Whole School Newsletter - 21-02-2025
BackFriday 14th February 2025
Dear Parents and Carers
We break up this afternoon for half-term, returning to school on Monday 3rd March for the second half of the Spring Term. For many of our KS4 and KS5 students this means that we have approximately eight teaching weeks before GCSE and A- Level examinations begin. It is very important therefore that all students in Years 10-13 have planned a revision timetable and that they begin their revision in earnest over the half-term break.
School Values and RISE
The themes of this week have been commitment and being safe. By commitment we mean that students:
- Always give 100%
- Strive to support each other and work as a team
- Never give up and have the skills and strength to persevere with even the hardest work.
Being resilient means that we have the skills and strength to persevere with even the hardest work. Resilience allows us to cope when things do not go as planned. There are five pillars which are considered to be the building blocks of developing resilience. These are:
- Self-awareness
- Mindfulness
- Self-care
- Positive relationships
- Purpose
We support our students to develop these traits through our RISE approach.
Vandalism
Once again, we have seen an increase in intentional damage being done to the school building and equipment. I am sure all of us are finding the current financial climate a challenge as we manage the rise in the cost of living. At school we have very limited budgets and try to use our available funds to the benefit of our school community as effectively as possible. Sadly, at a time when I would like to be investing in the school building and infrastructure, I am having to prioritise unnecessary repairs to the building and trying to replace damaged IT equipment. This week I have had to close one of our ICT suites due to the number of damaged keyboards and mice, making some of our computers unusable. This is unsustainable and a complete waste of public money. We are taking these deliberate acts of vandalism on our school property very seriously so can I please ask that you support this message with your children. We will continue to look at a range of strategies to reduce vandalism across the school but any student caught deliberately damaging school property will be charged for the cost of the damage.
Global Majority Parent Voice Coffee Morning
We are holding a coffee morning for all parents and carers of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students on 14th March at 10am at Newport High School.
This is a chance for us to meet more of our parents and carers and find out more about how we can work together to ensure our students achieve the very best possible outcomes.
We hope to see as many parents as possible at this important event.
School Uniform
Just a reminder that all students must be in correct school uniform and have a coat and a school bag. We have a range of ‘pre-loved’ school uniform at school which is available for anyone who would like to access it. Please let us know if we can help with school uniform in anyway.
Our uniform is extremely affordable and easy to get hold of. It consists of plain black shoes/trainers, black socks, white shirt and the school tie. Skirts must be of appropriate length and trousers or shorts should be tailored fit. Students are not allowed to wear sports shorts, tracksuit bottoms or leggings to school.
Cardigans, jumpers and blazers are optional but students may choose to wear a plain black knitted V neck jumper or cardigan without the logo, or purchase the Newport High branded jumper, sweatshirt or cardigan.
Jewellery is limited to one pair of small stud earrings and one ring. Students are allowed to wear a nose stud but please note that this has to be a stud and not a sleeper or any other style. Any headwear, worn for religious reasons, should be of a plain black material. Extreme hairstyles are not acceptable and hair should be of a natural colour.
If you have any problems getting hold of school unform please let your child’s Form Tutor know in the first instance or email info@newporthigh.co.uk with “Uniform” in the title as we are happy to support with this.
Free School Meals
We are aware that many of our families may be entitled to Free School Meals but are not claiming this additional financial support. You can check if you are entitled to Free School Meals at www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-meals/free-school-meals
If you are not in receipt of Free School Meals but think you are eligible and would like any help in accessing, please let us know so we can support.
Families who are eligible for Free School Meals can also apply for additional help with other school costs including school uniform. You can find out more at https://www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-meals/free-school-meals
Social Media
Please can I urge all parents who have an issue or concern about school to contact us directly to discuss. This will give us the opportunity to try to resolve the issue.
If you have any concerns, please email us on: info@newporthigh.co.uk
Inset days and Term dates – 2024/2025
The remaining INSET days (when school is closed to students for staff training) for this year are as follows:
- Friday 7th March 2025
- Friday 27th June 2025
- Monday 30th June 2025
- Monday 21st July 2025
I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing half-term break and I look forward to welcoming all our students back on Monday 3rd March.
With many thanks for your continued support
kind regards
Mrs Lee