This has been another positive week in school and I am grateful to everyone in our community for responding so well to our new measures and guidance.
It’s important for us all to maintain a Covid-19 secure school at DHSB.
Mrs Edwards, Deputy Head, has sent a summary of advice to parents and carers about what to do if your child is presenting with symptoms of Covid-19. The advice and flowchart of actions are also copied here.
Mayflower 400
I was very intested to hear that Devrim Phaneuf 9P worked on the Mayflower Autonomous Vessel which sailed on Wednesday as part of the Mayflower 400 commemorations.
I asked Phaneuf to tell me more about what he had been doing.
He said, "My initial involvement in this project started in lockdown. This had already been a project but the ship was beginning in construction and began further development. My interest with the ship sprang from my previous interest with programming and that this type of technology potentially could change the way we look at artificial intelligence and ocean exploration. After the first week of online school, I was invited to work in my dad’s company, helping with minor things and to mostly learn. I began work with helping build a submarine, learning about and testing hydraulic systems and doing small tasks here and there. As my interest began to grow with the Mayflower, I began to start minor work on helping with the ship, learning and helping build the ship. I sincerely believe that these types of vessels and projects are the next step in ocean exploration, keeping the oceans clean, and performing tests on the ocean. Overall working on the Mayflower project has been a huge privilege and I hope that it will do well on its journeys in the future".
A huge well done to Phaneuf.
Book Review
A big thank you to Fran Massaiu 7E who has sent me this review of a book he read during the summer break.
Fran said, “In July, I read the book The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Rauf which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s about a shy, Syrian refugee called Ahmet who joins a class of children in a London school. There is one boy in the class who is determined to become Ahmet’s friend. The book is about courage, friendship and kindness”.
The Learning Commons
Reading Fran’s book review reminded me to ask Ms Buckler for an update on the plans she has for the Learning Commons this year.
Whilst we are closed to student visitors in the Learning Commons, we are running our normal range of services, just in a different manner. From next week our new library system will go live, students will be emailed login details and they will be able to browse our catalogue and order books via a click and collect service.
We are also continuing to support students with e-safety with a constantly updated student ‘get help’ portal which is updated with the latest advice and has further information on any topics that they have looked at in their Digital Safety tutorial on Wednesday - students need to be signed in, but have access via the Learning Commons site.
The student year group portals will shortly contain advice for those students who find themselves learning back at home and we will be running a series of skills workshops, which will be recorded so they can be accessed anytime.
If students need support with a Chromebook though for warranty, licences or insurance they can book to come in using our appointments calendar (sign in required).
Ms Bucker
Contributions Please!
We would like more students and families to contribute to the Head's Blog over the next few weeks. If you would like to feature and are happy to share what you have been doing during the summer then please complete this Google form with your name and form group. Please also include a photo if possible.
You could send me a book review or a picture of you and the favourite book you have read in the last few weeks, or share with me a piece of creative writing or a poem.
Please share any new or creative ways that you are using technology, or let me know if you have tried a new hobby or activity over the past few weeks.
PTFA News
Many thanks to Mrs Armstrong and the PTFA who were finally able to draw the Easter Raffle this week. The winners have all been notified and the top four prizes are also listed here.
£250 cash - E Warburton
£100 cash - Rachel Murphy
£50 cash - Mrs Sanders
£50 Love2Shop vouchers - Mrs Barron-Robinson
The PTFA raise about £10,000 each year to help support the school. These are a few of the projects which have been supported recently:-
Computers and equipment for the Createch Hub
Refurbishment of the Sixth Form Centre
Contribution to the all weather pitch
Laser cutter for the D&T Department
Enterprise Hub – purchase of monitors and computers
Over 100 Chromebooks
Benches under the Colonnade
The School Lottery is one way that the PTFA raise funds and they would be grateful for your support in making this a success. There is more information at this link.
If you can volunteer to help, no matter how much or little of your time you can give, you will make a difference to our school. If you are interested please get in touch via ptfa@dhsb.org.