Easter Edition 2013 - John Ruskin School

JRS Express Spring Edition 2013
Ace of Arts
Carol’s
See more photographs inside
From Monday 11th March to Friday 15th March
22 students from all year groups entered a
baking competition and sold their cakes to
other students and staff.
A total of 296 cakes were baked and sold and
£181 raised for Red Nose Day.
Fantastic effort everyone!
Winner: Georgia Howard
WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A DOOR
WHEN IT’S WORLD BOOK DAY…
This year for World Book Day the whole school got into the spirit
of celebrating the joy of reading by decorating doors with a
literary theme. Some of the displays were visually spectacular –
we had Alice In Wonderland, Lord of The Rings, a whole host of
Mister Men and even Oliver Twist! Some tutor groups themed
their doors based on the subjects taught in that class room – so
Mrs Cologiovanni’s BT Becks based their door on the Gingerbread
man story (highly apt for the
Catering room!) and Miss
Cocksey’s form created Mister
Men characters in English with
French translations. Mrs
Walton’s BT Meres even
involved delicious cakes in their
display for the Mad Hatter’s tea
party. Teachers without forms
also entered into the spirit of
things – Mr Walker’s Year 11
English group created a display
based on their set texts – Animal Farm and Of Mice and Men,
with a range of fully working windmills, inflatable pigs, tins of
beans and a rancher’s up turned apple crate. Geography and Mrs
Hodgson took us to the Sahara, Mrs Bailey decorated her door
with Ian Rankin novels and sticks of Scottish rock and the office
staff created a very large Hungry Caterpillar in reception. One of
our governors, Russell Howard, came round to look at the doors
and TH Becks and Miss Cocksey were judged the most
impressive…her tutor group won a small, sweet prize as World
Book Day door winners!
Joint 2nd
James Brewin
Molly Southward
Mr Walker

Dear All
In this edition of the JRS Express you will read about the many and varied activities that have
taken place such as the Expressive Arts concert ‘Ace of Arts’ early in the term and the recent
energetic fund-raising organised by Carol Dunkley, our school cook, in the form of the Great JRS
Bake-Off in aid of Comic Relief, as well as everything in between.
The bake-off was typical of the team spirit which runs as a core through John Ruskin School.
Students from Year 7 to 11, staff and even parents of staff used their culinary talents to make
this charitable event a resounding success. Every day for a week the panel of judges, which
included head boys and girls and the discerning taste buds of Mr Walker, cast their marks
allocation on the 20 baked delights offered by the competitors. It was wonderful to see so
much involvement and even better to see the whole school being able to enjoy the fruits of their
labour by buying the cakes. All proceeds have gone to Comic Relief – the grand total of £181.
It was a fantastic event so special thanks to Carol for her idea and the organisation and allowing
the community of John Ruskin School to put into practice what it does so well. It had all the
right ingredients for success!
The last school disco of the year was held just before February half-term when Year 11 cut a
dash in a range of ‘onesie’ fashion. More importantly, Year 11 also received their English
Literature results in March; with 86% of them achieving a grade C or above in the exam
component of the GCSE. This comprises 50% of their final result. Many congratulations to Year
11 for all their hard work and of course many thanks and congratulations to the English
department for steering our students to such success. I am sure that Year 11 will gain
confidence and inspiration from this set of results for the summer examination series. It will not
happen though, unless they revise thoroughly and prepare adequately for every single subject.
Our governors work hard behind the scenes to ensure that school provides the best possible
experience for our young people. I would like to thank them all for their interest and input but
on this occasion I must especially thank Mr Howard. He has provided smart new signage around
the school buildings and has been working on improving our website. The new website will be
launched at the beginning of the Summer term and although it will be a ‘work in progress’ for a
while we are very excited about the new look website and hope that it will not only keep people
informed about school on an up-to-date basis but will also draw interest from prospective
students and their parents.
We are looking forward to enjoying the first Spring Concert but will have to wait slightly longer
than first expected. It had been due to take place this week but some students have been
unable to travel to school because of the road conditions and so have been unable to rehearse.
Please put a note in your diary to remind you that it will now happen on Tuesday 23 rd April.
I hope that the somewhat polar-like weather conditions disappear so that you can enjoy a
pleasant Easter and as always, I look forward to working with you in the Summer term.
Best wishes
Mrs M Bailey

SPELLBINDING BOOK AWARDS 2013
Spellbinding is well under way—although it is not too late to join in.
Please see Mrs Emmett in the library for more details.
We have students from Years 7-9 taking part this year and below are the titles of the books we are all reading
with great interest and enthusiasm. Some excellent reads this year!
On Wednesday 27 February army
officers delivered a presentation
to Year 10 about careers in the
arrmed forces. The students
learnt about the many career
paths and had the opportunity to
ask questions about the work
they do.
WOOL URGENTLY NEEDED
FOR ROMANIA
Please ask your family, friends,
neighbours and relatives if they
have any spare wool that you can
bring in, or if you belong to a club
ask them to start a collection.
Please donate balls of wool to
school so that local knitters can
get knitting gloves and hats for
the Romanian children and
families we saw in a presentation
by Mrs Myers recently.
Wool can be handed to either Mrs
Walton or the school office.
Thank You
Mrs Walton
New library assistant
Kerensa Hanna
in the library
Year 7 Science Club
This term in science club we have made our mark in fire writing, made toothpaste big enough
for an elephant and have grown salt crystals. This has given the students an opportunity to
develop their lab skills in a fun and informal environment.
With enthusiasm for making things go whoosh and bang science club
will continue to allow students to try practicals
not done within the classroom setting.
All Year 7 students are very welcome to attend and
I look forward to seeing you there.
Friday - Lab 1 - 1:25pm
Miss Shuttleworth

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY YEAR 7 SONNET WRITING
Year 7TH recently studied Shakespeare’s sonnets and as well as reading and
understanding Shakespeare’s famous love poems, they used the sonnet form
themselves. Some students either produced quatrains, octets or rhyming couplets –
and others, came over all Bard-like and produced full sonnets. They had to
remember Shakespeare’s strict rhyme scheme and, of course, use iambicpentametre.
Here are some samples of their work – why not check to see if they do indeed have
ten syllables per line
QUATRAIN AND RHYMING COUPLET - Ben Raines
VIDEO GAMES
Holding the controller pad in my hand
Playing my good game all day and all night
Jumping off buildings or running on sand
Searching through dungeons with all of my might
Sliding through puzzles or searching for clues
Games are perfect for dealing with the blues
SONNET – Harry Elkington Crabtree
SCHOOL
I walk through the doors and find my small key
All the other children are having fun
At my locker the children look at me
When I look at them they just stare and shun
Then daunting like a ghost the form bell rings
I make my way to my form room in haste
I grab all my books and fetch all my things,
Scooting up the stairs with no time to waste
I make my way to my English lesson
barge through the door, I go straight to my chair
Work undone, I must make a confession
I pray that Mr Walker won’t be there
And down the long corridor I do walk
With friends and enemies, I talk and talk.
QUATRAIN AND RHYMING COUPLET –
Maya Hamilton
VILLAGE LIFE
Children at the small park having great fun.
Birds squawking loudly from the high oak tree.
People at the shop buying warm fresh buns.
Lots of tourists paying the parking fee.
Happy and jolly together once more,
Sitting on the lake’s edge; loving the shore.
Mr Walker
SONNET – Simone Clark
The School Day
Rubbers and pens plus rulers and pencils,
People at school, there’s sure to be trouble.
Drawing in art with tools and the stencils,
Swimming in the pool blowing some bubbles.
Subtraction, division, adding as well;
This is what I do in my Maths classes.
Science is next where we learn about cells;
Not forgetting the work about gasses.
A well-earned rest plus some fab cheese on toast,
A time to relax and chat during break.
Next lesson up is the one I love most…
But it is not English, make no mistake!
Some days are horrible, some days are cool,
I love the school dinners, they make me drool!
QUATRAIN AND RHYMING COUPLET -
Chloe Lafferty
Alone At School
A deadly silence running down the floors,
no noisy children to fill the school bus,
only a loud screeching sound of the doors,
no more children that can make up a fuss,
and I can still hear the ringing school bell,
but there is not anyone here to tell.
QUATRAIN AND RHYMING COUPLET –
Jack Barton
THE HUNT
On the fells the misty dampness rolls in.
Loud huntsmen call and dogs run scent driven.
The hunted fox bolts to the dark within.
Shivering, the silent fox stays hidden.
The fox in his hole, men and dogs ponder.
Fingers itching, shots fired, I wonder…

JOHN RUSKIN STUDENTS ATTEND ANNUAL TECHNOLOGY TOURNAMENT
With the onset of spring imminent it was no surprise to receive the email
from the competition organisers which invites our school to attend the
Annual Technology Competition run by The Rotary Club of Barrow at the
BAE sports hall venue.
The competition is open to all local schools and consists of a whole day
design and make assignment that asks the student teams to produce a
design portfolio and build a product that the design brief asks for.
This year’s challenge was to design and build a vehicle that was selfpowering
by a weight that dropped from a certain height and could travel
1.5 metres along a track and pass under a bridge that was 40 cm high. Each team was allocated the same
materials to work with and so the competition began with a two hour deadline for the design portfolio to be
handed in for assessment and a four hour deadline for the finished vehicle to be tested and judged on its
performance.
Our students began work with enthusiasm and produced a detailed portfolio with a range of ideas and
evidence that the principles and constraints of the task had been
considered, and a detailed, well developed design solution.
By 10 o’clock construction was allowed to begin and by the testing deadline
our students had produced a vehicle with a tower to support and allow the
weight to drop, a system of pulleys and gears connected to the back axle to
increase the potential distance the vehicle could travel and a sturdy chassis
strong enough to support everything.
The vehicle seemed to work quite well during the student’s own informal
testing but unfortunately didn’t travel far enough along the track to be
awarded maximum marks.
However, our team represented the school with enthusiasm and commitment and can be proud of the way
they conducted themselves throughout the day and performed.
The four team members were:
Oscar Meanwell, Chris Walker, Rowan Dust-Ambler, Will Longmire.
Mr Burns
THE TEMPEST
Some of Year 7 went to see a production of The Tempest by Shakespeare 4Kidz at the Coronation Hall in
Ulverston. Here are their thoughts on the play:
Chloe Lafferty: ‘Going to see The Tempest gave me a good insight into what Shakespeare is about. The
production was very well thought out so that it would be understood by children. Aerial, the spirit, had an
amazing voice and the jester, Trinculo, being drunk was humerous – I loved it!’
Lucy Giles said: ‘My favourite actor was Aerial and her costume was really good too! All the cast did lots of
singing and they had fab voices. I really enjoyed seeing the play.’
Leah Albion said: ‘The special effects in The Tempest were brilliant. My favourite character was Aerial and
she did a lot of singing.’
Simone Clarke said: ‘The things that stood out for me were the costumes – especially Miranda’s and Aerial’s
– the stage set and the special effects worked well too.’
Harry Elkington Crabtree said: ‘I love the whole thing but my favourite part was the singing! My favourite
character was Trinculo, the jester.’
Mr Walker

Skiing – Aosta -Italy 2013
Sunday – After an early start from Greenodd we arrived at
Liverpool Airport in time for a leisurely breakfast having been fast
tracked through check-in. Take-off occurred on time at 9.00am.
Our arrival at Geneva was 20 minutes ahead of schedule where
we were picked up by coach and transported to Aosta. On arrival
at the Hotel Roma we were able to sort and settle in rooms then it
was off to fit skis and boots. On return to the hotel one or two
took the opportunity to have a wander
into town before evening meal at 7.00pm,
then up to rooms to issue ski passes,
insurance cards etc by which time we
were all ready for an early night! (Honest!
they were all in bed by 10.00pm)
Monday – The day dawned bright blue and sunny and not having
buses and other schools to fit in with, we were treated to a
relatively relaxed breakfast followed by a leisurely stroll to collect
our skis. A brief moment of drama for the beginners on a cable
car for the first time and so up the mountain. All arrived safely
and were allocated ski instructors. At end of skiing we all headed
back down the mountain and spent half an hour in the
hypermarche stocking up on essentials (coke, chocolate,
biscuits, sweets etc). After our evening meal, a trip to a
local ice cream parlour rounded the day off perfectly for
most. Frankie and Jonny however, having now got the
taste for ice cream, decided to try a second place which
then became a regular haunt for the rest
of the week! Bed once again by 10.00pm.
Tuesday - Lightly snowing this morning. Progression in all classes
was excellent and at the end of day we then spent a silly hour
bum boarding before returning safely down the
mountain. Once again some took the opportunity
to wander round town before the evening meal
whilst others opted for a card school in Joe and
John’s room.
Wednesday - Today dawned blue and clear
again though somewhat cooler. End of day as usual was at
3.00pm and the opportunity to wander through town before we
went out to a local pizza parlour for evening meal.
Thursday - Once again superb weather but cooler still. Superb
skiing conditions with excellent firm snow resulting in potentially
higher speeds. The day ended at the usual time and after the
evening meal we all set out for a local karaoke place where
Frankie and Jonny (always those two!) treated us to their version
of ‘You’re The One That I Want’ from Grease. Jonny (Danny) was
not the best I’ve heard, but Frankie (Sandy) singing soprano was
downright painful. Fortunately, Mr
Matthews saved the day by showing us
how it should be done by singing ‘Delilah’.
Mr Lingard and Mr Matthews
Friday – Dawned clear and cold (-20c). A good days skiing for all with assessments occurring
throughout the day. Skiing finished at 1500 hrs whereupon we returned to the hotel for the evening.
After the meal, ski instructors arrived to hand out certificates, the (excellent) results being as follows:
Daniel Armitstead 3* Merit Kerensa Hanna 3* Distinction
John Barr 3* Distinction Angus Hosking 4*
Jonny Brown 3* Distinction Megan Irvine 3*
Ella Clarke 2* Distinction William Irvine 2* Merit
Frankie Gard-Storry 3* Ruth Lambert 2*
Louis Guy 2* Merit Will Longmire 4* Distinction
Joe Hadwin 4* Distinction Alan Moulton 2*
Chloe Rowe 3*
Saturday – The final day of skiing dawned warmer and with a light cloud covering, suggesting a change in weather. A good days
skiing was had before we made our way down the mountain for the last time. Whilst en route to Geneva by minibus the snow
started to fall and we started to receive text messages that our flight was being delayed. We checked in and soon afterwards our
flight was cancelled. Various options were explored but we finally decided to spend the night in the terminal (it was nearly midnight
by this time!). The following morning we departed at 10.00am arriving back in Cumbria late in the afternoon.
Mr Lingard and Mr Matthews

Were we right to split from the
Cumbria group and ‘go it alone’
We believe so. Throughout, the
pupils themselves made the
decisions as to what we did,
where we went etc. Throughout,
they showed a sense of maturity
and common sense. In addition,
ski instruction was excellent with
valuable feed back as to ability
levels reached. The lack of
transport within resort did not
prove to be problematic. Indeed
it made life much simpler.
Skiing – Aosta -Italy 2013
So all in all, this has proved a wonderful
experience for all. Behaviour was excellent
throughout and once again Mr Matthews and
myself felt privileged and very proud to lead
the party. Thanks go to Ms Bailey and the
Governors for permission to organise it and
the support given, also to Mrs Lambert for
manning the phone at this end. We look
forward with great anticipation to the same in
2014 if given the opportunity.
Thank you once again.
Ps. Two small but not insignificant moments… ..........on arrival at Geneva airport (the French speaking part of
Switzerland), Chloe suddenly realised she had automatically replied to an official in French without thinking.
...…on arrival at the hotel in Aosta, Jonny marched up to the owner and greeted her with a very passable ‘bon giorno’,
which pleased the lady immensely!
Mr Matthews and Mr Lingard
Letter received from Interski Instructor:
“I have recently had the pleasure of being involved, as an Interski instructor, in your school’s trip out here to Pila.
Firstly I wish to compliment your students—their behavior was exemplary I was impressed with the ease at which they
interacted with the other four student from a different school and of their eagerness, teamwork, respect for me and,
when the skiing got a bit more demanding and for some, scary their fortitude and determination. They all arrived on the
slopes properly dressed, fit and raring to go; after a few days on the baby slopes working very hard at the basics of skiing
I was able to get them moving onto the main ski slopes with them all improving very quickly.
The team leaders Nick and Paul are to be praised too; I know how much hard work goes into such a trip and the added
responsibility that they have to commit themselves to in looking after so many children when travelling abroad.
It is definitely no holiday for them!”

YEAR 9 FOOD WRITING
Just as the bakers at JRS have been cooking up a
storm for Red Nose Day, so too have writers in
Year 9 been creating a delicious, literary
concoction based on food. We read texts by Nigel
Slater and Charles Dickens in order to identify the
key features of effective writing – then students
produced a piece of original writing of their own
with a food based theme…
John Barr wrote about the joys of a cheese toastie…
Preschool was a place that as a child you loved or
hated.
I hated it.
There was always an intense, headachy smell of
strong chemical disinfectants, the odd predominant
foul whiff of freshly spewed sick from the kid in the
corner and the stench of out of date milk. The building
itself was small and cramped, painted a mucus green
with wooden steps leading up to the huge, old black
door. As mentioned before, I didn’t particularly like
preschool or enjoy it, but inside the actual building
there was a warm and welcoming atmosphere which
helped the place seem less of a prison. Still the days
seemed long and the same gruelling routine followed.
The prospect of home was the highlight of the day, as
well as the meal I knew I was going to have at home;
a cheese toasty.
The simplest, yet most satisfying foods ever created
by man; or my mother in this case.
As I walk into my house, I am greeted by a heavenly
whiff of fresh hot toast and the glorious sight of the
present like food that is a cheese toastie. The thick,
hot, stringy cheddar centre was encapsulated by two
cushions of heavenly white buttery bread. The golden
bread maintained its sand paper like outside texture
but when you take a bite, it is like taking a chunk out
of a hot, chewy, cushion, followed by a slow flow of
cheese. The cheese sits like a warm quilt of goodness
on your tongue as you chew
and chomp.
But there is one thing you
cannot eat a cheese toasty
without, and that is salad
cream. Salad cream adds an
explosion of cool tangy taste
and makes this fine cuisine so
much better. In your mouth, a battle of flavour
commences as all the elements of the dish fight for
your taste buds.
In this first extract, Jack Edmondson
writes about waiting to capture his
first pigeon:
‘As I glance back through the files
stored in my brain, just like a filing
cabinet of interactions that I have
encountered with food, the most
intriguing memory must be when I
was hidden in my granddad’s garden, waiting for my
eyes to hone in on the pest that we know as the wood
pigeon. It’s a very plump and striking bird to stare down
the barrel of a gun at.
That is exactly what I was begging for throughout that
day!
I recall that day as if it was yesterday, the searing heat
shone down like there was no tomorrow, the gods must
have forgotten that there were humans living on the
earth that day.
As soon as I deposited my gun case on the floor of
freshly cut grass, a pigeon flew passed as it was diving
for cover from the menacing falcon that was soaring
above.
As quick as it came, it was gone.
Frustration was circling my brain, just as the falcon that
was scouring the land many hundreds of feet above me
for its following feast. The pigeon has the eyes of a
hawk it can spot any movement up to a mile away, so
as soon as I sat down and snuggled into my hide I did
not move for the next hour or so, it was like I could feel
it was going to be worth the wait.
So seconds past, then minutes, but then through the
tall, towering trees I spotted something whitish could it
be the pigeon I have waited for
No, it was what appeared to be a pigeon…but on close
inspection it was a harmless black headed gull, gliding
as if it was being towed by the tractor below, so that
gave me some entertainment for a while.
A bit further down the field there was a big clump of
trees that are home to an evil satin black menace: the
crow. Its harsh call will deter any predator who wants
to snatch up their young and give it a gruelling, painful
death.
Tall towering trees that were stood there in front of me
seemed to be waving at me in the roasting breeze, and
the chestnut browns and the lettuce coloured leaves
stood out dramatically in the field in front of me; an
obvious landing spot for a pigeon that sought refuge
from the blazing sun.
But then my luck turned for the better, the pigeon I was
waiting for flew and perched its self on the biggest,
boldest branch that was in that tree, as the pigeon
came into land my eyes locked on like a heat seeking
missile tracking down a plane!’
Mr Walker

John Barr also described the atmosphere and location prior
to going to get a meat and potato pie with his dad:
It was a harsh, bitter and bleak early October
morning, the sun was just beginning to
awake and fill the valley with its streaks of
blinding brightness, just and so managing to
find its path through the thick suspension of
mist. The wind was raw and relentless, biting
my rose red cheeks as me and dad nimbly
emerged from the prison like forest. The thin,
brittle, skeleton like fingers of the trees grasped at our clothing,
as if to try and keep us there forever.
The frost had covered the majority of the valley and village in a
brilliant white mantle which glistened and gleamed as the beams
of sunlight gradually broke through the fog. The once emerald
green grass glistened gorgeously and gloriously as the beads of
dew sat happily on the ends of the blades of uncut grass, the
occasional leaf making its elegant decent from the trees as the
wind brushed against them. The air was pure, clean and fresh,
the sky was a milky azure blue, an occasional fluffy washed-out
white cloud making an appearance on the blue canvas like sky.
There was the faint bark of a sheep dog in the distance, the
mellow and relaxing coo of a wood pigeon, the noisy callous
cackle of carrying crows, the gentle gurgling of a stream and the
odd roar of a motorcycle could be heard.
The whole view was a pallet of autumn colours- maroon, emerald,
white, grey, cobalt, bronze, red, saffron yellow and gold. A
picturesque spectacle with bumps and lumps, peaks and creaks,
gorges and rivers; it seemed that the whole scenery had been
carefully and delicately crafted by the hand of God himself.
All was well, but there was only one problem. After our long
exploration of the valleys and woods, my dad and I were starving.
Despite all the beautiful scenery, the only thing that was on our
minds was food.
We made our long lumbering trudge back to our house which
seemed to take forever. As we passed through our village, we
were both hit with the beautiful aromas which emanated from the
houses, mouth watering whiffs of frying bacon, baking bread and
sizzling sausages all filled the air with their delicious fragrance.
We could not take it anymore. We rushed home and immediately
conducted a thorough lust fuelled exploration of our old battered
waxen white fridge to find nothing that would be suitable and
would suffice our ravenous appetite.
“What are we going to do now” I whined as I looked hopelessly
at my dad. He simply replied “We’re going to get food.” He got his
car keys and climbed into his old battered Land Rover. “Hurry up!”
He shouted. I dashed from our house and clambered into the
back of his car. Dad’s car always smelt like diesel and petrol and
the floor was flooded with tools, equipment and tackle. It was a
man’s car and he always said it should stay that way. The tools
rattled and rolled as the car weaved along the twisting and
winding country roads. The journey had only taken four or five
minutes and we soon arrived at another village.
And there it was.
A small building nestled into surrounding houses with an ancient
wooden bottle green sign. It read in big white bold letters
“Greenodd Village Bakery.”
Ella Clarke wrote about her love of hot
chocolate…here is the beginning and ending of her
piece about her favourite drink:
‘The rattle of china rung through the cool, crisp air
as the brown, plastic tray was deposited on the
wooden bench. Nine sets of eager eyes stared
longingly at the dainty white cups which each had
an accompanying, matching, white saucer. Beams
of light reflected off the porcelain; bright and
blinding from the high afternoon sun. The whole
scene was like something from a movie. Snowy
mountains, spikey green trees dusted with white
and the crystal clear, sapphire sky stretching on
and on around us.
I carefully but enthusiastically took my cup, feeling
the heat from it steadily warm my chilled hands.
Whatever lay inside the white walls of porcelain
wasn’t even visible yet for the small mountain of
cream that grew from the rim of the cup, ending
with a little flick at the top. Of course, I knew what
was inside. However, I didn’t know what it would
taste like; whether it would live up to the
standards that everyone claimed it had.
I’ve always loved hot chocolate. From a young
age, it would be a treat to have that warm drink in
your hands. As I got older, my family and I would
go out, perhaps to cafés or wherever we could
stop for a bite to eat if we had been on a walk. In
those small, cosy eateries, the first thing I would
order would be a hot chocolate and I knew, that in
those places, it wouldn’t just be a quick instant
mix of powder and water. It would be milky and
fresh, with cream and maybe marshmallows on
the top, all served in an elegant, transparent glass
which allowed you to see the sweet liquid inside. I
loved it very much.’
And here is the conclusion to her piece…
‘Hot chocolate has always played a part in my life;
from my mum handing it to me in a plastic cup as
a little girl, to me making it for myself in a china
mug. We get comfort from a hot drink, we get
happiness and we all get warm from the blistering
cups or containers in our
hands! One thing I do know
is that I will never get fed
up of the sweet, thick
chocolate liquid curving
over my tongue and
slipping down my throat,
warming me up and making
me happy. It is delicious.’
Mr Walker

Geographers
John Ruskin Geographers have been invited by Kirkbie Kendal Geography department to a talk being given by
Peter Gibb (BBC Weatherman). Peter has spoken at KKS previously on the topic of Global Warming and was very
enthusiastically received. We hope that the evening time will allow both students, parents and other enthusiasts
to be able to attend. As this is an evening event I hope students can make their own way there and of course
parents are welcome to stay (approx 1 hour). I will send a reminder out nearer the time, this will be of particular
interest to the Year 9 students who have chosen Geography and both GCSE groups.
Guest Geography speaker:
Peter Gibbs – BBC Weather
Wednesday 17 th April 7pm at Kirkbie Kendal School
(Free of charge—doors open at 6.45pm)
Mrs Hodgson
Year 9 Geography Fieldtrip
The whole of Year 9 ventured onto Hampsfell
above Grange over Sands for a day to collect
primary data and study the limestone pavement as
part of the unit – Limestone Landscapes.
Despite a bitterly cold wind it remained dry and a
very successful and enjoyable day was had by all.
Year 11 Geographers visited the Ruskin Museum
to view the new extension in anticipation of the
Bluebird returning. The visit is part of the “Our
Place“ topic currently being studied and the
changes to Coniston in the future.
Year 9 students collecting primary data on
the limestone pavement – Hampsfell.
Mrs Hodgson
Mrs Hodgson

Year 11 Geography Fieldtrips
Year 11 Geographers have been busy this term completing Geography Controlled Assessment work
studing the oppurtunities to “Buy Local “within Coniston.
Students interviewed shoppers and businesses in Coniston on a very wet day, many thanks for everyones
co-operation, it was very much appreciated by the students for their primary data collection.
Katy Griffiths interviewing a local business
Johnny Hodder interviewing a shopper in Coniston Village
Year 11 also visited
Coniston Brewery for an
explanation of the
brewing process and
also the marketing and
retail of the finished
product!
Jessica Arnold investigated the by-products of the brewing process
which is used as cattle feed by a local farmer which is very sustainable.
Year 11 Geographers also visited the Honest shop,
Coniston, to investigate how it works and how sustainable it is.
The final Year 11 field trip was to Yew Tree Farm just outside Coniston for a farm walk with Mrs Watson.
Mrs Watson explained how their Herdwick sheep and Galloway cows made the best use
of the Lakeland fells and how they produced meat sustainably.
The farm butchers shop retails from the farm, locally and also through the internet.
Two of the finished pieces of work for the Geography
GCSE Controlled Assessment. Students also produced
their finished work as Power Point presentations.
Mrs Hodgson

United Kingdom
Mathematics Team Challenge 2013
Last year John Ruskin School entered the Team
Maths Challenge for the first time, and ended a
creditable 7 th out of 11 teams – a respectable result
considering we were the smallest school there.
This year we returned with a really strong team,
Niall Cameron and Ella Clarke from Year 9, and Beth
Wickens and Jessica Parkinson from Year 8. There
were 6 local schools there, down on last year, but
all of them bigger than us again.
The competition is made up of 4 rounds of 45
minutes, with students working against the clock,
sometimes as a team, sometimes in pairs. After the
first two rounds, we were already third, but a big
effort in the final two rounds saw us finish in second
place. Only Ulverston beat us, and this with a team
which had gone to the national finals in London for
the last two years! This represents a massive
achievement for our team, who punched well above
their weight, and did John Ruskin School proud.
Well done to Niall, Ella, Beth, and Jessica, and I look
forward to next year already!
Intermediate Maths Challenge 2013
On February 7 th , 14 students pitted their
mathematical wits against the nation’s best
maths students in the Intermediate Maths
Challenge, 2013.
This year we had some excellent performances
from Year 9 students in particular – very
impressive as they are up against the boffy
brilliance of students almost at the end of their
maths GCSE.
Jessica Arnold won a silver award, to add to her
collection, and also won the award for best in
school, with Andrew Vickers, Niall Cameron,
(both also previous winners) and Alex Scott-
Wise, achieving a bronze.
Congratulations to them all, and to all the
students prepared to give up a lesson (in the
case of Year 11, a PE lesson!) to exercise their
mathematical brains.
And in May we do it all over again with the
Junior Challenge. JRS expects!
The team are pictured here in the morning rounds.
Alex Scott-Wise
Jessica Arnold, Niall Cameron, Andrew Vickers
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Return to school after Easter holidays:
Monday 15th April 2013
Year 11 Prom
Friday 24 May 2013
Mr Murray

Magistrates' Court Mock Trial Competition
The heat was on Friday 8 th March at Kendal Magistrates' Court.
13 students from Year 9 took part in the Magistrates' Court Mock
Trial Competition as part of a project to develop legal education
with the Citizenship Foundation. All the students performed well
and enjoyed the experience.
Ella Clarke was awarded most ‘Outstanding Pupil’ and won
herself a book token.
The team: Niall Cameron, Ella Clarke, Georgia Howard, Sophie
Taylor, Josh Lamb-Woods, Bradley Smith, John Barr, Kaysey
O'Malley, Brendan Turner, Myles Hennelly, Jack Yoxall, James
Brewin and Jack Edmondson.
Le Fantastique Maître Renard
35 students from Year 7 and Year 8
participated in the French production of
an abridged version of Roald Dahl’s
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. For 3 months they
all worked very hard during lunchtime
rehearsals. It was a real challenge for
them to remember all the words, but
especially to get the pronunciation
right!
It was worth all the effort as the result
was ‘fantastique’!
They gave a brilliant performance on
the 2 nights and it was great to see
them all acting and speaking with such
confidence.
Bien fait à tous!
Mme Becquet
Mr Delph

COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL
Do you like comics—
superheros—
Manga—
Graphic novels
Do you like to draw
Then this festival is for you.....
The first Lakes International Comic Art
Festival will take over Kendal for one whole
weekend in October and JRS students can
become part of this exciting event now!
The festival celebrates the extraordinary
medium of comic art—from cartoon strips to
superhero comics and manga to non-fiction
graphic novels. The festival will feature some
of the best artists, writers and creators from
across the globe.
Photographs of
decorated spaces on
World Book Day
Comic Art Competition:
You will need to produce an original piece of
comic art using a minimum of 4 panels and a
maximum of 20 panels. Your work needs to
be able to be submitted electronically as a
jpeg (photographed/scanned or electronically
produced and the closing date is 1st October
2013
More details after Easter!
Mrs Emmett

French Weekend Experience
Some Year 9,10 & 11 students were given the opportunity to
immerse themselves into the French language without going abroad!
They stayed overnight at Low Bank Ground O.E. Centre in Coniston,
where they spoke and listened to the French language through
activities in the outdoors. They also watched a French film in the
evening and afterwards did a quiz and tasks surrounding the film.
Here are a few comments the pupils made about their experience.
‘I enjoyed the orienteering because it was a fun activity and because
the puzzles were difficult and a challenge’.
‘The quiz about the film was great because it gave us all the chance
to be competitive whilst thinking in French’.
‘I feel that I have improved the most in listening and speaking
because it has helped me think quicker about what things mean’.
‘I have improved my reading and listening because of the film and all
the instructions during the weekend were given in French.’
‘The self led walk in the woods gave me a chance to enhance and
further my reading skills, on top of that it helped my speaking’
‘I feel I have improved in speaking, especially the pronunciation of
accents and words.’
‘I really enjoyed the self led walk because it allowed us to work with
students who are older than us and it also gave us the opportunity
and independence to lead ourselves without a teacher.’
‘I have definitely improved on my speaking since the trip because of
having two days with everyone around you speaking French makes
you listen more and improve on your accent.’
‘I enjoyed the computer session where we were making the board
games for everyone to play afterwards.’
Mme Becquet
Année 9 (BT) a preparé des crêpes!
Before going into the catering room
to make the pancakes, we spend a
lesson learning all the French words
for the different ingredients and
utensils we were going to use. We
also practised the expressions used
to give each other instructions on
what to do whilst preparing the
pancakes.
Once in the kitchen several students
showed off their skills at ‘faire sauter
les crêpes’ (throwing pancakes…up in
the air!).
We had ‘du Nutella, du sucre,
du citron, de la confiture, du sirop’ as
toppings and the result was
‘absolument délicieux’!
Mme Becquet

THE ARTS
DEBRIS DIVE
On Saturday 2 nd March 6 JRS students attended ‘Debris
Dive’, an event at Bowness on Windermere which saw
over 300 divers cleaning up the bed of the lake.
SPRING CONCERT
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Students are working hard towards the
Spring Concert at the end of term.
Debris Dive is a project led by diver,
explorer and TV presenter Paul Rose
(visit his website to learn more about his work).
By drawing attention to the rubbish dumped in
Windermere, Paul hopes to raise greater awareness of
the much bigger problem out in our oceans. "The
amount of debris entering our seas is so vast that it’s
practically immeasurable. And as our oceans are the
largest, least understood and least protected ecosystem
on the planet, it can be difficult to grasp the problem’’.
It will involve over 60 students and
will cover a range of musical genres
from folk to jazz and classical to
popular music.
Many thanks to the peripatetic staff
who have worked hard to hone the
students skills.
Our next event will be a Summer
Ceilidh on Friday 12th July and will
involve staff and students joining
together to form the JRS Ceilidh Band.
The evening will be an informal get
together including music and country
dancing with a light supper and
refreshments.
Our students have been working during their lunch
hours with Hannah Houghton from Inspira on the ‘Re
Junk It’ project, planning how they can transform some
of the rubbish brought up by the divers in to sculptures.
Their work will be exhibited at Wray Castle in the
summer. Greg Dzinora, Ellie Hughes, Molly Southward,
Danielle Adams, Josh Airey and Myles Hennelly spent
their time meeting Paul, watching the dive, getting
ideas for sculptures from some of the items brought out
and recreating their junk diver, who was built from
debris hauled out from Windermere in 2012.
Most of the students are also members of the JRS eco
committee so it was an ideal opportunity to get
involved.
Mrs Walton

As part of the JRS
project with the
London based Rambert
group, 4 students met
Mark Baldwin, the
Company’s Director, in
February.
The dancers had a
contemporary
workshop with
exercises in session 1
and a choreographic
workshop in session 2.
In session 2 students
learnt ideas based
upon ‘The Rite of
Spring’, originally
choreographed by
NIJINSKY in 1913 for
BALLET RUSSES.
THE ARTS
Rambert Dance Company Event
Chloe Rowe, Alice Van Heeswijk, Ioanna Stergiaki, Amy Hambly
Some comments
from the dancers on the workshop:
The Rite of Spring is a
musical-choreographic
masterpiece. It
represents pagan times
and is said to embody
the mystery and
creative powers of the
coming of Spring.
When it was first
performed the music
was jarring on the ear
and the moves were
quite extreme as was
the mood. It was
unusual and caused a
stir. In the theatre
there was a near riot at
the first performance.
The dancing was
exciting and dramatic
piece based on the
original. Themes of
Spring and themes
from the music were
studied.
Chloe Rowe
In the morning we did some really beneficial warm ups.
Based on all of our body not just one area. We worked
at a fast pace as if we were part of the team. I liked
this because it made me feel a strong dancer.
We repeated things numerous times until we
understood what we were doing. I found the travelling
across the floor quite difficult but maybe if we had an
extra quarter of an hour maybe I would have
understood it better.
Throughout the day the dancer gave us cues to make
things smooth and allowed us to get more done.
She gave us things like—work from your core—be
passionate—keep your focus.
Why I enjoyed doing it
I thought it was a good challenge and in the long run
will help me improve as a dancer. Also working with
someone as well known as Mark Baldwin the comapny’s
director.
Ioanna Stergiaki
My favourite part was the warm ups because we don’t
get a lot of time on them at school due to short 50
minutes of lessons.
The most difficult bit was when we had to learn dances
quickly and then perform them facing a different side of
the room.
Amy Hambly
Tips for dance:
Use core to stand straight (core—centre of body)
Always look straight ahea. Keep focus.
Keep back straight when doing a plié.
Tense muscles to make moves flow better.
Having inner dialogue, memory cues to help us
remember dance moves, i.e. Talk to self when
performing.
Holding position at end of dances and staying in
the role.
Always work—don’t stop and watch.
Use all time.
Alice Van Heeswijk
The Rite of Spring by the ballet Russes in 1913
At the moment Mark Baldwin is teaching the Rambert
School this dance. We learned an extract of this dance
on 26 February. The dance is based on the coming of
spring and pagan rituals. The dance captures the energy
that you would have if you were fighting for your life,
with jumps, turns and powerful movements.
I really enjoyed this day and found it very challenging.
The hardest part for me was learning to choreograph so
fast and then having to perform it, but you got the hang
of it.
It is a really fast pace and pitch.
Miss Sharp

THE ARTS
Manchester Arts Trip December 2012
Wow! ‘First Cut’ exhibition at Manchester Arts Gallery and Wow again at Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Rat’s Tales’ at
The Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester.
Students at the Theatre witnessed many devices.
Walking along a string to symbolise a cliff edge.
Characters facing each other to show looking in a mirror.
Flashbacks and freeze frames (adults frozen in pain whilst
children stolen by Pied Piper).
Quick role changes by actors.
Slow motion used for domestic violence scene.
Cloth used to symbolise river.
Farmers hoe used to symbolise horse’s head.
Random shouting to set a scene.
‘Rat’s Tales’ included live music, animation, puppetry and acting. It
used folk tales to chart the sometimes painful journey from child to
adult.
‘First Cut’ was an exhibition which included paper sculptures based
Quote from students:
“I loved the
water scene. I
will come on
every arts
trip”. Lucas.
“The space and
use of props at
The Royal
Exchange Theatre
was simple and
effective. It all
was superb”.
Frankie.
“I loved the
use of simple
props to
create great
effect”. India.
“The best bit for
me was stunning
lighting,
especially the
fire”. Beth.

THE ARTS
‘Ace of Arts’
Expressive Arts Evening 2013
Quotes from the audience:
“Having attended this for several years now I think the standard of acting, dancing, production,
lighting and variety of acts appearing marks this the best year EVER!
So much work has obviously gone into this.....”
“Brilliant as
always.
Can’t wait until
next year!!”
“This year was
amazing! The
young ones
looked so
happy, made
me smile! Well
done everyone!”
“Many thanks
for a wonderful
concert and all
your help in
doing so.”
“Fantastic Mr
Fox was
Fantastique!”
“Brilliant, you
should be proud
of ALL the
children.”

SPORTS PAGE
Girls’ Football Club
From September until October and January
to March we have had coaching from a
visiting coach. Different girls have
attended the Autumn and Spring sessions.
Skills have included, dribbling, passing,
shooting, reaction time and small games.
Well done to all.
REGIONAL AND COUNTY
EXPERIENCE AND HONOURS
Zak Robinson, David Snell and James Armitstead took
trials for County rugby.
Ellie Meredith, Katy Griffiths and Kathy Hadwin took
trials and were selected for The South Lakes Netball
squad.
Lucy Coppard has been selected for next year’s County
squad for football. She has played for the Year 10
squad already this year.
Oscar Meanwell, Joe Edmondson and Jamie Gillies ran
for the South Lakes Cross Country squad.
Oscar was selected as reserve for the Cumbria County
Squad.
Well Done!
CROSS COUNTRY YEAR 7
On a wintery March morning Year 7 enjoyed a run in the beautiful Coniston area. Students ran to
Coniston Hall ably led by Joe Edmondson and Leah and Robert Albion who eventually came 1st, 2nd
and 3rd overall.
Joe Edmondson has also had great success running for school and the South Lakes and he won the
County competition. This means Joe is Year 7 Cross-Country County Champion.
WELL DONE.
Miss Sharp