Blog #6
Blog #6 2022
Hi Everyone
Another very lively and enjoyable week in school. Compared to other parts of the country who have been battling the first floods of the year, the weather, although wet, has been reasonably kind to us and students have been really busy.
Remembrance Assembly 11th November 2022
As usual, Blacon High School marked Remembrance Day with an assembly lead by the Head teacher. All Year 7s joined the assembly in the Hall while the rest of the school watched in their classrooms as the assembly was live-streamed. Students delivered a selection of readings, poems of remembrance and a prayer for all those who gave their lives during the First World War, and in every conflict since.
It also seemed fitting that, this year, we took a moment to consider the terrible ordeal currently being faced by the people of Ukraine as they head into the winter under a persistent barrage of shelling by the Russians. Not only have many of them already lost loved ones and their homes, but many are now facing the winter without gas, electricity and even a water supply, and they rely on the continued support from the western democracies.
The assembly culminated at 10.58am with the Last Post, followed by two minutes silence, which was respected by all students around the school.
Meanwhile, all year groups contributed to preparing some important comments and notes of thanks on five crosses, one for each year group, which were then placed in the flower bed at the front of the school.
Blacon High School Combined Cadet Force (CCF)
In addition to the Remembrance Assembly in school, Members of the Blacon High School CCF joined the Remembrance Sunday Parade in Chester and made a visit to the Queen’s Own Yeomanry at Fox barracks.
If anyone is considering joining the CCF at Blacon High School, please contact the school on 01244 371475 for details, or email: admin@blaconhigh.cheshhire.sch.uk
The Black Country Living Museum
Staff from the English department were thrilled to be able to take most of our Year 7s to The Black Country Living Museum, one of the most popular and we;;-attended trips on the school calendar. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their understanding of Victorian literature and science.
Some of our students were rewarded for their efforts of ‘legging’ the canal boats through the underground tunnels, and took great delight in shaming Mr Harvey who forgot to pay his tuppence fee.
As we would expect, student behaviour was exemplary and this was commented on both by the Victorian guides in the museum, and also by members of the public. A fantastic day out for everyone.
Breakfast Club Raffle
For most students, the kitchn staff are the first members of the team at Blacon High School that they will see and talk to every day. Kelly likes nothing more than to feed you up and loves to welcome everyone to Breakfast Club each morning. We fully acknowledge that, for lots of reasons, some of our students don’t eat breakfast before they leave the house, but that’s not a problem when the Diner is filled with the aroma of freshly toasted bagels, toast and even crumpets. There is no charge for students who take advantage of this offer.
It is well documented that students concentrate more when they have a full stomach, which means that, potentially, they achieve more and make more progress. Breakfast Club also helps to ensure that students are in school on time every morning and are ready to learn. Students are also able to purchase a hot drink to go with their food.
What’s the catch?
There isn’t one!
In order to encourage students to attend breakfast Club, Kelly is offering a prize of a tasty treat each week. Each time a student attends Breakfast Club, they get a raffle ticket. The more raffle tickets you have, the greater your chance of winning; it’s as simple as that. What’s not to love?
Breakfast Club, every day in the Diner from 8.00am. See you there.
Student Leadership Team
The Student Leadership Team have had a really busy couple of weeks. They have been out every day selling poppies in and around school; a really worthy cause as detailed in the report on the Remembrance Assembly above.
They also shared the detail of the work that the Student Parliament gets involved with in school, and collected nominations from those students who want to join the Student Parliament this year from all tutor groups. The elections will be held next week and, as is befitting of any democratic process, all students will vote in a ballot. I hope to be able to announce the new representatives of our Student Parliament in our next blog.
Children in Need
It has become something of a tradition now that we have a staff ‘Bake Off’ for BBC’s Children in Need.
Once again this year’s competition was hotly contested and, as you can see from the photographs, staff excelled themselves, honing their culinary skills to produce some amazing, creative and delicious masterpieces. From Calculator to Cookie Monster, Pudsey cup-cakes, tasty truffles, fresh cream scones and everything from chocolate fudge to carrot cake; what a feast.
Once the winners had been decided, there was a huge cake sale at break and lunch. This year, all those buns and slices of cake raised £213.50 for Children in Need; what a fantastic result.
Well done and thank you to all you brilliant bakers.
Mock Exams
Year 11 students are just beginning their mock exams. This is a very important time for them and outcomes offer parents, carers and teachers the best indicator as to what they might expect to achieve in their GCSE examinations next summer. There is always work to do, but mock exams use real past papers, which helps to give students the experience of what they will face on the day.
In many subject areas, GCSE content will already have been covered and, even at this stage, students should be completing at least one hour a day of revision in addition to their homework. As we move into 2023, this should increase significantly to give them the best chance of success in the exams.
As parents and carers, please feel free to contact school if you would like any support or are wondering what you can do to help your children be successful.
And finally…
Well, the World Cup in Qatar is upon us and, while we will all be cheering our home nations on, it is important that we don’t lose sight of school work and revision.
Thanks, as always, for your continued support; it really does make all the difference.