USH Newsletters

• Year 7 Information Fair

  We were delighted to welcome some of our Year 7 students and parents to the Information Fair held for them last week.  This gave our staff the opportunity to showcase what USH has to offer our students and many of the parents saw the occasion as a chance to put faces to names.  Extra curricular activities, trips, finance, IT, general office, STEM, google classroom were all represented and our catering staff made some delicious food for tasting.
  

  

• Careers News

  Work Experience
  The school year ended for Yr 10 students with work experience.  We had a record number of students taking part and we received some excellent comments from employers (There are too many to publish so here are some employer comments)
  ‘Rebecca has been fantastic, very engaged in all jobs given and always looking for more to do.  Her communication across the floor has been outstanding’.
  ‘It’s been a pleasure to have Lucy with us.  We hope we’ve given her an insight into how a busy travel agent is run.  She completed tasks in super quick time; she’s booked holidays, taken payment, added excursions to a booking and learnt all the different holiday types’.
  ‘Lucy was very mature, approachable and helpful .  She took a keen interest in helping the children and getting to know them.  I’m very impressed’.
  ‘Job has been a great member of the Inland team.  Very enthusiastic and keen to learn’.
  ‘Lucy has enjoyed her placement.  She said it has given her an insight into how to deal with the general public face to face and the challenges it brings.  Lucy is a bright young lady and I would have no qualms in employing her in the future.  She was proactive and genuinely interested to learn and participate’.
  ‘Zack settled in well to the office environment and enjoyed his week working with various IT teams. He arrived early every day and was smartly dressed.  He engaged well with the teams and showed real capability with problem solving activities’.
  Well done to all students who took part!

  Year 10 Work Experience – 15th – 19th July 2019
  Your son/daughter has been issued with a letter regarding work experience.  Please support your son/daughter in finding a placement.  If you need any advice/support please contact carey.anderson@ushschool.org

  Careers Day – Thursday 18th October
  The whole school will be involved in career activities.  Years 7, 8 and 10 students will be in school, activities will include ‘Meet the Professional.  This is a speed networking event which provides students with the opportunity to question a range of Professionals about their career.  If you would like to join our team of Professionals please contact carey.anderson@ushschool.org
  

  Careers Day - Year 9
  Letters regarding ‘Go To Work With An Adult (parent, family member or friend) Day’ have been issued.  The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the world of work.  This opportunity will allow your son/daughter to gain valuable first-hand experience of the workplace, an important element of the careers programme which we are unable to offer in school. 
  We hope that you will be able to take your son/daughter to work or arrange for him/her to go to work with a family member/friend. 

  Careers Day - Year 11
  Student feedback from the taster day which took place in July at Richard Taunton’s revealed students found the taster day extremely helpful; they would like the opportunity to try out more subjects prior to making post 16 choices, but would like the option to choose which college to visit.  To accommodate these requests students have the opportunity of attending a taster day at Richard Taunton’s, Itchen, Barton Peveril or City College.  Unfortunately Peter Symonds are unable to participate as they will be preparing for their open evening -  1800-2100.  Your son/daughter has decided which college they would like to visit and the subjects they would like to ‘try’.  The colleges are doing their best to provide a pertinent program for each student.

  Year 10 – Mock Interview
  Support Needed
  We are holding our ‘Year 10 Mock Interview Week’ w/c  12th November.  In the past this event has proven to be extremely successful in preparing students for the interview process required for work experience, college, apprenticeships and part-time work.  We have received feedback from colleges, work experience and apprenticeship providers informing us how well our students perform.
  In order to be able to continue to offer this opportunity for our students we are looking for volunteer ‘interviewers’.  If you can offer your support, or provide contact details of colleagues who may be able to help please contact carey.anderson@ushschool.org
  Your support is much appreciated.

  
  

• STEM Club

  The first meeting of the STEM club was brilliant. Our creatively minded Year 7s were designing and building the strongest and tallest newspaper bridge, with the strongest holding over 3kg! We had a fantastic discussion about the design of our bridges and how we would improve them if we did this activity again. We are looking forward to next week when we are going to make the tallest towers from spaghetti and marshmallows, it will be an engineering sight not to be missed.
  

• Youngest District Competition Winner

  Congratulations to Luke Bell and his team, comprising of his Grandad and Step Dad, who recently won the Southampton and District Bowls Fours Final.  We understand that Luke is now the youngest person to win a District Competition.  We are sure he will treasure the experience for a long time. 
  

• Music at USH

  The Music Department has started the year making big plans and trialling a wide range of learning styles – the School Production has been gathering singers and instrumentalists. The high levels of talent, enthusiasm and ability have hugely impressed the casting team, who had the privilege of sitting through some stunning vocal auditions. The chorus and soloists will now be rehearsing regularly, ready to share some of this fabulous singing with you in February. Meanwhile, plans are already afoot for choir concerts later in the term. Is it still too early to mention Christmas?

