Birchwood Update 16/10/17
- Josie Evans
- Oct 16, 2017
- 7 min read
Birchwood Update 16/10/17
We would like to hear your views about our school so we can share these with OFSTED
We are asking for your support so that we are aware of your views about our school. It will also help us to prepare for our next OFSTED visit which is due this academic year. Thank you to all parents and carers who have already filled the online form in. We have had 18 responses so far and all parents have said that their children feel safe and happy at school. We would love more views though! Please read and fill in the online form below.
Parent View is an online facility launched by Ofsted in October 2011 that allows parents and carers to give their views about their child’s school at any time of the school year. The questionnaire is also the main mechanism for parents to give their views to inspectors about their child’s school at the time of a school inspection. If you are a registered parent or carer of a pupil at the school, you can tell us your views about the school by completing Ofsted’s online survey here
Harvest Festival Assembly, Friday 20 October, 2pm in the sports hall
Parents, carers and friends are very welcome to join us for this celebration. Once again we are supporting the Warrington Foodbank this year and learners and students have been asked to donate an item. For urgently needed items, please see the link below. We do hope that you will support this worthy cause.
Half Term Break & Inset Day
The Harvest Celebration also marks the end of this half term. We would like to thank parents and carers for your support since our return in September.
Please note that Monday 30 October is an Inset Day which means that school and college will be closed to learners due to staff training. We re-open after the half term break on Tuesday 31 October at 8.45am.
Pride in George, our Man of Steel, after his success in Canada
It is with great pleasure that we can report on the success of a real athlete and man of steel, George from 10JJ.
On 4 October, George travelled to Canada to compete in the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships, representing the UK in the 13- 17 category. We have news back from George’s mum and she is right when she describes George as proving himself a ‘true athlete’.
George’s mum says:
“The competition course was insanely tough as was the weather, torrential rain and 7degrees, which made grip in the races and ropes and metal rigs nearly impossible! The 50lb wreck bag carry finished a fair few much older than him off but George dug in and did it. He completed obstacles he’s never even seen before and ones he has but these were on a totally different scale.
Day 1 was the 3k with 25 obstacles and an opportunity to try some for the first time. George picked up penalties on 4 obstacles but still finished in a time of 3.17.05 which placed him 21st in his age group (13-19).
On day 2, George took on the 15k. This involved 47 obstacles and over 3,300ft of climbing. An outstanding performance meant he picked up just 3 penalties on the whole course finishing 42 in age group (13-17) and 1164/2262 of all age group athletes.
Day three offered a change of focus as George ran a 7k course with around 20 obstacles and 1,600ft of climbing, to give something back and play his part in raising CAN$20,000 for The Make a Wish Foundation.”
Three days, three races, 20 kilometres, 6,000ft elevation, 90+ obstacles and three well deserved medals. Now ranked world age group 21st in the sprint distance and 42nd in the standard, George has a solid platform on which to build for the future. What a star, we are so proud of you George!
A huge thank you to our Primary Ambassador team.
Over the last few weeks a number of our year 8 and 11 learners have been visiting our local primaries to address the concerns and questions of year 6 children about moving on to high school. Transition to high school can be a worrying time for children and we identified that the best people to ease these worries are youngsters who have recently been in the same situation. Our learners, as always, made us proud, enthusiastically answering questions about the school day, extra-curricular activities, planners, behaviour and much more. Where possible our learners visited their own primary school, which made the visit more special for them.
Feedback from primaries was positive, saying that their children had really benefited from the opportunity and it was lovely to see how well pupils from their school had developed since coming to us.
Operation Encompass
Please find a letter, here, with regard to our participation, along with other Warrington schools, in Operation Encompass. This is the scheme that involves the Police making contact with a child’s registered school following a domestic incident where a child (or children) has been named as a dependent to ensure support can be implemented appropriately to the child(dren).
Science Department, LEARNER OF THE WEEK
English Department, LEARNER OF THE WEEK
Birchwood Community High School Show, The Little Shop of Horrors, The week of 27 November 2017
School Show Rehearsal Schedule, Week beginning 16 October
Monday 16th October
3-4.15 - 3 degrees, mushnik, Seymour, Audrey HS + kM
Mushnik and Seymour with CW 4.15-5.15
Tuesday 17th October
NO AFTER SCHOOL REHEARSAL
Wednesday 18th October
Dancers, 3 degrees, mushnik, seymour, audrey
HB - dance studio until 5.15 – Can’t leave early
Thursday 19th October
3- 4.45Pm - Whole cast
Mushnik and Seymour with CW 4.45-5.45
Friday 20th October
Dancers, 3 degrees, mushnik, seymour, audrey
HB - dance studio until 5.15 – Can’t leave early
Here we come, Iceland!
On Thursday Mr Bate, Mr Grimmer, Miss Conner and a number of Year 11,12 and 13 learners and students are to attend our first Geography trip to Iceland. This will be a visit of a lifetime that I’m sure learners will not forget, visiting explosion craters, hot springs, waterfalls and glaciers to name but a few. We wish you a great visit and can’t wait to hear all about it on their return.
Year 7
Year 7 Parents’ opportunity to meet with form tutors – Thursday 19 October, 3.30 – 6.30pm
Your child has now been at Birchwood Community High School for almost half a term and we would like to invite you into school to give you a clearer picture of how they have settled in. This will give you the opportunity to meet your child’s form tutor again and to receive up to date information on your child’s progress.
Your child will bring home a letter with regard to making an appointment for this event. The letter can also be accessed here
Please return all reply slips to the school office no later than Monday 17 October so that appointments can be allocated. Thank you.
Year 7 Residential Trip to Conwy Centre, Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 April 2018
For your information, a letter regarding the details of this trip can be found here
Payment instalments are due on the following dates:
Date
7 November 2017
6 February 2018
6 March 2018
3 April 2018
Year 8
A big well done to our Year 8 Netball team who secured a brilliant 19-0-win last week, against St Gregory’s.
Year 9
Getting Ready for KS4 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor, 11 -13 July 2018
For your information, a letter regarding the details of this trip can be found here
Payment instalments are due on the following dates:
Date
7 November 2017
6 February 2018
6 March 2018
3 April 2018
Year 10
Year 10 – KS4 Residential Lockerbie Manor, 25 – 27 June 2018
For your information, a letter regarding the details of this trip can be found here
Payment instalments are due on the following dates:
Date
7 November 2017
6 February 2018
6 March 2018
3 April 2018
Year 11
Year 11 Performance Review Evening, Thursday 9 November 2017, 3.30pm – 7.00pm
We do hope that you can join us on 9 November for our Year 11 Parent Review Evening. This event gives you the opportunity to speak with your child’s subject staff to discuss progress and achievement at a vital stage in their school life.
Birchwood College
Our students discover how to access some of the leading universities in the country
On Tuesday 10 October Gemma Oakes from Realising Opportunities (RO) presented the RO scheme to a number of year 12 students. Realising Opportunities is a national programme which gives students in year 12 increased access to some of the country’s leading research intensive universities. Successful applicants receive additional consideration when applying through UCAS and may receive a lower offer from RO partner universities, as well as gaining many skills beneficial to university life. Students will be expected to attend a launch event, complete an online study module and complete an EPQ (delivered through Birchwood College). This programme has been very successful in previous years at BC and we look forward to a new group of applicants joining and enjoying RO.
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
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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