Dear Parents / Carers

I hope this email finds you well.  We are having a very busy end of term.

 

Climate Festival 10th – 14th July.

This week saw our school celebrate a Climate Festival.  The Three Rivers Learning Trust is committed to doing all it can to address the challenge of climate change. We recognise the urgency of the crisis; follow the science; and will be open, honest, positive and optimistic in our response.  As part of our strategy to raise awareness of the challenges, our Trust organised a Climate Festival.

The school celebrate the Climate Festival in many ways: through a display of pupil art work in All Saints Church; a showing of the Climate Crisis Documentary 2040 and a Dragon’s Den activity where four “Dragons” (Neil Dorward, the Senior Manager for Education Development & Collaborative Projects at Northumberland County Council; Joshua Knight – an expert in the field of the maintenance and operation of power stations; Hazel Scurr – a person who is currently helping deliver the NCC’s Climate Action Plan – and Katie Scott – the coordinator of Rothbury CAN (Climate and Nature) group listened to presentations from Year 7 and Year 8 pupils – as well as pupils from Thropton Village First School and Harbottle First School – .on ideas to help our schools still further reduce their carbon footprint.  The panel were very impressed with the work of all the pupils who took part.

On Thursday we also welcomed The KEVI Senior Students who spoke to the whole school about issues regarding Climate Change.  The Senior Students gave a presentation and then spoke to Year 7 pupils about the Senior Students experience of leadership.  The visit was very much appreciated and thank you very much to Andrew; George and Liam for their hard work.

Our biodiversity group as well as all our Year 8s have been really busy further improving our Forest School area.  We have added benches to this area that have been signed by all our current Year 8 pupils.  The signed benches will be a lovely legacy of our current Year 8’s time at Dr Thomlionson’s.

During the week our pupils also looked at the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. The goals recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.  Each Form Class voted on which of our 15 core values would best align to the United Nation Goals.  These core values are then the ones we will especially concentrate on next year.  Our chosen values were Hope; Service; Friendship; Creation and Koinonia.  A display of this information can be found in our main reception.

Wildflower Talk – Monday 17th July

If you wish to take part in our Climate Festival why not come to a Wildflower Talk taking place on Monday, July 17th at 7pm.

 

Sports Day 2023

Thank you to all those parents / carers who attended Sports Day on Monday 10th July.  I had a lovely time and I was very impressed at the enthusiasm, commitment and endeavours of all our pupils.  Thank you very much to Mr Heath and all our staff for organising such a great event.

Year 8s helping at other Schools

Thank you to all the Year 8s who have been helping younger children in a number of different activities at first schools over the past few weeks.  This work is part of the Archbishop Young Leaders Award.

Thursday 20th July, 2023 – End of Term Church Service

Parents & Carers are very welcome to attend our End of Year Church Service at All Saints Church, Rothbury.  The service is on Thursday, 20th July and will start at 1:15pm.  During the service Year 8 pupils will be each issued with  Dr Thomlinson pen and revolving pencil which will be a small memento of their time at our school.  Following the service , children and staff will make their way back to school to be dismissed at the normal time of 3:30pm

Year 8 Shirt Signing

As is customary, Year 8 children will be allowed to sign school shirts during the last week of the school year.  This will take place on Wednesday, 19th July, 2023.  Please could all Year 8 children make sure they sign a spare school shirt so as to ensure they have another clean and unsigned school shirt to wear during the remainder of their last week at Dr Thomlinson Middle School.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher