Weekly newsletter: 19th June 2020
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JTHS Games Week
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Microsoft Teams - Student guides
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Changes to Year 10 Home Learning - Student guide
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Catch 22- Information for Parents
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Art Wow Wall - week 9
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Ideas for Reading during Lockdown
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Year 7 and Accelerated Reader Quizzing
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National Writing Day 24 June 2020
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Music Tuition Application Form 2020-2021
Form tutors in all year groups are now scheduling weekly Microsoft Teams meetings for their tutor group. Students are strongly recommended to join these to enagage with their form tutor and other members of the group.
Some teachers are also adding Microsoft Teams meetings to their weekly provision to allow students to check in and ask questions or follow up on aspects of their work. This is a really valuable tool at this time and will offer some face to face contact during home learning.
It should be straight forward to participate in as Office 365 can be accessed from any internet enabled device. (The Teams App can also be downloaded onto smart phones).
Please ensure that you fully understand the student protocols set out at the end of the first document prior to participating in any online live sessions with your teachers.
The two guides below will assist you in accessing these meetings. If you have any further technical questions, please contact our IT support team on the following email:
They have also produced a really pafctical help guide which covers all aspects of our IT provision. This can be accessed here: JTHS Working at Home Guidance.
As you are aware, we have conducted a survey of Year 10 students and parents, as well as all staff, around the new planning system for your home learning. In summary, your preference was for the old daily planning system. This was also the case for your parents. Comments from the recent wellbeing survey as well as from staff suggest that this is because it gives you more support and structure to planning your week.
Certain students do prefer the new system and feedback received from the same sources as well as from some parents, suggest that this is because it gives you a bit more freedom to plan your week’s work. We have taken this into account and will be altering the system from Monday 22nd June as follows:
- Work will be set on a daily, lesson by lesson system as it was before half term.
- Staff will now ensure that the ‘set’ date is the Monday of each week. They will create the ‘due’ date as the day when the lesson appears on your timetable. This means that you will see each day’s work in order by day in line with your timetable to support you in planning your week. Because you will see future work, those of you who would like to create your own weekly plan can do.
*If you choose to create your own plan, you must still complete any tasks by their due date. For example, you cannot re-arrange your whole week and complete Monday’s work on Friday. However, you can plan to complete work more quickly and complete some early. This supports staff in providing timely feedback to all students as they will know when to expect work to be submitted.
As always, if you have any queries regarding the work, be sure to email your subject teachers. If you have any general queries or concerns, contact Mr Forden or Ms Dean.
In response to the lockdown, Catch22 have produced a video aimed directly at children and young people, given that we know they will be spending many hours a day on their devices and they are coming into contact with fewer adults who might otherwise have the opportunity to help safeguard them. You will see that the messages are in the form of abbreviations and emojis which will be familiar to many young people but perhaps less so to parents and professionals. For this reason we are including the emoji dictionary for parents which may help families to spot concerns with online communication and messaging.
Catch 22 are the Staffordshire commissioned service for supporting children and young people with unhealthy relationships, supporting victims of child sexual exploitation and children who are missing from home.
Referral options for this service - you can refer yourself, you can refer a family member or friend, you can contact school to support with a referral.
Contact Details:
Telephone: 01782 237106
Email: [email protected]
Website: knowaboutcse.co.uk/
https://www.catch-22.org.uk/services/stoke-staffordshire-cse-missing/
Whilst the LRC is closed at the moment, there are lots of free resources out there for you to access to keep up with your reading. Staffordshire Libraries offer lots of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers and they're all free to access. All you need to do is register as member. Details can be found here:
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Libraries/Library-services/eLibrary/eLibrary.aspx?platform=hootsuite
It is important that students keep reading whilst we're off school, not only does it help with your mental health, but it also improves your memory, concentration and empathy.
If you're not sure what to read or listen to, have a look at the LRC's padlet of resources to help during lockdown to help you. Or email Mrs Collier, the LRC Manager on [email protected], if you need help finding your next read.
Mrs Collier - Jane Collier
Phone: 01283247800
[email protected]
Just a reminder to our Year 7 students that they should continue to read and quiz, where possible, whilst we are off school.
We've had phenomenal success with Accelerated Reader this year, a huge well done to all of our Year 7 students who've read and quizzed much more than any other Year 7 group in the four years we've been running the scheme. A record breaking 29 word millionaires and still four weeks of term left for others to join this notable group.
Following a number of queries from Year 7s, to quiz from home please go to the LRC page of the school website:
Accelerated Reader is in the middle of that page. You will need your login for Accelerated Reader, which should be written in your planner.
If you have any difficulties logging in or have forgotten your username and password, then please email Mrs Collier on [email protected].
Keeping reading and setting records Year 7! A fantastic effort so far.
Mrs Collier - Mrs Jane Collier
Phone: 07800945358
[email protected]
Can you rise to the #247 challenge? Can you write a 24 word story starting with "One day ..."? Write or video your story and share your writing on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #247 Challenge. Tag three friends.
Interested? Then find out more here:
Mrs Collier - John Taylor High School
Phone: 01283247800
[email protected]
For all existing Music Tuition students, and anyone who would like to learn an instrument, please complete this electronic form as soon as possible. Please note: the usual paper versions will no longer be used.