Year 8 Camp l Fountains Abbey 2010 l Year 10 Geography trip l Paris in Springtime l Ski Trip 2010 l Outward Bound 2009 l Bangladesh update l French Exchange 2009

Geography Field Trips: Bowness and Morecambe
On Thursday 8th and Friday 9th July, the Year 10 Geographers visited Bowness on Lake Windermere and Morcambe as part of their coursework for Year 11. The days involved collecting information about two tourist destinations in two different areas.

On Thursday, two Year 10 groups pulled up in luxury coaches to have a fun day in Bowness. Their task was to discover the different types of management that was in place to cope with tourists in the area. The students carried out land use surveys and environmental quality surveys and generally observed the area from a geographer’s perspective. In the afternoon, the group were treated with bright sunshine and a private boat ride across the lake which was very peaceful and relaxing and thoroughly enjoyed!

On Friday, the two groups that went to Bowness ventured to Morecambe, along with the Year 10s that would be carrying out the short course next year. The purpose of this trip was to carry out data collection for the Controlled Assessment for their GCSE. Despite the rain, a productive day of data collection was carried out in the form of questionnaires, pedestrian counts and land use surveys and the two days overall were fun and successful!

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Year 8 Camp 2010 (photos)

I knew that this year’s Year 8 Camp would be a good one. I just didn’t imagine how good it would be and how emotional it would be; being that this was my last Year 8 Camp.

As soon as the students arrived on Tuesday morning, they were thrown straight into a series of team building activities around the beautiful surroundings of Coniston Hall campsite. Through doing activities such as the 'night line' and the 'spider's web' the students got to know each other a little better and started to understand the importance of teamwork and effective communication and leadership, that was paramount throughout the week.

On the Wednesday and Thursday of each week, the main activities took place. Every student took part in a 10 mile hike up the Old Man of Coniston Mountain and participated in two of six different outdoor educational activities - these being Mountain biking, Canoeing, Raft building, Gorge scrambling, Abseiling and Orienteering.

In the evenings there was time to chill out after dinner before having the opportunity to play some sport, walk into the centre of Coniston or even go swimming in the lake. And Thursday evenings saw the camp come to a close with a sing-song around the campfire with pie and peas and certificates awarded to star campers, for all of their hard work.

On Fridays it was time to pack up our things, tidy the campsite and head off back home. Year 8 were absolutely fantastic throughout the two weeks of camp and I can't sing their praises enough. They were extremely good throughout their time on camp and this year's camps are up there with the best I have run (in 6 years) and they need congratulating for being so good. Also I would like to thank all the staff and sixth formers that came and helped out on camp, not just this year, but every year that I organised camp. Camp is such an important aspect of school life and I will really miss organising and running such a great trip. I would especially like to thank Mrs Kendall and her husband Ian. They do such a fantastic job in organising and doing the cooking every day. You are stars and you will be missed next year.

Let's hope that next year's camp can be a success. Well done Year 8s.

Mr H Potter

Photos from Year 8 Camp

Fountains Abbey
Year 7X experienced a little mortification of the body during the first of two day trips to Fountains Abbey as part of their Key Stage 3 History course. 

At times the experience felt like a test of endurance: students were left bedraggled by persistent rain which fell during their picnic lunch within the remains of the Cistercian Abbey’s Guest House.  However, it did mean teachers were able to emphasise the grim conditions and hardships suffered by members of the pioneering community, which became one of the richest monastic houses in England.  Although founded around the Benedictine concepts of ‘Poverty, Chastity and Obedience’ pupils saw for themselves how the original ideas of austerity softened during the years up to its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1539.

Imaginations were particularly captured by the revelation that monks had no underwear and would have to borrow a communal pair if they left the abbey precincts. A Further point of interest were the abbey lavatories (reredorters) which dropped waste straight into the River Skell- meaning the monks had to drink beer, cider and wine, not water!

	Conditions improved slightly the next day when the second half of the year group repeated the experience, although members of Calder High were left slightly non-plussed when another school went past dressed in the white habits of the Cistercian monks. Mrs Cowey was disappointed at having to reprimand a group of children who were littering the visitor centre- until she realised they were with a different school.  While Mr Mitchell’s group took great pleasure in repeating the stories of how naughty monks were punished and the consequences of them not wearing underwear!

