July 2012 - Woodchurch High School

During the last week of term we received a telephone call from OFSTED informing us that they would be inspecting the school. Following a very rigorous 2 day inspection we were delighted to receive the initial feedback which
was good, including that over 80% of lessons were either Good or Outstanding. The Inspectors said how it had been a pleasure to spend time at
Woodchurch High School and that they had observed a high level of professionalism from staff and they were extremely impressed with the behaviour
and attitude of our pupils.
Thank you to the parents/carers who supported us throughout the inspection.
Academy Update
Due to legal issues over land there has ben a delay in Woodchurch High School becoming an
Academy. We hope, however, that this will be resolved allowing the conversion to take place in
October. I would, on behalf of the Governors and staff at Woodchurch High School, like to wish
all parents, carers and pupils a restful summer break.
Mr Joplin
Year 7 Pupil Progress
Leader
Induction Day
On 11th July we welcomed 286 pupils
for Induction Day. The excellent
work carried out by the Transition
Team plus the sunny weather meant
that the day went smoothly.
The Year 6 pupils enjoyed a tour of
the school, a variety of lessons and
an opportunity to meet their Form
Tutors. We very much look forward
to September when they join us in
Year 7.
Miss Tracey
Year 7 Assistant Pupil
Progress Leader
Paris Trip
The Art Department has just returned from their annual trip to Paris.
The group stayed at the Chateau de Grande Romaine, located near the beautiful village of Vesigny 25km outside of Paris. It is a PGL centre offering a good range of facilities, and was also
the training centre for the Brazil football team in the 1998 World Cup.
Day one involved a visit to the world famous Musee
d‘ Orsay, home to many famous paintings and
sculptures. Pupils were able to see work by artists
such as Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec
to name but a few. Art students were given a task
to be filled with inspiration in relation to Unit 2 of
their course.
Next activity was lunch on the Bateau Parisien on a
trip down the River Seine with an accompanied
guide to indicate all the areas of interest. Following
this they visited the Eiffel Tower and most climbed
to the top where the views are breathtaking and
everyone was so pleased to have made it but exhausted too. They were rewarded with a special Parisian ice cream. No sooner was the ice cream
finished then it was on to the Chateau for fun and
games.
Day two saw us heading to the famous Arc de
Triomphe standing so proudly at top of the Champs
Elysee. Everyone climbed the winding staircase to the top where again the views were magnificent and we were able to see the fabulous shopping streets of Paris converging and the crazy
amount of traffic surrounding the Arc in its mad effort to reach the other side…..no vehicle is insured from the minute it sets out onto this area until it leaves!
Pupils were then given an hour or so to stroll down the famous Champs Elysee, looking out for
celebrities, visiting the amazing Louis Vuitton and getting a brief insight into the life of the rich
and famous.
After lunch the group were taken to the picturesque area of Montmartre where the Sacre
Coeur is situated high on a hill. Everyone went inside and were able to see for themselves the
beautiful artistry and to feel the calm and sense of awe as they lit their votive candles in memory
of loved ones or as a small prayer for their own petitions.
Paris Trip Continued
Just around the corner there is a different world that opens
up….it is the area of busy bars and cafes where Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet and many others were regulars, exchanging their
paintings for food and drink on many occasions and discussing
new ideas for their paintings. Walking a few steps further the
group found the busy square where all the portrait artists can
be seen sitting at their easels amidst the hustle and bustle of
potential customers. They strolled around, watched a few artists and then went into the tourist shops that line the busy streets of Montmartre to buy their
gifts and mementos.
The last evening at the chateau awaited and the entertainment was a disco followed by the Euro
football before a last night of sleep to re- energise before the journey home. The pupils were
given certificates to celebrate their own achievement of the trip on the coach and as they listened
to a variety of music, the journey sped by and home again to Woodchurch.
Solar Powered Race Boats
Thursday 21st June saw the regional final of the Solar
Powered Race Boat competition at the Plas Menai Regatta Day Event in North Wales. Woodchurch had two
teams entered, one from year 7 and one from year 8.
Both teams had been working on designing, developing and manufacturing the boats since before Christmas. The object of the competition is to develop and
race a boat that is powered by an ECO friendly source,
in this case solar power. The pupils have been working, in their own time, at lunch times and after school
to develop their boats. Early on in the competition
they managed to raise some money from Cammell
Laird to help fund the project.
Race day involved a series of test runs followed by
qualifying. The fastest teams then raced three times to achieve an average best time. The
teams were also judged on their design and development work as well as team work.
At the end of the day the teams from Woodchurch came away
with:
“Best Team”
“Best Senior Solar Boat”
“Overall 2nd in the regional final”
A big thank you to Cammell Laird for their support and WellDone to the pupils for all their hard work.
Alice in Wonderland Exhibition
Voirrey Embroidery, Brimstage
The Textiles Department opened the Exhibition at The Voirrey Embroidery Centre in Brimstage
inviting students and their families to celebrate in the success of the Alice In Wonderland Project.
Students from both Years 9 and 10 attended the evening and enjoyed participating in the themed
event. The exhibition will be open for the public to view from 22nd June.
Students have been encouraged to explore a variety of materials and processes when creating
their corsets and waistcoats. The quality of the students‘ work and their enjoyment of the subject
can be seen through their design development within sketchbooks and ultimately through the
uniqueness of each individual‘s work.
Engineering winners at Cummins Engines
Sunday 24th June saw the National Final of the
―Engineering Your Future‖ finals at Cummins Engines at Daventry, Northants. This is an engineering based competition where the pupils have to design, develop, build and race scale model cars, both
petrol driven and electric. Woodchurch entered a
car in each category, with pupils from years 9, 10 &
11 involved. The pupils had been working on the
cars at lunch times and after school since October
last year.
The day‘s events involved a practice session followed by three races with a five minute gap between each race, to allow for repairs or modifications. The car with the most laps winning the
Grand Prix award. The teams were also judged on their engineering, development and manufacturing skills, with the pupils talking to judges
about their work.
At the end of the day the Woodchurch teams
came away with:“Overall Winners” with the electric car
“3rd most laps” with the petrol car
“2nd overall” with the petrol car
“Best Engineered car” with the electric car
A big ―Well-Done‖ to the pupils for all their hard
work.
Also, as a result of our performance on the Thursday at Plas Menai, the Woodchurch solar powered boat teams were also invited to the race day at Cummins Engines. One year 7 and one year
8 pupil from the Thursday event attended the Sunday event, where they took part in some demonstration races as well as competing against the other schools at the event.
At the end of the day the Woodchurch Solar team
came away with:“Longest Running Boat”
“Best School Working as a Team”
A big Well Done to the pupils for their hard work.
Vauxhall Taster Day
In April, 160 Year 7 pupils took part in a Vauxhalls Manufacturing Taster
Day. Pupils were involved in sessions regarding the history of the car plant,
how cars are produced and how the import/export system works. There
were also group tasks which involved making and designing 3D paper
cars. One of the tasks was to produce as many cars as possible and sell
them on in order to make a profit. This task was also carried out by 66 other
schools in the North West. I am pleased to tell you that Woodchurch won
the overall competition and made the most profit. A representative will be
coming into school next term to present the school and pupils with a signed
England shirt as a prize.
Congratulations to everyone who took part.
Woodchurch Community Centre
Woodchurch Community Centre approached
the school to see if we could help them with
a redesign for their logo following a massive
refurbishment. Mrs Simpson decided to give
the brief to her Year 9 Art Graphic groups.
The logo that was chosen was designed by
Kate Holmes, Year 9. She did a fantastic job!
Sam Brooks (Project Director, Woodchurch
Community Centre) said that it took herself
and the team ages to decide on their favourite logo but they felt that Kate had got a real
sense of what they were all about and they
loved it.
The logo will be on big signs outside the centre and one really big sign facing the motorway; it will also go on letterheads and business cards. Congratulations Kate!
Literacy Ambassadors
The English Department would like to say a
huge ‗Thank you‘ to the Literacy Ambassadors for all of their help and hard work this
year.
Year 7: Nicole Doughty and Paris Robert
Year 8: Emily Wagstaff and Katie Roberts
Year 9: Grant Henderson and Niall Kielty
Year 10: Sam Bowden, Colbin Clement and
Peter Churchill
Year 11: Caroline Clement and Joshua Doyle
Year 7
Year 7 are finishing the term by completing their end of unit tests, the results of which will inform
set changes for next year. Congratulations in advance to Year 7 for working so hard towards
your targets. You have now completed your first set of exams at Woodchurch High School!
Year 8
Year 8 are currently exploring poetry and developing their writing skills. Some pupils have created fantastic cinema and video game reviews. James Robson, Steven Dempsey and Jamie Conway have produced some fantastic work for Miss Barney whilst Fletcher Handley and Craig Francis in Miss Broad‘s class created the witty limerick below.
There once was a boy called Joe,
Who had a smelly toe.
He didn‘t wear socks,
And he had dread locks,
One day his foot began to glow.
Year 10
Please be aware that when the autumn term commences Year 10 will begin to study their second
novel: ‗Heroes‘ by Robert Cormier. This novel is a gripping story inspired by the 50th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day landings of World War Two and the desire to recognise the heroic
acts of ordinary people. Copies of the text are available to buy in school for £5.
GCSE Literature results will be available for Year 10 pupils from their class teachers in September.
Year 11
Results for Year 11 will be released on 23rd August. Congratulations in advance to the cohort
who dealt with their English exams with maturity and confidence!
Year 9
Year 9 are currently reading ‗Of Mice and Men‘ in preparation for their Year 10 Controlled Assessment and exam. Please be aware that this text must be bought and read before September.
Copies are available from school for £5. On 2nd July, 20 Year 9 pupils were lucky enough to
watch a live webcast performance of the Royal Shakespeare Company‘s ‗I, Cinna (The Poet)‘ starring Jude Owusu. They were amongst 6000 pupils in the country taking part in a workshop and
live webcast.
Pupils began the morning with some character based activities with Miss Broad which included
reproducing a crime scene, creating tattoos and imagining they were ghosts! The pupils then
watched a live streaming of ‗I,Cinna (The Poet)‘ which is based on the story of Shakespeare's
Julius Caesar told through the eyes of a jigging fool.
Throughout the performance pupils were asked by Cinna to write down words and phrases to
portray the character‘s feelings. This then culminated in a ‗Big Write‘ for three minutes in which
pupils produced a piece entitled ‗The Death of Cinna‘. After the performance pupils were involved in a live Q&A session with writers Malorie Blackman and Tim Crouch. Here is an example
of some of the fantastic work produced by Year 9.
The Death of Cinna
Shannon Harry
I have the wrong name,
I have been mistaken,
I am not the conspirator,
I am the poet.
Stabbed by a knife,
Circled by a mob,
I feel confused.
I have no say,
Not fair, no freedom,
I‘m not the conspirator, I‘m the poet.
I died on the Ides of March.
The Death of Cinna
Anthony Clubb
Cinna died.
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The people on the streets carry him away,
He gets beaten to death.
Now he is free from everything,
But he still feels like a coward.
The Death of Cinna
Jamie Pattern
Beaten and stabbed,
Confused, unbearable,
For having Cinna‘s name?
For being in the wrong place at the wrong
time?
Disgraced, scared, reminded.
Mistaken and unfortunate,
For war, for the Empire.
The Death of Cinna.
Steven Groom.
Cinna steps out,
The crowd take him in,
He‘s stabbed and hit,
Treated like rubbish in a bin.
Cinna the poet,
Wrong place, wrong time,
Killed for having an equal name,
Surely not a crime?
The poet‘s name unrecognised,
Only thought of as a killer,
The poor, loving writer, poet,
Thought of but not actually a CONSPIRATOR.
As part of the Premier League Reading Stars we had a special celeb
guest, ex pupil Danny Holmes and right back for Tranmere Rovers.
Danny joined us to read
―Come on Danny‖ by Andy
Croft and talk about what he
liked at school. We also beat
him at a game of Match Attaxs which shows that he may
be dead good on the pitch but we are better in the classroom!
Connor Chapman offered Danny a game of football on
the yard, so if we finish our books Danny is coming back
in the last week of term to play us all.
You might want to try the Reading Challenge. It‘s okay you know!
By Lewis Howell, Charlie Kennedy and James Beckett Year 7
Reading Challenge
At the moment as part of the reading challenge we are reading ―Love him to Death‖ by Tanya
Landam. This book stars a girl called Poppy (named after me of course) and it is part crime part
romance which is good for all girls or boys my age. The book is fascinating; we are only one third
of the way into it but so far it‘s enjoyable. I think the wedding will be called off and the bride will
die but I need to read on to find out.
Reading Challenge has made me more confident to read in front of everyone. I was friends with
the girls in my group but now we are even closer. Reading is not just about books, we have read
magazines, played board games (where you have to read the instructions or you don‘t know how
to play it right) and other fun stuff.
What are you reading?
by Poppy Cain (8YE)
We were honoured and delighted to be joined for our Diamond Jubilee Reading
Celebrations by the Mayor Councillor Gerry Ellis. The celebrations marked the
end of The Big Diamond Jubilee Read which pupils from year 7 and 8 SPARKS
and Ready and Ready groups have thoroughly enjoyed.
Pupils were enthralled with the stories the Mayor told of when he met the Queen
at a Royal Engagement and in turn he was captivated by the enthusiasm and
dedication of our young readers.
After a wonderful ―street party‖ lunch the Mayor spoke in turn to each pupil, discussing what
books they had been reading and what types of genres they preferred. The party atmosphere
continued with a recital from our very talented Year 9 musicians. The Literacy Ambassadors were
also on hand to explain our Reading Buddy System (which is led by Lauren Dougherty Year 9)
and the diverse range of literacy initiatives currently on offer within the school.
Eagerly the Mayor presented several
of the pupils with their certificates
of achievement for the Diamond
Jubilee Scheme and the overall
prize for effort and progress to
Adam Hawkins (Year 7).
―The Mayor was really great, he
even had his own bodyguard to protect his massive Mayor‘s Chain. He
told me that I should be very proud
and I am!‖ – Adam Hawkins
The celebrations were concluded
with a tour of the school and of
course no visit would be complete
without meeting our other residents, the animals.
Led by Annie Mai Kevlin the Mayor thoroughly enjoyed meeting the goats, sheep and chickens.
He happily went away with half a dozen freshly laid eggs which he said he would cook for the
Lady Mayoress.
It was a fabulous day and one I know that the SPARKS coaches and pupils will not forget in a
hurry. In the words of Ashleigh Edwards year 7, ―This is the best day of my life, ever‖.
On Monday 2 July the Curriculum Area held a Year 5 workshop for pupils from Woodchurch C of
E Primary, St Michael‘s and Prenton Primary. In the workshop pupils looked at the upcoming London Olympics and designed their own logo using the City of Liverpool as inspiration. There were
some fantastic designs all using Liverpool‘s past and present and pupils then presented their
ideas to the class. The second workshop investigated medal success and how the geography of a
country can impact on how many medal are won. All pupils had fun working in groups and sharing ideas.
The Geography Department have recently visited Betws-y-Coed
with Year 10 to investigate tourism as part of their controlled
assessment. It was a mixed day weather wise as the Monday
group enjoyed sun,
chips and ice cream, while the Thursday group experienced monsoon conditions. The students collected data
using a range of data collection techniques involving a
questionnaire, land use, car survey plus their own survey
into tourism and its impacts on the village.
The pupils all worked hard and collected some excellent data and photos
to include in their controlled assessments.
On Tuesday 22 May Year 5 pupils, from Brookdale Primary in Greasby, came to
Woodchurch for a History day with Mrs Dulson and Miss Tracey. Firstly, the pupils
were given a tour of the school. They were very impressed!! The theme of the day
was Ancient Greece. They studied what school life was like in Ancient Greece. All
the students made their own model of a Greek God to take home with them. Fitting in with the Olympic theme of 2012, the pupils also studied the Ancient Olympics in Greece.
The day was very enjoyable for all and Mrs Dulson and Miss Tracey were very impressed with the
lovely work the Brookdale pupils had produced.
The entire faculty would like to wish Mr Holian, Head of Geography, a happy retirement and thank him for his effort and dedication as he brings to an end over 35 years of teaching. He has
been a fantastic teacher and form tutor; his commitment to the
department and the support he has given to staff and pupils alike
will be sorely missed.
The Year 9 GCSE group took their unit/exam which is worth 40% of their final grade on 10th
June. Everyone had worked hard to prepare for the exam and we wish them well for a set of
good results in September.
Shiralea and Matt from Wirral Youth Theatre recently ran an
excellent workshop for Year 10 on Healthy and Unhealthy
Teenage Relationships. Pupils explored issues around controlling behaviours, different types of abuse and characteristics of abusers and victims.
20 Year 10 Health and Social Care pupils recently attended
an Outdoor Education weekend at Oaklands in North Wales
with Mrs Kennedy, Ms Oldham and Mr Lewis. The pupils had
a go at rock climbing and abseiling, canoeing in Lake Padarn
and gorge walking.
The activities were challenging and helped pupils develop communication and teamwork skills.
The pupils were a delight to take away. Well done.
Wirral Eco Schools Convention
We were delighted to host this exciting event which
was held for the first time ever on Wednesday 4th July.
Since Lynn Struve, Wirral Eco Schools Officer, approached school about it back in October, the Eco Convention Team of 10 Year 8 pupils had been busy meeting with her regularly to plan the event, design the
logo, organise the programme and sort out job roles.
The event was a great success, with over 250 pupils,
teachers, workshop providers and council employees.
The day was launched with a fantastic song composed and performed by Esme Higgins and Cameron Povall. It moved some members of the audience to tears, and many people have asked for a
CD of it so they can hear it again. There were
then presentations by 8 different schools about
their wonderful environmental projects and an Eco
Song competition of a very high standard.
Pupils split into smaller groups for workshops such
as Mr Bike It, den-build and Eco Poetry.
The last event was the awarding of the Eco prizes.
We were delighted to receive the Biodiversity Award.
Maths GCSE Exam Dates
Current Year 10 who will be Year 11 next year:
Edexcel GCSE Full GCSE
Paper 1 November 6th 2012
Paper 2 November 8th 2012
AQA Modular GCSE
(Pupils have already taken units 1 and 2)
Unit 3 March 6th 2013
Current Year 9 who will be Year 10 next year:
AQA Modular GCSE
Unit 1 November 6th 2012
(Unit 2 Taken in March and June 2012)
Unit 3 June 2013 (exact date yet to be confirmed)
Please do not book holidays during these times and please support your child with their revision
and preparation for these exams.
Revision classes will be held after school before the exams and a timetable will be sent out to
parents via email in September.
Maths Olympics - Year 7 Tables Challenge
To end our current theme of the Olympics, Year 7 pupils have been testing their speed and accuracy with their times tables. As a department, we believe that all pupils should practise their tables, and pupils who have good recall of their multiplication and division facts are more confident
in lessons. Please encourage your child to learn their times tables and challenge them regularly.
We want all pupils next year to be as fast as Usain Bolt!
Year 9 & 10 Business Studies Trip to Jaguar, Liverpool
On Thursday 5th July, 30 Year 9 and 10 pupils went to Jaguar in
Liverpool for an educational tour of the plant.
The tour introduced pupils to the concepts of manufacturing and
production, as well as giving them an insight into the needs of the industry and the competitive
nature of the employment market.
All pupils enjoyed themselves and were a credit to our school.
Maths Ambassadors
Congratulations to the following pupils who have been nominated by their Maths Teachers to be
Maths Ambassadors. These pupils have been chosen to work with and represent the Maths Department; some of whom already have specific duties as shown below:
Forename
Chloe
Millie
Joe
Nathan
Surname
Baron
Cameron
Gaskell
Harland
Form
9XW
9XW
9YW
9XV
Specific Responsibilities
Number Buddies Volunteer
Number Buddies Volunteer
Number Buddies Volunteer
Number Buddies Volunteer
Grant
Hannah
Esme
Charlie
Chloe
Kallum
Tony
Clare
Henderson
Jones
Tutill
Wilson
Singleton
Donnelly
Robinson
Deer
9XZ
9XW
9XW
9XZ
9XW
10YV
10YS
10YV
Number Buddies Volunteer
Number Buddies Volunteer
Number Buddies Volunteer
VLE Volunteer
VLE Volunteer
Annie-Mai
Elisha
Jamie
Lily
David
Kevlin
Duffy
Anthony
Jones
Flynn
7XV
7YE
7YE
7XZ
8XV
Charlotte
Megan
Emily
William
Jamie
Joe
Liam
Conlan
Bird
Wagstaff
Davies
Birss
McElroy
Bull
7XE
9XZ
8YE
8YN
7YS
7XN
8XE
Pupils from Years 9 & 10 taking Spanish at GCSE level
made the now customary trip to Tossa de Mar, Spain leaving school on 26th March and spending 6 nights away from
home. This was the eighth consecutive year that school
has arranged these educational/cultural trips abroad and
they are thoroughly enjoyed by our pupils despite the
lengthy coach journey.
Additionally, for the first time, there was also a trip for pupils
from Years 8,9 & 10 studying French to travel to the Loire Valley
in France. They stayed just outside Poitiers for 4 nights leaving
in the early hours of 30th May. This was yet another new place
to stay in France and proved to be a resounding success with
pupils and staff thoroughly enjoying the experience.
It is a measure of the popularity of these trips that a total of 88
pupils had chosen to travel. All had an enjoyable time and practised speaking their Spanish and French!!
Oaklands Enrichment Trip
17 Years 9 and 10 GCSE PE pupils attended a
three day camping expedition to Oaklands Activity
Centre last week. Pupils slept in tents and cooked
their own food in a period of welcome good
weather. Activities included gorge walking, mine
exploration, rock climbing and 3 days of kayaking.
The trip encouraged pupils to overcome fears and improved their teamwork skills in a challenging environment.
Well done to everyone who took part.
Rampworx came into Woodchurch for the day
on the 28th June as part of a project funded by
Wirral Partnership Homes. Pupils got to use the
BMX bikes, Scooters and in line skates on the
mobile skate park and had a fantastic time.
Despite some
inclement
weather, the day
was a great success and a nice
reward for our
hardworking students.
Football
A touring side from Lawson College, Cornwall played our Year 7s and a 8/9 mixed team last
Wednesday in their final tour match. The 7s won 9-1 and the 8/9s won 10-2. Well done to both
teams.
This year, Woodchurch High School has started the very prestigious Duke of
Edinburgh‘s Award. 80 pupils initially showed interest but only 35 have been
invited onto expedition to complete the award for their hard work in the
other units. It has been a fantastic start to the scheme and all 35 pupils are
keen to achieve their Bronze and then potentially go on to Silver.
