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USH Newsletter 20th March 2018

Welcome from the Headteacher

Hello
I wish you all a very Happy Easter break and look forward to beginning the final term of the academic year recharged and energised. We are excited to send our first ever ski trip on its way tomorrow, going to Badonecchia in Italy.
Non vediamo l'ora di sentire tutto sulle tue avventure.
Ciao
Mr Woods


CONGRATULATIONS MARINERS – WINNERS OF THE HOUSE CUP

Achievement Point Count        Position
Aviators 69,701                         2
Engineers 56,695                       4
Mariners 73,035                         1
Venturers 68,411                       3

Shoebox Exhibition

Year 7 have been learning about the Elizabethan era and for the homework (to finish off the topic) we had to produce a shoebox with an Elizabethan era scene.  It could have been a house showing how they lived, the difference between the rich and poor, crime and punishment, food, dancing, a street scene or something from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which we have been studying.  By Hollie & Thea


What the students thought:
Sukhi – I liked doing the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ project because I have used my imagination and loved using different materials and had fun making my shoebox.  I found it challenging because of the amount of time it took.
Kal – I enjoyed doing this project because it was fun to make and it’s a good example of your art skills.  It also tested me on my soldering and electronic skills.  I think overall this was a good homework.
Konrad – I enjoyed this homework even though it took me a while to think of a good idea.
Jess – I enjoyed doing this for homework because it was fun researching and finding out new things about Elizabethan life.

Thank you to all parents and staff who came to view our shoeboxes, we really appreciate you taking the time out to see our hard work.  The winners will be announced during the first Year 7 assembly after Easter and also published in the next newsletter.

Well done to all of year 7 for your hard work on these projects, and thank you for all the support they received from home to do this.
The English Department


Celebrating Reading

This week, in our end-of-term assemblies, we have been celebrating our most enthusiastic readers. An amazing 196 students in Years 7 and 8 have met their end of term Accelerated Reader targets and between them they have read over 137 million words! All received a certificate, a small prize and 50 Achievement Points.  Miss Dunne gave a tea party for her 8U English class who incredibly all met their AR target for the second term running!


The following students became Word Millionaires, which means they have read a million words since the start of this academic year:
Ronas Aygun
Megan Chadwick
Josh Clark
Olivia Cole
Marley Curtis
Konrad Nowosielski
Kal Robinson
Taliah Rios-Clarke
Pippa Stewart
Verity Telford

Zameer Alarakhia
Josh Aspin
Georgia Gardner
Rowan Gomanee
Daniel Gould
Taeyoung Kim
Oren Manore
Ananya Nawarkhele
Alfie Naylor
Ryan Spencely

Samah Jabir, Raul Mendez, Henry Ellis and Anna Asimi received badges for reading 2 million words, and John Collins, Gergana Manolova and Jacob Mittoo have read a staggering 3 million words or more and each received Multimillionaire badges.
Congratulations to you all.



Year 9 Formal Exams

As Year 9 enter the summer term, the school will be running formal examinations in Maths, English and Science. These exams will commence in the week beginning 03/05/2018. They are designed to give the students an understanding of exam conditions, procedures, and strategies.

We have found that giving students these opportunities and experiences earlier on in their school life better prepares them for the formalities of the GCSE in the years to come. In addition, the results support ongoing analysis of the gaps that our students have in their understanding and what teaching or intervention is required to remedy this.

The experience of these exams is important and this is an opportunity for Year 9 students to experience formal secondary exams and a sample of GCSE style questions. Teachers will guide students on what to revise and how best to prepare in the lessons building up to the exams. Alongside this, in tutor time, students will be discussing study skills and examination preparation techniques.

In order to support your child through these exams, please ensure that they come to school fully equipped.

Equipment brought to every exam:                    Some exams you will also need:
At least 2 black pens                                          Coloured pencils
2 HB pencils                                                       Compasses
Pencil sharpener                                                 Protractor
Eraser                                                                 Calculator
Ruler 

Your child’s class teacher will let them know if they require the additional equipment for their exam. If your child requires any of the equipment specified above they will be able to obtain it from the school Finance office.

The dates of the Year 9 exams are:

Date                                       Time                    Subject
Friday 4th May 2018             8.50- 9.50            Maths
Tuesday 8th May 2018          8.50 – 10.35        English
Wednesday 9th May 2018     11.05 – 12.05      Science
Thursday 10th May 2018       8.50 – 9.50          Maths

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at daniel.hughes@ushschool.org
We wish year 9 the very best of luck for their upcoming exams.

Dan Hughes
Acting Head of Year 9



Diving with the Best

Well done to Darshi (Year 7) who competed in a Diving Competition in Leeds. It was a very tough competition with a lot of elite divers competing including Jack Laugher and Chris Mears who won gold medals in 3m synchro at the Olympics in 2016!!!

Despite this being her first competition at this level, still being a novice, Darshi managed to hold her nerve and dive consistently throughout particularly on 5m platform, her first time competing at this height where she received 6’s for her back dive tuck!!!!

Miss Wright-Davies


English Schools Cross Country Championships

Toby qualified (by finishing in top 8 Intermediate boys over season) to represent Hampshire in the English Schools Athletics Association National Championships held on Saturday 17th March at Temple Newsam, just outside of Leeds.


