Solway Community Technology College Newsletter No.10

March 2012

A ttendance We are focussing on Attendance this term and next in an effort to bring to the attention of both pupils and parents the crucially negative effect of

missing school. We would encourage all parents to send their children to school punctually, every day, equipped and ready to engage actively in learning.

Unless pupils attend 95% we do not authorise time off except in exceptional circumstances. Pupils may only attend hospital appointments if we have sufficient notice accompanied by a copy of the official appointment letter. We would expect them also to collect work from staff for any lessons they may miss. I am sure you understand that pupils cannot make the progress they should, when they do not attend school. If you are a parent of a girl would you please be aware that our school uniform skirt should be of a decent length; many girls have been told several times not to wear inappropriately short skirts and I would appreciate your support in this matter. Equally, again with some girls in Year 9 and 10, they are wearing too much makeup. The rule states `discreet`, this means inconspicuous not caked on! Nail varnish is not allowed.

The Government will grant a Pupil Premium now to schools for each child who has or had free school meals. May I urge Parents to claim for these as school and thus your child will also benefit from both free school meals and from the Pupil Premium.

Parents will be eligible to apply if they are receiving Working Tax Credit or Income Support, or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, an income-related employment and support allowance, Child Tax Credit and their income is less than £16,190 or the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

All qualifying applicants will also be eligible for Clothing Grants.

We have forms in school, please do collect one from Reception.

Lois Baird Head teacher

O ur Visit to the Green On the 23rd of February the Year Eights and 3 teachers went to Silloth Green to look at the work being done. The Green in Silloth is being re-developed and updated which is costing £1.7 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. They are building a BMX track, a Graffiti wall, a new golf course and a new play zone for children-

which we were allowed to play on! They are improving the Victorian Pagoda, the paddling pool and Edwardian Toilets. We set off from school at 0ne o’clock and walked up to the Green. At first we weren’t totally sure where to go but we found the place in the end! We met Gary and Joe two of the developers. Next we had to sign in and get some helmets and luminous jackets. After the kafuffle over ‘my hair is ruined!’ and ‘I look ugly in this!’ Gary told us about how to be safe on site. We all followed Joe and Gary to the main part of the Green near the Arcade. Gary explained about the Rose Garden of the Queen’s coronation and how it is going to be re-planted; maybe even the Queen herself might come to see it! We carried on and went through a fence and walked over to the new water feature and music area. We went up to the Victorian Pagoda, but it was too dangerous to go inside. Gary took us up the hill and showed us the new children’s play zone. We all begged but Gary wouldn’t let us go on the play area but Gary let us go on one part. We all trudged to the top of the hill and looked down onto the new putting green. It looked really good, but when Ebony looked down her helmet flew off because of the wind! Then we listened to Gary explaining about the golf course and then ran down the hill almost hitting the fence!

We finally walked back over to the recycling area-where we started- and gave in our jackets and helmets. Then Gary said he would sign us out and we walked back to

school. Lorna de Mello

O ur Trip to the Green by Kyi Clymo and Jamie Warwick

We set off at 1 o’clock to visit the green and to see all the progress that they

have made. We had to wear yellow hard hats and green jackets so that we could go onto

the site safely. The green was very windy and Kyi’s hat came off and nearly knocked

someone over.

All of us had a great time and loved it there. There is going to be an adventure

playground, a bmx park, a new Victorian pagoda, new Edwardian toilets, a new putting

green, a water park, new park furniture and new improved lighting.

This is going to make the

green more attractive for the

locals and the tourists. The

green should finally be more

fascinating. Many thanks to

Gary and his hard working

Crew. Peyton Minnican

O ur trip to Silloth Green By Shannon Emmerson

On Thursday the 23rd we went at 1.00 to the green in our

opening minds lesson. We went to see the work that has been going on

at the green. We walked over to the green and when we got there the

first thing we had to do was each put on a high-viz jacket and a hard

hat. This was for health and safety. The site manager, Gary Dalgleish,

introduced himself to us and took us round the site.

We saw a BMX track, a climbing frame, an adventure

playground, a putting green and a

rose garden that was

for the Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee.

The green! Last Thursday, the year 8s took a trip to Silloth green. We were

given a tour of the site, to see what sort of things they have been

building, before we made our way onto the green we had to sign in and

because of health and safety we all had to wear hard hats and yellow

jackets. £1.1 million has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and

£100,000 from the Rural Regeneration for England. Possibly, there is

going to be a bmx track on the site, they did mention a camping site

for when there are music festivals. They had a lot of rose gardens

for the Queen’s coronation, where the old paddling pool use to be they

have filled it in and put in a water feature, a golf course, a music

events area next to the water features. There is also a children’s

adventure park right in the middle of the green, and where the

old shelter used to be at the very top of the green, they are

building a new

pagoda. They were

hoping to use the

old roof of the old

shelter, but it was

ruined, they did try to

keep Silloth’s history but

it would be too dangerous

to use again. It is hoped

to be finished sometime

this month.

Hannah Dubberley

Y r 11 – Mrs Quinn and Miss Jones

Yr 11 don’t have long left at school and, in the main, they have been working well in school. Now comes the final push for coursework and

revision for exams. We try to support them as much as we can as individuals and we know that some pupils need more/less than others. No-one knows their children as well as their parents do and so we hope that during this very stressful time you will be extra vigilant with them. You can do this by encouraging plenty of sleep, eating a good balanced diet, ensuring they get some fresh air and exercise, checking planners for deadlines, looking at their calendars and whilst some pupils may have jobs, ensuring that this does not conflict with the revision/work set by school. If you have any concerns please get in touch with either of us as soon as you can.

A ttendance – Mrs Quinn I recently held an attendance assembly as we were becoming increasingly concerned by the number of pupils who were

falling behind our school target for attendance. The response from the pupils has been fantastic and last week only 2 forms did not reach this school target of 95%. Our Yr 11s have a fantastic record, contrary to most other schools; Miss Jones and I compete for 100% attendance every week. Sometimes we get there but sometimes we don’t! Pupils find school so much easier when they attend every day as they know what has been going on in the previous lesson. Motivations are due soon and I plot these against attendance and display them on the wall outside my room. They make for interesting reading! Usually the pupils who are underachieving are the pupils who are frequently absent. They know who they are and are hopefully doing something about it themselves before I have to interfere!

Y r 11 BACS practical exam This will be taken on May 10 when the pupils will have a 2 hour exam on computers in 2 groups. The Food group will take the

exam in the morning 10am – 12.30 and the CDT group in the afternoon 1 – 3pm. Please ask to see your child’s planner with these and other important dates in. I have also created a diary month by month for them to personalise and print so they can share all the important dates with you at home.

O CR ICT – Yr 9 and 10 pupils All Yr 9 and 10 pupils are following units towards this GCSE and all have at least 1

hour homework every week. C3 detentions will be issued if that work is not done

or is incomplete. Please ask your children what they are doing each week when you sign

their planners. The planner may also have a message from a member of staff or you may

want to write one to a teacher. Our planners are expensive and take a lot of planning

(excuse the pun) and they need to be signed by parents every week please. Moderation

for Yr 10 is due on 12 July when they will be awarded the qualification if all the work is

completed to the right standard. They have a deadline of 7 June for all 3 units so I can

mark them and return them for any missing bits. Moderation for Yr 9 will be next year.

C FM Cash for kids

Staff car wash by Yr 8s to raise money for disadvantaged children in Cumbria.

M usic On February 26th at St. Michael’s church at Bowness on

Solway, Hannah Kent and Ian Kellet were guest soloists at a concert with Dalston Male Voice Choir (described as 33 highly supportive granddads!!). This was the first time any of our pupils have been chosen to do this, and so the invitation was a credit to Hannah’s performing skills. Hannah and Ian performed a set of three songs in each half including You’ve got a friend in me (Randy Newman – Toy Story), If I die young (The Band Perry), Blue Cloudless Sky ( composed by Hannah’s sister Sarah and Ian) and concluding their set with an inspired performance of Hotel California (The Eagles). Many comments on Ian’s wonderful guitar playing and Hannah’s lovely voice, clear diction and power when required (even without a microphone) proved that Hannah is a one to watch out for in the future.

Year 11 GCSE music pupils have been busy preparing and recording

their solo and group performances. A lot of class and private practice

has been reaping dividends.

Good luck to them all.

C ongratulations!

To Lee Johnston Year 8.

The story he wrote in English and IT lessons then submitted, “My window”, is through to the next stage of the Chris Evans Breakfast Show 500 WORDS competition.

Next, it will be sent to the National Literacy Trust for the second stage of the judging process. If it makes it into the Top 50 stories, he will know by the end of April.

The show received 74,000 stories and this one is in the top 2,000, which is a brilliant achievement.

Well done Lee and good luck in the next stage!

The 500 WORDS Team

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2

SIGNING UP SHEETS ARE IN

THE SPORTS HALL OR JUST

COME ALONG

P lace your orders now !!! Our award winning canteen are taking orders for the following produce.

Items ordered by 1.00pm on a Wednesday will be ready to collect on a Thursday between 11.00am—3.00pm.

Please collect an order form from the school office or ring Mrs Wise or

Mrs Hoodless on Tel: 016973 31234.

Flapjack 4 pieces £2.00

Chocolate Crunch 4 pieces £2.00

Millionaires Shortbread 4 pieces £2.50

Hot Cross Buns 30p each

Bread Rolls 20p each Quiche

6in £2.00 8in £2.50

Solway Community Technology College

Roast Dinner Day Wednesday 18th April 2012, 1.15pm

Menu

Succulent Roast Pork with apple sauce

Roast and Creamed potatoes Locally sourced in season vegetables

---------------- Pudding

---------------- Tea/Coffee

£5.00 per head

Parents, Grandparents, Governors and Friends, do come along and sample the delights of our award

winning Catering Department.

Please ring 016973 31234 to book your meal by 3.00pm Friday 13

th April 2012.

£40 donated to Silloth Lifeboat

from the collecting box on the

hatch.

N ational Science & Engineering Week started

with a splash when Year 8 had a fantastic trip to the Aquarium in Maryport on Monday with Miss Johnston and Mrs

Tallontire, getting hands on with star fish and rays. On Tuesday all Year 7 along with their splendid Year 9 helpers, spent the whole day studying Science in order to achieve the Crest Bronze award in a day, designing a practical to compare different washing up liquids. They were ably assisted by six Year 9 pupils who will also achieve the award. Year 9 and 10 took part in a national Biology Challenge where they completed two question papers about Biology.

Years 9 to 11 were given a talk about Managing Radioactive Waste safely by Mike Priestley from Connexions. A topic which has far reaching implications for West Cumbria if the councils go ahead with their plans. This talk will be followed up in Science lessons where staff will glean the views of all the pupils and feedback to Mr Priestley for the MRWS website.

Year 5 pupils from all our primary partner schools came in on Wednesday to experiment with Bunsen burners and Microscopes. Thursday saw the whole school challenged by a Science quiz.. The Neighbourhood forum then met at 7pm to discuss the issues surrounding Radioactive waste.

O n Monday 12th March,

Year 8 went to The Maryport Aquarium.

The instructor, Tom, took us around the

aquarium. He showed us all the fish and he fed

the small sharks and the rays. We got to hold

the starfish and stroke the rays. It was really fun

and I would go back there again. We got

aquarium pencil cases when we got back to

school.

(Chloe Smith Yr8)

Alana Bicknell and Bradley Whitfield, from year 10 bravely presented a report to our neighbour with their questions and views about the topic. Finally. on Friday there was a Physics lecture at Keswick school for Miss Newby’s Yr 11 group and some of her Yr 10 group who are studying the triple science option.

O ur new Business Manager is Mrs Rowlands.

She started with a handover from Mrs Evans in late February and is now managing all of the finance, buildings and other non-teaching departments of the school. Mrs Rowlands has moved to Silloth from

North Wales, where she was running a £1million project funded by The Big Lottery that encouraged businesses to help local charities. Her background is in business consultancy and managing human resources, so she brings lots of experience to the role. Recently, she was awarded a first class honours degree from the Open University, showing you are never too old to learn. She is also studying for a Certificate in Fundraising, and will hopefully help the school raise money and win grants to improve our teaching and learning environment. She was the Vice-Chair of her local Parish Council in Wales, and also Chair of her Village Hall management committee and in 2010/2011 she successfully won grants and managed a £45,000 project to make the Village Hall carbon neutral. Mrs Rowlands is looking forward to the challenge of working with the pupils, teachers, governors and the whole community to help Solway Community School become even more successful in the future.

