winter 2012 newsletter christmas card winning … · winter 2012 newsletter head’s message ......

ruskinCOMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

WINTER 2012 NEWSLETTER

Head’s MessageAs always, it is a delight to read our Newsletter. This term, there is a focus on trips and visits with many of the articles featuring the wide and varied opportunities for our students. Thanks go to staff for offering these events and to parents for supporting them.

It is really positive to read about the high number of students with 100% attendance. Well done to every student who has achieved this – it is no mean feat!

This term is always a busy one, and in the lead up to Christmas there will be many other events to look forward to. I must make mention of the Harvest Assemblies and parcel deliveries, the Remembrance Service and the Children in Need fundraising that has taken place so far this term. I think we are quite unique in the fact that our school delivers numerous parcels to neighbours as part of our Harvest celebrations. Thank you to all parents who supported this event. It means a lot to our community.

Since our last newsletter, we have enjoyed further refurbishments and improvements at Ruskin – a new netball court, a gleaming science lab and a great deal of painting and decorating to name but a few. We are also planning to improve our school Reception area so that it feels brighter and more welcoming. In addition, we have a new Prospectus, our website is being updated and we have gone live on Twitter. We hope that these initiatives will help parents to feel more in touch with what is happening. Finally, towards the end of the Newsletter there is a list of forthcoming dates for your diary.

On behalf of everyone at Ruskin, please may I wish you alla peaceful and relaxing Christmas and a Happy New Year.

E Brett

HIGH STANDARDS HIGH ACHIEVERS1

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from all the Students and Staff at Ruskin High School

Christmas Card Winning EntriesThis is the fourth year that we have organised our ‘Design aChristmas card’ competition. Students had to design aChristmas card using only two colours, and without the helpof a computer.

The two winning entries will be reproduced as the official schoolChristmas card. The entries were judged by Mrs Brett and MissDoering. We had a lot of entries this year so thank you to all thestudents who took part - it was very difficult to select only two.The 2 winning entries were Yasmin Ahmed & Patrycja Stodolnafrom Year 10. Congratulations to you both and well done toeveryone who took part.

ruskinCOMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL WINTER 2012 NEWSLETTER

HIGH STANDARDS HIGH ACHIEVERS2 3

Read All About It!During October, two wonderful authors visited Ruskin to promote reading. Miss Barnett, our school librarian, reports:

Harriet Goodwin is an amazing author and her three books are so very different in topic and theme but all offer suspense, thrills and excitement. Every student in Year 7 was invited to attend her workshop in the Library. She told us all how she is a professional opera singer and demonstrated her wonderful talent for us: with the acoustics of our lovely old school, her powerful voice could be heard all over. Harriet kindly gave every pupil a free book and provided book signing at the end of the session making the day even more special.

Alec Williams is a funny and entertaining poet and Year 8 had the opportunity to listen to his work. He read poems such as ‘Sssnake Hotel’, ‘Traffic Jam’ and ‘Zombies Stomping through our Town’. Everyone was involved - chanting, rapping and acting out role-plays. Alec has visited us before and always delivers an exciting and fun session bringing poetry alive!

This helps to show how exciting and fun reading and poetry can be! More author visits will be arranged soon.

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We currently have 381 students on roll who have at least 95% attendance. 204 students have 100%! A big WELL DONE to you all. That is a fantastic achievement!

Well done also to 7HUN, 7SNA, 7ISH, 7HOP, 8KUZ, 8BRI, 8ORM, 9ABB, 9BRD, 10MIL and 11PHI who have all won attendance prizes this term.

REMEMBER, absence affects learning. Research suggests that 17 missed school days a year is equal to a drop in a grade. 1 school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons MISSED! Please refer to the guide below:

90% = 4 weeks

80% = 8 weeks

70% = 12 weeks

60% = 16 weeks

50% = 20 weeks

40% = 24 weeks

30% = 28 weeks

Attendance

Christmas Card Winning Entries.............................1Head’s message..................................................1Read All About It!................................................2Attendance.........................................................2Year 7 Conway Residential 2012...............................3Certificate Evening...............................................3Cheshire Youth Council........................................3Fun-Packed Fundraising!.......................................4India..................................................................5Geography field trip.............................................6Lest we forget..............................................................7Maths competitions..............................................7Literacy ...............................................................8Maths in Paris!....................................................8

Ruskin School Uniform...............................................9 Expressive Arts............................................................10 Dance Workshop.......................................................10 Movember Madness....................................................11Ruskin Students Go Live on Red Shift Radio.............12Ruskin’s Young Writers.............................................12Youth Voice.............................................................13Forthcoming dates for your diary..........................13Year 5 & 6 Activities Evening and Open Evening..........14D&T Primary Transition.......................................14Year 5 & 6 Girls Football Competition....................15Stepping Stones Transition Group......................15Ruskin v Brine Leas Fencing tournament..............15Girls Score Goals in Gale!......................................16



Certificate EveningOur former Year 11 students were reminded just how quickly time goes by when they returned for the final time as a year group to Ruskin for the presentation of their GCSE Certificates.

On the 22nd November, they arrived to the sound of the Ruskin School Band and enjoyed reminiscing about their 5 years at high school. They were welcomed and congratulated on their results by our Chair of Governors Pam Minshull, the Deputy Mayoress of Crewe and two former students who had attended Ruskin during the 1940’s. The class of 2012 each received their certificates as well as a commemorative souvenir coin to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, to remember their years at Ruskin with fondness.

It was fabulous to see students and proud parents and it was lovely to hear how well they are currently doing in their chosen pathways.

Miss D O’HareYear 11 Achievement Manager

Cheshire Youth Council...The day started at 10:00 at ‘The Hub’ in town, where we met each other and played ‘Meet and Greet’.

We were given an introduction by Councillor Michelle Sherratt on what we’ll be doing as a Youth Council. We received a general talk on what was involved from some councillors and founding members from Congleton Youth Council.

Later, we went to the Municipal Buildings where the Deputy Mayoress gave us a guided tour around the grand and ornately decorated rooms. We were given information on how the Chambers work and where people meet. We left with minds swollen with information and had pizza for lunch to help us recover.

The afternoon was packed full of media activities, which included filming issues in the local area. My group focused on litter and vandalism. We then edited the film on a computer.It was a very enjoyable day, with lots of information. We are planning to create some training sessions and then will start to function in parallel with Crewe Town Council. We will be able to discuss issues that matter to the youth of Crewe and we even get our own budget to help tackle these problems and issues. I very much look forward to the next meeting.

Josh Markert, in Year 10, represented Ruskin at the Cheshire East Youth Council for 11-16 year olds.

The annual Year 7 Conway residential took place in September. This year, 46 students spent a week on Anglesey taking part in a range of team building and other challenging activities.

The aim of the visit is for students and staff to get to know each other, whilst working together in activities in a different and challenging environment. The activities included

Year 7 Conway Residential 2012canoeing, climbing, low level walking, map-making and problem-solving challenges. Learning to put a duvet cover on and keep a dormitory tidy was also a challenge! The week was very positive and students were a credit to Ruskin. Conway Staff were impressed by the positive attitudes of the students. As a reward, students enjoyed a disco and film on the final evening.



Ruskin Sports College has had a brilliant history when it comes to fund raising events, and this year’s Children in Need was no exception. Not only were many people willing to give donations, but a massive number of students wanted to do a bit of fundraising themselves. Our Head Boy, Glen Morris, was practically swarmed by students who wanted sponsorship forms for sponsored silences, being tied to a friend all day, or, perhaps the most original idea, drawing moustaches on faces (which the prefects admired quite a lot!).

The devotion to fancy dress was also uplifting. The Hulk, Doctor Who, a cowgirl, a tiger, a zebra, a penguin, and Optimus Prime were just some of the characters that were spotted wandering about the school. The staff were also exceptionally keen and we welcomed an escaped convict, a bunny and a fairy who went about their daily business! It is rumoured that a certain Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi put down their lightsabers, and managed to sort out their differences with a loving hug – in fact, it appeared everyone was in a giving mood.

The cake sale was also a great success. Thanks go to our brilliant bakers who did a splendid job making the delectable cakes: as a result lots of money was raised for Children in Need. We must have served over a hundred people in that short space of just fifteen minutes at break - students and staff alike! We can all agree that those little cakes really were delicious!

Lunchtime was also full of lively activities. Some brave male members of Ruskin staff learned that, sometimes, you just have to pay the price when you work in a school…. they had

their legs waxed for charity. The line-up was full of familiar faces: Mr Brett, Mr Snape, Mr Walker, Jed and Birthday Boy Adam - and not forgetting Mr Vitalis, who was still recovering from last year’s Children in Need waxing event. They were surprisingly resilient, but that didn’t stop the lively crowd from enjoying their cries of pain, as hair was unnaturally removed from follicles. Needless to say, we had a few rather red faces!Before the wax strips were even taken out of the packet however, an event took place that the staff had arranged entirely by themselves: The Children in Need Chocolate Eating Contest. It’s believed that the majority of staff participants were looking forward to it, but reports confirmed that Mr Hughes was a little sick of Cadbury’s Roses by the end due to his own inimitable style where he shoved as many of them into his mouth as quickly as he could.

Fun-Packed Fundraising!



India On 26th July this year, Miss Kiggins and Miss Brindley made the 14000 mile round trip to The Vallalar Educational Trust in the Kanjanur Village in India.

There they spent three weeks working within a local school helping to teach English and other subjects to the local children. They took with them over £900 worth of school and sports equipment that had been generously donated by friends and family and, most importantly, the students at Ruskin.

Miss Kiggins said;

“It was a shock to the system the first few days getting used the heat, the food and the poverty, what we saw was over- whelming. However after we got settled in, it was amazing!

Bala and Buna who run the school work tirelessly to help the local people and their children. The school itself is in need of donations and they were so grateful for all the equipment we brought with us. They don’t even have the basics like chairs and tables. All students (and teachers) sit on the floor for lessons. It made us feel very lucky to work in a school such as Ruskin.”

The Vallalar Educational Trust (VET) is dedicated to empowering the nearby villages through social, economic and children’s educational development to create a sustainable village atmosphere.

VET initially started by working in a primary school and has continued to grow and educate the local community. VET’s primary activity is a nursery and primary school of 100 underprivileged children in Kanjanur.

If you would like to help in any way please get in touch with Miss Kiggins

The teams were enthusiastic and got off to a great start, being cheered on by the hungry crowd, and our photographer, Tiffany Beckett, got some brilliantly unattractive snaps as they chomped away. Mr Brett and Miss Ocego were announced the winners. Their steady pace, similar to the hare and the tortoise tale, paid off and they were very proud when they received their prize - badges made out of Roses tin lids. Priceless and yet worthless!

Later that afternoon, when all fun activities had come to an end, the Ruskin Senior Prefects spent two hours counting the pennies that had been collected throughout the day. It was tedious and time-consuming, but the prefects finally managed to announce a total collected on Friday the 16th of November. In addition to the money raised by cake-selling, leg-waxing, chocolate-eating, and staying silent (which might have been difficult for some), the fifteen prefects and some willing members of staff took time out of their lives to count the copper coins that forms had been collecting over the past week.

It took a lot of hard work (and a lot of bravery for those male members of staff who sacrificed their leg hair for charity) but a grand total of £645 made it all worth the while for everyone. Children in Need is just one of many charities who work to make the world a better place for those living in it, and they need all the money they can get in order to reach those who need extra support. Children across the UK are living in poverty or struggling to cope with a difficult situation, such as the loss of a parent. The money that Ruskin students, parents and staff have managed to raise will help these underprivileged and vulnerable children, and bring us all one step closer to ensuring every young person has the happy childhood that they deserve.

So, from everyone involved with Children in Need, thank you for dressing up, taking part and, most importantly, donating!

By Vicki Spencer



Geography field tripYear 9 Llandudno, North Wales.The Geography department had a busy start to the new term, taking two year groups on their annual field trips to sunny Llandudno.

Year 9’s had the opportunity to go there as part of their unit of work on tourism to investigate whether Llandudno was in ‘decline’. The activities mirrored closely the work GCSE students have to do as part of their controlled assessment. Over both days the groups got stuck in to collecting data. The first task was to record the land use of the shops and services along the High Street.

Once they had completed the land use survey, they had to assess several sites and record the quality of the environment. Then, heading on to the pier and promenade, the students were let loose on the unsuspecting public to carry out a number of questionnaires. After a shy start, most students found they had a hidden talent for asking people their opinions on Llandudno. A lot of people came up to teachers and commented on how polite our students had been, which was lovely.

