Birchwood Update 10/6/2019
- Josie Evans
- Jun 10, 2019
- 12 min read
Birchwood Update week Commencing 10/6/2019
Important dates for your diary:
13 June – Year 12 Which Way Now event
14 June – Year 11’s last day in school. See Year 11 section below for more details
Week of 17 June – Years 7 -10 Examination week
27 June – Year 9 Performance Review Evening, 3.30pm – 7pm
28 June – Inset Day (Warrington Walking day)
1 & 2 July – Year 6 Induction days at BCHS
2 July - Year 6 Induction Evening, 4.30pm – 7pm
4 July – Year 11 Prom at Hallmark Warrington
4 July – Year 10 Taster Day at Birchwood College
9 July – Year 7 Celebration Evening, 6.30 – 7.30pm
11 July - Year 8 Celebration Evening, 6.30 – 7.30pm
16 July - Year 9 Celebration Evening, 6.30 – 7.30pm
17 July – KS3 show – Matilda, 7pm, Performing Arts Centre. AMMENDED DATE
18 July - Year 10 Celebration Evening, 6.30 – 7.30pm
“Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want”……..to dance for the Spice Girls!
Last week we were excited to hear the news that one of our talented dance stars, Kaitlen from 8DR, had the chance to meet and perform for one of her all time heroes, Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls.
Kaitlen, who is a member of dance group Spicealicious, along with friends Demi, Macy and Zara, attend the Aim Sky High dance studio in Sale. The girls love the Spice Girls and have an aim to dance with them in the future. So to get things started, the girls decided to dance outside the hotel that the Spice Girls were staying in for their Manchester concert last week.
The hotel was packed with Spice Girls fans and paparazzi from all around the world but that didn’t put the girls off and as Geri Halliwell arrived at the hotel the girls began their routine.
The crowd loved it and Geri couldn’t believe her eyes as the girls showed off their moves. Afterwards Geri spent time with the girls to give them hugs and tell them how amazing their performance was. Kaitlen said, “Geri was so lovely and was really interested in what we were doing and our hopes for the future. She really is my inspiration.”
The girls had prepared a video of their dance that has been shared on Instagram by Geri’s sister and Spice Circle. The video has gone viral with views.
The girls’ performance really hit the mark and has also been covered by several newspapers, the BBC, Hits radio station, Spanish TV and radio, and Lorraine Kelly on This Morning.
Spicealicious are a determined set of young ladies, training hard five days a week to be the very best that they can. They appeared on Britain’s Got Talent last year and this year’s Greatest Dancer.
Their ultimate aim is to dance on the next Spice Girls tour and now that Geri has seen them perform that is one step closer!
Congratulations Kaitlen, we are so proud of you.
For a video of the girls performing see here.
Information for parents regarding Lunch time
From next week, when GCSE are finished, we will return to our usual time for lunch of 1.15pm. This will mean that the school day will revert back to 4 lessons before lunch break and one after.
The art café will also be available for learners from all year groups to use for eating packed lunches.
Poppy is called up for the England Ladies Nordic Tournament
Unfortunately one of our Year 11 will have to miss out on Prom, but for Poppy in Year 11 it is a decision that is worthwhile as we are proud to tell you that Poppy has been selected for England ladies U16's to compete in the Nordic tournament in Sweden. Sadly the tournament takes place on the same date as our Prom and though Poppy will be sad to miss out on a great evening spent with her friends in year 11 she is proud to be selected again to represent her country.
Good luck Poppy, we will miss you but your football future comes First!
Year 13’s final gig …..Don’t miss out
Well it’s that time of the year for us to say bon voyage to our Year 13 and as the final part of their BTEC Music they are holding their final gig ‘MOVING ON UP’ at Rylands Recreation Club on Friday, 14 June 2019 at 7.30pm.
If you fancy a great night out with fantastic music then come and join us.
Tickets are available at the college reception, £6 for adults and £4 concessions
Year 7 consider the future of our planet
As part of our eco school commitment, Year 7 took part in a series of interactive workshops last week around the theme of plastics and our environment.
The workshops were delivered by our teaching students from Manchester Met University with assistance by members of our eco-committee.
Year 7 were shocked at how long it took for common everyday plastic goods that we see every day to disappear. Can you believe it takes 200 years for a drink can and 500 years for a baby’s nappy to fully degrade?
Learners looked the tide and how it gathered the rubbish in the Pacific Ocean and dumped it all in one specific spot and then tried to guess the weight and enormity or this dump. Again shocking!
