www.testvalley.hants.sch.uk Autumn Term Year 11 Leavers 2015 Presentation Evening 2015 Boston & New York Trip Half Term gave an opportunity for 47 pupils to visit both Boston and New York—see our photo album on pages 16-17 Prize winners with Guest of Honour - Alex Lewis At the end of November Test Valley School held its annual Presentation Evening to celebrate the success of returning Year 11 pupils from last year. The school was delighted by their success in their GCSEs in the summer. The evening saw them receiving their GCSE certificates with the opportunity for their tutors to share what they have gone on to do next and their favourite memories of being at school. The event culminated in the presentation of 32 special awards all eagerly anticipated and well received. The school is very grateful to all the sponsors of these awards, many are local individuals and organisations who have proved to be longstanding friends of the school and many attended to present their awards. The guest of honour this year was Alex Lewis who gave a very inspirational talk on his personal journey and the important part others can play in your life. Louisa Hiscock (Headteacher) said: ‘we always look forward to this event when we welcome the pupils back with their families to celebrate their success. This year was undoubtedly a very special evening and there was much to celebrate. I are very proud of their achievements and also very grateful for having such a strong and committed staff working with and supporting all our pupils to do so well.’ See list of winners on page 4 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/testvalleysch Twitter: @testvalleysch 1 Headteacher’s Message Dear Parent I am delighted to welcome you to this edition of our newsletter, celebrating the many events, activities and opportunities our pupils and staff have taken part in this term. I am always thrilled and amazed by how much we manage to fit into one term. I have certainly enjoyed being reminded of all the different activities across all year groups and subject areas. As I write we are close to the end of a long Autumn Term and are all looking forward to the Christmas holidays. It has, as always, proved to be a very busy term. We returned in September able to celebrate very good GCSE examination results being achieved. It was lovely to welcome back the pupils in November to our annual Presentation Evening and congratulate them on their success. I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to next term, returning to school on Monday January 4th. With best wishes Miss L Hiscock Headteacher £630.00 raised by our non-uniform day and two pupils taking part in a sponsored silence Pupils and Staff raised £520.71 Year 10/ 11 Food Technology pupils helped to run a successful coffee event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. They served tea, coffee and delicious cakes to Test Valley school staff. £228.37 was raised in total. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended and donated so generously. Mrs Hudson Serving up tea and cake— Lucy Monson Daisy Hillier Will Thorburn Amy Broadberry Mateusz Palmer Laura Keane 2 School’s incredible response to Refugee Appeal and Rotary School Box Appeal From left to right, members of the Charity Committee: - Tom Madden , Luke Dennis, Cameron Maguire, Jasmin-Ann Thomson, Heidi Faux- Whitehead, Emily Fitzpatrick and Kai Mumford. On Wednesday 23rd September, Test Valley School sent a large donation of collected goods and clothing for refugees fleeing Syria and other war torn countries. The school had been collecting donations of men’s clothing, tents and sleeping bags for the past week and a half following an appeal from a parent who was travelling to a refugee camp to help out on the 26th and 27th September. Each year a number of Year 11 pupils form a Charities Committee and as soon as they heard about the appeal they set to work talking to pupils and staff and giving assemblies. With only just over a week to collect donations they were unsure of the response that they would receive. However, all expectations were exceeded and on Wednesday morning they were pleased to be handing over 20 tents, 14 sleeping bags, as well as numerous blankets, bags of clothing and shoes. The response to the appeal demonstrates the strong sense of community we value at our school. Louisa Hiscock (Headteacher) said: ‘We were delighted to be able to support this and, as always, I am so pleased at how pupils and staff rallied to this humanitarian cause’. Test Valley School was delighted to participate in the annual shoebox appeal organised locally by Andover Rotary Club. This project involved pupils and staff filling shoeboxes with a range of small gifts to be distributed to individual children and young people across the world who are likely to re- ceive very little at Christmas. The school was pleased to be able to send 78 shoeboxes this year. Each year the school’s Charity Committee is keen to support this appeal and they would like to thank the generosity of all staff and pupils who contributed. We are also grateful for the support of the Rotary Club who co-ordinate this project across the local area and ensure the shoeboxes reach their destinations safely and in time for Christmas. 