Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the Wildern Weekly from our fantastic English department.

 

My name is Mrs Rooney and I am the Director of Learning for English. Alongside my Assistant Directors of Learning, Mrs Mullen, Mr Collings and Mr Hillier,  I am proud to lead a large and diverse department of enthusiastic staff who work tirelessly to provide our students with incredible opportunities both inside and outside of their English lessons.

 

Our vision is an English curriculum that equips all students with ‘independence, resilience and curiosity’, as we use rich and varied texts as a springboard for analysis, creative responses and the expression of opinions.  

 

At the heart of success in English and indeed success across the curriculum, is reading widely and for pleasure. The best way you can support your child and us is to encourage them to read - little but often! Our fantastic LRC has a wealth of resources and there is truly something for everyone.

Please do take a look at our ‘recommended reads’ which are updated regularly and discuss with your child what may take their interest. Please have a look here for KS3 or KS4. If your child is finding it difficult to engage with reading, our wonderful Librarian Mrs Searle is happy to help them choose a book they will love!

We are always interested in hearing from everyone in our community about the things we are doing well and the things we perhaps need to improve. As part of our quality assurance processes we regularly speak to students in school about their experience but we also want to hear from Parents. 

 

Here is a link to our short Spring term survey which is focusing on Curriculum learning. There are 8 short questions which can be answered in as little as 2 minutes, but also offer you the opportunity to expand on your answers if you would like us to know more. We are asking all parents to complete this by Friday 4 April. The results of this will be shared with you next term.

Whole School

Monday 24 March Week B

Tuesday 25 March KS2 Music Festival

Wednesday 26 March KS3 Music Festival

Saturday 29 March Big Spring Clean 10am-12pm

Monday 31 March Week A

Thursday 3 April Easter Dance Showcase

Friday 4 April Culture Day

Friday 4 April Last Day of Term, School finishes at 3pm

Monday 7 April - Monday 21 April Easter Holidays

Tuesday 22 April Inset Day School closed for Students

Wednesday 23 April Students return to School - Week B

Year 7

             No Key Dates

Year 8

Monday 24 March Pathways Form Deadline

Year 9

Tuesday 25 March Catch Up Vaccinations

Year 10

 Tuesday 25 March Catch Up Vaccinations

Year 11

Friday 21 - Saturday 22 March DofE Silver Practice Expedition

Tuesday 25 March Catch Up Vaccinations

Thursday 27 March Parents Evening - face to face

Bletchley Park – Thursday 15 May 2025

We will be running a trip to Bletchley Park, the home of British codebreaking and a birthplace of modern Information Technology for Year 7 students. Please sign up via Parent Pay by Monday 31 March.

Arundel Castle Trip - 1 & 4 July 2025

The History Department is organising a day trip for Year 7 History students to visit Arundel Castle. We are able to take a maximum of 50 students on each day. Please sign up via Parent Pay by Friday 4 April

Pathways

The pathways information sent home is here.

Pathways forms will be closed on Monday 24 March for students to make their choices.

No letters for Years 9 & 10

Parents Evening - Thursday 27 March 2025

Please book your face to face appointments via Insight.  Bookings will close Wednesday 26 March.

Celebrating Neurodiversity

 

Neurodiversity Celebration Week provides an opportunity to raise awareness, celebrate differences, and encourage understanding of neurodiversity.

 

What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is the concept that differences in brain functioning, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other cognitive conditions, should be recognised and respected as natural variations of human diversity rather than disorders to be "fixed." Each individual’s brain works in unique ways, and neurodiversity highlights the importance of accepting these differences and celebrating the strengths they bring.

 

The Importance of Neurodiversity Celebration Week

The first Neurodiversity Celebration Week was held in 2018 and it has since evolved into an international initiative that aims to create an inclusive world for people with neurological differences. The week promotes awareness and acceptance of neurodiverse individuals, helping to challenge stereotypes and address the misunderstandings that frequently surround these conditions.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week aims to:

• Promote Awareness: Educating students, staff, and parents about neurodiversity and the variety of neurodiverse conditions.
• Celebrate Differences: Show students that their unique ways of thinking and learning are valuable and to be celebrated.
• Foster Inclusivity: Create an environment where all students feel respected and supported.
• Encourage Understanding: Help reduce stigma surrounding neurodiverse conditions by encouraging open conversations and dispelling myths.

How can you become involved?

As parents, you play a crucial role in shaping your child’s understanding of neurodiversity.

• Encourage Conversations: Start talking to your child about neurodiversity at home. Discuss what it means to be neurodiverse and why it’s important to appreciate everyone’s differences. A useful starting point is the  neurodiversity.com website.

The future

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an opportunity to highlight the strengths and talents of neurodiverse individuals, dispelling misconceptions and helping to build a more inclusive school culture. By working together—students, parents, and staff—we can create a school environment in which differences are celebrated and every student feels valued and empowered to thrive.

 

Lucy Bronze MBE discusses her autism here and ADHD during Neurodiversity Celebration Week. 

On Friday 14 March, we celebrated Pi Day with our students completing 2 competitions:

• Tutor group quiz, where students tested their knowledge on the origins and uses of pi, as well as solving some tricky dingbats. Many tutor groups took part, earning valuable house points, with Jubilee winning this competition overall.
• Pi Challenge, where students were asked to remember pi to as many decimal places as possible. There were some truly incredible efforts as you can see below. Well done to all who took part!

On Saturday night we had our Spring term ‘Quiz and Chips’ night. It was a fantastic evening with lots of our lovely Wildern families. We are looking forward to the Summer quiz! 

Following their unit on Health and Wellbeing, all  Year 9 students are undertaking Emergency CPR Training during their Education for Life Lessons this term.

 

In addition, students have been taught about the Recovery Position during this session. In the classroom, they have been learning about First Aid for burns, bleeds, asthma attacks and choking.  We are very proud of the effort Year 9 has shown whilst learning these extremely important life skills.

On Monday 17 March we announced our new House captains for 2025/26.
Thank you to everyone in Year 10 for their applications and congratulations to those who are taking on this role.

Sparsholt College are happy to announce that they will continue to run open day events in the Easter break for any current Year 11 students who are looking for further education accompanied with an opportunity to play football.

U13 Girls Football team worked tirelessly and relentlessly creating numerous opportunities particularly in the second half of their fixture against Bitterne Park today. 

 

They didn't quite manage the win after conceding early in the first half, but were very much in the game, finishing 1-0 to Bitterne Park.

Tuesday - Year 10 boys vs Redbridge in the Semi Final of the Southampton Cup

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

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Pop Ups

 

On the internet or on social media, it’s likely that you’ve come across the occasional pop-up – promising a great deal on some product or service, declaring that you’ve won some kind of prize, or making any other number of tempting claims.

 

This marketing tactic has been around for almost 30 years and shows no signs of disappearing any time soon.

 

Unfortunately, pop-up advertising carries with it various online safety risks, as we can never be certain where those links will take us or how legitimate their creators are. These ads can be especially risky for children and young people, who may not yet be able to look at such marketing with a critical eye. However, our free online safety guide will educate you on pop-ups, their associated risks, and how to safeguard yourself and young people from this phenomenon.

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts

 

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Wildern School

Wildern Lane

Hedge End

Southampton

Hampshire

SO30 4EJ

 

01489 783473

 

#WeAreWildern