Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this email finds you well.  It has been a very busy few weeks at Dr Thomlinson Middle School.

Zambezi Sunshine Trust visit Dr Thomlinson’s

We were delighted to welcome visitors from the Zambezi Sunshine Trust on Wednesday, 29th November, 2023.  The Trust is further extending Linda Community School in Livingstone, Zambia.  The school specifically provides an education for vulnerable children in a very disadvantaged area of the city and one of the charity’s trustees was explaining how the school is now benefiting from almost £2000 of new textbooks which was bought for the school through the money raised by Dr Thomlinson Middle School in a sponsored walk on June 23rd, 2023.  Dr Thomlinson has made plans for further links with Linda Community College in March 2024 when teaching staff from both schools will be exchanging good practice through a series of online meetings.

 

Theatre Company visits Dr Thomlinson Middle School

Dr Thomlinson welcomed the “Why queue theatre Company” on Tuesday 28th November who presented a educational drama on road safety to Year 7

 

Dr Thomlinson School visits Barter Book

A group of Dr Thomlinson pupils visited Barter Books on Wednesday 29th November.  The visit, part of the school’s strategy to promote a ;love of reading, was very well received by the children who attended

 

Year 8 Christmas Cake Baking

It must be getting near Christmas as Year 8 are beginning their annual Christmas Cake Competition.  Year 8 pupils are baking their fruit cakes during one Food lesson then decorating them in the next with the design of the cake decorations being judged and prizes awarded to the best designs.  Best of luck to all those taking part.

 

Dr Thomlinson’s got Talent

Parents/Carers are invited to attend our Dr Thomlinson’s Got Talent show on Monday, 18th December 2023.  The show, starting at 6:30pm, will be a culmination of a series of auditions which begin during lunchtimes on the week commencing December 4th.  We look forward to seeing who will claim the prestigious prize.

 

Welfare Meetings

At Dr Thomlinson there are two parent meetings each year.  In the Autumn parents/carers have an opportunity to book an online welfare meeting with their child’s form tutor.  Then in the Spring, parents/carers have an opportunity for face-to-face meetings with their child’s subject teachers.

Thank you to those Yr 7 parents/carers who spoke to our Yr 7 Form tutors on Wednesday, 22nd November and our Yr 8 Parents/carers who took part in the Year 8 Welfare meetings on Wednesday, 29th November.  Our Face-to-face parent evenings will take place in March and May of 2024.

 

Dates for Parent Evenings (Face-to-Face 3:30pm – 7;15pm)

Yr 5 – 14th May

Yr 6 – 21st May

Yr 7 – 21st March

Yr 8 – 7th March

 

TOP Awards Week beginning 20th November

Our Thomlinson Outstanding Pupil Award is given to the child in each Form Class who, in the opinion of their form tutor, has best shown our core value of the week.

We are concentrating on the core values of Hope; Service; Koinonia; Friendship and Service this year as our school feels that these values will help us best raise awareness of the United Nations 17 sustainability goals that have been devised to help us tackle Climate Change.  Through this important work we feel that we will best live our school mission statement of using our skills and talents for “the good of all”.

This week our core value was Hope.

Well done to the following award winners:

5T Reuben

5H Finley

6O Anna

6M Imogen

7I Jessica

7L Leon / Bethany

8N Madeline

8S T-Jay & Hollie

Well done to all of these award winners

Prayer for Advent

Newcastle Diocese is committed to working with parishes to encourage and support them in reaching out to children and young people and designed a series of prayers for Advent to help with this.

Heavenly Father,

As we join together to pray, we think especially of the children and young people in our parish – those in our schools; in our streets, in our own homes and in our families.

We give thanks for each one, we praise you for all you are doing in their lives, and all you are doing through them.  Help us to see them with your eyes, listen to them with our grace, and love them with your heart.

In the name of your son Jesus Christ, who welcomed the children and placed them in the centre.

Amen

 

I hope you have a good weekend,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher