2nd February 2024
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, ACHIEVE A huge congratulations to Megan Andrews, Alfie Evans, Jonathan Hardington, Taya Kutsan, Harry Mackay, Ivy Murkowski, Lenny Pyne and Maggie Smith who all received awards at the Jack Petchey Achievement Award ceremony held at Alec Hunter School on Tuesday night. The Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme is their flagship programme which recognises outstanding young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. The event itself was excellent. There was a real sense of community and a can-do attitude throughout the night. Honywood shared the stage with award winners from a range of local schools and clubs. It was lovely to see our learners on stage whilst hearing about their achievements in our community.
“If you think you can, you can!” The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by Sir Jack Petchey CBE to inspire and celebrate young people. Since 1999, over £160 million has been invested in programmes to benefit young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. Sir Jack Petchey set up the Jack Petchey Foundation to inspire young people across London and Essex to work hard and reach their full potential. Sir Jack is an incredible inspiration to everyone who works at the Foundation. Even at 98 he takes an active interest in the running of the charity, as do the rest of his family who share his vision. He was born into a working class family in the East End in 1925, left school at 13 and then joined the Navy in 1943. After leaving the Navy, he began working as a clerk for a solicitor’s firm. He applied for
management training but was told he would never make a businessman. Instead of giving up, Sir Jack used the £39 he was given from the Navy to buy a second hand car and started a taxi business. Through hard work and innovative thinking, he proved them wrong and built a multi-million-pound empire. Sir Jack’s experiences led to his passion to increase young peoples’ aspirations by rewarding their achievements. The other big programme is the “Speak Out” Challenge!, the world’s largest public speaking competition for young people.
On Tuesday a group of C10 learners spent the day taking part in the Speak Out Challenge workshops. Learners spent the day developing their skills at speaking confidently in public. Nine learners Freddie Brooks, Freddie Dorling, Pru Duffy, Emma Julien, Faye Longstaff, Izzy Owen, Ella Pinkham, Amelie Rees and Poppy Tilyard have progressed to the next phase, presenting their speech to an assembly for C9s. Out of those nine, two will be chosen to represent the school in the North Essex Final. We have made it through January now and the nights are starting to draw out. Here’s looking at warmer things to come. Have a lovely weekend
James Saunders
MEETING CONDUCT EXPECTATIONS As we strive to maintain open lines of communication between our school and families, we would like to share our expectations regarding conduct in meetings. We believe in fostering a respectful and cordial atmosphere, even when discussing concerns or disagreements. We expect meetings to be conducted in cordial terms, even if you are unhappy with the school. •
We will listen to your concerns and try to resolve them.
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You will be expected to use a cordial and low tone, and not raise your voice towards the member(s) of staff.
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You are not permitted to record the meeting. You do not have our consent to record meetings, and if you do so covertly, the Governing Body will not allow you to use any such recordings as evidence in a complaint. If any recording is then shared without consent of the participants, sold to a third party, or released in the public domain without the consent of the participants, this is likely to become a criminal offence and the school would contact the police to pursue the matter. Staff will never listen to recorded conversations presented by parents as evidence without gaining the consent of the member of staff involved.
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If the staff cannot immediately resolve your concern, they will give you a timeframe for when they will feed back to you.
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A set of brief notes will be kept of the meeting. A summary of points discussed or actions agreed going forward will be made available upon request.
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Ground rules that support a conducive and productive environment are based on: • • • •
allowing everyone participate listening with an open mind thinking before speaking attacking the problem and not the person
If you don’t want to talk to police – contact Fearless online, without giving your name, at:
www.fearless.org Memorise or keep a note of a parent/carer’s phone number in a separate place in case of emergency.
KEEPING YOU AND YOUR PHONE SAFE Getting a phone is really exciting. You can stay in touch with friends and find out more about the world.
YOU CAN HELP US PROTECT AND TRACK YOUR PHONE IF IT’S STOLEN. HERE’S THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO: Your phone will have security features such as a passcode or fingerprint/ face ID. Make sure you use it to protect access to your phone.
AS POLICE OFFICERS, OUR JOB IS TO KEEP YOU SAFE It’s also our job to stop people who want to steal property like phones, cash, earphones and even expensive coats or trainers. You can help us do that by being careful where you use your phone and taking care of cash and other valuable items.
Tracker apps can help locate your phone if it’s lost or stolen. Ask a parent to show you how to set one up. Record the phone’s IMEI number in a separate place at home. Find this by typing in: *# 06# You’ll need to give this number to police if it’s stolen.
FOUR TIPS TO KEEP SAFE Keep your phone and valuables out of sight and in a safe place. Take care when you take them out especially near bus stops and train stations. Stay alert and remember earphones/headphones can distract you from being aware of someone approaching from behind you. Thieves can approach on mopeds, e-scooters and pedal cycles.
A SMALL GUIDE ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR PHONE SAFE
Don’t fight back, it’s not worth the risk when a phone can be replaced. Tell us if someone robs you or tries to. It’s important you get help straight away by dialling 999 using a friend or trusted adult’s phone rather than contacting police when you get home. This gives us the best chance to catch the suspects, recover stolen items and make sure you’re safe.
Dates for the Diary Mon 5 & Tues 6 Feb
C11 LGL Photos
Wed 7 Feb
C11 Geography Trip
Fri 9 Feb
C10 Careers Visit
Fri 16 Feb
Ski trip departs
Mon 19 Feb - 23 Feb
Half term
Wed 28 Feb
C8 Mercury Theatre visit