FEBRUARY 2015

SINGINGSUCCESS!

EXCELLENT ATTENDANCE

DEVELOPING PRIMARY LINKS

Headteacher’s Message

Dance Show

Good News!

Educational Visits

Primary School Links

Sports / Attendance

ASPIRE

In this issue...

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Page 3

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Page 6-7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

Pages 11 Chinese New Year

CONTENTS

before the next assessment week in March.

Governors have also been working hard to help to move the school forward. There was a governor training day at school on Saturday 10th January which focused on examination results and the OFSTED action plan. The day was led by Mr Billings and members of the Leadership Team and governors found it very useful to work alongside the staff. There will be further training days in the future with a different focus each time. A small group of governors are meeting on a fortnightly basis to monitor the action plan and to assess progress against targets.

All students in the school will be involved in a PHSE day on Thursday 5th February. Each year group will be studying a different theme and will be participating in a variety of activities, some of which will be delivered by visitors to the school. I am always very grateful to all staff in the school who freely give of their time to run so many different events and activities.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs D. Burke

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A MESSAGE FROMOUR HEAD OF SCHOOL...

Happy New Year! We are delighted to welcome Mr Billings to St Chad’s as the Executive Headteacher and staff and students are looking forward to working with him and All Hallows which is a National Support School. Mr Billings is a National Leader in Education and has a wealth of experience to share with students and staff. This half term the focus has been on redrafting the OFSTED action plan which was sent to the HMI at the end of January. Once the plan has been approved it will be available to parents on the school’s website.

The students and staff have been working very hard since our return to school in January. The teaching staff have now completed their TEEP training and there is a real buzz about teaching and learning in the school. The training was very engaging and interactive and staff enjoyed participating in the different activities. All teachers have been observed using the TEEP model in their teaching and have received invaluable feedback on their progress.

Students were all being prepared for the first assessment week which took place mid-January. Years 11 and 12 completed their mock examinations and all other students completed assessments during their normal lessons. The results of the assessments will come out during the next two weeks and students will have the opportunity to discuss their progress with their teachers, up-date their flight paths and set targets to work on

On the 9th, 10th and 11th December the Assembly Hall was packed for three amazing performances of the school dance show ‘I’ve Got The Music In Me’.

Pupils performed various numbers ranging from current chart toppers, golden oldies to well known songs from top musical shows. As always our amazing school choir performed in the show and their performance was second to none. We are fortunate enough to work with dedicated, talented and enthusiastic pupils here at St Chads and each and every year the dance show seems to get better and better because of you!

As always we are sad to say goodbye to our year 11 pupils who for most of them have performed in five dance shows since starting in year 7. This year group are some of the most talented pupils we have had the pleasure of working with and hope to bring our pupils to see some of you on the West End one day! A massive well done to our new year 7 pupils, all 48 of you, you were brilliant!

Over 200 pupils were involved in the show, which was our biggest number to date and each and every pupil did a fantastic job, we are incredibly proud of you all, you are awesome!

We are already looking forward to the next one.

DANCE SHOW

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SINGING SUCCESS!!Olivia Tringham one of our Sixth Form Students has been accepted to study voice at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music.

Olivia aged 18, has been studying singing with vocal tutor Kate Smith for 7 years. Following an autumn of auditions at various music conservatoires across the country, Olivia discovered she had been accepted to RNCM, her preferred establishment, after her first audition. She says “singing is what I’ve always wanted to do and after lots of hard work I couldn’t be happier to be one step closer to achieving my dreams”.

After passing two different Grade VIII vocal exams, Olivia was entered by Miss Smith to take her Vocal Diploma in December. The Vocal Diploma is a university level qualification and Olivia gained an incredible 95% in the examination! Being approved at this level means that Olivia now has letters after her name and is permitted to use the title DipLCM. Alongside these fantastic achievements, Olivia is also a valued member of the Philharmonic Youth choir, where she has regularly been awarded roles as a soloist.

Head of School Mrs Burke says “We are extremely proud of Olivia and her achievements. She has exceptional vocal talent and I am sure that she will be a great success in the future”.

Olivia Williams has been recognised for her outstanding charitable efforts.

The Runcorn Rizzo Riders take part in an annual bike ride from Southport to Runcorn to support one of their close friends who was left paralysed after an accident at work.

