copleston chronicle issue 27

Copleston Chronicle First half of Spring Term 2013 — Issue 27

Copleston High School

Copleston

Chronicle

Newsle er Number 27 Spring Term 2013

AA Newsle er for all Parents/Carers with students at Copleston High School


PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME

I would like to thank parents/carers for their support during the recent period of inclement weather with heavy snow falls. The a endance of students was very good and we managed to ensure that students did not miss days of learning due to the weather. These mes are always difficult but the efforts of all involved ensured a posi ve experience for everyone. I would like to remind parents/carers and students about the many extra‐curricular ac vi es that are on offer during the year. It is very good for students to be involved in ac vi es outside the normal curriculum enabling them to develop wider skills which will support their success in school and in the future. It is also good to have a go at something new even if it was not something you would perhaps have thought of doing. Please note on Page 15 we are looking to try and widen our offer and are seeking leaders. Since the last Chronicle, the GCSE Mathema cs results for Year 11 have been published with 74% of the Year group ge ng at least a ‘C’ grade on their first a empt. Many students will be working hard to improve this grade further, some will be doing Sta s cs GCSE and others will be trying hard to get up to a ‘C’ grade which is o en a requirement for further study. Many students sat examina ons in January and the results from these will be published in March. Students worked very hard for these and we are confident that they will be successful. Year 13 students have recently completed their University applica ons and we wish them every success. We are, at present, interviewing Year 11 students for the Sixth Form and we would like to congratulate students on the incredibly high standard of applica ons and interviews we have experienced. As you can see in this edi on of the Chronicle, our students con nue to be involved in a whole range of exci ng ac vi es developing many skills and enjoying a broad and rich school experience. My final point to raise is to congratulate everyone on the superb a endance of students. S Common


TERM DATES FOR 2013 Spring Term 2013 Tuesday 8 January 2013 – Thursday 28 March 2013 Half Term: Monday 18 February 2013 – Friday 22 February 2013 Summer Term 2013

Monday 15 April 2013 – Tuesday 23 July 2013 Half Term: Monday 27 May 2013 – Friday 31 May 2013 Bank Holiday: Monday 6 May 2013 Professional Development Days for staff only: Monday 7 January 2013 Monday 18 March 2013

PLEASE NOTE AMENDMENT RE START OF SUMMER TERM 2013— FIRST DAY OF TERM FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS IS MONDAY 15 APRIL 2013.

Severe Weather Procedures The decision to close the school in the event of severe weather is always a difficult de-cision to take. Such a decision is made very early in the morning on the potential risk to health and safety for all accessing the site. Parents, carers and students can get the latest information of the school’s opening hours by tuning into BBC Radio Suffolk, or access-ing the BBC website and/or the school website. It is important to remember when using websites to keep refreshing the page to get the latest information. Last year we successfully piloted a late start approach which allowed us to continue with minimal disruption. It is our intention to use this approach again. When a late morning start is authorised, students are expected to arrive at 10:25am for a 10:30 start. There will be no morning break, and the lunchtime will be reduced to ensure minimum disruption to learning. Students will complete 4 lessons during the day, starting with lesson 2, and finishing afternoon school at the normal time. Examinations will run, even if the school is closed owing to severe weather – within the limits of Health and Safety regulations. We will endeavour to make sure the announce-ments on local radio, and our website, carry information specific to candidates and their exams.


YEAR 7 NEWS In January, we took 100 Year Seven students to see the Pantomime ‘Rapunzel’ at the Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds. The students were an absolute delight to accompany and several members of staff at the theatre complimented them on their behaviour, their good manners on arrival and during the interval, and their enthusiastic, but appropriate audience participation. The sight of so many students, not to mention some members of the Year Seven Pastoral Team, joining in with the “Breddiweddi Cake” dance was highly entertaining. Please do remember that if ever there is a trip, visit or activity that you would like your son or daughter to participate in, but which you are unable to afford, it is always worth contacting the Year Team or the event organiser, as we can often offer a subsidy to ensure that all students have equal access to activities and events. In December, Megan Rowe won our Year Seven ‘Book Mastermind’ competition. On February 1st she took part in the Ipswich round of the Schools Library Service ‘Book Mastermind’ Final, which was held at the Ipswich Academy. Megan competed against Year Seven and Year Eight students from seven other Ipswich High Schools. She answered questions on ‘Ginger Snaps’ by Cathy Cassidy, as well as a general knowledge round, including questions on current affairs, geography and spelling, and a picture round, where Megan was unlucky to go first. She was asked to identify Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as opposed to later photos of the Queen or Prince Harry. She did really well and came third, which is our best result for a number of years. It was a real pleasure to accompany Megan and her small group of supporters. This will be my last contribution to the Copleston Chronicle as a Head of Year. By the time you read this, you may already be aware that, for personal reasons, I am stepping down from my position as Head of Year Seven. This has not been an easy decision for me to make. I have found the role of Head of Year to be extremely rewarding as well as challenging at times. I am sorry that I will no longer be part of the Year Seven Pastoral Team, but I know that I will be leaving the Year Sevens in safe hands. I remain fully committed to my teaching role at Copleston and will continue to enjoy teaching Year Seven students both this year and as they progress through the school. I will continue to support the Year Seven Pastoral Team and will be quite happy to support any families and students in any ongoing projects or arrangements in the immediate future. I would very much like to thank all students and parents/carers for their support both this year and in previous years. I have enjoyed working with you and this is something that I will certainly miss. Many thanks for your ongoing support. Peter Mursell-Head Julie Wren Jane Rostance Tara Baldry Head of Year 7 Assistant HOY Director of Learning Pastoral Support Worker


YEAR 8 NEWS

Library Reading Awards Over 150 students have achieved their Bronze Awards this term, 80 their Silver Awards, 10 their Gold Awards and Isabel Mulock has achieved her Platinum Award. Well done to all concerned. Achievement A record number of students are receiving rewards in lessons; please encourage students to keep engaged and to get involved in lessons. WOW Sessions Well done to the Year 8 students for continuing their enthusiasm on Wednesday afternoons. As well as organising a Year 7 drama group to lead, Year 8 students will be embarking on an ICT Club next term too. Year 8 Netball Well done to the girls this term! On 30th January, the Year 8 netball team won the match against Ipswich Girls School 14-7. Thank you to Miss Connell and Miss Baldry who coach the team. Matilda Well done to Nathan Howland. Nathan is currently living and studying in St John’s Wood in London, as he has been successful in gaining the part of ‘Bruce’ in the West End Show, Matilda. He is currently in rehearsals and will start performing in March. We wish him well. Operation Smoke Storm( www.operationsmokestorm.com) All students in Year 8, as part of PSHE, will be taking part in constructing an anti-smoking campaign. If successful, students will present films and productions at an award ceremony in June. The aim is to praise and encourage Healthy Lifestyles. Thank you to Miss Curtis for organising this. Looking Ahead Wednesday 6th March, 10am onwards – UCS Workshop Day, promoting university progress with Year 8 students Thursday 18th April- Year 8 Parents’/Carers’ Evening Finally, can I thank parents/carers for all their support with Year 8? It has been fantastic to go on learning walks around the school. In particular, we have some very talented and creative students in Textiles, Food Technology and Art. Please continue to support our high standards. Attendance at 95.45% is excellent, and, with high standards of behaviour, learning and uniform, we endeavour to go from strength to strength.

Best Wishes Year 8 Team Craig Macartney Alex Curtis Ian Page Tara Baldry Head of Year 8 Assistant HOY Director of Learning Pastoral Support Worker


YEAR 9 NEWS

A belated Happy New Year to you all. I hope that you had a restful and pleasant break. Year 9 continue to work really hard and are focused on aiming to gain their Key Stage 3 targets by the end of the summer term. The students are generally really well presented and I would encourage you when purchasing new uniform to make sure trousers are not too tight or look like jeans in style or fabric, and skirts are of a decent length and fit. Following on from the holidays, a lot of students have been lucky enough to have received some very expensive electronic gadgets such as iPhones and iPads – please can I ask that these are NOT brought into school as any risk of loss or damage is the students’ responsibility and they are really best kept safely at home. The students have started a number of GCSEs, including their Science course, and it was very pleasing to see the whole Year Group sit a mock paper in correct exam conditions and begin to learn how to behave within the rules for public examinations. By the time of publication, we should have completed the Pathways Parents’/Carers’ evening and gained information about the option process, including the Baccalaureate and what different GCSEs have to offer. The option form needs completing and signing by Friday 15th February, allowing time for the forms to be processed and any issues to be addressed. Although this half of term is always slightly quieter in the way of extra curricular activities, it is pleasing that a Ski trip is being organised which involves some of the year group. Some of our girls were also involved in the County Basketball Semi –Finals, so well done to:- Lana Fulcher, Jessica Alexander, Cerys Gunn, Lauren Humbles, Isabella Blowers, Chloe Nadin, Paige Adamberry, Charlotte Gardner, Tanesha-Eve Reed, Eylzza Manan, Madison Drane, Laura Woollard. Some of the boys have also been involved in the County Basketball finals, so well done also to: David Huggins and Adam Darbous. Dates for the diary – Return of Options form - Friday 15th February PD Day-Monday 18th March Reports – Tuesday 26th March

Janet Osborne Alice Crozier/Kim Pyke Carol Fowles Lenny Paul Head of Year 9 Assistant HOY Director of Learning Pastoral Support Worker


YEAR 10 NEWS

Happy New Year to you all! Year 10 students have been working hard on their Controlled Assessments in a variety of subjects and this will continue through until Spring 2014. It is so important that they get into good habits now so that they feel prepared when it comes to their final exams. In recent weeks a Science GCSE has been taken by students doing the Dual Science Course. RE and History students have also taken mock exams. All Year 10 students will take their English Language GCSE this summer. One excellent way for students to revise is by completing past exam papers; these can be downloaded from the Exam Boards’ websites. French and Spanish students attended sessions by an AQA senior examiner last week , which gave them an insight in how to achieve the highest grades in their speaking and written Controlled Assessments. They will now hopefully be adding his ideas to future work. The Year 10 Council has been meeting and will be organising a Year 7 Disco in aid of Comic Relief. Their next task will be to organise a Prom Fair and Fashion Show for November; if you would be interested in running a stall on the evening (date to be confirmed) or you know anybody who would, please contact us. We will then be looking at venues to hold the Year 11 Prom. Congratulations to Courtney Burch, Shannon Read and Briony Adams who organised a Charity Gig in aid of Parkinsons, raising over £500. I was impressed with the amount of organisation that they had put in to make the event a success.


Good luck to Ryan McNamee and Noah Young, who will be completing a week’s work experience at BT, having beaten opposition to win the opportunity. Charlie Pentecost completed a similar week back in October. Lindsay Arthur and Chloe Stopher participated in the County Basketball Semi-Finals with a number of Year 11 students, and Nazim Rashid, Aaron Newell, Wayne Godo and Mark Ferniz played for the boys’ team in the County Finals. Congratulations to all 7. We are delighted to hear that Bethany Williams has been chosen to perform in Les Miserables at the Regent later on this year. Congratulations to Mr Ramsey (one of our Year 10 tutors) and his wife on the safe arrival of Katie Isabel Rosie. Thank you for your ongoing support with school uniform; please check with us if you are not sure what is allowed – there are full details on the school’s website. The main points are no facial piercings, no skinny trousers or jeans-like trousers, no short or tight skirts. Black shoes are to be worn -NOT “converse” style boots with skirts. Students are aware of these rules. If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Tracy Pilkington Jo Wright Carol Fowles Lenny Paul/Bethan Hancock Head of Year 10 Assistant HOY Director of Learning Pastoral Support Workers

YEAR 11 NEWS

It is hard to believe that we are in our last few weeks together, but also gra fying to be able to record the very mature way in which so many students are approaching their remaining assessments. Students are being offered many opportuni es to ensure that they perform as well as possible and parents/carers are receiving individual le ers, as appropriate. This programme is co‐ordinated by Mrs Ramsden, who deserves considerable thanks, especially for the targeted work being done in the core subjects.


The Mathema cs exam results were par cularly pleasing, with students now set to take or re‐take at either Tier, or to begin Addi onal Maths or GCSE Sta s cs. In due course, each student will receive a Statement of Entry for the Summer exam session. Please read it carefully, amend any errors, sign and return promptly to the school. At the me of wri ng, our A endance figures are 94.19% and, in order for everyone to make maximum progress, this needs to hold up for the rest of this year. As we have been told so many mes, full a endance is such a powerful weapon contribu ng to an individual a aining success. Planning for the (History) Ba lefields Trip is reaching its conclusion and invita ons are being sent out for the next Kingswood Revision Weekend (22nd‐24th March), offering opportuni es for focused revision and a range of outdoor ac vi es. Those involved last me really enjoyed it and, although we’ll never know for sure, it appears to have enhanced enormously the Maths results men oned above! There remains one more such chance from 19th – 21st April. In addi on to all of the academic aspects, the Year Council is planning for the Year 11 Prom (Friday, 5th July) and finding ways to defray the cost of the ckets. Already, they have held one lucra ve Cake Stall, but are now invi ng students, parents/carers and friends to a Talent Evening – at 7 p.m. on Tuesday 12th February (Tickets = £2‐50). This will showcase so many of our very talented performers. There will also be a Prom Fair – on Tuesday 5th March (Tickets = £2‐00). Tickets for both are being sold now. The tradi onal Year 11 Photos will be taken on the a ernoon of Tuesday 26th March. Details later. Our Year 11 Celebra on Evening will be held on Tuesday 14th May. Please put the date in your diary, in the hope that your son/daughter will receive an invita on in the ten days or so before that me Please do let us know of any changes of circumstances, which may affect your son/daughter, so that we may offer appropriate support. We should like to stress our thanks for all parental/carers’ concerns, involvement and compliments, as we work together to help all of our young people secure their grades and make relevant choices for their futures.

Veronica Howe Ka e Heffer Bethan Hancock Kathy Ramsden Head of Year 11 AHOY11 Pastoral Support Worker Director of Learning


SIXTH FORM

Since Christmas, the main priority in the Sixth Form has been the January module examinations. These are now over and normal lessons can resume. We have been very impressed with the students’ commitment and preparation for the exams, and this hopefully will bode well for their results. These will be released on Thursday 7 March to students at break in the Common Room. We hope all of our students have done really well and we will be completing follow-up work in the lead-up to the Easter holidays. Fingers crossed! All university applications for Year 13 have now been completed and we are waiting to hear where they have been given offers. Many have received conditional offers at their first choice universities, which is great news. Good luck to all applicants – we look forward to hearing about your offers. Sixth Form interviews have been taking place for Year 11 students who have applied to come to our Sixth Form in September. We have interviewed 230 students and been very impressed with the way that the students approached the interviews. We look forward to working with them in the new school year. Offer letters will be issued in March. Please get in touch if you have any questions about applying for our Sixth Form. Students in Year 11 who have not applied to our Sixth Form will be interviewed by Mr Whittaker, our IAG Coordinator, to ensure that they all know what they will be doing at the end of Year 11. Congratulations to Laurence Watsham in Year 12 who has been selected for both the England U17 Basketball squad and a Great Britain select squad. This is fantastic news for Laurence and our Sports Academy. We wish him every success.

Safeguarding The school is fully committed to ensuring that all young people in the school are safe, happy and able to achieve. We have a duty of care towards all young people in our school community, and we have very clear procedures for both monitoring student well-being and referring any concerns that are highlighted about a young person. Our staff are all trained in safeguarding and we have two staff members who are responsible for overseeing safeguarding at Copleston - Mrs Watkin is the Senior Designated Profes-sional; Miss Howe is her Deputy. We also have a Governor who is responsible for Safeguarding, Mr Peter Gardiner. Our policy is that we act quickly and confidentially if concerned about a young person. Our procedures are clearly on display around the school site. If you wish to have further information about our safeguarding policy and procedures, please ask at the main recep-tion. If you have any concerns about the wellbeing of any young person at Copleston, please contact Mrs Watkin or Miss Howe at school as soon as possible.


Football Copleston U13 Girls’ Football narrowly miss out on last 8 in National Cup. A 4-1 defeat by the Shenfield Academy has dashed our dreams of a place in history . The football academy side proved too strong on the day and although we had many chances, they had a very good squad of players that defended an early lead. Well done to all players who helped us reach this far.

J Yorke

Table Tennis Having taken 6 excellent players to the competition, and having already won the team event earlier this year, we were convinced the boys had a strong chance of retaining the title for the 3rd time. As it was we had two Copleston players in the overall final and they put on an amazing show for those that stayed to watch. Excellent skill and technique was on display, but it was Jared Bones who beat Ed Griffiths in the final game to be awarded the title (for the second year in a row) “U16 Individual Table Tennis Champion”.

Physical Education Department 2012/13 Copleston High School


The U16 Girls and Boys teams competed at the County Finals on Friday 25th January. The boys team of Patrick Rudd, Jon-athan Kuribayashi-Coleman, Sam Abbott and Josh Sugars dominated the group stages and didn’t lose a game. However, when they faced a very strong Thurston in the finals, they came unstuck and lost the match by 3 games to 2. An excellent achievement and one better than last year’s 3rd spot. The girls faced great adversity, as we were invited by being 3rd place in Ips-wich Schools and other teams had dropped out. This was coupled with the una-vailability of Year 11 due to History coursework and exams. Five Year 10 girls (Chloe Stopher, Olivia Farthing, Rosie Sutton, Georgie Day and Lindsay Ar-thur) took on the challenge and although they only managed to win one game during the day, they battled on whatever the opposition. Well done to all who took part.

J Yorke


Primary School Joint Copleston/Northgate Sports Pyramid Programme We will shortly be holding the second competition of the school year when the 9 primary schools from within the joint pyramid compete in Basketball. This event is always well supported and very competitive. Nick Drane (Copleston Sports Academy Basketball Coach) and 4 of his players from the scheme re-cently held a Basketball clinic which was designed to provide both coaching for the pupils from our local primaries and professional development for the teachers. Leadership Academies The Basketball event will be refereed by 3 students from Year 11 who attended last year’s Basketball Leadership Academy. We have recently had students attend First Aid and Badminton courses. In the next few weeks we will also be sending students to attend Basketball and Ten-nis Leaders courses. Wednesday Afternoon Enrichment – WOW! The Spring Term activities are now well underway and include fresh activities in the form of Fencing, Self-Defence and Gardening. Despite the fortnight of snow, the WOW! programme continued with minimal disruption. A special mention must be made of the three year 8 girls who approached me with the idea of running their own Drama Club. The effort and organisation they have put into this reflects great credit upon them. The students are Lily Pitcher, Topaz Ladbrook and Georgia Masterson. At this moment in time we are investigating the possibility of setting up a Computer Building Club. Hopefully, more news will follow shortly.


From everyone in Copleston’s

Congratulations to the U13, U14 and U16 Girls and Boys Basketball teams who all made it to the play off stages of the County Basketball Competition. The U16 boys are so far the only ones who have made it to the final fours and narrowly won the final by one point against King Edward VI School of Bury St Edmunds. Well done to the U13 Sportshall Athletics squad who are in the county finals at Stow-market on 5th February.

J Yorke


ACTIVITY LEADERS WANTED

Each week Copleston High School runs an after-school activity programme.

We would be interested to hear from any parents/carers or other members of the community who may have a skill/hobby that they could lead with our students on

a Wednesday afternoon (2 – 3pm).

A budget is available to support you for

your time. If you feel you would like to get involved

then please contact Mr Garnham, PE Department (01473 277240).


E-Safety and Safer Internet Day Safer Internet Day was on Tuesday 5 February and we celebrated it across the school in order to raise our students’ awareness of the need to use the internet safely. The theme this year is ‘Rights and Responsibilities’, with the aim to show that we have lots of rights as users of new media but this comes with lots of responsibilities too. Students completed some work about rights and responsibilities with their form tutor across registrations during the week beginning 4 February and we used two videos made by CEOPs (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) to alert students to the dan-gers of using the internet and online sites without care. Mrs Watkin, our Safeguarding Officer, is visiting assemblies in the week beginning 11th February to reinforce the mes-sage about keeping safe when online. From a parent’s/carer’s point of view, here is some key internet safety guidance:

Know what your child is doing when they are online Use the privacy settings on your computer to prevent access to inappropriate

material online Children under the age of 13 should not have their own Facebook account Talk to your child about the dangers of accepting people they don’t know as

friends on social networking sites Report anything that you are concerned about to CEOPS – press their red button

on the site Discuss with your child the dangers of posting images or writing inappropriate

messages online – they never go away and could have serious consequences for now and in the future

Employers increasingly look to see if a potential employee has a Facebook ac-

count or similar and may not employ them as a result.

The resources that Form Tutors have used for Safer Internet Day are available on our website. Please get in touch if you wish to know more or have any concerns about the safe use of the internet.


English News…

Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Well, not quite – there were only fifty Year 11s, we went to Cambridge at the end of January, and all of us came back! This was “Poetry Live”, an annual roadshow staged for the purpose of inspiring GCSE pupils to do brilliantly in their poetry exam. While Tennyson himself was not able to be there, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” was stirringly read by John Agard who also gave us lots of words of wisdom about the value and joy of poetry. The poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, told us that all poets were connected and that poetic tradi-tion is like a tapestry, with each poet taking it up and adding a bit. Simon Armitage (always a powerful performer) developed this idea by saying that poets are generally saying the same things, but in different ways. How we are with each other is the subject. It was a packed and lively day, with three other poets as well - performing their poems, talking about them and answering questions On a more prosaic level, one of the AQA chief examiners was there to give very helpful tips on how to succeed in the exam. But let John Agard have the last word: “Words are sexy; make language your ally!”

Science Department

Well done to all Year 10s who have been busy working hard for their Controlled As-sessments and January exams. There has been a very positive ethos in the majority of the year group, especially on the Controlled Assessments. Students will be completing a second Controlled Assessment in science shortly, with the research to be completed over the half term. As before, the written work for the Controlled Assessment will be completed in science lessons. Results from the January exams are expected to be received in March. We still have some dual award revision guides left should parents/carers wish to purchase these (£4.00 for higher tier– one book covers both years, £5.50 for foundation tier– two books, one for each year). The text book that is used in class is also available on the FROG VLE – found through the science department page. Mrs Block (KS4 Science Development Leader)


Congratulations to our students who have been successful in the GCSE Mathematics exam taken in November 2012. 74% of the whole year group achieved a C grade from this examination which is a massive achievement at this stage. We have regrouped our students after the results in January to enable them to maximise the opportunities availa-ble to them in the summer exams. Our sixth form students in Year 12 sat their first module in the January 2013 series. We also had our Year 13 students who sat new modules during this series and some were also resitting modules taken previously. This year we offered a number of revision ses-sions for these students, such as the Christmas holiday revision, revision session on the professional day at the start of this term, and 3 hour after school sessions for both the Year 12 and Year 13 students. The results will be in school in early March and we hope for some good news then. Lunchtime revision for our A level students will resume after the March results. Revi-sion sessions for Year 11 will resume in the summer term after the Easter holidays. The UK Intermediate Maths Challenge for years 9, 10 and 11 is about to take place, with students competing against the best Mathematicians around the country. We wish them every success and look forward to their results later this term. There is also a Year 10 team challenge supported by the Further Maths Programme and we wish our students good luck in this event. The next residential weekend will be from 22 March 2013 to 24 March 2013 when we will be offering some additional revision sessions for students at the higher level, as well as for students sitting the Level 2 Further Mathematics qualification. We look forward to working with our students then.

School Produc on ‐ Our House This year Copleston High School is pleased to announce that we will be performing the hit musical ‘Our House’, based on the music of the ska band Madness. The produc on features students from every year group and will be the first produc on in several years to feature a live band. The show dates are 13th, 14th and 15th March. Tickets will be available from recep on, priced £5 for adults and £3 for concessions.


Library News Southern Area Book Mastermind Final On Friday 1st February, 6 Year 7 students attended the Area Book Mastermind Final at Ipswich Academy. After winning the school competition, Megan Rowe 7GS represented Copleston and had chosen to answer questions on Ginger Snaps by Cathy Cassidy. The competition also included a general knowledge round. Megan finished in 3rd place, scoring 23.5 out of a possible 33 points. This is one of highest positions that Copleston have had in recent years. All the students were a cred-it to themselves and the school. Siobhan King Emily Craig Emma-Louise Smith Erin Marjoram Becky Taylor


Spanish Department

Senior MFL examiner comes to Copleston!

For the second year running, we invited Terry Murray into school to work with our Year 10 GCSE French and Spanish groups. Terry is a senior examiner, author of 22 books on GCSE Modern Languages, consultant with QCA and an experienced and practising lan-guage teacher.

The workshop was held on Thursday 31st January and was really useful for both staff and students alike, giving us all invaluable insight into how to raise the standard of both our spoken and written work in preparation for the Controlled Assessments.

The students worked well and gained a lot of useful information and linguistic tools to help up their grades. Thank you to all parents/carers who supported this workshop and we thank the students for behaving well and participating positively in these sessions.


Terry Murray Conference I think Terry Murray’s workshop was a great help because he gave us ways of improving our work which will improve our grades. He did this by giving us sets of rules to follow when we write our paragraphs. I thought that the workshop needed to be a little bit more interactive, but overall it was a very useful and helpful experience that will improve our work and grades. Violeta Novakovic 10WS (French Student)

We found the conference very useful and appropriate due to the fact that we are planning our Speaking Assessment. We were given lots of ideas and advice from Mr Murray to improve our work. We were also given a very beneficial booklet full of useful words and phrases to boost our grades. We are very grateful for this opportunity and we are all confident that it will help in the future. ¡Qué estupendo! Chloe Giles 10LH, Ellie Ketteringham 10JS, Brandon Warren 10FW and Archie Chapman 10JS (Spanish Students)


Garden & Allotment Project How January Is Propelled To Spring Chill January’s snow falls thick and fast Propelled by blinding blizzard’s biting blast, So soft white blankets bind the earth for days, Though spring means drifts shall not lie long nor last. Bleak January’s rain falls hard and long Impelled by fierce Atlantic gales, full strong So even mighty oaks bow in their wake Till fury fades to calm in spring’s sweet song. Wild January’s storms shall shed their sting, Repelled by sun, as winter spins to spring, So kinder, temperate breezes gently blow To melt the snow, that all the fields can sing. Mean January’s curse will never stay, Dispelled by hopes of ever-lengthening day, So gardens don spring coats of cheerful hues As colour’s charm returns where all was grey. Cruel January’s cloak of white shall yield, Compelled to turn to green in springtime’s field, So leaping lambs can clothe the hills again And cattle quit the comfort of the bield. Grim January’s gloom will end, by mirth Expelled, as warmth returns to cheer the earth, So birds will nest and leaves begin to spring And dormant buds burst, bearing brand-new birth. Harsh January’s coldness is compelled To change, as dismal drabness is expelled. Repelled by spring, impelled, the frost must flee; So, doubts dispelled, to warmth we are propelled. C Richard Miles


I love this poem as it is a representation of the hardship that bestows the land along with its creatures in the depths of winter. The coldness and stillness, re-mind us that new life and the re-awakening of our lands are just around the cor-ner. Whilst the weather has been cold, slowly but surely spinach, beetroot, curly kale and winter peas have all been growing in the poly tunnel with a natural source of heat being provided by two compost bins . At the beginning of December, the tunnel was made draught free with bubble wrap insulation to retain the heat from the bins which were being naturally warmed by the sun. Horticultural fleece and straw was added when it became very cold to ensure the plants were well pro-tected. As this is our first year of winter poly tunnel growing it has been an ex-periment to see if, and what, we could grow with minimal added heat. So far it seems we can grow hardy varieties of veg with very little effort. In the coming months there will be many jobs to be done in the garden and allot-ment and it would be great to see you at one of our Saturday open sessions. As a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s campaign for school gardening, we are working towards our Level 3 Certificate. To obtain this we need to ‘get our grown-ups growing’. It would be great to see parents/carers and students working alongside one another to help make this project a success. Our blog page will be up and running for students to access from 16th February, with parents/carers being able to view in the very near future. Saturday garden-ing dates will be posted on the blog page and Copleston website. For further information on these or anything else related to the project, feel free to e-mail me using the following address: [email protected] Throughout the year the project will be holding competitions for students to enter where they can win prizes. This month the competition prize is a £20 Amazon gift voucher for the student who can design the best logo for the School Garden project. The logo will then represent the project on letters, banners, and posters and in national or regional competitions that the project enters. All entries need to be sent by e-mail to [email protected] with your name and form. Closing date will be noon on Saturday 9th March and a winner will be announced by e-mail and on the garden blog page by Tuesday 12th March. Kind regards Cindy Newey Garden Project Worker


Important dates for your Diary

Thursday 14 February 2013 Year 13 Parents’/Carers’ Evening

Friday 15 February 2013 NON‐UNIFORM DAY in aid of EACH/Wheel Power

Monday 18 – Friday 22 February 2013 – HALF TERM

Monday 25 February 2013 5.00 – 7.30 p.m. Year 12 & Year 13 Parents’/Carers’ Drop in Session

Tuesday 5 March 2013 6.30 p.m. Year 11 Prom Fair/Fashion Show in Main Hall

Thursday 7 March 2013 Year 10 Parents’/Carers’ Evening

Monday 11 March 2013 6.15 p.m. Parent Partnership Meeting in Social Area

Wednesday 13, Thursday 14 &

Friday 15 March 2013 Whole School Production in Main Hall.

Friday 15 March 2013 Charity Day in aid of Comic Relief (Uniform to be worn)

Monday 18 March 2013 PD DAY – FOR STAFF ONLY

Wednesday 20 March 2013 Year 8 Girls – 3rd HPV Session

Thursday 21 March 2013 6 p.m. Year 8 Quiz in Main Hall.

Friday 22 March 2013 Year 11 Residential Weekend

Wednesday 27 March 2013 Year 12 & Year 13 Parents’/Carers’ Evening

Thursday 28 March 2013 Term ends. Ski Trip leaves.

Friday 29 March – Friday 12 April 2013 – EASTER HOLIDAYS

Monday 15 April 2013 Summer Term begins for Staff and Students

Thursday 18 April 2013 Year 8 Parents’/Carers’ Evening

Friday 19 April 2013 Year 11 Residential Weekend

Tuesday 23 April 2013 Year 7 Parents’/Carers’ Evening

Wed 1/Thurs 2 May 2013 Year 12 Unit 2 Drama Performances in A7 after school until 8.30

p.m.

Monday 6 May 2013 BANK HOLIDAY

Tuesday 7 May 2013 Year 12 & 13 Celebration Evening

Wednesday 8 May 2013 7 p.m. Strictly Copleston Final in Main Hall—TBC

Friday 10 May 2013 NON UNIFORM DAY in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust / TWAM

DEADLINES FOR FUTURE CHRONICLES:

Issue No. 28—Second half of Spring Term: Articles Deadline 12 noon on Monday 18 March 2013

Issue No. 29 – First half of Summer Term: Articles Deadline 12 noon on Monday 13 May 2013

copleston chronicle issue 27

Documents

half of spring term

summer term

day of term

late morning start

late start approach

school website

latest information

bbc website andor