The 5.2k race began in sleet conditions, -1° C with a breathtakingly chilly wind. The course was arduous, being both hilly and muddy. The long journey on Hampshire team coach up on Friday and back Saturday in snowy conditions was rewarded by Toby finishing just outside of the top third overall in  a large field of 339 runners and the Hampshire Intermediate Boys team finishing 6th from 44 counties participating

Well done Toby.

Miss Wright-Davies


Careers News

Healthcare Science and Allied Health Professions Awareness Event

A group of Yr 10 students visited University Hospital Southampton to find out about some of the less known careers within the NHS:  Orthoptics, Cellular Pathology, Medical Physics, Radiology & Vascular, Critical Care, Dietetics, Neuro, Theatres, Cardiac, Clinical Genetics, Therapies, Gastrointestinal Physiology, Biomedical Imaging and Pharmacy. 

This was an ideal opportunity for students to experience hands-on activities and to explore a range of science based careers within the NHS other than doctors and nursing. Several of the students commented - ‘This visit has given greater insight into the non-traditional roles within the NHS’, ‘I am now considering a path that will lead to Bioinformatics’


If your son/daughter is interested in becoming a doctor there’s an opportunity for Yr 9, 10 and 11 students to gain experience of what it is like to train and work as a doctor at the Summer School held at University Hospital Southampton.  Students will have a chance to:
• Learn how to perform clinical skills such as suturing and practice these on a model
• Experience anatomy and pathology teaching in the Centre for Learning Anatomical Sciences
• Visit clinical areas to see health professionals at work
• Watch a trauma team respond to an emergency scenario
• Talk to medical students about training as a doctor and find out how the application process works
• Listen to a keynote speaker talk about life in medicine.
The programme costs £150 per student.  All food and drink is included.  Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
For more details including information about bursaries contact: lifelab@soton.ac.uk

Yr 9 DT Lessons

Mark Jones from Southampton Solent University spent the morning with a group of Year 9 students. 

Mark is a Chartered Technical Product Designer (CTPD) with over 30 years’ experience of working in the design industry, from design research, in-house design, freelance, to design consultancy and industry advisor.

Mark showed students a ‘Designs for the future’ PowerPoint, which enthralled them - ‘I loved seeing all the new technology’  ‘I enjoyed hearing about the future projects such as the airplane car’. 

He shared ideas on how to think creatively and his own projects.



Shoebox Appeal for Two Charities

Over the next month, USH will be running a shoebox appeal for years 7, 8 and 9.

The purpose of the appeal is to help the homeless in Southampton and will be in support of the Two Saints Charity and homeless shelter based in Millbrook.

The charities mission is to significantly improve the lives of those who are homeless, vulnerable or in need of support by providing high quality, effective and reliable housing, support and learning services. More information can be found at www.twosaints.org.uk.

Each tutor group will have a shoebox and we are kindly asking for your help to fill them. We are looking for voluntary donations of the following items:

- New and unopened toiletries
- Toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, flannels, shower gel, shampoo, wet wipes, deodorant, tissues etc.
- Clean men’s or ladies socks – (new if possible)
- Hats, gloves and scarves
- Basic snack type food – instant noodles and pasta, crisps, breakfast bars etc.
- Colouring books and colouring pencils

All of your donations are greatly appreciated, and will go towards helping support our community.

Deadline 27th April 2018.


New Menu

Chartwells are offering a new menu after the Easter break.  A copy of the revised menu is available from the School Meals tab on the school website. 

http://uppershirleyhigh.org/pages/school_meals


Thank You from Naomi House

Naomi House sent certificates for the fundraising completed in school.  The collection posts raised £43.21 and £100.00 was raised by USH staff not sending Christmas cards.

Student Illness

Please ensure that your child knows that if they feel ill during the school day, they must go to the Medical Room and not phone/text parents. The student will be assessed by a fully qualified First-Aider, who will then contact parents to inform them if they need to go home.


This is a safeguarding issue, as we do not always know the location of students if they have phoned/texted home themselves. We are keen to ensure that students follow the correct procedure, so please discourage your child from contacting you during school hours.

Thank you.

A reminder about Work Experience

As you are aware at USH we strongly believe that work experience provides an invaluable insight into life after school and informs future choices.  It is reported that the UKs top businesses prefer to recruit people with work experience on their CV. 

 
In the past a number of students have excelled during their placements and as a result were offered part-time work/apprenticeships.


We would like our students to have the opportunity of placements within sectors they are interested in.  Several students have contacted employers without success.  Areas of interest include accountancy, law, architecture, engineering, IT, administration, police and design.  If you work within these sectors, or indeed any other sector and are able to help by offering a placement or providing contact details it would be much appreciated.  Year 10 work experience is scheduled for 16th-20th July.  Please contact me at Carey.anderson@ushschool.org

Paris 2018

A letter has been emailed and sent home with students regarding the Paris trip.  If have not received it, please email me or send your child to collect one from the Languages Department.

Any questions, please get in touch.

Mr Perry  Martin.Perry@ushschool.org


Tile Barn 2018

Information regarding the camping trip will be sent out after Easter as we are finalising some details with the suppliers.

Any questions, please get in touch.

Mr Perry  Martin.Perry@ushschool.org