Friends GET INVOLVED
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The Chantry School Newsletter December 2015 Tel: 01886 887100; e-mail : [email protected] : www.chantry.worcs.sch.uk Important dates for your diary: Dear Parents/Carer ea. We are shortly about to launch a for- mal consultation with stakeholders to Wed. 16 Dec.— We are re-launching our website this seek views around the school increasing Progress Checks is- month. The new domain name is sued its planned admission number from 145 www.chantryschool.com. Please do take to 180. This would mean the school tak- Thur 17th Dec.— Tal- time to have a look. The website is, natu- ing in 6 classes in Y7 instead of the cur- ent Show at 7.00pm— rally, the main forum for information rent 5. Please look out for the consulta- tickets on sale from about the school, such as term dates, tion letter very soon and offer comments the school office at policies, curriculum as well as statutory £4.00 each. back to us to help inform our planning information that we must publish. We and decision making. Fri. 18 Dec. Term have moved much of the pupil curriculum ends. Buses resources that were available on the old The school was visited in June by one of leave at 12.30pm. website into the Home Access Plus area. Her Majesty’s Inspectors, conducting a Pupils can access this from the link on best practice visit into work with disad- —Non-uniform the front page of the website, using their vantaged pupils. As a result of this, the day. usual school logon and so reach work school featured, briefly, in the Chief In- Mon. 4 Jan. 2016 that their teachers have left for them. A spectors annual report to government. school re-opens for link to Parent Pay is also easily available. We were pleased to be invited to the the Spring term. Allied to our website development, we event and have our work in this area vali- have also been upgrading our Sims dated. Mon. 11 Jan.—Y11 Learning Gateway service this term. This Mock exams start and is our portal for you to access information Mrs Pat Owen, governor, has once again end of Fri 22 Jan. about your child, including attendance, been working very hard with pupils in the behaviour and reports. There is further school, and with schools far and wide. Thu. 28 Jan. -Y9 KS4 Our British Council project has come to Information Evening functionality to come in the near future with this, and we will inform you when an end, but I am delighted that thanks to Wed. 3 Feb.—Y11 this is released. Pat’s, and also Mr Allison’s, work with the Progress Checks/ young people, the school has had its In- Mock results issued. Current school news will also feature on the front page of the school website. This ternational School Award re-accredited Wed. 3 Feb. to Fri.5 is a feed from our new Twitter account for a further three years. Well done and Feb.—School produc- where we will be keeping you updated many thanks to staff and pupils involved tion ‘Grease’ Tickets with current developments. You can fol- in achieving this. available from the low us on Twitter @chantryschool. office at £7.00 each. Finally, my very best wishes to all our Many of you will be aware that there is a pupils, parents and staff for a happy and Tue. 9 Feb.- Y11 Par- peaceful festive season. ents’ Evening lot of building work within, and beyond, the school’s catchment area at the mo- Andy Dickenson, Headteacher Fri. 12 Feb.— school ment. We are in discussion with Worces- finishes for half-term tershire County Council about the impli- holiday. cations for this on the school’s ability to Sat. 13 to Sun. 21 continue to serve its community and en- Feb. half-term holiday. sure a sufficient number of places for children coming through from primary Mon. 22 Feb. -School starts. school, and for those moving into the ar- Lorna Davies and Paul Wilcox are contin- Thu. 25 Feb—Y7 Par- uing as joint chairs this year, but we have ents’ Evening Friends GET INVOLVED. KEEP INFORMED said goodbye to Debbie Reynolds Thu. 10 March—Y11 (Secretary) and Rachel Welch (Treasurer) Parent Revision con- The Autumn term got off to a cracking and have welcomed aboard Rachel Ni- ference start with significant involvement in Ap- cholson and Sarah Dunks as their respec- Tue. 15 March— plefest and in providing and serving re- tive successors. The Friends will continue Progress Checks is- freshments at the Year 11 Awards Even- to meet on the first Thursday of the sued ing. Both of these events went really well month, at 7.30-9.00pm, in the conference and were