Autumn Term 2011 Newsletter
MADE IN MADELEY On Wednesday 2nd November, Madeley Cabinet Members from all year groups attended this year’s launch of the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal. Many different agencies were there who support the appeal. The pupils heard from local people who received presents and from social services who help to distribute them. Robbie William’s mum who was also in attendance at the event. Pupils are helping to raise the awareness of the appeal in school and collect toys to donate. A Christmas tree has been placed in the school foyer with Christmas tags for girls and boys of all ages. Pupils and staff are encouraged to buy a gift and all gifts are given to local families in Newcastle and the surrounding areas. Thanks to Miss Leath for the organisation of this worthwhile event.
Don’t miss inside this issue: Hairspray Review— Review—Page 6 & 7
DIARY DATES
Welcome to the new look edition of the school newsletter renamed `Made in Madeley’ by the members of Madeley Parliament.
Friday 16th December 2011 School Closes for Christmas break
We also launch our brand new school website this week at
Tuesday 3rd January 2012 School re-opens for the Spring Term
www.madeleyhigh.org Please have a look and let us know what you think!
Tuesday 10th January 2012 Year 10 Consultation Evening
Governor news Friday 13th January 2012 Year 11 GCSE Review Day Year 7,8,9 Ski Trip departs Friday 20th January 2012 Year 7,8,9 Ski Trip returns Friday 10th February 2012 Year 10 & 11 Ski Trip departs School closes for half term Friday 17th February 2012 Year 10 & 11 Ski Trip returns Monday 20th February 2012 School re-opens after half term Monday 27th February 2012 Year 10 Exam Week
Bill Sinnott It is with great sadness that we report the death of Mr Bill Sinnott, a much loved and respected Governor of the school who sadly passed away this term. Bill was a Parish and Borough Councillor and a former Mayor of Newcastle, he was also a committed and passionate advocate of the school, who shared his wisdom and humour in equal measure and will be very much missed. After our recent Governor elections we are delighted to welcome 4 new Parent Governors to our Governing Body: • • • •
Dr Jonathan Parker Mrs Joanne Grice-Barratt Mr Tom Barr Mr Christopher Quayle
Y10 work experience Wednesday 29th February 2012 Year 9 Consultation Evening Tuesday 6th March 2012 Year 8 Consultation Evening
Preparations will start getting underway after Christmas for Year 10 to undertake work experience for the week commencing 25th June 2012.
Thursday 22nd March 2012 Year 7 Consultation Evening Friday 30th March 2012 School closes for the Easter break
Mrs Vickers has asked if all Year 10 pupils can start to have a think about where they would like to go on their placement. There were some fantastic placements last year which included Staffordshire Police, Keele Day Nursery & Fitness First.
Monday 16th April 2012 School re-opens for the Summer Term
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A note from the headteacher Mr kerridge There is a so much for us to celebrate as a school as we have embarked upon a new academic year and I hope this new edition of `Made in Madeley’ gives a flavour of our achievements and ambitions. I wish you happy reading and would also encourage you to visit our new website for more information and news at www.madeleyhigh.org The summer’s exam successes, a school record of 84% 5A*-C grades (74% including English and Maths), were a credit to the pupils who worked hard to achieve so positively and have secured the school’s position as one of the top performing schools in Staffordshire. It was a privilege to have the Olympian and World Champion, Nicola Minichiello, launch the Be The Best You Can Be programme with Year 7 pupils this term. It was a fantastic day and the pupils were outstanding, prompting Nicola to describe the school as “enthusiastic and exciting”. The national programme leaders said we were a “vanguard school leading the way for others to follow”. Our pupils again excelled in this term’s Year 8 Politics Day which was a pleasure to observe. Year 7 & Year 10 pupils are being filmed for a ground breaking training DVD on learning disabilities. It is wonderful that our pupils have such confidence and determination, not to mention humour, as the participation of some of our pupils on the Radio Stoke breakfast show highlighted! Thinking about others has been a key part of the work in school this term for charity, with a great Children in Need day, a superb Anti-Bullying week and a range of House events all seeing money raised for charity and pupils showing their understanding of our core values of care and inclusion. I have been especially impressed with a number of pupils and staff who have responded to this term’s Headteacher’s Challenge of ‘giving it a go’ and trying something new in the spirit of adventure. I enjoyed visiting the pupils who undertook a week’s residential experience at Standon Bowers and as always left feeling very proud of their achievements. Such experiences are a vital element of education and I am very grateful to the staff who work hard to bring these to life. The school is part of a Carbon Trust project this year and we aim to gain Eco Schools awards within this work, reflecting our commitment to the care of the environment. I look forward to seeing this take shape. It has been a joy to work with so many colleagues in partnership this term. We hosted a full training day for all staff in the Madeley Partnership of Schools (MaPS) and primary and secondary staff were able to debate ideas and initiatives, all of which help us share the journey of learning together. I wish everyone across the whole school community a very Merry Christmas and peaceful and happy New Year.
