Pastoral - Year 7

Welcome to all our Year 7 Pupils

2009 - 2010

Read the Year 7 February Newsletter here.

Despite the disrupted start to the new term Year 7 have returned to College focused and energised.  Special events this first half term will see our Year 7's working with their tutors to review their reports from last term.  This will involve all pupils setting new targets for themselves and looking at new ways to move forward in their learning.

There will also be an inter-tutor group poetry writing competition around the subject of Mother's Day. Tutors will select the best poems to go forward to the final. These poems will be performed to Mrs Newcombe and Mrs Tye-Reeve the first week back after the February Half Term.  The winning poems and teams will then be announced.

Once again our Year 7's will be entering The Times Spelling Bee Championship under the guidance of Mrs Whitteron.  Our Year 7's did very well in the 2009 competition and we are hopeful of an equally successful run or even better this year.

Although we are entering in The Times Spelling Bee Competition as a college, you can enter as an individual at home by clicking here.

Practise your spelling skills on-line - Click here. You will need headphones or speakers to play the game.

Our Year 7's continue to collect merit points and it's becoming clear we shall soon have a number of pupils having achieved 40 Positive Referrals plus.

Towards the end of this half term the Year 7's will be introduced to the ' Swanmore's Got Talent Competition'. This is a hugely popular event and will run for the greater part of the next half term (more details on this will follow).

Year 7 - College Council

Year 7 have an active pupil voice aired in the College Council. Pupils meet at least fortnightly and share the views of their peers. Topics discussed will be areas to improve in: their education, welfare and communication.

Well done to all the above who were voted in to represent their tutor group.

All information about Year 7 is broken down into sections below.

THE ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR OF YEAR 7 back to top

The Director of Year 7 will be responsible for overseeing the academic and pastoral welfare whilst your child is in Year 7 at Swanmore College of Technology. They will generally be available for your child to seek advice and to deal with any enquiries relating to college life.

THE ROLE OF THE YEAR 7 FORM TUTOR back to top

There are ten tutor groups of approximately 28 pupils in Year 7. Each tutor group has a form tutor.

The form tutor’s role is to meet with their form every morning and afternoon for registration, when they will check attendance, uniform, planners and pass on any relevant messages or information. They will also meet with individuals to set targets and discuss progress on a regular basis.

Once a week the form tutor will accompany the group to a full Year assembly. The remaining afternoon registration time will follow a structured programme of purposeful activities, such as discussions, progress work, study skills, quiet reading and organisation of homework.

CONTACTING THE COLLEGE back to top

We will be pleased to discuss any pupils’ conduct or progress at any time. Parents are welcome to make contact with us as soon as any concern arises.

There are four possibilities:

1. If a particular subject concerns you, write or telephone to ask
   the teacher to contact you and talk over the matter when
   convenient. (Please feel free to use the pupil planner.) Your
   son/daughter should then show their class teacher / form
   tutor your message.
2. If your concern is more general or more of a social matter,
   write or telephone to ask the form tutor to contact you to
   arrange a time to talk the matter over.
3. If you have a serious concern or issue to raise you should
   contact the Director of Year 7.
4. If for any reason you wish to talk to a Senior Member of staff,
   contact the college either by telephone or letter and they will
   contact you as soon as possible.

Please note it is important that you make an appointment, this will avoid an unnecessary waste of your time.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HOME AND COLLEGE back to top

The pupil planner: Is an important communication between parents and staff at college. It contains information about homework, positive referrals, letters home, important dates, examinations, pupil targets and uniform. There is also a space for parents to communicate with teachers.

Progress and Performance: Parents receive one full written report per year. The college regularly monitors pupil’s progress and parents are contacted when there is a concern about a pupil’s progress.

Parents’ Evenings: Year 7 parents are invited into college to meet with form tutors during the Autumn Term to discuss how pupils are settling in and the progress being made. There will be another parents’ evening later in the college year to review progress further.

Concerns and worries: If you have any concerns, contact reception (01489 892256) who will pass the message to the relevant member of staff. Or, alternatively you can email the college on enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk.
Furthermore, the Director of Year 7 holds regular ‘surgeries’ (times and days to be confirmed in September) in which you can discuss any concerns you may have.

PUPIL PLANNER back to top

Each pupil receives a pupil planner. This is a very important document. It should be the first book your child takes out of their bag each lesson and should be placed on the desk. In the planner will be the two week timetable of lessons and the homework timetable.

• Parents should check and sign the planner as will the form tutor.
• The Director of Year 7 will regularly monitor the use of the planner.
• Positive Referrals are also recorded in the planner.

The college considers the planner a very important first channel of communication between parents, subject teachers and form tutors.

EXTENSION LEARNING / HOMEWORK back to top

Extension Learning is a valuable extra learning opportunity. It is the policy of the college that extension learning is an integral part of our curriculum and will be given to all pupils. Pupils will be expected to complete this work and meet deadlines. Form tutors will monitor this on a regular basis. The homework set will match
the ability of the pupil.

Extension Learning will be on the Swanmore VLE. Pupils will be taught how to find the tasks on the VLE. The tasks contain detailed instructions of what to do and a variety of resources and web links which will help pupils to complete each task. If pupils do not have access to a computer at home they can book and use computers in the Library where paper will be provided if they need to print.

TIPS FOR PARENTS - Before your child starts - Extended Learning/Homework back to top

• Agree a routine for homework with your child.
• Life can become a constant ‘nag’ if you don’t start this from the beginning. Homework becomes an increasingly important part of the curriculum as your child goes through college – what he or she starts off doing is what they will do until they leave!
• A good time for homework is after a short break when your child returns from college, get it out of the way early, leaving the rest of the evening free – who wants to start work at 7.00 pm?
• Agree with your child that TV, other activities, phone calls etc. will only be possible after homework is done.
• Many children will say that listening to music helps them concentrate and do their work. Agree whether this is allowed. Personally if your attention is on your favourite song, it can’t be on your homework (and more so for the television!) but the important thing is to make an agreement and stick to it.
• Be prepared to invest time at first – for example be available for a set time each day to help with homework until the routine is established – it will be time well spent.
• Stick to your agreed routine whenever possible
• Try to ensure that homework is done on the night it is set to prevent build-up
• Spend time with your child in the first few weeks, establishing a routine
• Encourage your child to unpack their bag in an organised way. Check the planner with your child for what homework needs to be done, and when it is to be done for. Check they have everything they need to complete the tasks (ask them to tell you what they will need, to encourage independence)
• Recognise how hard it is to work unsupervised. Help your child to structure their time and use it usefully – provide a clock or timer and agree the tasks that should be done in each half hour period. Try to be available to do ‘progress checks’ – have they completed the task in the set time? (But otherwise leave them to it – don’t establish a pattern of always doing homework with them – it’s unsustainable and they won’t learn to work independently.)
• Make sure your child always writes the date and title and clearly labels it as homework (either in their book or on a worksheet or computer print out)
• Point out the rewards of working in this way – homework doesn’t
  drag on all night, it feels good to have completed tasks etc.
• Don’t let children struggle on for longer that the recommended time - if they have done half an hour and only answered half the questions, let them stop. (If they are worried about the consequences, write a note on the homework or in their planner, confirming that the correct amount of time was spent on the task.)
• If children are stuck either because they don’t understand the task they have written down, or because the ‘can’t do it’, offer support but don’t ‘do it for them’
• Encourage your child to check in the lesson if they haven’t understood what the task means – it’s too late by the time they get home.
• Encourage them to write down exactly what the teacher says or what is written on the board.

CLUB ACTIVITIES back to top

There are many clubs and activities for you to join in the college. These take place after college. You will be informed which clubs are available when you arrive. Below is an example of some of the activities that will be available.

• Art
• Badminton
• Basketball (Girls and Boys)
• Choir Club
• Computer Club
• Cricket
  
• Football
• Jazz Group
  
• Netball
  
• Orchestra
  
• Rugby
  
• College Productions
  
• Trampolining
  
• Volley Ball

LUNCHTIME ARRANGEMENTS back to top

The college provides an extensive range of food. A packed lunch can be brought in but must be eaten in the dining hall. Hot meals are served using a cafeteria system, each item is clearly priced. At present £2.00 will purchase a reasonable two-course meal.

It is very important that pupils show the necessary self control during the lunch break. If a pupil does conduct him or herself badly it may be necessary to isolate them during the lunch break.