Summer newsletter - The Radclyffe School

Newsletter
Summer 2015
Hunt Lane’s
Magnificent
Mural
2
Chemical capers test students’ skills
Salters Festival of Chemistry
A team of capable chemists tackled
challenging experiments in the science
labs of the University of Manchester.
The event was part of the nationwide
Salter’s Festival of Chemistry. The
team was given two tests - The Salter’s
Challenge, a competitive practical
activity and the ‘University Challenge’.
The first involved the students using
chemistry to solve a murder mystery.
For the University Challenge they had
to create a reaction that lasted as close
as possible to a minute, by altering the
concentration of the agents in the
experiment.
Science teacher Mrs Begum said, “The
students showed their excellent
understanding of the challenges they
faced. Events like this encourage
students to study Chemistry and other
science subjects for the future.”
Raptors, Rockets and Rotocopters
Radclyffe Science Week
A celebration of science offered students a whole week of
exciting events to finish off the year in style.
Science lessons took on a competitive edge, with tower building
contests and experiments making glue from milk, creating the
best marble run and designing rotocopters.
Year 7 students also enjoyed a
display from Cheshire Falconry,
learning about the incredible
hunting talent of the barn owl,
harris hawk and the European
eagle owl.
Lunchtimes were busy with extra clubs,
as students created electricity from fruit,
designed and flew their own rockets and
got hands on finding out what goes in to
manufacturing soap and … slime!
You can find out more at www.theradclyffeschool.co.uk
3
Masterchef Masterclass
Champion chef shares tricks of the trade
The chance to work with a Masterchef Champion was a superb opportunity for
Hospitality students. It was made even more special because the champion is a
former student of the school.
Winner of this year’s BBC Masterchef
Simon Wood shared his expertise
with three groups of Year 10
GCSE students, creating delicious
pasta dishes with the students’
assistance. Simon also answered
students’ questions about the
Masterchef competition and how he
got interested in cooking.
The students learned how to make
fresh pasta from flour and eggs.
Simon prepared tortellini parcels
filled with chicken, paprika and
garlic. Another dish was prepared
to Simon’s own secret recipe!
Simon said, “This was my first
demonstration in a school but the staff and students made me feel very much
at home. I was really pleased to come back to share with the students, as I had
come to the school and so did my children.”
Teacher of Hospitality Ms Edwards
said, “We are very grateful to
Simon for coming into school and
teaching the students. It is a
really valuable experience for
them as they will be preparing full
restaurant quality meals later this
year as part of their GCSE.”
Follow us on twitter @theradclyffe
4
New Student Leaders
Meet the new team
The members of our new Student Leadership Team are now in post. Many
thanks to everyone who voted and supported the students.
Leah Metcalfe
Head Girl
Mohsin Khan
Head Boy
Missy Carrington
Tahmina Millie
Deputy Head Girls
Fabbiha Akhter
Rehaan Khokar
Gifted & Talented Ambassadors
Sibaanga Muyoka
Zayd Ali Khan
Deputy Head Boys
Ayra faces the Maths Challenge
High Achievers’ in national competition
Magnificent mathematicians in Year 7 have been testing their abilities in the UK
Mathematics Trust Junior Maths Challenge. The Radclyffe School students
achieved two golds, 14 silvers and 15 bronze awards.
Amongst these highest achievers, one of our students Ayra Ali was invited to
take part in a special follow on competition, known as the Kangaroo (from its origin
in Australia!) where she performed with great credit. Congratulations also to our
other gold winner, Sumaiyah Yasmin.
The challenge is organised by the UK Mathematics Trust whose aim is to
advance young people’s education in Maths.
How well could you do? This is a sample question from the test
How many seconds in 1/4 of 1/6 of 1/8 of a day?
A) 60
B) 120
C) 450
D) 900
On twitter? You can follow us @theradcllyffe
E) 3600
5
Magical show entertains
Aladdin
Congratulations to cast and crew on a fabulous production of Disney’s Aladdin. Three evening audiences
and the primary school children were enthralled.
