NTS
NEWSLETTER
SUMMER
TERM
July 2016
Library News
Mrs Crone
Spellbinding Award Day
2016
Compiled by
Mrs C. Crone
School Librarian
KEEPING
YOU
INFORMED
AT
HOME
The Nelson
Thomlinson
School
High Street
Wigton
Cumbria
CA7 9PX
Poppy Deakin, Holly Carey, & Yusuf Brooks with Matt Dickinson
Tel. 016973 42160
The final decision day for this year’s Cumbria Schools’ Book Award was held at Penrith Methodist Church on
Wednesday 15th June. Three of our pupils were selected to represent the NTS Reading Club, all of whom had read
the 10 shortlisted titles: Holly Carey 8PJC, Poppy Deakin 8PJC and Yusuf Brooks 7JAM.
Fax. 016973 49160
www.nts.cumbria.
sch.uk
Headmaster:
Mr D.S.
Northwood
We were delighted to have writer and film maker, Matt Dickinson, as our compere for the day. He has worked
extensively for National Geographic Television, the Discovery Channel and the BBC. He became the first film
maker to film on the summit of Mount Everest and return alive. His film, Summit Fever, has been seen by more
than 20 million people worldwide. He has also written books for adults and the first book in his new series for
children, The Everest Files, was on the Spellbinding shortlist last year.
Matt started the day off with the Spellbinding Quiz which was followed by librarian-led discussions about the top
three shortlisted books. Pupils were then asked to cast their votes before lunch. During the lunch break, pupils
and librarians were able to take part in the Book Swish, exchanging books they had read and no longer wanted to
keep for something new.
The afternoon session enabled pupils to take part in the Everest Reading Challenge, during which Matt showed
slides of the various stages he and his team had taken to reach the summit and enthralled us with tales of his
exploits, which were enough to make your hair stand on end!
As the day drew to a close the winner of the Spellbinding 2016 Award was announced with The Wolf Wilder by
Katherine Rundell securing the majority of the votes. Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan was second with If You Were
Me by Sam Hepburn, third. All three titles can be borrowed from the School Library.
We had a wonderful day and I would like to thank the pupils for their exemplary behaviour throughout.
Accelerated Reader Awards
Mrs Crone
This year was the second year that we have run the Renaissance Place
Accelerated Reader programme for our Year 7 pupils. Overall, it has
been very successful, once again highlighting improved reading levels
throughout Year 7. The following were awarded prizes to recognise
individual and Form achievements:
Most improved reading age for boy & girl in each English group
over the year according to final Star Test results:
7E: Jonathan Blacklock-Huddart & Natasha Sowden
7N: Kailub Schultz & Ellie Chan
7T: Brodie Coulthatd & Hannah Lake
7M: Elliott Johnson & Christie Richardson
7L: Joseph Harrison & Jenna Young
7H: Luke Jackson & Ines Rebollar
Two groups of pupils from Years 7 to 10 spent the morning and
afternoon sessions of our recent Citizenship Day researching
Literature from around Europe since ancient times. They
collaborated and pooled their findings over a four hour period to
create a timeline of European Literature which is now displayed
in the L block corridor.
The groups were made up of Harry Bridson, Zoe Hudson and
Yusuf Brooks from Year 7, Esme Hogg from Year 8 and Ellie
Lightbowne-Prince, Kirsty Deakin, Josh Pearson, Emma
McMann, Courtney Bunting, Frances Nutley, Madeleine
Stanford, Elle Brown, Gemma Harrison, Abbie Pigg and Megan
Rumney from Year 10.
Different pupils researched writers such as Homer and
Aristophanes from classical literature, as well as exploring
authors such as Chaucer, Dante, Voltaire and Shakespeare.
Those who investigated more modern writers chose to study
Wordsworth and Dickens from the Victorian era and W B Yeats
and Oscar Wilde from the Irish Literary canon.
Some pupils chose to delve into writers’ biographical as well as
literary backgrounds, while others explored historical and social
contexts further. What was most impressive to the supervising
staff (Miss Byers, Mrs Pettifer and Mrs Crone) was how readily
pupils organised themselves and made decisions about the
format of the final product.
Rotary Young Writer Competition
2015/16
Mrs Crone
7S: Jonjo Sharp & Maria Wagrowska
7W: Keir Atkinson & Samantha Hodgson
Millionaires Club - pupils who have read over 1 million words this
year:
Saffron Jones, Natalie Harbach, Emily Hartley, Scott Cooper-Holmes,
Sol Clarke, Rosie Cooper, Leah Donald, Kate Wren, Abbie Johnston,
Nathan Hunt, Andrew Tear, Wilfred Fletcher, Aimee Lillington.
The form with the highest points score in the Accelerated Reader
quizzes this term:
7JW with an amazing 1085.5 points!
Well done to them all!
Researching European Literature
Mrs Pettifer
Callum Clarke & Mr Downes
As mentioned in the May Newsletter, the Rotary National
Young Writer Competition consists of three stages, Local,
District and National, and is promoted by Rotary International
in Britain and Ireland (RIBI). The theme this year was, ‘Our
World is Beautiful’, and the winner of the local senior category
was Callum Clarke 10JGC. Callum’s entry was then forwarded to
the District stage of the competition where he was awarded
second place, just missing out on going through to the final
stage. However, it should be mentioned that this in itself is a
fantastic achievement, considering that he was up against pupils
from not only Cumbria but Lancashire too.
Callum is a very talented young writer and the judges were
extremely impressed by the high standard of his work. Mr
Basesley and Mr Downes, our local Rotary Club officials, kindly
presented Callum with a copy of The Oxford Thesaurus of English,
which will hopefully be of great use to him in the future. Well
done, Callum!
Rotary Technology Challenge 2016
Mr. Lewis
In March this year, the school entered four teams into the annual
Rotary Competition. This was their second appearance in this
competition and this year the pupils were required to build bridges to
cross two water courses.
Our junior team from Year 9 comprising Liam Crellin, Robert
Eilbeck, Nathan Ion and Adam Jackson worked well as a team. They
completed their bridge and design portfolio with time to spare but
got pipped at the post and come second in their class. Well done to
them!
In the senior class we had three teams; representing Year 10 were
William Ismay, Adam Johnstone, Josh Myers and Preston Newton.
After working hard on designing and building their bridge a disaster
crossing their lift bridge saw their bid for glory disappear into the
canal!
Our other two teams in the senior competition were NTS1
comprising Year 11 GCSE Engineering pupils Liam Cockbain, Josh
Hoodless, William Manning and James Wiggins. This team won its
class last year and as such was out to defend its title. However, on
the day it was outflanked by last year’s runner-up team, NTS2,
comprising Misha Atkinson, Maya Cooper, Beth Jackson and Frances
Nutley who concentrated upon maximising design points before
putting up a spirited display on crossing the water courses.
The winning team members are pictured above receiving their prize
and have the satisfaction of knowing they had avenged their second
place of last year! It was a real pleasure to see all of the teams
perform well and I would commend them on being true ambassadors
for NTS in the way they conducted themselves on the day.
2106 Bloodhound Challenge
Mr Fitt
Mr Fitt and Mr Irving took a group of Year 7 and Year 8 pupils
to the STEM Bloodhound Rocket Car Competition at UTC
Workington. Pupils were required to design and build a rocket
powered vehicle that would contain a BBC micro bit
microprocessor that would be used to calculate acceleration and
final speed.
Our team of eight consisted of four Year 7 pupils: Aaron
Watters, Mitchell Train, Noah Hewitson and Matthew Easdon
and four Year 8 pupils: Rob Carey, Holly Carey, Jordan Ion and
Oliver Iredale.
Both teams produced highly competitive vehicles with the Year
7s claiming third fastest car on the day. The Year 8 team won
the best presentation, which is excellent as they were competing
against some pupils who were in Year 10. This was possibly
because Rob’s explanation of their car’s aerodynamics
completely baffled the judges!
The team was grateful for the mentoring of Paul Imrie and
Andy Fraser from the Royal Engineers who visited our
Wednesday Engineering Club and offered support in designing
and manufacturing the vehicles.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Mr L. Baseley
Annabel receiving her course certificate from Rotary
District Governor Malcolm Baldwin
Annabel Love, a Year 12 student, spent a week on the RYLA
course during the first week of July. Annabel was sponsored by
the Wigton Rotary Club
RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) events are for young
people aged 16 to 17 years who are about to start their working
lives or to enter higher education, and who have shown
leadership potential and are likely, as adults, to become future
leaders. Students are put into mixed groups of complementary
ability where they take part in outdoor activities. They are
placed in challenging situations to help develop leadership and
team bonding skills and to increase personal confidence. The
students must be prepared for a range of tough physical and
mental challenges, such as getting wet, problem solving and
practical group leadership exercises where each student has the
opportunity to develop key leadership skills. Students also take
part in a charity car wash to raise money for local causes.
The course is run in Castle Head Outdoor Centre near Grangeover-Sands in Cumbria (Tel 01539 534300). Castle Head are
part of the Field Studies Council organisation.
The NTS EU Referendum
Mr Beechey
The EU referendum stirred up lots of debate and discussion in
school. The day before the referendum we had our own school
pupil referendum. The decision of our pupils was: REMAIN by a
narrow margin. 617 votes were cast across Years 7-10 and 12.
Remain had 54% and Leave 45%.
If only we’d known what a momentous decision would be made by
the electorate the following day!
A New House System for
The Nelson Thomlinson School
Mr Beechey and Mrs Banks
House points will also be recorded in our school reporting
structure and the winning house at the end of the year will be
rewarded with a winners’ day out.
Points can also be deducted for poor behaviour at the discretion
of our pastoral teams, meaning pupils will be responsible to
their team mates for their actions!
Our house point sticker
In 2017, we will see one of the names, Osprey, Kestrel,
Peregrine or Merlin on our 1925 trophy … which one will it be?
Footprints of our Fathers:
Community WW1 Project
Mr Beechey
You might well have seen the Footprints of Our Fathers World War
I display and inspirational film recently in Wigton’s Market Hall.
If you didn’t, you missed a truly amazing community project
which chronicled Wigton’s WWI past in the form of a stunning
WWI trench display and a professional 28 minute short film.
Many local residents, former NTS students and current pupils
played leading roles in shaping this year long project. Nathan
Ion, Douglas Hodgson and Alex Tolson starred in the film
along with former pupil, Curt Martin together with other
professional actors, whilst Megan Telford, Lucy Reynolds,
Isabella Brown, Louise Gwillim and Harry Bigrigg all played
other key roles.
In 1925, the impressive ‘Old Nelsonians’ Trophy (above) was
presented to herald the success of different houses in the school.
Blue House, was the first winner in 1925 and the last recorded
victory was Skiddaw House in 1972.
In September 2016, after over a year of planning and consultation,
a new house system will be introduced to The Nelson Thomlinson
School. All pupils in Years 7-11 and staff will belong to one of the
following houses: Osprey, Kestrel, Peregrine or Merlin and the
Sixth-Form students will be affiliated to a house. With competition
already building for the start of the new academic year, there will
be a range of set piece house activities planned, where teams will
complete over many different disciplines to suit all abilities and
interests.
How will it work?
Pupils will receive house point stickers for a range of achievements
from outstanding pieces of work in class, sustained improvement,
politeness, charity efforts, sporting and musical contributions, as
well as participation in extra-curricular and community activities.
Once receiving a house point, in their school book or planner, they
will use the school computer system to type in a unique code that
will reward them with a house point. The running tally for house
points will then be recorded around school on a weekly basis. Each
pupil will wear a house pin with different colours for each house.
The film, which was filmed in Wigton, left many in tears as it
depicted those Wigtonians who were lost during WWI.
Congratulations to all of those involved. DVDs of the film are
available for £5.
FONTS 100 Club Draw
Mrs Richmond
May:
1st prize – Debbie Williams
2nd prize – Molly Wren 9CT
3rd prize – Joe Gilroy 11RC
June:
1st prize – William Paterson
2nd prize – Gill Anderson
3rd prize – Anne Sinclair
Sixth Form News
Dr Lovegrove
Year 12 visit to Lancaster University
As part of their post-Sixth-Form preparations, Year 12 students
were given the opportunity to visit Lancaster University. The
purpose of the visit was for students to get an idea of what
university study and university life entails and to see the benefits a
campus university can offer. All students attended talks on student
life and student finance and then opted in to a one hour subject
taster session, giving them the chance to experience undergraduate
study in History, Criminology, Linguistics, Geography or
Engineering. The whole day was hugely informative and gave
students a useful insight into the benefits of undergraduate study.
Target Lancaster – University Mentoring
Programme
The final step of the programme was a visit to the university for
an open day held especially for the Target Lancaster participants.
We attended masterclasses on how to write the perfect personal
statement and how to make an application amongst a multitude
of other course specific lectures and workshops.
The day also gave us a chance to meet academics, admissions
tutors and other students who had taken part in the programme.
A big bonus of taking part in this programme is that all attendees
are guaranteed an offer from Lancaster University should they
apply. It’s really encouraging knowing that I have a guaranteed
offer already; it has made me see that even though neither of my
parents went to university it doesn’t mean that I have less of a
chance than any other applicant.
The programme knows exactly what prospective undergraduates
want to know and tailors sessions to their needs; the mentors are
completely informed and able to answer any questions you may
have. They also understand how daunting it is to be thinking
about your future and to have to commit to a decision you once
felt so ill informed about before starting Sixth Form. The
programme has certainly been an invaluable, informative and fun
way of widening my understanding of university.
Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner
Dr Lovegrove
Sophie Oxtoby (12KR)
Coming from a non-university background, I wasn’t sure if
university was the right way forward for me. I was approached by
the Sixth Form staff (because of my target grades and the fact that
neither of my parents had been to university) and asked if I would
like to attend some mentoring sessions answering questions to do
with student life and the benefits of gaining a higher degree. I had
lots of queries and felt so uneasy about the prospect of university. I
didn’t really know what it entailed, how to begin making choices
about which degree I should study or where to study.
Worst of all, I didn’t know who to pose these questions to.
This is where the Target Lancaster Programme came in. Beginning
in the autumn term and ending just before exams in May, myself and
a small group of students attended three sessions with our
undergraduate mentor, Sam. The sessions were informal and yet
engaging. We had activities to help guide us through the financial
aspects of gaining a degree, student accommodation, university
societies and much more. The activities were designed to inspire and
motivate us (with having no source of experience of university to
turn to) to think about things that hadn’t necessarily even crossed
our minds.
Personally, I feel that the Target Lancaster Programme made what
would have been an impossible choice for me relatively easy;
without it, I don't think that I could have worked out that university
is the right path for me. I gained so much understanding about
university that I had no way of knowing before, and thus helped
ease some of the doubts at the back of my mind. The programme
pointed out that I am not by a long shot the only prospective
student with all these doubts, and more importantly, it pointed me in
the direction of whom I can look to for support, information and
reassurance.
Mr Walker, Mrs Pearson & Mr Holgate
The Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner took place at the Greenhill Hotel
on Saturday, 25th June. Everyone had gone to a lot of effort and
looked amazing. The rain held off at the start of the evening
which allowed photographs to be taken outside the hotel; this
was followed by a meal and a dance, both of which were
thoroughly enjoyable.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Year 13
students for being an absolutely brilliant year group and to wish
them the very best of luck with their exam results and future
endeavours.
Year 12 Post-18 Day
Dr Lovegrove
On the 6th July, Year 12 students were involved in a post-18 Day
that aimed to help them decide what they want to do once they
leave our Sixth Form. The day started with a presentation from a
Newcastle University student mentor who gave our students an
insight into what it is like to study at Newcastle University; she
then led a workshop on how to write an effective personal
statement.
In the afternoon, students opted into two of eight different
sessions delivered by visiting speakers. These ranged from talks on
apprenticeships, careers in Engineering and Science at Innovia,
Law, the healthcare professions, Primary education and
Accountancy. We were absolutely thrilled that so many ex-NTS
students volunteered themselves as guest speakers (Molly Garner,
Sam Bell, Jamie Dobson, Caitlin Johnson, Liz Tatlock and Colin
Sessford). The day culminated with a presentation from Matthew
Aitchison of the University of Cumbria on interview techniques
and student finance; Matthew also spoke to parents about student
finance in the evening.
Following their win as Champion Company at the North East and
Cumbria Finals in June, 5 members of the Young Enterprise team
Eduvation travelled down to London to participate in the National
Finals Event hosted at the Emirates Stadium in London. They had
a challenging journey down to London, leaving Carlisle Station at
7.30am, carrying their entire trade stand as well as their own
luggage, making traversing London a challenge in itself. They
arrived at the Emirates Stadium to erect their trade stand at
12.30pm. After a team briefing from Young Enterprise and getting
settled into the accommodation at Queen Mary University
Campus, the team had a free evening before the event which gave
them the opportunity for a meal on The Strand in Garfunkel’s,
followed by a visit to Covent Garden, where they had the
opportunity to pose for the classic London photo in a traditional
red phone box!
The competition day meant being on a coach at 6am and a busy
day lay ahead with trade stand judging and formal presentations to
deliver throughout the day. By 7.30am the team had their moment
of fame as they were interviewed by BBC Business Reporter, Steph
McGovern, on the BBC Breakfast news. They were delighted when
she autographed one of their GCSE Economics Revision Guides,
which now forms part of a display in L Block. By 9am trade stand
judging was well underway from an array of business gurus from
organisations such as Cisco, HSBC and Disney who arrived to see
the work of the 12 final teams from the 20,000 original
participants. After the excitement of the BBC News interview, the
team was thrilled to get the opportunity to meet Bianca Miller, star
of The Apprentice.
By 3pm, it was time to judge the presentations. Having rehearsed
their speech alongside the statue of Thierry Henry outside the
stadium, Eduvation delivered a flawless, professional presentation
with John Purdham even jumping off the stage with his
microphone to boost audience participation in a mini economics
lesson. It was a proud moment that will stay with me for years to
come.
Overall, the day gave our Year 12 students a lot to consider and
we are incredibly grateful to all of our guest speakers for giving up
their time to talk to our students.
Young Enterprise
Miss Walker
As the rest of the 13 strong Eduvation team arrived at the Emirates
stadium with Mr Beechey, following their trip to the Sky Garden
and The Bank of England Museum, the awards element of the
event began. It was hosted by BBC News Business Reporter, Steph
McGovern, and award winning entrepreneur, Ben Towers. It was
an inspirational evening watching the achievements of all
participants and when the team from Ireland was announced as
winner, it came as no surprise, following their jaw-dropping
£19,000 of sales!
The excitement did not stop there, as the following day the team
had already been invited by Rory Stewart MP to visit Westminster.
The whole team and staff got the opportunity to tour the House of
Commons, watch the House of Lords whilst they were in session,
as well as pop out onto the Westminster Terrace overlooking the
Thames. This was genuinely a fantastic opportunity and an
experience that we will all treasure.
So a massive well done goes to the whole Eduvation team, Amy
Renyard, John Purdham, Abbie Sleightholme, Katie Scattergood,
Ryan Baxter, Oliver Latimer, Emily Davison, Isaac Thompson,
Stefan Clarke, Ayesha Wise, Tobias Barthelmes, Jay Scott and Tom
Shaw. The team did NTS proud throughout the year, winning
many accolades along the way. Thanks must also go to Mr Beechey
and Gill Cullen our Business Advisor from Innovia Films, for
History Spelling Challenge 2016
Mr Priddle
Congratulations to all those in Years 7-9 who won a History
spelling prize this year. Pupils had to learn how to spell a wide
range of terminology, most of which is specific to History. Tests
were undertaken throughout the year and the highest overall score
from each set won a prize and certificate. This initiative has had a
measurable impact on the spelling of key terminology, and we are
delighted by the way pupils have stepped up to the challenge.
Year 7
Eleanor Roberts: Grade 1 Clarinet, Distinction.
Joshua Thompson: Grade 2 Piano, Pass.
Brodie Coulthard: Grade 5 Saxophone, Merit.
Keir Atkinson: Grade 5 Piano, Distinction.
Year 8
Jason Taylor: Grade 1 Piano, Pass.
Alex Birkett: Grade 2 Piano, Pass.
Kate Southwell: Grade 3 Piano, Pass.
Katie French: Grade 3 Clarinet, Merit.
Esme Hogg: Grade 5 Violin, Merit.
Toby Cass: Grade 7 Drums, Pass.
Beth Mackenzie: Grade 3 Violin, Merit.
Year 9
Molly Armstrong: Grade 1 Piano, Pass.
Mia Williams: Grade 1 Piano, Pass.
Cecilia Carlsson: Grade 3 Piano, Distinction.
Isabella Brown: Grade 4 Piano, Distinction.
Simon Tatlock: Grade 4 Euphonium, Merit.
Jack Pigg: Grade 4 Baritone, Merit.
Alice Henderson: Grade 6 Flute, Merit.
Year 7 winners
Year 8 winners
Year 10
Malachi Prior: Grade 3 Piano, Merit.
Conah Dunstan: Grade 3 Drums, Pass.
Sarah Carter: Grade 5 Piano, Pass.
Hannah Nixon: Grade 5 Saxophone, Merit.
David Shingler: Grade 5 Flute, Merit.
Heidi Todhunter: Grade 5 Flute, Merit.
Leon Turner: Grade 7 Drums, Merit.
Misha Atkinson: Grade 8 Piano, Distinction (This is an
outstanding achievement!).
Year 11
Hannah Young: Grade 4 Piano, Pass.
Callum Austin: Grade 5 Guitar, Pass.
Year 12
Stefan Clark: Grade 8 Guitar, Merit.
Year 13
James Mitchel: Grade 7 Guitar, Pass.
Elliot Stockdale: Grade 8 Guitar, Pass.
Lauren Slater: Grade 8 Flute, Pass.
Emily Turnbull: Grade 8 Violin, Pass.
Bryony Whitehead: Grade 8 Violin, Pass.
Tara Dickson: Grade 8 Violin, Pass.
Jack Birkett: Grade 8 Bass Guitar, Merit.
Year 9 winners
Music Department News
Mrs Small
During the final weeks of term, NTS pupils have been sitting
instrumental exams. These are external exams, with pupils taking
different grades ranging from 1 to 8. There have been some great
successes again and it is so encouraging to see the pupils working
so hard. Congratulations to the following pupils:
The Samba Band has only played at a couple of events this
year, Thursby Gala day and James Rennie annual Gala.
Hopefully, next year it will be back to full strength and will be
playing at the local carnivals!
French Trip
Sunday 26th June—Friday 1st July 2016
Mrs Puskar
This year the MFL Department took 81 Year 7 pupils to Normandy.
We had an extremely early start, leaving Wigton at 4am on Sunday
morning. After a long journey and a calm ferry crossing from
Portsmouth to Ouistreham, we arrived at the hotel at 10pm.
On Wednesday, we walked to the local town and pupils were
challenged to complete a quiz about Merville. They also had the
chance to buy ice creams and crêpes. In the second half of the
day we enjoyed the competitive sandcastle building contest.
There was a tremendously high standard of entries again this year
with the judges awarding an average of 8 points per group. The
eventual winners were Sarah Dodd and Annabelle Wills for their
excellent seashell. After the sandcastle completion, we had a
classroom session, we wrote our diaries in French and thought
about what we had discovered during the week.
At the British Cemetery in Bayeux
On the Monday, we visited Bayeux; here we stopped off to see the
Bayeux Tapestry and the British Cemetery. We laid poppies
(provided by Abbie Johnston) at the British Cemetery, and Mr Smith
read from a poem commemorating the sacrifices of British soldiers.
Annabelle Wills and Sarah Dodd with their wining
sandcastle design.
On Thursday, we visited a local market in Houlgate. Pupils were
asked to use as much French as possible. Some brave bargain
hunters even negotiated the price of their purchases in French.
During the second half of the day we split into two groups,
visiting the chocolaterie, sampling some delicious artisan chocolate,
and stopping off in the shop to buy gifts for family and friends.
We also went to the impressive Basilica at Lisieux.
We had a very enlightening trip and the pupils enjoyed speaking
French and visiting the different museums. Many thanks to Mrs
Foster, Mrs Johnson, Miss Frondelieus, Miss Lane, Mr Broster,
Mr Smith, Mr Hamilton, Mr Rudd and Mr Whelpdale for their
hard work during the trip.
Visiting the British cemetery in Bayeux
On Tuesday, the focus was WWII: in the morning we visited Omaha
beach and learnt about the D-Day landings; we also went to the vast
American Cemetery. We discussed the differences between the
British and American cemeteries. After a lovely French picnic, we
headed to Arromanches to visit the Musée du Débarquement. At the
museum we were told about the huge military operation the British
and Americans orchestrated to build a new port, allowing them to
bring supplies and troops into France. In the evening, we enjoyed
activities at the hotel including swimming in the pool, football and
rounders on the beach.
