Message from the Headteacher
Only a short newsletter bit from me this week on account of the fact that it has been even more frenetically busy than usual. The first leaders get on site at 7.15am, the last of us leaving at 6.30pm on a normal day and STILL there is more to be done in the evenings. Good job we had the summer to rest up and get ourselves into peak condition.
Year 7s seem to be settling well. A new Y7 from Ukraine approached me on Monday morning. He had minimal English language and he pointed at me and said, ‘you are mister?’. Which I took to mean- ‘are you a teacher?’. I said I was and we got him where he needed to go. Often there is anxiety from teachers when students with little English first start appearing in lessons. We use what resources we have to scaffold their language development over the first few months but over 30 years working alongside new immigrants to the UK I know that when children are immersed in a new language they learn FAST. So this young man appeared the next morning and said, ‘Good morning, Mister. I need 10 room.’ Which I understood to mean ‘I need to find room 10’. Which was easily achieved. I fully expect him to be ‘getting by’ in English within days and pretty much fluent within weeks (some of the highest individual exam results were posted by Ukrainian students last year, especially in maths).
I have been in a number of assemblies this week where leaders have been rolling out the processes involved in gaining this year’s Highfields Community Awards. Community is everything to me. The team and I work hard to build an ethos at Highfields which is based in kindness and support for others, especially those smaller or younger or more vulnerable than we are. A brilliant example of this can be found in our traffic officer, Christine, who sees our students safely across the road at Starkholmes. I regularly walk down to check on the safety and behaviour of our younger students on Starkholmes Road and am always cheered by Christine as she shepherds students across the road. Somehow or other she seems to know a huge number of students by name and finds something lovely to say to everyone who crosses the road. I feel that she embodies the kind of people we aim to be at Highfields: positive, cheery and kind.
Anyway, time is getting on and I have masses of work to do so I hope that this is enough for you this week.
Have a lovely weekend! We are Highfields!
Mr A Marsh Headteacher
Monday 23rd September (Week B)
• Yr 7 Starkholmes Fieldwork (all week) – Please complete the Cat 1 consent form
Wednesday 25th September
• Yr 12 Human Geography fieldwork – Sheffield
Thursday 26th September
• Y10 physical Geography fieldwork – Burbage/Edale (MJB)
• Y6 Open Evening at Lumsdale 5.30pm-8pm
Friday 27th September
• Y10 physical Geography fieldwork – Burbage/Edale (NB)
Sports Leaders Update
The new school year has begun and so have the Sports Leadership clubs, Tuesdays for Year 9-12 and Wednesdays for Year 7/8 at lunchtimes The first session was a registration session and letters of application were handed in which Mrs Allen and Mr Marsh will be going through.
Level 3 Sports leaders in Year 12 have made a fabulous start, both those attending the timetabled session and those attending the lunchtime club.
Level 2 Year 11 Sports leaders have attended the lunchtime club and have already made a significant contribution to their theory booklets.
Year 10 Leadership is a new format this academic year. Students in Year 10 have been given an option to follow leadership through their Core PE lesson until Christmas to gain a Highfields Leaders award. The students on this program will deliver 20 sessions to ST Josephs primary school in their timetabled core PE session. Students in the leadership group will be selected to run activities for the Rural Derbyshire School Sport Partnership.
The reason for letters of application is that there will be significantly less events than in previous years. The first 2 events are:
Wednesday 2nd Oct This Girl Can - to be held @ Whitworth Park 12-3pm
Wednesday 16th Oct - Primary Cross Country @ Darley Dale Primary school 12.15-3pm
Information will go to parents of the students being asked to be involved.
Thank you to all who continue to support Sports leadership at Highfields.
Jayne Allen
Performing Arts
Clubs
Lumsdale Extra Curricular Clubs
Did you know you can hire out our school facilities?
• 3G Pitch
• Hardstanding Courts
• Large Sports Hall
• Small Sports Hall
Please visit www.schoolhire.co.uk for more information, to view availability and to book.
Key dates & Calendar
2024-25 Academic Year INSET days (no students in school)
Term 1: 4 September 2024 to 24 October 2024 (Holiday 28 October – 1 November)
Term 2: 4 November 2024 to 20 December 2024 (Holiday 23 December – 3 January 2024)
Term 3: 6 January 2025 – 14 February 2025 (Holiday 17 February – 21 February)
Term 4: 24 February 2025 to 4 April 2025 (Holiday 7 April – 21 April)
Term 5: 22 April 2025 to 23 May 2025 (Holiday 26 May – 30 May)
Term 6: 2 June 2025 to 24 July 2025
Wednesday 4th September 2024
Thursday 5th September 2024
Friday 25th October 2024
Monday 2nd December 2024
Monday 30th June 2025 2024-25 provisional school events (TBC - further details will be issued prior to each event)
Open Evening for YR 6 pupils
Sixth Form Iceland Trip
Vocal Recital
Sixth Form Cranedale Trip
Sixth Form Open Evening
Blood Brothers trip
London Theatre Trip
Flu Immunisations
Christmas Concert
Evening of Theatre
Spain Trip
Easter Concert & Juliet Trip
School Musical
Berlin Trip
Thursday 26th September
Friday 18th October
Thursday 24th October
Monday 11th November
Thursday 14th November
Thursday 21st November
Wednesday 27th November
Friday 13th December
Tuesday 17th December
Thursday 23rd January
Friday 14th February
Tuesday 1st April
Thursday 22nd May
Wednesday 9th July – 12th July Monday 21st July
11 Parents Evening
8 Parents Evening
10 Parents Evening
7 Parents Evening
Tuesday 19th November
Tuesday 3rd December
Tuesday 14th January
Tuesday 28th January
Tuesday 11th February
Tuesday 4th March
Tuesday 18th March
