iGazette 605

Issue 605 - 3rd November 2017

National Poetry Winner Page 11

PE Report Page 9

£10 Challenge

Page 14 www.honywoodschool.com | Tel : 01376 561231

Headlines

By Acting Head Nathan Rawlings

One of life’s certainties is that change happens.

In my life, I have had two profound shifts in my mindset; both of which have enabled me to live a more successful and happy life.

My first mindset shift enabled me to realise, accept and embrace the fundamental fact that life is not fair.

Before this shift I coped reasonably well, however, I still expected to be treated fairly by others and in many areas of my life I was frequently dealing with emotions such as disappointment, frustration, anger and envy.

I would often project these feelings onto others, with no positive outcome. In my early years I felt that it was unfair that I grew up on a council estate in a family who did not have much. I felt it was unfair that I did not have the top brand of clothing like my friends. It was unfair that I did not go on the kind of holidays that my friends went on. However, as I matured and once I accepted and embraced the fact that life is not fair, I felt liberated. I no longer held on to the resentment I once felt towards others. The shift in mindset happened recently whilst reflecting on some thought provoking content I had read. At the time it felt like someone had turned on a tap and every negative view and emotion I had held onto up to that point just flushed out of me.

The second mindset shift I had was the acceptance that nothing ever stays the same. By wanting or expecting things to last forever I found I constantly felt disappointment, sadness, emptiness. I realised that I had previously invested a lot of energy into feeling these negative emotions, by mourning the way things were. I now realise that whilst I was indulging in those emotions the result was nothing but a waste of energy, energy that I could have used in many more positive and productive ways.

During my preparation for this week, taking on the role of Acting Headteacher, with the prospect of a change to my ‘normal’ experience, I was once again faced with these emotions.

This notion of change, that nothing stays the same, is going to form the focus of the content to follow and I have two reasons for choosing to write about this.

The first reason for doing so is that I have just experienced an authentic contrast to my ‘normal’ week at work and the majority of emotions I felt leading up to it were not helpful. Before this week I felt somewhat apprehensive, anxious and overwhelmed about the prospect of being the Acting Headteacher but I also felt excited and enthusiastic about what the week would offer me. Throughout the week, this change in my day to day practice has led to me face multiple challenges and have multiple learning experiences which have stimulated a whole array of emotions. By reflecting on these moments and understanding the emotions I have experienced, I have become aware and appreciate the growth they have resulted in. I now have a deeper understanding of how to manage these emotions effectively. In the future I will be able to apply this learning and transfer it into a range of contexts when needed.

The second reason for writing about change is one that I hope everyone reading will be able to connect with. Honywood embraces change not only as an opportunity to be better, but our philosophy here is that by embracing change, in an ever changing world, we are preparing the youngsters purposefully for it. Honywood has changed year upon year since I joined, and I am now in my tenth year. During the next year we may be faced with the most significant change within the organisation and we as individuals will be required to embrace this. In order to embrace this change positively we need to first understand the influence that change can have.

If you are an adult you may have experienced various changes in your life such as moving house, changing jobs, a new boss, new relationship, new car, a change in where you shop or other changes. If you are younger you may have experienced changes such as a change in haircut, a new mobile phone, joined a new sports teams, formed new friendship, moved schools (primary to secondary), a different teacher or even a new Headteacher.

How did you respond to change in those moments?

How can change affect us?

Research suggests that change can affect individuals in a variety of ways. Here are some suggested emotional responses to change: Change may create ‘fear’ as you may be faced with the unknown.

Change may create ‘grief’ due to a feeling of something being left behind.

Change may create ‘enthusiasm’ considering that the future can be better.

Change may create ‘excitement’ as for some, the state of now is below expectations.

Change may create ‘anger’ if people feel they are required to behave differently and in a way that is not true to their morals or character.

• Change may create ‘confusion’ by taking people somewhere new and, therefore, can often leave people feeling confused until they figure out and adjust to what the new reality will be after the change.

• Change may create ‘loneliness’ if change takes something away from a person. It may have been what made them comfortable. They may feel an emptiness as a result of the perceived loss.

• Change may create ‘numbness’ and can leave people with their heads spinning, especially when change is fast. People may not know what to feel.

