Newsletters

GHS Connect #6 Monday 10 October

Mia's notes

I want to start by sharing the immensely positive feedback that we have received following on from open evening. We had so many parents and carers commenting on how welcoming and friendly the school is and they seemed to really enjoy the evening. I know how exhausting it is, so well done and thank you again!

Thanks to everyone who brought cakes in on Friday - we raised almost £300 for Macmillan in cash alone, and I know that lots of people paid online. I will ask Gurvinder to give an update on the final amount once we have it.

Don’t forget to sign up to the action research groups if you haven't yet - this approach to CPD is a great chance to really reflect on teaching and learning and possibly try something new. Innovation in the classroom is so important. If you’re new to the school, this is also a really good opportunity for you to share things you might do differently with others here at GHS.

Finally, don’t forget to pop along to AG15 today (Monday) which Niloo is transforming into a different kind of space for the day as part of World Mental Health Day. Thank you to Niloo for providing this opportunity for everyone.

I hope everyone has a lovely week,

Mia

The week ahead

Monday
Normal day.

Tuesday
Department time 3.15pm - 4.30pm.

Wednesday 
Action Research CPD 1: 3.15pm - 4.15pm.

Thursday
KS4 Interim deadline.

Friday
Normal day.

Notes
Year 10 and 11 Interim 1 data collection.

Learning and teaching: Spotted

A round up of some of the great learning and teaching strategies we’ve noticed being used around school recently... 

Learning and teaching: Action Research Groups

Thank you for signing up for the Action Research Groups last week.  Please watch out for an email on Monday with details of your group and rooming for the session on Wednesday after school. You’ll also be added to a Google Classroom for your chosen area so that during the year we can easily store and share resources. Thank you in advance to those colleagues acting as Research Leads for the groups. 

Kelly

Bright Spots

Pam Lewis and Sarah Williams

Pam and Sarah have been nominated by Ben Gunn who said: “They have both been a massive part of my time at GHS. Whether it's insisting that I go home because I've fallen off my bike on the way to work, or forcing me to play Macbeth in the Year 7 Library, their care, guidance, and friendship has meant a lot. A big thank you to both of them!”

Parissa Moghanchi and Na’Rae Watson

Parissa and Na’Rae have been nominated by Tom Baker: "They have made such an excellent start in the department. Students are enjoying their lessons and they've made great contributions to the department so far.” Well done Parissa and Na’Rae!

Bullying update

According to the Anti-Bullying alliance, “learning to understand and manage conflict is an important part of growing up. Bullying is not simply a 'falling out'. Research shows that experiencing bullying can have a significant impact on a child's life well into adulthood. To ensure we are able to prevent bullying, act quickly when it takes place and avoid misidentifying bullying, it is vital that schools and other settings have a shared definition of bullying.” 

At GHS, we define bullying as ‘Behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. The behaviour is based upon an imbalance of power.’ Safe to Learn - DCSF September 2007 

What can you do to help prevent and identify bullying? 

1. Discuss our definition with your tutor groups.
2. Report bullying on SIMS under our new headings: Bullying - name calling, Bullying - social media, Bullying - homophobia, Bullying - racism, Bullying - other.

Finally, did you know that Anti-Bullying week 2002 will take place between 14 to 18 November 2022 and has the theme ‘Reach Out’. Watch this space for more information.

Andrea

World Mental Health Day: Monday 10 October

World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. This year’s theme is to “Make Mental Health & Wellbeing for All a Global Priority”.

Mental Health drop in - Monday 10th October AG15

Let’s make mental health a priority by setting aside some time for wellbeing. By having a big mental health get together, we can reflect, talk, share, and think about what we can do to make mental health our Number 1 priority.

Hope to see you there,

Niloo

Character strengths at GHS

Community, our focus Character Strength this term: Building connections with others to create an environment of respect where everyone belongs. 

I can’t think of a better way to build those connections than through clubs and extracurricular activity! So this week I would like to use our staff community shout out to thank every member of staff who puts on a sports club for students and staff. In particular: 

• Hemal and Joe for Boxing Fitness 
• Laura for Volleyball 
• Phoebe for girls’ basketball and cricket  
• Joe for Futsal  
• Paul Stokes for Badminton & KS3 badminton  
• George Lanigan for Boys Achievement football 
• Clive Joseph & Mr Anderson for KS3 Table Tennis 
• Shaun for Y9 and girls’ football 
• Jesse for KS5 Basketball  
• Harpal for Staff and Y10 Football 
• Tom Spencer for Y9 Fitness 
• Laura, Kathy and Phoebe for Y9, KS4/5 & GCSE Netball 
• Mark for Senior Basketball 
• And to the wonderful Kathy for doing an amazing job getting co-ordinating clubs at GHS.  

Our students don’t know how lucky they are!

Noble  

Inclusion Heroes!

This week’s Inclusion Hero is Barbara Latawiec for all of the incredible work that she has done over the last year with some of the most vulnerable students in our school. A huge thank you to Barbara and we wish you all the best in your new role on your way to training to be an Educational Psychologist. Greenford’s loss is Belvue’s gain!