Dear Parents, Guardians, and Friends,
With spring just around the corner, the school site is starting to bloom. We are fortunate to have beautiful grounds that the students really make the most of during the warmer months. KS3 gardening club are just getting started. Mrs Bardwell shared the following update:
Now the weather is getting warmer, gardening club students can now venture back into the Learning Link Garden! We are always taken aback by how much the garden has become overgrown and wild. We spend the first few weeks of spring tidying up the garden, trimming the hedges back into perfect rectangles again and digging up the raised flower beds.
During the spring and summer terms we have a go at growing something new; the students like to grow things we can eat. Previously we’ve had great success in growing runner beans, cress, and radishes – which we’ve snacked on straight away! We had less success with lettuce and tomatoes but will try again this term!
If your daughter is interested in getting involved in gardening club, then please encourage her to go and see Mrs Bardwell.
The drama department has fast forwarded from spring and created a magical performance of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Opening night is on Tuesday 19th March and the box has already opened. Tickets are still available, please book using the following link: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-holt-schoolhttps://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-holt-school.
You won’t be disappointed!
Thank you to everyone involved, the production has been a collaborative effort of the drama, design and technology, English, and art department who have been working with a cast and crew of students from Year 7 to Year 12 since the beginning of September 2023. A show of this standard takes lots of time, dedication, and skill… This very special occasion will showcase our students’ talents in performing, as well as set, costume, lighting, and sound design. I can’t wait to see the finished production!
Last week, the music department hosted a piano concert. A total of forty students from Year 7 to Year 13 performed their solo pieces. It was lovely to hear a variety of pieces performed to such a high standard.
The music department have also facilitated musical theatre masterclasses. These are a series of workshops delivered by Ashleigh Payne, one of the directors from Platform YP. Thirty students took up this fabulous opportunity. Please encourage your daughter to look out for upcoming masterclasses; departments offer such a wide range of activities; there really is something for everybody.
It is World Book Day on 7th March. Last week, the English department delivered assemblies to inspire students to read more. Their focus was women in literature. All students in Year 7 will be given a World Book Day token which they can take along to one of the stores below to exchange for one of the books shown in the image below.
- Your local independent bookseller
- Asda
- Blackwell’s (selected stores only)
- Sainsburys
- Tesco
- The Works
- Waterstones
- WHSmith
Further information can be found here: World Book Day – World Book Day | World Book Day is a registered charity. Our mission is to give every child and young person a book of their own.
Our school library is a great resource to encourage reading for pleasure. We hold over eight thousand titles. Students may borrow up to three books at any one time. To maintain this excellent choice, we rely on students to check their books out correctly and to return or renew as needed. Our librarian, Mrs Heard is currently in the process of a stock take and has identified that she has nearly two hundred books missing. There will be a book amnesty in the coming weeks, please ask your daughters to check their bags…. cupboards…under their beds to locate any missing library books so they continue to be enjoyed by other students.
Please encourage your daughter to come along to the library and have a browse… even better, borrow a book! Some of our more reluctant readers will often say to me “I don’t like reading” or “books are boring” my response is always consistent… they simply haven’t found the right book yet!
Recommended reading lists for all year groups can be found on our school website: Reading Lists | The Holt School
Mrs Martin
Assistant Headteacher