Message from the Headteacher 12 November 2021

12th November 2021Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents & Carers,

I hope this email finds you well.  It has been an exciting week at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.  Year 5 really enjoyed their trip to the Hancock Museum – a trip that supports our History Curriculum.

Please be aware that we are now celebrating Children in Need on Thursday, November 18th.

Kooth  – Online Mental Well Being for Children and Young People aged 11 – 25 years old

Kooth is a free, anonymous and safe online mental wellbeing community for children and young people, aged 11 – 25 years old across Northumberland.  It is a service funded by Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group.

There are two Kooth Awareness sessions being run for all parents & carers across Northumberland.  If you are interested then please follow the links below.

Wednesday 24th November 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Tuesday 30th November 10:30am – 11:30am

Please join Malcolm Connelly for a Kooth Awareness Session for all Parents & Carers across #Northumberland. Malcolm will explain how Kooth.com can support Young People aged 11-25 across the County with their emotional wellbeing.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kooth-parent-and-carer-session-northumberland-tickets-195112174767

Remembrance Sunday Service

Our House Captains will be attending the Remembrance Sunday Service at All Saints.  They will be laying a Poppy Wreath on behalf of our school’s pupils, staff and parents.

November Reading Challenge

This November we are challenging our Yr 5; Yr 6 & Yr 7 children to read at least three fiction books from different authors than they would normally read.  Every book completed by a child then enters them into a draw for a Waterstones Book Voucher.

This week well done to Poppy; Elsie; Beth; Harry; Cecily; Jessica; Lucy; Dillan; Joe; Danny; Jonah ; Gabriel; Edward; Lewis; Emma; Hylton; eva; Max; Elsa; Jayden; Alfie in Yr 6 and Luke ; Freya; Harriet; Josh; Wilf; Luke; Alic; Alex; Isabella; Toby in Yr 7 who this week completed at least one book to enter the challenge.

Taking up the challenge myself I am really enjoying  reading some current children’s books. Last week I really enjoyed The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes.  This week I read the latest book by Lucy Strange – an author I have never read before.

Sisters of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange

When Grace’s father sells Grace – his eldest daughter – for a horse so begins a story full of mystery and superstition.

The Fernsby family have six daughters (Grace; Willa; Freya; Deedee; Dolly and Darcy) and they live with their father on a farm amidst the mists and mires of the Lost Marsh.  Scared of her fate and tempted by the excitement of the travelling Full Moon Fayre, Grace flees her family only to find herself at the mercy of other forces that move among the dangerous marshlands.  Can Willa and her other sisters save their eldest sister and repay their father’s debt?

Sisters of the Lost Marsh is a brilliant novel that creates its medieval marshland setting very vividly.  I found it the perfect book for this time of year as the nights draw in.  More suitable for readers in Key Stage 3, this was the first book I’ve read by author Lucy Strange and I am very excited about reading her other three novels – Our Castle by the Sea; The Secret of Nightingale Wood and The Ghost of Gosswater.

Sisters of the Lost Marsh is a book I would highly recommend.

TOP Award Winners – Week beginning Nov 8th 

Core Value was Service

5T – Charlotte

5H – Emily

60 – Ethan

6M – Jonah

7I – Joel

7L – Cameron

8N – Abby

8S – Dan

P&Q Award Winner – Lewis in Yr 8

Well done to all these award winners.

Please be aware of the additional COVID-19 control measures in our school

Additional COVID-19 control measures in our school

Face Coverings worn by adults and Key Stage 3 children in corridors

All adults and secondary age children (Year 7 and above) are advised and encouraged to wear face coverings in corridors.  Please support your child (if they are in Year 7 & Year 8) in this area.

Ventilation

We will continue to ensure all areas in school are well ventilated.  As the weather gets cooler it is important that all members of our school community remember to layer their clothing so having extra clothing to keep them warm.  Coats can be worn over a school sweatshirt but not instead of them – children will not be permitted to wear a non school uniform hoodie or jumper.

Testing for household contacts:

Where a family member has tested positive for COVID we will be advising that all household members should arrange a PCR test.   In addition, staff and secondary school age pupils (KS3 and above) who are household contacts are advised to undertake daily lateral flow testing at home until they have received a negative PCR result.

All meetings; parents evenings and school worships to be conducted online

During this next half term all parents evenings; Key Stage Worships / Whole School Worships and staff meetings will be conducted online and not face-to-face

Cleaning regime

We will continue our strict cleaning regime which includes a mid day clean of touch points within school and all toilets.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

Message from the Headteacher 5.11.21

5th November 2021Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been a purposeful week back at school.

Well done to our new School Librarians

These are the students who were successful for Librarians:

Imogen – Head Librarian, Gus, Luke, Edward, James, Harry, Esme, Elsa, Harriet, Lily Scott.

There were lots of applicants. It was very difficult for Mrs Watson to choose. Mrs Watson says she hopes those in Year 7 who were not successful will apply next year (they will be given priority!)

Well done to our new KS3 peer mentors for KS2 reading:

Y 8: Kate, Isla , Kaitlyn, Abby, Imogen, Daisy, Heather, Katie.

Y 7: Hannah, Darcy, Edward, Bibi.

Again, (says Mrs Watson) there were lots of applications- thank you to all those who put themselves forward. I wanted to give priority to Year 8. Again, I hope that all those who did not secure a position this time will step up next year. I know who you are and will make sure you are given priority next time.

KS2 Boys Football

This week our Boys KS2 Team played Newminster Middle School and Burnside.  They battled hard to two defeats but, against Burnside, scored their first goal of the season.  Well done.

Year 8 Mock Trial Team

The Year 8 Mock Trial Team is up and running and has really started to prepare for the competition in March.  Well done to all of those taking part.

November Reading Challenge

This November we are challenging our Yr 5; Yr 6 & Yr 7 children to read at least three fiction books from different authors than they would normally read.  Every book completed by a child then enters them into a draw for a Waterstones Book Voucher.  Well done to Amber and Emilly in Year 6 and Luke in Year 7 who have already completed one book this month.

Taking up the challenge myself I took some time over half term to read some current children’s books. I really enjoyed The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes.

Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes

Aveline has to go to her Aunt’s at Molmoth – a seaside resort on the Devon Coast for October Half Term.  Arriving there she discovers there are many ghost stories and myths surrounding the town.  Unfortunately for Aveline one of the stories seems to be all too real and, as the days countdown to Halloween, Aveline appears to be stalked by an apparition.  What is Aveline to do?

I really, really enjoyed this book.    It is a book that I would thoroughly recommend.

and I plan to buy the sequel – The Bewitching of Aveline Jones – this weekend.

TOP Award Winners – Week beginning Nov 1st

Core Value was Reverence

5T – Lucinda

5H – Henry

60 – Emma

6M Emily

7I Laney

7L –  Nathan

8N – Jemima

8S – Rose

P&Q Award Winner – Cecilly in Yr 6

Well done to all these award winners

I hope you have a good weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

 

Message from the Headteacher 22 October 2021

22nd October 2021Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been a very exciting week at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.
Our school children enjoyed trips to see NASA Scientists; to investigate how the Quarrying Industry works and to All Saints Church for a workshop on what is meant by pilgrimage.
At the same time on Tuesday, 19th October we had a very timely visit from Restart A Heart – this vital organisation supported by the British Heart Foundation gives school children training in CPR and the Restart A Heart team worked with all our Year Groups in order to help our children have awareness and skills in this vital area.
Wednesday saw our school come together to celebrate our Harvest Festival – thank you for your very generous donations to the Alnwick Food Bank.
This busy week was rounded off by our House Captain elections.  We had 11 candidates standing for positions in our three Houses –  Aidan; Bede and Cuthbert.  The standard of speeches was excellent (the best there has ever been in the time I have been Headteacher) and all the candidates who stood can be very proud of the quality of their campaign.
The successful candidates for the position of House Captain were:
Aidan
Isaac & George
Bede
Esme & Max
Cuthbert
Lewi & Demi
Congratulations to these students.
I hope you have a restful weekend and half term break.  We look forward to seeing your children back at Dr Thomlinson’s on Monday, November 1st.
Take care,
Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

Calling Year 5,6 and 7: Can You Rise to Dr Thomlinson’s Reading Challenge?

22nd October 2021Miss T Carnaby

Calling Year 5,6 and 7: Can You Rise to Dr Thomlinson’s Reading Challenge?

Read some different authors and enter a draw to win a book voucher

Dear Parents/Carers,

For the month of November we are encouraging all pupils in these three year groups to further broaden their reading… We would like as many children as possible to set themselves a target of reading three quality texts (or more!) in 30 days.  It is great to see so many of our children reading books by such popular authors as Geoff Kinney, JK Rowling, David Walliams and Liz Pichon (after all – they are popular because their books are so enjoyable), however – for the month of November and whilst they are in school – we are challenging our pupils to see if they can read other different authors to those they normally read.

 It is very easy to get stuck in reading habits with the same writer when you find something you really like  ( I went through a phase of Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie). Why not try something different? Have a look at some of the new and classic texts in the recommended school reading list attached with this email. We will be celebrating all those who step up to our challenge. In addition, every child who succeeds in this challenge will be entered into a special prize draw to win a Waterstones book voucher.  For every book by a different author pupils read in November, pupils will receive an entry to win this exciting prize.

Year 8 already has embarked on our own well established and ambitious 50 Book Challenge for the year.

The Library in school is steadily increasing the range of books available. We also are having our Scholastic Book Fair immediately after half-term , so there will be ample opportunity for picking up the pace, boosting book power and rejuvenating reading. All children have independent reading as their English homework over the holiday so why not make an early start on the Reading Challenge?

Also, thank you to all those KS2 parents who were able to come to our ‘Come Dine and Read Event’ in school- it was lovely to see you all.  Please find attached a copy of the PowerPoint with suggestions on how to support your child with English.

Thank you for your ongoing support in further developing our culture of reading at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.

Suggestions for books to further broaden your child’s reading

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Mrs Watson – Head of English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laK1-fteyTA

Scholastic Book Fair – 1 to 5 November 2021

22nd October 2021Miss T Carnaby

 

We are pleased to welcome back our annual Scholastic Book Fair to school which will take place from Monday 1 November to Friday 5 November 12.00 – 1.00 pm.  Pupils can purchase books and stationery items from the Reception area of school.

Message from the Headteacher 15 October 2021

15th October 2021Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this email finds you well.  It has been a very productive week at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.

 

Well done to our U13 Boys football team who played so well in defeats to Cramlington Learning Village and St Bedes this week.

 

Come Dine With Me

It was lovely to see Parents/Carers of children in 5T attend our Come Dine & Read With ME event.  We work very hard to continue to create a culture of reading at our school and such events as these are a very important part of our ongoing work.  We look forward to welcoming the parents/carers of 5H on Wednesday 20th October, 2021.

 

History Primary Quality Mark

As a school we are working towards achieving the History Primary Quality Mark.  An important part of our work in this area is being greatly helped by a project our Year 6 children are working on in collaboration with the Out of Town Museum.  The Out of Town (OOT) Museum is a National Lottery Heritage funded project which celebrates the rural heritage of Coquetdale.  The Museum is part of Bailiffgate Museum in Alnwick and is training our Year 6 Historians in the skills of obtaining oral history resources.  Both Year 6 classes have received an initial training session in this important area of History.

 

Religious Education Pilgrimage Visit

On Thursday, October 21st both Year 6 RE classes will be taking part in a curriculum workshop on Pilgrimage at All Saints Church, Rothbury.  This workshop will further support our children in our next RE Unit entitled Is Life Like a Journey?

 

Year 8 Careers Visit

As part of our Careers programme Year 8 will be visiting Barrasford Quarry on October 21st.

 

Year 7 attend Northumberland Space Event

A group of Year 7 children will be attending a “Northumberland Space Event” on October 18th, 20212  in which children will take part in a Space Workshop led by Jim Christensen.  Jim Christiensen has designed NASA’s Astronaut Training Experience and Mars Base 1 and has served as an advisor for multiple experiments that have flown in microgravity aboard NASA’s Reduced Gravity Aircraft, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the International Space Station and the SpaceX Dragon.

In the workshop Jim will be sharing stories from his experiences of working for NASA, enthusing students about careers in the space sector and showcasing his Mars and Moon map resources.

 

Harvest Festival October 20th

On October 20th all our children will be taking part in our annual Harvest Festival.  Thank you for your donations of food for the Alnwick Food Bank,  If you still wish to donate please do so for the whole of next week.  Unfortunately our Harvest Festival event this year will not be open to Parents/Carers but you have all participated in the event already with your very generous donations.  Thank you very much.

 

Community Safety Officer Visit

Thank you to Judith Davis – our Northumberland Community Safety Officer who was invited into school on Wednesday, October 6th to  give a talk to all our children on the dangers of anti-social behaviour.  The talk contained many useful and important messages for all of us.

