christleton high school - swan easter 2012

Spring2012

TheChristletonHighSchoolMagazine

HHoott SScchhoollaarrssThis Term we Focus up

on our Hot Scholars.

What do the 3 Emblems Represent?

The Wildebeestfor the enormous movement created

when large numbers work together

The Earthfor the way energy in the hot core

helps give life to a huge community

The Swanfor Christleton and for grace

when paddling hard to make progress

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HEADTEACHER’SREPORTSince Christmas there seem to have been almost daily announcements from the politiciansabout impending changes to the education system. Many of these have had a negativetone, rather than an aspirational one, and it wasa delight on my recent visit to China and HongKong, to see how highly regarded our educationsystem is. This is no cause for smugness, butequally it is important we recognise the talentsand commitment that nearly all our studentshave, and the hard work and inspiration whichstaff and families provide for them.

Over the next few months we are drawing together a new Strategic School DevelopmentPlan which will look at the direction of improvement for the next 3 years. Whilst youwill be informed and consulted on this, we arealways grateful for feedback by email, letter orvisit, about how we can further improve theschool.

We are hoping the new Library build will becompleted and the Library occupied in June,with an official opening by Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, on 12th July. Students and staff were recently given the opportunity to visit the building. It is now physically complete, but needs fitting out and finishing. There has been a delay of approximately 2 months on the development ofthe all-weather pitch following a high level ofconcern about out of hours use from some ofthe local residents. We withdrew the planningfor a 2 month period to allow for further consultation and a better flow of information.The areas of concern were about traffic in thevillage and evening and weekend use; the community was supportive of the school havingthe facility. We intend to re-submit planning inApril and, subject to approval, hope that workwill be completed in the Autumn to enable theexcellent new facility to be used by our studentsand local community.

Mr Francis and Mrs Williams have introduced a‘No Child Fails’ programme this year, which is adouble check of students’ basic skills as we hadsome concern that students were not able to access the curriculum fully, or develop their talents because of gaps in their reading, writing,or numerical skills. This scheme has been runin parallel with the Hot One Hundred ScholarsProject being led by Mrs Pritchard, and Giftedand Talented workshops and development,being led by Mr Ralphson.

The other big area of development in the last sixmonths has been to look at Pathways to Work,to try and ensure that students are thinkingabout their careers and understand more thoroughly the different routes by which theycan achieve the goal of a happy, fulfilled lifedoing a worthwhile job. We are making adjustments to Activities Week in June to provide a much greater stimulus for our students, with University campus and hi-techworkplace visits, to give students an appetite for study and work beyond school. Regular conversations in your home with your childrenand with visiting family and friends all help toenable students to shape their identity and future pathways. Although I am sure you already have similar conversations please canwe encourage you to keep having them.

The changing landscape of examinations is onewhich may put pressure on some students forwhom coursework has been a better option. Wehave 18 months or so to adjust to this changewhich has been brought in by the Government,and will keep you closely informed as we workwith students to develop the best courses forthem.

Financially the school is still in a very strong position, with a big investment about to go intoICT to increase the number of computers andthe speed and effectiveness with which theywork. We are closing with a budget surplus thisyear, and anticipate having a healthy budgetnext year, although beyond that things lookmuch bleaker.

The work I have been doing with the NationalCollege for School Leadership has enabled me to visit quite a large number of good and outstanding schools and this, allied to the visits in China and Hong Kong, has increased my experience and given me options to look at how we can serve your children even moreeffectively. Although I have seen far superiorphysical settings it always remains a pleasure to come back to Christleton where the studentsreally do care about their education, show kindness to each other, and are proud of theirschool. We are very privileged to have them.

Tony Lamberton

2 The Swan - The Christleton High School Magazine


Contents...Year 12 Students Visit Oxford University ......... 6

Eco-Schools Award ..................................... 10

First Online Payment .................................... 12

Future Chef 2012 ........................................ 16

Hot Off the Press: GCSE Textiles Products .... 19

Shadow Puppets ......................................... 24

History and Politics Trip to Krakow! .............. 26

Hot Scholars ................................................. 28

Lessons from China ..................................... 32

Historian of the Month .................................... 39

STEM Club Day .............................................. 44

Eco Guy Antics ........................................... 48

Gifted and Talented Students Really Shine ... 50

Spring Term 2012 3


Year 7Camp Informationevening

Reminder…On Thursday

3rd May, We will be holding an information eveningabout Year 7 camp.

Times are 6.00pm -6.45pm for BaBy forms

and 7.00pm-7.45pm for LaKe forms.

The meetings will take place in theSchool Hall.

As we are going to a new location thisyear we would really like all parentsand students attending this event ifpossible.



Flying High with Airbus

Year 12 students had the opportunityto find out about the apprenticeshipprogrammes offered by Airbus earlierthis year. Steve Edwards (EducationPartnership Manager) and Kathryn Edwards (Employment Marketing Advisor) visited school to talk with aninterested group. Here’ s what one ofour students thought of the event: -

Matthew Barrett L61:“The airbus representatives gavean interesting talk about a routeafter sixth form other than university which would leave us not just with a degree but valuable experience working with Airbus.

The talks caught my and manyother students’ interest and someof us then went to the AirbusOpen Day in Broughton. Here wemet and talked to students whohad been like us and had went onto become engineers for Airbus.

We were also able to talk to Glyndwr University representatives who are partnered with Airbus and who we would be taught by during our time as apprentices. I thought that this was a great alternative to university as Airbus pay an apprentice salary and give the opportunityachieve a degree level qualification.”

Pathway to anAirbus Apprenticeship

Spring Term 2012 5


Year 12 Studentsvisit Oxford University


On the 16th February, fifteen sleepstarved Year 12 students visited OxfordUniversity for a taster of what universitylife at Oxford could entail. We started the day at St Hilda’s College, a small but friendly place overlooking the river.Here we were given an overview into and studying at Oxford; quite a daunting prospect!

Then followed lunch, my favourite part of the day. We were set loose in Oxfordfor a couple of hours and proceeded toexplore the city which had lots to offerfrom stunning architecture to astoundingstreet performers.

We then concluded our visit with a tour of Pembroke College. Again a small butfriendly college, opposite Christ Church(with whom they have a big rivalry). Wewere shown around Pembroke by threevery friendly first year students, two ofwhom were from Chester! We wereamazed by the college chapel and thebuildings, some of which dated back tothe 13th Century.

Overall we were very impressed

with Oxford, a beautiful city and afantastic university, and many of us are now planning to apply.Jonny Dearden-Williams

Visiting Oxford really opened myeyes to how beautiful the universityreally is as well as how picturesquethe colleges are. The useful admissions talk and tour has inspired many of us to consider Oxford when applying to universities.It was a lovely day out!Bethan Carter

Our trip to Oxford was insightful,seeing the colleges and the university as a whole gave me an excellent idea of one of theworld’s best universities.Levent Bayraktar

The Oxford trip was really interesting, I found out so much I didn’t know about the college system and Oxford would be a lovely place to study. I just need to invest in a bike now.Amy Bradshaw


The winner of Art’s Eco School’s Clean Water Photo Competition is

Kiera Berry 10B1

Kiera made this dynamic image by throwing stones into a Scottish Loch and then snapping to capture the splash.

Art PhotoCompetition

Spring Term 2012 7


Year 10 Students

Enjoy Work

Placement

Success

As part of the Year 10 Work Skills

BTEC course, students have been

experiencing one day a week with a

variety of local employers.

This has given students the

opportunity to experience the world

of work directly and really helped

develop vital employability skills such

as team-working, problem-solving,

time-management, customer service,

and business awareness.

