Blog 18.6.21 - Milford Haven School

As we complete our second week of this half term we have lots to celebrate, and so much to look forward to in the remaining weeks of this academic year.

Here are some important reminders for the weeks to come:

*School starts at 8.40am and all pupils are asked to go straight to their form rooms. No pupils are to be on site prior to 8.20am, the gates will be locked till this time.

*Pupils will need to follow the one way system when moving around school, this has been in place for some time now but the arrow signs remain visible as reminders.

*Hand sanitising stations are located all around the school and pupils are requested to wash their hands regularly throughout the day.

*It is now compulsory for face coverings to be worn by everyone in school, except for those who are exempt for genuine reasons.

*Pupils must stick to their designated zones at break times, this is essential to support the safety of not just those in school but also our wider community.

*Remember to bring your own equipment/ stationery & enough water for the day.

*When topping up your meal account online don’t forget it can take 24 hours for the credit to be available.

*Hoodies are not a part of our school uniform and should not be worn to school.

*All learners attending school site are to wear uniform. If you are having difficulty sourcing uniform items needed please contact your child’s Head of House so we can make sure you are signposted to all support available.

Thank you for your continued support, we appreciate all of the efforts being made at home to help facilitate a positive school experience for your children.

As adults we all check we have the basics before we leave the house- phone, keys, wallet etc

If our children come to school prepared with what they need for the day ahead it really does have such a positive impact. So, MHS pupils before you leave home and head to school each morning please check you have the basics with you and set yourself up for a great day- face mask, a drink of water, your own set of stationery

Having postponed our annual Senior Certificate Evening in December, we are delighted that the event will now take place virtually on 1st July 2021!

Whilst we would love to welcome back all past pupils to receive their certificates, we are only able to invite in our prize winners who will be filmed for a virtual evening in advance. The event will be launched on our website at 6.30pm on 1st July for you all to join the celebrations. A link will be shared closer to the time directing you straight to the newly designed web page hosting this virtual event.

On Wednesday we proudly hosted a very special event, in collaboration with Milford Youth Matters and supported by Pembrokeshire County Council.

“Periods in a Pandemic” was an event focused on raising awareness of period poverty, and a showcase of some of the unique and creative ways that we have tried to combat period poverty at MHS over the past 2 years, along side some of the community based work that has been undertaken in direct response to COVID-19 and the negative effect that has had on some local families.

A special thanks to all those who contributed to the day and joined us for the event, especially our wonderful pupils Izzy and Lucy who spoke so passionately. We very much hope that all those present have been inspired to develop the support available within their own communities. All guests were invited to make a donation of sanitary products, which have now been shared across several “Red Boxes” based in Milford Haven. ‘Red Boxes’ are distribution points of free period products that all girls can access and freely take whatever they require should they not be equipped with what they need for their period.

There are many things in life that are a luxury, but your period isn’t one of them. We believe strongly that all our girls deserve equal access to the products they need to manage their periods, as well as increased education on all of the options available to them. Diolch

In recognition of National Armed Forces Day 2021 we will be joined on Friday 25.6.21 by Staff Sergeant Jonathan Fawcett, who will spend the day with pupils from across the key stages and engage in a variety of activities including question and answer sessions, joining lessons and engaging in some fitness sessions!

As an ex pupil of Milford Haven School, the staff are as excited as the pupils to have an ex pupil come and share their success with current pupils.

If any pupils are interested in a potential career in the army and would like the opportunity to speak to Staff Sergeant Fawcett, please contact Miss Mansell by email in order that she can facilitate this.

Our Year 11 pupils received their provisional CDG’s this week, and many of you are now busy confirming plans for your next chapter. Above is a full list of what is happening on each of the scheduled Pembrokeshire College transition days. ILS transition events will take place separately from the 5-8 July.

All those who have already applied for college courses will have received an email last week with details of the day they need to attend, the college will then send regular reminders. If you have any queries please contact Pembrokeshire College directly, and remember due to Covid19 safety regulations you must book a place to attend any of the transition events.

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/

Last week we launched our first ever ‘MHS Community Marathon 2021’, in partnership with Milford Youth Matters!

We have a limited number of marathon race packs that can be purchased for £5, or they will be given to you for FREE if you raise a minimum of £10 sponsorship- incredibly we have already sold a quarter of the packs in just the first couple of days! All participants that sign up will be provided with a race pack containing: a certificate, reusable water bottle, sweets and a special event medal. Packs can be purchased from Miss Baker’s office in the library during break times, blank sponsorship forms can be collected from our main school reception.

The event will be run in a very similar format to our previously organised Santa Fun Runs. Your challenge is to complete a marathon distance whenever and wherever you choose by the deadline of July 2nd. You could be running or walking, and you can go at your own pace- that could be a mile a day for 26 days, or four 6.5 mile walks etc. We have a limited number of race packs available that go on sale Monday June 7th, they will be sold on a first come first served basis.

You do not need to be a pupil of the school to take part in this event, we invite the whole community to get involved. If you have any questions or queries please contact Miss Baker on the main school number or via email gbaker@milfordhavenschool.co.uk

Diolch yn fawr.

A huge da iawn to these young people who clocked up an extra mile during registration this week, the distances are towards their 26 mile MHS Community Marathon challenge. Thank goodness you just missed the heavy rain!

A huge da iawn to the Year 9 pupils that have worked extremely hard this week on producing these incredible pieces of clay artwork. Well done on creating such beautiful masterpieces!

Proud to be on this list.

Please take a minute to find out where the defibrillators are based across our town. According to the BHF, if a defibrillator is used within the first minute of a cardiac arrest the survival rate can be as high as 90%.

https://www.milfordhaventowncouncil.co.uk/our-community/defibrillators-in-milford-haven/?fbclid=IwAR0zcQRLmylyMQPaIodMqUk8rXTwuuOT9pEdRNwAbqIPM2FVoiQHPIJNXWA

We just received this lovely message from the Welsh Blood Service, a huge thank you to our whole school community for your continued support:

Just wanted to say thanks again to all at Milford Haven school for helping to raise awareness in your community for the recent blood donation clinics in May and June. Once again there was an excellent response with nearly 180 donations made along with 14 new donors, which is amazing! Your support makes a difference and is very much appreciated.

Please see below a reminder of some of the additional Enrichment opportunities currently available to pupils of MHS.

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

MHS Book Amnesty: This is a request for all Year 11 and 13 pupils who have recently left us to please return any library or school books that may have been left at the bottom of school bags or forgotten about at home.

If you still have any school books that need to be returned, we would really appreciate them being handed in at our main reception at your earliest convenience. As part of this amnesty no fines or charges will be issued on any school books returned by the end of this month. Thank you for your support.

It has come to our attention that some pupils are wearing a single layer scarf as a face covering. Single layer face coverings do not follow the WG guidance, which states that:

Face coverings should be high quality three layered as set out by the World Health Organisation, but do not need to be medical-grade face masks. Face coverings or visors are not PPE and would not prevent an individual being identified as a close contact by TTP.

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.

Link to toolkit: https://hwb.gov.wales/…/e53adf44-76cb-4635-b6c2…/en

All parents and carers in all year groups have been issued login codes for our school app WEDUC, this is one of the easiest ways to keep in touch with us and stay up to date with school life.

Please contact us if you need any support getting started with the app, or have any trouble logging in, so we can help you get connected.

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