Spring II Neweletter

School Newsletter SPRING II 2016 The Bewdley School & Sixth Form Centre Learning for Life - Achievement for All cycle them in school! We are wanGng to establish a ‘bank’ of uniform to support those who ‘lose’ uniform. If you are willing to donate a Ge, please take it to recepGon. Uniform policy, from the purchasing to the wearing can be a contenGous issue for schools. Thank you for supporGng ours! The majority of learners look very smart; please be mindful of uniform expectaGons with regard to hair and piercings. Dear Parents, Carers and Learners, Year 11 and Sixth Form learners are now preparing for their summer external examinaGons. Many of As our Spring Term comes to an end, and we break our Sixth Form have secured university offers and for Easter, learners and staff who are heading to Year 11 learners have secured offers at Sixth Barcelona and Italy are looking forward to sun and Forms, colleges and apprenGceships. We wish all snow! our learners success with their revision. Our window replacement programme is I am delighted to have been invited to a garden completed. It has made a significant difference to party at Buckingham Palace in May for ‘services to the light in B Block. The company worked Grelessly educaGon and young people’. Hopefully, I’ll meet in all weathers, we were sorry to see them go! the Queen and be able to tell her about our They complimented the behaviour of learners. school. During Easter our ‘bathroom’ refurbishment Enjoy your Easter break; I hope you spend quality programme begins. We have secured funding for Gme with friends and family. improvements to toilets around the school; work will be ongoing throughout the Summer Term. Best wishes, AMer Easter, learners can return in the school summer polo shirt. As Year 8 and 11 will no longer Mrs Julie Reilly require their school Ges, we would be happy to re- Headteacher 1

Photography Competition Winners Noah Young Senior Ollie Orr- Intermediate Winner Runner-up Annie Hill - Best Overall Richard Waterworth Senior Runner-up Sam Annis - Intermediate Freya Evans- Winner Intermediate Runner-up 2

Geography Iceland Trip - Half-term The Geography Department organised an ambiGous trip to Iceland in February during the half term, with thirty seven learners accompanied by Mr Nugent, Mrs James, Mrs Reilly and Mr Birmingham. It was an unforge^able trip, with awe-inspiring landscapes, geographical features including the plate boundary viewing from the North American plate, waterfalls such as Gulfoss, fumaroles, hot springs, geysirs, basalGc columns, the glacier and of course the blue lagoon. The weather was perfect, especially the first few days with clear blue skies and glistening snow underfoot. The hotel’s thermally-heated pool and jacuzzis were a great way to relax each evening. Learners were exemplary in every way and we staff really felt they had gained something special from this fantasGc trip. We are looking forward to the next one! Learners completed a quesGonnaire on their return and were all so posiGve that here are a few of their comments: “The highlight of my Iceland trip was mainly all of it, but I enjoyed the parts we learned about Icelandic culture and farming. My favourite places that we went to were The Blue Lagoon and the Geysir, as at the Geysir we saw the real energy of the earth and the Blue Lagoon was very relaxing and enjoyable.” “Seeing many geographical features that I had previously learnt about both at school and within my own research at home, and partaking in hikes around these landmarks (such as the crater, the waterfalls and the glacier).” “Blue lagoon, swimming pools at night and the people that went.” “The blue lagoon was definitely the highlight of the Iceland trip. It was a once in a lifeHme experience, as was the rest of the trip.” “Black sand beach and making new friends.” Mr Nugent - Geography Teacher 3

KS4 Mindfulness Day Yoga, Tai Chi & Lakita Japa ‘We oMen become lost in our efforts to juggle home, school, friendships, relaGonships and other conflicGng demands. We fail to noGce the good things – oMen concentraGng on the negaGves i.e, what we haven’t got or done!’ This was the opening line of Mrs Colbourne’s fascinaGng presentaGon on ‘Mindfulness’. We oMen rush around and forget to observe, taste, dream, feel and really live. But with ‘Mindfulness’, we can begin to deal with stress, a busy modern life and even manage to make Gme to appreciate everything we have. Mindfulness, meditaGon and yoga can all help with stress, success and improve concentraGon and performance in examinaGons and interviews. Year 10 experienced four different workshops during the ‘Mindfulness Day’. The learners had a session doing Yoga; stretching and a^empGng poses such as the ‘Tree Pose’, which is aimed at achieving balance and focus in the mind. They pracGsed the ancient art of Tai Chi to improve breathing and concentraGon and learners also created painted Lakita Japas, a wri^en meditaGon that focuses on the interconnectedness within family and friends and other support networks. During the rest of the day, learners parGcipated in a chocolate meditaGon, a creaGve wriGng exercise and further exercises aimed at developing mindfulness. The sessions urged young people to be less materialisGc and to become more mindful in order to gain happiness in their lives. Finally, learners created a feedback wall and completed individual evaluaGons. Learners reported that they had enjoyed the day, especially the Yoga and Tai Chi! Mrs Newbold - Director of Specialism 4

