Weekly Newsletter Friday 17th November 2017 Important Dates: The Next Steps Careers Event The 5th annual 'Next Steps' evening held at PGHS on Monday evening was a resounding success and our best attended ever. A wide range of apprenticeship and training providers attended, including all the local 6th form colleges and key employers such as BAE, Leyland Trucks, the NHS, plus many more. Over 800 parents and students came along to ask questions and find out more about the post 16 routes offered within South Ribble. Feedback from parents and pupils was really encouraging, with over 97% who attended saying that the evening had been very useful in giving them a clearer idea of careers and 23 November courses they would like to follow. Thank you to all who supported the event and we look Year 9 Parents Evening forward to next year. Mr Bartlett 13 December Assistant Headteacher Christmas Celebration Concert 22 December INSET DAY 25 Dec – 5 Jan Closed for Christmas and New Year Break 8 Jan School Re-opens SMSC Question of the week: KS3 Question: Does your mind sometimes feel like an ‘untrained puppy’? KS4 Question: How do you stop yourself from getting on the negative thought bus? 1 Weekly Newsletter Friday 17th November 2017 Remembrance Weekend 2017 On Friday 10th November 40 Year 9 students departed from school at 4am to visit the battlefields of the First World War in Belgium and France. After a long coach journey to Dover, students enjoyed seeing the white cliffs from the ferry and seeing the coastline of France come into view. After arriving at the accommodation in Langemark, near Ypres, students enjoyed an evening of ten pin bowling. The itinerary for Armistice Day was packed with commemorations, museums and memorials. The day began with a visit to Poelcapelle British Cemetery, where students successfully located the headstone of Harry Humble, a young man from Leyland Road in Penwortham who fought and died during the war. Incredibly there was a photograph of Harry attached to the headstone which made the visit even more special. The group then moved on to Tyne Cot, where the students observed the 2 minutes silence next to William Hewitt’s grave (a local man). After a visit to Sanctuary Wood to walk amongst the preserved trenches, students then witnessed the Canadian Army, press and military band descend on Hill 62 in preparation for a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Mount Sorrel. Students then visited Ypres town centre and enjoyed the hospitality and charisma of Hans De Groot, the owner of a famous chocolate shop. The Menin Gate was the next destination where names of relatives were found and stories about the structure were heard from our impressive guide, Konrad. In the evening the students returned to the Menin Gate to take part in the Last Post Ceremony. Olivia Wilkinson, Amber Cernandes-Tolson and Carys Bourne had the honour of laying a wreath on behalf of the school. On Remembrance Sunday the group travelled to the Somme area of France to continue their study of trench warfare and its effects. The first stop was at the Thiepval Monument, where the 11am silence was observed, as well as a private ceremony commemorating those members of the Preston Pals who fought and died there. Hannah Cowley, Nicole Bullen and Freya Jukes were given the honour of laying a wreath on the Stone of Remembrance on behalf of the Friends of Penwortham War Memorial. The tour then made stops at Newfoundland Park, the Ulster Tower and Lochnagar Crater. A final visit was made to Aveluy Communal Cemetery where a small wreath was laid beside the headstone of Edward Darlington, a local man from the Middleforth area of Penwortham, who died in 1916. On the return journey students made a visit to Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, which commemorates over 11,000 soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. After delays at Calais and during the drive back home, the group finally returned safely2 to school at 10pm. A special thank you must go to Mrs Thomas, Mrs Woodhouse and Mr Bowles for their hard work supervising the students during the visit. The superb behaviour of all students for the duration of the trip must also be noted. Throughout the visit students conducted themselves with the maturity and solemnity required for such a visit. With high praise coming from all members of the public and organisations that Weekly Newsletter Friday 17th November 2017 On the return journey students made a visit to Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, which commemorates over 11,000 soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. After delays at Calais and during the drive back home, the group finally returned safely to school at 10pm. A special thank you must go to Mrs Thomas, Mrs Woodhouse and Mr Bowles for their hard work supervising the students during the visit. The superb behaviour of all students for the duration of the trip must also be noted. Throughout the visit students conducted themselves with the maturity and solemnity required for such a visit. With high praise coming from all members of the public and organisations that came across the students, including compliments from the usually austere UK Border Force, the students can be proud of the way they represented the school and their families. In addition to the visit to Belgium and France, Kate Lund, Jess Turner and Charlotte Hamer laid a wreath on behalf of the school during the Remembrance Ceremony at Penwortham War Memorial on Sunday. The service was well attended as always, and many students took part in the Remembrance Parade from St Leonard’s Church, as part of various youth groups from the local area. A special thank you goes to Mrs Cattanach for supervising the students during the event. A special thanks to Elizabeth Maudsley, Emily Caney, Mr Herbert Ella de Freitas, Raiha Panchal, Alyssa Ashcroft, Isabella Bajelany, Head of History Olivia Moore, Rebecca Freeman, Eva Sealby, Molly Roe, Firdaus Aslama- Lanjiri, Scarlet Sumner and Esme McFadyen-King for selling Poppies in school. 3 Weekly Newsletter Friday 17th November 2017 Creative, Arts and Technology Faculty News Year 10 Art Students make a great start for GCSE success! This term our Year 10 students have been working hard on their ‘Everyday Object’ guided projects looking at the meticulous work of photographer Jim Golden and the assembled drawings of Michael Craig Martin. They have collected a range of ordinary objects for photography, drawn using primary observation skills and created a series of segmented A3 drawing sheets in a variety of mixed media. It has been outstanding this term to be able observe our student’s commitment and dedication both inside and outside the classroom. To celebrate their successes, two videos have been created that sample just some of the amazing Year 10 Art work so far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_WEZltAivY&index=10&list=PLstoxBozGUWG9NcoAxIFx1PI_VT6CWmF0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQLJHdTdQv0&index=11&list=PLstoxBozGUWG9NcoAxIFx1PI_VT6CWmF0 Well done to all Year 10 Art Students! Feature Artist: Suren Manveylan This term our ‘Feature Artist’ is Armenian Photographer Suren Manvelyan. Our Year 9 students are currently studying his intense animal eye shots as part of their contextual studies and referencing his images in their artwork. Born in 1976, Suren started to photograph when he was sixteen and became a professional photographer in 2006. His latest popular series of close ups of a human eye – entitled “Your beautiful eyes,” together with a similar series on “Animal eyes,” have had millions of views globally. Samples of Suren Manvelyan’s imagery can be found from his website: http://www.surenmanvelyan.com. Head’s Commendations: Year 8: Abigail Fawthorp – For an excellent portraiture homework Year 8: Khadijah Yusuf - For an excellent portraiture homework Year 8: Tegan Lonsdale – For a sustained and well-crafted pendant in Design Technology Year 8: Linda Taylor - For superb effort and well-crafted pendant in Design Technology Year 9: Ava Walmsley – Superb reptilian eye drawing Year 9: Phoebe Holland – Finely intricate drawing of a reptilian eye Year 9: Ellie Grant – A well detailed drawing of an Animal eye Year 9: Jasmine Dogga – A well-practised and resolved reptilian eye drawing Head’s Breakfast: Year 10: Caitlin Allen – Excellent effort in Art with a beautiful selection of observation drawings & segment sheets Year 10: Sejal Dholakia – Excellent effort in Art with beautiful selection of observation drawings & segment sheets Year 10: Gracie Hopkinson – Excellent commitment to Art with a stunning selection of observational drawing, inspirational board & segments sheets Year 10: Hannah Whymark – Exceptional progress made in Art with her observational drawings, inspirational board & segments sheets Miss Morris, Head of Art 4 Weekly Newsletter Friday 17th November 2017 Key Stage 3 Computing Key Stage 3 Computing has started this academic year with the pupils learning about different aspects of online safety including cyber-bullying, social networking and how to stay safe using this media. They have learned about viruses, dangers to technology and about the digital footprint. This learning ended with students completing some group work to demonstrate what they had learned. Pupils had to choose an aspect of online safety and then create a number of products to make teenagers and young people aware of the dangers. There were a variety of products created including posters, leaflets, videos and drama performances. Girls that presented their work were extremely confident showcasing their findings to the rest of the group. The teaching of online safety is crucial with young people. It isn't to tell them not to use social media and different technologies but to make them aware and give them the skills to be able to keep both themselves and others safe whether that be younger siblings or even older.