Ripon Cathedral School Update
Week ending Friday 20th October 2017
london's burning
A Windy Walk in the Woods
our children publish poems at ripon's first poetry festival
Thirty of our children enjoyed Ripon's very first poetry festival when they went along to workshops last Friday. We are delighted to publish their creative ideas which were brought together into two poems.
The Whipping Chair
I want to run away.
I hate this waiting in the dreadful silence.
All I can feel is panic.
I didn’t do it.
I didn’t mean it.
I hope it doesn’t hurt.
I want to go home.
I want to cry.
I want my Mum and Dad.
Why am I here?
I can feel the tension in the room.
Outside I can hear other children in the street.
I want to escape.
I clutch the edge of the chair.
There is a disgusting dribble down my legs.
My eyes are shut tight.
My heart is pounding.
I can hear the ghastly sound of heavy footsteps coming towards me,
The brute swishing the cane from side to side,
My own dreadful thoughts.
I grit my wildly chattering teeth.
My mouth is a desert, prickly as a cactus, dry as old wood,
My tongue is swivelling in my mouth.
I swallow my spit.
I bite my tongue.
I can smell his breath.
Please, please, please, don’t come any closer.
Thrash! Ouch! Thwack! Ouch!
A ton of flames burning my skin, slashing my back.
The blood-stopping, stinging pain really hurts.
I open my mouth.
I am crying and screaming in agony.
My fists are sweating.
I can barely breathe.
My eyes are bleeding tears.
My mouth is foaming.
I want to die.
Warm blood is pouring down my back.
My eyes are sore.
There is blood on the floor.
I am a prisoner.
I am a lost and broken child.
I am a criminal.
I am a stranger.
I am homeless.
I am nothing.
I am a mystery waiting to be revealed.
The Dark Cell
I feel as though I am going to die in here.
You cannot imagine it how dark it is.
Like a pool of soot,
A cave full of smoke,
A starless and moonless night sky,
A deep hole of blackness.
It is dark as the darkest darkness.
It is so dark that light no longer seems real.
I am numb and naked with cold.
I feel as though I have fallen into a freezing river.
Ice is creeping up my body
As though my clothes were made of snow.
A thousand icy needles are stabbing my skin.
My feet are so cold they can’t move.
I am shivering so much I cannot stand up.
My heart is an iceberg breaking apart.
My mouth is dry as salt.
I am thirsty as a dog or a dead tree-branch.
My mouth is so dry with thirst I can’t swallow.
I am so thirsty I could drink the whole sea dry
I feel faint and queasy with hunger.
My body is empty as a grave.
I am a hollow hole.
Hunger grabs me.
My mouth tastes of sand
My belly is like en empty eggshell,
I am so hungry I could eat myself.
I am full of guilt.
In the dark imagination is my only company.
I try to remember my family and friends,
But all I can see in the dark are the ghosts of all the people
Who have been locked up in here before me.
I am all alone here with my memories,
The memory of my grandparents, of my parents’ anger,
The memory of being dragged here and beaten.
The only thing I own is my miserable self.
In this dark cell my only friends
Are fear, thirst, hunger, loneliness and darkness.
blooming wonderful art
staff changes
School in the holidays?
We had nearly twenty children with us last Friday on the training day. They loved all the autumn activities, including pumpkin carving as you can see. As our children enjoy school so much, a few more of them are joining us here next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday! Of course, they will not be wearing school uniform and can even come dressed as a superhero. If you would like to book a last minute place, please click on the link signposted below. A full day session costs £20, and half a day £15 (9am to 1pm or 1pm to 5pm).
Information about Oscar's is on our website, click here for an easy link. And if you want to access 'magic booking' so that you can book all your places online, here's another simple click - just use your email address as the username and the forgotten password button if you need to set up a password. Any problems, please contact Mrs Rich.
