Heritage High School

Term 1&2 - Christmas 2019 Issue 39

Newsletter

Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s)

The academic year is hurtling along … again! As we approach the end of term, I am sure you will all be taken up with your preparations for Christmas.

The year has again been busy from the start. Our new Year 7 students have certainly made the school feel incredibly full, all 220 of them. Despite the disruption to our transition programme in July 2019 our Year 7 students have settled in very well. They know their way around the school and have all made lots of new friends. Our Year 6 Open Evening in September was again popular, and we expect another large year group joining us in 2020.

This year has seen 2 year groups start the KS4 Options as both Year 10 and Year 9 start their KS4 programmes of study. This is a big step forward to enable us to support all our students to perform as well as they can. We move into the Options process for our Year 8 in the Spring Term, so their thoughts will quickly turn to planning their steps beyond Heritage High School.

There is absolutely no let up for our Year 11 students. Teaching staff have high expectations of them and are pushing them hard to achieve well. There is a full programme of support already in place through the Autumn Term.

The Year 11 students have also undergone a full programme of mock examinations to help prepare them for May/June 2020 and the real thing. I would like to thank the parent(s)/carer(s) of Year 11 students for their ongoing support through this year, evidenced through the excellent attendance of our Year 11 Parents Evening in September.

November saw our 2019 leavers return to collect their GCSE certificates, and catch up with their friends and former teachers. The event was really well attended and had a really positive atmosphere. It was great to talk to so many of our former students and find out what they are doing now.

November also saw our annual Remembrance Service. As each year passes, I remain incredibly proud of our students at this service. The whole school took part and listened with respect to words from Rev Bryony Taylor, Head and Deputy Head Boy and Girl and myself. At events such as these your son(s)/daughter(s) are a real credit to you all.

I thank you all for your ongoing support as we move into what will be another hectic term.

I, and all of the staff at Heritage High School, wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2020.

Best wishes

Mr R MarlowHeadteacher

My name is Lacey and I am in a Positive Mental Health Group with Rhianne Knightley. Rhianne works at Bolsover District Council but she is also an ambassador for Time to Change. Time to Change is a campaign that was set up to get people talking about mental health and reduce the stigma around it. As well as coming to work with a group at our school, Rhianne has also spoken to the Youth Council about her experiences with anxiety and specific phobias. By sharing her story, she inspires other people to be honest about their mental health and encourages them to get help when they need it.

It has been a busy and exciting time for Careers and Employability activities this term with several events taking place to encourage our students to think about their futures and develop personal skills that will help get them there.

On the 13th November our Year 11 students were put through their paces in a mock interview with several Employers from our region with backgrounds in Construction, Hospitality, Engineering, Health & Social Care and many more targeted to match our Labour Market Information. Previously students had attended workshops in writing CV’s and this was their opportunity to see how they would compete for jobs in the real world. They all did amazingly well, conquered their fears and made a fabulous impression on our visitors. Thank you to Miss O’Connell, Heritage Careers Advisor, for arranging the event, all the Employers that gave up their time and of course the Year 11’s.

On the 15th November, CPO Glenn Slater joined us from The Royal Navy Careers Office to talk to those Year 9, 10 and 11 students who were interested in a career in the Royal Navy. From Marines to Chefs there was plenty of choice, but they all involved doing their own washing and ironing! The Marines Visibility team are back in school with us on the 2nd March 2020 to put some of our students through their paces Marine style.

Year 11 Social and Personal Development lessons continue to be key in supporting next step decisions and have included Options Sessions from Chesterfield College looking at Post-16 choices, Apprenticeship workshops and interview skills run by Morrisons. During the next term West Notts College will be looking at Post-16 research and Vision Centre Mansfield will be working on Application Success.