• • • • •

I am aware, of course, that the emotions I have referenced are predominately very negative and unhelpful.

These are not the only suggested emotional responses to change but I do have a reason for highlighting them.

My time here at Honywood has required me to embrace change on a relentless basis and that is why I am truly passionate about working here. However, in order to embrace change positively and purposefully, we often describe this as being comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, we need to be aware of how change can make us feel so we can be in a better position to harness these emotions and prepare for them in advance.

What change have I experienced since joining Honywood?

• • • •

Curriculum development.

Introduction of iPads.

Longer learning sessions.

My Learning Hub Launch.

How did that change impact on me and how have I had to respond?

• Curriculum development. This has been a feature every year that I have been at the school. Throughout my ten years of being at Honywood my teaching has developed year on year. I have had to develop my approach each year to respond to the challenge of the developments in curriculum. This has made me a more effective teacher.

• Introduction of iPads. At first using iPads in learning sessions felt clunky and required a vast investment of time for any enhancement of learning to exist so I often avoided using the iPads. My teaching has developed over time and I now feel that not embracing technology would hinder the learning experiences I design.

• Longer learning sessions. For a subject like Mathematics I felt this would not be a positive move. The focus and attention of some youngsters would not last over this time scale and sessions would be much more difficult to manage. I did not want sessions to become longer. Now, there is no one in the profession that could convince me to go back to shorter sessions. These longer sessions allow for deeper learning.

• My Learning Hub. I was anxious about this becoming a more predominant feature of working at Honywood. I felt very under prepared for working with learners that were Autistic. What I have learnt is that I am getting even better at responding to an individual’s needs. I think we are all more effective at identifying barriers to learning and designing intervention to overcome them as a result of the growing expertise in the Hub offers.

In all cases above, the initial emotions that were stimulated were very often not useful. They were emotions generated by change, not dependent on the fact that the change was going to be positive or negative, but just that change was going to happen. I do not think there is any way of avoiding the emotions that exist leading

up to change, in fact, I believe it is important that the emotions are embraced and allowed to exist in order to get past them and move forward productively. In each example, the change eventually led to positive growth and development and Honywood has become better as a result.

Dress Code As we begin a new half-term, I’d like to remind everyone of our Dress Code. In our code we have been very clear that being smartly dressed is a pre-requisite for engaging in serious and successful learning. We have acknowledged, however, that in our learning model, which is tailored to meet individual need and which is designed to ensure that young people learn to make good choices taking responsibility for their outcomes, uniformity can be seen as incongruous. Thus the ethos our dress code embraces, and which is not negotiable, centres on respect for oneself, other people and the world around you. Making no effort to dress smartly, having your tie unfastened and your shirt un-tucked, shows a lack of respect for the serious learning ethos in which we believe at Honywood and will, therefore be challenged here. Every youngster should think carefully about our Dress Code; these questions may help learners to do so: • • • •

Are my trousers black trousers, or are they black leggings?

Are my shoes black low-heeled and suitable for school (heels above 5cm are unlikely to be suitable)?

Am I wearing a skirt which is black?

Am I wearing my tie, shirt and jumper appropriately?

If you can answer these questions in the affirmative then there is every chance that you are living up to the high standards we set ourselves at Honywood. If not, you need to address this as a matter of urgency. Whilst you may argue that the way you look does not affect how you learn, I would contend that sloppiness, in all areas of our lives, can be invasive. If you can’t make the effort to dress smartly, where else will ‘good enough’ affect your learning?

I am aware that there has been some debate (generated by youngsters who, of course, want to be fashionable) as to our definition of the words ‘shoes’ and ‘trousers’ and that this has caused difficulty for some families. I trust that the following will provide everyone with clarity. Trousers are not leggings or jeggings. Black trousers that fade and become grey cease to be black trousers! Thus if you choose, as some learners do, to wear black denim trousers you are likely to have to pay out more over time as it is likely that as your trousers fade they will cease to be black.

I understand that some learners are expressing the view that only a particular brand of training shoe is acceptable to wear to school. This is not the case. Any shoe that is black is acceptable to us, so long as the heel height is less than 5cm. Of course, a shoe that is black with a white stripe (even if that happens to be a popular logo) does not meet the expectations in our dress code. Shoes with white lines around the base of the shoe are also not acceptable as they cannot be said to be black.

Thank To Sienna Gray (8Apr) and Emily Pyatt (8KAr) for their support with vistors to the school this week.

Parents’ Time Members of the Leadership Team will be available to see parents without appointment: Monday 9.00am—9.45am Tuesday 7.15am—8.00am Wednesday 3.00pm—3.45pm Thursday 5.00pm—6.00pm Friday 7.15am—8.00am

Subject Teams on Twitter

Follow our Subject Teams on Twitter to see Learning in Action

Honywood School Presents

Wednesday 13th December Thursday 14th December Tickets go on sale next week in Learner Reception at Breaktime and Lunchtime only

PE Report Essex Cup U16 – Round 2 Honywood

5

v Notley High 0

Honywood dominated the match right from the kick off, scoring their first goal within 5 minutes. Honywood showcased some excellent passing and movement and Notley found it difficult to keep up the pace.

Rhys Hudson repeatedly found himself in some excellent positions in front of goal and soon found himself on the end of a great cross from the wing and fired a great volley into the top corner. All in all a great team performance. Keep it up boys!

District Cup U16s Forest Hall

0

v

Honywood

10

Once again a very strong performance from all the team. Dominating possession on all areas on the pitch. The high score came came from a great team performance from all the boys full of energy and skill.

Well done!

PE Fixtures Honywood PE Information WEEKLY FIXTURES – w/c Mon 06th November (subject to change) DAY

DATE

Mon

6th

Tues

7th

Wed

08th

Thu

09th

Fri

10th

LEAVE RETURN/ SCHOOL/ FINISH KO

COHORT

ACTIVITY

COMP

V’s

VENUE

STAFF

10

Football

District

Alec

Alec Hunter

15:15

17:00

MBI

11

Football

District

Alec

Alec Hunter

15:15

17:00

DSC

7

Netball

Essex Cup

HRS

HRS

15:00

17:00

SBA

10

Netball

District

District

HRS

15:00

18:00

FJO

Week 1

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Vegetarian Course

Roasted Vegetables in Tomato Sauce

Golden Vegetable Loaf with Roast Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables

Vegetarian Lasagne with Green Salad & Garlic Bread

Dessert

Forest Fruit Crumble & Custard BBQ Sausage Cheese Sauce Plain Pizza Tugo Quad Special

Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate Sauce Chicken Tikka Vegetable Tikka Plain Pizza Tugo Quad Special

Keylime Pie

Main Course

Pasta Bake Courtyard Cafe

Toad in the Hole with Seasonal Vegetables

Menu subject to change

Roast Chicken with stuffing, Roast Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables

Beef Lasagne with Green Salad & Garlic Bread

Cheese Sauce Tomato & Basil Plain Pizza Tugo Quad Special

Thursday

Sweet & Sour Chicken Noodles with Spring Roll & Prawn Crackers Sweet & Sour Vegetable Noodles with Spring Roll & Prawn Crackers Strawberry Mousse Arrabbiata Sauce Plain Pizza Tugo Quad Special

Friday

Traditional Fish & Chips with Peas or Beans Tomato & Basil Quiche with Chips & Salad Fresh Fruit Salad Pasta Bake of the Day Pizza Tugo Quad Special

National Poetry Day Winner Jude Battersby 8APr Winner

Last term, we launched a competition as part of the National Poetry Day. The topic was "Freedom" and today the winner was named as Jude Battersby from Cohort 8 who received his prize of a WH Smith voucher. Runners up were Maisie Waite and Roxie Orrow (both from Cohort 9). Well done to everyone who submitted their poetry for the competition. To see Jude’s poem, check our Facebook page. Thank you to Miss Harrington for organising the competition and our celebration of poetry.

Spirit of Honywood Notes from Spirit of Honywood meeting 24th October 2017 Teachers in attendance: Stacey Lockett (SLo)

 Christmas

Russell Flanders (RFl) Parents in attendance: Kerry Ahmani Fendi Julie Standen

 Quiz night Posters to be displayed around Coggeshall with Normans the sweet shop selling tickets (SLo) - posters updated and shared with Norman's, Tates’ and Parish Council that afternoon.

