USH Newsletter 11th June 2018

A group of Year 9 girls visited Richard Taunton Sixth Form College to take part in a Women in Science event.  It proved to be an enjoyable and inspiring day.

Here are some of their comments:
‘I found this trip really interesting and enjoyable.  Particularly, I enjoyed speaking to the STEM
Ambassadors as for me it really emphasised the variety of careers available in science.
It was also great to hear from the Soroptimists as it is always really inspiring to learn about groups supporting women and girls in different ways.  Even without such engaging activities, just spending time in a college atmosphere was captivating.  Altogether we all really enjoyed this morning as it was not only interesting but incredibly helpful.  I would happily go again to learn even more’.
Charlotte Morris

‘I really enjoyed the morning, I found it really interesting to find out about different scientific careers and I liked talking to the STEM ambassadors about the choices they made when they were our age that led to their individual jobs.  I also enjoyed the case studies about scientists and hearing what skills they possess(ed) that made them specifically suited for that area of science.  Everyone was really friendly and I am glad I took part in the day’
Becky Rees

‘I felt this trip was very interesting as I discovered all of the many opportunities and careers in science.  As I talked to the different STEM ambassadors I learned how varied work in science is, for me this changed how I view science and my plans for the future.  Furthermore, I had the chance to look at female scientists throughout history which I found really inspiring.  The experience overall was very eye-opening and was really fun’
Amy Clark

You may remember earlier in the year we wrote about the Heritage Bus visiting our Year 7 students.  They are now on tour around the Southampton area! 

If you are interested in seeing them on tour see the flyer attached.

Last week, our year 10 Film Studies cohort took a trip to the Solent University, Southampton to take part in a workshop around the more technical elements of lighting within moving image i.e. film.  This is an area that they will need to be able to show an understanding of within their responses to the Film Studies exam papers.
A huge thank you for the staff in the Film, Television and Sound Departments at the Solent University for not only accommodating us, but providing us with a great session on how light is used for different effects throughout film, as well as allowing us to have a go at recreating some of the film’s effects ourselves using their impressive equipment.  Thank you also to Mrs Robinson for supporting the group on the day.

You will remember at the end of last month you received by post a letter and documents from us regarding how the rules around data protection are changing. The 'General Data Protection Regulation' (GDPR) will change how we can use your personal data and keep it safe. It will also strengthen your rights regarding your own data.

We have a large number of the consent forms and Acceptable IT Policy reply slips outstanding and your co-operation in completing and returning the forms to the General Office at your earliest opportunity is appreciated. 

If you have any questions about how the GDPR affects you, or how our school is preparing, you can contact me by email: Julie.Prince@ushschool.org

We are pleased at USH that so many of our students choose to cycle to school.  This shows consideration for our neighbours by reducing the congestion of vehicles around Bellemoor Road at peak times and provides a little extra exercise to our students!  It is important to us that our students are safe when cycling and would therefore ask for your co-operation in ensuring that they fully understand the potential dangers and necessity to observe some basic safety rules.  If we work together we will keep our students safe.

Could we politely request that students walk their bikes off the school site and wait until they have left the end of the driveway before getting on.  We would also strongly recommend that students wear a safety helmet when cycling. 

Thank you for your continued support. 

The National Book Tokens annual schools competition is back. Please help us win £5,000 worth of book tokens for USH - enough to buy hundreds of new books for the library. All you have to do is enter online, it only takes a minute and you don’t need to sign up to anything else. The winner also gets £100 of National Book Tokens to spend on themself! The competition ends on 31st July 2018 - so please get voting at https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools#.WyJpn6pKjcs#hiU0xlU7WBd11D9Q.99

As we get towards the end of the academic year, there are more and more students who are becoming ‘Word Millionaires’ and, as you can see from the photo, our celebration board is filling up with golden envelopes. These amazing readers in Years 7 and 8 have read one million words or more since September. The word count is tracked by the Accelerated Reader program: every time students take a quiz on a book, the program records the number of words they have read. There a now a record 51 ‘Word Millionaires’ in Years 7 and 8. Congratulations to you all!

Congratulations to the U13 rounders team.  From the results already in for the U13 rounders league and the games left to play it is already possible to state that USH are in first place!

The winner of the games will go through to The Hampshire Games on 22nd June.

Thanks to everyone who has paid the full balance for the trip on time.  A letter has been emailed out to all parents this week detailing final payments and information we need.  Essentially, we need to know about medical conditions, dietary requirements, EHICs and passports.  There is a single form for this available at reception, from me in person or by email. 

The EHIC is available for free at: https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do

We need to know if your child has or you are applying for a passport.

We will likely be offering a collective passport for which there is a nationality form to complete.

We need to be informed well in advance for medical and dietary requirements so we can plan the visit accordingly and liaise with local suppliers.

We will run a second information evening before the summer holidays for parents who couldn’t make the last one or if you’d like to ask any further questions in person.

Thanks, Mr Perry  Martin.Perry@ushschool.org

At this point, you should have paid a total of £50 for the Camping Trip.  We cannot determine the total cost until we know final numbers and we are still awaiting news from some parents.  We are aiming to keep the cost of the trip as low as possible and are currently looking at a figure of around £62.  I will confirm this with you as soon as possible and request the final balance.  Below is a preliminary kit list to bear in mind.

Please bring
• Sleeping bag (rolled up small, name on both the bag and cover)
• Roll mat (rolled up and named)
• A full change of clothes (older clothes suited to a variety of outdoor activities)
• Warm layers for the evening (several thinner layers are preferable to thick ones)
• Hat, sun cream, waterproof (appropriate to the weather at the time)
• Toiletries (showers are available, but may get busy)
• A soft kit bag (this will be on your lap on the bus so think about the size/weight)
• Re-fillable water bottle

Please do not bring
• Inflatable mattress/camp bed (there isn’t room for these)
• Mobile phones (emergency contact numbers will be provided)
• Unhealthy snacks (sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks)

If you have issues over the purchase of any of the above kit, please get in touch.

Thanks, Mr Perry  Martin.Perry@ushschool.org

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. Students must follow the correct procedure, so please discourage your child from contacting you during school hours.

Please find attached a flyer of a new girls football club being set up locally.  This may be of interest to Year 7 girls.