USH Newsletter 12th June 2015

As the Year 11 group prepares to leave Upper Shirley High School, the staff prepare to say goodbye.  On Monday 15th June at 2pm we will hold our leavers assembly for Year 11. Although the expectation is that all students attend in full school uniform, the atmosphere will be relaxed and provide an opportunity to reflect over the last five years, and some awards will be presented. We then have the School Prom which is on Thursday 25th June at the Ageas Bowl. Having seen pictures of what some of the students will be wearing, the staff will really have to step up their game in order to not feel underdressed!  Our thanks go out to the Year 11 prom committee and staff for organising what should be the best Prom yet. We are all looking forward to it!

There’s still lots happening for every other year group too; some of which is in this newsletter.

Kind regards
Phill Taylor, Deputy Head

Two Year 7s were lucky enough to attend this ceremony during May with Mr Tanihatu (including a visit to Sprinkles Ice Cream Parlour on the way home!)

Olivia Norton said, “When I went to see the new making of the Mayor it was really interesting and was a new experience for me.  I learnt more about the city and I felt honoured to be there!  In addition to seeing the new Mayor taking her place, there were also soldiers marching in and out of the Guildhall which was really exciting!  It was a great day!”

Milo Bullock, “This event marked the start of the mayoral year. It also announced who was joining the council, who was leaving the council and inaugurated the new Mayor and explained why she was picked.  As well, it inaugurated the deputy (the Sheriff) for the year.  Some important members of Southampton attended this ceremony, such as the head of the police.

Overall it was a very special occasion and I was honoured to go to it.  In twenty odd years’ time I will have the privilege to be able to say, ‘When I was in Year 7 I saw the 793rd Mayor Making Ceremony!’"

Congratulations to Olivia Kowalik and Isaac Mittoo for being selected as the two students to represent USH on the government funded WW1 Centenary Battlefield Tour from the 4th – 7th October.  They were both outstanding applicants and will do a great job in representing the school. The trip will be a brilliant experience for them and one they are both very keen to share with everyone at USH upon their return. 

Olivia and Isaac will visit Ypres in Belgium where, along with other students from local schools, they will be given a guided tour of the Memorial Museum, Passchendaele in memory of one of the biggest and most horrifying battles of the war which took place in 1917.  Isaac’s great-grandfather fought and was seriously injured in the battle of Passchendaele.  They will then have a guided visit of Tyne Cot cemetery (the largest British military ceremony in the world) and Laangemark (a German cemetery). In the evening they will take part in the Menin Gate ceremony.

On 6th October they will travel to France to where the Battle of the Somme took place in 1916 and have a guided tour of the many memorial parks and cemeteries in honour of the fallen from different countries around the world.

On the final day, they will be guided around In Flanders Fields Museum which is dedicated to the hugely significant role Ypres played in the war.  Olivia and Isaac will then take part in the Coming World Remember Me workshop commemorated by the Flanders Government.  Here they will make a pottery figure based on a part of what they have seen on the trip which will form a memorial being made to commemorate the 600,000 people who were killed in Flanders during the First World War.  Lastly they will get to explore the powerful individual stories behind headstones at Lijssenthoek Cemetery before returning home.

I would personally like to thank all Year 9 students who put a lot of effort and time into applying for the two places. Subject Awards have been rewarded for the extremely high standard of arguments made.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading them even though it made making a decision extremely difficult.

Stuart Farley, Subject Leader for History 

The Year 9 DofE practice expedition is fast approaching and all the hard work the students have been putting in training and learning new skills will be put to the test when they are navigating their way through the New Forest.

Students are now separated into smaller groups of 4-7 and each group will set off from the start point with everything they will need for an overnight stay at Ferny Croft campsite.  During this practice weekend students will be carrying not only their food but also tents, trangias, sleeping bags and roll mats.  This will be the first time they have had to carry all their kit and I imagine it will be a bit of a shock for some of them but I am sure they will rise to the occasion.

On Friday 10th July students will arrive at school as normal and can store their rucksacks in the music department.  After tutor students will collect and check their kit.  We will then quickly go over the plan for the day before loading up and setting off.  The students will be walking through the Forest on a planned route and will arrive at the campsite in time to set up tents and prepare their evening meals.  There will be some free time in the evening to sit around and talk or play games.  We will also hold a quick review of the plans for the following morning before students retire to their tents.

