Dear students and families,
It has been wonderful to welcome our students back into school and we are so grateful to them for handling the return and lateral flow tests with maturity and good spirit.
The wearing of masks, maintenance of social distancing and use of sanitiser/washing hands has been incredible and once again, we thank you all for just getting on with this and making the best of the situation.
This is a short term and our plan is to settle back in quickly and make the most of the time we have.
Awesome offers!
Since our last newsletter the university offers have continued to roll in for our students.
A number of students have already had all their offers back and accepted a first choice and reserve offer. These include Yasmin who has accepted a conditional offer to read Criminal and Corporate Investigation at Northampton, Paige who has accepted a conditional offer to read Law at the university of York and Tom who has accepted a conditional offer to read Photography at St John’s University in York.
There have also been unconditional offers for a number of students including, Quynh to read accounting and finance at South Bank University, N’dea to read Biology at the university of Gloucester and Dom to read Photography at the university of Derby.
EPQ excellence in lockdown!
Ms Stanyon and Mrs Holmes had the absolute pleasure to be part of Huxlow’s EPQ virtual presentations. The standard was incredible! Presentations are a challenging activity to do well, but they pulled it off. The diversity of subject areas range from Tattoos in the workplace, the attitudes towards wearing Hijabs, Shakespeare, poison, personality and transgenderism in sport. Well done Y13 for showing amazing independence, stamina, motivation and resilience during such challenging times.
Students at Rushden and Ferrers have their presentations coming up over the next few weeks and we can't wait to see them!
Well done Henry!
During lockdown charity work doesnt stop and for one student, Henry Steele Year 13 at Rushden, his volunteering with local charity Phoenix Resources, has carried on with the supplying of food to foodbanks and humanitarian aid being sent out to third world countries.
Henry is currently out in Djibouti at the invite of the Government to do Humanitarian aid work for a couple of weeks. Over the last few months 17 containers of aid, which includes medical supplies and educational equipment, have been sent out to the country. The medical equipment has been delivered to rural communities where the blind can be independent as they have 'sticks', the disabled can get around as they have wheelchairs but more importantly, they no longer need to sleep on the floor as Phoenix have supplied mattresses.
On Monday, Henry met up with Sir Mo Farah to talk about his volunteering and the aid programme that the charity, Phoenix Resources, is doing.
The work is going to be full on as along with Andy the Trustee of the charity, they have a couple of projects they are delivering. They are currently working at a local orphanage where over 100 children live, Phoenix have supplied chairs, cots and beds and the babies are now no longer kept on the floor. They are due to unload another container this week which will kit out classrooms for the children and they will also be building SEN sensory pods.
Next week, Henry will be working alongside FIFA, at the newly built football academy, to kit out classrooms and lecture theatres which will also be launched as a new community school.
Once he returns to the UK later this month, he will be celebrating his 18th Birthday in isolation!
National Careers Week 2021
Following the huge success of the virtual Careers Week, nationalcareersweek.com will be keeping the resources available for students and parents to access for the next month.
Head to www.nationalcareersweek.com or search @CareersWeek on Social Media.
Well-being & Mindfulness
World Sleep Day - 19th March 2021
Sleep is vital to learning. It restores your brain's inbox, enabling you to process information and create new memories.
Why is sleep important?
Sleep balances your mood and can make you happier: emotions are tempered and stripped away during sleep.
Lack of sleep can contribute to depression and other mental illnesses.
Sleep is essential for studying and learning: you need deep, slow-wave sleep to place what you've learned within your wider knowledge
Lack of sleep makes it difficult to concentrate and harder to remember what you've learned.
Sleep promotes creativity: rapid eye movement sleep helps us process information creatively.
Lack of sleep can reduce your ability to make connections between thoughts and ideas.
Sleep boosts your immune system: we produce more antibodies with a good night’s sleep. Sleep well to combat Fresher’s Flu!
Lack of sleep can increase blood pressure and stress hormones and depresses the immune system.
