Message from Mrs Barker, Headteacher

Welcome to the third school bulletin of the academic year!

Preparations are ramping up for our annual Open Evening –

an event that we particularly look forward to in the academic

calendar. It’s a fantastic opportunity for prospective students

to come and get a feel for what it is that makes Standish so

special – and a chance for us to share with the community all

the things about Standish that we are so proud of. It feels

especially exciting this year as it will be the return to a live,

face-to-face event – albeit with some additional safety

precautions in place to minimise the risk of Covid

transmission. The evening is on Thursday 30th September so

please do share the date with any families who you think

might be interested to come along.

I’m also pleased to note that this bulletin is the first one to have an extracurricular timetable included

in it for over 18 months. The return of extracurricular activities is a vital aspect of a successful school

community: the diversity of activities is really pleasing to see – and it will only increase in the coming

weeks! So please do encourage your young people to take advantage of the many opportunities on

offer. Try something new – you never know what hidden passions you might uncover!

Finally, I’d like to thank all staff involved in our Macmillan Coffee Morning we held today. The event

was – as always – hugely popular and next week we’ll be able to share photographs and totals for

the money raised.

I wish you all a safe and restful weekend,

Mrs Barker

Friday 24thSeptember 2021 Friday 24thSeptember 2021

Lateral Flow Tests

LFTs have been issued to all students who have requested them. Please can students test twice a

week and report the results using the following link: Report a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test

result - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

An important change to the system to note is that school now only needs to be informed of positive

test results.

Open Evening at Standish Community High School

Open Evening for new students will take place on Thursday 30th September 2021 from 4 – 7pm.

Come along and say hello!

Year 7 Pastoral Parents Evening Year 7 Pastoral Parents Evening will take place on Thursday 7th October, 4 – 7pm. This virtual evening will give parents/carers an opportunity to discuss any issues with your child’s Form Tutor. More information about booking an appointment will be emailed. SIMS Parents app Please be aware that, all communication with parents/carers will be sent via the SIMS app.

Students will be using Student SIMS to view homework, achievement points and their timetable as

student planners will no longer be provided for students. Students may wish to bring a jotter to

take additional notes in lessons if they wish to do so. The SIMS Parent app will provide parents

with up-to-date information regarding their child’s homework, attendance, achievement points and

conduct in school. Parents not signed up should now have received a further invitation to do so.

Message from Wigan Public Health

Need a COVID vaccine? Ring 01942 807780 to book or click the link for information on 1st dose

Pfizer vaccine walk-in clinics: http://ow.ly/wtlq50Fmvw4

Useful websites to support the well-being of our young people

Many of us are struggling with how the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is affecting ourselves and our loved ones. Those of us already living with mental health problems are facing extra challenges too. Here you'll find some information and tips to help you cope during this time: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/

https://www.annafreud.org/selfcare/

https://www.walyc.org.uk/ (Young Carers Wigan & Leigh)

Useful websites to support parents

Having a conversation with parents and carers about mental health (Young Minds)

Mental health is a very emotional subject to talk about. This is especially true of conversations

between teachers and parents / carers. Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to approach the

first conversation. Young Minds has created a guide to help navigate these conversations.

The guide can be downloaded here: https://youngminds.org.uk/resources/school-

resources/having-a-conversation-with-parents-and-carers-about-mental-health/

The Young Minds Parents Helpline can be accessed on 0808 802 5544 (Monday to Friday 9.30am

– 4pm, free for mobiles and landlines).

https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-family-life-and-parenting/parenting-teenagers

Booking line for telephone or webcam counselling: 0300 003 0396

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-helpline/

Call for free Mon-Fri from 9.30am to 4pm – available in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern

Ireland: 0808 802 5544

http://www.selfhelpguides.ntw.nhs.uk/penninecare/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-

young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing

General notices

Request for sponsorship In preparation for the next school year, we are asking for a sponsor to support our purchase of a

new rugby kit to fit our 14- and 15-year-old students. Sponsorship in the region of £300-£500

would help massively to get kit in SCHS colours, with our SCHS badge and a sponsor’s logo. We

would be happy to do a photo feature on our website of our students in the new kit with the

sponsor.

Any interested parents should contact Mr Devine in our PE department on:

devinem@standishchs.wigan.sch.uk

Thank you.

Please can we ask that your child does not bring into school:

Nuts of any type – Lupin – Kiwi – Shellfish

This is due to a number of staff and students having very serious allergy issues. Also please do not allow your child to bring any nuts into school as a snack or part of a packed lunch. Thank you for your support with this.

Lunch menu All students now have access to both dining rooms, the hole in the wall and the pod at lunch time.

Food will also be served before school and at break and will include toast, crumpets, cereal,

American pancakes, hash browns, teacakes, garlic bread, mini pizza muffin, waffles, jumbo

sausage rolls, bacon barms, sausage barms, cheesy nachos and chicken burgers. Lunch menus

are below. Water fountains are now available and placed around the school. The school is a

cashless site so students cannot top up their own account in school and must be done remotely

from home. For more information about using the SCOPAY system see

https://www.standishchs.wigan.sch.uk/media/documents/user-uploads/B6A4773D-E3BB-4A97-

383CD650344548D7.pdf

Extra-Curricular Activities We are delighted that extra-curricular activities have started this week at Standish Community High School during lunch time and after school. The timetable below will be updated weekly but please be mindful that in some circumstances the clubs may not run as advertised. There are two extra school buses running this year, leaving school at 4.15pm, to help students get home after their extra-curricular activities. The routes are: 978 (Scholes) 16.15

Standish High School 16:15

Boar’s Head 16.27

The Brocket arms 16.32

Mesnes Park/Bridgeman terrace 16.38

Scholes/Bradshaw Street 16.47

981 16.15

Standish High School 16.15

Boars Head 16.27

Haigh Church 16.39

Aspull Co-op 16.44

Show Racism the Red Card will be working with some of our students next week. Show Racism the Red Card work in schools and other educational settings throughout the UK to offer a whole range of educational training, workshops, resources and activities, all designed to educate young people and adults about the causes and the consequences of racism.

Performance

P.E. Community Links

Welcome Mr Fitton! One of our new teachers at Standish

Community High School is Mr Fitton with

his role in Design and Technology. Our

reporter, Freya Hall, and photographer,

Mia Gregson, caught up with him to

discuss his new role here at Standish...

What is your role here at Standish?

I am the new Design and Technology

teacher, and I specialise in 3D design.

Could you tell us a bit about your career

to date and how you ended up at

Standish?

I used to work in the industry of making

hotel’s bespoke furniture which I found as

an interesting job. When covid hit, the

company I was working for went into

administration, which put me onto a

complete career change and now I’ve

ended up here at Standish!

What are your first impressions of

Standish?

Well, it’s a very nice school, a good size.

Since I’ve joined this community everyone

has been very helpful; there are a lot of

new things to follow but having such a

welcoming environment makes it a lot

easier.

Learning a new skill

. is good for you!

What do people need to know about

you? Is there anything about you that

people would be surprised to know?

I’m always talking about my kids, they’re

my life. I love the subject that I teach, I love

making things in the design and technology

sector.

What are your hobbies and interests

outside of work?

I’m constantly making things.... I like

making improvements on my house. I

believe that making something is an

achievement in of itself.

Is there anything in particular that you

are looking forward to about your new

role?

When you see a student grasping concepts

and achieving what you’re trying to show

them is a joy for any teacher. The

realisation of a student gaining a new skill

is always a brilliant feeling as I always say

that learning a new skill is good for you.

And lastly, how would you describe

yourself in only three words?

Relaxed, passionate and funny - I promise

I'm funny!

Parent Website Survey

On behalf of the Mosaic Academy Trust, can we kindly ask parents/carers to complete the short

survey regarding our school website and the website of the Trust?

Many Thanks in advance. Your contributions are always highly valued.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/6MIBS1/

Science

Science research project booklets have been sent out to our Year 7, 8 and 9 students this week.

Year 7 and 8 are researching their science hero and finding out about how their scientific

discoveries and contributions have helped shape our understanding of the world around us today.

Meanwhile, our Year 9 students are looking into how a specific forensic technique has helped to

solve a real-world crime as part of their CSI topic.

There will be positive points and prizes for the most impressive booklets. Further details of this can

be found on the SIMS engagement app.

In other news, students in Year 8 used Bunsen burners for the first time this week – very exciting!

Futures Team

Here are the latest dates for college Open Days:

Winstanley College

Thursday 30th September 2021 3.30pm – 7.30pm

Wednesday 13th October 2021 3.30pm – 7.30pm

Tuesday 2nd November 2021 3.30pm – 7.30pm

Tuesday 1st February 2022 3.30pm – 7.30pm

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--billenge/winstanley-college-open-

event/?page=1&hash=6ce4de7779356d996f66ee5252878e59

Visitors must book in advance.

St John Rigby College

30th September 2021 16.30 – 19.30

20th October 2021 16.30 – 19.30

John Rigby are also running 'Saturday Open Day' on Saturday 9th October 10.00 – 13.00.

Wigan and Leigh College

Please see table below for Open

Evenings:

Monday 11 Oct 2021 Monday 8 Nov 2021 Monday 31 Jan 2022 Monday 25 Apr 2022

Wigan Centres

Monday 18 Oct 2021 Monday 15 Nov 2021 Monday 7 Feb 2022

Leigh College

Book your place here: https://www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/events/Open-Evening

St Helens College

Open Events will take place this year as follows –

Thursday 7th October 2021 - 5pm - 7pm

Thursday 18th November 2021 - 5pm - 7pm

Thursday 10th February 2022 - 5pm - 7pm

Thursday 23rd June 2022 - 5pm - 7pm

Recommended Reads

KS3 Recommended Read

Amber and her best friend Vi are pretty different: Amber’s shy, while Vi craves the spotlight; Amber stays cool in stressful situations while Vi panics, and Vi seems to be getting more and more involved with a different crowd at school. Yet, while it would seem that Vi is more popular, it’s Amber that is chosen to be a spy by a mysterious agency after passing tests disguised as an escape room and a virtual reality game: it turns out that staying calm under pressure and excellent science and maths results do matter, after all. After her initial training – which her parents are told is part of an international STEM schools programme - Amber is sent to infiltrate an exclusive boarding school in Oslo that The Agency suspects harbours members of a cybercrime unit called CHAOS. At first, she’s intimidated by some of the kids there, all of whom seem super intelligent and rich. Yet, after a while, Amber realises that she’s more than capable of playing the others at their own game – even the somewhat distracting Luca - and perfecting her spy skills into the bargain.

KS4 Recommended Read

Allison has run away from home and an abusive father, with nothing and no one. In desperation, she lives in the shed outside what she thinks is an abandoned house. Then, she meets its owner, Marla, who has dementia. Marla thinks Allison is her old friend Toffee, and so Allison decides to become Toffee. She is a girl trying to forget and Marla is a woman trying to remember, and an unusual real friendship develops against the odds.

Keeping Safe Online

Well-being

Self-Care September 2021

Daily actions to help you be kinder to yourself (as well as others). Self-care isn't selfish, it's

essential. No-one's perfect. But so often we compare our insides to other people's outsides. This

month we're encouraging everyone to be kinder to themselves (as well as others), especially when

things go wrong. Self-care increases our resilience and helps us get more out of life. It also helps

us accept others as they are too.

Thought for the Day