This term continues to be a busy one for Careers and Employability with lots of different events for all year groups helping develop these key skills and spark interest for the future. In addition, our behaviour policy now includes opportunities to be rewarded for showing employability skills such as resilience, co-operation, aspirational and self-motivation. These are all worth 20 ACE points each so will help towards achieving one of our ACE star badges! Please see our website for key CEIAG information and follow us on Twitter @HHS_CEIAG to see events unfold as they happen. For any specific enquiries or the opportunity to discuss your child’s next step options please contact Laura O’Connell, Careers Advisor, through info@heritage.derbyshire.sch.uk

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Picture-1 1 08/12/2019 17:40

Emma Kingham – Assistant Headteacher

Careers and Employability News

Mental Health Group with Rhianne Knightley

Lacey Haigh (Year 9)

In our group session we learned that everyone has mental health. Mental health has two sides to it, it can be positive or negative. People who are experiencing negative mental health need to feel that they can be open about how they are feeling, without being judged or discriminated against. There are thousands of people out there suffering with anxiety, stress, depression and a range of other mental health issues and it is important that they get the support and help they need.

During our meetings, we talked openly and honestly. We also learned facts about mental health and did some activities to help us develop coping strategies. In one session Rianne gave us each a mirror picture and asked us to write down all negative things that we thought about ourselves on it, we then screwed it up and threw it away. We then collected them back in and passed them to someone else in the group, who wrote down positive things they thought about us. This helped us to think more positively about ourselves.

Here are some comments from the other students who were in the group;

The role of Friends of Heritage is to encourage closer links between home and school by fundraising through social activities to provide an opportunity for parents, staff and students to get together. Research shows that good links between you and your child’s school improves their enjoyment and chances of doing well. If you would like to join this amazing group, please send an email to friends@heritage.derbyshire.sch.

Friends of Heritage are currently raising funds to purchase a new school mini bus.

All parent(s)/carer(s) are invited to our AGM taking place at Heritage High School on 15 January 2020 at 4.15pm. If you wish to attend this meeting please could you contact Angela Lindley on 01246 810259 or alternatively by email on friends@heritage.derbyshire.sch.uk.

Friends of HeritageMrs Lindley

“Rhianne’s sessions were fun and intriguing. I really enjoyed learning new things. Rhianne told us things in a way that was easy to understand, and I have learned a

lot of useful things that will help me with my own mental health”

“I really enjoyed being part of the group because we learned a lot of new things and I became friends with people in the group”

“Being in the group made me feel confident”

I felt confident to be myself”

“I enjoyed being able to talk about whatever problems I had in a safe and non-judgemental environment”

“I enjoyed working with, and learning about, people I didn’t know before”

“I enjoyed being able to feel confident around other people and, of course, having the chance to express my love for Taylor Swift! We listened to each other and

discussed problems without judging each other”

“The group has been extremely beneficial to me. My favourite parts were the chats. They helped me a lot. I would 100% like to do this again”

“What I enjoyed mostly about the sessions was that it was okay to rage, it was okay to cry, it was okay to laugh. I really feel like I have got my plans sorted for

my coping strategies now. I often feel lonely and afraid to speak aloud so working with Rhianne made me feel so much better”

“We all really enjoyed being part of the group and would like to thank Rhianne for coming to work with us”

Heritage High School sent two reward visits to Pleasley Vale in June, with thirty Year 7 students (now Year 8) taking part overall. As these were reward visits, students were given a place for their outstanding effort, hardwork, charity fundraising, effort in reading and contributions to the school e.g. being part of the School Council or litter picking group.

At Pleasley Vale, there were many fun activities to participate in, with minibuses transporting the students to the venue. When the students arrived, they were divided up into two groups for the activities (archery and orienteering before lunch and kayaking and bell boat racing after lunch). I was in the red team during the boat racing and my team won! After all the activities, people on the first visit jumped in the lake! However, due to bad weather conditions, students on the second visit weren’t allowed.

I was part of the second visit to Pleasley Vale. I enjoyed all the activities we did, like orienteering where we used a map and compass to identify where to go and decoded a message, all whilst hearing about the history of the place. Archery was also fun, we shot arrows at targets and had a competition to see who was the best archer. I enjoyed the water sports the most where we rowed across the lake and learnt to manoeuvre the boats whilst competing against the other team in several races.

I was picked to be part of the reward visit as I had worked hard throughout Year 7 both in reading and in my contribution to the School. When I was nominated to go to Pleasley Vale I was excited as some of my friends were also picked to go on the visit. Overall, I enjoyed the visit a lot, and all the activities were very interesting.

Thank you to the Bolsover Youth Council for funding all the fun visits and to the staff at Pleasley Vale who led and organised the activities!

