The school's PTFA (Parent, Teacher and Friends Association) is encouraging anyone keen to support Lady Manners School to swap from Amazon to AmazonSmile when shopping online. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. The same products, same prices, same service. The only difference is that Lady Manners School will benefit every time you shop, as Amazon will donate to us 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases. Follow this link to start AmazonSmile shopping, and raising money for Lady Manners School: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/509388-0

If our students can't get to the Library, then the Library will come to them! During these times of year group bubbles, it has not been possible for most students to visit the school's excellent Library. However, the ever helpful Library staff can be called upon to load up the trolley with suitable resources and visit a lesson to assist with the students' learning. Today, the Library trolley was used to provide additional resources for a Year 8 science lesson.

Our students achieve great things every day and Ben Cooper in Year 8 is especially deserving of congratulations at the moment. During the last year, Ben has discovered that cycling helps to raise his spirits as well as his fitness levels. He has now decided that he can use this new-found hobby to benefit others by seeking sponsorship in his quest to ride 200 miles in a month. Ben's chosen charity is YoungMinds, which does great work to provide resources for young people and their parents when struggling with their mental health, but also in managing the day to day. Ben has already raised £267 via his JustGiving page (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beth-cooper9) having cycled 90 miles of the 200 mile target. Just 110 miles to go! We are very proud of Ben for supporting such a good cause and for making a difference. What a brilliant achievement.

There are a variety of different ways to support Lady Manners School including taking part in Parent, Teacher and Friends Association fundraising activities. One parent, however, is going the extra mile (or, rather, 180 miles) to raise funds for the school. Peter Street will be taking on the 'Monster' coast to coast mountain bike challenge to raise money for Lady Manners School. This route crosses England from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire. The 180 mile mountain bike trail includes bridleways, mud and bogs through the Lakes and into the Dales. Mr Street will be joined by his two sons, Elliott (a former student) and Toby, who is in Year 8, will join them for parts of the route. Mr Street said "After a tough year we wanted to raise money to say thanks for the efforts of all the school, as its teachers and staff have worked hard to keep our children learning and working hard despite having to adapt to new ways". His Just Giving page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/petestreet?utm_term=4gm8jemBd We are enormously grateful to Mr Street for his generosity and wish him, Elliott and Toby well on their journey.

It is with pride and pleasure that we can announce, and congratulate, Mrs Bagnall who has recently achieved the Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in schools. Mrs Bagnall is a hard working, dedicated member of staff who has worked for and supported Lady Manners School since October 2006; initially as a Catering Assistant before progressing to Cook, making our delicious puddings, cakes and biscuits. She then moved into Food Technology as a Technician, preparing resources and supporting in lessons. She has also provided relief support for invigilation, cover supervision and one to one tuition. She is a lifelong learner who has completed many courses to support her work and progression in school including Level 2 Supporting Teaching and Learning in schools and an apprenticeship programme with Chesterfield College. Mrs Bagnall currently works as a Teaching Assistant and Family Support Worker. She is a strong supporter of Lady Manners School and always goes the extra mile, providing support to our more vulnerable students and their families. We are lucky to have her as part of our staff team.

There was excitement in Year 7 French classes this morning as they received their first letters from their new French pen pals. Our students have exchanged letters with new friends at Collège Saint-Étienne in Sens. This first exchange has enabled them to learn a little bit about each other, and about the languages they are studying. There are plans to keep communicating in writing, online and then, hopefully, in person. Similar plans are being made for our German students and for our new Year 7 students some of whom, from September, will have the opportunity to study Spanish.