R affle If you would like to win this fabulous

Claud Butler Mountain bike worth £250 for £1 please send your child to Reception to buy as many tickets as you like.

O n the 13th of March Year 7 did Crest in a Day for Science and Engineering Week with Miss Johnson. We were split into groups and each one had a year 9 team

leader. Our project was called Squeaky Clean. We had to find out if non-branded washing powder was better than branded washing powder. We filled in the application form then headed to room 1 to do research on washing powders. After break we started doing the experiment in our groups. We used a huge bowl, water, detergent and some stained rags. We used a few little things on the way as well. My group started by filling the bowl up with water then putting the rags in. We used stirring sticks and kept an eye on one rag each then put the detergent in. We used the non-branded detergent first. We mixed it up for five minutes then took them out and put them onto a paper towel to dry. Next we used the same method but we used the branded detergent. After this we left the rags to dry during our lunch break. After our lunch break we filled in our results table. We found out that the deter-gent that removes stains better was the branded Persil detergent. If we had time we could have compared value of the detergent by giving the weaker de-tergent another wash. In conclusion, our science day was very fun. I enjoyed doing the experiment most!! Thank you to Miss Johnson and the Year 9 helpers. (Emily Smith yr7)

P rimary festivals 20th March 2012 – Tennis Challenge – David Wise & Young Leaders

24th April 2012 – Tri-Golf Final – Miss Lawson, Kate Sharrock (Holme St Cuthbert’s PLT) & Young Leaders

31st May 2012 – Kwik Cricket – TBC

15th June 2012 – Silloth Primary Sports Day – Young Leader to assist on the day

26th June 2012 – Solway Olympic Games – Miss Lawson & Young Leaders

K S2 Multi Skills Festival On Tuesday 28

th February Solway school and Beacon Hill school hosted

this year’s multi skills primary festival. 90 Key Stage 2 pupils from local primary schools joined us and our keen sport leaders to put on a fantastic event. The day included mini tasks and challenges where pupils had to work as a team to build up points for their school.

Well done to St Matthew’s Primary School , West Newton who came out on top. A big thank you to all the hard working young leaders and well done to Aaron Pattinson who was awarded ‘Sports Leader of the Day’.

S olway U 16 Girls badminton team travelled

down to St. Helens on Monday 12th March to represent Cumbria in the North West of England badminton finals. Competition was extremely fierce with many of the representing schools having England Internationals in their teams. This was a steep learning curve for our young ladies as the first couple of games were very difficult, losing to very strong Wilmslow and Altrincham teams 5-0. Solway then staged a mini fight back with a narrow defeat to St Michael’s 3-2 and eventually losing to Upton 5-0. The team; Emily Wise, Emily Scott, Zoe Forster and Tanya Provence all acquitted themselves creditably with their performances improving with every game they played. Well done girls, a delight to be with. Mr Campbell

S ports Leaders Well done to all those sports leaders who have successfully passed their ‘Sports Leader Level One’ assessment.

To all those who are yet to be assessed, good luck. Keep working hard. Miss Lawson

D odge ball Last month the Cumbria Youth Alliance offered the school free dodge ball coaching sessions. Mr Campbell’s year 7/8 class were up for the challenge and thoroughly enjoyed the classes.

Miss Lawson is now beginning to plan a Dodge ball fundraising event for the British Heart Foundation, for the summer term. The event will give the opportunity for pupils to organise their team and compete against other, whilst raising money for a good cause.

N ext sports events... Tuesday 20th March – Tennis Challenge – 9.30am-12.30pm - Primary school event, run by Miss Lawson with the help of our young tennis leaders.

Tuesday 24th April – Tri Golf – 1pm-3pm – Primary school event, run by Miss Lawson with selected sport leaders.

