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Ruislip High School NEWSLETTER

Winter 2013

Friday 6th December saw the school host yet another highly successful winter fair. Once again the students were a credit to the school and the stalls they created were widely acknowledged as the best yet.

There was a great atmosphere throughout the evening and a real sense of fun prevailed. All guests were entertained by festive performances from the school’s talented musicians and the evening was brought to a close by a performance from RAF Northolt’s Military Wives Choir.

As well as the stalls and the music, guests also had the opportunity to take part in games of ‘human table football’ and a ‘gladiator joust’. There was the opportunity to get on a bike and make a smoothie to support the school’s ‘Beat Bullying’ campaign.

It was clear that a great deal of time and effort had gone into creating stalls that represented all parts of the world. The winning stalls were Madagascar, Year 7 and Iceland, Year 8. The stalls that made the most money were Luxemburg, Year 7 and Italy, Year 8.

Continued on page 7.

WINTER FAIR

Clockwise from left: Freddie Cavill, 7B, The Military Wives Choir, ‘gladiator joust’, ‘human table football’, Nathan Reen, 7C and William Connolly, 7C and Ms Hughes on the Smoothie Bike.

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CONTENTSNews from the Headteacher page 3African Music Day and Family Learning Day page 4Presentation Evening page 5Theme Day page 6Winter Fair Continued page 7History News page 8 & 9History Quiz and Lord Longford Lecture page 10Maths News page 11LRC News page 12 & 13ICT News page 14Cultural Studies News and History Quiz Answers page 15Geography News page 16Geography News Continued, Creativity Shines and Skiing Trip Udpate page 17English News page 18English News Continued and Debating Society News page 19Art and Design News page 20Silver Sevens page 21Science News page 22Science News Continued and Media Studies News page 23Drama News page 24Drama News Continued and Art on The Underground page 25PE News page 27, 28 & 29PE News and Let’s Think Science Games page 29Design and Technology News page 30 & 31MFL News page 32MFL News Continued and Commemorating WWI page 33Above & Beyond page 34‘Grease’ page 35

Spring Term Dates page 36

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NEWS FROM THE HEADTEACHER

The winter edition of the newsletter reflects another exciting term at Ruislip High School. I am delighted with the developments of the school’s enrichment activities this term, which have included the launch of the Above & Beyond programme and the Year 7 Family Learning Evening. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the staff who volunteer their time freely to enhance students’ (and parents’) learning and development.

Freedom Day, at the start of the academic year, was enjoyed by all. I know everyone was deeply moved by the talk given by Margaret and Barry Mizen about the death of their son, Jimmy, in 2008. They started their presentation by telling students and staff that they were just ordinary parents whose life was dramatically changed on 10th May, 2008. I was particularly impressed with the students’ questions which reflected how thought-provoking the Mizens’ message was in terms of forgiveness. I believe everyone was challenged by their narrative. They believe they are ‘free’ because they have not focused on anger, but rather on the future, working for peace in their son’s name; this has led them to establish The Jimmy Mizen Foundation. The question I will always remember was when Goncalo, 7D, asked “If you could have five minutes with Jimmy, what would you say to him?” Margaret responded that, “I would tell him to stop growing!”

Another inspiring talk was given by Professor Benjamin Zephaniah, Brunel University, at our third Presentation Evening. The audience listened attentively to his speech which outlined his challenging upbringing especially a disappointing education. He was very open about how dangerous his life became after he left school and that his redemption was poetry. What struck everyone was how he engaged with our school community and was so personable with students. The following evening, Benjamin was a panel member on Question Time. I was most disappointed to hear that he had named Ruislip High School during the filming of the programme, but the producers had deleted this line (the programme is filmed slightly earlier than it is broadcast).

As part of Presentation Evening, I present a review of the year. At the end of the talk, I mentioned that the evening is primarily to celebrate our students’ achievements. I said that what makes me the happiest in my role is how proud our students are of Ruislip High School. Long may this be the case!

Margaret and Barry Mizen

Professor Benjamin Zephaniah delivered an inspirational speech.

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AFRICAN MUSIC DAY

FAMILY LEARNING DAY

On Friday 18th October, all Year 8 students and 9A attended an African Music workshop delivered by the musician, Kwame Bakoji-Hume.

This practical-based workshop focused on extending students’ rhythmic skills and each student was given his/her own authentic Djembe (African drum) to use as part of a class performance.

Quotes from students:

‘Today I learned about the history of African music. It was fun and exciting’Emma Chapman 8F

‘It was the best music lesson ever’Alexander Cox 8F

The Family Learning Festival is the biggest annual celebration of family learning in the UK. As part of this festival, Ruislip High School held its first ‘Family Learning Evening’ for Year 7 students and their parents on Tuesday 22nd October.

This exciting event comprised of a variety of subject-specific workshops for students and parents/guardians to attend and take part in together. The variety of activities available ranged from families creating their own abstract canvases using a range of media to creating a volcano model showing the main parts that make up a volcano and how it erupts.

Quotes from students:

‘A fantastic bonding opportunity for a parent and child’. Jacob Gillman, 7W

‘There were many subjects to choose from but I chose Music because I like that subject. In Music we learned to play different African instruments like the Ago go bells. I loved performing in front of the rest of the people. We really enjoyed the Family Learning Festival!’ Saraneyaa Gobi, 7S

Left: Parents and students enjoyed a game of badminton. Right: Families worked together to create their own abstract canvases with the help of Ms Ferris.

Right: Kwame Bakoji-Hume taught students about African music.

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Ruislip High School held its third annual Presentation Evening on Wednesday 6th November; it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the dedication, hard work and achievements of students over the past academic year.

Almost two-hundred prizes were awarded to students from all Year groups for both achievement and effort shown in particular subjects and extra-curricular activities.

Between the presentation of prizes, the audience was treated to a number of performances which showed off the many musical talents at the school.

The school was delighted to welcome guest speaker, Professor Benjamin Zephaniah,

from Brunel University, who delivered an inspirational speech about his personal experiences and his impressions of the school and its students.

Professor Benjamin Zephaniah said “Ruislip High School is a great place and a very inspiring environment. I am amazed by the outstanding talent that has been on display tonight. I think the thing that has made the school so good is that it started from scratch. They were able to plant a seed, nurture it and watch it grow”.

The evening highlighted the strong sense of community at Ruislip High and was a wonderful opportunity for parents, friends, staff, governors and other special guests to share in the success of the students.

PRESENTATION EVENING

Clockwise from left: Professor Benjamin Zephaniah with Dr Lecky and Ms Hill, Marcelo Bovill, 8A reciting the Periodic Table, Senior Head Girl, Danielle Muphy, 13A1 receiving her book, Senior Head Girl, Saisha Patel, 13A3 receiving her Bestowed prize, Brandon Sanchez, 8C performing a vocal solo of ‘Grenade’ with Mr Stent, Professor Benjamin Zephaniah with his gift and the Year 7 Choir with trombone soloist, Jack Livesley, 11W.

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On Friday 20th September, Ruislip High School proudly held its second theme day exploring the theme of ‘Freedom’. The day was launched by an opening speech given by a Yeoman Warder to each Key Stage congregated outside, a striking image that set the tone for the day. A dedicated group of staff planned and put together fascinating sessions led by tutors, where students debated and discovered different types of freedom, and what freedom means to us personally and globally.

Students were given the opportunity to express their physical freedom through physical workshops; Year 7 enjoyed skipping in various formations, Year 8 and 9 learned Bollywood and Streetdance, and Year 10 and 11 experienced the completely new activities of Capoeira and Parkour.

Rubina Rai, 11S, said ‘The parkour was fun because it was something different, not like normal sports.’

One of the most popular activities of the day, which followed intense preparation in the preceding weeks, was the court case pitting two tutor groups against each other. Students took on the roles of lawyers, jury members and experts to debate the case of a student with the ‘warrior gene’. The court cases were presided over by the Heads of

Year and the Senior Leadership Team in full judges outfits, perhaps the point of the day that caused the most hilarity!

Emily McDiarmid, 8C said ‘Freedom day was fun as we got to experience new things such as Bollywood dancing and taking part in the court case. You wouldn’t normally get the chance to experience these things.’

Mulky Hassan, 8C added ‘Freedom day was an amazing opportunity as other schools don’t do it!’

The highlight of the day was the emotional and thought-provoking speech given by Barry and Margaret Mizen, the parents of Jimmy Mizen, who was tragically murdered in May 2008. They told the very moving account of the events leading up to their son’s murder and their memories of their son. They shared the work of The Jimmy Mizen Foundation, which promotes the awareness of young people’s actions in their communities and spreading the message non-violence and peace. They encourage young people to focus on developing the skills they need to fulfil their potential, which leads to a greater sense of personal freedom and a feeling of safety in their own community. They left us with the challenge to do something for peace, which we will take up during this academic year. Both staff and students agreed that the Mizens are an inspiring couple who do great work to improve the lives of young people around our country.

Sophie Lamb, 11A, said ‘The Mizens were really interesting because they showed forgiveness. Their story was very moving and you could see their bravery.’

The theme of ‘Freedom’ will continue to be discussed and explored during this academic year in tutorials and assemblies.

THEME DAY

The students were impressed by a Yeoman Warder who visited the school.

The Parkour physical workshop was very popular with students.

The Mizens gave an emothional speech about their son, Jimmy Mizen.

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WINTER FAIRContinued from front page.

The judging panel, consisting of Dr Lecky and a team of Governors, were particularly impressed with the standard of the stalls and the links to the local community through the different countries. Some of the feedback provided by Governors reflected the success of the whole evening:

“The Winter Fair was very enjoyable and another impressive RHS Community event, which demonstrated the excellent organisation, participation, and contribution made by students and staff in a range of event activities from the music performances through to the high standards of the stalls.”

George Pittaway, Vice-chair of the Governing Body

“Once again a very successful night due to the hard work of the students and the dedication of the staff who supported the students so well in their fundraising efforts.A lot of hard work was put into the stalls and high praise should also go to the Gardening Club for their contribution and also the ingenuity of the smoothie cycle for their efforts on the night as well. Roll on the Summer Fair.”

John Garner, Community Governor

“I very much enjoyed attending, as did all the other parents and children I spoke to. From a parental point of view it is such a relief to be able to attend an entertaining fund-raising event rather than something that is just an expensive chore!”

Joanna Wagstaffe, Parent Governor

The whole fair represented the community spirit that Ruislip High School is very proud of fostering. A particularly big thank you must go to the friends and families who supported the event and the stalls with some significant donations. The event itself was organised by the school in association with the Friends of Ruislip High who also provided the refreshments and ran a very successful tombola. Perhaps the last word should go to one of our students who helped make the night so special: Jack Taylor from 7F perfectly summed up the team spirit displayed by many of the tutor groups by saying, “I was proud to be a part of it.”

The students had a lot of fun during the winter fair.

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HISTORY NEWSYear 7

Year 7 made an excellent start to the year with their interesting views on the question: ‘What is History?’. It was evident from their work on historical skills that we have a group of budding historians. Since October, Year 7 produced some outstanding newspaper articles on ‘Why was Julius Caesar Murdered?’ where students used primary and secondary evidence to compile their accounts. Overall, the History department have been very impressed with students’ work and behaviour in lessons. Next half-term Year 7s will examine why the Roman Empire collapsed and will then go onto study Medieval England. In December, Year 7 students visited Verulanium museum in St. Albans. They were able to handle Roman artefacts and see the remains of a Roman amphitheatre. Their conduct was exemplary throughout the trip, allowing them to get the most out of the experience. Thank you to all staff who accompanied students on this trip and for allowing so many students to experience history first-hand. I would also like to thank Ms Horton and the parents who attended the History Family Learning Evening session on the Children’s Crusade. It was lovely to see parents and students working together to find out about the past – we hope they learned lots!

Year 8Year 8 have been learning about the Tudor monarchy and how it changed England. This is what some of the Year 8 students said about their History lessons this term: “Although we learnt about Henry VIII in primary school, I now know about his impact on England in far more detail rather than just the fact that he had lots of wives”. On 12th and 13th December, Year 8 went on a visit to the Tower of London and London Dungeons to

complement the learning about the Tudors in lessons. The students were an example to the school and showed their mettle by not getting too scared on the rides at the London Dungeon! Thank you to Ms Barlow for organising the trip and to all the staff who accompanied students on this trip. Year 8 also got to take part in an African Drumming and Storytelling workshop as part of Black History Month, which they thoroughly enjoyed (and sounded great!). Next half-term Year 8s will be studying the causes of the English Civil War.

Year 9Year 9 have been studying Britain from 1750-1900. They investigated the mining explosion at Felling Colliery in 1812 and how Britain changed between 1750 and 1900. The History department was very impressed with the work produced by all Year 9 students in their first assessment on child labour in the 19th Century. Well done! On 12th and 13th December, Year 9s went to the Black Country Museum to experience for themselves what it would be like to live in the 19th Century. They had the opportunity to see a real coal mine and visit authentic shops. Luckily, none of them got the cane in their Victorian school lesson! Many thanks to Mr Rich for organising this trip. Year 9s have also discovered the reasons why the police were unable to catch the infamous Jack the Ripper by investigating some gruesome evidence! After Christmas they will be learning about what life was like for World War One soldiers.

Year 10Year 10 have made an extremely impressive start to their GCSE course. They have been learning about Germany between 1919 and

Ms Horton ran the History session during the Family Learning Event.

Kwame Bakoji-Hume taught students about African music during an African Music and

History workshop.

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1945. Their first major assessment was on how Hitler succeeded in gaining power in 1933 in which many students achieved or went above their Teacher Predicted Grade (TPG). Many students will get the opportunity to visit many sites of relevance to Nazi Germany on the Berlin trip that is taking place in February 2014. They will have a chance to provide feedback to students who were no able to go upon their return. The department is confident that the students will take a mature attitude to the controlled assessment (worth 25% of their GCSE grade) when we being this in the Spring Term. It would be great if you could support them in doing preliminary research about Mao’s China so they are well-equipped to begin their studies!

Year 10 ASDANThe Year 10 ASDAN History Short Course students have been learning about their local area and how Ruislip has changed. The highlight of the year was a special talk by a local historian who showed students photographs of Ruislip from the 19th Century and discussed in detail how this compares to Ruislip today. William Whittington even saw a photograph from the 1880s of a man who grew up on the farm the he now lives on! Special thanks to Mr O’Neill for organising this session.

Year 11Currently Year 11 students are preparing for their Crime and Punishment exam (worth 25% of the GCSE) which will take place in the summer. Students have completed a mock examination in this topic and the department is largely pleased with their results. However, due to the fact that Year 11 will have exams in three separate topics in the summer, it is advised that students are revising continuously for their Nazi Germany and Crime and Punishment exams to ease

their stress levels in June. They have been provided with revision booklets and tasks on the VLE to be getting on with over the Christmas break – parents’ support and encouragement would be most appreciated. The department is excited to be taking many Year 11s on the Berlin trip in February and hopes that this proves useful revision for them, as all of the sites visited are directly relevant to the course. It is an amazing trip!

Year 12Year 12 are half way through studying for their exam units on Britain in the 1960s and USA, 1890-1945. They are coping excellently with the jump from GCSE to A Level History. Many students will be attending a lecture at Brunel University on World War One, by a specialist historian on the topic. The department hopes that this will give them a taste of university History lecture, as many of these students are considering reading a history or history-related degree. The department is extremely proud of the Year 13s after their outstanding results. Many students went above their predicted grades and 3 even achieved an A (Luca Everett, Emily Fishman and Guinevere Nicholls). They are now working extremely hard to prepare for their Historical Enquiry on Civil Rights and their examination on Modern Britain, 1951-2007.

A special thanks to Tracy Kettle for her work overseeing the smooth running of all History trips that have taken place this term.

M. PoultneyCurriculum Leader for History

Parental SurveysOnce again parents will be given the opportunity to express their views about the school through completion of the annual Kirkland Rowell survey at Parents’ Evenings this academic year.

Parents who complete the survey, and leave it in the survey box, will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 of Chimes shopping vouchers (one per year group).

Results of the survey will be analysed and returned to the school by September 2014. The results and following action plan will then be shared at the Parent Focus Group meeting in the Autumn Term.

Year 10 ASDAN History students

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Christmas History Quiz:What happened for the last time on Christmas Day in 1960?a) A white Christmasb) The Post Office delivered letters for the last time on Christmas Dayc) Top-flight football matches took place on Christmas afternoon

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah (which generally occurs around Christmas time) celebrates a victory over which ancient empire?a) The Romansb) The Egyptiansc) The Seleucids

Which of these would NOT have been served for Christmas dinner in medieval Britain?

a) Turkeyb) Goosec) Boar’s head

LORD LONGFORD LECTURE

On Thursday 21st November, eight Ruislip High Sixth Form students took on the role of an usher at the annual Lord Longford Lecture in central London. The lecture was given by Bianca Jagger and was on the topic ‘Ending violence against women.’

The students welcomed guests on their arrival, checked tickets and handed out programmes. At the end they collected money from the members of the audience for the Lord Longford Trust, which supports ex-offenders with fees for higher education.

The lecture was extremely thought-provoking and has led to the students giving any assembly on the topic to younger Year groups. The students and staff were delighted afterwards to meet the guest speaker, Bianca Jagger, who was most pleased to hear about the students’ plans for an assembly. In addition during the reception, they met the ITN news presenter, Jon Snow, who had chaired the lecture; he was so impressed with the students that he has offered to visit Ruislip High School next term.

Quotations by students:

“Having the privilege of being an usher and attending the Lord Longford lecture was a truly inspiring and unforgettable experience.”

Saisha Patel, 13A3

“Listening to Bianca Jagger’s lecture opened my , and everyone’s eyes, to the on-going

violence women are subjected to across the world. The speech was emotional and heartfelt, yet had the power to spur people to want to make a difference.”

Luca Everett, 13A2

“It was an eye-opening experience to listen to a lecture by someone so passionate about a subject that so many people avoid, violence against women. It was motivational to see Bianca Jagger address the women and men attending and left us all with a powerful question; What can we do to make a change?”

Sophie Murphy, 13A3

Dr Lecky, Ms Kidd and the eight Ruislip High students chosen to be ushers with Jon Snow at the Lord Longford Lecture.

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Another term has flown by! Here’s a snippet of what has been happening in Maths:

Core Kick StartThe Core Kick Start programme was held every Wednesday after school during the first half term of school. Its aim was to help build confidence in Maths (students and parents)!The one-hour sessions involved basic number work which was delivered in a friendly and supportive environment. Here are some of the comments made by some of the students:

“Helpful, challenging, enjoyable and fun.”

“It made me not feel too scared about coming to High school and learning Maths”

“It made me feel confident.”

International Education WeekDuring International Education Week, the Maths department delivered lessons on ‘Time Zones’ and why it is important to understand how time zones work. This proved to be a very informative exercise for all students involved.A student from Year 8 said:“I now understand why we get jet-lagged on long distance flights, it all makes sense”.

GCSEsCongratulations to all Year 11s who sat their Maths exams in November!The Year 11s were given the opportunity to sit the exams early and responded brilliantly. Attendance to weekly revision sessions was excellent. The students were also provided with a ‘daily diet’ over half term and a set of daily tasks which ensured they were well prepared for the questions encountered in the exam papers. In addition, students took

part in a full day of maths revision on the day before the second paper. Students will receive their results during the first week after the Christmas break. Good luck!

Family Learning FestivalOn October 22nd, during the Family Learning Evening, the Maths Department invited parents to learning ‘Alternative Methods for doing Long Multiplication’. To start off the session, the families were engaged in working out calculations using only lines which crossed at significant points – most were fascinated at the simplicity yet accuracy of this method. It brought smiles to faces and many wondered why this method had never been shown to them before.The families were then taught two further methods which involved recognising patterns in the numbers which were being multiplied. These methods had more flexibility for their uses, than the starter method. With a little more practice, it was agreed that these were manageable alternatives to the traditional method.Some of the parents described the new methods as “fun and easy to remember”

Interventions

MATHS NEWS

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LRC HELPERSI am overwhelmed with the dedication of all the students who regularly give up their free time before, during and after school to help in the LRC, making it the huge success it is today. I am impressed with the enthusiasm of the new students in Year 7 who are joining the ever-expanding ‘LRC family’. In the three weeks since starting, I have already recruited twenty new students from Years 7 & 8 and held training sessions led by Ben or ‘The Oracle’ as he is affectionately known to us. He is a senior librarian, who has worked in the LRC since starting in Year 7 and knows everything there is to know about the LRC. We have enthusiastic Ellie (Kennealy) and cheerful Charlie (Buck) and keen Kyle (Cox), who have been an amazing help for which I am truly grateful.

THE LRC TEAMThe LRC team of assistants are continuing to gain a lot of careers experience in their excellent management of the LRC desk and other essential duties.I am continuing to benefit from the excellent group of students, all eager to help. They take charge of the desk, issue and return books and laptops on top of all the day-to-day tasks - I would really be lost without them.

A huge thank you to the LRC team of students and teaching assistants and lunchtime supervisors, for all their help, especially making me feel so welcome and making me an honorary member of the ‘LRC family’- you do an amazing job for which I am eternally grateful.It is a pleasure working with you and getting to know you all.

LRC HIVE OF ACTIVITY After being inundated with requests from some very enthusiastic students, I started up the ever popular book club; this is a weekly meeting during Wednesday break times for

Years 7 and 8, where they meet and discuss books they are currently reading; they all do a mini-book review and select their favourite. This is currently being linked to ‘The Hillingdon Secondary Book of the Year Award 2014’, which will take place in June 2014; the students have each selected a book, from the six shortlisted, to read at home. As a group they will select their favourite and present it to an audience at the Winston Churchill Hall. The students are already preparing what they are going to present, with some very interesting ideas emerging.

QUIZ CLUBA Quiz Club has started for the older students which also takes place during Wednesday break time. The first session was quite hilarious and revealed that some students, and one LRC Manager, have a very ‘competitive streak’; it was very enjoyable and is to become a regular event. There will be general quizzes and also themed ones, having soon discovered most of the LRC helpers are huge Dr Who fans; I am determined to uncover who the ultimate is Dr Who expert. So if you love quizzing, please feel free to join by seeing Mrs Austen or Ben in the LRC.

BORROWING AND RETURNING LRC BOOKS The LRC continues to stock a vast selection of books and resources available for students to borrow and enjoy reading for four weeks at a time. The LRC is continually adding to its book stock as student numbers increase and new titles are released.

LRC NEWSI have recently joined Ruislip High as the new Learning Resource Centre (LRC) Manager, following Mrs Smith retiring. I have very big shoes to fill, as I heard she did an amazing job. Having just come from working in an all-girls’ high school for the past six years, it is obviously very different, but as always I am up for the challenge and looking forward to all the exciting opportunities and events ahead.

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Please can I ask that with the increasing number of books, it is more important that books are looked after and kept in a good condition and returned on time so everyone has a chance to read and enjoy them.

ECLIPSE.NETLast week the LRC updated its online library system (‘Eclipse’) to the newer hosted version. Students are able to check books that they have borrowed, they can write book reviews on books and see all the titles available in the LRC in school. Through the database they can search for books by topics, titles and authors. The system also lists all the information on all the books, a photo of the front cover and even a map of the LRC and the number of the shelf the book can be found. It truly is a fantastic addition to the LRC.

CAREERS LIBRARY As the students get older, the school wants to continue to offer as much help and support as possible. The LRC now stock a large selection of university prospectuses. There is an ever-growing collection of information and resources such as books, leaflets and website information. It helps students to understand what can be studied and where, life as a student and costs involved, and the various career paths open to them.

FACILITIES IN THE LRC The LRC continues to open daily Monday – Friday from 8am until 4.30pm and students are able to complete homework at this time with the LRC Manager and teaching assistants.There is a printer and a large of stock of laptops available to use and, of course, the thousands of books and resources too.

MISSING BOOKSFollowing the letter sent home last term to many parents regarding overdue books, the school is really grateful for the number of books that have been returned or money sent in to cover the cost of the missing books. Please can I ask parents to have a good look at home for any books belonging to the LRC; we still have books missing from our shelves and it is so important we have these books available for students to borrow and read, and additionally, the cost of replacing books is extremely high. Should any books

be found, the students can just place them in the Returns Box situated in the LRC; the students are not questioned - we are just extremely grateful for the safe return of our books.

REQUESTS ‘SURPLUS REQUIREMENTS’Do you have any books your son or daughter no longer want, books they have read, but are now just taking up much needed space?If so, and they are in a reasonable condition, we could really use them to supplement our stock in the LRC and would be extremely grateful.

NOW THE FUN STARTSA quiz just for fun!! How many of you will know the answers before resorting to Google?

1. What is the name of Gromit’s University? 2. Who wrote Gulliver’s Travels?3. In which country are the Golan Heights?4. What did Derek Van Bogaerde change his

name to?5. How many books make up the Chronicles

of Narnia?6. Who is the Chief Delaney’s dog in Pet

squad?7. Which UK pop star made a point of

performing in bare feet?8. What does Mardi Gras literally mean?9. In which year was Mahatma Gandhi

assassinated?10. What is a group of whales called?11. What is the opposite of ‘failure’?12. Which footballer was 2001 BBC Sports

Personality of the year?13. The Gatling gun was first used in which

war?14. When is the Queen’s speech delivered?15. Which football team is at home at Anfield?16. Gary Larson is a celebrated what?

Answers in the next edition - ‘Happy quizzing’!!

Mrs AustenLRC Manager

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Year 7It has been lovely to get to know the new Year 7 students this term. They have all now completed most of their ICT induction unit which involved learning core ICT skills, the importance of eSafety and how to touch type. This unit has helped set good foundations that students can build upon throughout their time at Ruislip High. This half term, Year 7 students learned about cutting edge technologies including 3D printing and scanning, the increase use of robots and computer gaming developments. They have all creating their very own websites around this topic. It has been very impressive to see how well students have done with this challenging unit and how creative and user friendly their websites are. Well done Year 7! The students will shortly be creating their own podcasts which we look forward to hearing.

Year 8Year 8 students had an excellent start to the school year and impressed their ICT teachers by gaining such a good understanding of how the inside of a computer works, including the identification of hardware and software elements; they also learned about the history of computing as well as emerging technologies and how they can be used in a practical way.

Year 9Year 9 students have been introduced to GCSE level ICT tasks including database development and interrogation. Students have demonstrated an excellent attitude to the increasingly challenging work.

Year 10Year 10 students have started the brand new GCSE ICT course which involves a 60% controlled assessment. So far they have carried out extensive research, created and used their own databases and spreadsheet models, made their own graphics and are producing their own video clips. Pretty impressive stuff!

Year 11Year 11 are all working extremely hard on finalising their GCSE coursework. They are developing a variety of ICT skills including the effective use of ICT in business, creating sound clips and website development. In order to be successful, students need to demonstrate self discipline and be independent learners. Both GCSE ICT

teachers have commented on how impressed they are with all of their GCSE classes. Students are highly motivated and have produced some work of an excellent standard.

Year 12This is the second year that we have hosted Bishop Ramsey students in our sixth form classes. The ICT department would like to give a warm welcome to the new Year 12 students who have started their A level ICT course with us. The majority of students find that there is a big jump from GCSE to A level and that a lot more independent learning is expected of them. Year 12 students have started the year working on AS level ICT theory. This has included learning about data and knowledge management, key concepts behind advanced relational database and spreadsheet development, software and hardware components and IT security. They have now started a variety of coursework tasks which will involve using advanced spreadsheet and database skills including some programming.

Year 13Our Year 13 students had a great start to the year with impressive AS results; all Ruislip High students achieved at least one or two grades above their target grade. Students have been very focused and are working hard to maintain or even improve their results for the full A level. All students are working on individual database projects for their own clients; this dissertation-like piece of work is worth 40% of the year and involves working across the entire software lifecycle, a good deal of written work and it gives students the chance to develop their own technical skills in a commercial environment.

Both the Year 12 and 13 classes have been working extremely hard and deserve a well-earned break over Christmas; although they will still need to find time to complete some ICT work too!

It was very sad to say goodbye to the previous Year 13 ICT students last summer. All students achieved excellent ICT A level results with almost all achieving at least their target grade or above and all students attaining the grade they required to get the university places. Well done and good luck to our very first Ruislip High student cohort.

ICT NEWS

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Year 7Following a very positive start, Year 7 students have continued to work well; they started the term by looking at how to be good friends and to help others. This was evident through a very generous harvest hamper that students collected and donated to Crisis, a homeless organisation that works across London. 7C won points for collecting the most items and 7A for the best decorated hamper. Students then investigated their rights, rules and responsibilities and how different religions celebrate various festivals of light at this time of year. They have just returned from a successful trip to St Albans to see the Verulamium Museum and to Hazard Alley where students had the opportunity to have practical advice on what to do in different situations.

Year 8Year 8s started the year by looking at how they are influenced by people around them and the impact this can have on the decisions they make. They looked at the dangers and implications of smoking on their lives and those around them. Students have just finished researching the lives of a variety of influential people who has changed the life of lots of individuals in a positive way. Students presented the information they researched to the class; there were many excellent presentations and clearly a lot of effort had gone into them. Religion was a key influence in many of the lives the students researched; students are currently finding out more about

each religion and the impact it can have on people’s lives.

Year 9Year 9 students have been thinking about decisions they make and the consequences of their actions. They have researched how the British criminal system works, come to their own conclusions about punishments that are issued, culminating with a mock trial in which students took on a role and delivered a verdict. Students have compared the options that are open to them with regards ‘the world of work’ and those in other countries. In particular, they have considered the advantages and disadvantages of child labour, including other options that may create a fairer system. They have also been thinking about their own future with regards to options and careers.

Year 10 and 11Since September Year 10 and 11, students have started an RE GCSE short course; so far they have looked at the beliefs of each religion in particular Christianity and Islam. They have also considered why some people believe in God and others don’t, including how someone’s beliefs might help them to be able to answer different questions. Year 11 students have just successfully completed their mock exams which we have been very pleased with.

CULTURAL STUDIES NEWS

Christmas History Quiz Answers:

Question 1 Answer: In 1960 the Post Office delivered letters for the last time on Christmas Day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland ended Christmas Day deliveries a few years later.

Question 2 Answer: The Jewish festival of Hanukkah is based on the story of a Jewish victory over the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Seleucids had invaded Judea in the 2nd century BC and attempted to make the Jews there follow Greek customsWhich of these would NOT have been served for Christmas dinner in medieval Britain?

Question 3 Answer: Turkeys, being of north American origin, would not have been served at a medieval Christmas dinner. They were, however, commonly eaten by the 16th century. Goose, boar’s head and even peacock were traditionally eaten for this meal.

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Year 13Year 13 students have been making progress towards their two A2 exams. This term they have been focusing on four compulsory topics for Unit 3, Contested Planet: water conflicts, energy security, biodiversity under threat, and superpower geographies. Students study these topics as discreet units while also considering their synoptic links for the exam. In the Spring term, students study the final two topics in this unit (the development gap and the technological fix) while also starting work on Unit 4, Geographical Research, where they will read from a wide variety of books, journals and news publications in preparation for writing a 70-mark report. Five students in the Year 13 class achieved Grade A at AS level and the department is hoping for similar success at A2 in the summer.

Year 12Sixth form students have so far been working through the syllabus of AS Unit 1, Global Challenges, which is divided into two topics: World at Risk (largely Physical Geography), and Going Global (largely Human Geography). Students will sit a practice past A-Level exam paper for this in January then begin the second part of AS Geography: Unit 2 Geographical Investigations. This unit develops students’ active fieldwork and research skills, and will be based on our two field trips, a one-day study visit to London in January, and a three-day residential study visit to North Norfolk in March. The department is very much looking forward to these A-Level field trips and it hopes for all students to be pleased with their AS results in the summer.

Year 11The four Year 11 GCSE Geography classes have spent much of this term producing their coursework projects – a study of the River Wey based on the field trip to Swanage in July. They have learnt many new data presentation and analysis techniques. The projects are marked internally and the department is very pleased with the quality of the work produced.

Year 11 students have two exams to prepare for in the summer: Unit 1 Physical Geography and Unit 2 Human Geography. Both of these exams are worth 37.5% of the final grade, with the coursework project making up the remaining 25%.

The department has created several GCSE

revision tasks for the VLE. It’s never too early to start revising the six GCSE topics using your folders and the VLE!

Year 10The four Year 10 GCSE classes are studying four topics this year: Water on the Land; Restless Earth; Changing Urban Environments; and Coastal Zone. Almost all students are taking part in a three-day residential field trip to Swanage in July 2014. On this trip students will collect fieldwork data first hand for their controlled assessment coursework. We will be studying the River Wey as well as the area’s World Heritage coastline. Study sites include: Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Swanage Bay, Studland Bay and Barton-on-Sea.

Year 9Year 9 students started the term by studying why countries are in different states of development, and the reasons behind this. They particularly enjoyed playing the Trading Game, through which they learnt about how a country’s imports and exports can affect its overall level of development. Students then carried out a detailed assessment on why shanty towns exist around Cape Town in South Africa, and how these can be improved over time.

Year 9 are now studying South America, focussing on Brazil. They have studied the history of Brazil being colonised by Portugal, and why four million slaves were used in the past to cut sugar cane. They have also learnt about some of the key issues facing the country today, such as the burning of rainforest to provide cattle pasture to meet world demand for beef.

Year 8Year 8 students have spent the term examining the causes and effects of various natural hazards, and our response to them. In the first half term, students studied the effects of ongoing volcanic eruptions on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. In the second half term, Year 8 have learnt about the causes and effects of earthquakes in the USA. They then studied the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and how efforts are being made to make sure people living in coastal locations are forewarned should an event of this magnitude ever happen again.

Year 8 also enjoyed their visit to the Natural History Museum in December, where

GEOGRAPHY NEWS

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they learnt more about natural hazards, ecosystems, and also enjoyed an interactive Geography and Science lesson.

Year 7Year 7 students have made an excellent start in this subject. They spent the first few weeks of term getting to know their way around an atlas, learning the locations of countries and continents, as well as the meaning of key regional terms such as Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. Students learnt how to locate points on the Earth’s surface using latitude and longitude, and the names of key reference points around the world such as the Equator and Prime Meridian.

Year 7s then studied the UK’s longest river, the Severn, and how it goes through great changes as it flows from its source to its mouth. They learned many associated key words, such as what is meant by an estuary.

The final Year 7 topic of this term has been map skills. Students have become proficient

map readers, being able to recognise symbols, use grid references and understand scale. They can also use distances and direction to describe routes. This topic ended with a study of the map of the British Isles, where students learnt about its countries, cities, rivers and mountain ranges.

Mr Alison, Head of Geography/Humanities

Alpe Dhuez 2014.In January there will be a sheet to sign up for beginner ski lessons outside Mr Lordan’s Art Room. Staff will be taking students after school in the school mini-bus to Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre. All beginner lessons are three hours over three separate occasions.

There will be a final ski trip parents’ and students’ evening in February /March to finalise all details of this exciting ski trip.

Ski USA 2015.There has been unprecedented interest in this trip. A total of 72 students returned their first deposits, and the travel company supplying us with this trip have agreed that we can take all 72 students to the USA. This is amazing news.

There will be a ski evening in October/November 2014.

The overall winner of the school Christmas Card competition was Ella Pierre (7S) who ispictured below. Her design, which reflectsthe competition theme of ‘Freedom’, has been made into a Christmas card.

Lucy Hayward (12A2) won the school’sPhotography Competition. Lucy’s photo, which is entitled ‘Autumn Wonderland’, captures a beautiful autumnal scene. Lucy’s photo was framed and presented to Professor Benjamin Zephaniah at the Presentation Evening. He now proudly has it in his office at Brunel University.

CREATIVITY SHINES

SKIING TRIP UPDATE

Shamsher Singh, 7D and his mum enjoy making a volcano model during

the Geography session at the Family Learning Event.

Ella Pierre, 7S with her winning Christmas Card design.

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Year 7Year 7 students have continued the autobiography work they started in primary school by planning and creating their own video diaries, exploring their feelings about starting Ruislip High School. There have been some very dramatic presentations and the students have enjoyed making, but even more so watching, their presentations.

Students are currently studying a range of Myths and Legends, focusing on the exciting tale of Perseus and Medusa. Their imaginations are well developed and we clearly have many talented writers in this year group.

Year 7 students have a fortnightly ‘Let’s Think’ lesson in English, considering ideas key to the study of English but in imaginative ways. Students have been enjoying exploring ethical dilemmas to consider the motivation of characters.

Congratulations to George Deacon and Max Jones 7A, Louis Shiner and Georgina Warner 7B, Conner Hogg and Nicole Kosmider 7C, Goncalo Ferreira-Rocha and Shae Tyson 7D, Kayleigh Holland and Harry Castella 7F, Ella Pierre and Stephen Graham 7S and Sam Doherty and Jacob Gillman 7W for winning English awards for effort and achievement.

Year 8Year 8 students have read a range of gothic horror stories and written and illustrated their own terrifying tales. They are now reading and analysing a range of poems from a variety of poets across history, focusing on two poems by Grace Nicholls.

Congratulations to Lucy Garner and Kyle Cox for winning awards for effort and achievement.

Year 9Year 9 students have studied a range of writing styles to do with journalism, including newspaper articles, editorials and satirical cartoons.

They are currently studying a class novel; either Animal Farm by George Orwell, Fleshmarket by Nicola Morgan or Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman.

Congratulations to George Alden and Abdallah Abbas for winning awards for effort and achievement.

Year 10Year 10 students have made a brilliant start to their GCSEs, completing two Controlled Assessments, one focusing on characters in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and the second being a creative piece where students write a letter to their eleven year old self.

Congratulations to Anurag Mathur and George Beckwith for winning awards for effort and achievement.

Year 11Year 11 students worked incredibly hard in the run up to their exam on November 5th, and we look forward to celebrating their success on results day on January 9th. However, there is no rest in Year 11 and the students are now working hard towards their English Literature GCSE, studying a range of poetry linked by the theme of Character and Voice.

