Pinetree Matters Issue 10 Summer 2018 Message from the Head

Dates for your diary

Staff News

Another amazing year is coming to an end! Our pupils ‘spring-boarded’ in June and have settled into their new year group with vigour and energy. Since the start of the term, school has been full of activity, excitement and learning; some of which is captured in the pages that follow. The spring-boarding has been valuable in settling your child into the challenges of a new year, thus when pupils return in September, learning will start immediately as they already know their timetable, classrooms and teachers.

Since the start of the year, we have made some fantastic progress at school and it has been wonderful to receive so many positive comments from parents, carers and the local and wider community.

It is a joy to see our children come to school day more focused and determined to achieve and succeed. For some, their resilience has developed significantly and they are able to tackle challenges safely and appropriately. For others, the journey to developing this resilience is slow but positive.

I want to especially thank our parents and carers for your unwavering support and positive feedback. The latest parental survey revealed that 100% of parents believe that the school keeps their child safe, helps their child to progress in their learning and meets their child’s particular needs. This is the testament to the commitment and determination of all staff in ensuring that your child receives the best provision possible.

On behalf of The Pinetree School staff, I would like to wish you all an enjoyable and safe summer holiday.

I look forward to seeing all pupils in their uniform when school starts on Thursday 6 September 2018, ready for the challenges of a new academic year

Student News

At the end of the summer term we say a sad farewell and a massive thanks to Mrs Cresswell who has been with us, helping support learning for nearly 2 years. We wish her every success and happiness in the future.

We would also like to say a massive congratulations to Miss Hattersley for the birth of baby Ruby.

Miss Everist joined us again this term to take over duties in the art room, while Mr Tomlinson has moved into the English department to cover for Miss Hattersley.

6th Sept - Start of Autumn term 28th Sept - Parents evening/Induction meetings 17th Oct - 29th Oct - Half term 18th Dec - End of term

Well done to all those pupils who sat exams this term. All pupils were a credit to themselves and we are extremely proud of the effort you put in during the busy exam period. Looking forward to seeing you on results day on 23rd August 2018.

This term pupils have had assemblies led by the youth police and crime commissioner panel. They were incredibly impressed with the pupils. They have identified potential recruits from our school to join the commissioner next year.

Pupils have also been invited to take part in the summer reading challenges at their local libraries. They need to write a brief review of two books after they have read them, to take part. There are also opportunities for pupils to take sibling to the library for a variety of different events.

Congratulations to Paige Emery for being elected to the school council for September.

Special Requests Governance:

The governors wish to thanks all

parents, staff and pupils for their

hard work and participation in

making this year a success.

Happy, safe holidays to every-

one!

English

Maths

Science

This term in Maths pupils have been working on Topics 9, 10, 11 and 12 for GCSE. These have covered percentages/ probability/ area and perimeter and functions. Those who are working towards a functional skills qualification have focused on finding and using percentages, area and averages. The Key Stage 3 pupils have worked well this term towards their improved understanding of mathematical topics. They have been working out the area and surface area of room and answering functional questions around these. Key Stage 3 Pupils have continued to show a good level of attitude throughout this term and I have been impressed by the level of commitment they have shown

Year 11 pupils really done themselves proud during their exams and they can be pleased with the level of effort, commitment and maturity they showed towards their exams. A well done to those lower years who also sat accredited courses over the past term.

The rest of Key Stage 4 have also worked well over this term in preparing them for their accreditations. We are increasingly focusing on mathematical thinking, rationale and problem solving so pupils will be having extended learning to improve these skills in preparation for their qualifications. I hope all pupils enjoy and are safe over the 6 week holiday and I look forward to seeing all your smiling faces in September.

In science this term, there have been many chemical reactions happening. The pupils have been investigating acids, alkalis and neutralisation. They have learnt that a bee sting is acidic and needs an alkaline substance such as bicarbonate of soda to neutralise it. Whereas a wasp sting is alkaline, and will be neutralised by something acidic such as vinegar.

Other year groups have been looking at which chemical

reactions can be used for making hand warmers and ice

packs.

Pupils in Years 7-10 have been studying the detective fiction genre this term, looking at examples of famous detectives and getting to know the

rules of detective fiction. Were you aware that detective story writers were required to follow a set of rules? Like, for example, the detective can

NEVER be the one who committed the crime? Or you’re not allowed to have more than one villain? No, I didn’t know that either. But when you

think about it, it’s elementary, my dear Pinetree School Newsletter Reader. You’re not allowed to cheat. Apparently, bending these rules will see

the writer of the story kicked out of the detective fiction writing club. And that will never do. To finish our study we are looking at the Walt Disney

classic “Basil The Great Mouse Detective”, and checking to see if the story abides by the rules we have been studying. Pupils have found the subject

to be a very engaging one, and the rules themselves have caused much debate in the classroom.

Year 11 pupils continue to prepare for their examinations next summer and as such have been preparing their speaking and listening presentations.

Topics as diverse as memes, permanent exclusion from school and warning labels on fast foods have been chosen on which to build their presenta-

tions, and pupils have thus far made good progress in compiling the facts, data and statistics which will strengthen their arguments. Overcoming

the nerves brought on by the need to actually make the presentation, will be something we will work on together as we prepare to complete this

important piece of work. I don’t think there are any strict rules relating to the presentation, however….

Investigating acids and alkalis

ICT This term pupils have been using ICT to develop their

own board games. Many have chosen a Monopoly style

game with their own rules and themes included. The

results so far are really individual and of great quality.

Art

This term pupils have been working on

developing their finishing skills in

particular. Some of the products being

developed include Bat mobiles, a speaker

box/amplifier a Minecraft Swords and

chest to name a few. The standard of

work has come a long way.

Design and Technology

During the final half term of the school year, all pupils have been studying the drawing skills needed to create some amazing self-portraits after the summer break. There has been a big focus on how to use Tonal Shading effectivity and all pupils have experimented with the fun and creative technique of Continuous Line.

There has been some amazing Artwork produced; we definitely have some budding artist at Pinetree. I am very excited to see the outcomes the pupils produce for ‘Pinetree in Portrait’.

I urge, that over the summer pupils experiment further. It would be great if the pupils

could explore painting using different mediums, such as; watercolour, acrylic and oil

paint. This would give them a head start for September.

Resistant

Food Technology

P.E Over the last weeks of the school year pupils have been hitting

the field, looking at their track and field techniques in

preparation for Sports day. The events that we have focused

on are, Discuss, Shot Putt, Sprinting, Javelin and Long jump.

Many of our pupils have never tried some of these sports

before and it has been fantastic to see the amount of progress

that has been made. The Level of commitment and enthusiasm

has been great, and the way that each student has conducted

themselves dealing with new sports and following health and

safety rules is a credit to each of them.

This term we have also looked at striking and fielding techniques in Cricket.

SMSC this term has seen us investigating British Values and exploring the concept of ‘Britishness’. Whilst ‘Britishness’ is reflected

in our food, recreation, family life, religion and art, etc, it is probably nowhere more poignantly present than in our values; which

inform the basis of much of our British culture.

Today, Ofsted requires all schools ‘to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty

and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs’.

We have been asking the pupils ‘To what extent are the traditional ideas of ‘Britishness’ still reflected in contemporary British

youth culture, do you think?’

S.M.S.C

A few new pupils have entered through the kitchen this term and I welcome them to

Food Technology. To be able to cook for yourself and others is a basic skill for life and

after a short introduction to hygiene, health and safety they will continue on to a path of

qualifications for their particular year and ability.

The current Year 11 have completed their own Food Technology qualification and we

wish them every success in August when they receive their results. As a reward for their

hard work and commitment we went to the Jamie Oliver restaurant in Norwich.

A number of pupils have been involved in a survival topic and went to scavenge for their

food using clues in the woods. They also made a lunch over an open fire which was an

experience.

Eco Schools Through TESCO, we will hopefully qualify for some funds to enhance our school garden. In science, pupils have also

been designing a water irrigation system.

Part of our enrichment week will involve a trip to a recycling centre which will develop the pupils' understanding about

what happens to our waste after collection.

Careers

Willow Room During this term 3 new pupils have joined the school, initially starting in the Assessment Unit.

During the 3 weeks that they are in assessment pupils get to learn the expectations that we have for all our pupils. We

spend time getting to know what 'works' for them and strategies that we can use to ensure that they have a smooth

transition into the main part of the school.

Willow is not just for pupil's to attend for the three week assessment period but also for meet and greet in the mornings,

Extended learning and sometimes just a quiet place to work.

As the summer holidays are fast

approaching, some pupils may want to be

looking for a job to build confidence or

gain experience. Here are some websites

with information on CVs and job skills.

nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/

https://www.princes-trust.org.uk

https://www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-

plus

The Prince's Trust is a youth charity

that helps young people aged 11 to

30 get into jobs, education and

training.

Jobcentre Plus contact details for

claims, appointments, help finding

a job and finding your nearest Job-

centre Plus

The Office

I would like to wish you all a relaxing

summer holiday. Keep safe and not too

many ice-creams as you will need

room for all those delicious dinners

you order from me.

Look forward to seeing you and

continuing to work with you all in

September

Wow another year has gone by! I hope you all have a wonderful summer holiday and stay safe. I look forward to seeing you all in the new school year.

Mrs Frost

Mrs Andrew

Cannot believe another school year

is over! You have all done so well

this year. Please stay safe and have

a happy holiday. See you in

September.

Mrs Burgoyne

Communication between home and school continues to be a vital way of

ensuring that both parties are informed of any attendance/trips/issues and

any other information that needs to be shared to ensure our pupils achieve

their full potential and are fully supported.

As you are aware, there are several ways in which we can communicate: via

telephone, email, letter, Parent Mail, Tuesday News, Website, Parents

Evening. The school telephone number is 01842 752756 and our email

address is office@pinetree.org.uk. Please can you inform the office as soon

as possible of any changes to home contact details to ensure our systems

are up to date.

As you are aware the safety and well-being of your child/ward is paramount

to us at school. Therefore, it is imperative that the school is informed if your

child is going to be absent from school, (please contact the school on the day

as early as possible using one of the above procedures, a message can be

left). Alternatively, please acknowledge our telephone call or text sent via

Parent Mail. If it is a medical appointment then we will need evidence of the

appointment.

Dinners continue to be ordered in the same way and it is really helpful if

pupils can pay on the day or in advance – payment can be made via cash or

cheque, made payable to The Engage Trust (a receipt will be issued). Dinners

cost £2.20 per day regardless of whether it is a hot or cold dinner.

Wishing you all a restful and happy summer holiday. Enjoy the sunshine and

stay safe

The Admin Team

Supporting teaching

and learning

Enjoy your summer holidays and

keep safe. Looking forward to see-

ing you in the new school year.

Well done for this academic year.

You should all be very proud of

yourselves.

Have a great refreshing summer

holiday so you can do even better

next year.

Wishing each and everyone of you

a safe and happy holiday. Looking

forward to seeing you all in

September

It was good supporting you all in

Science lessons. We sure had fun with

lots of practical’s that we were

involved in.

I wish you all a nice and safe summer

break.

Wishing you a safe and relaxing

summer break.

This year has passed so quickly and

already we find ourselves staring into the

void of a 6 week summer break. There

are so many great things to come out of

this year. Supporting both P.E and Art has

been great fun and I am very much

looking forward to seeing what 2018/19

will offer. Have a great break.

Miss Van Kleek Mrs Chappell

Miss Bennett Mr Maplesden

Miss Almeida Miss Spence Mrs Cresswell A Heartfelt thankyou to all the pupils

and staff who have made my time at the

Pinetree school so enjoyable. I will miss

you all and I wont forget you. If I could

leave you with any advice it would be

this. Big moments in life don’t just

happen, they begin with baby steps.

