RTS Parents' Newsletter

This week I offer a warm welcome to our incoming Year 6 to 7 parents, who, in an RTS tradition, begin to receive the weekly RTS Parents' Newsletter from now on in. We have found it a lovely way to introduce new families to what goes on behind the scenes and to welcome them into the RTS community ahead of full transition in September. We share much information via the newsletter, so it's an invaluable tool for keeping informed and up to date.

This leads nicely into talking about our PTA - known as Friends of RTS, or FoRTS. They are a wonderful, dedicated group for parents to join. Their contributions to the wider school community are invaluable in raising funds for the school for the benefit of all children, for working hard in engaging parents in the secondary school transition. This can be hard for many parents as the social side of playground catch-ups instantly ceases as Year 7 gain their independence. At RTS we believe that this social aspect is vital for the cohesion of the RTS community and FoRTS are involved in organising parent events - such as the International Cultural Food evening, and - in just two weeks time they are holding their Curry & Quiz night. A great evening to grab a group of friends together and enjoy some downtime with like-minded families from across the school. Tickets are still available - see the FoRTS section below for further details - and we extend a warm invitation to our Year 6 families to join us if they wish. They can email Carmelle, FoRTS Chair & Secretary for information and to book (her email is also below).

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

Caitlyn in Year 8 has been busy! She triumphed at the first International Gymnastics Federation tumbling qualifier in Telford recently, earning the bronze medal in a competitive group of 30 gymnasts in the 13-14 age category.

She competed a double straight for the first time, earning a personal best score of 21.7, and secured 3rd place with a full in pike for her second tumble.

She will return to Telford in June for the second FIG qualifier in a bid to secure her place at the Age Group Finals in October as part of the British Championships weekend.

As always, we are in awe of Caitlyn's achievements and how hard she works to compete at this level. Well done Caitlyn!

Over in Year 7, Marko took part in London Youth Games on 01 June 2024. Marko competed in Judo for the London Borough of Richmond and we are pleased to share that he achieved a silver medal in the individual competition. Richmond boys, overall, took 1st place in the Judo competition.

Congratulations Marko; and we look forward to hearing about more of your achievements.

On Tuesday, we took a mixture of Year 8, 9 and 10 boys and girls to a touch rugby tournament hosted by the Harlequins Foundation over at The Stoop.

The girls were outstanding and won four of their games and drew two - finishing the competition unbeaten!

Similarly the boys won five of their games and drew one - again going unbeaten!!

Congratulations to all of the teams, it was a great day out and we always love heading 'next door' to The Stoop - such an incredible privilege to play on the pitch. Well done to Johnny, Alice, Stanley, Eva, Julia, Elliot, Austin-Rae, Megan, Charlie, Charlotte, Louie, Harry, Lleyton, Isla, Anna, Anoushka, Anaya, and Katy.

On Wednesday the RTS Sports Leaders refereed and helped to run the Year 5 Harlequins and RTS primary school Touch Rugby Tournament over at The Stoop. We had children from the following primary schools joining us (one of your children may have participated!): St Mary's CE Primary School, Worple Primary, Heathfield Junior Schoo lChase Bridge Primary School, Radnor House Prep, Chatsworth Primary, and The Blue School.

Our Sports Leaders did exceptionally well in getting young children involved in rugby and keeping really positive energy throughout the day! Our student leadership programme is important to us at RT and it is wonderful to see how our Sports Leaders have developed and grown in confidence and knowledge. Thanks and well done to: Johnny, Eva, Chloe, Holly, Julia, Ashley, Elliot, Megan, Lily, Crystal, George, Libby, and Isla for representing the school so well.

This week, following on from sharing posts on our social media about our science lessons, we would like to introduce you to Ms Di Matteo. As always, we asked four questions, and here are her answers:

• Describe your teaching style in three words
• Interactive and adaptable!
  
• What's your favourite book to recommend to students, and why?
• Storm In A Teacup by Helen Czerski; all about the physics of daily life
  
• What's the best piece of advice you've ever received about teaching?
• "Take advantage of teachable moments when they happen." I had a mini-lesson with my tutor group about a moonbow (lunar rainbow) that appeared a few months back
  
• If you could redesign your classroom any way you wanted, what would it look like?
• I'd like to commission some of the GCSE artists to do a mural - space themed with model satellites hanging from the ceiling!
  

A date for the diary: Tuesday 09 July, 18:00-20:00.

Join us at our Creative Arts' Showcase and Summer Fair. Come and celebrate our students' successes, skill and talent from Music, Art, DT and Drama. Peruse stalls enjoy delicious food and play games.

Watch this space for more information.

We are very excited to be hosting the Year 10 Careers Conference on Thursday 27 June 2024 and we are looking for parental volunteer support (from any year group) to help with our students to prepare them for the world of work.

During this event, students will be offered the opportunity to meet with experts from a range of education and employment areas via keynote speeches, a careers carousel and marketplace.

The format we would appreciate some support in is listed below and we would be very grateful for any support our parents (or friends of parents) are able to offer as part of this day.

Date: 27.06.24

Time: 10.55 - 12.25 - any time during this window

Session format 1: A workshop in a classroom where students are able to listen to a brief presentation followed by an activity that links to a specific job role or industry

Session format 2: A ‘market stall’ where students can network with you and/or your products; this can also include a 5/10 minute conversation about an industry or job role.

Please let us know if you are able to assist and which format would work best for you.

Ms Carrick-Steele - Assistant Head Teacher

Ms Broadbent - CEIAG Coordinator

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)

The MET Police Central Youth Team, are currently running a project, offering FREE and online, parent/ carer engagement webinars in partnership with IVISON Trust. The sessions will give advice to parents/ carers, on how to spot signs of County Lines, gang affiliation, grooming and exploitation. The input will include a lived experience speaker who will explain how they themselves or their children, became involved with gangs and exploitation. The charity will also offer free long term support, to anyone who needs it or believes their young people have been or are being exploited.

Please click on the flyer for more invitation (or follow this Eventbrite link) and to reserve your free place. We would like to have as many people as possible joining the inputs.

The session for the West London boroughs (Hillingdon, Ealing, Hounslow, Wandsworth, Merton, Kingston, Richmond, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham) will take place on Tuesday 25th June, 6.30pm – 7.30pm.

Your FoRTS team,

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

General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Schooldays will again be operating an appointment system during the summer months.
Book your slot early to avoid disappointment at:

https://schooldaysllp.co.uk/index.php/booking-form/

Also - you can now spread the cost of your purchases over 3 months - using Paypal, (Online only)

Best Wishes
The Schooldays & Just Dancing Team

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

• Summer Term 2: Monday 03 June-Wednesday 17 July 2024

Kingston Hospital are looking for a volunteer for the exciting role of Patient Partner Children and Young People.

It's time to set sail for sunny shores, tropical lands....and London's West End!

Tickets for Moana JR are on sale now, our West End Musicals Weekend cast lists close soon, there is something 'tasty' happening in Twickenham and our 10% off school holiday workshops ends this Sunday! Read on to find out how to join us on these epic musical theatre adventures.

Kingston Adult Education has a number of courses starting after half term, most of which are government funded so are free to learners. Take a look at their latest course guide for further details - https://bit.ly/KAE-JuneJulyGuide24.

Courses include:

• How to be happy in your life
• Digital skills
• Job search support
• Explore your business potential
• Introduction to GCSE maths and English
• Preparing to work in schools

Their classes take place throughout the week at various times, both online and at centres across the Royal Borough of Kingston.

If you are looking to start a course in September, Kingston Adult Education is hosting an Open Day at the Rose Theatre in Kingston on Thursday 20th June from 10am to 4pm. Go along to find out about next year’s adult learning programme, which includes wellbeing, vocational, maths, English, digital as well as creative courses. You will also be able to meet some of their tutors and see their learners in action. Full details can be found on page 8 of their current course guide - https://bit.ly/KAE-JuneJulyGuide24.

For further information, please contact Kingston Adult Education directly on 020 8547 6700 or at adult.education@kingston.gov.uk

We’re now looking forward to all the fun at our summer camp and wanted to remind you of the exclusive discount for your school community.

We wouldn’t want your school parents to miss out on this exclusive offer and would really appreciate it if you could promote this in your newsletters.

Parents just need to add SCHOOL20 in the promotion box to receive an extra £20 off when they book 2 or more days. Please find the coded flyer below and attached.

What’s more, if parents book now, they’ll benefit from our early booking discounts and can take advantage of our interest free monthly instalment options. There couldn’t be a better time to tick summer childcare off the list of things to do.

As we're Ofsted registered, we also accept ALL Childcare Vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare. Parents often like to use the vouchers/credits they’ve saved up over the course of the year for their summer holiday childcare.

Please see the flyer to come and join us to watch the Euros at the Hampton and Richmond Football Club.

Please do bring all your friends and family.... Free Entry!!

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:

• Wednesday 26 June: MHST workshop: Helping children with sleep / Parent feedback form
• Friday 28 June: MHST workshop: Helping children with sleep / Parent feedback form

Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for

parents of secondary aged children and young people (CYP). The ‘Helping teens with ...’ series

of webinars will cover a range of common difficulties experienced by CYP and will aim to share

evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their CYP with these difficulties.

Below is a list of webinars on offer over the coming months. In the third and fourth columns of

the table below, you will find the sign up links. Please note that sign up links will be added a

month before the webinar dates.

If you would like to stay up to date with events as they happen, click the links to follow us on:

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