Parental Bulletin 11th January 2018

Parental Bulletin
11th January 2018

The Knights Templar School
Headteacher:
Mr T. Litchfield, G.G.S.M.
Park Street
Baldock
Herts SG7 6DZ
Email: admin@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk Tel: 01462 620700
Dear Parents and Carers
PARENTAL WEEKLY UPDATE – 11th January 2018
(available on our website)
I would like to invite you to attend the school performances of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. About 130 students have been
working hard to prepare what will be an outstanding whole school production. We have a great reputation for our
annual show and this year will build on that reputation. Details can be found on the home page of the school website,
but the performances are taking place from Tuesday 23 rd to Friday 26 th January. The booking period is open
and tickets are going fast!
Please may I remind parents of year 9 students that the Options Evening for choosing GCSEs is coming up on Thursday
18 th January. Important information will be shared with you regarding the process, deadlines and how your son
or daughter can make choices about their studies. You will be able to speak to subject teachers and leaders to gain
a fuller understanding of the courses available. There are some important changes to the options process this year,
so if you are a parent who has been through this before, it is just as important that you attend. This is a very important
evening and it is essential that parents attend with students (in full school uniform). All relevant information
can be seen here: http://ktemplar.herts.sch.uk/Year-9-Options-Information/
Thank you to all our parents who attended the year 7 parents’ evening on Tuesday. I hope you felt that it was an
informative evening which gave you the confidence that your child has settled in well and is making progress. I was
delighted to speak to so many of you and to hear the aspects of school that your son or daughter is really enjoying.
Uniform News. Pleated skirts with the KTS logo will become compulsory for all Yr7-11 girl students from September
2019. Hopefully, this will give you sufficient time to replace any existing straight skirts. Due to the popularity of
the new PE kit our uniform suppliers will no longer stock the old style PE kit. Please purchase the new style items
for your child when their current kit needs replacing. Information relating to uniform can be found here: http://
ktemplar.herts.sch.uk/Parent-Area/School-Uniform/
You may be aware that we have some school chickens! Our five chickens live on our premises and need daily attention.
We have a small team of students and parents who feed, collect the eggs, sell the eggs and generally look
after the chickens. However, I need a few more volunteers. If you feel that you can help, please do get in touch
with me. If you know that your child would like to help, please do encourage them to see myself or Miss Staines
and we can get them involved. It is a great opportunity to learn about how to care for animals and is actually a
small business which needs to balance its books – a great learning experience for the students involved.
Kind regards,
Tim Litchfield
Headteacher

