DECEMBER 2011

SUMMERHILL SCHOOL

SCOOP

Dear Parents It has been the usual busy term at Summerhill with a host of extra curricular activities on top of the routine teaching and learning in lessons. A group went on the very successful Dudley cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean in the October half term, whilst many more students enjoyed a visit to France to sample Christmas markets at the end of November. Add to this a number of other events such as a fashion junky evening, mock trials, a host of sports fixtures, charity Christmas boxes and a Christmas carol concert and carol service, you can see what I mean about a busy term! You will be aware of national issues regarding teachers and other public service workers at the current time, but I would like to thank staff at Summerhill again for the time and effort they put into these extra activities that mean so much to a school. I would also like to thank all the parents who have so generously supported our various charity fundraising events this term. The Year 11 students are now completing their mock exams and staff will mark these in time to give feedback to parents at the target setting meetings in January (the two weeks beginning Monday 23 January). Parents in all other year groups will also have the opportunity then to meet with Form Tutors to discuss their child’s overall progress at the school. In the meantime I wish all parents and students a restful Christmas holiday.

Mr B Warren Head teacher

INSIDE SCOOP:

• Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal

• Fashion Junky

• School Cruise

• Mock Trials

SHOE BOX APPEAL

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD A very big thank you to everyone who supported the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal this year. Staff and students donated 210 shoe boxes, the most we have ever collected. They were collected and taken to our nearest sorting depot on the Pensnett Trading Estate. This year most of the shoe boxes collected in our area are being sent to Romania. By the time you read this, cargo planes and trucks will have ensured that the boxes are finding their way into the hands of children who would otherwise receive nothing at Christmas. Many of these children live in extreme poverty or have been abandoned by their parents. Our boxes really will make a difference. To find out more about Operation Christmas Child visit: www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk. If you donated on-line and printed off a barcode, you will be able to track your box by visiting the OCC website. Mr Biggs and Miss Pearce

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8U’S WALL OF REMEMBRANCE

As Remembrance Day passed on Friday 11 November, our form made a display on how the war has affected each of our families. Everyone contributed information about their family and we put it all together to make one big display. I found out that my granddad had a few distant memories from the Second World War; he remembered being taken down to his cellar in a tightly wrapped blanket during an air raid and ever since he has not liked to be wrapped up tightly. He remembers being in the cellar until morning the next day! His dad was also affected by the war because he was an APR warden checking that everyone had blacked out their windows so that no light could show through should German bombers attack. Matthew Roberts 8U Something I learnt about my family was that when my granddad was about five years old, an air raid siren went off and he and his brother and mom had to go into their bomb shelter. He says that he remembers hearing lots of explosions and when it had finished and they had all come out, their neighbour’s house had been blown up but luckily their neighbours survived because they had been in their shelter. Stephen Allen 8U

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SCHOOL CRUISE Over half-term, 78 students and 7 members of staff set off on the school cruise aboard ‘The Discovery’ sailing from Turkey to Israel, Egypt and Greece. The two days spent at sea were filled with lectures and photos of the places we were going to visit, classroom sessions and time in the pool and jacuzzi – you can guess which was the most popular! In the evening there were discos which included a foam disco on the last night. The ship held an X-Factor competition and Summerhill had three entries. We really should have been 1st, 2nd and 3rd; however we had to settle for two of our entries coming joint second. Congratulations to Molly Williams and Joe Larkman and our dance group comprising Charlotte Oliver, Jade Barnes and Faye McCue. All students and staff dressed up for the Captain’s Reception where we all met the Captain and listened to a short speech from him. The week was very hectic but enjoyable. The behaviour of all

the students was fantastic and I hope the cruise will be a trip that they remember for a long time to come. Thank you to Mrs Hill, Mr Bratt, Mr Dixon, Mr and Mrs Whalley, Miss Butler and Mrs Fisher for all their hard work to ensure everyone had a successful and safe trip.

Going down inside one of the Pyramids because it was a great experience. It was dark and you couldn’t see anything and I tripped over and knocked everyone to the floor. I’d still like to do it again!

Miss Lander

Riding a camel in Egypt was a really good experience and I would love to do it again although it was really high off the ground and hard to stay on.

