Christmas Newsletter 2018

Welcome to our December 2018 newsletter! We hope you enjoy looking through the many brilliant events we have had at school this year so far!

It has been a really positive term. Students came back brilliantly in September and we were all so pleased at how great they look in their slightly amended uniforms: the white shirts and clip on ties have been widely commented on: they look so smart! Our ‘not so new’ Year 7 have been an utter pleasure to have in school. They are wonderfully focussed and enthusiastic and have adapted quickly to the changes of being at high school.

October brought the news that we had achieved the best Progress 8 (the key government measures which looks at how much progress children make) of any Trafford high school, better than some grammars, with our 2018 Year 11 GCSE results: the enormous sense of satisfaction and buzz of excitement was brilliant!

We had our first huge students’ rewards draw and presentation at the end of autumn term 1, which was marvellous fun. I hope you saw the photographs on our Facebook page. The rewards system is going really well and surveys show that the students love it. We have also had our awards presentations for subject ambassadors and also for our Junior Leadership Team (JLT). It was great to welcome so many proud parents in for these presentations.

The humanities ambassadors plus JLT attended the Sale Remembrance service and laid a wreath. A member of the public rang in next day to send her praise to our school and the students who attended the parade, saying as a school we were really outstanding and in her own words: 'an amazing representation of Sale'. She said our students were so presentable and so polite, she wanted the students that took part to be praised for their outstanding behaviour and effort whilst representing the school.

We have been involved in the Higher Achievers Project at Loreto with students attending subject masterclasses and also the Raising Aspirations Programme at Trafford College with Year 9 and 10 students.

In school our Sale Scholars continues really well with Year 7s meeting fortnightly on different activities on their Leadership Ladder plus attending subject masterclasses in school.

Leadership Ladder is going really well across school with lots of students receiving their badges in presentation events. If your son or daughter hasn’t got involved yet, please look at the article on this initiative in this newsletter and get them started! Any clubs or activities that they are involved in outside school also count towards them getting the award.

The school’s first inter house Bake Off was just brilliant! Mr Cree and I had to channel Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood and judge the 8 finalist entries taking part!! I ate rather a lot of cake. It was delicious!We have had many other brilliant events: Black History Month; the mayor visiting the Handball Club; Diwali celebration events with students painting and designing Diwali decorations; Skipathon, raising money for the British heart Foundation; GCSE Presentation Evening where our guest speaker was Dave Walmsley, former head; masses of PE inter house and external fixtures as well as the normal bread and butter of every day!

We had lots of lovely Christmas events in school. We very much enjoyed the carol concert with our Year 7 choir: always a highlight of the year. Year 11, rewarded for working really hard in their pre-pub-lic exams, have had their Christmas meal plus themed quiz and ‘party’ afternoon. We have been donated two Christmas trees by a really generous parent (thank you!) which wasdecorated by our Year 7 students.We do hope you enjoy the newsletter.

Headteacher Highlights

The Great Sale High School Bake Off!In November we hosted our very own Bake Off in aid of Children in Need. Our talented bakers conjured up some fabulous looking tasty treats! Mr Cree and Ms O’Grady had the difficult task of judging the entries. The winning cake was a beautifully decorated chocolate cake by Year 11 student, Amira. Runners up were Year 8 students Lucia and Fathia, who produced a stunning cream coloured cake decorated with flowers. This was a fabulous event which showcased the skills of our students whilst raising lots of money for charity. Well done everyone!

RewardsWe have completely amended our rewards structure in school and this has been a huge success and incredibly popular with both the staff and students at Sale High School. Celebration assemblies and our ‘BIG Rewards Raffle’ recognise achievement in lots of different areas.

Students have also been rewarded with hot chocolate with the Headteacher, film afternoons for those students with no behaviour points and 100% attendance, form breakfasts, form parties, bowling trips, praise postcards and certificates. Keep up the good work!

Leadership Ladder UpdateAt Sale High School we want our students to develop their wider skill set and gain leadership skills.

Last year we completed a pilot Leadership Ladder scheme with our Year 7 and 8. This was really successful, so we have now opened the scheme up to all years.

Year 7 and 8 students can work towards Lower Bronze, Lower Silver and Lower Gold Leadership Colours, achieving a certificate and badge to recognise their hard work, as well as extra house points, whilst Year 9, 10 and 11 students can work towards Upper Bronze, Upper Silver and Upper Gold Leadership Colours.

The tasks become more difficult as they go through the stages and offer a wider variety of skills to be achieved. Students in Year 7 and 8 who have completed the lower awards can progress to the upper awards also. Students must complete 5 tasks to achieve each award.

Platinum award completes the programme with students completing a personal log and a presentation on an area of their choice: this could be a hobby, a sporting interest or an area of research they are interested in.

Please ask your child what award they are working towards and encourage them to complete it. Colleges, universities and employers love to see students who have a broader skills set and experience.

Sale High Remembers We were privileged to be invited by Trafford Council to take part in the Remembrance service at Sale Cenotaph this November. Our Deputy Head Boy and Girl, Tobi and Leah, along with Year 8 members of History Club, took part in the event on behalf of Sale High School.

Students were asked to lay a wreath to honour the fallenof the Manchester Regiment.

The service was especially moving as this year marked the centenary of the end of the First World War. All of those who took part felt honoured to have been

Black History Month Our Black history month celebrations saw all students attending great assemblies in school and the humanities department running a fantastic competition. Students were asked to produce a piece of work based on any individual who they felt should be celebrated during the month. Entries ranged from truly inspiration figures such as Rosa Parks and Oprah Winfrey.

The winning entry was a poster produced by Kaden in Year 10. Kaden’s

poster was of Joyner Lucas, an inspirational black rapper, who raps about social issues and inequality. Amazing work! Well done Kaden!

Science Ambassadors We were so pleased to appoint this year’s science ambassadors. The role includes helping and supporting the science department in the following ways: helping at open evenings; supporting and attending science club; supporting the Young Botanist Club; being a role model in science lessons; supporting science with becoming a plastic free school, helping to build our school pond and supporting the science inter-housecompetitions. Applications were of an extremely high standard and the successful candidates all received their certificates and badges at the awards presentation this month. Well done to Year 7 Alishwa, Ewurama, Arhin, Jazmin and Kaitlin, Y8s Lily, Evie, Basima, Arisha, Year 9s Fabia and Charles, Year 10 Finley, George, Isabelle, Shihab, Ben and Phoebe and Year 11 Gursewak, Lisa and Tom.

Presentation eveningStaff at school were delighted to welcome last year’s leavers back into school last month to celebrate their GCSE results. We were thrilled to see so many familiar faces fill up the hall along with their families. Students were treated to a rousing speech by former Headteacher Dave Walmsley who had the audience in stiches.

As well as all students receiving their GCSE and graduation certificates, some students were also presented with awards for progress and attainment and some special awards.

These were given to those young people who had really gone the extra mile whilst studying at Sale High School. Well done class of 2018!

included in the day. They were a real credit

Junior Leadership Team This year’s cohort of student ambassadors who make up the Junior Leadership Team are shaping up to be one of the best groups ever appointed. The team have been busy carrying out lunch and break time duties, volunteering in the local community, hosting school events and supporting the rewards programme in school.

Particular highlights have been their attendance at St Anne’s Primary and Lime Tree Primary Academy school fairs.

Deputy Head boy Tobi even got to meet Santa, the big man himself whilst helping at the St Anne’s Christmas fair! The team have really gelled with the older and younger students, supporting each other in their various tasks. There are lots of activities to look forward to in the New Year when our primary school workshops begin.

The team will also be busy planning a parents’ quiz night to help raise money for the Year 11 prom.

Watch this space for details! As a thank you for all their efforts, the team were treated to a well-deserved afternoon of bowling at the Trafford Centre before the Christmas break. Well done team!

Diwali CelebrationsInspired by Dr Ramaraju, students took part in Diwali activities this term. They used their creativity to decorate lamps called Diyas and make patterns on the floor using coloured powder known as Rangoli. The students involved were interested to find out all about Diwali, its significance to Hindus and the different traditions of South and North India.

