Oriel  were very privileged to be able to take 111 students to see Dick Whittington at The Gorleston Pavilion at the beginning of the week. This was the first performance of the season for the actors and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The students and staff were kept entertained throughout the 2 hour show and everyone was bursting with excitement all the way back to school.

This trip would not have been possible if it hadn’t  been for local company- ’Seajacks’ , the very kind offer of funding for the transport to and from the pantomime meant we could offer our students a very reduced price for the trip.

We would like to thank them very much for their generosity. We would also like to thank the staff at the Pavillion Theatre for making us all laugh and cheer.

Wow – thank you to everyone who attended the first Parents’ Forum group meeting last week – it was one of the greatest occasions of my eleven years at Oriel – and thank you to those of you who asked your families to attend. We talked about a whole range of ways of working together to improve the school – and it was all about making your lives better and your ‘learning journey’ a more seamless one. I was privileged to meet a group of really positive people who are willing to give up some of their precious time to help.

One of the things we discussed was the possibility of Oriel becoming an Academy and the opportunities it would bring us as a community – it’s not something you should be afraid of – it would bring us a greater range of resources and ensure that others ‘sign up’ officially to support the school and champion you as learners and achievers. We talked about:

• Our uniform – and how we can help you to look (and behave) in a more business-like fashion (yes – those of you who wear blazers and ties look VERY smart)
• Inviting local business representatives in to see the school and perhaps participate in lessons with you (they’ll be your potential future employers)
• Having regular family events held at the school like a 50/50 auction, Summer Fun Day, a sports event with parents, teachers and students competing against one another (eek), charity cricket matches, car boot sales, social events like quiz nights etc etc
• Setting the school website as your ‘homepage’ at home – so your families can access news at the touch of a button – and don’t forget to set it to orielhigh.org.uk

It was super to meet everyone – and I’m very much looking forward to the next one!

Whilst I’m writing, I have to say, where were you, Year 11? I really need to see anyone interested in a Year 11 Class of 2010 Yearbook! Come and see me at lunchtimes next week if you want to be part of the committee – it won’t take up much of your valuable revision time and you’ll get a say in how you want it to look……

Well, all that remains is to wish you all a wonderful Christmas (we ARE open on Friday 18th – and you MUST be there). Please look after one another and make sure that you spend some time revising if you have exams coming up!

Last week was wonderful in many ways – and we should all consider how fortunate we are in every small way. I had a super time observing you working during the Faculty Review of English and ICT. It was a privilege to watch you all working so hard in such a variety of lessons. I was amazed to learn how far we have progressed as a school in the level of technology we’re using in the classroom – some of you spoke to me about how you really like being able to access your work and tutorials for some subjects from home – this is super! Our VLE will continue to grow – make sure you show your parents what you’re achieving when you use it! They’ve received the homework letter, so no excuses about not writing it down!

Some Year 11 students spoke to me last week about how keen they are to have a Year Book – and I think we’ll be able to have one. By the time you read this, we should have set up a small Year Book Committee to have a say in how it should look and how we’ll get input from everyone…. The representative who came to meet me showed me some lovely examples (they’re in the conference room if you’d like to see them). Also, I’d like to say ‘well done’ to the Year 11 students who are coming to see myself, Connexions and Miss Bircham to get their college applications in by Christmas – we’re running the same thing this week – and next. I hope you’re finding it useful!

This week sees our next group of Year 10 students travelling over to Greshams in Holt for a residential – I really hope you enjoy your time there – and I also hope your teachers have given you tonnes of homework for ‘prep’ time! The staff at Greshams are excited to be working with you and Miss Haddleton has worked hard to create a very special partnership – I’m very grateful for the opportunities it brings you.

I spent the evening at Greshams on Thursday to meet with the Headmaster and his team before a performance of their Christmas play ‘Nicholas Nickleby’. Those of you who are studying Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’ won’t be surprised to learn that it’s another tale in which Dickens asks us to remember to treat one another as equals – and consider those less fortunate than ourselves – an excellent message for the whole year – not just Christmas! It makes me think of a poignant message I saw on a classroom wall last week: ‘Work hard and be kind to one another’ – never a truer word spoken!

We would like to apologise for the issues experienced with the Oriel website over the past few days. The issue has been resolved and we are resuming normal service. There have been some minor fixes and improvements to the page so everything will run smoother and better than before.

Again we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused and hope you stay posted for all the latest news and information available through our website.