Friday 5 December Important dates for next week Saturday 6 December House on dutyNewcombe 09:00 Governors’ Briefing – Old Library 10:00 – 15:30 Board of Governors’ Meeting – Looking forward – Old Library Boarders’ activity 18:30 – 22:30 Christmas Dance – Dance in the Refectory, followed by a disco in The Hub Dress code: smart Sunday 7 December House on dutyNewcombe Boarders’ activity 13:30 – 17:30 Trip to Bristol Aquarium – Bristol 18:00 – 18:30 Meeting for Worship – Old Library Boarders’ activity 19:30 – 21:00 Volleyball tournament – Sports Centre 2 Sports fixture Monday 8 December 07:00 – 20:00 Clothes Show Live 14.00 North Somerset U12 Netball Tournament at Backwell School Tuesday 9 December 13:30 – 17:30 Dick Whittington theatre trip – Bristol Hippodrome 18:30 – 22:00 Staff and Sixth Form social – Large Meeting House Sports fixture Thursday 11 December 11:00 – 16:00 Drama A2 Devised Exam – A1/20 Drama Studio 16.00 U12 & U13 North Somerset Indoor Athletics at Worle School 18:30 – 19:00 Meeting for Worship – Small Meeting House 19:00 – 20:30 Films for Action weekly activity – A1/20 Drama Studio Friday 12 December 12:00 Term ends Wednesday 10 December 12:00 – 14:00 Whole School Christmas Lunch – Refectory 14:00 – 16:00 Sidcot’s Got Talent – Refectory Please refer to the d6 Communicator app for the most up to date information. Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December From the Headmaster Although the penultimate week of term, the pace of Sidcot life has not abated one jot. Since writing my piece for last week’s newsletter, I have accompanied a group of students to the Royal Albert Hall to sing in a scratch performance of Handel’s Messiah as well as been impressed by the student-led productions of 1984 and The Chrysalids that took place in the drama studio. On the sports field, our first XV held QEH to a draw when they played their last game of the season under floodlights; our Year 7 athletes competed in an indoor competition and acquitted themselves very well before getting on to a coach this morning for an art trip to the Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean museums at Oxford University. And I’m pretty sure that these events are only a fraction of what has taken place over the week! However busy school life has been, I was very fortunate to attend a lunch celebrating the work and efforts of those in our local community. Sidcot has supported the Pride of Somerset Community Awards for the last two years which serve to highlight a range of extraordinary people in the North Somerset area. This year we sponsored the ‘Outstanding Young Person’ award which went to seventeen year old Josh Flagg who, despite having a debilitating medical condition, works with his local rugby club coaching players in the youth section. Josh is a truly inspirational young man who exemplifies the courage and selflessness of all those who received awards. I left the ceremony feeling humbled and uplifted. We live in a community rich in a spirit of service to others which our Sidcot students both benefit from and contribute to. Iain Kilpatrick Headmaster 3 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Development and Alumni News Sidcotian speaking truth to power about the death penalty Gary Marshall left Sidcot in 2008 and is determined to make a career in the film industry. He is currently an intern Production Assistant with a film company attempting to raise funds to complete a documentary about the death penalty in America. The project is being crowdfunded and so far they have raised £17,800 towards the £20k they need. The nature of crowdfunding however means if they do not raise the remaining £2,200 by 11.59pm on Saturday 6 December they lose all of the pledges. Please help Gary ‘speak truth to power’ by sharing the link to the project with as many friends, family and colleagues as possible https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laurashacham/ the-penalty-executing-justice-in-america/description This year has seen the American death penalty debated as never before: 3 severely botched executions, 6 innocent men found and released from death rows in North Carolina, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas, a battle for repeal and talk of returning to gas chambers or firing squads. The struggle to keep executing is taking its toll on both public funds and the public’s psyche. Public opinion on capital punishment in the US has never been more equally divided. We find ourselves living a unique moment in history which may mark the beginning of real societal change. This film aims to document this moment, to capture this slice of history and to be a tool for the discussions on this topic that are igniting globally. Please help Gary to raise awareness and the funds he needs to get this film completed. www.facebook.com/thepenaltyfilm Twitter: @thepenaltyfilm Jess Winchester Development & Alumni Manager 4 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Useful information and dates Vote to change a child’s life – Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund Please visit this link: http://www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/galaxyfund2014/profiles/sidcot-school to vote for Sidcot School to receive funding from the Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund. This heart-warming charity is offering £300 for a community project to the organisation which receives the most votes. If we are successful we will use the donation to continue our work in the Equestrian Centre with local children. For four years, Sidcot Equestrian Centre has been working with local school, community groups and charities to provide life-changing experiences for children who have physical, learning, behavioural and emotional difficulties. Many of the children are at risk of being excluded from school, struggle to communicate and are often unable to make friends. Horses have no agenda and they do not judge: the children gain confidence, self-esteem and improved communication skills by spending time in their presence. By caring for a horse or pony, even for just a few hours, young people achieve a sense of responsibility, purpose and enjoy working as a member of a team. Currently we only have resources to work with 20 children each year but feedback from local schools alone has indicated that there are close to 100 young people in our region who would benefit from this experience. Our vision is to be able to offer this scheme every week day in the Spring and Summer terms, enabling 100 children to receive 8 individual sessions with the horses and ponies. The £300 from the Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund could be used to fund 10 children to attend a 90 minute session at the stables or would fully fund one child for a 10-week lifechanging programme. You can only vote once per month but please do encourage friends and family to help by sharing the link: http:// www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/galaxyfund2014/profiles/sidcot-school Jess Winchester Development & Alumni Manager 5 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Maths Department On Wednesday 26 November I took 15 students from Years 10, 11 and Pathway to the University of South Wales for a Maths competition. They competed in teams of 5 against 40 other schools in a series of questions and I am very pleased to report that the Year 10 team came third and brought home some silverware. The winning team are Zak Brannan, Savva Malinin, Yana Martusova, Aleksandra Levina and Ray Bai. Their success is even greater as they were competing in the Under 17 category. All the students who took part are to be congratulated as they all came in the top 10. Sarah Smith Mathematics Faculty Food Technology Department Last Thursday in Cook Club, Year 7 and 8 students baked a hundred or so cakes, in an hour, for the Children In Need Sale. They piped, they whisked, they stirred and they decorated some fantastic cakes, which were all sold to raise money for the school fund rising event. A great effort! Donna Cox Food Technology Department 6 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December History Department Last Thursday, Year 7 visited the Roman Baths in Aquae Sulis (Bath) to accompany their studies of the Romans in Britain. They had an audio tour of the museum where they investigated the different types of Roman people who worked at, and used, the baths. The central pool looked warm and inviting on such a fresh autumn day, however we resisted a dip! We stopped for lunch in Bath’s Quaker Meeting House and held our own mini meeting for worship to reflect upon the day’s discoveries. The students also had an opportunity to write their own Roman Curses (secret message to the gods). Our tour ended with a taste the famous spa water, containing 43 minerals, which the Romans believed had great healing properties. Most of us agreed it tasted a bit “eggy”! The students were fantastic and behaved exceptionally- a great day was had by all! Nicola Goldhawk History Department 7 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Modern Languages Department A Level languages trip to Bristol University: lectures organised by Association for Language Learning My experience of participating in the language trip to listen to university-style lectures was a very positive one. I am currently studying three languages at A Level including French, German and Italian. Because of this I attended two of the three lectures that were available at Stroud High School, organised by the University of Bristol Languages Faculty last week. It was a very encouraging experience as the lecturer covered topics that might come up in my final speaking assessment, and gave me a very promising introduction to some of the possible topic choices. To me personally, they were very useful as I am going to be carrying on with languages at university and they gave me a very good insight to what I have to look forward to during my further education. As well as helpful, it was also a very rewarding as it gave me a needed confidence boost – when I compare it to last year, where I attended the same event and struggled to understand the very fast speaker. This comes to show how much I have improved in the short space of time. Languages are complex subjects and the skills necessary only come with time and practice. This occasion has reinforced my understanding skills and I believe anyone studying languages should experience this first hand. Selina Bird Year 13 Ethics and Philosophy Department Last week, Year 7 welcomed Jon Yabley from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) to Sidcot. Jon told us stories of courage, loss of life, recused lives and selflessness. It gave us an opportunity to reflect on our Quaker values and how these are similar to those of the RNLI. The pupils designed some excellent posters about beach safety which impressed Jon so much he took them away to share ideas with his colleagues, so well done Year 7! Hopefully we’ll see one of our designs in RNLI literature in the future. Jon is keen to come back to Sidcot and support some fundraising next year. Hopefully he’ll also tell us some more stories... Ross Wallis took this amazing photograph of Jon. Charlotte House Philosophy and Ethics 8 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Textiles Department Year 12 Art/Textile students were set the challenge of creating a couture one off designer PAPER dress in just one week. The course enables students to work in any medium, so giving them a pile of newspaper and a mannequin enables them to think out of the box. Any garment that can be made out of paper can be re-created in fabric so this develops key fashion design skills of modelling on the mannequin. Below is a selection of the designs created. Donna Ralph Textiles Department 9 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Design Technology Department Product Designers hit the bright lights of London! Lower and Upper Sixth Product Design students travelled to London for a presentation at the University of London by leading practicing designers. We travelled down to the city the evening before the lecture to visit the works and installations of Versa Engineering, which had been commissioned to design show lighting in the Leicester Square area. Sidcot Upper Sixth students are already developing lighting projects directly for Versa, who are a local Somerset company that specialise in LED technology. The talks that we attended were delivered by product designers responsible for introducing a massive range of the products we use and take for granted everyday; engineers developing safety equipment from waste newspaper and philosophers of design sharing the ‘golden rules’ of design thinking from a female perspective. We even had a collective attempt at creating the worlds largest woven structure in the Logan Hall lecture theatre! The keynote speaker of the day was Wayne Hemmingway of ‘Red or Dead’ fame. Wayne’s inspirational talk about the design projects he has been involved with since Red or Dead was as inspirational as it was fascinating and I suspect that every one of the eight or nine hundred product design students in attendance have benefited significantly from his advice about success in life, as well as from his captivating insight into the world of product design. Niel Doig Head of Technology Faculty 10 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Music Department We have certainly been a very busy department over the last week! The streaming of the concert seems to have been very popular with 800 views so far, which is amazing! All of the musical events have seen the Sidcot pupils perform to a high standard and with great enthusiasm. The Royal Albert Hall Messiah Trip was wonderful. Some of our pupils had never been to London so for their first visit to sing in such a prestigious venue was simply awesome. Seeing the capital with Christmas lights rounded off a perfect day out! My thanks to all the musicians this term. They have done themselves proud! I would like to wish them all a very Happy Christmas and a very Happy New Year Bev King Director of Music Royal Albert Hall trip – written by Verity Mann “On Sunday the 30 November, Sidcot took a group of singers to the Scratch Youth Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall, London. We arrived at school at 6.45am, looking bleary eyed, but excited at the prospect of a day in London. It was a 3 hour trip but fortunately nobody was sick! Arriving at the Albert hall we tried to find the way to our seats through the maze of corridors. Finding ourselves in the auditorium my first impression was how big it was! However it soon filled up with thousands of school children from all over the country. After a quick practice we performed it and everyone together sounded amazing! After that it was back to the bus for a tour of the London Christmas lights , which looked very impressive. We were safely back in Sidcot by 8:45 feeling rather tired but very happy. We would like to thank everyone who helped organise this lovely trip, and specially Mrs King.” 11 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Art Department Over the past few weeks various year groups have done a session in the Wednesday activity slot. This included a talk by me (Ross Wallis) about the roots of my passion for photography, an introduction to the current photographic exhibition by Georgina Micklethwaite, who is responsible for the exhibition program at Sidcot, a chance to look around the exhibition, and then a challenge to send me a photograph for a schools photography competition. The competition is called Changing World, sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council, and they are asking for photographs that will fit the following themes: Family, Community and Friends, Interests and Hobbies, Opinions and Beliefs, Environment, and Technology and Media. For more information about the competition, their website is: www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/photocomp The deadline for entering the competition is Monday! so any photographs will have to be with my by then - please email me entries, with name, age, and which category the photograph is being entered into. In my talk I was telling students how I first encountered photography. My father was a keen amateur photographer, mostly taking photographs of me and my siblings, and developing them in the back kitchen, so I was exposed (no pun intended) to the darkroom from an early age, watching the magic of the image appearing in the developing tray. It is a real pleasure to me that there is such a keen group of students currently leaning about old photographic processes, using old cameras, and developing and printing images in the darkroom. I also spoke of my very first camera, a plastic Instamatic, for an exchange visit when I was 12 and shot a whole film at a bull fight. I was really disappointed with the results, the bull was so tiny I could hardly see it, and the photos had caught nothing of the atmosphere of the arena. I realise now that images can tell stories; I might have photographed excited faces in the crowd, or a close up of blood on the sand, a portrait of a proud matador, and captured the atmosphere in that way. I may have been disappointed, but I was hooked, and asked for a decent camera for my next birthday - a Rollie twin lens that I still have here in the Art department. One of these images is a selfie taken by me in a shop window in 1978 – the other is a beautiful image taken by A Level photography student Libby Hann. Ross Wallis Head of Createive Arts 13 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Sidcot Arts Centre Arena Photograpy Exhibition A reminder that the current show runs until Saturday 13 December. We are open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for the duration. Drama Department production Well done to all students and staff who were involved with the Drama productions held this last week. More to follow in next week’s newsletter. Children’s Art and Craft Workshop Our Children’s Workshops are now held on the Second Saturday of each month, with the next session taking place on Saturday 13 December. On this day, children will be creating festive decorations. It costs just £7 per child to join the session (price includes all materials), and new members are always welcome. Advance booking is recommended but spaces may also be available on the day. Saturday 6 December 10.00 – 16.00 Exhibition: Arena Photographers* Thursday 11 December 11.00 – 18.00 Exhibition: Arena Photographers* Friday 12 December 11.00 – 18.00 Exhibition: Arena Photographers* Saturday 13 December 10.00 – 16.00 Exhibition: Arena Photographers* 10.00 - 12.00 Children’s Art and Craft Workshop £7 per child** 19.30 Winscombe Community Choir Concert £8 per person *Events are free to attend **Advance booking recommended Winscombe Community Choir concert Winscombe Community Choir will be holding a concert in the Large Meeting House on Saturday 13 December. The concert will not only feature Winscombe Community Choir, but also Winscombe Primary School Choir and some special guests. The concert, which starts at 7.30pm, is being held to raise funds for Weston Hospicecare. Tickets priced at £8 each, are available from Cleopatra’s Wardrobe, Winscombe Primary School or by Emailing Emma Worthy: [email protected] Georgina Micklethwaite Exhibition Development Officer Emma Davis Community Events Manager [email protected] sidcot.org.uk/arts Twitter: @SidcotArts Facebook: /SidcotArts 14 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Physical Education Faculty South West Regional Schools Trampoline Competition Sidcot School saw some of its young pupils travel to Taunton to take part in the South West Regional Schools’ Trampoline Competition, achieving some great results. This competition was one of several regional competitions taking place across the country with the top three in each section going onto the next southern zonal event in January and culminating in the national schools finals which will take place early next year. Mia Petrie aged nine, who has only been trampolining for two months, competed in the under 11 girls’ novice category. Mia successfully completed her two routines in a large age group of 48 competitors. In the under 11 boys’ novice category Oliver Lamont completed some great routines winning him the bronze medal, putting him through to the second round – the southern zonal schools competition held at the White Horse Leisure Centre in Abingdon on Sunday 18th January 2015. Also in this category was Tobias Millar who successfully completed his two routines finishing in sixth place and Bertie Adams who finished in tenth position. The successful scores from all three boys were combined and won them the team gold medal putting them through to the second round in the team event. Aurora Necco Trampoline Coach National Biathlon Championships at Solihull, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November Sidcot had three representatives at this competition at the weekend. Sarah Carr in the U12 category performed well achieving better times in the pool and on the running track than she had in qualification. Her results meant she moved up to rank 38th in the country from 60th. Imogen Moroney participated in U15 category where she won the swimming event and came 6th in the running. This excellent effort meant she came 4th overall which is a fantastic achievement. Competition for Immy was huge – literally! Jasmine Moroney in the U16 category similarly performed well coming 3rd in the swim and 20th in the run. Overall she was placed 15th. She was up against a commonwealth pentathlete in her class so was really pleased with her performance. All the girls have qualified for the Schools’ National Championships, so they are looking forward to participating in March at the Olympic park. Mary Dowds PE Faculty 15 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Physical Education Faculty U12 North Somerset Netball Tournament at Backwell School, Monday 1 December Fortunately the U12 Tournament was able to go ahead on the second attempt (it had been postponed due to poor weather a couple of weeks ago), and the weather remained calm but quite cool. It was a busy afternoon for both the teams as there were two pools of 10 teams. A Squad The A team of: Amber Spillane (Captain) Freya King, Frankie Harrill, Maisy Hann, Annabelle Davis, Sarah Carr, Ella Kippax, and Jasmine Bell had a god start winning their first three matches convincingly. There were some excellent examples of good team work were the ball passed quickly and accurately from defence to attack. Both the shooters were on cracking form, hardly missing any shots so helping the team to win easily. After a mid-table break the girls then had a busy time paying 5 matches in a row. Some of these matches were hotly contested and were tense close encounters. The girls just kept calm and kept on The whole team worked together well which was reflected in the fact that 5 of the 8 players received a nomination for Player of the match. These were: Frankie Harrill, Ella Kippax, Jasmine Bell, Maisy Hann and Freya King. winning. It wasn’t until the very last pool match that the girls found themselves in a tighter situation and just got pipped by Priory in a very close game. This meant the girls were runners up in their section so progressed to the semi-final – brilliant! They played strongly against Clevedon but couldn’t quite contain their opposition’s fast pace on court and accurate shooting. The girls certainly acquitted themselves extremely well and should be proud of their success at this local competition. Games – A Squad Sidcot v Worle B Sidcot v Backwell B Sidcot v Clevedon B Sidcot v Broadoak A Sidcot v Gordano A Sidcot v Hans Price Sidcot v Nailsea A Sidcot v Churchill A Sidcot v Priory A Semi Final v Clevedon Scores 4–0 4–0 5–1 1–0 2–0 4–0 6–0 5–0 0–2 2–6 Games – B Squad Sidcot v Nailsea B Sidcot v Gordano B Sidcot v Worle A Sidcot v Churchill B Sidcot v Broadoak B Sidcot v Priory B Sidcot v Backwell A Sidcot v Clevedon A ~ ~ Scores 1–0 0–1 0–7 1–0 0–1 0–3 0–3 0–4 B Squad The B team squad also performed well throughout the afternoon, working well as a team and using space and movement effectively. They played some tough opposition and it is to their credit that they stuck to their task determinedly throughout the afternoon. Katie Price proved a super captain. She was quick to organise and very much ‘on the ball’. She also played admirably as centre, a position that she made her own during the afternoon. Verity Mann and Annabelle Wroath put in good performances on the wings and Ellie Maplestone, Ruby Cogan, Megan Vivian and the Fairley twins all played well in a variety of positions. The produced some good results against some strong teams and gained some valuable experience along the way. Players of the Matches – ‘B’ squad: Ellie Maplestone and Katie Price (7) Well done to all the girls who represented the school on what proved to be a chilly but successful afternoon. Rosie Bellinger and Mary Dowds PE Faculty 16 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Physical Education Faculty U14 XV v St John’s Sidmouth, Tuesday 2 December: Sidcot 21 – 15 St John’s In the final match of the season the Year 9 boys won their third game of the season against an inexperienced but skilful side. In a ten a side game, Sidcot started in lacklustre fashion but opened the scoring nonetheless through Dan Corbett and Jacob Mcgurl. St John’s came to life and added a physical dimension to their game which spurred Sidcot into action. St John’s hit back before the break but Sidcot kept the gap to ten points with another try from Dan Corbett. All three were converted. The game was saved at the end with a game saving tackle by Guillem Marti. Lots of the Sidcot lads got some pitch time today in a great afternoon’s rugby. Simon Cattermole PE Faculty U16 XV v Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School, Thursday 27 November: Sidcot 17 – 34 QEH Although a defeat in the final game of the season is of course a disappointment this was an entertaining game in wet and boggy conditions played with great spirit and determination. Sidcot started well but were unable to penetrate a solid defence and as has become the way, piling on the pressure led to gaps appearing which our hosts took advantage of the score on two occasions. Sidcot replied but QEH scored again to take a 17–5 lead into the interval. some soul searching and a rousing captain’s address from Man of the Match Sam White saw Sidcot out of the blocks and scoring first in the second period, the successful conversion from Macarthur making the match a hotly contested affair. In the end it was greater experience in the latter and tried stages of the game that told and QEH scored three more times to our once leaving a final score of 17– 34. 1st XV v Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School, Tuesday 2 December: Sidcot 19 – 19 QEH Sidcot entertained the usually strong QEH in the final game of the season and what a game it was. Not only the performance of the season but also the finest rugby display I’ve had the privilege to be present at in all of my 13 or so years!! Taking advantage of the slope in the first half Sidcot, after a cautious start, proceeded to blow QEH of the paddock with a masterful display of running rugby and continuity. The ball was moved from all angles and as a result three splendid tries were scored, one from Billy Mullin and a brace from Man of the match, Cameron Smith, two successful conversions from Scott Havercroft. At no stage did QEH look like breaching our own defence. The second half was an altogether tighter affair as QEH kept the ball close and rolled mauls down the slope, slowly wearing out our pack. This tactic yielded three tries for our guests and the two successful kicks left the scores tied for a breathless final three minutes. It is fair to say that Sidcot showed the greater endeavour and tried to run the ball from everywhere whereas QEH continued to stick the ball firmly up the jumper! Neither side could quite execute their skills well enough to take full advantage and a hobbling Mr C blew the final whistle to draw aclose on a very enjoyable season that has seen this side score more points that the previous three 1st XVs combined. Well done lads, you’ve done yourselves and the school proud! Simon Cattermole PE Faculty A good season, lads, well done. Simon Cattermole PE Faculty 17 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Movember 2014 Here are a few pictures from this year’s Mo Growers. The Maintenance Department certainly showed us how to maintain and transform a beard into a fashionable, yet questionable moustache. If you’d like to donate to a cause dedicated to men’s health, please visit the following link: http://uk.movember.com/donate 16 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk Friday 5 December Movember 2014 17 Submit articles to [email protected] www.sidcot.org.uk
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