This week I want to shine a spotlight on our school's commitment to fostering holistic development through our Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education curriculum.
The PSHE offer at DHSB is divided into six core themes, each of which offer a range of topics at age-appropriate levels for our students.
The themes are British Values, Relationships, Society and Me, My Future, Staying Healthy and Keeping Safe.
As we navigate the dynamic landscape of education, our commitment to providing a robust PSHE curriculum remains unwavering. Through these lessons, we are not only imparting knowledge but also shaping individuals who are resilient, compassionate, and ready to face the challenges of the future.
Year 7 students are currently deep diving into the essentials of first aid. From understanding the basics of CPR to learning how to respond to common emergencies, our students are acquiring valuable lifesaving skills. Hands-on simulations and interactive scenarios are bringing theoretical knowledge to life, empowering our young minds to act confidently and decisively in times of need.
There is an emphasis on real world application and students are not just learning from textbooks; they are actively engaging in projects that connect classroom knowledge to everyday life. Whether it's creating first aid kits, designing wellness plans, or participating in health challenges, students are putting their learning into action and fostering a sense of responsibility for their own wellbeing.
Mr Scott
Sixth Form Enrichment and Tutorial
Our Year 13 students have been busy revising and preparing for their mock exams this week so Sixth Form enrichment and tutorial was a Year 12 only affair. Students spent their time learning about police and their powers.
This session was about understanding the important job of the police and how they work to keep the community safe for everyone. Discussions were also held about your rights, what 'reasonable grounds' means and the best course of action to take if you are ever stopped by the police while driving or as a stop and search.
It was an informative and useful session for all.
Mrs Briars-Delve
Excellent Work
Miss Nally has shared a newspaper article written by Will Hicks 8P.
She said, “The task was to report the news in Venice, in particular what had happened concerning the characters of Jessica and Shylock in the play, The Merchant of Venice. This piece of work, completed in only 15 minutes, demonstrates excellent quality writing and presentation and is very entertaining. Well done Will”.
Student News
The DHSB chess team has made a good start this term with a comfortable 3 - 1 league win against the Torquay Boys reserve side.
This was followed up with a home tie against Stover in the national schools knock-out, safely negotiated 4.5 - 1.5
Ayden Small 9W, Jack Chen 11N, Muhammad Kausar 11W and Caleb Caleshu 11P recorded wins to earn the team another Devon based tie.
Mr Butland
Creative and Performing Arts Update
Les Misérables
Our talented cast, crew and orchestra are busy rehearsing for our school production of Les Misérables which will be performed in the DHSB Edgcumbe Theatre on 7, 8 and 9 February at 7.30pm.
Tickets are now available at this link and are selling fast so please don’t delay in securing your seats.
We're grateful to the PTFA who will be providing the refreshments for Les Mis.
They have asked for help so please get in touch at ptfa@dhsb.org even if you can only offer to help for part of one of the evenings.
Thank you in advance
Sleaze
Mrs Luing-Holmes asked Tom Jane 11E to introduce the four piece band, named Sleaze.
Tom said, “Sleaze are a four piece punk/alternative rock band consisting of Dylan Cook Bass, Dan Cocker Drums, Tom Jane Guitar, and Isaac Deblasio Vocals, Guitar. Dylan, Dan, and Tom are DHSB students, all in 11E, and we have been playing together casually since Year 8. When Mrs Luing-Holmes joined the school, she encouraged us to push ourselves further and gave us many opportunities to perform. We met Isaac in February of 2023 at Livewire Youth Music Club in Saltash and clicked immediately as his songwriting ability was exactly what we needed to push us to the next stage”.
Tom added, “Since then we have been writing some of our own songs and playing covers of songs we love. We have played many gigs around the Plymouth area in the past 12 months including Boardmasters and gigs on Mutley Plain. Last week we released our debut EP, Quit Tomorrow, after many months of planning, recording, and designing. It is out on all platforms to stream and buy”.
If you’d like to find out more please use these links.
STEAM Blog
This week's STEAM News focuses on the creative arts and is written by Dylan Gould 7W who tells us about his involvement in Verse and Prose competitions and the upcoming school production, Les Mis.
Thank you to Ms Davarian for sharing this.
Dylan said, "I go to a Plymouth Performing Arts Academy on Saturdays and earlier this year I entered a Speech and Drama festival and I did Verse and Prose, which is reciting a poem and a section of a book. In this festival I came first in Verse. Last year I also came first in Verse and got the trophy for highest scoring verse. The most recent poem I did was ‘Somebody Said that it Couldn't be Done’ by Edgar A Guest. Next week I am entering another festival and I am doing a Humorous verse".
He added, "At the moment I am also in Le Mis (which is a show on the French Revolution) and I need to use revision to learn the script and I am rehearsing at school sometimes until 6.00pm. A few weeks ago we had a West End director on set and he staged One Day More - the final song in the first half - which was absolutely fantastic! To conclude, Drama can teach you so much about yourself, and it's lots and lots of fun".
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 six students deserve a special mention.
Well done!
Sports Update
Football
Congratulations to the Year 11 football team who beat Worle School 2 - 0 in the national cup and are now in the last 16 where they will be home to Highworth Warneford from Swindon.
The team also progresses to the Devon Cup quarter-final stage after a 4 - 1 win against St Luke’s School yesterday.
Well done to all the squad.
Well done to the U14 football team who participated in the central venue league last Friday.
Mr Carpenter said, “It was great to get some games under the lights”.
The Year 8 football team made it to the quarter-finals of the Devon Cup against a very strong Stoke Damerel side. The game finished 3 - 2 with the goals coming from Freddie Edwards and Dominic Adams.
Mr Strang said, “ Well done to the whole squad”.
The Year 8 central venue seven-a-side season kicked off at Plymstock School on Wednesday evening and it was fantastic to see ten new players making their debut for the school team.
The squad showed excellent resilience against strong opposition drawing one game and losing two.
The Year 7 Devon Cup match against Plymstock was an exciting game.
Mr Callicott said, "We came from 2 - 0 down to draw 2 - 2 but then we were disappointed to lose on penalties. Well done to the whole team".
Basketball
Well done to the Sixth Form basketball team who overcame a spirited Notre Dame team in the final quarter of the match to win 58 - 37.
Athletics
Congratulations to all students competiting at the Plymouth and West Devon Schools Indoor Athletics Championships today (Year 7 and Year 8).
We hope you have enjoyed a great day of competition.