Woodrush Star Spring 2014

Issue 23

SCHOOL NEWS

woodrushhighschool.worcs.sch.uk

Spring 2014

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SPORT

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ART . SCIENCE . ENGLISH . HUMANITIES & MORE

WOODRUSH LOVES

6 Pg 11

NORWEGIAN Time to EXCHANGE reflect

Pg11

WOODRUSH Jumping BUYS for A DEFIBRILLATOR! charity

Pg 37 Pg27

COUNTY CUP CHAMPIONS

WELCOME

Dear Parents and Carers This last term has, as always, gone extremely quickly, and despite it being a short term, our students and staff have again achieved much success. Academically our Year 11 students are getting even closer to the summer examinations and making use of ‘Frog’ our virtual learning environment to help with revision and many will be returning to Easter school in the holidays to help revise for tests.

With many of our Year 11 making applications to attend our sixth form we wish them all the very best in the summer and look forward to supporting their progress beyond 16. Our current sixth formers are looking to repeat the success of last year’s Year 13 who gained places at excellent universities across the country including Oxford. To see our students gaining offers of places at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the last few years is a credit to them and the support that our staff give them in their applications. Again we wish them all the best in the next few months in preparation to their examinations.

This term our students have again experienced a huge range of extra-curricular activities with the Schools recent performance of Hairspray showcasing the musical and acting talents of our young people. Well done to our ‘Youth Speak’ team for being so close to making the national finals. Well done to all our students who also got involved in a variety of additional activities, from Duke of Edinburgh expeditions to World Book Day, Sport Relief and to all those through the Youth & Community Centre that have raised money for first aid training and a defibrillator for our community. Our students’ sporting success also continues with students excelling at all levels including internationally.

As we approach the summer just a reminder that whilst our current students are able to wear our ‘summer’ uniform we are phasing it out and in the interests of cost and simplicity from next academic year our blazer and tie will be our uniform thoughtout the whole year. During our transition term this summer students are able to wear either the summer or normal uniform. We wish all our students, parents, carers and staff a safe and enjoyable holiday and look forward to seeing all our students back in school on Monday 28th April for the start of the Summer Term.

From us all at Woodrush thank you for your continued support of what we do.

Mr C King Headteacher

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Contents Student News

3 - 10

Youth & Community

11

D of E

12 & 13

English & Library News

14 - 17

New York Feature

18 - 22

Humanities

23 - 25

Hairspray Feature

26 & 27

MFL 27 STEM 28 - 30 Staff Spotlight

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Creative Arts 32 Sports 34 - 40

During the evening of 12th December we held our KS4 and KS5 Awards in school. With the Christmas tree, the lights and the tables and chairs laid out ready for invited parents, there was an atmosphere of ‘Celebration’ in the air. As parents arrived they collected their refreshments before going to sit in the hall to watch a power point containing photographs of what students had been doing in the school year and listening to Christmas Music.

Our guest speaker was Justice Williams MBE who is Editor in Chief of social enterprise City & Style Magazine, a chic and stylish lifestyle publication for aspirational young women primarily aged 21-35 and founder of Kandid Talent CIC. This is a creative agency for nurturing talented young individuals and assisting them to achieving their potential through entrepreneurial activity, events, training and

activities related to the creative industries.

In 2009 she became the youngest woman of Afro-Caribbean heritage to be honored with an MBE by the Queen and was awarded Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Most Inspiring Woman of the Year Award and also received a ‘Women to Watch’ award from Red Magazine in 2010. Justice currently sits on the board of The Rosemarie Centre, a day care facility based in Lozells.

Justice spoke about the need to always stretch out for the things you want to achieve and that everyone has the potential to really do something they want.

She said “A person’s mind is like an open parachute that will carry you onwards to the place you want to go if you let it.”

Fifty five KS4 and KS5 students and their parents attended the evening along with teaching staff and governors.

SCHOOL NEWS

Awards Evening 2013

British Heart Foundation Cake Sale

Woodrush signed up to become a Fairtrade school four years ago and has sold Fairtrade sweets and biscuits at lunchtime in order to raise awareness of the importance of giving people a fair price for the goods they produce.

Over this period of time it has allowed students to become involved as a team in ordering and selling items.

With the Fairtrade fortnight running after the half term holiday it was the first time that school had been able to run the shop in conjunction with the Charity weeks.

Students from Year 8 ran a Fairtrade shop at lunchtime in order to support Fairtrade fortnight here in school.

Items on sale were:

• Chocolate buttons • Jelly teddies • Chocolate beans • Fair trade wafer bars • Choc’n toffee bars • Chocolate chip biscuits.

A big thank you to Grace W (8L1), Heather B (8L1), Eleanor (8L1), Ellie W (8L1), Vlada H (8C1), Jess H (8B1).

On Friday 7th February Ellie W (8L1), Vlada H (8C1), Jessica H (8B1), Holly D (8B1) and Jess B (8B1) held a cake sale in aid of the British Heart Foundation. The five girls made all the cakes that were sold during lunchtime and they raised £46.66 in total.

Just to inform you of what will, hopefully be the final change to our Green Bus services.

In line with the funding allocations from Centro all bus services must either be private hire (which is extremely expensive) or available to the general public.

Several months ago we advertised the fact that our services were available to the general public. As far as we are aware very few, if any members of the public use the bus regularly.

Centro are also insisting that to qualify for the child rate reductions buses must follow or be based on existing routes. If this cannot be achieved then buses must become private hire, which are initially expensive and do not qualify for reduced child rates.

To ensure our routes still qualify for the reduced fares we are making a small change on each bus. The WR1 will become the 50X and the WR2 will become the 50Y. This change will happen during the Easter holiday.

The timings and routes will remain exactly as they are, as they are close enough to the existing 50 routes. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but overall we feel that protecting the reduced fare is the most important issue.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact me or alternatively visit www.thegreenbus.co.uk

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SCHOOL NEWS

Christmas 2013 Celebration Assembly

The Christmas Celebration assemblies always get us in the mood for the festivity, and this year was no exception.

Lanchester Lions started the morning off and had an extra act from the Lanchester form tutors with Santa Claus is coming to Town. Santa (aka Mr Cannon) got the students up on their feet and threw sweets into the crowd as he came down the aisle to guitar rock stars. Mr Wendzina, Mrs Sedgwick, Miss Duncan, Mrs Hatton and supporting dancers Miss Kaur and Miss Brookes were giving their all in the stage performance. All three assemblies featured acts from the talented students of Gymball Belles showing performances they had put together in PE, and in true Sixth form style, entertainment in video format of ‘All I want for Christmas’ by Maria Carey.

The finale of acts came from the Heads of House who performed a chart hit

by Ylvis singing ‘What does the Fox say? Costumes and masks were kindly donated from Pinocchios Fancy Dress hire, and a very last minute loan of a fox costume which had all the students trying to guess who was dressed up as the Fox???

As always, during each House Celebration Assembly which culminates each term, we did the much anticipated merit prize draws.

Bronze Prize Draw winners were: 10B2 Adam F, 10C1 Lucy M, 9L2 Lee D Silver Prize Draw winners were: 9B2 Lauren F, 8C2 Joseph A, 9L1 Dion G Gold Prize Draw winners were: 8B1 Eve T, 7C2 Archie S, 8L2 Kajol G

All winners were awarded Leisure vouchers, £10 Bronze, £30 Silver and £50 Gold.

To be in with the chance of winning a draw, students must gain between 10 and 24 merits for Bronze, between 25 and 59 merits for Silver and 60 merits or more for Gold. Each term students have a fresh start and another chance to achieve their goals.

Good luck to you all for the next prize draws.

Sport Relief March 21st 2014 On Friday 21st March students supported Sport Relief Day by holding a non-uniform day. As part of the day the PE Department decided to involve their students in the ‘mile’ challenge and students were encouraged to walk a mile around the Astro Turf during their lessons.

More Sports Relief news on page 37.

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SCHOOL NEWS

This year, we were lucky enough to be able to take part in the biggest and greatest dog show in the world, competing against many other talented young handlers from all over the country in the YKC (Young Kennel Club) obedience. This meant that the dogs had to complete several challenging exercises, including a set pattern of heelwork, recall, retrieve, stays and scent. The last task, scent, is where the dog has to correctly identify the cloth which has the handlers scent on it out of a number of other which are blank ones.

Both dogs worked amazingly for each of us and we could not have l asked for a better result, having both gained places in

separate classes over the course of the weekend. Katie won 3rd in her graduate class with a border collie named Shaun. I lost out on 1st place with Shaun’s sister, Chay, in an intermediate by just 0.2 of a mark so I gained 2nd position instead. It proved to be a very successful day all around! Throughout the year we compete at smaller scale obedience shows in order to achieve a win that will qualify and get us to Crufts, so it is by no means an easy task from the very start!

All the support was phenomenal and neither of us could be more proud of the fantastic work the dogs did! Fingers crossed for next year!

Emily 10C1

Goodbye Woodrush…

Primary News

It is with a heavy heart that after nearly six wonderful years, I am leaving Woodrush High School at Easter. What a journey it has been, from September 2008, arriving as a fresh faced new history teacher, up to now, being part of an outstanding Learning Support department, albeit with slightly less and slightly greyer hair!

In Foundation Stage it is vital that children are inspired and motivated to learn through a creative curriculum. Teachers at Tidbury Green Primary were thinking about how to end the topic of Noah’s Ark and came up with an idea!

When Foundation Stage children entered the classroom one Monday morning they were shocked to find that Noah had left behind some eggs. After lots of debate and research they discovered that inside the eggs were baby chickens.

We placed them in an incubator and watched them hatch. It was such an exciting moment! We captured the experience and you can watch it on YouTube. The children were so inspired! They wrote about chicks, drew pictures, counted chicks and learned about the life-cycle of a chicken. The children have learned to care for them – feeding them, cleaning out their brooder box and handling them carefully. The experience has been amazing!

It’s not only the Foundation Stage children who have fallen in love with the chicks; children throughout the whole school were coming down to the classroom to see how the chicks were progressing.

Teachers started to think about how we could keep the chickens in school.

Work is underway to create an area for the chickens to stay. We hope our chickens will start laying eggs so our children can start selling them to create a mini business. An egg committee will start selling the eggs, care for the chickens, order feed and manage profits.

To raise money for a new hen house, we will be holding an Easter ‘Egg’travaganza day on Tuesday 8th April. Children will be walking the catwalk to show off their Easter bonnet creations and there will be a yummy chocolate raffle!

So hopefully in the following months, you will be able to buy your fresh eggs from Tidbury Green Primary.

In many ways, this is the natural time for me to leave: the year 7 and 8 groups I taught when I started are now our year 12 and 13 groups, and my first ever form group will soon be leaving us in May. I could not have asked to have worked with a greater group of students and I am genuinely so proud of every single one of you, and all you have achieved. I must not forget the rest of our school, and the great memories that everyone I have worked with has provided.

There have been some real highlights… winning the Mock Trials at Birmingham Magistrates Court with a team from Woodrush, numerous school trips, running the current year 11 football team (lads – I’m still heartbroken about our defeat at Aggborough last year!), taking part in all of the charity events, playing in our staff football team, and the various prom’s I have had the pleasure of attending.

I would also like to thank the many staff I have had the pleasure of working with during my time at Woodrush. I have learnt so much from a very talented group of colleagues, and I look forward to taking what I have learnt at Woodrush into my new role. I would like to give special thanks to Team Humanities – what an amazing group of teachers you are; it has been a privilege to work with you.

For everyone in Learning Support – the work you do for our young people is nothing short of exemplary, and I know you will continue to go from strength to strength. It has also been wonderful working with so many parents and I would like to thank you all for the amount of support you have given your children and us as a school during my time here. Your children are a credit to you and I look forward to hearing of their success in the future!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the future. My year 13 A Level History group in particular, I know you will all go on to achieve great things, and it has been a complete pleasure to work with you. I won’t say teach, you did that all yourself. For everyone else connected with this wonderful school, I hope everything you wish for in life, you achieve. Keep in touch – I look forward to hearing how well you have all done in the future. Thank you so much for being part of my Woodrush journey and for letting me be part of yours. I send you all my very best wishes for the future, good luck!

Mr Cannon.

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SCHOOL NEWS

Norwegian Exchange On Sunday the 9th of February, I flew out to Norway for two weeks to see my friend Andrea and her family. The trip took a lot of time to plan and I had to get permission from Mr King and Mrs Bishop to allow me to have this amazing experience. Mr King authorised leave from school as the plan was to attend school for a week in Norway and then spend half term with my friend’s family skiing. With everything planned I headed to London and flew out from Heathrow airport, and also flew for the first time by myself. It was a daunting experience!

So how did I get offered this experience?

During the six weeks summer holiday in 2013, I had been given the opportunity to spend two weeks with a Norwegian girl who was coming to England to improve her English language. Friends of my family were going to be looking after her and wanted someone her age to befriend her for the two weeks. So they asked me! All that was needed was for me to give up my time for two weeks and become her friend….I’m so glad I said yes!

After spending the two weeks with her, we kept in contact and it wasn’t long before her family had invited me to stay with them.

My two weeks consisted of me going to school for a week and then going skiing in their log cabin in the mountains for the second week.

