RTS Parents' Newsletter
19 January 2024
Head Teacher's Message
It has been very much a heads down, working hard, type of week. The cold weather has made us all want to hunker down - however the slightly lighter mornings and marginally longer days are creeping in and they are very welcome.
Wishing you a good weekend - resting and conserving energy to power us through the next two weeks of a seemingly never-ending January!
~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher
RTS Sixth Form Plus Talk and Tour
We invite you to discover more about our exciting Post-16 collaboration with Richmond upon Thames College, starting in September 2024.
Join us before or after the Y11 Subject Teacher Consultation Evening on Wednesday 24 January.
Talk and Tour slots slots are available at 17:00, 17:45; and 18:30.
Sign up for a Talk and Tour via Google Forms.
Meet our Trustees
Evan Demetriou - Vice Chair
Evan has lived in the Richmond Borough all of his life and is married with three children. He is a business owner of hair and beauty salons and also lectures and assesses in the hairdressing industry. He has a passion for education and his own children attend RTS. Laying a good foundation to a new school drives him to give his best as a Community governor and for the future of the school and the children that attend it.
Student Wellbeing
There are many resources available to both parents and students. We share information from other organisations in our Local News section below.
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)
Applications for the Introduction to Pathways Conference are now open!
Eligible students in Year 11 are invited to apply. The conference is a virtual event that will run on Saturday 6 April, 2024 between 10.45am-2.30pm.
Conference Aims
This conference gives students the opportunity to spend time exploring higher education and finding out more about both law and finance related degrees. Staff and current LSE undergraduates work with students to explore these social science disciplines and share their experiences of university life. Students will also find out about the full Pathways Programmes and will be encouraged to apply when they reach Year 12.
Our 2024 Introduction to Pathways conference will include:
• Interactive, academic taster sessions run by the LSE Law School and LSE Finance academics
• Advice on completing university applications, and how students can start preparing now, from our Admissions Specialist
• Development of transferable skills for future studies and careers
• The opportunity to take part in a Q&A panel discussion with current LSE undergraduate students
Application Information
To be eligible for this conference, students must fulfil the following criteria:
• Attend, and have always attended, a state-funded, non fee-paying school/college
• Currently be in Year 11
• Live within a reasonable commuting distance (~90 minutes) from LSE
Eligible students should apply online now at https://bit.ly/IntrotoPathways.
The deadline to apply is 9:00am, Wednesday 28 February, 2024.
If you have any queries, please contact Ms Broadbent, CEIAG Coordinator
Safeguarding
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)
Terms Dates 2023 - 2024
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
Local News - Please note RTS does not endorse items included as Local News
Richmond Borough Mind - Tech Check for Parents and Carers
We are inviting parents, carers and those who work with children, young people and vulnerable people within our borough to our free online session.
When: Wednesday 24 January
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Where: Zoom
If you are worried about the amount of time spent on social media, grooming, fraud or any tech or digital issue we invite you to our free online workshop, where we will:
- Explore the impact of technology on young and vulnerable people’s mental health and wellbeing
- Enhance your awareness of the dangers of internet and social media use
- Help you feel more confident having conversations about concerns to help keep loved ones safe.
Why should you attend?
Many factors play a part in children's and young people's mental wellbeing. One factor that can sometimes be tricky to navigate is the use of technology.
Compared to other London boroughs, Richmond has*:
- the highest rate of hospital admission for mental health
- the second highest rate of hospital admission for self-harm
- one third of 16-19-year-olds with a diagnosed mental health condition
Register your free place here.
If you have any questions or need assistance registering, please email the team at: training@rbmind.org
Free Prize Draw from isubscribe
isubscribe have secured 100 copies of the January issue of Writing Magazine magazine to give away in this free prize draw!
Mental Health Support Team for Richmond
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 23 January: MHST workshop: Helping children with screen time / Parent feedback form
Thursday 25 January: MHST workshop: Helping children with screen time / Parent feedback form
- 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
KOOTH
Sea Cadets
Twickenham Sea Cadets are able to offer a limited number of spaces to new joiners. If you are interested please email their Admin Officer Andrew at twickenhamseacadets@gmail.com to book onto one of our forthcoming Sunday tours in January.
Chinese New Year 2024
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.
KickstART - The Art Project with a kick
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.