July - Kirkburton Middle School

Email: office@kirkburtonmiddleschool.co.uk
Web: www.kirkburtonmiddleschool.co.uk
JULY 2015 NEWSLETTER
Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of the school
Welcome to our final Newsletter of this academic
year – and once again what an eventful and highly
successful year it has been.
Feedback from our Year 8 pupils we have spoken to
so far has been that the two week
transition to Shelley College was
very effective and the children
would recommend we do it again
next year, which is great news. The
intention is that they will ‘hit the
ground running’ in Year 9 and continue to make
progress immediately with very little loss of
learning over the summer break.
Similarly our new Year 5 children thoroughly
enjoyed their two day transition and we are looking
to repeat this, and possibly extend it, next year.
As usual at this time of the year I would like to
express a number of thankyous. Firstly to all the
parents and carers of school
who have given us incredible
support throughout the year.
The children’s attendance
remains above the national average at 96.3%;
feedback to Ofsted during our inspection was
extremely positive; the parental questionnaire
earlier in the year was highly complementary; and
we have received over 150 feedback forms issued
with pupil reports telling us how well you think
your children are doing. A very small number have
suggested things we light do better – we will be
considering these in the Autumn Term. One of the
most re-assuring aspects of the comments received
was how many of you believe your child is making
good progress both academically and socially –
many of you commented how you feel your child
has really grown in confidence over the past year.
This is something which is extremely important to
us.
I would also like to thank all the pupils and staff of
the school for their incredible amount of hard work
and commitment they give to school over the year.
It is this which makes Kirkburton Middle School a
very special place in which to live and work.
And so, what have the children and staff been up to
over the past few weeks…
END OF YEAR AWARDS
Congratulations to…
Positive Attitude Awards
The following pupils
received our final Positive
Attitude Award stars of the year for the excellent
attitude towards school life:
Kieran O’Mahoney, Holly Ryan, Samantha Rowatt,
Shen Wigfield-Turner, Jaime Fitton, Hollie Vince,
Eris Kiernan, Beth Chamberlain, Paul Littlewood,
Daniel Brennan, Joe Bowdell, Gabriel Turner, Taylor
Wright, Charlie Mosley, Molly Humphries, Jessica
Billington, Emily Richardson, Aaliyah Powell, Connie
Hills, Lizzie Coopland, Mahaq Razvi, Ben Hughes,
Nathan Auckland, Phoebe Billington, T J McKenzie,
Charlotte Dodd, Courtney Duffy and Alex Kilner.
No Negative Comments – Annual Award – Following
a draw of all pupils who received no negative
comments throughout the academic year, Niamh
Rattigan was the winner of £100.
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Congratulations also to the following pupils who
received the following end of year awards:
Susan Dodsworth award `In the service of others’
The KMS Isaac Nash Trust Group (Logan Sykes,
Lucas Stevens, Seamus Simpson, Matthew
Reddiough, Patrick O’Leary, Xander Nash, Joe
Lockwood, Nathaniel Lingard, Taylor Hartley, Lewis
Hanson, Kiran Green, Arthur Difford, Ben
Carrington, Jack Byrne and James Burhouse)
Malcolm Lee ‘Citizen of the Year’ Award – Beth
Chamberlain
Chris Mudd Award for ‘Outstanding Sportsmanship’
– Ben Carrington and Luke Taylor
The Isaac Nash Award for ‘Outstanding
Achievement in Cross-country’ – Jaime
Fitton
Aaliyah Powell – who has been selected to represent
Great Britain in the World Taekwondo
Championships in Korea in August. Many many
thanks for supporting her family’s fundraising for
this honour. The costs are going to be in the region
of £2000-£2500 and they
receive no funding what-soever. Together you raised
almost £800 to help towards
this! Mr and Mrs Powell were
absolutely astonished at your
generosity and asked me to pass on a very big thank
you. We wish Aaliyah all the very best as she
competes against the elite of the world.
George Redgrove – who
helped raise over £1000
towards the British
Heart Foundation by completing a static bike ride of
over 200 miles from ‘Pudsey to Paddington Bear’ as
part of the Pudsey Carnival in May. George’s
grandfather had a triple heart attack in 2010 and
this was their way of saying thank you to the BHF
for all their support.
