Dear parents and carers
It has been a positive week back following half term with some significant events to tell you about.
It has been an action-packed week in terms of developments with the renovation of our performing arts area starting during the holiday. This is in addition to the wonderful new studio that has already been built and will see a new eatery, seating area, toilets and changing rooms being built in the reconfigured space within the existing performing arts building. We hope this work will be finished in time for the new year and will certainly be a great addition to provide extra indoor dining and seating space- especially in time for the winter months!
Ground has also been broken on the project to build a FIFA standard artificial pitch during half term – this is a slightly longer project and will see work continuing into the spring months. These are both exciting developments and we will keep you updated as work progresses.
This week also saw the Sixth Form Open evening, which was very well attended. Special thanks to our head students who provided inspirational words to our audience, as one might expect they were a real credit to our community.
In the same breath, our ambassadors met on Wednesday to start planning their impact projects for the year. We have some amazing students with very creative and community minded projects that they want to deliver on this year. I did have some wonderful feedback from a member of staff who had spoken to one of the ambassadors during the course of Wednesday who said “it’s all about trying to make a difference and being a being the voice of the pupils so we can all work together to keep moving forward”. I am very proud of all the students involved and their careful though and consideration for how we make the school an even stronger community to be a part of!
They have some amazing ideas to move forward on, from a school donation bank, a wellbeing room, a Wollaston Festival of Culture to work on what makes lessons engaging, securing a geodome for Wollaston amongst many other exciting things. We will keep you updated as we progress through the year.
Arbor Migration
As you will be aware we have migrated to Arbor for all of our student-based data and this has progressed well over the first week. All parents should have received an email from Arbor asking you to finish creating your account which will grant you access to the platform to view your child’s attendance, behaviour record and progress. It will be our primary vehicle of communication, and it is important that all parents have a look in their junk email boxes if they have yet to receive the registration email. There is also an app that you can download via your usual app store- search Arbor parental app. The process appears to be very easy and once you click the link to https://wollaston-school.uk.arbor.sc/ and type in your email address as your username, click forgotten password and this will then allow you to reset your password and activate your account. Should you find that you have not received an email or that you have any issues please such as trouble setting up your password or have general questions about the Parent Portal, visit this Help Centre article. For any other queries, please contact Wollaston School on 01933 663501 or [email protected].
During the course of the next week, we will be setting up student accounts on Arbor and providing them with instructions on how to download the app and how to log in. Homework will continue to be set on Go4Schools next week and we are planning to then move to Arbor from Monday 18th November for the recording of homework.
Due to the change in system, we have also had to change our Parents’ Evening provider. This should not affect the efficacy of parents evening at all, however it will require you to use a different system for the evening itself. Mr Atherton, head of year 10 will be in contact shortly with parents and carers of children in Year 10 for the upcoming parents’ evening on Thursday 28th November.
As with any change of system, we hope for a smooth roll out but please do forgive us should there be any bumps in the road along the way!
Key Dates
Monday 11th November – remembrance service 1100
Tuesday 12th November – Character Development Day
Friday 15th November – Children in Need non uniform day
Tuesday 19th November – Holocaust Trip Parental Information Evening (sixth form centre) 1830-1930
Friday 22nd November and Monday 25th November Staff Professional Development Days (school is closed to all students)
Tuesday 26th November – Year 11 and 13 mocks commence
Best wishes for the week ahead.
Simon Anderson