Geography News
Royal Geographical Society Ambassador Scheme
This week some Year 9 classes had a visit from Bronwyn Scholes, a Royal Geographical Society Ambassador from
the University of Hertfordshire, who had come to speak to students about what makes geography such a great subject.
She gave them a fascinating insight into where geography can take you and the wide range of skills that you
can learn through the subject, as well as why she chose to study geography. The students found it really useful to
hear from someone (other than their teachers!) the benefits of studying such a broad, wide-ranging and contemporary
subject. Our massive thanks go to Bronwyn for giving up her time to come and share her experiences with us.
Flu season
Some tips to look after yourself if you think you have Flu:
Keep warm
Drink lots of water
Take Paracetamol or Ibuprofen to lower your temperature and reduce aches and pains
Flu relief symptoms have paracetamol or ibuprofen in, so be careful to not overdose!
Get lots of rest.
If your child thinks that they have flu and yet are happy to go out to be with friends, I would suggest it is unlikely
that they have it! Having a cold isn’t necessarily Flu either.
If you have Flu and you or your child is usually fit and healthy you shouldn’t need to see your GP unless symptoms
last longer than 7 days. Flu symptoms usually are: body temperature can go up to 38C accompanied by aches pains,
cough, sore throat, upset tummy and headaches.
Dates for your Diary
Saturday 13 01 18 School Production Technical/Dress Rehearsal 9am—5pm
Monday 15 01 18 Yr9 Indoor Hockey Tournament
UCAS Application Deadline
Tuesday 16 01 18 Yr11 NHTA Quiz, Barclay School
Yr12 Introduction to the Gold DofE Expedition Section
Wednesday 17 01 18 Yr13 Fine Art & Art Photography Mock Exam
Yr12 Art Photography Mock Exam
Yr7 Winter House Matches
Thursday 18 01 18 Yr13 Fine Art & Art Photography Mock Exam
Yr8 Winter House Matches
KS4 Options Advice to Yr9 Students & Parents, 6pm—8.30pm
Year 9 and 10 Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, Meningitis ACWY vaccine consent forms
If you have not yet returned the consent form to me please do so as soon as possible.
Copy off the form from the link below or I do have spare copies in school too, just ask.
http://ktemplar.herts.sch.uk/Parent-Area/DTP_and_Meningitis_ACWY_CONSENT_FORM.pdf
If your child rings you to take them home during the day, please check with school first!
I have had several students come to see me recently saying that they have rung home because they had felt ill and
that the parent was waiting in the car park to take them home. I hadn’t had a chance to assess how they were and
on occasions like this usually the parent starts to worry that their child is really ill.
If your child rings you and says that they feel unwell, do not leave home without checking with Reception or me as
to whether they need picking up. Tell them that they need to see me first; once they come, I will ring you to discuss
how they are (if necessary), and whether or not they need to go home. Thank you for your help with this one.
Jane Mance
School Medical Officer

Wizard Of Oz
Tickets are limited, therefore parents must order tickets via the Drama Box Office
email address. Once the Box Office confirms the order, payment can then be
made online through Wisepay. Alternatively, students can buy tickets in the canteen
during Break & Lunch time.
Thank you.
Year 12 Media Students
An exciting first for A level Media!
With the changes to the new Media specification well underway for
Year 12 Media students, the department have created a fresh approach
to completing the NEA (previously known as coursework).
The NEA task to be completed by students will not be known by the Media
dept. teachers until 15 th March. Once released, research and planning
will commence towards producing the specified task.
The department are excited to confirm that a Year 12 NEA day has been
added to the school calendar for Thursday 10 th May!
Further details will be released on the run up to the NEA day, but we hope this will be a highly beneficial production
day for our students!
Science Equipment Checks
It has become apparent that many students are turning up to their science lessons without the correct equipment.
We want students to be correctly prepared for Science so that they can engage with every aspect of their lessons.
We want to be clear with students and with parents that we expect all students to have the following equipment
with them in all of their science lessons:
Pens (that work!)
Pencil
Rubber
Ruler
Scientific Calculator (students are not allowed to use the calculator on their phones)
The correct exercise book
The correct textbook
In order to ensure that all students are correctly equipped for their Science lessons, we will be carrying out formal
equipment checks during the week beginning 22 nd January. Please can you check with your son/daughter to see if
there is any equipment they need to replace (we recognise that certain items may become lost or broken) and ensure
that happens in preparation for the equipment checks.
Many thanks,
Mrs G Allman (Head of Science, i/c Biology)
Mrs J Wallace (Head of Science, i/c Chemistry)
Mr J Grove (Head of Science, i/c Physics)

Saracens Making History at Olympic Stadium
On 24 th March Saracens are hosting the first premiership rugby fixture at the former Olympic stadium with a big
local derby against Harlequins. KTS are offering tickets for this game which includes coach travel to the game. Our
school has been invited to take part in the pride and unity parade which will take place on the pitch before the kick
off. This is a great opportunity to sample the atmosphere and to appear before 50,000 fans in an iconic stadium.
The action will be fierce with all the England internationals returning to club action following the six nations, these
will include Maro Itoje, Billy Vunipola, Owen Farrell and Danny Care. There will also be live music with Saracens set
to name the acts appearing next Monday.
The tickets are £32 for adults and £18 for under 16s which includes the coach travel. If you are interested in this
event, the letter will be sent out via InTouch and will be on the school website, please return by 22 nd January. Don’t
miss this fantastic event!
Mr Matthews
News from the PE Office
Do these valuables look familiar to anyone? Parents, please remind your child to use their locker (or a friends locker)
for valuables and not blazer pockets or Mrs Shaw’s desk! A supermarket trolley token works well in the Sports
Centre lockers and can be kept in a PE kit bag.
Students wishing to claim their valuables should come to the PE Office.
Also, on the subject of jewellery, earrings MUST be removed or taped during PE lessons. Tape is not provided at
school.
Thank you.

