Issue 1063: 15th November 2024 – Sweyne Park School

HEADLINES

Feedback

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to provide their feedback via our Parent Questionnaire. If you would still like to respond, this link will remain open until Wednesday 20^th November.

We very much value engagement with parents and carers and we know that by working together we can provide the best possible support to our pupils and students. To this end, I would like to invite you to attend the next Parents’ Forum meeting which will take place on Tuesday 3^rd December at 5pm.

This is hosted by Mr Bradley, Assistant Headteacher, and is forum for discussing whole school issues as opposed to issues relating to individual pupils. If you would like to come along and join us, then please email Mr Bradley at rbradley@sweynepark.com with details of anything specific you would like to raise.

Online safety - Chatbots

Last week, I made reference to the risks posed to children by chatbots and a parent got in touch to ask for more information. To that end, Internet Matters have produced a document for parents/carers who want to know more about this – please find the link below.

What is Character AI? What parents need to know | Internet Matters

This is not something that we have been made aware of affecting any children in our school, but we have received an update from our safeguarding partners that this is increasingly a concern for children across the UK, so I wanted to bring it to your attention as parents/carers.

Lockdown Practice

I would like to give you advance notice that next Thursday at 12.15pm, we will be practising our lockdown drill. This is the plan we would use if there was a person or animal on site who posed a risk to people in school, and involves the children remaining in the room that they are in or going to the nearest room with an adult if they are not in a classroom.

They will need to hide under the desk while the member of staff locks and blocks the door and closes the windows and blinds. Pupils are asked to remain silent during the time of lockdown.

Pupils have been briefed on the school’s various emergency plans, including lockdown, in assembly, and will be reminded about what they are expected to do beforehand during tutor time.

Pupils who are likely to find this particularly difficult will be supported by staff.

In the interests of clarity, I would like to emphasise that we are not practising lockdown because we have been made aware of a heightened level of risk but because, like our plans for evacuation, it is important that pupils and staff know what they should do in the very unlikely event that we do need to put the plan into action.

And Finally…..

Just as a reminder, next Friday, 22^nd November, is a non-pupil day.

We will look forward to welcoming all pupils and students back to school at the usual time of 8.35am on Monday 25^th November.

Rayleigh Remembrance Service

Sweyne Park School 6th form pupils Connie and Ethan proudly represented the school at the Rayleigh Remembrance service last Sunday.

They laid a wreath at the war memorial to remember those who had fallen in WW1, WW2 and more recent conflicts. “Lest we forget”

Remembrance Sunday

George recently joined the Essex Army Cadet Force.

Over the past two weekends George was selling poppies in Leigh high street for the Royal British Legion. Taking part in the remembrance parade, marching through Leigh broadway

What do you do when you're not in school?

We would love to hear about your hobbies, interests and achievements...

If you have any stories and/or photos that you would like to share, please contact us at pupilservices@sweynepark.com

Essex Fire Museum

Essex Fire have two family open days coming up at the Essex Fire Museum:

– Sunday 24th November 2024

-Sunday 15th December 2024 (Christmas open day – with Santa’s Grotto)

There will be opportunities for families to get involved in history trails around the museum, spot hazards in our fire safety room, enter a haunted house, partake in craft activities and a sit on our fire engines (and squirt water😊).

The museum is free entry (but visits are by appointment only)

If interested, please email: museum@essex-fire.gov.uk with how many in your party, and the time they would like to arrive. (opening times 10.30am to 4.00pm).

Christmas Bazaar

Hopeworx

The Hopeworx Food Hub is a local charity which runs a food bank to provide emergency food parcels to help those who find themselves in a crisis. They also collect daily surplus food from supermarkets and other outlets and coordinate collection by other charities which, in turn, provide support to families in need.

Hopeworx have often helped a number of families within our school community and are always looking for donations, especially at this time of year. In particular, they provide approximately 100 Christmas Hampers to local families, please see the list of items below they would like to collect.

If you would like to make a donation, you can either take items directly to their centre at 33 Brook Road, Rayleigh, SS6 7XJ or Pupil Services, by the 5th of December.
Thank you

WOOL4SCHOOL

Wool4School is an annual student design competition encouraging budding fashion and textile designers to showcase their creativity and innovation using wool. Students create a unique design made from wool, taking inspiration from the Wool4School brief. From fashion design to architecture, visual arts, and beyond – there’s no limits to their area of design.

Learn more

Year 7 Girls Football Districts:

Our Year 7 football team competed at their first ever Football districts last week.

They all played exceptionally well and got to the final!

The team fought for the win, unfortunately within the last couple of minutes the opposition scored!

Year 8/9 Girls Football Districts:

All of the girls played really well,
having a tough competition! They came 3rd overall in their pool!

Well done to all of you who played!

Year 10/11Girls Football Districts:

congratulations to the year 10/11 girls football team on coming 3rd at the senior districts !

Cross Country Districts:

A big thank you to all of the pupils who came and participated within the cross country tournament on Tuesday. You all performed really well! – Shout out to Maisey Dowson for placing 3rd overall in the districts!