Denstone College Newsletter - 10-03-2023 | News

March 10th 2023

10 March 2023

Newsletter from the Head – Week 9

Dear Parents and Guardians

Spring very quickly turned to winter this week as we were reminded of the fragility of our weather cycles up here on the hill. We have done all we can to keep operations as ‘normal’ as possible and predicting snow patterns is increasingly difficult; I am grateful for the parental response to our changing situation. One of our ‘Covid Keepers’ is very much the ability to keep education largely uninterrupted and we hope that those accessing materials online have continued to make some progress. Exeat has come at just the right time to allow us to clear the campus and prepare for the remaining two weeks of term.

Fifth Form Practice Exams

Remaining Fifth Form Practice Exams have been cancelled due to the College closure. These will not be rearranged but departments involved will make their own arrangements with teaching groups with a view to maximising the effectiveness of the remaining teaching time we have before final GCSE exams begin next term.

Third Form GCSE Options

The deadline for Third Form GCSE options forms to be submitted has been extended to Monday 13 March. Please make sure this information is submitted to tutors by this date.

Registration of Siblings

Denstone College is very much an educational institution of choice and to that end, availability of places is incredibly tight. We occasionally find ourselves in a difficult situation unable to admit the siblings of current pupils as a simple result of parents not registering younger children in time. To that end, please do not presume we know about your plans and ask that you enquire and make arrangements to register for any younger siblings who are looking to join us as soon as possible. To do this, please email; [email protected] as soon as possible to let us know your intentions.

Day and Boarding Places

Due to such heavy demand for boarding places, please may I remind parents that whilst we aim to be as flexible as possible, not all requests can be guaranteed. As per our Terms and Conditions, please note that changes to boarding/day status must come with a notice period of a term. Please note that day pupils wishing to convert to boarding (flexibly or on a full-time basis) may not be guaranteed a bed. Those who currently board but wish to revert to day pupil status or change the type of boarding (weekly to flexi etc) must provide a full term of notice or charges will apply. If we have space we will do our very best to accommodate pupils to suit family needs, but advance notice is required.

Speed in Denstone Village

This week we have been alerted by the Parish Council of several drivers who have been caught by the Community Speedwatch service travelling significantly over the 30 mph speed limit which is in place on College Road. Please may I ask all drivers (pupils, staff and parents) to be mindful of the limits and to ensure they stay within the law. Due to the proximity of the College, we ask for a 'twenty is plenty' mindset for the safety of all users of the roads and pavements.

Third Form Booster and HPV Vaccinations – Monday 13 March

The School Age Immunisation Service will visit the school on Monday 13 March to administer the 3 in 1 Teenage booster, Meningitis ACWY and HPV vaccinations. Consent forms for the booster and Meningitis vaccinations need to be completed by Monday 13 March at 8.00am, as we are unable to accept them after this date. Please refer to the letter on the Parent Portal for details on how to register consent.

The HPV vaccination will be the second and final dose. Parents will have already completed an electronic consent form for this vaccination; however, should you not wish your child to receive this vaccination please contact the team on 0300 124 0366 to withdraw your consent.

Parents of Beauty and the Beast Cast

Due to the snow we had to cancel our 6-8pm rehearsal on Thursday 9 March. This will now be re-scheduled to Thursday 16 March and we will cancel the late rehearsal on Tuesday 14 March. We do not want to make the Lower School children over tired by holding both rehearsals in the same week. The rehearsal on the 16th will involve all students who participate in the song Belle. This is the village chorus, the named villagers and sellers, Belle, the Filles De la Villes, Gaston and Lefou plus the narrators. The other cast members not involved in Belle do not need to attend an evening rehearsal next week.

Digital Safety Event for Parents with Karl Hopwood (Online) – Thursday 16 March

Due to circumstances out of our control, the parent information evening which was due to take place at the College on Friday 17March has now been moved to Thursday 16 March, 6pm-7pm on Microsoft Teams.

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 347 414 538 146
Passcode: Ea7Krv

The Digital Safety Day for pupils on Friday 17 March will now take place between 11.30am - 4.45pm.

Old Denstonian Law Society

A Legal Careers event will be taking place on Saturday 18 March 2023 in the Cricket Pavilion for any pupils in Fourth Form and above interested in pursuing a legal career. Four Old Denstonians will be discussing their path from Denstone to a variety of careers. The event will start promptly at 10am, with tea and coffee available from 9.30am. Please email Mr Lightfoot, Head of Careers ([email protected]) to register your son’s/daughter’s interest.

Senior Hockey Tour to Northern France

We will be running a senior hockey tour to Northern France from the 31^st October to the 3^rd November 2023. This tour will be open to boys and girls in the Fifth and Sixth Form in the 2023/24 academic year. Europe is an exceptional place to play and train for hockey and we will make the most of the amazing facilities on this trip with three games for both the boys and girls teams and separate training sessions. The cost of the trip will be in the region of £600.

Please email [email protected] to express interest in the trip.

Communications Available on the Parent Portal

The following letters can be found on the Parent Portal by visiting https://denstonecollege.parents.isamshosting.cloud