Issue 32

Highfields School Newsletter

2022-23

Issue32: 22June2023

Our newsletter aims to keep parents and carers up to date with school news, activities and key information throughout the year.

If you have any feedback on or suggestions for the newsletter, please send your comments via email to newsletter@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Don’t forget to visit our website (www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) for more news and information.

Thank you for taking the time to read our news and for your support.

A Marsh Headteacher

Disclaimer: HighfieldsSchoolisnotresponsibleforthequalityofproductsororganisationspublicisedthrougharticlesor advertisementsintheschoolnewsletter.

Message from the headteacher

Liz Cruise is a bit like Santa. I don’t mean that she is jolly and wears a lot of red but rather that she is very generous and appears to be in lots of different locations at the same time. For example, on a very busy teaching day she can be seen below bagging up donations to Rags2riches4schools only milliseconds before appearing in a classroom delivering an excellent geography lesson. She is the epitome of a community minded person and we are so proud to have her as a member of our team.

The other person seen in this picture is sixth form pastoral manager Rachel Sargeant and she also has the ability to appear in several places at once. Below, for example, she appears in a picture taken on the steps of Number 10 Downing Street. On this occasion she was leading a trip for a small group of carefully selected sixth formers to the home of the British Prime Minister. They were the guests of Alice Mathews who is both a government advisor AND a Highfields alumnus. She has visited the school and spoken to students and here ensured that our young people had unrivalled access to the corridors of power. We are hugely appreciative of Alice’s investment in our students - these experiences can totally inspire young people and I am now more sure than ever that a Highfields graduate will one day be prime minister.

Which brings me to ask you a favour of you, like Alice, were educated at Highfields. We will soon be reaching out for the first time to Highfields alumni. We are desperate to enhance further the links between school and workplace. Please will you respond to any social media you see from September which encourages you to make contact with us if you are in a workplace which may be interesting for our students to understand from your point of view. This is pretty much any workplace. Before their interaction with Alice, students had very little interest in policy making but the portrayal of her life and work has inspired many of them to consider politics as a way to change things for the better.

635 learning walks documented this year so far and this week I was in a range of lessons in which teachers were explaining WHY the learning was being undertaken, for example in an MFL lesson regarding the ability to describe clothing in Spanish. This is part of an ongoing mission amongst our teachers to contextualise and frame learning, especially for those who don’t have immediate understanding the value of learning.

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you to Mason in Y7 who came straight from his food tech lesson to offer me this cheese crumpet. It was so soft and cheesy and delicious that I had eaten half of it before remembering to take a photo.

Have a soft and cheesy weekend.

We are Highfields.

A Marsh Headteacher

NewCommunicationsApp

Thanks to those who have already downloaded the new My Ed app by Iris. If you have not signed up please use the QR codes below to download the app and register. It takes 24 hours to sync to your children. New students will sync when they start at Highfields.

MyED (Apple Devices)

MyED (Android Device)

Please find the QR codes above to find and install our new Parent Comms Application.

GeneralSchoolInformation

Pleaseseeour updatedwebsiteforthefollowinginformation:

 School Uniform

 Contact details

 Governor information

 School Calendar and term dates

 Extra-Curricular Clubs/Activities

 Exam Timetables

Schoolsportandsportsleadersnews

Mrs Allen, School Sports Co-ordinator

NATIONAL SCHOOL SPORT WEEK 2023

WEDNESDAY 21st June… Primary Sports evening week

3. Miss Judson and Year 8 leaders Luca and Luke led the pupils in a series of Quad kid athletic activities.

Wednesday 21 June… Beyond the Baseline Tennis programme session 2 took place with GB Tennis player Jade Windley. The group went through training again in the morning session but the afternoon session saw them lead a class of 29 pupils from St Joseph’s Primary school. They have successfully completed their delivery now for the programme.

GB Tennis player Jade Windley commented "Thank you so much for organising. Honestly some of the most outstanding leaders I’ve ever worked with and Max and Logan were brilliant too."

Thursday 22 June… Top Link Sports day at Darley Dale Primary school. This is an annual visit which has taken place over the last 20 years. The Sports leaders plan and deliver activities to the whole school on a rotation basis all day. The groups are vertically grouped so the leaders have to differentiate tasks for all age groups within the same activity. Activities were Tennis, Orienteering, Football, Handball, Cricket, Athletics, Rounders and Boccia/Curling. The leaders did an outstanding job on long hot day.

Sports Leaders UK National News

Highfields students Eleanor (Year 12) and Callum (Year 11) made it to the final 4 at this year’s Learner of the Year awards. Callum has been awarded a voucher as a finalist and Eleanor has won the prestigious award LEARNER OF YEAR 2022/3

The trophy will be awarded to Eleanor in September. We are very proud of the achievements of both of these students. Both have put in hours of volunteering in our own school and the community.

Highfields students have been finalists on several occasions but we are so proud of Eleanor being the overall winner this year.

Friday 23 June… Key Stage 3 girls cricket day 2023. Key Stage 3 Girls were trained by Darley Dale coach Harry Rudkin. More in next week's newsletter.

StudentBulletin

WeekcommencingMonday26June2023: WeekA

Y9 end of year exams week

Monday: Y9 assembly

Tuesday: Y11 assembly Y12 Induction Day

Wednesday: Y10 assembly Y12 Induction Day

Thursday: Y8 and sixth form assembly

Friday:Inset Day

Coming

Up:

-

Y10 work experience week commencing 3 July

NEU Industrial Action 5 & 7 July

Musical production 12 – 15 July

See the list of extra-curricular activities taking place at lunch time and after school each day on both school sites on our website.

UpcomingEvents

Y9 internal exams

Monday 26 June – Thursday 29 June 2023

New Y12 induc on sessions

Monday 26 June – Thursday 29 June 2023

Y13 Prom

Thursday 29 June 2023, 7pm

Y10 work experience

Monday 3 July – Friday 7 July 2023

Y6 visit Starkholmes

Wednesday 5 July 2023, Starkholmes

Y7 sponsored walk

Wednesday 5 July 2023

Y8 visit Lumsdale

Wednesday 5 July 2023, Lumsdale

Y9 enterprise day

Wednesday 5 July 2023, Lumsdale

Y6 parents’ evening

Wednesday 5 July 2023, 6pm Bowler Hall, Starkholmes

Whole school sports day

Friday 7 July 2023

School Musical (7.30-10pm)

Wednesday 12 July-Saturday 15 July 2023, Wheeldon Hall, Lumsdale

Careers,College&ApprenticeshipNews

Careers Information

Explore BBC Bitesize’s brand new collection of free, online careers resources offering a wealth of inspiration and advice for students.

This new resources offer a rich collection of case studies across a wide range of sectors, linking curriculum subjects and the world of work:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers

Unifrog Careers programme

The careers programme ‘Unifrog’ offers students careers advice, support and guidance and students. Students in years 10 and 11 will be given log on details during the year to access Unifrog. www.unifrog.org

My Future app and website

My Future is a virtual gateway to support students with their next steps.

• Meet local employers and explore apprenticeship opportunities

• Work with training providers to learn about and access courses that are available

• Virtually visit post 16 institutions including colleges and universities

• Learn about the employment opportunities in your town

To access My Future click on the link below:

https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/about-chesterfield/learning/myfuture/

Speakers for Schools - Youth Card for students

Speakers for Schools has a free mobile app that provides a one-stop shop for 11-25-year-olds for selfled discovery of educational, career and personal development opportunities in a safe environment. Youth Card is uniquely placed to help students by offering:

 Free access to UK-wide work experience placements and workshops with leading employers, including: Spotify, Bentley Motors, bp, Google, NHS, Virgin Atlantic, The Financial Times, Santander and the BBC.

 Free access to UK-wide financial and enterprise programmes.

 Free access to a UK-wide network of 7,000 youth organisations.

 Freeaccessto inspiring podcasts,broadcastsandshortfilms byheadsofindustryandhigh-profile speakers

 Free access to a wide range of youth-friendly discounted services in the UK and Europe.

To find out more about Youth Card, visit www.youthcard.org

Apprenticeshipopportunities

Step-by-step guide to applying for an apprenticeship

The Step-by-step Guide to Applying for an Apprenticeship is a new resource available through the link below:

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/naw2023/?utm_source=mailing&utm_medium=naw+pg&utm_ campaign=naw2023

Finding an apprenticeship

Full details of apprenticeships available can be accessed through the government website on the following link - https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Higher & Degree Listing - Amazing Apprenticeships

Recent vacancy listings can be found through the link to Amazing Apprenticeships below: https://amazingapprenticeships.com/higher-degree-listing/