News updates
Children in Need
The annual Children in Need appeal is scheduled for Friday, 19th November. The College is involved in fund raising for this charity and there will be a range of activities taking place on that day to support this very worthy appeal.
Christmas Hampers
The annual Christmas Hamper appeal for the elderly in Wigston will be taking place in December.
Please support your son/daughter by encouraging them to bring tinned and packet foods in to College as they prepare their hampers for this traditional appeal.
Year 9 Able and More Able
The Year 9 Able and More Able Enhancement Programme 2010-2011 has been launched. Thirty Gifted and Talented pupils from our three feeder High Schools join Janice Thompson, Sally Cox, a group of Year 13 students and other colleagues on Wednesday evenings to participate in a range of enhancement activities in Geography, Media, Drama, Food Technology, Music, Science and so on. This will culminate in a two day experience in June.
The Change School Programme
As part of the programme for the Governments Flagship Creative Partnerships we are considering ways to engage parents and the community in the work of the College especially LEARNING.
Ideas include Book on a bike, a Community Film Club, Family Learning and outdoor pursuits. We would welcome further ideas of how we can engage you and our community in this programme. Please contact Sally Cox on 0116 2881611 if you have any suggestions of activities you wish to see put on as part of the opportunity.
E-safety
Please be vigilant when your son/daughter is using electronic devices. E-safety is of great importance and the Government are having a drive to raise parents/carers awareness of the dangers involved in the use of electronic equipment.
The Wigston Arts Federation Festival
Following the huge success of the Wigston Arts Federation Festival at the end of the Summer Term 2010, we are delighted to announce the second festival. This involves all Primary, High Schools and Guthlaxton College hosting a Festival of Arts from Monday, 20th June to Friday, 15th July 2011.
It promises to be two weeks of activity across the art forms with a Literacy Showcase, Art and Photography exhibitions, Bye Bye Blues and lots of other events.
Any suggestions to add to the programme please contact Lisa Robinson or Sally Cox at the College.
Wigston Extended Services – Wider Opportunities Grant
There is a new Opportunity Grant in College funded by the government to enable young people who wish to take part in activities during and after College both with College or their local community.
The grant is for this year only and is available to the parents of students who are eligible to receive free school meals, or are in the care of the LA.
Please contact Eileen Simons (Administrator) or Sally Cox at the College if you have any queries relating to this grant.
Morrisons Vouchers
Morrisons stores are issuing vouchers for schools with every £10.00 spent. We are collecting these at the College and would appreciate you donating any unwanted vouchers to support us in developing our sustainable garden area.
Opportunities Evening
The Opportunities Evening on Wednesday, 6th October 2010 was an outstanding success. The College was buzzing with activities and we were delighted to welcome many prospective parents and students in addition to High School teachers who supported the occasion. It was also a pleasure to see and speak with current parents and many current students and to experience the role of College ambassadors.
Our thanks to those parents who completed the evaluation of the evening. If any other parents wish to participate please contact Sally Cox on 0116 2881611. I will summarise the feedback in the December Newsletter.
Prospectus 2011/12
The 2011/12 College Prospectus and Sixth Form Prospectus are available from the College. Please contact the Administration Office.
Road Awareness
There have been a number of issues regarding road awareness involving a small minority of students. However, it is timely with the clock falling back and the dark mornings and evenings approaching to remind all students and parents of the dangers of the roads.
Please support the College in reinforcing safe use of pavements and roads as our young people arrive and leave the College. There are pedestrian lights outside the College which should be used when crossing the road, and the pavements are for the use of pedestrians not the roads.
Many thanks for your anticipated support.
Safeguarding Training
All the members of the teaching staff received Safeguarding training on Tuesday 12th October. This is essential in fulfilling our role as a College in protecting our young people from harm. Associate staff will receive their training on Wednesday 5th January.
Any issues of Child Protection and Safeguarding should be addressed to Sally Cox or Natasha Davies who are the Designated Teachers for the College.
Sex and Relationships Education Developments
The college has been working closely with the Primary and High Schools in the Wigston Family to co-ordinate a Key Stage 1-5 SRE programme. This programme is essential if we are to work together to protect our young people and make them aware of relationships.
We are delighted to have worked with the Local Authority to have contributed to the reduction of teenage pregnancy in Leicestershire where there has been a fall of 12.9% since 1998. This is excellent news, however, there is an ongoing challenge as there are a number of underlying factors that increase the risk of teenage pregnancy – poverty, low educational attainment, poor attendance at school/college and non-participation in Post 16 learning. In a recent sample of Leicestershire young mothers 7 out of 10 had attendance issues in school/college.
We must work together to ensure a secure future for our young people that enables them to make appropriate decisions and increase their life chances.
Rotary Club
I am delighted that we are forging strong links with our two local Rotary Clubs.
The Rotary Club of Blaby has been working closely with the Creative Consultants to develop a Wigston Family of Schools Scholarship Award. This development has moved along quickly and it will be announced at an Acoustic Evening on Tuesday, 7th December 2010.
It is an exciting initiative which will offer the successful applicant an opportunity to fulfil an ambition of a lifetime.
In addition as a Family of Schools we are linking with the Wigston Rotarians to help to develop and support an area of woodland along Welford Road. This woodland will be a legacy which acknowledges the history of Willy of Wigston.
Wigston Extended Services Pupil Council Conference
The Wigston Extended Services will host its second Pupil Council Conference on Tuesday, 16th November at Leicester Race Course.
The aim of the conference is to raise aspirations and the theme is “To Reach for the Stars.” It promises to be an action packed day led by the Creative Consultants and attended by almost 200 pupils from the Family of Schools.
Watch this space in the next newsletter for any stories that may emerge from the event.
Creative Consultants
The Guthlaxton College Creative Consultants are in the third year of their development. It is a group of students who have grown from strength to strength and has given individual students the opportunity to grow and develop as initiators and leaders.
The group have been involved in:
- leading local, regional and national conferences;
- developing the College values;
- working with Governors, teachers, The Mighty Creatives (TMC), the Curve and others;
- developing resources and leading student activities such as the Creativity Day and the Curve residency;
- internships at TMC;
- working with charities and developing student-led activities;
- creating a wealth of student involvement resulting in developing Student Voice within and beyond the College.
I have been privileged to work with such a dedicated and committed group of students and I have been delighted by their contribution to the life of Guthlaxton College.
The group include Anna Page, Autumn Anderson, Charlotte Court, Ifrah Malik, Daniel Probert, Maariyah Seedat, Michelle Small, Katie Peters, Jack Vardy, Charlotte Voss, Catherine French, Amy Woodford and Lia Jones,
Tell Us Bus
One of the Creative Consultants Lia Jones (11WME) has been involved with TMC throughout the summer working with young people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Her work was acknowledged on Tuesday, 4th October when she visited Queen Elizabeth School, Gainsborough to make a presentation to a group of civil servants from Whitehall. Our congratulations to Lia and thanks for her support of others.
Christmas Carol Service
We are delighted that the College, in partnership with all Saints Church, will be holding a Carol Service on Friday, 17th December at 2.00pm.
It promises to be a poignant culmination of our celebration of Christmas.
Published on Monday 8th November 2010 at 09:00