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Test Valley School Newsletter December 2011 Christmas Card Competition Winner—Laura Hesp 7N
Test Valley School Newsletter
December 2011
Christmas Card Competition Winner—Laura Hesp 7N
Headteacher’s Report Dear Parents As I write the Autumn Term is drawing to a close and we are looking forward to the Christmas holidays. The weeks seem to have flown by since the start of term when we celebrated the superb GCSE results of our Year 11 pupils from last year. Just a reminder that 75.2% achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C, only half a per cent off the school record (with 68% achieving five or more including English and Maths). English and Maths both did very well this year with 79% and 76.4% respectively achieving grades A*-C, significantly above the national averages. We recently had our annual Presentation Evening and it was wonderful to see so many of the year group return for this event to collect their GCSE certificates. The photograph opposite shows some of the winners of our special awards, all sponsored by local organisations, groups or individuals with a long standing link to our school. In September the term started with the introduction of a new achievement points system and the launch of the 6Rs across the school. Both have been well received by pupils. Parents can, of course, now monitor their child’s progress and number of achievement points on our SIMs Learning Gateway system – do contact us if you have not yet signed up to this. We have been delighted to welcome so many parents to our information evenings this term, held so far for Years 7 and 10. The feedback from these events, which have included interactive workshops for parents to take part in, has been very positive and we look forward to welcoming parents of Years 8, 9, and 11 to events planned for next term. I also enjoyed meeting so many parents at my coffee morning last half term and hope to greet similar numbers at the next one planned for Wednesday December 14
th at 9.10am.
We are currently looking into a programme of community out-of-hours activities and workshops for children and adults in the Spring Term. We plan to have a taster evening in February so people can come along, have a go and sign up. With so many facilities to offer we would like the school to become a vibrant and well used centre for our local community in the hours after school too. We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter which gives a ‘flavour’ of the many activities and opportunities our pupils have experienced this term both in and out of their lessons. Finally, I extend a very warm invitation to you all to join us at our Carol Concert on Tuesday December 13
th.
L Hiscock Headteacher
Year 7
I am very pleased with the way Year 7 have settled in to their first term at Test Valley. Many are involved in the numerous different activities & clubs which run at lunchtime & after school. I am looking forward to taking 52 pupils to the theatre on December 6th and 82 pupils are participating in the visit to France in July next year. ( Please can I take this opportunity to remind everyone about payments, there was one due by Friday November 11th and the next is due by Friday 16th December).
We have now had two different Parents' Evenings which have both been really well supported. The next planned meeting is on Monday March 26th when parents will have the opportunity to talk to all the subject teachers but I am always pleased to hear from anyone before that date if there are any concerns and enclose my email address to enable easier communication:
Mrs D. Wells Head of Year 7
2011 Presentation Evening Prizewinners
Rotary Young Chef Competition 2011
Round 1 November 3rd 2011 at John Hanson School
Gemma Francis, Alana Volavola and Megan Brown
represented Test Valley School in the first
round of this competition organised by the
Rotary Club.
The girls were competing against other pupils
from Andover Schools.
They had to make a healthy starter and main
course for two people costing no more than £10.
The competition was judged by local Chefs and the
food served by the pupils was of a high standard.
The competition was won by Megan Brown who will
go on to represent the Andover area in Salisbury .
Well done to all girls and good luck to Megan.
K Cross Design and Technology Food
Year 8
This term has seen the launch of Olympic Values within Year 8. Every 3 values received awards pupils an extra Achievement Point and for twelve they receive a certificate and 3 Achievement Points. All values are linked to the 6Rs in school which were introduced this year. The total points that can be achieved is 100, and already a few pupils are on track to achieve a special award at our Christmas Assembly for achieving the full amount.
Year 8 also welcomed the 9 Middle Wallop Army Cadet Force into assembly
on Monday 7th November. 2Lt Toze explained how the Cadets were
managed and the type of activities run in Middle Wallop including First Aid,
Shooting and Adventurous Training. This group is for boys and girls aged 12
-18, and runs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7pm to 9pm. For further
details contact 2Lt Toze on wallopacf@hotmail .co.uk or Tel: 07951708259.
Mrs C. Crossland
Head of Year 8
Environmental and Land Based Science The environmental area at Test Valley School is being prepared for the winter. The new raised beds are being mulched and covered and the shed and greenhouses tidied. The animals have been enjoying the mild weather conditions. The pupils too have benefited from this as their outdoor lessons, although a little wet and muddy, have not been cold! Plans for the near future include working closely with Mr Langdown and his Year 10 construction group making a new small animal area with more space for the rabbit and guinea pigs to run around in.
The Science department would like to thank Mrs Hurst for her support in providing hay and straw to the school over the last 2/3 years. Her help has been invaluable in the running of the ELBS area. As her son has now left the school we would ask if there is anybody who is willing to deliver hay and straw to us for a reasonable rate. We would very much appreciate it if someone could help. If you think you could please contact the school and ask for Miss Hibbert or Miss Townsend in the Science department. Thank you.
Science Trip to Intech On the 23rd November our science set and a group of Year 10s went to a physics talk at Intech. Do you know what a PET scan does? How a CT scan works? Or why we discovered x-rays? Well, after the talk, we do. The talk, given by a medical physicist explored all of these areas and more. The advanced animation and number of experiments on the day have helped me and many others to understand an otherwise very complex subject. We saw x-ray images of all kinds of weird situations, pumping hearts and screen shots of brain activity. To help explain his subject, the speaker had people up taking their pulse, spinning around on platforms and catching skittle balls. These experiments maintained the audience’s attention while increasing their understanding on the subject. Overall, it was a great and very helpful visit which everyone enjoyed. So, on behalf of everyone, I would like to thank Miss Townsend for organising it. Thank you! Emily Beards 11D
A Shoebox Sensation My name is Eleanor Gravenor, and as I’m sure you know, this year, Katie Chambers, Johanna Walukiewicz, Aston Taylor and I organised the Operation Christmas Child Campaign within the school. I have been involved in various shoebox appeals at church and school for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was tiny, I have enjoyed choosing items for boxes, packing them, and sending them off to children the same age as me. Even as a small child, taking part made me think about the world beyond my own life and has made me grateful for everything I have. Now that I am in my final year of secondary school, when we were asked to choose a charity to actively promote as part of our Citizenship GCSE, Samaritan’s Purse seemed like the obvious choice.
Katie, Johanna, Aston and I, plastered the school in posters and presented a PowerPoint in an assembly to raise awareness. We then compiled a list of all the items that could go into a shoebox. Our idea was that if each person in a tutor group bought in one item, each class would be able to produce two completed shoeboxes. The list of items varied in price from 10p to £1 so that everyone would be able to get involved.
After a couple of weeks, we realised that if our campaign was to be successful, we would need the full support of the staff.
So, I volunteered to talk to all of the staff at one of their meetings. This was honestly one of the most nerve-racking things I have ever done! However, our appeal to the staff seemed to have done the trick, as within days we had pupils bringing in completed shoeboxes and staff asking how they could get involved. And this continued! Over the past month or so, we have had pupils and staff of all ages getting involved. We have made numerous trips to local shoe shops to collect empty boxes, and spent many a lunch time wrapping them up and delivering them all over the school to be filled. Every time I walked down a corridor, I was stopped by somebody wanting to help or asking how the appeal was progressing. It really felt like the whole school was behind it, and it is fantastic to belong to a place where charities such as Samaritan’s Purse are so well supported! I would describe our school as very generous. Every year we raise thousands of pounds for charity. But the response to the shoebox appeal, this year has been phenomenal! I am reliably informed that the largest number of boxes we at Test Valley has ever collected is 40. And it is fair to say that this year, we have smashed that record, and collected 118! I am sure you will agree that this is amazing and has surpassed all expectations!
Huge thanks must go to Miss Hiscock, for all her support, to Mr Murdoch-Smith, for all his help, and to Mrs Wingham, for her advice and support, and perhaps more importantly, the loan of her cupboard! And finally, a huge thank you to all of us pupils and the staff at Test Valley, who have worked incredibly hard to produce the fantastic pile of boxes. All 118 of them, were blessed at the Romsey Deanery Shoebox Service in Stockbridge Church, have been processed at the Operation Christmas Child warehouse in Eastleigh, and are now on their way to needy children in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My three friends and I have really enjoyed organising the shoebox appeal this year, and sincerely hope that next year, even though we will have moved on, the fantastic work of the Test Valley School community will continue!
A stack of over 700 shoeboxes at Stockbridge Church.
A human chain passing the shoeboxes
Year 7s’ Dragons’ Den On Thursday 24 November all Year 7 took part in a Dragons’ Den Event. This was the culmination of the a two day project that they had been working on as part of their ASPIRE curriculum. On Day 1 they were given the brief and told that they had to come up with an idea for the “next big thing in mobile phones”. They started off doing some research into how mobile phone technology had changed over time and then they formed groups/companies to develop their idea. This involved some ”blue sky thinking” and doing some market research amongst their peers. Day 2 started with the daunting prospect of working to a very tight deadline to put together their marketing materials and their pitch to the Dragons. This had to include their company name and logo, how much investment they were asking for in return for what share of the equity, and of course all the product details. Each “company” then presented their idea within their Aspire Group and the winning team went forward to the Grand Final in the afternoon. As the Year 7s entered the hall for the big event the familiar music was playing and there was a picture of the real Dragons’ Den with the empty chairs up on the big screen. The tension mounted as our Dragons joined us – Miss Hiscock was joined for the afternoon by Mr John Smith (Chair of Governors) and Ms Pamela Sanderson (Development Manager, Young Enterprise). The running order for the event was randomly chosen and each company presented in turn, speaking for 3 minutes and then facing some very tough questions from the Dragons, before being told whether each Dragon was “out” or “in”. The winning team of Phillippa Ball, Emily Fitzpatrick and Nina Stevens had the idea of a voice recognition homework diary app for pupils’ Smart phones. The team were presented with the prizes of phone socks, puzzles and chocolates. Mrs C. Marsh
HILDON NATURAL MINERAL WATER SPONSORS OLYMPIC EVENT
AT TEST VALLEY SCHOOL
Hildon Natural Mineral Water provided funding which enabled the local primary schools in the Test Valley School cluster to attend an exciting Olympic competition. The Indoor Sports Hall Olympics is part of the’ Olympic Inspirations’ programme Test Valley School are leading to celebrate 2012. It involved 5 teams competing in running, jumping and throwing events. Teams from Lockerley, West Tytherley and Wherwell competed for the honour of first place in a very close competition. Each team had specific coaching from Donna & Josh Smith who are part of the Mountbatten coaching team ‘Sport Education & Health Solutions Ltd’. Sports Leaders and Young Leaders from Test Valley School hosted the teams, scoring the events and encouraging all the participants. All 5 teams really enjoyed the event and the parents and teachers cheered the pupils on during the running races which were the climax of the event. The Wherwell team were the overall winners with West Tytherley A in second place. The VIP guest from Hildon Ltd Debbie Jones presented every child with an engraved gold medal and a certificate. Later she said : “Hildon are very proud and pleased to be able to support this great local initiative.”
Junior Netball Club September started with an excellent response from the Year 7 and 8 girls with over 30 attending club nights. Training is fun and varied with lots opportunities to try out new skills and different netball positions. The Year 7s were very quickly put into a match situation against the very strong opposition of Kings School, Winchester. Two teams went along full of excitement and enthusiasm. Although this was a friendly fixture all the girls showed excellent team spirit and really developed their understanding of competitive matches. It also allowed the opportunity to try out a variety of attack and defence combinations ready for the first league game. So far both the Year 7 and Year 8 teams have a win and a loss under their belts with more league fixtures to come next term. Match reports and Players of the Match for all games can be found on Moodle. Club nights will continue to be on Mondays and everyone is very welcome to start at any time. Mrs R. Trafford
U13 Team U12 Team
Ready for training
‘In Pursuit Of Personal Excellence’ The above is the school’s motto and for many of our pupils this applies to not only what they do in school but the sports, hobbies and interests they pursue out of school. We are delighted to celebrate their success and achievements in this special section. Here are just a few – please let us know of other pupils we can include in future newsletters. We congratulate all on their achievements!
Tae Kwon Do Congratulations to Brendon Tasker who recently competed in the British Tae Kwon Do Championships in Telford and won a Gold Medal for Sparring and Silver for Patterns.
Vaulting Charlotte Dicker and I do equestrian vaulting and our last competition was the English Championships which were held in Hull at an equestrian college. We train every week on a Saturday at Charlotte’s yard with her Mum teaching us. I have only been doing it for six months but Charlotte has been doing it a lot longer so she is better than me.
At the English Championships I was entered into the Walk Freestyle class and came 4th out of 17.
Anna Pearce 8S
Drama Congratulations to Henry Allen who is appearing in ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’ at Salisbury Playhouse in December, we wish him well in his performances.
New GCSE in ICT
We have changed the GCSE course at Key Stage 4 to the Edexcel ICT GCSE, starting September 2011 with Y10. The main difference to the Award in Digital Applications, which we have done for the last 5 years, is that assessment is now Unit 1: 60% Practical (Controlled Assessment) and Unit 2: 40% Theory Examination. A few weeks in and we like it J
UNIT 1: Living in a Digital World In this unit, students explore how digital technology impacts on the lives of individuals, organisations and society. Students learn about current and emerging digital technologies and the issues raised by their use in a range of contexts (learning and earning, leisure, shopping and money management, health and well-being, on the move). They develop awareness of the risks that are inherent in using ICT and the features of safe, secure and responsible practice. UNIT 2: Using Digital Tools This is a practical unit. Students broaden and enhance their ICT skills and capability. They work with a range of digital tools and techniques to produce effective ICT solutions in a range of contexts. Students learn to reflect critically on their own and others’ use of ICT and to adopt safe, secure and responsible practice. They put into practice what they learned about digital technology in Unit 1. For more information about the course: http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse10/ict/Pages/default.aspx The ICT GCSE pages on Moodle are packed with all of the required resources for pupils to access 24/7. Mr D McDaid Mr T Armstrong
ASDAN The Learning Support Department would like to congratulate those pupils currently in Year 10 who successfully passed the ASDAN course in July this year. All 18 pupils passed and achieved a certificate in the ASDAN Personal & Social Development course. The staff and pupils involved worked extremely hard to achieve this and should feel very proud of themselves. Many congratulations on this great success.
Visit of Curtis Jobling to Test Valley School.
Test Valley School welcomed author and illustrator Curtis Jobling last week to speak to Years 7 and 8. Curtis made his name as the designer of TV character Bob the Builder, but now, after several years establishing his illustrating career, he has returned to his first
fascination: horror and fantasy writing for older children.
Curtis’s long-standing love of role-playing games was the inspiration for his brand new series, and this is reflected in his colourful, exuberant cast and non-stop action. The first two Wereworld books, Rise of the Wolf and Rage of Lions, are available now, with the third due out in January. “Curtis Jobling’s spontaneity and creativity were inspiring, and his fiction is bound to enthral and intrigue a generation who, like him, enjoy both reading and gaming. These two worlds can meet,” said Head of English, Celia de Nitto. During his hour long session, Curtis engaged the pupils with his quickfire cartoons, sketching a dozen familiar and new characters in less than a minute apiece. He also had pupils roaring the answers to his “Wolfman or Hairyman?” quiz and laughing aloud at his Curious Cow animations. Thanks also go to local bookshop P&G Wells who provided a bookstall on the day. Ms I. Pearce Learning Resources Manager
George Houghton meets Curtis
Freya White with her signed book
Various fundraising
activities took place on Friday 18th November including
busking, sponsored silence, listen up, pupils handcuffed together, staff netball match and making a Pudsey Bear from pennies and Pudsey biscuits sold in the canteen.
Many thanks to the Year 11 Charity Committee for organising the activities.
On 9th November, a group of Year 9 pupils visited Salisbury Playhouse to watch an adapted version of Romeo and Juliet, aimed especially at KS3 pupils. The focus was on key scenes from the play with the cast and director explaining decisions made for the production.
The pupils enjoyed the experience of seeing a live performance and were given the opportunity to question the cast about aspects of the play.
Thanks go to Mrs Wilkinson and Mr Lucas who accompanied the pupils.
Year 9 Theatre Trip
Hannah Hicks, age 20, started her table tennis career at Test Valley School in 2002.She is presently ranked number 3 in England. Hannah re-visited the school on Friday 23
rd September to demonstrate, coach and give ‘inspirational’ talks to the
Test Valley School pupils. Hannah began her successful table tennis career in Year 7 with Mr Brian Dyke, an English teacher at the school, who encouraged her to join his after school club. By Year 9 Hannah was regularly travelling to Sweden as part of her vigorous training and competition schedule. By Year 11 she had represented her country several times. During this period the school fully supported Hannah making sure her studies were not affected. Last year Hannah’s team came 4
th in the Commonwealth
Games held in India. Hannah is now competing for a place in the GB 2012 Olympic team and will find out early next year if she has made the squad. Hannah was joined by her training partner Chloe Thomas, a 17 year old Welsh International ranked 3 in the senior women’s event and 2 in the juniors. Chloe was a formidable match and made Hannah work hard to show off her skills and talent to the excited Test Valley School pupils. During break time at the school pupils were able to obtain the girls’ autographs and some pupils had specifically brought in their own bats and balls to be signed.
Hannah returns to her training commitments in Sheffield and Chloe was going to her training facility in Bournemouth.
Hannah Hicks said “I have had a fantastic day. Visiting the school has brought back some special memories for me. I hope that today has given something back to the school and that the pupils will realise that they can follow their dreams” Mrs Smith, School Sports Co-ordinator stated “Both girls were excellent role models and an inspiration to our pupils. I am
so pleased that test valley school was able to make this a special day and
we all wish Hannah and Chloe every success for the future and thank them
for taking the time out of their busy schedules to visit us”
Medals Won by Primary School Cross Country Runners
Pupils from six primary schools were involved in the Test Valley School ‘cluster’ cross country event held at Wallop Primary School.
Twenty Year 10 Sports Leaders and Year 8 Young Leaders from Test Valley School marshalled the course and joined in with some of the pupils to encourage them along the way. There were 8 competitive races and 2 Fun Runs organised for the pupils. There was an air of excitement as the pupils prepared for their races and the competitors were cheered on by other pupils and parents who had gathered for the event.
The Sports Leaders presented Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the winners at the end of the competition. The medals were introduced this year as part of an Olympic Inspiration event.
The overall team winners were Wallop School who were presented with a team shield with Broughton School very close in second place. Primary School P.E. Link teacher Mr Etheridge from Wherwell said: “The pupils seem to really enjoy this well organised event and even the fun runners were still smiling at the end”
Year 10 Sports Leaders Beth Porter stated “It was an inspirational event which was
extremely successful and enjoyed by all”
Mrs N. Smith
School Sports Co-ordinator
Test Valley School has a Sports Council Committee involving pupils from Years 8—11. This committee is organised by pupils from the school with guidance from Ms Knowles and Mrs Smith.
The Council Ambassadors are: Ben Reed Year 8 Toby Giles Year 10 Erin Phillips Year 8 Katie Weller Year 10 Holly Deere Year 8 Emily Moxley Year 10 Freyja Haigh Year 9 Toby Redshaw Year 10 Harvey Fortis Year 9 Rob Hoey Year 11 Johanna Walukiewicz Year 11 The Sports Council meets regularly, every Wednesday lunchtime, organising and planning various sporting activities for pupils to take part in. Recently we held inter-house competitions in which tutor groups competed against each other. The competitions have included a very successful Year 7 netball tournament and a Year 9 basketball event. At present the Year 9 boys are competing in basketball. Year 7 Inter-House NETBALL Year 9 Girls BASKETBALL Results
All the competition results are displayed in the window of the Sports Hall. Every half term we challenge ourselves to hold as many inter-house competitions as possible. We will be working through all the different year groups to give them a chance to compete. The competitions are arranged to run every Tuesday lunchtime in the Sports Hall. So far, these competitions have proved a great success! It has brought tutor groups closer and encouraged them to work as a team to collect lots of house points! The competitions are also linked to the seven Olympic and Paralympic Values for 2012. As a Sports Committee we will be looking to develop school awareness of the Olympics starting in January 2012…. So watch this space and get involved!!! Holly Deere Johanna Walukiewicz.
