CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS 3RD JUNE 2013

We shall be seeing many of the pupils back in school today when they start an extensive revision timetable leading up to each examination. I am sure they will work hard in final preparations for the examinations. As I always remind them, they will get the results that they deserve in August but only if they put in some hard work! One of my favourite sayings is "to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail" and from my experience this is absolutely true. Luck really doesn’t come into it.

I would like to take this opportunity of wishing all our Year 11 pupils every success in their GCSE examinations.

From the Headteacher

Pupils from Years 7, 8 and 9 were invited to attend an after school ceramic workshop. The course lasted 5 weeks and 15 pupils from across the years attended. They were shown how to use several clay techniques and were encouraged to create an object (Or lots in some cases!) of their choosing. A lot of them made decorative bowls but some chose animals, letters and other natural forms. They were then glazed and are currently being fired for the last time before the pupils can take them away.  It was a very enjoyable experience for both staff and pupils and the quality of work produced was fantastic!

Having climbed Snowdon in September and Scafell Pike this weekend, only Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands stands in their way.  The group will be climbing Britain’s highest peak on Sunday 26th May and are already looking forward the challenge.

Orleans Park Year 8 girls were invited to play in an U14 volleyball competition at Ashcombe. The tournament was arranged to provide the South East of England team with some match practice before heading to the National Regional championships at the end of May. Four teams took part: the South East of England, Wessex Volleyball Club, Dartford Volleyball Club and Orleans Park.

This gave us the opportunity to build on our success at the London Youth Games earlier in the year. The plan was to focus on what had served us so well: strong service, three touches, attacking (rather than just getting the ball back), chasing every ball and a great team spirit. In addition we wanted to add a strong block to our game.

In our first match, against Wessex, we took an early two-point lead (10-8), but after some hard-fought rallies we were pegged back to 14-all. The team kept their nerve and stuck to the plan, clawing back the advantage (21-18) before closing out the set 25-20. In the second set the girls eased ahead (13-9 and 20-13) and sealed victory 25-15.

Results: Orleans Park 2 Wessex 0 (25-20, 25-15)

The second match promised to be a tricky affair against the South East of England. The first set started out being closely contested with Orleans Park leading 7-6, 11-8 and then 18-16. And then the match changed dramatically. A run of seven straight points gave Orleans Park the set 25-16, and before the South East could regroup, Orleans Park had taken an 8-2 lead in the second set. There was a short-lived point-for-point exchange to take the score to 11-5 before Orleans Park showed their dominance taking the set 25-10.

Results: Orleans Park 2 South East England 0 (25-16, 25-10)

Dartford Volleyball Club provided our final opponents. Yet again Orleans Park took an early lead in the first set (11-9 and 16-13) and then a run of five straight points gave us the advantage. Orleans Park won the first set 25-16 but the Dartford girls were quick to regroup and took an early lead in the second set (3-4). Orleans Park stayed calm, kept to our plan, and took eight of the next ten points to open up a gap from which Dartford couldn’t recover.

Results: Orleans Park 2 Dartford 0 (25-16, 25-16)

As usual there was some excellent serving from the whole team, especially Orleans Park captain Martha Bullen. Hannah Bashford got off her sick bed to play and had her best volleyball day so far with a great display of blocking. Mattea Goalen was her usual calm, steady presence in defence and Alex Kramer hit everything that was possible to hit (and a couple of things that I wouldn’t have thought were!)

The Orleans Park team spirit was excellent; every point was celebrated with a huddle and a shout. The South East of England girls asked me what they were shouting. I heard it so many times I’ve started hearing it in my sleep - "1-2-3 ORLEANS!"

John Goalen - Coach

After visiting the inspirational Strawberry Hill Mr Beaumont and Mrs Francis decided to run a collaborative Art and History project for pupils that showed a particular passion in both or either of the subjects. We contacted Strawberry Hill and found them very supportive and keen to introduce our pupils to this wonderful building. It was decided we would invite 5 gifted and talented pupils in each year group to participate in the project. We wanted it to be pupil led and hoped they would be inspired enough by the history and surroundings of Strawberry Hill that they would be able to create their own outcome that could be incorporated into the rooms through the use of a QR code. 

We currently walk every Wednesday to Strawberry Hill and are now at the initial stages of deciding what historical and artistic pieces they all want to make.

