Dear Parents
The Spring Concert last night was a fantastic event and showcased the amazing talents of our wonderful young people. Thank you to Mrs Hawkins, Mrs Simpson, all of our Peripatetic teachers and parents for their support and encouragement of our performers.
I am pleased to announce the arrival of our first lamb for this year. We look forward to the safe arrival of more in the coming weeks.
A reminder that the community page on our website signposts events and activities in the community that might be of interest to you.
It is Charity Week next week and I am looking forward to all of the incredible events that are planned to raise money for our two charities Dorothy House and Teenage Cancer Trust.
Lisa Percy
Headteacher
News Items
Focus on… Charity Week
Each year, Hardenhuish School Parliament organise a Charity Week to concentrate their efforts to raise as much money as possible for the nominated school charity. This year, we are fundraising for two wonderful charities: Dorothy House and Teenage Cancer Trust. We are hoping that Charity Week will raise lots of awareness and money for these essential charities.
Charity Week takes place the week commencing 18 March and promises to be a fun-filled week of activities for students to get involved in. They could bake an Easter-themed showstopper for a baking competition, play games from bingo to Guess Who, take part in dodgeball, netball, or badminton events, attend a film screening, or even splat a teacher! There will be lots of great food on offer, from Charity Week cookies to Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Additionally, there will be an accessorise day on Thursday and a non-uniform day on Friday.
To take part in any event, students can either bring £1 to the activity or their Charity Week card – a pre-paid card that can be purchased for £5 and allows students to take part in six different events throughout the week. Students can purchase a card from their year office on Monday. Also, if you have any spare change then please bring this in to support our buskers on Friday.
We hope students will really enjoy getting involved and that this will be a record-breaking Charity Week!
A Stylish Performance
Year 7 pupil Lucy Armstrong recently achieved 1st place with distinction in the Mid-Somerset Festival U13 jazz category, with the judges commenting on her stylish performance. Well done Lucy!
Hardenhuish Students Win Local Competition
Two Hardenhuish students achieved top places in Corsham’s StoryTown story writing competition. Summer Chan (9JXB) and Isla Burley (10LKB) won first and third place respectively in the 12-14 category. Well done to these students for showcasing their talent as budding writers. We’re so proud of you!
STEM Careers Talk: SEO & Digital Marketing
Lee Macklin from The Organic Agency
Last Wednesday, young people from all year groups signed up and had the pleasure of welcoming Lee Macklin, an SEO Consultant from The Organic Agency, for an illuminating talk on his career within STEM. Held here at Hardenhuish, Lee’s presentation provided valuable insights into the world of digital marketing and technology.
Lee explained that SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of improving a website’s visibility on search engines like Google. As an SEO consultant, Lee works to enhance the online presence of businesses by optimizing their websites for search engine algorithms. This involves strategies such as keyword research, content optimization, and link building, all aimed at increasing organic traffic and ranking higher in search results. He also highlighted key skills required in his line of work and how they are relevant to various tasks such as how he uses good communication skills to liaise with clients in a variety of ways.
During the talk, Lee also emphasized the importance of sustainability in the digital age, drawing attention to the environmental impact of internet usage. He compared our school website to that of The Organic Agency, revealing that our platform is more environmentally friendly than theirs, particularly when not in “green mode”. Additionally, Macklin shared the startling statistic that global internet usage generates carbon emissions equivalent to the aerospace industry, amounting to 4% of total emissions annually. The Organic Agency have a handy tool that you could use yourself to do some investigating into the sustainability of various websites, check it out here: https://carbontool.theorganicagency.com/
Throughout the session, Lee engaged with students from various year groups, answering their questions and sparking discussions about future career paths in STEM fields. His passion for technology and commitment to sustainability left a lasting impression on our students, inspiring them to consider the impact of their online activities and explore opportunities in STEM-related careers.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Lee for his informative and engaging presentation. His visit has enriched the educational experience of our students and encouraged them to pursue their interests in STEM. You can take a look at The Organic Agency’s website and find out more about them here: https://theorganicagency.com/about/
Maths Inspiration Show
This week a group of 45 Hardenhuish students, comprising of Year 12 mathematicians and Year 10 further mathematicians attended the Maths Inspiration show hosted at the newly refurbished Bristol Beacon.
The day unfolded with three insightful talks from the following mathematicians:
- Jennifer Visser Rogers – a medical statistician who shared her experiences of verifying the efficacy of COVID vaccinations, shedding light on the crucial role maths plays in the world of public health.
- Tom Crawford – a University of Oxford lecturer who delved into the world of mathematical modelling, illustrating how he has used maths to begin to address the huge environmental challenge of tidying up plastic waste in the oceans.
- Ben Sparks – an impassioned speaker who talked about the intrinsic beauty of maths, and how doing maths for its own sake can be very exciting.
The trip was very successful and many of our mathematicians (and maths teachers) had their calculators and other mathematical instruments signed by the speakers – testament for the enthusiasm these speakers had ignited in the young people for mathematics.
We hope the students came away feeling like they have had their mathematical horizons broadened, but also have been able to make connections that the mathematics they learn at school is really closely linked to important work going on in the real world.
Young Carers Snack’N’Game Celebration
As part of National Young Carers Week, Key Stage 3 Young Carers hosted a lunchtime event to raise awareness of the valuable work they do when caring for family members at home. Young Carers have additional responsibilities at home on top of the challenges faced by all teenagers. In a relaxed environment in C10 pupils enjoyed complimentary snacks and drinks whilst enjoying playing a range of games. Uno, Connect 4 and Twister were particular favourites. There was a Rubik Cube challenge run by Henry. The fastest winning time was an impressive 21 seconds! Drop-In sessions run every Tuesday in C9 with a range of fun activities including lavender bag making and ceramic heads. Pupils are welcome to come and chat, print H/K or just chill.
U15s Cricket Triumph
Hardenhuish had a successful day at the U15s Indoor Cricket Competition, coming away as winners and only losing 1 game all day. The girls batted with precision and control and bowled straight when it mattered! Each game showed the strength we had in depth and used their experience when it really mattered. Well done to all the girls who participated – we have now qualified for the Regional Finals in April. The results were as follows:
Group Games
HH beat RWBA by 7 Wickets
HH beat Malmesbury by 4 Wickets
HH lost to Corsham by 1 run
Quarter Final
HH beat Kingdown by
Semi Final
HH beat Goldophin by 49 runs
Final
HH beat Corsham by 1 wicket
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