December - Kings of Wessex Community School

Senior HockeyHannah Bates 11RWAmy Barkus 11DRZoe Foster‐Smith 11SBAElen Laken 11FSHolly Tyson 11SBAEbba Eriksson 12AJHEmily Hancock 13JPFLizzie Tungate 13GRJunior DramaNick Atherton 10MLHolly Pike 10SGSenior DramaCharlotte Andrews 11ERFaye Aston 11RWGrace Barrett 11VPHolly Crompton 11DRJames Elliott 11VPJackson Gleeson 11GCSally Kitching 11FSTom Stanley 11RWWill Waelchli 11VPDavid Haining 12TRPhil Lee 12BRLucy Plummer 12DDCJunior LibrarianAlex Parnell 10DPWJunior EnvironmentalistAlex Armstrong 10ATRoss Farrell 10MLThe Kings and QueensNews TeamElliot Bidmead 13JHCAlice Bjorkstrand 13CWHSarah Bollard 13JPFLottie Buchanan 13CWHAlice Edwards 10PAJo Frost 10MLJoss Hancock 13SKHannah Lane 10MLEsme Jameson 13SKJoe Kilduff 13JPFKate Purkiss 13TTBean Savage 13CWHGemma Tidman 13TTMelissa Woods 13SKJunior MusicSimon Addicott 9EHENadine Close 9JRHolly Freemantle 9SJTom Haggerty 9LDJames Hall 9MBEmma Hanlon 9CABen Lucas 9LDRhiannon Lumley 9JRBen Marshall 9LDLaura Nesbitt 9SJAisling O’Brien 9JROlivia Patrick 9DPJoseph Perry 9KSBethany Robinson 9CAOliver Saunders 9SJHarley Williams 9JRHannah Wilson 9TPDaisy Banwell 10SSStuart Cooke 10SJOJoshua Day 10SGMark Foster 10DEBernard Francis 10SJOJacob Gaudoin 10NRJack Humphrey 10NREmma Kidby 10ATChris Pullen 10NRSarah Weigold 10SGSenior MusicHannah Bates 11RWKelly Batt 11GCTom Day 11ISLiam Davies 11SBAMichael Elliott 11GCLucy Fenton 11ALFEleanor Gall 11DRJackson Gleeson 11GCBuffy Rabbitts 11GCJon‐Joe Reed 11FPCasey Ryder 11SBADeclan Stewart 11DRWill Scott‐Hartley 11DRDavid Searle 11FSTom Stanley 11RWPeter Stott 11VPChris Shaw 11FPLaura Caton 12TRPhil Lee 12BRMatthew Lewis 12TRHannah McKenzie 12TRLucy Plummer 12DDCStuart Ponsford 12TRBecky Rolfe 12TRBen Smithers 12TRRobbie Spanring 12DDCTom Taylor 13JPFLuke Wilson 12JWNSilas Wynne 12BREmily Blake 13TTSchool Council MembersOllie Crandon 9CACarla Gordon 9TPJames Soffe 9MBLucy Stephens 9DPBrent Stewart 9EHEAndrew Blair 10ECBen Peverall 10SSBecky Male 10ECMike Turner 10SGSarah Weigold 10SGHarriett Eddiford 11ALFJames Elliott 11VPBuffy Rabbitts 11GCSandy Shaban 11ALFMiles Tincknell 11ERAlso the Senior Student TeamHead Boy: Alistair Haggerty 13SRHead Girl: Sarah Bollard 13JPFDeputy Head Boys:Shane Fear 13SKJason Gupta 13SKGeorge Wright 13SKDeputy Head Girls:Hazel Rossiter 13CWHGemma Tidman 13TTHannah Tinton 13JPF5

At the end of this Autumn Half Term, we thank all our parents/guardians for workingand communicating with us to assist us in the running of day-to-day school life.Thank you for refraining from taking holidaysduring term time as we are keen that ourstudents attend their lessons for the preparationof their public examinations.Thank you to our parents who have supportedour work with Police Surgeries this term, aswe work closely with Cheddar Police to helpstudents who have been involved in seriousmisbehaviour to understand the implications oftheir actions.Thank you for helping us to monitor the use ofMobile Phones in school in accordance withstudents’ signed contract. It is important that the learning of our students is not disrupted by phonesbeing switched on during lesson time and is for use at break, lunchtimes and after school. Parents willalso recall that the photograph facility must not be used at all during school time.For security reasons, thank you to parents for observing that MP3’s and UPS Players are notpermitted in school and any student bringing either into school will have the item confiscated andreturned to parents on the Friday of the following week.Finally, we take great pride in our students’ uniform as our identity in school and the community andwe thank you for helping us ensure that our students are dressed correctly and smartly at all times.Thank you all, Barbara Marshall, Deputy HeadteacherGreen Travel PlanThe School Council’s main issue this half term has been looking atsafer routes to school and drawing up of The Kings of WessexGreen Travel Plan, which is designed to encourage students towalk or cycle to school by making the routes safer.Having received feedback from students it became clear that a lot ofthem would like to walk or cycle to school but currently do not feel able.We have now received the surveys that were sent out to every tutor group to learn about their issues withtraveling to school. Some useful ideas have already been put forward such as bike sheds, new pedestrianaccess, improved lighting, waiting area, on-site shelters and new fencing.The Green Travel Plan would not only improve walking and cycling problems, but would also improve theproblems of traffic outside of school. As our next steps, we will be working closely together with other localschools and the Local Authorities. We are working on a draft of our Green Travel Plan to be drawn up by theend of term and if the plan is successful, we could be awarded a grant of up to £10,000 to be used toimprove facilities.We would very much like to receive parent feedback and have therefore enclosed a Parent Survey.Please do take some time to complete this and return it to the School Office asap.We will, of course, keep you updated!Becky Male, Mike Turner and Sarah Weigold (Year 10 Student Council Representatives)IMPORTANT! On a road safety note, parents are asked to think before they use the Memorial Car Park forpulling in and dropping off their children at the start and end of school. There have been a number of occasionswhen a combination of congestion and cars turning round has increased the risk of potential collisions.Thank you for being alert!6

Pariah Prevails at the Battle of the Bands 2006Report by Behind-the-scenes Top Technician and Year 12 student Andy BurlandOn Monday 11 December 2006, concluding the first official day of The Kings of WessexCharities Week, students arrived for some much-deserved evening entertainment at theschool’s traditional Battle of the Bands.There were some returns from 2005 to the stage: some with new names, others with newsongs, however, the standard was paramount. Seven bands played, involving students fromLower and Upper School. Making up the show were, Year 10 band Exile and Six Formbands: The JC Experience, The Stuart Age, Yin and Yang, Demo, Panic Officeand finally Pariah.You will have probably guessed by the headline, who won... Yes, Pariah, for the second yearin a row, came away as the winners of the 2006 Battle of the Bands. Well done to Pariahband members: Matthew Lewis, Ben Smithers, Stuart Ponsford and Philip Lee!A spectacular performance was made by all the bands with support from the SeniorStudent Team and the Technical Crew. Pariah are now set to open this year’s schoolfavourite, Rock ‘n’ Roll Years event on Friday, the final day of Charities Week.Coming Soon!We will provide a follow up report on the highlights of this year’s Charities Week in ournext Kings’ Messenger, but look out for the report by the Kings and Queens NewsTeam in the Cheddar Valley Gazette due to come out before Christmas!7

Expanding their Sixth Form HorizonsA Positive Visit from Broadway LodgeRecently, Year 12 were fortunate to receive a visit from Broadway Lodge, a rehabilitationcentre in Weston-Super-Mare. Each year, staff and patients from Broadway give Year 12 theopportunity to spend a morning hearing their stories and asking questions. It was a fantasticway to learn the reality of substance abuse, from those who deal with the effects on a dailybasis.Many of the extremely personal accounts we heard were touching and shocking, and thebravery shown by these people sharing the lowest points of their lives with total strangerswas amazing. Learning how to avoid being in the same situation was helpful to all of us, andI’m sure will have educated the majority of us to stop us from becoming involved with drug oralcohol abuse.Kings’ connection with Broadway Lodge is one to be appreciated: whether in asking for adviceon drugs, alcohol or eating disorders, or sadly, for more serious reasons. We thank thosepeople brave enough to speak to us for their invaluable accounts and advice, and we wishthem all the best of luck for the future.Lucy Plummer, 12DDCStudents triumph in the Mock Law Trial at Cardiff Crown CourtOn Saturday 11 November,we took a team of fifteenstudents to Cardiff CrownCourt to try their casesagainst other schoolsparticipating in theCitizenship Foundation MockBar National Trial.Students have been studyingthe criminal justice systemand had two cases to prepare,playing the part of barristers,witnesses, court officials andjury.The first case involved astudent who had been foundin possession of ecstasytablets in a nightclub, butwhose defence was that she had taken them from a friend and planned to dispose of them. In thefirst round, we all entered the court and were in awe of the surroundings and being in a real courtwith a real Judge sat at the front; but we had to quickly assume our positions and take the parts ofBarristers, witnesses and Court Clerk in a professional manner, having never even been to courtbefore!Our team were prosecuting this case against Cardiff High School, and we put forward polishedperformances, with impressive opening and closing speeches by the two Barristers, Examinationsin-Chiefand cross examinations of the witnesses. However, the jury found the defendant not guiltyby a narrow margin, and we were just pipped to the post.8

Having learnt from this experience, we then defended the same case against St Joseph’s RC HighSchool with our defending team and although the defendant was found guilty, our performancesmeant that we won the case based on points awarded to individuals on the team. We weredelighted to receive some extremely complimentary feedback from the Judge about our Usher,Barristers and witnesses (see later).Our second case involved a student who had been accused ofspraying graffiti on a train station wall and was caught with painton his hands, but whose defence was that he was merely admiring it,and picked up the spray can left at the scene in order to dispose of it.We were defending this case against Basseleg School, and again, ourteam put on extremely impressive and assured performances againsttough opposition. We were found not guilty and again won this caseon points.Congratulations go to the following students in our Kings’ LegalTeam who were a real credit to the school, and who all certainlylooked the part: I am sure we will be seeing many of them in years tocome acting out their parts for real!Adam DeanCharlotte Andrews, Clowance Cotterill, Adam Dean, Paul Foster,Jackson Gleeson, Simon Goss, Tom Grant, Alistair Haggerty, EmmaHardwick Sam Jones, Becky Marshall, Lizzie Murray, Felicity Pople,Brinton Roach and Oliver Strawbridge.Year 13 Star (student) barrister and Head Boy, AlistairHaggerty defended both cases in a truly professional andannihilating manner. Remarking on his success he said,“We were delighted to win two cases after minimalpreparation making the event really worthwhile. Thiswas certainly an excellent experience and goodpreparation for my chosen career in politics.”Year 11 Adam Dean was the star usher whom the judgesaid was scarier than any of the ushers he had workedwith - including at the Old Bailey!Year 13 Ollie Strawbridge was a fantastic defendant andthanks to his slippery character he was successfullyacquitted of a crime that he probably did based on theevidence!Alistair HaggertyReported by the Kings’ Legal Team SupporterSally Bishop, Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)Ollie Strawbridge9

