- 17/12/12 Charities Week starts.
- 17/12/12 Year 13 History Trip.
- 19/12/12 Matthew Project in school.
- 20/12/12 Year 8 vaccinations
- 21/12/12 Year 8 and Year 9 Present Performance Levels home.
- 21/12/12 Last day of Autumn Term.
- 8/1/13 First day of Spring Term.
- 8/1/13 GCE/GCSE examinations start
Reading for pleasure 2013
Reading is one of the most important life skills. We want to make sure we are doing all we can to support each student become an enthusiastic reader by providing opportunities to read a variety of texts and reflect on their reading habits. Our aim is to create lifelong readers and establish regular reading habits in our young people.
When we return in January, we will launch a change to the current tutor programme by introducing 10 minutes private reading time to start each form period. During the week, form tutors will have the opportunity to discuss what students are reading, encourage students to become involved in recommending books to each other and participate in reading activities. The assembly rota and PSHE tutor programme are unaffected by these changes and this will be in addition to the fortnightly lesson dedicated to independent reading in English.
Further details and guidance on suitable texts will be issued in a full letter which is available on the school website.
We hope to start the New Year with a renewed focus on the importance of reading for pleasure and your support in this is much appreciated.
Year 7 singing competition
On the 13th December we took all year 7 students off timetable for an hour to participate in a singing competition as part of their singing unit assessment. All nine classes (over 200 students) performed to one another in the ARC with guest judges Neil Frost and Nicola Ansell watching on. The groups were judged on four separate criteria: Harmony, Tuning, Projection and lyrics and Presentation.
The competition was a huge success with some excellent singing from soloists, small groups and some beautiful harmonies filling the air. The students supported each other fantastically and all were incredibly enthusiastic despite some last minute nerves.
There was a range of songs presented including Wimmoweh, Jingle Bell Rock, Chasing Cars, Don’t Stop Believing and Sing.
I am very pleased to announce that 7NN taught by Katie Selwood won the competition. 7SN won on projection and lyrics, 7CN won on presentation and 7NQ won on tuning/melody.
I would like to thank all the students for performing with such passion and confidence and for the two judges who gave up their time to come in and help.
We look forward to this becoming an annual event as part of our year 7 curriculum and hope that it inspires more singers throughout the school.
James Sunderland
Subject leader for Music
Message from Mr Nixon
The Christmas concert on Wednesday night was nothing short of excellent. The packed hall listened to a wide range of musical styles, all with one thing in common- quality. The added dimension that was very pleasing to see was not only the impressive standard of musicianship, but also the level of student independence at all age groups.
Amongst the many brilliant performances were various students who had set up their own groups, arranged their own pieces and organised rehearsals themselves. I have had the privilege to enjoy many different concerts at CNS, every single one excellent, but this one reached new heights. The dedication and professionalism was evident, as was the support of parents and teachers. It showed the talent that exists at CNS and how much we get from our students when they are given these opportunities for independence.
The same can be said for the forthcoming charities week; each of the five houses taking responsibility for one day of the week and the students playing a major role in the planning, organising and promoting different events; they embrace the responsibility and I look forward to reporting on the various events next week.
Jim Nixon
