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News items or reports on school activities should be sent to bridge@bridgewaterhigh.com or hand a copy to Lower School office		**** Archive of Newsletters

19^th July 2010

Dear Parents and Carers

As we approach the end of the summer term, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on a number of school issues.

To begin with, several colleagues who have worked at Bridgewater High School will be retiring at the end of this term and I trust you will join me in wishing them all the best and thank them for the contributions that they have made to the School over the years. These colleagues include: Mr Duckworth (PAL and Maths teacher); Mrs Day (Maths teacher); Mrs Edwards (Head of Dance) and Joyce Doherty, my secretary.

The end of the term has been characteristically busy and I would like to thank all the pupils, parents and staff for their support during this period. In particular I would like to highlight the Oscars Dance Evening, the Summer Celebration and Sports Day. With regards to the latter, I would also like to comment on the way that the fiercely competitive element was balanced by the sporting way in which pupils and onlookers applauded and cheered competitors.

Like many schools, Bridgewater has invested heavily in computerised systems for reporting and tracking student progress. From September 2010 all schools must have in place on-line assessment systems to support this process. We are in the advanced stages of planning for this having invested in the Capita product called the Sims Learning Gateway which is one of the most widely used. The current pilot we are running has been positive although there have been some technical problems which Capita have been working closely with us and the Local Authority to overcome. Once we are fully confident that these have been resolved we will begin to roll out the programme. This will include guidance via our website as well as school based information events.

During Tutorial time on Friday this week pupils will receive copies of their annual school report. With regards to tutorial time, we are looking to enhance the quality of our provision in this area. From September, the tutorial time that currently occurs at the end of the day will be moved every other Friday only to the start of the day and extended slightly. The other nine days of the current two week timetable will remain unchanged. Timings for the rest of this day will be adjusted accordingly and school will still finish at the normal time. In moving and extending this once fortnightly tutorial time we can offer increased care and guidance and deliver an age appropriate and comprehensive Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE).

The role of the Governing Body of any school is essential. During the course of this year, a wide-ranging review of the functions and remit of the Governing Body has been undertaken. Currently there is a vacancy on the Governing Body for a parent Governor and if this is of interest to you, details of the election process will be issued early next term.

Finally, I would like to remind you that the school closes at 1.15 on Tuesday 20^th July and re-opens again on Monday 6^th September at the normal time. It just remains therefore for me to thank you on behalf of all the staff here at Bridgewater for the support that you have shown over the year and I hope you and your families enjoy a relaxing summer holiday.

Yours sincerely

Tim Long

Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carer

As the academic year draws to a close and we begin to look towards the start of the next in September 2010, we wanted to remind you about the school uniform regulations, as approved by the Governing Body.

We are aware of the expense of purchasing new items of uniform and would want you to be fully aware of the guidelines given so that we avoid any issues after clothing has been purchased. If you are unclear about any aspect of the regulations please contact your child’s pastoral leader or another member of the school’s pastoral staff.

It might be helpful if we drew attention to some specific issues which we have encountered throughout the past year:

• Footwear retailers are often very shrew in marketing their products as ‘school shoes’ even though they fail to comply with our basic requirements. Therefore, can we stress that black trainers, canvas footwear or footwear which displays conspicuous patterns and colours are not allowed. Similarly, boots of any description are prohibited. We are simply asking for pupils to wear plain black leather/man made leather type shoes.
• Trousers and skirts should be plain, mid grey and NOT black.
• Cardigans and jumpers should be navy blue and NOT grey or black.
• No hoodies.
• Hair accessories should be plain, discrete and sensible e.g. vibrant, floral hair accessories are not acceptable.
• Costume jewellery is not permitted in school.

All uniform items except shoes can be purchased form the PTA uniform shop and are guaranteed to be in line with our regulations. However, should you purchase items elsewhere, could we ask that you follow the guidance carefully so that we avoid unnecessary problems in the new academic year. Dare we suggest that you treat some of the requests made by your son/daughter with a pinch of salt.

The PTA Shop is open at Upper School between 3.30pm and 4.45p.m on Thursdays (term time only). During the holidays the shop will be open on Tuesday 3^rd August and Thursday 26^th August from 10.30a.m-2.30p.m.

R Parker T Hatton

Deputy Head Upper School Deputy Head Lower School

SCHOOL UNIFORM/P.E. KIT

BOYS		GIRLS
ITEM	COLOUR	ITEM	COLOUR
SHIRT	Plain white	BLOUSE/SHIRT	Plain white
TROUSERS	Plain mid-grey	SKIRT	Plain, mid-grey and approx knee length
		TROUSERS	Uniform mid-grey
JUMPER	Navy v-neck*	CARDIGAN/JUMPER	Navy/navy v-neck*
BLAZER	Navy with school badge	BLAZER	Navy with school badge
SOCKS	Navy, grey or black	SOCKS	Navy, grey, black or white
		TIGHTS	Navy, black, opaque, flesh coloured
SCHOOL TIE	The appropriate year band tie	SCHOOL TIE	The appropriate year band tie
SHOES	Black	SHOES	Black

*badged version available form the PTA Shop.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION KIT

BOYS		GIRLS
ITEM	COLOUR	ITEM	COLOUR
RUGBY JERSEY	Royal blue (reversible red hoop badged)	SKIRT	Wrap over badged
RUGBY SHORTS	Royal blue badged	SHORTS	Royal blue badged
SHORTS	Royal blue badged	POLO SHIRT	White short sleeved badged
SWEATSHIRT	Royal blue badged	SWEATSHIRT	Royal blue badged
POLO SHIRT	White short sleeved badged	HOCKEY SOCKS	Royal blue
FOOTBALL SOCKS	Royal blue with red turnover	SOCKS	White short
FOOTBALL BOOTS		TRAINERS
TRAINERS		TOWEL
TOWEL		SWIMMING COSTUME
SWIMMING TRUNKS		TRACKSUIT PANTS	Royal blue (optional)
TRACKSUIT PANTS	Royal blue (optional)

Tracksuit pants may be worn in P.E lessons with P.E staff permission in extreme weather conditions or for certain specialist activities.

DANCE

Black Arts College T-Shirt and black trousers/leggings

On Wednesday 30^th March 2010, all Year 12 students were off timetable for the day, taking part in an Enterprise event called ‘Tomorrow’s Managers Today’. They formed companies who worked in the manufacturing industry. Each student took on a managerial role, such as finance, marketing, design, and the company had to make vans to dealer’s specifications. Their efforts, enthusiasm and engagement were excellent. Some managers were even able to negotiate a deal in German. At the end of the day, each company delivered a presentation to a panel of judges.

Awards:

Winning team was Fahrenheit

Best presentation was Fahrenheit

Best Managing Directors were: Hannah McDonnell and Ryan Smith

Best negotiators were: Saul Wilson and Hannah Laidlaw

Best dressed: Chris Eckert and Rachel Astill

Best Finance Manager: Natalie Smith

Special Awards: Sam Mather, James Proctor, Matthew Verdon, Harry Herbert.

An excellent day – well done to you all.

S Statham

Friday 3^rd July 2010, nine of our Year 10 students took part in the North West regional Finals of the Lionheart Challenge in Liverpool. The team did exceptionally well and won one of the individual awards: Best Research.

Congratulations to all those students who represented Bridgewater High School:

Hannah Bratley

Poppy Clifton

Olivia Shanu-Wilson

Sophie Rimmer

Emily Hull

Jamie Billingham

Harry Illingworth

Callum Eldred

Matthew Cummins

The standards at this stage of the Challenge are extremely high, so our students have won a major achievement.

S Statham (Enterprise)

28^th April 2010

Art Project on Japan

Year 8 (8S4, 8A8 and 8S1) have been doing an art project on Japanese Art and Culture. We began the project by looking at a story about a young girl called Sadako who was two years old when the Hiroshima bomb exploded above the city. Ten years later when she was 12 years old she fainted during a school sports day. She went to hospital and was told she had leukaemia caused by the radiation of the bomb all those years ago. Sadako was told of an old Japanese story that if she made a thousand paper cranes she would be granted a wish. She continued to make paper cranes until she died. In one version of her story, she had only made 644 when she died, but on her memorial it says she made over 1,000. The point of the story was that she never gave up, but also her short life serves as a reminder of the terrible effects of war, even years after the fighting has ended. A memorial has been dedicated to Sadako in Hiroshima Peace park in Japan and as part of our project we have designed and made our own paper cranes which we are going to send out to Sadako’s memorial.

9^th March 2010

Next PTA Indoor Car Boot Sale is on Sunday 21^st March 2010.

Stalls are £9 each, booked in advance, ring 01925 265157. Please note that bookings are only taken for one car boot sale at a time.

N>B these events operate under licence issued by Warrington Borough Council. Neither traders or the sale of new goods is permitted.

INDOOR CARBOOT SALES at Bridgewater High School, Broomfields Road.

