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HEATHSIDE 15 th October, 2021 www.heathside.surrey.sch.uk Beauty and the Beast Auditions and rehearsals are underway NEWSLETTER Mental Health and Wellbeing Some tips for looking after our mental health in half term Summer School Artwork The colourful quotes brightening our corridors page 8 page 11 page 19 Dates For Your Diary Monday 1st November Autumn Term resumes 4th - 5th November Doughnut Sale Thursday 9th December Christmas Concert at St. James’ Church, Weybridge 13th - 17th December Christmas lunches this week 16th December Christmas Jumper Day Friday 17th December Last Day of Autumn Term, School closes 12 noon. twitter facebook

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HEATHSIDE

15th October, 2021 www.heathside.surrey.sch.uk

Beauty and the Beast

Auditions and rehearsals are

underway

NEWSLETTER

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Some tips for looking after our mental

health in half term

Summer School Artwork

The colourful quotes brightening our

corridors

page8

page11

page19

Dates For Your DiaryMonday 1st November Autumn Term resumes

4th - 5th November Doughnut Sale

Thursday 9th December Christmas Concert at St. James’ Church, Weybridge

13th - 17th December Christmas lunches this week

16th December Christmas Jumper Day

Friday 17th December Last Day of Autumn Term, School closes 12 noon.

twitter

face

book

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I would like to extend thanks to all members of the Heathside community in welcoming me over the last half term. It has been an interesting journey in my first weeks as Head of Heathside school; navigating the covid situation as we return to school in a more familiar normal. As I said in my initial communication to everyone, I'm excited to be working in such a vibrant and dynamic community. It was fantastic to be a part of the prize giving event with students receiving recognition for their participation and engagement in both their education and the enrichment opportunities they took part in here, as they left Heathside school for the final time and moving on to attend the most prestigious universities in the country, and some venturing to universities in Europe and America. It was great to listen to Mr Schofield, a Heathside teacher of over 35 years, the experiences and wisdom shared was both entertaining and informative, I wish Mr Schofield a very enjoyable and well earned retirement.

A Message from the Head of School

The new Maths block is proving to be a huge success and it was pleasing to be able to show off this space during a carefully planned open evening showcasing the opportunities Heathside can offer students currently in year 6 primary schools throughout Elmbridge and beyond. It was a genuine 'circle of life' moment presenting to them in the same room that only a week earlier saw so many concluding their seven-year journey at Heathside. The new block has provided a new standard that we will now work to replicate in all the classrooms and learning spaces throughout the school Many students during this half term have been required to isolate at home. We are continuing to improve and refine the remote learning opportunities for all students who are in this position. Classroom staff are working hard to adapt to blended learning working with students both in the classroom and those dialling in remotely, this is not an easy adaptation but our staff at Heathside are determined to provide and facilitate the best learning experiences for all. Staff at Heathside have not only been working hard enabling high quality teaching and learning in their respective classrooms, but a number have also been working hard fund raising for charities that are personally important to them; Mr Thomson on behalf of Woking & Sam Beare Hospice, Mrs Blake for Macmillan Cancer Support, Mr Nash ran the London Marathon in 4 hours and 48 minutes

Mr Lewis, Head of School

on behalf of QEF for Disabled People. On Friday 15th October we are holding the school's first mufti day of 2021 to show racism the red card and look forward to making a significant donation to the charity. It’s been great meeting and working with the Heathside school Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The fund raising and professionalism of all parents and staff involved is remarkable and the funds raised significantly add to the opportunities and quality of educational experience for all students in the school. I am looking forward to our November PTA quiz and the opportunity to participate in a Heathside working Bee as we work together to further enhance the school environment. I would like to thank you all for the trust you place in Heathside school and its community, we're working really hard to enable every student to realise their individual potential and to provide a range of recreational and competitive experience in our enrichment programmes. I look forward to welcoming students back after they have had an enjoyable and restful half term break

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It has been a great start to the academic year for our year 8 students. They

have ‘hit the ground running’ from the start of term and have shown great resilience in dealing with all the changes to the school environment since returning in September.

Congratulations to Amber Croft, Priya Wilson, Tia Spanbok who all have over 30 House points and 0 behaviour points.

Congratulations to all the year 8’s students that successfully auditioned for the school production of Beauty and the Beast and Good Luck with the rehearsals.

Yr8

It has been a great start to the year and your journey here at Heathside. By

now, you should know your way around the school. I have had lots of positive feedback from your teachers and I hope that this continues.

We have lots to look forward to after half term, for example:

Yr7

It was lovely to meet some year 8 parents at the recent Parents Information Evening and a reminder that the presentation will be on the school website.

I am very keen for every year 8 students to take part in a non-academic pursuit outside of school, whether that be drama, music, art, or sport for either recreational or competitive purposes. Providing opportunities for our year 8’s to have fun and time away from academia is crucial to ensuring good mental health and wellbeing.

Miss GatrellHead of Learning, Year 8

• Krispy Kreme Doughnut sale

• Christmas jumper day

• Christmas Concert

I hope you all enjoy your half term, stay safe and see you soon.

Mr HakamaliHead of Learning, Year 7Head of Learning, Year 9

Messages from the Heads of Learning

It is an absolute pleasure to be Head of Learning for year 9, the start they made

to this academic year was exemplary, after a long summer off they came back and hit the floor running! Students have continued to deliver the high expectations and standards expected of them and below is a list of year 9’s top students:

Vlad Lazar – 44 pointsEvie Barr – 29Kitty Hoskins – 29Ruby Pellett – 26Phoebe Graham – 24Roxanne Davidson – 22Gregori Jackson - 21

Please pass on my congratulations to all year 9 students for a great start to the year. I hope you were all able to watch the Year 9 Information Evening video on the school’s website, apologies I couldn’t deliver it in person, and I thank you for the kind messages from parents AND STUDENTS about the birth of my daughter Indi.

Should you have any questions or would like to discuss anything please do call.

Best wishes

Mr ErlerHead of Learning, Year 9

Year 10 have made a Year 10 have made a flying start to their year. flying start to their year. I have been impressed I have been impressed

with them as year group being able to take with them as year group being able to take on all the challenges of starting their GCSE’s on all the challenges of starting their GCSE’s with such disruption to their KS3 learning. with such disruption to their KS3 learning. They have shown excellent resilience and They have shown excellent resilience and taken on the new challenges that this year taken on the new challenges that this year holds even in the continued disruption to holds even in the continued disruption to learning from Covid. A big well done to all of learning from Covid. A big well done to all of year 10!year 10!

We have had lots of achievement points We have had lots of achievement points given out to students to represent this given out to students to represent this success with the below students all achieving success with the below students all achieving over 30 so far this year which is brilliant. over 30 so far this year which is brilliant.

Caitlyn HirdesCaitlyn HirdesCoco JohnsCoco JohnsIsabella SmitIsabella SmitRossano UdezeRossano UdezeSerena RichardsSerena Richards

Next half term our focus will be for year 10 Next half term our focus will be for year 10 to continue working hard in all of their GCSE to continue working hard in all of their GCSE subjects, make sure they are continuing to subjects, make sure they are continuing to complete homework and to be positive role complete homework and to be positive role models and influences around the school. models and influences around the school. Have a wonderful half term year 10.Have a wonderful half term year 10.

Mrs BoyceMrs BoyceHead of Learning, Year 10Head of Learning, Year 10

Yr9

Yr10

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A big well done to year 11 students currently with their

excellent attitude and work ethic in lessons.

The year 11 autumn support programme has started this week and I am impressed with the high number of year 11 students attending these sessions.

I have also sent an email with information regarding Heathside Sixth form internal

applications via Operoo. The deadline for internal applications is the 4th December.

