PULSE Teach What Matters
www.holyheadschool.org.uk
Pulse: Issue No. 42 Spring 2022
HOLYHEAD SCHOOL PRESENTS
CONTENTS 4 Chinese & Vietnamese New Year 5 Maths 6 Creative Arts 8 Schools Football Week 10 Modern Foreign Languages 12 Year 7 13 Morgan Stanley Project 14 World Book Day 16 Tree Planting at Holyhead 18 Yes I Can/Pride is for Everyone 19 International Women’s Day 20 Careers 22 Warner Bros Studio Trip
Front page image: Mr Wright as The Joker Graphic Designer: Miss Dhanjal
Editor: Mrs Mistry
Proofreader: Miss Aziz
Pr i n c i p a l ’s F o re wo rd
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wish all of those celebrating Vaisakhi and Easter the very best of wishes at this important time. I also want to acknowledge the start of the holy month of Ramadan, wishing ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ to all Muslim staff and families. It’s certainly a special time to be part of a rich and diverse community. As always, Pulse showcases the very best that our dedicated staff have to offer. You will surely be impressed with how hard our students work, their appetite to get involved in the opportunities and experiences we present them with and their kind and charitable nature.
We have designated April as the month of kindness and as we embrace the summer term, I am hoping kindness is something we all take to our hearts. You will find much more information about our work by visiting www.holyheadschool.org.uk or by following the school on twitter @holyhead_school. You can also learn more about our family of schools by visiting www.centralregionschoolstrust.co.uk.
Mr Trafford Executive Principal
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ebruary 1st marked the celebrations of Chinese and Vietnamese New Year. 2022 is the year of the Tiger. Those born in the Year of the Tiger are said to be brave, competitive, unpredictable and confident. I arranged to have members of the Buddhist temple come in and perform a traditional lion dance. Romiqua and I, along with members of the community, took part in the dance. The performance was held at break time and both students and staff thoroughly enjoyed it. The school was decorated with Chinese lanterns, the catering staff put on a Chinese themed menu and the Holyhead community celebrated this special occasion, as always showing respect and care for one another. We look forward to creating an even bigger buzz next year! Thoai, Year 13
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Maths
ear 12 A Level Maths Masterclass. Using maths to survive a zombie apocalypse.
On Wednesday 9th March, 11 of our Year 12 A Level maths students left their books and attended a Masterclass at the University of Birmingham to see maths in action. They were shown how to describe and predict the behaviour of populations using mathematical models in everyday life situations including surviving a zombie apocalypse. It was the first time some of the students had seen the University of Birmingham campus which was an inspiring moment for them. The students who attended were Ahmad and Khaleel 12A, Yusuf and Rajveer 12B, Ahmed 12E, Dia 12X, Mantesh and Musa 12D, Piryanka and Ikhlas 12F and Amanprit 12C.
“We went to University of Birmingham’s Masterclass on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse; it was very informative and there were lots of interactions between the lecturers and the crowd. Topics we learned about were mentioned in the masterclass e.g. differentiation. Overall, it was a great experience and very enjoyable” Priyanka 12F and Mantesh 12D “The trip was good, I learnt a lot about how we can use maths in the real world to estimate and figure out specific things. I was very excited to learn what
mathematics would look like at a university level and I am excited to get to university and experience it in its entirety.” Ahmad 12A
UKMT Intermediate Mathematics Challenge The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge (IMC) is run by the UK Mathematics Trust and supported by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. The IMC encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. It is aimed at students in Year 11 or below and the IMC is a popular mathematics competition with over 250, 000 students taking part each year. Certificates are awarded to the highest scoring 40% of candidates (Gold:Silver:Bronze, 1:2:3). The IMC took place on 2nd February 2022. 58 year 10 students entered from Holyhead School. “The Intermediate Mathematics challenge consisted of intriguing multiple choice questions, with an element of challenge allowing us to remain resilient throughout the challenge. I had to think hard and apply knowledge from different areas of mathematics in order to solve problems. I felt challenged and pleased to find out that I achieved a Bronze Award.” Alishba 10F
to the Award Winners: Bronze Awards: Alishba, Junayd, Arif, Isa, Vani, Rsophia and Shah
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s we move closer into the Spring term, our Creative Arts faculty have been working hard to showcase students’ work from across the school throughout all of our subjects. In Drama KS3 lessons have continued to develop performance skills, allowing students to confidently discuss and share ideas in small groups and showcase their skills in performances. Year 7 have been exploring the style of melodrama and mime looking at its origins and the specific skills required. In Years 8 and 9 students have been exploring industry practitioners focusing on key influencers in theatre, having a focus on careers in performing arts, along with this students have explored the play East is East. This has been well received by all students. We think it’s important that representations are embedded in our curriculum, ensuring there is a rich diversity of cultures and styles to study. Year 11 students are now completing their external exam. Students have been focused in lessons and are working towards a final
performance where they will get an opportunity to perform to a live audience for the first time in a very long time! Students in Years 7 to 10 took part in a workshop performance with Sudden Theatre, who specialise in theatre education, creating performances based on current affairs for young people. The performance ‘Isolated’ looked at young
people’s stories and experiences of the pandemic, with a focus on mental health. Our students got involved in every aspect of the workshop and created short pieces that reflected their view on the last two years.