Elements of the trips were then incorporated into the two follow-up days as part of Enrichment Weeks which saw students writing-up their memories of the visit and playing the ‘Lay Monks Game’ while listening to Gregorian chant.

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Year 10 Geography Trip - Ingleton – 2010

This year, we travelled to Ingleton to observe the local geography. Ingleton is hidden in the very north of Yorkshire, inside the Dales National Park. We arrived – excited – on Friday evening, many groggy from staying up late (for the election) the night before. There were squeals of terror as mobiles lost signal when we got to the hut. The Girls panicked; however, all survived being separated from ‘society’ and reached the hostel in a (relatively) stable state. The expected five star hotel was nowhere to be seen, so we headed for the alternative accommodation, and were served Michelin star standard cuisine, by the glamorous geography staff.

After an early start, we made our sandwiches and leapt into the minibus – destination White Scar Caves! We got to the site in good time, and donned our hard hats. The tour guide took us inside, but 100 meters in one crew member had to turn back after a claustrophobic breakdown. The rest of the party carried on, amazed by the incredible calcite formations. After assuring one of the group that the caves were indeed made out of real rock, not fake foam and polystyrene, we continued to Battlefield cavern. Inside the cavern, stalactite straws hung from the ceiling, and calcite curtains draped the lower walls. We were informed that the cave was a ‘site of scientific interest’ as calcite had flowed in between cracks in prehistoric fossilised mud – to create a ‘crazy paving’ style floor to the cavern.

We popped back for lunch, and then went to Ingleton quarry, and were astonished by its vastness. One group found it so exciting that they decided to produce a presentation dedicated it, but the rest of the geographers managed to suppress their interest and escaped back to the bus.

Waving at every walker we passed, we arrived in Ingleton elated at the fact there was a Co-op to go hang out in. Jo and Lauren managed to get lost, missing the signs saying ‘Village centre this way’ and wandering off into the countryside.

Finally we popped out to the “finest limestone pavement in England” to quench our thirst for geographic knowledge. Expert caver Mrs Gibson led the insurance defying trek into the heart of the cave entrance strewn countryside.

All in all, the first day of the Geography Trip was truly an inspiring experience. Not only did it support us as individuals, but we were also encouraged to improve our ability to participate as part of a group.

We would like to thank the Humanities staff for arranging the trip; and putting up with us when we were on it – Mr Ball, for watching over us whilst we represented him and his school – and our legs, for supporting us all these years.

Written by Joe Cotton, Joey Scarf and Tom Gee

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Paris in Springtime for Year 7 (Report by Mrs S Kerr, Assistant Head of MFL faculty)
Between 20th – 25th May, a group of year 7 French students hopped over the channel to practise their French and sample the delights of the French culture. As part of the journey down to Paris, we made a detour to Boulogne in order to see the fantastic National Sealife Centre – NAUSICAA -  where stroking the sting ray was essential.

In an action packed few days the pupils managed to squeeze in romping up the hundreds of steps to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, trying to spot the hunch back in Notre Dame and bargaining in the shops around the Place du Tertre, Montmartre.  We also had a whistle-stop coach tour of the main sights of Paris.

The students also had the opportunity to swim, participate in exciting team games and sing their hearts out in the Château de Grande Romaine, our base for three nights east of Paris.

We enjoyed super springtime weather and spent plenty of time outdoors both in Fontianebleau and the charming French market town of Brie-Comte-Robert where students again used their ever expanding knowledge of the French language to buy souvenirs for those at home as well as a whole range of exciting objects for their group task – amongst which a popular theme was fish! (The coach driver was not happy!) Our final day saw a visit to Parc Astérix with dolphin and acrobatic shows.

As ever Calder High School students were a pleasure to be with, always polite, fun and eager to make the most of this opportunity.

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Ski Trip 2011
For many years Calder High School has been proud to run some fantastic ski trips and in 2011 the trip will go to the Amade region in Austria during February half term and will be departing on Friday 18 February 2011 and returning on Sunday 27 February 2011. The trip includes travel by luxury coach via Dover, accommodation, all meals, a full entertainment programme, ski equipment, tuition, full lift pass and insurance. The cost will be approximately £850 and is open to children of all skiing abilities. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Existing students can get more information from Mr Lumb and return the confirmation slip with a £50 non refundable deposit by the 9 June. For children starting at Calder High School in September 2010 please email jkaye@calderhigh.calderdale.sch.uk for more information as soon as possible because places will go quickly. Once again the deadline is the 9 June.

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2010 Ski Trip: Killington, USA

As a bit of a break from the norm I decided to organise this years ski trip to the slopes of eastern USA and the so called ‘Beast of the East’, Killington in Vermont. It was an emotional trip from its conception well over a year ago to the day we got back and the realisation that this was the last ski trip I would be organising from Calder High School.

We departed from Calder High School at 8am on Friday 26th March and travelled to Heathrow terminal 5 by coach. We checked onto our flight with British Airways (we were very lucky as the strikes started on the 27th!) and took off at 4pm, heading for New York JFK international airport. Once we landed and finally got through immigration and passport control we met our rep and got on a coach for a five hour coach journey up to Rutland, Vermont and our hotel for 3:00am on Saturday 27th March.

With only a three hour sleep, we were out of the hotel again, heading for the slopes on our very own yellow American School bus. We got our boots and skis, met our instructors and had an amazing first day skiing in the sunshine. Although not as high as Austria and the resorts we have skied in the past, there were a vast variety of pistes and the skiing was fantastic. We skied for five days in total and in that time we had three nice days and two where it rained, making the conditions a little harder and a bit more miserable, but it didn’t break the Calder spirit.

After a hard day's skiing we had a real insight to the American culture in our Apres ski activities. We went Ten Pin bowling and the cinema, sampled a few American shops and supermarkets, swam in our hotel's swimming pool and sampled the delights of Dunkin Doughnuts, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Subway and a group of students even had a Domino’s Pizza delivered to their Hotel room.

Then it was time to return the skis and boots and head back to the hotel to pack and on our sixth day we got up bright and early and boarded a coach heading to the bright lights of New York city. We arrived in New York in the early afternoon and after dropping our bags off at the hotel it was time to explore. We walked different groups down 5th Avenue from our hotel, all the way down to Times Square, stopping at souvenir shops to buy the much desired hoodies and t-shirts. Once in Times Square the students had around three hours to explore the shops and sights. Some students bought sneakers (trainers), some bought caps and some bought themselves hot dogs from the vender stands. Then we all met again for our dinner in the Hard Rock Café (burger and fries).

After dinner we walked down Broadway to the mighty Empire State building. Even though we had pre-booked tickets we still had a 2 hour queue to get to the top!  But once at the top we had an amazing view of all of New York lit up beneath us. After many photos had been taken we headed back down and walked back to our hotel for some much needed rest.

The following morning (our last day) we left the hotel and loaded the coach. We then had a four hour coach tour of all the major New York sights with our driver Oscar and our very own tour guide Stan. Stan was great and told us so much useless information about New York’s famous sights including; Harlem, the Bronx, Manhattan and lots of places where famous films had been shot. Half way through the tour we got off the coach and walked through Central Park, looking at the scenery and some people even got burnt the weather was so lovely. After getting back on the coach and driving to the finance district and seeing Ground Zero, we stopped at a shopping mall by the docks and Brooklyn Bridge for some lunch and some last minute shopping, before we headed back to JFK airport for our flight home.

It was an amazing trip and hopefully everyone who attended will have memories that they will never forget. The behaviour of the group was fantastic and an absolute pleasure to be around. I would just like to say thank you to all who attended and thank you for the support from parents and carers before and during this trip. I would also like to say a massive thank you to all who have attended one of my five ski trips whilst I have been teaching at Calder High. I have loved every one of them and don’t think I will ever take such fantastic groups of students away again. 

Thanks for being ace!

Mr H Potter

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Outward Bound: December 2009

40 Year 10 students from Calder High School attended an action packed week at the Outward Bound Centre in Ullswater from 7 to 11 December. This is a fantastic trip that has been running in conjunction and funded by the Mytholmroyd company Vale Upholstery for 13 years now. Mr Chadwick from Vale Upholstery has put in lots and lots of money over the last 13 years into the development of individuals at the school and without this funding the course would not run.

This was my sixth year of attending the trip and therefore I knew what to expect, Mr Wallis was a little bit shocked when he was told that the week starts off with a swim in the lake, no matter what the weather! After that moment the challenges kept on coming and throughout the week the students took part in a number of adventurous activities including; team building, rock climbing, canoeing, raft building and a two day expedition with an overnight rough camp.

It was a challenging and difficult week that was brought to a close with presentations that were given by Mr Ball and the head of Outward Bound Ullswater and the Managing Directors of Vale Upholstery, on the students' experiences during the week and what they have learnt. These presentations were fantastic and the guests all heard about the wonders of the week.

I would like to thank everyone that was involved for being so fantastic during the week, Mr Ball for allowing everyone to go and finally Mr Chadwick. Thank you for your commitment to the students of our school over the last 13 years.

Report by Mr H Potter, Assistant Head of PE

Photo gallery

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Bangladesh Update:
Pictured:, Calder High PE teacher, Miss J Davies, with Head of PE and Headteacher of the school in Bangladesh.

Calder High pupils help disadvantaged children
With London 2012 preparations in full swing for many elite athletes, the partnership inspired by the Olympics between Bangladesh and Mytholmroyd is still going strong. Calder High School is very excited to be partnered with Pirganj Government High School in Rangpur, North of Bangladesh.

The aim for the Games to have a long lasting impact; and to improve the lives of millions of children in third world countries through sport, health and fitness is under way.

The project is called International Inspirations and has a long term aim of improving the delivery of PE in schools through qualified PE teachers and young leaders with in the school. After a reciprocal visit from the PE teacher and Head teacher a 3 year development plan has been drawn up and sent to the British Council for approval.

In preparation for the release of the funding the PE department at Calder High School have selected group of sixth form young sports leaders, to be trained in a variety of activities and specific sports. The long term aim is for the group to comprise a DVD to teach the young leaders in Bangladesh how to teach young people, in a similar way. The overall aim is to ensure a continued positive message is delivered about health and well being.

We will keep you updated on any progress made.

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Return visit from Bangladesh

The Bangladesh visitors have emailed to thank us for a wonderful week in Calderdale and for a fantastic day at Calder High School. They were unfortunately delayed by 10 hours during their flight back, but it appears not to have dampened their spirits for the project.

Lots of events and activities were planned for the visitors to observe throughout the day and the PE department organised a Year 8 inter-form Rounders competition after school on the front field.

We are looking forward to the next stage of our 3 year development plan, which involves our sixth form leaders developing their skills, in order to teach nominated leaders, in our Bangladesh School.

Pictured: Mrs Ratcliffe, Deputy headteacher, with the Headteacher and Head of PE of the school in Bangladesh.

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PE in Bangladesh
Earlier this term, Mrs Ratcliffe and Miss Davies travelled to Bangladesh and spent a week at a school there as part of a project called 'International Inspirations' which has a long term aim of improving the delivery of PE in schools through qualified PE teachers and young leaders with in the school. Calder High School is partnered with Pirganj Government Boys' High School in Rangpur, North of Bangladesh.

(Read the full report of the trip)

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Slavery: Unfinished Business On Monday 29 June, twelve year 8 students attended an activity day at the Wilberforce Institute for Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), in Hull. Located next door to William Wilberforce's house, the event focused on the history of the transatlantic slave trade, the movement for the abolition of the slave trade (in which Wilberforce played a leading role), and the different forms of slavery present in today's world.

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French Exchange 2009 (Report by Mrs E Taylor, Head of Modern Foreign Languages)

This year's French Exchange took place over a two and a half week period in March. Following a busy but enjoyable visit by Le Collège Roger Salengro to the Calder Valley between 11 and 18 March, the return leg began just two days later. Forty students from across Year 9, 10 and 11 set off for the town of St.Pol-sur-Ternoise in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region of France. During our time in France we spent time in lessons with our hosts, visited the beautiful Belgian town of Bruges, and visited some of the historic WW1 and WW2 sites which are plentiful in this area of Northern France. We also had a lot of fun during our market challenge in the local town of Arras where students excelled themselves when set the 'tricolore challenge' (i.e. to purchase something red, white and blue).

We were very warmly welcomed by our hosts. Special mention should go to David Hyatt in Year 11 who experienced a huge range of French gastronomical delights including steak tartare, frogs legs, snails and rabbit! Good effort David!

Students who took part in this year's visit deserve big congratulations for the way they conducted themselves throughout the two weeks and we are looking forward to taking many of them back again next year, along with a few new faces from our current Year 8.



Staff and students pictured here at the reception held in the Town Hall with St Pol's Mayor.

Photos from visits to Bruges and World War sites

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