Issue 71, May 2006

Spain Trip 2006 On Thursday 6 April thirty-eight pupils and five staff left Manchester airport to spend six days visiting some of Spain’s most breathtaking and exciting sights in Andalucía. We visited the home of bullfighting in Ronda, admired the Mezquita, saw Seville’s massive Cathedral and Alcazar and of course relaxed, ate ice creams and sunbathed on the beach. Each evening we had the opportunity to dance with the natives and watch traditional flamenco dancing. We all practised our Spanish, conversing effortlessly and coming back almost fluent! The weather throughout our stay was typically Andalucían: hot. Well done to all pupils who participated and for maintaining the school’s high standards abroad. Lots of pictures of the trip can be seen here. R Wilson

A DVD of the trip is available priced £3.

Holiday Permission Recent government announcements concerning pupils being taken out of school in order to go on family holidays mean than I am no longer able to authorise requests for leave of absence for pupils to take holidays during term time. I would ask that parents bear this in mind when planning family holidays. Many thanks for your co-operation in this matter. M Braidley, Headteacher

The Sound of Music... I was delighted recently to accompany two of our Woodhey pupils, Abbie Jones (9G) and Cameron Green (8C), to the Rotary Club's Young Musician of the Year competition held in the Junior Division of Bury Grammar School for Boys. Abbie sang two songs, one of which 'Wouldn't it be Luverly?' she recently sang at the school's production 'Showstoppers', whilst Cameron played a keyboard medley of Jean-Michel Jarre music. Both pupils gave excellent performances and they were a credit to Woodhey. Congratulations to winners Sean Boyes of St Gabriel's and Martin Hagan of Bury Grammar School, and thanks to all competitors for a wonderful musical evening. ...and Laughter. We've always known that we had gifted pupils, but the recent production of 'The Midden' at the Theatre Royal, Ramsbottom, proved that we also have some very talented actors on the staff. The play, directed by Carolyn Baines, featured Alrene Hughes as a middle-aged mum with Vicky Maguire and Karen Kennedy as her daughter and daughter's business partner respectively. Mrs Hughes' entrance on stage brought the house down - she created the part of the stressed-out mother to perfection, directing her family in the same voice she uses to usher the latecomers in to school each morning! Her wig was stunning and her performance, in the words of one ex-pupil, 'awesome!' Vicky Maguire played the young career woman to perfection and Karen Kennedy provided the glamour with her portrayal of the outspoken Mab. Well done to director and actors for a fabulous performance! P Burrow

Help! I'm a Parent! Being a parent has never been easy. And it seems to be getting more difficult every day. We are increasingly aware that more and more parents need information, advice and support in helping to bring up their children and managing family life. Parentline Plus is a national organisation which offers a range of support materials for parents, from publications to a helpline. Their website address is www.parentlineplus.org.uk or you can email their helpline on parentsupport@parentlineplus.org.uk. Their publications are available on a wide range of family/relationships issues, and I can highly recommend them. Their 'phone helpline number is 0800 800 2222. Keep these contact numbers handy: you - or a friend - may need them, because, as the Parentline slogan says 'instructions aren't included.' Another useful website is www.parentscentre.gov.uk P Burrow, Deputy Headteacher

Maths Challenge On Thursday, 2 February thirty pupils from Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. Gold certificates were awarded to Philippa Bailey (11K), Michael Greene (10G), Callum McGuinness (9C); Silver to Nick Lamont (11K), Grant Orr (10K), Joanne Spencer (10H), Abbie Jones (9G), Nick Morton (9K), Charlotte Loftus (9C); Bronze to Adam Riley (11K), Alex Thexton (11C), Samantha Petch (11H), Robert Doyle (10C), Adam Horrocks (10A), Rachael Calvey (10G), Leanne Storey (10A), Josh Kroll (9C), Eleanor Jones (9A) and Jennifer Gibson (9H). Congratulations to all pupils who took part and a special well done to Callum McGuinness (9C) (right) who went through to the next round, the 'Grey Kangaroo'.

