7th December 2023
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
A WINTER WARMING CHRISTMAS CONCERT One of the highlights of my job is being able to welcome families to Honywood to showcase the creative talent of our learners and on Monday night I had the pleasure of attending our Winter Concert. The hall was packed out for almost two hours of high quality performances from all cohorts.
School is very much like this. It is not about the building (which is useful given our current state of play), it is about so much more. Without learners a school is just an empty space - a nothingness. It is the learners that bring their own unique performance day in day out. Just like a live performance, every interaction with our learners is a one off. Like them, it is unique. Sat there watching each individual pour their heart There was singing, dancing and dramatic and soul onto the stage I couldn’t help thinking performances aplenty. I would like to thank the how proud I was and privileged to be a part of our wonderful Expressive Arts department for their community. A community where, each and every support in preparing learners for the show. An day, we get to see the uniqueness of our learners event such as this is difficult to organise at the as they continue to grow. best of times, however, with our RAAC backdrop, it is even more demanding. Thankfully we were WIth only two more weeks to go it is important able to pull the night off with no issues and all the we all remain focused on maximising our learning performers had an opportunity to show us what time ahead of the two week break. Our C11’s they can do. have been conducting themselves marvellously during the mock exams and have only one more I had the opportunity to talk to families at the end week to go. of the evening. I mentioned the fact there was a real parallel between the act of performance and On another note I have just received our the experience of being in a school. Whilst sat in provisional numbers for next year’s C7 cohort. I the audience it struck me that what we were all am pleased to say that the numbers reflect the looking at in anticipation was an empty space - growing popularity of our wonderful community nothingness. It took the energy of each performer and family orientated approach. This is certainly to stimulate our senses and turn the empty space reflected in the comments that parents put in into something else; something unique; something their application form to justify why they wish to emotive. Throughout the course of the evening I, send their child to Honywood. like so many in the audience, experienced a range of emotions. Those feelings were a direct result I wish you a lovely weekend, only two more of the incredible energy, heart and soul that our weeks to go. performers displayed. They all turned an empty James Saunders space into a visually and auditory stimulating environment.
NEW PARENT GOVERNORS We are pleased to welcome two new parent governors to our Governing Body.
THANKS To the following learners for supporting the governor’s visit on 4th December:
Andrew Wood As a seasoned professional with a long and varied background in information technology, and more recently in the last 13 years specialising in cybersecurity, I provide strategic leadership for one of the UK's foremost consultancy and digital service providers where I lead the development and implementation of an expansive, multi-million-pound cybersecurity strategy to enable the delivery of cutting-edge, resilient digital solutions to a wide array of clients, ranging from UK Government agencies to notable private sector brands.
Theo Avelino, Harry Cousins, Phoebe Fairbairn, Amelia Bullus, Khloe Crisell, Stan Pyne, Freddie Estall, Samuel Fairbairn and Olivia Preston.
I am an advocate for lifelong learning and actively foster a culture of continuous education and skill development within my teams. I firmly believe that learning is an ongoing process that extends far beyond formal schooling. This belief is reflected in my own academic achievements where I have obtained an MSc in Computer Security and an MBA with specialisation in Cybersecurity Management, both as a mature student, alongside numerous professional certifications in both IT and security. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy gardening, playing the piano, and spending time with my wife, my daughter, and my son who has recently joined Honywood in year 7. I look forward to being able to support the leadership team in continuing their successful journey at Honywood School. Melanie Cork It is my pleasure to have joined the Honywood Governing body as Parent Governor. I have two children who attend Honywood in Years 7 and 10. Throughout my teaching career, I have developed a real passion for education and special educational needs, and hold a Masters’ degree in Educational leadership and SEN. I am currently a Deputy Headteacher, SENCO and Designated Safeguarding Lead at a large primary school in Colchester, and have held a Governor position in the primary sector for around 18 years. Walking the dog, spending time with my family, swimming and the theatre are all pastimes that I enjoy.
www.midessexteachertraining.com
Train to Teach in a Secondary School in Essex! You could train as a teacher if: • You have a degree at 2:2 or above • You have a passion for working with and inspring young people • You are passionate about your chosen subject About the course: • We work with more than 20 schools across Essex • A part-time route is an option • Scholarships and bursaries are available in some subjects Think you’ve got what it takes? Visit our website for more information, to arrange an informal chat, or to sign up to our mailing list!
In the new year C9 Artists are going to attempt some collage portraits or sculptures made up of found objects inspired by the Artists shown below.
We would very much appreciate it if you could collect/save us some of your rubbish over the next few weeks so that we could recycle it! We are looking for things such as: Bottle tops/Corks Rope/Thread Coloured paper/ food packets Broken Toys/ Toys from xmas crackers Pen lids/Old stationery Buttons Pretty much anything being thrown away that we could take apart! The more colourful the better! And anything goes really! We will be unable to return items to you so please don’t donate toys etc that you would like back. I will organise a box for collecting things to be left in the Art Dept.
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Dates for the Diary 27 Nov - 15 Dec
C11 GCSE Mock Exams
Fri 8 Dec
Non Learner Day
Fri 22 Dec
End of term - early finish 12.55pm
Mon 8 Jan 2024
Non Learner Day
Tues 9 Jan 2024
All learners return to school
Tues 23 Jan 2024
Ski Trip Parent Meeting 6pm
Thurs 25 Jan 2024
C11 Parent Evening 3.30 - 6.30