School closes on Friday 8th February.

Term 4 begins for all students on

Monday 18th February 2013

The temperatures are fall-

ing again and although

more snow is a distinct

possibility, this can only be

good news for the stu-

dents and staff leaving

Langtree on Friday for the

2013 annual ski trip. This

year the group will be

returning to a favourite

resort of Torgon in Swit-

zerland, where snow con-

ditions are reported to be

excellent. I would like to

take this opportunity to

wish each member of the

trip a happy, safe and

memorable week in the

mountains.

Following her relocation to

Buckinghamshire, we will

be sorry to see Rosie Sulli-

van leave Langtree at the

end of this term after four

years of very hard work in

the Art Department. I

would like to thank her for

all she has done in her

time with us, and on behalf

of all staff wish her the

very best in the future.

Rosie will be replaced by

Laura Hodgson, a prac-

tising artist and teacher of

art who joins us from St

Birinus School in Didcot. I

am confident that this

excellent appointment will

enable us to continue the

reputation we have for

outstanding visual art on

display all around the

school.

We were also delighted to

welcome Mary Taylor-Lane

to the post of part time

receptionist at Langtree.

Mary was appointed from

an extremely strong field

and will be working part-

time at one of the busiest

desks in the school! Mary

has settled in very well in-

deed and is quickly getting

to know all the staff, stu-

dents and parents who pass

through our busy reception.

The second of this year’s

scheduled Creativity Days

was again a huge success.

Students enjoyed a wide

range of creative learning

opportunities: Y8 students

travelled to London to visit

the London Dungeons, the

Science Museum and a west

end production of Singing

in the Rain. Meanwhile, stu-

dents back at school en-

joyed a rocket building –

and launching - workshop in

Technology, a PE training

session conducted solely in

French, as well as a range of

other creative activities in

school. Congratulations to

all staff and students for

such a positive and enthusi-

astic approach to the day’s

activities. Yet again it was a

huge pleasure to receive

praise from members of the

public and visitors to the

school with regard to the

high standards of behaviour

and positive attitudes dis-

played by so many students

involved in the various activ-

ities. See inside for more

Message from the headteacher

February 2013

information!

And speaking of Creativity,

congratulations to all students

who took part in the coastal

cake bake off organised by the

Geography and Technology

departments. The cakes, which

modelled a range of physical

coastal features, actually tasted

as good as they looked! Spe-

cial congratulations to the win-

ners, Jess Perry, Isabelle Wood,

Charlotte Tosdevin, Alex Smith,

Imogen McCalman and Jack

Stovell.

Do have a look at some

of the stunning entries

posted on the front page

news of the website at

www.langtreeschool.com

With very best wishes to you all

for a restful break over the

February half term. It is amaz-

ing to think that we are half

way through our academic year

– many thanks indeed for the

support of all parents over the

last three terms.

Rick Holroyd

Many sports fixtures were postponed due to the recent bad weather.

Murder Mystery

Evening

Saturday 2nd March 2013,

7pm

Langtree School Main Hall

£20 per head, including

buffet supper & play

1920s dress optional but

highly encouraged!

Join us for our most adven-turous fundraiser to date and help solve The Mystery of the

Missing Vanilla Pods!

It is 1920 and a serial killer is on the

loose, with a grudge against Huntley&

Palmers biscuit factory. Chief Inspector

Robert Fabian has received messages

from the ‘GINGERNUT’, naming his next

victim. Despite everything, the Palmer

family are carrying on as best they can.

Join the wedding reception of Eric Palm-

er and Agnes Winser and see the tragic

events unfold. Form your own detective

agency and try to catch the killer!

With a huge cast of characters to keep

you guessing, GenX Theatre Company

are proud to present their latest murder

mystery. Zoe Beeusaert, cover supervisor

at Langtree, takes the role of the blush-

ing bride, but will she survive the even-

ing?

All profits from the evening will go to-

wards supporting school projects. To

book a table or find out more about the

evening, contact Jacqui Gray on 01491

875984 or via e-mail at gray-

spring4@btinternet.com.

