SPRING 2019
W
ISSUE 21
PARIS
MULTI-FACULTY
T O M I
G L O B A L
W A S T E
K O L O M Y
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O P E N
E Y E
TRIP
I N I T I A T I V E
H O L O C A U S T
S U R V I V O R
C O L L A B O R A T I O N
VISIT AT WHITBYHIGH.ORG/APP
FROM THE HEADTEACHER Welcome to the Spring 2019 edition of The Whitby High School Newsletter. It only seems a short time since I sat pondering what to write for our Christmas Newsletter but here I am again offering a few words to introduce our Spring edition. As always, I am in such a privileged position to be able to read about the many things that the students have been involved in since their return in January. Visits to France and the Netherlands and further plans for collaborative working in South Africa, successes in the sports field, charity work, our partnership with the Open Eye Gallery, and of course, our traditional Duke of Edinburgh work have all offered our students many opportunities beyond the classroom. On Wednesday 27th March I also had the privilege of having lunch with Holocaust survivor Tomi Komoly who is an inspiration to all who meet with him. Following his work with the students he praised their attentiveness as they listened to his story, and also the excellent, well thought out questions asked of him. Parents and carers should be proud of the way our students conducted themselves, denouncing historical and modern day persecution. This term has been a very busy one in a number of ways, and although I have already mentioned this within our E-Bulletin, I would again like to thank the many parents and carers for their messages of support following our recent OFSTED inspection.
Your support is very much appreciated by myself and all our staff. The school will continue to focus all our efforts to ensure that all students continue to achieve their true potential. Finally, can I remind everyone that in September we will be celebrating our Diamond Anniversary as a school. Sixty years of education at the heart of the Ellesmere Port community. Details of what will be happening to celebrate this milestone are now available on our website and will be regularly updated. What we do know is that Saturday 21st September 2019 will be the focal point of our celebration. On this day we will be hosting an Open Day for former students and staff. Please spread the word if you attended here as a student or have relatives who may have done so. We are appealing to all for school materials or artifacts such as reports, books, badges, photographs and uniform items that may be of interest to visitors on the Open Day (Ellesmere Port Grammar School OR Whitby High School). Any such materials will be displayed and cared for, and if necessary, digitally copied. I hope that you have an opportunity for some rest and relaxation over the break. Remember, school resumes on Monday 15th April 2019.
Headteacher
CONNECTING CLASSROOMS
GLOBAL WASTE CAPE TOWN - SOUTH AFRICA Connecting Classrooms Global Learning is a co funded initiative between the British Council and Department for International Development, which aims to build long term relationships between schools and communities in the UK and developing countries. The intention is to equip students from the UK and developing countries with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to live and work in a global economy and to tackle global issues. Over the past six months The Whitby High School has joined with schools from the North West - Neston High School, Hillside Primary School and Weston Primary School, to develop skills and competencies to support young people as well as helping them to deal with global issues. During February half term, teachers from four UK schools visited South Africa to roll out the Zero Waste Programme which is of immense global concern. Our cluster of schools worked together with primary and secondary schools in South Africa to provide a firm foundation for collaborative growth over the next two years.
It was a fantastic opportunity to work together with our partner schools overseas and to share ideas around sustainable goals. It also gave us a chance to observe and experience in depth the culture and education system in South Africa, and also share interpretations and application of global themes. We worked throughout the week on launching Eco Bricks. An Eco-brick is a reusable building block created by packing clean and dry used plastic into a plastic bottle to a set density. Eco-bricks enable us to take personal responsibility for our plastic in our communities. This Global Waste initiative is about to be launched here at The Whitby High School, Neston High School, Weston Primary and Hillside Primary School, allowing students to take responsibility for their plastic disposal and by doing so they will make a difference to future generations.
MUSIC DEPT
UPDATE It has been an interesting year so far for the Music Department. It began with us moving into a new building just after the start of term in September. Despite us loving the solitude and individuality of the old music block (not having to worry about disturbing anyone) our new facilities look clean and fresh and sometimes smell delightful as we share the building with Food Technology! The large computer room offers us an alternative performance space useful for more informal music events. The big move was shortly followed by Presentation Evening. Our very talented vocal teacher Carly Dallen prepared her vocal students to perform Sam Smith’s ‘Writing’s On The Wall’. Many of this group performed at the whole-school Remembrance Service in November where they sang a poignant and emotional version of ‘All Together Now’ by The Farm. We would also like to thank local gentleman Mr. Alan Thorniley, a retired band master of Chester City Salvation Army, who kindly played the Last Post and Reveille. Finally, in January, we were honoured to welcome legendary Status Quo drummer Jeff Rich who, between recording new music, is now providing drumming workshops for schools. Jeff engaged well with his young audience who were captivated by his great stories and even better drumming skills.