Abigail Dowse – who has passed her
Cecchetti Ballet Exam Grade 5. A superb
achievement!
Gabriel Turner and Eleanor Bradley – who teamed
up with two other pupils from
schools in Kirklees to come first in a
Kirklees’ Year 8 / Year 9 STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths) Day at Huddersfield
University.
Sophie Parkinson – who passed her
Black Belt 2nd Dan in freestyle karate.
Wow!
Emily Richardson – who achieved a
distinction in her Royal School of
Choir Masters Exam with 98%!
SCHOOL MEALS – The cost of school meals from 1st
September has risen to £2.00 – this has been
amended on Parent Pay but should your child pay
for school dinners please ensure the correct amount
is brought to school. Many thanks.
KIRKBURTON BEER FESTIVAL – Many thanks to
parents, carers and pupils for donating towards the
Tombola which Mrs C Robinson held on our behalf
at the Kirkburton Beer Festival, raising the sum of
£142.00.
SCHOOL PRODUCTION – GUYS AND DOLLS!
What a show! What a performance! Once again Mr
James and Mrs Crowther, with support from Mrs
Jewitt, Mrs Robinson, Mrs Brooke-Benn and Ms
Kaye, brought together an outstanding series of
performances
from
the
children, performances which
would be the envy of many a
theatre group. The children
sang, danced and acted (in
American accents!) to entertain
all those present. The stage set
was extremely professional and
the children left an impression on the audience
which will last a lifetime. A truly astonishing show!
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ARDECHE WATER SPORTS TRIP – many thanks to
Mrs Procter (in particular), staff and all the children
who went on the nine day visit to the South of
France for making it such an unforgettable
experience. The children fully immersed (pun
intended!) themselves in all the activities, from
white-water rafting to gorge
jumping, despite the freezing
conditions.
The
children
represented themselves and
the school extremely well and
were a real pleasure to be with
during the whole visit.
HONLEY SHOW – This year we entered 40 pupils’
work from Design Technology and Art into the
Honley Show.
There
were a range of items
including
paintings,
masks,
dresses,
cushions, clock and
toys. The standard of
work was very high as always and we were
delighted to win the following prizes:
1st Place: John Craik (Clock),
Jasmine Howells (Textiles), Ellen
Thomas (Art).
2nd Place: Sebastian Kinlan
(Toy), Lucy Smith (Mask)
3rd Place: Izaac Rhodes (Pencil
Case), Isaac Harper (Clay work),
Alannah Glennon (Art).
Daniel Metcalf also entered the Honley Show and
received first place for his computer generated
drawing (8-11 years) and first place for his monster
made
out
of
fruit
and/or
vegetables.
Congratulations and well done to all the above
pupils.
HOLMFIRTH ARTS WEEK FRINGE EVENT Following the success of our Tour de France
exhibition last year, Sids Café in Holmfirth invited us
to be part of Holmfirth Arts week.
We had over 30 Design Technology & Art exhibits
(from all year groups) in the café from Friday 3rd to
Sunday 11th July with a preview evening being held
on Friday 3rd July. Holmfirth Art week is an annual
event and one of the largest art exhibitions in the
country. Each year they raise a significant amount
for Macmillan Cancer Support. Kirkburton Middle
School is the first school to take part as a fringe
event and we hope we will be invited to take part
again in future years.
DRESS A CHILD AROUND THE WORLD - A number
of our Year 8 girls recently chose to make dresses
for Africa as part of their textiles project. The `Dress
a Girl’ idea started in the USA where people make
simple dresses from pillowcases as a best dress for
a child who cannot afford one. It’s essential that the
construction of the dresses is of the highest quality
as they will be washed in rivers. The girls used
pillowcases or old curtains to make their dresses
and decorated them with techniques such as
embroidery
and
applique.
We have been lucky
to arrange for our
dresses (and shorts
for boys) to be
delivered to Malawi
by Holmfirth High School as part of their
partnership visit this summer, so hopefully we will
receive photographs of our dresses with their
recipients next term.
UNIFORM : Our Uniform Policy will
be strictly adhered to from September
as there has been a growing number
of pupils wearing trainers, tight-leg
trousers or non-uniform skirts and
shorts over the last half term.