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t KS3 students have been looking at a combination of African drumming, Samba and Reggae as well as exploring music technology through composition. Looking at and developing their own compositions for both film and game! Our key stage 4 and 5 students are working hard to complete their assignments for the vocational qualifications, with our Year 11 students completing their external performance unit. This is where they have to rehearse and perform their own set list as well as plan and organise their own concert/ festival! We wish them all the best in their assessment in the next few weeks time!
Students in 6th form have been exploring potential music careers, where within their lessons, they are gaining experience as sound engineers and producers, to compliment this, the 6th form students most recently went to the Birmingham Conservatoire, to explore these job roles in more detail, and gain a real insight into ways into the music industry, and the different type of careers that there are. As well as this, they have been exploring the role of a teacher within their music performance. For this topic they will teach younger students within the school how to develop their instrument skills! Well done to all of you for being so dedicated to your course, and for being willing to explore areas of the music industry out of your comfort zone!
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Schools Football Week
he beginning of February saw the annual Schools Football Week return after its absence due to the pandemic. Competitions were run for Years 7 & 8, Years 9 & 10, Year 11 and Years 12 & 13. We had a fantastic turn out with over two hundred students and staff taking part in some capacity. Every tournament was undertaken in the spirit that sport should be played in, with plenty of team work, effort and resilience shown by the players. The Schools football week allowed year groups to create teams with members of the opposite sex, with people from other year groups and even with people they had never played football with before. Myself and Mr Prentice would like to thank everyone involved in such an enjoyable event and hope that we can provide this festival of football again in years to come.
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Intercollege
hat a fantastic week it was for boys intercollege. All Years 7-11 were jam packed with players who were looking to be crowned the 2022 basketball champions! Every night was filled with fun, effort, competition and overall high level of play. Corwen came out on top for overall points earnt in the week, ensuring that the race for the College Sports Trophy is well and truly on for the rest of the academic year. Boys football will be the next event held before the Easter break and we are very much looking forward to seeing who will come out on top this time round!
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Boys football
t has been a mixed bag for each of the three KS3 football teams. Year 9 were unlucky in their attempt to move into the Quarter Finals of the U14 Cup, they were beaten by an incredibly strong and experienced Arena Academy side. However, Year 9s have been training hard over the last few weeks and are looking to bounce back in style when playing games
against Hamstead Hall, Broadway and Holte. It has been a quiet term so far for both the year seven and eight boys football teams. Both have been training well and are making massive progress in their abilities to play in specific positions and formations, meaning they are moving in the right direction to be competitive against other schools once games can be arranged. Both Mr Prentice and Mr Mills would like to thank all those who have been coming to training since September in the sun, wind, rain and cold, all of you have put in such great effort and we are enjoying the fact that we see you all have fun each week. Keep training, keep working hard and keep smiling!!
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Basketball
asketball at Holyhead is truly on the rise. Numbers are higher than ever at both the KS3 and KS4 after school clubs. Each week is filled with eager students, looking to play against friends, practise their basketball skills and challenge themselves to get better. The PE department are enjoying the fact that we are seeing so many different students come to each club. Each club allows students to come along and shoot a few hoops in a relaxed environment whilst the offer for 1-1 coaching from staff is always available to help improve knowledge, skills and experience. We have enjoyed watching students from different year groups challenge one another at games and this just reflects once more the community spirit that flows through the whole school. The KS4 boys basketball team are continuing to train twice a week with Mr Prentice, who is continually making them work in order to help prepare them for upcoming matches where they can wear the brand new Holyhead Basketball kit against Eden Boys East, Aston Manor and Handsworth Boys Grammar School. Keep working hard lads, we are proud of you and what you have achieved so far! Mr Prentice & Mr Mills
Modern Foreign Languages On célèbre l’Epiphanie en classe de français!
