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Weekly Newsletter

03 February 2012

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL QUILT

The sixth form year group Meeting heard this week about the Amnesty International quilt that is currently on display in reception. Thirty local groups and societies worked on the design and stitching of the squares to mark the 50th Anniversary of the group, basing it on the Chinese proverb, taken up by the founder: ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.’  The barbed wire on the logo represents the darkness (hopelessness) of people in prison and the candle represents bringing hope to those held, in the hope of fair treatment and eventual release. Amnesty believes that if you are feeling hopeless – in darkness – it is no good complaining at the darkness but far better to take action and ‘light the room’. Although a candle is a small answer to a large problem, it is still a worthy step in the right direction. We hope that you will be able to view the work that involved some of the Bootham community, on display until half term. You can see a close up of some of the squares by clicking here. 

OIL PAINTING WORKSHOPS

Emily Harper, our Resident Artist, will be holding a series of Oil Painting Workshops commencing on Tuesday 28th February 2012 from 7 until 9 p.m. These are open to all staff, parents, College students, and Seniors and will run for 5 sessions. The cost for the 5 sessions is £35.00 and includes materials and tutoring. There are only 12 places available on the course: click here for details of how to book.

HEALTH BULLETIN

The winter months when we are more likely to gather together indoors to keep warm can factor in the increase of some common health problems, with this in mind Bootham Health Team would like to increase your awareness of the following common infections / infestations that can be around at this time of year:
Scarlet Fever:  Scarlet fever is a bacterial illness that causes a distinctive pink-red rash. It is usually mild and responds well to antibiotic therapy. If your child has scarlet fever, do not let them attend school and keep them away from other people until they have been on a course of antibiotics for at least 24 hours. For further information on this condition please refer to the following links:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Scarlet-fever/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/ScarletFever/GeneralInformationScarletFever/   
Head lice: Head lice are a relatively common community problem, affecting adults as well as children. These parasitic insects are always present in the wider community and in schools, hence the need for awareness, regular checking and prompt treatment if any live lice are found. The Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) view endorses this, stating that head lice will always be present in the community and in schools and, though unpleasant, they do not pose a serious risk to public health. For further information on the detection and treatment of head lice please refer to the following link:  http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice/Pages/Introduction.aspx

YEAR 5 VISIT HEADINGLEY WATER TREATMENT WORKS

The purpose of our visit to Headingley Water Treatment Works was to find out how water is collected, purified and piped to our homes. A tour of the site enabled us to observe all the different processes of cleaning water. Everything is computer controlled so very few people work on site. In the afternoon we visited Esholt Waste Water Treatment Works. Wearing goggles and special gloves, we toured the huge site observing the treatment and cleaning of sewage, recycling it so that it could be put back into the river. Back at the education centre, pupils donned white coats and worked on water experiments in a science laboratory before leaving for home.

BIOLOGY TRIP TO THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

On Monday 23rd January, College One students visited the Natural History Museum in London for the day. The students had a fantastic time, discussing the use of beetles to clean skeletons of soft tissues and the impact of invading Spanish Bluebells. These talks were aimed at stimulating ideas for their individual coursework. Students also participated in a live webcast on fossil Ostracods and their role in evolutionary biology and oil exploration. After lunch they looked into the archives at the storage jars and the world largest preserved giant squid. Everyone had an aspect of the trip which lit their taxonomic touch paper.

EXAM LEAVE

Exam Leave for Summer term 2012 has been approved as follows:
Upper Seniors: Begins at 16:00 on Thursday, 10th May
College One: Begins at 16:00 on Thursday, 10th May; return to lessons Monday 11th June (straight after half term)
College Two: Begins at 12:25 Saturday 26th May 2012

SPORTS RESULTS

Basketball: The U13 team were crowned York and District Champions on Tuesday in the area play-off final. Bootham played against Tadcaster after winning the league, and dominated the majority of the game which finished 80-46. The U14 team emulated the U13 team on Thursday by also winning the York and District play-off final. They beat All Saints by 53-36. Bootham started the game brilliantly and remained ahead for the whole of the game. The team will now go on to represent the area in the County event. The U19 team completed their group games in the English Schools competition this week. They lost to York College on Monday by 62-34, and were also defeated by Fulford on Wednesday. With previous victories however, they have managed to finish a creditable third overall in the league. 
Football: The U12 and U13 teams had very competitive games on Monday against Hull Collegiate. Unfortunately Hull managed to win both fixtures with the results finishing 5-2 and 4-1 respectively. 
Swimming: Two swimming galas to report on this week; the first was on Monday evening away at St.Peter’s which was an absolutely nail-biting gala, with numerous close finishes. The Bootham U14, U15 and Senior teams did themselves proud against stiff opposition. The U14s lost 30-46, the U15s won 44-37 and the Seniors won 42-34 which resulted in an unfortunate loss for our girls by 1 point: the end score was 117-118. The second took place at Bootham where all age groups swam against The Mount. It was another close fought gala ending in the following scores: U12s won46-30, U13s lost 34-42, U14s lost 30-46, U15s lost 29-47, but the Senior team remain undefeated winning their age group 43-33. The end score was a narrow defeat for our girls by 182-198. 
Hockey: The U12 hockey team played against Huntington on Thursday evening: an outstanding 4-1 win for our girls.