USH Newsletters

23rd September 2016

  • A message from the new Student Leadership

    Hi! We are Tom Hayter and Molly Robinson, Head Boy and Head Girl and Isi Levene and Katherine Brocklesby, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl.

    Last week we were asked to talk in assembly about what the Student Leadership Team is and why it's important to get involved. Whilst preparing it really got us thinking about how we would like the remainder of our time at USH to look like. The past 4 years have gone so fast, but we are now face to face with the year that really counts. We really wanted to instil our vision and put across that the students themselves have the power of making a change to their own learning. This being said, we also wanted to stress the importance of having fun, and enjoying their time at school as the time really does fly by!

    We are honoured to be the ones who are able to voice the students’ opinions and suggestions on their learning and school, and make USH the ideal place for all the students. As we were elected by the students and staff, we really appreciate the trust and support that others have given us, and hope to use this level of responsibility to make some real changes this year.

    Looking forward at our new leadership positions, we believe that this year we can really help inspire all the students of Upper Shirley High push themselves and achieve the best they can for the school and the best they can for themselves. This year working together is key, and we look forward to building links with all areas of the school.

    Tom, Molly, Isi and Katherine

  • Summer Exam Results

    Congratulations to all our students and staff on another excellent set of exam results this summer.  If you want to find out more about our results, please click on the link for more details.

    http://uppershirleyhigh.org/exam_results

  • Where have you been?

    On the Year 6 taster day, I set the new Year 7s a task.  I asked them to send the Geography Department a postcard from their summer holiday.  It was fantastic to see so many waiting for me when I returned to school in September.  I had some from Devon, Wales, France and Italy.  The furthest one we received was from Hugh B, who went to Malaysia on holiday.  However, my favourite postcard has to be the 3D gorilla from Elouise D, who visited Longleat on her holiday.  Thank you to everyone who sent postcards in; they are now on display in the Geography Department.

    Mrs Hyslop
    Subject Leader for Geography

  • Overseas Visits

    We are currently advertising to Year 7, 8 and 9 the Ski Trip to Italy for Easter 2018 and the Battlefields tour to Belgium for Year 10.  Please see Miss Suffling (Ski Trip) or Mr Farley (Battlefields Tour) for further information.

    With the addition to our provision of overseas trips over the next two years, please refer to the overview below.  The prices quoted are for guidance only and where year groups are indicated, this refers to the year group during that academic year.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Perry: Martin.Perry@ushschool.org

    2016/2017

    Paris Trip in October for Year 8 (already booked)

    Belgium Battlefields Trip for Year 10 in February (£180 - please see Mr Farley)

    Visit to London for Year 7 in March 2017 (proposed, £200)

    New York Trip for Year 10 at Easter (already booked)

    France Trip for Years 9 and 10 in July 2017 (proposed, £250)

    2017/18

    Paris Trip in October 2017 for Year 8 (proposed, £330)

    Belgium Battlefields Trip for Year 10 in February 2018 (proposed, £180)

    Ski Trip for Years 8, 9 and 10 to Italy during the Easter Holidays 2018 (£800 - please see Miss Suffling)

    Barcelona Trip  for Year 9 and 10 after the Easter Holidays 2018 (proposed, £500)


  • Netball News

    Our U14 and U16 Teams both played in a warm-up tournament on Tuesday evening.  Both Miss Wright-Davies and Mrs Fortune remarked on how well the teams played; well done to all involved!

    The results are as follows:

    U14 Team

    USH 6-6 The Gregg School
    USH 10-4 Redbridge
    USH 3-6 St Anne's
    USH 7-2 St George's

    U16 Team

    USH 13-0 Sholing
    USH 10-1 Cantell
    USH 5-3 St George's
    USH 14-0 Oasis Mayfield
    USH 3-1 St Anne's

  • USH Artist of the Month

    Congratulations to Adiela Manore for her excellent drawing work.

    Mrs Cadle

  • Meet the Tutor Evening, Thursday 29th September

    If you haven't received the email regarding the Meet The Tutor Evening on Thursday 29th September, we have uploaded the letter to the website.  This section of the website also contains all letters and information sent to parents, so it's a really useful place to find information.

    http://uppershirleyhigh.org/letters_and_forms

    The booking window for Thursday evening closes on Wednesday, so please book a slot with your child's tutor.  As many of you will be aware, we've recently changed our tutor system, so this gives you the perfect chance to put a face to a name.

