AUGUST 2021
Welcome to the Sixteenth Edition of our SELLL UG News for August, compiled by Caroline Ede, with contributions from Professional Services (PS) colleagues in the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics.
Also look out for our revamped monthly newsletter from next month.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
SELLL resit/deferral date
If you are doing SELLL resits and/or deferrals the SELLL submission date is Monday 23rd August 2021 before 3.00 pm. If you are doing modules for outside schools, their date may be different so please check.
Start of Teaching in Semester 1
Teaching for all stages will start from Monday 27th September 2021.
NEW FOR THIS EDITION
Teaching & Semesters
Teaching this year is made up of two 12-week semesters. Each semester will have 11 teaching weeks. There will be an enrichment week which supports and enhances your learning and student experience in Semester 1. And a revision week in Semester 2.
Semester 1 has a two-week assessment period and Semester 2 has a three-week assessment period.
Current Students – Housing Information
Whether you need advice on looking for a property, living in a property, or leaving your property, our Student Advice team have all the resources to help support the decisions you make.
Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Team
Although undergraduate teaching has finished for the year, the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care team continue to provide support to Newcastle University students in the city and further afield who may be after a chance to talk in an open and supportive environment. The team are providing two initiatives through the summer months:
· Walk & Talk – chance to meet in a small group with other students for a bit of fresh air and good conversation while being led on a walk around a local park by one of the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care team. Sessions take place each week and can be booked via Eventbrite.
· Listening Ear – sometimes it’s good to talk. The Listening Ear scheme is a one-off (or regular) meeting with a member of the Pastoral Care team to check in about concerns and to offer support. These are now taking place in person or remotely. Initial calls/meetings can be booked online.
The team remain available to meet with students in person or virtually to provide faith and pastoral support. This and any other queries can be addressed by email: chaplaincy@ncl.ac.uk
The 2021 student academic experience
COVID-19 has changed the way we all work and teach. Browse the webpages which set out the current plans for the 2021/22 academic year, including term dates, teaching and assessment arrangements and also the continuing student Covid-19 advice.
SOCIAL MEDIA
INSTAGRAM, BLOGS & TWITTER – SELLL Student Leadership Programme
For exciting content from your Student Bloggers make sure to follow the School’s Instagram account @NCL_English, where you’ll find lots of tips on how to engage with the SELLL community. We will also have a new Blogger joining the Student Blogger team. Why not also check out the Student Bloggers recent posts on The SELLL Careers Blog? Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any internship opportunities or future posts. Did you know that the School has its own Twitter account too? Follow @NCL_English to see what we’re tweeting!
REMINDERS
SELLL School Office, Third Floor, Percy Building
The SELLL School Office is currently open Monday-Friday from 10am – 2pm.
It’s never too late to get a Student Support Plan for extra help with your studies
If you need any extra help to support your studies, a Student Support Plan (SSP) can be drawn up for you with an Advisor from Student Health and Wellbeing. You can contact Student Wellbeing in person, by phone, or an online form, and the link provides all the information you need.
Alternatively, speak to your Personal Tutor/Senior Tutor and they can help you with this process.
When the SSP has been drawn up by Student Health and Wellbeing, it is then sent to Caroline Ede, in the School Office, who circulates the SSP to your relevant Module Leaders, Personal Tutor, Senior Tutor and DPD.
GIVE IT A GO Summer 2021
This year has been like no other, but the Give It A Go team has continued to come up trumps with a fun and action-packed programme and we’ve seen some great activities along the way! We’ve tried our hand at Zoomba Zumba, live virtual experiences with Kielder Observatory, online exercise classes and enjoyed the return to in-person activities like surfing! But it’s not over yet, we still have some Fun Activities and Exciting Tours coming up with Give It A Go this summer
Fun Activities – Tune into our Instagram and Facebook accounts where we’ll be posting regular activities for you to be involved in. From exercise classes you can do in your own time, to craft tutorials, language lessons, and summer baking ideas – we’d love to see you involved!
Exciting Tours – Our fantastic tour partners Lundgren Tours are delivering a fun summer programme to visit our favourite places in Northumberland and beyond! These are always great experiences and an opportunity to visit beautiful places, whilst learning all about them.
Library Opening hours and services over the summer vacation
Summer vacation opening hours and services for the Library have been updated and details are included here.
It’s not too late to get involved in the University Futures Festival of imagining & designing the future of our University
During the summer months we are inviting you to participate in our Futures Festival which aims to bring students and colleagues together to innovate and influence the campus of the future. There is a programme of events, workshops, talks and many other opportunities to engage with the discussion and feed into plans for the future of our University.
Improve your writing
For any students who would like some writing advice over the summer why not check out the free online service offered by the Royal Literary Fund in partnership with the British Library?
Sports & Fitness Centre
Our newly refurbished Sports & Fitness Centre reopened on 26 April 2021 and is free for students to use until 3 October 2021. You must book all activities in advance online or via the app, you can do this up to 14 days in advance. You’ll need to bring your University smartcard for each visit and swipe in at the reception entry gates on arrival to avoid any no-show charges. Make sure you read the terms and conditions and rules and regulations for using the facilities prior to your visit.
SELLL Online Chat
Online Chat will not be available in July and August but will return to its regular twice weekly slot for the start of teaching week in September. If you do have any queries during July and August, please email english@ncl.ac.uk
Student Health and Wellbeing Team
Wellbeing support is available from our Student Health and Wellbeing Teams who continue to offer one-to-one counselling appointments and wellbeing workshops.
SELLL has an anonymous suggestion box set up via the NCL App
SVC student reps are available to contact on the ncl app. There is also an anonymous online form if anyone would like to raise anything with the School, or Committee anonymously.
Thanks for Reading.
From the Professional Services Staff in the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics