We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty the Queen after a lifetime of devoted service. The Manor School community will come together over the coming days to mark her inspirational life and legacy.
Welcome to this week's newsletter
I wanted to start by noting the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II. It will no doubt impact on each of us differently but I think it is right to acknowledge her years of service and values. The comings days will be a period of mourning and we will honour that in our own way in school. More information will follow very soon.
I wanted to take this opportunity to say how impressed we have been with the ways in which our students have returned back to school with enthusiasm, energy and commitment to learning. It really has been a pleasure to see.
Finally, a note for the diary. The Raunds Mayor’s Show is Saturday 17 September and we have students involved from 12:45pm. We would love to see as many of you as possible there supporting our students, other schools from Raunds and the wider local community.
Enjoy your weekend with your family and friends.
Lee Towers, Head of School
Student absence
Please can we remind all parents and carers that if your child is absent from school that you contact us as soon as possible on the first day of absence. This can be via the attendance officer on 01933 627020 or via email on attendance@manor.school.
To support student attendance can we also remind parents and carers that medical documentation is provided for all medical appointments (doctors, dentist, orthodontist etc.). This can be communicated to the school using the attendance details above or via your child's form tutor. If this is unable to be obtained, unfortunately we may not be able to authorise the absence.
We thank you for your continued support.
World Suicide Prevention Day
As a Trust we are marking World Suicide Prevention Day this year with a wave of light - inviting our school communities to join together by lighting a candle at 8pm on Saturday 10 Sept in memory of Callum Woodcroft and others lost to suicide.
Please see the images below for further details and tips on how you can help someone who may be struggling.
Year 6 into 7 Open Evening
We will be holding our Year 6 into 7 Open Evening on Wednesday 5 October. The event will give prospective students (Sept 2023 intake) and their families the opportunity to tour the school, meet our staff and find out more about what we have to offer. More details will be announced in due course, so be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest updates.
Arbor parent portal
Parents/carers are now able to use the Arbor parent portal to view your child's information. This currently includes their timetable, current attendance figures and the current REACH points awarded to them.
From Monday 19 September, alongside the above we will also use Arbor to set all homework. This means that parents/carers and students will have greater visibility and access to homework tasks set by teachers.
Over time, we will look to include further information on the Arbor portal, which will eventually be used as a source for most communication.
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.
In the first instance, please contact enquiries@manor.school should you have any queries about the portal.
School photographs
Our school photographer will be in school on Tuesday 20 September and Wednesday 21 September to take individual student photographs. Every student and member of staff has a photograph taken for our school information management system.
Students should come to school in full school uniform as normal on these days. Parents and carers will be provided with a proof of the photograph and details of how to order photos should they wish to purchase for themselves.
Student lockers
All students in Year 7 now have the opportunity to hire a locker for their use whilst they are a student at Manor School. These are allocated to any student who requires one and the same locker will stay with them from Year 7 to Year 11.
The one-off cost for hiring a locker is £30 and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. If you would like your child to have use of a locker, please make payment by selecting the correct option via your WisePay account. Once payment has been made, we will arrange for your child to be allocated a locker. The key and information regarding the position of the locker can then collected from Student Services at break or lunchtime. We suggest allowing a day between payment and collection in order for the payment to clear. Please be aware that if a student misplaces their locker key there is a small cost for replacement of £3.50.
Sports leaders programme
Applications are open for anyone who would like to be part of our sports leaders programme, particularly students from Year 7. Should students wish to be considered for a space, they should write a letter to the PE department that details why they would like to become a sports leader, what experience they may have already, and what they think they would learn and be able to offer the thriving sports leaders team. This letter should be handed in at the PE office by Wednesday 14 September. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of the week, with the first meeting taking place after school on Monday 19 September in Room 50.
KS3 Dance
Due to changes in the GCSE curriculum for Dance, we have decided as a school to redesign the Key Stage 3 curriculum to support this. As a result, dance lessons will have much more of a technical focus. Students will therefore be required to be barefooted during their dance lessons. Students who do not wish to go barefoot have the option to wear specialist dance jazz shoes, ballet shoes or foot thongs. These can be purchased through the following websites:
Please note socks and trainers are not permitted in lessons. Should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact Rachel Howes, Teacher of Dance on rhowes@manor.school.
Vaccinations
Please can parents/carers take note of the following provisional dates for 2023 vaccinations:
- 16 January - Year 7-9 influenza
- 20 February - Year 9 teenage booster
- 26 April - Year 9 HPV2
- 14 June - Year 8 HPV1
COVID guidance
Please see the below document detailing guidance on what to do if your child tests positive for COVID-19.
Dani Harmer Academy
The Dani Harmer Academy of Performing Arts teaches classes in Drama, Singing, Dance and Musical Theatres on Saturday mornings at Manor Sports and Leisure. They are currently offering 2 free trial days and a discount for Manor students. The academy offers Pay as You Go classes, with no termly fees. If you want to learn the Performing Arts, build confidence or just have fun, then why not give them a go. For more information please email info@daniharmeracademy.com.
Representing the school - fixtures and events
We are very proud of the number of opportunities given to students to represent the school across a wide range of subject areas at fixtures and events. In order to ensure we are able to select your child for such events, we are requesting your consent just the once for this academic year.
This consent covers fixtures or events that take place at Manor School or the grounds of another school, providing the total length of the fixture or event, including travel, does not exceed 4 hours. Equally, the fixture or event must not pose any additional risk between what is expected of a usual sports fixture or school related activity.
In addition, this consent covers education or curriculum related activities that take place during the school day, inside our 'extended learning territory' as outlined in our Trips & Visits policy (see map below).
If your child is selected or invited to take part in an activity of this nature, you will receive a message from us that shares the details of the event and additional information.
It is your right to withdraw consent for individual activities, or indeed for the remainder of the year. You can do this by contacting the individual event leader or emailing enquiries@manor.school if you wish to withdraw consent for the entire year.
To give your consent, please visit your child's WisePay account. If you do not provide consent on WisePay, we may contact you individually for future events.
Extra-curricular timetable
We run a full programme of lunchtime and after school clubs from sporting and musical activities to debating and coding. Although extra-curricular activities are optional, we strongly encourage all students to enrich their school day with an additional interest. Students will earn an enrichment point for every session they attend, which will then go towards the house points totals.
The timetable for next week can be found below. We will be sharing the timetable in each edition of this newsletter as new clubs may be added as we progress through the term. Should any session need to be cancelled at short notice, tutors will update students accordingly during tutor time.
Cambodia expedition fundraising
The Camps International Cambodia team are raising money for their expedition next summer and have a stand at the upcoming Raunds Mayor's Show on Saturday 17 September. If anyone has anything they would like to donate to their tombola, please can they be dropped off at the PE office by the end of next week.
The team are also holding a bingo night at Manor School on Friday 23 September. Please see the following poster for details.
Raunds Park Infant School vacancy
Raunds Park Infant School are looking to recruit a Lunchtime Supervisor. The successful candidate will actively support pupils in the dining room, playground and throughout the school premises during the lunchtime period.
For full details and an application form, please visit the Nene Education Trust website.
NMPAT Saturday Centres
Registration for NMPAT Centres 2022-23 is now open.
Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust provide a wide range of music and artistic opportunities for children and young people from age 3 and upwards, with no experience necessary.
With 12 Centres across the county there will be a venue local to you, where you can discover open access activities, first experiences of music and the arts as well as classes and ensembles for those already having lessons. Find your nearest Centre at www.nmpat.co.uk/centres.