TikTok is a video-sharing social media app which lets people create, view and download looping 15-second clips. Typically, these are videos of users lip-syncing and dancing to popular songs or soundbites (often for comic purposes), enhanced with filters, effects and text.  

Please find below a poster of tips and advice from National Online Safety regarding Tik Tok, an increasingly popular app used by children. The age limit for this is 13, but as with many social media apps we find children below this age use them. This guide might answer any questions you may have about the app. 

WSfG is pleased to restart the Redbox project for all tutor groups across the school. As you may know, the Redbox project provides a much-needed service giving all students access to sanitary products in a discrete manner.                   

The Redbox project has proved a very popular service in the past, and students have highlighted how important it is to have access to sanitary products when needed.

Unfortunately, the charitable funding for this project is no longer available.

Therefore, we would like to ask anyone in our school community who is able to donate any of the following products to the school’s Redbox Project:

• Sanitary pads (new, closed packs)

• Tampons (new, closed packs)

If you would like to donate any of the above products, please send them in with your child to school. Your child should bring them to Student Services, where the products will be distributed across tutor groups to ensure every student has access to sanitary products when needed.

In addition, a supply of sanitary products will be available via Student Services for any student who needs them.

We hope you feel able to donate to this important project to ensure all students have access to these essential products whenever needed.       

Ms R Schaber                                                                                             

WsFG - KS3 Parent/Carer Session

WsFG - KS4 Parent/Carer Session

A message from Rachel de Souza, Children's Commissioner for England

Before Easter, we received a letter from the new Children’s Commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, asking for our help. 

Her role is to speak up for children and young people across England. As the government starts to plan how to rebuild after the pandemic, she wants children to be at heart of it. She needs our help to gather children’s views and priorities for the future, so that the government takes them into account.

She has launched the Childhood Commission, which she describes as "a once-in-a-generation review of the future of childhood". This review will identify the barriers preventing children from reaching their full potential, put forward solutions and set ambitious goals for the country to achieve.

The first stage of this work is gathering the views, opinions and experiences of all children. She plans to carry out the largest ever consultation with children in

England, called The Big Ask, to find out what children’s concerns and aspirations about the future are. Her ambition is to reach every child – the more she hears from, the stronger this work will be.

The Big Ask was launched on Monday 19 April in the form of a short online questionnaire.

We would be very grateful if you could encourage your child to fill it in, there is also an adult survey. 

All the information and links to the surveys can be found here.

If our school submits enough responses, we will receive a bespoke report summarising what our students have said about their aspirations, concerns and challenges for the future.  This could be really useful for us to help our planning and provision going forwards.

Ms Snowsill
Deputy Headteacher

Thursday 1^st April 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

I wanted to thank you all for your support this term and for working together to make it so successful.  Thank you to all those parents who have written to us to thank our staff, who have enabled a smooth transition back to school and have been generous in their care and guidance.  As a new headteacher, it is really heartening, not only to know that I am leading such a fantastic team, but also that WSFG is a school where we work together as a community to support each other, despite experiencing some of the most difficult circumstances of our lifetimes.

School Uniform

Some students have become forgetful about standards of uniform during lockdown, perhaps because of spending such a long time at home.   As an outstanding school with an excellent reputation in the community, it is important that our students are ambassadors for the school and uphold high standards at all times.  We would therefore like to institute a uniform ‘refresh’ when we return to school on the 19th of April, and we are asking you to support us by ensuring that your daughter is dressed in full school uniform.

In the week commencing 19^th April, students will be given the opportunity to ensure their uniform is correct and they will be reminded throughout the week of the school’s expectations.

From the week commencing 26^th April, full and correct uniform will be expected from all students, without question. Items will be confiscated if they are not allowed as per our uniform expectations and students will be sent home to collect any missing uniform items that are required for the day.

Please see the WSFG uniform expectations below:-

• Dark, bottle green pleated knee length skirt or trousers in the acceptable school styles
• Dark, bottle green religious dress in plain, cotton fabric.
• Strictly no jeans style trousers, tight trousers or leggings are permitted.
• Plain white blouse with shirt collar to be worn by all. Shirts can be long sleeved or short sleeved and must be worn tucked in.
• Plain white vest top can be worn under the school shirt if necessary.
• Dark, bottle green sweater, cardigan or sweatshirt without any logo. No other colours of sweater, cardigan or sweatshirt are permitted.
• Plain black, white or bottle green knee socks, ankle socks or tights are to be worn at all times. No over the knee socks are permitted.
• Plain black low-heeled sensible shoes or boots. Trainers and higher heels are not permitted. Footwear must have black laces and not have any pattern, colour or branded logos.
• Plain, black coat or jacket that is suitably waterproof. Denim, leather, faux leather jackets and hoodies are not permitted to be brought onto the school premises.
• Hijabs must be plain white or dark bottle green and must be worn pinned securely.
• School blazer with WSFG logo is compulsory for all years and must be worn at all times.

