Ringwood in the News Spring 2014

in the

Ringwood News

All the latest news from Ringwood School ~A National Teaching Academy~

Spring 2014

In this edition...

Coral reefs, World Records, Rugby, Fairtrade, Grow Wild and much more!

The Heat is on in Saigon...

Written by Head of Performing Ar ts, Mr Hawkins

"I must say that this was the best Production I have ever seen at a School! I was moved, entertained, and completely engrossed in the story and I believed the characters wholeheartedly."

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his year’s production of Miss Saigon played to six sell-out audiences before February half term.

The emotional and challenging story set during the Vietnam War moved audiences throughout the week and was definitely one of the best school productions Ringwood has seen.

A cast of 85 students, complemented by an orchestra and backstage team worked for six months, rehearsing, planning and finally performing one of the most difficult shows in the musical theatre repertoire. In all, over 150 staff and students were involved in putting on the production, directed by Mrs de Lancy Green.

The reaction of the audience at each performance was fantastic. All the hard work put in to telling the story paid off as people were left reeling at the tragic ending of the show. Miss Saigon has probably the saddest ending of any musical and it was a great tribute to the quality of performance and technical theatre that audiences were so attentive and so obviously moved at the end of each show.

Mr Hawkins who produced the show was immensely proud that so many staff and students from different departments and year groups worked as a team to create a spectacular piece of theatre.

"Bravo! Encore!"

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

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Headteacher’s News

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n October 9th 2012, an assassin boarded a bus taking a group of young people to school.

He asked for a particular girl by name, pointed a gun at her and fired three shots. One hit the 15 year old girl in the head. The girl’s crime was using every medium available to her, to encourage girls as well as boys to go to school and receive an education.

What is particularly inspiring is the girl’s reaction to what happened. Speaking at the United Nations in July 2013 she said: “I am not against anyone, neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge… I am here to speak for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all terrorists

Education changes lives – the power of a positive mindset and extremists.”

The young girl was of course, Malala Yousafzai. Malala is showing us all that education really does have the power to change lives, not only the lives of girls in some parts of the world, but the lives of young people in our own country.

I strongly believe that almost any barrier can be overcome with a positive attitude to learning and a good education.

I am proud to have been educated in the comprehensive state system and to have been the first person in my family to go to university. I believe that we all have the potential to succeed, if we are prepared to work for it.

The American psychologist Carol Dweck, identifies two mindsets: the growth and the fixed. Students with growth mindsets believe that there is nothing predetermined about their achievement for them failure is seen as an opportunity

Head Boy & Girl News Written by Head Boy and Head Girl, George Whittingham and Evie Davies

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nce again it has been an extremely busy and very exciting term with many opportunities for students of all years.

The school production of ‘Miss Saigon’ was outstanding and huge congratulations should go to all involved: the students, staff and parents who volunteered to make the event so successful. All nights were extremely well attended and all of the hard work and rehearsals definitely paid off.

We did it! After hours of planning and organisation Ringwood School broke the World Record for the most people wearing a onesie at one location. 1184 students took part in the attempt and we smashed the world record by 432!

Well done to everyone who donned their onesie and took part.

There have been many students offsite on educational visits this term.

The year 10 History students visited Berlin, going to the Holocaust Memorial, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and

the villa where the Nazi ‘Final Solution’ was orchestrated. The year 13 Geography students went to London to experience a ‘World City’, climbing the O2, visiting Canary Wharf and other areas of Central London. Students across years are visiting France, whether on the year 8 inter@ ction visit, where year 13 students are supporting younger years or the exchange in year 12.

In the Sixth Form, students attended a ‘Health Fair’ hosted by the Health and Social Care students as part of their A-Level course. There were many stalls educating students about the risks of alcohol, drugs and unprotected sex.

Although we are only in April, the Year 13 students are making preparations for leaving sixth form and moving on to university, apprenticeships or employment.

Mrs Robinson has started workshops on the skills essential to succeeding in further education, the Social Committee have been busy organising leavers’ hoodies and preparation for the Graduation is underway.

Good luck to everyone who is making decisions on the university places and pathways post Sixth Form and well done to all students who have taken an active part in school life since September.

We hope that you will all have a fantastic Easter break with plenty of chocolate!

to learn because they believe that with enough hard work they will succeed.

Students with a fixed mindset believe that they are good or bad at something because of the gifts or lack of them they were born with, and that education is merely the process of testing how far they can go with their innate talents.

Matthew Syed, the British champion table tennis player, identified the same themes in his book Bounce: The myth of talent and the power of practice. According to Matthew, there was nothing innately ‘given’ about his mastery of table tennis.

It was a fortunate coincidence of an inspirational coach, a brother to practise with, and thousands of hours of training.

Matthew’s story is similar to many sports stars including well known personalities like David Beckham, who was always the last to leave the training pitch, and took every opportunity available to him to learn from others. It resulted in him becoming one of the most successful footballers of all time.

At school we provide good teaching, others to learn with and from and excellent facilities. Our young people need to work hard and have the resilience to keep going even when things don’t always go well. Failure is part of the road to success. With the belief in their potential to succeed young people can fulfil their potential in life.

Parents who adopt a positive mindset, who encourage and support at times of failure, have a vital part to play in their child’s future success.

