Christmas 2014. - Princes Risborough School

PRINCES RISBOROUGH SCHOOL
Newsletter
Volume 11 Number 1. December 2014
Happy Christmas to everyone!
Another bumper edition full of the many and varied activities which we have come to
expect from PRS. Obviously the opening of the Community Sports Hall has been a
wonderful moment this term but equally things like the changes to our ‘Rewards’
system (see page 17) and our new ‘Challenge Tasks (page 18) will have a direct
effect on the aspiration and achievement of all our students … Aim High!
Can I also take this opportunity to thank Mr Halsey, the editor of this newsletter, who
is retiring at Christmas. This edition is a fitting legacy for all his hard work: thanks Phil!
Ho ho ho!
Pete Rowe
Executive Headteacher
OPENING OF THE COMMUNITY SPORTS CENTRE
The Sports Centre has four changing
rooms each of which contain a toilet and
two showers. The water can be isolated so
that the showers could be safely used as a
private changing area. Upstairs there is a
fitness area overlooking the sports hall and
a dance studio with sprung floor, ballet
barres and full height mirrors as well as a
stunning view across the Chilterns.
Students have worked with Ercol, the
Princes Risborough based furniture
company to design the Terrace Café and
Ercol have donated the furniture to equip
the café and to help give the building the
feeling of a high quality community sports
centre that the school will use. PRS
students have also designed the artwork
that appears on the big windows. The
sports figures are some of the talented
sports stars from the school.
Mike Bushell, from BBC Breakfast commented on the “Harry Potter” style sink in
the toilets. He also paid tribute to Mr Tuffin
and the PE department for developing
such a high performing department with
such poor facilities. Mr Tuffin has waited 12
years to have a facility like this and we look
forward to the new opportunities that this
will bring.
Olympic silver medallist and former world badminton champion, Gail Emms MBE, has
officially opened our brand new Community Sports Centre. Gail played and coached
badminton with students in the afternoon. She spoke at the opening event about
making the best of your opportunities and being determined to succeed. She also
spoke about her joy at still being able to beat PE teachers!
Equipment to improve the provision of badminton, basketball, netball and gymnastics
has been arriving in the last week and the gym equipment donated by Bucks New
University has been installed. The fully-equipped, dual-use facility will greatly
increase sporting opportunities for students as well as providing an area where someone can improve their own fitness in a more private environment.
The Princes Risborough Photographic
Society have produced a record of the
progression of the building works with commentary and music written and
performed by our students. This can be
viewed by clicking on the following linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=622x_i16KbI&feature=youtu.be&safe=active
There will also be dates on our website
when the building will be open for the
general public to view. On these dates
local clubs will be on hand to give the
opportunity to try out sports such as Badminton, Cricket, Basketball and Netball.
The new building has been funded by an
Education Funding Agency grant and
1
Continued on page 2
Buckinghamshire County Council. As mentioned earlier the
inside of the sports centre has been furnished through contribution of furniture from Ercol; and the fitness equipment
supplied by Bucks New University; the students have raised
£20,000 in sponsorship to purchase improved PE and gymnastics equipment as well as to expand the other sports from
our one court gym into this new five court facility.
The CSC will be open to community groups from 6pm to
10pm in the evening, at weekends and holiday times.
The evening ended with a spectacular firework display.
There are exciting times ahead when our students and the
local community can enjoy this fantastic facility for many
years to come.
Mr I. Moore
Community Sports Centre Coordinator
Art & French trip to Paris - December 2014
At midnight on Wednesday night, our 32 lovely (and surprisingly not so sleepy) Year 9 students boarded the coach that
would take them to the French capital for a 3-day culturepacked visit.
Starting with Notre-Dame on Thursday morning, they walked
along the River Seine to reach the Christmas market at the
bottom of the Champs-Elysees before being exposed to some
famous Impressionist Art in the amazing Musée d'Orsay.
After a restful night at the hostel, the second day started with a
cruise on the Bateaux-Mouches, followed by a visit to the Louvre and its Mona Lisa, a tour on the Great Wheel at the Place
de la Concorde for some and chi-chi’s for others and a nocturnal chance to go up the Eiffel Tower and see Paris by night.
Unfortunately, the weather was not so clement this year so on
Saturday morning, after driving past the Moulin-Rouge and
around Montmartre, it was "Au revoir, Paris!" and a final opportunity to get some Christmas presents for the family before
returning home.
As usual, all students were wonderful company and a credit to the
school, making the most of the opportunity given to them to discover
original works of Art and try out their French. To name but only a
few, Calum Collins was the group's photographer while Olivier never
ceased to be amazed by the number of police cars. Ben F-S couldn't
get over the number of pharmacies, Jacob and Ben had the chance
to get a make-up session and Dagmara and Charlotte entertained us
in the Tunnel with their cartwheels. Callum and Adam wore their
Paris cap proudly whilst Harry enjoyed stirring the Anglo-French
alliance by questioning aspects of the Napoleonic Wars and the
construction of the Eurotunnel!
All had a great time and it was a good way to say goodbye to
Ellayne who is now leaving the school for Norfolk. Many thanks to all
and to Mr Carberry, Mrs Dunford and Mr Mace for their support.
Joyeux Noel a tous.
Madame Robson
Here are some comments from our students.
'We all had a brilliant time in Paris on the French and Art Trip.
The art galleries we visited were amazing and it was good to see
paintings in real life. The scale, textures and colours are so different
to pictures in books or on the internet. We visited many historic
buildings and the Eiffel Tower at night which I really enjoyed.'
Thank you for a brilliant time Madame Robson.
Calum Collins
‘As an Art student I’m used to looking up paintings online and seeing
how big they are, but seeing the paintings with your own eyes was
amazing.’
‘We managed to go up the Eiffel Tower even though it was late at
night. Despite the rain we could still see all the wonderful sights of
Paris. We saw the Arc de Triomphe lit up in an orange glow and the
big wheel in the direction of the Louvre.’
Sarah H
‘The French Art trip was amazing, being able to see through the
eyes of artists’, to see what they were thinking when they painted
was overwhelming. And as for the French architecture it was beautiful with such intricate patterns and detail.’
Lydia Dark
2
MATHS NEWS
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Useful Maths Websites:
Do you have a spare few hours in your week?
Do you enjoy Maths?
Do you want to put your skills to good use?
The vibrant Maths department at PRS are looking for volunteer
adult professionals as classroom assistants to support in Maths
lessons.
Please contact: [email protected]
for more details.
Online lessons, interactive content and instant feedback.
www.mymathspilot.co.uk
Rich Maths tasks for all ages.
http://nrich.maths.org/frontpage
Online GCSE questions with instant feedback.
www.studymaths.co.uk
GCSE Bitesize.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/z6pfb9q
ChristMaths
Tutorials and questions to guide you through learning.
https://www.khanacademy.org/
Try this Maths puzzle (answer on page 20)
Elf Suits
For adults: How good is your maths?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/maths
Mrs Claus made four of the workshop elves new suits for
Christmas.
Each suit had matching trousers, waistcoat, jacket and hat.
One suit was all red, one was all green, one was all yellow and
one was all blue. The elves were delighted with their presents, but
decided it would be fun to wear a different outfit every day for as
many days as possible. So they agreed to swap around parts of
their suits until they ran out of new combinations.
How many days did their fun last?
Senior Team Maths Challenge
Four sixth form students took part in the Maths Challenge event
at The John Colet School, Wendover on Wednesday 26th
November. The afternoon consisted of four challenging rounds of
different activities competing against lots of schools in Buckinghamshire.
Maths Surgery
The first round was a team task of ten questions in all fields of
Maths. The second was a crossword but with numbers, and one
team had the down clues and the other had the across clues, this
made it extremely tricky. The third round was where two people
completed a question which was then needed to answer the next
question. The afternoon was very exciting and enjoyable, and
although the team didn’t rank they were excellent representatives
of PRS and its values.
Struggling with your Maths?
Homework or Classwork?
Come to M16 on a Tuesday lunchtime for some friendly help
from both teachers and students.
A huge thank you to; Matt Ludlow, Ryan Gay, Lois Kelly, Olwen
Belgrove and Mr Terjung for their hard work and positive attitudes.
Maths in the News
We have organised a Year 10 Team to enter a similar competition in March - Please see Mrs Connelly if you are interested in
competing.
Please see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment29746430 for the complete article
Rosetta mission: Can you land on a comet?
After 10 years, and a journey of more than six billion kilometres,
the Rosetta spacecraft sent its fridge-sized Philae lander down to
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
We hope you enjoyed reading about our exciting Maths projects
and take advantage of the help and advice available to you
throughout the school year.
Miss Lister
Head of Maths
3
Our final stops before departure were the Tyne Cot and Langemark cemeteries. Tyne Cot (British) had thousands of graves and
tributes to the dead; in total, 34,949 soldiers were buried here.
In contrast, Langemark cemetery (German) was a mass grave
with 24,917 unidentifiable German soldiers in a pit, with only a
few gravestones....
The Journey - by Matteo Zucchi
It was a very early start for
everyone as we met in the dark
at 04:30 at the school. A mixture of excitement and tiredness hung in the air as 43 students watched the PRS coach
pull in, its headlights shining
through the rain. We were
scheduled to reach Folkestone
at 7:00 am and were soon on time, crossing the channel at 7:50.
The journey under the channel took us half-an-hour on the train,
complete with extra space for the students to stretch their legs
before arriving in Calais, France. (10:15 local time) After the channel we easily covered the distance to Ypres in the coach.
I imagined that ‘short’ journey would have been perilous during
WW1. Like us, they would have passed through Flanders, an
area of very flat land, from which the enemy must have been able
to see clearly and dominate through the use of the then new,
deadly machine gun; a weapon that slew thousands upon thousands of soldiers in the First World War.
This is when our long journey home began, the rest of the day
was uneventful as everyone was tired and ready for home,
we finally arrived at 10:00pm.
Menin Gate - by Gemma Zucchi
In Ypres, Menin gate stands tall, bearing proudly the names of
54,389 officers and men of the United Kingdom and commonwealth forces (except New Zealand and Newfoundland). This was
an amazing part of the trip.
On the wall is an inscription saying "To the armies of the British
Empire who stood here from 1914-1918 and to those of their
dead who have no known grave".
Every day people come from all over the world to pay their
respects or simply look at the wall of memory. On this trip many
of us found a last name matching to ours, sometimes more than
one person on the wall shared our last name. I was shocked to
see how many men were not found and how many men went to
fight for their country. This was a fantastic experience and it will
stay with us forever.
We reached our first destination at 10:45am, Hill 62 and the
Sanctuary Woods trenches, some of the best-preserved trenches
in the entire Western front, complete with a museum. This line of
trenches was part of the Ypres salient, it was won and lost many
times throughout the bitter, four years of WW1. The trench experience was an absolute treat for the students; they were able to
explore underground tunnels and dugouts and some of the trees
still standing from 1914-18 (with bullet holes in them) and bomb
craters filled to the rim with old, green water whilst also learning
how the soldiers survived in the trenches and what weaponry they
were equipped with through the trench museum close by.
The Trenches of Ypres by Gianni Zucchi
Going to the Trenches was, in my opinion, the best part of the trip
because while in the trench you can really feel what it might have
been like living day in and day out in the dark, damp spaces.
These Trenches were part of the Western Front and used during
World War I from 1914 to 1918. While in the trenches I was
amazed by how muddy and cramped they were. Getting out of
the trenches I noticed nearby trees that had bullet holes and it
made me feel like it was a living monument to the dead soldiers
from the war. I know that my Great Grandfather fought in the
trenches and was injured by mustard gas...how terrifying it must
have been.
Our second destination was Essex Dressing Farm (12:00),
a cemetery for all the men that lost their lives from the battle
around the area and those who faced surgery....but did not make
it. Here, students got to see the gravestone of the youngest casualty on the Western front,
Rifleman Strudwick aged 15. Essex farm was also the place that
doctor John McCrae wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields"
Our final stop before lunch was at the Menin Gate, a massive
memorial to all the officers and men who fell at Ypres salient but
were denied the known burial. Every evening, at 8:00pm the traffic in the town is stopped and firefighters sound the "Last post".
This simple ceremony has taken place since 11th November
1929 (except for the years when Germany was occupying the
town for the duration of WWII.
I tried imagining all the new trees and grass away and then I
could really picture the scenes of death and fighting in 1914-1918.
When you think of all the destruction it's hard to imagine that it
used to be safe and quiet (hence the name 'Sanctuary Wood').
We next ate our lunches, which had to be done indoors due to
high-speed wind and rain. We also had the chance to visit a chocolate shop near the famous Cloth Hall (flattened twice in
WWI and II ).
I decided to go back to the trenches and go through a tunnel that
channeled off and as I was going down I saw other people at the
opposite end. We could barely get past them and I thought how
hard it must have been when all the soldiers were in a rush during
battle. At the end of the day I knew that I had changed after what I
had seen and understood about this historical part of the War.
4
The Cemeteries of Ypres - by Alessio Zucchi
The visit to the cemeteries of Ypres was a good experience in my
opinion. We visited 3 cemeteries; Essex Farm, Tyne Cot and
Langemark. It was sad seeing all the graves showing how many
soldiers had died. It shocked me how many names on the walls
and graves there were. Most of the graves had symbols to show
where the soldier was from or what religion he was.
One other thing is that some of the graves were different for the
Allied Forces and the Germans; for example at Langemark, the
German gravestones were laid down flat and some had 20 to 30
soldiers in one space. The Tyne Cot Cemetery was the most interesting to me because of the headstones which had different
designs on them.
First ever year 11 girls football match,
unfortunately we lost 2-1 to The Grange
Hiking Enrichment
Every Wednesday, during the Enrichment hour, the Hiking group
sets off to visit one of the local nature sites linked to the School
House system. Rain or shine, the students march to Pyrtle
Spring, along the Icknield way or up to Whiteleaf Cross, enjoying
the fresh air and the beautiful countryside around them (with the
occasional moan about walking up hills!). How lucky they are!
Cloth Hall as it is today
Madame Robson & Mrs Crane
Football – 1st half of the season.
It has been another strong term for PRS football. As a school we
have played 14 games, won 9, drawn 2 and lost 3. We have scored
34 goals and only conceded 10. Top scorers in their year groups
are Jermiah Cross, Andrea Fanelli, Zak Morgan, Jake Bradshaw,
and in Y11 Joe Millington, Will Frith, and Jamie Brogan are tied.
We welcome a new Y7 football team to PRS football and they have
had a fantastic start to secondary school football. They have beaten
both John Hampden and Thorpe House in the County Cup to reach
the 3rd round, and they defeated the Wycombe District XI 9-0.
Performances of note go to George Craker Foster and Abu Khan
who will also be representing the Y8 team this year.
Hill 62 by Alessio Zucchi
Congratulations to our newly appointed House Captains. We are
delighted to welcome them to our Student Leadership team.
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Ella Hatfield/Rachel Murdoch - Chequers
Sarah Millns/Erina Kambang - Whiteleaf
Lastly I would like to thank all the parents and supporters from
school for your effort and enthusiasm for school football., without
you it would not be possible. I would also like to personally thank
George Orton in Y10 for refereeing Y7 games, Joe Yarrow Y10 for
being linesman, Jack White in Y9 for coaching Y7, and Tom
Swindlehurst, Jake Bradshaw, Ciaran Kearney, and Dan Chapman
for helping me select the Y7 team at their trials.
Please also use our twitter account @PRSfootball to keep up to
date with all the football news and views throughout the week.
Matt Pallett/Caleigh Pocock – Icknield
Shannon Dean/Roberto Sideris – Ridgeway
Rachel Sutcliffe/April Carpenter – Prytle Sprng
Who knows what the coming year will bring, hopefully
goals, trophies…..and a football tour!
Molly Hitchcock/Mary Byrom – Chiltern
Mr Wallington
5
Duke of Edinburgh Award 2013/14
Year 8 Peace poster Winners 2014
Last year’s Duke of Edinburgh award at PRS was a huge success. It was a year of learning, pushing yourself and achievement for everyone, occasionally even James! It makes
sense to start off at the beginning, and it all starts with Mrs MacDonald, none of us would
have completed the award if not for the hours of her own time she donated, so from
everyone who took part, thank you!
A Big well done to the 62 students that
were entered into the competition this
year, you all made the judging difficult,
due to the high standard of work.
For many it was the first time they had put up a tent, cooked their own meal and had to be
completely self sufficient, but with the help of Mr Terjung and Mrs MacDonald we learnt
how to put up, and pull down a tent, cook on trangia stoves and stop the bleeding if an
arm was bitten off by a bear, or Abe in the mornings. The exped wasn’t the only part of
the award though. We all had to learn a new skill, a new sport and volunteer for a charity.
Two of these had to be done for 3 months and the remaining activity for 6, for many this
broadened their interests and introduced them to new people.
After 2 practice walks, feelings were mixed about the final expedition. We know of the
pain to come, the sore back, hips, feet, legs and shoulders. We knew we’d have to push
ourselves to walk the 30km, carrying ¼ of our body weight and we knew it would not be
easy. After the first 6 hours we arrived at Camp and set up tents, cooked our meal and
went to sleep, I went to sleep sharing the tent with one other, and woke up sharing the
tent with one other and 50 Daddy-Long-Legs…
1st Jack Long
2nd Tegan Curry
3rd Tom Robinson
Highly recommended:
Charlotte Hickey
Jack Payne
Jess Young
Summer Sharma
Mia Waterhouse
Miss Barton
Art Department
Day 2 is always easier for some, you’re over half-way and you’re walking home. About
7km of our walk was along the canal so it was very pleasant! Moral was high and we
reached our final destination just before 3, far earlier than our assessor. We’d all done it, a
year of work had paid off!
Tim Lowry
Winning Poster– Jack Long
Poetry Slam
2nd place - Tegan Curry
We had the chance to meet famous poet Joelle Taylor and through an interactive
workshop learn how to write and perform our own poetry.
The poetry slam was an eye opener to different forms of writing. It was a unique
opportunity that has already improved my vocabulary and creative thinking. I was
lucky enough to be picked to perform my poem at the Wycombe Swan Theatre.
This workshop taught each individual to express their emotions through poetry.
I have learnt that poetry can improve putting pen to paper and that poetry isn't just
old fashioned, it can be expressed in a modern interactive way. I feel this exciting
and understandable way of writing should be open to a vast majority of students as it
can improve their train of thought intellectually.
Lucy Taylor
Year 8
6
3rd place - Tom Robinson
EXPEDITION TO BORNEO
I went on a research expedition with Earthwatch for 14 days to Borneo. I worked
closely with a PHD Student of Malaysia Sabah University. Working as a research
assistant. This was an expedition with other students from Oxford of the same age.
I flew out on the 17th of July, to Singapore at 11.00 in the morning, and arrived in
Singapore on the 18th, at around 7am. Waited and then caught another flight to Kota
Kinabalu and finally arrived in Borneo KK at 11am, then caught a coach to our Hotel,
the Hyatt Regency right on the beach. I stayed here for the remainder of the 18th and
then caught another flight from KK to Lahad Datu, arriving at Datu at around 10am.
We got into our jeeps and started the 3 hour drive through the town and into the
jungle. stopping at Danum Research Centre, and stayed here for the remainder of
the 19th. Then the next day we got up early and then we had still another 2 hours
drive into the jungle again with the 4x4's. finally we got to Malua Camp, our own
private 4 acre camp just for Earthwatch with our own lagoon we could go to chill out in
at any time. We stayed here for the rest of the days in Borneo. We also spent one rest
day in Borneo Rainforest Lodge; BRL is a 5* hotel in the middle of the jungle.
CHRISTMAS
We looked at the regeneration of Dipterocarps; the main tree species within Borneo/
Danum Valley, and how mono-cropping (palm oil plantations) has stunted the regeneration of Dipterocarps. We were also very lucky to have this opportunity as it is very
irregular. So we helped with a system to trap Dipterocarp seedlings to see at what
stages this regeneration is not working. Such as are the seeds getting eaten up in the
trees by animals? Are they not germinating properly on the ground because of different climates on the ground due to once logged/twice logged areas?
Throughout this time we had lectures from several professors on the importance of
the preservation of the rainforests, and the problems with preserving the forest, for
instance, a small oil plantation will generate enough wealth for a family to send
children to education and really change lives and increase the quality of life. On the
other hand palm oil will destroy biodiversity due to the clearing and re-planting of palm
oil; mono-cropping.
This was an exciting and informative trip that I really enjoyed.
Matt Clifford
Sixth Form
Year 7 have started their secondary history course with the Norman conquest and the
building of castles to keep those rebellious Saxons in order. The students have studied
the development of castles from the first wood and earth motte-and-bailey castles to the
huge doubly-walled concentric castles built to subdue the Welsh two hundred years later.
They have recently been making models at home to show their understanding of castle
features. I have been delighted to see that everybody has participated and the standard
of historical accuracy is extremely high. Several castle models have been made with
labels which explain the various defensive features of the architecture. Taken together,
the models chart the development of castle building over the medieval period. Some
have working parts and the creativity shown by the choice of modelling materials is
just inspiring! The motte-and-bailey castle made from cake was both a learning demonstration and delicious. A small sample of their work follows on this page.
Mrs Whiteway
Head of History
7
CRACKER JOKES
What do English teachers call Santa’s little
helpers?
Subjunctive clauses.
What's the most popular Christmas wine?
I don't like Brussels sprouts!
How do Snowman travel around?
By riding an icicle.
Why does Santa go down the chimney?
Because it SOOTS him!
What do you call an elf who sings?
A wrapper!
How do you know when Santa is in the room ?
You sense his presents!
What do you call the fear of getting stuck in a
chimney?
Santaclaustrophobia.
What do you get if you team Santa
with a detective?
Santa Clues!
Why don’t you ever see Santa in hospital?
Because he has private elf care!
When a clock is hungry
It goes back four seconds.
Oh Deer! O Deer!
Merry Christmas
at Ride London by Chris Reid – who cycled across the city in
memory of Edward. You can follow Jennifer’s story at
https://lifeaftereddie.wordpress.com/
Princes Risborough Students re-imagine the Ercol Stacking
Chair for charity auction during London Design Festival
www.thedesignjunction.co.uk
17- 21 September 2014
All the pieces in the exhibition, A Child’s Wish, were on the first
floor of The Sorting Office, 21-31 New Oxford Street, London.
Ercol launched the Ercol All Purpose Chair on their stand at
designjunction, they also displayed the classic Studio Couch with
Kvadrat Balder 3 and the Windsor Easy Chair, also in Kvadrat.
Princes Risborough-based English furniture brand, Ercol, is supporting a charity project to raise funds for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome) during the London Design Festival. Two students from
Princes Risborough School contributed their own homage to their
music heroes with an adaptation of Ercol’s classic Stacking Chair
which will be part of a display at a major design show, and will be
auctioned in support of Teddy’s Wish.
Other pieces on show included the classic Ercol Stacking Chair,
designed in the 1950s, in yellow, black and white, the Ercol
Original nest of tables, and a black Butterfly Chair. Henry Tadros,
great grandson of Lucian Ercolani, founder of Ercol, was on the
stand to meet visitors.
An Ercol Stacking Chair was re-imagined by Keane Spenlé and
Luke Page who are both 11 GCSE students. As aspiring musicians
the pair wanted to reference their music heroes in the piece. Luke
says; “For me Hendrix represents more than just a guitarist he is an
artist. The way he painted his music was like nothing before him.
Jimi was one of the most respected and recognisable figures of
modern music. Although not with us today his legacy is undeniable.
Keane says: “Bowie is accessible to everyone even to our generation. For a teenager born in '99 you wouldn't expect us to appreciate
the rebirth of music in the 70's. However I feel that I can relate to
Bowie more than the people of generations after him. He is a
chameleon of the era. Other elements that feature on the chair
include melting vinyls symbolising Dali Clocks, Swirling Psychedelic
patterns similar to those seen in "The Starry Night" and a Hans
Christian Anderson quote "Where words fail music speaks".
Leading designers have also redesigned the Stacking Chair in
support of the charity. Congratulations to Keane Spenle and Luke
Page who have done a stunning job,
The completed chair went on show at the design junction
www.thedesignjunction.com along with fifteen other chairs
re-designed by many of the UK’s leading designers who have
contributed their skills in support of Teddy’s Wish. Twelve lamps
have been contributed by fellow iconic UK brand, Anglepoise to be
re-designed by leading designers to create unique objects. The
pieces were auctioned online on Ebay. All proceeds raised went to
Teddy’s Wish, a fundraising project set up in support of The Lullaby
Trust & SANDS which funds research into SIDS (Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome). The charity was chosen by the family of Deborah
Spencer, founder of design junction, whose sister, Jennifer Reid,
lost a baby at four months old earlier this year. The charity launched
on 1st August 2014 and since its inception, has raised an incredible
£50,000 through generous donations on https://www.justgiving.com/
teddyswish14/.The fundraising activity started with a 100 mile cycle
Thanks also to Mr Carberry and his fantastic team for giving us the
chance to take part in this great event.
Rachel Galbraith
Afroditi Krassa
Kristjana S Williams
Sam Wilkinson
www.ercol.com
For further information or images of the pieces please contact:
Rosalind Freeborn / Thalia Mills
[email protected]
Tel +44 (0)20 7420 1700
www.camronpr.com
8
PRS Cycling week
A brilliant achievement Georgina
During the week of the ‘Tour of Britain’ the PRS PE Department
organised a range of cycling related activities for the students to
enjoy. They were able to experience the activities during their PE
lessons as well as during break and lunch. These activities included ‘Doctor Bike’ on the Monday, who serviced staff and student
bikes; on the Tuesday we had a visit from the guys from Green
Park who brought a number of adaptive cycles including an electric go-cart, during break and lunch, students were also able to
compete in a 1km time trial on the static cycles which continued
through to Wednesday. British Cycling arrived on the Wednesday
with a whole van of racing mountain bikes, which students were
able to race around a course, this event saw many students either
racing cycles for the first time or honing their existing skills. Many
students left with certificates of success and an enthusiasm for
cycling.
Georgina Davies, from Year 9, qualified for the Pony Club’s UK
National Equine Dressage Championships. In July she attended
the Championships Final in Cheshire, and finished 3rd in the
country, she was also one of the youngest competitors, at that
level.
The Friday saw the Tour of Britain come through Risborough with
household names such as Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish
riding up Kop Hill. Many students lined the streets of Risborough
and Kop Hill to wave and cheer the cyclists through, an event
which was televised on local and national TV. Mr Tuffin was interviewed on BBC local news.
Is PRS going American? One could think so, looking at
Darcey Harber’s lovely locker! (IN5)
The PE department would like to thank James Cavalier from
Wycombe Sports Development who was integral in ensuring the
weeks activities ran smoothly.
Do you know who this person is? It’s a popular member of staff.
See if you can guess right first time, no peeking at the answer!
See page 20.
9
YEAR 7 STUDENTS GO CAMPING
Within days of starting at PRS our year 7 students took part in a
3 day ‘Bushcraft’ experience at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire.
This residential course run by ‘The Bushcraft Company’ gave
students the opportunity to experience life outdoors in a unique
environment to learn and interact with each other away from
everyday school life.
With group lectures and practical activities, some of which took
them out of their comfort zones, they left camp wiser, more
independent and with an appreciation of the landscape that
surrounds us. They learnt many new skills as well as developing
their creativity, teamwork and resourcefulness.
All in all it was a fun and engaging way to learn as well as helping
them make new friends at the start of their time at ‘big school’.
These photographs show how much they enjoyed it.
10
ICKNIELD STUDENT COMMENTS
‘Awesome, action packed camping and good food but if you don’t
like sleeping outdoors and walking it’s not for you!.’
Toby Knowles
‘The activities were sweet, only I wasn’t really comfortable sleeping
because I was freezing cold.’
Darcey Harber
‘I liked the salmon fish because I got to eat the eyes!’
Sam Bryce
‘I liked the camp because we were using technology and we played
games in the dark. I also liked making pizza.’
