Getting Ready for September...

A message from Miss Edmed

Click here to see the message from Miss Edmed!

Can you guess what place is being described here?

“It’s a community and everyone feels included.”

“Everyone is here to help each other and support each other.”

“It’s really special, and open to everyone. I’m really proud to be part of it and just want to help it grow.”

OUR school. A place students and staff are proud to be!

“The teachers are the best thing about Blatch.

They are academic but also approachable and that’s important because it helps

you learn.”

“I didn’t expect school to feel like a family, but it does - it’s inclusive. People feel at home - it’s a second home.”

*comments from current students.

This is going to be an exciting year...

New classes, new teachers, new

topics, new friends and a new start for all of you!

Attitude will make the difference for you this year.

Have in mind your altitude. What success you want to have? Which relationships do you want to grow? What skills you want to develop?

What attitude to your lessons, to other and to yourself will get you there?

Your ATTITUDE is your emotions, beliefs, and behaviors towards a particular object, person, thing or event.

By your ALTITUDE we mean how successful you can be - the VERY BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF!

Here is one attitude that we value here. Having it will help you here at school and

beyond...

Successful students try to better themselves and the school community so that we

continue to improve together and embrace positivity toward learning.

We wholeheartedly believe that ALL of our Blatch community can be BRILLIANT and B1 in their approach to school life: their learning, their behaviour and their relationships to others.

Always striving to improve and be the very best version of themselves!

And we LOVE to recognise and celebrate everyone who is working hard each and every day and really striving

towards being the very best version of themselves!

● You will receive regular recognition and praise in class from your subject teachers

● We love being able to send messages home to parents/carers to celebrate effort and excellent behaviour

● During our weekly assemblies you will hear about year group success you have been a part of

● You will receive Achievement Points and Passport Points, which are incentives and rewards for great effort, attendance, classwork, homework and kindness.

So how can YOU prepare between now and September?

Miss Edmed’s

Miss Edmed’s

Click here to see Miss Edmed’s top tips!

1. Make sure you have had a look at all of the transition information we have shared with you and your families - everything can be found on the New Starters page of our website (including the top tips from our current year 7s and all of my virtual assemblies which contain lots of information about what to expect as part of our community)

2. Whilst you’re there why not take a look around the rest of our website - there is lots of information about our school community that is definitely worth a look!

New Starters Page Website Link

3. Watch the welcome videos from your ‘Important People’ and then write your letter to your form tutor, as they absolutely cannot wait to hear from you!

4. Have a go at one of the English tasks set by our English department - they are looking forward to seeing your very best work in September!

5. Have a look at our uniform page of our website and ensure you have everything you need for September - we can’t wait to see you all looking super smart in your Team Blatch uniform!

6. Think about the other Blatch Basics equipment you will need in your school bag / pencil case - please use the poster on this slide to help.

7. Have a go at some of the Transition Activities (there is one at the end of each virtual assembly and I have put them altogether for you on the website too!) - they will help you think about what you are really excited about / looking forward to whilst also helping you think about the questions you might still have about September

8. Please do ask any questions you have! You have your form tutor and my email addresses so you can email us about any questions / worries you have. Or you can write them down and bring them with you in September - we’ll soon be able to answer them for you then too!

9. As I said in last week’s assembly do spend some time thinking about all the things you would like to try and experience as part of Team Blatch - we know you can be and do anything you put your mind to, the sky really is the limit!

10. Relax! Enjoy your summer holidays - spend some time with friends and family doing lots of the things you enjoy! We cannot wait to meet you in September and very much want you to be well rested, and ready and raring to start our Blatch adventure together!

YOU are all joining us as fantastic new members of our school community with so much to offer in your subject lessons, in our extra-curricular opportunities and as friends to other members of our community.

We know you are going to experience and achieve so much with us!

As I said in my very first message to you all…

YOU - the wonderfully unique individual that you are - are already a special and important member of our year group and school community. Over the next 5 years we will work hard with you to ensure you feel INVOLVED - not just in your subject lessons but within our wider community. We will support, encourage and challenge you to ACHIEVE in all aspects of life and really be the very best version of yourself! And we will always work hard to make sure that you know we CARE about you (because we already do!) and are here for you every step of way - to support you through the more difficult days and to champion you and all of your successes!

We cannot wait to support you in finding your feet, making new friends and settling into our community in September - we know it will be an exciting adventure and the start of an incredible journey for YOU and US together!

Involvement, Achievement and Care

Team Blatch’s Weekly Challenge

You can complete the challenges by yourself or with friends/family (safely and virtually or whilst maintaining social distancing) as it is very much a community effort!

In school we’ve also been doing these as an inter-form competition - each form will collect points for every member who completes a challenge and there will also be bonus points up for grabs for the very ‘best’ and most imaginative examples each week too!

The forms with the most points when we return to being ‘in school’ will win rewards to enjoy together to celebrate their involvement and successes in our Blatch challenges and their contributions to our wider community!

We encourage you all to get involved to have a bit of fun each week and most importantly take some time to consider your physical and mental health and our wider community!

How do they work…

Blatch Challenges - Week 3 - Getting Ready for September!The following challenges encourage you to consider what you can do to reach out to others, spread some kindness and hope, and help keep our Blatch community spirit alive.

Complete one (or more) of these activities and email in a copy / photo / explanation of what you did to Miss Edmed before next week’s assembly:

● Renew some old friendships. Get back in touch with someone you haven’t spoken to for a

while by phone, online or by sending a ‘thinking of you’ card, because – yep – you’ve been too busy. They are probably at home too and will be only too glad to hear from you

● Write a letter / message / email to say thank you to someone who has helped you during

this time (could be a family member / friend / neighbour / teacher etc.)

● Create a lockdown self portrait / hand print - that could then be used as part of a form

group / year group / whole school collage

We know that Team Blatch can rise to the challenge and we very much look forward to seeing what you come up with to reach out to others, spread a little happiness and hope, and help keep our Blatch community spirit

very much alive over the coming week…

Team Blatch’s Daily Dose of CalmMINDFULNESS & WELLBEING

Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday we have been sending out an opportunity to take a few minutes out of the day by yourself, with your family or even over a virtual get together with your friends.

It is completely optional - just a few suggestions for ways to consider your physical and mental health, keep our Blatch community spirit alive and have a bit of fun with your family and friends during this period of remote learning...

"The world is changed by your example not by your

opinion”Paul Coelho

Today’s video

Click here Community ActivityDay 30Have a tech free day. Stop scrolling and turn off the news.

Day 30; Monday 6th July

QUIZ QUESTIONS1) Which is the shallowest ocean in the world?2) How many feathers are used to make a shuttlecock?3) Which period came first, the Jurassic or Triassic?

Today’s Fun Fact The first alarm clock could only ring at 4 a.m.

How about this?Famous-paintings-virtual-art-gallery - visit this virtual art gallery to view over 100 of the most iconic paintings since the 15th century, covering the most influential art periods from renaissance to pop art.

Answers to Day 29 Quiz 1.Eggs 2.Tasman Sea 3. Yellow

MINDFULNESS & WELLBEING

Team Blatch’s Daily Dose of Calm

Today’s video

Click here Community ActivityDay 31Dance around your room to a feel-good playlist

Day 31; Wednesday 8th July

QUIZ QUESTIONS1) In which year did Prince William

marry Kate Middleton?2) What is the name of the fifth novel

in the Harry Potter series released in June 2003?

3) How many strings does a violin have?

Today’s Fun Fact Movie trailers were originally shown after the movie, which is why they were called “trailers”.

How about this?Meditate for 10 minutes in a quiet space - Guided meditations for teens

Answers to Day 30 Quiz 1. Arctic Ocean 2. 16 3.Triassic

MINDFULNESS & WELLBEING

Team Blatch’s Daily Dose of Calm

"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground”

Teddy Roosevelt

Today’s video

Click here Community ActivityDay 32Make some exciting plans with someone you have missed spending time with

Day 32; Friday 10th July

QUIZ QUESTIONS1) Which fairy tale character slept

for 100 years?2) What kind of food is pawpaw?3) In which sport was Muhammad

Ali a world champion?

Today’s Fun Fact Smiling really is contagious!

How about this?Write a letter to your future self as reminder of your life experiences in 2020 - https://www.futureme.org/

Answers to Day 31 Quiz 1.2011 2. Order of the Phoenix 3. 4

MINDFULNESS & WELLBEING

Team Blatch’s Daily Dose of Calm

"Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow”

Albert Einstein

Answers to Day 32 Quiz 1.Sleeping Beauty 2. Fruit 3. Boxing

Find out who you are and do it deliberately!

•Write down all of the ways in which you are different and unique.

•How may these help you in your new school or in life?

What kind of friends do you want to have in secondary school? Make a list.

What kind of friend do you want to be to other people? Make a list.

Transition Activity...

Dare to dream big!What are your hopes and dreams for secondary school?

You will be with us from when you’re 11 to 16 years old. A lot will change in that time!

Write down your thoughts about the following:

•What do you hope you will achieve?

•What kind of person do you hope you will become?

•Write down three words that you hope people will say about you.

1.

2.

3.

Transition Activity...

Transition Activity...What does ‘work hard’ and ‘be kind’ mean?

Fill in the person outline with all the things that you

can do to show you are working hard.

Now think about what you can do to be kind.

How many of these things do you do already?

Highlight the ones that you would like to do more

of as part of our Blatch community!