Newsletter Issue 10

Newsletter Issue 10, 2018

Note from Mr Pritchard...

Pewsey Vale School Wilcot Road, Pewsey, SN9 5EW T: 01672 565000

NEWS CONTENT P.1 Note from Mr Pritchard P.2 Art Update P.2 Find us on Twitter!

P.3 Exchange of Knowledge P.3 Science Update P.3 Maths Update P.4 Adverts P.5 Adverts P.6 World Book Day P.6 Music Trip P.6 Geography Update P.6 PE Update P.7 Skiing Trip P.8 Slapstick Event P.8 MFL Update P.8 Update from the PTFA

Welcome all to our spring newsletter!

As you will see from this newsletter, this has proved to be yet another busy term. Staff, students, parents, governors and friends have worked exceptionally hard to bring further success and enjoyment to our school community; I thank you all.

I can’t believe that we are nearly 2/3rds of the way through the year! It is my intention for Pewsey Vale School to be a beacon of excellence in a rural setting and our staff are continuing to support our students on their journey to achieving this. We have high expectations of our students and ourselves and I don’t apologise for this. By challenging and supporting each other, you can see from this newsletter how much we can accomplish.

This term, we were lucky enough to see the beautiful snow-covered hills of the local area, which resulted in the closure of the school for three days. I am pleased to say that our preparations and processes made for a smooth communication path to you all and I appreciate your support with this.

Next term is exceptionally busy with parent’s evenings, celebration events, sports day, trips and residentials, to name just a few things. I am looking forward to seeing the continued work of Floyd Woodrow working alongside Miss Dean with some of our students. This made national news with our school featuring in the Daily Express newspaper (see our website for the complete article).

I would especially like to wish the Yr 11 students the best of luck with their upcoming exams. I know that some students have been committed to their studies throughout their time at Pewsey Vale School and I’m sure that all of their hard work will come to fruition. However, for some students, it is finally beginning to dawn on them that they are competing with the rest of the country for their exam results and they are now very worried that they may have left it too late. They need to make the most of the time they have left to produce the best results they can and we commit to supporting them as much as possible.

For our younger years reading this, please use every opportunity that our school offers.

Congratulations to a few of the Staff and Pewsey Vale Pupils:

Robbie Amor

We would like to wish Robbie Amor (one of our school caretakers) MANY CONGRATULATIONS for his up and coming retirement.

Robbie has been with the school for 14 years. We would like to thank him for all of his hard work and dedication during this time.

Miss Roberts

We would also like to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Miss Roberts and her partner Jamie on the safe arrival of their baby girl. Modern Foreign Language (MFL) is being delivered

by Mr Reed who is covering for Miss Roberts’s maternity period.

WELCOME TO THE TEAM Mr Reed.

Please enjoy reading the articles about the various successes and opportunities our school provides in this newsletter.

ENJOY YOUR EASTER!

Pewsey Vale Pupils

In addition, we are really pleased that Pewsey Vale pupils are participating in the Marlborough & Pewsey Music Cluster event which we will be hosting. The event will take place on 22nd March 2018. THANK YOU to everyone involved.

Pewsey Vale students have also been selected to perform with the Pewsey Vale Male Choir on the 17th March at the Bouverie Hall. WELL DONE on this achievement.

T: 01672 565000 E: admin@pewsey-vale.wilts.sch.uk PVS Newsletter Issue102018.indd 1

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Art Update

Mrs Slater

I am delighted to share the following Creative Arts successes with you.

Pewsey Library Exhibition We currently have a touring exhibition of photographic work. You may remember the Heritage Centre exhibition from our GCSE students? They produced beautiful photos documenting the Crofton Beam engines.

Where: Pewsey Library When: Current - 6th April 2018 Opening times: According to the Library I have also been working with the Wiltshire and Swindon Archive centre in Chippenham.

We have a permanent archive available online: http://www.wshc.eu/education/crofton-beam-engine-online-exhibition.html

Pitt Rivers Museum - Oxford At the end of last term we had an exciting visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. Our Year 10 Art and Textile students enjoyed a day of drawing and photographing some of the vast collections within the museum. They will use this information within their coursework unit.

Arts Award We are now an Arts Award centre, currently offering Bronze Arts Award (Trinity College) to Year 7 and 8 students.

This award enables students to enjoy the Arts, unbounded by a curriculum to enable personal choice and creativity. It also allows individuals to share skills with their peers and visit a gallery or museum.

Successful Outcomes from Mock Examinations Within the department, we had very successful outcomes from our Year 10 mock examinations in January.

All students produced high quality work, linking to their own personal themes.

Currently our Year 11 GCSE students are working hard to prepare for their GCSE Examinations in May.

Textile Arts

TED Ed

Keep up-to-date

In Textiles, Year 7 and 8 students have produced successful pieces including Japanese Shibori Dyed Tote Bags, Batik Footstool covers and a large Sensory wall.

Another extra-curriculum offer within the Art department is the TED-ED club, which runs on a Tuesday afternoon.

Part of the TED (Technology, Education, Design) foundation, is to enable students to foster a love of talking critically about their ideas on the local and national level, encouraging public speakers of the future.

Finally to keep updated about all our exciting developments within the department, follow our new blog via the school website:

Find us on twitter!

http://art.pewseyvale.org/

Did you know that you can follow ‘nice-to-know’ information and news stories about Pewsey Vale School on Twitter @Pewseyvalesch

All essential information will obviously be communicated by other channels (parent mail/text/letter home) but on Twitter we will post interesting things happening in school on a regular basis. Our Twitter handle is @Pewseyvalesch. Please do follow us.

The following departments also have their own twitter accounts: Computer Science @pvs_computing • Art @pvs_art • Ski Trip @pvs_ski

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T: 01672 565000 E: admin@pewsey-vale.wilts.sch.uk

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i

Exchange of knowledge

Peter A (Yr 11)

Peter was very lucky to have an opportunity to spend a week in France with a student from our partner school.

During the week days he followed their time table and attended each of their lessons. He was a little surprised that most lessons were the same as at home and they covered the same topics.

What a fantastic experience.

Science Update

Mr Carter

All of Yr 9 were able to take place in a Masterclass which had been sponsored

by PPG, a paint company. At the start of the workshop pupils were asked to make observations of various space rockets and then discuss what a paint company would have to do with the rockets.

To help pupils piece together these seemingly disparate observations, they were shown what happens when fuel evaporates and is then ignited. Seeing the fireball, pupils very quickly suggested that the rockets would have to be painted white to stop this happening while the rocket was preparing for take-off and so preventing the rocket exploding on the launch pad.

The Science Department were very pleased to welcome The National Space Academy to Pewsey Vale School on the 8th of February. shielding on space faring rockets. The pupils enthusiastically carried out their investigations and then reported back their findings, unanimously agreeing that bright white was the best choice. During the feedback, pupils were also able to ask further questions about careers in Astronomy and Astronomical engineering.

The Masterclass was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to carry out real life scientific investigations which schools would find very difficult to resource and the pupils really benefited from the workshop.

They were then instructed on how to manufacture their own infrared sensors so they could investigate which shades of paint had the greatest reflective capabilities. This enabled them to select the most appropriate paint to act as heat

Maths Update

CONGRATULATIONS

to the following students who achieved an award:

Mr Webb

UK Intermediate Maths Challenge

SILVER

In February, a selection of students from Yrs 9, 10 and 11 competed in the annual UK Intermediate Maths Challenge.

This competition saw students from Pewsey Vale School compete against other young mathematicians from around the country. They had to answer particularly difficult mathematical problems.

GOLD

Kyle G (Yr 11)

Tate E (Yr 9) Sophie S (Yr 9) Hannah G (Yr 10) James V (Yr 11) Jasmin A (Yr 11) Daniel M (Yr 11) Hannah P (Yr 11)

BRONZE

Rory E (Yr 9) Charlie S (Yr 10) Danny C (Yr 11) Jordan W (Yr 11) Oliver E (Yr 11) Josh D (Yr 11)

A huge WELL DONE to all of the students who took part and represented Pewsey Vale School.

The UK Junior Maths Challenge for students in Yrs 7 and 8 is scheduled to take place on Thursday 26th April 2018.

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T: 01672 565000 E: admin@pewsey-vale.wilts.sch.uk

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Advertising Board

Pewsey Vale School would like to thank the companies who have supported the school by advertising their businesses within our newsletter.

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Why not advertise your business with us?

Call 01672 565000 today for more details.

At Home Instead we are looking for CAREGivers with character in Pewsey for Pewsey, Marlborough and Devizes.

We will match you to your clients based on shared interests and hobbies.

Why wait? Appy with us today! www.homeinstead.co.uk/andovereastwilts www.facebook.com/homeinsteadandover ▸ You can care and work with people suffering with dementia. ▸ You need to have a lot of patience, be able to change the way you work to suit the mood of the client and be adaptable as things change constantly and plans sometimes have to be moved to accommodate the changing needs of the client. ▸ A good sense of humour will help. ▸ Generally they like to talk about their lives when they were younger as those memories remain with them. ▸ A couple of hours a week of your time can be of great value to an older person.

Free Range Raw Bone Sale

Every Thursday Morning (9am – 12pm)

3 x Free Range Beef Bones for £1 Honey's Real Dog Food, Darlings House, 1-­‐3 Salisbury Road Industrial Estate, Pewsey

Dogs really, really enjoy gnawing on a raw bone.

Raw Bones can be licked, chewed, gnawed, possessed, buried in the garden, under rugs, in the sofa and dug up again later for more enjoyment. Raw Bones provide an upper body workout, mental stimulation and can have a calming effect on an excitable canine – endorphins – happy hormones – are released as they gnaw.

Giving a dog a raw beef marrow bone on a regular basis also has a significant effect on dental health with cleaner teeth, healthy gums and sweeter breath.

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Music Trip

World Book Day

Mrs Du Toit

Mrs Sheppy March saw our World Book Day events delayed due to snow however this didn’t put off the enthusiasm of the students.

We had a full library completing a lunch time quiz, with teams of 2 battling it out to be this year’s champions.

FOR 2018 WE HAVE JOINT WINNERS:

1ST Place Josephine W Georgie W (Yr 7 KRO)

2ND Place Lucy B Grace J-Y (Yr 9 TAR)

3RD Place

Pewsey Vale School was lucky enough to secure ten tickets to see the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performing live at the Winterbourne International Academy in Bristol.

On Monday 5th of February, the GCSE Music students and some musicians from Yr 9, took the minibus on this musical adventure. After a lovely hot chocolate at some roadside services, we arrived at the venue in good time for the performance starting at 12:30 pm.

Initially we were a bit disappointed as the program revealed a seven-instrument orchestra, but luckily this was short lived as the ensemble took us on a historical musical journey with pieces by Bach, Haydn, Dvorak, Copland, Goodchild, Riley and the Beatles! Patrick Bailey, BSO Associate Musician, explained some key terminology before each performance making this trip not only enjoyable, but extremely informative and invaluable for the GCSE music course.

Sashia T Zara P (Yr 9 IWA/TAR)

I would like to congratulate everyone who took part. It was fantastic to see the library full of students completing these activities and another very successful World Book Day for Pewsey Vale School.

I would like to thank Mrs Wassell for driving the bus and congratulate the students on impeccable behaviour.

I was proud to be associated with Pewsey Vale School.

DON’T FORGET TO SPEND YOUR £1 BOOK TOKEN.

Geography Update 1 2

Miss Lythe

Previously in the newsletter, the Year 8 geographers were set a task to create a ‘Landscape in a Box’ for their homework last term.

There were some really creative and imaginative ideas and we enjoyed peer and self-assessing them. The students had to plan their projects, research their landscape and present their projects to their classmates.

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Here are some examples from the class: WELL DONE TO ALL. There was some great work produced.

PE Update

Mr Thomas

We are fortunate to have two highly respected and experienced coaches from Marlborough Rugby Club: Mike Banfield (1st XV Team Manager and U14 Head Coach) and Elisi Vunipola (Director of Coaching at Marlborough Rugby Club, 52 International Caps for Tonga, Uncle to Mako and Billy Vunipola – England and British Lions), available to us to run these sessions with the aim of being able to cover all year groups between them.

1. Holly W – Wiltshire 2. Ben G – The Needles, The Isle of Wight 3. Ted G – An Oxbow Lake

February saw the start of the new boys’ Rugby Club with the support and coaching from Marlborough Rugby Club.

The sessions are designed to be inclusive to all and will certainly help develop the boys’ fitness as well as their understanding of the game of Rugby.

We look forward to seeing their success over the coming weeks.

Despite the cold temperature out on the field, the mood of the boys has been high and it is clear to see how keen they are to start their Rugby experience with the coaches.

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T: 01672 565000 E: admin@pewsey-vale.wilts.sch.uk

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Skiing Trip

Miss Dean and Mr Lewis

In the early hours of the morning, slightly bleary eyed, the 2018 ski trip departed from Pewsey Vale. Our journey out was uneventful and we arrived early to a very snowy Claviere. Everyone was in good spirits and excitement levels grew as we got our skis and boots fitted – in between a few snowballs being thrown.

Sunday morning arrived and everyone was up bright and early ready for skiing and we had a great first day mastering the snowplough and most importantly how to stop! Our first presentation of the ‘shark’ helmet cover was made at dinner, voted for by the students, for the funniest moment of the day.

Day 2 on the slopes and the temperatures dropped even further, at the top we were facing temperatures of -22 degrees. I was incredibly proud of the way in which all of the students demonstrated resilience and just got on with it. In preparation for further cold days we did buy up the village’s supply of hand warmers for the next day.

one another with plenty of laughs along the way.

Our journey back was a long one with the snow racing ahead of us and making conditions for travel difficult, but we arrived back safely in good spirits accompanied by our song of the week (ask any of the students and they will sing it for you).

“I totally concur with your comments.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the anticipation of it being a disturbed week when we arrived at the same time as a school trip was soon put to rest. The children’s behaviour was impeccable and their leader’s ensured full control was observed across the whole 24 hour curriculum. A true credit to any school, both pupils and teachers alike.” Keith.

I have never before run a trip where students are begging to be allowed to go to bed by 8pm in the evening. We certainly kept them busy with 5 hours of skiing every day and then evening activities. A favourite of which was a skidoo ride up the mountain, in a blizzard, to go and eat crepes and drink hot chocolate (so thick you could stand your spoon up in it).

By mid-week every student had accomplished skiing a red run which is a phenomenal achievement as many had not skied before this week. We made it all the way to France and I was impressed that the students put their language skills to good use in ordering yet more hot chocolate. Snow was certainly not in short supply during the week and on the last two days even the pistes resembled off piste.

I can honestly say that this is the best ski trip I have run to date. All of the students were a massive credit to themselves, their families and also the school. Throughout the week every single one of them demonstrated courage in approaching new challenges and all of them came away having learnt new skills. We were a diverse group but by the end of the week everyone was part of our ‘ski family’ a cohesive group looking out for

I believe it is very beneficial and offers essential life skills important in ensuring children learn about culture, languages and expeditionary challenges, which is of great importance to our armed forces during selection and recruitment. It is all too easy to be risk adverse these days and deny future generation’s different types of opportunities. Your students were very well supported by two very dedicated teachers who seemed to glue the whole trip together.

Well done, to all those concerned that made your 2018 Skiing trip a great success. Thank you! We were most impressed.” Mark.

We are delighted that upon return from the trip, Mr Pritchard received the following communications from members of the public: “On behalf of my colleagues; Mr Keith Clark and Mr Spencer Drain, I wish to express how very impressed we were with the good behaviour and high standards of the pupils from your school. They attended a skiing trip recently in Claviere in Italy, where they were very well behaved, polite and set an excellent example for your school.

As an ex-armed forces officer, I am always encouraged to see extra-curricular activities undertaken by students from our schools up and down the country.

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Slapstick Event

MFL Update

Mr Reed

Miss Rodier and Miss Dean ‘A DAY WITHOUT LAUGHTER IS A DAY WASTED’ Charlie Chaplin On Monday 12th March, the Drama department welcomed fifty-six Yr 5 pupils from Woodborough C of E Primary School, Rushall Primary School and Pewsey Primary School to participate in a Slapstick Comedy Workshop.

Yr 5 pupils worked tirelessly throughout the school day to learn drama theory, devise and rehearse comedic scenes which they performed to an audience of parents, peers, staff and governors that afternoon.

Twelve Yr 7 pupils took leadership opportunities to act as peerteachers to the Yr 5’s for the day by modelling performance skills and supporting them in a range of learning tasks.

Year 11 are now preparing for their forthcoming GCSE Speaking examinations, worth 25% of their final grade.

The dates have been set as follows: French: Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th April German: Wednesday 25th April Students will have to complete a description of a photo, take part in a role play and answer questions on prepared themes. Any time parents/carers can invest in rehearsing with students would be gratefully received. Much of the content can be anticipated in advance so careful preparation will pay dividends. If you have any questions please contact your child’s French/German teacher, Mr Reed, on CHR@pewsey-vale.wilts.sch.uk

Update from the PTFA Joanna Martin The Annual PTFA Quiz Night is our biggest fundraiser of the year and took place on Thursday 15th March.

It was a true collaborative event with the staff, pupils, PTFA, governors and parents all getting involved and we could not hold such an event without everyone playing their part. Mr Webb was our excellent Quiz Master who challenged us all with a whole host of questions. The PTFA cooked a curry and it wouldn’t be a PTFA event without a raffle.

Many thanks to all pupils, staff and audience members who helped to make the event the success that it was. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

“I CAN & I AM” – James Shone Pewsey Vale School was lucky to have guest speaker James Shone visit and complete a whole school assembly with his message of “I can & I am”.

“I Can & I Am” is a charity founded three years ago by exteacher James Shone. Their passion is to see all people with an inflated ‘balloon of self-belief’ in who they are and what they can do. James visits hundreds of schools a year presenting to pupils, staff and parents.

There is no doubt that the messages he delivers, which includes James’s story and how best to respond to serious setbacks, has developed in to a pre-emptive approach in how best to avoid teenage anxiety. Put simply: the heart of the charity is to inspire confidence in every individual to enable them to know who they are and what they are able to do, rather than focussing on what they can’t. The charity raises valuable funds to enable the messages of I Can and I Am to be spread to as many school children as possible across the UK.

After some controversy, and an invasion to the team by Mrs Hay (who must have been able to feel the winning magic), it was the aptly named ‘Stay Away Mrs Hay’ continuing on the championship road for the 3rd year running – Are they unbeatable? Profits made from the night will be split evenly between the Year 11 Prom and the PTFA. Our current fundraising target is for some outdoor weatherproof table tennis tables.

Here are a few reminders of focus for the PTFA and how you can help: Bag2school is an ongoing fundraiser, which raises about £100 each time. Bags are sent home for unwanted clothes, shoes, belts. The weight of the bags transfers into money for the PTFA. We book one collection a term, so keep saving your unwanted items for us as the bags can be sent into school any time in the run up to a the collection.

Easyfundraising for Pewsey Vale School, Pewsey is a way to raise funds for our PTFA. It is a website that you go through before making purchases from the web that brings in valuable funds. You need to register but that is a quick and simple process. www.easyfundraising.org.uk there is an app available as a prompt.

We would like to thank James and his team. The assembly was well received by the school and would certainly give them inspiration and thoughts about what they can achieve.

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T: 01672 565000 E: admin@pewsey-vale.wilts.sch.uk

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From September 2018 we are looking to start ‘Popcorn Club’. This would be an after school club where an age appropriate film would be shown, along with popcorn.

Further details will following shortly.

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