The Eagle p Culcheth High School Issue 78 – April 2018 Dear Parents/Carers It is officially the summer term and in a few weeks, our Year 11 students will be starting their GCSE exams. I know that the Easter ‘holidays’ have been a very busy period for many students and staff, with a very busy Key School Dates Easter Revision School and our older students busy preparing for their impending exams. This year’s GCSE examinations are the second year of new specifications with the final year of new specification exams in summer 2019. It has been a period of turbulence for schools and students preparing th th 30 April – 4 May for the new rigorous reformed GCSEs. Year 9 PPEs I am sure you will join us in wishing our students the very best of luck as they embark on a very important period of their education. The students are receiving the best possible support not only in their lessons, but 10th May 2018 through additional classes at lunch time and after school and we also have a planned May half-term revision Year 7 Parents’ school. For GCSE students, details of these revision classes are on our website. Evening (A Side) Mr C P Hunt, Headteacher 17th May 2018 Year 7 Parents’ The World’s Biggest National Indoor Rowing Competition Evening (B Side) On Friday 9th March, Elle Kadir, Jacob Sherwin and Keith Newby-Stewart were amongst selected students 14th May 2018 from the Oarsome Project to represent Warrington Youth Row, competing at The National Junior Indoor GCSE Exams Rowing Championships. The event caters for over 2500 young people aged 11-18 and acts as the finale to the Commence indoor rowing year. WYR were one of the very few northern-based rowing teams to enter the event and let me tell you, we caused quite a stir! 25th May 2018 A special mention must go to Elle Kadir, who came away with a bronze medal from the Girls’ Junior 14 Year 9 PPE Results event finishing 3rd out of 214 competitors. The girls placed an amazing 14th out of 110 in the Girls’ Sprint Relay, Day nd with the boys placing a solid 22 out of 88 in the Boys Sprint Relay. NJIRC was a great opportunity, one we are certain the students will remember for a long time. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for all involved and, for many, their first visit to London. We were even lucky enough to meet and greet Triple Olympic Gold Medallist, Andrew Triggs Hodge OBE. Exciting times are ahead as we now begin preparations for the next event, which is the Schools’ Regatta th on the banks of The Mersey on Thursday 12 July 2018. Publication Dates 8th June 2018 th 13 July 2018 GCSE History Visit to Thackray Medical Museum On Wednesday 14th and Friday 16th March 2018, our Year 10 GCSE History students visited Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds as part of their GCSE Medicine in Britain, c1250–present and the British sector of the Western Front 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches. The purpose of the visit was to reaffirm subject content and for students to engage in a range of interactive activities relating to the development of medicine over time. One particular activity that students thoroughly enjoyed engaging in was the injury sustained by 11-year old Hannah Dyson in the factory where she worked. Through the activity, students discovered that Hannah had her leg amputated but unfortunately died from infection after the operation, due to poor operating sanitation. The students watched a very authentic re-enactment of her operation, that had them on the edge of their seats and it generated lots of discussion. They could empathise with Hannah being even younger than themselves and yet forced to work at such a young age, due to the growth of the Industrial Revolution. Another key area of interest for students was the development of prosthetics that was encouraged as a result of the devastating impact of WWI on British soldiers on the Western Front. From the wooden stump to the titanium prosthetic leg amongst the most significant progress, it demonstrated how far technology has developed as the need for prosthetics grew after 41,000 British soldiers had lost limbs during key WWI battles. The visit was a great success with students highlighting how it helped to reaffirm their subject knowledge but in a way that isn’t always possible in the classroom. The Rating Game We recently had the New York branch of the Pure Creative Arts company come to perform their production of the Rating Game. It was a little touch and go as we were the first school they were performing in and they had literally landed at Gatwick airport at 2am that very same morning. The team of actors, dancers and singers drove up from Gatwick and arrived just in time for the first of three performances. Phew! A synopsis of the show is as follows (taken from their website): Our newest production focuses on the theme of identity. The question of ‘Who am I?’ is crucial in the development of teenagers and so often they are looking to define themselves by what they see in the media, peer pressures, or other damaging stereotypes. By addressing this issue with young people – helping them ask the right questions – we can begin to see a shift in the trajectory of their lives. In the midst of a fledgling romance that begins on their daily commute to school on the subway, Cate and Xavier find themselves flung into a rating game where the guys grade the girls out of 10. The rating provokes questions in each character which make them delve into the perception of perfection. What does it mean to be face-to- face with our true selves? “Will he still like me?”, “Will she still want me?”, “Will I even like who I am?” We are able to dive into the minds and hearts of these characters and process alongside them. All of these questions are addressed using an innovative blend of spoken word, rap, song, dance and film. In the midst of the game, the subway car that they are in comes under a security threat, locking the passengers between platforms. This new twist puts the whole game into a different perspective, forcing each character to truly look at themselves and their identity. Will they cling to a life of seeming control or is it worth the adventure of discovering their true selves? Our Year 7, 8 and 9 students were fantastic and really enjoyed the performances. Some of the feedback from our students was as follows: "The songs and words by Kate were very emotional and represented the struggles they faced trying to find their true identity." "I was amazed and they were mesmerising to watch. You could tell they had put effort into their routines." "Thanks for coming all the way from New York to perform at our school." Parking Around School School Uniform 2017-18 A note for parents who drive students to school and use the Please be advised that from September 2017 all school socks will school car park, Withington Avenue and Culcheth Hall Drive. need to be black. Girls will need to wear their socks below the If you drop your child off or collect them from school, please use knee. A full updated version of the school uniform guidelines is on the drop-off bay in the school car park or, if using Withington the school website. Avenue or Culcheth Hall Drive: The rest of the school uniform for 2017-18 has not changed in - please drive slowly – children are crossing to and from essence, however there are a number of points that parents/carers the ginnel need to be aware of: - please park considerately so that driveways are not blocked and grass verges are not damaged. 1. The ‘School Shoe Guidance’ that remains applicable for - Please do not use Primary School Car Park September 2017 is available on the school website, along with the 2017-18 uniform statement. 2. Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 students must wear school School Gates ‘clip-on’ ties from September 2017. 3. Year 10 and Year 11 students can still wear their regular A reminder to all parents/carers that the school gates open at ties, however replacement ties are now ‘clip-on’ ties 8am. Students arriving on site before 8am will be unable to enter only, as stock of regular ties has now run out. the school site. Focus on Staff Wanting an adventure over the Easter holidays, a friend and I decided to walk from coast-to-coast following the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall, past Roman settlements and forts. There was history every step of the way; cosy pubs, bustling market towns and spectacular views too. It took us six days to walk 84 miles with two dogs and has to be the toughest thing I have done, to date. If you want a challenge I would definitely recommend anyone to give it a go. Starting at Wallsend, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, we walked across beautiful landscape to Bowness-on- Solway, Cumbria. Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds; it was hard work and very challenging with the weather. We walked in the rain, the sleet and across snow-topped hills, slid down mudslides and waded through flooded paths. We laughed our way through it and the sense of achievement when we reached the end was awesome, moving us both to tears.