Despite the weather it has been another great week here at WIldern with lots of events for students including the first sporting fixture of 2023, whole year photographs and our new extra curricular timetable for this term. The weather has tried to dampen our spirits but students have been well prepared with their coats and umbrellas!

The start of a school term always lends itself to a kindly reminder about how to contact us when you have a concern.  You can email us on wildern@wildern.org (or using the envelope icon below) or phone us on 01489 783473 and your message will be passed on to the relevant member of staff.

Sometimes things happen in school and as parents you support your child at home, and don’t feel the need to report it to us. We would urge you to report any issues to your child's tutor, as if they are left, occasionally they can escalate when some minor intervention in school may have prevented it. Sometimes the first time we hear about issues can be when things have gone further than they needed to and parents and students are then upset and feel school have done little to help. We value our strap line that Every Student Matters.

We would much rather parents get in touch with any concerns or niggles you have, however minor you feel they are, so that we can be aware of this, put support in place for your child and look at possible next steps.

In March we shared some guidance on how to contact the right person with your query as well as our Parent communication guidelines.

Our staff team, from our Receptionist through to our teaching staff work tirelessly to provide not only great learning experiences within the classroom but also to extend these experiences through extra-curricular activities in the form of clubs and trips. However, this is only achieved by having staff who are happy and want to work at our school, who want to make a difference for our students, your child(ren) and who know they have your support no matter what.

The vast majority of our communication with parents reflects the brilliant relationships we have and we want to continue to build on this. However, we, as a school, can only look after our students, your child(ren) the very best we can if we take care of our staff, ensuring that they are treated with respect and kindness. It is what we expect of ourselves in our dealings with you and your child(ren). 

  In this issue...  

Sparks Maths : video from Mr Sleeman to help you support your child with self-study

Did you find this video helpful?

If we were to include more information videos like this in future, what subjects would you like them about?

In each edition of the Wildern Weekly leading up to our 90th Birthday in April, we will be sharing small snippets of the schools history with you.

Did you know... back in the 1930s, prior to the school’s opening, the school had wanted to be called the ‘William Cobbett School’ but the Education Authority at the time refused on the grounds that they did not name schools after famous people. 

William Cobbett was a English pamphleteer, journalist, politician, and farmer born in Farnham, Surrey. You can find out more about him here.

Sustainability - top tip - shop local and seasonal produce

One of the ways to support sustainable living is to consider how far food travels to get to our plate. Many suggest that we should consider different protein sources and consume a variety of protein across a week in order to support sustainability and our carbon footprint. 

Another way is to consider how far some of our food is traveling to get to us. As an island, we know that in the UK we cannot feed ourselves and rely on imports for many products.  However, it is worth bearing where products come when we are purchasing food if we are considering reducing our carbon footprint.

Student services

We are always open between 8:45am and 3:30pm. The best times for students to drop in are:

• 11:10-11:25am - Breaktime
• 1:30-1:55pm - Lunchtime
• 3:00-3:15pm - After school

We are holding a coffee morning that all parents are welcome to attend where you can hear about some practical tips and advice to support your child.

Dan and his catering team can adapt the majority of meals to any dietary needs if they know in advance (your child can speak to them by visiting the kitchen before 8:30am that day). Main/grill vegetarian options are always available - just ask Dan and his team. 

Please see our updated clubs timetable for the Spring term. This includes focus groups which are running as part of our student leadership programme. More details can be found on our website using the button below.

The library is always available to students after school as well.

Drama Club will return 3:15-4pm for Year 7 on Monday 16 January and for Year 8 on Monday 23 January. 

What Parents Need to Know about Social Bots

Bots are computer-generated accounts which sit on social media, masquerading as humans. While many are harmless or even have good intentions, others are designed to extort, sell products, spread propaganda or bully human users. Bots – short for ‘robots’, of course – are often confused with state-funded troll accounts; the two can be difficult to tell apart. However, if the results are the same, then both should be treated similarly.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as cyberbullying, extortion and astroturfing.