Well, what a proud day for Oulder Hill! I travelled to London to watch three

former students, Michael Moore, Louis Taylor and Ibrahim Alam receive their

Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award Certificates at Buckingham Palace.

A once in a lifetime experience for everyone involved!

ConnectSummer 2015 | Issue 25

Oulder HillCommunity School

Connect EXCELLENCE

Developing

ACHIEVINGPotential

www.oulderhill-school.com | 01706 645522 Contact us anytime at...

Hudsons Walk, Rochdale, OL11 5EF • Email: info@oulderhill-school.com

A huge well done to all the Oulder Hill Students who participated in the recent Rochdale Music Festival.

Our Students have been phenomenally successful once again, with a wide range of first and second prize winners across various categories. A full list of winners can be found on our website in the News section. Many congratulations to all the Students involved and thank you to the Staff who supported them throughout.

We are incredibly proud of your well deserved success.

Year 11

Leavers

Hoodies

Our recent Dance Showcase was nothing short of a triumph!

All the students involved performed with such professionalism and focus; working well together, taking real care of each other on stage, as well as showcasing their incredible talent. The stories they told through their dances were powerful and captivated the audience; for example, Lani Knox as the jilted wife in one dance really was an amazing performance, but all the students performed brilliantly and were a credit to themselves and Miss Bold, who deserves enormous credit for putting on the Showcase once again this year. A lot of hard work had clearly gone into making the night such a success.

Congratulations to everyone involved.Miss Lindsay

They were among over 2000 Gold Award Holders receiving their Award at a very special Diamond Anniversary Presentation Ceremony. Once they arrived in the Palace grounds they were offered refreshments and were invited to take a look at the Royal Gardens. At 4:00pm the National Anthem was played by the band and the Royal Party, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex; and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, entered the Gardens.

The Royal Party took time to speak to each group individually, asking of their experiences and memories whilst undertaking their awards.

North Manchester Award holders were then formally presented with their certificates by England Rugby World Cup star Ben Cohen, who gave a very passionate speech about his personal life and his charity, the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation which tackles awareness of the damaging and often long term effects of bullying.

Guests were then allowed once more to roam the Gardens in the late afternoon sunshine before having to exit the front gates at 6:00pm.

Mrs McCarry - D of E Co-ordinator

DUKE OF EDINBURGH,S

GOLD AWARD HOLDERS

Dance Showcase ROCHDALEMusic Festival

18 year old Fine Art student Lois McGee from Rochdale has some big decisions to make in the next few weeks; not only is she tackling this large painting, but she has to decide which University to go to in September.  Lois, who is presently studying at Hopwood Hall College, has been accepted at both the University of the Arts Wimbledon and Kingston University - two World-renowned London Universities - to study Fine Art and Painting. Lois previously studied at Oulder Hill Community School and then completed an Extended National Diploma in Fine Art at the College. At the end of that course, she felt she needed more time to develop her skills further, so she stayed on to complete the Higher Level Foundation Diploma. Lois is currently painting this large-scale portrait of a family friend. She is very excited about going to University and moving to London to continue her development, meet new people and have new experiences. Jane Bennett, the Course Leader is very proud of Lois; “The part of my job that I find most satisfying is to see young people develop and achieve their goals. I will watch Lois with keen interest, as she has a bright future ahead.”

Credit to Hopwood Hall College for this story.

Big decision for Fine Artist Lois

Project

Here is a picture of our Teens and Toddlers group who have just recently started the project. The first part of the project involves an 18 week mentorship programme, where we take the group to Spotland Primary School and they are each paired with a toddler in Nursery, who they have to mentor and support each week.

As part of this they are also working towards the NCFE Entry Level Award in Personal and Social Development. We cover a range of topics including relationships, future goals and child development. Once the 18 weeks is complete the group will attend monthly Aim4more sessions where they will be supported until they leave school in Year 11. So far the Students have been a joy to work with and we look forward to watching them develop their skills over the coming weeks.

Christina Cain and Katie Lear (Course Leaders)

Four Year 10 Students recently took part in the annual Maths Challenge Day hosted by Bury College.

Caitlin Rea, Mohammed Binyameen, Matthew Kershaw and Nasir Majid had to put their mathematical skills to the test by completing a series of challenging Maths activities within strict time limits.

Out of fifteen schools that took part from different areas of North Manchester, our Students came a very respectable “fourth” place.

A big congratulations to them for their hard work, skill and determination throughout the day.

Mr Cartledge

Maths

WELL DONE

CHALLENGE

Oulder Hill uses ParentMail as our communication and online payment system. This allows you as a parent/carer to receive emails and texts from school which are relative to your child and you can also make online payments for dinner money, music tuition, trips, ties, tickets etc.

ParentMail has recently upgraded our system to their new platform PMX. If you were previously registered on Parentmail2, you can verify your new PMX account by using the link in the e-mail that was initially sent to you on the 29th April 2016.

If you require another verification e-mail sending to you or if you have not yet registered your child and would like to do so

please contact Lynne Midgley on 01706 758538 or lynne.midgley@oulderhill-school.com or Denise Mayall on 01706 645522 or denise.mayall@oulderhill-school.com

PARENTMAIL UPGRADE IMPORTANT

INFORMATION

ParentDear Parent/Carer, Please allow us to introduce ourselves, we are the Parent Forum and the purpose of this letter is to

recruit new members in an attempt to build on the success of the group. We would love you to join us!

 We are simply a group of motivated Parents/Carers, all with very different passions and dreams but ultimately who share the same goal,

which is to ensure that every child gets the best education in the safest possible environment and to provide them with the best opportunities

to become happy and successful young people who burst with pride.

 The parent forum is run by two extremely enthusiastic, committed and loyal members of staff: Our inspirational lead and chairperson Mr D

Armitage (Assistant Headteacher) and secretary Mrs G. Corlett (Community and Extended Schools Officer) with two parents picking up

the roles of vice chair, Mrs A McFarlane, and treasurer, Ms J Pickles.

  Please come along and get involved, be part of our fantastic team who are determined to assist the school in its ongoing drive for

improvement. Assist us in decision making processes and feel the same satisfaction we do when so many of our goals are achieved. You

could also get involved with our fundraising missions, bring ideas and inspiration then help us spend the money wisely, providing exciting and

fun experiences for the Students!

 We are delighted with the ongoing success of the group, the past four and a half years since the Parent Forum was established have been

extremely positive and productive, we are immensely proud of our achievements, and here are just a selection:

 • Design and decision on Parent Forum logo, branding and image.

• Established the Parent Forum refreshment stall at school events.

• Rubber stamped the use of restorative justice in school.

• Contributions to the newsletter, including rebranding as CONNECT.

• Implementation of a Year 7 matters evening and content.

• Contributed to the new Parent Forum page on the school website.

• Gained new sponsorship and corporate partners for the school.

• Purchased two new sports kits at a cost of £700

• Advised on timings of Year 7 Parents meetings

• Identified issues with home/school communication and advised on the necessary changes.

• Advised on changes to school uniform.

• Advised on changes to school planner.

• Helped review exam week.• Helped review the options process.

• Advised on rewards system.

• Advised on the Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be Safe ‘rules on a page’ initiative.

• Sponsorship of the Student Support Award at the annual celebration evening for students.

• Critically analysed student reports from a parent’s perspective.

• Supported the school through the changing of the school day offering a critical friend approach.

• Participating in the interviewing and appointment of new staff and student leaders.

• Creating a constitution, outlining all elements of the Parent Forum.

• Provided the driving force behind the school purchasing two defibrillators and providing sponsorship of £1,300.

• Securing a further £500 in sponsorship for another new sports kit.

 For our positive story to continue we really need your help. There is no obligation to attend every meeting, just whenever you can manage.

We hold six meetings per academic year from 6:00-7:30pm in the LRC, the remaining one is: Thursday 7th July 

If you are unable to attend the meetings but have thoughts or ideas you would like us to discuss on your behalf then either e-mail school or

send the information in via your child, their Form Tutor will ensure the correct person receives it.

 As a group we are friendly, approachable and welcoming. Your contribution no matter how big or small will be greatly appreciated, nothing

is classed as insignificant. You will be listened to and your thoughts and opinions will be valued and respected. Whilst every meeting is

structured in order to gain maximum benefit the atmosphere is always informal and relaxed.

 And finally, we truly hope you make the decision to join our incredible team. Help us initiate new ideas, drive existing projects forward

and raise even more funds to secure the provision of some amazing equipment and resources. Together we can continue to support

the school in maintaining the safest possible environment so every child has an unforgettable journey through Oulder Hill.

 We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.

 Yours hopefully,

Parent Forum :) Contact details: Gillian Corlett, tel: 01706-645522, gillian.corlett@oulderhill-school.com

Forum

Oulder HillCommunity School

Drive for improvement

Besteducation

Safestpossible

environment

Bestopportunities

Successful youngpeople

Well, what a proud day for Oulder Hill! I travelled to London to watch three

former students, Michael Moore, Louis Taylor and Ibrahim Alam receive their

Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award Certificates at Buckingham Palace.

Year 11 Students recently received their Leavers Hoodies. The tops look absolutely fantastic and it was a wonderful occasion when the Students all received them together.

Football results

Year 7 Oulder Hill 2 - 4 Wardle AcademyYear 9 Oulder Hill 6 - 1 Kingsway ParkYear 11 Oulder Hill 7 - 0 Matthew MossYear 11 Oulder Hill 2 - 2 Kingsway Park

Swimming Superstars

Congratulations to our amazing Year 7 and Year 8 Swim Team who recently competed at the Greater Manchester Games. Our Girls Team finished First overall in Greater Manchester with our Boys finishing Third overall, a sensational performance by everyone involved. Well done to all of our Swimming Superstars and thank you to their coach Mrs Tosh.Mrs Coley

New Sports Kits We recently received our brand new sports kits, kindly donated by our Parent Forum and our friends at This Creative.

The kits look absolutely fantastic and Students were absolutely made up to wear them in our most recent fixtures. Perhaps fittingly, the first team to get to try one of the new kits was our Year 11 football team who represented the school for the final time. The lads’ performance matched the fantastic new kits as they played in a game which was an excellent advert for school football against Kingsway Park. An entertaining 2-2 draw was the final result, but the most striking aspect for team manager Mr Armitage was the incredible commitment and pride all the lads showed throughout.

Well done lads and thank you for representing our school with such distinction.

Forthcoming

@OULDERHILL

ForthcomingEVENTS

Monday 6th June, 8:25am School Re-Opens After Half TermMonday 6th to Friday 10th June Years 7-10 Internal ExamsThursday 9th and Friday 10th June Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award Final ExpeditionMonday 13th to Friday 17th June Years 7-10 Internal ExamsThursday 16th June, 6:00pm Not Strictly EurovisionFriday 17th to Sunday 19th June Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award Practice ExpeditionTuesday 21st June Year 4 International DayTuesday 21st June Year 10 Art Visit to Manchester Metropolitan UniversityFriday 24th June INSET Day - school closed to studentsFriday 24th June Year 5 DayMonday 27th June Year 7 History TripTuesday 28th June Year 6 Induction DayWednesday 29th June Year 9 Art MasterclassThursday 30th June Year 5 Maths EventWednesday 6th July Year 10 Dance Unit 4aThursday 7th July Careers FairThursday 7th July, 3:00-6:00pm SEND Drop In AfternoonThursday 7th July, 6:00-7:30pm Parent ForumSunday 10th to Wednesday 13th July Silver Duke of Edinburgh Final ExpeditionTuesday 12th July Sports DayThursday 14th July Sports Day ReserveWednesday 20th July, 1:00pm School Closes for Summer HolidaysThursday 25th August GCSE Results DayMonday 5th September School OpensMonday 24th October to Friday 28th October Half TermFriday 25th November INSET DayMonday 19th December to Monday 2nd January 2017 Christmas HolidaysMonday 20th February to Friday 24th February Half TermMonday 3rd April to Monday 17th April Easter HolidaysMonday 1st May Bank HolidayMonday 29th May to Friday 2nd June Half TermFriday 30th June INSET DayFriday 21st July Summer Holidays

SportForums

Trips

Holidays

Showcases

broadcasting live

Rochdale’s best sporting talent

Year 11

Leavers

Hoodies