Dear Parents/Carers,
As I read this newsletter, I am amazed at how much activity we have packed into such a short half-term. It is full of the many and varied activities that have involved our students over the past five weeks. Congratulations to the many students and members of staff who have contributed.
One of my favorite duties is to issue students with Supermerits and Starcredits for exceptional work. I have been hugely impressed by the number of people I have seen this term, and by the quality of their work. It has been particularly good to reward so many students from Year 9. Well done everyone!
We are currently carrying out school uniform checks. Please support us by making sure that your child is wearing the correct uniform and does not wear trainers or jewellery. The half-term break is an ideal opportunity to replace lost or worn items such as ties and jumpers and we have a good stock of second hand uniform in school. May I also ask that you make sure your child has a sensible bag, which is big enough to carry their school books? Little handbags may be fashionable, but they are simply not practical.
Yours sincerely,
S Marshall
THEALE GREEN HOCKEY
The hockey this year has really taken off with more and more coming to training each week, which has really made a difference to the standard of hockey being played. Here is a round up of the results so far.
Year 7 – Although they have not yet played any matches, they have quite a few coming up after half term but it has been good to see the numbers growing all the time and they are progressing well. Good luck in your future games.
Year 8 – They have been taking part in a mini league against other schools around the Reading area and have had a mixture of results but are improving all the time and the turn out to training has been brilliant. Keep it up girls.
Year 9 – Year 9 won the first round of the County Cup at Pangbourne with a nail biting finish, when the last game determined who would go through. In the second round they again played well as a team and used their speed up front to create lots of chances. Unfortunately, they just missed out on progressing further, finishing 3rd. Well done girls.
Seniors – The senior team has gone from strength to strength with many coming to training. They have had some really good results against other teams, particularly against Bulmershe where they played really well and put into practice everything they had learnt from training. Excellent work ladies.
Remember it is never too late to join and new players are always welcome.
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DIARY
DATES
March 23rd
23rd
February
16th
March
21st
March |
GATEWAY LIBRARY CAR PARK Parents are asked not to use this car park when dropping off or collecting students at the school. This car park is for the benefit of the users of the Gateway and Library only. Please drop and collect on the main road only. |
NEWS FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT!
We welcome Mr.Sizeland to the Music Department, who is covering for Miss Ellis whilst she is on maternity leave. Congratulations to Miss Ellis who had a baby girl called Catherine last November. We wish them both health and happiness.
CHRISTMAS TIME
It seems a long time ago now but Christmas was a very busy and hectic time in the Music Department. The Christmas Concert was a huge success with fantastic performances from the Gospel and Senior Choir, Singing Group, Samba band, String group, the Saxophone Ensemble and many others including an outstanding rendition of the Christmas No.1 by Band Aid 20. Our Music students also performed to pensioners at a tea party and provided the cabaret for the 6th form pensioners’ party as well as performing in end of term assemblies. Well done and congratulations to all those students who participated and performed at these events!
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
2005 got off to a great start seeing bands of all abilities and styles competing for the title “Best Band” in our Battle of the Bands competition, sponsored by Reading 107 radio station. The battle was judged by three experienced musicians and once the bands had performed, they had to go under the spotlight to face the judges’ gruelling comments. There were even performances from teachers, including Mr. Hull singing ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ and Mr.Upton, Mr. Carter, Mr.Sizer and Mr.Mann performing ‘Jonny B.Goode.’ Congratulations go to ‘Kru C-fact’ who gained first place in the senior section and ‘The Cravates’ who won the junior section. Their songs have now been recorded using our new recording equipment and will be played on Reading 107 radio station. Watch out for the next Battle of the Bands proposed for the summer term.
RENOVATION OF MUSIC DEPARTMENT
The renovation of the Music Department is now well under way and will see the redecoration of all three teaching rooms including different coloured practise rooms! We now have a brand new suite of computers running music software programmes Cubase and Fruity Loops. We have also bought a new mixing desk with money raised from the Summer Concert and the Battle of the Bands. This new equipment will be of great benefit to our current GCSE and A Level music students.
INSTRUMENTS OF THE ORCHESTRA
Year 7 students have been hard at work learning about the Instruments of the Orchestra in their music lessons. We are currently running workshops on the different sections of the Orchestra. These workshops are a fantastic way for students to learn about these instruments by seeing how they are played, what they sound like and even having a go!
LEARN AN INSTRUMENT
We offer instrumental tuition for these instruments and are offering a free taster lesson for the flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola and trumpet. We also have a few instruments available to hire through the Department – please contact us on 0118 9308553 if you want further information.