Uniform Extras:

• Make-up, if worn, must be minimal and discreet. False eyelashes, eyelash extensions, acrylic or other types of nail extensions are not permitted.
• Students are permitted to wear one small stud in each ear (which should be no bigger than the size of a pea) and a wristwatch only. Facial piercings and visible body piercings (including tongue piercings) are not permitted. Any other jewellery items will be confiscated and will only be returned to parents / carers.
• Hair must be of a natural colour and hair of a non-natural colour is not permitted. All hair accessories must be small, discreet and plain.
• Coloured or patterned contact lenses are not permitted.
• Lanyard, One Card and Conduct Card must be worn at all times as uniform items.

Currently, masks are to be worn by all students, both in corridors and in classrooms, in compliance with the government guidance and the school risk assessment.

The school reserves the right to ask a student who is not in correct uniform to remove non-uniform items or change into uniform items provided by the school for the day.  The school does not accept any responsibility for the loss or damage to any confiscated items.

The school uniform is a ‘professional’ dress code which sets an appropriate tone for a school working environment where the work is learning.  I hope you can support us by ensuring that your daughter wears the correct uniform when we return. 

If you need any financial support in purchasing uniform items, there is additional money available in our hardship fund.  Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s SPL, or e-mail the school, if this is the case.

Change to the School Day

You will be delighted to hear that, following consultation with staff and students, we will be reverting to the extended one hour lunch.  Please see the timetable below.

Entry times remain as they have been previously but students will revert to the later finish times to facilitate a 1 hour lunch break for the summer term:

Y7 dismissal 3:20pm

Y8 dismissal 3:20pm

Y9 dismissal 3:25pm

Y10 dismissal 3:30   (Tuesday -3:45)

Y11 dismissal 3:30  (Wednesday-3:45)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you in advance for your support. 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a relaxing Spring break.

Yours faithfully

Ms H Marriott
Headteacher

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Uniform Suppliers:

Speedstitch, Unit 32, Walthamstow Business Centre, Clifford Road, Walthamstow London E17 4SX. Tel - 0208 531 4800

http://shop.speedstitch.co.uk/walthamstow-school-for-girls-en-2

Victoria 2, 246 Hoe Street, Walthamstow Tel – 020 8520 2176

http://www.victoria2schoolwear.co.uk/Find-Your-School/Walthamstow-School-For-Girls/

Fashion Fair, 184 – 186 High Street, Walthamstow Tel – 020 8503 7048

http://schooluniformuk.co.uk/

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PE Uniform: New style PE kit, compulsory for year 7 and 8 students. Only available from Speedstitch.
Essential items

• Black and green WSFG polo t-shirt
• Black WSFG jogging pants OR black/green WSFG shorts OR black/green WSFG skort
• Trainers

Optional items

• Green WSFG sweater
• Black and green WSFG tracksuit jacket

• Plain black leggings can be worn under shorts/skort but not on their own

Old style PE kit - can be worn by year 9, 10 and 11 students.
Essential items

• Yellow polo t-shirt
• Green jogging pants OR green shorts
• Trainers

Optional items

• Green sweater
• Plain black leggings can be worn under shorts/skort but not on their own

Here is a booklet full of information that we hope will help our students and parents/carers during this uncertain time ...

A Guide to Living with Worry and Anxiety Amidst Global Uncertainty

Our team is still here to support you with your students now that schools have reopened.

Even though we can go into schools, we can still help you and your students via email, phone and live webinars with employability.

If you have students that need any help with it comes to Employability Skills, CVs, Interview Techniques or looking for Apprenticeships, please contact me and the team will be willing to work with them.

Even though we are in unprecedented times, the labour market is still going.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards

Natasha Whittingham
Support for Schools Adviser & Events Manager | Department for Work and Pensions | Work Services Directorate | East London District Office | Hackney Jobcentre Plus | 271 Mare Street, London, E8 1EE | Mobile: 07786 028 807 | www.gov.uk

Here are Blessing, Frankie and Yong Xin, 7W getting into the festive spirit with our newly decorated tree, located in the student entrance.

