News round-up week ending 4 October 2011
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- Created on Friday, 14 October 2011 15:08
Mrs Sandra Dixon
The school community was saddened to learn of the death of Mrs Sandra Dixon, classroom assistant in the Junior School, after a short illness. Our deepest condolences are extended to her husband Nigel, daughter Katherine and son Christopher.
Junior DT competition
Fulneck hosted our annual Design and Technology competition with 10 schools participating. Each team of pupils designed and constructed a battery powered model vehicle which, using principles of stock car racing and ten pin bowling, competed against the others to gain the championship. The winning team this year was Tranmere Park Primary School.
Theatre Visit
'Oh let me not be mad!'
On a dark and stormy Wednesday night in the last week before the half-term break, the English department bravely took a group of Year 10 and 6th form pupils to the critically acclaimed production of King Lear playing at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Madness, hostility and violence ensued, but thankfully only onstage.
The 26 pupils were a credit to the school, in their behaviour, composure and in the discussions arising from the Shakespearean tragedy.
Judging by the smiles on the faces of all involved afterwards, the trip proved to be a success.
Greenhouse Visit
On 11 October, 37 Year 10 and 13 Geographers visited one of the most sustainable and high-tech buildings in the country. They learned how residents and companies based there keep their energy costs very low by using the building’s solar water heaters, ground source heat pumps, thick insulation, wind turbines and a number of other ingenious technologies. Pupils were taken on a tour of the building, and were shown some of the power plants and a penthouse flat, complete with 100mbps broadband, energy-saving appliances and a TV which can show real-time energy monitoring graphs. This tour will help the Year 10s with their GCSE unit on sustainable living, and will inspire them to consider such energy- and money-saving technologies in the future. It will also give members of the school’s eco-club, headed by Dr Neuberg, inspiration for their work to make Fulneck a ‘greener’ school.
World Challenge presentation
Last night, on Thursday 13th October, the students who successfully completed this summer's World Challenge expedition to Thailand and Cambodia gave a presentation about their trip. Students showed photos and videos taken during the expedition, and recalled amusing anecdotes and memorable stories from their time away. The audience of staff, friends in the sixth form, and prospective students for future expeditions were well entertained, and were given a taste of life in South-East Asia. It was clear that the students had learned a lot from their travels, had been moved by their experiences in the Cambodian orphanage, and were well prepared for future travels and survival at university! The students are planning to continue with their fundraising efforts for the COSO orphanage over the remainder of the school year.
House Music competition
The first half of term was marked by Fulneck’s first ever House Music competition. Pupils from Years 7 to 13 were challenged to perform a variety of musical items, from solos to a song performed by the entire house! The pupils performed in front of the whole Senior School, parents of the participants and a panel of discerning judges. Strong performances marked the first half of the event, with some inspirational guitar sets from Sixth Former Arman Badiei and Year 9 pupil Harry Hanson, as well as a moving rendition of ‘Your Song’ from Natasha Chipampe in Year 11. Key Stage 3 pupils produced some outstanding vocal performances of their favourite hymns: ‘Give me oil in my Lamp’, ‘When I needed a Neighbour’ and ‘Give Thanks’.
The indisputable climax of the event came from the performance of the keenly-anticipated House Songs. Griffin set a high standard with a Beatles favourite, ‘With a little help from my friends’; Phoenix rocked the East Gym with their funky rendition of the Bon Jovi classic, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ while Pegasus danced in the aisles to the Tony Christie hit, ‘Amarillo’.
Pegasus House was crowned the worthy winner and the Heads of Houses, Mr Potts (Phoenix),Mr Rhodes (Griffin) and Miss Boyd (Pegasus) would like to extend their thanks to the fantastic team work of all the students and staff involved.
Sixth Form Enterprise
Carl Hopkins, the marketing guru and business personality who was this year’s guest speaker on Speech Day, delivered a Personal Branding seminar to the Sixth Form Enterprise Committee on Wednesday 12th October. The TV ‘Secret Millionaire’ gave the group his advice on the formula for success.
He taught the group the importance of brand awareness and gave advice on how to market not just a new business, but themselves as individuals too – a vital tool in today’s highly competitive job market.
Chester Williams, Lower Sixth Former, commented that the workshop was “extremely useful and relevant”. Max Weatherhead, also in the Lower Sixth, added, “Carl really knows his stuff – he’s been there and done it, so we know we can trust his advice.”
Ruby Takhar, who chairs the Enterprise Committee, states, “I plan to study business at university, so this scheme is helping me to maximise my chances of winning a place.”
Miss Meadows, Head of Sixth Form, explains: “It is essential for us to add value wherever possible to our students’ experience of school life. The Sixth Form Enterprise Committee work on real-life business projects in order to develop knowledge and skills which will give them an edge when competing for places at university and in industry. Carl Hopkins is a very positive role model for so many of our students, not only because he has worked his way up through an incredibly tough industry, but also because he devotes so much of his time to helping others: tenacity teamed with compassion are values which we aim to instil in our own students.”
Fantasy Football
The School Fantasy Football League starts this Saturday after a delay caused by unprecedented demand. Fulneck has its biggest ever number of competitors with over 50 participants. Its popularity is such that even former pupils have registered, even though they have now moved on to university!