On the Saturday morning after breakfast students will need to repack their rucksacks and clear the campsite before continuing their planned walk.  Parents can collect them at the end point or they can be brought back to school for collection.

Jenny Murphy, DofE Coordinator

The USH U13 team went to The Gregg School to play their rounders teams and scored a double win against both their teams.  A special mention is due to Chloe Parkinson who did a fantastic job after helping us out at the last minute due to a team member’s illness.

• USH U13 6 The Gregg School A 3
• USH U13 6½ The Gregg School B 2.

The U13s won their final match of the league against St Georges B by 4-2, getting 7 of their players out with some fantastic fielding.

Meanwhile the U15 team also beat The Gregg School by 5 to 2.

The girls were excellent on the night and very patient with the transport situation. They represented the school to the highest standard and displayed an outstanding level of skill and sportsmanship throughout.

Well done to all involved!

Claire Marks and Claire Sidney, PE department

Dear Year 11 Prom goers and their parents/carers

Upper Shirley High School Prom Details

As the exam season is drawing to a close, thoughts move on to the USH School Prom on Thursday 25th June at the Ageas Bowl.  We felt this would be a good time to forward on as much detail as possible to ensure that the evening runs as smoothly as possible.

Arrival
Students are expected to arrive at the Ageas Bowl between 6.30 – 7.15pm.  As there will be a large number of vehicles of various shapes and sizes likely to arrive at similar times we ask that you are patient and wait for your opportunity to leave your vehicle in the show and glamour that you all deserve.  USH staff will be stewarding at this point, so please follow their direction.  The map below shows where you are to be dropped off.  There is a small 150 metre walk from the car exit point to the red carpet. 

Parents / carers who are not dropping off students are asked to park in the main car park / car park 3* and walk round to the Pavilion if you are hoping to take photographs of the students arriving.  Weather allowing the red carpet will be placed just outside the main entrance, we ask that parents congregate in this area.

The Southern Daily Echo will be taking photographs of guests arriving.  If you do not wish to be photographed and to possibly feature in the Daily Echo, please let the photographer know.

*Please note that there is a small International match taking place on the nursery pitch during the day, this is likely to mean that spectators will still be on site using car parking spaces.

During The Prom

Following the glamourous entrance of Prom guests there will be non-alcoholic drinks available between 7.15 – 7.45pm.  Please present your ticket to receive your complimentary drink.  There is a bar at the venue, please remember to bring cash if you want to purchase non- alcoholic drinks during the event.

Our commissioned photographer will be in the Pavilion to take posed and reportage photographs throughout the night, these images will be available online (web address to be confirmed on the night).

Dinner will be served at approximately 8pm.

Following dinner there will be a DJ and dance, amongst a number of other special treats.

At The End of the Night
Prom will finish at 11pm.  It is important that all guests are off site by 11.30pm at the absolute latest.  Please ensure that all guests are aware of how they are getting home and how they will know that their lift is ready to collect them.  We recommend that students are picked up from the area that they were dropped off at, but as with the drop off, please be patient at this point as the potential for a traffic bottleneck is high.

Dos and Don’ts to Ensure that Prom Goes Smoothly:
Do:
• Enjoy yourself!
• Make sure that everyone else enjoys themselves too.
• Remember that all student guests will be under age so no alcohol will be available or should be brought onsite.
• Use this opportunity to show everyone what a stunning group of students attend Upper Shirley High

Don’t:
• Forget that everyone has gone to a lot of effort, so don’t ruin the enjoyment of any other guest.

Thank-you in advance for helping to make this year’s Prom the best one ever.

Best wishes

The Prom Organising Team

On the 13th July we have our second annual JET Proms taking place at Central Hall.  The concert will start at 7pm and be a celebration of music from across all of the schools in the JET.

Tickets will be available from USH reception from the 1st July.  I look forward to seeing you at the concert!

Phil Griffiths, Head of Music

As part of the JET Proms at the end of this year we are forming another Parent choir!