C ongratulations to

Macaulay Carr and Stuart Johnson who have been selected to play at

Frenchfields on Saturday in the Allerdale trials. Well done!

Y oung Tennis Leaders Course 8 young leaders from our keen bunch of year 10s were selected to complete a ‘Young Leader Tennis Course’, courtesy of local coach David Wise, on

Tuesday 7th February 2012. Working alongside 8 students from The Nelson

Thomlinson School, the day involved a variety of modules, tasks and activities they had to complete. In the afternoon the students were given the chance to put their skills to the test; with a class of 25 pupils from Silloth Primary School. A big well done to Tabitha Graham, Georgia Wilson, Adele Wood, Emily Wise, Jack Wallace, Macauley Carr, Stuart Johnson and Sam Mulla, for passing with flying colours. The pupils will now work closely with David putting on a primary festival on Tuesday 20

th March and attending the SchoOLYMPIC Games in Carlisle later in June.

I nter House Junior 5-a-side Football

1st – Dalton 2nd – Sharman 3rd – Newton 4th – Franklin

Girls are currently competing in a Netball Tournament for house points.

After Easter – Curling Competition & Dodgeball Competition.

AFTER EASTER...

Changes made – Interhouse will be changed to a Wednesday lunch time

Tuesday will be KS3 lunch club - Thursday will remain as KS4 lunch club

Q uiz There are quizzes for sale in Reception for £1. Gift voucher

prizes. To raise funds for school. All the clues are to identify items found in the bathroom.

M y Bnk Money classes Year 9 pupils are undertaking a series of classes delivered by the Cumbria Youth Alliance over the

next few weeks, about financial management. The sessions will include such topics as; All About Money, Choices about Money and My future to prepare our pupils for their financial future.

A nne Witter has been chosen as a percussionist in the Festival auditions. Maddy Prior, MBE, is the driving force behind the Stepping Stones festival which is taking place in Brampton, Cumbria, on May 5th and 6th 2012. She has put together a play depicting the life of Hobie

Noble, a Border Reiver who lived in the 16th century. The play will be performed on the main stage during the weekend - long festival, which will feature many of the top names in folk music today. Maddy has been looking for local talent to perform the piece and recently held auditions for actors and musicians. Anne was encouraged to apply, and following a successful audition has been invited to play percussion on the 6 songs which accompany the play. She has been given a complementary ticket to the festival, will receive a backstage artist pass and will get the chance to meet many of the top line artists performing at the festival. Well done!

More details about this exciting festival and booking forms can be found at: http://www.steppingstonesfestival.co.uk/

L ost Property Sale

We have 6 bags full of lost property...... taking up valuable space;

coats, bags, sports bags, trainers, PE kit, umbrellas, jewellery and more......

Some has been identified and returned to grateful owners, some of whom left 2

years ago!!

It is worrying to think they hadn’t missed their possessions!

Please do label your child’s uniform in future; it is so much easier to identify.

We intend now to wash then sell the remaining items on Wed 18th April at 3pm in the

School Hall. Please do drop in, you could save a fortune on next year’s uniform.

Bring your purse or send in money with your child.

Every item under £5.

A rchery Classes If you would like your

child to take part in these classes which will be running after school on Thursdays from May then please send in £6.00 and give their name to Reception.

First come first served

C FM’s” Cash for kids” Since returning to school after the February half term holiday Solway

school has been in competition with other local schools to raise as much money as possible for CFM’s” Cash for kids” charity which helps disadvantaged children in Cumbria and south west Scotland. So far we have managed to raise £105.44. Individual year groups took it in turn to stage various events including a staff carwash, luxury hamper raffle, tea & coffee sales and charging pupils to listen to music of their choice during break and lunch. Year 7s were the overall winners making up £44.60 of the total.

Well done to all involved.

Solway Community Technology College

Liddell Street, Silloth Cumbria CA7 4DD T: 016973 31234 F: 016973 32749 E: office@solway.cumbria.sch.uk

www.solwayschool.co.uk

Head teacher: Mrs. Lois Baird B.A.

