Welcome to the final half term of this academic year. It still feels somewhat surreal to be welcoming you all in this way and to not have a busy school full of pupils and staff. It looks set that for the foreseeable future we will be continuing with our home learning package for pupils, so I cannot thank you enough for all of your efforts with this. – View our full Easter newsletter using the link below:

3rd June Newsletter
20th May Newsletter
13th May Newsletter
6th May Newsletter
29th April Newsletter
22nd April Newsletter
8th April Newsletter
1st April Newsletter
25th March Newsletter

We may still be physically distant but we need to remain socially connected. So we thought it would be nice to have an assembly. We asked staff and students to answer two questions last week. Check out the assembly to find out their answers.

At this stage we have been instructed to ascertain numbers of pupils in Year 10 & 12 that intend to access face to face provision. This data will help us with our planning if we do invite pupils on site following guidance from the Government.

Year 7, 8, 9 Key Worker Childcare
Year 10 & 12 Return to School

Please complete this form should you need any support for Google or Google Classroom. Please put as much detail as you can about your issue so that we can better support you. (Please note that should your issue be related to content within Google Classroom, this will be forwarded to the teacher of that subject)

Due to the current restrictions and social distancing measures both of our Uniform Suppliers have extended their online services, and we encourage you to order all uniform items online where possible. Our suppliers Emblematic and Salto UK have provided the following updates.

Statement from Emblematic – www.emblematic.co.uk
I would like to thank you for your continued support in this period of uncertainty. Our embroidery facility is currently open, with a reduced staff following all Government Guidance, therefore we are able to complete all Leavers hoodies and online orders. We are currently also taking school orders via email as normal. [email protected] After Sunday’s government update, I am pleased to say that we will be offering the following options to parents this summer:

1. Free delivery on all orders placed until the 1st July 2020.
2. After that, you can either pay for delivery to home or use our “Click and Collect” option (starting date to be decided). You will not be able to order with “Delivery to School” as an option.
3. We have a supply of paper tape measures for new starters please see enclosed.
4. We have put measuring videos on our website, which you can use to purchase the correct size, using measurements you have taken at home.
5. We currently offer a free returns system, where you can use our website to return items, you must then make a new order for the correct size (i.e. this is not an exchange service, as garments must be safely stored (Covid-19) before going back into stock).
6. We are also offering a “Click and collect” option in the future from our Benton shop only (date and times to be decided), but plan to stop this mid-August, so we don’t have the final rush of the summer with long queues (that we feel will be unsafe).

Statement from Salto UK – www.saltouk.com
Firstly, and most importantly, we hope you are all safe and well and looking after each other. We would like to update you on our plans to ensure you are able to receive the school uniform required for when the children return to school. Please see below the ways you can order. As the situation changes, we will notify you via our Facebook page and on our website, so please check in now and again to stay updated.
1. ONLINE – We are currently processing all uniform orders from our website www.saltouk.com. When you order online, you will have 2 delivery options:
i) Home delivery – where your child can try for size at home and this gives you time to exchange if required. We will endeavour to process and dispatch orders as quickly as possible, but as we are working with a smaller team, please allow extra time for delivery.
ii) Free ‘collect from store’ option – your order will be processed and will be available from our collection point in Prudhoe as soon as non-essential shops can open once again – hopefully, early June.
Exchanges can be made by contacting us via email or Facebook and we will have your preferred size ready to exchange once our collection point is open. Any items that are returned are dated and hung untouched for 72 hours before they are returned to stock.
2. BY POST – If you do not want to buy online, please contact us via email and we will provide an order form for you to print, complete and post/deliver to our shop in Prudhoe. Orders cannot be processed unless full payment is enclosed.
3. SHOP – We will open our collection point as soon as non-essential shops can reopen, as we will be able to adhere to the social distancing measures through a queuing system outside our shop. However, we will only open our main shop when we feel it is safe for you, your child and our staff, as we must provide a risk-free, Covid secure environment. There is still uncertainty as to whether children will be allowed to try on communal clothes, therefore we are encouraging everyone to order online as the ‘try before you buy’ in our shop may not be an option.
4. QUERIES – We will add measuring videos on our Facebook page and our website to help you make the correct choice. If you have any queries please contact us via our Facebook page or email us at [email protected]
5. GUARANTEED UNIFORM FOR SEPTEMBER – We urge you to order as soon as possible as it will allow you time to exchange if necessary. When our shop does reopen, we will be observing strict rules in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive, therefore queues may be likely as we expect only 2 customers (plus one child per adult) in at a time.
As you know, this situation is ever changing, and we are monitoring it daily. We are committed to keeping our loyal customers updated and providing the best service we can under difficult circumstances, so please remember, as your local supplier, we are here for you.

St Thomas More Catholic School leavers hoodies are now available for purchase, please use the link below.

Description:
Hoodie embroidered left breast with our crest and printed back with our unique 20 design. Your name can be added above the 20 print on the back at no extra cost.

Leavers Hoodies

Following recent government advice to prohibit overseas school trips, our working assumption is that the Year 7 trip to France scheduled for the Easter Holiday will require cancellation. We will be in contact with parents affected as soon as we have heard from our tour company.

We’ve started to receive some questions from parents about the school’s response to the coronavirus.

The current situation is that we will stay open as a school until the Department for Health or the Department for Education instruct us to close. If the school did have to close we would ensure our curriculum was delivered through the use of Google classrooms, ensuring pupils were able to access work and feedback from their teachers. If necessary we will share further information on how to access this & support in place for any pupils without IT access at home.

School trips will go ahead as planned unless the areas we are travelling to become designated areas to avoid and/or the transport arrangements are cancelled by the operator.

Click here to read the full letter
Click here to read more

One of our school music ensembles are performing at The Sage over the next few weeks.

Sunday 22nd March 2pm, Northern Rock Foundation Hall
St Thomas More Jazz Band performing in Gateshead International Jazz Festival (this is amazing!) set tbc.

Tickets for the performance are available from The Sage Gateshead Box Office.

Activity days will give you the chance to learn outside of the usual classrooms, they will be character building activities providing you with opportunities to build your confidence and resilience in a different enviroment. They will allow pupils from different year groups to work together in less formal situations, enabling you to build strong relationships with other pupils and with staff. The end of the week will provide you with the opportunity to build upon the sense of identity we already have within our Houses and to showcase your talents by taking part in Sports Day. And finally we will all have an opportunity to come together and celebrate the end of another fantastic year at St Thomas More in the end of year services.

Enrichment Week Leaflet
Enrichment Week Letter

Sixth Form Open Evening at St Thomas More Catholic School

Our Sixth Form open evening will take place on 5th February at 6:30pm. There will be a presentation from our team followed by the opportunity to speak to our Heads of Department. Students from all schools are welcome to come along!

Year 8 Retreat 2020 at St Thomas More Catholic School

What to bring

• 1 change of clothes (for the next day)
• Pyjamas/slippers/dressing gown
• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc)
• Towel
• Appropriate outdoor shoes (They will get muddy!)
• Outdoor clothing (To keep you warm)
• Any necessary medication clearly labeled with your full name (this should be handed to the member of staff staying in your cabin)
• Money for tuck shop

Come to school in non-uniform on the day of your retreat. We’ll leave at the end of the day. Bring luggage to the chapel upon arrival and it will be locked in there until we leave. Come to the chapel immediately after last lesson to collect your bag.

2019 Quiz Winners at St Thomas More Catholic School

WCSQM awards a quality mark to non-selective state schools that offer the best education to young people in the UK. Unlike other national assessment bodies, we assess the student and not the school, against a framework of skills and competencies young people need to flourish in an emerging global economy. Through unique real-life work experiences, access to a lifelong peer support network and cultural opportunities that take them beyond their local community, we give world class students the confidence to overcome socio-economic barriers to recognise and achieve their potential.

Click here to read more

There will be changes to our 861 & 891 bus services starting January 6th 2020. View the document below to get the details.

Some staff members and students of St Thomas More Catholic School participated in the recording of the Saint Mary’s Choir Christmas CD, which is now available for purchase. The compilation of Christmas Music also features guest appearances by children from Saint Mary’s First School and Saint Joseph’s Middle School, with other local musicians.   

Further to the recording of the CD, a competition was also organised to design artwork to use in the CD Booklet and advertising posters. Two of our very own pupils achieved first and second place in the competition in their age group. 

The CD is available at a price of £10 per copy. If you wish to purchase a CD please complete the pro-forma linked here and return it to St Mary’s Catholic Church, Hexham.

Ski Hoodies 2020 store

Consultation on Admission Arrangements for St Thomas More School, 2021 Entry

Consultation Letter.

Please see above letter detailing our proposed amendment to the Admissions Policy for 2021 entry. Where changes to admission arrangements are intended, all schools are required to consult before these are determined and published.

The policy for 2021 entry is available here.

The consultation will run from 15^th October 2019 – 26^th November 2019.

A consultation response form is available by request from the school.

The governing body will consider all comments received before they determine the arrangements for 2021 entry.

On Saturday 9th November 40 Year 5 students, from our feeder primary schools, attended a Languages Day here at St Thomas More Catholic School. Students arrived to a continental breakfast served in our Sixth Form Centre. They then enjoyed one session with our Head of German, Mrs Mackie, (which included a game of lotto!), and one session in the kitchen with our Modern Foreign Languages teacher Mr Young. The students got to enjoy a variety of French and German foods including freshly made crepes, pate, cheese, and even snails!

Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom honours the heroic efforts, achievements and sacrifices that were made in past wars.

As part of our remembrance activities within St Thomas More School, each student was able to attend a Remembrance Assembly with their Pastoral House. Every pastoral class also received a red ribbon on which they could record names of loved ones they wished to remember.

We have also created a remembrance display within the school grounds, with the help of our Year 8 Art Club and some Year 7 Pastoral groups. This display is a sign of our collective faith as a school community.

On Wednesday the 30th of October we will be having a mission family night. We want to celebrate our school mission with family and parishioners and share some of the things that are going on in school that week. Students will be preparing dance, drama, music and other things to showcase that evening. It will be from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm in the Main Hall. Parking will be available down on the yard. If you have any questions please contact our Chaplain, Cody.

There will be taster sessions for LAMDA on the below dates:

Wednesday 6th November for Year 7 – 11.50 – 12.20
Wednesday 6th November for Year 8&9 12.20 – 12.50

Thursday 7th November for Year 10-13
Slot 1 – 11.50 – 12.20
Slot 2 – 12.20 – 12.50

LAMDA is an extracurricular speech and drama class designed to enhance your performance skills and communication skills, with the opportunity to take certified exams up to Grade 8.

See Mrs Olsen to sign up.