Principal’s November 2018 newsletter

A warm welcome back to students and their parents and carers. I hope everyone has had an excellent half-term break.

The second half of the autumn term is usually our busiest period of the year and this online newsletter aims to highlight a few upcoming events and sources of information to look out for.

Open Events

Greenhead College’s Open Morning took place on Saturday, 20 October 2018 and was a huge success, with close to 1000 prospectuses issued on the day.  I spoke to many prospective students and their parents/carers who told me they were hugely impressed with the way teachers and students spoke so enthusiastically about the College.  We have two further Open Evening events – on Thursday, 8 November 2018 and Thursday, 20 November 2018 (6.15-9.00pm) – and I am sure we will be just as busy.

A2 Progression

Second year students are currently considering their options post-A Level.  A reminder that support is always available from the personal tutor and careers team.  You may find it useful to consult the latest Careers Newsletter which was emailed to all students and parents/carers before half-term.  This contains information on support available in College and upcoming events.  Whether your destination is higher education, gap year, apprenticeship or employment, you will always find something of interest in this newsletter. 

Upcoming Events

There are a number of exciting College events taking place in this half of the term:

  • Our annual Charity Day takes place on Thursday, 22 November 2018. Students and staff are encouraged to come to College in fancy dress. There will be a Battle of the Bands Competition at lunchtime in the main hall. This year, the Greenhead College Students’ Association has chosen to raise funds for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), an award-winning charity dedicated to preventing male suicide.
     
  • The Music department will be holding its Autumn Concert on Wednesday, 28 November at St. Pauls Hall (7.30pm). This is always a well-attended event which brilliantly showcases the musical talents of our students.
     
  • The College’s Drama and Theatre Studies department will be performing ‘The Further From The Path’ on Tuesday, 4, Wednesday, 5 and Thursday, 6 December 2018 (7.30pm). The standard of acting and backstage production work are always exemplary in these productions and I am sure this one will be no exception.
     
  • Another annual event is our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service, which will take place on Tuesday, 18 December 2018 (7.30pm) at Holy Trinity Church. All are welcome.

College Information

Could I remind all students to check their emails on a daily basis to ensure they are up-to-date with key messages concerning life in College. Students may find it useful to refer to their Student Planner and to check the Student Calendar in the Key Dates section of the website, which lists upcoming events, such as assemblies, and important deadlines. Parents and carers may find this calendar useful as well. There is also a Parents’ Information section on the website which provides information on topics including student bursaries, the College day and progress monitoring.

A reminder to all students and their parents/carers that College will be closed on Friday, 23 November 2018.

Term Dates

Term will end at 1.05pm on Friday, 21 December 2018 and resume on Tuesday, 8 January 2019 at 8.45am. 

Parents’ Evenings

We will be holding a number of Parents’ Evenings early next term: Thursday, 10 January 2019 (surnames A-G), Monday, 14 January 2019 (surnames H-O), and Tuesday, 22 January (surnames P-Z), all 5.30-8.30pm. Students will be given booking sheets in early December to start making appointments. 

Support Available

Finally, could I remind students and their parents and carers that support is always available.  Our staff, including teachers, personal tutors, the learning support and careers teams, College counsellors, and the senior team, are here to help with any matter of concern. Our doors are always open. 

Best wishes,

Simon Lett

Principal