Welcome
Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Friends,
Despite this short half term, we have been busier than ever.
As we can see the end of this academic year in sight, our Y9 students are preparing for their formal end of KS3 assessments. This week Ms McMahon and Miss Courtney our newly appointed exams officer, led an assembly exploring exam etiquette and expectations. Holding assessments formally is great preparation for the Y10 mock exams which will be here before we know it. Families of Y9 students please encourage some revision over the half term break.
Just a reminder for current students to order any replacement uniform and PE kit as soon as possible. Please ensure you check the uniform page on our website in advance.
Y7 parents evening on School Cloud allowed more parents to speak with subject teachers regarding student progress. Feedback has been very positive regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of this new way of working.
We will be sharing several alternative opportunities for families to come into school over the next half term and beyond. I look forward to welcoming you into school as often as possible.
It has been wonderful to see our school returning to normal, little by little as the academic year has gone on. This half term has been packed with extra-curricular opportunities from theatre visits, sporting events and community projects to name a few. Following you will read more about the out of the classroom learning opportunities that our students have been involved in.
I am always incredibly proud to hear positive feedback from the trip leaders and accompanying staff who always speak highly of our students and how they are excellent ambassadors for our school when out and about. It really is wonderful to hear.
This week is “Thank a teacher day” and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the school staff who go above and beyond every day to support our students, it is a privilege to work with them all.
With the tragedy of the Texas shooting this week I would also like to send our thoughts and prayers to the families of the pupils and staff who lost their lives in such unimaginable circumstances.
From all the staff and students at Ibstock Community College we wish you a safe and happy half term.
With best wishes
Mrs Williams
Headteacher
Introducing...
Jessica Ryder, Pastoral Manager
Hi, I'm Jessica Ryder and I am the new Pastoral Manager for the upcoming year 7’s. I am excited to work alongside the tutors to ensure our new year 7's have a great start and settle in well. I will also be working closely with the parents, and other members of staff to support the student's education, wellbeing, behaviour, and attendance throughout their time at Ibstock. Should any other issues arise, my door is always open for the students to talk to me as and when they need to, and parents are always welcome to contact me. I look forward to seeing some new faces in June at the induction days and welcoming them all in August.
Nicole Courtney, Exams Manager
Hello, I'm Nicole Courtney and I am the Exams Manager at Ibstock Community College. I previously worked at Redmoor Academy where I helped invigilate exams and support students within the SEN department. My focus this year and in the coming years will be managing exams for our students, ensuring that as we become an 11-16 school, we give our students the best possible experience of KS4 and taking exams, getting them ready for the future.
I have three cats, Lancelot (a black, grumpy rescue cat), Wiggie (a little Persian princess) and Aurora (a small kitten that manages to get into the strangest of places, like the washing machine!). In my spare time, I enjoy reading a variety of Young Adult fiction. My favourite books include: Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman, Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann and The Novice by Taran Matharu.
My dream job would be to have my own cat rescue shelter but equally I am passionate about working with young people, ensuring that they have the best possible experience at school.
We will soon be looking for reliable, organised, punctual and empathetic individuals to become Exam Invigilators. This will be an exciting role, working alongside the Exams Manager to assist with the administration and running of exams. Full training and support will be given. We are hoping to put out a full job advert next term. If you have any questions in the meantime, please email n.courtney@ibstockcollege.co.uk for more information.
Supporting Reading at Home
On Tuesday 14th June, 6-7pm, we are hosting a session for year 7 parents focusing on how you can support reading at home. If your child finds reading challenging, or has lost interest in reading and if you wish you could do more to support and develop their reading at home, then this session will be helpful for you. As reading is such an important part of academic success this is a great opportunity to learn more about the aspects of reading and strategies you can easily implement at home. If you would like to attend please complete the online form by following the link below, or if you have any questions please email m.hayles@ibstockcollege.co.uk
Author Visit
We are excited to have Tamsin Winter, award-winning author of Being Miss Nobody, Jemima Small Versus the Universe and Girl (in real life) visiting us on Friday 17th June. Tamsin will be meeting groups of students during her visit to share her love of reading and to support creative writing. Look out for photos and reviews of the visit in our next newsletter.
Library Relaunch
My name is Liane Davies and I have recently been appointed the role of Librarian in Ibstock Community College. I was presented with the immense task of getting the Library back into shape, ready for the relaunch. Since the Library had previously been a community library, there were collection practises in place which were more fitting for the general public, rather than an academic setting. Generally speaking, a community library separates works of fiction and non-fiction, and fiction is collected into one whole section, rather than separated into genres.
Fortunately, due to my background in literature and Library Studies; I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English, from Loughborough University, and a Master’s Degree in Information and Library Studies from Aberystwyth University, I was exceedingly prepared and excited to take on the task. The Library is now arranged into a number of collections/sections, following the Dewy Decimal Classification system, in which students are able to locate both works of fiction and non-fiction on the subjects they are studying. Rearranging the Library in this way gives the students a condensed experience of the Libraries they may come across later in life at University. However, preparing for University is not the only benefit of this system, having works of fiction and non-fiction in the same place also helps students to recognise the difference between information and disinformation.
Going forward I plan to increase our BAME and LQBTQ+ resources, as although we currently have a diverse range of authors, we would benefit from a more diverse experience within our fiction section. I hope to work alongside teaching staff to create informative lessons about the Library’s resources, Library studies, referencing, and identification of information verses disinformation. With the school opening to years 10 and 11 from September, I will also be creating GCSE specific sections, in order that students can easily access the materials needed.
Paralympic Festival
Tuesday 26 April saw the annual Paralympic Festival held at Loughborough University. The festival gives students the opportunity to take part in lots of different para events and inclusive games.
Sam and Dina, both of year 7, attended the day with great enthusiasm. They took part in Badminton, Judo, New Age Kurling, Boccia, Skittles and Wheelchair Basketball.
The Judo was hosted by Dan Powell - an ex-GB Paralympian, this was especially exciting for Sam, who competes in martial arts outside of school.
They both came away feeling incredibly inspired, gaining certificates and medals for taking part in the day!!
Sporting Achievement
Albert in year 8 and his Acro partner competed in the British Gymnastics Acro NDP Finals at Stoke on Trent on 14 and 15 May . They won the gold medal Grade 5 men's pairs category making them National Champions for the 3rd time. What a fantastic achievement!
Uniform Donations
Any donations of good quality uniform that is longer required would gratefully received. Please hand any donations to Reception.
A Guide to Parking Safely at Our School
Inconsiderate and dangerous parking around our school can put the safety of students and others at risk. We all want to keep our students safe, so here’s some top tips on how you can make a difference.
- Keep your speed down
- Do not park on zig zag lines or in areas that will block access for other vehicles, particularly the school buses
- Make sure your child leaves and enters your vehicle safely onto the pavement
- Check for pedestrians and cyclists before opening a car door
- Leave enough room on pavements for pedestrians, pushchairs & wheelchairs to get past
- Take care when reversing
Please keep restricted areas clear...
- Zig Zags and school entrances
- Dropped kerbs
- Resident’s driveways
- Opposite or within 10 meters of a junction- so that students can see cars and cars can see students
Parent Lite
Please ensure you have activated your Parent Lite account and keep your child's information upto date. If you have not received an activation email or are experiencing any issues please contact icc.admin@ibstockcollege.co.uk
Please take time to look through each tab and update information as required. It is especially important to ensure contact details are up to date, consent information is correct and any medical details or dietary needs are recorded accurately.
Contacting the college
Email: icc.admin@ibstockcollege.co.uk
Website: www.ibstockcollege.co.uk
Upcoming Dates
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May Half term - School closes on Friday 27 May and re-opens on Tuesday 7 June 2022
Additional Teacher Training Day - Monday 6 June 2022
World Environment Day celebrations - Tuesday 7 June 2022
Conkers Discovery Centre Trip - Thursday 16 June 2022
Author visit - Friday 17 June 2022
Year 6 and Year 10 Induction Day - Wednesday 29 June 2022
Year 10 Induction days – Building a Year 10 Culture - Wednesday 29 June 2022
Year 6 and Year 10 Induction Day - Thursday 30 June 2022
Year 10 Induction days – Building a Year 10 Culture - Thursday 30 June 2022
Year 6 Induction Evening - Thursday 30 June 2022
Year 10 Induction Evening - Tuesday 5 July 2022
End of Year Reward Trip - Alton Towers - Thursday 7 July 2022
School closes 2pm - Friday 8 July 2022