  Members of the USH School Orchestra, plus other USH instrumentalists who also play in Southampton’s various city ensembles, are busy getting ready for a Big Day Out to London in November. We are very excited to be rehearsing and performing at the Royal Albert Hall, joining with other groups from around the region, organised by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Southampton Music Hub!  The orchestra will also be showcased in end-of-term concerts and notably at the School Production at the Point, Eastleigh in February.

  In the Music department mac suite, GCSE students in year 9, 10 and 11 are getting to grips with two newly acquired composing interfaces, Soundtrap and Flat, where all the “4 C’s of 21st century learning” are incorporated into each project – Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking.  So far it has been fun, inviting each other to help work on our pieces collaboratively and exploring the many features of the online virtual studio. The 2019 GCSE group has received its Set Briefs and are already producing some brilliant compositions and performances that can be entered for their exam in the summer.

  Finally, we experienced some very proud moments on Results Day in the summer, as last year’s GCSE cohort achieved some excellent hard-earned and well-deserved successes. 100% pass and 92% 9-5! USH is endowed with some exceptionally talented and diligent musicians, composers and music students plus the resources required to ensure they achieve their best potential.

  Mrs L Owen, Music at USH

  
  

• Paris 2018

  We leave for France in less than 3 weeks – fingers crossed the weather will be kind!  Please keep an eye on this with regards to what clothing your children will need.  We are outside a lot, please bear this in mind.

  We will be meeting at school at around 5.45am on Thursday, 11th October returning around 6pm on Sunday, 14th October.  You will receive a full itinerary, suggested kit list, emergency contact numbers and various guidance before we travel.  We will collect passports and EHIC cards prior to travelling – please ensure you have ordered an EHIC in plenty of time.

  There will be an informal drop in session on Thursday, 4th October in the school canteen if you would like to chat to a member of staff before going.  If you have any other questions, please get in touch.

  Mr Perry  Martin.Perry@ushschool.org

  
  

  

• E-safety

  Please find below a link that may be of interest.  It highlights how to set safety and privacy settings for social media apps. 

  https://parentinfo.org/article/setting-safety-and-privacy-settings-for-social-media-apps
  

• Do We Have Your Email Address Correctly Recorded?

  Just a reminder about our preferred method of contact with you as parents.

  At USH we always email out any letters to parents for all year groups.  At least 2 letter have been emailed out since September but we are aware we are not reaching all students and parents.  In order for us to make sure you get all relevant information and letters in relation to your child, if you have not received any letters from us this term please can you contact Mrs Wilson in the General Office and update us with your current email address. 
  

• Used postage stamps

  For several years, the school has collected stamps for the Royal National Institute of the Blind; they use them to raise money for training guide dogs.
  If you would like to donate stamps, please hand them in at Reception. (They should have at least a 1cm border around them).

  Thank you.

  
  

• Southbrook Titans are Looking for New Players

  Southbrook Titans are a local girls football team looking for new players, particularly in Years 7 and 8.  They train at the Sports Centre and have games on a Saturday morning. The club are keen to promote and develop the personal social emotional development and help with confidence.
  

  

• YMCA Southampton Daycamp's

  The YMCA Southampton are providing a childcare service through the holidays,  Daycamp’s for the October holiday.

  
  

  

• Events in the Community

  As part of alecture programme at St Swithun’s School, pupils and staff from Upper Shirley High School are invited to the following event on Tuesday 9 October at 7.30pm:

  “From Homer’s Last Theorem to Cryptology and Cosmology” - A talk by Simon Singh

  Admission is free but places are limited. To book tickets please email lectures@stswithuns.com as soon as possible.

  
  Join Simon Singh, one of the world’s most popular science and maths writers on a whistle-stop tour through the bestselling books that he has written over the last two decades.

  Fermat’s Last Theorem looks at one of the biggest mathematical puzzles of the millennium; The Code Book shares the secrets of cryptology; Big Bang explores the history of cosmology; Trick or Treatment asks some awkward questions about alternative medicine; and Simon’s latest book (The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets) enters the world of the world's most popular TV show.

  Simon Singh completed a PhD in particle physics before joining the BBC Science Department. He won a BAFTA for his documentary about the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, and went on to write the No.1 bestselling book on the same topic.
  After writing a series of bestselling science books and presenting programmes on Radio 4, BBC4 and Channel 4, Simon was at the forefront of the Libel Reform Campaign that led to the Defamation Act 2013, which makes it harder to silence free speech.