Trinity School / NEWSLETTER TO PARENTS and CARERS
JANUARY 2011

Dear Parents and carers,

Happy New Year to everyone and welcome back to Spring Term. I hope that the Christmas and New Year holidays were excellent for all.

The start of the term sees the publication of the annual performance tables for schools. Trinity School’s successes last summer are shown in the fine scores achieved by students at GCSE and at A level last year, and it is pleasing to see such good work and progress being recognised. It looks as if we are now safely and sustainably in the top 25% of schools in the country – so well done to everyone for making that possible, and best wishes for the same or even better again in 2011.

The ‘English Baccalaureate’ is a new measure this year – so it is simply not right to apply it retrospectively when no school was working towards it last year – and this means further revisions in school to the curriculum for Years 10 and 11 for the future. It requires students to aim for C or above passes in GCSE courses in English, Maths, Science (at least two awards) a Modern Language and either Geography or History. There may, of course, be revisions to this in the coming months.

Meanwhile, exams have started already in the first full week back with GCSEs for years 10 and 11, and AS and A2 modules for Years 12 and 13. Best wishes to everyone for good success.

All good wishes for 2011 – with the completion of Phase II of the Rebuild later this Spring, it promises to be another exciting chapter in the Trinity story. Thank you for being part of that with us.

Headteacher

Welcome

We have two new Parent Governors beginning their terms of office this year: Mr Nigel Austin and Mrs Katherine Zaremba-Stevenson. Thanks to both of them for being willing to take on these roles.

YEAR 11 NEWS

Year 11 Mock Results Day

This took place on 7th January and all went off extremely well. It provided Year 11 students with an opportunity to experience the opening of a results envelope in anticipation of the real thing in August. There was a real feeling of excitement and tension but most students were very pleased with how they had done in the ‘mocks’ – so now for the real thing!

ACE Day and Year 11 progression interviews

On Monday 10th January all Year 11 students had the opportunity to visit The University of Cumbria and follow a programme based in their impressive Learning Gateway. Students had a chance to look round the campus around presentations on choices at 16 and what universities have to offer. In the coming few weeks all Year 11 students will have an individual Progression Interviews with a senior member of staff to follow up the students’ ideas about what happens after Year 11.

Year 11 Reports to Parents and Carers

Please note the date for parents and carers to receive the Year 11 reports has changed from Friday 21st January to Friday 28th January 2011. Sorry – we needed an extra week following the Mock exam results.

LITERACY NEWS

E.R.I.C

To encourage our pupils to enjoy reading, we have introduced ERIC sessions for Year 7 in Form Time. Once a week, each form registers in the library and Everyone Reads In Class, including the teacher!

Word of the Week

Also new this term, is Word of the Week. This will be included in the weekly Student Bulletin, in the Literacy Corner. Pupils are encouraged to learn and use a new word every week. This will improve their vocabulary and will help to improve their written and spoken language. Mrs Hopkins, English Dept

SCIENCE NEWS

GCSE Science Exams

Year 10 pathway 3 - Science exams - January

The following classes will be sitting GCSE exams in January.

Sets 1 and 2 – Biology unit 1, Chemistry Unit 1 and Physics Unit 1

Sets 3 and 4 – Science Unit 1 and Science Unit 2.

Year 11 pathway 3 – Science exams – January

Sets 3 and 4 will be sitting Additional Science exams.

Year 11 pathways 1 + 2

Students will be sitting Science Unit 2 exams in January.

The exams take place between Thursday 13th January and Monday 24th January 2011. Revision guides are available priced £3.10 from the school shop.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Staff Play – Murdered to Death, Creighton Hall, 7.00 pm, Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th January

Come and see ten of our teachers as you have never seen them before! This hilarious spoof of the best of Agatha Christie traditions is set in a country manor house in the 1930s, with an assembled cast of slightly eccentric characters, including a bumbling police officer by the name of Pratt; Bunting the Butler; an English Colonel with the prerequisite stiff upper lip; a shady French art dealer and his moll; and a well-meaning local sleuth who seems to attract murder wherever she goes. Who will be murdered first? Who has the most outrageous accent? Who has the funniest lines? Come and see this hilarious play, our most ambitious to date, and chase away the January blues. Tickets will be available from all offices from the beginning of term, priced at £5 for Adults and £3 for Concessions. All Drama and Music students have free entry. Ms Southwell, Subject Leader for Drama