As part of this, 68 students attended Poetry Live! on December 6th, where poets, including poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, the brilliant John Agard and the engaging Simon Armitage, read and discussed poems that appear on the GCSE English syllabus. The chief examiner from AQA was also present to offer advice on how to answer the questions in the exam.

Congratulations to Charlotte Pitt and Daniel Herbert for winning awards for effort and achievement.

Year 12English LanguageEnglish Language students have been learning about all the elements of English Language that they use every day without realising, from noun phrases to assonance. They are now studying Language and Gender, and considering the differences in how men

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and women use language and how the two genders are represented in language. The students are also working on their coursework, which involves creating two original pieces of writing.

English LiteratureThe English Literature group has been getting to grips with Victorian Literature, from Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ to John Fowles’ pseudo-Victorian novel ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’. They are enjoying the poetry of the Brontes and, now they know their subject really well, they are beginning their coursework.

Year 13English LanguageEnglish Language A2 students have been studying language in depth, considering how

children learn to speak, read and write. They are also working hard on their coursework, investigating an area of language of interest to them, with topics including analysing the language of teachers in the classroom.

English LiteratureIn English Literature, students are preparing for their exam which focuses on Love Through the Ages, reading a range of texts from Greek myths to Shakespearean plays and preparing for modern texts, whilst considering all aspects of love such as forbidden and unrequited love. For their coursework, students have studied Ian McEwan’s ‘Enduring Love’, Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ and Tennessee Williams’ play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.

Since September students have been learning about the rules and methods of formal debating. Recently, members have held impressive debates on motions such as: ‘This house believes that capital punishment is an effective deterrent’ and ‘This house believes that the voting age should be reduced to 16’. Members of the Sixth Form have been helping out as part of their Enrichment Programme. Ashley Cooper (10B) said, ‘An excellent club that inspires competitiveness and helps with confidence and cooperation’. Ms Keenan is hopeful that they will soon be strong enough to start competing against other schools!

DEBATING SOCIETY NEWS

Students from the Debating Society get involved in a balloon debate with Ms Keenan.

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ART AND DESIGN NEWSYear 13 Art and Design

Year 13 Art students have begun the process of applying for Degree and Foundation courses in art and design. They will have to complete a Personal Investigation of at least 1500 words into an artist or artistic style/movement in order to complete their A level studies.

Year 12 As Art and DesignYear 12 Art students have just completed their first coursework portfolio project on Movement. Working from the summer of Year 11 to late November, students have created over twenty pieces of artwork, culminating in a large double A1 painting showing Movement. The students are now working on a small personal and independent project on the theme of ‘Movement’. They will begin their exam preparation in February 2014.

Year 11 Art and Design.Year 11 students are working on their final GCSE image for their Coursework Portfolio. This final image will be painted, drawn and collaged onto A1 paper; this represents all the detailed research that they have undertaken on their Natural Forms project. Their sketchbooks show a range of ideas and techniques that link cultural patterns with animal patterns and the work of: Chris Ofili, Franz Marc Edward Munch, Robert Rauschenberg, and Shepard Fairey.

Year 11 have a three-hour mock Art exam on Wednesday 12 December. In the exam they will continue with their final artwork.The deadline for submission of their sketchbook is Friday 13th December.

Year 10 Art and Design Year 10 have made a great start to their GCSE. We have three groups this year studying Art and Design. Working through a theme of ‘Distortion’, students have studied

the work of MC Escher, Marc Chagall and Picasso and are now researching the artwork of William Morris. Using observation of leaves as a starting point, students will create repeat symmetrical patterns.

Year 9 Art and DesignYear 9 students are currently finishing their paintings of their own rooms based on their Personal Values. Referencing the artwork of Magritte, students have been able to explore the use of collage and scaling to create their own room. By using paint and mixing and blending colours, students are developing their painting skills.After Christmas, students will start a new project on Pop Art. Their first homework for this project will be to bring in sweet wrappers collected from the Christmas period. These sweet wrappers will form the basis of their project on Pop Art.

Year 8 Art and DesignYear 8 students have made a good start to their year. They have successfully created flickbooks of their own short animated story. Year 8 are now studying their second unit of work: Sculpture. This unit of work will see students learning about the work of three famous sculptors, namely, Claes Oldenburg, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. After Christmas, students will be making their own sculptures from clay.

Year 7 Art and DesignYear 7 students have been taught about colour theory and portraits. Students have studied the artwork of Charles Searle, Picasso, Kandinsky and Shepard Fairey. Year 7 students are starting to put together ideas for their own self portrait, using some of the techniques that they have learnt about.

The Art session at the Family Learning Event.

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The new cohort of Year 7s, who joined Ruislip High School in September, have made an excellent start to their secondary school career. The school is extremely proud of the way they have adapted to the challenges they faced during this transition and how they have made the most of the exciting opportunities that Ruislip High School provides.

In terms of attendance, Year 7 is the Year group to beat! They have been top of the attendance league every week since the start of the Autumn Term, which is an outstanding achievement. This is because one hundred and forty-nine Year 7 students have an impressive 97% or higher attendance score.

Furthermore, their behaviour and effort has shown that they are rising to the high expectations of Ruislip High School. An astounding one hundred and thirty-one students currently have five or fewer ‘warning checks’ in their planners; this means they are in line for a place on the reward trip at the end of this year!

As a Year group, Year 7 have been focusing on being kind and building their teamwork skills through assemblies this term. These have discussed topics such as ‘Being Courteous’, ‘Friendship’, ‘What makes a great team?’ (with a little bit of help from Sir Alex Ferguson!) and ‘How to Have a Can-Do Attitude’.

During tutorial times, Year 7 have taken part in literacy or numeracy challenges for one session a week, designed by the school’s Literacy and Numeracy Co-ordinators. In their other session, they have been improving their time-management and organisational skills through the Year 7 Tutorial Programme, as well as moving on to examine how they can live healthier lifestyles.

Year 7 have also been using their tutorial time to prepare for a number of whole-school events. They spent sessions before the October half term preparing for the mock trial which was a part of Freedom Day, which led to some exceptional legal arguments on the day itself! More recently, they have been reflecting on their first reports from Ruislip High School and using this data to set themselves meaningful targets to ensure and monitor their own progress. They also prepared as a form for the excitement of the Ruislip High School Winter Fair! All the forms worked extremely hard on designing their products, stalls and costumes, representing a range of Christmas traditions from around the world at the Fair: Brazil (7A), USA (7B), France (7C), Luxembourg (7D), Mexico (7F), China (7S) and Madagascar (7W).

From all of this, it is clear that Year 7 have made an exceptional start to their time at secondary school and we have no doubt that they will continue to flourish as they go from ‘grass roots’ to ‘reaching for the sky’ at Ruislip High School.

SILVER SEVENS

Abbie Smith, 7F and Jessica Wade, 7F

Harmony Higgins, 7A

Year 7s enjoying lunchtime in the Atrium.

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From asteroids to galaxies and black holes, this newsletter takes you on a journey of space exploration that reveals all the little stars and supernovas that make the Science department universe.

First the Science department are going to blast off and land on the planet Mercury. This planet belongs to the Year 7s. On Mercury, these Key Stage 3 junior space cadets hurtle around the department faster than any other planet due to their orbit at Ruislip High being the shortest. This little world is the smallest in the department; they have started very positively and have covered the following topics: Burning, Cells and (appropriately) The Solar System. The Year 7 classes have recently been introduced to a new series of ‘Let’s Think’ lessons designed to improve their thinking skills and proven to lead to better GCSE results. Thank you to all the Year 7s who helped out with the Year 6 open evening. Hopefully those primary school students that attended will be inspired to join the science department’s space program next year!

Best Student in Year 7: Devante Tengende 7F

Most Improved Student in Year 7: Nicole Kosmider 7C

Continuing on the journey, the Science department lands on the planet Venus; this belongs to Year 8 cadets. Gaining in mass, the Year 8 cadets are now nearly half-way through their Key Stage 3 training. They have covered the following topics: Energy. Like the Year 7s, the Year 8s have also been introduced to the new series of ‘Let’s Think’ lessons.

Best Student in Year 8: Marcelo Bovill 8A

Most Improved Student in Year 8: Daniel Club 8B

Let’s now continue the adventure and go to the ‘red’ planet, Mars. Thought by many to be a lifeless planet, Mars is where the Year

9s are finishing their Key Stage 3 training. This term, the Year 9 cadets have covered the flowing topics: Classification, Forensics, Energy and Metals. The Science faculty have also introduced some ‘stepping stones’ to GCSE assignments to prepare the cadets for the next stage of their education.

Best Student in Year 9: Rawn Seale

Most Improved Student in Year 9: Navpreet Sekhon

The Year 10s have embarked the GCSE stage of their space training, establishing an outpost on planet Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System and this is a big year for the Year 10s. They are now well into their AQA GCSE studies in the core units for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. In Biology they have covered: Healthy Bodies, Coordination and Control, and Drugs: Use and Abuse. In Chemistry students have covered: Fundamental Ideas in Chemistry, Rocks and Building Materials, and Metals from Rocks. In Physics they have covered:

SCIENCE NEWS

Families enjoyed the Science session at the Family Learning Event.

Chemistree

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Radiation and the Universe.Following restructuring by the government, all students will sit their GCSE core examinations in the summer. The BTEC students also continue to work hard and are building up their folders of completed assignments. The BTEC students will be the first to face the new BTEC examination in the New Year and the science department are currently preparing them for this.

Best Student in Year 10: Anurag Mathur

Most Improved Student in Year 10: Carla Gillis

Now to visit the second largest planet in our Solar System, Saturn. All of the Year 11 have set up their base on Saturn and are preparing to run rings around their Additional Science topics. In Biology, students have studied: Cells and Cell Structure, Plants, and Communities of Organisms and Their Environment. In Chemistry students have covered: Atoms, Elements and Compounds; Structures; and Relative Masses of Atoms. Meanwhile the Year 11 BTEC students continue to work hard towards achieving their extended certificates.