The house have also kindly agreed to display any work produced during this project in their exhibition space throughout the month of June so that any parents or visitors coming to Strawberry Hill can see what the pupils have accomplished. The work will then be photographed and made into QR codes for display throughout the house.  

Racketlon is a sport where each participant plays each of the four racket sports – table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis. Each game is played to 21 points, the points get added up and whoever scores the most points is the winner. 

The Sports Development Team organised four weeks of training sessions in each of the sports at Teddington Sports Centre leading up to a Racketlon competition which was held last Sunday 28 April. The event was open to girls only in School Years 8 – 12. 

Ms Bullen reached the final and played Caroline Cooper from Richmond College who was the favourite going into the competition. The game was level going into the final game of Tennis and as this sport is Ms Bullen’s strongest she beat Caroline comfortably to become the Racketlon champion! 

The girls got to meet the current UK number 1 and former world champion at Racketlon, Calum Reid at the final training session which was a great way to round up a successful start to a new sport in the borough!

Our first Sixth Form Open Evening will be taking place on Tuesday 25th June from 6:00pm until 8:30pm. The evening will be an opportunity for students currently in Year 10 to find out about the subjects and opportunities that will be available in our Sixth Form when it opens in September 2014. There will be formal presentations from Ms E. Ball (Headteacher Designate) and Mr D. Cowling (Assistant Headteacher, Head of Sixth Form) as well as the opportunity to attend a range of rolling subject presentations about our A-Level, BTEC and diploma courses throughout the evening.

Further details about the evening will be available in due course and we look forward to welcoming students in Year 10 and their parents on this evening and helping them in making their choices for life in our new Sixth Form. Please keep this evening as a date in your diary!

Dan Cowling
Assistant Headteacher, Head of Sixth Form

Hello. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you as the newly appointed Head of Sixth Form at Orleans Park School. I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to work with students and parents in setting up and developing our Sixth Form over the coming months and years as we welcome our first cohort of students in September 2014. I know that we have some very exciting plans in place for a fantastic new purpose-built Sixth Form building that will offer excellent facilities for students that choose to continue their Post-16 education with us.

I come from a background of managing and leading a successful Sixth Form and am well aware that academic success is built upon outstanding teaching and at Orleans Park we have committed teaching staff that are welcoming, supportive and have developed very strong relationships with students. We have well-developed pastoral systems in place in the school and will offer a warm, caring and supportive Sixth Form for students who wish to study here.

We have set in place a wide range of A-Level and Level 2 courses that will be on offer to students who wish to study with us giving students the opportunity to develop pathways onto university, employment or further training in the future.

I look forward to welcoming you to join this exciting journey with me.

Dan Cowling

Head of Sixth Form

dcowling@orleanspark.richmond.sch.uk

On Wednesday 15th May our intrepid Year 10 Geographers will be venturing out and down to Lulworth Cove for the day. The key focus is to investigate any issues being created by tourism in the area and collect data for their first controlled assessment. Fingers crossed for a sunny day!

Thank you

Comments about the weekend.

'I was privileged to be part of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh trial expedition weekend with pupils from Year 10. On arriving at the campsite in Surrey on Friday evening, pupils pitched their tents and cooked their evening meal before retiring for what proved to be an extremely cold night. Layering was definitely the ‘fashion’ requirement of the trip! However, we were extremely lucky with the weather in the day and the sun shone on us all weekend. Working as teams, the pupils used navigation skills they had learnt previously to follow a walking route through lovely countryside before returning to camp, they were well behaved and received compliments from the public on their behaviour. Good luck in your assessed expedition!' Mrs J Miller, Attendance Officer

'The D of E weekend was hard, but we got through it. There was lots of mud and I got stuck in it. My shoes and socks were covered in mud. The walk was hard and I got sore feet. I learnt about friendship and to be a team worker. I can’t wait for the final one, I hope it is not that muddy.' - Megan

'D of E was good. The walk was nice and it was overall a good experience. I learnt how to cook pasta which is good. My favourite moment was watching everyone fall in the mud.' - Ben Dale  

'It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. I will remember it for the rest of my life. I loved working as a team with the others and being self-reliant. My favourite moment was walking up the muddy lane and seeing Mr Richards stuck on the edge with no hope of moving.' - Alex Knight

'D of E was a really great experience. It made me aware of being self-sufficient and how to work on my own. The weather was beautiful which did make the walk a whole lot easier despite the heavy packs and all the mud! Over all it was a really good experience that I would highly recommend.' - Tui Russel

'It was an amazing experience and it was an opportunity to be team workers. We had to navigate the Countryside as a team. Mr Richards also got himself stuck in a ditch so we helped together to get the minibus out of the mud!' - Spencer D-Wide

More photos Click here

On Saturday 20th April we took the GCSE Drama groups to The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond to work with a professional director and actor on a key scene in their final exam performance. The day was very successful and all pupils were very enthusiastic. We were very proud of the work they created and the director was also very impressed with the standard of the work. The performances will be shown to an audience on Wednesday 1st May at 6pm in the Large Drama Studio. Tickets are priced at £4 and are available from the library. We wish them the best of luck in their upcoming exam.

