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Welcome to the Spring edition of our school newsletter! As you might know, last week I was in Italy enjoying a fantastic ski trip with our students, who have been showcasing incredible talent and resilience on the slopes.
Leadership on Display: Last week, our four shortlisted Head Student candidates delivered inspiring presentations during assemblies. The close race is a testament to their exceptional qualities, and all four students have demonstrated why they would be exceptional leaders. Following a well-fought election this week, we were really pleased to announce Ele Breeze as Head Student. Ele's Deputies are: Houses and Societies - Maisey Pollok, School Council - Betsy Knibbs, and Charities and Wellbeing - Mia Checchi. I'm really looking forward to working with the team when they officially take over and start their roles as the Head Student Team in May.
A Celebration of Talent: This month we held the Spring Concert, which was a resounding success! Students showcased their incredible talents in music, dance, and drama, leaving audiences in awe of their passion and creativity. Huge thanks to the performance student captains, staff, tech team, and RHA for making this unforgettable event possible.
Beyond the Classroom: The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of activities! National Careers Week saw students launching rockets during lunchtime, igniting their curiosity about future careers. World Book Day brought out a fantastic array of creative costumes. We celebrated British Science Week with a real variety of activities throughout the week, from Formula 24 cart building, bird feeders and biodiversity to visiting speakers talking about nuclear radiation in Medicine. It really has been an inspiring term!
Finally, don't miss out on reading our latest news articles on the School Website written by Year 12 student Harroop Bhandal, which includes reflections on International Women's Day and what that means for students at school. Harroop's articles are brilliantly written and offer a fantastic glimpse into the most recent school events from a student perspective!
Mr Alec Waters
Headteacher
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English
The English Department were really pleased to have recently been granted a fund from the RHA to create a bespoke work area for our A-Level students. The KS5 hub provides a quiet space for those studying A-Level English Literature. In addition to giving the room a makeover, we've created an academic library as well as study skills resources, and sustenance in the form of hot drinks and biscuits!
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Politics
We recently welcomed Gloucester MP Richard Graham, who came in to talk all things Politics with our A Level students. Students questioned him on a range of subjects, everything from Britain's commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights to 'Levelling-Up' in Gloucester.
Proud ex Ribston student and Gloucester City Councillor Laura Brooker joined Richard to talk to our students about her experiences in local politics.
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Primary Partnership
Back in January, 20 of our amazing sports leaders supported KS1 and KS2 pupils from across Gloucester City at the SEND Panathlon.
Cheryl Stennett, manager of the Gloucester City School Sports Network said the following: "Please pass on my sincere thanks to your enthusiastic group of sports leaders for the support they gave in making the SEND Panathlon such a great success - they were simply amazing! What fantastic ambassadors for your school, and a real credit to themselves. The encouragement and care that they showed towards the SEND children was a wonderful sight to see. I always appreciate the support that GSSN receives from Ribston Hall High School, you do make such a difference in the opportunities that we can offer our partner primary schools. Thank you once again, and we look forward to working with your school in future events."
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Shaping Futures:
This year we have launched the 'Shaping Futures' programme with our feeder Primary Schools and were delighted to welcome over 20 families to the launch event in January. Parents and pupils visited Ribston to learn more about the programme, which includes opportunities to visit Ribston for themed days, matinée performances and subject-specific familiarisation sessions. They were then assisted by our Year 12 Shaping Futures mentors who helped them register for Skyward Kids+ online tuition, offered them a tour of the school and chatted to them over refreshments.
The second of our themed days was with the Performance Team on February 26th. 6 Primary Schools attended the day that consisted of a carousel of Dance, Drama, Music and PE activities. Our Year 12 Shaping Futures mentors were on hand throughout the day as familiar faces and to offer support and guidance. They then ran their first tuition session with their mentee, working through familiarisation materials to increase their confidence and understanding in the Entrance Test material.
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PE
Football: The U14 Football team travelled to Cirencester on Tuesday 27th February and competed against the finalists from all the district tournaments across Gloucestershire. It was a real achievement to proceed through to this tournament and a pleasure to play at Cirencester FC. Our team performed incredibly well, winning one match against Bournside, losing one and drawing three. The result does not reflect how well they performed and gelled as a team, with players from Years 7, 8 and 9. Congratulations to our goal scores, Chloe Howells and Izzy Patton.
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Football Coaching: At the end of February, our Key Stage 3 students attended a Football Coaching Event. The students completed two different sessions, 'Stepping Over the Sidelines' delivered by Gloucestershire FA and 'Go-Lead' delivered by Youth Sports Trust. The students completed theory and practical work which they are now going to use to deliver football training sessions at lunchtime in school. The students are equipped with resources and an action plan and are excited to begin their coaching journey.
