Welcome to the weekly Newsletter for parents and carers of students attending
John Hanson Community School
Inspire - Care - Succeed
‘HEAD’ Lines
Movers, Shakers
& Reminders
Dear Parents/Carers
As we reach the end of another school year, I wanted to take the time to say thank you on your behalf to all the staff at John Hanson for the part they have played in the lives of your children over the last academic year.
I am also sadly saying goodbye to some of my staff.
Mr Thorne joined us a supply teacher in December 2022 and loved it so much that he has been here ever since. However, family commitments take him to foreign climes next term.
Miss Bodsworth leaves the Maths department after 4 years teaching at John Hanson.
Mrs Hobbins is making a sideways move to join the teaching assistant team at one of our local primary schools.
Mrs James leaves John Hanson after 14 years as a Maths teacher. She is not going far as she is taking up a role at a local secondary school.
Mrs Haynes is leaving her role as PA to the Heads of Year to take up a role as PA to one of the directors at the local authority.
Mrs Webb is leaving her role of leading our Flexible Leaning Provision to take up a role within the local authority focused on attendance.
Mrs Welbourne leaves us after 13 years for a well-deserved retirement. Mrs Welbourne has led and managed our school kitchen with what I can only describe as magic. Every day of these 13 years our students have been provided with a high-quality menu. However, it has always been Mrs Welbourne’s unprompted desire to go over and beyond for the benefit of the students that will be very much missed.
Mrs Coward is retiring from her role as Learning Resource Centre Manager. Mrs Coward has been part of the fabric of John Hanson for 18 years. She frequently brings me snippets of John Hanson history for which I will always be grateful.
Some reminders for September
The School day – A reminder that the timings of the school day change in September.
The school day starts 5 minutes earlier at 8.35am (students should be on site no later than 8.25am and a bell will sound at 8.30am for them to move to tutor rooms)
The school day ends 5 minutes later at 3.05 pm
From September John Hanson will become a Phone Free Zone
When students return in September they will be issued with their phone pouch which they will use to lock their phone away during the school day.
That only leaves me to once again thank you for the amazing support you have given your children this year, which has helped them achieve, progress and grow.
Enjoy the summer break, and we look forward to working with you when we return in September.
Regards
Russell Stevens
Headteacher
Taekwondo World Championships
Recently, Josh Burnip and Luke Smith competed at the Taekwondo World Championships coming in the top 10 in their class. There were 20 countries represented including Canada, UK, Australia and the USA.
Both Josh and Luke scored the same getting three 9.5s out of a maximum score of 10, which is extremely high when compared to the Gold/Silver/Bronze winners who scored a 9.6 or 9.7, putting them only marginally ahead.
We and their parents are incredibly proud of them both, they've trained so hard for the last 3 months and were honoured to represent their club, and the UK at such a huge event.
Well done!!
Times Table Rock Stars
This year, the year 7 students completed Times Table Rockstars to give them the opportunity to practice their mental numeracy and calculation fluency. When it comes to times table, speed AND accuracy is important – the more facts you remember the easier it is for your brain to do harder calculations.
How it worked…
We started with a baseline test for 5 minutes to see how good our Year 7’s was at their times table.
We then practised times tables to rock music for 3 minutes in each lesson.
After 100 lessons, we completed the baseline test again to see the progress and improvements made throughout the year.
We then collated all results and organised a Times Table Rockstars assembly where selected students were rewarded for their improvements in their times table.
The celebration assembly started with a competition where the fastest year 7’s went against each other and the winner then played against non-maths teachers. It was an interesting spectacle to see the year 7 student complete the task quicker than the teachers.
Students who received certificates were from the following categories; Most improved, Fastest, Coins gained and Most accurate answers. Mr Stevens was on hand to present certificates to all deserving students.
Year 7
The Year 7s have had a very successful and busy first year at John Hanson. Starting with their Inspire Care Succeed day in September the students were introduced to John Hanson’s culture.
Then they were whisked away to Fairthorne Manor for a series of tutor bonding activities. This trip at the beginning of the year nicely mirrors the Osmington Bay residential taken at the end of the year. Asides from scaling dizzy heights Year 7 have also enjoyed themselves at the Year 7 and 8 Disco and Summer Reward Trip to Longleat.
Throw in a number of academic and sporting successes, including district records being broken, first in the Andover Schools Swim Gala, some fantastic end of year exam results and football titles, it seems Year 7 have taken starting John Hanson in their stride.
