Week 11 – 24 November 2023
Key Dates
- Flu Immunisations (all year groups) – Monday 4th & Monday 11th December
- SEND Coffee Afternoon – Thursday 7th December
What a fantastic week at YHS!
We’ve had visitors to school in RS, Y10 parents’ evening, mock exams, sport and public speaking competitions.
Here are some of this week’s highlights:
Year 11 Practice Exams
Year 11 pupils have demonstrated high levels of aspiration this week with their mock exams.
Mrs Lawson has been especially impressed with the conduct of pupils including being organised and punctual and trying their best for the duration of each exam.
The results from the mocks will be shared with pupils and parents during Year 11 parents’ evening which will be on Wednesday 20th December.
U13 Rugby
After spending the first half term learning about the game, our U13 girl’s rugby team headed over to the knights training ground for their first fixture.
Initially 7 schools should have been in attendance but due to a lack of participation, there were just two.
We felt proud to arrive with a full squad of enthusiastic girls!
The girls were very nervous but so courageous!
After a few runs backwards in an attempt to escape the tackle, we managed to make some progress moving forwards and scored three tries.
The final result was 4:3 against manor and player of the match goes to Mercy. We look forward to a rematch in a couple of weeks time.
X Country
Well done to our x-country team.
By far the toughest event on the competition calendar.
No one qualified for the York team but they all finished the race and gave it their all!
Netball Club
We had 16 Y8 girls attend netball club on Tuesday night.
They all worked extremely hard and a couple even played their first fixture.
I am over the moon with how many are coming to the club and are enjoying the extra-curricular we have on offer at YHS. (and what a stunning sunset we had to play in!)
Most of our A team played a match against Millthorpe this evening ending in a score of 15-2 to them.
Unfortunately, due to footwork 2 of amazing shots taken by Nyla and Imogen did not count. I am still so proud of how well the girls are playing and their commitment to the sport. All of these games are perfect practice for the tournament in March.
Miss Jeans
Public Speaking Competition
On Wednesday night, Lucy Pamplin and Isobel Shaw came third in a Public Speaking Competition against all secondary schools in York at Merchant Adventurers’ Hall!!
They spoke passionately about the Jorvik Centre and the Railway Museum.
I am extremely proud of their performance; they really embodied our school values.
Miss Bettney
SEND Coffee Afternoon
Mrs Stevens (SENCo) warmly invites all parents of children who have additional needs to an informal coffee afternoon in school on 7th December from 1.30-3pm.
This is a relaxed opportunity to talk to Mrs Stevens and connect with other parents.
To make sure we have a plentiful supply of cake, please email Liz Thompson to confirm that you will drop in – l.thompson@yorkhigh.southbank.academy
YOYO
This week in Religious Studies Year 7 classes have had the opportunity to work with YOYO, a Christian charity that provides educational workshops for schools across York.
Year 7 pupils have been exploring the different ways in which Jesus can be viewed as being a ‘Radical’ person at the time that he lived, and how Christians believe that he was the son of God.
Year 7 pupils have welcomed our visitors with respect and have worked fantastically by getting involved in the discussions and activities that have been planned for them.
We look forward to welcoming YOYO back next week to work with the final two groups of Year 7 pupils.
Mr Bower
Theatre Royal Dance Performance
We are very proud that our YHS Dance Group performed at the Theatre Royal on Thursday evening.
Mr Pope, School Sport Manager said, “I am tremendously proud of the girls for performing at this event and I am even more proud that they have been asked to take on a leadership role, helping with the running of the event by supporting the primary school pupils taking part and helping with the rehearsals and set up.
The performance of the group demonstrated impressive skill and coordination, and was testament to the hours of hard work they have put in each Monday evening.
Well done to Erin, Shelby, Emma, Layla May, Caitlin, Lilly, Aaliyah and Kiera!”
Book Fair
This week the library has been hosting the Scholastic Book Fair, and it has been fantastic!
The enthusiasm of the students, and the orders for stocking fillers has been great to see.
If you are looking for a last minute stocking filler for friends and family, there is still time to place a last minute order – just pop over to the virtual bookcase at: https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/bookcases
You can order from any of the cases, so check out those picture books for the little ones, and the FNAF books for your teens.
Once you have made your selections, just email them to library@yorkhigh.southbank.academy then pop over to the secure payment area https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/pay/1289508 to pay.
Orders must be emailed over by Sunday 26th November, and will be distributed to students next week.
If you would like the order to be a surprise, I can arrange a collection instead, just ask.
Enrichment at YHS
At YHS, we are proud of the huge range of enrichment opportunities available to our young people. We believe in rewarding those who attend our enrichment.
We have finished analysing data from last half term and are delighted to share our top 10 attendees at clubs in Autumn 1, as well as the top attender in each year group.
Over the next week, all students who have attended clubs will be given stamps in form for their participation!
Year 8 Stars Shine Again!
This week in Science the Year 8 pupils bravely dissected eyeballs!
They demonstrated their resilience by overcoming natural squeamishness to better understand the parts and functions of the eyeball. Well done to all involved!
Miss Burns was glad she didn’t witness this herself this week!
Festive Showcase
Don’t miss out on your chance to see the Festive Showcase on Thursday 14th December.
The show will feature an exclusive preview of the next school musical “We Will Rock You” and a truly unique festive performance by select members of staff.
Tickets are available now via ParentPay or from the Finance Office.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Victoria Burns
Acting Headteacher
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