february 2011 edition of contact magazine

Contact 127 February 2010Willingdon Community School


Did you know...Contact Magazine is now interactive! For in-stance you can click on any text in the contents menu and it will take you straight to the page!

ContentsEditorial (page 3-5)

Little Shop of Horrors main feature (page 6-7)

Sports Festival (page 8)

Prefects Christmas Party (page 9)

Faraday Engineering Challenge (page 10-11)

Unicef Day for Change (page 12-13)

Holocaust Memorial Day (page 14-15)

Year 11 Prom Fashion show (page 16-17)

Sports news (page 20-25)

Parent information Contact (page 26)

School Uniform (page 27)

Dates for the Diary (page 28)

Personal items brought into school

Students are reminded that if they choose

to bring into school any personal items or

valuables, such as mobile phones etc, that

they do so at their own risk, and the school

cannot be held liable for any damage or

loss that may occur.


Willingdon Tops the Performance Tables

Parents may have noticed that the national performance

tables, published last week by the government, showed Willingdon Community School to be top of the table locally. Following further confirmation of the data and some re-marks, the school’s 5+ A*-C including English and maths GCSE figure, rose an additional 1% from that reported in the summer to 66%, making it the highest achieving school in the area and the fourth highest in the county. When looking at the new value for money measure introduced this year, the school comes out as providing the second best value for money in the whole of East Sussex. Whilst performance tables only tell part of a school’s story and certainly do not do justice to the achievements of

some schools, our performance is nevertheless something about which we should be proud. We are a high achieving and very successful school which is steadily increasing the number of students who achieve the highest grades and exceed their own potential at all levels of ability.That high level of achievement continues as shown by the latest results of those students who were entered early for their maths GCSE, last November. The results, published a couple of weeks ago, show that 74% of all students in the current Year 11 have already achieved an A*-C pass in maths. The maths department is already rated as producing results that place it in the top 3% of departments in the country.


Congratulations to all those students who have passed so far and good luck to those who will be taking the exam in the summer which, with hard work, should deliver results of well over 80% A*-C.

Attendance and Holidays in Term timeWe are very pleased with our steady improvement in student attendance, with students achieving a very creditable 94.1% attendance rate last term, across the whole school. This is due to the excellent partnership between parents, tutors and our attendance office team. Unnecessary absence affects students’ ability to maintain their learning and achieve their potential but with your parental support, which is absolutely key, and a commitment from our students, we are now achieving the highest attendance rates ever.However, I do remain concerned by the number of holidays that are taken in term time, an issue that concerns primary

and secondary schools across the county. This concern has prompted East Sussex County Council to review their policy regarding holidays in term time, resulting in a significant change in policy which we shall be adopting from now on. In future, parents who remove their children from school in term time, without approval, may be liable to a penalty notice issued via the School Behaviour and Attendance Service, which may result in a fine being imposed. Please see the school website for further details. A revised holiday form has been produced which explains the new policy but I must point out that my starting point with all such requests is that I do not approve them. Under the new scheme this would mean the possibility of a fine being imposed.

Little Shop of HorrorsAs you receive this edition of “Contact”, we enter the week of the first drama production undertaken by our new Head of Drama, Kelly Pester. Having


witnessed snippets of rehearsal over the last few weeks and knowing the musical, it is clearly going to be a great success and a fun evening of family entertainment. I do hope you have an opportunity to come and see one of the performances on one of the evenings of 15th, 16th or 17th February. There are a large number of students involved in the performance, both on stage and behind the scenes and I know they would welcome your support. Tickets are available from the school, via reception. See you there!

E-CommunicationWe are currently extending our use of e-mail as our main form of communication with home, for those of you with access to the internet. Paper communication

will continue to be used for those that do not have access but in this time of financial constraint we need to save money on unnecessary printing as much as possible. Inevitably, we have come up against some gremlins which have meant some messages have not got through when they should have. We are trying to resolve these problems but in the meantime I apologise for some of the errors that have occurred.… I hope you all have a good half-term break.

Ian JungiusHeadteacher


DON’T FEED THE PLANT!!

…but do come and see Willingdon School’s production of Little Shop of Horrors!

Starring our very own Rachel Brett, Matt Ginno, Laurence Dengate-Roe, as well

as Mcauley Parker playing the role of a giant man-eating plant (don’t worry,

it’s only a HUGE puppet). The musical, directed by Miss Pester, is the story of

a hapless florist shop worker that finds a plant, which grows and survives off

human blood, but with a whole lot of comedy and music thrown in!

Don’t miss out on Willingdon’s first musical, showing on the 15th, 16th and 17th

February. For tickets see the library or reception and get them quick before they

sell out!! Some tickets will also be available on the door.

Doors open at 6.30, show starts at 7pm

By Rachel Twine


Can you help?The Drama Department urgently needs the following:Old Scarves/Stoles, Worn out towels, Men's Shirts, Discarded face paints, Any Creme or Liquid FoundationEye Shadows - but we wont use them on eye!If you could help at all we would be most grateful.Please send to Ms Pester or Mrs StevensonMany thanks

Drama Department.

At Hawassa we have lots of things going on to reach the goal of £12,000. For a start everyone knows or is involved in “Little Shop of Horrors”, well we are holding a disgustingly good café serving ice cream, cakes and other refreshments. Some of you may also know that we have teamed up with the local charity ‘OASIS’. Oasis look after the homeless people of Eastbourne giving them health checks and generally making sure that they are ok. We also have an Arts fair in May, and lots more projects to look forward to. But to raise £12,000 we really need your help! please sign up and help us reach this huge target.

Thank you

Megan Fellows, Hawassa project group


On Wednesday 12th January I took a group of children to the Sports Festival at Chelsea School which is the training centre for PE teachers. The trainee teachers have to complete a module on working with students with additional needs. I was invited to take the students with hearing impairment and they were invited to take a friend. It was a fantastic opportunity to be involved in different sports activities suitable for people with physical difficulties. Those students who did not require alternative sports were able to join in and enable their friends to partake as an equal and to experience a variety of different sports activities.Some of the activities on offer were table cricket, boccia, new age curling, athletics, including indoor javelin, jumping and running and cricket. Everyone was able to participate at an equal level and achieve points for commitment, support, personal improvement and working as a team. At the end there was an award for the team who had won the most points overall. We came second and fifth in the two categories for awards. Congratulations to Austin Rickard, Lee Baker, Oriana Trillo, Chloe Hunt, Tyler Jay from Willingdon Community School. Unfortunately one student from Willingdon Primary School was away unwell but we were able to take three other primary children; Lauren Barnes, Joshua Bennett and Marcel Malik. They enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in activities with older children. All students were a credit to their school.The children really enjoyed their day and are all looking forward to being invited again next year. We would like to thank Miss Graffham for arranging this day for us.

Mrs Farrant

EAST SUSSEX P2P MULTI-SPORTS INCLUSION FESTIVAL


Prefects Christmas Party Lunch

On Thursday 16th December, 2010, just over 50 prefects enjoyed a Christmas lunch served by Miss Amos and her tutor team. This is an annual fun occasion; giving the school the opportunity to acknowledge all the hard work the prefects do throughout the year.The event ended with a mammoth musical chairs game which truly brought out their competitive spirit.

Mrs Moretti


The IET Faraday Engineering Challenge

Friday 28th January 2011About The IET Faraday Challenge DaysThe Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have been working for many years to encourage more young people to engage in the STEM agenda and to consider engineering as a possible career path.

Following the success of Faraday Engineering Challenge Days last year, a series of 45 Faraday Engineering Challenge Days are taking place from October 2010 through to February

2011. These will be hosted in schools throughout the UK, with six teams of 12 to 13 year olds (Year 8 students), competing on each day (one from the host school and 5 from the invited local schools). Prizes will be awarded at every Challenge Day to the winning team.

The teams of students comprise of 2 students selected from science, 2 from design and technology and 2 from mathematics.

National CompetitionOn arrival at the host school the teams are set a challenge. Using their skills they will compete against the other invited teams and earn points throughout the day. From the 270 schools participating the top three schools will win a place in the UK Final.


The Final will take place at the ‘The Big Bang’ -Young Scientists and Engineers Fair, which is to be held in London, in March 2011.

Bishop Bell C of E Maths & Computing Specialist School hosted our local event and our six students were supported by Mr Baxter-Smith.

Science Maths D & T1. Chloe Fogg(8GM)

1. Jamie Barber (8CH)

1. Milly Pamment(8BP)

2. Arnold Weston(8LG)

2. Owen Flaherty (8LG)

2. Meghan Shoesmith (8BP)

Here is how they got on…

"When we got to Bishop Bell School we sat in our schools at a table. We were competing against Bishop Bell, Eastbourne Academy, Hailsham Community College and Ratton. The staff gave us our introduction on what the day was to be like. They also explained our challenge during the introduction of what we had to do. Our task was to build an object that could pick something up and move it to another place. Our mechanism had to move in a horizontal, diagonal and vertical direction. Our group designed the mechanism as a scissor method. We had a limited amount of materials and we had to buy the materials with the fake money we were given in the introduction. We also had to buy our equipment (hand saw, file and hot glue gun). Every group also had to draw their design and annotate it. Each person in groups had their

own job. These were, the accountant, designer, creator, camera man and team leader. As well as making our mechanism, we had to create a video using

a flip camera of our day and how we came up with the ideas of our mechanism. The day was a challenge but we successfully did it as a team. We all tried our best and enjoyed the day."

By Milly Pamment & Meghan Shoesmith 8BP


On Friday 18th February 2011, our school will

once again be supporting UNICEF’s Day for Change and we very much hope that you will join us in supporting this worthwhile, fun and educational event. It is a great opportunity for our students to learn about and raise money for children in other parts of the world.

The idea is very straightforward. In return for a donation of £1 to help UNICEF’s vital work students will be able to attend in non-uniform. By taking part in this important day, your child will help children in

Guyana respond to the affects of climate change and the Hawassa Project.

Children are the least responsible for climate change, but are the most vulnerable to its effects. All children have basic rights, including the right to education, the right to health and the right to a childhood free from abuse and exploitation. Climate change threatens these rights. This is wrong.

In Guyana, South America, children are already feeling the effects of climate change. Changes in rainfall patterns and the resulting floods and droughts are making it harder for children to get clean water

UNICEF DAY FOR CHANGE


and making it more difficult to go to school. Changes in temperatures and rainfall are making crops fail, affecting children’s diet through food shortages and rising prices.

UNICEF works in Guyana to help children adapt to their changing climate. They support young people to educate their communities about the causes of climate change and to make the best responses to these changes.

We are helping UNICEF put it right, by taking part in Day for Change, and raising money for the children of Guyana.

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. They work with families, local communities, partners and governments in more than 150 countries to help every child realise their full potential. UNICEF supports children by providing health care, nutrition and education.

This is now the second year of

the Hawassa Project and we have already achieved so much. By working with the Youth in Hawassa we have helped girls gain access to some form of education through the Educational TV channel that the TV and dish that we have funded provides. In addition, by using the TV to show premiership games and charge for it, the group now have a source of income for their work and a captive audience for sessions on health and sanitation. The next step is far more ambitious, however. The aim is to provide a permanent centre for the youth group on land given to them by the city council. The Project will cost £12,000 (the price of the average Moben kitchen) and will include a café (so the project can become self-funding); a library; a computer hub for the shanty town and counselling rooms. We have currently raised £2,000 and the monies raised by the mufti day will go towards this goal.We look forward to a successful day.

Mr Ellis & Mr Morris


International Holocaust Memorial day fell on 27th January. In order to be part of this remembrance day year nines had a collapsed time table day. The

students spent the day with one teacher and completed a number of activities designed to help them understand the cause of the Holocaust of WWII and subsequent holocausts. The focus of the day was to understand the causes and consequences of discrimination. Below are a selection of comments from students who took part in the day’s events.Holocaust day was a really great experience it helped us open our eyes to the world around us and helped us understand the holocaust. It was an enjoyable day although it was saddening to discover the innocent slaughter of the many ethnic groups and the conditions, and ways in which they were treated. We learnt that holocausts are still happening to this very day, not as extreme but still a sign of discrimination. It was necessary for us to experience the day to help us understand what happened during the holocaust and why people discriminated against others that are different to them. We really enjoyed the day and we hope that the school continues to take part in this day.

Chris Franklin-Leicester

Today has meant a lot as it has showed

me how mean people can be. But, it has

also showed me that if people stand up

to someone then discrimination can be

stopped.

Ethan Robert


I thought it was only Jews

who were killed in the

Holocaust. Now I know it was

all types of people.

Lloyd Sands

I learnt that it doesn’t matter where

you come from or what colour your

skin is. People discriminate because

they don’t understand. Grace Poland

Today has been a great experience…it’s made me realise how lucky I am. Gemma Bates

Today has meant a lot as it has showed

me how mean people can be. But, it has

also showed me that if people stand up

to someone then discrimination can be

stopped.

Ethan Robert

Selection of comments from students who took part in the day

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Year 11 Prom Fashion Show


The month of February saw the launch of the Year 11 Prom. This year it will be held at the The Cavendish Hotel, on Eastbourne sea front on Friday 1st July.

The Year 11 students staged a fashion show on Wednesday 2nd February with the much valued backing of two Eastbourne Companies who gave their services for free. The boys were suited by Dickies who are in the Enterprise Centre and the girls were dresses by Posh & Decks who are in South Street, Little Chelsea.

We would like to thank all our models who helped the occasion go with a swing and Miss Amos who acted as compere.

Did you know...

Contact Magazine is now interactive!Clicking on the text above will take you to the companies websites.

http://www.dickieseastbourne.co.uk/

http://poshanddecks.co.uk/


If you would like an entry formplease see Miss Graffham in PE1


Boys FootballCongratulations

Congratulations to the Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 football teams for all reaching the quarter finals of the Sussex County Cup Competition and the semi finals of the East Sussex League Cup Competition. This is the first time that Willingdon has had four teams progress through to the

finals stage of these two competitions in one year.

Fixtures and ResultsYear 7

Year 8


Year 9

Year 10

Mr Gordon and Mr Brennan


South Downs Schools' Sports Partnership 3v3 Basketball

TournamentThe Causeway School hosted this years’ South Downs SSP 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. All partnership schools were invited to enter both a boys’ and a girls’ team. The tournament structure was group games followed be a semi- final and a final. Across the week of tournaments WCS entered 4 teams who all did incredibly well. The results from the tournaments are below. Congratulations and well done to all students who took part in this event.

Year 7 Girl's

1st WILLINGDON

2nd RATTON

3rd EASTBOURNE ACADEMY

Year 7 Boy's1st BISHOP BELL A2nd WILLINGDON3rd HAILSHAM

Year 9 Girl's1st WILLINGDON A2nd WILLINGDON B3rd PRIORY

Year 9 Boy's1st EASTBOURNE ACADEMY

2nd BISHOP BELL A

3rd BISHOP BELL B

4th WILLINGDON


Netball play offsThe Year 7 and 9 Netball teams played extremely well this season, winning all of their games against other schools in the partnership, which secured them a place in the Schools' Sports Partnership Netball play offs. The Year 7 team played first and took an instant lead against Hailsham Community College. The girls displayed excellent team work and determination from start to finish. After 40 minutes of game play,

Willingdon defeated HCC with a score of 16-9. The Year 9 team had a match against Ringmer School. The girls started the game with

excellent communication and tactical awareness and took off to a flying start, with a half time score of 12-4. They continued to play a very high standard of

netball, and demonstrated superb fitness, with a final result of 29-4 to Willingdon.

We are very proud of all the teams this season; commitment to training and fixtures

has been outstanding, well done girls!!

Year 9 Team: Zoe Milbourn, Chloe Lindley, Katie Allan, Kellie Larkin, Holly Batchelor, Poppy Hole, Florence Hole, Holly Gatward.

Year 7 Team: Libby Jones, Jodie Lindley, Sophie Allan, Romney Hole, Rochelle Anam- Anam, Beth Field, Beth Ronnie


Sussex Schools Cross Country ChampionshipThis years Sussex Schools Cross Country Championships took place

on Saturday 22nd January at Lancing Manor. All schools in the County were invited to enter a team so the standard of competition

was very high. Three students from Willingdon competed in the event, all doing fantastically well in their different categories.

Junior Girls: 3.1kmEmily Martin – 58th

Junior Boys: 4.2km

Jack Unsworth – 55th

Intermediate Boys: 5.7kmJoe Russell – 30th

Congratulations to Jack Bennett who won the Under 16 East Sussex Schools Table Tennis Championships.


PE Assistants The PE department have recently held interviews

for Key Stage 3 PE assistants. The roles will involve

working closely and assisting staff within the PE Department after school. The department had 16 students

apply for the eight positions. The students who were

successful and have been appointed PE assistant are,

Lee Baker 7KP

Milly Pamment 8BP

Hayley Dyer 8BP

Noah Evans 8DDB

Kayleigh Chambers 9FK

Katie Allan 9DAC

Zoe Milbourn 9DAC

Nathan Maskell 9AM

PE Department

Sport Enrichment ClubsTerm 4

GymnasticsAll Years

Trampolining, Vault & Floor

Miss Attrill & Miss

GraffhamGym

Wednesday3-4pm

BadmintonAll Years

Miss Leonard

Hall

Wednesday3-4pm

Girls Basketball

All Years

Miss Attrill & Miss

GraffhamGym

Thursday3-4pm

RugbyMr Brennan, Mr Gordon & Mr Roche

Thursday3-4pm

BTEC Catch-Up All Staff Friday

3-4pm


P a r e n t In fo r m a t I o n

ContaCt Plumpton College FREE Taster days for those at school in Years 10 & 11.Monday 21st February 2011 – Friday 25th February 2011 and Monday 27th June – Friday 30th June 2011. Further details from Plumpton College 01273 890454. [email protected] or see www.plumpton.ac.uk

Plumpton College Open Day for all the family, Saturday 14th May 2011. Wide variety of trade and charity stalls and individual demonstrations at stands. Free entry for 16s and under, for more information call 01273 890454 or download the booklet and application form http://www.plumpton.a c . u k / p a g e s / d o c u m e n t s /PlumptonTasterBook.pdf

Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne FREE entry 10am – 5pm Closed on Monday (except Bank

Holiday) 01323 434670 for more information.

Worthing Outdoor Skating Rink, Steyne Gardens 01903 222934 for prices www.worthingicerink.co.uk Open 10am – 9pm throughout Half Term.

w w w.wherecanwego.com/whats_on/eastbourne/events local events during half term.

For more information about leisure activities, extended services, educational matters and family support please visit the school website under Parents and/or Parent Information Contact.

If you require a specific organization or telephone number for advice and support please email me at [email protected] or contact me at school.

Have a pleasant half term.Jayne Bigsby – Parent Information Contact

mailto:enquiries%40plumpton.ac.uk?subject=

mailto:enquiries%40plumpton.ac.uk?subject=

http://www.plumpton.ac.uk

http://www.plumpton.ac.uk

http://http://www.plumpton.ac.uk/pages/documents/PlumptonTasterBook.pdf



http://www.worthingicerink.co.uk

http://www.worthingicerink.co.uk

http://www.wherecanwego.com/whats_on/eastbourne/events

http://www.wherecanwego.com/whats_on/eastbourne/events

mailto:pic%40willingdon-eastsussex.sch.uk?subject=

mailto:pic%40willingdon-eastsussex.sch.uk?subject=


IntroductIon of a regulatIon unIform

skIrt.As parents will be aware, in the last twelve months there has been a new fashion among girls for very short tight skirts. We have not been the only school in Eastbourne where this has occurred. These skirts tend to be made of an elasticated material and therefore can be pulled down to an acceptable length but within minutes they begin to ride up again to indecent levels. We do not feel it is right that girls should be dressed indecently in school and that fashion fads should be allowed to override commonsense. We have therefore decided to introduce a regulation school skirt, in common with other schools in the town. All the Year Councils and the full School Council have seen the sample skirt and have agreed on its appropriateness. It was interesting that all members of the councils agreed that the skirts worn at present were often highly inappropriate and that it was necessary to introduce the regulation skirt in order to protect

the girls. The Governors have also seen the sample skirt and approved it at the meeting of the Personal Development and Wellbeing Committee on 27th January 2011.The uniform skirt will be on sale from Reception from Monday February 28th at a cost of £12.50. It can be supplied in a wide range of Junior and Senior sizes. It measures 22 inches in length. Girls can of course choose to wear trousers instead of skirts but from Monday June 6th the only skirt that may be worn to school will be the uniform skirt. We hope that this will give parents plenty of notice so that they do not buy their daughters other skirts in the meantime which they will not be allowed to wear after that date. All parents of incoming Year 7 in September will be made aware of the change. If your daughter does not wish to wear a skirt to school, then there is no requirement to buy the skirt as well as trousers. Please note that although the wholesale cost of our sweatshirts and poloshirts is rising due to the increase in VAT and price of cotton, we are not passing this additional cost on to parents and our uniform prices are unchanged at present.

Mrs Dixon


Editorial & Production Team,Elizabeth McCabe, Matthew Healey, Barbara Negus

Willingdon Community School, Broad Road, Lower Willingdon, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 9QXT : 01323 485254 F : 01323487779 E: [email protected]

Next edition of Contact is in April 2011

DATES FOR THE DIARYfebruary:Monday 14th - Contact Issued / Options Booklets Issued / Musical Rehearsal / Year 9 Reports / Options assemblyTuesday 15th - Options Assembly - Little Shop of Horrors ProductionWednesday 16th - Options Assembly / Little Shop of Horrors ProductionThursday 17th - Options Assembly / Little Shop of Horrors ProductionYear 11 Parents' Evening for invited parentsFriday 18th - Year 8 Citizenship Day / End of Term / Mufti Day (Unicef )Monday 28th - Start of Term

marCh:Tuesday 1st - Modular Maths Exam AM/PMWednesday 2nd - Year 9 Parents' Information EveningMonday 7th March - Careers FareWednesday 9th - Year 10 Art Visit Victoria & Albert MuseumYear 9 Parents' EveningThursday 10th - Finance & Leadership Governers MeetingFriday 11th - Youth's Got Talent Audition 3-5pmYear 9 Option Forms returned

Monday 14th - Year 11 Progress Reports IssuedTuesday 15th - Year 11 GCSE Music RecordingsWednesday 16th - Land Studies Exam PMParent Forum - Drugs & AlcoholThursday 17th - Year 9 - "Whats my line"Tuesday 22nd - Years 7-8 Progress Reports IssuedSunday 27th - Youth's Got TalentMonday 28th - Year 10 Geography Fieldwork / Year 10 Geography Controlled assessment (this week)Wednesday 30th - Year 10 Geography Fieldwork / Year 7 Parents' Evening & ExhibitionThursday 31st - Full Governors Meeting

aPrIl:Monday 4th - Contact IssuedWednesday 6th - Year 7 PE G&T Day / Year 8 Parents' EveningMonday 7th - Year 10 English Continued assessmentFriday 8th - Ski Trip Leaves / End of Term

february 2011 edition of contact magazine

Documents

school uniform page

diary page

change page

contentseditorial page

sports festival page

sports news page

highest achieving school

successful school