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n Tuesday 18th of January, 7B Talha, Kioni, Tanisha, Atlanta, Mtambala. Dawid, Ramone, Sadat , Vanessa and Lucas took part in the Cultural French Epiphany event. They made the ‘gallette’ and hid the ‘feve’. They also designed their own crowns. Sadat is the winner! Vive le Roi!
As in perfect tradition, the youngest one has to hide under the table. It is Sadat! Vive le Roi! Sadat has found the ‘fève’!
Great listening skills!
Who is going to be the King or the Queen next year?
Mtambala designing the galette event! A big thank you to Marie Lucie who led the event and to Mrs McKinney who let us use the oven in her room.
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¡Bienvenidos a Bocadillo Bar!
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n Friday 14th of January a number of Year 8 students spent their lunch in the MFL block, enjoying eating Spanish food, talking in Spanish, and listening to rhythmic music. Some enthusiastic Year 10 and 12 students helped them to order the food and drinks in Spanish, took photos and played the role of waiters. The Latin music completed the atmosphere (while the MFL teachers were dancing around the room).
¡Vamos a la fiesta!
Le cinéma, le septième art!
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n Sunday January 30th, Year 13 Maivy, Angely and Mariama as well as Year 11 Jagoda and Navjot accompanied Ms Menaouli and Mrs Grego to the MAC cinema to watch the masterpiece movie ‘les 400 Coups’.
The movie is Francois Truffaut’s sublime autobiography, a portrait of an unhappy child which describes grim scenes of home life and school life . The title itself from ‘faire les quatre cent coups’ means to lead a wild life, to do whatever one feels like in order to have a good time, regardless of societal norms or even legality. Here is what our Year 13 students have thought of the movie: ‘Nous avons aimé le film. Nous l’avons trouvé différent des films anglais ou américains. Quelle chance de pouvoir regarder un film de la ‘Nouvelle Vague’ du cinéma français et maintenant, nous allons écrire une dissertation: Analysez les aspects du film qui expliquent pourquoi les 400 Coups reste pertinent en France 2022’ We enjoyed the movie. We have found it different from English or American movies. How lucky we are to be able to watch a movie of the ‘Nouvelle Vague’ of French cinema. Now, we are going to focus on the following essay question: to what extent the movie is still relevant in 2022 French society.
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Year 7
Year 7 Principal Awards
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n the 8th February 2022, the following Year 7 students were awarded with a Principal's Certificate of Achievement. Sohna, Sadat, Ramone and Mtambala 7B. Alongside being presented with a certificate they were also given a school shop voucher and had the pleasure of having their form tutors Mr Mohr and Mr Rahman present in their success.
Afternoon Tea with Mr Trafford
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n the 7th March 2022, Ms Clarke and Mr Khan organised an afternoon tea with Mr Trafford as part of recognising and rewarding outstanding contributions from Year 7s. As part of securing an invitation to this wonderful celebration event, students have achieved the following :-
100% school attendance 0 lates A high number of myPoints The students who took part in this event Aimee 7A Haleema 7A Kanav 7A Pretty 7A Kioni 7B Sadat 7B Vanessa 7B Navpreet 7C
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Numair 7C Simran 7C Suniya 7C Zahra 7C Robin 7D Alan 7G Melin 7G
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Morgan Stanley Project
n Thursday 17th March 2021, twenty six high achieving and aspirational Year 7 students were chosen to represent Holyhead School in the Morgan Stanley Project. As part of this event, our high achievers were involved in various individual and group tasks where they had to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, team work, patience, perspective and leadership skills. Given the global brand and multinational investment bank Morgan Stanley is, it was important that our students were able to demonstrate the LORIC values that we celebrate, promote and portray at Holyhead. The event was organised by Mr Briah, our Director of Careers and teacher of Business Studies and ICT. The feedback from Mr Briah and representatives from the Morgan Stanley institution was positive and pleasant about our students and that they engaged very well. The students mentioned below took part in the Morgan Stanley project and will be earning myPoints and lots of praise for their efforts, engagement and energy level.