ERASMUS+ OISTERWIJK - NETHERLANDS EMOTIONAL WELLBEING PROJECT A group of Whitby High School students visited the Netherlands as part of the Erasmus+ Emotional Wellbeing project. We had an amazing week and we were very lucky to have such brilliant weather – warm and sunny. Students were involved in a range of activities which focussed on the workings of the teenage brain, mobile phone usage and technology. Our week started with a relaxing walk through the Oisterwijk forest and students had to complete puzzles en route. This provided a good opportunity for students to get to know each other. We visited the Escher Museum in the Hague, and spent a relaxing afternoon on Scheveningen beach. On this day students had to hand in their phones before we left in order to encourage verbal communication with each other. This was to be followed up in a workshop and linked to research on their own personal mobile phone usage. The visit to Amsterdam included a visit to the NEMO museum where students explored the Teenage Brain exhibition. On our departure there were lots of tears as our students left their new friends, and some are hoping to make a private visit to the Netherlands to stay with their Dutch host families
OPEN EYE GALLERY A group of Year 10 studentss are working on a photographic project with the Open Eye Gallery as part of their GCSE course, and on 27th February we went to visit an exhibition that was created and organised by the photographer, Craig Easton. The exhibition is named ‘Sixteen’ and began by Easton photographing young people who, on the day of vote for Scottish independence, turned sixteen and therefore became eligible to cast their decision. The exhibition developed, with other photographers collaborating with Easton and producing portraits of other sixteen year olds around the UK.
We visited a second of the four exhibitions that Easton had created at HOME gallery in Manchester. Here we saw further photographs from the theme and took part in a photography exercise using a range of old polaroid cameras. The visit was a great success and students fully engaged both with the exhibition and the activities that Open Eye Gallery Creative Producer Liz Wewiora had organised. Students also had a chance to take over the Open Eye Gallery’s Instagram feed and add their own photos showing their visit to the gallery. Students have come away with ideas for their own photography and will now explore the theme of Self Identity back in the classroom.
OOH LA LA!
MULTI-FACULTY TRIP PARIS - FRANCE
In February a group of French, History, and Art students from our Sixth From were lucky enough to go on the annual Paris trip. The trip brought new and exciting adventures and was a lot of fun for both the students and staff. The group set off early in the morning of the 15th and spent most of the day on trains, but everyone remained in good spirits throughout. Once the Eurostar had crossed over into mainland France the excitement began to build. In the evening students had the opportunity to explore the range of shops and restaurants on the Champs-Élysées as well as see the iconic Arc de Triomphe. On Saturday morning the group went to see the Eiffel Tower which was an amazing experience for all. Most students went right to the top of the tower to enjoy the views of the city. After a quick bite to eat the group then boarded the train to Versailles Palace and were luckily able to skip the huge queues outside thanks to Mrs Marshall! The palace was very ornate (as one would expect) and offered a good learning experience for all students. To end the day, everyone went on an hour-long cruise on the river Seine where they got to see many of the fascinating sights around Paris. The cruise was also a good opportunity to have a sit down after a long day of walking!
Later the students were able to go to restaurants again which allowed them to put their French speaking to the test in a real-life scenario. The group visited the Louvre on Sunday morning where they saw many famous works of art such as the Mona Lisa and the painting of Liberty Leading the People. Everyone had a very good time at the Louvre and enjoyed the artwork as well as a short visit to the gift shop at the end. After that the History students went to see the Conciergerie whilst the French and Art students went to Les Halles to do a bit of shopping. The Art students were able to do some sketching whilst Mrs Marshall took the French students to see a French film at the cinema which they enjoyed and understood. At the end of the day all of the students got to spend more time on the Champs-Élysées and again had the opportunity to go to restaurants of their choice. All in all the trip went very well and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. It was an interesting educational experience, as well as lots of fun. On Monday night the students returned home safely and were pleased to be reunited with their families at Chester train station where they could tell them all about the exciting weekend they’d just enjoyed!
SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS
FROM STAFF & STUDENTS In the summer our resident Food technician and avid Triathlete Traci Shipley put in a sterling performance at the Tartu ETU Trialthlon European championships in Estonia in the Standard Distance Triathlon. It was a tough race under the warm Estonian sun but after getting out the water in 4th place Traci dropped back to 7th on the bike. But through hard work and determination she finished on the podium with a bronze medal. Due to the top 3 finsih, Traci has now qualified for this year's race in the Netherlands in the early June. So watch this space!
PE DEPARTMENT A recent trip to Sale Sharks was a great opportunity for students from across the school to experience a professional rugby match and watch our local Premiership side beat Leicester Tigers!
Congratulations to the Year 8 Boys for qualifying for the Cheshire & Warrington School Games Final at Ellesmere Port Sports Village where all the best teams from across the region competed in a fantastic Sport Hall Athletics event.
Tomi was born in Hungary, Budapest in 1936 and lived with his parents, he was an only child. Growing up Tomi attended a Jewish school, however as the war progressed the school was obligated to close; this then meant that Tomi had a restrictive Jewish upbringing mainly because of political disagreement. During the time where antiSemitism intensified, his father was forced to sell his business and he was obligated to join a labour unit of the Hungarian Army, Tomi was still a young boy, and after his father enlisted he never saw him again. Tomi and his mother were persecuted as Jews, like so many they were in fear of the Nazi regime. They were labelled and identified as Jewish by the Germans by wearing a yellow star on their clothing. He and his mother survived the final years of the war by refusing to enter the Budapest ghetto, and spent many years by hiding in ‘safe houses’. His mother survived by baking and selling food which fed them both and kept them alive. His mother had previously escaped deportation to a concentration camp by refusing to enter the train and by running from the Nazis, she narrowly escaped bullets that were fired in her direction. Tomi told the pupils that his mother was a determined woman, who refused to leave her only son. Although Tomi was a young boy during the war he recalls the sound and the fear of the bombs and how he would hide in a cellar. This was one of his prominent memories that he can recall. Today, Tomi has been living in Britain for 60 years along with his own children and grandchildren. He is extremely proud and grateful of his life, and will continue to tell his story. His story was captivating and truly inspiring. His words contained so many important messages about appreciating the life that we have and the freedom we enjoy. Students found it intriguing to hear a story of strength and determination and the necessity to survive in a world of hatred and prejudice. Some students were moved by Tomi’s story because no matter how close he and his mother came to persecution and potential death they were still able to endure a happy and proud life. Tomi also shared his views to the students on the similarities to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and how religion and difference can influence peoples perceptions. Students agreed with his opinion and had also said that our society today has a stronger power to change people’s judgements.
TOMI KOMOLY HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
On Wednesday 27th March, Year 9 and 10 students were privileged to be visited by Tomi Komoly. Tomi is a Holocaust survivor and he came in to speak to students about his life during and after the Second World War.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS Our in-house refurbishment/relocation of the Science and Humanities departments continues to progress and a further three new humanities classrooms are now complete. We are in the final stages of converting the N corridor into Science laboratories and are on schedule for a completion date of June this year. The areas completed so far are of an impressively high standard and offer our students and staff an excellent environment for teaching and learning. Also, work has begun to produce new and bold signage. These bands of colour will begin to appear outside classrooms incorporating the school brand in terms of font and use of colour. Starting with the new B Block, we intend to roll this out across the entire site.
LIFE SKILLS UNIT PROPOSED PLAN
We have been fortunate to secure government funding to develop a Life Skills Unit for our more vulnerable students. This provision will help them to develop basic life skills, from planning a bus journey to preparing and cooking a meal. Plans are in place for this unit to be completed over the summer holidays in preparation for a September start and we hope this will be of great benefit to a number of our students working within the Learning Support department.
AND
FINALLY…
A group of students raised over £1000 pounds for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Alder hey came into school this term to collect the cheque and inform Windsor students about the fantastic work that Alder Hey do for children throughout the North West. The assembly was informative and was conducted in the style of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. Well done to 7W who took part in a sponsored silence on the 12th of December in aid of Clare House Children’s Hospice. All members of the tutor group managed to resist the urge to talk throughout the day and as a result raised a fantastic £256.40! Special mentions go to Maisie Wells, Lyla Booth and Paige Jackson who raised the three highest individual totals. Well done to the whole tutor group!
Year 9 visited the Blue Planet Aquarium this term. In Geography lessons we have been studying oceans. We have studied various topics including corals and their importance. We have also discussed the threats to oceans such a over-fishing, plastics and climate change. Blue Planet brought those lessons to life for our students by way of their educational workshops. Students also got up-close and personal with some of the creatures they had been studying. They had A ‘whale’ of a time!
Congratulations to Isobel Clutton and Ruby-Louise Donaldson on being the first Year 7 students to complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Idea Award. Isobel and RubyLouise received their certificates along with a compliments slip from Buckingham Palace signed off HRH the Duke of York. We hope to see many more Year 7 students receiving their certificates this year.
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