A Strong Start to 2023
We’re through the first half-term of 2023 and we already have so much to celebrate. If you haven’t noticed yet, our school is used as a main location in the latest series of Happy Valley and our students had the opportunity to feature as extras. We’ve seen student leaders across the Trust come together and collaborate on ideas. Our sports teams have been kicking up a storm. Keep reading for all the latest goings on at Ryburn.
Banner Artwork: Evie wyatts year 10
Happy Valley Series 3
If you’ve been watching ‘Happy Valley’ you may have noticed Ryburn featured as a key location. Not only that but our very own students were able to feature as extras or supporting roles in the show. You may even notice a few of our staff too.
This isn’t Ryburn’s first time on our screens though. The school and students have also featured in ‘Ackley Bridge’ and we took centre stage for CBBC’s ‘Our School’. Our students have also achieved roles themselves in shows such as ‘Gentleman Jack’, ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ and ‘The Crown’.
We’re proud of the opportunities we can provide for our students and of the initiative, they show to go out and seize these chances on their own. We hope you’ve all been enjoying the latest gripping series of ‘Happy Valley’ as much as we have.
Alumni Feature: Caitlin Kirby
It’s great finding out what our students go on to achieve following their journeys here at Ryburn. This half term we got to speak amazing Caitlin Kirby. A student of both Ryburn and Ryburn Sixth, Caitlin studied Computer Science at GCSE all the way to A-Level and is now working as a Graduate Software Engineer for the BBC in Media City. Click here for the full interview and links to BBC early opportunities.
Points mean Pizza
Our reward system has seen students piling up points. This half-term we decided to treat students with lots of points in each year group to pizza, for all of their hard work and efforts. Keep up the good work everyone.
Ambassador residential
Our Student Ambassadors work very hard on all kinds of projects for the school and are always helping out at the many events we hold. During the residential trip this year, they took part in team-building activities, a zip wire, an escape room and a murder... mystery party. It was great to see Ambassadors in different year groups working together and building relationships. Everybody had a fantastic time.
We recruit for new Ambassadors every year so keep an eye out for our recruitment post and let us know why you would make a fantastic Student Ambassador.
We are the Champions
Our Year 7 Girls team are doing brilliantly. At the beginning of January, they became the West Yorkshire Schools FA Champions. At the end of the tournament, their points were tied with Minsthorpe, but due to their fantastic results in the league, they claimed the championship title.
Our Year 9 Girls Rugby team have also been performing brilliantly. They recently Calderdale Schools Rugby League Champions and will now go on to represent Calderdale in the Yorkshire Cup after half-term. Good luck girls!
Just Keep pedalling
Elsie, in Year 7, recently appeared on BBC Look North for her participation in the Yorkshire Cyclocross Series. Elsie is a true inspiration to students with a strong work ethic both in and out of the classroom and says that cyclocross is a sport for everyone "no matter who you are". Click here for the full news post and video.
Student leadership collaboration
Ambassadors and Senior Students from Ryburn and Brooksbank came together for a morning of discussion and collaboration. Together they shared ideas for Student Leadership with the hopes to spread them across the Together Learning Trust.
children’s mental health week
The week commencing February 6 has been Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme this year is ‘Let’s Connect’. We arranged for students to take part in introductory sign language sessions which they all really engaged with. What a fantastic skill for students to learn that can help them communicate with others.
We have also started running Wellbeing Wednesday sessions for students at lunch times. This is a safe space where students can have a conversation with one of our Wellbeing Team and find out about useful resources that promote positive mental health and wellbeing.
Ryburn Sixth Spreading the Love
Ryburn Sixth have been spreading the love for Valentine’s Day. They’ve brought back their cupid delivery service where students could pay to send a rose and a note to their friends and loved ones. The team had a lot of deliveries to make which is a fantastic example of how our students show kindness to one another. The grand total raised was £105 and this will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.
Students also hosted a rom-com movie night to raise money for the Year 13 Prom. Students could buy tickets and get discounts if they came as a pair. The film shown was Bridget Jones’s Diary and everyone in attendance had a lovely evening.
Finally, our Ryburn Sixth Community Outreach Group has been busy hand-making Palentine and Valentine cards to deliver to our local care home. What a thoughtful thing for our students to do for members of the community. They’re always making us really proud.
Ryburn alumni we want you!
If you studied at Ryburn then we would love to hear from you and find out what you are doing now. We want to start showcasing more of what our students have gone on to achieve following their time at Ryburn and post regular features. Get in touch at publish@rvhschool.co.uk.
Upcoming Dates:
Thursday 23 February: Year 11 Ryburn Sixth Interviews
Friday 24 February: Year 11 Ryburn Sixth Interviews
Friday 24 February: Careers Day
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If you have any feedback or suggestions for this newsletter, please feel free to email publish@rvhschool.co.uk.
You can also keep an eye on our social media channels for more frequent updates and stories.