School Year 2017-18 Oscar's Holiday Club Dates
Friday 13th October 2017
Mon 23rd to Wed 25th October 2017
Wed 3rd to Friday 5th January 2018
Mon 12th to Wed 14th February 2018
Mon 9th to Fri 13th April 2018
Thu 31st May to Fri 1st June 2018
Mon 23rd July to Fri 3rd August 2018
Road Safety
Flu Vaccination
All children in Reception, Years 1,2,3 and 4 are being offered the flu vaccine this year; please see the letter sent home. Please remember you need to visit this online form www.hdft.nhs.uk/flu-consent to consent electronically for your child to receive their flu vaccine in school this autumn. The school nurses will be in on 10th November.
School Photos
Charity Hair Cut Update - Hair Today, gone tomorrow
We hope you enjoyed reading about Katie's news last week. We are pleased to be able to give you an update from her mum:
'Katie has so far raised £512, with more being pledged for Our Angels Charity & Support Group. She is sending two hair bunches, each measures 40cm to The Little Princess Trust. We are very, very proud of her!'
If you would like details of how to donate to Katie's Just Giving page, please contact school.
Dates for your diary......
Mon 23rd to Wed 25th October - Oscar's Spooky Holiday Club
Monday 30th October - School opens after the half term break
Wed 1st to Fri 3rd November - Year 6 London Visit
Wednesday 8th November - Fire Safety Workshops
Friday 10th November - School Disco (organised by the Friends)
Monday 13th November - Y5 visit to Fountains Abbey
Thursday 7th December - Christmas Fair (organised by the Friends)
Friday 22nd December - Break up for Christmas holidays at 2pm
Friday 5th January - Training Day
Monday 8th January - School opens
Friends of Ripon Cathedral School
Thank you to all who attended the last Friends meeting on Tuesday – it was lovely to see new faces. We had a very productive session planning this terms events!
Christmas Cards
Thank you to all who have handed their designs in, watch this space for news of when they arrive!
Jumble Sale - Friday 3rd November
You should have received a green A5 flyer in your children’s book bag this week about the jumble sale – all donations please bring in from Monday 30th October (after half term). Can anyone offer help to sort items from that week? We will be arranging helpers on Tuesday and Thursday after school and Friday afternoon from 1.30pm. Please see a member of the committee if you can help.
School Disco - Friday 10th November
Look out for posters going up after half term – we still need a few volunteers to help out on the door, sell refreshments, do glitter tattoos and set up/ clear away – please let Dawn, Tina, Liz or another member of the committee know if you can help out – Thank you!!!
Hyacinth Stall
This year we will be appearing at the Cathedral Christmas Food and Gift Fair on Saturday 25th November selling our potted hyacinths plants. We have done this for the last two years and it is an excellent fundraiser for the Friends raising about £900 for school. This year we are offering a new range of sizes and styles of plants so we would welcome any donations of any old cups and saucers or old teapots that you can donate to us to pot the flower bulbs. If anyone has pots from previous years and would be willing to donate them back we would be most grateful too!
We’d like to thank the fantastic local café Realitea who have donated 12 cups and saucers already – thank you!!
After half term we will be asking for helpers to pot up the plants before the fair – watch this space!
Finally – The Friends wish you a happy and fun half term holiday.
Ripon Cathedral News
Silent Voices
This moving exhibition of children's photographs depicting family life in the occupied West Bank is currently on display at Ripon Cathedral, until the 29th October. The collection of images - entitled 'Silent Voices’ were created by children living in the Palestinian village of Bil'in, 12 km west of Ramallah – which is under military occupation.
Community photographer Elaine Stapleton travelled to the village in 2012 to work with school children there to produce this striking body of work. The young people were asked: “What are the messages you would like people to hear about your world and what do you want them to learn about your life?”
community messages
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Email: admin@riponcathedral.n-yorks.sch.uk
Website: www.riponcathedralschool.org.uk
Location: HG41LT, United Kingdom
Phone: 01765 602355
Facebook: facebook.com/riponcathschool
Twitter: @riponcathschool