Dear Parents, Simon Barber

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Spring Term 2015
Dear Parents,
It is good to be able to write to
you all again at this half way
stage in the Easter term.
In this newsletter we have lots of
news and events to tell you
about, information about the
achievements of our pupils and
tips on how you can help our
students, as they prepare for
SATS, Options and GCSEs. We
would also like to consult with
you about changing our session
times for the secondary phase.
As always it has been very busy
in
school.
We
celebrated
Epiphany shortly after our return
with several worships in school
trying to learn lessons from the
story of the wise men, those
being always to prepare well
and see your plans through to
the end and to embrace and
enjoy life. They were indeed
Wise Men!
We have started to form a good
relationship with a school in
York called Manor Academy. In
January a number of our pupils
travelled to York to spend a day
in
a
different
school’s
classrooms making new friends
and engaging in a number of
activities. We hope they will
come and return the visit to us
soon and that our link with them
will grow and flourish.
In February we took some of our
young leaders who follow the
Archbishop of York Young
Leaders Award to Bishopthorpe
Palace to visit the Archbishop
and tell his invited guests about
how the award has helped them
develop and grow as young
In this issue…
2 Consultation on Secondary Phase Session Times…
2 Testing Times…
3 SIMS Learning Gateway…
4 Safer Internet Day…
5 In the News…
7 Gallery…
7 INSET Days…
8 Sports News…
people. It was a great evening
and they made us feel very
proud.
Before half term we launched
our Lenten charity focus which
is Baby Basics. This is a
Barnsley-based charity, which
supports mothers and babies
who are in poverty and need
practical help with toiletries,
Moses baskets, mattresses etc.
All classes and forms are being
encouraged to donate gifts and
money to support this charity,
let’s hope we can raise as much
money as we can and provide
lots of gifts. I’ll let you know how
we got on at Easter.
Thanks for your
support this year.
Kind regards,
Simon Barber
continuing
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Holy Trinity
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Newsletter Spring 2016
Testing Times
Year 11 have now received their
mock exam results and are working
full tilt towards their GCSEs in May.
Parents support at home will really
help and we would encourage you
to do all you can to help our
students prepare as thoroughly as
possible for their exams in May.
A suggested revision timetable was
recently sent home to help students
prepare. A copy of this can be
found on the school website at:
http://bit.ly/y11revtt
In the coming weeks, we will be
deciding option pathways for our
students in Year 8 and Year 9. I
do hope pupils are discussing these
options with parents and taking
advice from school staff. The
options evening will take place
shortly after the half term holiday.
Our Year 6 children are preparing
for their SATs tests in May. As with
Year 11 any help you can offer them
will be a great support and enable
them achieve as well as they can.
Consultation on Changes to Secondary
Phase Session Times
We would like to consult with
you about changing our session
times for the secondary phase
from next year.
As you all know, the secondary
phase currently has an hour for
lunch. An analysis of lunchtime
behaviour has shown that most
behavioural incidents occur at
the end of lunchtime, when
pupils start to get bored. An
hour seems to be too long.
We would like to propose a 45minute lunch break and a 15minute earlier start at the
beginning of the day so that
both phases of the school don’t
finish at the same time.
This means for secondary there
would be an 8.45am start, with
lesson periods as follows:
Period 1:
8.45am – 9.45am
Period 2:
9.45am – 10.45am
Period 3:
10.45am – 11.00am
Form:
11.00am – 11.15am
Break:
11.15am – 12.15pm
Period 4:
12.15pm – 1.00pm
Lunch:
1.00pm – 2.00pm
Period 5:
2.00pm – 3.00pm
Some of you will remember that
when we set the school up, we
wanted this time frame but
decided against it because of
bus times. It is now clear that
the vast majority of our pupils
walk home or catch buses from
different stops.
We know there are pupils who
would want to catch the bus
from one of the school stops, or
pick siblings up from the
primary phase and we would
accommodate them temporarily
for 15 minutes – just as we
accommodate primary phase
pupils now.
The primary phase would be
unaffected by these changes.
