9/9/2016

Becket Keys

Church of England

School

9th September 2016

6TH FORM PHOTO SHOOT – SEE MORE ON PAGE 7 IN THIS ISSUE

A United Community Mr A Scott-Evans Headteacher

This week I have talking to students in collective worship about the Old Testament story of when King Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow down and worship his golden statue. This ancient story still has a lot to teach us today. I likened the fire to returning to school! For many I know this is far from the truth, but for some the return to school after a long holiday is daunting, and particularly for those doing it for the first time. The way the three characters stick together is an important lesson to us all, we need to support and encourage

each other as a united community if we are going to face the challenges ahead of us. I also attempted a little bit of science magic this week with a couple of balloons and a candle! Speak to your child about it and see what they can remember. You can watch this YouTube clip if you want to see the sort of thing I did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeDZQ9-gsjY The message was to try and show how the miraculous saving of these three could have happened. Being full of God’s power and spirit, the three Jewish men were not touched or harmed by the flames. With God by our side, we believe that none of the

challenges of the year ahead need be too much for us. …… Read more on page 3

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‘Year 7 – First Impressions’

Miss Ellis (Head of Year 7) writes inside specifically about how well our first year students have been getting on and it is clear to see already that they are living out the Becket Keys values of respect and responsibility with each other and their new teachers.

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Extra Curricular Clubs Find out what clubs are on offer this year. Students can attend the first session and register with the teacher involved. Homework, Sports, Music and

Languages are on offer. So something for everyone!

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Year 7 have had a great start to the year and it is brilliant to see students fitting into Becket Keys life so quickly! It has been wonderful to watch the Year 7 students working together to find their way around school and it has clearly demonstrated the fantastic character of the older year groups who have willingly offered help

wherever it is needed. I have seen lots of team building activities taking place to ensure that all students have the opportunity to meet new friends.

New tutors have adapted into their role quickly with fabulous lessons being delivered to all tutor groups. With the support of a excellent tutor team we hope all students will flourish in their new environment. Tutors this week have delivered worship sessions, discussed what it’s like to be

Year 7 First Week!

BECKET KEYS CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL 9TH SEPT 2016 Volume V – Issue I

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a student at Becket Keys and have experienced a collective worship led by Mr Scott-Evans. We have also looked at decision making. It is important that year 7 students start the year by looking at making the right choices each day and evaluating who they can turn to for help, if required.

Feedback from the students so far has been very positive! Megan Whymark 7PP: ‘My first week at Becket Keys has been really good because I have made lots of new friends who I am with in my lessons’.

Lucy Hunwick and Adriana Ciccarelli Santos 7WW: ‘On our first day at Becket Keys we were nervous but excited. Luckily all the teachers were very welcoming and helpful so we started to feel more relaxed.

We really enjoyed our first

week as it was packed with

various activities. This is a

life-changing experience!’

Charlie Phillips 7AC:

‘My first week at Becket Keys has been exciting and a new adventure. So far, my learning experience has been fun and educational. At first I couldn’t find my way around the school, but other students

and teachers have been helpful’.

I look forward to meeting many of you this afternoon at our open school

event where your son / daughter will be able to

show you around the classrooms and you will have the opportunity to meet teachers and tutors.

Miss S.Ellis

Head of Year 7.

God on Our Side

Mr Scott-Evans …….. Continued from Page 1

As the week has gone on, I have turned my attention to the five lessons we can learn from Geese!

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I used a blog by Tom Sherrington which you can find here: https://headguruteacher.com/2012/09/05/leadership-lessons-from-geese/ Basically, geese fly further and more successfully, looking after each other and supporting each other with encouragement all the way. They are a perfect example of a united community. This is exactly what we need to be as we go into this new year. With God on our side, with friends and teachers around us who will support and encourage and stand with us in difficult times, we can achieve great things. I hope your sons and daughters have enjoyed their first week back. It has been great to have them here.

MR SCOTT EVANS HEADTEACHER

Please do not drive into Sawyers Hall Lane! I’m sure a few of you have made that decision for

yourselves already, but in case any of you are still driving in, please refrain from doing so. The road is dangerous and busy outside the school. Please drop your children off elsewhere and ask them to walk the last bit. Similarly, when picking up, perhaps ask them to walk to a local car park (Brentwood Centre or Sainsbury’s) or Doddinghurst Road or Shenfield Road where there are plenty of places to park with no restrictions. If you really do have to drive into Sawyers Hall Lane, please at least avoid the final part of the road and drop off further up near Burland Road. Even the laziest teenager can walk from there!

Bikes

Students riding bikes must wear a helmet and we recommend a

bright yellow vest or jacket too. Students will need a padlock to secure their bike to our bike shed or bike rack. We will be investing in new sheds once the building work is complete. It is great to see so many cycling at the

moment! Remember! No scooters or skateboards please.

