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N E W S L I N E S

A Long Goodbye

My interview in March 1988 at the old Hardyes School was preceded by a walk around Dorchester. I had never

been to the town, or indeed to Dorset; it is a long, long way from the north east. I had a cup of coffee in The

Gorge, looked at the astronomical prices in the estate agents (nothing has changed) and finally found my way to

the school. Two weeks later, after a second interview, I became headteacher of the school. It proved easier to

get the job than it has been to leave it. I was 35 and only possessed the arrogance of youth. I was staying for

three years.

Many remember the old Hardyes with affection, but by that time it was living on past glories and was not a school

worthy of its name or its town. Along with many others, including some colleagues who are still working with me,

a process of transformation began. The amalgamation with Castlefield Girls School took place in September

1992 after some complex and interminable negotiations with the government and we moved onto one site in

September 1995. Prince Andrew opened the new school. Many people worked hard to make it happen, not

least James Read, the first chair of governors and trustees.

The rest as they say is ‗history‘. New buildings nearly every year, awards and accolades and most importantly of

all thousands of enthusiastic, committed, energetic students. Now described by the dreaded OFSTED as

‗amongst the best schools in the country‘, not just common or garden ‗outstanding‘ for Thomas Hardye, the

school I have been fortunate to work in bears no resemblance to that rather sad school of 1988.

So many people have played a part in that transformation, Mr Moore in the Sixth Form has been a key figure and

of course Mrs Taylor. She is also leaving at this time and the school owes her an incalculable debt. In the last

twenty years she has organised everyone around her, including me, and provided a level of commitment that

cannot be matched. ‗Legend‘ has become an over-used pointless word – in this case it is true. She is a wonder-

ful teacher and colleague.

People ask what I will miss? So much – people, no matter their age; results days, the absurdities that come so

thick and fast in the job, the office staff in particular can give you a list of these (and they have been wonderful

too) and the return of students, some now in their 40‘s, who are doing wonderful things in the world and remem-

ber their school with real affection. One of the indicators of quality in a school is the number of ex-students who

become teachers, Thomas Hardye has produced them in spades. They are lucky to be engaged in an activity

that touches lives and can really make a difference.

I hope I have made a difference myself and I thank those who may read this who have helped to do that.

I wish the school and all those who are part of it today, yesterday and tomorrow all good fortune and leave you

with what all schools should be about : Scientia et Veritas and a relentless optimism never to stop getting better.

Dr I E Melvin

Headteacher, The Thomas Hardye School

(1988 – 2010)


Year 9

Year 9 have made an extremely good start

to life at The Thomas Hardye School and

are now enjoying the variety of sporting,

musical and academic activities that the

school offers. In October ninety-six Year 9

students visited Cineworld Weymouth to

celebrate National Films in School Day. As

part of this occasion they watched ―The

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas‖ a harrowing

story of one boy‘s experience of the holo-

caust.

More recently the students were treated to

a performance from the poet Patience

Agbabi who appears on BBC Radio 4 and

has toured the world with her rap/reggae

rhythms. Patience captivated the audi-

ence with her poems which were an imagi-

native exploration of what it means to be

an outsider or feel displaced in the world.

This provoked some really good questions

from the students who were enamoured

both by her ability to recall her poems

without a script and her cute mascot the

bear Byron.

On a more academic note, the recent

Tutor Consultation Evening on 23rd

November was well attended and offered

parents an opportunity to discuss their

child‘s progress. It was encouraging to see

such a positive and enthusiastic turn-out

for this important evening.

Students continue to attend Year Council

each week and it has been good to see so

many Year 9s contributing to Student

Voice, the school‘s official forum for dis-

cussion. The latest area of focus for the

Council has been research into the

school‘s water fountains and discussion

and debate as to how these could be im-

proved, increased and redesigned. The

Student Council have also been active in

discussing the school‘s Olympic Legacy

and we have discussed how the school

will mark this fantastic event that is now

not so far away.

We look forward to the continued success

of the Year Group in the new year and

would like to wish everyone a very happy

and peaceful Christmas.

Best wishes,

Mr Johnson, Mr Bewley

and Miss Bowley

This term Year 10 have been working hard

and settling in to their new GCSE courses.

In September we welcomed several new

tutors to the year team; Mrs Bruce, Miss

Slade and Mr Kay. We also welcomed

back Mrs Maxwell. November‘s Tutor Con-

sultation Evening was a great success and

thank you to all those parents who

attended. In keeping with the theme of

attendance, so far the year group have

achieved 95% attendance. This is greatly

encouraging and we would like to see it

continue to improve during 2011.

Various members of the year group have

been working hard to raise money for

charity this term. Daniel Spracklen in 10JK

organised a showing of the film ‗How to

Train Your Dragon‘ in aid of Julia‘s House

and the Year Council have been raising

funds for Help for Heroes by holding a

name the Teddy Bear Competition. This is

a charity which was chosen by the stu-

dents as many have friends and family

currently serving with the armed forces

worldwide. We were pleased to see that

members of the year group have been

interviewed and accepted on the Dorset

Fire Brigade Cadet Course. On the sporting

front, Francis Anyanjo of 10JB had been

chosen to represent South West England

at Basketball, Charlie Davies of 10CD is

goal keeper for the County hockey team

and Jamie Northover of 10BC has partici-

pated at World Championship level in a

martial art.

As we move into the Christmas period we

are once more asking tutor groups to think

of others and help create Christmas ham-

pers for the Women‘s Refuge. This is

something we have done for many years

and it is a reminder to all that not every-

one can have the perfect Christmas.

We have to say farewell to two of our tu-

tors, Mrs Haliburton who is retiring from

teaching and Mr Thelwell. We wish them

well.

Finally, we would like to take this oppor-

tunity to wish all our students and their

families a restful Christmas and a Happy

New Year.

Ms Brook,

Mr Goulding and

Mrs Matthews

Year 10

Newslines


Year 11

Year 11 returned in September more

focused and ready to work hard in this final

year of their GCSE‘s. They are beginning to

grow in confidence and self-belief. The

Tutor Consultation Evening was very suc-

cessful and the evening had a very positive

atmosphere. This has been reflected in the

latest set of predicted and potential grades.

We would like to thank parents and guardi-

ans for the support they are giving the stu-

dents and the school during this vital final

year.

After the successful results of the summer

many students went on to sit their Module 3

exam in mathematics. As in previous ex-

ams the students‘ behaviour going into and

during the exam was exemplary. The stu-

dents will have exams in January for sepa-

rate Sciences, ICT and Health and Social

care.

Following on from the 6th Form Convention,

applications have now been filled out by all

students. For those coming back to The

Thomas Hardye School there was a Taster

Day on 13th December. This is an oppor-

tunity to try life as a Sixth Former for a day.

For those not returning, an alternative tast-

er day was organised with visits to local col-

leges and apprenticeship providers. The

Connexions Service can play a crucial role in

helping students make some of these

important decisions about their future. If a

student would like an appointment they just

need to speak to their tutor or fill in a form

in the Connexions room. This is particularly

useful for those students who are unsure of

what to do next.

Coursework and controlled assessments

continue to dominate many subjects and it

is as important as ever that students com-

plete their homework and prepare for the

assessments. There is a large number of

help sessions students can attend after

school and they are encouraged to take full

advantage of these.

As in previous years we will be taking the

whole Year Group to Tower Park on the last

day of term. They will be able to see a film

and then spend a relaxed lunch with their

friends. It is an excellent way to end a hard

terms work.

The Prom Committee continues to work

hard with guidance from Mrs Howes and

Mrs Sibley. The date has been set and the

venue and entertainments have been provi-

sionally booked. Tickets will be available

later next term.

This has been a hard working term for Year

11 and, as they get nearer to those final

exams, they need to manage their time well

to avoid undue pressure. Use the Christ-

mas holidays to have a well- earned rest

and come back refreshed and ready to

achieve in January but don‘t forget to revise

for those January exams!

The Year 11 Team

Newslines


“…a sell-out

audience that

included the

Mayor, Head

Teachers, and

Governors of the

various DASP

Schools...”

DASP ‗ Rights Respecting Concert

Saturday 13th November 2010

Students of all ages join together in a concert

to highlight the plight of the oppressed.

Students from across the DASP (Dorchester Area Schools Partnership) pyramid joined

together with the Orchestra of Imperial College, London, to perform a programme that

included works about oppression, by composers who themselves faced prejudice and

bigotry. The concert took place in the Theatre at The Thomas Hardye School to a sell-out

audience that included the Mayor, Head Teachers, and Governors of the various DASP

Schools.

(Peter Oakes conducts the Spirituals from Tippett‟s „A Child of Our Time‟)

The Choir was made up of around 130 singers from The Thomas Hardye School, Dor-

chester Middle School, St Osmund‘s Middle School, St Mary‘s Middle School, and other

members of the local community. Together, they sang spirituals (songs originally sung

by African-American slaves) taken from Michael Tippett‘s A Child of Our Time. This is a

piece that deals with the consequences of oppression—namely, the murder of a Nazi

diplomat (Ernst vom Rath) by a Jewish refugee teenager (Herschel Grynszpan) in Paris.

This event was a catalyst for the Nazis‘ attacks against Jews on Kristallnacht, November

9-10 1938. It is also interesting that the composer, Tippett, was imprisoned during WWII

for his pacifism.

(The Choir, made up of students from across the DASP Pyramid,

was accompanied by the orchestra of Imperial College, London)

Newslines

Music News


“...The Orchestra

was conducted

with great

panache by the

Director of Music

at Imperial

College, Richard

Dickins.”

Instrumentalists from The Thomas Hardye School, St Osmund‘s Middle School, and Man-

or Park First School joined members of the Imperial College Symphony Orchestra in a

performance of Tchaikovsky‘s Polonaise from his opera Eugene Onegin. The Orchestra

was conducted with great panache by the Director of Music at Imperial College, Richard

Dickins. The Thomas Hardye Singers also performed Vaughan Williams‘ Serenade to

Music, accompanied superbly once again by the Imperial College Symphony Orchestra.

The text is taken from Shakespeare‘s The Merchant of Venice, and deals with the beauty

of sweet music.

(Singers from the three Middle Schools joined singers from The Thomas Hardye School)

The concert concluded with Shostakovich‘s Symphony No. 5, performed by the Imperial

College Symphony Orchestra. This is a piece that is often subtitled „A Soviet Artist‟s Re-

ply to Just Criticism‘. It was written after Shostakovich had been seriously criticised by

the magazine Pravda—the mouthpiece of Stalin‘s regime. Shostakovich had been ac-

cused of writing music that was far too complicated and not patriotic enough for the peo-

ple of Russia. Symphony No. 5 was his powerful and perhaps ironic response.

(Peter Oakes rehearses the performers)

The concert was introduced by two members of The Thomas Haryde

School‘s Rights Respecting Workgroup, who explained how the mu-

sic linked in with UNICEF‘s Rights Respecting Schools initiative, and

UNESCO‘s Convention on the Rights of the Child. The concert also

featured art-work based on the theme of oppression by student

Catherine Lindsley, from The Thomas Hardye School. A slide show

was shown during the performance of the Spirituals, highlighting the

issues being tackled.

(Artwork by Catherine Lindsley)

Newslines


“… an eclectic

mix of groups

from the

students that

came forward.”

Newslines

James Baker, DASP Music Co-ordinator, and Director of Music at The Thomas Hardye

School, said ―I was delighted that students from the age of 8, right up to the age of 28,

were able to join together in a musical performance of such high quality and scope. All

the students performed brilliantly, and we were truly privileged to host the Orchestra of

Imperial College London. I know that performers and audience alike, thoroughly enjoyed

themselves, and benefitted from performing and hearing such powerful music.”

(Thomas Hardye Students sing beneath artwork by Catherine Lindsley)

Jane Buckley, Head of PSHCE, and leader of the School‘s bid for Rights Respecting Sta-

tus, said “This was a superb concert which involved a large number of children from

across the Dorchester Area. The concert was extremely effective in promoting the

School‟s bid for Rights Respecting status—in particular highlighting issues surrounding

freedom of thought, belief, religion, and expression.”

Lake Garda Tour

In the final week of last term we ran a Music and Dance tour to Lake Garda in Italy. The

tour involved 74 students, and 7 members of staff. My vision for the tour was of a school

trip which enabled any student who was musical, or a dancer, to take part. Consequent-

ly, we were able to put together an eclec-

tic mix of groups from the students that

came forward. These included a madri-

gal group, a tour choir, a wind quintet, a

flute group, a clarinet group, a rock‘n‘roll

group, a concert band, a big band, an

orchestra, and a brass group. Repertoire

was similarly varied, and I was pleased

that we were able to provide something

for everyone. We performed in three out-

door venues over the course of the week,

and other highlights included a trip to see

Bizet‘s Carmen in Verona‘s Amphitheatre

Romana, and our own ‗Lake Garda‘s got

Talent‘ competition, which completed the tour. Thanks must go to all the members of


“This was an

extraordinary

achievement for

the choir …”

Newslines

staff and students who took part, for making it such a great success.

Other Musical Events:

Other concerts which have already been and gone this academic year include A-Level

chamber music at Stratton Church, The Antarctic Concert (supporting Miss Hilton on her

expedition), the Year 9 Chamber Concert (new this year), the Autumn Gala Concert

(involving all our groups), and Choral Evensong at Bath Abbey (see report from Mr Oakes

below).

Coming up before the next Newslines edition are Anything Goes (a concert organised by

our student representatives), visits from the University of the 3rd Age, performances at

the Dorchester Christmas Cracker, the Carol Service, a Choir trip to Hilfield Friary, Battle

of the Bands, the school production of Bugsy Malone, a performance of Mahler, Sympho-

ny No.2 (with Imperial College, London), Weymouth Festival, the Concerto Concert, the

Spring Fundraiser, and recital evenings for all of our examination classes. Please feel

free to come along to any of our events and see what we have to offer!

Thomas Hardye Singers

The end of the summer term saw the performance of Monteverdi‘s Vespers of 1610.

This was an extraordinary achievement for the choir, as the work lived up to its reputa-

tion of being one of the most complex of choral

works, requiring huge concentration from the

choir. As one seasoned observer queried, ―What

other school-based choir could manage such a

performance?‖

Our performance, in St Mary‘s Church, began as

the sun went down at 9 pm, and finished (after no

interval), in candlelight, 100 minutes later. Many

in the audience and choir wrote to me to say how

moved they had been by the experience. Louise

Wayman, a former member of the choir, was one

of the soloists, all of whom were from Birmingham

Conservatoire. The audience was excellent—many

of them pleased to have an alternative to the

World Cup final!