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Rugby Coaching: Over the past 6 weeks, our Yr 7 students have had the fantastic opportunity to have a coaching programme with the Gloucester Hartpury Women's Rugby Team and Gloucester Rugby Foundation. Back in February, the students were inspired by meeting stars like Laura Delgado, Sisilia Tuipulatu, and Carmen Castellucci, who even brought along the Allianz Premier 15s Trophy. Now, after weeks of skill development, teamwork drills, and confidence-building exercises led by the team's coaches, the Yr 7's are eager to put their newfound rugby prowess to the test. Quotes from the students reveal it was 'very fun and encouraging,' with the challenge level 'gradually increasing' – a winning formula that has many students looking to join local rugby clubs. Huge thanks to the Gloucester Hartpury team for this fantastic initiative!
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Young Carers Action Day
Wednesday 13th March was Young Carers Action Day, and we invited our Young Carers to an Afternoon Tea with Mr Waters, Mr Barnard and the Wellbeing Team.
Young people with caring responsibilities have all the challenges of being young, with all the responsibilities of being an adult, and they're often left to face these alone.
Being a young carer can make young people feel good about themselves and proud of the useful skills they learn. However, many young carers don’t see themselves as carers and miss out on getting the help and support they often so desperately need and deserve.
Young carers take on caring responsibilities not just occasionally but as part of their everyday lives, often over a long period of time, meaning they also often miss out on opportunities that other children have to play, learn and be young.
If your child is a young carer who is struggling, please remind them it’s perfectly okay to ask for support when they need it.
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SEND Bowling Trip
Panathlon England invited us to our first SEND trip at the end of last term. Mr Barnard and Ms Howells had the pleasure of taking five students to compete against neighbouring secondary schools in a bowling competition at Ten Pin Barnwood.
It was a fabulous morning of teamwork, positivity, and our students’ competitive levels were certainly high.
A wonderful opportunity, thoroughly enjoyed and hopefully the first of many!
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Read the latest website news articles for February and March written by our Year 12 student, Harroop Bhandal.
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20 Mar 2024
By Harroop Bhandal, Year 12
British Science Week is an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that takes place across the United Kingdom. It aims to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with the wonders of science and explore its impact on o...
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06 Mar 2024
By Harroop Bhandal, Year 12
The UN says: ‘Achieving gender equality and women’s well-being in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever if we want to create prosperous economies and a healthy planet. However, we are facing a key challenge: the alarming $360 billion annual defici...
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26 Feb 2024
Written By Harroop Kaur Bhandal, Year 12
In the vibrant tapestry of Ribston Hall High School's musical landscape, a new constellation has emerged, illuminating the stage with talent and passion. Meet Anaesthesia, the electrifying band that's been rocking our halls since Autumn 2022.
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On Saturday March 30th, Ella (Yr 7) will be participating in a Blood Cancer UK charity event following her grandfather's recent diagnosis. Ella will be walking 5km in Bristol's Walk of Light with her family and friends. She has already raised over £500 to support this vital cause!
If you'd like to donate and support Ella, you can do so here:
Blood Cancer UK - Walk of Light
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At the beginning of February, Isabella (Yr 9) was successful in qualifying her pony, Be My Echo, in two more Blue Chip Championship Classes that will take place in April this year. The Piquer 80 cm which she won, and the Bliss of London Blue Saphire 1 meter class, finishing 3rd. They have also already qualified for the Eskadron 90cm class, so they now have 3 classes at these National Championships.
Isabelle and her pony have also qualified for the next stage of the National Qualifiers for the British Novice 80 cm and Discovery 90 cm classes. In order to do this, they needed to achieve four double clears in Round 1 of these classes. The next stage is to complete the 2nd Round, which will go up in height with the hope of getting to the National Finals in August. Good luck Isabella!
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At the beginning of the month Niamh (Yr 9) competed in the International Dance Teachers’ Association (IDTA) South West Area Competition and had some amazing results: Under 16 - eight 1sts and one 2nd.
She also won the All Ages Classical Sequence Trophy! Niamh has now qualified for the nationwide finals at Blackpool Winter Gardens in October. Well done Niamh!
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In February, Georgia (Yr 9) continued to make waves in the pool at the County Championships at Hengrove in Bristol. She competed in the 100m Freestyle, shaving over a second off her personal best (PB), she won Bronze in the 200m freestyle and competed in the 1500m freestyle, which she won, securing a coveted County Champion title! This impressive win also qualified her for the Regional Competition in April. Georgia's success didn't stop there. In March
she took part in four events at Gloucester Spring Open Meeting with swim clubs from the region she took part in four events and medalled in all four. She won a silver in the 1500m freestyle. Taking an incredible 2 minutes off her PB. This now means she will be at Regionals with 4 events; 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 1500m freestyle. Congratulations and Good Luck for the Regionals Georgia!
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Congratulations to the Britons who retained their top spot on the House Points table as we head towards the Easter Holidays!
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