Every year Notley High School runs a Ski Trip. We travel in February half term and visit Zauchensee in Austria. The trip is open to Yr8- Yr11 students and they don’t have to have skied before to attend as lessons will be included for the whole week.

We have a dedicated website called skinotley.co.uk. This is where you can find all the information you require about the trip from downloading the letters and consent forms to kit lists and ski fit exercises. You can even buy and sell any second hand ski gear on the site.

The site is regularly updated with details of the forthcoming trip and there is a whole gallery of photographs and videos from other trips to give you an idea of what we get up to whilst away.We also use the site whilst abroad to upload a daily blog and photos of each day’s events which you can comment on and send messages to your students whilst they are away.

The site has just been updated with all the details for our next trip in February 2012 so if you are going please make sure you take a look so you can prepare yourself fully.

Happy Skiing
Mrs N Segura

www.skinotley.co.uk

Our talented group of budding bloggers will be keeping you up to date with all of the latest Year 7 news and here is the best place to find it! The bloggers will be covering events throughout the year, as well as giving their own opinions on some of the most current topics in society today. So please come and visit us regularly, whether it is to have a nosey look at the latest Year 7 news, or to comment and give your own opinion on some highly controversial topics!

You can find the blog by clicking on the icon on the homepage or by clicking on the link below.

Visit the year 7 Blog!

Ben was nominated by his mother for the two years he has spent attending an Activenture residential facility.  He has regularly given up his school holidays – a week at a time – to be an ‘able-bodied buddy’ supporting disabled children in these residential holidays.  He performs a range of duties from physical personal care to supporting in activities such as swimming, archery, drumming and craft sessions.  These are things which disabled youngsters cannot experience and enjoy on their own, so people like Ben are vital in enabling them to do things other youngsters take for granted.

Ben last went on an Activenture residential week in the summer holidays and has volunteered again for February 2012 half term.  Ben wishes his Jack Petchey Foundation £200 to be given to the SLC Department in school.  Mrs Readhead said that this will be wonderful, as it means her students will now be able to go on a fantastic visit to the London 2012 Olympic Park.  It cannot be denied that young people like Alicia and Ben are thoroughly deserving of receiving the Jack Petchey Achievement Award and we give them our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for all the work they will continue to do for others in future.

Mrs J Smith – Senior Teacher

Hannah West, 10O, a former Jack Petchey Achievement Award winner, recently competed for England in the Karate World’s Championship in Malaysia. She did herself and her country proud by getting through to the quarter finals, just being beaten by France.

As the new school year began, 70 year 10 students started their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award. The Award is highly respected by colleges, universities and employers and demonstrates a young person’s commitment, determination, compassion and team-working skills. It is open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 24, regardless of ability or background.

As part of the Award the students will be completing activities under the sections of volunteering, physical and skill. They will be doing this individually with the support of other DofE students, their family and specially trained staff within school.

This weekend the students took part in a training day which helped them prepare for the camping expedition that will take place next year. The students learnt about nutrition,clothing, first aid, navigation, cooking, setting up tents and how to work as part of a team. During the morning the students worked their way around a series of activities and in the afternoon, the students used their newly found navigation skills to navigate around Braintree. Some groups were more successful than others!

A huge thank you to the following staff who gave up their Saturday to help the students - Mrs Readhead, Mr Burrows, Miss Wilcox, Miss Shephard, Mrs Wallace, Miss Rabhi, Miss Stoneley, Miss Cobb and Miss Moffat

Miss Bonny and Mr Burge

For the first year we have entered students into the Essex Young Chef of the Year competition which is sponsored by Colchester Institute and Anglia Produce. A group of Year 9 students were asked to come up with a 2 course meal for 2 people that included local and seasonal food for under £15.

They had to write out their menu and explain in less than 100 words why they thought their menu would be suitable to be sold in a restaurant. Towards the end of last term we sent three outstanding entries Louise Lazell 10B, Rebekah Flint 10C and Elise Horsham 10B to the judges at Colchester Institute.

During the summer holidays the three students were contacted directly and I would like to congratulate Rebekah Flint and Elise Horsham who reached the finals. The final ‘cook off’ took place on Monday September 12 at Colchester Institute in their professional kitchens.

The four finalists were announced and included:

William Burges (Age 15yrs) William De Ferrers School, South Woodham Ferrers Rebekah Flint (Age 14yrs) Notley High School, Braintree Imogen Harris (Age 13yrs) Mayflower School, Billericay Elise Horsham (age 14yrs) Notley High School, Braintree

During the 2 hours ‘cook off’ they were filmed and interviewed. The winner was announced at a gala dinner on Monday 3 October at Braxted Park, Great Braxted. I am happy to report that Rebekah Flint won and is now crowned the Essex young chef of the year. Elise Horsham was a runner up.

At the awards evening, Rebekah received a beautifully designed plaque, a copy of the cooking finals DVD and a DVD of the awards evening, her photograph was in the Essex Chronicle Thursday 6 October. As we were unable to attend the finals I got the girls to practise their dishes here at school and you can see the extremely outstanding quality of the dishes that they produced.

I am so proud of both the girls and they have made an exceptional achievement for the school and themselves.

Miss K Ede