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Dear Parents and Carers It does not seem that long ago that we were welcoming students back for the start of the 2013/14 academic year and what an outstanding year it has been for our students, parents, staff and all those that support the work that we do.

This year we were visited by Ofsted for a full school inspection in November and we were delighted again to receive for the third time an outstanding grade. All areas that Ofsted inspected were judged in the highest category as outstanding including, Teaching, Behaviour, the Achievement of our students and Leadership and Management. We were delighted and continue to be proud of all our school community for achieving this supported as always by yourselves as parents and carers. We know that without that support our students would not gain the skills and qualifications they are capable of.Again this year our students are set to gain excellent GCSE and ‘A Level’ results in the summer. Our 6th form students are looking forward to taking up places at Universities, including Oxford University, to study for degrees in a full range of subjects this September. We also are preparing to welcome back nearly a hundred year 11 students into our increasing sixth form provision this September to start their ‘A’ level studies.This year our students have continued to take part in, supported by our staff, a huge range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities. From the World Cup festival recently to the many trips locally and abroad that students have taken part in. Our students have continued to give their time and money to many good causes this year supporting and helping those less fortunate than themselves. They have supported each other in their classes, on the sports fields, in house competitions and wider competition as teams and individuals when they have represented our school so successfully. Thank you to all our students for their hard work and effort in making our school the best it can be.This year we have continued to develop our school facilities further including a new astro turf pitch and tennis courts most recently installed. Linked to our further site development we were delighted earlier in the year to hear about our successful bid to secure £1.2 million from the Department of Education to redevelop the front of our school, including new facilities such as enhanced sixth form study spaces, fitness suite, dance studio, youth and community centre and hopefully, through a joint project with the parish council and Worcestershire libraries, new library facilities for our students. We look forward to this development over the course of next year and also to further work over the summer to install two new science labs and a variety of smaller projects to enhance our facilities even more.Can I take this opportunity to remind parents and that the start of term for students is Wednesday 3rd September. New Year 7 students should be on site for the first bell at 8:40 and go to the assembly hall; staff will be available to support them if they are unsure where to go. Students in Years 8 to 11 should be in school for the start of second period at 9:55 and go straight to their tutor rooms; the rest of the day will run as normal finishing at 2:50. Year 12 students should go to the common room for 8.35 and finally, Year 13 students start back on Monday 8th September.

Thank you again for all your support this academic year and from us all at Woodrush we wish you a safe and enjoyable summer break.

Mr C KingHeadteacher

School News 3 - 10

Youth & Community 11

Humanities 12 & 13

English & Library News 14 - 17

D of E 18

Hairspray Pull-Out 19-22

Sixth Form 23-27

STEM 28 - 32

MFL 23

Creative Arts 34 & 35

Sports 36 - 40

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The Great MidlandsFun Run

The great Midlands fun run is always a test of mind over matter. The thoughts of Cardiac hill never far from the athletes mind set.

Two ‘athletes’ from Woodrush stepped up to the mark and ran for The Headway charity (A charity that works to improve life after brain injury)

The composed ,debonair and hench like figure of Mr T was dressed as Mrs Brown, the youthful Mr Virdee (22 years younger than Mr T) was dressed as Superman. In fairness it was a good choice of costume for a man willing to raise funds for a worthy cause.

PS… Mrs Brown beat Superman.

Goodbye fromMr MitchellI am really sad to be leaving Woodrush after seven and a half years. My wife starts a new job as Head Teacher in a Bristol school so our family is moving there over the summer holiday. I have been spoilt by the sheer amount of good times I have had with the people connected to Woodrush. Whether students, staff, parents or those linked to the school in other ways everyone has been fantastic. Watching so many people being successful in so many ways has given me such great memories that I will never forget. I have been lucky enough to find a job at a school in Bristol and if it is half as good as Woodrush I will be really happy. I really do wish everyone every success for the future. Woodrush is an outstanding school and you have a fantastic opportunity to achieve more than you ever thought possible.Good bye and good luck.

HOLIDAYS BY COACHDoor to Door Service

Friendly DriversSpecial RequestsPre Booked Seats

Private Day Excursions

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Goodbye It is time to move on, so ‘Goodbye’ to Woodrush. I will really miss the Book Club - an amazing group of pupils who have shown real leadership skills in arranging events - and the incredibly creative poetry and stories pupils have written for the competitions, both inter-house and national. Keep on reading and writing!Due to on-going health issues, I am going to have an extended break and then work part-time on a self-employed basis.

Mrs Richardson

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It has been a busy year in the dance department at Woodrush, with the first cohort of students finishing their GCSE Dance course and two more year groups starting theirs. Dance also featured highly in the school production of Hairspray, with several students contributing to the choreography in the show.

Woodrush also held an Evening of Dance on Tuesday 1st July to showcase the work completed in GCSE Dance and the performance pieces generated by Force Dance Company, nearly all of whom attend, or did attend, Woodrush.

But there was another reason to attend to Evening of Dance, as it contained the final of Strictly Come Woodrush! Over 120 people were in the audience to enjoy the evening’s entertainment and, whilst the students were fantastic, it has to be said that they, and many of the audience, were there for the second half!

Initially 13 staff couples were assigned student mentors to teach them how to dance. Each couple had a few weeks to learn a short routine, which was then filmed and put onto FROG for staff and students to mark. The three couples with the highest average scores were then to compete live for Woodrush’s very own glitterball trophy.

The finalists were Mr Raistrick and Ms Rancins, Mr Haskell and Ms Snell, and Mr Virdee and Mrs Bishop. All of them looked fabulous in authentic dance outfits and they all danced really well, even though they were nervous about such a large live audience! The judges were Miss Allen, Megan Rawbone, Ms Kaur and Mr Lovell.

In the end, the judges decided that the winners of the Glitterball trophy were…….

Mr Raistrick and Ms Rancins!Congratulations to them!

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Dance Styles SalsaIn the Cuban style of dance, the dancers feet moves forwards and backwards with no affect to the top of the body. The hips should be moved continuously through out the dance.

SambaThe Brazilian dance is from the street carnivals in Brazil, particularly in Rio de Janeiro. The dance is modernized for the Latin dance scene.

Paso DobleIs based on a bullfight, where the man is a matador and the woman is the cape. In other parts of the dance the couple represent flamenco dancers.

WaltzThe Waltz is a gliding elegant dance that should make the dancers feel like they are dancing on air. There should be 3 steps to each bar and should include rise and fall.

Cha Cha The Cha Cha style originated in Cuba however an Englishman changed the style to what is now known as Cha Cha. The dance should be compact and flat with hip action.

JiveThe jive is a variation of the Jitterbug. The Jive is a swing dance, which is lively and should contain a lot of flicks and kicks.

American SmoothThe American smooth incorporates the Foxtrot and the Samba into one dance. It is elaborate and creative and the couples must be hold for part of the dance.

Argentine TangoThe Argentine Tango is about the relationship between a man and a woman. The movement in this dance is very much contained in the lower part of the body with the two pairs of legs intertwining through out the dance.

Many thanks to everyone who took part in the Woodrush Strictly competition, including the student mentors! Also, thank you to everyone who came to support the Evening of Dance. A huge well done to all the dancers who performed, some of them for the first time in front of an audience! Massive thanks to Megan Rawbone and Miss Allen for their choreographic contributions to the evening and their support before and during the event. I am also very grateful to the student helpers on the night who sold programmes and organised refreshments for the audience. The final thanks need to go to Mr P. Mitchell for all of his technical help with lighting, sound, promotions and filming!

Miss Thomas(no longer acting head of dance!)

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Year 11 Prom2014

The Year 11 Prom took place on Thursday 8th May at the Lake at Barston, West Midland Golf Club.

As usual there were many stretch limousines and this year we also had a fire engine, an ambulance and an escort of Lambretta motor scooters. The Prom also saw a ‘first’ as we had a double Prom King and Queen. Our Prom Kings were Drew R and Lewis C and our Prom Queens were Anisha C and Jessica J. The students had a lovely evening, helped by the good weather and being able to sit outside near the lake and at 11:45pm the coaches left the venue to return them safely back to the school.

Mrs Hatton

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Blues Super FanBlues super fan Mrs Courts witnessed the team’s last gasp Championship survival act from the luxury of the directors’ box thanks to an EZE Wish.Mrs Courts was in the VIP seats for her beloved Blues’ dramatic 2-2 draw away to Bolton Wanderers on the last day of the season.She was in the directors’ box at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium after being nominated for an EZE Wish provided by Birmingham City FC diamond partner EZE Group.Mrs Courts, who is secretary of the Redditch Supporters’ Club, was sitting among Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers directors and officials as Blues staged a remarkable comeback from 0-2 down, with the equaliser that ensured they avoided relegation coming in the 93rd minute.“It was the most emotional football day I’ve ever experienced,” said Mrs Courts. “The tears were flowing when we were two-nil down, but we went crazy when the equaliser went in. Being in the box and seeing Blues directors react the same way showed it means as much to them as it does to us fans.“Emotionally it beats everything, and that includes winning the Carling Cup.” The Woodrush teacher enjoyed the special away day, which included guest lounge access, with her husband.Mrs Courts organises weekly supporters’ meetings and with her family travels to every home and away game, including pre-season tours and friendlies. She also coordinates all coach travel to away games and handles fans’ ticket requests. Birmingham City FC customer service manager Sarah Gould nominated Mrs Courts for the EZE Wish: “The work she does makes my job so much easier when allocating match day tickets. Mrs Courts goes over and above the standard fan, and she should be rewarded for her efforts for our great club.”EZE Group CEO Dominic O’Reilly said: “I’m not sure there could have been a more dramatic or important match for Mrs Courts to attend. She thoroughly deserved her VIP treatment, and I’m delighted she saw her beloved Blues stay in the Championship.” Issued on behalf of EZE Group.

Ashleigh and Pudsey Visit Wythall!After our appearance on Who Let the Dogs Out last year, Frankie proved to be a great hit with the cameras and as a result, this year we were invited back for a second series! Only this time, they came to Wythall, and to our home! The day was set out in advance, with an interview and tour around the house planned, followed by a remake of ‘Show Time’ from the previous year where we had to re-enact our flyball run that got us through to the semi-finals. What I wasn’t aware of was that presenters and winners of Britain’s Got Talent 2012 Ashleigh and Pudsey were the ones coming to visit, bringing with them a camera man, sound man, producer, researcher, runner and Ashleigh’s mum, Penny!Frankie had a ‘dog cam’ put onto his collar while he took Pudsey around the house, then was lucky enough to be let onto the sofa while we were interviewed by Ashleigh. She wanted to know all about what we had been doing over the past 12 months, includ-ing our 3rd place in Youth Got Talent, while our whole house was turned upside down for the camera crew!It was fantastic to be able to relive the Who Let the Dogs Out experience, and I was later told that only 20 of us from the previous shows were selected to return for this final series, so I am incredibly proud of Frank the Plank. It’s something I’m certainly not going to forget in a hurry!!

Look out for us in January!!Emily H

Our New HouseIn September we will be introducing a new house to our existing three house structure. The purpose for doing this is to create smaller houses, thereby, allowing us to provide even better academic and pastoral support for students from our Heads of House; this is of course in addition to the outstanding guidance they already receive.The name of the new house will be Eliot in recognition of the achievements of George Eliot the Midlands born novelist, and the house colour will be green.We aim to “grow” Eliot House over the next few years as we receive new cohorts to the school, and in September of this year two of our new Year 7 forms will start in Eliot House.

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Classic Afternoon Cream Tea for TwoServed Monday to Friday from 3pm – 5pm.(Bookings recommended)

A delightful selection of homemade finger sandwiches, freshly baked fruit scones from our on-site bakery, Cornish clotted cream, naturally, a variety of preserves, delicious sponge cakes and tray bakes and your choice of a pot of classic English tea, one of our Tea Fusion speciality teas or a cafetière of our exclusive ground coffee blend.

£19.95

12 Tea Fusion varieties are available including peppermint,green tea and vanilla chai.

Why not treat yourself to a glass of our select Prosecco200ml serving - £4.95 Bottle - £15.95

Gift vouchers are also available for our cream teas.Becketts Farm RestaurantHeath Farm, Wythall B47 6AJT: 01564 823402beckettsfarm.co.uk

Award-winning farmhouse style restaurant

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Needs departmentWithin the learning support unit we have a highly experienced team of Teaching Assistants and other staff, who offer a supportive, comfortable environment where we run small group intervention sessions, offer time-out space and coordinate provision for special needs across the school. Our intervention groups encompass literacy and numeracy work, with the aim of boosting pupils’ ability in order to help them access more in lessons, a progressive reading programme, social skills workshops, self-esteem sessions, positive assertiveness groups, and Dyslexia workshops. Our regular contact with numerous other agencies increases the level of support that we can offer our students. Professionals from the Learning Support Team, Autism Team, Educational Psychology Team, Visual and Hearing Impairment Team, Speech and Language Team and Behaviour Support Team provide advice and support for students and staff to ensure that all of our students are happy in school, and can therefore go on to achieve their full potential. We encourage home-school contact and are always at the end of the phone should you have any concerns about your child during the day.In addition to our team of teaching assistants, the team is made up of myself, Mrs Stafford, SENCo, and Mrs Gittins and Miss Garratt, our Family Liaison and Student Support Workers. An MFL teacher of 10 years’ experience, I was appointed as SENCo at Easter, replacing Mr Cannon, and am thoroughly enjoying the challenge of an enormously diverse and rewarding role which encompasses, in addition to the main duty of coordinating SEN provision across the school, many other roles such as organising Yr6 transition with Miss Packwood and Miss Kaur, conducting annual reviews of statements of special needs and working with other agencies such as the Autism Team and Learning Support team. We are also preparing to implement the upcoming legal changes to SEN provision from September 2014.

Woodrush Star News As you are aware we produce our fantastic ‘Woodrush Star’ school and community magazine four times a year which is then handed out to all our students, feeder schools, local businesses and the local community. We are very interested in hearing more about up and coming local events, interesting news stories and just general information you think other parents and students would like to hear about. You may even want to promote your own business or make the community aware of your services or facilities that are available to students and their families. If you would like to know more about any of the above please telephone the main school number (01564 823777) and ask for either Mrs Peters orMrs Bishop. Alternatively [email protected].

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To advertise your business in theWoodrush Star please contact uson 01564 823777and ask for either Mrs Peters or Mrs Bishop.Alternatively [email protected].

Easter CelebrationsEaster Celebration Assembly was especially entertaining this year as Vernon Kay (aka Mr Cannon) entertained Brindley, Cadbury and Lanchester students and staff in a Woodrush rendition of ‘Family Formtunes’Two teams were formed, each with five members, one student from each form in the 1’s and one from each form in the 2’s. They were then asked to guess the results of surveys, in which 100 people would be asked open ended questions. Our very own Mr Cannon passed down the line of students asking for answers from each, and every time a student gave an answer not on the board the team lost a life, accompanied by a large “X” on the board with the famous “eh-uh” sound. The team with the highest points then went onto the next round, Big Money with just two students from the winning team.In this round the two students from the winning team answered five questions that match with those given by the “100 people surveyed”, within a narrow time limit and the second student out of earshot for the first round so they could not hear the answers given. The second student was then given extra time in-case they repeated an answer already given. It was an hour of fun packed entertainment with awards and certif-icates given out for sporting events, attendance and merits, and we thank Mr Cannon for being our fantastic host on his last day at Wood-rush.There are always three prize draws for students who gain enough merits for Bronze, Silver and Gold prize draws which are then drawn at random to win Limousine rides, courtesy of Home James Limos and up to £50 of leisure vouchers! The lucky winners were:

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Goodbye from Mr LovellAfter two fantastic years I am leaving Woodrush to pursue a career outside of teaching. I have absolutely loved every minute of my time here and the staff and students have given me memories that will last alifetime. My new job will see me working in a management consultancy in London, I absolutely love teaching but this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. My special thanks go out to all the students whohave made my time here so fantastic; you are hardworking, friendly and generally hilarious(in a good way).I wish you every success in the world.

Mr Lovell

Lanchester•Bronze: Jevon G – 8L1•Silver: Olivia M – 8L1•Gold: Olivia R – 8L2

Cadbury•Bronze: Chelsea E – 9C2•Silver: Ellis P – 7C1•Gold: Darcy S – 7C2

Brindley : •Bronze: James F – 10B2•Silver: Christopher J – 8B1•Gold: Jordan W – 8B2

Congratulations to all our winners, have a fantastic Summer and look forward to see you in September. Remember, continue to work hard and next time the lucky winner could be you….!

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PWC Community Day

On Friday the 14th of May Woodrush Youth and Community Centre and Woodrush Community Farm welcomed a team of 10 Price Waterhouse and Coopers staff and partners to participate in a community day centred around leadership and teamwork, as part of a new company initiate ‘One day one Firm’. The day kicked off with a brilliant presentation from Nick (a Youth Worker and PWC employee) about what his company do and what the day would entail, which he presented to a range of staff, farm club members and work skills students. After some eventful icebreaker games where Woodrush students proved their team work against the PWC volunteers, I delivered a short presentation on our farm and the community work we do. After a short break the team split, with one group spending the day participating in lessons designed by PWC that focused on the days theme of leadership, which they thoroughly enjoyed whilst the others spent the day on our farm digging flower beds, painting and taking down fences. After all the hard work everyone agreed that the day was really beneficial with some great relationships formed and a lot of experiences shared, not to mention the transformation of our farm area. A big thank you to students and staff that made the day such a success!

NHS Youth Board Anniversary MeetingAfter a year of sitting on the NHS Health and Care trusts youth board, we hosted an anniversary meeting at Perdiswell Young people leisure centre in Worcester. Our board invited a range of service leaders, chief executives, committee members including Chris Burdon the trusts chairman. The meeting was opened by a reflection from Ahmed, the community development officer, who explained what the board had achieved in its first year. For example; we have reviewed transitions from CAHMS to AMHS, produced leaflets for young people’s services, interviewed clinicians and service managers, assisted in building policies, and we have just started setting up a young people’s website and organising spot checks on different services available to young people. After this we presented to the group the information we have learnt from the board and our plans for the future which was followed by a question and answer panel where we were able to pose questions ranging from budget to the quality of care to the people that can make a difference. We all agreed that the meeting was very beneficial and that there had been lots of useful contacts been made on both sides who we hope to work with again soon.

All articles by Chloe W

Farm Update

So, it’s been 12 months since we received our grant from O2 think big and it’s been a haze of new life, new friends and new partnerships. In such a short space of time our project is unrecognisable thanks to all of the volunteers that have helped us to get to where we are now. As well as our trips to Dennis Potter courts age UK and visits from local primary schools the farm now has its own ks3 club who attend every week to help care for our new animals, learn about enterprise and more recently hatch out lots of chicks and ducklings. Recently we hosted a community day with the firm Price water house and coopers as part of their One firm One day scheme, 10 volunteers came to help a range of woodrush students transform our farm and create a sensory garden which will allow us to work with people with special needs and the elderly, we hope to continue these links as all involved in the day thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If you would like to get involved then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Woodrush secures £1.2 million for new Sixth Form space and Community Hub!

Over the past 18 months we have been working alongside an Architect to develop concept drawings for a new additional building at Woodrush. The aim of the building was to address the need for additional space to accommodate our growing Sixth Form numbers and also to provide additional facilities for our young people and the local community. In May of this year we were awarded £1.2 million from the Education Funding Agency to develop the new standalone building and make our concept a reality! The building will consist of a Youth and Community Centre, Café, Gym, Dance Studio, Meeting/Teaching rooms and School Library. The plans also accommodate a new Public Library facility within the building; however

this is subject to Cabinet approval and further public consultation which is taking place over the next few months. The new building will enable us to further develop our curriculum and provide our students with greater learning opportunities. The images shown are concept drawings and initial draft plans.Further updates will follow in the autumn, winter and spring edition of The Star.