The PTA runs five indoor Car Boot Sales (table top) per academic year between October and April, which raise around £3000 per year. Stalls are highly sought after and events are invariably fully booked. The success of the Car Boot Sales depends on a team effort on the part of not only committee members but many parents who volunteer to do specific tasks on the day e.g. car parking, refreshments, moving tables etc. Without this team effort the Car Boot Sales could not take place. If you feel you have some spare time on either the Saturday lunchtime or the Sunday morning to help out please ring 01925 265157 for further details.

Many hands make light work!

22^nd October 2009

The Orienteering Team’s first contest of the season!

On 3^rd October 2009 Bridgewater entered the Cheshire and Merseyside Orienteering competition at Northop Agricultural College near Mold in North Wales.

Mr Steer got us all there in one piece ready for the challenge to begin! Everybody had fun (got lost) and managed to find their way back, I think……

7^th October 2009

Well done to the Year 7,9 and 10 netball teams who all won convincingly against Rudheath last week. The Year7a and Year 9 teams play against Leftwich (away) on Wednesday 7^th October.

Good Luck

30^th September 2009

Healthy Eating Award: Bridgewater High School Arts College

Well done to Paul Timms, catering manager, and the team at Bridgewater High School Arts College on being awarded a Healthy Eating Award-the first school to win in Warrington!

The catering team had to prove that all the food provided was over and above the nutritional guidelines. Having been audited by an Environmental Health Officer who inspected all areas of the facility, including cleaning, hygiene standards and Health and Safety, the team passed with flying colours and were awarded a distinction, with full marks on the audit.

Paul and the team will attend a presentation ceremony at Warrington Town Hall to receive their certificate from the Lord Mayor on 28^th September 2009. Well done to all for their hard work!

29^th September 2009

The music department would like to thank the PTA for their generous donation of a brand new drum kit. This is a very good quality kit and will be used in upper school to support GCSE and ‘A’ level work, as well as being used in shows/concerts. Our pupils on upper school were absolutely delighted with the donation and it will receive much valuable use over the coming years.

Mr Eden

20^th July 2009

Dr Mark’s Cool Science and Maths Show

On Thursday 16^th July Bridgewater High School invited six of our feeder primary schools to watch ‘Dr Mark’s Cool Science and Maths Show’. Throughout the hour Dr Marks fascinated us with various scientific and mathematical tricks. Using a hairdryer he showed us that bigger and heavier balloons floated higher than smaller and lighter balloons. Was it to do with the colour of the balloon? The way the hairdryer was held? The surface area of the balloon?

Students put themselves in danger (well not too much danger) by volunteering to have a pot explode on their head? Why did the pot explode? It only contained water in a small plastic pot placed in an aluminium dish. Was it to do with the humming we all had to do? The colour of hair the pot was placed on/ The heat from the head?

I particularly enjoyed the milkman’s magic wallet trick and the Moebius strip which related to an area of maths called topology. Topology is the study of geometrical properties of deformed structures and surfaces. Apparently, space scientists compare the shape and ‘continuous’ properties of the Meobius strip with the supposed shape of the entire universe! I wonder how many of the pupils (and parents and teachers) have had a go at investigating the Moebius strip since the show. I know I have!

Dr Marks entertained and enthralled us all. But most importantly, he made us want to find out why various tricks and experiments worked. I am sure he will have caught the imagination of many who watched the show and maybe inspire them to investigate these areas of science and maths further.

Mrs Kandola-Maths Faculty

14^th July 2009

As part of the Maths Department’s Gifted and Talented programme, top set pupils in each school year were entered into the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Challenge 2009. The results were as follows:

Junior (Y7/8) 12 Gold 28 Silver 40 Bronze

Best in year 7 – Sophie Bell Best in year 8 – Samuel Brown Best in school – Chris Jackson

Unfortunately no pupils progressed to the next event at Junior Level.

Senior (Y9/10) 3 Gold 8 Silver 25 Bronze

Best in year 9 – Connor Simpson Best in year 10 – Sarah Ward Best in school – John Corbridge

John Corbridge progressed to the next event at Senior Level. Good luck John and well done to everyone who took part in both challenges!

Mr Sillifant/Mr Gledhill

13^th July 2009

YEAR 10 LIONHEART ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE

Seventeen Year 10 students represented Bridgewater in the North West Regional Finals of the Lionheart Challenge in Liverpool on Monday 6^th July 2009.

They had to conceptualise a fire prevention product. Team work was of the utmost importance and all took on differing roles to achieve a productive and successful outcome. The event concluded with presentations from each company to a panel of judges from various aspects of the business world. Both our teams performed extremely well and the following comments were made by the judges:

Team A

“their analysis was of a very high standard and they showed impressive use of USBs”

Team B

“a very good presentation with an effective emblem and branding”

Students who took part were: Jenny Goerge, Lizzie Heaven, Luke Russell, John Corbridge, Daniel Tidd, Joel Chesterton, Sam Roberts, Richard Clarke, Chris Owens, Sarah Berry, Emjay Bibby, Jacob Trainer, Corin Silva, Amy Makin, Ryan Wernham, David Smith, Ellis Britton.

Jenny George and Corin Silva took on the role of team leaders in a very competent manner. Jenny and Sam Roberts delivered their team presentation, along with Corin and Amy Makin for team B.

Well done to all of you.

Mrs Statham

Year 12 Enterprise Event

Our sixth form students took part in “Tomorrow’s Managers Today” on Friday 26^th June 2009. At the start of the day they formed companies and each student took on a managerial role within it e.g. finance, design, marketing etc. The aim of the day was to develop business skills through the manufacture of vans to specific market designs and requirements. The finance managers had to maintain a profit and loss account and the award for: Best Finance manager went to Tim Bell. A superb arrays of vans were manufactured and the award for: Best Design went to Rosemary Hughes with her musical design.

A German businessman under the guise of Mr Bairstow, requested a fleet of 100 vans replicating the colours of the German flag. Tom Haddock, Sam Hine and Anna Cumberland made their negotiations for contracts in German and French. A Health and Safety policy had to be written by all companies and Annie’s Autos” won this section.

Certain incidents happened throughout the day, some companies fell for a”dodgy dealer”, workshops were flooded and one company had not bought insurance! Best Managing Director went to Anna Cumberland. Individual awards went to Tom Haddock and James Sharrock. The students developed many skills – numeracy, problem solving, presentation, individual and team responsibilities to name but a few. It was a very successful day for all.

Congratulations to all who took part.

S Statham

13^th July 2009

Year 6 Primary Mathematics Quiz

On Wednesday 8^th July Y.6 pupils from St Matthews C of E Primary School, Grappenhall Heys Primary School and Stockton Heath Primary School took part in an inter-school maths quiz. Each school was represented by four extremely good mathematicians in a bid to win the much coveted Primary Maths Quiz Trophy. The first round involved putting each pupil on the spot to answer individual questions. Would you be able to name a pallindromic multiple of 5 and 3 or multiply 46.7x 0.1? Our contestants could! The pupils coped very well with the help of their teachers willing them on. The second round involved team problems and after these first two rounds the scores were pretty much even with only 1 point between them.

The final round involved quick fire questions. All pupils answered questions and improved their score. However Grappenhall Heys really excelled on this round. The final scores were St Matthews C of E Primary School and Stockton Heath Primary School with 15 points and the winning team was Grappenhall Heys Primary School with 23 points.

Congratulations to the contestants from Grappenhall Heys Primary School-but also to all the contestants for taking part. All the pupils were really enthusiastic and it was great to see all those brain cells working hard.

Mrs Kandola-Maths Faculty

13^th July 2008

French and Drama Performance

7LG have recently taken part in a French and Drama performance with help from their teachers Miss Gorman and Madame Orde. We have tried to show others how we can link French to acting and drama. We decided on well known famous families, we came up with: The Mitchells (Eastenders), Tracy Beaker, The Simpsons and the Adams Family. We were all assigned parts and told to write a script in French based on our character.

We spent many French and Drama lessons practising, it all paid off in the end as we performed in front of the Y.6’s on their induction day. I thoroughly enjoyed relating Drama to French and learning how to speak and learn French in an exciting and different way. I am sure I speak on behalf of all of 7LG when I say it was a very enjoyable experience and hope that children in future years also complete this project and enjoy it as much as we did

Molly Hunt

13^th July 2009

Y.10 Work Experience

The year group have been exceptional and so I would like to share some comments and outcomes with you.

Bethany Cook: North Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust – “Bethany has been fantastic. She actually observed a caesarean birth”.

Cameron Scott: Worked with “mega bucks” and managed to work a cut in costing from £35m by £2m! He has been offered a work placement for the second year of his degree course.

Army

Ryan Wernham: “Soldier of the Week” Congratulations one of the best students. Joshua Moss “outstanding performance” Ben Timson “key member when working as a team” Jack Hannon “outstanding performance-key team member” Luke Mellis – “really good results, performed exceptionally well…excellent in the stretcher race!!!”

Joshua Knowles: Blue Planet Aquarium – “an excellent ambassador for the school”. I personally had a very informative tour by Josh.

Andrew McGreal: Manchester City Academy – what an opportunity!

Well done to Amy Wright who never missed a day, despite having a broken foot in plaster.

Erin Alexander: Warrington Collegiate – “loved Erin’s voice, got real potential to succeed in musical theatre”.

Jenny George: PR Assistant – excellent ambassador for Bridgewater… great aptitude in her writing…could develop a career as a journalist…she has natural talent”.

Rosalind Vail: Riverside Group- “very professional at all times…enthusiastic and hardworking”.

Alisha Mann: Lloyds Pharmacy – “we would be very happy to have her again”.

Ross Thompson: Inland Revenue – within minutes Ross had come up with a new method which took a large amount of time off our previous one. He successfully cleared 500 entries in 30 minutes, it would have taken 2 hours!”.

Dear Mr Long

In a time when most adults seem to criticise young people, I should like to commend two of your students whom we met recently. They were delightful. They are in year 10 – Daniel Harbridge and Tom Rogers. We happened to be in the Tesco Café in Warrington one lunchtime and your two young students were sitting near us enjoying a short lunch break from their Work Experience at the Warrington Wolves Rugby League ground next door. We got chatting and it was such a pleasure for us (2OAP’s I might add!) to hear about what they were doing and how much they were enjoying it. They were certainly excellent advertisements for Bridgewater High School.

Yours sincerely

Judy and George Studd, Northwich

8^th June 2009

Alder Hey Hospital Visit

On 2^nd April 2009 we spent the afternoon at Alder Hey Hospital giving out Easter eggs that had been so kindly donated by Bridgewater staff and pupils, to children who have been diagnosed with leukaemia.

Mrs Mason, mother of son and ex-Bridgewater pupil Michael who sadly died of leukaemia aged only 17, wants to get students like ourselves to bring a smile to the faces of the young children, helping them hopefully, to cope with their treatment.

This was a very touching experience. It was nothing like we had expected, we thought everyone would be upset and dismal, but no, everyone in the leukaemia section was happy, nurses included. There were children of all ages, from 2 to 17 years old. Some patients were not leukaemia sufferers themselves but were donating marrow or blood to their ill siblings.

When we were giving out the eggs not only were the children delighted but also their families. We talked to them about ourselves and Bridgewater High School.

We would like our link with the hospital to continue. We noticed on our tour that the walls of the unit are very bare. Mrs Mason has asked the hospital if as we are a specialist arts college, we could decorate some of the walls with our artwork to make the place seem bright and cheerful. We are hoping this project will start soon. We want to try and make the ward seem homely whilst the children receive their sometimes very difficult treatment.

This was a trip to hospital to remember for all the right reasons.

Becky Murphy 11TP, Charlotte Smith 11TE

1^st June 2009

A very successful two weeks for our Year 10 students,in their work placements. Employer reports are beginning to arrive in school and some lovely remarks are made by them. Students have found a great variety of opportunities this year and as usual a party went on the “Look at Life” residential course with the Army. Eight students took part in the “Jump on Board” programme, based in Warrington, undertaking activities such as: first aid, D.J’ing, looking at job roles in Ikea, team building with the army and mock interviews.

Year 10 students have also taken part in the Lionheart Enterprise Challenge, where they worked in groups on the theme of ROAD SAFETY.

An overall winning team will be competing in the North West Regional Finals in Liverpool on Monday 6^th July 2009. We wish them all the best.

Year 9 students will be spending two days at Upper School on the 17^th/18^th June. On the Thursday, they will have an induction into work experience. Students will be given all necessary paperwork, including a self placement form, to enable them to find and secure a placement during the summer break.

S Statham

Careers/Enterprise

May 2009

Congratulations to all of our year 9 pupils for their excellent results in the first module of their Mathematics GCSE. 100% of pupils passed the exam and 84% of pupils achieved A* to C. The maths department has been impressed by the ambition and determination of more than 100 pupils who have decided to resit the module in order to achieve a better mark.

Thanks is also due to all year 9 maths teachers and to Mrs Kandola, Mr Sillifant, Mrs Jervis, Miss Beswick and Mrs Archer for their extra revision sessions after school.

