Grange Newsletter December 2015

A round-up of school news and views

THE GRANGE SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER One School One Vision

WELCOME FROM THE HEADTEACHER

3

Year 8 Shropshire trip

6

Bushcraft is a hit with year 7

8

Alumni visit didn’t they do well?

Welcome to our first ‘All through’ newsletter of the academic year. It is with great pride that we share some of the many things that have taken place at The Grange School since September 2015.

My first 10 weeks as Head Teacher has been very rewarding.

I have seen our learners engaged in some wonderful experiences that we will continue to share with you. My message is short and sweet for this edition. THANK YOU to all our children, staff and parents for making our school a great place to learn.

I HAVEN’T SEEN THEM IN SPACE… Year 1 enjoyed their trip to Chester Zoo as part of our topic ‘What do aliens like about planet Earth?’ We saw lots of different animals and we investigated animals living in hot and cold climates. The day was good fun.

Important dates for your Diary 26th November

7th–18th December 15th December

18th December

More information will follow regarding Christmas activities and timings for the end of the school day.

Year 11 Parents Information Evening and guidance workshops.

Year 10 and 11 mock exams.

The Grange School Carol Service at St. Andrew’s Church, Grangeway (7pm start.)

Break up for Christmas at lunch time.

Newsletter - December 2015

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One School One Vision

WHY COME TO THE GRANGE? Year 6 were set the challenge to create a project that would encourage perspective students to come to The Grange School. Two students from 6OI were given the chance to speak to the Assistant Head Teacher, Mr Parry, about the project they completed. Lucy Ratcliffe and Zak Smith explained how the two classes had two different tasks with essentially the same aim. 6S were asked to create a presentation and 6OI were asked to complete a piece of persuasive writing.

Lucy and Zak explained how they wrote in their books first to consider what was good about The Grange. They also identified that they were not just developing their literacy skills, but their ICT skills too. Photographs and examples of the written work are displayed outside both Year 6 classrooms, showing the hard work that was applied by our learners. Emily Moran in 6OI was lucky enough to have her work read out by Ms Vincent (Head Teacher) at the Year 6/7 Open Evening. Well done Year 6!

COADY GOODALL SELECTED FOR GREAT BRITAIN Hi I’m Coady Goodall and I do Taekwondo.

I have been taking part in this sport since I was 4 years old and I am determined to carry on to be the best I can be. I train twice a week at Halton Community Centre and I have been selected for the Great Britain Squad.

A few weeks ago I went to Ireland to take part in a competition. My hard work paid off, as I won the gold medal which also contributed to the team achieving 100% in gold medal success. I competed in two fights and I dominated in both using a range of skills I had learnt through my training. My first fight ended 9-0 and the second 10-6. Both of the boys I competed

Newsletter - December 2015

against were from Ireland so this brought me a new challenge as I am used to fighting British opposition. I am looking forward to taking part in more competitions and hopefully, I will have more success!

Congratulations Coady!

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LENGUAS CUESTIONARIO!

Birchwood Bibliotekz The European Day of Languages is held annually across Europe on the 26th September, to celebrate language in the Picture and cultural diversity.

On World Book Day in March, four members To celebrate the event this year, KS2 learners participated in an Inter-house of Bibliotekz, the Library delegate group, took competition which took place after school. The house event was a quiz part in a photo opportunity in Manchester with based on Cultural knowledge, Geography, Music and Languages. Each of Warrington author Sally Green, writer of the the houses had a team of four, one learner from each Year group. Brindley fantasy novel ‘Half Bad’. Sally also visited school House won the event with Bridgewater House coming a close second. to talk to our Year 7 learners. She described her The children enjoyed being part of a very different challenge. inspiration and the processes of being a writer.

Learners then asked her those lots of questions about Well done to all involved. writing and about her new book!

SHROPSHIRE TRIP On Friday 13th November, 55 intrepid Year 8 learners set off for an action packed weekend in Shropshire.

Braving the wet, freezing conditions (becoming a theme for trips with this year group!), they threw themselves into a range of activities.

WE LOVE ASTRONOMY

First up was kayaking, with every single member of the party managing to stay in the kayak, not a single capsize amongst us! This was most definitely not the case during our raft building exercises, which for many involved more swimming than sailing!

There were further adventures on the high ropes courses, abseiling, fencing and space hopper football throughout the weekend, with our learners pushing themselves to overcome new challenges whilst supporting their team mates at all times. Some sunshine would be nice next time though!

Mr Talbot - Head of Year 8

In Science and Astronomy this half term we had a series of lectures delivered by Naomi Smith from Manchester University/ Jodrell Bank.

The Students covered particle accelerators, the birth of the Universe, and more! Years 7 through to 10 enjoyed modelling atoms and using the Van der Graff generator, whilst our Year 11 astronomers covered the entire cosmos in a single hour.

This is what learning is about – really making us think about things we would normally take for granted.

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One School One Vision

FOOTBALL GENIUS! tringer and I love to Hi I am Lily Clifton-S

play football.

I am m within school and the boys’ football tea ys I da urs Each week I train for Th hool team. On ys in the year 8/9 sc pla o wh l gir ery ly ev s on me the up for our ga ts girls’ team in build ne Lin orn nc Ru for train At the moment our er teams in the area.

Saturday against oth gue. team is top of the lea 63 people from the ls for Cheshire where tria d ha ve ha I y ntl Rece w found out that down to 14. I have no d we rro na be to d region ha ted to represent use I have been selec ca be off id pa s ha my hard work orn Linnets and six of le trialled from Runc Cheshire. Seven peop g our team the most to be selected, makin gh ou en ky luc re us we looking forward e squad. I am really hir es Ch the in ted represen resenting Cheshire. to my first game rep

SPORTS LEAD ERS DO US PROUD !

On Wednesday 14th October we hosted th “Everton Min e i Kickers Footb al l Festival” where schoo ls were repre sented and did their best to w in the tournam ent.

The following GCSE PE learne rs supported th competition: e Connor Denne tt, Joshua Dawso Harvey Orme, n, Reece Robert s, Rhys Rowla Eckersley, Cal nd , Be n lum Baines, Ki eran Dee, Mia and Amy Beth Ri ck et ts Dawson.

After the even t, the company who hosted it Mrs McBride, emailed the PE teacher, w ith the following

statement:

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“I know I said it to you yester day but I just reiterate and pu wanted to t in writing wha t a brilliant job sports leaders your did yesterday helping with th Mini Kickers Fo e Ev erton otball festival.

They were a re your school, th al credit to ey looked sm art in their kit, great with the they were young childre n when refere matches, they eing the did ‘many’ shut tles to the toile asked and they t when couldn’t do en ough to help. time they wer At the same e extremely m ature, polite an models for th d great role e young child ren”.

This is yet anot her example of the respectful The Grange Sc learners that hool is very pr oud of.

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GAMES GALORE!!

In mid-September the Year seven’s experienced their first House event since joining in the Secondary Phase learning. House members were invited to ‘Games Galore’ which involved a wide selection of games and activities for them to take part in whilst competing against each other.

Learners enjoyed a variety of games including Kerplunk, Connect 4, speed stacking, skittles, and table football. Twister was particularly competitive with several children ending up in a pile as they tried to be the ‘last person standing’ or ‘crouching’!

The atmosphere around the Giant Jenga was tense as person after person attempted to keep the big wooden bricks upright.

The event was really well attended and much fun and laughter was heard! The points for each game were collated and the winners this time were Bridgewater House, much to the delight of Mrs Knight and her winning team!

Well done and thanks to all participants!

ANYONE FOR COFFEE AND CAKE? The Grange School recently hosted a coffee afternoon. The Parental Support Group Coffee Afternoon was in support of the annual MACMILLAN cancer charity appeal. We have supported the charity in previous years and hope to collect £100 by the time the ink is dry on this newsletter!

Ex-students Ben Jones and Luke Edmond ( both now attending Riverside College), and Tom Moss from Year 10, with his Nan, Iris, were in attendance.

Other parents of learners with autism here at our school came along too. Tom baked THREE cakes at home for the event; he regularly gives his free time to bake for other charitable causes.

The event also gave parents the opportunity to speak one to one with the ASC Specialist TAs, who support the pupils with ASC on a daily basis in a relaxed, comfortable and supportive environment.

Thanks to parents, learners (past and present) and staff for their generous donations to MACMILLAN!!

Newsletter - December 2015

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One School One Vision

BUSHCRAFT IS A HIT WITH YEAR 7 From Wednesday 30th September to Friday 2nd October, 69 Year 7 learners took part in a residential experience with ‘The Bushcraft Company’ at Cholmondeley Castle. The visit was arranged to help the new Year 7 get to know each other and to develop key skills that will encourage them to become outstanding learners. It worked, as learners got to know key staff and other students at the school very well, as they supported each other through the many challenges.

It proved to be an amazing experience for all involved with the students taking in part in a range of exciting activities, including: camp craft and survival activities; wilderness first aid; man hunt; shelter building... the list goes on. The shelters that were built were so good that the majority of students slept under the stars, in their natural environment for both nights.

Since returning from the residential we have had the following feedback from parents of those in attendance: “My child had an amazing time and would do it all again, including eating fish eyeballs.”

“My son had so much fun.”

“Overall my child really enjoyed their time, has made friends and gained in confidence.”

“Our child loved the trip and I think it really helped her settle and get to know the other children.”

Thank you to all of the learners and staff involved for making this such a memorable experience.

Well done to Kayleigh Willis, 7TYR. We are very proud of you!

Kayleigh very selflessly had her long hair cut off to raise money for charity at the start of the school year.

She is pictured here with her ‘Thank You’ certificate from the Little Princess Trust.

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OPEN EVENING AND MORNING. Thank you to all of the local families that came along to our recent open events. This year we had record numbers in attendance and the events and feedback suggest that they were a great success.

If you were unable to attend but would still like to come and take a look at what we have to offer at The Grange School, please contact the main reception and we will organise for a senior member of staff to meet with you, show you around and answer any questions you might have with regard to your child’s future learning.

DON’T FORGET DEBATE MATE! Debate Mate is a charity that teaches debating in schools across the UK. Students will compete in nationwide debating competitions against learners from other schools, with the chance to participate in the final round of competition at the House of Lords in London.

After the success of Debate Mate last year, and the dedication of our learners, we are once again welcoming the programme into school.

This programme presents an invaluable opportunity for our pupils to practise and show off their speaking and listening skills, develop their self-confidence, and understand how to structure logical arguments. It also allows them to see the world beyond the classroom and engage with the issues that affect them.

For our first trip, we will be travelling to Liverpool Hope University on Monday 2nd November for the launch of the Liverpool and Halton group. This event will give some of our new learners an opportunity to watch a debate in action. This year, Debate Mate have asked a group of learners from our school to perform in this debate, showing off their skills to a number of other schools in the area and demonstrating how these competitive debates should look.

The club itself will run after school (led by Miss Allen and mentors from the University of Liverpool) until 4pm on Thursdays. This year, we are encouraging all learners who are interested to come along and try it out, especially learners in Year 7.

TRÈS BIEN! A big well done to Madame Wing’s French year 10 GCSE class. They have worked very hard this half term for their speaking and writing exams and their hard work has paid off in very positive assessment grades.

Newsletter - December 2015

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One School One Vision

ALUMNI VISIT. DIDN’T THEY DO WELL? In October we were visited by some of our exstudents before they went off to university that very weekend. The group came into school for a chat with some of our Year 10 and Year 11 learners in the hope of inspiring them to aim high and follow their dreams.

All but one of the students were going to universities across the country, studying different subjects at degree level such as, Mathematics, English Literature, Phycology, Medicine, Politics and Philosophy. They all shared their experiences of learning at the Grange and the things that they feel helped develop their confidence whilst at secondary school. E.g. the school plays, musical events and being a part of the school council.

Ms. Vincent stated, “It was a pleasure to meet such lovely young people. All are ambitious, all are grateful for their positive experiences at the Grange School and all appreciate that hard work and good social skills can get them where they want to be. This is a strong message. I love the range of their skills; the fact that Chloe is going to LA to pursue her acting career and that Reece is going to Durham University to study Philosophy and Politics.

I wish them every success in the future and hope that they come back to see us and tell us how they are getting on.”

Thank you for the visit and thank you to the teachers that taught these leaders of our future. Left to right: Jess, Chloe, Sophie, Reece, Luke and Amy. Class of 2013.

INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW HEAD TEACHER Two learners in Key Stage 2 and our Secondary Phase ASDAN learners were given the opportunity to conduct interviews with our new Head Teacher Ms Vincent in October. Harrison Nicholls (5W) and Kyle Tomas (6Y) and the ASDAN team presented some difficult questions to Ms Vincent.

The ASDAN team were asked to create a newspaper in their lesson and were given the freedom to choose a headline article. They chose ‘An Interview with a Visionary.’ They begin their article with….We were all greeted by a heady aroma of citrus and a very pleasant smile as we walked into Ms Vincent’s room , a clear indication of a feminine presence in our new Head Teacher’s office.

So, what is being a Head Teacher all about?

Question 1: Why did you want to be Head Teacher of the Grange School?

This was a special opportunity to work in an ‘all through’ school and The Grange School allows me to continue to learn myself. My own experiences at school were not very positive as nobody really told me how to do well, or expected me to achieve my best.

Question 2: Have you thought of any improvements for The Grange since joining us in September?

A special effort has been made to ensure that everybody looks smart across all phases and that everyone should be healthy and not drink fizzy drinks. I feel that the teachers are sharing a lot more across the different year groups and we know our strengths and what we want to do to improve teaching and learning even further.

Ben Kendall– Are you going to change our school uniform?

No, I am not changing your uniform. I may ask for the girls blazers to be updated so that they can choose a fitted blazer, (like a lady’s suit jacket,) if they want, but that would be all.

Question 3: What responsibilities do you have as a Head Teacher?

I have lots of responsibilities, but the main ones are to ensure everybody in the school is safe and to make sure the quality of teaching and learning is the best it could be.

Question 4: What do you want for all the learners when they leave The Grange at 16?

I want all learners to be in a position where they have experience and achievements which allow them to make choices for their future. All learners should have a range of personal skills and good qualifications. I want you all to be positive, respectful young people.

Newsletter - December 2015

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