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10 GCSE and Year 12 A level Geographers visited Carding Mill Valley in the Long Mynd, Shropshire. The visit gave students the opportunity to utilise fieldwork skills learnt in school and to put geographical theory in to practice! The Year 10 students collected data about the changing profile of the valley’s river (over about a mile length), during which time the river actually changes noticeably from the rocky, narrow, interlocking spurs of the valley near the river’s source to a wider profile where the first stages of meandering can be seen near the National Trust facilities and car park. GCSE students had to practise fieldwork techniques at 6 different points, including measuring the velocity of the stream, changes to the river bed load and the size of the river’s wetted perimeter.

Year 12 students meanwhile had to undertake similar fieldwork but, in particular, had to take careful account of the limitations of such fieldwork and the hazards involved in this type of data collection. Such information would then be discussed back in class ahead of anticipated questions in the upcoming AS level Fieldwork Skills examination about the practicalities and risks of carrying out such fieldwork in unfamiliar locations.

Geography GCSE - Fieldwork in the outdoor classroom

Ready for the day, with fieldwork equipment to hand (including clinometers and ranging poles)

Franz FerdinandOn June 28th 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand along with his wife, Sophie were assassinated by a Serbian terrorist group named The Black Hand Gang – it was not only a devastating day for Archduke’s family, but also for Europe. It was a key and critical event that set off a chain of events leading to the First World War.

The royal couple were assassinated whilst on a visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, inspecting the Austro-Hungarian troops. The couple arrived in Sarajevo by train, and the terrorist group prepared to attack. The dislike towards Ferdinand had sprouted from the fact that once he became Emperor he vowed to make many changes. One of the major changes was that Austria had annexed Bosnia in 1908. Not only did this prove unpopular with the Bosnian people, but also, the Serbians, as they wanted Bosnia for themselves. Hence the creation of the terrorist group, The Black Hand Gang.

The Black Hand Gang was a terrorist group consisting of seven Bosnian Serbs all trained in bomb throwing and marksmanship (precision shooting). They planned to assassinate Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, as they drove along the Appel Quay, the main road in Sarajevo. Each member of the group was stationed along the road, ready to attack. However, the assassination did not run as smoothly as planned. The first two terrorists were unable to throw their grenades due to the streets being too crowded and the car was travelling faster than expected.

As a consequence of the actions on this day, turmoil burst out across the world, ending in one of the most horrific occurrences our world has ever seen, world war one.

Letter to the ‘Unknown Soldier’Over this term a competition was run by Humanities to compose a letter to the ‘Unknown soldier’. The ‘Unknown soldier’ represents all those who fought and died during WWI. His statue stands, reading a letter, on Platform One of Paddington Station in London.On the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of war everyone in Britain has been invited to write that letter and here, at Woodrush, we have had our own memorial competition. We have received entries from year 7, 8 and 9 and those which are the most thoughtful and creative are being submitted to the National Memorial Website. Other letters will be made into a memorial display ready for next year.Students’ letters have contained anything that they wanted to say. Some have asked questions about his experiences and who he was, others have imagined that he was a loved one, and some have been written to past family members who had fought during the First World War.If you are at all inspired, and would like to have a go at writing your own letter to submit to the National Memorial then go online to:www.1418now.org.uk/letter/ We will remember them

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This year has been an exciting year for us in RE and Philosophy and Ethics running different trips and exchange programmes. Take a look at the pictures to get a quick snap shot.

Trips and events we have done include;

•The Worcester Cathedral KS4 philosophy and ethics GCSE conference.

•Year 8 trip to the Sikh Gurdwara and Jewish Synagogue

•Year 7 trip to Coventry Cathedral

•RE and Philosophy and Ethics Broadway exchange programme

•Year 9 Philosophy and Ethics social action project with Yardley School

•Year 7 Whitemoore lakes residential •Christian Union with Dean Taylor, St Mary’s and Simon

•MFL and Philosophy and Ethics trip to Rome!

•Not to mention our first lot of GCSE Philosophy and Ethics group completing their GCSE exams.

Well done to all of our RE and Philosophy and Ethics students for a brilliant year. Have a lovely summer – God Bless,Miss Kaur!

Farewell Lovell LovellOver the past year Mr Lovell has totally enlightened our spirits throughout year 12. Bringing the education that we come to school for at our feet, with determination, laughter and humour.

As a student in Mr Lovell’s politics class I can personally say on behalf of my class that without Lovell our lessons would have been dismal and slightly demeaning, Not only did he Mr Lovell make us laugh, he taught us with insight and specialism,

teaching us things that we would never have thought to understand a mere 12 months ago. He has widened our spectrum of thoughts and broadened our knowledge on almost everything; that is what makes Mr Lovell such a great teacher and human being. I will miss his rants and his terrible analogies about cats on stilts (trust me when I say you don’t want to know)!

To see Mr Lovell go is such a huge loss to the pupils and the school. Through his constant banter and overall wittiness, he has taught us how to be better people and has taught us politics so

passionately that the enthusiasm he has shown has also rubbed off on us, he has shown us to adore something that he also adores himself.

He may not believe this when we tell him this, but he will be hugely missed, and is loved and adored by all 12 of his politics class and all of the students that he has taught. We want to wish you the best of luck in your future job and hope that you excel at it, and thank you for all you have done for us.

By George M

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Young Carers Awareness Day13th June marked the first ever Young Carers Awareness Day. It is estimated that there are over 200,000 young carers in the UK. Without support many young carers struggle to maintain a balanced family, school and personal life. Attendance and achievement at school may suffer and feelings of isolation can develop. The aim of the awareness day is to highlight the role of young carers and the challenges they face; it is anticipated that with increased general awareness young people with caring responsibilities may be more easily identified and directed towards much needed support. In the weeks running up to the awareness day book club members were reading books with themes that have an impact on a young person’s life, possibly placing them in a position where they may need to undertake a caring role for a parent or sibling.

Carnegie Book ReviewsOnce again we have been reading our way through the annual Carnegie shortlisted books. The Carnegie Medal is the most prestigious award for books written for children and young people. Each year this is our opportunity to introduce students to high quality literature. It is always fascinating to hear their opinions on the eight books; discussions can get heated as tastes and interpretations vary widely. Often one book stands out as our overall favourite, whilst another is disliked by all. We hope these reviews give you a taste of this year’s books.

Woodrush Carnegie Readers

Liar & Spyby Rebecca Stead

I think that the book is set out really well. When I read

the first couple of pages I wanted to read more. I

would recommend it to other people. The author has used

some funny words. It’s amazing that the book is for

me who really doesn’t like reading! It has given me

a chance to start reading again and see what my

types of books are. Please read it.

Celeste, Year 7

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

by Annabel Pitcher

After the death of his sister Jamie’s mother leaves home, his father turns to drink and Jasmine, his other sister,

takes on the role of mother.I thought this book had a powerful

message, had a very good storyline and you could imagine the

characters. But I think it was too stretched out and would have

sufficed if it was just a short story instead of a full novel.

However it was still enjoyable, if a little depressing at times, and I

would recommend it.Faye 7B2

Red Sky in the Morning

by Elizabeth LairdWhen Anna’s baby brother

is born with a severe disability her life turns

upside down. This is a wonderfully moving story that is

written in an exceptional way and is incredibly

sensitive. I found myself getting deeper into the story like I was actually there getting closer to

the characters.Heather 8L1

Ghost Hawkby Susan Cooper

The brave Hawk goes on a treacherous journey through the amazing but dangerous scenery of native America. He’s on a journey to become a man, but will it be the same when he goes back?

What happens is hard. Firstly there is Little Hawk, a strong, courageous, adventurous, young man. Then there is John, a young fragile English boy, by the sound of it he’s quite posh. I feel sorry for both but John the most.My only advice is read the book all the way to the way to the end because it is a bit boring at the start but it gets better!!!My rating out of ten is....... 8/10Olivia, Year 7

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Rooftoppersby Katherine Rundell

In Rooftoppers, the bit at the beginning sounds intriguing, and you want to read on. It continues like this throughout the book, which I find is good. I was excited to read what happens in the end.The language is very old fashioned and some words are quite hard to understand at first, but then you get used to them. My favourite character is Sophie, as she battles through tough times and always believes. Charles does too, after all, “Never ignore a possible.”I would really recommend this book. Out of ten I would give it a nine. It’s probably one of the most exciting and best books I’ve ever read.Kelsie Year 7

Blood Familyby Anne Fine

Well, first of all, I just want to say that this book was an ‘ok’ read but did drag on a little after the half-way point. This book was really interesting and dark, which made me want to read more, but when it started to drag it got really boring and disappointing to read. The ending also seemed to be a bit unrealistic and left some questions unanswered. Edward was a good character overall but he seemed a bit too nice considering what he went through with his dad. I think it was better than All the Truth That’s in Me though.Harry Year 9

The Child’s Elephantby Rachel Campbell-Johnston

The Child’s Elephant is a good book that grips you from the start. The language used is how you would think that they would speak, however you still can understand it. It is really good, because it shows present-day issues in Africa. I recommend this to a person who loves books about animals that have been rescued.Rajdeep, Year 7

The Wallby William Sutcliffe

This book is a very engaging book; it tells the story about a boy who lives near a wall which splits the Palestinians and Jews apart. Joshua loses his ball so he goes over the wall and discovers a whole new world on the other side and changes his life forever...This book grasps you from the beginning and you feel a connection to the characters once you start reading.Michael, Year 9

All the Truth That’s in Meby Julie Berry

This book in my opinion is terrible. It doesn’t flow properly, for example her tongue is cut out yet she can talk at the end - how does that happen? I also don’t like the time it was set in. In all honesty I can’t see why the book was nominated.Beth, Year 9

The Bunker Diaryby Kevin Brooks

I found the bunker diary a gripping and exciting story with very mysterious characters and questions that will leave you thinking. Even the ending is one big mystery.Sam, Year 9

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A big WELL DONE to our two teams who competed on Monday 10th February in The Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks competition. The year 7 girls’ team (Hannah, Sydney and Victoria) were commended for their challenging presentation on attitudes towards women in sport entitled ‘The Beautiful Game’. They did very well and provoked a lot of discussion. The winning team on this particular evening were the boys (Toby, Joseph and Nathan) who entertained and educated the audience with their speech about recycling ‘Rubbish!’ Read below how well their evening went.

What can I say about Rubbish? Quite a lot to be honest. Ten minutes of talking of “Rubbish” has got me, Toby P (7B2) and Nathan C (7C1) through to the regional rounds in a competition called Youth Speaks. Youth Speaks is a competition to get youngsters into public speaking. And I can tell you it has worked. It was great fun. Watching the amazing speeches other teams have produced and of course doing our own speech, it was amazing.The first round was the area rounds. There were five teams, including ours. The first group up was another group from Woodrush; their speech was all about Women’s football. Other speeches included “Are video games good for the mind?”, “Social Media”, “Fast Food” and of course our speech.....”It’s all Rubbish!”. When all the speeches had been given there was a buffet for tea. This kept us entertained during the time the judges were making their decision. After a nerve wracking wait we finally got the scores. And we had won!The next round was the district final. This took place on Saturday 8th March at Bablake School in Coventry. It was very scary seeing all the other teams who had already won one round. This time there were eight teams. All had very interesting topics. They differed from talking about drama lessons to how smoking is bad. We, unfortunately, were one of the last and had to wait ages to do our speech. This didn’t help our nerves at all. A few hours later, when all the speeches had been done, the results were read out. When they said Woodrush had won, I was in shock! I didn’t know what to do. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life.As we won we are now going to the regional rounds. As the date gets closer and closer I am getting more and more nervous. But whatever happens at least we got this far. So thank you for reading and I hope you did not find it a “waste” of time! By Joseph Rupp (7B2)

Update: Our boys did not make it through to nationals but …

Dear Mrs. HeggsOn behalf of the Rotary Club of Solihull St Alphege we would like to thank you and your pupils for their tremendous efforts in this year’s Youth Speaks. To be first in our Club heat, where the competition this year was very strong was exciting, but then to go on and win the District Final was a wonderful result.We hope Toby, Joseph and Nathan enjoyed the Regional Final as much as we did. Please convey to them how proud and impressed we were of their presentation. As the judges said it was a very close thing which could have gone either way for all the teams participating, I am sure the School is also very proud of their efforts.RegardsDavid NewmanChair – Youth Opportunities Rotary Club of Solihull St Alphege

Youth Speaks Team – Club Winners!

Goodbye from Miss DenyerI have had the great privilege of teaching at Woodrush for 6 years and because it is such a wonderful school to be part of, I have found the decision to leave so incredibly difficult. However, I am moving on to sunnier climes as I have been appointed Head of English at Gems Wellington International School in Dubai.I began my career at Woodrush as a newly qualified teacher back in 2008 and quickly realised how lucky and proud I was to be part of the ‘English Dream Team.’ I have forged many friendships with staff over the years and I know they will be friends for life. I have also been so very fortunate to learn from the many outstanding teachers Woodrush has and feel very proud to be part of an outstanding school which its staff and students work so hard to sustain.I have made so many wonderful memories over the years but highlights include: organising London trips – with our first visit to the Harry Potter studios being particularly memorable as I am such a big fan of the books and films; celebrating with students on results’ day each year – it always proves that hard work really does pay off; and I guess my visit to New York City with the amazing Sixth Form crew – a trip to end all trips! It was simply amazing and they really were the best company to share a slice of the Big Apple experience with.But above all, the greatest memories I will take with me - until the very end of my career I am sure - are all the wonderful times I have spent teaching my students in my beloved (and very tidy) classroom; seeing them develop and progress with each assessment or examination. There have been laughter, tears, the incessant clucking of the chickens, and of course, the usual mix of frustration and annoyance thrown in for good measure and yet, I can only hope that the students I go on to teach in the future are as interesting, entertaining and lovely as those at Woodrush.I wish my lovely Year 10 group the best of luck in their exams next year – you are all going to do so well; as will my fabulous Year 12 Literature ladies who have got such promising futures ahead of them. You have all been a delight to teach and I will be checking up on how you are all doing! Finally, I will take this opportunity to thank each and every member of staff, student or parent who I have worked with over the years as you have made my time such a happy and fulfilling one. I have been so proud to be part of this school and will miss it dearly.

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Woodrush have been entering teams into the Magistrates Court Mock Trial Competition for years now and 2014 was to be one of most successful performances to date. The team not only came runners up their local heat, but also went on to represent the school with aplomb in the regional finals.

The Mock Trial competition is run by the Citizenship Foundation with the aim of introducing young people to the workings of the legal system in an innovative and exciting way. Students must argue a case in a real courtroom, with real magistrates and real life (like) cases. It is a supreme test of public speaking, confidence, performing under pressure and preparation.

The Woodrush Team was formed in November 2013 and went onto to prepare on a weekly basis before the first competition in March 2014. All those involved immediately impressed with their confidence, independence and desire to succeed. It is hard to understate how diligently the students worked in the build up to their first trial, many producing pages of notes in preparation.

On the day of the event itself nerves were high but the students were well prepared and confident of success. The Woodrush defence team was up first, led impressively by defence lawyers Jemma and Kirsty. They presented a watertight case and impressed in particular with their cross-examination. Harjeev was an excellent and assertive Usher whilst Harry was a suitably nervous and shifty defendant. The team was rewarded for their success with a not guilty verdict. In the second trial the prosecution team effectively blew away the defence with Ellie effectively getting an admission of guilt from the defendant. Mya, who showed no signs of her relative youth, supported her excellently. The team did not get the guilty verdict they wanted but clearly outclassed the opposition.

It was a nervous wait for the final results but it was eventually announced that Woodrush had come runners up and had qualified for the regional final; this was the least team deserved for all their efforts.

After a tense wait for the new case to come through the victorious team received their new challenge; a young man was accused of being in possession of a bladed weapon. With a tiny amount of time to prepare every student impressed with his or her dedication and independence. Most of the work was completed outside of school without any teacher supervision. Despite this Woodrush put together an excellent case that enabled them to hold their own against the very best teams in the West Midlands. Bethany and Cameron were excellent as witnesses whilst William received a score of 10/10 for his role as Legal Advisor.

Unfortunately victory was not to be theirs this day, but every participant should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved.

The Woodrush Team:

Carla B, Lewis H, James W, William B, Ellie V, Mya F, Harry M, Beth S, Jemma S, Kirsty B, Cameron G, Matthew P, Harjeev B.

Mr Lovell

Woodrush court success inMock Trial Competition

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Royal invitations for the latestGold award holdersWell done to George, Suzie, Josh, Lucy, Hannah, Alex and Olly who have now all successfully completed their Gold award and are awaiting their invitations to the palace to meet the Duke of Edinburgh himself and to collect their well earned awards.

Well done!Well done to both the Bronze and Gold students who have now all completed their practice expeditions – Bronze in Bewdley and Gold in the Brecon Beacons. Good luck to them all with their assessed expeditions in July – Bronze in Cotswolds and Gold in the Yorkshire Dales.

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

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Expedition

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Good morning Baltimore!For one week in April we stepped back in time to the 1950’s as our production of Hair-spray took centre stage…

The auditions began back in January, as the students awaited their fate; the plans for the latest Woodrush show were well underway. The BTEC Art students had started to pitch their set design to the director, the scripts had been ordered and the logo design competition had begun.

The students were overjoyed when the roles were announced and everyone that auditioned secured a part in the production. We enjoyed a trip to The Leicester Curve theatre to see the Broadway production of Hairspray, seeing for ourselves how the professionals had approached the show, providing our budding actors with plenty of inspiration.

The rehearsals took place twice a week, with singing and script rehearsals squeezed into lunchtimes; it soon became clear what a challenge we had ahead. Mr Hall, with steely determination, continued to coach the stars of the show whilst Miss Thomas and Mrs Shepherd practiced tirelessly with

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“It was very professional and the cast workedas a big team”Carys

the dancers and singing ensembles.

Weeks passed and the show was coming together. Dress fittings took place, the music rooms were transformed into dressing rooms with staff and pupils helping with hair and make-up; the stage was transformed by the set that the art students and caretaking staff had spent hours designing and making. Showtime was fast approaching.

All three nights were sold out; the buzz of excitement was evident backstage and amongst friends and family in the audience. We all shone and as the curtain closed on the final night, the students and staff soon realised that we had been part of something pretty special at Woodrush, something which the students will never forget. We are all so proud of the effort that the students had put in to the show and delighted that the hard work had paid off – you were all amazing!

“It was really

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were great”Lydia

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Cast ListRuth W Tracy Turnblad

Jake H Link Larkin

George G Corny Collins

Carmen J Amber von Tussle

Lucy B Velma von Tussle

Aanya R Penny Pingleton

Jemma S Prudy Pingleton

Matt T Edna Turnblad

Joe T Wilbur Turnblad

Amari W Seaweed J. Stubbs

Azlana J Lil InezMaddie M Motormouth Maybelle

Joe R Mr PinkyJoshua T Harriman F. Spritzer

Joel E gym teacher

Lauren T matronEllie-Kay D matronPeter W prison guard

The DynamitesEmily H JudineKatie H KamilahBeth F Shayna

Corny Collins DancersMillie WBeth CAbi S

Seaweed’s gangMia HMia B Shivani GShanice GKesia DReneece MSasha YKeisha M

Singing ensembleCarys CLucy CEllie-Kay DJess MHolly MEllie RKeyra WAbby YZoe B

Baltimore DancersHollie SLeah SEllie TAlice LLydia GNicole CFaye JEllie SKirsty EEmma S

EnsembleAmie BLydia BGiulia CAbbie FVicky HLola KMolly LMia LGrace PChloe SGrace WBen PRoss N

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Leaving Woodrush is going to be a truly sad day for me. Since 2007, I’ve had a brilliant time with too many good memories to mention thanks to this amazing institution.I would like to give special thanks to a few groups of people:

• Mr Mitchell and Miss Francis have been a constant pillar of support throughout my whole Woodrush Career for which I can’t thank them enough (COME ON LANCHESTER). Likewise, all of the heads of house both past and present have been brilliant throughout my time at Woodrush and are a credit to the school.

• I would also like to thank Mr Sullivan and Miss Ashman for the last two years. Despite being taught by Mr Sullivan in years 9 and 10, I didn’t expect to be working so closely with him for the past year especially. Both Miss Ashman and Mr Sullivan have both supported my wacky ideas whilst also (trying) to keep me in check and focused with my school work.

• Alongside Mr Sullivan and Miss Ashman, we have the Sixth Form Committee. In June 2013, we all set out our manifesto pledges as prospective Head boys and girls and promised to bring about great deal of changes to the Sixth Form and I think we were successful! We have organised more events than any other Sixth Form has ever seen before, including: A Sixth Form Sleepover, various social events, Fancy Dress Days, a Fashion Show and the Sixth

Form’s first ever yearbook. I would like to thank the hard work of all of the committee but I would like to especially thank Nicola, who has been brilliant this year and I could not have picked a better person to be Head Girl than her. We have both worked tirelessly and round the clock to try and make this year in Sixth Form the best it could have been and I hope we did you all proud!

• I would also like to thank everybody at Woodrush Youth and Community. You would struggle to find any better bastions of Woodrush than WYC. When I started volunteering 2 years ago for my Gold DofE, I never expected the rewards which would come out of it. Woodrush Youth and Community is often the unsung hero at Woodrush due to the humble nature of their staff. Over the last two years alongside Miss Parker and Heidi M, we have organised or been involved in: Youth’s Got Talent, a Transition programme, raising money for a defibrillator, Hair Spray, Community United and Woodrush’s first ever world cup tournament to name a handful. I cannot thank Kay, Faye, Heidi, Scott and everybody at WYC enough for everything they have done for me in the past few years!

It has been an amazing experience in the last 7 years that I would not trade in for anything. My advice to any students or sixth formers reading this, is to not turn down any experiences or opportunities Woodrush gives you. Finally, I would just like to say thank you to everyone at Woodrush and say this will not be the last time you see me but good luck, thank you and goodbye .

Ollie M – Head Boy

I still can’t believe that we’re leaving Woodrush! It’s been an amazing seven years, with the last two years honestly being the best ever. Mr Sullivan will hate the cheesiness of this description, but Woodrush has truly been a journey for me! I started year 7 as quite the pushover, but that’s certainly changed over the years, especially during Sixth Form. The fact that I was considering going to a different college for my A Levels seems ridiculous now; it’s hard to exaggerate the difference that coming to Sixth Form has made to my life. The teachers have been incredibly supportive of all the students, working round the clock to mark our extra work and to deal with our many breakdowns!

I think I can speak for everyone when saying that I will miss how close we all are in the Sixth Form. Of course, that means that gossip travels a lot faster, but we love it really! The various social events inside and outside of Sixth Form have made some of the best memories and some of the best gossip! I hope that the Committee have fulfilled the expectations that everyone had of the social events. Hopefully, everyone will come back for a reunion in December!

On a personal note to the Sixth Form Committee, I would like to thank everyone who got involved this past year: Deputy Head Girl Lois, Deputy Head Boy Jay, Josh, Duncan, Lucy, Megan, Katie, and Leanne. It has truly been a team effort, the best example of which is the Sixth Form Fashion Show in November: Lucy came up with the idea of a fashion show; Lois, Jay, Leanne, and Megan helped with directing the models; Duncan recorded the show; and many non-committee members got involved in modelling. I would like to thank Head Boy Ollie, who picked up the slack for me during this period, as I was stressed revising for a university entrance exam! This is all just one example of the amazing help that the Committee has provided, which I often think goes unnoticed. Thanks also go to Josh, who arranged all the sport events this year, to Katie, who kept the Sixth Form organised, and to Mr Sullivan and Miss Ashman, who supported us all in our ideas and projects. It is hard to show my appreciation in 400 words - I could go on, but I won’t.

To leave something that has taken up seven of the most important years of your life is not only sad but very surreal. There is some consolation in the fact that we will be returning at Christmas, so I guess it’s goodbye for now, not for forever yet!

Nicola P – Head Girl

Goodbye Woodrush!

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This year’s end of year Sixth Form Celebration evening bought the glamour of Hollywood to the Village hotel in Solihull. Six foot tall Oscar statues, a large Hollywood sign, Hollywood themed table decorations, a red carpet entrance and cut outs of iconic Hollywood stars adorned the event. In addition, a sweet cart and a cupcake stand ensured that everyone’s sweet tooth was satisfied after they feasted on a sumptuous buffet. To burn off any unwanted calories, staff and students alike danced the night away on the LED dance floor and had a fantastic night.The night also provided an opportunity to thank Head Boy (Ollie) and Head Girl (Nicola) for all their hard work over the duration of this academic year. Special recognition was also given to two other students

(Tom and Suzie) for their diligent and conscientious approach to their studies over their time in the Sixth Form. Both of these students, like many others in the Sixth Form, have worked incredibly hard over the past two years and have been superb role models to other students. Tom and Suzie’s efforts were recognised on the night by announcing them as Prom King and Queen for the evening. Over the duration of the evening, the dance floor was packed all night. The only break from dancing came when Ollie played a video that contained farewell messages from staff and the obligatory Sixth Form music video. At 1am, over 100 Sixth Form students sang along to the final song of the night. Tears were shed as Year 13 students bid an emotional farewell to

A Touch of Hollywood at this year’s Sixth Form End

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On a rain soaked day in June, a large number of Sixth Form students battled the elements and visited the University of Nottingham for one of its open days. The visit provided the students with the opportunity to explore the leafy grounds of an academic institution ranked in the top 1% of all universities worldwide.Over the course of the day, students attended lectures in potential subjects they might be interested in studying at degree level. One student even commented that one of the lectures he attended has inspired him to study the

subject at university. Many of the other students participated in the campus tour and some even had a look at the halls of residence.The day itself is just one small part of the programme of information we pro-vide to our Sixth Form students regard-ing their post-18 destinations. Before the end of the academic year, students will also visit a higher education conven-tion at the University and Birmingham. In addition to this, they will also attend an information and guidance day held in school where they are advised on the

process of applying to university and are also given advice on other options like higher apprenticeships, gap years and employment.One of the aims of Woodrush Sixth Form is to make sure that our students are given all the guidance, information and support they need to make the right decision for when they end their studies with us. Attending the open day at the University of Nottingham was, as mentioned, just one small part of the programme of support and guidance we offer to our Sixth Form students.

University of Nottingham Open Day

the Year 12s and the members of staff that were in attendance. The whole event was described by one member of staff as ‘The best Sixth Form Prom ever’. Can I take this opportunity to thank Ms Ashman, Ollie, Nicola, Jay and Lois for all their hard work in organising a night that will be never be forgotten by our Sixth Form students. The night itself marked a perfect end to the Year 13’s time with us here at Woodrush. We will miss these students and we wish them every success as they embark upon the next exciting chapter in their lives. Our Year 12 students are already looking forward to next year’s Sixth Form end of year celebration evening and are probably wondering how they will top this year’s event. I’m confident they’ll manage it.

Mr M Sullivan – Head of Sixth Form

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A fond farewell to Year 13On May 23rd Woodrush High School bid a fond farewell to our Year 13 students as they began their study leave for their final A level exams. Staff and students met in the Sixth Form centre and shared their memories about the seven years these students have spent at Woodrush High. The Year 13s are a cohort of students that will be dearly missed and many tears were shed by students (and some staff) as we said our goodbyes.These students have now finished their final exams and we wait with great anticipation for their final results on August 14th. Within this year group a record breaking number of students are applying for some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including the likes of Birmingham, Warwick, Nottingham and Oxford. This is a testament to how hard they have worked over the past two years in the Sixth Form and over their time in Woodrush High as a whole.We wish them every success for the future and we hope they remember their time with us fondly. Goodbye and good luck Year 13.

Thank you to this year’s Sixth Form CommitteeAs we say farewell to our Year 13 students, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of our Sixth Form committee for all their hard work this year. Led by Head Boy (Ollie), Head Girl (Nicola), Deputy Head Boy (Jay) and Deputy Head Girl (Lois), the committee has been comprised of ten Year 13 students and has been an integral part of the Sixth Form over this past academic year. This body of students have spearheaded many initiatives, developments and extra-curricular activities for the Sixth Form since last September. These have included the development of facilities for the Sixth Form, running a ‘Children in Need’ fundraising fashion show, organising a Sixth Form sleepover, helping run the Macmillan coffee morning, developing a Year Book for the Sixth Form, talking to parents at the Sixth Form Open Evening, supporting fundraising events for Sport’s Relief and organising the Sixth Form end of year celebration evening. The remaining members of the committee (Lucy, Duncan, Leanne, Josh, Megan and Katie) have worked together superbly as a team and supported Ollie, Nicola, Jay and Lois in enriching the experiences had by all of our sixth form students over the past year.A number of Year 12 students have already applied for the roles of Head Boy and Head Girl for the next academic year. Their campaigns for election will take place over subsequent weeks and I would like to wish these students all the best with their campaigns. Please look out for news on the election of the next Sixth Form Head Boy and Head Girl for Woodrush Sixth Form in our next edition of the ‘Woodrush Star’. Mr M Sullivan – Head of Sixth Form

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MGreat Support for my Gap Year in GhanaHello, my name is James and I have recently finished two amazing years in Woodrush Sixth Form. Unlike most students, instead of immediately attending a university, I have decided to volunteer abroad in Ghana with a company called “Project Trust” to teach secondary school students. My eight months in Ghana will also involve setting up projects abroad to improve living conditions within the local communities. Over the past year I have been busy trying to raise the £4880 needed to fund the trip. Both staff and students at Woodrush have been very kind and helpful in motivating and supporting me to achieve this goal.In mid-March 2014, we came up with the idea of running a Sixth Form Sleepover to help raise funds for my trip. This involved students spending a memorable night in the school. During the beginning of the night, we did what every sleepover needs, and that is, of course . . . building forts. We shifted furniture and blankets all around the Sixth Form centre to create, what we called ‘Fort Plushington.’ After that, we let the games commence. A night time competition was run which involved quizzes, Pictionary and a whole lot of toilet roll (don’t ask!). We then took a ghost tour all around the sixth form and the school, which led to several loud girly screams reverberating around the school corridors (mine included). And then, every students dream came true when we played hide and seek all

around the school, which, with a mixture of eeriness and excitement, involved hiding in cupboards, under tables, and pretending to be a mannequin in the drama studio. Not much sleep was had on the night, but we all woke up full of high spirits because we had one of our most memorable experiences in the sixth form. Our second fund raising project was to host a game of ‘Muggle Quidditch.’ This involved students replicating the famous Harry Potter broom game. The afternoon was truly magical; it was the first sunny

day of the year and loads of students came down to the bottom field to watch and to play. We had human snitch’s being chased, dementors roaming the field and with the help of some

make shift hoops and lots and lots of water balloons we were able to recreate a combative and thrilling Quidditch experience. Currently, I have just reached £3000 in my fundraising and I really couldn’t have achieved this without the huge support and motivation I have received from everyone at Woodrush. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone in Woodrush Sixth Form for all your help and support, not only for helping me fundraise, but for sharing the same levels of enthusiasm, excitement and passion I have. I will remember every student and staff member who helped and got involved and will be forever grateful to them for helping me kick-start the incredible journey I am about to embark on next year.

Thank you, James

Sixth Form support Sport’s ReliefAs you may have noticed from previous editions of the ‘Woodrush Star’, there is nothing our Sixth Form students love more than to don fancy dress and support charity fundraising events in the school. This year’s Sport Relief was no exception. During the day itself our students made sure that an array of superheroes were represented, but there was also some other imaginative ideas executed for fancy dress, including: the 118 men, the Jamaican bobsleigh team, a block of lego, Bertie Basset, and perhaps most strangely, Cardiff City chairman Vincent Tan. On the day itself the Sixth Form students helped with the organisation of the ‘run a mile’ event for the lower school and the penalty shootout and crossbar challenge com-petitions over lunch. Again, it was great to see our Sixth Form students helping to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.

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National Science and Engineering Week 2014During March the Science department celebrated National Science and Engineering Week with a bang. Lots of off site visits and competitions took place during the surrounding weeks which you can read about here.

Big Bang TripIn March 40 Year 7 and 8 students got to go to the National Big Bang Fair at the NEC. Big Bang is an understatement! We saw a live indoor firework show and learned about the Science of pyrotechnics. There were 100s of stands where pupils from across the country showed off their STEM projects including our very own William B in year 8 with his ingenious light controlled iPod docking station. There were lots of stands from Universities and Science companies talking about how Science is used in the real world outside of school. Our students were brilliantly behaved and a real credit to Woodrush. Thanks to all the students who attended for letting Mr Raistrick, Miss Hempson,Mr McDowell and Mr Castle tag along!

Beat the FloodAll of year 8 completed a cross-curricular project on designing, building and testing flood proof housing. This took 2 weeks to complete and students used skills in Science, Technology, Maths, ICT and Geography lessons to work as a team. 42 students came back in their own time to take their project to the next level and achieved a Bronze CREST Award for their work which is an internationally recognised certificate for excellent work across STEM subjects. Beat the flood is a competition organised by Practical Action UK; a charity to support the victims of devastating flooding in developing countries. A massive thanks to all the faculties that supported this.

BTEC Level 3 Applied Science trip to Warwick University

The Y12 BTEC Level 3 Scientists attended a practical day at Warwick University to complete some of their assessed practical work. They made and purified the drugs aspirin and paracetamol and tested them to see how pure they were compared to shop bought versions of the drugs. The sixth formers got to work in the state of the art chemistry laboratories with lecturers and PhD students from the university. All students successfully completed their practical work, with Mr McDowell and Mrs Bishop struggling to produce the same quality of product as them!

Many thanks to Mrs Bishop for driving the minibus for us. We nearly made a scientist of her!

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STEMBiology Big Quiz

At the end of March, pupils from Year 10 took part in the Big Biology Quiz at the University of Birmingham. They were competing against pupils from other schools across the Midlands in a variety of rounds including subjects like genetics, the environment and a picture round. The questions were extremely tough, and even had myself and Mr Mitchell scratching our heads at times! All three teams from Woodrush did very well, with Team B (James C, James S and Vinesh C) getting the best score from our school (49 out of 70). Well done to all who took part!

Mr Ellis

On the 18th March Miss Hewitt and I visited Hollywood Primary School as part of National Science and Engineering Week. We visited both year 6 classes and carried out a science quiz. The classes worked in small groups and completed rounds on biology, chemistry, physics, engineering as well as famous scientists. The winning teams from each class won prizes including wooden robot kits and magnifying glasses. All students received NSEW badges, pencils and stickers. We had a lovely time and look forward to seeing the students again in September.

Miss Hollingworth

Salters Chemistry FestivalOn Wednesday 2nd April I took four year 8 students (William, Keeley, Shannon and Ellie-Kay) to Birmingham University for the Salters Chemistry Festival, which is a competition between schools in the Midlands. Students had to dress in lab coats, goggles and gloves and had to complete mini forensic investigations, such as identifying suspect powders using chemical testing and chromatography. They then had to produce a written report of their findings. They were judged on team work, their report as well as on their organisational and practical skills. Woodrush students came second in one of the events beating approximately 15 local schools. They won a Teachers Molymod kit for the science department as well as certificates and some little prizes for themselves. The students behaved excellently and were a credit to the school.

Miss Hollingworth

Birmingham Science Festival

Forty Year 10 students were able to visit The University of Birmingham during April of this year. The pupils were able to take part in interactive lectures and workshops. They were given an insight into potentially what university life would be like.

The students were given an insight to robotics and appliances of the future. They also had a workshop involving Biology topics, so the day was as varied as they could have possibly imagined!! Overall the students worked really well throughout the day and responded well to the activities that were put on for us during the day.

Team Science

Biology ChallengeYear 9 and 10 students took part in the Society of Biology’s challenge where schools from across the country answer questions to test their wider understanding of Science. A huge congratulations to Arvin M in Year 10 who achieved a Bronze Prize which puts him in the top 10% of the country.

Alton Towers Science of RollercoastersIn March 2014, forty year 11 pupils made the long coach journey to Staffordshire to visit Alton Towers theme park. The day was set to be part of interactive lecture followed by some ride quests and then the most important riding those rollercoasters.

The pupils took part in an interactive live lecture on rollercoasters and how they are designed to give maximum thrill and speed to all the theme park enthusiasts. Pupils then had the option to take part in a ride quest while visiting the rest of the park.From feedback the pupils had a fantastic day and I know the teachers certainly enjoyed the rollercoasters especially the SMILER!!!!

Team Science

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YES!The Laser Cutter finally makes its mark at Woodrush High SchoolThe Laser Cutter was warmly welcomed by all, especially all technologists at Woodrush High raising the goal posts for high quality innovative designed products. Set to challenge and inspire students at all levels to experience specialist industrial equipment within Design Technology at Woodrush High gearing towards excellence!

Year 9 FashionistsYear 9 Fashionists continue to develop their technical skills through Pattern drafting and making in preparation to exhibit their final pieces. All students have been working from scratch to draft a pattern, cut and make a dress inspired from a decade of their choice.

Year 9 Engineers get hot on the case in the Engineering workshop developing their processes and skills techniques in preparation for their controlled assessment next year!

Engineering students

Year 11 Engineers get back to their drawing boards polishing up their technical drawing skills in preparation for their Assessments.

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Engineering CompetitionCongratulations to William Year 8 who secured at place in the top 50 of the National Science and Engineering Competition.Well done William, our Great Woodrush High Design Technology Ambassador.

Bye, Bye WoodrushI have had a wonderful four years teaching at Woodrush and had the opportunity to work with some amazing staff and pupils. It has been a joy to see so many students grow into young upstanding members of the community and I know this will continue for many years to come. I am sad to be leaving such a great school but have some fantastic memories to take with me. Good bye and all the best for the future!!!

Mrs Price

Students from all houses taking part in the National Science and Engineering week quizAs part of National Science and Engineering week, over 30 pupils took part in a science quiz in the hall. Teams of 4 battled to be the winners, in rounds involving problem solving, model making and a picture round. Every team did very well, with the narrow winners coming from Cadbury. Congratulations to Chris H, Lucy D, Jo C and Corey G on winning the quiz, and well done to everyone for taking part!Mr Ellis

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A-levelProduct designWoodrush High A-level Product designers (3D and Fashion) were working towards their controlled assessments, solving design problems aiming for high quality innovative products. Students take a broad view of design and technology, develop their capacity to design and make products and appreciate the complex relations between design, materials, manufacture and marketing.

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Product Design

Year 11 Product Designers aim to hit their highest by developing their making skills, overcoming technical obstacles working for precision whilst making their speakers as part of their controlled assessment.

Ms Goswami

Goodbyefrom Mrs MossWell, it is time for me to say goodbye!! I’m off to work in a Middle School as my next adventure and really excited about working with key stage 2. I have been at Woodrush for four years and had such a lot of fun with so many students! I have had a blast!! If I had a pound for every time I had been asked ‘Miss, is it done yet?’ I think I could have retired by now. I am going to miss you all so much and hope that you will carry on cooking and experimenting with food and staying healthy and wise. My catering students in year 9 and 10 are by far the greatest ‘chefs’ I have ever taught and I hope you will carry on developing yourselves as you move onwards and upwards. Best wishes to each and every one of you. Stay calm and keep cooking :-)

Mrs Moss

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What is The Pitch?The Pitch is a two-day residential event run by the University of Wolverhampton for aspiring business leaders and managers. What does The Pitch involve?During the event students worked in teams of five to come up with a creative solution to a real-life business challenge with support of a University graduate mentor. Our Business was Star City who wanted to develop a means of attracting greater levels of attendance at off-peak times.

At the end of the two days, students pitched their idea to representatives from Star City and were judged on the following criteria:

• Leadership and teambuilding skills• Marketing and how to create the perfect pitch• Creative thinking, and idea generation

Chloe-Leigh, Beth, Dan, Sam and Kate all stepped up marvellously to the challenge to offer a solution that “put them up there with the big boys” (Actual quote from Star City) with their suggestion of getting external businesses such as a café to offer crèche services. The feedback given was that “The level and complexity of this idea combined with great presentation skills and team work impressed the judges their performance was at a level that would put experienced executives to shame.” Students also got a university style experience living in halls of residence and university campus. Students had so much fun, for example Sam could not get enough of the revolving doors, much to his delight. Dan was so enthused by the prospect of the Uni life style that he had the hoover out first thing in the morning cleaning up after his midnight feast and numerous cups of tea.

Dan, an aspiring Prime Minister, said “It was a great experience to come up with a solution for a real business, Star City, who actually liked it!” Kate said “We were able to apply theory to practice and as a result we came across as young professionals with excellent business acumen”. Sam collaborated this by saying the whole experience was “awesome”. All in all, a good few days!

Written by Chloe-Leigh D, Beth F, Dan T, Sam G and Kate M.

Junior Maths ChallengeThe Junior Maths Challenge successfully went ahead on Thursday 1st May, 30 pupils from year 7 and 8 were entered and this year an amazing 18 pupils achieved high enough results to receive certificates from the University of Leeds a further improvement on last year and in fact the most certificates we have ever received for the Junior Challenge. 12 students were awarded a Bronze certificate – they were James, Daniel, Olivia, Leah, William, Jack, Robbie, Thomas and Morgan in year 8 and Francesca, Alex and Shae in year 7. Silver certificates went to the following 5 students: Cameron, Chris, Kaide and Ben in year 8, and Sam in year 7. Special congratulations go to Samantha in year 8 who received a Gold certificate. Sam also then received an individual Best in Year certificate and Samantha received not only Best in Year but Best in School for her score of 85 out of a possible maximum 135.

These results meant that Brindley won the Junior Challenge competition with 65 points, Cadbury came 2nd with 45 points and unfortunately Lanchester came third with 30 points.

Well done to everyone who took part – lets see if we can reach 20 certificates next year.

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All about Mrs WilliamsMrs Williams has been working with us this year teaching French and Spanish as well as supporting GCSE French groups.

What languages do you speak?French, German, Spanish and a bit of Italian, which I would love to learn more!

What is your favourite language?French, bien sur!

Where do you like to go on holiday?My favourite place in England is Cornwall, and I love anywhere in Europe!

Who are you supporting in the World Cup now England are out?The Netherlands as they haven’t won in a long time!

What do you enjoy most about teaching at Woodrush?Being able to speak different languages and show the pupils how important they are!

Allez Les Bleus!Now that England has failed to qualify, we need to find another team to support!!!In the MFL department we are backing France to go all the way... Here is the lowdown on the team

Team: FranceNickname: Les BleusHead coach: Didier DeschampsCaptain: Hugo LlorisHome Stadium: Stade de FranceMost goals scored by: Thierry HenryChance of winning World Cup: 8/1

How much do you know about Brazil?

Did you know that they speak Portuguese there?Can you find these 8 simple Portuguese words and work out what they mean in English?

Linguists of the MonthWe just wanted to pass on a huge well done to our linguists of the month from this year!All our winners will have received 10 merits from their teacher.Lots of our linguists of the month have been out on rewards trips to Frankfurt Christmas Markets in Birmingham and making pizzas at Pizza Express! It could be you! We are currently looking at new and exciting places to take our winners next year, including Chiquitos Mexican restaurant.

Language AmbassadorsWell done to our 6th form language ambassadors – Megan, Leanne, Nicola and Lily.The girls have set a fantastic example to language learners in younger years, all four girls have achieved impressive marks throughout their 2 year course and have helped motivate pupils in lower school by running events for European Day of Languages such as the cress-up, support our MFL café and most recently have been into our local feeder schools The Coppice and Hollywood to run assemblies on Easter in France and Spain.All of these students are going onto University in September and some will continue their languages, we wish you all the very best!

If you would like to become a language ambassador next year, please seeMrs Croxall

International Week at CoppiceMrs Bennett, Mrs Monk and Mrs Croxall all went recently to teach some aspiring linguists at the Coppice. We taught French to Reception Class pupils and German to Year 1.All the Coppice pupils were celebrating countries from across the World and were impressively dressed in national costume and colours!We had great fun teaching the pupils! Reception class pupils were able to remember lots of animal words by the end of our session as well as sing along to Old McDonald! Year 1 pupils impressed us with their fantastic German. They counted up to 11 and could name lots of their body parts so they too could sing along to Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!Merci and Danke Schön to the Coppice for inviting us in for International Week!

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Class of 2014!Woodrush Art department held their annual showcase of talent on Wednesday 14th May in the school library and 6th form. The work featured included current yr 11 GCSE Art and Photography students as well as A’Level Art & Photography and BTEC students work. The evening was a huge success with many visiting parents, friends and school governors. The year 10 music students added a fantastic ambience in the 6th form to create a very successful evening once again.

Drama Studio memoriesIt is the end of an era with Mr Hall on sabbatical and the drama studio changing! So Dr Drama asks ‘What is happening?!’The drama studio will be converted into a Science Lab over the summer and plans for a new performing arts space to be built are well under wayWhat is happening to Mr Hall?Mr Hall: I’m off on sabbatical for a change of scenery (pun intended) to give myself a chance to focus on my acting for a year and refresh my skills; I then will come back, fully charged with some new ideas! Thanks to staff and pupils who have popped in to say goodbye and wish me well. Thanks too if you’ve seen me in any productions to date, hopefully there will be more to come. Dr Drama asked students on their thoughts as the curtain comes down on the studio…James in year 10 said ‘’There’s loads of defining moments it’s hard to pick one’’ but stated he may try some Balinese moves in nightclubs! The drama studio won’t be the same without you…What’s yours? The story from Shell Island, visiting Darkwood Manor or maybe choreographing a stage fight in Narnia?Dr Drama

Photography ClubThis term year 7 and year 8 students have been taking part in Photography club on Monday evenings. Students have begun a project on Macro photography and will go on to produce a series of images for this project. During the term, students will learn how to take photo-graphs and edit their images. The images shown are some examples from the first Macro photography workshop (photos by Joe R).

Mr Fewell (Art and Photography Teacher)

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Theatre Trip - ‘Never Try This at Home’Due to links the drama department has built up with The REP Theatre over the years we were lucky enough to grab some free tickets to see a really madcap production: ‘Never Try This At Home’ was a darkly funny look at Saturday morning TV. The gags and humour sailed close to the wind and the storytelling was highly inventive; the talented cast provided excellent slapstick and energy in this anarchic production. If you get a chance to see anything by the theatre company ‘Told by An Idiot’ don’t miss the oppor-tunity- the Year 11’s and the staff had a great night out!

Page to Stage examinationYr10’s have been working really hard on their first of three examination towards their OCR GCSE Drama course. The pieces will be an excerpt from Shakespeare’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and an excerpt from a contemporary play that explores community issues.Mr Hall

Homework, Homework on the Wall…Here are some of the hottest homeworks that have appeared this year…Fantastic formation homeworks from a Street dance unit of work, World War II wonders from the play Lion the Witch and Wardrobe and Brilliant Badges… Mr Hall

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Destiny Africa VisitDestiny Africa was formed through the Kampala’s Children Centre (KCC), which was established in 2005 to give a home and a voice to vulnerable children in Uganda affected by poverty, disease and the legacy of war. The children of KCC began to sing with their house mothers and with the support and encouragement from Arnold Muwonge (KCC Founder) it naturally progressed into the choir’s beginnings in 2007.

On June 17th, we were delighted to welcome Destiny Africa back to Woodrush. Our links with the Kampala Children’s Centre in Uganda now go back many years, and we are a regular host on their biannual tours of the UK. The choir have been touring the UK for the last 3 months and return to Uganda this weekend, following a visit to Downing Street.The choir spent the afternoon at Woodrush, rehearsing with Woodrush music students and leading an African drumming workshop. Students from Uganda and Woodrush enjoyed playing football, learning songs and dances, spending time together and making new friends. The choir were treated to the superb hospitality of Kay and her team at the Youth Centre before their evening performance. The school and local community turned out in large numbers to support this hugely worthwhile charity, who give orphan children in

Goodbye fromMr WendzinaI am moving out to Arkansas, USA to teach in a school for a year. It will be a great opportunity to gain experience teaching in a different education system! I have really loved my time here at Woodrush. Some of the best moments have been all the concerts that I’ve been privileged to help out with. The Christmas concerts and Hairspray have been brilliant and I have loved seeing the students do brilliant performances and with so much confidence! I will really miss everyone and hope to Skype in next year to say hello and see how everyone is doing!

Mr Wendzina - Music

Kampala a loving home and the chance to grow into happy, healthy educated young people; a chance they would not have without our support. The audience were treated to an evening of high energy singing and dancing from the talented Ugandan choir, and also to very moving moments of reflection. Woodrush students excelled themselves by taking part in collaborative performances with the visitors, joining them for 2 songs and a drumming performance. The evening ended with the whole audience up on their feet dancing. Quotes from students :I can honestly say that Destiny Africa was an amazing experience that I will never forget. To perform with such inspiring and talented people was overwhelming and I just wished they could have stayed longer.Destiny Africa was such a brilliant experience. Its was so much fun,

uplifting and inspiring. It was one of the best experiences ever.Destiny Africa was amazing ! It was such an honour to watch their performance and hear their inspiring stories and how the organisation supports and helps the children in Uganda. It was a privilege to have them at Woodrush.I really hope they come back to perform here again.

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Zoe C’S dream to represent her country got one step closer after her call up to the recent England camp at St Georges Park. All went well at the camp and Zoe is now on standby for England with the 18 man squad away in Sweden.

Zoe has spent the last 7 years playing for Aston Villa mostly as a left back and has a record of 64 goals in 179 games. Zoe also represents the Worcestershire U16 County team and before joining Villa played for Birmingham City and her only boys team Coldland Colts.

Zoe fell at the last hurdle for the English schools team when she got down to the last 28 in England for the squad. We all wish her good luck in the next few months as she tries to break into the 30 man squad and the European Championships in October and for winning the league on the last day of the season and making the Aston Villa squad for 2014-2015, which will be her 8th year, and also the Worcestershire County team following her recent trials.