Lilly 7A Sahil 7A Haleema 7A Mtambala 7B Kioni 7B Tanisha 7B Sadat 7B Suniya 7C Numair 7C Simran 7C Mercy 7D Muhammad 7D Alexandra 7D
Zeeshan 7D R'Maiah 7E Grace 7E Syedur 7E Samanta 7F Ishwin 7F Guste 7F Rajveer 7G Melin 7G Tamia 7G Aliyah 7H Shubhleen 7H Zakia 7H
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et again, Holyhead comes together in its normal spectacular way to celebrate the 25th celebration of World Book Day! This years theme choice was Heroes and Villains, with staff and students pulling out all the stops to win the prize for best dressed. From the likes of the battle of the Scrooges to a menagerie of Marvel characters. All students were given a book voucher to use to get £1 off a book of their choice from book shops and for the first time, students were given the chance to swap their voucher in the school shop for one of the World Book Day young adult books - all books had gone within a week!!!! Reading is something that we, at Holyhead, believe is a vital life skill and something that is promoted throughout the school, through disciplinary literacy in the classroom but also promoted through tutor time and within our library. World Book Day provides a great opportunity to celebrate some of our favourite books and characters and have a good old chinwag about how much we love them and why. Research shows that simply 20 minutes of reading a day has a significant impact on
our reading skills - whatever our age! But research also tells us that for young adults, the development of reading is also necessary for future life chances and opportunities. We want to support and encourage this as much as possible. World Book Day fell right in the middle of our termly reading week. During lessons and tutor time reading is promoted through recommended reads, reading tasks and activities. Also lots of competitions and events, including best blurb and front cover in which all the amazing entries have been sent to Central Regions Trust to see if any of them are winners against the other schools! Thanks to all those that entered. In addition, the week after we welcomed, yet again, the Book Fair which has been incredibly successful. The votes are also in for best dressed: 3rd place - Mr Mohr - Spiderman 2nd place - Mrs Robinson - TRex 1st place - Mr Wright - The Joker Well Done Mr Wright - great effort! A huge thank you to all that took part and for the efforts with their costumes for the day…get planning for next year!
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First Aid Training
his term all the Senior Students are given the opportunity to participate in First Aid training delivered by Avid Mason from the British Red Cross. This is a valuable & important skill to have and it boosts their confidence in helping others.
“It was an engaging experience learning how to save someone’s life and learning about the bystander effect. It is vital to learn this information so that people are not just able to help but are willing to do so.” - Tadeusz 11C
Mr R Smeaton
“It was fun, helpful and increased my confidence to help someone.” - Bilal 11I
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Tree Planting at Holyhead We are trying our hardest to make Holyhead School an eco-friendly space. If anyone has any other ideas on what we can do in the Summer Term, please get in touch! Mrs M Khan
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he Green Influencers have been getting ready for Spring by pushing forward small actions that have a big impact on the environment! After launching Meat Free Mondays (MFM) last term, we have taken plastic bottle collections to new levels- with the highest number collected being approximately 600 in just one week! Thank you so much to everyone at school for getting on board with this and please continue to hang onto your plastic from the canteen as we will continue to collect and recycle on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during Form Time. Alongside this, our lovely Site Staff have helped us put into place the “Water Intersection” located just outside of SPACE. We encourage all staff and students to use this refilling station and to reuse their plastic. Holyhead water bottles are available from the School Shop for £1. The most exciting project, however, has to be the Tree Planting that took place on Monday 7th March 2022. We received 15 saplings from the Tree Appeal that have now been planted behind the Sports Hall. Trees are the longest-lived organisms in the world and provide homes and food for innumerable species of birds, mammals and insects. They can also reduce our carbon footprint massively. Thank you to Mr Trafford for supporting this project and to both staff and students that helped plant them.
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Have you logged into Arbor & Parent Pay
If you have not successfully logged into Arbor please email arbor-support@holyheadschool.org.uk stating the following: - Your child’s full name and form - Child’s date of birth - Parent/carer’s own name - Your relationship to the child
If you have any problems with ParentPay or need to register please email sseniaray@holyheadschool.org.uk or contact the school on 0121 523 1960 and ask to speak to Mrs Seniaray
Yes I Can Mentoring Careers interviews
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his term mentoring BCB has been going well. Students have had personalised careers interviews with Sandra Jones allowing them to consider a variety of different career pathway options that are available. They found the experience very valuable and look forward to taking action and continuing their research.
Let’s Play Dominoes
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es I Can mentors, students and the SLT got together on the 16th February to play dominoes. We united to share Caribbean culture, strengthen relationships and to have fun! A special shout out to all those who attended and to Malachi 9A who was clearly the best at playing dominoes! The Yes I Can Mentoring Team
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Pride is for Everyone!
e successfully launched the school’s anti-homophobia campaign with a recorded assembly, a poster competition, and a whole week of in-person assemblies. We also gave out free rainbow wristbands. First prize in the competition goes to Amelia, 11A, and joint second prizes to Aisha 9C and Parneet 9C.
Well done, all of you!
