Newsletter Issue Date: ASHLAWN Friday 7 February 2020 Principal: Mrs S Evans SCHOOL Tel: 01788 573425 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ashlawn.org.uk Message from the Principal As part of the Year 12 work experience week I have enjoyed mentoring Siyanne Panchal who is interested in school leadership as a future career. As part of her programme, Siyanne has taken on some of the tasks that I would carry out on a weekly basis and I have invited her to write the Principal’s piece in the newsletter today. Siobhan Evans My Experience Shadowing Mrs Evans by Siyanne Panchal Over the past week, I have had the honour of completing my work experience placement shadowing Mrs Evans and learning about the role and responsibilities she holds. I’ve expressed previously that I am unsure about the path I will choose for my future, but one of my main choices at the moment is becoming a secondary school English teacher and working my way up to be involved in senior leadership. I have spent the last five days experiencing many different aspects of being a Principal and the various features of the job of which I was previously unaware. I have been involved in different scenarios this week that have all taught me distinctive skills and have given me a more informed perspective on how these should be appropriately resolved. One example of this was when I led staff briefing. I don’t consider myself necessarily shy but on this occasion I was definitely nervous and apprehensive as I was going to address the majority of the teaching staff. Before the briefing, Mrs Evans and I sat down to look over what needed to be announced and both our roles in doing this. Once we had established my role, I was much more comfortable in completing this and was a little less nervous. When it came to the briefing, I made my announcements and included some extra information for the staff in regards to a project I have been working on and I am now happy to report that it went well. This task was a little bit out of my comfort zone but I feel really pleased at the fact that I remained somewhat calm and completed the briefing, as communicating with staff in this manner is a regular occurrence for a Principal and a fantastic skill to possess. Continued on page 2 ... Artwork of the Hot Chocolate Friday Week Each week Heads of Year nominate one student from their year group to be rewarded for a variety of different reasons by having hot chocolate and cookies with Mrs Evans on Friday. By This week’s invitees were: Shardeya – Year 7, Arthur – Eva Year 8, Faith – Year 9, Coco – Year 10, Adam – Year Year 8 11, Siyanne – Year 12 and Shawn – Year 13. Congratulations to them all. Newsletter Issue Date: ASHLAWN Friday 7 February 2020 Principal: Mrs S Evans SCHOOL Tel: 01788 573425 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ashlawn.org.uk Continued from page 1 ... In addition to this, I have also had the opportunity to be involved in sixth form interviews which is particularly exciting for me as it brings back memories of my own experience. It was certainly exciting to compare the different types of communication patterns a Principal requires when in conversation with different individuals as this was something I wanted to better understand. I was also given a project to ensure that the Withdrawal Room had sufficient work for students who are in there. This was an exciting job as I got to see another side of being a Principal, looking at in-classroom improvements to encourage learning. As a student, you don’t always get to see the thinking process and working process of a project but the ability to manage and create a better environment for students really helped me to take on responsibility and understand how to appropriately manage both time and resources. I think this was one of my favourite parts as I was given independence and authority to make decisions I thought would work well, which is something a Principal does on a daily basis. However, the most pivotal aspect of being a Principal that I didn't realise, was the volume of HR related matters that arise. There is a large proportion of time which is used to look closely at staffing needs and wellbeing, recruitment and selection as well as the necessity to oversee any time off requests, medical requests and other applications. This surprised me the most as I was unaware of the high demand for the Principal’s involvement regarding HR and staffing. Overall, I have learnt so much being here. I have been involved in most aspects of Mrs Evans’ daily life which has really enlightened me to the difference of expectation to reality I had in my head. I have enjoyed every single moment of my time and appreciate all the support I have received from staff who have both encouraged me and allowed me to partake in meetings and appointments in Mrs Evans’ busy schedule. I would like to also give a special thanks to Mrs Evans who has allowed me to be involved in the majority of work she does and for allowing me to have this truly fantastic opportunity. I am extremely grateful to have been given this chance and I am more than happy with how my time has been spent. Newsletter Issue Date: ASHLAWN Friday 7 February 2020 Principal: Mrs S Evans SCHOOL Tel: 01788 573425 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ashlawn.org.uk Work Experience – Year 12 Year 12 students have been out on Work Experience this week. They have been on placements at a wide range of organisations from Vets practices, Architecture, Engineering and Project Management, retail, education plus many more. We have received many glowing comments and feedback from the providers, such as … “What a star would definitely have him back on placement” “Lovely, helpful, pleasant young man” “The technicians have valued his help and found him polite and willing to learn” We have also received pictures from Aston Martin where two of our students went to work within the design team. The comments we received from the department were that both students were extremely polite and communicated well and it has been a pleasure working with them. Peer Supporters You may remember me telling you about our year 12 Peer Supporter Training earlier in the year. I am happy to say that we now have 16 young people being supported by the programme through issues such as anxiety, stress, social support and general wellbeing. I will be extending the offer to year 12 to train a further cohort of supporters after half term. Wellbeing Wednesday This week’s session was a reminder to all our young people about what they could do if they are worried about a friend's mental health. I am happy to say that since the beginning of the year I have seen a noticeable shift in the willingness of students to approach staff to talk about their mental health or to ask for help for a friend. I am hoping that this openness to discuss emotional wellbeing is as a result of a reduction in the stigma that once surrounded mental health. Mr Unwin Newsletter Issue Date: ASHLAWN Friday 7 February 2020 Principal: Mrs S Evans SCHOOL Tel: 01788 573425 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ashlawn.org.uk Year 13 Chemistry News On Tuesday 28 January our Year 13 Chemistry students enjoyed a visit from the University of Birmingham, in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry. The outreach program ‘Spectroscopy in a Suitcase’ was run by Mark Read, a senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham. Students were given a University style lecture on mass spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. They were then able to use the specialised spectroscopic equipment to identify unknown chemicals and compounds. The session gave them an exciting and thought-provoking afternoon which allowed them to review topics in preparation for their exams. ‘It gave me a practical insight into how it works which developed my understanding. I enjoyed the hands on approach and how it challenged me’ – Louis ‘Mark was enthusiastic and clear in his explanations. The activity was helpful, however much more time was given to complete it than needed’ – Emma ‘Great experience, a really good way to understand and visualise infrared spectroscopy to further my understanding of this process’ – Anthony ‘Mark was very informative and engaging. Studying some of the compounds was very useful and quite interesting’ – Serena Newsletter Issue Date: ASHLAWN Friday 7 February 2020 Principal: Mrs S Evans SCHOOL Tel: 01788 573425 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ashlawn.org.uk This coming week in History: 10 – 16 February 11 February 1990 – on this day, Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end South African apartheid, was released from prison after 27 years. Mandela went on to become South Africa’s first black president. Mandela retired from politics in 1999, but remained a global advocate for peace and social justice until his death in December 2013. 12 February 1809 – Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the 16th U.S. President was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He led the nation through the tumultuous Civil War, freed the slaves, composed the Gettysburg Address, and established Thanksgiving. 14 February 1929 – St Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago when seven gangsters were killed, allegedly on Al Capone's orders. This incident led to the creation of a group of agents known as ‘The Untouchables’ who vowed to bring Capone to justice.