Zoe’s England Dream

Woodrush Boys vs The Pulse

Thursday 3rd April saw the year 11 Woodrush boys host Pulse Academy. Both teams started the match well playing some very nice football. The deadlock was broken by the away team who scrambled the ball into the back of the net. Woodrush battled on and came close on a couple of occasions. Pulse then added to their lead with a long range effort nestling into the corner. Woodrush went into half time 2-0. Their spirits were not deflated and they all knew they could play a lot better and were definitely not out of the game be any means. Woodrush started the second half the better team having some great chances to reduce the goal deficit. Out of nowhere Alex Hughes came up with a long range effort catching the Pulse goalkeeper off guard putting Woodrush on the board and the game was on. This goal boosted the team’s confidence and they started to dominate the game towards the end of the second half. With only 5 minutes to go Woodrush got a corner. A great ball was whipped and Ashley Maddocks at the back post headed the equaliser making it 2-2. Unfortunately with time not on our side a winning goal was not found and the game ended a draw. Good game of football and a great team effort. Well done Woodrush.

Mr Francis

MOTM - Ashon W

Woodrush vs South Bromsgrove Year 10 boysThe top two year 10 boys’ teams in the Worcestershire schools league, Woodrush High and South Bromsgrove went head to head last night. Straight from the whistle it was a tasty affair with a high tempo and we all knew we were in for a good game of football. Both teams were creating chance after chance but it was South who took their chances and were 3-0 up by half time. Woodrush knew they needed to up their game in the second half, close the ball down quicker and when in possession get the ball down and play. Not fazed by the score line Woodrush showed great determination, fight and resilience. They were rewarded when Oli H slotted a half volley into the back of South’s goal. Not long after Tom A whipped in a great cross to the back post which found the head of Kieran F and Woodrush were right back in the game. With only 5 minutes to go in the game South were desperately trying to hold onto the win whilst the Woodrush lads pushed on to get a point. In the last 2 minutes of the game Donovan P’s strike from the edge of the 18 yard box nestled in the top corner to make it all level at 3-3. It was a fantastic game of football played by both teams. Well done boys.

MOM – Donovan P

Mr Francis

Worcestershire Cricket Coach Year 8 students have really enjoyed having a Worcestershire Cricket coach run sessions on a Tuesday after school to help improve the teams batting, bowling and fielding skills. We are really looking forward to hearing about how the Year 8 team get on in the District cricket fixtures this half term. Good luck Woodrush.

‘Community United – Wythall World Cup’

On Sunday 22nd June, Woodrush Youth, Sport and Community hosted ‘Community United - Wythall World Cup’.The event was a 7-a side football tournament and was set up to bring people in the local community together. Alongside the tournament, there were other activities to do and lots of food and refreshments for families and friends to enjoy.Teams were made up of local businesses and organisations including Becketts Farm, The Police, The Churches and local shops. There were also teams from Sixth Form, School Teachers and Youth Sports and Community Team.

With the sun blazing, the games got underway at 2pm. Two groups of 5 teams battled it out to get to the knockout stage.Whilst the teams were playing there were other activities taking place such as; the arts and crafts table where pictures were being drawn and loom bracelets were being made, decorations were being applied to cupcakes on another table and children’s faces (and some adults!) were being painted into the style of animals. Football Zorbs also was one of the main popular attractions! You could not escape the delicious aroma of the tasty food being cooked up around the tennis courts. The pig roast and apple sauce, the BBQ burgers and the beer tent satisfied everyone in the afternoon sun.The atmosphere was brilliant. Everyone was in high spirits enjoying the good food and drink, soaking up the afternoon rays, laughing and talking with each other and of course watching the football matches.By mid-afternoon teams had made it through to the knockout stage. Some great matches were played. A couple of games ended in penalty shootouts with some mind games coming from the goalkeepers.Unfortunately, the School Teachers team and the Youth, Sports and Community team did not make the cut.Everyone gathered around the Astroturf pitch to watch the Sixth form team and Phoenix A in the final! Both played extremely well but it was Phoenix who shone through to win the tournament.

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Goodbye toMr FrancisThe PE department are really sad to be saying goodbye to Mr Francis who has being a brilliant addition to the team. Students have really enjoyed having him as their PE teacher and he has really made an impact in the short time he has been with us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Francis for all his hard work and to wish him luck for his future teaching career.

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County Successes for Woodrush AthletesCongratulations to the following students who were selected and represented Redditch District Athletics Track and Field Team in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Athletics Championship on Wednesday 25th June 2014.

• Mia B - 200m (4th) and 4x100m relay (1st)• Jazz L - Long jump (2nd)• Lucy F - High jump (3rd) • Leah S - 1500m (1st)• Morgan T - Triple jump (6th)

All athletes gave their best effort and should be proud of their achievements!Mr Maidment

U12 Boys Football Team Crowned County Champions Congratulations to the u12 boys football team who became Worcestershire Schools FA Cup champions. Woodrush managed to defeat the reigning champions Ridgeway in pulsating match. Woodrush started well and took the lead through Charlie S following a free kick from Kyle E and good work by Brandon M and Jackson J. Woodrush seemed to be coasting with Sonny S dominating the midfield. Unfortunately, Woodrush gifted Ridgeway an equaliser following a mix up in defence. Woodrush then regained the lead through Brandon M. In the second half Ridgeway dominated the game and deservedly scored an equaliser. This lifted their spirits and good defending from Kyle E and superb tackling from Tyrese C-F prevented Ridgeway from taking the lead. In an attempt to regain control of the game the tiring Sonny S moved to centre forward and Charlie S played centre midfield. This allowed Woodrush to again control the midfield and bolstered in the last few minutes by energetic Louix G Woodrush went on to create a number of chances and score another two more goals with both Brandon M and Charlie S grabbing a brace each. This was an excellent team effort and a fitting end to what has been a very successful football season for the school. Mr Maidment

Year 7 District Rounders tournamentOn Tuesday, 3rd June Woodrush Year 7 rounders team played in the District Rounders tournament at Woodrush. It was the first time the girls played together as a team and they played extremely well. They really started to gel as a team improving their field-ing and batting skills throughout the tournament. They won 3 matches, lost 2 finishing in overall in 3rd place.Well done Woodrush.

Year 8 rounders Year 8 rounders team have been on fire this season winning all their matches played so far. On Wednesday 21st May they played Churchill and Ridgeway beating both schools by over 15 rounders! They played Birchensdale on Monday, 9th June beating them 16 to 7 rounders. The team really are exceptional and their batting, fielding and team work is fantastic. They have one more game to play and hopefully win to secure District Rounders Champions for the second year running!!Good luck girls!

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Woodrush School Sports ColoursThe following students have all been awarded a Sports colours tie and badge for representing their Sport at either County, Regional or National level. Woodrush are very proud to have such talented students in their school. Well done to all and good luck for all your future sporting successes:

National levelGymnastics: Makenzia W, Jasmine L, Alice H, James H, Hannah G, Trampoline: Georgina N.S Fencing: Alex PFootball: Zoe C

Regional levelCross Country: Leah S

County levelBadminton: Sophie J, Ellie V, Abby J, Lucy F, Holly MRugby: Ivor S, Ben FAthletics: Morgan T, Mia B, Leah S, Rhea JNetball: Sophie J, Hannah M

Year 10 rounders Year 10 rounders team played exceptionally well against South Bromsgrove and Kingsley but unfortunately due to typical English weather the games had to be shortened to one innings. However, we beat South 5 1/2 rounders to 4 1/2 rounders but Kingsley just beat us by 3 rounders. As we went to press we were currently in 2nd place with two more games to play so look out in the next edition to see if we became District Champions!

Super Six Athletics Competitionand District Track and field CupOn Wednesday 11th June we took 12 athletes from Year 9 (6 boys and 6 girls) who became Woodrush’s Super six. We had a superb evening with every athlete compet-ing in one track and one field event. Majority of our athletes finished in 1st or 2nd place in their events. . Overall, Woodrush finished in 2nd place only just beaten by St. Augustine’s on relay points. The team have now been selected to represent Red-ditch at the Worcestershire Games on Tuesday, 24th June. Our Year 8 athletics team also took part in the District Track and field Cup on Wednesday, 11th June. Again all our Year 8 athletes per-formed to an extremely high standard with several finish-ing in first place. The girls team finished in first place and the boys team finished in fourth place. Overall, we finished in second place. The atmosphere was fantastic and students really enjoyed

WOODRUSH YOUTH,SPORTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Promoting our new RUSH PACKAGE,we offer the followingRUSH FITNESS; X-FIT, POWER CIRCUITS, ZUMBA, BOKWAand more……..

RUSH FOOTBALL LEAGUE; Adult, Student, Kids LeagueRUSH DANCE ACADEMY Woodrush Sports Centre also provides a range of facilities to hire;*Newly refurbished ATP*Newly refurbished Tennis Courts*Sports Hall*GymnasiumSchool Hall and more… see website for more details 01564 820099 [email protected]

Editors: Mrs J Peters & Mrs C Bishop

E: [email protected]

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

© 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.

Design by : lippettcreative.co.ukPrinted by: www.supaprint.com

For more information or to book, contact Woodrush Sports Centre on:Tel: 01564 820 099

Email: [email protected]

Or go to our NEW Sports Centre website:www.woodrushsportscentre.co.uk

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 grassfootball pitch(82m x46m)

School Hallwith stage

NEW! ARTIFICIAL GRASSPITCH NOW OPENNEW 1/3 Split Sections

NEW Team SheltersNEW 7 aside goals

- to book or reserve a slot please contact

Woodrush Sports CentreT. 01564 820 099 or

E. [email protected]

Prices are as follows:

FACILITY

Full AGP

Adult: £87.00Junior: £69.00

1/3 AGP

Adult: £29.00Junior: £23.00

*invoiced 10 week block bookingsqualify for a 10% discount

Woodrush Sports

Centre Birthday

Parties

•NEW Animal Party

•Football Party

•Multi-sports Party

•Jungle Inflatable Party

•Fun & Party Games

WOODRUSH YOUTH,SPORTS & COMMUNITY CENTREWOODRUSH ACTIVITIES

IncludesBreakfast & All Day

Refreshments

Book online at www.woodrushsportscentre.co.ukOr alternatively call 01564 820099

HolidayProgrammefor Children

aged6-11 years

Woodrush Star Summer 2014

Documents

Transcript of Woodrush Star Summer 2014