Dear Parents and Carers 6 th June 2018

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1 Dear Parents and Carers 6 th June 2018 Welcome for what looks set to be another week of gorgeous sunshine. Last week most of the scaffolding that has surrounded the building for the best part of the last two years has finally come down and we are slowing getting our school back, although there are a few more sections to be finished. We are all looking forward to starting in September without the prospect of more building work and I have to thank the staff and all the students for their patience and sensible behaviour throughout this disrupted period. This week I would like to personally praise and thank Kyle Taylor in Year 10 who recently spoke at a public event organised by the Together Trust. Kyle made such an impression on the parents and professionals in attendance that he received a standing ovation at the end and may well be asked to speak at future events. Kyle has been, ever since he started at Birkdale, an outstanding ambassador for the school and it is a real privilege to have him here and an absolute pleasure to receive such praise from external agencies and community groups. Well done Kyle! Ties We have noticed a small number of students coming to school without a tie. Please be aware that ties can be purchased from the front office for 4.50 from tomorrow. From Monday, ties will also be available to borrow for the day from Heads of Year. However, any student without a tie will be in detention that lunchtime. A further detention will be issued should the tie not be returned at the end of the day. I would like to take this opportunity to praise the overwhelming majority of students who come to school in full uniform every day. Mr Pryor Scholars Programme Graduation Many congratulations to the students who recently graduated from The Brilliant Club Scholars Programme! The prestigious national programme allows students to experience university style learning, through a series of tutorials with a visiting PhD tutor. These particular students studied a course entitled Cyber Security Futurist Series: What will hackers target next?, with Liam Shore from Liverpool John Moores University. Despite it being an entirely new topic to them, all of the students worked hard throughout the sessions, and several of them were rewarded with a first-class grade. The graduation event at Lancaster University provided an opportunity to celebrate these achievements. The graduating students were Douglas Dickson, Joe Edwards-Hulm, Kelvin Ibrahim, Kamil Nowak, Mackenzie Morgan, Tommy Witterick, Jacob Clayton, Lewis Collins, Max Matthew, Kaiden Handley and Elliot Brown. Well done to all of you! Dr Deeks

2 Ski Course 2020 Marmot Basin, Jasper, Canada We are pleased to offer a fantastic opportunity for pupils for our next available ski course, during Easter of We have provisionally booked the resort of Jasper Marmot Basin, located in the heart of Jasper National Park within the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. We have not skied there as a school group before, but it comes highly recommended due to it being the highest base elevation of all Canadian resorts, always has a long ski season and has stunning views of Jasper National Park. With the mountain offering 1,675 acres (100kms) of skiable terrain, it provides superb conditions to either learn to ski or to develop techniques as a competent skier. The evening entertainment facilities available to us, to fill the week with lots of fun things to do as well as mastering the mountain on skis, are also impressive. These include dog sledding, curling, ice skating and swimming. The trip is open to all pupils in school. It is perfectly suited to skiers of all abilities and lessons are tailored to different ability levels, whether they have skied before or are complete beginners, wishing to experience it for the first time. Please find details on the letter attached. Should you have any questions regarding any aspect of the trip, please don t hesitate to contact Mr Milner (azmilner@birkdalehigh.co.uk) Mr Milner Autumn Internationals We are giving the pupils another opportunity to watch a match during the Autumn Internationals later this year. Please see the attached letter for details of the England vs. Japan match. Places are limited to 14 pupils so I anticipate these will sell out fast. Mr Thorne South Africa Rugby Trip There will be rugby training for all the boys on the South Africa Rugby trip, this Thursday at 3.10pm in PE, we will be finished at 4.30pm. This will continue every Thursday until we leave for South Africa. Please could boys bring kit, boots, trainers and a drink? This is COMPULSORY, to ensure we are aware of boys standard of play and also to give the best account of our rugby ability during the tour. If, for whatever reason, your son cannot attend please me, or ask him to see me before training please. bboyce@birkdalehigh.co.uk. Mr Boyce The Green Machine: Last chance for sunflower seeds! If anyone wishes to enter the Green Machine s sunflower growing competitions, please see Mrs. Bradley in the Hub. There are two chances to win grow the tallest sunflower plant/ grow the largest sunflower head. Prizes for both winners: chocolate and a voucher. If anyone took seeds and they re not doing well, please come and get a few more! Don t forget - participants need to fortnightly photos, so that we can see the plants progress. Nobody has ed me any photos yet! At our next meeting, amongst other things, we will be discussing a Bright ideas competition, in which we could win 1,000 for the school. Any boys with bright ideas, please feel free to join us at lunch time on Monday, June 18 th in Mrs. Marshall s room! New members are always welcome. Mrs Bradley

3 Science GCSE Total Recall Quiz League Well done to all boys who are currently engaging with the Total Recall quiz league. The notice board will be updated this week so you can check your position after the latest quizzes. Pupils are reminded that older quizzes can still be attempted even though the deadline has passed but can only be accessed on a PC (not a mobile or tablet). Going back to revisit past quizzes is an excellent way to revise for the upcoming Year 10 examinations. Congratulations to the top twenty in each year group. The next quiz is due on Friday 8 th June (Chemistry quiz set by Mr Burcher). Ms Flood Year 10 Top Twenty: Year 9 Top Twenty: Ms Flood Yours faithfully Mr G Bourgade Headteacher

4 June 2018 SKI COURSE 2020 (JASPER, CANADA) Dear Parents / Guardians, Following another fantastic trip to Courmayeur this year and 2019s trip to Pila being fully booked, we have made arrangements for the next available ski course which will take place during Easter of We have provisionally booked the resort of Jasper Marmot Basin, located in the heart of Jasper National Park within the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. We have not skied there as a school group before but it comes highly recommended due to it being the highest base elevation of all Canadian resorts, always has a long ski season and has stunning views of Jasper National Park. With the mountain offering 1,675 acres (100kms) of skiable terrain, it provides superb conditions to either learn to ski or to develop techniques as a competent skier. The evening entertainment facilities available to us, to fill the week with lots of fun things to do as well as mastering the mountain on skis, are also impressive. These include dog sledding, curling, ice skating and swimming. The trip is open to all pupils in school. It is perfectly suited to skiers of all abilities and lessons are tailored to different ability levels, whether they have skied before or are complete beginners wishing to experience it for the first time. The total cost of the trip is 1749* and will include the following: - Return transatlantic flights Return coach travel, from school to airport and overseas airport to resort, including all road tolls. 7 nights half-board accommodation in a modern hotel with private facilities in all rooms. The hotel includes an indoor pool, 3 outdoor jacuzzis, a sauna and fitness centre and free high-speed internet terminals. 6 days hire of top quality skis, boots, poles & helmets. 6 day lift pass 30 hours (6 x 5 hours per day) of instruction by fully qualified, English-speaking, Snowsport instructors. Full time resort representative service with 24 hours emergency assistance in Canada and UK. Comprehensive winter sports (medical and travel) insurance for all members of the party, which covers everything from travel disruption, personal injury, ski breakage, piste closure etc. Full safety management system and risk assessment support Financial protection with ABTA, ATOL and IATA. *I must take this opportunity to stress that the price does not include lunches, ski clothing, evening entertainment packages and an eta electronic travel authorisation ($7CAN) visa.

5 Payment will be by instalments according to the following payment schedule: - Initial (non refundable) deposit of 150 with returned reply slip or via ParentPay. Second (non refundable) deposit of 150 by 30 July 2018 Third (non refundable) deposit of 100 by 31 August 2018 Remaining balance of 1349 by November (to be paid via monthly instalments by the last day of each calendar month to a minimum value of 100) Payment should ideally be made via Parentpay (payment cards are available upon request) and monthly reminders will be sent throughout the time. Should you wish to pay anything via cheque, please write Ski Trip CANADA 2020 along with your son s name and form on the reverse. Please ask your son to hand them directly to me (not the school office). If you would like your son to be included on the 2020 trip to Canada, please return the reply slip and initial deposit to me (in the Technology Dept) as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via telephone or (azmilner@birkdalehigh.co.uk). Yours sincerely, Mr A Milner (Ski Course Organiser) REPLY SLIP: SKI COURSE 2020 JASPER, CANADA To Mr Milner, Ski Course Organiser, Birkdale High School. I would like my son Form to be included on the 2020 ski trip to Jasper, Canada. Please circle the appropriate payment method below; o I enclose cheque for 150 (made payable to Birkdale High School). o I have paid the sum of 150 via ParentPay. I understand that this initial (and subsequent) deposit is non-refundable if I choose to cancel his place and it cannot be filled by another pupil within school. Signed Parent/Guardian

6 Dear Parent/Guardian I am writing to inform you that your son has been given the opportunity to attend an England match from the Autumn Internationals. The game will take place at Twickenham Stadium, on and Saturday 17 th November. The cost for the experience and travel will be 40. The game that the pupils have the chance to watch is: - England vs. Japan 17 th November Kick off 3:00pm We will be travelling on the school mini bus, leaving Birkdale at 7:00am and will arrive back at Birkdale between 10:00pm and 11:00pm. Due to the time of our arrival pupils must be accompanied home and will not be allowed to make their own way from school. (Please note that this is an estimate and finishing times can often change slightly) Pupils should endeavour to take a mobile phone in order to keep you updated on the exact finishing time. Also they will need a packed lunch, drinks and/or money to purchase refreshments/merchandise. Please sign the consent slip below, make payment on ParentPay and return it to me ASAP. Failure to return the consent form and payment would mean your son will not be able to participate in this experience. Thank you for your co-operation Mr. B. Thorne Teacher I/C Rugby I give permission for.. to travel to watch the match at Twickenham Stadium, London. (Please tick the appropriate box below) I give permission for my son to make his way home from Birkdale High School with I will collect my son from Birkdale High School. Emergency Contact Number 1 Emergency Contact Number 2 Medical Conditions / Allergies Signed : Relationship to pupil...