During Work Skills lessons in school,

students have been completing units

Pathway to aLearning for Work


Connor Jackson:Bike Factory: “I have learnt howto set up the gearsand front gearmechanism. I helpclean the storeand keep the bikesin working order.”

Employer Comment:“Connor is veryhands-on and notafraid to ask. He

is punctual and polite, and keen tokeep busy.”

such as Applying for a Job, Self

Management Skills, Preparing for an

Interview, and Managing Your Health

at Work. The regular placements have

allowed students to see the relevance

of the ideas covered in school and

then apply these to the real world.

Here is how some of them have beengetting on: -


Rob Flowers:MOT ServiceCentre: “I have learnt howto take wheels off,and drain andchange the oil. Ienjoy helping toservice cars.”

Employer Comment:

“It is really nice to have such a well-mannered young man in our workplace. Robert is always on timeand is really positive. We have beendisappointed in the past with studentsfrom other schools but Robert has restored our faith.”

Jamie Leek:Northgate Arena: “I work in the office and also thegym carrying outrisk assessmentson the equipmentto make sure it’sall safe. I havelearnt a lot ofthings about theleisure industry.”

Employer Comment:

“Jamie is always on time and is a very friendly personality. He is hard-working and gets on well with the staff here.”

Phil Evans: Pets at Home: “I have enjoyedlooking after thedifferent animals,learning how towork the till, andhelping customerswith products.”

Employer Comment:“Philip is a very

hard-working and polite young man. He has done a lot of work in differentsections of the store and is gettingused to how a busy retail store works.”

Ben Ward:Chester CityFootball ClubYouth Coach: “I help set out theequipment and supervise childrenplay multisports. I have developedgood communica-tion skills, and geton well with myemployers. Thebest thing is that I am working in aplacement I reallyenjoy.”

Employer Comment:”Ben is always punctual and positive.He has shown good listening skills and communicates well with youngerstudents.”

Charlie Hackney:Bike Factor: “I build bikes,help customers,repair bikes, stockup shelves, cleanthe shop andkitchen, take thebins out, and mailorders.”

Employer Comment:“Charlie has

worked so well here that we havetaken him on for a Saturday job too.”

Congratulation to all our workskills students.

There will be news on some of the others in the summer

edition of the Swan.

Spring Term 2012 9


Before half term, the Year 8 Eco-team organised an assembly for Year 7 aboutthe Eco Schools Award. We were glad tohear that many of the primary schoolshad introduced Eco-Schools. One student, Alec Stokes, made a small videoat his house that was shown and it madeeveryone think about the consequencesof our actions on the environment.

The group showed off our new Eco Box,which was decorated by Alana WilliamsYear 8, and our achievements from lastyear. I talked about the Animation activity and my four ducks that I haveraised. The team found it really excitingbut a test of patience when the computerdecided that it wasn’t going to work for us.

By Blythe Walker 8Ke2


Eco-Schools Award Do you

have any green ideas?

If so check outthe new ecosuggestion box in the library


In the past six weeks the Art Department has held a bird puppetworkshop. From covering balloons inPapier Mache to putting tail feathers on our birds we’ve done thelot. It’s been a brilliant six weeks andI hope I speak for everyone sayingthat! With our teacher’s craft skillsshe’s corrected our errors saving usfrom bad situations.

On the first session we made thewings for our bird and started covering balloons in papier mache.The papier mache look up the secondsession and the start of the third session. In the rest of the third session we started on the head. More papier mache... and then in thefourth session we finished off theheads. Once we had chosen ourcolour family we started making ourbirds legs. We made legs out of wireand then covered them in wool.

In the fifth session wewere still doing the tissue paper. Thefinal session was wheneveryone finished. The duration of the session wasspent covering the birds in tissue paper but onceeveryone had finishedthat we added tail feathers, eyes and abeak. Some of us addedlittle extras like a featheraround the neck altogetherit was great fun and I can’t wait untill the next one!

Isobel Griffin Morris7K2

THE BIRD PUPPET WORKSHOP

THE BIRDS LIVE IN A TREE!

THEY ALL HAVE NAMES!

EVERY BIRD HAS FLAPPING WINGS!

THE BIRDS LIVE IN A TREE!

THEY ALL HAVE NAMES!

EVERY BIRD HAS FLAPPING WINGS!

Isobel Griffin Morris, Kimberley Duffell, Ellie Wilkins,Emily-Rose Forden, Lily Daviesand Thomas Hughes.

Spring Term 2012 11


First onlinepaymentmade usingour newsystem...

The school recently announced thatparents now have the facility to makeOnline Payments to school. JenniferWilkinson’s family were the first touse it and Jennifer (Year 7) wins theprize of a box of chocolates!

Please make use of this as it will makeit easier for you to order and pay forthe following:

• Uniform

• Trips

• Events

• Books and Equipment

There are a number of benefits including:

• A simple to use website

• Payments are made through the Royal Bank of Scotland, and are secure and reliable

• Parents can view their payment history online

• A reduced risk of students losing cash

For items to be collected such as Uniform or Books, these will be available for collection the next school day at break or lunchtime from the Cash Office (subject to item being in stock).

If you have any questions, pleasecontact the Finance Office.

Pictured above: Miss Edwards, Head of Year 7and winner Jennifer Wilkinson.



Two former Christleton students areenjoying great success on their chosen courses at the new Ellesmere Port Campus of West Cheshire College.

Both students left Christleton at theend of Year 11 in 2011 and are doingwell. Here’s what they have to say: -

Shannon Kerwick:“I’m doing the Childcare Level 1course and really enjoying it, especially getting to work withchildren aged six months to five years old.”

Ella Reading: “I’m following an Apprenticeshipin Beauty and Nails. It’s reallybuilt my confidence up and hasbeen a great way to meet newpeople. The programme fits inwith my commitments elsewhere,and I would recommend it to anyone!”

Pathway to aWest Cheshire College

Spring Term 2012 13


Let the Little Birdsput their“Beak-On”Since the initial build of the “Beak-On”the structure has been visited byscavenging birds such as crows andseagulls who have been eating all of the food and at the same time destroying the feeders put there forsmall garden birds. Just before halfterm a group of excellent Year 8artists were given the challenge ofmaking a door for the “Beak-On” tohelp prevent these birds and squirrelsfrom getting inside. The boys did abrilliant job. Using the willow was atricky job as it would sometimes snapmeaning that moulding the willow had to be done with care. These aresome quotes for the students whowere involved...

“This workshop was an excellentexperience for all of the students.”Lewis Gerrard 8By1

“I think it’s good to help the smallgarden birds eat especially at thistime of year!” Joe Corr 8La1

“The work shopwas good funand interesting.” Kier Westerside-Downes 8Ke2

“Fiddly but fun and challenging.”Finlay Wojtan 8La1

“The door has helped finalise thebeak-on.” Alec Stokes 8La2



During December,Students from Years7-9 were asked tocreate a poster to inform people aboutAnti Bullying Week.

Posters werejudged by MissSykes in the Artdepartment.Catriona Nibbsand Jess Dunning (both 7L2)were judged to have created thebest posterand receiveda selectionbox as theirprize!!!

Anti BullyingWeek

Spring Term 2012 15


Design Technology News

Christleton Gets Competitive…Congratulations to all of the students who recently competed in the National Future Chef Competition.

Competition was fierce in the school heat. All students produced excellent dishes within the extremely tight time and budget constraints.

Connor Farrell in year 10 won the school heat withhis ‘Moroccan Farrell’ a spicy chicken dish served withcous cous. Conner went on to compete in the regionalfinal held at the prestigious Warrington Collegiate. Hecompeted against 5 other students from schools withinthe North West. Unfortunately Connor was just beaten byDominic Taylor-Wilkin from Kings Grove High School.

The judge’s comments for both of Connor’s disheswere amazing. He was told that he had made ‘anaward winning crumble’ and that his pork with colcannon could have easily won with a little refinement. Connor really enjoyed the event and intends to enter again next year.


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As part of Christleton High School’s bidfor the Eco School green flag award, students have been working with localartist Andy Longmuir. Andy came intoschool and ran a workshop with a number of students who learnt aboutwhat inspired him and then they designed the eco sculpture. Andy thenmade the sculpture out of recycled materials eg old bicycles. The eco

sculpture is going to take pride of place in the school vegetable garden.

Students, staff and members of Christleton gardening club have beenworking hard on the garden and havemore plans for this year as well. Thesculpture will be a reminder in the garden about waste minimisation and the value of recycling.

Recyclinggets arty

...to thisFrom this...

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Community Maths

MysteryMathsMeeting 2In December, the Year 5/6 MysteryMaths Group travelled to WavertonPrimary School to investigate Networks. We started by looking atnetwork diagrams and whether or not you could visit every point andline on a network diagram. This developed into an investigation intoEulerian and non-Eulerian Networks,which is usually an A-Level topic. Find out more about them athttp://nrich.maths.org/2414

Vi Hart is an American Math-magicianwho has taken network diagrams to awhole new level – namely balloonmaths. We used the ideas from herblog to change flat networks into 3Dshapes, by using modelling balloonsto create tetrahedrons.Find out more at:http://vihart.com/balloons/fractal/

What do you do with a room ofsmall tetrahedrons?

Make medium sized tetrahedrons.What do you do with medium

sized tetrahedrons? Make a huge tetrahedron.

The shape is actually called a Sierpinski tetrahedron or pyramid. Ifyou look closely it is a form of fractal.

What’s better than one pyramid? Two of course!

We stacked the two pyramids to makea mathematical Christmas tree. Thestudents then designed their own network diagrams to create decorations for the ‘tree’.

Lots of fun was had by all and we leftWaverton School with a temporaryMaths Art exhibit for Christmas.Thank you to Waverton School forhosting the event and also to MrCoaker for skilfully assisting.

Ms K PitchfordAST Mathematics (Community Projects)



Hotoff the press…

Spring Term 2012 19

A selection of GCSE Textiles products completed this year

111220 Prospectus Cover and Cutter:Layout 1 20/12/11 14:05 Page 120 The Swan - The Christleton High School Magazine

The Eco Team have been up to lots ofconstructive activities this year, yetthere is still much more in thepipeline.

Our project at the moment is the Eco-box competition. This is a verycreative project where forms have todecorate their own Eco box. The aimis to bring forms together and alsomake them aware of the importanceof recycling. Hopefully the Eco- boxwill become a nice feature for eachroom. Moreover, this is an importantway in which the students can helpachieve the prestigious “Green Flag”award.

The Eco Team have been goingaround forms to find out how they are coming along. The picture belowshows one of our more impressive entries. The Eco Team would like tothank all the Year 7 students whohave taken part in making this box.

May there be many more Eco-projectsin the future.

By Lauren Sharples, Eco-rep, 8LA1

The Eco-box Competition


Year 11 Students who were ‘on theball’ and interested in a career inFootball Coaching / Sports Management had the opportunity to attend a presentation by a representative from David CampbellSoccer School earlier this term.

Senior Coach Mark Garnett gave asummary of the National Qualificationin Football Coaching, and outlined theopportunities for work placements andinternational travel available.

The audience of Year 11 students wasattentive and appreciative, and comments included: -

• “The session was inspiring”; Cam Clark

• “Very helpful”; Ed Behan

• “I want to be the new special one” (?!!); Cam Noyes

Further details are available on thewebsite: www.davidcampbellsoccer.com

Pathway to aCoaching Career

Spring Term 2012 21


Hello fellow Christleton people We are proud to announce the creation of the English Hot Scholars Team.

KELSEY WALTERS 8L1EMMA DUTHIE 8BA1BECKY HERBERT 8L2KRISTIE HORROCKS 8L1ABIGAIL HUGHES 8BA1NAOMI SIMM 8L2VICTORIA SWEENEY 8L1CHLOE VENABLES 8L1SOPHIE WARD 8L2

We are pleased to announce some exciting things happening over the nextyear. After two informative and interesting meetings with Miss Kippax and Mr Lofts we came up with some ideas of how we can raise the profile of Englishin the school and help to make it an even more successful department.

We have already produced a questionnaire for English classes and teacherswith the aim of finding out what students enjoy about English and what type oflessons they prefer.

We have also been using our creative skills by working on displays in Mr Kaneand Mrs Hughes’s room. Future plans include having an input in departmentmeetings, organising and ordering stock such as texts and helping with theballoon launch for Readathon.

We are also excited about creating English displays for the year 8 celebrationevening and training as librarians with Miss Barker.

For more exciting developments, watch this space.

The English Hot Scholars



Earlier this term, as part of NationalApprenticeship Week, an excitedgroup of Year 11 students togetherwith Mr Francis, Mrs Charlton and Mrs Varley headed over to the brandnew Ellesmere Port Campus of WestCheshire College for an Apprenticeship Showcase Event.

During the visit the students wereable to: -

• Tour the huge circular spiral-shaped building and visit thedifferent learning environments.

• Attend a presentation on the benefits of undertaking an Apprenticeship prrogramme and how to go about it.

• Find out about current vacancies and talk to apprentices from the catering, hair dressing, and digital media departments.

Here is what some of our studentsthought of the event: -

“It was very informative and wegot to see what a typical day waslike at college. It was also a goodchance to catch up with some former Christleton students andhear about their experiences.”Gemma Harper-Lea 11L2

“We got to see all the differentareas of the college, includingTravel & Tourism, and BeautyTherapy. I hope to study BeautyTherapy at college, so this eventwas great for me.”Abby Munslow 11L2

Getting ready for take-off: Kaya Lopez,Gemma Harper-Lea, Abby Munslow and AbbieFriett prepare to fastentheir seat-belts in theTravel & Tourism area.

High up on the fourthfloor balcony: can youspot some Christleton Year 11 students?!

Further details about apprenticeshipopportunities are available on thewebsite:www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Pathway to College and Apprenticeships

Spring Term 2012 23


Shadow PuppetsOn two Wednesday afternoons thismonth a shadow puppet extravagnzahit Christleton. Year 7 girls, with a little bit of help from some friends,gathered in the Art department torecreate and re-enact the classicbook, ‘WHERE THE WILD THINGSARE’. The puppets were skilfullymade out of card, bamboo sticks and tape. We will hopefully be putting on our show for other years during assemblies.

Article by Lydia Tanner 9BA1

Year 7 Girls who took partAnna ThompsonEllie KanwarEllie WilkinsEmily-Rose FordenEmma CresswellEmma NewnhamFfion JonesHolly DaviesIsobel Griffin MorrisJasmine PrinceJenny WilkinsonKate DuerdenKate DuerdenLucy JoyceLucy OsborneLydia McCabeLydia TannerMegan GibbonsMegan McGrathSophie Runciman



On behalf of a parent of two childrenwith Autism who attend ChristletonHigh School, and in partnership with the school, we would like to form aparent support group for parents,grandparents, or carers of studentswith Special Educational Needs. Thisgroup will meet within the school andwill be run by parents for parents, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

We would like this group to run arolling programme of informative sessions with guest speakers who canoffer guidance and advice on a moreprofessional basis.