After a well-deserved lunch break, students hopped on the tram which took them up to the Great Orme where they enjoyed spectacular views of the coast line and carried out their final survey.

Not surprisingly, some of the ‘young at heart’ students were more interested in playing on the playground and exploring the visitor centre!!

After a quick stop off at the pier for some souvenirs and an ice cream or stick of rock we were back on the coach and heading for home.

Thanks go to Mrs Jennings for organising this annual event. Everyone benefits from this because you can always guarantee sunshine in Crewe when Mrs Jennings boards that coach for Llandudno!

Year 11 Castleton, Peak District.Year 11 GCSE students visited the pretty village of Castleton in the Peak District to collect data for their GCSE controlled assessment. With the mist and rain covering the mountain during the drive across the Cat and Fiddle Pass it was not going to be a repeat of last year’s glorious weather! Thankfully, the rain held off until late afternoon and students set about collecting data to see if tourism in Castleton had spoilt the picturesque village. The first task was to record the uses of all the shops and houses in Castleton. With the threat of rain, students made a beeline for visitors brave enough to battle the Autumn weather. Students interviewed the general public asking them why they were visiting Castleton and what they thought the impact of tourism has had on Castleton.

Finally, students ‘enjoyed’ the climb up Mt. Everest. It was a small incline really but the amount of moaning and bribery needed to get some of the students to walk up it, was unbelievable!

Once heart rates had stabilised, it was back on the bus with the sick bucket at the ready!!



Maths competitionsThis November saw the return of the local Year 9 ‘24 Competition’ at St Thomas More High school. 24 is a mental maths competition where students have to use 4 numbers to create the number 24.

The first round uses whole numbers only, the semi-finals see the introduction of negative numbers and in the final there are also fractions and decimals! Scary stuff!

Four girls from Year 9 represented Ruskin at this year’s competition. They were Klaudia Stadnik, Amy Tomlinson, Chloe Purcell and Sarah Leeke. All girls performed very well with both Chloe and Sarah getting through to the semi-finals. Sarah got all the way to the final but lost out ever so slightly to a boy from Sandbach Boys’ School. Well done to all involved …… next year, we will steal that title!

Lest we forget...On Friday 9th November at 11am, Ruskin fell silent to remember our past and current service personnel and to commemorate the First and Second World Wars.

One by one, students filed into the Main Hall in silence to pay their respects. Wreaths were laid in our Remembrance Garden, a cornet player heralded our event by playing “The Last Post” and Leighton Primary School Choir sang for us.

This tradition is long held at Ruskin and we look forward to 2014, when we will hold an extra special event to mark the centenary of the First World War.



LiteracyThe Government is now pushing for more opportunities for students to read for pleasure. This is something we have been keen to promote at Ruskin for many years, with the ten minutes reading in English lessons, BIB (Book In Bag) timetabled library sessions and the regular ERIC days (Everyone Reading In Class.) However, now we are taking this idea even further. Our latest initiative is a reading programme called Accelerated Reader which quizzes students on the books they have read. The quizzes motivate and encourage the students to keep reading because it gives them a sense of achievement as well as the pleasure of taking part in a rewards system. We are sure this positive reading culture will accelerate the students’ reading skills and improve their learning.

Literacy Leaders

Over the past year, we have worked hard at Ruskin to raise the literacy profile and to ensure that literacy is having a positive impact on students’ learning across all subjects. Out of this initiative, a group of literacy leaders has been born – all in all, 28 of them! Each teaching group now has two literacy leaders whose responsibility it is to support and strengthen literacy in the various lessons. They will mainly focus on the weekly

literacy targets and try to make sure they are being addressed in lessons. Gradually, their role will develop to include assisting in literacy teaching and appearing in assemblies. The leaders can be identified by their bright green badges and their proud demeanour!

Conor Windsor – literacy leader says:

“I feel that the literacy leaders are Heads of literacy in their teaching groups and should remind the teacher (if they have to) to tell the class about the literacy target. There are 28 of us spread across years 7-9. We are also in charge of the literacy boxes. In these literacy boxes are some helpful resources, for example, there is a VCOP pyramid so that the students will improve their writing skills.

Being a literacy leader makes me feel proud as I feel responsible for something. I think that my own literacy skills are improving with the job. It also gives me something to aim for. My aim as a literacy leader would to be to improve other students’ literacy skills because it is important that everyone has good literacy. Whatever job you get, literacy will be needed. If students have someone their age to ask for help then they will take more notice. If someone needs help with something they can ask any literacy leader – we are always there to assist!”

It is safe to say that everyone was excited. Despite the early start, all 44 students were in good spirits and the staff were even smiling as well. The journey was a long one broken up by a 2 hour ferry trip and a maths work booklet! For a lot of the students, this was the first time they had been on a boat, and not even the slightly rocky sailing conditions could dampen their enjoyment of the experience. A few did disappear into the toilets, though! After a long day travelling we arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Paris. The hotel

was basic but clean, and I think the highlight was the fact it was next door to McDonald’s! Turns out there is nothing like a McFlurry after a long day travelling!

The adventure really started the next day. Our first stop was La Villette for the maths exhibition. Students spent the morning looking at physical demonstrations of different mathematical concepts, such as why Pythagoras Theorem works, and how to identify different types of speed/distance graphs.

After lunch we started on our site-seeing part of the trip. Our first stop had to be the Eiffel Tower! No trip to Paris would be complete without the opportunity to sunbathe in the park, have an ice cream and, of course, get some pictures of you holding the Eiffel Tower!

From the Eiffel Tower, we headed to the Louvre. This is incredibly impressive and even more so when you consider at one point it was a home, not an art gallery! To quote one of the boys “Who needs that many rooms?” Both staff and students were amazed by the sheer size of the building and the impressive glass pyramids which are in the central courtyard. After the Louvre, we headed to the Champs Elysees. Students were free to wander up the famous shopping street at their own pace before meeting up with the staff again to visit the Arc de Triomphe. From the top, the views over Paris were truly spectacular!

Mathsin Paris!It all started very VERY early in the morning! There is nothing like a 6am departure from Crewe, in the rain, to make you very excited about a trip!



Breakfast was a much more subdued event on the third day. Everyone was very tired and conserving their energy for a very important day at… DISNEY!!! It is hard to say who was more excited about the trip to Disney; the group of girls who sang Disney songs all the way to the park, or Mrs Webster, Mr Hughes and Miss Rice.

This was an amazing trip and students were a credit to Ruskin.

Miss E Rice

Ruskin School UniformA gentle reminder of our uniform requirements. Please don’tbe tempted to allow your child to deviate from these requirements. We are particularly concerned that somestudents are being allowed to have multiple piercings, tattoos and eyebrow shavings.

The Police are following up incidents with tattoo and piercing shop owners because it is illegal under a certain age.

The wearing of uniform by students contributes greatly to the general orderly atmosphere and discipline within the school. At Ruskin we insist on high standards and students must have the correct uniform.

School EquipmentStudents need to be properly equipped with: pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, pair of compasses and a protractor. Asking to borrow equipment from school is not good training for personal organisation.

Calculators are probably best purchased from school during the first half-term when the Maths Department has access to cheaper supplies.

Dance WorkshopIn September, Mrs Critchley-Goodier was invited to Monks Coppenhall Primary School to deliver an exciting dance workshop to the Year 5 students. Accompanied by Ruskin dance enthusiasts Jessica, Regan and Chloe all involved had an absolutely amazing time. The Ruskin students led parts of the workshop, and were crucial in helping a number of Monks Coppenhall students to learn the steps and motifs. A fabulous war themed dance was created in just one day.

The performance was terrific and enjoyed by students, staff and parents. In fact, Year 5 enjoyed it so much they did an encore!

Mrs Critchley-Goodier



Expressive ArtsRuskin’s Expressive Arts students are now enjoying regular sessions over at South Cheshire College. Their focus is on ‘creating’ pieces in preparation for their final assessment later next year.

Led by Daryl Clulow (Head of the Arts at South Cheshire College), the students were taken on a journey to experience different ways of creating pieces from a variety of stimuli. From frozen tableaux to using lyrics from a song to create short group pieces of performance, the students were outstanding.Although initially the class were a little nervous, they soon

began to allow themselves to give ideas, perform using new skills and enjoy the session in these high quality surroundings.

Mrs Critchley-Goodier said ‘The students arrived in their professional looking black clothes and really wowed me with some of their performances and efforts. I cannot wait until our next session this coming week!’