School:

On my first day at a Norwegian school, I was so nervous but excited at the same time. I had to spend the first hour and half on my own outside the classroom as the students had an English lesson where their language skills were being assessed. The pupils didn’t want me there; they were embarrassed to do the assessment in front of me.

At their school students are allowed to wear their own clothes, they do not have uniforms. They also don’t wear shoes around the school, they have lockers and at the start of their day, they put their coats and shoes inside and they wear

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Oslo:

socks or slippers during the school day (this is to keep the floor clean). I loved it!

Their secondary school is a lot different to ours as they start from grade 8 and go to grade 10 and those in grade 8 will be 13 years old and therefore will be in primary school till they are 12. The school was very modern and had not long been built. The grades were split up in to 3 sections of the school and only a specific grade could enter each section and that’s where that grade would stay.

They had two classrooms then an open plan space with computers and laptops for the students to use and a room they called the fordrum which is like a lecture theatre where they also had lessons.

Times at the school were very odd for me as they have 7 lessons a day but still start and finish at the same time as we do. The lessons are either 90 minutes long or 45 minutes long with 3 breaks throughout the day: 10 am to 10:10am is first break, 11am is when they then have lunch and then third break is 1pm until 1:15pm. Phones were allowed to be used during these times however in lesson they were not to be used at all.

In certain grades students do specific lessons and compared to our school, they do not have as many extra curriculum activities however on a Wednesday the students do finish earlier. This is because they are allowed to stay at school for an hour at a homework club at the end of each day.

Those hours then get added up and then they are allowed to use those hours to miss a day off school which is what some of Andrea’s friends did the day we went to Oslo shopping.

On the Wednesday of my first week, it was decided that we should go to Oslo shopping and sightseeing, so Andrea took me there with her friends Heidi and Mathilde.

We saw Parliament, the first university, the famous chocolate place of Norway called Freia, the castle where the King and Queen live which is similar to Buckingham Palace, The Nobel Peace Centre and even the biggest ski jump in Norway that they used in the Olympics in 1994. It was massive!

Skiing:

After my week at school, we got ready for the three hour journey up into the mountains to get to their log cabin.

When we got there I couldn’t believe how much snow there was. We had to dig our way in to the cabin it was that deep. About two meters! The next day we spent our time jumping and summersaulting off the roof into the snow. It was so much fun and we started to get to work on finishing the igloo they had started last time they had visited which was Christmas. We even had a BBQ! When we eventually finished building the igloo we could stand up in it and could fit four people in it as well. Two of the days we went downhill skiing at a near resort in Ringibu. My skills in skiing did improve whilst in Norway and I soon did some little jumps in the process. Also, I did learn a new skill of cross country skiing which let’s say required a technique so it took me awhile to get used to it which lead me to completing a 6 mile hike around a mountain. It was so tiring. As well as all of this, I got to see an outdoor circus in front of a frozen waterfall, wild moose and even a glimpse of the Northern lights.

I can honestly say it was an amazing experience and I’d love to go back and do it all over again. A big thank you to Mr King and Mrs Bishop for allowing the visit to go ahead.

SCHOOL NEWS

Poppy Day appeal 2013 Thank you to everyone who bought poppies, wristbands and badges in the lead up to Remembrance Day. The British Legion sent us our total just before Christmas and we are pleased to announce you all raised a massive £258.75, which has doubled the amount we collected in previous years. Well done to you all.

Mrs Hatton

Christmas Jumper Day – 13th December 2013

On Friday the 13th December 2013 we held a Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save the Children. Staff and students came to school wearing a variety of Christmas jumpers and those not in jumpers made their own clothes look festive. We raised a massive £800 for the Charity. Thank you to all who contributed.

Year 11 Prom 2014

Birmingham City Mission Each Christmas more than 800 needy families in the Birmingham area are referred to the Mission by members of the local community for its toy distribution. For some of the 2,000 children these will be the only presents they receive. Each child receives books, puzzles, cuddly toys, games, chocolates etc., appropriate to their age (from babies to teenagers) and gender. This is the third year running that the students and staff at Woodrush have contributed by generously donating gifts which they have placed in shoe boxes and then carefully wrapped up in Christmas paper.

We have once again superseded last year’s collection, which was 120, with a grand total of 128 boxes! Birmingham City Mission have always remarked on how wonderful it is to put a smile on so many children and their families faces just before Christmas as in some cases it is not always a time of joy, so it has been

The Year 11 Prom will take place at the Lake at Barston, part of the West Midlands Golf Club, on May 8th 2014.

This is a venue we have used for previous Proms as it set in a lovely location and the Year 11 students have sole use of the premises on the night.

The Prom team will be working hard to ensure that this year’s Prom will as good as previous years. They have picked a menu of food for you to eat, booked a professional photographer to take photos as a memento of the evening and booked the DJ. Coaches have also been booked to return students back to

school at the end of the evening, ready for students to then go on to their own parties.

The Professional photographer will charge for the photographs they take during the evening so students need to ensure they bring extra money to pay for the photographs they have. The costs of the photographs will be £7.00.

The cost of the Prom ticket will be £25.00 and you will need to make sure you pay for your ticket by Friday 2nd May and tickets will be issued to you on the day you leave school. Those students who have achieved 100% attendance will have their Prom ticket paid for by School and Mrs Francis will let you know who you are.

fantastic that we have all played a part in this.

We would like to say an enormous thank you to all our students and parents who helped support this worthy cause again. There was so much effort put into not only collating the gifts but decorating the shoe boxes as well. If you would like to find out more about the charity and where your donations are delivered to please visit their website for further information.

Mrs Peters

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SCHOOL NEWS

Revision Support Ok, so no-one likes revising and some people find it difficult but this page is here to help!

You can find useful hints and tips as well as finding where to locate downloadable revision timetables. Remember that if you are struggling with revision your teachers and the Learning Co-ordinators are here to help.

Start revising now!

Do not keep putting it off and leave it until it is too late

During Easter holiday and study leave 1 hour in the morning, 1 hour in the afternoon, 1 hour in the evening.

20 minutes revision from subject book, 5min break, 20 minutes online revision, 5 min break, 20 minutes revision recalling information e.g., mindmap, timeline, diagram, poster, revision card

Remember the key is to keep varying your revision tasks.

It will keep you interested and activate different parts of the brain. No-one learns effectively by just reading a revision guide!

F RO G

Students login with their school login details and can access curriculum subjects, homework, past pa pers – absolutely everyth ing your child needs.

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SCHOOL NEWS

GCSEPod has arrived at Woodrush!

Over 3,500 teacher-written, audio-visual podcasts produced specifically for mobile devices and containing all the right facts, quotes, keywords, dates and annotated diagrams that learners need for GCSE success. Watch podcasts on mobile, tablet or computer and get help with learning, homework and revision.

All students have already been registered with GCSEPod and so simply need to activate their account and choose a username and password.

To access GCSEPod for the first time, log onto Frog and follow the links:

Downloads

Download podcasts onto a mobile, tablet or computer and watch when out and about. Listen to podcasts on the school bus without anyone knowing!

Assignments

View homework set by your teacher, watch the podcasts they have selected and answer questions to test your knowledge.

My GCSEs

View an exam playlist to see all the podcasts relevant to that exam. Revision has never been so easy.

Behind the scenes the Woodrush website has had a makeover! If you own a smart phone or tablet you will be presented with a specially designed version of the Woodrush website. The Woodrush website is the hub of all school information whilst also providing the latest updates and useful links.

Search for ‘Woodrush High’ or visit www.woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk

Playlists

Keep organised by creating personalised learning playlists of all the podcasts you want to listen to.

Wythall Park During the Easter and summer holidays we are planning to run a mid-week Café (Tues/Wed/Thurs) from 11am to 3.30pm in our Britannia Room.

www.samlearning.com www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ Centre ID: B47WH User ID and password: D.O.B. followed by initials e.g., 031097DR Do the exercises, then the tests.

Check progress regularly!

Create an Avatar and make it fun!

www.mymaths.co.uk

gcsebitesize/

GCSE, follow subject links, do revision exercises, watch the videos, do the tests & try the mock exams.

The AUDIO link has a wealth of ‘listen to’ clips across many subjects.

www.s-cool.co.uk

login: woodrush password: factorise then: login to ‘My Portal’ with personal login details (can be obtained from Maths dept or Learning HOH)

You will need to create an account but it is absolutely free! Apps available

This is an experiment which we hope you will support and will provide tea, coffee, cans, homemade cakes and sandwiches etc.

The actual dates will be: Easter Holidays 15/16/17/22/23/24 April Summer Holidays 22/23/24/29/30/31 July and..

5/6/7/12/13/14/19/20/21/26 27/28 August Parents/Carers with children are welcome. All staff have relevant Hygiene and Safeguarding knowledge.

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SCHOOL NEWS

‘It’s cool to be in school!’

ATTENDANCE MATTERS As always Woodrush High School aims to ensure excellent attendance and punctuality for all students and to eliminate all but the most necessary and legitimate absences and/or episodes of lateness in individual students.

Excellent attendance, as measured against national norms, is a pre-requisite for successful learning and good progress. Personal qualities, such as reliability, that are inferred by excellent attendance at school are amongst those most prized in society in general and by employers in particular. The promotion of excellent attendance is, therefore, a primary objective for us.

Students are continually praised for their good attendance and as a school we are keen to reward them. Here are some of our attendance rewards.

• Students with 100% attendance from September to July will be rewarded with a trip out for FREE. • Year 11 students who achieve 100% attendance from September to Easter term break will receive a FREE Year 11 prom ticket.

“50 Year 11 students received a £25 prom ticket last academic year.”

Zero-tolerance for term-time holidays At Woodrush holidays during term-time will NOT be authorised except in exceptional circumstances, if it is exceptional circumstances please put this in writing to the relevant HOH. Please remember a two week holiday in term-time means 50 hours of teaching missed and several homework’s too.

Students often find it difficult to catch up with work missed.

Reminder for parents, times of the school day: DAILY SCHOOL TIMES

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8.35 AM

Warning bell for registration

8.40 AM

Registration for all

8.55 AM

Period 1

9.55 AM

Period 2

10.55 AM

BREAK

11.15 AM

Period 3

12.15 AM

Period 4

1.15 PM

LUNCH

1.45 PM

Warning bell for afternoon registration

1.50 PM

Period 5 (including statutory pm registration)

2.50 PM

End of School

3.50 PM

Library closes

Students with 100% attendance from September to July will be rewarded with a trip out for FREE. 65 students enjoyed an afternoon this year by going Ice Skating to Blue Ice in Solihull

IF FOR ANY REASON YOUR CHILD IS LATE TO SCHOOL PLEASE SEE THAT THEY ALWAYS SIGN IN AT EITHER STUDENT SERVICES OR RECEPTION.

WHAT WE ASK FROM PARENTS: • Ring the school (tel no: 01564 823777) preferably before 10.00 am on the first day of any absence.

• Send a note in on the first day of your son’s/daughter’s return to explain the reason for absence.

• Whenever possible make all medical appointments after 2.50pm.

• Please do not plan family holidays during term time.

•Check that we have the correct contact numbers (home, work and mobile numbers are all useful).

WHAT WILL THE SCHOOL DO? •Contact parents at home or at work to check the reasons for absence.

•Inform parents by letter of any unexplained absences and request reasons for these.

•Inform The Education Investigation Service of any poor attendees who will act accordingly and can ultimately prosecute persistent poor attendees.

•All holidays will be unauthorised, except in exceptional circumstances.

Every year there are 140,000 deaths from undiagnosed heart conditions and cardiac arrest. A cardiac arrest is where someone’s heartbeat becomes irregular and needs to be reset with an electric shock. Cardiac arrest is non-discriminative and it can happen to anyone, anywhere, any time. As we saw with Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba even the most active people can be affected.

The only way to help someone in a cardiac arrest is by resetting their heart rhythm with a defibrillator. Even with CPR, a person’s survival rates drop by 10% every minute if defibrillation is not administered. After 10 minutes, a person’s chances of survival are slim at best. Despite the brilliant work carried out by the ambulance service, in the last year an ambulance has only arrived to critical calls within 8 minutes 27.3% of the time.

Therefore, in a partnership with West Midlands Ambulance Service, Woodrush Youth & Community centre have been fundraising to buy a defibrillator to protect the local community. As part of our fundraising, we have undertook various activities including school events and a sponsored 5KM run along with several contributions from local businesses.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being increasingly installed in various public places from schools to shopping centres. This is because they are able to safeguard and protect those people while being completely safe (a shock will not be delivered unless it is required).

The first phase of the project was to raise enough money to buy a defibrillator and convert Woodrush into a PAD (Public Access Defibrillator) site. This means that we will have a defibrillator on site at Woodrush and key members of the community and our staff will be trained how to use it. This part of the project is now completed and we have raised over £1000 towards buying a Defibrillator.

The second phase of our project is to develop the PAD scheme into a community site, with the defibrillator stored in a secure cabinet outside of Woodrush. The code to the cabinet will be held by the school and the ambulance service. It will be accessible 24 hours a day, by those calling 999, if the ambulance service deems it necessary. We still require a small amount of money to complete phase 2 but we wanted to inform you of our progress.

Our next step is applying to British Heart Foundation for some extra funding towards our scheme. Whilst fundraising, we have had some amazing support from local businesses including: Spar Drakes Cross, Kilby Packaging Ltd, Gay Hill Golf Club, Becketts Farm and Tesco Extra Solihull.

For more information please contact either the scheme’s organiser Oliver McGrath (Olivermcgrath@live.co.uk) or Woodrush’s Director of Youth and Community Faye Parker (FParker@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk).

YOUTH & COMMUNITY

Woodrush is buying a Defibrillator!

Young People employ new ‘Head of Children’s Clinical Services’ for Worcestershire!

On Tuesday the 28th February 3 members of the Youth and Community Management Team who are part of Worcestershire’s NHS Youth Board conducted interviews for the new ‘Head of Children’s Clinical Services’ at the Charles Hastings Education Centre at Worcester Royal hospital. Chloe, Heidi and Ryan assisted NHS managers throughout the day in interviewing and selecting the applicants. After an early start we arrived at the hospital ready to begin the process, all ten applicants had to take part in 4 different interviews, each relating to a different aspect of the job. At the end of the interviewing process the Young People’s Board selected their top two successful applicants and fed this back at to the member of the other panel. This included Fran Tummey, Service Delivery Unit Lead for Chidlren’s Services, Dr David Lewis, Community Paediatrician and Clinical Director for Children’s Services, and Sonya Miller, Children’s Integrated Services. Fran has invited the Youth Board to join her in future events due to their professional approach to the day. Everyone really enjoyed the experience and agreed it was a great insight into the NHS as well as a chance for the board to work together as a team and gain experience of an outside interview process.

Oliver McGrath

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH

ring e e t n u l Vo lls i k S l a c Physi tion i d e p x E All participants are now well under way with their skills, tial n e d i s e volunteering and physical sections and are part way through their R expedition training and preparation. The Gold DofE’ers are also planning their residential activities.

We have a variety of activities being undertaken for each section as listed below;

Volunteering • • • • • • • • • • • • •

DofE Mentoring Library Helping at primary after school clubs Youth Centre Basketball coaching Animal sanctuary Gym coaching Beavers Charity shop Cubs Brownies Children’s book club Rainbows

Physical • Gymnastics • Ultimate Frisbee • Dance • Rugby • Gym • Boxing • Cycling • Golf • Fencing • Football • Swimming • Martial Arts

Skills • • • • • • • •

Dog Training Cooking Engineering Pottery Photography Bass Guitar Driving Piano

General News Expedition Training Expedition training is well underway with the Bronze’s preparing for expeditions to Bewdley and the Cotswolds in June and July and the Gold’s planning for Brecon and the Yorkshire Dales also in June and July.

Expedition Training

Bronze

• Navigation, map reading • Campcraft • Hazard identification & risk management • Food, nutrition and cooking • Kit • First aid • Emergency procedures • Route Planning • Teamwork, leadership, group dynamics • Countryside code

This year there are 42 year 10’s doing the Bronze level of the award – all of them are making good progress with their skill, volunteering and physical sections and are starting to prepare for their two-day expeditions in the summer.

Gold This year Woodrush has the largest number of pupils doing Gold – 12! All have made a great start and are adapting well to the extra challenges of Gold. In addition to volunteering, learning a skill and participating in a physical activity they are also planning a week long residential activity for half terms or their summer holiday. Preparation for their four-day expeditions in the summer is also going well.

Staff News Good luck to Mr Abell, our school caretaker, who is currently training as an expedition leader ready to lead groups in the summer.

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es Name: Jam NZE Level: BRO ing Skills: Co ok Gym Physical: ball ng: Basket ri Voluntee coaching have h DofE I So far w it skills an d g in d a re p a m t rn a le sk ahea d. for the ta preparing rewarding as it is a it y jo n e I challenge.

r vin Name: A ONZE Level: BR oking Skills: Co Gym Physical: ing at a ing: Help r Voluntee scho ol. primar y E I have o ing Dof So far d o m mitte d t being c easy a h t t n r lea not ard an d is ver y h t. I enjoy DofE h ug d as I tho at to a d it w ill ge because . on my CV

Name: Callu m Level: BRON ZE Skills: Photog raphy Physical: Gym Volunteering : Librar y So far do ing DofE I have learnt differ ent skills in map work. I enjo y DofE beca use of the differ ent opportun ities I get to take part in.

Name: Becky Level: GOLD

Skills: Dog Training Physical: Frisbee

Volunteering: Library

I have learnt how to use a compass and read maps as well as understanding the countryside code. I enjoy DofE because it’s a great experience and I get to share this with all my friends.

Name: Mark

Level: BRONZE

Skills: Engineering

Physical: Swimming

Volunteering: at the Youth Centre So far doing DofE I have learnt to work as a group and be more confident. I enjoy it because I can do things I love doing.

Name: Jem

Level: GOLD

Skills: Driving

Physical: Rugby

Volunteering: Coaching.

I am enjoying DofE because I get to spend more time with my friends and enjoy the adventure of the expeditions.

Name: Cameron Level: BRONZE Skills: Pottery Physical: Gym

Volunteering: Gym coaching I enjoy DofE because it I am learning new skills and it is also an exciting challenge.

Name: James Level: BRONZE Skills: Co oking

Physical: Football Volunteering: Helping at an after school club So far do ing DofE I have learnt how to coo k an d certain lea dersh ip techniques.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Name: James Level: GOLD for 6 months Skills: Co oking s y for 12 month Physical: Rugb ng ri to DofE Men Volunteering: ze for 12 on Br e th w ith months DofE as we I am enjoying work an d am te t ou learn ab us e eful for skills which ar e. later in lif

Name: Shaun Level: BRONZE Skills: Cooking

Physical: Rugby Volunteering: Helping at an after scho ol club So far doing DofE I have learnt about map reading, first aid and the importance of planning ahea d. I enjoy DofE because I am learning new skills that will last me for life and it is very rewarding overall.

Name: Alex Level: GOLD Skills: Dog Traing

Physical: Cycling Volunteering: at a charity shop.

So far I have enjoyed taking part in my sections and I am looking forward to the resi dential excursion.

Name: Abbie Level: BRONZE Skills: Co oking Physical: Fencing

an animal Volunteering: at sanctuar y cause I can I enjoy DofE be ing extra to achieve so meth .

CV add to my

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ENGLISH & LIBRARY NEWS

Meeting Joe Craig A small group of us enjoyed the trip to Pershore High School to meet Joe Craig, the author of the Jimmy Coates series of books. We were able to ask him questions about the books and listen to him talk about his writing career. He asked us what we thought makes a good story and then told us something that would help us write our own stories. All stories have a problem. There are three types of problems: impending doom, like bombs, war and fighting; let’s make it personal like relatives , abuse and affairs; inner demons like fear, guilt and stress. This trip was fantastic. Joe Craig was so funny and very entertaining.

So we would like to thank Mrs Bishop for transportation and Mrs Robertson for organising this exciting trip.

Mia, Danielle and Heather

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Debating Competition On Thursday 21th November, Nicola and Jay took part in the first round of the English Speaking Union’s Schools Mace debating competition in Herford against five other schools. The teams of two had been given their questions a few weeks earlier to research and prepare their arguments which had been set on a variety of topics, ranging from whether football supporter clubs should support the signing of violent players to whether governments should improve economic conditions of poorer citizens over environmental concerns.

The debates were all very well thought out with some strong rebuttals from the teams and the audience. Finally, the Woodrush team started on their debate - whether universities should have to reserve a set number of places for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, a subject very close to the heart of the competitors and, one that quickly got very passionate. Nicola and Jay managed to hold their argument very well, pointing out that only considering grades and personal statements do not demonstrate the raw potential that a

more disadvantaged student may have and, the dangerous elitist hierarchy currently being created through the university system at the moment.

Despite strong opposition and rebuttal, the Woodrush team managed to impress both the floor audience and the judges and strongly won their debate, meaning that they will be moving onto the second round shortly.

Jay said that “It was a fantastic experience and a great honour to go to the next round” and Nicola expressed “It was really fun and I am excited to get to the next stage as we were not expecting to win. Hopefully, the next debate will challenge us further!”

Nicola and Jay have also decided set up a debating competition within Woodrush Sixth Form as a chance to practise their skills in time for the next round and get other students involved. Of course, don’t forget to check the Woodrush Sixth Form twitter account (@WoodrushSixth) where the next debate will be livetweeted to get all the action!

By Megan

Schindler’s List Trip

Book Fair

On Thursday 27th February Woodrush Film Studies students attended a special screening of Schindler’s List at the Electric Cinema; the oldest working picture house in the UK. Before the film we were treated to a fantastic talk by the cinema manager about the current state of the film industry and the history of the Electric as a Birmingham institution. Students were fascinated to learn of its past life as an ‘adult’ venue and its renaissance as a boutique cinema with sofas, armchairs and drinks delivered to your seat. This was followed by a really interested tour of the projection room containing both digital and film projectors.

Students and staff were definitely taken by the romance of the projection room as a place ‘where the magic happens.’

The screening of the film itself was fantastic with every viewer appreciating Spielberg’s Holocaust masterpiece as it was meant to be seen. “I was really moved by the portrayal of the Warsaw Ghetto” noted one student whilst Mr Sullivan was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the film having partially dismissed it years before. Overall, a fantastic outing.

Mr Lovell

This year’s book fair was a great success; we made £224 to spend on new books for the library. Our awesome book club members chose a range of titles, both non-fiction and fiction, including sci-fi, adventure, how to draw manga and a joke book. We had three wonderful weeks of fun promoting the book fair, running raffles and competitions to give everyone the chance to win a free book. Esther and Faye enjoyed creating a Harry Potter treasure hunt and the cake sale proved to be very popular!

Will 9B2

MP Sajid Javid Debating Competition On Friday 28th February George M and George G attended MP (and Financial Secretary) Sajid Javid’s Debating Competition at South Bromsgrove High School.

Having performed excellently in the competition last year the Woodrush Team were keen to go one better and win it this time around.

Supported superbly by members of the Woodrush Sixth Form the Georges took the stage to oppose the motion that This House would increase the speed limit from 70mph to 80mph. The proposition outlined good points with regards to changing technology and improved stopping distances. However, first speaker for Woodrush George M rebutted all their points, ably pointing out that technology in cars improving human reaction times has remained the same. George G took to the stage next and closed the case for the opposition with an emotive and powerful message about the Environment and road deaths.

The judges were clearly impressed by the charisma and ability to speak without notes demonstrated by both members of the Woodrush Team and they were awarded the victory in their debate. Unfortunately this was not enough to gain them a place in the final as the overall standard was incredible this year. Woodrush just missed out by coming in third place which was still a real triumph for the team.

On Monday 24th February, Mr Thewlis and Mr Lovell took students taking part in the Mock Trial competition to visit the Victoria Law Courts in Birmingham. The group were given a fantastic tour of the building by a working magistrate and witnessed the trial of a lady accused of criminal damage and assault. We were also able to see down into the cells where those awaiting trial were kept, unfortunately this didn’t include a Q&A with a defendant.

Later in the morning, the students of the Mock Trial Team were able to practice their roles in a real court room as part of their preparation for the competition itself on 15th March.

Everyone concerned had a great time and it has spurned us all on to perform in the event. It was fantastic to see the cold hand of justice in real life; hopefully it will set a few students straight in the future.

Mr Lovell

ENGLISH & LIBRARY NEWS

Year 8 and 9 Magistrates Court Visit

Coppice Book Club For the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, we volunteered to start a new reading group at Coppice Primary School with pupils aged seven to eleven. To introduce the club, we advertised via an assembly to the whole school which received a great reception. Over the past three months the children who attended have read up to six books. We read with some of them, planned activities and created a quiz to help them prepare for an awards afternoon.

We enjoyed hearing what they had to say about the books and welcoming them when they came to Woodrush to visit the book fair.

Although our volunteering may have ended, we are still working on our physical and skill requirements. We have enjoyed helping the children expand their knowledge of English and can’t wait to do it again next year.

Annalisa, Bailey, Chloe and Josh, Year10

Citizenship Foundation On 15th March 2014 students from Woodrush took part in the Citizenship Foundation’s Mock Trial Competition. After months of hard work and commitment the team overcame incredible odds to come second on the competition; a result which sees them qualifying for the regional event in May. The event involved students preparing and delivering a test case in a Magistrates Court under formal conditions. In the case of the The Crown vs Jaz Henry students had to argue the case of a stolen bicycle and suspected possession of stolen goods from both the prosecution and defence sides, performing admirably on both occasions. The team began on defence with Jemma and Kirsty showing incredible confidence and ability to think on their feet in their cross examinations. Harry was excellent as the defendant, looking suitably guilty throughout. He was ably supported by defence witness James, and court Usher Harjeev. After close deliberation from the magistrates (Lewis, Carla and Cameron) the verdict was announced with Woodrush successfully gaining a not guilty verdict.

In the next hearing Woodrush were on prosecution with Ellie and Mya absolutely trouncing the opposition with their fierce line of questioning. Ellie was able to get what was effectively an admission of guilt from the defendant whilst Matthew and Bethany were outstanding witnesses even when cross examined.

After a nervous wait, the results came in and Woodrush progressed to the next round, beating a wide range of competing schools.

The team were outstanding and a tremendous credit to the school.

Mr Lovell

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ENGLISH & LIBRARY NEWS

Teri Terry When the author Teri Terry came to school for World Book Day, book club were invited to have lunch with her before she spoke to everyone else in the hall. I was interested to find out how many books she reads (lots!) and how she got her ideas for the Slated Trilogy (in a dream). I bought a copy of Slated, her first book, she signed it for me and I started reading it straight away.

Kyla, the main character in Slated, wakes up in a hospital.

Her mind has been wiped clean. She learns that she was a terrorist in her past life; she has been given a second chance by the government. After nine months in hospital, she is adopted by a family with another ‘slated’ girl, Amy. Kyla starts dreaming about her past life, which starts her questioning the government’s motives. Like the blurb says: “Can you know the truth if your mind has been wiped?”

I am enjoying this book. The mystery and suspense is gripping. Just like Kyla I need to find out the truth!

Josh 9B1 Teri Terry’s three books, Slated, Fractured and Shattered are available to loan from the school library.

World Book Day is the biggest annual book event in the world. Its aims are to promote reading for personal enjoyment and enrichment and encourage a lifelong habit of reading. We celebrate World Book Day at Woodrush because we recognise the importance of reading for pleasure, not only as a fundamental factor in raising literacy standards but as a life enhancing experience.

This year we focussed on beginnings. Staff throughout the school selected the opening pages of some of their favourite books to display. On Frog students voted Hunger Games: Catching Fire the most entertaining out of six popular titles; media study students then produced a short film of a mass reading of the opening page.

The highlight of our World Book Day celebrations was the 2nd Annual Inter-House Literary Quiz. Six teams, comprising of volunteers from each form, competed for book token prizes and for the glory of their house. The proceedings were overseen by an enthusiastic team of sixth formers. Head Girl, Nicola and Head Boy, Ollie were the perfect hosts, Katie kept score and Duncan managed all thing technical. Team rounds ranged from questions on childhood favourites to myths and legends. Audience rounds ensured that everyone present had the opportunity to gain points for their own house. The overall winner, combining team and audience points, was Brindley. The highest scoring team, and proud winners of book tokens, was Lanchester 2. The great atmosphere of friendly rivalry and the close run results made for a very entertaining celebration for all our book lovers.

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ENGLISH & LIBRARY NEWS

Worcestershire Teen Book Award 2014 The Year 8 reading group have been devouring and tweeting about the books on this year’s shortlist. Soon they will be voting for the winning title. All books are available from the school library; you may want to read them and decide which one you think deserves to win.

Downside Up Dad has left her, her mom and her four brothers. In her imaginary world she is a pop star. One day her world changes. Be careful what you wish for!

Matt

Russian Roulette Fab, brill, totes amaze. Thriller! Why did he become a villain? He couldn’t help it; it was all he could do. Is he really a bad guy after all?

Samantha

Ketchup clouds

Twisting. Does he have a good or a bad heart? The characters live their lives thinking YOLO Dan

It’s about a murder, written in a series of letters to a man in death row. Parts are sweet, parts are weird and very unexpected at the end.

Esther, Heather and Carys Very exciting and funny, conjures up ideas in your head. Inappropriate actions. Fun to read. Takes you on a journey to keep a secret hidden.

Aanya

More Than This It was exciting and mysterious. There was plenty of emotion. WARNING: Inappropriate behaviour and language.

Never boring.

Lydia This book is about the death of a 17 year old boy and the trials afterwards #exciting. I will be voting for this book #teenbook award.

Alex

The Screaming Staircase Gripping, tense and creepy. Ghost are everywhere in this version of England and none of them are friendly! Loving #teenbook award!

Jo

The 5th Wave This book has everything you want, SciFi, action, romance and comedy, all wrapped up with an unexpected twist.

Stay alone to stay alive.

Vlada and Ellie

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18

NEW YORK

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NEW YORK

What do you think of when you think of New York? Times Square, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park or Broadway?

In February, a group of students from Woodrush Sixth Form saw all of these things and much, much more when they ventured into the Big Apple for five unforgettable days.

The next few pages detail just some of the students’ favourite memories of their time in New York. We hope you enjoy reading about our experiences and looking at the photos we took.

For those of you that are planning to join us in the Sixth Form next year, look out for news on next year’s planned trip to New York.

Shopping in New York Despite the overnight blizzard that swept across New York, on Thursday morning we ventured to Macy’s, the U.S’s largest department store, for lots of shopping.

When we entered the store, we were all stunned by the size of it. It was huge and there were designer stores everywhere. The girls headed straight for the makeup department with many MAC lipsticks bought, whereas the boys decided to head out of the store to the massive Footlocker opposite. During our time in Macy’s, Jess and Josie undertook the mission of getting up to the 14th floor to get Mr Sullivan a present. Yes, the 14th floor in a department store!

We also discovered many ‘tacky shops’ that were full of typical New York souvenirs, like t-shirts, hoodies and many little trinkets.

In the afternoon we visited another store New York is famous for: ‘Bloomingdales’. Upon our arrival, some of us were immediately attracted to the small cake shop. The brownies were actually amazing!

When walking around Bloomingdales, there were lots of people handing out samples of perfumes and aftershaves. Andy was given a sample and really liked it, thinking it was aftershave. It was only later that he realised it was a sample of a women’s perfume and decided it probably wasn’t appropriate for him to buy.

The shopping trip was a huge success.

We had a great time.

by Amy and Emily (Year 12).

The breath taking views from the t of the Rockefeller Centre

Top of the Rock

It’s great to skate with mates: Ice skating in Central Park For a lot of people, ice skating in the picturesque surroundings of Central Park is a bucket list thing to do and, consequently, as we walked through the park’s enticing beauty there was a buzz of excitement fused with apprehension in the group. Aside from Sully (aka Mr Sullivan), who volunteered to be camera man, we all put on our skates and ventured out onto the ice rink. Andy, Jack, Dan, Jess, Josie, Megan, Amy, Emily and Miss Denyer all began to glide gracefully and effortlessly across the ice, whilst others, Sean, Jolie and myself, for example, clung helplessly to the side waiting for somebody to pull us along. Eventually, we all got the hang of it and, despite a few slips and falls, we had an amazing time. We all left in high spirits and took with us an afternoon we will never forget.

Torville and Dean eat your heart out!

by Christie (Year 12).

The Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building to one side, Central Park on the other; the Rockefeller made for a spectacular vantage point of New York City. The 70 floor building was placed right in the heart of the city and elegantly showed off the skyline. After passing some famous landmarks such as the New York City library and the ice rink featured in the film Elf, we reached the Rockefeller Centre. Once we had ascended to the highest point, you could clearly see the whole city, including: the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Freedom Tower and the Brooklyn Bridge, to name but a few. We had a brilliant view of probably the most famous cityscape in the world. The wind was bitterly cold, but it was definitely a view to remember, and made for some amazing photos!

by Josie (Year 12).

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Times Square As the wind whipped all around us, the New York air buzzed with excitement and anticipation. Woodrush Sixth form were in New York, and we were about to have the time of our lives...

Time Square was something else. As soon as we arrived, we couldn’t wait to go and it certainly lived up to its name.

Everywhere we looked there were flashing lights drawing people from all different directions and the billboards could be seen from miles away. Even when it was dark, it appeared like daylight due to explosions of neon light that lit up the night sky.

For a city that never sleeps, Times Square was its hub; a vibrant, bustling epicentre of shops, theatres, street entertainers and little food stands selling doughnuts and hot dogs that left an array of delicious aromas filling our nostrils. As we walked through the square in -12 conditions, wrapped up in about 5 layers of clothing, the snow glistened and sparkled and was like a white blanket covering the pavements. Many of the shops were different to the ones in the UK; a lot bigger and as soon as you walked in you got greeted in such a friendly manner; you just couldn’t refuse to not go in and look around! M&M World proved to be a hit, where most of us went in there more than once!

Times Square was an out of this world experience, and no matter how many times we went there, we never tired of this amazing district of New York and always found something new to experience.

by Jess (Year 12)

top

New York Movie Tour Lights, camera, action! While we were in New York we did a midday movie location tour; stopping off at the Friend’s apartment, the Ghostbuster’s fire station and many more. The host, Gary, really made the tour come alive as he is an actor himself. The coach drove around most of Manhattan, including Soho, Central Park and the financial district. After driving past Columbus monument, adjacent to Central Park, we got off the bus at Soho and had the opportunity to see several attractions. These included Heath Ledger’s apartment, one of the Kardashian’s shops and the apartment from ‘Ghost’. As well as visiting locations from ‘Spiderman’, ‘I am Legend’, ‘Home Alone 2’, ‘Arthur’ and ‘Die Hard’, too name but a few, we also went to the ‘Ghostbusters’ fire house to look around outside and then the ‘Friends’ apartment building.

We had an amazing time on the coach tour taking in the sights of probably the most filmed city in the world.

by Harry and Dan (Year 12).

The National September 11th Memorial On a bitterly cold Wednesday morning we took the subway Downtown. After visiting Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, we made our way to our pre-booked 9/11 memorial tour, which commemorates the lives that were lost on September 11th, 2001.In remembrance of the 2996 people that died on this tragic day, there are now

two square pools where the twin towers once stood. The names of all the victims are inscribed on bronze plates around the pools. Tragically, ten expectant mothers were amongst the victims and the phrase ‘and unborn child’ accompanies the inscription of their names.

As part of our tour, we also visited an exhibition, which gave personal accounts from people who had lost family members and loved ones in the attacks.

The experience of visiting the 9/11

memorial was an important one for our students.

It served not only as a reminder of the tragedy the people of New York faced just over a decade ago, but it also emphasised the strength and resilience of the city and its people, and their determination to rebuild their lives after such a tragic event.

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Big Portions and Big Appetites in the Big Apple In New York we were never short of places to eat, from Planet Hollywood to Mama Sbarro’s Diner to the Hard Rock Cafe. On the first morning in the hotel we all rushed to try out the waffle machine, and it didn’t disappoint. Not only were there waffles, but there were also eggs, sausages, pastries and bagels. Out in New York there was a McDonalds on every corner, a Subway on every street and a hotdog stand everywhere we looked. Eating lunch on the go was never a problem.

Each night we visited a different restaurant where we were given a variety of options. Every restaurant was staffed with friendly waiters and offered something different, (especially Planet Hollywood where Jolie and Christie

were able to show off their dance moves with one of the employees). Not only was the food good in Planet Hollywood, the atmosphere was electric and the film memorabilia was amazing too. We saw Rose’s dress from ‘Titanic’, Bruce Lee’s top from ‘Enter the Dragon’ and Jacob’s shorts from ‘Twilight’. Food portions in New York are ten times bigger than over here, even a slice of pizza we had one night was enough to fill you up.

The whole New York experience was brilliant and the food just added to that, (including the Burrito at Newark airport on the way home, which Mr Sullivan devoured in a matter of seconds).

by Megan and Jolie (Year 12)

The Hudson River Boat Cruise: the perfect way to end our amazing New York adventure From the ferry terminal on the Hudson River to the Brooklyn Bridge on the east side of Manhattan, the sights we witnessed on the boat tour were amazing and a brilliant way to end our five day trip. The endless photo opportunities were hard to miss and certainly encouraged us to brave the cold of the boat’s viewing deck.

First on the list was the retired Air Craft carrier USS Intrepid, which displayed a range of iconic aircrafts on its expansive deck. This was shortly followed by a cracking shot of the Empire State building, the Boat dock where Titanic was expected to dock and the brand new fire boat the FDNY had recently purchased. Shortly after, the financial district came into view on the southern tip of Manhattan, with the Freedom Tower towering over all the other skyscrapers. Next, was the iconic Statue of Liberty, which we took endless photos of. It was great to get so close to one of the most famous statues in the world. Further along the riverbank we got shots of the heli-terminal, the original ferry terminal of NY and the breath-taking Brooklyn Bridge. Our final photo opportunities were of the Chrysler Building and the NATO embassy.

The boat tour was the perfect way to end our amazing New York adventure and a brilliant way to bid farewell to a city we all grew to love.

by Sean (Year 13)

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‘Matilda’ on Broadway

On the last night of our Big Apple adventure, we were all eager to watch the highly anticipated and famous Broadway show ‘Matilda’. Upon arrival, the atmosphere was buzzing; the lights surrounding the ‘Matilda’ sign were blinding and dazzling, which screamed Broadway to us. Once inside the theatre, the excitement continued; we were greeted by the stage, which was amazing. Letters surrounded the stage as if it were a book. With the huge ceiling and massive curtains covering the stage, we knew that we were in for a real treat.

The curtains went up, the lights dimmed and silence fell across the theatre - we were prepared for a memorable night!

The cast were spectacular and their voices followed suit; songs filled the theatre. The play told Roald Dahl’s classic story about a girl genius whose brilliance and intelligence is neither recognised nor appreciated by her family. Overall, the night was incredible and I’m certain none of us will ever forget it.

by Jack and Andy (Year 12)

‘New York Spring 201 5

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Co m i n g t o a form folder near yo u !

On Tuesday 28th January Year 10 History students were treated to a visit by Emily Miller from the Migration Museum Project. Emily came to talk to year 10 about migration into Britain throughout history, and how important it has been to this country. This was to coincide with the GCSE module that year 10 are currently studying ‘Britain 1939 to 1975’. In this module, migration into Britain is a key aspect, and so Emily coming in really helped to bring the topic alive.

Students were told to think about migration and how it has impacted on Britain, they were asked to consider how long people have been coming to Britain and for what purpose. Emily discussed misconceptions about migration and encouraged students to consider their thoughts about immigration into Britain. After a discussion the students started to analyse images related to migration. They were asked to think about what the images were showing, what they said about attitudes to migration in Britain and how it has changed and impacted on our nation.

This task was a great way of students interacting with different sources; it encouraged them to discuss their thoughts and ideas and to get to grips with a topic outside of the classroom environment. Everyone got a lot from the morning and it was a fantastic way of introducing a new topic to the students.

A BIG thank you to Emily Miller and the Migration Museum Project for your time and resources. It really was a thought provoking and interesting morning which inspired lots of discussion and a real enthusiasm for this aspect of British history from students, an aspect which is still very much relevant to Britain today.

If you would like to look into the Migration Museum Project yourself then head to: http://www.migrationmuseum.org/ Tweet @MigrationUK

When Psychology and charity collide.

In the few weeks before half-term, the Year Twelve Psychologists ran a ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’ competition in an effort to raise money for the Acorns Children’s Hospice. Plenty of students and staff placed their guesses in the hopes of getting their hands (and mouths) on such a sugary bounty. The jar containing 239 sweets was eventually won by Oliver Lambon, who was only one out with a guess of 240. Congratulations to him.

But, being Psychology, was the competition all it seemed or was there something much more devious going on? In fact it was indeed a psychological experiment into conformity. Based on the work of Solomon Asch, the Year Twelves wanted to see if participants would tailor their guesses to previous estimates because of the uncertainty created by sweets/jar conundrum.

The type of conformity shown in an experiment like this is known as informational conformity and I can happily report that the vast majority of participants did place guesses very close to the baseline prompts written at the start of the estimate sheet.

My apologies to anyone who feels deceived by the process, but it was all for a good cause!

Thanks for your participation.

Mr Moss (Head of Psychology)

HUMANITIES HUMANITIES

A visit from the Migration Museum Project

HMD 2014 Monday 27th January was Holocaust Memorial Day. This year’s theme was Journeys to mark the many and varied journeys people have taken in relation to the Holocaust and other genocides.

Journeys to the ghettoes, concentration camps, sometimes journeys of escape or to safety; other times journeys of selfdiscovery or understanding.

In form time and assemblies students had the opportunity to discuss the different journeys people went on during and after the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. Humanities students had the chance to explore some of these themes in more depth in their lessons.

On the Monday I took 2 of our 6th form students (Nicola and Katie) to an HMD service in Bromsgrove, where they had been invited to talk about their visit to Auschwitz last year and the work that they have done since to raise awareness and money for various charities supporting human rights. Following readings from different students from other Bromsgrove schools, Katie and Nicola spoke in detail about their trip and project; mentioning some shocking statistics that really made you think.

Their speech was hugely impressive and a number of adults commented afterwards about how well they had spoken and that it had inspired them to visit Auschwitz too.

This year 2 more of our 6th form students have been given the opportunity to take part in the national Lessons From Auschwitz programme.

Megan and Becky, along with Miss Brookes will spend the day at Auschwitz in March. Look out for the summer edition of the Star for information about their trip.

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HUMANITIES

Sixth formers have their say on National TV After applying, a number of Woodrush Sixth Form students and Politics teacher Mr Lovell were lucky enough to be chosen to be appear on BBC Three’s ‘Free Speech’. The programme centres on a live debate, which is led by a youth audience and is broadcast monthly. Upon arrival at Birmingham Central Mosque, we took our seats in a built for purpose studio and began a number of practice debates before going live. The first of which centred on whether the UK should have a Royal Family, with Ollie (Head Boy for the Sixth Form) taking the hot seat of a panellist. However, Ollie was soon ushered away to prepare his question for the live debate.

Then it was lights, camera, action! Presenter Rick Edwards arrived on stage and in a matter of minutes we were live! The panellists that joined the discussion were comedian Heydon Prowse, journalists Mehdi Hasan and Paris Lees, Liberal Baroness Susan Kramer and entrepreneur/ex Conservative Shazia Awan. The first point for debate was to discuss the BBC’s recent announcement that BBC3 is to become an online channel and will no longer be available on TV. Both myself and Ollie engaged in this area by providing facts and statistics to the panellists and questioning their views on the subject. Following on from this was the discussion point: ‘Is the UK government doing enough for youth unemployment?’. Mr Lovell was quick to express his viewpoint to the studio audience that young people need to vote more to make the issue of greater importance to politicians.

However, the debating did not end there with Ollie asking the panel the question: ‘Should the electorate be given the right to decide for themselves whether the UK should be part of the European Union?’. At this stage, Dan passionately announced to the panel “behind you says Free Speech, so practice what you preach and let’s have a referendum”.

Overall, the evening was an unforgettable experience that gave us a chance to voice our opinions on a range of relevant and current issues.

I know I can speak for Lois, Nicola, George, James, Dan and Ollie when I say that we had a fantastic time and relished our moment in the political spotlight.

Much of the discussion on the night was about giving youth a voice with issues that matter in modern society. For one night, a group of students from Woodrush Sixth Form (and their Politics teacher) made sure that their opinions were heard!

by Jay (Deputy Head Boy/editor of ‘The Sixth Newsletter’)

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On a cold day in December our three intrepid Year 13 Geographers set out with Mr. Cooper on a walking tour of the city centre of Birmingham.

The group has been studying the World Cities module for their Contemporary Geographical Issues examination in June and we decided that there is no better way to explore the recent changes to the Central Business District and inner urban area of a major city than to look at the one on our doorstep! Our visit started at the Park Central redevelopment of old municipal housing at Lee Bank, just outside the city centre. From there we went to Brindley Place, from where we walked along the canal side to St. Pauls Square to look at gentrification in the Jewellery Quarter.

After a brief coffee stop we crossed through Birmingham to the Bull Ring to view one of Europe’s largest retail redevelopments of recent times. All the while the students were taking notes, drawing field sketches and answering questions about the evidence of, and about their opinions of, the changes and redevelopment to the city centre area that they could see all around them.

Finally we completed our tour with a look at recent regeneration projects of two of Birmingham’s most iconic buildings, the City Library and New Street Station.

Birmingham has a wealth of urban geography in its midst and on the evidence of our walk it is well worth a closer look!

Mr. Cooper

Caring for baby scheme As part of their course work the students are taught about the life stage ‘Infancy’, which is from 0-3 years old, and it was no surprise to find that most of the students thought that babies were “cute, fun, and adorable” and that babies would be lovely to have. This then gave us the idea that we really needed to broaden the life experiences of our students by giving them an opportunity to understand the reality and responsibility of what caring for a baby would really be like. So the Department took delivery of two ‘electronic’ babies, a boy and a girl, and at the beginning of March we ran a two week programme to allow our Year 9 students to become parents for 24 hours.

Each baby was programmed and then students issued with a set of 5 keys that needed to be inserted into the special box in the back of the baby when the baby began to cry. Each morning the babies were collected from one set of very exhausted students and given to another set of very excited students.

The feedback from the students has been positive and they have all said that it was a worthwhile experience and for most of them it has made them re-evaluate the idea that a baby is “cute, adorable and fun”, especially when you are tired and trying to deal with a crying baby in the middle of the night!

HUMANITIES

Bringing urban Geography to life!

Our next GCSE Geography stars?

On the last Wednesday of the Autumn Term eight of our very talented cohort of Year 8 geographers took part in a schools’ day at Birmingham University.

The purpose of the visit was to enthuse students even more about the exciting possibilities involved with studying Geography to GCSE, A level and even beyond. The day was very hands-on and, as well as learning about plate tectonics and urban regeneration, students had the chance to create and measure a mini earthquake, investigate the trade footprint created by the shoes they were wearing and plan their ideal new eco-school. All eight students were inspired by what they learnt and saw and the day certainly made them reflect on the ‘fun’ side of exam level Geography and consider some hitherto unimagined career possibilities connected with Geography qualifications – everything from being a meteorologist to investigating the location of new energy and mineral sources!

Fraser measures the impact of a mini earthquake whilst Alex appreciates the variety of rock types found not only on Planet Earth but also in Birmingham University’s Lapworth Museum of Geology!

Mr. Cooper

Mrs Hatton

World War One centenary commemorations This year marks 100 years since the start of World War One. We are looking for anyone who is interested to help us prepare for our WWI centenary programme. If you have any stories, artefacts or you would like to be involved please contact Miss Graham or any member of the Humanities Team.

25

HAIRSPRAY

Review of Hairspray the movie Hairspray is an energetic film, but it shows and gives a clear understanding of life in the 60’s. Tracey Turnblad is the star of the show, she is a strong character and a good role model who cares less about fitting in and more about the daytime dance programme ‘The Corny Collin’s Show’ which she adores and dreams of appearing on.

The film deals with the issue of racism in the 60’s and teaches us about the civil rights movement. Tracy takes on the cause; she proudly joins Motormouth and her friends in a dance-off to end segregation – at least on the Corny Collins Show!

The film and show appeals to all ages and will have you up on your feet, dancing and joining in!

By Lydia & Sacha – year 9

Hairspray Diary!

At the start of the rehearsals, the whole cast was called to the hall after school to practice the songs. We were separated into three groups; top, middle and bottom, depending on the range of your voice (top is a high singing voice, bottom is a deep singing voice and middle is in between the two). We were separated into groups so that we could sing harmonies. We practised ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ and when we had perfected this, we moved on to ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’. Every rehearsal would start off with a warm song, for example one of our favourites was a song called ‘toe knee chest nut’, which is very funny.

Every Tuesday the singing ensemble meets after school to practise. We are singing harmonies in most of the songs and I am in top. We have learnt ‘Mama I’m A Big Girl Now’, ‘I Can Hear The Bells’, ‘The Nicest Kids In Town’ and ‘Welcome To The 60’s’. I have learnt all the songs I need to know so far, but there are many more to come. We also practice during Wednesday lunch time to go over the songs as if we are on stage.

Wednesday 8th The first drama practice we worked on the prologue, ‘Good Morning Baltimore’.

We worked very hard in this rehearsal to get it to an amazing standard. We worked through the words and the scene for every line. I won’t tell you what happens but it certainly starts the show off with a bang!

Friday 10th We moved on to act 1 scene 1, this was the Corny Collins show. This was a fun and a creative scene to put together. I can’t wait to see the costumes for that scene! We all worked hard again to make this scene a great success.

Wednesday 15th We moved onto act 1 scene 2, at the start we were allocated the part of either a mom or a girl. This was the scene of the audition for the new Corny Collins show member. I had to play an over the top girl auditioning to be on the corny Collins show. I really enjoyed this too.

Friday 17th We worked on act 1 scene 3 which is when Tracy goes to audition and she bumps into Link; the part where she sings ‘I can hear the bells’. I also have to sing this along with the singing ensemble. In this we are swaying while the dancers dance on the front of the stage. All the cast from, main parts to singers to dancers, are working very hard to make the show as good as possible.

Ellie-Kay 8B2.

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We recently ran a house competition to design the school Hairspray logo (above). This will appear on all merchandise including tickets, programmes and the cast t-shirts. Well done for the impressive winning design which was a joint effort between Larissa and Eliza (both 7L2).

Producer’s Note This year Woodrush students chose Hairspray to be the school production.

There are so many students involved in several different ways; from the BTEC Art 6th formers who have designed and made the set, to the cast of over 70 students who have been rehearsing since before Christmas for 4 hours every week after school, to the backstage crew and hair and make-up teams.

Mr Hall, Mrs Sheppard and Mrs Thomas have been working extremely hard to get everything to come together. Mr Hall has been using his own experience as a professional performer to direct the cast, Mrs Sheppard has been ensuring the singers and musicians perform to an exceptional standard and Mrs Thomas has been cutting some moves with the dancers! This year is the first year that learning co-ordinator Mrs Cassidy and I have produced a show. Our role involves general organisation, arranging t-shirts and trips and being in charge of the budget. We have thoroughly enjoyed our role, and have learnt just how many hours all of the team put into making the production what it is.

Everybody involved has shown so much dedication and we are hoping this year to be the best ever production!

Mrs Bullivant

1) How did you prepare for the auditions? Were you nervous?

Well, fortunately Matt (plays Edna) and I were able to audition together which I think helped our chance of getting the parts, as we bounced off each other.

I wasn’t really nervous, I doubt Matt or Jake (plays Link) were either, we all study drama so we’re all used to performing and auditioning in front of people.

2) How are rehearsals going?

Rehearsals are going well, we are a bit behind but we’re all working hard to make up for that. We rehearse Tuesdays and Fridays, 3 till 5 and singers, dancers and actors will sometimes have to go somewhere during lunch time to

HAIRSPRAY

played by Joe T

rehearse scenes. It’s not just the cast that has to sacrifice their time, it’s also the teachers like Mr Hall, Mrs Sheppard and Mrs Thomas that have to also.

3) What are the best and worst bits of being involved in a school play?

Well I’d say for everyone who is involved and Hairspray and in year 11 like myself, it would be managing your time to do everything else, like revise or even just go out? The best is thing is techniques you learn off others.

4) What is Mr Hall like as a director?

Mr Hall is a great director, he has some fantastic ideas and he knows exactly how to stage them which is easier said than done. He can get stressed when people don’t listen to his instructions or forget their blocking which is fair enough. If you’re struggling with your character and you don’t know how to portray him/her he will have an idea for you. He is a very talented director and actor.

BTEC Art students have designed and painted the set as a project to go towards their final qualification. The students were given a brief and had to meet with the production team on several occasions to talk through their ideas and show design boards.

The production team are extremely impressed with the exciting ideas for a moving set and know it will add to the overall performance in a great way.

Year 13 BTEC students: Kate, Kerry, Maddy & Gemma

Andalucia Trip October 2014 Hopefully KS4 and KS5 pupils will have secured their places on the exciting Spanish trip this October!

We will be flying to Seville to spend 5 days in sunny Andalucia in Southern Spain. We are looking forward to visiting some of the nearby towns such as Granada, Marbella and Seville as well as learning how to Flamenco dance! Wish you were there? Ask to have your name on a reserve list and watch this space for more exciting MFL trips!!!

Rome July 2014 We are getting really excited about the forthcoming Rome trip now, just ask Jemma S in year 9 and she will tell you precisely how many sleeps are left!!!!

Read all about it in an upcoming edition of the Star!

Ardèche July 2015 Do you fancy spending a week in the South of France next Summer?

Voulez-vous pratiquer un peu le Français? Like the idea of trying out some new sports? Coming soon, information on a Water Sports Trip to Ardèche, France…

Mrs Croxall will reveal all soon!!!

DID YOU KNOW?

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

An interview with Wilbur Turnblad from Hairspray;

We may well have played an April Fools on someone this year, but in Italy, France and Belgium, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other’s back as a trick and shout “April fish!” in their local languages (pesce d’aprile!, poisson d’avril! and aprilvis!)

At this time of year, people will often send a greetings card with these messages on them as well as little fish shaped chocolates!

Adios International Man of Mystery!!

Wishing you all the best for your new adventure abroad, We will all miss you MFL team

27

STEM

STEM Club

We got our C Back in November six year 11 pupils took their GCSE in mathematics, having previously taken it at the end of year 10.

Two of the pupils were within 2 marks of achieving their C grade in year 10 but unfortunately those 2 marks defeated them and they ended up with a D grade.

It was therefore a real challenge for them to improve on their year 10 results and achieve their C grades.

They worked really hard with Mrs Courts in lessons and also came in during the October half term holiday and spent a day working on extra revision with Mrs Dawson. They sat the exam on Wednesday 6th and Friday 9th November and then it was just that awfully long wait until we got the results on Thursday 9th January.

It was with great delight that I was then able to inform all six of them that they had achieved their goal and gained a grade C in mathematics at GCSE. Since then Sophie has decided that she wants to improve even further on her grade and has been attending maths lessons with Mr Walton in order to try and achieve a B grade.

We wish her well in the summer and congratulations go to all six pupils – Sophie, Matt, Luke, Rita, Dylan and Mia – well done!

Mrs Courts

This term in STEM club, our students have been continuing their projects to build a programmable LEGO robot. Our team of enthusiastic and dedicated builders and programmers have been developing their skills throughout the last 12 months, in preparation for the First LEGO League national competition.

In November, eleven of our students drove down to Loughborough University to take part in the first stage of the tournament. There were many schools taking part in the event, many who were vastly more experienced, but this did not deter our students in the slightest.

Our students used this opportunity to look at the designs of veteran teams, they then set about tweaking their own robot using the good ideas that they had gathered. Students competed three times throughout the day, testing their robot against the various challenges

Year 10 Maths Day Out We arrived at the University of Birmingham at 9:15 on Friday 9th February to take part in a mathematics competition. When we arrived we were promptly ushered into a section of the University in which the competition would take place. By the time we got there most of the other teams had arrived, with one team coming from Herefordshire! After about 10 minutes the competition had begun.

The first round was a random mathematical knowledge quiz, in which we did rather well, having placed around middle. However, the rounds became progressively harder, for which the second round was extremely challenging, that contained a modified Sudoku puzzle which we almost completed, and finally, with the base six round being the hardest. Eventually we came to a mathematics relay round in which, unfortunately, we encountered an unexpected problem with rules which resulted in our time being substantially squandered. However, we did have a good time and enjoyed the day and I would recommend it for next year’s students.

Eliot and James

28

that were set to them. Our students managed themselves well as a team having already decided on specific roles for every member. At the end they even presented to judges on issues such as their team ethos and the reason behind their robot design and its programming.

STEM club were excellent ambassadors for our school and although they did not continue to further stages in the tournament, judges commented on how well they had used the experience to co-operate and learn from other teams.

Most importantly, students all said that it was ‘fun’ and they ‘can’t wait to go again’!

STEM club looks forward to taking part in the robot games again next year and will be building and programming every Tuesday after school in science.

If you would like to join in please see Mr. Roberts in S6.

STEM

Big Phyisics Quiz In January, twelve of our keen year 9 scientists, with a particular interest for physics, took part in Birmingham University’s ‘Big Physics Quiz 2014’.

Students arrived at the great hall in Birmingham and were stunned by the grandness of the building and the number of other students taking part. In total there were around 400 students, in 90 teams, coming from about 40 different schools, so there was a lot of competition!

Students took part in multiple rounds, all based on different areas of physics.

Question difficulty ranged from the ‘obvious’ to the ‘mind blowing complicated’ but it was always interesting and impressive to discover just what our students knew, outside of the curriculum that they are taught within school.

There was a brief break in the day, when one of the UK’s leading Astrophysicists delivered a keynote speech on the wonders of space, how we use physics to look back at an early universe, and some of the challenges presenting the modern day physicist.

When our students admitted that they had struggled in some rounds, and that some of the questions were incredibly challenging, we were worried about how we would do. But when the scores were in, Woodrush had tied for 9th place, which considering the number of students at the event is very impressive!

As this is an annual for year 9’s these students will not be able to participate again but, if you are in year 8 and physics is your thing, watch this space!

Intermediate Maths Challenge

Pythagoras and Number Day During December the Maths Department had the perfect opportunity to don their trend setting ‘I Love Maths’ t-shirts on two occasions within the space of seven days.

The first special day was on 5th December 2013 (5-12-13 being a Pythagorean Triple) and the second for Number Day which was held on 11th December 2013 (11-12-13 – three consecutive numbers).

During the day pupils took part in various fun Maths activities during Maths lessons and also had the opportunity to take part in a house competition by hunting for the members of staff who matched a set of Mathematical questions, such as ‘Which members of staff are imaginary?’ or ‘Which members of staff are perfect?’

Do you know what Imaginary and Perfect numbers are?

The Intermediate Maths Challenge successfully went ahead on Thursday 6th February, with 30 pupils from year 9 and ten taking the paper. Unfortunately the results were slightly lower than in previous years but there were still five pupils who achieved high enough to receive a certificate from the University of Leeds. Bronze certificates were awarded to James A and James C in year 10 and Adam and Jordan in year 9.

Alanna, in year 9, was awarded a Silver certificate.

James C and Alanna also get best in year certificates and special congratulations go to Alanna who receives the ‘Best in School’ certificate.

Well done to everyone who took part – let’s see if we can achieve even more certificates next year.

Twycross Zoo Trip On Thursday 6th March, Mr Ellis, Miss Taylor and I took 39 Year 12 and Year 13 students to Twycross Zoo. Year 12 students took part in a lecture on evolution and selection, whilst Year 13 students took part in a workshop in animal behaviour. The workshop was led by one of the zoos zoologists who specialised in primate behaviour.

Students learnt about the different types of behaviour and then got the opportunity to observe them first hand.

There was also time to visit all of the other animals, including a two day old elephant.

Miss Hollingworth

29

STEM

The Malvern Festival of Innovation

Tomato Tarte Tatin Serves: 4 Takes: 10 minutes to make + 25-30 minutes to cook 250g Puff Pastry 3 Tbsp Light Soft Brown Sugar 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar 25g Unsalted Butter About 2 X 225g Packs Cherry Tomatoes On The Vine (Enough To Cover Your Pan) Spring Fresh Rosemary Or Fresh Thyme (Optional) • Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 190C/ Gas 6. Roll out the pastry to a circle to fit your pan, about 25cm diameter and set aside. Gently heat the sugar and vinegar in an ovenproof frying pan until the sugar has dissolved. Add the butter and heat gently until melted.

• Remove the pan from the heat, add the tomatoes and herbs, if using, and top with pastry. Bake for 25 minutes.

• Very carefully, hold a large plate over the tarte and turn it out onto the plate, watching out for hot juices. approx. per serving; Calories 365 Serves 4 Fat 20.4g Med 29% Saturates 3.4g Low 17% Sugars 19.3g Med 21% Salt 0.6g Low 9% of your guideline daily amount

During November 2013, five of Woodrush’s talented Design and Technology specialists were exclusively selected to attend this year’s much discussed and celebrated Festival of Innovation based in Malvern.

The experience was organised by Key IQ Ltd to showcase innovation in both technology and business practice, with an aim to bring together a topical but interesting mix of themes that encapsulate some of today’s cutting-edge thinking and encourage students to explore the subject of ‘innovation’.

Jessica B, William B, Samantha H, Daniel T and Morgan T were involved in this exciting and inspiring day which included a session constructing their own Raspberry Pie, building their own working Ball Launcher using specialist engineering equipment and graphically created their own interpretation of a working camera using a design programme in a specially designed Mac suite.

A fantastic, inspiring and revolutionary day which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

The Woodrush Big Knit In October 2013, six of Woodrush Design and Technology A-level Textiles promising new design talent took a step back to more traditional approach of creating innovative pieces by signing themselves up for the Innocent Smoothie Big Knit Campaign in aid of the charity organisation, Age UK. Our talented A-Level Textile students, Victoria, Gina, Annabell, Lottie, Megan and Lois dusted off their knitting needles and rummaged for their favourite balls of wool and began clicking away designing and constructing these beautiful little beanies which were then whisked off to the innocent smoothie factory, ready to be fitted to the perfect bottle for distribution across the UK!

This creative annual campaign is set up by Innocent Smoothie who donate 25p to Age UK for every bottle sold with a Woolly Hat on.

These invaluable donations help keep thousands of elderly people across the UK warm and healthy during the winter months!

Keep an eye out for our Woodrush hats in your local supermarkets and Tweet @ WoodrushDnT if you spot one!! #Knit 1 Purl 1

10% discount with a copy of the Woodrush Star on all products available 30

STAFF SPOTLIGHT From left to Right Richard and Ainsley our 6th formers, Sheron Baker, Lesley Smith, Sarah Kenney, Lisa Loughran, June Marsh, Malcolm Daniels and Jean George. Missing from the picture are Nula Cridge and 6th form students Alex, Tom and Elizabeth.

The Woodrush Site Team In the back ground of the school network there are a team of Cleaners and site staff that keep the school clean and safe for staff and students, a team who have pride and commitment in the job that they do in keeping Woodrush looking clean and tidy for each new day. The Site team consists of Mr Abell the Site Manager, Mr Garey his assistant and Mr Swain, the young handy man as we call him at the age of 78 in April who has a wealth of knowledge and experience we could not do without.

Mr Abell

I started at Woodrush in July 2009 as the School Site Manager. My duties include the general maintenance of the buildings and grounds. I also oversee any maintenance work completed by external contractors and any building projects, for example the recent window replacements in the Maths block and Hall. It is my responsibility to ensure the school is safe, clean and tidy each day for students and staff and I open and close the school each day. I love the outdoors and have recently taken on training to be a D of E instructor.

Mr Garey

I started at Woodrush in 2010. Originally I started here as a Cleaner but gained promotion to Assistant Caretaker where my role is to support the Site Manager in the day to day operation of the school site. On a sunny day I will be out on my motorcycle most weekends and I am a star gazer at night where you will find me in my backyard observatory.

Mr Swain

I have worked part time as the school Handy Man for about twelve years. My wife and I have been married for 49 years and have two sons who both went to school at Woodrush. My background is in Engineering and during this time I worked on large fabrications that were sent all over the world. I also served for three years in the armed forces in Egypt alongside the Suez Canal and Cyprus. Every day is different and challenging and I enjoy being part of the Site Team.

At Woodrush we have a team of eight permanent cleaners and five 6th form students whom each have responsibility for an area of the school.

June Marsh - is our longest serving member of staff at the school starting at Woodrush in 1974, when the Language block was not even built and there was a swimming pool which is now the quad. June says “When I started there were twenty one cleaners on site and I have worked under four Head teachers, four Caretakers and seen many staff come and go. We are all one big happy team” Lisa Loughran has worked at Woodrush for eight years and lived at the school for many years as her parents were Caretakers of the school previously. Lisa’s cleaning area is in the Language block and says “I work for the best department”. She also loves vintage clothes and walking her three pug dogs.

Nula Cridge has worked Woodrush for four years and her cleaning areas are Science and Maths. Nula loves to spend her weekends in Stratford.

Sarah Kenny is our newest team member and she cleans some of the offices and classrooms. Sarah has four teenage children and enjoys going to college and the gym.

Sheron Baker has been cleaning the Science department for the past six years. Sheron’s hobbies include horse riding, decorating and gardening.

Jean George has worked at Woodrush for thirteen years her cleaning areas are part of the English department, the Drama studio and some of our offices. Jean enjoys gardening and being involved with looking after horses.

Malcom Daniels is responsible for cleaning the sports department in the school and he also looks after the first aid room and toilets. Malcom enjoys gardening, car maintenance and general DIY. Other team members include Lesley Smith who takes care of the main offices and other areas of the school, plus we have a team of 6th form students who cover staff absences and vacancies.

If you would like to be part of the Woodrush Cleaning team then please call Mr Abell on 01564 823777 for an application form and details.

31

HUMANITIES CREATIVE ARTS

Creative Arts Trip Report I am very happy to report that this term we successfully visited ‘Unit Twelve’ with 30 year 9 and year 10 students who took part in a full day’s workshop with artist Jennifer Collier. They spent the day working in the studio exploring a range of techniques and processes including mixed media textiles, wax trapping and plastic fusion to produce some very lovely outcomes in the form of cakes and tea sets.

The work produced on the day counts directly towards their GCSE coursework for the project ‘Sugar and Spice’ which they are currently studying and has inspired further ideas for work in this style which will contribute to their final pieces for the project. Thanks to Mr Thewlis for driving the minibus on our first outing and for the photographs of pupils in action.

If you are interested in the style of work, check out Jennifer’s website at ‘www.jennifercollier.co.uk’.

She runs workshops for groups and individuals throughout the year as do the other four artists that have studio spaces at Unit Twelve. After our visit I would highly recommend popping along!

Goodbye from Miss Loomes As most of you now know I am leaving at Easter to start a new adventure in the Middle East. I move to Oman on the 16th April where I will continue to teach Art as well as English. I am also going to have the opportunity to be an artist for a while and am looking forward to having more time to spend developing my own skills and creating some personal work. Thank you to all staff and pupils who have made my year at Woodrush an enjoyable experience, I have really appreciated the time spent here and wish you all the best continuing on in the delightful British weather whilst I get to grips with the heat of the desert sun! A special good luck to my year 9 and 10 pupils who have made a great start to their GCSE’s... I hope you continue to exceed expectations over the next year or two :) Miss Loomes

HOLIDAYS BY COACH Door to Door Service Friendly Drivers Special Requests Pre Booked Seats Private Day Excursions hollywoodtravel@chessbroadband.co.uk

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As part of Farmhouse Breakfast Week, the ‘Shake Up Your Wake Up’ team organised the Best Breakfast Awards, a national campaign to find the UK’s tastiest morning delights.

Simon Beckett, Managing Director of Becketts Farm commented: ‘We are immensely proud to learn that our ‘Old Faithful’ English breakfast was named Best Breakfast in the Midlands, and was also placed 2nd nationally. To us, this is recognition of the great quality, locally-sourced produce that our chefs use. We would like to say a huge thanks to all the Becketts breakfast fans who voted for us.’

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Becketts Farm Restaurant wins title of ‘Best Breakfast in Midlands’

Becketts ‘Old Faithful’ is a hearty, classic English breakfast guaranteed satisfy the biggest appetites. Made from only the freshest, great tasting produce, the ‘Old Faithful’ breakfast is famous throughout the West Midlands area. Juicy back bacon, succulent pork sausages, free range eggs, grilled tomato, fried bread, button mushrooms, fried potatoes, all topped off with hot buttered toast.

BECKETTS ‘OLD FAITHFUL’ BEST BREAKFAST IN THE MIDLANDS! A massive THANK YOU to all our wonderful customers and friends who helped make our ‘Old Faithful’ the best breakfast in the Midlands.

Becketts ‘Old Faithful’ also boasts some of the lowest food miles around as all the ingredients come from here in the West Midlands.

Every free range egg is laid in Bromsgrove, our bacon comes to us from Stourbridge, our sausages are made fresh every morning in Stirchley, our tomatoes and mushrooms come from Evesham and our bread is baked on-site at Becketts’ Bakery every morning.

So next time you’re in the area, do drop in and ask for our awardwinning ‘Old Faithful’ breakfast – mouth-watering breakfast yumminess only by Becketts!

in the Farmhouse Breakfast Awards.

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Chick Hatching

Animal Farm

Egg Decorating

33

SPORTS

Sixth Form Sisters

Karate Champion (Kathryn writes about her sister Elisabeth’s achievements. Both Kathryn and Elisabeth are currently studying for A level qualifications in Woodrush Sixth Form) I am very proud of my elder sister, Elisabeth, and her fencing achievements.

Although she is one of the best epee fencers in Europe, she is always very modest and doesn’t like to talk about her achievements; and she is just as pleased when our younger sister, Alex, and I do well in our sport.

In July 2013, Liza was one of only 2 female epeeists to be selected onto the British Fencing World Class Talent Programme. She had to pass a 2 day selection programme of physical, technical and mental tests to achieve this and now attends regular national squad training sessions in London. She has also been selected as part of the government funded TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) programme which is run from Birmingham University and designed to help her training; as well as adding to her extensive Adidas clothing collection!

With regard to her fencing, she has continued to represent Great Britain (GB) in the Under 20 (Junior) World Cup series; and she was also selected for the senior team, although she is concentrating on her own age group this season. Last month, Liza was invited to represent GB at the Junior European Championships in Jerusalem and was the highest placed GB fencer at women’s Epee. In addition, at the beginning of the season Elisabeth was also chosen to represent England at the UK school games and won gold medals in both the individual and team epee events.

Liza being Liza will be embarrassed by this article, but I thought it was time I got my own back on her for when she wrote an article about me! I’m sure now she will be hiding somewhere (or perhaps I am the one that will need to hide when she reads this article!).

I don’t tell Liza this very often but I am actually extremely proud of her achievements as not many can say they have an international fencer as a sister!

Aston Villa 6-a-side Football Tournament The floods were hopefully a thing of the past and the sun had come out to help the country start to dry.

Woodrush girls from year 8 were en-route to Salford Park; home of the 6-a-side football hosted by Aston Villa Football Club.

The girls started well with a 4-0 win, and all the goals were scored by Lucy F. CTC were our next opponents and the girls battled well but went down to a 3-0 loss to a very good side (losing semifinalists to the eventual winners).

The girls were back to their flowing best in the final game, but were pegged back to a 1-1 respectable draw. A creditable second place was earned by the Woodrush wonder girls.

Well done from Mr T.

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Harrison has recently competed in a local GKR tournament (Central zone) in which he came 1st and winning Gold in both Kata and Kumite in the open division, open for those with black belt and above in the aged 14 - 18 category.

Harrison was then asked to step into the senior teams for Kumite (over 18’s) in which he competed in a team with his older brother, again winning Gold, what a fantastic achievement.

During March, Harrison will be having GB training in Liverpool, attending a NAS Open Championship meeting in Bradford and the next day the Kaizen Cup Open in Essex where he will be competing in both the Junior Open and Senior teams again.

Looking forward to July, Harrison will be off to Japan where we wish him all the very best of luck for the WKO All Japanese Karate World Championship.

Good luck Harrison, we are sure you will enjoy the experience and hopefully come home with a medal!

Mrs Bishop

The season 2013/14 at Woodrush has proven, so far, to be one of great success across all levels and ages within the club.

Since our last update the Woodrush RFC has continued to grow from strength to strength. The club itself has recently undergone some renovations to the club lounge with some further developments scheduled for the near future. Our development team is actively seeking funding through the rugby football union social space grant application, sponsored by the IRB as part of the rugby World Cup England 2015. Plans to improve the car parking, lights and drainage are all also in the pipeline with an RFF Funding application in process.

On the playing field itself the first team squad is currently riding high at the top of their division and the 2nd team (Rangers) is also winning more than their fair share of games.

The Mini and Junior teams under the leadership of Bob Boden has flourished and, despite the poor weather at the start of the year, now boasts over 130 children registered from ages 7 to 16 and the numbers are still rising with new members joining each week. Such is the success of the club’s Mini and Junior teams that the Under 7’s and Under 8’s team were recently invited to play at the Worcester Warriors premier league home stadium during the halftime break and put on some demonstration games.

As mentioned in previous articles Woodrush boasts one of the best Micro Rugby organizations in the Midlands with young children aged between 4 and 6 all enjoying the fun and games of pre-Rugby rules with a number of last micro’s moving up to U7’s level.

The season will soon be drawing to a close but all at Woodrush are looking forward to the next season already and as has been mentioned before, Woodrush is always looking for new players to join and build on the growing successes of the Rugby Club.

If you wish to join or would like to know more about Woodrush RFC ask your PE teacher for further details or contact Bob Boden, Mini and Junior Chairman, on 07966 310923.

Bring on 2014/15!

2013-14 u13 Boys Rugby Redditch District Tournament

SPORTS

Woodrush RFC

Game 1 played on 26th February 2014 Woodrush 47 Woodfield 0 Woodrush u13 rugby team started their defence of the Redditch District Tournament with a convincing win against Woodfield Middle School. The forwards managed to win and secure enough possession for the backs to run in 7 tries.

Woodrush tackled well in defence ensuring that no points were conceded.

Tries: Ben F (1), Ivor S (2), Lewis G (3) and Luke B (1) Conversions: Ben F (5).

Man of the match Will B. Game 2 played on 5th March 2014 Woodrush 53 Birchensale Middle School 7 Woodrush have secured their place in the semi-final of the Redditch District tournament when they cruised past Birchensale outscoring their opponents by 9 tries to 1. The game was played on an extremely muddy pitch but this did not prevent Woodrush from playing some good running rugby.

Tries: Luke B (1), Will B (1), Lewis G (3), Ivor (1), and Jordan M (3).

Man of the match Jordan M.

Sea Cadets Corps – South West Area 5-a-side The game to win the final was out of 400 Sea Cadets!

The first match was 10-1 to us, I was in goal.

The second game we again won comfortably at 6-2 to us; Tia, one of our Cadets, scored 5 goals and Olivia the other 1. We were winning them all until I let two goals in and we had a game with a 2-2 draw. I then swapped with Pindi and we got another win, 5-2 to us. Our last match was hard. We were drawing 1-1, then 2-2, and then it went to penalties with me going into goal again. It was 5 goals to the other team and 6 goals to us. Winners of the 5-a-side Sea Cadets!

By Celest 7B2

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SPORTS

Community United Wythall World Cup Date: Sunday 22nd June 2014 Time: 2:00pm Venue: Woodrush Sports Centre

7-aside Tournament between organisations within Wythall!

We are calling representatives from local: - Businesses - Teachers (Primary / Secondary) - Sports Clubs (Coaches / Leaders etc.)

- Churches - Police/Scout Leaders/Parish Council - Young people aged 17 - 19 (Sixth Formers)

This is great opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate the World Cup! If you and/or your colleagues would like to be involved in this event please contact Faye Parker at fparker@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk or for more information call 01564 823777 ext 7611.

As the flyer shows we are looking for a variety of teams, so if you do work for a local business or any other organisation then get in touch!

We are also looking to create a Parents 7 aside Team! If you are interested in being part of this please let us know.

BIO

I have only been at Woodrush for a few weeks and I have been welcomed by both the staff and pupils at this wonderful school. I am really looking forward to working in such a great PE team to raise the bar even higher and make PE enjoyable for all our pupils. I am particularly excited about the Woodrush World Cup Festival.

I am from Wolverhampton and follow the mighty Wolves (COYW), I like all sports but particularly tennis, football, cycling, skiing and any outdoor adventure activity.

Mr Francis – PE

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Woodrush Year 7 girls have had a fantastic start to their netball success. On Tuesday 28th January they qualified for the finals of the District qualifiers for the Worcestershire Games. On 11th February they travelled to Kingsley to compete against St. Bedes, Walkwood and Churchill Middle Schools. They played some fantastic netball and have really started to gel as a team.

We are looking forward to more successful wins from Year 7 throughout 2014. Well done girls.

Squad: Amaya, Sydney, Lucy, Rhea, Leah, Georgina, Kesia, Hannah, Vicki, Emily.

A fantastic start to 2014 for our Woodrush Sports Stars

To nish off the Tournament there will be a complimentary Pig Roast and celebration. Families will be welcome to watch and enjoy our refreshments and activities.

STAFF

Year 7 Girls Netball runners up in Worcestershire Games.

We have had a fantastic start to 2014 with many of our Woodrush sports gaining victory in District and County Competitions. We have also had exciting new clubs starting with countless students getting involved. We are thrilled to be able to share with you all of our sporting successes in this editions Woodrush Star. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our students for such a brilliant start to 2014 especially Year 7, and Year 10 boys football County Cup champions, Year 9 and 10 badminton players and our Cross Country runners who ran in the English School’s Cross Country.

We are looking forward to another exciting term in the PE department. Good luck to all our netball, rugby and football teams for next term’s fixtures. Also, remember to check out our ‘Sports clubs at Woodrush’ as we have had some new and exciting clubs including Power Circuits, X-fit and Bokwa. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind all Year 11s GCSE PE students that there are revision sessions taking place every Tuesday/Wednesday to help support you for your exam in May. Mrs Holtom-Brown

Sixth form Football team Vs Pulse Academy On Thursday the 20th March Woodrush’s 6th form football team hosted Andy Sintons’s (ex Wolves, Spurs and England international) Pulse Premier on the Astroturf. From the whistle, both teams started well with a high tempo. The visitors took the lead early on in the game. Woodrush replied with a stunning strike from Tom in the centre of the park. Pulse went ahead in the 30th minute but Woodrush did not give up and still fought on. This determination paid off when a 30 yard wonder-strike was slotted home from Lewis, making the scores level at the half time whistle. The second half began and both teams were equally matched. The visitors scored in the 50th minute putting them ahead by one. Woodrush were still in it, creating great goal scoring opportunities but just couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net. These missed opportunities were punishing when Pulse scored another two goals in quick concession on the counter attack. Even though losing the game 5-2 the boys played very well and did themselves proud, well done lads.

SPORTS

Woodrush raised over £2300 for Sports relief On Friday, 21st March Woodrush raised an incredible amount for sports relief by a variety of different events taking place. Every student in the school from Year 7 through the 6th form completed the ‘sports relief’ mile. There were some fantastic fancy dress outfits from ‘118’ to dinosaurs, batman and robin, Mario brothers, girls in tutus, boys in tutus and many more. Some students completed the mile tied to their friends, others piggy backed round, some skipped, cartwheeled or ran, others passed the football to each other, a couple rollerskated around and one even completed it on a tricycle. During lunchtime different event took place including beat the goalie, crossbar challenge, little mix’s warm up to word up, and slam dunk which helped raise money also. Overall, it was a fantastic effort by Woodrush and everyone should be really proud of themselves for raising such a huge amount of money for sports relief. Well done Woodrush.

Year 10 Football County Cup CHAMPIONS! Having knocked out last year’s finalists, the Year 10 football team were feeling confident going into the County Cup Final against Bewdley, which was hosted at Worcester University. The game was highly anticipated from both teams, and with both schools playing the same systems it was going to be a tight affair. The first half was fiercely contested and Bewdley took the lead which seemed to kick Woodrush’s game up the gears. After some excellent work from Scott down the left, Xavier was able to tie up the game before half time with a tidy finish. The second half was dominated by Woodrush and by Donovan in particular. Donovan managed to bag a hat trick, no mean feat for a County Cup Final, with Ash also getting on the score sheet with a cheeky lob. In the end, Woodrush ran out 5-1 winners and was no less than they deserved after some great performances in the cup this season. Donovan took the match ball home, and the Year 10 football team can now call themselves County CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

Worcestershire County Schools FA Teachers Xi v Aston Villa Old Stars This fixture was organised as a fundraiser for the Under 16 Worcestershire Schools FA Boys team who will be competing in the prestigious Dr Pepper Dallas Cup from the 11th – 20th April. All funds raised from this game went towards reducing the cost of the trip for pupils attending, and is a fantastic opportunity for them to represent their school, county and country in a world famous tournament.

From Woodrush came the duo of Mr Haskell and Mr Thewlis out of a squad of 16. The game was played over three, 30 minute segments, in an effort to let all players play at least 60 minutes.

Mr Haskell was itching to get on for the second segment and to parade his tricks, trips and timely tackles. In this instance we had to wait for another day’s football.

The game was set alight when Worcestershire School Teachers Xi took the lead and the first 30 minutes had elapsed. A quick change of team members meant that the talisman, Mr Thewlis, would go back to warm the bench. Mr Haskell had half an hour to strut his stuff, unfortunately 30 minutes was not enough and Aston Villa Xi got two quick goals.

The time had come in the final tri-segment for Mr Thewlis ‘the cat’ to feel free and express his feline qualities. Save after save brought the crowd to unbearable tension levels, one-on-ones, mid-air catches became common place for ‘the cat’!

The defence slowly weakened and under constant pressure ‘the cat’ made a superb left hand save but to his horror, the Aston Villa Xi were in an offside position to divert the ball goal-bound.

Undeterred the Worcestershire Xi pressed for goal and it came. Aston Villa pressed again and the unfortunate Cat was left stranded mid-air by his fullback (not Mr Haskell), who slotted the ball into his own net, resulting in an own goal.

Worcestershire Xi pressed again and some fine teamwork (including from Mr Haskell), resulted in a 3rd goal for the team.

Time was against the valiant teachers and eventually the final time whistle was blown.

Many thanks from Mr Haskell and Mr Thewlis to the staff and friends who attended the event. The pupils who will play in the Dallas Football tournament also thank you for your kindness.

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SPORTS

Worcestershire Winter Games Join BRAND NEW Woodrush

Badminton Club

Woodrush Badminton Social Nights

a friendly sociable club dedicated to the sport Badminton Better your skills by interacting with different ability levels at every court . . .

Mixed Ability at Intermediate Level for both Men and Women

Woodrush Sports Centre Sports Hall

Woodrush Sports Centre

MONDAYS & FRIDAYS

Sports Hall

8pm-10pm

WEDNESDAYS 8pm-10pm

Hire a Badminton Court for your own social group

Only £5.00 per session

Only £7.00 per court per hour

(One-off Club joining fee £10.00)

For more details on any of the information included above or to book a Badminton Court, please contact Woodrush Sports Centre: T. 01564 820 099 E. lettings@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk Woodrush Sports Centre Shawhurst Lane Wythall B47 5JW

W. www.woodrushsportscentre.co.uk

Early in the morning of Thursday 6th of March a team of sports hall athletes and 2 netball umpires left Woodrush to spend the day at Worcester University representing Redditch in the Winter Games. After the opening ceremony the netball umpires went to another venue to umpire the year 7 netball tournament. The year 7 boys’ athletic team started their competition with the obstacle relay and realised just how tough the competition was going to be.

Each event was fiercely competed and every point counted. The team were well motivated and supported each other every step of the way. They finished 4th just outside of the medals. The umpires were assertive and controlled their games well showing their understanding of the rules as well as having a good relationship with the players.

County Cross Country Competition

Regional Badminton Finals On Wednesday 19th March Abby, Sophie, Ellie, Lucy and Holly travelled to Wolverhampton University to represent Worcestershire in the Regional Badminton finals. We already knew that the matches were going to be tough as the players taking part were the best from the region.

The team were in a pool of 4 teams and needed to win at least 2 matches to have any chance of going through to the semi- finals. The first match was against Hereford and Abby got us off to a good start by winning her singles. The rest of the games followed suit and we had a 5-0 win. It was a great start and far better than the school had done at this stage before. Kingswinford were our next opponents and the team were on a roll and again had a 5-0 win. We were

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into the semi- final with one match to go. Avon Valley had also won their first 2 matches so this was a crunch match as to who would be winners and runners up of the pool. It went to the wire with everything resting on the last game which Avon narrowly won.

The semi- final saw the team facing King Edwards Camp Hill. Although the girls played well we lost 4-1 putting into a 3rd and 4th playoff against Avon who had lost to Trentham the eventually winners of the tournament. Again the matches were close and again it was 2-2 with the last game being the decider. The girls again lost the match 3-2 The team played extremely well, being supportive of each other and great ambassadors for the school and the county. Well done

Friday 21st March saw Ria and Leah join a team of 40 runners from Redditch who were competing in a competition in the Wyre Forest against teams from all the other areas in Worcestershire.

Although it was cold the sun shone which were ideal conditions for running. There was a great sense of team spirit in the Redditch camp with everyone encouraging and cheering the runners as they came up the hill to the finish. Leah finished 2nd and Ria 19th in the year 7 girls race. Redditch also won the team event in both the year 7 girls and the year 5 boys’ event.

February and March have seen the hockey teams in action starting with the U16 tournament just before half term. The team played Arrow vale and Saint Augustines in the district tournament winning both games very convincingly to become district champions for the season. A friendly match against Alcester grammar saw the team narrowly beaten 1-0 in a very fiercely contested game. The U14 team also played Alcester grammar where the tables were turned and Woodrush gained a 1-0 victory.

The year 8 and 7 hockey teams have been involved in district tournaments this half term. The year 8 started the ball rolling with the district tournament at the end of February played on a round robin basis. They made a great start with good wins against Woodfield and Birchensale. Their game against Alvechurch was scrappy and they did not play with the assertiveness and drive of the first 2 games and let a goal in early on which they never recovered from. A win against St Bede’s was needed to get among the medals. A focussed team took the field and worked hard to get the ball in the back of the net. A goal against the run of play resulted in a 1-0 defeat. The team finished 3rd and out

of the medals. The team played well and played with great sportsmanship aaccepting defeat with grace.

The year 7 team played St Bede’s in the final of the district competition at the end of March. The weather was wet but it did not dampen the spirit of the team. They played well together as a team supporting each other in both attack and defence. An early goal by Leah gave the team confidence and with the good goal keeping from Morgan the team went into the half time score 1-0 up. A second goal by Ria gave the team a buffer and they eventually won 2-0.

SPORTS

Hockey round up

Sports leaders Our sports leaders have been in action this term helping to lead a cross country and invasion games festival for two of our primary schools. They followed some very wet weather so the events were held on the astro turf. On both occasions we had heavy rain in the morning but the sun came out in the nick of time. The teams were very vocal and cheered themselves hoarse. A great time was had by all and our leaders did a great job of motivating and supporting the players and runners as well as taking care of them when they fell or did not feel well. Without the sports leaders the events would not have run so smoothly. A great job and well done.

Woodrush Wish Wyles Best of Luck in Dubai!

Ex-Woodrush student and cricketer Sam Wyles isn’t prepared to let an untimely groin injury stop him from righting the wrongs of England’s maiden international tour as he returns to Dubai.

Sam aged 23 was part of the England Physical Disability squad that travelled to the UAE for their first ever international tour in 2012 to play Pakistan in ODI and T20 action. Heading out on just a few months notice, England picked up just one win as they lost the ODI series 2-1 and the T20s 2-0 but they head back this week a different animal.

Sam, who plays his club cricket for Wythall, is desperate to turn the tide on Pakistan back in Dubai.

England will take on Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20 matches this month and Wyles, who has cerebral palsy, believes he can draw great experience from two years ago.

“I have worked quite hard, particularly my batting so fingers crossed we have a bit of a better time over there this time.

“Things have changed massively for me. It has been a great journey – it has grown and grown and grown. It’s a really exciting time to be a part of it.”

Follow the England Physical Disability squad in the UAE at www.ecb.co.uk.

Goodbye Mr Rogers Mr Rogers sadly left the PE department at the end of last half term for a new lifestyle in Abu Dhabi where he secured a job as a PE teacher. He will be missed by all staff and students. We have already received quite a few photos from Mr Rogers sunbathing on the beach during his weekends which shows he has settled in very well to his new lifestyle. We also would like to take this opportunity to welcome Mr Francis to the department.

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WOODRUSH YOUTH, SPORTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Woodrush Sports Centre Facilites to hire: Flood-lit astro turf pitch Sports Hall 4 Badminton Courts Tennis Courts Senior grass football pitch (91m x 59m) Junior grass football pitch (82m x46m)

ts r o p S h s u Woodr day h t r i B e r Cent Parties

School Hall with stage

Party l a m i n A •NEW l Party •Footbal arty P s t r o p s •MultiParty e l b a t a l nf •Jungle I y Games t r a P & •Fun

For more information or to book, contact Woodrush Sports Centre on: Tel: 01564 820 099 Or go to our NEW Sports Centre website: www.woodrushsportscentre.co.uk Email: lettings@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk Editors: Mrs J Peters & Mrs C Bishop E: woodrushstar@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk W: www.woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk Headteacher: Mr C King MSc, PGCE, NPQH Woodrush High School, An Academy for Students Aged 11-18, Shawhurst Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire B47 5JW T: 01564 823777 F: 01564 820092

NEW! ARTIFICIAL GRASS PITCH NOW OPEN NEW 1/3 Split Sections NEW Team Shelters NEW 7 aside goals - to book or reserve a slot please contact

Woodrush Sports Centre T. 01564 820 099 or E. lettings@woodrushigh.worcs.sch.uk Prices are as follows:

FACILITY Full AGP Adult: £87.00 Junior: £69.00

1/3 AGP Adult: £29.00 Junior: £23.00 *invoiced 10 week block bookings qualify for a 10% discount

© 2013 Woodrush High School. The Woodrush Star is published by Woodrush High School The use of school photos, videos and other digitally held material for publicity purposes. We often use pictures, names and videos for students for publicity purposes. In our weekly Friday newsletter The Woodrush Branch, and our magazine the Woodrush Star, we like to acknowledge and celebrate our students’ achievements, resulting in photos and names of students being printed. If you would prefer your child’s name/image not to be used for such purposes, please contact the school and the necessary arrangements will be made.

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