I hope that you all continue to keep well and safe during this difficult time.
I sent a message to all our students yesterday with a link to our virtual whole school assembly.
Please reinforce this message with your son/daughter in case they haven’t yet read my email.
On behalf of all our staff at DHSB I would like to convey how proud we continue to be of all of you, you continue to work hard, to try your best and to uphold the values of the school, the feedback has been excellent overall. This is such a difficult time for all of us, we all will experience highs and lows at the moment, sometimes you will find things tougher, for example how you are trying to do your work, but we want you to know that you are doing great even at the times when you are struggling. Please continue to connect with staff at the school for support if you need it and I know that you will continue to do your best.
Whole School Assembly
I am delighted to share with you our whole school assembly led by Mr Macleod, this should have been ready a couple of weeks ago as per the calendar but it has taken a little longer than expected to put together. I must express my deepest gratitude to Joe Watkinson, School Captain, Reuben Jones, Year 12, and Alfie Carlisle, DHSB Alumnus, who have worked incredibly hard to put this masterpiece together.
Here are just a few of the comments we have received.
Absolutely brilliant video, made me a little emotional, and Mr Macleod needs his own TV show! Well done to all involved
Brilliant and huge thanks to all involved for your superb efforts. Emotional times, just seeing “normal” again…
Great idea! Really enjoyed watching this yesterday. Well done and thank you to everyone involved.
Wartime memories of DHSB
Following our VE Day anniversary theme in last week’s Head’s Blog and the content in the whole school assembly, I can share with you the first hand account we received about the evacuation of DHSB to Penzance during the second world war.
These were written by Margaret Hodgson, the wife of a member of staff, who accompanied and cared for the students. It’s a very interesting read.
Message from Ms Davidson to Year 13 Students
In lockdown, it's difficult to keep track of time and incredible to think that this would have been the week in which we would have said our formal farewells. Many memories of these young men and women will remain in our hearts and minds forever more.
We are invariably proud of our leavers for their strong character, independence and immense potential. This year, more than ever, their stoicism and self reliance have been tested and brought to the fore and amidst the uncertainties of their futures in higher education or employment, our students are very adaptable and have shown that they can remain connected to each other and their communities in a very 21st century way. In the spirit of this and with the help of Alfie Carlisle (now studying Law at Exeter so kindly out of retirement from ‘tech help') we recently shared our good wishes and main message to Year 13 in this film.
PSHEE Activities
Each week Ms Moreton is sharing the PSHEE student activities with us to give families an opportunity to discuss the topics together.
Year 7 students are going bananas with an activity to learn more about Fairtrade.
Year 8 and 9 students have a lesson on resilience using resources from the Red Cross which explores resilience and what it means to be adaptable to change - very relevant at the moment for all of us.
Year 10 students have a lesson on Healthy Relationships and Sex Education. Due to the content all Year 10 parents have been sent an advisory email. Students will consider consent and other aspects of healthy relationships.
Year 11 students are also thinking about resilience. We have been fortunate to gain access to a certificated course by Eton College, one of a series called EtonX. The course on Resilience consists of 7 - 10 hours of self study which can be spread over this week and next week's lesson and could form a useful addition to a CV whatever future intentions may be.
Excellent Work
Dr Colvile has sent me an example of Excellent Work by Joshua Hayes 7E called ‘I spy Venus and the Moon’.
This was extension work from the Biology Springwatch Plants and Environment topic which extended beyond watching plants grow to watching the seasons in the sky as well.
Update from the NESTA Team
This week NESTA sent through some Raspberry Pi inventor kits which Ms Buckler sent on to our team, we were really pleased to be assigned a mentor to help us develop the idea and bring it to market. We have been matched with Laura Giddings who is the STEM education manager at RS Components. Laura will be on hand to inspire the team to see how a future in technology entrepreneurship is possible and support them in creating their technology pitch. This is what some of the team said. Noah – Over the last few weeks, we’ve been working hard to plan our idea and fill out a final document for our submission. The document contains questions and information based around the webinars that we attended last week – these were very well received and put together well during the current climate. We’re continuing to fill in our business plan and work on other tasks that need to be completed by the end of June for our final submission. Ben – This week I attended the Product Development and Concept Development webinars where we had to do several activities in a workbook that NESTA had sent out. George – This week we have met to discuss our thoughts in last week’s webinars, using Google Meet and allocated pages in our workbook for the members to complete over the coming weeks. Eddie - For the past few weeks I have been making a rough design of our app, as well as doing research into marketing. I found the webinars we participated in were very interesting and helpful in aiding the future plans of our idea.
eSafety Advice
This week we see the easing of lockdown and I have been reading with interest about how different countries will manage the idea of ‘track and test’ as clearly technology has a large part to play. In the UK, the Government is currently trialling the one they have developed on the Isle of Wight - with the possibility that it will be rolled out next week.
The UK, unlike our neighbours France, have developed the app alone, opting out of the help provided by Google and Apple, the idea being that they want to centralise the data that is stored which raises the question of data privacy. Contacted by Parent Zone, the Department of Health and Social Care said the minimum age for installing the app is “16 or 17, depending on Apple/Google app store specifications.” However, unless you have age restrictions in place on the device there is no way of verifying age and this then means that the app could collect health data on children without parents consent.
Whilst the Department of Health are still working this out, it could be a good time to reflect generally on the amount of private data websites and apps ask of us - here is a list of suggestions for staying as private as possible, summarised from Kasperspy
1. Check social privacy settings
It is time consuming but here is how to do it in:
2. Don’t use public storages for private information
Don’t use online services that are meant for sharing information to store your private data. For example, Google Docs isn’t an ideal place to store a list of passwords, and Dropbox is not the best venue for your passport scans unless they are kept in an encrypted archive.
3. Evade tracking
When you visit a website, your browser discloses a bunch of stuff about you and your surfing history. Marketers use that information to profile you and target you with ads. Incognito mode can’t really prevent such tracking; you need to use special tools.
4. Use messaging apps with end-to-end encryption
Use a messaging app with end-to-end encryption — for example, WhatsApp;
Note that by default, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Google Allo do not use end-to-end encryption. To enable it, manually start a secret chat.
5. Review permissions for mobile apps and browser extensions
Do not install browser extensions unless you really need them. Carefully check the permissions you give them.
6. Disable lock screen notifications
Protect your phone with a long, secure password, but leave notifications on the lock screen? Now any passerby can see your business. To keep that information from appearing on the locked screen, set up notifications correctly.