Keep up-to-date with what's been going on at Highgate Hill House School! Headteacher updateHello everyone, Nearly one term down, and it feels like I've been here much longer! The pupils and staff have been so welcoming, helping me to find my way around the systems and processes of the school, and getting to know our HHHS families. The passion and perseverance of the staff has astounded me during my time so far. The lengths they go to, the creative solutions they come up with and the ideas they generate as a team to ensure that our children continue to access their education during these challenging times is a real credit to them. Understandably, now that we find ourselves in a second lockdown, many of you will be feeling anxious about sending your child to school. We are continuing to take social distancing and infection control very seriously here at school within our bubbles, and ask that parents continue to wash clothes worn at school on a daily basis and encourage regular hand washing to minimise the risk. There continues to be multiple positive cases in our local communities, and so it is of utmost importance that we all continue to do what we can to keep everyone as safe as possible. That means if your child, or anyone in your household, has any of the symptoms of Coronavirus, no matter how mild, you must keep your child off school and self-isolate your whole household while the person with symptoms gets tested and waits for the results. Symptoms to look for are a high temperature, or a new, continuous cough, or loss or change to sense of taste or smell. Please click the button below for more information on what to do if anyone in your household is displaying symptoms. Take care and keep safe. Warm wishes, Gina Wagland Headteacher Surf clubSome of the children have been lucky enough to take part in Surf Club at Widemouth Bay this year. The initial sessions were held by Outdoor Adventure, and then subsequent sessions by our very own Outdoor Learning Instructor, Ollie Norton. The mental health benefits of surfing have long been documented, and Ollie was very keen to share his passion for surfing with the children. The sessions started with general beach safety, learning how to get into your wetsuit (not as easy as it sounds!) and how to carry your surfboard. Then the children moved on to paddling, before starting to catch waves in the prone position, before finally catching a wave standing up. We are very much looking forward to being able to resume these sessions once lockdown is over. Chair updateHello everyone, Hope you are all keeping well. You will be pleased to know that the governing body are following the government guidelines and continuing to meet successfully on-line via Microsoft Teams this month and we are keeping up our regular dialogue, as always. I know that you are also all keeping in touch with each other via on-line platforms and telephone calls, as necessary. This November, I enjoyed seeing the pictures of the Guy Fawkes that the children made and the baking that the children had done to mark Remembrance Day. It is so important to keep up the calendar of events that we all enjoy during these more challenging months. Thank you all for the support that you continue to offer to our community and I wish you all the best. Kind regards, Dr Julie Smith Chair of the Board ISA Awards finalistYes...another one! We're incredibly proud of this one, as this nomination is for ‘Outstanding Provision for Learning Support’, and the work we do to help transition our learners who have been out of school for some time, into our setting. We are awaiting details of the ceremony at present, but as soon as we hear anything, you'll be the first to know. Welcome to the HHHS teamWe'd like to welcome two new Learning Support Assistants to the HHHS team! Tracey and Sam have both been working with us for some time through Teaching Personnel, and we are very pleased to say that both have agreed to become permanent members of staff with us. They have both built very strong relationships with their key children and bring with them a wide range of skills and experience. Spotlight on GinaWe thought it might be nice to include a little Q&A feature on Gina, as you have not had the same opportunities to come into school and meet with Gina as you would normally have had, due to the current Covid-19 restrictions. We asked Gina: 1) Which of your previous posts have you enjoyed the most and why? The previous job that I enjoyed the most was teaching Scuba-diving off the Great Barrier Reef. Seeing people experience the underwater world, often for the first time, was just magical. 2) What do you like to do in your spare time? At home I enjoy gardening in my spare time, but having recently relocated from Sussex, I am really making the most of the fabulous countryside we are so fortunate to have here, and have discovered some stunning walks with my two cocker spaniels. 3) What would we be surprised to learn about you? That I am a qualified Counsellor. Having completed my PGDip at the University of Brighton, I spent some time working in a hospice. 4) Most importantly.....jam or cream first?! I'm probably going to get shot down for this, but I'm going to say jam first! We are recruiting!Due to continued growth in pupil numbers, we have various vacancies currently advertised on our website. Please take a look - we'd be very grateful if you could share the details with anyone you think may be interested. Please click the button below to find out more. |