5 February 2018

To:      Parents/Carers of students in Year 7 to Year 13

Dear Parents/Carers

Please be advised that the newsletters are being sent out each week via email.  If you are not receiving the newsletter please can you provide us with your current email address, either through your daughter or via the feedback form on the school’s website.

I am writing to you, as we enter the sixth month in our new school, and I am delighted to report that students and staff have settled in well and are really enjoying the bright, spacious and comfortable environment it has provided to us.  For example, on 22 December 2017 we were able to put Protectile carpet tiles down in the Sports Hall and provide 1,000 students and 100 staff with a fully carpeted venue for our Advent Service, led by Mr Anderson, our School Chaplain, using our twin 4 metre screens and integrated sound system to support the music, dance and drama performances.  For those parents/carers of students in Year 10 and 11, who attended our Sixth Form Open Evening recently, you will have had the opportunity to walk around the building and see the excellent resources it provides. If you, or anybody you know, is interested in hiring any of our facilities (Classrooms, Sports Hall, Dance Studio, Drama Theatre, etc) please do not hesitate to contact the school’s Premises Administrator, Mrs Woof via email:  mwoof@stjulies.org.uk

This week, we have taken delivery of exercise bikes, which are being assembled for use by Year 11 and Sixth Form students once they have completed their health and safety induction.  This is just one of the ways in which we are supporting our older students with their health, ahead of our public exams and Mental Health Week, 5 February to 11 February 2018.  We will also be providing students with resources on how to keep mentally fit and happy in the lead up to examinations.  At this point, I would like to congratulate all the students who have recently sat Mock exams and Progress tests, under formal exam conditions in the Sports Hall, for their exemplary conduct and behaviour.  Year 13 will be completing their Mock exams in the week beginning 19 February 2018. 

As we approach March, and the notification to parents of their assigned schools for Year 7, September 2018, can I remind you that if your daughter has a sibling who is due to join St Julie’s for September 2019, that you must complete the Local Authority on-line application form and St Julie’s Supplementary form when the time comes.  We do not hold records of younger siblings of current students.  We continue to be fully subscribed in the main school, and are significantly over-subscribed in KS3, which reflects the excellent reputation that the school continues to have as a result of the outstanding conduct and performance of your daughters in school each day. 

This has been a particularly difficult year for whole school attendance, with bus strikes before Christmas and some particularly virulent strains of stomach bugs either side of Christmas.  As a result can I encourage you to ensure that your daughter does not miss a single day of school between now and the summer such that she continues to make good progress in all of her subjects.

Parents may be interested to know, and wish to attend, the Institute of Physics lecture which will be delivered at St Julie’s Catholic High School on Thursday 8 March 2018 at 6.30 pm.  We will welcome Dr Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory, who will deliver the lecture.  We will also hear from some of our own aspiring Physicists on the night.  The event is free of charge, but ticket is required on entry.  All parents/carers are welcome to attend.  Please do not hesitate to send an email to Mrs Rooney, Head of Lower School/Acting Curriculum Leader for Science, should you wish to attend:  krooney@stjulies.org.uk

In terms of communication with school, we are conscious that parents/carers’ time is precious and that sometimes parents/carers may arrive at school wishing to speak to a member of staff, when the member of staff may be teaching for most of the day, providing lunchtime and extra-curricular clubs, supporting a student through a difficult time, or already meeting with another parent between activities.  I understand that this may frustrating, however I would always advise parents/carers to use the contacts provided on the website which detail the email addresses for Progress Leaders, Curriculum Leaders and Heads of Lower School, Middle School and Upper School.  There is also the Feedback Form at the bottom of the website that can be used for passing messages to members of staff.

I would like to share with parents/carers some good news for members of our school community.  We have recently been informed that Eleanor Morris, Year 9 student, has been shortlisted for a nomination in the category of ‘Young Athlete of the Year’ by Liverpool City Council.  Visitors to our website will have noticed that Eleanor is a highly talented Judoka and has represented her country successfully on many occasions, and won countless Gold medals.  We wish Eleanor success at the Awards Ceremony with her nomination.  We were also delighted to hear that Mrs Hardiman, who has been Teacher of Physical Education at St Julie’s for over 40 years, and attended the school as a student, has been nominated in the category of ‘Lifetime Achiever’.  We are always very proud of the achievements of our students and staff, and we look forward to hearing the outcome of the Awards Ceremony after half term.

Finally, I would just like to commend you as parents/carers for all the support that you give to your daughters and the school.  As you know, St Julie’s is a fully comprehensive, diverse and thriving community school, providing an outstanding Catholic Education to students of all faiths and none.  At a time when more and more schools are selecting the intake of their students, with entrance exams, aptitude tests in music, arts and languages, and more, we continue to offer places to girls of all abilities, talents, and gifts, and provide them with a broad curriculum that prepares them well for working life.  Indeed, in the GCSE Performance Tables for Student Progress 2017, St Julie’s was the highest performing school that does not select students by entrance exams, or aptitude tests, which is testament to the hard work of the students and the support they receive from staff. 

Please do remember to send us your email address and I hope you enjoy receiving our weekly newsletter!

Yours faithfully

Mr T Alderman

Headteacher