Headlines May 2012

Headlines Maths Magic The top 4 sets of Y10 maths students were entered for GCSE more than a year early. A staggering 75% of the 105 students gained a grade C or better and 23 of them achieved the top grades of A* and A. Those students who did not achieve their minimum expected grade (MEG) will continue to work towards achieving it later in the year whilst those who gained their MEG or grades A*/A will begin to study an additional GCSE in Statistics.

So, I sent our undercover reporter, Mr Buckley to find out who really is the brain behind the Castle House Team…

It turns out that Jordan Maddock in Yr 11 is the brain behind the Castle House winning team! I knew it couldn't be Mr Milne!

LFC Fan of the Season Our very own Mr Gandy received a nice surprise when he was voted Liverpool FC’s first ‘Fan of the Season’.

This builds on the success of Y11 where 54% of the entire year group have already achieved grade C or better. At the Grange it seems we have a penchant for turning out able mathematicians.

School Fantasy Football Having been twice champion and once runner-up in this competition I am feeling very despondent at my poor performance this year. The Champions this year are The Castle House Team with Miss McGuffie coming a very close second. The Castle House Team have been top of the table for months now and to be honest, I find it incredible that the manager, Mr Milne, has masterminded this success; after all, I concluded, he is a Carlisle United supporter and they don’t know anything about football otherwise they would support a proper football team with a pedigree such as my team, Everton!

He has been a proud and passionate follower of the club for over 70 years and scooped the prestigious accolade after being voted for by fans in an online poll. Mr Gandy has supported Liverpool since 1943 when he attended his first match – a war-time derby with Everton. His all-time Anfield idol is legendary forward Billy Liddell.

On receiving his award Mr Gandy said, “The fact that Liverpool fans voted for me to win this award makes it extra special”.

May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

Headlines National Anti-Bullying Champion visits The Grange School.

I was delighted to welcome into our school inspirational Anti Bullying Champion Alex Holmes.

Alex, who was bullied at school and decided to do something about it, has become a national hero to bullied pupils around the country. Since leaving school he has worked tirelessly to educate pupils across the country and eradicate bullying in schools. Alex is now the Diana Award Anti Bullying Ambassador Programme Manager and has the ear of politicians and celebrities who all support his innovative approach to bullying. For a look at his work follow this link…

This approach was ratified not only by Alex but also by the parents and carers who said that pupils feel safe in the school and know who to talk to about resolving problems and getting advice.

Parents working in the forum said that the school responded promptly and appropriately to any issues, ensuring that they were resolved.

A short review of Alex’s visit will be available to view on the schools website and on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPY6RK_bLbw As part of the Grange School’s on-going policy to prevent bullying, the school participates in the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors Programme. Pupils from the school have been trained as Ambassadors and work within the school to prevent bullying. They have been in regular contact with Alex to discuss current and future projects to continue their success. The Ambassadors invited Alex to visit the school to support their work and using his unique profile, showcase the school’s work to the wider community.

Alex visited the school on Monday 30th April and spent the whole day working with staff, pupils, parents and members of the Grange Parent Forum, through assemblies, workshops and drama. The school prides itself on the way it works to resolve incidents of bullying swiftly. Alex welcomed the approach the school has taken and was impressed with the ways in which issues are dealt with openly.

May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

Headlines Let the Games Begin!

Staring on Monday 11th June the House Olympics begin at the Grange. House Leaders have come up with a programme of events which we hope will involve everyone. There are some unusual events planned such as “speed pencil sharpening”, “Wii bowling”, and “most hats balanced on head” alongside more traditional events such as badminton. The Grange Olympics will culminate in the House Athletics Championships later in June, subject to the weather of course! Keep any eye on our website for more details.

House Events We have lots of house events in store before the end of the school year: 

Finals of the Competition

Inter

House

Cricket



Inter House Swimming Gala: Wednesday 30th May 2012

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Inter House Olympic Events: Monday 11th June 2012

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Inter House Athletics Competition: Tuesday 10th July 2012

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Inter House Chess Competition: date to be confirmed

Vivo Miles Congratulations to the top 11 Vivo Miles earners since April 2012. They are: Jessica Newby, Jamie Jones, Gemma Rees, Jordan Smith, Luke Edmond, Stan Houghton, Jack Brown, Anthony Delahunty, Natalia Kasprzyk, Chloe Wharmby and Samantha Caine.

Don’t forget we have our Graduation Ceremonies in July which all parents and carers are welcome to attend: Y10: Friday 13th July 2012 Y9: Monday 16th July 2012 Y8: Tuesday 17th July 2012 Y7: Wednesday 18th July 2012

May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

Headlines Building Poetry

From the Old to the New

The winning poems from our Year 7 competition.

It’s the end of an era here at The Grange, everything is going to feel quite strange.

Moving School

We’re saying goodbye to the old tired school, and hello to a new one that will be really cool.

The world around us is changing, the human race is too.

We’re packing up our bags and boxes, moving next door to our school anew.

Gone are the dull out-of-date classes, with new bright colours you will need your sun glasses!

It will feel strange of course, new classes, teachers, corridors and places; but when we see the brilliant building, smiles will light up our faces.

Bare walls - painted cream, ready for us to decorate, carpeted floors, waiting for our footsteps; It will be great!

One year from now we will be moving in, one year from now, in April next year we all win!

Win a new school; Ventilation, eco-friendly, much greener in the shape of a star!

60 years this school has lived, it’s lived a happy life, watching many children grow, we’ll be sad to part.

I’ve visited our new school building site; So many things to see, smell and hear.

Bricks, cranes, builders and much more, when we move I won’t shed a tear!

Scaffolding, rails, barriers and installation, I’m not sad at all, we’re moving out!

Sure we’ve had good times here but I’m excited, without a doubt!

We’ll be moving soon.

Goodbye old school, Hello new!

Megan Hughes 07 QUI

Lots of new places to search and see, especially the brand new library.

Shelves stacked full of books to the top, exploding with fun like some fizzy pop.

New tables, chairs and sofas to sit in areas that are all brightly lit.

A nice new dinner hall is a treat, somewhere nice for us to eat.

A brand new gym, all shiny and clean, where we can use our trampoline.

As the bell rings out it chimes, all the nursery will be singing rhymes.

Four old schools are joining as one, from nursery to comp it should be good fun!

Daniel Brown 07 MUA

Goodbye Old School Goodbye old school, we’re going away.

Goodbye old school, sorry we can’t stay.

Goodbye old school, we’ll miss you a lot; But hello new school you look very top notch!

Kiera Worrall - 07 QUI

Headlines Building Update I sent our roving reporting, Mr Buckley, to get a closer look at how our new building was progressing; here is his account.

Block C will form the wing that will house Humanities, Modern Foreign Languages, Maths, Art and Music.

Standing at the site entrance on Latham Avenue it’s not easy to comprehend exactly how much progress has been made with the new school.

Whilst the scale of the building and the towering crane are obvious to the passer by, any attempts to peer in and appreciate the work that is underway are obscured by the grey boundary fence, scaffolding and a number of sycamore trees laden with the leaves of spring.

If you were to strip away the scaffolding you would see that most of the outside of the four wings are now covered in red bricks. Inside the building many interior walls are now in place, classrooms, corridors and social spaces are taking shape. We worked our way through the different blocks.

Currently, the skylights are filled with scaffolding boards. Upon their removal, the sun light will flood in, illuminating the spacious corridors.

This was to be my first visit on to the site and it was going to provide a rarely seen perspective of the building, which, in less than a year’s time, will be the new home of The Grange School.

I met the Project Manager, Gary at the neatly stacked collection of battleship grey Portacabins located at the back of the site. These serve as contractor offices. I was kitted out with a white protective hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, boots and a florescent vest. We made our way out on to the site. The persistent rain of the previous days had turned the ground to deep soft mud. As we approached Block C it was clear that the construction was much further along than I had imagined.

May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

Headlines Building Update

Swimming Gala

Eventually we arrived at the foot of a small temporary staircase, after climbing it we emerged on to the expansive roof. From here you can see the full expanse of the site with The Bridge and Fiddlers Ferry Power Station on the horizon.

This year’s swimming gala takes place at Kingsway Leisure Centre on Wednesday 30th May 2012.

Even from this briefest of visits, it’s clear to see that the new building will provide a modern and exciting new home for the pupils and staff of The Grange School.

Last year’s event was a stunning success and I look forward to an equally exciting competition this year.

Good Luck to Year 11 And finally good luck to all Year 11 pupils who embark on their final few weeks of examinations.

Results are published on Thursday 23rd August 2011.

Mr C. Buckley.

May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney