Parents` Newsletter Term 5 2015

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Parents’ Newsletter
Term 5 2015
Dear Families
You will see from this newsletter that we have
had another very busy term at Henry Box. I am
pleased to announce that we have now established
The Henry Box Association (this used to be called
a PTA) and we will be looking to publicise their
community activities over the next few months
and beyond. Please look out for opportunities
to become involved. As we look forward to the
final term of the year, we have a number of
school events in the diary to enjoy including the
annual Year 7 residential to St Briavels, the Year 11
Summer Ball, Sports’ Day and Year 6 transition. We
are also hosting a new evening for families of Year
5 children on Wednesday 1st July. Finally, we wish
all our students good luck in their exams over the
next few weeks.
Ms Hemmingsley
Headteacher
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
The Swing Band played for the Women’s Institute
Centenary here in Witney, entertaining the
audience with their repertoire which included
‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Blue Moon’.
They also played ‘Jerusalem’ during the handing
over of the baton from the Witney to the Banbury
branch.
Thursday 30 April saw the Key Stage 4 Concert
taking place in the main school hall. About 20 GCSE
Music students took part, performing familiar music
and music that they had composed themselves. A
lovely evening, highlighting some of the talent of
Henry Box students.
Mrs Russ
The Key Stage 3 Concert
will be taking place in the main school hall
Thursday 25th June
The String Group, Swing Band and Year 7 and 8
Singers will be performing along with solo and
small group items from students in Years 7 to 9.
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The Henry Box School - Parents’ Newsletter Term 5 2015
CURRICULUM UPDATE
At The Henry Box School we are committed to
offering students the opportunity to study two
foreign languages through to A level. Unfortunately
we have seen a decline in demand for A level
languages from students over the recent past.
This has meant that we have had to look at how to
secure the ability to offer two languages at A level
whilst simultaneously dealing with central cuts to
Post 16 funding. As a consequence, in conjunction
with the Governing Board, we have taken the
decision to focus on French and German as our
main languages for all students from September
2015. This will allow the school to maximise the
potential uptake of both languages rather than
diluting demand across three languages and face
the prospect of not being able to run these courses
at Post 16 due to lack of financial viability.
Implications for students:
• All students currently studying Spanish will be
able to continue studying and opt for this subject
as they move through the school. However, as
with all subjects, if demand is very low we cannot
guarantee that this will run at GCSE or A level.
• Current Year 7 more able linguists will focus on
German as the second modern language they
study next year.
•Students entering the school in Year 7 from
September 2015 will study French and German
as part of the curriculum offer for MFL.
• Post 16 study in French and German will be
offered in conjunction with Wood Green School.
The two schools will combine their French and
German classes and rotate the teaching of each
language year on year. Students will remain
with the school where they study their language
in Year 12 into Year 13 to ensure continuity of
study.
We appreciate that this news may disappoint some
students. However, this is a decision designed
to protect the continued curriculum offer of two
modern languages through to A level for students at
The Henry Box School.
Mr Pritchard
MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
FOUR WEEK CONSULTATION
We are about to enter a four week consultation
period for The Henry Box School (a single academy)
to convert to a Multi Academy Trust (a MAT).
Please see a very important letter distributed via
School Comms and also available on our website
which explains how you can give your views.
Ms Hemmingsley Headteacher
THE HENRY BOX SCHOOL
ASSOCIATION UPDATE
We are pleased to announce the HBSA was
launched on Wednesday 29th April 2015.
The meeting was well attended and we now have 8
committee members and several volunteers.
If you were unable to come to the meeting but
would like to be a volunteer, please email
[email protected]
Look out for future fund-raising events.
I think the general consensus at the meeting was
to put the fun into fund raising!
Mrs Harte
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MOCK ELECTION
On Friday 1st May, Henry Box students took to the
polls in our very own Mock Election.
Four Year 12 students represented a party each: Lib
Dems (Finn Delaney), Conservative (Niamh Mapp),
Labour (Barney Martin) and Green (Dan Parkin).
We chose these four parties as they were the only
ones to reply to our invitation to come into school
to speak to Sixth Formers about the recent General
Election.
Each candidate delivered a short speech in
assemblies to Years 7 - 11 and produced a manifesto,
which was discussed by students in Tutor Time.
Candidates have also been out and about talking
to voters at Breaks and Lunchtimes. The election
itself took place in the Mary Box Room, which was
transformed into our own polling station.
Students have responded very positively to
this. The national general election offered us an
opportunity
to
engage our young
people in the British
political process;
although most of
our students are
below the legal age
to vote this time, it
has at least given
them a taste of
the voting process
for the future.
Our hope is that
students will more
willingly
engage
with politics in
the future and
certainly know how
to think about the
issues that may
affect their vote as
an adult.
We enjoyed an impressive 85% turn-out (compared
to 66% of the country for the 2015 General Election)
with nearly 1,100 students placing a vote. The
results were:
•
•
•
•
Liberal Democrats 5%
Conservative 29%
Labour 20%
Green 44%
As you can see our students’ views don’t reflect
the General Election results. The important thing is
that students took part so positively in the process.
Mr C Tysom (Director of Post-16 Studies)
Mr A Jarrett (Assistant Headteacher: Ethos)
RS - YEAR 7 HOMEWORK
"In Term 4, all Year 7 students completed a
Homework Project based on the Worship Unit of
work they studied in class.
Students investigated acts and places of worship
from a variety of religious traditions, and had the
opportunity to design their own place of worship.
RS teachers were very impressed with the amount
of effort and enthusiasm
that was put into so
many of the projects.
Well done Year 7!
Mr Russell
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HOUSE NEWS
Current points total 2015
and contestants were filmed completing these
challenges. The film was then edited by Jack Perry
and Richard Green and shown to the rest of the
school during registration time.
A number of staff also took part in ‘I’m a Teacher Get
Me Out Of Here!’ and gained additional points for
their Houses for each Box Tucker Trial completed.
We would like to say a big Thank You to Mr Allen
and Mr Freer who took part in this competition.
Newton: 590
Nightingale: 722
Churchill: 694
Redgrave: 617
A video of highlights from this competition will be
available to view on the website soon!
I’m a Student Get Me Out Of Here!
Last term we ran our competition for KS4 students
based on the popular television show ‘I’m a
Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!’. Two students
per House were selected by their Heads of House
to participate in ‘Box Tucker Trials’ and win points
for their House. After each trial one student was
eliminated from the competition with the final four
contestants competing in the Grand Final to gain
the title King or Queen of The Box.
Congratulations to our four finalists; Craig Foster,
Laurence Day, Katie Longden and Jack Francis. All
four students battled it out on a bungee run in front
of a live audience. An amazing performance by
Laurence Day who was crowned King of the Box for
Newton House
The Box Tucker Trials; assault course, chubby
bunny and paint twister took place after school
Upcoming Events
The next event taking place this term is The
Great BOX Bake Off! Students will be filmed
taking part in a signature bake, technical
challenge and the finalists will compete for
Star BOX Baker in the showstopper!
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DEPARTMENT FEATURE
Our Maths Team
Welcome to the Henry Box Maths Department
I certainly have been made to feel very welcome
since starting here in September.
All 11 maths teachers love their subject and are
dedicated to developing the students’ mathematical
reasoning and understanding. It works too! Last
summer the department achieved outstanding
GCSE results.
Building on this success, we are busy preparing for
the new GCSE and KS3 curriculum but also making
the most of any opportunity we get to share our
love of mathematics. Highlights for me began
with a trip to Oxford University for 60 Sixth Form
Maths Buddies
Once a week, throughout Terms 3 and 4, I have had
the pleasure of working with a small group of ten
Year 7 and six Year 10 students in a maths session
for an hour after school on a Wednesday afternoon.
The group was given the name ‘Maths Buddies’
before we had even been introduced, but I think
we have all since agreed that ‘real maths buddies’
is what we have become…!
Over the course of twelve weekly sessions, the
older students have worked as ‘mentors’ with
either one or two of their younger counterparts, to
help them develop their understanding of a range
of fundamental maths skills including number
properties, basic arithmetic, money, measurement
and how to answer ‘word problems’ such as are
often found in written test situations.
MATHS
mathematicians to hear Andrew Wiles’ lecture,
followed by our best ever 5th place in the UK Team
Maths Challenge, another year of our universally
popular Primary Masterclasses, a whole Year 7
Puzzle Day and the launch of “Maths Buddies”.
Maths in school really isn’t just about passing exams
(but please keep revising Year 11) - learning to
think mathematically leads to improved problem
solving skills, processing ability, communication of
logical argument, accuracy and resilience. It can
also be a joy in itself, solving a challenging puzzle
can’t fail to make you feel satisfied. Of course it is
also an invaluable tool in a wide range of careers,
which brings me to my final point. Although we are
entering serious revision time now for our exam
groups, we have another new event in our plans.
If you use mathematics as part of your job, please
consider Miss Willis’s request for volunteers to come
and share what you do - more details on page 1.
Mrs Dasgupta - Head of Maths
The original plan had been that the Y10s would
support the Y7s in completing twelve mini
booklets at the rate of one each week, but it
soon became apparent that more time would
be needed if the students were to develop their
skills properly, and it has since been agreed that
we will continue to meet during Terms 5 and 6.
Cont’d......
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DEPARTMENT FEATURE
MATHS
...As the Spring term sessions came to an end, all
the students focused on evaluating the time they
had spent together, using ‘mindmaps’ to review
what they had learned, and SWOT analysis grids
to record perceived ‘Strengths’, ‘Weaknesses’,
‘Opportunities’ and ‘Threats’ - not just in relation
to the development of their collective ‘maths skills’,
but also to their growth as ‘teachers’ and ‘learners’.
I said in my opening paragraph that I had the
‘pleasure’ of coordinating the group and I really
mean it: the Year 7s’ commitment to improving
their confidence and competence has been
impressive, but it is the dedicated patience,
enthusiasm and maturity of the Year 10s that has
been truly outstanding. I am also grateful to Lynne
Miles for her ongoing cheerful support and for
her suggestion that our Year 10s should receive a
certificate of achievement which they can add to
their school profiles.
Each year we enter students from all year groups
for the three challenges. The Junior challenge (Year
7 – 8) is taking place in Term 5 and the Senior (Year
12 – 13) and Intermediate (Year 9 – 11) challenges
have already taken place in Terms 2 and 3.
To conclude, I think the fact that ALL of the
students have accepted the school’s kind invitation
to ‘sign up’ for another two terms of ‘Maths
Buddies’ says it all, and I am truly looking forward
to supporting them as they continue to work on
closing their mathematical gaps and increasing
their mathematical potential.
Mrs Rudd
UKMT Maths Challenges
The UKMT Individual Maths Challenges are lively,
intriguing multiple choice question papers, which
are designed to stimulate interest in maths in large
numbers of students. The three levels [Senior,
Intermediate and Junior] attract over 600,000
entries from over 4,000 schools and colleges each
year. The most successful participants at each level
are invited to enter follow-on rounds; Kangaroos
(multiple choice questions) or Olympiads requiring
full written answers.
In the Intermediate challenge, 55 students achieved
either Bronze, Silver or Gold awards and we had
five students qualify for the follow-on rounds.
Congratulations to Joe Taylor, Matthew Lock, Ewan
Harper, Matthew Zollman and George Daniel! Also,
a huge thank you to all of our teachers for helping
the students to prepare for these challenges,
in particular to Mrs Fogden who organised and
coordinated all of the practice materials and lead
up sessions too.
As well as the individual challenges, we are also
invited each year to the UKMT Team Maths Challenge
regional finals. This event promotes mathematical
dexterity, teamwork and communication skills. It
also gives students the opportunity to compete
against students from other schools in their region.
This year Mrs Dasgupta took two Year 8 and two
Year 9 students with her to Oxford: George Daniel,
Heather Woods, Hannah Fenwick and Alby Stokes.
They worked fantastically together and their hard
work paid off! They came 5th out of 24 schools so a
big congratulations to them too!
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LEARNING RESOURCES
World Book Night – 23rd April
The Library handed out free copies of ‘My Sister
lives on the Mantelpiece’ to celebrate World Book
Night on the 23rd April - all of the books going
before lunch time!
The aim is to promote reading by sharing stories for
free and encouraging those with a book to read it
and then pass it on to someone else to enjoy.
Oxfordshire Book Awards 2015
The Library Book Club took part again in nominating
their favourite books from the Oxfordshire Book
Awards shortlist and many of them will be able
to attend the awards later in the year. Many
schools from across the county voted and the
overall winner was ‘She is Not Invisible’ by Marcus
Sedgwick. Highly recommended by all those who
read the book!
Carnegie Book Awards 2015
The Book Club is now shadowing the Carnegie Book
Awards and are making their way through the shortlist,
with books that include ‘More Than This’ by Patrick
Ness, ‘Apple and Rain’ by Sarah Crossan and ‘Tinder’
by Sally Gardner.
The group, who meet regularly on a Monday lunch
time and will always welcome new members, have
set up a new Carnegie web page and will vote in the
middle of June for their favourites.
A celebration day will be held here at The Henry Box
School Library on 22nd June, where local schools will
come together for a fun day of activities and cake.
Readathon
Many many thanks to all those parents of Year 7
and 8 students who supported their child to read
and raise money for this year’s Readathon.
Once again they managed to raise an amazing
£1071.50 that will all go towards children’s charities
and the good work that they do.
It was very impressive the level of commitment
that a lot of the students showed and it is hoped it
may have encouraged a few more hours of reading!
Mrs Jones
BOX ROCKS
Snow in Snowdonia!
The Box Rocks team encountered their first taste of
real weather, when seven plucky souls braved the
wind and rain to undertake conservation work with
the Snowdonia Society on Saturday 2 May, clearing
the invasive rhododendrons from the flanks of
Snowdon itself. This was followed by a snowy
ascent into Cwm Idwal where we experienced
some serious terrain for the first time and managed
to ascend to about 600 metres before the weather,
and illness, curtailed our plans. All good experience
in preparation for the main event in July!
Mr White
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ICT - YEAR 9 HOMEWORK
As part of the Year 9 scheme of work for ICT and
Computing this year, all groups were asked to
undertake a 6 week robot project. The main idea
behind this project was to get students thinking
more about programming and how important it is
in the real world. The project itself was split into 3
main tasks;
• Design a robot
• Plan a route to and from school
• Create 2 algorithms to undertake a household
based task.
Firstly the design of the robot was crucial as this
would allow the robot to undertake various tasks
later in the brief, ensuring the robot could perform
functions such as being able to hold onto items
or being able to move from one place to another.
Many students produced some very detailed paper
based designs of robots and some students created
actual physical models of their robots.
The next task was given over to working out a route
from one place to another. The main idea here was
to plan a route from home to school and back again
by only giving program based commands that the
robot would able to make sense of such as forward,
left or right.
The final task was to create 2 algorithms to help
the robots undertake at least 2 tasks in the home.
This could have been anything from making a cup
of tea to mowing the lawn. Each task needed to
be divided up
into
distinct
stages
so
instead of commanding a robot to ‘make a cup of
tea’ it would begin by ensuring there was water in
the kettle, boiling the kettle, getting a mug and so
on. Again this helped to get students into thinking
how computer systems can break tasks down into
manageable chunks.
Overall the reaction to the project was very positive
with some truly impressive work submitted.
Students really enjoyed the process of creating
their robots and really created their own little
worlds for them to inhabit. We now look forward to
the future when we set the project again next year!
Mr Parry
PE - NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Looking ahead to our Sports Award Evening in
Term 6 we are hoping to invite a guest speaker,
as we did at our previous awards evening last
summer.
Last year we were in the very fortunate position of
having Paralympic swimmer, Graham Edmunds, in
school working with one of our students. He gladly
accepted our invitation to speak at this event, and
has now set the bar high for us - he was a fantastic
guest; inspirational, captivating for students and
adults alike and of course had his Olympic story and
medals to share with us all.
There are many sportsmen and women who offer
their services as speakers at such events, but of
course they come at a financial cost.
If you have any sporting connections
we would be very grateful if you could
contact them on our behalf, or contact
Miss Jackson in the PE Department.
Many thanks for your help.
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DEPARTMENT FEATURE
History Staff
It has been another exciting term in the Henry
Box History Department. Our Year 7s have been
studying the limits of monarchical power through
the Middle Ages, looking at the murder of Thomas
Beckett, the Peasants’ Revolt and the War of the
Roses. Year 8 have been exploring the darker
side of the British Empire with a look at the rise
and abolition of the transatlantic slave trade,
while Year 9 have been
investigating the rise of
fascism in the inter-war
period and the reasons
for Europe’s descent
into another World War.
After another successful year of castle projects by
Year 7, we have been greeted with some equally
fantastic projects by Year 8 on slavery and the life
of Olaudah Equiano; well done to all Year 8s who
put a lot of time and effort into their projects and a
thank you to parents who supported their children
with this.
In Term 5, as the summer exams begin we will
bid farewell to some Year 11 students and our
Year 13 students; they have been a pleasure to
teach and we wish them all the best with their
future endeavours. We wish all Year 11, 12 and 13
students sitting exams this summer the very best of
luck with their examinations.
For those Year 11 students returning for Sixth Form,
they will meet our new A level syllabus which has
HISTORY
now been streamlined into a module on the War
of the Roses and a module on Russian History.
The biggest change comes to the coursework
component for Year 13 which provides students
with much greater freedom and independence
to research and write about a topic of personal
interest under the guide and supervision of a
teacher in the department. The members of the
department have a range of history specialisms and
therefore will be able to tutor students on a broad
variety of areas that they may wish to focus on. This
module has been adopted with university study in
mind and we are confident it will provide Henry
Box students with an intellectually challenging but
rewarding experience and be excellent preparation
for undergraduate study, not only in history but all
subjects.
Our most recent student survey boasted excellent
feedback from our students. Particular highlights
were that nearly 90% of students felt they were
making good – excellent progress, 90% of students
felt their behaviour was mostly good – excellent,
92% of students said they enjoyed history and 92%
of students said that teachers’ marking was useful.
