Our School Our Week - 22 January 2021
Amalia Widdowson, DRHS Cross Country Results, County Honours, Year 9 artwork, Charity donations, DEAR, DRHS Online PE App, News from the LRC, Farewell from Mrs Bartow.
Denmark Road High School
Our School, Our Week
Student News
Amalia Widdowson – GB tennis player
I’m 12 years old and in Year 8. I finished 2020 ranked the number 1 tennis player in the country and I play for Great Britain. In February 2020 we won the European Championships, beating Russia in the final. We were the first ever British female team to win this and it is the biggest achievement of my tennis life so far.
I started playing tennis at 3 and competitively at 6 or 7. When I was 7 I won my first national championship where I beat girls who were almost 3 years older than me. I have won 3 national championships so far and would love to win more.
It has taken a lot of commitment and determination to achieve my goals. I’ve had to make sacrifices, like not going out with my friends or not going to watch the latest movie, because I needed to do tennis or fitness training, but it will help in the long run… hopefully!
One thing I have realised, is that to achieve my long-term goal, which is to become a grand slam champion, I will need to put in a lot of time and hard work and make many more sacrifices along the way. This is a photo when I played for GB.
“Amalia is an exceptional tennis player and we are so proud of her accomplishments. She has clearly dedicated a huge amount of time and applied herself fully. Being part of the team who won the European Championships is a fantastic achievement. To be ranked as No 1 in her age group is phenomenal and we are sure Amalia will continue to grow and improve. We cannot wait to see her in action representing DRHS in the summer term!”
Mrs Davidson
“DRHS is delighted to share with you our sporting superstar, Amalia Widdowson. Amalia is a dedicated and mature Year 8 student who balances her sporting commitments alongside school work and school life. She is a dedicated member of Hartland House and puts 100% effort into all that she does. Amalia is a fantastic role model for all other students- showcasing how determination and passion can lead to outstanding accomplishments. Amalia, we are so very proud of you!”
Miss Hodnett, Year 7/8 PWC
House Cross Country Results
Students have competed in House Cross Country this term. Here are the results! Well done to everyone who participated. Mrs Davidson
Sporting Honours
We are thrilled to announce that a number of our students have been selected to represent Gloucestershire in hockey and netball. This is a fantastic achievement. Well done to the students below.
Year 9 Artwork
A selection of artwork by year 9 students this term...excellent work created to a very high standard.
Charity Donations
Thank you for your participation with the charity events throughout the last week of term. Together you raised...
£659.59 for the Save the Children Christmas Jumper day
And during the final week of term, your contributions mean the following amounts will be donated to your year group charities.
Y7 - Alzheimer's Association £104
Y8 - CAMFED £96.50
Y9 - Young Minds £80.95
Y10 - BLISS £106.42
Y11 - GARAS £42.20
Y12/13 - Amigos £129.16
Well done everyone! This is an amazing achievement.
Mrs Kowalewski
Introducing D.E.A.R @ D.R.H.S!
DRHS are thrilled to announce the launch of DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) during tutor time.
At DRHS we strive to develop well-rounded students and believe that reading is a fundamental part of this. Did you know that reading: improves brain connectivity, increases your vocabulary and comprehension, empowers you to empathise with other people, improves sleep readiness, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, fights symptoms of depression and prevents cognitive decline as you age?
From Monday 11th January, all students will be taking part in DEAR every Monday during tutor time. DEAR is a wonderful opportunity for students and teachers to enjoy some screen-free time during their online learning day and benefit from 20 minutes of quiet reading. In addition to this, Year 7 students will also undertake a weekly session of DEAR in their Wednesday SHAPE lessons.
We are so excited to see our students and teachers create a reading community and experiencing different worlds with the turn of the page. And as Dr Zeus one said “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
All students will be taking part in DEAR every Monday during tutor time from Monday 11th January. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to enjoy some screen-free time during their online learning.
Mrs Kowalewski
Year 7 and 8
On Monday Year 7 and 8 took part in DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) during tutorial.
Tutors and students thoroughly enjoyed spending time reading together- it was lovely to see them joining together as a form and relaxing at the same time!
DRHS Online PE Padlet App
This week we are launching our online App to students. It includes a variety of links to workouts/resources etc. The App is called Padlet, which can be downloaded on your phone.
Here is our DRHS PE Padlet link: DRHS PE (padlet.com)
This has been made available to all students.
Weekly PE Challenge
We are launching our Weekly PE Challenge. This week – The Plank/Hoodie Challenge.
News from the LRC
I hope you all had a peaceful and restorative break from school and the daily routine over the holidays.
The LRC theme for the first couple of weeks of term is that of new beginnings – trying something new for 2021 and I’ll be sending out my usual poster to students – mainly using books that can be found in Gloucestershire Libraries in e-format if possible! It’s unfortunate that the students will not have access to our physical resources until our return, but I’ll be posting in the LRC Google Classroom every week day to share reading and knowledge resources available free of charge (and legally!) to us throughout Lockdown 3. Students have continuous access to our online resources via the LRC’s Google Site (Online Resources page) and I am always available by email to answer any questions about how to use these amazing databases full of research and useful articles for study at all levels. In addition to what we have, Gloucestershire Libraries continue to provide modified Click and Collect and even access to computers in some settings. Please check here: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/
Leigh Phillips, one of our Year 12 Library Prefects, is running a writing competition again this month, with the theme of Lockdown:
We're all experiencing a rather abnormal January at the moment, what should be a time for new beginnings is now a time of doing very much the same thing we all did in March.
As a result, this month's theme will be Lockdown. This covers anything about our time staying at home - are you taking up a new hobby? Getting in some R&R? Focussing on your schoolwork more? Let me know in poetry / prose form!
The deadline will be the 31st of January, so get writing! Email entries to phillipsl15@denmarkroad.org
Many authors are generously sharing information, time, suggestions and resources so that students can continue to be inspired by and engaged in reading during Lockdown 3. (The DRHS Reading Marathon Challenge will of course continue during this year.) Here are some writer links:
S F Said, author of Varjak Paw and Phoenix shared the British Library’s Children’s Books activities page: https://www.bl.uk/childrens-books/themes/all-activities#
Emma Carroll, author of Letters to the Lighthouse and many other historical novels is sharing her writing journey: https://emmacarrollauthor.wordpress.com/
Piers Torday, author of the Dark Wild, will be reading the book on Instagram Live and YouTube:
Finally, Cressida Cowell, Children’s Laureate, is reading the How To Train Your Dragon series: https://youtu.be/uWhNzQUfmSE
I hope you find these useful.
Ms Carol Cordall, School Librarian
Follow the LRC on Twitter 
@DRHS_LRC and Instagram 
drhs_lrc
E-mail: library@denmarkroad.org
Farewell from Mrs Bartow, teacher of English
It is with sadness that I announce my resignation from DRHS. However, after 16 years, I leave with a wealth of memories of wonderful students, amazing achievements and the most incredible inspirational, hardworking colleagues – especially those I had the privilege of working so closely with in the English Department. I am excited to now be looking towards a future which allows for a return to the development of skills and interests from a pre DRHS life. To those of you who remain at the school I wish you all the very best.
Mrs Bartow
The DRHS term 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.