Parkside House School Christmas 2017 Newsletter 2017 Newsletter.pdf · Safety Works— PHSEE/Asdan Visit On Monday 20th November, KS2 and KS3 pupils visited Safety Works to support

Page Content

1 - 2 Cover page and thanks

3 - 8 External Curriculum Visits

9 - 12 Internal Curriculum Visits

13 - 14 Wanderers

15 Autumn Term Credit Activity

16 British Values Day

17 Celebrating Cultural Diversity

18 - 19 Fundraising

20 Into Film Festival

21 Christmas at Parkside House

22 - 24 Awards, Celebrations & News

Parkside House School

Christmas 2017 Newsletter

In this edition:

Well we have had a very full and active start to this school

year and the term, as always, has raced along at lighten-

ing speed. I believe this has been the busiest term ever. Now,

as we take a minute to decorate the Christmas tree, we can

look back at all that has been achieved.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a calm New Year.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Mrs. Young

The first parents / carers’ consultation evening of this school year,

held on Wednesday 18th October was a huge success - with the

majority of parents / carers attending.

It is very important for pupils to see positive, effective

communication between home and school so Parkside House

would like to thank you all for your full support. We look forward

to welcoming you again to the future meetings.

Parkside House School would also like to say a huge thank you for

all of the lovely Christmas gifts and cards sent in for the staff. It

was very thoughtful and very much appreciated.

Thank you, also, for all of the donations sent in for our raffle and

for buying tickets. We are delighted to be raising money for such

a worthy cause and One Punch North East are very grateful for all

of your support.

Curriculum Visits Parkside House School pupils participated in several curriculum visits this

term. These included both field trips to external locations to support the

topics which are currently being studied and also welcoming visitors to the

school to deliver presentations.

RE / History Curriculum Visit — Lindisfarne

On Tuesday 26th September, a group of year 9 and year 10 pupils visited Lindisfarne on a joint RE / history visit. During the visit pupils learnt that Lindisfarne – also known as Holy Island – was one of the most important centres of early English Christianity. By completing tasks and activities the pupils were able to unravel the history of Lindisfarne, discovering that Irish had monks settled there in AD 635 and the monastery became the centre of a major saint’s cult celebrating its bishop, Cuthbert.

Pupils also visited the island’s museum where they learned about the masterpiece now known as the Lindisfarne Gospels which was created there in the early 8th century.

History Visit - Eden Camp

On Tuesday 10th October, a group of KS3 pupils visited Eden Camp in Yorkshire. Eden Camp is an old prisoner of war camp that has been converted into a museum. There are 31 huts, each of which tells a different story about World War 2. One hut covers World War 1 and

another covers wars involving Commonwealth countries since World War 2 .

During the visit pupils were able to experience what it was like to be a child living during the Blitz in London and examine a replica V1 flying bomb. They also had the opportunity to look at and interact with WW2-era military vehicles.

The pupils ate their dinners in a re-furbished mess hall that was full of models of military vehicles

History Visit - Beamish

On Tuesday 7th November, a group of PHS pupils visited Beamish as part of their history studies. Beamish is a large open air museum, with lots to see. The museum tells the story of life in North East England in Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian times. Thankfully the weather was pleasant as we were outdoors for most of the day, We experienced everyday life in the past, and explored the Town, Home Farm and the Pit Village, where we had a guided tour of a real ‘drift’ mine, and experienced the working lives of miners. We travelled by tram and bus around the site, allowing pupils to experience traditional transport.

At the Victorian schoolhouse we learned what school was like for Victorian children, and had a go at writing on slates and playing with a traditional hoop and stick.

At lunchtime we took a break from exploring and had our packed lunches in the Masonic lodge.

A highlight of our day was our trip to the sweet shop, where we watched a demonstration of how sweets were made in Victorian times, and had a chance to try them too.

We had an enjoyable and rewarding day, full of hands-on experiences. There was plenty to see and do to keep us entertained and engaged throughout the day.

Safety Works— PHSEE/Asdan Visit

On Monday 20th November, KS2 and KS3 pupils visited

Safety Works to support the PHSEE curriculum. SafetyWorks

is an interactive safety centre based in Newcastle. It has

been established and managed by Tyne and Wear Fire

and Rescue Service, working in partnership with Northum-

bria Police, Nexus and St John’s Ambulance.

It provides realistic, interactive educational experiences

for young people and community groups to learn about

the prevention of danger and how to live safely.

During our visit we gained a wide range of vital educa-

tional information about avoiding everyday hazards

such as road and fire safety and risk taking behaviour.

SafetyWorks is a life sized, safety ‘town’ of scenarios, which

have been developed to display real life hazards in a

realistic, interactive format. They include a house, road

with a pedestrian crossing, police station, metro station,

hospital A&E room, park with open water and much more.

This ‘experiential learning’ approach made the experience

involving and stimulating for our pupils – there was no

time to be bored!

Throughout the day we learned a wide range of

important safety messages, including how to stay safe at

home, how to use public transport safely, how to avoid

house fires, and road safety.

All of our pupils really enjoyed the interactive sessions run

by friendly and informative staff. The morning went

quickly, as everyone was so engrossed in the scenarios,

and pupils left with new knowledge which they will use

and implement in their daily lives.

Safety Works PHSEE/Asdan visit 2017

PHSEE Curriculum Visit to Manor Walks

On Friday 24th November, Key Stage 3 and some Key Stage 4 pupils

visited a range of shops in Manor Walks, Cramlington to look at what

kinds of personal hygiene products are available for both men and

women — to help us keep clean and fresh. The pupils were amazed

at the wide range of products and the prices charged for different

items. We took a survey of all the different products and we made

bar charts and other comparison graphs when they returned to

school. The pupils had a great morning and enjoyed learning about

all of the products available.

Science Trip to the Centre for Life

On Monday 11th December, Parkside House pupils visited the

Centre for Life. The pupils started their day by participating in an

animal adaptations workshop. They learnt about different

habitats that animals live in and how they adapt to living in

these habitats. For their first experiment, they were given four

pictures of four different animals (cat, marine iguana, sea otter

and a whale) and different gloves with different textures /

insulations. Pupils had to decide which gloves’ properties best

suited each animal. After they had decided this they had to test

how good each of the animals’ adaptations were by dipping their

hand with each glove on in a bucket of icy water. The second

experiment was more about investigating temperature changes

in the shade compared to in the sun over a seven minute period

(recording results at one minute intervals). Pupils then enjoyed

the polar express motion ride. They then went into the dinosaur

exhibition followed by 45 minutes ice skating. The trip was

finished with a trip to the planetarium to learn about space.

Emergency Services Visit Parkside House

Throughout the Autumn term of 2017, Parkside House School has

been fortunate enough to receive several visits from our local

emergency services to meet with various year groups; as part of their

PHSEE lessons. These included visits from two police officers to deliver

a talk on the dangers of drug use and the legal consequences of

buying and / or selling drugs. The presentations were enjoyed by all

those who attended – especially when they got to try on uniforms!

We also had a visit from a

fireman (and firewoman!) to deliver fire safety

presentations to the pupils. These included:

Fire prevention

What to do in case of a fire

What smoke alarms do and why

they’re so important

How quickly fires can spread

Escape plans and techniques

Firefighters’ protective equipment

The police visited us in our PSHEE lesson.

They’re here to help us. They protect us. We learned

about the dangers of drug use. We learned about

what happens to us if we were arrested for buying or

selling drugs.” ~ Koree Williams

One Punch Can Kill Presentation

On Tuesday 14th November, a representative from One Punch North East

visited Parkside House School to hold two workshops about the impact of

unnecessary violence. The workshops focused on the death of the son of

the couple who run the charity after a single punch to the head in a local

night spot. The pupils all engaged well and the gentleman giving the talk

was very impressed by the behaviour of all of the pupils. They gave valid

and interesting comments and observations throughout the duration of

the session. He said he had visited lots of schools similar to PHS but felt

that our pupils had been excellent throughout the morning.

Both parents of the young boy would love to come back for another visit

to school and the pupils are all wearing their wristbands and are keen to

take part in some fundraising for the charity – suggesting we hold a raffle

before Christmas to raise money. It was a very successful session in

school.

Visit from Father Tony Curtis

RE Curriculum, Visit

On Friday, 10th November Father Tony Curtis from St Mark’s Church in

Shiremoor came in to visit our Key Stage 3 RE group. Father Curtis talked to

the pupils about what he does in his work as a priest within the community.

He explained that he visits a lot of schools and does various workshops

within them. He also described the various religious ceremonies that he

conducts.

Pupils asked Father Curtis a series of questions that they had thought of the

previous week, in preparation for the visit. The two questions that caused

the most discussion within the group both came from James Dean. The first

question was ‘what do you think Jesus’s favorite computer game would be if

he was alive today?’ After the class discussed it for a while they decided that

it would be something like Geometry Dash or Minecraft because they

explored building and discovery.

The other excellent question was

whether he thought Jesus would

approve of Donald Trump. After a class

discussion it was decided that Jesus

would not like Donald Trump because

Jesus was about building bridges and not

walls.

Wanderers

Wanderers Sports Association

The Wanderers Sports Association is a voluntary organisation which provides sporting opportunities for children and young people with special educational needs. A variety of sporting events are arranged with support from regional schools, which encourage engagement, participation and achievement and brings pupils together from across the North East. The association was set up to provide children with the opportunity to compete against each other in sport. The aim of the association is to promote participation, enjoyment and respect to others, regardless of ability.

A team of PHS pupils took part in the Wanderers

Athletics event on 13th September 2017. The event

was held at Monkton Stadium at Jarrow, and was

organised by the Wanderers Association.

We enjoyed a full day of sporting events, including

relay, javelin and long jump. Our pupils participated

brilliantly, gave 100% effort and enthusiasm and

demonstrated fantastic attitudes throughout the

competition. All of our team behaved fantastically

well and represented PHS impeccably,

demonstrating fair play and encouragement; which

is the ethos behind Wanderer’s events. Well done to

all of our pupils who took part.

Wanderers Continued

Wanderers Football Tournament

Thursday 19th October 2017

Our team of 7 footballers (Azrael, Georgia, Dane, Levon, Luke, James and Cheyenne) participated in the Wanderers Under 16s Football Tournament at Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle, competing against schools including Percy Hedley, Trinity, Atkinson House and Oakfield School. We had high expectations of our team, following our previous fantastic performances at Wanderers events. We are very proud of our team, who definitely lived up to our expectations! Our pupils demonstrated enthusiasm, camaraderie and commitment throughout the day. This resulted in our school being awarded the trophy for excellent sportsmanship and fair play. Luke also won the “Best Player” award, and James won the award for “Best Effort.” These are great achievements, and we are so proud of our pupils. Congratulations to everyone who participated and represented our school so positively.

Credit Activity - Autumn Term

Credit activity Friday October 20th 2017

Trampolining at Jump 360, Newcastle

This term PHS pupils chose to visit Jump 360 for their credit activity.

To celebrate and reward positive behaviour, effort and attainment, every pupil who had

earned the necessary amount of credits during the term joined us on the day out. The hard

-working pupils this term were Cheyenne, Georgia, Grace, Dane, Kallum, Jamie Van

Aswegen, James, Leon, Koree and Levon. This was Koree and Leon's first credit activity

since joining us at PHS.

This was also our first visit to Jump 360, and it didn’t disappoint. Our pupils made the

most of the interconnecting trampolines, airbags, foampits and battlebeams. It was a great

opportunity to socialise with each other, relax and also improve fitness levels.

Our visits to trampoline parks are always a massive success and the day lived up to

expectations. All of our pupils impressed us with their trampolining skills, positive

attitudes and enthusiasm throughout the day.

On Friday 13th October we dedicated the day to celebrating and learning about British values. We focussed on these values throughout the day and we enjoyed creative, fun and engaging activities. Lunch was a British classic — Fish and Chips!

Our school reflects British values. We encourage our pupils to be responsible, tolerant and independent individuals; respectful of themselves and their peers, our local community and the wider world, who can make a positive difference to British society. Our activities and the way we manage learning and behaviour, clearly reflect British values.

Promoting British Values British Values Day

What are British values? Democracy

The Rule of Law Individual Liberty

Tolerance & Respect

Celebration of Different Cultures

French Breakfast-

Pain au Chocolate, Croissants, & Coffee

French Lunch-

Starter- Pâté, Brie & French Baguettes

Main - Chicken Casserole, French Green Beans, & Potatoes

Dessert - Tarte au Citron and Tarte Tatin

As part of our school’s ‘Celebration of Cultures from Around the World’ initiative where we celebrate cultural diversity, PHS hosted a French Day on Wednesday 29th November 2017. This gives our pupils the opportunity to try different meals and experience new tastes and cultures from around the world. All pupils were involved in learning some basic French words via wordsearches and participating in a traditional French breakfast, followed by a three-course French lunch. Our Key Stage 3 French class worked very hard to create French menus and French-themed decorations for the dining room, ahead of the big day.

Fundraising

Macmillan Coffee Morning Friday 29th September

Once again, Parkside House School hosted a very successful cake

sale to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support

Miss Taylor had been very busy all week and enlisted the help of

her KS3 Food Technology and BTEC classes to help her bake and

decorate cakes and biscuits.

Pupils also brought cakes from home to sell.

We raised £54.00

Jeans for Genes Day Friday 22nd September 2017

PHS took part in this year’s Jeans for Genes Day on

Friday 22nd September. All pupils and staff were

invited wear jeans or non-uniform and give a

donation to raise money for the charity. We raised

a total of £22.00 to help children with genetic

disorders.