Mrs Critchley-Goodier

In this photo: Jade Moore, Lauren Greenhalgh, Ben Harper, Regan Stocks, Tanisha Latham, Vicky Spencer, Emily Hodnet. Other class members Nicole Wood, Alexandra Wainwright-Goddard, Shaunna Taylor.

During the month of November nearly all (step forward Mr P!) male staff and some brave Yr11 students have been attempting to grow moustaches to raise awareness of male related health issues.Movember, as it has been renamed, hopes to raise some money to give to cancer charities that focus on amongst others, testicular cancer in men. Often, men are too embarrassed to talk to anyone if they have any health concerns.

Movember Madness!



For more details contact 01270 216682 or e-mail [email protected]

Please visit www.futsalandeducation.org, or email [email protected] for more information

...get a first classeducation that will get you to University?

...gain qualifications to work in the sports industry?

...train and compete in a professional Futsal environment?

...represent your local professional club?

...become a Futsal coach or referee?The Crewe Alexandra FC Community is offering a unique opportunity for talented 16-17year old football players topursue a 2 year Futsal &Education Scholarship.

In ‘Movember’ we hope to encourage our men to talk to their families or doctor if they are worried about anything and, at the same time, share a laugh at our poor attempts to grow facial hair! (With the obvious exception of Mr Foster who is an absolute natural!).

Mr Edmonds



Ruskin Students Go Live on Red Shift RadioMatthew Currie, James Reddan and Regan Stocks have been entertaining the nation with their witty banter and interesting musical choices. In 6 weeks, they have gone from zero to hero of the waves, being told by their producer that they were the fastest group to pick up on radio presenting technique. Both staff and students have listened in and made their requests for everything from Gangnam Style to ‘Take That’.

Ms Grant and Miss King

Earlier this year, a number of students from across the school entered their writing into a competition. The prize? Becoming a published writer!

Their task – to write a mini saga: a story using exactly fifty words. No mean feat! The results were impressive and eighteen mini-sagas were published.

To be included in a publication that showcases some of the best writing from across the North West is a fantastic achievement and the English Department were, quite rightly, very proud!

A big ‘well done’ to:Benjamin Hough, Wiktoria Kazmirkiewicz, Stephan Martin, Jake Forrester, Courtney Lofthouse, James Coleman, Matthew Eason, Ben Poole, Krya Gayle-Flood, Katie Hughes, Alex Capper, Tim Cotton, Toni Hamill, Luke Woolrich, Josh Markert, Alex Boulton, Reece Taylor and Curtis Cain.

Mrs Whitefoot

Ruskin’s Young WritersBloodstained GardenThe enemy’s guns ablaze; wild sparks of frustration with a heart of lead take yet another life. Screams of pain ring and a counter of artillery bombard their trench. Another ball is tossed, hitting the soldier on his crown; agony takes control and tears begin. My sibling flees, I’ve won!

Joshua Markert

The Creepy GraveyardI was staggering down the graveyard path. I looked behind me, nothing there except darkness. I heard screeching which impacted the air with a painful burst. A big shadow approached me. I stood frozen with fear, it came close, it was right next tome now. It said, ‘It’s time!’

Reece Taylor



On Friday 19th October, four Ruskin students visited the Municipal Buildings in Crewe to take part in a Youth Voice council debate. This was an exciting opportunity as it allowed students from all schools in Crewe to put forward their views on local issues.

The people involved were Lucy Rhead, Filip Makozsa, Ruzina Akther and Callum Coleman.

Lucy, a Year 9 student, explains the experience in her own words.

“The purpose of going was to give young people a voice and to make a difference in the community they are part of.The day involved a tour of the Municipal Buildings, including Cllr. Mrs Margaret Martin’s study and the debating room. All four Crewe schools then met in the debating room to discuss the proposals put forward.

At first, we discussed how to help young people make the transition from school to a job, but it soon became apparent that this was not the main issue. Young people felt that the main barrier to them succeeding was society’s negative view. Many of us feel that, too often, we are stereotyped and that the behaviour of a minority affects the way people think about the majority. We feel this is not fair and it isn’t good for the community.

As a result, we decided to come up with ideas that would help to improve the image of young people in the local area. One idea was to have a regular ‘good news’ media story highlighting the achievements and community work done by local youths. We also expressed a wish to gain more experience of caring for older vulnerable residents and to teach them computer skills. We hope this will help to improve the way young people in the area are viewed by older residents.

