Cox Green School Newsletter 17 November - 21 November 2014 (Week 2)

Cox Green School
Newsletter
17 November - 21 November 2014
(Week 2)
Inside this week’s
Newsletter
Calendar, Page 1
Dates for your Diary, Page 1
More Dates for Your Diary, Page 2
Attendance News, Page 2
Letter from the Headteacher, Page 3
Letters to Look Out For, Page 3
Year 9 Royal Holloway Pupil Conference,
Page 4
Wamster RBWM Youth Service Page 4
Still Looking for Exam Invigilators, Page 5
Word of the Week, Page 5
Winter Weather Marquee, Page 5
Medicine Reminder, Page 5
Word of the Week, Page 5
Carrot Cake Rules OK, Page 6
Library News, Page 6
Extra Curricular Activities, Page 7
Closure of Highfield Lane Railway Bridge,
Page 8
Royal Holloway University Clock Tower
- Photo by Cameron Greene Year 9
Committed to Achievement
1
Calendar
Tuesday 18 November



Year 12 Safe Drive, Wycombe Swan Theatre
Year 11 Speaking French Assessment
Year 8 Hockey Vs Newlands at CGS 3:30pm—5:30pm

Wednesday 19 November
Year 11 Revision Skills (‘C’ - P1 & P2, ‘G’ - P3 & P4) Yr 12/ Yr 13 (P5)
in the Capture Studio
 Year 8 Netball League Game at Kidwells 3:30—6:00pm
Thursday 20 November

Year 11 Speaking French Assessment
Friday 21 November

Year 13 English Trip—Love through the Ages 8:50am—5:15pm
Saturday 22 November

Year 9 Battlefields Trip Departs
Dates for your Diary
Saturday 22—Monday 24 November
Year 9 Battlefields Trip
Monday 24 November
Year 7 Parents’ Evening
Thursday 27 November
Sixth Form Open Evening
Tuesday 2 December
Year 10 One Man 2 Guvnars
Thursday 4 December
Parents’ Information Sessions
Thursday—Saturday 6 December
School Production
Monday 8 December
Year 12 and 13 English Literature Masterclass trip
Wednesday 10 December
Year 7 Matilda Theatre Trip
Monday 15 December
Christmas Carol Concert
Tuesday 16 December
Year 9 Boys and Girls DTP/Meningitis C Vaccination
Wednesday 17 December
Year 11 The Scottsboro Boys Theatre Trip
Friday 19 December
Monday 22 December 2014—
Friday 2 January 2015
Term 2 ends 12:45pm
Christmas Holidays
Spring 2015
Tuesday 6 January
Start of Student Term 3
Wednesday 7 January
Year 12 & 13 Theatre Trip—‘John’
Thursday 8 January
Year 9 Options Afternoon
Thursday 8 January
KS4 & 5 Presentation Evening
Monday 12 January
Year 10 Parents’ Evening
Thursday 22 January
Year 9 Options Evening
Monday 26 January
Year 9 Parents’ Evening
Monday 9 February
Year 8 Parents’ Evening
Friday 13 February
Term 3 Ends
Friday 13—Monday 16 February
Year 11 Trip to Bay of Naples, Italy
Monday 16—Friday 20 February
February Holiday
1
More Dates for your Diary
Saturday 14—Sunday 22 February
KS4 & 5 Skiing Trip, Italy
Monday 23 February
Start of Student Term
Thursday 5 March
World Book Day
Friday 13 March
Judging at Cisco
Friday 13 March
Red Nose Day
Thursday 19 March
BBC School Report
Wednesday 25 March
Year 12 UCAS Convention
Thursday 26 March
Rock Concert
Wednesday 1 April
End of Student Term and KS3 Rock Challenge
Friday 3 April
Good Friday Bank Holiday
Monday 6 April— Friday 17 April
Spring Holiday—Easter Monday 6 April
Summer 2015
Monday 20 April
Start of Student Term 5
Monday 27 April
Year 12 What Next Evening
Thursday 30 April
Leavers’ Concert
Monday 4 May
Early Bank Holiday
Tuesday 16 May
Year 8 Girls HPV Vaccination Part 2
Friday 22 May
Term 5 Ends and Year 13 Leavers’ Day
Monday 25 May—Friday 29 May
May Holiday. Spring Bank Holiday Monday 25 May
Monday 1 June
Start of Student Term 6
Thursday 18—Friday 19 June
Upper School Production
Thursday 25 June
Parents’ Information Sessions
Friday 26 June
Day of Sport
Wednesday 1—Thursday 2 July
Sixth Form Induction
Friday 4—6 July
Year 12 Biology Field Trip
Tuesday 7 July
Year 7 Transition Day and Evening
Wednesday 8—Thursday 9 July
Lower School Production
Thursday 16 July
Enterprise Day
Saturday 11 July—Saturday 18 July
Music Trip to Goslar
Friday 17 July
Term 6 Ends
Attendance News
Overall Attendance:
Persistent Absenteeism:
Best Forms’
Attendance:
Sixth Form
Attendance:
7B2
8S1
9S2
10B1
11S2
Year 12
Year 13
95.75%
5.08%
97.85%
97.09%
96.64%
97.92%
96.41%
97.27%
96.77%
Charles Wright
Nick Hamilton
Jennifer Allen
Alex Morris
Sue Beach
Julie Weight
Gavin Ames
2
Please be reminded, any medical
appointments must be backed up
with one of the following:
A written note from a parent.
A phone call from a parent.
Letter from the Headteacher
Dear Parent/Carers,
The first half term was an extremely successful eight weeks for students, staff and parents alike:

We celebrated our exam results which I am pleased to say have now been confirmed as being 17%
above national averages;

Our evaluation of teaching shows significant improvements and is now very strong. This is down to
the hard work and dedication of all our teaching staff;
 Students came first at an international sporting event;

Parents’ Evenings have had the highest attendance to date – thank you;
 As ever our students did us proud raising money for the British Heart Foundation on the Friday before
half term.
Since returning after the half term break, our students have taken part in a visit to Royal Holloway and
the Shakespeare’s for Schools production. Many students are now in full flow, rehearsing for ‘Anything
Goes’.
As a school, we came together for Armistice Day in which students, staff and Governors gathered around
the Quad to lay wreathes, hear from a member of the British Legion and take part in two minutes of
silence. I must report back that the students were absolutely fantastic and one visitor to the school
commented on the excellent behaviour and respect that was shown.
As the winter weather approaches we have made additional provision for the students at break times by
enclosing the decking and placing a marquee on the Quad. This means that the seating areas for break
times has quadrupled.
Forthcoming events include:
 Year 7 Parents’ Evening - Monday 24th November
 Sixth Form Open Evening – Thursday 27th November
 Parents’ Information Sessions – Thursday 4th December 8am-8.45am and 6pm–6.45pm. These
sessions will focus on SEN provision and the school’s anti-bullying strategy.
 School Production – Thursday 4th – Saturday 6th December
 Christmas Carol Concert – Monday 15th December
I very much look forward to seeing you at one of these events.
Kind regards,
Heidi Swidenbank
Letters to Look Out for…
You may find the following letters hiding at the bottom of your son/daughter’s school bag…
 Required Documentation for the Battlefields Trip—Year 9 Only
 A Level English Literature Masterclass Monday 8th December—Year 12 and A Level students only
Replacement letters can be downloaded from the school website, or collected from Reception.
3
Year 9 Royal Holloway Pupil Conference
On Friday I went to Royal Holloway University.
When I arrived they gave me a sheet to fill in
about whether I would like to go to university or
not. They then gave me a name tag and a sheet of
questions to be answered throughout the day (a
sort of treasure hunt).
We then got given a Campus Tour of all the
buildings and was informed of some of history of
when and why it was built.
The first activity was to make a building out of cocktail sticks and marshmallows to survive an
earthquake. This was fun, but unfortunately our one fell over! The second activity was about history.
We had different articles of information that we had to look at and find out which articles went
together. The third activity was what courses you could do at various universities across the UK to
establish which university you should go to.
I had a great day, enjoyed
everything about it and came
away feeling inspired that one
day I would like to go and
study at university.
Thanks for a great trip –
Cameron Greene Year 9
Photos By Cameron Greene
Year 9
RBWM Youth Service
The Youth Services provide many opportunities for young
people aged 8 – 19 or 25 with SEND across RBWM
including the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Youth
Ambassadors programme, summer programmes, Project nights, Ice Music Workshop, drop in sessions
and Esteem projects amongst a whole range of services.
To receive updates, and be first to hear when programme’s are available for bookings, like and follow
our pages:
Facebook: RBWM Youth Service
Twitter: @youthRBWM Website address: www.wamster.corg.uk
School Policies
Please be reminded, school policies are available to view on our school website. To take a look, visit
www.coxgreen.com and click the ‘Home’ tab, then select ‘Our Policies’ from the drop down menu.
4
We are still looking for Exam Invigilators!
We are still looking to add to our bank of dedicated Examination
Invigilators to help with the mocks in December and the Summer
Exams in the coming year. If you know anyone who would be
interested in being fully trained and employed on a casual basis to
supervise students taking mock as well as actual
GCSE and GCE exams as necessary throughout
the school year, please have a look at the advert
on the School Website.
http://www.coxgreen.com/cg/index.php/home/vacancies2/support-staff
