Birchwood Update 22/7/2019
- Josie Evans
- Jul 22, 2019
- 8 min read
Birchwood Update week Commencing 22/7/2019
Important dates for your diary:
15 August – College Results Day, see message in relevant section below.
22 August – School Results Day, see message in relevant section below.
Last day arrangements
Tuesday, 23 July is our final day before closing for the summer. There will be as assembly at 11.30am in the Sports Hall and parents and carers are invited to join us. Learners will then return to their form rooms for registration before being dismissed for the holidays at 12.45pm.
On behalf of the staff and governors at BCHS we wish you all a happy and restful holiday. We will re-open on Wednesday, 4 September.
Year 7 and Year 12 - 8.45am to the school yard
Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 - 9.45am in form rooms
Year 13 Monday 9 September - 8.45am
Matilda
Last Wednesday we were treated to a fantastic evening of entertainment at Birchwood’s version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Our version included many memorable moments but was re-written for the amount of our learners who wanted to take part and to best show of their many talents.
Everyone in the production gave an amazing performance, but special praise must go to our principal players. Ben Gregory was both comic and hair raising as Miss Trunchbull and in total contrast Ella Moran was sweet but feisty as Matilda.
We were all delighted when Miss Honey, played beautifully by Erin Ivey, rescued Matilda from her vile parents played by Joe Lang and Dolly Hamilton Foster, again fabulous performances!
Well done to everyone involved in the performance, performers, stage crew, and of course, the staff of our brilliant performing arts department who have worked so hard with learners to make the show possible.
BCHS visits Westminster
Last Wednesday 29 learners from years 7 to 10 had the opportunity to travel to Westminster with Mr Bate. Learners took a tour of the Houses of Parliament to see what goes on behind the scenes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They also took part in an interactive workshop about debating and how our laws are made.
After lunch in Jubilee Gardens, learners took a whistle stop tour of London taking in Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and St James’ Park.
What a fantastic opportunity for our young people.
Birchwood College Class of 2015 are first class in music
We have great pleasure in sharing the news that two of our college students have graduated with top class honours in Music.
Elizabeth Yarwood joined our school in 2008 from Locking Stumps Primary and stayed with us to become a student at Birchwood College where she attained a DD* in Music in 2015 before auditioning and winning a place at the prestigious and much sought after LIPA, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
We were hugely proud of Elizabeth when she left us, and we knew that she would excel there and take full advantage of any opportunity that came her way. Elizabeth gained a fantastic first class honours degree in music. Elizabeth is currently teaching singing, running a choir and group workshos as well as working as a session backing vocalist.
Also, from the Birchwood College class of 2015, Richard Wright has graduated with a first-class BA (Hons) in Popular Music from Manchester Metropolitan University. He is currently playing bass for a Welsh Male Voice Choir at the Cor Cymru in Aberystwyth.
Well done to both and we wish you success in the future
Year 10 get the taste of a real interview process.
Last Tuesday Year 10 took part in a Careers Day in Birchwood College as part of their careers education programme. They came to school dressed very smartly in interview attire and took part in a mock interview with a company representative. This gave them a first taste of what it will be like to go for a job interview and the skills they will require.
During the day they also learnt how to make a CV and found out about the wide range of apprenticeships available to school and college leavers.
The University of Chester led a workshop looking at the benefits of higher education and Warrington Youth Club led a very interactive session on employability skills using dried spaghetti and marshmallows!
We would like to thank the following organisations for getting involved and making the day so enjoyable and informative: NHS, Gleeds, Atkins, Jacobs, Travel Counsellors, Just Childcare, Sellafield, Simian Risk, WVR College, Vaultex, ASK and Bam Nuttall.
A great end to term and our Pride celebrations
Last Thursday was a busy day at BCHS, as we saw the culmination of our Pride month with a Pride party in College which was full of fun and games for everyone. Learners had the chance to tie dye a t-shirt in pride colours and have some Pride face paints and glitter. Food was also on hand as Domino’s arrived
.
Food of another variety was also on offer as an ice cream van came on site during period 5 to deliver a Birch points treat to deserving learners.
Needless to say, everyone had a great time.
Official Prom Photography
For those who purchased Photographs from our Official Prom Photographer Ben Unwin please see details from him below to access your Free digital downloads
Link for FREE digital downloads, and/or to purchase prints, password is: 6783
https://www.benunwinphotography.co.uk/2019-Photography-Clients/Birchwood-Prom-2019
Whilst viewing individual photos, students and parents can either download them as high quality images for free by selecting the download icon found bottom right of image, and/or they can purchase prints by selecting the ‘BUY’ button, they can multiple to their shopping cart if they wish.
Help for anyone unsure of their plans after Year 11, 12 or 13
Anyone still unsure of their plans for after Year 11, 12 or 13 is reminded to get in touch with our Careers Adviser Mrs Morris who will arrange an appointment (rmorris@birchwoodhigh.org) and provide guidance in taking the next step forward.
There are now lots of apprenticeships being advertised for those looking for a more hands-on approach to learning and who feel they are ready to enter the workplace. Most can be found here
Raising the Participation Age means that young people have to be in education or training until the age of 18. This could be a college course, an apprenticeship, traineeship or volunteering/working for at least 20 hours a week alongside further education or training. See here for guidance.
Our uniform Suppliers
Great offer from Touchline UK - save 10% on Birchwood uniform between now and the end of July
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
Keeping your child safe
June is officially Pride month, though due to exam stresses we are celebrating Pride and diversity at our school throughout July.
It seems appropriate therefore over the coming weeks to look at some issues that may be worrying your child regarding their sexual and gender identity
Homophobic and Transphobic bullying
It’s never okay for someone to treat you badly because of your sexuality or gender identity. If this happens to you, remember that you’re not alone, there is support available here
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 .
Year 7 - No specific information
Year 8 - No specific information
Year 9 - No specific information
Year 10 - No specific information
Year 11
Results days 2019
GCSE/BTEC – Thursday 22 August 2019, 9am - 11am
Please find a copy of a letter regarding the arrangements for collecting results on this day here
Birchwood College
Results days 2019
A level/BTEC - Thursday 15 August 2019. Year 13 from 9am. Year 12 from 10am
Please find a copy of a letter regarding the arrangements for collecting results on this day here
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.
Comments