Stock Market Challenge Congratulations to Robert Doyle, Sian Hughes-Jones, Gareth James, Grant Orr and Yasmin Rothwell in Year 10 who competed against other Bury high schools in a Stock Market Challenge at Bury Town Hall on Tuesday 14 March. The team invested a fictitious £35,000, buying and selling shares in nine companies and the US dollar. They ended the trading week with a portfolio value of £121,800 and finished fourth out of eighteen teams. J Sweeney

Friends of Woodhey Uniform Shop Friends of Woodhey are constantly in need of clean, good quality, unwanted school uniform for our School Uniform Shop. All types and sizes of uniform are needed. Please bring any unwanted uniform items to the School Office. The School Uniform Shop will, from now on, only open on demand and on evenings to coincide with Friends of Woodhey meetings. (The shop opens at 6.30pm, half an hour prior to the start of the meeting.) If you would like to purchase items from the shop please contact school office staff who will advise when it will next open.

Football Bury Metro Cup Semi-final Result: Year 10 v Parrenthorn won 4 - 2 The Year 10 team enjoyed a sweet victory over an improved Parrenthorn side in the semi-finals of a competition where we have been perennial finalists since Year 7. After going 1 - 0 down after a slow start we managed to fight back to 1 - 1 at half time after a brave Matthew Collum header. The second half was a cracker with Collum again showing tremendous bravery to head an exact replica of his first. It looked like the game was over but, to their credit, Parrenthorn fought their way back into the game and levelled at 2 - 2. The game looked to be heading into extra time when Matthew Collum again stole the show with 2 late dramatic goals to take us into the final where our opponents would again be St Monica's. Bury Metro Cup Final Result: Revenge at last !! Year 10 v St Monica's won 4 - 1 Our Year 10's finally managed to bury the ghost of cup final past by brushing aside arch rivals St Monica's, in a very one -sided cup final. Captain Kieran Trippier proved to be the difference as he scored an excellent hat-trick on our way to a comfortable victory. Kieran's first goal was nothing short of phenomenal as he dribbled a full 70 yards having beaten half of the Monica's team on his way to scoring a magnificent individual goal. His second, a volley from 35 yards wasn't too bad either!! With a 2 - 0 half time lead things were looking good, and they looked even better once Matthew Collum had added a third immediately after St Monica's thought they'd got back into the game with a goal. The final say was Trippier's as he rounded off the scores with another finish from outside the box. An excellent performance by all involved! and a big thank you to all the parents and other friends and relatives who showed their support on the day for the team and throughout a very successful double winning season! L Garcka
	The squad for the final were: Anthony Moore Alex Swinnerton James Kennedy Alex Mallion Adam Jackson Kieran Trippier Ashley Reece Daniel Tonge Courtney Crooks Jordan Hulme Matthew Collum Marcus Mitchell Anthony Fearnley Matthew Williams
World Cup Trip We are presently awaiting confirmation of departure times, final itinerary and which game we are actually watching. As soon as we are made aware of this information parents of pupils attending the trip will be invited to a parents' evening so that all the details can be-given in full.
Bury Town Team A number of our boys have represented the Bury Town Team this season at Under 15 level. Congratulations must go to these lads: Ashley Reece, Matthew Williams and Alex Mallion who have shown full commitment to this side, selected from the best young footballers at school in Bury. Alex Mallion has been awarded Player of the Season by the Town Team. The trophy is donated by the Rotary Club who will officially present it to Alex at a forthcoming lunch. Alex has been outstanding all season at centre-back, even managing to be top-scorer! This is the third time in 3 years that a Woodhey player has won this award. Well done Alex! L Garcka
	Rounders Rally Congratulations to the Year 11 Rounders team who won the Runners-Up Trophy in the Bury Schools' Rally played on Thursday, 11 May. After beating St Gabriel's and Parrenthorn they met Bury Grammar School in the final. After a nail-biting game Bury Grammar School clinched the match beating us by 8 - 6 rounders. Well done, girls - what a way to go!!
Cricket - Lancashire Cup U13 v Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School Electing to field first, Woodhey allowed the opening batsmen to build a commanding innings. Too many "extras" and a few dropped catches saw BRGS score 117 for 5 off 16 overs. Despite this, our opening pair of Matthew Sutton (8H) and Jack Alderson (8C) batted sensibly and soon got the score up to 40 before losing the first wicket. An excellent partnership between Matthew and Jackson Garner gave Woodhey a chance of reaching 118 by hitting 26 runs in two overs. Unfortunately we soon collapsed, eventually finishing on 85 after 18 overs. Congratulations to Matthew Sutton who scored 56 and batted for most of the innings. Matthew has been selected to play in a series of matches for Lancashire U13s and looks forward to future successes. Well done Matthew! H Turner
Athletics Our first match was held at Bury Grammar School on Tuesday, 9 May for both boys and girls. Although we lost overall there were some excellent individual performances. Regular training in preparation for the Bury Schools' Championships is held each Tuesday and Wednesday after school and all pupils are welcome. H Turner	Tag Rugby - Years 7, 8, 9 Tag Rugby has started once again and I am asking any Year 7, 8 or 9 girls who would like to play to come down to practices. Just look out in the notices for the appropriate day. Any ability welcome - just give it a try! J Ralphson
Astro Turf Pitch Our new sports facility is beginning to take shape and we are hoping for a hand-over date before the end of June. Applications to hire the Astro-Turf pitch or Sports Hall can be made by contacting Emma Lawton at the Lettings Department on 0161 253 5646. We have already received numerous enquiries so an early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.
Football 6-a-side
On Tuesday, 9 May a Year 10 boys team and a combined Year 9 and 10 girls team played in a 6-a-side football tournament organised by students from Bury College. Other schools entered were Castlebrook, Elton, St Gabriel's and Parrenthorn. In the first round the girls played each team twice in six minute games, the boys played ten minute matches against each team. As you can see it took the girls a few games to get going! After an impressive display of conduct, effort and showboating skills that Ronaldinho would have been proud of, both teams were through to the semi finals. Cheered on by the boys on the sideline, the girls played St Gabriel's, beating them comfortably 5 - 0 (Chantelle O'Hara 3, Shauna Carnson 2). After seven games the girls' goal keeper, Lizzy Lunn, had not had to make one save. The boys had a close game against Elton but Matthew Williams managed to net a stunning goal close to full time, giving us a 1 - 0 win and a place in the final. The finals The girls were up against a strong Elton team who battled hard throughout the game. Their keeper made some excellent saves from Chantelle, Shauna and Alice and it looked like nothing was going to get past her. With under 2 minutes to go before a penalty shoot out we really did not want, Chantelle O'Hara picked up the ball in her own half, skipped around 3 players and hammered the ball into the back of the net. 1 - 0 and the final whistle. Winners! The boys then knew what they had to do! Castlebrook boys team had beaten a skilful St Gabriel's side in a penalty shoot out in their semi final, with their keeper saving all but one penalty so we knew that it was going to take something special to beat him. The lads were fantastic, passing the ball around confidently and encouraging each other to create chances close to the goal. An impressive 2 - 0 up through Kieran Trippier and we were cruising; until a minute to go when Castlebrook pulled one back and it looked like we had relaxed a bit too much. It was a tense countdown to the final whistle but with 30 seconds left the Castlebrook keeper had no chance as Kieran fired in his third goal and finished the game off for good. Time to celebrate and for my heartbeat to return to normal! Sandwiches and drinks were provided by the tournament's sponsor Subway and the presentation got under way. All players were awarded medals, with the winners getting an individual trophy and both of our teams receiving a big shiny cup for the school to keep. It was a fantastic day and a pleasure to be there with them. All pupils supported and encouraged each other in every game, worked closely as a team, wowed everyone with their skills and were a credit to the school. The Bury College students were especially impressed with 2 individuals' performances throughout the tournament and presented Kieran Trippier and Chantelle O'Hara each with a prize for 'Player of the Tournament'. Thanks to all pupils for taking part, to Bury College for hosting the tournament and to parents for their continued support. R Horne	Girls v Elton 0 - 0 v Castlebrook 0 - 0 v St. Gabriel's won 2 - 0 (C. O'Hara, E. Garrett) v Elton won 1 - 0 (A. Haslam) v Castlebrook won 1 - 0 (E. Garrett) v St. Gabriel's won 2 - 0 (C.O'Hara 2)     Boys v Parrenthorn won 5 - 0 (M. Collum 2, A. Mallion, K. Trippier, M. Mitchell) v Elton won 2 - 1 (J. Hulme, K. Trippier) v Castlebrook won 1 - 0 (K. Trippier) v St Gabriels lost 1 - 0
	Boys from left: Alex Mallion (10H), Kieran Trippier (10H), Jordan Hulme (10H), Alex Swinnerton (10H), Marcus Mitchell (10H), Anthony Moore (10K), Matthew Williams (10C), Matthew Collum (10C), Girls from left: Roisin Huggins (9K), Chantelle O'Hara (9K), Shauna Carnson (10G), Joanne Quinn (10A), Ellie Garrett (10G), Lizzy Lunn (9G), Alice Haslam (9C), Grace Parfitt (9A).

