PULSEHOLYHEAD SCHOOL PRESENTS

Teach What Matters

www.holyheadschool.org.uk

Puls

e: Is

sue

No.

41

Aut

umn

2021

4Green Influencers/Yes I Can

5Diwali & Bandi Chhor Divas

6Law Criminal Investigation Day

7European Day of Launguages & French Cafe

9Rememberance Day

10Sixth Form

12Sixth Form Taster Day

13UKMT Senior Challenge

14Science of Roller Coasters/PE

16RE: Christmas Food Drive

18Year 8

19Year 9

20English

24Creative Arts

26Christmas Jumper & Culture Day

Graphic Designer: Miss Dhanjal Editor: Mrs Mistry Proofreader: Miss Aziz

C O N T E N T S Principal’s ForewordChristmas is always a special time here at Holyhead, but our own distinctive and unique approach reflects the multi-cultural character of the school. It’s something that students and adults will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Within this issue you will find pages of achievements that make me very proud to work for the community. Whether it’s exceptional learning, the enrichment curriculum, caring for one another or having empathy for those less fortunate, I continue to be inspired by the collective work of staff, students and families.

It’s been a challenging but richly rewarding term and the magic of Holyhead is very much alive. Thank you to all those who are featured within this edition and to everyone that makes the school the dynamic and creative environment we all love.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Here’s to a fantastic 2022!

Best wishes,

Mr Trafford

All students and parents should note the instructions for reporting positive test results up until the 23rd of December.

covidcontact@holyheadschool.org.uk

Mondays are all about fresh starts and a good opportunity to set the standards for the week. On the last

Monday of November, the Green Influencers began educating staff and students about how our eating habits can have a huge impact on the environment.

Today, intensive farming of livestock is the biggest cause of carbon and methane emissions. Not only is this adding to climate change, but grazing cows can lead to water and grain shortages in the world. When so many people worldwide struggle with

This term staff at Holyhead have been going the extra mile to ensure Black, Caribbean Boys are no longer a

negative statistic underachieving in education. We have started a mentor programme which caters for the students’ holistic needs.

Aims of the programme:• To increase student progress• To create a positive growth mindset • To boost confidence • To instil self belief • To remove barriers to education

As parent engagement is crucial for the programme, we hosted an introductory evening for the parents and students who are being mentored on Thursday 2nd December. It was a great success and we look forward to more parent involvement in the programme.

The Yes I Can Mentors

hunger and water insecurity, why are we letting this happen?

Here the students were comparing the amount of carbon units released to produce a beef stew,held by Rihanna 8B and the amount that go into a good old Dhal held by Aleina 8C. And look at the difference - Rihanna looks like her arm is about to fall off!If we dedicated ourselves to Meat Free Mondays at Holyhead, we could prevent 3000 tennis courts’ worth of deforestation this year alone. We could save 15 million bathtubs of water and each of our life spans would increase by 5 years each! So why not try it and go Meat Free on a Monday?

For more information log onto: https://meatfreemondays.com/calculator/

Mrs Iqbal

Green Influencers

Yes I Can

Diwali & Bandi Chhor Divas is an annual celebration and a time for many Sikhs and Hindus to commemorate those who supported the ideas of equality, freedom and fair treatment. They also remember important figures who had the courage to stand up for their faith and beliefs.

This is something we are extremely passionate about at Holyhead and this Diwali & Bandi Chhor Divas, we remembered some key messages that look back over the past year and ahead to the future; positivity, optimism and being grateful for what we have!

The below images images to give you a glimpse of Diwali at Holyhead School.

Miss Khatun

Diwali & Bandi Chhor Divas

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A great day out with Year 12s at the University of Law, leading the trial of Jill Dando which included cross examination and closing statements. Students were involved in learning cognitive bias and how Police have developed ways to ensure they do not allow this to ruin an investigation. Debates included where students were about to discuss what we mean by ‘punishment’ and the criminal justice system with some real life case studies examining how different groups have been ‘punished’ for the crimes they have committed.

“I enjoyed the trip as it included a great insight of teamwork. It was very interesting learning about the murder trial of Jill Dando” Supriya 12D

“I enjoyed portraying Barry George on the trip as I was able to witness how I would be summoned in a court by a Prosecution and Defence council.” Ahmed 12C Mr S Khan Law, Business & ICT Teacher

Law Criminal Investigation Day European Day of LanguagesEuropean Day of Languages24th September 202124th September 2021

French Cafe at Holyhead!French Cafe at Holyhead!

On the 24th of September the MFL faculty celebrated the European Day of Languages. This is a very

important day for all MFL teachers and students, as it is a day to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken across the world in societies today. At Holyhead School we celebrated in a number of ways with various competitions including: giant Jenga, giant naughts & crosses, photo booth, face painting, karaoke and more!

The French department hosted a French experience event on Friday, December 10th for invited 8 students. It was a

fantastic event which ran at lunchtime. Students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the target language and to order food and drink. Students were very keen to take part and one student was overheard saying that he would love to have this every Friday lunchtime!

A big thank you to the following year 10 ‘waiters’ who helped Year 8 students during the event: Mohammed Ali, Isa, Sophya,Alison, Harsimar, Safah, Megan, Asma and Rhea

Merci beaucoup!

6 7

8

to have the vaccine

© Crown copyright 2021. Product code: 2901251F1. UK Health Security Agency gateway number: 2021109. If you want to order more copies of this poster, please visit: healthpublications.gov.uk or call 0300 123 1002.

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2. Protect your family and friends Having the vaccine will help protect more vulnerable friends and family

3. No injection needed The nasal spray is painless and easy to have

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5. Avoid lost opportunities If you get flu, you may be unwell for several days and not be able to do the things you enjoy

flu: 5 reasons

For more information visit www.nhs.uk/child-flu

On the 11th of November, we had the honour of hosting a Remembrance Day event for the brave soldiers

who fought for our liberty today, as well as the ones who sacrificed trying to gain liberty for us all. We were joined by WO Donald Campbell as well as Soho Road Bid Directors. It was and will be an unforgettable experience for us students as well as staff who were involved in the process.

Remembrance Day is a great way for us to discover and learn the history of the country we live in.

Tanish - Head Boy

“I was very honoured to be a part of the Holyhead Remembrance Day ceremony and to meet the Warrant Officer Donald Campbell. I think it is important for us to remember this day, for all the past and present people who fight for our country. Especially the efforts from those from underrepresented backgrounds during the war. This is crucial for us at Holyhead to reflect on considering how diverse our community is and how we are all connected to the past. Overall, it was a great experience for me as we are celebrating and remembering those who sacrificed their lives for our countries in order to help shape the community we are a part of today - it’s essential we never forget.”Jagoda - Junior Leadership Team

“I was honoured to lead this event as my first act as head girl. It was amazing to hear the stories from our special guest WO Donald Campbell. I loved taking part in this event “Taaranjot - Head Girl

“Lots of cultures and religions came together to remember those who have passed away while fighting for their country”Mehzabin

“I will cherish this mesmerising experience”Rahul “It was indeed a pleasure for me to be invited to participate in the Remembrance Service at Holyhead School. It is a wonderful initiative that you have initiated and should be encouraged by other schools to remind and educate our youngsters of the past so that they will hopefully be a better future through learning. Many thanks to staff and pupils for your hard work and endeavour in putting on a successful event. I truly believe that each year will be bigger and better as we all make it our duty to remember those who serve.”Warrant Officer Donald Campbell

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Sixth Form welcomed back students in September, where we moved into a new building.

Year 13 have come back into lessons focused and eager to successfully complete their level 3 studies this year. Many of our students are currently applying to go to university next year. So far 52 students have applied and between them they have received 115 offers to study at university.All of Year 13 attended the UK University and Apprenticeship Fair which was held at Edgbaston Stadium. This was an opportunity for students to finalise their plans for when they leave Holyhead in the summer. The year group will be having mock interviews with volunteers from the Lorien Group, a global technology recruitment solutions specialist, with over 40 years’ industry experience. These will take place in February and will help them prepare for university and apprenticeship interviews.

