The Lister Bi-Weekly Update #8

Dear Families of the Lister Community School,

Welcome back! It is a pleasure to greet you all as we embark on this fresh chapter of the academic year. We hope your winter break was filled with rest, joy, and quality time with loved ones. Stepping back into the vibrant halls of our school, we are reminded of the incredible potential held within our student body and the strength of the partnership we share with you at home.

As we look toward the months ahead, the New Year provides a natural moment for reflection and the setting of intentions. To ensure our students reach their highest potential, we encourage them to consider resolutions that move beyond simple wishes and focus on actionable habits. A powerful starting point is the commitment to consistent attendance and punctuality; being present and ready to learn is the single most effective way to improve long-term academic outcomes. Furthermore, we suggest students resolve to organise their study environments, ensuring they have a quiet space and a structured routine that allows for focused revision and the timely completion of assignments. If this is difficult at home then the Lister Library remains an excellent place to study.

Reading remains the cornerstone of academic success across all subjects. We invite families to prompt their children to engage with a book for at least twenty minutes each evening. You might ask them, "What surprised you about the protagonist’s choices today?" or "How do you think the setting is influencing the mood of the story?" These simple conversations transition reading from a passive task to an active exploration of ideas. Beyond literacy, building habits of close focus and curiosity—such as asking one clarifying question in every lesson or reviewing class notes before bed—can dramatically shift a student’s confidence and their eventual grades.

Everything we do at Lister is anchored in our core school values. As we strive for excellence, we must remember that our community thrives when we support one another’s growth and well-being. This half term, our pastoral focus is centered on the word Respect. This value is the heartbeat of our school; it involves respecting ourselves by giving our best effort, respecting our peers by listening and empathizing, and respecting our environment to ensure it remains a safe space for learning. By embodying respect in every interaction, our students create the positive culture necessary for everyone to succeed.

We are excited to see what our students will achieve in this new term. Thank you for your continued support and for being such an integral part of the Lister Community School.

In the final week of term, our Year 7 students took part in Charity Week, themed “Light Up Winter - Be the reason someone smiles this winter.” It was a fantastic week that focused not only on fundraising, but also on spreading joy, kindness, and gratitude within our school community.

A range of fun and inclusive activities took place, including Guess How Many Sweets Are in the Jar, PS5 tournaments, sports activities such as Beat the Goalie and basketball hoops, and Winter Gratitude Candy Canes, where students wrote anonymous seasonal messages of kindness to their peers.

We also held student raffle hampers worth over £100, alongside a staff hamper, with raffle tickets sold throughout the week. These were hugely popular and helped raise additional funds for our chosen causes.

Year 7 Charity Week was run in partnership with the charity First Give, with tutor groups competing to raise as much money as possible for their chosen charities. We are delighted to share that 7G raised the highest amount - an impressive £502, which will be donated to Crisis, supporting people experiencing homelessness. As the winning tutor group, 7G’s chosen charity will also receive an additional £1,000 from First Give.

Across all activities, Year 7 students raised approximately £850, and when combined with the First Give donation, the total raised comes to an incredible £2,352. The remaining funds will be donated to a range of charities chosen by our students, including Mind, Rein UK, Newham Community Project, and Lonely Orphans, ensuring our fundraising supports a variety of important causes.

We are extremely proud of our Year 7 students for their generosity, teamwork, and commitment to making a positive difference. Charity Week truly reflected the spirit of giving, gratitude, and community that we aim to foster in our school.

Y7 will look at physical health and relationships (friendships).

Y8 and 9 will also have age appropriate relationship education including bullying, unhealthy behaviours and consent in line with the government statutory guidance.

KS4 will have their statutory RSE next term.

Reminder to all parents/careers re: right to withdrawal. Parents/careers have the right to withdraw from sex education which is not part of the science/RS curriculum (PSHRE - Y10) but not from relationship or health education. Should you wish to withdraw your child you must contact the Head's PA to set up an appointment. heads.pa@lister.ncltrust.net

Any questions about our PSHRE curriculum please do not hesitate to contact me

jennifer.skuse@lister.ncltrust.net Head of PSHRE and Drama

A quick reminder to all families that the Year 7 Parents’ Evening is taking place tomorrow. This is a pivotal event in the academic calendar as year 7 parents have a real chance to gauge how their children have continued in their first year of secondary education.

Event Details

• Date: Tomorrow

• Start Time: 3:30 PM

• Focus: transition into secondary education - how well my child is coping with the change

During the evening, Year 7 students will be given their results from the recent assessments. This experience provides students and their parents with a clear picture of their current progress that highlights:

• Strengths: Which topics your child has mastered.

• Gaps: Specific areas or exam techniques that need more focus.

Meeting with Teachers

We strongly encourage you to check in with all of your child’s subject teachers. These conversations are the best way to determine:

1. How your child can bridge the gap between their result and their target grade.

2. Specific expectations tailored to each subject.

Your support at home, combined with the feedback from tomorrow’s sessions, will be the key to your child's success over the coming years at Lister. We look forward to seeing you there!

We won! As you know, at the Lister News Desk, we are somewhat biased when it comes to a competition involving Lister. We love to see our students do well. At the Newham Community Learning (NCL) Trust Debate, an inspiring event that brought together students from across our family of schools to celebrate the power of voice and logic, Lister emerged victorious.

All the secondary schools in the trust took part in two rounds of debates, with the performance of the debate teams being graded by panels of judges (including the Labour MP Mr James Asser and the NCL CEO Mr Anthony Wilson). The judges praised the quality of the debates and the atmosphere in the school. Both Lister groups performed fantastically, and the overall winning teams, from across the trust, then made it through to a final. Although the competition was tough - Lister Community School vs Sarah Bonnell - Lister won through and were crowned the overall trust champions.

International law firm Pinsent Masons has joined up with ELBA to host a debating tournament for children from economically deprived areas around London. A number of Pinsent Masons’ clients participated in the event including BP, Zurich, Bouygues, ISG and Costain.

Eight schools from Newham and Waltham Forest each submitted a team to compete in the competition, which took place at Pinsent Masons international headquarters in London on Friday 5th December.

The teams debated one of several motions on issues that affect young people and the Lister team was excellent in their particular round. Although the team did not make it to the final debate, their skill and quality was recognised by the judging panel who said that they would have been worthy finalists. Overall it was a wonderful experience for the year 10 students who attended and at the Lister news desk, we would like to thank Ms Sivadasan for all of her efforts in coaching the team.

Dear Parents and Carers,

We will be putting all of the lost property into the agora during the next few days until the end of term. We appreciate how expensive school uniforms can be and it is a good opportunity for students to check for any items which have been misplaced. Please encourage your child to check for misplaced items - the items will be gathered in clear sections - for example, coats and jackets will be kept in one place and shoes/trainers/footwear in another.

We’re pleased to share that Newham’s Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) Programme is back this Christmas, offering all school aged children and young people, who are in receipt of FSM, a warm, welcoming place to enjoy a hot, nutritious meal and take part in an exciting range of activities across the school holidays.

With clubs running across the borough, children and young people can access sports, arts, trips, enrichment sessions and more –-all at no cost. Many of the providers are rooted in local communities and offer supportive, inclusive environments that help children and young people stay active, connected and well over the break.

The picture you can see here is taken from one of the 28 listings available from the HAF programme.

Make a booking for the Christmas HAF Programme >

We’re excited to share the January Workshop Programme at Time for Young People Newham!

This month, they're offering a dynamic mix of creative, educational, and wellbeing-focused workshops designed for young people aged 8 to 25. Whether it's building new skills, making friends, or simply having fun in a safe and welcoming space — there’s something for everyone!

The workshops aim to:

• Boost confidence
• Build resilience
• Spark creativity
• Encourage connection
• Support mental wellbeing

Please see the image for more information.

Parenting today can feel overwhelming — especially when childhood looks so different from what we grew up with. There’s no manual, and it can be hard to keep up with the fast-changing digital world your child moves through every day. This guide aims to make those conversations easier and help you support your child with confidence. Click the link to access the guide.

https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/what-i-wish-my-parents-or-carers-knew-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers-on-managing-childrens-digital-lives/

The Best Start in Life Parent Hub is now live, replacing the Childcare Choices website.

The website provides a clear and accessible way for parents to understand what support they may be eligible for both now and in the future and when they need to apply. Parents can explore the site here >

This updated platform now serves as the main source of information on early education and childcare support. It offers families a wider range of guidance and resources, including:

• Eligibility for childcare offers
• Information about free breakfast clubs and Best Start Family Hubs in their local area
• Support for families from pregnancy through to starting school and beyond

The Thought for the Week this week is focused on Respect. Please discuss the thought with your child who will be looking at the thought in assembly and discussing the idea with peers and the year team.