How to stop Hayfever ruining Exam chances Hayfever can seriously hinder students’ chances of achieving their best during the examinaGon season. Armed with recent staGsGcs nobody with any sense of fair play would schedule the most important exams of the year for May and June. We’re talking hayfever season – a Gme of year when up to half of your students face a debilitaGng condiGon that means they have every chance of underperforming. If you are not prone to hayfever you probably don’t appreciate just how desperate it can make you feel – 15 per cent of those who suffer claim it totally wipes them out. Up to 50 per cent of students report hayfever symptoms during exams. A hayfever sufferer is 40 per cent more likely to drop a grade from January to summer.In general, 16 to 24-year-olds are the worst sufferers (this survey did not include under-16s).Perhaps the scariest fact of all is that the UK is the hayfever centre of the world, and experts predict that by 2030, as much as 45 per cent of the UK populaGon will be sufferers. Hayfever and exam performance If you get hayfever on an exam day you are going to be generally miserable and that’s bad enough – you never perform your best if you feel lousy. But with hayfever you get huge collateral impacts into the bargain. Your runny nose means you will dehydrate much more quickly and dehydraHon of only two per cent leads to a 30 per cent reducHon in performance. You will also be taking anH-histamines and that can also dehydrate you (take a clear water boTle with you to the exam). If you take the wrong anG-histamines you may feel drowsy and hayfever can seriously affect sleep pa^erns, which in turn affects concentraGon and exam performance. There are some perhaps unexpected facts too. Contrary to popular belief, hayfever is actually 15 per cent worse in urban areas due to other environmental factors, such as air polluHon, causing pollen to concentrate more. The condition of a lifestyle As with most things in life and health, hayfever is linked to lifestyle. According to the Kleenex 2010 Hay Fever Report those who have the condiGon but suffer least have: lower stress levels, a healthy diet, get regular exercise and enjoy more than seven hours sleep a night. Probably not exactly your average student on an average exam day then. But sorGng out your lifestyle can miGgate the problems. Hayfever is only really the body’s response to a range of sGmuli that provoke a symptomaGc reacGon from the immune system. If you can steer clear of the sGmuli then you don’t get the symptoms as badly. So the first and simplest remedy is to try to hide from the cause – pollen. Pollen is incredibly light and during the day quickly rises up into warm air, then falls back to earth in the evening. Avoiding being outside at those Gmes of day is a great start – although not very pracGcal if you have an early morning exam. Keep the bedroom windows/doors shut if possible. The other thing is that nature designed pollen to sGck to absolutely anything. In parGcular it will sGck to hair, which tends to be really close to your face and nose. Wearing a hat (and your hair up if long) at high pollen Gmes, is a real help. Wrap-around sunglasses are good. Showering every night also helps as you wash off the pollen you have accumulated during the day and get a beTer night’s sleep. Don’t forget that pollen loves pets – a harmless hug with the family pooch can turn into a sneezing nightmare.Pollen also sGcks to clothes. While it sounds ridiculous, gelng the vacuum cleaner out and running it over a blazer or top you tend to wear every day, will seriously cut down the personal pollen count. Changing pillowcases and bedding regularly really helps, and also wearing fresh clothes on the morning of any exams. Medication A range of hayfever medicaHon is available from the chemist, or by prescripGon from the doctor. Those who use them every year oMen find one sort works be^er for them than others. It is not uncommon to find one type works for the first couple of weeks but then you see a be^er reacGon to a different brand. A big problem with sufferers is that they don’t start taking medicaGon unGl the symptoms start to occur. AnH-histamines work best if the treatment starts in anHcipaHon of the problem. Students with a track record of hayfever should be taking their anG-histamines already. Source : h^p://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-pracGce/offering-hayfever-advice-to-students 5

Revision Food for thought: Taking Omega Oil capsules prior to your exams, will do little to help you answer key exam questions, but adjusting diet can help you make some valuable revision gains. Eating a healthy breakfast every day will make a difference to your capacity to learn during the energy sapping exam period. You will need will power, because you really need to stick to the routine, healthy snacks and regular meals can help improve both judgement and cognitive processes. The difficult thinking which revision demands may depend on it! Lets sleep on it: The amount of sleep students get is crucial to enable them to revise well and thrive in examinations. Science is here to help! We may not need neuroscience to tell us that teenagers are unresponsive in the morning, but it helps to explain why a good night’s sleep is so crucial for memory consolidation and processing all that revision material. Those sleep farmers play a vital role in shelving what we need to remember in order. Our students rely on a delayed sleep cycle compared to us adults - and frankly, they need a good nights sleep if they are to go on to store and retrieve knowledge for exams. The right tools: High-lighting every word in different colours and reading class notes sounds like effective revision, but it really isn’t. Research by Professor John Dunlovsky, from Kent State University, has shown that self-testing, quizzing and trying the trickier task of attempting to recall your notes from memory, all prove more effective. So what tools are best? Flashcards are a cheap and effective way for students to test themselves. Websites and apps like ‘Quilt’ can prove a boon for memorable quizzing. Repeat, repeat, repeat: Since time immemorial, we have recognised the value of repetition in learning. Nowadays, such repetition is often derided as learning by rote - a dead weight pressing on our students’ learning. And yet, evidence of its value is long- established: over a century ago Herman Ebbinghaus was showing us that spacing out our revision, so that we are forced to forget, then remember again, by artful repetition, strengthens our memory. Experiments in cognitive science have shown us that short bursts of revision, interspersed with different topics and subjects, can prove trickier to organise, but provide lasting results to our students’ revision regime. Understanding the science of revision is key: Please see the following link: http://www.huntingenglish.com/2013/04/07/effective-revision-strategies/ Five reasons to learn by heart ✓ The challenge of memorising material can be fun ✓ We retain information better through practice ✓ We notice details we would otherwise miss ✓ Multiple readings or reviewing help us understand the material better ✓ Committing something to memory means that you will always have it with you, and do not need to look it up 6

Top 10 tips for revising 1. Revision Gmetable – It’s commonly said, but I do find making a revision Gmetable extremely comforGng, as you know that you’ve already allocated enough Gme to cover everything, before you even get down to revise. 2. List all days you’re able to revise, allowing for a couple of days completely free. 3. Split these up into several hour-long slots, including Gme for breaks. 4. List all the whole subjects and major acGviGes to do within them e.g. ‘revision’ of notes, essay pracGce/pracGce papers. 5. List all the topics for each subject and fill them into the available ‘revision of notes’ slots. 6. Making it acGve –just reading through class notes doesn’t help things to sink in. Instead, try to do this acGvely, for example, making shorter notes or cue cards and then test yourself or team up with someone else and test each other. Pathways between neurons can be strengthened over Gme. Simple repeGGon – pracGsing retrieving a memory over and over again – is the best form of consolidaGng the pa^ern. Science tells us the ideal Gme to revise what you've learned is just before you're about to forget it. And, because memories get stronger the more you retrieve them, you should wait exponenGally longer each Gme – aMer a few minutes, then a few hours, then a day, then a few days. This technique is known as spaced repeGGon. 7. Past papers and mark schemes –it’s really important to get into the ‘style’ of the exam format, whether that be menGoning parGcular ideas in essays or making sure you address key words or steps in the sciences and maths. Review your answers criGcally using the mark schemes. Have a look for what the examiners want, and add these into your notes. 8. Taking breaks – it’s really important to take breaks, both during revision days, and as days off seeing friends! As well as taking an hour lunch break, a short aMernoon break and the late evening off, revising for 50 minutes, then taking a 10 minute break a good strategy. In the mini-breaks, some things you can do are: food, exercise, piano, radio, or reading. Leave TV/ Facebook/YouTube for the bigger breaks, as they’re hard to stop! 9. MoGvaGon – keep going, you can do it! Picture the feeling of absolute excitement and relief aMer every set of exams. Stay happy and posiGve! Try to reduce anxiety, because it uses up working memory, leaving a much smaller capacity available for processing and encoding new informaGon. Remember the Mindfulness training and deep breathing! 10. A^enGon is the key to memorising. By choosing to focus on something, you give it a personal meaning that makes it easier to remember. In fact, most of our problems when it comes to revision have very li^le to do with the brain's capacity for remembering things; we just struggle to devote our full a^enGon to the task in hand. Playing music while revising will make your task harder, because any speech-like sounds, even at low volume, will automaGcally use up part of the brain's a^enGon capacity. 7

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Reading boosts results Regular access to books between the ages of 10 and 16, boosts pupils’ vocabulary and spelling skills and drives up standards in maths, it was claimed. In the first study of its kind, researchers found that children who receive bedGme stories from their parents as infants perform be^er than those who go without. But it emerged that reading for pleasure during secondary school had the biggest effect, with books judged to be more important to children’s development at an older age than the influence of their parents. The study by academics at the InsGtute of EducaGon, part of the University of London, found that reading had the strongest effect on vocabulary development but the impact on maths and spelling was “sGll significant”. The findings come amid conGnuing concerns that too many children are shunning books in favour of iPads, games consoles and television. Research earlier this year found the relaGve difficulty of books read by pupils “declined steadily” as pupils got older, with large numbers of children ditching them altogether in secondary school. Dr Alice Sullivan, co-author of today’s research, said: “There are concerns that young people’s reading for pleasure has declined. There could be various reasons for this, including more Gme spent in organised acGviGes, more homework, and of course more Gme spent online. “However, new technologies, such as e-readers, can offer easy access to books and newspapers and it is important that government policies support and encourage children’s reading, parGcularly in their teenage years.” Researchers analysed the behaviour of around 6,000 children as part of a long-term study that has been tracking the lives of thousands of people born in 1970. It looked at how oMen they read during childhood and then compared reading habits to test results in maths, vocabulary and spelling at various stages. Children who were read to regularly by parents at the age of five performed be^er in all three tests at 16 than those who were leM without a bedGme story. But it emerged that the greatest effect was felt between the ages of 10 and 16. It emerged that children who read books regularly at 10 and more than once a week at 16 gained higher results in all three tests at the end of secondary educaGon. Reading was found to be more important for children’s cogniGve development at secondary school than the influence of their parents. The combined effect of regular reading, visits to the library and ready access to newspapers at 16 was four Gmes greater than the advantage children gained from having a well- educated parent with a university degree, it was claimed. Dr Sullivan added: “It may seem surprising that reading for pleasure would help to improve children’s maths scores. “But it is likely that strong reading ability will enable children to absorb and understand new informaGon and affect their a^ainment in all subjects.” Teaching Wire Magazine 10

English Accelerated Reading Master Class 2016 7S English group have achieved the highest status in the Accelerated reading programme, and they were the first group to have been awarded this status in the 2016 series of the compeGGon. Accelerated Reader is a powerful tool for monitoring and managing independent reading pracGce, moGvaGng learners to read for pleasure. The class must have scheduled reading of 20 minutes duraGon with 90% and above of the class achieving 85% or above in the quizzes. The whole class must also engage in independent reading for 20 minutes. The English Department encourage learners to read for 20 minutes, three Gmes a week or more, and Ms Hartley said: “ I am delighted that 7S have achieved Master Class status: they have worked hard and have enjoyed the challenges set by the Accelerated Reader programme”. Here the class are pictured above with their favourite reading books! Mrs L Savidge- Head of English Faculty 11

Physical Education 12

Physical Education Netball In our last netball matches of the season, girls in Years 7 & 8 were victorious against Wolverley. Play was fluent with great passing in a^ack and some fabulous intercepGons in defence by both teams. CongratulaGons to Sylvia Wood (Y7) and Izzy Macke^ (Y8) who were awarded 'Player of the Match' by the opposiGon. Rosie Young has been volunteering at Stourport at the Primary Netball League, refereeing matches. Wheel Chair Basketball Lee Lough from BriGsh Wheelchair Basketball has been in to school to work with some of our learners in Year 9 and 10 to introduce the sport to them thanks to 'SporGvate' funding. The challenge of learning chair skills and in conjuncGon with controlling the ball has opened learners’ eyes to the level of skill required by performers to excel at this game. Winter Games The two Young Ambassadors He^y Tinsdale and Ben Rumley were involved in speaking at the opening ceremony and showing the VIPs around. Also, the following students helped out during the event, and did a great job: George Pryce, Louis Spencer, Jake Drew and Harry Brown. The PAN football won the compeGGon beaGng six others district winners so they are School Games Champions! The Futsal girls received the Bronze medal. They were equal on points with the team that came second but lost out on goal difference. The Football AssociaGon staff were very complimentary about members of the team. Primary Dance Festival Learners from Years 7,9 and 13 took part in the annual Bewdley Schools Dance FesGval at Stourport Civic Centre. They performed 3 pieces showing contemporary styles, based on a poem called Living Space by Imitaz Dharker, material developed in lesson Gme, club work and an Irish duet. AMer all of them spending a lot of their own Gme aMer school helping to put together the pieces they all performed brilliantly. Megan Ince & Annie Stamps - Irish Duet. Rachel Howles, Eve Bayliss, Lauren Hall, Mollie Mathews, Lucy Rumley & Rebecca Evans - Poem - 'Living Space', lesson work. Mollie Thomas, Julia Tomalak, Jessica Thomas, Amber McPhie, Georgia D'Araujo, Emily Miles, Rebecca Young (Ill for performance) Grace Harry & Ellie Barnes - Dance Club work . Mrs K Davis- Head of PE 13

Science Big Bang Science - UK Young Scientist & Engineers Fair To celebrate NaHonal Science and Engineering Week, Mr Lowrie (Director of Science) led a group of 50 Year 9 pupils on a trip to the Big Bang Science Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. The Big Bang Fair is the largest celebraGon of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in the UK. It aims to engage and inspire young people through interacGve and engaging acGviGes, workshops and shows. Amongst the highlights of the day were ‘Gastronaut and the Quantum Mechanical Chocolate Factory’ where Stefan Gates (CBBC) took us on an interacGve adventure based on the senses which proved that Maths is beauGful, Technology is spectacular, Science is amazing and Engineering is covered in chocolate! We were also wowed by the ‘Hollywood Special Effects Show’ which took us behind the scenes of our favourite films to discover the science and secrets of creaGng movie magic. Our pupils also took part in the hundreds of hands-on acGviGes and workshops available and had the opportunity to meet the many working scienGsts and engineers on the stands - all available to answer any quesGons that our pupils had about jobs and careers. The trip was generously funded through the Bewdley School’s partnership with the Ogden Trust – a body which exists to promote young people’s experience of science. An excellent Gme was had by all. Mr G Lowrie–Head of Science Faculty 14

Mock Trial Competition 2016 Through to the Regional Final! CongratulaGons to our Magistrates' Mock Trial runners-up for the Local compeGGon, and through to the Regional Finals! The learners spent Saturday taking on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, magistrates and court staff, in order to prosecute and defend a specially wri^en criminal case. Teams from across the county competed against each other in Worcester Magistrates' Courts, in front of a real magistrate! The Mock Trial CompeGGon has been running annually since 1994, and introduces the legal system to young people in an innovaGve and exciGng way. Well done to Imogen Roff, who also gained an individual award for most outstanding student. Thank you to all the staff who gave up their Gme to help make this project such a success. Mrs Ranford - Head of PSHE 15

Giggle box Competition Inclusion suite in stitches! Back in the Autumn Term, the Inclusion Team signed up to a jokes compeGGon called ‘Gigglebox’, run by Worcestershire NHS Speech and Language Therapy Service, in conjuncGon with West Midlands Safari Park. With only one rule: ‘your joke must be about an animal or dinosaur’, learners fired out their jokes everyday for 2 weeks!! The compeGGon was open to all local schools that wanted to join in the fun and in total, 1179 jokes were submi^ed! The 3 top prizes on offer, donated by the Safari Park were: rd 3 place - day pass for four people nd 2 Place - one hour classroom encounter with repGles. 1 Place- A full class visit to the park with a discovery session thrown in. st The entries were judged by the Learning Team at the Safari Park and the winners have recently been announced. A rd big congratulaGon goes to Macey Li^leton in Year 10, who came in 3 place, winning a day pass to the Safari Park for 4 people! Here’s the joke that got her third place: ‘What do you call a lazy kangaroo?’ Answer: A Pouch Potato! Well done Macey! Mr. K Spencer – Inclusion Team 16

KS3 Short Stories Shadows Blood and Bones I can’t remember much up unGl this point. All I remember is an old rickety shack, the wind whistling through sha^ered glass. Then a distant BANG!! Lightning crashed and thunder rumbled. I entered the shack and started looking for a clue. A clue from the murder. I searched in the chest of drawers and amongst all of the glass bo^les on the shelves. Then I heard a murmur and I saw a shadow. It lurked towards me and I flung the door open and ran. I got around five metres when it grabbed my neck. My first thought: HELP ME! Ellie Walters A Day in the Life I slowly slip through the rush of people making their way through town. Everyone is hurrying, trying to barge through as quickly as possible. My icy arm brushes against a woman who is pushing her way through the crowd of humans. I turn around to watch. In a split second the roof Gle from the shop above her loosens and plummets down. She falls. Onlookers gasp. I keep walking. The townspeople conGnue with their days, looking straight through me. They have no idea that death is walking towards them. How long they really have leM. Clueless! Hannah Livesey Blood and Bones Blood trickled down my face. The stench of death hung in the air. Slowly, I Glted my head back and saw a huge beast. Blood and drool dripped from its huge jaws. Suddenly everything went black. I woke in a dark gloomy room. I staggered up onto my feet. A light flickered on. Bones … they were everywhere! Beth Griffin Miss S Welsh - SCITT Student (English) 17

Drama Drama News Drama Dept London ResidenGal weekend was a great success. We were lucky enough to see two fantasGc performances: ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time' and 'I See You' at the Royal Court Theatre. The trip takes place every other year and allows students to develop cultural opportuniGes of London and to gather material for the live Response Exam. We ate out in Covent Garden and Portobello Road, which was very enjoyable. The Drama Department celebrated their 5th year of A level and GCSE exam pieces held at the Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham. The standard was excellent and the stories behind the A level devised pieces were emoGve and hard hilng. 'I like the students to choose subjects that resonate with them and psychosis in mental health and internet-grooming were brave choices which they performed with sensiGvity. They delivered powerful performances'. The AS group performed a weird and wonderful interpretaGon of the ‘House of Usher’. This Drama GCSE students performed their physical theatre interpretaGons of ‘The Porter's Daughter’ by Petra Lily, and clowning requires a lot of confidence and the need to 'find their own personal child’! The scenes were lively and had some excellent movement sequences. Thank you to all the people who came to support - Theatre needs an audience. The Drama Department are currently rehearsing with KS3 the well-known musical ‘Bugsy Malone’. The group has a talented cast and are enjoying the rehearsals. The performance will be in June, so watch this space for news! Lastly, we are looking forward to hosGng learners from the Bewdley Primary schools ( Year 3) coming over to view the CreaGve Arts 'Lost World' devised just for their age! This year we will have flying birds as well as monkeys and dinosaurs! The children always give us great feedback and it is a wonderful learning opportunity for our Year 8 learners. . Miss D Jones - Drama Teacher 18

Library News Book Review Competition This year in the library there has been a big push for books that you no longer read, Year 7 and 8 students have become helpers and the computers have been upgraded. But is that all the library has to offer? StarGng just with the library helpers, the library has downloaded new soMware – Eclipse.net. Here you can reserve books, write reviews and read them back. Next term the library will be opening up Eclipse.net to everyone and running a compeGGon. You just have to write a review on a book you enjoy and the best reviews for Years 7, 8 and 9 will each win a prize of a £5 book token. All you have to do is log on to Eclipse.net and away you go. Well, there’s a li^le bit more to it than that. First you have to find ‘MLS Eclipse’ in core programmes. Everyone has one, but you may just have looked - over it! The system should log you on automaGcally, and you will see your photo appear. Once logged on, it can get a bit confusing. Along the top of the site are six different tabs, each for different things. One for ‘Home’, one for ‘Search’, one for ‘ReservaGons’, one for ‘My Stuff’, one for ‘Results’ and one for ‘Reviews’. In the ‘Reviews’ tab it shows the books that you have previously reviewed. If you haven’t used this soMware before, there will be nothing in it. So, you go to the ‘Search’ tab. Type in the name of the book you want to review and away you go. If, as soon as you have wri^en it you go back to the home page and the book you have reviewed isn’t there, that’s normal. Ms Dunn has to check what you have wri^en before she can post it. AMer a day or two, the review you have wri^en will appear in the ‘Recently reviewed’ column on the homepage. th The closing date for entries is Friday 6 March. If you have trouble logging on to the site, please see Ms Dunn and she will look into it for you. Good Luck and Happy Reading!! Becky Giles - KS3 News Reporter 19

Sixth Form Next Steps th The Year 12 learners spent the day on 17 March discovering all of the opGons available to them when they finish their Gme in the Sixth Form. This is a process that requires much consideraGon due to the huge number of opGons available post-18. The day started with expert advice and guidance from outside speakers. The first presentaGon covered topics including higher educaGon colleges, HNCs, HNDs and foundaGon degrees. This was followed with informaGon regarding apprenGceships, including giving a flavour of the types of apprenGceships that are currently available. UCAS Convention Following these sessions, all learners were given Gme to research their opGons along with preparing for the aMernoon visit to the UCAS ConvenGon at Worcester University. This was a great aMernoon spent at the University, with Year 12 taking full advantage of the event asking many quesGons and receiving much advice directly from the university providers, along with collecGng many free pens and bags! The day proved extremely useful for Year 12, and it was fantasGc to hear plans for the future being created. The next step for Year 12 is to research university open days and a^end the UniversiGes that they are interested in finding out more informaGon about. This enthusiasm will now serve them well in selng goals and working hard towards their AS exams which are starGng in May. Year 12 are also starGng to plan their work shadowing placements and should all be contacGng employers over the Easter break. We look forward to supporGng the learners through this exciGng phase of their educaGon. Cross Country Champion Also, congratulaGons to Archie Roberts (Year 13), who won the U20's gold medal at the Birmingham Senior Cross Country League. He achieved first place in three out of his four compeGGve races! Mr P Phillips–Director of Sixth Form 20

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Catering Exam-Showcase 22

Community Action The Bewdley School’s Community AcGon programme conGnued with 10DPA & 10KW taking part this term. Over the two days our learners worked at various locaGons, such as primary schools, nurseries, Ravenhurst ResidenGal Home for the elderly and helping at The Odell Centre, a centre for adults with learning difficulGes. Meanwhile other learners enjoyed the great outdoors and learnt about the environment when they assisted Wyre Forest District Council Rangers in helping to improve pathways, including making steps at Habberley Valley Nature Reserve and on the second day working at Hurco^ Pools and Woods. Another group of learners carried out their placement at The Frank Chapman Centre, where they were involved with grounds maintenance. The Site Supervisor commented that our learners were ‘hard working, had a great altude and excellent manners’. All our learners thoroughly enjoyed their experiences and made a very worthwhile contribuGon to their local community. The schools & organisaGons who hosted our learners were incredibly impressed; here are just a few of the comments we received: ‘He worked well over the two days, a good team player, worked well alongside his peers & staff & supported other learners when they were struggling’, Frank Chapman Centre. ‘She was really confident with the children and happily helped wherever she was needed. She was involved with 1-1 intervenGons, group work and supported whole class teaching – thank you for your help’, Franche Primary School. ‘She showed a mature altude towards her placement. She was thoroughly engaged and encouraged turn taking and posiGve behaviour’, Deerhurst Day Nursery. ‘He joined in well with all the acGviGes and the residents really enjoyed having him visit and the care he showed them. He was very polite and paGent, willing to get involved with everything including helping with refreshments – well done!’ Ravenhurst ResidenHal Home ‘During maths acGviGes, she supported the children and praised well. She was parGcularly good at working alongside children who found wriGng more of a challenge; she listened to them, read their sentences aloud and gave good feedback’, St Catherine’s Primary School. Wendy Edwards- Work Related Learning Manager 23

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Debating - EU Referendum During one of our CiGzenship and PSHE days, Year 10 have been looking at the debate surrounding the issue of whether the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union. rd There will be a Referendum on June 23 . At the beginning of the day we spent two hours going around different rooms finding out informaGon about the History of the EU, the Geography of the EU and how the EU affects business in the UK. We found out about the geographical locaGon of the EU and the countries who are member states and also about different business aspects relaGng to the EU and the UK economy. Later on during the day we were split into three or four smaller groups and we did our own research about whether the UK should remain or leave the EU. We then conducted four mini debates. Our fellow classmates scored these debates and the winning team went forward to the final in lesson 5. There were three teams who took part in the final debate, they were told which side they should argue for so it was important that they had researched both sides of the debate. They discussed both sides of the argument clearly and were very good at linking back to what the opposiGon had previously stated. Five learners scored the compeGGon and determined the overall winning group of the day. We also had our own Referendum and we voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. We have found this day educaGonal and very interesGng. It has allowed us to gain a new perspecGve and has given us the chance to share our own opinions. Niamh Allen & Summer Trossell - KS4 New Reporters 25

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KS3 Maths Team Challenge CongratulaGons to Sammy Muller-Smith, Jack Adler, Joe Beard and George Moore for coming 9th out of 30 schools in the Team Maths Challenge last week. The challenge consists of 4 Gmed rounds including a Maths crossword. Here is an example of one of the quesGons. Dean spent one fiMh of the amount of money in his wallet and then one fiMh of what remained. He spent a total of £72. Find the amount of money in his wallet to start with. Answer: £200 Mrs S Kirby -Lead Maths Teacher MFL Key Dates Spelling Bee trip for Year 7 - April 13 th Spanish trip to Barcelona for Year 9 - Easter holidays- Thursday 23 March -28th rd st rd Year 7 trip to Boulogne - June 21 -23 Puzzle Corner - Sudoku Complete the grid with the numbers 1 through to 9, remembering that you can only use each number once in every row, column and square. See page 36 for soluGon. 28

Reporting Absence Important Message Regarding Reporting Absences Please contact the office if you wish to report an absence. The number is 01299 406828. If a learner becomes unwell during school, they should report to the school office first rather than contacGng home. All holidays should be taken outside of school Gme. As from September 2013, on the direcGon of the Department of EducaGon, the Headteacher may not grant any leave of absence during term Gme. In excepGonal circumstances, for instance, where parents are in the Armed Forces, holiday may be granted. Medical appointments, where possible, should also be taken outside of school hours. Thank you for your support and cooperaGon regarding this ma^er. 29