A warm welcome to our new Year 12 students who joined us in September. They have settled in really well and it’s nice to see some new students joining us here at Holyhead. Level 3 studies are always a challenge for students moving from GCSE studies, however students have remained resilient and faced these challenges well. The year group took part in a Study Skills workshop, to enable them to focus their 15 hours of independent study required to be successful. Throughout the year, we will be working on recruitment of students who will be joining us in September 2022. The Sixth Form Virtual Open Evening is now live on our website. You can view lots of information, including a ‘Welcome to Sixth Form’ video, subject videos, the Sixth Form prospectus and also access the Sixth Form Application Form, which needs to be completed by Friday 28th January 2022.

Our current Year 11 students took part in two Sixth Form Taster Days, so they could begin to make decisions on what they would like to study next year. These days gave students an insight into Level 3 study and the options that are available to them. Students experienced a range of different subjects, which will enable them to make well informed decisions, regarding their future education. All students were able to choose 7 different subjects to trial and they took part in Sixth Form tutor sessions. We hope to welcome as many of you in September 2022.

Mrs HoneyghanDirector of Sixth Form

Mariam 13A

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Each December, the Sixth Form Team organises the tenner challenge. Each form is given £10 and use that

money to buy/make products to sell to the rest of the school. The Tenner challenge is a fantastic opportunity for each form group to build on their teamwork skills. It was incredibly refreshing to see how much effort our students in Year 12 and 13 put into the challenge competition this year. Students sold a variety of products such as sweets and cupcakes. The money raised will be spent on the sixth form students in the summer, subsidising the annual Thorpe Park trip and providing the finance to organise wellbeing activities. Before the pandemic, the money raised from the tenner

challenge allowed the Sixth Form Team to pay for professionals to deliver workshops on wellbeing activities such as yoga, cupcake decorating and Arts and Crafts. This was a highly enjoyable experience for

our students and we look forward to planning this again in the new year. Miss GordonAssistant Director of Sixth Form

Many of our students in Year 12 and 13 are using their free periods to support students in lower years in their lessons.

Currently, we have students who volunteer as teaching assistants in lessons such as English and Maths for one lesson a week. Other students are volunteering to support Heads of Year and taking on the role as a mentor to help students in lower years with their social and emotional needs. In the picture, a student in Year 13 is seen translating work for one of our newest students in Year 8. Enrichment is an integral

part of the sixth form student experience and allows our students to build their profile to support their UCAS applications. Mr F KhanAssistant Director of Sixth Form

The return of in-house enrichment:Sixth Form students support students in lower years

Sixth Form Tenner Challenge

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The game between Year 12s and Year 13s helped to bridge bonds on both sides with everyone leaving the game

happy. After a long and tiring two years of on and off school, with so many interruptions to people’s social life and education, the match helped with a lot of people interacting and communicating a lot more. I am a new student to Holyhead and this match helped me to interact with others in my year group, as well as students in Year 13. I look forward to the sixth form team organising more sports events in the future. This event has motivated me to put myself forward as the Sports Captain for Year 12. I will help Mr Khan organise a range of sporting activities for the sixth form students. Ahmed 12E

The Sixth Form taster days were an eye-opening experience. I got a taste of the subjects that I am planning to

choose in the upcoming year. I feel that the taster days have also given me some guidance on what my subject strengths are. I have had other family members attend Holyhead Sixth Form, and they have always spoken highly of the quality of teaching and the support they have received. I am hoping that I will get a place here at Holyhead Sixth Form as it is also extremely professional, which prepares students to transition into young adults. I look forward to writing my application for a sixth form place and hopefully attending the interview. Tanish 11J

Biology sixth form taster session involving the production of algal wet mounts and the observation of lichen,

collected from a local park.

Students enjoyed bridging the gap between key stage 4 and 5 biology and also enjoyed observing live specimens under the microscope.

Miss Nessa and Miss James

Year 12 and 13 Football match

Sixth Form Taster Day

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The Senior Mathematical Challenge (SMC) is run by the UK Mathematics Trust. The SMC encourages

mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. It is aimed at those in full-time education and with sufficient mathematical competence to undertake a post-16 course. Certificates are awarded to the highest scoring 60% of candidates (Gold:Silver:Bronze, 1:2:3).

“The UKMT was an amazing experience. It allowed me to strategically approach different types of maths problems that I normally wouldn’t have to solve within the A-Level maths specification. It was an enjoyable challenge and it has given me a different perspective when solving mathematical problems.”Thahsin 12C

to our Award Winners:

Silver Awards: Saji and Shahriyar

Bronze Awards: Rajveer, Ahmed, Thahsin, Arusha, Navam, Maivy, Nikita, Ismail and Bilal

Well done to all 30 students who took part in the Senior Challenge:

Year 12 - Ikhlas, Mantesh, Priyanka, Priya, Musa, Khaleel, Dia, Ahmad, Amanprit, Yusuf,

Rajveer, Ahmed and Thahsin

Year 13 - Mariam, Sang, Aaron, Sa’d, Maymoonah, Bilal, Ismail, Nikita, Maivy,

Niazul, Manpreet, Haseeb, Navam, Arusha and Abdirahman

UKMT Senior Challenge

This term 11 students from Year 12 and 13 left the books in the classroom, and ventured out to Alton Towers to

experience the science of roller coasters first hand. These students were Ahmad 12A, Rajveer 12B, Amanprit 12C,Ismail 13A, Sang 13B, Harjot 13D, Maivy 13E, Lisa 13F, Bilal 13G, Shabnum 13G, Malaiqa 13H and Miss Rindi. Throughout the day students were able to get a better understanding of concepts such as energy transfers when falling 180 feet on Oblivion, g-force through braving the loops of Nemesis, and the body’s biochemistry whilst getting an adrenaline rush on Rita. As well as learning about science, students were appreciative of the opportunity to develop their teamwork and confidence, all whilst conquering their fears. As a collective all students were great ambassadors for the school, showing their maturity throughout the day.

Mr Mohr

Science of roller coastersAlton Towers trip

PEPEFinally, we’re back in action….

At long last extracurricular is back!! It has been wonderful getting back to ‘normal’ this term, and feel that

buzz around the PE department again. With restrictions lifted, we have been able to offer a full programme of extra curric-ular clubs for students. We have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of stu-dents taking part in all clubs after school. We now have record numbers of students attending Badminton/TableTennis Club, the Netball girls are busy training for their league and tournament matches after Christmas, and Hockey Club has also had record numbers attending on a Friday after school.

The Aston Schools’ Girl’s Football competitions got underway this term, with Holyhead hosting the tournaments.

Our girls were outstanding in each of the competitions, with Year 11 finishing third, Year 10 in second, Year 9 third, and year 8 in second, narrowly losing 1-0 in the final. Exceptional performances from Saira, Anam, Khyiana, Sarika, and Alisha. Well done to all the girls who took part.

The girls will begin their football league performances after Christmas.

Good luck to all the teams.

Coming up after Christmas we have the Aston Schools Indoor Athletics, Basketball and Netball competitions. Look out for the results of these in the next edition of the Pulse magazine.

Mrs Gill

The Autumn Term in Boy’s PE

It has been really great to welcome the boys back to extra curricular activities this term. The buzz and excitement of

training and playing matches is something that myself and Mr Prentice have missed dearly during the height of the pandemic. Now we are back, the students have responded by attending clubs in great numbers.

Football

Year 7s have made a great start to the year, however the results haven’t gone our way so far. Many of them

are having to adapt to playing in competitive games in specific positions and this is going to take time. They have been working really hard in training and showing me how talented they are. I am really proud of the effort and commitment they have shown and I am looking forward to working with them more in the months to come.

Our Year 8 team is having to develop and change the quickest. We missed a whole year of football and now they are having to play 11-a-side on a full pitch, something that most of them haven’t done before. In our latest fixture we were narrowly defeated by KEA and if luck had been on our side we would probably have won that game. We hit the post a few times and had shots cleared off the line. I’m confident that results will turn our way as long as we keep coming to training and learning how to improve.

The Year 9 team has a lot of competition for places and at the moment we are having to implement the ‘no train, no play’ method to keep it fair for everyone. Training with Mr Prentice has been intense and we are hoping for significant rewards later in the season. We are waiting to play our Aston Schools Cup 2nd round fixture against Arena academy and are hoping to lift the trophy this year.

BasketballYears 7-8 have made a great start to the academic year enjoying their training sessions, developing their basketball each week through playing games and skills workshops. Many have come to Holyhead with no experience in basketball at all, but are already consumed by their love for the sport and everything about it. If good numbers keep attending training, then the PE department will be looking to select a year 7/8 team to represent Holyhead against other school teams.

This term has been a mixed bag for the year 9/10/11 basketball team. They started off with a thrilling win against Eden Boys East but were humbled against a very strong and competent Handsworth Grammar School side. Since then, they have been training twice a week as a team with Mr Prentice, developing their tactical awareness and understanding of how to play in a more coherent way. Whilst they all want to win every game, it has been nice to see new friendships develop between students from different years and the group become a team. Fixtures will continue after Christmas where the boys will be looking to put all their hard work into practice and bring back a few W’s!

Mr Mills14 15

Our mission at Holyhead is to ‘Teach What Matters’ and that is exactly what we have been doing with our Christmas

Food Drive this year! Year 8 students studying Religious Education have teamed up with a group of RSA8 Alumni students in Year 11 to tackle food poverty in our local community.

Students and staff have done a fantastic job of donating items to the Food Drive.

All items collected will be donated to The Trussell Trust - Handsworth Foodbank which is next door to Holyhead School at the New Life Wesleyan Church. The donations will be distributed to those in need.

Have a read of what our students have to say!

Miss Khatun

This year students in year 8 are teaming up with a charity organisation known as the Trussell Trust that works to stop the need of food banks in the UK and provide emergency food and support to people locked up in poverty. Did you know that in the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children? This is very unfortunate as no one should go hungry as it is a basic necessity of life and the fact that people are not eating for days because of this is quite upsetting. So what can we do about this? Students and teachers at Holyhead are bringing in food donations that are non-perishable like canned tuna/meat, shower gel, breakfast cereals andmore to give to the less fortunate. There are many reasons for donating to complete

strangers as you never know, one day you could be in that situation and would be in need of some food so if you would want people to donate - food you should also try to make contributions,big or small it’s one step closer to not needing food banks. It is important to help those that are less fortunate because helping others can help to put things into perspective and make you feel more positive about your own circumstances. This also fits in with our Holyhead values for example ‘care’, by raising awareness about poverty it shows that you really care about doing something to support those in need and ‘community’ is shown where you could be donating food to a local charity to support those in our community.Prabdeep 8A

The food drive is where us students are showing care and love for the community, we have contributed by bringing in food and supplies to donate to the Trussell Trust to help the less fortunate.The Trussell Trust is a charity that works to support a network of over 1,200 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compassionate, practical support to people in crisis, while campaigning for long-term change to the structural issues that lock people into poverty.Holyhead teaches us about Community, Care, Character and Creativity and why it is important to show agape (unconditional love). We have learnt that by helping food drives and not expecting something in return is showing that a good character is being built.Khaliel 8D

RELIGIOUSEDUCATION

Christmas Food Drive

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Year 8

We have been very busy this term with our fundraising, football competitions and taking part in

the Holyhead Christmas charity single.

Our ‘Fundraiser heroes’ in 8A are Blessing, Saffron, Rhainna. They have been very successful in their ‘sweet sugar’ shop along with Sajawal, Thasina, Devandre and Mobashar all from 8F, who organised a whole year group football tournament during lunchtimes, raising money and have all heavily contributed to raising our total

to over £200.

We have lots more ideas coming in from the rest of the year group, including a jewellery shop run by Angelina 8C. All the jewellery has been handmade by Mrs Thacker, their form tutor, who likes to design and make jewellery items in her spare time. They will be going on sale shortly.

We have also had 2 football matches that members of our year group have taken part in this term. I was lucky enough to be able to attend one of the games, where our play had improved significantly. Unfortunately, we did not get the result we were hoping for. Nevertheless, all our

players played very well against a sports academy. Our girls team, however, pulled off a second place Silver award in their competition, along with Year 10 girls. There is more to read about these two games from our PE department pn page 14.

We have also had a number of students, along with Mrs Edwards and myself, who have joined in the fun of the Holyhead Christmas Charity single, so keep a look out for its release date.

Year 8 has returned with a little bit of sparkle this term. It is wonderful to see them all embracing what Holyhead has to offer. We can’t wait to see what the new year brings!

We would like to wish you a happy Holiday season, and a wonderful new 2022.

Mrs ParkerHead of Year 8

What a busy term it has been already Year 9. Firstly I would like to introduce Mrs Robinson,

the Vice Principal for Year 9. Mrs Robinson joined the team in September and plays an important role within the year group by supporting parents/carers and students.

The students have settled well into Year 9 and have made a promising start. we have managed to keep up good attendance, gained lots of positive myPoints, and produced some fantastic work this term. Year 9 is an important year for them because, in 2022, they will choose their options, which will be another milestone in their learning path.

There have been a few challenges on the way but, I am confident that Year 9 will continue to grow from strength to strength with their learning, behavior, and attitude towards school.

A BIG to

Homer 9C on winning the creative writing competition and Aramatoulie 9B for gaining a part in the Christmas production. Well done and congratulations to both students on their achievements.

Celebration of achievement

To further celebrate the success of the students there will be a celebration breakfast for the top 4 students in the tutor group with the most positive myPoints in January 2022.

Year 9 Fundraising

The students have been working hard to raise money for a trip next summer. They have been selling lollipops and raffle tickets. They have demonstrated teamwork and a real commitment to fundraising for their trip. Well done Year 9.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for their continued support.

And finally Well Done, Year 9, for all your dedication and hard work. I know you can sometimes push the boundaries, however I am super proud to be your Head of Year. You have all got a bright future so let’s shine together.

I hope you all have a wonderful winter break.

May 2022 bring Peace, Joy, and Happiness to you and your families.

Mrs EdwardsHead of Year 9

Year 9

The English Faculty has been busy this term in launching the

#LitinColour campaign. We have been very excited and grateful to have been one of the chosen schools to receive the wonderful gift of Penguin’s Lit in Colour 100 book giveaway! As a result, Miss Masood has been extremely lucky in winning 100 FREE books by writers of colour in support of promoting inclusivity in the classrooms.

The ResearchLit in Colour was created last year (2020) by

Penguin Books and the Runnymede Trust to showcase books for everyone. Students at Holyhead are very much aware of how little opportunity is given to them to read books by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers. Through this giveaway opportunity, we can make reading more inclusive in our classrooms. The books that children encounter should be more diverse to encourage them to see people like ‘themselves’ and also people ‘different’ than themselves in what they read. 46% of schools have NO Asian, Black and ethinic minority teachers atinfluential positions (with 92.7% of headteachers being White British).

The Lit in Colour finding show that:Just 1% of GCSE English Literature students study a book by a writer of colour. No more than 7% study a book by a woman.Students believe that Diversity is part of British society and should be represented in the curriculum.

Why does this matter?Books and reading also have a unique role to play in increasing empathy and understanding. Identifying with books is just as important in developing a love of reading. In celebration of Penguin working on this campaign- the English

Faculty launched a competition this term. Studying others is key to studying ourselves and literature is all about the representation of things; it helps people understand societies and themselves better. CompetitionFrom the campaign, Miss Masood sought

the opportunity to organise and promote a whole-school Creative Writing Competition to ignite students’ passion for reading. Through this competition, students have taken advantage of this opportunity to expand their horizons.

The winners of the Creative Writing competition are:

Sunya 7CTahira 8HHomer 9DSafah 10FDia 12H

Where Nobody Rules by Homer - 9D

I come to school where nobody rules, Where everybody is equal so nobody brings their tools. We are wise problem solvers.Yet, here I am trying to write a poem but I’m getting distracted by others that who do not know what they’re knowing, We got a lot of brothers from different mothers.They keep us out of trouble. Together, we are ready to rumble not crumble;But often-times we crumble (to make us humble).We are happy of our race. We are not a disgrace In the eyes of society, it looks we are trying to win a raceWe cover the tracks with our ethnic voice…

Watch this space for the next competition, which will be featuring around World Book Day.

Miss Masood

BOOK FAIRA pop-up Book Fair was held in conjunction with Reading Week to promote wider reading. We had an overwhelming response and raised a total of £329. Well done everyone.

Miss Noble

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Creative ArtsCreative Arts has been back in business this year with many events running over all three departments which has really brought back the buzz in the faculty. We have been busy most recently organising this year’s Talent Show and Christmas Single. After two years of limited performance and events, we are certainly back, and talent is bigger and better than ever.

The year started off with all departments within the faculty getting back to extra curricular clubs. With clubs being offered from Drama, Dance, Art and Music. Giving students a taste into areas of our subjects which they may not explore during curriculum time. This has supported students’ development both inside and outside the classroom, as well as developing their confidence, and most importantly, their well being.

In Art and Design this term students have loved doing more practical work, thumb pot monsters in Year 9 and Day of The Dead skulls in Year 8. Students missed out on so much with covid restrictions. Year 7 have engaged in our cross curricular MFL Jungle mask project, using a variety of media in the style of different artists. They have even learnt the colours in French and Spanish. We look forward to their performance using the masks in their MFL lessons. Year 7 have also been involved in a project working with artists outside of school. Unfortunately the workshops have had to be virtual rather than face to face, but the students still enjoyed working with Nilupa Yasmin. The artist will use

the students’ collage work to design bus stops along the 74 route. Keep your eyes open, you may see the Holyhead School one appear very soon on Soho Road.

In Drama students in year 8 and 9 took part in a Frantic Assembly workshop where they explored physical theatre with a professional facilitator. In lessons students

have been able to transfer skills from the workshop where they were looking at collaboration and a desire to do better. After months with limited access to any practical lessons it has been refreshing to see students flourish within performance skills.

In music, they had a careers visit from WaterBear college, who explored the various careers with the students, as well as introducing them to university courses and how best to choose courses. The students thrived from learning about all the careers, especially learning about new careers that are currently being developed, due to the

progress in music technology. During curriculum time, our students in exam years have been completing coursework, and learning how to develop on their instruments, completing warm ups and performances as small groups. In KS3 lessons, students have been looking at a variety of music styles, from Classical keyboard, to African drums right through to Film music and Remixes. It has been great hearing their amazing compositions and performances! Well done guys!

Most recently, our 6th house band have performed at Handsworth Library for the Christmas light switch on. The audience said their performance was brilliant and loved the atmosphere they created.

Overall, we have had a wonderful year. Being back, exploring our subjects has been great for everyone. To finish our year, we have created a wonderful Christmas single, based around Whitney Houston’s “Deck the Halls” and Mariah Careys “All I Want for Christmas is You”. The final result has been brilliant, we have had more students and staff involved than ever, and it has really help build the Christmas Spirit within school. Please congratulate all students involved.

As well as this, to end our final week in true Holyhead style, we have auditioned and organised a “Christmas Talent” show to showcase the unbelievable talent that comes from Holyhead School.

The acts range from performances of music, drama, and dance and have students taking part from year 7 all the way up to year 13. After very little performance taking place over the past two years, it has been brilliant seeing our students put themselves forward so confidently and sharing their passion with us.

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and look forward to sharing many more happy memories with you in the New Year.

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