4 minute read
Headteacher’s message
In my PSE lesson with Y8 this week we worked through the post Covid ‘recovery curriculum’. This particular lesson was about the importance of gratitude to counter adversity. The research we looked at suggested that scientists found that people who regularly noted things they were grateful for were both physically and mentally healthier than others who didn’t. This builds on what we learnt about Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and other Stoics who tended to note down positive mediations at the end of each day.
Anyway, I need all the mental and physical healthiness I can get so here’s my attempt to list the things I am grateful for this week.
Advertisement
On Monday Mr Hodkin couldn’t get his mask out of his massive ginger beard. I didn’t say anything at the time but it made me kind of giggle a bit. Also on Monday I had a meeting with a musician and we got to talk about music for…well, all of three minutes but it was worth it.
On Tuesday I was patrolling the lane behind upper school and Amy walked past. She had a Tupperware container and I asked what was in it and then tried to look a bit pitiable. She fell for it and gave me a freshly made blueberry muffin (no fingers). It was SO delicious.
On Wednesday I stood in Starkholmes at 11am and listened to Michael H’s trumpet sound the Last Post around our school. It emanated from every classroom (see the video on my YouTube channel- search ‘Highfields Remembers’) as every student stood to attention in memory of the fallen. It was breath taking and humbling and reminded us of the importance of peacefulness, kindness and a determination to talk to others whose beliefs oppose our own.
As if this weren’t enough, I got into quite a few wonderful lessons including one where Josh in Y8 was using circuitry to make a randomised electric die for a board game (see pic).
On Thursday some students and I watched a seagull ‘dogfight’ which involved several seagulls chasing each other around the sky for a beakful of bread (it was more exciting than it sounds).
And this morning I got to finish this newsletter which indicates that I still have a job and that the job is still as the headteacher of the world’s most wonderful school.
I hope that, however hard your week has been, you are able to think of something for which you are grateful.
We are Highfields.
Andrew Marsh Headteacher
Virtual Sixth Form Open Evening – Tuesday 17 November 2020 Sign up by contacting Mr Flett mflett@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk
We launched our sixth form open evening package in November to help students think about the options available.
Tuesday 17 November - Zoom open evening talk
Our virtual open evening will give you an impression of sixth form, the wider opportunities available and some advice about choosing your subjects. The arrangements for the talk, and the Zoom link, will be sent to interested students – please contact Mr Flett if you wish to join the virtual evening.
Sixth form subject information
Each subject has provided information to help you decide if it is what you want to choose. These links are on our website and will remain on the website for the rest of the year so you will be able to keep looking at it if you want to.
Sixth form prospectus
The 2021 online prospectus will also be available on the website providing further course content detail.
Check out Highfields sixth form for year 12 families https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFEvGvUoTRg&feature=youtu.be
Process
At the end of November we will ask you for your top four subject preferences. This will not commit you to those subjects, but it helps us to plan for demand and to build our option blocks to allow the best fit with what students want to study. We will do this by an electronic survey.
We then publish the option blocks in late January and students complete an application form, including their subject choices.
In February and March we will then have individual meetings with students to discuss options.
Decisions on your future take time, so this is the start of the process. It is not unusual for students and parents/carers to still have questions in the summer of next year, and so we will be happy to keep up the conversations with you over time. We don’t want you to feel rushed. We do want you to feel informed.
The sixth form team would be happy to hear from you and can be contacted on the following emails:
Mrs Sargeant (sixth form manager) rsargeant@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk
Mr Flett (Director of sixth form) mflett@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk
Mrs Cruise (Assistant head of sixth form) lcruise@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk
