Tel: 01744 678 030 cowleyinternationalcollege.com
cowleian times DEBATING MATTERS
Cowley went head-to-head with two schools debating on ‘Animal experimentation cannot be justified’ and ‘Western countries should not encourage coal-fired power stations in the developing world’. Though Cowley didn’t reach the finals, there were some individual achievements on the day: Oliver Mackenzie came third in the individual award and Sixth Form Head Boy, Chris Hardman was awarded first place.
The Modern Foreign Languages team at Cowley delivered a fantastic presentation about the importance of learning languages and about the Spanish culture and history. Following the presentation, students had the opportunity to taste authentic Spanish cuisine in the form of tapas, paella and olives – with mixed results! Miss Hale, Head of Modern Foreign Languages said: “We wanted to introduce Spanish in a fun and educational manner and I hope that this taster workshop will encourage students to carry on with languages in Year 9, leading to GCSE in Year 10 and 11. “This workshop will give our students the chance to see how studying two languages will enhance their future career opportunities and how similar French and Spanish are - so all the French learnt in Year 7 and 8 makes Spanish so much more accessible.”
POLITE NOTICE As part of our duty of care, we ask that all parents/carers ensure that their daughter/ son has enough money for each College day.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS We are delighted to announce that over 200 students have 100% attendance so far for this academic year. An impressive 360 students have 100% gold standard attendance so far for this term. These are great statistics, but we are aiming for better!
Manchester Metropolitan University became the hub for debate as it hosted the North West and North Wales Regional Finals of the ‘Debating Matters’ competition recently.
On Tuesday, 11th March, 60 Year 8 students were invited to take part in a lively and interactive Spanish Taster workshop.
SPRING 2014
TRIP TO NEW YORK, 2016
Due to the success of our recent trip to New York, we would like to take this opportunity to gauge interest from parents and carers regarding a trip to New York for Cowley students, departing during the half term in February 2016. The costs of the trip is £1250. This includes: • All travel costs • Hotel costs (inc. breakfast) • Evening meals (3 nights) • Visit to tourist destinations • Travel insurance An interest free payment plan is in place which equates to approximately £70 a month over 18 months. If you would like to register an interest in this trip, please contact Mr Livesey by calling 01744 678 030 or have your daughter/son speak with Mr Livesey as soon as possible.
We want your child to achieve, to be happy and to feel they belong to our College community! Obviously they need to be in College 100% of the time to achieve 100% of their best. Just as important though is the impact poor attendance has on your child’s self-esteem, their friendship groups and their relationships with staff. A child with poor attendance will fall behind in their work, feel out of the loop with friends and it will be difficult for teachers to get to know and help them in the areas they need extra support. Every day, every lesson, every moment of your child’s education is important Good attendance = rewards. Year 11 need to achieve their attendance targets to gain a passport to the Prom on the 1st July 2014 and Year 8 are working towards their invitation to the Quinta Residential trip. Everyone is working towards their attendance targets to be able to win points towards their House Rewards, including a trip at the end of the year.
IMPORTANT NOTICE Students break up on Thursday, 3rd April at 3:05pm for their Easter break. They return on Tuesday, 22nd April. Both days are normal school days, with revision, assessments and examinations taking place. Please do not add ‘extra’ days to this break or to the Bank Holiday on Monday, 5th May; this time of year is crucial for students to prepare for their end of the year assessments and exams.
Term dates Thursday, 3rd April (Break up) Tuesday, 22nd April (First day back) World Book Night Wednesday, 23rd April Cowley’s Got Talent (round one) Thursday, 24th April Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May Summer Dance Show
DIARY REMINDER
YEAR 8 GET A TASTE OF SPAIN
#4
LIBRARY NEWS
The recent Scholastic Bookfair was a resounding success raising £226.40 for new books in the College Library. Cowley celebrated World Book Day 2014 with a variety of exciting activities, including students and staff dressing up as their favourite characters from books and a whole host of book related activities and discussions. Miss Massey, Literacy Coordinator at Cowley said: “Good reading starts early and young people who share books with others are more likely to develop language skills and advanced reading levels. A key focus of our World Book Day event was to get our students imaginations fired up and encourage them to become avid readers.” We are delighted to announce the College Library has been selected as a World Book Night giver. On Wednesday, 23 April, the Library will be giving out specially printed free copies of the following books for World Book Night: • • •
CHERUB: The Recruit The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Short Stories by Roald Dahl
YEAR 8 HISTORY A small number of Year 8 pupils joined numerous other schools and members of the local community to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, 27th January at St Helens Town Hall. They represented the College at the service and were, at all times, very respectful, understanding clearly the need for the service. The pupils were: Dylan Casadei, Caitlin Forshaw Abby Gregory, Ellie Rankin and Megan Sanders. The following day, 35 Year 8 pupils travelled to St Helens Library to experience a workshop and exhibition on the Holocaust and genocide. They discussed the meaning of genocide and looked at various acts of genocide through history, including Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and the on going conflict in Darfur. They talked about the impact it has on survivors and how they would personally react in similar situations. Again, they were very respectful and showed a deep understanding of the very serious issues being discussed.
There will also be various celebratory activities to enjoy. Everyone is welcome to attend!
BUG MAN VISIT On the 10th February, Year 8 had the opportunity to handle and learn about animals of the tropical rainforests as part of the Tropical Rainforest unit in Geography.
Using your smart phone, please download the new School Gateway App. This will save us a significant amount on our text messaging costs.
A range of animals were brought in from cockroaches, millipedes and tarantulas to lizards, snakes and an owl. The day was a huge success with most students handling the animals whilst learning about the environment they live in.
To install the App simply search the store for ‘School Gateway’ or for iphones go to: www.schoolgateway.com/apple
Well done to all the Year 8 students that took part.
For Android phones go to: www.schoolgateway.com/android
The students walked through a trench, worked on a submarine, they saw works of art created by German POW during their confinement at Eden Camp and were entertained 1940s style in the Music Hall. Students also discovered how Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power. looked at various examples of Nazi and wartime propaganda, rationing, evacuation and even compared fashions in the 1940s to today. The students were a credit to Cowley and were exceptionally well behaved. The feedback from students was that they felt they had gained a lot from this valuable experience.
Football Congratulations to the Year 11 Football Team which recently qualified for the St Helens Schools’ Final after winning their semi-final against a formidable team from St Cuthbert’s 3-1.
Fieldtrips for Year 10 GCSE Geography students take place on Tuesday, 1st April and Wednesday, 2nd April. The data collected will be used in the Controlled Assessment.
SCHOOL GATEWAY APP
Pupils visited several bunkers and even experienced the Blitz first hand.
SPORTS NEWS
GCSE GEOGRAPHY
It is vital all students attend their fieldtrip and all Geography lessons to complete the Controlled Assessment.
On 27th February, 45 Year 8 pupils travelled to Eden Camp in Malton, Yorkshire. This was a former POW camp during WW2 and now acts as a museum for all things WW2.
Recently, Year 7 students raised a total of £108 for the charity UNICEF by bringing in ‘Spare change to change a life’.
The Year 7 Netball Team came runners-up in the Annual St Helens Tournament on Tuesday, 11th March. The girls now go on to represent the borough of St Helens in the Merseyside School Games Winter Festival in March, taking on the best teams from each Merseyside area. After Easter, LFC coaches who have been working with Years 7 and 8, are going to run a Girls’ Football Club After School Football Club which is open to any age and ability - the more, the merrier! See Miss Smith in PE for more details. Having won the St Helens round back in November, Cowley’s Girls’ Under 13 Football Team now face a one-off final against the winning Liverpool school, playing before the opening league game of the Women’s Super League, Liverpool v. Man City, on the main pitch. The winning school will go on to represent LFC in the National 6-a-side finals, to be held at the Etihad Stadium Manchester in the coming months.