Welcome to Greenhead: Principal’s September 2018 newsletter

A warm welcome to Greenhead College to all our new and returning students, and their parents and carers. I hope everyone has an excellent start to the new term.

The beginning of the academic year is always extremely busy, and this online newsletter aims to highlight a few key events, opportunities and sources of information to look out for.
 

A Tribute to Owen Williams

I would like to begin by reflecting on the very sad loss of a valued member of the Greenhead community, Owen Williams, who died this summer.

During his two years at College, Owen studied Business, Economics and Maths A Levels, the Extended Project Qualification, and worked towards his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

A reliable, good-humoured and popular student, Owen will be greatly missed by Greenhead College staff and students. He was a strong team player and an enthusiastic learner who will be remembered for his wit and good humour.

His teachers comment on his enthusiasm for studying, initiative shown in lessons, wider reading and strong numerical skills. Cheerful, reliable and fully engaged, Owen had made full access to all opportunities available to him.

Owen will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this extremely difficult time.

If any student is affected by this news and would like to access support – either now or at any time in the future – please do not hesitate to speak to your personal tutor, a College counsellor or myself.

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. 

Enrichment

One of Greenhead College’s major strengths is the exciting range of extra-curricular activities available to students.  This is a reminder to all our new first year students that Enrichment Sampling Week and Enrolment starts this week, with activities commencing on Monday, 17 September.  I would encourage all students to sign up to as many enrichment activities as possible.  Not only are they fun and enjoyable to do but they will allow you to stand out from other candidates when applying for employment or to university in the future.      

National Heritage Event

Greenhead College is proud to be hosting a free event on Thursday, 13 September at 5.00pm as part of Heritage Open Days, England’s largest festival of history and culture. Open to everyone, this is an opportunity to visit all parts of the College site, which first opened its doors to 236 pupils as The Huddersfield Municipal High School for Girls on 18 January 1909. After becoming Greenhead High School, it finally became a Sixth Form College in 1973.  The tour will include a visit to the award-winning Cooksey building, the most recent addition to our campus, which opened last year.  To book your place, please email Julie Polzin (j.polzin@greenhead.ac.uk).   

Parents’ Information Evening (New Students)

We have an information evening for parents and carers of our new first year students on Tuesday, 25 September at 7.30pm.  The event will cover two main topics: firstly, how we fulfil students’ potential through high quality teaching and pastoral support and secondly, information about practical matters such as tutoring, enrichment and careers advice.  Please note that parking is limited on our main site.    

Latest Examination Results

2018 was another excellent year for A Level results: the overall pass rate was 98.5% (national average 97.6%), with 64% of grades at A*-B (national average 52.7%).  These were superb results, reflecting students’ high aspirations, hard work and commitment. I would also like to thank parents and carers, and our magnificent staff for the steadfast support and guidance they gave our students.

Support Available

Finally, could I emphasise to 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