E mail If you wish to receive school

letters and the newsletter by email and you are not already on our mailing list, or should you wish to comment on anything in this newsletter please email office@solway.cumbria.sch.uk

S WEETS AND DRINKS IN SCHOOL

We only allow water in school. Pupils are not to bring in sweets or fizzy drinks or gum.

U niform Black school trousers or a black school knee length skirt, are essential items; not

fashion item but sensible school wear, as listed in the planner and prospectus. Reminder: One pair of stud earrings only.

G overnors Many thanks to all our Governors who work

tirelessly for the school, giving their time and expertise freely for the benefit of all our pupils. They meet regularly with school staff, discussing departmental plans, results, school action plans, they attend committee meetings in the evenings and have endless papers to read and discuss. They play the role of a critical friend to ensure we continue to deliver the best educational opportunities possible to all our pupils.

E xaminations BLACK pens

only, are required for examinations! Not blue..... Bring a spare, just in case! Water bottles must be clear with NO LABEL.

M y Bnk Money, we use it almost every day. Do we know

very much about it though? Well the year 9s have begun to learn a bit more... The first of 3 sessions has started for the years 9s, learning more about money. In the first session we worked together in groups, sharing our ideas. We looked into the history of money and what happened before money existed. I found this a really interesting concept and many of the pupils had not considered it before. The development of money from bartering, trading rare shells in China, using coins to trade, exchanging coins for bank receipts (the first notes), all the way up to the credit cards and online transactions. We also spent time learning about the ways the government makes our notes safe from forgery too. We finally considered how much other countries have. By completing the 'Big Mac Challenge`, pupils found out the cost of a Big Mac in different countries across the world. You can buy 4 Big Macs for £10 in Russia, while in Denmark you could only afford 1!

I for one am looking forward to learning more about this topic and eagerly await the next session. Mr Hailwood

F orthcoming Dates

March Wednesday 21

st Numeracy Day

Thursday 22nd Levels & motivations for Yrs7,8,9&11 Tuesday 27

th GCSE Hospitality / Catering exam in class

Wednesday 28th

Thursday 29th

Friday 30th

GCSE RMT coursework deadline

Yr 11 Dunolly trip leaves pm

Rotary Club dance

April Sunday 1st April Yr 11 Dunolly trip returns pm

Easter Holiday

Monday 2nd to Friday 13th April 2012 Tuesday 17

th Innovia to talk to Yrs 10&11

Wednesday 18th

Roast Dinner Day 1:15 for friends & family Thursday 19

th Year10 GCSE Hospitality & Catering Task 1 Friday 20

th Year 10 RoAs home to parents

Wednesday 25th

Year 11 MRVS practical exam pm Year 8 girls HPV vaccination

May Tuesday 1

st `Kids in Cumbria` magazine launch

Wednesday 2nd Literacy Day Friday 4

th Ambassador Day

Bank Holiday Monday 7th May

Week beginning 7th Year 7,8 & 9 Assessment week

Friday 11th Year 11 BACS GCSE exam

Tuesday 15th Year 10 Science GCSE

Year 11 Science GCSE Wednesday 16

th Year 11 Hospitality & Catering unit 2 GCSE

Thursday 19th Year 11 MRVS GCSE exam

Monday 21st Year 11 Biology GCSE exam

Tuesday 22nd

Year 11 Eng Literature 1 GCSE exam Wednesday 23

rd Year 11 PE GCSE exam

Thursday 24th Year 11 Chemistry GCSE, Eng lit 2 GCSE exam

Friday 25th Year 11 Hospitality & Catering Unit 4,

Year 11 Spanish GCSE

Tuesday 29th

Year 11 English Language GCSE exam pm

Wednesday 30th Year 11 Additional Science GCSE exam pm

Thursday 31st

School Prom at Stanwix Park from 7pm to 10pm

June Friday 1

st Year 9 ROAs to Parents

Half term holiday

from Monday 4th to Friday 8th June

Archery Club

•After school on Thursdays•3-4:30pm •£1 per session.

Starting 25th April for 6 weeks

Limited places

See Mrs Wise to sign up.

} Yr 11 GCSE Art exam all day

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

SPORTS HALL STAFF ON 016973 31234

CHILDREN UNDER 12 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT