Oadby & Wigston Young Citizen of the Year 2011

We were delighted that Jack Vardy (13GSL) was nominated joint second in the recent Oadby & Wigston Young Citizen of the Year Award organised by the Directorate of Community Services.

It is a testament to his long-standing service for the voice of young people in our borough. Jack has consistently given of his time and commitment to helping others gain a voice in the community.

Our congratulations go to Jack upon his nomination and achieving runner up status. In addition on behalf of his contemporaries we would like to thank him for his hard work, support and dedication towards raising student voice.

Christmas Card Collection

Once again we are supporting the Woodland Trust in being a collection point for recycling used Christmas and other greetings cards. This encourages us to think about our green footprint as we support an environmentally friendly charity.

Please send in any unwanted cards and we will forward them through Leicestershire County Council.

Guthlaxton Arts

A review of the Arts activities throughout the Autumn term has been outlined in the first edition of Arts Update which will shortly be published. It will be available on the website and hard copies can be obtained from the College upon request.

Women’s Aid

We were delighted on Wednesday, 5th January 2011 to be joined on our Training Day by colleagues from a range of supporting outside agencies and charities.

One charity in particular “Women’s Aid” who give us huge support across the year, gave a very moving presentation and workshop to colleagues.

In support of this charity we have offered to collect donations of new toiletries (such as any unwanted Christmas gifts) and any women’s and children’s clothing.

If you wish to donate any of these items to support this charity please could you bring the items to the College reception and we will ensure that these are forwarded to Women’s Aid.

E-Safety

The Christmas and New Year period witnessed a huge sale of electronic items particularly amongst the 12-19 age range. As parents please make sure you are e-safety aware to support our young people and help them avoid e-dangers.

You can help your child by exploring the following websites which are particularly parent friendly:

www.ceop.gov.uk
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.getnetwise.org

We must protect our children from this growing danger.

The Change School Programme

We are delighted that the partnership developed with the Curve Theatre, Leicester last year is being maintained as we enter the third year of the Creative Partnerships Change School Programme.

The strong links which emerged with the Learning Curve programme are being built upon as we prepare for a community based arts project alongside other upper schools in the authority.

The plans are exciting and we look forward to supporting the Wigston Learning Community and nurturing our relationships with The Mighty Creatives, the Curve and other creative practitioners.

We will continue to update you with news.

Wider Opportunity Funding

I am delighted to report that I have received a large number of applications for the Wider Opportunities Funding which has been made available by the government.

The students who are eligible for the grant have benefitted by gaining monies towards trips and residentials, study support materials, food technology, art and design materials, theatre visits, judo club fees, Air Cadets training, boxing club events and many more.

Letters have been forwarded to appropriate parents and carers. Please access these funds for your child, they deserve the opportunity.

The Wigston Arts Federation Festival

The continuing outstanding work of Performing Arts across the Wigston Family of Schools will be highlighted once again in 2011 with The Wigston Arts Federation Festival. This is scheduled for 20th June – 15th July 2011 and will be a pot pourri of literature, media, performing and visual arts. It promises to be an exciting four weeks of activity which is a celebration of the success of our students across the borough.

Arts Partnerships

I wrote in the last newsletter of the extent of our Arts partnerships. These continue to blossom and grow and I am delighted to welcome Speakeasy Theatre Company who launch their Youth Theatre for Young People with Learning Disabilities at the College during February half term.

This is an excellent project in which the College is working in partnership to deliver quality opportunities to secure both inclusion and community cohesion. This opportunity is being offered following a successful application for funding. Let’s hope these opportunities continue to flourish during these austere times.

Year 9 High School Liaison

The Year 9 High School liaison programme is well underway as the Spring term arrives.

There is a host of activity to support Year 9 pupils, parents and their High School teachers plan and prepare for Key Stage 4 transfer.

Admission forms, option forms and curriculum information has been circulated to support the Year 9 Parent Information Evening held at Guthlaxton College on Thursday, 13th January.

Throughout the week commencing Monday, 17th January every pupil in Year 9 in our three feeder High Schools will be interviewed to help guide and support as the young people make their Key Stage 4 choice of pathways.

In addition colleagues have been speaking in Year 9 assemblies and they will be present at the various parent evenings across the High Schools.

Where there are concerns and issues the College is only a telephone call or an email away to contact to seek further help and advice. Please accept that offer if you have any doubts or need clarification.

Telephone number 0116 2881611
Email guth@guth.org.uk
Website www.guth.org.uk.

We look forward to working with you in partnership to secure positive outcomes for your child as they make the transition from Key Stage 3 to 4.

Guthlaxton College Family of Schools Scholarship “Platform”

“County Hall invaded by an ugly, badly dressed student rabble. God help us if this is our future.” – Keith Mitchell, conservative leader of the local authority in Oxford.

......This has been the unfortunate take on some students following recent protests against tuition fees.

Young people from across Leicestershire are taking their own action by organising and performing in their own events over the next academic year to raise money to fund a scholarship for a school leaver or group of school leavers at the end of July 2011.

The Guthlaxton College Family of Schools Scholarship is supported by the Rotary Club of Blaby and the Leicester based arts company “Citizen598” who will provide a scholarship for an outstanding individual or group during the academic year 2011/12.

This person or group may excel in one particular area of study or be looking for an opportunity to further develop their skills, attributes and talents, whether this be in the form of helping towards the cost of a course or through paying for travel or equipment – it really depends on the individual or group!

The Guthlaxton College Family of Schools Scholarship has its inaugural event on Thursday, 17th February at Guthlaxton College from 7.00pm. The tickets are available at a cost of £3 for the acoustic event which will star the much acclaimed “Islanders” and other performing music acts from students aged 16-19 from across the county. The event is being organised by students and this unique approach is a testament to the creativity and commitment of young people determined to make a difference for themselves and their community.

We hope you can join us for this event. Tickets are available from the Administration Office during College opening times.

Leicester Mercury’s Apprenticeship Challenge

We were delighted to be in the forefront of the government’s apprenticeship scheme with Vikki Thornewell who has been working at the College since September through our partnership with Leicester College.

Vikki, a previous student at the College, was successful in gaining an apprenticeship place to study NVQ level two in business and administration at Leicester College and a work experience placement in administration at Guthlaxton.

She works full time helping to keep the College running smoothly for our teaching and associate staff and students.

She commented to the Leicester Mercury that: "I knew I didn't want to go to university so I looked at courses at the College and business and administration really caught my eye. I also really liked the idea of learning on the job so when the apprenticeship came up, I thought it was a great opportunity. It means you really get to know what the job's all about and if you enjoy it, you can pursue it further. I would definitely recommend it to others. I'm here full-time and I love it."

She is supported on the apprenticeship by a tutor from the College and a range of colleagues including Jane Walker who is the human resources assistant at Guthlaxton. Jane was also interviewed by the Leicester Mercury and she stated: "It's great to see someone such as Vikki benefiting from this partnership but, equally, we also get a lot out of it. She's keen and enthusiastic and an extra pair of hands in the office. That's why I would recommend that other employers consider taking on an apprentice."

The apprenticeship scheme is a wonderful opportunity – we hope others will take Vikki’s lead.

Christmas Hampers – A Thank You Shared

It has been lovely to receive thank you letters and cards from the elderly citizens who benefitted from our Christmas Hamper appeal.

Only this morning a letter arrived at the College from the trustees of Age Concern Oadby & Wigston saying a big thank you to students, staff and parents of the College for the outstanding hamper donations.

We are already counting down towards next year’s appeal.

Sally Cox
Deputy Principal

Published on Tuesday 18th January 2011 at 09:00