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A NOTE FROM the senior prefect team Hi, I'm Elliot, and I'm writing on behalf of the Senior Prefect Team to tell you a little bit more about the jobs we do and the roles we hold within the school. First and foremost, we're prefects, just like the others in our year, and just like them, we make sure the other pupil's uniforms are in check, monitor doors at lunchtimes to keep the corridors clear, and help out students or visitors who may be lost around school. But we're also Seniors – we prefect the prefects, in a manner of speaking, organising their duty rota and checking that they attend their duties. But we're more than that, as well. We serve as pupil ambassadors, greeting visitors in the foyer as they arrive, sometimes giving them a grand tour. We often give speeches and presentations at key events – for example, the team did a fantastic job of summarising the past academic year here at Madeley at this year's Presentation Evening. We've even represented the school on BBC Radio Stoke, on a show called 'Educating Peter', where the idea is to present the show's reporter, Peter, with a question he cannot answer – needless to say, we beat him! The Senior Prefect Team also serve as events co-ordinators – we've got quite a lot on our plate currently, in fact. We've been given the tasks of organising the Year 7 Christmas Party, the Year 11 prom fund-raising, and the Year 11 leavers' yearbooks. There's no need for concern, though; we're managing more than well! I hope this gives you a bit more of an insight into what we do as the Senior Prefect Team, and if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to come and speak to myself or any of the other Senior Prefects.
2011 examination results This year’s examination results were the best ever. The Class of 2011 became our record breaking year group. 84% of students achieved 5 A* - C grades 74% of students achieved 5 or more A* - C in Maths and English 26% of all grades were achieved at A* - A 76% of students achieved A* - C in English 92% of students achieved A* - C in Mathematics: the best results in the County 100% of students gained nationally recognised qualifications. Staff, pupils and parents should all be congratulated on all the hard work which was put in to achieve such fantastic grades. 4
2011 PEER MENTORS
Peer Mentors Every year the school chooses pupils from Year 10 to become Peer Mentors. Peer Mentors are older students whom younger students can come to if they have any problems. They have been visiting Y7 forms to make sure the younger students know who they are. This year the Peer Mentors are: Jasmine Jennings 10LW Chelsey Gallimore 10LW Jessica Burley 10AW Emma Duffee 10AW Liberty Taylor 10AW Elsbeth Massey 10AW Lydia Barley 10AW Louisa Maloney 10DG
Edward Gosling 10DG James Ball 10DG Amy Woodhouse 10WW Amelia Clarke 10WW Elinor Yeo 10WW Alice Heath 10WW Sarah Simister 10WW Daisy Machin 10CAS
The Peer Mentors have organised Anti-bullying week 14th-18th November. They conducted two assemblies during the week commencing 7th November to promote the week. This year the theme was Verbal Bullying with the slogan “Stop and think – words can hurt”. During the week the Peer Mentors held a cake sale to raise money for Childline and made a total of £71.00. Well done! By Emma Duffee 10AW
Wear Something Blue day in Support of Anti Bullying Week
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at Madeley High
Hairspray, 18th - 21ST july 2011 After six months of constant rehearsal from around 80 young people resulted in 7 exhausting days of rehearsal and performance of the show. The whole weekend was focused on the technical aspects of the show and youngsters were patient and supportive of each other to achieve a good result. Performances were sold out and achieved three nights of standing ovations for the performers and their crew. The crew team backstage was manned and run by the pupils themselves and did a wonderfully professional job. The lighting, set and property design was also created by the pupils themselves. The family atmosphere and emotional support of each other was a privilege to experience. All the pupils expressed real appreciation of the chance to perform in this way and this was echoed by so many positive comments from parents and audience alike. The whole school community came together to support this performance. The local community supported through many businesses donating to our raffle with so many great prizes. Sash of Alsager supported the pupils’ hairstyling skills through advice and styling examples. The Community and Learning Partnership supported us in our provision of regular out of hours learning situations to prepare the show. The Betley Bonfire Committee provided a grant to support us further. So many of the staff gave willingly of their time and skills to support the pupils in work and this was applauded by a small group of residents who joined our audience from the new community centre. A huge thanks must go to everyone who worked so very hard to achieve this community event on behalf of both the young people and Ms Vorwerg. We hope it was enjoyed by all and look forward to our next performance. 6
EDNA TURNBLAD (FRAN MILLS) Hairspray was most definitely one of the highlights of my school period. My character was Edna, a housewife, mid forties, who is humorous and loves her dear husband Wilber. I really enjoyed every moment of it! LOVED IT, LOVED IT! XOXOXO
TRACY TURNBLAD (HANNAH TURNER) I played the character of Tracy in Hairspray who was fun loving, happy and she loved to dance and sing. Her ambition was to be on a dance show called “The Corny Collins Show” and she achieved this in the show. Along the way she made new friends, enemies and she fought for what was right. I enjoyed this experience greatly and I will never forget it. I made lots of friends and gained more confidence
Playing MOTORMOUTH MAYBELLE (“Big, Blonde and Beautiful”) in the school’s production of Hairspray was an experience I will never forget! I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the whole process, and made many friends along the way. Every night, the sheer effort and dedication of the cast and production team was apparent, with the best reaction from the audience that the school has ever seen. The real buzz I got from “Hairspray” will be something that stays with me for a very long time; thanks to all those involved, who helped to make it so special! (CLAIRE HEMINGWAY) LINK LARKIN (TOM CARTER) LINK, the too cool for school type character, was the male star of the ‘CORNY COLLINS SHOW.’ His attraction to ladies was mainly portrayed on the dance floor but that would all change once he met TRACY TURNBLAD. LINK and TRACY’s relationship would not only be a loving one but a fight against the racism that would change the ‘CORNY COLLINS SHOW’ forever. I enjoyed playing LINK because it gave me the freedom to act and play a character who had a main part. Not only did this improve my ability to speak in front of crowds but also I feel that the friendship between all the people involved has grown, no matter what year we were in. CORNEY COLLINS (OLIVER HOSLER-RUXTON) Corny, the show’s host, was my favourite character in Hairspray, so getting the opportunity to play him was fantastic. During Hairspray my confidence increased and it has enabled me to do things that I thought I would never do. Hairspray has brought the people in it together and has made friendships that have continued after the show. I did Hairspray and it was awesome and the best time of my life.
CORNEY COLLINS (SAM STAFFORD) Hi I’m Sam Stafford. I played Corney Collins, the host of the popular dance programme that the main character, Tracy, got on to. Although it was a big part to take on as a Year 7, I thoroughly enjoyed being Corney and, in particular, acting as a celebrity and high profile TV personality. Overall, being in Hairspray was a great experience introducing me to drama and musical performance as well as many new friends. I really enjoyed performing on stage in front of a large audience and would recommend it to anyone thinking of participating in the next show!
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`be the best you can be’ We were delighted to be joined by Olympian Nicola Minichiello on Friday 14th October for the launch of our Olympic inspired Programme `Be the Best You Can Be’. Nicola has been a leading member of the Great Britain bobsleigh team since 2001 and has regularly pushed the barriers in terms of what is expected in a non alpine nation. She has been the number one driver for the past eight years and competed in the past three Winter Olympic Games. At the 2005 World Championships Nicola won a silver medal, which was Great Britain’s first in over 40 years. She went on to top this by taking gold at the 2009 World Championships. Prior to competing in bobsleigh Nicola was a top ranked heptathlete representing Great Britain for over eight years at a variety of European and World level competitions. Growing up, Nicola struggled to fit in at school. She felt like an outsider and was bullied throughout much of her school life. Her determination to defeat the bullies helped her to become both the athlete and the person she is today. The Be the Best you can Be! programme has been developed to inspire, engage and empower young people to recognise and fulfil their potential and to support the quest that the London 2012 Olympic Games be an inspiration to the youth of Britain and the rest of the world. All Year 7 were involved in the fantastic launch day which included some exciting challenges such as having to build a miniature bobsleigh track that a marble would run down and designing and making an individual pennant all about themselves, these will eventually all be sewn together to make bunting to go around the school hall. `Be the Best You Can Be’ Launch Day Report
by Billie-Jo Holmes 7SK Nicola Minichiello gave us a talk about her life before she became a famous bobsleigh champion. She talked about how she moved from a school where she was happy to a school where she was different and had no friends, so she decided to join a club. She joined lots of clubs but failed in them all, until she tried PE. She tried out for the relay team but came last and didn’t get into the team. So she decided that every day she would run around the block until she got fit and eventually she made the team. They lost their first match but won their second, they went on to win lots of championships but then one day she broke her foot. While she was at home with her broken foot she got a phone call and was asked if she would like to become a bobsleigher and that’s how she became one. During the day we were split up into groups of four and we had to design and build a bobsleigh track using only four pieces of paper and twelve art straws (plus one extra for designing on). Unfortunately our team didn’t win but we had lots of fun building it. Later on in the day we had to design and decorate bunting. We had lots of different materials to use. On my bunting I put my name, some hobbies and some of my favourite things. I also added some beads, feathers and sequins. They were all judged and one person won from each form, unfortunately I didn’t win that either but I don’t mind because it doesn’t matter because it’s not the winning that counts it’s the taking part. Overall we had a great day!
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Standon bowers
18 pupils joined Mr Royall and Mrs Lee for a fantastic outdoor adventure week at Standon Bowers. It proved a great experience for all involved with everyone enjoying learning new skills. The staff at Standon Bowers helped everyone gain more confidence, work in teams, helping pupils to trust team members and show determination. The group faced many new challenges from rock climbing at The Roaches to squeezing through the tightest of gaps at the Copper Mine at Alderley Edge. The raft building was great fun and everyone managed to get across the pool even if they did get a little bit wet! The night walks were extremely challenging as pupils had to navigate their way around Swynnerton Woods in the dark with a compass, map references and the stars to guide their way. Luckily all arrived safely back to base..... with nobody getting lost! With archery, tango towers, bridge building, map work and of course their twice daily house duties it all made for a fantastic week and next year’s Year 8 will also be able to look forward to experiencing this unique character building adventure.
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Fabulous fundraising The Douglas Macmillan fundraising was a project undertaken by 7AB last year during PSHEE. The module was on charity work, using the Secret Millionaire as inspiration. The form voted on an organisation to fundraise for and worked together on projects. They had a collection bucket (and the form took it in turns to take this round), an internal cake sale, a sponsored silence, a cake sale outside of school, a car wash outside of school and a sponsored kayak during the summer. They raised over £200 and look forward to surprising the Hospice with a cheque. This year staff became involved in the Bring a Pound to Work Day to raise money for The Douglas Macmillan Hospice. They raised £62.00 a great achievement for such a worthy cause.
£1043.01
An incredible was raised by Madeley High this year for Children in Need. Wow what a great achievement! Thanks to everyone who donated and took part in all the great fundraising activities - a big shout goes out to all the teachers who kindly agreed to have wet sponges thrown at them and who were brave enough to take part in the mini electric shock game! Over £100 was made from Pudsey Bear keyrings too - well done everyone! In Maths as part of a functional skills activity Year 7 and 8 pupils made 55 shoeboxes for the Samaritans Operation Christmas Child Appeal. Last Christmas, nearly 1.12 million children from 14 countries across the world received a special shoebox gift thanks to the commitment of supporters and volunteers across the UK. Well done to all the pupils involved!
Mhs CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION Congratulations to the winners of our Christmas Card Competition. Their winning designs will be used for this years Madeley Official Christmas Card. Emily Ward Y8 (Earth) - Father Christmas Jessica Snape Y7 (Air) - Christmas Cat Ineke Drijfhout's Y7 (Water) - Swan & Holy Wreath - design will be used as a logo on the back of the cards. Top 3 Cards for each year group were: Year 7 1st Jessica Snape 7SK AIR 2nd Emily Snape 7CO FIRE 3rd Ineke Drijfhout's 7AE WATER Year 8 1st Emily Ward EARTH 2nd Charlotte Roxborough AIR 3rd Beth Steele FIRE Year 9 1st Laura Middleton WATER 2nd Rebecca Price WATER 3rd Beth Broomhall WATER
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Well done to everyone who took part!
Community news
Year 7 pupils and residents of Lea Court united and get creative! Year 7 were invited by our neighbours at Lea Court to join them in creative activities. Miniature garden creation and collages of Madeley village were produce jointly by the residents of the court and Madeley pupils. Pupils and residents enjoyed engaging in conversation and discussing what the village means to them. Their thoughts were then displayed through the pieces of art produced. Winning teams were fortunate to receive a box of chocolates for their efforts. A good time was had by all!
Remembrance On the 11th of November nine pupils and three staff members braved the cold weather to represent their school in the community. Those pupils, Jonathan Denfhy, Ryan Fullwood, Alice Plows, Imogen Baldie, Emily Lawton, Abbey May O'Donnell, Katie Neath, Charlie Ellis and Denby Humphries were part of the annual Remembrance Day that remembers those who fought for their countries and for our freedom. The Humanities department regularly takes part in this event and this year it was a pleasure to accompany these pupils to the service. Having managed to arrive early the pupils arranged themselves around the epitaph in congregation with all the other people who had come to pay their respects that day. One of the most touching things was the amount of people who had come from all different age ranges, showing that Madeley community will never forget. After the short service and two minutes silence Mr Smith closed the ceremony with the last salute on his trumpet. During this the pupils and laid the wreaths and crosses in remembrance. Throughout this short period out of school the pupils behaved with the utmost respect and really did themselves and their school proud. On a day when we remember those who gave their lives, some of whom would have been no older than the pupils themselves, it made all the staff present very proud indeed to have such pupils representing Madeley High. In remembrance for those who fought, then and now, lest we forget. 11
MADELEY PARLIAMENT Madeley Parliament update Madeley Parliament Member elections have now taken place and the new MMPs are starting their important and valued role in school. This year, all candidates were asked to produce manifestoes as to what they would hope to achieve if elected. Year 8 had a fabulous ‘politics day’ and incorporated their elections into this day, with pupils making speeches to their entire year groups. Some pupils have already met Debbie our School Catering Manager as part of the food focus group, and other projects are in the pipeline including one from the Carbon Trust. A full Madeley Parliament meeting took place on December 1st and included the Senior Leadership Team. Items discussed were the new school newsletter ‘Made in Madeley’, the Carbon Trust energy saving project and the school rewards system. Focus for next year and beyond: • • • • • • •
Not wasting electricity (turning off lights computers etc when not needed) Consistency of credits and number of credits at KS4 Before school clubs (some buses arrive at 8.15) Using tennis courts more productively (new benches and outdoor tables? New social area for upper school? One half football?) More footballs available at break/lunch if pupils hand in phone as deposit Different channels on the plasma televisions Toilets in general and specifically in science block
Radio Stoke at Madeley High ‘Educating Peter’ Madeley Parliament and the Senior Prefect Team enjoyed a rare appearance on BBC Radio Stoke, taking part in the ‘Educating Peter’ live show. Elliott, Jon, Claire, Fran and Hannah all asked Peter questions on topics including law, sport, maths and pantomime. Not many schools have beaten Peter, but I am pleased to announce that our pupils did exactly that!
Council Chamber Trip As part of the ‘politics’ citizenship day, Mr Ostrowski took several pupils to visit the Council Chamber in Newcastle. An introductory speech was given by the Mayor and pupils were given the opportunity to ask questions. Pupils then went on to a seminar about voting and local services which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
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Becoming an eco friendly school Madeley High School is now a member of the
Carbon Trust Association The Carbon Trust Association is working with schools to help to reduce carbon emissions and save energy. The future of our environment depends on what we all do today. The first step we must take is to reduce our carbon emissions by saving energy. An added bonus to saving energy is also saving money. The money can then be spent on other things around the school to enhance learning, recreational activities and improve the environment within our school. Many pupils will have ideas on how to spend this money but first we have to save
it.
There are three medals which we can work towards, Bronze, Silver and Gold. To achieve the Bronze medal we need to show that we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and becoming eco friendly. This means showing our commitment and working together to
a) reduce carbon emissions b) save energy c) recycle.
We are sure we will soon be able to achieve the Bronze award for Madeley with your help and support. There is a new notice board in the hall which will be updated on a regular basis and show more details of our aims and achievements. The Madeley Parliament are setting up a group of students to monitor energy usage within the school but anyone can help with this. We must all work together as a team. As you walk around the school look out for any wastage of energy e.g. •
lights on when not necessary
•
too many lights on
•
equipment left switched on or on stand by
We are confident that together we will soon be receiving our Bronze Award and in doing so helping to protect the environment for our future and the future of our children.
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Christmas concert Once again this year’s Christmas Concert on Wednesday 7th December was a sell-out! Over 100 performers took part ranging from Year 7 through to Year 11. The concert featured the Orchestra, Choir, Samba Band, Performing Arts Groups and Dance Acts. Highlights included Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs panto performed by members of the Glee Club, a solo performance by Lydia O’Dowd singing `Big Girls Don’t Cry’, Emily Parkin singing `Thousand Years’ and a lovely duet of `Love Story’ by Meg Vodrey & Emma Duffee. The finale involved the Year 10 Band performing `Radioactive’. 29 prizes were kindly donated for the raffle and over £120 was raised. A big thank you to everyone involved especially Mr Smith, Ms Vorwerg and Miss Leath.
Booked up!
Year 7 Madeley pupils receive their FREE ‘Booked Up’ Title. The initiative, funded by Booktrust, (an independent charity) is to ‘encourage reading for pleasure and independent choice. Year 7 students choose their free book from a list of specially selected titles.’ See the ‘Booked Up’ website for more details . . . http://www.bookedup.org.uk/about-us/
2012 MHS fundraising calendar There is still time to buy one of our Madeley High Fundraising Calendars to help to raise money for our school fund. The calendar features pictures of each of our Year 7 forms alongside our recent guest Olympian Nicola Minichiello from the `Be the Best You Can Be’ launch day, along with some amazing pictures of our Hairspray musical cast from last term. The calendar contains 12 A4 size full colour pages and will be spiral bound. We have highlighted important Parent Consultation Evenings and holiday dates on the calendar which we hope you will find useful. Calendars are available from Pupil Payments priced £3.50 each. We do hope that you will help support the school by purchasing a calendar which could also make an excellent gift for friends or family this Christmas. 14
Student welfare update Safeguarding An update on safeguarding: •
Our new Safeguarding Governor is now Mrs Edith Graham.
•
Level 1 safeguarding training has been completed by all staff in 2010. Some additional training has been completed recently for our lunchtime supervisors. Additional training is now being planned for our cleaning staff as their level 1 training now needs to be renewed.
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Mr Hope and Mrs Carter will deliver all the foundation (level 1) training following on from their ‘training the trainer in safeguarding’ course.
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Mr Hope has updated his Level 2 multi agency refresher course to allow him to continue as one of our safeguarding leading officers. The other two safeguarding officers are Mrs Allen and Mrs Carter who’s qualifications are up to date.
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The newly trained peer mentors organised anti bullying week in November which involved them delivering assemblies, organising cake sales for the NSPCC charity, highlighting Anti Bullying week and the `Wear Something Blue Day’.
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The Families First Scheme is now fully operational and we have already developed strong links with this organisation to support our families and students. This is a scheme that has a number of agencies all working together, such as Education Welfare Officer, Parent Support Worker, Youth Offending team and Social Workers as well as access to other agencies to offer additional support.
IRIS- A technology based rewards and behaviour system Mr King has taken on the role of developing the IRIS programme that is technology based and allows more effective recording, monitoring and tracking of rewards and behaviour. The rewards side of the system will make the rewarding of credits/ house points much easier for staff and therefore more consistent. Staff are currently being trained up in the use of IRIS and planning is now well under way to start using this sometime in the Spring term. Linked in with the new IRIS, Mrs Vorwerg is leading on the behaviour review. The review started in the summer term and from this an action plan has been developed to support the writing of an updated behaviour policy.
Younger Minds Workshop 12 students attended a workshop to promote self esteem, this was run by the charity Younger Minds, a National organisation. The students played games that made them reflect on their achievements, how they viewed themselves and provided some skills to feel more positive about themselves, lifestyles and school. The feedback was extremely positive with several students asking if they could do this every week. A few of the students even stayed behind to discuss it more as they felt the help was so beneficial.
Trainee Teaching Assistant As part of the school supporting those who wish to come into the education profession we are building on top of our teacher training programme in school by supporting the trainee teaching assistant programme run by Staffordshire County Council. After the retirement of Mrs Howells this term, we have accepted a trainee to start within our Learning support department in January 2012. The trainees have had to go through a rigorous process to be accepted at Madeley High which involved 3 interviews, one of which was a safer recruitment interview, and a morning visit to Madeley.
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CITIZENSHIP / PSHEE NEWS Politics Day Year 8 took part in a whole day ‘Politics’ event on 20th October. This day allowed pupils to have a ‘taste’ of politics taking part in activities such as: political debates using vocabulary and layout of the Houses of Parliament, working in groups and campaigning for their ‘leader’ to become the MMP for their form, voting using voting slips and ballot boxes as well as a number of our pupils presenting a campaign speech to the rest of the year group in order to become a cabinet member representing their year group in the Madeley Parliament.
The feedback from the day was very positive, with pupils engaging in the topic and seeing the real purpose for it with the connection to our own Madeley Parliament. All staff involved worked extremely hard to make the day a success and thanks goes to them, Mrs Mellor, Mr Fox, Mr Ostrowski, Y8 form tutors, Mr Phillips, Mr Edwards and even Mr Kerridge who made a fantastic appearance as King John! The ‘Routes Roadshow’ that originally piloted in our school, visited us once again in September. The whole of Y11 were part of an hour workshop that taught them to think about the consequences of not only road safety, but also passenger safety. The interactive nature of the workshop and the use of some fantastic puppets brought this issue to life for our older students and once again had a positive impact on their attitudes towards taking responsibility when in a vehicle. We hope to invite the Roadshow them back again next year. Year 7 and Year 8 were both visited by ‘Operation Good Guy’ who went through Firework Safety just before Bonfire Night. This was arranged by Mr Phillips and they are regular visitors to the school each year. Y11 have also been visited by the local colleges and are preparing their application forms in order to plan what they wish to do after Madeley. This is always an extremely positive module in the curriculum and thanks goes to Mrs Kretschmer and Mrs Vickers for continuing to develop our links with further education in the area.
Learning Disability Toolkit A number of pupils have been taking part in the filming of a DVD to create a Learning Disability Toolkit. The aim of the toolkit is to eradicate ‘hate crime’ towards people with learning disabilities, as well as teaching pupils what a learning disability is and how similar we may be to those who do have this kind of disability. Sue Jackson who works for the NHS came into school to meet with a Year 7 and a Year 10 group twice, once to investigate their attitudes and current knowledge of learning disabilities, and a second time to clarify what a learning disability was and assess any change in attitude. Her research showed that students know very little about learning disabilities and that they want to know more. The aim of the project is to work in partnership with NHS, Staffordshire Police, Keele University, Newcastle Community Social and Health Care, Blackfriars and Madeley High School in order to create a toolkit that can then be circulated to schools in the local area. We will be holding a ‘launch’ day soon, inviting the associations involved and other local schools to view the toolkit. Thanks to everyone involved and to Mrs Mellor for the organisation. 16
subject news Art Year 11 have started their Mock Examination which consists of 10 hours of controlled assessment. Pupils have enjoyed the topic choices of mechanical forms, self image and viewpoints.
D&T Charlotte Bird in Year 10 was talking to her neighbour who works for Leoni Wiring Systems UK Ltd about Greenpower and our new F24 car. Carl Miller and one of the graduates, Oliver Ware from Leoni have visited us on a couple of occasions and are going to help us with the wiring and bodywork on the car. On Tuesday 1st November Mr Phillips, Mr Hardy and Mr Mayers visited Marley Eternit Ltd, Ridgehill Drive, Madeley Heath to tour the factory and look at the possibility of pupil visits in the future.On Wednesday 2nd November Mr Mayers took 8 Year 9 pupils to Staffordshire University for an Engineering Workshop. Pupils attended sessions on Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Automotive & Motorsport and Design & Engineering.
ICT- The iMac Experience After the successful implementation of the media suite iMacs and desktop replacement iMacs in Room 14, enthusiasm and word is spreading. Apple technology has now reached our music department where old desktop computers have been replaced by new iMacs. Business Studies - Trip to Alton Towers In September of this term the year 10 Business studies group went to Alton Towers to attend a talk on The Business of Leisure. On the day their behaviour was impeccable and a credit to both themselves and the school. All the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the talk on Alton Towers as a business which enhanced their learning. The pupils of course enjoyed the rest of the day in the park, where they were able to experience the rides at Alton Towers.
English On Tuesday 8th November Mrs Mellor and Mrs Robinson took a group of 16 Year 11 pupils to see a production of ‘An Inspector Calls’ By J.B Priestley at The Regent Theatre. The pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed this captivating performance and this experience will allow them to understand the play and the issues that it addresses, when it is studied after Christmas. A Creative Writing Workshop has been set up on Tuesday lunchtimes by Miss Best, Mr Davies and Mrs Robinson. There are around 8-9 pupils currently attending and there are plans to create a writing blog, which the whole school could get involved in, along with some competitions too. If you are interested please come along!
Mathematics • • •
Most of Year 11 did their GCSE exam in November - results will be available in January. Year 11 Gifted & Talented pupils attended a workshop at Alsager High School. Year 11 able pupils are preparing for their AS level exams.
Media Mrs Mellor took five Y9 pupils to Staffordshire University in September to take part in a ‘Media Studies’ day. These pupils showed an interest in taking the subject at GCSE level and this day gave them a practical insight into the subject, as well as allowing them to see the career opportunities that they could follow. It was an enjoyable day allowing pupils to become TV presenters and radio stars, as well as having the opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’ and become cameramen, directors and producers. All students came away with an enthusiasm for the subject and the motivation to take the skills that they had learnt back into Madeley. We are also planning to take part in a ‘Journalism’ day in January.
Modern Foreign Languages Trips to France and Germany have now been arranged for all KS3 years and each member of the department will be leading a trip this year; Miss Maki will lead the Y7 trip to Brittany, Mrs Threadgold-Brind will be taking Y8 pupils to the Moselle region of Germany, and Miss Slight will be leading the Y9 trip to Normandy. KS4 pupils have been informed of two exchanges run by Staffordshire, namely to Limoges, France and Colditz, Germany. Y8 pupils are taking part in a language event through ‘Routes into Languages’ at Keele University. This involved an evening event in November, Miss Slight took 12 pupils which highlighted the importance of languages in the world today, a second event in April will be a day of languages taster sessions led by enthusiastic native speakers. 17
SPORTS REVIEW Sports Council With the newly formed sports council now up and running we are full of new ideas to improve sports within the school. At the moment we are looking at having a mini Olympics week, running new house competitions and the house competition system in general. With many pupils involves from all year groups we are getting bigger and wiser under the guidance of Mr Godwin but like every council we would welcome any new members. We have regular meetings on the Monday of week 1, commencing at 1pm, so if you would like to help change sports within our school you are more than welcome to come along. If you feel you would rather give suggestions towards the council then we have a sports clinic set up every Tuesday break time. So if you have any good points, bad points or areas for improvement points, feel free to say them at the clinic. On behalf of the sports council I wish to say thank you to Mr Goodwin for setting up this council and helping us make a difference. By Tom Carter, Y9
Rugby - U16 Boys The u16’s have performed admirably so far this season, winning the Newcastle Schools 10-a-side tournament with relative ease following victories against Clayton, Sir Thomas Boughey, St John Fisher and Chesterton. In addition, the boys finished runners-up in the Staffordshire Schools Army 7’s at Litchfield and claimed their place in the West Midlands Army 7’s at Stourbridge Rugby Club. The boys narrowly missed out on qualification for the semi-finals with 2 wins and 2 defeats from their 4 pool games. Throughout the tournament, the boys showed great passion and determination and were a credit to the school. Their next outing is in the Staffordshire Schools 15-a-side competition, opponents have yet to be confirmed.
Badminton - U16 Boys Newcastle Schools Dan Brown, Kieran Bedford, Richard James and Andrew Baldie came away from this years ‘competition as runners-up courtesy of victories against SJF and Clough Hall. The challenge of a powerful Clayton side proved a little too much on this occasion for the Madeley quartet. U16 Girls Badminton Y11 We had an outstanding win for the U16 girls badminton tournament at Wolstanton High School. Claire Hemmingway, Nicol Jefferies, Ellie Beeston and Kate Valentine won 9/10 games, playing singles and doubles matches as a team. Close scores hung on tension but pulled through in the end by working together. We had a great time and hope we made the school proud. Also many thanks to Mrs S Armstrong for taking and organising the event, for us to take part in. Table Tennis - U16 Boys The boys have just kicked in their North Staffs Schools Table Tennis campaign, suffering defeats against very strong opposition in Newcastle College and Clayton High School.
Volleyball U16-Ashfield The women’s U16 Volleyball team members are Sophie Key, Katey Valentine, Rosie Barley, Ellie Beeston, Claire Hemmingway, Chloe Morris, Ellie Yeo & Hannah Kettle. On November 27th they participated in the English National Championships U16s Volleyball Tournament held in Ashfield, through hard work in training they were successful in getting through to the second round taking place on January 14th. Well done girls! U15's-Madeley Madeley High Schools U15's Volleyball Teams played in a schools competition this week with a number of other schools and managed to win both the men and women’s tournaments. by Rosie Barley, 9CSL
Year 7 Athletics The first trip out for the Year 7 Sports Athletics was a success. Everyone was well behaved and were a pleasure to take out. They had an amazing time and looked to have enjoyed every minute of it, even though we came 4th. This took part at Keele Sports Centre, where we had track and field events for the children to compete in against 4 other schools. I would like to say thank you to Charlie Ellis as he was a huge sports player and filled in the running events when we were a man down. Well done everyone! by Nicol Jefferies 11NJ
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FOOTBALL FOCUS Year 9 Football Team With a successful 2010/ 11 season behind us expectations were high for another year! The new season started well with all players returning fit and fresh from a much deserved summer break. The season kicked off with the 1st round of the English Schools trophy, we beat St Margret Ward 3- 0 with goals from Evan Morris (2) and Tom Ashton. This saw us gain a bye through to round 4 where despite a well fought battle we ended up losing 3- 1 to Bishop Heber. The County Cup in which we are reigning champions has seen some excellent performances, seeing many wins; 3- 1 against Cheslyn Hay, Evan Morris with the hat trick. 9- 0 against Paulet. This time hat tricks going to Tom Ashton and Joe Minshall. But, it had to be the quarter final tie against Alleynes (Mr Kerridge’s previous school) that will be the one to remember. With the score 2- 2 after extra time which delivered a nail biting penalty shoot out. The final score ended 2- 2 (3- 1 to Madeley after penalties.) Although I have been absent for the last few games I must say that the football I have watched has been floorless. I’ve seen passion and desire, determination and resilience but most of all teamwork and individual effort, that every player puts in. Every player brings a sense of wanting to do well to every game and feel proud when they represent the school.
Year 9 Football Team Newcastle Schools Tournament Final Match Report - Madeley 0 – 1 Sir Thomas Boughey After winning all three games in the knockout stages of the Newcastle Schools Tournament, Madeley had qualified for the final. They faced a very tough, in form, Sir Thomas Boughey team that had won their previous match 15 – 0. Madeley were put under immense pressure within the first ten minutes of the match and Thomas Boughey made the breakthrough with a well worked goal. Madeley fought back in the second half and took control of the game with excellent performances from Oliver Wakelin, Ryan Thomas and stand in captain Tom Ashton. In the last seconds of the match, Tom Ashton found himself one on one with the goalkeeper only to see his shot well saved. Current County Champions Madeley face Thomas Alleynes in the semi-final of the County Cup after seeing off Alleynes High School 3 – 1 on penalties in the quarter-finals, by Mr Edwards
U13 Boys 7-a-side Football The boys had a successful evening on Thursday 24th November at Chesterton Sports College, on their new 4G all weather pitch. After 3 victories in the group stage of the competition, the boys edged out STB in the semi on sudden death penalties, courtesy of a fantastic save by Logan Westwick and a well placed sport kick from Jack Sherrard. Unfortunately, the final didn’t finish the same way and the boys were eventually beaten 2-0 by the home side Chesterton. Never the less this was a great effort from the whole squad.
U16 Boys The u16’s have made a mixed start to the season with 3 wins and 3 defeats from their 6 games to date. The boys are hoping for better fortune in the forthcoming Sentinel Shield, where they aim to better last year’s semi-final defeat.
Partnership Games The partnership games this year were very exciting. We competed against two other schools, Cloughhall and St John Fisher. The sports were rugby and table tennis for the boys and badminton and volleyball for the girls. I played rugby and found it very tense. In the end we won all our games but a lot of them were neck and neck. We also did very well in the other sports, for instance in badminton the girls came first in their group even though they lost a few games. We also got to the top in volleyball and table tennis. Overall Madeley won the partnership games! We thoroughly enjoyed it and personally, I think that everyone took part very well. By Pieter Drijfhout , 9CSL
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HOUSE COMPETITION NEWS This year’s new look competition is now well and truly underway. The house assemblies went down a storm, with the House Directors using a range of novel ways to fire up their house. (Water, Water, Water…Oi! Oi! Oi!) House badges, logo’s, charities and slogan’s are fast becoming the order of the day. Many pupils (and staff) have already thrown themselves in at the deep end and are giving their all to the house cause. The sports competitions have been extremely competitive and well supported. In particular the recent Y8/9 Badminton Competition, which saw over 50 competitors. Current leaders in the race for the Sports Shield are Water by a whisker. With many more competitions in the New Year this could all change. Miss Leath had some fantastic entries for the House Christmas Card competition, with the eventual winning design coming from Earth, who now take an early lead in the Creative Cup. In the battle for the Attendance Cup, Water are again the early pace setters but Air are breathing down their necks. Will the Autumn attendance turn the tide? In the Community Cup, the aim of the game is for the houses not to just make a contribution to the school community, or the local community but also the global community. Whilst the credit competition falls into this category, it’s also about which house makes the most for their charity and who is the most generous in providing gifts to help the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal. Current joint leaders based on credits collected are Earth & Air. The Mind Medal and Performance Plate will also be up for grabs in the New Year, so watch this space! HAVE YOU MADE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HOUSE COMPETITION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? AND WHEN WILL YOU? MAKE IT A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION TO DO YOUR BIT!
Marathon Man Mr Kerridge tackled this term's Headteacher's Challenge of 'going for it' and trying something new by running in his first marathon in October. Although, as he said, he didn't trouble the Olympic selectors who were in attendance, he was pleased to complete the race and noted that he was "very grateful to the staff and pupils who made donations", with £225 raised for the House Charities.
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year Everyone!
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