Latest update from HCC Headteacher – 13.10.23

13th October 2023

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope this finds you well.

Praising the Positive

As we approach the end of the first half-term I wanted to congratulate and praise the students for their attitude towards school and their studies. There has been a really positive atmosphere across the College and it has been a joy to get to know our newest students. We have issued over 40,000 Praise Points and more than 2000 consequence cards have already been entered for a prize draw for having the positive side completed. This is an incredible start and long may it continue!

Attendance

Thank you for your support in ensuring your child attends College every day. We have already seen an improvement in comparison to this time last year. Please encourage your child to be in school, even if they are feeling a little under the weather in the morning. Once in, they often pick up and are fine for the rest of the day. If you are having any difficulties or have any concerns about your child's attendance, please let us know.

Homework

One of our priorities this year is to promote excellence and to challenge the students to think deeply in their lessons. Thinking is hard work and takes effort, therefore the easy option is often to opt-out. Praising students for their effort and building their confidence are therefore key. Please continue to do this at home, especially in relation to homework. Please do not do the homework for them, but do prompt and support where you can, but above all, praise them for the effort they put in. If students need support with homework, we run a Homework Club on Monday to Thursday at 3.15pm in CO4. There are also Knowledge Organisers for each topic in each subject for each year group available on the website. These detail the key information students need to know.

School Magazine

Next week sees the publication of our first edition of The Helstonian for this academic year. Please look out for it and congratulate your child if they feature as one of the nominated ‘Students of the Month’ or as one of the top Praise Point achievers. As well as a number of articles and important updates, the edition also features interviews with three exceptional students sharing their strategies for success.

We Want Your Help!

We are looking to set up a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) after half-term. Already over 30 parents/carers have signed up when they attended one of our recent events for parents and carers. However, we want to ensure all parents and carers have the option to join the PTA, therefore, if you would like to join the group and you have not given your name already, please complete the short form below. The PTA will meet each half-term and aim to run some school and community events with the goal of raising funds to enable us to run additional activities and provide additional support for the students. After the half-term break, we will email all the parents/carers who have signed up to arrange a date for the first meeting. https://forms.office.com/e/fZ2Umkrmnj

As always, thank you for your continued support.

Yours faithfully

Alex Lingard

Headteacher