Easter 2013 - Millthorpe School York

THESPRING 2013Dear Parent/CarerIt is now two years since I took up the post as Headteacher of Millthorpe School. Every time I look at whatour young people and teachers are achieving I am very proud to lead them. Raising money for charityremains a strength of the school, and both Red Nose Day and our Wear Red Day raised a lot of money forworthwhile causes. I was particularly pleased that the students from our House Committee took on a largepart of the planning for Red Nose Day. It was also humbling to meet Marilyn Higgins (pictured below) toreceive two defibrillators funded by her charity and the British Heart Foundation. Inside you can read aboutour Sports success, our maths stars, our Youth Council participation and much much more. I wish you all ahappy and restful Easter, but can't stop myself reminding the Year 11 students to make a good start on theirrevision for the summer exams! I know how hard they (and their teachers) have worked this year, but theymust not let up as they approach the final few weeks of lessons.Trevor BurtonHeadteacherHeadteacher Trevor Burton, Office Manager and First Aider Jen Deamer and students Lewis Rennison,Bethan Law and Rowan Cooper receive defibrillators from Marilyn Higgins, Higgo’s 13-a-Side RugbyFoundation and Phil McMahon, British Heart Foundation York Branch Vice-Chair. Full story on page 3.

RED NOSE DAYFriday 15 March saw the arrival of the RedNose ‘Dinosesaurs’, as staff and studentstook part in various activities to raisemoney for Comic Relief. After fiercecompetition Rhiannon Robin won the FreeThrow Competition and Morgan Copleywon the Penalty Shootout. An amazing 23students correctly guessed the number ofsweets eaten by our hungry teachers withEleanor Hebblethwaite being drawn as thewinner. The main hall was filled with cakestalls and competitions. Two brave Year11’s (Tom Stubbs and Brad Wood) evenvolunteered to have their legs waxed bypaying students. Students and staff raised atotal of £1296 for Comic Relief.

FRIENDS OF MILLTHORPE QUIZ170 people came to the second Friends of Millthorpe QuizNight, with teams of parents, staff and governors. It was a greatnight out. The quiz master, Graham Law, had devised a varietyof questions, including a film round (courtesy of MrDavies and Mrs Sladen) and bonus questions from Paul Hudsonand Harry Gration (BBC) and Berwick Kaler. Competition wasfierce and the results were close, but in the end, the team fromthe Maths department won, and went off delighted with their prizes, donated by Lalquilla, Fisherman’s Wife,Pig and Pastry and Trinacria. We allenjoyed the quality of the soundsystem (bought with funds raised lastyear), and many of us tested the twobarrels of excellent beer donated byJohn Farrow. Nearly £1400 was raisedand this will be spent on variousitems to improve pupils’ experienceat school. The Friends would love toorganise more events, including asecond Summer Fair in July. Get intouch if you’d like to get involvedcontact pta@millthorpeschool.co.uk.Let’s work together to help ourschool!GERMAN EXCHANGEThe German Exchange was a very enjoyable andexciting experience. The German students arrivedon Tuesday and after a short talk from theteachers and much munching of biscuits, theycame home with us. The first night, for mostpeople, was an introduction to the family,watching films and playing games. The Germanstudents were very kind and brought us presents(at the suggestion of their teachers?) My exchangepartner Anneke brought these wonderfulhandmade pots (crafted by a potter’s shop that’sbeen in her town for 200 years) for me and myfamily. On Wednesday they came into lessons 2and 3 and then spent the afternoon in town. OnThursday we went to The Deep which was reallyenjoyable and everyone had a good time. Theyspent the whole day in town on Friday. On the wayback we kept singing (lead magnificently by Azia)and annoyed everyone, especially Mr Walton. Itwas really funny! We had the evenings free, whichwe spent going swimming, watching the schoolconcert and going into town. At the weekend mostpeople went to the coast or Waterworld. We wentto the cinema and around York’s attractions andon Sunday night we all met up for a game or twoof bowling, before they went back the followingmorning, at 6.15 am!I can’t wait till we go over to Germany!Emma Lamb 9CRF

GARDENING ANDALLOTMENT CLUBFollowing the winter season, the Gardening andAllotment Club has been relaunched. This is areally exciting time for the club, as we have beenlucky enough to be supplied with a polytunnelfrom York Get Growing to allow us to grow allyear round.With help from parent volunteers, we have beenable to successfully register for the RHS SchoolsGardening Benchmark Level 1 Certificate andwe’re hoping to be able to achieve Level 2 by theend of the year. This year we hope to make fulluse of the B Block quadrangle by planting herbsand flowers to brighten the area. We also intendto make full use of the allotment spaces in theschool for growing vegetables and fruits.The gardening club provides an excellentopportunity to do something different on a lunchtime, learn some new hands-on skills and socialisewith other members of the club. We alwayswelcome new members from across the KeyStages, so if you’re interested, see the postersaround school or see Mr Boydell in the GeographyDepartment.Millthorpe SchoolAllotment &Gardening ClubWhen: Tuesday lunch timeat 12.30Where: B Block QuadWellies and gloves will beprovidedWEAR RED DAYOn 15 February Millthorpe held a ‘Wear Red’ dayin support of the life saving work of theChildren’s Heart Surgery Unit in Leeds GeneralInfirmary. During the week leading up to this dayrepresentatives from the school council devisedand delivered an assembly on what the Unit does,how vital their work is and what our plans were forthe day. The reps were very brave in standing up infront of whole year groups every morning for aweek, well done to them! Leeds Heart Surgery Unitperforms life-saving operations every day, andmany of Millthorpe’s staff and students havedirectly benefitted from their work and would notbe here today without it, so it is a cause that isclose to a lot of us.On the day, we asked staff and students to wearan item of red clothing. We sold Valentine cardswhich were hand delivered to students, we had abake sale of heart-themed cakes and biscuitskindly donated by pupils and staff, love songrequests over lunchtime, a nail bar where staff andstudents could have their nails painted red, redballoons and a raffle.We raised a whopping £952.58 which will godirect to the Unit. The day could not have goneahead without the commitment and enthusiasm ofour student council. They are a credit tothemselves and the school and worked tirelessly tomake the day a success. Extremely well done tothem!Miss Oxberry

RUGBY NEWSMillthorpe rugby teams werefortunate enough to get a close up lookat the Super League Trophy currentlyheld by Leeds Rhinos. The boys werecompeting in a 9-a-side competition atYork Acorn. Leeds Rhinos developmentmanager was present and brought thetrophy along.On the field of play it was mixedfortunes for the 2 sides. The Year 10boys showed a great deal of heart intheir 4 matches. They played someoutstanding attacking rugby scoringseveral tries but struggled in defenceand couldn’t keep the opposition fromout-scoring them.The Year 8 team continued theirfantastic season with 4 out of 5 wins intheir competition losing only to YorkHigh school. The boys have nowqualified to represent York and Districtin the next round.MOUNTAIN BIKING CLUBFollowing on from the great success of last year’s club, after Easter the club will reformagain with some school based warm-up sessions leading to a range of evenings out.Look out for notes on the bulletin and sign up sheets after Easter to sign up for this club.PUPIL VOICEAND SPORTSCOUNCIL GROUPThe PE department has beenbusy gathering informationabout the sports that studentsare interested in. This exercisewas done with the aim ofhelping the department to planlessons and extra-curricularsport over the next few years.Armed with the knowledge ofwhat students prefer we hopeto make more informeddecisions about what we planin PE in future!Following on from this summerterm will be the creation of asmall working group called TheSports Council Group (SCG).The aim of this group will be towork in partnership with thedepartment to give feedbackand advice from students’perspective.

YEAR 11 POLAND TRIPIn February half term Mrs Papprill, Miss Parr, MissTaylorson and Mr Baybutt took 32 Year 11students to Poland where this year the weatherwas actually above freezing and not as cold as hereat home. The theme of the trip is mainly to visitAuschwitz and Birkenau, the former concentrationcamp sites, but also to get a flavour of Poland.On our first day in Krakow we visited theunderground salt mines where after going downnearly 1000 steps we entered the mine to discoverfloors, walls and ceilings all of salt; including anamazing auditorium and indeed church. Most ofthe students also took up the invitation to lick thesaid walls etc and were surprised to discover theytasted of ..... you guessed it, SALT! We then spentthe rest of the day touring the snow-covered cityof Krakow where we also encountered its famousfire breathing dragon.Day two was spent at the site of the concentrationcamps which can be quite harrowing and indeeddid move a lot of the students to tears. Afterwardsthough all agreed it was a totally worthwhileexperience and something they felt could never beportrayed in words alone. To lighten the moodthat evening we were entertained in a localrestaurant by traditional Polish dancing and songwhilst eating some fabulous local fayre. MrBaybutt’s moves on the dance-floor a joy for all.Day three was spent at Schindler’s factory and theJewish quarter where many historic sites wereseen and the pupils recognised where scenes fromthe film Schindler’s List were filmed. We finishedoff the trip with a visit to an enormous water parkwhere there really was something for everyoneand thankfully Mrs Papprill didn’t get stuck in theflume this year - don’t ask! A truly fabulous andeducational trip for all who went; supporting boththe work done in RE, Citizenship and History atGCSE level. Once again our students stood outwith excellent behaviour from the time we leftYork until the moment we returned and were acredit to themselves, the school and you, theirparents. The trip will be going again next year forthe current Year 10 students during February halfterm and, should your child wish to go, aletter is available from reception with furtherdetails.

YOUTH COUNCIL CONFERENCERepresentatives from eight different schools around Yorkattended the annual Youth Council conference wheredifferent organisations talked to young people about issuessuch as debt and homelessness. The students heard from theDirector of York City Council, police, the Lord Mayor and(last but not least) Harry Gration from Look North. Thestudents got a lot out of the day and have brought back ideason how to improve the school’s house system, how we canraise more for charity and also ideas about how theCouncil are backing young people's issues in York.VIKING HOUSE PRIZE DRAWThe end of the Autumn Term saw the inaugural Prize Draw for our first batch of Vikings of the Week. Vikingsof the Week were chosen across the term for different reasons; some for displaying positive behaviour inlessons, some for achievements elsewhere in school and some students were nominated by their form tutor!Maisie Wilson in Year 10 celebrated by taking the Top Prize of a £40 high street voucher. Viking House wouldlike to congratulate all of the term’s Vikings of the Week for their contribution to the school. We hope torepeat the event for more recent Vikings of the Week before the end of the year!

Facilities for hireWe have some excellent facilities for hire, all at competitive ratesFacilityMon - FriPer hourSat / SunPer half dayMain Hall £30 £140Sports Hall £30* £140*Gymnasium £25* £110*Drama Hall £25 £110Library £20 £100Dining Hall £20 £100Classroom (includes IT facilities) £15Sports FieldTennis/Netball CourtsOur outdoor sports facilities are also availableduring school holidays. Please ask for more details.* Includes VAT, booking of 10 or more consecutive sessions are VAT exempt.Click here for more informationEmail: lettings@millthorpeschool.co.ukPAIRED READINGThree times a week, betweenhalf eight and nine, there’s anearly morning buzz in thelibrary. Up to thirty Year 10 andYear 7 students meet up andstart their day with a shorttime of concentrated reading.The pairs work together andthe Year 7s enjoy having theirYear 10 buddies tomentor them. This is anintervention which is alreadymaking a big impact on theprogress of the students in alllessons across the curriculumand is, of course, a worthwhilevolunteering activity for theYear 10 students. In its thirdmonth, students are used togetting their registration markin the library and also receivingtheir daily positives from MsHeaton and Mrs Clark. Inaddition a regular “baconbutty” session (reading whileeating!) workswell as a reward activity forstudents who are putting theirlearning (or the learning oftheir peers) first. Plans for anexciting competition areunderway too. Any year 10students who missed therecruitment drive and wouldlike to get involved , please calland see Mrs Griffiths or askyour form tutor to pass on yourname and I’ll come and findyou.Mrs Griffiths

ATTENDANCE REWARDSCongratulations to almost 550 students across allour Houses who have qualified for AttendanceAwards this Easter. They have had 95% and aboveattendance since September 2012, with just over100 actually on 100%, a great achievement! TheseTheir names will also be displayed on their HouseRoll of Honour for excellent attendance. However,students who have not achieved 95% this timeneed not despair. We appreciate that there aregenuine reasons for students to be absent fromschool. Therefore, we are giving all students theopportunity to earn 25 extra ‘positives’ and bestudents were commended in our HouseAttendance Assemblies last week and have allreceived a ‘Golden Ticket’ letter of congratulation,25 extra ‘positives’ towards their House point totaland entry into our Easter Attendance Prize Draw.By the time you read this, 3 students in eachtutor group will have been drawn outand received their prizes of Easter eggs.included in the attendance prize draw and HouseRoll of Honour if their attendance during thesummer term is 95% or more.We look forward to even more students beingrewarded for their excellent attendance at the endof the Summer Term.MATHS SHINING STARSEvery year the school participates in MathsChallenges run by Leeds University for Years 7 to11. This year two of our pupils have out-performedthousands of other pupils across Britain andqualified for the next level – the Pink Kangaroo!Pupils have to be invited to take part in this andboth Anna Ward (Year 11) and Mabel Goulden(Year 10) are currently awaiting their results fromthis prestigious challenge. Good luck girls; the prideof Millthorpe is on your shoulders!

MIDDAY SUPERVISORSWe are looking to recruit enthusiastic andcommitted individuals to join our team ofMidday Supervisory Assistants. Successfulapplicants will be required to supervisestudents aged 11 to 16 to ensure they canexperience a safe and enjoyableenvironment during their lunch break. Theposts will attract the living wage of £7.45per hour.Please click here for more information.FOR YOUR DIARYSUMMER TERM 2013Term BeginsHalf TermTerm EndsParent ForumBank HolidayMonday 15 AprilW/B Monday 27 MayFriday 19 JulyWednesday 19 JuneMonday 6 MayPARENTS’ EVENINGSYear 8Year 10Tuesday 23 AprilThursday 9 MayCHESS COMPETITIONThis term saw the first chesscompetition. All Houses whererepresented but Saxons cameaway with the most points. Theoverall winner was also aSaxon; Will Jennings8CXG. In the Summerterm there will bethe first chess league.Get training overEaster!CARLTON LODGERESIDENTIAL15 – 18 July 2013Open to all students in Year 9An opportunity to take part in adventurousactivities such as climbing, abseiling, gorge walkingand high ropes course.Click here for more information.