These figures were very pleasing to hear but we
will continue to strive to raise student satisfaction
further. Mr Allen
First World War Battlefields Trip
At the end of February, Year 11 students Theodora
Laird and Thomas Ashby accompanied by Mr Lacey
visited the World War One
battlefields as part of the
government’s First World War
centenary project. Over the
four days the students visited
many sights of historical
significance
including
the
Thiepval
memorial
commemorating all those
who died during the Battle of
the Somme, the Flanders...
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...museum in Ypres and the Tyne Cot cemetery, the
largest allied First World War cemetery in Europe.
The students said their
particular
highlights
included the Last Post
ceremony at the Menin
gate in Ypres and the
Tyne Cot cemetery. The
students were selected
to go on the trip after
winning a competition to research the life and
experiences of a former Henry Box student who
fought in the Great War. Both students were
fortunate enough to visit the memorials of soldiers
they had researched and pay their respects, which
was a powerful experience for both of them. Both
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Tom and Theo praised the opportunity to visit the
battlefields as extremely valuable, and overall they
found the trip incredibly insightful and moving.
The Henry Box History Department hopes to
resume trips to the First World War battlefields for
Year 9 students from next year.
ART - TATE VISIT
In March a group of 70 Year 10 GCSE Art Graphics
and Art & Design students visited the Tate Modern
gallery in London. Here are some of their responses
to this experience:
‘Going to a gallery is different because you can
really take in the features and textures and get a
proper feel for the art work; you are able to see the
real scale.’
‘I wanted to stare at it for hours just to get my head
around it…I’m still trying to figure out some parts.’
‘Whilst looking at the work I felt a sense of confusion
because there was a lot to take
in. It was overwhelming.’
‘The work was called ‘What
is the shape of this problem?’
that made me think about what
it (the artwork) actually means.’
‘I remember this art work because I am interested
in the way the text and images didn’t link... they
were confusing and unusual things to put together.‘
‘My experience of looking at this artwork was wow!
This is weird and cool. I didn’t like it at first but I
remember it the most…it made me question.’
‘Seeing the art work has helped developed my
knowledge of how to present my work and what
materials I want to experiment with during lessons.’
Ms Davidson
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SPORTS NEWS
All England Badminton
Tournament Trip
Mr Allen and Mr Gilkes accompanied the lower
school badminton team to the All England
Badminton Tournament at the Barclaycard Arena in
Birmingham in Term 4. The students had a fantastic
time watching world class badminton and picking
up tips to improve their own game as two students
describe below...Mr Gilkes
FIXTURE RESULTS
Aegon Tennis Results
U13 Boys’ Tennis
Henry Box beat Wood Green 8-4
U15 Boys’ Tennis
Henry Box beat Wood Green 7-6
Sainsbury’s School Games U12 and U13 Final
5th Place
Netball
U12
V Marlborough lost 5-4
V Burford drew 3-3
U13
V Marlborough lost 9-6
V Burford lost 4-2
U14
V Carterton won 15-3
V Bartholomew lost 12-2
U15
V Burford lost 24-3
U19
V Burford lost 26-4
Boys’ Football
U12
V Burford won 4-2
‘Being at the Birmingham Arena watching the
Badminton was a truly thrilling experience. We saw
many great players including the No 1 seed singles
player. There were lots of great matches which
finished in dramatic style making the crowd go
wild. If you were not watching the amazing game
then there was the opportunity to play wheelchair
badminton or buy a new racquet as well as shops to
buy food and drinks from. Ultimately it was a great
experience that helped us improve our badminton
and we would highly recommend it to anyone who
is interested in the sport.’
James Hempstead - Will Thomas
U13
V Burford won 8-2
U14
V Gosford Hill won 3-2 County Cup Semi Final
V Bartholomew won 4-2
V Gosford won 3-1 AET County Cup Semi Final
U15
U16
U19
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SPORTS NEWS - CUP WINNERS
Henry Box soaked up a lot of Cherwell pressure;
a series of sublime saves from Andrew Hunt kept
them ahead and the final whistle could not come
soon enough. When it did the Witney boys were
elated, and understandably so. All boys in the
squad have played with the passion, commitment
and the maturity associated with a top quality
team and they thoroughly deserve their results;
the staff at The Henry Box School are truly proud of
their achievements throughout the year.
The Henry Box School Year 9s have had an
unbeaten season this year. The squad have played
with commitment and purpose throughout and
have been rewarded by winning the West Oxon
Football League and the County Cup. It was not an
easy road through to the cup final with the boys
narrowly scraping through their previous match
with Gosford Hill School, winning in extra time. A
last minute surge from the Witney boys resulted in
two late goals coming from Henry Marcucci with a
fine header and Harry Stanley with a magnificent
left footed strike from range.
