It has been a very busy week in school and Year 10 in particular have been at the forefront of these activities. Last week almost 60 young people camped at Edale after a significant walk. After a rather chilly night’s sleep, they then continued to trek over the hills of the Hope Valley to complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. Thank you to the parents and carers who support our young people to do this. Year 10 have also been buddies for our Danish partner school, and I hope they have found the opportunity enriching and have made friends for life.

Today a combination of Year 10 and 11 art students have departed for a weekend working with artists to support them with their coursework. This shows their dedication to their subject and a desire to achieve highly.

The school enrichment programme is fully up and running now and information is regularly shared with students about the wide and varied opportunities on offer.

What’s going on in school?

• Y11 Geography students visited Flamborough Head and Hornsea this week to undertake fieldwork on coastal erosion. Their notes and observations will be used in their final exams next summer. They will also visit Sheffield to compete the urban section of the course. Thank you to Mr Fitton and Miss Townend for facilitating this trip.

• We welcomed more Danish students to school this week with a new set of buddies from Y10. On Tuesday afternoon, they enjoyed a social event and Danish students presented their HVC buddies with treats from Denmark. On Thursday evening, everyone involved in the programme gathered at the Palace Hotel in Buxton for a party hosted by the Danish school. It was lovely to see our students socialising with their buddies and enjoying the evening. Thank you to all who took part in this great opportunity.

Year 7 English Information

We are delighted that our new cohort of Year 7 students has settled into their classes and is engaging positively with The Hope Valley Project. It is now time to introduce home learning for English. This is recorded in students' planners, and the tasks will appear on Arbor every Monday. There are two home learning tasks each week:

1. English Home Learning Book

Students will complete a set of activities in their A5 English home learning book. This should be brought to their first English lesson each week. These tasks are designed to take approximately 25 minutes. Please encourage your child to try their best, but be mindful of spending excessive additional time on the tasks. We welcome any comments in the home learning book to celebrate success or highlight any challenges encountered. Please only submit typed work if this is an agreed concession and the student's usual way of working.

2. Reading

Students also have library lessons which use the Accelerated Reader programme by Renaissance. Students should aim to read for at least 60 minutes each week so that they can take regular quizzes on their books and we can monitor their progress. Books may be borrowed from the school library or read from home. Students will work their way through the Bronze, Silver and Gold reading levels.

Assessment

Students will complete their first end-of-unit assessment during the final week of term (commencing 19 October).

This assessment will involve:

• Answering 10 multiple-choice questions based on key knowledge from the knowledge organisers and content covered in lessons.
• Producing a piece of creative writing based on a journey (for example, a bike ride, walk or bus journey).

These formative assessments are designed to support responsive teaching and help us identify any interventions students may require. No grade will be awarded for this assessment. Instead, it will provide valuable information about students' strengths and next steps. We look forward to reading and celebrating their work. Many thanks for your support.

Y7 Information Evening – Thursday 8 October

We look forward to meeting parents and carers of our Year 7 students at our Information Evening on Thursday 8 October from 4.30pm. There will be a presentation in the hall, followed by small group sessions with our Senior Leadership Team. Tutors will also be available to meet with parents/carers and there will be the opportunity to look at some students’ books. Y7 parents and carers should have received more information by email.

Y11 Subject Evening – Tuesday 20 October

The Year 11 subject evening will take place in school on Tuesday 20 October. This is an opportunity to talk to teachers about progress, attainment and attitudes to learning. Details about how to book appointments will be shared in due course.

Frozen The Musical: Rehearsals for the cast

All rehearsal tracks can now be accessed by the cast - please see the post in Teams. Please familiarise yourself with the songs and practise in advance. 

Date	Time	Where	Who	Songs
Mon 5/10	13.00	Drama	King, Queen, young Elsa, young Anna
Tues 6/10	12.40	Music	King Agnarr, Queen Iduna, Pabbie, Bulda, Young Elsa & Anna	First Joik + Northern Lights
Weds 7/10	13.00	Drama	Olaf and dancers
Weds 7/10	3.30-5.00	Drama	Principles
Thurs 8/10	12.40	Music	Whole Cast	First Joik + Start and End of Opening Song 1
Thurs 8/10	12.40	Music	Anna and Hans	Love is an Open Door
Thurs 8/10	3.30–5.00	Music	King Agnarr, Queen Iduna, Pabbie, Bulda, Young Elsa & Anna, Elsa & Anna, Kristoff, Hans	First Joik, Northern Lights + What Do You Know About Love, Love is an Open Door
Fri 9/10	13.00	Drama	Elsa, Anna, Hans, Weselton

 

Dates for Your Diary

Thursday 8 October – Information evening for Y7 and Y12

Tuesday 20 October – Subject Evening for Y11 and Y13

Wednesday 21 October – Flu vaccinations

Thursday 22 October – Break for half term

Friday 23 October – INSET day (students not in school)

Monday 2 November – all students return to school

Monday 16 – Friday 27^th November – Y11 mock exams

Thursday 19 November – GCSE Presentation evening (for students who left this summer)

Monday 7 – Friday 11^th December – Production week – Frozen: The Musical

Tuesday 15 December – Carol Concert

Friday 18 December – Christmas Bazaar for students, break for Christmas.

Monday 4 January – all students return to school

Thank you for reading our communication. Here are some helpful email addresses, should you need to contact us:

• attendance@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to report a child’s absence
• enquiries@hopevalley.chorustrust.org for general enquiries
• pastoral@hopevalley.chorustrust.org for any issue with a child’s wellbeing
• headteacher@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to contact the Headteacher
• safeguarding@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to report safeguarding concerns. If a child or any young person is in imminent danger, then please report this to the police.
• ptfahv@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to contact the PTFA

Kind regards

Debbie Petts

Headteacher