27th January 2025 | Head of School Letter
We’re now at the midpoint of this half-term with three weeks completed and three weeks to go until February half-term.
There’s a building work update meeting in the diary this week, where we’re hopeful that we’ll be given a confirmed date for us to ‘get the keys’. Things are starting to take shape in the Sixth Form study café with the fridges being turned on and students’ fingerprinting for the cashless till completed.
Last week was a busy one for in-school events, with the Year 9 Options evening on Tuesday in the hall and the Peru Camps International Trip Information evening and the Stargazing evening taking place on Wednesday. We couldn’t put on any of these evening events without the support of our wonderful Site Team who ensure that the spaces are set up to accommodate everyone. This week they have set and reset the main hall twice, putting up and taking down exam desks for the Year 11 mocks to accommodate seats for the Peru talk and Options evening. Thank you Site Team!
It was wonderful to welcome over one hundred families to the Options evening where they learnt about the KS4 Options process and how to support their child with the decision-making process. The audience included a beautiful six-day-old baby boy who slept all the way through the talk. Congratulations to his family on his arrival; the mums that were part of the teacher presenting team, were super impressed that his mum attended the event!
As a reminder, if you are a parent/carer of a student in Year 9 and couldn’t attend, there is lots of information on the school website about the process: KS4 Options including an FAQ section. For subject specific queries, please get in touch with your child’s subject teacher, or the Curriculum Leader. Alternatively, email options@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk
Assemblies
This week, assemblies will reflect on Holocaust Memorial Day and will be led by Mrs. Redman, one of our Ethics and Philosophy teachers. Today is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. On 27th January 1945, Soviet troops liberated the camp, finding thousands of emaciated survivors. Over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered at Auschwitz.
The largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps, Auschwitz opened in 1940, initially serving as a detention centre for political prisoners. However, it evolved into a network of camps where Jewish people and other perceived enemies of the Nazi state were murdered, often in gas chambers, or used as slave labour. This anniversary serves as a solemn reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of remembering the victims and fighting against hatred, prejudice, and genocide.
Stargazing Evening
Thank you very much to Mrs Moore for organising an incredible evening of watching the night sky. The evening was led by UK Astronomy and included a talk about the night sky, followed by an opportunity for students to observe the stars through telescopes. The date/time of the event meant it coincided with a rare planetary alignment, making it a particularly special evening for stargazing. When the skies cleared, everyone saw several planets, including Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. The planetary alignment or planet parade will continue into February, with some of the planets being visible to the naked eye so if you missed the event last week, you can still see the planets on a clear night for the next few weeks. The best time to see the planetary parade in January is during the first couple of hours after the Sun goes down, with Saturn and Venus appearing close to each other in the southwest, Jupiter high overhead and Mars in the east.
Students Leaving Site
A small number of students have been leaving the school site after the school day to visit the shop and then return to catch the late bus or attend a study intervention. While we understand the desire for some independence, we kindly request that parents speak with their children about remaining on school grounds if they are waiting for the late bus or attending a sports club. A member of staff is on duty on the coach park until the late bus departs, making it the safest and most appropriate environment to wait. Some students have attempted to leave the site in the morning to visit the shop once they have arrived on one of the earlier buses. This is not permitted and the member of staff on duty on the front gate will ask them to turn around and remain on the school site until registration at 8:30am.
ASTRA Trainee Teacher visit
On Tuesday, we will be hosting 45 trainee teachers from the ASTRA SCITT who are currently training to become primary and secondary teachers via a variety of different routes. To find out more about training to become a teacher click here: Astra SCITT. Thanks goes to the team at Wing Sports and Social Club for generously allowing our visitors to use their car park on the day.
Sports Fixtures and Results
Here are the results from last week:
Monday: The Year 8 footballers faced a tough challenge away at Royal Latin, unfortunately falling to a 6-2 defeat. Despite the scoreline, Eden put in a fantastic performance and was named Player of the Match. Our Under 13 and Under 15 badminton teams hosted Royal Latin, with both teams experiencing tough matches but ultimately conceding victories to their opponents.
Wednesday: The Year 9 boys football team played host to Royal Latin, but unfortunately couldn't find their rhythm and suffered a 5-0 loss. Sam showed great determination and was awarded Player of the Match for his efforts.
Thursday: The Year 7 footballers battled hard against Royal Latin in a closely contested match. Despite a valiant effort, they narrowly lost 6-5. Rex was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.
Next week the football teams from Year 7 to 11 are playing Waddesdon. Some matches are at home and some will be held at Waddesdon. Year 10 have a two match week, playing Waddesdon on Tuesday and Weydon School from Farnham on Friday. The U18 football team face Great Marlow away and the 6th form netball team play the Royal Latin away. Year 7 and 9 netballers are in action at home against Mandeville. Wishing all our teams the very best!
USA Ski Trip Parent Meeting
The meeting will be held on Wednesday in PA3 at 6pm, with Mr Curtis. Please park on the Coach Park. PA3 is located in the PA block, by the outside classrooms.
Year 12
Criminology students continue with the assessment that contributes to their final grade this week.
Year 11
Halfway through the mock period, and our invigilators have shared that they have been very impressed so far with the attitudes and resilience of our students. Well done Year 11, keep going!
Year 10
GCSE Art students will be undertaking a mock exam on Tuesday - good luck to them!
Year 9
Vaccinations are taking place on Thursday. Parents will have been contacted directly by the school nursing team regarding consent. No student will be vaccinated without parental consent.
Have a great week, and thank you as always for your support.
Best wishes, Louise Baldwin
Head of School