Dear Families,
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in good health. Autumn is certainly upon us. As anticipated the temperatures have dropped, we’ve had more rain and both the mornings and evenings are becoming considerably darker. With that in mind, alongside safety and well-being, it is important that our students are prepared for the weather, checking the forecast before setting off and are taking care travelling to and from school. I have a couple of updates for you this week ahead of our Open Evening on Thursday 7th.
Open Evening
A reminder that our Open Evening takes place next week and that a number of students have volunteered to help out in a variety of roles. Your child may therefore have brought a permission slip home asking to help out. If you could sign and return these in good time please as it will help our teams plan provision for the evening. The Open Evenings are always a popular event and we expect this year’s to be no different. Any families looking for more information should look on our website here or contact school.
Phone lines
We have been experiencing some issues with our phone lines this week. Primarily this appears to have affected outgoing calls but we may have also missed some incoming calls. Please accept our apologies for this. Engineers have been working hard to remedy the issue and we are all hoping for a resumption of normal service before next week begins.
Lockdown Drill
We practiced our Lockdown Procedure this morning in form time. For many it will have been their first experience of this, hence us choosing a time when they were in familiar surroundings and with form tutors. The drill was successful and handled exceptionally well by students. We are mindful though that this can, on occasion, evoke an emotional response and we ask that you take this into consideration over the weekend if your child seems a little uneasy. This drills are necessary and do bring into focus some of the challenges we face as a society. Whilst the experience can leave us feeling vulnerable the knowledge that our students and staff are confident about what to do in an emergency situation provides solace and reassurance to us all. If you do have concerns, please contact your child’s Year Manager.
Parking
With the rain this week, traffic around the site has been somewhat slower in the morning and the evening. Thank you again to families who are using the turning circle to drop students off and to pick up at the end of the day. I must remind those parking on Moorway Lane that they are causing a blockage and slowing the exit down for everyone else. No one should be parked or stopped near to a school entrance, in front of the entrance to a property or opposite/within 10 metres of a junction as per the Highway Code Rule 243. Please support us, local residents and other road users by driving considerately.
Sporting Fixtures
We have had 4 football fixtures this week with a mixed set of results for our teams:
Yr7 Boys Football Team Lost 3-0 v Littleover & 2-0 v Chellaston
Yr8 Football Team Lost 6-1 v Woodlands
Yr12/13 Boys Football Team Won 3-2 v Landau
Next week’s football fixtures:
Year 7 County Cup v Long Eaton – Thursday (H)
Year 8 v Noel Baker – Tuesday (H)
Year 9 v Leesbrook – Wednesday (H)
Year 11 v Woodlands – Tuesday (H)
Year 11 County Cup v Oakwood Academy – Wednesday (A)
Student Leadership
Our Student Leadership Team have been busy again this week balancing their study schedule alongside their leadership commitments. Some of their activities this week have included Peer Tutoring, organising our Mental Health Awareness Week, supporting year groups on duty in the morning and helping to promote our Open Evening next week. It really is so rewarding to see what our students are capable of when given responsibility.
Mental Health Awareness Week
Our Mental Health Awareness Week begins on Monday with a variety of activities on offer to students. The activities include Cooking therapy; Sand therapy with our Counsellor; Art therapy and awareness raising activities in form time. Look out for permission slips from your child for the cooking activity as consent will be required to take part.
Covid Update
We have distributed additional home test kit to students this week to continue their asymptomatic testing at home. We recommend they test every Sunday and Wednesday as a routine. Please inform school via covidalert@derbymoor.derby.sch.uk if your receive a positive result on these tests. You should then book a further PCR test to confirm the result.
Most families with children who are eligible will have also received an email about vaccinations this week. There is an online link within the email for families to follow in order to provide consent for the vaccination with the Schools Immunisation Team. Children who do not have consent will not be vaccinated and there will not be any follow up sessions in school for any families who miss the deadline. Please note the deadline has now been updated and families must complete the form before Friday 15th October. If you would like your child to take up the vaccination, please follow the link on the email you received to provide consent. If you did not receive an email and your child is likely to be 12 years old or over in the next month, please contact school reception.
Final Thoughts
With autumn well and truly upon us we’ve seen the colours around the Derby Moor campus begin to change from lush green to more Autumnal shades. We are so lucky to have such an extensive site and facilities and with so much greenery around us each day. Autumn is a time of change. Whilst we all enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures of the summer, the colours that autumn brings and the symbolism of one cycle ending and another beginning are synonymous with the academic year. Having the privilege of seeing so many lessons each week I can see first-hand how our students have begun a new cycle, stepping up a year and taking on the responsibilities that come with being a year older, wiser and becoming a role model. Our students in examination years from 10-13 have a real focus in lessons and there is an intensity about the way in which they are tackling their qualifications whilst those in year 8 and 9 are no longer the youngest in the school and are growing into well rounded young people. Our Year 7s have started a whole new cycle, joining secondary school and the Derby Moor Community and it has been a joy to see them take on that challenge. They are happy, inquisitive and so enthusiastic about school that it brings a real joy to everyone in contact with them.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the autumn.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
Best wishes,
Scott Doyle
Principal
