This week saw our Sixth Form House Captains delivering assemblies to their respective houses with a focus on charity, largely Red Nose Day and the crisis in Turkey and Syria.
This is the third time this academic year our team of young leaders have delivered to such a large cohort and they are demonstrating a high level of confidence and maturity along the whole process.
The house competition updates and of course Mr Huq's Fantasy Football League were also featured.
During the assemblies the House Captains took the opportunity to encourage support for the RND Bake Sale organised for Friday 17 March. All donations, baked or shop bought would be greatly appreciated.
Excellent Work
Congratulations to Zack Rowe 7C. Miss Brown has shared this excellent outcome from the practice finger joints lesson.
She said, “This was the first lesson in the workshop learning carpentry skills. Zack’s joint fitted very neatly demonstrating good marking out and manufacturing skills”.
Student News
Very well done to Will Wooller 11N who has been nominated and recognised as a Plymouth Sound Ocean Hero.
This is due to the volunteering that he does on a regular basis at Mountbatten Watersports Centre helping to instruct sailing.
Creative Arts News
Fabulous funding
The department has been very fortunate to receive two funding grants for new equipment this month. Our PTFA has kindly donated a sum of money to enable the department to buy four new bass guitars and amps, seen here modelled by Isaac and Alasdair in Year 11.
We are very grateful to the PTFA not only for this generous donation but also for supporting our live entertainment and events with an excellent bar service.
We also received a large donation from an alumni member Mr Martin Harris. This has enabled us to put an A frame on the grand piano in the theatre, and has been used towards a set of African drums for use in music at all key stages.
You will be able to see both demonstrated at upcoming events. Our heartfelt thanks to Martin and to the PTFA for your generosity.
Burgeoning talent
Rudi Gibbs Year 12 (our beast from the recent musical) has written and is directing his own play; here is the information if you would like to get involved.
Good luck Rudi!
James Baker Year 11 has written and produced his own music; such a talented producer and player, his music can be found following this link
Extra curricular clubs at the moment
Tuesday lunchtime: vocal performance group (Year 7 - 13 audition only) J01
Wednesday tutor time: string group 08.45 - 09.10 J01
Wednesday lunchtime: Live and Loud - Year 8 with Mr Creber
Wednesday after school: windband (Ingle) and Twilight GCSE Music J01
Thursday tutor time: Year 7 Singers 08.45 - 09.10 Theatre
Thursday lunchtime: soul band J01
Friday breaktime: brass band J01
Friday lunchtime: DHSB orchestra - staff and students J01
Friday lunchtime: drama club - Theatre
Date for the diary!
A Joyful Spring Ensembles Concert
A delightful mix of student Music and Drama performance group work from Year 7 - 11 and some of our school ensembles, and art gallery.
Edgcumbe Theatre on Thursday 30 March
6.00pm (doors open) bar with live DJ in the foyer
7.30pm - 8.30pm performances in the theatre
Tickets are cash donations at the end of the night with a give what you feel you can policy.
All proceeds will go toward the DHSB Creative Arts Fund. Hope to see you there!
Mrs Luing-Holmes
PSHEE Activities
Well, as you have probably gathered if you are a regular reader of the Head’s Blog, this week is National Careers Week #NCW2023.
This morning we had just under 20 speakers from a wide range of careers to talk to Year 10 and Year 11 students, who were allowed to choose from property entrepreneurship to materials science and engineering via hydrographics and wind farms, as well as our more regular sectors such as medical, architecture, IT and finance and others.
All but one were live presentations, with DHSB alumni well represented, and we all had a great morning.
A massive thank you to all these lovely presenters as it is so powerful having real experts giving accurate and up to the minute information and guidance on such a wide variety of possible careers.
The younger year groups had different lessons. Year 7 students completed their introduction to apprenticeship booklets, whilst Year 8 considered Influencer marketing; ould this be a potential career?
Year 9 students moved away from careers with a lesson about parliament, which will lead into a citizenship focus next week when we take part in The Big Legal Lesson for Year 7 - 10 (details next Friday).
For #NCW2023 I also asked all staff to bring a careers focus to their subject lessons if at all possible with links to real world applications, or host a discussion about their own careers, with any advice they would like to have been given when they were still at school.
So another National Careers Week over - looking beyond GCSE and A level and even a degree or apprenticeship, a fulfilling, useful and hopefully lucrative career has to be the ultimate goal for our students, and optimistically they are all just a little closer to finding that career.
Ms Moreton
Sixth Form Tutorial and Enrichment
A follow up on the Learn to Live event earlier in the year from the Plymouth Road safety team today for Year 12 with a focus on attitudes to risk and risk reduction.
Another Year 12 tutor group completed the summer house services workshop with tools for wellbeing for ourselves and being vigilant for others. Year 12 also continued with some aspects of career, planning, and setting goals through materials provided by UCAS, and last but not least, Year 13 students considered PAYE, national insurance and tax matters.
Sixth form students were invaluable in their roles this week as guides for potential new students (hundreds of students visited us over two days this week) as well as being super Interview panellists for the recruitment of the new Sixth form administrator and attendance officer.
Special thanks to our School Captain Mackenzie Pike and to Miss Kerswell and Mrs Nicholson for organising the tours and interviews.
Ms Davidson
Refuel Breakfast
From Monday 13 March Refuel will be open before school every morning from 8:00am - 8:45am reports Mr McConnell.
A launch offering with bacon baps, hashbrown and cheese baps, croissant, cereals, fruit salad and yoghurts will be available (to eat in or take away) to begin with.
Over time we will look to develop this offering to meet the needs of what our students would like to eat for breakfast.
Alumni News
'It’s an increasingly tech-centred world out there'
Read our latest Where Are They Now post written by Tom Kershaw who is currently working as a Senior Education Market Specialist for IRIS Software group.
If you are a former student and would like to take part in out Where Are They Now Feature then please contact my PA, Sarah Nicholson, at sarah.nicholson@dhsb.org
Sports Update
Football
The week started with a football fixture for the Year 9 team against a very solid team from UTC Plymouth.
Mr Campbell said, “Well done to all and a huge thank you to Joe P 11E for refereeing”.
On Wednesday Mr Strang said, “The wet weather did not dampen the spirits of the Year 7 central venue team who played three games drawing two and winning one”.
Well done to everyone involved.
Also on Wednesday, the Year 8 football team went out of the Devon Cup at the quarter final stage, losing 2 - 1 away at Ilfracombe Academy.
Mr Carpenter said, “ It was too cold for a team photo so here’s a picture of the snow on the way there instead”.
Congratulations to the team for reaching this stage in the competition.
And Wednesday afternoon saw the 2nd X1 unfortunately losing to 3 - 1 to Plymouth College.
Indoor Cricket
The U13 indoor cricket team competed at the Devon County Finals and finished in second place with good wins against Colyton, Sidmouth and Churston in the group stage then defeat to Torquay Boys in the final.
Mr Bunney said, “It was a great, fun day of cricket”.
Well done!
Cross Country
Mr Carpenter reports we had fantastic results at the Plymouth cross country competition last night with first and third for Eldon and Leo in Year 7, first for Ben in Year 9 and second for Tom in Year 11 with great all around team performances from all taking part in proper cross country conditions!
Well done!
Let's Talk Teenagers
Let's Talk Teenagers Plymouth is an opportunity for parents, carers or guardians of a teenager(s) to hear about the challenges young people are facing today, and the tools you can use to support your children and community.
These are FREE support sessions held across three Twilight Sessions online :
Tuesday 14/03/23 7:00pm - 8:30pm
• Teenage development including social and emotional changes
• Healthy and unhealthy relationships, including domestic abuse
• Body image
• Toxic masculinity
Tuesday 21/03/23 7:00pm - 8:30pm
• Community risks including county lines and gang crime
• Unhealthy relationships with a focus on child sexual exploitation and grooming
• Social media
• Safety planning
Tuesday 28/03/23 7:00pm - 8:30pm
• Family strengthening
• How to have challenging conversations
• Role modelling
• Emotional wellbeing and self-care
Parents can sign up by going to https://Letstalkplymouth.eventbrite.co.uk
