The following students celebrated their achievements with Mr Blanchenot this week, congratulations to them all!

This week at Hot Chocolate with the Head, Mr Blanchenot was joined by Jessica, Alice, Emily, Elsie, Noah, Maisie, Jude, Mollie, Evie, William and Jasmine. This group of students had been nominated by Mrs Berry for their first leadership opportunity as Sporting Young Ambassador for helping with a recent event.

The event was the Bhangra Dance workshop which saw over 200 pupils from our partnering primary schools attend a session at JTHS to learn some new routines and dance moves. It was the job of the Sporting Young Ambassadors to do the meet & greet, direct the pupils to their session, and be on hand to help with the dance routines. Well done to you all, you all showed true leadership qualities throughout the sessions and represented the school wonderfully. The Sporting Young Ambassador’s shared with the group that since the Bhangra Event they have also helped at the Athletics Festival and at Open Evening. They are looking forward to the upcoming Community Afternoon Tea where they will be welcoming local elderly residents to the school for an afternoon of tea, cake & fun!

Mrs Berry said, ‘I have nominated these students as they all showed willingness and lots of enthusiasm during their first event as ambassadors. They displayed the core values of kindness as well as promoting our one vision of one community.’

Mr Blanchenot was really proud for how these students conducted themselves during the workshop and was really pleased that the pupils had interacted and shown our core values throughout. We hope you all enjoyed indulging in a hot chocolate and goodies this morning, they were very much deserved!

To read more about the Bhangra Dance Workshop, click here.

Dear Parents / Carers

JTMAT is continually trying to improve provision for all pupils in all its schools and, to support this, the views of all stakeholders are obviously vitally important, giving both the Trust and John Taylor High School useful information which we can use to inform our strategy and benefit all our pupils.

We would be grateful if you could take the time to complete this questionnaire https://survey.gl-assessment.co.uk/s/UVJVVE/  by Friday 22nd November.

Thank you in advance for your support with this request.

Kind regards,

Mr J Blanchenot

We have teamed up with Illustrator Raj Dhunna to bring to you an exciting opportunity in how we can explore being creative in new ways.  Using artwork to convey a message or idea.

 

Step 1: look at the work of Raj Dhunna and explore how he uses colour, shape and pattern in his work. Look at the layout of his work: consider the detail in the background as well as the main figures/detail in the pieces.

Step 2: look at the JTMAT values 

Choose one of the values to design for. Read the explanations of the values and look at the visual inspiration on the page. You could also find your own inspiration for the words associated with the values.

Step 3: decide on the materials and style of artwork you wish to use and plan your design. Sketching plans and testing materials will help you to decide what will work best.

Step 4: create your piece showing your very best quality of work and effort

Step 5: submit your work to your art teacher

15 secondary finalist to be selected.

We will be judging on:

-ideas

-how you communicated your chosen value

-quality of artwork

 

The finalists will be invited to Chase Terrace academy where they will be part of the exclusive meet the illustrator meet and greet event and workshop. This will be planned for some time in March, support with transport may be available.

During this event Raj Dhunna will announce the overall winners and runners up and prizes will be awarded, to the top 3 primary and secondary entries.

You must submit your finished piece to your art teacher by 17th December. We will then be in touch with finalists for the event and confirm details of date and times.

Lunchtime and After School Extra-Curricular Clubs & Activities

New for 2024! As part of our continued development at John Taylor High School, we have introduced EVOLVE Clubs which is a system to manage all extra-curricular activities.

How to access EVOLVE Clubs: All parents will shortly be receiving log-in details soon from Evolve.

The system is personal to each pupil and will only show clubs relevant to your child. You will be able book clubs, amend bookings, monitor attendance and receive club specific information.

We are immensely proud of the wealth of opportunities we offer to our pupils beyond their timetabled lessons and believe that attending an extra-curricular activity has many benefits. All pupils are welcome and our clubs aim to complement classroom learning and support our pupils’ current interests. Pupils will also be able to meet new friends and enhance their social skills, improve their confidence and communication skills, achieve academic potential and personal excellence, and perhaps explore new opportunities that could be beneficial for future pathways.

Here are some of our clubs you will find available to book. (Please note: This list is not exhaustive and subject to change)

• Football, Rugby, Netball, Badminton, Dance
• Midi medics
• Choir
• Accelerated Reader & The Book Club
• Art Club
• Minecraft Education Club
• Duolingo
• JT Strings
• History, DT, Business & Economics, Maths, Psychology
• Open Kitchen
• Back to the 80s band
• Darts 
• Forensic Science
• Duke of Edinburgh

We hope parents will encourage their child to engage consistently with the opportunities available on our extensive programme of extra-curricular activities.

