Sportshall Athletics superstars
This week, we are celebrating our Sportshall Athletics superstars.
The Year 7 Girls’ Team and Year 8 Boys’ Team represented Rossendale in the County Finals in Blackpool on Wednesday, competing against 13 other schools across Lancashire.
The girls’ team just missed out on a podium finish, coming 4th.
Amazing effort from all students. Well done.
No phone challenge
As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, Mrs Connor, 10 other members of staff, and a number of students decided to go phone-free for 50 hours.
In a time when it is reported that young people in the UK spend on average around 5 hours a day on social media, and with the recent social media ban for under 16s in Australia, it seems timely to consider what the effect of our phones is on connection, our peace of mind, our ability to focus, our concentration span, and more.
Here’s what they said…
“I didn’t miss the usual social media apps I go on. I felt that I had more time to choose what I wanted to do.”
“At one point, I reached for my phone purely out of habit and was shocked by how automatically that happened, with no conscious intention to do it.”
“I found I don’t NEED to check my phone multiple times a day. I didn’t miss it, really. And there’s so much nonsense on there that I let myself get hung up on!”
“Once you decide to come off your phone, it’s quite easy to break the doomscrolling habit.”
Our School Council also discussed the topic during their meeting, mentioning the pressure to own a phone, parents’ fear of not being able to reach them, and how having a phone can impact their personal relationships with their peers.
…So, will you take on the challenge of 50 hours with no phone or no social media?
Let us know how you get on!
Eggcellent collection
Every year, we collect Easter egg donations from our families and our local community and donate them to charities that support children.
This year was no exception, as we sent a large donation of eggs to Emmeline’s Pantry, Two Brews, and the RAFT Foundation.
Our Sixth Form Leadership Team also hosted a raffle, collecting over £60 by selling tickets for an Easter Hamper.
We want to share a huge thank you to everyone who donated, including Tesco Haslingden.
Haslingden Sixth Form student becomes a Member of Youth Parliament
Congratulations to Aaron, Year 12, who has been elected as a Member of Youth Parliament (MYP), representing Rossendale, Hyndburn, and the Ribble Valley.
Elected MYPs from Lancashire will travel all over the country to meet other MYPs to debate issues, policies, and plan events for young people.
There will be plenty of opportunities for Aaron to be involved in national debates, training days, presentations, and he will even have the chance to speak to the Prime Minister.
Well done, Aaron!
LAMDA presentation
Our wonderful LAMDA students performed their exam pieces in a showcase for parents and staff on Wednesday.
They have worked really hard on these fantastic pieces.
Their confidence and professionalism were great to witness.
Taste of uni life
Our Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and A Level History students went on a trip to Lancaster University to explore what a university library is like.
The group followed a series of research tasks and looked up topics in relation to their studies.
We hope it gave them a taste of what to expect after A Levels for those pursuing further study.
Keeping in Touch
For our students in Year 11, we know that the decision they make for their post-16 study is an incredibly important decision to make.
We want to make sure that our students have all the information they need to make an informed decision.
To support this, we hosted a ‘Keeping in Touch’ session where students could ask questions, like “how is sixth form different to college?” and “how big is the step up to A Levels compared to GCSEs?”.
And of course, there was cake!
Duolingo champion
Safiya, Year 8, has achieved a 500-day streak on Duolingo, the language-learning app.
Her achievement was celebrated in Duolingo Club this week.
Mrs Avery noted she is very committed to her language learning and attends Duolingo club every week!
Have a wonderful Easter break!