Friday 17th May 2024

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

The themes of this week have been integrity and being safe.  As part of being safe we have explored in assemblies the idea of mob mentality – also known as herd or pack mentality, groupthink or crowd psychology. This is when individuals are influenced by a wider group and end up following the crowd. At Newport High School we want all our students to take responsibility for their own actions and not to be influenced by their peers, especially those choosing to make poor decisions. The author Stephen Covey asks us to consider the word responsibility. He says "response-ability - the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive successful people recognise that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behaviour. Their behaviour is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.”

 

 

Split break and lunch

Split break and lunch continue to have a positive impact on unstructured times with reduced queues for food and a much calmer atmosphere. As the weather gets warmer, however, we have in the past had some students messing around, throwing water at lunchtime. I would like to let all parents and carers know that I have taken students through this in assemblies this week as we will not tolerate any students throwing water or drinks. Under the new BfL policy this will trigger a ‘safe’ sanction resulting in students being taken out of circulation in our Return to Learn room for the remainder of the day.

 

 

Astro pitch

 

Just a reminder that as a result of listening to students, there is now access to the Astro pitch as follows. follows;

 

Week A
Monday	KS3
Tuesday	KS4
Wednesday	No access
Thursday	KS3
Friday	KS4

Week B
Monday	KS3
Tuesday	KS4
Wednesday	No access
Thursday	KS4
Friday	KS3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mobile Phone ban

 

We have just one school week left before we ban the use of mobile phones in school. This is in line with a number of other schools in Newport. From Monday 3^rd July, students will not be able to use their mobile phones in school from ‘gate to gate’ i.e. from coming into school in the morning until they leave the building at the end of the day.

 

It is really important that all students have a school bag with them so they can ensure, if they wish to bring a phone to school, that it is switched off and in their bag.

 

 

Vaping and e-cigarettes

 

We are continuing to plan for a number of ways to ensure that no students are vaping on site. As a school we have adopted the NHS smoke free policy which stipulates that anyone smoking on site will be subject to a £100 fixed penalty fine. This includes vapes and e-cigarettes. We have made some good progress by working with a school in Scotland who have significantly reduced vaping on site by installing vape alarms. I would appreciate your support in reinforcing this important message with your children.

 

 

KS5 success

We are incredibly proud of one of our Year 12 students, Emilee Elliott who has secured a place on the prestigious Oxford Summer School. There is a very competitive process to be accepted on to this programme which offers intensive academic and cultural experiences whilst learning more about what it is like to be a student at this world class university. We wish Emilee the very best with this wonderful experience and look forward to finding out how she gets on.

 

KS4

 

GCSE examinations have started this week so it is crucial that all our Year 11 students are using their time effectively to revise and prepare.  

Students in Year 11 are expected to attend every lesson until they have completed their final examination in that subject. Once students have compieted their final exam in a specific subject they can chose to revise from home as part of study leave.

 

Beauty and the Beast

Tickets for our whole school production of Beauty and the Beast go on sale after half term, on Monday 3^rd June.

 

Free School Meals

At Newport High School we want to ensure that every child receives the financial help they need to attend school. The Welsh Government offers support with Free School Meals and School Essentials such as uniform, kit and stationery. Please check your child’s eligibility for Free School Meals. Even if you receive Universal Primary Free Schools Meals, more help could be available! If eligible, you can get up to £200 per child for School Essentials, plus extra funding for our school. Check eligibility:www.gov.wales/get-help-school-costs

 

School dates

The remaining two INSET days for the rest of this academic year are as follows;

1. Friday 28^th June 2024
2. Monday 1^st July 2024

May half term is Monday 27^th May until Friday 31^st May and we finish this school year on Friday 19^th July 2024.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our families for your continued support.

 

With kind regards

Mrs Lee