Year 11s have been working very hard towards their exams in the summer, and the vast majority showed a great attitude and approach to their mock exams in January. On top of the normal timetable there has been a busy programme of session 6, lunch-time sessions and other additional revision opportunities.
The Holocaust Memorial Day on the 27th January, was an incredibly powerful occasion, and an important reminder of the need for all of us to remember and reflect on events in the past. In a live broadcast, watched by our year 9 students, Holocaust survivor Harry Spiro, answered questions from students in the live audience and from audiences watching around the world. This week we’ve also had our annual trip to Belgium, to visit the battlefields and other important memorials of World War One. The students have had some memorable and moving experiences in the winter sunshine - you can follow their journey @selbyhigh on twitter.
This year alongside our whole school focus on literacy, we have been developing our approaches to numeracy across the curriculum. World Number Day was our opportunity to celebrate not just how important and relevant, but also how enjoyable, maths can be. It was great to see the inventiveness of students and staff who used the non-uniform day to display numbers in a variety of imaginative ways.
On Friday 1st February, 60 Year 9 girls took part in a STEM workshop which was delivered by The Smallpiece Trust, a charity designed to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths to 12-17 year olds. The aim of the workshop was to inspire young engineers, and allow them to get hands on experience of a STEM project. The project was themed around “Smart Buildings”, specifically the 21st century challenge of providing clean water. The winning team managed to create a fully working water filtration system, while presenting their ideas to the rest of the group in a coherent and professional manner.
We’ve had a busy programme of sporting activities. The U13 Boys Football team got through to the semi-final of the north Yorkshire cup following wins against Rossett and Thirsk in the Quarterfinal and the U13, U14 and U15 Girls Rugby League teams have all qualified for their regional competitions after winning against the York and Selby Schools in their categories. The U12 5-a-side football team came 3rd in The North Yorkshire 5-a-side football competition. Following their win in the York schools competition before Christmas, the U14 Girls Football team beat Northallerton 6-2 and are now through to the North Yorkshire Cup Semi Final.
This week we’ve had success in a number of big competitions. On Thursday the U14 Girls were the Futsal West Riding winners and are now through to the regional competition. Today the U16 boys played in their Futsal West Riding competition. They won the league format – winning 4 out of 4 games against Croften, Leeds College, Alltoffs, and Spen Valley. But unfortunately lost the final to Alltoffs 2-1.
Well done to all the pupils involved in the local fixtures this half term. The girls 5-a-side football teams and boys basketball players all enjoyed the experience and represented the school successfully.
Sam Norman has been entered for the Yorkshire schools Golf competition, following his successful match play outside of school and well done to Ella Parsonage, Abi Moore, Isla Ramsay, Danielle Moore, Izzy Sturmey and Erin Bradley for successfully getting into the Yorkshire Girls Rugby Union Squad.
Thanks as ever to all the staff who put so much time in to organising and supporting the activities.
We have two goodbyes to say. Mr Katebe has taken a position in a school in China - we wish him the very best on his new adventure. Mr Grundy, the Facilities Manager, will also be moving on at the end of March. Mr Grundy has played a pivotal role in the development of the school facilities over the past few years; I’d like to say a massive thanks to him for all the work he has put into improving the site and wish him all the best for the future. It’s also great to welcome back members of staff as well at this time of year and Mrs Pickering (English) and Mrs Cooper (Technology) both return following their maternity leave.
We have a packed programme of events for after half term in the run up to the Easter holidays, as can be seen below:
Monday 4th March
School re-opens
Year 8 Options Assembly
Tuesday 5th March
Year 8 Options Evening 5.30pm
Wednesday 6th March
Shakespeare Company performance
Friday 15th March
Non uniform day for Comic Relief
Friday 22nd March
Youth Voice event
Monday 25th March
Young Enterprise Showcase
Wednesday 27th March
Year 10 Inside Out
Friday 29th March
Year 10 Mock Interviews with Industry
Wednesday 3rd April
Year 9 Parents Evening
Thursday 4th April
Year 8 Theatre trip
Wednesday 10th April
Year 10 Speed Networking
Talent Show 7pm
Friday 12th April
School closes for holidays
Finally, I’d like to wish you a happy half term.
