Latest News
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Nominate in the first annual staff STARS awards
Mon 31 Oct 2022Rivers have launched the first annual Staff STARS Awards
The awards recognise members of the Rivers teaching and support staff who have demonstrated living our STARS values.
Nominate a colleague for the Staff STARS Awards
Awards Categories
You can nominate a member of staff for awards in the following five categories:
- Sharing
- Trust
- Achievement
- Respect
- Safety
We will also be recognising the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ of a member of staff. This will be awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the overall success of the trust during the past year and demonstrates how they have consistently lived the STARS values.
Please note, this is not a category, the winner will be selected from all staff nominations received.
Making a nomination
You can make a nomination if you are a member of staff.
Your nomination should include examples of how your nominated individual has demonstrated STARS values and contributed to our vision.
When you can make a nomination
Nominations for 2022 will open on 31 October 2022 and entries will close at midnight on Sunday 20 November 2022
How to make a nomination
The easiest way to nominate is online. You can nominate a member of staff by completing the online form.
How the winners are selected and notified
The selection committee, made up of people from The Rivers CofE Academy Trust Central team, will meet in November 2022 to review all the nominations and select finalists in each category.
After the committee has made their decisions, award finalists will receive a letter to tell them they have been shortlisted and invited to the STARS awards ceremony.
We publish the names of all nominees and finalists in the December staff newsletter.
When are the awards presented?
The Staff STARS Awards Ceremony will be a celebratory afternoon event taking place on 20 January 2023, where winners will be announced and given a certificate from the Chief Executive Officer.
Winners will be announced on Teams and on the website following the awards ceremony and listed in the February staff newsletter.
If you have any queries, please email: hr@riverscofe.co.uk
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Christmas card competition
Thu 27 Oct 2022We would like one of our pupils to create this year’s Rivers Christmas card.
Children are invited to draw or paint a Christmas picture on A4 paper.
One lucky winner will win a £10 book token and see their design on the Rivers e-Christmas card, which will be sent to stakeholders.
This competition is open to all children (Pre-school to Year 6).
Christmas card designs need to be given to the class teacher by Friday 11th November.
A selected design from each class will be submitted to the Rivers Central team to then choose an overall winner.
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Summerhill awarded Silver Games Mark
Mon 24 Oct 2022Congratulations to Summerhill Primary Academy who have been awarded the Silver School Games Mark.
The School Games Mark is a government-led awards scheme to reward and recognise a school’s engagement (provision and uptake) and to celebrate keeping young people active.
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Central team ‘Big Clean Up’
Wed 19 Oct 2022The Rivers Central Team organised a litter pick to help clean up the local area and, in the process, walked a total of 30 miles to put towards our ‘Million Miles Walk’ target.
The clean-up was organised by Natasha Ratcliffe, Marketing Manager to help achieve the environmental actions in the Rivers sustainability charter. Community projects, such as clean-ups are one of the many ways we have pledged to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
As a trust, we are aware we must act now to protect the planet and are taking steps to promote and support sustainability.
Natasha commented, “It was really enjoyable and therapeutic. We got out in the fresh air, enjoyed a chat with colleagues and did our bit to make the local community a tidier place”.
Thank you to the Severn Rivers Trust for loaning us the litter-picking equipment. Russell Dalton, Operations Director will be donating the £5 he found during the litter pick to the charity!
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How to make a twig star
Wed 19 Oct 2022We will once again be showcasing a Rivers Christmas tree at Worcester Cathedral’s Christmas Tree Festival 2022.
Similarly, to last year we would like to decorate the tree in a sustainable way and have decided upon twig star decorations which fit perfectly with the ethos of a zero-waste Christmas but also with our STARS values.
We would like to invite children from across our family of schools, to make a star made from twigs.
The star should be made from twigs (no bigger than 20cm) and can be decorated with natural or biodegradable materials.
Children should bring their star decorations into class by Friday 11th November.
A star decoration from each class will be selected. We hope to use as many stars as possible to decorate the Rivers Christmas tree.
How to make the twig stars
Materials
- Twigs
- String
Instructions
- Collect five thin, straight twigs with similar thicknesses. No bigger than 20cm long
- Take two twigs and lay one on top of the other to create a point shape.
- Tie the twigs together with string (this bit is fiddly, so you might need a grown-up to help).
- Place the third twig on top of the second twig to create another point. Tie together with string.
- Place the fourth twig on top of the third twig to create another point. Tie together with string.
- Place the fifth and final twig on the fourth and first twig. Tie together with string.
Feel free to decorate your star, but please use natural biodegradable material.
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Harvest Foodbank collections
Mon 17 Oct 2022It’s great to see schools embracing our sharing value by donating food to local foodbanks.
In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children.
Alongside the standard food items, foodbanks try to provide other essential non-food items to adults and children in crisis as well as additional support such as debt advice, mental health support, or benefits guidance.
Foodbanks rely on the support of their local communities to support people in crisis.
- St Peter’s – The children at St Peter's Droitwich C of E Academy had the opportunity to attend a Harvest service held at St Peter's Church led by Reverend Laura Handy. As part of the service, they gave thanks for the food we receive, and they thought about people in our world that might not have the food they need at the moment. To support this, children and families were invited to make donations to support the Droitwich Foodbank. The kindness and generosity shown was wonderful and they filled the van that came to the school to collect the donations.!
- Jubilee- The harvest festival collection was a HUGE success!!! The school was able to create 4 large hampers.
- Burlish - collected donations for the Kidderminster foodbank. A volunteer from the foodbank visited the school to explain to the pupils in assembly how their donations will help so many people.
- Cherry Orchard collected donations for the Worcester Foodbank.
- North Worcester held a harvest festival assembly for parents and carers and collected donations for the Worcester Foodbank.
Your local foodbank will have a list of items that are generally needed the most, please check before donating to see what supplies they are currently most in need of.
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Building work begins on our new alternative provision, Unity Academy
Thu 06 Oct 2022Building work has begun on the new alternative provision in Kidderminster, Unity Academy.
The foundations have now been dug for Unity Academy, our brand-new alternative provision primary setting.
The new school is on track to open in September 2023 and will cater for children who aren’t able to attend a mainstream school.
We have successfully appointed the new Headteacher who
will take up the post in April 2023, with further staff appointments taking place nearer the time.
Keep an eye out for any vacancies if this is something you may be interested in.