Ontrackth

Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College Spring 17

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World Book Day!

New College Building Grand Draw Sport News Page 14 Pages 18, 19 Pages 21-27 In this issue

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS Christmas 2016

As ever, the Music department had an extremely busy festive period, with students performing in numerous concerts and performances both in and out of school. The Chamber Choir busked their way to raising £808, at performances in Manchester, and , complemented by £346 raised at our annual Christmas Carol Service, arguably the highlight of the season! Alongside this, our musicians contributed to the Senior Citizen’s Christmas Lunch and Sandbach Partnership Tree of Light Ceremony, showcasing their talents to the wider community. The Year 9 Christmas Fair was once again an amazing success raising a massive

£870.03

All the proceeds will go to our chosen charity of the year which is: YoungMinds

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Project Happiness Last year's Get Set Community students have continued under a new name this year (as the Get Set Community project was linked to the Olympics) Project Happiness. So far they have run a very successful Bra Collection for Against Breast Cancer, they collected over 130 bras for the charity, which will go on to be sold to help businesses in Africa and raise money for breast cancer research. They then went out on the 3 Dec (giving up their Saturday) to Manchester and spent £180 of their prize money from the Get Set Community project on creating care and food parcels for the homeless. They walked around the town centre and handed out over 30 parcels and chatted to lots of the homeless community. It was a very sobering day for the students, especially when they met a young man very new to the streets who was crying. The Project Happiness students also spent an entire day working at the Congleton Food Bank, packing and wrapping food parcels, and wrapping Christmas presents; it was such a rewarding day and they met some truly wonderful people; and really felt that they were making a difference We were once again delighted to welcome the local community to our Senior Citizens Lunch & Concert. See you all next year!! Our Learning Centre certainly got us all in the Christmas Spirit with this amazing ‘book tree’ - well done Mrs Adderley & Co!

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCES IN MARTIAL ARTS

Alexandra Talbot has recently travelled to Krakow in Poland and to Germany to compete in karate competitions. Alex was delighted to update us as follows: “Competitors came from Poland, Germany, England, Malta, Belgium and Romania and in my category there were 10 people. Poland came 1st, 2nd and 3rd and I came 4th! Poland are the best karate nation in Europe so I was more than happy to have come 4th. My dad says it was good for me to beat all the Germans but I miss the friends I made on the German team!”

Due the hard work and dedication of Year 8 student Cerys Thomasson we were delighted to receive the news that she has been selected for the England Judo National Squad for 2017.

Well done Cerys we are very proud

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Research into microbes

Miss Lawless recently set homework for her Year 8 students on research into microbes and was delighted with the end result. Each class member participated with some excellent models including Alicia Bailey’s cake model of chicken pox pathogen.

Well done to Cathryn Horsfield and Tiana Bateman for raising £45 for The British Heart Foundation. They raised this money through a cake sale which was part of their vocational studies assignment on leadership skills.

Good work girls and your cakes were amazing!

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS #IWill

On the 21 January Rhianna Ledward (Year 10) (and Miss Maile!) was invited to Westminster as one of this year's #IWill ambassadors. She was selected out of 1000s to have this role, and the #IWill group said how impressed they were with her application, especially her passion to change things in our world, her numerous social action achievements and her focus on improving her confidence! They spent the first half of the day taking part in small workshops developing their understanding of the power young people can have; following that an award ceremony and a quick tour of Parliament; then off to a meet and greet (and cake) with MPs and some other famous names. Very tired, and rather overwhelmed, they headed back renewed and excited about continuing the fight for social justice and encouraging youth voice and representation.

Big Sisters The Big Sisters are a group of 15 Year 10 and 11 students who have joined together to help safeguard Sandbach High School. They went on a trip to the Police Headquarters and spent the day being trained in e-safety. They learnt about different laws and different ways people can use and abuse the internet. When they returned they focused on applying this training in school. They have surveyed all the students in school about their use of the internet and social media (focusing on online bullying, inappropriate images and online privacy) and fed back the results to all students, staff and even parents. Their role is to help protect all of the students in the school to the best of their ability, and support all students.

