STRIPE – our new programme for Y7 students Year 7 have settled well into life at John Taylor and have now completed their first project within our STRIPE programme. These projects have enabled them to

develop their ability to be reflective, resilient, innovative and great team players.

Within the project ‘Image’, in addition to having specialist lessons in Art, Design Technology, Information Technology, and Drama, students have explored their own image and considered the image they project on line. This work on e-safety is critical as our students are spending increasing amounts of

time on the internet. (If any parent also wishes to also receive e-safety training this will be offered as a workshop on the 13th November where a series of 20 minute workshops will be taking place

during parents’ evening. The

sessions will run at 4.30pm, 5.00pm and 5.30pm. Alternatively just click the link ‘CEOP Internet safety’ on our website to access guidance.)

At the end of the IMAGE project the students’ final pieces will be combined to form a stunning

installation inspired by the artist Christian Boltanski. In addition to this they will perform a ‘flash mob!’

We look forward to sharing these final pieces with parents. In the meant ime, p lease see the photographs of our work in

progress. Cont on page 3

Published by: John Taylor High School—A Science and Leadership Academy

Oct 2012

J T News

Dear Reader Welcome to our first edition of ‘JT News’ in 2012/13. The school year has started very well, as we welcome new staff, a brilliant group of pupils into Year 7, and an increased number of students into our Sixth Form, buoyed

by excellent results gained from their studies in Year 11. New features at JTHS for 2012 include our skills-rich STRIPE programme for Year 7. This will engage, excite, and develop transferable skills that will serve our young people well throughout their time at school and well beyond (see our headline feature). I would also take the opportunity to introduce you to our new Virtual Learning Environment (‘The Vault’ - featured on p5), a fantastic resource that will enable on-line learning opportunities to

flourish. Both of these innovations have been developed largely in-house. It is

only through the energy and passion of staff that such things are possible. Beyond STRIPE and ‘The Vault’, you will see much more of the commitment of staff and pupils at the school in the features contained herein. I hope you enjoy reading them.

With best wishes, and thanks for your continued support.

Principal

2

Meetings Parents are always warmly welcome to come along to PTA meetings with no obligation to join the committee. At

each meeting there is a school based topic on the agenda. This is presented by Mr Donoghue or a member of staff and feedback is invited from parents, so do come along if you would like a say in some of the decisions made by the school.

All welcome to the AGM Wednesday 21st November at 7pm

Topic: 'Developing Transferable Skills - The STRIPE Programme' Refreshments provided by the Catering students, wine, and a

chance to chat and ask the Head and staff questions after the meeting.

Fundraising - Forthcoming events: Ginny Davis - Friday 16th November: see below for details Quiz Night - Friday 25th January: tickets available from

the school in January Summer Ball - July 2013 (date to be confirmed)

How has the money been spent? Last year the PTA funded the following:-

A set of 32 Activexpression handsets for the Maths department with

over 20,000 questions that are used by the students to answer questions and the class results are quickly collated on screen promoting enthusiasm and interest as well as giving the teacher instant feedback on their understanding. Playground equipment: footballs, tennis balls, table tennis bats and balls, hoops, skipping ropes and storage boxes to store them in. State of the art media kit for the hall to enhance school productions as well as use for fundraising events and presentation evenings .

TV screen for the PE department to display the latest match information and results. The Presentation Evening .

50/50 Club Thank you to everyone who has

either renewed their membership or become a new member for the forthcoming academic year. Good luck to you all!

The monthly draws are taken at the PTA meetings and the results printed in the newsletter and in

the PTA minutes on the website. Funds generated are specifically

spent on items that will enhance the students’ education.

If you are not a member and would like to join, please go to

the website PTA page and print off the form. You can leave it at reception or contact Donna Moss on 01283 791837 who will be happy to sign you up.

Prize money each month (depending on membership) is

around 1st—£50, 2nd—£30 and 3rd—£15.

Ginny Davis is a writer and performer who specialises in

comedic, one-woman monologues on the subject of family life. Her character "Ruth

Rich", a stay at

home mother of three, features

again in her third current play:

EDINBURGH FRINGE 2010 - total sell out! BUXTON FESTIVAL FRINGE 2011 - total sell out!

NOMINATED FOR BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION - Buxton Festival Fringe 2011

COMING TO JOHN TAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL

FRIDAY 16TH

NOVEMBER 2012 £10 including light supper

For tickets call Jane 01283 791470 or reilly-jane@sky.com

PTA News

FOR DETAILS OF OFFICERS,

MEETINGS AND FUNDRAISING

ACTIVITIES GO TO THE PTA PAGE OF

THE SCHOOL WEBSITE

3

Hindu Mandir By Ewan Leadbeater (8S2) All Y8 pupils have recently being on a trip to a Hindu Mandir in Birmingham. We went on this trip to help us develop our further knowledge into the religion of Hinduism. When we

arrived we were greeted by the manager who started to talk to us about what was happening in the Mandir. When we were there, it turned out there was a special ceremony going on so

we got to see lots of Hindu

worship. After we had filled in all the worksheets, observed Hindu Aarti worship and spoken to members of the Hindu community, we were all given an apple that had been blessed

by the Hindu Gods. After we had received that token of thought we were given even more items to take with us including pens and a chocolate bar! Finally, we continued through to the kitchen where

we received some traditional Hindu food and we were really welcomed by the Temple. This was a great day out and helped the whole of Y8 to understand the Hindu religion in much

greater detail. Thank you to all staff involved

and all parties at the Hindu Mandir which made us feel really welcome.

Will the real Henry VIII please stand up Year 8 History Gifted and Talented session By Nathan Di Giorgi On 11th October, a group of Year 8 students took part in a History enrichment session

looking at different interpretations of Henry VIII. We participated in many challenging activities such as “Just a Minute” where we were given a minute to talk about the different aspects of Henry’s life such as the Break from Rome and his six wives. We then proceeded to

read a revisionist article on Henry where we scan read for specific evidence to use in a

debate on the different interpretations of Henry VIII. Then came the debate. It was a heated affair where everyone put forward a compelling argument on Henry using the evidence we had collected earlier. However, by

the end of the session we had agreed that Henry VIII was a misunderstood monarch who had been judged unfairly by traditional historians. We felt like improved many skills in the session such as independent enquiry and our ability to work as a team. Many thanks go out to Mr. Bithell and Miss Bliss for organising and running the session. It was great fun!

STRIPE – our new programme for Year

7 students continued from front page The other half of the year group started working on ‘Community.’ This was delivered through the specialist subject

areas of English, History, Geography, Maths and Science. During this work pupils have explored their local area and their notions of home. This project has been particularly important in that it has been an opportunity for students to reflect on the values of John Taylor and

on the transition which they have made from primary school. During the project we held a community day where

students met with local representatives from the community and were able to ask them questions about their

perceptions of our community and about their individual roles in supporting our local community. We would like to thank PCSO Steve Smith, Rev'd Andrew Ridley (St. James' Church), Maria Hopcott (Walton Parish Council) Dave Hawksworth (21st

Barton Scouts), Mrs A Rutherford (JTHS Governing Body) Holly Jackson and Beth Slatcher-

Greenwood (JTHS Anti-Bullying Council) for supporting us during this day. The final piece for the Community project has been a

scrapbook containing a mixture of: history of our local area; analysis of land use and animal habitats and work of local authors or poets.

All year 7 students carry a STRIPE passport tracking their work throughout the projects. Please ask your sons and daughters to share this with you so that you see the guidance we have offered them on literacy and the other transferable skills. You will then also be able to see why our

programme is called STRIPE!

4

Header designed by Jessica Olivier

Summer Success in the Community It is always a pleasure to link with Community Arts groups. This year we submitted work to Alrewas Arts Fest 2012. The themes were mainly based on the Nation’s

Olympic celebrations.

Thanks to all the judges at the fantastic event. Congratulations to our prize winners; Georgina Wildgoose - 1st Prize

Georgia Bishop - 1st Prize Josh Halyckyi—2nd prize Ross Perry—Highly commended Henry Bower-Khan - Highly commended (below)

‘We had a great insight of a working studio and practising, successful artist. Whilst there we

were able to experience other textile artists’ work as well as Jennifer giving us a vocational insight into her world of work’. Bethan Walker Pupils also went to the exquisite Shire Hall

Art Gallery in Stafford to see the exhibition

‘Made in the Middle’. ‘I really enjoyed the trip to Stafford as I gained more knowledge not only of the artists but of their techniques and processes’. Alice Read

‘I enjoyed seeing the textile artists’ work as this is a career I would like to consider’ Emily Startin

A fabulous day was experienced by all!

London Galleries

Year 10, 12 and 13 Artists and Designers travelled down to London and had an exhausting but inspirational day.

Pupils’ behaviour and work ethos was excellent. They were a pleasure to take on the visit.

Seeing art in a gallery is a lot more memorable than seeing it on the internet. It allows you to really interact and to analyse the pieces in

a different way. Callum Boyd Year 12

The V&A was amazing and so relevant to what we are doing. So much to see giving us ideas which we will personally develop in our

project. Something for everyone! We would definitely go back again. Imogen and Kathryn Year 10

taken from the Tate Modern website.

5

FREE SCHOOL MEALS do you qualify?

If your income is less than £16,190 you may qualify for

free school meals.

PLEASE HELP US IF THIS IS YOU! We know that many parents don’t apply for FSM even though they qualify. However, please bear in mind that the school gets quite a lot of extra money for pupils who are on our FSM register so it would really help the school if you would consider applying for this even if your child then chooses not to take up the free

meal. Being eligible for FSM also helps with other school costs eg music tuition, educational visits etc.

What can they have? Food up to the value of £2.20. Food can be obtained from any of the lunchtime food outlets – Pasta King;

main meal; snack-attack; the hatch. If they go over £2.20 pupils pay the difference. Pupils will scan to pay for their food in exactly the same way as full paying pupils, the system will know that they are registered for FSM and will allocate the purchase accordingly. Want more information? Please contact Alison Elsmore, our Business Manager, at the school office. 01283

239300 or email office@johntaylor.staffs.sch.uk or see the school website www.johntaylor.co.uk or call into reception for an application form (or ask your child to pick one up).

The Vault and online resources The Vault is our new virtual learning environment which many students have already begun to access. It is essentially a central hub of information which we look forward to rolling out to parents early in

2013. Meanwhile students have been incredibly quick on the uptake. They are downloading material to enable them to study at home and completing blogs and videos reflecting on their learning. We are

thrilled that two of our staff have been asked to speak at local schools sharing our progress with ‘The Vault.’

For year 10, 11 and 12 students please remember that we have made available on line ‘GCSEPod’ a resource devoted purely to supporting students with revision and providing them with support materials as they move through their GCSEs. Resources are available for all subjects from either ‘the Vault’ or our school website under the

‘Connect With Us’ link. Schools across the country whose students have been using

GCSEPod throughout a full academic year have reported a significant rise in the number of students achieving higher A*-C grades at GCSE.

Last year John Taylor students used 716 hours worth of revision sessions via GCSEPod which constituted over 7000 podcasts. At this early stage in the year 70 podcasts have been downloaded which is a

good start to the year. Unsurprisingly the findings of recent research by O2 learn showed that ‘spacing out smaller chunks of revision over time allows students to absorb complex information with ease and is significantly more effective than the traditional ‘cramming’ that some students attempt before a test or exam.’

We send those students already undertaking examinations this year

our best wishes in their exams, particularly those retaking their English. Hopefully these resources alongside the additional lessons will enable them to achieve the grades they need.

The Vault from one of our Student IT champion's viewpoint The Vault is a unique new online site that John Taylor High School

h a s recent l y invested in. This

b r a n d new user f r i e nd l y

s i t e a l l o w s pupils to connect to the school’s resources at home with ease. As well as having complete 24 hour access to both

their school work and the teachers’ resources, they can also view a complete personal timetable. It is essentially a new way to access homework online.

In the coming months parents will also have complete access to The

Vault and see all the children’s achievements, experiences and homework. Our sensational mascot is a friendly robot who guards the John Taylor Vault. He will greet you upon entry and make your experiences fun and

exciting! Ben Dunnicliff

Art and Design Newsletter Challenge

The Promotional Artwork has been created by Amy Gower in year 13. Try and identify the pupils in the silhouettes. Small prize for the first person to get both correct.

See Amy in form S09 or email art@jths.co.uk

6

Young Leaders gain Netball umpiring qualification On Wednesday 3rd and 10th October, 21

pupils attended a six hour course to gain a qualification in umpiring netball. 12 of the students were from John Taylor school and the other pupils were from Paulet and de Ferrers. They covered numerous issues related to netball and had practical experience in umpiring

their peers. The students have received this course for free on the expectation that they help umpire school fixtures and local primary school netball fixtures. The first event for them to put their new found skills to good use is the Dove

Valley Year 5 and 6 netball tournament

which is being held at John Taylor before half term. The students are aiming to accumulate hours of umpiring and will hopefully be assessed in the near future to say that they have passed this new award.

Key Stage 3 Table Tennis Club By Mrs Berry, SSCO

At the beginning of October a new table tennis club started in the Gym after school on Monday evenings. Mr Vince Evans a former Head of PE at

John Taylor has offered his services to come and run this club. The turn-out has been fabulous and both boys and girls are enjoying this new activity. Helping Mr Evans are Harrison Higgins, Lewis Williams from Year 13 and Emma Shand from

Year 12. These students gained a Young Leaders in Table Tennis award earlier in the year and are now passing on their newly gained

skills and experiences at this club.

Sporting Young Ambassadors By Mrs Berry,SSCO

Back in July prior to the Olympics, Year 7 and 8 pupils were asked to submit an application if they would like to be considered for the roles of sporting Young Ambassadors at John Taylor School. Over 60 applicants handed a letter in to Mrs Berry, who then with the Year 12 Young Ambassadors reduced these letters down to 8 prospective candidates.

The students were asked to come to an interview where they were asked questions by Mr Maddox, Mrs Berry, Bronte Senior and Katy Henman as to why they should be given a role in the PE Department. The standard was amazing and the panel were really impressed with what the candidates did and how they answered the many

questions. A space had also come up for the Year 10 Young Ambassador role so interviews were held to fill this post.

John Taylor can probably boast the best group of Young Ambassadors in the Burton area. Congratulations to the following pupils who now make up a group of 15 sporting and Dance Ambassadors at

John Taylor. Already the work has begun, the group have attended a training sessions at Pirelli Stadium, Burton. They are now working on assemblies to do at all the feeder primary schools and preparation for the many

primary school events which are held at John Taylor every year. Our new Sporting Young Ambassadors are: Year 10 Connor McLoughlin Year 10 Charlotte Shaw Year 9 Rowena Wedgwood Year 8 Harry Triptree Year 8 Harry Roden Year 8 Georgia Bishop

JTHS Y8 Cricket County Champions By Mr Vardy John Taylor’s Y8 cricket team, now Y9, put on an outstanding display to overcome the odds and beat the favourites Denstone College on their own turf to be crowned the ‘County Cricket Champions 2012’!

Led by their head coaches Ryan Pursey and Matthew Williams of Y13, our JTHS cricketers put on a brave opening batting display in

what were difficult conditions scoring an impressive score of 97 runs. After tea JTHS came out to field and put on what can only be described as one their best ever fielding performances and managed to bowl out Denstone for a total of 92 runs after a long and nerve- racking 30 overs.

Stand out performances came from Joe Todd, Joe Cheatle and

Will Smedley whose bowling was outstanding throughout, and Dom Phillips who yet again put on a stunning display as wicket keeper. The whole team were excellent on the day and raised their game to new levels of performance and were deserving of their hard-fought victory. Congratulations to all involved in the Y8 cricket squad throughout last year!

7

Are you interested in working as a volunteer

with our students?

Some of our older students receive additional help and support from staff coaches to guide them

towards their goals inside and outside education.

We are looking for people from a range of backgrounds

with the experience to join our team of coaches and work one-on-one with our

students.

Full training will be given.

If you feel that you have the experience and time to

commit to a regular meeting in school starting early

in 2013, please contact Mr M

Goodwin at m.goodwin@jths.co.uk

for an information pack. Any involvement will be subject to an interview

and CRB clearance

Solid start to the Rugby season By Mr Maddox

John Taylor Rugby has made an extremely promising start to the season with all years having completed fixtures during the first half term of the year.

The Year 7 team, most of who have begun to play rugby for the first time, have made an excellent start to their rugby careers. Sixth form coaches, and 1st XV players, Matthew Williams and William Wedgwood have been coaching the team, with attendance at training regularly at the 25 people mark! They sadly lost their first ever game to Queen Elizabeth’s, Ashbourne, probably the strongest rugby school in the region, but showed a very spirited performance. Henry Longstaff and captain Ben Spencer have been the stand-out performers

so far. It is exciting to see so many keen and enthusiastic youngsters committing to school rugby. The Year 8 team also played their first ever rugby match, after not having any fixtures last year. Again

against Queen Elizabeth’s, the team were beaten but the team showed lots of promise, with Harry Roden and captain Connor Hutchison playing particularly well. If they work hard at training they will make great strides over the course of the year.

The Year 9 side have made a pleasing start to the year, progressing through to the second round of the

County Cup with a resounding victory against Hagley Park. Dominic Phillips and Isaac Dungworth led the way with some skilful performances, while Louis Bloomfield starred in his first ever rugby match, with a series of unbelievable tackles. Louis is a real player to watch this season!

The Year 10 side played some superb rugby in the first round of the Daily Mail National Cup, where they narrowly lost to Walton High School from Stafford. After gifting the visitors two early tries, Year 10 controlled the rest of the game, and narrowly lost at 19-20 in a thrilling game. Joe Willis was again superb at prop whilst Ben Fox was man of the match for some superb defensive play.

The 1st XV have made the high quality start that predicted. In their opening game they narrowly lost to King Edward’s Birmingham in the Daily Mail National Cup. It was a proud achievement as King Edward’s had made it to the semi-final stage last year. The team also went on to beat Queen Elizabeth’s in their most recent fixture. Matt Williams has captained the side well, with strong performances so far from Jacob Kitchen, Alex Nesbitt and Lewis Williams to mention but a few.

There are promising signs for the rugby season, and hopefully players will continue to train, practise, listen and improve over the winter.

Year 2 Dance Festival Young visitors and their teachers enjoyed an afternoon of dancing, led by Nachda Sansaar and our Young Ambassadors

By Mrs Berry, SSCO On 25th September, John Taylor PE Department hosted

a Year 2 Dance Festival in the

hall for over 90 Year 2 pupils from Thomas Russell Infants School and Richard Crosse Primary School in Kings Bromley. With ten Young Ambassadors and members from the ESDC dance club helping out, the afternoon was a huge success.

Firstly, the pupils were introduced to Bhangra dancing by Nachda Sansaar who talked to the pupils about the Indian culture and traditions. Step by step they learnt the movements to dance a Bhangra dance from start to finish. Not only did the young visitors have a wonderful time but their teachers joined in as well.

John Taylor Dance Leaders also choreographed an Olympic inspired dance and

watched a dance to “Cotton Eyed Joe” by some of the leaders. After an hour the

young visitors left with smiles on their faces after a wonderful afternoon of dance. One young pupil was heard to say” I really want to start dancing now”

This is going to be an annual event with even more input from our own John Taylor Dance Leaders in the future.

Congratulations… to former JT pupil and aspiring fashion designer Tegan Kersey who recently won the UK Campaign for Wool competition and will now see one of her jumper designs sold in Harvey Nichols. Tegan is currently completing a knitwear internship for Ann Inc in New York and hopes to find work as a knitwear

designer in London on her return to the UK.

8

Key:

JT—John Taylor WA—William Allitt

DF—De Ferrers OLD—Oldfields

PIN—Pingle

ALL—Thomas Alleyne

It has been an exciting start to the league football season at John Taylor, with all teams getting some very exciting results so far.

Attendance at training has been fantastic, and we believe that this is the reason for the great start to the league season.

PE DEPARTMENT ON TWITTER The John Taylor PE Department are now on Twitter!

Please follow us for all the up-to-date team news, results and PE information:

‘PEatJTHS’

Football Teams Flying High!

Year 7 have regularly had 30 players to training each week, making Mr Vardy’s selection job very difficult, through some excellent work and commitment from the young players. Under the guidance of

6th Form coach Ryan Pursey, the team see themselves in top position at the time of writing, with two wins and one draw to their names. Max Bird has led the team well whilst Billy Wall has also put in some excellent performances.

Year 8 have made an equally strong start. They see themselves in top position with three wins from their opening four matches.

Jared Evitts has played particularly well, with Joseph Bishop and Connor Hutchison performing well in midfield. Alex Holmes has also been a rock in goals, making several excellent saves so far this season.

Year 9 sit in mid-table at the half-way point in their season, with one win and one draw from their opening games. Joe Todd has

been a key player so far, with all other players putting in some solid performances.

Year 10 currently sit top of the league at the time of writing,

winning two of their three opening games. A recent loss to Thomas

Alleynes was a set-back and needs to be rectified in the second half of the season. Callum Brodrick is currently top goal-scorer, with James Rowland performing consistently well at the heart of the defence.

YEAR 8 LEAGUE A

P W D L F A Pts

JT 4 3 0 1 15 12 9

WA 3 2 1 0 12 9 7

OLD 3 2 0 1 11 9 6

PIN 3 0 1 2 8 12 1

DF 3 0 0 3 9 13 0

YEAR 9 LEAGUE A

P W D L F A Pts

WA 4 3 0 1 13 6 9

PIN 4 3 0 1 12 7 9

JT 4 1 1 2 15 11 4

DF 4 1 1 2 4 12 4

ALL 3 0 0 3 3 11 0

YEAR 10 LEAGUE A

P W D L F A Pts

JT 3 2 0 1 15 5 6

ALL 2 2 0 0 4 0 6

WA 2 1 0 1 5 10 3

DF 3 0 0 3 7 16 0

PIN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Year 11 sit top of the table with two wins and a draw so far. Thrilling wins at Pingle and De Ferrers were highlights, with Regan Upton scoring some fines goals. However, a 3-3 draw with William

Allitt should have been a low-point, but put in perspective that John Taylor played with 9 men due to injuries, this was a

spectacular result!

YEAR 11 LEAGUE A

P W D L F A Pts

JT 3 2 1 0 11 7 7

WA 1 0 1 0 3 3 1

DF 1 0 0 1 3 5 0

PIN 1 0 0 1 1 3 0

YEAR 7 LEAGUE A

P W D L F A Pts

JT 4 2 1 1 23 9 7

WA 3 2 1 0 13 7 7

DF 3 2 0 1 16 12 6

OLD 3 1 0 2 9 13 3

PIN 3 0 0 3 4 24 0

9

We hope you have had a positive start to the new school year and continue with all of your fantastic h a r d w o r k .

Remember, Turn Up, Work Hard, and Be Nice!

We are also very keen this year to f u r t h e r p r o m o t e t h e acknowledgement of our extremely

talented students. If you have a

special talent, whether it be sport related, a musical flair, or anything at all that you’d like to share, we are keen to hear all about it and share your fantastic achievements with the rest of Kingstone. You can d o t h i s b y e ma i l i n g u s

(kingstone@jths.co.uk), or by s e n d i n g u s a t w e e t (@KingstoneJTHS)!

Kingstone

O

R

n

E

r

Goodbye!

We would like to say a fond goodbye to all of our friends in Y13 and to those Y11s who have gone

on to pastures new. We are all really proud of your successes over the summer. There were some amazing results. Please do stay in touch though!

Hello and welcome to the first edition of ‘Kingstone Korner’ this year! We are very excited to be back

representing Kingstone, last year’s official Champion House! Only 5 weeks into the new term we are already building upon last year’s fantast ic success by establishing ourselves again

as the House to beat. Yes, you probably guessed it…

we’re already leading on merits!! As a team we would l i ke to congratu la te everyone on this early

success, and also to encourage everyone to build upon this success, in order to keep our ‘Champion House’ title for another year!

Welcome! A very warm welcome is in order for our new additions to the House, those in both Year 7 and Sixth Form. To get to know our Year 7s better,

we have been running our Introductory Programme, which we are

delighted to say has gone very well so far! The sessions involve us, as a leadership team, spending one registration session a week leading team-bonding games and activities that help the students get to know both us and each other better. This is often through learning about things they have in common with each other and interesting facts about each other. The programme has been very effective so far and we hope the year 7s will continue to enjoy and form friendships during the remaining

sessions! Via House Council we have also heard that the new sixth form

s t u d e n t s a r e a l s o s e t t l i n g i n w e l l . As a house it is really important to us that our new pupils are happy to be not only part of Kingstone but also the school in general, as if it wasn’t for each individual within Kingstone, we could not be the best

that we know we can be. Charity One of the most important decisions we have made already this year is to change our official House Charity. For the past three years we have raised funds for County Air Ambulance, raising something in the order of £4000. Whilst we are still very passionate about this charity, and firmly believe in what it does, this year we have chosen to change our

charity. After listening to Ian Leech talking about his unfortunate experience of losing his daughter to Lymphoma in an assembly, we were impressed by how he had turned this sad experience into something positive. As a result, a vote was taken across the entire House and we decided to choose the Lymphoma Association as our nominated charity. This is a charity that is very important to us, and we are very keen to start raising as much money as possible through our

numerous fundraisers in order to help.

Konversation with a Kingstoner:

This term, we had the pleasure of speaking to Edward Martin, from K15. Edward is a very successful swimmer who does such a brilliant job in being both successful in both his swimming and his school work. This is what we found out…

Summary of Achievements: 4 National Gold Medals. (Wow!!!) Proudest Moment: The Gold Medal in the 400m Freestyle 2011 National Championships.

Summary of Training Schedule: 8 training sessions a week, 3 morning sessions starting at 4.30am and 5 evening sessions, all lasting 2 hours. (How does he fit in all his school

work too?!) Next Big Competition: Representing Derbyshire in the National County Championships. Psychological Preparation for a Competition: Listening to music. Ultimate ambition in terms of Sporting Achievement: Representing Team GB in the Olympics.

Sweets or Chocolate? Sweets Football or Rugby? Rugby

Xbox or PS3? Xbox

Last film you saw at the cinema? Avengers Last place you went on Holiday?

Cornwall

10

Sharing books This term we have been encouraging all our students to have a Book-on-the-Go. Of course, this can sometimes

be really difficult, when homework, sports, hobbies and friends all encroach on our precious free time. But keeping up the reading habit is so beneficial, as is the act of sharing books with one another. Research shows that being read to brings remarkable health and happiness benefits. Here’s what Philip Pullman

has to say on the subject…… “ Reading aloud is an activity that

everyone can take part in. It sharpens the inte l lect , inv igorates the

imagination and enlarges the scope of human sympathy. If we all read aloud

every day, the world would be a better place.”

So, if you can find time over half-term to share a book with the rest of your family you will be helping everyone become healthier and happier.

The Reading Tree The Reading Tree in the LRC is a great example of students sharing their book choices with each other – it looks like Marchington and Needwood KS3 students have been adding the most leaves this half-term – well done!

Business students put their artistic talents to the test By Y13 BTEC Business Group On Monday 8th October 2012, the Year 13 BTEC Business group went to Barton Marina to complete a part of their Visual Merchandising unit. The group went to look at various shops

around the Marina and carried out research how they display their products in the shop windows and also the displays that they have inside the shop. This helped the group to pick up

inspiration when we went into Toys of Yesteryear to create our window displays. When we got into Toys of Yesteryear we had

a brief look around to see how

they display their products and to give us an idea of what we wanted ours to look like. We then spilt into two groups; one of which was Halloween themed and the other was a beach theme for Steiff bears. Mrs Fulford (the

owner of Toys of Yesteryear) supplied us with the products which she wanted us to display. For the beach themed display she provided Steiff bears which were dressed in sailor clothing, sand to

make you feel that you are at the beach and props which we used to finish out display. For the Halloween themed display Mrs Fulford provided hats, toys a witch’s broom and other scary products such as spiders. Whilst we were creating the window displays we also had to make sure that we took

photos of each stage to complete our coursework. We were hoping to create a window display which attracted customers’ attention and encouraged them into the store. Since completing the displays Mrs Fulford has forwarded some great feedback on our work and has invited us back to complete the Christmas windows for the store later in the year!

We want to thank Mrs Fulford at Toys of Yesteryear for providing us with the opportunity to put our theory from lessons into practice. It was a great experience.

Following their success, the Y13 BTEC Business Group have been invited back to Barton Marina

to help dress the toy shop window for Christmas

LRC news…...LRC news..….LRC news…...LRC news…...LRC news..….LRC news..…..LRC news …..

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Congratulations, Ed! By Mr H Lloyd

Friends of Staffordshire Young Musicians (FOSYM)

recently awarded funding to several talented Staffordshire musicians w h o h a v e s h o w n exceptional talent and

determination in their s t u d y i n g a n d performance. Ed Robinson (Year 13) was nominated for this award by his music teacher and chosen

to be Staffordshire Performing Arts’ chief recipient winning £100 to

go towards his music! Six other students from across the county were also awarded bursaries and all recipients attended an award giving ceremony, where each student was presented their award by the High

Sheriff, Sarah Elsom, before performing to a specially invited audience. On the 1st December Ed has been invited as guest soloist to perform Vaughan Williams' "Five Mystical Songs" with Hall Green Choral Society and as Ed is hoping to study Classical Singing at The Royal Northern College of Music next year he is gaining as much experience in performing as possible!

Bryan James Bradley—teacher at John Taylor 1974—1997 By Mr V Evans, ex Head of P.E.

The recent death of Bryan Bradley will have left a hole in the lives of those of you who have a sense of the history of John Taylor High School.

First and foremost a teacher of Chemistry, Bryan was a major asset to the school’s Science department. This was mainly because he was an outstanding teacher of children of all abilities, but particularly because he had a tremendous insight into the minds of the more disaffected ones. He seemed to know exactly what made them tick so that he was always able to get the very best out of them. In the Staff Room, Bryan was all things to all men. One day he could be animatedly leading a lively discussion about the most recent

political issues, the next bemusing all of his domino playing friends with his beguiling tactics. On others, particularly towards the end of a term, he could be found fast asleep in the corner!

One day, Dave Sunderland, a former head of P.E., asked Bryan if he would take a basketball team to a match for him. This was to be the start of a love affair between Bryan and a succession of school teams that culminated in him being elected to be Assistant Team Manager to the England Under 16 Schools’ Basketball

team. As a basketball coach, Bryan was unrivalled in the West Midlands. His school teams practised hard

and played even harder and Bryan on the side of the court could be the hardest of them all. His Girls’ Under 16 teams won the National Schools’ Knock Out Championship two years running and made the name of John Taylor High School well known throughout the country.

Such was this reputation in the staff room for being totally energised about his work that Adrian George, a member of the Art department and an amazing amateur cartoonist, immortalised Bryan in the role of ‘Superteach’. Each half term Adrian would publish his latest edition of ‘Superteach’, a strip cartoon which would highlight the problems and talking points of the previous weeks. Problems which were always solved

by the super powers of Superteach who looked identical to Bryan in a mask and red, blue and yellow basketball kit.

Bryan retired when he was fifty and the final years of his life were punctuated with bouts of illness. His legacy was only too clearly seen at his funeral when past basketball players formed a guard of honour of basketballs as his coffin entered the church. Bryan and Anna his wife had two children, Robert and Rachel—both John Taylor pupils and both of whom epitomise his down-to-earth character and his energetic zest for

life.

Bryan is buried in Alrewas churchyard close to the canal by which he loved to sit and fish. When Bryan retired they destroyed his mould. There never was anyone like him and there never will be

again. Those of you who knew him will know exactly what I mean.

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Thur 25 Oct School closes to pupils at 1pm (Open Evening)

Thur 25 Oct Open evening for prospective new pupils

Fri 26 Oct Y10 reports issued

Fri 26 Oct Last day of half term

Mon 5 Nov School reopens following half term break

Wed 7 Nov Y11 Parents evening , 4.30-7.30pm

Fri 9 Nov Y7 reports issued

Tue 13 Nov Y7, Y10 & Y12 Parents evening (with form tutors)

Fri 16 Nov Ginny Davis presents ‘Double Booked’—see page 2

Mon 19 Nov Anti-bullying week

Tue 20 Nov HPV information evening, 4-6pm

Wed 21 Nov PTA AGM, 7pm—All welcome

Tue 27 Nov Post-16 options evening,, 6.30pm

Fri 30 Nov Y8 girls—HPV vaccinations

Fri 30 Nov Y8 reports issued

Thur 6 Dec Christmas concert in the Hall, 7.30pm

Fri 7 Dec Y9 reports issued

Mon 10 Dec Carol service in St James’ Church, 7.30pm

Tue 11 Dec Y11 trial exams start

Fri 14 Dec Y13 reports issued

Thur 20 Dec A Level certificates presentation evening, 7.30pm

Fri 21 Dec Last day of autumn term

Dates for your diary

Please note that occasionally we have to make changes to the school calendar

Please check the regularly updated calendar on our website

Family Holidays

We are being directed by the Government not to authorise holidays during normal school term time. Please plan your holidays for normal school holiday periods.

Holiday leave for pupils studying for their GCSEs (Year 10 /11) and A Levels (Year 12 /13) will not be authorised.

We have enclosed a Greetings

card flier which can earn us

30% commission to go

towards literacy resources.

Thank you in advance for any

orders you may choose to

place! Please make cheques

payable to: ‘S.Kingston’ and

return orders (in envelopes) to

Mrs Palmer or Mrs Moody

(LRC) by 06.11.12. Orders

will be delivered to school w/c

26.11.12.

Do you play Basketball?

Barton Colts Basketball players would like to hear from anyone interested in playing on Sunday

evenings from 8pm at John Taylor Suitable for all ages from 15 yrs upwards.

Please ring Scott Walker for details

07973944185

PINK LADIES & T-BIRDS WANTED!!

Musical Theatre Academy with Samantha Harper

Tuesdays 4- 5pm Performing Arts Studio

Exclusively for JTHS

students £3.50 Beginning rehearsals for

the production for Grease.

Are you interested in a new 5-a-side

league for over 16s? We would like to hear from anyone interested in playing on Sunday evenings at John Taylor from 6-8pm (Top two leagues could be entered into a national tournament)

www.leisureleagues.net Please ring or text Frazer for details

07403069819