Gillian Romano-Critchley

RFl to locate and share poster with team for further advertisement on social media. (Done)

Andrea Bennett

Julie to share on Facebook pages. (Done)

Letter to be shared with the group to allow credibility when seeking out prizes for the quiz. (SLo done using example shared by Gillian) We discussed where prizes could be sourced last minute. Places such as Waitrose, Tesco and Co-op would be good places along with curry related prizes such as Curry With Love (SLo done), Mena and local restaurants (Andrea done).

(Kerry has since approached a number of other companies who we are just waiting to hear back from) We spoke about having learners to help on the evening to serve food etc. (SLo has asked her Learning Group with the potential of 3 helpers. RFl has produced a letter home to parents to seek permission for them to be in school.) It has since been suggested that D of E learners could also be approached due to them having an allotted amount of time they should dedicate to volunteering. Something to consider in future.

We spoke about quiz masters and Mr Woods and Mr Smith have since been approached for this. (RFl and SLo may explore the idea of having a learner host the evening if this falls through).

Glasses have been ordered for the evening to support the bar. (SLo via Waitrose) Still need to explore the idea of having a trophy (SLo has purchased)

 School production.

We would like to sell mulled wine, spiced cider, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soda at the event. We would also like seasonal treats such as mince pies and shortbread, maybe even coconut cream and mints?

We would also like to hold a raffle with one final prize at the end. (13/14 Dec) Who will help prepare and run this?

We decided that another fair would be too much and probably lacked variety in the types of fundraising we were wanting to do. A gift wrapping service was discussed and although a super idea, the logistics of the service failed to work out.

We would like to sell Christmas cards and small gift items through the school and perhaps through a stall at Coggeshall Christmas. Items such as the cards and laser cut decorations would be ideal for this event. Potential for SLo and RFl to run a club to make items and for the stall to be booked. (2nd Dec) (Julie has approached Coggeshall Christmas to reserve a table) Gillian spoke about a connection who has made cards for St. Peter's in the past and has since been in contact.

Unfortunately he is not available to help this year but should be a consideration for the future.

We would like to have a tree at the Christ Church Christmas Tree event. This could coincide with the decorations we will be making to sell? Julie has already begun her investigations towards this idea.

 Green Market - Monthly Feel Good Fair.

SLo discussed her vision for this market and the group have a clear idea of the type of event we aim to hold.

Companies to potentially sell at the fair are already identified so we spoke about the massive slant towards community and learning. We discussed the types of people we could have teaching at our events such as SLo connection with Permaculture, the Council re waste and holistic and “well being” connections via Kerry.

Kerry has made links with some companies and investigated attending Women in Business Network meetings. At present this is on hold due to the fee it entails.

Great initiatives surrounding newspaper collection for animal shelters and also composting ideas. We spoke about food waste at school and feel that this is a place to begin in making our own school more sustainable. The concept of working towards achieving a Sustainable Schools recognition also tied in nicely with our ideas. SLo will investigate the possibility of composting green waste from the canteen and has a carpenter on hand to build the composters for free should a suitable location be found.

RFl and SLo need to amend poster for printing asap to allow companies to be approached.(RFl has amended poster for printing)

 AOB Once we are back on track with the appointment of a chair and treasurer are, we need to look into applying for Gift Aid through our charity to ensure the maximum amount of money comes back to our school through fundraisers such as the sponsored walk.

The team would also like the 100 club to begin running again.

Learning Supervisor (37 hours per week, full-time, £19,509 - £25,985 p.a.)

We are looking for an exceptional person to join our team of staff supporting youngsters’ learning. The successful applicant will supervise classes and support learners in completing learning tasks during periods of teachers’ absence. Initially the contract will run until the end of August 2018 and would ideally suit a candidate looking to start teacher training in September 2018. An option to convert to a permanent contract will be discussed with the successful candidate.

We offer:  





A high achieving Academy producing excellent examination results.

A challenging learning environment where you will be asked to expand your thinking about the education we offer our young people.

