Our School Our Week 7 May 2020
Celebrating VE Day
Denmark Road High School
Our School, Our Week
Celebrating VE Day
Daisy Suehr in 9H created this fantastic poem about the 5 stages of WW2 for a recent History task.
The Five Phases of World War Two
Hitler conquered Poland but that was all,
No country wanting to make the first call,
Everyone was preparing for the war,
Propaganda leaflets were dropped to the floor,
Some even brought their children back,
As the cities still hadn't had an attack.
Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium and France,
They were all added to the Nazis large expanse,
And Britain knew their time to fight would arrive,
But Churchill was confident that they would survive,
He said “we shall never surrender”,
And Britain was sure that they would conquer.
For almost a year Britain stood alone,
Cities were bombed, covered with iron and stone,
For 76 nights the blitz ran non-stop,
People took shelter underground no one on top,
The British were running out of cash,
And their cities were turning to ash.
Operation Barbarossa failed,
The first time where the other country prevailed,
Then Japan bombed Pearl harbour in the USA,
America defeated them at the battle of Midway,
The Allies began to win more fights,
And victory was in their sites.
Southern Britain was bombed with V-1s,
But after that they won tons and tons,
Germany surrendered in May,
And European wars ended, yay!
Then in August Japan conceded too,
And finally the war was finished and through.
Denmark Road celebrating VE Day and VJ Day 1945
Taken from ‘My Brook Became a River’ ….
“When hostilities ceased, the general mood was one of relief and thanksgiving rather than victorious jubilation. On VE Day (Victory in Europe) 8th May 1945 the School assembled for a special service in the morning, and had an afternoon of games and refreshments, before going home for two days’ holiday. On VJ Day (Victory in Japan, the cessation of fighting in the East) the Guides were in camp at Haresfield and went up to the Beacon in the morning to see the bonfire lit, and to view the glowing beacons on the distant hills.
As in WW1 the war had brought many more families to Gloucester because of the industries. In 1945 there were 640 students at the school compared to 430 before the war, lessons were taught in the corridors and in the attics and the Sixth had to give up their sitting room and make do with a cupboard next to the Art Room!”
Denmark Road Race Around the World Challenge update
The Race is on! Congratulations to the following students who were the first in their House to log their miles:
- Bearland – Arya Acharya in Year 7
- Barwell – Kate Hayes in Year 13
- Mynd – Zoe Thorogood in Year 8 (who ran with her mum and sister, well done on getting the family involved!)
- Hartland – Ella Lewis in Year 10 (who completed her bike ride as part of her physio in recover from an ankle operation!)
- Kyneburga – Amy Larkman Morrey in Year 9
Put the name ‘challenge’ in the title and the ears of PE staff are bound to prick up, they just can’t help themselves! Like a moth to a flame, first to log their mileage was Mrs King of Kyneburga with her 20km bike ride, closely followed by Mr Schofield of Bearland with his 5 mile run.
I will be adding up the miles to give running totals on Monday, so get those emails coming in!
Year 7 Art Textiles
Kira Gorodetskaia, Year 7 - embroidered headband panel inspired by Frida Kahlo.
Art Textiles Homework
Please take a look here at current Art Textiles work: https://www.denmarkroad.org/page/?title=Current+Art+Textiles+Work&pid=345&action=saved
Year 12 Textiles
Photography Competition – Letter Art
I did the photography challenge but it took some time for me to get the lighting and focus right. I really liked this challenge, it was fun to try out different angles and lighting. My message reads LOVE!
L-with my hand O- clouds V-the plants E-with the daisies !-rainbow
Cinta Vincent, 9K
Their chat is so active, they are so sweet and supportive of each other. They are so helpful and caring to each other!
Parnika Swami, Year 7 painted this amazing picture and put it on the chat.
Arya Acharya, Year 7
Lydia Wang, Year 7 made this amazing birthday cake for her sister!
Lila Coster, Year 8 made a piñata cake.
Lucy Morgan 7BA
Wonderful artwork on the Year 9 Chat
Emily Cameron painted CD for Beltane celebration
The DRHS Book Marathon Challenge continues to be very popular – students and staff have now submitted over 700 reviews, which is very encouraging in demonstrating our aspiration to be a reading school. The reviews will also be useful to the LRC for future planning in terms of indicating popular genres and authors. Thanks go to Mrs Shaw for collating the Google Forms into a weekly spreadsheet for us all. Years 7, 8 and 9 have timetabled reading time from 1:30 - 2:30, so do remind your daughters to submit their reviews on the Google Forms. I would still love to see more from the Year 10s and above to encourage the younger students – books can be in any genre, format (including e-books and audiobooks), fact or fiction – as long as students have something to say about them!
Just a reminder that all students have been invited to join the LRC’s Google Classroom where they will find book recommendations, author readalouds, theatre performances and links to the daily #NationalShelfService in which librarians review children’s and young adults’ books (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPUIqlJM0aieXdq-LxKDvWA). Please encourage your son or daughter to sign up and comment! A few students and staff member joined in World Book Night’s Google Classroom for the Reading Hour – it was so lovely to just read for one concentrated hour! I also have another Classroom for the Carnegie Writers, which normally meets once a month in “real life”, so if your daughter or son enjoys writing (fiction or non-fiction) do ask them to contact me and I’ll add them to the group.
After last month’s School Librarians on Lockdown video triumph, it’s great to see more of this from other schools’ staff – here are some flying book recommendations from the Modern Languages Department at Fearnhill School in Letchworth: https://youtu.be/TmeZX5cb4eM - I shall be working on seeing what the LRC book groups can do…
Whilst we have been on lockdown, I’ve been very busy, amongst other things, creating LRC guides for various subject areas, cataloguing the books I was able to carry home, and catching up with admin. In addition, I have been able to attend various professional development webinars, and the other day was part of a very interesting one about the role of the school library and of reading in student wellbeing. Along those lines, here is a link to Gloucestershire Libraries’ Shelf Help Lists, including Reading Well for Children and Mental Health for Young People: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/library-activities-and-services/health-and-well-being/ The books are available as e-books from Gloucestershire Libraries: https://gloucestershire.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/WPAC/HOME
If your daughter or son is running out of books to read, I have sent out an email about where else to find free and legal online books, but if they can’t find the email, please get them to contact me for details. Also, a reminder that joining your local library (which you’ve already paid for with your Council Tax!) is open to everybody! All provide FREE OF CHARGE e-books, e-magazines and other online resources to their readers. If you’re not sure where to start, e-mail me, and I’ll take a look at what’s available in your area. Our own online resources are still available via the LRC’s Google Site (Online Resources page).
Take care – and keep reading!
Follow the LRC on Twitter @DRHS_LRC and Instagram drhs_lrc
Year 7 Science
Students have completed a wide range of different tasks for their wider learning activities. These include making Science board games, writing a guide to use a Bunsen burner, making a life-size skeleton model, or making leaflets for a "Mission to Mars".
Amelia Moore Board Game
Mr Scott and Miss Ible
Strava Group for DRHS Race around the World
Kate Hayes and Stef Hossle (Year 13s) have set up a Strava group to help track the miles all students are recording for the race around the world. Well done to them! Why don't you encourage your member of the Denmark Road family to join in? Strava is free to download and join.
Well done to Ella Door and Mrs Door!
Mrs Door (Technician at DRHS) is part of a sewing Hub making scrubs for our hospitals and carers. She has been really pleased with the first couple of sets she has produced with plenty more now being made. Headbands have been going to GRH, and the PAU Department, with more on their way, helped by Ella sewing on the buttons.
Finally, Follow me @DenmarkRoad365
Please follow me on Instagram at drhshead and Twitter @denmarkroad365. You will see a snapshot into DenmarkRoad365 and the life of a Headteacher at one of the most amazing schools in the country.