    We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday.

    Mrs Prince
    School Business Manager

  • Parenting Sessions with Lorraine Lee

    Following her very successful Parenting Sessions at USH last year, Lorraine Lee will be running more sessions over the coming year; if you are interested in attending these, please click on the links below. 

    Male and female adolescent development (Year 7) Thursday 24th November

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/male-female-adolescent-development-year-7-parents-tickets-26679297497  

    Managing anger and strong emotions (Year 8) Monday 30th January

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-anger-strong-emotions-year-8-parents-tickets-26679520163

    Ego and self-esteem, gaming and social media (Year 9) Monday 27th March

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ego-self-esteem-plus-gaming-social-media-ush-year-9-parents-tickets-26679867201

    Staying connected to your teen (Year 10) Monday 24th April

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staying-connected-to-your-teen-ush-year-10-parents-tickets-26679899297  

    Revision, motivation & exam technique (Year 10) Monday 22nd May

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/revision-exam-technique-ush-year-11-parents-tickets-26680017651  

    Helping young people make positive choices, recover from setbacks and grow in confidence (Year 11) Monday 12th June

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/helping-children-make-positive-choices-recover-from-setbacks-grow-in-confidence-ush-year-11-parents-tickets-26679945435  


  • Cross Country News

    The Cross Country league started on Wednesday afternoon at The Gregg School with nearly 40 students representing the Upper Shirley High. The students did extremely well even in the hot weather with top 10 places for both Junior Girls and Boys and a first place in the Intermediate Girls (Isabelle B) and 5 boys in the top ten of the Intermediate Boys.

    Well done everyone! 

    Mrs Fortune

  • Careers Information

    Please take the time to have a look at this website - it has some extremely useful information to support your son/daughter.

    GCSE Options, Leaving School, Finishing Compulsory Education, Jobs, Support Young
    People, Career Links, Apprenticeship Ambassador Film

    http://access-southampton.co.uk

  • Ski Trip, Easter 2018

    We are running a Ski trip to Bardonecchia in Italy during the Easter holidays, 2018. This trip is for the current Year 7, 8 and 9 students. We will be using a reputable winter sports company called PGL.

    Bardoneccia is a small market town set in Susa Valley with 39 ski runs. During our stay we will be staying at The Olympic Village Hotel. This hotel was originally built to host athletes from the 2006 Turin Olympics Games and is located 250 metres from the slopes.

    The cost of the trip Includes:

    • 6 days skiing,  4 hours of lessons each day
    • Lift pass and ski hire, including skis, boots and helmets
    • Evening entertainment including pizza night, ice skating and a movie night.
    • Insurance
    • Full board accommodation
    • Hoody

    We estimate the final cost to be £800; however we will not know the final figure until we have numbers confirmed.  As such, if your son or daughter wishes to go, we ask that you please send in a deposit of £150 (cash or cheque only please) with the completed slip to the finance office.  Please make cheques payable to JET.

    Letters can be collected from me.

    Miss Suffling
    Lisa.Suffling@ushschool.org


  • Year 8 Paris Trip

    With our visit just a few weeks away, please ensure we have any medical and dietary information that may have changed since our last meeting in the Summer Term.

    We will be sending a letter out shortly detailing the itinerary, contact numbers and important information about departures and how students will be supervised in Paris.

    We will also be asking for passports and EHIC cards to be brought into school the week prior to departure; a member of staff will be responsible for these for the duration of the trip.

    The EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is available for free (parents must apply on behalf of their children) at:

    https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do

    If you have any issues or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

    Martin Perry
    Martin.Perry@ushschool.org

  • Year 9 Go To Work With An Adult Day, Friday 9th December

    You will shortly be receiving a letter regarding ‘Go To Work With An Adult (parent, family member or friend) Day’.  This will take place on Friday, 9th December.  The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the world of work.  This opportunity will allow your son/daughter to gain valuable first-hand experience of the workplace, an important element of the careers programme which we are unable to offer in school. 