Full training will be provided and staff will be contacted prior to the exam period to
discuss the invigilation schedule in relation to their own availability.
Word of the Week
Students need to learn how to spell the word and learn its meaning. They can try to use the word
correctly in ANY written work in ANY subject to receive a positive stamp in their planner.
Fleeting
/ˈfliːtɪŋ/
adjective
1) Passing quickly; lasting an extremely short time; ephemeral.
Students can also choose to use the Word of the Week outside of school – for example they can take a
screenshot using the word correctly in a text message, Facebook message or a tweet! The screenshot
must be emailed to [email protected]
The students are responsible for showing the Word of the Week in action and asking for stamps!
The more times they use it correctly the more positive stamps they will receive.
Winter Weather Marquee
Our Marquee has arrived and is located in the
Quad. From Monday until Easter, students
can use the new school Marquee before
school, First break and at Lunch time.
This will give students another area to eat in
during wet weather, make the canteen less
crowded and offer some protection from the
cold winter weather which has been
predicted in the coming months.
Medicine
Please note that if your child requires medication to be kept at school, a Cox Green School Medicine
form will need to be completed by a parent before any medication is administered. Thank you.
5
Carrot Cake Rules OK !!
Mrs Crisford’s Mini carrot cake recipe —
Especially Requested by Year 7
150g margarine
250g carrots
200g sugar
200g flour
2 x 5ml cinnamon
2 x 5ml baking powder
2 large eggs
125g sultanas
Equipment
Mixing bowl, chopping board, knife, peeler, grater,
weighing scales, wooden spoon, sieve, small bowl,
fork, muffin cases, muffin tin, 2 spoons.
Method
o
 Preheat the oven to 200 C or gas mark 6.
 Melt the margarine in the microwave.
 Top and tail, and then peel and grate the carrots.
 Combine the carrots, sugar and margarine in the
mixing bowl.
 Sift in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder.
 Beat the eggs in a small bowl, and then add to
the mixture.
 Mix in the sultanas.
 Divide the mixture equally between the muffin
cases, using the two metal spoons.
 Bake for 20 minutes.
Top tips
When the mini-carrot cakes are cool, you may wish
to make a cream cheese topping. Combine 50g
cream cheese and 25g icing sugar together.
Library News
Storytime on Sunday morning, 16th November!
Do you have young children under 5? Are you looking for something to do at the weekend? Then please
join us once a month for our FREE Storytime with colouring afterwards! Our next event is on Sunday 16th
November, from 11.30am to 12noon, then 21st December for a Christmas special. Everyone welcome!
NEW! Welcome to Music with Mummy on Wednesday 19 th November
Do you have young children under 5? Are you looking for something to do in the afternoon? Then try out
our new music and songs time on Wednesday 19th November from 2pm to 2.30pm. It is FREE and
everyone welcome!
LAST CHANCE TO NOMINATE your Favourite New Books of 2014!
 Are you in years 7, 8 or 9?
 Have you read a great new book this year and want it to win something?
 Then nominate your favourite book (or books!) for the Berkshire Book Award 2015
 You can nominate as many different books as you like.
 If you aren’t sure if your choice is eligible, nominate it anyway and let Mrs Chivas check it out for you.
Nomination slips are available in the Library and with your English teachers, or you can nominate online at
www.berkshirebookaward.org.uk. Closing date for nominations is Friday 21st November.
Happy reading and remembering!
Download e-Books or Audiobooks and win an IPad in November!
Use the Library Service’s e-book service for computers and mobile devices (called OverDrive) from now
until 30th November; download a book and you will be automatically entered into our Prize Draw. The
more e-books you borrow, the more entries! See below for how to use OverDrive.
Get borrowing!
Introducing a FREE website from home with your Library Card!
Overdrive is a way to borrow, download and return e-Books and Audiobooks onto your computer and
mobile devices. There are over 30000 titles FREE to choose from, from children’s to adult.
To access Overdrive go to rbwm.lib.overdrive.com and click on ‘Sign In’, with your library card barcode and
4-digit PIN. If you haven’t got a PIN (or have forgotten it!) call the library for help. You can have up to five
books at a time. Happy Reading!
Mrs Chivas
6
Extra Curricular Activities
Day
Extra Curricular Activities - Break Times
Time
(Activity name, room, teacher, year group)
Monday
Netball shooting | Old Gym |Miss Quinnell | All Years
Fitness | Fitness Suite | Mr Kilkelly |6th Form
Netball shooting | Sportshall | Miss Quinnell | All years
7.30— 8.00am
7.30— 8.15am
1.25—1.55pm
Tuesday
Fitness | Fitness Suite | Mr Kilkelly | Year 10 & 11
7.30— 8.15am
Wednesday
Chess Club | M6 | Mr Worrall | All years
Fitness| Fitness Suite | 6th Form
1.25—1.55pm
7.30—8.15am
Thursday
Cheerleading | Old Gym | Miss Perchard | All Years
Fitness/Circuits | Fitness Suite | Mr Kilkelly | Year 9, 10, 11
1.25—1.55pm
7.30—8.15am
Friday
Basketball | Old Gym | Mr Worrall | Year 9 & 10
Fitness |Fitness Suite | Mr Kilkelly |6th Form
1.25—1.55pm
1.25—1.55pm
Day
Extra Curricular Clubs and Activities - After School
Time
(Activity name, room, teacher, year group)
Monday
Netball Practise | Sportshall/Courts | Miss Perchard/Miss Quinnell | Year 7 & 8
Street Dance | Dance Studio | Chrissy Sanders | All Years
Warhammer Club |IT2 | Mr Wright | Year 7-13
3.15—4.45pm
3.15—4.30pm
3.15—4.30pm
Tuesday
Hockey Practise |AstroTurf | Miss Perchard/Miss Quinnell |
Boys & Girls Rugby | School Field | Mr Slade & Mr Kilkelly |
Resistant Materials coursework support | T4 | Mr Hamilton
Science Club |S4 | Mr Shields |Year 7- 9 | until Tuesday 9th December
Science CREST awards | S6 | Mr Shields | Year 7- 9 | until Tuesday 9th
December
Rugby Club boys & girls| School Field | Mr Slade & Mr Kilkelly |
Extra Maths | M1-M5 | Various maths teachers | All year groups
Game Development | IT2 | Mr Wright | Year 7-13
3.15—4.30pm
3.15—4.30pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
Wednesday
IT Club | IT1 | Mr Burton| All years
CISCO Challenge | IT1 | Mr Burton | Year 7-9
Netball Practice | Sportshall | Miss Quinnell |All Years 9, 10 & 11
Football Practice | AstroTurf 3G| Mr O’Brien | Year 9
Trampolining | Old Gym | Tony Hull | All Years | Invitation only
Extra Maths | M1-M5 | Various maths teachers | All year groups
3.20—4.20pm
3.20—4.20pm
3.15—4.45pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.30pm
3.15—4.15pm
Thursday
Football Practice |AstroTurf 3G | Mr Allen | Year 10 & 11
Football Practice Girls |AstroTurf 3G | Mr O’ Brien| All Years
Football Practice |AstroTurf 4G | Mr Slade | Year 7
Fitness | Fitness Suite
Cross Country Club | Offsite | Mr Morris/Mrs McKay | All Years
Geography | R6 | Miss Allen & Miss Gray | Year 10 & 11
Art GCSE Catch up | Miss Taylor/Ms Blinstrub/Ms Fonseca| A1 | Year 10 & 11
Art Mini Masters | A1, A2, A3 | Various Art teachers | Invite only Year 7-11
Extra Maths | M1-M5 | Various maths teachers | All year groups
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—5pm
3.30—5pm
3.15—4.15pm
Friday
Football Practice | AstroTurf 3G| Mr O’ Brien | 6th form
Badminton | Sportshall |Mr Slade & Mr Kilkelly | All Years
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
7
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.15pm
3.15—4.30pm
Closure of Highfield Lane Railway Bridge
As you will be aware Network Rail is replacing the railway bridge outside the school.
The bridge will be closed from Wednesday 9 July for approximately six months.
A pedestrian bridge will be available at all times during the work.
These arrangements will be in place for approximately six months and any changes will be notified to
parents via the school newsletter. The map below shows the location of the road closure.
We are right on your doorstep
Gym and classes on a pay as you go basis or take out 'the least expensive'
monthly gym membership in Maidenhead - however you choose - you will be
glad you tried out Cox Green Leisure Centre. Tucked away on the side of Cox
Green School, the highly qualified team - led by Chris - are on hand to welcome
you and offer a warm welcome every time you come. Pop in, take a tour, have
a free induction and workout and see what you think
Opening hours
Monday – Thursday
4.30pm – 10.00pm (during term time)
Friday
4.30pm – 9.00pm (during term time)
Weekends
9.00am – 6.00pm
During school holidays we are open from 9.00am
Friday Night Madness
½ price pitch hire £20
Limited offer. New
bookings only
Birthday Parties
Book before the end of
October for a November or
December party and get
extra 20% off football and
castle parties and extra time
in the food room
Fun Factory
Fun packed holiday
experience full of Fun and
Games. The days will
involve a mixture of the
fantastic sports and games.
Starting from £22.50 a day
(8.30am – 5pm)
Cox Green Leisure Centre, Highfield Lane
Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 3AX
01628 685311
[email protected]
8