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Paralympian Visit The Project Happiness girls won a visit from Paralympian Ian Marsden this year! And he came to visit on Christmas jumper day! He gave a moving, powerful, inspirational and shocking speech to Years 7-9 about his incredible journey and his incredible strength (physically and mentally). We really couldn't get over what he had had to overcome and how he kept trying. He really was an amazing person. The Project Happiness students then got a chance to have a meet and greet with him; and they invited the G and T Physical Education students to attend too. Ian told us a bit more about his life, and then invited questions; he created a really relaxed atmosphere and eventually everyone was taking selfies with him and his medal! (The medals have coffee beans in them from Rio, and the three colours make a different noise- so that blind Paralympians know which is which!) Community Pride Award Miss Maile was invited to attend a Community Pride award evening held by the Town Council Clean Team. She selected two students to attend as she had a sneaky feeling they may have won an award for all of their hard work! It was a lovely evening held in the Literary Society Building in Sandbach, where lots of lovely members of the community met and were celebrated for their part in helping keep Sandbach tidy. Miss Maile was utterly shocked, delighted and a little embarrassed to find that actually the award was for her!!! She was over the moon, very honoured and touched! What a lovely genuine surprise! (Although she did feel a bit guilty taking the students!!)

Mr Max Leese – former Governor

It is with sadness that we record the loss of Mr Leese who lost his battle against ill health at the end of 2016. Mr Leese was a long standing Governor who supported and challenged in equal measure, always taking pride in our students and the achievements of our school and not least the planning for our new College building. As well as being involved in our school, Mr Leese was very active within the local community and we will all miss his example and leadership.

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS YoungMinds Our fundraising for YoungMinds is going really well with our ‘Message in a Bottle’ campaign coming to an end—winner to be announced soon! March 1st was Self-Injury Awareness Day and students had the opportunity to buy wristbands in support of this. Judge Less, Understand More

What is Self Harm? Self-harm can be really hard to understand but it is a lot more common than some people think. Between one in 12 and 1 in 15 people self-harm.

There are lots of reasons why people self-harm. It could be because of feelings or thoughts that are difficult to deal with.

Self-harm can also be used as a way of punishing yourself for something you feel bad about.

Sometimes people self-harm because they feel alone, angry or not good enough. Self-harm can be really personal and complicated.

Some young people start self-harming after a stressful event, like being bullied or abused. It could also be a reaction to something like pressure to do well at school. It’s not always a really big thing that leads to self-harm. You might not even be sure why it started.

Research has shown that young women are the group who are most likely to self-harm although the percentage of young men who self-harm is on the increase. It found 10 per cent of 15-16 year olds have self-harmed and 25,000 children and young people are admitted to hospital each year due to the severity of their injuries and so, if you are self-harming, you are not alone and there is help available.

Ways that family and friends can help:

 Keep an open mind – don’t judge or jump to conclusions  Offer to go with them to tell someone, or offer to tell someone

 Make time to listen and take them seriously  Carry on with the ordinary activities you do together

 Help them to find their own way of managing their problems  Support any positive steps they take

 Help them work out who else can help  Don’t be offended if they don’t want to handle things your way

 Don’t tease them – respect their feelings

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The Treasures & Riches of Amsterdam Just before October Half term, the Art department took a trip to Amsterdam to explore the many treasures and riches. Whilst there, the students visited the Rembrandt house where they were able to experience life as a 17th Century painter. The Van Gogh museum also inspired the aspiring expressionists whilst, in stark contrast, the Modern Art museum challenged and stretched the conceptual thinkers.

The students explored the many famous streets and canals, often stopping to record their thoughts and observations in their sketchbooks whilst taking in the pace of life that Amsterdam is so famous for.

On the final day, the students were treated to an informative and emotional visit to the Anne Frank house where they learned about the daily struggles and horrors encountered during the Nazi occupation.

On return, the students have revisited and reflected on their experience and are now exploring how they can enrich their Art and Photography work.

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS Drama Conway Residential Review

A couple weeks ago a group of year 9 and 10 students went to Conway on a drama residential in order to help with our Drama skills. We did a number of workshops and were introduced to different careers and tools to use in the arts. The workshops included: Musical Theatre, Physical Theatre, Devising with Technology, Puppetry and Movement. In Musical Theatre we worked on how to fake cry as well as performing a scene from ‘Blood Brothers’. Next was Physical Theatre, where we learned how to use different objects and spots on the floor to perform things like trips and hat flicks. This workshop helped with devising as well as comedy and was really fun to do. Another one of the workshops was Puppetry and, clearly shown in the title, we were taught how to use different puppets. This was an interesting workshop because there were so many different types of puppets rather than just the basics and we all learned how to use them and how long it took to become a puppet master for each type of puppet. Movement was one of the hardest workshops. It was very physical and required a lot of energy and stamina, but in the end we started to create different styles of still images and interactions with other actors. I liked this workshop because everyone in my group really started working like a team and I think we all became really good friends. This workshop also helped to stop unhelpful habits that we do naturally, which was really important for staying in character. We did four of the five workshops on the Saturday and on the Sunday, rather than having a normal workshop, we created a drama performance that we would show to the rest of the groups. My group had Devising with Technology and we created a performance using a range of shapes and sheets pulled around in different ways to create a different landscape. The rooms were comfy and fit around ten people, and the food was great. We had cheesecake on our last day! Overall the weekend was amazing. Everyone learned lots and made a ton of new friends. We learned so many new skills that will definitely help during our GCSE performances in the future. Abi Cox Year 9

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Drama Conway Residential Review I think that the Conway weekend was very engaging and useful because it showed me different ways that drama is used, not just acting. The workshop I enjoyed the most was Devising with Technology because it showed me how you can bring a projection onto a screen more alive, and use technology as a medium for communication in live theatre. Hannah Butler Year 9

It was phenomenal, I learnt lots of new drama skills and looked at a variety of techniques from Physical Theatre to Puppetry. I gained a lot of confidence and it was great to socialise with people from other schools. Alt- hough it was quite intimidating at the start, being put on the spot was really useful as it tested your creative side and your improvisation skills. I also developed my characterisation skills a lot and overall I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would highly recommend it! Melanie Raeburn Year 9

I enjoyed the Musical Theatre and Physical Theatre workshops the most! They were such fun! The Puppetry was also great and I loved seeing the unique puppets and working with them. The weekend has helped me become more confident in my performing skills and with talking to others and sharing my ideas. Megan Booth Year 9

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS Music needs you! Calling all supporters of Music at Sandbach! We all know our school’s reputation for excellence in the Arts, and we continue to celebrate our fantastic musical achievements, not just in school, but in national competition and in the community. The Music Department is now moving to its exciting new home and this will give us all so much more space to explore the wealth of talent and possibilities of our students! However, "your music-making is only as good as the instruments you play!" - an old chestnut perhaps, but so true, and we desperately need a new piano - at least one! We’ve managed for decades with the existing pianos, but they are on their last legs and failing us fast. This has now become an urgent situation, and there is no budget for repair or replacement. Decent pianos are essential for so many aspects of musical life: - to inspire prospective young musicians to learn to play - for accompanying singers and other instruments - for GCSE/A level recordings - for ABRSM exams - for class singing and rehearsals for musical productions - for ensemble and duets - for individual piano tuition, so that our dedicated teachers are not frustrated in their task! Are there any parents who can help, perhaps? Even if just to keep an ear to the ground for quality pianos needing a good home, or any ideas for fund-raising to acquire one or more at a reasonable cost - from a dealer, a private source, or even a music shop? There are sellers out there (eBay, LOOT, twitter, Facebook, local papers, etc.) who own great pianos but who just want to make a quick, bargain sale. I would be willing to vet any good-looking prospect! Leave any feedback, offers or ideas for me, Miss Nash or Miss Lawrence or Miss Cooper in the Music Department.

Lest We Forget

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World Book Day

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS We are in! New College Building

Our new College building was officially opened on 12 December by Victoria and Rachel Leigh. In addition to providing our college students with impressive facilities the new college building contains a fitting reminder of Mrs Leigh. The college building contains a beautiful memorial window that has been designed to reflect the work of Mondrian, an artist who inspired Mrs Leigh. Much like her, the window is striking and vibrant and will, without doubt brighten up any day.