News from
around school
Could you help the
school be in with a
chance of winning
£5000 in book tokens. A
free to enter competition
is online at
http://ow.ly/Pqrvr
Closing date 31 July!
+++++++++++++
Thanks to everyone who
sent in Sainsbury’s
Active Kids vouchers.
Students are making
very good use of new
badminton racquets and
shuttlecocks.
+++++++++++++
To all students, parents
and family celebrating
the end of Ramadan,
EID MUBARAK!
You can find out more at www.theradclyffeschool.co.uk
6
A First Class Train experience!
By Sarah Nazir, Junior Reporter
Forced to wait in a lonely train station, a group of strangers must
overcome their differences in order to survive the night – if they
can! 6 strangers. 3 crooks. One unexpected twist. ‘The Ghost Train’
is a marvellous comedy thriller.
Despite a short delay, I was in for a
surprise. The first half of the play set
up the story, making everyone laugh.
Though I’m not a fan of slap-stick
comedy, I found it hard not to. The
interval left everyone thirsty for more
(including me – my water had ran out
in the first 10 minutes).
After the audience had finished their ice-creams and taken even
more selfies (mostly my friends Sunera and Nishat), the second
half began. This was more action packed, but still with witty
remarks and audience interaction (mainly with ‘Steve’ , a man
from the audience). The mystery of the phantom train was resolved
in the end in a most ‘Scooby-Doo’ fashion, surprising even me – a
Sherlock Holmes fan.
If you’ve been to the Royal Exchange Theatre you’ll understand how
unique the space is: 150 tonnes of theatre-in-the-round, seating 750
people on 3 levels and providing a 360° performance area. To me, this
seemed harder than working on an orthodox stage, since it’s impossible
not to turn your back to the audience. I was proved wrong. The actors
seemed to conquer this stage far easier than a normal stage, somehow
keeping eye-contact with everyone in the audience.
Overall, I loved the wit and charm of the play. Theatre company
Told by An Idiot transformed something serious and dramatic into
something loveable and laughable. Despite this, I disagreed with
the ending, which for me seemed too clichéd and neat. Personally,
I would have preferred something that left us stranded and confused.
But I would happily see this play again and again. I implore you to
do the same thing if you’re looking for a family night out.
7
Induction Day
By Farzana Rahman, Junior Reporter
Nearly 300 eager new students came to school to have a taste of what
they will be experiencing next year in Year 7. While the rest of the
school are moving up, Year 11 are leaving to college, these students are
starting a new school, meeting new people.
After meeting their personal learning guide the new students had a
chance to explore some of our lessons. This gave them a taste of what
The Radclyffe School has to offer in each faculty. They all had a chance
to get to know the Personal Learning Guides who will be guiding them
through the next five years of their school life.
Before leaving the new year sevens has the chance to experience Café
Mojo. Café Mojo is the school’s restaurant and offers a variety of
different food. Towards the end of the day the cast from the production of
Aladdin gave the new students a performance of the songs from the show.
That was the end to their experience of The Radclyffe School until next
year when they return as official students, wearing their Radclyffe
uniform for the first time. We can’t wait to have them back!
Goalball Champions of Greater Manchester!
8
Full steam ahead for railway mural
Students and residents create bridge art
An artistic creation on a former railway bridge has strengthened links
between the school and local residents.
The project HeART for
Heritage saw some of
our talented Art students
working with artists Rich
and TJ from Manchester
based Spearfish Arts and
the Hunt Lane & District
Residents’ Association.
The students took part in
a workshop to create
designs for the mural,
learning about the history of the area. At the end of June they moved
on site to put the artwork onto the brickwork.
HADRA members were keen to clear
up the neglected site linking the housing to the footpath. They won funding
from Oldham Council through local
members, and the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester, and
from First Choice Homes Oldham.
