Castle Hill Castle Hill Blog, 15.07.2022
Extreme heat warning
Current weather forecasts predict that temperatures will be in excess of 30oC on Sunday 17th, Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th July. Following government guidance, we have put the following plan in place:
- To make it easier for students to wear the recommended loose, light-coloured clothing to keep cool, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be non-uniform days. Please encourage your child to dress for the weather and to leave coats, hoodies etc at home. Hats with wide brims are also recommended to avoid sunburn.
- There will be no outdoor PE lessons on Monday or Tuesday and Tuesday's planned sports day for Years 9 and 10 has been cancelled.
- Indoor spaces will be available for students to relax in at break and lunchtime.
- Students will be encouraged to drink plenty of fluids. We have water dispensers in most classrooms and many students bring in their own bottles of water or juice.
- The Year 7 trip to Gulliver's World on Tuesday has been cancelled as the journey to and from the theme park would be unpleasant and most of the day would have been spent outdoors. Payments will of course be refunded for this.
- As things stand, the Year 9 cinema trip on Monday morning will go ahead, as the cinema is air-conditioned and this is only a short journey. However we'll keep this decision under review and let parents know of any change of plan.
- At the moment Wednesday's forecast is for cooler weather, so we are not currently making any changes to Rewards Morning activities. We will keep you updated if this situation changes.
Government guidance on keeping safe in extreme heat can be found here: Beat the heat
Uniform for September
Many of you will be buying new school uniform over the summer break and a full list fo Castle Hill's uniform can be found here:
We've purposely opted for a non-branded uniform. Sweatshirts and jumpers do not have to show the school logo and all items can be bought relatively cheaply from high street shops and supermarkets.
If your child outgrows uniform that is in good condition and could be re-used, please consider donating it to school. This stock of uniform is available to families who may be struggling to buy items new.
Library Books
Please have a hunt at home for any school library books that your child may have out on loan and return them to school before the end of term.
Do encourage your child to keep reading regularly over the summer holiday though. Why not try the Summer Reading Bingo challenge below, it's great for readers of all ages.
Sports Day
Fortunately the weather wasn't too hot for our Key Stage 3 Sports Day on Wednesday and everyone had a great time. Some of our older students, who are sports leaders, helped to run the carousel of activities.
Goodbyes
The end of the school year is always tinged with a little sadness, as we say goodbye to staff members. This year the following colleagues are moving on:
- Two of our teaching assistants, Mr Whitwell and Mr Baker are leaving to undertake teacher training courses.
- Miss Green began her teaching career with us three years ago and is moving to a teaching job in Dubai!
- After 14 year with us, Mrs Davenport is moving to become assistant SENCO at a school in north Manchester.
- Miss Sellars and Mrs Williams are both retiring from their teaching assistant roles, after many years with us.
- Mrs Chew from the school office, who all of you will no doubt have spoken with at some point, is also retiring.
They will all be greatly missed by students and staff alike and we wish them all the very best of luck in the future.
Enjoy the weekend and try to keep cool!