They were also able to take a virtual reality trip through both a clean and dirty ocean, describing what they say and thought.
They also had the chance to turn some rubbish into something lovely as they created their own lovely turtle and octopus from plastic bottles collected at school.
All in all it was a fun session but also a really valuable learning opportunity for the young people who are the future for our planet.
Thank you to the students who did a marvelous job putting the workshops together.
Chester Zoo come to BCHS
Last Thursday, 120 learners in Year 8 were invited by the geography department to take part in a conservation workshop here at school. Rangers from Chester Zoo delivered the workshop which focused on the effect that humans are having on the natural world and the animals in it.
The workshop was really engaging as learners played parts in a scenario to set up a soft drinks company, which of course requires aluminium cans. Learners looked at threats to the environment through de-forestation, fracking, eco footprint, and global warming.
Learners heard about threats to animals such as turtles and polar bears and saw artefacts from the zoo including a polar bear skull, giant turtle and elephant poo, which thankfully was preserved!
A big thank you must go to Mike Jones from Chester Zoo who made the workshop such an enjoyable and informative lesson. He answered all the learners’ questions and encouraged everyone to stand up and make a pledge about how they can help Chester Zoo and the world to save animals.
This week let us make an effort to eat well
This week is the British Nutrition Foundation’s Healthy Eating Week and we would like to draw attention to this, as sometimes we are unaware of the difference that a healthy diet has on how we feel every day and perform in school and work. In particular, a good breakfast is really important.
We are asking you to try to make sure that each day your child starts the day with a good balanced breakfast. For tips and advice on the best breakfasts to give your child, see here
Our uniform Suppliers
As many of you may now be considering purchasing uniform for the next academic year, please find a reminder of our local suppliers
Touchline UK
Unit 2 Kerfoot Street
Warrington
WA2 8NU
Warrington Schoolwear
50-54 Buttermarket St
Warrington
WA1 2NN
Also there are some deals on at high street suppliers at the moment that you may like to take advantage of:
Marks and Spencer have 20% of school wear.
Sainsburys are offering free click and collect on orders over £15.
Asda are 3 for 2 on school wear.
Keeping your child safe
Exams time
As we are heavily into exam season now, this week seems a good time to look helping your child cope with exam stress. Tests and exams can be a challenging part of school life for children and young people and their parents or carers. However, there are ways to ease the stress.
For great advice from the NHS on helping your child get through what can be a worrying time, please see here
Remember that exam stress does not always end when the exams are over. Many young people carrying on worrying about how they have performed in their exams and this can continue up to results day.
Extra-curricular timetable
Please take a look at our extracurricular timetable to see what great activities are available for your child to take part in both after school and at lunchtime .
Learners of the Week
Well done to the learners below who were selected Learners of the week before half term by our languages and English department.
Year 8
Year 8 Girls HPV vaccination
All girls in Year 8 will receive a permission slip in their form box for the HPV vaccinations that will take place in school in June. Can you please check that your child has handed this to you and please read and return your permission for your child to receive the vaccination immediately please.
The documents can also be found here
More details regarding the date for vaccination will follow shortly.
Year 9 -
Year 9 Performance Review Evening Thursday 27 June, 3.30pm – 7.00pm
This valuable event gives you the opportunity to speak with subject teachers to discuss progress and achievement at a vital stage in their school life.
Your child should have brought home a letter regarding booking an appointment, which you can also find here.
We hope to see you all on the evening.
Year 10 - No specific information
Year 11
Information regarding Year 11's last day this Friday, 14 June
Please find a timetable of events for Year 11’s last day this Friday.
Please note that all learners need to bring a clean shirt for assembly as they must wear a white school shirt and the rest of their uniform for this event.
9.00am – 10.45am - Physics Exam
10.50am - 11.20am - Form time with Tutor
11.20am -11.50am - Refreshments in M1 and shirt signing
12.00 –1.00pm - Leavers Assembly in Performing Arts
1.00pm - Learners leave Site
2.00pm - German Preparation Session for Monday’s exam. Learners should sign in at reception when they return to site for this session.
A message from our geography department
Year 11 book amnesty
Please can year 11 return any of the following to the Year Team Office to be in with a chance of winning prizes !