Best Students in Year 11: Georgia Aubrey & Kate Boundy

Most Improved Student in Year 11: Waqar Araf

The Year 12s have begun the penultimate stage of their space training - AS Level Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Psychology on Uranus. These students have travelled far and are now enthusiastically embracing the greater workload that comes with this level of training. The science department are optimistic of some excellent grades when they sit their exams in June.

Best Student in Year 12:Harry Eagan

Most Improved Student in Year 12:Daniel Nikpou

On the distant planet of Neptune, the Year 13s have embarked on the final stage of training before our fledgling astronauts leave our Solar System and go to college or find jobs in outer space!

Best Student in Year 13:Luca Everett

Most Improved Student in Year 13:Debalaya Ghosh

Media Studies has had an exciting start this term with the school’s investment in a brand new Mac lab! This has been a fantastic addition to the department as it will enable students to produce top quality coursework using industry standard software such as Final Cut Pro.

This term, Year 12 and Year 13 have been busy creating their production work with Year 12 focusing on producing an opening sequence for an original film and Year 13 producing a range of products such as music videos, film trailers or a documentary.

The students have shown an outstanding level of commitment with the projects and have really engaged with the various production roles, such as director, editor or cinematographer.

Daniella in Year 12 told us, “Media has been very productive this half term. I am really enjoying it so far. Our whole class has come up with really creative ideas for their films and I cannot wait to see all the production pieces once they are finished.”

The production will be completed in early 2014.

MEDIA STUDIES NEWS

The brand new Mac lab

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Here is a brief overview of what students have been studying in drama this term:

Year 7Year 7 began the year by exploring mime then after half term studied the story of “Beowulf” using explorative strategies such as narration, soundscape, teacher in role and role play.

Year 8Year 8 began by exploring ‘Sam’s Story’ using a range of explorative strategies and developing their own responses to stimulus. After half term, they explored the plight of the evacuees in WW2, using empathy to create realistic characters and exploring situations such as being in a bomb shelter.

Year 9 Year 9 began by looking at the psychology and motivations of a character. After half term, they then studied civil rights focusing on Rosa Parks and the bus boycott.

Year 10 Year 10 have experienced a mock unit 1 exam. After Christmas, students will be preparing for their performance evening in January.

Year 11Year 11 have completed their Unit 2 exam which is worth 30% of their final grade. Well done for all the hard work.

Year 12Year 12 have been working on Unit 1 which involves the study of two contrasting texts Ibsen’s “A Dolls House” and Cartwright’s “Road.”

Year 13Year 13 have been working on their approaches to devising for Unit 3 and have begun to explore their set text “Doctor Faustus” in preparation for Unit 4.

Performance Evenings“Grease” Whole School Production Congratulations to all the cast who worked so hard to produce the school’s second whole-school production “Grease” read more on page 35.

Extra – Curricular: Theatre Visits

Year 11 - “Woman In Black” Tuesday 17th September

Students went to see the terrifying ghost play for their Unit 2 controlled assessment. Several students were suitably scared and enjoyed the talented performances.

Yr 12/13 “Dolls House” on Tuesday 1st October. The drama and English departments went on a joint trip to see one of the set texts for both subjects. The award-winning production caused lots of interesting analytical conversation from both students and staff after the performance.

Yr 12/13 “Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui” on Tuesday 5th November This Brecht classic set in 1930s Gangster Chicago posed some troubling political suggestions to the audience alongside the comic, satirical performance. Outstanding characterisation was created for the lead role of Ui, giving the students much to discuss.

Year 7 “Jack and The Beanstalk” Pantomime trip 12th and 13th December. As part of the enrichment day activities, Year 7 went to watch and take part in workshops at The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.

Year 12/13 “Antigone” @ RADA studios Friday 13th December The final trip of the year for the Sixth Form was to the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Students watched the hilarious Splendid Productions interpretation of “Antigone” using only three actors to create this Greek classic. Side splitting comedy was used to ensure clear understanding of the plot and characters using a Brechtian performance style.

Thank you for all of your support with these visits. It is really beneficial for the students to see as much professional work as possible to help them with their own work in school.

DRAMA NEWS

The cast of ‘Grease’

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Drama Dates for the Diary

KS4 Performance Evening – Yr 10 Tuesday 28th January 2014Year 10 Drama students will be performing to friends, family and staff from a selection of plays and devised work. Please support the Year 10s by coming along to watch. Tickets available from the main reception. The evening will start at 6:30pm in the Drama Studio.

Yr 8 Theatre Visit: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Wednesday 29th January 2014Don’t be an Umpa Lupa, get you golden tickets in to see this brand new West End production.

Year 10/11 Theatre Visit to see “One Man Two Guvoners” on Wednesday 12th February 2014The KS4 drama students are off to watch this award winning comedy to help the Year 10s prepare for the Unit 2 work and to give the Year 11s inspiration for their Unit 1 and 3 exams.

The Art Department was selected to host one of twelve free creative workshops organised by Art on The Underground, A New Direction and Reachout from The Royal College of Art. Ruislip High was extremely lucky, as lots of schools in London took part in initial competition.

The workshop was led by professional artist, Holly Graham from the Royal College of Art. The workshop was in relation to Labyrinth by Turner prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger; this is a permanent contemporary art commission for the London Underground all in aid for the 150th anniversary of London Underground.

On the day of the workshop, ten Year 8 and nine Year 9 students took part. In groups, students created an imaginative journey; from this students then designed and created their own wooden tiles based on a section of the imaginative journey. Students learned a lot of new techniques including printing.

They had an amazing day creating unique artwork! It was unique experience for students to work with a professional artist and to create work which potentially can be exhibited on the London underground.

The artwork is going to put into a publication and most possibly put on display at either Ruislip Gardens tube station or a larger more central London tube station.

ART ON THE UNDERGROUND

The students taking part in the creative workshop.

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PE NEWSRuislip High PE department have proudly introduced swimming and personal survival as an option for Year 10 students within PE. The first ever session started on the 13th November 2013. Students are taken by coach to Uxbridge pool, where they receive an hour of coaching for either swimming or personal survival. Then return to school by 3pm.

Ruislip Gardens joins Ruislip High for PEAnother first this year has involved the following students teaching PE lessons for the Year 3 and Year 4 students from Ruislip Gardens:

The Year 11s are completing a leadership unit for their GCSE PE course. For this unit they are required to lead a number of PE lessons, whereby they coach/teach students through a sport of their choice for a minimum of four sessions. So far the feedback provided by both students and staff at Ruislip Gardens has been extremely positive. Students have shown great confidence, enthusiasm, clear knowledge of their sports and empathy when relaying information to students.

Year 7 and Year 8 borough cross countryRuislip High continued their excellent record in the Year 7 and Year 8 boys/girls borough cross country which took place on 3rd December.

The race was held locally at Vyners playing fields. All students were selected from the cross country club and were a pleasure throughout the event. Highlights include Abigail Ballard’s third place, with the top three finishing only metres apart and Owen Hodson’s seventh place finish in the boys race. Both races had approximately 70 students.

Well done to the below students:

Max jones*Curtis Jousiffe Louis shinerOwen Hodson 8thJacob Gulman 12thDevante TegandaAbigail Ballard 3rdNiamh Reynolds 7thNicole Leys 14th

*on separate note Max has his Karate black belt grading over the next two weeks, a fantastic achievement for a boy of his age.

The Harrow Cross Country competitionThe Harrow Cross Country competition was again hosted at Bannister Stadium and it was an event that Ruislip High played a big part in. The set up saw the boys compete first with lots of outstanding performances from those students currently taking GCSE PE. There was some rivalry between the Year 11s and Year 10s who would be racing competitively against each other for the first time. This time Year 10s came out on top, with Bradley Baker putting in an impressive performance within the leading pack of athletes. A week later and it was the girls’ turn. Once again there was some representation from those students taking GCSE PE, with Hollie Mason worthy of a special mention for her efforts in the KS4 race. However, it was the Year 7 girls that stole the show, with all four members of the team finishing in the top 20 athletes, meaning that Ruislip High School took third place in the Year 8 Girls Team Event. This looks like a team that will go onto to perform very highly in the months to come and with the Hillingdon Borough Competition approaching quickly...who knows?

Netball ClubCongratulations to all members of the netball club and teams. This year all students have shown such commitment to the club attending week in, week out! The club has had attendance of up to sixty students, which has helped the school achieve great wins so far this season. Stand out players, who have gained ‘Girl of the match’ this year are Nia Grundy, Niamh Reynolds (Year 7), Missy Goodchild (Year 8), Anya Szelewska and Ruby Hill (Year 9). The teams now look forward to playing the last few games after Christmas

Arundel, Taylor 11FBaulch, Harry 11SButler, George 11AFowler, Adam 11FHerbert, Daniel 11AHutchison, Olivia 11FHutson, Edward 11AKenzitt, Sadie 11AMcGlinchey, Fearghal 11SMinetti, Victoria 11ANorman, Stephanie 11SThompson, Matthew 11AMitchell, Jake 11FWright, Tyler 11F

Araf, Waqar 11CArnett, Samuel 11CBaldry, Lewis 11BDawson, Ben 11CFitzpatrick, Shannon 11BHarden, Sean 11BHirji, Sami 11CHope, Jessica 11BKavanagh, Chloe 11WKirkby, Jack 11CO’Donoghue, Reece 11BRogan, Conor 11CScanlon, Niall 11CSpencer, Lucy 11WStephenson, James 11B

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and taking part in the tournaments where the school hope to be even more successful. Well done ladies!

