international · the comenius project is a british council funded initiative, named after jan amos...
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Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
1
Spring 2014
Helsby High School Welcomes Comenius VisitorsHelsby High School Welcomes Comenius VisitorsHelsby High School Welcomes Comenius Visitors
We were delighted to welcome visitors from our two Comenius partner schools
(Collège Noël Berrier, Corbigny, France and IGS Wallstraße Wolfenbüttel, Germany).
Some of our Year 8 students hosted visitors, and worked together during the week on
activities linked to the ‘Healthy Europe -Happy Europe’ project.
The Comenius project is a British Council funded initiative, named after Jan Amos
Comenius who was a 16th Century educator and is generally considered to be the
father of the modern education system. Comenius aims to develop knowledge and
understanding among young people about the diversity of European cultures and the
value of this diversity.
The two year Comenius project will extend into next year, when our students will
make return visits to France and Germany.
This logo was designed
by Zoe S, to represent
our Comenius
partnership project.
INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S DAYWOMEN’S DAYWOMEN’S DAY On Friday 7
M a r c h ,
f o u r t e e n
Year Ten
girls visited
C h e s t e r
Un i vers i ty
as part of
International
Women’s Day. They attended a conference
organised by the Faculty of Science and
Engineering, promoting opportunities for
women in STEM subject careers. (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths).
The day included a mixture of talks and
hands on sessions including a
demonstration of a 3D printer and a food
tasting activity.
Talks were given by women currently
working in a variety of careers at
Daresbury Laboratories and Stanlow
Refinery. The pupils particularly enjoyed
the talk given by the keynote speaker, Dr
Lucy Rogers, who gave a very inspiring
presentation outlining her exciting work
with NASA, Rolls Royce, and the Hong
Kong shipping industry amongst others.
It certainly raised the profile of careers in
the engineering profession and also
highlighted the exciting opportunities
available to STEM subject graduates.
Overall the students found the experience
very positive and it gave them lots to
think about in terms of future careers.
Over the coming months our Key Stage
Four pupils will have a range of
opportunities which will help them to
make their important Post-16 choices.
Mrs M Marvin
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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Year 7 students
visit Mosque in Liverpool During March, Year 7 pupils visited the Al-Rahma Mosque in Liverpool as part of their study of the religion of Islam. The visits included a tour of the Mosque, an exhibition
of artefacts and an informative 'hands on' talk and question session. We were made to feel very welcome by everyone at the Mosque and the pupils were both
enthusiastic and well behaved. A credit to Helsby High School. Pupils have sent a variety of cards to the Mosque as a way of saying thank you or 'Shakran'!
Mrs J Penney
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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YOUTH PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS On 23 and 24 January, Year 10 and Year 11 took part in the youth parliament elections. The Youth
Parliament is an organisation that is run by young people providing opportunities for 11-18 year-olds
to use their voice in creative ways to bring about social change. The election Helsby students were
involved with was to select a new youth parliament member for the Cheshire area who will hold this
position for a year.
The experience was their first taste of democracy with all individuals casting a vote for one of five
candidates. The process involved watching the candidates pledge their principles and promises to the
audience, similar to what we see in parliament! The outcome of the votes and thereby the winner will
be announced on the 9 March, and the votes of the Helsby students will have contributed to the result.
The general aim of the event was to introduce and encourage young people to engage in politics.
Y8 Spy Stories Last term Year 8 took part in a National pilot for a new style of English Teaching. The
English department were extremely privileged to be selected to trial these
exciting new lessons from Pearson Education. These lessons focus on teaching
Grammar skills in context and allow pupils to develop higher level reading and
writing skills in a completely new and engaging way. Over the lessons pupils
learned about a wide range of Grammar skills from sentence construction to
pronoun use with a focus on the genre of Spy Fiction. At the end of the unit pupils
were given the opportunity to try out all their new skills by writing their own Spy Fiction stories, and
what fantastic results they achieved! Over 90% of pupils achieved better than their target level and
many pupils produced stories that GCSE pupils would be proud to say they had written. Mrs Booth
said, “It’s quite amazing how far the pupils have come in such a short space of time, teaching
Grammar in context is empowering for pupils and has a direct and significant impact on their
progress.”
Mrs Booth’s 8y1 class decided to introduce a competitive element to their Spy story writing with the
top 3 stories awarded a prize. At the pupils’ request, the prize was to have their stories published on
the school website so the top 3 stories can be read via www.helsbyhigh.org.uk.
The winning stories were by: Zoe M, 8AME, Emily R, 8DME and Sam M, 8DME.
Mrs E Booth, English Department
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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SCHOOL PRODUCTION “The best one yet” a long-standing member of the PE department exclaimed to
one of my friends. She was, of course, referring to the mouthful-and-half that was
this year’s home-made bona-fide original School Production, ‘John Scott Stevens
Wants to Know Someone Who Will Change the World’. I had the pleasure of going
on the last night (Best performance, and everyone cries at the end. Every. Single.
Time).
The play tackled a difficult issue, namely: domestic abuse. It was split into four
different acts, with music by The Beautiful South or The Housemartins weaved throughout. At the
end of each act the audience was ushered out and then ushered in again to find the chairs having
mysterious rearranged themselves. As each act told a different
part in the lives of John – a dreamer who wants to know
someone who will change the world – and Susan – the girl he
falls in love with – this gave the audience a different
perspective; a different way for the story to be told.
We were led, by the effervescent bundle of joy that was the
Narrator, through a story which told of childhood and hippies
and love and loss and grief; a story which could flip from the
hilarious absurdity of someone spitting cake across the stage to
the soberness of watching John break down as Susan leaves
him. It was only in the fourth act, with an audience already
feeling overwhelmed, that we saw a broken Susan trapped in a
bruising marriage and the poignant alter-ego of John, Pockets,
trapped in the shadow of losing Susan to someone else. Even
after Pockets shudders and weeps when he hears Susan is
dead, the audience was not ready for Susan’s final, bittersweet
legacy – the Susan Darling Foundation, a society that helps
people escape abusive relationships – and that for one woman,
through this Foundation, “Susan Darling literally changed my
world.”
Once again, we have a testament to the tenacity and talent of Helsby High School’s inexhaustible
Drama Department; not only to the effort and energy of both the teachers and the taught, but of
their remarkable sensitivity and imagination in creating such a beautiful work of theatre.
Conor Ross J
Lower 6
A portion of the money raised by the ticket sales went towards the Sara
Charlton Foundation, which helps women suffering from domestic
violence in the UK.
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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Year 11 Revision Event Tuesday 11th March
Helsby High School invited all students, parents & carers to a
Revision Event for Year 11 which was held on Tuesday 11th March.
An Expert Speaker worked with students to ensure they revise more
effectively and helped parents and carers to manage their stress…
both sons, daughters and their own!
Thank you to all the parents and students that attended the event;
the feedback was excellent and we are hope students utilise their new
techniques when preparing for their forthcoming exams.
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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The Cheshire West and Chester Youth Senate In the past few months, our local council has set up a ‘Youth Senate’. The group is made up of 18
young people from across the local authority. Three of the members are from Helsby High School,
these are myself, Beth Poole and Liam Jones. Other members are UK Youth Parliament candidates
and a former UKYP member. The purpose of this group is to provide a young people’s voice in the
council’s decision making. We hold conferences at the council headquarters in Chester and talk with
people who run the local government and manage policy. In our December conference, we
scrutinised and put forward our views on proposed changes to school transport provision to a senior
planner in this area. We are involved in a wide range of issues in the Cheshire West and Chester
area, such as education, health and sports.
Should you wish to raise any issues, whether you feel that they are important to you, the wider
community or both, then feel free to talk to any of the three ‘senators’ at school. Our job is to
represent you, the young people in this area, and we will be sure to raise your concerns with the
Youth Senate and the county council.
Keith B
Design a Mobile App – Mrs Turner’s ClassesYear 9 computing students were recently given a project brief to design a mobile application for their ICT project. Many students entered the competition and presented their Apps to their teacher. The standard was exceptionally high and the competition was fierce… just like it is in the real world!
After taking time to assess the quality of the innovationsand the viability of their designs, Mrs Turner, ably assisted by teaching assistants and 6th form computing students, awarded prizes to the top five students.
Well Done to everybody that took part!
Dean 1st Prize
Dan 2nd Prize
Ryan 3rd Prize
James 4th Prize
Katelyn 5th Prize
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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Year 8 Boys are County Sports-Hall Athletics Champions
On Friday 7 March the Northgate Arena in Chester hosted the County Finals of the Sports-Hall
Athletics competition.
Each of the teams (year 7 boys, year 7 girls, year 8 boys and year 8 girls) had qualified for the finals
by first winning their district competition. Having won in all categories at the district event, Helsby
had a full complement of four teams at the event.
All the teams performed well but the most credit should go to the boys from year 8 who finished in
first place and picked up the trophy as County Champions.
The year 8 boys’ team (pictured below) was: Niall T, Luke S, Sam M, James C, Jacob B and Brandon J.
Other results were: Year 7 Boys 2nd, Year 7 Girls 4th, and Year 8 Girls 4th.
Year 7 & 8 Girls Team
Year 7 & 8 Boys Team
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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2014 Cheshire County
Cross-Country On Saturday 18 January numerous Helsby
students braved difficult conditions and poor
weather to represent Halton district in the
Cheshire Schools Cross-Country Championships
at Knight’s Grange in Winsford.
In the Senior Girls (yrs. 12 & 13) race Jess P,
despite only just returning from injury and being
a year young, finished in 2nd place which means
she has qualified to run for Cheshire in the
English Schools Championships.
In the Inter Girls (yrs. 10 & 11) race Georgia
M finished a very creditable 12th despite giving
away a school year to many of the other
runners.
In the Junior Girls (yrs. 8 & 9) race Emily H,
Natasha T, Eleanor J and Hannah B all ran well
whilst in the Minor Girls (Yr. 7) race five
students represented the district. They were:
Isla B, Orla M, Victoria W, Ellie M, Niamh O and
Beth S.
All the girls put in good performances with Isla B
(17th) deserving particular credit for making the
Cheshire team to run vs. Merseyside in March.
In the Junior Boys race Jacob B (Yr. 8) finished
11th out of 73 runners with Harri B finishing 46th.
In the Minor Boys race seven students ran for
the district: Sonny D, Rob H, Ed J, Finlay M, Max
C, Joe W and Oliver A.
Sonny (2nd), Rob (6th), Ed (12th) and Finlay
(15th) have all qualified to represent Cheshire in
an inter-counties match vs. Merseyside in
March. Congratulations to all of them on their
selection!
In the Senior Boys race there were no current
students competing however old boys Matthew
H (4th) and Patrick S (6th) both represented Mid-
Cheshire with distinction.
Full race details can be found at: www.cheshireschoolsaa.co.uk
Jess P (2nd in Inter Girls)
Sonny D (2nd in Minor
Boys)
Ex-student Kyle gets
USA Scholarship
Ex-student Kyle S (GCSE class of 2011) has just
received the exciting news that he has been
awarded a full four year basketball scholarship
to Post University in the USA.
Kyle (who has spent the last three years since
leaving Helsby combining studying and playing
England League Division 1 basketball at the
Bristol Academy) will be representing the Post
University Eagles for the next four years in the
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference of the
NCAA division 2. He will also be studying to earn
a degree during his time in America.
Everyone at Helsby is very proud of Kyle’s
achievements and it is great to see his hard
work and dedication pay off. Kyle will follow in
the footsteps of other ex-Helsby students;
Devan B (Central Connecticut State), Jack M
(Polk State) and Jason H (Hannibal-LaGrange),
who have earned basketball scholarships to the
USA.
Links:
Post Eagles website
http://posteagles.com/ Kyle Squire Season 2011-12 highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspz4fM_Zuc
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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Helsby High School Voted 15th Best State Sports School 2013!
School Sport Magazine recently
released their list of the 30 best
state sports schools of 2013 and
Helsby High has been voted in at
15th position. The top 30 reflects
competitive achievement in a
range of sports throughout 2013
and honours those schools that
take competition seriously. The
list is based on 20 different
sports and more than 120
different national competitions.
“This national recognition is
testament to the hard work and
dedication of all the boys and
girls in our sports teams as well
as the support and commitment
of all members of the PE
department. The fact that 8 of the 14 schools placed ahead of us in the list have selective admissions
policies makes the achievement even more notable.”
Paul Park (Head of Physical Education)
U13 Boys National Basketball Champions
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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FootballFootballFootball 6th Form team remain undefeated in the Championship of the Merseyside
league and remain on course for the play off finals after the Easter
holidays. Since the Christmas holidays we have been solid at the back
with the ever consistent Harris Y marshalling the defence and agility and
reflexes of Joe S in goal. We have still been playing out from the back
which has been a joy to watch at times. However, we haven’t been
prolific in front of goal. Two draws against Mosslands and St Francis of
Assisi have been hard fought but without a killer instinct of the early
season. We were back to winning ways with against Wirral Met with a
fantastic 6 0 win.
Year 10
It has been disappointing that a number of games have been cancelled because of the weather. But
the boys have been training hard. A difficult game against a very robust and physical St Peters and
Paul team which included a number of year 11’s saw a home defeat 1 4. However, I was impressed
that the boys kept to their passing principles. But the team must learn not to be intimidated by bigger
opposition and stand up and be counted. This will allow their talent to shine.
Year 9
The team have been playing some excellent football and training really hard. Alex S has been excellent
at the back not just defensively but bringing the ball out of defence like young Alan Hansen. Alex M
the captain in full of running and never gives the ball away. Will G and Ollie O a very good partnership
in midfield. The boys showed great character to come back from 2 goals down against Wade Deacon
but conceded two late goals because of fatigue. The following week the boys scored 9 against
Bankfield.
Year 8
The year 8’s lost against St Peter and Pauls 4-1 but are training really hard and improving their
understanding and listening skills. The boys must keep working and never give up and results will
come.
Year 7
The year 7 5-a-side team won Halton 5 aside tournament then represented Halton in the county finals.
Unfortunately Christleton proved a little too strong but the boys played some really good football and it
was a great experience. I have been very impressed with all the boys with 30 boys training on Friday
night. The boys have had some excellent results against The Heath, Wade Deacon but have had
narrow defeats against Christleton and SFX. If the boys want to win the Cheshire cup this is the bench
mark.
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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SKI TRIP 2014
Aprica, Italy
On Friday 14th February 45 students from Years 8, 10 & 11 together with 6 members of
staff set off in a coach headed for the Italian ski resort of Aprica. The journey was
scheduled to take 26 hours but thanks to Friday night rush hour on the M25, the terrible
conditions in the Channel and some interesting sat nav routes from our drivers, actually
ended up taking 32! This would have been even longer if it wasn't for Mr J and his trusty
European road map!
Arriving later than expected meant there would be no time for skis and boots to be fitted until after breakfast
the following morning so after dinner the whole group went to bed extremely tired and not looking forward to
the 6:00 a.m. alarm call ready for a 6:30 a.m. breakfast!
Skis and boots were fitted with great efficiency despite the early start and the students then got the bus to the
slopes where they were split into four groups with their instructors for the week; Luigi, Franco, Bruno and
Mariana. They were then sent out on their first of 12 lessons for the week.
Throughout the week the students experienced a wide variety of snow and weather conditions however the
deep base of snow meant that the skiing was good in all conditions and all students made rapid progress. All
the students seemed to respond extremely well to their instructors with Luigi and Franco becoming particular
favourites. It was extremely pleasing that of a possible 1080 hours of lessons that our students were able to
take part in only 2 hours were missed all week. This is absolutely remarkable and is by far the best turn out of
any ski group I've ever known.
As well as the skiing every day there was a wide variety of après-ski entertainments organised and run by our
rep Sarah in the evenings. There was a quiz night, ten-pin bowling, bingo, pizza and karaoke and to top it off a
fancy dress disco which saw many of our students make a great effort with their costumes.
The students who took part in the trip were a credit to the school and their behaviour was excellent. I'm sure
they all enjoyed their week and learned a great deal about skiing as well as themselves. I hope that for many
of them this is the start of a lifelong participation in the great sport of skiing and that we see as many of them
as possible skiing with the school in the future.
Mr P Park (Ski Tour Leader)
Quotes
“We had a great time. Our ski instructors were really good and it was an amazing trip. I
would recommend it to anyone to experience a fun week in Italy” (Alfie P. Yr. 8)
“An amazing experience; the most phenomenal holiday I’ve been on!” (Sam M. Yr. 8)
“Really good holiday; skiing was very fun with good, friendly instructors and there were a lot of good
entertainments in the evening.” (Jacob B. Yr. 8)
“It was definitely worth the 30 hour coach trip!” (Olly R. Yr. 8)
“Best holiday ever!” (James R. Yr. 8)
“It was an amazing experience and great value for money. From the first day to the last I was always
entertained.” (James H. Yr. 8)
“Out of everybody that went there wasn’t one person who didn’t enjoy skiing!” (Wes O. Yr.8)
“The coach trip was worth the wait for an amazing experience!” (James H. Yr. 8)
“I have skied several times before but only twice with an instructor. I have improved a lot because my
instructor taught me a lot of new things like jumping and carving.” (Natasha T. Yr.8)
“Skiing was amazing, I improved loads. It was funny watching the teachers singing at karaoke!” (Hannah P. Yr.
