Newsletter of Orleans P Ark School Winter/Spring 2011
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From the Headteacher IN THIS ISSUE 1 – Cross-curricular days; 50-year time capsules I would like to commend to you the latest version of the OP 2 – Henry ‘The Fonz’ Winkler opens the new block magazine. This Winter/Spring edition 3 – The new block goes up; Eco events; MP visits includes articles on the opening of our new build by Henry Winkler, 4 – Open Days, Prizegiving, Remembrance Day and which was an amazing day and one Theatre-in-Education visit to remember. The magazine also 5 – New staff interviewed; Michael Rosen at features reports and photographs from the cross Richmond Academy; Lena Mihic rows for gold curricular days and interviews with new staff. I do hope you enjoy reading it. 6 – School Council activities: OP leavers in the Ms J Longhurst spotlight Cross-Curricular Days - October 2011 For this year’s Cross-Curricular days pupils once from World War II, creating a film on World War I, again took part in a variety of activities linking looking at the life of Walter Tull, making symbols subjects. Year 7 pupils worked with Maths and PE, and films for contemporary remembrance and Year 8 with English and Languages and Year 9 with creating a time capsule. Year 10 and 11 pupils took History, RS, PSHCEE and ICT. part in a range of activities to support their GCSE Year 8 pupils took part in Shakespeare workshops studies – Art Trip to Kew Gardens and Art Workshops where they worked with actors and watched a in school; Geography Fieldtrip; History Trip to the performance. They also took part in languages- Army Museum; Enterprise Activity, Study Skills based activities such as Latin, Japanese, Spanish groups and speakers, and preparation and writing for Cooking, Sign Language, and Vietnamese. Year 9 the Year 11 science ISA. pupils focused on Remembrance, meeting veterans Ms G Negrotti WINTER/SPRING 2011/12 • ISSUE 34 COME BACK in 50 Years ! As part of our Cross-Curricular Days in October, Year 9 pupils wrote letters and collected memorabilia of this decade to be buried in a time capsule for the next 50 years. We are very excited about this project, and other members of the school MAGAZINE community and parents have been given the opportunity to get involved. We received letters, postcards, photos, newspaper articles, and even memory cards and a mobile phone. The four capsules were buried in the school grounds on Wednesday 7 December; a plaque will be made for the wall to mark the spot and indicate that the capsules should be retrieved on 7 December 2061! Mr P Hodgetts NEWSLETTER OF ORLEANS PARK SCHOOL NEWSLETTER OF ORLEANS PARK OP 1 HENRY WINKLER OBE OPENS NEW DYSLEXIA UNIT AND TEACHING BLOCK ‘It was interesting to see Henry Winkler.Winkler. He was a delight to have and was very entertaining whilst he spokespoke not only about his book, but also his troubles with being dyslexicdyslexic and at school. It was interesting to fi nd out that this award- winning author and actor was in factfact dyslexic.dyslexic. It’sIt’s also hard to believe that this was not diagnosed until he was in his late thirties.thirties. He set a fantasticfantastic exampleexample forfor all pupils and especially ones who have diffi culty with learning, given that he revealed his troubles in school and not knowing what sort ofof professionprofession to take.take. It just shows that you can start with so little, and achieve greatness! ‘It was an entertaining performance, On 18 October, we were delighted and I’m sure all ofof the staff and the whole ofof YearYear 7 enjoyed his talk; he to welcome children’s author Henry certainly had everybody laughing.’laughing.’ Winkler OBE, better known to most adults Katia Anderson 9N as ‘The Fonz’ from TV’s Happy Days, to our school. We had originally asked ‘I enjoyed Henry Winkler’sWinkler’s visit. He if Henry would come to open the New talkedtalked mostly about his experiencesexperiences as Teaching Block and Unit for Specifi c a child and being dyslexic,dyslexic, and it was Learning Diffi culties and were really very interesting to hear how he coped at pleased that he not only agreed to school. He then talkedtalked about his books,books, do that but that we were offered the and read a short passage from one ofof them. The booksbooks were about a dyslexicdyslexic opportunity for Henry and Nicky Cox to boy and his problems at school, based deliver their My Way! Campaign schools on his own experiences.experiences. He also told us talk. Nicky Cox MBE is Editor and about his hopes and dreams ofof becoming founder of award-winning newspaper an actor,actor, which he did achieve,achieve, and so First News. concluded that any ofof us could achieve Nicky spoke to pupils about what what we wanted.’wanted.’ makes an interesting news story and Lily Brand 9S gave them tips on how to write an article for a newspaper. The two pupils ‘I thought Henry Winkler’sWinkler’s visit was really interesting and he was very who volunteered to help her, Hamza Jaid entertaining. He cracked lots of jokes and Louis King, were lucky enough to be (even if they were a bit corny), and given a souvenir copy of a tiny First News told us about his life as he struggled with which appears in the Guinness Book of dyslexia,dyslexia, which was pretty inspirational. Records as the smallest newspaper. He told us that everyone,everyone, no matter Henry was truly inspirational and how much you think you aren’t going talked to pupils about how he overcame to succeed, you should always aim forfor his learning challenges to become a your dreams,dreams, because it workedworked forfor him. best-selling author telling them: ‘How He said that he had always wanted to be you learn has nothing to do with how an actor when he was little,little, and through smart you are.’ a bit ofof hard work and dedication he managed to achieve his goal. Finally he He also said: ‘School was unbelievably read an extractextract from one ofof his books,books, hard for me. Teachers didn’t know which was very witty and fun. It was what dyslexia was at the time, so I brilliant to see such a famousfamous person was labelled a trouble-maker. I was the so interested in children, and especially classroom clown. I got a bad grade in those who fi nd school diffi cult.’cult.’ everything but lunch. I was great Natalie Beecroft 9S at lunch! Just because we learn differently, that does not mean that we are not incredibly smart human beings. That’s something I need every child to understand.’ Henry is known to a generation of children for his series of Hank Zipzer books.books. TheThe books areare about a funnyfunny andand adventurousadventurous schoolschool boy who,who, likelike Henry,Henry, suffers from dyslexia. 2 OP MAGAZINE 34 WINTER/SPRING 2011/12 THE NEW TEACHING BLOCK – IN PICTURES January 2011.... work starts February.... foundations March.... steel frame goes up April.... a concrete staircase May.... interior takes shape June.... outer cladding July.... furniture and fittings ......and all ready to move in. Eco Team Endeavours Visit by Dr Vincent Cable MP This is just a quick update from the Eco Team to let you know what we’ve been up to, as well as what we are planning for the future. Some of you may know that Mr Hodgetts has taken over from Ms McDonald. We will all miss her – but the show must go on, so keep your eyes on the newsletters for future updates and opportunities from us. We are very excited to announce that the solar panels have been installed above the Art and Science classrooms. We were absolutely delighted to welcome We’ve installed a reading meter in the Dr Cable to school on 23 September for canteen area so that pupils can keep an a short visit. We have been keen for him eye on the live feed for the kWhs being to visit us to show him what a fantastic produced. This data could be used in school he has in his constituency after Science, Maths and Geography lessons. being recognised as an ‘Outstanding We’re making a saving of approximately School’ by Ofsted last November. £3000 per year on electricity with the Dr Cable was extremely impressed with the friendly and purposeful atmosphere energy being produced by the panels. in the school and, as he put it, ‘the We have a maximum of 50kWhs for our We would like to also get involved buzz’ in lessons, and how confident and usage so the excess is returned to the articulate our pupils were. After a tour with sharing our good practice with main grid, meaning we’re using less of the school, Dr Cable met members electricity, which is good for everyone. another school in the area; being able of the leadership team for coffee, and There are many environmental to discuss ideas and achievements would was particularly interested in our views initiatives planned for the school centred be amazing. It’s taken two and a half on the place of ICT and the arts in the on how we can reduce our impact on years and a great deal of work, but we’re curriculum. climate change, including planting a almost at our goal. After break he had a ‘question and vegetable garden and creating our own We are currently recruiting new answer’ session with members of the compost. With bronze and silver Eco members, so if you’re interested you School Council and Head Prefects, and then met pupils and staff in our newly Schools awards under our belt, we’re now should see Mr Hodgetts or a member of refurbished SEN area.