Year 7 Netball Team:Niamh Renyold, Jade Hope, Charlie Bennett, Nia Grundy, Ellie Loftus, Saharla Warsame, Lucy Cole and Abigail Ballard

Results:RHS vs Northwood College 7-5 Loss RHS vs Uxbridge High 7-5 loss

Year 8 Netball Team:Caitlyn Mace, Evie Hanson-Smith, Sagal Mohamed, Khadra Mohamed, Tamara Lipinska, Leah Bouhada, Thandeka Lanlehin, Hager Elgen, Rebecca Busby and Lucy Garner

Results: RHS vs Northwood College 16-9 WinRHS vs Uxbridge High 8-0 win

Year 9 Netball Team:Anya Szelewska, Ruby Hill, Angela Limbo, Chelsea Finnigan, Eva Irvine, Kathryn Naylor, Pireyanha Subramanian, Elouisa Bell, Rebecca Hammond, Izabela Jones, Isabelle Charge

Results: RHS vs Bishopshalt 7-5 loss RHS vs Vyners School 6-6 DrawRHS vs Uxbridge High 4-3 Win

Year 7 FootballThe new Year 7s have had a difficult start to their Ruislip High Careers, with a first game defeat to the vastly experienced Glyn school. Despite this loss, the Year 7s showed great character and enthusiasm and started off brightly against Vyners. Unfortunately not capitalising on their early endeavor left a sour taste in their mouths as they came unstuck largely in the second half. Again with Queensmead, the Year 7s put on a strong first half performance but faded away in the second, resulting in a third loss.

Despite the results there have been many positives to mention, with notable performances from Luke Massingham (who captains the county side) who has already made his debut in the Year 8s side this year. Well done Luke!

Furthermore the enthusiasm amongst the Year 7s for football has been tremendous, and this is largely thanks to the successful ‘Above & Beyond’ programme. With between

thirty to forty students attending training each week, the PE department are confident that with the continued strong character and hard work ethic shown so far, this Ruislip team could have a lot to offer in the future.

Year 8 Football The Year 8s started the year looking to build on a fantastic 2012/13 season, having reached the quarter finals of the Middlesex Cup and the final of the Hillingdon Borough Plate. The first few games, however, proved tough and the team had soon found themselves out of the National Cup and facing defeat to Vyners in the Borough competition. The boys kept the faith and knew that they needed to find some consistency in their performances. Their efforts paid off. They bounced back from 3 – 1 down against Queensmead to tie the game 3 – 3, thanks to a hat-trick from Tom Loftus and some magnificent saves from Daniel Clubb in goal. The team then went onto reach the last 16 of the Middlesex Cup, only to be defeated 5 – 4 by Douay Martyrs, not bad considering at one stage Ruislip High had found themselves 5 – 1 down; they clawed their way back into the game with a great second half performance, all led by their captain Stanley Crisp and a hat trick for Hugh Nolan from the midfield.

The success of the Year 8s season now rests upon their game against Harefield. A win and the team will be in the semi-final of the Borough Cup…a loss!....well let’s not thinks about that! Let’s just wish them luck and hope they put on a display that they can be proud of.

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Year 9 Football The Year 9s have had their best season to date getting through to the semi-finals of the Borough Cup, the fourth round of the English Schools Cup and the quarter finals of the Middlesex Cup. The Middlesex Cup and the Borough Cup rounds are still to be played.Some highlights include a 2-1 win against Dr Challanors, with two goals from Rawn Seale this helped them progress to the third round of the National Cup. Also a convincing Year 9s team won against Vyners 8- 0 a fantastic result, which kept the Year 9 team involved in all competitions and got Rawn Seale another Hat- trick.

A 3-1 victory against Isleworth and Syon, with two goals from George Hanson Smith, put the Year 9s into the quarter finals of the Middlesex Cup.

Finally, the Year 9s lost their second game of the season in a close game that finished 3-2. Goals from Joe Donoghue and Rawn Seale nearly put the team into the fifth round of the National Cup! Well done for a fantastic cup run and start to the season.

Year 10 FootballThe Year 10s started the season in positive spirits and were well motivated to give the season their best efforts. They reached the third round of the National Cup, second round of the Middlesex Cup and have reached the quarter finals of the Borough Cup.

Highlights included 4-2 victory against Vyners, with an excellent performance from Bradley Baker and Daniel Abbott who got the winning goals. Whilst losing 2-1 against Queensmead, the team had a last minute equaliser from Bradley Baker ruled out by offside, otherwise a great performance from the Year 10s. Hopefully they have better luck in the finals.

Year 11 FootballWhilst the team showed great enthusiasm under the leadership of Mr Moynihan; if effort and team spirit won games then the Year 11s would bring home trophies. Unfortunately goals did not come their way and neither did victories. Some excellent performances this season from Harry Baulch and Adam Fowler.

BasketballThe basketball team is now up and running. Students need to attend basketball club on Wednesdays to get into the team; fixtures will start coming soon. There have been good attendances and there is now an excellent coach every Wednesday.

RugbyThe rugby season has got off to a slow start at Ruislip High this year, but the same could not be said about the Year 8 team in their game against Haydon. They pressured Haydon right from the off, seemingly full of confidence from the steep learning curve they had faced at the Abbotsfield tournament the year before. Their dominance, however, was short lived and going into the final minutes of the game they were still trailing by one try. Then came a moment that will live long in the memories, the referee had the whistle in his mouth ready to blow for time, waiting for the

PE NEWS CONTINUED

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ball to go into touch…but it never did. Instead Ruislip High turned over possession and the ball came to the hands of Samir Hassan. With 15m between him and the try line, he had a lot to do and that one mistake would see the game brought to an end. Samir made a

wonderful run showing good speed, strength and agility and finished it all off by placing the ball down for a try. The whistle went…the game was tied! The comeback had come off in the dying seconds and the boys, as one can imagine, were thrilled. Well done Year 8.

As part of the first five Let’s Think Science lessons, students focus on the advanced reasoning of the control, and exclusion, of variables. The students are given the challenge to create a game for Year 6 primary school students to help them understand variables and their respective values.

The current Year 7 students have worked extremely hard on their games and have had the opportunity to play them in a lesson where they scored each other’s games. The results so far are:

7WWinnerHarry Castella and Luke Massingham2nd PlaceKayleigh Holland and Samantha Holland 3rd PlaceAbbie GleesonRunner-upBilly Rooney, Jack Taylor and Saharla Warsame

7BJoint WinnerNia GrundyAnnalise Robinson and Isabella Parkin3rd PlaceMaisie Taylor

Runner-up Lucy Cole, Nickraj Pannu, Niamh Reynolds and Georgina Warner

7CWinnerGeorgia Cooper and Molly Hickery2nd PlaceCaitlin Ammon and Maisie Mills3rd PlaceNicole KosmiderRunner-upAlex Peters and James Hillier

Once all the forms have completed their games and the winners chosen, the students, in each form who have come first, second or third, will have the opportunity to take their game to Ruislip Gardens to allow the Year 6 students to play the games and judge the overall winner. The overall winner will be announced in the next edition of the newsletter.

“Making my game helped me understand more because writing my questions made it much easier to understand about variables and it’s variables” Niamh Reynolds, 7B

“Making my game was very fun as it made me understand more about values and variables” Mark Lewington, 7B

LET’S THINK SCIENCE GAMES

Students enjoyed playing the games they had created. Left and centre: 7W. Right: 7B.

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Food TechnologyThe Year 11 students are working on their coursework, but the deadline is rapidly approaching.

In Year 9 the students have expanded their knowledge of healthy eating and the ability to link current dietary advice to the study of individual nutrients.

The Year 8 students have developed their skills and gained an appreciation of the benefits of producing dishes using fresh ingredients.

In Year 7 the students have been developing their basic skills and confidence in the kitchen to make a range of simple dishes, such as Italian salad kebabs, apple crumble, leek and potato soup and chocolate chip cookies.. The Year 11 Food Technology students are completing their menus for their final assessment and have created some very interesting dishes.

Graphic ProductsIn Years 12 and 13 Product Design students continue to work hard. They are currently working on their coursework. These students have been impressive in terms of their levels of creativity and imagination. The students are showing these talents in their current design project where they have to design a toothbrush suitable for toddlers. This is a very hard design brief as students have to come up with an original idea that does not currently exist and the only limit to this project is their imagination.

In Years 10 and 11, students have been busy working on their GCSE Graphic Products coursework. We have some very creative and imaginative Year 11 students who have been busy designing the next generation mobile phone/hand held games console or a new type of perfume bottle. Most students are heading towards the manufacturing stage of their projects. The department expects to see some very impressive projects in the near future.

During this term the Year 9 have been building a basic burglar alarm circuit. The project requires a lot of skill and patience as students must carefully solder very small electrical components onto a very tiny circuit board. As well as building the circuit

they must also vacuum form the alarm casing out of thermoplastic. Students have also developed their skills in using CAD software to build a model on their alarm. The department has been impressed by the level of skill students have displayed during this project.

In Year 8 the design competition to model Ruislip High Street has stepped up. The tutor groups are really getting behind their teams and producing so many buildings that several photographs were needed just to grade the work!

In the Graphics part of D&T, Year 7 have been developing their skills in constructing technical drawings. They have learnt how to use basic drawing equipment correctly and accurately and are now confident in drawing isometric drawings. They have also taken part in activities that help improve their creativity and designing skills.

Resistant MaterialsIn Years 12 and 13 the students have been working hard on their coursework. The students have also been working on the planning of their projects to include very accurate details. Never before have the students had to be so accurate in their work and it has taken a lot of effort to produce the pieces of work to such a high standard.

In Year 11 the students are well on their way to finishing another amazing set of coursework. The range and quality of the coursework this year is fabulous. Guitars, snooker tables, cupboards, chests of drawers and kennels as well as a vast array of other pieces are being designed as the term finishes. Next term will see the start of the manufacturing stages.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

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In Year 10 the students have been working on improving their practical skills within metal work and are now beginning to start their design projects for the GCSE practical piece.

In Year 9 students are working on their design for their metal work coat hooks. This engineering project always causes a sweat, but especially when the students light the brazing hearth for the first time and start heating their metal up ready for bending and shaping. The classes this term have continued to produce imaginative work to be very proud of.

In Year 8 students have also been busy in Resistant Materials developing their knowledge on wooden joints and fittings. They have spent time developing practical skills, learning how to check their different stages of making for high standards of quality in order to produce a storage box, including an excellent range of pirate themed work.

In Year 7 students have been familiarising themselves with the workshop, tools and machinery in order to make their wooden puzzle. Students have been working very well so far and should be very proud of their first practical pieces.

Textiles TechnologyIn Year 12 and 13 we are seeing some of the best pieces of coursework being produced in the department. The work is truly inspiring!

The Year 11 students are now working on finalising their coursework and some of the pieces are looking stunning and the Year 10 students are beginning to start their project work.

In Year 9 students have produced a variety of animal hats made from felt. Students developed their ideas from existing solutions which they analysed in detail describing in particular the surface decoration that has been used.

In Year 8 students have been creating a range of exciting and innovative designs for a sports company, with the idea of producing a Sports Bag as their final outcome.

The Year 7 students are designing and constructing a cover for their homework planners. Students are learning different decorative technique including tie-dye, appliqué, hand embroidery and block printing. All students are learning the skills and then applying them onto their planner covers. The students learn the basic skills of pattern cutting, hand sewing, ironing and how to use an over-locker. All of which look very good.

Mr I.WilkinsDirector of Design Technology

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MFL NEWS British Airways TripOnce again, Ruislip High School was fortunate enough to be able to send a group thirty French MFL students on a trip to the British Airways Community Centre and the BA headquarters in Waterside near Heathrow airport. The groups had an action-packed day where they got to practise their French outside the classroom. Throughout the day the students got to experience how they could use their French if they were to work for British Airways.

They were able to practise the vocabulary they would need for the day playing a game of Pictionary; they particularly enjoyed this activity as it involved team work, drawing and playing instruments! The students were then able to read out security announcements, speak in French to each other at the check-in desk, dress up in BA uniform as cabin crew and meet and greet BA ‘passengers’, stamp each others’ passports, and finally board a BA mock aircraft. On the mock aircraft they performed safety demonstrations using lifejackets and oxygen masks. The students then took part in a series of role plays to order food from the trolley on the aircraft.

After a break for lunch, they went on a tour around the BA headquarters where the group got an insight into the various departments and jobs available at British Airways. To finish off the tour, students visited the BA museum

where we got to find out about the various BA aircrafts and take a seat in some First Class passenger seats.

Students’ comments on the trip include:

“It was a really great opportunity and has given me the confidence when speaking French to an audience”. Katie Deacon 9B

“I most enjoyed going on the airplane and being a French air hostess. I learned how to give safety instructions in French”. Caleah Kerr 9B

International Education WeekIn September this year Ruislip High School (RHS) was accredited the full International Schools Award by The British Council for the global and international work that takes place in lessons and across the school. Ruislip High School has now also been chosen to become part of a new government funded initiative called The Global Learning Programme and will be working with a network of local schools to develop global learning themes across the curriculum.

International Education Week (IEW) promoted by the British Council from November 18th-22nd was celebrated for the second time at RHS. During this week, teachers from all subject areas added an international dimension to their Key Stage Three lessons.

Student feedback collected from the week indicated that some of the activities that they enjoyed were working on different time zones across the world in Maths; learning about the Russian artist Kandinsky and the French artist Matisse in Art; and students who speak a foreign language at home teaching others in their Languages class some key phrases and about some cultures and traditions from their countries. Languages taught by students

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this year include: Japanese, French, Gujarati, Malay, Danish, Farsi, Amharic, Macaton, Arabic amongst others.

Years 7 to 9 received an assembly planned by 11W on the Mexican Festival Day of the Dead. 11W created art work and filmed and edited a video about the festival and the whole form group presented their video and presentation to Key Stage 3- for International Education Week.

This year the Climate Change project with the Chinese Link School in Tianjin in China will continue, as will the French blogs shared between RHS students and our French link school in Lille. Five Year 11 students visited Montebello School in Lille last year where they met French students and took part in French lessons. This trip will be running again this year for any Year 11 French students wishing to experience a day at a French secondary school. Forty five Montebello students will also be visiting RHS in March to take part in lessons across the school. The aim this year is to build on the global learning activities we have established across RHS and to work collaboratively to develop these activities with the Global Learning Programme network formed of local primary and secondary schools.

A few weeks ago, I attended a World War One related field trip to Belgium where I saw many sights. The task was to collect soil in comemoration of the new memorial garden in London which was taken by horse.

We travelled to our accomadation in Oostende and had free time to spare. On the first day we saw some trenches and cemeteries dotted around fields.

A trip around the romantic town of Bruge by horse and car rounded off the best day. The soil collecting wasn’t as I expected. High rank soldiers carried the delicate soil to the carriage where I joined my Belgian companions.

I really enjoyed my day and would definitely do it again; even though it wasn’t everything I expected, it was definitely an experience.

George Alden 9F

Commemorating World War One

Maya Unadkat, 7B taught Portuguese to her class.

Emily Allcroft, 8B taught Slovakian to her class.

Students’ work from International Education Week is now on display in the Sixth Form corridor - Kandinsky circles.

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ABOVE & BEYONDThe Above & Beyond Programme provides a wide range of exciting extra-curricular opportunities for all students in Key Stages 3 & 4. The staff at Ruislip High School have worked together to produce a timetable of over thirty clubs and societies that aim to provide students with the opportunity to supplement their academic endeavours as well as their physical fitness and stamina.

Above & Beyond is continuing to grow in both its provision - with the addition of new activities each term - and its popularity with students. The Spring Term will see the majority of Key Stage 3 students participating in at least one activity per week; this is testament to the caliber of the activities that the staff at Ruislip High School work tirelessly to provide.

I very much hope that all students participating in Above & Beyond in the Spring Term enjoy their chosen activities,

Mr Stent

Students enjoyed the variety of activites available this term through the Above & Beyond scheme.

Futsal Parkour

ParkourZumba

Gardening Club

Cheerleading

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‘GREASE’On 3rd and 4th December the students of Ruislip High School proudly presented the musical production; ‘Grease’. The musical is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School and follows the lives of a group of teenagers. The music is a reflection of early rock and roll and includes well know favourites such as ‘Summer Nights’ and Grease Lightening’

The following students performed their roles with flair and style;

Principles

The GreasersDanny: John Boundy 10SKenickie: Luke Turner 12A1Doody: Brandon Sanchez 8CRoger: Yasin Elmaci 12A1Sonny: Callum Bunce 12A3Lewis Read 12A3Shakar Rai 12A1

Pink Ladies Sandy: Cerys George 12A2Rizzo: Sarah Stapleton 13A3Frenchy: Cherie Ward 13A1Marty: Chloe Sparkes 10W Jan: Aleshia Maynard-Rolf 10WMelissa Vickery 12A1Sophie Tahssein 13A3

Eugene: Andrew Cannon 10A Patty: Alicia Crowther 9C Cha-Cha’s boyfriend: Ilyas Raja 9F Cha-Cha: Juliene Belchez 9FSheila: Sara El-Khalidi 7S

Miss Lynch: Rachel Geraghty 9B Teen Angel: James Lewington 9CJonny Casino: Lewis Read 12A3 Vince Fontaine: Shakar Rai 12A1

Chorus Sophie Impey 10A Emma Wallace 9CMadison Brown 9C Becky Hammond 9C Heather Malone 9F Emma Geary 9C Michelle Cullimore 9B Megan Roberts 9F Catriona Brennan-McDonagh 9S

Charlotte Willis 9AAlex Meredith 8D Parveen Gurm 8D Laura Mummery 7F Abbie Gleeson 7WDimitar Mitkov 7BIzabela Jones 9B Emily McDiarmid 8CHannah Alcock 8S Shalom Yikuno 9C

MusiciansPiano: Mrs Eirwen Smith

Bass Guitar: Mr Alex Moore Saxophone: Lynsey Runke

Guitar: Amy Conti 10B Drums: Daniel Newport 10SKeyboard: Eddie Honien 10W

Bass: Rosie Conti 12A4

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SPRING TERM DATESMonday 6th January - Friday 4th April 2014

Half term holiday Monday 17th to Friday 21st February Spring terms ends Friday 4th April

Parents’ EveningsYear 9 Thursday 30th JanuaryYear 11 Thursday 16th JanuaryYear 12 Thursday 6th FebruaryYear 13 Thursday 13th March

Trips and EventsY12 Stratford and London Docklands Friday 31st JanuaryAmersham Biology Field trip Thursday 6th FebruaryY10 & Y11 Berlin Friday 7th to Sunday 9th FebruaryAmersham Biology Field trip Tuesday 11th FebruaryYoung Scientist Centre, London Thursday 13th FebruaryY9 Battlefields, Paris Friday 14th to Monday 17th FebruaryHillingdon Leisure Centre Monday 3rd MarchY12 Norfolk Sunday 9th to Tuesday 11th MarchNew York and Washington Saturday 5th to Saturday 12th AprilAlpe D’huez, France Saturday 5th to Saturday 12th April

Ruislip High School, Sidmouth Drive, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 0BY

Tel: 01895 464064 / Fax: 01895 675331

office@ruisliphigh.com