Student Letter - 24/01/2021

Dear all,

Welcome to the first letter to you all of Lockdown 3 – I will start by reintroducing you to our cats, Poppy, Alice and George (from left to right on the page!) demonstrating, as always, why it’s a good idea to #BeMoreCat. It’s a good idea because cats learn to muddle along and make the best of the circumstances they find themselves in, including having to live with each other, 24/7, with very little escape, much like us all in lockdowns. Poppy and Alice have become genuinely good sisters, though we rescued Alice and Poppy selected us. And they both have learnt to cope with George, though he was here first, is half feral and would be more than happy to be the only one!

Cats

They get that you need your own space: your own place to chill out when you need to. They understand that we’re all different in how we respond to life, and being under the same roof and in one family doesn’t automatically make that easy – you’ve got to take a deep breath and back off if someone else isn’t in a good mood. And they also understand the power of getting enough rest.

Are you reflecting on all those really important things? Can you give yourself space when you need it? Can you work on your breathing when that family member is winding you up, show them and yourself some kindness, and leave things til later, when everything feels calmer again?

And can you get enough rest, and time away from screens? I know that all your teachers and the rest of our staff team are doing their all to deliver you a combination of plenty of types of learning, live lessons, pre-recordeds, some Oak lessons and then catch ups as tutor groups and 1:1s. We really want to keep you motivated, engaged and making the best progress you can whilst at home. But all that said, I wanted to emphasise the importance of breathers as well – all day on the screen is hard for us all, isn’t it?

Are you managing to get out in the fresh air once a day? If not, how about noticing when a teacher puts in a pre-recorded or Oak lesson, and going out for a walk during that slot on your timetable, then watch the pre-recorded/Oak lesson after ‘school hours’?

Same for the pursuing of a hobby, your musical instrument practice, or drawing, or baking, or reading, or journaling… anything you like. You can always watch a pre-recorded/Oak lesson later in the day – as long as it’s later the same day, you won’t get behind everyone else or receive lessons the wrong way round. Something to consider if you are struggling to get a breather within school hours at the moment. If you need to talk to someone about this, then reach out to your tutor or House Leaders, or drop me a line at headteacher@noadswood.hants.sch.uk or ePraise me. We’re all here to help you manage this and balance things – we know it’s not easy. #BeMoreCat

I’d like to give a warm welcome, next, to Evan’s cat, Millie. Thanks for sending these in to us, Evan, and for telling us about when you guys notice her doing ‘funny mouth’! 😊

Cats

When we were in school together last term, I spoke to quite a few of you about how we’d love to see your pet pictures to share out in our letters and I heard about what a lot of them get up to in Hot Choc Monday and Friday chats with some of you, too – don’t hold back in sending them to headteacher@noadswood.hants.sch.uk

It lifts everyone’s spirits to see animal antics!

Something else that lifts the spirits and takes you to places away from your four walls during a lockdown is reading, as much as possible, and of all kinds. I believe in this so strongly, and for that reason I started the Noadswood Read-Aloud a week ago: you can find it on our school’s website at the link below (click link)

Read Aloud

I’ve been reading March 2020’s Noadswood Build a Book Day’s text, Flaming Vengeance, that was written by pupils from primary schools all over the area along with some of you guys now in Years 8 and 11, supported by superb author, Stewart Ross. Chapters 1-8 are up on the site, with the rest to come next Friday.

There has been a super response to Read-Aloud from some of my colleagues and a couple of students, too. We have Mr Crowley sharing with us his reading to his daughter of The Hobbit, Miss Greenslade captivating us with Northern Lights: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, Mrs Maitland not letting us down as our librarian by reading Bodyguard: Target by Chris Bradford and Miss Walker has also provided a lovely reading of the first chapter of The Wind In the Willows, just perfect to transport you from a rainy January to springlike sunshine by the river. Then J-P and Talen have been brave enough to share with us their writing. I have enjoyed J-P’s development as an author for some years, and I know you guys whp enjoy Pokemon sill love his reading of his own work, whilst Talen has shared his write up of landmark moments during this pandemic, remnding us all of weve coped with ad continue to do so. Well done, lads!

If you’d like one of us to read from a book or magazine that you love, just ePraise me or send me an email at headteacher@noadswood.hants.sch.uk or maybe, like the boys, you would like to share some of your own writing on the site – you can record or film yourself doing so and send it to me at the same email address. You will receive 15 ePraise points as you’ll be virtually star trekked for taking the trouble to do this. But you’ll also have the loveliest feeling that you’re encouraging us all to read together.

Because of you, we will all develop our vocabulary, stretch our imaginations and learn about people, animals and ideas beyond our own experience – wow, that really is some impact! It could be the start of your career as a writer and/or performer, or the way the ideas you believe in really take hold across our community, and out to our primary schools, too. I can’t wait to hear your ideas for the site or your own read-alouds.

