Kings Priory School Newsletter
2 April 2015
Dear Parent,
As the term draws to a close, it is not only a time to look forward to the Easter holiday, but also
an opportunity for reflection. This term pupils and staff alike have worked tirelessly, both inside
and outside the classroom, and have achieved enormously. Achievements include excellent
productions and concerts, outstanding sporting success, successful Duke of Edinburgh
expeditions, enriching trips and visits to name but a few. It is with great encouragement that
I can report that our latest data capture is showing very promising potential for our students
next term as Years 11, 12 and 13 embark upon the ever-important GCSE, AS and A2
examinations. On that, pupils are strongly encouraged to really make the best use of the
Easter holiday to study hard in preparation for next term and forthcoming examinations. Over
the Easter break there are a variety of departments offering revision and study sessions; we
are very lucky to have such dedicated staff. Also, there are two overseas trips taking place
over the holiday: a ski trip to America and a geography trip to Sicily.
Some essential buildings works are also taking place over the next two weeks. More excitingly,
we are awaiting imminent confirmation for building works to commence on Huntington Place,
with a proposed start date of 1 June. This will be to start work on the new sixth form centre,
middle school building, science labs, and other rooms. Much of this is scheduled to be
completed by the end of August, with the sixth form building being completed by the end of
the autumn term. Meanwhile we look forward to the completion of the new reception block on
Percy Park by mid-June.
Finally, I would like to thank parents and families for their ongoing support and wish you all a
very Happy Easter.
Yours sincerely
Gill Hewlett
Principal
Percy Park Site
First School Inter Chapter Easter Egg Competition
In the First School, we ended the term with an ‘eggciting’ Chapter Easter egg competition. The
children made some amazing models in mixed year groups, with the older children
collaborating with the younger children. These were then displayed in the KS1 hall and parents
and children were able to view the marvellous creations made by the children. Each Chapter
had a prize winning group as well as a runners up. Well done everyone!
Mr Dickson, Head of Art from the senior school commented ‘A fantastic display of inventive,
funny and colourful presentations from which it was very difficult to choose winners’.
Well done to the following:
Provost – Eggtartica and Under the sea
Dunelm – St Eggwards Bay and Minions in an eggcellent nest
Barfleur – Easter Garden and The Eggs Factor
Hotspur – Eggspedition Jungle and Eggcellent Rollercoaster
Bikes and Scooters
We would like to remind pupils and parents that the safety of all members of the school
community is paramount. Pupils have been riding scooters and bicycles too fast in and around
the school premises, causing a danger to themselves and the general public. If your child
comes to school on a bicycle or scooter, please ensure that they ride safely, are aware of
people around them and are supervised at all times. Thank you.
Hairspray
What an amazing show! Congratulations to all the pupils
from Years 7 – 13 who worked their socks off to stage a
truly outstanding show last weekend.
Performing three times to sell out audiences, the pupils
were full of life, professionalism and most of all –
bursting with talent. What an amazing group of young
people we have at KPS.
Year 13:
Gwen Ballard, Kate McLellan
Year 12:
Naomi Chidambaram, Alicia Dodds, Courtney Foster, Johnny
Lawson, Alix Pennington, Neve Rawlinson, Lauren Scott, Sophie
Smith, Jake Wilkinson
Year 11:
Matthew Clarke
Year 10:
Francesca Lea, Isabella Ord, Bonny
Woodhouse
Year 9:
Izzy Bailey, Charlotte Brockett, Holly Charlton-Rowell, Ben Chater,
Bella Fatherley, Nicole Fothergill, Hannah Hallam, Beth McLellan,
Emily Rickards, Luke Salmon, Lizzie Smith, Ellie Storey
Year 8:
Katherine Ahern, Lucy Dodds, Megan Earl, Edward Gardener, Clara Loughlin, Rhona
Maclennan, Ellie Pate, Jess Perkins, Jez Piper, Isobelle Sowerby, Erin Taylor, Molly Towers,
Catherine Vincent, Katie Waller, Alice Watson, Lizzi Watson, Anna
Winship
Year 7:
Ellen Angel, Davina Chang, Maisie Diamond, Charlotte Hall, Ella
Lea, Imogen Lea, Aidan Lumley, Mary Jane Piper, Anna Pirie, Ben
Rook, Michelle Sziba
Crew and Musicians:
Thomas Baines, Chris Black, Sally Earl, Matthew Gardener,
Michael Lines, Harvey Malton
PTA Quiz Night
Kings Priory School PTA Quiz Night
24th April 2015 – 8pm, Café K, Huntington Place
Kings Priory School PTA Quiz Night
24th April 2015 – 8pm, Café K, Huntington Place
Please join us for a fun informal fundraising event – meet new people and make new
friends. First place will win a cash prize, plus there will be other prizes available too!