Throughout the week our pupils learned about the

important work Jeans for Genes does to raise

awareness and improve the lives of children with

genetic disorders. The charity also supports

parents and carers, and helps to fund children’s

daily care and equipment.

Fundraising Continued

Children in Need 2017

On Friday 17th November 2017, Parkside House School took part in this

year’s Children in Need Fundraiser. All pupils and staff were invited to

wear non-uniform or something spotty, and the majority of pupils partici-

pated in a sponsored walk from Tynemouth to Whitley Bay. After a hearty

breakfast of sausage and bacon rolls, we set off on our sponsored walk on

a very cold morning. The pupils were all in good spirits and many of them

were in fancy dress or in Pudsey onesies (including the staff). Our walk

was very enjoyable and we met lots of people along the way; many of

them giving us donations in the buckets that we were carrying with us.

Non Uniform Day raised: £36.00

Total sponsor money: £197.00

Collection on the sponsored walk £54.94

PHS Grand Total of £287.94!!!!!!

Into Film Festival 2017 8th—24th November

Throughout November, pupils from PHS were involved in the Into Film Festival, an event aiming to inspire and encourage

young people aged 5-19 to become involved in film and cinema, contributing to their cultural, creative and personal

development. The festival supports the curriculum and promotes discussion on topical issues.

The festival is the world’s largest free film and education event for young people.

The event started with Geostorm at Newcastle Cineworld, with Kallum, Grace and Dane.

Next was Moana at the the Jam Jar cinema at Whitley Bay, with

Azrael, Dane, Georgia, James, Elliot, Kallum, Cheyenne and Josh.

On Monday 13th November, Kallum, Lilly and Georgia enjoyed Beauty and the Beast.

The festival ended with a trip to Gateshead Vue, to see Wonder-woman, with Cheyenne, Grace and Dane. As always, this year’s

event was a great success and was enjoyed by everyone who took part.

Christmas at Parkside House School

The tree is up and our pupils have

been having lots of festive fun—

baking Christmas cookies and cup-

cakes and getting crafty; making

Christmas decorations.

PHS Pantomime Visit

On Tuesday 12th December, a lucky group of PHS pupils and staff travelled to Whitley Bay Playhouse for our annual pantomime visit on the 12th of December. We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it was a great way to start our festive celebrations. There were plenty of opportunities to shout “Behind you!” and “Oh no it isn’t!”. It was lovely to watch our pupils laughing, singing and dancing along to the performance. Well done to everyone, our pupils were fantastically well-behaved throughout the pantomime, and were a credit to the school.

Izaak Luli - 95%

Jamie Van Aswegen - 95%

Jack Pye - 93%

James Dean - 93%

Leon Clarkson - 92%

Attendance

Gold Silver

Swimming Awards:

Koree Williams - Level 1

Sam Brason - Level 2

Ellis Gibson - Level 3

Cheyenne Fulcher - Level 4

Grace Cain - Level 5

Dane Turnbull - 100%

Kallum Murray - 98%

Grace Cain - 98%

Connor Brown - 98%

Georgia Donoghue - 98%

Azrael Foggin - 98%

Ellis Gibson - 98%

The following pupils all received Achievement

Awards for exceptional work throughout the

term within that subject area. Well done to all

pupils and keep up the hard work next year!

English - Jamie Van Aswegen

Maths - Koree Williams

Science - James Dean

Geography - Dane Turnbull

History - Grace Cain

Food Technology - Azrael Foggin

ICT KS4 - Kallum Murray

P.E. - Josh Hann

Art - Cheyenne Fulcher

PSHEE - Kallum Murray

ASDAN - Elliott Marshall

French - Kallum Murray

Sports Pupil of the Term

James Dean

Pupil of the Term

Dane Turnbull

Helping Hands Awards

Cheyenne Fulcher

Celebrations and News

Parkside House School welcomed the following

pupils this term: Jamie Van Aswegen Leon Clarkson & Koree Williams

Winning Lunch Tables:

1st Half Term - pupils chose to go to Pizza Hut and McDonalds

2nd Half Term - pupils chose to go to Sambuca

Birthdays

The following birthdays have

been celebrated this term:

Georgia Donoghue

Jack Chisholm

Jamie Van Aswegen

Levon Mullings

Miss Thompson

Azrael Foggin

Lilly Robson

Cheyenne Fulcher

Grace Cain

Jamie Lee Cowell

Leon Clarkson

Koree Williams

Pupils return to school on Thursday

11th January 2018