School News

ECU Schools Mace l December Fun Run l Student Voice Conference l Shoe Box Appeal l Story time l Taking Maths Further l Technology Specialism Day: Darwin 200 l Enrichment Days: June 09 l No Worries l Secondary Schools Quality Mark l Fly Fishing for Asdan l Intermediate Maths Challenge Winners l Science Week Competition l Astronomy lectures

Polar Explorer comes to Calder High
Photograph from Hannah McKeand's website.


Students at Calder High School discover flora and fauna of Antarctica and other Polar regions, thanks to the visit of a record-breaking explorer.

Hannah McKeand currently holds the record for the fastest solo female trek from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and plans a solo and unsupported trip to the North Pole in April this year- an enterprise never before completed by a woman.

She’s also travelled the Hindu Kush and sailed the world in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Year 9 Geography students at Calder High heard about Hannah’s adventures around the world and her observations about the Antarctic landscape during two special sessions on Friday 5 February. She also addressed a group of sixth form students about the problems of global warming and the range of bio-diversity in Polar regions, before being subjected to a gruelling interview session from English media students in the afternoon.

But it’s not just secondary students who will be hearing about her tales of derring-do! On Monday primary pupils at Hebden Royd and Heptonstall schools will be able to quiz the intrepid adventurer about explorers through the ages, the specialised clothing used in different areas of the world and the diverse wildlife spotted by Hannah during her travels.

The special sessions have been organised to tie-in with key points of the national curriculum and to help inspire the students about the world around them. They have been fitted into Hannah McKeand’s busy schedule as she prepares for her latest trek later in the year when she hopes to become the first woman to ski to the North Pole. She intends to complete the journey without being resupplied; carrying all her food and equipment with her from the start.

Each of her expeditions is financed through sponsorship and donations and you can find out more information at Hannah’s website: www.hannahmckeand.com.

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Amoeba to Zebra Science show


On Monday, 25 January, Year 10 Science students had the opportunity to see ‘Amoeba to Zebra’  - a production which uses a fusion of music and science to teach students about evolution. The topic will be covered in more detail when the students study the unit B3: Life on Earth - as part of the Science core GCSE.

Many students gave positive feedback, Georgia Lomax Thorpe wrote: "I thought this presentation was very effective in introducing/teaching about evolution. It reminded me about the process of life on Earth and how the human race came to be. I loved the way it was presented and the music was modern and appealing. The sound effects and images/words combined and made the information stick in my mind. The lively atmosphere gave an enthusiastic feel and the stages of evolution were clear and easy to learn."

For more information and examples of the music visit: http://www.amoebatozebra.co.uk

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ESU Schools Mace 2009/10

Congratulations to Jesse Raikes and Joe Cotton in Year 10 on their superb achievement in the English Speaking Union's Schools Mace on Monday 14 December. They were competing against teams from Greenhead, Huddersfield New College, Moor End Technology College, Crossley Heath and North Halifax Grammar Schools, all of whom were Yearr 12 and 13. They were singled out by the judges for the excellence of their speech structure and sailed through to the next round along with Greenhead - possibly the best first debate from any team we’ve produced.

Report by Mrs A Todd

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December 2009 Fun Run
During the last week of term, Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students are taking part in a 'Fun Run' for their PE lessons. This year's event is raising money for Breast Cancer care and the Great Generation project. Everyone taking part in the run should wear something pink. All students are expected to run and to contribute at least £1.00. Letters given out by form tutors will include a sponsor form. There will be prizes not just for the winners of the races, but also for the students who raise the most money.

Update on the mony raised from the Fun Run
Many thanks to the students who took part in the Christmas PE fun run. They raised a staggering £2281.50, and that was predominantly done through Years 7, 8 and 9. £2000 will be split between The Great Generation and Breast Cancer Care (the PE department's chosen charity for 2009). The rest of the money will go towards the Haiti relief fund.

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Student Voice Conference

The topic for this year's conference was 'social cohesion'. Headteacher, Mr Stephen Ball, opened the conference which was held in the sixth form centre. The programme for the day included presentations from REWIND and workshops to consider core values and a future action plan.

Delegates for the conference consisted of student reps from each form in all year groups.

The event was filmed by a camera crew from the BBC.

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Shoe box appeal (On behalf of the Rotary Club)

The deadline for the shoeboxes has been extended until 4 December. Many thanks to everyone for their contributions so far.

Calder High is trying to fill at least 40 shoe boxes to be sent to the Ukraine. Students can choose whether to send a shoe box to a boy or a girl, with an age in mind. Boxes can also be for men or women of any particular age group. The gender/age of the possible recipient and the contents need to be clearly marked on the top of the box.

Suggestions for contents of the boxes:

For children
Toys such as ‘Matchbox’ type toy cars
Small bouncy balls
Jigsaws
Fluffy toys
Dolls
Colouring books
Felt tip pens
Lego
Yoyo’s
Bubble blow

For teenagers/adults
Make-up
Toiletries
Sportswear
Scarf
Gloves
Hat
Socks
Writing materials
Envelopes
Letter paper
Biro/pen
Deodorants
Hand soap
Toothpaste + brush
Comb
Mirror
Football memorabilia

The Rotary Club also suggests a card with the sender’s name/address plus photo is a nice touch. 

Note:
Please do not mix the contents of the boxes, as this makes distribution difficult.  

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Story time
Seven Year 7 students from 7YA took their work to read to Year 1 & 2 pupils at Scout Road School last week.

This was part of an English project they were working on about writing stories for younger audiences. In her evaluation of the project, Amy reflected that "I have learned that it is very fun to write children's stories and I really liked reading them to people!" whilst Kate wrote that "I have learned that writing for Year 1 is actually quite hard as the best ideas have already been taken". Lachlan was very impressed with the attitude of the Scout Road pupils, saying: "When we started to read they started to get very involved and they were sensible and mature. They were asking very good questions like how long did it take to write? The enjoyment was overwhelming but just before we were going they said, 'can we show you a play?' It was very good and they all had the right timing."

Pictured: Calder High students reading their work to the primary school pupils.

Report by Miss M Heryet, English teacher

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Taking Maths Further


Six year 10 pupils travelled to York University on Wednesday to take part in the 'Taking Maths Further workshop. The activities included code breaking, maths in the real world and the mathematics of juggling. The students enjoyed the day and some were now considering taking maths and further maths at A Level.

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The school is having a cross-curricular themed day on 8 July, where all subjects taught on that day tackle the same (scientific) topic but from their respective curriculum angle.

The theme for this year is Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday year and we expect that by the end of the day, every student should know a great deal more about this important scientist and his ideas, and understand why he is such a significant, and sometimes controversial, thinker.



Photos from Technology Specialism Day:


Mr Potter's Evolution Elimination game

Expressive Arts performance:



Investigation of Charles Darwin's ideas:

Cooking for the 'fittest'...Temujin chef gives a stir-fry masterclass:

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Enrichment Days: June 2009
Years 7, 8 and 9 enjoyed a wide range of activities during 25 and 26 June. Fountains Abbey and Chester Zoo were the destinations for Year 7s and Year 9s for History and Science activities.

Year 7 had a range of fun English and Maths activities: board games / quizzes / puzzles.

Year 8 had a Euro Day Experiencewhere they enjoyed ordering food in Spanish or French, playing booles and volleyball, and taking part or cheering on their teams in a 'European Cup Final' at the end of each day.

For Year 9 it was a range of Technology-based activities.

Photo Gallery:

Outdoor activities included Volleyball, Mountain biking and a European style football tournament

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'No Worries'! (Timetable for services)
This is a health service for young people and is available to all students during the lunchtime break. Please see the flyer for more information.

Secondary Schools Quality Mark



Calder High has recently gained the Secondary Schools Quality Mark Award – the first secondary school in Calderdale to achieve this. The prestigious award recognises the high standards of numeracy and literacy attained by the school’s pupils, as well as the mentoring and reporting systems in place at Calder High. It comes as a result of over a year’s work by Mrs A Todd (Literacy Co-ordinator) and Miss S Brown (Numeracy Co-ordinator), and the committed support of every teacher and teaching assistant in the school, as well as Calderdale’s Teaching and Learning adviser, Lindsey Murray.

The bid to achieve the Quality Mark involved the collation of evidence that the high standards demanded by the Basic Skills Agency were being met and culminated in a full day inspection of the school. Two of the school’s Key Stage 4 students, Billy Painter and Chaim Narang, accompanied the inspectors and answered many detailed questions about their experiences as pupils at Calder High. The resulting report from the Basic Skills Agency was glowing in its praise of their contribution to the bid, as well as referring to the outstanding commitment, teamwork and enthusiasm found throughout the school.

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Fly-fishing for Asdan
A group of Calder High students have been taking their classes down by the river with rod and line. The students are learning fly fishing as part of a course which will give them a nationally-recognised ASDAN award. (ASDAN is a registered charity whose vision is to encourage, engage and motivate learners ; promote active and experiential learning; raise the expectations of learners; reward a range of learning styles and contexts; use assessment to further learning; and  make learning relevant and transferable.)

The students are working with Mrs Candice Paniczew, the school’s inclusion centre and support manager, and a coach from Ripponden Fly Fishing Club. So far the students have been involved in theory sessions, but will now be heading for the River Calder at Brearley with equipment bought by the school, and Hebden Fishing Club permits.

Headteacher Mr Stephen Ball, himself an accomplished fly-fisherman, said: “This is a really creative initiative. I have been along to see the students and they are thoroughly enjoying every moment. I hope to join them for a session very soon.”

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Intermediate Maths Challenge winners
Congratulations to the winners in each year group:

Year 9

Silver Medal	Bronze Medal
Bethan Horsfield Joey Scarf Paris Chambers Lucy Robbins	Joe Bell Joseph Cotton Jacob Forbes

Year 10

Gold Medal Fin Plumpton

Year 11

Gold Medal	Silver Medal	Bronze Medal
Matthew Wedge-Roberts Sam Popper Johnny McQuade Matthew Wright	Arthur Halliday Angharad Scarf Dylan Wilby Ben Lomax-Thorpe Patrick Sugden Isaac Rose Rowan Carter Joshua Crawshaw	Callum Paramor Katie Hutchinson Emily Glover John Ingham Matthew Dawson

Additional congratulations to:
Fin Plumpton - has been invited to do the Hamilton Olympiad
Matthew Wedge-Roberts, Sam Popper, Johnny McQuade - have been invited to do the Pink Kangaroo Challenge.

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To celebrate the week (from 6-15 March) and Darwin's 200th birthday, Calder High is having a competition for Year 7 and 8 students.

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Astronomy lectures

Picture credit: Saturn: Hubble Space Telescope. [Photograph]. Retrieved February  4,  2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition (available on Frog/School Stuff/LRC folder)

On Thursday 8 January astronomer Dennis Ashton gave three  enthusiastic presentations: two to our Year 10 Science GCSE students, and one to our Year 12/13 Physics GCE students. The lectures were similar to those presented last year and were aimed to give a boost to our students just prior to their Science module exams. The talks covered the formation of the Universe and the life and death of a star. Feedback from students was again very positive and many felt that it was of real benefit to their exam revision.

We were very fortunate in being granted an award from the Institute of Physics to cover the entire cost of the presentations and also, as part of the Year of Astronomy initiative, to enable some local primary school teachers to participate in an in-service training course to be run just before the Easter break. This will be led by Dennis, looking at some of the more difficult aspects of teaching astronomy to younger students.

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Anti-Bullying Week
Here are some useful sites:
www.bullying.co.uk
www.antibullyingweek.org/
www.childline.org.uk

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