Birchwood Update 11 September 2017
- Week 2
- Sep 11, 2017
- 10 min read
Please see your child’s year group section of this update for exciting information regarding residential trips in 2018 for years 7, 8, 9 and 10. Letters are also being sent home for all of these trips today. We hope this will allow parents and carers with children in more than one year at school to consider and prioritise the trips available in school.
Our learners become published authors!
Last academic year, Miss Dempsey gave her year 7 English class the opportunity to enter into a national creative writing competition run by Young Writers, ‘Welcome to Wonderland’. The competition was for 11-18-year-old budding writers and the brief was to write a mini saga in just 100 words inspired by their world, but seeing where their imaginations can take them.
We were really proud to announce that 14 of our learners had been selected to be published in a book of winning work.
The book has arrived and learners were delighted to receive their own copy to keep.
Congratulations go to Ben, Aiden, Tyler, Charlie, Kai, Tom, Amelia, Bessie, Morgan, Lauren, Caitlin, Charlotte, Cerys, and Millie, who are now in year 8.
A fantastic theatre visit to start the new academic year.
Learning visits at Birchwood Community High School stared early this academic year, as on the third day back, Miss Senior took 30 learners to The Lowry at Manchester to see The Addams Family Musical, which also featured a cast member who is an ex learner from our school, Oliver Ormson, who left us in 2011.
Megan from 11KF has kindly written a review of the trip
‘I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to see The Addams Family Musical. My peers and I constantly had a smile on our faces. The show was comical, spooky and very well put together. Every actor and actress had an amazing voice, danced well and their acting was fantastic.
It was inspirational to see where, with hard work, we could get to. It was also useful for us to see another live performance that we can review and analyse for our GCSE exam. It was also lovely to meet Oliver Ormson, who is an ex learner of our high school. Thank you to our performing arts teachers for putting a lovely day together.’
Great news for Anya
We are proud that so many ex learners keep in touch with us here at Birchwood Community High School and it is lovely to share in their success after they have moved on.
Over the summer, Anya Donelan, who left us in 2015, was awarded a full sports scholarship to Monroe College in New York. She is already on the roster for the women's soccer team there and was excited to fly out last week. Anya said she was thrilled to be going and passed on thanks to our PE department, particularly Mr Yates and Mr Burrows for the support they had given her.
Learners with languages potential get the opportunity to study a classic
We are proud to announce that some of our learners are being offered the chance to study Latin as an extra-curricular activity. These learners have showed particular potential and commitment to languages learning whilst at our school. Lessons will be weekly and led by a tutor from the charity ‘Classics for All’. Studying Latin at an early age has many benefits and has been proven to boost learning in other languages and subjects such as Maths, science and Engineering.
KS3 Creative Writing Club, Years 7, 8 and 9
If you love writing and would like to enter a short story competition, this is the extra-curricular club for you. Miss Moffitt will hold the club every Wednesday on week 1 (the first one being next week, Wednesday 20 Sept) between 3-4pm in M8.
Save time and pre-order lunch
To allow your child to make more of their lunch break, the kitchen have introduced a pre-ordering system for school dinners. Orders can be placed, at the till in the M1, before school each day from 8am, or during the last 5 minutes of the morning break. Payment is as normal via our fingerprint system, where you will be given a receipt. Orders can be collected from the new Art Cafe on production of your receipt.
School early closure on 21 September, a date for your diary.
On Thursday 21 September we will hold our School Open Evening from 4.30pm. To prepare the school for our visitors, we will close to learners at 2pm that day.
Year 7
Year 7 photographs
Your child should have brought home their proofs. If you wish to purchase the photograph, this can be done online via Kittle’s website at https://v6.kittleorders.com/kp/Home or you can return the form and cash or cheque to the school office by break on Wednesday 20 September.
If purchasing via school, please can you ensure that your child’s name and form is clearly indicated on the form. Thank you
Year 7 Residential Trip to Conwy Centre, Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 April 2018
We are happy to inform you that we are organising a trip to the Conway Centre for all of Year 7. This will be an ideal opportunity for learners to experience new and different activities and to encourage them to start Year 8 with a focus on making good progress throughout the curriculum. The centre offers a very valuable learning experience, setting learners a challenging programme of activities which go far beyond the scope of the normal school day. Learners who have previously attended a similar residential course in Year 7 have enjoyed the experience so much that it is often mentioned as one of the highlights of their time at Birchwood!
The centre runs a full programme of activities from 9am to 9pm. There is a wide range for us to choose from, including raft building, problem solving, zip wire, craft activities and archery
The cost of the trip is £210 per learner. This includes transport to and from the centre, board, lodgings and the cost of all the activities and can be paid in instalments.
Your child will bring home a letter with further details of payment and how to book. A copy of which can be found here.
Year 8
Don’t miss out on this Year’s Yr. 8 French trip to Normandy, 16-19 March 2018
This year’s trip leaves on Friday 16 March and returns on Monday 19 March 2018.
We will be staying at the Château du Molay on the Normandy coast. The learners who went last year had a fantastic time and it is an invaluable opportunity to bring their language learning to life in rural France.
The itinerary for the trip includes:
A visit to a French bakery, Boulangerie les Co Pains.
A visit to a snail farm, Les Escargots du Bocage.
Visit to the Mesrill goat farm.
A visit to a Les Marianiks chocolate factory
One-day entrance to Eurodisney.
A chance for learners to use their language skills whilst shopping in a French supermarché.
The cost of the trip is £260.00 for forty learners. This includes travel insurance, entrance to all the excursions, plus full-board accommodation and evening entertainment at the château. The price is subject to change depending on the number of learners who wish to take part and can be paid in instalments.