MY HIGHLIGHT OF THE CRUISE WAS … Going to Egypt to see the Pyramids and Sphinx. I also enjoyed going inside one of the Pyramids. We had a great meal at the restaurant – the chocolate cake was especially nice!

Sophie Burrows 9S

Beth Dunn 9S The camel rides in Egypt but all of it was a truly amazing experience.

Luke Willetts 10S

Dan Rogerson 10S

Getting to go to Egypt and seeing the Sphinx and the Pyramids but also riding the camel.

When we saw the ancient pyramids in Egypt despite the street sellers.

Chloe Green – 9S

Tom Willetts 10S

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SCHOOL CRUISE

MY HIGHLIGHT OF THE CRUISE WAS … (continued) The cruise was a brilliant experience and a once in a lifetime trip. The ship was amazing and we all enjoyed the facilities it had, like the swimming pool. The trip to Rhodes and eating Greek ice-cream was the best day out. However Egypt was a memory that will last a lifetime.

We had an unbelievable experience and we created some memories we shall treasure for the rest of our lives. We loved every single one of the eight days of our cruise, we have seen some things we will never see again and the whole experience was remarkable. We loved the entire voyage; however, if we could choose our favourite day, it would be the excursion to Jerusalem. It was brilliant seeing the city close up, being able to see all of the things we have heard about. The places we have seen have a huge cultural significance and date back hundreds if not thousands of years – just having the experience to see these different cultures and ways of life was marvellous. They are so foreign and different from our own and it was a strange experience.

students got joint second place which was an exceptional result for our school. The dancers from Summerhill also did brilliantly and all of the Summerhill students cheered and applauded their performance. We all had a fantastic evening and were so proud of all the Summerhill performers.

Just going abroad because I had never been away before. I loved going to Rhodes as well because it was our time to shop.

Everybody loved Egypt and had an amazing time there. We enjoyed seeing the Sphinx and we are amazed that it is still standing. The architecture is known throughout the world and it is a brilliant structure. The camel ride was unsteady but we enjoyed the experience. The scenery of the Pyramids of Giza and the parched, immense, eerie desert was beautiful. The hieroglyphics on the walls of the temples and tombs were out of this world. The level of detail was amazing, just like they were engraved only yesterday. That was incredible considering they were thousands of years old. We all loved this experience and the amazing cultures we have seen. We will treasure these memories for the rest of our lives.

Joanna Beasley 9S

Rebecca and Sarah Horton 10S

Katie-Mae Gilbert 10S Definitely Greece – it was an amazingly hot country and consisted of anything you could ever want on a relaxing holiday Phil Austin 10S

The Turkish people – because they were lovely, the Pyramids and Sphinx because I have wanted to see them all my life, Rhodes ice-cream and being in the pool on the ship but all of it was amazing! And coming 2nd in the X-Factor competition was fab too!! Molly Williams 10S

We all had a tremendous time at the Captain’s cocktail party; we all got dressed up really glamorous, boys in their shirts and ties and girls in their sparkly dresses. There was a short speech from the Captain. One of the best moments on this year’s cruise was the X-Factor at Sea competition. Two Summerhill

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LAW MOCK TRIALS On Saturday 26 November a group of students along with Miss Bentley took part in a mock trial at Birmingham Crown Court. After finding out that we had a place just four days before the competition, the team hurriedly prepared two court cases. We took the train into Birmingham and arrived at the court. After introductions from real barristers, it was time for our prosecution team to take the stage. Sam Wild and Siân Robinson had to prove that the defendant, Adam Crook was guilty of robbery. The next two rounds had the two barristers, Ieuan Wilkes and Ellie Smith defending along with the rest of the team acting as jurors, witnesses, clerks and ushers. A lot of hard work went into this competition: barristers had to prepare questions, witnesses had to learn statements, ushers had to learn the order of procedure and the legal advisor had to be aware of the charges against the defendant.

It really was a fantastic experience and all of us came out of it with a much greater knowledge of how a Crown Court operates. Unfortunately, we did not secure any of the verdicts we wanted. However this did not affect the overall score. Despite this, the team did amazingly well and we all had a brilliant day that will not be easily forgotten. The team consisted of: Ieuan Wilkes, Ellie Smith, Chloe Smith, Georgia Smith, Adam Crook, Siân Robinson, Sam Wild, Ellie Cooper, Emma Collins, Ethan Fellows, Adam Brown, Abbie Williams and Hayden Cabey Ellie Smith 10R PS from Miss Bentley; I have to say our students never cease to amaze me! With only four days to prepare the cases, as they were called in as reserves at the last minute, the team did an amazing job in court. This was a group of Year 10 students in competition with Year 13 students from some of

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the top schools in the Midlands. Staff from other schools were vociferous with their praise and so impressed with the standard of opening and closing speeches and the quality of their questioning: I felt very proud.

