19 december 2014

All Hallows Catholic College Newsletter Christmas Term

Christmas Eve Prayer

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds,

and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate

and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,

and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,

and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,

forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.

COLLEGE PRAYER

Friday 19 December 2014

Students at All Hallows dazzled the Ofsted inspectors when they remarked the College

‘is as perfect as it can be’ during their recent visit to the Voluntary Academy in Mac-

clesfield. Inspectors were equally inspired by the Catholic College ethos and awarded

the

highest possible grade of ‘Outstanding’ in all areas including the Sixth Form. This is the

second time the College has received an ‘Outstanding’ result and the Inspectors

congratulated the Principal and all the staff for achieving such an impressive outcome

and flourishing, even when expectations have never been higher.

The innovative College was praised for the quality of teaching and learning which

allowed their students to ‘make rapid progress in a wide range of subjects.’ The

Principal, Mr Billings, senior and middle leaders, teachers and governors are said to

provide outstanding leadership not just through a ‘relentless focus on improving

teaching’ but also ‘the personal development of students,’ where each individual is

valued and nurtured.

All Hallows students’ attitude to learning and behaviour is ‘Outstanding’ and students

are ‘keen to do as well as they can.’ The faith and values of the college play a ‘major

part in students feeling well prepared for the next phase of education and life in

modern

Britain.’

Mr Billings, the Principal said, ‘We couldn’t be more pleased. I am so proud of

everyone. We are always striving to be the best we can and it is wonderful to have

such public recognition.’ Jacqui Feely, Chair of Governors said, ‘the Governors are over

the moon with the result and the report which captures the excellence and extent of

the care for young people which is at the heart of All Hallows. This is a well-deserved

result achieved by the whole team working together each and every day.’

ALL HALLOWS IS OUTSTANDING

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

UK households spend £2.2 billion of electricity every year on cooling and freezing food and drink. An efficient new fridge-freezer consumes approximately only 40%of the electricity of an inefficient older model.

The percentage of total domestic electricity consumption taken up by cooking is 15%.

If every UK home installed three compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) it would save enough energy to pay for all street lighting in the UK.

Every household in the UK generates around six tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, enough to fill six hot air balloons 10 metres in diameter. In fact, the average home emits more harmful carbon dioxide than the average car every year.

Around 50% of all the heat lost in an average home is through the loft space and walls. In fact, the amount of heat lost in homes annually through roofs and walls is enough to heat three million homes for a year. Around 20% of the heat in the average home is lost through ventilation and draughts.

The last week of term was a sensational week for Level 3 BTEC

Business students and all their helpers. The Year 12 group of BTEC Event Organisers put on a great show in

organising a Christmas Fair that ran for 3 days come rain or shine. They took responsibility for everything from risk

assessing the site through to lighting, sound and running and organising stalls. These included Christmas lucky dip

competitions, hand-made candles, Christmas cakes and treats, personalised Christmas baubles and much more. The

same students also turned Go Shop in The Pod into Santa's Grotto with Santa himself selling Christmas Wreaths and

raffle tickets for a Christmas Hamper. Tesco in Macclesfield donated £20 for additional prizes. Year 13 BTEC Business

students also seized the opportunity of using the crowd pulling event to launch their new small business selling clothes

and items of school uniform from The White House. These are the same students who designed The College Christmas

Card for 2014 featuring Vinnie, The College Llama. The card has proved very popular with Governor's, teachers and

students and sales have been high. All in all an 'outstanding' enterprise event with funds raised going to The India Clinic

Appeal. Well done to all these BTEC Business students for their 'enterprise success'!

SPECIALISM SUCCESS


On the 08 December 2014,the RE department at All Hallows was awarded the GOLD quality mark for

Religious Education. The REQM award recognises outstanding learning in religious education. Schools

can be awarded a bronze, silver or gold award. It looks at five areas – Learners and Learning, Teachers

and Teaching, Curriculum, Subject Leadership, Continuing Professional Development. All Hallows RE

was rated GOLD in all five areas. The assessor commented on the obvious enjoyment and engagement

of students in the subject. Our students spoke eloquently about their progression in RE. He also

wanted us to know our sixth form students were the strongest he had come across in showing their

passion for the subject. We were also commended for our cross-curricular work with other subjects in

All Hallows, sharing of good practice with other schools and consistent exam results. A huge well done

to all staff and students involved.

Why not use the Christmas break to make sure your children are fully equipped to come back to College with pen, pencil and ruler as a

minimum. A calculator, an angle-measurer and other geometry items are also useful, as well as a pencil sharpener and eraser.

Coloured pencils are also a real bonus. It could be a 'stocking filler' for Christmas Day, and coupled with a nice pencil-case, it is a gift

that we are sure any young person would appreciate.

ECO FACTS

PARENT OF PARTNERS—BEING EQUIPPED

Our Annual certificates and Awards evening was held in College on Thursday Evening, with guest speaker former Student and First Head Boy

Mr John Smith. As a College we joined parents in recognising with pride the achievements of our students in external examinations in June

2014. The College also awarded subject prizes to students in recognition of their outstanding achievement. The winners of the awards were

as follows

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION QUALITY MARK - GOLD

CERTIFICATES AND AWARDS EVENING

Chemistry: S Threlfall

Art Textiles: E Auty

Biology: S White

Business Studies: K Wright and J Cotterill

Business & Economics: W Burgess and T Llewellyn

Chemistry: M Elkommos

Dance: S Rutter

Sportswoman of the year: O Howland

The Canon Dwyer Award for Academic

Excellence: S White

Design & Technology: S Lomas

Drama & Theatre Studies: C Levett Smith

English Language: N Brazier

English Literature: J Taylor

EPQ: M McFahn

General Studies: R Horner

Geography: C Shasby

Social Enterprise Award: C Shasby

History: R O'Gara

ICT: A Houghton and M Ford

Level 2 Vocational Award: L Riddell

Maths: M McFahn

Further Maths: M McFahn

MFL - French: S White

MFL - Spanish:F Slater

The William Blackledge Award for

Endeavor: A Loxham

Music: E Auty

Music Technology: N Rodgers

Physics: J Harper

Philosophy & Ethics: J Bailey

Psychology: K O’Cara

Sociology: C Levett Smith

Sport & Exercise Science: K Wright

The Award for Vocational

Achievement: J Tomko and J.

Cotterill


Christian Unity Week

Friday 19 January 2015

Macclesfield Town Academy Taster Day

Friday 23 January 7p.m - 8.30p.m

PTA Trip to the Chill Factor

24 January 2015

Year 11 photos

16 February 2015

Geography drop-in session

KS4/5 students every Thursday 3:30p.m.- 4:30p.m. The

session will provide assistance on case studies, exam

questions and key terms.

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time'

Monday 5 January 2015.

Year 11 Reports Issued

9 January 2015

Celebration Assemblies

12 January—17 January 2015

A number of our students have allergies to nuts. In some cases they will only react when they touch or eat nuts, but in

other cases their reaction may be caused when traces of nuts are in the air. It would help these students if nuts or nut

related products were not brought into school. We thank parents and students for the co-operation with this matter.

PEANUT & NUT ALLERGIES

We are delighted to tell you that the College shop, “the Pod in the Quad” is now cashless. We have put together a list of questions and answers to explain the most frequent queries:

Q) How will I pay for items in the College Shop from now on?

When you log on to your ParentPay account, you will see a new item for payment called “College Shop”. This will work in exactly the same way as the school meals account, whereby you can top up any amount between £10 and £100 and then your child can spend this balance as and when they need it. The College Shop will still be accepting cash along-side the new system until Christmas.

Q) How can I see what my children have bought?

You will be able to see the details of any items purchased in the same way as you can with meals purchased from the college canteen. All products sold in the shop will be listed on the system so you can see when your child has pur-chased a notepad, for example.

Q) Do I need to do anything to set this up?

We will not need any more information from you – students will be using the exact same details they currently use in the canteen, whether that be their PIN number or their biometric print.

Q) I have already topped up my child’s account for school meals; can’t they use that in the shop?

No. The money for the canteen is entirely separate from that which can be used in the College Shop.

Q) What happens if my child doesn’t spend the money I have put onto their account?

Any balances over £5.00 will be refunded to your account when your child finishes College.

If you have any queries, please contact Finance on 01625 426138.

CASHLESS COLLEGE SHOP

TRIPS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

STAFF NON-SECRECT SANTA

In true Christmas spirit, All Hallows Associate Staff agreed to donate their Secret Santa money to CAFOD World Gifts.

A magnificent £84 was raised and the following gifts were purchased: Happy Queen Bee, School Starter Kit, Vegetable Garden, Healthy

Mum and Baby and Water for a Family!

Term College Opens to Students College Closes to Students

Christmas Tuesday 4 November 2014 Friday 19 December 2014

Epiphany Monday 5 January 2015 Thursday 12 February 2015

Easter Monday 23 February 2015 Thursday 2 April 2015

Whitsun Monday 20 April 2015 Thursday 21 May 2015

Trinity Monday 1 June 2015 Tuesday 21 July 2015


The following are the remaining

dates for training days in

2014-15. Students are not

required to attend on these days

unless taking an external

exam.

Friday 13 February 2015

Friday 22 May 2015

ARRANGEMENTS FOR PARENT CONSULATION DAYS

During the period of 1 December 2014 – 9

February 2015. All Hallows Catholic College

are consulting on the Admissions Policy for

September 2016/17 and our Supplementary

Information Form.

The Governing Body have met and would

invite comments.

Comments to be sent to the Admissions

Secretary, Mrs P Metheringham at

[email protected].

CONSULTATION FOR ADMISSIONS 2016

Year Group Dates Type

12&13 Monday 9 March 2015—Friday 13 March 2015 Mock Exam

10 Monday 16 March 2015—Friday 20 March 2015 Mock Exam

7,8,9,11 Monday 16 March 2015—Friday 27 March 2015 Assessment

7,8,9 Monday 15 June 2015—Friday 19 June 2015 End of Year Exam

10 Monday 15 June 2015—Friday 26 June 2015 Assessment

COLLEGE INTERNAL EXAMS/ ASSESSMENTS

PARENTAL GATEWAY

Reports for Years 7, 9, 11, 12 and 13 are now available to view on the Parental Gateway. Reports will all be issued in this elec-

tronic format unless a paper copy is requested.

Tasc Software, the makers of the software we use, are now offering access to the Parent Gateway using an app for iphones,

ipads (IOS 8.1 minimum) and also most Android devices. The app can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store by

searching ‘Tasc Insight’ and costs £2.49. The Parental Gateway is also accessible for free from any internet enabled device

through common web browsers using your user name and password.

COLLEGE TERM DATES


Students must sign out at the Attendance Office before leaving College to attend a medical appointment. When they return to College the student must sign back in. This ensures registers will be accurate and we know the student is off site should we have a fire alarm. The Attendance Office is now located in their new office along the RE corridor (since 10th November). We thank parents for making medical appointments, where possible, that do not take up a whole day of schooling. This often al-lows a student to have their legal registration mark for both morning and afternoon sessions and so their overall attendance does not fall.

Most students appreciate the importance of being in College on time. Children who are regularly late do miss out on their education and form bad habits that will not be tolerated in the workplace. As a result of the change to the College day we need to inform parents that students must be in the registration form class for the register to be taken at 8.45a.m. This means students should arrive 5-10 minutes earlier in College to be on time. Any student who arrives after 8.45a.m. will receive a L code. Two L codes within a week will result in a whole college detention (which started on Thursday 6 November). This is a recent change in procedures and moves the detention away from the form tutor and it will now be seen as a whole college issue. Any student who arrives after 9.05a.m. will receive a U code. This means they will be classed as absent for the whole morning and this may have consequences for overall attendance. We are aware that College buses are sometimes late and we can confirm these students are not negatively marked in the register when this happens. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

CAREERS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS

BEING PUNCTUAL AT ALL HALLOWS

Year 7: new dates will be confirmed shortly Year 8: held on 16 December (11.45a.m. - 1.15p.m.) 11 February (1.15p.m. – 2.15p.m.) and 25 March (1.15p.m. – 2.15p.m.) Year 9: held on 2 February (9.00a.m. – 10.00a.m.) and 16 March (9.00a.m. – 10.00a.m.) Year 10: held on 6 February (1.15p.m. – 2.00p.m.) and 27 March (1.15p.m. – 2.00p.m.) Year 11: held on 2 February (2.30p.m. – 3.30p.m.) and 24 March (9.45a.m. – 10.45a.m.) These are for parents who would like to discuss any concerns relating to their child. No appointment is necessary but please be pre-pared to wait. Please contact our Pastoral Assistant ([email protected] 01625 410285 x215), should you require an ap-pointment with a Year Learning Leader at any other time.

If any parent would like their son or daughter to have a careers interview with Mrs Pilling, our Careers Advisor, this year then please notify the relevant Year Learning Leader who can ensure names are added to the list. Priority is now with Year 10 students (now Year 11 have all been seen) and also with sixth form students. Students in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 are welcome to attend her lunch time drop in. She uses the Student Support Office based next door to Music.

YEAR LEARNING LEADER “DROP IN SURGERIES”

NAME JOB MON TUES WED THUR FRI VENUE

Mrs J Pilling Careers Advisor Student Support Office

Mrs L Nolan Visyon Counsellor Student Support Office

Mrs J Jones College Nurse Student Support Office

Mrs P Shatwell Family Support Office next to rooms A9 and A10

Mrs J Beard and Mrs P Prince Education Welfare

Pastoral Office (ground floor of Fisher Building)

[email protected] emails will be read by a Senior Teacher [email protected]

[email protected]

= Staff Present

MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS DURING THE COLLEGE DAY

STUDENT SUPPORT ACROSS THE COLLEGE

mailto:[email protected]


Whilst the College requires parents to contact us on each day of absence , school policy now requires that any student who accumulates 7 or more days of absence during the course of the academic year will be asked to provide medical confirmation of the need to be absent before any further absences are authorised for medical reasons. This is a necessary measure as we closely monitor absence due to illness / medical reasons in order that we can ensure students are supported where needed. For your information medical confirmation does not have to be a doctor's note but can also take the form of a medical appointment card, a copy of a relevant dated prescription or evidence of medication being taken

If no medical evidence is provided then the absence will be coded as unauthorised. Ten or more unauthorised absences may result in you receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice. This incurs a penalty of £60 per parent / carer to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty.

The link between attendance and achievement is well researched and documented and students should be aiming for an attendance rate of no less than 97% over the year. Thank you for your continued support with this important issue.

Year 7—95.0% (2.1 on the previous week, well done Year 7!)

Year 8— 93.9% (down 1.0%) Year 9—95.7% (up 0.9%) Year 10—90.5% (down 1.2%, not good enough Year 10!) Year 11—92.0% (down 0.2%) Year 12—97% (up 2.1%, well done Year 12!) Year 13— 92.7% (down 2.9%)

Attendance last week was 93.4% (an increase from 93.3% in the previous week but lower than 94.2% in the

same week last year). Our overall attendance since 2 September is now 95.5% We aim for 97%.

Last week GIRLS attendance was 92.3% (down 0.3% on the previous week), BOYS attendance was 94.6% (up

0.6%). The overall girls attendance since 2 September is 94.9% whilst boys is 96.1%.

Holidays have not been authorised since 1st September 2013 under new legislation on all English schools. Requests for holidays must still

be made in writing to the appropriate Key Stage leader (Mrs Garvey KS5, Mr Blades KS4/KS3), but in the vast majority of cases they will be

unauthorised. A Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued of £60 per parent / carer per student, to be paid within 21 days, otherwise the penalty

will rise to £120 per parent / carer to be paid within 28 days. If the penalty remains unpaid then the matter will proceed to the Magistrates

Court where you will receive a criminal record if you are found guilty. Please can all holiday requests be made well in advance of the holiday

being taken if not before the holiday is booked.

Applications are invited for new panel members to join independent education appeals panels in Cheshire East. If you have an interest in education and feel able to offer some time, we would be most grateful to hear from you. Appeals are heard Monday to Friday during normal office hours.

Each panel is made up of three members who are independent of the Local Authority. The panel hears admission ap-peals against decisions not to admit children to particular schools.

Applications are invited from people of all backgrounds as the panel is made up of lay members and those with experi-ence in education. A lay member is a person without personal experience in the provision of education in any school (disregarding experience as a school governor or in another voluntary capacity). A member with experience in education is a person who has experience in education (such as a retired headteacher or teacher); or has knowledge of educational conditions in the local area or is a parent of a registered pupil at a school.

Full training will be provided for new members and if you are successful you would be required to attend a training

day on Tuesday 21 April 2015.

The work is unpaid but panel members are eligible to receive travel allowances for all meetings they attend.

If you are interested in becoming a panel member, please contact Brett Dainty by email: [email protected] or telephone 01270 686469 for an application form and more information.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

HOLIDAY ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE

MEDICAL ABSENCE FROM COLLEGE

89.00%

90.00%

91.00%

92.00%

93.00%

94.00%

95.00%

96.00%

YEAR 7 YEAR 8 YEAR 9 YEAR 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 YEAR 13

INDEPENDENT EDUCATION APPLICATIONS

Students are now able to use our fantastic new Fitness Suite. Those students who have completed a Fitness

Suite .

Induction and wish to use the facilities must sign up on the day using the sign up sheet on the notice board in the

Sports Hall. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, up to a maximum of 28 students for each

session.

The following sessions are available:

Monday - Y7/8 (mixed) until 4.30p.m.

Tuesday - Y7/8 (girls only) until 4.30p.m.

Wednesday - Y9/10/11 (girls only) until 4.00p.m.

Thursday - Y11/Sixth form (mixed) until 4.30p.m.

Friday - Y9/10 (mixed) until 4.30p.m.

FITNESS SUITE


Upcoming Netball Fixtures

Wednesday 25th February AHCC V Macclesfield

Academy

Wednesday 4th March AHCC V Wilmslow HS

Wednesday 11th March Fallibroome V AHCC

Wednesday 18th March Eaton Bank V AHCC

Wednesday 23rd March Netball Catch up week (to play any remaining fixtures)

SPORTS FIXTURES

The Fitness Suite is also open at lunch (second

break).

Any queries please contact Mr Lawson or a member

of the PE staff for more information.

We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for All Hallows Students in 2015-16. Macclesfield

Town Football Club have approached All Hallows Catholic College to be an academy of football starting in

September 2015. To be eligible you must be in Year 11in 2014-15 and be a "good" footballer. This

opportunity is open to both boys and girls. The Football Academy will integrate fully with the sixth form

curriculum and will be accessible from all lines of learning at levels 2 and 3, A Level and BTEC. If you wish to

find out more about this exciting aspect of Curriculum 2015-16 and are currently in year 11 please speak to

Mr Lees, Mr Lawson or Mr Nickson who will be pleased to advise you whether this would be a suitable

pathway for you post 16. There will be a taster event on Friday 23 January 7.00pm-8.30pm commencing in

the College Hall led by representatives of Macclesfield Town FC.

MACCLESFIELD TOWN ACADEMY AT ALL HALLOWS CATHOLIC COLLEGE

19 december 2014

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