Click here to see the rewards.

Bronze D of E trial expedition:

We shall be leaving school at 5pm on Friday 19th April, returning on Sunday 21st April around 4pm.

The address of the campsite is:

East Horsley Camping and Caravanning Site

Ockham Road North,
East Horsley
Surrey
KT24 6PE

The emergency contact number is Miss Mosley who can be contacted on 07817254210 during the weekend.

URGENT- please can the medical forms be returned to school on Friday 19th April - AT THE LATEST. These can be downloaded from the D of E section of the website or the link BELOW.

Medical Form

Please could all pupils interested in entering ‘The Poetry Games’ poetry writing competition please see Miss Brown in E2 on Wednesday 17th April at 3pm. Flyers in your tutor pigeon holes tomorrow morning.

http://youngwriters.co.uk/poetry-games-competition.php

The Poetry Games is the exciting new poetry competition from Young Writers for 11-18 year-olds.

Each child selected by an editorial team will be published in a regional anthology and have the chance to be one of 12 finalists chosen for the grand finale – The Poetry Games online vote off!

How The Poetry Games will work...

Once all poems have been read by our editorial team the selected entries will be split into 12 regions. A finalist will be chosen from each region and invited to submit a video clip of themselves performing their poem. 11 finalists will be awarded with a Kindle, and the champion with an iPad. All 12 finalists will have their video clip live on our Young Writers website and our YouTube channel for visitors to vote on their favourite poem. This will take place once all the regional anthologies have been published. The finalists with the most votes will be crowned The Poetry Games champion and will win an iPad!
Pupils unable to attend the meeting on Wednesday may see me at break/lunchtime.

Follow the link HERE

Our enthusiastic young Jazz Band made up of many new year 7s, as well as year 8s and 9s, performed in one of the Music For Youth Festival concerts in March. Performing at Isleworth and Syon School they played ‘Blues by Five’ and ‘Boots’.  The two musicians who gave feedback were very positive in their praise commenting on enthusiastic playing, good tuning, impressive singing and some particularly impressive drum solos! 

Congratulations to: Ruby Grant, Megan Mann, Amy Hopkins, Nicolas Crifasi, Claudie Farr, Freddie Stoten, Ben French, Finlay Feil, Anna Staplehurst and Ben Nicholls-Mindlin for all their hard work and making it such a great performance!

London Youth Games 19th March 2013

Last Tuesday our Year 8 girls’ team travelled to the University of East London to represent Richmond Borough in the London Youth Games Y10 Volleyball competition. After meeting at 7.20am at Twickenham station, along with their considerable fan base, the team took three trains through the rush hour and arrived at the venue at 9am. There were four groups of six teams with Orleans Park alongside two previous winners of the competition in Group 4.

Our first match against Oaks Park High School of Redbridge was a one sided affair with us running out 25-4 winners after the opposition found it difficult to return our serves.

Next up were previous winners Thomas Moore of Croydon. Again our service proved decisive, but the girls also showed their volleyball credentials with a number of dig-set-spike combinations to win the game 25-15.

The third match against Kingsdale School, representing Southwark, was a great example of how teamwork wins the day. As Kingsdale were put under pressure they resorted to returning the ball using only one touch. Our girls stuck to their passing with Alex Kramer finishing off a great final rally with a cross court spike to win the match 25-13.

The team continued their form into the match against John Roan School (Greenwich) coming out as 25-11 winners.

So by the time the final group game, with last year’s champions Graveney School (Wandsworth), arrived the girls had already qualified for the quarter finals. Graveney provided a much tougher challenge for the team and especially tested our serve reception. Everyone stuck to their task ‘girlfully’, chasing down every ball. A good display saw us lose but scoring twice as many points as any other team against Graveney on the day: 25-14.