The colourful mural adorns the wall
under the bridge over the entry to
what used to be the Chadderton
Goods railway siding. Students ideas
for the mural recalled the rail heritage,
local wildlife and the history and community of Chadderton. They were
helped in this by Michael Lawson from
the Chadderton Historical Society.
Goalball Champions of Greater Manchester—again!
9
HADRA Secretary Carole Schofield said, “We’ve been working to tidy
up the site since 2013 as a way to bring the community together and
engage with students at the school. The site had been litter strewn
and untidy. It’s wonderful to see it transformed with a fantastic work
of art for everyone to enjoy.”
Head of SPA Mrs Taylor added,
The students have been excited
to see their work appear,
from their first ideas to the
finished mural. Working with
Spearfish has taught them new
techniques. Some of the students live close by and can all
appreciate their achievement.”
The Student view
Alfie Hoop Year 7 and Leah Metcalfe Year 10
Amongst the artists designing and creating the mural were Alfie Hoop
and new Head Girl Leah Metcalfe.
Alfie got involved as part of the Gifted & Talented students in Art.
Amongst his ideas for the mural were the fox and the flowers, which
feature prominently in the final design.
When the students got on site, Alfie helped to paint the pigeon, the
rose of Lancashire and worked on the background. Alfie said, ”I really
enjoyed being part of it, and I’d like to get involved in other projects.
There’s another side of the bridge to paint too.”
Leah added, “Being part of creating the mural has been so rewarding,
not only as a student but as a resident also. It was incredible to see
the designs from students be incorporated into remarkable art work on
the bridge wall. I think everyone involved has worked so hard and
should be proud that they were part of something that will be there
forever - I know I certainly am!”
New Age Kurling Champions too.
10
Twitterbriefs
School News in
fewer than 140
characters
On Twitter? Follow
us @TheRadclyffe
Well done all our Y9
ambassadors who
helped out at the
@FreeholdC Primary
#Spanish afternoon
in June
Talented artists in
Year 7 got to visit
@YSPsculpture
Students attended
#festivalofcricket
@LCCCFoundation.
Exciting activity and
some of Day 1
#Lancs v Northants
@LIMEOldham hosted
Maths event with
@MrReddyMaths
#teachingtheteachers
Taste of history
Age Exchange
Students enjoyed tasting the memories of older Oldham
residents with a special cookery lesson.
Ten young people from Year
7 have paired up with ten
older partners for the Age
Exchange project, organised
with Age UK. As the project
progressed, the students
learned about the life of
their partner, writing a book
of their lives as the term
went on. One session in
particular had a tasty twist.
Using the school’s Hospitality
classrooms, participants
cooked food from wartime and post war austerity.
Amongst the tasty treats were Welsh Cakes, apple tarts,
vegetable medley and an eggless sponge.
Other sessions have seen the older people share their
memories of school, work, relationships and life since
retirement. Though a new group of students take part
each year, the friendships created are long lasting.
Teacher Mrs Mason said,
“The project is a hugely
rewarding event for both
our students and all the
older people who share
their stories. We are
always pleased to see
familiar faces come back
and that new people get
involved.”
The project culminated in a celebration party when the
students presented the finished books to each of the
older participants.
11
Celebration Evening and Carnival
Celebrating success through the year
Our Celebration Evening in the last week of term finished the year with a
bang, with students from every year group recognised and rewarded for their
outstanding achievements this year.
Accompanying our celebration were two
performances of our Junk Jam Carnival,
which students have been preparing for
throughout this term. Musicians and dancers
have prepared and the colourful costumes
created. The twist this year was that they
have been reused creatively from waste
materials.
A big thank you to Bangdrum Arts for once
again helping us to create such a spectacular
finale to the school year.
Hard hitting drama gives students the message
GW Theatre
A powerful play exploring themes around sexual exploitation and street
grooming got Year 10 students thinking.
Somebody’s Sister, Somebody’s Daughter presented the human stories of
three young people – Chloe, a 15 year old girl from an ordinary family, caught
up in a vicious grooming gang. Sara, the half Asian best friend who saves her
and Javid, the young man who risks everything to help Sara get Chloe out of
the grip of his ‘uncle’ Adeem and his ‘business partner’ Phil.
The story was presented with empathy, anger and surprising humour. The play
dramatized the dangers and complex issues involved in such a sensitive subject.
The performances were followed by a hot seating session, where the actors
come back in character so audiences can question their actions.
Year 10 Year Manager Mrs O’Keefe said, “We were very happy to welcome GW
Theatre Company into school. They tackled a sensitive subject in a way that
was accessible to our students, and they responded really well. We are aware
this is a live subject for the local community and it is important to be discussing it.”
The project is part-funded by two local authorities in Greater Manchester and
one in Oxfordshire. A national conference on street grooming, led by Oldham
Council is planned, with the drama project as its centrepiece.
12
Skirts
Below the knee, please
It’s an issue that comes around often, and has hit the headlines in schools
across the country - how long should skirts be in school?
The Radclyffe School’s uniform policy is clear that skirts should be worn ‘at
least knee length and without a split hem’. It adds ‘...tight fitting and/or short
miniskirts are not acceptable.’ Girls have the choice of wearing skirts or black
school trousers. You can find full details on the school website.
We appreciate however that students will grow during the course of the year,
and what was at the knee when it was bought may be a few inches higher
within a few months. We would ask that when buying uniform parents wish to
take this into account - allow for growth.
Arrangements for first day back
The school year may just have finished but we would like to let you know the
arrangements for the new school year starting on Wednesday 2nd September.
The first day begins at 8.35am for new Year 7 students only. Staff and Year
9 Peer Mentors will meet them on the Street to welcome them and escort
them to the Hall. Please note only Year 7 will be allowed in Café Mojo at break.
For all other year groups, 8-11, please be at school by 11am. All students
report to their PLG groups to receive uniform cards, organisers and timetables.
At 11.40 students will go to their Period 3 lesson and the normal timetable will
continue.
Many thanks for your support in getting your children to school on time. We
hope students have a relaxing and rewarding summer holiday, and come back
refreshed ready to achieve highly in the new school term.
Calendar information on the web
Did you know that you can find the full calendar information for all year groups on the
school website?
The Term Dates and Calendar pages will tell
you when everything is from each year
group’s Parents’ Evening to Presentation
Evening, exams to Experience Day.
All the term dates are there too so you know
when school opens and closes for holidays,
and which days are for Staff Training.
13
Danger from Kik Messaging app
You can help your child stay safe online
While the Internet and various social media sites have many potential dangers
for young people, Kik (aka Kik Messenger) is of particular concern to cyber
safety experts and an App that parents need to be especially aware of.
Kik is an IM (instant messaging) application
designed for mobile devices and tablets. It
allows users to share messages, photos, artwork
and other multi-media content. Kik has an
iTunes Rating of 17+ for “Frequent/Intense
Mature/Suggestive Themes” but that has not
stopped countless children from accessing and
using the app. The problem is there is very little
you can do to verify the identity of someone on
Kik.
It is because of these loose security settings
that Kik has the potential to expose younger
users to pornographic content and adult-related, third party apps. Also
strangers may be able to anonymously message others, posing a significant
risk of interaction with sexual predators. In fact, there are convicted sex
offenders who have openly admitted to using Kik so they could prey on kids.
The best way to keep your children safe online is to proactively monitor
their activity and enable their device’s restriction settings so they are unable
to install Apps without permission.
Students enjoy their European adventure
France Trip
By Junior Reporter Emily Garland
At half term, students from Years 7 and 8 set out on a trip to France. We left
Dover at 10.30pm. Once we arrived in France we went to a small market place
where we got to look around; I bought a few bits.
Then we went to the hotel where we had a lovely meal.
During the trip we visited the Bayeaux Tapestry museum. Before we set off for
the hotel in Paris we stopped at a beach in Normandy for a few hours.