FASHION JUNKY CATWALK Fashion Junky 2011 Sustainability and recycling In the UK alone, 1,200,000 tonnes of textile waste is sent to landfill sites each year and only 10% of our discarded clothing is reused. It is so important that we find ways to reuse our textile waste to protect our environment, rather than sending it to landfills. Summerhill School, working collaboratively with The Kingswinford School, The Wordsley School and Ridgewood School challenged their Year 10 GCSE Textile Students to create an outfit which takes influence from sculptural and interesting buildings from around the world using only recycled materials. Students from all four schools created A1 display boards reflecting; their inspiration, research, design ideas and modelling of their ideas. The project culminated in the Fashion Junky 2011 Catwalk Show held at Summerhill School. All students of all schools involved were fantastic, they created a range of unique and inspirational garments and were able to experience the appreciation from both their family and friends for all the hardwork. Mrs Glews The Fashion Junky Catwalk, A way for Year 10s to show off their own creations After weeks of preparation creating trend boards, developing initial ideas, final designs and most importantly school making sessions, both during and after the normal school day, we were ready to ensure everything was perfect for the night. The lights dimmed, the music started and the show came to life. Most of the girls were nervous about their journey down the catwalk. This was understandable as a crowd of around 200 friends and family had gathered around the staging, making it a very large audience to watch their first Fashion Show. The timing of their walks to the music which was playing, the pauses halfway down, their look and their stance were all very important to showing off the designs to the best advantage and, nervous or not, all of the Summerhill students looked very professional. When the students returned ‘backstage’ they were no longer nervous, but excited at what they had achieved. Overall, the Fashion Show was inspiring as we all included sustainability well in our designs. Despite all our nerves, we all had a fun experience to take part in which most of us would willingly take part in again (good job really as you all are doing it again in next year’s D&T show!! – Mrs Glews). Well done to everyone who took part and especially to Xyra Fernandez and Phillipa Grove who together won “Best use of Materials”. Also a big thank you to Mrs Glews, Mr Danks and all the Year 11s who took part to help make the catwalk a success. Rosie Newton 10H and Hannah Barton 10E

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FRENCH CHRISTMAS MARKETS

At 4.00 am on Friday 25 November, 48 students arrived at our school to go to the Lille Christmas Markets for that following weekend. We loaded our suitcases onto the coach and took our places on the seats. It was a long journey but when we got to Dover it was all worth the wait. Whilst on the coach there was good entertainment, there were TV screens so we watched some films. We waited for about an hour in the shops near the port and then we got back on the coach and drove into the ferry. As soon as we stopped on the ferry, we walked up to the lounge areas with a café and a duty-free shop. It took about an hour to travel from Dover to Calais but there were loads of things to do like the restaurant, the bar and the games room. When the boat stopped in France, we got back on the coach and drove down to Lille. As soon as we entered Lille, we went straight down to the markets where it was about 3.00 pm in the afternoon. It was getting dark and we had about 3 hours to go round the market stalls and the rides. The Ferris wheel in France was huge and lit up really prettily with loads of Christmas lights. The market stalls were amazing, there were loads of different types of stalls like a crêpe stall, chocolate stall and stalls where you could make your own jewellery. By the time we had to go it was dark and there were loads of Christmas lights. We looked into some French shops and then made our way back to the hotel. The hotel accommodation was good; we had a 6 course meal and then a disco. At around 10.30 pm we went to bed as we had had a 21 hour day! Then on Saturday we woke up around 7.30 am and ate some breakfast before packing our bags to get ready to leave the

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FRENCH CHRISTMAS MARKETS

hotel, but before we left we had an hour to chill out and go in the shop and games room. After we left the hotel, we travelled down to the town of Le Touquet, (another market town) We went round the town which is famous for its fish markets (but they also had normal stalls). After that we went over to a huge French shopping centre (like Merry Hill but bigger) called Cité Europe. There were many chain shops like André which was a shoe shop and Carrefour which is like a French Tesco. It was about 2.00 pm, so we got on the coach and drove to Calais port. It was the same length of time on the whole journey back from Lille but there was more traffic and more service stops. We got back to Summerhill school at 11.00 pm. Thank you to Mrs Bibby-Jacob, Mr Bratt, Mme Howarth and Miss Foss for looking after us on this trip! Claudia Swingewood-Hughes 9L

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CHILDREN IN NEED We are pleased to report that on Friday 18 November, we held a ‘Mufti’ day in aid of Children in Need and raised the grand total of £1392.98. Summerhill Pathways also held a Swimming Fun Day on Saturday 29 November in aid of Children in Need. The day was split into three sessions - each session provided swimmers with various challenges with the aim of finding Pudsey Bear. The fun filled day was enjoyed by all who attended and raised a total of £264.47.

SCHOOL UNIFORM We are offering a great opportunity to purchase pre-worn good condition school uniform at great prices. This new facility will be run by the school and will operate on an e-mail basis. If you are interested in purchasing uniform at very low prices, this is a great way to do it. Please e-mail the school at: [email protected] stating your requirements and wait for us to search stocks to see if we have your required item available. If we have one in stock, we will contact you and it can be collected from the first aid office by either yourself or your child. At present, we have a large stock of school sweatshirts (mainly smaller sizes from 32 – 36 inch chest) and the odd one or two larger ones. We also have a very small amount of PE clothing. Sweatshirts will be sold at £2.00 each and the PE clothing will range between £1.00 and £2.00. All monies will go toward supporting the rewards prizes in school.

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ARE YOU ENTITLED TO FREE SCHOOL MEALS? Dear Parent/Guardian I have been in contact with Dudley Local Authority recently about access to free school meals. This really is a “win – win” situation: if your child is entitled to free school meals both the child and the school will benefit if you apply. Not only will your child be entitled to a healthy free school meal each day (saving you around £350 over the year) but the application also frees up funding for the school to support your child in other ways, such as on school trips and visits. Do you qualify? You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits: • Income Support • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 • The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit • Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190 • Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit How to apply? There are three ways to apply: • Use the online form on the Dudley website www.dudley.gov.uk • email to the Dudley free school meals team at [email protected] • Phone Dudley Local Authority on 01384 814988 Thank you Mr B Warren Headteacher

YEAR 8 ENRICHMENT DAY On 16 November, Year 8 had an Enrichment Day which was about the importance of learning languages. We learnt that you can use languages in lots of jobs other than translating, for example in business you need languages to secure business deals with foreign companies, if you are an archaeologist, you need to travel to different places and be able to talk in a different language and if you are a flight attendant, you need to be able to speak different languages with the passengers. We found it really funny when actors came and did sketches to show what bad things may happen in our lives if we didn’t learn languages. We looked at some clips which showed us the importance of learning another language. The most fun part was probably our own acting where we all had the chance to show how many words we knew in another language. We all had a great time and we are hoping to have as much fun next year. Courtney Abbiss, Jack Bailey 8R and Weronika Wozniak, Toby Whitehouse 8H

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SPORTS FOOTBALL UPDATE

CROSS COUNTRY

Rugby

Our teams are currently enjoying their mid season break, with matches due to start again in February. The Year 8 and Year 10 teams remain undefeated in the league, with the Year 8 and Year 11 teams due to play quarter final cup fixtures of the Dudley Cup next term.

On Saturday 24 September a number of our Year 7, 8 and 9 students took part in the Dudley Schools’ Cross Country competition at Himley Park with over 15 schools taking part. Some excellent performances saw all of our teams finish in the first three places, which are the best results ever achieved by the school.

The Year 11 rugby team have had a very successful term in both tournaments in which they have been entered.

The Year 7 team competed in a 5-a-side Dudley Schools’ competition in November at Ellowes Hall School. The team played very well and won both their group fixtures 3-0 and 2-0 to reach the semi final where they drew 2-2 against Crestwood. Unfortunately they were unlucky to lose in a penalty shoot out but well done to the following players who took part: Connor Rides, Sam Waterhouse, Luke Williams, Ellis Longville, Alex Johnson, Alex Craig, Kieran Wright and Will Fellows. Congratulations to the following players who are currently representing the District teams: Brandon Malpass in Year 7, George Taylor and Jack Wilson in Year 8, Kieran Brown in Year 9 and Liam McEvoy, Josh Haydon, Josh McEvoy and Ben Rich in Year 11. Further congratulations to Kieran Brown who is also in the West Midlands County squad.

The Year 8 and 9 girls team finished 3rd – team members were Lorna Wright, Courtney Abbiss, Samantha Lewis, Emma Law, Jennifer Hales, Darci Harrison, Ella Johnson, Rachel Wildboar, Georgia Allen, Jessica Wilkins and Daisy Slater. The Year 8 and 9 boys team finished 2nd – team members were Owain Wheeler, Jack Wilson, Owen Bullock, Niall Sankey, James Burton and Dan Payne. The Year 7 girls team finished 3rd – team members were Grace Deeley, Elizabeth Allen, Georgia Attwood, Emma Tetsill, Amy Nicholls, Chloe Kindon and Charlotte Payton. The Year 7 boys team finished 1st and are the Dudley Schools’ champions! Team members were Alex Hunt, Sam Bayliss, Seb Bacon, Kieran Wright, Drew Bradley, Luke Williams, Rowan Jackson, Elliot Garvey and Joe Cox. Well done to all our runners!

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After finishing joint third in the Birmingham and Black Country Schools’ seven-a-side competition, the team went on to win the Dudley Schools’ tournament. This competition was ten-a-side and run on a league basis. The team managed to finish the league with the only unbeaten record to become Dudley Schools’ Champions. Results v v v v v

High Arcal Coseley Redhill Windsor Hagley

Won 5– 0 Won 10 – 0 Won 25 – 0 Won 20 – 0 Draw 0 – 0

Well done to the following students who were members of the winning team: William Hancox (Captain) William Jennings James Brookes Bradley Smith Nathan Jones Jack Fellows Sam Davies Charlie Cashmore Tom Parkes Luke O’Neill Ethan Fellows Jordan Smith Adam Brown Joe Sherwood

CLOTHES SHOW LIVE TRIP On Tuesday 6 December the Year 10 and 11 Textiles GCSE groups went to ‘The Clothes Show Live’ at the NEC Birmingham - the day was great fun as well as being educational. It was the first time that many of the Year 10 students, including myself, had visited the show - it wasn’t disappointing and I found it very inspirational. Mrs. Glews set tasks to be completed during our visit eg to find information about new up and coming designers and how they promote sustainability within fashion. Whilst we did complete the tasks set, we all became a ‘little’ sidetracked at times by the fabulous designers and spotting the various ‘celebs’ attending the show. We also had an opportunity to become involved in workshops around the exhibition, which allowed us to see and sample new and different ways of working with Textiles. The fashion show was amazing - The Risk opened the show to a screaming audience and the screaming continued throughout. The designs were really varied and creative and I look forward to seeing them on the High Street. Thank you to Mrs Glews and Mrs Wooldridge for a great day that was enjoyed by us all. I’m sure I’m not the only one in saying that I can’t wait to go again next year. Pippa Grove 10H

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GOOD FOOD SHOW

The Good Food show has proved to be a great experience where we were able to learn about skills and techniques which chefs use, as well as sampling their adventurous recipes. There were many different sections selling new and exciting foods, such as: ‘super healthy smoothies,’ ‘the creamiest ice cream’ and beastly toffee brownies. There were hundreds of stalls each selling their recipes or inventions, one of which was ‘mouldable chocolate’ which was fun and exciting because we had never seen it before. We also watched the Food Show live in the theatre where we saw Rick Stein cook up some great recipes. This was a great experience because he interacted with students in the audience and showed us skills which we could all use at home. Overall, the food show was a great day filled with food tasting and learning new skills. Everybody came home with plenty of food, some of it free! I would definitely go to the Food Show again because every year it is different and brings new experiences to those students studying Food Technology, and helps them with their coursework.. Every Food Tech student should have the chance to go. Katie Alliband 11H and Kate Brown 11R

PTA QUIZ NIGHT We again held our bi-annual quiz night in the school hall on Friday 14 October. Congratulations to the winning team who walked away with bottles of wine and the winners of the booby prize were a team from Year 11. A big thank must go to Mr Brookes for being the quiz master.