If you think this may be of benefit toyou and you would consider attendingthe meetings, then please see belowthe options that may apply to you and your situation, so that we canidentify the specific topics and areas of interest to focus on.

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING• Autism/Asperger Syndrome • Dyslexia• Dyspraxia • Visual/Hearing difficulties• Behaviour issues• Physical difficulties• Learning difficulties• Any other specific need• ADHD/ADD

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING A SUPPORT GROUP OR FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT THE SUPPORT GROUPS AVAILABLE

Please e-mail: Suzanne WongStudent Services [email protected]

Sarah Williams, SEN and Personalisation Co-ordinator

Sarah WilliamsSupport Groups

Spring Term 2012 25


History andPolitics Tripto Krakow!On the 10th February 2012 we wenton a trip to Krakow in Poland as partof our History Course. The aim of thistrip was to improve our knowledgeand understanding about how theNazi regime affected other countries.It was also a great opportunity forGovernment and Politics students toexperience a visit to a relatively newmember of the European Union. Welearned a lot about their customs,economy and traditions during ourfour day visit.

Upon arrival, we participated in awalking tour of old Krakow. We visited many interesting sites and thearchitecture really gave us an insightinto the past of this historic city. Wewalked around the University quarter,the Cathedral districtand the famousWawel Castle.

On the secondday we visitedthe infamousAuschwitz andBirkenau exterminationcamps. This was aparticularly moving partof the trip for all. We were given a guided tour andwere very interestedto hear about thehistory of thesecamps. We alsohad the chanceto learn new information and banish anypre-conceptions thatwe might have hadprior to the visit.

The treat on the thirdday was a guidedtour of the worldrenownedWieliczka saltmines. They are the oldest operational saltmines in Europeand salt has beenextracted for over 700years. It is listed by UNESCOas one of the top twelve attractions inthe world and they certainly lived upto and surpassed all expectation. Themines were stunning and it was incredible to believe that everything



that we saw was made from salt, including the floors and the chandeliers. We saw excavations,massive chambers, three chapels with salt statues and several underground salt lakes. It was amazing that only three skilled artisans gave their lives to createsuch a magnificent structure.

Later that day, we were also given theopportunity to do a walking tour ofthe Jewish district of Krakow,named Kazimierz after KingKazimir. This was very interesting as we wereable to learn more abouthow the lives of PolishJews changed due to thepolicies of leading Nazissuch as Adolf Hitler. Duringthis tour we also visited the factoryof Oskar Schindler, the basis forthe movie Schindler’s List byStephen Spielberg.

We all really enjoyed thistrip and would thoroughlyrecommend a visit toKrakow, especially tothose who are avid historians. It was a great opportunity to visit a country with such different customs and such an unforgettable history.

Alex Moore U66 and Miss Elisha(History and Politics Department)

Quotes:

“The knowledge I learned willdefinitely help me in my exam onGermany at the end of the year.”Alex Moore U66

“Auschwitz was moving, thesense of sadness was almostoverwhelming. It brought home

the suffering experiencedthere.” Matthew Cooper L62

“I would like to express my thanks to all the students for representing themselves and our

school so brilliantly. Theywere a pleasure to take and

they dealt very well with the emotional visits to the camps.”Miss Elisha

“It was interesting to experience such adifferent culture.”

Niall Ward-O’Brien L68

“Poland was a wonderful experience. We feel like we have learned a lot about past and present cultures and visitingAuschwitz really magnified thescale of what happened.”Alex Cross L62 and Imogen Langmead L64.

Spring Term 2012 27


Very soon,

a fantastic pri

ze, kindly

donated by Ja

mie’s Italian

in Liverpool O

ne will be

awarded to on

e Hot Scholar!

The

winner will be a

ble to enjoy a

meal with 1 parent o

r guardian

at Jamie Oliv

er’s Liverpool

restaurant fr

ee of charge!

We

are very grate

ful to Jamie’s

Italian for this

family-friend

ly

support for Th

e Hot

Scholars Initi

ative.

In Drama, we have decidedto put on a show

and we think we willperform it at our schooland also to primaryschool students.

Eve Cornwell

The MFL Hot Scholars have

discussed what we will dofurther on in the year. Forexample, we are hoping to

organise and deliver a workshopfor primary students in the summer term. Our next mainproject is making a puzzle pagefor The Swan. We all have todesign a puzzle to do withany language to put in

the magazine.Tess Corr

The BusinessHot Scholars are

currently designing anactivity for Y8 who are

going into year 9. Our idea is called ‘Sock Monkey’ and theparticipants will create puppetsand add them to animationswith the help of the Media

Hot Scholars.Ellie Watkinson and

Liv Wood

Hot Scholars


In Geography weare planning to have an

eco-day with Year 5 childrenfrom surrounding primary

schools. Within this a wildlife expertcalled David Cummings is coming in tohave a talk with the children explainingthe local impact litter has on our localspecies. The children will also take

part in outside games including a littersorting game involving orienteering. Theywill also learn about the habitats of theanimals and the litter that might affectthem. At the end of the day with helpfrom us the children will construct

a Litterbug out of litter; itshould be a great day!

Dan Hamp

We have manyplans for the present

and future for PE. The firstthing we are doing is sendingout a survey to different forms asking for their opinions on the current PE arrangement and any ideas they have for developing the

department. We are going to be makingan interactive display about the London2012 Olympics and the history of theOlympic Games. We are looking tomake a display about ourselves asHot Scholars and a suggestionbox for any people wanting to

change anything in PE.Daniel Walker

We are planning atrip for Year 7 studentsto go to SPACEPORT. We

have made a quiz that we aregoing to give to a substantial

amount of Year 7 so they can have achance to go to on the trip. Nine Year 7students will be going and Six ScienceHot Scholars. We have been really

excited about this trip and we hope weget a lot of people interested in spacebecause of our output. Two of us have also already been to a ScienceDepartment meeting to learn how

to use the new technologycalled dataloggers.Will Menzies

In History we have given out 2

questionnaires about whatkind of reward trips Year 7 & 8would prefer and who they thinkshould get to go on a reward trip.We have had a good response!! Dueto that response we are going toplan a trip for students with thebest effort. We are also currentlydeciding on whether to do TheVictorians or The Titanic for adisplay in the new library.

Emma Roberts


In ICT we arecurrently planningto run a website of

the week for the schoolbulletin and we are also in contact with the BBC as one of our member’sideas was to try to go

on Blue Peter.Miles Chermside

-Sergison

In Media Studies, we areworking with the

Business Hot Scholarsand are going to film theirSock Monkey project.Georgina Moutlon,

Beth Cowelland DannielleColeclough

In DT we are organising a noticeboard along the DT corridor. We are also

running a T-shirt design dayafter school on a Wednesday,either in March. We are askingfor year 8 students who are interested in this to bring an old plain coloured top to make it more interesting!

Georgia Jones

In DT we havehad several meetings

and are already planningsome big activities. We have already started work on the DTHot Scholar notice board and areplanning to cover it with photos ofpeople’s work. On Thursday we wentto a department meeting where we gave feedback and made

suggestions for the DT department.Check out our soon to-be-

completed notice board (next to room 8) for more

information.Finlay Wojtan

In RE we have decided to do a cookery

session making Challah Loafwith a Jewish chef. We have

picked some star students from RE in year 7 who will come. We havealready had a group meeting in whichwe talked about the letter to send to theparents as a permission slip. We alsotalked about the final decisions for theChallah loaf cooking session. As well, we are planning to help out with the RE department’s church visit trip laterin the year. As Hot Scholars we aregoing to play a big part in the

RE department in the future months.Greg James


Because Healthand Social Care is a

new subject at Year 10 we are going to invite the

Year 9 students who have optedfor it for an introductory lessonfrom us. We are also planning torun some classes to show Year 9how to look after the electronic

babies.Bella Hammond,

Sophie Moorcroft andKara Murray

In English weare planning to design

and create a display in Mr.Gray’s classroom. This is veryexciting as most of the schoolwill see this display and it will be fun and creative to use our

ideas to design a wonderful wall.We will also be running the Library

on our own one lunchtime in the near future.

Naomi Simm, Becky Herbert and Kelsey Walters

In Art, we are finding creative ways

of attracting the attention ofsome TV programmes who could

come and advise us about making theBeak-On more effective. In visual ways,we are writing to Spring Watch, Blue

Peter and Granada Reports as well as theRSPB. Some of us put up an Art exhibitionfor Year 10 Parents’ Evening and the rest ofus are going to do the same for the Year 8Parents’ Evening. Some of us also went toWaverton Primary School at the end ofJanuary to help with their Arts Festival.During the year we are going to do a

big evaluation of Art lessons.Laura Beattie, Emily Treloar and Hollie

Lawson

In Maths we are going to do a

project called ‘Christleton in Numbers’ which ties into the

eco-school movement. This projectwill involve going around the schoolfinding out lots of things about ourschool, like how much electricity theschool uses per year and how muchwater we use. We will then take this

information and present it how ever welike. Also in Maths, we will be gettinginvolved in primary school visits toChristleton Primary School and wemight be going to a Maths day

at Waverton Primary to as helpers.Tyler Jones

In Music weare planning to do

music workshops withYear 6 and Year 7 and weare also thinking about having a trip to Dee 106Radio station. We are looking forward to the activities planned for

the future.Emma

Ogunyemi


When I was invited to attenda study visit to Hong Kongand Shenzhen Province inChina to look at the education, schooling and research, it seemed a greatopportunity. Hong Kong isthird in the world in the PISArankings which measure students’ ability in core subjects. Britain is currently17th. In preparation, I wrotedown a significant number of questions which would enable me to look at threeimportant areas:

1. The learning methodology.

2. The view of children, parents and society towards education.

3. The use of technology and information technology within learning in the

curriculum.

Although I had visitedschools in Beijing someyears ago, I had neverbeen to Hong Kong, butmy anticipation wasthat I would see a lot ofvery hardworking andobedient Chinese childrenlearning, and that much ofthat learning would be led by the teacher and about absorbingfacts and repeating tasksuntil perfection wasachieved.

Our delegation consisted of 21 adults,and it was organisedand part-funded by theIndependent AcademiesAssociation. Most of the delegates were Headteachers,although we also had a Bishop with us, along with severalsponsors of chains ofacademy schools. Weflew out on Friday 3rdFebruary and returnedduring half term. HongKong was amazing. Itfelt safe, it was trulymulti-cultural, and a veryvibrant and interesting city.


LessonsfromChina


There is enormous pressure on land,hence all the skyscrapers, but behindthem were steep wooded slopes givingthe whole area a really unusual mix ofskyscraper and green. After a day’s orientation we began our school visits onMonday and finished on Friday evening.These included 12 visits to schools in thesystem ranging from vast internationalprivate schools with lavish funding, tostate comprehensives for 5000 students,taught in classes of 50. We were also fortunate to spend an afternoon with theUnder-Secretary for Education, KennethChen, and an evening at Hong Kong University looking at the evaluation of theimpact of IT and computing on learning inthe Hong Kong education system.

Shock number one:wherever we went, the English systemwas held in high regard for its creativityand for the students it produced. Englishteachers were highly sought after because of the quality of the training and their commitment to the job.

The Under-Secretary for Education,Kenneth Chen, described the journeythey have been on and talked about a desire to create enquiry-led schoolswhere students who have acquired thebasics are then able to move on and become creative and self-sufficient individuals. This pattern was repeated inmost of the schools we visited. Rotelearning was a thing of the past (althoughoften it seemed old habits die hard), soschools tried very hard to turn studentsinto independent learners, replicatingmany of the techniques and changes wehave seen in the English system over thelast 10 years. Almost every classroomwe saw had interactive whiteboards, butoften these were being used as electronicchalkboards with the students remainingin rows and learning very passively. Inthe International schools there was a

move from GCSE’s, IGCSE’s and A Levelstowards the International Baccalaureatewhich was seen as a much better qualification for students whose familiesare very mobile around the world, andstudents who are likely to become mobilethemselves.

Almost all of the students we spoke to inHong Kong independent schools andinternational schools wanted to go to university in either the USA or the UK.Schools and children seemed to be struggling with some of the things thatwe do – what is the place of the iPad inhigh quality learning? Is it a studentnotebook? Is it a study aid to work athome? Or, is it a classroom tool to bemanaged by the teacher?

What was impressive that we canlearn from

The attitude of almost all the studentsmatched that of our best students.

Education was held in enormousl high regard, and parents and children took it very seriously.

Students were very serious about theirlearning, but still retained humour andfun. There was no sign in any school ofthe sort of resentful and spoilt behaviourthat can sometimes be seen in Britishschools by students and families who do not value their learning.

Some of the skills practices and learninggave children a fantastic baseline, and Ithink we need to re-visit some areas ofthe English curriculum, particularly learning the basics, and without apologyintroduce tasks and practices which improve the basic standard of some cornerstones of learning, such as handwriting and the learning of other languages.

Spring Term 2012 33


The compulsory core curriculum in bothHong Kong and mainland China consistedof Chinese, English and Maths only. Students willingly work long hours andpossibly because of the very constrainedspace for living and recreation, many ofthem choose to stay in school as they doat Christleton, to involve themselves inextra-curricular activities or simply towork in the school.

I have shared slides, photos and film withstudents through Assembly, and takentheir questions about the visit. Onemajor area of interest for them was thepadded punching room complete withdummy in one school, to enable studentsto reduce their stress. We have debatedthe ethics of this but with no firm conclusion. I think perhaps our studentsthought it simply looked fun!

Conclusions

To be even more ambitious – very good isnot good enough.

Instruction and repetitive skills are fine,still have a place, and should not beapologised for. Practice does indeedmake perfect with skills.

To appreciate what we have in terms onstaff and resources.

To acknowledge the excellence in theEnglish education system.

To carefully question the value of ICT anduse it in a discriminating way to improvelearning.

These are just a few of the things gainedfrom the trip I was so fortunate to beallowed to go on. I will take these and themany other development ideas we haveat present forward to our Conference inApril, when we meet with Governors,staff, students and leadership to plan thenext 3 years of school direction, which we will share with you and seek yourfeedback and guidance.

Tony LambertonFebruary 2012


The Hot One Hundred Scholars is agroup of students ranging from Year 8 to Year 10. All Hot Scholars belongto a subject and we are Art Hot Scholars. Participating in the hotscholars has given us a lot of opportunities to do things that wewouldn’t have done before, and weare now going to write about our experience at Waverton Primaryschool.

We went to Waverton Primary schoolon Monday 30th January during theirmulticultural week. We firstly assisteda Japanese lady called Yoshi who wasteaching Year 3 and Year 6 to doorigami. We found that Year 6 neededless help then the Year 3 and wereable to work quicker with them. Welearned and helped the students make paper swans, tulips, rabbits and cameras, it was challenging but very rewarding.

We both felt it was very different notbeing a student and having to helpothers while listening to Yoshi. It washard for us to listen and help thechildren at the same time and we hadto keep the balance right betweenthe two. Some origami was very difficult and sometimes the classstruggled with it and needed a lot ofhelp, especially the Year 3 students.

