Blog w/c 28^th Feb 2022

Hi Everyone,

I hope that you all had a restful holiday; I know I was certainly ready for a break.

I would like to welcome you all back into school for the second half of the Spring term and remind you that we will be running a full calendar of extra-curricular activities, including sporting fixtures, so hopefully, it will be business as usual. It is also worth noting that we are mindful, as always, of the potential of Covid to interrupt our plans, but our aim is to deliver another half term that is packed with all of the things we would hope for and that you have come to expect.

Ukraine Appeal

As I’m sure you will have seen on the news, we are in the midst of a terrible crisis in Eastern Europe as a result of President Putin sending the Russian forces in to invade Ukraine on a scale not seen since the end of the Second World War. It is almost unbelievable that in 2022, we are witnessing horrific, unprovoked warfare at the hands of a dictator; this state of affairs is chillingly similar to the actions of Hitler in the late 1930s.

So what can we do that may be of practical help? As always, Blacon High School was very quick to respond and, thanks to the generosity of the community, we were able to gather a significant quantity of clothing, toiletries and other useful necessities that will be transported directly to where it is needed most.

Thank you for all your help and generosity, it's overwhelming how much we managed to collect in such a short period of time.

Shakespeare Schools Festival

It was a welcome return to the theatre for our Performing Arts students who were treading the boards once again at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton before half term for the Shakespeare Schools Festival.

Because of Covid, most of the other local schools had withdrawn from the festival as they had been unable to prepare anything in advance. However, with the indubitably enthusiastic Mrs Salisbury at the helm, the Year 10 and 11 students from Blacon High School worked really hard against all of the odds to prepare two stunning performances: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Macbeth’.

Despite not being surrounded by representatives other schools, our students were still able to create their own ‘buzz’ in front of an audience of parents, staff and governors.

Well done on a brilliant achievement.

Mrs Salisbury added:

Our talented Year 10 and Year 11 Performing Arts students performed in the Shakespeare Schools Festival on 15th February at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.  Year 10 created tension and heightened emotions with their bloody and supernatural performance of Macbeth, while Year 11 took the audience on a magical journey through the woods, with the help of fairies and glow sticks, as they presented the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream through dance, storytelling and comedy.  Mrs Salisbury was delighted with the performances and extremely proud of our students, who showed great resilience and pride in representing our school in their first public performance in two years.  In recognition of their hard work, excellent grades and professionalism in working in a national theatre, our creative performers were all rewarded with a Domino's after-show pizza party.

Antarctica

As you will remember from the Blog a few weeks ago, Mr Robert’s Geography students designed flags to raise awareness and highlight the some of the potential impacts of climate change. Here is a photograph of the fantastic design by Ellie Green that has now reached Antarctica.

Well done Ellie.

And finally…

As you are all aware, all restrictions about the wearing of face masks in public places have now been lifted, but if students want to continue to wear a mask in school, this is fine. Obviously, things may change again in relation to infection rates, and we will keep you informed with any updates. At the time of writing, we have several members of our school community, both students and staff who have tested positive and are isolating; this is still the advice from the local authority in a school setting. It is worth noting that there were more than 42,000 new cases of Covid reported in the UK yesterday, so we still have some way to go and we should continue to take sensible precautions.

Obviously, we will be governed by the latest advice and the health and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority.

Best wishes and stay safe.