The expedition destination was ‗Moel
Famau‘ near Mold in North Wales and is not
an easy expedition with 20 kilograms of
rucksack on your back and walking for approximately 6 hours each day. Mr Stead, Mr
Heydon, Miss Barney, Miss Thomas, Miss
Watson and Mrs Astley have all been very impressed with the
pupils so far. Both groups will be doing assessment expeditions
in July and September. Well done so far !!!!
As part of our Eco work, we have recently taken delivery of a Textiles Bank which has been sited
at the entrance to the car park and Sports Centre. The design of the bank was done by Ellie Bell,
Year 7.
So if it‘s time you had a sort-out, please bear this in mind and help us to fill it up.
These can be put in the bank:
Clothing, sheets, towels, blankets, curtains, shoes and books
Please don’t put in the following:
Rugs, carpets, glass, metal, paper or rubbish
Thank you for your support.
Anti-racism Education
As part of their PSHCEE programme Year 7 and 8 pupils
recently met Police Superintendent for Community Engagement in Merseyside, Rowley Moore, who spoke to
them about the importance of developing good relationships with all types of people. Pupils learnt about the seriousness of hate crime and the importance of stamping
out racism.
Superintendent Moore shared personal experiences to
explain why it is important that people work together so
that everyone can live peacefully. As a black, Christian
police officer he explained how he had often been challenged about his race and colour yet always endeavored to give people respect and treat them with dignity.
This was an excellent opportunity for our pupils to meet someone who has had to overcome issues of racism and discrimination, and they learnt a lot from his fascinating talk.
MKAT
PCSO‘s Sharon Broderick and Richie Fletcher along with local youth
worker Gary Atkinson spoke to all Year 9 and 10 pupils in their
PSHCEE lessons about the illegal drug MKAT.
MKAT has recently become increasingly popular both locally and nationally and the police are worried about the effect it is having.
Our speakers explained that MKAT is a Class B drug; they discussed
its effects, the laws around its use and the many risks that it presents.
Woodchurch High School‘s Wheelchair Hockey team
met recently with 'Team GB' Paralympic basketball
team during a training session for the games in the
summer.
We wish them well for their Olympic campaign.
Cheshire Show
Ten minutes to go before the competition, Sophie
Tedesco (year 11) nervously buttons her white lab
coat, the compulsory uniform for showing livestock…. Megan Lowry (also year 11) adjusts her
new flat cap, is biting her fingernails and the atmosphere is tense. Very tense. Mrs Moulton reads
the crib sheet ―Tips for showing sheep‖ for the 40th
time. Rosie sheep does not like her head collar and
is rolling on the grass being as naughty as possible. Ruby sheep stands chewing the cud, the only
calm member of the little group from Woodchurch
High School. The previous class file out with their
sheep and the girls enter the ring, walking the
sheep on their white head collars, a look of grim
determination on their faces. The tension amongst the Woodchurch supporters is tangible and a
crowd begins to gather around the ring. The judge strides purposefully into the ring and begins
to examine and quiz the young handlers showing their sheep. He asks Sophie where she is from,
but although he is not sure where Birkenhead is, he is certain it is not a region famous for its
sheep.
The young handlers walk their reluctant woolies around the ring again. Their eyes never leave
the judge and all the top tips they learned from Darren Cassie, president of the North Ronaldsay
Sheep Fellowship after his impromptu ―Ring Craft‖ session late the night before are paying off.
Rosie sheep is walking beautifully now, as if she had been doing this all her life. The judge beckons the youngsters into another part of the ring and instructs them to remove the head collars
from the sheep. Both Woodchurch girls look worried now. Our sheep are delighted to be free and
trot off immediately. The judge hands Megan a head collar and instructs her to catch and collar a
huge fluffy Oxford Down ewe. Uncertainty defeated by her ambition to succeed, Megan marches
smartly up to this animal, and to all the spectators‘ delight it has a head collar on before it can
blink. The crowd burst into applause, the Judge looks on as a young man struggles with Rosie
sheep, who is equally determined to avoid the collar going back on! Sophie gets her sheep tethered and stands holding the sheep in the perfect pose. Once more round the ring, then the contestants must line up, awaiting the Judge‘s decision. A hush falls across the ring, the crowd
watching hold their collective breath. Clutching the rosettes, the judge strides towards the Young
Handlers, he walks past Sophie and all our Woodchurch Supporters audibly sigh. He appears to
be heading to hand the red rosette for first place to the young man next to Megan, but her face
suddenly lights up as she finds the prize for Best Young Handler is in her
outstretched hand! The crowd erupts with a huge cheer, the commentator explains that Megan is a pupil at Woodchurch High School and has
only been handling sheep for just over a year. Mrs Hackett and Mrs
Moulton are misty eyed, beaming with pride and all our pupils are jumping up and down cheering! Megan looks overwhelmed as the steward
ties ribbons onto Ruby sheep but she is grinning ear to ear.
For our first time at the Cheshire show, we have come home with a total
of 9 rosettes, considerable experience, some new friends, and a growing
taste for Country Shows!
Sports Centre Update
The Woodchurch High School Sports Complex is available for hire by the Community Monday
through to Friday between the hours of 18.00-22.00hrs and at weekends between the hours of
09.00-13.00hrs.
The facilities on offer include a large Sports Hall suitable for playing 5-a-side Football, Basketball,
Volleyball and Handball. There is a fully air conditioned Dance Studio with sprung floor. There is
also a fully fitted out Gym with air conditioning. Showering and changing room facilities are also
available.
The Complex boasts four outside, hard-court Tennis courts, which can also be used for Netball
and 5-a-side Football.
Due for completion in late July 2012 the Complex will soon be able to offer for hire to the Community a new purpose built full size (106mtrs x 71mtrs) All Weather Football Pitch.
Anyone wishing to view the fantastic facilities on offer should call in to the Complex and speak to
the attendants on duty, between 18.00-22.00hrs Monday through till Friday, or Weekends 09.0013.00hrs.
Please see our website for up to date information on pricing.
Summer Fair – Our Summer Fair was held on the 16th June at the Sports Centre. The attractions included Beat the Goalie, Bouncy Castle, Cake Stall, Bingo, Photo Keyrings and the very
popular Chocolate Tombola. We didn‘t allow the bad weather to dampen our spirits and it was a
very enjoyable day. We haven‘t yet got a final total, but the money raised will be in excess of
£1,500. Thank you to everyone for supporting the Fair, which is our main fundraising event.
Bag Packing – We have just completed another very successful bag pack at Sainsbury‘s in Upton. Customers kindly donated over £500 to have their bags packed and as always our pupils
were excellent. Many comments were made about how well behaved and nice the pupils were
and how smart they looked in their uniform.
Woodchurch Club - At our last meeting we were busy preparing for the Summer Fair and the
Woodchurch Club draws for June, July and August will now take place at our September meeting.
Next Meeting – Our first meeting of the new school year is on Monday 10th September
2012. All new members are very welcome and we will meet in reception before going on to the
Staff Meeting Room for a 6.30pm start.
The photographs show some of the 48 trainees who have carried out their first or second semester placements here at Woodchurch during the academic year 2011-2012.
This year Woodchurch has worked in partnership with Liverpool Hope University, the University of
Chester, Liverpool John Moores University, the Open University and with the Cheshire and Merseyside GTP Consortium, to provide a high quality training experience for our future teachers.
Woodchurch High School is also a hub-school for the ‗elearnITT‘ programme validated by Hibernia College UK.
This academic year as well as working with our teaching staff our trainees were given the opportunity to work alongside our team of experienced Teaching Assistants, to further enhance their
training experience at the school. In addition Woodchurch has continued to host the sessions for
the WITT consortium when as many as 110 trainees from our partner schools in Wirral come together for a professional training session.
As is often the case some of our trainee teachers take the opportunity to apply for teaching posts
at Woodchurch when they have completed their course. This year we will welcome back Miss
Smith in English who will be joining our teaching staff at the beginning of the new academic year
in September 2012.
The school AEN football team won the bronze medal, and the wheelchair football team won the
gold medal at the recent John Hulley Liverpool Olympic festival, where pupils competed against
schools from all over the north west.
The football team was: Sam Gillison, James Monteith,
Rachel Johnson, Ruby Wiliams, Daniel Gardiner, Ryan
Boyd, Sam Dath and Jordan Duke.
Also, several pupils represented the school in the Wirral
School Games Paralympic Festival, winning the competition for the swimming events, with three pupils being
scouted to represent the Wirral swimming academy
through their performances on the day. These pupils
were Jacob Rowlands, Chris Roach and Tom Wright; so
well done to them!
Woodchurch Photographic Society trip this month was to the Kart Racing track at Hooton Park to photograph the up and coming F1 stars.
The weather was ideal for motorsports photography, being very bright,
dry and sunny, and as usual the pupils took on the challenge with enthusiasm, producing excellent results.
Our thanks to the National School Karting Association who made us
feel very welcome and commented on how well our pupils represented
the school. The pupils enjoyed the day and we will certainly repeat this
assignment later in the year at a different track.
In September we will be launching a Respect 4 All Centre at Woodchurch High School, in association with Liverpool Football Club. This exciting new development will offer football opportunities
for children with disabilities from all over Wirral and is something that has not been available until
now.
To help launch the programme, a free summer camp will be running over the summer holidays
using the school‘s new facilities.
