Issue 15 | 11th October 2024

A Message from Ms Williams

Dear Parent & Carers

It has been another very exciting couple of weeks at Applemore, with a real buzz of enthusiasm. Firstly, we had our Open Events for prospective students which commenced with our Saturday morning. Wow, our students were fantastic, (not only on attending school on a Saturday) and an absolute credit to our school. Whether delivering a speech, singing or touring Parents and children, they were phenomenal and really proud ambassadors of Applemore and everything we stand for as a school.

This was promptly followed by our visit from Ofsted. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to air their views. Whilst I am unable to share the report as yet, I can say that we are really pleased and looking forward to being able to bring you so many of the highlights, just as soon as we can. Alongside this we have had trips to LifeLab, Brockenhurst College, the Eco Conference, cast Matilda, held Netball and Rugby Fixtures, run Open Mornings, held Parent Information evenings and taken lots of fun photos!

Don’t forget our Parent Action Group meets next Wednesday at 5.30pm where we will be discussing student rewards. Everyone is welcome!

Have a restful weekend... with very best wishes.

Ms C Williams

Headteacher

"This place I am hoping to get to is so marvellous that if I described it to you now you would go crazy with excitement"

Roald Dahl – Fantastic Mr Fox

After our hugely successful Open Events and due to overwhelming demand, we are adding two additional Open Mornings to see Applemore in action. Observe our amazing teachers delivering lessons that challenge and engage, that capture the imagination and develop that life-long love of learning that inspires success.

To book your place, please click the image below!

If you have any questions please email: welcome@applemore.hants.sch.uk

Applemore College is a community of life-long learners. We promote the qualities of independence and resilience when developing skills away from the classroom, and we want to support our students in developing these qualities for themselves. Establishing good routines for completing work at home will also support students when it comes to independent revision for assessments and examinations.

Research by the Education Endowment Foundation has shown that “children who regularly complete homework have better school outcomes than children who do not”. It is for this reason we are keen to improve access and guidance around homework at the College.

Homework Opportunities

We know that some students prefer to get homework completed in school, where they can have access to learning resources and computers. Therefore, we now have opportunities for homework to be completed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday each week in E102. This will run from 3-4pm and students can use this time and space to complete their homework tasks.

Homework Guidance and Schedule

We recently published a document to students and parents via Class Charts, outlining exactly what you can expect from homework tasks in each subject, how often they are set and how long we expect them to take. We also provided a suggested homework schedule, showing how students can manage their time in order to get their homework complete.

Our Homework Systems

We know that so many of our students go above and beyond when completing their homework, and we want to ensure that this is recognised. In addition to ClassCharts points for homework, teachers will be able to nominate 'Homework Champions' each week for students who are producing exceptional homework. The Homework Champions for each subject will also appear in the newsletter each issue.

If students don’t hand in a piece of homework, the student’s subject teacher will reach out to you in the first instance, via ClassCharts, to check that the homework was accessible and to offer another day to get the homework complete. If students don’t manage to hand the homework in after an extension, they are invited to attend the next 'Homework Opportunity' after school to get the homework task done. This will also be communicated to you through ClassCharts.

If you have any questions around homework for a subject, please get in touch with your child’s subject teacher or tutor.

Congratulations to our first 'Homework Champions'

Yesterday, staff and students celebrated 'Hello Yellow' to show young people theyre not alone with their mental health. We joined thousands of schools, companies and communities across the UK in coming together to make World Mental Health Day a little brighter, by wearing something yellow and donating to YoungMinds.

What a privilege to welcome back one of our awesome ex-students this week. Rebekah spoke to our current students about ambition and how believing in themselves results in great things. Rebekah is just about to begin her Masters at the University of Oxford in Earth Sciences, after being inspired during her GCSE Geography lessons here at Applemore.

She shared tips and spoke about how determination and hard work does pay off... including fieldwork in Dorset, Wales, Iceland and Spain! We are so pleased Rebekah came back and shared her success from Applemore to Academia, and we wish her all the best in the future!

Our teachers are looking forward to next week's Year 9 Parents Evening. To book your appointments now, click the image below.

We've enjoyed meeting lots of parents and carers at our recent Year Group Information Evenings - our remaining Year 7 evening is fast approaching!

The Design & Technology Department are delighted to announce their new club!

Don't miss out on this amazing school trip to France!

Starbooks

Starbooks is a 'reading for pleasure' competition for the students to complete the loyalty card and review. Their reward will be ClassCharts Impress Me points, a sweet treat, and stationary bundle! The best written review will also win a book of their choice!

Bookmark Competition

Best Bookmark will win a Chocolate Bundle! Get involved kids!

In every issue of the newsletter, Mr Wheatley will be sharing his 'Artist of the Week'. We'd love to see some of our student's artwork that they attempt at home.

Life Skills at Applemore College aims to provide students with knowledge, skills and information for them to thrive throughout adolescence and into adulthood. This is done through targeted, dedicated sessions during the college week.

This week, student's were looking at:

Year 7 = Confidence Building

Year 8 = Managing Criticism

Year 9 = Illegal Employment & Modern Day Slavery

Year 10 = Unhealthy Coping Strategies

Year 11 = Study Plans

I started at Applemore in September 2021 as Assistant Head of Year 7 and 8, having previously worked as a class teacher in primary schools across Hampshire and Devon. Over the last four years, my role has broadened to include supporting all year groups as one of our three Pastoral Support Managers. Being part of the Pastoral Team is really rewarding as I have the opportunity to work with so many of our students.

As well as my main role supporting students, I also enjoy all things creative and run our Art Club for KS3 alongside Mr Wheatley each Wednesday after school.

What you didn't know about Mrs Brearley away from work...

Outside of school, you will most often find me out in the New Forest riding or walking with my family. I am lucky to have had the chance to live in many places in the UK. My favourite was in North Wales, where I lived just a few miles away from Mount Snowdon, which I have walked up ten times!

On Thursday 21st November at Lyndhurst Community Centre, the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team will be running a free event to help families better understand the needs and difficulties that young people can face and how to manage potential issues/concerns they have about their young person.

To view the schedule and/or to reserve a space at the various workshops, click the image below.

For a full and up-to-date list of our enrichment programme & activities, click the image below to visit our website enrichment page.

Fancy joining the Applemore family? We currently have vacancies for the following positions:

• Teacher of Computing (Part-Time, 3-days)
• Exam Invigilators
• Cleaners (Full-Time and Term-Time)

If you are interested in applying, please click the image below, to visit our staff vacancies webpage.

A Home Office study has found that approximately 350 children are injured in accidental fires every year. Naturally, this highlights the importance of educating young people on fire safety – ensuring they're aware of what precautions they can take to keep themselves protected around flammable materials and naked flames. 

It can be difficult to know where to start when teaching children and young people about this potentially life-saving topic. This week's guide offers expert advice on how to educate those in your care about fire safety. It breaks down the steps you can take to protect youngsters in common situations – from bonfire night to lighting a few scented candles.

#BeeWell is a programme that aims to understand the issues that matter to young people through an annual wellbeing survey delivered to secondary schools. The results are anonymised and combined so that schools, voluntary agencies, local government and health can act on what young people are saying and make positive change.

Click the image below for more details.

For all the latest events coming up, visit our calendar

Applemore College, Roman Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, SO45 4RQ

023 8084 8804 | office@applemore.hants.sch.uk

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