‘Is there Witchcraft and Wizardry in the real world?’

Karen Duszczak and Hiren Gonsai

Pleasley Vale Rewards VisitIona Fisher (Year 8)

The Brilliant Club have been investigating POTIONS, SNAKE CHARMING and DISTILLATION. The students have been using self-management, problem solving, team work, research and communication skills to explore the existence of magic in the real world. They are working towards the CREST Discovery Award using Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The students are enthusiastic and enjoying the experiments. Keep up the good work.

Our Student Voice voted for Sheffield Children’s Hospital as their first charity to fundraise for this year. They decided that they would like to raise enough money to sponsor a small snowflake on the hospital at Christmas and a bear statue on the Sheffield Bear trail in Summer 2020. To sponsor a small snowflake the students needed to raise £500. We are pleased to say that we raised that money in time for the light switch on, thanks to the generosity of our students and staff. Our snowflake was lit up at a ceremony on Monday 2nd December. It is on display with a sign saying, ‘a gift from Heritage High School, Clowne’. We were given a beautiful metal snowflake decoration as a thank you for supporting the charity, which has been hung on our school tree.

The Heritage Snowflake is ShiningMs Newton

We have now started raising funds to sponsor our bear statue. Our students will get to design and paint the bear, which will be displayed on the Sheffield Bear Trail in the Summer of 2020. Our bear will be plotted on the bear trail map so our students, and their families, will be able to track him down and take pictures with him. At the end of the Summer our bear will be given to the school to keep and display. We need to raise £750 to sponsor our bear, but we are confident that we will raise, and exceed, that total. Sheffield Children’s Hospital is such an important place and our students and staff are proud to support it.

On Friday 13th December we held a ‘National Elf Service’ Christmas jumper day to raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. To raise awareness of the fundraiser we held a competition to design a Christmas jumper for Mr Newton to wear. We had 124 entries for the competition. There were some amazingly creative designs. Some features traditional Christmas elements and others Mr Newton’s subject, ICT. We had a design with a smiley computer in a Santa hat, and even a design with a message written in binary! The top twelve designs were chosen by a panel of judges. These were then sent out in a PowerPoint presentation for all our students to vote on. The top design was created by Ryan Womble, a Year 8 student from Redgrave. His design was really eye catching. It was full of fun details and colourful characters. Mr Newton will wear Ryan’s design on our jumper day. As we had so many quality designs we decided that it would be a shame to only make one of them. Our second-place design, which was created by Iona Fisher, who is also a Year 8 student from MacArthur. Her ‘Evil Reindeer’ design will also be made into a jumper, which will be worn by Mr Johnson, from English. A huge thank you to everyone who entered the competition. We really enjoyed seeing your designs and you have helped to create two truly unique jumpers to celebrate our ‘National Elf Service’ fundraiser.

A New Jumper for Mr NewtonMs Newton

At the Youth Council Meeting on 15th November Heritage High School were noted as the leaders of the icebreaker activity. We chose an activity that we had learned at the ‘Anti-Stigma Ambassador’ training in October, the activity was a counting game in pairs. Jodi (from Heritage High School) teamed up with Leo (from Bolsover School) to lead the game and give a demonstration.

After the icebreaker we went on a tour of Bolsover Castle. A number of students in the Youth Council take GCSE photography and it was an incredible opportunity to get pictures for our portfolio. We took pictures of a wide range of things, from astounding views to decorated rooms. At one point in the tour we went up to the walking wall, this was

high up and you could look down on the town below, it was one of the best views I have ever seen. In the same courtyard area I took a picture of a large red gate, half was closed and the other was open and you could see the view through it. This created an astonishing image. My personal favourite picture from the day was taken in a decorated room within the ‘Little Castle’. The room was decorated for Christmas and was full of red and gold details. The image is really festive and it brings back happy Christmas memories.

