Issue 34, April 2000
Congratulations to Mrs Burrow
Following two days of rigorous interviewing on Monday and Tuesday last week, Mrs Burrow, our Acting Deputy Headteacher, was appointed to the permanent post of Deputy Headteacher. We had almost fifty applicants from around the country for what is a key position in the school's management structure. Mrs Burrow is already well-known to many parents as our respected Head of English and I'm certain this well-deserved promotion will serve Woodhey well in the future. Congratulations Mrs Burrow - keep up the good work!
Farewell to Staff
Miss Colette Roberts Miss Roberts has given 8 years' exemplary service to Woodhey and will be sadly missed by both pupils and staff.
She is a tremendous classroom teacher whose energy, enthusiasm and exceptional innovatory skills are going to be difficult to replace. Colette has contributed to Woodhey in many other ways; as Assistant Head of Year 8 and in ventures of a charitable or community nature.
Colette has gained promotion to a post as Head of History at Darwen Vale High School, Blackburn.
Miss Gill Kennedy We shall also be sorry to lose Miss Kennedy at the end of this term after 7 excellent years at Woodhey. She is moving to a well-deserved promotion in the Maths department at Egerton Park High School, Denton, Manchester. Her new school is expanding in size and has just gained specialist school status for Arts - so Gill is in for a very exciting time. Gill's calm manner and ready smile will be missed by everyone at Woodhey. Her contribution to the development of careers at Woodhey has also been of benefit to many of our younger pupils.
We wish both colleagues every success in their newly-chosen career directions and thank them again for their substantial contributions to Woodhey High School.
Martin Braidley, Headteacher
The World Wide Message Tribe
The local Methodist and Anglican Churches sponsored the recent visit of the World Wide Message Tribe to the school as part of the national 'Message 2000' programme. The Message Tribe are a group of singers and dancers who share their Christian faith through the medium of dance music.
The Tribe took assemblies and RE lessons and even played a mini- concert on a hastily constructed stage in the sports hall on Wednesday dinnertime. Despite the echoing acoustics, the pupils who turned up certainly enjoyed the event, judging by the noise level and the amount of audience participation!
The culmination of the week's events was a sell-out concert in the Elizabethan Suite in Bury Town Hall on the Sunday night where some 400 pupils from various Bury High schools enjoyed the music and message of three Christian bands. DH
John Peers Fashion Show
Year 10 pupil volunteers will be taking to the catwalk at Ramsbottom Civic Hall on Wednesday 10 May to help raise funds for the school. They will be modelling clothes from Principles and other stores and will have been transformed by make overs and new hairstyles by the staff of the John Peers Salon.
Why not come along on the night to support our very own 'supermodels'? Tickets can be purchased from Mrs Burrow in school or from the salon on Square Street, price £3.00. The show starts at 7.30 pm. Be there! PB
SCHOOL CLOSED ON FRIDAY, 30 JUNE 2000
Following a Governing Body Meeting, school will be closed to pupils on Friday, 30 June for staff training. This is an additional day allocated by the Government. We apologise for any inconvenience that it may cause.
M Braidley, Headteacher
Thank you
May I thank all the parents who recently answered my request for help to computerise the library system. Without your support and help this job would have taken much longer. It was very much appreciated. Sandra Hiett, Librarian
BSM Driving Course
Recently, Year 11 pupils took part in the BSM Road Safety Unit Off-Road driving initiative. After two weeks in a classroom learning about driver attitudes, road safety etc, over fifty pupils were let loose in BSM cars to test their driving skills on the all-weather pitch. HF
1940's Wartime Weekend and Ramsbottom Millennium Festival
We have been invited to participate in the ELR 1940 Wartime Weekend by travelling on a train in full 'Vacuees' costume on Saturday 27 May in the morning (exact times to be confirmed). The idea is to re-create the appearance and atmosphere of the evacuated children boarding the trains and arriving at at their destination. I would very much like the full cast to be involved in this.
In addtion we will be performing a scene from "Vacuees" (involving only the evacuees) as part of Ramsbottom Millennium Festival on Saturday 24 June at 12.50 on a stage to be erected next to the Grants Arms. This will involve rehearsals next term.
C Baines (Head of Expressive Arts)
Spring Blooms
Don't forget to order your bedding plants for summer. All pupils have been given an order form to enable you to take advantage of our sale and help raise money for the Friends of Woodhey. Please return all orders and money to school by Friday 5 May 2000. Plants should be collected from school on Monday, 22 May between 4 and 5 pm. PB
ROAD RACE AND FAMILY FUN RUN
As part of Ramsbottom Sports Week, Friends of Woodhey are now pleased to announce that the 3rd Road Race and Family Fun Run will be held at school on Sunday 11th June 2000.
The 6 mile Road Race is open to anyone over 16. Cash prizes are offered to the winners. The Family Fun Run is open to all. Certificates will be presented to the winners and medals awarded to all participants.
Last year we had a pleasing response to both races, with one or two quite renowned runners arriving on the day. The weather stayed fine, and the masochistic runners received the hilly course favourably! This year we hope to attract as much, if not more, interest.
Entry forms are available from Mrs Burrow. If you are unable to race but would like to help on the day (we need over 25 marshalls plus additional support) please contact Steve Ribchester on 01204 88 4663.
Netball
The Bury Schools' tournment took place this term and Years 8, 10 and 11 finished runners-up in their sections.
Year 7 were outstanding and finished an overall 2nd, losing to St Monica's in the final. Well done to all girls who gave 100% and were a credit to the school.
The results were
v St Gabriel's won 3 - 0
v Castlebrook won 6 - 0
v Prestwich won 5 - 2
v Tottington won 4 - 2
v St Monica's lost 7 - 4
In the leagues run for Years 8,9 and 10, Year 8 and Year 10 finished runners up. We seem to have had a year of being bridesmaids!! JB
Soccer
Year 8 In April, the Year 8 football team managed to get to the final of the Bury Schools' Tournament, held at Close Park against St Monica's. It was an eight-goal thriller, with 3 goals for Woodhey coming from David Kay (8 Calrows), Jamie Quinn (8 Calrows) and Michael Aspinall (8 Kay). However, with some bad luck in the goal mouth and the 'wood-work‘ preventing the Woodhey attempts, St Monica's managed to squeeze 5 into the Woodhey goal. It was a determined effort by all who played in the final, and continuous hard work by all Year 8 players to get through the early stages of the tournament. RG
The Bury Metro Cup Second Round results were
v Tottington Year 9 lost 2 - 0
v Derby Year 7 lost 10 - 0
v Castlebrook Year 11 won 2 - 1; Year 8 won 3 - 0 ;Year 10 drew 2 - 2. This game was still level after extra time and went to penalties. After five penalties the score was still level. The game was then to be decided on sudden-death penalties. After the whole team, including the goal keepers, had taken their penalty, we eventually lost 13 - 12!! So many had the chance to be a hero! Hard luck, boys - just think how it must feel at Wembley in the semi-final of the F A Cup! (Sorry, Mr Hodkinson - a Bolton anorak!)
Semi Final results were
v Elton Year 11 won 6 - 0
v Coney Green Year 8 won 4 - 2
Final results were
v St Gabriel's Year 11 won 2 - 0
The Year 11 boys finished their Woodhey soccer careers in the best possible way with a thoroughly deserved win in the above final. During the first half with the strong wind against us we created most of the scoring opportunities. After 15 minutes, Chris Trippier (11 Peel) scored one of the best goals seen all season, sprinting with the ball and striking it into the top corner from a very tight angle. Lee Jones (11 Ashton) saved a penalty to keep the score at 1 - 0. With 10 minutes to go Jamie Holt scored to secure the victory at 2 - 0. Congratulations to all members of the squad who have been fantastic ambassadors for Woodhey for the last five years. HT
Rugby
Year 8 Lancashire Schools' Tournament In March, the Year 8 Rugby team took part in the final stage of the Lancashire Schools' Rugby Tournament. In the play-offs for the final they beat St Peter & Paul 12 - 7, De La Salle 19-12 and Hulton High School 7 - 0.
In the final, they pulled out a stunning performance against St Augustine's, beating them 22-5, to become the overall champions of the tournmant. RG
General Results
v Thornleigh Year 7 to be played
Year 8 won 53 - 0
Year 9 won 52 - 5
Year 11 to be played
INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
Following the success of our Year 8 County players I am delighted with the progress of Warren Senior (9A), Alex Williams (9G), Paul Sellens (9K) who have all been selected to play rugby for Lancashire clubs. HT
Year 7 played their first series of 7-a- side rugby matches at the Audenshaw 7's Tournament on Saturday 25 March.
