Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the Wildern Weekly. My name is Mr Kinnaird and I am the Director of Progress and Achievement for Year 8.

Having joined Wildern in September, it has been a pleasure to get to know all of the students and tutors within year 8. I have loved being able to hear about the plethora of talent within the year group; my favorite time of the week is celebrating student success in assembly. The motto of the year group is ‘You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”. The tutor team, Miss Wiley as ADOPA and myself have been working with students to help them embrace each day as a new opportunity.

The students in year 8 have such an exciting year ahead with the 'Pathways' process being launched  in assembly last week, students are able to cast their minds to the future and have the opportunity to choose their options which will be taken for the next 3 years as Wildern students. 

I also teach Physical Education here at Wildern and I am passionate about all students developing a lifelong love of sport. Sport and exercise has given me so many opportunities, happy memories as well as supporting my health and wellbeing; I strive for all of the students at Wildern to have a positive memories of their Physical Education lesson by the time they leave us. 

  In this issue...  

Dates for your diary,       Communications,       Reminders,        90 years of Wildern,

Spotlight ( National Apprenticeship Week ),       

Keeping safe ( Seeking support & Keeping warm )

Hot food menu,       Sports results & fixtures,       Extra-Curricular,       E-Safety

Message from Mr Russell: MFL sentence builders and how to support your child

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One of the more unusual clubs that the school had was the formation of the Wildern Pig Club during the 1950’s. Students from the school cemented the floors and built the sties on the school ground. Ann Hobbs was the first Secretary of the Club and stated that ‘The sties will be cleaned out every day and during school holidays some members will be coming to school to feed the pigs’.

Within a year there were three pigs: Hardcastle, Ramsbottom and Willoughby. They were sold off to the Bacon Factory at Eastleigh for £72 which gave the club a profit of £27.60p. This was a lot of money in the 1950s and equivalent to approximately £1,210 in today!

Coming up: Apprenticeship Week, 6-12 February

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2023 is the 16th annual celebration of apprenticeships.

The week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 is ‘Skills for Life’. The week will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and help businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with skills for the future.

Apprenticeships are an exciting option -  you get hands-on training and also the chance to put your skills into practice. Apprenticeships are available at multiple levels. From school leavers, people upskilling in their careers and complete career changes. There are hundreds to choose from and some include a qualification, like a degree. 

At Wildern, during this week, students will focus in their Education for Life Tutor sessions on Apprenticeships and Local Labour Market Information and there will be additional resources released on their relevant Careers Google Classrooms. Labour market Information is also available on the Careers Page of our website, where you will also find a Parent’s Guide to Apprenticeships.

Keeping warm

With this cold weather continuing it is a good time to remind students of our expectations for uniform, particularly when dressing to stay warm. We have noticed an increase in bright coloured fluffy socks - these are not part of our school uniform and shouldn't be worn at school. Additionally, students should not wear any jumper other than their green Wildern jumper. If needed, we would encourage students to wear thermal layers under their school uniform for warmth and a coat for outside as additional jumpers or hoodies are not permitted.  

Student services

Due to the year 10 exams student services are temporarily moving. 

Monday 30 January - Friday 3 February 

We will be located in the SLPP office (Mr Bateman and Miss Cooper’s office) at the top of the block 3 stairs

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

#ineedsupport Remember this online form is also available on the school website if you need support.

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. 

KS3 Cooking Club - February workshop (American Pancakes for Valentines Day - 8/2/23 - 3pm-4pm) sign up is now open. Further details on the students' Food Google Classroom.

What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Twitter

Twitter is a social media network which allows users to post short messages (‘tweets’) of up to 280 characters. Tweets can consist of text, photos, videos, audio, links, polls and GIFs – often linked by hashtags if they share a common theme or message. Hashtags receiving high levels of interest are said to be ‘trending’. Twitter users can engage with other people’s posts by liking, retweeting (sharing) or tweeting back (commenting on). Since the entrepreneur Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion, the platform has undergone several major changes. 

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as trolls and bullying, fixation on view count and interaction with strangers.