Headlines February 2014

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GRANGE SCHOOL This is Anfield

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A report by Jack Shingler-Jolley 8ELL

Maths Problem

Answer to last month’s problem

On Wednesday 22nd January, as a reward for accelerating our progress in English and Maths and improving our behaviour for learning, 17 Year 8’s went to Anfield for the afternoon. We left school at 11am and the coach journey took about 30 minutes.

Our tour guide Kevin, showed us around the stadium and it was a very interesting day (even though I don’t support them). We saw lots of pictures of the Liverpool legends such as; Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Bill Shankley.

After visiting the press rooms, we got to go inside of the changing rooms and see the current squad’s shirts like Luis Suarez, Danny Sturridge, Steven Gerrard and Simon Mignolet. We got to sit in their match day changing places - I was under Sturridge’s shirt. We then congregated under the famous ‘This is Anfield’ sign before going out towards the pitch. Whilst testing our knowledge about Liverpool, we sat in the dugout where Brendon Rodgers and all of his assistants sit during the match day.

And for this month…

Number combo teaser

After this, we went to get some grub in the posh area. After lunch, we went to the Liverpool Museum and saw all of the Liverpool memorabilia like the trophies, shirts, boots and watching old clips of Liverpool matches.

Although I’m not a Liverpool fan, I most certainly enjoyed it.

Hopefully we can go to Goodison Park next time…

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

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Inter House Competition

Year Assemblies

Year 9 Play Your Cards Right On Thursday 6th February, Mr ‘Brucie’ Murray organised this very successful inter house competition.

Week Commencing 03.02.2014 Throughout the week commencing Monday 3rd February we were very fortunate to have the Reverend Wullie, Vicar of St Andrew’s Church in Runcorn, in school to hold assemblies for every year group in the Secondary phase.

Representing Bridgewater House we had Rhianne Holden 9MCN and Ashley Allen 9MUA. Representing Brindley House we had Peter Helps 9MUA and Ryan Brown 9MUA. Representing Castle House we had Bradley Watling 9ROM and Tyler Ijaz-Woodward 9ROM. Representing Priory House we had Peter Burns 9MUA and Joel Graham 9ATW. It was a very close fought competition and the final outcome depended on the last row of cards… ‘Lower than a Castle’ Mr Murray shrieked in excitement (I think he meant to say ’Queen’ and it was all over!

Another famous victory for Priory House with 18 points and they maintain their usual place at the top of the leader board. Very close behind were Castle House with 17 points, followed by Brindley House with 7 points with Bridgewater House taking the wooden spoon with 5 points. Many thanks to all the Year 9 students who took part and to the many members of staff who came along to support the teams.

The theme of the assembly was ‘Everlasting Love’ and it truly was a very thought provoking and inspirational theme made all the more enjoyable by the debut of ‘The Beavon Sisters’: Ruby McAdams 11SOM, Jade Ryder 11SOM and Lu Ying Cui 11MGG performing ‘Everlasting God’ with the assistance of Head Boy Tony Allford 11PWS, Marc Steele 10DAV and Jay Titchen 10OGN, Mr Beavon and, of course, the Reverend Wullie himself.

On the Friday morning they were joined

by Mrs Hughes and Mrs Foster to complete a talented array of musicians.

Their excellent performance was captured on video and, after some editing, will be placed on ‘You Tube’.

Could this be the start of something special?

A very big thank you to all concerned with an extra special mention for the Reverend Wullie who is a great supporter and friend of the school. We look forward to his return in the Summer term.

It was ‘Nice to see them… to see them nice’.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2014 Issue

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Pink Triangle Theatre Visit

Moving from ‘Good to Great’ Workshops

29th January 2014 We were extremely lucky at the school to secure a visit from the Pink Triangle Theatre group at the end of January. The group was formed in 2010 by a small group of talented Actors & LGBT community Members. The Pink Triangle Theatre has created and now performs shows with powerful messages aimed at tackling homophobia, bigotry, hatred and intolerance.

Paul Burgess, founder member, and his husband Jason Bromley plus two other members of the Triangle team performed the incredibly powerful ’Show One’ for a group of 180 Year 10 and 11 students. Students watched as the group performed monologues and group pieces tackling homophobia and intolerance. By the end of the 30 minute drama production, students were visibly moved by the sincere acting and honesty of the show.

Saturday 8th February 2014 P.E and Creative Arts Faculty GCSE PE Mrs Thomson and Mr Warburton developing the students understanding of the language of exam - i.e. what are the expectations when a question starts with - IDENTIFY, DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, COMPARE, DISCUSS and EVALUATE. Task 1 - Using 6x6 matrix to develop extended sentence (3 marks) Task 2 - Developing PEE paragraphs (3 marks) Task 3 - Students designed own essay questions (6 marks) Students present: Stevie Andrucci, Harry Bellfield, Campbell Leach, Hannah Rees, Chloe Gresty, Owen Crothers, Owen Johnson, Jamie Rigby, Jamie Evans, Callum Watts, Leasha Sutherland, Lily Gaynor, Natasha Preston, Sancha Lamb and Kyle Frangleton.

After ’Show One’ students completed feedback forms and some had photographs taken with the actors. Many of the students requested information leaflets from the group.

GCSE Music A*/A workshop in Music with Mrs Hughes, Mrs Foster and Mr Foster.

After collating feedback, Paul contacted the school to express his gratitude for the fantastic response from the Grange students:

The workshop focused on Unit 4 ‘Composition’ and students developed their own individual compositions to boost their grades in this area.

“So many of your students have connected with us via Facebook and Twitter, all of them so incredibly positive about what they saw.

Students present: Lui Ying Cui, Paige O;Sullivan, Tony Allford and Shannon O’Reilly.

I feel I must stress again that after four years of touring this show, and it being seen by so many thousands of young people, the students at the Grange have been the most impacted by far. I don’t know what it is you do there that makes your students stand out so much, but whatever it is, keep it up. Each and everyone of them is a credit to you.

Thank you for booking us. Our performance at the Grange is a personal highlight of the last four years, for all of us! - Paul Burgess.

GCSE Dance.

A*/A target students from Year 9 - 11 took part in a technique class with Ben Stephens a dance tutor from Cronton College in the morning and then choreography class with Katie who is in charge of the PDP at Cronton college in the afternoon.

Students present: Rebecca Myers, Katie Owen, Faith Eaton, Elisha Whittington, Amber Rogers, Lily Gaynor, Leasha Sutherland, Abigail Sorvel, Hannah Hewitt and Sarah Owen.

The tutors commented upon the ability and attitude of the girls and invited us to come and see their next show in June at The Brindley.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2014 Issue

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Reading Mentors The Grange is proud to be a Reading School. We are delighted to announce that Tuesday 11th February saw the launch of our Reading Mentor scheme.

Mentors met their mentees informally during registration last week and are looking forward to supporting and encouraging our younger students in their reading endeavours whilst proudly wearing The Grange School Reading Mentor badge.

What is a Reading Mentor?

A select group of our Year 10 and 11 students have undergone training on how to lead a guided or paired reading session. They will now be supporting our younger readers in the Grange LRC two mornings per week. Their main role will be to encourage, support and stimulate a love of reading with our younger students.

Why are Reading Mentors so important?

For many different reasons some younger readers are not fluent with decoding words within texts so they spend much of their effort trying to associate letters with relevant sounds. As a result, they sometimes have little energy left to understand the meaning of what they’re reading.

To ensure our young readers make progress, we are helping them to realise that what they are reading on the page represents a message to which they must respond. Our Reading Mentors are essential in helping us achieve this.

All Year 7 and 8 are expected to have their ZPD-specific library book with them every day as part of their equipment. Please support us in ensuring your children complete their reading and record it in their Reading Record each night. If you read with your child and would like some tips as to how to take an effective paired reading session, please visit the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p--tMO6Ks4 Here you will find a short instructional video, produced by the Grange and featuring our Head Boy and Head Girl, packed with helpful hints and tips about conducting a guided or paired reading session.

Year 6 writers Before the Christmas holiday I was delighted to be invited into 6JW to see how students were progressing with their writing. Being Christmas and all, it was no surprise that Year 6 were writing about the night before Christmas. What I didn’t expect however, were the twists and turns to the stories that our creative youngsters had composed. I read about Rudolph’s Reindeer Rampage, the distress caused by the disappearance of Santa’s “silly Elf” and how Bobzilla gave Rudolph too much flying dust!

I was so impressed, that earlier this term, I asked Mrs Jackson to bring along some of her class to read me their completed work.

Well done to everyone in 6JW, such stars, I can’t wait to greet them as members of our new Year 7 in September.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2014 Issue

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School Uniform I am a keen advocate of school uniform and I expect all students to comply and for parents and carers to support me and my staff by ensuring their children come to school in the correct uniform. The uniform is straightforward and so it is always very disappointing when a few parents/carers each year do not cooperate fully and buy items of clothing that do not meet the requirements. In particular this applies to shoes. School uniform plays a valuable role in contributing to the ethos of our school and sets an appropriate tone. It instils pride; supports positive behaviour; encourages students to identify with the school and ensures that pupils of all races and backgrounds feel welcome.

Appearance Students must also attend school with a sensible hairstyle. Extreme hair colours and styles are not allowed

The Grange School Uniform is:  White shirt (stiff collar)  House Tie (clip on)  School Blazer (Grey with badge)  School Jumper (Black with the school name on) which is optional  Black skirt or Pinafore dress  Black Trousers (must be plain, not denims, jeans or cords)  Black shoes  One stud earring in each ear and a watch, no other jewellery or piercings

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Physical Education Uniform is:  A navy, red and white round neck t-shirt  Navy blue shorts  Navy blue socks  Trainers, but not canvas type shoes (e.g. Converse)  The P.E uniform can be purchased exclusively through the school office.

Enforcement For minor breaches of School Uniform Policy, both teaching and support staff may use some or all of the following sanctions:

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A student will be required to remove excess items of jewellery or clothing if this can be done safely and decently.

The students will be warned that their current dress is inappropriate and given a time limit to correct The student will be isolated from mainstream classes, including break and lunchtime, until they agree to comply with the uniform rules.

The student will be sent home to change into proper school uniform or to dress properly. If this occurs it should be made absolutely clear that this is not a Fixed Term Exclusion and the student is welcome back in school properly dressed in accordance with the school rules. Students will only be sent home after contact is made with parent/carer.

Students who do not follow the school rules on hair, will be placed in the BSB until their hair colour is back to normal or their hair pattern has been altered to fit in with the school rules. Persistent flouting of this rule may well lead to a Fixed Term Exclusion.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2014 Issue

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Riverside College

On Wednesday 12th February, Riverside College officially opened their Centre of Excellence for Catering and Hospitality. Due to our close links with the college, Mrs Knight, Mrs Hunt and two students were invited to attend this prestigious event, which was being attended by the Duke of Westminster and the Mayoress of Halton. Mrs Knight invited George Timms and Jack Brown in Year 9, who have worked particularly well in GCSE Catering this year.

Term Dates

Finish

Return Spring Half Term

Friday 14th February On arrival at the college we sampled canapĂŠs and drinks prepared and served by the college students and enjoyed a short programme of entertainment including a fantastic duet; one of the singers was Ritchie Redmond who was a student at the Grange last year. Also on the schedule was a demonstration by a Liverpool Ice Sculpting Company who explained how from small beginnings they are now flying to Cannes to provide ice sculptures for the Film Festival, carving models for Sony and making ice thrones for the film set of Game of Thrones! George and Jack both were invited to have a go at sculpting and chiselled the claws of the enormous ice lobster on the stage.

Finally, to officially open the Centre, the Duke of Westminster gave an inspiring and amusing speech; he then spoke to the young people present and chatted about their aspirations for the future. It was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion, topped off with a two course meal in the college restaurant.

Monday 24th February

Easter Holiday Friday 4th April

Tuesday 22nd April

May Day Bank Holiday Friday 2nd May

Tuesday 6th May

Summer Half-Term Friday 23rd May

Monday 2nd June Summer

Friday 18th July

It was a pleasure to have been invited to such a celebration and to strengthen our links further with the Catering and Hospitality Department.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

Tuesday 2nd September

Inset Days Monday 21st July 2014 Tuesday 22nd July 2014 Wednesday 23rd July 2014

February 2014 Issue