USH Newsletters

• There’s a Buzz in the Library

  Here at USH we have a strong reading culture and one of the many ways we encourage reading for pleasure is to give every Year 7 student the chance to choose their very own book to keep. The scheme is called BookBuzz, and is partly funded by Book Trust and partly by the school. Students in Year 7 were able to choose one of fifteen titles, from a list selected by a panel of experts to reflect a variety of genres, styles and reading levels. There was considerable excitement recently as the books arrived and were handed out by the Librarian during English lessons. It gives us huge pleasure to give such a wonderful gift to each student, and we hope that they get as much enjoyment out of reading them.

  Here is what some of the students said of their choices:

  Prushir chose Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Ghosts by Katie Tsang, which she has been reading this week and said was “really interesting and very different from the books I’ve read before. I like it that you get to choose your book and it’s yours forever.”

  Kiyann and Mantaj both chose Crossover by Kwame Alexander, which they said was “a really good book, very inspiring and very realistic.” They both thought that getting a free book from the school “makes people want to read”. They are now keen to read other titles by the same author.

  Sally said: “It is a very good idea to get a free book from the school and I am very excited to read my book that I chose. I chose When the Mountains Roared [by Jess Butterworth] because it looked like an interesting book and I like cats and it’s about snow leopards.”

  Class 7B with their BookBuzz books

  

• School Library – Book Amnesty

  Calling all Parents! Does your son/daughter have any overdue books at home that they borrowed from the School Library? Maybe they’ve been hanging around for so long that they’ve become part of the scenery? Or maybe they’re so late that they’re simply embarrassed to return them.

  If the answer is yes, don’t worry!  The Library is holding a Book Amnesty from Monday 9th December until the end of term. Just drop the books off in the box by the Library door, or hand in at Reception, and their Library record will be cleared with NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

  

• Team Spirit at USH

  We were delighted to host the Team Spirit 'Lego-tastic' event at USH today.  This is the third year they have held the event here.  We welcomed students from our feeder schools and using Lego combined with sports activities and challenges they developed team work and resilience.  Our Sports Prefects helped run the day and it appeared that everyone had lots of fun.  It is great to see our students of the future so relaxed and enjoying their time at USH.

  

• Good Luck Bevan!

  We wish Bevan W good luck as he represents USH at the English Schools Diving Championships at the London Aquatic Centre this weekend.

  

• Maths Whizz Winners

  Maths whizz winner this week is Saif A. 

  Congratulations!

• Request for Spare Lego

  Some of our students would like to start a Lego club next term.  If you have any Lego at home which is no longer needed we would be very pleased to receive it as a donation to the school for the club. 

  Thanks for your support.

  Suzanne Dibden, Head of Personal Development

  

• Pupil Premium Plus

  Currently, all schools in England can receive the Pupil Premium Plus for children adopted from care, or who left care under a Residence Order on or after 14 October 1991. This can also include any children under a Special Guardianship Order. This funding was implemented in recognition of the traumatic experiences many children may have endured in their early lives and a realisation that their needs do not change overnight.
  

  If you believe USH is unaware of an aspect of the history of your child or the child you care for, please contact the appropriate Head of Year to discuss this further or email a member of our admin team at lisa.howell@ushschool.org. To enable us to claim the Pupil Premium, you will need to provide supporting evidence e.g. the original Adoption (Court) Order.  This information can then be added to our systems and can secure additional funding that we can use to support your child.