Christmas 2011 As we reach the end of a busy term I thought it would be a good time to share some of the things which have been happening recently. In assembly I have shared the challenge of trying to be the best that we can be and I have encouraged everyone to think how they can push themselves to do this. As you will see from the newsletter lots of our pupils have been living this challenge out over the term. Christmas Concert many pupils have been working hard to rehearse for our annual Christmas Concert to be held on Tuesday 13 th December in the school hall at 7pm. Tickets are 2 for a single ticket or 5 for a family ticket (2 adults & upto 2 children) and available from the school office. I do hope that you will be able to support us for what will be I am sure a very enjoyable evening. National Poetry Day Over one hundred students entered the poetry competition this year, the theme was Games, and once again the standard was outstanding. Ms Malone and her English department at WCC very kindly agreed to judge the entries and the results were as follows. 1 st Place You Cheated by Tori Hide and Charlotte Winspear 2 nd Place Toy Soldiers by Lina Cox and Polly Buxton 3 rd Place Games by Amelia Hyde and Rebecca Hewison Highly Commended World War Dan by James Raistrick and Joe Howard Commended At the arcade by Henry Atkinson Thank you to everyone who entered. Mrs McCleave Speak Out -report by Lina Cox On a Tuesday evening against the formal backdrop of the Saxonville Hotel, three aspiring public speakers from Eskdale School took part in the 25 th annual Youth Speaks. Youth Speaks is a competition run by the Rotary Club in which teams of three students have to give a speech on subjects ranging from animal testing to war! The Eskdalers competed in the intermediate competition against teams from Bydales and Fyling Hall, while Whitby Community College competed in the senior competition against older teams from the same schools. The topic was, We are more mature than adults seem to think we are. The proceedings were started by the chairman, Lina Cox, who welcomed the audience and introduced the topic. Then Ruth Garbutt, the main speaker, put forward a passionate and convincing argument which she had to have learnt by heart. Finally, the proposal of thanks was presented expertly by a very sincere Ali Lloyd! The competition was fierce but the girls put on an excellent performance to win the competition and bring the trophy back to Eskdale for the second year running! The Trophy was presented in Assembly by President of Whitby Rotary Mr Guy Hirst seen here with the winners
Whitby Time Teens I attended the launch event with 8 of our pupils who have contributed to this lovely book. It is a memoir of Whitby looking at people s experiences of being a teenager. The project involved younger people interviewing older Whitby folk, there are interesting recollections and photos of Whitby from the past to the present day. It is available from The Whitby bookshop and the Tourist information centre it would make an ideal Christmas gift and is priced 5. Gardening News October. As a reward, Mrs Hurworth's Yr 9 Maths group took 15 minutes out of their lesson to help Mrs Westwood scatter wild flower seeds into the two designated areas. The seeds were donated by Mr. Tom Normandale of the Corn Flower Fields Project. We are pleased to say that some of the seeds have already started to germinate. November. Students from Eskdale School were invited by Chris Roe (Area Parks Officer) of Pannett Park to help take part, with a number of other schools, in planting crocus swathe on St. Hilda's Terrace. Mrs Westwood and Mrs Parkin took a Year 8 Art group to help with the task. Many thanks to all who very kindly sent in Morrisons vouchers. We exceeded last years total and collected 1,312. We have ordered new forks and spades which we hope will be delivered in April. Eskdale School Cross Country Record: Eskdale School Cross Country record has been smashed by Jay Ferns in Year 9. The record has stood for over 10 years and was held by elite English Schools runner A lec Duffield back in 2001. The time of 11.49 was beaten by Jay on a cold but clear Friday afternoon on December 2 nd. Jay set off at an electric pace and managed to sustain it along the railway line and even up the slippery path through the woods beating the record by 19 seconds. Jay s effort levels and commitment to middle distance running have improved immensely over the last six months, really pushing himself, training in the leisure centre and applying this to the school cross country course. The PE Department would like to congratulate Jay on achieving such a quick time and beating the record. Jay received a certificate and reward in a whole school assembly on Friday 9 th December.
Mrs Hurworth, Mr Angus and students from form ZH have been busy making Christmas Cards to take to local elderly people. Over the next week these students are to hand out these cards to residents at Glencoe Residential Home, Oakland Nursing Home and The Bay Tree at Robin Hood's Bay. We are sure this will be a real delight for the elderly and also a beneficial learning experience for the children. Visit to Castleford On Thursday 8 th December, 48 pupils set off to XScape near Leeds to be the best that they could be at skiing and snowboarding. They were accompanied by Mrs Pearson and Mr Dixon who decided to join the beginner snowboard group, and Mrs Dixon and Mrs Watson who joined in with the advanced ski lesson. All the beginners said what a brilliant time they had trying something new. They learnt how to put on their skis and snowboards, how to stand up (not very easy) and how to turn and stop without falling over. At the start of the 2 hour lesson there was a lot of falling over and squealing, but by the end of the some pupils had made great progress and were flying down the slopes looking quite professional. The instructors commented on how well behaved all the pupils were, and how well they listened to the instructions. Chris Hurworth (Y 8) said I feel the need for speed! as he came down the big slope after mastering perfect parallel turns. Lewis Elwick (Y 8) said This is better than lessons! as he crashed into Mrs Pearson on his snowboard and got a face full of snow. Niamh Sweeney was voted the most improved skier and Jack Waller was voted the most improved snowboarder (both Y9). Football Report by Jolyon Cox. The year seven boys 5-a-side football team travelled to Malton s gleaming sports centre on the 1 st of December. The team was missing two 1 st team regulars Josh Crabtree and Reece Lawlor but that didn t stop the team s high spirits on the way to Malton. Our first game was played against Malton School. It was a close first half, ending with 1-1, although Malton played the better football. The slippy surface and 5-a-side rules were new to the team and they went out into the first half without much confidence. In the second half the Malton dominance was shown with an ending score line of 4-2.
We went into the second game feeling like it would be another defeat but we started off with a strong fight to end the first half with a lead. We continued that same fighting spirit with a tremendous goal by substitute Aron Calvert to take Eskdale through to the semi finals with an air of confidence surrounding them. The other Whitby team Caedmon come out of a disappointing but exciting last minute semi final loss with the score at 3-2 to Norton. This meant that Norton were through to the advanced rounds in Scarborough on Tuesday 6 th. Eskdale and Ryedale battled out for the other place. A penalty in the 1 st half, coolly put away by Jamie Entwistle, meant Eskdale had a lead coming into the 2 nd half. Jamie scored another two stunners (to complete his hatrick) in the second half. A late goal by Ryedale meant that, with a 3-1 win, Eskdale were going to Scarborough with Norton. The team Riley Adamski, Jolyon Cox, Aron Calvert, Ross Taylor, Charlie Bell, Alex Booth, Jamie Entwistle. Visit to Annie at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. Melissa Noble writes - Yesterday a group of Y7, 8 and 9 pupils to see the musical Annie. It was set in the 1930s in a girls orphanage and is about a girl, Annie, who is looking for her parents who left her at the orphanage 11 years before. She finds out her parents are dead and gets adopted by one of the richest men in America and she finally gets the Christmas she has dreamed of. The musical was well staged and the singing was really good. It was entertaining and I had a great time and enjoyed the show. Emily Watkinson writes -The performance of Annie was amazing, the all singing, all dancing show stopping performance was very entertaining. The actors were very professional and I would definitely recommend it to all the family. Although the girl that played Annie was young she sang beautifully and stayed in character very well. The dances were well choreographed and everybody was in time. I don t believe there was one fault to the whole performance Y9 certificate evening It was lovely to welcome last year s Y9 pupils and Mr Taylor to a presentation evening of their GCSE certificates on December 7th
Literacy one of the key areas I have asked staff to focus on is Literacy. All pupils are encouraged to have a reading book with them at all times and I hope that you will encourage your children to read over the holidays. Cashless Catering Please remind your son/daughter to keep a check on their dinner money account. We have a number of students who continue to forget to top up their account. The loan facility we operate is really there for the one-off time a student forgets their dinner money. Parents will be notified by text or e-mail if a debt is not repaid. Thank you for your co-operation. Volleyball Training free volleyball training is available to all pupils on Saturday 17 th December from 2.30-4.30pm at the Leisure Centre. Free School Meals Are you entitled but don t claim? If you are please could I ask that even if your child brings a packed lunch that you claim your entitlement? The Government gives its Pupil Premium to schools based on Free School Meals numbers and we may be missing out on vital funding. Thank you. End of term arrangements We will finish for Christmas on 16 th December at 12.15pm. Students who travel on the train will be taken down to the station in time to catch the 12.41 train. Buses will follow their usual routes but will leave Eskdale at approximately 12.20pm. Lunch will be available before the pupils leave. If you foresee any problems with these arrangements please contact the school office as soon as possible. We return to school on Monday 9 th January at 8.55am. On behalf of all the staff here I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Headteacher