Fearnfile - out every two weeks!
FEARNHILL SCHOOL
13TH MARCH 2015
Headteacher’s Message
The last two weeks have been full of lots
of exciting activities here at Fearnhill.
Just to give you a snapshot, during one
Friday lunchtime I toured the school and
was able to see students in a Christian
Union Meeting, Year 11 boys doing a
food technology project, a library full of
students reading and playing chess,
groups of students practicing in the Music rooms and a dance routine being
practiced for the County Dance Festival..
The atmosphere was brilliant.
Fearnfile
Issue 467
To add to this we also participated in
World Book Day on Thursday 5th
March,and the next day 40 Year 9 students went on a trip to the First World
War Battlefields. This week our Year 10
students are all on work experience.
This is just a snapshot of the various activities and opportunities we give our
students and we are grateful to the all
our staff who provide them.
Recently we held our information evening for those students in Year 9 looking
to make their choices for Year 10 and
11 study. It was a most positive evening and we had more people attending
than before. We hope that Year 9 are
thinking carefully about the choices
they can make for key stage 4. A big
thanks goes to Mr Wakeling for his fantastic presentation which made everything clear.
I hope you enjoy reading all about what
is happening here in this edition. Fearnhill is a positive place to be and with us
all working together we can make it
even better!
Jed Whelan
Headteacher
Intermediate Maths Challenge 2015
Several students in Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the recent UKMT Intermediate
Maths Challenge. A large number of students from across the UK take part every
year and the top 7% receive a gold certificate, the next 13% silver and the next 20%
bronze. I am pleased to announce that the following certificates have been awarded
to our students:
Bronze
Anthony Macit
Nicholas Izzard
Saira Mobeen
Kirstyn Morris
Ryan Andrews
Lauren Scott
Freddie Ward
Silver
Charlie Piper
Naomi Wray
Oshini Kodituwakku
Macaulay Denman
James Copland
Gold
Bartosz Mokrski
Rebecca Wray
Best in school
Bartosz Mokrski
In addition, Bartosz did so well that he has been invited
to take part in the next round of the challenge which will
take place on 19th March. We wish you luck Bartosz!
Mrs K Watson
Director of Teaching & Learning in Maths
Year 9 Options
The Year 9s are currently making their option choices
for their GCSEs.
Throughout the whole process I have been very impressed with the mature attitude they have shown.
This positive approach has been present right from
the start when they completed a survey to indicate
their favourite subjects to completing their option
blocks. After listening to presentations from Mr Catlin
and myself and reading through the subject summaries with their tutors they have given careful consideration to choosing the subjects that are right for them.
Some have even taken it upon themselves to speak to
their teachers to see if they would be suitable for certain courses.
Others are thinking ahead and speaking to Ms
Balchin, our Careers Co-ordinator, to see if they are
choosing the right subjects for their chosen career
path. The excellent attendance to the Options information evening reflects how both students and their
parents value the importance of making the right
decision for the future.
Interviews with a member of the SLT will be taking
place between March 9th and March 20th. You will
be told the date and time shortly. The deadline for
handing in your choices is 24th April.
Mr Wakeling
KS3 SDL
“You’re A Wizard Harry!”
On Wednesday, 25th February some year 10 students went on a Business trip to Warner Brothers Studios, the
Harry Potter Tour to learn more about how a marketing campaign can influence the success and profitability of a
film. When we arrived the students were taken to a classroom to have a workshop on the analysis of the multiple stages of a film’s marketing journey and they also had an appreciation on how many elements are required
for the successful film launch. The students were quite impressed with what goes into the making and marketing of the movies and really enjoyed the interactive workshop session. Afterwards they went on a tour of the
studio to see the how the Harry Potter movies were made. They could also experience the different props, costumes and movie sets which were used during the filming of the different movies. The students had the opportunity to see the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office, the Common room, Privet Drive, the Knight bus, Diagon Alley
and eventually a model of Hogwarts. At the end of the tour, the students had an opportunity to buy souvenirs
and gifts from the Studio shop. Everybody seemed to have had a very magical experience. Well done all on your
impeccable behaviour and thanks to Mr Coker and Mrs Burgess for helping on this trip.
Look out in the next edition of Fearnfile for student reports on what they thought of the trip!
Mr J Snyders
Director of Teaching & Learning in ICT & Business Studies
Page 2
F E A R N HI L L S C H O O L
Sixth Form News
Future Paths
With many of our Year 12 students already booking
places for university Open Days, we feel it is important
to give our students as much information as possible
so they are able to make the best decision regarding
their future after Fearnhill.
We have already attended a “University Taster Day” at
the University of Hertfordshire, giving the students a
real taste of what it would be like to study at university. They were able to participate in both a theory and
practical lecture and were given information and advice on personal statements and future careers.
In addition to this visit, we have
arranged for our Year 12 to
attend the Higher Education
Convention UCAS event, at Alexander Palace, which is attend-
ed not only by all the universities and graduate support agencies, but also a wide selection of exhibitors
providing information on working abroad, Apprenticeships, Internships, voluntary working gap years
and many different options for their future.
On Friday 20th March, we also have a visit to the
University of Northampton, where students will be
able to spend time in their chosen subject department to allow them to see and experience first
hand the sort of work they would be carrying out on
a university course
We hope that by providing a broad range of options
to our students, they are able to plan their future
with all the tools and information necessary to
achieve great success.
Exams and Induction Dates For Your
Diary
Year 12 *Exam Preparation Starts:
Tuesday 5th May 2015
Pancake Day!!!
Year 13 *Exam Preparation Starts:
Monday 1st June 2015
*Students must attend their lessons up to the date of
their exam, but are not required to attend school
once they have completed that subject exam.
Year 13 A2 Lessons Start For Current Year 12:
Monday 15th June 2015 (Compulsory Attendance)
Year 12 Sixth Form Induction For Current Year 11:
Week Commencing Monday 29th June 2015
Current Year 12 Finish Date: Thursday 9th July 2015
On Friday 13th February, our Prefect Body took over
the Food Tech Rooms, kindly lent to them by Mrs
Eddell, and rose to the challenge of producing pancakes for sale, with a selection of toppings, to raise
money for their Summer Ball.
In addition to the pancake sale, they also organised
what is becoming a Fearnhill tradition, The Sixth
Form v. Staff Pancake Race! Held in the Sports Hall,
the whole school were invited to come along to
watch as Sixth Form students competed against staff
to become the winner of the race. The rules were
clear, the pancake must be flipped 10 times during
the race and with the cheats disqualified, the winner
was announced……. Mr Catlin!!!
Well done Mr Catlin and of course well done to the
Sixth Form for organising another event for the
school community!!
Page 3
F E A R N HI L L S C H O O L
Humanities Trips
‘The trip was quality.’
Reece
Year 11 Trip to Berlin
Going on a school trip always seems so exciting and
we look forward to them……..except when we have to
meet at Stansted airport at 4.30 in the morning! Once
we got over that shock, the visit to Berlin went really
well.
The days were packed with activities which included
visits to all the top tourist sites in Berlin, visits to Holocaust sites, walking by the Berlin Wall and tracing the
steps of some of the main events of Nazi Germany.
We also had time for shopping, eating in German restaurants, bowling, using the public transport system
and enjoying the German way of life for a few days.
The staff had a really good time and we enjoyed the
chance to spend some more relaxing time with our
students out of school. There were many memorable
moments and to the right you will find some comments from the students.
Fearnhill Staff
‘I really liked the moment when we were standing on
the exact spot where Hitler’s body was burnt.’
Jake
‘The trip to Berlin was great – I am really looking forward to going on the one to Poland next year.’
Bradley
‘The visit to the concentration camp was chilling but
the history was really interesting.’
Amber
‘It was fascinating going to Hitler’s bunker where he
spent the last days of his life.’
Josh D
‘I really enjoyed the trip to the Reichstag.’
Mollie
‘It was really good - especially the Olympic Stadium.’
Shaun
‘The trip was fantastic.’
Josh K
Year 9 Trip to Ypres
We would like to thank the Humanities
Department for asking us to accompany
the Year 9’s on their trip to Ypres.
Watch this space…
In the next edition of Fearnfile we will
have details on the ‘Licenced to do Science’ sessions that were held at Fearnhill School for Year 6 students from
Norton St Nicholas School
Page 4
It was very poignant and humbling. The
students were fantastic, so respectful
and well behaved which made the trip
even more worthwhile. It was a very
long day but there were no complaints
from any students and we feel that the
nature of the trip made them realise
how much they have to be thankful for.
Ms Finden & Mrs Burgess
A full account of the trip to follow...
F E A R N HI L L S C H O O L
Careers Corner
National Careers Week Follow-Up
National Careers Week - Monday 2nd-Friday 6th March
“National Careers Week is celebrated each year by
thousands of schools and colleges throughout the UK.
At a time of high youth unemployment there has never
been a bigger need for careers guidance to be promoted and celebrated in education. National Careers Week
is your platform to advise and inspire our next generation as they enter the world of work.”
www.nationalcareersweek.com
Last week saw loads of events happening across the
board with all age groups for National Careers Week.
The aim of the activities was to think about your future
career and the path you should follow to get there. It
also encouraged students to think about the subjects
that they study and their connection to the world of
work.
Even the Staff took part in a ‘Match the Member of
Staff to the Number of Years they have worked at
Fearnhill School’ quiz. Well done to Mr Catlin for
winning this and well done to all who took part.
We know that students love real life examples of
experience in the world of work and all the skills
that are required. It’s always worth asking your
teachers (if they don’t mind) how long they have
worked at the school, the skills required, qualifications needed and any tips for success in their area
of work – you will be surprised at some of the answers!
Here are your National Careers Week Quiz questions… the first correct answers e-mailed back to
me will win a prize! 1. Which X Factor winner used
to be a Prison Officer prior to auditioning? 2.
What was the name of the Prison? You must answer both questions to be in with a chance of winning!
Ms Balchin
Careers Co-ordinator
Year 10 Work Experience
Year 10 students are currently out on their Work Experience this week. We have already had
some fantastic reports and success stories. We look forward to sharing their experiences with
you throughout the next few issues of Fearnfile.
Ms Balchin & Ms Charter
Year 11 GCSE PE Activities
Year 11 GCSE PE students have been partaking in various activities for their GCSE practical scores, below are
some photos to show how hard they are working to get their grade!
Weight Training
at Letchworth Tennis Club
Page 5
Badminton
Officiating Course
at Fearnhill School
F E A R NF I L E
Year 8 Basketball
Fearnhill v Priory
On Thursday 26th February we played Priory. In the
first quarter we started off really well with CJ and Josh
securing two free throws but only made one. All
through the game our defence was not as good as our
offence. After the third quarter had passed the score
was 19:15. We thought maybe we might be able to
pull it back but our defence just wasn’t good enough to
match their offence.
Overall I thought that we did well considering it was
only our second game. At the end of the match the
score finished 21-15.
Stats:
Ben Jenkins 8Q: 9 points 5 rebounds
Josh Davies 8Q: 5 points 2 rebounds
Liam Mills 8Q: 2 points 3 rebounds
Charles Bumanglag 8R: 3 points 2 rebounds
John Mafukidze 8Q: 1 rebound
JJ Fleming 8Q: 1 rebound
Other squad players were:
Karmaley Jones Ebanks 8Q
Jack Austin 8U
Josh Davies 8Q
Year 10 Basketball
Fearnhill v Barnwell
On 11th February Fearnhill travelled to Barnwell for a Basketball fixture against them. As we entered we were
surprised by the quality of the Sports Hall and facilities.
We know we had to make up for our poor performance that led to an 18-16 loss, versus John Henry Newman.
We started very brightly and within minutes seemed to be racing ahead. Simple early layups sent us in to a
comfortable lead and by the end of the first quarter we were 26-0 up. This level of intensity continued and at
half time we led 47-2, this was a credit to our great fast breaks and brilliant defence.
The third quarter brought more joy as we didn’t concede a basket and increased our lead to
72-2. The fourth quarter followed suit and after an overall brilliant performance the score finished 94-8, which
made up as much as it could for the John Henry Newman performance.
Final score: Barnwell 8-94 Fearnhill
Stats:
Elliott Lee 10Q: 22 points 22 rebounds 4 assists
Charlie Piper 10W: 22 points 5 steals 7 assists
Nathaniel Berkin 10W: 19 points 17 rebounds 5 assists
Joe Devine 10W: 10 points 6 rebounds 3 assists
Ryan Byrne 10W: 10 points 4 rebounds 5 assists
Alfie Murray 10Q: 5 points 4 rebounds 3 assists
Jordan Smith 10W: 4 points 4 rebounds 2 assists
Karlos Alleyne 10R: 2 points 8 rebounds 6 steals 4 assists
Charlie Piper 10W
Page 6
F E A R N HI L L S C H O O L
Sports Personality of the Month
Congratulations to the following students for being awarded Sports
Personality of the Month for January & February combined.
KS3
Abbi Mae Cocks 7R
Led by example in HRF unit &
dominated the 12 minute
Cooper Run.
**********
Kavin Niranjanan 7U
Excellent knowledge in HRF
unit & worked extremely hard.
KS4
Lauren Scott 10U
Continued positive attitude & approach to core PE & performing
really well across activities studied .
**********
Jamie Gooderham 11U
GCSE weight training, developed
superb technique through
time spent at the Gym outside of
school & working hard to
improve others .
Year 8 & 9 Rugby
Fearnhill v Highfield
On Tuesday 24th February the Year 8 & 9 Rugby team had a
match against Highfield. Despite playing a much larger team
the Fearnhill boys put in a very spirited performance.
Will McDaid epitomised the character of the whole team
when he drove into a ruck against 3 players twice his size and
stood his ground until support arrived. Unfortunately, his
fearless approach to the game did result in him having to
come off the pitch after sustaining a bang to the head. This
act of bravery seemed to ignite the rest of the team into action and in the second half Fearnhill scored four tries. Alfie
Cooper who was outstanding throughout the match scored 3
tries and Ben Phillips raced away to score a brilliant solo try.
A special mention should also go to Ben Jenkins in Year 8 who
showed a lot of confidence in organising the backs and displaying a high level of skill. Also, Daniel Cameron in Year 9
never took a backwards step and continuously drove the ball
into the heart of the oppositions defence.
All the boys should be proud of their efforts
and pleased with their performance.
Well done boys!
Alfie Cooper 9U
Jamie Cottle 9V
Bradley Hart 9R
Brandon Hay 9V
Zak Shipton 9V
Ben Phillips 9Q
Bartosz Mokrski 9R
Daniel Cameron 9R
Daniel Walton 8Q
Ben Jenkins 8Q
Nathan Houghton 9Q
Noah Mooren 9R
Will McDaid 9U
Karmarley Jones Ebanks 8Q
Mr Wakeling
Parent and Community Meeting - Change of date
Please note that the next Parent and Community meeting is taking place on Wednesday 18th
March at 7pm (not the previous date arranged). The meeting is held at Fearnhill School in
the Student Support Unit which is adjacent to the main building. All Parents/Carers are welcome
to attend.
M Cotton
Clerk to governors
Page 7
F E A R NF I L E
North Herts Music School Advertisement
OPEN DAY
Would you like
to learn a musical
instrument?
Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Flute,
Clarinet, Saxaphone, Oboe, Bassoon,
Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Horn, Tuba, Piano,
Guitar & Drum Kit
What?
Hands-on taster for your child to choose an instrument to learn and obtain
information about all our activities
Who?
Open to any child, Year 3 or above in September 2015
When?
Saturday 21st March 2015 anytime between 1:30-3:00pm
Where?
North Herts Music School, Highbury Road, Hitchin, SG4 9RU
Tel. 01462 434052
[email protected]
www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk
How?
Just pop in to try out your prospective instrument(s) - your child can
choose which one feels right for them.
Math's Puzzle
8
6
1
3
1
3
2
5
2
7
9
2
4
5
Remember, this is just for fun but do
check your answers with your maths
teacher!!
9
In Sudoku, every digit from 1 to 9 must appear in each of the
nine rows, each of the nine columns and each of the nine
outlined boxes.
4
1
5
7
5
4
9
Maths puzzle of the
fortnight
3
8
7
Fearnhill School, Mathematics and Computing College, Icknield Way, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 4BA
Tel: 01462 621200, Fax: 01462 621201, E-mail: [email protected], Website: www.fearnhill.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mr J.C. Whelan, BA, PGCE, NPQH