Vive Les Languages! Don’t forget your passport!Die deutschen Abiturienten fahren nach Berlin!On the first weekend of the October half term, Sixth FormGerman AS and A2 groups embarked upon their long-awaitedtrip to Berlin. Barely ten minutes into the plane journeyhowever, Will was hungry, which proved to be the theme ofthe whole weekend with our visits fitting around Will Labandand his feeding time!!!!Upon arriving in Deutschland, we were faced with our firsttask of navigating our way to the hotel. Following Sophie’sunusual methods of map-reading and our first S-Bahn andStraßenbahn journeys, we finally arrived at our hotel.Our first evening was spent eating as much as we could fromthe self-service restaurant and proving English strength overGermans, by winning the fight for pudding!!!We then had our first experience of ordering our ownfood in a café situated on “Unter den Linden”, whichis a one kilometre-long path between the BerlinPalace and the Tiergarten and is lined a representativeboulevard lined by walnut and linden trees.This was no ordinary lunch-hour as we wereentertained by a giant puppet man climbing thewindows! – Deutsche Humor!!!In the afternoon we headed to the Museum atCheckpoint Charlie, but not before walking throughthe Holocaust Denkmal (Memorial).After eating the hotel out of food (thanks toWill), and being worn out from the journey, wespent the evening relaxing and playing cardgames.On our first day, Friday, we headed towardsthe Brandenburger Tor which is the trademarkof Berlin. The main entrance to the city,surrounded by the wall for thirty years, wasknown throughout the world as a symbol forthe division of the city and for the division ofthe world into two power blocs.10

In the afternoon we cheered ourselves up by heading for the shops along the one of the biggestshopping streets in Europe “Kurfurstendamm”. Later, for some evening entertainment we went tothe cinema at Potsdamer Platz and watch “Klick” in German, with NO SUBTITLES.Even though it was difficult to understand inparts, the majority of us got the main gist and stillmanaged to find the film funny. It did help sittingnext to the walking dictionary that is FrauRebello!!We then made our final trip back to the hotel, butnot before our promised “Eis essen” (wonderful icecream!)The next morning, it was sadly time to leaveand after a quick panic that we would miss ourflights due to delays on the tramline (the onlytime EVER during the whole trip), we managed toget home. The whole time was really enjoyableand we learnt a lot about German culture andthe history of Berlin.Thank you Frau and Mr Holdsworth for takingus – Es war fantastisch!!!By Izzy HiggsJournée Thématique: French Topic Day for Year 13 studentsAt 7.00am on Monday 13 November 2006 The Kings of Wessex minibus trundled out of the schoolgates destined for Birmingham and a day of intensive French study.These AS and A2 days organised by Philip Allan Updates provide the up-to–the-minute topicinformation which is so important in today’s ‘A’ Level Languages courses. The whole day isconducted in French by native speakers at a level suited to A2 students.The programme always targets important topic areas through presentations delivered in a varietyof styles: lecture, sketch, debate and activity. In addition, each student receives a valuable set ofnotes to take away with them on the day.Here are some of the students’ own comments:“A sandwich lunch in Birmingham’s Bull Ring shopping centre was well worth the early start for ourA2 French trip… oh, and the conference was good too! Covering several topical subjects, including theenvironment and the Third World; the lectures were presented by two native Frenchmen, with the aid ofsome very brightly-coloured PowerPoint slides. The lectures were all interesting, and in some cases,surprising and I’m sure we all took away something from them. In all it was a good day out that wasenjoyed by everyone.” Elizabeth Cooke12

“This year’s French ‘A’ Level topic day was definitely as good as last year’s – all the topics covered wereequally as helpful for our coursework and oral exams; we were also equally as tired from our early start,and the lecturers spoke equally as quickly! The only difference was that I could actually understand itthis year. If we hadn’t gone past ‘TGI Friday’s’ and had lunch in ‘Muffin Break’, you would almost havebelieved you were in France!” Gemma Tidman“The French revision day at Birmingham again provided us with a lot of useful facts and figures thatcan be used in our oral exam at the end of the year. The booklet provided has also given me many ideas toponder over and on which to base my coursework.” Richard FayGeorgina Rebello, Subject Leader for LanguagesThe DRAMA ProgrammeThis year’s school play is ‘Grease’ and rehearsals are going well; building in intensity as we near the latterstages of rehearsal. It will be an all singing and dancing experience and we hope you will be able tocome along to join in the experience.The following students will be starring in the lead roles:DannySandyKenickieRizzoPhillip LeeHannah McKenzie/Holly CromptonDavid HainingLucy PlummerThere will be over fifty students involved overall including our acting, music and background team.The performance dates are as follows:Wednesday 31 January, Thursday 1 and Friday 2 February 2007 at 7.30pm in the School HallTickets will be on sale from the New Year and will be £5 for adults and £4 to students/concessionsDirectly following Grease, the Year 9 production will begin – so interested students in Year 9 should lookout for notices regarding early in the New Year.Textiles Goes Knitting and StitchingThis year’s Knitting and Stitching Show was a greatexperience for all of Miss Thorogood’s Textiles students.Inside the show there was an array of fantastic bits andpieces to buy to use on our work, including some buttonsthat were the size of plates!!! Whilst wandering around theexhibition we were fortunate enough to see theEmbellisher machine at work, creating textile sampleswithout thread. Miss Thorogood has recently been able topurchase two of these machines for us to use on our ownwork thanks to the generosity of our School Governors.We were all eager to find bargains amongst the special offers at the show and found a fewwonderful gems. The exhibitions of textile work on display were a visual feast of thread, fabric andunusual techniques. A big thank you to Miss Thorogood for organising this trip!Laura Carter and Sabina Savage13

On a musical note, you could be the key…!The MuKow Parents Group(Music at The Kings of Wessex)have an appealing musical offerto propose.As part of their ambitious plan toraise enough money to busy agrand piano which will costaround £13,000 they are “selling”piano keys.88 keys will buy a whole piano:Single key £150Minor 2 nd (two keys) £3002 nd (three keys) £450Minor 3 rd (4 keys) £6003 rd (5 keys) £7504 th (6 keys) £900augmented 4 th (7 keys) £1,0505 th (8 keys) £1,200augmented 5 th (9 keys) £1,3506 th (10 keys) £1,5007 th (11 keys) £1,650major 7 th (12 keys) £1,800Full octave (13 keys) £1,950For those who are equally passionate about music and keen to support the exciting work at Kings,please contact either Paul Taylor, Subject Leader for Music or Sharon Rabbits, Chair of MuKow(tel: 01934 713267).Organ LessonsPianists who would like to extend their skills to the pipe organmay be interested in joining the students who already haveorgan lessons through the school.Lessons would be fortnightly after school, probably in StAndrew’s Church here in Cheddar and maybe at some later datewhen the organ has been fully rebuilt, at the church in Wedmore.In the first instance, I propose a trial term of six lessons at a cost of £20 an hour.If you think your son or daughter might be interested in taking up this challenge, andhopefully playing the organ to accompany some of our school services, please contactPaul Taylor, Subject Leader for Music as soon as possible.HOT OFF THE CONCERT PRESS!A big thank you to all the students for giving such an outstanding performance and for all those parentswho joined us for our recent Christmas Concert!We made nearly £200 from the sale of waffles, raffle and wine and on Cheddar Festive night MuKowmembers Sarah Allen and Jane Burdock collected nearly £50 in just thirty minutes!14

Science gets Experimental!Guest Biologist from Bristol UniversityEarlier in November Year 12 biologists were given a talk by Dr Chris Neal from the PhysiologyDepartment of Bristol University on electron microscopy and kidney structure. There was lotsof useful information given to students and it was also really interesting to hear about currentresearch: clearly, Science never stands still! It is very possible that our AS biologists heard aboutconcepts that may be taught to future generations…but we heard it here first though!!!Year 11 Coursework catch up – every Wednesday in S1Science Club has taken off with a bang (literally!) with lots of youngenthusiastic Scientists keen to get stuck in! We had lots of fun playing with “explodingrockets” – it was amazing to see how high we could get them to go and a shame theceiling got in the way – who knows, they might have touched the sky??!!We also made scented rose petalscontaining-bath bombs which they youngScientists did very well and could bepossible contenders to the LUSH business!Our latest mission was making bouncyslime, which proved to be a rather messy,yet successful lunchtime.I am really pleased with all of your effortsand I really hope that your enthusiasm forScience continues.If anyone else is interested injoining the Science Club, please feelfree to join us.We always like to see new faces!There are lots more experiments to come –check out the SIS boards for details.Many thanks to Science Technician Mrs Frenchfor her hard work in preparing our equipmentFay Simpson, Enrichment Leader for Science15

My “star scientists” include:Simon AddicottJack AndrewsGeorge AtkinsJon BarnettMimi BygraveLucy CornishOllie CrandonTom FakeEd GrantRosie HodgsonMatt HouseRyan LlewellynBen LucasLaura NesbitHannah ReasonAmy RichardsBethany RobinsonDaisy Robinson-RattleEllie RowntreeMatt SalmonDan SampsonJon SheldonJames SoffeRobert SparksTom StevensBrent StewartMichael WilmotHannah WilsonAbbey WoolwayMax YoungPsychology Trip: Behind Bars ConferenceThe concept of prison is one you really cannot imagine; but after one day it was a lot easier tocomprehend… at least for the Year 12 and 13 Psychology students who were joined by four convictedcriminals, one Police Officer and a Psychologist, it became more understandable.Behind Bars was held at a conference centre in Filton. After a delayed journey and Christmas nibbles –notably, mince pies and Yule log from the Psychology Department - we finally arrived. We were thrown in atthe deep end where the Prison Officer set abut telling us the gruesome details of prison life. Then, each ofthe criminals spoke about their history and their time in prison.We then split off into groups and looked at a court case – deciding on what sentence the accused shouldbe given. A man (whom we thought was assisting with the conference) then revealed himself, his story andthe sentence he had been given. Many of us were shocked and did not agree with the amount of time hehad served.After lunch we split into groups and had the opportunity to spend about twenty minutes with eachparticipant grilling them with all the questions we could possibly think of. Overall, we had a good day, aneye-opening experience; which would seriously make you think about on the wrong side of the prisonsystem.Reported by Sarah Cooke and Sammie Pike 13SR16

Competing Lego Robots!The First Lego League is an international competition thattests students’ ability to design and program a Lego robot, inorder to complete as many challenges as possible in two anda half minutes. The theme for the competition this year wasNano Technology.Our team, Nano Kings, had been working hard over the last threemonths to design, build and programme the robot before theregional competition at the end of November at Bath Universitywith the top three teams from the regional competition goingthrough to the national finals in Birmingham in January.As well as the robotics element the team had to perform a presentation to the judges. In preparation, they had written andrehearsed a short sketch based on the possible applications of Nano Technology. The judges were marking the teams all day onthe quality of the robot, the presentation and their team work.As our début entry in the competition, our Kings did not really know how well we would perform…Nano Quest – Team Reports by Thomas Cotterill, Oliver Crandon, Paul Jarvis and Ryan LlewellynAfter making our final tweaks to the robot, we set off to Bath University where we were entering the First Lego® League,Nano Quest competition. When we arrived there was entertainment and a group warm-up with our celebrity hosts, Anne Foyand Ade Adeptian MBE.When we had finished setting up in our pit lane, the judges watched our presentation on Nanotechnology which was a short sketchon creating a durable, waterproof and self-mending metal. Following our presentation, the judges asked us a series of questionsand seemed very pleased with our performance and delighted that we had answered their questions so well.On Round 1 of the challenges we only scored 19 points and came 24 th out of 30 schools, with the highest score at the time 132points. It was then back to our pit lane where we had just enough time to adjust the programme and try to improve using thepractice mats. Just before Round 2 in our practice we managed to score 70 points, which we were all very pleased with. Round 2went much better with us completing many more tasks successfully thus scoring us more points. As Round 2 came to an end, wewere delighted to hear that we had scored a whopping 131 points and came in 4 th ! At that time, the highest score was 135 points.Round 3 was best of all for us. We knew we had done well immediately after we had completed two of the vital challenges. Wethen went and sat down and looked forward to the results being announced. We waited and waited and waited.17

