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Darland High School students benefit from Wrexham-based Industry Leader

The internationally renowned Canadian company TC Transcontinental, has joined forces with Darland High School in an exciting new phase of the school’s journey.

Mr Chris Reed Vice President of Global Operations at Transcontinental Advanced Coatings is based at the company’s Wrexham site. In a recent visit he brought with him a supply of state of the art laptops that the company have kindly donated to the school.

Mr Reed explained that TC Transcontinental have made a global pledge ”between 2019 and end of 2021, to donate $5M in financial contributions, goods and services to organisations, projects and programmes that support the communities in which we operate!” Over recent years the company has worked supporting many Wrexham organisations including Wrexham Foodbank and The National Trust at Erddig.

Mr Reed described the ethos behind the company “The company which was founded in Montreal in 1976 by Remi Marcoux, Claude Dubois and Andre Kingsley, still holds onto the same system of ethics and their commitment to the communities in which they operate. Over 40 years later they are still a great company to work for. Isabelle Marcoux, daughter of our founder who is now Chair of the Board, and President and CEO Francois Oliver continue to foster the same Canadian family values that were instilled at the beginning. This includes its commitment to the communities in which it operates, and that is what we are doing today with the donation of these laptops”.

The UK site based in Wrexham engineers and manufactures a number of high-tech specialist coating-products. “Many people aren’t aware that these coatings exist, but they have a vital role in many modern technologies. For example, we manufacture a coating which prevents glass shattering into tiny pieces on impact which has significant health and safety advantages in homes and industry” explained Mr Reed.

Headteacher, Joanne Lee said “This is an exciting time for Darland High School, we are delighted to receive these laptops and thank Mr Reed and the company for the donation. The laptops will be provided to families to support with pupil learning over the long-term”.

Mr Owens-Jones, a senior member of staff responsible for transition and community links said “We are very excited to develop links with TC Transcontinental, our students will benefit from many exciting opportunities. Our primary-careers programme and our community programmes will be further strengthened with input of an international company of this stature”.

TC Transcontinental and Darland High School will be working together on Careers projects, work experience placements and community events.

Open Evening Showcase

First video in our Showcase series is now Live

NOW WATCH OUR WELSH LANGUAGE VERSION!

Darland 2020: The journey starts here

Darland 2020: The Journey Starts Here

Hello and welcome to Darland High Schools open event.  Throughout the month of October we will be releasing information about Darland High School and how you can join us!

Please register your interest by clicking the link below

Darland 2020: The journey starts here.

Year 10 Summer Exams 2020

Please see the latest guidance from Qualifications Wales

Year 10 learners 

Year 10 learners who were due to sit exams that would have led to a whole GCSE qualification this summer will be issued a grade following the same process as Year 11 learners. Teacher assessed grades and other evidence will be used to calculate a grade. 

Year 10 learners who were due to sit units that will lead to GCSE results next summer, will not receive a unit result. For those learners, there will be two options. They can choose to sit only the units they plan to take in summer 2021, with their overall GCSE grade calculated on the basis of that performance only. 

Alternatively, they can choose to sit the Year 10 units in summer 2021, along with Year 11 units. Whichever option a learner chooses, they will be awarded the best grade from either route. 

 

Darland High School will update this page as we receive more information.

School Counselling Information

Outside-In (school counselling service) runs a drop-in service every Tuesday 10am to 12pm at the Info shop (Lambpit Street, Wrexham), although this may change with the Government’s coronavirus precautions.

Young people can contact the Info shop to make a referral for counselling on 01978 295600.  Also on the ‘Young Wrexham‘ and ‘Childline‘ websites, there is information and support available.

You can follow Young Wrexham on Twitter and Facebook to find out whats happening in Wrexham.

GCSE Certificates 2019

If your child has an older sibling who left last summer and has not collected their GCSE certificates please send them to the school office on Wednesday 15th January to collect them.