Mindfulness

During the last half term I have

been focussing on teaching the

pupils Mindfulness techniques to

use in and out of the classroom. I

will now also apply the techniques

in our ‘Meet & Greet’ process.

There has been some fantastic

engagement with pupils starting to

apply the techniques without being

prompted.

‘Mindfulness- a mental state

achieved by focusing one's

awareness on the present moment,

while calmly acknowledging and

accepting one's feelings, thoughts,

and bodily sensations, used as a

therapeutic technique.’

TOP TIP A lot of our pupils complain of struggling with sleep. There

are some great tools to help them wind down at night time.

Youtube: Mindfulness To Help Children/Teens sleep will

deliver a wide range of options. There is also a company

called Relax Kids who promote CD’s/MP3 downloads, that aid

children/teens with their sleep, anger, and worries.

One To Watch An amazing BBC documentary on

mindfulness, for children with ADHD was

broadcast in May. It’s called 'The Doctor Who

Gave Up Drugs’. It is a great watch, which can

be found on BBC iplayer.

8

Friday 6th July saw another successful sports day held at the

Pinetree school. With the sun smiling down on us, lines

marked on the field, Javelins, shots and discus inspected,

Bows strung, sandpit raked and the pupils sorted into their

respective sports houses it was time for the pupils to

compete.

This sports day saw pupils compete over 7 events which

included 50m sprint, Fun run, Javelin, Shot putt, Discus,

Archery and Long jump. Pupils were awarded points for each

depending on their standing within their house team. 1st

place in an event would receive 10 points, 2nd place 7 points

and 3rd place 5. The top three point earners for each house

would receive a bronze, silver or gold medal.

Once all events had finished the highly competitive long

running rivalry game of Kwik Cricket between Mr Denmark

and Mr Rice was set to take place. Mr Rice unable to attend

saw Mr Maplesden take over duties, his team leaving the P.E

teachers engulfed by the shadow of the huge tally of points

that had stacked up against him.

The day was finished off with some delicious hotdogs and

burgers followed by a medal ceremony that left many of our

pupils with big smiles.

Careers A Theme day

This term the pupils enjoyed a Theme Day based on careers.

The pupils had the opportunity to speak and experience some

‘hands on’ activities. The outside providers were: *

The Thetford Fire Service: the pupils listened to a Fire

Fighter’s daily experience as well as getting to work the

equipment on a real Fire Engine. * Stem Adviser: Garainth

shared with pupils the wonders of technology within the care

sector. * Independence Matters: our pupils were taught basic

First Aid * This: pupils learnt about the company’s aim of

supporting ex-convicts back into the workplace.

While pupils experienced a carousel of the above, they were

individually invited to attend an interview led by staff of

Independence Matters. Although this was daunting for all our

pupils, they did themselves proud during the interview and

left more confident about using appropriate techniques for a

successful interview.

The pupils were all exceptionally behaved and fully engaged

throughout the day. They did themselves and us proud as

they were all excellent role models and ambassadors for the

school.

The pupils involved in this trip were shown the latest

technology in terms of Computer Aided Manufacture,

including waterjet cutters, laser cutters and plasma cutters.

We were shown balconies that were being made here in

Thetford that would be driven to London, lifted on cranes and

slot into apartments 80 stories high.

We all learned about the apprenticeships that are available

there and qualifications that you can earn. It was a really

informative trip that I hope pupils bear in mind for future

prospects.

Massive thanks to Richard for giving us all a very informative

and interesting tour. Huge thanks also to Estee for co-

coordinating.

School Visits

9 of our pupils achieved over 90% attendance this year which entitled

them to attend the Royal Norfolk School. The 9 pupils (and staff)

thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the trip and it was encouraging

having our new pupils in induction asking how they can qualify for this

trip next year. With the numbers increasing for this trip year on year is

proves that appropriate rewards for our pupils can really inspire them

to make a change in their behaviours and outlook.