Sleeping tips
Make sure your bed and bedroom are comfortable - not too hot, not too cold, not too noisy.
Get some exercise. Do not overdo it, but try some regular swimming or walking. The best time to exercise is in the daytime and no later than early evening.
Take some time to relax properly before going to bed. Create a ritual: have a hot bath, make a herbal tea, read a non-work book.
If something is troubling you and there is nothing you can do about it right away, try writing it down. Tell yourself to deal with it tomorrow and shut it away.
Sleep only when sleepy. If you cannot sleep, get up and do something you find relaxing. Avoid lying in bed worrying about not sleeping.
Switch off to switch off: blue light from screens disrupts sleep rhythms. Avoid using computers, phones, or tablets late at night.
Only use your bed for sleeping. Try not to use your bed to work, use a computer or read academic texts.
Stop drinking tea or coffee by mid-afternoon. Caffeine hangs around in your body for many hours.
Do not eat or drink a lot late at night.
If you have had a bad night, don’t sleep in the next day as it will make it harder to get to sleep the following night.
Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Establish a regular time to have breakfast. Reinforce your biological rhythms.
Taking time out for yourself and reducing stress
Sixth Form can be a busy time, which can make it harder for you to take the time to look after your mental wellbeing. When you’re busy, stresses can mount up and really take their toll - so it’s important to take the time to prioritise your own mental wellbeing. If you have:
5 minutes
- Make a cup of tea and enjoy it undistracted
- Cuddle a pet or soft toy
- Write a to-do list
- Text a friend
10 minutes
- Do a guided meditation
- Take a walk
- Do a quick tidy and clean of your room/workspace
- Listen to your favourite songs
30 minutes
- Take exercise - yoga, a run, a brisk walk
- Call a friend or family member for a catch-up
- Have a nap
1 hour
- Watch an episode of your favourite TV show
- Go for coffee with a friend
- Cook or bake something tasty
With university open days on hold, the UK University & Apprenticeship Search Virtual Fair will be returning on March 17th to help students from Years 11, 12 and 13 explore their post 18 options, with over 100 universities, colleges and apprenticeship providers from across the UK attending. Students will be able to speak directly with admissions teams and recruitment officers from Russell Group, Red Brick, Modern & Specialist universities, along with higher & degree apprenticeship providers. The event will also feature virtual campus tours so students can explore universities from their laptop. You can view the list of exhibitors who’ve signed up so far here.
10 live webinars on a range of subjects will run throughout the day such as Choosing a Course, Careers & Employability, Degree Apprenticeships and Student Finance.
Bookings for our Virtual Health Roadshow are now open. Students can register using the following links:
Friday 19th March 1pm: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/events/webinar-the-health-roadshow-2/
Tuesday 27th April 1pm: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/events/webinar-the-health-roadshow/
Our unique 'Health Roadshow' is designed to support your Year 12/ Year 1 Level 3 students with careers advice, encouraging them to think of a future career in Health related subjects.
Our experienced academic tutors will deliver interactive virtual sessions to encourage your students to think about the choices available for University level study and explain the various routes into the caring professions as well as a range of careers across Health services. We can also advise on work experience, entry qualifications and the University's application processes.
Please note:
Subjects include: Adult Nursing, Child Nursing, Learning Disability Nusing, Occupational Therapy, Paramedic Science, Midwifery
The event will last 2.5 approximately hours
Students do not need to stay for the duration (they can log in at various times according to the subjects they are interested in)
This event is free of charge and is held online via Webex (teachers/students will not need to download any software to access the session)
The event will run on the following dates at 1pm:
19th March 2021
Timetable:
1pm Introduction
1.05pm Adult Nursing
1.30pm Child Nursing
1.55pm Occupational Therapy
2.20pm LD Nursing
2.45pm Paramedic Science
3.10pm Midwifery
3.30pm Final questions & close
27th April 2021
Timetable: TBC
21st May 2021
Timetable: TBC