We’d like to say a big thank you to Ben Wye, Crewe Partnership Co-ordinator, for organising the event.”

Youth Voicecouncil debate

January 2013Tuesday 8 School begins for studentsWednesday 9 Year 11 Exam Session (9 Jan – 1 Feb)Monday 28 National Storytelling weekWednesday 30 Year 11 Long Report issued to parentsThursday 31 Year 11 Parents’ Evening: 4.30pm

February 2013Friday 1 Year 11 PhotographsThursday 2 Year 10 Short Report 3 issued to parentsThursday 2 Year 11 Short Report 2 issued to parentsWednesday 27 Year 11 Exam Session (27 February – 12 March)

March 2013Tuesday 5 Y5 Activities Evening: 3.30pmWednesday 6 Year 9 Long Report issued to parentsThursday 7 World Book DayThursday 7 Year 9 Parents’ Evening & Options EveningMonday 11 Ski Trip Parents’ Meeting: 7.00pmTuesday 12 Year 8 Injections – HPVThursday 14 Year 8 Short Report 2 issued to parentsThursday 14 Year 8 Parents’ EveningSaturday 16 Ski Trip – departsMonday 18 Year 10 Mock Exam weekThursday 21 Year 7 Short Report 2 issued to parentsSaturday 23 Ski Trip – returnsFriday 29 Year 11 Short Report 3 issued to parents

April 2013Tuesday 16 School begins for students

FORTHCOMING DATESFOR YOUR DIARY



Year 5 & 6 Activities Evening and Open EveningIn September, over 180 students from Crewe primary schools took part in a hugely successful Year 5 & 6 Activities Evening at Ruskin Sports College.

Students chose from a wide variety of exciting sessions including; Laser Creations, Murder Mystery, Volcanoes, Super Science and Brain Buster Maths Challenges, to name but a few. It was fantastic to see so many students involved, enjoying the challenges, getting to know teachers and students at Ruskin and making new friends.

Year 5 students will have a further opportunity to join us for our next Activities Evening at Ruskin on Tuesday 5th March 2013.Parents were then invited to join the students in our Open Evening, completing different challenges in each subject area.

Abbey Warren from Mablins Lane Community Primary School was the overall winner and enjoyed 1st prize, taking her family to the cinema. Well Done Abbey!

D&T Primary TransitionThe Ruskin Design and Technology team are continuing to work closely with local partner primary schools to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of a range of materials, techniques and processes within Food Technology, Resistant Materials, Textiles Technology and Product Design.

Last year, students in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 from Edleston, Gainsborough and Leighton Primary had the opportunity to complete a range of Design and Make Assignments. They had an amazing experience making aprons, bread and designing trolleys.

This year, our Design and Make Transition Assignment is titled ‘Moving Monsters’. Year 3 at Leighton Primary will investigate how air can produce movement to create simple pneumatic mechanisms.

We are also looking forward to working with Year 4 from Gainsborough after Christmas. Mrs Gale



On Tuesday 6th November 2012, Ruskin hosted the Crewe and Nantwich Primary School Girls’ Football competition.

Wistaston Green have qualified for the U11s County Final on Friday 1 February 2013.

This was a very close competition with a high standard of football. Ruskin sports leaders were involved in running this competition, supporting the referees by timing games and keeping scores. As it was a cold evening, the sports leaders also welcomed parents with warm cups of tea and coffee,

Crewe and Nantwich Year 5 & 6 Girls’ Football Competition

School

Pear Tree

Wrenbury

Monks Coppenhall

Audlem

Millfields

Points

10

9

9

9

4

Goals scored

4

3

3

2

0

Position

1

2

2

4

5

School

Wistaston Green

Weaver

Vine Tree

Highfields

Points

9

7

5

3

Goals scored

4

5

1

1

Position

1

2

3

4

which was very well received. Thank you to Ruskin sports leaders for making this a very successful competition.

Girls (aged 5 – 11) interested in playing more football are welcome at the Crewe Alex Soccer Centre every Friday 5 – 6pm for a girls only coaching session. Contact Nick Pearce 07792 353967 [email protected] for more info.