Revision Guides
Textbooks
Library books
Thank you
Looking to the Future and next steps for Year 11
Young people must stay in education or training until at least the age of 18. See the information here
They must do one of the following:
stay in full-time education, for example at a college/6th form
start an apprenticeship or traineeship
spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training
If your child is considering the apprenticeship route please be aware that many apprenticeships are now being advertised for school leavers on the gov.uk site, Find an apprenticeship, which can be found here
Year 11 Leaver’s Prom, Thursday 4 July 2019
This year the Year 11 Leavers’ Prom will be at the Hallmark Warrington on the evening of Thursday 4 July 2019. We will be leaving school at 6.15pm and returning late (approximately 12.30am).
All learners going to the prom must travel on the coaches provided. Arriving together on the coaches is an integral part of the evening. It also enables parents/carers to take photographs at school before we set off if they wish.
The Warrington Guardian photographer will be taking photos at school before we leave as will Mrs Evans, our Events Manager so make sure that you arrive in plenty of time for photographs.
We look forward to a special evening.
2019 Examinations
A full timetable of all summer examinations has been released and can be found on our website here
Results days 2019
A level/BTEC - Thursday 15 August 2019
GCSE/BTEC – Thursday 22 August 2019
More details will follow with regard to collecting your child’s results nearer the date.
Birchwood College
Cieron takes gold at the Brazilian Jiu Jitzu British Open
Well done Ceiron, a student at Birchwood College, who took a gold medal in the Brazilian Jiu Jitzu British Open at the NEC in Birmingham last week.
Ceiron, a member of the Warrington Gracie Barra Dojo, was delighted to be part of a team that took four gold, seven silver and four bronze medals in the competition.
Year 13’s final gig …..Don’t miss out
Well it’s that time of the year for us to say Bon Voyage to our Year 13 and as the final part of their BTEC Music they are holding their final gig ‘MOVING ON UP’ at Rylands Recreation Club on Friday 14th June 2019 at 7.30pm.
If you fancy a great night out with fantastic music then come and join us.
Tickets are available at the college reception, £6.00 Adults and £4 Concessions
2019 Examinations
A full timetable of all summer examinations has been released and can be found on our website here
Results days 2019
A level/BTEC - Thursday 15 August 2019
GCSE/BTEC – Thursday 22 August 2019
More details will follow with regard to collecting your child’s results nearer the date.
Other School information:
Please support us in ensuring that our facilities are the best they can be
Please be aware of rules regarding learners being on the school site outside school hours.
Some damage has been caused to the site and a learner has been hurt trying to climb over the fencing. We would like to remind you that learners are not allowed on the school site at any time unless they are with a member of staff. The rule about this is below:
Unless there is a member of staff running a special extra-curricular activity, the school site is out of bounds for all learners on weekdays after school clubs have finished (usually after 4.30pm) and at weekends and during school holidays.
Please support us by making you child aware of this rule so that our facilities are the best they can be for us to use in school time and for the community to book and use out of school hours.
Thank you for your support in this matter
Keeping in touch gets even easier with the introduction of the Xpressions website
We are pleased to announce that Groupcall Xpressions is now available to access on your computer via a website. The login page can be found here.
This gives you a further way, as well as accessing the APP on your mobile phone and tablet, to view information about your child
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
Xpressions is completely free of charge to you and supports Apple iOS, Android devices and now Windows operating system.
In order to use the Xpressions, 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 will need to make sure you keep these details up to date in future to maintain access to the service.
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
Mobile Phones, Earphones and Speakers in school.
Phones and headphones may be brought in to school but must be kept in bags or zipped in blazer pockets out of view at all times. Learners must not use phones at any time on the site between the bells at 8.50 and 3.00pm unless they are asked to do so by a teacher in a lesson for a reason that is related to learning. In this case, the teacher will issue instructions on the use of phones or headphones, which must then be followed. If a phone is out during the school day, even to check the time, this will be confiscated. There is a staged system of sanctions and mobile phones, earphones and speakers are counted as identical items. If you think a learner is using a smart watch in the same way as a mobile phone, please speak to their Year Team Leader or Year Team Officer.
If a learner is concerned about an issue at home and feels they need to speak to a parent, they need to go to the Year Team Office and discuss this with Year Team Officer. Staff should confiscate mobile technology items that are visible and in use during the times specified. They should be taken to the school office. The system of sanctions are:
Stage 1 - First offence
The item is confiscated and locked in the school safe
The item is collected by the learner at the end of the day
One behaviour point is issued by the Office
Stage 2 - Second offence
The item is confiscated and locked in the school safe
The item is collected by the learner at the end of the day
One behaviour points issued by the Office
Stage 3 - Third Offence
The item is confiscated and locked in the school safe
Parents/carers are informed and asked to collect the phone at the end of the school day
One behaviour points is issued by the Office.
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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