There will be two rehearsals prior to the concert – Friday June 26th 4pm-6pm and Thursday 9th July 4pm-6pm.

Please get in contact if you would like to attend – even if you can only make one of the rehearsals. I look forward to hearing from you.

Phil Griffiths, Head of Music

Upper Shirley High PTFA would like to invite you to a Summer Barn Dance!

Soft beverages, alcohol and other snacks available to buy on the night.

No Under 18s.

Tickets are on sale until 6th July at the School Office: £6 each.

Hope you can join us!

USH PTFA

My name is Jo Field and I am about to complete my initial teacher training at Upper Shirley High. After completing a degree in Fine Art, I decided to pursue a career in teaching. The programme through the Wildern SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) has enabled me to spend a lot of time in the classroom gaining hands-on experience. During the year’s training I have been placed at two secondary schools. Most of my time has been spent at Upper Shirley High, with a six week placement at Wyvern. It’s been a challenging but rewarding year and I have particularly enjoyed building successful working relationships with students and colleagues.  I have secured a permanent post for September and am looking forward to progressing further as a teacher.

Jo Field (Art teacher)
 
Teaching is one of the most exciting and satisfying  jobs you could have and there’s certainly never a dull moment.  If you would like to find out more about a career in teaching, please visit the Department for Education’s website.
https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

In addition to the Wildern SCITT programme, the Universities of Portsmouth and Southampton offer PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate of Education) courses in a range of subjects.  For further information on any of the providers mentioned above please follow the links below:

http://www.wildernpartnership.co.uk/
http://www.port.ac.uk/school-of-education-and-continuing-studies/courses/pgce-teacher-training/
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/education/postgraduate/itt_courses/pgce_secondary.page
 

Thanks to those of you who came to the information evening. 

It is vital that we have passport information as soon as possible: this should either be a photocopy of a current passport or the completed form plus two photos for the collective passport.

A reminder that the final balance is due by the 3rd July; the total being £305.

If you have any further questions or weren’t at the meeting, please get in touch as soon as possible.

Martin.Perry@ushschool.org

Help us win £5000 of National Book Tokens for the school library - and get £100 for yourself!  Just enter the competition online, it only takes a minute:
http://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools

You might be interested in a forthcoming event to highlight issues and raise the awareness of parents, carers and community members of the risks posed by Child Sexual Exploitation. 

The event consists of an excellent nationally acclaimed theatre production called ‘Chelsea’s Choice’ as well as information stalls regarding this and associated issues.  This is an area of focus in the City’s efforts to safeguard our children and young people in Southampton and your support is needed to spread messages as widely as possible to combat and prevent this issue.
 
For further information please copy and paste the following southamptonlscb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CC-Flyer-Southampton-eve-shows-June-2015.pdf and click on the Child Sexual Exploitation button.   

Tuesday 16th June, 7pm Expansion Consultation Evening, school hall
Wednesday 17th June, Year 7 internal English exams; Year 8 internal English exams
Thursday 18th June, Year 7 internal Maths exams; Year 8 internal Maths exams; Year 9 internal English exams
Friday 19th June, Year 7 internal Science exams; Year 8 internal Science exams; Year 9 internal Maths exams
Monday 22nd June, Year 9 internal Science exams
Tuesday 23rd June, GCSE Art Exhibition
Tuesday 23rd June, 3.00-5.30pm - Skoolkit in school to sell uniform to existing students
Thursday 25th June, 6.30pm – Year 11 Prom at the Ageas Bowl
Wednesday 1st, Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd July, 7.00pm - 'We Will Rock You', school production at The Point Eastleigh
Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd July – Year 6 induction days
Monday 13th July – Work experience starts for Year 10
Tuesday 14th July – Sports Day
Wednesday 22nd July – last day of term; school breaks up for summer holidays.

Dates of parents’ evenings:
Thursday 18th June – 4.00-7.30pm Year 7 parents’ evening 2
Tuesday 30th June – New intake parents’ induction evening
Dates for Autumn Term 2015

Tuesday 1st September – Inset day
Wednesday 2nd September – Year 11 and Year 7 return to school
Thursday 3rd September – Years 8, 9 and 10 return to school