Hello and welcome to this week's Wildern Weekly. The weather has decided to shift from the balmy last days of summer last week to the sodden early days of autumn this week, however spirits remain high in school with so much going on and many exciting things to look forward to. It really is great having everyone back and the school in full voice!

 

We have had our Open Evening event this week and it's always wonderful to see the school in action, showcasing the vast variety of opportunities the school has to offer, both inside and outside of the classroom. With that in mind, please look at the co curricular activities that are available and encourage your young people at home to sign up, come along and give something a go. It is often these opportunities offered after school that ignite lifelong passions and interests.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to update you on school safeguarding news. We have appointed a safeguarding officer to support the important safeguarding work the school does. Mr Orchard will be working alongside our students and families to support them and signpost help where needed. As always, safeguarding our community is a whole school priority and responsibility, so if you have any concerns about a member of the Wildern family, please use the safeguarding@wildern.org address to alert us.

I just want to sign off by reminding you of the message Miss Jones shared last week informing you of exciting new opportunities to get involved as parents in shaping Wildern. We're seeking parents to help plan community events, raise funds for the school, and foster a stronger sense of belonging. Sign up here and we will be in touch soon.  Have a fabulous term

 

Mr Chance

Attendance Raffle

We are excited to introduce a new attendance reward system at Wildern School, “Every Moment Counts: Skip the queue for lunch!”

 

To motivate daily attendance, we will be holding random raffles for students who have 100% attendance, including being on time to every lesson, on any given day. On these randomly selected days, winners will receive a skip-the-queue pass for themselves and a friend (who also has 100% attendance and no lates that day).

 

The pass will allow them to bypass the lunch queue the following day. Winners will be emailed directly and announced on Wildern School’s social media that evening. Skip-the-queue passes will be delivered during Period 4 the next day, just in time for lunch, making this a fun and motivating way to encourage students to be present. We look forward to celebrating and rewarding our students for making every moment count!

Food at Break and Lunch

There are a number of outlets selling food in school at break and lunch time. The Red Dining Hall, the Hatch and the Main Servery all stock a variety of snacks, drinks and food options. Hot meals of the day are available from the Main Servery only. Queues are supervised by staff, move steadily and close around 5-10 minutes before the end of the break/lunchtime.

 

To make things quicker and safer for everyone, we will be reminding students next week to pick up food from the front of the chutes.

 

If your child regularly plays on the Tennis Courts/Astro/Muga at break or lunchtime, they need to leave this area in plenty of time to get to the servery so that they have time to purchase and eat/drink. Students have been spoken to already about this.

 

Whole School

Monday 30 September Week A

Friday 4 October Open morning 9:45-10:45am

Monday 7 October Week B

Monday 7 October Open morning 9:45-10:45am

Friday 11 October - INSET day, school closed to students

Saturday 12 October Quiz & Chips event

Monday 14 October Week A

Thursday 17 October Athena Awards

Friday 18 October - Non-uniform day

 

Year 8

Tuesday 1 October Geography Sea Life Centre and River Thames cruise trip

 

Year 9

Tuesday 24 - Saturday 28 September German Olympics trip

 

Year 10

Tuesday 1 October Careers Fair

Thursday 3 October Parent Information Evening

Preparing for exams, 6pm Main hall

Friday 11 - Monday 14 October Battlefields History trip

 

Year 11

Tuesday 1 October Careers Fair

Thursday 3 October Parent Information Evening

Preparing for exams, 6pm Main hall

Monday 7 - Friday 11 October Art & Photography practice exams

Thursday 10 October Parent's Evening : 4-8pm, virtual

 

Wildern Music Academy- instrumental lessons

If your child would like to play an instrument or have singing lessons through the school, please find more information on this google form, where you can also sign your child up to lessons. If you have any questions about singing/instrumental lessons, please email wma@wildern.org.

 

As the nights start to draw in it is worth thinking about speaking with your young people at home about safety on the way to and from school. With such a large student cohort arriving and leaving at the same time there are some things we always want our students to be considering:

 

Cycling:

 If they are riding to and from school they need to be considerate of others, stay off the pavements and ensure their bikes are roadworthy. They need to make sure they have lights and clothing that makes them visible. Most of our students ride sensibly, but we do get concerns raised about a minority that are unsafe and ride recklessly on the pavements and roads. Click here for advice and guidance on cycle safety. To support this we have road safety assemblies coming up in October  delivered by the safer roads and parking team to reinforce the message about being safe. Cycle permits can be obtained from school.

Driving your children to school:

If you drive your child to school, please be considerate of our neighbours, especially at pick up. Obstructing driveways and roads causes traffic issues and prevents traffic flow at the busiest time of the day. Please do not drive onto the school site to collect children unless you have a pass to do so. We have parents arriving early to park in the carpark for collection, and this causes traffic congestion and concerns for the safety of students leaving school. Please use the park and stride options at B&q and in the village.