Eventually, the result was announced. We had scored a massive 138points. We were in second place, thus meaning that we were into thequarterfinals. We had got an awful lot further than we ever imagined.Unfortunately, the quarterfinals did not go very well as we had a problemon one of the vital challenges which cost us a dear fifty points. This meantthat we finished in eighth place, although we still thought that we had donevery well, since we did not have much time to programme our robotmissions, due to technical problems.Despite our brilliant performance in Round 3, we were of course a littledisappointed, but we had all had truckloads of fun and enjoyment. Plus, wehad all received a lovely medal and a framed certificate to display inschool. We then returned home on the minibus where we got stuck in themud!UK Mathematics ChallengeIn early November, thirty of our best student Mathematicians took part in the senior round of the UK MathematicsChallenge, as part of the new range of enrichment activities that Kings’ Maths Department is creating for ourstudents.The challenge is assessed via a very different sort of exam than the students are accustomed to undertaking. There isno revision to be done and the problems test mental flexibility and breadth of mathematical skills. 80,000 studentsentered nationally and only sixteen got full marks - so it was a difficult test! Our students did very well and won thefollowing medals:Gold: Frances Rabbitts, Bethan Tucker and Mark Williams.Silver: Tom Bosley, Thomas Brady, Samuel Bretherton, Lizzie Cooke, Samuel Jones, Bethany Morgan, JoshuaRoberts, George Wright and Martin Zäenker.Bronze: Samuel Bird, Mark Goddard, David Haining, Charles McGinty, Ben Puddy, Jonathan Smith, DanielWard and Josh Wilson.Tom Bosley and Josh Wilson deserve particular praise because they are only in Year 11!If you want to test your own ability over Christmas try these multiple questions from the paper they sat.No calculators are allowed, nor even squared paper!4 41. What is the value of 2 + 3 ?a) 4 b) 20 c) 5 d) 7 e) 972. The 80 spokes of the giant wheel “The London Eye” are made from 4 miles of cable.Roughly what is the circumference of the wheel in metres?a) 50 b) 100 c) 500 d) 750 e) 9003. What is the greatest number of the following five statements about numbers a and b which can be trueat the same time?1 1 ba ba < b a < 0 b < 0a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 e) 54. X is a positive integer in which each digit is 1; that is, X is of the form 11111… Given that every digit ofthe integer pX 2 + qX + r (where p, q and r are fixed integer coefficients and p>0) is also 1, irrespective of thenumber of digits of X, which of the following is a possible value of q?a) -2 b) -1 c) 0 d) 1 e) 2The answers will be published on Mr Powell’s website on 28 December 2006: http://www.mathspage.com18

SuperstringsDo we really live in a universeof 10 or 11 dimensions?Will the new accelerator atCERN produce mini black holes?Are all the particles in theuniverse just vibrations on apiece of quantum string?Questions like these weretackled by Professor BrianFoster in a fascinating lectureon "Superstring" theory givento Physics students from Years11, 12 and 13.We were also joined by ‘A’Level students from Churchilland Sidcot Schools.Professor Foster, who works inParticle Physics, wasaccompanied by the brilliantyoung violinist Jack Liebeck.The first part of the lecturewas on Einstein's life andscience. Einstein, himself a keen violinist and often played musicwhilst he reflected on problems in Physics.Whilst we reflected on the ideas expounded by Professor Foster, Jackplayed some of Einstein's favourite pieces by Bach, Mozart and Paganini.Einstein himself used "thought experiments" to help him to develop histheories, such as "What would the world look like if I could ride on abeam of light?" At the end of the lecture we were left with even moreunanswered questions, such as "What is dark matter?" and "How will theuniverse end?"Perhaps one of the budding Physicists in the audience will one-day comeup with some of the answers!Some Einstein quotations:The most incomprehensible thing about the world isthat it is comprehensible.Imagination is more important than knowledge.The important thing is not to stop questioning.Curiosity has its own reason for existing.Two things are infinite: the universe and humanstupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.19

Our Christian Leader’s Actions and Meditations…At the time of Advent:As I write this we’ve just entered the period of time in the Church yearcalled advent, which is the start of a new year in the Christiancalendar. So – happy new year!Although it’s a new year, advent itself is a time of preparation andgetting ready to truly celebrate Christmas. For most of us, the extrabusy-ness is all part of the preparations, so the busier we get, the closerChristmas must be!However, it can be helpful to take some time to reflect on what Christmas does mean to us. If you’refeeling ill-prepared for the big event, perhaps think about the preparations (or, rather lack of them!)that Mary made which we can hear re-told at carol services.Often we think we know the Christmas story, or dismiss the sentimental images it conjures up.However, at the heart of the Christmas story is a message of hope and love, of relationshipstransformed. Those at the margins of society are included and valued (the shepherds abiding in thehills would not have been welcome at any party!) and the power of love and the vulnerability of a babyoffer hope to the world.May the peace of the Christ-child be in your home this season!Here’s a copy of a poem we’re using in our Christmas Church services this year.I hope you like it!The First Face of ChristWhat you must first understand about the face of Jesus is that it is so small.He has no hair yet.His milk teeth are not yet showing beneath his gums.His lungs are well-developed (as Mary and Joseph and the animals have already discovered).But he has no language beyond his crying.He, the Word of God, cannot say ‘mamma’.He, the Son of God, cannot say ‘Abba’.(let alone argue with rabbis and priests in the Temple about the finer things of heaven).He is the love of God, and yet he cannot smile.Though sometimes, when he gets the wind, his face crumples up as though he can.His eyes cannot focus, and yet, and yet,If you kneel beside his manger,You will be too high above him if you stand,If you kneel so that your face is close to his,Then you will find yourself looking level-eyed into the face of God.(From ‘the 3 faces of Christ’ by Trevor Dennis.)News and Events:Christian Union and Confirmation classes continue to meet, and we’re planning a residential weekendin the Spring. Look out for more information.Our Parent and carers prayer group continues to meet fortnightly – and we’d love it if you joined us!Dates for next half-term are Thursday 11 and 25 January and Thursday 8 February 2007.20

Amnesty International members have been busy collecting old keys for the ‘freedom keys’ campaignand writing lots of greeting cards to send to those wrongfully imprisoned. Hopefully, we’ll be visitingAmnesty’s headquarters in London next Spring.Coming Up:World Vision 24-hour Fast in February‘Stop the Traffik’ Campaign - special events to mark the bi-centenary of the appeal to abolish slavery(March 2007) and Fair-Trade fortnight in March.Do contact me in school if you want to know more about any of the above or if you would liketo get involved with our assembly programme:You can phone me at school on ext. #108 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdaysor e-mail me at JBurridge@educ.somerset.gov.ukChristmas Shoe Box Appeal!Just to update you on this year’s collection.As part of Operation Christmas Childorganised by Samaritan’s Purse, for the secondyear running, Sixth Form students BeckyMcGee and Jenni Sparks organised thecollection of Christmas Boxes filled withgoodies, such as toys and toiletries to be sent tochildren throughout the world.Donors specified whether their box was for agirl or a boy and the suitable age group.This year, a grand total of fifty-five boxes intotal were collected that have been dispatchedand should arrive in time for Christmas tosome children who would otherwise.A big thank you to everyone for their generosity!www.samaritanspurse.uk.comThank you, Jo BurridgeImportant! Please note the following GCSE Maths and Science Moduleexam date confirmations:*Wednesday 7 March 2007: Year 11 GCSE Science RE‐SITS only**Monday 12 March 2007: Year 10 GCSE Science (new specification)**Monday 18 June 2007: Year 10 GCSE Maths (new two‐tier specification)**Monday 25 June 2007: Year 10 GCSE Science (new specification)*not Year 10**to add to your calendars21

PSHE/Citizenship BulletinOur Fairtrade Café continues to go from strength to strengthfollowing its launch in October. It is staffed by a committed team fromYear 11 students and has an equally loyal clientele. Running the café isgiving our students, not simply the opportunity to promote awareness ofthe aims and ideals of Fairtrade, but also to learn the basics of stockcontrol, pricing and assessing customer demand.Such has been the success of the café that a group of students from Year 9 approached theirTutor and asked if they could run their own Fairtrade café. This is now up and running in anadjacent classroom and has eased pressure in terms of space and speed of service. Both cafésare making a small profit which will go to the Cheddar Valley special A Promise to AfricaUganda Project.Our Partnership with the National Trust at Tyntesfield andthe Somerset Racial Inclusion Project (SRIP): the public response tothe display mounted at Tyntesfield during Black History Month was overwhelmingly positive.Many visitors specifically recorded in the comments book their delight that the National Trustwas working directly with schools and young people to research the multicultural heritage ofsome of its properties.Plans are now under way to involve more Kings students and SRIP in the partnership withthe possibility of participation in photography and archeological workshops at Tyntesfielditself.Katie Davies, PSHE/Citizenship LeaderThe BAY Centre Computer TrainingProvided by TurnKey I.T SolutionsAfter receiving very positive feedback from previous and current studentsattending Computer Training sessions at the BAY Centre in Burnham-on-Sea,Year 10 student, Mike Turner & Hugh Sexey’s Year 8 student, Lewis Jones havedecided to continue their Computer Training courses after the New Year.Below is a selection of courses available:11:00 - 12:00pm – Basic Computer Training: eight-week course (£30)Learning basic computer features, e-mail, Internet, Word processing, Online Shopping, Search Enginesand more!!12:15 – 1:15pm – Intermediate Computer: eight-week course (£30)Learning more advanced computer features such as, Spreadsheets, Online Messaging, Create cards,certificates, presentations and more!!2:30pm - Web Design & Graphics: eight-week course (£40)You will be able to walk away at the end of this course with your very own website encrusted with yourown graphical creations!For more information about other courses available or to book a place,you can phone Mike on 07854 549010All the courses are on Saturdays and start on 6 January 2007,so could make an ideal Christmas present!22

Learning Resource Centre ExploitsNestlé Cereal Box Top Tokens:The LRC is still collecting these tokens and the collection boxes can befound in Reception and in the LRC. Please do bring them into school as wecan make very good use of them. The more tokens we collect, the morebooks we can get, so do support us!Reading Group:Our Year 9 Reading Group is now underway and eleven studentssigned up at the Freshers Fayre at the start of term. Their first meetingwas on Friday 24 November and they are reading Bali Rai books which areprompting interesting discussions. Their next meeting is scheduled for Friday 15 December.Our Year 10/11 Reading Group have been very busy reading Ewan McGregor, AnthonyHorowitz and Charlie Higson. They have also chosen books for stock from the Book Fair heldearlier this term.Activities:By the time this comes out, we will have held a bicycle repair workshop, with help from PaulBaker, from Cheddar Cycle Store at Valley Line Industrial Park, to show the students whatproblems they should be looking for, and how to repair and service their bikes. Paul is alsooffering a free safety check to all cyclists who take their bikes to his shop.New Staff:Mrs MacNeary joined us after half term and is settling in well. Some of you may already knowher if you went to Axbridge First School, where she taught some eight years ago. She hasalready recognised some students – and some students have already recognised her!Learning SupportJust to remind you, we are open every Friday lunchtime for anystudent who would like to come and do their homework andcoursework, or their SuccessMaker programme.Do come along!CC4G is a new Computer Club forGirls that started this year for Year 9’s.We attend every Monday lunchtime for fiftyminutes where we do various activitiesincluding making ring tones and producing radioadverts using our own voices and soundeffects. We manage to do these activities using a website, software,headphones and microphones given to us to use.We receive free gifts and so far we have received folders and kit bags!Kayleigh Skittrall23

Kings and Queens Sports’ ScoresBoys Sporting NewsThis has been a tremendous second half of theAutumn Rugby Term with many of TheKings of Wessex sides winning the majority of theirfriendly and Somerset Cup competition games.The Year 11 side have played friendly gamesagainst Crispin and Millfield Schools so far this half termand have also successfully started their Somerset Cup campaign. They won their game against Crispinconvincingly, outplaying the Crispin side up front and in the backs. The Kings’ side then travelled awayto Millfield for the annual fixture against their Year 11 B side.The team were more successful in their first Round Somerset Cup game against Heathfield from Tauntonbeing superior in all aspects, eventually winning easily. In the next round we face either Norton Hill,Whitstone or Frome. There is also one friendly game remaining against Mark College.The Year 9 side have continued their fine form in their first season together. Since our lastMessenger report the team have had more games against a Millfield B side and Wells Blue, but ChewValley cancelled their game. The game against Millfield was a close affair but the Millfield side finishedthe game victorious with the Millfield side a different class in team attack and defence. The team playedWells Blue at home in their second round of the Somerset Cup and destroyed their visitors by some fiftypoints.It now means the Year 9 side are through to the quarter finals of the Somerset Cup where they will meeteither Clevedon, Chilton Trinity, Nailsea or Worle. The team have one friendly match left which isagainst Mark College in early December.The Year 10 side have had their unbeaten run broken by Mark College but still have the impressiverecord of winning all their other games. In this half term they have had games against Crispin, Millfield,Castle School and Mark College. Crispin were beaten comfortably and the King’s side were alsovictorious over a B team side at the legendary Millfield School.The King’s side met Castle School, a Sports College in Taunton, in their next round of the Somerset Cup.The match was played at home and resulted in another win for the Year 10 side and successfulprogression into the next round of the Somerset Cup where they are due to play at home against Wyvern,another local Sports College. The Year 10’s unbeaten run came to an end against a Mark College side.Kings were outplayed in the first half, but played much better in the second to eventually only lose by anarrow margin.Kings’ Football sides have got their school football season underway after playing their first roundof the Somerset Cup competition. The 1 st XI played their first round match away against Norton Hill,although disappointingly, the game was a close affair which Norton Hill eventually wonThe Year 9 team have been drawn at home versus Churchill which is taking place at the time ofwriting, so that by the time this goes to print we will know the outcome of their first Somerset Cup matchtogether here at Kings.24

We also have a Year 9 girl’s team entered into the Cup this year who have to play againstOldfield Sports College, from Bath, in their first round before the end of term. The girls are coached byMr Edmonds, from Hugh Sexeys, on a Friday night after school. Any Year 9/10 girls interested in developingtheir football should attend.The Year 10 team played Priory School in their first round match and won, followed by theirsecond round match against Backwell, which they also won. They now have to play either Blake,Bucklers Mead or Frome in the next round to progress into the quarter final stages.The Year 11 team played against Churchill School in their first round of the Somerset Cup.Although the Kings side led 1‐0 at half time the Churchill side got back into the game with a goal early inthe second half and then scored again with only ten minutes remaining! However, the team failed toscore again, mainly due to the many fine saves from the Churchill keeper which helped the visiting sideremain in front and win the gameThe Boy’s Year 9/10 Hockey team are about to start their Somerset Cup competition.They have to play a tournament format against Frome, Haygrove and West Somerset and all theirmatches must be played before Christmas; so by the time this goes to press we might have our firstSomerset Cup Champions of the Year!Rod Bell (Subject Leader for P.E.)Girls Sporting NewsThe Year 9 Hockey team are unbeaten so far this season. Training sessions have been wellattended with new players appearing each week. We have strong players filling key positions in theteam in midfield and on the forward line. The ‘Teagle twin’ combination at the back is very strong andcommitted!We have certainly been successful in all of our County Cup matches, beating Wells Blue 3‐1 and KingAlfred’s 10‐0 and hope to progress to the knock‐out stage after Christmas. Our next cup game is againstKing Alfred’s.Squad players are: Sarah Kelly, Emma Munt, Methab Arshad, Sam Stevens, EveTaschimowitz, Holly Freemantle, Jasmine Hailes, Jo Teagle, Becky Teagle, Hannah Reason,Georgia Lehup, Harriet Gittens, Millie Gibson, Abbie Woolway, Ashley Bennett, LauraCousins, Lucy Stephens.1 st XI Hockey have had a great season winning the majority of their games, a number of whichthey won by double figures. This year’s team are particularly strong with a good team spirit.They still remain in the Under 18 County Cup, so we wish good luck to them all!The Under 15 Hockey have won the majority of their matches and remain in the CountyCup. In this compete ion they have recently beat Heathfield School 2‐0.We still have the Blue School toplay in the cup but look favourites to win.The 2 nd Xi Hockey have enjoyed a successful season winning the majority of their games andtraining sessions have been well attended. The team had strong performances against Wells Bluewinning 4‐1 and against Sidcot winning 5‐0. Well done to all team players and particularly those whohave represented the school for the first time this year.25

Squad members include: Hannah Nicols, Amy Barkus, Zoe Foster‐Smith, Bella Jezzard,Jenny Knowles, Hannah Bates, Annie Teare, Ebba Eriksson, Lizzie Tungate.The successful Year 11 Hockey team (pictured below) are looking to go one place better inthe County Cup and regain the trophy they won in Year 9.Pool games are currently being played before Christmas with the first game played against FromeCollege, which the team won 3‐1.This was their first game together this term as U.16’s and although they won quite convincingly, theteam know they can certainly improve on their performance.The next game against Holyrood at home was played in very wet and muddy conditions andsurprisingly the team put on a much better performance than their last game against Frome, winning8‐1! Well done to Bella Jezard who scored a hat trick!Sue Roberts and Tracey TibbsSTOP SPORTING PRESS!Exciting news: Alex Kimmins and Oscar Sheridan havebeen selected to attend the Step into Sport training camp inLoughborough at Easter. Only six students from 120 havebeen selected, two of whom are Alex and Oscar!Congratulations!We will of course keep you posted of their continuing triumph.Karolie Williams, School Sports Co‐Ordinator26

The Kings of Wessex PTAOur September meeting saw the election of new Officersand we are pleased to announce that Jane Ratcliffe hastaken over as Chair with Tim Hannah staying on as Vice-Chair,Jane Dickinson as Treasurer, Lucy Rowntree as Secretary andSarah Williams as Publicity Officer.We thank the previous incumbents for all their hard work and here’s to our successin fund-raising during this school year.Talking of which, you will hopefully be aware that at present instead of having lotsof fairs and other fund-raising events we ask parents to consider donating a oneoffamount each year to our Enrichment Fund. The money raised in this way is usedto benefit all our children by providing extra equipment and facilities that couldnot normally be purchased with the school budget.This year however we have received donations from only 100 parents so far !We know from talking to other parents that this can get forgotten, so if you do feelable to contribute, please fill in the form below and send it with your donation tothe PTA Treasurer, c/o Kings’ School Office. Thank you!Our next meeting is on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 7.30pmin the School Conference Room and we would love to see you there!…………………………………………………………………………………………………………To The Kings of Wessex School PTA TreasurerI am enclosing a donation of ………………. (suggested minimum £5 per family) toThe Kings of Wessex School PTA Enrichment FundName: ………………………………………………………….… Date: …………………………Address: …………………………………………………………………………………………….Name(s) / tutor group(s) of child / children …………………………………………………We are able to claim back tax against donations.If you are a UK tax payer and would like to Gift Aid your donation, please complete the details below.I wish The Kings of Wessex School PTA to reclaim tax under the Gift Aid Scheme on alldonations I make from the date shown above. please I am a UK tax payer and note that I must have paid an amount of tax that at least equalsthe tax deducted from this donation. please Registered Charity Number 110958727

DATES FOR YOUR DIARYPlease note the following important calendar dates until the end of the Spring Term 2007:January 2007Return to School Wednesday 3 January 2007AS/A2 Level Exams commence Wednesday 10 January 2007GCSE English Trip to ‘Poetry Live’ Thursday 11 January 2007Sixth Form French Trip to Paris Thursday 25 January to Sunday 28 January 2007School Production of ‘Grease’ Wednesday 31 January 2007February 2007School Production of ‘Grease’ Thursday 1 February and Friday 2 February 2007AS/A2 Level Exams conclude Friday 2 February 2007HALF TERM HOLIDAY:Saturday 17 February to Sunday 25 February 2007PARENTS’ EVENINGS will be held on the following dates:Year 10 Parents’ Evening – Wednesday 10 January 2007: 5-8pm, School HallYear 11 Parents’ Evening – Wednesday 7 February 2007: 5-8pm, School HallTHE KINGS’ MESSENGER is due to be published on the following dates:Friday 16 February 2007Friday 25 May 2007Friday 30 March 2007Tuesday 24 July 2007The Main School Opening Hours during term time are Monday to Friday 8.30am – 4.45pmReception telephone number: 01934 742608 or email: office@kingsofwessex.somerset.sch.ukWe are always pleased to assist: thank you for your patience and co-operation, especially at busy times!In between working hours, the ansaphone is availableThank you for remembering to keep us informed of any change in your child(ren)’s contact details,including postal address and your day/work telephone numbers.For all general office queries, our Administration Manager is Mrs Tania CaulfieldTo report your child’s illness or other absence on the first and every dayyou can either telephone 01934 745304 (there is an ansaphone)or alternatively, email Trudi Jenkins our Absence Secretary at TJenkins@educ.somerset.gov.ukPlease give your child’s name, tutor group and reason for absence.Also please inform us if your child(ren) is due to be late into school or leaving school early because of amedical appointment. You will appreciate that this avoids unnecessary calls home!Year Leaders: Please do not hesitate to contact your Child’s Year Leader if you have any concerns or wish todiscuss their progress, although we would ask that you make an appointment in advanceYear 9: Mr T Clark; Year 10: Mr E Holdsworth; Year 11: Mr A Hitt; Sixth Form: Miss S BishopHappy Christmas to youfrom all the Kings staff!28