SPRING 2013 NEWSLETTER CAPITAL BUILD WORKS I am delighted to inform parents that the new Post 16 Learning Resource Centre is now fully opened and available to Post 16 students. This fantastic new accommodation has a capacity for nearly 150 learners and provides them with a superb learning facility in which they can work independently and carry out research. Already many students have commented very favourably about the new facility. We also opened our new reception area in January with associated office and conference facilities. All visitors to the school must report to the new reception area which is clearly marked form the car park.
WWII VETERAN VISITS UNIFORMED SERVICES STUDENTS On Thursday 28 February, Mr Raymond Ellis, former South Notts Hussar, WWII veteran and retired Head Teacher of Kirkby Woodhouse Primary School, visited Ashfield School’s Uniformed Services students to share his experiences of the war and his daring escape from a Prisoner of War camp. Pictured are (left to right) Thomas Cotterill, Guy Jones, Ryan Wood, Mr Raymond Ellis, Sam Oates and Adam Minogue. Thomas commented, “The visit was eye opening, a real once in a lifetime opportunity and one of the best things I have experienced.” Julie Taylor (Asst Head of Vocational Education) said, “We were honoured by Ray’s visit; he is the complete embodiment of human kindness and a wonderful example of overcoming adversity without bitterness”. Ray’s visit was filmed to share with students in years to come.
CHRISTMAS MARKET SUCCESS On Friday 21st December Year 9 pupils held the first ever Ashfield School European Christmas Market. Pupils in year 9 spent the week making products for sale at the market and working on Christmas themed lessons t o do with organising and promoting the Market. The Market was a huge success with pupils from Year 7 – 10 visiting throughout the last day of term. As well as the products that students made in their Product Lessons which included decorations, cakes, biscuits and mince pies, there was a whole host of activities and games organised by other faculties including a Geography Santa hunt, a Science Quiz and an English and Maths Christmas Countdown. There were also steady hand games made by Post 16 Design students, a giant Snowman Target game, a Skiing Wii Challenge and an alcohol free Mulled Wine stall. Prizes for the games were donated by staff and given out at the prize grotto which was run by Post 16 Uniformed Services students. There were also charity stalls from Year 10 and Help for Heroes.
Page 1
Whilst the pupils were enjoying the events they were serenaded by Performing Arts staff and pupils playing a selection of Christmas tunes and entertained by a few festive staff members dressed as a Snowman and Santa Claus and his Elf! The Market was such a success that all stock sold out – in fact it sold so quickly that the French room had to be closed after just 2 hours leaving just the German and Spanish rooms open. This event was thoroughly enjoyed by all pupils and made a very festive end to the term. Thanks to all staff and pupils that supported the event.
YEAR 10 NETBALL SUCCESS For a team to remain undefeated locally since they formed in Year 7 shows they are something special. The Year 10 netball team ARE special. They have been Ashfield School Sports Partnership Champions for the last 3 seasons and the West Notts PE Association (i.e. District) Champions too. So, we decided it was time to venture into the big city (Nottingham!) to take on a tougher challenge. We entered the Nottingham Central Venue League which meant facing new, unknown opposition from all over Nottingham. We need not have doubted our prowess as, over 2 separate evenings at Fernwood School we achieved the following victories to qualify for the final: Ashfield V Bulwell Academy 24-1 Ashfield V Carlton le Willows 9-1 Ashfield V Fernwood 19-1 Ashfield V Bluecoat 10-3 After a very snowy journey back into Nottingham for the Final (not a patch on the 3 and 1/2 hours it took to get home!) we faced an extremely strong West Bridgford School team after a closely fought battle (and a couple of errors on our part!) we sadly lost by 1 goal (7-8) to finish runners up. However, we would have a chance for revenge in the County Tournament on February 27th. For the County Competition we travelled to Rushcliffe School to face some of the better teams in the County. After beating Bluecoat School 12-0 and The Newark Academy (The Grove School) 15-1 we faced our arch rivals, Nottingham Girls High School. Despite being 5-1 up at half time we managed to lose 8-7 (aaaargh!) so needed to win our next match against Rushcliffe School (who finished 3rd last year in our absence) to reach the semi finals. Undaunted we went on to win 15-1! This put us as runners up in our group to face the winners of the other group - West Bridgford! Time for revenge! After another closely fought game and some netball that made me want to cry I was so proud, we won....by 1 goal (sweet revenge!) This put us into the final to face the High School once again. Sadly we were unable to overcome our public school enemy in the Final but, as always, our team was amazing and the best advert for Ashfield School we could wish for in terms of both their conduct and standard of play. Wherever we go the girls are complimented on their good nature and sportsmanship. Massive congratulations must go to: Bethany Moore (TR) - Capt. Shelby Hague Sydney Alexander
Jessica Parnell Chloe Overfield (Year 9) Jessica Martin
Leah Stanley Louise Hale Megan Newby
Mrs Lyons
YEAR 10 BUSINESS ENTERPRISE TEAM A group of Year 10 Business Studies students put their theory knowledge to the test when they organised a cake sale in the Year 10 base on 13th December. They successfully sold over four hundred cakes and biscuits during the event, making £102 profit in the process. The group has decided that the proceeds will be donated to leukemia research. Congratulations and well done to all that were involved. Mr. Anderson
Page 2
MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS Well, what a busy term it has been for the Music Department. There has been some fantastic work produced in lessons and the enthusiasm and dedication of the students in extra-curricular activities is amazing. The Christmas Carol Service at St Wilfred’s was a big success. A good turn out gave the students the audience they deserved for all their hard work in rehearsing what was an exciting and varied festive programme of music. A massive thank you and well done to all involved, including staff, students and parents. We still have many spaces left for instrumental lessons. We currently offer lessons on the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, saxophone, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and percussion. We also have a wide variety of these instruments available to hire for a very small fee. If you would like more information please email
[email protected] or ask your son/daughter to pick up an application form from their music teacher. A polite reminder that if your son/daughter currently has instrumental lessons that fees for Autumn 2012 and Spring 2013 should now have been paid in full. Cheques should be made payable to Ashfield School. Thank you for all payments received so far. The Ashfield School Music sharing site for students’ work is up and running and is currently available for the following classes: 7HA1, 7HA3, 7CH1, 7CH3 and 7CO2, 9LM1 (Friday 3/4) and 9QM1 (Tuesday 2 / Thursday 5). We are hoping to have this site available to all from September 2013. To access the site, there is a link via the student portal, or alternatively go to ashfieldschoolmusic.wordpress.com. Passwords are given to the relevant classes in lessons. Students have really enjoyed and benefitted from being able to hear their work and share it with their friends online. All our extra-curricular ensembles are busy preparing for a variety of concerts and performance opportunities in the coming months including the Easter Music Showcase evening on Tuesday 19th March 2013 and a concert with international musicians at Kirkby Festival Hall on Thursday 4th July 2013. Concert band now has 25 regular members and is continuously recruiting new performers. Rehearsals are on Tuesday lunchtimes and are relaxed, fun and enjoyable. String group continues to rehearse on Friday lunchtimes with Miss Draycott. Ashfield School Vocal Ensemble is keeping busy with a variety of exciting concerts in the local area and has recently recruited several new members. Not a day goes by without some fantastic music being heard in the Music block. Thank you to all involved and please do come to see the students perform. Preparations are underway for the Ashfield School Vocal Ensemble tour to France in the summer (29th August to 2nd September 2013) following a very successful exchange with our French counterparts, Rêves D’Enfants, in November last year. It is absolutely fantastic to know that our students will be sharing their amazing musical talents internationally. Keep watching this space! Once again, a massive thank you to the Music Staff, instrumental teachers, students and parents/carers for their continued enthusiasm and support of the Music Department. Mr. T Atkins Head of Music
CLOTHES RECYCLING FOR THE BLUE LAMP FOUNDATION The Post 16 Uniformed Services students recently broke their previous record for clothes recycling. 900kg of clothing was collected, resulting in £450 for the Blue Lamp Foundation, a charity created by the late PC David Rathband which supports emergency personnel injured in the line of duty.
Page 3
UK MATHS CHALLENGE Supported by
In February, the following students took part in the UK Maths Challenge run by The University of Leeds and achieved either a Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate. Nationally, Bronze winners are in the top 40%, Silver winners are in the top 20% and Gold winners in the top 10%! These are fantastic results! GOLD AWARD WINNER – Shelby Hague Y10
SILVER AWARD WINNERS Y10
Y11
Sarah Baird Sydney Alexander Paige Kingston Callum Denby-Whitt Alexandra Spiby
Joseph Winsor Amber Truepenny Toby Rodgers Shannon Askew
BRONZE AWARD WINNERS Y9 Josie Mellor Jake Easom Cameron Chivers Eleanor Morley Thomas Ball
Y10 William Brown Michael Howlett Jacques Issartel Blaire Williams Emma Pratt Sarah Miles Bethany Moore Lewis Murdoch Taneesha Hill
Page 4
Y11 Kyle Harwood Georgia Maltby Danny Johnston Emily Renshaw Jessica Gill Christopher Colley Emily Hutchinson
AN EVENING OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE On Wednesday 19th December 2012 the school held its annual presentation evening in the main hall. The format of the evening was changed this year with the event resembling an Oscars evening where students were nominated and the winners announced on the night. It was a very formal occasion with reception drinks and black tie event which truly encapsulated the feel of ‘academic excellence’. The evening was about recognising, rewarding and celebrating the achievement of the Year 11 and Year 13 cohorts of 2012. In the weeks leading up to the event teachers across the school were asked to provide nominations and winners for the top performing students in their subjects, with these students being invited to attend the evening alongside their parents, staff and governors. The Year 11 and Year 13 student management teams were given special awards for their contributions to school life as a show of appreciation for all the hard work and commitment that they put in during their final year at Ashfield School. A special maths award in memory of former student Greg Bear was awarded for the very first time to James Taylor (Year 11) for his excellent achievement in Maths. Students achieving straight A*/A grades in all of their subjects were commended with individual awards recognizing the hard work, diligence and effort that they put in to achieve these phenomenal grades. Finally the student who achieved the best results for each year group was awarded with a special individual award for their academic excellence. In between awards being presented entertainment for guests was provided by members of the cast from the recent school production of Bugsy Malone, and the school vocal ensemble. The guest of honour for the evening was Assistant Chief Constable Ian Waterfield who presented the awards and gave a speech about achievement. It was a truly special and memorable evening for all of the parents, staff and students in attendance and the revamped occasion will be one that sits proudly in the Ashfield School calendar on an annual basis.
DRESSED UP FOR WORLD BOOK DAY A number of Ashfield school staff dressed up as characters from books to celebrate World Book Day (7th March) and raise money for charity.
Page 5
ASHFIELD PUBLISHED WRITERS The following students all won a nationwide competition we participated in within school to write a short story about travel using only 80 words. They are all going to be published in the compilation book of winners ‘Around the World in Eight Words’. We are getting some copies in for the school library so take the opportunity to read the hard work of our published authors. Student Cerys Smart Caitlin Ward Stephen Townsend Katie Swainson Laura Rowbottom Nathan Tearall Callum Wright Aaron Wagstaff Grace Oldham Chloe Singfield Kallum Walters Amy Torr Carlybeth Huxley Lauren Foster Nicholas Xiourouppas Joshua Foster
Tutor Group 9CO1 9HA2 9HA1 9CO2 9CO1 9CO1 8TH2 8TR3 8TH3 8TR2 8TR2 8TR3 8TR2 8TH2 9TH1 8TH1
Story Title The Wonderful Land The Untold Land The Windy Sea Alone Mysterious Land of Atlantis The Legend of Atlantis Smash, Bang, Pop Untitled The Triangle Journey Holding on Tight Potato! Wondering… The Man in the Dark A Haunted House Murder on the Plane Mysterious Place
ILLIFE THE CURE FOR WIND AT WHITTAKER Ashfield Post 16 rocked up to Joseph Whittaker at the 6th time of asking, postponements galore with snow and rain. Watson enlisted the help of West and Fox to put together the finest set of men since we won the Mansfield Cup one sunny day at Field Mill. Both Suarez and Brady Wright have scored in that goal, can’t believe I have typed that!!! The weather at Joseph Whittaker was slightly windy, in the Ashfield warm up the wind blew the metal goals on the 3G backwards 2 meters throwing Ryan Gwillim “the cat” off his stride! Watson’s team talk was very basic, win the toss play with the wind score and hang on for dear life. In true Ashfield spirit the pupils listened to none of that! Ashfield played well first half creating many chances for the hero Brady who failed to convert and then thwarted by the Whittaker keeper. West was spraying the ball about for fun with Woodhouse playing the lone striker well. Nunn at the back looked very confident, unlike his partner Jones who received an exorcet missile of a clearance to his private parts. Thank god Nunn forgot him and still cleared the ball from danger. 0 -0 half time. Second half, early goal conceded by Ashfield. Good work down the left, ball crossed in and the lively Whittaker forward prodded it home past the stranded Gwillim; Game over! Obviously Ashfield would struggle now. Whittaker would surely push on. NO!!!! Ashfield attacked and attacked, Fox playing triangles down the right balls in the box and pressure creating. Watson went 3 at the back and pushed more on. Ashfield defying the wind, hailstones and apocalyptic weather continued to attack. Illife won a free kick on the edge of the box and obliged with a Beckham-esque finish in the top corner. Extra time ; only one winner! Ashfield scored early again through Illife with a nice finsh. Surely the assault from Whittaker would ensue, no. A comfortable period. Second period Gwillim casually let one hit the bar and game over. A real smash and grab raid from Ashfield. Top result.
Page 6
BUDDY READERS Buddy Readers is a scheme which involves older students mentoring and supporting younger students with their reading. The younger students are paired with their buddy who they meet with once a week during tutor time in the library. Within this time they will do some reading together, choose suitable books and complete Accelerated Reader quizzes. The Buddy Readers Scheme was trialled at Ashfield last academic year using students from years 7 and 10. Both the mentors and the mentees were a credit to their year groups and produced some fantastic results. Therefore we decided to run the scheme again this year and have sessions with year 7 and 10 students on a Wednesday morning and year 8 and 11 students on a Thursday morning. The first group of year 7s to complete the scheme made some phenomenal progress with many of them increasing their reading age by significantly more than the 3 months they spent with their mentor. Jessica Genders improved her reading age by 2 years and 4 months; Andrew Brocklehurst by 2 years 5 months; and Samuel Baird by 1 year and 4 months. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students and staff who have been involved with Buddy Readers so far for their hard work and commitment. In particular I would like to highlight the following students who have been excellent mentors: Nikki Renshaw Summer Keeling Imran Ali Joe-Lee Kerry
Hope Bakewell Alex Spiby Alicia Short Paige Nussey
The students listed below have also been very dedicated to the programme and have been fantastic reading role models for their year groups: James Smith Chloe Singfield Lauren Foster Jacob Renshaw
Andrew Brocklehurst Jessica Genders Samuel Baird
Reading for pleasure has been shown in numerous studies to be one of the biggest indicators in a child’s future success. The more we can encourage and support our students to read in school and out of school the brighter their futures will be. Reading with your child or asking them about the books they are reading is still important in secondary school and should be completed wherever possible. Miss Mozley Whole School Literacy Co-ordinator
Page 7
HAIRDRESSING MODELS WANTED Models wanted for all aspects of hairdressing (cuts, colours, sets, blow-dry, Hi-Lights, long hair work). Prices start from £2.50 Please come and supports us. We have late nights once a month.
GCSE PRODUCT DESIGN On Friday 15th February pupils on the Product Design GCSE course submitted their controlled assessment work. Each pupil has spent the best part of a year completing a design and make task in their specialist area of Product Design. The Grade they achieve for this piece of work will count for 60% of their final grade. Half term saw the final controlled assessment deadline for Year 11 GCSE Product Design students. They have all worked extremely hard to meet that deadline and the quality of work produced this year has been outstanding! We are very proud of their hard work and creativity displayed by this year’s cohort and are extremely optimistic for the summer. They are now preparing for their exam in June and revision is well under way. Activities and workshops are still running after school for any students that wish to boost their grades further. Well done to all our Year 11 Product Design students!
ASHFIELD CAUGHT READING Last half term we launched our Get Caught Reading competition with the aim of using students to promote reading to their peers around the school. Entries flooded in from year 7 through to Post 16 and even staff. The winning entries were announced in the week commencing 4th March to coincide with World Book Day on March 7th. The pictures will be featured on posters that will be displayed around the school and on the school website. Some of the winning photos are below.
Page 8
BUSINESS STUDIES STUDENTS LEARN TO BE STOCK MARKET INVESTORS During year 10 Business Studies students have had the opportunity to invest a virtual £100,000 in the stock market using the ifs School of Finance Student Investor website. The money they invested is linked to the real stock market, requiring them to think carefully about the types of firms that would be worth investing in. Most students took care over selecting their investments, using the data available about the firms on the website and some even kept an eye on the business news to see what events might impact different firms. Special mention goes to Nicola Seagrave who at one point was in the top 50 for the whole country which is very impressive when you consider that there were over 7500 teams nationally. In terms of the Ashfield School league table the final top 10 is: 1 – Nicola Seagrave 2 – Joe Wharmby 3 – Jordan Kent 4 – Luke Elwell
5 – Grace Mead 6 – Sarah Baugh 7 – Luke Farrell 8 – Lewis Murdoch
9 – Sarah Baird 10 – Ryan Watson
Well done to you all. Mr Tennant.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT THEME WEEK Year 8 students acted as historical detectives and investigators during a cross-curricular themed week based on the theme of ‘Crime and Punishment’. Throughout their Humanities lessons, Year 8 students studied the eyewitness accounts and police reports of the infamous Jack the Ripper case resulting in a finale Friday where they worked within a small team to design a CSI crime board and file a final police report based on their own scrutiny of the evidence. Activities during the week also included crime reporting in a foreign language, photoshop editing of wanted posters in Art as well as using numeracy to catch a criminal in Maths. As part of the week, many students also took a visit to the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham in which they took part in a mock trial and a tour of the museum. Students enjoyed themselves and showed some outstanding investigative and literacy skills during the week – Well Done Year 8! Miss Hulme – Leader for Learning Humanities
ELECTIONS FOR PARENT GOVERNOR We currently have two vacancies for parent governors. Nominations are being sought and the closing date for nominations is 15th March 2013. If you are interested in supporting the school in a proactive way and want to get more involved in the life of the school then I would encourage you to become a parent governor. There are two meetings each term – one for committee meetings and one for the full governing body meeting. Additionally we hold Governor Days and invite governors to other events such as interviews, awards presentations and concerts. If there are more nominations than places available elections will follow before Easter.
Page 9
VISIT TO CHINA Your child may have told you about an assembly I delivered earlier this term following a visit to China. I was invited by the National College of School Leadership and the DfE to join a group of Headteachers on a study tour to Shanghai to look specifically at maths and science teaching. Shanghai is top in the world according to the PISA tests for maths, science and reading. During the visit we went to a number of schools and universities and spoke to staff, students and also observed maths and science lessons. Whilst most of their success is down to cultural issues there were many strategies that we can learn from them and try and implement in the UK. We have to produce a report and present this to Michael Gove the Secretary of State for Education which we will do before Easter. Interestingly we see Ashfield School as being one of the largest schools in the UK but we visited schools which had over 5000 students on our visit and more interestingly (but not something we would get away with here) there was no heating what so ever in the schools!!
YEAR 11 INTERVIEWS Each year I interview all Year 11 students in January/February to establish how they are progressing at school, what they aim to achieve by the end of Year 11 and what their plans are after Year 11. This year has been an excellent year group and they have presented themselves excellently in a very mature, business-like and courteous way during the interviews. Many students have a good idea of what they want to do in the future and all the students highlighted the support that is available to them as they approach their GCSE exams. Each Year 11 student has been issued with a timetable of support/revision classes and I would encourage parents to discuss this with their child. We will also put on some sessions over the Easter holidays and the information regarding this will be issued directly to students. With support from both home and school I am sure that all students will fulfill their potential and achieve a fantastic set of examinations results.
INSET DAYS We have two remaining INSET days this academic year which are Monday 11 March 2013 and Wednesday 26 June 2013.
Dick Vasey Headteacher
Page 10
BYRON HOUSE NEWS
Byron have had a very strong year in the House Championship so far and began 2013 in top position through wins in the House Rowing, Chess and strong performances in Winter Games. Byron’s good A points total also contributed well to the standings. All in all a great start!! Well done to the students listed below who took part in the House Spelling Bee. The KS3 team came in 4th position with the KS4 team in 6th. Thank you to those last minute additions to the team and well done for participating at short notice in an event which had very high standards of competitors! 7BY1
7BY2
Luke Chapman Brandon Cantrill James O Rourke 8BY1 Nathan Wilson
Mya Sewell Ieuan Williams Alex Spiers 8BY2 Jack Cutts Asha Talbot
9BY1 Cory Senyimba Phoebe Hallam. 10BY1 Alex Hodgkinson Harry Cole
9BY2 Tyler Senyimba Ben Hadfield 10BY2 Samuel Williams John Lai
9BY3 Kloe Herring Rebecca Fletcher 10BY3 Steven Ballantine Sam Maltby
11BY1 Jack Morley Megan Stanley
11BY2 Tom Williams Charlotte Wakefield
11BY3 Chloe Shepard Alannah Morley-Brown
8BY3 Reece Lafferty Harry Flinton
Another well done to the Byron participants in February’s Year 10 Winter Games. Byron just missed out on 3rd place by one point to Thoroton. Stand out performances came from the girl’s football team who came second overall. A final well done to those who attended the talent show auditions and to Hannah Draycott for making it through to the final! Mr. Wall, Byron House Co-ordinator
Page 11
CHESTERFIELD HOUSE NEWS Last year’s winners of the House Championship continue to celebrate successes this term. Congratulations to the Year 7 Winner of the Chess Competition - Matthew Bower from 7CH2. Chesterfield finished fourth in the overall event. In the Spelling Bee Chesterfield finished a respectable third overall, but a special mention goes to the Year 9 team who finished second and the Year 7 team who came top in their competition. Well done to Olivia Coleman, Kalem Simmons, Morgan Hughes, Matthew Bower, Joshua Morris and Elliot Hardy from Year 7. The Year 10 Winter Games have now been held with Chesterfield finishing fifth overall, but the boys football team put on some great performances, narrowly missing finishing top in their event. Chesterfield has got talent! In the recent Talent Show Competition Chesterfield were very well represented. Congratulations to Rebecca Moore and Olivia Coleman who have made it through to the final to be held on the 15th March in aid of Comic Relief. The next couple of weeks plays host to the Year 8/9 and Year 7 Swimming Galas so good luck Chesterfield! Suzanne Guest (House Co-ordinator)
Page 12
COATES HOUSE NEWS Yet again the students and staff in Coates House have risen to the challenges that have been given to them. Although our current placement is last in the House Championship it is not because the students haven’t tried – every event we’ve had full teams who have tried their best and have had fun whilst doing it! The Chess tournament took place at the end of November and although we came last overall our year 10 team was amazing and won their year. The next Championship event was Spelling Bee which was held at the end of January. As a House we came 6 th overall but our year 9 team did very well coming 3rd. We had more success in the staff event. 6 members of Coates staff came down to take part in the competition, several made it into the ‘spell off’ and we were victorious with Mrs Lyons being declared the ‘Staff Spelling Bee 2013’. In Winter Games again Coates students tried their best. A particular mention goes to the year 10 boys’ rugby team who fought so corageously despite not having a full team – Ryan Charity, Aidan Brough, Corey Derbyshire and Owen Davison were amazing and never gave up. I was proud to cheer them on. The year 10 girls’ football team did incredibly well, surprising themselves by coming 3rd. Future events include swimming galas for years 8 and 9 on 6th March and for year 7 on 13th March. We also have several House members taking part in the Talent Show on 15th March. As ever, every student plays a part in the House Championship as A points and attendance count for 30% of the overall total – at the last count Coates had the most A points. I am very proud of the students and staff and look forward to cheering them on in the future. Go Coates Go! Mrs. F Ball Coates House Coordinator
Page 13
HARGREAVES HOUSE NEWS We have had a very successful last few months as a house! Year 10 Winter Games was a hugely positive experience and I am very proud to say that Hargreaves came 2 nd. There were stand out performances from the Rugby team and the Boccia team but I would like to say well done to all who supported their house. We have also had the Spelling Bee and again Year 10 were excellent! Great performances from Jacques Issartel and Emma Pratt. I would like to say well done to all Hargreaves competitors as it a nerve wracking experience to stand on stage and spell under pressure so a great effort from all who took part. We have the Talent Show on March 15 th and although Hargreaves did not have many pupils who auditioned, all those who did got through to the final! That shows how great we are! Performing in the Talent Show will be Lucy Haywood, Georgia Oram and Will Sugg Trigger. Over the next two weeks we also have the KS3 swimming galas and we already have full teams for all races so thanks to all the Hargreaves swimmers. We are very lucky to have Jake Hudd and Holly Whitehead, two county swimmers in the team so I am feeling hopeful and looking forward to doing well in these galas. We are currently lying in third place in the House Championship, but I feel with one big push we might be able to knock Thoroton off the silver medal position. Come on Hargreaves! Mrs Bainbridge Hargreaves House Coordinator
Page 14
THOROTON HOUSE NEWS Once again Thoroton have had a very successful term thanks to the team spirit and high levels of participation of our students. Before half term we held the annual Spelling Bee where both our students and staff held very good positions. Overall in Key stage 3 Thoroton came first, thanks largely to some fantastic performances from Francesca Harpham and Sarah Newcombe in year 8. Thoroton then came second overall in Key Stage 4 with some great spellings from Eleanor Caunt and Ashley Wain. Well done to all students involved and a further well done to Miss Key and Mr Raine, the two Thoroton tutors who represented us in the staff competition. Last week saw the annual Year 10 Winter Games where once again Thoroton had some outstanding victories. The boys’ football team came first out of the six houses winning all of their games. The boys’ basketball team (shown below) showed grit and determination only to lose out on the top slot by one game. This was the first time that Boccia had been played by the year 10 students and they also came second thanks to precision skills from Jessica Peacock and Gemma Hall. Attendance and A points are still being counted towards the House Championship so Thoroton students need to keep building on the strong totals we have so far. This term we have the talent show on the 15th of March so please come along and support our students in that along with the swimming galas for Key Stage 3 students. Go Team Thoroton! Miss Lee Thoroton House Coordinator
Page 15
TRENT HOUSE NEWS Trent have been going from strength to strength in this years house championships. This term has seen the return of this years Annual Ashfield Spelling Bee. The event had been doubled in size to cater for all the students wanting to take part with Trent fielding a very strong side in all 5 year groups. Trent performed exceptionally well across the day and took first place in Year 11 & Year 9 with great spelling performances from Mitchell Grainger and Nathan Newell. A sensational performance by Megan Cooper sealed first place in the year 9 competition. Overall Trent were winners in this fiercely contested event. The year 10 winter games have also taken place this term, once again Trent did not disappoint with their level of enthusiasm and willingness to participate. Trent were able to field full teams for every event which was very pleasing to see. The girls basketball team went on a magnificent unbeaten run with great performances from Paige Davies, Bree Knowles, Sophie Waring, Coby Maison, Robyn Ward, Bronte Spate, Molly Blore and Thea Paraguas who were all excellent. Among the other sports taking part the Boys Rugby team again went unbeaten with dominating performances from all the lads involved. Once again Ashley Wagstaff was their star of mixed Boccia and It was great to see so many Year 10 students taking part and having such a good day. In a brilliant result Trent were once again overall winners of the winter games which has re-established Trent’s reputation as one of the best all round houses in the school. Forthcoming events this term include the year 7, 8 & 9 Swimming Gala and this years Talent Show which will also be trying to raise money for Comic Relief 2013. I am hoping that the participation levels and enthusiasm continues for the rest of this year and there is the potential for this to be one of the most successful years Trent have seen in a long time. A big congratulations goes to Megan Warsop (year 8) who gained a place in the U-13 girls Rugby team and Libby Coleman (Year 7) won the cross country which was held on Sutton Lawn this year. Mr L Greasley Trent House Co-Ordinator
Page 16
Page 17
