Welcome to the weekly Newsletter for parents and carers of students attending
John Hanson Community School
Inspire - Care - Succeed
‘HEAD’ Lines
Communication is Key
Dear Parents/Carers
As we reach the end of another half term, I wanted to write a reminder to try and make the communication between school and home as efficient, effective and timely as possible.
As a ‘rule of thumb’ all academic issues should initially be sent to the class teacher. Your child will know who their class teachers are.
If the issue or concern relates to anything other than one of the subjects your child is studying, you should contact their form tutor. Again, your child will know who this is.
There will be times where contacting your child’s Head of Year or the Head of a specific subject are appropriate, but in the vast majority of situations this should not be the default position.
The email contact details of all relevant staff are available on the school website:
On Wednesday, as part of our National Apprenticeship week celebrations, an ex-a student, Oliver Wilson, returned to deliver an inspirational assembly to year 9 about his apprenticeship with Multax.
Oliver shared that through determination, resilience and hard work he is doing a job he loves, working on: the engineering of formula 1 cars, aeroplanes and prosthetic limbs! He talked about the importance of gaining work experience making the most of school and doing your research when it came to your future college or apprenticeship choices.
Our students are very lucky that Oliver was willing to come and tell them about his journey.
PSHE day: 21st February 2024
The day looks like this:
Year 7: a day of Indian culture: geography, music, cookery, languages, dance, creative writing and henna design.
Year 8: a tutor session on Internet safety followed by a carousel of sessions covering: anti-Semitism, sexual harassment, diversity at JHCS, county lines, cancer and a session launching our new careers platform Unifrog.
Year 9: a tutor session on Equality followed by a carousel of sessions covering: digital detox (including a short walk with Milo our well-being dog), online blackmail, self-care, condom demos, healthy relationships, and useful life skills.
Year 10: a tutor session on careers followed by a carousel of sessions including: cancer checking in single-sex groups, HIV & Aids, sexual harassment, the impact of porn, a session using our careers platform Unifrog, and a session with the Sun University Network on boosting study skills.
Year 11: a tutor session on unwanted pregnancies followed by a carousel of sessions covering: positive mental health, sexuality, negative relationships, cults, racism and a session with Stacey Miller about dealing with stress and the benefits of gratitude.
If you have any questions about any of the sessions, please email your child’s Head of Year in the first instance.
The Importance of Promoting Cultural Celebrations at JHCS!
In a world where diversity is not just a buzzword but a reality, promoting cultural celebrations has become increasingly vital. These celebrations are not merely about festivity; they serve as bridges that connect people from different backgrounds, fostering understanding, respect, and unity. From vibrant festivals to solemn observances, cultural celebrations play a crucial role in preserving heritage, promoting inclusion, and enriching societies worldwide.
At JHCS promoting cultural celebrations is not just a matter of preserving traditions; it's about embracing diversity, fostering inclusion, and building bridges of understanding and respect amongst students and the community. These celebrations serve as anchors that ground us in our shared humanity, we enrich our societies, empower our communities, and pave the way for a more harmonious and interconnected world.
So let's come together, celebrate our differences, and create a future where every culture is valued, respected, and cherished. Let’s promote cross-cultural exchange, lets learn from one another, lets broaden our horizons and build networks of solidarity and friendship that transcend borders.
Here are several significant cultural celebrations around taking place around the world throughout February.
I just wanted to reach out to see if you had given much thought to introducing the young people at John Hanson Community School to Kooth: a free, anonymous service that offers one-to-one text-based counselling for young people.
Safeguarding is always our absolute top priority. Which is why all of the content and every single comment on our platform is fully moderated by trained professionals before being published. In addition, no-one on Kooth can send private messages to anyone else on Kooth - and every conversation that happens through forums is moderated to ensure safety.
All of the therapeutic content we create and all articles submitted by children and young people is also age-gated so that only the most relevant and appropriate content is available to each individual.
Kooth has a team of professional practitioners available to offer 1:1 text-chat support. We’re open 7 days a week until 10pm and are accredited by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy.
We also offer assemblies, in which we can come to your school and explore the topic of mental health with your students, discussing the importance of wellbeing, and signposting the support that is available to them.
I’m sure you’re very busy, so here’s a quick run-down of what teachers and young people think of Kooth:
96% of the young people who use Kooth would recommend us to a friend.
96% of young people told us it was “really important” they could access Kooth after school.
81% of the professionals (teachers, GPs, and mental health professionals) we consulted in recent research told us they’d be “very concerned” if Kooth was no longer available to young people.
Over one million young people have already found support on Kooth – and we’d like the students of John Hanson Community School to join them.
We’re here to help you support your students' mental wellbeing inside and outside of school:
At John Hanson Community School we are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all students and staff, and to providing a working environment free from discrimination, prejudice and harassment.
We encourage respect and consideration for others, and recognise and value the school as a safe place for learning. The staff at John Hanson recognise that inequalities exist in all levels of society and believe, that as educators, we have a crucial role to play in eliminating all forms of discrimination, in particular against anyone with any of the protected characteristic. We promote equality by dealing with bullying and incidents of discrimination immediately and by educating the young people in our care through assemblies, tutor time, PSHE day sessions and group work where appropriate.
This is part of our responsibility in preparing our students for life after school.
Important EDI events over the next week:
6th International Day of Zero Tolerance on FGM. 9th Safer internet Day. 11th Int. day of girls and women in science, 13th Autism Sunday, 20th World Day of social justice
Words you might not know:
British Values: schools sctively promote the fundamental british values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual repsect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Social Justice: justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Equality: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities. Equity: the quality of being fair and impartial. Autism: is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. More than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.
It is when the world comes together on the 8th of March to celebrate women's achievements and reinforce a commitment to women's equality The DEI team will be producing one of these every term for you and your parents to read through – if you have any ideas for content please see Mrs Curtis, Mrs Ferris or Mrs Grinstead.
Please encourage your son/daughter to use their SCHOOL EMAIL for work rather than their own private email. This is important for safeguarding and also some of our messages for students are being sent to school email addresses.
Think you know – Activity Packs relating to online safety Who’s watching yours? – 17% increase in children livestreaming since lockdown (Advice to help parents/carers minimise risk to children online) Mental health – How to look after your family’s mental health when stuck indoors Houseparty – Everything you need to know.
John Hanson Computing Department
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