Stobhillgate First School joins The Three Rivers Learning Trust

7th April 2020Andrew Baxter

The Three Rivers Learning Trust has welcomed Stobhillgate First School into our family of schools. The conversion process met the deadline of 1 April 2020, despite the current situation which has seen schools closed and staff working mainly from home.

Stobhillgate Headteacher Glen Whitehead commented, “At Stobhillgate we are delighted to now be part of The Three Rivers Learning Trust. We have been warmly welcomed into the Trust, who have already provided significant support and guidance. We look forward to further developing collaboration across the trust in order to continually improve our offer for children, their families and for staff.”

Trust CEO, Simon Taylor added, “I would like to thank colleagues at the Trust, at Stobhillgate and at NCC, who have worked together effectively to support the conversion process. The Trust is very pleased with the addition of Stobhillgate, which enhances our ability to collaborate, share resources and deliver high quality education for the benefit of all our children and young people”.

Paul Carvin, Chair of the Board of Trustees, added: “we are really pleased that Stobhillgate have joined us. They share the same vision and values as the Trust and we know we can all work together for the benefit of public education in Morpeth.”

The addition of Stobhillgate increases the number of First Schools in the Trust to four, and the total number of schools to eight.

The Three Rivers Trust Schools are –

  • Abbeyfields First School
  • Harbottle Church of England First School
  • Thropton Village First School
  • Stobhillgate First School
  • Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School
  • Morpeth Chantry Middle School
  • Morpeth Newminster Middle School
  • The King Edward VI School

Thoughtful Thursday

2nd April 2020Miss T Carnaby

 

How can we develop Compassion in our school community?

Compassion involves standing in someone else’s shoes – how often do we stand in someone else’s shoes and really think about how they are feeling?  To take some time and stand in someone else’s shoes would really help us understand them and understand how they are thinking. Let us not be so quick to judge others and instead let’s all take a moment to think about why people are acting in the way they are, let’s stand in their shoes and try to truly understand each other.

Let us have compassion and humility in our hearts. Let us be kind, gentle, generous, respectful, and forgiving to everybody in our school community.

School closure and home learning

25th March 2020Miss T Carnaby

On behalf of The Three Rivers Learning Trust, I would like to thank you for

supporting the closure of our schools for the vast majority of children. We 

are providing a skeleton childcare service which is only for the most

vulnerable children and the children of essential Key Workers. The

first principle of government guidance is that a child should only be sent to

school if there is no safe alternative and provision in school must be a last

resort.  

 

Our schools can only work within the resources available to us, including staff

availability. As the situation develops, it may be necessary to close some

school buildings and to consolidate staff from across the Learning Trust to

work with different groups of children, in different locations. If we need to do

this, it will be carefully planned and communicated to the parents and carers

of those children still in school.  

 

The majority of children are, of course, now studying from home and I can

assure you that our schools are working diligently to provide continuity of

learning and high quality resources. There are many excellent on-line materials available too, for instance from the BBC, and this does also provide an excellent opportunity for children of all ages to increase their love of reading and literature. 

 

I am very proud of our school leaders, teachers and wider staff teams, who

are working calmly, tirelessly and flexibly to provide the necessary support at

this time. Our Headteacher’s will continue to communicate proactively with

you as and when circumstances change.

 

This link, which I have also shared with staff, is to support our wellbeing at

this very anxious time.

Finally, thank you for your ongoing messages of thanks and support which are greatly appreciated by the schools as we all play our part in supporting the government’s strategy during these very difficult times. 

 

Yours sincerely 

 

Simon Taylor

CEO

 

Thoughtful Thursday

22nd March 2020Miss T Carnaby

How can we develop Koinonia in our school community?

St Joseph’s feast day – March 19th – is the day the country of Italy celebrate Father’s Day.  It is appropriate that we consider our core value of Koinonia linked to such an event as the translation of the Greek work is “that which is in common” and is often linked to the idea of community.  A true community believes is the importance of interdependence, where all are needed and valued and each person is important to the whole.  Let us make sure that we are there for each other. Let us make sure that we truly listen to the people around us so that we can see when they may need our help and support.

Thoughtful Thursday

19th March 2020Miss T Carnaby

 

How can we develop Reverence in our school community?

We are talking about Saint Patrick’s Day this week and why Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland.  It has made us think of the other Patron Saints of the United Kingdom – Saint George of England; Saint Andrew of Scotland and Saint David of Wales.

A Patron Saint is considered to be a Christian Saint that it is thought gives special help to a particular place.

It is nice to think that a person is particularly looking out for you.  Let’s use the idea of a Patron Saint as an inspiration and be each other’s Patron Saint.  Let’s really try and look out for each member of our community. If we are really deeply respectful of the people in our school – our fellow pupils and our staff – we would give real help to Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School – the particular, special place that we all share.

 

Swimming suspended

16th March 2020Miss T Carnaby

All swimming lessons have been suspended for the foreseeable future for Y5 and 6 boys.  Please could they bring their PE kits in on Tuesdays until further notice.

Thoughtful Thursday

12th March 2020Miss T Carnaby

How can we develop Humility in our school community?

This week we are looking at the life of St Cuthbert, ahead of Cuthbert House celebrating his Saint’s Day on March 20th.

The life of St Cuthbert is an interesting one, not least in discovering the ascetic life he led for much of his time as a monk.  An ascetic life is one of severe self discipline and refusing to enjoy or indulge any material possessions. The word “ascetic” derives from an ancient Greek term which means training or exercise.  St Cuthbert, instead of training his body for a physical event, was trying to reach a higher form of spirituality.

We are fortunate to have many possessions.  The key thing to think about is do our possessions define who we are?  Do we take pride in our mobile phone or, instead, are we thankful for the quick communication that the phone provides to our friends and family? Let’s try and ensure that we are not defined by what we possess but thankful of the possibilities that our possessions give us to show growth mindset in learning about ways to be more caring to the people in our community.

Thoughtful Thursday

5th March 2020Miss T Carnaby

How can we develop Friendship in our school community?

A person who has good friends is very lucky.  Yet before we wish for more friends or better friends why not really concentrate on behaving in the way we would want our friends to behave to us?

To show empathy is the sign of a really good friend as trying to understand what a friend is feeling and going through really helps in communicating with them.  Let’s try and be active listeners to everyone in our school community. Really try to be a person who concentrates on the person talking; someone who avoids being distracted by screens and someone who thinks not about what they are going to say next but someone who really tries to understand and to listen to what is being said.  It is only by being an active listener that we can then be really encouraging to those around us.

Thoughtful Thursday

27th February 2020Miss T Carnaby

How can we develop Service in our school community?

February 26th sees the beginning of Lent and some people think about what they can give up.  Whilst such abstinence is admirable, there is another way of looking at this period.  

Instead of giving something up, why not think about doing something “extra”?  The idea of Service is all about ‘Going the extra mile’ and doing something extra which involves sacrifice and putting ourselves out for someone else’s benefit.

All Form Classes have been given a list of suggestions that would show both Service and which would show an encouraging attitude to others in our school community.  The list is called the “40 Acts” as each of suggestions of how we can help each other represent one of the 40 days of Lent.

How many of these “40 Acts” can you do?