Over 1000 items collected for Wansbeck Food bank and families in the community.

12th December 2022Louise Gatti

Over 1000 items collected for Wansbeck Food bank and families in the community. Great team work from all Duke’s students, families and staff which showed great compassion for others, especially in these tough times. Staff from the food bank were genuinely overwhelmed by how much we collected and the van was full. Students from the Arc were a great help in organising and setting up the collection on the day. A huge thank you from Beacon staff.

Also

 

Christmas Jumper Day
Christmas jumper day will be on Wednesday 21st December. You can wear a christmas jumper/tshirt or top  and can make any donation you can give. Normal school uniform expectations apply so school trousers/skirts and school shoes please.
Year 7&8 Disco
Please remind groups that disco tickets are still on sale. To buy a ticket come to The Beacon at break or lunch. Tickets are £1.50.
Secret Santas
 These are selling fast so if any students or staff would like to buy one please come to The Beacon at break or lunch. They are £1.

National Online Safety – HiPal

7th December 2022Louise Gatti
A recent study by the Co-Op Foundation reported that 95% of children and young people admitted to occasionally feeling lonely. So it’s easy to understand how networking apps like HiPal – with the tempting lure of bucketloads of cool new people to befriend and interact with online – become hugely successful very quickly if they’re delivered well.

HiPal is indeed a competently assembled app in terms of usability and features – but (with no age verification system and an ineffective reporting tool) it does also sport some glaring omissions from a safeguarding perspective. Trusted adults should check out this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide for our full profile of this up-and-coming chat app.

 
HiPal is a trending social media app which turns phones into walkie-talkies, allowing people to have voice conversations with friends or strangers. There are two account options: one for users aged under 12 and one for those aged 12 or above. The former has fewer features and limits interaction with strangers; enabling use of the walkie-talkie feature or photo sharing with friends and family only. The 12+ accounts offer more options, including adding strangers as friends, sharing photos and videos publicly, send private messages and holding voice chats with strangers as well as friends.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as contact with strangers, dangerous challenges and intrusive features. 

National Online Safety – Social Media and Mental Health

30th November 2022Louise Gatti

An estimated one-third of children have a social media account, so it’s important that trusted adults know what content young people are consuming, what they’re posting and the interactions they’re having. On social media, it can be easy to go down a rabbit hole that isn’t beneficial to our wellbeing. As platforms grapple with managing ‘legal but harmful’ content, lives are being impacted – sometimes to tragic effect. We might be daunted by the scale of the tech giants and their content which enthrals young people, but we can still help children to be mindful of their mental wellness: recognising when something isn’t OK … and knowing what to do about content that upsets them.

In the guide, you’ll find tips such as how to hide content, setting daily limits and discussing what children have seen online.

Light Elite Trip

11th November 2022Louise Gatti
Our ‘Light Elite’ student winners enjoyed the inaugural rewards trip with a visit to see Ghostbusters: Afterlife at the Cineworld venue at The Gate, Newcastle.
Thank you to Mr Taylor for organising and the Duke’s staff team for embracing the use of Class charts points for LightElite.

WANSBECK VALLEY FOOD BANK COLLECTION

8th November 2022Louise Gatti

Dear Parents/Carers

Wansbeck Valley Food Bank Collection

The Beacon Team have chosen Wansbeck Valley Food Bank as the charity we would like to support this term. We have chosen them again as they are a local food bank that support many families in our area. Due to the current cost of living crisis, the support they offer is even more valuable. To help support them we are having a collection of goods. This can include things like long-life foods, tinned products, toiletries and items we may buy over Christmas such as, boxes of biscuits, puddings, Christmas crackers or chocolates etc.

If you feel you can help this worthwhile cause, please send any donations into school with your child. Donations can be handed to their form teacher. Please can all donations be at school by the morning of 8th December 2022.

If you have any queries or would like to know more about how you can support or how to access support from the food bank, please get in touch with your child’s Head of Year.

You can also contact Wansbeck Valley Food Bank directly on 07841 908477 or by email on
wansbeckvalleyfoodbank@gmail.com Referrals can also be made via GPs or Socia Services.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
Andrea Henderson and The Beacon Team