Everyone should be returning to
school in September wearing black shoes, tailored
trousers and skirts MUST have the school logo
embroidered on them.
continued ….
Page 4
PE shorts must not be lycra and parents are
requested to purchase the standard school shorts
throughout the year.
Could you please ensure pupils return to school
after the Summer break in their correct uniform –
all marked with their names please. Pupils should
also only wear plain stud earrings. Pupils will be
spoken to should they wear the incorrect uniform.
Your support for our uniform policy is always much
appreciated and helps avoid negativity between
staff and pupils.
What’s Happening over the summer holidays:
Gregory Fields Summer Sports Camps are being
held throughout the holidays Mondays to Thursdays
at a cost of £9 for the Mini Camps (9.00 – 12.00) and
£16 for the Junior Camps (9.00 – 4.00). For further
details ring Andy on 07876718968 or email
teenietenniskids@hotmail.co.uk to book.
Cliffe House, Shepley are holding various summer
fun events and activities throughout July and
August. For up to date information on times/dates,
or to book: telephone 01484 222720 or visit the
website: www.kirklees.gov.uk/cliffehouse.
Summer Art Competition is open to children aged
5-16 with three judging groups of 5-7 years, 8-11
years and 12-16 years. The theme is `Stone Theft:
When it’s gone, it’s gone’ and is being run by PC
6267 Sally Baines of Holmfirth Police Station. One
of the winning pictures may be used for
posters/leaflets to tell people about the problem
that stone theft is causing in rural areas and how
they can prevent it.
Sally would like pictures to show the beauty of
Yorkshire and the local rural area such as moorland,
hills, woods etc., and local landmarks such as stone
bridges, viaducts or mills could perhaps feature in
your picture. The closing date is 1st September and
pictures should be posted or taken to PC6267 Sally
Baines, Holmfirth Police Station, Huddersfield Road,
Holmfirth HD8 3JL. Good luck!
TO PARENTS OF PUPILS IN
YEAR 8 IN SEPTEMBER 2015
Your child will be starting Secondary School in
September 2016 and a new automated online
only system has been created by the Local
Authority whereby parents must apply ‘online’
between 1 September 2015 and 31 October
2015. The process requires a unique email
address for each parent applying for a High
School place. If you apply late, your application
will not be considered until all on time
applicants have been allocated school places.
Applying late can severely reduce your chances
of getting a school place at any of your
preferred schools. Please go to:
www.kirklees.gov.uk/admissions, read the
Frequently Asked Questions and the relevant
Admissions Guide for Parents. Click on `Apply
online’ and create an account in the Kirklees
Parent Portal. Complete the application form
and submit to the LA online.
If any parent is unable to access a computer,
please contact school and we will arrange
for you to complete the form in school.
SCHOOL VACANCIES:
Are you looking for a part-time position to fit in
with the children? We currently have vacancies for
Lunchtime Supervisory Assistants to work 12.00 –
1.15 Monday to Friday. If you would like further
details, please call the school office (open most
times throughout the summer break) on 01484
222737.
A separate Sports News
Report will be circulated
shortly
Dates for your Calendar are
printed on Page 5
Page 5
CALENDAR DATES FOR 2015-16
AUTUMN TERM:
Tues 1st September 2015 – Staff Training Day
Wed 2nd September 2015 – Staff Training Day
Thurs 3rd September 2015 – All pupils in school
Mon 5th October 2015 – Tempest individual Photos
Thurs 15th October 2015 – Staff Training Day
Mon 26th – Fri 30th October 2015 – Half Term
Mon 2nd November 2015 – Staff Training Day
Mon 21st December 2015 – Christmas holiday
SPRING TERM:
Mon 4th January 2016 – Staff Training Day
Tues 5th January 2016 – Return to school
Mon 15th – Fri 19th February 2016 – Half Term
Fri 25th March 2016 – Easter holiday
SUMMER TERM:
Mon 11th April 2016 – Return to school
Mon 30th May – Fri 4th June 2016 – Half Term
Wed 20th July 2016 – Last day for pupils
Please see future Newsletters for any changes or additions
to the annual calendar