Holocaust Memorial Day
A group of our Year 13 students took part in Plymouth City Council's Holocaust Memorial Day at the Council House on Tuesday.
Schaefer Mann, Will Jones, Dan Plunkett, Seb Paterson and Olivia Yates delivered a moving presentation as part of a programme that included the Lord Mayor, city councillors and prominent members of religious communities from in and around Plymouth.
They then moved onto the Peace Garden where Will and Schaefer contributed to the public ceremony too. You may have caught a clip of them speaking so eloquently on ITV news on Tuesday evening.
Arezoo from the Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity, said, “Thank you seems so inadequate in light of DHSB’s powerful, inspiring and thought-provoking contribution. Please accept our sincere and heartfelt thanks to you all for making the this year’s HMD commemorations even more memorable. There wasn’t a single person who failed to be impressed and inspired by the whole team”.
Student Leadership
This week saw the House Captains deliver their first House Assemblies, the theme of the term is resilience and their specific focus was overcoming adversity. The assemblies were virtual this time, which allowed for the teams to develop their planning and presenting skills ahead of the next face to face assemblies.
All teams made connections between the day to day adversity that a typical student may face, not just at DHSB, but any school and the challenges that lay ahead for all including exams and the stress they may cause.
Amongst the presentations were some great examples of how known figures have overcome adversity within their lives and also the steps an individual can take to minimise stress and maximise achievement.
There were a number of technical skills showcased within these assemblies and the House Captains should feel proud and confident ahead of their next assemblies in March.
Introducing our Duke of Edinburgh Young Leaders
Euan and Will have volunteered to become Young Leaders for the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. They will be supporting our delivery of the award at school, including helping students to complete their volunteering, physical and skill sections.
They have undergone online training and have first hand experience of Bronze and Silver. Thank you to them for stepping forward, and together we hope to help many students with their awards.
Mrs Wills added, "Duke of Edinburgh training for Silver and Gold teams is going well including pitching tents, lighting stoves, refreshing first aid, kit talk and rucksack packing".
Excellent Work
Mrs Mintoft has shared these examples of Excellent Work from 7P.
She said, “Year 7 students are studying the problems medieval kings had when trying to govern Britain. In this topic students study the power struggles between the King and the Church. They were tasked with writing a newspaper article on the muruder of Thomas Becket. Work was done first on identifying key features that would grab the attention of the reader.".
These examples were produced by Billy, Isaac, Britto, Euan, Zac and Hadley who have all earned commendations.
PSHE Update
Year 7 Staying Healthy
In an initiative led by Ms Hicks, students in 7S recently undertook a thoughtful exploration of mental health. Engaging in research and creativity, they collaborated to craft posters that delve into the complexities of mental wellbeing.
The essence of this project extends beyond the classroom as it seeks to empower our young learners. By arming themselves with the knowledge acquired during their research, students are equipped to make informed choices that positively impact their mental health.
This unit not only nurtures a deeper understanding of mental wellbeing but also encourages a proactive approach, fostering a sense of agency among students as they navigate the intricacies of their mental health journey.
This project stands as a testament to our commitment to holistic education and the wellbeing of our students.
Mr Scott
Sixth Form Enrichment
Today, in tutorial sessions, Year 12 students had the first of two sessions on sexual harassment. This session focused on public sexual harassment and followed Zara McDermott's TV documentary investigation into attitudes and experiences of this amongst young people.
Year 13 students had their third and final session on consent. This session focused on unwanted, inappropriate and illegal behaviours. The lesson helped students to identify signs of such behaviours and explored attitudes towards sexual abuse, including challenging victim blaming.
For our enrichment session today we were fortunate to have a visit from Tara from Age UK. She shared with us the different ways that Age UK supports individuals in Plymouth, how to get involved with the charity and what their plans are for the upcoming year.
Mrs Briars- Delve
Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader
Each week we celebrate our highest performers in both Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader, two of our core homework platforms. We are proud of all of our students who complete their homework each week to such a high standard but these six students deserve a special mention.
Well done!
Les Misérables
This is the final call for tickets for our production of Les Misérables which we are staging in the Edgcumbe Theatre next week on 7, 8 and 9 February 2024.
Friday evening is sold out and only a few tickets are still available for the Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Well done to everyone who has worked so hard to bring this show together; we're sure it will be fabulous!
Holiday Club
Our February holiday club is aimed at 8 - 13 year old students and anyone of this age from the school and the wider community is welcome to sign up.
Mr Campbell said, “We have lots of amazing sporting and enrichment planned”.
Monday 12 Feb Laser tag with Battlefield Live Kernow
Tuesday 13 Feb Multi-Sports with Plymouth Argyle Community Trust
Wednesday 14 Feb Putting musical skills into practice with The Rock Project
Thursday 15 Feb Football with Plymouth Argyle Community Trust
Friday 16 Feb Basketball with Plymouth Patriots
Sessions will run from 09:00 - 15:00 and can be booked on a daily basis. Each session is £20 per day.
Sports Update
Football
Congratulations to the Year 11 football team who once again have made the quarter-finals of the national cup after a win against a tough Highworth Warneford on Monday. The score was 2 - 1.
The draw for the next round will take place on YouTube on Monday.
It was the turn of the Year 10 team to attend their central venue competition this week.
Mr Manley said, “It was another good night of football for our Year 10 team who won one and lost one”.
They came back from two down to draw 2 - 2 with the last kick of the game before going on to win on penalties.
An excellent game from both teams.
Also, pictured is the Year 9 team getting a run out in the Plymouth central venue football last night in the sun!
The Year 8 football team put in a very strong performance to beat Coombe Dean 5 - 0 in the Plymouth Schools cup.
They are now in the semifinal which will be played after half term.
Indoor Cricket
Congratulations to the U15 Indoor Cricket team who have qualified for the county finals after winning the West Devon schools tournament at the Life Centre this week.
Well done to all involved.
Table Tennis
Very well done to the team of DHSB students who competed at the Devon Schools individual Table Tennis Championships.
We finished in first place in the U19 and U16 competition.
Athletics
Mr Carpenter said, “Well done to the Year 7 and Year 8 indoor athletics combined teams (DHSB and DHSG) who competed at the Plymouth and West Devon Finals at Marjon at the end of last week”.
There were fantastic performances all around and the results are just in!
The Year 8 team finished in first place and the Year 7 team finished in third place.
Excellent results from all - well done!
