Many thanks to Mr Head, Mrs Flack and Year 7 students who have created a stunning Remembrance display on our main school gates.
Staff and students designed, made and painted wooden poppies which they used to create a display which is visible to those driving or walking past our gates.
Special thanks to Mr Winstone and his family for providing the wreath.
Remembrance Assembly
Mr Berryman will present our whole school Remembrance Assembly on Monday 11 November.
He said, "It is vital that as a school community we remember the sacrifices made by service personnel to give us our freedoms today, especially in the context of current conflicts happening around the world".
The assembly will focus on the comparison of the welfare state; what was fought for during the war and how it looks today. Mr Berryman will also speak about the importance of remembering the wider concept of democracy and our freedoms.
During the assembly students will be given time to reflect on what Remembrance means to them and the prefect team will read the names on the DHSB Roll of Honour before a minute of silence.
Special thanks to Noah Evans for recording, editing and publishing the assembly. We hope to include a recording in the Head's Blog next week.
Student News
Very well done to Archer Welch 7T who competed for the South West in the national finals for the men's artistic gymnastics level 3 grades with the team taking third place.
Congratulations also to Aryan Dua 11L who took part in a cricket tour in South Africa with the U15 Devon County Cricket Team during half term.
Aryan said, “The playing conditions were quite challenging as the weather was hot and the cricket pitches were dry resulting in quick and bouncy balls. The photo shows one of the innings when I made 52 runs and was not out”.
Don't forget you can let us know what you have been doing by completing this form. I've enjoyed reading all your news and look forward to sharing more in future Head's Blogs.
Please complete this Google Form if you have something for me to include.
Excellent Work
Mrs Ball has shared an example of Excellent Work this week from her Year 7 German class.
She said, “How amazing are 7S at German? 25 students achieved 9/10 or more on their first writing assessment after just six weeks of learning German. Particular congratulations to Jackson Winters who went over and above the required task by including the opinion verbs he's been taught and not just the required one”.
Mrs Ball added, “I am very much looking forward to developing this group's German over the next year”.
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.
Congratulations!
Money Mules
As a school we have been asked by the Regional Organised Crime Unit Network to draw attention to Operation Emma which is delivering action against money muling.
A money mule is an individual who allows the use of their bank account to send and receive criminal money. This may take place wittingly, unwittingly, or unknowingly, depending on how they were recruited or how access was gained to their account. They are used to transfer money, pass one-time passcodes to authorise payment, or communicate with banks to resolve frozen payments. When children or young adults are involved this can be referred to as Child Financial Exploitation.
The aim of Operation EMMA is to deliver coordinated action against money muling in all participating European countries. A key part of this is to provide information and education for the public about the signs, indicators, and risks of money mule activity in order to protect those most vulnerable. Young people are especially vulnerable to be targeted due to pressures online and 'quick cash' schemes. However, young people are often unaware of the consequences of being recruited as a money mule.
If you have concerns that someone you know is involved in money mule activity or is a victim of Child Financial Exploitation, please contact the school designated safeguarding lead, local authority, or your local police force (contact details below).
PTFA Update
The PTFA are having a great week!
On Tuesday we launched our popular Christmas Disco which takes place at Fever night club. The disco is open to students of DHSB, DHSG, PHSG plus their guests, Years 7, 8 & 9.
Be quick though, tickets are selling very fast and sales will close on 24 November, or sooner should we reach capacity. Please follow this link for details and tickets:-
On Wednesday we were delighted to hear that we have made the shortlist for the Parentkind National PTA Award 'The Secondary/Post-Primary PTA of the Year.'
A big thank you to our fantastic committee members and our amazing volunteers! Some of us will attend the virtual ceremony on 20 November.
Wednesday 20 November is also the date of our next PTFA meeting so that is a perfect link!
We'd love to meet you so please come along if you can. The nature of school life obviously means that parents move on when their children leave so we are always keen for new ones to come along.
You will be made very welcome. Refreshments provided too.
If you have any questions please email ptfa@dhsb.org and follow our social media for updates on forthcoming events:
X (formerly Twitter) @DHSBPTFA
Mrs Kinsella
PTFA Liaison
Sports News
Badminton
Mr Bunney said, "Well done to the U16 badminton team who started the first night of Plymouth Schools Central Venue league fixtures with a win against Eggbuckland on Tuesday".
Football
On Wednesday afternoon, the Year 9 B team kicked off their season in style, taking on Sir John Hunt in a nail-biting encounter writes Mr Strang. Despite showing promise and competing fiercely in the first half, DHS found themselves trailing 2 - 0 at the break, frustrated after a series of near-misses and squandered chances.
The second half, however, saw the school come out with renewed determination. Rocco Huggins led the charge with two superbly taken goals, igniting the DHSB comeback and leveling the score at 2 - 2.
With just minutes remaining and the game hanging in the balance, Ken Seymour stepped up to coolly slot the ball into the back of the net, securing a dramatic 3 - 2 victory.
Credit also goes to Stanley Kingdom 10A who officiated with maturity and authority, ensuring the game flowed smoothly and fairly.
It was a gutsy performance from the DHSB squad, showing resilience and composure that bodes well for the season ahead.
In another match played on Wednesday, Mr Manley reports that our 1st XI lost their second game of the season with a 3 - 1 defeat against Plymouth University.
Cross Country
Thursday saw a great day of cross country at the Plymouth Schools Championships with wins in Year 7 for Tristan and a great performance in the inter boys to win for Ben.
Mr Carpenter said it was a brilliant day for all competitors.
Basketball
Also on Thursday, the U14 Basketball central venue competition took place with Mr Carpenter reporting two good wins against St Boniface and Stoke Schools.
Rugby
Well done to all students competing at the U16 and U15 Rugby Festival today.
This is being held at the King George V Memorial Playing Fields in Elburton and we hope to bring you the results later.