NORTH CESTRIAN WEEKLY NEWS

Monday 3rd February 2020 Issue 127 Diary Dates:

o it’s ‘Au revoir pas adieu’. I am writing this on the day the UK officially S leaves the EU. Following the events in the news the phrase ‘Au revoir, pas adieu’ cropped up a few Tuesday 4th February: times in the celebrations/commiserations in the EU parliament. My O Level French gives me the Y10&11 Spanish Trip to understanding – it's ‘see you, not goodbye’. My experience of English allows me to appreciate the subtle nuances. ‘See you’ implies there’s a chance we’ll meet again. ‘Goodbye’ may be more HOME terminal. Knowledge of the recent politics allows me to go further. Does ‘au revoir’ mean ‘in friendship we hope to ensure our countries will continue to engage and co-operate', or ‘just you Friday 7th February: see, you’ll be back, cap in hand’? Being aware of technology may suggest that ‘even though you’ve Half Term left, modern technology means projects such as CERN or other advanced research ensures international sharing of scientific breakthroughs.’ The point is, whether it’s knowledge of a foreign language, or History or the Sciences, ALL knowledge counts in our appreciation and understanding Monday 17th February: of the world around us. But they also support each other. Knowing the social history of Victorian England supports learning the text of Jekyll and Hyde. Knowing the biological structure of plants, STAFF INSET - non pupil helps food technology. Understanding the role of lighting in Performing Arts helps us to appreciate the scientific action of light on different surfaces. Teachers often draw on a wide range of Tuesday 18th February: experiences outside their specialism to support understanding and to help pupils unlock the Term resumes difficulties they may be facing. As Year 9 pupils are making and finalizing their KS4 Options, it’s good to keep an open mind as to what we deem as valuable. They all count. Thursday 27th February: ZUMBATHON

Inside this issue:

Invigilators Wanted

Serious Incidents in Altrincham and Hale Important Notices Please be aware that there have been reports of young people/gangs acting in an intimidating and threatening manner, before asking students for their phones and money. This is happening in Deputy Reflections various locations in the Altrincham area such as bus stations, parks and tram stations. MFL News We will remind, and I ask that you reinforce, our students to be vigilant at all times when leaving School. They should ensure that they travel in groups (where possible) and that they are aware of PE News their surroundings. Students should be encouraged not to wear headphones or Air pods when walking home as this makes them especially vulnerable. Science News

Make-up SISTER ACT!

Make up is not appropriate for pupils to wear and they will be required to remove it. Please do not What’s going on? allow your child to go to school wearing make-up. Sister Act I am confident this year’s school production will live up to the high standards of previous years. I encourage you all to go – you will not be disappointed. Pupils and staff are working really hard to put on the performance of their lives; please support them.

EXAM INVIGILATORS WANTED

Are you….

 Reliable and punctual

 Flexible, accurate

 Confident communicator

 Firm but fair

 Can work as part of a team

Exams are among the most important and stressful events in the life of any student. That’s why it’s so important that they are conducted in the correct way. Invigilators are crucial to this pro- cess. Invigilators are there to ensure the whole process runs smoothly. They give out vital information such as start and finish times for the exams and ensure candidates have all the materials and in- formation needed for each exam. They also ensure that all exam rules are adhered to.

Working as a team, invigilators contribute to ensuring a calm environment for the exams, giving candidates confidence in the process. We are looking for invigilators to help oversee our exams. Invigilators need to be reliable and punctual, highly flexible, able to relate to students and comfortable in a high pressure environ- ment. It is a part-time role, but one that can make a difference. Invigilators will be paid £8.72 per hour and full training will be provided.

Due to the nature of the role, a full enhanced DBS disclosure will be required The School is committed to keeping students safe and stringently follow the procedures outlined in the ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’. We expect all staff and volun- teers to share our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our school.

If you are interested in being an invigilator, or would like to find out more, please contact the

Exams Officer, Mrs Brett on 0161 928 1856 or email: [email protected]

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 3

FORM TUTOR CONTACTS:

7CRY [email protected] 7EKL [email protected] 7FHE [email protected] 7SMI [email protected] 7SPU [email protected]

8ASI [email protected] 8LCO [email protected] 8SWI [email protected] 8VJE [email protected] 8WRA [email protected]

9CJO [email protected] 9DWI [email protected] 9LMC [email protected] 9MBR [email protected] 9NGI [email protected]

10CCO [email protected] The Vegan Society are 10JBA [email protected] coming in to School on 10PST [email protected] 10SCR [email protected] Tuesday 4th February to 10TWI [email protected] talk to our Year 10s on

11EJM [email protected] Food Preparation & 11JJA [email protected] Nutrition pupils. 11PHE [email protected] More to follow….. HEAD OF KEY STAGE CONTACTS: HEAD OF YEAR 7 [email protected] HEAD OF YEAR 8 [email protected] HEAD OF YEAR 9 & KS3 [email protected] HEAD OF YEAR 10 [email protected] HEAD OF YEAR 11 & KS 4 [email protected] Deputy Reflections

The platinum postcard is our school’s way of recognising the most significant performances of our pupils. This week it is awarded to pupils who has been outstanding in PE, Geography, History and Religious Studies. Fujino has a fantastic attitude and high involvement within PE lessons, extra-curricular clubs and teams. Jack (Y10) is an excellent all-rounder and also has a fantastic attitude. He is performing very well in the OCR Sports Science qualification too. Geography: Yuvraj (Y9) displays excellent effort during Geography lessons. He shines throughout by regularly completing 'Geography in the News' extra-curricular tasks, attending Geography club and exhibiting overall interest around the subject. Nicky (Y10) is very focussed and produces exceptional work in History. Her answers are thoughtful, well-planned, structured as per teacher guidance with sophisticated analysis and evaluation. Well done Nicky - a superb start to GCSE History. Hala (Y9) demonstrates independent learning in preparation for Religious Studies GCSE and for being a Cestrian academic role model!

This fortnight in our Personal Development sessions the pupils are engaged in ‘Careers and Employment’. This is part of our programme to regularly build skills and confidence for entering the next stage of education, entering the world of work and reinforcing a lifelong love of learning. As adults we can see how important this and although plenty of pupils feel these things are a long way off and that they are unsure of the directions they will take, it is clear that ambitions are being kindled, tool kits are being filled and indeed tools sharpened. Collecting experiences, a range of hard and soft skills, selecting GCSE options, deciding on work experience placements, applying to Sixth Form / College and Apprenticeship and a general appreciation of the wider opportunities on offer. Whilst all the time focusing on qualifications! Together, the pupils and staff, are striving to produce that rounded human being that has a breadth and depth of knowledge married to the rich personal qualities. Like many pupils, I did not know much about the path I was going to take. I just knew that I wanted to achieve to the best of my ability and to take or fashion all the opportunities I could. Like many parents, the path we took to get here today was full of twists and turns and was fairly unpredictable. SO, PROBABLY ALL WE CAN PASS On is to aim high, grab opportunities and look around. Be proactive and embrace time and opportunity. Imagine this type of North Cestrian entering the next stage of education or the world of work – these are all interactions I have had with different pupils this week… Sir, what do you recommend I do to become a senior school officer (from a year 9 and a Year 10) I am thinking of these subjects for my A Levels, what do I need at GCSE? Did you do any voluntary work? Can I write a newsletter article for you? Yes, we want to join you in a school briefing How can I raise my profile and develop some soft skills? How can I be part of the School Council? Have you always been a teacher? So, is it ok to swap careers?

I am glad these pupils are my colleagues and together these apprentices will become masters and the leaders of the future! It starts in Y7 too. I challenged two pupils at break time when I saw them self-testing their prep knowledge for next lesson. They knew their stuff – new sharp tools in the toolkit. I asked them to spot when they applied it in the next lesson. Brilliant results overleaf – the highlights show how they applied their prep knowledge during the independent writing tasks in Mrs Cove’s History lesson. Prep Knowledge...

llness and your child’s education: general school information to support illness absence:

We often get phone calls from parents requesting work to allay fears of their child falling behind in their studies. For this reason, we have produced the Pupil Absence tab on the home page of the school website. It guides you through the school’s positive and supportive ethos and aims to reduce worries and enable parents to make appropriate decisions regarding choosing tasks that will assist during a period of illness absence. Teachers have provided some useful learning opportunities that can go alongside the essential rest and recuperation that must take priority at home. http://www.northcestrian.co.uk/pupil-absence/ for the reporting absence guidance and then select the Click Here for the missed work guidance. It’s all ACADEMIC! News from the Academic Director - Dr. Askey

YEAR 11 End of Course MOCKS are coming soon!  2-13th March 2020 Draft Exam Timetable to be published next week  Support pupils with their organisation and revision timetables  Make sure they have a quiet place to study. No distractions =NO MOBILE PHONES!  Remember to interleave different topics/subjects & SELF TESTING IS VITAL  These exams inform teacher final GCSE predictions, college applications, targeted revision and planning use of lesson time prior to the real thing  3 school weeks to mock exams; 3 weeks after that to complete & submit all internal assessments.  11 school weeks before GCSE’s start in May! [+3 weeks school holidays ]  An alternative timetable is followed during the exam period to maximise the revision & support from subject experts prior to the exam papers. Attendance is essential. More to follow after the Mocks.

Cestrian Way Learning

Ensure that you complete your prep and show your learning in every lesson. Seek help with your prep if you are not improving. L1

L2 Consistently show your prep knowledge by applying and using it more frequently in lesson activities.

Routinely use purple pen to improve your work which also identifies the areas that you need to learn next with clear written prompts in your book/ L3 knowledge map.

Clearly show that you have acted on your purple pen annotations and/or advice from teachers and have improved your understanding. This will be L4 seen in your next pieces of work. Learning from mistakes is key to accelerating progress.

L5 Offer more answers; ask more questions, ask for clarification, in lessons; contribute to discussions more often.

Routinely follow the advice of your teacher when answering exam questions. L6 E.g. underline keywords, add notes and prompts, annotate diagrams, correctly interpret and use the command words

L7 Always check your work for clarity; accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar; correct use of subject specific keywords.

Ensure that you reflect and act on advice from teachers to improve practical work. Identify a skill area from feedback on your practical work, focus L8 and demonstrate improvement in that area. Ask for help from your teacher to identify and accelerate your progress.

Ensure that you work synoptically - revise and link knowledge from previous work to new units; focus on target areas and resources identified by L9 your teacher or from DIRT / assessment feedback. E.g. completing extra prep / online quizzes, seeking help outside lessons, attending revision / support workshops.

Complete independent study/extension tasks (blue boxes) to increase the depth of your understanding and its application to everyday contexts. L10 Show your motivation for learning and improving your knowledge.

L11 Be a Cestrian Role Model, encourage/help others to improve their knowledge and understanding - maximise the learning of all. Be SMART with your Data Capture targets – show improvement for DC2 (27th March)

 Start with subject that have the same , most frequent target e.g. L3  Make these your focus for 2 weeks  Ask for help from your teachers  Review how you’re doing  Take the next most frequent target for the next 2 weeks e.g. L7 and repeat

Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means that you’re doing better than you’ve done before

Bonnie Blair Congratulations ! Harriet Sutton Olivia Drabble Maisie Drabble

Shree Gawde Fintan Marsh Karamijit Singh Nadine Zolfakar Ben Martin DC1 STARS Joshua Odling

Jacob Ashley Fiona Rice Amira Jacoby Harry Thomas Zahrah Jabeen Charlie Snook

Coming Soon: Year 11: Mocks will be coming at the beginning of March (all 4 skills will be tested). Miss Williamson will be giving individual speaking exam times in class. Listen out for the information! And; real GCSE speaking exam will be scheduled straight after the Easter holidays – this will be on us sooner than you think – start your revision now! Year 10 - There are numerous tests being completed at the moment depending on your class – please be vigilant and consult individual teachers Year 7-8 –completing the last term’s end of module test and feedback is being given at the moment Year 9: Options Choices – due in! See Ms. Hayes with any MFL queries

classes this term - Gold Thursdays – Yr11 Miss Williamson & Ms Hayes Year 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 Gold Mondays (period 6) for French and

Spanish catch up, support and intervention - Miss Hayes

Year 9 Options: Decisions, decisions!!! If you’d like more information visit: www.languageswork.org.uk or www.connexions-direct.com

Olivia Amesu for her extra Spanish GCSE revision tips and use of the apps mentioned below!

Stars du Mois Estrellas del mes

Year 7 Tala ALKHATIB; Henry BALLAM; Shreyashi Year 7 Mackenzie Cross; Jad Awwad; Omar Eltoum BANERJEE Year 8 Grace Allen; Isha Gaikwad; Felix Mathew Year 8 Kali DEENAH; Hedika MOHAMMADI; Safa Year 9 Sadeen Mreishi; Rida Sarwar; Frankie McNabb SALEEM KS4 Natalie Davies; Jacob Chau; Alex Barker Year 9 Alice BIGI, Hana RASHID; Laiba SAQIB KS4 Srijan Pal, Amber Hussain, Olivia Amesu GCSE Spanish GCSE Study Morning: Rara Date: Tuesday, 4 February 2020 - 10:00 to 13:00 HOME: Manchester This study morning will look at themes including pre-adolescence, friendship, family life, marital separation, sexual diversity and freedom, justice, prejudice and references to the historical background in contemporary Chile. Carmen Herrero (Head of Spanish at Manchester Metropolitan University) will introduce the film in English providing contextual information and key Spanish vocab. The screening will be followed by language exercises based around the film plus a discussion relating to the characters of the film; the narrative; intercultural differences; film genre conventions and style. We will transport the pupils from school. Travel will be by tram from Altrincham to Deansgate, leaving school at 8.45am. Work- shop 10:00am -13:00pm Lunch in Home’s in-house restaurant. Arrival back to school approx.2:30pm. Dress code: School uniform.

Seville 2021 – Trip for MFL pupils in Year 10 (2020 -21) Information has been distributed to pupils and should be on Parentmail within the next few days. First payment and expressions of interest by Feb 18th 2020 to Ms Hayes/ school office (online). Act now if you are interested! Seville is the fourth-largest city in Spain, and the capital of Andalusia. It is situated on the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula and contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace, the Cathedral and Giralda Tower, and the General Archive of the Indies. Seville is located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean. Activities: a visit to the Maestranza (the famous bullring and museum); the Alcázar (UNESCO world heritage site); the Cathedral and Giralda (UNESCO world heritage sites); the Setas de Sevilla (a huge modern wooden structure); Santa Cruz district; morning of Spanish tuition in a paella cookery class and local market; walking tours of the city.

NB: If you are not in this year group but would still be interested in a place (should we not fill the places) – please see Ms Hayes individually.

A basic lesson in Etymology and Diachronic study of language – Modern Languages

Studying Modern Foreign Languages at University was always something I wanted to do. Indeed, I loved my French, German, Latin and Italian lessons at school and looked up in awe at my teachers speaking their cherished languages every lesson. I re- member clearly the look of consternation on my teacher’s face when I said I was dropping a language! I could *only* study three. This week, many students have been fascinated by the French language and how I can speak French ‘so fast’ and how I ever managed to learn it so quickly. These questions always make me smile and instantly make me realise how much time we have spent as language teachers mastering our art. Pupils ask the greatest questions and sadly I can’t answer them all in the hour we have. The quality of their questions shows how interested they are in how languages change and why accents are used in French but not English. Many of the differences can be answered by studying the etymology of words. As English speakers, we are already 29% fluent in French. The pupils don’t believe me when I tell them this, stating that they never studied French in primary school, so they will struggle. I quickly interject and tell them that a basic understanding of the origins of words will help them greatly. Using everyday examples like the English word ‘transport’ (le transport) and ‘telephone’ (la téléphone) are great examples of this. The word ‘transport’ has Latin roots with trans meaning ‘going across’ and port meaning ‘to carry’ (to carry across). Greek words for sound phon and far away tele (sound far away). With this knowledge, pupils can then start to look at other words (transgress, transaction). A Dr Who fan quickly shouted the word ‘teleport’ and commented that he’d never given the word much thought.... As a form teacher, I encourage my pupils to read as often as possible because this is a great way to improve vocabulary knowledge and discover many fascinating words. As linguists, we look at words and expressions and can be very critical of pu- pils who wrongly split infinitives (from Latin) or write a possessive pronoun instead of an adverb! Therefore, as part of their study of languages, we will always delve into the compelling world of etymology and historical linguistics. In time, pupils will:

 Enhance their understanding of their own native language  Give an insight into its shared roots with other languages  Assimilate new words across languages

Did you know?

The word ‘disaster’ (from the old Italian disastro) is derived from Greek. The pejorative prefix –dis and -aster can be interpreted as ‘bad star’. The ancient Greeks were fascinated by astronomy and believed wholly in the influence of the stars and planets on terrestrial life. Mrs Collins

Hippopotamus - ‘river horse’ (Flusspferd direct translation into German).

North Cestrian Physical Education

Year 7 Basketball v Sale Grammar School

The Year 7 Basketball team have been in action again with a very tough fixture away at Sale Grammar in a very small gymnasium. The fixture was played at a very high tempo and some of our students were playing their first competitive fixture for the school. This was as a result of the hard work they had been putting in to training every Friday. The early exchanges were fairly even and both teams had the opportunity to take a lead if only the quality of shooting had been more accurate. Sale began to take the upper hand and were beginning to stretch away towards half time. Tactical awareness began to have an impact on the game as North Cestrian just lost their defensive shape. The second half was much more even and a change of focus saw our team close the gap with some excellent passing and shooting. The deficit was cut to 4 points and the opposition were under pressure but they were able to keep changing fresh players in to the game and this ultimately led to Sale Grammar running out as winners 26-16. This had been the team’s best performance this season and with our new squad this is very encouraging.

Next Year 7 fixture: St Ambrose (Away) Monday 3rd February 2020.

Year 8/9 Basketball

The students have continued to work hard on their game by attending their practice session on a Monday evening. This week the group focussed on game play and their defensive shape against the opposition. This week should have seen the team take on Wellington School but due to a clash of dates for their students the game has been rearranged for Monday 3rd February (Home).

Year 10 Basketball

It has been really good to see the Year 10 Basketball team using their lunch breaks to put in extra practice every day in the sports hall. This is a self-motivated group who run the session for themselves. Match reports from our recent matches v ACA and Wellington will follow.

It was with great sadness that in the middle of our Basketball season the sport lost the great Kobe Bryant. Kobe has been a role model for so many basketballers over the years and we even saw his shirt worn at our Monday extra-curricular club this week. Dear Basketball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9saQ-4_8Csk

Girls Basketball

Our girls have been involved in a change of focus recently in preparation for the Trafford South League Basketball competitions. Regular practices have seen over 30 students attending the sessions to hone their skills in preparation for the Year 7/8 team and the Year 9/10 team. The fixtures took place on Thursday 30th January at Sale Grammar school. Full report will follow next week. Extra-Curricular Clubs

Club Location/Staff

Monday Basketball Year 8/9 Sports Hall – Mr Boswell

Tuesday Girls Football Sports Hall - Mr McCall

Wednesday Basketball Year 10/11 Sports Hall – Mr Wilson Girls Netball Sports Hall – Mrs Lawson Thursday Girls Netball Sports Hall - Miss Connell/Mrs Lawson Friday Basketball Year 7 Sports Hall – Mr Stobbs

GCSE PE Dates for the diary:

Thursday 6th February - NEA hand in date. Thursday 23rd April – Practical moderation day. th GCSE Paper 1 – The human body and movement in physical activity and sport 13 May th GCSE Paper 2 – Socio-cultural influences and well-being in physical activity and sport 15 May

THE YOUNG DOCTOR PROGRAMME (MANCHESTER)

• AGES 15-18 29TH MARCH 2020 THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

(£135 - see the website for more information - https://investin.org/) On the Young Doctor Programme, a group of high-ranking doctors will immerse you in a series of interactive role-plays, simula- tions, seminars, and Q&A sessions, to give you a 360-degree experience of practicing medicine. You will also be coached on how to maximise your chances of gaining entry into a top medical school. You will leave the programme having gained a competitive advantage over other aspiring medics, and a brilliant experience to include on your future UCAS application.

Experienced doctors will coach you through live, interactive simulations, including:

 Stitching up a wound (suturing), with a live demonstration by a senior surgeon  Immersing you in an A&E environment through a demonstration of the latest Virtual Reality technology. Race against the clock to save a patient's life  X-ray examination; taking a patient's medical history; recommending urgent tests Introducing our Trainee Teachers…

Hi everyone, my name is Mr. Vallis and I'm one of the Science trainee teachers here at North Cestrian. I'm currently completing my PGCE at the University of Manchester, and am delighted to join such a forward thinking school full of amazing students and staff. I finished my degree in Marine Biology 4 years ago now, and spent the years since working in outdoor education all over the world, taking kids on hikes in the Swiss Alps, white water rafting in Malaysia, and surfing in Spain. Through doing this I realised my love for teaching and inspiring young people and that is what led me to teaching. After two weeks at North Cestrian I have been blown away by how friendly everyone is, from the site staff to the students to the leadership team. I have never had so many people hold open a door for me in my lifetime! I'm looking forward to the rest of my placement and to getting involved with the sports clubs after school.

My name is Mr S B Dragon, I am completing my PGCE at the University of Manchester. After my Master’s degree in Chemistry and I changed paths and went into executive sales for two years; during this time I helped teach and train some of the newer agents and this made me realise that my passion was in education. I am extremely grateful and privileged to be placed at North Cestrian School where their expectations and teaching practice is at the frontier on education and has opened my eyes to balancing an incredible education with student fulfilment and happiness as a priority. The Headmaster and Deputy truly care about their teachers and this shows in how teachers care and respect their students. I am looking forward to everything I will learn at this placement and aim to deliver the same quality of teacher in future as I have observed in the teachers here.