April 2007
Welcome to our April newsletter!
EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS
London Marathon - April 22nd
You will have read in the last newsletter that Guy Miller, ex-pupil of Moor House School and a member of Wimborne Athletics Club, was to run in the London Marathon on our behalf. Guy bravely finished the course despite twisting his knee at the 17 mile mark, causing him to hobble the last 9 miles; he never gave up and finished in 5 hours and 40 minutes. Although Guy has already received generous sponsorship from many kind people, he is hoping for further donations to boost his donation to £2,000. You can still sponsor him by clicking here.
Air-conditioning
You will be pleased to learn that air conditioning units have been installed into several classrooms; this is already proving to be of great benefit, thanks to the current heatwave!
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Students working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award took part in a practice 'sleep-over' on the weekend of 27th April, where they enjoyed sleeping under the stars in tents in the grounds of Moor House School. They were lucky enough to enjoy wonderfully warm, dry weather - let's hope that it will be equally kind for the final session on 9th and 10th of June!
KS3 History Visit to the Tower of London
Miss Carroll writes:
"On 17 April all Key Stage 3 students and staff set off for the Tower of London as part of their history curriculum. The students had been studying Tudor and Stuart Britain since the beginning of the year and the visit provided an opportunity to finish off the study unit and witness for themselves the place where many of the historical figures from that period had invariably ended up!
The students took part in two workshops lead by "characters" from the time. The first was on the life on Ann Boleyn which told of how the Tower formed a back drop for her marriage to Henry VIII and ended with her being taken to the Scaffold Site where she and Catherine of Howard were executed. The second workshop focused on trial, punishments and executions at the Tower. The students were able to see where the prisoners were kept, sometimes in relative luxury if they were important. The different types of punishments were discussed and tales told of different attempts made at escape by some of the prisoners. One tells of a prisoner who jumped from the Middle Tower but landed on his head which was pushed inside of his body, so much so that the guards were not able to recognise him!
The day ended with the students being able to walk around the grounds and the opportunity to see the Crown Jewels and an exhibition of the weapons used over the years at the Tower. Staff and students had a great day but were nevertheless pleased to have made their escape from the Tower!"
Click here for photos
Residential Visit to Hindleap Warren Activity Centre
Mr Mayes writes:
"From Monday April 23rd to Friday April 27th our Year 9 pupils took part in a week of activities based at Hindleap Warren, a centre deep in the heart of Ashdown Forest. They were accompanied by members of staff: Rob Mayes, Liz Nimmo, Dawn Carter (Mon-Wed) and Judy Hobson, Gail Turner, Shirley Vinton (Wed-Fri). Matt Crowhurst had the stamina and survival instinct to last the whole week and some members of staff visited us for the day.
We went a little later this year and the resulting weather conditions (unseasonably dry and warm) were a pleasant change for those of us who are Hindleap veterans. There was still plenty of mud about (it wouldn't be Hindleap without it) and, when a particular obstacle course hadn't sufficient of the black, sticky stuff, a hosepipe was provided!
The children were faced with some very challenging activities during the course of the week. Many of these were physically demanding - climbing trees / walls, negotiating obstacle courses, archery and walking through large tracts of the forest. The "forest adventure" included following the course of a stream, which in turn involved going through a number of tunnels (invariably wet and muddy) and wading through a section of the waterway! There were, additionally, a number of tasks that were mentally taxing: map reading and orienteering, working as a team to solve problems posed by the instructors etc. The children also learnt a great deal about the flora and fauna of the forest and sustainable development.
The response of the children to these challenges was very impressive and they were complimented on many occasions by the Hindleap staff as to their spirited approach and determination. A week of fresh air and exercise fostered healthy appetites and our students were often first in the queue for 'second helpings' of the very good food that was on offer.
It was an excellent week in which the children learnt a great deal - in particular how to work together and how to overcome fears. They came back very tired but with a real sense of achievement. As to the staff, they were relieved to come back in one piece!"
- some fantastic photos have been taken by Mr Crowhurst - these should appear on the website within the next 2 weeks, so keep looking!
St George's Day - 23rd April
Our students celebrated St George's Day by watching the Cross of St George being raised up the flagpole and by enjoying traditional English food: a full English breakfast, a ploughmans lunch and a fish and chip supper!
Key Stage 4 Options Day - April 16th
Year 9 students and their parents attended a 'Key Stage 4 Options Day' on April 16th. This event is designed to provide students with information about which subjects, apart from those that are compulsory, would be on offer in the Key Stage 4 curriculum. Students and parents were able to met with specialist option teachers and discuss courses, qualifications and assessment criteria for each of the subjects. Although it may not be possible to provide students with all of their option choices, a great deal of effort goes into designing a timetable that meets the individual needs of all students. Students are able to choose from a range of subjects - academic, practical and vocational.
The day itself was very successful and there was a good deal of positive feedback, with some suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of future events.
Assemblies
Many of our students are keen to give presentations at assemblies to illustrate their own particular interest or hobby. Recently, Sarah Lyons, of 3R, gave an excellent talk on the life and times of Ann Frank.
On Wednesday 25th April, 3R presented the morning assembly to the whole school. They had been reading "The Silver Sword" by Ian Serraillier and had enjoyed it so much that they wanted to share it with others and encourage them to read it too. Bradley Gill used his very good IT skills to make a Power Point presentation, complete with sound effects, which was playing in the background as the assembly progressed. Everyone wrote a character study as an introduction followed by an enactment of one of the most amusing chapters in the book which was narrated by Sarah Lyons and Hong Yin Chan. Thomas Barnard had the leading role of a highly excitable chimpanzee that had learned to smoke cigarettes, which amused everyone.
Despite being nervous and having the added pressure of having the Chairman of Tandridge Council and his wife as well as the Chairperson of the School Trustees join the audience, the children performed very well and enjoyed watching a video recording of their performance afterwards.
Forthcoming Events!!
Moor House School's Diamond Jubilee
Our students will be attending a local streetparty, on 24th July, for which they will be dressing up in 'period costume' from the 40s to the present time. In due course we will inform you which decade your child will be representing! However, in the meantime, it would be very much appreciated if you could donate any "retro" clothing to us for the event (to fit students and/or staff!!).
Summer Fete:
We still desperately need volunteers to help man our stalls! Also, it would be greatly appreciated if you could spare the time to bake a cake or two for our very popular cakes and home-made produce stall, which always has large queues; you can be sure that your cake(s) will be sold and then enjoyed! Home-made jams, marmalades and chutneys are also snapped up very quickly, so please try to help us if you can! We would also like to introduce some home-grown vegetables this year, too, so if any of you keen gardeners can help to swell the stock, we would be delighted to sell it. Please note that all cakes and perishable goods should be brought in on the day and handed in direct to the cakes stall - if anyone has any problems, simply locate either Diane Lofts or Corinne Howes, who will be pleased to help.
Thank you to those of you who have already generously contributed, for which we are extremely grateful; please don't feel under pressure to make any more donations, even though we would never say no!!
Mufti Day - Monday, 21st May
We are holding a mufti (non-uniform) day on Monday, 21st May. Students may wear their own clothes on this day in exchange for the donation of a bottle for our Tombola stall. We would be delighted to receive bottles containing most kinds of ingredients, both edible and non-edible and alcoholic or non-alcoholic, as long as they are suitable for prizes and are unopened. Please note that if you are donating an alcoholic drink, it should be handed in to a member of staff when your child returns to school.
Hilary Dobbie, Principal