A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY Community News 22nd September 2011 vgiles@richardlander..sch.uk Congratulations to the class of 2011!! GCSE results at Richard Lander School have set new heights for the fifth year in a row. 88% of students attained 5 or more INSIDE THIS ISSUE A*-C grades and 67% of students achieved 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths, the government's key Head Boy and Girl 2 performance measure. This figure is the highest attained by any school in Cornwall this year, reflecting a school which has Kenya Trip 3 attained outstanding results. Ski Trip 5 Spelling Bee Comp 7 Many students' individual achievements are worthy of note, including Abi Bowen, Gwendolen Davies, Abi Deakin, Visit from Uganda 9 Rhiannon Eschelle-Retallick, Jack Lettice, Ella O' Neill and Ten Tors 10 Scarlett Weston, all of whom achieved 10 or more A*-A grades. Additionally, further congratulations go to Harri Bes- Charity Mile 11 celi, our Head Boy, who achieved 11 straight A* Green Power 13 grades. Indeed, a third of our students achieved 3 or more A* or A grades, so this is a fabulous achievement all round. Riding Lights 16 Arts Trip 19 I would like to congratulate students on these magnificent results - they are truly deserved after five years of study at Richard Lander. Furthermore, I would like to thank staff for their hard work and loyalty in ensuring our students have eve- ry opportunity to succeed. Thanks also go to our governing body for the terrific support they have shown. And I would like to thank our parent body for working so closely with us through a very enjoyable and successful five year journey.

Year 9 Blitz Project During March representatives from the Police, Fire Service, NHS and Trading Standards came together for two mornings of workshops aimed at educating students in Year 9 about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. Students were involved in sessions which covered Restorative Justice, the Law and the consequences of breaking the Law as well as being shown vid- eo clips of accidents and injuries caused by too much alcohol. The mornings were very well received by the students and they particularly enjoyed the session with local publican Steve Clare.

Hopefully they will have come home talking about what they learned!

1 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY HEAD BOY AND HEAD GIRL

Hi, I’m Rosie, During my time at Richard Lander, I have thrown myself into every opportunity I have been given. I enjoy sports, drama and love the social side to school as well as the lessons. I have always found Richard Lander to be pleasant and friendly school and have cherished every moment. The highlight of my Richard Lander experience was being given the opportunity to take part in the American Exchange to Mechanicsburg. Although we are only half way through the program, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to house an American student and look forward to visiting her in October. Every student is important and should feel they are involved in the decisions made within the school. As head girl, one of my aims is to improve the communication and liaise between the student body and the teaching staff. My aspiration in life is to make a difference whether it is big or small. I would love to be known as a head girl that is approachable and someone that people feel they can talk to. Although I have only lived in Cornwall for five years, I love it and could never imagine living anywhere else. I am so proud to be Richard Lander’s Head Girl.

My name is James Healey. This month I have entered Year 11 with the daunting prospect of GCSEs looming! In July, I found out that I had been selected to be Head Boy of Richard Lander; I regard this as a great honour and I hope that I will make a valuble contribution to the school. It is a scary thought that I am entering my final year at Richard Lander; the previous 4 years have raced past. When I recall myself as a new, slightly nervous Year 7 student, I realise what a journey of development takes place for every student at Richard Lander. The school has so much to offer, encouraging all students to realise their potential, not just academically but also in the pursuit of their interests. In addition, all students are encouraged to experience new things and to expand their horizons.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have done things that I never expected to do. The highlight so far has to be my trip to Uganda in July which proved to be tremendous fun and genuinely life-changing. As Head Boy, my aim is to help others feel happy and secure at school and feel confident enough to make the most out of everything the school has to offer.

2 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY

2011 Camps International Kenya Trip Richard Lander, Penair and Roseland volunteer work and scuba expedition On the 5th July 2011, 24 students from Richard Lander, Penair and The Roseland started a month long volunteer work and scuba expedition to Kenya. The trip was organised and run in conjunction with Camps International, who help people of all ages to contribute in 3rd world countries around the globe. The students chose to go because in rural Kenya, around 70% of people are living below the poverty line and access to proper sanitation, clean drinking water, healthcare and an education are often limited or non-existent. This trip would allow them to help improve the living standards of local communities and make a difference to people’s lives.

The students prepared for this trip for a year and a half and worked extremely hard to save the £3500 they each needed to take part. On the day of departure the excitement of the upcoming month was only slightly masked by the nerves of being away from home in a strange and wonderful country for so long.

The journey took a day and a half and once the group finally arrived they stayed at Camp Tsavo – the first of four camps, a beautiful camp which sits in the middle of a red earth safari park. The students slept in tents in the middle of Kenya with nothing more than a small wire fence stopping lions, elephants and giraffe from walking into the camp. Activities at Tsavo included brick making, building a tree nursery, making a large gabion at a local primary school to prevent soil erosion, road maintenance and making elephant dung paper. All the students gave every activity their all and the Camps staff were very impressed, even saying that, ‘This is the best group we have ever had’. Along with the long days of hard work, the students also experienced two amazing safaris where they were able to see a huge variety of wild animals including, elephants, giraffe, buffalo, antelope, baboons and, the best of all, lions. The students were extremely fortunate as they were able to watch lions stalking buffalo by a watering hole, while the sun was setting.

After eight nights at Tsavo the group moved to Imani, which was originally a women’s group designed to help the community. The view from the camp was of beautiful mountains and the amazing African countryside. It was a stunning spot and the students had a very different experience to Tsavo. Unlike the remoteness of the safari park, Imani was in the heart of an African community and opposite a primary school. At this camp, students were encouraged to get to know the local children and mingle with the local people. The group played football after school with the children and worked with local people on community projects. Here the students helped to build an extension onto one of the classrooms, picked peanuts and beans and made desks and chairs.

3 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY

KENYA CONTINUED...... The third camp, Kaya, was a forest camp - Kaya being the native word for sacred forest. Here the students were again very close to a community and again enjoyed playing football with the locals. The group were taken on walks through the Kaya and, as part of the experience, they had to collect their own water everyday from a local well. The focus of the camp was environmental conservation. The students were able to pick seedlings from the forest and replant them in the tree nursery, they also cleared areas of forest for replanting and started the building of a new tree nursery. Kaya was a beautiful camp with a real African forest right on its border. At night the students could hear a huge variety of wildlife and this was an amazing experience, although it was difficult to sleep.

The final camp that the group visited was the ‘Ocean Camp’ and it was here that the students could really relax and unwind after three weeks of very hard work. The camp was set on a beautiful white sand beach on the edge of the Indian Ocean. It was stunning and looked like paradise. The students continued their volunteer work but it was less strenuous than previous camps. Making arts and crafts from recycled flip flops and cleaning the beach with local children, were just two of the activities the students took part in. It was also at the ‘Ocean Camp’ that the students undertook an intensive but very enjoyable ‘PADI Open Water Scuba Diving Course’ which took 4 days and included 2 days of pool diving and 2 open water (ocean) dives. The diving was an amazing experience and the students all got to see some exotic sea life, like the beautiful but dangerous lion fish.

After four intense, action packed weeks the 24 students returned to Cornwall - tired but with a new perspective on life. They had all seen and done things that would change them as individuals and help them to appreciate life in a new way. For the students and staff this trip offered the opportunity to make a profound and lasting impact on disadvantaged communities and wildlife.

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Year 8 Cornwall County Netball Tournament: School 15th March 2011.

Richard Lander School’s year 8 Netball team took part in the Cornwall County Year 8 Netball Tournament last week, with great success for their team and school.

Coming 2nd in their first round, the RLS girls were put into the 2nd heat against 4 other schools who had also come 2nd in their previous matches. Skill, pure determination and teamwork saw the girls win three matches and draw their last, making them the overall winners in the heat. Out of 25 schools from across the county including the 3 other main schools in Truro, RLS year 8 girls came overall 6th.

Well Done Girls! Miss Elliott SKI TRIP TO BORMIO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 2011

This year’s ski trip from Richard Lander School, went to Bormio, in Italy. Arriving in Bormio, on a very warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, the immediate thought was, “Where is the snow?” 2000m further up the mountain at our hotel, things were much colder, and there was much more snow. The hotel was 10m away from the ski hire shop, and 20m away from the main lift. On our first day of skiing, it was very cold and it snowed all day. That set us up for a brilliant week on skis and snowboards. By the end of the week all the beginners had skied virtually the whole mountain and the more experienced skiers had also improved, being constantly tested by the very friendly and knowledgeable instructors. The groups finished the week with timed slalom races. Badges and certificates were awarded for the best 3 skiers and snowboarders in each group.

5 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY JUNIOR YOUNG CHEF COMPETITION

Richard Lander School recently hosted a Junior Chef Competition for students from their feeder Primary Schools. The participants had to come up with a menu consisting of a main course and a dessert. These entries were judged by Julie Ancell, Teacher of Food Technology at Richard Lander School, and the successful entrants were invited to take part in the cooking of their dishes using the Schools rooms and resources. The year 5 and 6 pupils from St Agnes, Mithian and Primary Schools, showed a very high level of organisational and cooking skills and worked with confidence to produce highly successful dishes that were then judged. The event was sponsored by Truro Rotary Club who in the past have sponsored the Young Chef Competition for Secondary Schools. After an extremely difficult decision Inez Kazan-Hopkins and Emily Meadows of St Agnes School were given the two runner up prizes and Tegan Shipp of Mithian School was awarded first prize. The winning dishes were Herb crusted rack of Cornish lamb with hassleback potatoes and braised lettuce with minted peas and carrots and for dessert molton chocolate baby cakes with clotted cream. The future looks very bright for the future of Cornish catering if these young chefs are anything to go by. YOUNG ENTERPRISE COMPANY

Well done to this Year’s Young Enterprise Company – Zola who took part in the Spring Fair at Sainsbury’s on Saturday the 12th March. The team spent a week sewing, making and organising displays in preparation and sold lots of products on the day. They were praised by the judges for their range of products and how well they could talk about their business plans. The team won ‘Best Company’ and ‘Best Display Stand’ on the day. The team is now preparing for the Young Enterprise Awards in May. In the mean time sock Monkeys and other sock animals will be appearing for sale on their website; www.zolabuddies.com

6 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY SPELLING BEE COMPETITION On Thursday 12th May, 4 students look part in The Times Spelling Bee local heats in Plymouth. They faced strong competition from school across Plymouth and Cornwall. The competition consisted of 2 rounds: the spelling bee play off where the students were eliminated if they got a spelling wrong but got two points if they were correct, and the quick fire challenge where, as a team, they had to spell as many words in 2 minutes from the easy, medium or hard category. We unfortunately lost one of our team early in the spelling bee play off which meant accumulating points was more difficult for us, while other teams had a full bank of players. However, the students never became disheartened and did really well against some tricky words – we were last to be asked each time and we swear the words got harder!! In the quick fire challenge, we chose the easy category in a bid to get through more words. Four other schools chose the easy category and we spelt the most words correctly with 27 words out of 35 asked. However, the medium category is where the other teams managed to pick up enough points to run away with the lead and move to the next round. On the day, we came 5th out of 7 schools and the students did themselves proud. Being the first time entering this competition we were unsure what to expect and the four members of the team, Katie Dobson, Lauren Gibson, Ben Price and Joe Boyd, were fantastic. Thank you to Phil Rowe and Sarah Doolin for their help with the trip. Congratulations to all involved – bring on next year!! ICE SKATING On several of the warmest days of an early Cornish summer, 40 plus students ventured across the Tamar to sample the thrills – and spills! – of immersing themselves in the sub zero temperatures of the ice rink at Plymouth Pavilions. It was fascinating to watch ungainly students suddenly become graceful and speedy skaters, but even more to compelling to watch the dramatic falls taken by some students. Luckily, the worst injury was minor concus- sion, but staff were very well known at the 1st aid area by the end of the week! I have nothing but praise for the students who could skate well who patiently helped others to take their first few glides along the ice and will be watching out for them in Dancing on Ice. I look forward to more next year but please remind me not to wear open toed sandals!..... An almost thawed out member of staff!

7 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY Kernow to Kamuzinda sponsored bike ride. Sunday 27th March, saw 5 year 11 students take part in a 22 mile, sponsored bike ride from Portreath to Devoran and back, in aid of their trip to the Kamuzinda Orphans Village, in Uganda this July. The lovely weather and great atmosphere were not the only factors spurring the group on to complete the ride in good time. With over £500 raised in sponsorship money, the boys were motivated and in ‘high sprits’ from the off.

The 5 boys along with 31 other students from RLS, The Roseland and Truro College will be heading to Uganda to experience the lives, education and culture of the Ugandan children. Living in the Orphan village for the duration of the 15 day trip the students will be able to teach, work, learn and interact with the children, in the hopes that strong and lasting friendships and relationships are formed between the Ugandan and UK schools. A SUPER DAY OF LEARNING On Friday 8th April students at Richard Lander School took part in a ‘Super Learning Day’. The 270 students in Year 8 took part in a series of workshop sessions that were very different from their normal school day. The focus of Super Learning Day is to experience different ways of learning with the aim ‘If you know how to learn, you learn better’. The students started with an introduction to the day which explained briefly how the brain works. They were issuied with their challenge for the day, to be thinking ‘How am I learning this?’ Then under the guidance of members of staff students experienced five different workshops. The activities ranged from code-breaking, storytelling and problem solving to the very active country dancing, yoga, circus skills and steel drums. At the end of the day students were encouraged to think about their methods of learning be it visually (by watching), aurally (by listening) or kinaesthetically (by doing). Approximately 30 members of staff of Richard Lander School were involved including teachers, trainee teachers and teaching assistants. Input was also provided by yoga teacher Lucy Aldridge, The Newlyn Reelers, Steve Washington with his circus skills, ace sto- ry weaver Mark Harandon and Leroy Clarke on the steel drums.

Teacher, Debbie Datson, who ran the event stated: “The students had great fun while coming to the realisation that their brains are capable of learning things in so many different ways, and that they could succeed in tasks that they would not have thought possible before.” Ms. D. Datson.

8 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY UGANDA HEAD TEACHER VISIT Annet Kaigwa, a Headteacher from a rural secondary school in Uganda, has recently arrived in the UK on the teacher exchange visit. Annet is a secondary Headteacher of some years’ experience, and most of her children come from under-privileged or orphaned backgrounds. Annet is also one of the leaders of the Pearl of Africa Children’s Choir which have toured Cornwall schools and churches over the past few years raising money for their orphan schools. Richard Lander School in partnership with the Roseland School, and Truro College, have established good links with Annet’s secondary school and indeed 35 students from Richard Lander, the Roseland School and Truro College will be visit- ing the Ugandan orphan school this July. Their fund-raising so far has helped to build a hostel for guests and plant a maize field for the children of the school. Annet’s visit to Cornwall will last over two months. She said “I am really interested in the way teaching and learning is delivered in UK schools. The Headteacher of Richard Lander school, Steve Mulcahy, invited me to England to work with Cornish schools so I could get a better understanding how children learn in this country. Hopefully I will go back to Uganda with lots of ideas for my school. I hope when your students visit us later this year, they will come back with lots of ideas for your own schools. I am really excited about working with the local community and meeting so many people who have supported my own school in Uganda.” Steve Mulcahy, Headteacher of Richard Lander said “ This is a wonderful opportunity for school twinning work, and I am sure our schools will get as much out of this

9 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY TEN TORS 2011 Sunday 15th May, was the culmination of many training weekends spent trekking across Dartmoor, as both Richard Lander teams completed Ten Tors 2011. Students had to plot their route to check on at ten designated Dartmoor tors in the correct order, and then navigate themselves unsupervised around their chosen route and return to base camp within a time limit of 32 hours. In addition they had to carry all the equip- ment and supplies they would need to enable keep themselves warm, dry and safe, camp overnight and sustain themselves for the two days. This meant they had to carry ruck- sacks weighing in the region of thirty pounds. Our year 10 team of Harriet Winn, Leah-May Snook, Tom Lowe, Ed Matthews, Alex Da- vies led by Emily Irwin completed their 35 mile route with almost 5 hours to spare, a fan- tastic time. Whilst the year 11s: Ben Wilson, Ellie Saunders, Brittany Snook, Bradley Waller, Liam Roberts lead by Harry Curgenven arrived back an hour or so later having walked a very impressive 45 miles. Clearly to achieve feats such as this does not come easy. The students had to commit themselves to many hours of training, learning new skills such as map reading and navi- gating, camp craft and first aid, as well as practising and honing these skills during week- ends spent on the moor. Despite the sore feet and blisters, all of those taking part agreed it was an amazing expe- rience that will stay with them for many years to come. A Huge well done to all the stu- dents who took part and a massive thank you to all the staff and helpers, who gave up their time to ensure this challenge was met successfully and safely.

MATHS TRIP TO HIDDEN VALLEY

Over seventy of the best mathematicians in year 7 recently visited the Hidden Valley Discovery Park near Launceston for an end of year trip. Students were selected based on their academic performance and excellent behaviour during the year. When at the park the students had to follow different kinds of clues which took them all over the park, each clue directing them towards the next. The final clue on each trail showed a colour crystal which would earn the students extra time in the final challenge. After lunch the students tackled the “Vault”, a final set of challenges similar to 80’s TV show “The Crystal Maze”. The students were a credit to the school and the park staff commented on how impressed they were with the students during the visits. Hopefully we will run the trip again next year and give the New Year 7 students something to aim for.

Mr Robinson

10 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY CHARITY MILE For the fourth year running students at Richard Lander School have been asked to take part in a charity mile. Over the past few years we have raised a great deal of money for worthy causes such as Sport Relief and for two ex-students to help improve the provision of PE in Malawi and Zambia. This year we decided to donate all the money raised to Penhaligon’s Friends. This is a Cornish charity which supports children and young people who have to cope with bereavement.

In order to raise money for Penhaligon’s Friends we asked every person who completed the mile to donate £1. Mr Stoddard, PE team leader commented ‘Once again our students embraced this challenge and ran with enthusiasm and determination, the more able runners ran the mile competitively and other students made it more of a fun run style event’.

To give the run a more competitive edge our students also scored points towards our Community competition where they represent Godrevy, Pentire, Rame or Towan. When all the points were counted the overall winning community were Pentire closely followed by Towan.

Individually the fastest times for the week were, Year 7 Girls – Orlah Angove 7.22 Year 7 Boys – Owen Davey 6.12 Year 8 Girls – Georgina Ashby 7.20 Year 8 Boys – Tom Woodbridge 6.41 Year 9 Girls – Charlotte Lord 6.58 Year 9 Boys – Matt Robinson 5.47 Year 10 Girls – Rihana Davey 6.43 Year 10 Boys – Dale Triggs 5.27 Year 11 Girls – Emily Dunstan 6.57 Year 11 Boys – Harry Curgenven 6.08 (All times in minutes and seconds)

Despite their being a competitive aspect to the mile runs the main reason for doing this event was to raise money for a very worthy charity. During one of the runs Becky Thomas from Pen- haligon’s Friends came and visited us and commented ‘It was a pleasure to be here to support the school, and to see some familiar faces. Well done to all the students! The money raised will be used to support the activities we offer to the bereaved children and families we work with across Cornwall.’

‘I would like to thank all the students and their parents for donating £1 and of course completing the mile which has allowed us to donate in the region of £680 to Penhaligon’s Friends.’

Mr Stoddard

11 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CELEBRATES ACHIEVEMENT Parents, students and staff from Richard Lander filled Truro Cathedral for the school’s annual celebration of achievement. Over 200 students from years seven to ten received certificates recognising achievement, progress and endeavour within curriculum and extra curriculum activities. Guest speaker for the evening was Mr David Walrond, Principal of Truro and Penwith College, who gave an interesting and amusing speech following the presentation of certificates. The Cathedral formed a magnificent backdrop in which to celebrate, and to congratulate staff and parents for all their hard work and support. Musical interludes were provided by the Changing Voices and Palestrina choirs, arranged and conducted by Russell Pascoe, and a wonderful violin solo played so beautifully by Matthew Secombe, year 9.

MAN IN THE MIRROR

Full of anticipation, ninety excited year ten Richard Lander students journeyed to Plymouth to see Spirit’s “The Man in the Mirror” at the city’s Theatre Royal on Wednesday 22nd June. The evening was packed with Michael Jackson’s iconic music played by live musicians and the songs were sung by a team of singers whose voices were reminiscent of Jackson himself. An added bonus for the students was that past Richard Lander student Lucy Gilbert was a member of the dance troupe. After the show, students met with members of the cast.

“The show was amazing and it was great to see a Richard Lander girl performing,” said fifteen year old Emily Hewitt. “It makes us think we can be successful in the future.”

12 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY GREENPOWER SOUTH WEST REGIONAL REPORT Richard Lander Racing had a great day at RAF St Mawgan, completing our most competitive race to date. The top 3 places were hard fought over, with all 3 cars taking the lead at times during the race. The Richard Lander team were well organised, conducting efficient pitstops, and executing a good strategy that recycled the batteries at each pit stop and driver change. This hard work by the team saw Richard Lander gain first place after 2 hours and 40 minutes, only for a ‘racing incident’ to take place with Penair’s Blue Raptor that stopped our car twice – first in the initial collision, then once back underway she stopped again because of a puncture and two buckled wheels which were caused by the ‘racing incident’. The team rallied together to get the tyre changed and get the car back on the road, but had lost 10 minutes that cost Richard Lander the chance of victory. Nonetheless, Richard Lander Racing qualified for the National Final which will run at Goodwood in October this year, and analysis of the batteries after the event revealed enough energy left in the tank to continue for another hour and a half, or at the very least, drive back to school, and return to Newquay. The equiva- lent fuel consumption of RLR1 was 1400 mpg.

