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he Department of Education has confirmed that Rooks Heath is amongst the 100 top

performing schools in the country in terms of the progress that our students, on free

school meals, make between Key Stage 2 results and their GCSEs in English and Maths.

A letter from David Laws, MP, congratulates staff, governors and students for their hard work

and success in achieving the excellent GCSE results in 2012. He says that Rooks Heath is ex-

ceptionally effective in educating pupils on free school meals and commends us for everything

we are doing in this area.

T Rooks Heath is amongst the 100 top performing schools

Musical Mentors

he two Year 9 Music bridging classes have been invited over to Heathland to mentor the

Year 4 students, as they are currently working on a music band project. The Year 9s

have gone over on several occasions now and have taught the Year 4s a new song that

involved singing, rapping, playing the xylophone and guitar. Some of our students have a new

appreciation of what it takes to be a teacher! The Year 9s have really enjoyed working with the

Year 4s and they have done an excellent job! The primary students have absolutely loved learn-

ing from them! Next week the Year 9s will be mentoring and working with the 15 bands that

are in Year 4.

Mr Ring Music

T

Bollywood Brass Band pproximately 30 Year

7 students have been

given the opportunity

to take part in a fantastic

‘Bollywood Brass’ music pro-

ject. All of the instruments

played by students are from

the brass family and combine

with percussion (the western

drum kit and Indian dhol

drum) to make a fusion of mu-

sical styles.

There are 12 trumpet players,

11 horn players, 6 trombone

players and 1 tuba player,

which is the biggest instru-

ment with the lowest pitch.

The participants have weekly

lessons on their instruments.

Barnet, Enfield and Ealing are taking part in the project with Rooks Heath representing the fourth bor-

ough, Harrow. There will be a huge concert with all the schools combined in July at Harrow Arts centre.

Musa and Igor 7Y

A

n December 13th 31 students and 3 staff members

went to see ‘Billy Elliot’ the musical, live on

stage in Victoria. Students were treated to fantas-

tic seats and behaved impeccably (despite some other

tourist groups not doing the same!) and really did the

school proud. Students even had a stop off at McDonald’s

for lunch, with some taking full advantage (20 chicken

nuggets? Eyes too big for your belly Mr Zak?). The stu-

dents left feeling happy and inspired.

Mr Ring Music

n the 7th of December a famous DJ/Drummer came

to our school to give a performance. I felt really

happy because he played amazingly well and he

has now inspired me to play the drums since he sounded so

good!

Reon 7R

DJ MCKNasty is the brother of Labrinth and has toured

with famous musicians such as Tinie Tempah and Lady

Gaga. His voice is also featured in the latest Wretch 32’s

newest single.

Billy Elliot The Musical

O MCKNasty Plays For Students

O

n December the Year 13 physics

students were lucky to be given a

tour around the Cavendish Muse-

um in Cambridge.

This museum contains some of the orig-

inal equipment used by some famous

physicists such as James Clerk Max-

well, Ernest Rutherford and James

Chadwick.

They were very fortunate to be taken

round the exhibits by Dr Lisa Jardine

Wright.

For more information, see:

http:rooksheathscience.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/year-13-trip-to-the-cavendish-museum/

Art Gallery Open To All he Art Department is proud to announce the launch of its new exhibition space, The Middle Space Gal-

lery, which will be used to showcase work by students staff and local artists. In it, students will be able to

view a range of artists and crafts and explore project resources. They will experience and create alterna-

tive environments. It might become a jungle or a supermarket, a nature walk or a sea side stroll.

The Middle Space’s first exhibition features work by the Bridging Course for the BTEC Art and Design Certifi-

cate. Students worked on four themes; mark-making, organic forms, other cultures and still life.

All are welcome to visit! It is located in C7, and is open during school hours and outside school hours by arrange-

ment.

We look forward to seeing you,

The Art Department

T

I Physics

Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers

2013

It’s the time of year when Sainsbury’s launches its Active Kids Vouchers. If you shop at Sainsbury’s

our P.E Department would love you to bring any

vouchers in to Reception. Thank you.

he College is proud to

announce that the Rooks Heath Website has been

redesigned and is now available at

www.rooksheath.harrow.sch.uk/ The new site is easy to navigate and provides a modern

overview of the College to complement the

‘Outstanding’ Ofsted judgement that was awarded in Ju-

ly 2012. The site is a vibrant mixture of news stories,

photo galleries, blogs, useful internet links and a wealth

of information on all of the subjects that are currently

available at Rooks Heath. The site is intended to be a

source of valuable information for parents, carers and the

local community to access information on Rooks Heath

College.

Rooks Heath Launches New Website

T

ear 9, 10 and 11 recently went on a Media Studies trip

to the WB Studio tour. The trip started at the Doors to

the Great Hall – and from then on it was a “magical”

experience, with lots of photo opportunities, many exciting

sets and even the chance to drink Butterbeer, which is very

refreshing.

Half way through the day, we had a lesson with a man

named Will, who taught us about camera shots, props and

lots more. He even

showed us how big

Hagrid’s trousers

are! After that,

more things were

in store, including chances to see the Knight Bus, Hagrid’s hut, how

the animatronics for the movies were made and Diagon Alley itself.

At the end, we went to the gift shop to get some exciting souvenirs. All

in all it was an exciting day with some good moments and lots of photo

opportunities.

Maverick French, 9R

Media Warner Bros. Studios Tour

Y

Tuesday the 26th March saw our Year 13s in the Hall for a mass

Zumba session under the guidance of instructor Michelle. All of

Year 13 attended along with a lot of staff and all enjoyed them-

selves. Next year we hope to expand this into aerobicise and jazz-

ercise

THE UTTERLY AMAZING ROOKS HEATH

COMIC RELIEF SHOW WINTER CHILLS GIVING YOU THE SHIVERS?

COME AND LAUGH YOURSELF WARM!

JOIN THE 6TH FORM FOR A FUN -PACKED EVENING

OF COMEDY AND MUSIC. PLUS FOOD AND GAME STALLS, STAFF AUCTION, ‘THRILLER’

WORLD PREMIERE.

THE MAIN HALL

DOORS: 6.30PM Tickets need to be booked in advance and, although they are free, we

do ask for a minimum voluntary contribution of £1 on the door.

Please complete slip below and hand into Reception.

Comic Relief Tickets

Name:______________________________________________Form:___________________

I require ____________tickets for the Comic Relief Show.

UKMT Senior Maths Challenge

n the 26th November, whilst everybody else was enjoy-

ing their day off, two Year 13s, (Abdiquani Yusuf 13O

and Sinduran Sivarajan 13Y) and two Year 11s

(Govind Grewal 11G and Saumija Sivarajan 11G) attended the

Senior Team Mathematics Challenge at the Camden Centre.

This was the first time Rooks Heath has participated in the sen-

ior team regional finals. We were accompanied by Mrs.Syed,

who very kindly volunteered to give up her day, to provide us

with this incredible opportunity.

On that cold, rainy afternoon, we took the Metropolitan Line to

Kings Cross. We competed against 37 other teams; the teams

consisted of students from private schools, state schools and

grammar schools. The examination was definitely challenging,

but it was certainly expected. There were three parts to the challenge: group competition, cross number and

mathematical relay race. We started off with the group competition – we had 40 minutes to complete 10 ques-

tions amongst the four of us. Following that, we carried out the cross number test, for which we had to divide

into pairs. The duration of the cross number test was also 40 minutes. We ended the day with the most difficult

part, the mathematical relay race. This was very challenging, as every question led on to the next, and the pairs

were not allowed to talk to each other, so there was a lot of confusion.

On the whole, it was a taxing, yet pleasurable experience. On behalf of all four students, I would like to say that

we are much obliged to Mr. Manivannan for selecting the four of us. I would describe this event as an unforgetta-

ble experience, and I would be more than happy to go again. Ultimately, I can now very proudly say that I repre-

sented Rooks Heath in such a good event. This is only the first of many!

Saumija Sivarajan 11 Green

O

n 17th December 2012, a group of Year 10 German students got the chance to visit ‘Winter Wonderland’,

a German Christmas market, in Hyde Park. We were accompanied by Ms Pucicka, Ms Caullet and Mr

Kunakey. It was a great trip as we enjoyed ourselves on rides, ate delicious food and bought souvenirs!

We would like to thank Ms Pucicka and all the other teachers for organising an amazing day out.

Shashini 10 Blue

O

ChemNet Ambassador’s Visit n the 7th of February 2013, the Science Department welcomed Dr. Aaron Chan, a Chem-

Net ambassador who came to address the A level Chemistry students as well as our Year

11 students, about the wide range of careers available in Chemistry.

He talked about the different branches in Chemistry and the careers associated with them. He

cleared the misconception that all Chemists have to wear lab. coats and work in a laboratory all

day by giving examples of advancements and opportunities in nano-chemistry, the cosmetics in-

dustry, materials and design, drugs research, law and patent. A question and answer session fol-

lowed after his presentation. It was a fun and informative session.

Ms Ibrahim

O

arlier this month, as part of the Gifted and Talented programme, some Year 10 students

had the opportunity to attend a Challenge Day at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. The

day was very enjoyable and included talks, quizzes, a tour of the college and a sample

lecture by Dr Hannah Critchlow (the Naked Scientists) entitled “Open your mind: a spine-

tingling tour of the brain” .

Staff and students alike found the whole experience inspiring and motivational.

Mrs Arnold and Ms Blundell

Year 10 Visit Cambridge University

E

Wednesday 6th March Professional Day

Friday 8th March Year 12 trip to the British Museum

Monday 11th March Year 7 trip to St Alban’s Abbey

Wednesday 13th March Comic Relief Event

Thursday 14th March Year 11 Consultation Evening

Wednesday 27th March Year 7 Consultation Evening

Thursday 28th March Last day of term

Monday 15th April First day of term

Diary dates

Oxford German Olympiad Grimm Tales The Oxford German Olympiad is a national contest open to all learners of German from Years 7 to 13, inclusive. The fairy tales (Märchen) compiled and published by the Brothers Grimm are some of the best known and widely read stories in the world. 2012 sees the two hundredth anniversary of their publication, and the Oxford German Network is celebrating this jubilee with a Grimm-themed competition: Grimm Ta-les. We are looking for budding storytellers, writers and film-makers from Years 7 to 13, and invite you to seek inspiration in the Grimms’ tales… To enter the Olympiad, pick one of the tales opposite and complete one of the following tasks. You can enter individually, or in groups of two to four: Years 7-9: 1. Re-write the tale as a comic strip, with German speech bubbles (1 side of A4) 2. Represent the tale or a scene from the tale visually (a drawing or painting, including some German text) 3. Make a short film of the tale (up to 3 minutes in German) Years 10-11: 1. Re-tell the tale from one character’s perspective (200-300 words in German) 2. Tell the story or one episode from it in the form of a newspaper report (200-300 words in German) 3. Make a short film of the tale (up to 5 minutes in German) Years 12-13: 1. Write a contemporary version of the tale (300-400 words in German) 2. Re-write the ending of the tale (200-300 words in German) 3. Make a short film of the tale (up to 5 minutes in German) There will be one winner and one runner-up for each of the nine categories. Winners will be awarded certificates and book prizes at a ceremony at Oxford University in 2013. How to enter Please send your complete entry, together with this entry form, to ogn@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk. Please note that they can only accept electronic entries. Entries will be accepted until noon on Friday 22nd March 2013. Please see Ms Pucicka if you would like to take part.