We are proud to celebrate all cultures and religions at Sale High School. We welcome the opportunity to work with parents and students to share and celebrate traditions in school and would love to hear of different ideas for events- please see Mrs Hulton in the pastoral base if you would like to make a suggestion. Huge thanks to Dr Ramaraju for leading this initiative.

Book collectionOlivia in Year 8 and a team of helpers did a sterling job this term in raising the profile of Sale book swap shop in Sale town centre. Olivia and her friends are regular customers in the shop and discovered that there were a lack of books for their age group.

They set about launching a book collection in school and the community. They were overwhelmed by the response from their fellow students and collected over 150 books! The books were collected by our School Governor Sharon Gardiner who is also involved in the book swap. Thank you to everyone who donated books and huge congratulations to our students.

Becoming a more eco-friendly schoolAt Sale High we aware of the crisis that we are currently facing with regards to plastic consumption in the UK and the catastrophic effects of overusing plastic, particularly single use plastics. As a result we have decided to begin a number of initiatives to greatly reduce our plastic consumption in school. The idea being that we slowly phase out all single use plastics on our way to becoming an ‘eco -accredited’ school. For this to happen we need both staff and pupils to be actively involved and do their very best to reduce their own plastic consumption.Our plans include:

Members of the student council and science ambassadors actively clearing the school site of plastics and cleaning up the school by litter picking. The plastic bottles would then be recycled

All pupils will be involved in a poster competition, starting in January, which aims to highlight the issues surrounding plastic consumption. There will be prizes available!

Increasing the number of recycling bins in and around school

Phasing out single use plastics bottles and replacing them with Sale High School reusable water bottles

Replacing kitchen materials with recyclable alternatives (e.g. plates, cutlery and panini wrappers)

Working towards gaining the eco –school accreditation

Watch this space for more information. We know parents will want to support us in doing our part with our children to ensure the planet’s future!

Raising AspirationsCongratulations to the Year 9 students who have been accepted on to the Raising Aspirations Programme at Trafford College. Over the rest of this academic year the students will be attending the college once a month for sample sessions in a subject strand of their choice. Strands include: applied science, engineering, health and beauty, and the creative arts. We are looking forward to learning about our students’ experiences as the year goes on. Well done Chloe, Niamh, Amy, Kade, Emma, Thomas, Katie, Emma, Jannah, Elle and Artin for your participation.

Trafford Youth cabinetStudents were once again invited to TraffordYouth Cabinet’s ‘Let’s Talk Youth’ conference in November. The aim of the conference is for the Youth Cabinet to listen to other young people in Trafford and get their opinions. The theme this year was ‘Changing Trafford’. Our students took part in a series of empowering workshops and activities, listened to lots of guest speakers and enjoyed a delicious lunch. The students came away feeling they had the power to make their voices heard!

Trafford Schools Primary Indoor Athletics November saw Sale High host their annual Trafford Schools Primary Indoor Athletics Event alongside Sale Harriers. Our Year 9 Sport Leaders worked closely with Sale Harriers coaches ensur-ing scores were correctly recorded and worked as hosts to the year 6 students who attended. Each leader was a credit to our school.

Netball This term has seen our Year 7, 8 and 9 netball teams play in both tournaments and league fixtures in the Trafford Schools Netball League. Commitment and determination from each member of the teams has resulted in success.

Year 7 FootballThe Year 7 football team have made a fantastic start to the year winning 4 out of our opening 5 games. With 2 games to play when the league resumes in February, we are looking well placed to book a place in the play-offs. There have been a number of excellent performances from individuals in all of the games we have played, with Sam and Josh shining and the team have shown excellent sportsmanship and team spirit throughout.

Our girls’ teams have got off to a brilliant start this year with fantastic effort and skill shown by all players. Both our Year 7 and KS3 team (combination of Year 7, 8 and 9 girls) have played excellent football and Miss Davies has been really impressed with their dedication. Notable matches so far have been the Year 7 match against Aston on Mersey which saw some excellent goals scoring and the KS3 team played some fantastic football against Wellington winning a massive 8-1!

