Principal's update 15 December
Published on 15/12/23
Dear Parents and Carers
It has been another busy week in school, with subject evenings, Governor meetings, carol concerts, theatre trips and more. We break up for the Christmas break on Wednesday 20 December. We want to ensure that all students attend school as much as possible. Over the last 3 days of term, teachers are planning curriculum lessons, as well as other activities. We will be closely monitoring attendance and we may require further information to authorise absence.
Our Catering Team will be serving Christmas Lunch on Monday 18 December and we will have a slightly longer lunch break to allow for this. Our annual Christmas Bazaar will take place on the last day of term. This is an HVC tradition and raises money for charity. Students can bring in some small change if they wish to have a go on any of the stalls. Our Key Stage Leaders will also be holding celebration assemblies with all year groups.
Wednesday 20 December will be a non-uniform day in school for all students, with optional Christmas jumpers. Please remind students that clothing should be suitable for the school environment. We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Monday 8 January.
What’s going on in school:
- On Tuesday, students from Y9 helped to serve Christmas lunch to Hope Seniors at their annual lunch at Losehill Hall YHA. They were joined later by our Y7 choir, who entertained the diners with carols and festive tunes. This has become an annual event on our school calendar and we were delighted to help out again this year.
- GCSE Drama & Music students travelled to Manchester on Wednesday to see a performance of ‘Hamilton’ at the Palace Theatre – a fantastic show thoroughly enjoyed by all.
- Kinder were the winners of the Y7 Interhouse table tennis tournament this week! Well done to all involved.
- Well done to our Y7 students, Jonty (Y8) and Esther (Y9) who performed at our Carol Concert at St Peter’s Church on Thursday. Our choir sounded wonderful, and there were some fantastic solo performances from Heather (Y7) and Jonty (Y8). A lovely festive evening was rounded off with hot drinks and mince pies. Thank you to those who attended, we hope you enjoyed the evening.
- Theseusaur and Bookasaur BookClubbers were invited to lunch in the library today, where they were joined by local author Helen Rutter, who talked about her books and gave students a sneak preview of her latest novel.
PE Next Term
Y7, 8 and 9 boys will be on fitness the first lesson of the week and gymnastics the second lesson of the week*
Y7, 8 and 9 girls will be on gymnastics the first lesson of the week and fitness the second lesson of the week *
Y10 and 11 boys will be on outside fitness week A and indoor fitness week B
Y10 and 11 girls will be on inside fitness week A and outdoor fitness week B
Kit required for gymnastics
White PE T shirt
Plain black jumper / rugby jumper (if cold)
Thermal layer (if cold)
Black shorts / jogging bottoms
Kit required for fitness
White PE T shirt
Plain black jumper / rugby jumper (if cold)
Thermal layer (if cold)
Woolly hat (if cold)
Gloves (if cold)
Black shorts / jogging bottoms
Waterproof jacket
Change of footwear - indoor/outdoor trainers
*some fitness lessons will take place outside
Notification of catering price increases
We understand that the cost of living has risen for all of our families, and as a school we have seen significant price increases in utilities and food costs. We have worked hard to limit the exposure that these increases have had, and we have managed to absorb supplier price increases wherever possible. Our in-house catering team pride themselves on offering freshly made food cooked on site and in order to maintain the level of quality and service for our students, we have unfortunately got to pass on some of the increased food costs.
As a result of this, from Monday 8 January our catering prices will increase. Our hot & cold lunch time Meal Deals will be available at the price of £3.00 each day. Main meals will increase to £2.40. Access to free drinking water is available throughout the school day, and students are encouraged to bring a re-fillable water bottle into school. We currently have re-fillable water bottles for sale on Reception for £1.50 – these can be purchased via Parentpay.
Sport England Survey
We have asked students in years 7, 8 and 9 to take part in a Sport England survey which asks them questions about their involvement in sport. A link to the survey is on Class-charts. This will give us lots of information about how active the lives of young people at our school are. The survey is organised by IPSOS Mori on behalf of Sport England with the Department for Education. All responses will be anonymous but will be used to create a report which we can use to plan to improve facilities for our students.
Job Vacancies
We are currently recruiting for a Data / MIS Officer on a permanent basis to star in January 2024. We are also recruiting for Exam Invigilators on a casual basis. For more information, please see our website: Vacancies - Hope Valley College (chorustrust.org)
Lost Property
If students have misplaced any belongings or items of clothing, please ask them to check at reception if they have been handed in. Any items that remain unclaimed at the end of term will be donated to charity.
DCC Holiday Clubs
Derbyshire County Council are running their Holiday and Food Programme, It’s About Me, from 27 December to 5 January. For more information, visit their website: It's about me | Welcome (itsaboutmederbyshire.co.uk)
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Thank you for reading our communication. Here are some helpful email addresses, should you need to contact us:
Kind regards |
Gaynor Jones, Principal
Hope Valley College
T: 01433 620555
