Denmark Road High School

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Our School, Our Week

 

Student News

Our Trip to Croft Farm

On the 25^th September, the whole of Year 7 were taken on a trip to Croft Farm. This was our bonding trip, and all of us tried many new activities.

In the morning, there were a range of land activities, including archery, orienteering, and climbing. It was a great opportunity to make new friends and build stronger relationships with people you were already friends with and the best thing was… missing a whole day of lessons! In orienteering (which most groups did), we were sent off with a map of the area to find certain destinations. A few groups got lost, but what’s fun without a bit of an adventure?

At lunch, everybody had a chance to sit down in the breezy outdoors with all their friends. The best part was to come after lunch, when the watersports started. We had a whole hour of kata canoeing, six to each canoe! It was a new sport for most Year Sevens, and was exciting as well as a bit overwhelming. It was on the River Avon. Someone fell in, but they didn’t mind as it was all part of the experience. There were willow trees that hung over the river and some kata canoes got stuck in them!

Lasting roughly 20-30 minutes, the drive back was full of chatter and laughing. Feasting on the rest of our snacks, we were all exhausted and were ready for a rest.

When we got back to school, the tutors let us go home with many fun stories to tell our families!

We would love to go back again!

Written by Orla Parker-Wells and Joanna Ingleby from 7M

Look at all the rest of the photos here.

 

Year 10 Drama

Students in Year 10 Drama were making the most of the fine weather and
excellent outdoor furniture to produce extracts of their set text 'DNA'. They've made a great start to the year and are really engaged in their work.

 

 

Emma’s Poem

Emma Wells in Year 10 has written a poem for a family friend which she has had professionally recorded.  The words will also be painted onto the side of wall as a piece of art in Swindon.  Below and attached are her words explaining this, the poem itself, and a picture of her recording her poem.

Ridiculous worries

I wrote this poem as a family friend has a mental illness that not many people understand. This poem is my way to raise awareness about mental illnesses, worries and fears. I have included multiple mental illnesses throughout my poem including depression, bipolar and anxiety.

I recited this poem to our family friend battling the illness who owns a mental health and therapy centre, later they told me that it was going to get spray painted onto the side of the building for everyone to see! He then passed my poem on to a man who specialises in music therapy and was kind enough to let me record a song in his recording studio. 

I loved this experience as I got to experiment with all kinds of musical instruments to go along with my poem but I decided that it sounded best a cappella. 

This has been an amazing experience for me and I hope that my poem informs people about the struggle of battling with all kinds of mental illnesses and inspires people to help others. 

Ridiculous worries

Imagine the world wasn’t real, 

And you're really bipolar marking up everything you feel.

Imagine if everyone just disappeared, 

Where would that leave you, would you be happy or feared? 

Imagine a time where you were all alone, 

With nowhere to turn and nowhere to call home.

These ridiculous worries, aren’t a worry for some, 

they are actually reality scary and glum.

Imagine if you were buried half alive,

Little oxygen to breath and no food to survive.

Would you give up and lose it all, 

Or would you be tough hoping someone would hear your call? 

Imagine a place in darkness and pain,

All alone with your thoughts, nowhere to complain.

For some this isn’t a worry at all, it’s called depression it’s an illness, and all -

That time when you thought you were sad,

That no one could understand what you had,

Or the time you lay awake worrying away,

Count yourself lucky that it wasn’t reality.

Imagine if you were surrounded by the people 

That have loved you ever since you were very little,

Well this is reality like it or not,

Remember that now and be grateful for all that you’ve got.

Mr Smith

 

An Inspector Calls

The English department (and Mrs Shaw) have been busy producing the first instalment of their adaptation of ‘An Inspector (Video) Calls’ which is now available for students, parents and talent agents across the world to endure enjoy.

As well as being a chance for frustrated actors to flex their muscles, it should prove to be an excellent revision resource for students in KS4.

Please subscribe to our youtube channel for more resources throughout the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll6026qq5iI&safe=true

Mr Fitch

 

News from the LRC

Banned Books Week

Last week was Banned Books Week, which celebrates the freedom to read and highlights titles which have been challenged or banned throughout the world.  There are displays both in the LRC and in the LRC windows, if your daughter or son is interested in exploring these works. 

Libraries Week

This week is Libraries Week – I recommend that everyone should join their local public library system!  Not only because you have already paid for it from your Council Tax, but because you will gain access to a fantastic range of reading materials in different formats, both “real” and in e-format, and to all sorts of reference materials:

Gloucestershire Virtual Reference Library: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/book-a-computer-learn-about-our-apps-and-virtual-services/virtual-reference-library/

You can join online here: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/join-the-library/

If you live in another county, do check your local council website for details. 

Year 12 Library Prefects

I am currently recruiting a team of Year 12 Library Prefects who will support the LRC in various ways throughout the year.  Usually they would help to tidy the LRC, but this year they will be developing other skills, eg running book groups, setting book quizzes, promoting reading, developing reading lists and genre guides and acting as reading champions around the school.  I am very open to other ideas the students may have to encourage LRC use.  Some of last year’s Team are still actively helping, including one group who are researching books for a Year 7 club and another prefect who is running our Carnegie Shadowing Group.  If your son or daughter would be interested in becoming part of the Team, please ask them to contact me for more details.  The closing date for applications is Friday 16 October. 

There are still many overdue items on loan from last year.  Please ask your son or daughter to check for books/textbooks/DVDs which belong to DRHS!  If your son or daughter has any questions about authors, books, genres or how to find information, they can always email me or call in to the LRC and I will help them find what they need. 

Ms Carol Cordall, School Librarian

Follow the LRC on Twitter   @DRHS_LRC and Instagram   drhs_lrc

E-mail: library@denmarkroad.org

 

Forward Look – dates for your diaries:

Wednesday 14 October                 

Meet the Tutor – 7M    

Thursday 22 October                      

INVEST Day 1

End of Term 1

Friday 23 October                           

INSET Day – School closed

Monday 2 November                     

Start of Term 2

Wednesday 4 November               

School Closes at 2.30pm for Students

Year 8 Excellence Afternoon and Evening

 

The DRHS calendar 2020/21 is available here.

 

Finally, Follow me @DenmarkRoad365

Please follow me on Instagram at drhshead and Twitter @denmarkroad365.  You will see a snapshot into DenmarkRoad365 and the life of a Headteacher at one of the most amazing schools in the country.