At Turves Green Boys’ School, we believe that instilling healthy habits and promoting physical fitness is essential for the overall well-being of our students. Our after-school fitness sessions offer a dynamic and engaging environment where our pupils can cultivate a love for fitness. These sessions encompass a range of activities, including the use of assisted weight machines and cardio exercises, all aimed at highlighting the importance of fitness for young individuals.

Physical fitness plays a crucial role in the holistic development of children in their secondary school years. Engaging in regular exercise not only improves physical health but also enhances mental well-being, self-confidence, and academic performance. By participating in our fitness sessions, students develop lifelong habits that promote a healthy lifestyle and equip them with the tools to manage stress effectively. Moreover, physical fitness fosters discipline, perseverance, and teamwork, which are essential skills for success both inside and outside the classroom.

Participating in our fitness sessions offers students numerous benefits that extend beyond physical fitness. Regular exercise helps students manage their weight, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and promotes healthy growth and development. It also fosters a positive body image and boosts self-confidence. Furthermore, these sessions create a supportive and inclusive environment, encouraging teamwork, camaraderie, and sportsmanship among students.

We are proud of our students' commitment and enthusiasm in participating in these fitness sessions. Their dedication to personal growth and well-being is inspiring, and we are confident that the skills they acquire will serve them not only during their time in secondary school but also in their future endeavours.

We are currently providing a range of support to our Y11 pupils who are interested in pursuing an apprenticeship after school. Our pupils have recently had bespoke application support for the BMW apprenticeship scheme and our pupils will continue to receive guidance from Mr Tehan, as they progress through the process. We also had representatives from Samuel Taylor Ltd and Collins Aerospace join us on Thursday 1^st February to talk pupils through the application process, as well as hearing from some current apprentices.

Year 7 are currently working on religious stories about creation. In their lesson this week they were asked to create a story board explaining the main six days of the Christian Creation story. This is an example from Jensen Mahoney. Well done, Jensen.

At Turves Green Boys’ School, we prioritise the wellbeing of our pupils, with a strong emphasis on supporting their emotional and mental health. This week, we had the privilege of hosting a representative from Kooth who conducted assemblies for all our pupils, placing special emphasis on addressing and managing examination stress for our Key Stage 4 pupils.

Kooth serves as a valuable resource dedicated to supporting young people. Functioning as an online platform, it offers a secure and confidential space for young people to access mental health and wellbeing support. Through Kooth, individuals can connect with a team of qualified counsellors who are available to engage in conversations about their concerns and challenges. Whether facing stress, anxiety, or other emotional issues, Kooth is specifically designed as a supportive environment where young people can express themselves openly. Additionally, the platform provides informative articles and forums covering various mental health topics, fostering a community that promotes understanding and connection.

Kooth strives to empower young individuals by offering accessible and timely mental health support.

Kooth

On Friday 26^th January the Year 10 Drama Btec group were very lucky to have the opportunity to work with Karen Benjamin a Senior Lecturer in Drama at Gloucester University.

She worked with them on devising scenes. This involves a collaborative process where pupils use their creativity to develop original content based on a theme or text. When working with Year 10 pupils on "Blood Brothers," encouraging them to devise scenes allows them to interpret the play and express their perspectives. This process not only hones their creative thinking but also nurtures their ability to work in a team. The workshop was not only and excellent opportunity for the boys to work on their drama skills but they were also able to ask questions to a professional performer about how to access the Performing Arts world as a professional Actor.

This week we have launched our brand new reading rewards vending machine. Our book vending machine is stocked with a mixture of our ‘16 by 16’ reading challenge and books chosen by our Warhammer and Alliance clubs. Our aim is to promote reading for pleasure for all pupils in all years. This week’s winners chose ‘Shoe Dog’, the biography of the founder of Nike, ‘Touching the Void’, a real-life story of danger and discovery and most popular of all ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’!

Pupils will have an opportunity via their reading ambassadors to select texts to go in the ending machine as prizes

Pupils can be awarded tokens for achieving success across the school. This week’s winning choices were for:

Most improved attitude in Year 11 C Z Wilson

Supporting Indoor Athletics Year 10 A Moulton

Promotion of the Allies Club Y9

Excellence in PE: R Brown

Winning 3 events in Indoor Athletic Y7 Leyton Timmins

Highest Score in Accelerated Reading for their year group: Y7 Praise O Y8 D Conceicaao Y9 S Scott

½ million, 1 million word reader: Y8 D Conceicaao

Most Accelerated tests taken: Y7 K Deady Y8 L Jaison Y9 M Osman

Turves Green Boys’ School played host to the local indoor athletics competition on the 25^th January 2024. Year 7 and 8 teams from a number of schools came together to compete in both track and field events. In a thrilling display of athleticism, our Year 8 students emerged victorious, showcasing their prowess and team spirit!

The Year 8 team dominated various events, including sprints, relays, and field events, securing the top spot in the overall standings. Their exemplary teamwork and individual achievements stood out, earning them well-deserved praise from both teachers and competitors alike.

While Year 8 celebrated their triumph, the Year 7 team put up a valiant effort, narrowly missing out on the top spot. Despite facing stiff competition, the younger students demonstrated remarkable skill and determination. Their performance hinted at a promising future in later competitions.

The Indoor Athletics Competition served as a platform for young talents to showcase their abilities and foster a sense of sportsmanship among the students. Both Year 7 and Year 8 athletes received applause for their sportsmanship, resilience, and commitment to excellence.

Such skills were also shown by our Year 10 leaders who gave up their time to run the event. After some training by the lead organiser, they took the reins and orchestrated a wonderful competition.

The Year 8 team now look forward to the next round where they will face off against schools from across the whole West Midlands region.

This week in science, year 9 pupils have been learning all about space and our solar system. Today, as part of their revision lesson for their upcoming end of module test, the pupils were trying to understand just how huge the distance is between us and Neptune and why this would cause a delay in communications if we were sending messages to each other.