School is now in full session once again and things are settling down nicely, irrespective of ongoing building work and the challenges of Covid. Students are well equipped, well behaved and engaging impressively with their learning. A number of students have attended extra-curricular activities, with the hope further opportunities to be provided in the coming weeks and months in line with national guidance.
Please be aware of the following protocol which is to be followed in the event of a positive case in school.
· The TTP team is responsible for contacting each positive case and collecting information about their close contacts both within and outside the school.
· It is the role of TTP to identify which individuals meet the definition of a close contact and who, if anyone, would be required to self-isolate.
· The majority of learners in the class/year group are unlikely to be identified as close contacts.
· PCR tests will be offered to anyone who is identified as a close contact – these are not mandatory. If a student does not have symptoms and has not been advised to stay home/self-isolate by TTP then they can attend school.
As you are well aware, rules and guidance do change from time to time and we will inform you when this occurs and specifically if it has a direct impact on our working practice at Castell Alun.
Millie (Year 9) is making a name for herself in motorsport. She travelled down to Brookshorpe in Gloucester last weekend for the women’s British Motocross Championship and rode her heart out to finish 2nd overall. Can you believe that with just one round to go Millie now sits in the third position nationally and could well yet finish even higher in the rankings. Millie – we are right behind you – go for it!
Please do keep your child’s Student Development Manager and Group Tutor in the picture with all personal successes. We love celebrating these victories, and it is certainly fair to say that other people really enjoy hearing about them also. So, there is no need for humility here, and if there is something to be proud of just email us as soon as you are able. This includes any successes at all or something which shows a student has gone ‘above and beyond’ in any area of life.. not just in sport of course!
We emailed you earlier this week with the request that you answer a very short survey on our reporting system for Years 7 to 11. Thank you for all the feedback we have had to date. If anybody else does wish to participate in the Google survey please follow the link below, the deadline for completion is Thursday 21st September. We are aware that many other local schools have moved over to a more succinct reporting system and we are keen to know what works best for our community at Castell Alun.
On Wednesday next week in the morning Year 7 students will sit their Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs). These are essentially a measure of potential and help us build a more accurate picture of the abilities of our students. Please remind students in Year 7 they are nothing to worry about at all and no revision is required whatsoever. On Thursday students in Year 7 will have their photos taken as is our custom, for school records. Individual photos will be available for purchase from the school also in the near future.
As you know we are unable to host an Open Evening on Thursday 30th September, or indeed an Open Morning on Friday 1st October this year. This is the case with all Flintshire Secondary Schools. However, a good deal of Open Evening content will be available on our website, along with the new intake Prospectus in the coming fortnight.
Please can we remind you that Wednesday 22nd December has been allocated as a school ‘Bank Holiday’ in lieu of the Bank Holiday given for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which occurs during early June.
Have a lovely weekend.