Wellfield Middle School Newsletter
10th November 2017
Dear Parents, Carers, Friends and Governors
Dates for your Diary
Anti-bullying Week - Monday 13th- Friday 17th November
Children in Need Maths Themed Dress up - Friday 17th November
Class and Sports Team photos - Monday 20th November
Sleeping Beauty, Gateshead Int. Stadium - Wednesday 13th December (£13)
School Pantomime - Jack & the Beanstalk - Thursday 21st December
Christmas Holidays - Friday 22nd December - Monday 8th January
Children in Need - Maths Funday
We will be taking part in fun-maths challenges and fundraising activities, which include a spotacular cake sale; times table rockstars battles; and a raffle, next Friday to support Children in Need. We would like everyone (including staff) to dress up as a mathematician, times table rockstar or in maths-related fancy dress on Friday 17 November and donate £1 to this worthy cause.
All pupils will take part in fun maths reasoning and problem-solving challenges throughout the day and there will be the chance to win prizes and certificates.
We have also booked the amazing Kjartan Poskitt, author of the 'Murderous Maths' books, for the afternoon to deliver an engaging maths show. There will be book prizes on the day for excellent costumes and a small group of pupils will get the chance to get their books signed and chat to Kjartan about his work.
The Charity Committee
The charity committee visit Bay Food Bank
On Friday 20th October 2017 the charity committee went on the school minibus to the Bay Food Bank.
When we arrived we unloaded all of the donated cans of food from the bus. They were very heavy. We lifted all of the bags into 2 Food Bank trolleys and pushed them inside.
After that we met some of the Food Bank employees (along with a lovely dog named Alfie) who taught us some very interesting facts about how the Food Bank works. They showed us how all of the food is stored and organised around the establishment. We all enjoyed the visit and thought it was a unique experience.
Emily F & Rowan R
Go Smarter Travel Survey
Music News
Choir:
This year it is fantastic to see a great enthusiasm for singing growing within the school. So much so, we have the highest numbers in choir that I have seen with up to 50 children! This year I am looking forward to involving our choir at a number of events. We have Christmas coming up, so there will certainly be an opportunity for carol singing. In school, the ‘Musical Extravaganza’ event proved popular last Easter, so I hope to repeat this to not only showcase the choir, but the musical talents of all our pupils. There will also, hopefully, be an opportunity for the choir to attend a county musical event at Whitley Bay Playhouse later in the academic year.
Ceildh day at WBHS
Well done to our pupils (Emily M, Rachael B, Dan M, Amelia S, Connie B and Leyla Y), who took part in the Ceildh day at Whitley Bay High School. Mrs Henderson, who was there in my place, informed me they had a fun day of rehearsals and activities. They also performed so well alongside pupils from other schools in the evening performance. Special thanks to our violin teacher, Sarah Teoh who prepared the children for taking part.
Mr Whitelaw
Instrument Lessons:
Instrument lessons continue to be well attended by those who have signed up. It is never too late to start instrument lessons, so if you are interested, please contact the instrument tutor directly. They welcome all enquiries:
Brass (trumpet) - John Flood - mobile: 07718103497
Steel Pans - Holly Connon - email: hollys_schoolofsteel@hotmail.com
Guitar Lessons - James Peacock - mobile: 07456789730 email: james@jamespeacockmusic.com
Violin Lessons - Sarah Teoh - mobile: 07970503813
Keyboard Lessons - Patricia Walker - mobile: 07761031284 email: patwalker23@hotmail.co.uk
If your child is interested in an instrument not mentioned above, please enquire with myself so I can look into the feasibility of it.
Y5 Jarrow Hall Trip
On Monday 16th October 2017 all of year 5 went on a school trip to learn more about the Anglo Saxons. Some of the activities included: weaving; acting out a crime scene; getting dressed into character as an Anglo Saxon; seeing farm animals and feeding the goats; visiting a replica Anglo Saxon house; sitting round the warm fire and seeing what foods they had; and finally, tasting biscuits made on the fire with ingredients available in the time period.
(I would have thought they had potatoes and tomatoes wouldn't you!) Well that shows that you learn something new every day doesn't it. Oh sorry, back to being an Anglo Saxon.
Crime and punishment
Back in those days, it wasn't as serious as it is today. Did you know that it was very rare for someone to be executed because they needed workers to get money? If you killed someone who worked, then you would have to pay 200 shillings. If you killed a leader of a tribe, you would have to pay 1200 shillings. If you couldn't pay then you would have to work for the family.
Weaving
From the age of 5 or 6 you would have to work. One of the common children jobs was weaving. (Under and over, under and over.) They used animal wool, such as sheep wool, just like today.
By Lucy F
LOST PROPERTY
There is a huge amount of unnamed lost property in school, especially PE kit. If your child has lost anything, please ask them to check in the boxes in the Reception area. Parents are welcome to come into school themselves to look for missing items.
Please make sure that EVERYTHING brought to school is clearly marked with your child's FULL NAME.
Y7 Descriptive Writing Dystopian Fiction
It was dusk. The beaming sunlight drifted slowly from the sun, which was drowning in dystopian-grey clouds. As the fearful gust of wind bit hungrily into my sunken face like a lion, I remained silent. Waiting. Waiting for signs of her. Intimidating CCTV cameras stalked the deserted areas, watching my scarred, tormented chin further into my woollen scarf. I was the only person outside; everyone else had fled years ago.
The valley below was a maze, waiting patiently to trap its next victim. Suddenly a burning surge of curiosity hit me like the pain of a bullet ant’s bite. What if I crossed the rusted-brown railway? It lay menacingly across the nebulous valley, daring me to obey its call. With my faded, homemade backpack and clothes torn to the point of breakage, I continued to wander in my mind.
Extract by Rowan R
Landing his ship in a whirl of flames, licking at the anonymous environment surrounding him, he yanked down on the hand break and landed on the unknown planet beneath his feet. He commanded that a thousand of the passengers on board would stay seated, but no-one listened to his soft pleas. Like a snail, the incredibly heavy door of the disused Sky-train was wrenched open by the frustrated train crew, who opened their eyes in disbelief. Buildings towered over them with huge chunks missing from them; a blood-red sun roamed menacingly over their despairing faces; as the diseased ground, which was drier than a desert, cracked with every danger-filled step that the poor victim took.
Extract by Constance B
Catastrophic storms brewed in the South, slowly building up more power. Heinous clouds shot lightning bolts down like a machine gun, the thunder crackled into explosions and the living things were rats scampering away to safety. Darkness was slowly leaking back into the new civilisation. Its once powerful tendrils, which were now scrawny and slim, slithered back into the mortal world, feeding off fear, attempting to grow back to what it once was. Leaking into human corrupting and destroying, the great will to defeat the chaos.
The mortals, unaware, were blinded, refusing to see what was happening right before their eyes. They believed the ‘Great King’ would protect this from the spreading evil. Nut destruction would conquer all if the Blood King was not found and woke them up from their petty little dreams of peace.
Extract by Daniel R
Darkness surged through the land as birds crowed mournfully from the depths of the murky pit below like a funeral band from a by-gone age. Upon the vast ash-black pillar, battleship-grey skyscrapers stood, hyperborean. Imprisoning the buildings was a valley filled with fierce waterfalls that roared like an alpha lion. Crashing water constantly flowed into the tormented valley, that could have passed for a graveyard of shadowy fallen giants. Cliffs as sheer as a wall , gleamed like ice, drawing people in and throughout them, nests, long abandoned; charred and midnight-black.
Extract by Samuel T
Our Sports Section
Year 8 Basketball team
Our Year 8 basketballers turned up to Churchill High school for their first basketball tournament this year. Their first games were against Churchill, St. Thomas More and John Spence. All of the lads named themselves the 'underdogs'. However, after the first tough game where the boys struggled to score and only won 2-0, they sailed through to the next stage of the tournament, winning their following games 10-0 and 8-0. Well played. Some great individual and team performances!
KS3 Trampoline competition
Wellfield took part in the North Tyneside trampoline competition this year, for the the first time ever. The trampolinists trained very hard during lessons and at the extra-curricular club too, but were still very nervous. The were competing against Churchill, St. Thomas More, Valley Gardens, George Stephenson and John Spence, who had all competed in this competition before. After the warm-up routines, our Wellfield stars were brilliant, very neat and tidy, and the nerves were gone during their competition routine. They showed their talents and their hard work paid off. Great skills, technique and routines by all!
Year 7 Boys football
The boys football team went up against a tough Churchill team in a friendly match. The boys were rushed to get kicked off and barely got a warm-up in, however they turned their focus to the game and from the off showed their nerve on the ball and their focus within their passing ability. The lads took the game early on and were setting chances up left, right and center. By half-time the score was 3-0 and the boys didn't want a rest. A quick turn around for half-time and the boys were off again, chasing every ball, tackling every player and supporting each other very well! The end score finished 7-1 with some excellent performances. Player of the match: Alistair L.
Congratulations
Key Stage 2 Class Heroes
6th October 2017
Ashton S, Taylor M, Niamh N, Jamie C, Amelia S
13th October 2017
Emily M, Callum T, Eloise C, Stephanie D, Etania M
20th October 2017
Max C, Carley C, Charlie P, Jacob S, Sophia BV
3rd November 2017
Lucy F, Katie C, Harli-Mae M, Sam H,
Key Stage 3 Stars
6th October 2017
Jonathan K, Owen C, Jack H.
13th October 2017
Brandon C, Hayden R, Savannah W, Lauren M, Elliot T.
20th October 2017
Sam D, Rachel F, Josh E, Alfie B, Lucas C, Thomas O, Alfie H.
3rd November 2017
Kyle A, Maddy M, Brandon C, Tom P, Layla B
Wellfield's got talent!
Star Street Dancer
Ice Skating Sensation
Silver Award
Maths Certificates
Well done to: Thomas S (5P), Katie C (5G), James W (5G), Vaughn R (5G), Thomas S (5D), and Emily M (5D), Finley D (8), Conner L (7), Charlotte P (7), Kyle A (7) Kate H (6T) and Katie S (6T).
Using the Internet is now an everyday occurrence for most adults and children. With ever expanding technologies such as blogs (online diaries), social networking spaces, online chat and mobile phones children are using technology in a way never seen before. The increased use of technology at school and home also exposes children to a number of risks and dangers. In its simplest form eSafety is about ensuring children use computers, tablets, mobile phones and gaming devices in a way which will keep them safe without limiting their opportunities for creation and innovation.
Below is a leaflet and useful weblinks for parents/carers offering key advice and guidance.
Before and After-school Clubs
Monday
Year 6 Gym- 8.00-8.45am (Mr Burns)
Netball (All welcome)- 3.30-4.30pm
(Miss C Stephenson/Mrs Gordon)
Tuesday
Year 7 Girls' Gym- 8.00-8.45am (Mr Burns)
Girls' football - 3.30-4.30pm (Mr Burns)
Wednesday
Year 7 Boys' Gym- 8.00-8.45am (Mr Burns)
Boys' Football- 3.30-4.30pm (Mr Burns)
Thursday
Year 8 Gym- 8.00-8.45am (Mr Burns)
KS2 Code Club - 3.30-4.30pm (Mr Turner)
Steel pans (cost £30 per term)- 3.30-4.30pm (Holly Connon)
Friday
Year 8 Gym- 8.00-8.45am (Mr Burns)
Please sign up to the GIving Machine
Wellfield Middle School
Email: admin@wellfieldmiddleschool.org.uk
Website: http://www.wellfieldmiddleschool.org.uk
Location: Kielder Road, South Wellfield, Whitley Bay, United Kingdom
Phone: 0191 252 9486
Twitter: @wellfieldmiddle