On Omaha Beach
Taiwanese Exchange
Mr Broster
said, “I prefer the dinners here, there are a lot more choices and
all of them are yummy!” Later that day the Taiwan guests were
happy to return to their homestays and were looking forward to
the trip the following day to Maryport Aquarium and The
Senhouse Museum. We would like to thank all the staff involved
at NTS who helped with this wonderful project, with special
thanks going to Mr Broster and Mrs Johnson for making sure the
day ran smoothly.
P.E. Department News
Mrs Lee
Athletics
July saw our biannual visit to school from a group of Taiwanese
pupils and teachers, who were all kindly hosted by the families of
children from our school. They spent three days in school taking
part in lessons and attending our International Expo. On the day
of their arrival Mrs Richardson and Mrs Mayer kindly gave a fun
lesson in textiles and glasswork which resulted in each of our
guests taking away their own lovingly crafted, textile Cumbrian
cows. Friday saw pupils from William Howard, Cockermouth,
QEGS and Workington Academy join us and the Taiwanese for a
day of activities and bonding, reported upon by two of our Year 8
pupils, below. On Saturday, we took everyone on a day trip to
Maryport where they visited the Senhouse Museum to learn about
Roman Cumbria and the Aquarium to see Cumbrian sea-life, as
well as taking a walk around a very blustery harbour. On Sunday,
our guests spent the day with their hosts, meeting family and
friends or going on days out to places like Muncaster Castle.
Monday saw the departure of our guests, but not before joining
our pupils in French and Computer Science lessons delivered by
Mrs Foster, Mr Hamilton and Mr Broster. The visit was a great
success and Taiwanese children departed Cumbria having had a
once in a life time experience. Also involved in the running of this
visit and planning of activities was Mrs Johnson, Mr Whelpdale,
Mr Walker, Mr Johnson, Mrs Banks and Mr Northwood.
We would especially like to thank the families who took on the
task of hosting our guests. Without them, this visit would not have
been possible. We are sure it was as much an experience for them
as it was for the Taiwanese.
We now look forward to our exchange trip next summer, where we
take some of our lucky pupils across to Taiwan for their ‘trip of a
lifetime’.
Connecting Classrooms 4th International Expo
Miriam Stobart 8JES & Fay Batey 8DP
On Friday 8th July there were 43 pupils and 7 members of staff
from Taiwan, who came together with volunteers and hosts from
The Nelson Thomlinson School, QEGS, Workington Academy
and William Howard for an Expo day at NTS in J block. This
Expo day involved Chinese calligraphy, manga (Japanese cartoons),
origami, magic and soap making. We were even kindly shown
some cultural talent by the Taiwanese pupils including lots of
dance performances, Chinese yo-yo and recorder playing. At lunch
time, the Nelson Thomlinson’s very own samba band came
together to play some pieces for us which very much impressed
our guests! Another aspect of British school life they greatly
enjoyed was the quality of our school lunches; one guest, Mina
The English Schools’ Cup athletic teams travelled to Blackpool to
compete in the Northwest B regional final. It was a thoroughly
enjoyable day, which saw many athletes scoring high points for
NTS in their events. At the end of the meeting the highest placed
team was the intermediate girls which finished second.
The Allerdale Year 7 Championships, held at Copeland Stadium,
Whitehaven was the first real competition for many of our Year 7
pupils. They did us proud, working as a team, making sure they all
gave their best and being fully supportive of each other. The
meeting finished with NTS boys in first position, with impressive
track performances and the girls in second place, missing out on
first by 2 points. The following were selected to represent
Allerdale in the Inter-District Competition: Sam Hodgson, Freya
Gaitskell, Victoria Banks, Liam Keyes, Tom Southwell and Rocco
Okesene. Rocco claimed a silver medal in the Javelin and Freya a
bronze in the hurdles. Victoria helped secure Allerdale a win in
the relay. Well done to all!
The season finished successfully with the two school sports days.
The main sports day, held on Wednesday 13th July, saw many
high level performances from all age groups but notably in the
Year 7 events were: James Young in the 800m with a time of 2
mins.27, Liam Keyes, Long Jump 4m.50, Brooke Steel, High
Jump 1m.30, Sam Hodgson, High Jump 1m.27 and Gemma Bell,
discus 18m.20.
In Year 8: Chris Bragg, Long Jump 4m.36, James Dowling, 200m
27.9 secs., Lily Joyce, Javelin 25m.52 and Annie Bell, 800m 2
mins.43.
