Thursday 22nd October 2015 Issue 8

NEWS Contact Details

Reception: 01625 526191

Attendance: 01625 441089

Sixth Form Attendance: 01625 441070

Second hand uniform shop: 07889 924692 07870 070468

Community Liaison: 01625 444159

School lettings: 01625 441053

High Notes highnotes@ high..sch.uk Year 7 residential During the past 2 weeks, Year 7 students have enjoyed two nights and three days of challenges and team building activities in four separate locations: Bollin and Norcliffe - Condover Hall, Harefield and Thorngrove, Winmarleigh Hall. The general feedback from students and staff has been excellent. @wilmslowhigh

wilmslowhigh.com

1 NEWS

Ellie and Molly’s charity achievement Ellie Harris in 10TJM and Molly Cunningham 10HMB have walked the Big One and raised over £1000 (probably £1200 with gift aid) which is an amazing feat.

Molly commented, “Going up was really scary and at the top you could really feel the wind. The sun was setting as we got to the top; it was amazing. It was a challenge that I’m glad I did; we have raised so much money for people with dementia, so I am thrilled”.

Ellie described it as a “fantastic experience as it just got higher and higher and the view was amazing. I’m glad we had all the safety harnesses on though. It has been great to raise so much money”.

Both girls have always been really motivated to raise money to help other people with Ellie previously raising money for the British Heart Foundation and Molly for Macmillan

Magical musical performances Anna and Rachel Mulroy had an exciting start to the school year back in September, both performing in prestigious events.

Rachel, in Year 10, was asked to play French Horn in the S&J production of Calamity Jane at the Stoke Repertory Theatre from 15th-19th September. She was recruited by the musical director for the show who had heard her play with Congleton Youth Orchestra. As the only child in the orchestra, it was a great honour to be asked and was a fantastic performing experience.

Anna, in Year 11, performed with the Hallé Youth Choir in two BBC proms this season. After performing in Elgar’s ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ back in July, Anna was back at the Albert Hall on Friday 11th September to perform at the BBC Youth Prom. Here she performed ‘Sancta Civitas’ by Vaughan Williams, with over 300 singers from different choirs.

The highlight for Anna was being conducted by Sir Simon Rattle!

2 A magic moment Whilst performing magic tricks last Saturday in the Arndale Centre to crowds of onlookers, Brad Hart in Year 10 was approached by none other than the famous illusionist Dynamo! Brad was astonished when Dynamo appeared from nowhere and said, “I saw you from afar, keep up the good work!”.

A member of the Circle of Magicians, Brad has been practising the art of magic for eight years, and has been performing publicly at weddings, birthdays and corporate events for the last two years.

With a growing reputation and over 200 likes on his Facebook page, Brad is combining his talent with an entrepreneurial streak. Having recently secured sponsorship from a clothing company, he is currently designing a set of cards to incorporate their brand.

Brad’s dream is to perform on television and follow in Dynamo’s footsteps - please contact him if you would like him to perform at your event!

Meeting Mark Cavendish Harry Jordan, Year 7, is a track cyclist for a team called Eastlands Velo at the Manchester velodrome, and this week he was lucky enough to spend some time watching Mark Cavendish train on the track, and to meet him.

3 SPORT

Sports Teams Working with Local Businesses We have been extremely fortunate to work with some fantastic sponsors this year who have supplied a number of our sports teams with playing kit. Our teams will be wearing this spon- sored kit over the next two seasons.

Having sponsored our Cheerleading team in 2014/15, Wilmslow family law firm,James Maguire and Co. (www. family-law.co.uk) have extended their sponsorship to include senior and Year 10 rugby, senior hockey and senior netball, with these teams enjoying considerable success already this season. Both the Year 10 and 1st XV rugby teams have safely negotiated the opening rounds of the Nat West Cup; our senior girls’ hockey team have made an unbeaten start to the season and have qualified for the North West round of the national championships, while the senior netballers placed 3rd in the Cheshire County tournament.

Furniture company, Brand Interiors (http://www. brandinteriors.co.uk), who have a store at Broadstone Mill in Stockport and branches across the north of , sup- plied training tops for our senior rugby team last year but have switched sports this year, sponsoring all junior and senior football teams. These teams have also enjoyed considerable success: our senior team are unbeaten in the first half term, progressing in both the Cheshire and ESFA cups, while our U12s, U13s, U14s and U16s have also made it through the opening rounds of their cup competitions.

Local health and nutrition company Wellness Worx (www. wellnessworx.co.uk) have sponsored the girls’ football teams this year and will be similarly pleased to see the start that these teams have had this season. The latest impressive result being the U15’s win over Wright Robinson College in the ESFA cup.

MKA have sponsored and supplied all the junior rugby kits this season and they will be pleased to see the num- ber of students training through the week and representing the school on a Saturday morning. There have been 50+ boys involved with the Year 7 rugby team this season, many of whom are playing the game for the first time. The Year 9 team have been the pick of the junior teams so far this year with impres- sive wins over High School, Merchant Taylor’s and Sale Grammar School.

4 Fixtures week commencing 2nd November DATE OPPONENTS 1ST 2ND 3RD/U16 U15 U14 U13 U12 SPORT 03-Nov-15 UUNDER 14 INDOOR PRELIMINARY ROUND (WEEK COMMENCING) A GIRLS HOCKEY 04-Nov-15 LYMM H H HH HH NETBALL 04-Nov-15 UNDER 19S COUNTY OUTDOOR H GIRLS HOCKEY 04-Nov-15 TYTHERINGTON HIGH SCHOOL A FOOTBALL 04-Nov-15 GIRLS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT H H H GIRLS FOOTBALL 05-Nov-15 ST CUTHBERTS H FOOTBALL 05-Nov-15 MIRFEILD FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL H GIRLS FOOTBALL 06-Nov-15 BISHOP HEBER A GIRLS FOOTBALL 07-Nov-15 QUEEN ETHELBURGA'S H H RUGBY 07-Nov-15 BISHOP HEBER H H A A RUGBY 07-Nov-15 UNDER 16S COUNTY OUTDOOR Y GIRLS HOCKEY

Results week commencing 17th October

DATE OPPONENTS 1ST 2ND 3RD/U16 U15 U14 U14 b U13 U13 b U12 U12 b SPORT 16-Oct-15 WRIGHT ROBINSON won 3-­‐1 GIRLS FOOTBALL 17-Oct-15 CHEADLE HULME HIGH lost 30-20 lost 21-27 lost 18-24 won 28-13 lost 17-24 lost 8-12 NETBALL 17-Oct-15 SCHOOL won 38-19 lost 25-17 won 19-14 lost 29-19 won 17-0 drew 35-­‐35 lost RUGBY 20-Oct-15 won 5-0 FOOTBALL 21-­‐Oct-­‐15 won 7-1 FOOTBALL 21-­‐Oct-­‐15 ALRINCHAM GRAMMAR won 24-17 RUGBY 22-Oct-15 THOMAS TELFORD TBC FOOTBALL

Girls football The U15 girls’ football team took on Wright Robinson College on Friday evening in what was an epic encounter. With the scores at 1 – 1 at full time and no further goals in extra time, the game was decided on a penalty shoot out, with the Wilmslow team coming out on top and moving into the next round of the ESFA cup.

Netball On Saturday our netball teams travelled to Cheadle Hulme School for a block fixture. All games were close run affairs, but our under 14s were the only team to come out on top, winning 28 -13.

Rugby Our rugby teams were involved in a block fixture against Sandbach on Saturday, with the pick of the results being the 1st XV’s 38-9 win, the under 15’s 19 – 14 win and the under 13b team’s 35 – 35 draw in which Gabriel Thorpe scored all 7 tries.

The 1st XV were also involved in the Cheshire Cup quarter final on Wednesday, beating Altrincham Grammar School 24 – 17.

Boys football The 1st XI football team finished the first half term unbeaten, with a 5 – 0 win against Alsager High School in the Cheshire Cup on Tuesday and a 7 – 1 win over Lymm High School on Wednesday. Their impressive record now stands at: played 8, won 7, drawn 1, scoring 31 goals and conceding just 4.

5 CALENDAR Week commencing 2nd November Day/date Time Venue Activity Monday 2nd November 8.35am Students return from half term break Wednesday 4th Novem- 5.00am Visit to Poland departs (Lessons from Aus- ber chwitz)

Week commencing 9th November

Day/date Time Venue Activity Monday 9th November All day Manchester Year 13 geography visit 3.00 - 6.30pm Manchester Lessons from Auschwitz follow up seminar Tuesday 10th November

6.00 - 7.00pm Pavilion - Learning Russia Parent Information Evening Area Wednesday 11th No- 3.00 - 5.30pm Main Hall/gym Year 10/11 Careers and Work Experience vember Evening Thursday 12th Novem- All day WHS PHSCE day 1 ber All day London Year 12 and 13 art, design and technology galleries visit 6.00 - 8.00pm Main Hall Duke of Edinburgh Award Evening Friday 13th November All day WHS Non-school uniform day (Children in Need)

Assemblies This week’s assembly was delivered by Mr Pickup and Miss Ryan on the subject of ‘Participation’. Click this link to view powerpoint presentations used during assemblies http://www.wilmslowhigh.com/?p=4199

6 Thinking of applying to the sixth form? www.wilmslowhigh.com/sixth-form/admissions click here for application form

Sixth Form Application Form The online application form can be accessed

• directly by using this link: http://bit.ly/1W2jePJ • by clicking through from the Sixth Form Admissions page on the school website (www.wilmslowhigh.com/sixth-form/admissions)

This form is the first step in the formal application process for a place in the sixth form at . Please ensure that all the details you enter on this form are accurate. Please think very carefully about the subjects you select here. Although they are not nec- essarily your final choices, the grouping of the subjects into option pools will be decided as a result of the choices students make at this stage. Be aware that not every combi- nation of subjects may be possible and that courses will only run if there are sufficient numbers to make them viable. Applications need to be completed online by the 30th November 2015 NOTES

Year 10 Paris visit: 17th to 20th July 2016 Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! All letters have now gone out to all Year 10 students. Please respond with your deposit as soon as possible to secure your place (deadline 7th of November).

Sixth form led Year 7 drama workshop Are you interested in drama? Would you like to work with some of the sixth formers on developing your drama skills? Come along to the drama studio after school on Thursday 5th November until 4:20 pm. All Year 7 students welcome.

Educational visits To help parents plan ahead a summary of the overnight educational visits has been attached along with a supporting letter from Dr Pullé.

Year 9 Preparing for Success at GCSE follow-up questions

1. Do you teach students how to revise and how to de-stress? Yes, this guidance is delivered by subject staff, form tutors and during targeted PHSCE Days. The Wellbeing Hub is also available for advice and support regarding anxiety, stress and other heath related issues.

2. How will the school manage to help students at all levels – what if your child struggles at school? It is very important that we get the balance right for all our students. If there is no challenge then they won’t make progress in their learning, but too much struggle can also prevent students making progress. All of our teachers try hard to ensure that we get this balance right for every student, but it is not always an easy one. Therefore, the first step for any child who is struggling at school is always to talk to a member of staff, or for you as a parent or carer, to get in touch with us so that we can do something to help. Mrs Glover, our SENCO can also give advice to the parents and carers of any student who is struggling with their learning.

8 3. How is careers advice and understanding of specific subjects related to industry going to be linked in? How will our children learn what jobs are out there and what subjects/ skills they will need to get there? We are preparing our students for the future in a number of ways. Here are three examples:

• During the PHSCE day on 12th November Year 9 students will: - take part in a series of KS4 taster lessons; - complete an online assessment of their skills helping them to explore potential career choices; - attend a presentation from Dr Anne Rowe, Careers Advisor, on how to make informed choices; - learn what is on offer at KS4 at Wilmslow High School and what the options process will entail.

Following this day, the students will spend time with their tutors discussing how to make informed choices. The options process begins in January, when parents and students are invited to the KS4 Course Choice evening to explore the range of options available from Year 10.

• We ask all our students to let us know their aspirations via our ‘aspirations questionnaire’. This enables us to direct the right opportunities and learning to every student. We are developing this personalised approach this year and are excited about its potential for assisting us to help all our students to realise their aspirations.

• We are working closely with the Wilmslow Business Group. This is helping us to shape the way in which our students are able to access careers information directly from businesses in the local community, as well as providing opportunities such as work placements and apprenticeships.

4. How will you help students avoid the anxiety that goes with the pressure the school will be feeling with the new curriculum? We have had time to think about the new curriculum, and our teachers are working hard as ever this year to ensure that we are fully prepared. We are also working with our Year 9 students to find out what they need to feel prepared for next year - more to come on this!

5. How do I log into the VLE? The VLE can be logged into via the quick link on the home page of the school website. Students need to enter their ‘G’ number and password.

6. How do we contact our children’s teachers? Teachers can be contacted directly via email by placing the teacher’s name before the school email address. For example, to contact Mr Vincent: [email protected]. To speak to a teacher on the telephone, please contact reception and you will be put through to the office of that curriculum team

9 7. How do we change our children’s attitude to self-belief? In the new year, we will be running two workshops for parents/carers, led by educationalist and motivational speaker Mr Dean Schneider that will focus upon developing children’s attitude and self-belief.

8. How will you ensure the work/play balance for children? Students are encouraged by form tutors to get involved in the varied ‘X-tra’ programme: there really is something for everyone. Although we expect a lot from students in terms of effort and quality of work, we also emphasise, during assemblies, form sessions and curriculum time the importance of having a healthy balance. For more details on how your child can get involved with sport as part of a healthy work/play balance. See this week’s assembly link.

10 COMMUNITY

Of par'cular interest to anyone not sure of their future career path a3er Year 11, or the College op'ons available. A fantas'c selec'on of informa'on and guidance will be available from colleges, appren'ceship providers, and the Armed Forces. Our careers advisor, Dr Anne Rowe, will also be available.

Wilmslow Fireworks and Bonfire, Saturday 7th November. Wilmslow Community Bonfire, Carnival Field, Altrincham Road, Wilmslow.

Wilmslow and District Round Table in association with Ladies Circle, Imagine FM 104.9 and other local organisations are once again hosting the annual bonfire and fireworks night at Carnival Fields.

Date: Saturday 7th November 2015

Time: Gates open from 5.30pm, Bonfire lit 6.30pm, Children's firework display 7pm, Main firework display 7.30pm

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at: www.wilmslowfireworks.co.uk or on the day. Advance tickets: Adult £6 / Child £4/ Family of 4 (2 adults/ 2 children) £18 On the day: Adults £8 / Child £6 / Family of 4 £24

All profits go to support local charities.

11 Keeping children safe: Child Sexual Exploitation

Enquiries to: Director, Children and Young People’s Services  They may be missing school Direct Line: 01606 275863  They may receive odd calls and messages on their mobiles or social media Email: [email protected] th pages from unknown, possibly much older associates from outside their normal Date: 19 October 2015 social network

 Dear Parent/Carer, They may be in possession of new, expensive items which they couldn’t normally afford, such as mobile phones, iPads or jewellery Child Sexual Exploitation – parental/carer awareness  They may exhibit a sudden change in dressing patterns or musical taste  They may look tired and/or unwell, and sleep at unusual hours  They may have marks or scars on their body which they try to conceal

 They may adopt new ‘street language’ or respond to a new ‘street’ name

 You may also have these worries about a friend of your child

 You can also help prevent abuse by talking to your child about:

o Healthy and risky relationships I write to you on behalf of Children’s Services and Cheshire Police about o Which websites they’re using and ask them to show you how they work the challenging subject of child sexual exploitation (CSE). The reason we are writing to o Being very careful to befriend and communicate with only trusted people you is to highlight that we take the safety of our children and young people seriously and that they know recognise that you have the most critical role in helping us to achieve this, either as a o Assuring them that it’s OK to come to you or another trusted adult if they parent, neighbour or as a member of your community. feel threatened by or uncomfortable about something they have seen or done on a social networking site/instant messaging service The numbers of children identified as being either at risk of, or actually being sexually exploited, are relatively small. The Local Authority and the police have the statutory duty to safeguard all children living in Cheshire East, irrespective of which school they attend and we work in partnership However, technologies such as mobile phones and the internet mean that exploitation with others to achieve this. may occur without your child’s permission or without your child even recognising that they are being exploited; for example through being persuaded to post sexual images If you are concerned your child or another child known to you is at risk you can contact over the internet or through mobile phone images. Cheshire Police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also contact the local authority’s consultation service – ChECS on 0300 123 5012

Alternatively, you can speak to a member of staff at school for advice. The Police and the Council want to be proactive in helping you be aware of the risks that your children may meet, either face-to-face or virtually through social media and the For further information about how you can help protect your child/children from the risks internet. of CSE, visit http://www.knowandsee.co.uk/#team or http://www.paceuk.info/support-for- parents/advice-centre/ By being aware of the warning signs of CSE you can help stop abuse before it develops further. Some of the warning signs are: Yours sincerely  Your child may become especially secretive and stop engaging with their usual friends.  They may be associating with, or develop a sexual relationship with older males or females  They may go missing from home – and be defensive about their location and Kath O’Dwyer Simon Byrne Director of Childrens Services Chief Constable Cheshire Police activities, often returning home late or staying out all night And Deputy Chief Executive

Acting responsibly on Halloween Please click on this link for advice from Cheshire Police about staying safe and keeping others safe on Halloween. https://www.cheshire.police.uk/news-and-appeals/news/dare-to-scare/

USEFUL LINKS

Sports X-tra: http://www.wilmslowhigh.com/?p=259 Arts X-tra: http://www.wilmslowhigh.com/?p=265 X-tra – Xtra: http://www.wilmslowhigh.com/?p=269 Previous issues of High Notes: http://www.wilmslowhigh.com/?p=2239 Letters sent from school: http://www.wilmslowhigh.com/?p=2043

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