Moulsham Focus Spring 2015

FOCUS
Headteacher
letter
Spring 2015
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
on Moulsham High School
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Spring 2015
Welcome to the Spring edition of Focus magazine
Not All Downhill
in America
Page 7
Speak Out!
Page 6
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
ge 5
Pa
ardry at School
Sorcery and Wiz
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Page 11
Berlin
Inspiring Auth
or
Visits Mouls
ham Page 3
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Disneyland
Paris
Page 13
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
Academy
Status
Specialising in English and Humanities
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Headteacher
letter
Moulsham High School
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
Swimmers Kick
Out in Relay
Competition
The
Headteacher’s
Book
Headteacher letter
Dear Parents,
the school remains calm and purposeful and the students’ attitude
to learning is exemplary.
Spring is already sprung and I am pleased that, with only one heavy
snowfall to date, we managed to remain open throughout the
winter months. All credit must go to the site team when the snow
did fall as our renowned snowplough would not work and the team
cleared the site manually to ensure it was safe for the students
and staff!
I am keen to ensure that the ‘student voice’ remains at the forefront
of all we do and recent examples of student input include reporting
to governors directly, sharing their views on various departments
as part of the departmental review process, and group meetings
with me to share their generic thoughts of positive and negative
aspects of school life. In addition, one-to-one meetings with senior
staff have been taking place with all Year 9 and Year 11 students
to discuss their options or to provide support in the build-up to
examinations respectively, and the Sixth Form Team has also been
supporting Year 12 and 13 students on a one-to-one basis. Students
are confident in sharing what they feel works well and the good
points about the school, but also raise any issues that they feel we
should look into, or feel are not as good as they would like them
to be, in a mature, thoughtful and constructive manner that is often
beyond their years.
I recently sent a letter to all parents of students in Years 7 to 10
explaining the current situation with regard to staff absence. This
is a situation that we are working tirelessly to address to ensure
the best possible outcomes for all students, especially those about
to sit their public examinations. I appreciate the frustrations for
everyone, but we are doing everything we can and am sure share
with you in wishing staff a speedy recovery. Whilst supporting the
return to work of absent colleagues, I must publicly thank those
staff who are currently taking on additional classes and adapting
their own timetables to ensure that the students receive the best
possible provision, all at a time when these same staff are also
preparing for the biggest change in education since the late 80s at
Key Stages 3, 4 and 5; their continued flexibility and hard work is a
credit to them.
Unfortunately, but not unusually at this time of year, we do have
staff who are moving on at the end of term. Miss Baxter is leaving us
to join the education team at the House of Commons,Westminster,
and Miss Loftus is relocating back to Ireland. On the other hand,
I am delighted to report that we have appointed Mrs Lee, who
has several years’ experience in teaching, to join us after Easter
in the English department and Mr Fagg, a former student who is
just starting his teaching career, will join us shortly in the History
department.
As always, there is much going on within school …and not just
around the preparation for those about to sit their GCSEs, AS or
A-level examinations. Lower School students are preparing for their
own assessments and have recently been focussing on Learn to
Learn to develop core skills for future success.Year 9 are currently
going through the options process in readiness for starting their
GCSEs. Once again, there have been some fantastic achievements
in the sporting arena with success at district, county and national
levels and exceptional performances in cross country, football,
water polo and, more recently, gymnastics. The school production
of ‘We Will Rock You’ is entering the final rehearsal stage and,
having popped my head in several times, I can report that it looks
set to be an excellent performance with wonderful Queen tracks
to sing along to.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents for their
continued support in all that we are doing and wish you all a safe
and enjoyable Easter break.
MR. FARMER, Headteacher
We wish our Year 11, 12 & 13 students all the very best of luck in
their forthcoming examinations. On top of all the preparation and
additional support classes, combined with revision sessions taking,
or due to take, place, Year 11 students also enjoyed a visit from
‘Positively Mad ‘who spoke to the whole year group about memory
techniques linked to their revision. The response to all the support
offered has been very positive and the students have been working
incredibly hard to make individual improvements based on detailed
feedback from their preliminary examinations.
During this exceptionally busy period both within school and within
education as a whole, and despite taking on the teaching of a Year
9 Maths class, I am pleased to report that I am still able to squeeze
in my visits to individual classes either alone, with senior colleagues
or with the many guests who have visited us recently. The ‘feel’ of
2
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Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
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In Football…
Every Tuesday night after school, between 3.30pm and 4.00pm,
Immy Riches and I have been coaching Year 7, 8 and 9 students in
football. We are helping them improve their skills and knowledge of
the game by coming up with new drills that focus on the area of the
game where Mrs Whitmarsh feels they need the most improvement
that week.
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
We both agree that coaching regularly has helped us improve in
PE as we can relate our learning to practical examples in coaching.
Furthermore, we have had an opportunity to try out different
teaching styles and see which are most effective, which is one of the
topic areas we have been studying this year.
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
MIA BRISLEY, Year 12
Not All
Downhill in
America
Inspiring Author Visits Moulsham
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
In January, the author Catherine Bruton visited the school’s library and inspired students in Years 7 to 10. Catherine’s Book ‘I Predict a
Riot’ is currently on the Essex Book Awards shortlist.