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PTA NEWS Cabaret Evening We would like to pass on our sincere thanks for a fantastic night to Dave Whalley and Giggetty. Within two songs we were up doing the conga which was a first. It was a mixture of both new and old material from Giggetty and Dave Hubband. It was the first time we had seen Dave Hubband but thought he was brilliant as he had us in stitches within minutes of being on the stage. There were lots of people there with a varied age range and there was something for everyone. The night ended on a high with everyone joining in a sing-a-long, arms in the air and swaying. Once again a fantastic night, cor wait to see yow next year! Mrs James and Mrs Green

Prom Fayre raffle

We are very grateful to the following companies/individuals who donated items for our Prom Fayre raffle: 1st prize – 2nd prize – 3rd prize – 4th prize – 5th prize – 6th prize – 7th prize – 8th prize – 9th prize – 10th prize – 11th prize – 12th prize – 13th prize – 14th prize – 15th prize –

Prom Dress - donated by Julie Robinson Free Suit Hire donated by Roger Scott GHD products donated by Rapunzel Prom Shoes donated by Vicki Lee Jewellery donated by Unique £20 off a Prom Dress donated by Upmarket by Appointment Gift voucher for nail extensions donated by Studio 524 50% off voucher for dress hire donated by Frox Dress Hire Full body spray tan – donated by Upmarket by Appointment Moroccan Oil holdall – donated by Caprios French manicure – donated by American Nails 20% off Dream Days Bridal – donated by Dream Days Corsage – donated by Bridal Secrets Tiara – donated by Memories Forever Cufflinks – donated by Memories Forever

Requests for Raffle Prizes We are always on the look out for suitable prizes. If you have any unused quality gifts we would very much appreciate you sending them into school during January 2012.

Date of next meeting The next meeting will be held on Monday 9 January 2012 at 7.00 pm in Languages 1. Everyone is welcome.

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Friday 16 December End of term for staff and students – consolidated day - 1.00 pm finish Tuesday 3 January CPD Day – school closed for students Wednesday 4 January Start of term for students Tuesday 10 January Year 11 GCSE English Language exam (AM) Year 11 GCSE Business Studies exam (PM) Thursday 12 January Year 10 GCSE Biology exam (AM) Wednesday 18 January Year 10 GCSE Chemistry exam (AM) Year 11 GCSE RE Ethics exam (PM) Thursday 19 January Year 10 DTP injections Friday 20 January Year 10 GCSE Physics exam (AM) Monday 23 January Year 11 GCSE History exam (AM) Year 11 GCSE Psychology exam (PM)

Monday 23 January - Target Setting weeks Friday 3 February Early start - 8.45 am Early finish - 2.30 pm Tuesday 24 January Year 11 GCSE Biology exam (AM) Year 11 GCSE Geography exam (PM) Wednesday 25 January Year 11 GCSE Health and Social Care exam (PM) Thursday 26 January Year 11 GCSE Chemistry exam (AM) Monday 30 January Year 11 GCSE Physics exam (PM) Wednesday 1 February Year 11 GCSE Psychology exam (PM) Monday 6 February – Year 10 Language Orals Wednesday 8 February Year 9 Parents Information Evening re Options 7.00 pm Thursday 9 February Enrichment Day Friday 10 February Year 11 individual and group photographs (AM) Monday 13 February – Half-term holiday Friday 17 February Monday 20 February Start of term for staff and students

SNOW CLOSURES

I sincerely hope that the winter will not be harsh this year and that it will not be necessary to close the school due to snow. However, if we are forced to close we will put this fact onto the School Portal. Please make sure you have your log on details and if you have mislaid them please contact the school office and we will resend them to you. There are a substantial number of parents who have not yet logged onto the Portal for the first time. Please can you log on and change your password as a matter of some urgency, as any changes to the calendar or any other important information will now be put on the Portal. School closures will also be put on the front page of the school website : www.summerhill.dudley.sch.uk Please note – if you have the website opened you need to press F5 regularly to “refresh” the page. This will allow you to see updated information as it arrives. Further note – Local radio stations are not always reliable in promptly transmitting closure information. I will inform Beacon Radio, Heart FM and BRMB of a school closure but I would encourage parents to log onto the School Portal or the school website for a more reliable and prompt source of information. Thank you Mr B Warren Headteacher

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