News
A caring Coleshill schoolgirl has braved the shave to raise cash to thank the medical staff who have been treating her poorly father.
Libby Lanchester – who is known to her friends as Bea – said farewell to her long locks in a sponsored shave just before Christmas, after launching a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Oncology ward at Good Hope Hospital, where dad Stuart is being treated for bowel cancer.
Mum Louise said: “We are so proud of Libby – she was determined to do something to thank the staff on the ward because they have done so much for us as a family.
“When she first had the idea she only wanted to raise £100, but we decided in the end to go for £2000 and she has absolutely smashed that, with £3,400 raised now. The response has been brilliant.”
Libby, 15, is in Year 10 at The Coleshill School, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.
Libby’s hair is also being donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.
“Libby hadn’t really had her hair cut for years - it was really long, down to her bum – so she looks so different now. She looks like her dad!” Louise said.
Louise, who works at Good Hope as a health care assistant, said the family had been ‘blown away’ by the support they had received from the Oncology staff during Stuart’s treatment, which had inspired Libby’s head shave.
“They are just amazing, phenomenal people,” she said. “The treatment has been going in throughout the COVID pandemic, and they have done so much to help us and make us comfortable.
“I genuinely can never repay them for what they have done.”
The hospital team even helped pay for a memory-making trip to centre Parcs.
Now Stuart, Louise, Libby and her brother and sister Sam and Lauren hope to be able to use the money to pay for a new staff room for the Oncology staff, where they can rest and recharge themselves during the working day.
The family have also had support from within the community, with Stuart’s colleagues from his workplace, Airlift Systems raising money to buy an outdoor building for their home in Chelmsley Wood.
Louise explained: “Stuart wasn’t able to sit outside because of his illness, and he has a groups friends – we call them the ‘lads and dads’ – who he regularly went camping with.
“They got together and bought an outdoor building, which we call the barn, that they came round and put up for us. We had a big bonfire to celebrate, which was brilliant.
“We have been so lucky to have so much support.”
On her GoFundMe page, Libby said: “We could never repay any of this love and kindness back, but I wanted to do something.
“The oncology unit dad has been treated at are amazing, even during these crazy and weird times of COVID.
“They let mum stay until dad is all hooked up (just in case he faints!) and keep her updated as much as they can.
“They keep him fed and warm during treatment and encourage him to keep going. They are funny and kind and treat us like family.
“There isn’t much I can do to help my daddy, but I can try to give back to the people who are helping him. “So I hope it’s not too much to ask for your help.”
To make a donation, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bea-is-shaving-her-head-for-daddys-chemo-ward
Headteacher’s Blog 29th January 2021 School Update
I hope that you have all had a good week and are keeping safe and well. It has been a busy week both in school and for students working at home, so this blog will hopefully serve as an update for you. With the announcement that schools will not return until at least 8th March it is more important than ever for us all to work together to ensure the school community remains strong and positive for everyone.
Lateral Flow Testing
Lateral flow testing is now up and running in school for staff and the students. You may have seen examples of LFT tests on the news and, if your child is currently working at home, they can be reassured it is very simple process. So far we have tested almost all the staff and the students who are currently in school. We have had no positive cases, which is encouraging. All students who return to school will be given a letter and consent form to complete online as they return. I will update you further, before the wider reopening of school.
Remote learning
I hope that your child is making the most of the live lessons and remote learning that is on offer. Teachers continue to experiment and find new ways of improving the live lessons. Students are being asked to complete mini quizzes and activities, so that their teachers can check on their progress. We are focusing on ensuring the live lessons your child receives are high quality, with teacher interaction and activities. The current of allocation of live lessons, combined with the remote activities, is enabling teachers to get the right balance to support students in their learning whilst ensuring high quality live lessons.
Year 11 Assessment Fortnight
We are very proud of our Year 11 students, who have completed the first week of their assessment fortnight. The attendance and focus of students during this week has been exceptional and demonstrates that our students continue to work hard to achieve their goals.
Year 11 students who are applying for Sixth Form
Pleasingly we have had over 130 applications from Year 11 to study in the 6th form next year and all students have been contacted personally by Mr Owen to arrange an interview to discuss subject choices and potential career options. This enthusiasm to plan for the future and desire to continue with education is testament to our Year 11 students’ resilience and aspirations for future academic and vocational success and helps all involved to focus positively on the opportunities that will be available in the future at The Coleshill School Sixth Form.
Sixth Form update
We are very proud of our Post 16 students and how they have adapted to the demands of online learning. Students have engaged enthusiastically under difficult circumstances and are demonstrating to their teachers their commitment and desire to continue to make progress in their chosen subjects. Year 13, in particular, are maintaining focus despite the uncertainty they face and Year 12 are showing that they are keen to develop the skills and knowledge they will need to be successful next year. The sixth form team are trying to ensure as much as possible that the normal features of Post 16 life continue; Year 13 students are still submitting UCAS applications and receiving offers as well as applying for, and getting apprenticeship interviews and employment offers. Information regarding all aspects of careers and further education support is provided by Mr Owen and Mrs Bishop via the pastoral MSTeams groups.
House competition 2 – Reading Review Competition
Miss Rawlins has thanked to everyone for getting involved in our reading competition! It has been so wonderful to see how many of our students are keen book lovers and are using their time in Lockdown to explore new worlds from the comfort and safety of their homes. Miss Rawlins wanted to pay particular thanks to those who wrote a review of the book that they are reading; these reviews have certainly inspired us to take a look at the books that you rate so highly. The winners of the review-writing competition are:
Joint 3rd place – Oliver (year 8) and Poppy-May (year 7) 2nd place – Ella (year 9) 1st place – Wren (year 7) who reviewed this fabulous book
Well-being and mental health focus
There are a number of initiatives taking place to support the well-being and mental health of staff and students, during these challenging times.
‘Time to talk Day’ tutor session next Thursday
Next Thursday all students will have a special tutor session to support mental health and well- being, as part of the national ‘Time to Talk’ initiative. This will replace the normal Friday tutor session. All students, across all year groups, are asked to attend this session with their tutor please.
One to one well-being check in from tutors
As well as having contact with tutors during the twice weekly tutor times, we recognise the need for your child to have a one to one conversation with a member of staff. Many students will already have had a phone call over recent weeks, but those who have not will receive a call in the next two weeks so that all children have had a check in before half term.
Mental health and well-being support
For any members of our school community who need signposting to support, there are now a range of useful links on our website. You can also call school and ask for your child’s Year Leader, who will be able to offer support and suggest any further support that may be needed. The information on the website will be available by clicking a banner on the main home page.
I wish you all a restful weekend. We are here if you need us. Take care and stay safe.
Ian Smith-Childs
Headteacher
HEADTEACHER’S BLOG 8TH JANUARY REMOTE EDUCATION UPDATE
It is sad to see the school so empty this week and I know that many of you must be facing significant challenges. What is keeping me going is that there are significant differences to when we had to shut schools so suddenly back in March. The biggest of these is of course the national vaccination programme and the hope that this gives us to see an end to this pandemic. However, I want to focus this blog on the progress we have made in delivering remote education and to give some reminders to ensure that students continue to learn, as effectively as they can, from home.
In March the concept of teaching students online was new to us. On Monday I was able to share with you a full remote learning plan, delivering 5 hours a day of remote education, for all students, with a mix of live lessons and remote activities being set by your child’s teachers. I am incredibly proud and grateful to all the school staff for making this happen.
Now that we have a fully functioning remote learning plan, it is vital that your child engages with the live lessons and remote learning activities. The learning platform being used for all remote education is Microsoft TEAMs. Students should be well aware of how to access and complete their work now, as we have been using this platform fully since September. However, there is a helpful narrated powerpoint on our website if your child needs a reminder. You can find the power point through this link https://www.thecoleshillschool.org/remote-learning/remote-induction-2
Top tips for Remote Learning at home:
Be organised & check your timetable the day before to: Understand what lessons you have and to prepare your books and any resources in advance Make sure that you have completed and uploaded any work your teacher has asked you to do, into the assignments function on TEAMs prior to the lesson You will be receiving a spirit point for every LIVE LESSON that you attend and additional spirit points for engagement with your home learning, as it’s important that you persevere with your home learning and education whilst at home during lockdown Reminder of the key functions on TEAMs that you will need to use to effectively learn from home: General reminders/Chat from your teacher will be in posts Assignments- will be used by your teachers for work to be set and for you to upload responses Lessons and resources will be accessed in files, which will be clearly labelled with: A date Period Title of lesson g. 7th Jan. Period 2. Where are the worlds megacities?
Support with technology for learning
As our primary way of delivering remote education is online, it is important you let us know if your child is unable to access MS TEAMs, due to not having a device or internet access. Several families have now been supported with the loan of laptops and we have a limited number remaining if you need one. We cannot guarantee a device but if you contact your child’s Year Leader we will assess needs on a case by case basis. We can also offer your child a place in school to do their work, if access to technology is a barrier to your child accessing remote education.
Cont……
Tutor time for all students
From next Friday 15th January we will be operating tutor time twice a week for all students in Year 7-11. This will be on a Monday and a Friday for students. Attendance at tutor time is compulsory for these students, the same as lessons.
Tutor time will run live on MS TEAMs for 20 minutes at the same time as it would normally be timetabled, during the school day and will enable tutors to check in with students so that your child has an opportunity to talk with their peers and ask any questions of their tutor and will mean tutors can check on how your child is getting on with their remote learning.
We will also be posting assemblies, as we did in the last lockdown and we will communicate this through tutor time.
The Sixth Form team will in touch with students in Years 12 and 13 to outline how tutorial time will operate for them.
Rewards for students
Praise points will be awarded to students for each live lesson they attend and also for students who are engaging well with lessons and submitting quality assignments.
Update letter for examination year groups
Year 11, 12 and 13 will be getting separate letters today following the announcement about examinations from the government this week and to share some important updates.
I wish you a peaceful weekend and stay safe.
Ian Smith-Childs
Headteacher
Headteacher’s Blog 15th January 2021 Wildlife Imagery Special!
I have been really impressed with the quality of live lessons that have been happening this week and have had several messages of support from families about the provision we have put in place for online learning. Having taught a few live lessons myself now, it is an interesting experience which both students and staff are getting better at each day.
Today we will have our first session of tutor time for all students in Years 7-11, which is an important part of our provision for your child as it will give us an opportunity to check on well-being, support with any technical issues and give key messages to the students. It is compulsory for students to attend please.
Sixth Formers can make use of the bespoke TEAMs pastoral group for Year 12 and 13 and look out for notifications for key topics such as careers and mental health. Mr Owen and Mrs Bishop are always available to support as well.
House Competition 1: Wildlife Imagery
This week Mr Grove has been running a House Competition to see who can capture amazing photos of our local wildlife. As a big fan of all things to do with the natural world, I am currently enjoying David Attenborough’ new series ‘A Perfect Planet’, I was amazed by the quality of the images.
Mr Grove says ‘Thank you for all of the photographs and drawings you have sent in for the house competitions so far, we had received over 200 images of wildlife. It has been extremely difficult to narrow the competition down to the top three for each year group but after a long process the results are below. Each student will receive an additional 20 SPIRIT points and the images will be displayed on our social media pages. Thank you again for your participation.
Year 7
1st - Joe
2nd – Corey
3rd – Madison
Year 8
1st - Travis
2nd – Madison
3rd – Andi
Year 9
1st - Emma
2nd - Tom
3rd - Lanre
Year 10
1st - Libby
2nd - Mya
3rd - Leo
Year 11
1st – Grace
2nd – Tim
Thank you for all of your support. I wish you a restful weekend.
Take care and stay safe
Ian Smith-Childs
Headteacher
Dear Parent/s Carers
Please see letter from Richard Gill re Return to School and Staggered Rollout of Coronavirus Testing
We will be in touch in the new year with further details.
Kind Regards
Ian Smith-Childs
Headteacher