The choir sang Evensong in Bath Abbey in early

November. Choir numbers are higher than ever and, in recent years, we have found that

new students to the school, in both Years 9 and 12, include many keen singers. We reg-

ularly have over fifty-five students attending choir practices after school on Fridays.

The Carol Service is at 7 pm on Thursday 16th December in St Peter‘s Church.

Visit of Prof. David Nicholls

On November 1st, we welcomed to the Music Department Pro-

fessor David Nicholls, Admissions Tutor in Music from South-

ampton University. His brief was to lecture to all our 6th Form

music students (26 in all) as he would to his undergraduates, in

order to give a foretaste of the style of teaching that a universi-

ty lecture provides. In order to have relevance to our students,

he talked for an hour about AS set works, and then, for a se-

cond hour, about A2 set works. His approach was to discuss

the works in a broader context than A level, while asking many

leading questions, and suggesting further lines of study. The

sessions were of great value to our students, especially those

who are thinking of reading Music. He spent 20 minutes with three students who have

expressed an interest in reading Music at Oxford or Cambridge. All were pleased to be

told at the end that he had been discussing the works in much the same way that he

would do with his 2nd year class at Southampton; our 6th Form musicians clearly felt up

to the task.


“…HUGE mice

caught in traps

set with granola!”

Honduras Expedition

In July, Jeremy Rowe and Jackie Bruce took

a group of nine Year 12 students on a Biolo-

gy expedition to Honduras, organised

through Operation Wallacea. After a very

long day of travelling we arrived in San Ped-

ro Sula (the second city of Honduras). The

following day we were bussed and then

transported by jeep up into the mountains

to the research camp of the Cusuco Nation-

al Park where the expedition really began.

The week was spent camping in the cloud

forest, studying the rainforest flora and fau-

na. We were all amazed by the sheer abun-

dance and diversity of wildlife, ranging from

cheese plants to giant pine trees, frogs,

crabs (yes at high altitude in the jungle!)

and some HUGE mice caught in traps set

with granola! We saw some amazing in-

sects at the light trap and some of us even

glimpsed the amazing Resplendent Quetzal,

one of the rarest and most beautiful birds in

the world.

Other highlights included using mist nets to

trap humming birds by day and bats by

night. One group of us came across a

gigantic moth in the forest, it was over one

foot across!–the scientists confirmed that

this is the largest moth ever seen (by any-

one, anywhere!). When staying in the deep

jungle at a much smaller camp site we were

also lucky enough to be woken by the wails

of a large cat at 3am one morning (probably

an ocelot) not to mention the thunder

storms that shook the ground.

A very damp and muddy party then left by

jeep and began the journey across the flat

coastal fringe of Honduras to meet the ferry

that would take us to Utila a remote island

which is part of a marine nature reserve.

We found this to be much hotter than the

cloud forest, and it took a while for us to

adjust to the combination of high tempera-

ture and humidity on the island. The sea

did not offer much of a respite as it was

28oC at depth and up to 33 oC in the shal-

lows! The group spent the week attending

lectures and training sessions combined

with a range of shore and boat dives

amongst the amazing coral reefs of the ar-

ea. We saw some truly amazing sights in-

cluding a bewildering array of species of fish

and corals some were even followed on a

dive by a hawksbill turtle.

Autumn Term—Events

Biology

Newslines


On 20th September, Dr Jon Copley gave an

inspiring Community Lecture on deep water

life and exploration, which was well

attended by staff and students. We have

worked with Jon during visits to NOC South-

ampton and are now planning further

events with his help for 2011.

On 22nd September 2010 we took a large

group of Year 13 Biology students to attend

a brilliant Genetics Lab Day with the School

of Biosciences at Exeter University, set up

by Dr Nicky King. Our students were able to

complete undergraduate level practical

work on PCR and genetic analysis, using

specialist equipment and expertise from

the research and teaching team at Exeter.

We are continuing to work with Dr King and

others from Exeter to set up and run other

projects including the 2011 Genetics Day.

On 30th September and 1st October all the

Year 13 Biology students were taken on a

day field course at Studland on succession,

ecology, conservation and field study data

collection. This forms part of the Ecology

topic from the Year 13 unit 4, and was used

to give relevant context and first-hand

experience of key issues and techniques.

The session was led by a National Trust

Warden at Studland, and gave students the

excellent opportunity to find out more about

the unique ecosystem and the conservation

issues it faces. The second day was beset

by high winds and torrential rain, which ra-

ther cut short some of our practical tasks

on the shore. Students were partially

cheered up by the coffees and hot choco-

lates available in the café.

Dr Rowe

Biology

“Students were

partially cheered

up by the coffees

and hot

chocolates

available in the

café.‖

Newslines


SIXTH FORM GERMAN EXCHANGE

Newslines

CHALLENGING MATHS

On Wednesday 17th November, four Sixth

Form students attended the Senior Team

Maths Challenge event at Poole Grammar

School. The event was a regional final, with

the winning team set to progress to the

national final in London.

Katie Holmes, Vicky How-

ard, Lewis Kershaw and

Edward Godfrey spent their

lunch times practising for

the event with the hope of

improving on the second

place position achieved by

members of The Thomas

Hardye School at the event

last year. The event in-

volved solving maths prob-

lems as a group, a numeri-

cal crossword, and a maths problem relay.

The team found themselves in the lead by

six points at the end of the first round and

held onto the lead during the second

round. The final round proved to be very

difficult for all teams involved, and saw the

Thomas Hardye team drop to second place

behind Parkstone Gram-

mar School. The third place

position was awarded to

Canford School. The team

were disappointed not to

have secured a position in

the national final, but

should feel pleased with

the impressive show of

mathematical talent and

commitment to achieving

the best possible result at

the event. Well done.

Miss Slade

At the beginning of November the Modern

Languages Department was delighted to

welcome another group of students from

the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium in

Germany to stay with our Year 12 students.

They enjoyed trips to Bath, Salisbury,

Stonehenge, Wells and Glastonbury as well

as the many bonfire displays going on in

the area. The weather was kinder this year

and no-one had to buy new trousers to re-

place their sodden ones like last year! We

look forward to the return trip at the begin-

ning of April.

Mrs Lees (German teacher)

“…no-one had to

buy new trousers

to replace their

sodden ones ...”

Last summer 23 students went sailing on

two yachts across to Cherbourg and the

Channel Islands, with a charity called the

Rona Sailing Project. The trip was a week

long, during this time the students coped

with having to cook three meals a day in-

cluding roast lamb and all the trimmings for

the entire crew. There were opportunities

for swimming in the sea and exploring the

places that we visited. The students all

worked hard through the week to learn sail-

ing skills and other skills like teamwork and

leadership that will serve them well for life.

Some of the crews then went with the char-

ity to take part in the small ships race in

September, which was a

yacht race around the Isle

of Wight. A handful of the

students were invited to

attend a watch leader

selection weekend,

which was on a windy week-

end in October. Sam Daw, Grace Kirby and

Todd Neale demonstrated good leadership

skills and will be able to sail in a position of

responsibility next year.

Two summers ago Lorna Moss took part in

the sailing trip and is now a watch leader.

She has since sailed in the Tall Ships Race

from Aalborg to Hartlepool. More students

who sailed last year will be able to attend

the demanding selection weekend for next

year‘s Tall Ships Race, which includes the

ports of Lerwick and Stavanger.

Well done to all those involved in those

trips last year. The same opportunity is

available this year for those in

Year 11 and the Sixth Form.

Mr Fasham

RONA SAILING PROJECT


Newslines

This term has been a very busy period for

the PE Department and in particular teach-

ers responsible for Boys PE. With many

changes introduced to the curriculum, the

beginning of extra-curricular clubs and the

new GCSE controlled assessment, this term

has passed very quickly! Within curriculum

PE the attitude and commitment shown by

the lower school boys has been very im-

pressive. PE lessons generate a great

amount of competition, fun and sweat – all

of which is very good for our students. In

addition to curricular PE, there is a great

number of extra-curricular clubs for our

students to enjoy. Clubs are very popular

as competition between students for plac-

es in our representative teams is often

fierce, none more so than for Rugby, where

we have had over 90 students taking part

in Monday night training. The Rugby sea-

son was very successful as a result, with

both the U15 and U16 sides winning their

area 10 a-side tournament. The first XV

have recorded a number of very impressive

victories in the Daily Mail Cup, most

noticeably against Richard Huish College

(20-12) and Wellington College (21-10).

The U14 Rugby team recorded a very en-

couraging win against Milton Abbey, win-

ning 53-0. All three lower school football

teams are successfully through to the third

round of the County Cup. The U18 football

team have enjoyed a number of friendly

games and recorded victory over The

Gryphon School 3-0. The Sixth Form bas-

ketball squad are constantly improving as

they build on a solid foundation built last

year with the help of external coach Alex

Fairman. They narrowly missed out on vic-

tory 52-50 against Shaftesbury College.

With many competitive and intra-school

fixtures arranged for basketball, hockey

and football over the next few months, the

pace shows no sign of slowing. As

Christmas nears our daylight fades, and

our Sport Halls flood, but I very much doubt

any of this will dampen the spirit within

Boys PE.

Well done all involved.

Mr T Adams

PE

DofE Gold

We are very pleased with this summer‘s

Gold assessment on Dartmoor in which

every participant passed. The groups were

on the Moor for five days and four nights

and ‗camped

wild‘. Each

group‘s expedi-

tion had an aim

which included

letterboxing and

the geology of

outcrops. The

assessor report-

ed that this

group‘s preparation and execution was the

best that he had ever seen.

