December 2014 www.thelakesschool.com Dear Parent/Carer Has it really been a whole year since I started at The Lakes School? 2014 really has flown by and I have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside such a talented and committed team of staff who work relentlessly to provide so many wonderful opportunities for our students. During the year, I have spent a lot of time visiting classrooms and have been so impressed by the range of activities taking place in lessons - students are engaged in their learning, benefiting from the fantastic relationships they have with their teachers. Every day, students embrace the fact that we are a caring school and politely interact with staff and each other, with many of our Sixth Form students taking time to look after the younger students. I have received so many positive comments this year from visitors to the school who have been overwhelmed by the good behaviour of our students and the family atmosphere that one visiting teacher said ‘pervades the school’. Trainee teachers have flourished whilst working with our students and temporary teachers have said how much they love the school and would like to teach here permanently. I’m sure you will agree that this is a huge testament to the ethos at The Lakes School. During the year, we have made a number of changes to help improve our service to students and parents, including changes to our reporting schedule so that we now provide a more regular update for parents about their child’s progress. We have introduced our Attitude to Learning standards which clarify exactly what we expect from our students in lessons and we will continue to report on your child’s Attitude to Learning throughout the year. We have introduced a small options choice for Year 8 students as they move in to Year 9 which has been a huge success with the students who tell us it is really helping them get ahead in the subjects they are likely to choose for GCSE; the current Year 8 students are already excited about taking their choices after Christmas. We have launched our impressive website at www.thelakesschool.com which I know has been a welcome improvement to the way that the school communicates important information to students, parents and the community. We have also introduced a new merit system this year which has seen a number of students rewarded with gift vouchers for meeting the expectations of the school - something that the students tell us is motivating them to work hard and behave well. I am particularly pleased with the way the Year 7 students have settled in this term and I would like to thank the parents of our Year 7 students who have taken the time to share with me so many positive stories about their child’s transition to The Lakes School. They have embraced all of the opportunities available to them and they are a pleasure to see around the school - many have already taken on leadership roles and have become active members of our School Council. During the spring term our Key Stage 4 and 5 students will be reflecting on their trial exam grades and working hard in the weeks leading up to their exams and our Year 9 students will be making important decisions about their GCSE options ahead of September. We have many trips planned and some great enrichment days for each year group and I can’t wait to return on January 5th 2015 to start my second year here at The Lakes School. In closing, I would like to thank all of the staff, parents and members of the community who have supported the school and me personally during my first year. The Lakes School is so fortunate to be surrounded by such a supportive community and we look forward to developing more partnerships with local organisations during 2015. On behalf of all of the Governors, staff and students at The Lakes School, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you again in January. With very best wishes Kind regards Andy Cunningham Headteacher Year 11 Business and Enterprise As part of the exciting business course we run in Key Stage 4 all students take part in an enterprise activity where they have to come up with their own business idea. This year the enterprises have been varied from sweet stalls, to car washing, revision guides, end of year books, bath bombs, football tournaments and milk shake bars. There is even a group of students developing their own app – so watch out Candy Crush and Angry Birds! To date, the students have made nearly £300 from the small businesses. The money is then donated to charities of their choice. It takes a lot of hard work and a huge amount of nerve to see the enterprise through and the students have put in hours of additional work after school, lunch and break times. Who knows the next set of Dragons could be on their way from The Lakes School. Well done to all! Mrs T Murray, Head of Vocational Studies Futures Festival – 16 January 2015 We are holding a set of career workshops for all Year 11 students on Friday 16 January from 10am to 12.30pm. The aim of the Futures Festival is to give all students a chance to research into potential careers for next year and beyond. We have a guest speaker from Innovative Enterprise plus all the local colleges as well as apprenticeship providers, Gilbert, Gilkes & Gordon Ltd, health professionals, the National Park, Brathay Hall and many more. The event is also open to all Year 12 and 13 students and all parents and carers. If you would like to attend please come along between 10.00am and 12.30pm, or if you would like to come and help and maybe have a stall to explain your own business and career, or for further information please contact: [email protected] or [email protected] ‘Your Future, Your Decisions, Your Responsibility’ Mrs T Murray, Head of Vocational Studies Shoe Boxes Boxes of Hope, Cumbria, is a charity which gets local communities together with the common aim of helping deprived children in Eastern Europe. The children they go to are Europe’s forgotten children. Many of them have no ID; few go to school; many exist in one-roomed huts made of compacted mud and straw, often in a state of disrepair. The Boxes of Hope may well be the first gifts the child has ever had. Each box contains basic hygiene and educational supplies, as well as small toys and games, and it carries a message of hope, love and compassion to a child who has had none of the opportunities we have had. (Information taken from www.boxesofhopecumbria.co.uk) In total 10,133 boxes were gathered across the South Lakes and shipped off to Romania. 96 of these were given by The Lakes School. Special mention must go to Mrs Baker and her form. They gave 22 boxes, 1 per person in the form and some of her tutees also helped at the Christmas box workshop. Thank you to all staff and students who cared enough to bring a little happiness at Christmas into the lives of children who are so much less fortunate than we are. Mrs M Storton, Transition Co-ordinator A Level art and photography visit to Edinburgh Advanced Level Artists and Photographers were able to enjoy a varied selection of culture on a recent visit to Edinburgh. A2 artists visited the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art where they saw Generation – 25 years of new Scottish Art. AS artists visited all of the central galleries including the Fruitmarket Gallery which had been taken over by installation artist Jim Lambie. Photographers were also able to visit galleries as well as finding various locations for photo-shoots in the city. Work initiated on the day is still having a strong impact as the students begin to develop final pieces in time for the Christmas deadline. Students in the lower VIth (and current Year 11) are already looking forward to the residential trip we have planned to London in November 2015. Photo 1 - AS Art students looking a bit perplexed at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh Photo 2 - Photo-shoot at Calton Hill E N T E R P R I S E The Lakes School Christmas fair provided an excellent opportunity for Art enterprise to produce our next range of products to design and sell. Our small, but dedicated team, was Lucy Prescott Y8, Rosie Garner Y10 and Grace Rennison Y11. We made small winter scenes using found materials such as wood, twigs, bolts, nails and wire. The students involved worked very imaginatively and the finished models are beautiful. We then photographed them to produce a pack of 5 cards. We also made small wooden house decorations. We have installed a pop-up shop in the foyer of the main entrance were students, parents, staff and visitors can purchase items. This can be done at the school office during breaks or at lunchtime. Every penny is going back in to grow the business, get more students involved and hopefully long term turn profits into valuable funding for the art department. PRICE LIST: Pack of 5 cards £3.50 (2 packs for £6.50) - Wooden House decorations £3.50 or 4 decorations £ 12.00 Camera Club Keen photographers in Year 7 signed up for Camera Club and have been working on basic camera technique and photo editing.