SPONSOR DAYS 2004 AND 2005
The covered area project is still very much on target for completion this Easter holiday. In advance of collecting money from this coming summer’s Sponsor Day, we have agreed to support the work of a group of students in setting up a school radio station, which should come on line over the Easter holidays as well. We will be shortly discussing with the School Council and the student Environment Committee as to how the remainder of the money we expect to raise can be best used.
The Environment Committee
Things are going well with the ‘Green’ part of Theale Green. The Environment Committee has started a number of initiatives this term, including working on the designs for the school garden with the 6th form and Mr.Smith has been very helpful in arranging a new covered area which we hope to have completed during the Easter holidays.
The school biodiesel project is now well underway. This involves 5 students from Years 7,8 and 9 in a challenge to see if they can convert a normal car engine to run on processed chip fat (hopefully from the school canteen). Eventually the students hope to see if it would be possible to get at least one of the school mini-buses running on this more environmentally friendly re-used fuel. We have entered this project in the Volvo Environmentalist Award challenge with the first round of judging to take place soon – we’ll let you know how the team get on.
We continue to work on the issue of reducing the school waste with our litter campaign and also our expanded recycling schemes. Paper recycling boxes are being placed in all classrooms now, and we are starting a plastic bottle recycling scheme with Year 7 students.
Finally, in case you didn’t know, the school collects stamps, old mobile phones (with batteries) and printer toner cartridges for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance organisation. So if your printer is out of ink or you got a new mobile phone for Christmas, send the replacement in to school – deliver them to the ladies at Resources and we’ll get them to people who can make use of them.
RAISING THE BAR FOR SCHOOL SPORTS
There’s been much talk recently about the fitness of the younger generation and It’s no secret that the government sees improving the overall health of the general
population as a major concern. But what’s actually being done to improve the nation’s health? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is quite a lot and there are visible signs of it here throughout Theale Green Community School.
Theale Green is part of the West Berkshire Schools Sports Co-ordinator Programme, the innovation which brings local primary and secondary schools together to improve sports provision and drive forward increases in participation in PE. Here at Theale Green we make up one of the five families of schools throughout West Berkshire with Calcot Junior, Bradfield Primary, Englefield Primary, Pangbourne Primary and Brookfields Special School all attached to us.
The government programme is gradually being rolled out throughout the UK, but we have been onboard since September 2003, when lottery funding was first awarded. Within all the schools in the Theale family, sporting opportunities are continually being enhanced and increased, with extra out-of-hours clubs now in place and, more importantly, extra young people experiencing sports they have never been involved in before as more club links are developed. There are also additional leadership and voluntary opportunities being opened up, with pupils at Theale helping pupils in the primary schools and organising festivals.
We are always on the look out for new ideas, new links, new contacts and new sports. It does not matter if you are qualified or not, but if you have time or experience to share, we would love to hear from you. Please contact our School Sports Co-ordinator Miss V Clark for more information on how you can become involved in this exciting time for physical education.
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GNVQ HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE YEAR 10 As part of our GNVQ in Health & Social Care, we had to do a First Aid course. A lady from The Red Cross called Dawn Finn came to the school and taught us how to put people in the recovery position, resuscitation, what signs to look for such as breathing and movement and in what order you should deal with things. We also learnt how to treat burns and scalds and how to bandage up peoples’ legs, arms and heads. We all found the course great fun and very educational. Zoe Andrews, Carla Edwards and Cara Penrose
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KING LEAR On 31st January, a small group of Year 12 students accompanied by Ms. Hanley and Mr. Clarke, went to see ‘King Lear’ at the Abery Theatre, London. As these students are currently studying this play, the opportunity to see Corin Redgrave in this role was perfectly timed. The production the students saw was both useful for their coursework and an enjoyable evening at the theatre. TSUNAMI APPEAL DAY WE ARTY VERY PLEASED TO ADVISE THAT OUR NON UNIFORM TSUNAMI APPEAL DAY RAISED OVER £1200. A PARTICULAR THANKS TO THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE MANY ADDITIONAL FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES THAT TOOK PLACE ON THE DAY
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Benyon News
The house welcomed two new members of Staff this term in Mr.Lambert (Head of Drama 10BA) and Mr.Sizeland (Music-12/13BB); both are now well settled and getting to know their groups.
Ms Ellis has now given birth to a bouncing baby girl and we hope to see her return soon.
The House Evening – School of Rock – is the major event this term and we hope to announce the ‘profit’ for the House and Charity soon.
We would also like to thank you all for your ongoing support on matters like uniform, punctuality and attendance as without it our task would be so much more difficult.
Hunt House
All change again in Hunt House! Mrs. Walters has taken on extra responsibility in her Department and so has decided to temporarily relinquish her duties as Deputy Head of Hunt House. She has been replaced for the remainder of this year by Miss Carlin, who is now helping me with the everyday running of the House.
