Newsletter - Fluency CMS

B A R T H O L O M E W
S C H O O L
Newsletter
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2008-09
Bartholomew School is an outstanding school and, in the summer
examinations, the school’s wonderful students produced record examination
results for the fifth year in succession. Here are the headline figures in
summary form!
Issue: 1
82% of entries gained
grades AA-C at AALevel amongst Oxon’s
highest
73% of students gained
5 or more A*A*-C GCSE grades the very best in Oxfordshire
24 October 2008
Newsletter Dates:
♦
17 December
♦
11 February 2009
♦
1 April
♦
20 May
♦
15 July
Tesco’s Vouchers
We are collecting
Tesco’s Sports
Vouchers
We’re on the
web—see it all on:
www.
bartholomew.
oxon.sch.uk
80% of students gained
gained
5 or more A*A*- C GCSE grades the very best in Oxfordshire
62% of all examination
entries gained grades
grades
A or B at AA -Level
up 10% in two years
This year promises to be just as hectic and challenging as last year with many new
curriculum developments coming on line from 1 September and multiple initiatives
just beginning to take off. These include the implementation of the Managed
Learning Environment (MLE) project, the adoption of the lesson monitor
attendance and punctuality project across the school, the new school day with longer
morning registration and no afternoon registration, the implementation of the
Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) agenda, and many other initiatives to
manage.
I would like to repeat that it is to the great credit of all staff and students in the
school that, despite all the creative flux last year, they managed to keep their eye on
the ball, making sure that they taught, learnt, were supportive, maintained focus,
stayed committed, and completed all tasks set them, all to the highest standards they
possibly could. I would like to thank them all, again and publicly, for the amazing
work that they do for the school.
Examination performance:
The school’s examination performance demonstrated the high quality of the work undertaken in the school
and that we continue to strive for improvements in student achievement. At all key stages the results were
excellent, GCSE and A-Level results showed continued improvement, and the contextualised value-added
measure of progress from KS2 to GCSE at KS4 was very good indeed.
Amongst all the excellent performances of Bartholomew students this year, it is safe to say that three truly
outstanding results were achieved. These came from Claire Duffell and Lucas Woodward who gained 2 of
the top 10 results nationally in Drama out of over 60,000 candidates and Anna Russ who gained 1 of the top
10 results nationally in German out of over 20,000 candidates. We would like to congratulate them on their
superb performances.
GCSE
Bartholomew School has consistently seen its students achieve excellent GCSE results and this year is no
exception. As 80% of students gained 5 or more A*-C grades and, significantly, 73% gained the new
benchmark of 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths, these record breaking results
continue to improve upon the excellent results of the last five years. 99% of students gained 5 or more
A*-G grades and 100% of students gained 1 or more A*-G grade. There were some exceptional
individual performances with 30 students achieving 8 or more A/A* grades. Of these, the following
students gained 10 or more A*/A grades:
12 A*/A Grades:
India Smith, Abigail Linton, Ruth Stanforth
11 A*/A Grades:
Claire Duffell, Louise Kemp, Luke Chippendale, Emma Davies, Oliver Howe, Yasmin Mahmoudi,
Shona Bruce
10 A*/A Grades:
Samantha Jackson, Christian Drury, Emily Fisk, Fiona Fletcher, Tom Ford, Charlotte Foulkes, Louise
Kemp, Ben Larbalestier
We are extremely pleased with this excellent outcome for all our students and that Bartholomew School has
continued to improve on the very high standards set last year. The school has been consistently amongst
the highest performing schools in Oxfordshire and these results will secure this position once more. It is
pleasing to see that the excellent teaching received by all of our students has helped them to perform so
well.
A-Levels
We are extremely pleased with the superb A-Level outcomes for all our students and that Bartholomew
School has continued to improve on the very high standards set last year. The school has been consistently
amongst the top four performing state schools in Oxfordshire and this year’s results secured this position
once more for our students and staff.
With 82% at grades A-C, over four-fifths of results gained the highest grades, whilst 62% of all entries
gained grades A or B, an impressive increase of 4% on the previous year and 10% over the last two. 98%
of all students gained at least two A Level passes and 33% of all entries gained A grades The results
are a true reflection of the hard work and commitment of the students, and the personal attention to their
progress and success provided by all teaching staff.
Within the extensive successes at Bartholomew School, there were many exceptional individual
performances. Four students achieved the equivalent of four or more grade As: Katie DUFFELL, Hannah
CHIPPENDALE, Hannah STANDRING, and Megan SHIRLEY. A further five students achieved the
equivalent of three or more grade As: Sarah FLEETWOOD, Laura HALL, James McNEISH, Elizabeth
RILEY and Emma WHITING.
Issue: 1
Page 2
Open Evening and Open mornings
The school recently provided prospective parents with several opportunities to visit the school to see our
work so that they could make an informed choice for their children’s secondary education.
The Open Evening on 25 September was organised by Mrs Bexon, Mr Thomas, Mrs Warwick and me, with
the assistance of large numbers of staff and students. Everyone pitched in, and the resulting evening was a
great success with very large numbers coming through the doors and seeing what the school has to offer.
The vast majority of comments were positive and we had many families from outside the base catchment
area which demonstrates how well known and popular the school has become.
This evening was followed up by the Open Mornings on 30 September and 2 October. Organised very ably
by Mrs Warwick, ably supported by the Senior Team and Mrs Hammond, these saw multiple families seeing
the school during a normal school day. They had full access to a whole range of classrooms and activities
with few, if any, special lessons going on. The resultant comments were exceedingly positive and affirming,
with parents recognising and commenting upon the positive and supportive ethos and the calm, purposeful
nature of the school in general.
Staffing Changes - Prior to 1 September
In terms of the posts I informed parents about prior to the summer holiday, I would like to summarise our
progress in appointing to additional posts for September as follows:
We have appointed to 2 middle manager development posts with Mr Nicholson taking the
operational lead for the development of the MLE and Mr Keeping as strategic data manager
We have appointed Miss Zawadzki as an Assistant Head to lead on Teaching and Learning and the
Thinking Voice second specialism
Ms Page has successfully started her career with us as KS4 coordinator
Miss Telfer has taken over as Head of Science and Mr Waring as KS3 coordinator in Science
Mrs Ramsdale has started her role as lead teacher for the Gifted and Talented
Mrs Green has become our official inclusion manager
Staffing Changes - Since 1 September
Additional progress made with appointments since 1 September can be summarised as follows:
We have appointed Mr Humm, Miss Peverett and Miss Walters to school council posts
We have appointed Mrs Rose and Mr Evans to undertake work in the 6th Form to assist Mrs
Ferguson as Head of Year
Mrs Jones (Science Technician) is moving to undertake TA work within school
Mrs Hayes (Assistant Chef) has resigned and left us.
Ms Hopkins is to undertake some TA work and manage our reading intervention programme
In addition, we are looking to appoint an External ICT Technician for 20 hours to provide
support that will enable use to complete our wholesale implementation of the new MLE.
A S Hamilton
Headteacher
Issue: 1
Page 3
Upcoming Events
Tuesday 4
Wednesday 5
Thursday 6
Friday 7
Monday 10
Tuesday 11
Wednesday 12
Thursday 13
Friday 21
Monday 24
Thursday 27
Friday 28
Monday 1 December
Tuesday 2
Thursday 4
Monday 8
Thursday 11
Friday 12
Monday 15
Wednesday 17
Thursday 18
Friday 19 December
Monday 5 January 2009
Tuesday 6
Year 7 Parents’ Evening—Tutors
Sixth Form Safe Drive Trip
Maths Trip
Maths GCSE Exam am
Senior Maths Challenge, Years 11, 12 & 13
Leisure & Tourism trip to Thorpe Park
Year 9 & 11 Snapshots issued
Year 11 Art Trip to London Gallery
Year 13 Geography Fieldtrip to Dorset departs
Maths Trip
Maths GCSE Exam am
HPV Injections (Year 8 Girls)
Year 13 Geography Fieldtrip returns
Year 11 Parents’ Consultation Evening
Year 8 & 11 Snapshots issued
Year 8 Glasbury Residential departs
Year 10 Parents’ Consultation Evening
Year 8 Glasbury Residential returns
Year 11 Dinner Dance
Year 13 Drama Exam week
Spanish Theatre Trip
Year 12 History/Politics trip to Parliament
Year 11 Mock Exam week
Christmas Concert
Aachan Christmas Market Trip
Year 7 Theatre Trip (departs noon)
Carol Shout
Year 12/13 Snapshots issued
School Finishes at 12:15 pm for Christmas Holidays
INSET day, no students in school
School restarts for all years
Note from Chair of Governors
Governors would like to take this opportunity to congratulate publicly the students and their teachers on
their superb examination results this summer, yet again an improvement on the previous year. Not only
did the whole school perform highly when compared with other schools in the County, but there were also
many outstanding individual successes.
These results are a true reflection of Bartholomew’s ethos of high expectations of all its students combined
with individual support and challenge. Teachers as well as students can be justly proud of their
achievements. Their commitment, energy, enthusiasm and effort are inspiring and greatly appreciated by
governors.
Jane Osborne
Chair of Governors
Issue: 1
Page 4
New Parent Governors
As a result of the recently held Parent Governor Elections, I am pleased to advise that the following
parents have duly been elected for a four year term as from 15 October 2008:
Mr Charles Allison who has a son in Year 8
Dr David Nash who has a daughter in Year 7
Congratulations to them both! We look forward to them taking a full and active part in our governing
body, joining with their fellow governors in ensuring the school provides the best possible education and
learning environment for all our students.
Mrs Bedford
Clerk to Governors
Key Stage 4 - Dates for your Diaries
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at next term’s Parent Consultation meetings, when
you will have an opportunity to discuss your sons’ and daughters’ progress with their subject teachers,
Form Tutor and Head of Year:
Year 11:
Thursday 13 November – 3:30 – 6:30 pm
Year 10:
Thursday 27 November – 3:30 – 6:30 pm
Please watch out for Snapshot reports, which will be sent home about a week before the Parent
Consultation meeting and will inform your discussions with staff.
If you are unable to make the Parent Consultation meeting, but would like to discuss any aspect of your
son’s / daughter’s progress, please contact the appropriate subject teacher, Form Tutor or Head of Year.
Ms Page
KS4 Coordinator/Assistant Headteacher
Thinking Voice
At Bartholomew School, we aim to support all students to develop their
thinking to the best of their ability. We also strive to ensure that students’
thoughts and ideas are given a real ‘voice’ in the school, whether this is in
the classroom or in a wider school context. We are fortunate to already
have a long tradition of the use of ‘student voice’ through enthusiastic
student participation in the running of the school through our highly
active School Council. In recent years, we have invested heavily in staff
training to support structured dialogue and enquiry as a learning tool in
the classroom (known as ‘Philosophy for Children’ or ‘P4C’). Through experiencing P4C in the classroom,
students have enhanced opportunities to develop their independent and collaborative thinking skills, and
we have been very excited about the positive response from staff and students alike about its use at
Bartholomew.
Issue: 1
Page 5
We were delighted to have our work in these areas recognised recently through our successful bid to
become part of the ‘Leading Edge Partnership Programme’. Our focus for this Second Specialism project –
called ‘Thinking Voice’ – is on innovative use of P4C, Thinking Skills and Student Voice within the school.
The project will support us in further developments in these areas, in addition to supporting joint
developments with local partner schools. We are very pleased that Gosford Hill School, Burford School and
Marlborough School have accepted our invitation to become partner schools and we are greatly looking
forward to working with them further on the Thinking Voice project.
Thinking Skills in Year 7
As part of the Thinking Voice project, we have been able to support the incorporation of Thinking Skills to
the curriculum in Year 7. Each class has one Thinking Skills lesson per fortnight, giving students a specific
opportunity to develop their thinking, fostering and encouraging curiosity and creativity. The skills that the
students develop through these lessons are designed to enhance their learning in other subjects, particularly
in line with the skills aspect of the new KS3 curriculum. These skills are aimed at supporting students in
developing such positive attributes as being creative thinkers, reflective learners and effective participators,
both independently and as a team. We are delighted that the feedback from the Year 7 students this year so
far has already been incredibly positive!
Miss Zawadzki
Acting Assistant Headteacher
Some examples from 7MA-R’s recent Thinking Homework::
If you could grant the
world five wishes,
what would they be?
·
Everybody had
enough money but not
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Issue: 1
too much or too little
There was no discrimination or racism
Make everyone happy and stop polluting the world
Get rid of global warming
I wish that all countries would stop planning wars against each other and instead just talk to one
another
That there were no endangered species or even possibly extinct species!
Stop littering!
Make all cars have zero emissions
Let everyone have plenty of food and water
Clean, stable, cheap and plentiful energy supply
Stop crime around the world and make the world a safer place to be in
People could believe what they want!
Stop fur trade and hunting endangered species
Stop using so much electricity to help stop global warming
Make poverty history!
Page 6
National Poetry Day
On Thursday 9 October Bartholomew School celebrated National Poetry Day! Poems mysteriously
appeared all over the school and students discussed poetry in assemblies and registrations. Year 7 students
played 'Hunt The Poet' and the English Department had lots of fun running a Poetry Writing workshop at
lunchtime. Budding poets have also taken part in our whole school poetry writing competition and the
quality of the entries received so far has been fantastic!
The following poem is an example of the excellent work we've been getting in from the poetry writing
competition.
Watch out for the winning poems in the next newsletter!
Miss Walters
Twilight Ending
Standing stars
Lost in the dark.
Misty mirrors mouth, “Lost love.”
Bleak.
Over again.
Your smile smokes away
As the memories melt into
The sweet taste of tears.
Waste.
Over again.
Each emerald flares
Fades
Angels appear.
Gentle.
Over again.
Your radiance was golden,
Fierce, fabulous.
We parted in peace.
A twilight ending.
Over again.
Natalie Gaunt.
Year 10.
Issue: 1
Page 7
Invigilation Opportunities for November 2008 - January 2009 and March - June 2009
We are looking for parents, grandparents or friends of the school who would like to invigilate during the
above mentioned examination seasons. The current rate of pay is £7.36 per hour and an introductory session
will be given to anyone applying for the first time. Hours of work are usually in slots of between 1 and 3
hours, with morning exams starting at 8:30 am and afternoon exams at 1:30 pm.
If you are interested, please telephone the school and ask for Cathy Chadwick or Pat Turner in the Exams
Office. Applicants will need to complete a disclosure form, which will be sent to the Criminal Records
Bureau.
Your school needs you!
As parents of the school you will be aware that, as part of the school's extensive extra-curricular and
enrichment provision, we run many trips throughout the year to a myriad of destinations. We would very
much welcome support from any parent who feel that they have the time (and inclination!) to volunteer to
help us with supervision of these trips. There will always be at least one member of teaching staff responsible
for leading the trip and a first aid trained member of staff provided by the school.
If you are in a position to help us with supervision of trips from time to time, please would you contact Jan
Roy, PA to the Senior Team, at Reception or on her e-mail: [email protected]. We will
then keep you updated about which trips are available to see if these match your availability.
As this role does not involve one-to-one supervision of students no Criminal Records Bureau vetting is
necessary. Many thanks in advance for those of you who are able to volunteer your time; some of our trips
do involve visiting some wonderful places and enjoying some wonderful experiences at the same time!
Mrs Warwick
Deputy Headteacher
Exeat System
We thought it would be a good time to send a reminder home about how the exeat system works. All
students in Years 7 – 10 can apply and get an exeat card if they live in Eynsham or have Eynsham relatives
and can go home. All students in Year 11 can apply for an exeat card and we prefer that these students, if
using the exeat, also spend their lunchtimes at home.
Members of staff monitor the exits every lunchtime to ensure that this system is not abused. No students will
be allowed to leave the school site without an exeat card. If the students have a card but have forgotten to
bring it to school they will not be allowed off site. Any student caught leaving the school site or returning
without an exeat card will be punished.
The Exeat card of any student who abuses the system, misbehaves in the village, proves to be a risk to
themselves or others or allows another to use their card, will have their card withdrawn for a year.
The School Council has been liasing with staff to consider ways to make lunchtimes better for students to
encourage more students to stay on site. Certainly our excellent canteen (named best School canteen in
Oxfordshire 2008!) should be one motivating factor.
We hope students and parents will support us in this drive.
Mr Thomas
KS3 Coordinator/Assistant Headteacher
Issue: 1
Page 8
Between April and July 2008 interested staff and students worked on and developed our new anti-bullying
policy. During our discussions we talked about how we could build upon the supportive ethos, which
already exists in the school. One initiative is the new Bartholomew support card, which is being trialled by
all Year 7 students. We are very keen that our new Anti–Bullying policy becomes a useful document,
which parents, staff and students can refer to if they need advice and support. What follows below is an
extract from this policy.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) particularly mobile phones and
the internet, deliberately to upset someone else
What is different about cyberbullying?
1. 24/7 and the invasion of home and personal space. Cyberbullying can take place at anytime
and can intrude into spaces that have previously been regarded as safe or personal.
2. The audience can be very large and reached rapidly. The difficulty in controlling electronically
circulated messages means the scale and scope of cyberbullying can be greater than other forms of
bullying. Electronically forwarded content is hard to control, and the worry of content resurfacing
can make it difficult for targets to move on.
3. People who cyberbully may attempt to remain anonymous. This can be extremely distressing
for those bullied. The person cyberbullying may never be in the same physical space as their target.
4. The profile of the bully and target. Cyberbullying can take place both between peers and across
generations. Age or size is not important.
5. Some instances of cyberbullying are known to be unintentional. It can be the result of not
thinking or as a lack of awareness of the consequences – for example saying something negative
online about another student, or friend that they don’t expect to be forwarded or viewed outside
their immediate group.
How is technology used to bully?
Mobile Phones. Sending nasty calls or text messages, including threats, intimidation, and harassment.
Taking and sharing humiliating images. Videoing other people being harassed and sending these to other
people or internet sites.
Instant Messenger (IM). Sending nasty messages or content. Using someone else’s account to forward
rude or mean messages via their contact list.
Chatrooms and message boards. Sending threatening or nasty messages. Groups of people deciding to
pick on or ignore individuals. Making friends under false pretences – people pretending to be someone
else in order to get personal information that they can misuse in a number of ways – e.g. by spreading
secrets or blackmailing.
Webcams. Making and sending inappropriate content. Persuading or threatening young people to act in
inappropriate ways. Using inappropriate recordings to manipulate young people.
Social Network sites. Posting nasty comments, humiliating images/video. Accessing another person’s
account details and sending unpleasant messages, deleting information or making private information
public. Creating fake profiles pretending to be someone else, e.g. to bully, harass or get the person in
trouble.
Issue: 1
Page 9
Video hosting sites. Posting embarrassing, humiliating film of someone.
Virtual Learning Environments/Managed Learning Environments. Posting inappropriate messages
or images. Hacking into someone else’s account to post inappropriate comments or delete schoolwork.
Gaming sites, consoles and virtual worlds. Name calling, making abusive or derogatory remarks. Players
may pick on weaker or less experienced users, repeatedly killing their characters. Forwarding unwanted
messages to other devices in the immediate vicinity.
Advice for Parents/Guardians
·
Watch for signs of distress in your child, e.g. irrational and changeable behaviour, demands for
extra money, school refusal, lack of confidence, torn and damaged clothing and belongings.
·
Talk to your child. Find out about friendship groups and behaviour within these groups.
·
If you suspect bullying, contact the school immediately and seek help.
cyberbullying, see below for further information.
·
If your child talks of bullying, please keep a written record.
·
Help your child to develop coping strategies.
·
Most importantly, do not encourage your child to retaliate. This may result in your child being
disciplined in the same way as the bully. It also appears to your child that violent or threatening
behaviour is an acceptable way of solving problems: moreover retaliation can perpetuate bullying.
·
Support your child. Do not seek conflict with the suspected bully or family. Seek wider help and
go to the school. Use the school as an intermediary.
If you suspect
Many parents/guardians think that cyberbullying is not common or never happens. As with face-to-face
bullying, young people may suffer cyberbullying in silence for a number of reasons, including the fear that
their Internet access or mobile phone access will be removed from them.
·
Encourage your child to talk to you if he/she is being cyberbullied. Consider contacting the mobile
network, the Internet Service Provider or the school for action to be taken.
·
Make sure your child understands how to use these technologies safely and that any misuse may
constitute a criminal act.
Moderated chat rooms, eg HABBO, are supervised by trained adults. Your Internet Service Provider will
tell you if they have moderated chat services.
Useful contacts
If you or your child is being bullied via a mobile phone, you can seek help from your phone network
provider:
Mobile Phones
O2. [email protected] or 08705214000
Vodafone. 191 from a Vodafone phone or 08700700191 for Pay Monthly customers and 08700776655 for
Pay as you Go
Issue: 1
Page 10
3. Call 333 from a 3phone or 08707330333
Orange. Call 450 on an Orange phone or 07973100450 for Pay as you Go or 150 or 07973100150 for Pay
Monthly
T-Mobile. Call 150 on a T-Mobile phone or 08454125000
If you are experiencing bullying or harassment on your landline contact:
BT Nuisance Call Advisor:
NTL:
Telewest:
0800 661 441
0845 454 0000
0845 142 0220
Email Accounts
If you are experiencing bullying via an e-mail account, contact your Internet Service Provider for help. For
a list of providers, go to www.thinkbroadband.com/isps.html. Click on the name of your provider to find
their contact page. Alternatively you can complain to the sender’s Internet Service Provider by writing
abuse@ and then the name of the host, eg [email protected].
Social Network Sites
Bebo: reports can be made by clicking on a “Report Abuse” link located below the user’s profile photo
(top left corner of screen) on every Bebo profile page. Bebo users can also report specific media content
(i.e. photos, videos, widgets) to the Bebo customer services team by clicking on a “ Report Abuse “ link
located below the content they wish to report.
MySpace: reports can be made via the “Contact MySpace” link, which is accessible at the bottom of the
MySpace homepage (http://uk.myspace.com) and at the bottom of every page on the MySpace site
Piczo: reports can be made within the service (there is a “Report Bad Content” button at the top of every
members page). At the bottom of the home page and on the “ Contact Us “ page there is a link to a
“Report Abuse” page. The “Report Abuse” page can be found at: http://pic3.piczo.com/public/piczo2/
piczoAbuse.jsp
Video-Hosting Sites
YouTube. You can “flag content as inappropriate”
See www.youtube.com/t/terms Under 5C
Instant Messenger (e.g., Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger)
MSN: When in Windows Live Messenger, clicking the “ Help “ tab will bring up a range of options,
including “Report Abuse” and there is also an online feedback form at: http://support.msn.com/default.
aspx?mkt=en-gb
Yahoo! : When in Yahoo! Messenger clicking the “Help” tab will bring up a range of options, including
“Report Abuse”.
Mr Thomas
KS3 Coordinator/Assistant Headteacher
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Page 11
School Council Hill End Annual Trip – a diary from a member
On Wednesday 8 October, the School Council set off for their
annual trip to Hill End. We were separated off into our single sex
dorms; boys at the entrance of Hill End and girls at the top of the
hill.
People were left to settle whilst the teachers cooked our evening
meal. After eating and clearing up we all went to the barn. It was
time to get down to work. We separated into our year groups to
discuss what we wanted our school to be like – writing these ideas
onto post-it notes. We then had to work out which committee
would most benefit from these ideas and organised them all into the
particular sub-committees.
After deciding which committee we
would like to be part of for the year,
everyone had to create an action plan
of what we were going to do, and
start to prepare a presentation for us
to feed back to the rest of the group. But, this presentation wasn’t just to tell
the rest of the School Council, Mr Hamilton would also be coming to listen
in on everything and feed back his thoughts! The evening went very quickly
and before we knew it, it was time to light the campfire.
Huddling around the fire for warmth, Mr Bates whipped out the
marshmallows and skewers to let us get toasting. Sitting watching the fire, the
time flew by and before we knew it, we were walking back to our dorms to
get ready for bed. The dorms were freezing, but as my friends told me… this
was all part of the Hill End experience.
Waking up at 7:30 am we had half an hour to get up and dress
ready for breakfast, which consisted of bacon, egg, sausage and
toast and/or cereal, cooked by all the teachers. After breakfast it
was time to pack up our bags and take them down to the barn.
For the next activity, the group were called to the barn for the final
preparation before the presentation in front of Mr Hamilton.
Obviously all after ‘Simon Says’ to wake us up! Mr Hamilton
arrived on schedule at 11 am, the room was set up so we
proceeded with our presentations. Each committee had five
minutes to talk to Mr Hamilton about what we could change
within the school. The presentations went well and Mr Hamilton
agreed with the majority of suggestions, giving us some useful
pointers on how we should all proceed this year.
Lunch was next with jacket potatoes and salad. With just 2 hours
to go it was time to clean up the dorms ready to leave Hill End.
Apparently it was the best cleaning they had ever seen!
The trip was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. Bring on
next year!
By Lucy Fisk
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Page 12
Year 10 Work Experience 2009 – Advance Notice
This year Work Experience week will take place from Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July. At the beginning
of November students will have an explanatory talk and receive a personal Work Experience pack
containing all the necessary information and essential application forms.
Most students are placed through the school’s work experience database and we take care to match
students to a placement that meets their preference. Some students arrange their own placements but they
must check with Linda Williams, the Work Experience Administrator, before contacting an employer: this
is to avoid the confusion caused through an approach to an employer who has already offered a placement
to the school. Linda Williams can be contacted on her direct line 01865 733334 or by e-mail:
[email protected].
Connexions Library
The Connexions Library has books, magazines and software giving access to information about different
jobs, different ways of training and continuing education and help with a range of personal issues including
health, relationships and money. The library also contains university prospectuses and details of college
courses available locally.
The Connexions Library is located in the upper library and is open to students during the lunchtimes as
follows:
Monday
Year 9
Wednesday
Year 11
Friday
Year 10
6th Form can use the Library at any time
Geography Department
Last year’s Year 9 (present Year 10) completed their sponsored walk in June/July 2008, they managed to
raise £221.98 which will be sent on to our link school in Uganda, AMKA Classic School near Kampala.
In previous years the money raised has been used to help fund the building of a new classroom and to add
further resources to the school.
Thank you to all of Year 10 for their support in raising this money to help others achieve a good education
in other parts of the world.
Mrs Palmer
Joint Acting Head of Geography
French exchange
We are still recruiting Year 9s to take part in the exchange with 30 fourteen year olds from Vannes,
Brittany! So far 17 places have been filled. If you could help out with accommodating the French students
when they come over here between April 19 –24 (5 nights) please can you let me know at school.
Many thanks!
Mrs Winstone
Head of MFL
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Page 13
European Day of Languages 26 September 2008
This year’s European Day of Languages was an even bigger event than last
year. The MFL department, ably supported by other colleagues, got into
the spirit of the day, dressing-up in their own interpretations of the national
costumes of various countries. Year 7 students completed a fact finding
treasure trail and won prizes for completing this. Other events included a
European themed
lunch
in
the
canteen, with a
menu in three
languages, which
was
hugely
appreciated
by
staff and students
alike - thank-you
Chef,
and
languages workshops in which students were
offered the opportunity to learn Hebrew, Gujarati
and Italian – thanks to all the teachers and students
who gave up their time to do this.
All tutor groups had the opportunity to participate in
a languages quiz and to discuss which languages they
speak at home. To date we have discovered that
students of our school speak 21 different languages at
home including English, Bulgarian, Farsi, Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hebrew, Danish, Portuguese, French,
Greek, Polish, Spanish, Hungarian, German, Irish
(Gaelic), Russian, Welsh, Persian, Italian and Gujarati.
WOW!
The Language Department
Spanish Club for Year 9s
Advance notice!
After Christmas, we will be starting a Spanish Club one lunchtime a week for any Year 9 students
interested in taking GCSE Spanish next year. This will be an opportunity for students to master the basics,
meet our Spanish assistant Liliana and find out if this would be the right GCSE language for them.
Year 8 French
New “Clic” resources to support independent study.
This year, we are trying out a new French beginner course from O.U.P. with our Year 8 students. Your
son/daughter will have received a booklet and CD to help him/her with homework and extension work.
We are keen to encourage independent study and would be interested in any feedback you may wish to give
us about how your child is using their “En Solo” booklet!
Thank you
Mrs Winstone
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MFL Assistants
This year in the MFL department we are fortunate enough to have 3 foreign language assistants. Liliana and
Peter are joining us for the first time and introduce themselves below. Nathalie has been with us for several
years and has written something for us in French about her interesting life.
Nathalie Whitfield, Language Assistant
Bonjour!
Je suis née en France, dans la Vallée de la Loire, dans la ville de Blois.
C’est une région de France avec des petites collines et des forêts qui possède beaucoup de grands châteaux
luxueux. Les rois de France vivaient dans cette région. On y cultive de nombreux vins blancs, rouges et
rosés. Elle est traversée par un grand fleuve romantique, la Loire.
J’ai habité en France (le pays de ma mère) et en Côte d’Ivoire (le pays de mon père), un pays africain tropical
sur l’Océan Atlantique, à côté du Ghana, qui exporte du cacao, du café, des ananas et des bananes. C’est le
pays des joueurs de football, Didier Drogba (Chelsea) et Touré (Arsenal). J’ai aussi vécu plusieurs années en
Suisse, près de Genève, entourée de montagnes magnifiques et sous la neige en hiver.
En France, en Côte d’Ivoire, en Suisse, le français, ma langue maternelle, est la langue de tous les jours. Je
comprenais aussi l’anglais et l’allemand et je les utilisais avec le français et un peu l’espagnol quand je
travaillais à Genève.
En Inde du Sud, j’ai passé 4 ans, dans une ville historique très colorée (à Hyderabad), sous une chaleur
terrible en été. J’ai commencé à parler anglais plus souvent et j’ai appris quelques mots de hindi et de telegu.
J’habite maintenant en Angleterre (le pays de mon mari) où j’apprécie la tolérance et l’humour britannique.
Liliana Giraldo Mills, Language Assistant
Hola. I am Liliana Giraldo Mills, the new Spanish Teaching Assistant. I come from Manizales, a city in
Colombia, South America. I have been living in England for two years and I have been working as a Spanish
Teaching Assistant in other schools in Oxfordshire. I feel very privileged and excited to have the
opportunity to be working at Bartholomew School because I am aware of its excellent reputation and high
standards. Thank you very much for your warm welcome.
Peter Vogelgesang, Language Assistant
Hallo und Guten Tag!
My name is Peter Vogelgesang and I will be working at Bartholomew School as a German Language
Assistant for the next 8 months. In Germany I studied to become a teacher at a Gymnasium for the
subjects of English and Physical Education. My favourite sport is handball which, unfortunately, is not that
well known in the UK. But maybe I’ll get the chance to introduce it here at school and everybody who
might be interested is very welcome to come and try it. I hope we have a nice time together!
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Bartholomew School 50th Celebrations
Some highlights from the year. A huge thank you to all the contributors, it has been a fantastic year of
celebration.
Mrs Kruger
Head of Drama
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We start the school year with more fine poems from Miss
Walters’ creative and talented students.
The Sea
THE SEA
THE
The sea
Happiness, laughter, wild children
Lost in games
WILD
SILVER
SEA
SEA
CRASH – into the sea
SHATTERING
ACROSS
THE
Joining obsessive fun
Dragging me in
Shrieking with laughter
Shrieking, screaming…
GOLDEN
SURFACE,
SHRIEK,
CRASH
ANOTHER
Out of my depth.
The sapphire sea turns dull grey
Sun suffocates muggy clouds
Sharp wave shatters over my head
WAVE’S
CRASHED.
Panic.
AS
Look down, swallowed in terrifying frenzy
Dark shape looming up beneath me
Daggers sink into my leg…
THE
DAY
GOES
ON
Natalie Gaunt
The Sea is their tears
Captured souls hurling themselves at the pebbles,
desperately grasping, clawing, frantically trying to grab on to the beach
......don’t make us go back there......
THE
SEA
IS
SWALLOWED
INTO
THE
NIGHT
SUNRISE
Wildly screeching, screaming for help but sounding barely louder than a sad whisper
as they get dragged back,
scraping against the jagged rocks and sea-glass
They call again and again, reaching out to us - their deathly cold fingers lightly
splashing our toes
…help us…
…please help us…
AND SOMEONES PULLED THE PLUG
THE SEA
We move back oblivious
C
A
W
L
BACK TO WHERE IT KNOWS IT IS SAFE
We are free
We do not understand
Clare Hogan
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R
Page 18
S
Golden crash. Emerald sea.
The sunrise loses itself
in the sea the scream and crash of the
waves
The sea isn’t a wicked thing
nor terrible,
Its depth,
Drowns,
shatters,
crashes
and
s...l..o..w..l..y
Wild sea. Calm down. Don’t shatter.
S
Crash like the deep.
I
N
Now you’re gone.
K
S
Sink with me
The surface breaks ;
forms an emerald sheet,
Lost underneath
It seems wild ;
then is …..
Like a fish now
L
I see
Jacob Jelfs
o
st
and gone into a
unique silver wave.
Soul of the Sea.
Gaby Guilfoyle
Staring into the soul of the sea
Impossible – a shrouded cavern
Wailing and corrupted
Furnace for a worlds misdeeds,
THE GOLDEN SUN
Holding the secrets and passions
Of many truly gone
The heavy, pounding, suffocating
Burst of silver and black
Concealing and repulsive.
The golden sun sinks down and is lost
And no one knows where it has gone
There are shrieks and screams as the
sun dies out.
My breath catches
My heart rises and chokes me
Just imagining the crashing lamentation of salted blue
Forcing itself upon me, trapping.
I always lose myself at sea
Where I privately wander through the depth
Unsure of whether to be afraid
And knowing that I’ll eventually wake up
And still be standing on the shore
Relief and regret
Battling for control.
They will be no sunrise, only night
There is no morning, only shadow
Can you hear the witches cackling in
deep, dark, dripping caverns?
The day’s gloomy - the silver waves take a bite of the
loneliness of the beach
As the wind howls it seems the beach is waiting…
Defiant waves crash into a crested coast
I can hear the shore yearning to live.
Martin Edwards
I feel unsafe at sea
Not trusting myself
Feeling the two halves of me
Battling for control.
Holly Gorne
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Research Project
The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford is looking for volunteers to take part in a study
of the differences between how children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) look at faces compared to
children developing without ASD.
Your school has kindly agreed to forward on some information about our study as we are looking to recruit
children without ASD.
The study uses a technique called magnetoencephalography (or, more simply, MEG) to measure the tiny
magnetic fields that are produced when a person is looking at a face. MEG is a totally safe way of measuring
how the brain works: it is silent, the child can sit in an upright position and a doctor can sit in the scanning
room to keep the child company. We are most interested in recruiting boys who are aged between 5-15
years and have no diagnosis or family history of ASD.
In the first phase of the study Dr Simon Wallace would visit you at home to conduct some initial
assessments and he would show you some movie footage of MEG being used. A short period later you
would be asked to make a visit to the Department of Psychiatry in Oxford so that we can assess how good
your child is at recognising faces and use MEG to measure brain activity when looking at pictures of faces
and objects. The visit would last approximately 2 hours and your child would receive a voucher as a thank
you.
If you'd like more information about the study please contact Dr Simon Wallace on 01865 283 827 or email
[email protected].
For more information about the Oxford MEG centre or the Autism Research Group please go to
http://www.psychiatry.ox.ac.uk/autism
The study has been assessed by the Oxfordshire Research Ethics Committee.
Thanks and best wishes
Simon
Dr Simon Wallace
Department of Psychiatry,
University of Oxford,
Warneford Hospital,
OX3 7JX
Tel: 0044 (0) 1865 283 827
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CALLING ALL PARENTS AND
GRANDPARENTS
Are you a good listener?
Do you enjoy being with young children?
Could you spare 2 – 3 hours per week?
Would you be interested in becoming a
volunteer with Home-Start?
For more information
please call:
We offer support, friendship and
practical help
to local families in their homes
Oxford: 01865 779991
Bicester: 01869 349990
You can make a difference to a
family in need of a helping hand!
Witney/Carterton:
07894481332
Or view our website
www.homestart-oxford.
org.uk
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Bartholomew School Association (the PTA) would like to extend a
warm welcome to all new parents. By now some of you will have attended
our “Meet the Head” evening for Year 7 parents and had the opportunity
to talk to Mr Hamilton and other parents over a glass of wine.
BSA
Other events planned for this academic year include:
Thursday 6 November
7:15 pm in the school library
Friday 6 February
7:30 pm (time to be confirmed)
Thursday 12 February
7 pm (time to be confirmed)
Friday 26 June
3:30 - 5:30 pm
Committee meeting
Everyone is welcome to come along to our meetings. We are a
friendly, informal group and members are free to contribute as
much or as little as time allows.
Quiz Night
A great night out. Entertaining quiz with supper and licensed bar.
More information and tickets will be available nearer the time.
Year 7/8 parents’ discussion forum.
Do you feel you don’t know much of what goes on at school now
that your children are at Bartholomew? This is a great opportunity
to meet other parents and senior staff, and to get answers to some
of your questions.
Wine and soft drinks will be served.
School fete
Our biggest fundraising event of the year. Stalls, fun and games,
bbq, teas … please come along and support the school.
Christmas Puddings
David Leake, our award-winning school chef, will be making Christmas puddings again this year which will
be on sale to parents, staff and students - all profits going to the BSA. Buy a delicious pudding and support
the school at the same time! Order forms will be available soon.
How we spend the money:
During the summer term Heads of Departments were invited to submit a “wish list” of resources which are
not covered by school funds, and we have spent just over £4000 by purchasing (or in some cases
contributing to) the following:
Art
English
Film Studies
Learning support
Maths/Art/Drama
Modern Foreign Languages
Music
Science
ICT in Art
DVD players
Film resources and Macbook
CD player, TV & Video/DVD
Cross curricular Dance Day
Extra teaching resources
Variety of percussion instruments
Frames and prizes for the photographic competition
Eco area bench and resources
Physics equipment (laser)
We have also made a contribution towards the School Council meeting at Hill End.
If you have any comments or questions on how we spend the money we have raised, please contact Sarah
Lindon or come along to a committee meeting.
Contacts:
Sarah Lindon (Chair): [email protected] Please note that this is a new email address from October 08.
Tel. 01993 883490
Mike Chippendale (Treasurer and 200 Club): [email protected]
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BSA
Rules of the Bartholomew 200 Club
1. Membership will only be open to members of the Bartholomew School Association (BSA). Membership
of the BSA includes all parents/guardians of children attending Bartholomew School, as well as (with the
approval of the committee) adults who wish to join and have the interests of the school at heart.
2. Members will subscribe £12 for the year beginning 1 September. Subscriptions should be paid by 31
October.
3. The amount of each prize will depend on the value of ‘M’. For the small prize draws M is reckoned to be
the number of persons who have paid a subscription for the term in question multiplied by £2. For the large
prize draws M is reckoned to be the number of persons to have paid subscriptions for the whole year
multiplied by £1.
4. A large prize draw will be held near Christmas. The amount of the prize shall be 50% of M.
5. A large prize draw shall be held near the end of the year. In this the amount of each prize shall be:
1st prize = 100% of M
2nd prize = 50% of M
3rd prize = 25% of M
6. A small prize draw shall be held each term (ie 6 times per year). In these, the amount of each prize shall
be:
1st prize = 12.5% of M
2nd prize = 6.25% of M
7. Subscriptions may be paid by a cheque of £12 payable to Oxfordshire County Council sent to the
school accountant or by Bankers Order.
8. Members are responsible for the payment of their subscriptions and the Club accepts no responsibility
for subscriptions not received.
9. On joining the Club each member will be allocated a number. The various draws shall be made from the
numbers belonging to eligible members per Rules 4, 5 and 6.
10. Names of prize winners will be published in the School Newsletter.
11. The Club Treasurer will be appointed by the BSA Committee. He/she will keep a register of members
which will be open for inspection
12. Profits of the Club will be transferred to school funds at the end of each year.
13. The decision of the BSA Committee shall be final in resolving any dispute or other matter needing
adjudication. The Committee shall have the power and full discretion to amend or revoke these rules
without notice.
14. The Bartholomew 200 Club is a private lottery. The promoter is Mike Chippendale, BSA Treasurer.
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BSA
Support the School and win up to £200
Bartholomew School Association 200 Club
The 200 Club is a draw run by Bartholomew School Association (BSA) for the benefit of the school. It is
one of the many ways that the BSA raises money for the school.
Members make a payment of £12 per year to take part in six termly draws, a Christmas draw and a large
annual draw. If the club is fully subscribed, the termly draws have prizes of £50 and £25, the Christmas
draw has a prize of £100 and the largest annual draw has prizes of £200, £100 and £50.
The prizes are based on 200 members, giving the club its name. Prize money can be reduced if the club is
not fully subscribed, or increased if the club is over-subscribed, in order to maintain the share of the money
going to the school.
If you would like to join, you can use the slip below. The rules are attached.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bartholomew 200 Club
I wish to join/rejoin the Bartholomew 200 Club and agree to accept the rules.
Full Name Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms ………………………………………………..
Address ………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
Telephone ……………………………………………………………………
Son/daughter ………………………………………… Form …………..…..
Method of payment: Cheque/Cash/Standing order
Please make cheques payable to Oxfordshire County Council
Signed …………………………………………………. Date ……………..
Please return this form with payment to the School Accountant
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