Ruskin v Brine Leas Fencing tournamentThe Ruskin fencing squad went to an one off fencing tournament against Brine Leas High school on Thursday 15th November 2012. Due to great sportsmanship by everyone and all the months of hard training, it all paid off with an outstanding 82-50 win to Ruskin fencing club. It was a great achievement that we won every game apart from two. We would like to thank the 11 squad members that have trained hard for the past months:

•Josh Jones•Josh Wright •Leon Robinson•Cameron Douglas

•Jon Williams •Josh Patrick •Emily Bradbury

•Damien Jurak •Joe Clulow •Harry Merchant •Connor Windsor

Thanks to Mrs Curry for working so hard with the team.

The move from primary to secondary school is a huge part of a child’s (and parents) life. I would like to invite parents to join a newly formed group, with the aim of continuing to develop and explore new ways to support children’s transition from primary to secondary school.

The Stepping Stones transition group will meet every half term and will help to ensure that parents and children can contribute to the shape and direction of our transition programme. If you would like to join the Stepping Stone Transition group or have any questions relating to this, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

SteppingStones

TransitionGroup


HIGH STANDARDS HIGH ACHIEVERS16

Girls Score Goals in Gale!On the 22nd of November the girls’ football team travelled to St Nicholas High School in Northwich to play in the second round of the Cheshire Cup.

At the start of the game, Captain for the day Jade O’Connor made a very clever decision to kick into the gale force wind. Knowing full well they were in for a very difficult half, all the girls battled fantastically in the first twenty five minutes to keep a very good St Nics’ team at bay.

Just after this point, St Nics’ pressure took hold and they took the lead with a very well-worked goal. Shortly after, the home side doubled their lead after an unfortunate mistake at the back enabled the St Nics’ striker to slot home. Unperturbed by this setback, the girls kept their heads up and looked to have pulled a goal back two minutes later.

A fifty yard solo run and finish by Abbie Pepper was cruelly (and incorrectly) judged offside as the linesman thought another of our players had the final touch. It was at this point in the game (with the wind still gusting into the girls’ faces) that the whole complexion of the match changed. St Nics were awarded a penalty and had a chance to put the game out of Ruskin’s reach. Step up Chloe Purcell, who not only saved the penalty but saved the rebound shot as well. A class act!

This gave the whole team a lift and with one minute to go before half time, Ruskin went up to the other end and pulled a goal back with a very neat finish from Steph Moulton.

Half time: St Nics 2 – 1 Ruskin

The second half began and it was quite clear that due to the wind, we were going to have an awful lot of the ball in the opposition’s half. Shot after shot rained in on the opposition’s goal but, agonisingly, all went just wide of the post.

With time nearly up, Ruskin were attacking in the opposition’s half when the ball fell nicely to right winger Chloe Salmon. She took one touch and then unleashed an absolute bullet into the far corner of the net and the girls went crazy! (and so did I!)

Full time: St Nics 2 – 2 Ruskin – Extra time!

Extra time began and there was a sense from the girls that they could now win. Every tackle was won and every second ball was met by a Ruskin player. The girls had forgotten that the gale force wind was actually there - although they were briefly reminded when the game was halted as a pupil’s bag blew from one end of the pitch to the other! To make things even more pleasant, the heavens opened to the absolute delight of all involved. It was all Ruskin but no winner could be found. With three minutes to go penalties were looming! Ruskin picked up the ball on the half-way line and advanced down the pitch. The ball broke on the edge of the area for the

battling midfield warrior Jade O’Connor. With the absolute coolness of Lionel Messi , Jade slotted the ball into the bottom corner, past the despairing keeper. Cue wild celebrations from both players and manager.

The final whistle blew and after 84 incredibly tough minutes of football the girls were victorious!!

After Extra time: St Nics 2 – 3 Ruskin

(Wo)Man of the Match: Bethany Kerr (An absolute star in the making. Huge talent, big future)

Attendance: 11 possibly 12, plus an unidentified school bag!

9KIG – Neisha Woolrich-Fraser Paige Suter Abbie Pepper 9GAL – Chloe Salmon 9BRD – Steph Moulton 9ABB – Sade Brookshaw Klaudia Stadnik Ellie Larcombe Chloe Purcell Naomi Hughes Brooke Amison 8EDM – Tia Smith 7HUN – Bethany Kerr Jade O’Connor

By Mr Tomlinson

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winter 2012 newsletter christmas card winning … · winter 2012 newsletter head’s message ......

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