John Hanson Community School

John Hanson Weekly Contact 4th November 2016

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Welcome to the weekly Newsletter for parents and carers of students attending John Hanson Community School.

Inspire - Care - Succeed

Literacy Update for Parents

This term in Literacy at Tutor Time, students have been taking part in The Big Read. Year 7s have focused on the novel ‘Wonder’ by R J Palacio, of which all students received their very own copy to treasure; Year 8s have made their own adventure stories; Year 9 have focused on intriguing murder mysteries; Year 10 have developed their study skills and Year 11 have explored our 16 Modern Classics To Read Before You’re 16 list which include topical and controversial books from across the 20th and 21st centuries.

Over the course of the year we hope to encourage more students to read for enjoyment and we have a range of events and activities planned to inspire student participation. These include regular Book Clubs, regular Book Swaps and themed Book Nights. Moreover, this year John Hanson students and staff will be celebrating the 20^th anniversary of World Book Day by having a Where’s Wally fancy dress day on Thursday 2^nd, March! So, dig out your walking boots, woolly hats and stripy t-shirts because (for one day only) we want to see as many ‘Wally’s’ in school as possible.

If you are able to support our cause of encouraging reading for enjoyment, we are looking for donations of the following books: all donations would be greatly received.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
The Tell-tale heart by Edgar Allan Poe
Winter Chill by Joanne Fluke
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Dates for Book Nights
3^rd November 4.30-5.30pm Year 9 ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Book Night
1^st December 4.30-5.30pm Year 11 16 Modern classics to Read Before You’re 16
19^th January 4.30-6pm Year 8 ‘Railhead’ Book Night
2^nd February 4.30-6pm Year 7 ‘Harry Potter’ Book Night
16^th February 4.30-6pm Year 9 ‘Divergent’ Book Night

Beth Hookey and Annalea Smith - Literacy Co-ordinators

Christmas Concert Thursday 15^th December 7pm School Hall
Invitation

On Thursday December 15^th we will be holding our Christmas Concert – 'Sing Up for Christmas'. We would like to invite your son/daughter to take part in this event – Christmas songs will be learnt in music lessons and will then feature in the concert. These will be well known Christmas songs and we hope to make a really big sound as we celebrate the season. The school choir, soloists, and other groups will also take part. We will be recording the event for a podcast broadcast by our school radio station Hanson Radio UK.

The concert takes place in the school hall at 7pm and we hope you will come along and join in with our Christmas event. We would love to have as many students as possible taking part and a huge audience so that we can really raise the roof and have a fun evening.

The tickets for the event will be free and will be available to be booked via ParentMail. Further details will be released on ParentMail or please contact mike.adams@jhanson.hants.sch.uk

GCSE grades are changing
GCSEs in England are being reformed and will be graded with a new scale from 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest grade. English literature, English language and maths will be the first subjects to be graded in this way from August 2017. The subjects with the highest numbers of candidates (e.g. arts, humanities, languages) will follow in 2018 and most others in 2019. This is happening as GCSEs are being reformed to make them more challenging, to keep pace with employers’ and universities demands.

In the first year each new GCSE subject is introduced, students who would have got a grade C or better will get a grade 4 or better. Students who would have got a Grade A or better will get a 7 or better in the first year. Grade 9 will be more difficult to achieve than a grade A*. The extra top grade will also make it easier for employers and universities to distinguish between the most able students

To see how the numbered grades compare to the current A* to G system, click here or Google "ofqual 9 to 1 postcard". More information about when subjects will switch to the new grades is available on the Ofqual website here.

Parents' Evening 1 - Year 11 Focus
Thursday 10 November
4:15pm - 6:45pm in the School Hall

Personal Social Health Education
(PSHE) Day 2

Following the success of our first ever PSHE day, students will be off timetable for the day again on Monday 7^th November.

Year 7 will have a day of Health & Safety with the Fire Service, CPR dummies, Anti-Smoking sessions as well as exploring Puberty and their Emotional Health.

Year 8 will be entrepreneurs for the day with their very own The Apprentice task.

Year 9 will explore the myths and facts surrounding teenage pregnancy and get to try on a ‘baby bump’ for weight!

Year 10 will have their second Health & Well-being day with visitors from the Youth and Crime Commission and Catch 22, as well as sessions on Self-Harm and Legal Highs

Year 11 will finish their personal statements ready for their college applications, meet Winchester University and take part in some finance work with Barclays Bank.

The day promises to be as successful as the last and we will share all that we have done with you after the event!

A message from the PE Faculty

Piercings

Just a reminder, it is recommended that piercings should not be carried out during term time as all jewellery must be removed for PE, due to health and safety guidelines. Students are told this at the start of every academic year.

Cold weather and P.E.

As we are entering the cold weather period students will be allowed to wear appropriate gloves and hat (beanie type hat and thin gloves) in outside lessons, this will depend on the activity that is being taught. Students are allowed to wear a base layer which needs to be black or white.

Mike Green
Head of PE Faculty

GCSE Photography

Students start their GCSE in Yr10 by studying the life and work of photography pioneer Edward Weston.

In their first term students learn to present work professionally, camera and Photoshop basics and studio lighting.
Below is an example of a student's workbook. The photograph is by Alice Barnett.

Hockey Success

75 pupils from 7 primary schools from the Andover area took part in the annual hockey tournament this week.

Overall winners were Amport Primary School, narrowly beating St John the Baptist School by one point in the tournament.

Big thanks go out to the John Hanson Young Leaders: Shone Manoj, Mason Askew, Mollie Avery, and Eloise Kestle, and to the Y10/11 Umpires: Zoe Fettes, Charlotte Knight, Callum Reekes, and Michael Portsmouth who all did a fantastic job.

Sports Results

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John Hanson Community School · Floral Way · Andover, Hampshire SP10 3PB · United Kingdom