Following the success of the Race for Life event, we have this week launched our annual Shoebox appeal. This is a great way for students to get involved in creating or helping to create a Christmas gift that is sent aboard to disadvantaged children in countries such as Albania, Romania and Ukraine. 

Here is our Autumn term Co-Curricular timetable of activities including our Autumn PE menu. Clubs start in the week. Please look at what is on offer to your child and discuss this with them as their might be something that they would like to get involved with. Full details are available in the Student Wildern Weekly and from that subject area.

Please be aware that rehearsals are subject to change depending on the progress of blocking and availability of students. A reminder to all cast members that our LB Sunday rehearsals are going to be on the 13th and 20th October. These rehearsals are from 9.30 until 4pm but the meeting/ registration time is 9.10am.

Week Beginning September 30th - October 4th

Week Beginning October 7th - 11th

Monday 30th September

Senior Girls Football vs Thornden - Cup Round 1 (Away)

 

Tuesday 1st October

Year 9 Boys Football  vs Arnewood - County  Cup (Home)

 

Friday 4th October

Year 8 Boys football Vs Swanmore- County Cup (Home)

Senior Girls Football Vs Hamble - (League) (Away)

Tuesday 24th September

Senior Girls Football won 2-0 against Thorden

Junior Girls Football lost against Wimborne 

Year 7 Boys Football lost against Horndean

 

Wednesday 25th September

Both matches were postponed due to the weather

Y11 Boys B Football  vs Bitterne Park ( Home)

U14 Boys  Football vs St George (Away)

Please see the menu for our hot food options for next week.

 

The main school meal deals are £3.20 which is in line with all Hampshire schools. In a meal deal, students can get one of the meal choices below with a bottle of plain water and a cookie or piece of fruit.

• either of the hot meal options,
• a jacket potato,
• a pasta pot,
• a chicken or beef burger,
• a salad pot (from the salad bar)

We encourage all families to use the free school meals eligibility checker, which can be found here, to determine if they qualify for this entitlement. 

 

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

* correct at time of sending, but may be subject to change

Tuesday 1st October 

 

Students in year 10 & 11 will be attending the Annual Careers Fair on Tuesday 1st October during periods 1-4. This event is designed to showcase the vast array of career opportunities available to them as they start planning their future. By connecting with professionals and representatives from various industries, they will gain valuable insights and make well informed decisions about their education and career paths. Our aim is to inspire and provide them with the knowledge and connections to pursue their goals with confidence. 

There's only three weeks to go until Unifrog's UK University Fair on Wednesday 16 October at 4–6:30pm. You are welcome to drop in and out whenever you can!

Your Year 10 and 11 students are invited to meet 40 universities in two hours - including University of Bristol, University of Warwick, University of Leeds, and Cardiff University. You will gain practical advice from the experts to help you get a step closer to your dream university.

For students who are unsure about what or where to study - Live sessions and interactive booths can inspire you to consider a diverse range of universities from all over the UK.

For students who know where they want to go - This fair is a great opportunity to get tips on choosing the right course and acing your personal statement ahead of the upcoming admissions cycle.

For students who have questions about student life - Whether this is about scholarships, extracurricular activities, accommodation, or any other factors that influence students' decisions, 40 universities will be there to chat!

We are excited to remind parents that Experience of a workplace is now live. A letter and a how-to-guide was emailed to all parents last week. The deadline for students to secure their placements and log them on Unifrog is the end of November. This is an important and exciting opportunity for students to gain valuable real-world experience and develop key skills for their future careers. 

 

Please note that students are responsible for finding their own placements, we would recommend reaching out to a wide variety of employers across different sectors, to increase their chances of securing a spot. We advise them to start as soon as possible.

 

If your child needs any guidance on where to begin, how to approach potential employers or how to log the placement on Unifrog, the Careers Team is here to help. 

 

We appreciate your encouragement in helping your child take the next steps toward this important experience. 

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Final Fantasy XIV

 

Massively multiplayer online roleplaying games – or ‘MMORPGs’ – are a highly popular subgenre, allowing people from all over the world to exist within the same fantasy realm, joining each other on quests or testing their skills against each other. One such title in this genre is Final Fantasy XIV, which released back in 2010 and – despite its initial failure – saw a surge of popularity in later years. 

 

As with any online game, there are plenty of risks associated with Final Fantasy XIV – and it’s vital for parents and educators to understand these safety concerns, in case any children in their care wish to enjoy this title. Our free guide offers expert insight into the potential hazards of playing Final Fantasy XIV and lets you know how best to safeguard any young fans of the game.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/29/world-of-warcraft-video-game-addict

https://freetrial.finalfantasyxiv.com/na/

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts

 

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Wildern School

Wildern Lane

Hedge End

Southampton

Hampshire

SO30 4EJ

 

01489 783473

 

#WeAreWildern