Year 8 Football The team have had a stuttering start to the season in defence of their title. After a comprehensive victory against Wellacre, the team fell to defeat against last year’s runners up, Wellington and competed in a hard fought 1-1 draw with Ashton-on-Mersey. Still all to play for in the league though and the performance levels have improved over the weeks. Let’s hope we can maintain the challenge and retain our trophy.

Year 9 FootballThe year 9 football team have started the year in division 1 after a successful campaign in year 8 division 2. They have come up against some strong opposition losing 6-0 to Wellacre and 6-1 to Sale Grammar. The boys rallied together and worked hard at training and got a hard fought draw against Urmston Grammar School 2-2. Stand out performances from Bailey and Jivanni.

PE News

Rising Stars!

In this edition it is the turn of Year 7 Oscar to take the spotlight. Oscar is a champion gymnast in the making!

Following in his dad’s footsteps, Oscar’s interest in gymnastics started when he was just 6 years old. His family soon realised he had a real flare for the sport and he started training more and more. Oscar trains at the City of Manchester Institute of Gymnastics 6 days a week, for 27 hours in total! He recently made the reserve team for a national competition in Birmingham and has got his sights firmly set on making the England squad in the future!

His favourite move is doing a double back flip off the rings. He has to train for very long hours and thanks his family who have to put in lots of time getting him to and from training and to all the competitions.

Oscar’s favourite piece of equipment is the pommel horse although he also admitted he really just likes ‘flippin about’! Well done Oscar!

Year 7 BasketballThe Year 7 basketball team began their season with a hard fought victory over Wellington winning 12 points to 8. Jeremie was man of the match. They continued their season with a match at home to Broadoak winning a massive 49 – 9!

Year 8/9 BasketballThe Year 8/9 basketball have made a tremendous start to their league campaign. The lads are always at training developing their skills. They have beaten Wellington 36-15 and also ran out 52-8 winners against Broadoak. The boys were also victorious again Altrincham Boys Grammar School who we have not beaten for 6 years! Final score 32 – 22. Amazing result! Stand out performances have come from Tyler, Noah and Ryan. Keep up the excellent work.

Year 10/11 Basketball The year 10/11 basketball team began their season with a heavy defeat against title favourites Altrincham Boys Grammar School. Tobi was man of the match. They improved greatly in their second game away to ACA and were unlucky to lose a hard fought contest.

Year 8 RugbyThe Year 8 rugby team entered the inaugural Trafford Schools League, organised and run by Sale RFC. The team have started in the lower league and the boys involved have been a credit to the school. After narrowly losing our first two matches against ACA and BTH, we ended the league stage with a thumping victory over Broadoak. We await to see who we play in the play-offs.

Year 10 HandballThe Year 10 handball team got off to a good start in the inaugural Trafford Schools Handball league. They played two games winning one comprehensively and losing the other to a last minute winner. We have high hopes for this team, which is being helped by Trafford Handball coach Stan Belinski and we are confident of progressing through to the finals.

Inter House TournamentNetballThe inter house netball saw our house teams battling it out fortop spot. There were some great skills on display and each and every competitor played with grit and determination.

High praise goes to our Year 7 team who played and conducted themselves like pros even though it was their first experience of inter house competition. We had a winning house for each year group with Howard victorious for Year 7, King for Year 8, Turing for Year 9 and Pankhurst taking the trophy for Year 10. Miss Thomas andMiss Davies were really impressed with everyone’s effort and attitude. Great teamwork girls!

Football Once again, the inter-house football competition was contested by boys and girls showing great passion, competitiveness, and desire to win the trophy for their house. After a week of matches and finals we saw the following results:Year 7 winners Howard, runners up Pankhurst. Player of the tournament – Sam Year 8 winners King, runners up Pankhurst. Player of the tournament – Ryan Year 9 winners Howard, runners up Turing. Player of the tournament – NoahYear 10 winners King, runners up Turing. Player of the tournament – Callum Overall winners and 2018 Inter-house football champions are King House