Y10 Children’s Play Learning and Development
Miss Molinari & Miss Daw
Article written by Year 10 students: Tilly Oakley and Morgan Bailey
In this week’s lesson we explored different age ranges of children’s toys. We looked at 0-6 months, 6-12 months,
12-18 months and 18-24 months.
We learned what is suitable for the different age ranges and how adults can support children’s development
through play. We did this by role playing, where one of us, played with, for example, a toy phone for 12-18
month old toddlers and the other person was the adult.
Children tend to copy adults and as a lot of adults are on their phones, having a toy phone will help children
replicate adults while learning through play – for instance learning new words which supports Communication
and Language development and pressing buttons which helps to develop Physical development.
We also studied children aged between 0-6 months, playing with rattles. Adults can support them by rattling it
near them, moving the rattle and saying words or their name. If a child does not recognise the sound or react to
the rattle then there is a possibility that the child is having difficulties such as hearing problems.
Overall, we think that the activity we did in the lesson was helpful to understand how children play and how
adults can support development through play. It was also enjoyable to have the chance to play with children‘s
toys.
“I found the lesson really helpful to
understand how children develop through
play”
“I found this lesson enjoyable as
we worked together in groups
which made it fun and we were
able to cooperate with other”

UCAS Deadline
A reminder to all year 13 students that the deadline for UCAS applications to be submitted is Monday 15 th January
2018. Please ensure you liaise with your tutor for a reference and book a meeting with Mrs Hopkins or Mr Raymen
to send your application ASAP.
Sixth Form Application Deadline
We have had a record number of applications for places at KTS Sixth Form from September 2018, and our application
deadline has been extended until Friday 26th January to accommodate interest.
Please visit our brand new website, www.sixthform.ktemplar.herts.sch.uk to browse all the subjects on offer and
submit your application (if you haven’t already!)
If you have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Hopkins or
Miss Bayfield in the Sixth Form office: sixthform@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk.
KTS Student Profile- John Goward
John entered the KTS Sixth Form with an excellent set of GCSE results, including 4 A* grades, 2 A
grades and a 9, 8 and 6 grade.
John is currently studying Geography, Maths and Biology at A Level, as well as the EPQ as part of
our Wider Curriculum offer.
In addition, John is completing the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, alongside working as a Student
Mentor to a key stage 3 pupil and an Academic Mentor to a group of year 11 Geography
students. This involves John teaching a small group of targeted students during Friday lunch
times, in preparation for their GCSE exams.
In his spare time, John is currently learning Guitar to Grade 6 and has participated in the Senior Football programme,
run by Biggleswade United coaches.
We were thrilled that John decided to remain at KTS for his A Level studies and we have been very impressed by
the start he has made to his Sixth Form career, both in and out of the classroom.
Ylana Shines in Panto Performance
While many students used the Christmas break to get some much needed rest and relaxation,
Ylana Schafer-Thomson was once again pushing her already hectic acting schedule to the limit,
with her leading role in the local pantomime production of Dick Whittington.
Ylana gave a delightful performance in the lead female role of Alice Fitzwarren. The role allowed
Ylana the chance to show off her incredible singing ability and brilliant comedic timing,
in equal measure. As ever, her wonderful presence on stage and natural charisma captivated
the audience and led the way for an excellent production.
Well done Ylana!

Winter Dinner Dance- in photos