There are some important messages here for us all.

Teaching Awards 2014 The Teaching Awards is now in its sixteenth year. The awards celebrate the unique contribution teachers make to society. This year the school has received a record number of nominations – thank you!

Oscar-winning actress and writer Emma Thompson is President of the Teaching Awards Trust. In her opening remarks after taking on the role Ms Thompson said: “I am genuinely proud and honoured to take on this new role as president of the Teaching Awards. I owe so much of what I’ve done to my fantastic teachers at school and at university and it is exciting to join in celebrating what is probably the most important profession of them all. ” Chris Edwards

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

All for one-sie!

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Written by Year 10 student, Ella Prentice

n the 14th of February a whopping 1,184 of us dressed down in our onesies, in order to break the previous record of the largest gathering of people wearing onesies, which was 752.

The event was held in memory of Henry Allen who lived in Buckinghamshire and sadly passed away in 2013 from a rare form of child cancer.

Friday 14th of February was a very rainy day, but there was nothing stopping us from trying to break the Guinness World Record!

When entering the ‘Rec,’ after what seemed like a long, embarrassing walk in my onesie through the rain, I was hit by the sight of an array of colourful and outrageous onesies, from Superman and ‘Sully’ to a yellow chick, Kermit the frog and Batman!

This made me realise that not only does Ringwood School go to great

efforts to raise money for charity, but that also hundreds of students own amazing onesies! Every single student in 7S and 7R wore a onesie, which deserves some congratulations!

After eventually finding where our tutor group should stand, we each held up a yellow card with a number on it and vigorously waved them all in the air, so that the camera man (who was standing on some high scaffolding) could take photos of the new record holders.

By the end of the day we had raised an astounding £1,390 for charity and we discovered that we had smashed the previous world record. The money raised will be donated to the Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign and cancer charities.

Whilst many of us got soaking wet from walking back to our tutor rooms, overall the day went down well with the students and staff who took part.

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his term students launched ‘Ringwood Student Perspective Magazine’. A digital magazine made for the students, by the students.

The first issue was created by a team of students from Year 8 and 11 can be viewed here http://bit.ly/1i62hm2. The team has since grown, and welcomed students from Year 10.

The team are currently working on the next digital edition which will be available to students during the summer term.

Global Education Challenge 2014

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ext term Ringwood School will launch their Global Education Challenge.

This will see groups of students in different schools taking on the challenge of improving the educational opportunities for children in a developing country with £500.

The competition will be open to junior and secondary schools in the surrounding area and from further afield.

The final will take place on Wednesday 9th July at Ringwood School, and the winning team will receive £500 to improve education in their chosen area.

There will also be prizes presented to groups in both primary and secondary schools.

DofE Success!

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uge congratulations to those students who have completed their Duke of Edinburgh Award this year in time for the County Presentation at Brockenhurst College on Thursday 8th May. This year we have had 90 Bronze, 28 Silver and 2 Gold Award (Alex Wadlow and Abby Cheetham) completions! A fantastic achievement by all the students.

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

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W ond rou s Worl d Book Da y

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orld Book Day 2014 was made extra special for students at Ringwood School after the Ringwood & Fordingbridge Lions Club presented them with a cheque for £233.40.

Year 8 students Molly Fairhead-Parsons, Sabrina De-Young Thompson, Samantha Long, Matt Sheehy and Brennan Stott met with Ringwood & Fordingbridge Lions Club Vice President, Geoffrey Kay during World Book Day on Thursday 6th March 2014. The money donated by Ringwood & Fordingbridge Lions Club has been used to buy a series of Superscripts play

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books for the school’s Learning Research Centre.

The week of World Book Day 2014 also saw staff host a weeklong celebration in aid of World Book Day for the students. A book based treasure hunt ran for the duration of the week; posters were distributed around the school of staff with their favourite book obscuring their face, and students were encouraged to identify which member of staff was behind the book. In first place were Year 9 students Kimberley Ash, Louise Diment and Isaac Skirton who worked as a trio to guess 36 out of 63. In joint second

place were Year 9 duo Charlotte Lambert and Taleigha Cole, and Year 7 student Lauren Christopher, who guessed 33 out of 63. In third place was Year 9 student Petal Hopkins who successfully guessed 32 out of 63.

The LRC also hosted a Book Fair during lunch break, where students were able to purchase books that were supplied by Fordingbridge Bookshop, while teachers and support staff shared their ‘My Kinda Book’ selection with students on World Book Day, and explained the importance of the selected book. ‘Book at Breaktime’ also launched on World Book Day which ran throughout March. Book at Breaktime saw a different member of staff read a chapter of an on-going book to students during morning break.

In April the LRC will welcome Southampton based children’s author, Ali Sparkes, who will host talks and workshops on how she became an author and the importance of reading with Year 7 students, before giving talks to Year 6 pupils from surrounding junior school.

Creative with Coral reef

he walls and corridors of the Geography department are beginning to resemble mini aquariums following the superb work submitted by Year 9 Geography students for their recent end of unit assessment.

Reefs in shoe boxes that light up play dough models, cakes with intricate coral reef decorations, art work, knitted models and even glass aquariums were submitted, along with a detailed piece of writing which explained how the reefs work and how humans are impacting on them in the future. Staff were all hugely impressed by both the quality of the written work and the imaginative nature of your display work - Well done Year 9 Geographers!