We learned lots of origami techniques,how to help others and how to dealwith children of different ages. Weboth enjoyed talking to the youngerstudents to get to know them better.We left at lunch time and came backto Christleton after saying good bye toWaverton Primary School.

By Emily Treloar and Laura Beattie 9K2, Art Hot Scholar

Hot Scholars


ECO Teams

Year 8Team

Year 12Team


Four students at Christleton HighSchool have been successful in theiruniversity applications to Oxford:Joel Diggory will read English Language and Literature at St. John's, Amy Hughes will readPhysics at University College, Jack Chapman will read Chemistry at Christ Church and Rory Evans willread Physics at New College.

We are very proud of all our Year 13students, the majority of whom,dependent on examination results,will be heading off to University fornew experiences and new lives.

We wish them every success in theirexaminations and for the future.

Kate SaxonAssistant Headteacher

Christleton'sOxbridge Applicants

Spring Term 2012 37

From left to right:

Joel, Amy, Jack and Rory.

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On the 8th of February 2012, ChristletonHigh hosted an art extravaganza! WashingLine Wednesday and the year 12 art exhibition gave all Art students the opportunity to display a piece of theirown work, for everyone to view.

In Washing Line Wednesday, all studentsand teachers who walked by were givenan insight into the brilliant work producedby years 7-13. The Year 7 & 8 curatorsVicky Tate, Ellie Roberts, JolaMrozek, Daisy Roberts, Jade Wood,Ellie Allman, Harry Ford, MarkGoldthorpe, Joe Nesbitt, EmmaAhern, Anna Thompson, Briony Vickers, Emma Collins, Izzy Bowman,Charlotte Timms, Josie Proudlove,Becky Herbert, Naomi Simm, EmmaOgunyemi, did a fantastic job of puttingup and looking after the display whichchanged the atmosphere of the art corridor into a stunning art gallery. Welldone! At the same time, Y12 created another arty show in the exhibition hall,for their parents’ evening, to show offtheir A level work on the subject of ‘Shining Metal Forms’.

There were countless compliments fromstudents, parents and teachers alike;

‘I liked it a lot, I was very proud tosee all of our work all together ondisplay.’Naomi Price, Year12

‘The display looked creative in theway it was presented.’Stephanie Gardiner, Year 12

‘The display was a supremely successful showcase of the skill, creativity and teamwork in year 12.’Mrs Pritchard, Head Art & Design

‘This school is extremely creative,I’ve never seen work at such a highlevel from 17 year olds!’Melanie Efobi, Parent.

These exhibitions were a triumphant success and prove that Christleton HighSchool has imaginative talent.

Article by: Stefan Efobi 12L63 and Hannah Boggiano 12L61


Display Day!


Congratulations to the following who

have all been ‘Historian of the Month’

over the last term for their effort,

enthusiasm, participation,

attendance and punctuality:

Year 7Cameron Bradley, Robbi-LeaCreswell, Ffion Jones and JamieMartin

Year 8Tom Percival, Patrick Bradley, Dominika Sadzcuk, Adam Stanworth and Emily Freeman

Year 9Thomas Moore, Thomas Watkins,Danie Carr – Roberts and Simone Peneva

Year 10Olivia Walker, Eve Riley, Jack Riley and Olivia Walker

Year 11Ryan Hughes, Jed Birch andPhoebe Jones

Year 12Hannah Rumney , Alex Cross, Josh Whibberley and Johnny Parry

Year 13Zoe Volkes and Emily Russel

Year 12 PoliticsAmy Bradshaw

Year 13 PoliticsJuliana Hatwell

ClassicistEmma Challoner

Special mentionalso goes to the following for producing exceptional work in theirhomework projects:

Thomas MooreMillie GoodwinJoe WellsEllis BrackenburyKate GibbonsFfion Jones

Historian of the Month


As we strive towards Gold Eco SchoolStatus our attention has turned to howthe use of our computers and printers inschool affect the environment. We haveimplemented waste paper recycling binsthroughout school and sent our spenttoners for recycling.

What next…….well in August 2011 wetested some toner saving software because as we save toner we save CO2and thus help the environment. The result looked positive, however, what followed in the coming months amazed us.

As we write this article the figures forFebruary are even higher which is really

positive. Over the coming months wehave a number of other projects comingonline to help reduce the impact of theuse of computers on the environment including automated switching off of computers which are not in use, the introduction of low voltage computers,and the virtualization of our server roomreducing the number of physical serversfrom 12 to 5.

The toner saving technology we have implemented in school is available free for use at home. Please visit www.preton.com for more informationand do your bit for the environment.

John Blundell, Network Manager


Green Computing-news from the network roomMonth Pages Printed Kg CO2 Saved Total CO2 Saved Toner Saving

Aug 2011 2658 2.7 2.7 23.30%

Sept 2011 58647 7.9 10.6 19.80%

Oct 2011 48749 6.1 16.7 27.20%

Nov 2011 56729 7.1 23.8 25.60%

Dec 2011 31499 3.9 27.7 26.20%

Jan 2012 76736 11.1 38.8 26.70%


Year 7 Geography students proudly

present their land use models for

cities. All students are presently

completing a unit called My Changing

Space, they have learnt about

their local area through a range of

geographical skills and are looking

forward to a piece of fieldwork in

Christleton village. Students have

been developing their own questions

to investigate changes in the village.

Creativity in GeographyCreativity in Geography

Spring Term 2012 41


For our Year 11 week of work experience we decided to join the Artdepartment at Christleton High Schooland we were asked to run a workshop at lunchtime for Year 8 students.We needed to think of ideas and decided on Halloween dream catchers.

On the Monday morning, we collectedthe materials and made the framesfor the dream catchers and when thestudents arrived at lunchtime we dyedsome calico strips in ether green, orange or purple.

On Tuesday, we wrapped the calicoaround the frame and created themiddle pattern out of string.

Washing Line Wednesday, and as thestudents who came to the workshopwere curators, we couldn’t put themon the workshop, so we painted theinside pattern for them with ink usingthe 3 colours; green, orange and purple.

To prepare for the workshop on Thursday, we printed out some Halloween shapes i.e. cats, witches’hats and pumpkins. When the students arrived at lunchtime, theyused a transfer method to put theshapes on card which they cut outand painted.

On the last day, Friday, we preparedfor the workshop by painting somestring black. This was to attach theshapes that we had previously cut andpainted to the dream catchers. Whenthe students arrived, they soon got towork attaching them to their dreamcatchers. After this, we dry brushedthe frame to give it an old and antique look. When finished, the students were pleased to see theirfinal product.

Thank you to:

Dominika Sadczuk, Emma Collins,Emma Duthie, Emma Ogunyemi,Hannah White, Isobel Bowman,Josie Proudlove, Kelsey Walters,Madelaine Allman, Naomi Simm &Rebecca Herbert

Article by:Bethany Holland 11B1Chloe Bradley 11L1


Dream Catcher Workshop


In Design &Technology, we have hadseveral meetings and are alreadyplanning some big activities. We havealready started work on the DT HotScholar board and are planning tocover it with photos of our work.

We have been to a department meeting where we gave feedback and made suggestions for the DT department.

We have already discussed someideas for activities and these will takeplace from next term. Check our soonto be completed notice board (next toroom 8) for more information. We are also planning a t-shirt printing afternoon in the next few months.

By Finlay Wojtan & Matthew Goodwin, Year 8.

Hot Scholars

KnittingClubWe have a very happy Knitting Clubas you can see from this picture,taken at our Christmas Party.

Members are currently knitting lots of different colour squares towards making a beautiful blanket for charity.

You can join us on Tuesday lunchtimesin Room 15.