Holidays &

Appointments

Please make every effort to avoid unnecessary holidays and appointments during term time. Holidays will not be authorised and all absence must be authorised. Parents have been fined by the courts for not following this advice. Your son/daughter will get higher grades if they attend well!

General Information & Notices from the Head Teacher

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Uniform

The students look excellent in

their new uniform, thank you for

supporting our school policies so

closely. We know it is important

to all of us to see our students

looking smart in their uniform at

all times. Please see the website if

you need more details about the

school dress code.

Gaming

Help your son/daughter do better at school by managing their use of social media and gaming. There is a clear link between success at school and a limited amount of time wasted on these addictive time zappers.

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Congratulations!

Huge congratulations to our first ever GCSE students! Daisy Benson and Elisabeth Hayes both achieved A* in Spanish a year early. Giving them a wonderful experience of exam success and helping the school to try out our systems and exam entry policies.

Daisy and Elisabeth both stopped taking Spanish lessons at the end of Year 9 to focus on Mandarin instead, but they have continued their studies of the subject in their spare time, attending lunchtime and after school sessions. Their hard work and dedication have paid off and we were incredibly proud to do our first results day with them and record a (never to be beaten?) 100% A* pass rate! Well done ladies!

Rebecca Slaney passed Grade 3 with distinction

Katherine Ellery passed Grade 2 with merit

Phoebe Marshall passed Grade 1 with merit

Tom Burkert passed Grade 3 with merit

Well done to all those who have recently taken singing and music exams. Here are some of the results:

Singing Exam Results

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EXTRA-CURRICULAR CLUBS

We are excited to be starting our extra-curricular provision from Monday 14th September. Attached is the timetable of the varied array of activities and clubs on offer. We expect that every student will attend at least one activity each week.

Students interested in any of the activities should turn up for the first session and register with the teacher involved. If an activity is extremely popular, then it may be necessary to operate a rota throughout the year.

TUP (Turn Up and Play) clubs are sporting activities where students can just turn up and play in their school uniform. Please note that students must change into trainers first.

HAS (Help Advice and Support) time is offered by departments to facilitate students getting individual specialist help or having a quiet place to complete work for the subject.

Homework club is available for all year groups every day and is a popular choice for learning. The club is to support students wishing to complete class or homework. It runs every night in C11. Other rooms can be opened for students if there is not enough space!

Please be aware that it is possible that changes may need to be made to the timetable at times, dependent upon staffing and student participation. We look forward to welcoming your son/daughter to an activity.

Can you help?

We are once again looking to audit the skills and contacts of our parent body. This gives the whole family an opportunity to become involved with our school community.

Throughout the year we call upon parents to assist with visiting speakers, volunteers, donations, advice and support. We would love to know what your line of business is and anything that we really ought to know about you as a family.

Please complete the slip at the end of the newsletter and return via your son/daughter to their tutor.

Thank you!

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Sixth Form Update Over the summer, a group of Year 10s (now Year 11) helped us by attending a photoshoot. You can see some of the pictures here. The students felt really good in the suits we procured and enjoyed the opportunity to feel like a sixth former for the day. We’d like your feedback and comments on the grey suit, girls’ shirts, pin badge (rather than embroidered into the jacket), skirts and boys’ tie. We know we want a centrally sourced uniform to support students who do not want to be fussing about what to wear and what other students are wearing. Having a sixth form procured suit will also help with costs and save on shopping excursions.

If you have any comments, please either email Mr Scott-Evans via the website or Tweet the new sixth form Twitter page: @BecketKeys6th

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VACANCIES

We currently have no staff vacancies

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Thursday 22nd September

Primary Teachers’ Tea

We may be asking your Year 7 child to help.

OPEN EVENTS

Tuesday 20th September

Wednesday 28th September

Thursday 6th October

Morning 9.15am – 11.15am (Adults Only)

Evening 5.00pm – 7.00pm

You can register for a place on your preferred date via the website.

We will be asking for students from all year groups to help with these events.

Becket Keys Church of

England School Sawyers Hall Lane Brentwood , Essex

CM15 9DA

01277 28660

office@becketkeys.org

www.becketkeys.org

Twitter: @BecketKeys

@MrScottEvans

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________

Name of student: ______________________________________ Class: ________________

Line of business or work (e.g. banking or housewife):

Areas of interest and/or expertise (e.g. rugby coach Level 1):

Potential ways to help (e.g. volunteer at a club, speak to Year 11 about careers, donate printers):

Any particular days/times that are good for you (e.g. Fridays after school)

Other details:

SKILLS AUDIT