Ridgeway New Times Issue 6 October 2018

Ridgeway New Times Issue 6 October 2018

All the latest news from Ridgeway High School

ALL FIRED UP!

THREE-DAY ADVENTURE RESIDENTIAL EQUIPS STUDENTS FOR THE CHALLENGES OF YEAR 11

Ridgeway New Times Issue 6 October 2018

CONTENTS HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE Taking full advantage of the opportunities we offer............................03 ACHIEVEMENT Another year of GCSE examination success........................................04 NURTURE Introducing Maisy Palin, Student Head of House...............................06 MASTERY Partnership programme set to transform maths.................................07 DISCOVERY Visits to places of worship help support learning................................08 I N V E S T I G AT I O N Fieldwork is a key element of geography..............................................09 NURTURE King House is setting the pace, says Mr Tyler......................................10 ENDURANCE Deep learning and high adventure at Colomendy...............................11 CHARACTER The new Ridgeway Charter is up and running....................................12 EXPERIENCES Enjoying the beauty of the countryside.................................................13 NURTURE Fundraising is Kolbe’s focus, says Mr Monaghan................................14 STOP PRESS Ridgeway news in brief............................................................................15 ENJOYMENT Year 7 students recall their first impressions of Ridgeway..................16 CORE CHARTER ELEMENTS Attendance and achievement points at the heart of our Charter.......18 COMMUNITY Enjoying poetry with local care home residents..................................19 C R E AT I V I T Y Qualities of resilience and perseverance on display in art..................20 RECOGNITION An award-winning year for the PE department...................................22 L AT E S T Up-to-the-minute sports news...............................................................23 COMPETITION Teresa House triumphs on Sports Day..................................................24 PA R T I C I PAT I O N Girls’ PE goes from strength to strength...............................................26

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H E A D T E AC H E R’ S M E S S AG E I want students to take full advantage of the opportunities we offer

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elcome to this first Ridgeway New Times of the current academic year. Whenever I sit down to read through the final draft of the latest magazine, it gives me a chance to reflect back on the events of the half-term and to celebrate our many successes.

As I have said many times, attending school should be - and at Ridgeway certainly is - about more than just achieving examination success. It is a joy to read the words of Maisy Palin, Student Head of Teresa House, on page 6. As she details the many wonderful opportunities, experiences and events in which she has been involved during her time at Ridgeway, it is evident that Maisy is an outstanding role model, exemplifying everything that we want a Ridgeway student to be.

In particular, Maisy demonstrates the five ‘LEARN for Success’ attributes that lie at the heart of our character education programme. She shows impressive leadership qualities; she is resourceful and resilient; she has high aspirations for herself; she is respectful of the school and those around her; and she has seized all the opportunities available to her at Ridgeway in order to nurture and develop her skills, future prospects and well-being.

Particularly pleasing this term has been the school’s improved attendance and reduced absence. This bodes well for students’ learning and progress over the year. Analysing this summer’s GCSE results, it was overwhelmingly clear, yet again, that students who attend Ridgeway and have 95%+ attendance achieve above and beyond expected progress compared to other schools nationally. Of course, this cannot be achieved without a lot of hard work and effort, but it does go a long way to proving the old dictum that ‘hard work pays off ’. I would like to say a thank you to all concerned - staff, parents and students.

A strong home-school partnership is a key element in the success of any school, something we have recognised at Ridgeway for many years. Our transition programme for students and parents new to the school establishes a firm foundation. Our Parent Review Day is another key date in the calendar. This year’s Parent Review Day is on the last

Friday before the half-term break. It enables parents to meet with their child’s form tutor to discuss progress and any concerns so far this year.

I am extremely keen that, as a school, we ensure that parents hear about their child’s efforts, successes and achievements. Such recognition - for going above and beyond what is expected - builds self-esteem and confidence, which in turn promotes a positive attitude to learning.

I also believe passionately that participation in competitions - from inter-house level right up to national standard enriches students’ experience in school. The provision of opportunities for students to take part in competitive events is one of the areas in which Ridgeway High School really excels. Competition promotes endurance, one of our five ‘LEARN for success’ attributes. It enhances enjoyment levels and spurs us on when we are flagging. It reminds us that success doesn’t come easily and teaches us to deal with, and learn from, setbacks and defeat.

On the theme of celebrating success, I am delighted to report that this term we have achieved national recognition for our sports provision by securing the School Games Gold Mark. In addition, the PE department was named Sports Department of the Year at the recent Wirral Sports Awards, and has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Commitment to Sport in a Secondary School award at the prestigious Educate Awards. These accolades are thoroughly deserved, providing recognition for the vast range of activities and competitions now on offer at the school.

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ACHIEVEMENT Another year of GCSE examination success Students received their results in August - the first year group to sit new 9-1 examinations across a range of subjects.

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t has been another successful year for GCSE results at Ridgeway, with 56% of students achieving 9-4 grades in mathematics and 68% in English. Several students secured the higher 9-7 grades, including Jakub Tomaszewski, Daria Dawidowicz (both of whom achieved eleven GCSEs, six of which were at grade 7 or above), Olivia Wallace and Sean Robinson.

Headteacher Mr Taylor said: “I am delighted for the students who have had an anxious wait to see their results, as this is the first year of the new 9-1 exams across almost all subjects.

