March 2013 Chronicles

Despite a nightmare journey, owing to terrible weather which resulted in a six-hour delay, the German Exchange students were never short of enthusiasm and smiles for their stay in England.

Their trip included experience of an English school (Rodborough!) as well as visits to Portsmouth, London and Windsor.

Having spent a whole day in school visiting lessons in Languages, Science, R.S, English, History and Maths, the Germans remarked on the similarities and differences between the You may have noticed that the Chronicles has a two school systems; this is always of great slightly different ‘slimmed-down’ look this edition! interest!

Mrs. Howick, our editor, is unwell and we wish her a speedy recovery.

The Germans enjoy a lie in here in England with our school starting at 08:45. Year 10 will need to be in school at 08:00 when they visit the “Megina Gymnasium” in Germany! Already there is much talk and excitement about the return visit to our partner town of Mayen in April.

Generous host families accommodated our German visitors for the week and our guests were extremely grateful for the warm welcome they received- so THANK YOU very much to all involved!!

“I liked living as an English person for one week!”

“I felt like we were at home.”

Thanks also to Miss Morgan for organising this annual exchange.

Red Nose Day was celebrated on Friday 15th March. Rodborough hosted a variety of fund-raising activities including:     

A Year 8 cake sale A space-hopper race!

A music quiz A sweet sale A copper coin count

Awutu Winton School, Ghana

Despite the misty weather, a number of ‘space-hopper enthusiasts’ lined up on a slippery football pitch to compete in this somewhat unusual event.

Several Year 8 students gave up their time to make a range of delicious cupcakes that they sold to staff. They sold 100 boxes of cakes in total and raised £300. Half of the money was donated to Comic Relief, the other half will be given to Awutu Winton School in Ghana. This is a school that Rodborough is developing links with. More news on this exciting venture in the summer term…

A crowd of bemused spectators watched from the canteen as a line of brightly coloured hoppers emerged from the fog.

Three teachers, Mr. Lee, Mr. Walker and Ms. Moyler, ‘competed’ in the event but sadly their lack of practice and questionable technique meant that they were emphatically beaten by several students. Chris Waters in Year 11 flew away from the rest of the field to win this prestigious event – an achievement that he will reflect on with pride in years to come.

Students from all years competed in a Music Quiz in the Main Hall. Each group paid to enter and the winners were Ciara Thayre, Hugh Brand and Maya Flew as well as a Year 11 team including Will Rivington, Henry Copp, Bradley Hucker and Tom Preston.

When people think of Wales, they think of the cold and rain - but we were lucky enough to be graced with a shining sun for our day in Rhossili Bay. After packing up our lunch and mud-ridden walking boots, we clambered onto the coach we had made our own and settled down for the 40 minute coach journey. When we arrived, we tied up our boots; Miss. Moyler fastened her waterproof trousers (which seemed to resemble bin-bags!) and then we set off. Passing the ponies and jumping over the mud, we climbed until we saw a fantastic view out across the sea.

Having taken our photos and appreciated the view, we actually did some geography work. We looked at the type of rocks we were walking on and how the sea and the wind had changed them. After that, we continued with our walk. Although the cold wind was eating away at our fingers, we were all laughing and chattering as we walked along the beautiful headland.

After descending, we collected our equipment and walked about five minutes down the beach to some sand dunes. We had to measure the slope of the dune, the amount of plant life on it and say what type of dune it was. After collecting ten sets of results, we went dune jumping! For about fifteen minutes we climbed up the steepest dune we could find and jumped off the side, elegantly tumbling to the bottom, before we would get up, dust ourselves off and start again.

Ellie Page 10SR

On any normal day, the mountain of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad would have had lovely views and lots of geographical evidence for us to study, but on the day we travelled into the Brecon Beacons the clouds decided to pay us a visit. Unfortunately, this meant that we could only see about 30ft of mountain ahead of us. This meant that the roaming local puma Mr Ewing warned us about could sneak up on us far too easily for the liking of some members of the group. Despite that, the whole group made it to the summit, further than any other tourist would dare to go!

Emily Weeks Leaving our bags behind, we took our walking boots and walked around Margam Park, encountering many stags and deer. However, there was a purpose to this walk; we were measuring the width and depth of the footpaths to discover if there was any relationship to the steepness of the slope.

Arriving back at the centre we had some free time before dinner and a fun Friday night of statistical analysis using our results from our earlier walk! Ollie Mudie

Seventeen Year 8 students are taking part in the Guild of Food Writers Award entitled “Cook It!” The students have been making some mouthwatering main meal and dessert dishes. Their brief was to come up with their own two course meal that their friends would enjoy.

The high level of skill students have shown in making some quite challenging dishes has been impressive, so well done to all involved!

All entries are being sent off for judging so hopefully we might get somebody into the final cook off in June!

Competition in the English Department has reached fever-pitch as teachers and Year 7 classes compete to win the half-termly league table for Star Reader.

Sadly, events took a disastrous turn recently. Miss Webb, who had promised she would bust a few moves in a celebratory dance if her team reached the top of the league, ‘over-extended’ herself in a dance routine; she was last seen leaving her classroom in a wheelchair…

After spending four hours in hospital, we are pleased to report that Miss Webb has not broken any limbs and thankfully has suffered no long term damage…except to her pride!

Remember: reading and dancing don’t always mix

Twelve Year 8 students represented Rodborough this term at an event organised by Haslemere Fire Station. Entitled “Firefighter for a Day” the activities focused on leadership skills, developing confidence and working co-operatively as a team.

All of the students enjoyed the day and learnt a lot from it.

“We learnt lots of skills during the day and then were tested on them later. It was fun!”

Curtis Laking “One challenge involved putting a fire out in the tower by rolling out the hose and turning the water hydrant on. This really tested our team work as the hose was very heavy!”

Megan Beardsall

Box Clever Theatre Company recently performed in school to Year 7 and 8 students. The company specialise in making Shakespeare engaging and interactive.

“It was good for our learning because they taught a variety of facts about Shakespeare.”

Emily Grazier “I thought it was really good. I knew nothing about Shakespeare…now I do; they gave out information in a way that was fun and they got people up acting out all the parts of the characters.”

Ellie Butler “I learnt a lot about when Shakespeare lived.”

Tom Johnson

On Thursday, 21st March, Year 9 students took part in BBC School Report.

Students worked in groups on a chosen issue or news story producing written articles and also short news films. A wide range of different news stories were reported covering local, national and international interests. Many of the films were very professional in their content and presentation and many hours had obviously been spent creating these.

Well done to all those students who contributed reports to the project!

A selection of the stories can be viewed on Open Hive from the Public homepage.

From October to February a group of Year 10 pupils spent their Wednesday lunchtimes showing off their entrepreneurial skills. The sessions saw pupils learning about apps, internet advertising, success stories in the world of business and commerce and skills on how to pitch ideas and write formal letters and emails.

Along the way some of them attempted, with varying levels of success, to set up their own businesses or launch their own ideas to our very own dragons Miss Spencer, Miss Webb and Mr Perkins.

All the sessions were run by ex-Rodborough pupil Jess Ratcliffe who found success with her own internet company GaBoom and actually appeared on Dragon’s Den. All the Year 10s that took part showed commitment and a strong work ethic and business brain and a special congratulations should go to the winning team of the pitching competition: Evie McLaughlin, Louise McLaughlin, Sara McPhail and Charlotte Hogarth.

Stephen Jansen left Rodborough in 2009.

“After successfully completing a Uniformed Public Services Diploma at Merrist Wood College, I have since joined the Royal Navy. Earlier this year I completed my ten weeks basic training at HMS Raleigh near Plymouth. They were a very challenging and testing ten weeks but were highly enjoyable and memorable for many reasons. Attached is a photograph of me at my passing out parade, definitely the proudest day of my life!

I am now undergoing my professional training as a Communications Technician at HMS Collingwood in Fareham. On completion of this in June, I shall be going to sea for six months with HMS Illustrious, our sole remaining aircraft carrier, for the next phase of my training. I'm having a brilliant time and loving the military lifestyle, it's certainly different to the civilian world!”

Several students at Rodborough continue to excel musically. Some of the latest achievements include:  Alex Smith (Year 7) who recently passed Grade 3 on the piano.  Reuben Puddephat (Year 10) who passed Grade 5 on the saxophone with distinction.  Elizabeth Knatt (Year 9), who has not only passed Grade 8 on the recorder with merit, but also won first place in the under 17s wind recital class at the Godalming Festival.

Congratulations!!!

