Bonjour, hola, hallo!
On Thursday, we celebrated the European Day of Languages at school with a variety of activities.
During morning tutorial students participated in a language trivia quiz, testing their knowledge and sparking an interest in learning new languages, and teachers introduced foreign languages in their classes throughout the day.
It was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to embrace the richness of Europe's languages and cultures.
Anti-Bullying Ambassador Training
Yesterday we hosted the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador training for schools across the South West with over 100 students from eight schools on site.
At DHSB we now have another 15 Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to add to our fantastic team.
Well done to all who took part.
Sustainability at DHSB
The morning assemblies this week have seen the students introduced to our plans for sustainability and the creation of our Climate Change Action Plan (CAP).
The Department for Education has advised all educational establishments to have a CAP in place by 2025 and we are partnering with Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) to have our students front and centre in this process.
Students have seen the plans for workshops on green careers, biodiversity, decarbonisation and resilience and adaptability. All students have been invited to put themselves forward to be involved with the sessions across the year which will see the creation of the DHSB Climate Change Action Plan.
Exciting times ahead!
Miss Cunningham
Student News
Well done to David Brain 10T who developed and released his game FLIKK on Steam during the summer. The game was made over seven months.
This is what David said, “FLIKK is a 2D platformer game about avoiding obstacles and switching objects on and off to reach a goal. You can create your own levels with the game's built-in level editor, publish them, and play other people's levels with the online level browser. The online server backend was made by Kenzou Twitchett (he did tons of work thank you so much). I got in touch with tons of musical artists to include their music in a music player which can be toggled on and off at any time”.
He added, “There are loads of other cool features like character customisation and a stopwatch for speedrunning.”
Congratulations to Auro Kanwar 8F who completed the Stage 3 RYA sailing course at Mountbatten Watersports Centre during the summer holidays. Auro learnt how to rig and de-rig a boat, and about launching and recovery.
He says, “I built confidence in a range of sailing techniques. It was a great experience and I hope to do the advanced level next year”.
Jack Jane 10L had a good summer. He saw The Other Woman at Leadworks and learnt how to make welsh cakes from scratch - well done!
Zen Kanwar 10F attended the National Air and Space Camp with Air Cadets (RAFAC) during the summer break.
Zen said, “It was a large one week camp in the midlands with over 1500 cadets. We went to restricted airbases and sat in Typhoons, and watched eight fighter jets take off at once. I went gliding and earned my Blue Wings badge. We went to the National Space Centre and formed our own meteors using chemical reactions, created a hoverboard using a leaf blower, set fire to a model rocket motor and went into a rocket launch simulator. A lot of major companies also came to the camp showcasing future careers in aviation. Then an airshow was hosted for the camp with F15s from the US Air Force and many other fascinating aircraft”.
This sounds brilliant - well done Zen.
Don't forget you can let us know what you have been doing by completing this form. We'd love to hear from you!
Please complete this Google Form if you have something to share with us.
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 students deserve a special mention.
This week all six are Year 7 students. Congratulations!
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Update
We want to celebrate all the students who completed their DofE Award during the last year in bronze, silver and gold. Very well done to all for this significant achievement.
Their names are linked here.
Mrs Wills has also provided this update and information on how to sign up for the award this year.
Gold expeditions 2024
16 of our Sixth Form students successfully took part in an expedition in Slovenia this summer, completing four days of self sufficient walking and camping in the Soca Valley. They were treated to beautiful scenery and hot temperatures, and we were really impressed by their resilience and positive attitude. The addition of white water rafting and a trip to Lake Bled made this a really enjoyable trip.
We also had 14 students take to the hills of Bannau Brycheiniog in South Wales. They completed their walking expedition during a surprisingly hot and dry week, and once again impressed us with their fortitude and energy.
Well done to them all!
This year students have chosen adventurous activity providers in the UK, surf and yoga in Portugal, cooking in the UK and in the Alps to name a few!
All these students also need to complete a minimum of six or twelve months volunteering and complete the physical and skill categories.
They have chosen a range of volunteering activities, including helping out at youth organisations, charity shops, and community cafes.
Sign up now!
If your child is in Year 9 (Bronze), Year 10 (Silver) or Year 12 (Gold) now is the time to sign them up for their own DofE adventure. Deposits can be paid on MCAS, and there is a DofE resilience fund to help towards costs if eligible.
More information is available on our school website at this link and letters have gone home to parents via email.
Mrs Wills
October Holiday Club
Bookings are now open for our October half term holiday club.
This provision is aimed at 8 - 13 year olds and anyone from the wider community is welcome to sign up. Sessions will run from 09:00 - 15:00 and are sold on a daily basis but must be paid for in advance.
Activities will include basketball, multisports, the Rock Project and photography.
Sports Update
Rugby
Well done to the Year 9 Rugby team. The team kickstarted their season with two wins against Coombe Dean and Lipson Schools.
Also this week the U16 rugby team played and beat Eggbuckland CC in an excellent game.
Congratulations!
Football
Mr Callicott reported that the first national cup game for the Year 8 football team ended in a win. A great effort from everyone on the team.
Also this week, Mr Orkney said, "A famous win for the DHSB 2nd XI who beat the Lipson first team 2 - 0 on Wednesday afternoon".
Table Tennis Festival
It was a fantastic day for the students at the Plymouth Table Tennis festival. Thank you to Lipson Academy for hosting an amazing event.
Mr Callicott said, "Some great table tennis on show at the festival from all students".
PTFA News
A big thank you to everyone who came to our first PTFA Meeting of the year and a warm welcome to the new parents who joined us - it was lovely to meet you. When one said her daughter told her she had to come to the PTFA meeting because we do the best events we know we're doing something right!.
An extra thank you to Audrey for stepping in when our secretary was unable to make it.
Date of next meeting
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 20 November, refreshments provided - in fact one new parent who joined us said that she would definitely be back for the cookies.
If you may be able to help at an event, even for just an hour or so, please submit this short form, thanks:
Any questions, pleases email ptfa@dhsb.org
Please also follow our social media for updates on forthcoming events:
X (formerly Twitter) @DHSBPTFA
Mrs Kinsella
PTFA Liaison
Remembering Dr Cresswell, our Sixth Headteacher
Thank you to Mrs Kinsella who has compliled this tribute to Dr Cresswell.
This month we remember and pay tribute to our sixth Headteacher, Dr John (Jack) Leslie Cresswell MA DPhil who passed away 50 years ago in September 1974 – still serving DHSB. Doc Cresswell, as he was affectionately called, was the Head from 1953 - 74. He was ‘a tall figure with a shy smile and a slight, scholarly stoop.’ The School Magazine described him as ‘a scholar and a gentleman, and a man of broad and human sympathy, kindliness and courtesy. To balance all these, he has the forthright qualities of the Yorkshireman.’
The 1974 School Magazine records, ‘From the moment of his arrival, he showed a profound concern for the reputation and progress of the School, both in academic and sporting spheres, and this concern never lessened, even during his long illness and during the closing weeks of his life.’
Dr Cresswell’s most lasting legacy which will be enjoyed indefinitely is the filling in of Stonehouse Creek resulting in our outdoor recreation space and the subsequent 3G all weather pitches (astroturf) which are enjoyed by the students and the wider community.
During his time in Plymouth Dr Cresswell was a loyal and active citizen. His interest in painting led him to become Secretary of the Plymouth Arts Club. Two of his paintings of Buckland Abbey are shown here - kindly donated by Dr Cresswell’s daughter Sheilah.
Dr Cresswell was a staunch supporter of the grammar school and loyally upheld the traditions that made Devonport High School so successful. It was under his leadership that the school became one of the most respected in the West Country and, as Mrs Cresswell said at the time, that is the memorial which he would value most. In his own words, his aim was, ‘To make the school the finest of its kind in England.’
Such was the respect for Dr Cresswell that a memorial concert was held for him in the Plymouth Guildhall which was offered for use free of charge.
If you would like to read more please use this link:-
Macmillan Coffee Morning
Many thanks to Mrs Luing-Holmes for hosting a cake sale in the staffroom this week, raising over £220 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Thanks also to all staff who baked, bought and ate cake, helping to boost the total funds raised.
Well done!
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