School events week beginning 16/4/12 (Week 1)

• 16/4/12            School restarts after Easter break.
• 20/4/12            Grades home for Year 8,13

Charities Week 2011

We have finally collected in all the money for Charities Week and will be presenting a cheque to Nelson’s Journey on Tuesday 17^th April. We managed to raise a grand total of £3820.22.

On a personal note I would like to thank the 6^th form representatives and the Head Boys and Girls for all their planning and support in making Charities Week such a huge success this year.  I would also like to thank all the students, staff and parents who supported the events and made it such a positive experience and helped to raise such a high amount for a very worthy local charity.

Miss Ricketts

6th Form Football

The Sixth Form football team have reached the City Cup Final, beating Hellsdon 4-2 in the semi-final (CNS were 2-0 down, against the run of play). The final will be played at Thorpe High School on the 3G pitch on Wednesday 18^th April. CNS will take on Thorpe Sixth Form. Kick-off is at 3.30pm. Spectators welcome.

Students signing in or out

Please be reminded that if a student needs to sign in or out of school premises during the course of the school day, they must  report to the Student Welfare Office and should always have a note in their Planner giving them Parental consent to do so.

It’s time to re-launch the CNS Association!

All parents, carers, staff and governors are cordially invited to a cheese and wine event to re-launch the CNSA on Thursday 26 April at 7.00pm in the 6^th form centre. 

This will be an opportunity to talk informally about what we would like the association to organise in the summer term for both students and their families and to think about how we would like to spend any funds raised.

In line with the current constitution the formal Annual General Meeting will be held in the first half of the autumn term, so please take this opportunity to meet fellow CNSA members and to start planning the future shape of our school association.

To help plan catering could you please let us know if you are able to attend?  Please contact Alison Coyle on 01603 250135 or email alisoncoyle@btinternet.com.

 

Message from Mr Nixon

This week I thought it might be useful to talk about what it means to work at the City of Norwich School. 

Our school has a huge amount of history and it immediately hits you as you drive through the school gates. In fact I remember when I was appointed, my family came to see the school and both of my sons who were teenagers at the time, said how awesome it looked.  There are not many schools where young people say that!  It is then, when you come inside the school that you sense the school itself; a school with a strong tradition, with a long history, with standards but also a school with a fantastic atmosphere. You feel and experience this on a daily basis when you see the smiles on the students faces, the way they thank you when you hold a door open or they hold a door open for you; the laughter that you hear. These are the parts of school life that you cannot measure; that you cannot document.   I believe a school should be vibrant; I believe children should be buzzing around and should be enjoying themselves but also working hard and concentrating because they are enjoying the work. 

 

Working at CNS is all about a determination to develop and constantly improve and a desire to do the very best for every single student.  It is also about treating every single person as an individual.  Of course we have community values and of course we have a community identity and a vision, but within that, it’s about treating people as themselves.  As parents, you may have two or three children at home and I’m sure you will realise that all of them have different motivations, different skills, different talents and have to be treated differently.  It is our job to do the same for  the talent within both our staff and students, encouraging individuals to flourish, whether it be a Year 7 student or a member of staff.  School community and values are important however, that’s what ties us all together and that’s what makes sure that we continue to strive for excellence. 

 

Working at CNS is a huge privilege; I drive in every morning and think how lucky I am to be here and, what a fantastic position I am in to be able to influence a school with such a long and strong tradition.  But it is also hard work and CNS is a school where everyone is working very hard to do their very best for every single student. 

Have an excellent holiday and I’ll look forward to seeing everyone back at the end of the Easter break.

Jim Nixon

School events week beginning 26/3/12 (Week 2)

• 30/3/12            Year 7 Reports home.
• 2/4/12              Easter Holiday starts.
• 16/4/12            Summer Term starts.
• 20/4/12            Grades for Year 8,12,13  home.

20^th March – BBC CONCERT ORCHESTRA

Ten CNS singers performed ‘Something’s Coming’ from West Side Story with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Katie Wilkinson, Steph Bond, Anna Ross, Molly Cutter, Tasha Nelson, Ellie Bowater, Katie Copeman, Leila Hooson, Sarah Walton and Flora Kernan sang alongside students from Wymondham High and Notre Dame during two concerts on behalf of BBC Music Mix. It was a fantastic experience for all. Some year 7,8 and 9 students also came to watch the concert. Blue Peter presenters Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood who had presented the two concerts met with our students and took pictures with them at the end of the day, rounding up what was a fantastic day!

Mathematics

All Yr. 10 pupils will be sitting a Mock Unit 1 Maths examination next week. This will take place on Thursday 29^th March. Pupils were made aware of these last week, and should have begun their own independent study by now. Resources to support revision can be found on the maths section of the gateway. Please encourage and help your child to prepare as thoroughly as possible for this examination, so that results are as reflective of abilities as possible.

Yr. 11 pupils will be sitting their final Mock examination for Mathematics, Unit 3, during the first week back after Easter. As this paper will take over an hour to complete the exam will be sat during two lessons; the first on Wednesday 18^th April, the second during Friday 20^th April. Again resources have been placed on the gateway to assist pupils in their preparation.

For any further advice or guidance please contact your child’s mathematics teacher or myself.

 I.rollison@cns-school.org
Curriculum Leader for Mathematics

Message from Mr Nixon

I would like to write more of a personal report this week and start by thanking Neil Frost for running the school so efficiently during my absence.  I would also like to thank the rest of the SLT and all the staff at CNS for their support.

Before half term I received a call from Scotland to say that my mother had been taken into hospital and was seriously ill.  After a number of days of driving back and forth, my mother passed away surrounded by her family.  In addition to this event, soon after the break, I was scheduled for an operation.  The operation was not life threatening but nevertheless I had a condition that needed remedying. I am pleased to say that it went well and it would appear to have been successful.

During all this time I have encountered specialists in various fields, admittedly mostly medical.  I watched fascinated and in awe as significant life or death decisions were being made and saw dedication to the highest possible standard.  What struck me during all these events were the care and compassion of the professionals, regardless the pressure they were under.  Some made light of their skills and played down their achievements but it was clear that they loved their work and gained a great deal of satisfaction from it.

The theme that ran throughout my experiences was dedication; going that extra mile and having the skills and expertise to do an excellent job.  I did not want a satisfactory consultant operating on me or a nurse caring for my mum without compassion.  Schools are no different and although we may not have life or death decisions to make, we do have a huge influence on children’s lives.  To achieve excellence we also have to have that level of dedication that I experienced; we have to go that extra mile and maintain the highest level of professional standards at all times.

It is great to be back.

Jim Nixon

School events week beginning 19/3/12 (Week 1)

• 21/3/12            Guidance Day 3.
• 22/3/12            Parents Forum 7-8.30 6th Form Common Room
• 30/3/12            Year 7 Reports home.
• 2/4/12              Easter holiday starts.

A bit about the CNS Association (CNSA)

CNS had a thriving school association for many years. During this time it raised funds for a range of resources, for example picnic tables, and lighting and drapes for the Arc.  Recently CNSA has not been active, but this is about to change with your help!

The recent pet show was a starter event for a revived CNSA.  The next step will be to hold an Annual General Meeting to appoint a committee, review finances and to plan some events for the benefit of our students and their families, and for the wider community in which the school resides. 

Alison Coyle will be speaking for a few minutes about CNSA at the Parents Forum next Thursday 22 March, 7-8.30pm in the Sixth Form Common Room.  Details of the AGM will follow in the e-Echo.

CNSA Pet Show: Friday 9 March 2012

Last Friday evening the Arc was host to a wide variety of local pets from Dr Skinny, the stick insect to Lady, the goose, and Colin Eggles the boiled egg!  This fun pet show was the first CNSA event of the year and raised £145 for the Association.

Our judges were impressed with the range of pets entered into the 8 fun categories, but there could only be one first prize for Best in Show which went to Zeus the cat, and his owner Jemima Davis (yr 9).

 We are ever grateful to Alan McEwen from the Eaton Veterinary Practice for joining Mr Baker as a judge; and to Colin Ware from the Eastern Herpetological Society for bringing along an interesting selection of his snakes.

We were also overwhelmed with the support from local businesses who contributed a number of generous gifts for the raffle.

Thank you to all the students, staff, parent helpers and contestants who made this event so enjoyable.  Watch out for the next pet show in September!

Parents Forum -

Thursday March 22nd 7-8.30pm in Sixth Form Common Room

The Parents Forum is an opportunity for parents and carers to hear an update on progress with school improvement and information about school and an opportunity to contribute views and ideas on topics that will feed into school development planning.

This time there will be discussions at tables to gather parents and carers views on proposals to refine the current school uniform requirements. You can also hear an update on progress and feedback from the recent Local Authority inspection of  the school and feedback on the issues discussed at the last Parents Forum and how that has fed into the school development planning process.  There will also be news of the revival of City of Norwich School Association (CNSA).

There will also be a chance for you to raise any general school issues and give us any ideas or comments.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Message from Mr Frost

I was conscious this week that it is all too easy in a school day to focus on lessons and meetings, and that only captures part of a school’s role. I believe it is a wonderful community that can (and these are just the events I have seen or popped along to this week) offer such a diverse range of experiences in a week from a Pet Show, a University Finance Evening, Year 8 Parents Evening, Sports fixtures, English revision, and tree planting. Beyond my own interests in football (I watched some of the Year 11 match versus Notre Dame, which we won 1-0), I have been truly impressed by Ms Witting’s and Mrs Thomson’s Garden Club this week and when Jared Ling asked if I minded helping, I was only too happy to help. The opportunity for the students to flourish and organise their own time so productively will provide them with many skills for their lives. If I link this back to my thoughts last week about re-sit cultures, all of these opportunities provide students with transferable skills that will prepare them for their futures; inter-personal skills, team working, planning tasks, pride, patience and resilience. The lasting impact that these trees will have on improving our environment will benefit many future students at the school and it is to great credit that these students take this long term view of the benefits of their endeavours. Whilst the key passport to students’ success is attainment in their qualifications, as a school we should provide these types of opportunities for different groups of students and this diversity allows them to express themselves as individuals in a large and rich community.

I will just mention the tragic news from Switzerland this week and hope you share with me in thinking about those communities, in particular Belgium  that have lost so many bright young lives in such an awful fashion.

School events week beginning 12/3/2012 Week 2

• 14/3/12            Year 13 Parents' Forum.    18.00-19.00
• 15/3/12            Year 8 Consultation Evening. 17.30
• 15/3/12            Year 12 Reprts home.
• 16/3/12            Year 9 & Year 10 grades and levels home.
• 21/3/12            Guidance Day 3

Message from Mr Frost

I was teaching the first lesson of background content on the Year 10 Controlled Assessment this week and a student questioned whether she could re-do it if she did badly. It re-ignited an argument in my mind about whether the re-sit culture in schools has gone too far? There were times during my leadership of the Sixth Form here and as Head of Humanities in a previous school, that I saw the individual benefit of students re-sitting units from year 12 to 13 to boost their entry chances to University and indeed many conversations were happening in school yesterday as Year 11 and 13 students received their latest re-sit results. However, I worry for the future of young people if, as a society, we are developing too much of a culture of it is “acceptable” to underachieve on our first attempt. I would like to think as Parents, Staff and indeed the wider community, that we would like our young people to approach tasks with a desire and spirit to maximise their success first time, albeit on occasions some remedial work is necessary. In the world of a public servant, I am supposed to remain apolitical, but I think there is real merit in Michael Gove’s desire to reduce the education system’s re-sit culture, even if it will present challenges for both colleagues and students in schools in the years to come. Although the student in question was well motivated in her question, I will leave the individual discussions and philosophising about the culture we have developed for your breakfast tables and our meetings.

The week in school has been relatively sombre with several students and staff attending the funeral of Mr O’Brien’s partner’s daughter on Wednesday; whilst the student went to Framingham Earl, she was known by many of our students, and our thoughts go out to her family and friends, and our colleagues at Framingham.

To end on an upbeat note, I am very much looking forward to seeing the students and their pets tonight at the CNSA Pet Show, and my gratitude to Alison Coyle for organising the event with the rest of the CNSA.

School events week beginning 5/3/12 (Week 1)

• Friday 9/3/12              CNS Pet Show 6.00pm Arc.
• Wednesday 14/3/12   Year 13 Parents' Forum.
• Thursday 15/3/12       Year 8 Parents' Consultation Evening 5.30pm.
• Thursday 15/3/12       Year 12 Reports home.

Sixth Form Success
Congratulations to Theo Jones who has reached the final of the Historical Association Great Debate at Oxford University later this month. We also wish Miles Garner success in the British Swimming Trials in the 200m butterfly on Monday 5th March.

Exam season request
As the exam season approaches, we are looking for volunteers who can support some of our students during their examinations in the role of readers or scibes. A good standard of literacy and written communication is essential for this role and volunteers need to have CRB clearance, which will be organised by the school. For more information, please contact Ina Coubrough in the SEND team: i.coubrough@cns-school.org

NEXT MEETING OF THE PARENTS’ FORUM

The last Parents Forum was really well attended and the very useful discussions have been fed into the school development planning process. Many thanks to those who came along.

The NEXT MEETING is on Thursday March 22^nd at 7-8.30pm in the Sixth Form Common Room. Topics to include: the tightening up of the current school uniform requirements, the re-launch of CNSA and feedback on progress of issues raised at the last Forum.

More details on the topics in  next week’s eECHO.

Message from Mr Frost

There seems to have been much in both the press and government circles about subject changes and qualification frameworks at the moment and it is hard not to have a little sympathy for students who are trying to make key decisions about their futures to these backdrops. I was asked by a Year 9 student the other day “Do I really have to stay into school until I am 18, I really want to go off and be a plumber?”; the answer is, of course, that the student in question is more than welcome to go and complete an appropriate plumbing course at 16 but it shows the difference between the perception and the reality of the Raising Participation Age (RPA) agenda. Our Year 9 students have risen to those challenges superbly in the last few weeks, and the quality of conversations in school and at home have been excellent as they have completed their options for Key Stage 4.

On a separate note it has been a really busy week at CNS in terms of events; for World Book Day, it was lovely to see the students dressed as their favourites characters and really pleasing to see the amount of money being raised for READ, a charity that supports book donations to more deprived parts of the World. In particular, thanks to Miss Sedgwick and the Year 12 students (Rebecca Pottage, Diphda Richards, Nicky Burt, Miriam Cocker, Julia O’Driscoll, Heloise Ungless, Fraser Stannage, Lydia Christianson-Rix and Deborah Iwo), for their leadership of this charity process. Additionally, the Year 11 Rugby Team won the Gerry Frost Shield against Downham Market on Wednesday (having only played the Semi Final on Monday), so a huge congratulations to all the lads involved. Whilst I appreciate this only captures some of the events at CNS this week, these successes are particularly pleasing, and show the team work and commitment of our students.