Since 2012 Olivia has supported the Runcorn Rizzo Riders and has been undertaking a range of fundraising activities to raise money for a variety of charities such as Halton Haven Cancer Care, PAPYRUS and the North West Air Ambulance Service. To date she has raised over £200 and she has been presented with a trophy by Executive Headteacher Mr Billings, to thank her for all of her positive contributions.

This is a great achievement, well done Olivia we are all very proud of you!

WELL DONE OLIVIA!

On Monday 24th November 2014, 12 intrepid Historians and their two Leaders (Mrs English and Rae) set off from St Chad’s to Beeston Castle; their main aim to defend or attack the castle.

The first stop, to gather their energy and fuel their ambition, was to Beeston Ice-cream Factory, to taste any one of over 60 varieties of Ice-cream. Having enjoyed the delights of ice-cream and the view of the castle from below, the intrepid Historians ventured forward into battle. The group was split into two groups of six, with Mrs English leading the defenders of the Castle and Rae leading the attack.

The defenders made their way upward, encountering rough terrain, nettles and rabbit holes, until they reached the top of the hill and the drawbridge to the Castle; thus blocking the only entrance into Beeston Castle. Armed with fir cones, they awaited the arrival of the attack team.

The attack team made their way round the

rear of the castle, using camouflage and stealth, to dodge from tree to tree, to the undergrowth surrounding the Castle. Slowly but surely they made their way closer to the entrance of the castle, keeping low and removing any coats that would highlight their position. The terrain was gruelling as they climbed the hill and, just as they reached the path leading to the Castle, the fir cones came flying fast and furiously from the defenders. Unfortunately their cover had been blown as the defenders did a gallant job of defending the castle. Exhausted, the attack team fell to the ground with dramatic intent and admitted defeat.

We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day and the views were stunning. A quick explore of the Castle led the more fearsome of the explorers to discover a tiny passage which was used to hide important people within the castle walls. As ever the boys were first to volunteer to go inside, and, as boys do, came out covered in mud, much to the disgust of the girls.

A great day was had by all. The children’s behaviour was exemplary and staff at both the Ice-Cream Factory and the Castle complimented them on their manners and behaviour.

YEAR 7 VISIT: BEESTON CASTLE

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On a cold winter’s day just before Christmas a group of pupils who are part of the Animal Management club which runs on a Wednesday after school ventured to the picturesque Shropshire countryside to see an innovative new method of animal care.

The centre has an on-site hospital, a nursery for kittens and a maternity ward for new-borns and expecting cats. All pupils had a hands on opportunity with all areas of the rescue centre. This included visiting pigs, a sheet, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, ponies, rabbits and guinea pigs all housed within the grounds.

The biggest attraction of this site specifically is their policy of, when finances permit, offering shelter and veterinary care and to finding the animals a new, safe and caring home. This policy has led to the cat rescue having a large number of cats with specific medical care and age against them in the rehoming process. The shelter manager came up with the idea of creating a “Moggies Retirement Village” for these long term residents. The retirement village is made up of 6 quaint wooden cottages in a large landscaped gardened area, each with its own fireplace (with a Christmas garland at the time) and bunk beds for the senior tabbies.

The area has a water feature, different textures under foot and is scattered with scented plants all in the hope of helping the cats who suffer from the same ailments as humans do with old age.

The pupils had a fantastic day and wanted to take many of their feline friends away with them. Thanks to Shropshire Cat Rescue for giving our pupils an inventive look at caring for animals in the hope of inspiring them to think outside the box when caring for their own animals in the future.

ShropshireCat Rescue

Here at St Chad’s we have been busy developing primary links. Mark Jones with the help of Kath Dursley has been working hard getting out into our local primary schools.

Year 5 students at St- Edwards have had access to some fantastic practical sessions including Boxercise, kinball and many more activities designed to improve confidence and team work skills. These sessions have been delivered to them in their own schools over a number of weeks with their final session taking place here at St Chad’s.

This has given the students a taste of our school and has also allowed them to experience the excellent and unique facilities including wheelchair sports and a state of the art indoor climbing wall.

Many of these students are now excited to have the chance of joining our community and having regular access to such remarkable facilities and staff.

DEVELOPING PRIMARY LINKS...

Our primary science partnership has seen some excellent work from St Martin’s. Year 6 have produced some interesting fossils and learnt about the forgotten fossil hunter Mary Anning.

It has been amazing to see how interested pupils have been in finding out about the theories of Charles Darwin and modelling how his finches are adapted to survive. Each week pupils have been encouraged to think like scientists and work together like they would in real life. Year 6 have truly risen to the challenge and each session a ‘scientist of the week’ is selected. Congratulations to Taran for his fantastic endeavours as he was awarded this title in the first week (pictured).

We continue to be impressed by the work produced from our primary schools and look forward to working with them again either at primary level or here at St Chads.

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Excellent AttendanceSt Chad’s continues to cement its position as a hub for disability sports within the community. Our vast facilities which include 15 sports wheelchairs and a climbing wall have been accessed by a number of local schools who have received sessions facilitated by qualified climbing instructors and disability sports leaders. Students from Ashley School in Widnes have even had the chance to work towards a recognised indoor climbing award called the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS). Coordinator of Disability Sports at St Chad’s, Mr Blackburn has also been working closely with Gareth Burke who is the Disability Sports Coordinator throughout Halton. Between them they have been able to make the excellent facilities at St Chad’s more accessible to other local schools; wheelchair handball fixtures have been hosted in school against the Heath School with more in the pipe line for later this year.

We are delighted that opportunities to share our facilities with the community and to develop disability sports continue to grow, as we pursue our vision as a leading school for inclusive sports.

SPORTS NEWSWHEELCHAIR HANDBALL

Each half term students with 100% attendance are rewarded for their excellent efforts.

Half termly, all of our young people with 100% attendance are rewarded with an extended break and the offer of toast, pizza or fruit.

Each term we hold a prize draw where the students have the opportunity to win gift vouchers.

Of course, we understand that some students may struggle to reach this level of attendance and that there can be barriers that prevent them from coming into school every day.

If you have any concerns about your childs attendance, please contact the attendance team on option 1 and we will be pleased to discuss the support available.

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Once again, our Year 11 ASPIRE students used the opportunity when completing their COPE GCSE Citizenship Module, to turn it into a fundraising event.

As a group, they planned and took part in a sponsored walk, mapping their route, training for the challenge and ensuring they were well-equipped beforehand.

Their route included the summits of Moel Arthur and Moel Famau which is a physically demanding challenge and the group worked really hard to raise the sum of £295.75 for their chosen charity HAFS (Halton Autistic Family Support). Particular praise must go to Connor Shaw who raised the bulk of this sum on his own.

We shall be presenting the cheque to the staff at HAFS in the coming weeks at their local office.

Well done to all involved!

As part of our developing ASPIRE programme in Key Stage 5, we deliver the ASDAN Employability Award and Qualification to Years 12 and 13.

Pictured are some of our students who, after much hard work, are the first at St Chad’s to achieve this award. Some are remaining to complete the full qualification but others have used this learning as a platform to achieve their ambitions, such as Laura Kelly who is going on to follow a course at a prestigious Hairdressing Academy in Liverpool.

Well done to all!

YEAR 13 ASPIRE SUCCESS

YEAR 11 ASPIRE SUCCESS

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St Chad’s High School, as a Confucius Classroom, held its annual China Week during the Chinese New Year period.

From 9th February, our school has been celebrating this most important and traditional Chinese festival. This time we welcome the Chinese Year of the Goat. During China Week, our Year Group Assemblies were conducted by the Chinese teachers who introduced the history and traditions of the Chinese New Year festival. Our Chinese teachers ran some hands-on workshops during lunch times and we received some external visitors who came to our school to deliver some spectacular workshops, including kung fu, lion dancing, Chinese calligraphy, water-colour painting and traditional Chinese Ribbon Dances. All involved had lots of fun and enjoyed the celebration everyone got stuck in with typical relish and enthusiasm to some Chinese culture and history.

Dates for your diary...

• 12thFeb Year9Parents’ Evening

• 13thFeb FinishforHalfTerm• 19thFeb ChineseNewYear• 23rdFeb ReturnfromHalf Term

• 23rd-27thFeb Year10&12Mock ExamWeek

• 26th&27thFeb Year9visitHindu Temple

• 2ndMarch StChad’sDay• 5thMarch Year11Parents’ Evening

• 10thMarch Year9Geography FieldTrip

• 11thMarch Year9Options Evening

• 20thMarch Year8ColomendyTrip Departs

• 22ndMarch Year8Colomendy TripReturns

• 27thMarch KS4/KS5Tripto AltonTowers