The first camp is Tuesday 14th August – Thursday 16th August and is aimed at able bodied pupils
aged 5 – 12.
The second camp is for disabled children and children with additional needs, Tuesday 21st –
Thursday 23rd August. Both camps are free of charge and will be coached by Liverpool FC staff.
To register for either of these camps, please call 0151 432 5689.
Maths Day
To celebrate the upcoming Olympics, members of the Maths department held activity days for
Year 5 pupils from local Primary Schools.
On Wednesday 30th May, 30 pupils from Devonshire Park took part in an Olympic Maths Challenge. Pupils took part in four gruelling Olympic events that tested their flexibility, speed and
strength! The competition was fierce as pupils battled out to win the 50m sprint, javelin, standing
jump, and sit and reach. They confidently discussed the mathematics involved in each event;
time differences, measuring distances, accuracy, 3D shapes and converting between metric units.
After a well earned rest the pupils demonstrated their creative skills through completing a data
handling investigation, using their results from the previous events. Split into several groups,
each specialised in a particular event and successfully produced various charts, displaying their
work on a poster. The pupils not only enjoyed their time at Woodchurch High School, they displayed exemplary behaviour and teamwork. They were a credit to their school!
As the success of this event sunk in, Overchurch and Fender Primary Schools were both invited to
an activity day, and it seemed that it was only fair that they too should enjoy an Olympic Maths
Challenge of their own! The only downside to the day was the poor weather conditions, so unfortunately our activities had to move indoors. The weather did not put a dampener on our day
however, as javelin and sprinting were replaced with darts and Maths relay events. The posters
produced showed a fantastic range of creativity and ingenuity and we were all very impressed!
On the 2nd and 4th July Woodchurch High
School invited Year 5 pupils from Overchurch, Prenton, Woodchurch C of E, Fender
and St. Michael All Angels. These days consisted of the pupils taking part in workshops
across 11 subject areas producing work with
an Olympic theme.
All the work and ideas produced were displayed in the hall with parents and staff invited to see their children‘s hard work.
These days were a tremendous success and
gave the Year 5‘s an insight into what a day
in secondary school is like!
During this term the Year 10 pupils have been raising
money for the Lung Assessment Unit at Arrowe Park
Hospital. This was decided as a member of staff‘s parents was cared for there before Christmas.
They have all been involved in a variety of events during
the past few weeks. The events varied from cake sales to
splat the teacher, healthy snack sales, lunchtime cinema
events and a sponsored silence.
So far they have raised £380 and are still collecting
money.
The staff at the Lung Assessment Unit were very pleased and appreciated the hard work that all
of the pupils put in.
During the last few weeks the pupils in Year 8 have been busy
raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. It is the only UK
charity dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances
of survival for young people aged between 13 and 24 diagnosed with cancer every day. We know that what they do
need is to be treated together, by teenage cancer experts, in
an environment tailored for them.
Every day in the UK, six young people aged 13 to 24 are told they have cancer. That‘s about
2,100 young people a year. Due to the extremely hard work and dedication of the pupils, they
raised £1,038.51. Each of the Year 8 forms arranged an event to raise the money. They had
cake sales, guess the number of sweets in a jar, beat the goalie and many more exciting events.
We are all very proud of their achievements. Well done Year 8!
This year Woodchurch High School has raised much more money
for charity than ever before, reaching a phenomenal total of
£11,161.87 which has been donated to twelve different charities.
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who has contributed to
this tremendous achievement.
The following staff will be leaving us at the end of this academic year. We wish them well for the
future in their new lives after Woodchurch High School!
Retirements
Mrs Daniels—English
Mr Gaddas—Science
Mr Holian—Humanities
Mrs Morris—Food Technology
Mrs Russell—Administration
Mrs Thelwell – TA
Mrs Walker—MFL
Mrs Weaver– MFL
A special mention goes to Mr Gaddas who has
taught at Woodchurch High School for 35 years!
Mr Gaddas has been a source of inspiration for
many pupils who have gone on to study Science
at University. He is a well loved member of
Woodchurch High School and we will all greatly
miss him.
Mr Gaddas
Moving On
Mr Holian
Ms Ball—ICT
Miss Byrne—Music
Mrs Davies—Administration
Mrs Goldsmith—Administration
Mrs Hayward—TA
Mrs Lawton—Food Technology
Mrs Matthews—TA
Mr McNamara—Premises
Mrs Patrick—Administration
Mr Peck—Design Technology
Mr Richardson—Maths
Miss Taylor—GTP Student
We are also sad to inform pupils and parents that Mr Parkins (who left last year to teach in Liverpool) sadly died following a long illness. He was a very respected member of the school who encouraged many pupils to continue to study Engineering post 16.