15 Winter 2010 - Greenhead College

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Greenhead news SHORT LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL: Dear Reader Thanks to everyone who has asked about my health. The bones broken in June are all healed, and although at the time of writing my left knee is still sore and weak I am making a ‘textbook’ recovery and managing more time in college day by day. I am very grateful to the support from staff and governors which has taken the pressure off me while I recover. I am, however, recommending that everybody revise their Green Cross Code! It was a pleasure to see another excellent turn-out by parents at our New Parent’s Evening in September. The feedback we received was very positive and most people seem to have gone away feeling well informed. There were some constructive suggestions which we can bear in the mind for the future – How does Enrichment work? Could we save a few trees in our printing? Could we say more about what the evening involves beforehand? etc. There is one piece of advice I can offer right away: if you do have concerns about your own son or daughter, their personal tutor is the first point of contact- if you do not know their name a call to reception should be able to clear that up. Tutors can also give you information about other things like Enrichment – they are very knowledgeable about the workings of the college! Generally speaking, things do seem to be settling down very well and we have two excellent year groups. The second years did great things in their AS results; I have congratulated the first years also on their super GCSE results – they have the capacity to do outstandingly well. Best wishes MARTIN ROSTRON NEWSLETTER ISSUE 15 Winter 2010 A Green Day at Greenhead: Green Is Good The aim of Green Day was to raise awareness of Green issues amongst staff and students. There were many events taking place around Greenhead College, from political discussions, with a Question Time style debate, between UKIP, the Lib Dems and the Green Party. There were also competitions for Creative Arts, Green Travel and a Tree Quiz, the prizes being kindly donated by Huddersfield Giants, Huddersfield Town and the Odeon cinema. A successful ‘swap’ took place in which even the Principal, Martin Rostron, became involved by swapping his books. It became evident that students are taking Green issues very seriously; Nazish Ali said that she walks to and from school everyday, despite the fact that a bus is available, in an effort to be Green. Stalls were set up by environmental groups to talk to, and provide information for, students and staff, with passionate members of Greenpeace, Traidcraft, Kirklees Council (which is one of the leading councils in Britain for climate change), the Green Building Store, Islamic Relief, and ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ attending. Some students were drawn out to the tennis courts where Hepworth Honda showcased two wonderfully modern looking cars with the latest in hybrid technology, whereas others took a more active role in the pedal power demonstrations in the hall, which also looked at the benefits of solar power. There was also an inspiring seminar by one of the college teachers on the Zen Buddhist approach to Green thinking, which taught students the importance of selfawareness whilst attempting to protect the planet. Thank you to all who made an effort to come into college in a ‘Green’ way: the prize winners were Jay Jones who ‘jumped’ in on jumping stilts and Ummah Rashid who made a special effort to walk into college from Honley. Pandora Papamichael won the creative arts prize for her wonderful 3D map of world issues. Special thanks have been given by the college to the RSPCA and Mind Charity shops in Huddersfield for their contributions to the day’s proceedings. Mind is currently looking for volunteers to work in their shop on John William Street and will appreciate any offers of help. An in-house extra thanks also to Julie Polzin without whom this event would not have taken place. by Elizabeth Gregory and Elizabeth Moore Road Safety Awareness: Routes-The Teenage Highway Code toured Kirklees Colleges and Universities for Road Safety Week 2010. This initiative was presented by Kirklees Council and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service. On Tuesday 23rd November, representatives visited Greenhead College to raise awareness and educate “young people, in a fun and interactive way, about the areas of the Highway Code that are most relevant to them. “ Events at Greenhead involved Volvo loaning a car with its sides removed to display the vehicle’s safety features. Representatives from the Fire Service were present in order to perform a simulated ‘extrication’ demonstration, in which they cut four passengers from a car. Workshops were run during the tutorial programme by Steve Wright. Steve has an international reputation as a puppeteer “being the puppet maker for Billy Elliot the Musical worldwide.” Steve’s infotainment presentations provide students with relevant knowledge about “being a 21st Century road user, whether that be as a driver, a pedestrian or a passenger.” 2 www.greenhead.ac.uk
Greenhead news The RAF 6th Form Scholarship Scheme: The RAF Sixth Form Scholarship scheme is an annual award offering the successful scholar a £1000 grant (paid in the A2 year) and an opportunity to attend a week’s residential Leadership and Development course at Fairbourne in Wales. Sixth form scholars are also given the opportunity to attempt the rigorous aptitude tests at the Officers’ and aircrew selection centre at RAF Cranwell. This year around 45 students from the 580 schools in the North East were successful in reaching the interview stage. Of this only 15 scholarships were awarded. All three Greenhead students who were given a scholarship were in the top eight and one achieved the top place on the selection board. They all have demonstrated that they possess the specific qualities and abilities that the RAF considers key in selecting its future leaders. GP Cake Baking Fundraising: The Macmillan Coffee Morning Natasha Kitchen Marcus Begley Lauren Barker Congratulations to Marcus Begley, Lauren Barker and Natasha Kitchen (pictured) who were awarded RAF Scholarships. Christine Henderson (a retired Greenhead College tutor) and Lynsey Jones provided Greenhead staff with an opportunity to demonstrate their culinary skills by baking for the Macmillan Coffee Morning. Those who did not fancy testing their kitchen prowess donated generously and enjoyed a selection of fantastic cakes. The event raised over £100 for charity and teachers are still donating so the sky is the limit! Thank you so much to everyone involved. Lynsey Jones NEWSLETTER ISSUE 15 Winter 2010 Careers Report: “When you go for a job interview, a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges” – Jack Handy. Greenhead students, who have experienced a mock interview with a professional, will never ask such a crass question. Instead, our prospective vets, doctors, dentists and teachers have derived huge benefit from the opportunity and received constructive criticism before the real thing. Different types of interview, including one-to-one, group and telephone have constituted the main focus of recent tutorials in the A2 year. A1s have applied for work experience and are about to receive their careers library induction. Everyone is encouraged to book a careers interview; best do it now and beat the rush! RB ‘Healthy College’ Roadshow: GREENHEAD COLLEGE hosted a very successful ‘Healthy College’ Roadshow on Monday 15 November. Many exhibitors attended including the British Heart Foundation, Kirklees Active Leisure, Walk to Work team, Huddersfield Beekeepers as well as representatives of both the Bradford Bulls and Huddersfield Giants who attended and promoted for interactive, healthy fun! To complement this, there were Wii games and Sing Star opportunities, healthy eating tasters (both giveaways and recipe cards), inductions to the College gym (for those who have not yet joined) as well as the opportunity to have weight and blood pressure checked at the MOT station. Debra Todd (Human Resource Manager) said “The College remains committed to investing in the health and welfare of our students and staff through the promotion of healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices, if we can include a little bit of fun, even better!” DT www.greenhead.ac.uk 3
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15 Winter 2010 - Greenhead College

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