Parent Bulletin 11/10/2024
(W/C 14/10/2024 will be Week B)
Dates for this term
Half Term
How to contact The Swan School
Email is the best way to contact the school. We aim to respond to all emails within 48 hours of receipt. All staff email addresses have the same format - firstname.surname@theswanschool.org.uk. If you are unsure who to contact, please email office@theswanschool.org.uk who can pass your message to the right person.
The weekly Parent Bulletin is sent to all parents/carers every Friday. This includes important information and reminders of upcoming events. All Parent Bulletins for the year are linked on the Parent Letters page of the website.
Who to contact:
Heads of Year
Assistant HOYs/Pastoral Support - Ms Graham, Ms Masterman, Mr Sobratty, Ms Lenthall, Ms Houlihan (6th Form)
Contents - please click on the links to view each section
Dear Parents/Carers,
This week we celebrated World Mental Health Day with a series of assemblies and Hello Yellow on Thursday when lots of our staff and student body wore items of yellow clothing to raise awareness of the importance of mental health. As always, it was great to see so many students getting involved - particularly noteworthy were the children who dressed as a minion and a banana! In our fast paced modern world, it is vital that we take the time to look after our mental health. There are lots of ways that students can do this at school, for example by taking part in physical activity, getting fresh air, talking to friends, or speaking to an adult if they need help. In assembly, Mr Palmer also highlighted the importance of getting enough sleep. In a hands-up survey, it was shocking to see how few of students are getting their 8 hours (only around 30% in year 10!) and I predict it would be similar for adults. There are lots of things we can do to improve our sleep health such as getting into a routine and limiting screen time before bed. Why not have a conversation with your child about their sleep patterns and how you can help improve them as a family?
Ms Wood
Message from the Headteacher
House Points
Value of the Week - Dedication
Bannister (B) | 1148 |
Hawking (H) | 1161 |
Berners-Lee (L) | 1139 |
Yousefzai (Y) | 1105 |
Assembly Topic - World Mental Health Day
Your mental health matters as much as your physical health, do you know who to go to for support?
Library News
Book of the Week
I have chosen a new addition to our collection for our younger readers: Places: Important Sites in Black British History. This is one of the first books in DK's 'The Black Curriculum' series, written by Melody Triumph, and fabulously illustrated by Amanda Quartey.
Thank you to our sixth form
A big shout out to all those in Year 12 and 13 who regularly help out in the Library: issuing books, helping to maintain our expectations, reading 1:1 with younger students before school on a Wednesday, and re-shelving books. We would be truly lost without you!
October is Black History Month!
The student librarians and Miss Watt have created a brilliant display in the main library, showcasing relevant fiction, poetry, memoir, biography and history books from our collection. These titles are a wonderful complement to The Swan's diverse curriculum in English and History.
Attendance Matters
School attendance is hugely important. For your child to gain the full benefit from their education, for their learning, wellbeing, and wider development, they need to attend on time, every day.
Lateness
Being on time to school means that students give themselves the best chance of success. This means that they don’t miss out on any learning time and have the chance to get themselves ready for the day ahead. When students are late for school, they miss out on curriculum lessons. They will often miss out on the most important part of the lesson when the context is set and the key concepts are explained. Where possible, please don’t excuse their lateness. Together, we shall continue uphold the high expectations.
Attendance register
Reporting an absence/appointment: Use the online absence form/ email to attendance@theswanschool.org.uk
Year 10 GCSE Information Event
It was great to meet so many Year 10 families on Thursday for our Welcome to GCSE Event.
Here is the presentation and the Year 10 Homework document that you may find useful.
Prayer Room Passes
A reminder that students need to have a pass to use the prayer room at lunchtime. This is to ensure that the prayer room is a calm space. Students should only use the room for prayer and should not remain to socialise once they are finished.
Families can apply for a pass using this form.
You should re-apply if your child has lost their pass.
Years 7-11 Family Dining payments
If you haven't already made a payment for your child's lunch (Family Dining), please do so as soon as possible. For clarification: Family Dining must be paid for through Lunches accounts and the Dinner Topup accounts are only used to pay for breakfast, snacks, stationery, etc. Thank you to the many families who have already made payments.
We realise that the labeling of these two accounts is potentially confusing. Unfortunately, due to limitations with the Parentmail platform we are not able to change the label of the Dinner Top-up account, which is a frustration for you and us!
The Lunch attendance register in Parentmail is generally updated on Friday for that week, so you will see your child's Lunches account balance changing by up to £13.50 at a time (lunch costs £2.70/day). It is a requirement that Lunch accounts are kept in credit.
Here is the link from the School website which has instructions for Parentmail: https://theswanschool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-Swan-School-Parentmail-Instructions-Yr-7-to-Yr-11.pdf
If you are experiencing financial hardship, please initially complete the Free School Meals form here. If you are not eligible, we will then be able to assess whether we are able to provide other support.
Recruitment
Job Title | Closing Date (8am closing deadline) | Other information |
14/10/2024 | Evenings & Weekends | |
04/11/2024 | 18.5 hours per week, 52 weeks a Year |
One of the things that makes our school so successful is the amazing teachers and support staff that we have here. Below are our current vacancies:
Please check the website https://theswanschool.org.uk/current-vacancies/ and also share this information with any relevant friends and colleagues!
Office Reminders/Notices
Bebras National Computing Challenge
At 2.50 on Friday 8th and 15th November, pupils from all year groups have the opportunity to participate in the Bebras National Computing Challenge. This will be in N212. Pupils only need to attend one session.
This challenge tests their computational thinking, and problem solving skills. There are separate challenges on offer for Juniors (age 10-12), Intermediates (12-14), Seniors (14-16), and Elites (16-18). Merits, Distinctions, and invites to join the Oxford University Computing Challenge are on offer to highly scoring students.
Over the last few years, some students within the school have scored in the top 20 students nationally! Examples of past questions can be found here. ��Mr Mogridge �graham.mogridge@theswanschool.org.uk
Orchestra Cancelled
Due to auditions for Oliver, Orchestra will be cancelled on Friday 11th and Friday 18th October. We hope to see lots of students at the auditions instead!
Ms Playford will give orchestra students music for students to practise over the half term.
Enrichment Opportunities
Footballers needed for Headington Youth Football Club U13s (current Y8). Commitment to train on Wednesdays (Risinghurst in summer & Horspath during winter) and matches on Sunday mornings. Search for Headington Youth via FA website for contact information.
https://fulltime.thefa.com/home/index.html
Open to both boys and girls!
SwanComm
Thank You
Swan Staff
Now that the children have settled into the new school year they may have mentioned something they particularly enjoyed or someone who went out of their way to help them.
Please take the time to send an individual thank you email firstname.surname@theswanschool.org.uk
There are teachers, leaders, pastoral support, office staff, cleaners, caterers and site team members - many adults at Swan who consistently deliver a high quality of care, enrichment and education to students. Whether in the classroom, behind the scenes or away on trips they are there for our children - let us show them how grateful we are.
We are keen to broaden our list of
contacts please complete the google form or scan the QR so we can build a database even if you are already involved.
Be a Swan Community Builder!
Swan Craft Fair - Saturday 30th November
FOR STALLHOLDER BOOKINGS, VISIT
www.swancraftfair.co.uk/take-part
Swan family members get a 50% discount!
RAFFLE PRIZES SOUGHT!
Craft Fair group on Classlist / Email swancraftfair@gmail.com
ARE YOU ON INSTAGRAM? COULD YOU HELP PROMOTE THE CRAFT FAIR?
GET IN TOUCH!