Mr Fay Writes...UVHS Is Proud to Introduce Vici!
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Mr Fay writes.... It is hard for me to believe that I am now in my eighth year as UVHS is Proud to Introduce Vici! Headteacher at UVHS. What a brilliant experience I have had. There was excitement in the air at Ulverston Victoria The school is in exceptional condition thanks to the hard High School on Tuesday 15th March during the Year 8 work of teachers, students, parents and governors. Such assembly. is our popularity across the Furness Peninsula, we are once Mr Taylor welcomed Sue Robinson the community fund again massively raiser for Cumbria from ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind’ who over-subscribed in gave a grateful speech to the students for their hard work Year 7 for 2016/17 last July in the Charity Walk. and we have had a record number of applications for our 6th Form next year. The effect of the new buildings is being felt by all of our community and as I write this the sun is shining! What more could a Headteacher ask for? Well, quite a lot actually...... I am not a person to be easily satisfied and I believe that our brilliant school still has further potential and that last year’s examination results, whilst representing a good stride, were still but a stepping stone on the journey of where this, once, sleeping giant should be travelling. If one thinks “job done” then the only route of travel is backwards! We must keep striving to improve Her message focused on thanks but emphasised that every the learning opportunities for all our students and, particularly, hour another person in the UK goes blind and the money for those who are identified as being in some way disadvantaged. raised by our students will help to make sure that when Although children, that the government clarify as being someone loses their sight they don’t lose their freedom as disadvantaged do rather better at UVHS than they do nationally well. in terms of examination success. However, there were gasps as the star of the show walked Our plans are always made harder at UVHS because we are out on stage. Our very own, 6 month old, little guide dog chronically underfunded by our Local Authority and against ‘Vici’ was finally on show for all to see. We’ve posted national comparisons. However that lack of funding has not pictures of her and had reports sent to us on her progress stopped us progressing in the past and it won’t in the future. but this was the first time we actually got to see her. The future will be different, however, without Mr Cahalin who Vici sat on stage with her trainer Lynne Hampson, leaves the school officially at the end of April and who will no longer be our Assistant H e a d t e a c h e r . The school owes so much to Roger for his dedication to its cause through good times and bad. He has been an essential part of our i m p r o v e m e n t journey and in the creation of the new build and I could not measure the extra hours that he has put into his role here since accompanied by her husband James and daughter Katie, my time as Headteacher. No more 5 o’clock in the morning starts while James spoke about her progress and Katie did her sniffing the air for snow Roger! best to keep Vici calm. I will also be sad to say goodbye to Mrs Carol Gorton who has Our Year 8 students watched and listened in awe and been a stalwart in the office for many years. Carol has taken on silence while Vici stared back with a similar startled and learnt new roles over the years and she has been a very great surprise. There was time for a few questions and answers help to me as Headteacher and a valued colleague to her work before time ran out. mates. Best wishes Carol. It was a wonderful experience for everyone, a joy to see the Happy Easter everyone! actual fruits of their labour in such a beautiful way. Mr D Fay, Headteacher. PAGE TWO Farewell from Mr Cahalin Gut gemacht! Mr Cahalin is retiring from UVHS at the end of April. He would We are extremely pleased with the consistent hard work like to say the following farewell to you all: and enthusiasm of our new Year 7s in German this year. As many of you will know I shall be retiring at the end of April Students are working their socks off and making very after 40 years of service to the school. I vividly remember rapid progress. Our Year 7s have recently completed arriving at the school wearing flared trousers and a bright green their first writing assessment which involved them velvet jacket. I had a very big beard and shoulder length hair. independently producing a written piece of work of a I probably looked more like a rock star than a maths teacher. minimum of 90 words. When I arrived the school bought its first electronic calculator After collecting in the work to mark, Miss Beardsley having moved on from slide rules although they were very basic was so impressed with the quality of students’ writing and we still had to use log tables. School computers were still a that some examples were shared with a group of other long way off and chalk (lots of chalk) and talk was the preferred German teachers from around the country. Dozens of way of teaching. I had intended to stay for a year or so and then teachers commented on how outstanding our students’ pursue my dream of German work is and asked us to share tips and advice travelling the world. with them. The President of the national Association for Well, I’m still here! Language Learning was so impressed that he personally So why would I stay sent certificates to our best performing students. We are here for so long? so very proud of these Year 7s. They are really shining as That’s easy. UVHS is outstanding linguists. A very, very well done. Keep up the a fantastic place to excellent work! Super Arbeit! work and a great place to learn. The students here have been brilliant and I can count many former students as good friends. The staff, both teachers and support staff are second to none. The quality of teaching in the school must stand comparison with the very best schools in the country. The school is delivering the best education it has ever done and I am extremely proud to have been a part of that journey, both as a teacher of maths and a member of the Senior Leadership Team. I have held many varied roles in the school and enjoyed them all immensely, but perhaps the most enjoyable and challenging has been to have project managed the new build and refurbishment. We now have facilities where are students can prosper in an environment where they can feel safe and comfortable. I will miss the staff here and of course I will miss the students, massively. Students: Evie McMullen, Frankie-Louise Hugill, Maisie So what’s next? Well, I hope to lower my golf handicap and Quirk, Eleanor Simpson, Matthew Tresidder, Elliot improve my guitar technique. Maybe I’ll dig out the flares and Rushton, Joe Slater, Jordan Dixon, Abigail Belcher, the velvet jacket and finally go on the road. Hannah Smith. Maths Team Regional Winners! National Theatre New Views Comp New Views is the national theatre’s play writing A team of 4 pupils from UVHS will be competing against teams programme and competition for 15-19 years olds from across the United Kingdom for this year’s UK Team and aims to teach students from across the UK key Maths Challenge trophy. The team finished in first place at script writing skills from the best in the business. The the regional final held in Barrow and won the opportunity to competition requires students to write a half hour play, compete in including challenging political issues that matter to the national them. The prize for the winner includes staged readings final at of their work in school, as well as the unique opportunity the Royal to see their play produced by the National Theatre with Horticultural a professional cast. Halls in Year 13 Creative Writing students who have been entered London in in the competition have taken part in workshops hosted June. Over by professional writers and learned about improving 1700 schools their approach to research, in addition to exploring key entered the ethical ideas and questions. Furthermore, we have had the competition opportunity to see live screenings of plays from London, and 88 have broadcast into cinemas around the world, including qualified for Hamlet and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Watching these the final. performances has helped inspire us with writing our own The National scripts by giving us an insight into staging along with how Final of the team challenge, run by the UK Mathematics Trust to develop ideas and themes in order to keep the audience involves teams of 4 students from years 8 and 9. Congratulations entertained. The program also helps students develop to Ellie Maddock (Yr8), Jack Spencer (Yr9), Hal Rastelli (Yr9), transferable skills such as team work, communication Freddy Burrow (Yr8) pictured with Mr Thurlwell above. and problem solving which will be useful for future employment. Annabel Smith 13.7. PAGE THREE Sixth Form Visit Historial London Year 10 Work Experience In February 2016, Mrs Simpson, Ms Lomas and Mr Evason CBE, LFC and a Night with the Stars accompanied 36 Historians to London to visit numerous sites Two hundred and four, Year 10 students took part in and locations of interest for their A Level History studies.