greatly appreciated. We are room and we are a friendly bunch, if you Thu. 17 March—Y10 now looking forward to helping folk get would like join us. Parents’ Evening into the festive mood by running the bar at Wed. 23 March—term the Talent Show on Thursday 17th De- Happy Christmas! ends for pupils cember. We shall also be providing cakes Thu. 24 March— for the staff at break time on Tuesday Lucky winners of The Chantry Professional Dev. Day 15th December, to show our appreciation Chance (200 club) were: (4), school closed to for all their hard work this term. As al- September No. 181 Claire Barnes pupils ways, offers of help are greatly appreciat- October No. 6 Lorna Davies ed and please contact us on Fri. 25 March to Sun. November No. 160 Lee Vickers [email protected] if you 10 April—Easter holi- December No. 84 Heather Morgan day would like to get involved. Goodbyes MFL Recently, I have been fortunate to take a small group to visit two We are saying a very sad fare- Berlin Trip other schools to listen to authors. well to Dave Darling our Busi- st On 4 November I went to listen to On 21 October 2015 at 2.00am ness Manager this Christmas. (yes you read that right) pupils Charlie Higson at Hanley Castle Dave has been working at the from The Chantry school set out High School. He is an actor, co- school for 14 years and he is median, director and author. on what would be a memorable now off to pastures new. Dave Most famous for acting in the trip to the German capital. has been a highly professional Fast Show, writing the Jekyll and and supportive colleague over Arriving before midday, our group Hyde series on television and an the years and has overseen a lot of approximately 30 pupil quickly author of the Young Bond series of new building works that have dropped off our bags at the youth for children. He was very inter- benefitted the pupils enormously. hotel, before swiftly moving out to esting and entertaining. At the We wish Dave all the best for the explore the rich, but relatively end, the pupils bought books and future. short history of Berlin. Lunch next had them personally signed. to the Holocaust memorial fol- Also leaving this Christmas is On 11 November, myself and 10 lowed by a visit to a nuclear bun- Andy Jones, Assistant Caretaker boys went to listen to Jonathan ker in the heart of the city added who is retiring. Andy has worked a sombre feel to the afternoon, Stroud. He is an author of teen here for the last ten years and however coffee and cake from a fiction namely the Bartimaeus has been a very willing, helpful series and Lockwood and Co. He local café livened up the mood and reliable colleague. We wish talked about how he became in- before the group headed back to Andy a very long and happy re- terested in writing and how his the hotel. tirement. life influences his stories. After Perhaps the most thrilling event university he became an editor was seeing the famous sites of which led him to write his own Computer Programming Berlin by bike, followed by a tour stories. He engaged the audi- club of Topography of Terror (a muse- ence and there were plenty of um explaining the Nazi’s rise to Computer Programming club has questions asked at the end of his been running since the beginning power). The day was concluded presentation. The boys had a of term. Pupils have enjoyed try- by the group going to the top of chance to chat to Jonathan whilst ing out a range of coding skills the TV tower to see the city by he signed their books. night. and they are now working in Mrs V Warr, December 2015 groups on three development The penultimate day involved a areas: raspberry pi programming, coach journey out to Sachsen- Python programming and Apple hausen, a concentration camp on Talent Show app development using Swift. the outskirts of the city. Later, the This is a great opportunity for pu- group visited the Olympic stadi- The Talent Show this Christmas pils to explore at their own pace um which hosted the controver- will take place on Thursday, 17th and experience the challenge sial Olympic Games in 1936. De- December at 7.00pm in the and great rewards that come spite tired limbs, the group reig- school hall. Tickets are on sale at from learning to program. All en- nited their spirits enough to expe- £4.00 each from the school of- thusiastic, aspiring coders wel- rience a German bowling alley. fice. come. See Miss Dowding (Room 17) if you’re interested in joining Our final day in Berlin consisted Well over 40 pupils were audi- us.