Recruitment has gone well again this year

with the new batch of Year 12 having been

selected. Trips are planned for January,

April and July next year.

Cross Country

We are very pleased with the way that the

teams are performing. The inter boys team

and inter girls team have recently won all

accolades at the recent races at Budmouth

and Colfox Schools winning the team com-

petitions. The inter girls were notable in

their achievements securing all four places

at the front. Next fixtures to look forward to

are in January at Bryanston.

A Level PE

The Year 13 A level PE groups are going to

make their historical studies module more

real when they play the game of the nobility

and visit the ‗Real Tennis‘ courts in Bridport

on 6th December. They will be given a talk

on the game‘s history and etiquette fol-

lowed by time on court.

Mr Bendall

“…competition

between students

for places in our

representative

teams is often

fierce,...”


Newslines

It has been a busy term in the Dance

department with a number of exciting

extra-curricular activities involving the

students performing, working alongside

professionals and watching professional

work. AS Performance Studies and A2

Performing Arts students attended a circus

skills workshop with Nofitstate Circus who

was in residence in Dorchester for a week,

which gave them the opportunity to learn

new skills.

All AS and A2 Dance students saw The

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre per-

forming Revelations at the Sadler‘s Wells

Theatre, the set work studied by these stu-

dents. This company is renowned world-

wide for its highly skilled and exciting per-

formers, and the students were not disap-

pointed. In November students had the

opportunity to attend a trip to the Octagon

theatre to see Richard Alston and Dancers

performing their most recent works. In

addition we attended an exhibition of

Dance photography by Chris Nash at the

theatre and also an after show discussion

with the choreographer and dancers. AS

Performance Studies students also attend-

ed a production of Matthew Bourne‘s Cin-

derella at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, in

preparation for their written exam in Janu-

ary.

Our main performance this term has been

the Dance Show on 11th November, which

involved students from all year groups

showing their curriculum work and work

generated during clubs. We were also able

to showcase one dance number from

Bugsy Malone, the school musical to be

staged the first week in February. Later

this term the A2 Performing Arts students

will be staging Stepping Out, the musical

comedy, which will be assessed as part of

their Unit 5 coursework.

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!


Students from all year groups have been busy rehearsing for the school musical

Bugsy Malone

This will be shown on 3

rd, 4

th and

5th February at 7.30 pm in the

School Theatre. Tickets will be available from the Main School Office from January. (£8 adults, £4 concessions, £20 family ticket – 2 adults and 2 children). A tremendous amount of work goes into such musical produc-tions, from designing and making costumes, to learning lines and dances, to building sets and sourcing props, and we do hope that you will support this event and all the students involved. NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!


Dance News

“…renowned

worldwide for its

highly skilled and

exciting

performers...”


Newslines

Students of The Thomas Hardye School present “by arrangement with Warner/Chappell Music Limited

administered by Boosey & Hawkes”

Thursday 3rd, Friday 4th & Saturday 5th at 7.30pm

February 2011 Adult £8.00 Concessions £4.00 Full Family Ticket (2 Adults 2 Children £20.00)

Tickets from the School Office

The Thomas Hardye School, Queens Avenue, Dorchester

Tel 01305 266064

BUGSY

MALONE By Alan Parker

Lyrics by

Paul Williams


Miss Hilton’s Antarctic Expedition….so far

Newslines

Saturday 20th November I’m writing this whilst sat in my hostel in Punta Arenas in Chile, over 2 weeks after leaving the UK. This is not where we hoped or expected to be right now! We’ve been delayed for over a week, unable to fly into Antarctica as the blue ice runway has been covered in snow. The weather there has been improved for the last few days, so the few staff who are at Un-ion Glacier have been working through the nights to try to clear the runway. We’re waiting for a call tonight to update us on their progress and then hopefully we’ll be on our way to-morrow or Monday. During our first week in Chile, we were really busy buying and packaging all our food for our expedition. We did ship a bit of food from the UK - our freeze dried evening meals and Dor-set Cereals kindly supplied us with some porridge and energy bars – but this is expensive so we had to buy the rest locally in Punta. We need between 4000 and 5000 calories a day on the ice, just to keep warm and provide enough energy to ski and man haul our pulks. Our shopping list included 27kg of salami, cheese, chocolate and haribo and 7kg dried fruit! Lisa is also badly allergic to nuts so we spent one day baking 10kg of nut-free flapjacks! Other jobs included fitting our skis and crampons to our boots, skins to our skis and checking our tents for holes. With the food and kit sorted, it then just became a waiting game, each day just hoping we’d receive the news the weather had improved and the runway was starting to be cleared. It has meant we’ve got to do some sightseeing though. We had a fantastic boat trip to Magda-lena Island where we got really close to hundreds of Magellenic penguins. We also saw a huge sea lion and lots of dolphins on the boat trip over. Another day we went to Torres del Paine, a beautiful national park with stunning mountains, glaciers and waterfalls. We’ve also been lucky enough to meet some fascinating people whilst in Punta. Chris Foot from Bournemouth is going to attempt to be the first to ski solo and unassisted to the South Pole and back. This is a total of 1392miles! Every day we are delayed though the days he has available reduce and so do his chances. He now only has 70 days to achieve this. Hannah McKeand is a British polar guide and currently holds the record for the fastest unassisted solo ski to the South Pole at 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes. By the time you’re reading this our expedition will hopefully be well underway. The delay means we’ll probably be back in the UK later than expected and may even experience a Christmas on the ice! You can follow my progress by reading our daily blog at www.fuchsfoundation.org and by following me on Twitter at AntarcticHilton. If you’d like to ask me any questions whilst I’m on the ice, I’d love to answer them so email them to [email protected]. See you all soon. Miss Hilton

Magellenic penguins Torres del Paine

… loads of

cheese!

“… we spent one

day baking 10kg

of nut-free flap-

jacks!”


Newslines

Jurassic Coast Pathfinders Project Our very best Year 11 Gifted and Talented Geographers received training on the Schools new GIS mapping software. They worked alongside other G&T students from six other schools in the area to develop an awareness of future problems that the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘The Jurassic Coast’ may face in the light of climate change and sea level rise. The team of ten students have planned and conducted their very own fieldwork investigation from scratch about this important coastline

and are now putting into practice what they have learned. They have held im-portant meetings with stake-holders and interest groups for the purpose of advising them of what the Jurassic Coast should look like, envi-

ronmentally and economically. They meet regularly implementing what they know from their training and research to continually advise and inform local businesses and other stakeholders on the future threats to the Dorset Coast. Thanks to using the schools state of the art GIS software our Geographers are now aiming to help many local businesses to diversify where they will soon no longer exist due to our rapidly eroding coastline. GIS – Geographical Information Systems The sophisticated ESRI (UK) Digital Worlds company have been into Thomas Har-dye’s Geography Department to deliver training in Geographical Information Sys-tems. This is a state of the art mapping software which comprehensively enables users to manage the world around them using specialist maps and data. This is quickly becoming a much sought after tool in the business world in terms of store/office space and industry location. Its uses are vast and with our students in THS learning how to manipulate data of the world around them they are well placed to make informed and valid choices about how our towns, cities and renewable energy usage shall look like in the future! Thank you ESRI UK and the GIS DigitalWorlds soft-ware! Students can come along, use the software and who knows… maybe make a million or two in the not so distant future advising Tesco on the best store locations!

Geography News

“… maybe make a

million or two in the not so distant future …”


As the days shorten and the temperature continues to plummet, it is now

the time to reflect upon the last term as Christmas draws ever closer…

In true English Department tradition, students from all year groups have

been offered a number of theatre trips this term, both as part of their

studies and for their enjoyment too. On 2nd November, Year 11 students

saw a modern interpretation of ‗Romeo and Juliet‘ at The Lighthouse,

Poole, which is an invaluable tool for exam revision. For those who

missed this one, a visit to the RSC theatre in Stratford to see ‗Romeo and

Juliet‘ has been organised for Saturday 5th March 2011 – if you‘d like to

attend, speak to your English teacher. Other theatre trips to The Light-

house included ‗An Inspector Calls‘ back in October for Year 10 students

who will be studying the play for the new-style GCSE. A visit to The Point

Theatre in Eastleigh gave Year 12 students a chance to see ‗Not About

Heroes‘, an award-winning play that tells the story of the fascinating

friendship of First World War poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.

A production of Shakespeare‘s ‗Twelfth Night‘ at the Bournemouth Pavil-

ion is available to Sixth Form students in January 2011. A Level Media

Studies students visited the British Film Institute in November. Other edu-

cational trips scheduled for the coming year include an A Level English

Language visit to the British Library, a Year 9 trip to London to see

‗Woman in Black‘ and a Year 12 trip to see Salisbury Playhouse to see

‗Doctor Faustus‘. We would like to thank Mrs Mathieson for her organisa-

tion of these educational visits and trips.

In November, we were fortunate enough to welcome Patience Agbabi, a

performance poet from London, who ran a workshop for Year 12 students

and presented some of her poetry to Year 9; they asked Patience lots of

questions about her life and work and the sessions were beneficial to all

involved. Moreover, Tracy Chevalier, author of best-selling novels suitable

for young people, including ‗The Girl with the Pearl Earring‘ and ‗The Lady

and the Unicorn‘ also came to visit us and she spoke to a number of stu-

dents about her work as an author and the art of creative writing. Tracy

also made time to officially open the THS Resources Centre, now heralded

as ‗The Melvin Library‘.

Year 13 students have been offered the opportunity to work on the A Lev-

el Extended Project, a scheme to prepare students for the rigours of uni-

versity study. A number of students decided to complete this project, writ-

News from the English Department

‘We wish you a Merry Christmas!’