Fröhliche Weihnachten Joyeux Noël The Modern Languages department are proud to announce that a Year 9 boy gained a GCSE A grade in French in the summer. He was able to do this because he is a fluent French speaker. If your son or daughter speaks French or German fluently please let us know. We were extremely grateful recently to a family who were on holiday in Germany because they were able to bring us back some superb German posters. If any family is on holiday in a French or a German speaking country we would be delighted if they were able to obtain any materials for our classrooms.
Fröhliche Weihnachten Joyeux Noël
Year 10 The one thing on the forefront of the minds of most Year 10 pupils since starting the year in September has been their science examination. Through assemblies, science lessons and tutor time great emphasis has been placed on preparing for this very important GCSE. We held a Parents’ Information Evening on 13
th October with a dedicated workshop
focusing on revision techniques and routines to further support our pupils. The evening was attended by 240 parents and pupils, a record breaking and overwhelming attendance, next time I will organise a microphone! We also ran a workshop for work experience to help prepare parents and pupils and to register using WEX on-line. The government have withdrawn their funding for work experience and parents are now asked contribute towards the registration fee which ensures standards, insurance and health and safety standards are in place for this age group in each workplace. We are currently looking at future pathways in tutor time in preparation for the future. This provides pupils with the opportunity to look ahead to degree courses and beyond, tracking back the right qualifications they will need to ensure they are on the right pathway to achieve their goals. I am looking forward to the reports due at the end of term which will be the first indication of how well pupils are progressing on their KS4 courses. We will be reflecting on the results and setting targets to move forward with in the New Year. May I take this opportunity to wish the Year 10 and their parents a very happy Christmas. Mr Langdown, Year 10 Coordinator
Year 9 Visit to the Science Museum in London 14
th October 2011
This was the second of two visits for Year 9 pupils to the Science
Museum, both of which involved 48 pupils. All pupils enjoyed the
exhibits which included Space, All about me, Antennae, and
Materials. The rocket show saw Mr Lucas being pushed by Phoebe
Morris. George Bloss and Sophie Spencer dressed up as a rocket,
which was then followed by hydrogen rockets being launched by the
presenter. The hands on launch pad was enjoyed by all, and many
were still occupied after our one hour session. Just before leaving
Mrs Crossland and Mr Lucas bumped into the actor Sir Michael
Gambon, (Dumbledore), whilst all pupils were occupied in the
museum shop. George Bloss said ‘The day was thrilling and really
enjoyable’.
Mrs C. Crossland
Barcelona Football Tour 2011 On the morning of Tuesday 25th October two excited football squads flew out to Barcelona. After checking into the hotel there was a historical tour of the amazing city. Wednesday was a fantastic day. Firstly the stadium tour at the Nou Camp, home of Barcelona F.C., followed by an evening of fixtures against F.C Cambrils. The Under 14s squad played well, but the Spanish opposition proved too strong winning 2-0. However the Under 15s squad were outstanding and won 2-0, despite the Spanish team having more of the possession. It was the first ever Test Valley victory in Spain, so the lads were extremely proud. Thursday was disappointing, as
torrential rain hit. The evening’s fixtures had been cancelled and team moral was low. A pool competition won by Jamie Blackmore brightened things up a bit. Good news came as we managed to organise tickets to a top flight Spanish fixture: Espanyol vs
Real Betis. It was a superb experience for all and Espanyol won at
their new stadium 1-0. On Friday the trip to Port Aventura (Universal Theme
Park) was given the go ahead and during the day we only had a couple of showers. Even Mrs Wilcox was able to go on all of the best rollercoasters. Overall the trip was a huge success and a great time was had by all.
Mr L. Carter
TEST VALLEY SCHOOL CAROL CONCERT 2011
“A Celebration of
Christmas”
Tuesday 13th December 7.00pm
St. Peter's Church Stockbridge
(Doors open 6.30pm)
