Dear ALS Community,
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of being part of some ‘learning conversations’ with Year 11 pupils to reflect on their mock examination results. As part of this, I asked the question “how else can we help you?” to see if we can support the children in achieving their aspirations in other ways. For each pupil the response was exactly the same: the pupils understand what they’ve achieved, what they want to achieve and what they need to do to do better next time. It was wonderful to hear how well our teachers have ensured that each pupil understands exactly their next steps so they can each be successful in their aspirations and this certainly reflects the outstanding quality of the work being done in the classrooms throughout ALS in relation to the children’s confidence, subject understanding and quality of feedback.
Much in the same way as the story above, I led an all-through tour for a family that covered both Juniors and Seniors and getting to walk through whole school in a single visit made for a lovely (if quite lengthy!) tour. Much like the consistency of the Year 11 pupils knowing their steps for the future, the classrooms for Year 1 and for Year 8 had that same “Arnold Lodge” feel, in that the children were clearly confident in the space they were in, felt safe in school and were enjoying their learning. The curriculum might differ, assessment strategies and approaches…but at the core of it pupils throughout ALS get the same deal; building their happiness, confidence and skills so they can be successful in their aspirations.
For this week, our house mantra is from Veritas: Be honest with yourself first. The Head of Veritas, Mr Hawkins, writes: February is now upon us with lighter evenings on the horizon. January is often a time for resolutions and promises for positive change…February can therefore be a time for us to reflect on what we have changed as we continue into the new year, with new challenges and resolutions in full swing. As well as this, whilst we’ve driven positive change in ourselves, it is also the time to see what impact you can have on others and the wider community. The influential politician Nelson Mandela exclaimed, "As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself...Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility."
Our online safety focus this week is on the topic of ‘Location Tracking’. Location tracking has always been a fundamental part of the way mobile phones work, the most basic element of which is the ability to triangulate a device’s position in relation to a mobile network’s radio masts. As smartphones became popular, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wireless networking (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies complemented this, any one or combination of which can now feed highly accurate location data via any app on that device. In this guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as non-consensual monitoring, frequently visited locations and stalking.
In support of Warwickshire Hearts, we will be holding a non-uniform day on Monday 14th February. Donate £2 and wear something red for a worthy cause. Warwickshire Hearts provides an immediate trained response to 999 calls when there isn’t a West Midlands Ambulance service resource immediately available. They visited Year 8 the week before last to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR and how to use an AED and will be joining us again soon to meet our Sixth Form.
On the sporting front, there have been a number of fixtures and tournaments this week with the standout result being a 1-0 victory vs Solihull School in U15 Hockey with Calum A as the PoM. Our U13 had a hard fought match against Solihull School as well as our U13 Netball Team competing in an all-day tournament. Finally, our Cross Country runners also represented the school earlier this week with some outstanding rankings achieved. Well done to all who represented ALS this week in sport. Don’t forget that the ALS House Swimming Gala (think sports’ day but for swimming) is coming up on Thursday 17th February, 10:00 – 12:00pm for Seniors (Yr7-9) and Friday 18th February, 10:00-11:30am for Juniors (Yr4-6). Do join us to spectate from the poolside viewing gallery. More information can be found here from Mr Gear.
During the week beginning the 7th March, we are hosting some inspirational careers talks for our Sixth Form pupils, if either yourself or any friends or relatives would like to speak to our pupils about your careers, please do get in touch with Mrs Bottrill on [email protected]. We also receive information from external providers on events which may be of interest for parents, please find further information on these events here.
As the summer approaches, we are hosting our annual ALS Golf Day again this year. Join us as a ‘Parent and Pupil’ team on Wednesday 22nd June for a round of golf at The Warwickshire Golf Club. If you would be interested in joining us please do email Mr Gear on [email protected] who can provide you with more information.
To round off this week, thank you to all those who entered and took part in the ALS House Bake Off. Mr Dobson, Mr Hawkins and Mr Scott, our Heads of Houses, who bravely declared that they ‘must taste every entry’ swiftly regretted the decision as they saw the number of cakes start to flood in on Monday morning. The competition raised £365 which will go to the House charities with Dedicas taking the lead for the most raised. Many congratulations must go to Scarlett B, Muiz, Matilda N, Anya E, Charlie M and Mrs Towers who were crowned winners of this years’ ALS House Bake Off.
On that note, have a wonderful weekend.
Best wishes,
David Preston | Headteacher
February 4th 2022
