Poole High Spring 2014 Newsletter

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Dear Families, Happy New Year and welcome to the start of the new term. It was good to see so many of you, as always, at the various parents' evenings held last term. I do feel that these opportunities to meet and discuss your son's and daughter's progress are of enormous importance and I am really grateful for your engagement with these events.

We are very pleased with the way in which our Year 7 and 8 students have settled in at Poole High, and their attitude and commitment to work has been excellent. We look forward to working closely with you over the next seven years if your sons and daughters continue with us till the end of Year 13. Last term already seems a long time ago and indeed was a very long term (15 weeks). However, particularly for Year 11, 12 and 13's, the next few months will seem to go very quickly. We know it is hard at times to keep focused on school work but it is vital to do so and keep reading and studying hard; and especially for our older students with exams looming, revising. Year 11's should also be giving considerable thought to what they will do at the end of the academic year and we hope that they have completed their application forms for sixth form to ensure that they gain a place on the courses they wish to follow in Year 12. In the next few weeks there will be meetings for parents of Years 9 and 11 to look at options for the next school year.

Bugsy Malone Rehearsals for the whole school production are now well underway; pupils and staff are putting together an amazing production of Bugsy Malone, which will be shown to families, friends as well as members of the public at the Lighthouse Theatre in Poole this June Rome Trip During the autumn half term we ran a trip to Rome.

The purpose of this trip was to explore both the history and art of this celebrated city. It is hoped that we will be running a trip to New York next year on the same basis. Please see a full report on the trip and more photographs inside Anniversaries It is the centenary of the start of the First World War this th th summer (July 28 ) and indeed the 75 anniversary of the start of the Second World War this September. However, it rd is 75 years on 3 May since Henry Harbin School, the forerunner to Poole High, was founded on our current site. Our students will be celebrating the school's anniversary early in the summer term and a programme of events will be posted in the next few weeks on the school website. We will also be commemorating the sacriďŹ ces and courage of those who fought for their country in the autumn term 2014. I hope to involve as many students as possible in these events and indeed the community as a whole.

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POOLE HIGH SCHOOL TO INTRODUCE ON LINE PAYMENT FACILITY THROUGH WISEPAY The school has signed a 3 year contract with Wisepay to allow all parents to make online payments. To start with this facility will only be available for school trips but we plan to introduce cashless catering within 12 months. We hope to be able to offer the option to make all payments online at sometime in the future. You will still have the option to make payment via cash or cheque should you choose to do so.

We are currently training our staff on how to use the system and hope to launch our first online payments in early February; you will receive further communication nearer the time confirming the exact date.

We have taken this decision as a school as we realise that there is a need for parents to have the ability to make payments at a time convenient for them and not have to send cash or cheques into school with their children. Online payments can be made 24/7 from home, the office or anywhere with an internet connection. You will have an online account which can be viewed 24/7, amongst other services you will be able to view your transaction history and check balances, very useful if you are paying for a trip by instalments.

You will shortly see a Wisepay icon on the school website, www.poolehigh.co.uk which will link you to some further information regarding Wisepay and a number of FAQ. In the meantime if you have any questions or would like further information please ring the school and ask to speak to a member of our finance team.

Uniform Students really need to be wearing proper black leather shoes (or similar) – they cannot wear canvas shoes of any sort to school as they are both likely to get wet and do not provide protection for the feet.

Skirts and trousers should be of proper fabric, not “stretch material” and should be within 2 inches of the knee when the student is standing.

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Arriving at / Leaving School Students should be on the school site by the 8.25 bell, they are due in their tutor rooms at this time. Please can you ensure they are leaving home with plenty of time to make the journey to school.

A significant number of students are arriving by car after the 8.25 bell which impacts on the students' school record.

Please remind your children that they must cross the road with care, especially at the crossing point near Barclay's House.

I am also very concerned about the number of cars parking on restricted areas and causing a serious danger to students crossing pathways and roads.

Please do not park on the double yellow lines.

Poole High School is the lead school in a partnership of schools that trains teachers through the School Direct Scheme. We are currently recruiting for September 2014. The training lasts for a year and includes placements in two of our schools. This year's trainees are about to complete their course and nearly half of them have been offered positions in local schools following successful accreditation of Qualified Teacher Status.

If you are interested and would like more details please see our website: www.wessexschools.co.uk or contact Kirstin Brooks at k.brooks@poolehigh.poole.sch.uk

At the end of last term we ran a Golden Ticket reward scheme. A golden ticket was given to all students who had received no detentions and had achieved at least 92% attendance. We had more than 900 students in the lower school that achieved this and we are very proud and pleased with their attitude towards school in the first term.

There is also a reward scheme running for tutor groups that are well equipped and have good uniform and attendance.

Tutor groups are rewarded with a hot chocolate morning in the canteen when they meet these standards.

Students are able to gain merits (+) and demerits (-) in all lessons, merits are also awarded when students participate in house sport competitions.

The current standings across the houses are: Jolliffe 1767 Harbin 1760 Lester 1715 Masters 1715 Garland 1705 Thompson 1659 Spurrier 1658

Equipment for class Our thanks to the overwhelming majority of our parents/carers/guardians who ensure their child has the right equipment to do a proper days work in school. However, there are a minority of students who turn up to class and stop the lesson in its tracks by asking for a pen or some other basic piece of equipment. As a result of this we will be checking even more carefully that every student has the following:  A reading book  At least three black pens  At least two sharp pencils  A highlighter pen  Coloured pencils or pens  A ruler (30cm)  A rubber  A protractor  A pair of compasses  A calculator (please note that only BLACK pens can be used in any formal exam or controlled assessment) It is vital that lessons start immediately and effectively – it is unfair on the students and families who help us so reliably by getting this right to have their class time wasted on those students who don't.

Any student without equipment can borrow a pencil case from the House Office but will need to leave a deposit and will need to return the following day to show they have the right equipment. Please also note that PE kit is compulsory and that kit will always be lent if students do not bring their own - but they too will need to bring this kit in to demonstrate they have it; our thanks in anticipation of your support in this matter.

If you are having any difficulties providing kit or uniform, please let us know and we will try to allow time for you to resolve the issue and may be able to help with its provision in extreme cases.

Year 11 Prom The Year 11 Prom is planned for Tuesday 1st July 2014 at The Cumberland Hotel, East Overcliff Drive in Bournemouth. The cost will be approximately £20 per student and should be a really nice way for our Year 11 students to celebrate their time at the school (more details to follow).

We ask for parents/carers/guardians support in making this Year 11 Prom a success by ensuring students get to and from this event. This year if students wish to have a place at the Prom then they will need to complete a number of tasks linked to their attitude in school, attendance and work. These tasks will form part of a 'Passport to Prom' booklet that all year 11 students will receive shortly.

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Attendance Attendance Attendance Attendance Attendance and punctuality is a priority for Poole High School, poor attendance and punctuality leads to poor examination results. The Government's expectation is that all students should attend school at least 92% of the time. An average attendance of 90% a year equates to half a day off every week, which adds up to 4 missed school weeks a year. Absences from school should be kept to an absolute minimum. You have access to your child's attendance figure on a daily basis through the “SIMs” learning gateway.

Attendance Excellent>= 98% Good95-98% Average92-95% Below average 85-92% Poor (PA)*<85%

Punctuality Excellent 0 lates Good 1 – 2 lates Average 3 – 5 lates Poor 5 - 10 lates Unacceptable10 or more lates

*PA = persistent absentee, a Government definition that requires reporting to the DfE. It is also worth noting that students with 96% or better attendance have a 75% chance of 5A* to Cs, while those with less than 90% have only a 45% chance of achieving this.

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Lester House won the overall inter house sports competition and also won the Year 8 individual inter house competition.

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Aisha Penaluna (Year 10) and Shola E v a n s ( Ye a r 11 ) were commended for their efforts in the Touring Opera Project run at the Victoria Education Centre.

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Brooke Lindsay Year 7 was the national champion for duo disco dancing & 3rd at the rock & roll category in out of s c h o o l d a n c e activities.

Bradley Hoyland – Year 8 was recognised for outstanding sporting achievements at the Poole Council's Sport Awards ceremony. This commendation was recommended for his effort in Trampolining with Olga.

Global Citizenship Day We are well on our way to being awarded the Rights Respecting School Award by Unicef.

Students are learning about their rights as young people and how important it is for us all to take responsibility for our actions in order to ensure a more positive school community and a better world! th On 30 January all students are taking part in a Global Citizenship Day. Students will be exploring aspects of the UN CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child), especially:  Article 28/29: Children's right to an education and  Article 38: Children's right to be protected from the effects of war.

The day will raise awareness about the inequalities and injustices in our world and how they affect children. We hope that students will feel informed and motivated to work for change in a world where so many children still do not enjoy these basic rights. It will also serve to help students appreciate the rights we all enjoy but often take for granted.

In particular we will raise awareness of the work of the charity Warchild (which the student parliament voted as our main charity of this year) and also the work of the One Goal campaign to champion education for all.

The Right to Think Independently and Holocaust Memorial Day - 27th January January 27th is Holocaust Memorial Day – our Focus of the Fortnight at that time will be the Right to Think Independently. This is a part of our School Charter and communicates the importance of every person having the right to 'think and believe what they want'.

We are having a whole week of assemblies for all students marking this annual memorial and to ensure that students are aware of the horrors of the past and the lessons we must take from that for our future.

 Article 14 of the UN CRC states: Every child has the right

to think and believe what they want and also to practice their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights.

The second part of this statement is important as we strive to emphasise a culture of respect and tolerance for different beliefs as we prepare students for life in a multi-cultural society and increasingly globalised world.

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Able Artists In December the art department began a new programme of workshops for our most able artists in years 7, 8, 9 and 10. The workshops which are being co-ordinated by Mr Pawley are designed to offer our gifted and talented students opportunities to learn extra skills and to broaden their experiences in art.

The ďŹ rst session was run by Mrs Day and explored the unusual technique of 'gelatine printing'. This technique uses blocks of gelatine as surface upon which to create mono prints. Unlike other techniques such as lino and screen printing which result in very bold images, gelatine printing gives very subtle and quite ephemeral prints that are almost like watercolour painting. Having been given a basic introduction to the process the students explored their own ideas in very creative ways and produced fantastic prints as well as learning a new technique.

Mr Mathlin will run the next workshop for the group in January when he will focus upon breeze block carving.

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h C ris o tm m a p s e tit C io a r n d

In November a group of Poole High School students, who have a career in Art and Design in their sights, visited the UCAS Creatives fair in London. The trip was organised by Miss Skinner in her capacity as the sixth form's UCAS co-ordinator as an opportunity for year 11 and 12 students to learn about the wide range of degree course that are available to them upon completion of their A levels.

The students visited stands from most of the country's top universities and saw presentations and lectures relating to courses that varied from Fine Art and Graphic Design to Digital Imaging and Gaming Design.

The students returned with a much clearer idea of what is on offer to them upon leaving school and inspired to achieve the grades required to get them there.

Owen Miller Y7

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Creatives Fair - London

The annual KS3 d e s i g n a Christmas card competition p r o d u c e d a wonderfully creative response from students again this year.

This year's theme wa s ' C hrist m a s Words' which students were encouraged to interpret in whatever way they wished. The winners are shown to the right:

Mia Pangilinan Y9

Tatyana Ricotta Y8

Able Student Workshop Outcomes

Motte & Bailey Castles Last half term the students were given the challenge of creating models of motte and bailey castles. This was to help them learn the different ways that William the Conqueror controlled England. There were a large number of impressive models and the student's enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and take ownership of what they made. These are just some examples of student's work.

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Solomon Theatre Company.

On February 13th 2014 Year 9 Drugs and alcohol awareness day.

Following an hour long performance in the morning, students will attend specially designed workshops that explore the themes of anti-social behaviour, illegal purchase (including law on alcohol & age-restricted products), attitude to risk and health.

We experienced a 7.8% reduction in alcohol related crime in the 3 months following the pilotâ&#x20AC;? - Dorset Police Contact: a.parker@poolehigh.poole.sch.uk for further information.

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'A Star' Group Sixty Year 11 students are now part of our 'A Star' project, where the focus is about getting the top grades.

This has seen students attending after school session on revision, career and university opportunities as well as being about to start on the Bournemouth University mentors' scheme.

They will continue to meet and work together as a group in the run up to GCSEs.

Y E A R 11

A big thank you to all our year 11s for their fantastic approach to Mocks before Christmas.

There will be a student launch event for supporting them in preparing for the exams, now less than 5 months away, on the 6th February after which parents can discuss revision plans prior to the parents evening th on Thursday 13 February.

Please make certain you have parents' evening appointments organised if your child is in year 11 – your attendance at this event is essential so we can make sure this last push sees them ready for what is to come.

Christmas Fayre The second Christmas Fayre, organised by our PSA, The Friends of Poole High, was held at the end of term and was declared by all, a resounding success. Following on from last year's strong start we are delighted to announce a very successful fund raising effort which raised nearly £1000.

With a variety of stalls, there really was something for everyone at the Fayre and the halls were very busy with Christmas shoppers searching for that elusive last minute special gift. There were several lovely jewellery stalls; homemade baby clothes; various gift stalls; handmade 'sock' toys; a raffle and a very popular bottle stall manned by Sixth Form students and staff. In addition there were several food stalls doing brisk business on a chilly n i g h t . T h e D . T. Department created some fantastic Christmas themed gifts to sell and their cupcakes sold out very quickly indeed, understandably so as they were fabulous.

Please do look out for our next PSA events which we hope will be as popular as our Christmas Fayre.

This year, for the first me, Poole High School decided to support Poole Food Bank by delivering items of food to their premises in Longfleet Road. Two minibuses duly departed the school on the morning of Friday 20th December piled high, not only with cans and dried goods of every descrip on, but also bright-eyed and bushy-tailed staff and pupils who were keen to deliver the provisions in good me for Christmas. Well over 2000 food items were delivered and hopefully, these helped local people have a merrier Christmas than might have otherwise been the case.

Poole High School has a long standing tradi on of suppor ng community ini a ves and we are sure that our link with the Food Bank will con nue into the future.

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When In Rome....

In October Poole High took 69 students to Rome, Italy. The trip was an enrichment opportunity for students studying Art, Modern Foreign Languages, Ethics and Philosophy. For almost all the students this was their first trip to Italy and for nine of our students it was their first time ying and for six their first time leaving the UK. While in Rome our students had the opportunity to see and explore iconic buildings and landmarks including The Coliseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We also visited Vatican City to include St Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museum and The Sistine Chapel, all of which had breath-taking art and sculptures, including Michelangelo's sculpture 'Christ Carrying His Cross' and the celling of the Sistine Chapel. Having the chance to get up close to priceless works of art was not lost on our students who took the opportunity to listen to our guides and asked inquisitive questions.

The trip was also an opportunity to experience Italian culture. What better way to learn about a country than through its food! Our students and staff discovered why Italian ice cream is famous around the world. Eating pizza and pasta in the capital of Italy was also a great experience, even if one or two of our waiters were a little ummoxed by the size of our group!

Taking a large group on any trip has its challenges, these challenges increase when you take students outside the UK. However our students behaved exemplary throughout, they are credit to themselves and the school.

OFFSHORE – Opera with the Victoria School rd

On 23 September a group of 20 students from Poole High School began a busy week at Victoria Education Centre working with students from their Key Stage 4 and Post 16 students alongside professional artists from English Touring Opera. Students became either set designers or musicians and performers for the week and the process of creating the original opera “Offshore” based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare began. Students learnt Makaton signing which they incorporated into the performance and helped run workshops for some of the younger VEC students during the week.

On Friday 27th September an audience of parents and guests including our benefactors from Children in Need were invited to attend the performance along with all the students from VEC. The show was amazing as students had been involved in every aspect of the production including writing the music and songs and creating costumes and scenery. It was also incredible that they had achieved all this in only 4 days. Congratulations to all students who made lots of new friends and were an absolute credit to the school – DVDs will be ready for you all soon!

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