USH Newsletter 4th December 2015

As we approach the end of a very busy term and one of the most successful years at USH, I am mindful of beginnings and ends and how we celebrate these in our school community. Yesterday we had our GCSE Certificate Evening where we welcomed back last year’s Year 11. The many speeches reflected upon the journey of these students and the efforts they and the staff put in to achieve our very best GCSE results. The Year 12s are now at college and experiencing new beginnings which are both exciting and challenging in equal measure. We continue to wish them the very best and look forward to hearing about their adventures. This year will culminate in a number of exciting events including our Christmas Carol Concert and the USH Talent Show; events most definitely not to be missed! Then we look to 2106 and all of the new and exciting opportunities that the New Year will bring.

Aimee Floyd
Deputy Headteacher

Congratulations to Carina Janning for winning the USH Photography Christmas Card Competition - a stunning photograph!

Well done to the runners up, Chloe Bigwood, Ines Belmont, Sophie Chattington and Ami Nicholls.

We were delighted to welcome back our ex-Year 11s to USH for their GCSE Certificate Presentation on Thursday.  Additional awards for those who deserved special commendation for their hard work, attitude to learning and service to school were also given out.

As she was leaving, one mother said: "My daughter said that it was great to see all her teachers and friends again and she won't sleep tonight because she is still buzzing!"

The Class of 2015 were the most successful in the history of the School, achieving our best set of results and the evening was a fitting tribute to them.  We wish them every success in the future and hope that they stay in touch!

If you would like to join the Choir for the Christmas Carol Concert, the next rehearsal is on Friday 11th December from 4-6pm.  We would love to see you there!

On Tuesday 17th November, some year 9 Geographers had the opportunity to listen to a presentation on the Amazon Rainforest, as part of the Ecosystems unit they are studying.  Steve Bowles was invited in to talk about his amazing first hand experiences of life in the Amazon.  Steve visited the Amazon back in the 1980s on a research project, where he spent a number of years collecting data on different species of plants and animals.  The students were really engaged, listening to Steve talk about his experiences of meeting the Yanomami tribe; an indigenous tribe of the Amazon.  He spoke about their everyday life and the importance of their traditions such the shamans who connect with the spirits to ensure the general welfare of the tribes.  He also talked about the sustainability of the rainforest and the threats the Yanomami and other tribes face.  The students took part in a question and answer session.  The students came up with their own questions which included:  What dangers did you face?  What did you eat?  What shamanic traditions did you come across?

Steve brought in a number of different artefacts that the tribes of the Amazon make out of the different resources found in the rainforest.  The students really enjoyed looking at them and were amazed at how intricate the detail was on the comb and jewellery.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for taking the time to come in and share his fascinating experiences in the Amazon.  The students really enjoyed it. 

Mrs Hyslop

Mr Hall and Mr Hield took a large group of students to the  Hampshire Cross Country Championships at Down Grange Basingstoke on a very cold afternoon on 1st December. All students tried very hard and did very well. Students were racing against schools like St Swithun's and Lord Wandsworth.

Year 7 Boys
Leo Dobbs 13th
Jack Dodd 34th
Tom Goldstraw 42nd
Danny Bennett 76th

Year 7 Girls
Holly Pitts 37th
Abigail Woolley 55th
Kitty Malone 67th
Hannah Jewell 76th
Lizzie Russell 86th
Ruby Hook 88th

Year 8 boys
Hayden Bussell 53rd
Victor Savage 56th
Josh Batt 62nd
Zack Williams 68th
Owen Bunday 80th

Year 8 girls
Olivia Norton 43rd
Eleanor Marshall-Cox 53rd
Mikaela Swan 54th
Anna Hodges 61st
Katie Lewis 62nd

Year 9 boys
Toby Hale 2nd
Leon Longhurst 7th
Luke Halford 13th
Ben Bowles 23rd
Toby Budd 38th

Well done to Toby Hale who came 2nd in Hampshire and will now be selected for English Schools.

On Friday, 20th of November we hosted two MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) students. They were here to see how we work with EAL students. EAL stands for English as an Additional Language and refers to students who do not speak English at home.

They worked with a student who has recently arrived from Afghanistan, and then they observed a French lesson. They had many positive comments about the experience:

• "Thank you for today and I really feel that we have learnt a lot in terms of technique to teach EAL students English and welcome them properly into the school."
• "I was very impressed by the techniques used and the amount of English used."
• "The ‘Guess Who’ game was brilliant! Really loved the teaching style."
• "It has helped me to recognize even more the importance of getting to know the EAL students personally in order to know how best to adapt my lessons to their needs and their backgrounds."

Joanna Wojcik, EAL coordinator

Congratulations to the U14s and U15s who took part in the Cup Tournament on Tuesday 1st December.  After two days of waiting, the league organisers finally publicised the results and we found out that:

U14 - WINNERS of the Cup (on goal difference, winning by 3 goals ahead of St George's!)
U15 - THIRD in an U16 League

Another great team effort, once again.  Well done everyone!

In addition, since the last Newsletter, the results from 24th November's Netball Games were:

U14
USH 18-1 Sholing
USH 24-1 Woodlands
USH 12-9 St George's

U16A
USH 13-3 Cantell

U16B
USH 19-0 Cantell

Well done to all of the girls who helped achieve this excellent set of results!

Miss Marks

Our final Parenting Course, "Managing Anger and Strong Emotions" is going to take place on Monday 14th December 2015 at 7.30pm.  The courses, run by Lorraine Lee, have been a huge success and we have received lots of positive feedback from parents who have attended the previous sessions.  Please book your place by clicking on the link.  If the link isn't working in your browser, you can copy and paste it into the address bar and it should take you to the booking page.

Session Four - Monday 14th December: Managing Anger & Strong Emotions, 7.30-9.30pm www.ushmanaginganger.eventbrite.co.uk

Many thanks to those of you who have sent in your used postage stamps. Four packages of them have already been sent to the RNIB to fund Guide Dogs for the Blind.  Please continue to give your stamps to Reception in order for us to continue helping in this way.  A 1cm border should be left around the stamps when they are removed from the envelopes.  Thank you!