RTS Parents' Newsletter

Wednesday evening was a busy one - with Year 11 parents onsite with their children to meet with subject teachers to discuss targets and the next few months ahead. This next period of their education moves so quickly and prior planning and preparation for GCSE revision, exams and next steps really begins in earnest now. I hope that there were some enlightening and informative conversations held. If you have any further questions, please contact the teachers or Head of Year directly. All staff contacts are available on our website.

Elsewhere around school we have started to celebrate Black History Month across all departments and we will share activities with you over the next few newsletters.

A reminder that we have an early finish this Wednesday 09 October in order that the Year 7-10 remote parent-teacher consultations can take place. There is also an INSET day on Friday 11 October when school will be closed to all students. However, FoRTS will be holding a pre-loved uniform on this day - see details from FoRTS below.

I hope that you have a lovely weekend.

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

Tumbler Caitlyn, 9SE was awarded an international achievement award at the South East Gymnastics regional awards last week.

She was recognised for her contribution in international competition after representing Great Britain last year and earning a silver medal for tumbling in the 13-14 age category.

This weekend (4-6th) Caitlyn competes against the UK’s best in her age group at the British Championships weekend in Telford and hopes to qualify for finals in the 13-16 Junior Women category on Sunday.

Mabel, the school dog, has been back in on Fridays to keep an eye on the lunch queue (and to 'tidy up' any stray food that may fall on the floor!) and to ensure that students pay her lots of attention.

A huge thank you to our students and parents who supported the recent Scholastic Book Fair in school. Thanks to your purchases, you helped raise £200 for the school to spend on more books for the library. Here are just a few of the titles that we have purchased so far.

Being a trustee can be a truly rewarding experience, and RTS has one parent trustee vacancy on the Trust Board.

The role is to contribute to the work of the governing body in ensuring high standards of achievement for all children in the school. We encourage applicants from a range of different backgrounds, skill sets and experience .

Please read this letter that was sent out via Arbor on Monday detailing how you can nominate yourself. If you don’t receive emails from Arbor, please contact the clerk to arrange a paper copy (clerk@rts.richmond.sch.uk) or via the school office on 0208 891 2985). We look forward to hearing from you!

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)

Pre-Loved Uniform Sale Announcement

We are pleased to inform you that FoRTS will be holding a pre-loved uniform sale on Friday 11 October. Despite it being an INSET day, the school is happy to welcome FoRTS and parents into school for this event.

Date: Friday 11 October

Time: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Location: School Atrium

We look forward to seeing you there!

RTS Car Parking Marshalling

Fundraising Opportunity: Volunteer Marshals Needed

We are excited to announce a significant fundraising opportunity for our school. Our dedicated team raises an impressive £2000 per international game. With four games scheduled in November, we invite you to donate two hours of your time to support our marshalling efforts alongside other enthusiastic and like-minded parents.

Dates: Four games in November

Time Commitment: Two hours per game

Your support is crucial to our success. If you are available to assist with this or future events, please click this link to join the WhatsApp group.

Thank you for your continued support!

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!

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.

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

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

• Wednesday 09 October: Early finish for all students at 15:00

• 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.

Throughout this year, Richmond Council is hosting a series of mega skip days in each area of the borough, where local residents can get rid of bulky unwanted items for free.

The mega skip this Saturday 5 October will be placed on Glebe Side (opposite 11 to 19) in St Margarets/North Twickenham, from 9am to 12pm. Residents can bring loads of things, like furniture or mattresses, electrical appliances, black bags, etc. Items are then recycled. Any furniture that’s brought and still in good condition is taken by local charity Richmond Furniture Scheme, who upcycle second-hand furniture and sell on for a discount.

E-flyer with relevant info

RISE (Richmond upon Thames Inclusive Sport and Exercise) Open Day on Saturday 26th October at Hampton Sport & Fitness Centre.

There will be basketball, hockey, dance, football and other activities too. The full timetable of the event will be on the website www.richmond.gov.uk/rise before the event. Participants can attend throughout the day, no booking required.

Details on our weekly RISE activities can be found on our website www.richmond.gov.uk/rise

Something Creepy & Kooky for Half Term!

Our Addams Family inspired workshops are coming to Teddington, Hampton Hill and Walton-on-Thames this October.

Filled with singing, performing and spooky fun these half day sessions are perfect for monsters aged 5-7 & 8-12 years.
BOOK NOW

The Tween Tribe is an award winning kids club exclusively for tweens & young teens

Our mission is to get tweens off screens & safely exploring the real world.

With no fixed address we run adventure dates in London, departing from KINGSTON, TWICKENHAM & WATERLOO stations.

Please see the flyer for a discount code!

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

Whilst the school term is in full swing, the October half term will be here before we know it! With less than 4 weeks till we open your local half term camp, we’re getting really excited about all the autumn-themed fun in store.

We’re pleased to offer your school community an extra £20 off when booking a minimum of 2 days. What’s more, we still have discounted rates available, so they can get double savings with this code!

Our camps are a great way to keep children growing in the school holidays. With 6 sessions each day and a choice for every one, they’ll be sure to have an enjoyable and enriching experience with us this half term.

Please include your exclusive discount flyer (attached and below) in your newsletter/parent communications so they can benefit from additional savings.

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