Well done Year 7!
Building your own PC from scratch!
Max Hanley in Year 7 was inspired by his Computer Science lessons and decided to build his own PC from scratch! He earnt money by helping his Mum sell goods on eBay so that he was able to purchase the components of hardware.
He watched many videos on how to build it and he fitted the motherboard, CPU unit, RAM and graphics card all by himself. It didn't work first time so Max asked his neighbour who works in IT and he managed to get it working. What an amazing achievement Max, you should be very proud of yourself!
Computer Science Faculty
Physical Education / Sports - Summer Newsletter
You can view our Summer Newsletter featuring all the sporting activities by following this link:
The latest UKHSA health protection data shows there has been a rise in measles cases.
Between 1 January and 20 April this year, there have been 49 cases of measles compared to 54 cases in the whole of 2022. Most of the cases have been in London, although there have been cases picked up across the country and some are linked to travel abroad.
With cases of measles on the rise in the UK and across the world, Hampshire County Council is reminding young adults - as well as their parents - about the importance of catching up with the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine or other vaccines, ahead of any summer travel and festival plans.
Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: “Due to the pandemic, some people may have missed getting their routine vaccines and are not fully protected, which puts them at risk of catching and spreading serious illnesses. We strongly urge Hampshire residents to take this opportunity to check they’re up to date with their vaccines before their summer holidays or attending any festivals. Vaccination not only protects someone’s health but also helps prevent the spread of diseases within our communities.”
“Many young people might not be aware that they’ve missed out on important vaccinations and that’s where parents and carers can help. Having a conversation with a young adult about the importance of vaccination can help protect them, especially if they’re about to mix with large numbers of people at events or while travelling. If you’re unsure if your own or your child’s vaccinations are up to date, contact your GP Practice to find out.”
As a reminder, some of the vaccines that young people should have had by age 14 include:
Vaccines that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and whooping cough. These are given at various points throughout childhood, with a booster given in school year nine.
The MMR vaccine - two doses of which should be given by the time a child starts school but can be provided at any point thereafter if any doses are missed. This vaccine protects against three diseases: measles, mumps and rubella.
Meningitis vaccines, which include the Meningitis B, HiB/Meningitis C and Meningitis ACWY vaccine. The last of these is given to children who are in school years nine and 10.
The HPV vaccine, which helps protect against cancers caused by the human papillomavirus and is given to both boys and girls at 12 to 13 years of age.
It is never too late to get vaccinated. If anyone has missed one or both doses of the MMR jab, or any of the other routine childhood vaccinations, they should contact their GP practice to book an appointment – or to check which they might have missed.
Further information about vaccinations can be found on the NHS website.
Friday summer activities in Vigo Park
There are a series of free fun events being held at Vigo Park every Friday between 4.00pm and 6.00pm and is being run by The Test Valley Partnership.
These sessions are particularly aimed at 11-17 year olds and are on a first come first serve basis.
July 21st & 28th – The Army from Middle Wallop will be at the park. Soldiers will be on hand to talk to and a physical assault course set up for you to pit your wits against them and test your abilities – Have you got what it takes?
August 4th & 18th – RA Football Club will be running football sessions and will also be on hand so if you fancy learning a new skill or two or just want to have some fun with others, this is the place to be!
August 11th – Box Andover. The team will be on hand to help you learn some new moves, discipline, and control techniques. Are you the next Rocky or Tyson?
August 25th – Inflatable fun afternoon. A couple of inflatables will be on site, including an assault course to have some fun and challenge your friends.
Please note: We will also have a range of non-physical games for those who are not able to participate in the more strenuous activities.
Tuesday Jan 30th 2024 Wednesday 31st January 2024 Thursday 1st February 2024
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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:
30th International Friendship Day
Words you might not know:
Kindness: the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. Friendships are special relationships that can offer both parties support, joy, affection, and companionship that can promote positivity in their lives. International Friendship Day is a holiday designed to encourage people to honor and appreciate their current and old friends.
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
Performing Arts - Instrumental Lessons at school
If your son/daughter would like to learn to play a musical instrument please contact Mike Adams - Head of Music and Drama for details. Email - mike.adams@jhanson.hants.sch.uk
Teachers from Hampshire Music Service visit the school and we can
offer lessons in Piano, Keyboard, Singing, Guitar, and Percussion (Drumming).
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