MessagefromtheHeadteacher
So here we go again, charging headlong into the academic year like an escaped tortoise. You may think that this is a poor analogy but on Wednesday we had a distress call from local residents who found that their be-shelled pet had escaped and was believed to be on Highfields grounds. This would have not been remarkable but when the starting point of the reptile was divulged it turned out that it would have covered quite significant territory to make it here. In any event we deployed our site staff to look for anything with a shell moving at speed. I shall update on progress.
What is your child into? Start asking them about wider curriculum opportunities (or clubs as you may have known them at school). There will be a list in next week’s newsletter but, as musician, I want to plug SINGING IN A CHOIR. Study after study has shown that alongside exercise, SINGING has a hugely positive impact on the human body and mind. Tell your child to get involved!
When parents complain about other parents’ driving I’m never quite sure what to do because this newsletter ‘bit’ is almost exclusively positive in tone and does not generally include any moaning. So, all I will say is that some parents are unhappy that lots of other parents are driving onto site and generally creating logjams and increasing the risk of their children being involved in traffic accidents (picture from Thursday evening).
Would you like to see more pictures of nearly completed school improvements? Of course you wouldn’t because you are far too intelligent to be interested in such mundanity. Here are a couple anyway (new science facilities and new student toilets). The thing that makes this a big deal for me is that for many years students and staff at Highfields saw almost no improvements being undertaken on either site. However, since 2020 we have seen around £1.75 million committed to making learning better for our children. Most of this is due to EMET, our trust, who have invested in our children on a level that the local authority found itself unable to match.
Staff members have been on a bit of a high this week because we have been analysing the results of Y11 and Y13 students in the summer and they are the strongest set of examination results for some time. It means so much to us when all of our hard work finally pays off and our young people walk away with a bunch of strong qualifications they can use to move onto exciting and promising opportunities.
Y7 students are definitely settling in and already seem pretty confident in their surroundings (picture left). The heat in week one has been a bit of challenge but on the bright side it may have slowed down the tortoise a bit making catching it more of a possibility. Anyway, have a pleasant weekend and never forget we are (slightly sweaty) Highfields.
A Marsh
Headteacher, Highfields School
Openeveningforfuturestudents
Hear from students and staff, visit classrooms and see demonstrations.
The following week our leadership team are offering after school tours of our Starkholmes site. To book use the QR code below:
HighfieldsonFacebook
Highfields school now have a Facebook page. Follow us for another way of receiving updates.
ThankstoJacksonCivilEngineering
Jackson Civil Engineering have very generously undertaken further work for us by tarmacking the horrible astro turf triangle that was near the Starkholmes tennis courts. We’d had a couple of nasty slips on here and thanks to them it is now a much safer area for our students to use.
They’ve done this entirely free of charge for us as part of their corporate responsibility strategy in undertaking work within the community.
SportsLeadersNews
Welcome back all Sports leaders to a new academic year and a mention to our new Year 7 prospective leaders.
What happened during the Summer? .... Sports Leaders UK have now become the Leadership Skills Foundation. The same principals but a new logo and a modern website. The name change embraces the awards and qualifications that can be taken in areas that are not just sport/dance based.
Eleanor H from Year 13 and Callum C from Year 12 are the senior Sports leaders Ambassadors for 2023/24.
Registration for anyone wanting to be a leader is:
Year 7/8 - Monday lunch, 1pm in the gym
Years 9-13 - Wednesday lunch, 1pm in the Sports Hall
The clubs will run as above each week. Students will need to bring a packed lunch or get a grab bag if attending. The clubs run from 1- 1.30pm. Students will not be allowed to go to dinner and enter the club later than 1.10pm and should stay at the club until 1.30pm.
KIT ...... There is an opportunity to order Sports leaders kit which Parents pay for on Parent Pay and the leaders bring in an order form. Please note the order is not placed until Payment is recorded on Parent pay.
We are very proud of our Highfields Sports Leadership academy and the successes that have been achieved over 24 years and we look forward to continuing that success this academic year.
SchoolCrossing–ChesterfieldRoad
There is a vacancy for a school crossing patrol person on Chesterfield Road near our Lumsdale site.
We urge students to be extra vigilant in the meantime.
Keydates&Calendar
2023-24 academic year
Term 1: 4 September 2023 to 27 October 2023
Term 2: 6 November 2023 to 22 December
2023
Term 3: 8 January 2024 to 16 February 2024
Term 4: 26 February 2024 to 28 March 2024
Term 5: 15 April 2024 to 24 May 2024
Term 6: 3 June 2024 to 23 July 2024
2023-24 parent consultation evenings
Y10/11 Top 5 Secrets to Success
Y13 parents evening (4-7pm)
Y12 parents evening (4-7pm)
Y9 options / parents evening (4-7pm)
Y11 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
Y8 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
Y10 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
Y7 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
INSET days (no students in school)
Monday 4 September 2023, Friday 27 October 2023
Monday 4 December 2023, Friday 22 December 2023
Friday 5 July 2024
28 September 2023 6-8pm Wheeldon Hall
Tuesday 21 November 2023, 4-7pm (sixth form area)
Tuesday 5 December 2023, 4-7pm (sixth form area)
Tuesday 16 January 2024, 4-7pm (Wheeldon Hall/Sports Hall)
Tuesday 30 January 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
Tuesday 13 February 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
Tuesday 5 March 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
Tuesday 19 March 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
2023-24 provisional school events (tbc - further details will be issued prior to each event)
Year 6 Open Evening
Sports Leaders Awards Evening
Vocal Recital
Sixth Form Open Evening
Y13 Certificates Evening
Y9 Christmas Disco
Evening of Theatre
Higher Education Evening
Y13 Prom
Wednesday 20 September 2023, 6pm, Wheeldon Hall (Lumsdale)
Tuesday 26 September 2023
Thursday 26 October 2023, 7pm, P1
Thursday 16 November 2023 6pm
Tuesday 21 November 2023 1.30pm - 6pm
Tuesday 19 December 2023 7pm
Thursday 21 December 2023
Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25 January 2024
Thursday 13 June 2024
Thursday 27 June 2024
Wednesday 10 to Saturday 13 July 2024
Careers
Fair
School Musical
Y10 Work Experience Week Monday 1 – Friday 5 July 2025
Exam sessions Y11 Mock Exams 27 November – 8 December 2023 Y13 Mock Exams 11 – 15 December 2023 Y11 & Y13 Mock Exams 26 February – 8 March 2024 Y10 Mock Exams 29 April – 3 May 2024 External Exam Season Commences 9 May 2023 2024 exam results days: A Level exam results: 15 August 2023 tbc GCSE exam results: 22 August 2023 tbc