1 #59 Blue Raptor - Penair School 217.0laps 75.90mls ICE rolling chassis

2 #20 Megazord - Bristol Grammar School 215.0laps 75.30mls Greenpower kit car

3 #45 Richard Lander Racing - Richard Lander School 208.0laps 72.80mls Bespoke design

4 #1 Hummingbird - Plymouth High School for Girls 204.0laps 71.40mls Greenpower kit car

5 #14 Falmouth GTR - 183.0laps 64.10mls Greenpower kit car

6 #58 Penair School - Penair School 180.0laps 63.00mls Greenpower kit car

7 #12 Penryn - 172.0laps 60.20mls ICE rolling chassis

8 #11 Haylestorm V2.0 - Hayle Community School 159.0laps 55.70mls Greenpower kit car

9 #15 Mounts Bay Racing - Mounts Bay School 154.0laps 53.90mls Greenpower kit car

10 #7 Bones 1 - Yate International 141.0laps 49.30mls Bespoke design

11 #18 Aero-Blade - Launceston College 136.0laps 47.60mls Bespoke design

12 #6 Eddy 1 - Yate International Academy 101.0laps 35.30mls Bespoke design

13 #5 Team Lucy - Newton Abbot College 92.0laps 32.20mls Bespoke design Bespoke design 14 #19 Monster Mechanics - Science and 28.0laps 9.80mls

13 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY TRURO LIBRARY An open evening was recently held at the newly refurbished Tru- ro Library attended by the Mayor of Truro, Rob Nolan, Year 9 students of Richard Lander School and their parents. The students have been working with Liz Waller in the Apple Mac suite to create new panels on the theme of ‘Fairy Ta- les’ to decorate the children’s library. These have now been printed at Tremough and have been hung in the library. Pat Ter- ry, library manager, was so impressed by the quality of work that she has asked the students to produce some more panels for the younger readers.

YEAR 7 SPACE CAMP

The fifth annual Richard Lander Space Camp took off this week when Year 7 pupils had a special day arranged to take part in different “space-related” workshops which included;

1) Designing and making compressed air rockets, with a “Launch off” competition. 2) Making TV adverts to highlight the tourist opportunities and difficulties of visiting planets in our solar system 3) Investigating gas, rock and soil samples collected from a newly discovered planet. 4) Designing and making aliens out of clay and discussing how they are adapted to survive.

In addition, visiting speakers from the “Explorer Dome” brought a 25ft inflatable planetarium to the school, for pupils to experience a 3D voyage through our solar system. The day was an exciting, interactive experience that enriched students understanding of the Earth in Space and stimulated their interest in the fascinating field of astronomy.

Pupils and staff alike entered into the spirit of things by dressing in space related fan- cy dress, prizes being awarded for the best costumes. Lead teacher Nicky Steen commented “This hands-on learning experience was a huge success with our pupils not only enjoying the activities but also learning a lot “whilst having fun””

14 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY ROTARY INTRODUCES RICHARD LANDER TO LORD NELSON! The Rotary Club of St Agnes recently undertook a day sail aboard the Jubilee Sailing Trust ship Lord Nelson. JST is a registered charity that promotes the integration of people of all physical abilities. The vessel, which is able to accommodate both an able bodied and disa- bled crew was docked in Falmouth during the recent Falmouth Fish Festival.

St Agnes Rotary Club members arranged with Richard Lander School for two yr 10 pupils to join them on the trip and experience the joys and responsibilities of sailing the 500 tonne 150 ft long Lord Nelson (2). Each pupil under supervision was allowed to steer the ship, use the compass, rig the sails us- ing only ropes and pulleys and control the ships two main engines as it came into dock at the end of the days sailing.

For anyone able to take part on such an adventure it is quite often a life changing experience, especially so when the individual is young. Richard Lander School positively promotes and enables this type of activity wherever and whenever possible in order to maximise the whole education of the pupil.

“CHANGING VOICES”

Last Term eighteen students sang in a choir called ‘Changing Voices’. This initiative was created specifically for the INTERNATIONAL MALE VOICE CHORAL FESTIVAL in which male voice choirs from all over the world converge on Cornwall to make music. The ‘Changing Voices’ choir was made up of male students from most of the local secondary schools in Cornwall, Richard Lander, Humphrey Davey, Roseland, Fal- mouth, Penair and Penryn. The Festival commissioned our Director of Music, Russell Pascoe to compose a work specifically for the Gala Evening to be premiered by ‘Changing Voices’. Parents will have a second opportunity to hear this piece, ‘MY Love is like a red, red Rose’ at the forthcoming Celebration of Achievement.

