Policies

Learning Managers Bulletin For Students, Parents and Carers.

The new points system.

We have had one of the most positive starts to the school year ever. The way that students have responded to the new behaviour points system has been tremendous.

How it works:

Students start the year with 200 points. They can add to these points by producing excellent work, contributing to the school community, participating in extra curricular activities etc. Anything that impresses staff can lead to points. Teachers have been actively looking for ways to reward students.

However, students can also lose points if they do the wrong thing. If a student chooses to: behave inappropriately, stop others from learning, fails to complete homework etc. they lose points.

We have awarded thousands of positive points and deducted approximately two hundred points so far. This is a real illustration of how amazing our students are. Very few students let themselves or us down.

Homework.

The Learning Managers have always looked out for students who do not do their homework in numerous subject areas. They often put these students on report or kept them behind after school. Now they have help from Mrs C. Millington, Associate Headteacher. She has set up a Regulation Zone Detention on Fridays from 3.10 until 4.10. Students who are flagged up as persistently failing to complete homeworks will have to attend this detention.

Communication.

If you have tried to contact myself or your child''s Learning Manager I''m sure that you have been able to speak to somebody within twenty four hours. As individuals we each communicate with approximately twenty five parents per week. This is by telephone, e mail or in face to face meetings. We prefer you to make an appointment but if something is urgent come in, somebody from the Pastoral or Leadership teams will be able to speak to you.

One thing that causes problems is miscommunication. A common cause of this is a student phoning or texting home about a situation. Parents get extremely worried and only hear half the story. If you receive a worrying text please call us and speak to a member of staff before you come into school. We have found that parents have left work and been in a state of panic for very trivial reasons.

In summary:

contact us, don''t worry, don''t let things build up, communicate.

Uniform.

The vast majority of our students are extremely well turned out for school. We only have to speak to people in the community or visitors to our school to realise what an excellent impression the uniform makes. Other schools in Flintshire have also introduced a new uniform similar to the uniforms worn by the students in both Flint high schools.

A few things detract from the uniform and take up staff time.

Make-up and nail varnish:

All form staff have wet wipes and nail varnish remover. Tutors will ask girls to remove anything they notice. Some girls are very sensitive about their skin and feel that they need to wear make-up. If this is the case then subtle make-up that is naturalistic is advisable.

Outdoor clothes:

When students are inside the school building they must not wear coats or scarves. If students persist in wearing outdoor clothes these items will be confiscated.

Bling:

Students try hard to get away with wearing extra bits to ''jazz'' up their uniforms. All these items get confiscated and have to be collected at the end of the week.

Mobile phones and MP3 players:

We are aware that these items have become essential items for young people. We know that students bring them into school. We need to say that expensive items are not our responsibility. We have very little theft in our school but if items do get taken because they have not been looked after properly there is very little we can do about it.

Students sometimes get themselves into trouble by arguing with a teacher who is trying to make them do the right thing. At least half of these situations occur because a student has used their mobile phone in a lesson or on the corridors. The rule is that phones and MP3 players can only be used outside the school building and in the canteen. We welcome your support with this. If you can reinforce to your child that using this technology appropriately is important it will help us a great deal. We know that when our young people go into the world of work they will have to follow rules and we are preparing them for this.

Thanks:

We would like to end this bulletin with a big thank you to students and parents. We feel very positive about our school and this is due to teamwork. When parents support us with behaviour, attendance, uniform and academic work it makes a real difference.

Miss Pughe and the Learning Managers.

Policies

Learning Managers Bulletin For Students, Parents and Carers.

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