I have also added a revision timetable and revision lists on Microsoft teams. Students should make a half term revision timetable to get themselves prepared for mock examinations starting on the 29th November. Any questions please feel free to contact myself or Ms Francis.

Mr TachonHead of Learning, Year 11

Yr11

It has been great to welcome Year 12 and 13s back after their summer and they have all made an excellent start to this

academic year. Indeed, they have already started to bond in a fiercely contested football match that ended 7-3 to the Year 13s. Thank you to Mr. Thomson for refereeing the game and we look forward to the replay.

Year 12 Having enjoyed their long summer Year 12 were back at Heathside ready for the next chapter of their educational journey. Welcoming back old and new students, Year 12 have started well and adapted to their new environment and the demands of the Sixth Form admirably. The focus for

6thform

Year 12 is very much about settling into their studies and giving their all to the subjects they have chosen. Staff members have commented on how well they have settled and are impressed with the readiness and commitment of the students to their studies. Soon the Year 12s will be starting to learn to drive and with this in mind will be receiving a course called ‘Safe drive Stay Alive’ to help them transition to safe drivers as and when that happens.

To that effect there are two dates to add to the Year 12 diary: Wednesday 10th November - Senior Maths Challenge and Wednesday 17th November - Safe Drive Stay Alive.

Well done Year 12 on an excellent start and we hope you enjoyed your start to Sixth Form life.

(Sixth form update cont. on next page)

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Year 13 Year 13 have hit the ground running continuing where they left off with their studies. The focus is very much on UCAS and their destinations next year, whether it be university, apprenticeships, gap years or employment. With this in mind, the Year 13s hopped on a coach and headed up to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to the University and Apprenticeship Fair. This was a great opportunity for the students to finally talk face to face with some of the universities and get some advice on courses next year. Sam McManus said “It was good to speak to different universities and it helped me make my decision.” Year 13’s are now working hard on their personal statements and UCAS application.

Early Applicants: Well done to all of the students who successfully submitted their applications. However, submission is just the beginning of the application journey, and the hard work continues. For those of you taking admissions tests, please use this website to prepare accordingly and revise as much content and use the past papers as much as you can. Watch your email inboxes too Mr Martin, Mr Clark and Mrs Best

as universities have their own procedures for collating additional information (example piece of written work, work experience information and additional application forms), and there is often a quick turnaround for these.

UCAS Applications: Please keep passing draft personal statements to the Sixth

Form team, tutors and subject staff for advice and amendments and all students should aim to draft their statements at least five times before you submit them. The internal deadline for final submission is Friday 10th December. Support on writing personal statements can be found in the ‘Life after Heathside’ channel on Teams.

UCAS HUB: Please continue to use UCAS hub to support you in both

your university choices and in the personal statement writing process. Remember for those of you not applying to university, there is lots of information on apprenticeships too and keep an eye out for opportunities posted on TEAMS.

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Beauty and the Beast AuditionsDisney’s Beauty and the Beast is coming to Heathside in March of 2022. Performed by students from Year 7-11 this production is set to be Heathside’s largest in close to a decade. Including songs from the Disney animated feature such as; Be Our Guest, Gaston and Beauty and the Beast, and many more, and with a cast and crew of nearly 100 students, this is a show not to be missed!

Florence Robb-Kneen, a Year 9 student cast as Lumiere has written about her experiences during the audition process, as well as the first few weeks of rehearsal. On the 21st of September, the singing auditions took place in the music room. Each student was assigned a time slot and we went in as a group. I was unfortunately in the first group. We did a vocal warmup then sang the opening song of the show, Belle. It was quite scary but it was over quickly, it helped that we were singing it in a group. About an hour after I got home, my dad forwarded me an email saying I got a call-back and I was really excited, although I was pretty nervous. The next day, the choreography audition took place, this was so much better than the singing one as we did it as one big group! We learnt a small part of the choreography to Gaston. The following day was the day of the call-backs and all throughout the school day, I was getting really scared, but I wanted to get it over and done with. When we did the call-backs we went one by one and I sang the opening to Be our Guest, of the 80+ students who auditioned, 25 of us got a call-back.

The next day was the day when the cast list was put up and I was pretty excited to see what everyone got! The day flew by and it was finally time for Mr Lefebvre to put up the list! Once he put it up everyone burst through the doors and I found out I got Lumiere! I was so shocked! I also found out what my friends got and they were all really pleased with their parts.In case you are not familiar with the story line of Beauty and the Beast, I’ve summarised it here. A selfish young prince and his servants fall under the spell of an enchantress, who turns him into a hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. The ‘unusual’ village girl, Belle comes across the Beast's castle after he imprisons her father. With the help of his enchanted servants, Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his mean and cruel ways. The moral of the story teaches us to value a person’s characteristics more than we value superficial qualities, such as appearance.

Over the next 5 months, Mr Lefebvre and Mr Macfarlane will be holding production rehearsals on a Tuesday (where we will learn the music and Wednesday (where we will learn the choreography and block the scenes). They are really fun and enjoyable, and it really helps with my confidence in performing in front of others. I can’t wait for the show in March!

Florence Robb-Kneen, Year 9

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Music Department NewsThe sound of extra-curricular music is filling Heathside once again after a year of silence with different activities taking place after school every day. We offer a diverse programme to cater for all musicals tastes and abilities – it is keeping the staff busy but we would not have it any other way. See below for details:

Monday - Concert BandTuesday - Jamming Together and rehearsals for the school production (Beauty & the Beast)Wednesday - Music Technology Club and rehearsals for the school productionThursday - Ukulele club and GCSE Music study session; the Project Choir will be starting after half term on a Thursday as well.

Upcoming events in Music for your diary:

• Thursday 9th December 2021 - Christmas Concert at St. James’ Church in Weybridge

• 3rd, 4th and 5th March 2022 - School production of Beauty and The Beast

• Thursday 26th May 2022 - Key Stage 3 informal concert

• Thursday 14th July 2022 - Summer Concert

Congratulations to the following students who have passed music exams in the last few months:

Maddie Livingston - Grade 7 flute

Olivia Brittan - Grade 5 flute with Merit

Stephanie Quinn - Grade 5 flute

Lily Chen - Grade 4 flute with Distinction

Hugo Ferriera - Grade 4 clarinet

Rowan Witten - Grade 4 piano

Benoy Chatterjee - Grade 2 piano with Merit

Ethan King - Grade 1 piano with Distinction

Tristan Ellatamby - Grade 1 piano with Merit

Special congratulations go to Finlay Dennis who has passed Grade 8 Guitar with Distinction. However, this was not just any high pass – Finlay achieved full marks in all the components of the exam which is an absolutely fantastic achievement and one that he thoroughly deserves after all the hours of preparation that he did. Well done Finlay – the Music Department are extremely proud of you!

Mr Macfarlane

At the end of last term, some of the members of our Key Stage 3 creative writing clubs entered the ‘Young Writers Spine-chillers’ competition where the students had to write a spine-tingling story in 100 words. We are so proud of the following students for having their work selected

Young Writers Competition

Who Am I? by Millie Cousins

Year 9 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Certificate of AchievementLast term, some students took it upon themselves to litter pick in the local community after school on Friday for their DofE Volunteering. We are very proud of your efforts. Thank you to all students involved, including Holly Whelan, Amy Wang, Lily Chen, Isabella Smit, Rufus Padley and Daniel Elderkin.

For this year's Year 9 students we will be launching Bronze in the week back after the half term break.

Year 11 Silver and Year 10 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (no expedition)Students can complete their Duke of Edinburgh Certificate of Achievement by finishing their 3 activities: Physical, Skill and Volunteering.Step 1: Student completes the information with the red stars on their eDofE accountStep 2: Activity supervisor completes an online assessor report https://www.dofe.org/assessorStep 3: DofE Leader, Miss Ebdy, will sign off each activity with an assessor report.Step 4: Once all activities have approved, a Certificate of Achievement will be sent to the student. Year 10 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (with expedition)46 Students successfully completed their expedition locally. It was hot and they were excellent navigators. We are proud of these students, such a fantastic achievement during a challenging year.

Duke of Edinburgh

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for publication in ‘Spine Chillers – Fearful Fiction’: Millie Cousins, Megan Rivers, Tia Spanbok, Beatrice Hansen and Ava Bryars.

Congratulations girls! You did a fantastic job!

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Summer School ArtworkDuring the summer school in July , our new year 7 intake had the opportunity to take part in an Art workshop where they were given a blank canvas on which to paint a motivational quote. The students really enjoyed working individually on their piece and many of them are now brightening up display boards around school. Well done year 7!

Mrs Hearne-Dudman

12ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//HHeeaatthhssiiddeePPTTAA ttwwiitttteerr..ccoomm//HHeeaatthhssiiddeePPTTAA PPTTAACChhaaiirr@@hheeaatthhssiiddee..ssuurrrreeyy..sscchh..uukk

HHeeaatthhssiiddee LLootttteerryy –– yyoouurr cchhaannccee ttoo wwiinn SSaammssuunngg GGaallaaxxyy BBuuddss PPrroo

Joining the Heathside Lottery is a great way of supporting the school. Sign up via the QQRR ccooddee for just £10 a month to be in with the chance of winning one of three prizes every month: £100 first prize and two £25 runner up prizes. As a ssppeecciiaall PPRROO--mmoottiioonn, all members signed up by 30th November will be entered into a December bonus draw to win a pair of SSaammssuunngg GGaallaaxxyy BBuuddss PPrroo valued at over £200. Doesn’t that sound great?

Looking for good condition pre-loved uniform? We’ve got a good stock of the boys PE games tops, black jumpers for winter, and many other items.

Email: [email protected]

We also welcome donations of good quality uniform—please drop it in the blue donation bin outside reception.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us at PPTTAACChhaaiirr@@hheeaatthhssiiddee..ssuurrrreeyy..sscchh..uukk Volunteers for events are always welcome, and our meetings are open to all parents and carers—the next is WWeeddnneessddaayy 1100tthh NNoovveemmbbeerr aatt 7pm, please do come along. There are ppoossiittiioonnss vvaaccaanntt on the committee including Treasurer and Social Media co-ordinator.

Latest news from your friendly PTA

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The Unicef Club are pleased to see the return of our much-loved Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sale. This year we would like to raise funds to help Mr Hakamali build a school in Nepal via the charity Giant Education.

Giant are a fundraising organisation that aims to reduce illiteracy in developing countries by building schools. According to UNICEF, there are “770,000 primary school children in Nepal who are still out of school”. If we can increase attendance and create the opportunity to read, write and count, then we can empower generations to improve their communities.

They are working with an American organisation called buildOn. buildOn will help to build the school once they have raised the final amount of money.

You can find out more information by visiting their website: www.giant-education.com

Unicef Club

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Mr Thomson took part in the Downslink Challenge in September: riding from Woking to Brighton and back, 100 miles off-road. The challenge has raised over £12,000 for Woking & Sam Beare Hospice, the Falcons House Charity. Well done Mr Thomson!

You can still donate here.

Mrs Blake joined the 60 Miles in September challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK running a total of 72.8 miles over 21 (5.30am) weekday runs over 12hrs and 19 mins of running.

Well done, Mrs Blake! You can still donate here.

At Heathside we are passionate about fundraising and getting involved with charities wherever we can, whether they are local or worldwide. We will continue to celebrate all fundraising efforts made by staff and students. Please email us if you have been involved with any charities and would be happy for us to share your efforts with the school community.

Mr Nash, Assistant Principal, ran the London Marathon to raise money for the Queen Elizabeth Foundation - an incredible challenge and very worthy charity. You can still donate here.

The staff at Heathside enjoyed two Macmillan

Coffee Mornings last week, with some triumphant bakes from staff across the school!

Together we raised over £250 for Macmillan Cancer.

Fundraising

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Ava in Year 8 took part in her first National Women’s Artistic Gymnastic Competition in Stoke at the beginning of October. Ava trains 25 hours a week at Tolworth Gymnastics Club. She had an amazing competition and is on track to work towards the British Championships in 2023.

Extra-curricular Achievements

Well done Tamsin in Year 10 who has been offered a place on an elite level vocational programme at the Academy of Balletic Arts. She will continue to study at Heathside whilst taking part in this exciting opportunity. We look forward to seeing what you can achieve Tamsin!

Congratulations to Sian Popham in Year 11 who won the Gold medal in the U17 300M at the Surrey County Championships held in August. We are so proud of your fantastic achievement Sian, well done!

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Parent Governor Elections - Heathside Local Advisory BoardElmWey Learning Trust is currently seeking nominations for two Parent Elected Advisors to sit on the Heathside Weybridge Local Advisory Board (LAB). A School Comms message was sent to parents on 12th October, please click on this link to view the letter and this link for the nomination form.

The Local Advisory Board (LAB) is tasked with challenging and supporting the Senior Leadership Team at Heathside Weybridge, to ensure that the Trust maximises outcomes and opportunities for all children educated at the school.

The LAB meets at least once every half-term (Thursday meetings from 4:00-6:00pm) and there is an annual one-day conference held on a Saturday in March. In addition, there is an expectation that Advisors attend relevant governor training courses.

If you would like any further information please contact the Clerk, Mrs J Parrish [email protected].

Heathside Walton-on-ThamesConstruction of the permanent building for Heathside Walton-on-Thames begins this month.

For anyone who wishes to apply for a Year 7 place, starting in September 2022, please be reminded that the application deadline is the 31st October 2021.

Click here for more information about the admissions process and here to apply for a place.

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Food Technology -Autumn TermThis term has seen some fantastic creations in Food Technology so far, including: cheesecakes from Year 9, traditional British dishes from Year 11, Year 10's own choice of dish and some mouth-wateringly good chocolate brownies which were made for Open Evening.

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European Day of Languages Every year on September 26th, European day of languages is celebrated across Europe in various ways. Here at Heathside School, the event was celebrated on Thursday 23rd September. Students took part in a treasure hunt around the school looking for bunting that had been placed in each classroom, featuring the word

‘hello’ in the many European languages, with prizes for each language found. The canteen offered a selection of European delicacies at break time with a fun quiz entertaining students during tutor time. Lessons across the school, including maths, science, and business, featured ‘Do Now’ tasks with a language theme. Next years celebrations are promised to be bigger and better!

Latin Club November will see the MFL department offer Latin Club. Mr Hackett and Miss Suarez will be leading the sessions which will take place on Fridays at 3pm in T11. Students are encouraged to sign up as places are limited to 20 students.

Many congratulations to Annabel Wood who received a commendation for her Spanish to English translation at the Oxford University Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators Competition. Five students entered the prestigious competition last term: Annabel Wood, Beatriz Suarez, Molly Williams and Emma Olokose. Huge congratulations to all of you for entering. The next competition will take place in the new year.

Modern Foreign Languages

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Dear Parents, Carers and Students, I wanted to say a big well done to all of us for getting back to some normality this term. I know it felt strange coming back to school with less restrictions and it did make me worry as to how we could all move forward after so many months ‘on and off ‘with the restrictions. However, the students have been amazing: working hard, pleased to be with friends, enjoying school life, studying hard and being respectful of Covid.

There are some changes this term to the Wellbeing Team: Our Wellbeing Lead is Ms Murphy, who is also our DSL, and Miss Francis (SSCO Year 10/11) is the Assistant Wellbeing Lead. All Heathside staff promote wellbeing including the Pastoral Team, and students should be encouraged to approach any staff member that they feel comfortable talking with to ask for support.

For those Parents and Students new to Heathside, we won the Wellbeing Award for Schools in 2018. This award shows the school’s commitment to promoting wellbeing for both students and staff as a part of daily school life.

What have we achieved and what’s coming up within the Wellbeing Area: Last Sunday, 10th October was the Global Mental Health day. This Year’s theme is Mental Health In an Unequal World. Ms Murphy's assemblies this week focused on this topic - we were all given an opportunity to reflect and address how inequality can prevent good mental health. In the world it is known that poorer countries have higher ill mental health issues as they cannot afford the resources such as counselling or wellbeing initiatives that the richer counties can. The World Federation for Mental Health are trying to address this so everyone can have the right to benefit from improving their wellbeing and living a better life.

On Thursday 14th October we will hold the first of our monthly student drop-in sessions after

Mental Health and Wellbeing

school. This group will focus on all questions and queries to do with mental and emotional wellbeing, signposting towards any support needed for students, their friends or just an opportunity for students to meet with some pastoral and wellbeing staff. There will be information from various support groups and organisations who deal with mental ill health issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, friendships, anger and more. Next term we will organise our first parental drop-in session. Further information to come.

Some tips for students (and parents) for the half term: Relax. Read a book, listen to music, try a new hobby, cook a new recipe. Also any form of exercise is highly beneficial to our mental health.

Try a walk and take some unusual photos. E.g. plants, flowers, pine cones and wildlife/strange looking buildings. If you send your photographs to Miss Francis, we can display some of them over the next term on our Wellbeing board (no photos including yourself or other people)[email protected]

Remember! Mental ill health is not visible so be kind, always.

If you are worried about anyone, friend or family or worried about yourself, email: [email protected]

Have a nice break,Miss Francis

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Our year 7 students have made a fantastic start to the house competitions this year and we had over 100 entries in the annual Year 7 bookmark competition.

Launched in the second week of the autumn term, our newest Heathside students were given the opportunity to create a bookmark that could be as colourful and creative as their imagination would allow. With the artists permission, we would photocopy these to be taken free of charge from the LRC by their peers and our reading community, thus immortalising their artwork for years to come.

The imagination and different themes this year was outstanding. We had rainbows, Manga characters, bees and lots of reading themed entries and the standard once again was very high. It was very difficult for the Heads of House to decide on the top entries but ultimately each house decided on the top four entries and a team of staff and students in Year 9 and 12 put the top 16 entries through the final judging process to determine the overall winners.

All students who entered, were given a house point and further house points were issued throughout the rounds of judging. Take a look below at the winning designs which are available now to our readers in the Learning Resource Centre.

Mrs Trower

LRC Bookmark Competition

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 4th

Bonnie Beresford - 100 points to Hawks

Lexi Kent - 75 points to Falcons

Ivy Pavid - 50 points to Falcons

Ariana Mackie - 25 points to Hawks

Meribelle Mari - 25 points to Hawks

joint

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At Heathside we are proud to be part of The Happy Newspaper movement! The Happy Newspaper is published quarterly and promotes wellbeing; it circulates positive news and activities suitable for all ages. Emily Coxhead, the founder, says: ‘every single day there are people helping others and doing incredible things in all corners of the planet and the majority of them aren't celebrated, but we think they deserve to be recognised. We aim to bring a refreshing

twist on what we typically know as 'news', reporting on positive changes and truly inspiring people.’

This year, we will be continuing to supply students with the newspaper after half term. They will receive it in form time, in the LRC and other areas of the school. Additionally, Year 7 students will be spending a form session each week completing Happy Newspaper activities that promote kindness, gratitude and positivity.

We hope that by including The Happy Newspaper into everyday life at Heathside, the students will have something to make them smile, and boost their wellbeing. In a world where sometimes things can seem increasingly difficult, The Happy Newspaper brings a little bit of light and happiness!

If you would like to know more about the newspaper and what it comprises of, please visit their website.

Miss Melson

Happy News