15 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY RIDING LIGHTS Ninety Key Stage Three students enjoyed a two hour workshop in Richard Lander School’s Community Lounge with Riding Lights Roughshod Theatre Group from York which was organised by the RE Department. They were spilt into groups and treated to an hour long session of activities designed to get their physical and mental energy flowing followed by one of two plays; ‘Power Play’ and ‘The Pressure Cook- er.’ These plays used theatrical story- telling and comedy to deal with issues affecting young people and asked how we can make difference in our world using ‘Power’ and how to find confidence and be happy with who we are, resisting the ‘pressure’ from the media. Comments from the students included “It was great to hear other people’s opinions” from Lu- cy Slater, Yr7. Christie Van Tinteren yr9 said, “I enjoyed listening to the perspectives and the philosophy; how people consider society.” Rachel Hellings yr9 said “I gained understanding of other people’s feelings; it was good to work with people today that I wouldn’t usually meet or mix with.” Shosha Adie, Yr8, commented, “I enjoyed watching the plays. The games at the beginning were really good also as they helped us to get involved and encouraged us to speak later.” The workshop leaders commented “We have been touring our workshops around the UK for four months and we’ve not come across a more articulate and intelligent group of students. In the self- esteem workshops it’s great to see them stop and consider how they see themselves and each other. They can really identify with the issues we deal with.”

Riding the wave of success...

During activity week a group of eleven students from years 7,8 and 9 once again made their own custom surfboards with Mr Scott and Mr Everitt. The students shaped their boards to suit their own requirements and designed and applied the graphics before sending them off to Best Ever surfboards for laminating. With a tough challenge ahead of them the students worked incredibly hard for four days to produce professional quality shapes. They were rewarded on the last day with a trip to see the surfboard industry in action at both Homeblown, the UK’s only surfboard foam manufacturer and Best Ever surfboards and finally an afternoon at the beach. With only hours to go before the end of the school year the boards were returned from the factory ready for the lucky students to take them home for their summer break. The surfboards made this year brings the count of boards produced by Richard Lander school students to over 100 in the past 6 years!

Mr R Scott

16 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY SUMMER CONCERTS A SUCESS! The Dolce Recorder Consort had a very busy summer of concerts in Falmouth and Truro. They performed a very varied programme of music to interested audiences in Falmouth Parish Church, St Gluvias Church in Penryn and Truro Methodist Church. The Dolce Consort is made up of current or ex-students of RLS – some have moved on to University or Music College, but they still all come together during the summer to perform. Music ranged from the 1500’s to the present day and included an interesting piece written this year based on animal noises in the jungle which was performed by Ben Cracknell. Money raised from these concerts has been donated to the Merryn Thomas Trust Fund to help with Merryn’s long term care. Anyone interested in learning/playing the recorder should come along to recorder club Tuesday and Wednesday at 1.20pm in Room 127…..this could be you in a few years time!

Mrs Whomersley

ARB students have a ball during Curriculum Enrichment Week 2011

The ARB students enjoyed the chance to experience lots of new and exciting things during Curriculum Enrichment Week 2011. They started the week at Flambards, a regular favourite! The students put the staff to shame and braved the most challenging of rides! On Tuesday they went to Tehidy woods and followed a Chocolate Treasure Trail. On Wednesday they did a range of activities in school from silk painting to picking and cooking vegetables that they had grown by their own fair hands. On Thursday they came head to head with some larger than life sea creatures at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay. On Friday they headed off to Bishops Forum Outdoor Adventure Centre where they supported each other brilliantly during rope bridge climbing, kayaking and swimming activities. A well deserved week of fun after all their hard work this academic year!

17 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY BADMINTON Every Wednesday, from 7 to 9pm, and Friday, 6 to 8pm, there is the opportunity to play some badminton in the school Sports Hall. It is open to everyone, students, parents, siblings, neigh- bours or even your friends from other schools. It costs just £1 to play for every hour that you stay, all the equipment is provided and if you are new to the game help is available to get you started. So if you want to get some exercise and have fun at the same time then just come along one evening and join in. Entry to the Sports Hall is obtained by walking around the building and entering from the door near the Fitness Suite. If you have any questions then see Mr Robinson in room 223 or call the school.