I am also pleased to announce that Hunt House Evening, which was postponed due to the tragic events last term, is to be held on the 11th March in the school hall. Tickets will be available after half-term and those who purchased them before will still be able to use them on the night.
Enter the Dragon: All the news that is fit to print from Piper House
Students in Piper House have again impressed me with their excellent behaviour and attitude. They have made our job in Piper office much easier and we would like to thank them all and wish them a well earned, enjoyable half term break. A very big thank you also goes to all the Pipers tutors for doing such a marvelous job this term.
Piper House PTA:
The PTA had an excellent meeting on Tuesday 18/01/05 where a number of interesting school topics were discussed. The next meeting is on Tuesday 8/03/05 and you are very welcome to join us. If you are interested in joining the Piper House PTA, please contact Mr. Upton on 0118 9308511.
Piper House Evening:
‘The Best of British’ is the theme for this year’s Piper House Evening. The sixth formers are busy, as I type, organizing auditions and it is building into our best house evening ever.
School Web Site:
The Piper House pages contain a wealth of information and are well worth a visit!
DOUGIE UPTON, MARK SHEARS & SPIKE THE DRAGON, WISH ALL OUR READERS
A VERY HAPPY HALF TERM!
SCOTTIE NEWS
We began this half term, unusually, with our prize giving assembly. It was really encouraging to start off the term in such a positive way. Congratulations to the many students who gained certificates. For the first time we were able to present our new cup “The Nick Moore Award for Achievement in Scott House”. The first winners of this new award were the Scott House Prefect Team, for the fantastic work they did for the Scott House Evening back in November. We were delighted to welcome Nick’s parents, Mr and Mrs Moore, to present the cup.
We are working particularly hard at the moment to ensure our students are in correct uniform. Please try to support this as much as possible, and let me know if there are any problems. We have quite a lot of second hand uniform in good condition, so, if you need anything, please call me (Mr Rattew) on 01189 308512.
Finally, if there are any parents who would like to be more actively involved in Scott House, by joining the PTA committee, please give me a call.
‘POETRY LIVE’
Although many of us were initially reluctant to go on the ‘Poetry Day’ held at the Hexagon on January 14th, it turned out to be huge success. The day involved six well known poets, all of whom have poems in the Anthology studied at GCSE. Unfortunately Carol Ann Duffy was unable to attend due to illness and she was replaced at the last minute by Moniza Alvi, writer of ‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan’. Readings by the other poets, Gillian Clarke, Initiaz Dharkar, Simon Armitage, John Agard and the legendary Benjamin Zephaniah, were interspersed with short breaks and a few hints and tips from Peter Buckroyd, the chief exam officer for Literature GCSE.
Whilst the other poets provided interesting and thought provoking presentations of their poems, the show was stolen by Benjamin Zephaniah, who spoke freely of his own misdemeanours; being expelled from school at thirteen and spending a short time in prison. He captured the audience with his antics and his humour before speaking candidly on the issue of racism and on the injustices of the Stephen Lawrence case.
Overall the day helped to bring poetry ‘alive’ to many teenagers across the region and inspired many to alter their perception of poetry.
Bruno Bamberger and Natasha Ruse
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THE ARTS MASTERCLASSES This term has seen the return of the Arts Masterclasses in Art, Music and Dance. The workshops were delivered by African tutors from ‘World Musik Makers’, a company based in Peterborough. The musicians spent four sessions drumming and later accompanied the dancers for an authentic feel. The artists worked on many African art and craft styles including fabric painting, African cave art and costume. The sessions culminated in a fashion show and display of art work, and a dance and drumming performance. The sessions were enjoyed by all, with the drummers and dancers switching places and having a go at each other’s area, which was quite amusing! The Masterclasses will continue next year with a new cultural focus. Miss A Purdom (Dance & Masterclass Co-Ordinator) |
DRAMA DEPARTMENT
WELCOME! A warm welcome to our new Head of Department, Mr.Lambert. ‘BLOOD WEDDING’ Well done to all the cast and crew who put on a moving performance of Lorca’s ‘Blood Wedding’ in Drama Studio 1 on 18th January. A huge thank you also goes to Mrs. Flux for all her hard work in directing this production. ‘TITAN’ What’s happened to all the cows? ‘The Amazing Adventures of Titan, the Pantomime Horse (who solves crimes)’ is a new hilarious show coming this summer to Theale Green School. Written and directed by Mr.Lambert and performed by our very own students, this is a must see production, which will have you rolling in the aisles. Dates and tickets to be announced.
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Parents are reminded of the school’s policy regarding breakages, loss and damage caused by students
The school reserves the right to require parents to contribute, in whole or in part, to costs incurred as a result of breakages, loss or damage caused by the inappropriate action of students. Such costs may include staff time and administrative expense incurred in dealing with the matter.