Ms Wood
Tutor 7W

It is so important that we look after ourselves in all aspects of our health:  physical, emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual.  The Anna Freud Centre have shared a wonderful resource which will help you create a self-care plan with ideas for activities and targets to set for yourselves.  We really recommend you take a look and use it!

We wish you all a healthy summer and look forward to seeing you in the autumn.

Here is the resource for you to use at home.

Our LRC system, Microlibrarian.net, is available for you to use at home. All students have their own
log-in and the system is accessible via the school website and via this link. 

There are links to external websites which can support homework and are suitable for the age group of all students across the school.

We hope you enjoy using the system and encourage you to add reviews about the books you are reading.

Recommended websites for readers

www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books - Select ‘Children' & click on ‘Authors' for titles, author information and live interviews – including favourites like J K Rowling & J Wilson

www.cool-reads.co.uk - Lots of new titles for 10-15 year olds and you can send in your own reviews

www.mrsmad.com - Great books for children, young adults, parents, teachers and librarians, with reviews and ratings, games, stories and jokes.

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/ - The National Literacy Trust

4uReaders.net  www.4ureaders.net                                                       

The Bookbag www.thebookbag.co.uk                                                          

Bookbox www.channel4.com/bookbox                                                             

Bookheads www.bookheads.org.uk                                                                

Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk                    

Children’s Authors TV www.childrensauthors.tv                                            

Children’s Book Sequels www.childrensbooksequels.co.uk                          

Children’s Poetry Bookshelf www.childrenspoetrybookshelf.co.uk                    

Comic Book Resources www.comicbookresources.com                                          

Cool Reads (now archived) www.cool-reads.co.uk                                         

EnCompass Culture (British Council) www.encompassculture.com                       

Great Books to Read Aloud www.greatbookstoreadaloud.co.uk                                

International Children’s Digital Library www.icdlbooks.org                                          

Kids’ Review www.kidsreview.org.uk                                                             

Love Reading 4 Kids wwwlovereading4kids.co.uk                                            

Mrs Mad’s Book-a-Rama www.mrsmad.com                                                             

Reading Matters www.readingmatters.co.uk                                                      

Stories from the Web www.storiesfromtheweb.org                                            

Teen Reads www.teenreads.com  

Teen Ink http://teenink.com/Books  

Turn to Page 1 www.turn2page1.com  

Chicklish http://keris.typepad.com/chicklet  

The B Word http://www.the-b-word.co.uk  

Spinebreakers http://www.spinebreakers.co.uk  

Groupthing http://groupthing.org  

Teen Today http://www.teentoday.co.uk/articles/category/books  

Inside a Dog http://www.insideadog.com.au  

Reading Rants http://www.readingrants.org

At Walthamstow School for Girls we place great importance on developing reading and understanding skills, which ultimately impacts immensely across the whole curriculum and benefits students as they progress towards their GCSEs.

Renaissance Learning (responsible for our Accelerated Reading lessons) recently provided students with access to numerous online books from a huge variety of genres through their myON service. We cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining regular reading, and then quizzing on the books read to indicate understanding of the content. 

We would like to encourage our students to continue with their Accelerated Reader (AR) lessons - reading and quizzing as often as possible.  AR lessons in school are only a small part of the need for reading, as it is recommended that all students read for a minimum of 30 minutes per day.  Reading should be both pleasurable and a way of extending learning.  In addition, this can be a fun activity for all the family - read, discuss and challenge one another in a variety of ways: understanding, changing characters, guess endings, change endings - the ideas are plentiful

Here are the links to both websites:

Renaissance Learning (Accelerated Reader)

myON online books

If there are any problems, please contact the info@ email and ask for your concern to be forwarded to either Miss Jolliffe or Mrs Kelly.

 

 

 

Dear Parents and Carers

WSFG is working in partnership with various organisations in the Borough to raise awareness of violence against women and girls in Waltham Forest.

As a girl's school, we are a hub for young women to learn about this external challenge that can affect the well being of all. This project is aimed at Years 8-10 in particular.

The main focus of the project is building support in preventing and offering early help in relation to VAWG.

WSFG is one of a few secondary schools in Waltham Forest to embrace this whole school approach to this issue.

Ms Pratt
Assistant Headteacher