunity to go on a life-changing, 4-week expedition to Cambodia, during the summer of 2023. Students will work on a variety of meaningful and sustainable projects, as well as undertaking a 4-5 day trek across the Kulen Mountain.
We will be holding a presentation for parents/carers and their child on Wednesday 8 December at 6pm. During this presentation you will be able to hear more about Camps International, the expedition and fundraising, as well as how to join the team.
In the meantime, to get an insight into the expedition, you can see photos from previous teams on the Camps Instagram page. As students are encouraged to raise the funds for this expedition themselves, why not get started straight away with some helpful tips and advice.
Volleyball coaching
We are taking a minibus over to Wrenn School on Friday 3 and Friday 10 December for any students who would like to attend some extra volleyball coaching sessions. There are currently 8 spaces on the bus - interested students should speak to Miss Hustwait to be added to the list. The bus will leave after school and will be back to Manor by approximately 5:30pm on both days.
Festive music performances
- Sunday 28 November: Raunds Christmas Lights at 4:20pm in Raunds Square
- Wednesday 8 December: Mayor's Carol Service at 6pm at Saxon Hall
- Thursday 9 December: Manor School Christmas Concert at 6pm - tickets on sale now via TicketSource
- Saturday 11 December: Raunds Community Choir Christmas Concert at 7pm at Saxon Hall
- Tuesday 14 December: Thrapston and Raunds Rotary Club Concert at 7pm at Denford Church
School pantomime
Tickets for the school pantomime are now on sale. Book your tickets now via TicketSource.
Manor Maths Challenges
It's the fourth and final week of Barvember, with five sets of challenges for students to have a go at.
PlayStation F.C. Schools' Cup competition
The PlayStation F.C. Schools' Cup concept kit design competition is back for another year, and this time they are partnering with Rising Ballers to challenge students to create the first ever PlayStation F.C. Schools' Cup x Rising Ballers concept kit that will be worn in real life.
For details of the challenge, terms & conditions and how to enter, download the file below.