Year 9 Busin e ss S tu d i e s D ra g on s D e n

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n the 14th February 2014 students in Year 9 taking business studies took part in a Dragons Den style project.

Students had several weeks to come up with a new business idea to benefit the local community. They were asked to think of a location, a logo and how much capital they would need to get their idea off the ground and how they plan to make a profit.

On the 14th February the Year 9 entrepreneurs pitched their business plans to four Dragons in the Conference Centre at Ringwood School.

The winning team were Lula’s Lollipops, who planned to regenerate the old cinema in Ringwood, offering cookery lessons, a sweet shop and films in the afternoon and evenings. Lula’s Lillipops team members were Talullah Lake, Georgia Mathews and Elli Todd.

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

National Science Week

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Ready, Steady, Grow!

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very year the British Science Association runs a National Science Week with the aim of getting everybody involved and engaged in Science.

Events were held all across the country at universities, colleges and schools. This year every tutor group at Ringwood School took part by collecting data from a small experiment.

Science is all about curiosity and investigating to discover what the real answer is, so we were curious to

know the answer to a simple, but very important question...

‘If I don’t want the ice in your slush puppy to melt should you pick a certain colour drink’.

Data is still coming in and the results will be collated and analysed to find out the answer to this very crucial question.

Sixth Form Health Fair

Written by Subject Leader for Health and Social Care, Mrs Watson lots of useful resources to carry out interactive activities during the fair.

The Health Fair covered five key topics: Chlamydia screening; Emergency Contraception; HIV prevention; Mental Health; and Alcohol awareness. Although all the Health and Social Care students admitted to being nervous prior to the event, due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, they soon grew in confidence and were amazed at the positive responses they got from their friends and teachers.

Questionnaires completed by all Year 12 students, both prior his year’s Sixth Form Health to and following the Health fair, provided Fair took place on the 3rd evidence that the event was a big success, March 2014. both in terms of raising awareness of Year 12 Health and Social Care students some important issues and in addressing were supported by a number of health commonly held misconceptions. One care professionals, both at the Health student commented “I think it is Fair and in the weeks leading up to the important to have the opportunity to event. Students were given help with the speak openly and ask questions about preparation of their displays, the gathering these topics, as well as finding out where of relevant information to provide advice we can go for help if we ever need it in to their peers, as well as being offered the future.”

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ingwood School have received a grant from Grow Wild that will allow the school to plant poppies and other wildflowers on the school site and in Ringwood.

Students and staff met with the newly appointed Town Clerk, Steve Nash in March to discuss suitable sites. They met on one of the Southampton Road sites to discuss turf removal and planting. We hope that by creating similar sites on the school site, ribbons of wildflowers that act as wildlife corridors will be created.

Grow Wild projects run across the UK and aims to bring people together to do something creative and positive for their community by sowing native wild flowers.

Grow Wild receive funding from the Big Lottery Fund and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

'Travelling Trends' Charity Fashion Show When: Thursday 24th April 2014 Where: Ringwood School Hall Doors open: 7pm Price: £6 each Tickets must be purchased in advance from Mrs Whalen or Mr Hayes.

Donated funds will go to the Amakuru Trust and help support widows, orphans and vulnerable children in Rwanda.

Warhammer Club

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he Warhammer Club has proved so successful this year that the first trip for 2014 needed two minibuses to take all the students out!

The students played a game of Warhammer expertly led by the shop staff and then went for a takeaway supper afterwards. The termly trip allows students to learn strategies and game play from real experts combined with a social activity.

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

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Fairtrade Fashion Show

Written by Year 7 students , n Monday 3rd March, Ringwood School put on a spectacular fashion show for their Year 7 students.

The objective was to heighten awareness that Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers in the developing world.

The fashion show proved to be a great success with Year 7 models parading down the catwalk to Happy by Pharrell Williams while wearing Fairtrade clothes supplied by the local businesses Timber and Oxfam.

There were... Plastic bag dresses, milk bottle dresses, newspaper skirts, bubble wrap dresses which were made by a few artistic minds. Then there was a vintage jacket, tops, dresses, scarfs, bags, jewellery and some Fairtrade hats and scarfs.

There was a football team showing off a Fairtrade football and showing off their Syria t-shirts.

The show tested many of the Year 7’s abilities: Ben Holdsworth, Elliot Board and Morgan Durward arranged a visual light

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Imogen Lines-Clarke, Libbie Dunn, Caitlin Howard and Hannah Weir

extravaganza; we had a fantastic group of music enthusiasts who chose all those awesome songs; there were a small but talented group of designers who created some unique recycled clothing; the models who did a fantastic job…it took a lot of courage to go on that stage and they did it and did it; and finally we also had our introducers: Abby, Luke and Katherine who did an impeccable job.

The shows grand finale included ‘The Bag Monster’ followed by all the models taking to the catwalk to create a Fair trade lasting impression! Thank you

The Foncho Campaign Written by Year 7 students , Imogen Lines-Clarke, Libbie Dunn, Caitlin Howard and Hannah Weir

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he Foncho Campaign is a group of people who believe that the supermarkets who claim to be fair aren’t being that truthful!

Supermarkets are putting the prices down on their bananas to attract people in and then customers buy the cheap ones instead of the Fairtrade ones. This campaign is rising against it and our school wants to help them, and we really embraced the Foncho Campaign during Fairtrade Fortnight.

So what does ‘Foncho’ mean?

Foncho is actually a banana farmer from Cienaga, Colombia. He’s part of a Fairtrade certified co-operative called Coobafrio. In many ways he’s just like you. He works hard; he loves spending time with his family and has a passion for football. Before Foncho’s co-operative was certified as Fairtrade, Foncho often struggled to make ends meet. Now Foncho receives a fair price for his bananas, which means he can afford to

for the rest of Year 7 for being such an awesome audience and supporting everyone who participated.

care for his loved ones and send his daughter to college.

Foncho wants to help all banana farmers and workers like him to get a fair deal for their produce!

During Fairtrade Fortnight a group of Ringwood School students gathered in Ringwood on a Saturday morning to highlight the importance of Fairtrade.

They engaged with the public, and met with Fairtrade producer, Dorothy, and the Fairtrade Foundation. They did a fantastic job at highlighting a cause that is close to our heart at Ringwood School. Well done to everyone involved.

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

National Careers Week at Ringwood School

Written by Careers Co-ordinator, Mrs Barnes arch saw the Careers from engineering to boat building, be uploading a video onto the website department celebrate veterinary nursing to accountancy. for more information and interviews National Careers Week at Pop into the Careers Room if you want with people who are currently on an Ringwood School. to find out more, or alternatively we will apprenticeship programme.

We held our first Apprenticeship Evening in the Conference Centre for students and parents of Y11-13 who were invited to come along and hear about apprenticeships from a cross-section of training providers, colleges and local companies.

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What are Apprenticeships?

Apprentices earn a wage and work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills. Off the job, usually on a day-release basis, apprentices receive training to work towards nationally recognised qualifications.

Apprenticeships can take between one and four years to complete depending on the level of apprenticeship, the apprentices’ ability and the industry sector. The minimum salary is £2.68 per hour; however, many apprentices earn significantly more.

The key benefits of an apprenticeship: • Earn a salary • Get paid holidays • Receive training • Gain qualifications • Learn job-specific skills There are over 250 different types of apprenticeships available offering 1,400 job roles, in a range of industry sectors,

Former Student Apprentice Success Written by Careers Co-ordinator, Mrs Barnes n Wednesday 5th March apprenticeships.

Ben Lapham, a former Ben was quoted saying: “Apprentices student from Ringwood are not slaves – they’re young people School took over his company’s who are choosing a career path, gaining Twitter account for the day (can be experience in the workplace and getting followed on @WSP_UK). paid for doing it.” The personal effects Ben is a civil engineering apprentice at of apprenticeships – and by extension WSP in Southampton and is currently National Apprenticeship Week – can taking part in the Brathay Challenge be significant. “I found a job and an which is a national apprenticeship organisation where you can get back challenge similar to the Duke of what you put in. That’s definitely changed Edinburgh Award. me got for the better.”

Ben left Ringwood School and went We would like to wish Ben luck with straight into his apprenticeship and last his Brathay Challenge. Look out for an week Ben was featured in an article in interview with Ben that will be featured the Independent on changing the image of on the website soon.

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The standard of acting left us speechless... from the emotional portrayal of Kim, right down to every member of the chorus. Without doubt, it was a professional performance and it was easy to forget that we were watching a school production.

A hugely ambitious undertaking with challenging subject matter, complex music and demanding choreography, you did a truly superb job on it. The overall design, pacing, blocking, transitions, costumes and lighting were all of the highest standards but it was the sheer impact and emotion that will live longest in the memory.

It is a fantastic production and you should all feel very proud, what a great bunch of talented students, teachers and staff! I have never seen a school production of this standard and am so pleased that I could be a part of it :)

The orchestra was outstanding and when they played and the whole chorus sang, it was truly spinetingling.

What a night!

I laughed, I cried and I cheered! I am in awe of you all. I didn't want it to end, and what an ending!

I must say that this was the best Production I have ever seen at a School! I was moved, entertained, and completely engrossed in the story and I believed the characters wholeheartedly. It was clear that everyone involved worked incredibly hard and the acting, music and technical team were exceptional.

Bravo! Encore!

Miss Saigon. Truly brilliant, singing was fantastic, costumes beautiful and the talent of the whole cast and the orchestra was awesome. A very special little 3 year old stole the show! Loved it, laughed and cried.

Well done everyone.

What an amazingly talented bunch of teachers and students we have at Ringwood! Thank you so much for producing yet another fantastic musical masterpiece.

Ringwood in the News

Y oung Cla s s ic a l Mus i c i a n s W ow t he J u d g e s

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Year 10 visit Berlin to pr ovide History insight Written by Year 10 student, Rosie Patton o’clock in the morning on Monday 10th March was an early start for both students and teachers, however the journey to Gatwick where we would be flying from seemed quick enough.

Once we had arrived and checked in our luggage it was onto the plane for a one and a half hour flight to Berlin. We stayed in a hotel right in the centre of Berlin, which made coach journeys a lot more exiting as we could see the busy city life in the capital city.

Throughout our visit, we visited many moving sites revolving around the topic of the Holocaust, Hitler’s rise to power and the Berlin Wall. In particular one ‘secret location’ which I will not spoil for site that we visited was a concentration those wishing to go on the visit next year. camp named ’Sachenhausen’. We were However Thursday evening was sadly the told that this was only ever built to be an time for us to depart and head on the experiment for the Nazis to be able to plane back home. try out new methods and try out their The trip taught us things that were ideas; however the death rate at this only possible to learn firsthand by camp alone is staggeringly high. Tens of thousands of Jewish citizens were brutally experiencing what it was like for people in those times, and standing where those murdered, along with many of those who people stood. Without doing so I believe spoke out against Hitler or the Nazis. you can never fully understand what After the daytime activities were actually happened. But of course the trip finished, the evening activities could was not possible without the teachers start! The activities were different each who ran and came on the visit so thank night involving outings such as bowling you to all involved – in particular Miss and going to see a cabaret - one night Morton for organising the trip! we were taken on a mystery outing to a

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leven students, from across Years 7-13 performed to a panel of judges to compete for the title of Ringwood Young Classical Musician of the Year.

Students were assessed on the accuracy of their chosen piece as well as the overall impression and presentation of their performance.

Students performed on piano, trumpet, trombone, flute and clarinet providing a varied evening for the audience to enjoy.

The winner of the Junior Category was Zoe Mayall in Year 10, who performed a Chopin Nocturne on the piano, 2nd place was given to Ross Campbell in Year 9, and 3rd place to Lucy Robb in Year 7.

In the Senior Category, (Years 11-13), Joe Crane in Year 13 won, performing music

by Rachmaninoff from memory. 2nd place was awarded to Abi Cleverly in Year 11 and 3rd place to Robert Shaw in Year 13.

For the first time, the audience were also able to nominate a winner for the evening. The Audience Award was shared between Joe Crane and Robert Shaw.

Students m a ke su re S y r ia s t or ie s ar e ‘ Se e n an d H e ar d ’ Written by Year 13 students, James Shelton and Jordan Whalen hree years on from the years ago. Syria was a developed modern start of the Syrian civil war, state where education was well provided students at Ringwood School for – not primitive. Schooling was well have written postcards to their local advanced and this has been knocked back MP, sharing the stories of refugees, substantially. It was a millennium goal to in the hope that Syrian voices do provide every child in the world with not go unheard. primary school education. If you are a As part of Oxfam’s ‘Seen and Heard’ Syrian it’s a tragedy.” has raised awareness so that a resolution campaign, the school collected over The initiative was led by the Global to education can be established.

1000 postcards that were presented Campaigners team, a group of committed Mrs Hickman, who helped organise to Desmond Swayne, MP at a special students aged between 14 and 18 who the event said: “We know how children meeting on Friday 21st March. The delivered assemblies and presentations and families are suffering because of the presentation was made by Year 7 student in tutor groups to all years to raise war in Syria, and our students wanted to Lauren Christopher, who with three awareness of the plight of the children let others know about the plight of the friends wrote letters to Mr Swayne and of Syria. Students throughout the school children in particular. By joining Oxfam’s to David Cameron about their concerns. responded by writing short messages campaign, students’ collective voice could Lauren Pine,Year 7, was concerned on postcards to Mr Swayne. As Global call on leaders to do more to secure about the affect of the conflict on Campaigners it is our belief that every peace so that Syria is not forgotten.” children, and the so called ‘lost child has the right to an education. The For more information and to get generation’. Mr Swayne agreed stating, situation in Syria is a tragedy and has led involved visit: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get“If religious and ethnic conflict ended to increasing difficulty in providing Syrian involved/campaign-with-us/our-campaigns/ tomorrow, it would still take decades to children with an education. We hope that rights-in-crisis/syria-seen-and-heard restore Syria to the position it was three our campaigning for the Syrian children

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Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

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News from the PE Department Year 7 Rugby Win!

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he Year 7 rugby team attended the Priestlands School Rugby Festival in February. They played some exceptional rugby and worked very well as a team, winning all of their matches on route to the final – they scored 60 points in total and conceded no points! They drew the final and therefore finished joint first.

Notable performances from Connor Marshall and David Edmunds.

BTEC Mountain Biking

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r Hoggett's Year 12 BTEC Exercise and Sport Science group have embarked upon their second outdoor education practical this year. After a successful 6 weeks of kayaking they are now mountain biking in the New Forest, learning the 'tricks of the trade' whilst completing a personalised performance analysis as part of their course.

Year 9 Rugby Win!

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he Year 9 Rugby Team recently competed in the Rugby 7’s invitational tournament at Bournemouth RFC. Despite losing a close opening game they recovered to win the remaining 2 group games to finish runner up in Pool A. They went on to play Shaftsbury in the Semi Final who they defeated 12-7, thanks to a last minute try. Their opponents in the final were Corfe Hills and Ringwood were determined to win some silverware and duly delivered with an outstanding performance to win 36-7!

Year 8 Girls Tackle Rugby

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he Year 8 girls have been taking part in Rugby sessions during P.E. Sharon Evans from Ringwood and Ellingham Rugby Club has been working with the P.E Department to provide the girls with taster of female rugby, and it went down a storm!

“I love Rugby, its great fun and a good team sport with friends. I love to get muddy and wet and its good fun to tackle each other to the ground and end up laughing”

Ellie Edwards “Rugby is so much fun, I love it! My mum laughed when she saw my muddy PE kit!’

Alisha Coombes “Rugby was great fun. I loved it…even if it was hard to get the mud off ” Chloe Haskett

Recent Results Netball

Year 7 Ringwood Girls v New Forest Academy – Win Year 8 Ringwood Girls v New Forest Academy – Win U14 Ringwood Girls v Burgate – Win Year 7 Ringwood Girls v Applemore – Win Year 8 Ringwood Girls v Applemore – Win

Football

Y9 Ringwood Boys v Hounsdown - Win Congratulations to recent Players of the Match – Sarah Poore, Jack Painter-Andrews, Dani Scott, Matty Steeden, Jennifer Fisher, Kieran Dinnivan, James Turner, Zac Leishman and Josh Laidlaw,

Students help Tuvalu

Written by Subject Leader for Biology and Sustainability, ingwood School has a link with Tuvalu, the first island that is expected to disappear beneath the waves due to climate change.

This term Jasmin Roberts, Sam Kimberley, Rebecca Chalmers, Millie Wells, Katy Barrett and Sam Whittingham helped the island situated in the Pacific Ocean by translating an informative leaflet about the island’s production informative form. Biogas is a difficult of biogas into language suitable for topic, but it is an important source of a younger generation. Each student energy that is carbon neutral. Our friends took a page, and translated it from the in Tuvalu were extremely appreciative island’s second language, French, into of our students’ guidance and support, English, while ensuring a friendlier and

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Mrs Hickman

as the leaflet will distributed to schools throughout the Pacific to educate and inform the future population of Tuvalu on how they can maintain and increase sustainability and fight climate change.

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

Y e ar 9 You n g En te r p rise C h a lle n g e

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G hostly c re a tions in Scie nce Club!

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ear 9 Business and Enterprise students have attended two Young Enterprise events this term; one at The Grange School and one here at Ringwood.

Students were challenged to come up with a product idea and pitch it to a group of ‘dragons’. Students impressed the dragons with their confidence and creativity. They came up with some great ideas and further developed their entrepreneurial skills, which they are now utilising throughout the month of March as they take part in the national ‘Tenner Challenge’ (results to follow).

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his term the Science Club have been embracing illusion techniques by recreating Pepper’s Ghost.

Dr Grindon and Mrs Upson’s Science Club students have been creating illusion extravaganzas with a little help from donated shoe boxes and torches.

The effect, which was popularised by 19th Century scientist John Henry Pepper, uses plate glass or plastic film and special lighting techniques that make objects seem to appear or disappear, to become transparent, or to make one object morph into another.

Students worked in teams to make their own ‘Pepper Ghost’ creation. Ben Holdsworth, James Beard, Katherine Douglas, Abbie Blackley-Heard and Lily Benson created a vanishing ghost in a haunted house; Tom Penycate and Luke Du Preez created a haunted grave yard with a vanishing ghost; Toby Renton created a haunted room with a hanging noose and vanishing ghost; Archie Oliver and Elliot Board made a disappearing ghost scene.

Mus ic S h ow c a s e

n 5th March, over twenty students took part in a Music and Music Technology showcase.

Parents, siblings and friends attended the informal concert, where students performed solos, ensembles and some of their composition work. Pieces included songs from the musicals Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast. There were also performances of the song ‘Hurricane’, composed by Sophie Cundall, and ‘Reflections’ composed by Bella Rix. The concert finished with a performance of ‘Billy’s Song’, composed by Billy Cook and performed by Billy, Dan Ingram and Peter Fleetwood.

Several BTEC Music Technology compositions, in a variety of styles, were also played, and Toby Matthews recorded the whole evening. He gave a talk about how he was able to record from the dance studio into the music technology room and then mix down the recordings to a professional standard.

After the concert, parents had a chance to listen to a wide variety of completed composition coursework, and work that is still in progress, whilst informally talking to students about how they had created their ideas. There were several videos shown on how to set up all the equipment which had been made by the BTEC students as part of their assessed units.

The evening was a great success and a fantastic opportunity for parents to appreciate all the hard work and creativity that students have put into their performances and compositions.

G CSE Le isure a nd Tourism

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s part of their controlled assessment investigation, students have visited several leisure organisations this year.

Each time they have been great ambassadors for the school, interacting well with staff at the various organisations.

They have investigated the range of facilities offered at the organisations, the types of customers who use them and the job opportunities for young people.

Organisations who have kindly welcomed our students include Oakdene Forest Park (where they did archery, body zorbing and the climbing wall!), Highcliffe Castle and Ringwood Health and Leisure. We look forward to a visit to Paultons Park in the summer term!

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

Art for Human Rights

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W r i t t e n by S u b j e ct L eader fo r P ho tography, Mr F ielder

aising awareness of human rights and violation of those rights is an essential part of Amnesty International’s work, and visual art is a powerful way to achieve this.

This is why during 2013 the local Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Amnesty Group offered Ringwood students an opportunity to show their support for the work of Amnesty by entering their artwork into an Open Exhibition, telling us what aspect of human rights has inspired them.

Georgia England in Year 12 was successful in having her work selected and said "I wanted to emphasise how lucky we are to have complete freedom of speech”. Georgia placed a mirror within her painting which “places the viewer inside the picture to let them see how fortunate they are."

The main exhibition runs at four venues from 8th March till 5th April 2014.

Georgia’s piece is currently on show at the Central Library in Bournemouth.

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his year, more students from Ringwood School than ever before achieved certificates competing in a National Mathematics competition against 70,000 other students from schools across the UK. In Year 13 Daniel Witherington, Nicholas Malky and Charlie Woodward achieved silver certificates. Steven Lai achieved a bronze certificate.

In Year 12 Chris Thursfield and Luke Cottenham achieved silver certificates.

Jordan Cornes, Matthew Harrison, Annabella Meech and Sam Jones achieved bronze certificates.

In Year 11 the students did exceptionally well as they were competing against students two years older. Gideon Read, Robbie Howarth, Max Walker, Francesca Dockerty, Robert Fisher and Joshua Perriman all achieved silver certificates. Abi Cleverly, Natasha Doe, Luke Dadford, Olivia Cornwell, Rose Knight, Joseph Stretton, Bryher Rose, Matilda White, Matthew Davies, Andrew Goldsmith, Faegan White all achieved bronze certificates.

The students had to complete 25 questions, which required them to use mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using mathematical techniques to solve non-standard problems.

S tu d e n ts a c h i e v e re c or d r e s u l ts i n U K S e n i or Ma th e m a ti c s C h a l l e n g e Wr itten by Teac her o f Mathematic s , Claire B aulin

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Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

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Si xth F or m Q u e s tion T ime Wr it t en by Ye a r 1 3 s t u d e n t s a n d He a d G irl and H ead B oy, E vie Davies and G eo rge Whittingham

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or many years, Sixth Form students have said that they want to be able to ask Miss Edwards direct questions about life in Sixth Form, wider national issues and to find out more about her.

With this, we responded by hosting the first ‘Sixth Form Question Time’ with members of senior staff on the panel.

Miss Edwards, Mr Walbin and Mr Webb stepped into the ring for a 30 minute session of questioning on the issues that matter to Sixth Form students. All of the questions were submitted in advance and unseen by the panel members, mirroring Question Time on the BBC. The main focus was on student parking,

with Sixth Formers concerned about availability of parking and sensitivity of where to park, taking into account the concerns of local residents. Although no parking can be provided for students, Sixth Formers have become more vigilant and aware of why parking appropriately is so important.

A question was also raised about the consistency of marking across subjects at A-Level. Mrs Heaver-Webb took up the challenge by forming a student panel of students across all subjects in order to gain a more detailed insight of marking practices, permitting improvement across the Sixth Form. We are hopeful that this will lead to further positive action in the

coming weeks. Increased communication between students and staff has been beneficial in improving the learning environment and raising concerns of students.

We also asked what the staff would do if they were the Minister for Education.

Mr Walbrin thought that there had already been too many changes to education and so would not change anything, and Miss Edwards said that she would aim to increase links between schools and businesses to boost employment.

The event was so successful we are holding another Question Time in the Common Room at the end of March.

Year 13 Geography Visit

Wr itten by Year 13 s tudent, Amy Matthews he Geography trip to London Southwark, the Olympic Park in Stratford in March was informative, fun and Canary Wharf and even had time for and an excellent experience lunch in Westfield. from the beginning to end.

We saw London in a way most of us We spent two days learning about had never seen it before, having dinner the urban issues we have been studying. in China town, walking through the West Based in a hotel close to the London Eye End at night and finishing the evening with we were able to see first-hand the energy an ice cream in Leicester Square. and dynamic nature of this ‘world city’.

Mr Walbrin and Miss Taylor were great Using the national rail service, the company, and joined us on the O2 climb underground, buses and even a water taxi which was a great experience for all of us we visited and conducted fieldwork in even the people who hated heights!

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Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

Space Discovery in USA Written by Year 11 student, Sam Kimberley

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ay back in October, I applied for a place at the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy (HLCA) with hope but little expectation of success.

Five months later, I found myself walking into Heathrow Airport to meet the three other students I was to travel with to Huntsville, Alabama.

One hundred teenagers (16-18) attended the week held at the NASA Space and Rocket Centre. We were all children of Honeywell employees, an international company and this was reflected in our nationalities. Thirty different countries were represented and I met and made friends with people from Canada, Ukraine, Ireland, Spain, Australia to name a few, not to mention the six other English participants.

The week was jam-packed with a vast array of challenging activities, from piloting aeroplanes and the space shuttle (in a simulator!) to official company photographs, from genetic bio-science work with chromosomes to attending lectures from astronauts and rocket scientists. We were kept busy!

The week's focus was on leadership and so all of the challenges required an emphasis both on leading, but also team working as this is also an essential skill. The layout of the week meant that we would acquire specific skills for a challenge before being set a mission where our team (Team Courage) had to complete it. Most evenings we had a key note speaker before dinner and I found all of them engaging and truly inspirational, with all of them portraying

specific philosophies that we as the future generation should harness. My favourite key note speaker was Hoot Gibson, an astronaut who had flown every space shuttle bar one (The Discovery) to space. When speaking he impressed us with his unbelievable life stories. He gave us advise about what we should do to get where we want to be in the future, using examples from his vast array of experiences so far.