ÏÏStudents receive their results in August. Last year’s Year 11 students were the first to sit a large number of the new 9-1 examinations.

“Exam success is only achieved when staff and students work together with determination and commitment. In addition to working hard in class and at home, many of our Year 11s attended additional Saturday School lessons, so these results are thoroughly deserved. Well done to everyone. Meanwhile, we have been working hard with the new Year 11, making sure that they will be fully prepared.”

Other highlights at grades 9-4 included: 69% in computer science 67% in religious education 100% in drama 62% in English literature

• • • •

In September, we welcomed Year 5 and Year 6 students and their families to Open Evening - see pictures opposite.

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NURTURE Introducing Maisy Palin, Student Head of House

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am Maisy Palin, Student Head of Teresa House. One of the reasons I took on this role is because I wanted to show younger students how much you can achieve at Ridgeway with hard work, effort and determination.

During my time at Ridgeway, I have achieved my ‘bronze’ Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, been a member of the gifted and talented programme, and had a poem published in the school magazine.

I have taken part in and won a business entrepreneurship competition and a maths competition. I was a charity ambassador for much of my time here, which allowed me to organise and participate in charity events that have taken place in school.

ACHIEVEMENT POINTS TERESA TOP FIVE Ethan O’Donnell - 359 Alfie Jones - 266 Theodore Stubbs - 264 Peris Menzies - 260 Lucie Thompson-Patten - 260 Wales. You can read my report on page 11.

In the future, I would like to be an author, actress, publisher and playwright. I hope to achieve these goals through a combination of hard work, creativity and a quirky personality! My older sister inspired me to go to Ridgeway and make the most of my school life, just like she did. I hope to inspire others to do the same.

ÐÐMaisy was part of the team that won last year’s Dragons’ Den competition.

I have attended 100% attendance and good behaviour trips to places like London. I have also been on subject-based trips to amazing places like the First World War trenches in Belgium and Auschwitz in Poland. In July, I went on a fantastic three-day residential to Colomendy in North

ÐÐMrs Lord-Owens and Miss Kell say: “We would like to congratulate all the Teresa students who have achieved 100%

attendance since September. This is a fantastic achievement that will help contribute to improved progress. Well done to them all, and remember: it’s cool to be in school!”

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Ridgeway New Times

MASTERY Partnership programme set to transform maths It has been a busy few weeks in the mathematics department. Mr Fields, head of department, explains.

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he new logo on the right signifies that we are a partner school in the Mathematics Mastery programme. As it says on their website, Mathematics Mastery is a school improvement programme which “empowers and equips teachers to improve pupils’ enjoyment, resilience, understanding and attainment in maths.” This is a development that I am really excited about – it will help the department to continue moving forward, transforming the way that we teach mathematics in the process.

You will have seen pictures from the school’s Open Evening on page 5. In the maths department we had great fun. We welcomed our Year 5 and 6 visitors to an Egypt-themed room, where they were invited to make a pyramid. Our guests answered questions on vertices and shapes while busily building. Meanwhile, during the evening, our Year 11 helpers placed all of the individual pyramids together to create one giant pyramid.

“This partnership will transform the way we teach maths.”

Mr Fields Head of Mathematics Our young visitors were also involved in building a steppyramid from multi-link cubes, problem-solving using the Egyptian number system, and experiencing some ‘magic mathematics’. We also had our own version of TV’s ‘Countdown’ and a highly competitive quiz.

Another maths ‘first’ is that two Year 9 students have been nominated to attend a series of Saturday masterclasses at local universities. They will be learning from visiting experts at Liverpool University, Liverpool John Moores and Liverpool Hope. This is a fantastic opportunity, offering them a first taste of university life.

After Christmas we will be involving Key Stage 3 students in a series of maths-based challenges. Meanwhile, here’s a reminder of our regular study clubs for older students:

Day

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Time

3.30pm - 4.30pm 7.45am - 8.30am 3.30pm - 4.30pm 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Year Group 11 11 11 10

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DISC OVERY Visits to places of worship help support learning Year 10 RE students bring their studies to life by visiting Christian and Buddhist places of worship. Miss Cotter reports.

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s part of their GCSE course in religious education, which focuses particularly on Christianity and Buddhism, Year 10 students visited two places of worship: Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and a Thai Buddhist temple in Runcorn.

First on the itinerary was a tour of the world-famous Anglican cathedral, investigating its key features and understanding their importance for worshippers. We

explored the Lady Chapel and the Holy Spirit Chapel. We also made sure to check out the iconic red telephone box near to the tower complex! Students learnt that Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect who designed the cathedral, also designed the iconic, once-ubiquitous red telephone box.

Before leaving, we all gave a small donation to the cathedral

to support the upkeep of the magnificent building and as a token of thanks for their hospitality.

From there we travelled to Runcorn to visit Wat Phra Singh, a Thai Buddhist temple, run by monks from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

One of the monks, resplendent in orange robes, spoke to the students about the role of Buddhism in the local community, the teachings of the Buddha and the lifestyle he leads as a Buddhist monk. Students made an offering to the community of food and incense, and the monks blessed the students with a chant in Pali, the language used by the Buddha. Students also received sai-sin, or sacred thread, which was tied around their wrists for good karma and protection.

On the way back, there was time to reflect on a thoughtprovoking and interesting day. We were all touched by the friendly and welcoming nature of both religious communities, and I was extremely proud of the maturity and interest shown by the students.

Ă?Ă?RE students at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. Based on a design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, building began in 1904 but was only finally completed in 1978.

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I N V E S T I G AT I O N Fieldwork is a key element of geography Llandudno was the destination for Year 11 geography students in September, collecting data for use in their examination.

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ear 11 geography students took a trip to Llandudno in North Wales in the middle of September to do important fieldwork as part of their GCSE studies.

The aim of the day was to collect primary data on the Llandudno coast. They are expected to use this data in their written examination papers next summer.

The students visited the west shore and the north shore to compare and contrast two coastlines. As well as completing field sketches, they looked at pebble size and used a clinometer to measure the gradient of the two coastlines.

Mr Speers said afterwards: “The study of geography is all about getting out and about, investigating the world around us - the physical and the human environment. It has been a successful day’s fieldwork, one that I think the students really enjoyed. The weather just about held out and we were able to collect all the data we needed.”

ÐÐGeography students, completing a field sketch in Llandudno. GCSE students are expected to use data collected during fieldwork in their final GCSE examination.

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NURTURE King House is setting the pace, says Mr Tyler

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iss Caul and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all King House students and form tutors for their hard work in getting the year off to such a positive start. Our new Year 7 cohort have slotted in seamlessly and taken on our core house values of pushing ourselves to be the best and keeping King standards high.

Our determination has seen the house race ahead in terms of achievement points after a close first few weeks. As well as the dedication of King students individually, our points total has been bolstered significantly by our success in interhouse competitions. King House won both the Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 inter-house maths ‘Countdown’ challenges as well as a number of sporting competitions.

We also have students leading the way as role models people like EllahnaMaria and Bethany [pictured here] - who have already gained their ‘silver’ award for reaching the milestone of 200 achievement points.

Well done to them all!

ACHIEVEMENT POINTS KING TOP FIVE Bethany Knowles - 250 Archie Mansell - 248 Baer Pooissarakul - 236 Jessica Shindler - 230 Callum Jones - 230 year is a very closely run contest. I am determined not to let our grip on the attendance cup slip. Well done to all King students who have had exceptional attendance this halfterm. Remember: if you are not here, you can’t learn and prove you’re the best.

Finally, a reminder that, with so many outstanding things happening, our Twitter account @RHS_King gives you upto-the-minute information about our achievements, as well as insights into how the house works.

Attendance at this early stage of the

ÐÐA great picture of the members of King House, waiting patiently for their recent house assembly to begin. House identity is a key ingredient of the Ridgeway bond.

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ENDURANCE Deep learning and high adventure at Colomendy In July, the current Year 11 took part in a three-day residential to Colomendy in North Wales. Year 11’s Maisy Palin reports.

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s soon as we arrived, the lovely Colomendy staff gave us a tour of the site and facilities: the field (where we would be spending a lot of our free time), assembly point, canteen, bedrooms, car park and ‘the hub’, otherwise known as the classrooms.

We also did buggy building – building a go-cart using barrels, string and planks of wood – and had loads of fun racing them.

Every night ended by the campfire where we would sing songs with the Colomendy staff and eat smores. A real highlight was an outrageous dance-off between Miss Grundy and Mr Ducker!

We were all very happy with the facilities. The rooms were described by students as “spacious and well ventilated”, though there were a few complaints about the hardness of the beds! In my opinion, the rooms were cosy, and we had a stunning view of the fields and mountains, which helped us relax after long activity-filled days. Good food was also important, of course. What was impressive was the variety. A range of meals was on offer every day, including vegetarian options and allergy-specific food.

The days were packed with terrific team-building exercises that everybody participated in. The first activity was a game similar to ‘stuck in the mud’ called ‘catch grandma’: you are linked in a pair and if you aren’t a part of a pair then you are either chasing or being chased. The instructor used Mr Fields for his example. As he ran to link up with a pair, he toppled over and fell onto the floor. Everybody laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Mr Ducker!

The games varied from football-rounders and trampolining to ‘the ladder game’. This is a game where you are given a number and a partner. If your number is called, you must step over the other people who are sat with their legs out and feet touching, like a ladder lying horizontally.

We were also offered the chance to take part in a variety of other exciting experiences, such as rock climbing (competing against other Ridgeway students), caving and obstacle courses. We were even given the chance to have a go on a 3G swing. We were attached to a harness on a swing and hoisted up by our classmates, then we pulled a string to release the swing and glide through the air. It was really exciting.

Of course, we were also there to help prepare us for Year 11. Ridgeway staff delivered lots of useful revision sessions.

We were provided with helpful websites to go on, ideas for revising and revision packs containing cue cards.

In summary, I would highly recommend this trip to the new Year 10s it was really useful for helping us with our studies and, most importantly, it was really enjoyable too.

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CHARACTER The new Ridgeway Charter is up and running Mr Ducker is sure the Ridgeway Charter, the heart of our character education programme, will be a huge success.

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am absolutely delighted to report that our new culture and character education programme – the Ridgeway Charter - is now well underway. The Charter was a collaborative effort, involving both staff and students, and was formally launched in assemblies during the second week of term.

The Charter has two aspects: core elements and year-groupspecific experiences. Students will have the opportunity to take part in a whole range of activities and experiences in addition to their ‘normal’ lessons. The different activities have been shaped around our ‘LEARN for Success’ vision: leadership, endurance, aspiration, respect and nurture.

The core elements of the Charter focus on attendance, achievement points, extra-curricular and house participation, and on completing acts of kindness. The yeargroup-specific activities differ, of course. They range from walking the Wirral Way to visiting a university.

ÏÏOpportunities for student leadership - one of our

‘LEARN for Success’ attributes - are an integral part of the Ridgeway Charter in all five year groups.

Charter awards will be presented at a special celebration evening to be held during the summer term. Parents will, of course, be invited along. There will also be prizes and trips available for students who complete the Charter.

If you would like to find out more, you can read about the Charter in our parent handbook. Alternatively, you can contact me by email: duckerj@ridgeway.wirral.sch.uk

ÐÐParticipation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a big part of the Ridgeway Charter for older students.

The Ridgeway Charter will be awarded to students at different levels, based on the number of individual elements successfully completed: ‘Bronze’ (five elements), ‘Silver’ (seven elements) and ‘Gold’ (nine elements, which must include at least 97% attendance and expected progress).

ÐÐOur magnificent ‘Learn for Success’ graphic, proudly on display above the refectory. It illustrates the targets,

challenges and opportunities set out in the Ridgeway Charter, a key element of our character education programme.

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EXPERIENCES Enjoying the beauty of the countryside Erin-Jean Osborne-Slater of 7JG gives us a student’s impressions of walking the Wirral Way, one of Year 7’s Charter activities.

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alking the Wirral Way was a fabulous day out.

Everyone was so excited to go on our first trip together as a year group.

After the bus journey, we were put into groups and started the walk together. Our groups were a mix of people we knew already and new people to help us make new friends.

The weather was lovely and sunny, and the area we walked along was really stunning - we felt like we were on holiday!

While we walked, the teachers were telling us jokes and getting us to play games, which was really good fun. We had a rest halfway along because we were all so tired. We sat, ate some snacks and talked to friends.

Then we carried on the walk, heading to the beautiful

Thurstaston beach.

When we arrived, it was time for lunch, and then the games started! The teachers had brought equipment for football and rounders, and so we played those together for a couple of hours as well as having races. The funniest one was when the teachers did wheel-barrow races against students.

Everyone kept falling over and it was hilarious.

ÏÏSasha Potter, Jessica Kelly and

Lily-Ella Jones ensure that students observe the Country Code by checking that no litter is left behind.

After we had enjoyed time at the beach, the buses picked us up...at least we didn’t have to walk back to school! We returned excited to tell everyone about our day.

I really liked this trip because it was fun, we did lots of team-building, and we weren’t just sat with the people we knew from primary school. It helped me make three new best friends I’d not spoken to before.

ÐÐA fantastic shot of the new Year 7 cohort, enjoying walking the Wirral Way and relishing the challenges and opportunities the Ridgeway Charter will bring.

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NURTURE Fundraising is Kolbe’s focus, says Mr Monaghan

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rs Ellis and I would like to say a massive ‘well done’ to form tutors and students for a great start to the school year. Overall the attitude of students has been fantastic, and we want this to continue for the rest of the year. It has been a pleasure to see students arriving smartly dressed and with a positive attitude - let’s keep this up.

A big focus for the remainder of the year is going to be attendance. As a house, we are currently at 94%. We are working hard to improve this to at least 97%, and we really want students to work with us.

This term Kolbe students are involved in charity work, raising money for Radio City’s ‘Cash for Kids’ appeal. We are running several sponsored events, including a ‘Floss Mob’ dance (Year 7), making ÐÐYear 7’s Shea Nobleand selling pumpkin Lines, who raised £115 for charity. lanterns (Year 8), ‘Soak the Teacher’ (Year 9) and a ‘holding the plank position’ competition (Year 10).

Shea Noble-Lines in 7KJB demonstrated an outstanding attitude to supporting local people in need. Knowing that Kolbe were raising money for the ‘Cash for Kids’ appeal, he worked alongside his mum (well done, mum!) to raise an amazing £115. This was an unbelievable achievement, ÐÐCongratulations to these ‘bronze’ certificate winners in Mr Beattie’s form.

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ACHIEVEMENT POINTS KOLBE TOP FIVE Luke McCullough - 280 Katlin Jebb - 208 James Fee - 197 Matthew Mulot - 189 Kieran Wilson - 188 which deserves to be applauded. Many thanks on behalf of Kolbe House.

ÐÐYear 7s get the charity ball rolling with their Floss Mob

dance. Well done to all those who took part, helping to raise money for a worthwhile local cause.

Congratulations too to Jay McMahon in 8KBS. Not only is Jay ‘smashing’ his school achievement points goal (he is already on 175), he is also a keen boxer and won a trophy last week. Here is what Jay says about his boxing: “I took part in an event in Speke, competing against a lad from Gemini Gym, who was quite a bit taller than me. The contest was unfortunately stopped due to an injury, but I enjoyed the experience. I like it because I have to really push myself to the max.

My inspiration came from watching the film Rocky with my dad. From then on, I was hooked. My favourite boxer is probably Floyd Mayweather and of course the great Muhammad Ali. My dream is to be a professional boxer.”

STOP PRESS

Ridgeway news in brief A Star Is Born Readers may have noticed the face of Year 9’s Dylan Smith as you exit the Birkenhead tunnel and in other advertising spaces. Dylan features in a campaign run by local bus companies to promote travel by bus. Eagle-eyed readers may also have spotted the name Lynette Howell Taylor as one of the producers of the new blockbuster film A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga. Lynette was a student at Townfield and then here at Ridgeway in the 1990s.

GCSEPod The school has invested in an online resource to support Year 11 students. It is called GCSEPod and it is an incredible tool to support independent learning and revision. It covers all subjects and examination boards, giving students access to user-friendly, easy-to-digest revision ‘pods’ at any time of the day or evening. Parents can also log into the site. Students have made a great start since we launched GCSEPod in assembly: in the first week alone, a total of 254 pods were streamed by students.

Parent Governor Vacancy We have a vacancy for a parent governor on our governing body. A letter has gone out to all parents and is also available for download on our website. It includes full details on what the role entails, who is eligible to be a parent governor and how to apply.

LEGO Robotics Competition Ridgeway will again be entering a team in the Tomorrow’s Engineers LEGO Robotics Challenge. Interested students should attend computing club running every Monday after school. A full programme of extra-curricular activities

has been published and is available for download from the website.

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors Miss Grundy accompanied fifteen students to Litherland for anti-bullying upskill training, part of the exciting ‘ambassadors’ initiative run by the Diana Award charity which was featured in the May 2018 issue. You will be able to read more about how the day went in the December issue.

Blood Brothers As part of their GCSE English literature course, students are reading the play Blood Brothers, and in November they will be going to watch a performance at the Floral Hall Pavilion, New Brighton. Recently, when Miss Travis tweeted a link to a newspaper interview with the writer Willy Russell, she was surprised and impressed when Willy Russell himself retweeted her tweet!

Food Hygiene Inspection In October, the school was visited by environmental health inspectors from Wirral Borough Council, working in partnership with the Food Standards Agency, to check on food hygiene in the kitchens. Food establishments are rated on a scale from 0 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

Hygiene and safety were rated 5, the physical structure (including cleanliness etc.) was rated 5, and confidence in management and control procedures was rated 5. Overall, the kitchens were given a hygiene rating of 5.

ÐÐHead cook, Penny Gallagher, and the team after receiving the top food hygiene rating of 5.

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ENJOYMENT

We asked some of our Year 7s to reflect back on their first few days at Ridgeway High School. Here is what they said.

You will soon be reading much more from these students they are joining the Ridgeway New Times writing team!

LIAM OUTRAM 7TCB My first few weeks at Ridgeway have been amazing!

I love ALL the subjects, especially the new ones I haven’t experienced before. I love science and I have learnt a lot about the particles of the states of matter.

Maths has been inspiring thanks to our nice teacher Mr Bancroft. He is teaching us lots of maths stuff and bringing fun into it. English is such a great subject as well, thanks to our lovely teacher Miss Kenehan. Her classes are so much fun.

Spanish is one of the new subjects but, thanks to my background, there are some Spanish words that I already know, which is really helping me.

Learning for life is actually a lesson I’ve never heard of. It teaches us everything we need to know to have a proper life for us in the future. PE has been quite a hard subject because of the bleep test that leaves us breathless and gives us stitches.

LEWIS OLLERHEAD 7TED I have enjoyed Ridgeway more than primary school. I get the bus to and from school, which I have never done before.

When I was going to science I got lost, so I asked someone to help me, which they did. We have been learning about solids, liquids and gases in class. Did you know if you melt a solid it will turn into a liquid then a gas? For example, ice is a solid so when you melt it, it will turn into water, then the water will evaporate into a gas.

At lunch time we went to the cafeteria and we were shown how to put money on our thumb, so when it comes to paying for food we use our thumb!

At the end of the day we go to our form tutor and we talk about the day and our achievement points. On the fourth day I got eight achievement points and I won a sweet. On Fridays we have a quiz of the week.

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JESSICA KELLY 7TED Getting out of the car, I looked ahead to this new adventure waiting for me. Ridgeway looked big and scary compared to my old primary school. There were cars everywhere, with children talking and laughing. I felt grown up but still so small next to the older children.

As I went through the doors, the smell of hot chocolate and toast was homely and made me feel good. The corridors were filling up so I made my way to my form room.

The next day I had my very first Spanish lesson. It brought back memories of primary school Spanish lessons. Miss Kenehan is friendly to everyone in the class. Mr Wilkinson has also been a big help. He makes me laugh. Mr Heayns in humanities is a wicked Pokemon fan like me.

Drama is a new experience. We learned how to make freeze frames. It was a fun lesson!

Every day is a new day at Ridgeway. I feel like I am slowly starting to find my feet, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here.

JESSICA SHINDLER 7LMH My first week at Ridgeway was fantastic! I have made lots of friends and two new best friends, Faith and Jess.

I felt really nervous on my first day because I didn’t have a clue where to go, but at the same time I felt excited to be making new friends.

The teachers at Ridgeway made me feel very relaxed and welcome.

One of my favourite things that I have done is join the netball team. I have never played before, so it was really fun to try something new.

I can’t wait to see what kind of trips we get to go on. I feel very happy at Ridgeway and I think I will settle in very well.

To READ more, visit www.ridgewayhighschool.co.uk Ridgeway New Times

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C ORE CHARTER ELEMENT S Attendance

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Form

%

7KJB

94.7

7KCR

98.3

7KDC

92.5

7TED

97.2

7TCB

93.1

7TJG

97.3

7LMH

96.1

7LPS

97.2

8KDC

92.5

8KBS

99

8KDT

96.9

8TAH

94.4

8TRK

96.1

8TNS

96

8LDC

94.3

8LKM

95

8LTP

95.5

9KMC

95.6

9KAR

95

9TRJ

95.6

9TLL

96.6

9LMD

97.6

9LJM

91.7

10KAG

95.2

10KSM

96.1

10TIS

93.2

10TMW

93.6

10LSMD

95.3

10LPA

94.4

11DR

97.8

11TH

94.3

11KL

95.5

11MH

95.1

11AW

94.9

11LK

91

11LP

97.2

Ridgeway New Times

ÐÐEthan O’Donnell in 9TRJ

currently has 359 achievement points, the most in school.

ÐÐCallum Jones in 8LDC with his

form tutor, Mr Cross. Callum has also made an exceptional start.

COMMUNITY Enjoying poetry with local care home residents Year 7 students celebrated National Poetry Day with a visit to Oxton Grange Care Home. School librarian Ms Potts explains.

To help celebrate National Poetry Day on Thursday 4 October, I accompanied a group of Year 7 students to a ‘Poetry at the Tearooms’ event held at Oxton Grange Care Home.

As well as enjoying afternoon tea, everyone in attendance was invited to read their favourite poem or one that they

“It was a delight to have the children listen to us reading.”

Resident Oxton Grange Care Home have written themselves. Some of our students read a poem - and some even read two. Each reading was followed by a short reflection – what listeners liked about the poem and what thoughts it brought to mind.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the visit and the residents equally enjoyed their presence. Leanne Meaton commented afterwards: “What I liked about the trip was that the people there were kind enough to share poems with us, and they really listened to us.” Merab Fatima said: “I enjoyed reading out the poems because it was fun.”

Well done to: Lily Wallace (7KJB), Morgan Jones (7TED), Leanne Meaton (7TJG), Merab Fatima (7TED), JaimeeLeigh Johnson (7KCR) and Summer Hutchinson (7KJB).

We are delighted to have been invited back next year.

ÐÐAs part of National Poetry Day celebrations, Miss Travis, Head of English, worked with her Year 7 students on poems with an autumnal theme.

The Fear of Thunder

The Wind

Fog

The thunder, as loud as an active volcano

The wind whistles through my ear

Fog. It whips the air up like a bowl of cream

Crashing and clashing loudly Fear fills the eyes of the terrified children You can smell the cowardice rushing through people’s veins As they watch a streak of light rush through thin air The power of thunder wastes away and waits for another day

The wind threw me to the ground The wind grabs me and throws me into a tornado The wind is strong and comes down and makes my eyes water As it rushes past, pulling my hair

The thick white sheet blindfolds us The fog spins me into a world of my own, I can’t see That’s when I realised I was stuck

Kacey Woods

The wind whistles as it cuts through my body

Rehan Sheik

Holly Leefarr Ridgeway New Times

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C R E AT I V I T Y

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The students whose work-in-progress is featured on these pages are: Lumae Hall (horse), Dominic Wailes (octopus), Amelia McEleavey (jaguar), Lidia Majewksa (shells) and Emily Burke (lily).

Ă?Ă?Current Year 10 students are close to completing work on a

sustained project that they began in Year 9. They have spent a great deal of time exploring different artists, techniques and processes to do with natural form. They have honed their observation and drawing skills, and will now begin to apply these to a variety of projects.

To see more, visit www.ridgewayhighschool.co.uk/art Ridgeway New Times

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RECOGNITION An award-winning year for the PE department A Wirral Sports Award and School Games Mark Gold are the latest accolades for the PE department.

W

hat a remarkable year of participation and achievement the sporting year 2017-2018 was at Ridgeway High School. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the school is being showered with accolades and awards.

As we were going to print, it was announced that Ridgeway had triumphed at the Wirral Sports Awards, named as Sports Department of the Year and coming second in the Boys’ Team of the Year category for last year’s Year 7 football Merseyside Cup finalists. The department has also been shortlisted for the Outstanding Commitment to Sport in a Secondary School award at the prestigious Educate Awards, the biggest educaton awards in the north west.

Mr Metcalf, Head of PE, said: “The whole department was very proud to be nominated for these awards. It shows the hard work that has gone in over the last twelve months – year one of our five-year plan to make the school a sporting powerhouse in the north west.”

Earlier in the month, it was announced that Ridgeway has been awarded the School Games Gold Mark.

The School Games Mark is a government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust.

It aims to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition within their school and the local community. Involving criteria based on participation,

entry into competitive events across a range of sports, student leadership opportunities and links with local clubs, it is a challenging quality assurance process.

Mr Metcalf said: “This is the first year that Ridgeway has applied for the award, by-passing bronze and silver to achieve the highest possible standard at this stage. If we maintain gold standard for five years, we will enter an elite group comprising around only 100 schools nationwide who have achieved platinum standard.”

Headteacher Mr Taylor said: “This is absolutely fantastic news. I am delighted for Mr Metcalf and his team, coming just a few months after winning the Echo Schools Communication Award for their efforts in reaching out to students, parents and the local community. To achieve the gold award straight away, by-passing bronze and silver, is a superb achievement and a recognition of their hard work over the last year.”

ÐÐNow in Year 8, these boys reached the final of last year’s football Merseyside Cup and have been named as runnersup in the Boys’ Team of the Year category at the Wirral Sports Awards.

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L AT E S T

Up-to-the-minute sports news Cammell Laird 1907 FC

YEAR 7 GIRLS’ FOOTBALL

We are delighted to announce that we have established a community link with Cammell Laird 1907 FC, who are based in Birkenhead.

Well done to the Year 7 team who beat Birkenhead Park 7-2 in their first competitive game. Miss Campbell reported via Twitter: “Outstanding performances from Bethany Knowles and Isabelle Edgar rounded off a solid team performance.”

The u11s, u12s and the newly formed girls’ team will play all of their home game at Ridgeway this season. They all play in the Eastham League. Home games are played on a Saturday morning between 9.30am and 1pm.

Anyone interested in joining can do so by contacting John Sherratt, Chair of Youth Development.

Twitter Remember that you can keep up to date with all the latest fixtures, results and news - as well as watching exclusive live-action footage - by following the PE department on Twitter @RHS_Sport.

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COMPETITION Teresa House triumphs on Sports Day Stormy weather failed to dampen spirits as Ridgeway celebrated its first summer Sports Day in its new home last July.

O

ur eagerly anticipated Sports Day in the final few days of term - the competition that all three houses desperately wanted to win - was the culmination of the year’s inter-house events.

Sports Day started in high spirits, though the rain put paid to plans for a carnival-style lap of honour. Instead, it was straight into competition as Kolbe, King and Teresa did battle in the morning heats. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 competed across four field events and one long-distance track event. There were also futsal, badminton and netball competitions.

a new Sports Day record in the process. Owen Murray’s final throw of the day prevented King dominating in the discus, meaning that the girls’ results were becoming even more crucial to the overall outcome. However, it was Kolbe and King who were winning the medals in the girls’ Year 8/9 events. In Year 7, on the other hand, only Katlin Jebb was able to stop Teresa’s dominance in the field.

Into the afternoon and the inclement weather forced us to revert to our back-up plan. The spectators returned to normal lessons, leaving 160 competitors to battle it out on an increasingly greasy track.

It was Teresa House who took the early lead: James Connor notched up a total of seven goals to finish top goalscorer and take the top points for his house in the futsal competition. Lewis McLeod was able to claw back valuable points for Kolbe with the goal of the tournament.

The boys’ field events saw an even spread of medals across the houses. King stole the show with an impressive one-two-three in the long jump; Teresa took a one-two in the shot; Kolbe notched up a one-two in the javelin, Hayden Millman setting 24

Ridgeway New Times

The longest event of the day, the 1500m, saw a points split for Year 8/9 boys, with all three houses finishing in a medal place. It was a different story for the girls: Kolbe gained valuable points with a one-two in the event, ahead of Teresa. In the sprints, records were tumbling. Sami Islam set new Sports Day records in the 100m and 200m. Ciaran McKay was fastest in the 300m, Layton Doyle in the 800m.

Layton managed to take another gold with a jump of 4.3m in the long jump competition.

The Year 7 competition saw battles in every heat. James Fee came from behind on the inside lane to take gold for Kolbe in the 200m but it was Leon Boylin who clocked

headwind. Her team mate for the day, Stella Browne, set another school record for Teresa with 3m 39s for her 800m race, following on from her impressive sixth-place finish at the Wirral finals just weeks earlier. It was Teresa’s dominance in the Year 7 girls’ track events that saw the opposition blown away in the afternoon session, despite a closely-fought competition earlier on. Teresa took gold, Kolbe’s lead began to fold, and perhaps King just couldn’t handle the cold!

ÏÏCompetitors in the Year 9 futsal tournament, part of an extensive Sports Day schedule of events. Teresa House were the winners. James Connor finished as top scorer and goal of the tournament went to Kolbe’s Lewis McLeod.

the fastest pace of 33.85s to take the Sports Day record.

In the girls’ Year 8/9 200m, it was a one-two for King.

Meanwhile, Wirral record breakers Theo Llewellyn and Jack Bentley faced off for gold and silver in the 100m. Isabelle Hutchinson went on to take first spot with an impressive time of 15.77s in her 100m heat.

However, the day belonged to Teresa, as Mya Tait re-wrote the headlines with a triple gold medal in the 100m, 200m and 300m sprints, notching up a lightning quick time of 15.91s in the 100m, despite a slow track and an oncoming

When the dust had settled, the final standings were announced as follows:

Position 1 2 3

House Teresa Kolbe King

Points 855 695 621

Mr Metcalf said afterwards: “Endurance is one of the key LEARN attributes, and students showed real qualities of perseverance and resilience today in some pretty unpleasant conditions. There were great performances throughout the day. Well done to Teresa, who ended up as deserved overall winners. Sports Day brings the sporting year to a close. We look forward to the new school year and a brilliant year of sport at Ridgeway.”

ÐÐCongratulations to Teresa, winners of the first PE inter-house competition of the year. Achievement points were available for fair play and correct kit as well as for results.

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PA R T I C I PAT I O N Girls’ PE goes from strength to strength Well done to the girls in PE, says Miss Campbell. It’s been a great start to the year, with the promise of much more to come.

I

am delighted with the start that our girls have made in PE this year: participation rates are up, teams are training hard and their effort and commitment is starting to show through in results. Here’s my overview, including exciting plans for the year ahead.

Football The u13s have made a really encouraging start to the season, giving a good account of themselves in a tournament against Weatherhead and Birkenhead Park. The National Cup kicked off last week with a scheduled match against Archbishop Beck. However, as our opponents were unable to fulfil the fixture, the girls received a bye into the second round where they will face either North Liverpool Academy or Formby in an away match.

Standout performers so far are Bethany Knowles and Isabelle Edgar, who both also play for teams outside of school and who are using their experience to good effect in supporting their team mates. The team trains on Monday evenings. Up-and-coming fixtures see the girls face local opponents such as Upton, Bebington and Plessington.

The u14s have also made a fantastic start to the season, and I couldn’t be any prouder of them. They kicked off the National Cup competition with a fantastic 5-4 victory over Ellesmere Port, with outstanding performances from

ÐÐMiss Campbell with the u14s football team.

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Molly Davin, Charlie May Batty and Isabelle Hutchinson. In the next round, they were at home against All Saints.

Unfortunately, the game ended in a 2-1 defeat, after a slender 1-0 half-time lead. But the team has improved so much in a short space of time, and I am excited going forward with this strong group of individuals. They train on ÏÏMolly Davin has been Monday evenings and also nominated for trials with have the chance to play on the Merseyside u14s football team.

Thursday lunchtimes. They too have lots of up-andcoming fixtures, including Birkenhead Park, Prenton and Weatherhead.

We will soon be hosting schools from across the Wirral in our wonderful sports hall, including a tournament scheduled for after half-term and a futsal tournament possibly after Christmas. Details on both these exciting events will follow shortly.

Molly Davin (Year 9) and Charlie May Batty (also Year 9) have both been rightly recognised for their exceptional performances.

I put Molly forward for trials with the Merseyside u14s football team after a run of consistently outstanding performances for the school team. I also put Charlie May forward for trials with Tranmere u14s over the summer, and she has just been signed by ÏÏCharlie May Batty has been signed by Tranmere after the team. A huge ‘well done’ taking part in trials over to both girls. the summer.

Netball The Year 7 netball team have been training hard. They are due to play in their first tournament at Woodchurch before half-term and then in a friendly against Birkenhead Park. The girls are keen to get started and are relishing the opportunity to gain experience of playing for the school.

Good luck, girls!

The Year 8 netball team are active and have had their first few matches already, with lots more fixtures to come. The team have gone from strength to strength, improving immensely compared to last year. They have won several games so far, their performances second to none. A special mention goes to Emily Bowen and Kiki Galer, who have been outstanding.

All the netball players have a fantastic opportunity to watch the England netball team compete in the World Cup at the Echo Arena in 2019. Lots of tickets have already been sold, and there are limited spaces left. The England team will be playing several games during the evening, and the trip will enable the girls to watch elite-level netball.

ÏÏAlicia Harris is a high-

scoring member of the Year 9/10 team.

Our annual netball trip to Condover Hall will also be taking place again this year - this time even bigger and better than before. We will be taking three teams, our target being to progress further in the respective tournaments than in previous years. The weekend will be in May 2019.

Trampolining

ÏÏThe Year 8 netball team are playing well and improving all the time.

The Year 9/10 girls have also been involved in their first action of the season, playing really well and building on their performances from last year. They have won some matches and lost some too, but throughout have displayed fantastic netball skills. Special mentions go to Lumae Hall, a dominant presence in games, and Alicia Harris, a frequent scorer. Training for all years is Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school, with fixtures on Mondays or Tuesdays.

I will be selecting five students to take part in the regional trampolining championships, which are taking place in December.

This is an annual event, with students selected on ability and on attendance and attitude in Trampoline Club. The event takes place this year at Wigan’s Robin Park on Sunday 2

ÏÏEmily Davin and Ellie ÏÏThe Year 9/10 netball team. All netball players have the chance to watch England play in the 2019 World Cup.

ÏÏEmily Bowen is a key

member of the Year 8 netball team.

December. Competitors are expected to perform a set routine they have practised and a routine of their choice.

They are split into age-group categories, with around 30-40 competitors in each age group.

Scoring is by judges from BSGA.

Whelan were involved Trampoline Club will be on in last year’s regional Thursdays after school. championships.

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Ridgeway New Times Ridgeway High School Noctorum Avenue Prenton CH43 9EB

0151 678 3322 www.ridgewayhighschool.co.uk schooloffice@ridgeway.wirral.sch.uk @RHS_Wirral

Half-Term Year 11 GCSE Intervention MONDAY 22 OCTOBER TUESDAY 23 OCTOBER WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER

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ALL SESSIONS run from 10am to 12pm Spanish

French

Mrs Hytner 105

Mrs Drzymala 102

English

History

Miss Grundy & Miss Lamb 108

Mr Worthington 113

Computer Science Mr Cross 213

French

Miss Jarvis 103

Food

Miss Thornley 213