Newsletters

HGSS Newsletter - October 2024

As we wrap up another academic year at Holmer Green Senior School, we extend a huge thanks for your unwavering support. This year has been bustling with a wide array of enriching trips and visits, ranging from Whipsnade Zoo and World War I Battlefields to theatre outings such as The Woman in Black, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, and many more.

We deeply appreciate the dedication of our staff and Governors, who have consistently gone above and beyond, often sacrificing their personal time to ensure our students have these valuable experiences. Their commitment helps us achieve our vision of guiding each student to become the best possible version of themselves in every way. This collective effort is what makes our community strong, and we welcome anyone interested in supporting us as a governor.

This newsletter aims to give you a glimpse into the diverse activities available at our school and the exciting events that unfold throughout the year. We encourage you to motivate your child(ren) to participate in these opportunities or join the various extra-curricular clubs and activities starting in September. These engagements not only impart essential skills, but also foster friendships.

We eagerly anticipate Excellence Evening on 12 December, where we will celebrate our students' hard work, academic achievements, and community contributions.

To our Year 11 and 13 students, we wish you the very best in your A Level, BTEC, and GCSE exams and in your future endeavours, whether at university or in apprenticeships. Please note that Year 13 results day is on 15 August, and Year 11 results day is on 22 August.

The new school year begins on Thursday 5 September 2024, for Year 7 and 12 students. All year groups will resume on Friday 6 September 2024, with normal timetabled lessons. Students are expected to wear full school uniform at all times, with PE kits required only for PE lessons.

Finally, we wish everyone a wonderful summer break. We hope you enjoy quality time with your families and that all our students stay safe, returning refreshed and ready for the new school year. With the Olympics on the horizon, I leave you with these words and a poem for summer:

“Courage is the mother of all virtues, because in a world that’s not virtuous, it’s a brave thing to go out there and do what needs to be done.”

Aristotle

“Warm summer sun,

Shine kindly here,

Warm southern wind,

Blow softly here.

Green sod above,

Lie light, lie light.

Good night, dear heart,

Good night, good night.”

Mark Twain

Work Hard, Be Kind, Have Passion.

Ed Hillyard

 

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Year 8

Well done to the students below for getting the most achievement points this half-term!

Jacob Goldsmith, Tabitha Christopherson, Annie Clegg, Sharanya Premaratne, Nieve Mynett, Tyler Boggeln, Ciaran Macartney, Charlie Pisani, Harry Moule,
Naail Shah.

Miss Kerry Stratton, Head of Year 8

Year 11

Year 11 have completed their final term at HGSS and what a term it has been! Revision sessions after revision session and endless hard work put in by all!

I wish them all the best for their exam results and the future! 

Mrs Juliet Rayner, Head of Year 11

Our fantastic A-Level Psychology students were given a unique opportunity to delve into the intricacies of the human brain at a workshop led by renowned neuroscientist, Guy Sutton. The event, hosted at Royal Grammar School (RGS), offered a fascinating exploration into the complexities of brain function, dysfunction, and the latest research in the field.

Professor Sutton, a leading expert in the genetics of neural development, provided students with a comprehensive overview of brain anatomy and function. The workshop also explored the impact of brain damage and degeneration on behaviour, offering valuable insights into neurological disorders.

Students were particularly engaged by Professor Sutton’s discussion on the relationship between the brain and the immune system, a topic of increasing interest in psychological research. The workshop provided a valuable supplement to the students’ A-Level Psychology curriculum, offering practical applications of theoretical concepts!

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ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE COULD WE REMIND PARENTS AND CARERS ABOUT ROAD SAFETY AT DROP OFF AND PICK UP TIME.

WE ARE TOTALLY DEDICATED TO KEEPING OUR STUDENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SAFE ON THE ROADS AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DO THIS.

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE ALONG PARISH PIECE BUT ARRANGE TO MEET YOUR CHILDREN AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL, ALLOWING THEM TO WALK INDEPENDENTLY TO MEET YOU.  

PLEASE PARK LEGALLY, SAFELY (WELL AWAY FROM ROAD JUNCTIONS) AND RESPECTFULLY OF RESIDENTS AND OTHER ROAD USERS.

TO REDUCE THE TRAFFIC LEVELS AROUND SCHOOL WE ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO WALK, BUS OR CYCLE TO SCHOOL WHICH ALSO HELPS PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE, LESS POLLUTION AND A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

PLEASE WORK WITH US TO KEEP YOURS AND OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN SAFE.

THANK YOU

Goodbyes and hellos!

This term we say goodbye to:

Mr Buchmann, History Teacher

Mr Creffield, Head of Performing Arts

Miss Caesar, Second in Art Department

Mrs Cookson, Social Sciences Teacher

Miss Voigtlaender, Science Teacher

Miss Seeney, Science Teacher

Miss Boyle, Science Teacher

Mr Stockton, Geography Teacher and Head of Year 13

Ms Digby, PE Teacher

Miss Stratton, PE Teacher and Head of Year 8

Mr Jenkinson, Head of Construction

Miss Singh, RS Teacher

Mrs Harris, SENDCo

Mrs Panayiotou, Sixth Form Learning Mentor

and wish them all the very best of luck for the future

We say hello to:

Ms Sood, Geography Teacher

Ms Gifford, Science Teacher

Mr Melrose, Science Technician

Mrs Sadler, LSA/The Bridge Manager

Miss Cheshire, Learning Support Assistant

Mrs Sampla, Learning Support Assistant

Miss Turner, PE Technician

Mrs Will, Sixth Form Learning Mentor

Mr Nicholls, RS Teacher

Mr Sheldrake, Head of Performing Arts

Mr Weddell, PE Teacher

Miss Owing, History Teacher

Miss Berg, Humanities Teacher

Miss Restall, PE Teacher

Miss Wilson, English Teacher

Miss Visser, Psychology Techer

Mr De, Art and Design Teacher

Mrs McKnight, Science Teacher

Mr McCullough, History Teacher

Miss Pankhania, Science Teacher

Mr Barrett, DT Teacher

Ms Ahmed, Trainee Maths Teacher

Mr Thomas, Trainee Science Teacher

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to HGSS

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SCHOOL UNIFORM CODE

click here

 

Please can we remind you of our School Uniform requirements. 

All information (including a link for name labels) can be found by following this link below:

School Uniform and Equipment

PARENTS' ASSOCIATION

Our Parents' Association work hard to raise funds for your children in school and to promote the school in the local community.

Please support them were possible and if you wish to become involved with the Team, please contact office@holmer.org.uk

More information is available on the website:

Parents' Association

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SAVE THE DATE

Friday 18 October Bingo Night for parents only.

More details to follow in September!!

Dear Parents

Following the resounding success and popularity of the Parents & Carers Cyber Choices webinars ran back in February and March of this year by the South East Cyber Crime Unit, they have set up four more sessions over the summer, which I think would be invaluable for schools and parents/carers, so I would ask that you share the links below with your school community.

 

The Cyber Choices sessions for parents, which looks at how we can help to safeguard young people from committing computer misuse offences, and why this needs to happen, can be booked now via this link: Cyber Choices by Police - South East Cyber | Eventbrite

These sessions last around an hour, are totally FREE to attend, and they had very positive responses when they ran them before. They are aimed at parents/carers of a wide range of children/young people, from KS2 pupils (7-8 year olds) right up to college/uni students (18+). Each webinar covers the same material, so you need only sign up for one of them.

 

The Cyber Protect team are running separate webinars for parents and carers, with a focus on protecting children from online threats. These sessions – also FREE - can be booked here:

Online Safety for Parents by Police - South East Cyber | Eventbrite

 

 

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS ILL OR HAS MEDICAL NEEDS

The school has Medical and Attendance Officers.  They are available during school hours to discuss matters relating to the health of your child.   It is essential that you notify them of any health problems that your child may have (e.g. medical details, particular problems or needs).  We can store spare asthma inhalers and epipens and diabetes monitors.

If your child is taken ill or is involved in an accident during the day, he or she will be looked after in the Medical Room until we can contact a parent or carer.  Students should tell their teacher or report to the Medical Room if they feel unwell and not make direct contact with you by mobile phone.

If your child needs to take medication during the day, it should be clearly labelled with the child’s name and passed to the Medical Officer with a letter from the parent or carer. Students who have a medical or a dental appointment should take the appointment card to the Medical Room first thing in the morning.  These appointments should be arranged outside school hours where possible.  We do not expect a student to take a whole day off for a medical appointment.

LATE ARRIVAL AND ABSENCE

The school gates lock at 8.45am, so students must be on site by this time.  Students should be at line up by 8.50am.   If your child arrives after 8.45am they will be marked as late. They are required to sign in at the Attendance/Medical Room.

In the first instance the student will be warned to be punctual in the future.  If a student is consistently late there will be sanctions.  Persistent poor punctuality or attendance will be referred to the Education Welfare Officer.

Email the Attendance Officer if your child is absent or late

attendance@holmer.org.uk

When you know in advance that your son or daughter will have to miss school for any reason, we ask that you inform us in writing beforehand.

However, we reiterate that it is important for your child to attend all lessons, every day.  If your needs to attend an appointment, please try to arrange these in the school holidays or after school.

When absence is due to illness, we ask that you telephone the Medical Room as soon as possible on 01494 719901 or email attendance@holmer.org.uk. PLEASE NOTE THAT ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS OR MEDICAL REASONS WILL BE RECORDED AS ABSENCE ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE AUTHORISED.

Further information on attendance and Medical concerns can be found here: Medical

AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE

Failure to notify the school will result in your child’s absence being classed as unauthorised which may result in school referring to the Education Welfare Service.  Only absences perceived by the school to be genuine will be classed as authorised.  Holidays during term time will not be authorised.  We will authorise one day for Eid celebrations.

At Holmer Green Senior School we expect an attendance of 96% or more for all students—Every Day Matters.

 

 

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FREE PORRIDGE AVAILABLE FOR ALL STUDENTS

IN THE DINING HALL EVERY MORNING FROM 8.15AM TO 8.45AM

Parents' Association

Please visit our Parents' Association page on the link below for information on how you can support the school.  Thank you

Parents' Association