In Year 9: Dylan Osborne, with a time of 11.60 secs. in the
100m, Erin Tilley, Long Jump 4m.52, Scott Rudd, 10m.46 Triple
Jump, Will Wiggins, 12m.35 , and Atlanta Vailionis, High Jump
1m.44.
Year 10: Elise Rowell, Long Jump 4m.68, Tom Nicholson,
200m. 25.64 secs., Reece Barton in the High Jump, 1m.58, Sam
Evans, Long Jump 5m.34 and 100m 12.62 secs. and Dan
Pearson, 200m 25.2 secs.
As well as individual performances, there were pupils who
represented their tutor group with a determined competitive
spirit, contributing greatly to their tutor group performance.
Great enthusiasm from some groups made judging of best
supportive Form very difficult for the Heads of Year.
Individual athletic winners:
Year 7 - Brooke Steel & Liam Keyes.
Year 8 - Kate Southwell & Chris Bragg.
Year 9 - Erin Tilley & Dylan Osborne.
Year 10 - Matilda Oldham & Josh Myers.
Overall tutor group winners:
7NM
8IL
9CT
10CJ
Monday 18th July was Sixth-Form Sports Afternoon, where all tutor
groups compete in athletics, including an egg and spoon race and an
Inter-Form Rounders tournament.
Finally the NTS school mile. This year it is extended to Year 8 as well.
The idea to complete the mile as quickly as possible as a year group.
On behalf of the department I would like to thank all pupils and
students who have represented school teams, the Form
representatives on sports day and the leaders in junior sport. After a
busy year in all sports they have helped to make the sporting
tournaments and festivals enjoyable and successful.
Wimbledon Trip with Year 10 pupils
Tennis Results
Of the 8 school tennis leagues we have competed in this
season, NTS teams have finished 2nd in 6 of them. The Year 8
Boys’ B team, which is mainly made up of Year 7s and has
been used as a ‘development team’ to give more pupils the
opportunity to play tennis, has bucked this trend and won its
league. The team then successfully defeated Ullswater School
10-2 in the Cumbria Cup finals last Wednesday, to be overall
Year 8 Division 2 Cumbria Champions.
Well done to everyone who has represented the school in
tennis this year! Competition for places in teams has been high
and over 40 pupils have taken part in competitive fixtures. We
have also managed to complete all of our 25 matches this
term, despite the weather’s best efforts to prevent us from
doing so!
County Success for NTS!!
Mr Clark
Miss L. Wilson
Year 8 County Cricket Champions
Novak Djokovic (pictured above)
From the second you get off the Tube at Southfields Station, which is
decked out in Wimbledon colours and made to look like a tennis
court, a trip to AELTC Wimbledon is always special, and this year
was no exception. For the first time, in the schools Wimbledon ballot,
we were fortunate to be allocated tickets on Middle Saturday for No.1
Court and 2 Centre Court tickets. As it was a Saturday, it meant we
did not have to leave early for the last train back north and could
watch tennis from 12pm to 7.30pm.
For once, the rain on the previous day at Wimbledon was a blessing
for us, as it meant we got to watch World No. 1 and then reigning
Wimbledon Men’s champion, Novak Djokovic (pictured above) play
and eventually be defeated by Sam Querrey in a superb 4 set match
on Court No.1. Whilst over on Centre Court, some of us got to see a
range of superstars from the world of sport being introduced to the
crowd by Sue Barker. Fortunately, our tickets looked right into the
royal box, where pupils could observe, to name but a few, Sir Bobby
Charlton, Sir Chris Hoy, Nicola Adams, Denise Lewis, Brian
O’Driscoll and even David Beckham (and his mum) enjoying
watching, Andy Murray, now champion, defeat John Millman. An
excellent trip and experience for all involved!
NTS Cricket continues to go from strength to strength! Our
Year 7 team were made worthy County Cup Champions last
week after beating a strong St Benedict's team in the last
over in the final. Well done to all players!
The Year 8 team played fantastically to win the Year 8 trophy
at Workington after firstly beating Keswick in the semi-final
and then Chetwynde in the final. The whole team batted,
bowled and fielded to a high standard throughout and were
deserved champions!
REMINDER – Colour versions of the
Newsletter can be viewed on the School
website!
Autumn Term
starts
on
th
Monday 5 September 2016