The new College facility, is simply breath-taking and is exactly what our hard working and impressive students deserve. Time for new beginnings Time for new challenges Time to be inspired to set new goals Time to be inspired to aim higher Time to be inspired to achieve great things Thank you to everyone who has made this move possible. Zoe Hughes – Head of College

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Hairspray 2017 Hairspray auditions have been undertaken and the opportunity was open to anyone in the school that aspires to star in it. To acquire an acting audition you had to sign up on the board opposite Drama studio one. You had to take one of the chosen scripts from the shared drive and practise it (even just a read-through of the lines pre-audition) with a range of the parts available. On the desired day, we had to go the appropriate drama studio in partners or small groups. We had enough time to practice and then we performed a short piece in front of a small audience, or whoever else is auditioning. We were given input on the type of character we were playing which gave us something to work towards. For the singing audition, we were given a song to rehearse and then we performed to the two music teachers. Dance auditions needed less preparation – you had to sign up and go to either an after school or lunchtime rehearsal, and then the dance teacher teaches you a simple, devised piece of dance. After, in pairs, we showed her the learnt sequence with the appropriate song. If teachers see a potential in you, you will get a recall. This is when you go for another audition with less people. It was an after-school audition along with the other people that have demonstrated potential.

The Spanish Exchange On Monday 30 January the girls participating in the Spanish Exchange 2017 along with their Spanish partners took a day trip out to Chester to explore the Cathedral, the city and do some shopping. We arrived in Chester at approximately 10am and due to some parking complications took a short walk to the Cathedral, where we all explored the inside and outside of it. We also got to speak to the people who worked there and ask any questions about the building and the history of it. Inside the Cathedral we also got the chance to light some candles, take some pictures and take in the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of it. Sometime later, we split off into small friendship groups along with our Spanish partners and got to explore the city by ourselves and at the pace that we wanted. There were lots of great opportunities to take pictures and the Spanish partners loved exploring the streets of Chester. We all had a wonderful day out shopping, chatting and getting to know all the other people on the Spanish exchange and we are all looking forward to visiting our Spanish friends in March and exploring their cities and culture while also improving our Spanish skills. 15 ontrackSTEMnews

...and YET MORE SUCCESS BRIEF UPDATE OF STEM SUCCESSES!

As reported in the Autumn issue of On Track, our electric car team CAUC (Complete and Utter Chaos) were crowned International Champions in the Greenpower F24 Championships. The team are now busy fundraising so that they can take part in the Beijing International competition to be held in the Olympic Park in September 2017. This is part of the Beijing International Science and Technology Fair. The team were delighted to showcase Dylan in the foyer of Waitrose and raised over £300 thanks to the generosity of Waitrose customers. A massive thank you to Slicker Recycling who have very generously sponsored the team which will help them on their way to Beijing

Congratulations and well done to Mr Kevin Gornall who has been awarded the “OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY” by the Design and Technology Association Ex- Megan Joyce (Year 9) entered the “Young Engineer’s Broadcom Masters International cellence Awards. competition “ and is through to the final 6! The winner will be crowned the “UK’s Junior STEM ambassador and will travel to Miami for the International Science & Engineering Mr Gornall will be presented with Fair World Finals. his award in March! Good Luck Megan

Upcycyling Challenge This is a local completion that challenges young people to 'upcycle' materials and we have 4 finalists competing in March for sev- eral awards:  Dani Taylor: GCSE Product Design coursework (sideboard made from reclaimed wood)  Seren Irving: GCSE Product Design coursework (occasional table made from a tyre and reclaimed flooring)  Bridget Rose: A Year 10 Product Design project (desk lamp made from reclaimed wood and a vinyl record)

We currently have 3 Arkwright scholarship students: Tomorrow’s Engineers EEP Robotics Challenge Katie Year 13 Sophie Barwick Year 12 A team of Year 9 students will be attending the Regional Competition at RAF museum Emma Jerstice Year 12 Sophie Holdcroft in Year 11 is currently going Cosford — more information in the next On through the process. Track magazine.

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Young Engineer’s School of the Year Finalists! Young Engineers is delighted to announce that six schools have been selected as finalists for our School of the Year Competition 2017. The six schools will compete for the title of Young Engineers School of the Year. Each must demonstrate how they have integrated STEM into the daily lives of The Finalists their students. And they must show how this expands to encompass the wider community from local industry to feeder primary schools.  The Gilberd School, Colchester Each school will be represented by four students ageing from 12 to 18. They  Tonbridge School, Tonbridge must be able to discuss how great STEM is at the school as well as present a project they are involved with. The accompanying teacher doesn’t get off lightly!  Sandbach High School & 6th They too are assessed and whilst also representing the school, they will also Form compete for the Young Engineers STEM Leader Award. Sutton Grammar School, Sutton  This years finals are going to be an exciting time as these six leading STEM  The Castle School, Thornbury schools go head to head!

F1 in schools Storm Racing (Year 12) won: 1st Place in Professional Class (meaning that we get through to the National Finals at Silverstone) Best Engineered Car Professional Class Research and Development Award Team Sponsorship and Marketing Award Professional Class Fastest Car Erebus (Year 10) won: 2nd Place Development Class TeenTech 2017 live projects Best Engineered Car Development Class, We currently have 7 groups of KS3 students working on projects that are to be submitted for first round judging in March. The Year Innovative Thinking Award 13 Product Designers are also working on projects that are to be Sandbach High School scooped 8 out of the 12 submitted into the senior categories. We have had 8 finalists in awards! this competition over the last three years and 2 category win-

Big Bang National Finals at NEC, Birmingham Having won their categories in the Big Bang North West competition, we have three teams competing in the Big Bang national finals at the NEC in March. The Great Barrier Reef Education Model - Alex Dale, Lois Sourbutts and Lucy Gregg (Year 10) EcoGlobe Shopping Mall of the Future— Sarah Williams and Mille Cullen (Year 9) Natural Skincare Remedies—Imogene Dowell and Jenifer Sunderland (Year 11)

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS Grand Draw Thank you to everyone who has supported our Grand Draw. We have some amazing prizes to be won ( a list is below) but couldn’t have done it without the generosity of parents, grandparents, staff, businesses and the local community. All monies raised will come back into school to support our students. If you would like to buy any draw tickets, they are £1 each. They are available on main reception in school or telephone Mrs Kesteven on 01270 765031. Good luck everyone — the draw will take place on 6 April 2017.

 7 Day Euro Camp Holiday  Vanity Fair Manicure/Pedicure  Signed Stoke City Shirt  Next Voucher  Signed Stoke City Football  Alpha Derma Luxury Facial  Signed England Shirt (Geoff  Malt Whiskey Hurst)  Lakeland Motor Museum pass  Meal for 2 at The Wheatsheaf  Peevers Voucher  Car MOT & Service £230  Burnells Voucher  Luxury Boys Hamper  Vintage Afternoon Tea  Luxury Girls Hamper  Morrisons Hampers  Bouquet of Flowers  Waitrose Hamper  Cases of wine  Wrights Vegetable box  Afternoon Tea Crewe Hall  Mimi's Nail Salon Voucher  The Crown Inn Voucher IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS  7 day VIP Health Club pass SUPPORTED OUR GRAND DRAW- PLEASE CONTACT US FOR  8 Free Karate Lessons YOUR FREE ADVERTISMENT IN  J D Beauty Hair Voucher THE NEXT ON TRACK MAGAZINE.  Chatwins Vouchers 01270 765031 Mrs Kesteven  Orange Tree Bar & Grill Voucher  Emma Bridgewater Experience  Podiatry Gift Voucher

 Book Vouchers Keeping your cars on the road for 40 years!  Beauty Vouchers 01270 625979  Courvoisier Brandy  Luxury Food Hampers  Luxury Beauty Hampers  Lake Windermere Family Ticket  Sunflowers Gift Shop Lantern

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Win a holiday!

Beauty Brands Ltd

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS News from the music block In November 2015, I auditioned for the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain on my cornet. The year before, I had passed the audition but didn’t get in the band. This year, they told me in December that I had made it! It was a really good Christmas present.

I went on the residential course at Repton School in Derbyshire in July 2016. It was one of the best weeks of my life! I got a 2nd cornet seat which I was very pleased with. We rehearsed for 5 hours a day, but we didn’t really notice as we had lots of breaks. The Musical Director was Nicholas Childs, the conductor of Black Dyke Brass Band. The guest soloist, Tom Hutchinson, played cornet and trumpet, and was brilliant. The music staff had so much to teach us; they played in such famous brass bands. I loved going on this course, and our final concert at the end of the week was a fantastic experience! Nadia James Year 9

Our New Music Block!