The Schools County Cup Football Final was held at
Oxford City on their main pitch and Cherwell School
were the opposition. There is history between the
two teams as Cherwell School were the victors in
last year’s County Cup Final encounter.
The game started quickly with both teams looking
to take an early lead. Henry Box came close to
scoring a number of times in the first half with a
Henry Marcucci header hitting the crossbar and
Lewis Westwood and James Tudge both finding
the post. Towards the end of the half it looked like
the Witney boys were going to take the lead but a
fantastic stop from the Cherwell keeper prevented
a superb strike from Harry Stanley. It was not until
the dying minutes of the game that Henry Box took
the lead. A Ryan Holmes’ free kick from 30 yards out
found its way perfectly into the top corner, lobbing
the Cherwell keeper. With 10 minutes to play
Mr Chilvers
GIRLS’ FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the U14 Girls’ Football team
who made it through to the County Cup Final
against The Marlborough School. The girls’ team,
which comprised of Year 8 and Year 9 students,
played a fantastic game. In the first half the
score was 3-1 with a fantastic goal from Georgia
Hodgetts, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough
and Marlborough took a strong lead going into
the second half. Sam Holliday saved some fantastic
goals in the second half, allowing only 1 goal to be
conceded. The final score at the end of the game
was 4-1. The girls played brilliantly and worked
really well as a team. Many thanks to Amy and
Barney for their coaching over the last three years
helping to progress the skill level of the girls and
building a strong team.
Thank you again! Miss Wood
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GOVERNING BOARD UPDATE
Mr Alex Holmes
Parent Governor
Having grown up in
Eynsham I first moved
to Witney at the tender
age of 21; after a hiatus
of a few years living in
the City, my wife and I
moved back “home” in
2011. I have a strong attachment to the town, with
family and friends all based here; my wife is an expupil of the school, and my daughter is naturally a
current Henry Box student. I am strongly committed
to trying to help the school make the most effective
use of inevitably finite resources to provide the
best environment for all students to fulfil their full
potential.
Currently Departmental Administrator (‘Business
Manager’ by another name!) at the University
of Oxford Department of Paediatrics, I have
a number of years’ experience in finance and
accounting, personnel and facilities management,
and fundraising and development for small and
large capital projects in both the public and private
sectors.
I now call upon this background as a member of the
Finance and Resources committee for The Henry
Box School, where I shall succeed Clive Francis as
Chair when Clive steps down after many years of
dedicated service in September 2015.
Prior to joining the University in 2007, I managed
accounts and fundraising activity for six healthcare
charities across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and
Buckinghamshire (including the campaign to raise
money to build the Children’s Hospital where I
now work). I also spent several years working as
a registered nurse, specialising in Respiratory and
later Trauma care.
Away from work (although perhaps related to it),
I have a strong interest in science (particularly
healthcare-related) and technology, and love music
(having played the guitar for many years), old
sports cars, and large motorcycles. If pushed, I’ll
admit to secretly believing that the Gretsch Chet
Atkins Model, the Porsche 911, and the Triumph
Bonneville should all be regarded as 20th century
works of art!
The Henry Box School Parent Governors
Mr Stuart Clarke
(Safeguarding Governor)
Mr Clive Francis
Mrs Helen Marshall
(Health Safety & Wellbeing Governor)
Mr Ric Mellis
Mr Alex Holmes
Mr Paul Maycock
If you wish to contact the governors please email
[email protected]
Mrs Tracy Hodges, Clerk to the Governing Board
13
WORK SKILLS
We were delighted to have Mark Saville from Special
Effect in Charlbury (www.specialeffect.org.uk) visit
the Year 10 Work Skills group at the start of Term
5 to show them the impact volunteer work can
have. Special Effect is a charity that uses technology
to enhance the quality of life of people with
physical disabilities by enabling them to play video
games. Mark demonstrated different technologies
which they adapt and use to help disabled people
participate and emphasised the vital contribution
that volunteers can make by donating their time and
expertise.
Congratulations to Brendan Neale who came first in
the DiRT Rally race-off using Eye-Gaze technology
to steer the car through eye movement only.
Hello, my name is Nixon.
I am a breeding guide dog
and I am 20 months old.
Today some students
from The Henry Box
School in Year 10 came to
see me at my workplace
at the National Breeding
Centre for Guide Dogs
to find out about
volunteering. I showed
them the sensory tunnel
where they found out
what it was like to be blind. I then taught them
how to put a harness on a guide dog. I made sure
they were all blindfolded for that too!
I showed them some puppies which were only 6
weeks old and how guide dogs can help their blind
owners when going up and down stairs. My walker,
Dawn, explained the different roles available to
volunteers in this organisation.
I hope the students found the visit informative and
I would like to say a special thank you to Damian
Bembnista for taking such a handsome photo of me.
Mr Stewart
SOCIOLOGY - EASTER REVISION FOR SOCIOLOGY
During the Easter holidays my Year 13 Sociology
class came in for a morning to revise with the help
of former students. Many of the former students
are now taking their finals at university – so it was
great to hear from them about how to revise and
organise notes.
The students paired up and we spent an intense
two hours revising Global Development and Crime
and Deviance.
A huge thank you to Shannon Baker, Annie Haynes,
Chloe Lathey, Joe Townsend, Kirstie Collings, Laura
Say and Hannah Stokes for giving up a morning of
their Easter holiday to help the Year 13s.
Mrs Wells
14
W
IN
N
ER
ENGLISH BUDDIES - COMPETITION WINNERS
Not only have nine Year 7 students shown
determination to improve their writing skills
by attending English Buddies every Wednesday
after school for the last 12 weeks, but they have
also produced some very professional looking
newspaper articles.
By looking at how punctuation and language is
used within real newspapers, students have worked
hard to replicate the style and accuracy employed
by journalists. The writing created by all of the
students shows significant improvement from the
levels assessed at the start of the course, but more
importantly, these students now feel more confident
in using the rules of writing that they will need in the
world of the work.
Too many students demonstrated too much
perseverance for us to only pick one winner, but after
much deliberation, we finally had to decide upon
awarding first prize to Katie Moran, second prize to
Harley Dore, and third prize to Ben Thompson, with
too many runners up to mention!
Fifteen new Year 7 students started English
Buddies this term and we look forward to seeing
the magnificent newspaper articles that they are
working towards. If you would like more information
on ways to support your child’s literacy, please
contact [email protected]
Miss Woodbury - Intervention Teacher (Literacy)
15
MFL
German Exchange 2015
The MFL Department is delighted to be participating
in this year’s German Exchange with Unterhaching,
Witney’s town in the south of Germany. On
Thursday 19th March our fourteen guests arrived
to stay with host families from Year 9. Our students
were both excited and nervous as the coach pulled
up on Church Green. Friday saw our German
visitors in school for a busy day exploring the school
site and doing a treasure trail around Witney. They
also participated in a Drama lesson led by Miss
Sherwood and were hosted to tea and cakes by
Mrs Kidd’s Year 7 class. Our Year 13 A level German
students were excited to be able to practise their
skills on our guests. After weekends full of trips
out with their host families, the rest of the week
saw the German group in London, Warwick and
Oxford visiting the sights and shopping for those
all-important souvenirs. Our return trip is fast
approaching with early morning flights booked for
Thursday 25th June. The programme will involve
cultural visits and the opportunity to enjoy the
beautiful scenery of Bavaria as well as to improve
our language skills. Thank you to all the parents
and students at Henry Box who made our guests so
welcome on the first leg of the trip and to the staff
at Wood Green School with whom we are sharing
this important experience and who did so much to
ensure the smooth running of the trips.
Ms Mainwaring
CHESS CLUB - NEWS
Last term The
Henry Box Chess
Club took part
in The Delancey
Chess Challenge.
This is a national
chess challenge.
Players
gain
points for each
game they play
and can win a
variety of prizes
including badges,
mascots, stickers,
books and a final
trophy.
Alfie Rolfe in 7H
won all his seven
games – including one against Mr Hale. This is a
phenomenal achievement. Alfie now goes through
to play in the Delancey Mega Final in Oxford. He is
joined by Reegan Lee, James Hempstead, George
Daniel and James Bellamy who all scored 15 points
or more. Good luck to all of them.
This term we are running our own version of the
Delancey Challenge. We are always keen to have
new players – beginners are welcome. We meet on
a Tuesday at 3.10pm in the Library.
For more information please see
Mrs Wells/Mrs Jones.
16
THE HENRY BOX SKI AND SNOWBOARD TRIP 2015
In the first week of the Easter holiday, 42 students
and 6 staff headed off to the Italian Alps to learn
or to develop their skiing or snowboarding.
We stayed in a small village called La Thuile which
is very close to Mont Blanc and is reached by the
road which features in the original version of the
film “The Italian Job”. Students had a wide range of
abilities, from beginner to experienced. However
no matter where they started from, all students
made excellent progress on the slopes. For the first
time in 13 years of Henry Box going to Italy skiing,
we had some seriously shocking weather. For the
first four days we faced cutting winds and blizzards.
Our students were unfazed by this and made the
best of the situation with a (frozen!) smile! We
were rightly rewarded with a final two days of blue
sky skiing.
All of the students were a pleasure to take away
and perfectly represented themselves, you the
parents and our school. To summarise how great
the students were I want to share a quote from
the lead coach driver to the students: “ You kids
have been so well behaved, and that is a credit to
you and your teachers”.
Mr Blois
CLASSROOM MEDICS
On 23rd March students in Years 9-13 took part in
a Healthcare Careers Workshop run by Classroom
Medics.
Students had a chance to see inside of their
eyes, practice taking blood, record their ECG, use
Ultrasound to see their bones, nerves and organs
and also to practice keyhole surgery. This involved
using a range of equipment that is utilised in
hospitals and healthcare for treatment and as
training tools for healthcare professionals.
This was in part supported by a grant from the
Royal Institution and allowed students to see that
there are a huge range of career options that are
realistic career paths for all of our students.
Dr Hagan
17
NOTICES
Head Lice
There has been a reported cas
e of headlice in Year 9
Please be vigilant with checkin
g your child’s hair so
that these rare outbreaks are
controlled.
Tea tree shampoo and conditi
oner combed through
can be very effective or speak
to our school health
nurses on 01993 866120 for
advice.
OLVE
HAT INV
T
MATHisS!
bas
a regular
n
o
ls
il
k
s
to hear
e Maths
ould love
If you us
w
e
w
n
e
b, th
.
in your jo
from you
and
CAREERS
nts
ur stude
inspire o
to
g
short
a
in
k
o
to give
We are lo
e you in
it
use
v
in
y
to
e
how ou
would lik
r job and
u
o
y
n
o
tion
basis.
presenta
n a daily
Maths o
please
ou then
y
e
b
ld
u
o
owing:
ink this c
f the foll
o
e
n
If you th
o
ia
v
iss Willis
contact M
703955
ne 01993
Telepho
kk
.scchh.u.u
bboox.oxxoonn.s
ry
ry
n
n
e
e
h
h
@
@
lisce
il aailw: oilffi
EmEam
Help our Alumni network grow by
spreading the word and encouraging
your friends to sign up!
http://networks.futurefirst.org.uk/
former-stude…/thehenrybox
about local
For further details
portunities,
apprenticeship op
site
please see our web
on.sch.uk >
www.henrybox.ox
ers
Information> Care
Year 11 W
h
ite polo sh
ir
t
s - £6
There are
still a few
whit
Year 11 st
udents wo e polo shirts left if
any
uld like to
(some stu
purchase
den
one
a momento ts have used them
in the past
or for sign
as
atures fro
m friends
and
staff)
Please con
tact the n
urse on 01
ask the st
993 84810
udents to
7 or
pop in to
enquire
18
2015-16
TERM 6
Term begins
Term ends
Monday, 1st June 2015
Friday, 17th July 2015 at 12 noon
TERM 1
Term begins
Term ends
Years 7 and 12 - Wednesday, 2nd September 2015
Whole School - Thursday, 3rd September 2015
Friday, 23rd October 2015 at 3.05pm
TERM 2
Term begins
Term ends
Monday, 2nd November 2015
Thursday, 17th December 2015 at 12 noon
TERM 3
Term begins
Term ends
Tuesday, 5th January 2016
Friday, 12th February 2016 at 3.05pm
TERM 4
Term begins
Term ends
Monday, 22nd February 2016
Thursday, 24th March 2016 at 3.05pm
TERM 5
Term begins
Term ends
Monday, 11th April 2016
Friday, 27th May 2016 at 3.05pm
TERM 6
Term begins
Term ends
Monday, 6th June 2016
Wednesday, 20th July 2016 at 12 noon
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
JUNE 2015
JULY 2015
1st
Term 6 begins
8th
Year 7 Residential St. Briavels Week 1
Year 12 return to lessons
15th
22th
29th
24th End of public exams
25th
German Exchange - Unterhaching
26th
Sixth Form trip to Birmingham University
2nd
2nd
3rd
6th 7th
8th
9th
10th-12th
12th-16th
13th
13th-17th
14th-16th
20th
Art/D&T Exhibition
Year 12 trip to Cambridge University
Sixth Form Induction Day
New Year 7 Induction Day
Lower School Presentation Evening
Year 10 Sports Day
Sports Award Evening
New Year 7 Tutors Evening
Three Peaks Challenge
Music Tour - Paris
KS3 Sports Day
Year 10 Work Experience
Enrichment Days
Term 6 Ends
Staff available for work days:
Friday 22nd May 2015 @ 3.05pm
Wednesday, 25th November 2015
Term ends
Friday, 18th December 2015
Monday, 4th January 2016
TERM 5
Monday, 20th July 2015
Tuesday, 1st September 2015
Friday, 2nd October 2015
2014-15
TERM DATES

Parents` Newsletter Term 5 2015

Transcription

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