    We hope that you will be able to take your son/daughter to work or arrange for him/her to go to work with a family member/friend. 

    Mrs Anderson


  • Year 10 Mock Interview Week - Volunteers needed!

    We are holding our ‘Year 10 Mock Interview Week’ w/c  7th November.  In the past this event has proven to be extremely successful in preparing students for the interview process required for work experience, college, apprenticeships and part-time work. 

    We have received feedback from colleges, work experience and apprenticeship providers informing us how well our students perform.

    In order to be able to continue to offer this opportunity for our students we are looking for volunteer ‘interviewers’.  If you can offer your support, or provide contact details of colleagues who may be able to help please contact me.  Your support is much appreciated.

    Mrs Anderson
    Carey.Anderson@ushschool.org


  • Get Inspired Southampton

    The O2 Guildhall, Southampton
    Saturday 15th October
    10am-3pm FREE ENTRY

    The event is aimed at 10 to 16 year old students and their families. 
    Up to 100 businesses will be present to enthuse about their industry – Exciting, fun and interactive the event showcases the work of employers in the city and demonstrates the wide range of careers available.

    Go along and Get Inspired!!


  • Work Experience

    The school year ended for Year 10 students with work experience.  We had a record number of students taking part and we received some excellent comments from employers (There are too many to publish so here’s a random sample!)

    Beth M:  ‘Beth was a very pleasant young lady, she fitted in to the team of the Coffee Corner.  Excellent communication with customers and staff, she did every task given with enthusiasm and carried it out to a good standard.  She is a credit to your school.  I would not hesitate in employing her’

    Saivydas T:  ‘Si has been very professional and hands-on working in the classroom.  He has followed all instructions and developed professional relationships with the adults and children.  It is clear he has been very reflective of his practice and worked very hard’

    Leo G: ‘Leo conducted himself very well.  He dealt with a wide variety of teams, business areas and management levels and came across professionally, eager to learn and confident in asking questions. His timekeeping was very good and he was willing to stay later in one area if required.  Leo worked well in 1:1 situations but also dealt well with group situations that required listening to others and discussing situations. Overall, it was a pleasure to have Leo with us.  He definitely has the right attitude about work and has shown himself in a very good light’.

    Tom H: ‘Tom has been a great help – his work has included filling out planning application forms, writing planning statements and assisting with the redesign of our office.  He has also been able to gain some experience working with architectural software.  He has proven himself to be a fast learner and a pleasure to work with’

    Harry B: ‘Harry has been an excellent addition to the team, he’s completed tasks in a professional and timely manner, he’s not afraid to provide feedback, whilst being a courteous and confident communicator’

    Molly R: ‘Molly is one exceptional young lady.  She fitted in immediately. She learned the workings of the till in minutes.  She tidied, sorted and rearranged without asking.  She was wonderful with the customers.  I was amazed by her resourcefulness and enthusiasm.  I would hire her tomorrow!’

    Kieran S: ‘Kieran was an excellent role model and used his problem solving skills to tackle jobs given’

    Ben Sanderson ‘Ben worked on a project stemming from a request for help from an artist who uses chemical means to achieve patinas on copper that have vivid and distinctive colours.  This was a challenging project that required a systematic variation of the range of parameters to identify formulations that would yield the desired colour.  Ben showed himself to be a careful, methodical and accurate worker, so he was allowed a high degree of independence in conducting his work.  He is a quiet and reliable person, with a sharp mind and a very mature approach to work.  It was a real pleasure to have Ben working in the Lab’

    Travis Oak ‘What a fantastic/excellent student.  Travis is a great credit to Upper Shirley High’

    Amelia Woods ‘Amelia is a delight to work with.  Her enthusiasm is infectious and she puts her all into everything she does.  I have had nothing but praise for Amelia from the people she worked with during her time with us’

    Carina Janning ‘I was very impressed with the level and standard of the work Carina produced – she seemed to really engage with the tasks given to her and produced above and beyond what was asked.  As part of her project she took some very creative photographs in her own time which really brought her work to life!  Well done’

    Well done to all students who took part!