Our School, Our Week

 19 November 2021

 

 

 

Student News

During October half term, Zainudeen Takolia 12AP successfully applied for a position on the UNICEF UK Youth Advisory Board. The board is a group of 8 young people from around the UK who help the organisation fulfil its mission to promote children’s voices by:

• Being a voice – on behalf of UNICEF UK and other children and young people, about children’s rights
• Providing insight – about what children and young people like and care about, to help UNICEF UK develop new ideas
• Raising awareness – using their networks, to help other young people understand their work

A huge congratulations to Zainudeen on this fantastic opportunity and we look forward to sharing some of his experiences with you during his time on the board.

 

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During Lockdown Amelia Hayman 11H entered the Nancy Rothwell award. The Nancy Rothwell Award looks at Art and Biology together and Amelia’s choice of drawing was a Rhinoceros. The drawing contained different aspects of the Rhinoceros including its brain. We are pleased to confirm that Amelia won the category for 12-14-year olds.

 

Check out her fantastic piece here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQJrDokBBos

 

You can also find additional information about the Nancy Rothwell Awards by using the link below:

Species big and small feature in this year’s Nancy Rothwell Award winning entries (rsb.org.uk)

 

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The following students have been selected as one of our Runner Ups for the 2022 Specialist Catalogue Competition.

Hidayah Ismail - Sunset

Louise Brooks - Reflections

Louise Arminio - An Artists Tool

Lucy Brittain - Wrapped Building

Amy Chick - In Bloom

Leah Mulligan - Origami Horses

 

  

Their artwork will be featured in a brand-new catalogue and website. They have also won a voucher worth £25.00 to spend.

 

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Last term our Year 8 students had fun making Frida Kahlo inspired crowns in their “discover” lessons. We think they look fabulous. 

 

 

 

 

'The Six'

On Thursday 4th November Sixth Form historians had the pleasure of seeing 'The Six' musical at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre. The performance was amazing, brilliant songs and excellent history too.                                      

 

 

 Year 12 Art Textiles

                 

               

                                

 

Year 11 Art Textiles Practical Applications

 

                 

 

                                 

                                                            

                               

  Year 12 Art Textiles

 

      

                           

 

Halloween

Please see a selection of fantastic entries for this year's pumpkin carving competition.

 

 

 

Timed Experimental Drawing Workshop

Year 12 Students had fun doing a workshop with Miss Bradford exploring Timed Experimental drawing exercises inspired by the Artist Dryden Goodwin.

 

 

 

Gloucester District Cross-Country Competition

On Friday 5th November, the following students represented DRHS in the Gloucester Schools District Cross-Country Competition. The top 6 students scored for the team event, and they did a fantastic job of competing against some tough opposition. 

Year 8 & 9

1st Kate Mills

2nd Lydia Wang

3rd Amelia Moore

 

Year 10 & 11

1st Isobel Watt

2nd Keira Barry

3rd Miriam Holmes

                                

 

Here are a few pictures of some our runners in action:

      

   

 

English and Drama

The relaxing of Covid restrictions has finally allowed English and Drama students to attend live theatre performances for the first time in 18 months.

In September, Year 13 English Literature students went to see Hamlet in Windsor with an 82-year old Sir Ian McKellen playing the lead – a role he first performed 50 years ago.  We were treated to a Q&A with the company after the performance where several of our students posed questions to the actors and creative team behind the production

October, GCSE Drama students watched a retelling of Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ at the Bristol Old Vic devised by ground-breaking director Emma Rice. Students and staff were blown away by the creativity and innovation of the performance which defied categorisation but included elements as diverse as Greek Tragedy, Heavy Metal, Puppetry and Romcom. If you get a chance to catch it on tour we can thoroughly recommend it.

In November Yr7 a visiting theatre company came to DRHS to perform an adaptation of A Christmas Carol- students are studying it in English – the performance gave students an excellent insight into this classic text and was enjoyed by all.  Students were fortunate enough to be given the chance to quiz the actors afterwards about the play and their roles.

 

 

Diwali and South Asian Culture

On Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th of November lunchtime we held a celebration of Diwali and South Asian Culture.

Students brought sweet foods, drew Rangoli patterns in chalk. Sang and danced all whilst wearing clothing from their culture.

 

 

               

 

    

Remembrance Day

 

Thursday 11 November marked Remembrance Day, we had some beautiful performances which are noted below:

Zafeera Karim read about Joseph Hammond Account, a World War Two veteran. Private Joseph Hammond walked two miles a day for a week in May, raising £28,000 for frontline workers and veterans in Africa. 

Daisy Cameron read about the Royal British Legions Poppy Appeal and what they do, please find a link for further information: Please make a donation | Royal British Legion

Verity Greenald read in Flanders Fields, a war poem in the form of a Rondeau.  Written during the First World War by Canadian Physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.

Martha Green played the Last Post followed by two minutes silence and then the Reveille in the Quad.

 

          

        

 

 

LRC News

The first few weeks of term were, as usual, very busy, with textbook loans and returns, returns of summer loans and of course getting used to the LRC area reopening for students to use.  Click and Collect is still available to students to reserve books who prefer that.  I’ve also been doing introductory library sessions for Year 7, Sixth Form EPQ students, Year 12 English and History students and am always available to individual students who may be struggling to find resources for wider reading around subjects, or for particular pieces of course work.

This week, I’m highlighting some of the new titles which have been accessioned in to the LRC since the beginning of term.  Several of these have been donated by individuals, organisations and publishing houses, which is most welcome.

All these books are available to borrow, or can be reserved on Click and Collect.  – Ms C Cordall

 

The Year 12 Library Prefect Team is now in place and they are beginning their activities this term. The Team comprises: Haadi Sarafudheen, Hannah Goddard, Israth Hasan, Maryam Hussain, Tasha Sinoj, Mia Uzupris, Mariya Thomas, Em Evans, Amelia Mae Salazar, Zuha Saqib, Amina Abdulahi and Molly Pietrusczewski. They are taking on a variety of roles: sixth form book club, exploring the world of Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, creating book reviews, being a book doctor (using knowledge of children’s literature to recommend books to students), fundraising, tidying the LRC and forming a Year 7 book club. I’m looking forward to working with them over this year and next. If your child would like to get involved, please have them come and see me. The Year 13 Team is still helping where they can, and Vaneeza Faraz has taken on Grace Bullows’ mantle as organiser of the Carnegie Book Club, now meeting in person after over a year of online meetings. The Carnegie 2020 and 2021 shortlisted books are getting more use than ever, which is wonderful to see, as the PTA so generously funded them for our students. There are a number of other students who are working towards various Duke of Edinburgh awards and kindly continue to help, even when they have fulfilled the requirements. Malindi Maughan and Naomi Dickinson are among this group – they have covered books, stuck on labels, organised book club books and much more besides. Nia George has founded a Year 9 book club, starting off with a challenging read: The Wall by William Sutcliffe, a Carnegie shortlisted title from 2014. Lois Rodgers is organising the reading of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize shortlist with a group of Year 8 and 9 students (of which more below). For the second year running, DRHS has been chosen to read for the Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize, which is, in itself, an achievement, as there is stiff competition on a national basis. Mrs Shaw put together our application and we are now the proud possessors of 6 fabulous science books on a range of topics.

 

Our team of Year 8 and 9 students meet weekly and Lois Rodgers is organising the creation of ratings and reviews ready to submit to the Royal Society in January. The Scholastic Book Club is now open until 20 November if you wish to purchase anything and support the LRC. Here’s the link: https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/schools/denmark-road Please remember NOT to check the box which asks if you work at the school, as it means it’s more difficult for DRHS to receive the Scholastic Credit. Many thanks for your support. - Ms Carol Cordall, School Librarian

Ms Carol Cordall, School Librarian

Follow the LRC on Twitter   @DRHS_LRC and Instagram   drhs_lrc

E-mail: library@denmarkroad.org

 

 

 Well Being Centre

Over the summer holidays we were delighted to complete the redecoration of some rooms in the Wellbeing Centre to make them more comfortable and welcoming.  The designs had been created by Amber Saunders in Year 11.  With the support of her parents she was able to secure donations of items from Dunelm and £200 from Pro.Insurance Solutions to help fund the redecoration. 

 

The rooms are now a more comfortable and welcoming space.  Many of our visitors comment on what a lovely space the Wellbeing Centre is, students have also commented that it feels more like their bedroom than a school and how much they really like the decorated rooms.  A huge thanks to Amber and her parents for their effort and generosity in helping us redevelop this well-used space.

 

 

Quiz Night

 

Quiz night is back. Please join us on December 3^rd from 7pm. Tickets are £5.00 per person and available from DRHS main reception, Teams of up to 6 people. It promises to be a fun evening where we hope to raise lots of money.

 

 

Our New Mini Bus

We are delighted to share with you our new school minibus.  This replaces the older of our two minibuses and comes fully maintained, with safety inspections being carried out every 10 weeks, from Castle Minibus.  We hope the students are as pleased with it as we are when the PE Department takes them out to fixtures.

 

   

 

Parking Around Site

A gentle reminder to please park both safely and considerately to our neighbours when dropping off and collecting. The image below has been sent to us from a resident who shared their concerns regarding the potential endangerment to pedestrians and cyclists. Please also avoid blocking driveways and junctions

 

 

Useful Information

If your child is absent from school please email absence@denmarkroad.org  If your child requires a medical/non-medical form please fill in via our website: Denmark Road High School - Forms  These forms can be emailed to absence@denmarkroad.org or your daughter/son can give them in to the Well-being Centre.

When you come to pick up your child from reception please do not park outside the school gates or on any road markings which state you must not, on road junctions, or in front of private driveways.  Please park sensibly opposite the school.  If your child is ill and is unable to walk far, or you have problems with mobility, you may ring the bell on the gate and bring your car into the front car park.  Thank you for your consideration. 

Please let us know when you change your home address, mobile number or email address.  We cannot keep in touch with you if we do not have your correct details.  Please email changes to office@denmarkroad.org or submit through the School Gateway App.

 

Dates for the Diary

26 November – Inset Day

3^rd December – Quiz Night

9^th December – Early Closure (2:30pm) for Year 8 Excellence Afternoon & Evening

17^TH December – End of Term 1:30pm finish

 

 

Finally, follow me @DenmarkRoad365

Please follow me, Claire Giblin, 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.