Whilst touring the Castle a small group of us, including me, got lost. The Castle is so winding, with so many staircases that it was easy to get separated from the group. We walked around the kitchen and other rooms

We would be grateful if parent(s)/carer(s)/students would use the link below to complete a website survey. The deadline for completion of this survey is 31 January 2020.

www.surveymonkey.com/r/NNQMXH5

Mellors Catering

On Thursday 14th November over 60 students attended a rewards visit to see ‘Bumblebee’ at the Vue Cinema in Meadowhall. The top ACE points earners in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 were invited, along with some students in Years 7 and 8 who had made fantastic effort with their reading. The visit was originally planned to go out a week earlier but had to be cancelled as a result of the floods. When we woke up on the morning of the 14th to heavy rain we were worried that the visit might not run again. Fortunately, the roads were clear so we battled the weather to arrive just in time! The students all behaved fantastically and were amazing ambassadors for our School. We would like to thank Into Film and the staff at the Vue Cinema in Meadowhall for making the visit possible. The next rewards event will be announced soon. Keep working hard and earning ACE points so that you can be part of it.

A Rewarding Visit to the Cinema

Youth Council Meeting at Bolsover Castle

Ms Newton

Jodi Marsden, Brayden Deakin, Gracie Guy, Lacey Haigh, Louis Devoy and Charlie Barnes

Sasha Walters - Area Manager (Midlands)

On the 25th of October 2019, six of our Year 9 students, including five who are members of the Bolsover Youth Council, went out to Bolsover School for a day of training. This training was so that we could become Anti-Stigma Ambassadors. There were many activities that we all took part in throughout the day.

The first activity of Bingo was an icebreaker. We had 16 boxes and we had to go around, (preferably avoiding asking others from your school) and ask others if they had completed one of the options. This helped us to develop confidence talking to new people. The icebreaker was followed by a discussion on emotions which linked into the read-out poem and an information session on the brain and how anxiety affects it. The poem was called “Smiling is Infectious” by Spike Milligan. It made us think about how small acts of kindness can have big consequences for a number of people.

This was followed by a session on ‘coping mechanisms’. We all learnt a technique, called ‘square breathing’. This involved following the lines of an imaginary square as you breathe. You inhale on the top line and when you go down the side, you exhale. This technique helped you to stay present in the moment and was a good way to cope with feelings of anxiety. After a few other group activities, such as a counting game and writing activities, we took part in a street dance. As much as some of us dreaded that moment, it ended up as really good fun. Dance has a huge effect on your mental health, as will any physical activity. It can make you feel good about yourself. We headed onto self-care next where we had to complete an A-Z of self-care. Using this, we made ourselves a pledge, this pledge was so we had something to look to do to help keep up our mental health.

This all led onto the final activities - The Recipe for Ambassadors, S.P.A.C.E, and Hearts. The Recipe activity involved writing things that we would put into ‘the recipe for the perfect Anti-Stigma Ambassador’. Things in the recipe included; a gallon of trust, a teaspoon of kindness etc.

S.P.A.C.E (Small Positive Actions Change Everything) was next. We learned that a small gesture, such as giving someone a smile or saying a simple ‘Good Morning’ can make a HUGE difference to yourself and to them. In the ‘Hearts’ activity we wrote out pledges on one side and on the other what we enjoyed about the training. The session ended with a huge circle time session of over 100 people, we each took it in turns to tell the group how we would use our training to support the students in our school in the future.

Now we have our badges to show that we completed this training and that we are there for anyone who needs our help.

Anti-Stigma AmbassadorsAnya Chambers and Jodi Marsden (Year 9)

looking for the rest of the group. At one point we thought we heard a scream coming from a room at the top of the staircase, we assumed it was someone from our group so we went up to meet them. When we got to the room we found that it was completely empty! Later on we found out that the Castle is supposed to be haunted by a grey lady ghost! Eventually, I ended up leading everyone the right way so we could join up with the rest of the group, just in time for lunch.

After lunch we went to the education room. Kelly gave us a piece of paper and asked us to write about our experiences around Bolsover Castle. I wrote:

“If I lived in the Castle I would have the room with the balcony, I would do the Titanic stance on the balcony with the amazing view beyond me. I would love to live there because there is so much space so I could own as many pets as I wanted”.

After the writing session we discussed the things that we all are doing in school to raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. There were some really good fundraising ideas from the other schools and it would be great if we could join together for a fundraiser. We are hoping that some of the other schools in the Youth Council can have a ‘National Elf Service’ Christmas jumper day on the same day as ours so we can all raise money together.

