The 2025 DHSB Spelling Bee held on Monday was a resounding success, with students from Years 7-10 showcasing their impressive spelling skills.
Each year group held its own final, with two students from each house representing. The atmosphere was electric, with enthusiastic support from the audience.
Individual Winners
Year 7: Leo Samuel 7L and Stanley Ramsden 7W
Year 8: Isaac Manata 8S
Year 9: Finbar Steven 9F
Year 10: Neel Shivane 10S
The competition was fierce, with students tackling some very tricky words. The audience even learned the spelling and the meaning of triskaidekaphobia - the fear of the number 13!
In the end, Windsor House emerged victorious, taking home the Spelling Bee trophy.
Congratulations to all the participants, and we look forward to another exciting competition next year!
Miss Cunningham
Student News
Congratulations to Will Higgs 7A who has taken part in three swimming championships this month.
This week he won eight medals from two days of racing and finished joint Kernow Champion for his age group.
In the previous two championships he won gold in 50m and 100m butterfly and 100 individual medley, silver in 200 individual medley, 200 breaststroke and 200 backstroke and bronze in 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle.
He finished with 24 medals over all of the competitions.
Well done Will!
Excellent Work
Mrs Charlton has shared these examples of Excellent Work from her Year 8 class.
She said, “The class has been studying Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' in English and worked really hard on exploring the themes of the play, particularly discrimination and prejudice. For a consolidating creative task, they worked in groups to either produce a television news report or recreate the courtroom scene to perform to the whole class. They were all excellent and delivered amazing performances in role, whilst incorporating Shakespearean language and lines from the play. Very entertaining and enjoyable”.
Well done Year 8.
Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader
Each week we celebrate our highest performers in both Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader, two of our core homework platforms. We are proud of all of our students who complete their homework each week to such a high standard but these students deserve a special mention.
Congratulations!
Science Educake
We have had a seven day challenge to complete as many self-set Science questions as possible on Educake. The students engaged brilliantly and completed more than 7,000 questions!
It is so important to regularly recap prior knowledge, and Educake's self quiz function is a great way to do this. Open to students in Year 7 - 11, each year group had a winner and a runner up which can be viewed below.
Congratulations to all who took part with a special mention to our overall winner Logan Early 9T for answering the most questions in the whole school - well done Logan!
Mrs Pearson
Fitness Suite Transformation: An Exciting Update!
As you may recall, last summer we launched a crowdfunding campaign to revitalise our school gym facilities. Following a thorough planning phase, we are thrilled to announce that the deposit for the new equipment has been paid, and internal renovations are now underway. We anticipate a grand opening of the refurbished facility early in the Summer term.
The transformation will be remarkable. The current ‘bicycle back room’ will become a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning room. This space will be fully equipped with new dumbbells, a rack, fixed barbells, a Smith Machine, Olympic bars and weights, and a dual cable Inspire FT1 Functional Trainer workstation. New commercial-grade flooring and internal decoration will complete the room's impressive overhaul.
In the main gym area, the existing cardio equipment will be serviced and enhanced by the addition of a Concept2 SkiErg. Originally designed for cross-country skiers, the Concept2 SkiErg has become a popular fitness tool, engaging the legs, core, and arms in a smooth, continuous motion. The current strength machines will be replaced with five brand-new, commercial-grade, dual-use machines, enabling a comprehensive full-body workout. This space will also benefit from new flooring and decoration.
We are incredibly excited about these improvements and the enhanced fitness opportunities they will provide for our staff and students. Stay tuned for further updates as we progress towards the grand opening!
Pictured here are examples of the new equipment.
Mr. Winstone
DofE Update
Last week, 150 students across two sessions received valuable expedition training from Dynamic Adventures’ instructors in preparation for their expeditions later in the year. These sessions focused on tents, stoves, first aid, packing techniques, and appropriate kit selection.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award also requires participants to dedicate at least three months to each of the Volunteering, Physical, and Skills sections. Our students have been taking part in a wide range of volunteering experiences. Here are a few highlights:
Dartmoor Rangers (Bronze, three months): Alec Leonard-Williams learnt about access rights and environmental impact, contributing to footpath maintenance, vegetation removal, and habitat restoration. This experience provided practical skills, ecological knowledge, and valuable connections with like-minded individuals.
Plymstock Albion Oaks (Bronze, three months): Joseph Wotton shared his passion for sports by volunteering with the U12s rugby team. He attended every training session, helped develop the boys' rugby skills, particularly in set plays and rucking. His positive influence was greatly appreciated by the team, and Joseph wants to continue volunteering with them.
Derriford Hospital (Gold, 12 months): Jayden Chiam volunteered at the hospital in various roles, from gathering patient feedback and assisting with medication delivery to providing a friendly welcome and helping with patient transport. Comprehensive training in safety, safeguarding, and manual handling enhanced his confidence, communication skills, and understanding of the healthcare setting. Jayden’s dedication undoubtedly benefited the NHS.
Mrs Wills
Kooth Half Term Webinars
Mrs Weaver, our SENDCo, has asked me to share information about some free webinars which Kooth are providing during the half term break.
Peta, engagement lead for Devon at Kooth will be delivering free webinars during February half term in collaboration with Libraries Unlimited who manage the libraries we
have in Devon. Peta usually tours libraries during the holidays running in-person talks. This February half term all talks will be held online in order to offer families who may otherwise be
unable to attend, a chance to learn more on a particular topic and hear about the services Kooth and Qwell provide.
The webinars are free and you do not need to have your camera or microphone on during the webinar.
If you can’t make the webinar day and time, you can request a recording.
Staff News
Staff and students held a cake sale today to support our former colleague, Mr Huq, who is taking part in the St Luke's Hospice Men's Day Out again this year.
A big thank you to everyone who has baked, bought and ate cake today.
If you would like to support this very good cause then please make a donation via Mr Huq's Men's Day Out Justgiving Page at this link.
Stop Press: We have just heard that just over £700 was raised in school today - a tremendous effort - thank you to everyone who has contibuted to this total.
Sports Update
Football
Well done to the Year 7 A team who braved the cold again on Wednesday at the Central Venue League and came away with two wins from two against Plymstock B and Plympton Academy.
Mr Callicott says the Year 8 team was unlucky this week with a 4 - 3 defeat to Lipson in the Devon Cup. Credit to the team for battling for 70 minutes.
Year 10 won both their games this week. On Tuesday the team comfortably beat All Saints 4 - 0 at home in the Plymouth Cup and then yesterday beat Churston away in the Devon Cup on penalties having drawn 1 - 1 in normal time and extra time.
A good result for the 1st XI who won their match against Plymouth University this week with a 2 - 0 scoreline.