We are hugely excited to be moving into a much larger Music Department in the next few weeks. We will have two classrooms, 4 instrumental teaching rooms, a College study area/break out space, two further break-out rehearsal spaces, a computer suite and 2 large rehearsal spaces. Quite the improvement! We were so excited, Miss Lawrence, Miss Cooper and a merry band Royal Northern College of Music of student, parent, friend and staff helpers gave up a Saturday to redecorate and The Love Music Trust recently offered students in Cheshire East the opportunity to audition provide a fresh new look for the department. for this scheme, where students will get to learn with teachers from the Conservatoire to We are sure your son/daughter will relish improve their performance skills. learning in such a bigger space. “In early December, I was given the opportunity to audition for a Gifted and Talented program which the Love Music Trust are running. To audition, you had to be of at least ABRSM Grade 7 standard in your chosen voice/instrument and be in year 11 or above; I fitted the bill! I put in an application form and few weeks later, I received an email saying that I had been offered an audition. So, on Friday the 3 February 2017, I went to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester for my 20 minute audition slot. I am a saxophonist, so my examiner was Rob Buckland (who is head of saxophone at the RNCM!) and we discussed various saxophone-specific techniques that will help me to improve my playing and make my sound quality better. I came out of the audition full of energy and really happy with how it went. On the 9 February, I received another email with my feedback sheet which said that I had been chosen to proceed onto the program! This now means that I will receive a few free lessons from Rob to work on the pieces I played for him, and I will also work on a piece that one of the RNCM ensembles will be playing. I will then get the opportunity to participate in a rehearsal with the ensemble I choose and practice the piece I worked on with Rob with them. This gives me the chance to push myself and see what I am capable of and also to see what an RNCM ensemble is like as I do hope to go there after college. For any young musicians that enjoy playing an instrument or just listening to music in general, my advice is to take any opportunities you get to put yourself forward and expand on your playing!” Ellen Pointon Year 12

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Rugby day was a real inspiration!

On the 14 December 2016 Reaseheath marked the opening of its new, professional level sports facilities to the public with a rugby tournament for local secondary schools. The event marked the official opening of their all-weather 3G pitch and multi-use games area for community use and we were invited to take Year 7 and Year 8 rugby teams. Three teams were invited to attend and had an amazing day, being able to progress their touch rugby skills. The three teams played against other mixed girls and boys teams from schools in the local area. The teams were extremely successful, achieving 2nd, 3rd and 6th place. With one team being incredibly close to first, losing by 1 try in the final due to Amelia & Ellie colliding and having to sit off for the match. All pupils were fantastic throughout and had the opportunity to meet and question Mark Cueto, a former winger for Sale Sharks and England, after the tournament. Mark Cueto retired in 2015 after an illustrious 15-year career which saw him win 55 caps for England, play in two World Cups, represent the British and Irish Lions, and become the Rugby League’s top scorer. Meeting with Mark was a real inspiration for the girls and they thoroughly enjoyed the question and answer session after the tournament.

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS Hockey Update The hockey teams have continued their success from last year with an excellent start to the season. Monday night hockey is as busy as ever with the number of students involved increasing on a weekly basis. The commitment to training and hard work in team tactical play has been evident with a number of notable wins. The Year 7 team, captained by Tilly Arton have shown great determination, attending training in numbers and continually looking to improve, proud in representing Sandbach High School. The hard work has shown holding Terra Nova to a draw, narrowly missing out on a win in the last minutes of the game and convincingly beating Holmes Chapel 9-2 with goals all round. Due to a number of the girls progress and commitment, Charli Wright, Tilly Arton, Bethan Robinson, Tabitha Morris & Bailey Coleman were selected to play in the U13s game vs Fallibroome in which they all played vital roles in achieving a draw against tough opposition. The Year 8 team have continued their success from Year 7, not least partly due to captain, Eloise Goodwin’s leadership and drive to succeed. They began the season well, achieving a 7-2 win against Holmes Chapel and a 3-0 against St Thomas More in their first full pitch 11 a side match. The team have also faced some tough opposition in Fallibroome Academy in a game that was extremely tight, with minutes from the end Hannah picking the bottom corner with an excellent sweep, only for it to be disallowed and the game ending in a draw. Captained by Eleanor Saignes, the Year 9 team have played a number of fixtures throughout the last term. With some standout performances, the team have won 3-0 against Holmes Chapel, St Thomas More and Fallibroome. The Year 9 team have made great strides over the last couple of months and players such as Amelia and Eleanor have been integral to the team’s success. The Year 10 team have also continued their success this term. Captained by Amy Cruxton, the team continued their unbeaten run with convincing wins against Holmes Chapel, St Thomas More and Fallibroome. A massive 12 goals were scored in the 3 fixtures. Keep training hard girls, and lets stay unbeaten for the rest of the year!

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Sports Leadership Academy Our fantastic Sports Leadership Academy of all years has been busy this year so far, with all of them supporting the local primary sports hall athletics event, the Sandbach School Sports Partnership Primary and the Sandbach SSP secondary finals. The maturity and rapport with the athletes was outstanding and admirable.

The students also supported the primary school Quick Sticks tournaments held at Sandbach High School, running the events and officiating, the knowledge and professionalism again was outstanding. These competitions wouldn't run without the support of our Leadership Academy, after half term the leaders will be running the Sandbach SSP High 5 Netball tournaments and League - Good luck team!

Level 2 School Games Volleyball

Our ever improving volleyball squad attended the level 2 school games competition last half term. We had 2 teams entered and a College guest team. The standard of volleyball was excellent. Our students demonstrated their prowess and their determination to play tactical volleyball. We played a total of 4 matches per team and the games were fiercely competitive. Our Year 9 team (which also had a year 8 player) finished a wonderful 3rd place which bodes well for the future as they were competing against Year 10 and 11 students. Our year 10 and 11 Team (which had a Year 9 student) went a few steps ahead and finished an outstanding 2nd place, so close to 1st place as they received the same number of points as the 1st place team, but we could not have a draw and so the total points scored in each game were counted up and our girls scored 10 less points, such a shame as they thoroughly deserved to be overall winners. But they took it on the chin and will be back again in March to compete again at the Level 3 school games, where we hope to make even more progress. Our 6th form competed in friendlies and thoroughly enjoyed themselves and gave the other schools a master class in volleyball. Well done to all. Alyanna-Mae Trivino, Madelaine King, Megan Brierley, Abigail White, Chloe Hardy, Caitlin Britton, Rowena Jones 23 ontracknews

...and YET MORE SUCCESS Fantastic season of Cross Country

It has been yet another fantastic season of Cross Country. Since our last edition the junior girls cross country team qualified for the Regional Finals, which is a fantastic achievement. They competed in true cross country conditions. The course was extremely wet and muddy and we were so proud of the team performances. It has been a credit to see this team grow in both confidence and ability, and we look forward to what next season has in store for them! Congratulations Emma Fowler, Hannah Wright, Charli Wright, Ellie Bushill, Amy Phillips and Lottie Nelson!

More recently the following athletes were selected to compete for South Cheshire at the Cheshire School’s Cross Country Championships; Hannah Wright, Charli Wright, Ellie Bushill, Amy Phillips, Isobel Ashcroft, Rebecca Griffiths, Lydia Steele, Caitlin Dimmick and Rebecca Stacchini. The girls ran fantastically over a really challenging course on Saturday 4th February, showing true grit and determination. We are are extremely proud to congratulate Ellie Bushill and Isobel Ashcroft (Y7), Rebecca Griffiths (Y8) and Caitlin Dimmick (Y11) on their selection to compete for Cheshire at the upcoming County Championships. We would like to wish them every success in their race and look forward to the results!

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Remarkable teams! Sandbach High School Girls Football has had one of the most successful years in its history fielding a number of excellent athletes that are playing both locally and nationally. We have had 2 teams make the quarter and semi-finals of the national cup; The ESFA. Our Under 14 girls had some very convincing wins in previous rounds beating Great Sankey 0-6, Sale Grammar 1-2, Weatherhead High 2-4 and Archbishop Tem- ple 0-4. We finally met Idsall School at home in the quarter finals. The girls battled hard on an extremely cold and blustery day but Idsall persevered through winning 4-0. The girls this year have played exceptionally and developed so much as a team and we look forward to next year with great anticipation. The Under 15 girls have also been tremendously successful within the same cup as we await arrangements for the ESFA semi-final against South Hunsley School in Yorkshire. This team have showed grit and determination with matches becoming more physical and skilful as the rounds progress. They have pulled together gaining some fantastic results against; Bishop Heber 3-1, Newall Green 6-3, Weatherhead 2-5 and Bishop Challoner 0-2 in the quarter finals. Again, this team have been remarkable so far and we wish them the best of luck in the semi-finals. In the South Cheshire League the under 16 girls dominated winning the competition with an unbeaten streak. They will now represent Cheshire in the Level 3 games in March. The under 14’s league came down to their final game. Although we were unbeaten we gained 2 draws meaning we came runners up to Eaton Bank. Finally our under 12’s had a great start and finished mid table with some great girls representing the school for the first time. Again, another successful season! Well done to all girls involved and parents for all their support!