Langtree School PTA

Follow us on Twitter @ Head4094

Writing

Competition

Open Morning for School Governors

On Thursday 24th January, we held an open morning for school gover-

nors. They attended our Teaching & Learning staff briefing, toured the

school with student guides and visited a number of lessons before break-

time. Governors said the morning was very useful and a very positive

experience. Most importantly they spent time with a pupil panel hearing

first hand the issues and experiences raised by the students

with regard to life at Langtree. These points have been fed

back to senior staff as part of our ongoing self evaluation.

Jane Stephens

Headteacher’s PA

Congratulations to more than 60 of our students who partici-

pated in the whole school production of Jesus Christ Superstar

in December 2012. We are immensely proud of these students

whose talent, dedication and enthusiasm combined together

to create some truly memorable theatre. To relive the experi-

ence or see what you missed, have a look through the photo

gallery on our website.

Thank you to all of you who supported us by attending the

performances and providing the inevitable taxi services re-

quired for all of the additional rehearsals! Interested in getting

involved in productions at Langtree?

Come and see Mrs Pimm or Mrs Idowu or email us at

gpimm@langtreeschool.com or midowu@langtreeschool.com

Mrs G Pimm, Head of Drama

The cast of Jesus Christ Superstar

Main/supporting cast

Christian Gittings, Philip Hunt, Bethany Sayers, Thomas Axson, Grace Ullah, Michael

Canning, Phoebe Bennett, Will Redding

Apostles

Ada Nwande, Lydia Bark, Maisie McDonald, Megan Warwick, Sebastian Avery, Bea

Bartlett-Ellis, Ethan Bartle, Isaac Gordon-Potts, Maisy Bowen

Dancers

Madie Bennett, Alice Werrell, Grace Werrell, Lucy Hallet-Jones, Hannah McDonald,

Tabitha Steel, Charlotte McBride, Rebecca Corbett, Ellie Harding, Isobel Gunderson,

Ellie Peters, Rose Rushbrooke.

Lepers, Mob, Soldiers

Conrad Heath, Amy Collyer, Imogen Freedman, Eilish Murphy, Nicholas Sims, Holly

Balchin, Connor Parish, Ruth Buckley, Helen Moody, Rosie Toolin, Toby Pitt, Ross

Mitchell, Leilah Whitehead, Megan Lowe, Theo Patrick

Music Director: Maureen Idowu,

Stage Director: Gill Pimm,

Choreography: Deirdre Bryson

Musicians

Guitar: Alistair Jenkins, William Hathaway, Bass: Will Goss, Percussion: Alex Good-

year, Woodwind: Rachael Lyons, Jessica Rainsden, Ben Gordon-Potts, Nina Webb.

Brass: Ian Barlow.

Backstage crew

Melissa Butler, Dan Rumble, Ian Brakspear

Costumes

Katie Pickthall and parents of the cast

Sound/Lighting

Alex Davis, Erik Haxhilari, Jamie Shears

Programme Design

Tom Axson

And with thanks to Miss Pickthall, Langtree staff for front of house and backstage

support.

I am running an in school version of the 500 words writing

competition that Chris Evans is running nationally on Radio 2.

The Competition is open to all KS3 students. All winners will be

published on the school website and the overall winner will be

published in the school newsletter. The deadline is Friday 22nd

February. Writing workshops take place Tuesday lunchtime in

English room 32 to help students prepare. There's also lots of

ideas and help on the radio 2 website.

Students should submit their entry by e-mail to

jholroyd@langtreeschool.com by Friday 22nd February.

Mrs Holroyd, Head of English

Music Notice GCSE Performance Evening: The GCSE music students in Years 10 and

11 will be performing in their annual concert as part of their GCSE exam

on Tuesday 12th March . Do come along to see some special musical

talent. Tickets for this will be available after the February holiday break.

Mrs Idowu

Head of Music

Jesus Christ Superstar Production

Jesus Christ Superstar DVD: Copies of the Jesus Christ Superstar production will be available to purchase, price £3.00,

from 11th February. Order forms will be circulated to students who wish to buy a copy. Please return these to reception

in a sealed envelope, or alternatively pay on-line.