Your child will bring home a letter with further details of payment and how to book. A copy of which can be found here
Year 9
Year 9 – Getting Ready for KS4 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor, 11 -13 July 2018.
We are excited to be able to inform you, that we are organising our Getting Ready for KS4 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor in Scotland, for all of Year 9.
This is a fantastic opportunity for Year 9 learners to consolidate skills developed during the foundation year and to develop new skills to ensure they are fully equipped for the challenges of key stage 4. It will also be an ideal opportunity for learners in Year 9, to experience new and different activities and challenges, encouraging them to start KS4 with a focus on making good progress throughout their KS4 curriculum.
Lockerbie Manor offers a very valuable learning experience, setting learners a challenging programme of activities which go far beyond what learners experience during a normal school day. The activities available for learners on the trip will have real focus on team building, resilience and challenging yourself. All of which are vital skills as we embark on GCSE and BTEC courses. Activities are yet to be finalised, however some of the activities that may be on offer include abseiling, dragon boating, high ropes and obstacle courses, orienteering and survival skills.
The cost of the trip is £230. This includes transport to and from Lockerbie, all activities planned and full-board accommodation at Lockerbie Manor.
Your child will bring home a letter with further details of payment and how to book. A copy of which can be found here
Year 10
Year 10 photographs
Your child should have brought home their proofs. If you wish to purchase the photograph, this can be done online via Kittle’s website at https://v6.kittleorders.com/kp/Home or you can return the form and cash or cheque to school office by break on Wednesday 20 September.
If purchasing via school, please can you ensure that your child’s name and form is clearly indicated on the form. Thank you
Year 10 – KS4 Residential Lockerbie Manor, 25 – 27 June 2018
This year we will be running our first KS4 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor in Scotland, for all of Year 10.
This is a fantastic opportunity for Year 10 learners to reflect upon how their first year of GCSE has gone and to build and develop skills they will need moving forward into year 11. It will also be an ideal opportunity for learners in Year 10, to experience new and different activities and challenges, encouraging them to continue their KS4 study with a focus on making good progress.
Lockerbie Manor offers a very valuable learning experience, setting learners a challenging programme of activities which go far beyond what learners experience during a normal school day. The activities available for learners on the trip will have real focus on team building, resilience and challenging yourself, all of which are vital skills as we embark on GCSE and BTEC courses. Activities are yet to be finalised, however some of the activities that may be on offer include abseiling, dragon boating, high ropes and obstacle courses, orienteering and survival skills.
The cost of the trip is £215. This includes transport to and from Lockerbie, all activities planned and full-board accommodation at Lockerbie Manor.
Your child will bring home a letter with further details of payment and how to book. A copy of which can be found here
Welcome to Key Stage 4 Evening - Thursday 14 September 2017 from 6.30pm to 7.45pm
We would like to invite you to attend this event at which we will explain the rigours of Key Stage 4 as well as the new structure of the courses and examinations. We will also outline the standards and expectations we have of all Year 10 learners at the beginning of the new academic year. The format of the evening will be a short presentation in the main hall and then moving into small workshops in classrooms.
The objectives of the evening are:
to explain the format of the new GCSE style specifications and exams
to explain the new 1-9 grading system
to share the new Maths, English and Science curriculums and explain how parents/carers can support learning
You will also receive a booklet containing the key information shown above and we will be happy to answer any questions you have to help ensure our learners have the best possible start to life in Key Stage4. You can attend with or without your child.
We aim to have as many parents/carers attending the evening as possible. Please note that you will need to park on Birchwood Shopping Centre car park and allow at least 10 minutes for walking across and to the main reception of the. The evening will start promptly at 6.30pm.
Year 11
Differentiation for our senior learners.
After our uniform consultation last academic year, we listened when our year 11 asked to be differentiated through their uniform from the lower year groups. It was decided that they would have a different tie which would be the reverse colouring of our ordinary school tie. The ties have arrived and our new Year 7 have certainly found it beneficial when finding their way around school and other advice as they are easily able to identify our senior learners. It also gives year 11 a visible sense of pride in their position.
A Fun start for our new Year 12
Year 12 had a really fun introduction to Birchwood College as they were invited to join in with a selection of fun induction activities to develop competition and enterprise, memory skills and team working. The students had a great time and it was a wonderful way to get them chatting and making new friends.
Other School information:
View your child’s information on your mobile phone or tablet, a great new way to keep in touch.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new service to make communications between school and home quicker, easier and more effective.
You will be able to view information about your child or children securely on your mobile phone or tablet using the Groupcall Xpressions app.
Once you are set up you will be able to see information such as:
Free messages sent by the school delivered to the app
Attendance and absence information
Attitude to learning (“ATL”) scores for each lesson.
Daily/Weekly timetable information
The app is completely free of charge to you and supports Apple iOS and Android devices (with Windows mobile to follow).
In order to use the app school must have your correct mobile number and email address on our school system. Forms are available from the school office to check and update your details or you can simply email them to the school. You’ll need to make sure you keep these details up to date in future to maintain access to the service.
You can download the app by searching for “Xpressions” in the App Store or on Google Play. Once the app is downloaded, simply follow the on screen instructions.
We hope that you take advantage of this new service, which has replaced our ParentsLive system. If you have any issues or need to know more please contact Mr O’Reilly here at school on aoreilly@birchwoodhigh.org or click here
Children on site out of school hours
As a Community School, we welcome clubs and booked activities to use our facilities and school grounds outside the school day. We have become aware though that there are groups of both learners and ex learners on site in the evenings. Please make your child aware that learners are only allowed on site after the school day, if they are part of an organised and booked group. Thank you for your co-operation.
School Nurse: Please note that the school nurse comes into school every Wednesday from 12.15- 1.30pm and is available in the BSR Mentoring Room if any learners or students have any health related issues they would like to discuss.
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