8)
“It was an amazing trip. We learned how to ski much better and had so many great experiences.” (Katie C. Yr.
8)
“I’ve never skied before but the instructors made it really fun and we went on black runs!” (Esme C. Yr. 8)
“I enjoyed all of skiing and when we went to the disco was the best because we were the only ones in fancy dress and some of the teachers were dancing!” (Georgia M. Yr. 8)
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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Netball Another
year has
gone by
quickly and
during this
time there
has been a
lot of netball training and
matches. The real congratulations go to the Year
7’s who have shown superb focus and
determination to improve which has been evident
in the outstanding commitment to training
throughout the year. This has meant that they
have now adopted a significant winning streak in
their recent matches both in the ‘A’ and ‘B’
teams. At the start of the year they were beaten
by Bridgewater by a 20 goal margin. A recent
match saw them beat the strong side
Bridgewater 12-11. The same was seen against
Whitby High School where they beat us
convincingly at the start of the year and we beat
them last week 10-2. The real sign of their
progress comes in the County netball tournament
that is due to be played on 29 March at Whitby
High School. This tournament is the finale to the
netball season and is the main focus of training
throughout the year. As well as Year 7, Year 8
and 9 will be competing too.
The Year 8 team had their hearts set on raising
money to buy netball dresses and held a cake
sale to raise
the funds.
The team
solidarity in
achieving
this was
admirable.
They look
very smart;
let’s hope
they play
smart at the tournament!
There have been members of the older teams
who should be congratulated for their regular
attendance at club but it has been a real battle
on occasions to get all the members of the older
teams together at the same time to train. This is
such a shame as when they really apply
themselves they can make superb progress
which has been evident in the build up to this
tournament. This commitment throughout the
whole year would see massive gains in team
success.
We were entered in the
Ellesmere Port League
again this year with the
last match coming soon.
Until this is played we will
not know our finish
position by the time this
goes to press but I’m
pretty sure all age groups have
finished in the top two if not winning the league.
I have been particularly overwhelmed by the
determination of pupils both in Year 7 and 8 who
have worked so hard to be in the teams but are
always just on the cusp of selection. They have
never moaned when not selected and have
continued to work hard and ask questions as to
how they can improve further. It is people like
you that will succeed in life as that determination
has to pay off in the end. Girls, you know who
you are and well done and never give up.
A particular mention must go to two Year 11
GCSE PE students Cara G and
Faye W who chose netball
leadership/coaching as
one of their sports to be
assessed in. They have
shown excellent
commitment, planning
and progress with how to
coach/lead and have built
an excellent rapport with
pupils in all age groups.
The respect the pupils
show these girls is a true
compliment to the
commitment they have
put into helping out. They
should prove excellent role models to the
younger pupils they inspire.
Finally, many of the schools we play achieve their
success primarily because the pupils in their
teams attend clubs outside of school. We do have
a few pupils in this position but it would be great
to see more girls attending these clubs to get
more time to play netball and develop their
interest and skill level further. If you would like
to receive more information about these clubs,
please ask your daughter to see me at school.
A great season ladies and good luck for the
tournament!
Miss R Clarke
(Head of Girls PE)
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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FANTASTIC FOOTBALL FROM THE GIRLS!!!
It has been a very busy but extremely successful term for girls’ football at Helsby. We currently have 3
teams that are all left in various competitions and numbers at training remain very high.
U16 (Year 10 &11)
After becoming district champions in the Ellesmere Port and Neston
stage of the Cheshire schools 7 a side tournament the girls then went
on to represent the district in the Cheshire schools winter games
finals which were held at The University of Chester. The girls played
7 games in a round robin tournament and won all 7 games which
meant that they now played in the
final against Poynton High School
who had finished in second place.
