SPRING NEWSLETTER 2015

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1 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2015 Dear Parents We have had a very busy Spring term this year culminating in 10 of our students sitting their GCSE Art exam!!. We also sent 2 of our students to Belgium on the DfE funded World War One commemoration visit. We were one of the few schools in Knowsley to take up this offer - the students had a wonderful time leaving them with some life long memories. You can read more about these events inside this newsletter. Next term we look forward to Pledge and exam week when all students will be participating in Pledge activities or sitting internal exams. You will receive a separate timetable of events closer to the day. We also have GCSE exams taking place for some of our Yr 11 students. During this time we ask that your son / daughter is particularly thoughtful in their conduct around the school to allow the exams to proceed in the silence and calm they need. Please feel free to come and see the school in action at any time and see the wonderful art work and displays for yourselves. We would also welcome any enquiries from parents wishing to become school governors. May I wish you all a very Happy Holiday and look forward to seeing all your children on Monday 20 th April Students who have achieved above 85% attendance for this Spring Term are: Stephen S Darren H Daniel A Students who have achieved above 85% attendance since September: Wade L Stephen S Darren H Daniel A HOLIDAY DATES FOR SUMMER TERM 2015 Summer Term Monday 20 th April to Tuesday 21st July School closed: Monday 4 th May (Bank Holiday) Half Term School closes Friday, 22 nd May School opens, Monday 1st June Summer Holiday School closes - Tuesday 21st July

2 WW1 Commemoration Week For our WW1 Commemoration week staff & students visited the Museum of Liverpool, which is situated next to the Albert Dock. At the museum was a First World War exhibition which displayed a vast range of military uniforms, medals, weaponry alongside photographs and eyewitness accounts of life in the trenches, to news reels reporting on women working in munitions factories to support the war effort. The exhibition revealed some of Liverpool stories that are not so well known. The Liverpool region was key to Britain s War effort during the conflict. Men, food and equipment bound for the front lines moved through Liverpool and Birkenhead docks. Up to 70 ships at a time were loaded and unloaded at the docks and the region also sent a vast number of its men to fight for King and Country, many of whom were never to return. Our students were able to visit the exhibition and see for themselves the hardship endured by the soldiers. Photos of life in the trenches, sounds of battles, gunfire and explosions could all be heard and experienced. Our students were able to look up their own Surnames, in an exhibition dedicated to the soldiers that died from our region. The names on the walls were taken from the Hall of Remembrance in Liverpool s Town Hall. This exhibition allowed students to reflect on the effects of war and listen to people who have traced their families First World War story. All of the students enjoyed the exhibition and were genuinely shocked at the conditions endured by the soldiers in battle and by the conditions endured by families at home.

3 Finch Woods Academy School Trip to France and Belgium February 2015 On 8 th of February 2015 a small party from Finch Woods joined 15 other schools from the Merseyside Area to take part in a trip to the First World War Battlefields of Belgium. The trip was funded by the government, part of a project to send 2 pupils from every state school on a trip to commemorate 100 years since the outbreak ofworld War I. The group stayed overnight in Kent taking part in sporting and adventure activities, as well as handling 1 st World War artefacts like guns bayonets and hand grenades. The party travelled the next day via the Channel Tunnel to visit amongst other places Tyne Cot the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the World, before attending the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. The third day the group visited Newfoundland Park and Ulster Tower, significant landmarks from the Battle of the Somme. They also visited Thiepval, on which 2 of the teachers found names of dead relatives from different parts of Ireland. In the evening the British Army representatives displayed modern kit comparing it with 100 years ago. The final day the group visited sites in Northern France and the place were over 300 British Soldiers were executed, a sombre experience. Stephen one of our students commented, I think that was terrible shooting them men, a lot had fought hard and were brave, braver than most the people I know anyway. There was time for a little shopping in Poperinge before a little free time in the shopping terminal in Calais. The Tour Leader Eric Dennis, singled out the contribution made by Finch Woods pupils and staff to the tour, The Finch Woods Party left their mark in Flanders, I hope they encourage further students to visit.

4 Visit to St Mary s Church Cemetery, Hale. February 2015 As part of our WW1 commerative week students were encouraged to visit local cemeteries and grave yards in search of local people who gave their lives serving their country. All tutor groups went to St Mary s Church Cemetery, Hale. There were two graves of soldiers one from the First World War and one from the Second World War. During their visit the students were able to speak to the Church caretaker who was able to say a little about the local soldiers and their families and the sacrifices they made on our behalf. The students were also lucky enough to hear a commentary about several local celebrities who are buried there from Mr Rogers: our local English Teacher. He was also able to talk to the students about people who had inspired others through their actions, local business leaders and families who were responsible for a lot of the local industry. Also buried in this cemetery is the Childe of Hale, once reputed to be Britain s tallest man at 9 3. After this visit the group went to see the site of the bombed out Church in Liverpool town centre, a reminder of how bombs were indiscriminate and deadly. Visit to St Chad s Church Cemetery, Kirkby. Stephen and Darren also went to see if there were any graves of service people closer to where they lived in Kirkby. We went to St Chad s Church cemetery in Kirkby and found a memorial to local service personnel. In the cemetery were also two gravestones marking where two soldiers lay after giving up their lives during the Wars.

5 GCSE ART Finch Woods Academy students completed their GCSE Art exam on February 25th, 26th & 27th over a time period of 10 hours. Students worked extremely hard to create a final piece for the Food themed project they had been preparing and researching in school over the previous month. Year 11 students were entered for the exam along with students from other years who had shown an aptitude for Art & Design and completed a coursework portfolio. On the first day all of the students were extremely nervous but they demonstrated their resilience and determination to successfully complete the exam. The artwork produced during the examination is of a very high quality and parents and carers will be invited in to School for an Art exhibition later in the year. All students were proud of their artwork and have gained important experience of conduct in examinations, the behaviour and attitude of all pupils was outstanding! We look forward to GCSE results day on Thursday 20th August Well done! Congratulations to: Jade (YR10) Daniel (YR9) India (YR9) Kieren (YR10) Stephen (YR9) John (YR8) Wade (YR9) Liam (YR9) Kayne (YR11) Stephen (YR11) Megan (YR11)

6 RED NOSE DAY Friday, 13th March 2015 Every March in England people don Red Noses in aid of Comic Relief, a British charity which started in 1985 in response to growing famine in Ethiopia. The biggest ever Red Nose day kicked off on Friday 13th March 2015 and we joined in by making our faces funny for money. Staff and students organised a photo booth which enabled us to take funny photo s of each other. Great fun was had by all and we managed to raise some money in aid of this worthy cause.

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