RTS Parents' Newsletter

We held our first parent consultation of the year this week, for our Year 11 families. These consultations are invaluable for keeping in touch with families, sharing positives and successes and also for discussing any areas of concern.

Alongside this we also ran a SEND Year 9 Options meeting and also an RTS Sixth Form Plus event; so thank you to all of those parents who joined across the evening. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and to catch up with many of you.

Wednesday 24 January was the United Nations International Day of Education (although I firmly believe every day is a Day of Education!) and I had the pleasure and honour to be invited to Haymarket Media (one of our trust members) to speak to staff about the relationship between Haymarket and RTS, to raise awareness; and inspire and encourage Haymarket employees to get more involved with future opportunities.

It was an informal 'Lunch and Learn' event hosted by Rachael Prasher, Managing Director, Haymarket Media Group. Rachael is also an RTS Trustee who you can read more about further down in out 'Meet the Trustee' section; and sits on the Finance & Resources Committee as well as being the Online Safety and Staff Wellbeing link. The event was well attended and there were some thoughtful questions in the Q&A at the end. We are looking forward to bringing our partnership to life for our students and are excited for the next chapter.

Have an enjoyable weekend.

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

On Wednesday we held three well attended 'Talk & Tours' - introducing RTS Sixth Form Plus to Year 11, and some Year 10, parents.

Ms Dooley and Mr Hughes, Principal of RuTC, shared their plans and aspirations for this exciting collaboration as they moved between the two sites. Our new RTS Sixth Form Plus programme will start in September 2024.

If you have any questions about RTS Sixth Form Plus (whichever year group your child is in), please contact Ms Carrick-Steele in the first instance. If you are in Year 11, to register, please fill in the application form through this link.

A gentle reminder that the school is in a heavily residential area and that surrounding areas are marked as Resident parking only. This includes the roads that run from the edge of the A316 to the stadium, eg. Chudleigh Road. Please be considerate to our neighbours if dropping off or collecting your child by car. Egerton Road is a designated School Street and, as indicated by the signs, is a controlled zone during school start and finish times.

This week students attended the Richmond Synagogue Holocaust Memorial Day workshop, delving into the historical significance of the Holocaust. Through interactive sessions, survivor testimonials, and discussions, the students gained a profound understanding of the atrocities. The workshop fostered empathy, promoted tolerance, and left a lasting impact on the participants, inspiring them to reflect on the importance of remembrance and the consequences of prejudice.

Students had a transformative experience meeting Dr. Agnes, a Holocaust survivor, during the workshop. Dr. Agnes shared her firsthand account, providing a personal and emotional perspective on the historical events. The encounter deeply impacted the students, fostering a sense of empathy and a profound understanding of the human resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. This meeting served as a powerful educational moment, leaving a lasting impression on the students and reinforcing the importance of learning from history.

• Vipul: ‘I’ve learnt so much about the holocaust in a small amount of time. This workshop has made me realise all the privileges we have today’
• Finley L.: ‘People have scarified their lives during the holocaust and because of them we don’t have to suffer’
• George M.: ‘Everyone is equal and we should always try and make sure we fight injustice and inequality. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this Dr Agnes’.

Rachael Prasher

Rachael is Managing Director at the Haymarket Media Group, which she joined in 1993. She has worked and lived in the borough of Richmond upon Thames for over 20 years. She is married with three children, who have been or are being educated in local state schools. Rachael brings years of experience of developing multi-platform media products across a range of markets and her current role sees her overseeing Haymarket's Automotive market. Rachael has a depth of experience in managing large teams and bringing together broad stakeholder groups behind a common goal. Her ambition is to share that experience along with her knowledge of business to contribute to the future success of the Richmond upon Thames School.

In the summer term we are hosting a range of careers events for our students. There will be a range of events including a conference, drop down days and work experience opportunities.

Our students have a range of career aspirations and it is important to us that we can give them insights into a wide range of different career paths.

If you, or the company you work for, would be able to support the school please complete the Google Form linked here.

Thank you in advance for any support or assistance you can offer.

Ms Broadbent

CEIAG Co-Ordinator

If you have concerns in relation to a student at RTS or indeed with regards to your own child, you may want to contact Single Point of Access (SPA) which acts as a central information hub for all professional agencies in Kingston and Richmond.

Richmond and Kingston SPA

The SPA phone lines are now open as follows:

• Monday-Thursday 08.00-17.15 and Friday 08.00-17.00 - the phone number during these times is 020 8547 5008

• Out of hours: 020 8770 5000

Hounslow Early Help Assessment

• Telephone number: 020 8583 6600

• Out of hours: 020 8583 2222

• Email: earlyhelp@hounslow.gov.uk

NSPCC:

Speak to a counsellor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Telephone number: 0808 800 5000, or text 88858

• Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

• Signvideo using British Sign Language (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)

Full-term dates and Inset day information is available on the school's website:

• Spring Term 1: Monday 08 January-Friday 09 February 2024

• Half-Term: Monday 12-Friday 16 February

• INSET Days: Monday 19 AND Tuesday 20 February

isubscribe have secured 100 copies of Birdwatch Magazine magazine to give away in this free prize draw!

https://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Birdwatch-Giveaway/

The Mental Health Support Team for Richmond are running a series of online workshops for families, entitled ‘Helping Children with…’.

The last series was very popular and feedback was very positive. These workshops would be a great way to support your child at home if they are experiencing any difficulties in the areas covered.

Click on the first link to sign up; the second link is a follow up feedback form if you attend the session:

• Tuesday 27 February: MHST workshop: Helping children with sleep / Parent feedback form

• Wednesday 28 February: MHST workshop: Helping children with sleep / Parent feedback form

• Thursday 07 March: MHST workshop: Helping children with worries / Parent feedback form
• Friday 08 March: MHST workshop: Helping children with worries / Parent feedback form
• Thursday 21 March: MHST workshop: Helping children with resilience / Parent feedback form
• Friday 22 March: MHST workshop: Helping children with resilience / Parent feedback form
• Thursday 18 April: MHST workshop: Helping children with friendships / Parent feedback form
• Friday 19 April: MHST workshop: Helping children with friendships / Parent feedback form
• Thursday 16 May: MHST workshop: Helping children with challenging behaviour / Parent feedback form
• Friday 17 May: MHST workshop: Helping children with challenging behaviour / Parent feedback form
• Wednesday 05 June: MHST workshop: Helping children with screen time / Parent feedback form
• Thursday 06 June: MHST workshop: Helping children with screen time / Parent feedback form
• Wednesday 26 June: MHST workshop: Helping children with sleep / Parent feedback form
• Friday 28 June: MHST workshop: Helping children with sleep / Parent feedback form

Heatham House is celebrating Chinese New Year with a programme of activities leading up to the Year of the Dragon; and ending the programme with Dragon Dancing in the February Half Term.

Book your place on FOCUS - Chinese New Year sessions via Linktree.

For more information contact Danielle Hutchinson.

Click here to view the flyer.

Free weekly art sessions for young people to take part in at Heatham House. Activities range from tie dye, calligraphy, dream catcher making, candle making and more.

Young people will also receive AQA Accreditation for each session they attend.

Book your place on KickstART - go to our Linktree.

For more information contact Danielle Hutchinson.

Click here to view the Kick Start Booklet.

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