J T News
Published by: John Taylor High School—A Science and Leadership Academy
Twitter: @johntaylorhigh
May 2013
John Taylor High School Newsfeed
News from the Maths Dept
Page 2
L5 to get a state-ofthe art upgrade!
Art & Design
Page 4
Kingstone Korner and meet
their new House Leaders
Page 6
New Sixth Form Dress Code
Page 7
Pupils will benefit from new high-spec kitchen with integrated
resource area and videoing system.
First XV County Champions
Page 9
by Mr G Howell
In February I applied for a grant from
the Savoy Educational Trust to help
refurbish our food room. We are very
pleased to announce that we were
successful and obtained a grant of
£49,000.
This, in addition to the
support of the school, will make for a state-of-the art facility. Work
commences during May half term, we have chosen a contractor, and the
design of the room has been finalised.
We are extending the facilities for students by providing more cooking
areas with new high-tech equipment, a separate laundry area, an
integrated library and resource area complete with laptops to support
students’ research and independent learning. We are also installing a
camera system which will focus on the demonstration area (videos can be
streamed live or recorded and accessed via The Vault for learning and
reinforcing processes at a later stage).
Everything will be replaced from floor to ceiling!
In order for the works to be completed and operational for September
the room will be closed after May half term. We appreciate that there
might be some frustration in not being able to do practical lessons but the
bigger gain will be significant. It has been an amazing opportunity and to
provide students with a facility with all the amazing features will be truly
awesome; the contractors have never in all their 25 years of working
installed such a high-spec kitchen; something I
personally am really proud of, and something
that I strongly believe students at John Taylor
deserve. Please be patient during the build
and I look forward to updating you all soon look out for tweets and facebook updates with
photographs….without giving too much away.
Design & Technology Roundup
Page 10
Pure White Dove Release
Creating Special Moments
OPERATION NEMESIS
As part of Staffordshire police's Operation
Nemesis
drugs
education
in
schools
programme, they attended the recent Year 7
parents evening to provide a 'drop-in'
presentation for parents. The current Year 8
and Year 9 will also receive a presentation
by the police on this important topic after
May half term to increase drug awareness
and reinforce our 'say no' message.
dovedisplay.co.uk
07817058236
Dear Reader
Welcome to the
latest edition of
JT News. You
will see from the articles and
pictures contained within it
th at
we
have
man y
achievements to be proud of
since our last edition.
In a climate where we,
rightly, focus on academic
achievement
in
the
classroom
and
the
examination
hall,
it
is
wonderful to also be in a
p o s i ti o n
to
celebrate
successes and endeavours in
a
d i v e r s i t y
o f
pursuits. Whether it is in
team events such our First
XV's triumph in the County
Cup, victory in the regional
heats of the UK Maths
Challenge or mock trial, and
public speaking competition
victory
or
individual
successes such as that in
the Burton Rotary Club
junior
photography
competition, our students
continue to excel. Add to
this fantastic opportunities
they embrace such as Duke
of Edinburgh expeditions or
musical
performance for
HRH
The
Duke
of
Gloucester, and we again
demonstrate what a vibrant
place to be John Taylor is.
We can look forward to
many
more
exciting
opportunities in the near
future. A great example of
this is the wonderful facility
that we are creating for
Catering, as featured on our
front page.
I hope you enjoy reading
about the events in this
edition as much as I have
enjoyed
being
here
to
participate in them.
With
best
wishes,
and
thanks for your continued
support.
M Donoghue, Principal
Y12 Engineering Education
Scheme
by Mr G Howell
Supported by GKN
driveline, six months
of extra curriculum
activity
was
completed in Solihull
on the 25th April
where
five
Y12
students
displayed
their project on an
exhibition stand and
gave a fifteen minute
presentation to an
assessment panel. The team, Andrew Forbes, Billy Hodgkinson, Joe Tilley,
Paddy Trethowan and Charlie Wedd have worked on a project to ensure
correct and complete assembly of drive shaft components for the next
generation Ford All Wheel drive Transit which is to be assembled in
Turkey. The project required them to devise a positive method of
identifying the left and right hand drive shafts which visually are virtually
identical followed by full documentation for Process Fail Mode Effect
Analysis (PFMEA) and the Ford Production Part Approval Process (PPAP).
