SPRING TERM

March 2016

Compiled by Mrs C. Crone

School Librarian

KEEPING

YOU

INFORMED

AT

HOME

The Nelson Thomlinson

School

High Street

Wigton

Cumbria

CA7 9PX

Tel. 016973 42160

Fax. 016973 49160

www.nts.cumbria.

sch.uk

Headmaster:

Mr D.S. Northwood

NTS

NEWSLETTER

World Book Day 2016 Events Mrs Crone & Mrs Puskar

World Book Day’s Guinness World Record Attempt

28 of our Year 7 pupils were amongst the incredible 6,388 new young record holders who took part in the Bumper

Book Quiz to help World Book Day break the world record for the most people participating in simultaneous

literature quizzes in multiple venues. Our attempt was held in the School Library between 2pm & 3pm on Monday

22nd February. Over 62 different schools, libraries, bookshops and publishing houses joined in the ‘Bumper Book

Quiz’ challenge, smashing the previous world record of 2,679 people allowing World Book Day to secure the title.

Our thanks go to Kerry Harris, our Police Community Support Officer, who acted as our steward and to two of our

former Deputy Heads, Mr Ferriby and Miss Jagger, who witnessed the attempt on behalf of the GWR Records

Management Team and, of course, to our wonderful team members!

Winning Team, PANEM: Alfie Turnbull, Emily Hartley, Nadine Taylor & Aimee Lillington.

Aerial view of the Quiz taking place.

World Book Day Treasure Hunt

20 popular fiction book cover posters were placed around the school and instructions on where to find the next book cover were placed under each one. This created a real buzz around the school at lunchtime as pupils rushed around eagerly to complete the task. Completed sheets entitled them to attend a tea party celebration in the library on World Book Day at lunchtime. 38 Year 7 & 8 pupils submitted entries and 11 managed to get all 20 right.

The winners pictured above were: Leah Donald 7JW, Wilfred Fletcher 7GCP, Katie French 8RCT, Ross French 7GCP, Cara-Maya Giannandrea 7JW, Jamie Hacker 7JAM, Natalie Harbach 7JW, Abbie Johnston 7NM, Ines Rebollar 7JP, Christie Richardson 7JW & Rebecca Watson 8IL. All the winners received a £5 book voucher and an Easter egg.

Valentine’s Readings Event

Mrs Crone & Mrs Martindale

Almost everyone loves to be read to, so we decided to hold Valentine’s themed reading events on Wednesday 10th and Friday 12th February in the School Library. Pupils were invited to attend at lunchtimes to listen to teachers reading extracts from books they enjoyed. On the first day, Miss Wilson set the ball rolling, reading from Kate Atkinson’s, A God in

Ruins. Mr Brockbank was next and he read the poem, Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe Shelley followed by an extract from Prof. Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe.

On Friday, Mr Rudd read some passages from Steven Gerrard’s autobiography which even attracted some Sixth Form interest! Finally, Mr Smith read excerpts from one of the short stories in the Oxford Book of Sea Stories.

Thank you to all four teachers who were very entertaining and successfully managed to keep their audiences enraptured!

The Accelerated Reader prize ceremony for the spring term winners took place on Monday 21st March. The following pupils were presented with Easter eggs and certificates by Mrs Puskar and Mrs Crone for their individual achievements: Most Engaged - for pupils who have taken the most quizzes with an 85%+ pass-rate in each English class this term: 7E: Xander Moore. 7H: Natalie Harbach. 7L: Sol Clarke 7M: Abbie Johnston. 7N: Cailan Kenyon. 7S: Jacob Northwood. 7T: Lucy Sturrock. 7W: Rosie Cooper. Most Improved - for the boy & girl showing the most improvement in their reading age from the second Star test result: Christie Richardson. Brodie Coulthard. Most Words Read - so far this year: Rosie Cooper - 973,002 words. Scott Cooper-Holmes – 904,656. Natalie Harbach – 824,104. Sol Clarke – 770,511. Wilfred Fletcher – 754,987.

Inter-Form Challenge Trophy, for the Form gaining the most points over the spring term, once again went to 7NM (above). Well done to them for maintaining their top position for the second time, something that has not been achieved since we began using the programme last year. They have been labelled ‘Reading Machines’ by a rival Form Tutor!

Trip to West Lakes Academy for Mathsfeast.

Mrs Naylor

(Alana Halpin & Megan Rumney)

On Friday 11th March, two teams of Year 10 mathematicians headed off to Egremont to participate in an exciting competition known as Maths Feast. Escorted by Mrs Naylor and Mrs Brown, the teams comprising of Michael Lowther, Misha Atkinson, Frances Nutley and Danni Schrott in one and Harry Hyslop, Rosie Hogg, Alana Halpin and Megan Rumney in the other, assembled at the West Lakes Academy for a morning of enriching challenges which would test their mathematical communication and teamwork skills. The aim of the day was to have fun problem solving whilst promoting mathematics and furthering the pupils’ interest in areas of mathematics outside the national curriculum. There were four sections to the competition interspersed with a round of countdown to keep the brain finely tuned throughout the morning! The first round was a quick fire true/false series of questions followed by a comprehension session when the groups were given a poster with details about complex numbers (an area of mathematics which was completely new to them all) and were then asked various questions on that topic. This was particularly difficult and provoked much group discussion. Next came a task where the teams created a set of different Pentominoes and then used them to answer further questions, and finally a relay round which involved team members answering questions which provided a clue to help with the solution of the next question and needed passing on to their team mates. Each round required a different skill or strategy for success and was aimed at enriching and extending their learning. The accompanying members of staff were given no time to sit back and relax as we were supervising a team from a different school and then marking each progressive round. Although The West Lakes Academy was the eventual winner of the competition, both of the Nelson Thomlinson teams entered were awarded a certificate for their ability to work together as a cohesive team. One team also received a certificate for winning the relay section of the competition. My congratulations go to them all for the excellent behaviour shown throughout the trip and the lively and enthusiastic way in which they tackled each challenging round.

(Harry Hyslop & Rosie Hogg)

Reviewing the Situation: ‘Oliver’ 2016

Mrs Carroll

OK, so I admit it, I have always hated ‘Oliver’. Shocking, I know, for the Director to admit. But gradually, as the songs started to filter into my home and the piles of costume bags threatened to stop all pupils from entering my classroom, I discovered that I was enjoying it. How could I not, with the enthusiasm and sheer commitment of so many of these young performers? It began with the irritating inability to get the songs out of my head, and, in the end, I was, along with the stage crew in the wings, singing, dancing, laughing and crying along with the cast and audience; I knew then that ‘Oliver’ had, against all the odds, done its magic and wormed its way into my affections.

I was far from alone in this and a huge number of the 830 people who came out to see it were kind enough to send kind words of appreciation to the cast, orchestra and crew. This kind of support is so very much appreciated. The generosity and kindness of so many staff warmed us as they stepped forward in their droves to help to bring this to fruition; there were many who deserve a special mention but I must express the pleasure that I had in working so closely again with Mrs Raven, our amazing Musical Director, likewise Mrs Cheshire, our stoic set designer (and member of the stage crew) and Mr Desmond who was the guiding hand to our talented teenage technical crew: they were all there from the very beginning and were fundamental to the success of the venture. The other unsung heroes were the stage crew: Mrs Johnson, Ms Prosser (we gave her a temporary pass to leave her piles of dry statistics), Mrs Puskar, Mr Johnson (and the ubiquitous Mrs Cheshire). Most importantly though, the talent, energy and commitment of some fifty of our pupils made it happen: a diverse group drawn from Year 7 to Year 13 to perform on stage, play their instruments, paint the set and control the lighting and sound.

It would be impossible to give them all credit but I do think that a special mention must go to Sam Mead (Fagin) not for his virtuoso performance of this complex character, not for his unwavering control over four nights but for the stoic way that he battled, daily, to remove unsightly lumps of glue out of his beard (needed to weld greying beard strands to his own to create the effect of an older, more hirsute and far less dapper personae than the Meadster usually presents) and to appear, unflappable as ever, in his lessons. Admittedly, he gave up and shaved it all off in the end but he was still a trooper. Sadly, this is his last performance for the school and I hope that we will see his name in lights; he is enormously talented and can perform a range from Othello to Thernadier with equal aplomb.

However, new talents are snapping at his heels. Eirran Devlin (Nancy) was incredibly moving in her role and her rigorous rehearsals paid off; her voice just got better and better as she prepared for the challenge of those terrifyingly high notes. Both Scott Cooper-Holmes and Toby Cass brought the eponymous hero to life with energy, pathos and their cheeky brilliance. (Watch out for Toby’s reprise of this character at the Sands Centre with Staged Right). Bill Sykes was a master stroke of casting (though I say it myself) as Glenn Russell is the sweetest, nicest guy in the world but he brought out his inner madman to be truly menacing. Morgan Kasiera also shone as the Dodger; his hair fought back against the top hat (and, temporarily won) but he held it together (literally) and delivered this likeable rogue with impressive flair. Oh, and who can forget the Bumble / Corney romance; Sam Warwick and Chloe Lawler gave their all and they will never, ever, forget those fat suits! I could go on and on because I am so proud of all these young people; I hope that when they are ‘reviewing the situation’, they will remember forever this time where they all worked, as one, to bring ‘Oliver’ to life, with pleasure and a rightful sense of a job well done.

Careers Information, Advice and Guidance

Mr G. Clark

Careers guidance is available to all NTS students from home or at school:

1. From home, at: http://vle.nts.cumbria.sch.uk/. Please log on to ‘Moodle’, select ‘Careers Guidance’, and follow the blue links that interest you.

2. For personal help with finding out about Careers, or making choices about your future, please contact the Careers Education & Guidance Officer at NTS, Mr Graham Clark.

3. ‘Drop-in’ Careers Guidance sessions are available to NTS students on Monday and Friday lunchtimes, from 12.45. Please come to the Careers Education & Guidance Services office.

4. Parents or carers: if you have any queries about your child’s career options or choices, please feel free to contact the NTS Careers Education & Guidance Officer at Parents’ Evenings for Years 9-13, by phone (016973 42160, extension 250), or email at: careers@nts.cumbria.sch.uk.

Year 13 Leisure Studies – Wigton Charity Tea Dance

Mr Knott

On 9th March 2016, the Year 13 Leisure Studies students carried out an extremely successful charity Tea Dance hosted at the Wigton Market Hall. After months of planning and preparation, the team including Jenny Greer, James Mitchell, Vicki Rudd, Vicky Stanwix and Megan Taylor, got stuck in and set up for the dance event of the year!

They had spent the whole previous day slaving away in the Technology department baking all the food for the event including Millionaire Shortbread, Lemon Drizzle cake and at least two Victoria Sponges for the patrons of the event to enjoy. They also put together a tombola, raffle and quiz to help raise £300.43 for their chosen charity, the Eden Valley Hospice.

The event was attended by 53 of Cumbria’s tea dancing elite and praise was given to the team for their organisation, creative ideas and wonderful refreshments.

Thanks go out to Wigton Market Hall, who provided the venue for free, Stanwix Holiday Park for donating raffle prizes, Mrs Cass, Mr Beechey, Ms Mayer, Mr McConnell and Miss Frondelius for their help with the preparation, Susan Clark and Margaret Carruthers for providing the music, Marie Robinson and Nana Joan for priceless advice, Lakeland Embroidery for the uniforms and, of course, members of the team themselves!

Year 12 Geography

Coasts Fieldtrips

Miss Reynolds

The Year 12 students have been to the Solway coast to study sand dunes, beaches and coastal management. Luckily, we had dry weather, which enabled the students to work in teams to collect data on the shape of the beach and sand dunes, vegetation succession on a sand dune, the effectiveness of groynes and undertake field sketching of the defences. During the morning the students visited Skinburness, Silloth and Mawbray.

. Year 13 Trip to Washington

Annie Bowe and Megan McManus

During February half term, 20 students and 3 members of staff flew across the Atlantic to Washington DC to see the historical landmarks and beauty of the city. We visited many significant buildings, such as the National Archives and the Supreme Court, where we learnt about the history of the American legal system. In the National Archives, we saw documents that had been preserved for hundreds of years, for example, The Bill of Rights and various amendments to it. We also had tours of the Capitol Building and The Pentagon, where we learned about America’s past and current political system and saw how the country has gained the power that it has today.

In addition, we immersed ourselves in American culture by attending an Ice Hockey game between the Washington Capitols and the LA Kings, where we were a part of an enormous, enthused crowd; we also went to an impressive four storey mall, where we managed to spend the remainder of our money! Another enjoyable part of our trip was visiting the city zoo, where we able to see a range of wildlife, including the zoo’s famous baby panda, “Bei Bei”.

The city itself was incredible, and we were able to see the amazing architecture and visit a range of areas such as China Town and the Smithsonian Square. Overall, the trip was a once in a lifetime experience and allowed us to see part of the world we had never seen before. We would suggest that if you get the chance, definitely go!

P.E. Department News

Mrs Lee

Netball

The season finished on Saturday with the annual outing to Stoneyhurst College, Clitheroe, Lancashire, with a mixed team of Year 13, Year 11 and Year 10 girls who were to play in their invitation tournament. We left NTS at 7am and made quick progress down the motorway to Preston and then through the countryside lanes to Stoneyhurst, where first impressions of the college were amazing. As we drove up the long drive, we could see the enormous college house and church in front of us, stunning and impressive.

However, we did not have long to stand and gaze at the scene, for we were playing in the first match against Cheadle, Cheshire. The girls fought hard and held Cheadle for a period of time until the nerves overcame our shooters and we failed to convert. By the second game we were more on the ball, keeping Dallam at bay until the final moments, losing by two goals. The girls then went on to play St. Mary’s winning the game convincingly. A well-earned rest followed and time for lunch. They then went on to play Stoneyhurst B and Stoneyhurst A, winning both matches and finally Macclesfield, Cheshire and St. Beads, losing the games disappointingly after sustaining them until half-time.

NTS finished 4th but it could easily have been 2nd or 3rd. Still there is always next year!

The squad was: Sophie Studholme, Amy Dixon, Aimee Watson, Molly Tweddle, Katy Robinson, Maddie Oliphant, Emily Gordon, Charlotte Bewley and Victoria Hewett.

The rest of the teams have been busy too, starting the spring term with a win by the U15 squad at the Copeland and Allerdale tournament. The U12/U13 A teams, however, failed to make the finals of their respective tournaments this year. They both lost in the semi-finals by one goal which was a shame for they have practised hard. From the tournaments and leagues they realised that they need to play their own game and not be influenced by others’ play and that all team players have a role to play on court in being more determined and positive.

At the B team tournaments, Year 7 were winners.

Within the leagues and friendly matches they have achieved the following:

Year U12 U13 U14 U15 U16 U18

WON 4 6 4 6 5 3

DRAWN 0 0 0 0 0 0

LOST 3 3 4 1 0 0

A mixed set of results for NTS and plenty to work on next season.

Cross-Country

The spring term began with the County Championships at Sedbergh School. NTS had 20 runners representing Allerdale and on a cold, snowy, wet day with the going boggy and hilly it was credit to all that they finished the course, even those who lost trainers on the way

round! From this event Molly Wren, who finished 8th, James Young, who finished 2nd and Kate Wren, who finished 13th were selected to represent Cumbria at the inter-counties match in the North East.

Molly was then selected to go to the National Schools, finishing 202 out of a field of 413 runners and James was selected to go to Belvoir Castle to compete in the National Championships for Year 7.

Finally, a huge thank you to all who have represented the school during the winter terms this season and to the parents for your support.

Hockey

Miss L Wilson

The hockey teams have had a busy final few weeks of the season. The 1st XI competed in the Austin Friars invitational tournament and performed well in their first 7’s competition. The U16 team have had fixtures versus QEGS, Penrith.

The U15 team reached the County Hockey finals, eventually finishing 3rd behind strong Sedbergh and Lakes School teams. They played superbly in their last game against Austin Friars, winning 1-0.

The Years 8, 9 and 10 teams have also played Keswick School recently. The Year 8’s are coming together as a team but unfortunately lost 4-0. The Year 9 team demonstrated a very strong, positive team performance in both defence and attack and won 6-1. The Year 10 team also put on an excellent attacking display and kept a clean sheet, winning 4-0.

Year 7 hockey club continues to grow in size. The A team took part in the North Cumbria U12 mini hockey competition and reached the semi-finals, a commendable effort in their first competition. The A & B teams have also played fixtures versus QEGS, Penrith and Keswick School.

Well done to all those who have committed to practice each week and represented school this year! A big thank you to Mr Heap (Maths) for all his help during practices this year; it has been much appreciated by the girls and P.E. Department.

Football News

Mr Rudd

Having started the year so well and having lots of fixtures for all teams in cup competitions, it has been a disappointing second half to the season. This was due to the poor weather conditions after Christmas resulting in numerous fixtures being postponed.

However, we have played a couple of Allerdale League games where we took five teams to Cockermouth School and returned with 3 victories, 1 draw and 1 defeat out of the five games. It was very pleasing to see all of the pupils playing some great football and also working hard as a team and helping each other.

The second Allerdale fixture was against St. Josephs (away), where all teams rotated the squads to get game time for as many pupils as possible. Again, the standard of football was very pleasing and the players never fail to show themselves and the

School in the best light possible.

The Year 10 boys’ team are due to play their County Cup semi-final v Ulverston on Tuesday 22nd March. This is a home fixture and one where the team will be looking to progress into the Under 15 County Cup Final. Hopefully, we will be reporting on a win in the next school newsletter!

Going forward after Easter, each team will play in the Allerdale Schools’ Tournaments. These are usually really successful events with all schools coming together on the same night and playing numerous fixtures in a competitive format. These tournaments are a great way to finish the football season and it is hoped that teams will return from the tournaments successful and with some silverware.

We have had numerous District and County representatives this year with Cameron Harrison, Matthew Reed, Flynn Charters and Carl Lightfoot all making their Allerdale Schools debuts.

Finally, in May the school will be taking 45 pupils on the Holland Football Trip 2016. Teams will travel to Amsterdam where they will take part in both friendly fixtures against Dutch teams and also play in a tournament on the Sunday against teams from around the world. The trip will culminate with a tour of the Amsterdam Arena, the home of Ajax FC. We are all thoroughly looking forward to what is always an excellent trip.

Year 7 Rugby

The Allerdale Schools’ Rugby Festival was held on Monday 18th March. Six schools played in a league format with NTS finishing joint winners with Keswick School.

Results were:

Against Keswick NTS won three tries to one.

Cockermouth B: five tries to NTS.

Netherhall : lost, one try to two.

Workington Academy: NTS won four tries to nil.

Cockermouth A: NTS won four tries to one.

Earlier in the Year an inter-Form tournament was held at NTS involving 74 boys from the Year group. With good support by parents and enthusiastic play by the boys, 7NM emerged as winners.

Year 8 Rugby

In the Cumbria Schools ten aside competition 15 schools played in a league format. NTS played Keswick, Ullswater, Workington Academy, West Lakes, Kirby Kendal and Netherhall. They were winners of their league and went on to play QEGS Penrith in the final, unfortunately losing in the final minutes. They are county runners-up.

From this team 5 boys play for Allerdale: Chris Bragg, Jonathan Dodd, James Dowling, Patrick Fava and Ben Postlethwaite

Sixth-Form Charity Challenge 2016

Dr Lovegrove

This year’s Sixth-Form Charity Challenge took place over the week 14th - 18th March and coincided with Sport Relief. The Sixth Form were set the challenge of raising as much money as possible during the week by working in tutor groups. They took up the challenge readily. There was a fantastic vibe throughout the week and it was brilliant to see people working together effectively in teams to raise money for good causes.

Many events were put on for members of the school, with cake, waffle, milkshake and hot dog sales going down an absolute storm!

Sporting activities were also high on the list, with Mr Cooper organising a lunchtime challenge to see how many laps of a running circuit people could complete in 20 minutes; 12PTC organising a Year 7 and Year 8 football tournament; several of the boys from 12MS organising a 20 mile sponsored walk and Mr Johnson (Sociology) organising a ‘run for your breakfast’. The latter was an incredible achievement: Mr Johnson ran a mind-blowing 30 miles before school (he started at 3.30am) and still managed to teach a full day of lessons! Mr Knott (Science) was equally impressive, running 26 miles (the equivalent of a marathon!). Many Sixth-Formers turned out to run and the whole event had a lovely feel to it (although my legs on Saturday morning didn’t feel quite so great!).

The hotly contested Commie Cup Rugby match (played between Year 13 and Year 12 boys) was won by Year 12 this year; well done to them! Other notable events were some of the boys from 12SW gamely having their legs waxed; girls from 12CS having buckets of water thrown over them and two fantastic busking sessions provided by 12DJ and 13LP. The week culminated with the Common Room being opened to the rest of the school on Friday lunchtime, with tutor groups having stalls with various goods on sale; this was well attended by members of the lower school and there was a real buzz to the place.

The tutor group that raised the most money, and therefore wins the coveted Charity Cup, was, 12CS which raised a remarkable £882.58! 12MS secured second place raising £675.38 and 12SW came third with £509.59. The whole event raised an unprecedented £4,348.54! All of this will now be donated to good causes. I am incredibly proud of our Sixth-Form students and a huge well done goes to all of them for their combined efforts and hard work over the week. A big thank you must also go to the Sixth Form Tutors for supporting their tutor groups and to all the members of the school who supported our efforts.

(The victorious Year 12 Rugby Team – Commie Cup winners 2016)

School Reports!

Mr Beechey

. On the back page of this newsletter is a copy of a report for a Mr Armstrong, the father of whose family recently passed me his report for safe-keeping in our archive. His report from 1937 comments on his height gained during the year, his increase in weight and his place in the Form. Comments were limited to ‘good’, ‘quite good’, ‘very good’ or ‘fairly good’. Chemistry was clearly a weak area with comments of ‘Fair, rather more effort required’ and ‘Can do better’.

Did your school report resemble this? If so, you are showing your age!

HAPPY EASTER! SUMMER TERM STARTS MONDAY 11TH APRIL.