On the 26th January at midday, 14 of us involved in The Golden Triangle Project travelled in the school minibus to visit Kelmscott House. Kelmscott House dates from the 1780s and is associated with the designer, poet and socialist William Morris (1834-96) who lived there from 1878 until his death. He was not the first man to live in the house however - in 1816 Sir Francis Ronalds constructed the first electric telegraph in the garden - as we were informed at the beginning of the trip when we waited in the first room which held his bust on the windowsill behind a William Morris stylised curtain.

Morris took a lease on the house in April 1878 and changed the name from its original, The Retreat, into Kelmscott House, named after Kelmscott Manor, his 17th century house in Gloucestershire.

William Morris liked the fact that both houses sat along the Thames and he could travel from one to the other in his boat.

After moving, he set up a tapestry loom in his ground floor bedroom which then resulted in the creation of many rugs and carpets which lined the house. He also experimented with intricate wall hangings. On our visit, we studied and looked at one which was hung up in a glass case next to its original stencil outline. This wall hanging, large in size, and intricate in design, had very accurate, difficult and detailed stitches which looked as if it were done by a machine, not a man.

Our trip gave us the opportunity to use William Morris’s printing press to print out our names. We used the press which he used himself to print the entire works of Chaucer, which was on display for us to look at. William Morris had taken up the art of typography in order to produce books by traditional methods, using, as far as possible, the printing technology and typographical styles of the fifteenth century. They would have had to carve letters, intricate borders and pictures into metal and then place these very fiddly pieces into a frame to paint with ink and press onto paper. As we found out, placing the pieces, like the letters, was far more difficult than it seemed – some pupils ended up with mixed-up, upside-down and back-to-front names.

During the 1870s Morris had become increasingly active in politics. In 1883 he joined the Socialist Democratic Federation and established a branch which met in the Coach House. This is where we sat and watched a film about William Morris’s art and home life. This was an informative way to conclude our trip during which I learnt a lot about William Morris’s life and his influences.

Sophia Giles Year 10

Saturday 11th May 2013 – 7:30pm at

Charity Fundraising Concert

“The Magic of ABBA” featuring

Enjoy an evening of fun, song and dance with one of the UK’s premier ABBA tribute bands plus

A silent auction with some great items to bid for In aid of the

Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Group (Guildford) Registered Charity No. 1040956

www.samsoncentre.org.uk

And, in the foyer, the Close Hand Magic of world-renowned magician Chris Dugdale (patron of the MS Therapy Group)

Tickets £22.50 each (Discounts available for bookings of 4 people or more)

Book online at www.glive.co.uk or ring the box office on 0844 7701 797

WOODLAND ARTS WORKSHOPS 2013 AGES 5-16 years 9:30 – 3:00

April 2nd 3rd July 30th 31st August 1st 27th 28th 20th £34 per day £16 half-day

mwvillagecare@googlemail.com WHAT ARE WE?

WHO ARE WE?

We Were established in the mid 90’s through local churches and community nurses to provide help in the community.

Our volunteers are able to offer:  

Reserve and book 07769906529 http://www.sculptit.co.uk/

Transport to surgeries, clinics, dentists etc.

Errands such as prescription collections

Our volunteers give their time freely but clients are asked to make a donation to cover petrol and administration costs.

COULD YOU HELP WITH  Transport ?  Committee work ?

Just an hour or two a month could make all the difference, so why not offer to be a volunteer in YOUR local community.

WE NEED YOU!

Woodland Inspired Arts and Crafts **New for 2013** We will be making an Arts Workshop in the woods.

Activities will include willow woven planters, sketching the trees, printing, earth casting, carving, making dens, games and much more!

Meet and pick up at The Art Hut, Rodborough.

Bring a packed lunch, drinks, rain mac and old clothes as we will be outside for much of the time.

If wet we will hold activities in the Art Hut.

“As a mum of two school aged children I started volunteering 3 years ago – not sure what the commitment would be. I probably do 6 hours over the course of the year and only when I can fit it around school drop-offs. I have helped in the holidays and take the children along too as they enjoy meeting new people. For me it’s been a really worthwhile community project to be part of without taking huge amounts of time.”

Please volunteer today!

Adult and Community Learning Courses Rodborough School – Summer Term 2013

Italian – Level 1 – Term 3 Course No GTK3000G Wednesday Evenings 24/04/13 to 10/07/13 11 Weeks Time: 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm

Italian – Level 2 – Term 3 Course No GTK1001G Monday Evenings 22/04/13 to 15/07/13 11 Weeks Time: 7.30 pm – 9.00 pm

Italian – Level 4/5 – Term 3 Course No GTK1000G Monday Evenings 22/04/13 to 15/07/13 11 Weeks Time: 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm

Soft Furnishing Curtains/Blinds & Home Textiles Course No GTK2000G Tuesday Evenings 23/04/13 to 02/07/13 10 Weeks Time: 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm

Creative Writing Course No GTK3001G Wednesday Evenings 24/04/13 to 03/07/13 10 Weeks Time: 7.15 pm - 9.15 pm

Spanish – Level 1 – Term 3 Course No GTK4001G Thursday Evenings 25/04/13 to 11/07/13 11 Weeks Time: 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm

Please note that ALL courses break for half term (27/05/13 to 31/05/2013)

As part of their Religious Studies course, students have recently taken part in an essay-writing competition in which they explored the relationship between Science and Belief.

Before writing their responses, students had to review a new series of short films produced by Professor Stannard, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the Open University. They then had to explore how Science and Belief were related.

Congratulations to Tom Berrill in Year 10 who wrote the winning entry.

Unfortunately, his essay is too detailed to publish in the Chronicles – please see Mrs. Nunn if you would like to read his thoughtprovoking response.

Year 11 competed in a tense District Cup Final at the Surrey Sports Park at the end of this term.

Having beaten three teams to reach the final, the boys were in confident form but were up against a Howard of Effingham team that they had never beaten.

The final was incredibly close and with the score at 1-1, the final was decided on a penalty shootout. At 4-4, the shootout entered the sudden-death phase. Agonisingly, it was Howard that won 8-7.

This was the Year 11s final game of the season and they should look back with pride at how they have successfully represented the school over the years.

Rodborough is one of the few schools in the country to have two medallists at the National Schools Judo Championships.

Leigh Mansfield (Year 9) and Kieran Masters (Year 8) both won bronze medals at the event in Sheffield.

Both boys are now looking to train at the appropriate level to qualify for the English Judo programme.

Congratulations Leigh and Kieran on a fantastic achievement and best wishes for the future!

The Year 8 netball team has made huge improvements since last year. They came fourth in the District tournament last year but following much hard work they came second this year after narrowly losing out to St. Peters in a close final.

This year saw the introduction of rugby to the lower school girls’ PE curriculum. A club has been running after school on a Thursday and there has been an excellent turn out. The girls seem to be a magnet to mud and go home in a different colour PE shirt to the one they came to school in! Women’s rugby is an up-and-coming sport in the country.

The Rodborough Equestrian Team go from strength to strength and have performed brilliantly in competitions this month. Watch out for a feature on their achievements in the next edition of the Chronicles. The Rodborough Equestrian team would like to thank Mr and Mrs Mason of Clock Barn Hall Wedding Venue in Godalming for their kind donation of branded team clothing and equipment.

Guildford Gazelles, who train at Guildford Rugby Club on a Wednesday night are looking to strengthen their teams. If you are interested in playing, check out their website: www.guildfordrugbyclub.co.uk

The Year 11 netball teams played their last tournament for Rodborough this term and were determined to finish on a high. Both the A and B teams had been playing well in friendlies leading up to the tournament. A record 34-4 win for the A Team against George Abbott was followed by the B Team comfortably beating Glebelands; the target set back in Year 8 for both teams to finish in the top three was looking achievable.

The tournament was played at Rodborough and organised by Annie Cross as part of her GCSE PE course. There were 8 teams present on the day and our B team was the only B team present. Both teams performed well in the tournament and finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. The A team narrowly missed the title by one goal, losing to Howard of Effingham 5-6 in the final game.

Well done girls for all of your hard work over the years and your help with lower school teams at Sports Leaders. You are a credit to the school.

This term the girls have been playing their interhouse events in football and netball. The events were organised and led by the year 11 GCSE PE pupils as part of their course. There’s always an amazing atmosphere at the events with everyone enjoying a good game. The results for netball were as follows: First Second Third

Year 7 7LK 7FS 7ED

Year 8 8PGW 8JW 8EM

Year 9 9BP 9JMB 9JMW