Week 6 of the Autumn Term has been particularly busy and productive. On top of all the wonderful learning happening in classrooms there have been lots of trip, exams, Open Mornings and visitors in school.
The Year 10 students had an excellent time on the History Trip to Berlin. Thank you to Miss Bailey and her team for arranging such a brilliant experience. The students have been polite, well mannered, engaged and interested in every activity. All of the tour guides and hosts have complimented us on how fantastic the students have been over the last few days.
On Thursday we hosted another group of Year 5 and 6 children and their Parents/ Carers to see the school ‘in action’. They visited lessons and explored the school with the Year 10 Transition Prefects. Feedback was excellent.
As a school we pride ourselves on a comprehensive safeguarding programme, delivered through assemblies, trips and visits, the tutor programme and PSHCRE. Our curriculum educates students on how to keep themselves and others safe, provides information on how to make informed decisions and signposts where to go for help or support. On Thursday as a part of our PSHCRE programme we welcomed the K9 Deployment in to school. This is a specialist provider of patrol dogs and drug dogs. Research shows that bringing a drug detection dog into schools is an effective safeguarding measure and can help prevent criminal activity. The handler was able to talk with students about how the dog is trained. Students also learnt about different places they have worked and why this is needed, including football stadiums, airports and festivals.
Next week is WEEK 1
Question of the Week
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Each week we will ask parents/ carers a question in the Weekly Message – This will either be about a topic we are focussing on or an aspect of our school improvement plan. We would appreciate it if everyone answers it when reading the Weekly Message.
Events w/b 14 October
w/b 14 October – Year 7 CAT Tests continue
w/b 14 October – Year 9 Review Assessments
w/b 14 October – Year 11 Food Preparation and Nutrition Exams
Monday 14 October – Wednesday 16 October – Year 7 Science and Geography Trip
Tuesday 15 October – Year 11 Achieving Excellence Evening in the Main Hall at 5:30pm. Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/LqmzxEifh2
Wednesday 16 October – Year 11 PSHCRE Day
Thursday 17 October – Year 10 and 11 Trip to see War Horse at the Mayflower Theatre
Future Dates
Wednesday 23 October – Friday 25 October – Year 11 Work Experience
w/b 21 October – Celebration Assemblies
Friday 25 October – Last day of this half term. School finishes at normal time (2:55pm)
Letters
You can find all letters sent home over the week here – https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/letters-to-parents/
The canteen menus can be found here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/food-and-drink/
Please check your child’s Attendance regularly on Class Charts
Theme of the Week –Taking Responsibility
Next week, students in Years 7-10 will be focussing their Personal Development and assembly time on ‘Taking Responsibility’. Students will think about how we can act responsibly and be supportive to others. We will discuss support groups in the community that help people and the positive actions we can have on society. The themes of the British Values, Individual Liberty, Respect and Tolerance, will also be considered. Students will cover anti-social behaviour: the causes; the effects and how we can be good citizens.
Prejudicial Language and Behaviour – Information for Parents/ Carers
This week our EARA (Equality and Rights Advocates) Group took part in a conference at Hayling College. As a school we record, track and respond to prejudicial behaviour in order to provide a safe environment for students and staff and ensure that everyone is valued.
Discrimination is not accepted at The Hamble School and Parents/ Carers are encouraged to support us in combating prejudice in society.
Parents/ Carers are the most significant and influential people in children’s lives. We all have an opportunity to make a real difference by:
- Setting a good example for our children through our own attitudes and behaviours towards others.
- Talking to our children about prejudice and discrimination and getting them to think about their attitudes and the way they treat others.
‘Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself’ – Robert Green Ingersoll.
This Week at the Dinner Table…
- What can you do to support others in the community?
- What would you do if you saw someone being unkind?
- Why is it important to treat others with respect and kindness?
Year 11 Update
Over the next few weeks students will be preparing for their Mock Examinations which begin on Monday 11 November. It is vital that students are preparing for these exams by revising at home. We will be supporting Parents/ Carers and students with a variety of events and activities over the coming weeks.