I met such a diverse range of people in America, and made some friendships that will last for a long time. Everyone was so approachable and fun to be around, especially as we were all in the same position to begin with. Our days were very long (especially with jet lag), but we always managed within our dorm (Wagstaff) to chat and learn about one another late into the night and early morning. I travelled with three other boys from England: Josh, WeiNan and Cameron which made even the journey just as exciting! I have managed to stay in contact with my new friends through video chats, emails, Facebook etc, which is really nice for us.

The nine days I had out in America was undoubtedly the best time I have ever experienced so far. I truly believe that within that time I learnt far more than I could ever have done within a classroom about leadership and teamwork. As the week progressed my confidence grew. I now have a clearer understanding of what qualities I have when working with others (and also alone) plus the ones I am lacking (some I feel I improved on whilst out there). The week was invaluable!

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Food , G lorious , Food !

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fter the Easter break Ringwood School will welcome a new catering partner.

Chartwells, the country’s leading school caterers, will provide high quality and good value food that is freshly prepared on the school site. There will be a breakfast, break and lunchtime service available to all students and staff in the canteen, which will be given a fresh new look. We will also introduce an external catering kiosk by the new canopy to provide an exciting “grab and go” option.

Chartwells support our Eco School Ambassador status and will work with students to introduce new initiatives.

Payment should still be made through ParentPay or Paypoint and the school will remain the contact point for any queries or questions on the catering service.

Rwand a D ay S p onsored S ilen ce

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n Wednesday 30th April students will take part in a Rwanda Day sponsored

silence.

Students will be holding a 15 minute silence during tutor time to reflect on the genocide and what we can do in the future.

Year 11, 12 and 13 will be participating, and it is optional for Year 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Sponsorship cards will be available from your tutor, and just a small amount of money will go a long way in providing education for vulnerable children.

BBC News S ch ool Rep ort

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group of Year 7, 8 and 10 students are taking part in the 2014 BBC News School Report.

The BBC News School report gives 11-16 16 year-old students in the UK the chance to make their own news reports for a real audience.

In January Emily Hudson for BBC Radio Solent hosted a mentoring session for the students, which helped them to develop their journalistic skills and become a School Reporter. The group have since been practising their skills and preparing suitable content for the BBC News School Report News Day on 27th March. Their hard work over the past few months will amalgamate in a live news programme broadcast from Ringwood School. Find out how the students did in next terms newsletter.

Ringwood in the News

Spring 2014

S t u d e nts a t te n d # With Sy r ia Lond on v i g i l Wr it t en by G lo b a l C a m p a i g n e r s , M i l l i e We l l s , Sam Kimberley, L uc y H ines , a n d B ron w e n Pou n d s

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Y e a r 7 Spe lling Be e R e gional Fina lists Wr itten by Year 7 s tudent, Jim Denc e

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fter raising awareness in Ringwood School about the Syria crisis the Global Campaigners group were given the opportunity to attend a vigil on the 13th March in London.

Four members of the group travelled to Trafalgar Square to attend the event to mark the 3rd anniversary of the Syrian conflict. The aim was to call on world leaders to commit to making this the last

anniversary marked by bloodshed. The candlelit vigil included an eye catching light projection onto Nelson Column.

This was part of a global event where thousands of people around the world stood together for the #WithSyria campaign from London to Moscow and Washington.

We were really proud to represent the Global Campaigners and found it very meaningful.

hen I first heard about the spelling bee, I thought it would be a bit of fun so I plucked up some courage and went for it.

What a surprise! I managed to come second to a fellow classmate. My tutor Mr Vail then told me and three others from my class that we would be going on to another competition consisting of the best French spellers from our entire year group. I felt some butterfly's about this because it sounded a bit more serious.

The competition took place in an eerily quiet LA7 with Mrs Altinkap as the judge.

Miss asked the group of seven equally nervous competitors to spell stage two French words. Zut alors I walked out of LA7 as the winner!

I'm off to South East Spelling Bee Regional Final at Brighton University on 25th April with my fellow Year 7 students Nathan Wrigley, Charitie Preston and Rab McCulloch; I have to revise 150 words so I will be practising a lot which I am hoping will all pay off!

R SP B Bi r d w a tc h 2 0 1 4

W r i t t e n by Year 13 s tudent, James Shelto n pied wagtails, crows, blackbirds, gulls, hirty Year 7 and 8 students house sparrows. The results presented participated in this year’s a loss in species richness (number of RSPB Birdwatch, which took unique species) from previous years, place on 30th January. which is likely due to habitat loss around Led by students Sam Kimberley the school site.

(Year 11) and James Shelton (Year 13) Birdwatch will be back next year (without and organised by Mrs Hickman, these me!) to see how things will change in students were split into groups and 2015! located in different areas around the A highlight for some students were the school site; tasked with counting the sparrow murmurations seen to the south maximum number of individuals of one of Ringwood at the end of the day. species they saw at any one time.

The different species spotted included

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