Anti-Stigma Ambassadors (continued)Here are some of the feedback comments that people in our group gave about the training:

“It was a fun day out. It was important and it also proved a valid point” – Charlie

“The day was very fun. I learnt a lot about mental health” – Brayden

“I really enjoyed learning how to support people and learnt how to help. The activities were really fun, but also informative and engaging” – Gracie

“On the 25th October, I and a group of friends/Youth Councillors did some important training and I learnt that it was important to listen and help” – Lacey

Message about Charity Fundraising 2019-2020As a school, we are committed to supporting smaller charities and local causes. Our Student Council have voted Sheffield Children’s Hospital as the first charity they will fundraise for this year. We will be taking part in some exciting fundraising projects for Sheffield Children’s Hospital over the next few months, details of these will be announced through our Twitter page (HHS_School) over the coming weeks.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital is one of only three dedicated children’s hospitals in the country. It is an amazing resource that we are fortunate to have so close to our community and our school is proud to support them. The Student Council have also voted to raise funds for Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield as it is a place with personal significance for a number of our students and their families.

Our first whole-school fundraising event will be a ‘National Elf Service’ Christmas clothing day on Friday 13th December. For a £1 donation students and staff can wear a Christmas jumper to school. This is an opt-in day. Students who do not wear Christmas jumpers will be expected to come to school in full uniform as normal. The first full non-uniform day will be on 9th January 2019. All funds raised will go to Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Weston Park Hospital.

As our focus is on smaller and more local charities, we will not be doing any school-wide fundraising for Children in Need 2019 or Sports Relief 2020. However, if any students or groups of students would like to run their own fundraiser or sponsored event (for these charities or any other charity) we are always happy to support. Students should see Ms Newton if they would like to run their own fundraising event.

We would like to say a huge thank you to our students and their families for their support with our charity fundraising over the years. Our school has a fantastic record of charity fundraising and your generosity has really helped to make a difference to many people and causes in our local area.

Heritage High School Boughton Lane | Clowne | Chesterfield | S43 4QG

Tel: 01246 810259

Heritage High School Community Lunches - delicious home cooked two course meals for only per person. Available by ticket only - please contact the School Reception on 01246 810259. Lunches served at 12.00 noon

Forthcoming dates for your diary:

26 March 2020

Roast pork and Apple Sauce or Quorn Fillet Creamed and Roasted Potatoes, Cabbage, Carrots, Garden Peas, Stuffing and Gravy Chefs Choice of Hot Dessert and Custard.

Heritage High School Boughton Lane | Clowne | Chesterfield | S43 4QG

Tel: 01246 810259

Roast pork and Apple Sauce or Quorn Fillet

Creamed and Roasted Potatoes, Cabbage, Carrots, Garden Peas, Stuffing and Gravy Chefs Choice of Hot Dessert and Custard.

Heritage High School Community Lunches - delicious home cooked two course meals for only per person. Available by ticket only - please contact the School Reception on 01246 810259. Lunches served at 12.00 noon Forthcoming dates for your diary:

26 March 2020

Community Lunches 2020

Heritage High School Boughton Lane | Clowne | Chesterfield | S43 4QG

Tel: 01246 810259

We would like to say how touched we were to hear that Amelia White, one of our Year 7 students, had donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust. The Little Princess Trust is a charity that provides real hair wigs for young cancer patients and young children experiencing hair loss. They would not be able to do this incredible work without donations from people like Amelia. Amelia said, ‘I donated my hair to the Princess Trust Charity because I wanted a little girl with cancer, who has had chemotherapy, to feel better again, or to feel like there is some hope.’ Amelia’s incredible act of kindness will make a huge difference to a young person’s life, and to their confidence. Well done Amelia.

In September we started a new rewards system at Heritage. Students can earn ACE points in all areas of school. They are awarded for effort, achievement and for being a good citizen. Students in Year 7 and 8 can also earn ACE points by reading books and passing quizzes on Accelerated Reader, and for passing reading challenges. The ACE points that students earn go towards their House points total. The House with the most points at the end of the school year win the House trophy. Tolkien are currently in the lead, with Westwood in second place. Tolkien have had the lead in the competition since the end of September, but with so many ways for students to earn points and represent their House the lead could be taken from Tolkien at any time.

