Our Post-16 Charity Week was a great success before half term and saw various events take place during the week ranging from bake sales, raffles, penny collections, along with the old firm favourites of doughnut eating and ‘pie a teacher’. The doughnut speed eating challenge saw Mr Sprenkel take the title for eating 2 doughnuts in an insanely fast 34 seconds. No other participant stood a chance!! The pie a teacher saw students getting their own back on teachers with ‘shaving cream’ pies. Mr Sprenkel, Mrs Dover, Mr Taylor and Ms Pring bravely sat in the chairs and faced the student onslaught! Mr Taylor was a particularly popular choice for students.
The total raised so far is £295 however, there is still more money pouring in which is fantastic. The Sixth Form’s nominated charities this year are St Luke’s Hospice, SALT South West and NSPCC.
Prior to half term we saw the launch of the ‘Inspire to Involve Project’ at the National Marine Aquarium. Four of our students (Katie G, Allan U-W, Amber H and Tobi C) have been offered places on this project, which will see them undertaking a week’s residential, for a subject of their choice, at Villiers Park Educational Trust, run in conjunction with Downing College Cambridge.
As well as the residential trip, the students will take part in an INVOLVE Project, which is also on a subject of their choice. However, the key aim is to enrich other students’ experiences within the local learning community. The students started putting some ideas together at the launch event and it will be interesting to see those ideas develop, and their plans come to fruition over the next 12-months. The project aims not only inspire students to aim high, but takes them out of the their comfort zone and helps develop key skills for their Post-18 pathways, no matter whether this is university, apprenticeships or employment.
A huge number of our Post-16 students recently signed up to be part of the ‘Be on the TEAM Project’. This project is being rolled out across schools in the UK, immunising Year 12 students against Meningitis B. The Meningitis B vaccination is currently only available privately and is costly. This project enables the students to not only immunise themselves against a serious disease for free, but they are also helping with the research project being conducted by the NHS and the University of Oxford. The research is to see if immunising teenagers with vaccines against Meningitis B can reduce the number of teenagers carrying the bacteria in their throat. This is important because it could mean that teenage Meningitis B immunisation would not only help protect teenagers against these potentially deadly diseases, but also see less babies, children and older adults being exposed to the bacteria. In short, immunising teenagers with a Meningitis B vaccine could mean lower rates of Meningitis across all ages.
One of our Year 8 students, Emily, has just had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dance onstage at Disneyland Paris, in front of a packed theatre audience with her dance school, Geraldine Lamb, as part of their ongoing centenary celebrations. She also had the chance to attend a dance workshop run by the actual Disney cast members. What a great experience Emily.
Having studied the Industrial Revolution last year in History, and recently the role of Henry Ford, Year 9 students were challenged to ‘out produce’ each other, learning from the mass production techniques of Ford. Planning, teamwork and an ability to evolve your strategy are what is needed in this simulation and they did it brilliantly. The girls in the photo put in one of the best performances we’ve seen in many years, working productively and purposely, with a clear plan to deservedly beat the opposition and win. Well done to Madi, Charleigh, Mia, Sophie and Rosie.
Our Year 11 Hospitality and Catering group have been busy creating cheesecakes. They were tasked with making a cheesecake, and then decorating it how they wished to show off their creative skills. The creations were then judged by Miss Pring, whilst she decided which lucky student deserved a ‘Miss Pring handshake’. The students worked incredibly hard, and their teacher Mrs Worley, was really impressed with their efforts. The overall winner was Jasmine for her three perfectly identical cheesecakes. Mrs Worley said they were the smoothest cheesecakes she had seen and would have been more than happy to receive one in a restaurant! Well done everyone.
I am going to take this opportunity to ask for your support in a new community project that is being proposed for our local area. It is hoped that the Making Waves Project, headed up by a Plymstock School parent (and supported by Mr Bellamy and some of our students), can successfully bid for funding for a new Surf Lifesaving Group which will be based at the Mountbatten Centre. They are through the first part of the bid and now need votes to proceed further. As it is a community project, the community’s backing is vital!
If you would would like to support please click HERE
It takes less than a minute to register and then you’ll get ten votes to place. Thank you for your support.
Finally we reach our students of the week.
I start with Olivia in Year 7 for her incredible Art homework. Olivia created a sensational seascape from stitched pieces of fabric, layers of ribbons and netting. A future textile designer in the making! Well done Olivia.
Jemima is our Year 8 winner this week. Jemima plays for Plymouth Cricket Club and has just been selected for the Devon Under 13 Girls Cricket Squad. She will start her winter training sessions, in preparation for the 2019 season, at the Devon Cricket Centre (Exeter University) in December. Well done.
In Year 9 we say well done to Izaek. This young man made it through two rounds of the Plymouth Schoolboy Football Trials and has just been selected for this year’s Under 14 squad. With most of the squad coming from players who are already in professional academies, it is a significant achievement for Izaek, who now has the potential to develop his game further.
We have four winners in Year 10 this week – Stanley, Molly, Katie and Charlotte. These four students have managed to secure highly coveted work experience placements with the Royal Navy. I have been informed that this was a particularly tough year to get in and was very competitive. Therefore each of these students should be very proud of themselves.
Last but by no means least is our Year 11 winner Jasmine. As mentioned earlier in this week’s blog – she is the queen of cheesecakes! Well done Jasmine – next stop is Bake Off!
