"Celebrating the Last 50 Years" Famous Faces and Iconic Image/Brands That Are Representative of the Last 50 Years
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Test Valley School Newsletter July 2012 "Celebrating the last 50 years" Famous faces and iconic image/brands that are representative of the last 50 years. The art work in this banner was created by the following pupils: George Allen, Lucy Scullard, Daniel Graham, Harry Rymer, Michaela Reeves, Billy Andrews, Hannah Gravenor, Jessica Walukiewicz, Bud Pollard, Nick Jarvis, Jake Smith, Kieran Jordan, Ella Cruz, Georgia Spayes, Emma Foster, Evie Templeman, Rachel Chambers and Maia Cavey. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/testvalleysch Twitter: @testvalleysch Dear Parent As I write we are in the final week of this school year after another very successful Activities Week for Years 7, 8 and 9. Pupils had the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of activities in and out of school, including mountain-biking, creative arts, film- making, sports, drama and dance. We also had three residential activities going off to Normandy, Germany/Poland and Ferny Crofts. In school the week culminated in a wonderful performance on the Friday by the music and dance groups to parents, staff and pupils. Activities Week is an example of what our school community does so well, with staff and pupils coming together to enjoy new experiences and having the opportunity to work together outside the classroom. World Sport Day in June was a similar occasion when pupils were able to share and develop new skills together as the start of the Olympics comes closer. Year 10 are not to be left out with a recent post-16 taster day and many currently out on work experience placements until the end of this term. This term we have also said farewell to Year 11 who completed their GCSEs in June. We marked the end of the examinations with their prom at Oakley Hall. They have worked very hard with their teachers this year to secure their results and we look forward to celebrating these with them in August. Our vision is always to ensure we provide our pupils with a high quality learning experience which will prepare them to be confident, independent and well qualified young people. We want them to enjoy their learning and make substantial progress across all areas of the curriculum. We also want them to develop a range of positive attitudes and attributes that will serve them well both at and beyond school. The above is just a flavour of some of these activities alongside all the hard work going on in the ‘classroom’ every day. I take this opportunity to thank parents for your support throughout another very busy year and hope you enjoy this copy of our newsletter. With best wishes L Hiscock Headteacher Governors’ Report – May 2012 The school’s governing body is responsible for the strategic oversight of the school. In cooperation with the head teacher we agree the school’s vision, ethos and primary objectives and monitor how well the school is performing. We are comprised of parent governors, staff governors, governors appointed by Hampshire County Council and governors representing the local community who are appointed by the governing body. The head teacher is also a governor. We are organised in 3 main committees which meet twice a term. These are “Finance and General Purposes”, Curriculum and Pupil Achievement” and “Staff and Students”. There is also a “Strategy and Community” committee comprising the chairs of the other committees which meet twice a year. The Full Governing Body meet twice a term. During the past year the governors have had to consider several major issues. We have discussed becoming an academy (as a “Good” school we are entitled to become an academy in our own right) but have decided that there is currently no benefit in converting. We will continue to review this decision annually. We have also had to handle the challenge of reduced pupil numbers in Year 7 and in the next year’s intake: this has been due to fewer pupils coming from the feeder primary schools and to the effects of the recession. As a school we want to be able to offer the choice of curriculum suitable for all abilities and to this end the governors have supported the Key Stage 4 pathways initiative and are monitoring its introduction. We have also supported Key Stage 3 initiatives to encourage independent learning, including the Aspire programme in Year 7. We believe that these initiatives will significantly benefit the pupils. As governors we have always been pleased when pupils have achieved excellent results and we sponsor a governors’ prize each year for the pupil who has excelled in the GCSE exams. It is a perk of the governor role that we are aware of and able to celebrate pupil achievement and endeavour whether in their dramatic and musical performances, or in their individual and group achievements. Once again pupils have had success in the national Toyota Technology Challenge, “Young Enterprise” and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. One individual pupil has excelled in the international Maths Challenge competition. Overall the governors are committed to helping direct the school and to monitoring its progress against challenging objectives. John Smith Chair of Governors Year 11 Prom at Oakley Hall Photo courtesy of John Eccles Photography New Online Free School Meal Eligibility Checking Hampshire County Council Catering Services (HC3S) has launched a new online service so parents can check their eligibility for free school meals themselves. This self service option is available at http://hants.gov.uk/caterers/hc3s-freeschoolmeals. Please note that the criteria for free school meals is the same, regardless of method of checking eligibility, but for the online service, all you need to do is enter your name, national insurance number or asylum number, your address and your child’s details. Press ‘submit’ and you will find out if you are eligible. If your result comes back ‘found’, this means your child is eligible for free school meals and the system automatically tells your school. No more hassle in digging out paperwork and going into school to get it checked. For more information, check out the web address above, or phone Sue Martin on 023 8062 7738. Professor Petra Oyston Visits Year 10 Science pupils On Friday 25th May 2012, Professor Petra Oyston gave a one hour lecture on the plague (Black Death) to Set 1 Year 10 pupils. She explained the life cycle, history, and current dangers of the plague today. Pupils watched a video from “The Dirty Cities” television series in which Petra took part. After a short break Petra continued to speak to the Triple Science group about Genetics and Genetic manipulation, where the pupils were able to write their name in genetic code. To complete the session Petra then talked about various career paths into a science career. The pupils were able to ask questions about Petra’s work at Porton Down and although some of the content was challenging during the session, all pupils enjoyed the experience of meeting Petra. Mrs C Crossland. ‘StockFest 2012’ On Friday 4th May, Test Valley School's music and dance festival ‘StockFest 2012’ celebrated its fourth year. This outdoor festival has now become embedded in the culture of the school providing pupils with the opportunity of a lifetime to perform to a large audience and get involved. This year StockFest had its biggest line-up which included bands, solo artists, duets, the school choir and a street dance performance. Pupils were very excited to see the event headlined by Assistant Head, Mr. Gibbs, who reformed a band from his school days for their first public performance since coming back together. A surprise to many would be that the event is managed by a team of pupils who plan, promote and manage the whole event. They started early in the academic year with auditions leading to a warm-up gig in January. This was followed by promotions including a poster campaign, several assemblies and an ‘open mic’ week in the lunchtimes leading up to StockFest. The team get involved in every last detail, from ensuring staff are allocated to all the different roles which need to be filled at the event to informing the local residents of what is happening. Event managers of the future maybe! StockFest would not be StockFest without an audience and we were delighted by the number of pupils who attended in their hundreds and were joined by many of their families. As well as the performances on our main marquee stage pupils from all the Year 7 & 8 tutor groups organized stalls to raise money towards the schooling of a pupil we sponsor in Uganda as part of the charity ‘Education Uganda’. The vast array of different ideas which the pupils come up with is a credit to their creativity and, combined with their energy and enthusiasm, proved very popular and good fun for all throughout the event. We are also very grateful for all the support and time so generously given by many to ensure the success of this event. Our newly reformed PTA committee organized and ran a very successful barbeque and refreshments tent, which did a great trade throughout the event. Trevor Johnson from Nether Wallop provided two very large marquees to house the performers and refreshments. Ian McDonald and Steve Haines, both from Winterslow, generously provided, setup and ran the incredibly professional sound system which really makes this whole event amazing, right down to the detail of microphones for each and every part of the drum kit. Finally, of course, the large number of staff, led by Mr. Langdown, who are willing to undertake so much both behind the scenes and upfront.