Friday 17^th January 2025

 

Dear Parents and Carers

 

Year 9 Options Evening

A huge thanks to all our parents and carers who supported our Year 9 Options Evening on Monday. It was lovely to see so many families attending this important event. Year 9 will also be having their on-line Parents Evening on 10^th February to further support with the Options process.

I am extremely grateful to Mr Hodge for his organisation of this event and to all the staff who supported.

 

RISE

We continue to develop our RISE approach and the themes of this week have been equality and independence. This was the focus of our assembly, and we have asked staff to find opportunities to discuss these values with students.

As our students progress through the school, they need to become more independent and start to take more responsibility for their decisions and actions. Part of taking responsibility is about doing the right thing and unfortunately a small number of students are finding this difficult.

 

Vandalism and damage on site

We continue to experience an unacceptable level of damage to school property by a small number of students which is having a negative impact across the school. It costs a lot of money to repair/replace damaged school property which puts further pressure on our already tight budget. I am sure everyone is aware of the funding challenges faced by the school, and it is frustrating to have to spend precious funds on replacing property that have been deliberately and unnecessarily broken. I would like to remind all parents and carers that we have started to charge families for deliberate damage caused by their child and will continue to do so. Please can you reinforce this important message with your children.

 

Anti-social behaviour in the community

We have been asked to share information about a drop-in session being held by Jayne Bryant and Jessica Morden at the Active Living Centre on Saturday 25^th January. This is specifically to discuss anti-social behaviour in Bettws.

 

School Uniform

It is vital that every student is in school uniform and with a coat.  

We have worked hard to ensure our uniform is affordable and easy to get hold of. It consists of plain black shoes/trainers, black socks, white shirt and the school tie. Skirts must be of appropriate length and trousers or shorts should be tailored fit. Students are not allowed to wear sports shorts, tracksuit bottoms or leggings to school. 

Cardigans, jumpers and blazers are optional but students may choose to wear a plain black knitted V neck jumper or cardigan without the logo, or purchase the Newport High branded jumper, sweatshirt or cardigan.

All students should have a school bag with them to securely store all their equipment and resources for the day. This must include a pencil case with pens. If they choose to bring a mobile phone to school, it must be switched off and kept in their bag for the duration of the school day.

We will pick up any students not in correct uniform on an individual basis and work with you to ensure they are in the correct uniform.

We have a range of ‘pre-loved’ school uniform at school which is available for anyone who would like to access it.

Jewellery is limited to one pair of small stud earrings and one ring. Students are allowed to wear a nose stud but please note that this has to be a stud and not a sleeper or any other style. Any headwear, worn for religious reasons, should be of a plain black material. Extreme hairstyles are not acceptable and hair should be of a natural colour.

If you have any problems getting hold of school unform please let your child’s Form Tutor know in the first instance or email info@newporthigh.co.uk with “Uniform” in the title.

 

Lunch theme days

Our next themed lunch day is on Thursday 30^th January to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Lunar New Year 2025 falls on Wednesday, January 29th, and celebrations culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 12th.

Chinese New Year marks the transition between zodiac signs: 2025 is the Year of the Snake; 2024 the Year of the Dragon.

 

Free School Meals

We are aware that many of our families may be entitled to Free School Meals but are not claiming this additional financial support. You can check if you are entitled to Free School Meals at www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-meals/free-school-meals

If you are not in receipt of Free School Meals but think you are eligible and would like any help in accessing, please let us know so we can support.

Families who are eligible for Free School Meals can also apply for additional help with other school costs including school uniform. You can find out more at https://www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-meals/free-school-meals

 

Proposal to amalgamate Millbrook and Monnow Primary Schools

Just a reminder that the formal consultation has been launched by Newport City Council on a proposal to amalgamate Millbrook Primary School and Monnow Primary School into a single three-form entry school with effect from September 2026.

 

The consultation period commenced on 8^th January 2025 and ends at midnight on 19^th February 2025. The consultation pack is published on the Council’s webpages at https://www.newport.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/proposals-and-consultations

 

Hard copies of the consultation document are available on request by emailing school.reorg@newport.gov.uk or by telephoning 01633 656656.

I would encourage as many parents and carers as possible to engage with this consultation.

 

Social Media

Please can I urge all parents who have an issue or concern about school to contact us directly to discuss. This will give us the opportunity to try to resolve the issue.

If you have any concerns, please email us on: info@newporthigh.co.uk

 

Inset days and Term dates – 2024/2025

The remaining INSET days (when school is closed to students for staff training) for this year are as follows:

• Friday 7^th March 2025
• Friday 27^th June 2025
• Monday 30^th June 2025
• Monday 21^st July 2025

Apologies, in previous newsletters these dates had the wrong year. These have now been corrected.  

With kind regards

Mrs Lee