Newsletter February 2012

If you know of anything happening in and around our school community, let us know, or if you have any comments about the newsletter email: [email protected]

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FEBRUARY 2012

Mock Results DayOur year 11 students had the chance to experience the highs and lows of receiving exam results recent ly. A l l year 11 students were presented wi th the mock exam grades in the same way they will receive their official GCSE results in the summer. In the past this simulation of the real thing has really helped students focus on their current working level

c o m p a r e d t o where they need to be.

During the m o r n i n g w e had tears of joy and tears of despair but the key message is that it’s not too late and each and every member of staff is on hand to help. As an added boost, our year 11 listened to our guest speaker, Richard McCann, shortly after receiving their results.

R i c h a r d w a s k e p t a surprise from the whole school even the staff, as he had a very special message to talk about and we did not want this to be diluted by people knowing who he was.

The message he gave was as powerful as we expected and certainly g a v e o u r y e a r 1 1 s t u d e n t s p l e n t y t o consider about the inner po ten t i a l t ha t ex i s t s within them all.

Revolution   Dance   Company   had   their  debut   performance   on   the   8th  December     in   the  C   rooms   in  Widnes.  They  performed   their   first  dance  piece  Black  Box  as  a  curtain  raiser  for  Cronton  Sixth  Form  college  show.  It  was  a  great  success   and   the   company   was   well  received   and   the   company   did   The  Heath   School   proud.   Watch   this   space  for  more  performances.

Printed  and  Animated  Christmas  cards  competition

Local   recruiting   consultants   DATS   approached   the   Heath   school   and   asked   if   a  competition  could  be  run  for  printed  and  animated  Christmas  card  designs.    The  ICT  department  ran  the  animated  Christmas  card  competition.    Students  were  taught  the  program  Flash  in  which  an  animated  card  can  be  created  and  published  ready  to  send  as  an  attachment  with  an  e-­‐mail.

The  art  department   ran  the  printed   card   competition  and   asked   students   to  design  their   ideas  on  paper.    After   many   entr ies,   3  animated   and   3   printed  designs   were   chosen   by   a  representative   from   DATS  and  prizes  were  awarded  on  the   15th   December   by   Mr  Steven   Nickson.     The  winning  entries  will  be  sent  to   DATS   employers   and  consultants  as  well  as  being  uploaded   to   the   DATS  website,  www.dats.co.uk.

Front row – Rebecca Downing 2nd place in animated card, Michael Moore 3rd place in printed card design. Back row – Kayleigh Woodcock 1st place in animated card, Mr Holleran, Sean Lewis 3rd place in animated card, Jessica E White 1st place in printed card, Stephen Nickson (DATS), Liz Taylor 2nd place in printed card.

PE has created a strong partnershipwith The Heath Business Park.The  GCSE  PE  class  have  had  the  opportunity  to  achieve  higher  fitness  practical  scores  by  using  the  specialised  equipment  and  staff   at  the  Heath  Business  Park  gym.  The  students  have  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  opportunity  to   go   to   the   gym   and   have   seen   a   marked  improvement  in  their  fitness  levels.  

The  Business  park  has  also  sponsored  the  PE  department,  enabling  them  to  buy  new  waterproof    jackets  for  their  Young  Leaders  and  sporting  teams.    See  below  the  Y.7  hockey  team  modelling  the  new  jackets.

A Helping Hand...Mrs Mullaney’s recent assemblies to pupils resulted in an

impromptu collection by pupils which has raised a massive £172.57 for the charity Row 2 Recovery which is linked to Help

for Heroes. Thanks very much to the pupils for their generosity.

Drama News‘Blood   Brothers’   at   the   Brindley  TheatreWilly   Russell’s   ‘Blood   Brothers’,   the   play   that  inspired  the  musical,   arrived   at   the  Brindley   this  January   and   95   GCSE   Drama  students   from   The  Heath  were  first   in   line  for   tickets!     Encore  and  Cody   Productions  put   on   a   great   amateur   show  that   depicted   the   tragic   tale   of   two   twins  with  some   fresh   ideas,   including   some   well   known  Beatles   tracks.     Students   are   now   busily  completing  written  assessments  that  involve  them  reviewing   the   show   and   analysing   the   various  elements  of  performance.  

Christmas  Show  sells  out  again!Our   Christmas  Show  was  once  again  a  great   sell  out   success   this   year.     The   evening   showcased  work   from   the   Art,   Drama,  M u s i c   a n d   D a n c e  departments   and   had   a  f e s t i v e   t h e m e   t h a t  welcomed   in   the   holidays,  but   also   celebrated   the  success   of   the   first   term.    The  show  was  hosted  by  our  Year   11   Drama  captains  and  involved   well   over   100  students.    We’d  like  to  thank  everyone   for   the   continued   support   and   look  forward  to  seeing  you  at  our  summer  show!

Year   11   Drama   showcase:  

Rehearsals  commence.Our   Year   11   GCSE   Drama   cohort   are   busily  devising   and   rehearsing   for   their   GCSE   Drama  exam,   which   is   scheduled   for   April   26th.     This  year’s  assignment  brief   is  ‘Everybody   has  a  story  that   has   to   be   told.’     Students   are   busy  interpreting/researching  materials  and  are  looking  forward  to  welcoming  their  examiner  to  the  show.    Invites  to  parents  and  guardians  will  be  sent   out  soon  and  we  may  even  see  some  of  the  exemplary  work  showcased  this  summer  at  the  Brindley.    We  wish  them  luck!

CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2011

ChristmasTHE HEATH SCHOOL

Mock Interview Days For Year 11 at the business park

Over the two days 18th & 19th January two hundred and ten students were able to apply for and interview for two different fictitious jobs.Companies such as Eddie Stobart, Virgin Trains, O2, Liverpool Women’s Hospital, DATS holdings, Weston school and many more gave up their time to come to the business park and interview our students through out the day and then present the "successful candidate" with their highly commended rosette .Mrs Newcombe provided vital and amusing interview training so that students went into their individual interviews with confidence and their heads held high.Evaluations from the interviewers were very positive regarding the day and the students responses during interview•! Very impressive, most students are well prepared and enthusiastic, hard to believe they are so young•! Great way to do interviews•! Loved the idea of the presentation of rosettes•! Students well prepared and in most cases their conduct was impressive•! Kids really engaged and good fun•! Rooms good and time slots right•! Most of the pupils came across as motivated and keen to learn from the experience•! Fab day, well organised and I have enjoyed meeting your students, they are a credit to your organisation•! Students are a credit to you, even those who were obviously very nervous or shy tried really hard and took the whole thing seriously. I really enjoyed the experienceStudents also evaluated the event very positively with many comments such as " Brilliant the best learn4life day ever" " It was amazing" " I really enjoyed the experience even though I was nervous".

English Creative Writing Club

The Creative Writing Club has had a very positive first term since it began. The pupils are enjoying being inventive with the topics they have chosen to write about. They enjoy the time they spend writing as well as discussing ideas amongst peers and friends.

BenefitsCreative writing can benefit you as a learner in many ways. For example, you will be having fun, but you are actually undertaking, at times, vigorous work as you use both thinking and English skills. Students are given the room to express themselves, develop ideas and, perhaps most importantly, write from the heart.

AdvantagesThe club allows pupils who are less confident to start developing their skills and gain confidence in the skills they have. It also allows the opportunity for pupils to get feedback on your work and illustrate for you that you have the freedom to explore ideas without the time constraints of a typical lesson.

Why creative writing...Creative writing can breathe life into reading and writing, providing lively opportunities for you to explore each area as you see fit. It is students exploring your imagination and your language. It is not uncontrolled ‘verbal doodling’. It requires accuracy in expression of vocabulary and, above all, a vivid imagination.

Below is an example of just one type of piece produced during a session linked to Remembrance Day:

War is raging all around.People fall but make no sound,Poppies grow where people dieAll of this makes me sigh.I play the keys on my piano;It makes me feel so sad.Why don’t we love?Why do we fight?Why don’t we trust?Why don’t they live? Hannah Littler, 8Y1

The number of members of the club is growing each week and, with poems like the one above being produced, it’s not hard to see why.

We hope to see many more of you there.

