I can remember when the world was young and full of choices and opportunities or so it appeared but that was obviously a long time ago and what strikes me about this edition of our blog is just how exciting it must be to be a young person preparing to leave Sandhill View. As well as the enduring drive for better results we are providing lots of life-changing opportunities and in this edition you will see just what an emphasis we are placing on careers. There are so many choices, possibilities and opportunities and we really want our parents and young people to be fully informed. Read on …
Dr P. Ingram Acting Headteacher
Careers Fair 2018
Last Tuesday we held our annual careers fair for pupils to speak directly to further & higher educational institutions, UK Armed Forces, Training & Apprenticeship providers, as well as employers in the public and private sectors. This year’s event was bigger than ever, with a huge range of choice from across industry and education.
Join us for our Sixth Form Open Evening
Tomorrow we will be holding our first Sixth Form open evening of the academic year. This is the perfect opportunity for students to find out more about our fantastic sixth form and everything it has to offer. Join us at 6pm to see for yourself! It’s not just for Southmoor students, everyone is welcome!
Thinking Road Safety
Last week, our Year 8 students were presented with an impactful performance, delivered by ‘The Riot Act’, on the topic of being safe and aware around road traffic. We’d like to thank the team for coming in to present our students with such an important message.
Financially Sound
On Friday 16th November all year 10 students spent the day exploring Northumbria University. This was a great day looking at the myths behind student finance and higher education, a tour of the state of the art facilities and ending with a range of practical revision skills to aid them in their upcoming exams.
Charity Drive Rolls On
Well done to our fantastic staff and students who last Friday helped to raise an impressive £580 for BBC Children in Need!
The charity drive continues as we move towards Christmas by supporting our local community. Students will be collecting food to support Sunderland's food bank. There is an ever increasing number of local families needing to access the food bank, especially during this festive period so we want to do everything we can to help.
Oxford Speaks to Sandhill Scholars
Oxford University hosted a session for our Scholar’s Programme on the concept of 'Intersectionality' through the lens of literature which explored gender and sexuality and how factors such as race or religion can intersect in altering a person's experience of the world. Students came away with a much broader view of what the study of English Literature can entail at university.
Sandhill Superstar Strikes it Big
Year 11 student and Under 16 Durham County Footballer, Tia McKitterick has made an exceptional start to her football season. Tia has contributed to several wins this season, one of which Durham were victorious against Cumbria in a 14-0 win. During this game Tia McKitterick equalled Stephanie Houghton's individual record of 8 goals in one game. Huge well done and keep up the hard work Tia!
Sandhill at the Sixth Form
Last week, 90 of our year 11 pupils spent the day exploring our Sixth Form at Southmoor. The day was filled with a wide range of options for the students to choose from, looking at law, experimenting with gears and pulleys in the engineering session, dissections in the biology lab and many more. The day was a great success and got the students thinking about where their future education may lie.
Also on this day, the remaining 75 pupils took part in a series of guest lectures and workshops delivered at Sandhill by range of professionals. They began looking at transferable enterprise skills and working on their own T-shirt making business to compete to make the most profit. They moved on to programming Lego robots and finished with workshops from the Department for Work and Pensions and an apprenticeship expert from Sunderland University.
Stunning American Summers
Last week our Sixth Form students were visited by a representative from ‘American Summers’, who have decades of experience in the US summer camp industry. The company offers young adults the chance to travel to the states and experience the summer of a life time, working as camp counsellors. Our students were certainly into the idea, with lots of interest in the initiative expressed amongst them.
The Ordered Universe Project
Last week saw the 2018 launch of the OxNet initiative, which now has six schools involved across the North-East. Students were invited to St Peter's Church in Sunderland, to learn more about its connections with Bede, a medieval chronicler. They also took part in academic taster sessions in History and Physics as part of the 'Ordered Universe' research project. Students will now be competing for a place on this prestigious course, with applications open until 10th December.
Thinking Fast
Seven Year 12 students spent the week at Nissan working on a Formula 1 project where they designed miniature F1 racing cars learning how to use brand new programming software and applying engineering theories to their designs.
SHV Girls Test Their Footballing Finesse
The year 7 and 8 girls took part in the Sunderland Schools Foundation of Light 6 aside cup which was held at Silksworth Sport Complex. All of the girls showed great effort, determination and resilience throughout the tournament. The team played six games in total they won 3, drew 2 and lost one. They finished 4th in their group. The girls played that well that two members of the team Chelsea Hope and Grace Gardner both got invited to attend a training session at the foundation of light. Well done girls!
Academy Trust Derby
Our Year 8 Boys' Football Team were in action this week as they went up against Southmoor Academy in our Trust Derby. The game was incredibly tense with Academy pride on the line but ended all square with a 2-2 draw!
My favourite childhood book was Cinderella. It was enchanting to read and a typical fairy story. I could picture her step-mother shouting at her and step-sisters being nasty. But she got her prince in the end. I also love the movie
My favourite invention is the iPhone, this is because an iPhone is more than just a phone! I forget what life was like before using your phone as a bank card, tracking how many steps you have done, shopping in a fraction of the time and who can forget FaceTime!
What do you do at Sandhill View? I am a Higher Level Teaching Assistant, and I am also the Medication co-ordinator. I support pupils who can sometimes find learning difficult and help them enjoy their time in SandhillView.
Who was your favourite teacher at school and why? My favourite teacher at school was my PE teacher Mrs Storey ,as she made me believe that with hard work and determination I could reach my goals. My interest in sport and fitness also inspired me to become a fitness instructor.
What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time I love to go shopping, drink coffee and spend time with my family.
Who is your favourite musical artist or band? My favourite band is the Steroephonics, I have been to many of their concerts.
What's the best thing about Sandhill View? The best thing about Sandhill View is definitely the positive relationship between the pupils and the staff.
What's the one thing you could never be without? I could never be without my family, closely followed by my hair straighteners!