“...now heralded

as „The Melvin

Library‟.”

Newslines


“...start watching

MTV and surfing

the net now!”

Newslines

ing on topics including the influence of continental philosophy in modern

literature and the role of gender in fairy-tales – diverse and interesting ide-

as! In addition, once a month, the Extended Reading Group, run by Miss

King, meet to discuss a literary text. This group provides students with a

wider diet of literature beyond the restrictions of the A level syllabus and

helps them to prepare for university interviews; naturally, some students

attend simply for the enjoyment of reading a new novel. If any student is

interested in joining, please go to C20 and speak to Miss King.

We would like to commend our Year 10 students for their mature approach

to the new style GCSE English Language and Literature qualifications; stu-

dents are now taught in a way which prepares them to complete a series of

controlled assessment essays instead of coursework. This has required

the student to develop a more autonomous, sustained approach to writing

and we are impressed with their results so far. Preparations for the GCSE

Media Studies exam start in the spring term – the topics are music videos

and music fan websites – start watching MTV and surfing the net now!

The THS Film Club is going from strength to strength. Meeting in the Sixth

Form Centre every Monday after school, Mr Martin presents an eclectic mix

of films from contemporary cinema. Recent showings include ‗Up‘, ‗District

9‘, ‗Persepolis‘ and ‗Avatar‘. Mr Martin‘s contact with filmclub.org means

he has access to some of the latest movies, including ‗Toy Story 3‘ and the

‗Twilight‘ saga – come along in the new term! Also, in November, Year 9

students were given the opportunity to go to Cineworld in Weymouth for an

exclusive screening of ‗The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas‘ – this was a tre-

mendous success and Mr Martin hopes to organise another trip in the next

academic year.

We would like to wish all staff, students and parents a wonderful Christ-

mas and New Year – may you return to school refreshed and ready for the

challenges ahead in 2011!

Miss Lincoln


IMPORTANT DATES

16th Carol Service, St Peter’s

Church, 7.00 pm

17th Sixth Form Oxford trip

Y9 & 10 Talent

Competition

TERM ENDS

January 2011

4th STAFF DAY

5th STUDENTS RETURN

6th Form external exams

begin

17th Y11 Reports home this wk

26th Y11 PSHCE

27th Y11 Subject Consult. Eve.

31st Y13 Reports home this wk

Bugsy Malone Dress

Rehearsal, 7.30 pm

February

1st Y11 Subject Consult. Eve.

2nd Y11 PSHCE

3rd 6th Form Philosophy &

Ethics Conference

Youth Parliament

Election

Inter. Maths Challenge

Bugsy Malone, Theatre

7.30 pm

4th Bugsy Malone, Theatre

7.30 pm

5th Bugsy Malone, Theatre

7.30 pm

7th Yr9 Options Evening

8th Yr11 PSHCE/Yr13 Sub-

ject Consultation Evening

10th Yr9 Careers morning/

Sci College Darwin Day

11th Yr9 Careers morning/

Yr11 Dance Study exam

Battle of the Bands,

Theatre 7 pm

17th HALF TERM BEGINS FOR

STUDENTS AT 3.30 pm

18th STAFF DAY

28th STAFF AND STUDENTS

RETURN TO SCHOOL If you would like further information on any article in this issue of Newslines,

please contact the member of staff concerned.

Snow

If the School is closed because of snow, it will be announced on local radio

stations - if there is no announcement, we are OPEN. Please check our web-

site for the most up-to-date information.

If possible (and safe) we would ask you to send your children to School.

If your child‘s school bus is not running in the morning to school (because of

bad weather) then it will not run in the afternoon to bring children home.

When you bring your child to school you will be responsible for collecting

them at the end of the school day.

If the School is to be closed during the day as the weather deteriorates, a

decision will be made and students will be allowed home in a safe and se-

cure manner. All students are asked to contact parents by ‗phone and

should remain in School if they are unable to go home. All students are told

to go straight home. Please do not telephone the School if the weather may

be deteriorating—we will send students home if the situation merits it.

Mobile „Phones

There appears to have been some confusion recently over mobile ‗phones.

The policy is very clear:

any student in Years 9-11 found in possession of a mobile ‗phone will

have it confiscated immediately

the ‗phone will then have to be collected by parent/guardian

IT WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE STUDENT.

In relation to Sixth Form students, at no time should a student use a ‗phone

or have it switched on in a lesson. If this occurs, it will be confiscated.

Personal Music Players

No student in Years 9-11 should have a personal music player in School—

again these will be confiscated and the same rules for collection apply.

Sixth Form students should not use personal music players around School

or in lessons—they must be confined to the Sixth Form Centre.

Mobile ‘Phones & Personal Music Players

Queen‘s Avenue

Dorchester

Dorset

DT1 2ET

Phone: 01305 266064

Fax: 01305 250510

E-mail: admin@thomas-

hardye.dorset.sch.uk

THE THOMAS HARDYE SCHOOL

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