It has been fantastic to start to see examples of your work – No matter whether you’re in Year 7, with your first experiences of remote learning with us at Noadswood, or you’re in Year 11 preparing and revising hard without knowing yet quite how everything you’re doing will count in the end, I am exceptionally proud of you. I don’t underestimate how tough it is every week, and we all value your efforts, the efforts of your parents and carers, and nothing goes unseen…

Here’s some delicious looking crispie cake work from Zoe – a regular to these letters, and the first to send something in this term. Nice to have you back here, Zoe!

Food

And I think we would all enjoy Rachel’s muffins and Sarah’s pancakes – top work, girls:

Food

Next up is some sushi made by Isha, with really brilliant attention to detail in the presentation, too – a real food favourite of mine, and I hope it tasted as good as it looks:

Food

Finally, for food in this edition is this beautiful rainbow cake from Daisy – I love this!

Food

Did you know that when you bake or cook, you really do feel a huge sense of achievement and relaxation?It doesn’t need to be anything complicated or pricey. Last Sunday night, I got rid of all my worries for an hour by baking some lovely gingerbread cookies, and this evening, it will be ‘Bumblebear cookies’, a recipe I saw on Twitter that is basically cookies with honey… If they go well, I will share a picture with you next week, and if they don’t, you know what? I will still have had a good time baking them. Maybe you could do some baking this week and share some inspiration with me to send out to the rest of our community as well as our friends at local primary schools. Your efforts make a real difference to other people. 😊

Chloe has shared some beautifully put together and thorough pieces from her RS work, including very interesting writing from the point of view of the Guru Nanak:

Work

Her writing includes the important idea that all religious faiths are equal and none should be regarded as the only way… an interesting one for us all to consider. Thoughtful stuff, Chloe – don’t forget the pet pictures! 😉

I also enjoyed Alex’s writing about the beginnings of life on planet Earth:

Work

Just before Christmas, various of you made some beautiful jars, and Sophie made a super elephant, when you were working in our ELSA room with Miss Harwood:

Work

Some of these were made in memory of someone special, and others were made because they look good, and what looks good cheers us up. Being creative feels good, too, so why not think about some creative makes, while you’re not at school – nothing to do with your school work, but we’d still love to see it. Maybe you’d like to make something for a friend or family member that you could drop off at their door when you go for a walk, or you could just hold on to it until you can travel to see them… It’s a win for everyone.

If making something isn’t your thing, or (which would be true for me!) it might not look as lovely as the ones shown here, remember you could write or read something for someone you care about or want to remember… you could do it just privately, or share it with me for Read-Aloud. I read this week’s chapters of Flaming Vengeance for a very special friend of mine who very suddenly died last Thursday – sometimes doing something with a special person or pet in mind is a real help, privately, with your family or to share.

Year 11 get a particular shout out today – I have already mentioned above how tough it is for you, working  so hard, without the clarity you need about how you will be assessed and how your grades and outcomes will finally be calculated. I feel that so keenly for you. We have prepared a special letter for you and Year 10 you will receive early next week, because of the particular position you guys are in. I promise you that we are reading all of the information as it comes out, contributing to the Government and Ofqual consultation about what will happen; we are right on top of what we will need to do when the time comes to roll out the right plan in the best way possible for our students.

So in the meantime, do your best to put to one side the uncertainty, the rumours and all the chatter there is about all this. Instead, picture yourself in 5 years’ time giving advice to you right now, telling you that being organised, and methodical, and doing your best are skills for your whole life, regardless of what’s going on right now. And that completing all your courses to the best of your efforts will feel good forever. And that future you will be so grateful to you right now for sticking with it and being your best self about all of your work, because you’ll have all the opportunities you need and deserve open to you. Finally, remember that future self will tell you to look after you today – so reach out if you’re struggling or things don’t feel right. We will work with you to support you, and listen to your concerns. All that is what matters the most – leave the rest to us, and we’ll be all over it for you, sharing all with you once the info is known.

To finish this letter, I want to give a few well dones and thank yous to special people across our Noadswood family. Firstly, it’s a congratulations to Dr Fairless, Mrs Penny and Mrs Rollett for their success, not long before Christmas, in winning Hampshire Education Awards, and to Miss Harwood and Miss Fleming for being special commendees, too. It’s another congratulations for Dr Fairless, and also Mrs Smoker and Mrs Woods on the birth of their babies – all our love and thoughts are with them and their whole families. Then it’s a thank you to our mighty site team for all the work they’re doing at school every day and to everyone who is going in to work with our students who are part of our daily keyworker school – the site really isn’t closed and I am so impressed to see everyone hard at work when I am on site myself.

So it’s also a big thank you to every student who is attending – you have to pull together to make a very unusual sort of team in the strangest of times, so your efforts are valued. Thanks are equally deserved by everyone who has supported our Covid testing programme we’ve run with all the staff and students who’ve been attending during this time, rather than working from home as many are also doing during this lockdown. There’s a huge amount going on, on site and all around the area -  my respect and gratitude is with you all.

I will be back with you in a week or so – keep the pets, food and work pictures coming, and give some serious thought to getting involved with Read-Aloud. All of this helps to keep us together while we’re apart. And remember, we’re here for you all the time, whether we’re in school or working from home. Use ePraise or email at any time – we’ll be right back to you.

With you through it all,

Miss M 😊