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School Calendar
01646 690021
School Calendar
17
Sep

Blog 17.9.21

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A huge and heartfelt thank you to all staff, pupils and families within our MHS school community. Your continued efforts and support have generated a positive start for our young people to this new academic year, and we very much look forward to the opportunities this fresh term brings. 

Welsh Youth Parliament Elections at MHS.
 
Applications for the Welsh Youth Parliament are now live and all of the information is on the website linked below. Only 60 young people from across Wales will be given this opportunity and it is not one to be missed!
 
If you would like the chance to be represent our constituency at the Welsh Youth Parliament then please read the links below. It will provide you with an excellent experience into the world of politics and governance and would look fantastic on your future CVs.
Applications will close on 20th September 2021. Mr Thomas would be very happy to help you in your application, just contact him on seanthomas@milfordhavenschool.co.uk
 
Link to online application workshop – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/how-can-i-become-a-welsh…

Covid-19 guidance issued by PCC for parents & carers

As the autumn term enters its second week, Pembrokeshire County Council has issued some simple guidance for parents on what to do if their child has symptoms of Covid-19.

“We thank parents for all their support over the past 18 months,” said Steven Richards-Downes, Director for Education.

“We hope this guidance will assist you as we progress through the autumn term.” 

·         Any learner with symptoms – a new continuous cough, fever or high temperature or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste – should take a PCR test and remain in self-isolation until the test result is known.

·         Changes to isolation: Those who are under 18 or fully vaccinated are no longer required to self-isolate if they are identified as close contacts and are showing no symptoms.

·         Testing positive: If your child tests positive for Covid-19 using a PCR test, NHS Test, Trace, Protect (TTP) will contact you, using the details provided when the PCR test was ordered. They will ask questions designed to identify recent close contacts of your child.

·         Close contacts: Test Trace Protect will then get in touch with close contacts to provide instructions or advice. Close contacts will be offered two PCR tests (on Days 2 and 8) and provided with information and advice on how to minimise the risks of onward spread.

·         If your child is identified as a close contact, they can still attend school unless they develop symptoms or are advised otherwise by TTP. Please continue to let us know if your child tests positive.

·         Next steps: We do expect that there will be cases of COVID-19 across our community over the coming weeks, but this does not mean that COVID-19 is spreading within schools Please continue to be vigilant for symptoms. If you are in any doubt, order a PCR test for your child at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

“We recognise how difficult the past 18 months have been and the sacrifices that all families have had to make,” said Steven Richards-Downes. “Thank you for everything you have done to support your child and our schools. Thank you for playing your part.”

GCSE Information Evening
 
We are delighted to invite the parents/carers of year 9 pupils to join us on Thursday 23rd September at 6pm in the Steynton Hall, for our ‘Welcome to GCSE Information Evening’. The information shared at this event will be aimed at parents and carers not pupils, however we recognise that some families may need to bring their children with them to attend due to childcare need.
Please confirm attendance in advance to mgriffiths@milfordhavenschool.co.uk. Diolch yn fawr, we very much look forward to seeing you there.
Zero Waste Week
 
What happens when you throw something away? Away isn’t some magical place; it’s landfill, an incinerator, the bottom of the ocean, or sometimes just littered. It’s always somewhere else…
Our brilliant SAS ambassadors here at MHS are utilising ‘Zero Waste Week’ to raise awareness of eco friendly lifestyle choices to reduce the amount of waste that we all generate. The girls put together a fantastic assembly that was shared with the whole school, da iawn on this brilliant piece of work and for engaging our whole school community in this important topic.
Our SAS (Surfers Against Sewage) ambassadors also made a video to showcase some fantastic hygiene products that are made with sustainability in mind. This selection of eco friendly treats has been given away to a luck winner via an online competition that was run on our Facebook page.
‘ABC’ – Anti-Bullying Champion
Milford Haven School have been further developing strategies to help combat bullying across the school community. The ‘ABC’ role has been created to help support pupils who may be at risk of or experiencing bullying, and as part of their role the ABC’s will identify incidents to be reported to staff to be dealt with.
The aim is to build up a team of young people across the school who are trained to have an awareness of bullying issues, and also the skills to help their peers overcome possible problems.
 
The Anti-Bullying Champion will:
  • Promote an anti-bullying environment
  • Drive the school’s anti-bullying process
  • Actively work within the school to make school a friendlier place
  • Report any bullying to members of staff if seen in school
  • Work alongside staff on how to best resolve bullying concerns
  • Be someone who a pupil can report bullying to on the internal report bullying button
  • Be known to all pupils so other pupils can approach them if they are a victim of bullying
  • Actively speak about the UNCRC – Rights of the Child
  • Be easily recognisable as an ABC to other pupils and staff
  • Ensure that pupils know what to do if they are being bullied or know someone else who is e.g. go to teacher, anti bullying champion, report bullying buttons
  • Be fully involved in Anti-bully week and anti-bullying activities across the school year
  • Meet regularly to review and improve the role of the ABC
  • Develop material for tips to stop bullying for pupils and parents
  • Encourage whole school ethos of ‘No Bystanders’ – expect all pupils to be more responsible for getting help immediately and not tolerate anyone filming incidents
 
Training will be given to the pupils who would like to become an ‘ABC’, ensuring that they are given ample guidance and support to be successful in their role. There will also be ‘Senior ABC’s’ identified who have already been through peer mentor support training, who will also be able to provide additional support to ABC’s.
If you think you would suit this new role and want to become an Anti-Bullying Champion at MHS, please fill in the Google form linked below by the extended deadline of  Monday 20th September 2021. Diolch yn fawr.
 
Please click the link below for full details of our term dates as well as the school calendar. 
 
Statutory Reform of Additional Learning Needs.
Following a number of important children and young people committee meetings, the Welsh Government came to the conclusion that the current Additional Learning Needs legislation was no longer fit for its intended purpose and undertook a series of reviews. As a result, it was decided to introduce new legislation to revise the way children and young people with Additional Learning Needs are supported.
As part of these changes, the six local authorities across South West Wales have been working together to develop more consistent approaches. Please find below links to Statutory Reform of Additional Learning Needs (ALN) that are taking place within Wales currently.
 
Factsheet – How the act will affect young people: https://gov.wales/…/aln-factsheet-how-will-the-act…
Video link, ‘Additional Learning Needs in Wales- What’s Happening?’:
A reminder that copies of all the letters we have issued this academic year can be found on the ‘Letters Home’ page of our school website. It is advisable to check this page on a regular basis to ensure that you stay up to date with school information. Link to ‘Letters Home’ website page: https://milfordhavenschool.co.uk/letters-home/
GCSE POD is a fantastic resource which Milford Haven School continues to promote amongst learners and their parents/carers.

GCSE POD holds a wealth of support for a range of subjects, with some content specific for KS3 as well as KS4. Learners are encouraged to use their MHS Google log-in to access the site and start exploring the site which could prove extremely beneficial for our KS4 learners.
Please look at the following parent site tour where you can see what is on offer: https://bit.ly/2P1hJKZ
Young person’s mental health toolkit from HWB.
Below is a link to the young person’s mental health toolkit from HWB, designed for 11 to 25-year-olds. Here you will find six playlists to direct you to a wide range of online resources to help you through the lockdown and beyond. In each of the playlists you’ll find self-help websites, apps, helplines, and more that are here to support your mental health and well-being.
Please remember: if you’re finding it difficult to cope, make sure you speak to someone you trust. Who this might be is different for everyone, but it might include family members or carers, a teacher, a helpline, or a doctor. How you feel is important and lots of people are here to help if you need them.