At the hotel we checked into our rooms and had a pizza and coke. The we
went to Disneyland!
We all had so much fun, but we had to leave. I can’t wait to do it again!
14
Textile talent create pillowcase dresses
New clothes for girls
New dresses from old pillowcases was the
challenge taken up by a group of Year 9
GCSE Design & Technology students.
Their creations will be sent to South Africa
to benefit dozens of girls whose families
otherwise would be unable to afford new
clothes.
We are working with charity Hope 4 Women
International who will arrange to deliver
the colourful dresses. The project is helping
the students make practical use of the skills
they are learning in Textiles, part of the
D&T course.
Making more music
Instrumental lessons
During the year the Music Department
has offered students the opportunity to
learn a musical instrument.
Many students have responded to the
opportunity to learn an instrument or
develop their talent. We are very
pleased to say that six students have
entered ABRSM exams with everyone
passing including some with Merit.
The instrumental lessons we offer are
for drums, woodwind, singing, piano,
guitar and violin. From September we
will also be
able to offer
brass teaching
and Music ICT
(that’s DJ-ing!)
Cheerleaders’ success
Our cheerleading team the Radclyffe
Rovers returned from competing in the
UK Schools Cheerleading Championships
with two trophies.
The team came third in their Pom Dance
and won the overall Cheer Award.
The event took place at Manchester
Velodrome, with 89 teams from across
the country. The Radclyffe team performed
two 21/2 minute routines - a Pom dance
and a Street Cheer, in front of the judges.
Teacher of PE Miss Parkinson said,
“The level of skill on the dance floor
was fantastic. We are very proud of
the girls dedication and enthusiasm
and it was wonderful to see this
rewarded with the trophies they won.”
You can find out more at www.theradclyffeschool.co.uk
15
Making the most of the PE Selection
Fitness and fun in the sports facilities
The Radclyffe School has enjoyed another
successful year of sport. Our students have
experienced an unrivalled range of sports,
whether as part of their GCSE lessons, in
lunchtime and after school clubs and through
inter-school contests.
Amongst the highlights of the year have been
retaining our title as Champions at the GM
Winter Games at Chill Factore. Our successful
teams have just won the School Games
Goalball and New Age Kurling competitions,
held at Sport City. We also enjoyed success in
IZB Basketball
As a school we are committed to giving students
the opportunity to compete. Our Year 7 cricket
team reached the semi-finals of the Lancashire
Plate. Entry into the Lancashire Cup each year
gives students the experience of playing against
schools from across the county.
These are just some of the sports our students
have taken part in - mountain biking, cross
country, rowing, kayaking, rounders, netball,
basketball, tennis, archery, badminton, fencing,
rock climbing, judo, karate, athletics, volleyball,
tag rugby as well as cricket and football.
You can find out more at www.theradclyffeschool.co.uk
16
Teacher Q&A!
By Shamima Begum, Junior Reporter
This is the first in a series, interviewing teaching and support staff
about what they do, what they like.
Shamima spoke to her English teacher Mrs Razaq
Why is reading so important?
Reading is important because it enables you to grow in all aspects of
your life.
How does reading help our learning in English?
It supports our English learning by helping us expand our vocabulary.
Which books do you suggest to readers?
For Year 7, Wonder by R.J Palacio, for Year 8, Roald Dahl’s The Witches,
For Year 9 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, for Year 10 Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte and for Year 11, The Kite Runner by Khaled
Hosseini.
Can you give some features of an interesting novel?
I would say first an intriguing plot line. The protagonist needs to be
interesting and it helps if there is an unusual twist.
A big thank you to Mrs Razaq for agreeing to be interviewed.
Would you like this Large Print?
The newsletter is available as a large print version
on request.
You can also find recent editions of the newsletter
on the school website.
For more information please contact the Marketing
Manager, Mr Peden
Hunt Lane, Chadderton,
Oldham, OL9 0LS.
Tel: 0161 622 3200.
Fax: 0161 633 2183.
www.theradclyffeschool.co.uk