On Thursday 5^th December we will be holding Year 12 Parents’ Evening. This will take place online, with all appointments taking place via video call. We will be using an electronic system called ‘SchoolCloud’

Appointments will be set at 6 minutes and will finish when this time has elapsed. This will sit in a time slot of 7 minutes which is designed to allow teachers to quickly prepare for their next appointment. If you feel that you need a longer discussion with either the sixth form team or a subject teacher, this should be arranged by contacting school directly. The 6-minute slot will give enough time for a brief discussion around progress for all subjects. Video calls will automatically end at 6 minutes, this is part of the system and please do not think that the teacher has ended it abruptly if this happens, they have no control over this. Please ensure that you have logged in at least 10 minutes prior to your first appointment to take into account the time required to check sound and your camera. You will also need to ensure that you have a good broadband strength and Wi-Fi connection to avoid any technical issues.

Please use the e-mail address that you have provided to school, otherwise the system will not recognise you when you login. Instructions on how to use the system are included on the following links:

Parent guide to booking appointments

Parent guide to video appointments

The system will be open for parental bookings on Friday 15^th November at 7pm and close on Tuesday 3^rd December at 8pm.

Whilst we do not envisage you having any problems making appointments, if you do experience difficulties, please contact the sixth form team on the following email [email protected].

Yours sincerely 

Mr Rostron

Head of Year

We took our U16 & U14 netball teams over to Denstone on Thursday 14th November for their county netball tournament. There were 9 teams in total for the U16 and were split in to 2 pools. Our U16 had an amazing start, winning all 3 of their first games which included Denstone, Newcastle Under Lyme school & Madeley academy. The fourth game was against Painsley. It was a close game, going goal for goal. Both teams were excellent and put on an a fantastic netball display. It was a very dramatic end to the game, Painsley took possession of the ball, put up their shot just as the bell and whistle went which meant we lost our final game 12-11. We were convinced that we made it through, but unfortunately, there us, Painsley & Newcastle on the same points and we jsut missed out on goal difference. To say the team were shocked was an understatement. However, the students put an incredible effort in, played some amazing netball and had a great afternoon. We finished 6th overall in the county! Well done to Orla, Millie, Connie, Connie, Liv, Liv, Georgia, Manon, Bella. 

Huge well done to our Year 9s who placed 5th in the county, they fought hard to the end and put an amazing effort in. Well done to Emelia, Emily, Lily, Immy, Issy, Jess, Lily, Matty, Lillie. 

On Tuesday 12th November, we went to Fenton Manor to play in an indoor cricket competition. There were 2 pools of school and John Taylor were put in pool A. We played 3 games in our group, and won 2 against Discovery academy and Blythe Bridge but lost against Painsley. Despite the loss, we still progressed through to the semi final as the runners up. Our semi final game was against Sir Thomas Boughey Academy and we lost the toss to field first. The students set a great score for them to chase but unforunately we lost the game which meant we did not progress through to the final. All students involved were fantastic and really enjoyed their first experience of school cricket. A huge well done to Scarlett, Evie, Mollie, Emelia, Annie, Daisy, Sadie & Lucy. A big thank you to Chloe who supported and coached the team. 

We are delighted to share the details for our upcoming Christmas Concert in the main school hall, on Thursday 19th December, 6pm-8pm.

Tickets are available on Parentpay, or at Reception for those who do not have a Parentpay account/not associated directly with the school.

Please note: if you purchase your ticket on Parentpay you won't receive a physical ticket. All you will be required to do is provide your name when you arrive on the evening.

We still have some spaces for our upcoming Community Afternoon Tea where we welcome local elderly residents to enjoy an afternoon at the school. If you know anyone who would benefit from this, please see the details below.

Mrs Berry and the Sporting Young Ambassadors have been busy organising the second Primary Athletics Festival of the term. On Thursday 21^st Thomas Russell Infant School Year 2 pupils joined the JTHS students in the Sports Hall for an afternoon of fun, friendly competition and sporting skill.

As well as promoting the importance of exercise to the primary pupils through the different stations, Mrs Berry also focussed on healthy eating. She was delighted when the Co-op in Barton-Under-Needwood said they wanted to get involved and donate a piece of fruit for each child.

During the session, the primary pupils were put in groups named after different fruits and were full of energy showing teamwork, communication and respect throughout. Our Sporting Young Ambassadors helped set up the activities, welcomed the groups, led the warm-ups, refereed races and were a friendly face for the primary school pupils. Well done to you all, it was lovely to see your interactions with the younger pupils!

Mrs Berry said ‘we’ve had another great Athletics Festival made successful by our Sporting Young Ambassadors, the primary school pupils, their teachers and the wonderful staff at the local shop for their fruit donations. Thank you to all those involved. We are so proud of our ‘one community’ ethos and events like this really encompass that!’

We are delighted to announce that the donations for Anti-Bullying Week have been counted and totalled at over £200. Thank you everyone for your generosity.

The funds will be given to the Anti-Bullying Alliance who help teachers and professionals working with young people to tackle bullying, develop support for parents on how to protect their child, influence and improve national policies on preventing bullying, continue to run campaigns to promote awareness.

Along with our Odd Socks Day, pupils made pledges within form time and wrote how they will show kindness and respect to everyone within our school community. It was great to see students so engaged in this activity and wonderful to see some of the lovely comments they wrote. See below! 

Pupils could also make a donation by sending in a photo of their ‘pets in odd socks’ – we've had a mixture of dogs, cats a rabbit and even a horse. We loved looking through all the entries, it can't have been an easy task! Congratulations to Brodie (Y8) and MJ (Y12) who were the chosen winners for their boxer dog entry! 

Thank you to everyone who took part. For more information about student support at John Taylor, please visit these links.

• Lower School: Student Support - Lower School - John Taylor High School
• Upper School: Student Support - Upper School - John Taylor High School
• Sixth Form: Student Support - Sixth Form - John Taylor High School
• Safeguarding: Safeguarding - John Taylor High School

Mme Roe wanted to give a special mention to those pupils who took part in the GCHQ  National Language Competition on Wednesday 20th with Y9 students, who took on a number of online language challenges. The National Language Competition (NLC) is a virtual competition where teams from around the UK compete against each other to solve language-based puzzles and score points.

Mme Roe said 'All students involved actively took part as they worked in teams to create solutions, translating information from Chinese to Spanish to Welsh. It is great to hear them expanding their cultural knowledge and language skills. Their resilience & perseverance was commendable. Well done to; Alexandra, Laura, Arthur, Isabella, Isaac, Juppnie, Suhavi, Alex, Jess, Ilori, Oliver, Dan, Enfys, Emelia, Mia-Ann, Lillie-Mae, Oliver, William, Wilfred,Reece, Adiel and Ollie. I am really proud of you all and on a personal level it was really rewarding to be part of it.' 

Due to the popularity of the recent Indian inspired menu at Diwali, our canteen team have decided to produce a different menu each half-term for the pupils to enjoy.

This week was a Chinese inspired menu and included a delicious selection of mouth-watering food for pupils at lunchtime. The canteens had been traditionally decorated to showcase the Chinese culture and the menu included Chicken or Vegetable Chow Mein, Chicken Fried Rice, Sweetcorn, Prawn Crackers and ice-cream to finish.

It was thumbs up all round from the pupils!

On Wednesday 20^th November, Mrs Berry was joined by Ben Webster (Sport, Community & Inclusion Manager) from Burton Albion Community Trust.

The Burton Albion Community Trust have been helping and supporting the community through projects and programmes for the last 10 years. Ben delivered a fantastic presentation to the Y12 PE students and focussed on Sports Coaching Development and Sports Business and Management programmes.

The feedback from the students was great and some said they felt inspired to pursue a programme with the Trust for post 18. Ben explained how the programmes are delivered in partnership with colleges & universities and how the programmes are designed to combine practical and theory to increase students' own sporting performance and increase their knowledge of the wider sporting industry.

To find out more about this, please visit Football & Education | Burton Albion Community Trust or speak to Mrs Berry SSCO or Mrs Ball CEIAG.

Dear Parents/Carers,

From immediate effect, we'd like to make you aware that there will be no school crossing patrol on Main Street/Dunstall Rd on a Monday or Friday. To aid the school with this, can you please be mindful when collecting and dropping off your children to avoid creating congestion. We also ask that you make your child aware that they should take care and caution when crossing, as this situation will continue until Staffordshire County Council can recruit someone to take the role.

If you are interested or know someone who would be interested in the role (Monday & Friday) please contact Caroline Pegg on 07773 791 502 or go on to the Staffordshire County Councils website and view the school crossing patrol vacancies.

We have had a message from Barton Parish Council informing us that Collinson Park is currently out of bounds and will remain so for the next couple of weeks. This is to complete some land drainage works and therefore the park is not safe for visitors. There is signage in place and appropriate safety tape.

Students should not visit the park until this work is completed.

Best of Burton are a new voluntary group who are bringing events to the local area that provide opportunities for:

• The community to come together
• Local people to have positive events to look forward to
• Local businesses and groups working in the area to promote their products and services
• Attract new people into the area to help build local economy

 They will be running a Christmas Market on Sunday 8 December which will include:

FREE Santa’s Grotto – This will hopefully help families to enjoy festive magical moments which the costs of these can sometimes be significant placing the out of reach given the current cost of living

FREE Facepainting | Food Stalls | Bar | Hot drinks | Craft and Small Business Stalls

Performances from: A Storytelling Ballerina ( think Nutcracker), Laura Pyatt Performing Arts, Derby Hospitals Band, Student performances from local high schools

Please see the flyer below for details of the John Taylor MAT Exceptional Achievement Award. The deadline for nominations for this term's awards is Friday 29th November.

Please make yourself familiar with our School Calendar which includes key dates of Events, Parents Evenings, Trips, Reports, Exams, Holidays & Inset Days 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CALENDAR