Aisha 9C
We want to promote respect, acceptance, and PRIDE in all our students. School needs to be a safe space for everyone to be who they are. We hope you enjoyed our assemblies, and that you’ll take part in the next competitions and activities which will be in May to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia [IDAHOBIT}. Let’s make Holyhead even more inclusive and diverse in every way! Mrs SabinSimpson & Miss Moore
Pameet 9C
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Amelia 11A
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n 8th March we celebrated International Women’s Day. This is a global day which marks women’s achievements. Holyhead staff got involved by wearing the colour purple, which represents justice and dignity. The wonderful catering staff created some purple themed cupcakes, which were delicious! Staff shared their opinions on which women had inspired them. There were famous authors, politicians and women closer to home: mothers and wives.
“Women can be whatever they want, regardless of any barriers that are set for them.” Miss Aziz “The mother of my children.” Mr Knox “Inspirational women, like my Nan, is what this day is all about. Congratulations to you all.” Mr Trafford
“My mum inspired me to always work hard. And push down barriers.” This year’s theme was #breakthebias. It’s important for our students to understand that Miss Gill gender should not be a form of bias and women, as well as men, are capable and allowed to pursue their dreams.
Thank you to all the Holyhead staff for their participation and enthusiasm. Miss Aziz
National Apprenticeship Week National Apprenticeship Week took place on Monday 7th- Friday 11th February 2022. In order to celebrate this week we were able to put together a presentation which enabled students to engage in form time and discuss the opportunities Apprenticeships have. The presentation involved information about what National Apprenticeship Week is all about, what Apprenticeships are, as well as skills required for Apprenticeships. Short clips of real life examples were also shown to the students to help encourage and motivate them.
Business Project for Year 7s students were challenged to solve business issues and design innovative solutions to everyday problems affecting businesses today. The themes were centred around Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) a concept which was explained by the staff that joined us at school from Morgan Stanley on Thursday 17th March. The students worked in teams to come up with a business idea and have an opportunity to develop skills such as communication and teamwork and learn more about the world of work!
This way students are able to gain knowledge of the possible opportunities there may be if they would like to go into the world of work as well as gaining a qualification. National Careers Week National Careers Week took place on Monday 7th - 11th March 2022. Powerpoints about Careers were sent out to all year groups to go through during form time. As well as assemblies led by Mr Briah throughout the week. Our students were able to watch videos about careers and were given lots of information about the different kinds of careers options out there in the world.
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After the assemblies and Powerpoint slides shown to the students, they were able to identify the different stages of getting a job and also made them think about the possible career path they'd like to follow after education at Holyhead school.
“The Morgan Stanley team thoroughly enjoyed working on a sustainability project with the Holyhead Year 7 students. We were really impressed by their attitude, enthusiasm and creativity! We are very grateful to each member of staff that gave their time and energy to make the project a success – we were made to feel really welcome and it is greatly appreciated. We are very much looking forward to the next sessions with the students.” Stephanie Mitchell, Vice President Morgan Stanley
Parents and carers information Gov website: Parents guide to apprenticeship https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/711088/Parent-Guide-Apprenticeships.pdf Useful websites: https://www.titan.org.uk/careers-skills-fairs/ https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship https://icould.com/ https://www.eclips-online.co.uk/home https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ Contact details: Director of Careers: Mr S Briah sbriah@holyheadschool.org.uk Careers Admin Support: Miss A Akhson aakhson@holyheadschool.org.uk Phone number: 0121 523 1960 ext: 3068
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eClips is a website parents and students can use with accurate information on over 1400 jobs including live labour market information and a wealth of impartial advice on education and employment choices, eCLIPS helps young people to make informed study and career decisions. You can access the eClips link by going on the Student portal from the school website. https://www.eclips-online.co.uk/# The Gatsby career benchmarks are a framework that schools and colleges can use to develop a good careers programme. They are the recommended elements of good practice in career guidance. The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks helps us in Holyhead school to ensure all students have a great understanding of Careers, making sure they take part in careers events, gain some work experience and have access to career advice. https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/ focus-areas/good-career-guidance
BOOK FAIR
o celebrate World Book Day 2022 we arranged for a pop-up bookshop to be held in school for a week.
Students of all Year groups were issued with a free World Book Day token which they could use to obtain £1.00 off any book purchased from the bookshop. There was an amazing “book buzz” atmosphere around the school and the students were very excited!. Very well done everyone! Miss Noble Librarian
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n February, the magic returned to Holyhead when a group of 40 Year 8 students were taken to the Harry Potter Studios in London. This usually takes place in Year 7 but due to Covid, it had to be postponed. Students read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as part of their English curriculum. This trip was designed to show them the result of one person’s creative writing and how
she has managed to influence this particular genre. Students and staff thoroughly enjoyed their visit. We look forward to the next one for Year 7 in the summer. Miss Aziz, English Teacher
Chinese & Vietnamese New Year Celebrations
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