Scrabble Tournament Forty people entered the Scrabble Tournament; they were split in to two groups Years 7, 8 & 9 and Years 10, 11 + staff. All entered fully into the spirit of the competition and the standard of play was impressive. Matthew Fitton (8H) won the Year 7/8/9 competition. In second place was Daniel Lawson (7A), third place Chris Friend (8H) and in fourth place Bill Bennett (9H). Mr Broadbent won the senior tournament, second place Jamie Makki (10C), third place Mrs Gallie and fourth place Tom Potts (11A). Thank you to everyone who took part and I hope that you will enter again next year. J. Fitton, Librarian

Friends of Woodhey
Committee Meetings Members please note that the date of the next Committee meeting (in the school library) is as follows: Wednesday 21 June (All meetings start at 7.00pm) New members are always welcome to attend.	Summer Fair A date for your diary - the School's Summer Fair this year will be held on Sunday 2nd July starting at 12.00 noon We will again be combining the Summer Fair with our popular Annual Car Boot Sale. Keep a look out in blazer pockets for more information soon (on bright blue paper!).	100 Club The winners of the 100 Club draws are December L Killelea January A Bullock February N Bowers March A Bullock April J Hall May S Jackson

Fantasy Football League
Overall winner - Alex Ferguson (Y9) Overall 2nd place - Tom Daniel (Y9) Overall 3rd place - Anthony Fearnley (Y 10) Year 7 winner - Tom Hamer Year 8 winner - Matt Palmer Year 9 winner - Alex Ferguson Year 10 winner - Anthony Fearnley Year 11 winner - Jake Smith Staff winner - Mr Rowlands Fantasy Football FA Cup Winner Sam Harvey (Y10)	Congratulations to winners of the Fantasy Football League competition! You can enter the Fantasy Football World Cup Competition for free! Register your team on-line before 9 June: www.northwest.schoolsfl.com Pin number: 28415 J Sweeney

Parents' Surgery Once a month, I will stay behind after school and hold a 'surgery' which is open to any parent who would like to discuss anything with me. No appointment is necessary and the meeting will be quite informal. Parents will be seen on a 'first come, first served' basis. Next term the meeting will be from 4.00 - 6.00 pm in the Library at school on Thursday 6 July This meeting is intended to be for parents who consider the usual channels inappropriate. The 'surgery' is in addition to the current procedure, not a replacement for it. Reminder: If you have a concern about your child the usual route is Contact the Form Tutor to discuss the situation. Contact the Head of Year to discuss the situation. Contact Mr Cutting - the Assistant Headteacher (Pastoral). Contact the Headteacher - Mr Braidley. From September 2005 the Heads of Year are: Year 7 - Mrs Farrell Year 8 - Mrs Rhodes-Werner Year 9 - Mrs Macwilliam Year 10 - Mr Giles Year 11- Mrs Bennett It would be extremely helpful if you would keep to this structure and not contact the more senior staff members directly, unless it is an emergency. M Braidley, Headteacher

Wanna be a Nutter?