Mrs Heald KS3 Maths Co-ordinator

8^th May 2009 History Department Trip to the World War One Battlefields 3^rd-6^th April 2009

On a cold April morning The History Department and 44 Year 9 pupils set off from school on our way to Belgium and France. The whole party was eager to reach our destination and see the battlefields for ourselves. The journey went smoothly and we reached Belgium in good time. In trying to find our hotel we encountered our first obstacle which was to prove a challenge for the duration of the staff’s tour of duty – a driver with no sense of direction or an ability to read a map. Thank goodness for Mr Aleksic’s map reading skills and fluent French!

Our second day dawned cold and misty and this definitely added to the sombre mood as we visited two huge cemeteries, one British and one German, in the Flander’s battlefields. The respectful and thoughtful response of the students was very moving. Our spirits lifted as we toured our first excavated trench structure and the pupils had a genuine picture of how the trenches would have looked and felt. Lunch and copious amounts of chocolate in Ypres also helped to restore a buoyant mood! A fascinating afternoon was spent exploring restored British and German trenches.

That evening we travelled back to Ypres to experience the Last Post at Menin Gate. The Gate commemorates 55,000 men who fought in the Ypres area but who have no known grave. This act of remembrance occurs every evening and has done since the end of World war One (with a short break during the second war). There were hundreds of visitors there but the respectful silence was immaculately observed and again this was an extremely moving experience.

On day three we travelled to the Somme which contained one fascinating site after another. The most poignant stop was at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing which remembered 75,000 men who died fighting in the Somme. The phenomenal size and extent of the monument was astonishing. The majority of the party probably enjoyed the Newfoundland Park best as the battlefield had been preserved and we could really imagine being in No Man’s Land and could see the remnants of the trenches, shell holes and mine craters.

The last day was spent touring around Vimy Ridge where the Allies finally started to make significant advances in 1917 which eventually led to the end of the war. Although by this stage we had seen many cemeteries and memorials, our breath was still taken away by the massive scale of the German cemetery at Neuville St Vaast. There were crosses as far as the eye could see, so many that they were blurred into the horizon. Our last stop was the Vimy Memorial to the Canadian dead and then we made our way back home.

Everyone on the trip had a fantastic time and we have gained many lasting memories. The staff and pupils are very grateful to Mrs Mottershead for organising such an unforgettable experience.

2^nd April 2009 Headslines

For many of our students, this half term started with a series of assemblies about our trip to Soweto in South Africa, which had taken place during February half term. I was privileged to visit Forte High School along with two colleagues and four students as part of our cultural and educational exchange programme which is supported by the British Council. For all of us, it would be fair to say that the trip was a life changing experience and seeing how two schools, in such radically different environments, can actually have so much in common was for me one of the most interesting parts of the experience. Whilst we were there, the students identified an exciting way to develop our links further. Forte High School run their own eco garden programme in order to produce food that can support their learners and we too have developed the “quad” area at the Upper School as an eco garden which we plan to use as an educational resource. The intention is to run these two garden projects in parallel and last Saturday over twenty students helped to dig and drain the quad area at Upper School in preparation for growing food, conducting eco experiments and developing curriculum enrichment activities. If any parent with a background in gardening feels that they could support us in any way in developing this link, please do not hesitate to contact me.

This term is traditionally when Y11 begin their final preparation for GCSEs, whilst Y9 start the process of choosing the GCSE programme they wish to embark on and both activities are progressing well. As you may recall, a focus area for me is to move the outstanding progress Ofsted judge us to be making at KS3 and KS4 and move this into the sixth form and I was delighted that the recent AS units taken by students this January indicate very strong progress. We are also working on plans to refurbish the whole sixth form area to create a learning environment fit for the type of outstanding outcomes and experience we want our students to have. A group of sixth formers, as well as a design company, are working closely on this project and more details will be available next term.

Bridgewater students can always be relied upon to show their generosity with regards to all sorts of charitable activities and this term was no exception. We had a very successful Comic Relief day and students have also raised money for other good causes including collecting Easter eggs for Alder Hey hospital. This commitment to the wider educational experience can also be seen in the range of extra curricular activities and enrichment events that have taken place, including Enterprise Days for Y8, theatre trips and visits to a local nursing home where our students sang and performed for residents. Also, as part of our role as a leading Arts College for the North West, we recently hosted the Arts College North West conference which brought lead professionals together from across the region to allow for the sharing of good practice.

Like many schools, Bridgwater is now entering that period of the year when recruitment becomes a key activity and earlier this term the Governing Body appointed Mrs Hatton as the new Deputy Headteacher at Lower following a rigorous interview process and I wish her all the best in this role.

Finally as Easter is well upon us, may I take this opportunity to wish everyone a relaxing and enjoyable break.

Tim Long – Headteacher

30/03/09 GCSE Geography students survey Stockton Heath

Last week our GCSE Geography classes were surveying Stockton Heath as part of their Coursework. They could be seen classifying landuse around the village, questioning people using the shops and residential areas, and undertaking a number of individual projects to assess how land values, pedestrian foot traffic and differing resources that are put into various parts of Stockton Heath.

24/03/09

After school trip to the Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester to see the Award Winning French Film ‘The Class’, Friday 27^th February 2009. What a challenging film it was1 Not your usual Friday evening entertainment but a thought provoking and philosophical documentary style piece which showed the day reality-with its sudden flashes of both tension and humour-of inner city life. As always, Bridgewater students were a real pleasure to take out. For anyone interested, don’t forget that in the upper school library there are lots of subtitled foreign films to borrow-Romance to Adventure and everything in between.

A Orde

As the winner of the Palm d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival, ‘The Class’ is an intriguing drama that recounts the tale of a teacher and his students in a Parisian high school. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by the same name (but originally ‘Entre les Murs’ in French), by Francois Begaudeau, who also takes the lead role in the film.

‘The Class’ offers a tantalising insight into the lives of the teachers, showing their struggle to cope with the outspoken, street wise city kids that enter their classroom each morning. Each defeat and victory of the students is typical of the real life drama that occurs each day in virtually every school, and by the end of the film, the viewer is left with a much deeper appreciation of what any teacher must go through to help them.

Emma Walker Y10

17/03/09 UKMT MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE

Some Bridgewater pupils from years 9 and 10 took part in this years UKMT Mathematics Challenge in February. The event is organised by Leeds University and is a national competition. Special congratulations go to John Corbridge in year 10 who was successful in reaching the second round of the competition. The mathematics department are now waiting to hear from Leeds University to see if John has progressed to round 3. Good luck John.

Mr Gledhill

Mathematics Department

06/03/09 ECOSCHOOLS

There will be a meeting held at upper site for any staff or students who would like to help with the creation of the Eco garden. The meeting will be held from 3.30-4.00 on Thursday 13/03/09 in the TLC. Bring your green minds. Mr Bennett

06/03/09 CONGRATULATIONS to the year 8 girls’ hockey team who beat the Heath 1-0. The match was brilliant and the girls deserved their win. Mrs Pennington

13/02/09 HEADSLINES

We are fast approaching half term and I hope that it will provide an opportunity for pupils, parents and staff to relax and enjoy themselves.

We have a ski party heading off to Austria while I have the privilege of being part of a small group of pupils and staff visiting Forte High School in Soweto, South Africa. You may be aware that we have a long standing cultural and educational exchange programme with this school. A number of their students and staff visited us last July and I am very much looking forward to seeing their educational system at first hand and exploring ways in which we can further develop our links.

As you will be well aware, Bridgewater High School benefits significantly from its Specialist status, something that is always reviewed after an Ofsted Inspection. There is a fixed six week timeline for a school to seek “redesignation” and we were delighted to have our status reconfirmed just after Christmas. This will, therefore, continue to provide us with the opportunities and resources to enhance, not just the Arts subjects, but also support all our subjects in raising achievement and broadening the enrichment opportunities available.

As ever we have continued to run a wide range of extra curricular activities and I would like to thank all the pupils who have taken part, the staff who have led them and the parents who have supported their children in attending these activities. Despite the weather, a range of sports fixtures have still gone ahead. In addition to the team sports, the PE department are also working very hard as part of a broader Warrington based project to develop healthy lifestyles among all pupils. We were delighted to host, for example, a Virtual Multi-Skills event for Y2 pupils which was successfully run by our Year 10 Sports leaders. With regards to healthy eating, I would also like to congratulate Chartwells, our catering contractor, (formerly Scolarest) for achieving the “Healthy Food Award” with distinction. Also whilst I write, we are entering the final week of term when our school play “10 Days of Peace” is performed and I am sure it will, as ever, prove to be hugely enjoyable and entertaining experience.

As a school we also had the privilege again of inviting Rudi Oppenheimer, a holocaust survivor, to address some of our students. His thought-provoking and moving account of his experiences certainly made an impact. This time of year is also an important one for our students to reflect upon the opportunities they face, particularly if they are in Y9 and Y11. For example, on the Tuesday after half term all Y11 students will take part in our “GCSE and Beyond” day. This day is designed to give students a sense of the A level opportunities we provide by allowing students to take part in a variety of “mini” A level lessons. We also talk to students again about the wide course offer we have, the enrichment opportunities and above all the support and monitoring we now have in place to ensure that the outstanding progress they are currently achieving rolls forward into the sixth form. Similarly Y9 pupils are currently receiving extensive advice about the options available to them when they move to the Upper site as part of their KS4 curriculum. This culminates in the Option Evening held at the Upper Site on Thursday 5^th March and a letter will be sent out about this shortly.

Finally in the week after half term we will be interviewing for a new Deputy Headteacher at Lower Site to take over the role created by my appointment as headteacher. This post received substantial national interest and our final short list is drawn from people across England and I am confident we will be able to make an outstanding appointment. In the meantime I hope you all have a good half term break.

Tim Long

Headteacher

13/02/09 Good luck to all Y9 students sets 2-6 who will be taking their 1^st GCSE Maths module after half term on Tuesday 3^rd March. This module is 18% of their GCSE.

Miss C Beswick

Head of Mathematics

10/02/09 Homework Support Club

We are pleased to inform you that, commencing after half term, all pupils in Years 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to attend homework club every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This will take place in the lower school library between 3.15 and 4.15pm. The first session will take place on Tuesday 24^th February.

The sessions will be fully supervised by teaching staff. Although they may not necessarily be your child’s teachers, they will be available to offer support or advice. Students are welcome to attend on a voluntary, drop in basis and it is their responsibility to bring work with them. Depending on numbers, we may extend this facility to Year 9 at a later date. Mr B McCahey

03/02/09 CHILDREN IN NEED

We are proud to say that here at Bridgewater High School, pupils have been doing everything they can to raise money for ‘Children in Need.’ The fundraising events include car boot sales, cake stalls, guess how many sweets in the jar, sponsored silences and guess the name of the bear. We are delighted to announce that all in all we have together raised an amazing £150.00. Many thanks to Charlotte Carter-Shepherd, Freya Rush, Helen Young, Kate Fomina, myself (Natalie Williams), Ffion Williams, Ruth Samlofski-Jones, Abi Harries and Katie Moore and friends. We couldn’t have done it without you and every penny will go to a good cause.

Natalie Williams

14/01/09 CATERING ASSISTANT VACANCY

2x10 hour posts

2 hours per day

12.30-2.30pm

£6.10 per hour

(spread over year)

All kitchen duties, including washing up, food preparation and serving. All training to be given, experience not essential. Uniform provided.

For more information please contact Paul on: 10925 216044

08/01/09 Maths – NSPCC Childline Sponsored Charity Event

Just before Christmas Year 7 took part in a sponsored charity event. Each pupil completed a ‘Mathionaire’ quiz during their maths lessons and collected sponsorship according to the number of questions they got correct. The maths department have been absolutely overwhelmed by the response. Year 7 collected an amazing £996.17!!! We really appreciate the efforts of all the pupils and parents in Year 7 and we are sure that Childline will be equally grateful.

Mrs Kandola-Maths Department

06/01/09 Careers News Friday 28th November 2008 – Yr 10 Careers Day

All Year 10 students followed a day of career based workshops:

· Interview technique

· Financial budgeting via an interactive “Holiday Planner” produced by RBS

· Health and Safety preparation for Work Experience

· Careers Fair, supported by Universities, Sixth Form Colleges, Training Providers, Apprenticeships, the Uniformed and Public Services.

· “Hands on” activities, some examples being: DJ, floristry, hair and beauty, painting, fitness, RAF, Marines and Computer Games Design.

Feedback from the students has been very positive and they responded very well to all activities. The day was supported by school staff and many outside companies and agencies who gave freely of their time. I am sure the students benefited from the day and took away some useful information to help them make some decisions about their future.

“Make your Mark” – Enterprise Event, Warrington Collegiate

Eight Year 10 students represented Bridgewater: Elizabeth Heaven, Natalie Lyons, Daniel Tidd, James Bennett, John Corbridge, Chris Owen, Chris Wooolley, Mark Williams

They had to come up with a business idea on the key values of the Olympics. Their Business Plan created a charity to raise funds, in the support of disabled children, to enable participation in a variety of sporting activities. Unfortunately they did not go through to the next round, but competed well against the College students. Staff were extremely impressed with their work and conduct.

Congrats Theatre Company

All Year 10 students watched a live performance outlining all learning routes available post 16:- work based learning, college and sixth form, Way a head and information on EMA, including services offered by Connexions.

Work Experience

All self placement forms should now have been handed in to Mrs Barlow, and students, following an interview with the Army, now know if they have been accepted.