Please check the website for letters home

On Creativity day some of the Year 8’s had the opportunity to go to

London on an amazing trip! We visited the Science museum and even

watched a performance at the Palace Theatre in London which was

great! When we arrived in London, we first went to the museum where

we had a look around the huge building and explored the very inter-

esting exhibitions about the history and developments in science. There

were five different floors and everyone really enjoyed it; one girl said ‘it

was very interesting and there was a lot to see.’

After we had our picnic lunch we set off once more in the coach to see

‘Singing in the Rain’ at the theatre; some students were even lucky

enough to go on a special backstage tour beforehand to meet the

performers and see how the special effects, such as the rain falling on

the stage, worked. The building was beautiful, old and very elegant

with a lot of detailed patterning on the ceiling. The performance was

very good with lots of singing and tap dancing especially towards the

end when rain fell down from the ceiling and all the umbrellas came

out. The music too was excellent with really good singers.

The teachers were congratulated by members of the audience that we

were well behaved and with no problems the trip was a huge success;

it was extremely enjoyable and everybody had a good time.

By Katie Cole 8NM

Creativity Day

During Creativity Day, students in Year 11 enjoyed an opportunity

to attend a mock interview in preparation for their future. They

arrived at school suited and booted!

We were very fortunate to have a wealth of professional people in

school to conduct these interviews including personnel from edu-

cation, lecturers, retired teachers, retail, a CEO from a local Police

Rehabitation Centre, a Landscape gardener, an actress, representa-

tives from Accountancy and publishing companies, Southern Elec-

tric, an estate agent, a sports events coordinator and army person-

nel.

One of our visiting interviewers said :

“The four students that I interviewed were a credit to the

school and even more importantly to themselves.

The staff at Langtree School should be so pleased with the

quality of students they are responsible for producing: may

it continue so”

Ian Blower, Work Experience Co-ordinator

A delightful poem below, the task was to create a stanza poem

and each stanza had to personify January and present two differ-

ent images of the month.

JANUARY by Tabitha Steel, 7RB

A broad, young lady,

Venturing down the snow-dusted streets alone,

Wrapped up in only a shawl, with no one to hold,

Bare legs and high heels, tottering down the icy path,

And looking up at the snow under the street lights,

Returning from a New Year’s party,

With frozen tears clinging to her face,

And miserable feelings fill her mind while all alone.

A middle-aged woman wrapped up in a blanket, on the sofa, with

her arm around her little girl,

Searching through all the new programmes,

Holding a warm cup of hot chocolate and,

Enjoying the left over Christmas treats,

Whilst she watches the snow gather upon the window panes.

Mrs Holroyd, Head of English

Year 11 Mock interviews

On Tuesday 5th February our Year 7’s competed in the first round

of our Sports Hall Athletics competitions. After two hours of in-

tense competition and great team support. 7HW finished with 84

points winning the Langtree round of events. They will now go

on to represent Langtree in the South Oxfordshire round after

half-term. Well done to all the teams who competed with great

enthusiasm and effort. Finishing positions: 1st 7HW, 2nd 7CF,

3rd 7TD, 4th 7RB I would also like to give a special mention to

our Year 10 Sports Leaders who helped to officiate the event with

great professionalism and efficiency. They also helped run our

Primary School Y3/4 Football event the previous week and did a

fantastic job. They are a great credit to Langtree School.

Tina Blower, School Sports Co-ordinator

Year 7 Inter-tutor Sports Athletics

TERM 4 DATES Mon 18 Feb Start of Term 4 for all students Tues 19 Feb 7-8.30pm Gifted & Talented Lecture, Hall Mon 25-Thurs 28 KS3 Art Exhibition, Hall Tues 26 Feb Y9/10 TDP Immunisations Wed 27 Feb 7.45pm Drama Club performance, main hall Thurs 28 Feb pm: Maths 1 Exam Sat 2 Mar Murder Mystery PTA Event, 7pm main hall Fri 1 Mar 9-1pm Y7 Athletics final in Sports Hall Fri 1 Mar Y11 Composition 2 deadline Fri 1 Mar Y9 Reports to Parents Sat 2 Mar 7pm Murder Mystery Fundraising event Mon 4 Mar am: Maths 2 Exam Tues 5 Mar P3&4 PSHE Wed 6 Mar am: Maths 3 Exam Thurs 7 Mar Y9 Options Evening Mon 11-15 Mar Year 10 mock examinations all week Mon 18 Mar Y10 Yenworthy week Tues 19 Mar Creativity Day 3 Wed 20-22 Mar Year 9 CAT tests Thurs 21 Mar Year 11 Targeted consultation

Mon 25 Mar Y10 GCSE Art & Design coursework deadline

Mon 25 Mar Art Exhibition opens and will remain open through

Easter holiday

Wed 27 Mar 1-4pm Y7/8 Girls football

End of Term 4 for students

Thurs 28 Mar Staff inset day

Term dates for 2013-14 will be published on the school website

at the start of next term.

The Langtree School Academy Trust Company, a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales, company registration number 07980335. Registered Office: Langtree School, Woodcote, Reading, Berkshire, RG8 ORA.

STEM gifted and talented workshop STEM is a strategy to promote learning in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics

On Thursday 24th January 2013, 17 students were given the

opportunity to be involved in an ox heart dissection. All man-

aged to stay conscious. Only a few were a little over whelmed.

The afterschool workshop was from 3:35 to 4:45 which included

the investigation of how the heart works. Then we labelled the

parts of the heart to show our understanding of what we had

discovered. The majority said that it was interesting to look at a

real heart rather than a diagram of a heart. The atmosphere in

the room was tinged with curiosity and a little anxiety. We want

to say a big thank you to Mrs Hobbs and Mr Murray for organis-

ing the event and we look forward to the creation of the heart

on 21st February.

Languages at work day

On Thursday 10th January, ten Year 9 Langtree students had

the opportunity to attend a Languages at Work day at The

University of Reading. The day included talks and workshops

by the Goethe Institut, European Commission and BBC Moni-

toring. Not only that, but the students had the chance to learn

a bit of a language that isn’t usually offered in secondary

schools. We learnt Arabic which was really interesting. Universi-

ty students worked with us so we were also able to find out

about studying a language later on and about university life.

Throughout the day, we learnt how learning a language can

open doors to many exciting careers and the importance of

having a language. Thank you to Miss Williams for taking us

and to our driver, Mrs Parker for helping to make it a great day.

Marie-Amber

Smith, Y9

Please pay on line for trips & visits

rather than by cash or cheque. If you do not have your unique pupil code please call Sue Tamnee on 01491 683392 or email her in the finance office at stamnee@langtree.oxon.sch.uk

Set design visit On Thursday 24th January Bruce Gordon who is a sculptor who works in the UK

film industry came into Langtree to show us his work. Bruce came in to the

Design and Technology room and spoke to the Graphic Products and Art GCSE

group. He started off by talking about his education and how he got into the

job he does today. He has done many films and TV series. His longest working

project was Thomas the Tank engine. The average time spent on a project is

about 4-5 months. He has worked on recent films such as Thor2, Dark Shadows

and Clash of the Titans. It was extremely interesting he brought in 2 or 3 book-

lets from a couple of the films he has done. Now he creates bronze sculptures

as well as films.

By James Jefferis, Y10

This is a comparison between prototype and the real Trojan horse from the film Troy.

GCSE English Literature Students’

Theatre Visit On Thursday 31st January, 27 year 11 students went on an

evening theatre trip to the Corn Exchange Newbury. The show

was an unusual piece; a one man performance of the story

played by actor/storyteller, Guy Masterton. Simply, through

voice and movement, Masterton was able to retell Orwell’s

famous story of the pigs that take over Manor farm and make

it “Animal Farm”. Written as an allegory about the events of the

Russian revolution, Masterton cleverly updated many refer-

ences of political power to link with current issues such as the

economic crisis and the need for austerity. For the students,

the show provided an introduction to the novel; they will com-

mence study of the book in the next few weeks, ready for their

English Literature exam in May. An enjoyable and educational

evening for all involved.

Mrs J Holroyd, Head of English

Marie Smith, Year 9