An approach based on shared responsibility and teamwork, which values every member of our school community.

Excellent in-house induction and training for all our new employees.

You will need: 

Outstanding people skills, flexibility and initiative.



The mental agility to push your own learning and thinking in a fast moving dynamic setting.





Minimum Grade C GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Maths – this post would ideally suit a graduate, especially with a degree specialising in Science.

A willingness to learn every day as you consistently strive to increase your impact on our youngsters’ learning.

For an information pack, or to organise a pre-application visit, contact Mrs S. Pattison (spattison@honywoodschool.com), Honywood Community Science School, Westfield Drive Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1PZ (Telephone: 01376 564706).

Closing date for applications is Monday 20th November, interviews will be held on Monday 27th November

My Learning Choices Enterprise & Solutions

MLCs this week are available to help collect, collate and analyse consumer survey results by applying the ‘3 step rule’.

Guidance is also available for C8 learners that have started their ‘Los Santos Beach Bar’ project, specifically on how best to plan and manage their time across an extended project in order to complete all aspects of the investigation to a high standard.

Business Studies

MLCs this week will be focused largely on the Case Study 4 investigation which c10s have just started. Emphasis will be on how to apply the correct style of writing to achieve high marks at AO2 (application and Knowledge) and AO3 (explanations and justifications). MLCs are also available to c9s that would like to go over any aspects of the Marketing Mix, as well as USPs and Branding

MFL

Cohorts 9 and 10, why not book an MLC with an MFL teacher today to help you revise, prepare and practise for your upcoming Skills Week assessments for listening and speaking?

Maths

- Are you curious about a specific Maths topic that you would like to learn more about?

- Do you want to improve your problem solving skills and become a more capable Mathematician?

- Or, do you want to boost your confidence in Maths?

Please book your Maths MLC for extra support with your learning.

English Many of you have assessments coming up in English over the next two weeks so have you been paying close attention to your recent learning points? Do you know what you need to do to improve further? Do you need some support in responding to the feedback you’ve been given? Whether it’s developing your analysis of a quote from ‘An Inspector Calls’ or unpicking how to use an apostrophe correctly, book an MLC with a member of the English team to get support and guidance you need.

Portsmouth Residential Launch

Important Dates 6th & 7th Nov - Post 16 Evenings 9th Nov - C12 Certificate Evening 13 Nov - 1st Dec - C11 Mock Exams 17th Nov, 20th Nov and 21st Nov Non Learner Days 23rd Nov - Catch Up Photo’s 12th Dec - Deadline for Lead Learner Application 13th & 14th Dec - School Production 14th Dec - Textiles Showcase 18th Dec - Christmas Lunch C7 & C8 19th Dec - Christmas Lunch C9, C10 & C11 20th Dec - End of Term Variety Show 20th Dec - Early Finish for Christmas Holidays 3rd Jan - 2018 Back to School Week B 5th Jan - Cohort 11 Mock Results Day

Information for Cohort 10 families: If you were unable to attend the meeting on Monday evening for the Portsmouth Residential launch, the presentation can be found on our website. Please follow the link: http:// parent.honywoodschool.com/…/ letters-h…/presentations/

The £10 Challenge.

•

You are given £10 – which must be returned at the end of the challenge.

•

You have 8 weeks to turn that initial £10 investment into as much money as you can, through your entrepreneurial ideas and business activities.

•

Is there a ‘gap in the market’ either in school or in your local area (a high demand for a product or service), which you could provide using the £10.

•

Meeting in BS1 – Monday 6th November @ the START of lunch.

•

The meeting will last for no more than 10 minutes.

•

We will take the names of all those in your team and allocate you your Business Studies Ambassadors, who will be there to help and support you throughout.

•

This will give you a few weeks to decide on your business plan, prep and be ready to go for when you’ll be given your £10’s in a few weeks’ time.

•

For any further questions contact Mr Williams – jwilliams@honywoodschool.com

Well done

to our Cohort 8 Duty Receptionists Kieran Ward Niels Wright Lucas Bennett Aleksander Galecki Jessi Fifield Ronnie Hayward

Family Learning Team

email FLT@honywoodschool.com If your youngster is absent please email attendance@honywoodschool.com