Last Orders
Catherine spoke about her time teaching in Africa and the inspiration behind her books. She was energetic and fun and we were able
to ask her loads of questions. She gave us lots of creative writing tips too! She also told us how she had used the London riots as a
backdrop for her book and spoke about working with young people who end up joining gangs.
Cross Country
Championships
Catherine talked about why she chose to write for young people and explained that it was because we haven’t made up our minds
about everything yet so our lives can be changed by the books we read.
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Catherine said she really liked the posters we’d made and we were delighted when she also gave up her time to sign autographs. We
will be looking up her other books and are looking forward to reading them.
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
We all liked Catherine a lot as she was cheery and amusing and we hope to see her again.
Berlin
ALISHA POOLER, MEG DEMONAKIS, CAITLIN KEMP, AYLA
AMJAD, ABIGAIL WILSON, SOPHIE CAREY and OYINKAN
FADIPE, Years 7, 8, 9 and 10
Maths Facts
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Safeguarding
Advice
Swimmers Kick
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Headteacher
letter
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Moulsham High School
Out There with The Wilderness Foundation
A group of Year 9 and Year 10 students have been benefitting from
participation in Out There, an alternative education scheme run by
local charity The Wilderness Foundation.
Well done to Jay Clark, Joe Gleave, Daniel Brehun, Connor GoodHalls, Josh Fitch-Turner, Andrew Munro, Josh King, Tammy Thomas
in Year 9 and Josh Brookes and Kane Smith in Year 10 who have
all been awarded Out There Wilderness Academy Certificates of
Achievement.
Out There is a six-week (one day per week for six weeks)
personal development programme for young people aged 13-15
that follows the philosophy of using nature and the outdoors as
an opportunity for change. Learning and development takes place
outside the classroom at The Wilderness Foundation’s 400-acre
Chatham Green site. Each day-long programme combines personal
development activities with outdoor adventure and challenges,
ranging from bush craft skills through to power kiting. The focus
for the programme centres on developing communication and
teamwork skills, increasing confidence and motivation and helping
students gain an insight into their own behaviour.
MR SMITH, Deputy Student Support Manager
On completion of the six-week programme, students were
supported in school through weekly mentor sessions provided by
trained volunteers from The Wilderness Foundation. During these
sessions students identified the goals they would like to work
towards, choosing from a Gateway qualification through completion
of a portfolio, or focussing on some of the challenges that they are
faced with both in and out of school.
The Out There programme is now in its third year and has been
made possible thanks to funding by the Big Lottery Fund ‘Reaching
Communities’ initiative. At the end of the programme students
receive a Certificate of Achievement, the John Muir Discovery
Award and a Leave No Trace Awareness Award.
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Netballers Hold Their Positions
Despite the cold weather, turnout for netball training from students
in Year 7 through to Year 11 has been very good and this has paid
off in terms of the achievements of all the teams.
•
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•
Everyone has worked hard at each training session and the girls
have done well to pick up where they left off in Year 8!
The Year 7 and Year 8 teams are both in Division 1 and, so far,
the Year 8 team remains undefeated. With only a few matches
to play before the end of the season, both teams are looking like
likely champions. Without doubt, regular attendance at both
after-school and Wednesday morning clubs has contributed to
the girls’ success.
The Year 9 team has only lost one game so far this season and,
once again, it is the dedication of the players, especially Jess
Hardy (Captain), that has ensured this success. This is quite an
achievement when you consider that a number of the players
have also been honouring significant football commitments
alongside their netball training.
•
Year 11s recently enjoyed a definitive win against Sandon
(19-8) and Gabby Taylor’s phenomenal shooting was a
major factor in securing their win. This season the girls have
proved that consistent training really does improve a team’s
performance overall.
•
Some great performances from our Sixth Form team, especially
from Rebecca James (Centre) and India England in defence,
ensured a recent win against KEGs.
We are now looking forward to the Year 7 to 11 district tournament
matches towards the end of March and would like to commend all
the teams on their renewed commitment to training this year.
MRS JOHNSON, PE
This year numbers have improved in relation to Year 10 and
we have had enough players to be able to reinstate the team.
4
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Spring 2015
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Gifted and
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Title
Sorcery and Wizardry at School
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
From a potions class with Professor Sprout to a treasure hunt
in Diagon Alley, the library recently turned into a mini Hogwarts
as the school celebrated the first ever, world-wide Harry Potter
Book Night.
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
A group of Year 9 girls came up with the idea of involving the school
in this international day to celebrate the wonder of J.K. Rowling’s
unforgettable stories and, between them, made all the decorations
and devised the activities. Eleanor Randall, Natalia Sobczak, Danielle
Lee, Abigail Wilson, Lizzy Quaye, Wiktoria Smolarek and Chloe
Regan even looked the part as they dressed up as their favourite
Harry Potter characters for the event.
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
40 students from Years 4 and 5 at Moulsham Junior School spent the
afternoon at Hogwarts and a further 60 of our Year 7 to 9 students
enjoyed the event after school. The aim was to introduce the next
generation of readers to the unparalleled magic of Harry Potter and
it all began when the Sorting Hat decided which House each of the
young wizards/witches/muggles would be in.
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
“Preparing for the night was an amazing experience; it taught us the fun
side of organising an event as well as the struggles.We had to think about
decorations, what we were going to do and how we were going to manage
the day within specifically-allocated times. The event was magical and I
can’t wait to do more things like this in the future.” (Abigial Wilson)
Last Orders
“Harry Potter Book Night was amazing! It was a great experience and
I hope to do it again next year. It was good to see how knowledgeable
Year 4 and Year 5s are about Harry Potter and how much they love these
books.” (Wiktoria Smolarek)
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
The library staff would like to thank Mrs Rabett, Mrs Walker and
Mr Wilson for lending props and costumes and Mrs Webster for
making some brilliant potions!
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Brand new editions of all the Harry Potter books are available to
borrow from the library.
Berlin
MRS WHEATER and MRS HALES, Librarians
Maths Facts
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Previous View
The
Headteacher’s
Book
Headteacher
letter
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
Swimmers Kick
Out in Relay
Competition
The
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Moulsham High School
Title
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
In early November, two teams of Business Studies AS students took
part in the Institute of Directors’ business aspirations task.The first
round consisted of a networking event and we were given a rare
chance to approach experienced businessmen and businesswomen
to draw on their expertise and further our business knowledge. As
the day progressed, guest speakers enhanced our understanding of
the risks and rewards of running your own business and encouraged
us to take up the opportunities we were given. At the end of the
day each team had to come up with, and present, an elevator pitch
based on hosting a prom. Two teams, including ours, received the
highest scores for their pitch and qualified for the final.
but we learnt a lot as we focused on reconstructing the finances, the
general structure of the business and the advertising methods used,
etc. The presentations from the competing teams were all very
professional and clearly thought out, but there could only be one
winner and clearly our many hours working after school had paid
off as we were crowned the winners of Business Aspirations 2014!
Our prize was an invitation to an Institute of Directors’ breakfast
at Stock Brook Manor at which were able to seek out professional
business advice and support, as well as being encouraged to aspire
to be the best.
We would like to thank the Institute of Directors for this
excellent experience.
The final took place at Anglia Ruskin University and teams from
across the county were each asked to present their methods and
ideas for rebuilding a business that was making a significant loss and
to identify five factors that could be changed in order to allow it to
make a profit. We had never experienced this type of task before,
SHEREE JORDAN, Year 12
Speak Out!
Congratulations to both Aaron and Sam on their excellent
performances and we wish them the best of luck in the up and
coming competition. I have a feeling this is going to be our year!
In January, students once again took part in the Jack Petchey Speak
Out Challenge, attending a public speaking workshop and each
striving to be the best speaker and represent the school in the
regional final in April at Bromford’s School.
MISS REYNOLDS, English
The 28-strong group of Year 10s challenged themselves throughout
the day as they gained in confidence, structured their talks and
perfected their presentational skills in order to succeed in delivering
their speeches later on in the day. Each participant had to present an
interest or topic in a way that would engage, inform and entertain
the audience. Some students exuded confidence from the outset,
whereas others worked hard to overcome their phobia of public
speaking (a thrill to see).
The topics throughout the day ranged from the serious to the
somewhat obscure – from debates about how much footballers
are paid to the life of leprechauns! The wide-ranging discussions
challenged the students to think on their feet, even if they didn’t
know a lot about the subject they had been given.
Aaron Haley was awarded 1st place and will now take part in the
regional final, together with reserve and 2nd place speaker Sam
Bennett – their speeches on balloons and brown ties respectively
added a metaphorical twist to their views on modern day society.
Sakina Muhammed finished in 3rd place with her moving speech
on the impact of technology, followed by Lucy Roberts in 4th and
Shengul Seymert in 5th. Well done to everyone.
The Speak Out Challenge is also a House competition and all who
took part gained a well-earned participation point. In the end,
Strutt earned the most points as they had the largest proportion of
participants and also included the challenge winner.
6
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Spring 2015
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Gifted and
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Not All Downhill in America
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Monday proved to be even
colder and Dick told us
that these were the coldest
weather conditions he’d ever
experienced! We spent our first
two days having an amazing time
just getting comfortable on the
snow, while the other groups
managed to ski a double black
diamond! After such cold days it was nice to get back to a warm
hotel, a hot evening meal and even a trip to the cinema.
For the next three days we were based in a different resort and the
weather was amazing. Despite a few falls throughout week (Dick told
us it was because the snow snakes were grabbing our skis!) we all
had a great time. Each night we enjoyed a different activity, including
bowling and bingo or eating mountains of ice cream at the ice cream
parlour where there were more flavours and toppings than we could
have ever imagined!
Arriving at school at 5.30am, extremely tired and, in some cases, a
little nervous, we soon loaded our bags onto the coach and headed
for the airport. Nerves turned to excitement as we enjoyed breakfast
before settling down on the plane ready for the 7½ hour flight that
was ahead of us.
