Have a great Half-term

We wish you all a very happy Half Term

It has been yet another very busy and fun term for our pupils and staff. There have lots of wonderful things taking place, which I hope we have captured in the newsletters you will receive.

 

We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 6th June 2016

Stirling work growing2gether

Stirling class have started working at the Growing2gether project to build on the gardening skills they have been developing at school. It has been a great start to the project with the boys helping to clear a bed which they will then go on to plant.

Dover, Colchester and Pendragon Camp

Dover, Colchester and Pendragon Class Camp.

On 9^th May three classes set out for camp at Fairthorne Manor, a YMCA adventure activities centre.  Lots of activities had been planned and lots of luggage had been packed. Some pupils had been there before, for some it was the first time away from home.  Everyone was excited. 

Activities included:

·         Water activities – Kayaking; a Boat Ride, when everyone had the opportunity to steer the boat; and the water slide. 

·         Being hoisted high – for the Zip Wire; the Crate Challenge; and Abseiling.

·         Mucky activities like Camouflage and Tracking; the Obstacle Course; and the Blind Trail which entailed being blind folded and led through mucky tunnels and over obstacles. 

·         Learning activities – Fire Lighting; Pioneering; Orienteering; and Initiative Tests which needed pupils to work together

·         Skills – Archery.

The weather was somewhat kinder to us than those we had left behind in school.  We only got wet from the rain once, as most of the rain fell at night. 

All the classes were mixed up in groups which most pupils liked.  It was great to see new friendships being made and the more able pupils helping and supporting younger or less able pupils.  Dover class boys, who are camp veterans, were really helpful to both staff and pupils.

The Courage and Determination boards soon filled up with nominations, as did the Compliments board.  Every day the list of pupils who were proud of themselves got longer and longer and the pupils seemed to grow in confidence with each activity. 

For the pupils who had never slept in a tent before, the weather was very kind.  It was not nearly as cold as last year.

Here are some pictures of what they got up to:

 

 

Lancaster's fun at sea

Our intrepid Lancastrians spent yesterday raft building and getting very wet. They had a wonderful time and here are some pictures from their activity:

Tintagel's PGL Adventure

Last week, Tintagel Class spent three days at PGL outdoor activity centre in Liddington, Swindon. After a very, very wet start we all had a brilliant time enjoying a great variety of activities including quad biking, archery, giant swing, raft building, zip wire, fencing and canoeing. As always our pupils were amazing as were our dedicated staff, Liz Wiltshire, Sandra Young and Chris Mason who ensured that the trip was such a success. I think that everyone slept soundly at the weekend as they were so tired after all the wonderful activities. Here are some photos of our time there:

The Albert Hall - what the pupils thought

It is always great to hear what people have got out of a day like we had at The Royal Albert Hall, no more so than the pupils who took part. Here are some quotes from them about the day

"It was incredible to perform there. The singing was unbelievable to sing in front of thousands of people. The sound was making my body shake. It was nerve-wracking to sing in the Royal Albert Hall. It was very posh inside with breath-taking architecture".

Jake (year 10)

"It is a bit scary when a couple of thousand people are staring right at you and listening to every sound you make".

Jamie (year 10)

"The Royal Albert Hall is a gigantic building that when you set foot in the building it echoes. The choirs make your body shake with excitement".  

John (year 11)

"The whole day was amazing because it all went well".

Kirra (year 10)

Castle at The Royal Albert Hall

On Sunday 19 pupils and 11 staff as well as many parents travelled to London. In the evening we performed alongside 1500 other pupils from Berkshire. The concert was an amazing experience and our pupils did us proud. We were the only special school represented at the event. The concert saw us performing pieces such as Zadok the Priest, March of the Toreadors and The Hallujah Chorus - all very complicated indeed. After months of hard work and practice, led by our enthusiastic music teacher Ali Watkinson we sung our hearts out at The Royal Albert Hall. As always, our pupils were exceptionally well behaved and managed all day despite it being a very early start and late finish. Below is a picture of the proud troupe standing in front the iconic building.

Below is a picture of the stage on the night we performed.

If you want to watch the first piece performed on the night click here to go to the YouTube video - it really is quite impressive.

A huge thank you to:

Dominie Burton  - Soprano.  Stayed after school with students so they could attend rehearsals. Re-making folders on Saturday, A constant in Ali's world!

Liz - Really helped support with run up to event with visuals and also remaking folders of music.

Fran - Amazing way with the tenors.  Always calm!. Helped in the remaking of the music folders.

Sue Langley - For clearing up behind us (multiple times!) - preparing resources out of hours - Tenor support for area rehearsal and performance.

Chris Mason - For supporting tenors on Mondays.

Lauren Bailey (Post 16) - Attending every Monday, sorting paperwork P16 end.  Always smiling and supportive!

Tracy Smyth - Alto support - Great with the pupils.

Kathryn Green (P16) - helped really well with the altos until she broke her wrist (not done during rehearsals I hasten to add!) - get well soon Katherine.

Ola White - Attending rehearsals - all in her own time.  Great emotional and practical support. A Gem working with altos.

Lisa Boorman - Area rehearsal  - Supported one particular pupil, including transport

Shannon Booth - For helping Ali get the staffing and students in the right place on Monday mornings.

Janette James - Coming to London to support on the day. Great way with the students. Wonderful off-stage support.

Pearl James - Supporting at The Loddon Valley rehearsal and in London on the day. Wonderful off-stage support.  Wonderful humour and companion.  Fantastic way with students.

Libby Summers-Johnston - Helped with Loddon Valley rehearsal.

Pete Butler - For helping Ali with minibuses and getting the folders sorted on Saturday afternoon.  Great with a hole punch!

Atul and Alex - For doing the money and logistics stuff (Coach ordering, Ticket purchasing)

 

And of course - a huge, huge thank you to Ali Watkinson, without whom this just simply would not have happened. It is her energy, enthusiasm and belief that ensured all of us were up there on the night singing.

Amber does her Lion's share

One of our Post-16 students has been honoured with a Distinction from The Lions Club International for her outstanding contribution to the Newbury community. Amber has completed 50 hours of service to her community over the last 12 months. Well done Amber - you are an inspiration to us all to go out and volunteer in our local community.

 

 

The Lions of Zululand

On 21st April we had a wonderful dance and music group called Lions of Zululand visit us at The Castle School. They had travelled from South Africa and gave our pupils and staff a day to remember. From an amazing and energetic performance to an art workshop, a dance workshop, a music and culture session and a language workshop - the pupils loved it. Here are some photos of the incredible day: