ISSUE NUMBER 26

- Spring Term 2017

Once again we have had a very busy term at Morecambe Road School, even

though it has been a relatively short term. We have had residential trips to

Ullswater and Bendrigg Lodge, involving students from Key Stages 3 and 4. The

students have once again excelled and challenged themselves. These trips are

so important in helping them develop their confidence and independence.

We are very lucky to have so many members of staff who are prepared to

organise these trips to enable your children to have these fantastic

opportunities.

Key Stage 2 pupils have taken part in the 69th Lancaster and District Schools’

Singing Festival along with 8 other local primary schools. It was a pleasure to

have been there and the children who took part were a credit to our school.

Last Christmas, many of you donated towards the ‘Shoe Box Appeal’.

Following on from this, Mrs. Weldon who organized the Appeal in school, has

been given the opportunity to travel to Romania later this year. I am sure you

will hear much more about this over the coming months, as it will be an

important part of our school year.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to all the parents and carers for your

support during the Spring term. Wishing all parents, staff and pupils a very

enjoyable Easter Break.

Morecambe Road School

Morecambe Road

Morecambe, LA3 3AB

Telephone: 01524 414384

Class 3 visit to Ingleton Falls.

Thursday 9th March 2017

Class 3 enjoyed a very muddy but exciting day at Ingleton Falls. We followed part of the

waterfall trail challenge and observed the beautiful scenery. We were lucky with the

weather and stopped part way for a picnic lunch.

Thank you to Miss Holmes for organising the visit for us.

In Class 4 we have been looking at books written by

Julia Donaldson. We as a class love The Gruffalo! We

have made a den for the Gruffalo and even made

Gruffalo crumble…Yummy!

S1’s adaptation of Macbeth – English focus book

After 26 weeks and 52 hours of lesson time, we have finally reached the end of our

Macbeth play. The children have loved every 3120 mins of it and I dare say, they

are rather upset that it has finished! However, we have just completed the final

scenes involving Lady Macbeth’s death and Birnam Woods descending on Macbeth,

with his final demise at the hands of Malcolm, son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth

originally kills to become King of Scotland.

For such a complicated (dark story) the pupils have embraced their roles and with

the support of BSL signing, music and some very simple props, this rather political

story has been re-enacted and understood by the members of S1. They have

responded extremely well to the repetitive element of the book (Macbeth in Mind by

Nicola Grove and Keith Park) and grown in confidence with their drama abilities.

Many of the pupils can name the key characters and can often answer questions

about the plot. It has been particularly rewarding to see the children enjoying one of

our greatest literary icons (Shakespeare) and although they may never, truly

appreciate the genius behind the writing, I think he would have been honoured by

their performances. Every English lesson we have, the children want to know if we

are doing Macbeth, and a huge cheer erupts as they find out it is a Macbeth day!

The pupils have been totally engaged with the story from the very beginning and we

will soon be filming a live version so that parents can see the fruits of our labour!

S3 Spring Term 2017

S3 enjoyed making models to aid their learning in

geography this term. They made models of key coastal

and river features such as caves, arches and stacks.

This really helped to learn key vocabulary and got the

class talking about the main processes involved.

S3 also enjoyed designing and making

self-portraits in design technology / art lessons.

Class S4

We were all very proud that the class finally managed to earn the much-coveted 'Class

of the Week' trophy at the beginning of term. The trophy was awarded for really hard

work and focus in class and for being good friends and supporting each other socially.

Since then, they have continued to focus well in class,

particularly enjoying their work on the comical and

emotive David Walliams text, 'The Boy in the Dress,' as

well as working really hard to learn their times tables in

maths.

The whole class was also an enormous help in preparing for the KS2/KS3 French Café

event in February. Pupils tirelessly rehearsed songs in French lessons and performed

them brilliantly with their Key Stage 3 peers on the day. They also practised cooking

crêpes and filling croissants in Food Tech lessons so that

they could serve these to all the friends and parents who

attended the event. They deserve many thanks and

recognition for their efforts, along with all the KS2 staff

who helped to prepare their pupils for their class performances on the day, too - a

great team effort.

Merci beaucoup!Merci beaucoup!Merci beaucoup!Merci beaucoup!

From the 27th February until the 3rd March year 9 went on their annual residential to Bendrigg

Lodge near Kendal. The week was split between the two classes, 9ii heading off first on

Monday morning with Miss Hinchcliffe, Carley and Paul.

When they arrived 9ii unpacked and got straight into their activities such as the climbing wall,

abseiling and archery. On awakening Tuesday morning 9ii found out it had been snowing

during the night leaving a beautiful white blanket across the landscape! This however did not

stop them enjoying the zip wire, bike riding, the indoor cave and canoeing all around Killington

Lake!

On Wednesday lunch time 9i arrived with Mr Davies and Jo. 9ii shared with them some of

their experiences before returning to school in the afternoon. Paul enjoyed it so much he

stayed for the whole week! 9i unpacked and enjoyed an afternoon of rock climbing, abseiling

and the spooky indoor cave experience.

The fun did not stop there and 9i went out to explore the grounds with head torches on a

night walk through the forest, where they also saw a flurry of snow. The next day was an early

rise to get to Yordas cave in the Yorkshire Dales. After exploring the far reaches of the cave

they returned to some hot chocolate and a much warmer indoor cave. An evening of archery

then a good night’s sleep after a fun packed day. 9i finished off the residential with the zip

wire and assault course. Both groups had a great time at Bendrigg Lodge. A big thank you to

the instructors and staff who made it so special.

10i Careers visit to Myerscough College

Having a college in front of our school is great and

pupils benefit in Key Stage 4 from the different

taster courses that Lancaster and Morecambe

College offer. However, 10i decided to look

further afield, opting for a campus tour of

Myerscough College, to better inform their

choices for the future.

Myerscough is an agricultural college that is located in Bilsborrow near Garstang.

10i enjoyed a full campus tour, seeing and experiencing some of the interesting

courses on offer, they also met a few ex-Morecambe Road pupils along the way.

Travelling to Myerscough college is very possible, with buses each morning from

Morecambe and Lancaster. There are many courses available to our young

learners, mainly around animal care, agriculture, sport and farming.

GALA SUCCESS!

Well done to the whole swimming squad at the Special Schools Gala

held at Salt Ayre on Wednesday 15th March. Each pupil won a medal

and a certificate on the day. It was great to see pupils transferring

skills they have learnt to the competitive environment. The whole

group’s behaviour and effort were fantastic. Well done, a real team

effort.

Mr Challis

Year 11 have been busy this term with the curriculum linked to life

skills.

We have been fund raising for our Year 11 prom which is due to be

held on 30th June 2017 at the Strathmore Hotel. Fund raising

activities have included things such as sponsored walks and selling

jellies.

Our class has also been taking advantage of the Spring weather,

mostly rain with a bit of sun, to plant up and bring seeds on in the

school’s horticulture area. Everyone has got ‘stuck in’ to weed and

tidy up and get ready for a blooming summer (hopefully).

We will be running further fundraising events on the run up to our

Prom and look forward to your continued support.

Mr Murgatroyd,

Jo, Nick and 11i Pupils

‘Who am I?’ Exhibition‘Who am I?’ Exhibition‘Who am I?’ Exhibition‘Who am I?’ Exhibition

February 2017

‘Who am I’ was a reflective project aimed at enabling pupils to expand their interests and

ideas.

To begin with pupils from 11ii filled out a questionnaire about themselves and chose up to

three different projects to undertake. Some of the projects they completed included short

films, stop motion animation, collages, 3D models, a song, drawings, a short story, a menu

design and many others. 11ii put together an exhibition and invited primary and secondary

pupils to try and guess which table belonged to whom (answers were supplied in a yellow

envelope!).

Visitors were invited to stick a star on the whiteboard if they liked a piece of work.

At the end of the afternoon we counted 112 stars, well done 11ii!

Howtown Outward Bound

Y10 and Y11

30th Jan – 3rd Feb 2017 Ten Key Stage 4 pupils have recently enjoyed a week of “Adventure and

Challenge” at Howtown Outward Bound Centre in Ullswater. Supported by Jim

Townley, Jo Gibson and Jo Kelly, the group took part in a variety of outdoor

pursuits in some very good if chilly weather.

We set off on Monday morning, breaking our journey by stopping for lunch at

Rheged and then travelled on to Howtown where we met our tutors, Gary and

Katie. After sorting out our rooms, we canoed and waded in the lake. After tea,

we went canoeing again in the dark. Despite the cloud but we saw a lot of stars.

On Tuesday after breakfast did challenges in the grounds and then prepared for

gorge walking. We went to Martindale in the minibus and then after lunch we

climbed the gorge. We all got very wet and cold. We returned to the Centre to

get warm and dry. After tea we went orienteering in the grounds.

Wednesday was expedition day. In the morning we packed and prepared for our

expedition and set of in canoes to tour the lake. Then, after lunch, we canoed

across the lake to Halsteads, the other Outward Bound Centre on Ullswater. The

lake was a bit choppy and the sky was dull. After we had landed on the shore, we

collected wood for a fire and then went for a walk up Aira Force.

We cooked our evening meal outside on Trangias and after some more challenges

in the grounds, we lit the camp fire and toasted marshmallows. We then spent

the night camping out in yurts.

On Thursday we cooked our breakfast and packed up our camp. The weather was

very windy so we had to change our plans. We drove to Sandwick and walked back

to Howtown with many stops for fun and games in Hallinhag Wood. Later that day

we explored the tunnels in the artificial pothole, which were very muddy.

On Friday, we tidied our rooms, then cleaned and returned the kit we had

borrowed. After breakfast we went for a walk up Hallin Fell. It was a cloudy

morning but we were rewarded with some lovely views from the summit. We then

had to support each other for the tricky decent back to the Centre. After lunch

it was time to return to school. We were all looking forward to our own beds and

seeing our families again.

A big thank you to all the people who supported us at Howtown, especially, Gary

and Rosie.

Next year’s Howtown residential is planned for Mon 29th Jan to Friday 3rd Feb and

is open to Y9, Y10 and Y11.

Life Skills

Mrs Holland and members of her form

have undertaken a number of activities

for their Entry Level Certificate.

We have been shopping in the local

area for our fundraising events and also

for making simple meals in school such

as beans on toast and also a full English

breakfast.

We enjoy our trips into

Lancaster and have used

both the train from Bare

Station and the local bus

from Torrisholme. Pupils are

gaining confidence in asking

for their own tickets and also

whilst visiting the local supermarket café.

In the summer months we will be visiting a local garden

centre before starting work in the grounds of the school,

planting summer flowers and shrubs.

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The Eco Council ran a whole school competition during the Autumn

term to find a new motto and logo to represent our school. There

were lots of entries and the Eco team then met to judge them. Two

entries were decided as winners, Patrick Green for his written motto

and Charlie Arkwright for his logo which he had designed as part of

an ICT project. Class 4’s joint entry were the runners up.

We also had a very successful stall at the Christmas Fayre, run by

Oliver and Dean Watson where we sold home-made pot-pourri,

clocks made from recycled CD’s and tree decorations made from

recycled Christmas cards.

During Spring term, we have been making bird feeders to hang up

around school made from recycled materials and the Eco Council

also took over the tuck shop for” Fairtrade Fortnight”. We all went to

Sainsbury’s where the pupils shopped, sourced and bought Fairtrade

good that we then sold in the tuck shop to help raise awareness

about buying Fairtrade goods.

Recently pupils helped Mrs Walker run a whole school assembly to

remind everyone of what we can bring into school to recycle. We can

recycle clothes, batteries, stamps and pens. If you are throwing away

any of these items at home please bring into school with your child

as often if we recycle enough quantities school can win prizes!

Many thanks for your continued support,

From the Morecambe Road School Eco Council.

Logo: Charlie Arkwright Motto: Patrick Green

Making the world a better place

Recycle, Reduce, Re-use

School is helping charity

Caring for the environment

A little bit makes a difference

Recycle paper, batteries and stamps

Eco friendly = Eco world

Save our planet

M��ec��� Roa� S�ho�� St�� B�� O�

Please use School Angel every time you shop online for anything from great holidays & hotels to the latest ipad, mobile phone or must have fashions.

All the major UK retailers have agreed to make a donation to your school every time you shop from the School Angel website.

School Angel is Super Simple

No accounts, No passwords, No email or names needed, just click on whichever shop you want to use and schoolangel will make sure your

donation gets right back to school.

Your School Needs Your Help – School Angel makes it easy, simple and freefor you to make a real difference to your school children

www.schoolangel.org.uk

Dear Parent / Carer,

Morecambe Road School is teamed up with a charity called schoolangel.org.uk

which will help our school to raise money, along with many other schools in the UK

by shopping through their browser.

School Angel works with many big shopping brands in the UK, for example, Amazon,

Argos, Next, Boots and many more which have agreed to donate a portion of the

profit, they normally make on your shopping if you use the School Angel website to

visit their shop. You are guaranteed to only pay exactly the same price, for whatever

you buy, but our school will also receive a donation.

School Angel is really simple to use and our school has its own charity page already

set up which you can visit here:

http://www.schoolangel.org.uk/morecambe-road-school.html

Once on the page all you need to do is click on the logo for whatever shop you would

like to visit. School Angel does not need you to ever create an account or login, there

are no passwords to remember and they will never trouble you with any junk mail.

We are really excited that School Angel can help our school raise lots of money. So

please remember to use the School Angel site when you shop online and ask your

friends and relatives to support us too!

As we start to book our Summer Holidays we hope that our staff, you, your friends

and family might consider visiting this website prior to your purchases.

Many thanks for your ongoing support. Every purchase you make will really make a

difference.

Thank you

Summer 2017 Exam Timetable

The timetable for GCSE Examination this summer is as follows:

Mathematics Paper 1: Thursday 25th May 2017 at 0915

Mathematics Paper 2: Thursday 8th June 2017 at 0915

Mathematics Paper 3: Tuesday 13th June 2017 at 0915

Examination results will be available to be collect between,

10:00 and 12:00 on Thursday 24th August 2017.

Any results not collected will be posted out to the pupils’ home address later that day.

Jim Townley

Exams Officer

SCHOOL MEAL REMINDERS

� School meals are increasing to £2.20 per meal (£11.00 per week) from

Tuesday 18th April 2017

� Please notify school office in writing if your child is stopping school

lunches and will be bringing in a home packed lunch

� A copy of the school lunch menu is on the school website

� Free school meals – to discuss or check a child’s eligibility for free school

meals please contact Area Education Office, Lancaster – 01524 581207

School closes for the Easter Holidays at normal time on

Thursday 30th March 2017

EASTER HOLIDAYS Close after school Thursday 30th March

Re-open Tuesday 18th April

MAY DAY CLOSURE One day only Monday 1st May

HALF TERM Close after school Friday 26th May

Re-open Monday 5th June

SUMMER CLOSURE Close at lunch

(1.15pm)

Friday 21st July, 2017