This week our Year 7 students took part an overnight camp, based at Fox Cove, located just outside Wembury in three acres of woodland. During the camp, our students had the chance to participate in trust games, walking, archery, forest school, bush craft, orienteering and much more.
We organise this residential at the start of Year 7 to give each student that joins Plymstock the best possible start to life at secondary school and really help them settle in. The students gain a great deal from living and working together with their new classmates and teachers. The experience helps to develop qualities such as co-operation, trust, teamwork and many other important life skills.
Despite some wet weather, the students had a really good time and importantly made lots of new friends. Ms Kirk, Head of Year 7, has written a small poem to reflect some of the students’ favourite bits about the camp. Due her exceptional literary creativity – I think we’ll add English to Ms Kirk’s timetable when she returns!!
“For some it’s the night walk,
it is very dark!
For others it’s the camp fire,
the hot chocolate warms your heart.
For most by 10pm they look forward to some sleep,
the peace at last that we all seek.
At 5am the boys are up and loud,
the girls are still asleep, of whom we are proud.
After breakfast the activities begin,
let’s see if sorting cups is your thing?
Some love to Orienteer,
walking down, running up, but did you see that deer?
Building den’s and eating fish,
slack-lining and spinning a dish.
Making friends and having fun,
thank goodness the sixth formers are here to run!
If you asked Mrs Kirk for her best moment,
her reply would be ‘ There is no single one’
For this week I would not trade,
as this is where Year 7 memories are made”
Massive thanks goes to Mr Dyke and Mr Taylor who run the trip each year. We also thank Ms Kirk, Mr Chivers, all the tutors and staff that run activities, support students and stay overnight, without whom the trip is simply not possible. A final special thanks go to our amazing Sixth Form students, Katie, Georgia, Andrew, Maggie who are all completing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, and in addition David, for just volunteering!
Congratulations go to Tom in Year 9 who has just been awarded with a Runners-Up Medal for the most wickets taken in a single season, in the Under-16s West Devon League. He was presented with this trophy following the narrow defeat of Plymstock Cricket Club in the recent Under-16s Cup Final. This has capped a magnificent season for Tom, who also won the Under-13s Best Bowler, the Top Wicket during the Under-19s T20 Competition and Runner-Up Wicket Taker in the H-Division Devon Men’s League. Tom has also represented West Devon, the MCC Academy and of course, Plymstock School. Well done – a truly fantastic achievement considering Tom has only just turned 13!
I’d like to make a special mention of Ed – another Year 9 student. Ed is quite the character at Plymstock and is well known for his long blonde ‘surfer-dude’ hair. However, he has just donated a full 12-inches of his hair to support the charity, The Little Princess Trust. This great charity provides wigs to children and young adults up to the age of 24, who have sadly lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses. Good on you Ed – a really lovely and thoughtful thing to do.
We are on a Year 9 roll this week as we celebrate the work of our Year 9 Peer Mentors. The group started their year-long positions on the first day back, with all of them coming in very early to support the arrival of the new Year 7 students. The Peer Mentors have been a great help and will now undertake weekly duties within their assigned Year 7 tutor groups, providing support wherever needed to the younger students, running fun activities and mostly importantly being a friendly face for the Year 7s to go to for advice. So a big thank you goes to Kiara, Leo, Thaila, Marley, Bronwyn, Hermione, Caitlin, Livvy, Kiera, Rhiannon, Maddison, Madeleine, Jolie, Katie, Elisha, Abi, Evie, Megan, Codie, Jack, Alicja, Georgia, Daisy and Lily.
Huge congratulations goes to one of our ex-students, Laura Hook, who completed her education at Plymstock School five years ago. We are pleased to say that she has just graduated from Cardiff University with a First Class Honours degree in Biochemistry. Laura is now returning to Plymouth to take up a graduate post working for Babcock International. Well done Laura – we are very proud of you!
A big well done goes to Denzil in Year 10 who has successfully passed his Grade 4 Cornet examination with a Distinction. An amazing achievement Denzil.
