Year 9 student Aidan Dix has
created a bus sculpture for our
poppy display in the entrance
foyer. Buses are Aidan’s hobby,
so he was very excited when
Mrs
Griffith suggested he
create a bus as part of his Art
curriculum.
His inspiration
was a series of sculptures on
display in London, which
celebrated
Transport
for
London’s year of the bus.
Painted by artists both wellknown and aspiring, the
London
collection
was
auctioned off in the Spring,
with profits split between
Transaid, Kids Company and
London Transport Museum.
Norton Canes High School,
Burntwood Road, Norton Canes,
Cannock, Staffordshire, WS11 9SP
01543 514400
www.nortoncaneshighschool.co.uk
Term ends:
Friday 18 December
at 12:00
Spring Term 2015:
Term starts:
Monday 4 January
Half Term:
Monday 15
February –
Friday 19 February
Term Ends:
Thursday 24 March
Easter Holiday:
Friday 25 March –
Wednesday 6 April
INSET School
Closed:
Thursday 7 April
Friday 8 April
Remembrance Day
Display
Students have joined together
with the Community Craft Group
to make a cross of poppies,
fashioned out of recycled
materials. Two crosses have been
created, one of which is on
display at the Community Centre
in the village.
Lewis Bott’s winning t-shirt
design was also on display and
was raffled in aid of the Poppy
Appeal.
A 'Poppy Dress' has also been
made by students in the Art
Department, who used their
lunchtimes to create paper
poppies to adorn the piece.
Norton Newsletter
Christmas 2015
School Council Grill MP
Amanda Milling
On the 11th November Amanda Milling,
Conservative Party MP for Cannock
Chase, visited Norton Canes High School
to talk about her role as an MP. We had
the opportunity to ask questions about
what we believe is important in today’s
society for High School students and
young adults alike. We discussed different
aspects of the increasing cost of living for
young people such as bus fares and
university fees, to which she gave
insightful answers as to what we can
expect from her in the future as our local
MP. It was a great opportunity to broaden
our knowledge of the political world and
how we as students can help shape and
influence today’s society.
By Ethan Hurford, Year12
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind!
Did you know we have the following sports
teams and clubs running at school?
Football (boys and girls), netball, cross country, 5-aside football, dance, free running, badminton, and
fitness.
If you are interested in taking part in any of these
activities, see Mr Cresswell or Ms Kemp.
Pupil visit to New Cross
Hospital, Wolverhampton
On Monday 16th November, three Y9 and
one Y10 pupil attended a Disease
Detectives day at New Cross Hospital,
Wolverhampton. Here is what one pupil
wrote about the visit:
When we went to visit Wolverhampton
hospital’s pathology ward we did a
number of varied activities, teaching us
about different jobs in disease control and
medicine. Our first activity was about how
well we wash our hands and how easy it is
for bacteria to remain on our skin. We
then did group experiments to learn how
easily diseases can be spread and how
they are diagnosed. We would like more
people to have the opportunity to do this
as we really enjoyed it and think it would
benefit other students looking into a
career in science.
PRIZE LIST FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 2014 – 2015
The following prizes were awarded during our Prize
Evening on Thursday, 26th November
Prizes for Endeavour:
Upper School Subject Prizes:
Y7 Lily Cayley, Toni Twist, Charley Plant
Y8 Nathan Maddox, Hetty Youd, Ashley Rudd
Y9 Nikita Pierpoint, Mitchell Hillyer, Tiegan Cooke
Art - Molly Lees
Child Development - Chloe Richards
Electronics - Annabel Goddard
English - Shannon Goodfellow
Christopher Clark
Food - Joanne Green
French - Emelia Hayward
Geography - Jodie Grice
Graphics - Annabel Goddard
Health & Social Care - Emily Gray-Davis
History - Gemma Bailey
ICT - Gemma Bailey
Learning Achievement - Megan Bailey
Mathematics - Ethan Hurford
Physical Education - Lauren Stephenson
Religious Studies - Steven Schnabel
Resistant Materials - Annabel Goddard
Science - Emelia Hayward
Lower School Subject Prizes:
Art - Charlotte Emery, Kate Perry
Design & Technology - Fern McCandless
English - Keeley McCandless, Edward Pargetor
French - Francesca Russell, Tiegan Cooke
Geography - Archie Atkinson, Simon Wright
History - Francesca Russell, Hannah Bate
Information Technology - Ryan Jones
Learning Achievement - Aiden Dix, Mia Smith
Mathematics - Isobel Gillion, Francesca Russell
Music - Keira Davies, William Dodd
Physical Education - Kyle Horton, Keeley
McCandless
Religious Education - Keeley McCandless,
Mackenzie Holt
Science - Kate Perry
The John Howard Memorial Salver
For Creative Art
Chloe Roden
The Mo Sneyd Award for Pupil Progress in Year
10
Kane Campbell-Brown
The Jo Spence Award for Endeavour in Physical
Education
Aiden Dix
The Brian Lane Shield For Best Examination
Performance At Advanced Level
Lauren Clemson
SCHOOL CUPS & SHIELDS
The Fred Small ‘Service To The Community’
Award
Millie Edwards
The Pam Hart Memorial Shield
for Personal Development
Aiden Dix
The Pat Lorraine Memorial Shield
for Science
Ethan Hurford
The Fred Small Memorial Shield
for Music
Holly Smith
St James’ Church Religious Education
Award
George Atkinson
Introducing the Chair of Governors
My name is Les Bullock, and I have had the honour this year to have been
elected as Chairman of Norton Canes High School Governing Body. This
follows a number of years as Vice-Chairman, and serving for over 20 years
as a Governor.
I am a L.A. governor, which means that I have been appointed by the Local Education Authority
(Staffordshire County Council) originally through Heath Hayes & Wimblebury Parish Council.
I live in Heath Hayes, and both of my sons, who are now in their 30s, were pupils at N.C.H.S. In that time I
have seen many changes, not least that Ms. Birchall is the third Head Teacher that I have served with.
As the Chairman of Governors it is my responsibility to oversee the functioning of the Governing Body, to
ensure that scrutinizing the running of the school and staff is carried out as thoroughly as possible, to make
sure that the school is offering the best education that it can. The Governing Body is also responsible, with
the assistance of a Bursar (Business Manager) for overseeing the finances allocated to run the school. This
financial allocation not only includes pay for staff, provision of books and materials including IT, and
payment for gas electricity etc., but also looking after the buildings and property of the school. Many of the
scrutiny functions are carried out by sub-committees such as Curriculum & School Improvement, Facilities &
Wellbeing, Finance, Data Monitoring and Behaviour, amongst others.
I hope that this has given you an insight to what is involved with being a school governor, and if you feel
that you would maybe like to join us please get in touch through the school office, or directly to myself (see
contact details below).
If anyone has a question that they feel has not been resolved through firstly contacting the Head Teacher or
other members of staff, please feel free to contact me at lesbullock@msn.com or through the school office.
Where My Reading
Takes Me
Students in the library have submitted an entry for the WOBOD Award. This award is linked to World Book Day,
which takes place in March. Students were asked to consider the question: Where does your reading take you?
Students created scenes from their favourite stories in the style of artist Su Blackwell, and these were used in a
video to promote reading for pleasure. Visit our library page on the website to view our entry:
http://www.nortoncaneshighschool.co.uk/library-information/
Thank you for
your tokens
Raffle Winner
Students in Year 7 & 8 along with staff assisted
Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team in collecting
Express & Star ‘Cash for Communities’ vouchers to
enable the team to gain valuable funds to assist in their
work.
SSART members came into the school to give a
presentation on the work that they do and the
capabilities of the team to look for missing and
vulnerable people in Staffordshire and surrounding
areas. Students in Year 7 & 8 gained an insight into the
organisation and how all the members are voluntary
and on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The students and staff rallied together and in total
managed to collect over 150 tokens towards the
minimum target of 500. This amazing contribution
means that SSART will now be awarded a sum of money
towards the vital work that they do.
A huge thank you to all the students, staff and family
members who have helped us to reach this target!
Miss R Kemp (SSART)
Year 12 Courtroom Drama!
7 year 12 students accompanied Mrs Curry to
Wolverhampton Combined Court on Tuesday. As
part of the level 3 BTEC Law course students
visit the court to see a real live case in action.
The students were shown around the court by
the Usher Paul, and even got to try on the wigs
and gowns!
Being in the court really brings home the
seriousness of the situation and students learn
by seeing the law process in action.
Lewis Keeling in Year 7 won the
Poppy Appeal Raffle for the limited
edition t-shirt, which was drawn on
11th November by our Member of
Parliament Amanda Milling (pictured
below, with Mrs Dewally)
‘Love Where You Live’ - Environmental Awareness Initiative
Representatives from Cannock Chase District Council and the police spent the morning with Year 7 on 14th
October to lead an interactive session focussing on environmental issues such as littering, graffiti, antisocial behaviour, waste and recycling. Students learnt about how they can positively change their local
environment.
Students also designed a poster to encourage others to put their rubbish in the bin. These will be used
around the village to support the Parish Council in the next Best Kept Village competition, which will be
celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday using theme colours of red, white and blue.
The District Council will visit our school very soon to give us a ‘cleanliness score’. Our aim is to improve this
by the next time they visit, with a particular focus on reducing litter on the field. McDonald’s in Hawks
Green have kindly provided us with 18 ‘litter pickers’, and we will shortly be recruiting ‘good citizens’ to
assist with the clean up.
Poster Winners:
The most improved school in the district will pick up a prize of £500!
Lewis Brandrick and Melody
Hayward.
Co-op Eyesore to Sensory Garden ?
Elliott and Callum from the Year 11 Step-Up group have been
liaising with the Parish Council to create a design to replace the
paved areas around the side of the Co-op supermarket . The council
are hoping to create a sensory garden which is accessible to all
members of our community. Elliott and Callum have put forward
ideas for planting, benches and even a community art space.
Norton Newsletter Christmas 2015
Pictured: The winning teams from Gorsemoor and Jerome
PRIMARY LINKS
The Apprentice Challenge 14th and 15th September
Norton Canes High School in partnership with Education Business Services Ltd delivered an
Apprentice Challenge to Year 6 pupils from Gorsemoor, Heath Hayes, Norton Canes and Jerome. Like
the BBC Apprentice, the pupils worked in teams to develop and present a range of new business ideas.
A pupil mentor form Year 8 supported each team. A panel of local representatives were on hand to
view the presentations and select the winning team. No-one got fired! Skills used on the day included
teamwork, communication, problem-solving, research and presentation skills. It was a fun event aimed
at developing future skills and friendships. Both wining teams were presented with a trophy to display
proudly in their school.
STOP, DROP AND ROLL
What would you do if your clothes
caught fire?
Staffordshire Fire Service have launched a
competition to make young people aware of
what they should do in such a circumstance.
Students have been asked to write a song, and
the winners will be invited to film a music
video at Staffordshire Fire Service Headquarters. The video will be used by the Service
to promote fire safety.
Norton Newsletter Christmas 2015
School Closure Procedure (Adverse Weather)
As the threat of colder weather approaches I thought I would advise parents in advance of
procedures in relation to school closure in case of heavy snow.
The decision to close school will be made in agreement with our Chair of Governors in relation
to the following factors as advised by the local authority:
• Safety of School grounds
• Condition of local roads and paths
• Adequate heating, lighting and water
• Catering facilities
• Weather forecast
Information about Closure
Local radio stations will be informed. Radio WM being the best local option.
A notice will be placed on the School Gate.
The school switchboard will be staffed until 10.00 AM approximately
School website: www.nortoncaneshighschool.co.uk
Local Authority www.staffordshire.gov.uk/education/schoolsandcolleges/emergencyclosures
Public Examinations
Please note that these will take place.
Closure During the Day
Staff will ensure that pupils leave the site safely and ask for any pupil to tell a member of senior
staff if they have any difficulty in making the journey safely home or being able to access home.
However I would ask that you ensure that you have emergency arrangements in place for
your child in the event of closure.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any queries or concerns.
In Memoriam
Former students will be
saddened to hear of the
passing of former Norton
Canes High School Deputy
Head and SENCO Keith
Pritchard (pictured centre).
His funeral took place on
Friday, 4th November
at
Stafford Crematorium.
Students win
Helicopter Flight
On 7th September, Norton Canes was
awarded
‘Winning
School’
in
the
Community Council of Staffordshire’s Best
Kept Village Schools’ Competition. At the
award ceremony, students were praised for
their outstanding contributions. As a
reward, students took to the skies in a
helicopter on 30th September. The prize was
sponsored by James Leavesley Ltd of
Alrewas. Mrs Dewally and Miss Evans
accompanied students on the two flights,
Winning students were Steven
Schnabel, Aime Drury, Francesca which left from the playing field, and flew
over Lichfield to the National Memorial
Russell, Millie Edwards,
Arboretum and home via Rugeley and the
Alexandra Sutton and Ella-Jay
Anslow
Chase.
ANITA AND ME
A group of Year 10 students are part of an extra-curricular reading group, currently reading the
text ANITA AND ME by MEERA SYAL. These students visited the Birmingham Rep to view a stage
play based on the novel. This is what Tiegan Cooke had to say:
“Before the performance of Anita and Me, I felt the text was quite confusing as there are many
flashbacks and Meena expresses her thoughts in the middle of conversations. It is a great technique,
but Meena’s thoughts last for paragraphs and she dives into flashbacks at the same time. However, I
cannot complain about the amount of detail that Syal includes in the text! Syal also uses quite technical
vocabulary as she writes. I feel that she also touches on issues that other writers are scared to bring
up, as the book features heavily around racism. Overall, I thought the book was OK, but not an addictive
page turner.
I tried to keep an open mind before the play began. Honestly, I had quite low expectations. I expected it
to be very serious and hard to keep up with, but I was pleasantly surprised. The play was amazing! It
addressed all the issues covered in the book but it incorporated jokes and funny scenes to lighten the
mood, but still capture the essence and seriousness of those important issues. The costumes, set
design, choreography, lighting and script were superb.
My views and opinions on Anita and Me have definitely changed as I now feel inclined to read the book,
even curious. I definitely want to try and approach the text again.”
Francesca Russell wrote: When we got there we all had mixed ideas over what was about to come. Most of
us were unsure of whether or not we would like the performance as we had not enjoyed the book that
much. We took our seats and discussed the set-up of the stage and Mrs Dewally and Miss Powell explained
the features of the stage that were periodic to 1960s.
The performance began with singing from some of the main characters in the story and throughout the
performance more songs were played. The actors all put on accents to sound like they were from
Wolverhampton, the setting of the book. Some of the actors for the smaller parts played multiple roles but
as none of the roles were major no one got confused. The humour during the performance was aimed at
all ages, some of the jokes were more understood by those who had an understanding of the context and
some were understood by everyone.
During the interval we discussed our first thoughts and we all agreed that we liked the performance and
that it was very easy to understand what was happening. Mrs Dewally helped a small group of us to
understand certain words used in the performance as we were not familiar with their meanings.
The second half was just as good as the first, and provided more singing, dancing and jokes. As a group we
really enjoyed the performance and thought it was very understandable to the current audience. After the
performance we all started talking about how we know wanted to read the book that we had originally
10
disliked, and how we wanted to start looking at trying to perform our own version of Anita and Me.
Year 10
Christmas Tree
Challenge
Students in Year 10 took on a Christmas Tree Challenge to win the chance to exhibit at the Trinity
Church Christmas Tree Festival on Saturday, 28th November. Students were given the framework for
their design and, working in teams, had to create a tree in the most imaginative way possible in only a
few hours. The activity did not only test the students’ artistic skills, but also their ability to work in a
team and to a tight deadline. Miss Evans invited a panel of judges, including staff and students, to
choose the winning tree. The winning design was a collection of recycled orange boxes, filled with
home made decorations. The whole class will see the exhibition on 5th December and the two
remaining trees are on display in our school entrance foyer.
Top centre: The judges interview each team to discuss the inspiration behind their design. Top right:
The winning team construct their tree at Trinity Church. Middle left: This team was given a cardboard
tree and used crochet, knitting and papercraft to make their own decorations. Middle right: The winning
team with their tree in situ at the church. Bottom left.: This team was given a picture frame and used a
combination of handmade decorations and coloured baubles to create a tree shape. Bottom Middle:
Crochet and hand sewn decorations. Bottom right: Creative recycling.
28 Y7 students and 1 year 9
student received free Level 3 cycle
training on 11th November.
Students learnt how to tackle
challenging traffic situations and
how to use complex junctions such
as
multi-lane
roads
and
roundabouts.
Bikeability
Level 3
Skipping Breakfast Leads to a Lack of
Concentration
Sending children to school without having eaten doesn’t just leave them hungry – it also affects their ability
to concentrate, and leaves them distracted, tired and needing attention. An average of 66 million minutes
of learning time are lost every morning because pupils are hungry and distracted. Numerous studies have
explored the impact breakfast has on the ability to focus, concentrate and learn. Missing breakfast directly
impacts on children being able to perform at their best – academically, socially or creatively.
The school canteen serves breakfast from 8:15 every morning, which includes hot drinks
and a selection of toast, waffles, muffins, crumpets and croissants.
12
Students Come Out Top in Biology Poster Competition!
As part of the Royal Society of Biology annual poster competition for the West-Midlands branch, four
students were successful in being placed as joint winners in two of the three categories.
-Category
One (year 7-9): Hannah Shuttleworth was
selected as a joint winner.
-Category Three (year 12-13): Jade Howes, Chloe Richards
and Chelsey Wright were all selected as joint winners.
Wear your
'Christmas Jumper'
on the last day of term
for 50p. This is a
special fundraiser for
one of our 6th form
students who is
looking to spend gap
year teaching children
in China.
I was highly impressed with the quality and content of every
poster submitted and our students really married their
creative flair with their scientific curiosity. Every student
who entered the competition should feel extremely proud of
themselves and I want to extend a congratulations to Steven
Schnabel and Bethany Elliott-Ross who also entered some
fantastic posters.
Our winners will be presented with a certificate, book and
gift card awarded by Aston University (School of Life and
Health sciences) on the last day assembly. I am very proud
of our students and it is fantastic to see them engaging with
science outside of their lessons! Well done!
By Miss Till, Biology
On the 15th of December a large number of year 11
and sixth form students spent the day at the Science
Museum in London. We were part of the BBC
Stargazing Live! Event, covering the launch of British
astronaut Tim Peake’s mission to the International
Space Station. There was a fantastic atmosphere in
the main hall of the museum while we watched
the launch and many of our students, and a
couple of staff, were featured on the TV coverage.
Following the end of the broadcast, some
students were lucky enough to have a talk with
the presenters Dara O’Brien and Brian Cox.
Norton Students take part in Science
Museum Stargazing Live! Event
By Mr Windsor
A Message from Miss Birchall, Headteacher
Thank you to everyone who completed the recent questionnaires sent out to our parents of years 8 and 9.
This feedback is invaluable and the results are analysed by the senior team and selected governors.
It is very encouraging to note that the vast majority of responses to all questions were positive. Where concerns
are raised we will always endeavour to contact you directly if a name has been supplied. There were one or
more 'disagrees' indicated to the questions regarding 'information about my child's progress' and also
'understanding what my child is learning about and how to support them at home'. I will indicate in all
subsequent newsletters any areas that we feel are a focus based on your views,
I hope that the following may be helpful, please do contact the school if you have any suggestions to make or
unanswered concerns.
There are four opportunities during the year to share information about progress including a parents' evening.
The calendar is on the website in case reports and letter do not always reach you!
There is a 'curriculum overview' in the front of your child's exercise book indicating the topics to be covered
and this is also on the website.
Your child has access to SAM learning at home which has direct links to work covered in school. This is a vital
resource for consolidating learning, carrying out independent research and for revision purposes.
Please do use the planner to raise questions, this is checked by the form tutor who is the key contact for you.
We welcome parents visiting school at any time so please do not hesitate to phone or visit us.
Thank you for working with us and supporting the school, we are determined that our pupils receive the best
possible experience to enable them to fulfil their aspirations and achieve well.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a lovely holiday.
On our Diversity Day on Friday, 11th December, Year 8 planned an afternoon event for elderly
members of our community , which included Bingo, home-baked mince pies, Christmas songs,
handmade table decorations and even a visit from Santa. Each student provided a gift and had a role to
play in the organisation of the afternoon, which took place on Monday, 14th December. Students in
Upper School donated items for the local foodbank. These were collected by Mrs Howard from the local
Methodist Church and will be distributed throughout the district.