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10th November 2016 Dear Parents and Guardians,
Thank you to the many parents who supported the several Parents’ Evenings, the plethora of
Sports Fixtures and our wonderful Last Night at the Proms concert, which raised an impressive
£338.49 for CAFOD last week. Your support of all of these events is greatly appreciated.
The first of our Year 7 Activity Weekend at The Briars ran very successfully from Friday to
Sunday, while our Boarders enjoyed their trip to Abbey Park Fireworks Display on Saturday
evening. I hope you enjoy reading the delightful article written by Year 13 student, Anna Garcia,
on the recent ‘A’ Level Biology Fieldtrip.
These past four days have been equally busy, with Year 6 participating in their Retreat at Alton
Castle, several mid-week Sports Fixtures, a superb presentation entitled Careers in Finance for
Women, a well-attended Boarding Open Evening, Year 12 Parents’ Evening (the power-point will
appear in the Parents’ Portal within the School Website) and another productive and supportive
Parents’ Association Meeting. The first round of interviews for my successor also took place,
so please remember the Governors in your thoughts and prayers (my shoe size is only an 8!).
The week’s activities have featured numerous opportunities to give thanks to all those who gave
their lives for their country. Monday’s Headmaster’s Assembly included a special presentation to
Lt Col Mark Balmbra, when Guest Visitor, Colonel Stuart Williams (on behalf of The Brigade
Commander, Brigadier Charlie Collins DSO OBE) awarded him the Queen’s Honour of
Commander Home Command Commendation, for outstanding service to the CCF of Ratcliffe
College, which is celebrating its centenary this year. It was fitting that the Senior Strings
Ensemble performed the deeply moving Adagio for Strings, by Samuel Barber. While Mr Turner’s
Year 4 Class led us in an inspiring assembly this morning on the theme of Remembrance and in
particular, remembering the eight Old Ratcliffians who lost their lives in the World Wars,
our CCF and Chaplaincy Teams are preparing to lead us in Remembrance Services tomorrow.
I shall be attending a Boarding Schools’ Recruitment event, along with Mrs Nuttall, Mrs Leite and
Mr Gilchrist, over the next three days, so please declare your support of our sports teams on
Saturday with plenty of volume in my absence! You may wish to be just as competitive come
that evening, at the Parents’ Association Quiz Night in the Refectory, at 7.00pm. You are all most
welcome to join our Remembrance Sunday Mass in the Church at 10.30am.
May I wish you and your families a very happy, healthy and blessed week ahead.
Yours sincerely,
Gareth P. Lloyd, Headmaster.
PARENT/GUARDIAN NEWS
Flu Vaccinations Years 7-13
Flu Vaccinations are being given on
Tuesday 15th November 2016 in the Conference Room at 1.15pm.
If you returned the consent form requesting that your son/daughter has
the vaccination, can you please remind your child of the above date and time?
If you have any queries, please contact the Medical Department on 01509 817016.
Trip to Rome and Pompeii, open to anyone in Years 8 - 12
Dates: 21st – 27th October 2017
Cost: approximately £770
£200 deposit, by cheque or bank transfer, please.
Application forms available in L5, or via the 6th October Newsletter.
Mr Terence Walsh
Head of Classics
Appeal for Missing Flute, please Has anyone seen a black flute case, including a purple sheet music bag; both were carried in a blue and white floral Ambercrombie bag! Please contact Mr McCall if you have seen/found the flute ([email protected] or tel: 01509 817023). Thank you!
A submission form is available from Mr Berry or on our website.
PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION
*** Christmas Raffle*** Tickets on sale now from School Receptions.
They will also be appearing in Nursery and Prep School book bags shortly. Prizes
include i-vouchers, hampers and fizzy stuff. Please help to support the PA by
buying yourself or persuading family to buy!
*** Christmas Decorating *** Please see poster below:
Dear Parents,
On Saturday 26th November, the Parents’ Association will be decorating the Chapel and the Refectory for Christmas.
We will be starting at 9.00am, and your help would be greatly appreciated.
If you can spare a couple of hours to help us transform these
important areas for Christmas, please drop me an email or give me a call, or just turn up on the morning, as the more the merrier.
No experience necessary, brunch will be provided along with a spot of Christmas music to get us in the mood.
Also we need donations of greenery to help with the transformation.
Donations of laurel, fir, spruce, holly, ivy and any other greenery can be brought into school on the morning or dropped off on the Friday if you are unable to help
but want to donate anyway.
Contact Jenny Howling, 07713 888113 or [email protected]
*** Christmas Ball *** Saturday 17th December: Tickets on sale now . Just £45.00. See the poster for details. Go along to Senior School Reception to collect a menu and wine choice forms, etc., or download from the website. It is a great night out.
Jenny Howling PA Chair [email protected] www.ratcliffeparents.co.uk
STUDENT NEWS Senior School
Year 7 House Public Speaking Contest Winners:-
Niara Popat
Holly Clark-Pratt
They were selected co-winners from a field of nine Year 7 finalists.
‘A’ Level Biology Field Trip, October 2016 The last three days of the half-term break saw a group of ‘A’ Level Biologists undertake a trip to Preston Montford, Shropshire, on the Welsh border, to take part in ecological studies within this diverse habitat. The first day, straight off the coach, we pulled on our waterproofs and wellies, and got elbow-deep into our first case study: the effect of oxygen concentration as a result of human wastes upon aquatic biodiversity. We took samples from two different habitats, and identified the different species present and their abundance. We then returned to the classroom to discuss the adaptations of certain species to surviving in the extremes of this abiotic factor, and the effect of human interference on biodiversity. In the evening we set small mammal traps, to humanely study the activity of these organisms right before they went into hibernation. The next morning, we emptied our traps to discover 8 animals out of 17 traps, a near 50% success rate in comparison to the typical 10%, naming each of our mice and voles before releasing them! Next was a trip up a small mountain to study the effects of heather in different stages of its life upon the biodiversity of the area, giving us the opportunity to see first-hand the way different species interact in a habitat. In addition to the biotic influences on the habitat, we also studied and measured the abiotic factors including wind speed, soil pH, humidity, and light intensity. With the skills learned from the first two days, it was time to put them to the test in our own, independently designed ecological study on the last day. Each group picked their own habitat in which to conduct a study of the effect of an abiotic or biotic factor on the biodiversity or abundance of a species within that area. With the data that we had collected, we performed calculations to measure the biodiversity and finally a full lab write-up. This trip is one that we shall never forget, filled with days of practical biological application and seeing the ecosystems around us with a new-found appreciation and understanding of the intricate network of interactions.
Preparatory School
Art is …
Sketchbook page by Henry King, Year 6
Nursery and KS1 were visited by ZooLab to learn more about minibeasts and reptiles. We met Gary
the Gecko and Steve the Scorpion, and learnt all sorts of unusual facts about these exotic animals.
SPORT Senior School Report as presented at Assembly on Monday 7th November: Rugby 1st XV Despite what was, at least in patches, a much improved performance, the First XV’s frustrating run of results continues. In many ways, Ratcliffe were the better side in this encounter, but a string of unnecessary penalties, offending at the breakdown, determined the result. Jon Sommerville, Tiree Cover (2), Harrison Grimmett, Harry Brooks and Matthew Ward scored Ratcliffe’s tries, and Matthew Ward and Harry Heaney added three conversions between them. The final score of Ratcliffe 36, Wisbech 40, left players, parents and coaches all very disappointed. Harry Stokes and Tiree Cover shared the player of the match award.
U16/U15XI The U16/U15s dominated their game against Wisbech. Despite struggling with continuity and at times their rucking, the team played with flare and panache, running in tries from first phase ball to negate the issues of ball retention. Tries were evenly shared between forwards and backs with the match being stopped early in the second half at 54 – 0. Ben Seaton picked up Man of the Match for his energetic display.
U14XI Against Wisbech, the U14 rugby team produced an improved performance to win comfortably 0 – 34. A scrappy first half saw Ratcliffe score twice. James Turner joined the line from full-back and scored after some good footwork, while Ben McGuinn scored in the corner after some neat passing. In the second half, Ratcliffe improved further and scored at regular intervals. Owen Lloyd scored twice, while Harry Cusack and Sam Seidu also scored one apiece. The team also welcomed back two long-term injuries in Thomas Leite and Alex Tyszka, both of whom caught the eye. Man of the Match is awarded to Tom Page for his excellent passing, kicking and control of the backline at fly half. U13 The U13s started the game very strongly against a competitive Wisbech team. Ratcliffe dominated the first half, rucking superbly, and Sam Linnett had an excellent half, controlling the game from fly half. Ratcliffe were 20 – 0 up at the break with tries from Will Marsden, Wilson Lee, Xabier Zanotti and Louie Fletcher. Wisbech came back strongly in the second half which was a much tighter affair. Good Ratcliffe defence held Wisbech out till near the end and further second half tries through Xabier and Daniel McGunnigle sealed a comprehensive 30 – 5 win. Men of the Match were Xabier Zanotti for his superb running and counter-attacking from full-back, and Louie Fletcher for a fantastic all round game in both attack and defence.
U13B/U12B In cold and windy conditions, Ratcliffe U13/U12B team drew with Ratcliffe U12A 10 – 10 and beat Wisbech Grammar School 50 – 5 in a triangular tournament. In a tight first match, the U13/U12B team struck first against the U12A team with two well-worked tries. Guy Heywood sneaked through the opposition and Will Wright hugged the touch-line to score. Ratcliffe U12A rallied in the second half to produce a much better defensive display and produce two excellent team tries, finished off by Cameron Mulvihill and David Seidu. The two teams battled for dominance up to the final whistle, with a draw a good reflection of both squads’ efforts. In their second match, Ratcliffe U13/U12B were supremely clinical in their finishing and relentless in defence against Wisbech. The team produced an excellent display of off-loading rugby, always striving to keep the ball off the ground. Tries came from Temi Abiodum, Guy Heywood, Will Wright, Daniel Keating, Alex Thomas, Thomas Ball, Ben Ashford and Xavier Henderson. Man of the Tournament was Ben Ashford for his hat-trick of tries and hard running throughout both fixtures. U12 Against Wisbech, Ratcliffe began strongly opening the scoring inside 3 minutes through David Seidu. Harry Gamble scored soon after with a superb individual run. More tries followed through two good efforts from Joe Butler. Ratcliffe continued to play attractive free flowing rugby in the second half. Joe picked up his third try and David Seidu scored again. Man of the Match for the backs went to Joe Butler for his excellent all-round game and to Sam Gray for the forwards in a 45 – 0 win. In their second game, Ratcliffe played the U13/U12B team which proved to be a much more physical encounter. The B team scored first before the U12s struck back. In a thrilling game, the match was eventually drawn 10 – 10. In this game, Cameron Mulvihill was the backs’ Man of the Match and Hugo Illingworth was the forwards Man of the Match. Hockey Congratulations to Owen Lloyd, who has worked extremely hard and been selected to represent the U15s HIPAC, the highest achievement at national level in Hockey, and results in his selection to play for England in Sardinia next month. We wish him all the best. Football Another fantastic achievement; well done to Finley Back, who at the age of 14 has been offered a scholarship from Nottingham Forest to commence following GCSEs. Squash Well done to Jake Kirby who came second in the BU15 East Midlands Regional squash competition at Lincoln last week. Harry Stokes, Boys Sports’ Captain
Girls’ Hockey 1st XI The 1st team travelled to Denstone and unfortunately lost a narrowly contested game 3 – 2. Ratcliffe started the game brightly and created some good early chances which they unfortunately could not convert. They took the lead midway through the first half, through Eleanor Godwin. Denstone then struck back to equalise, before Ratcliffe regained the lead just before half-time; Eleanor Godwin scoring once more. The second half belonged to Denstone as Ratcliffe struggled to find their form, Denstone rallying together to score two well-worked goals and snatch the lead. Player of the Match goes to Imogen Power who made some fantastic saves in goal. 2nd XI The 2nd team lost 3 – 0 to Denstone. In the first half, a lacklustre performance saw Denstone score twice to lead 2 – 0 at half-time. A much improved second half saw the girls create a few more chances, unfortunately not finishing them off. Denstone scored again against the run of play to complete the scoring. Players of the Match were Amy Baxter who was outstanding in goal and Isobel Coombs who worked tirelessly to close the opposition down.
3rd XI
The 3rd team girls were excited for their second match of the season, and fought hard against a strong Oakham side but unfortunately lost 8 – 0 . The girls played well throughout the match with some excellent defensive play from Emily Marsh, transferring into some great attacking play from Caitlin Plummer on the wing. The girls continued to battle throughout the game and played well right to the final whistle. Player of the Match goes to Natasha Walsh for her outstanding effort in goal throughout the entire game.
U15A Ratcliffe travelled to Denstone and sadly lost 5 – 0. The girls started extremely slowly, and struggled to blow away the cob-webs after the half-term break. In the first half, we struggled to gain any foot hold in the game and allowed Denstone to gain confidence, to take a 2 – 0 lead and control of the game. After half-time, the girls came out fighting, led by Players of the Match, Sharmel Yapa and Holly Vinall. They showed a much improved work-rate, but the damage was done. Denstone continued with confidence scoring three more goals.
U14A The U14s put in a good performance against a strong Denstone side. Ratcliffe were unlucky to concede two early goals both from short corners, but remained positive. The girls soaked up a lot of pressure, and worked well on the counter, with Lucy Antill, Aimee Cleminson and Danielle Hendry linking up well, but struggled to work the opposition keeper. There were many positives from this game as well as lots to work on; however, the girls should be happy with their much improved performance. The final score WAS 5 – 0 to Denstone. Player of the Match is awarded to Aimee Cleminson.
U14B A solid performance from the U14B team saw them draw 0 – 0 with Denstone. Denstone started on the front foot, dominating the early possession but failed to create any clear-cut opportunities to score. Ratcliffe grew in confidence in the later stages of the first half and proved effective on the break. An excellent passage of play led to Kadie Cowlishaw narrowly missing the target with a shot. Much like the first half, the opposition began the second half strongly and put pressure on a resilient Ratcliffe defence. Maddy Lindop and Sam Seidu lead well from the back of the pitch with some excellent tackles and effective passes into the midfield. Mimi Kahn, playing in goal for the first time since last season made three vital saves throughout the game. At the other end of the pitch, the front three of Ratcliffe linked up well as the game wore on, which led to Kadie shooting with an effort destined to hit the back of the net before it struck an opposition player. From the resulting penalty corner, Ratcliffe just missed, with a shot past the post. There was still time for India Clarke to find herself free at the top of the circle, but she could not make the most of a good opportunity to take the game. Overall, the girls put in a really pleasing team performance against an opposition which was made up entirely of girls from year 10. Player of the Match goes to Maddy Lindop. U13 Ratlciffe were a little sluggish at the start of the game and had to soak up pressure from a skilful and hardworking Denstone side. However, Ratcliffe countered and managed to get the first goal on the scoresheet, courtesy of Annie Bridgwood. It was not long after that Denstone equalised and then went ahead on the stroke of half-time. Ratcliffe reflected on their first half performance and went in to the second half a whole different team; it was Denstone who had to soak up the pressure and Ratcliffe managed to score another two goals, with Annie Bridgwood getting her hat-trick and deserving Player of the Match. The second half was en-to-end play, and Denstone soon equalised; it was a nail-biting finish and the final score finished 3 – 3. U12a The U12s put in a disappointing performance against a well-organised Denstone side, losing 6 – 0. The opposition had three very strong players who dominated the game. As the game went on, the Ratcliffe team gradually came to terms with the pace of the game and played much better in the last 10 minutes. Isabella Illsley Ridge in goal made some excellent saves to earn herself Player of the Match. U12B
The U12B had an excellent 3 – 0 win against Denstone College on Saturday. The girls displayed brilliant teamwork in both attack and defence. Olivia Chapman played alongside Niara Poppet and Coral Keates in defence, demonstrating excellent organisation and tackling skills, as well as moving the ball forward effectively for the attacking players. Player of the Match goes to Lucy Tuttey, who showed some great improvements in her game play. Well played again to all the girls!
Massive congratulations to Olivia Back, who has been selected to play in the England U18 hockey squad. An extremely amazing achievement and we are all very proud of her; we wish her all the best on this exciting venture.
Netball The 1st team should be extremely proud of themselves as they have reached the regional finals to be held in January. They lost their first game against QE which made getting out of the group an uphill battle but played some fantastic netball all the way through the court to win their group beating Ashby Grammar, Robert Smythe and Uppingham on the way. The semi-final was a nail biting game against arch rivals, Loughborough High School. The game was of a very high standard with all players keeping their nerve, particularly defenders: Captain, Olivia Gilchrist and Megan Vincent. At the other end, shooters, Kate Tyszka and Isobel Hose, moved in unison around the circle, and the team pulled together to pull off an emphatic 12-10 win after extra time. The whole squad were Players of the Tournament. Olivia Gilchrist, Girls Sports’ Captain
