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KAR Newsletter - 31/03/23

This week's KAR newsletter - 31/03/2023

This week's message from our principal, Mrs Williams.

An open letter from Mrs Williams:

I am writing to you today to inform you that I will be resigning from my position as Principal of King’s Academy Ringmer and next term will be my last term as Principal at Ringmer.

This decision has been made after careful consideration, and it is with both sadness and excitement that I write this letter. I have been offered a position as an Executive Headteacher on the Sussex Hampshire border; this will give me the chance to work closer to my family.

I cannot thank you enough as a community for making me so welcome at Ringmer and my first headship has been truly inspirational. We have fought off a pandemic together, helped to make King’s Academy Ringmer a credit to the village we serve, and re-established the school as a school of choice.

It has been an honour to work with my many colleagues and learn from them over these past 4 years and it has been an honour to serve the community.

Mostly of all, I am so fiercely proud of every student who I have had the privilege to meet at KAR, I will miss them all immensely.

Kind regards,

Sian Williams

Principal

 

SAVE THE DATE: Enrichment Week Residential Visits
If your child is attending one of the residential visits during Enrichment Week, there will be a parent information evening on Thursday 20th April in the main hall.  To help with parking and congestion, please walk or car share if possible.

Charterhouse and Blacklands Farm: 5.30pm

Bude and Ardeche: 6.15pm

Please see individual emails for pre-reading information about each activity.

 

Music Department - Glyndebourne and Kings Academy Ringmer

  1. Youth Opera

We are really lucky to be the school in closest proximity to Glyndebourne Opera - international opera house and outstanding local employer.

Please see below a flyer detailing information on how to apply to join the Youth Opera or sign up at Glyndebourne.com/GYO

 

  1. Glyndebourne Careers and Work Experience

All work experience, apprenticeship or internship opportunities, as well as job vacancies, are advertised on the Glyndebourne website through the link above. You can also find top tips for interviews and further information about what it’s like to work at Glyndebourne.

https://www.glyndebourne.com/work-at-glyndebourne/

  1. Meet the Makers

Delve further into the various departments at Glyndebourne and explore how these behind-the-scenes makers use their skills and imagination in the short videos found through the link below.

https://www.glyndebourne.com/learningandengagement/starting-out-in-opera/

  1. Music Department Appeal for Help!

Dear Parents and Friends of Kings Academy, 

We are drowning in broken strings and guitars in need of minor repairs. Could you help? I am looking for kind parents and friends to help me with restringing and minor guitar repairs. I have the strings, just not enough time to restring them! If you think you could offer your time, please get in touch! I'd be so grateful and so would our students when they have multiple guitars and basses working!

francesca.urquhart@kingsacademies.uk

 

ECO News

  1. Well done Litter Pick Heroes!
    Thank you to the students who did the litter pick this morning, despite the rain.  You all did AMAZING work!

    Though I pledged 10 bags of rubbish, due to the amazing care of the whole school, we struggled to find litter in the main areas.  Though the Eco Reps were not put off!  Any little item, plastic bottle stuck in a corner behind a cupboard or on its roof, or a discarded food pot and metal fork, were all found and collected.  The metal fork has been returned to the kitchen and the litter will go into the big container and be sent for disposal/recycling by Biffa.

    Thank you to everyone, every day, who puts their litter in the bin or takes it home.  It's one less item that gets washed into the drains, breaks down into micro plastics in a hedge, or potentially makes its way into the rivers and seas and becomes a danger to wildlife and marine creatures.

 

Well done King's Academy Ringmer - we are very proud of you all.

More litter picks will take place, once I have details, I will let people know and open it to the whole school community.

Thank you again, and have a great Easter.

  1. No Eco Club Monday 17th April

Just a reminder that there is no normal Eco Club on the first Monday after Easter, on Monday 17th April.  This is because it is our first Eco Committee meeting, and only Eco Committee members will be coming to the meeting.

All Eco Committee members have received the meeting details in a letter at the last Eco Club, and a reminder email and post on Google Classrooms will be sent over the Easter Holidays.

  1. Eco Rep Seedlings for the Greenhouse

For those Eco Reps who took seeds home to grow seedlings over Easter, ready to stock up the greenhouse, please don't bring them in the first week back.  At the first Eco Club on Monday 24th April, I'll ask whose seeds have grown and work out how many plants we need.  Then I'll arrange with you when & where to bring them in.

Thank you for taking seeds to grow and if you'd like to donate any lettuce, or herb seeds/seedlings for chives, rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley and sage then they would be greatly received.

Thank you everyone and have a brilliant Easter break.

Mrs Teague - Environmental Project Manager

 

Easter baking competition!

On Tuesday 28th March the Food department held an inter house Easter Baking competition for all students. There were two categories: produce a show stopping Easter cake/dessert or bake a batch of Easter themed goodies to sell at breaktime to raise funds for the local food bank. 

We were all blown away by the standard and creativity of the bakes that were entered into the competition. House points and prizes were duly awarded and £40 was donated to Fitzjohns food bank in Lewes. 

Thank you everyone who supported this event. 

      

     

Free School Meal Vouchers for Easter holidays break 2023

If you qualify for free school meals you will receive an email in the next few days with the voucher for the Easter two-week holidays. Please note the expiry date on the voucher is 17 April 2023, please redeem your voucher before then as this date cannot be changed.


Do you qualify for Free School Meals?
To make applications easier for parents/carers we have changed the way that you can apply for free school meals. Applications are now processed online via East Sussex County Council, the criteria for being able to apply and for the online application please see the details below.

Free school meals for children in Year 3 and older

Older children may get free school meals if their parents or carers get any of these benefits:

[Anyone who gets Working Tax Credit - GOV.UK, won’t get free meals regardless of income]

  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Children will get free school meals if they meet the criteria and are in school both before and after lunchtime.

Children eligible for free school meals on or after 1 April 2018 will remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they’re in on 31 March 2023 even if your circumstances change.

Our Electronic Checking Service might be able to confirm entitlement. If not, you’ll need to show recent proof that you qualify. Meals cannot be given until eligibility is verified.

Apply online if your child goes to school in East Sussex

 

 

Easter Holiday Activities

 

With the Easter Holidays next week, we wanted to let you know about our school holiday activities, and would be grateful if you could share this information with your students and parents in your next school newsletter.
 
We know times are tough, so would also like to offer a special 10% discount to your students for our Easter Holiday fun. We've included some wording below that you can use and a link to a poster. 
 
Your support would be most appreciated and as a thank you we'd be happy to provide tickets to the Museum as a prize for any upcoming school raffle or event. Please contact office@wealddown.co.uk with a letter of application on your school headed paper. 

 Weald and Downland Living Museum – Easter Holiday Activity

 
 

 Weald & Downland Living Museum
1 - 16 April, 10.30am - 6.00pm
Explore, learn and have fun this Easter holidays...

Join in our Easter Egg Trail around the 40-acre site, running from Saturday 1 to Sunday 16 April. You can also watch our bakers demonstrate their skills, as they will be busy baking in the bakehouse over the Easter weekend, where there will be an opportunity to enjoy freshly baked traditional Hot Cross buns!

Take part in our Easter holiday activities which include:

  • Have a go at archery (age 8+), on the 1, 2 & 3 and then again on the 14, 15 & 16 April.

  • Medieval puppet theatre from Monday 10 to Friday 14.

  • Both weeks on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you can discover our Knucker the Dragon Nature School and have fun at the Investigation Station & Games Station.

Throughout the week there will also be ‘Have a go’ activities around the Museum. So, why not try your hand at something new or a bit different?
 
Use the code Easter10 when booking online to receive 10% off Museum entry (only available when you pre-book via our website).
 
To book tickets and find out more visit www.wealddown.co.uk.
 

 

Please click here to download our poster

 

Safeguarding 

It is the end of term today. Whilst we wish you a restful break, please remember to stay safe. Longer evenings give the potential for being out of home later. Take your phone, keep in contact and look after each other.

Kind regards,

 

Sian Williams

Principal