USA Exchange Visit

If you haven’t already done so, please could you let us know if you are able to offer accommodation to an American teenager in February. We have 32 students and 13 staff arriving at c. 7.00 pm on Saturday 19th February, staying for four nights. We have activities planned for Monday 21st and a trip to Edinburgh for Tuesday 22nd to which host students are also welcome to attend. This is an exciting opportunity for students to be part of. Please e-mail or Telephone 01228 403551 if you would like further information or are able to assist.

USA Exchange Concert

Following the success of our joint concert in the Cathedral last year, we plan to have another! The event is planned for the evening of Monday 21st February when our American Exchange students will be visiting and can take part. We hope also to warmly welcome the Annan Juvenile Pipes and Transition Choir back to join us.

REBUILD UPDATE

There were some understandable delays because of the December weather – hard to deal with concrete when it is trying to freeze! Nevertheless, good progress has been made on Phase II and we will be able to move into it over the summer term and begin its use on the timetable for September. It will contain a new dining hall, new classrooms for Geography History and Modern Languages, new rooms for Art, and for Learning Support, and the start of our new provision for Music and Drama. The Margaret Sewell yard will also begin its conversion to the Margaret Sewell Courtyard.

PRACTICAL MATTERS

Electronic Communication

If you would like to view the newsletter electronically on our website instead of receiving a paper copy, can you please inform Mrs Jackie Hunton in Central Office on Tel No. 5160551 Ext. 264 or by e-mail .

Parking

A reminder to parents and carers: please do not stop or park outside the school entrances on the double yellow lines or zigzag markings even to drop off or pick students up from school. Parking around these areas is dangerous and obstructions are a serious Health and Safety issue. The police are assisting us in keeping these areas clear by issuing fixed penalties if necessary.

SPORTS NEWS

Much of the programme of sporting fixtures was disrupted by the weather in December, so there is a backlog of matches to clear in the early weeks of this year. However, some good successes:

Water Polo

Congratulations to the Under 18 Water Polo team who have qualified for the next round of the ESSA Water Polo Championships in February and well done to Tom Grieve (10ELI) on being selected to represent Great Britain.

Swimming

Well done to all involved in the English Schools Swimming Team Championships which took place in November. The Junior boys team are the 1st reserve team for 200m Medley in the National Finals to be held at Central Pools, Stockport on Saturday 5th February. We wish the team well; Alistair Campbell (9JWL), Charlie McSkeane (8PBA), Jordan Hull (9JWL), Max Graham (8PBA), William Smith (7EJO) and Jack Phillips (7JGA).

Trinity Ski Trip 2012

Interlaken, Switzerland

31st March – 8th April Easter Holidays

£748 Full board + £40 for snowboarders

From beginners to advanced skiers/snowboarders

Trip open to current Year 7 to 10’s only

For more information and a deposit request form please email or phone Joanne Dickinson on 01228 403562.

TRINITY LANDSCAPE TEAM

Many thanks to the students who helped to finish off the work just as the snow started to fall in late November. We managed to plant the first section of our country lane hedge and some oak and beech trees – so we hope that they have survived the big freeze. More hedge planting will follow in February and March and then on 1st March we shall have our training session so that we can graft the apple trees for planting in our orchard. Meanwhile we have commissioned the making of bird nest boxes for our Wildlife garden and we hope that they are ready to install when work begins again in February.

Design opportunities

The Art department is running a ‘Design a Logo’ competition for the Trinity School Orchard and all students should have had details of that from their Art teacher and from the student bulletin.

By June, we also have to submit our designs for the orchard itself – not only about where and what the fruit trees are, but what else we might like to see – pathways, or sculptures or chickens or pigs …more in the February newsletter.

TERM DATES for the rest of the 2010/2011 School Year

First Day of Term / Last Day of Term / Half Term
2011 Spring Term
Wednesday 5th January (Inset Day 4th Jan.) / Friday 8th April / Monday 21st February - Friday 25th February
2011 Summer Term
Wednesday 27th April / Friday 22nd July / Monday 30th May - Friday 3rd June
Royal Wedding – Friday 29th April
Bank Holiday – Monday 2nd May

DIARY DATES FOR SPRING TERM 2011

w/c 17th January / Year 12 & Year 13 Exams & GCSE Exams
Year 11 Progression interviews
Tuesday 18th January / Staff Play, 7.00 pm, Creighton Hall
Wednesday 19th January / Staff Play, 7.00 pm, Creighton Hall
w/c 24th January / Year 12 & Year 13 Exams & GCSE Exams
Year 11 Progression interviews, Year 10 & 11 Eng. Controlled Assessments
Monday 24th January / Admissions Committee Mtg, 6.00 pm
Tuesday 25th January / Year 10 Interim 2 to Parents and Carers
Wednesday 26th January / Year 10 Parents and Carers’ Evening
Friday 28th January / Year 11 Reports to Parents and Carers
Tuesday 1st February / Sixth Form Open Evening, 6.00 – 8.00 pm
Thursday 3rd February / Intermediate Maths Challenge
w/c 7th February / Year 11 GCSE Language Speaking tests
Monday 7th February / Year 10 Work Experience Assembly
Year 13 Physics trip (am)
Friday 11th February / Year 13 Theatre Studies Practical
w/c 14th February / Year 10 MO2 on placement this week and next.
Year11 MFL Speaking tests.
Thursday 17th February / Year 12 Theatre Studies Practical
Friday 18th February / Year 9 Reports to Parents and Carers
School finishes for half term break
Monday 21st February – Friday 25th February – Half Term Holiday
Saturday 19th February USA Exchange Students arrive, c. 7.00 pm
w/c 28th February / Year 13 Chemistry ISA
Year 11 MO2 on placement.
Monday 28th February / First day of half term
Tuesday 1st March / Year 9 ACE Day (am)
Wednesday 2nd March / Year 9 ACE Day (am)
Year 9 Parents and Carers’ Evening
Friday 4th March / Deadline for Applications to Sixth Form
Monday 7th March / AS Photography Pt2a Exam
7.00 pm Full Governors Mtg
Wednesday 9th March / AS Photography Pt2b Exam
Thursday 10th March / AS Art Exam
GCSE Drama Practicals (pm)
Friday 11th March / Year 7 & Year 8 Interim 2 to Parents and Carers
GCSE Drama Practicals
w/c 14th March / Carlisle Music Festival
Year 11 GCSE Statistics Controlled Assessment (1hr)
Tuesday 15th March / Year 7 Geography visit to Watchtree Nature Reserve (P5)
Wednesday 16th March / Year 7 Geography visit to Watchtree Nature Reserve (P5)
Year 13 Parents and Carers’ Evening
Friday 18th March / Student Leadership Whole School Ballot
w/c 21st March / Year 11 GCSE Language & MFL Speaking Tests
Monday 21st March / Student Council Ballot (Sixth Form)
Tuesday 22nd March / Year 7 Geography visit to Watchtree Nature Reserve (P5)
Wednesday 23rd March / Year 7 Geography visit to Watchtree Nature Reserve (P5)
Friday 25th March / Year 12 Reports to Parents and Carers
Year 13 Interim 1 to Parents and Carers
Monday 28th March / A2 Photography Pt1a Exam
Tuesday 29th March / A2 Art Exam
Wednesday 30th March / Year 7 Geography visit to Watchtree Nature Reserve (P5)
Thursday 31st March / Year 7 Geography visit to Watchtree Nature Reserve (P5)
Friday 1st April / Year 11 Revision Seminars

TERM DATES for the 2011/2012 School Year – as circulated by Children’s Services

First Day of Term / Last Day of Term / Half Term
2011 Autumn Term
Wednesday 7th September
(Inset Days 5th & 6th Sept.) / Friday 16th December / Monday 24th October - Friday 28th October
2012 Spring Term
Wednesday 4th January (Inset Day 3rdJan.) / Friday 30th March / Monday 13th February – Friday 17th February
2012 Summer Term
Monday 16th April / Friday 19th July / Monday 4th June – Friday 8th June
Good Friday – 6th April
Easter Sunday – 8th April
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – 5th June

ADULT EDUCATION, CARLISLE