Miss Beardsell and Mrs Edwards


On the 21st of February a selectedgroup of year 9 students were giventhe privilege of going along to a STEMclub day at Catholic High. If you don’tknow STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.Sounds boring but STEM days are far from boring. We, together withstudents from Upton and Bishopswent to Catholic High at the beginningof the school day. We were introducedto our STEM club day leader calledBecky, she was a young engineer.Becky explained to us that our taskwas to design and build a poweredglider. We would have to cost it, construct it, plan a draft and even advertise and market it. But we hadno tools, just basic things like superglue and scissors and balsa wood, tissue paper, a propeller and pin and paperclips. It was surprisinglyhard to build and it took us all day.


STEM Club Dayat

Catholic High

There were some really creative gliders in the room. They had all beencarefully designed and eventually theywere complete. Some flew a long wayand others were very unique! Toround the great day off, we raced the gliders to see which ones flew thefurthest, then the highest and then forfun at the end. Christleton team 3 got3rd place, then a Bishops team came2nd, of course another Christletonteam came 1st .

My group however, produced the mostprofessional looking glider! Eventhough it was difficult to design andconstruct it was really interesting day.

STEM club days, run by Smallpeicetrust (it is spelt like that by the way),have a purpose. That purpose is to inform teenagers and children aboutengineering because to be engineerisn’t always fixing cars, it’s surgery,aerospace technogly and much more.One thing I remember from this day isthat engineering is the appliance ofscience to the good of humanity.

All in all it was a good laugh, it wasreally fun and a good way to spend a school day!



Shrove Tuesday –Pancake MakingOn Tuesday 21st February two students from mostof the forms went to the cooking department afterschool for a reward event! They were invited to gobecause they had managed to get the most “1s” in their form.

The children who were invited were Oliver Brunskill, Christopher Mageean, Mark Goldthorpe,Danny McNally, Aylin Bayraktor, Jade Wood, Ellie Kanwar and Sophie Ruinciman. The organiser was Miss Loxam! Miss Edwards & Miss Fletchman came along to help.

Written by Oliver Brunskill, Christopher Mageean



This year, some top Year 9 girl artistswere invited by the Art Department to create a range of cards, whichwould later be sold.

In January, we made over £40 fromour card sales which we used to cover our costs, make a donation to our school’s very own Hannah Banana and then... the artists werepaid with the remaining money!!! We learned that we can combineearning with learning!

Thanks to everyone who helped out!

Article by Ellie Gill 9BA2

Card Creation& Sale

Spring Term 2012 47


Eco GuyAntics


Year 10Exhibition!

Our idea started off when we all hadour meeting, we agreed that we weregoing to set up a big display for theyear 10 parents evening, full of year10 students work.

Myself, Bethany Mollart-Evans,Heather Tonks and Bethan Hosker decided to put up a display full of year10 work, to show our improvementssince year 9.

We collected all the year 10 art workand sorted it out into piles. Once wedid so, we brought the display boardsout, and began to display the work onthe boards. This took near enough 2hours, but the result afterwards madeit worth while!

I can say that myself, Bethany,Heather and Bethan are all pleasedwith our decision to do this displayand would all love to do it again.

Hollie Lawson 10B3


Gifted andTalentedStudents ReallyShine…Our more able students have reallybeen busy during the last term. Wehave provided many opportunities forthem to really show off their excellentskills and to develop some creativethinking in school. Some of the thingswhich have been happening are:

Creative Thinkers’ GroupA group of 40 students teamed up forthe first creative thinking session andstretched their minds using a widevariety of stimuli. They also exercisedtheir debating skills in explaining theirideas to the other team members.The second session takes place in afew weeks.

Success!

On 11th January, three teams (twoYear 9 teams and one Sixth Form)went to compete in the Rotary Clubpublic speaking competition.

The competition was held at theGrange Hotel, on the Wirral. Thecompetition, named ‘Youth Speaks’ isdesigned to enable students to gainexperience in public speaking and wewere selected by our English teachersand classes.

All of the teams spoke very well andthe BaBy team from Year 9 were goodenough to get through to the regionalround of the competition, which willbe in Theatr Clwyd. Ben Walsh fromthe Sixth Form team was awarded theaccolade of best proposer of thanks.

The first Year 9 team debated whethercapital punishment should bere-established in England. Megan Bwas the chairperson and introducedthe proceedings. Harry Hatwell thentook six minutes performing the mainbody of the debate, and JemimaGosmore then closed the speech.Their questioner then interrogatedHarry on his opinions, which hereplied to with ease and confidence.

Next, our second Year 9 team, KellyStevens (chairperson), GeorginaTaylor (speaker) and Catherine(Proposer of thanks), discussedwhether “some prisons providebetter living conditions than somecare homes”. Georgina also answeredher question with buoyancy and waslater recognised as the best speakerof the evening.

The Sixth Form team had prepared anextremely informative and interestingdebate; Polly Mackarel was thespeaker and used her historyknowledge to put forward anintriguing speech about the right to protest. Huw Barrett excelled as the chairperson.



Once again Christleton GeographyDepartment entered two teams intothe Annual Worldwise Quiz held atChester University on 7th December2011. It was an interesting andenjoyable evening for all. Both teamsdid extremely well coming 5th and 7thoverall out of a total 14 teams fromaround the county. Well done to (L-R)Dan Hamp, Meredydd Jones, MatthewGoodwin, Adam Stanworth, BlytheWalker and Chloe Jones. Superstars!

P4C with Miss EdwardsP4C engages children in developingtheir own questions in response to agiven stimulus. They then enquirethoughtfully, and collaboratively, intotheir choice of question, guided by theteacher. Finally they reflect on theirthoughts and participation, andsuggest how they could improve ontheir learning (skills and content) nexttime. Consequently, both the processand the content of learning are

simultaneously developed. It is arecognised strategy for developingGifted and Talented students.

Did you enjoy today’s P4C lesson?Yes because I was able to express myopinions to the class and it was reallyinteresting. I thoroughly enjoyed thelesson as I was able to debate anddiscuss interesting topics.

Do you think P4C helped you todevelop your thinking skills?Yes because other members of theclass raised questions that I was able to expand and develop. Yes because I had to look deeper into the topic weighing up strengths and weaknesses and evaluation the conclusions. It has helped me for the next time we do a debate.

Would you like to do P4C again?

Yes because it helped me to questionand build upon other people opinions.I liked my views being challenged.

Spring Term 2012 51

Geography Worldwise Quiz – Chester University


MediaTrip toLondonDecember

2011

A group of 30 Year 11/ 12 and 13Media studies students travelled toLondon to visit the BBC studios tour and the British Board of Filmclassification seminar in order to further develop their understanding of the media industry in Britain.

We stayed at a Hotel in the centre ofLondon and took in the sights andsounds of the capital during theChristmas period.

At the BBC we were lucky enough tomeet some stars such as Ed Sheeranand Example as well as watchingthem make the Christmas edition ofTop of the Pops.

At the BBFC we found out about howthey decide on the certification offilms and what criteria a film has tomeet in order to be give a 15 or a 12a.

We also went to see Puss in Boots in3D at the IMAX cinema.

It was a fascinating trip and a greatexperience for the students and thestaff.


Calling all Year 10 Students...

Work Experienceweek is just sixmonths away!Work Experience: Monday 15th to Friday 19th October 2012

The week before October half term is Work Experience week; this meansthat Year 11 students will be off-timetable for the week and be able toget valuable experience of the worldof work and a possible future career.

Recent research has shown that in a highly competitive jobs market relevant work experience can make a big difference to students’ employability. Work Experience also helps with future decision making about careers; students canunderstand work likes and dislikesbetter, learn about an occupation and decide whether it is for them.

Local Employers: Can You Help?

If you are able to offer the chancefor a fifteen / sixteen-year old tohave a week’s work experience withyou, please let us know. ContactKaren Varley [email protected]

Thank You!


Year 10 and 11 GCSEstudents make a cribfrom willow for ChesterCathedral’s nativity.

A small group of talented GCSE Artstudents spent 2 enrichment sessionsdeveloping their 3D skills and producing the crib used in ChesterCathedral’s nativity scene. This was a fantastic opportunity for all of the students’ involved

It was a good experience to beable to use a very different material to work with.Chloe Chapman 11L3

This was a challenge!Luke Chidlow 10B3

It was fun trying out somethingdifferent and a privilege to be invited. Matthew Hamilton Gearing 10B5

Improvisation was key in thisworkshop. Jack Riley 10B5

This was a good opportunity toadd new skills to my portfolio.Olwen Marshall 11B1

Spring Term 2012 53

Did you have a

Merry “CRIB”mas??


2012 LondonMarathonOn 22 April Miss Dentith and Mrs Mothersdale will be fulfilling an ambitionto run the London Marathon. Both of ushave entered the ballot for 3 or 4 yearsand were lucky enough to be selectedfor the 2012 marathon from the125,000 online entries made in justhours after the ballot opened last April.

We found out we had places at the endof September 2011. Neither of us arereally runners and this is the first timeeither of us has run more than about5k. The event is a real challenge bothphysically and mentally. The training isa long gradual process and like any

goal needs effort, determination andcommitment if we are to get to the finish line – half the battle is actuallybelieving you can make it. Even thoughour training plans and timescales havebeen very different we have both hadtimes when it’s been hard to get motivated to go out and run for 2 or 3hours non stop: This might be becauseit’s minus 7°C outside, raining anddark; or the thought of the physicalpain of blisters, black toenails andaching knees! There have been somereal highs though – actually being ableto run for hours and not be out ofbreath; the phenomenal weight loss;getting to the half marathon stage; andactually believing you CAN do it whenyou’ve just completed 19 miles on aSaturday morning for the first time ever!

We have both decided to use the opportunity to raise money for charitiesthat mean something to us personallyand those around us. Miss Dentith isrunning for The Samaritans in memoryof a friend. Mrs Mothersdale is runningfor the Epilepsy Society and Cancer Research UK in memory of her Gran.There is more information about ourcharities and fundraising on our websites:http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LucyDentith and http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SamMothersdale

The staff and both current and formerChristleton students have been fantasticin their support and encouragement sofar. “The training” is a frequent topic ofconversation each week and really does help us to keep going - this is onefeature that makes Christleton Highsuch a good place to work. We are really excited to be running in the London Marathon in Olympic year - theatmosphere is going to be amazing!



Polish Word Search

CZWARTEK (Thursday)

NIEDZ I E LA (Sunday)

SOBOTA (Saturday)

WTOREK (Tuesday)

J E S I EN (Autumn)

P IATEK (Friday)

SRODA (Wednesday)

Z IMA (Winter)

LATO (Summer)

PONIEDZ IALEK (Monday)

WIOSNA (Spring)

P Y S J E X R C N B W S Q Z H

C O J R T W Z L I J E S I E N

W Z N Q O W N A E E M M B M S

Y U C I A D N T D R A T N W A

E D N R E S A O Z S A H J O O

X J T B O D V D I W T J Q R K

N E H I X T Z P E S O T W M R

K E W S S S Q I L Z B O D V A

K S W E X P X E A Q O J U G O

K E R O T W N D G L S P J W H

D E T M P X A R Y E E K E C H

S R O A F G J Q P I L K R A R

V O J Z I K O L X H E D F H Q

N B Z F H P T N C J N E I D V

U G J N R T U U P F V R G N L


French Crossword1

2

3 4

5

6

7 8 9

10

11

12 13

14

Across3. Used to cut paper and peoples’ heads5. Apple in French7. You say this when you see someone you know in France8. Red in French11. Milk in French12. Capital city of France13. Family in French14. The middle colour of the French flag in French

Down1. Green in French2. Bye in French4. School in French6. Famous painting displayed in a museum in France 9. French word for Mrs.10. Famous tower in France


French Word Search

CEPENDANTDENTSL IVERNEZPOMMESOEURVERT

CHE INFREREMADAMEOISEAUPOULETTETEYEUX

CHEVALL I TMONS IEURPEREROUGETROIS

C Y Z Q W I H S X Q N Z O M J

L E C W D O R O D Q N A V O O

Z F P W P I Y C L S U L N N E

O U Y E E S H T E L U O P S E

P N A G N E C H E I N B A I M

D O U E V D S P X R T E T E A

N O M A S T A U Q K E D H U D

R V L M R I E N S L I R R R A

M V E O E Y O P T I D Z F M M

L Y I R L D Z E N V R U E O S

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Thanks to Maddy Allman, Katie Barker, Grace Broughton, Megan Russon and Dominika Sadczuk for providing these fun puzzles.


Chester and DistrictGymnasticsCompetition2011The Christleton High Year 7 girls tookpart in the annual year 8 Chester andDistrict Gymnastics Competition onWednesday 7th December 2011 atChester Catholic High School. Madeline Thompson, Emma Newham,Cassie Wild and Evie Challoner madeup the Christleton team who werecompeting against other schools inand around the Chester City area.

Prior to this event, all four girlsworked tirelessly to perfect theirpaired sequences during Monday andFriday lunch practices. EmmaNewham and Cassie Wild worked together and performed their routineon the day while Madeline Thompsonand Evie Challoner made up theschool’s 2nd pair.

All four girls gave their all and performed extremely well, they werecomposed in their floor routines andexecuted the vault to a very goodstandard. By the end of the competition, the results were pleasingto see, with all four girls performingexceptionally well, it was inevitablethat one of them would pick up amedal somewhere in the competition.It was Emma Newham who collectedthe bronze medal in the year 8 vaultand over all, the girls came 4th andjust missed out on the bronze medalwhich was out of 9 schools. Well done to all and the girls are already working on their routine for nextyears competition.

Mr. G Barton



On Wednesday 1st December 2011the school Year 7 Athletics team attended an indoor championship atChristleton High School. The Schoolteam consisted of Cameron Bradley,Christy Mageean, George Campbell,Tom Townsend, Jamie Martin, BenGrace, Brandan Dickinson and RoryHarper. All the boys performed exceptionally well, especially as some were last minute replacementsfor injured performers.

To end the event, there was a presentation which had the Schoolteam in total euphoria. Not understanding quite how well theyperformed, the Christleton teamended the night as Chester Champions, beating 9 other schools,and have progressed to the Cheshireand Warrington finals in March 2012,which will be held at Northgate Arena.A report in next term’s Swan will bewritten to inform you of how they get on.

Well done to all involved.

Mr G Barton

Year 7 Boys ChesterIndoor AthleticsChampionships

Spring Term 2012 59


PATHWAY is the name for everything we offer at Christleton to prepare students for their future world of work.

PATHWAY activities include mock interviews, work experience placements,careers advice sessions, work-related learning, progression to employmentevents and higher education / university conventions.

“Our aim is to ensure that all students are given the best start for a

rewarding future career during their time at Christleton so they can

move on to a secure working future, whether it be at age 16, 18, 21

and beyond.”

What to know more?

Look out for the PATHWAY articles in this edition of the Swan and visitour PATHWAY section of the school website

www.christletonhigh.co.uk/school_information/pathway_introduction.php

Do YOU need help indeciding YOUR future

christleton high school - swan easter 2012

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