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newsletter issue 3 autumnterm 2012 featured in this term s issue new p.e kit year 7s thailand trip news visit from lauren st john page 5 new pe kit for year 7 page 9 sixth form thailand trip page 17 efteling trip

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message from the headteacher mr mountford dear parent carer gcses a level exams and btec qualifications are now finished i have shared before that our 5 a c grades including english and maths has increased year on year since 2007 at such a rate that we are now placed in the top 8 for most improved schools in the country again thank you for all your support and let s hope this year brings another record set of results our very best wishes go to all students awaiting their results our year 11s returned for their leavers ceremony which was a mixture of laughter and sadness these students started at the school the year i became head and the years have flown by in the evening year 11s held the best ever prom to conclude their compulsory education it is also a sad time when teaching colleagues leave listed below i would like to thank them for their dedication to the school and wish them every success in the future name length of service 3 years 2 years 2 years 1 year 6 months mr andrew france miss katie ruffell mr peter schwarz dr louise wilkin miss donnelly also justine berkeley director of support services a member of the senior leadership team leaves us after 5 years she has been central to raising the funding for many of the site improvements and resourcing that we enjoy i would like to welcome our new teaching staff listed below i am pleased to announce that we have made some excellent appointments and we are now fully staffed name department technology ict head of humanities english drama drama science colin turner name length of service kristian bloomfield 28 years nicola ockerby 26 years sarah cross 22 years hannah bryant 18 years philippa parks 7 years neil gillespie 5 years mr steve sones mr paul steele mr merriott mr ray black mr carl trimby mr simon kent 1

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name andrew bootle stephanie dalby michael lane shane mccann franklin iyawa heather shepherd department history science maths maths maths science gtp new exclusion room new ict kit ipads refurbishment of 6th form finally as we turn our attention to a well-earned summer break our expedition of sixth form students are travelling and working in thailand have a wonderful relaxing summer i would also like to record my appreciation for our departing head students isaac aldridge tom jewell charlie pepperell poppy flatt natasha cook and samra mayanja who have worked hard to help keep harwich and dovercourt high school improving their contribution and support has been invaluable i am looking forward to working with our new head students who were appointed recently jemma ng stephanie campbell keira panayi amy laimbeer edwin fletcher jarred ford mason kernott and jamie beecham as i write i am pleased to announce that two of the three bids we made to the department for education have been successful only one in four bids by academies across the country was successful so to be successful with two is great news this will provide £93,000 to support heating and ventilation projects other projects for the summer include nigel mounford head teacher refurbishment of j block and toilets replace c17 refurbishment of c16 2 new alternative education cope rooms 2

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school uniform prices 2012 school jumper 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 school blazer 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 school tie each learning community has their own tie alhambra ­ red heidelberg ­ green versailles ­ yellow windsor ­ blue boys p.e kit white boys black polo 30 32 34/36 38/40 42/44 46/48 rugby shirts 30/32 34/36 38/40 42/44 £13.50 £14.00 £16.00 £17.00 black akoa base layer jersey not compulsory xxs xs s&m £12.00 £12.50 l xl xxl 3xl £14.50 £15.00 £7.50 £8.50 £9.50 £10.00 socks blue size 3-6 blue size 7-12 shorts black all sizes £5.00 £2.50 £3.00 £3.50 £3.50 £3.50 £3.50 £30.00 £25.00 shorts black all sizes white all sizes £5.00 £5.00 £11.00 £12.00 £13.00 £15.50 £16.50 socks white 3-6 7-12 black 3-6 7-12 £2.50 £2.50 girls p.e kit red polo black logo 30 32 34/36 38/40 42/44 46/48 £8.00 £9.00 £10.00 £11.00 £11.00 46/48 3 3

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dates for the diary as/a2 examination results 16th august 10am gcse examination results 23rd august 10am autumn term 2012 4 september 21 december half term 29 october 2 november summer term 2013 16 april 19 july bank holiday 6 may staff training non pupil days monday 3 september friday 26 october monday 15 april early closure at 1.10pm tuesday 25 september for year 5/6 open evening thursday 20 september thursday 7 march wednesday 30 january tuesday 25 june for staff training tuesday 10 july for primary school taster lessons 4

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p.e kit september there will be a new pe kit for year 7 students starting at the school this september the current kit will still be worn in years 8 ­ 11 however this does mean that the school uniform shop will only be selling the current red shirts and black socks for the rest of this term this means should a student grow out of or lose their kit only the new uniform will be available to purchase i would suggest in this event that you contact your child s pe teacher for further advice pe department shop opening times 2012 during school holidays monday 23rd july 2012 wednesday 25th july 2012 friday 27th july 2012 tuesday 28th august 2012 wednesday 29th august 2012 thursday 30th august 2012 friday 31st august 2012 10.00am 2.00pm 10.00am 2.00pm 10.00am 2.00pm 10.00am 2.00pm 10.00am 2.00pm 10.00am 2.00pm 10.00am 2.00pm uniform will be sold in the lighthouse restaurant entrance at bottom of hall lane 5

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year 10 gcse hospitality and catering students prepared and served afternoon tea to the harwich and dovercourt high school governors on wednesday 21st march in the school library all students had spent several weeks planning the selection of products to be served they had tried and tested various recipes before deciding which to serve for the event the library was arranged to serve the tea and food many students stayed after school to serve the afternoon tea to the governors at 4.30pm before the start of the full governors meeting all the governors thoroughly enjoyed the tea and thanked the students for providing such an excellent selection of delicious food mrs janet little chair of governors sent a letter of thanks on behalf of all governors 7

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sixth form news i write on the eve of the departure of the 6th form expedition to thailand 3 staff and 12 students will be spending two weeks on a character-building and life-changing trip over the past year students have raised funds and the time has finally come to experience thailand and give something to the community we are visiting we have just learned that our community project will be building a classroom for a hill tribe i am hopeful that this newsletter will contain initial accounts of the first part of the trip which we will email to the school i would like to congratulate all 6th form students on completing their exams they were all rewarded on tuesday 26th june by an end-of-year party with a bbq music and an inflatable obstacle course in the grounds of the grange thanks go to the committee members who organised this and mr holmes for doing the bbq a2 courses have now started for our year 12 students thursday 28th june was year 13 leavers day staff and students collected in the octagon in the morning for the leavers ceremony featuring speeches and our leavers awards ­ the oscars it was a very pleasant occasion with a party atmosphere which we then carried into the evening at the leavers ball this was held for the second consecutive year at harwich golf club it was a fantastic occasion well supported by staff and students with smart dress photos a three-course meal and a disco roxanne bedingfield and kenny brundle were voted ball king and queen by staff it is also important to mention the organising committee who did a fantastic job in liaison with the golf club sophie rogers and mel barker led a small group of students who along with ann mulford our 6th form administrator made sure that everything came together for a perfect evening we look forward to welcoming a new year 12 in september i am also confident that the new year 13 will work hard towards achieving good results and organising more memorable events next year it will be a smarter 6th form next year without jeans and trainers and i look forward to working on the continued improvement of our college ably assisted by our new head students ­ rebecca mccrea and leah hambling ­ and deputy head students ­ perry ratcliffe and jessica foster m urwin director of learning ks5 8

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thailand trip news on the barge in the middle of the river we are an isolated community of 22 living in very close quarters 12 students 3 teachers 4 staff to coordinate our days and 3 barge crew we spend our days on the wooden deck an open space flanked by wooden boxes in which we keep our clothes and other day-to-day items at the front above the wheelhouse there is a raised sun deck at the back we are served by five sinks two toilets two showers and a kitchen steps lead down to the belly of the barge where we find our communal sleeping quarters we sleep in an air-conditioned room students on mattresses on the floor staff on raised bunks our suitcases are in one corner of the dormitory and there is a curtain down the middle to separate boys from girls sunday we had not been on the barge for very long when we disembarked for the first time at ko kret a small island in the chao phraya known for its pottery students and staff all had a go at throwing a pot some with considerably more success than others we then had our first opportunity to spend some baht in the small stalls nearby monday after rising early a regular feature we were sent out into a busy thai market we were given some cash split into groups and instructed to bring back breakfast this turned into one of the best meals we had a buffet of thai treats both savoury and sweet from deep-fried banana to curried mussel soup the chao phraya is awash with innumerable floating green islands of water hyacinth the next activity was one for the geographers and biologists we searched the roots of some of this plant for macro invertebrates and calculated the cleanliness of that part of the river from the number of creatures discovered later we did a theoretical activity where we discussed the possible development of an area of land containing a dragonfly pond with the focus very firmly on the environment and sustainability having checked the pollution levels of the river we were able to swim for a while with lifejackets on this was really a chance to freshen up since we were only allowed one shower per day but it rapidly descended into a splashing and ducking opportunity for some individuals this was followed by an introduction to thai birds and a session of bird-watching we are moored at night but for much of the day we are moving northwards upriver on the chao phraya as thailand approaches its rainy season the sky is grey but we do see the sun from time to time it is above 30 degrees in the daytime sometimes approaching 40 the air is humid but on the river we feel a pleasant warm breeze this brown river is about half a mile wide and we are for the most part close to the middle on both banks we see small wooden houses on stilts the occasional factory and some village activity these buildings are surrounded by trees and plants which are richly green and noticeably tropical meals are both a communal and cultural experience students are divided into 4 rotating teams one to cook one to clean one to record navigational data and one to prepare a pre-meal game all cooking is thai-style and we are copiously fed with meat vegetables and rice dessert is local fruit some of which we ve never seen before we are a very healthy floating community each one of us entering into every activity learning from every experience and embracing thai culture its people and its language tuesday the morning involved a visit to the bang sai art and craft centre followed by lesson planning for our visit to a thai school our lessons with the children equivalent to years 3-4 went very well and there were tears from some amongst us as we had to say goodbye everyone played their part well but it was easy to spot the future teachers from the school we were allowed to canoe alongside the barge for a while our final visit of the day was to wat niwet a buddhist temple built in the style of an english church we returned to the barge for sustenance and a lesson in alms-giving in preparation for the following morning 9

