RTS Parents' Newsletter

The end of another busy week. This week we had the pleasure of welcoming Year 9 and Year 10 families in for their respective information evenings. These were well attended and, I know I say it every time, but it really is lovely to see familiar faces and to catch up with families and to hear how older siblings who have left RTS are getting on.

It was also fantastic to meet some of our new Year 7 families (and others) on Thursday night for our MFL/FoRTS International Food Evening and to share some incredible dishes prepared by our community - I made a beeline for the Turkish sweets! Your support is much appreciated at these events and I know that FoRTS are working hard at planning another event before the end of the year.

A reminder that we will have a late start for all students on Thursday 26 September at 09:55 (gates open at 09:45) due to our Open Evening on Wednesday 25 September.

Apparently we are enjoying the last hurrah of the summer weather now - so I hope that you are able to take some time this weekend to enjoy it.

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

The Year 9 girls netball team had an excellent match against Turing House School this week and won! It was a very close match throughout for the Year 10/11 team and they came away with a respectable draw. Well done to all teams involved.

Over on the field, it was the turn of the rugby teams to square up to Turing House School.

The Year 8 team won 20-15, working hard together and coming back from two tries down.

Forward of the match: Coen

Back of the match: Kyle P

The Year 11 team had a tough game and lost 65-10. Unfortunately the team were depleted due to unavailability and injuries - so a huge thank you and well done to the Year 10 students who stepped up and stepped in to complete the team.

Forward of the match: Tai-Rhys

Back of the match: Jake Q

I am excited to share our Year 8 students’ tremendous progress as they complete their first weeks at the Richmond upon Thames School. Transitioning into a new academic year is always an important milestone, we are delighted to see how well our students have engaged with their studies. A highlight has been our Year 8 rugby team’s fantastic performance. They secured a win against a rival school, showcasing their athletic skill, their teamwork and sportsmanship. In addition to sports, our Year 8 students have been actively participating in various classroom activities and they are embracing the challenges of their curriculum with enthusiasm.

Imago Photography will be in school on Tuesday 24 September to take individual photographs of Years 7, 9 and 11.

Please see flyer and ensure that on Tuesday students are wearing the correct school uniform as appropriate for their timetable that day (ie. either full school uniform or PE/Games kit).

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)

FoRTS update

Last night saw the annual International Food Event primarily aimed at new year 7 parents but the whole community was able to attend. Parents brought in food from their home countries which was thoroughly enjoyed by those in attendance.

FoRTS were also there running a bar for refreshments.

FoRTS cannot support the school unless we have volunteers so it was lovely to see some new volunteers joining us yesterday.

If you can spare an hour or two in the new academic year to support the fundraising events for the school to enrich our children’s learning please click this link.

We are seeking a Treasurer to shadow our current Treasurer this year, with a full-time start next academic year. If you are interested in learning more about this role, please contact Carmelle.

All processes are already in place, so there is no additional work involved. The responsibilities include totaling any money raised, sending it to the bank, and providing termly updates on funds raised and spent.

RTS car parking marshalling

Last Saturday saw the return of international rugby at Twickenham Stadium, presenting a significant fundraising opportunity for the school. The team raised an amazing £1923.50 - I hope you can agree this is a significant amount for a small amount of work.

We invite you to donate two hours of your time to support the marshalling efforts alongside other enthusiastic and like-minded parents.

If you are available to assist with this or future events, please contact the parking team at fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk.

Easyfundraising

Great news, we’ve registered Friends of Richmond upon Thames School with #easyfundraising, which means over 7,500 brands will now donate to us for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long. Sign up here: Easyfundraising

FoRTS Volunteering

We do have a lovely small team of volunteers and do have fun, especially with the rugby parking marshalling. Join FoRTS by clicking here. It’s as simple as that!

Your FoRTS team,

Carmelle (Chair and Acting Secretary) and Jason & Somi (Treasurers)

General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk

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

• Autumn Term: Tuesday 03 September - Friday 25 October 2024

• Thursday 26 September: Late start for all students at 09:55 (gates open 09:45)

• INSET Day: Friday 11 October

Please find the Parent Calendar Summary for 2024-2025. Please check this regularly as some dates and times may be adjusted throughout the year.

The Richmond CVS Trustee Recruitment Evening is back this month, and it’s the biggest yet!

Over 30 groups will be on hand to introduce you to their work and trustee opportunities in the

Atrium and Theatre at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College (RHACC) between 6pm and

8.15pm on Wednesday 25 September.

As part of their work as the go-to support for local voluntary or community organisations, this annual

free information and speed matching event is for anyone aged 18+ who is interested in finding out

about volunteering and is curious about skilled or strategic roles.

The event is organised by the Richmond Volunteer Service, a team within Richmond CVS, who are

here to guide you in learning about local groups that could be looking for just the skills you offer. If

you’ve been looking for a really valuable way to ‘give back’ with your professional experience,

trusteeship could be for you.

You can register now and informally speak to a range of great causes under one roof, as well as gain

valuable information about others. Amongst the stallholders will be those working in areas such as

advice, arts, care, children, disability, health, education, history, heritage, neighbourhood support –

to name just a few. It’s a fantastic way to get a flavour of what you could get involved with, as well as

gaining an insight into the diverse groups that make our community so special, and maybe enjoy a

free glass of wine too!

Whether your interest has just been piqued or you’ve already been considering some local

volunteering, whether you’re in work or retired, you could be inspired at this “excellent event” (in

the words of a 2023 attendee). If you’re in the area, or you’ll be passing at the end of your day,

register for a place to visit at www.richmondcvs.org.uk.

Date: 21st of September

Time: 4pm-7pm

FREE (RSVP Required) (16+)

For one evening only, Richmond Green will be transformed into a celebration of music for and by young people in Richmond, with incredible local acts:

YOUNG ATHENA (youngathena.com)

Grimm Dreamurr

King Kilili

Okan Roll Rap

Arcain

This event is organised by local music charity Basement Door in collaboration with Richmond Council. RSVP now for free entry here!

Tell us what you think about the night time!

As part of this event, the Council is trying to learn more about what young people experience in Richmond at night (after 6pm) - are there enough things for you to do? Is there anything you would love to see more of that is currently not available here? Please let us know and see what ideas we have so far by following this link

Nuffield Health have created a programme - Move Together aimed at girls aged 11-16. Classes take place at Nuffield Twickenham on Wednesdays at 16:30. Enrol now for free weekly fitness classes, exclusively for girls aged 11-16.

The Girls U13 Hampton and Richmond Youth football team are currently looking for U13 girls to join our existing squad (school year 8). All ability levels welcome.

Contact details are in the flyer - the manager is a parent of an RTS alumni.

Limited Places Remaining!

We can't wait to start rehearsals for Disney's Beauty & The Beast JR in Walton on Thames, Teddington, Twickenham and Hampton Hill.

Come join our award-winning casts where every child has a part to play - regardless of their experience.

YOUTH THEATRE (13-18 YRS)
YOUNG PERFORMERS (8-12 YRS)
MINI MUSICALS (5-7 YRS)

• Spaces still available on Kingston Adult Education courses starting in coming weeks

• English, maths, digital skills, childcare, vocational, wellbeing, arts & crafts, language, history and creative writing courses offered

• Plus Job Search Programme providing practical advice to people wanting to return to work after a break or looking to change careers

• FREE and discounted courses offered

As part of Kingston Council, Kingston Adult Education provides a diverse range of courses to people aged 19 or over. A lot of their courses take place in school hours and are term time only.

Furthermore a number of their courses are government funded, therefore free or offered at reduced rates to eligible learners.

Places are still available on courses starting this month. See their latest prospectus for a full listing of available courses: bit.ly/KAE-2425prospectus

To enrol, click on the relevant link in the prospectus or contact them directly on 020 8547 6700 or at adult.education@kingston.gov.uk

Barnes FC is the FA founding member and the sixth oldest football club in England, established in 1862. The club founded by Ebenezer Cobb Morley (founder of the FA rules) in 1862 and was run from 1926 to 1972 by Leslie Kilsby, from Stanton Road Barnes and two years ago the old club was revived.

As a not-for-profit organization, committed to providing healthy activities for adults and youth, we are actively seeking support from local schools.

Currently we are looking for children aged 12 and 13 for our U15 team and girls 16+ for our ladies team . Next year we hope to have more teams .

We train Wednesdays at 6.00pm -8pm at Barn Elms Sports Centre , (top) of Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes, SW13 ODG (youth teams) (with home matches on a Saturday) and the adult women team train and play at Quintin Hogg Riverside pitches in Chiswick on a Thursday evening (with home matches on a Sunday).

If you are interested, please contact:

Julie Burgess

Secretary, Barnes Football Club

07897506524

secretary@barnesfootballclub.co.uk

www.barnesfootballclub.co.uk

Barracuda's have October half term camps available locally!

We’re pleased to offer you an exclusive discount code. We’re offering parents £20 off your local camp with the code SCHOOL20.

We also have our Early Booking Offer available up to 22nd September so parents can save up to £85 with our discounted rates and your exclusive code if they book now!

Just a reminder, as we're Ofsted registered, we also accept ALL Childcare Vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare.

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