Senior Newsletter 18th November 2011

Senior Newsletter 16^th November 2011Armistice Day

Last Friday’s Armistice Day commemorations in school were particularly moving this year.  It was all down to Matthew Boutflower (Year 11) who played ‘The Last Post’ on his cornet in each of the Senior School teaching blocks in the 20 minutes leading up to the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  As the last note of the final rendition faded away, the cannon in Mowbray Park sounded out, marking the start of the city’s two minutes of silence.  Sincere thanks to Matthew, and to Mrs Bovill, whose idea this was.

Launch of BEC500

On Tuesday, Year 10 pupils discovered that they will be monitored for a ten week period during the Spring Term, as part of the BEC500 project.  BEC stands for Business Education Certificate, and the BEC500 is an award given to students who achieve the following goals:

·         A high level of attendance and punctuality

·         Satisfactory completion of coursework

·         Successful participation in an enterprise activity, practice interview or Connexions interview

Urged on by Lynne Pace, our Education Business Partnership Advisor, Year 10 will be aiming to attain the BEC500 with Distinction (100% in attendance, punctuality and meeting deadlines; and success in the enterprise/interview activity).  Lynne Pace’s team included Kevin Burdis of Gentoo, Gill Usher of Alex Smiles, and Captain Ted Morgan of the Army – each of whom stressed how important the BEC500 targeted skills are in the world of work.Remember, remember the month of MOVEMBER!There are several shady characters around school at the moment, bristling with ambition as they aspire to grow the best of all possible moustaches and thereby be crowned King of the Upper Lip.  It’s all in a good cause – the sponsored moustaches are being cultivated as part of the Movember (the month formerly known as November!) initiative, the aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men, including testicular cancer.  Both student and staff contestants are required to register their moustache with Mr Hedley so that the appropriate scientific measuring processes can take place.

Two more ECDL certificates…… were presented in Assembly, with congratulations, to Year 13 students Richard Logan and Paddy Benning.  The ECDL is a definite CV enhancer – see Mrs Hills for further details.

Did we really sing a rainbow?

No one knows quite how it happened, but in Tuesday’s Assembly Father David somehow managed to persuade us all to sing that most sugary of songs, ‘I can sing a rainbow’… And rather melodic we were, too!  Father David’s message struck a powerful chord in another way, too.  He reminded us that when all of the colors of the rainbow combine, they produce white light, and he went on to challenge us all to respect one another’s differences and work together to produce an equally bright outcome.

Switch Off Fortnight

This week saw the launch of ‘Switch Off Fortnight’ in aid of meeting our Greener School Objective of reducing our carbon footprint.  If you see one of the green stickers which have been placed near plug sockets, please make an effort to “switch off”!  Thank you – let’s see if we can make a difference.

What’s On!

SUNDERLAND HIGH SCHOOL TOP TEN LUNCH FACTS