School news

Gardening Club

Miss Wallhead

Sorry for the delay in any updates concerning the school garden, they have been very busy.

Mr Marsh kindly agreed to allow students at Starkholmes to turn part of the school field into a garden. They have designed the area to include four beds for growing herbs and vegetables and they also plan to re-wild part of the garden to encourage wildlife.

In preparation for this, gardeners at Starkholmes have been sowing vegetable seeds, chitting potatoes, weeding and sorting compost. They have managed to acquire a small greenhouse and a compost bin with the help of Emily, a youth worker who has been an excellent support to Starkholmes gardening club. They are also working towards their Level 2 RHS School Gardening Award, after just earning Level One.

Progress on the vegetable patch started on Friday afternoon. Dave Goodridge from the local allotments generously donated his time to work with the students, giving them advice, tips and practical assistance in getting started. Students worked hard to remove the grass from area they had marked out. They now have one area prepared but there are another three to go! Any additional assistance on a Tuesday or Friday lunchtime would be greatly appreciated.

The bulbs that were planted before Christmas are now flowering on both sites and look wonderful.

Geology at Mam Tor

Mr Fairhurst

Y12 geology students braved the freezing temperatures on their recent visit to Mam Tor. They investigated the sedimentary environments that created the sequences seen in Mam Tor and west towards Sheffield and the Coal Measures of the Carboniferous period. Here students learn about the landslip that caused one of the main roads between Manchester and Sheffield to be abandoned in the 1970s.

Ukraine day

Mrs Cruise

Students and staff at Highfields have been moved by the crisis faced by Ukrainians and decided that they wanted to come together as a community to show solidarity and raise some money to support refugees.

Deputy director of sixth form Liz Cruise said, “Throughout the past few weeks students have been watching the news and hearing about the terrible situation faced by so many fleeing for their lives, but also about the heroes who are working to help and save others. Inspired by this each form across the whole school spent time creating flags with messages of support and solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”

Today, (Friday 8 April) the school held a day of fundraising by selling cakes, ribbons and friendship bracelets. Students from all years came together at lunchtime for an open air sing along to raise their voices in solidarity.

Calling all bakers!

Lumsdale has made it to the third and final round. The final round will be pastry.

It is entirely up to you whether you make a sweet or savoury offering. It is also up to you which pastry you choose.

Highfields Bake Off! – upper site

Don’t worry if you haven’t entered previous rounds, you are more than welcome to join us.

We are moving the next round to Wednesday 27 April so you have the Easter holidays to trial your recipes.

Any questions, speak to Miss Wallhead. You will be making your creations at home then bringing them into school to be sampled and judged!

As always, you can bake on your own, in a pair or as a team of three.

Highfields Bake Off! – lower site

There were over 40 entries in biscuit week.

Mrs Green and Miss Hughes started testing biscuits at 8.30am to ensure they had time to try all the Y7 entries!!

Star bakers will be revealed in the next newsletter, after they have been announced in assemblies. Awards and prizes will be given out in assemblies in the first week back.

The next round will be pastry, so get busy planning.

The date for round 3 will be Tuesday 3 May.

A selection of the incredible biscuits produced.