In conjunction with Mellor’s catering the school is implementing a biometric system back into the school for students to pay for their meals which may eventually be rolled out to photocopying in school.

Biometric is simply a method of identifying an individual person by means of an algorithm-based scan which reads between 50 and 130 points on the finger or thumb and it is not an actual fingerprint.

This is a system that the school used successfully for many years before moving into the new school build, and so we are very pleased that we are in a position to be able to return to a more efficient system which will allow students to pay for their meals using their thumb. This will eliminate current problems where students forget or lose their proximity cards and means that they will not have to wait until the end of the queue to get their food.

We will require the consent of at least one parent/carer, in order for this biometric information to be processed, but we would like to assure you that this information remains within the school and that the biometric information taken is an algorithm and not the actual finger print.

Parent(s)/Carer(s) will still be able to pay money onto their child’s account through Parent Pay, which is our preferred method, or students are currently still able to pay money into their account using the revaluation machines in school.

We are planning for this change to take place from Monday 24 February 2020 and further details and consent forms will be issued in due course.

Catering Developments

Silver Stars

Mrs Lindley

Ms Newton

An Incredible Act of KindnessMs Newton

On 11th November we held our Remembrance Service to remember members of their armed forces who have died serving their country. We come together to pay our respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. This year marked the 75th anniversary of three important battles that took place during WWII: Monte Cassino, D-Day and Imphal and Kohima. So many brave men lost their lives during these battles, and it was not just British soldiers who died to protect our freedom. Forty-six countries worked together as ‘The Allies’ in World War II. The key message for this year’s Remembrance Day was, ‘Remember Together’. In the lead up to our Remembrance Service the students had assemblies showing them which countries fought alongside us and hearing stories of bravery from the families of soldiers from Poland, Nepal and France.

In our 2019 service we reflected on what unites us, rather than what divides us, and gave thanks to all the brave men who fought alongside the British soldiers. Rev Bryony Taylor gave a very moving address and our Head Girl, Head Boy, Deputy Head Girl and Deputy Head Boy read poems and laid wreathes. We encourage all our students to find out the stories of bravery and service in their own family histories as these should all be remembered. We would like to thank Rev Bryony Taylor, for giving such a touching, and poignant, address. We would also like to thank Gemma Richardson, our Deputy Head Girl, who laid the Heritage wreath at the Remembrance Service in Clowne.

Heritage RemembersMs Newton

When students earn 1,500 ACE points they are awarded their bronze badge. It has been fantastic to see so many students pushing themselves and going the extra mile to earn ACE points to get their bronze award. To get the silver award students need to earn 2,500 ACE points. We are pleased to announce that the first three silver awards have been earned. Iona Fisher and Colt Kingham-Davies, who are from Redgrave House, and Vanya Drey, from Westwood House, have all earned their silver award. All three students are in year eight. They are now working towards their gold award, which students receive when they have earned 4,500 ACE points. We would like to say a huge congratulations to all students who have earned their bronze and silver awards. We look forward to awarding many more star badges in the future.

Important Dates

Term 3 startsTerm 3 endsINSET DAY – School closed to studentsTerm 4 startsTerm 4 endsTerm 5 startsBANK HOLIDAY – School closedTerm 5 endsTerm 6 startsINSET DAY – School closed to studentsTerm 6 ends – End of academic yearINSET DAY – School closed to studentsINSET DAY – School closed to students

*These dates and events can be subject to change - details will be communicated on the school website and by Schoolcomms. (Please contact the school directly if you need to amend your contact details).

Boughton Lane, Clowne, Chesterfield, S43 4QG

Tel: 01246 810259

Email: info@heritage.derbyshire.sch.uk

Web: www.heritage.derbyshire.sch.uk

2019-2020 Academic YearMonday 6th January 2020Thursday 13th February 2020Friday 14th February 2020Monday 24th February 2020Friday 3rd April 2020Monday 20th April 2020Friday 8th May 2020Friday 22nd May 2020Monday 1st June 2020Friday 26th June 2020Friday 17th July 2020Monday 20th July 2020Tuesday 21st July 2020