Friday 5th March 2021
Our planning has been finalised for the return of our students next week and staff are very excited to see our wonderful students in class. Our risk assessment has been updated and a new version is available on the website under our Statutory Information.
All staff have been working on site for the last few days and predominantly teaching again from their classrooms. Staff have completed their lateral flow tests this week and we have welcomed some students back today to have their tests. Most students should have received their allocated appointment time to arrive in college on Monday or Tuesday. If this is not the case, please do email office@salisbury6c.ac.uk and we will address this quickly.
We know that most students are really looking forward to returning and establishing good routines again in both their learning and social interactions in the community. For others it may feel quite an anxious time, but I want to reassure all students that we are here to support their return and help with concerns they have.
I think parents/carers will agree that our staff have been exceptional in their care and support through lockdown and I would like to publicly thank them for not only working to keep college routines as normal as possible, but also the time they have selflessly given to our young people that have needed extra support and care. I’m incredibly proud of our team.
If your family routine is similar to mine, it will be refreshing to discuss on the weekend what the plans are for the week ahead, and for us to have exciting news to share.
Best regards,
Louise
Vice Principal
Life Skills Programme – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead
This week, tutors met online with all students for a live session to prepare them for return to college – including information on testing, lessons next week, and wellbeing.
We have updated the Covid-19 section on Information Classroom with various representations of the roadmap so that everyone knows exactly what they can do when, and the rationale behind this.
With the easing of lockdown on the horizon (a timely reminder to all of us that most restrictions are still firmly in place, and must remain so until safe) we felt it timely to share details for the excellent Frank website. Our message to students is that drug use is not safe, and therefore, risks can never be fully managed. However, rather than closing the topic down, we would like students to be well informed and actively engaged in educating themselves. This website includes very level headed, fact based information on drug use. They also offer a free 24/7 anonymous helpline for young people, friends, parents/carers and can answer questions and concerns. https://www.talktofrank.com/
Pastoral Update
We have shared a link to a free online guided self help programme to help manage anxiety – it is open access and so may be of use for parents/carers – it is not only young people who sometimes find anxiety overwhelming. If students would like help working through the self help material, then they can contact the Pastoral Lead or their tutor. https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mental-health/mental-health-self-help-guides/anxiety-self-help-guide
Humanities Faculty Update – Sally Tye, Faculty Lead for Humanities
Over the past 6 years we have participated in an incredible project which is hugely important to the development of our young people- The ‘lessons from Auschwitz’ project. Over the years it has provided an opportunity for a number of our staff and students to not only hear direct testimony from a holocaust survivor but also visit the camps in Poland. This year unfortunately students will not be able to travel to Poland but 4 students will be taking part in the project through a series of seminars. This will be the last generation to hear about the holocaust from those who lived through it – an incredible experience for our young people. As part of the project they will have a responsibility to educate others about what they have learnt in the hope that such tragic events will never be repeated. Look out for their ‘next steps’ project in the coming weeks!
STEM Faculty Update – Kirsty White, Faculty Lead for STEM
Congratulations to our students who have been awarded a place with Great Western Hospitals for online work experience. They will mainly be focusing on Clinical Psychology, healthcare, nursing and midwifery. The placements were extremely competitive so a huge well done to these students for achieving a place! The students are: Hannah Coleman, Isabelle Richardson, Francesca Lloyd, Megan Cowdrey, Ella McGrail and Imogen Primmer. We look forward to hearing about their experiences and what they have gained from it. As part of National Careers Week, we are encouraging all of our students to start considering work experience – speak to your subject teachers if you need more guidance!
Creative Faculty Update – Rich Eno, Faculty Lead for Creative
Students in our Software Design and Development course are designing an application that S6C can use for future students to look up courses, then champion the best designs to take forward to the senior team and Student Union. In doing this, they are learning how to work in a team and utilise best practices and techniques for online collaboration, design and development that are used in large corporations such as Google, Apple and Microsoft.
Esports continues to attract new students to start their exciting new course in September 2021. Staff are busy planning for students to learn many different skills to work in this expanding industry, such as marketing, coaching, nutrition, event management and starting a business. Students will also get the opportunity to take part in the British Esports Association UK wide tournaments.