During a debriefing at the end of the event the assessment panel
summed up their performance with one word, ‘wow’, knowledge and
understanding of the project, the quality of their presentation and
evidence of team work were all reported as outstanding. All team
members have achieved a Gold CREST for their efforts which will be
presented to them at Staffordshire University later this month.
As representatives of the department we could not have asked for more,
their commitment, work ethic and professionalism has been outstanding,
this team clearly have a very positive future in front of them. Well done
lads and thank you.
Success for year 8/9 mathematicians
by Mr A Holmes
On Tuesday 26th March,
four students from John
Taylor High School went to
compete in a regional final
for the UKMT Maths Team
Challenge.
This is an
event run by the charity,
UK Mathematics Trust, in
order to advance the
education of children and
young
people
in
Mathematics.
The
competition consists of
different rounds where the
pupils are faced with
various types of questions and problems. They were competing against
teams from other schools across Derbyshire/Staffordshire. Our Team
finished first and as a result they have secured our place in the
National Final.
This event will be held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London on
Monday 17th June. This is the first time that John Taylor High
School has reached the finals and it is a great achievement for us.
Altogether there are over 1500 schools across the country that enters the
event and these include many private schools. Only 80 qualify for the
final.
The Maths Department are very proud of our four superstars; Amy
Wilkinson (Y9), Sam Wilkinson (Y8), Soran Nokes (Y8) and James Ruttley
(Y8). Sadly James is unable to make the Final as he is part of the French
trip and so the Maths Department is looking for his replacement……
2
Maths revision and
enrichment weekend 2013
“Math
Camp
Rocks!”
by Deanna Butler, Holly Jackson and Lily Treanor
On Bank Holiday weekend, a group of 18 Y13 students attended a Maths
Revision and Enrichment Weekend (aka Math Camp!) in Millers Dale. The
“camp” started on Friday 3rd May and lasted until Sunday 5th May.
After settling into our rooms and having the usual health and safety talk, we soon got down to business…. The
weekend was kicked off by Mr Thorpe introducing a league that would run throughout the weekend. Random
questions would be asked and students could progress up the league by winning matches. We then got the first
question of the weekend with Ed taking an early lead with a fluky win against Lavender Grooms, leaving
Methuselah at the bottom of the table (both Lavender and Methuselah were keen students).
We were then organised into groups and were set a task to produce a project on projectiles. We were let loose
around the hostel with (plastic) crossbows and darts. Some students were more accurate with them than others;
one student, mentioning no names *cough* Liam Jefferies *cough*, managed to ‘accidently’ shoot the fire alarm
from 5 metres away, evacuating the whole building!
Friday night was Casino night. We were given 20 chips at the start of the evening, and by the end there were
only a handful of people who had made a profit. Helen won big on the roulette, but failed to keep the luck going
for the rest of the night, allowing Liam to storm ahead, clearing the poker table and leaving with a grand total of
68 chips.
We woke up bright and early the next day and were treated to a full English breakfast, setting us up for an
exciting day of maths. We warmed up by doing another league question, followed by having to talk for a minute
about random Mathematical topics. This made sure that our brains had been warmed up and were now ready for
some serious Maths…….some hard-core Core 4 revision.
The afternoon consisted of walking up a hill (Liam, Millie and Holly struggled to keep their footing and ended up
on the floor) and having our lunch at the top, where Toby was crowned the highest ginger in all of Derbyshire.
Luckily the return journey was flat and nice and scenic, walking next to the river - Geography students would
have loved it….
When we got back to the youth hostel we did some mechanics/further pure revision, then set to work on our
projectile projects (outside this time). Saturday evening was spent playing an intense giant jenga tournament,
which Sam and Fiona won, after many compelling rounds. The evening entertainment was also made all the
better by the lovely sounds of Ed and Sam on their guitars.
We had our league final on Sunday morning, naming Liam as champion, and then we had to present our findings
from the projectiles project. Team METH (Mia, Ed, Toby and Holly) did a beautiful rendition of ‘Gold Digger’,
which won them the title of ‘Perfection Projectile Project’. We are hoping to get a Christmas release of this song
but negotiations are still taking place.
We rounded up the weekend by having lunch in the sunshine before our journeys home. Thank you to all the
teachers for making the weekend a success!
A note from Mr Holmes;
I wish to congratulate all involved for another successful weekend. This was the fifth
outing we have done and judging from the positive feedback we fully intend to run our 6 th
outing next year. All the staff involved gave up their weekend to help our year 13 students
and we all agree that it is time well spent with such GREAT Mathematicians……… Looking
forward to next year, Math Camp ROCKS…….
3
Year 7 Art Stars! Enrichment Opportunities
This term 18 fantastic pupils in Year 7 were identified to join an enrichment
group as part of the Gifted and Talented programme held at John Taylor High
School. The pupils have been attending the group on Tuesday evenings after
school, working on a collaborative wire sculpture and stop animation project
exploring insects and bugs, to extend their experience of Art and Design whilst
developing their subject skills further. The work will be part of the Summer Exhibition, which will be displayed in
L9. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Year 7 group on their excellent contributions in
Art.
Success in the local community
Well done to the following pupils:
Robin Williamson-Gillie, Year 8 has won an award in East Staffordshire
Small Pictures, Art and Craft Competition.
The collage (right) is based on a Lowry print. The work is in the exhibition
until the 16th of May at the Brewhouse Arts centre. This year it was small
pieces competition, next year it will be a different criteria but it is an annual
competition open to all residents or pupils that attend a school within a ten
mile
radius
of
Burton.
Ryan Knight of 8M2 has won the Burton Rotary Club
Photography Competition for the under 14 entry.
This is Ryan’s winning entry of street cleaners at work
Simran Basra also achieved runner up in the same
Photography exhibition.
me&dee BTEC project
me&dee provides treats and experiences for
children with life-limiting illnesses
by Alice Reed and Aimee Curry
The Year 12 BTEC Art group gained the exciting
opportunity earlier this term to work on a live brief
producing an installation artwork for the charity
me&dee.
me&dee is a charity set up by Maria Hanson that
provides treats and experiences for children with
life-limiting illnesses. The charity was hosting a
children’s ball with the theme of ‘Narnia’ and we
were asked to create a ‘snow cave’ where children
could go to cast wishes.
After working hard as a team on our design and the planning of our outcome, we spent a installing our ‘snow
cave’. The basis of our structure was a gazebo that we transformed with decorations, textiles and the centrepiece
of an icicle chandelier. We tried to create a magical feel to transport the children to ‘Narnia’. Inside was a
wishing well for children to cast their wishes.
We were honoured to be asked to contribute to such a worthy cause and we really enjoyed and learnt a lot from
the experience. It developed our team-working skills as a class and our creative ability.
Remember the art studios are open most lunch times to all students for
extra help and to develop independent skills . Just pop in!
4
Conflict project
Year 7 pupils have been looking at
the Syrian conflict during their
Stripe lesson and have responded in
Stripe art lessons by making their
own individual Syrian buildings. The
challenge was to create a strong
structure for the building but then
use a range of card manipulation
and relief techniques to show the
distressed surfaces of the buildings
that they had seen in their researched images of
Syrian buildings. The final piece took the form of a
collaborative group instillation where the individual
buildings joined together to create a Syrian cityscape
that showed the effects of the conflict.
Not only did the pupils develop fantastic creative skills
with cardboard but also considered the effect that the
conflict is having on those who live in the these cities
and face conflict on a daily basis.
Three Bridges Gallery
12th – 14th July 2013
Three Bridges Gallery is a very simple idea:
take three canal bridges, three contemporary
artists, three days in summer and create the
world’s first towpath pop-up gallery!
But what is a towpath pop-up gallery? Well
it’s lots of things: it’s outside; only on for one
weekend; it’s showing modern art; it’s free;
it’s new; it’s not where you’d expect an art
gallery to be; it’s a far more interesting use
for three big, blank, concrete canal bridge
walls and it’s a way to let people know that
there’s a vibrant, creative scene on their own
doorstep.
It’s called Three Bridges Gallery because the
art will be displayed in the space beneath
three bridges on the towpath of the Trent and
Mersey canal, a short walk away from Barton
Marina.
The exhibition features three young artists,
each one working in a different medium.
Philip Grocott is a photographer, Sam Eynon
is an illustrator and Simon Watson is a
painter. All live and work in Burton, making
modern and thought-provoking work.
This is the first show of it’s kind and we
want to engage and inspire anyone who is
interested in thinking and working creatively
by inviting them to come and see the show.
It's only on for three days and then it’s gone.
So if you’re out and about, maybe walking
the dog, drop by and see what it’s all about.
You can find out more at
threebridgesgallery.wordpress.com
5
This is the first post within KingstoneKorner
from the new House Leaders, written by
Harriet Mahony and Jimmy Niblett.
As House Leaders, we all want to make a
difference to our house, which in turn will make a great difference to the school. We
will hold regular meetings to make sure that we can gain the best outcome when it
comes to your school lives here at John Taylor.
Our main aims as the new House Leaders are very specific and with us being one of,
if not the best house, at the school, we hope to achieve all of our goals. As we have
succeeded at gaining the Rose Bowl over the past few years, we hope to regain this
trophy and it is down to you to help! Make sure you work hard and gain as many
merits as possible! We would also like to further improve within our sporting
achievements this year, whether this being in house matches or at sports day in the
summer. As House Leaders, we also would like to push ourselves to try and raise as
much money for our charities as possible, so if you have any ideas about how we can
raise more money then make sure you talk to Katy or Jake about your ideas!
As the new leadership team, we would like to wish everybody that is in preparation
for their exams the best of luck. As we are all too familiar with the stress that these
examinations can bring, the new House Leaders are here for all of you if you require
assistance on revision techniques, ways to handle stress and any other queries that
may come at these pressure-ridden times.
The leadership team are also extremely thankful to the old leadership team for the
way they have done an outstanding job for the house; from their charity events to their
helpful nature, they have helped define the house into something that the new leaders can
continue. We would like to wish them good luck as they will be sitting their final A-Level
exams and waiting for confirmation on which university, apprenticeship or job they may be
going to.
Kingstone
O
R
n
E
r
Noreen Akram
House Leader
Subjects taken: Biology,
Chemistry, English Literature
and Maths.
Enjoys reading, art and
baking.
In 5 years time: I hope to be
studying medicine.
Katy Henman
Senior House Leader
Subjects taken: Maths,
History, Biology, RS and
Extended Project.
Enjoys hockey, musical
theatre and singing in the
shower!
In 5 years time: I want to be
a TV presenter.
Tom Downes
Harriet Mahony
House Leader
Subjects Taken: Biology,
Chemistry, Psychology and
English Language.
Enjoys reading, writing,
blogging and dancing.
In 5 years time: I would like
to be happy with some sort of
plan for the future.
Jake Harper
Senior Deputy House
Leader
Subjects taken: Biology,
Chemistry, Physics and Maths.
Enjoys kickboxing and films.
In 5 years time: I hope to be
studying veterinary medicine
at university.
Maddie Moorcroft
House Leader
House Leader
Jimmy Niblett
Rosie Smith
House Leader
House Leader
Subjects Taken: Biology,
Psychology, IT and History.
Enjoys sport and doing very
little.
In 5 years time: I hope to be
working in journalism/radio.
Subjects Taken: Biology,
Chemistry and Art.
Enjoys art, photography and
cooking.
In 5 years time: I hope to be
at university!
Subjects Taken: Maths,
Chemistry, English Literature
and History.
Enjoys ballet and reading
In 5 years time: I am yet to
make up my mind.
6
Subjects Taken: English
Literature, History,
Economics and Philosophy &
Ethics.
Enjoys baking, badminton.
and reading Mo Hyder books.
In 5 Years time: I want to be
a barrister.
Sixth Form Dress Code—from September
As you are aware, we are in the
process of moving to
THIS
from
SEPTEMBER 2013
Girls
A smart plain sleeved shirt or
blouse
Just so parents and students are clear:
Dress code for
September 2013 is:
A business suit with dress, skirt or trousers in plain
black, navy blue or dark grey.
Jackets must have a collar and should be worn
around school.
Skirts (for female students) should be knee length
Trousers (for female or male students) should be of
a conventional cut.
Jewellery and make up should not be excessive.
Facial piercings are not permitted.
As part of Safeguarding, Sixth
formers MUST wear their ID
badge and school lanyard
around their neck, clearly on
display, at all times.
Tops should not be low-fronted
or too short
A plain knit jumper (only in
conjunction with a jacket)
Plain dark or neutral tights and
dark, leather-type, shoes.
Boys
A smart, plain collared shirt
suitable for wearing with a tie
The shirt should be tucked in
at all times
This should be worn with a tie
of choice in a conventional
design or pattern
A plain knit V neck jumper
(only in conjunction with a
jacket)
Dark, leather-type, shoes.
The transition phase for the remainder of this school year is:
School dress should be reasonable, decent, modest and practical.
Smart trousers.
Smart top or shirt.
Plain jacket, cardigan or jumper.
Skirts should be of an appropriate length.
No denim, shorts or sportswear.
Lanyards should be worn at all times.
This allows Sixth Formers greater
flexibility than the main school
whilst maintaining overall
standards of smartness within
the school.
Mrs Burns and Mrs Gibbs attended the recent PTA meeting to discuss the rationale behind our new sixth form
dress code and for parents to ask questions about this. Assemblies are planned for the Year 11 and Year 12 this
term to give clear guidance on the dress code. Clear photographic guidelines will be uploaded to the website in
July along similar lines to the guidance put together for parents of Years 7-11 pupils which parents found helpful.
7
Y9 netball team
by Miss Harvey
Y13 BTEC in Sport visiting guest
by Mrs J Berry
On Friday 3rd May the Y13 Triple Award group welcomed a visitor who ran
a practical session for the sports coaching unit they are currently working
on.
Colin Greetham from Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club had previously
spoken to the group about the many roles and responsibilities involved in
a sports club. This time he came prepared to take the group for a practical
cricket session. First of all we looked at batting techniques, then playing
shots off the front foot. The game that followed looked at this skill and
students also worked on batting, bowling and fielding skills. A great time
was had by all the students and many commented on what an enjoyable
time they had.
Y7/9 dodgeball
by Miss Harvey
On Tuesday 5th March Y7 & 9
teams went to William Allitt
and took part in a dodgeball
tournament. Both year groups
were very excited and had
been committing their time to
extra-curricular
practices
every Tuesday lunchtime.
They played lots of games at
the tournament; the Y9 team
had two teams and did exceptionally well, winning the tournament for
their age group and were presented with a trophy at the end for their
fantastic efforts! Y7 had an excellent tournament too; coming third
overall, which is superb considering this was their first time entering a
dodgeball tournament. Well done to all the girls who were involved and
let’s hope this continues next year!
This
photograph
shows students at the
second
First
Aid
course that has been
organised this year for
John Taylor pupils. 24
students from Y10 and
above attended a four
-hour course to gain
their qualification in
First Aid.
The students learned a number of things such as CPR on the ‘Annies’,
recovery position and the basic knowledge of what to do and not to do in
an emergency.
Pupils who are interested in gaining a qualification during next
academic year should let Mrs Berry know in the PE Department;
these courses are very popular and fill up quickly.
8
The Y9 netball team had a great
season, in total playing nine
games - winning six and losing
two to Deferrers and John Port. In
terms of the league, the girls came
runners up with a total of 25
points. The girls had an excellent
season—well done to all who
attended
practice
every
Wednesday lunchtime and played
for the team.
U15 girls regional
rugby match
by Kelsey Grigg Y10
On Friday 15th of March we set off
bright and early to go to Dudley.
Spirits were high and songs were
being sung. When we arrived and
we warmed up as unusual and the
adrenaline was flowing.
As we talked with the referee, I
recognised some of the girls from
midlands trials so I knew this
game would be tough.
Within the first half two of our
girls had been injured. We had got
unbelievably close but no tries had
been scored. The opposition had
the advantage of speed yet we had
the advantage of strength.
During the final minutes we
managed to keep our heads high
and score two amazing tries. It
was very clear that the opposition
had been playing together for a
long time and our inexperience
showed.
The girls played the best rugby I
had ever seen them play. They
deserved more tries but they
should all be very proud of what
they achieved. As we had our team
huddle we all began to cry. (sorry
about my soppy speech). They
weren’t tears of sadness of the
loss; they were tears of sadness
that the season was over. The girls
did exceptionally well as it was one
of the hardest games I have ever
played.
Along our rugby journey
we have shed blood, sweat
and tears but at the end it
has made us all great
friends. These are friends I
will
carry
with
me
throughout school and I
already see them all as my
sisters.
1st XV are County Champions
John Taylor 1st XV are the Staffordshire Schools U18 Champions after beating
King Edwards 27-7.
by Mr N Forden
In a physical game dominated by the forwards, the John Taylor squad gave an honest account of themselves to
run out comfortable winners.
Played at Lichfield’s Cooke Fields, the game started at a slow pace with King Edwards looking to impose their
physicality from the outset. However, the ability to remain calm under pressure coupled with a series of correct
decisions saw John Taylor secure a line-out inside the opposition 22. Lewis Williams was as accurate as ever
with his feed, with Max Williams catching off the top. A concerted effort from our pack then resulted in the King
Edwards defence being pushed backwards with Max Williams securing the five points. JTHS 5 KEVI 0.
The game continued to be played in the King Edwards half, with some committed John Taylor tackling refusing
to let the opposition out. Intelligent ball handling from our back line again saw a line-out inside the opposition 22.
In a repeat of our first score, Lewis Williams reached Max Williams with an accurate feed who, through a
technically superb catch and drive, again touched down. JTHS 10 KEVI 0.
Our third try displayed skill levels of the highest order. Will Wedgwood received the ball off the top of another
successful line-out and rather than moving the ball out through our backs, instead chose to have a dart down the
blind-side. Wedgwood was eventually halted by three King Edwards defenders, yet somehow managed to offload
the ball to the supporting Jack Roddick. Roddick, then gracefully glided round four scrambling tacklers before
going over to put us 15-0 up at half-time.
The opening period of the second half could not have been further from how the first half finished. Relentless
King Edwards possession saw them record their first points of the game and had it not been for the honest and
committed defence of our lads it could have been a much closer affair. JTHS 15 KEVI 7.
As the pressure was beginning show and we were starting to become heavy legged, Frank Simpson scored a
try that could grace most international stadiums. Wedgwood, ball in hand kicked deep as the King Edwards fullback had been involved in the previous attack. Harrison Higgins, always a willing runner, showed a turn of
speed not seen since Yr10 to reach the bouncing ball before his opposing covering winger. The ball was again offloaded in the tackle to the supporting Simpson who glided in to score under the posts. Wedgwood added the
conversion. JTHS 22 KEVI 7.
Realising the game was beyond them, it was now King Edwards who were looking increasingly tired. Our lads
took this opportunity to re-establish our first half dominance and Alex Nesbitt rounded off a hard-working team
performance to score our fifth try of the evening. JTHS 27 KEVI 7. Captain Matt Williams accepted the trophy on
behalf of the squad from Ian Rowlands, Chairman of Staffordshire Schools Rugby.
By no means was the fixture a classic however through hard work, determination and the sheer will to win our
1st XV were worthy winners of the County Cup for the first time. In doing so they emphasised there is no
elevator to success; you have to take the stairs.
John Taylor 1st XV County Cup
Champions 2012-2013
Jack Sharratt
Matt Williams ©
Alex Choules
Christian Todaro
Will Wedgwood
Harry Pickett
Will Roden
Dan Toon
Harrison Higgins
Max McKendrick
Michael Graves
Lewis Williams
Max Williams
Jack Roddick
Harry Roddick
Frank Simpson
Alex Nesbitt
Anthony Dicker
Tom Hamlet
Connor Wood
Jake Kitchen
My final comment goes to our outgoing players, for whom the final was their last game
representing John Taylor. You have done yourselves, your team-mates and our school proud.
Thank you. NF
Year 7 Netball
by Mrs Berry
The Y7 netball team played in the Burton & District league during the autumn and spring terms. They played 11
games overall, losing three, drawing two and winning six. Well done to all the girls who played in these matches
and also to the pupils who attended netball club. Fun was had by all and, more importantly, new friendships were
made throughout the season.
9
Design & Technology practical outcomes
by Mr Howell
It’s that time of year again when workshops have been packed with
students completing all their practical work at GCSE and A level, I have
yet again been impressed by all the additional time students have put in
to ensure their products to meet our high standards. The standard has
been extremely high, as seen in these pictures showing the wide range of
products, all of which will be on show at the annual joint exhibition with
the Art department.
Special thanks must go to Mr Wedgebury and Mr
Stubbs who have supported the students alongside the teachers.
Bronze CREST awards exceed 1000
Bronze level Crest awards were introduced into the department with Y9 in
2002 and ran successfully until September 2008 when we decided to trial
the system with Y8 in order for them to gain more experience prior to
selecting their options in Y9.
Over 1000 pupils have now received awards at pass, merit and
distinction levels working on a joint project with JCB to investigate the
feasibility of installing a rainwater harvesting system at the Rocester
factory in order to reduce the amount of drinking quality water used in the
production process which is currently 5000 litres for every machine
produced. Research into collecting, filtering and storing rainwater along
with potential use of alternative energy sources is then used to produce
design solutions which are compiled in PowerPoint format for presentation
to the client. The scheme is moderated by the Staffordshire STEM Centre
at Staffordshire University who report that John Taylor enters more Y8
students for this award than any other school in the county.
Y7 Stripe – Google SketchUp
In the space module this term students have been
developing skills in using Google SketchUp, a valuable tool to
enable them to draw in 3D. This is a free download that can
be used at home.
10
Y8 Gifted &
Talented
This year we have used
students to build ‘how to
videos’ which will be placed on
the D&T area of The Vault and
on our departmental YouTube
page. Here you will be able to
find a wide range of clips to
support all elements of Design
& Technology skills used at
JTHS. Watch out for the
updates.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
"People complain about not being able to choose their family. I`ve always found not
being able to choose the parents of your children’s friends to be far worse."
JOHN TAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL
Friday 18th October at 7.30pm
£10 per ticket (including light supper)
Call 01283 791470 or [email protected]
Something Fishy is a delightful family comedy, giving an hour of warm chuckles and occasional
prolonged laughter. Beautifully performed by the writer, Ginny Davis, this is the fourth of a series of onewoman plays based on the problems of everyday family life with teenagers, and would appeal to anyone
who has or has had teenagers in the house, and also to the teenagers themselves.
This particular play is the story of a mother who, in order to allow her otherwise banned 16 year old son
to participate in his school trip to Morocco, ends up not only chaperoning him there herself, but against
her better judgement allowing her 17 year old daughter to be home-alone looking after the house,
agreeing to her son’s equally uncontrollable friend accompanying them, and worse of all, the friend’s
glamorous and manipulative mother (who is the person she would least ever want to go on holiday with)
comes too.
Derby U15 girls’ cricket
By Eleanor Cheatle Y8
I had a long trip to Glossop cricket club in the high peaks of Derbyshire. We
had a difficult game ahead of us against Lancashire (they had 5 England miniacademy players!). We decided to bowl first as it was a decent pitch. We got
the first wicket on the 13th over. A new batter came in (one of the England
mini-academy players) and she ended up achieving 117* and the other batter
achieved 57*. They ended up getting 205 of 40 overs. Then Derbyshire went
out to bat and I opened with another girl and the first wicket fell on the 9th
over.
From the second wicket that we lost the game started going downhill!
I ended getting run out on the 31st over for 48, very close to a half century.
Finally we got 112 over 40 overs.
Even though we lost it was a good effort from the girls as they were a very
good side. Next match is at Cheshire, and hopefully we can get a win!
U16 netball squad – Champions!
by Mrs Barnby
The U16 Netball squad have continued to work hard and play great netball.
This has resulted in the squad being crowned District Champions! A great
achievement and I am very proud of all of the players.
The squad is made up of Y10 and 11 students and all have improved over the
course of the year. Some students have even changed to play different
positions at times which demonstrates their talent and adaptability. We have
now finished the season and for the Year 11s that may be their last season of
playing netball. I would like to thank them for their commitment, enthusiasm
and also for their ability to have fun along the way. Special thanks goes to Lisa
Thomas who was a very passionate captain who kept everyone on their toes
(including myself!) and was fiercely competitive.
The squad:
Year 11 Lisa Thomas, Becky Crockett, Anna Sharkey, Libby Moule.
Year 10 Harriet Williams, Amber-Mae Myers-Yates, Hannah Bartter-Clamp,
Charlotte O’Loughlin, Lizzie Hendon, Charlotte Shaw, Poppy Walford, Simone
Bartter-Billings.
11
Bowled over
by bowls?
Like to be outdoors?
Fancy a new challenge?
Bowls could be the new
exciting challenge that you’re
looking for.
This year we’re changing the
way that we run things.
We’re adding more activities,
challenges and excitement to
our coaching.
Participate in activities such
as target mat bowls, killer
bowls and tournaments to
learn and improve your game.
Bowls is an inclusive sport,
which means that it is
open to all ages.
So why not come along
for a try? Bring a friend?
Dates for your diary
Mon
Fri
Mon
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Wed
Thur
Fri
Tue
Fri
Mon
Mon
Sat
Mon
Wed
Thur
Mon
Tue
Fri
27
7
10
12
13
14
15
19
20
21
25
28
1
1
6
8
10
11
15
16
19
May
June
June
June
June
June
June
June
June
June
June
June
July
July
July
July
July
July
July
July
July
Your advert on the
front of JTNews?
Half term holiday (to Friday 31 May inc)
Y9 reports issued
(wk commencing) - Y8 trial exams
Y10 Geography field trip
Y10 Geography field trip
Y8 visit to France (to 19th)
Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition weekend
PTA meeting, 7pm
Y11 Prom
Y12 Birmingham University open day
(wk commencing)Y8 Geography-Cannock Chase
Sixth Form Ball
(wk commencing) Y10 work experience week
(wk commencing) Y6+Y12 induction week
PTA Ball
Please note that
New Intake evening
occasionally we have to
make changes to the school
Sports Day
calendar
Presentation Evening
Activities + Careers Day Please check the regularly
updated calendar on our
Summer concert
website
School closes at 1.00pm
If you would like to sponsor our
newsletter for £25 and place your
advertisement on
the
front
cover
of
a
future edition,
please contact
Mrs
Roz
Stonier
at
adv
Your Y
ouert
r ad
here Your
the school on
rt
here veadvert
here
0 1 2 8 3
Your advert
239300.
here
Where Are They Now?
We would love to have a regular
‘Alumni’ feature in J.T. News. If
you can tell us of the
achievements of any “old boys
and girls”, please get in touch.
Reminder to parents
In case of an emergency with your child
If you change your address/telephone number
(especially mobile number), please:
Advise school so that we can change
details on the our computer system.
Make the changes in your child’s planner.
Family holidays
We are being directed by the Government not
to authorise holidays during normal school
term time.
Please plan your holidays for
normal school holiday periods.
Holiday leave for pupils studying for their
GCSEs (Year 10 /11) and A Levels (Year
12 /13) will not be authorised.
SUMMER BALL
Saturday 6th July
There are just a couple of tables left for this lovely
black tie event
Tickets are £30 and include......
Cava reception with the 'Liquid Brass' band, a
delicious 3 course meal and laser disco
We have some fabulous auction prizes this year
NOT TO BE MISSED
Contact Donna [email protected]
12