Emily Reynolds-Clark
‘It was amazing and challenging, if you enjoy the outdoors you
would love it, but if you enjoy heating you will not like it as much. It
was fun.’
Anon
‘I liked sleeping and making shelters, also eating the kebabs and
pizza.’
Anon
‘I think the outdoor shelters were the best.’
Dan
‘I liked sleeping in the tents, sitting around the campfire and the
activities.’
Anon
‘I liked the camp because there were lots of fun games to play and
the staff gave us a very warm welcome.’
Asher
11
Mrs Suggitt climbs Mount Kilimanjaro
and further away. Despite every footstep I was making, the top
didn’t seem to be getting any closer. I was utterly defeated. It was at
that moment, in a very dark hour, that my dear friend and Tanzanian
guide Moses came up behind me. ‘Mwalimo (teacher), are you ok?’
No. No I wasn’t. He saw my desperation and my tears and smiled at
me. Slowly, he took off my rucksack and carried it on his front. He
took my now defrosted water and placed it to my lips so that I could
drink. Then he took away one of my walking poles, held my hand in
his, smiled, and gently said; ‘Mwalimo, lets walk up together.’ Moses
saved me in a moment of need and gave me the much needed
strength required to summit. He was able to comfort my fears and
show deep humility and self sacrifice in helping me up the mountain,
and this act taught me life lessons about what true strength and
power really are.
28th
On Thursday
of August, at 9:42am, I successfully summited
Mount Kilimanjaro at 5895 metres – the highest free-standing mountain in the world! I stood on the roof of Africa, but I felt as if I was
standing on top of the world.
At the beginning of the year I made the decision to sign up to the
‘Kilimanjaro Challenge’, organised by Action Challenge, as a very
physical and symbolic representation of how I felt I had overcome
challenges and difficulties in my own life. Having had first hand experience of mental illness, I dedicated the summit attempt to the mental
health charity ‘Mind’ and climbed in honour of all those who have
struggled, still struggle, and have overcome the mountains of the
mind. Thanks to the goodwill and support of friends and family,
I was able to raise over £3000 for the charity to support and further
raise the profile of the work going on to support those with mental
illness.
I climbed the Lemosho route – made popular by celebrities such as
Chris Moyles and Cheryl Cole during their Sports Relief challenge a
number of years ago – and in total I spent 7 days on the mountain.
The added benefit of this particular route is both the extraordinary
journey through 4 distinct mini climates (jungle, heather region, rocky
moonscape, and snow!), and the extra climbing day dedicated to
acclimatisation – an extra day, we all hoped, that would help us avoid
the dreaded symptoms of altitude sickness.
The first two days were long and tiring where the majority of the distance was covered across both jungle and heather landscapes; our
group of 37 climbers, 140 Tanzanian porters and 10 English speaking
Tanzanian guides spent our hours swapping life stories, learning
Swahili, enjoying the mountain wildlife and singing at the top of our
voices. Day 3, the journey to Lava Tower and an altitude of 4,500
metres somewhat dented the previously seen enthusiasm and energy as the majority of us began suffering from headaches, nausea,
violent vomiting, disorientation and exhaustion. Altitude sickness is
horrendous – I only speak from observation. I was lucky enough to
remain fit, well and unaffected by the dizzying heights of Kili.
It wasn’t until day 4 that we even saw the top of the mountain, and we
had to work hard for these views. Our main challenge on this trekking
day was to climb the infamous Barranco Wall, a huge cliff face that
requires at least 3 points of contact on the rock face at all times as
you scramble, lift, pull and heave your way to the top. The reward
was spectacular – we celebrated and rested for a while under the
overwhelming and humbling Kibo peak, on which stood our goal;
Uhuru - the summit.
Day 5 was a 4 hour trek that took us to the edge of the ridge of this
incredible mountain at a height of 4,600 metres. The rest of the day
was spent sleeping, drinking, resting and eating as we physically and
mentally prepared for the summit bid that night.
We set off at midnight. Wrapped up in 6 or 7 layers of clothing, 2
hats, 2 buffs, 2 pairs of gloves and hand warmers, 2 thick winter
mountain socks and a very snazzy high-vis vest, we donned our
head torches and walked our way, polĕ polĕ (slowly slowly) up the
mountain in the absolute dark. We stopped every hour and rested
momentarily to try to eat and drink (although many of our water bottles had turned to ice in the freezing cold). The trek was relentless
and I had many a dark moment filled with doubt, fear, frustration and
anxiety. We stopped to watch the sun rise, shaking in the freezing
cold, but stunned into reverent silence as we watched the most
exquisite sun pierce the curved horizon. I have never seen colours
like that morning; reds and oranges like the fiercest fire.
With new light came new strength and resolve. We pushed on.
by 5,600 metres the terrain became more difficult and even steeper;
combined with the thinning air, the effects of altitude and the exhaustion of 8 hours of trekking through the night, my summit bid felt further
Summit picture of myself and Moses at the top of the Barranco Wall!
Summiting was the most glorious and rewarding feeling in the world.
I do not have the words to adequately describe the experience, but
it was as close to spiritual / reverent as I have ever been. With only
a 15 minute stop at the summit, we quickly made our way down,
walking the rest of the day to get to as low an altitude as possible to
allow our recovery from the thin air. On day 7 we came off the
mountain to the celebrations and songs of our porters and guides
for the week.
Climbing Kilimanjaro was much more than just a mountain to me –
it was a life changing experience that taught me a great deal about
human nature and human strength. Indeed, I would even go as far
as to say I left many of my own demons at the foot of Kili. I have a
newly found African power coursing through my veins!
Mrs Suggitt
12
Kop Hill Run
We were joined by 28 of our students from across all Year groups on Saturday 20 th September for the annual Kop Hill Run. The 1km
uphill run has become a school tradition and is gaining in popularity and prestige year on year despite the gruelling physical demands of
the race. The 2014 Girls winner was Florence Matthews (Year7!) who managed to beat a host of girls from year groups further up the
school, the Boys race was won by Tom Swindlehurst (Year 10), who managed to smash the school record with a time of 4minutes
4 seconds! This year’s winning House was Chequers, who have now won the competition 2 out of 3 years. The PE department would
like to thank the organisers of the Kop Hill Climb, who arranged for the 2 individual winners to speed up the hill in fabulous classic cars.
We would also like to extend huge congratulations to all who took part and completed the race.
Tom Swindlehurst winner of the Kop Hill Run
in a record time of 4 min 04 sec.
Start of the Kop Hill run.
Winner of the girls Kop Hill run Florence Matthews
(year 7) with Paddy Hopkirk
winner of the 1964 Monte Carlo rally.
Well done to Chequers house winners of the Kop Hill run 2014
As many of you will be aware, Mr Johns, our Deputy Head, will be leaving at Christmas. We are very proud that he
is to take on the role of Principal of a new UTC (University Technical College) in South Oxfordshire focussing on
Engineering and Science and it is a well deserved promotion. Mr Johns has made a hugely positive impact on
PRS and I certainly can’t list all of his achievements here but would like to mention just two in particular. The introduction of the ‘Assessment Point’ system with reports going to parents five times a year has transformed our
home school partnership and has enabled you to all be so much better informed about your child’s progress.
Overseeing the development of the CSC leaves a very, very big and visual legacy of Mr John’s time with us. Whilst the staff football
team will have lost a towering presence in defence it will now have a place to train every Friday (hmmmm!) due to Mr John’s tireless
work in ensuring the Sports Hall was completed before he leaves. The students and local community also have a superb new facility.
He goes with head held high and our grateful thanks and admiration!
Pete Rowe
13
BLACK COUNTRY MUSEUM
Recently the year 8 students went to the Black Country Living
Museum in Dudley to gain some experience of life in industrial
towns during the Industrial Revolution. We were taken round by
very knowledgeable and patient guides dressed in appropriate
costume. Here’s what we all thought of the day.
“The chain maker was awesome. He made a piece of chain. It
was RED hot and when he put the tools he used in the water they
smoked as they were so hot.” Kellen Gallagher
“Exciting. I learnt how chains were made. I learnt what tools were
needed to make chains and forge metal.” “We watched the chainmaker make an extra loop to add onto his chain. He put a strip of
metal in the fire and took it out again after a few seconds. He bent
it into a loop shape and welded it together.”
“This was the last thing we saw. People making chain got paid on
the condition they made a certain amount of links within a short
window of time. The jobs got passed down from generation to
generation. You would start an apprenticeship at about the age of
5 and about 10 you would start work.”
“The pit-pulled house so called because it was originally built over
mine-workings which caused subsidence – hence ‘pit-pulled, was
interesting as there was a woman in the living room talking to us
about why the house was wonky and she told us about the family
that lived there.” Meg Marsh
“Inside the Victorian school the teacher was very strict. We learnt
how to write a certain way called copperplate. The teacher told us
to sit up straight and stop leaning on the tables. Victorian teachers
were very strict.”
“Mines were one of the main incomes for Britain during the Industrial Revolution. In the Victorian era there was not enough
knowledge in technology and science to create a machine to
make miners aware about either poisonous gases in the air or
about the oxygen levels going down so they took canaries down
with them. They used canaries because they are so small so they
react to the toxins quicker so if the bird dies, they will know to run,
otherwise … they will die too!”
“Victorian children played games in the street. We played with a
big metal hoop where you had to run along and push it along the
road. It was hard to balance it, but fun. Kylie could do it but she
had a bit of help. They had a mop that was pretending to be a
horse: that would be fun for the Victorian children. There was a
little cup with a ball attached to it on a string and you had to catch
the ball in the cup. Izzy Taylor”
The Victorian chemist was particularly interesting because I have
learnt that even though a majority couldn’t read or write they still
knew what shops were by the symbols; like a barber’s was a red
and white pole and a chemist’s trademark was four bottles all
different colours. They were lined up in the shop window. The
colours were red for fire, blue for water, green for earth and white
for air.” Ellie Hucklebridge
MORE SUCCESS FOR BEN & AMBER SIMON
“At first I hated the mine but in the end I loved it and the best part
was the explosion. I was very claustrophobic but then I got used
to it and it was the best part.” Kellen Gallagher
Ben and Amber continue to achieve in the world of rowing, they
both recently competed in events against top quality opposition.
This is a tough sport and takes lots of dedication and effort.
“The mine was very dark, even with small flickering light around
the place. It was really cool because they made a massive rumble
to make people think it was going to close in on them.” “I thought
the mine felt scary because I thought the ceiling could fall at any
moment. I think it would have been hard, hot and sweaty work to
be a miner and I think I would have been scared about the ceiling
collapsing, in the back of my mind all the time.” Tom Godfrey
Amber came 21st out of 150 which means she may qualify for the
European Championships.
Ben came 12th out 0f 150 (in the J18 age group ….. and he is only
15) which means he should be asked to the GB training camp in
France initially and who knows what after that !
14
SCIENCE AT WORK
Jenner Institute
The year 12 Applied Science class went
straight out on a trip in their first week to visit
the Jenner Institute, Oxford, and see the
vaccine laboratory in action. As part of the
course, we’re studying what it’s like to work in
the scientific industry so we had a good look
at the design of their labs and all the different
pieces of equipment they have. Their facilities
are excellent – it includes a liquid nitrogen
storage room, centrifuges the size of washing
machines and a level 1 biohazard containment room!
These excellent photographs were taken by Calum Collins when he went on the trip to
Ypres. Calum is a member of the ‘Photography class’ in enrichment run by Mr Moss.
The staff there were very welcoming and we
had an introductory talk from their laboratory
manager followed by tours around the lab
and into the insectory where they breed
mosquitoes specifically for researching vaccines for malaria.
It was really useful to glimpse the working
day of a real-life scientist and to see how
complex the technician roles are that ensure
the labs run smoothly every day. Even their
processes for waste disposal are complicated
because of the different types of hazardous
waste they produce!
Understanding Animal Research
A research scientist from the University of
Oxford visited us in September to give workshops about the use of animals in research.
Year 8 found out about the sorts of medicines
and treatments that have been developed
from using animals and we were surprised to
find out that so many things that we have
taken for granted have been tested on
animals including asthma inhalers. We then
discussed whether it was ok to test on
animals and whether we would say no to
these medicines in order to avoid animal
testing – there were varied responses and
some disagreement.
7CH go creative in French class
Year 7 students have been making presentations for their French lesson. The brief is
"anything that interests you with a link to a French speaking country and 3 French key
words". Here are a few examples of some of their amazing work. Well done to all!
Madame Robson.
The Moulin Rouge model was made by Aimee Bradley, the Bread Eiffel Tower is by LuisJames Yarroll and Alexandra Murray and the Food display by Toby Chapman
We were relieved to find out that it is illegal to
test any cosmetic and beauty products or
treatments on animals (and has been for 20
years) and that scientists have to produce a
detailed proposal to fully justify their research
before permission is granted and even then,
they are only allowed to use the smallest
number of animals possible. All research is
done on cell cultures first so that animals are
only used to test drugs that are very likely to
be successful. We could see from the statistics that the numbers of animals used in
research is much lower than the animals
killed every day on UK roads!
It was an informative workshop and thought
provoking – some people even changed their
minds about the use of animals.
Mr G. Young
15
24 HOUR BASKETBALL
On Friday 28th November the first PRS sports event took
place in our brand new sports centre.
Students were excited to be able to use this fantastic facility.
There were many exhausted but happy students at the end of
this gruelling event, and full credit must go to them for their
brilliant efforts, they were superb and to date £4297.79 has
been raised. It was a fitting way to introduce students to the
Community Sports Centre which they will use regularly in their
time at PRS.
Year 11 trip to the River Chess to collect data
for their controlled assessment
Year 13 trip to Oxford University lectures at the
Natural History Museum
16
Achievement Points
What are ‘Achievement Points’ ?
These are Positive Award points that are electronically recorded and have
superseded the previously, highly regarded ‘token system’.
This means that we now have a system in place which electronically records positive
achievements, as well as the ‘Behaviour Points’ which identify uncooperative behaviour or where a student is not meeting school expectations. All these are now
recorded electronically. We take Behaviour Points away from Achievement Points to
have an overall picture of ‘Conduct Points’.
In Summary:
• Achievement Points (positive)
• Behaviour Points (negative)
• Conduct Points
(net total)
There are numerous ways in which a student can gain ‘Achievement Points’. In the
same way that ‘Behaviour Points’ are weighted, depending on the severity of a negative situation, so ‘Achievement Points’ are also weighted, depending on the award
deserved, with a score of 1, 2, or 5.
Individual Accumulation
The points are awarded to the individual student and are checked regularly by the
Form Tutor and shared with the individual student. The total will be incorporated onto
the Assessment Point reports that are sent home five times a year so you, as parents,
can see the snapshot of behaviour and achievement points at the time of the report.
As students collect increasing numbers of ‘Achievement Points’ throughout the year,
they will reach milestones which will then translate into rewards:-
•
•
•
100 Achievement Points → ‘Lucky dip’ prizes e.g. stationery items
250 Achievement Points
→ Food voucher to the value of £2.50
500 Achievement Points → Voucher to the value of £5.00 to spend at the
Eden Centre in High Wycombe
•
750 Achievement Points → Voucher to the value of £7.50 to spend at the
Eden Centre in High Wycombe
This is in recognition of the positive contribution that students are making to their own
education and to the environment for learning in the school.
At the end of the year, in recognition of exceptionally positive achievement, the net
total i.e. ‘Conduct Points’, will be established for each student. The top 25 students in
each year group will then be invited to take part in a ‘Rewards’ trip in the last full week
of school.
• Year 7 and Year 8 → Harry Potter World in Watford
• Year 9 and Year 10 → Thorpe Park in Surrey
Whilst a modest voluntary contribution will be requested, the majority of the cost for
these trips will be met by the school.
Form Group Rewards
Each Half-term, the totals for each Form Group will be examined. The Form Group
with the highest score will then share together a Pizza and a DVD during their Form
Time, extending from their lunch break.
This shared achievement recognises student’s responsibility within the group.
House System Rewards
Each term, the House with the greatest number of Achievement Points will have a non
– uniform day just for them.
As you can see from the explanations of the new system, it will be noted that the
school is investing in the recognition of ‘positive attitude and achievement.’
The ethos of ‘success breeds success’ is one that we hope all our young people
can aspire to. The posters opposite are in all form rooms.
As this system becomes embedded, I am sure that the students will regularly keep
you informed as to their totals. As the technology becomes increasingly sophisticated
and communication more effective in this area, I am sure that in the near future it will
be possible for you to access information about ‘Achievement’ and ‘Behaviour’ Points
from the comfort of your own home!
Mrs Milmer
Assistant Headteacher
17
CHALLENGE TASKS
Phoebe Cotes - Competed in the 2014 USAIGC Gymnastic
Championships in Florida with 1200 competitors and came 4th
on the floor and 5th overall.
Kirsten Stilwell - Year 7 ranked 11th nationally in the under 13
athletic 1500 metres and 16th nationally at under 13 1200
metres, and she’s only just 11 years of age. Kirsten has also
won a gold medal in the SEAA Road Relay Championship running for Phoenix Harriers.
Harvey Putnam - Has a Green belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Dominic Young - is an aspiring theatre light and sound technician and has helped out at several national theatres. He also
helped at the Bucks Gala Dinner.
Calum Collins - is a very talented artist and photographer, you
can see samples of his photography skills in this issue of the
newsletter.
Eloise Maslin - was player of the season in her netball team
which plays in an adult league, Eloise also helped out at the
Bucks Gala Dinner.
Amaan Rauf - was the highest wicket taker in his under 14s
team.
Tom Barlow - Fastest in his car at the local go-carting track.
Anya Salisbury - Came first in cheerleading in Manchester.
Zach Sangster - Has a Black belt in Ju Jitsu.
Charlotte Lenman - raised a considerable sum of money
running for Alopecia UK.
Joe Millington - Plays football for Oxford United and trains with
them 3 times a week. He was also an under 12 and under 13
Kayaking champion.
Amy Price - won 2nd prize in a local photography competition.
Ben Houchin - keen on wildlife and environmental issues,
he also breeds rare insects.
Lewis Steadman - Has had trials for Bucks hockey.
Dan Rawson - Had trials for Bucks cricket.
Callum Brand - Starred as ‘Charlie’ in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ in the West End.
Shannon Dean - Raised awareness and money for MS charity
and set up online support for Young Carers.
Annabel Gritz - Established Pony Club Competitor and has won
a National Showjumping Award.
Joscha Ambrose Leigh – Finalist in Slam Poetry.
Brett Tucker – Bucks County Hockey player.
Gemma Vaughan - Did a sponsored skip and raised over £100
for the British Heart Foundation.
Lucy Spittles - Plays Netball for the Wycombe Junior Netball
Club and Phoenix B team.
Jonah Woodward - Ran a mile for Water Aid.
Eloise Cheshire - Ran 5K for charity.
Helena Giles - Had a cake sale and did a 3-legged sponsored
race for charity.
Thomas Davies - Won the Kop Hill climb soapbox challenge in
2 different categories. He helped build and paint it too.
Tim Lowry - Regularly wins shooting competitions.
Matt Owen - Won the most improved player for the Chearsley
men’s second team twice!
Imogen Carpenter -Teaches dance and drama to children at
Monks Risborough school who perform all over the Bucks area.
Roisin Fitzgerald - Is a member of the ‘Stagecoach’ performing
arts group and has been in two operas as well as performing at
Waddeson Manor.
Chloe Chapman and Aisha Rowlinson - Completed their
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Will Gray - National Trampolining Champion.
Ellie O’Shaughnessy - Climbed Mount Kinabalu, the 20th
highest mountain in the world.
As a school we recognise how important it is to praise the positive
achievements and successes that exist within the school community. Alongside the new achievement system, we have launched
the 'Challenge Task' initiative during Form Time.
This initiative aims to:
 Encourage self-reflection
 Provide students with the opportunity to set themselves challenging targets
 Motivate students to aspire
During the Year Assemblies, students have watched a 6 minute
video clip, compiling over 100 current student achievements.
We have listed some of them below.
Setting SMARTer targets
Over the next academic year, students have been asked to set
themselves a series of SMART targets. These targets will be
reviewed regularly by their Form Tutor and Co-Tutor. Examples of
these include:
 Aim: Organise my time effectively. SMART target: Create a


revision timetable for my GCSE exams. Deadline: January –
Year 11 student.
Aim: Improve my knowledge of Shakespeare. SMART target:
Watch a performance at the theatre in January – Year 9
student.
Aim: To read a wide range of texts. SMART target: Read a
classic novel. Deadline: End of January 2015. –Year 8
student.
How will we track their progress?
Every child has been given a professionally designed ‘Portfolio’ to
help them self-reflect and track their progress. The portfolio will be
an ongoing record of their journey and will be an invaluable document to refer to when they are writing their CVs and applying for
6th form.
How can I help my child?
As a school, we welcome parent involvement with this initiative.
Here are some ways in which you could help your child:
 Discuss this initiative with them at home
 Ask them to tell you what they have chosen to focus on this
half-term
Help them to set one of their new SMART targets

 Encourage them to show you their Challenge Portfolio
 Sign off one of their targets – there is space for an adult’s
signature.
Linking home and school
Unfortunately, it was impossible to include every ‘achievement’ in
the first video. If you feel that your child has a particular hobby,
interest, qualification or achievement that we are unaware of,
please email me directly: [email protected]
and we can celebrate this next term.
Mrs Tuffin
18
Bringing Science to life
VISIT TO PARLIAMENT
Pathology inspires: Creative workshops
to spark the imagination.
In October, Year 10 Historians accompanied by Mr Hood, Mrs
Whiteway, Mrs Antrobus, Mrs Gosling and Mr Pearce went on what
is hopefully the first of many KS4 trips to the Houses of Parliament.
Over 170 PRS students recently took part in a fantastic day
of workshops exploring the wonder and beauty of viruses and
bacteria. A truly ‘Enjoy and Achieve’ moment. It gave everyone the opportunity to learn about pathology and to meet a
pathologist.
They were encouraged to ask questions about viruses and
bacteria, and create art inspired by microscopic and computer
images.
With special thanks to The Royal College of Pathologists for
supporting this project and to pathologists Dr Anna Robson and
Dr Philippa Matthews.
Some comments from our students on the day.
‘I felt it was a fun way to learn about viruses and bacteria and
the art helped achieve this.’
‘Very inspirational and enjoyable.’
‘I learnt about the different ways of testing for viruses and infections in blood and the way the immune system works.’
‘It was a successful creative and enjoyable learning experience.’
‘I’ve learnt so much.’
‘I thought it was fun and different.’
‘I loved it today, it was amazing. I learnt lots of new things.’
‘Educational, creative and fabulous.’
More comments from the day.
After going through intensive security procedures year 10 split into
three and had a tour of Parliament. Whilst we were able to visit the
House of Lords debating chamber, the Commons was off limits as
we visited on a Wednesday when Prime Minister’s Questions was
taking place. On our tour we spotted numerous political supremos
including the very elderly Lord Howe of Abaveron also known as
Geoffrey Howe, one of Margret Thatcher’s key ministers who held
the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and
finally Commons, Deputy.
After our tour of Parliament we took the short walk to Whitehall
where we visited the Churchill War Rooms, a fantastic underground
bunker where Churchill and his war cabinet would make decisions
during the Second World War. Interestingly Churchill himself only
slept in the bunker once, choosing to risk sleeping at his home in
Downing Street. What was fantastic about the museum is that the
bunkers themselves have been kept as original as possible yet the
adjoining museum is a fantastic collection of modern displays.
Overall the year 10 historians had a fantastic trip and I would recommend anybody to go and visit either place. Our guide in Parliament
made the very valid point that it is OUR parliament and every citizen
has the right to visit if they apply to their MP for a visit. A possible
challenge target?!
Mr Hood
‘Fantastic workshop! My year 11 students were very interested in
the pathology talk and loved producing the artwork.’
Mrs Davoren
‘An excellent day. It’s really interesting to see how children think
and engage with their weird and wonderful questions.’
Dr A. Robson
‘A very good day of workshops– stimulating, thoughtful and well
organised, with excellent multimedia activities. It was a pleasure
to take part.’
Dr Philippa Matthews
Congratulations to Mr Jacob who is now a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers.
Being a member of this prestigious society brings many benefits
which he can also use to add to his knowledge for his school work.
He is also entitled to use FRGS after his name.
19
ILLNESS
NAG
The Neighbourhood Action Group was set
up by Thames Valley Police in order to help
establish relations between the local community and the police so that both elements
of the community could work together for
mutual benefit. The Neighbourhood Action
Group, often called the N.A.G, gathers
information from the local community about
which areas of crime affect them the most.
The police and the NAG then work together
with the community in order to try and solve
these problems. Members of the NAG
include local community members, councillors, police officers, school representatives
and young people.
One of the major Key areas where
the Neighbourhood Action Group and the
local police currently work is on the issue of
speeding. This is one of the issues bought
to us by local residents. The police work
with the group in order to run community
speed watch sessions which involves
members of the community being visible in
monitoring the speed of motorists on roads
throughout the town.
We do many other things as an organisation and are always on the lookout for new
volunteers. If you are interested in getting
involved or would like to let us know about
an idea about how to reduce crime or
improve your local community then please
email us at– [email protected]
Nathan Davis
The Day
Breakers
3pm to 4pm
Monday
Tuesday
& Thursday
In
S11
SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SHOP
NOW OPEN
Our good quality second-hand school
uniform shop, is now open.
If your child has grown out of their current
uniform and you would like to donate any
of the following items.
•
•
Princes Risborough School Blazer
Princes Risborough Polo shirt (summer
uniform)
• Cardigan, jumper or slipover with the
school logo
• Princes Risborough PE kit
• School tie
Please bring them washed, and in a carrier
bag to the school reception office, for the
attention of Mrs E Walker.
Any money raised will go towards the
Trustees fund and local charities.
If you would like to purchase any items
please contact the school and make an
appointment.
Thank you for your support
In S11
All Welcome
DENTAL/MEDICAL
APPOINTMENTS
Please send in a letter either prior to or on the
day of the appointment. All students must sign
out with Mrs Crane in reception. No student will
be allowed to leave school without written permission from a parent to do so.
Late arrival
If your son/daughter is late to school they must
sign in the late book in reception. If they have
attended a dental/medical appointment then a
letter must be sent in explaining this.
WE ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO KEEP A
RECORD OF ALL ABSENCES.
WORLD’S BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING
for Macmillan Nurses
Thanks to all the staff who came along and
enjoyed delicious cakes and coffee.
We raised an impressive £291.
Still to finish off your Christmas shopping
or looking ahead to the January sales?
Don’t forget that you can help PRS at no
cost to yourself by shopping online
through the ‘easyfundraising’ website.
It’s easy and convenient and can bring
huge benefits to us. Simply click on the
link below and follow the simple instructions, we would be very grateful for any
help you can give us.
http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/
causes/princesrisborough/
Answer to the Maths puzzle on page 3
4x4 x4 x4= 256
Donating Fiction books to PRS Library
(Our School Morning
Club)
Monday to Friday
8am to 8.30am
Please notify the school, with a phone call, on
each day your child is absent from school.
On your child’s return we must have a letter
explaining their absence.
If you are having a clear-out at home over
Christmas, please think about donating any
teenage fiction books to the LRC.
We are always very grateful for any donations of books by our most popular
authors.
Michael Morpurgo books are constantly
borrowed by the students and so are any
books by the following authors Charlie
Higson, Robert Muchamore, Anne Cassidy,
Jeff Kinney, Patrick Ness, J.K. Rowling,
Suzanne Collins and lots more.
Thank you so much.
Mrs S. Gough
The lucky winner of the champagne at our
year 6 Open evening was the parents of
Abigail Allbrook.
Answer to the ‘guess who’ picture on
Page 9 Is Mrs Gough.
Published by: Princes Risborough School,
Merton Road, Princes Risborough,
Buckinghamshire, HP27 0DT
www.princesrisborough.bucks.sch.uk
Tel: (01844) 345496
Fax: (01844) 346147
Private adverts and some articles in this
newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of
the school.
Email contributions to:
[email protected]
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