The plane journey literally flew by and the few hours’ sleep on
board definitely helped! On arrival we boarded another coach for
the journey to the Big Apple and we were instantly amazed by the
atmosphere in New York as we quickly unpacked at the Comfort
Inn Hotel, added a few more layers and headed out into the cold
to the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. Thousands of pictures and
abundant portions of amazing food later we were ready to head back
to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
As the week progressed, we managed to improve our skiing skills
massively and soon found ourselves at the summit enjoying the
stunning views and then completing a black diamond run back down
to the lodge on just the fourth day! By the last day where we all felt
really confident on the runs and didn’t want the week to end – we
were sad to be leaving our instructor and we were going to miss
the beautiful mountains. On our last night, however, we had great
fun taking part in ‘Challenge Night’ as teams competed against each
other in rounds such as Find the Royals, Happy Hands, Ship Ahoy
and It’s All About the Look when we had to use our creative skills to
make outfits out of bin liners and sellotape!
The next day we wrapped up warm for a tour of New York. At the
Empire State Building not only did we enjoy the great views, despite
being very cold, but we also bumped into Olly Murs! Next was a boat
trip around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and then, finally, we
headed to Bloomingdales for some free time and a good browse. As
our sightseeing day drew to a close, we hopped back on the coach
for the long trip to Vermont (a neighbouring state) ready for an
action-packed week of skiing.We couldn’t wait!
On departure day there was only one thing to look forward to –
shopping! We stopped off at Woodbury Common Shopping Outlet
and everyone bought some great things before it was time to make
our way back home.
The overall experience was incredible! We made loads of new friends
and had a great time. We were all sad when it finished and, although
it was nice to be back with our families, we can’t wait for the next
ski trip!
KATIE PASSFIELD, Year 9 and AVA TINEY, Year 8
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
We woke up early on Sunday morning and, after a quick breakfast, we
put on our gear and boarded a traditional yellow school bus to go
and have our skis, boots and helmets fitted. On arrival at the resort
we stepped off the bus into freezing cold winds and temperatures of
minus 26 degrees to meet Dick, our very helpful instructor.
Swimmers Kick
Out in Relay
Competition
7
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The
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Headteacher
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Moulsham High School
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sensational Season for Girls’ Football
The school’s footballers have really benefitted from the improved
training facilities provided by the new 3G pitch and have been
enjoying a very successful season.
•
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
•
The final proved to be a very tight game and the girls were
understandably disappointed with a score of 3-2 to Brentford
when the final whistle blew, especially as they had beaten this team
earlier in the day.They should not be downhearted, however, as the
level of football they have reached is of an excellent standard and
they are now officially one of the top four teams in the country.The
team – Charlotte Fleming, Alice Bauckham, Catherine Powell, Tillie
Probert, Georgina Mark, Rosie Richards, Lauren Bain and Freya
Wicks – should all be very proud of their achievements.
The U14 girls’ football team performed exceedingly well to
reach the sixth round of the English Schools completion where
they were, unfortunately, knocked out by a team from Watford.
All is not lost, however, as they have qualified for the Essex
Cup final for the first time. Having beaten St Martins 6-0 in
the quarter final and Great Baddow 2-0 in the semi-final they
will now face Shenfield in the final later this season. The girls
have trained and worked hard together and deserve this level
of success.
Well done to all our footballers who have proved that commitment
and hard work do pay off.
MRS WHITMARSH, PE
The U13 girls won the first round in a national football
tournament and were chosen to represent Colchester in the
area final, which they went on to win. As a consequence, they
were then invited to compete for Colchester in the Regional
South Final which took place in Reading against teams from
Southend, Cardiff and Brentford. The format of the regional
finals involved playing each team twice with the two top teams
going on to play each other in the final.
The U13 girls arrived at the regional finals to find that they would
be playing on 5-a-side pitches, meaning that the whole pitch would
be in play and they would playing off the walls. Luckily, the girls
adapted very quickly and after two draws in their first games
against Brentford and Cardiff they won their next two games
against Southend (2-1) and Brentford (1-0). However, they then
suffered their first defeat of the tournament against Cardiff, but
managed to bounce back to beat Southend (2-1). Moulsham were
now top points scorers alongside Brentford and had qualified for
the final.
Berlin
Maths Facts
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Last Orders
In January,Year 9 students gathered in the Hall to watch a play called ‘Last Orders’. The production was a gift to the school from both the
local authority and the YMCA and the aim of the play was to educate young people on the dangers of underage and binge drinking. The
focus was very much on the very serious consequences for young people who are involved in drinking alcohol.
The play was informative and yet extremely amusing at the same time. Part of the post-production workshop involved a Jeremy-Kyle
style question and answer session in which students became thoroughly engrossed. Many of the students had things to ask and there
were some particularly insightful comments from Angel Chipato who posed lots of questions to one of the characters regarding his
outrageous behaviour.
Students have since commented that, as well as finding it enjoyable, they also learnt a lot from this production.
MRS MORRISH, Head of Citizenship & PRE
8
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Title
Personal Best for School in Cross Country
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Championships
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Year 7 and Year 8 Essex Schools
A larger than usual number of Moulsham students were selected
this year to represent mid-Essex in the Essex Schools Cross
Country Championships that took place in Colchester on a frosty
day in January. The athletes were acutely aware that if they finished
in the top six they would automatically qualify to represent Essex
in the English Schools Athletics Association (ESAA) National Cross
Country Championship competition in Blackburn and that a further
two discretionary places were also up for grabs when the top 16
represented Essex in the Southern Inter Counties competition.
On Wednesday, 25th February a number of ourYear 7 and 8 students
took part in the Essex Schools Cross Country Championships at
Stubbers. The event was well supported with approximately 250300 competitors in each race. Everyone was aware that if they
finished in the top 16 they would gain automatic selection to
represent Essex in the Inter Counties competition in March.
The first to race were the Year 7 girls, in which Moulsham had
two teams. The first of our students home was Faye Sweeting who
finished in 7th place and earned automatic selection to represent
Essex. Faye was followed by Hannah Bolton 27th, Lauren Bain 43rd,
Lucy Gray 89th, Annabel Rooke 113th, Mina Wilson 161st Saffron
Maltby 163rd, Jessica Hughes 167th, Alisha Hulbert 19th and Holly
Chandler in 208th.
The first of our athletes to compete were Alice Bauckham, Year 8,
and Maddie Archer,Year 9, in the junior girls race. Both girls ran well
with Alice, who had represented the school in an all-day football
tournament only the day before and who was also competing
a year down, doing exceedingly well to finish in 32nd place and
Maddie finishing in 45th place.
Next up were the Year 7 boys and top performer was George
Curtis who finished in 37th place. Elliot Howson came in next in
44th place, followed by Alex Belding 48th, William Hawkes 79th,
George Walker 178th, Ahmed Zamzam 179th and Alfie Cutbush
in 203rd.
The school was represented next by Rachel Broome, Year 10, and
Emma Perks, Year 11, in the inter girls race. Once again, Rachel put
in an excellent performance, finishing 5th and, for the third year in
a row, qualifying for the English Schools competition. Emma finished
in 10th, but recognised that if she was to run well in the Inter
Counties event she might be awarded one of the discretionary
places …and, a few weeks later, that is just what she did and has
now been selected to join Rachel.
Last to race were the Year 8 girls. Alice Bauckham gained her Essex
vest for the second year in a row finishing in 10th position and she
was ably followed by Charlotte Fleming 40th, Katie O’Donnell 41st,
Maia Shaw 42nd, Lottie Mogford 81st and Maia Barrett 128th.
In the inter boys event, Jordan Denyer, Year 11, demonstrated just
how much he has improved by finishing in 14th position and gaining
his first Essex vest in the Southern Inter County Championships.
Sixth Form students Callum Charleston, Alfie Green and Chris
Watson competed to a high level in the senior boys race. Callum
won the bronze medal and was once again selected to represent
Essex in the English Schools
competition.Alfie had the race of
his life to finish in 14th place and
gain his first Essex vest. Chris,
running a year down, narrowly
missed out on an Essex vest
by one place, finishing in 17th
position, but will have another
chance next year.
Netballers Hold
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Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
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Speak Out!
Not All
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Sensational
Season for Girls’
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Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
The overall team results were 9th out of 50 for the Year 7 boys, 7th
out of 40 for the Year 7 girls and 5th out of 30 for the Year 8 girls.
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Well done to everyone on their fantastic achievements.
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
MRS WHITMARSH, PE
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
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With three Moulsham students
selected to run for Essex in
the ESAA National competition
(a pb for the school) and five
selected to represent Essex in
the Southern Inter Counties
event, the school’s athletes have
enjoyed a truly tremendous
season of cross country.
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Advice
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letter
Moulsham High School
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
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Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Ex-Student Alex Hassell to play Henry V
in Stratford
Henry IV is dead and Hal is King. With England in a state of unrest, Henry must leave his rebellious
youth behind, striving to gain the respect of his nobility and people. Laying claim to parts of France and
following an insult from the French Dauphin, he gathers his troops and prepares for a war that he hopes
will unite his country.
Following his performance as Hal in Henry IV Parts I & II, ex-Moulsham student Alex Hassell (19921999) will return as Henry V, the monarch who led England to victory in the Battle of Agincourt. The
production marks the 600th anniversary of the battle, which took place on 25 October 1415, and will
be designed by RSC Director of Design, Stephen Brimson Lewis, with lighting by Tim Mitchell, music by
Paul Englishby and sound by Martin Slavin.
When?
12th September to 24th October 2015
Where?
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Henry V will also be broadcast live to cinemas on
21st October 2015
For further details visit www.rsc.org.uk
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
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Safeguarding
Advice
Swimmers Kick
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Competition
The
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Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress
We woke bright and early, ready to meet at school at 7.30am (…sooo early!), and were full of excitement about the day ahead in
London, where we would be visiting the Tower of London and the National Art Gallery. To pass the time on the coach we sang along
to High School Musical and Hairspray (I’m not sure everyone else enjoyed it as much as we did!).
After 2 hours on the coach we finally arrived at the National Art Gallery where we attended a lecture on how to evaluate sources
for our AS exam – it was very enlightening. We then went up to the Tudor Gallery and tried our hand at evaluating paintings as
sources and, in groups, evaluating some sources ourselves. This not only improved our technique in this area, but also improved our
communication skills and increased our knowledge of the Tudor monarchs.
Following a very welcome latte, we moved onto the activity of the day that we had all been really waiting for … the formidable
Tower of London. Firstly, we listened to a talk about how the building had changed over time and learnt a load of facts that have
been really beneficial to our studies. Next we enjoyed a tour of the castle with the aid of really cool ear pieces that made us feel a
little like secret agents, but which meant we wouldn’t miss any vital information. We saw the cells where traitors had been held and
were able to identify the engravings on the walls that have been there for hundreds of years. In
places, our feet actually touched the same ground where past royalty, including Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn, had walked!
Our last stop was to see the magical crown jewels where the biggest diamonds, sapphires, rubies,
and every other gem imaginable, are kept under lock and key under very high security.
We had a magnificent, eye-opening day and took some epic selfies in front of the Tower. I can’t
wait to put the skills we learnt into practice!
JADE FORKINGS and LUCY ADAM, Year 12
10
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Headteacher
letter
Spring 2015
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Title
Christmas Markets, Currywurst and
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
The Marvels of Berlin
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Monday
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
A bright and early 2.00am start signalled the beginning of our
trip to Berlin. On arrival, and after undergoing a full body search
(apparently I look suspicious), the 12 of us set off in a 52-seater
coach to the hotel where we managed to get breakfast, despite it
being 11 o’clock. Three rolls, two bowls of cornflakes and a glass of
orange juice later we made our way to Friedrichstrasse, a popular
shopping area, before visiting Bikini Berlin, an upmarket shopping
centre with a view through to the baboon enclosure in the zoo
(unfortunately we couldn’t see any baboons as it was dark outside).
Sorcery and
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School
Aspiring
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Gallery, a stretch of surviving Berlin Wall covered in graffiti, before
journeying to Alexanderplatz where we bought some food and I
haggled with a German market trader in my best German… and
managed to get a 25% discount!
Our next stop was the RBB TV studios (Radiofunk Berlin
Brandenburg – the TV and radio stations for the county of
Brandenburg). Having enjoyed a tour of the filming areas and seen
the sets for the regional news programmes, we then headed off
to explore more of the Schöneberg district …and the Christmas
markets where newcomers to this trip had their first encounter
with currywurst, a popular German dish consisting of bratwurst
with a tomato and curry sauce.
Our last stop was the cinema where we watched a rom-com called
“Alles ist Liebe”. We then went back to the hotel and packed, ready
for our journey home.
Later we visited the Kaiser-Wilhelm Remembrance Church, which
the locals call the ‘Hollow Tooth’ as the ruined tower was retained
as a memorial to the futility of war and a new church created around
it.We then returned to the hotel and enjoyed some typical German
television: Harry Potter with an interestingly dubbed voiceover!
Speak Out!
Not All
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America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Tuesday
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
We had a more relaxed start on the second day (getting up at
7.00am!) and after a leisurely breakfast we ventured out to the
Reichstag parliamentary building for a talk about its history and
political practice. We saw where Angela Merkel presides and the
two-tonne eagle with fearsome talons that is the emblem of the
Federal Republic of Germany.As the talk came to an end we climbed
the large dome at the top of the building and enjoyed the panoramic
views of Berlin.
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
DAVID EASTHAM, Year 13
Smoking Isn’t Cool
From there, we walked through the impressive Brandenburg Gate
and on to sample some more German markets, shopping for
Christmas presents and, most importantly, some local gastronomic
specialities. Later, we visited the Ritter Sport Museum – a chocolate
museum – where we made our own chocolate bars. Slightly
embarrassingly, the 4- and 5-year-old children who also joined the
session knew more about the chocolate making process than we
did! To end the day we went to see the Pariser Platz and Bernauer
Straße, the Berlin Wall Memorial where crosses mark the actual
shootings of escapees who didn’t make it across the border.
As part of our Youth Health Champions role, a group of us
put an assembly together with the aim of teaching the Year
8s about health-related issues associated with smoking. We
researched this topic and put the information into a slideshow
presentation to help the Year 8s understand the dangers and,
hopefully, get the message across that smoking is not a good
thing to start getting involved in.
Planning and producing the Year 8 assembly was a lot of fun and
taught us a lot about this issue. We believe the assembly raised
awareness of the dangers of smoking and showed the Year 8s
that smoking just isn’t that cool.
Wednesday
On the last day we started with the rather harrowing experience
of going to the Sachsenhause concentration camp where thousands
were sentenced to death. We then walked along the East Side
TEGAN TAPNER, Year 10
11
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Berlin
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The
Headteacher’s
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Headteacher
letter
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Moulsham High School
Title
MATHS FACTS: Pi ( )
Lisa Simpson:“… I can recite
to 40,000 places … The last digit is one!”
Homer Simpson: “Mmmm, pie.”
The formula for the area of a circle is
r² and the formula for the circumference is 2 r.
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
These formulae were used by ancient civilizations, although they did not use the symbol
and the value they used was not as accurate
as we know it to be now. Approximations for Pi were calculated by finding the lengths of the upper and lower bounds of polygons that fit
exactly inside and outside circles. This was very time consuming. Calculus and series, together with the use of supercomputers, has enabled
mathematicians to calculate Pi to millions of decimal places.
Speak Out!
There can be no end to the search for Pi as it is an irrational number. Irrational numbers have decimal places that go on forever and the
pattern never repeats or recurs.
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=
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253
are acceptable approximations.
4211706798214808651328……... although 3.14 or
For you to try…..*
Easy (Key Stage 3)
Cross Country
Championships
1) What is the area of a circle that has a radius of 5cm?
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Harder (Key Stage 4)
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
2) A sector has straight sides of 8 metres. The angle between the straight sides is 60°.
What is the area of the sector?
Berlin
Maths Facts
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Paris
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Challenging
3) Who was first to use the symbol
and circumference?
4) Who first used the symbol
quantity in an equation?
in equations to find area
x to represent an unknown 5) A rectangle of length 12cm and width 6cm has two short sides that are tangents to a circle. What is the area of the region that is inside both the rectangle and the circle?
MR PURSE, Mathematics
(*Answers on page14)
12
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Headteacher
letter
Moulsham
High School
Spring 2015
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Disneyland Paris
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
During February half-term, 36 A-level and BTEC Business students
took part in a 4-day trip to Paris.
Day One:
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
As everybody gathered at school ready to depart, we were
introduced to our coach driver for the week, Tony, before making
our way to the Eurotunnel. After what seemed like hours of driving
and sitting on a bumpy train, we reached Calais at 1.30pm French
time and then began the 3-hour drive to the Magic Circus Hotel at
Disney. On arrival, we found our rooms, freshened up, did a little
bit of unpacking, and went down for dinner before hopping on a
shuttle bus to visit the Disney Village to have a look around the
stores and take some photos.
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Day Three:
We began the day by heading back to the Disney parks and a final
chance to catch any rides we had missed the day before and buy
some final souvenirs for our friends and family. In the afternoon
Tony drove us to the centre of Paris and although we didn’t have
an opportunity to climb the Eiffel Tower we did experience one
of fastest lifts in Europe when we visited the Tour Montparnasse
with its 360-degree view of Paris. We then enjoyed a boat trip on
the River Seine, passing places such as the Louvre, Notre-Dame
Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. Our day finished with an evening
meal at the Bistro Romana on the Champs d’Elysses followed by
a beautiful night tour of Paris, including an opportunity to see the
Eiffel Tower’s light show first hand. We then headed back to the
hotel to pack and get ready to leave the next day.
Day Two:
Our day began officially at 9.30am and, after a buffet breakfast, we
caught the shuttle buses for our visit to Disneyland and the Walt
Disney Studio. As the parks open at 10.00am, we were amongst the
first people there and this gave us time to try out some of the rides
before the crowds arrived – by lunch time most had a wait of over
an hour! We also discovered that our tickets gave us fast passes for
some of the rides and an opportunity to cut out the queues and
go straight to the front.To our disappointment, however, one of the
main attractions ‘Space Mountain’ was shut for construction, but
we were still able to enjoy big rides such as the frightening ‘Tower
of Terror’ and ‘Indiana Jones’. At the end of the day – towards
closing time – most of us watched the Disney parade under the
glowing pink lights of the castle and in the evening we met outside
King Ludwig’s Castle at 7.00pm for dinner and all enjoyed our first
meal out at Disneyland (standard chicken and chips!). Afterwards,
most of the boys went to enjoy a football match while the rest of
us returned to the hotel to relax after a long day at the parks.
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Day Four:
Cross Country
Championships
On our final morning in Paris we stopped off at a shopping centre
to spend the last of our Euros and buy some lunch and snacks for
the long coach ride back to Calais and home.
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
MIA BRISLEY and REBECCA RAYMENT, Year 12
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
Swimmers Kick
Out in Relay
Competition
13
Previous View
The
Headteacher’s
Book
Headteacher
letter
Moulsham High School
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
Swimmers Kick
Out in Relay
Competition
The
Headteacher’s
Book
Primarschule Links Zwischen MHS Und MJS
As part of our transition work for students moving from primary
to secondary school, I have been visiting Moulsham Junior School
regularly to deliver elementary German sessions to different Year
6 classes.The sessions have also given the primary school students
an idea of what life is like at a large secondary school.
The students are now competent greeters and are able to ask
and answer basic questions including Wie geht’s? Wie heisst du?
Wie bin ich? and Wo wohnst du? They are currently completing
their second carousel of activities and are beginning to learn basic
descriptive phrases about their families.
Mrs Riches, Head of Year 6 commented: “When Year 6 knew they
would be learning German this year they were extremely nervous,
but then they met the amazing Miss Reynolds! They have all made fantastic progress and thoroughly enjoy their German sessions. Not
only are they more positive about their transition to secondary school, but they have also begun to foster a love of learning languages.”
MISS REYNOLDS, Modern Languages
Safeguarding Advice
Q: Why don’t children report online problems?
A: It isn’t embarrassment - it is because they fear that if they do tell someone the Internet/device they are using
will be taken away from them. Speak to your child. Reassure him/her that it is safe to come to you about online
issues.
Q: Who are your children’s online friends?
A: Have they met everyone that they are friends with on Facebook or chat to on Xbox live? Remind your
children not to give personal details out online and tell them to think twice before accepting friend requests
from someone that they haven’t met.
Check out www.thinkuknow.co.uk for tips on Internet safety.
Maths Facts: Answers
1) Exact answer is 25
. Approximate answer is 78.5m2 accurate to 1 decimal place.
2) Exact answer is
. Approximate answer is 33.5m2 accurate to 1 decimal place.
3) William Jones first used the symbol
in 1706 and Leonard Euler introduced it into common use.
4) The use of x, y, z. . . to represent unknowns is due to René Descartes, in his La géometrie (1637).Without comment, he introduces the use
of the first letters of the alphabet to signify known quantities and the use of the last letters to signify unknown quantities.
5) 12
+ 18√3
14
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Headteacher
letter
Spring 2015
Title
Swimmers Kick Out in Relay Competition
In January, Moulsham’s Year 7, 8 and 9 girIs’ swimming teams travelled to William De Ferrers School to compete in the district relay
competition. Events included both freestyle and team medleys.
All our teams did well in the heats and qualified for the finals, with Years 8 and 9 going through in both events.
Year 7 – Holly Chandler, Faye Sweeting, Lauren Bain, Lucy Gray – competed in the team medley final and finished 5th out of 11 schools.
Year 8 – Alice Bauckham ,Katie O’Donnell, Ava Tiney, Maia Barrett, Chloe Leavett-Steggles – finished 5th in the freestyle final and 3rd in
the team medley final.
Year 9 – Chloe Bulter, Izzy Radford, Jenny Chandler, Emily Jennings – finished 5th in both their finals.
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
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Before the season finishes, the teams will be competing in a number of other galas as part of the MESSSA League.
Well done to all the swimmers.
Speak Out!
MRS JOHNSON, PE
Moulsham High
High School
School has a large number
Moulsham
number of
of facilities
facilities for
forhire
hire
outside of school hours
outside
hours
*3G Football pitch (full pitch or ⅓rds)
*Meeting room/conference area
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*Seasonal grass pitches &
athletics track
*School Hall
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
Berlin
*Gymnasium with sprung
floor
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
*Outdoor tennis and
netball courts
*20m swimming pool
*Specialist classrooms drama, food technology,
music, etc.
Primarschule
Links Zwischen
MHS Und MJS
Safeguarding
Advice
For more information on facilities and availability contact Stuart Harvey (after 3.00pm) on 01245 504502
or Barry Poulteney on 01245 504533 or e-mail: [email protected]
Swimmers Kick
Out in Relay
Competition
15
The
Headteacher’s
Book
Previous View
Headteacher
letter
Moulsham’s
Gifted and
Talented
Inspiring
Author Visits
Moulsham
Out There with
The Wilderness
Foundation
Netballers Hold
Their Positions
Sorcery and
Wizardry at
School
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
Speak Out!
Not All
Downhill in
America
Sensational
Season for Girls’
Football
Last Orders
Cross Country
Championships
The Headteacher’s Book
One of the highest commendations at Moulsham High School is an invitation to sign the Headteacher’s Book for achievement
in and out of school. The following students received this honour during the autumn term. Well done to:
Name
Reason for signing:
Katie McCarthy
For consistently good effort and achievement in Geography
William Roberts
For volunteering to teach a lesson in PRE, spending over a month planning the lesson and preparing a presentation and resources, and then delivering the lesson successfully to his class
Harvey Bowler
For reading at the Menin Gate remembrance service in front of 1000 people, while on the battlefields trip
Hannah Newman
For consistently good effort and achievement in Geography
Minerva Salinas Perez For an excellent attitude to learning, paying close attention in class, tackling all tasks with enthusiasm and delighting in the opportunity to increase her understanding of French
Rachel Broome
For becoming the District Cross Country Champion
Callum Charleston
For becoming the District Cross Country Champion
Tom Reader
For achieving Gold in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge
For qualifying for the regional cross country final:
Lauren Bain, Hannah Bolton, Faye Sweeting, Alice Bauckham, Charlotte Fleming, Lottie Mogford, Katie O’Donnell, Maddie Archer, Jess Collopy, Rachel
Broome, Holly Eaton, Kate Etheridge, Alice Ronn
For being a member of a winning district cross country team:
Rachel Broome, Kate Etheridge, Alice Ronn, Emma Perks
Chris Watson, Callum Charleston, Alfie Green, Tom Regan
Alex Hassell to
play Henry V
For qualifying to represent mid-Essex at the Essex Schools Cross Country championships:
Her Majesty’s
Royal Palace
and Fortress
For being a member of the winning district U-13 football team:
Berlin
Alice Bauckham, Rachel Broome, Alice Ronn, Emma Perks, Jordan Denyer, Chris Watson, Callum Charleston, Alfie Green
Lauren Bain, Rosie Richards, Annabel Rooke, Alice Bauckham, Charlotte Fleming, Catherine Powell, Tillie Probert
For being a member of the winning regional U-13 football team:
Lauren Bain, Rosie Richards, Alice Bauckham, Charlotte Fleming, Catherine Powell, Tillie Probert, Freya Wicks
Maths Facts
Disneyland
Paris
For taking part in the RESPECT project at the Essex Boys and Girls Club and attending a residential trip to the Lake District to
complete the project:
Vinny Bailey, Ryan Cater, Connor Good-Halls
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