Dear Parent / Carer,
It has been a really busy fortnight at Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School.
British Science Week
This week we were celebrating British science week. There was a science quiz that everyone enjoyed taking part in. In form time there were short biographies from scientists who are in this year’s #SmashingSterotypes campaign that the British science week are involved with.
Children from KS2 and KS3 also took part in the Royal Society of Chemistries #RSCTakeCharge global battery experiment to take energy storage from renewable sources to help with climate change. Using only 1p coins, saline solution, cardboard and tin foil, children made batteries and their data has been included with data from all around the world. The KS2 experiment was to find out how many cells their battery needed to light and LED and KS3 experimented with finding out how the voltage changed when adding cells to their batteries.
Lit Quiz
A staple ingredient of the Dr Thomlinson calendar is our contribution to the Lit Quiz – a national competition about books. Well done to the following pupils have made it to the Lit Quiz team:
Y7: Jonah, Miles, Cecily and Xanthe
Y8: Luke, Wilf; Esme and Fran
The regional round of this competition takes place on March 27th. We wish both teams the very best of luck.
Design a book cover competition
Well done to the following winners of our design a book cover competition that was part of our World Book Day celebrations. There were a large number of entries and we are very appreciative of Esme; Amy and Alex – our Yr 8 Librarians – for judging this competition.
Yr 5
-
Daisy
-
Izzy
-
Iris
Yr 6
-
Nancy
-
Libby
-
Emme
Yr 7
-
Jessica
-
Xanthe
-
Lucy
Mock Trial
A huge well done to our Year 8 team who did so well in the Mock Trial event on Saturday, 11th March. The Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition helps young people understand how the law touches every aspect of their lives, gaining an insight into how the legal justice system works.
Our team was given access to resources, including a specially written criminal case, to help prepare legal arguments for the case. After preparation, our team went head-to-head with other schools to prosecute and defend the case they had prepared.
A spectator at the event said of our team: “The preparation, rehearsals and practice sessions paid off and all of the children were a real credit to the school. Confidence, team spirit and constructive debate all shone through on the day. The opportunity to run an event like this in a real court and to give an experience like this is invaluable and one which I’m sure will be remembered for a long time.”
Well done to all involved.
Boys Football
The last fortnight has seen three boys football fixtures.
Well done to our U13 Boys team who played away to Northumberland Church of England Academy on 6th March and then Seaton Sluice Middle School on March 17th. Although both games ended in defeat, the team played really well and were especially unlucky in a narrow 2-3 loss against Seaton Sluice. Huge congratulations to Will and Harry who scored the team’s first and second goals of the entire season. Will’s goal was a goal worth waiting for as his first time volley from over 40 yards sailed over the keeper and into the net. The team celebrated the strike with great gusto!
Our U11 Boys football tram have been having a good season with a string of creditable performances perhaps deserving of even better results. On March 7th the team lost narrowly to Newminster Middle School 0-3.
St Cuthbert Day Service
Our Housecaptains plan and prepare a service for the Saint that gives their House its name. A huge well done to Jacob and Nieva who devised and led a really interactive and joyous House service on March 17th. The highlight of a very memorable morning was an excellent speech by Jacob on the life of St Cuthbert. Those in the congregation should have been listening as the service finished with a quiz which put a number of the congregation on the spot! A huge well done to Jacob and Nieva. Thank you to the Parents & Carers who were able to join us in this celebration.
Comic Relief – March 17th
Thank you to all those who contributed to our Comic Relief fundraising – the school raised £149.
Parent Evenings
Thank you to all the Year 7 Parents/Carers who attended our Year 7 Parent Evening on Thursday, March 16th. It was lovely to see so many people attending and I hope those attending found the evening beneficial.
Dates of Parent Evenings:
March 9th – Yr 8 Parent Evening – 3:30pm – 7:30pm – postponed due to bad weather to Thursday, April 20th
March 16th – Yr 7 Parent Evening – 3:30pm – 7:30pm
May 16th – Yr 5 Parent Evening – 3:30pm – 7:30pm
May 23rd – Yr 6 Parent Evening – 3:30pm – 7:30pm
Easter Church Service
Our Easter Church Service is on Thursday, March 30th at 1:30pm at All Saints Church, Rothbury. Parents & Carers are very welcome to attend.
Top Award Winners week beginning 13th March – Core Value – Wisdom
5T David
5H Harry
6O Gabrielle
6M Charlotte
7I Max
7L Jonah
8N Cameron
8S Wilf
Top Award Winners week beginning 6th March – Core Value – Service
5T Iona
5H Iris
6O Yasmine
6M Florence
7I Daisy-Lou
7L Amelia
8N Cameron
8S Michael
P&Q Award Winners – Ben and Will
Well done to all of these award winners.