FOOD SAFETY

During 2011 Enrichment week at Richard Lander, Year 8 & 9 pupils took part in the Level 2 Award in Food Safety and Catering (food hygiene exam). The award is helpful for pupils thinking about a job in the food sector, as well as promoting self discipline and concentration. After 5 hours of diligent study with Mrs Bull, an excellent result was gained with 28 pupils passing the exam. Well done to all those who took part

PARENT SUPPORT ADVISOR

Becky Higgins is a Parent Support Advisor for Richard Lander School. Parent Support Advisors are available to support you and your child to get the best from your school by providing support, advice and information. They can help with any worries you may have about your child’s behaviour and attendance, and provide support on how best to deal with it. Becky is happy to listen to any issues no matter how small they seem. Becky is available on Mondays and Wednesday from 8:30am or other times by appointment. Please ask how to contact her at Reception or pick up a leaflet.

18 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY ARTS TRIP Taking thirty one teenagers to Italy may not be everyone’s idea of fun, (and certainly the paper work involved is not fun!) but the rewards of sharing great art and architecture with young minds is truly enjoyable! The Arts Trips are always hugely successful and our visit to discover the art and culture of Florence and Venice was no exception. Our adventure started with a flight from Bristol to Pisa and then by coach to Florence. Our centrally based hotel was ideal for exploring the churches and galleries. Many students developed a love for the art of Botticelli and Fillipo Lippi in the Uffizi; others developed a love for pizza and pasta in friendly restaurants. En route to Venice we broke the journey at Padova so that we could see Giotto’s masterpiece, the Scrovegni Chapel. It is always wonderful to experience the effect that great art can have on students and I believe that many of our party were profoundly moved by the interior of this building. Venice is always captivating because of its timeless beauty and ‘other worldliness’. We enjoyed ‘doing the sights’, St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, the Campanile, but also found time to play in the hotel pool and spend time on the beach. On alighting from the vaparetto, water bus after a trip up the Grand Canal I was stopped by an elderly couple, “Are you the teacher in charge of these kids?” Hesitating, I said that I was, but wondered what would come next, “We’ve just chatted to a few of them on the boat and wanted to tell you what a credit they are to you and their school!” Comments like that happened several times and helped us to feel proud of those in our charge. Naturally, I then reprimanded the students involved for talking to strangers.

ARTS TRIP 2012 ROME and SORRENTO I am now booking next year’s trip. Next year we will be exploring the gladiatorial past of Rome, the High Renaissance art in the Vatican, the brooding volcano that is Mount Etna, the doomed city of Pompeii and many more fascinating sites!

MS TOMPKINS ON HER LAST VISIT WITH THE SCHOOL

19 RICHARD LANDER SCHOOL - A TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE SERVING THE COMMUNITY GIRLS’ NETBALL & HOCKEY FIXTURES Sept Wed 28th Away U16 Hockey & v Penair Yr 8 A & B, Yr 9 Netball

Sept Thurs 29th Home Yrs 7 A & B, Yr 8 A & B Yrs 9, 10 and 11 Netball v Penryn

Sept Friday 30th Penryn Partnership Surf Comp. ?

Oct Tues 4th Away Yrs 7 A & B, Yr 8 A & B Yrs 9, 10 and 11 Netball v Truro High

Oct Sat 8th U16 Netball Tournament Bodmin

Oct Tues 11th Home U16 Hockey Tournament

Oct Wed 12th Home U15 Hockey Cup Game v Mounts Bay

Oct Thurs 13th Home Yrs 7 A & B, Yr 8 A & B Yrs 9, 10 and 11 Netball v

Oct Wed 19th Penryn Partnership Aquathlon

Oct Thurs 20th Away Yrs 7 A & B, Yr 8 A & B Yrs 9, 10 and 11 Netball v Penair

HALF TERM

Nov Wed 2nd Penair? Penryn Partnership Cross Country 2.00pm start

Nov Thurs 3rd Home U14 Hockey Tournament

Nov Thurs 10th Year 7 ‘B’ Netball Festival Truro School Year 8 ‘B’ Netball Festival 4pm start

Nov Thurs 17th Home Year 7 and 8 Hockey Yrs 9, 10 and 11 Netball v Tretherras

Nov Sat 19th U14 Netball Tournament Penryn

Dec 1st or 2rd Home U16 Mixed Hockey Tournament

Dec Thurs 1st Penryn Girls’ Football League Starts

Dec Tues 6th Penryn Yrs 9 Netball League Play Offs 4pm start

Dec Thurs 8th Penryn Yrs 7 and 8 Netball League Play Offs 1.30pm start

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