Thank you

Darland Book Drive

Please help us reach our target of 1000 donated books before the start of 2020.

We are appealing for any gently used books you may have at home, that could be donated to our school library, for other students to enjoy – this includes all fiction, non-fiction and biographies.

No donation is too small and will help us stock our library, and ensure our pupils can enjoy as much reading as possible.

Stargazing in the Stardome

On Thursday 7th November, Techniquest Glyndwr brough their Stardome to Year 7. This was a great experience of discovery for them and they all enjoyed the presentation and learnt about the solar system, planets and the stars.

“The stardome was an immersive, and out of this world experience which helped students understand our galaxy and star constellations.  Students found entering the dome an experience in itself let alone being transported to Saturn and beyond and seeing the constellation illustrated in the dome”.

By Joshua Renouf 7A and Sanuka Kudaligama 7A

 

 

 

A Riveting Read

My Name is O
By Sam Enthoven

Review by Charlie Chowdhury 8L

Do you ever get the feeling that your life isn’t your own?

That everything you do, or everything you ever can do, has been chosen for you already?

That it was all planned out before you were born?

I have news for you… It’s true.

I highly  recommend the book ‘My Name is O’ because of it’s suspense storyline about the secret of earth.  I feel this book is more for teenagers than children because of it’s darker tone.  I like this book because not only is it a spy like storyline but it makes you feel like your the only one on earth who has ever read it.  Its intense and has a ruined relationship between a mother and child and always makes you think what next?

O is on a mission… Are you?

 

Restart a Heart

On Wednesday 16th October pupils from Year 7 participated in the National Restart a Heart Day.  The aim of the day was to train as many young people as possible with the knowledge of how to save a life and to empower a new  generation of life savers.   Darland has participated in this annual event for several years and were fortunate enough to receive the full Re-start a Heart pack including approx. 25 mannequins courtesy of the British Heart Foundation to enable ongoing training.

Special thanks to Andy and Mandy from the Ambulance Service, who spent the morning with our pupils.

 

Bird Box Project Takes Flight

A project aimed at connecting more young people with wildlife and encouraging them to engage with nature has been launched in North Wales.  Year eight science students got to make bird feeders and local MP Ian Lucas was given a bird box to put up in the school grounds to mark the roll-out of the UK-wide bird box education project into Wales. 

BASC’s project aims to connect young people with wildlife by helping them put up their own birdboxes and watching the results. The birdboxes highlight BASC’s commitment to conservation and education.  Darland High School follows a number of other schools around the rest of the UK who have put up birdboxes and learnt about the types of birds that will potentially call the box their home.

BASC-branded bird boxes have also been given to MPs from a range of parties during visits from BASC political officers aimed at improving engagement and discussing conservation projects in their areas.

 Sian Smith, BASC’s political officer for Wales, said: “We are thrilled to be working with staff and pupils at Darland on this wildlife project which highlights our contribution to conservation.

“As well as aiding conservation efforts, the initiative aims to connect more young people with wildlife by helping them engage with nature by making and putting up their own feeders and birdboxes.

“This year BASC has taken part in several school visits around the country to further our outreach and discuss how shooting and conservation go hand-in-hand.

J. Lee – Headteacher added “We are very excited to be leading on this project. Darland High School is the perfect school for such an initiative, our extensive green site hosts a vast number of different species of birds. To have the opportunity to work with the team from BASC is important. It not only enthuses pupils about conservation, but teaches them scientific skills and techniques that are used in the industry. Our Science team have today launched the project, which will be headed up by Science teacher Katherine Roberts and further supported by Kate Green (Head of Faculty). However we hope to widen the influence of the initiative by engaging more faculties, especially as we move toward a more collaborative curriculum with the changes up and coming in the Welsh Education System. We will be posting progress updates on the school’s Twitter account, and I will be watching with enthusiasm as the project develops. Pupils were thrilled to meet with Ian Lucas our MP and show off what they had learnt”

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