 

TOP Awards week beginning October 4th and October 11th.  Our awards were given to those children who showed our core values of Justice and Thankfulness

 

Week beginning October 4th

5T Nancy

5H Nichlas

6O Ryan

6M Adam

7I Will

7L Dexter

8N Euan

8S Demi

 

Week beginning October 11th

5T Laila

5H Daisy

6O Hylton

6M Samantha

7I Harry

7L Maisie

8N Katie

8S George

 

Well done to Hannah in Year 7 who won our P&Q award this week.

 

Well done to all our award winners.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

Message from the Headteacher 8 October 2021

8th October 2021Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this email finds you well.

Thank you to all those parents/carers who attended our Macmillan Coffee Afternoon on September 24th.  The event was opened to Year 5 parents/carers and was very well attended.  We raised £387.45 for this very good cause.

On September 29th and October 6th we had our Year 6 Come Dine With Me events.  Again it was lovely to see so many Parents/Carers and I am glad you all enjoyed your school lunch.  Reading is a key priority of our school and I am sure the event following the dinner will really have supported your efforts in encouraging reading at home.

September 30th was our school’s annual Open Evening and it was great to be able to host a live event.  Thank you to the 82 pupils who gave up their time to help run activities or be tour guides for prospective parents and children.  The event was a real success.

It is so pleasing to be able to run extra curricular events once again and our school football season has kicked off in earnest with our U13s narrowly losing to The Duchess and our U11 football team battling hard in defeat against Cragside Primary School.

The school has also invited pupils to attend East Northumberland Football trials and we wish all those taking part the very best of luck.

Year 5 enjoyed the visit of “The History Bloke” on Wednesday, 6th October and all those involved really felt the day enhanced their knowledge of this important historical period.

 

Harvest Festival

We are approaching our Harvest Festival.  Please help us support Alnwick Food Bank by bringing into school donations for this important cause.  The Food Bank currently need:Bags for Life; Tinned beans; Tinned soup;Tinned fish;Tinned tomatoes;Tinned peas;Tinned fruit;Tinned rice pudding;Tinned meat; Milk pudding;Pasta;Pasta sauce;Shampoo;Shower gel;Toothpaste;Toiletries;Soap.

The TOP Awards

Well done to the following pupils who won Top Awards for the weeks beginning Sept 13th  (core value – Endurance) and Sept 20th (core value – Peace)

 

Week beginning Sept 13th

5T – Charlotte

5H – Tyler

6O – Jodie

6M – Miles

7I – Esme

7L – Fran

8N – Daisy

8S – Imogen

 

Week beginning Sept 24th

5T Myles

5H – Grace

6O – Toby

6M – Lucy

7I – Darcy

7L – Alex

8N – Joel

8S – Skye

 

I hope you have a good weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

Y8 Applications for High School

16th September 2021Miss T Carnaby

School admissions information for parents of children going into Yr 5 (Middle), Yr 7 (Secondary), Yr 9 (High).

Timetable for middle, high and secondary schools

 

Sunday 12 September 2021 Online Admissions Portal for middle, high and secondary schools will be open on the 12th of September 2021. Please follow the link below.
https://schadm.northumberland.gov.uk/CitizenPortal_LIVE/en

(You need to register as a new user if you haven’t used the Portal before.  If you’ve forgotten your password, click on forgotten password link) – (for late applications see below)
leaflet on how to apply  and portal user guidance to help you with your application
Sunday 31 October 2021 Closing date for all applications to be received by the Local Authority
Tuesday 1 March 2022 National Offer Day – Parents notified online of the outcome of their applications for school places
Tuesday 15 March 2022 Deadline for parents to refuse the school place.
Tuesday 22 March 2022 Any places that become available are allocated in criteria order (on time applicants)
Sunday 17 April 2022 All remaining places allocated on a first come first serve basis
Saturday 31 December 2022 No waiting lists held by the Local Authority after this date.
Frequently Asked Questions

PLEASE NOTE: If you are applying for a school that has transport implications, the council works within the Home to School Travel and Transport Policy. For further information, you can visit the School Transport Webpage.

Click here to read the admissions handbook for middle, high and secondary 2022 – 2023

All schools and academies in Northumberland must formally agree their admission arrangements for the 2022/23 academic year. Copies of which can be found here under related documents.