We will be sending a letter
home to canvas opinion on the
proposed changes and also to
establish which pupils use
which buses to get to and from
school, before we talk to the
bus companies.
The governors will make the
final decision but will take into
account the views of parents
that are given as part of the
consultation, so please do have
your say.
Holy Trinity
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Pilates Classes
Catering Service
Holy Trinity is running Pilates
on Tuesday evenings; there
are two classes, from 6.15 7.15 and 7.15 - 8.15.
Our latest staff members to
achieve the Skillsfirst Award NVQ
Level 2 Certificate in Customer
Service are:
Everyone is welcome, we
have men and women
coming along. Why not join
us? All you need is something
comfortable to wear. Please
feel free to bring family and
friends.
Kitchen staff: Zoe Platts, Gaynor
Hebden,
Emma
Fox,
Kate
Cochrane, Teresa Taylor
SMSA: Louise Williams, Wanda
Wells, Nicola Pursley, Nancy
Allott, Tina Proud, Sam Yates,
Belinda Black, Sharon Lassu,
Tanya Broadrick, Andrea Ingram,
Sarah Clarkson, Andrea Graham.
Cost: £3 staff £4 non staff.
For more information, please
call Helen, on 07581591290.
Well done all!
SIMS Learning Gateway
After February half-term, support for the SIMS Learning Gateway will
end and parents will not be able to use it. Instead, parents can now
access information about their children via the School Gateway,
which is the same system as for online payments.
Newsletter Spring 2015
Catering Service
The school catering service has
implemented the Revised Food
Standards across both Primary and
Secondary services.
Menus have changed slightly to
ensure the service is offering food
that is compliant with the standards
that came into effect in January.
Information regarding the revised
standards can be found on the
Children’s Food Trust website:
www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk.
This is a very interesting site that
gives lots of information about
School Food. It also has a useful
section for parents, where you can
find more information about school
meals, as well as ideas for cooking
with children at home.
Also from 13 December 2014, new
legislation required all catering
services to conform with The EU
Food Information for Consumers
Regulation (No.1169/2011).
If you have not registered with the school gateway, its simple!
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Navigate to www.schoolgateway.com
Select the New User tab
Enter your email address and mobile number we have on
record and press the SEND PIN button.
A PIN will be sent to your mobile.
Log in with your email address and this new PIN.
If you get a message saying that the email address and mobile
number combination is not recognised, please contact the School to
update your details.
This regulation requires all food
services to supply information
about the allergenic ingredients
found in the food that they provide,
so that anyone with an allergy is
better informed about the food they
are buying.
If you would like more information
about the new regulation, it can be
found on the Food Standards
Agency website: www.food.gov.uk.
Holy Trinity
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Newsletter Spring 2015
Revenue for Romania
In the Autumn of 2014 a group of Y10 pupils visited Romania as
volunteers to help families much less fortunate than themselves.
Many enjoyed the experience but soon realised that the lasting
change we wanted to see could not be done in one visit.
With this in mind, a trading company called Revenue4 Romania was
formed as part of the IKIC programme. The aim is to raise money to fund
future support to these people. A variety of small-scale events have taken
place and the group have now created a sophisticated online appeal fronted
by TV personality Stephanie Hirst who has agreed to be the patron of the
company. Please visit our Facebook page Revenue 4 Romania, watch the
video of our work, share it with your friends and if you can please support us
via the PayPal link. Every penny raised makes a difference.
Safer Internet Day
Safer
Internet
Day 2015 will be
celebrated around
the
world
on
Tuesday
10th
February with the
slogan:
‘Let’s create a better internet together’.
Premier Inn Visit for Hospitality
Students
On the 10th February, ten Y11 GCSE Hospitality
students visited the Premier Inn and Glass House
Public House in Barnsley. The pupils took part in a
carousel of activities which included a tour of the
premises and a food and beverage talk, a quiz and
information session about the business and a
viewing of the rooms and a bed making
demonstration and competition.
The Premier Inn were very accommodating and the
students thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon which
gave them a real insight into working within the
Hospitality and Catering Industry.
This experience is invaluable and helps improve
their vocational knowledge ahead of their GCSE
examination.
The day is coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer
Internet Centre and calls upon young people,
parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law
enforcement, companies, policymakers, and
wider, to join together in helping to create a better
internet. Ultimately, a better internet is up to us!
By supporting Safer Internet Day Holy Trinity
have joined a worldwide community dedicated to
creating a better internet. On Tuesday 10th
February our school provided opportunities to
highlight positive uses of technology and to
explore the role we all play in helping to create a
better and safer online community.
Pupils took part in a safer internet quiz,
awareness was raised about the safety of their
profiles on social networking sites and they also
learnt about cyber-bullying.
Parents and carers can access resources linked
to safer Internet via the school’s website.
www.holytrinitybarnsley.org
Holy Trinity
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Newsletter Spring 2015
In the News…
Holy Trinity has featured in the news quite a lot recently, with stories about our achievements in the local
newspaper and you might have seen our Head Teacher on the Look North sofa a few weeks ago too! These
are some of our recent reports:
Message of Hope for Ebola Medics
Our students gave army medics a welcome Christmas
surprise when they sent cards and gifts to cheer
members of the Ministry of Defence Medical Unit,
(MDMU) as they worked to help victims of the deadly
Ebola virus.
Archbishop's VIP Invitation
The Archbishop of York invited Holy Trinity pupils
to meet VIP guests at Bishopthorpe Palace.
Callum Bailey, Jenny Baldwin and Niamh Wood
are part of the Archbishop of York Youth Trust
Young Leaders Award, which encourages young
people to be ‘leaders of change’ in their own
communities. They work under the Trust’s motto;
“Be the change you want to see.
Callum, Jenny and Niamh told a supporters about
the work they have done, what impact it has had
and how the Trust will benefit them in the future.
Jenny said, “It’s good to be part of the Young
Leaders Award and to help people in need. You
get to make bonds with people you wouldn't
usually get to meet and see the impact you can
have by being the change you want to see. It’s
really inspiring.”
The Archbishop said, “The students from Holy
Trinity are showing us how young people can
inspire everyone in our communities to join in
helping others. To be the change you want to see
is a very encouraging message for us all and I
know that these young people will go on to do
even greater things. They are inspiring leaders!”
Simon Barber also attended the event and gave a
speech. He said, “I am very proud to see Holy
Trinity pupils making such a difference to the
world around them. It was a huge honour for them
to be invited by Archbishop Sentamu; it
demonstrates just how much they have achieved
as Youth Trust Young Leaders.
The crisis caused
by Ebola has led
to the MDMU
being deployed to
Sierra Leone to
care for health
workers
who
have caught the
disease. Holy Trinity pupils came up with the idea of
making sure that soldiers serving with the unit – who
were away from their families for three months – had
something to open on Christmas Day, after leading a
school assembly about ‘hope’.
The parcels contained useful items for the soldiers,
such as toiletries, which they often run out of and
cannot replace, as there are no shops nearby.
Jonathan Foyers is in Year 7 at Holy Trinity and was
happy to hear from the team, he said, "It was great
when we heard that we got feedback from the soldiers.
It was also good that they got cards for Christmas.”
Year 11 pupil Ailish Pope explained why she wanted
to be involved, "It was a nice way to show how we
appreciate their work. It was also a touching reply."
Private Emma Caton told of how well the gifts had
been received, she said, “The parcels absolutely lifted
the spirits of everyone that
received a surprise parcel
from the children. Especially
on Christmas Day, as not
everyone had something to
open from their families. It
was really heartwarming that
the children had put them
together to make us smile on
Christmas Day. I'd like to say
a massive thank you.”
Holy Trinity
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Newsletter Spring 2015
Year 10 Poppy Art
Year 10 GCSE Art pupils have been working on a collaborative Art project inspired by the centenary of WWI
and the instillation at The Tower of London 'Blood swept lands and seas of red'.
The class has worked as a group to produce a number of ceramic poppies similar to those placed at The
Tower of London recently. They have worked to paint them and prepare a wooden structure to hold the
poppies as a 3D instillation. The poppies are currently on show in the Chapel.
Holy Trinity Twits
We try to make sure that you can keep upto-date with events and news as easily as
possible. One of the ways we do this is on
Twitter. The official school Twitter account
is a great way for us to tell everyone about
the fantastic work being done by our staff
and pupils. We currently have 562 people
following us on Twitter, who all get to hear
our news, hot off the press!
Weather
Illness and Absence from School
Hopefully, the worst of the winter is behind us now –
but you can never be too sure with the British weather!
Sometimes absence from school is unavoidable
through illness or emergency.
We are pleased that despite a bit of adverse weather
over the past few weeks, we have managed to keep
school open – this is despite some of our staff
travelling from areas that were quite badly affected by
snow.
So that your child does not receive an
‘unauthorised absence’ recorded on their
register, will you please contact the school office
as soon as possible, at the beginning of the
school day. If you need to take your child out of
school for a medical appointment or other
reason, please arrange this in advance.
As a reminder, if we ever do need to close school, we
will send a text message notification, as early as
possible. You can also check the official school
closure list at Dearne FM:
http://www.dearnefm.co.uk/news/school-closures/
It is very important for school to be notified of any
reason for absence. The telephone number for
the school is: 01226 704550.
Holy Trinity
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Newsletter Spring 2015
Gallery
Here are just a few photographs of our school community, taken over the past few weeks:
SportFX
Every Wednesday evening from 6 – 9 SportFX South Yorkshire run
FREE football sessions at Holy Trinity.
The scheme is headed by World Cup Referee Howard Webb and
recent sessions have seen up to 70 participants!
If you would like to join in, just turn up, you don’t need special kit, just
appropriate clothing and footwear for playing.
Session times are as follows:
Years 6-7:
Years 8-9:
Years 10-11+:
6.00pm – 7.00PM
7.00pm – 8.00pm
8.00pm – 9.00pm
Contact Details
If you need to contact school, our details are:
Holy Trinity,
Carlton Road
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S71 2LF
Phone: 01226 704550
Fax: 01226 286798
Email: [email protected]
www.holytrinitybarnsley.org
You can also find us on Twitter & Facebook:
@HolyTrinity316
http://bit.ly/HolyTrinity316
Feedback
If you have any feedback about this newsletter,
please let us know, by contacting us, using the
details on the left.
Remember, you can get in touch via email, or you
can message us through our Facebook page.
INSET Days
School will be closed to pupils on the following
INSET days:
Monday 13th April 2015
Friday 26th June 2015
Monday 20th July 2015
Holy Trinity
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Newsletter Spring 2015
Trampolining
(Picture courtesy of @SYSchoolGames)
Holy Trinity Students represented school at the South
Yorkshire Trampolining Competition and did us proud!
Primary Sports
Classes 3 and 4 competed in a sports event at
Netherwood, where they came 2nd and 3rd in the relay
race competition!
Girls Football
The Holy Trinity Under-15s Girls Football
team had a fantastic 5-2 victory away at Horizon
in the South Yorkshire Schools Cup.
It was an exciting game, with goals from Dionne
Baugh (3), Beth Ayrton and Lauryn Wilcock.
The team are now in the semi-finals, where they
will play Meadowhead or Hungerhill.
Cross Country
Holy Trinity Student Scott Nutter became the
South Yorkshire Schools Y7 Cross Country
Champion, after winning his race at Graves
Park, Sheffield.
Scott ran a very good race, coming in with a
time of 9:20.
Teachers Running for Lent
Holy Trinity Teachers Chantelle Ainsworth, Kathryn Thomas, Tom
Smith, Catherine Newton and Maria Hunt will be running in the
Sheffield Half Marathon this year to raise money for charity, as part of
the Holy Trinity Lent Fundraising activities.
They have decided to include students by turning their fundraising into
a form challenge. Whichever form raises the most amount gets to pick
a forfeit for Chantelle or Kathryn to complete as part of their training for
the half marathon.
If you would like to sponsor the runners, please contact school.