The Flagpole

It is great to be able to share news of pupils' co-curricular successes outside of school.

Year 8, Mia Petrucci regularly volunteers for the charity Zoe's Place and before Christmas she roped in her friend, Year 8, Delilah Teeton, to help with a collection before and after a Wasps game. Between them the girls raised £1,250 for Zoe's Place Baby Hospice. The charity like many was hit hard in the pandemic and we were very impressed to hear about Mia and Delilah's fundraising. Well done to both girls!

Then Year 10, Thomas Smith, Year 9, Andrea Zanyi, and, Year 7, Thomas Zanyi are all members of the Warwickshire Regional Youth Orchestra. As such, they had the privilege of attending a weekend course in early January, in partnership with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. NYO’s Associate Conductor, Lee Reynolds, both conducted and led the course, while NYO students took charge of the sectionals. The focus was on 'creativity'. At the end of two very enjoyable days the following pieces were performed to an audience in the Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre:

• A fully improvised piece called Wave
• The premiere of Jigsaw; an uplifting piece including recorded electronic sections, composed during lockdown by Dani Howard, who is a member of NYO
• A jazz version of Auld Lang Syne created by the weekend course attendees
• Boléro by Maurice Ravel, classical version

Well done to them all!

Please continue to prioritise signing off your volunteering, physical and skill sections. The majority have already completed their award in full. Guidance can be found on a DofE Completion email sent to you and your parents, the advice documents below are also available on MySchoolPortal.

For help, please refer to this eDofE Completion Guide and the Electronic Assessor Report Guide. You may also find it useful to refer to the Temporary Changes Summary or Gold Temporary Changes Summary documents.

The DofE drop in clinic continues next term on Tuesday lunch 1 LF01 and 2 LG02. The Certificate Presentation Evening takes place on Thursday 17 February 2022.

Will Bower 
Head of Outdoor Education – DofE Manager 

Well done to those who met the first deadline and submitted their eDofE programme planners by Tuesday 14 December. Please check to see if your selections have been approved and whether any further information is required. You can now start logging your hours. 

For those still finalising their activities, please complete the following steps as soon as possible so you can get started on your award.

• Download the DofE app or find www.edofe.org
• Login using the username and password sticker on your folder
• Update your personal details
• Set timescales (for example at bronze physical 6, volunteering 3 and skill 3 months)
• Complete programme planners for the physical, volunteering and skill sections. Please make sure you speak to your potential assessor to ask permission before you upload the details
• Submit your ‘programme planners’ online to your DofE Leader for approval. Once approved you can start your award.

As a reminder to Y10 Silver participants, the expedition training is fast approaching: 

Year 10 Silver Training - Saturday 29 January 9am-4pm and Sunday 30 January 2022, 9am-1pm

Pupils have been excused from their sports fixtures as this training takes precedence. We will meet in the Limes Atrium for registration. Please arrive promptly so that we can divide up into expedition groups for the training. Please bring a packed lunch and some snacks plus a pen, note pad and your DofE folder. You may wear sensible casual clothes. A coat and suitable outdoor footwear will also be useful. This mandatory training forms a vital part of the planning and preparation for the expedition section of the award. I very much look forward to seeing you there.

Will Bower 
Head of Outdoor Education – DofE Manager