Starting Up Sixth Forms by Izzy and Maddy - Year 8
In September 2014 Waldegrave School for girls may establish a sixth form. They will start by admitting 80 pupils into year 12 and in 2015 it will be increased to 100.
A survey was conducted to find out the opinions of the people of the Richmond borough; 961 respondents (73%) said they strongly agreed about getting sixth forms in Richmond schools. If these plans go forth Waldegrave Sixth form will be co-educational meaning their will be both girls and boys.
There are four other Richmond schools which have proposed sixth forms, therefore, subjects are most likely to be divided between them for the first few years as it takes time to establish a fully pledged sixth form. This means that not all pupils will stay or want to stay at their respective schools.
Mrs Nunn, the headteacher, stated that we would need a new building but she was unsure of the location, however, she reassured us that we won’t need a new site. Does this mean more building works at Waldegrave?
Science week rides by with roller coaster rush by Tuesday - Year 8
National Science and Engineering week was celebrated last week at Waldegrave School for Girls. Head of Science, Mrs Hewitt, has organised many activities for pupils.
One of activities going on is a roller coaster enterprise challenge that encourages year sevens to come up with scientific ideas and work efficiently as a group. They had to come up with a theme park containing a range of roller coasters and rides.
The idea is to create a theme park, each group with an amount of credits. They buy supplies and can sell them too, using credits. You get different missions throughout the day to complete within a time limit. The group with the most “money” at the end of the day is the winner.
Georgia, a year seven, said “I really enjoy Science and I really like this event especially”. The year was so engrossed in their crafting, that they didn’t notice they were being filmed by us! Another successful Science week at Waldegrave School.
Pupil Voice - by Violet and Chloe
For the last few years pupils have been getting more and more control over their areas of work. Teachers have been introducing many more extra curricular activities which encourage pupils to have a voice. Now almost every school has a scheme to involve the pupils and give them a representative voice.
An example of this is eight students from Waldegrave School, Twickenham, who at the beginning of this week visited a local primary school to teach them science.
New Discovery Baffles Physicists by Lucy - Year 9
Physicists and astronomers have been baffled this week with the discovery of two failed stars orbiting around each other possessing confusing properties. These two stars called brown dwarfs orbit around each other and are quite large in mass, but are confusing scientists who thought that larger mass brown dwarf stars had smaller radii. Even more confusingly, the less massive brown dwarf is the hotter of the two, which against the predictions of theoretical physicists and their current models of coeval brown dwarfs.
Scientists thought for years that mass is the most fundamental property of a brown dwarf star, as it determines all its other properties and governs how stars evolve with time. Unfortunately, this cannot be tested with real examples because brown dwarf stars are so difficult to measure that only one real example of the mass of a brown dwarf star has been measured to a basic degree of accuracy. This is because most of the other dwarf stars have been measured by their effects on other objects around them.
This new discovery totally changes our understanding about brown dwarf stars.
Big back problems for schools by Chloe and Miranda
Recent research has shown that school bags can cause back damage to children. They cause chronic back problems such as curvature of the spine and rounding of the shoulders. A recent survey in Spain showed that nearly two thirds of the pupils had rucksacks that weighed 10% of their own body weight.
Things that could affect your back include carrying heavy bags on one shoulder, incorrectly fitted backpacks and holding the bag in one hand by its strap. You might think that everything in your bag is essential but try cutting down on what you carry around with you. When asked some pupils what they have in their bag we found unnecessary items like glasses with no lenses, braces, paintbrushes, wool and whiteboards. Some girls carry the books they need for Friday around in their bag on Monday and paper weighs more than you think.
How to cut down on what you carry with you:
- Only carry the books you need for the day.
- Take home only what you need for homework and keep the rest in your locker.
- Try to regularly clean out the bag.
- Don’t carry things that are too heavy for the bag.
- Get a bag that has support for your shoulders and back.
If your bag is too heavy it can have many consequences, a girl with scoliosis said that it not only affects her physically but emotionally as well. Teachers need to be more aware of what they give pupils to take home.
Are We Label Obsessed? by Kirstin, Louise and Ellie
As the population is rapidly exceeding 7 billion, evidence suggests that the amount of people forking out for designer clothes is also increasing. But is this a good thing? With the recession still as big as ever why are people spending so much money on these designer labels. Is the world becoming label obsessed?
Gilly Hicks a designer shop is moving to Kingston even though we already have a Hollister and Jack Wills; the fact that so many expensive designer shops are appearing in local areas, maybe affects are obsessive need to have designer labels.
In a recent survey, conducted by Waldegrave School for girls, over 60% of people preferred designer clothes. The survey also shows over 75% of people believe that the population is label- obsessed.
Speaking to BBC school report, teenagers Ella and Daisy disagreed with designer labels and think they are a waste of time but according to our survey results they are in the minority. In contrast, Bella believes that they help you keep up with the latest trends and doesn’t mind paying the extra money to get better quality clothes.
With the recession in mind this is still a very controversial issue, what do you think, are you label obsessed?
Death Ban by Violet and Baran
An Italian mayor has banned dying!
The mayor of a town in southern Italy has banned dying to save burial space. Giulio Cesare Fava passed the law earlier this month because Falciano del Massico, near Naples, has run out of burial space. During the construction of a new cemetery everyone is ordered not to die. This deadly denial is disrupting the entire town.
Two elderly people have already broken the law by dying after March the 5th; the date the law was set.
“There are no more niches available and the citizens protested, so I issued a challenging ordinance in which I said: 'Citizens, while we await the construction of the new cemetery, I order you not to die, so we don’t have any problems,'” Fava told the Associated Press.
Catastrophic Coach Crash
There continues to be speculation as to the cause of the coach crash in Switzerland earlier this week, which caused the deaths of 22 children and six adults. The Switzerland bus crash has affected many, particularly Belgium primary schools. The deaths were caused by crashing into a tunnel wall. Parents have identified bodies and are devastated. The two drivers on board were also killed but autopsies are being carried out to find whether it was the driver’s error or perhaps he had a medical condition. It’s a great tragedy that this incident has occurred, the nation is mourning. Unfortunately the witnesses are all too shocked to remember what exactly happened at this time.
Sport by Ella & Daisy - Year 8
SWARDERING INTO THE OYLMPIC YEAR
The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world. It started in Greece to celebrate and show off their physical strength. When it had just begun, women were not allowed to take part or even watch the sports. This year over 200 nations are competing right here in London. Some think we won’t top Beijing in 2008. Although they spent £20 billion pounds on the event, due to the hard work and dedication of Britain, who is to judge? Here at Waldegrave School, we are doing many things to help students be more aware of this incredible time.
Miss Offord, a sports teacher spoke of what exactly the school is doing. “We’ll be doing lots of things, including a mufti day and a mini Olympics”.
Yoga is now being considered as a new Olympic sport. We’re running a yoga class to promote this. Miss Offord also told us that you have to question whether yoga fits into the Olympics and it would have to be made competitive.
Health here is exceeding due to the fact pupils and teachers are cycling to school. Almost everyday the bike sheds are full. People are eating healthier and taking part in more exercise relating to the Olympics. More sporting clubs are available to pupils; there have also been many more tournaments such as netball and hockey.
Many students had New Year’s resolutions to join a new sport club and keep fit. Miss Meeson spoke to us about what the effect on her form has been, “I would like to think it has inspired my form to be more active although I don’t think many are sticking to their new year’s resolutions about joining sport clubs”.
It seems the queen’s Christmas speech about sport has really made an influence in her diamond jubilee year.
We hope that the Olympics with live up to its amazing reputation and we know that it will be fun this 2012, especially as some British school children will be carrying the torch.
Charity Bike Ride by Nikita, Natalia and Sophia
Story:
Mrs Michell, former deputy head of Waldegrave School for Girls, has taken part in many challenges to help raise a large amount of money for charity. Mrs Michell cycled in South America for a charity called Women for Women. This charity helps: pregnant women, women with illnesses and new born babies. Mrs Michell also met Fern Britton, the former presenter of ‘This Morning’. Fern Britton also has done the cycling challenge non-stop, like Mrs Michell.
Interview:
Mrs Michell said to the BBC school news report that she enjoyed the cycling challenge in South America.
She also said that she felt Fern Britton was a delightful person who accompanied the cycling challenge as she took on the full experience and didn’t take any special treatment as she is a celebrity.
Mrs Michell said she raised £4000 but is hoping that she has finished the challenge she will get some more income soon. She also said that she learnt a bit about the culture about the poverty in South America.
Mrs Michell also mentioned about the various places she visited such as; Panama Canal, Costa Rica and lots of other places. She also mentioned that she had done other challenges before, like a cycle in Egypt and one in Vietnam for Cancer Research.
Mrs Michell would also like to do another challenge next year for the same charity.
Charity information:
The charity Mrs Michell cycled for was Women for Women and it helps support those women that are unlucky and have given birth and then caught an illness, which may kill them very soon after birth of the child.
Here is a link for the Women’s for Women’s website - http://www.womenforwomen.org/
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