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Dear Families,
Welcome to our spring newsletter. This term has felt like spring at Derby Moor with the school coming back to life after a period of quiet, activities slowly beginning to resume and with the weather over recent days some rays of sunshine. Our students have adapted back to face to face learning with ease and have settled into the rhythm of school life over the last few weeks. This newsletter with highlight some of the activities that have taken place and will signpost some things to look out for over the next term.
Best wishes,
Scott Doyle
Principal
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EASTER BOX OF KINDNESS
The students from 7JMC have organised an Easter box of kindness for the residents and staff at Cedar Tree Care Home, Littleover, Derby. The students all wrote individual messages in an Easter card and donated money or Easter eggs to create an Easter box of goodies. Well done 7JMC this is a great example of one of our four core values - Community. Thank you to Mrs Shaw for organising and Mr Wilde for delivery.
Mrs McGregor
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ATHLETICS
The English Schools Athletics Association usually run local, regional and national competitions in Cross Country at this time of year. Obviously, that could not happen this year because of Lockdown, so they came up with a virtual competition. Athletes had to use an officially measured course for their age group's set distance and were timed by a teacher or coach. Hannah Jackson in Year 12 completed the Alvaston Park 5K Park Run Course on Saturday morning in a good time in spite of the chill in the air, so we are now eagerly awaiting the results.
We were hoping to resume Cross Country training, but as the Club is a multi-year one, as yet we can't, but please keep yourselves fit so we can hopefully do some athletics before the end of the year.
Mrs Ezis
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MANNIE HAYER
Mannie Hayer, a former teacher and Senco at Derby Moor for over 20 years, sadly passed away on 19th February. Mannie was a warm, caring person who always had time for everyone. Her students valued the time she took to help them and those who were privileged to call her a friend knew they could always rely on her. All who knew her will miss her smile and kindness and all at Derby Moor are sad to learn of the loss of such a valued member of the local community. Our thoughts are with her family at this sad time.
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WELLBEING FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
Derby & Derbyshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group has commissioned Qwell https://www.qwell.io/
to provide online access to BACP or UKCP accredited counsellors for Parents or Carers who are caring for a young person under the age of 18. Like children and young people, adults too can find life tough and may also require some further support from time to time.
Qwell provides access to qualified counsellors via a text based format 365 days per year from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays, and 6pm-10pm on weekends and can be accessed from any device that can access the internet
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DERBY MOOR AWARD YEARS 7&8
Students in Years 7 & 8 should all have been completing assignments for their Derby Moor Award both at home and in school. They all have been given a Derby Moor Award Passport, with 4 sections Organisation, Achievement, Community and Leisure. They need to complete 5 assignments from each section to demonstrate their employability skills.
How can parents help? Please encourage our young people to find evidence at home of the things they are doing anyway to demonstrate their skills. You can help too by writing Witness Testimonies for things you have seen the young people doing or signing their Log sheets to confirm the different chores they have done or exercise sessions.
I'm sure many young people had to adapt during Lockdown. Hopefully many of them helped out at home. Maybe some tried something new. Perhaps they wrote a letter to a relative to cheer them up or did something to entertain the family or cooked something for you. All they need to do is bring a picture of what they did or a note from you to their Form Tutor to have these assignments ticked off in their Passports.
We have completed assignments in school too, but this Award is about rewarding the extra things that students do, so please help us to help your son/daughter to show how they stand out from the crowd with the great range of skills they have.
We hope to present Awards to all Year students at the end of next term and as many Year 7 as possible. A few students are close to completing it. Could your child be the first to achieve the Derby Moor Award.
Thanks, Mrs Ezis.
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PLAN THE WORLD WE NEED
Congratulations to Yaseen Akram who has been commended for his entry to the Royal Town Planning Institute, Plan the World we Need competition. He received a £50 voucher and a had a tree planted in the New Forest on his behalf. For more information, please click here to read the press release.
E Gallagher
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EXTRA-CURRICULAR CLUBS
Extra-curricular PE clubs have now restarted. Pupils are to bring their PE kit and must meet staff as follows:
Year 7 – Walk down towards the sports hall as usual after session 5 and meet at the changing rooms.
Year 8 – Exit school as normal, then enter PE corridor near changing rooms via blue door.
Year 9 – Wait in the Solidarity eating area on middle floor for a member of PE staff to collect.
Year 10 – Exit school as normal, then wait near main reception of school where a member of PE staff will escort you.
Year 11 – Exit school as normal, then wait near assembly hall for PE staff to collect.
A list of the clubs available can be found here
| DAY |
ACTIVITY |
YEAR |
| Mon |
Basketball |
7 |
| Mon |
Fitness |
7 |
| Mon |
Football |
7 |
| Tue |
Basketball |
8 |
| Tue |
Netball |
8 |
| Tue |
Fitness |
8 |
| Tue |
Football |
8 |
| Wed |
Fitness |
9 |
| Wed |
Basketball |
11 |
| Thur |
Table Tennis |
10 |
| Thur |
Badminton |
10 |
| Thur |
Netball |
10 |
| Fri |
Basketball |
11 |
Mr Wyman
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NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE
NCS is happening this summer! It is an opportunity to get your teen out the house learning new skills, building confidence, and having fun. We have a long-standing relationship with NCS and many of our students benefit from the programme in the summer after Year 11. A sign up pack has been sent home with all Year 11 students. A guide on how to complete this can be found here
https://bit.ly/38WOPTc) or visit wearencs.com to sign up today.
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DROP DOWN DAY
I was so proud to be able to deliver a Drop Down Day so soon out of Lockdown where all bar one of the workshop presentations were with live facilitators. The day ran smoothly and all the students showed their appreciation with a very positive response to all topics, many of which were outside their comfort zone.
Year 7s discovered how we can Learn from Failure and the dangers of Gun and Knife Crime. They developed their understanding of LGBT+ and Puberty or the marketing of chocolate. Thanks to Cycle Derby 12 students in Year 8 who had never ridden before learned to ride a bike. Year 8 thought about different ways of coping with Death and Bereavement and discovered the Dangers of Exploitation. As it was National COVID Reflection Day they developed a dance to express their thoughts or a Keep Fit Routine for confined spaces. All Years 7&8 worked on a class project and were encouraged to bring in evidence to sign off assignments for their Derby Moor Award.
Year 9 really impressed the Learn by Design team as they discovered the vast range of career opportunities in a large company like iRail, acquiring a variety of useful employability skills or finding better ways to motivate themselves with ASPIRE2Me.
Year 10 coped admirably with the very challenging but necessary topics of FGM, Pregnancy Decisions, Contraception and STD's, Why we must avoid Pornography and Dementia Awareness, whilst Year 11 embraced a range of coping strategies to help to reduce the stress of assessments and become more resilient during future exams, then learned how to avoid or respond to Domestic Violence and Sexual Exploitation and manage Sexual Health.
There was an opportunity for all Year 11 to enrol with the prestigious NCS scheme during which they can enjoy a week of adventure, practise independent living and volunteer in the local community. Applications will still be welcomed from students. See the NCS website or Mrs Ezis for details.
A huge thank you to everyone for making the day such a success, Mrs Ezis.
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SELF–PUBLISHED AUTHOR
Congratulations to student Jack Hitchcock who has just self-published a book of 100 sonnets with illustrations by former Derby Moor student Amy Higginbottom. Jack is hoping to sell copies of his book as part of his fundraising for a charity trip to Kenya. The project supports schools in Kenya and provides them with materials and resources to educate children in the heart of the Rhonda Slum in Nakuru. Jack is an extremely talented young author with a bright future in the literary arts and Amy’s illustrations beautifully capture the tone of the poetry. Jack’s poems muse over a number of relevant issues such as lockdown and education. If you would like to purchase Jack’s poetry book with Amy’s illustrations please click here
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PURCHASING UNIFORM DURING LOCKDOWN
Both uniform stores are temporarily closed under the Government lockdown guidelines. However, both companies are offering a variety of other options for ordering uniform. Both stores should be re-opening on 12th April.
Uniform Direct
Call and Collect
To place orders, parents can call 01332 342569 between 10am-1pm on Mon, Weds, Fri or Sat. Collection from the Derby store is strictly by appointment only. Staff will be happy to help with sizing and a handy size and measuring guide and further information about call & collect can be found on the website.
Morleys
All uniform can be purchased 24 hours a day on line at www.schoolwearsolutions.com
They also offer a click and collect service. Days and times for collection can be found on the website.
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WELLBEING FOR STUDENTS
With the Easter break approaching we are letting you know that Kooth.com, a free, safe and confidential way for young people to receive counselling, support and advice online, will still be accessible over the break from school. We know that there are times when life can feel like a struggle and some extra support can be needed. Recognising this, Kooth has been commissioned by NHS Derby & Derbyshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to provide support for young people aged 11- 25, who live within the Derby and Derbyshire area.
Kooth is accessible 24/7 365 days of the year and provides access to quality counselling from BACP or UKCP accredited counselling professionals via a text based format from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays, and 6pm-10pm on weekends, providing a much needed ‘out of hours’ service. Kooth is accessible from any device that can access the Internet, allowing young people to seek help and support at a time and location that is suitable for them.
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LIBRARY
We have been delighted with the response we have had to our Virtual Library. If students have not already borrowed an E-Book or Audio Book and would like to, they can access the Virtual Library here
https://derbymoor.eplatform.co/
We have also been busy implementing some of the suggestions from students that were raised in the Library Questionnaire ready for when the Library is back open to everyone.
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A WORD FROM OUR SCHOOL COUNSELLOR
My experience of the most recent lockdown was that it was a lot tougher than the last one. The dark nights and cold, wet weather meant being outside wasn’t an escape from being inside. There seemed to be an increased amount of work and maybe the situation was no longer new anymore. If you are like me and have found the last lockdown tough, I hope that you will use the holidays to wind down from the lockdown.
It is really important for our mental health that we give ourselves a break. Minds and bodies do not work like machines. They need time not to think about everything that needs to be done. We may not be able to predict what will happen next but we can spend a bit of time enjoying time away from the list of things we need to do. It may be that we cannot do what we would like to relax but our minds and bodies still need time out. We need time with others and we need time to laugh.
I hope that we can all find that time out over the holidays.
Naomi Wright, School Counsellor
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