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...and YET MORE SUCCESS Stunning Performances Earlier this term the year 7 Athletics team showed what they were made of by producing stunning performances across the board. On Friday 3rd February, the Year 7 team were invited to a prestigious Indoor Athletics competition held at the Manchester regional arena, sportcity. The team included Abbie Birchenough, Georgia Donald, Sophie Reeder, Ellie Bushill, Safiya Kandeh, Ruby Bowie, Amy Phillips & Amelia Malcolm. The girls were brilliant and competed at a high standard against tough opposition, resulting in some excellent performances. Abbie Birchenbough, Ellie Bushill, Safiya Kandeh, Amy Phillips & Amelia Malcolm were fantastic in their events, narrowly missing out on medals. Sophie Reeder picked up the first medal for the team with an excellent battle in the high jump, achieving 3rd place. With a taste for the medals, Ruby Bowie and Georgia Donald were outstanding in their events, both picking up Gold medals in the A & B 60m sprint. Although all the events were excellent, the relay saw stunning performances from Amy, Sophie, Georgia & Ruby to take 1st place with outstanding determination and changeovers that Miss Friend and Mrs Davies were incredibly proud of. As the final scores were calculated the team were extremely nervous and were praying for a medal place. It was to their surprise that with 100 points they were crowned champions of the whole event, beating 2nd place by only 1 point. All the girls were incredible throughout and deserved the victorious trophy and gold team medals. Well done girls!

Netball v Terra Nova

With the netball season coming to an end it was nice to bag another victory, in advance of the South Cheshire Tournaments next month. The U13’s (Year 7 and 8) faced Terra Nova Independent School, Holmes Chapel in a friendly match. The team work and cohesion of the girls was great to see and some of the girls slotted well into a mixed U13 team, playing with girls they hadn’t before. The A team won 21-4 in a physical and exciting encounter. Woman of the Game was Safiya Kandeh, whose shooting ability was flawless. The B team won 32-2 and Katie Hockenhull was awarded Woman of the Game, a worthy leader and captain. Well done on your achievements and we look forward to the South Cheshire Tournaments to finish off the season on a high.

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Swimming Gala This year’s Inter-Form gala saw some fantastic performances and team spirit. The girls battled it out in the pool across the whole school day with some really close results. Y7 started the day off with a bang, the atmosphere on pool side was electric, and the girls really supported their team members throughout. It was a good morning for ‘N’ with both 7N and 8N taking 1st place. The afternoon involved years 9,10 &11 and it didn’t disappoint. We have some outstanding swimmers at Sandbach High School and this meant that the competition was really exciting, and in some cases the final results came down to the last race; the relay. 9B and 10/11H took winning spots during the afternoon session. We would like to say a big well done to all involved, and we look forward to the upcoming inter form competitions.

Year 7 & 8 Indoor Athletics Level 2 School games champions!

Thursday 9th February saw the annual Year 7 & 8 Indoor athletics event come to Sandbach. The teams had been training hard prior to the event and were ready to compete against local opposition. The event started well with the obstacle relay, which saw both of our Year 7 and Year 8 teams become victorious. As the events continued, both teams were fantastic and showed real grit and determination throughout, not least Sophie Reeder still competing and winning her event with an ankle injury. Both teams were dominant in a lot of the events and the majority track events, gaining first place in both final relays. The girls continued determination was evident resulting in both teams being awarded 1st place and qualifying for the Level 3 school games event to be held next half term. Good luck for the Level 3 games event ladies and keep training hard!

27 To celebrate this wonderful occasion, staff and students dressed up as characters from books.

Everyone had to bring a book in to school as during the day random bells signalled a ‘Drop Everything and Read’ opportunity.

If you wish to place an advertisement or contribute to an article for OnTrack, please contact:

Gill Kesteven at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College

www.sandbachhigh.co.uk www.sandbachsixthform.co.uk

[email protected] 01270 765031