Revision Guides are now available to purchase through school. A booklet of suggested revision guides has been emailed home. If you wish to buy these resources for your son/ daughter, please complete the order form online: https://forms.office.com/e/nH9QrGiVhN and pay for the books on Scopay. All orders/ payments must be completed by 9am on Friday 18 October.
PSHCRE Day
On Wednesday 16 October Year 11 students will be taking part in a PSHCRE Day focused on revision, mental health support and wellbeing. This will run from period 1 to period 4 and will include visiting external speakers and detailed guidance for the Mock Exams. Year 11 students will need to wear PE kit for the day and will be attending normal period 5 lessons once the day is completed.
Our keynote speaker is Charlie Walker, Adventurer and Explorer (https://www.cwexplore.com/). The talk is designed to empower students with a drive, enthusiasm and optimism that will help propel them into their exam period. Charlie Walker will talk about obstacles that he has had to overcome and the success that comes from hard work and determination. We hope this will inspire the Year 11 cohort.
During periods 2 and 3 students will work with members of our Teaching and Learning Team to develop revision strategies. They will learn how to create the perfect revision timetable, explore a host of different revision techniques and discuss how to manage their time effectively.
Students will finish the PSHCRE Day with a talk focussed on mental health and strategies to support them to become more proactive managing their mental, emotional and physical health during the exam period.
College Open Events and Application Preparation
As you are probably aware the local colleges are hosting Open Events over the next few weeks. Please support your child to visit colleges and start their application process. The links for the Open Events are on our website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/careers/ as well as some great resources on how to write a personal statement and question prompts to ask when visiting colleges.
Rail Safety
Each year the local Police and British Transport Police contact us about young people in the community who put themselves at risk by not using the train lines properly or by putting themselves in situations where they are more likely to sustain life-changing injuries, or worse.
Often, students who put themselves at risk are not aware that the third rail carries enough electricity that means it can travel through the air and electrocute them without them needing to touch it.
Please support our work with helping students to be empowered to make good choices and keep themselves safe by discussing rail safety with them. An excellent website you can use to help guide your conversation is here: https://www.youvstrain.co.uk/
Reading and World Mental Health Day
On Thursday 10 October 2024 it was World Mental Health Day. The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.
At The Hamble School we have recently been focussing on reading. We know that reading can reduce stress and anxiety. Mental Health First Aid England promote reading https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/blog/reading-good-mental-health/
Our Recommended Read for students this week is: A Better Day by Dr. Alex George.
What if we could think of mental health in a positive way? Sweep away the rain clouds. Talk about what’s on our minds. And care for our mental health in the same way we look after our bodies. In this empowering and hopeful handbook, Youth Mental Health Ambassador Dr Alex George is here to show children how. A Better Day is a positive, accessible and practical toolkit guiding young readers in how they can care for their mental health with confidence. From peer pressure and exam stress to online trolls and anxiety, life is full of ups and downs. But there are ways we can stay on top of our mental health – including overcoming stigma, talking about our feelings, developing resilience and switching our mindset. This book provides all the scaffolding and practical techniques, so readers can look towards their future with optimism and positivity. Because no matter what, there is always hope for a better day.
There is also an accompanying Journal which you could purchase as well, if you think this would be useful for your child.
Iceland 2025
Thank you to all the Parents/ Carers of students in Year 8 and 9 who have expressed an interest in the Iceland Trip for November-December 2025. We had reserved 35 places; however, 96 students have completed an ‘expression of interest’.
Mrs Gaskin has been working very hard with the tour company to try and increase the size of the trip; this is why it has taken longer than anticipated to confirm who has been accepted onto the trip.
We are delighted to inform you that we have managed to reserve enough places with a different tour company, Discover the World, for all students to attend. A letter will be emailed home early next week, asking Parents/ Carers to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their booking.
Rewards
The students with the top reward points in each year group this week are:
- Year 7 – David O 7-1
- Year 8 – Harriet S 8-1
- Year 9 – Dexter S 9-1
- Year 10 – Marley M-C 10-4
- Year 11 – Kotryna M 11-7
Congratulations to you all.
Support
If you or your child would like support with wellbeing, please check out the links of our website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/student-wellbeing-support/