3 2015 Year 11 Leavers—List of Prize Winners Year 10 Trip to St Paul’s Cathedral Award Winner On the 11th English Emily Payne December a group of English Literature Jake Penny Year 10 RE pupils Mathematics Jeremy Wen visited St Pauls Cathedral in London Physics Jonathan Smith to examine the signs Biology Eve Cavey and symbolism Chemistry Seamus O’Farrell within the Church. Environmental Science Daniel Meade Pupils began with a guided trail around French Steven Dade the Cathedral with German Holly Deere their attention being GCSE ICT Jin Ying Wong drawn to areas, objects and art that relate to issues Geography Ellis Andrews such as war, peace, remembrance, suffering, birth, History Emma Fisher morals, Biblical teaching, preaching and prayer. They were encouraged by our guide to think about the D&T RMT Practical Work Sam Waters function of the Graphics Rachel Chambers Cathedral as a D&T Electronics Josh Powell place for worship, Art Alice Monson reflection and debate for those Music Josh Yard of other faiths/ Drama Ella Cruz beliefs. Pupils D&T Food Leah Mansbridge then climbed to Textiles Anna Pearce the Whispering Gallery, the first Child Development Emma Foster level within the RE Evie Templeman dome and two Sportsperson (F) Erin Phillips pupils Sportsperson (M) John Darling demonstrated how it worked by sending messages from the far side of the dome to the rest of the PE Lucy Hudson group. Finally pupils climbed the 2nd and 3rd stages of Science Exceptional Improvement Jacob Foord the dome and had clear views out over the rest of Personal Achievement Ellis Andrews London from the very top. All pupils behaved Service Above Self (Rotary) Daniel Bavister exceptionally well and were a credit to Test Valley School. Effort and Attitude Tessa Bundy Personal Endeavour Margaret Cooper By Mrs Osborne Overall Achievement Holly Deere Rising Star Seamus O’Farrell The Group at Convent Garden 4 World War One Battlefields Tour—By Kira Nash Year 10 On the 5 _7th October Izzy Woodfield (Year 11), Mrs Allsopp 72,192 British and South African men recorded missing who and I (Kira Nash Year 10) went with 30 others from different died on the Somme between 1915 and March 1918 who have schools in Southampton and Bournemouth to France and no known graves. Thiepval is currently undergoing Belgium. While we were there we visited various locations renovation. where fighting took place in WW1. The Newfoundland Memorial Park is dedicated to the On the first day we Newfoundland soldiers who visited the Lijssenthoek were killed during WW1. The Military Cemetery in preserved battle field is the Ypres. There were site of the Newfoundland 10,785 burials between Regiment’s unsuccessful attack 1914-1919 and only 35 on the first day of the Battle of of the graves are the Somme. unnamed. In the cemetery there are British, American, I was also able to find two further men from East Tytherley Canadian, German and Chinese graves and a Sikh memorial who have no known graves at the Vis-En-Artios memorial. stone. At the entrance to the Cemetery there are metal rods Their names are Elvie George Musselwhite and Fredrick Allen that mark the number of Hiscock. people buried on each day. On the final day we visited We were also fortunate Tyne Cot Cemetery which enough to be able to visit the is the largest British and grave of a man called Charles Commonwealth cemetery Kimber who died in WW1 in the world. There are from the village where I live 11,956 soldiers buried here (East Tytherley), he was buried and a further 34,927 UK at Ferme-Olivier Cemetery and New Zealand soldiers who were killed after 15th August Belgium. 1917 recorded on memorial panels across the back wall. At 8pm every day the last post is sounded at the Menin Gate It was a very enjoyable and informative week and made you in Ypres and on the Monday we were there. There are appreciate what men went through to serve our country. It’s 54,406 names recorded on the Menin Gate all of which have not until you see the graves lined up side by side, English and no known graves.