South Western Railway Visit

Last week we welcomed staff from South Western Railway to deliver a workshop alongside the Saints Foundation around the dangers of the railway and how to use public transport appropriately.

Pupils engaged in conversations around safety, how to use crossings correctly and how to use help buttons at stations for themselves and others. 

Pupils were told about the potential risks of misuse of the railways in terms of risk to life and financial penalties. They were also shown two case study videos from the perspective of a train driver who has had a near miss and a teenager who has been electrocuted locally on a railway. 

Well done to all the pupils who took part in the session and for South Western Railway for their visit.

Visits like this are a great opportunity to enhance our cross-curricular links in PSHE, Citizenship and Wellbeing.  The school is also working towards a HH5 and Eco School framework which includes personal safety and transport. Within work skills lessons we encourage employee encounters and this was a great chance for pupils to ask questions to staff who work hands on for South Western Railway.   

  

  

Richard Taunton's College Assembly

Richard Taunton's College Assembly

Last week we were visited by Richard Taunton's 6th Form College. They were on site to deliver an assembly to our KS4 pupils about the options available to them if they chose to apply for the college.

The boys all listened respectfully and were interested in the offer available to them at Taunton's.

Swimming

KS4 pupils had a great swimming session at Shirley Swimming Pool! 

Pupils practiced their Frontcrawl and Backstroke before racing over 25m. 

Extended writing in PSHE

4PR had an excellent PSHE lesson today! 

We had a whole class discussion around the impact of substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol on your physical and mental health. We discussed addiction to substances and how they can impact our safety and well-being. The class worked together to come up with ideas for our writing and individually wrote up their work. 

I’m really proud of everyone for their fantastic attitude to learning.  It’s great to see pupils using their skills from English lessons in PSHE! Miss Ifould will be proud! 

Odd Sock Day

 Odd Sock Day

This year, as part of Anti-Bullying Week, the school community participated in Odd Sock Day.

The wearing of odd socks symbolizes our individuality and differences and acceptance of those. 

Below are a few examples of the socks on display.

New Forest walk with 3LBH

 3LBH had a great time today exploring Bramshaw Woods in the New Forest. As we explored the area we were looking at different types of trees and animals habitats. We even examined how a stream had formed. We measured the temperature and today the water was a cold 11 degrees Celsius!

As we explored the area, we were lucky enough to find come across mushrooms, a birds nest and even some animal bones! We talked about the importance of not disturbing nature and not to pick anything in the forest, especially if they did not know what it was. 

The boys were really good at helping each other out as they had to negotiate different terrains. They even started to build their own dam after seeing some further downstream. 

The boys ended the session having great fun splashing around in the water. What a super trip, well done 3LBH.  

 

Theatre for Life Visit

Today we had a visit from Theatre for Life which is an arts organisation working with marginalised groups, NHS, mental health charities, educational providers & the wider community through specialist creative and health programmes.

22 of our pupils joined together in the hall for a production of ‘Your brain explained’. The play brings together the use of theatre and neuroscience, it explores a world of mindless phone scrolling, sleepless nights, and an inability to concentrate in school, all of which contribute to higher levels of anxiety and poor lifestyle choices. 

The play supports the PSHE, Wellbeing HH5 and Science curriculum in school by candidly discussing brain health, specifically capturing the character Charlie's inner sense of restlessness and his potential ADHD diagnosis. It was an opportunity to highlight the importance of supporting those living with dementia, which was weaved into the story of Charlie and his Aunty. 

According to Alzheimer's Research UK, simple adjustments to our lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of non-genetic dementia by 40%. "Your Brain Explained" offers an interactive glimpse into our brains, empowering us to make healthy choices for our future wellbeing. 

The pupils were all fantastic, getting involved and even pulling out a few dance moves! 

A big thank you to Theatre for life and the amazing actors and sound  engineers for today's performance. The set design and effects were fantastic! 

For more information visit 

www.theatreforlife.co.uk  

Healthy High 5 with 3HI and Mr.T

 During HH5 yesterday we had a lovely sports session with Mr. T-we are very glad he is back after being off with a poorly knee.

The boys really enjoy these sessions and Mr. T makes them work very hard (as you can see in one of the photos-he wears them out!)

Kickboxing and Muay Thai with 3HI for Wellbeing Wednesday

 On Wednesdays we have wellbeing after break. 3HI decided that we would take advantage of Mr. Bazire's kickboxing and Muay Thai knowledge.

We went out to the back of our classroom and learnt some moves! We are looking forward to doing this again soon-thanks Mr. Bazire!

Anti-Bullying Week

 

Anti-Bullying Week 2023: Make A Noise About Bullying

Anti-Bullying Week 2023 is coordinated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the Anti-Bullying Alliance. This year it has the theme 'Make A Noise About Bullying' and will take place from Monday 13th to Friday 17th November. The week will be kicked off with Odd Socks Day on Tuesday 14th November, where adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique. 

The Polygon School will be supporting Anti-Bullying Week from Monday 13th November! We will have dedicated time in PSHE lessons across the week a theatre group coming in to work with pupils on Monday afternoon, Odd Sock Day on Tuesday 14th, discussion throughout tutor time and lessons across the curriculum.     

Tuesday 14th November 2023

Each year, millions of people don their odd socks to raise awareness of bullying across the UK! 100s of workplaces take part along with some incredible celebrities including Ant and Dec, Emma Willis, Craig David, Annemarie and Sir Mo Farah. 

Odd Socks Day 2023 will take place to mark the start of Anti-Bullying Week 2023, on Tuesday 14th November. Watch out for Finn the dog joining in with his odd socks!