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RECIPE Torta Pasquale 25g/1oz bu^er, for greasing 2 tbsp plain flour, for dusGng 5 free-range eggs, plus 1 free-range egg, beaten, for brushing 200g/7oz spinach 110g/4oz dandelion leaves or rocket 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 500g/1lb 2oz rico^a cheese 50g/2oz parmesan, or similar vegetarian hard cheese, grated 110g/4oz provolone cheese, or similar vegetarian alternaGve, cut into small cubes salt and freshly ground black pepper 500g/1lb 2oz ready-made puff pastry For the salad 300g/10½oz fresh or frozen broad beans (shelled weight) 5 small celery sGcks, finely chopped into matchsGcks 3cm/1in long large handful rocket 12 mint leaves, roughly torn 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 small lemon, juice only 110g/4oz pecorino cheese, or similar vegetarian alternaGve, shaved 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. 2. Grease a 28cm/11in round, deep pie dish with butter, then dust with flour. 3. For the torta, place five of the eggs into a pan of boiling water and boil for ten minutes. Drain and place the eggs into cold water and leave to cool. Once cool, remove the shells and cut the eggs in half lengthways. 4. Wash the spinach and dandelion leaves and shake to remove the excess water. 5. Heat a large pan with a lid until hot, then add the spinach and dandelion leaves and cover. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until steamed and wilted down. Drain the spinach and dandelion mixture, and, once cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid. Roughly chop the spinach and dandelion mixture and place into a bowl. 6. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil and onion. Fry the onion gently for a few minutes until softened, then set aside and allow to cool. 7. Add the cooked onion to the spinach and dandelion and mix well. 8. Add the ricotta and parmesan and mix well. 9. Add the provolone, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well. 10. Roll out about half of the puff pastry to 0.5cm/¼in thick and use to line the prepared pie dish. 11. Fill the pie case with half of the spinach and cheese mixture. 12. Add the boiled egg halves, yolks down, evenly spaced, then top with the remaining spinach mixture. 13. Brush the edge of the pastry with a little beaten egg. 14. Roll out the remaining puff pastry to the same thickness as the first sheet, and place over the pie filling, pressing down the edges well. Trim away any excess pastry and crimp the edges with your fingers, so that the pie is well sealed. 15. Make a small incision the shape of a cross into the centre of the pastry top to allow steam to escape during baking. 16. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg, then transfer to the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes, or until risen and golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 17. For the salad, boil the broad beans for one minute, then drain and refresh in cold water. 18. In a large clean bowl, place the celery, rocket and mint. Add the cooled broad beans and mix well. 19. Place the olive oil and lemon juice into a small clean bowl and whisk until it starts to thicken. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. 20. To serve, place a slice of the torta onto each plate and spoon some of the salad alongside. Drizzle everything with a little extra virgin olive oil and top with shavings of pecorino cheese. BBC Good Food 31

Key Dates & Information Privacy Notice - Data Protection. This is now available to view on the school website or a paper copy can be collected from the school office. Exam Information External exams start on Tuesday 3rd May and conGnue unGl Wednesday 29th June Individual Gmetables will be issued and should be checked carefully. Full Gmetables, updates and other informaGon will be posted on the exams area of the school website and on the Exams noGce board outside the Hall. Results will be issued in the AcGvity studio at the following Gmes: GCE A and AS Level: Thursday 18th August 8am-10am GCSE: Thursday 25th August 9am-11am Quorum CongratulaGons to Lauren Hall, Izzy Smith, Anna Bale and Beth Dalton, who are collecGvely know as Quorum, who volunteered to play at the Bewdley Primary School this term. The band have already performed at St George’s Hall, and they will be performing live at the Hopfest in June. Dates for Diary April 12th Term Begins April 14th-16th D of E Silver PracGce April 18th -19th Year 8 Geography Field Work April 19th - Youth Makes Music - Kidderminster Town Hall May 2nd - May Day May 4th - Year 7 Parents’ Evening 32

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter using the new School Website Website : www. bewdley.worcs.sch.uk Facebook : www.facebook.com/The- Bewdley-School-Sixth-Form-Centre Twitter : www. twitter.com/ bewdley_school 33

School Newsletter How you can help School Hiring School Hall/Activity Studio Please can you help the School raise addiGonal funds at no extra cost to yourself - just by buying If you run a community group and are looking for midweek room hire we now have availability in school! your shopping on-line! The School has registered For more informaGon please contact Site and FaciliGes with www.easyfundraising.org.uk. This is a Manager Mike Coles on [email protected] shopping directory which has many of the favourite or call the main office on 01299403277. on-line stores, for example: Amazon, Next, Toys R Us and Marks and Spencer. Individuals should register using this link h^p:// Mrs R. Langdon - School Office www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/bewdleyschool (this is free), nominaGng The Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre as the organisaGon you support. Then any purchases made through this site will automaGcally mean that the school will receive a donaGon. The amount of donaGon can be as much Inspiring words as 15% of each purchase. Please register today! Puzzle Corner Answers “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best. Saint Jerome Mrs Colbourne - RE department The Bewdley School & Sixth Form Centre Stourport Road, Bewdley Worcs DY12 1BL 01299403277