In a tough group, including Manchester Grammar, Audenshaw and Ashton-on-Mersey, our lack of experience showed. However, considering this was their first taste of competitive rugby, their tackling and overall commitment were superb. The boys now have the chance to play their first 15-a-side game on 11 April against Thornleigh College. HT
Hockey
The longest Hockey season on record! Because of the recent run of bad weather, many matches have had to be re-scheduled, which has caused a backlog of fixtures stretching into May! Despite this, Woodhey teams have played exceedingly well, producing some excellent results (as well as a rise in my blood pressure!) The results of matches to date are
At the replay of the 'A' team match Woodhey finally won on penalties and qualified for the final of the Bury Schools' knock-out competition which was held this week and resulted in us winning the 'Knock - Out' Cup.
In the knock-out competition against Philips High School, after 2 drawn games Woodhey finally lost 1 - 0 on a 'golden goal'.
In the Bury Schools Rally - Woodhey were runners up in section. After a most successful season, all teams have qualified for the league finals, to be played at Goshen on 3rd May 2000.
And finally .....
Year 7 Rally on Wednesday 10 May. My sincere thanks to all players/reserves and the many parents who continue to support our teams and help out with transport. HF
Co-op Sports Vouchers
Many thanks to all pupils/parents who collected vouchers .Our grand total was 7020 - an excellent effort which enabled us to claim gymnastics mats, hockey balls and markers. Watch out for the next campaign!! HFi
Back Gate
For security purposes and for the safety of all pupils the back gate will now be opened/closed at the following times
Closed at 9.15 am
Open at 1.10 pm
Closed at 1.20 pm
Open at 3.30 pm
PB
Our apologies for
the confusion regarding our monthly waste paper collection. Unfortunately,
the vehicle which transports the paper to the mill, and which is kindly donated
by Peter and Michele Richardson has been involved in an accident and is off
the road being repaired. Notification of this problem came too late with
regards to the normal March collection. This has resulted in excessive amounts
of waste paper being stored in school and in the garage. Every effort is
being made to clear up the backlog of paper and hopefully this problem will
be resolved shortly. Please continue to support our waste paper collections
as this is a vital source of revenue for our funds. Future events include the Bedding Plant Sale, the Grand Raffle Draw, the Fun Run and the Duck Race. The above are normally excellent fund- raising events. Letters will be sent out by school notifying all of the due dates. Please help to make these events as successful as previous years.
Early indications are showing that the Grand Raffle tickets are selling extremely well and pupils are competing with each other to try and win the cash prizes on offer for those who sell the most tickets. There are still a few remaining, so keep up the good work by selling as many as possible.
A big thanks goes out to all those brave people who stood outside local supermarkets selling tickets to shoppers. This is not an easy task, so, once again, thank you for your support.
Also we must not forget to mention the tremendous hard work conducted by Julie Pilling who organised the rota of helpers. The final term of the year will be upon us shortly so please continue to give your support to these events in one final push in order to offer our children a better quality of life within school.
Ken Howlett, Chairperson
Ski Holiday, California 2000 pictures from the holiday
After a 23½ hour journey halfway across the world, 21 pupils and 3 staff arrived in Heavenly, Lake Tahoe, California.
Throughout the week we were woken at 5.15 am by a wake-up call and then at 6 am there was a knock at the door. It was the teachers, armed with snow! At 8 am we began our days' skiing and every day the conditions were perfect. Sometimes it was beautiful bright blue skies and the stunning views of Lake Tahoe, and at other times it snowed heavily and we could barely see where we were going.
After a few days we felt lucky that no-one had any bumps or bruises. Unfortunately Faye Hamer had a collision with a man, but she bounced back the next day. Anything for a ride on a stretcher with attractive ski guides!
All in all, the ski-ing was fantastic, the conditions were perfect and the holiday was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
Alison Whittaker (11 Ashton)
Parents' Surgery
This term the meetings will be from 4.00 - 6.00 pm in the Library at school on Tuesday, 9 May and Monday, 5 June. These meetings are intended to be for parents who consider the usual channels inappropriate. No appointment is necessary and the meetings will be quite informal. Parents will be seen on a 'first come, first served' basis.
M Braidley, Headteacher
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