WEAVERHAM HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER March 2020

Triumphant! We Will Rock You

Audiences were stunned for three consecutive nights following our annual school production of ‘We Will Rock You’. Set in a post- apocalyptic world where society is controlled by the evil Globalsoft Corporation these evil masterminds are determined to wipe out the spirit of rock and roll – destroying ‘real music’ forever. The first half of the show gave us an insight into a world where live music has been banned and where everyone wears the same clothes, has the same thoughts and opinions… to be honest everyone’s gone a bit radio gaga! The audience follows a group of Bohemians, young rebels who are trying to restore justice and break free from the control and the oppression the Killer Queen, played superbly by Daisy Dorsch.

Pamela Hewitt’s portrayal of the musical’s protagonist Galileo FigaroF was perfect – she captured the dreamers’ angst, confusion and love of rock and roll perfectly. Phoebe Robinson was superbly cast as Galileo’s rebel sidekick Scaramouche, a role that showcased her comic timing as much as her incredible vocal talent. Aaron Lewis provided further comic relief as the hippy bartender Pop – in particular his reference to his favourite relic from the past – the video tape (vid-ayotappy) had the audience in stitches. And the comedy didn’t end there – Khashoggi, played by David Quinn, gave us magical one liners and adlibs galore. The two rebels who were played by Lydia Wood and David Elliott, delivered beautiful harmonies and great chemistry ensured that the themes of love and friendship continued throughout

The ensemble took on various roles during the production, offering distinct characterization for each character they played, executing impressively synchronized choreography. All of this was held perfectly together by the breath-taking musicianship of our rock and roll band. And of course, the backstage crew who controlled lighting, sound, set design and set changes reigned supreme with effortless transitions.

Collectively, the cast and crew gave an immensely powerful performance as quintessential Queen melodies measured up to the real deal through strong vocals, great choreography, and energy galore. Three very memorable nights to remember.

Special thank you to our incredible staff who made it all possible – thank you for their time, energy, dedication and of course sheer talent in leading our pupils through auditions, rehearsal, first night nerves and final night elation. We salute Miss Jones, Mrs Clarke, Mrs Oakes and Mrs North.

Finally, a quote from the late, great Freddie Mercury who encouraged the world to question equality and diversity, to consider the importance of tolerance and acceptance of others and self – all personal qualities we try to instil in members of our school community— a quote of self belief:

‘You can be anything you want to be – just turn yourself into anything you think you could ever be.’

We Will Rock You – Pupil Review by Darcey Harris Year 7

In February, the cast of “We Will Rock You 2020”performed three amazing shows that dazzled the audience with incredible dancing, singing and acting. From auditions in September to the shows in February, the cast put a lot of effort into getting everything perfect. Originally, I was part of this team and had lots of fun but then I had to drop out as I unfortunately broke my leg in December. This landed me in a unique situation-as an ex-member of the cast, I have been part of an amazing team and made lots of new friends but also as a member of the audience, I have seen the result of this as well. I went to watch the final performance and was blown away by the sheer brilliance of everyone who was participating. As I am in year seven, I hadn’t seen or taken part in one of these shows before and was amazed by the high level of acting, dancing and singing.

When rehearsing, there were three teachers who helped us get everything perfect- Miss North, Mrs Clark and Miss Jones. Miss North taught us the dance choreography, Mrs Clark taught us the harmonies and Miss Jones taught us how to act well. They were all fun teachers and helped us to progress.

The show was incredible with amazing lighting, scenery, props, dance choreography, harmonies and acting. With Pam as Galileo (the main protagonist) and Daisy as Killer Queen (the main antagonist), it was an amazing show. With lines of comedy dotted throughout the script but with an equal amount of serious acting, it was the perfect mix of dialogue. The costumes were great with a white outfit (the same as everyone else’s) for when the cast was under the control of Killer Queen and a punk outfit for when Galileo and Scaramoucheplayed the instruments of rock and freed everyone. It was an incredible show.

Overall, I loved the show and thought it very cleverly done. When rehearsing, the teachers that took the time to produce such an amazing show were kind, fun and really helped us get it right. I am planning to audition for next year’s show as I found it fun and inspiring. I would recommend participating in such a wonderful event to anyone with a love of singing, dancing and acting. Also, if you decide that it is not for you then I would recommend to go and watch it as it is fun and entertaining. I hope you will consider auditioning for the next show in 2021.

Year 11 Hospitality and Catering

Last half term Year 11 pupils completed their GCSE practical examination as they had to prepare, cook and present a 2 course meal from scratch. The results were nothing short of mouth-watering. Some of their culinary delights are captured below:

The Rotary Club Technology Tournament

The Rotary Club of held a technology tournament at school on 14th February which consisted of 2 teams of 4 from participating high schools in which the Year 9 team came 3rd. The Weaverham teams included:

Year 8 Joshua Abbey, Benedict Clenton, Emily Jones and Anna Langton

Year 9 Will James, Rebecca Adams, Noah Bradley and Ellie Bannon

Well done to all of the pupils who took part, they were a credit to the school by their participation, execution, behaviour and enjoyment of the task; you should be very proud of yourselves.

A huge `thankyou’ to Tina Roberts for all her hard work in organising the event and supporting the Weaverham Team.

The Grafters– Celebrating Work Ethic and Brilliance

On the final day of term Weaverham High School held our very own version of the Baftas…the Grafta Award seeks to recognise work ethic and excellence in all subjects. Staff had the challenging task of selecting nominees and winners for each subject and the Pastoral team considered nominees for overall Effort and Endeavour and overall Excellence award. The full powerpoint presentation can be found on our website. Congratulations to all nominees and winners.

Pupil Wellbeing – Enabling pupils to THRIVE

Growing up today seems to be harder than ever. Young people today have to navigate a complex and ever-changing world, facing challenges and pressures in numerous aspects of their life. In this confusing, addictive, 24-hour online world, young people need new tools and more support. The national focus on children and young people’s mental health in recent years has been long overdue and welcome. The new funds government have invested in this area have generated a wealth of activity and momentum to transform our children and young people’s mental health services – with some success but more needs to be done.

We are clear about the role we play in educating our pupils about how to understand and look after their mental health – just like we learn how to look after our physical health. By shifting the focus to preventing mental health problems and building resilience we can do so much to improve the lives of so many. Good wellbeing on leaving school has a much greater impact on life outcomes than exam success.

At Weaverham, we are actively committed to providing a secure, happy environment where young people are treated as individuals and their care and well-being is of paramount importance. Our superb pastoral structure ensures that every child has named adults they can talk to – form tutors, Pastoral Support Managers, Head of Year, Achievement Coordinators, Mental Health First Aid trained staff and onsite school counsellors. In addition, our PHSCE programme includes dedicated mental health lessons in every year group. We have teamed up with external specialists including the Anna Freud research group, NHS School nurse and CAMHS practionners to ensure that our staff and pupils have access to high quality training and information to support the school community.

But it doesn’t stop there…our Mental Health Ambassadors are a pupil led action group who continue to promote peer mentoring opportunities. Our Take a Break club is one example of how pupils have led a wellbeing initiative and make decisions on how they feel they want to support others.

Young Writers’ SOS Sagas: Hunted competition.

Over 20,000 entries had been received in the 29th year of the annual competition in which 75 pupils from Weaverham successfully had their mini saga stories published. Congratulations to the following pupils

Maile Duncan- Curle Kadi Finney Molly Lamb Mia Madeley Izabella Edgeley Jake Radford Thomas Sutton Leo Emmerson Ellie Knight Nyah De Keyzer Isabella Winder Emma Bradshaw Jacob Baxter Liam Turner Annabelle Clare Toby Stacey Chloe Robinson Edwards Smith Olivia Clifton Sophie Grattidge Megan Rickels Abbey Winstanley Charlotte Lloyd Riley Thompson Henry Hill Atif Chowdhury Mason Warburton Rosie Brzezicki Freya Greenhalgh Alfie Shimmin Tobias Trevor Gracie Martin Leilah Helm Rowan Greenhalgh Sam Evans Freya Stamper-Clark Emma Storey Daniel Doyle George Sharpe Abbie Grainger Freddie Sherrington Harry Woods Kai Jump Mark Owens Joe Kirkham Phoebe Eastwood Isabella Iredale Leia Hubbard Rowan Hardy Edward Millachip Euan Mckendrick Marley Pugh Nathan Buzzard Eliza Shaul Anna Sienkiewicz Ollie Hoton Anna Langton Lily Griffin Thomas Hand Joseph Hayes Ben Wilson Dun Xue Thomas Lawrence Dylan Husbands Evie Hardie Frazer Reeves Millie Ross Ruby Mccarrick Carl Huxley Rueben Clare Eva Foster Freddie Elias Eva Jha Sophie Spoors Dillon Rigby

NHS Starting Well – A New Service for Young People

To support young people in managing their emotional wellbeing, West and NHS team have launched on online counselling service for young people aged 11-19. The online chat facility is operational on the following dates and times – whilst this is not a crisis service, no issue is considered too big or too small.

We recognise the value of working in close collaboration with parents and carers to ensure everyone has access to quality information and resources – all the links below can be found on our website under the About tab, click on THRIVE.

Cheshire West and Chester to support their Local Offer – this link can help signpost parents to a range of support agencies for their child http://www.westcheshirelocaloffer.co.uk/kb5/cheshirewestandchester/directory/family.page?familychannelnew=0

Below is the link to Papyrus support, based in . https://papyrus-uk.org/

Other Helpful Resources Young Minds – support with wellbeing, including worries, mental health, looking after yourself. http://www.youngminds.org.uk/for_children_young_people KOOTH – free ‘real time’ online counselling. https://kooth.com/ Visyon is a Charity that offers support for the emotional health of young people. http://www.visyon.org.uk/

Wellbeing Assemblies March 2019

My headteacher’s assembly this half term will focus on the emotional wellbeing challenges that are faced by young people today. One of the places I went to in preparation for this assembly was to Natasha Devon’s web page - Natasha regularly speaks at Parliament and gives evidence to the Education and Health Select Committees, representing the interests of teenagers and teachers. In 2015 she was awarded an MBE for her services to young people and in 2016 the Sunday Times and Debretts named her one of the 500 most influential people in Britain. I was reminded of her expertise during half term as she was a guest presenter on Channel 4 News, reporting on the untimely passing of TV celebrity Caroline Flack. It was during this interview that she used a phrase that struck me as a message I need to amplify to our school community and it was indeed this statement that was the foundation of the assembly:

‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’

Natasha Devon’s website has a number of resources for both young people and for parents. The link and details of some presentations is below https://www.natashadevon.com/talks

Student Talks:

Critical thinking, body image and social media (year 7 and above)

Healthy coping for stress and anxiety (year 8 and above)

Study skills: Why looking after your mental health can make you cleverer (year 9 and above)

How to support a friend with their mental health (year 9 and above)

Social ideals, identity and mental health (year 11 and above)

Parent Talks:

Body image and self esteem: How to encourage healthy attitudes in the social media age

Communication and mental health: Ways to create healthy emotional dialogues at home

Condover – Year 7 Residential

The first day back to school was one filled with suitcases and excitement as 227 Year 7 pupils piled into the main hall, eagerly awaiting Mr Norton’s instructions for boarding the coaches to Condover. The week was a packed, adventurous one where pupils needed to draw upon qualities we know they have in spades; resilience, teamwork, empathy, tolerance, support and no doubt humour! Mr Norton, Mrs Stratton and the Year 7 pastoral team watched as new friendships were being made and the already wonderful team spirit and ethos further cemented. Further details to follow in next months newsletter.

Staffing Update

At the end of last half term Mr Rutter was appointed as Head of Science and is working alongside his predecessor Mr Gallivan to plan exciting developments in Science at Weaverham. In the event you need to speak to a member of staff with regards to Science please contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance. Mr Rutter’s contact details are on our school website under CONTACT tab.

We welcome Mr Davies to our D&T staff team this half term. He spent the last part of spring 1 getting to know Year 10 and 11 groups and has already made an excellent impression on pupils as he shares his expertise of product design and practical execution.

In the final day of half term we appointed a new Cover Supervisor to strengthen our staff team. We welcome Graham Jump to Weaverham and have no doubt that his experience and desire will support pupils in achieving the best academic outcomes.

Following a period of absence, Mr Kefford has resigned from his post as Head of Drama. We are interviewing for his replacement this week and hope to be in a position to update you on the news of the successful applicant in the next newsletter. I am sure you join me in wishing Mr Kefford all the very best and thank him for his contribution to Drama provision at Weaverham High School.

Behaviour For Learning

The high expectations we have for pupils and their behaviour choices extends beyond the classroom as pupils are tasked with moving around the building in a calm, purposeful and safe manner both during lesson changeover and during social time. Overall, pupils do this respectfully and brilliantly each and every day, however there is room for improvement: I am requesting your support in reiterating to your child our expectations of mobile phone use and respecting the school environment including keeping our site litter free.

Mobile phones - no pupil should have their phone out during lessons, unless invited to do so by their class teacher, nor should their phone be seen during lesson changeover. In the event that pupils choose to ignore these expectations and have their phone out, they will be challenged and their phone will be taken from them and secured safely until the end of the day.

Litter Free Site – our site team and cleaning staff do an amazing job in ensuring our school is a clean and inviting space to learn and work. We have over 50 bins on site as well as recycling provisions to ensure our spaces remain litter free. The vast majority of pupils use these facilities well but sadly a very small minority choose not to use bins and instead simply throw litter on the floor. Sometimes this litter is in the form of plastic bottles and empty food packets and other times actual food. I am sure you will joinme in reiterating that there is no place for that in our school. I urge you to talk to your child about the environmental issues linked to littering as well as the complications it causes for our site and cleaning team when the issue is very easily avoidable. Our Sustainability Leaders are working on a school action plan that will address this litter issue and hopefully support every pupil in reflecting on how they contribute to that issue, or indeed, the solution.

Round in 3—moving from lesson to lesson in a calm, purposeful manner supports positive behaviour for learning. This term we have launched “Round in 3” as an incentive for pupils to get from lesson to lesson in 3 minutes. Mr Harris has time it—it can be done.

Your support is much appreciated.

Leadership Pathways - Primary sports Festivals

Sports Leaders

Last term there were a great number of opportunities for Weaverham pupils to develop those crucial leadership qualities we know help to grow young people into confident adults; school tours, Reading Buddies, Duke of Edinburgh, School Council, Sustainability Leaders and Sports Leaders are just a flavour of the leadership groups in place. Our Sports Leaders are quite a unique group of young people as they have full responsibility for organising and delivering sports festivals for visiting primary children and their teachers. Following a Primary Hockey tournament in the final week of term we received the following correspondence from a primary colleague who had brought a team to play in that tournament – the comments captured the spirit of our intention for our sports leaders

“After a successful hockey festival this afternoon I felt compelled to email you about Dominic Evanson, one of your youth sports leaders who umpired some of our matches. What a star!

Dom umpired on his own and was consistently fair, abided by the rules, calm and an excellent communicator. He was not afraid to stick to his decisions and managed the Key Stage 2 pupils brilliantly, he was always fair, explaining things if they looked confused.

I know he was absolutely frozen by the end of the afternoon, but I made a point of thanking and praising him and told him I would be sending my praises to you. I feel he is a quiet reassuring leader of the future!”

Congratulations Dominic – you have not only impressed our visitor but more importantly ensured that those pupils who participated in the tournament had an experience that was well organised, fair and above all fun. We are very proud of all you achieved.

Supporting Parents – Getting To Know Your Teen

Last half term Mrs Hoyle ran our fourth successful Parenting Course. The 6 week programme aims to provide parents and carers of Key Stage 3 children with the confidence to communicate and support their teen both in the school community and the family home. Each week the focus is driven by the target audience and on this occasions themes such as cyber issues, social media, peer pressure and resilience, drugs and alcohol and sexual health needs. The programme has been adapted from the evidence based parenting programmes; Webster Stratton, Triple P and Strengthening Families.

The feedback from parents was overwhelmingly positive – here are some responses from their evaluations form:

Parent A : Just wanted to thank you so much for running the meetings. It was a great opportunity to meet other parents with the same concerns as myself, and I found them very informative and helpfuI

Parent B :The programme has transformed how we do things at home.

Parent C : Thank you very much for a very thought-provoking course. Thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Staff INSET Day

On Monday 2nd March we had a staff INSET day which focused on Assessment & Feedback the Weaverham Way. Many thanks to Assistant Headteacher Mrs Brookes for planning the day. The overview and intended aims are featured below and as you can see Mrs Brookes has a packed agenda for us to work towards.

Additional thanks must go to those colleagues Mrs Brookes has worked alongside to deliver elements of the training:

Mrs Povey Assistant Headteacher responsible for Teaching and Learning, Mr Cowell - Head of Technology, Mrs Cash -whole school lead for literacy, Mrs Farquhar - English Year 7 and 8 Lead, Mr Jones - Head of Physics, Mrs Bones - Head of Geography, Mr Holian – Head of History and guest speaker Gordan Baillie from the University of Chester.

Whole staff sessions:

Cultivating self-regulated learners through high quality self-assessment and feedback.

Encouraging self-regulation: home-learning & independent learning through Google Classroom.

Complex Thinking

Carousel sessions:

The Pursuit of High Quality Extended Writing

The Importance of explicitly developing tier two and tier three vocabulary across the curriculum

To provide teachers with new approaches regarding assessment for learning.

To provide an opportunity for the sharing of best AfL practice.

Oxford or Cambridge

Congratulations to ex pupils who all received offers for Oxford or Cambridge this year – a fantastic achievement:

Evelyn Turner ( History )

Samuel Ketchell ( Mathematics )

Wolfstan Doel ( Chemistry )

Year 8 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 5th March 2020

4.00 pm – 8.00 pm

Home School Learning Group

10th March 2020

4.30pm—6pm

Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Wednesday 18th March 2020

4.00 pm – 8.00 pm

HALF TERM 6th—17th April 2020

Weaverham High School PTA raises MUSIC FESTIVAL funds for 'extra' things the students need to enhance their learning and Tuesday 31st March extra-curricular experiences. Join easyfundraising and you can Wednesday 1stApril collect free donations for us every time you buy something online. It Thursday 2nd April won't cost you a penny extra so please help us to raise funds. 6.30pm www.easyfundraising.org.uk