Helsby had already beaten a very
strong Poynton side and knew it
was going to be a tough final, unfortunately Poynton wanted revenge
and after a long time of being goalless they eventually scored to win
1-0. The girls were extremely disappointed to come away as county
runners up and silver medals, showing great desire to be successful.
However, they should be incredibly proud of their achievements and
how they conducted themselves throughout the day.
The success of the U16 team has continued in the Cheshire cup competition. After beating All Hallows
4-1 in the quarter finals the girls then faced Lymm in the semi-finals. The majority of the Helsby and
Lymm girls all play football together outside of school for Frodsham FC and so both sides knew it was
going to be a tough game. With Helsby having the majority of the possession for the first 20 mins and
at least 5 near misses, Lymm broke away and scored. It remained 1-0 with about 10 minutes of the
game to go and eventually luck was on our side and finally the ball went in to the back of their net.
Cheers from the sidelines and encouragement from Captain Rachael saw the girls really push on in the
final minutes of the game, with 3 consecutive corners. The third saw words of wisdom from a
frustrated Headmaster who told Annabel to go short for the corner from Leah. For once Annabel
listened to the Head and went short, she received the ball and hit it with power into the top corner of
the net!!!!! 2-1 Helsby with 3 minutes to go. The longest 3 minutes later saw a jubilant team of girls
celebrating success and a Cheshire Cup Final to be held on Wednesday 2nd April at Middlewich Town FC.
U14 (Year 8 & 9)
The U14 team also achieved success in the district 7 a side tournament also becoming district
champions after beating Neston in the final on penalties. As with the U16 team the girls then went on
to represent the district in the Cheshire schools winter games finals
and after finishing the round robin stage of the tournament the girls
found out that they had reached the third and fourth place play off.
After finding out who they were playing in the play offs the girls’
heads dropped as they were playing the only team that had beaten
them in the earlier stages of the competition. After a quick team
talk the girls decided they had nothing to lose and went out fighting
and their excellent passing and
superb defending from Christine
and Hannah ensured it was 0-0
at half time. Revenge came in
the second half when a great goal from Molly gave Helsby the
victory and bronze medals all round. It was a superb tournament
and the girls played some brilliant football and should be incredibly
proud of what they achieved.
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
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In the Cheshire cup the U14’s have reached the semi-finals after beating a very strong side from
Eaton Bank. Helsby were 2-0 down at half time, but after words of advice at half time and a
second half playing downhill and the wind behind us Helsby went out a much stronger and
determined side. The winning goal very calmly taken under pressure from Molly W saw Helsby win
3-2.
U12 (Year 6 and 7)
Helsbys’ first ever girls U12 team have got off to a brilliant start beating Ormskirk High School 1-0
in a very evenly matched game. Our two year 6 players looked incredible strong and comfortable
on the ball. Libby G was our match winner and voted player of the match by the opposition. The
girls now face Wright Robinson Sports College in the next round of the English Schools Cup.
The U12’s also entered the district 7 a side competition and played some brilliant football on the
astroturf at Neston High School. The girls were joint winners of the tournament but unfortunately
missed out on joining the older girls in the Cheshire winter games finals on goal difference!!
Congratulations to Mia C (Y7) and Hannah P (Y8) who are both currently playing football for
Cheshire. Well Done girls!!
Training will continue throughout the summer for all girls from Y6 upwards, even if you have never
played football before please come along and give it a go.
Well done to all the girls that have been involved in what has been a very successful season for
girls’ football. Keep up the good work!!
Miss N Wilkes
SUN PROTECTION
There are a number
of school visits taking place
over the summer when
children will be outdoors for
the best part of the day, including, of
course, sports day. This country does
endure a fair amount of rain and not
a lot of sun but we would ask parents
to be well prepared and send their
child into school with sun protection,
even if it is a cloudy day.
MCAS During the first few weeks of Summer Term, the school will be sending out text messages to the parents and
carers of any students with an unexplained absence requesting
that they check MCAS and provide the school with a reason for the absence. Thereafter, we will send weekly text messages each Friday afternoon as a reminder to parents and carers if there has been an unexplained absence during that week. We hope parents and carers will find this useful and will help ensure unauthorised absences are not recorded on a student’s record when there has
been a legitimate reason for the absence. If you receive a text message please send a brief reply to the text or via email to: [email protected].
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
15
The Big Bang! Truly WOW! Back in June of last year Emily entered the regional heats of the
National Science and Engineering Competition with her Silver Crest
Award Project ‘Could there be another planet like ours?’. She was
awarded a place at the National finals which have just been held in
Birmingham as part of The Big Bang Science fair, along with 199
other finalists from around the U.K. (You may have heard of it, she
was in the intermediate section of the competition from which the
Young Scientist of the Year was chosen.) Emily was joined by Emma
who had also completed a Silver Crest award project and went along
to experience all the other opportunities also available at the fair. This is what happened over the
48 hours they were there.
Wednesday evening Emily and
Emma arrived in Birmingham.
Emily set up her stand, along
with many other exhibitors
such as UK Space, The British
Society for Plant Pathology,
Glaxo Smith Kline, Rolls-Royce,
E-On, BAE Systems, the NHS
as well as all the other national
finalists entered for the
National Science & Engineering
Competition.
Thursday morning we arrived at 8am to allow Emily to prepare for the judging that took place for
the National Competition, and to prepare for some of the 75,000 people who attended over the
course of the four day science fair.
At the end of two very busy days Emily took her place alongside the other National finalists from
around the United Kingdom as they gathered in the auditorium for the equivalent of the Young
Scientist BAFTA’s. Although Emily did not win, the experience was ‘Interesting’ , ‘Exciting’ , ‘A once
in a lifetime experience!’
Dr. Ravetz
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
16
Wife of Bath Lectures
On Thursday 6 March, our group of literature students along with Ms Boyer travelled to the centre of
Manchester to hear a series of lectures on ‘The Wife of Bath’. As her Prologue and Tale from
Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’ are examination texts, it’s useful to gain
insight from a number of different sources and opinions, and each lecturer
delivered precisely that, ensuring that the decision to take extra paper for
note making was not in vain. Exploring a variety of topics, the day was
certainly helpful and, despite faulty fire alarms, seemed to run smoothly.
Overall, I’m sure everyone would agree that the train journeys and long day
were certainly worthwhile; enjoyable as well as educational.
Mary S
Upper 6
Remembering the HolocaustRemembering the HolocaustRemembering the Holocaust
On Friday 28 February Conservative MP Graham Evans came into school to speak to Year 9 pupils
about the importance of remembering the Holocaust. Students have been examining the Holocaust
as part of their study of Prejudice and Discrimination. Graham Evans accompanied one of the sixth
form groups who visited Auschwitz last term and the two representatives from Helsby also gave a
presentation of their visit to Year 9. The students were attentive listeners who made a very good
impression on MP Graham Evans.
Mrs J Penney
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
17
This has been a very busy term for our cluster Primary Schools.
Well done to everyone who has participated in Leadership training and the competitions.
(Artie Senior SSCO)
Playleader Training This programme involves training primary school students to deliver playground
activities for other students. This may be a young person’s first experience of being a
leader, and volunteering their own time to benefit others, as well as hopefully helping
them develop as an individual.
Generally it is the year 5 and 6
students that are actively
involved in the Play Leaders
programme, delivering activities
for younger school
students. They undertake a
simple 3 hour informal training
session before actually
becoming a Play Leader. The
Play Leaders Programme
may be very different from one
school to another, as it is each
individual school, and their students, that take ownership
of this programme and shape it how they wish. Play
Leaders are awarded with caps so that they are visible to
their peers and some schools recognise the number of hours each Play Leader
undertakes as part of their role, by awarding a certificate after students have achieved 8
sessions.
It is hoped that once Play Leaders leave their Primary School they are keen Sports
Leaders and join the Leadership Programme when they start attending High School.
Dodgeball Mini Leaders The UK Dodgeball Association have
designed a young leadership award
to allow pupils from year 5 & 6 an
opportunity to take their first step
onto the leadership pathway.
Through the exciting and inclusive
new sport of Dodgeball the award
gives upper Key Stage 2 pupils the
chance to learn leadership skills
and new formats of the sport in a
totally practical way—empowering
the mini leaders with the
confidence and knowledge to deliver sessions and competitions within their schools to
younger age groups and their peers.
AC
TIV
E, A
CH
IEV
E, E
NJO
Y
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
18
Sports Hall Y5/6 Sports Hall provides the ideal format for developing core skills and fitness required for most other sports.
An exciting range of track events encourage
team work, agility, speed and endurance
while the Sports Hall field events are ideal for
improving fitness and monitoring progress.
All activity takes place in a community
sportshalls using portable equipment. Sports
Hall is inclusive and offers age related
programmes that can be integrated easily into
School and Club curricular.
Basketball Y5/6 Cheshire Phoenix players and coaches attended the Y5/6 Basketball
competition which was organised and run by Helsby’s Y9 National Champions. The Helsby students
coached the teams before the start of the competition, organised a warm up
session, ran the technical table and refereed the games.
High 5 Netball Y5/6
Because of bad weather the Netball competition was move indoors to Frodsham
Leisure Centre. Helsby Y7’s helped organise the teams and Sixth Formers ran the
technical table and refereed the games.
ACTIVE, ACHIEVE ENJOY
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
19
Helsby High’s Spring Festival
2014
Sunday 27th April, 12pm—4pm
A fantastic opportunity to meet with friends, have fun and raise funds
for our local high school! It promises to be a lovely annual event for the
school and local community.
Live music & performances
with Helsby’s Got Talent
Scalextric Championships
Pyrographics
Craft Market
Chocolate Tombola
Candy Floss
Tuck Shop
Unique works of art for sale—created by talented Helsby art
students
Face Painting
Fun Games
Raffle, Refreshments and much more!
…...Calling all Crafters
If you would like a craft stall—book now! Please email [email protected] before 28th
March 2014
…...Help
If you can offer an hour of help on the day (no special talents needed) please email
[email protected], check www.helsbyhigh.org.uk for details nearer the time, or
contact Karen Neal at the school
Helsby High School Spring Newsletter 2014
20
Message from Mr Dowler - Easter 2014
Much to Celebrate - Over the last 3 months we have had much to celebrate at Helsby High School:
Ofsted Visit
The school was last inspected in October 2008 and since then the Ofsted framework had changed a
number of times. We were pleased that the team of five inspectors recognised some of the many
positive aspects of the school. Some of the Inspectors’ findings include:
“This is an improving school.”
“Students’ attainment is high.”
“The majority of teaching is good, with some that is outstanding.”
“Students’ behaviour is good. They are happy and proud of their school and are mutually respectful
of one another.”
“Students feel safe in school and have a good awareness of e-safety.”
“The rich variety of extra-curricular activities enhances the memorable experiences of students.”
“The Sixth Form is good and improving. The students are exemplary role models for other students
in the main school.”
Clearly there is much to commend in the report, which also confirms that we are addressing the key
priorities to improve the school even further. I would like to thank our students, staff and parents/
carers for all their hard work and support, particularly during the inspection.
School Production
It was delightful to see over 70 students putting on a wonderful production of an original play ‘John
Scott Stevens’. The cast worked incredibly hard and supported each other to produce a terrific
performance. Well done to all those involved and thank you to Mrs Cross, Mrs McGrail and other
staff for all their hard work.
Top State Schools for Sport
A recent article in ‘School Sport Magazine’ featured the top 30 state schools for sport in England.
We were delighted to be recognised in 15th place (out of over 3,000 state secondary schools in
England). The top 30 reflects competitive achievement in a range of sports throughout 2013 and
honours those schools that take competition seriously. The achievement is even more notable
given the fact that, of the 14 schools placed ahead of us in the list, at least eight have selective
admissions policies. This is a tremendous accolade and reflects the talents and conscientious effort
of our young people and staff. Well done!
Improved funding from April 2015
As you may be aware, schools in Cheshire West and Chester are amongst the lowest funded per
student in England. We therefore welcome the recent Government announcement to increase school
funding for schools in the lowest funded local authorities. From April 2015 we hope that the
expected 5% growth will allow the Governors and Senior Leadership team more flexibility in our
financial spending decisions.
Comenius Visit
On 23 March 2014 we welcomed our Comenius partner schools for their first visit to our school.
We hope that the students and staff from the Collège Noël Berrier Corbigny in France and from IGS
Wallstraße Wolfenbüttel in Germany all enjoy their week with us. They have an exciting list of
activities to experience such as visits to Anfield, Chester, Gaelic football and the Tri-O Challenge as
well as food workshops. For some inexplicable reason a visit to see Tranmere Rovers at Prenton
Park has been missed off the list!
I wish you all a Happy Easter.