Mr Cochrane and Miss Mitchell

The Heath Sixth Form

As you all are now aware the Heath is forging on with it’s plans to open a 6th form facility for our students from September 2013. The feedback supporting the application has been overwhelming and it is clear that the information from our students, our parents and our business community is that the 6th form is desired and needed in our community. The reason we are working hard to succeed in this plan is that the demand for high quality post 16 provision is clearly evident and to offer a provision for Heath students and others in our community an A level centre, A STEM centre, A performing arts centre as well as a course tailored for Foundation learners is a fundamental aspect in our vision for where the Heath will be in 3 years. Please take a look at our web site and register your interest in the proposal as the more evidence we get from our students and families the harder it will be for Government to refuse us.

www.heathsixthform.org.uk

R Rogers Vice Principal

H6

Learn for Life STEM DAYSTechniquest & CatalystOn Wednesday 18th January all Year 7 pupils participated in a trip to Techniquest, Wrexham, North Wales and The Catalyst Museum, Widnes. The theme for the day was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the aim was to excite and engage young people about these subjects through demonstrations, workshops and interactive practical activities based on ‘Forces’ at Techniquest and an outstanding Science show at the Catalyst Museum.All Year 7’s were exceptionally well behaved and staff at both venues were complimentary on their manners and attitude. Well done Year 7 – we are so very proud of you!

Christmas  Poetry  CompetitionThe English department like to keep subject matter topical, using interesting stimulus to inspire students’ creative writing. For that reason Miss Thomas, (KS3 English Co-ordinator), entered the Heath into a national Christmas poetry competition. The competition was run by West Mercia Supplies, and the aim was for students to write original poems about anything relating to the festive Christmas period. Over one hundred and thirty students embraced the challenge and worked hard to write imaginative and entertaining poems. The entrants have been commended for their positive contributions.

The winners have been announced, by West Mercia Supplies, and I am proud to say that out of one thousand and sixty-six entries, nationwide, the Heath school won first place! The winning entry was written by Tara Dalton in year eight. Her poem portrays a heartfelt reality for many people at Christmas time. She gladly received the w inn ing p r i ze o f a f i f t y pound Waterstones voucher – she is a credit to the school and has been happily congratulated by her peers.

As a faculty we strive to give our students creative opportunities such as this to motivate, enthuse and engage.

Well done Tara!

The Heath - A Specialist Technology College Closure DatesSCHOOL CLOSES SCHOOL REOPENS TO STUDENTS

Friday 10th February 2012 Monday 20th February 2012

Thursday 29th March 2012 Monday 16th April 2012

Friday 4th May 2012 Monday 8th May 2012

Friday 1st June 2012 Monday 11th June 2011

Thursday 19th July 2011 Tuesday 4th September 2012

Friday 19th October 2012 Monday 29th October 2012

Thursday 20th December 2012 Monday 7th January 2013

Friday 15th February 2013 Monday 25th February 2013

Thursday 28th March 2013 Monday 15th April 2013

Friday 3rd May 2013 Tuesday 7th May 2013

Friday 24th May 2013 Monday 3rd June 2013

Friday 19th July 2013

Inset Days

Friday 30th March 2012

Monday 3rd September 2012

Friday 5th October 2012

Monday 22nd July 2013

Tuesday 23rd July 2013

Wednesday 24th July 2013

LIPA 4:19 has moved to the Heath! LIPA 4:19, a franchise of The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, has been

established in Halton since 2009.

This is an exciting move for us as we continue to grow and flourish as an academy, supported fully by the Heath School.

We are a part time performing arts academy for 4-19 year olds, and run classes on a Saturday during term time in singing, dance and drama. We have also performed several full scale shows in venues including the Brindley and across Merseyside, enjoyed thoroughly by performers and audiences alike.We also give the students opportunities to take part in performing arts examinations(dance/drama & singing) by accredited boards.

For all age groups, classes are fun and stimulating and are carefully designed to reflect the correct stage of performing arts development.We recruit the very best staff and all our tutors have relevant qualifications in their discipline, alongside working in the performing arts profession as artists and performers. We also have a uniform dress code ( LIPA t- shirt and black leggings/trousers). We believe this allows students to focus on classes and friendship without worries or concerns.

If you wish to find out more information or wish to apply for a place at LIPA 4:19 at the Heath, please contact:

Kate Allerston, Principal of LIPA 4:19 at the Heath 01928 576664 or [email protected]