Competition has been fierce in the latest Nutters Cooking Competition. Year 10 Food Technology pupils, Year 9's and even staff have been battling it out in teams of two, to reach the final of this prestigious competition. For the third year running, local celebrity chef, Andrew Nutter, has agreed to judge the final in the kitchens of his restaurant in June. Andrew's challenge this year was for the teams of two to prepare a two course meal, either starter and main course or main course and dessert, using local produce in just 45 minutes. Apart from adding that he does not like either tripe or liver, Andrew left the rest up to the competitors. The grand final takes place in two sessions at Nutters' Restaurant, Rochdale. There will be a presentation following the event where Andrew will announce the winners of the competition. J Ralphson and J Hargreaves

Judging has been difficult as the standards have, as usual, been very high.The finalists this year are:Jessica Hoy(9G), Grace Parfitt(9A), Katie Magee(9A), Sophie Leah(9A),Lauren Godfrey(9H), Jennifer Gibson(9H), Marcus Mitchell(10H), Edward Neate(10G) and Yasmin Rothwell (10K).

Friends of Woodhey Holcombe Hill Challenge and Fun This year's Friends of Woodhey Holcombe Hill Challenge Race will be held on Sunday, 25 June 2006. The race will start at 11.00 am behind The Hare and Hounds and will take runners on a gruelling 2.7 mile course up to the top of Holcombe Hill and back down to the finish again behind the Hare and Hounds. Each form will be asked to nominate (and sponsor) two runners for the race. Fun runners will also be welcome. Engraved trophies will be awarded to the first boy and first girl to finish from each year. All competitors will be provided with lunch and soft drinks after the race. Awards will be presented at 12.30 pm. Runners will be trying to beat last year's winning time of just over 21 minutes. Race entry and sponsorship forms will be available from your Form Teacher before half term.

Friends of Woodhey Duck Race The annual Friends of Woodhey Duck Race was held on Sunday 7 May at Burrs Country Park. The result this year was: First Place - Crispy Duck, sponsored by Mrs Bennett (who wins £100) Second Place - Sitting Duck, sponsored by Barbara Holt (who wins £50) Thanks to those who bought tickets for the race.

Woodhey Girls help clinch Runners-up Trophy

Three Woodhey pupils helped Woodbank U13 girls clinch the runners-up trophy in a recent competition held at Thornton Clevelys on Sunday 7 May. Holly Laing (8K), Becky Howe (8H)and Ellie Townsend (8H) were part of the successful team who played Manchester City B, Exton and Thornton Clevelys in their section. In the semi-final they beat Manchester City A, 1 - 0 to go on and lose to Preston North End 1 - 0 in the final after extra time Well done girls! H Finbow

Diana Award At the recent Year 11 Leavers' assembly I was thrilled to present Jon Stroud with a Princess Diana Award for his outstanding contribution to school life. Jon established Woodhey Films whilst he was in Year 8, and has run it ever since. He has photographed and made videos of dozens of school events, has manned the sound and lighting systems for many more, advised on the radio station, and helped numerous members of staff solve technological problems. Thanks for everything, Jon. We look forward to seeing you at the Oscars in 2020! P Burrow

Great North Run October 2006 - British Heart Foundation As some of you will be aware I have been raising funds for the British Heart Foundation which will culminate in my 'attempt' to run the Great North Run in October! Running has never been my strong point but I am determined to complete this challenge for this very worthy cause. I would like to say thank you to anyone who has sponsored me so far, who has contributed to cake sales and who has donated their spare change on a regular basis. I will be continuing to raise funds, aiming to reach £1000 by October. Any help that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated and I will keep you informed of my progress! Thanks. J Ralphson

School dinners ( but not as you know them...) Blame it on Jamie Oliver if you will but school dinners are changing - and changing for the better. The government have recently issued guidelines on healthy eating for schools, including new regulations about school lunches. Gone now are the days of 'chips with everything'. Currently we have one chip-free day each week: this will soon rise to three such days. What will our children do? Well, they'll eat more healthy food. We have recently started to run one 'themed day' per week (Italian, English and Mexican so far - and guess which was the least healthy?) which have been a massive success, with virtually no 'leftovers' and many dishes completely sold out. Well done to the kitchen staff! (And, of course, to Jamie!) P Burrow, Deputy Headteacher

Calendar from June 2006

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