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wednesday we rose before 6:00 to visit the monks shaven-headed and wrapped in an orange sheet they are only allowed to eat what is given to them and they are forbidden from eating after midday many thai people go to the temple to give them food which must be presented according to the ceremonial rules we learned what to say to them at the beginning and end and in what manner we should place the food in their bowl we then sank to our knees palms together in front of our faces and bowed deeply as they blessed us the rest of the day was spent on the island of ayutthaya the ancient capital visiting and learning about ancient temples chinese influences and the big buddha we kneeled before the big buddha and took part in a ceremony and a few of us received a blessing along with our fortune it had been the hottest day so far and we were pleased to return to the barge one final time for a welcome shower many of us had to develop our showering technique considerably on the barge the water was cold not a problem in this heat and we were only allowed 3 minutes each to shower some of us were prepared to double up and were then allowed 5 minutes to shower together the barge was a fantastic experience for all of us but we had to move on we caught the overnight train at around 8:00pm from ayutthaya and attempted to sleep on our train bunks during the 12-hour journey through the night to chiang mai thursday there was little time to rest on arrival in the morning after a tour of the campus and a copious lunch we walked to the farm which is attached to the school and spent the afternoon cooking our evening meal junglestyle we were taught how to make fire and then were divided into groups to prepare and cook various dishes largely from ingredients grown on the farm the result was delicious as we sat on the ground and ate with our hands friday the much-awaited trip to the vien ping orphanage did not disappoint we spent an hour having raucous fun in the playground with small children aged 4-6 many of these children have hiv and there are also some who have been orphaned by their parents imprisonment it was a humbling experience and there were tears on both sides at departure on our return to the school we had a lesson in thai art and culture which included preparing a thai salad and dressing up in traditional dress for a lesson in thai dancing only one of the three boys decided to go for the female costume following lunch we went on a mountain-bike ride through local villages to a buffalo farm we saw demonstrations of how the buffalo aid in the production of rice and sugar in the absence of any machinery we also had the opportunity to mount a buffalo but not in the way that you would climb on a horse we had to run at it from behind jump and straddle its hind quarters like a vaulting gymnast in the evening we were driven to chiang mai where we spent a few hours getting something to eat and shopping at the night bazaar effectively this was a street market where we had a chance to use our bartering skills to get the best price possible for our souvenir purchases northern thailand the rainy season starts in the north of thailand and our 12-hour journey on wednesday night took us through hills and rainforest to meet it in chiang mai we were met by staff from the visiting schools program who took us by minibus to our accommodation in the school grounds we are in the boarding section of a well-equipped international school deserted following the summer exodus we are living in shared flats well provided for by air-conditioning en suite facilities and the nearby canteen we continue to eat very well three times a day and there have been very few mentions of western food we have visited the open-air olympic pool once and one member of staff and the boys have even been up extra early on one occasion to sample the running track in the humid conditions we are happy and healthy and enjoying life in thailand saturday sunday on saturday morning we drove for two hours through lush green rainforest to our camp way up in the hills of north-east thailand we left our bags and then drove for a further 45 minutes to a village inhabited by a hill tribe these are people who originated in tibet over a century ago and have been displaced more than once from more than one country most recently from burma 10

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continued a clue to how they scrape a living was given by the crops of sweet corn we drove past on our journey they rely partially on donations and support from outside of their small community we were there to make progress on a new classroom building and we all threw ourselves into this physically demanding work in the hot sun we painted walls which had already been completed made cement by hand the continuing theme of no machinery and used it to render new walls we also constructed a flower bed in front of the classroom we finished the second day by presenting gifts and ice cream to the local children as well as some more practical supplies for the village the night camp was a wonderful experience we were in huts on stilts in a rainforest clearing there was no air-conditioning so after a camp fire we retired to a sticky night under mosquito nets listening to the singing insects and the distant calls of monkeys and gibbons from the rainforest canopy this more than anything we have done so far demonstrated our commitment to making a difference and to ensuring that this is not simply a holiday everyone showed an excellent attitude to physical labour in this hot and humid climate and all agreed on departure that they were pleased that they had done it we had thoroughly earned the shower awaiting us on our return and the pleasant evening spent at chaing mai s walking street a bigger and more extensive opportunity to buy souvenirs and thai street food and with a wider variety of wares many hand-crafted 11

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library news lauren st john visits harwich dovercourt high school popular children s author lauren st john paid a visit to hdhs on wednesday 4th july to speak to the school s year 7 pupils and over 120 children from local primary schools students and staff from other secondary schools were also invited in lauren is the author of the multi award-winning children s quarte the white giraffe dolphin song the last leopard and the elephant s tale dead man s cove the first in her mystery series featuring 11-year-old detective laura marlin who lives in st ives cornwall won the 2011 blue peter book of the year award and was shortlisted for children s book of the year at the galaxy national book awards her newest book kentucky thriller also featuring laura marlin is published in august lauren talked about her childhood in africa and how her family adopted orphaned and injured wild animals she covered her work with born free a charity which works to rescue animals suffering in captivity and then releases them back into the wild she also gave tips to students on finding ideas for stories from places such as newspapers and on how to think about characterisation and starting a story mr dace library manager commented `i believe she has really encouraged our pupils to read more and to aspire to follow a career they want to on leaving school reading is important in the overall development of pupils and her visit has enthused children at the school to borrow her books feedback i have received has been very positive many of our students were raving about lauren s adventures which she spoke of lauren kindly judged a short story competition entitled `message in a bottle which the school library tan to tie in with her book dead man s cove the two winners were ben hawkins and harry redburn who are both in 7hsk they were lucky enough to receive a signed copy each of one of lauren s books lauren was born in gatooma rhodesia now kadoma zimbabwe at the age of eleven she and her family moved to rainbow s end farm in gadzema which later became the subject of her memoir rainbow s end after studying journalism in harare she relocated to england where she was for nearly a decade golf correspondent to the sunday times she is the author of several books on sports and music including hardcore troubadour the life near death of steve earle 13

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p.e news school sportsman of the year 2011/12 the best of the best the aim of the sportsman of the year competition is to encourage participation in school sport and to promote and reward excellence from years 7 to 10 171 boys have participated in some 76 fixtures the sportsman of the year award awards points for participation and excellence in school fixtures every person who participates is rewarded one point additional points are awarded for sportsmanship courage passion ability performance conduct and effort the pe department would like to thank all of you have taken part or been involved in school fixtures and we would like to see more of you being involved for next year to make the sport at the school even better we would also like to thank harwich taxis and harwich and dovercourt rugby club for providing the prizes for the competition for the next academic year we would like to make the sportsperson of the year 2012/13 bigger and better so we need better prizes more students more staff and anyone who can help to participate in any way and get involved with school sport if you can contribute please contact the school pe department or email joe.francis@harwich.essex.sch.uk thank you to a man of the match outstanding performance scores an additional 3 points an excellent runner up performance scores 2 1 extra point is awarded as a 3rd place for exceeding in one or more area of the criteria all those who have excelled in their year group and scored 10 points or more will be recognised as a `sports captain as they have shown leadership and brilliance on the sports field they will receive a school badge to wear on their blazers so that everyone can recognise their fantastic achievements they will also receive a certificate to proudly stick on their fridge or mantelpiece at home further to this the runner up in the competition will receive a trophy and an england beanie to recognise their excellence the winner of the completion for each year group receives a trophy an england shirt and the honour of being `school captain for the next academic year they will receive a `school captain badge to wear proudly on their blazer so that the whole school can recognise their outstanding achievements 14

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