Our quarter final match against Cardinal Wiseman School Ealing was an exciting affair with us going 9 points down early on. The team clawed their way back with some good play and excellent movement around the court. But after a number of hard fought rallies we lost 25-20.

Cardinal Wiseman went on to lose to Graveney in the final 25-3.

It was an excellent team performance by Alex Kramer, Hannah Bashford, Martha Bullen and Mattea Goalen and great experience for next year!

National U15s Club Championships 23rd March 2013

Martha Bullen (Y8) and Mattea Goalen (Y8) travelled to Reading to represent Richmond Volleyball Club in the South of England finals of the U15s National Championships.

Richmond won their first group game against Ashcombe but lost to Wiltshire Mavericks (who boasted two U15 England players) in the second. A semi-final loss to eventual finalists Wessex followed.

The girls had a great time and even managed to get their photos taken with Ben Pipes the GB Olympic setter and captain.

Richmond Borough Championships Year 9 Boys 27th March 2013

OPS will be entering two teams in this week’s borough championships for Y9 boys at Hampton Boys School. We wish them all the best.

Year 8 all entered Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 competition ‘500 Words’ in English lessons last term. Pupils wrote a 500 word story of their own choice and so far we have heard that, out of 90,000 entries, Will Thomas of 8N has made it through to the next stage. They will notify us if he has made the top 50 but, either way, to get this far is a real achievement.

On 19 March 2013, from his Oxfordshire home, acclaimed author Philip Pullman took part in a live Twitter Q&A masterclass conducted by BBC Cymru Wales, and also answered some questions that came in via email. The live blog reflects discussion on Twitter via the #AskPullman hashtag.

A selection of Orleans Park pupils gathered together with Mrs Daley to ask Mr Pullman some questions they had on their minds. We were thrilled when the Author re-tweeted 3 of our questions and to later find direct responses from him also. Have a look at what he said below!

PHILIP PULLMAN TAKES FANS' QUESTIONS IN BBC WALES MASTERCLASS

Fans of bestselling author Philip Pullman will have an opportunity to put questions to him in a special Question & Answer "Masterclass" via Twitter on Tuesday, March 19, between 1.30pm and 2.30pm.

The initiative will follow the broadcast of an edition of Great Welsh Writers about him on BBC One Wales on Monday, March 18.

Pullman is the author of several bestselling books, including the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. He now lives in the heart of England but it was another very different place that first inspired him to become a writer.

Born into an English military family, his early childhood saw him travel the world to Australia, Africa and Europe. But his father died and his mother later remarried, and Philip found himself in north Wales when his stepfather was posted to RAF Llanbedr near Harlech.

He lived in the area for ten years and over time he came to love it. He grew from a boy to a man there - living through the rites of passage that he now writes about. Many aspects of his life in Wales helped to shape him and his work, none more so than his school, Ysgol Ardudwy, and one teacher there in particular.

Philip Pullman will endeavour to answer as many questions as possible in the time available - users should follow @BBCWales on Twitter to view the Q&A session in full, or search for #AskPullman.

Users of Twitter will know that it's an onlinesocial networking service that enables users to send and read messages, known as "tweets", of up to 140 characters. With this in mind, Pullman released the following statement:

"I'm very much looking forward to this techno-mediated conversation. I'm always interested to hear questions from young people (or old people, come to that) and as for tweeting, that will be a new experience. I hope I can confine myself to few enough charac"

Philip Pullman - Great Welsh Writers
Monday, March 18, 10.35pm, BBC One Wales
Philip Pullman joins @BBCWales for a live Twitter Q&A on Tuesday, March 19, 1.30pm - 2.30pm #AskPullman

Issued by BBC Cymru Wales Communications

11.3.13

During this week there will be many opportunities for pupils in Year 7,8 and 9 to join up their thinking from their experiences during lessons, tutor times and from participating in a tutor group challenge. The theme of the week will be “What is the Power of Communication?”

Note from the Headteacher

Cycle Safety

We are keen to encourage as many pupils as possible to cycle to school and we provide secure and covered bike sheds for their bicycles. We are also looking to provide a regular bike maintenance club at the school and possibly cycle safety lessons in the near future. It is very important that all pupils who currently cycle to school wear a helmet at all times on their journey and cycle safely, with consideration for members of the public and other road users. I have had some reports recently of reckless cycling by a small number of Orleans Park pupils not wearing helmets. Pupils who wish to cycle to school are required to obtain a cycle permit from Mr Matthews, the School Business Manager, who has an office in the corridor opposite the Staff Work Room on the first floor.

Ms J Longhurst

SKI TRIP 2014!

Letters for pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 who wish to partake in the 2014 ski trip to Folgaria, Italy will be available for collection from the Main School Office on Wednesday 13 March.

The strict deadline for deposits and returned slips is Friday 22 March.

Mr L Cornwall

Year 7 Tiffin Rugby 7s

Last Friday the Year 7 team played their first 7s tournament of their careers, at Tiffin School. The boys faced eventual winners RGS High Wycombe in their first match and were outplayed by their opponents who finished the day without conceding a single point. In the second game the boys faced Wallington County Grammar. Seeking to let out their frustration, they began well with Zak Sawyer scoring two tries after well worked moves saw him sprint up the wing. The boys led throughout the match and scored a further four tries in the second half to win the game 40-5. Orleans Park then faced Reigate Grammar for a place in the plate final. After a close game against Hampton School, Reigate were keen to make a final and came out ‘fired up’. Within three minutes however, Orleans Park had opened the scoring after George Gallimore’s break allowed Callum Goddard to score under the posts. Orleans Park gathered momentum and scored a further six tries to win the game 45-0. Wimbledon College were the next opponents in the final of the plate competition. Two early scores for Wimbledon College and a few tired legs saw the opposition take the lead and gain a psychological advantage over Orleans Park. Despite an excellent effort, Wimbledon College proved too strong, scoring seven tries in total to win the final 41-0.

Zak Sawyer was ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his superb defence and attacking plays, which set up a number of tries and saw him finish a few himself!

Year 7 London Oratory 7s

After their plate final on Friday at Tiffin School, Year 7 were back in action on Sunday at the London Oratory 7s. Relaxed after their Saturday of rest and ice baths, the boys took to the field against New Hall School. New Hall opened the scoring but Orleans Park quickly replied with a converted try. Orleans Park scored a further try before the interval to take the lead. The second half was competitive after New Hall scored early to level the game. New Hall scored a further two tries and despite putting pressure on their opponents’ try line for the final three minutes of the game, Orleans Park was unable to claw their way to victory: Orleans Park 12-28 New Hall. Next the boys faced the hosts, London Oratory and were determined to get a win under their belts. From the off Orleans Park dominated the game and denied Oratory possession and space to run. In attack, the ball was spread wide, and tactically the boys outplayed Oratory both in attack and defence to win 24-5. The final pool game against Wirral Grammar would decide who made it through to the knockout stages and into the quarter-final. Wirral scored from the kick-off to shock Orleans Park into action. Rowan Fenby made an excellent break to feed Callum Goddard who dashed for the line. With the scores level at half-time it was anybody’s game. After the break Wirral scored another try early on and then a second, before Orleans Park replied to make the score 17-12 in Wirral’s favour. Orleans Park put pressure on their opponents and gained possession just outside the 22. Rowan Fenby found space and looked as though he would score under the posts but was stopped just short of the line. On releasing the ball for one final attempt, the referee blew his whistle and declared Wirral 17-12 winners, much to the amazement and disappointment of players and spectators. Despite the justified frustration and unhappiness, the boys picked themselves up and began to feel proud of their efforts, realising that in such competitions against tough opposition, there is always a losing team and a gracious defeat, alongside a win against the Oratory, makes for good learning!

Rowan Fenby emerged as ‘Player of the Tournament’ after his organisation and eye for a gap led to many of the day’s points.

Middlesex U16 7s

Last Saturday we hosted the inaugural Middlesex U16 7s competition. With the sun shining, teams from across the county arrived to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon rolls, only to be told they were for staff and spectators! There was excellent 7s played throughout the day with the winners of each pool playing a straight cup final and second-placed teams playing for the plate. UCS overcame Cardinal Vaughan to win the plate, whilst the cup competition was contested by Latymer and Halliford, with Halliford emerging victorious.

Orleans Park 7s

Last week saw the 24th Year of the annual Orleans Park School 7s. Teams travelled from as far as West Wales and Dorset for three days of rugby 7s, most of them played under glorious sunshine. Having held the Middlesex 7s on the weekend prior, over 500 players graced our fields with medals and trophies amongst the prizes for success, hard work and competitive fair play. At the time of writing the U12 competition is yet to be played. All results will be published in next week’s Newsletter, together with pictures being posted on the school website.