Tickets are only £5 per person for this great fundraising event, which will include entry fee
and nibbles. There will be a maximum of 6 in each team. Teams can be formed in advance
or on the night. A pay bar will also be available.
If you would like to book your place at the quiz please complete and return the slip attached
to the flyer with payment in an envelope clearly marked PTA Quiz Night. There is now a
red PTA postbox outside at the main entrance of the Percy Park Road site, or they can be
left at the Huntington Place Site reception.
All funds raised will go towards improving the outdoor play areas across both sites. Thank
you and we look forward to seeing you there! (Flyer attached to this Newsletter)
Music News
Fantastic ABRSM Success Once again
Congratulations to the 22 KPS pupils who took ABRSM instrumental exams this term. Once
again we are delighted that we have a 100% success rate with many pupils also achieving
Merits and Distinctions. Well done everyone. Particular recognition should be given to Izzy
Thorneycroft who has achieved an outstanding 145 in her Grade 6 flute in Year 8, which is
quite a remarkable achievement.
Wansbeck Festival Success
A number of musicians represented KPS superbly at the
Wansbeck Music Festival Last Week. We are delighted that our
trophy cabinet in the Music Department is once again full!
Eleanor Preston in Year 10 was awarded the Katie Littlewood
Trophy. The Darius Trio (Alice Buhaenko, Adam Blakey and
Rebecca Murta) were awarded the Demerley Cup, The KPS
Klarinos ensemble awarded the Brymer Trophy and Vjollca
Dobson in Year 8 awarded the Rolfe Goblet.
Clarinet teacher Mrs Jennifer Murray who led the trip to the Festival said, "I’d like to say how
well they ALL played …….musical, stylistic performances which really impressed the
adjudicator. Their behaviour and obvious dedication and commitment to music was a great
advertisement for Kings Priory School and their parents should be very proud of them - as I
am!"
Well done to all who took part!
Duke of Edinburgh
It has been a very busy month for all those involved with the Duke of Edinburgh
Award.
Bronze Award
Over seventy pupils are preparing for their first Bronze
practice expeditions which take place at the end of the
Easter holidays and again the following week. They had a
kit training session at The Great Outdoors Superstore in
Shiremoor, where they were given the opportunity to learn
about how to look after their equipment and kit that they will
be using on expedition. Most of the pupils are well on their
way to completing each section of the Award which is great
news. Keep up with the good work.
Silver Award
Twenty seven pupils have just returned from their practice expedition in Northumberland. They
were all successful in navigating themselves from the Sharperton area to Ingram Valley,
contending with a variety of weather fronts! They
managed to pitch their tents well in strong winds and
enjoyed a variety of meals cooked on their trangias.
I would like to congratulate them on their positive
attitude and look forward to taking them on their actual
expedition in July. Thank you to Mr Gibbs, Dr
Shepperson, Mr McLeod, Mr Richards and Mrs.
Meldrum for all their help over the weekend.
Gold Award
The Lake District was the destination for the practice Gold expedition, where we encountered
fantastic weather for March. The students catered for
themselves on the first evening, enjoying the delights of
Elterwater Hostel, allowing them time to prepare for a hard
climb on Saturday up to Stickle Tarn. This was a
worthwhile day as it introduced the teams to the type of
terrain that they will be walking in on their four day
expedition in June. After a chilly Saturday night under
canvas the students set off on a four hour walk navigating
around the Langdale area. Once again this was a very
successful weekend and the students were a credit to
themselves and the school. Many thanks to Mr Thompson
and Ms.Jessup who gave up their weekend to make this possible.
Huge congratulations must go to past and present students who
have recently been invited to Saint James' Palace in London to
receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh certificates. This was a
fabulous occasion and a very proud moment for them all.
Pupils who have been to the Palace this year include; Andrew
Bryce, Joe Patterson, Dean Story, Rowan Pritchett, Charlie
Henderson, Tom Rickards and Lucy Thompson.
(Lucy Thompson and Tom Rickards)
Janet Marsden (Duke of Edinburgh Leader)
Sporting News
Rugby
1st XV came 3rd at the Silcoates 15 a side tournament
1st XV lost to QE Darlington
U13 rugby county 7s team were runners up in the tournament
U12 rugby county 7s team did not reach the final.
Football
U15 XI beat Birkdale School 4-1
U14 A team lost to NSB 2-1
U14 B team lost to NSB 3-0
Mr R Snow
Hockey
The u14 XI defeated John Spence 8-0. All the goals were scored by Laura Day
U14 team played in The Tyne and Wear final result tbc
U13 came 3rd in the Tyne and Wear Schools games
Miss C Taylor
TaeKwon-Do
Congratulations to Hope and Maya Elliot-Atkinson who took part in the TaeKwon-Do English
Championships in Worcester recently. Hope was the successful winner of her sparring bout
and Maya brought home the 2015 Girls 5th cup sparring tag-team gold.
Eleanor Preston came 2nd in the Tyne and Wear Schools games rowing finals last week and
goes on to represent North Tyneside in the regional finals next term
Emily Large came 3rd overall in the National Biathlon
championships at the Olympic pool in London last
weekend. After local and regional rounds involving
thousands of entries this is a fantastic achievement for
all the hard work and effort that goes into her training.
Congratulations to Jack Bell who competed for
England at fencing in Poland recently.
Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers
A reminder that we collecting vouchers again this year. Remember to ask all your family and
friends for any spare vouchers and even the person in front of you at the till if they say no to
accepting the vouchers. Please hand any vouchers to your class teacher, tutor, chapter
administrator, Percy Park Site Reception or directly to the PE Department. Thank you.
Mrs S Smith
Children’s Cancer Run
Yes, it’s that time of year again. The Children’s
Cancer Run is on the horizon. The run will take place
on Sunday 17 May at Newcastle Racecourse. So, to
ensure your place in the run, visit the website at
www.childrenscancerrun.co.uk
Year 10 Maths Feast
Four of our Year 10 students took part in the ‘Year 10 Maths Feast’ at Northumbria University
on Wednesday 18 March.
Daniel Brennand, Mimli Moudgalya, Saffron Gadema and Hana
Hassan competed against others schools in a series of challenges
and mathematical puzzles. Great fun was
had by all and the students are going to
share these challenges with the others
from their class, in particular the making of
‘Columbus Cubes’.
If you want to have a go, you can find the instructions here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-1a1UFj_k
Miss A Sidebotham
Easter at the Laing Art Gallery
Easter Art School for 7-10 year olds
Wednesday 15- Friday 17 April 2015 10-3pm. Please bring a
packed lunch.
Come and have fun this Easter holiday with our brand new
art school for 7-10 year olds. Led by Laing Art Gallery’s
experienced team you will explore a wide range of fun art
techniques in our lovely gallery spaces. From painting and
portraits to sculpting and sand we will explore as many types
of art as we can in 3 days and get a chance to explore the wonderful gallery. Be prepared to
make new friends, get messy and have fun!
Book for all 3 days for only £50 (£10 discount!)
Your children will get the most out of the workshops if they attend all 3 days, but we
understand that this is not always possible. There will be the opportunity to book for one or
two days. The cost will be £20 per day.
To book a place visit www.ticketsource.co.uk or visit the Laing Art Gallery Shop.
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/search/searchPerformance.asp?performance_id=158717
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/search/searchPerformance.asp?performance_id=158734
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/search/searchPerformance.asp?performance_id=158736
Easter Big Wednesdays
8 and 15 April 10-12 & 1-3pm
Cost £4 per child for the whole day!
Every Wednesday during the holidays Laing Art Gallery creates 3 different art activities for
families linked to our collections. From Easter crafts and hunts to Picasso portraits we are
sure to keep your family entertained this holiday. Booking not required- just turn up on the
day.
Call the Learning Team (0191) 211 2104 or email [email protected]
Year 8 HPV Vaccinations
During this week girls from Year 8 were given a medical consent form and leaflets for the HPV
vaccinations which require completion by a parent/guardian and to be returned to school.
Please ensure that the completed consent form is returned to school by 23 April, the date
scheduled for the vaccinations by the school nurses is 30 April 2015. Thank you.
Maths’ Puzzle
Dates for your Diaries
Event
Date
CAS CPD Event
Year 7 Grade Card
21 April 21/04/2015
21 April 21/04/2015
Year 7 Parents' Evening
23 April 23/04/2015
N2L drop in sessions for Years 9- 13
D of E Bronze expedition Allendale
C4A
L6 UCAS Convention at Metro Arena
Collapsed PSHE Day 5
N2L drop in sessions for Years 9- 13
Fundraising for Peru
24 April
25 – 26 April
30 April
30 April
1 May
01 May
01 May
24/04/2015
26/04/2016
30/04/2015
30/04/2015
01/05/2015
24/04/2015
01/05/2015
Start time End
time
17:00
19:00
17:00
20:30
12:30
13:55
12:30
13:55
PTA Dates for your Diary
Event
Venue
Date
Time
Quiz Night
Café K
24 April
8.00pm
PTA Meeting
Dunelm Chapter hub
27 April
8.00pm
Sponsored Dog Walk
tbc
16 May
tbc
Summer Party
PP site
4 July
tbc
For any further information please contact: [email protected]
Please note that 22 May is an INSET day when school will be closed to pupils
other than those who are taking public examinations on that day