It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at DHSB!
This week I met Max Magner 7A who is the winner of our Christmas card competition this year.
I’m sure you will agree his design is stunning and worthy of being made into our 2024 Christmas card.
Christmas Music
Very well done to students who have been out and about in Plymouth sharing their festive music with audiences around the city, and a big thank you to Mrs Luing-Holmes for facilitating these events.
Carol Service
There is still time to hear our Christmas music and you are warmly invited to our Carol Service, with nine lessons and carols led by Year 7 students, on Monday 16 December at St Andrew’s Church, Royal Parade at 7.00pm with the doors opening at 6.30pm.
Admission is free with no tickets required, and we are supporting Shekinah by asking for donations via this link or the QR code on the poster (we are unable to accept donations of cash either in school or at the Carol Service).
Funds raised will help Shekinah to support homeless people and provide shelter and care to families in poverty.
Christmas Concert - From Darkness to Light
In addition, on Thursday 19 December we are staging our Christmas Concert at Stoke Damerel Church. Please buy your tickets for this event in advance by scanning the QR code on the poster below.
There will be mince pies and mulled wine from 6.00pm - 7.00pm with a relaxed performance for anyone with sensory needs, followed by lights down and the full performance from 7.00 pm - 8.00pm.
Food Collection
Also this week, a reminder that we are arranging a food collection to support two local charities. Students in all houses will have the opportunity to donate to the Plymouth Foodbank (Oasis Project) and Plymouth Provide Devon.
Over 90% of the food distributed by Plymouth Foodbank is donated by the public and the Oasis Project ensures that everyone referred to them is given a balanced and nutritious three-day supply of food.
Provide Devon is a Christian charity providing food and other essential items to people in poverty within Plymouth and the surrounding area.
The window for all school food donations is Monday 9 December to Friday 13 December and we will divide all items received between the two very worthwhile charities.
Student News
Congratulations to CJ Langworthy in 7A for achieving his black belt in mixed martial arts. CJ has shown great dedication and mental strength over his six year journey to reach this achievement which includes the following elements:-
Training for six years: CJ learned self-defence, discipline, and achieved various belts through 16 gradings.
Committed to growth and leadership skills: CJ started early in the junior programme (7 - 9) and is currently on the leadership team, assisting with the training and grading of younger students increasing his weekly commitment to four sessions.
Sparring practice: CJ regularly participates in sparring which is similar to boxing but with a focus on training rather than competition.
Perseverance and mentality: CJ is continuing to train in a bid to attain the black belt stars (seven in total).
Well done!
Congratulations to Seth Greentree 7F who recently competed in the Swim England Talent Games, a national competition where divers compete across a range of land and pool-based activities.
Seth's hard work earned him a gold medal for his diving skills.
The competition was the selection event for the Swim England talent pathway. As a result of his strong performance Seth has been selected to join the England Youth Development Squad.
Well done!
Also, very well done to Gabriel Siney 8T who has achieved a distinction in his Grade 3 exam for drums (rock and pop).
Congratulations Gabriel!
Don't forget you can let us know what you have been doing by completing this form. I've enjoyed reading all your news and look forward to sharing more in future Head's Blogs.
Please complete this Google Form if you have something for me to include.
Excellent Work
Thank you to Mrs Waterfield who has shared that Max Phillips 11L has had his stories published in a collection.
She said, “This is an amazing accolade and speaks of his tremendous writing skills and passion for English”.
Mrs Waterfield has compiled more information, a story and a picture of the collection which you can read at the link below.
Max said, "It started when me (and my Dad) came up with the idea to write a short story every day for a certain amount of days -- in an attempt to set a world record. The rules were that each story had to be over 500 words (as there is an anthology out there with 365 daily stories, but each had a word count of 365), and I could not miss a single day. I ended up landing on 50 stories to avoid it coinciding with my mocks, and I finished on 04/11/2024".
Sixth Form Open Evening
Ms Davidson wants to say a heartfelt thank you to all students who supported the Sixth Form open evening yesterday.
The evening was very busy with our Year 11 students and external visitors interested in finding out more about post-16 studies, and our Sixth Form students excelled in all areas.
We are especially grateful to those who delivered speeches so beautifully and expertly, those who acted as subject leads in the hall, our door people (greeting and guiding so courteously), car parking guides for doing a very difficult job, those running the refreshment stand with smiles and everyone else who may have set up or helped behind the scenes.
Ms Davidson said, “We appreciate the time you afforded to the school. You probably don't know how wonderful you are but fortunately: we do!”.
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!
PTFA AGM on Wednesday 11 December at 6.30pm
Please join us at this online meeting if you can as we need to have a quorum to proceed; would be much appreciated.
The meeting will be no more than 30 minutes (and we will finish more quickly if we can).
Please add the date and time to your calendars. A big thank you in advance!
Mrs Kinsella
PTFA Liaison
Sports Update
Netball
On Monday the Sixth Form netball team secured their first win of the season.
Mr Orkney says the Cheetahs beat Tavistock College by 22 - 2.
Well done!
Football
Mr Bunney say the Year 7 football team were beaten 4 - 1 week in the national cup against a very strong Torquay Academy team.
Concentration now switches to the Devon and Plymouth Cup competitions.
Well done to the Year 8 football team who came back from 2 - 0 down to win 5 - 4 against ISCA Academy in the Devon Cup on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Strang says the Year 9 football team kicked off their Devon Cup campaign in style.
Tuesday afternoon saw a thrilling start to the Devon Cup as the Year 9 football team stormed to a commanding victory over a determined Clyst Vale School. The team delivered a dominant performance, showing skill, spirit and a touch of magic.
The moment of the match, and perhaps the season so far, came from an unlikely hero. Team goalkeeper Sebastian Miskiewicz 9W stepped up to the penalty spot and smashed home a thunderous strike, scoring his first-ever goal for the school! His ice-cool strike sealed the victory in spectacular fashion, ensuring the game was well beyond Clyst Vale’s reach.
Not to be outdone, Freddie Edwards 9T was simply unstoppable. The forward put on a masterclass, finding the back of the net four times in a dazzling display of skill and finishing.
The Year 9 team now looks ahead to round two in the new year, where a likely away clash with Tavistock College awaits.
Mr Manley says it was a brilliant win for our 1st XI who beat Plymouth Medical School 2 - 1 in the Wednesday league this week.
Basketball
Mr Orkney reports that the U13 Basketball team won the Plymouth central venue competition on Wednesday afternoon by winning all their matches and beating an excellent Stoke Damerel on the buzzer.
Relentless defence, lightning-fast breaks, and smooth finishes sealed the deal for the team says Mr Carpenter.
