The Snow Leopardfluencycontent-schoolwebsite.netdna-ssl.com/FileCluster/...Snow Leopard. I am hugely...

Celebrating the Dixie Difference

The Dixie Grammar School Journal

Summer 2016

The Dixie Grammar School Market Bosworth Leicestershire CV13 0LE 01455 292244 [email protected] | www.dixie.org.uk

The Dixie Grammar Junior School & Nursery Temple Hall, Wellsborough Leicestershire CV13 6PA 01455 293024 [email protected] | www.dixie.org.uk

The Snow Leopard

21

July 1st 2015 / June 30th 2016

Welcome to the 2016 edition of the

Snow Leopard. I am hugely grateful to all

contributors to this wonderful record of

life at the Dixie.

Our fantastic inspection result is very

much yesterday’s news, but the effect on

school life is still being felt. Recognition

and praise are potent motivators; criticism

tends to have the opposite effect and

that is why we spend so much time in

presentation assemblies every week

giving students recognition for their many

efforts and successes. Whilst the majority

of students have come to the front at

some point this year to the applause of

the senior school, not every student has

- I very much hope that next year will be

different. You all have unique talents and

the school would benefit greatly from you

sharing them; I would very much like the

opportunity to recognise them.

None of the opportunities we offer

students here are possible without the

most dedicated governors; talented,

committed staff; involved, supportive,

enthusiastic parents and wonderful

students. What has made this year so

successful; one in which interest in places

at the school has rocketed and in which

several year groups are now full. What

makes the school such a challenging and

enjoyable place to be? The answer is

reflected on our Prize Giving programme

– all of you. All of us define the school and

have contributed to making 2015/6 one

of our most successful years. Induction

day earlier this half term sticks in my mind

for many reasons. There were 60 students

– 30 from our Junior School who were

welcomed by the familiar faces of Mrs

Lynn and Mrs Oliver, and 30 from other

schools whose nerves were calmed so

effectively by our welcoming prefects. It

was wonderful to witness the anxiety at

the start of the day turn into confidence

at the end; fantastic to see our senior

prefects take such a lead during the day in

providing activities which allowed all our

visitors to take part. Speaking to parents

at the junior school fete, they do feel

that they are part of a 3-18 school – from

nursery to A level.

Our inspection was certainly motivating

for us all, and the busy nature of school life

Welcome

underlines the positive effect it has had.

We maintain our Kaisen approach – looking

for marginal gains in all we do and we are

constantly looking to improve what it is

we offer, to evaluate what it is that sets us

apart and capitalise on it. This philosophy is

all-pervasive and can be seen for example

in our provision of Mandarin lessons for

parents and the community, teaching

in local primary schools, but also in our

introduction of the EPQ, our links with

Ellesmere College and the list goes on.

Thomas Aquinas said, “If the highest aim

of a captain were to preserve his ship, he

would keep it in port forever.” So it is with

the Dixie – we are very conscious of our

rich heritage and traditions, but equally we

are embracing exciting new developments

and governors are spending much time

with me and the senior team helping us

plot our course forwards.

Over the summer, seven classrooms in

the main block will be refurbished to

bring them up to the standard of the ‘new

look’ rooms 1 and 2. There will be a new

storage area for the sports barn created

at the Junior School and continued large

investment in our ICT infrastructure to

ensure that wifi is school wide, in turn

enabling greater investment in digital

facilities available to students in lessons.

I very much look forward to the launch of

the Heathcote Foundation in September.

Bernard Heathcote was Head Boy at

the school in 1920, taught in a local

primary school and returned to the Dixie

regularly in the late 1980s to teach chess.

Mr Heathcote sadly passed away last

November, but through his bequest we are

able to launch a Foundation in his name,

all funds from which will go directly to

supporting those students who would

benefit from the advantages that a Dixie

education offers, but whose families

require financial support.

It is a real privilege to be the Headmaster

of such a vibrant school, a real joy to

share in your successes and to chart your

progress. As I have said on many of the end

of year reports – have a wonderful break

over the summer and return ready to aim

even higher!

Richard Lynn, Headmaster

Christas 2015 Excellence award.

Maya in Year 4 rose to the challenge this year in the decorated egg competiion! A great play on words! Tweet March 23rd - image of

eggcellent.

From 3-18, amd om everu categpru tje Doxoe was given top marks! Read our inspection report at dixiegrammar.fluencycms.co.uk 26th

Nove 2015

Use image of blackboard from the Tweeter page Nov 25th 2015.

Word poster thing - Mr Smaditch.

Excellent Dixie, children parents work good education confident academic excellent, excellent teachers, extra curricular, natural leaders,

staff, governors, PTA, excellence, education, school, SCHOOL, Junior, Nursery, Senior School, Dixie Grammar School, Dixie, activities,

understanding, pastoral care, family, friendly, happy, successful, charitable, the dixie grammar school is excellent, excellent teaching

staff, support staff, first class, eduction, eyfs, challenging, parents, supportive parents, family atmosphere, range of subjects, 3-18,

curriculum, 3-18, social cultural, welfare, health, pupils learning, leadership, teaching, governance, pastoral,isa, excellence across all 8

categories, friendly, 3-18, awards, prizes, top notch.Excellent Dixie, children parents work good education confident academic excellent,

excellent teachers, extra curricular, natural leaders, staff, governors, PTA, excellence, education, school, SCHOOL, Junior, Nursery,

Senior School, Dixie Grammar School, Dixie, activities, understanding, pastoral care, family, friendly, happy, successful, charitable, the

dixie grammar school is excellent, excellent teaching staff, support staff, first class, eduction, eyfs, challenging, parents, supportive

parents, family atmosphere, range of subjects, 3-18, curriculum, 3-18, social cultural, welfare, health, pupils learning, leadership, teaching,

governance, pastoral,isa, excellence across all 8 categories, friendly, 3-18, awards, prizes, top notch.

Dixie Cast radio responce to our inspection sucess! 12th Nov 2015 - may not be a photo?

Leicester mercary.co.uk

Staff, pupils and parents from the Dixie

Grammar School are celebrating this week

following the publication of the school’s

inspection report which awards them the

highest possible rating in every category.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate

uses a four-point scale, with ‘excellent’

being the equivalent to Ofsted’s

‘outstanding’. Schools are closely

inspected in eight areas and Dixie was

given the coveted ‘excellent’ rating in all

categories.

The inspection took place between

Tuesday 13 and Friday 16 October 2015,

examining the quality of pupils’ learning

and achievement; the contribution of

curricular and extra-curricular provision;

the contribution of teaching; the spiritual,

moral, social and cultural development

of the pupils; the contribution of

arrangements for pastoral care; the

contribution of arrangements for

welfare health and safety; the quality of

governance and the quality of leadership

and management.

Staff at the school know that very few

schools receive the elusive ‘excellent’

for teaching and even fewer achieve

‘excellent’ across the board, so were

delighted when the Headmaster was able

to pass on such superb news.

All three phases of schooling at Dixie

(Nursery, Junior and Senior) were covered

by the inspection which gives cause for

celebration for the whole family of staff

and for pupils aged from 3-18.

Highlights from the report include parents

being delighted with the way the school

is led and deals with each pupil as an

individual, the excellent quality of teaching

and the extremely well-planned lessons

which engage pupils, teachers giving of

their time generously out of class and the

strong relationships between staff and

pupils resulting in excellent pastoral care

and secure, confident pupils.

The report also emphasised pupils’

excellent personal development and

commented on both the high achievements

of the youngest pupils in the EYFS (Early

Years Foundation Stage) and on the

excellent skills in independent working,

reasoning and investigation in evidence in

the Sixth Form.

A number of key events are now being

planned to celebrate such an achievement

with staff, parents, pupils and the wider

community.

43

“I could not be prouder of the school, staff, parents and pupils and I am thrilled that no school in the wider area has received a more glowing assessment from ISI.”Mr Lynn, Headmaster An Excellent Result!

65

We are passionate about music and take every opportunity to rejoice with our voice, whether that be singing in our school assemblies, carols at our local church, performing at the NEC or to welcome guests and fellow students within our school, music brings happiness and unites us all.

A School in Harmony

From the right, WILLY LOMAN, the Salesman, enters, carrying two large sample cases.The flute plays on. He hears but is not aware of it. He is past sixty years of age, dressedquietly. Even as he crosses the stage to the doorway of the house, his exhaustion is apparent.He unlocks the door, comes into the kitchen, and thankfully lets his burden down, feelingthe soreness of his palms. A word-sigh escapes his lips—it might be “Oh, boy, oh, boy.” Hecloses the door, then ca his cases out into the living-room, through the draped kitchendoorway.LINDA, his wife, has stirred in her bed at the right. sout and puts on a robe,listening. Most often jovial, she has developed an iron repression of her exceptions to behavior—she more than loves him, she admires From the right, WILLY LOMAN, the Salesman, enters, carrying two large sample cases.The flute plays on. He hears but is not aware of it. He is past sixty years of age, dressedquietly. Even as he crosses the stage to the doorway of the house, his exhaustion is apparent. He unlocks the door, comes into the kitchen, and thankfully lets histhe soreness of his palms. A word-sigh escapes his lips—it might be “closes the door, then carries his cases out into the living-room, through the draped kitchendoorway. LINDA, his wife, has stirred in her bed at the right. sout and puts on a robe,listening. Most often jovial, she has developed an iron repression of her she more than loves him, she admires him, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of theturbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament toutter and follow to their end. LINDA: [Hearing WILLY outside the bedroom, calls with some trepidation.] Willy! WILLY: It’s all right. I came back.LINDA: Why? What happened? [Slight pause.] Did something happen, Willy?WILLY: No, nothing happened. LINDA: You didn’t smash the car, did you?WILLY: [With casual irritation.] I said nothing happened. Didn’t you hear me?LINDA: Don’t you feel well?WILLY: I’m tired to the death. [The flute has faded away. He sits on the bed beside her,a little numb.] I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t make it, Linda.LINDA: [Very carefully, delicately.] Where were you all day? You look terrible.WILLY: I got as far as a little above Yonkers. I stopped for a cup of coffee. Maybeit was the coffee.LINDA: What?WILLY: [ After a pause.] I suddenly couldn’t drive any more. From the right, WILLY LOMAN, the Salesman, enters, carrying two large sample cases.The flute plays on. He hears but is not aware of it. He is past sixty years of age, dressedquietly. Even as he crosses the stage to the doorway of the house, his exhaustion is apparent. He unlocks the door, comes into the kitchen, and thankfully lets his burden

down, feeling

The English Miscellany on 11 March was

a huge success - an evening of dramatic

readings and performances that showcased

the talents of students from Year Six to

the Upper VI (as well as some members

of staff!). The evening began with a

performance of the first act of Arthur

Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’, featuring

Harry Campion, Ella Grainger, Freddie

Sykes and George Bacon in the lead roles.

The rest of the evening comprised

poetry readings, soliloquies and musical

performances of texts by writers as diverse

as William Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll.

The star of the Miscellany was undoubtedly

Harry Campion, who, in addition to his

lead role as Willy Loman in ‘Death of a

Salesman’, performed a soliloquy from

‘Hamlet’ and sang John Ireland’s ‘Sea

Fever’, based on the John Masefield poem.

Particular thanks also go to Harry Lawson

for hosting the evening with humour and a

snazzy bow tie.

87

Senior Teacher and Head of English, Jon Dixon said “This was the first evening of its kind that Dixie has staged and it was fantastic to see students of all ages engaging with such a wide variety of literary texts.” Starring Roles

Our

Books are loved by all our students and to

celebrate World Book Day the children and

staff in the Junior school dressed up as a

character from their favourite book. The

School held a Special Assembly to show off

all their costumes. We were delighted to

have several Harry Potters, a few Gangsta

Grannies and of course the two ugly sisters

from Cinderella! It was a fantastic day!

109

World Book Day is a celebration! It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. Real Characters

All Reception and Pippins Nursery children

performed for the school and their parents

in a fantastic Nativity play. This told the

age old story of the birth of Jesus. and was

interspersed with both traditional and new

songs.

The children loved dressing up in

traditional Nativity costumes, angels,

donkeys, shepherds, innkeepers, kings and

of course Mary and Joseph.

All the Reception children had speaking

parts, with the narrators bringing the story

together. The Nursery children joined in

enthusiastically with a small group singing

the nursery rhyme, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little

Star.’

The children gave a polished performance,

having learnt their cues, entrances and

exits and made all of the Early Years Staff

proud!

1211

Our adorable cast and vast array of seasonal activities put everyone in the mood for a very Merry Christmas. Twinkle Twinkle...

Each year the Art GCSE course starts with

our Two Day Residential Course in London

where we study in a selection of Museums

and Art Galleries. The work done in these

galleries is then fed into the coursework

over the two years of the course. We use

the National Portrait Gallery, the National

Gallery, the British Museum and the

Victoria and Albert Museum .

Mr Bailey, Head of Art

1413

‘‘An exciting, cultural, artistic and educational trip packed with amazing experiences which broadened my knowledge of talented artists. An incredible weekend which l am so grateful for” Abigail Riley, Year 10 Make Your Mark!

Year 6 spent the day at Rosliston Forestry

Centre, bug hunting, bridge building

and getting close up and personal with

birds of prey. They had so much fun

playing competitive mini beast ID (bonus

points for both greater and lesser water

boatman), finding a toad and a worm that

was bigger than the toad, climbing over

a very rickety bridge and then building

their own afterwards that weren’t much

stronger but much more stylish. Stroking

the feathers on owl and looking at the

colour of its eyes to see what time of day

or night it flies, they didn’t realize that

they had learnt anything.

1615

“When we went to Rosliston Forestry Centre my favourite parts were holding Midge the American kestrel and Sooty the barn owl. I also enjoyed looking at different habitats because we found a toad and a churchyard beetle and a very, very very, long worm.” Joe Blunt Year 6 Natural Explorers

Year 9 students travelled to the National

Space Centre where the main activity

was a simulated mission to Mars. All the

students had specific jobs to do, just like

on a real space mission. Their tasks were

to ensure that the team who had already

been on Mars for two years took off

properly and launched a space probe to the

correct Martian moon. After overcoming

emergencies such as low oxygen levels

and dangerous humidity problems, the

missions were completed and crews

returned to Earth. The missions taught the

students a great deal about teamwork,

communication skills and moral dilemmas.

1817

Spaced Out!

October 1st 2016 - Our Year 8 had a

fantastic day a the Ecton HIll Copper Mine

yesterday. Tweet,

Perhaps this could offer an opportunity for

a cross-ciricular activitity? If the group had

taken Mrs Knight along with her fantastic

textile studies projects, could thy have

said they were doing Mine Crafts? (Sorry,

almost worthy of a Christmas Cracker

joke).

Year 3 have been expeirmenting this week.

Do you know which rocks are permeable?

We do now! Tweet Sept 23rd 2015.

Cavubg advebtyres tgus afterbiib! Sept

17th 2015 Junior School tweet. - part of

pioneer camp.

Year 8 visited Ecton Hill Copper Mine

at the end of September last year. The

Copper Mine is no longer in use but had

been a very important part of the economy

of the area in the past but it closed once all

the copper had been removed.

The first part of the day involved a walk

up Ecton Hill to the old waste heap where

the students had to search for samples of

rock that were coloured. These were the

minerals which contained copper, iron,

lead and (rarely) cobalt. The samples were

taken back down to the activity centre and

after lunch the samples were analysed to

show the metal compounds they contained.

The students were taken into the mine

having donned hard hats and lamps. They

saw the old seams of copper ore and were

told the story of how the tunnels were dug.

They even saw a tractor which had fallen

into a shaft.

Finally the students made and lit

gunpowder. This was exciting and very

important to the mine because gunpowder

was used to break the rock.

A great day out!

2019

“The views were amazing and we learnt a lot about chemistry and mining. The mines were very cramped but really interesting. We got to work in teams and we carried out lots of really fun experiments, some included explosions!” Collective thoughts, Year 8 Rock on Dixie

2221

“I started the MedSoc to bring together pupils who have a passion for medicine, and to create opportunities for them to hear from experts. It is also for pupils who would like to learn more about all the different roles in the medical profession.” Christian Smaditch L6 MedSoc

Budding doctors at the Dixie Grammar

School have had their chances of success

boosted by one enterprising young 6th

form student. Keen to enter the profession

himself, Christian Smaditch instigated the

school’s first Medical Society, aka MedSoc.

Typically found on the campuses of leading

universities, the society’s aim is to indulge

the passions of future doctors and give

them access to key figures in the world of

medicine. This term’s programme includes

lectures and talks from an impressive

range of experts, including pharmacists,

paediatricians and the inaugural lecture on

Thursday 24 September from Professor

Nick London MB ChB (Hons), MD, FRCS,

FRCP (Edin), the Associate Dean / Head of

Leicester Medical School and Professor

of Surgery, University of Leicester. The

school has an outstanding record for

helping its Sixth Formers get places at

their first-choice universities for a wide

range of courses and it is hoped that this

terrific initiative will help maintain this

record for those looking to enter the

medical field.

A truly educational and enlightening

experience – this was the verdict from the

year 9s after their visit to Beth Shalom,

the Holocaust Memorial Centre. They

really enjoyed listening to the speaker,

Mr. Stephen Frank. He was 81, stood

and gave a really animated, emotional

and slick presentation and everyone

was in total admiration. He talked of his

illustrious well-educated and charitable

family reduced to living in the horrendous

concentration camp and Czech Jewish

ghetto. We all got a real sense of how he

and his family dealt with the changes in

their circumstances and all because they

were of Jewish descent. Indeed, they

weren’t even religious. As a young child,

he wondered why he couldn’t play in the

park anymore like the other children. Can

anyone truly understand the need for

segregation? He talked of the horrors

of amongst other things, continuously

starving in the concentration camp. In the

midst of the extreme trauma, however

he told of his delight in helping a fellow

prisoner grow tomato plants from the

seeds of a rotten tomato.

He was lucky; he survived and he now

gives talks highlighting the importance of

being kind and living without prejudice.

Equally the Beth Shalom gardens have

and aura of peace. The year 9s were able

to contemplate, in the calm environment,

why living in harmony is vital.

2423

Beth Shalom

The trip began with a three day stay

in Beijing, staying in an electric power

university hotel. Guided by our fabulous

tour guide Sofia, we visited Beijing’s

most impressive landmarks, including the

magnificent Great Wall and the elegance

of the Summer Palace, in addition to dining

in some especially delicious restaurants,

After our stay in Beijing we then travelled

by China’s High Speed Rail to Changzhou,

which in itself was an incredible experience.

We stayed for 10 days in Changzhou’s

most prestigious high school, and, after a

fabulous opening ceremony, participated

in a number of activities, some of which

included calligraphy, martial arts and, to

our despair, 20 hours of mandarin lessons,

complete with homework. We were guided

by volunteers from the school, whose

kindness and fabulous English kept us all on

the right track, whether that being guided

us back to our accommodation block after

an ambitious exploration trip, or quietly

whispering the correct answer to us in

class.

Outside of the school we also visited all

that Changzhou had to offer, including

the magnificent Pagoda overlooking the

school, the shopping mall and the incredible

Dinosaur Theme Park. In Changzhou we

also spent an afternoon with our Chinese

volunteers, who organised trips to the

cinema, complete luckily enough with

subtitles, and even a karaoke bar! All

in all Changzhou was a truly fabulous

experience, which led to a very emotional

goodbye when our time in Changzhou

came to an end. In the closing ceremony

the Dixie performed a dance to the popular

Chinese chart song Little Apple, and, even

if I do say so myself, stole the show! For

our final day in Beijing we visited the world

famous Tiananmen Square, before then

passing into the Forbidden City, with both

places taking us all by surprise, both with

their size and beauty. We left for Dubai the

next day, all very sad that the experience

was over. I’m sure I speak for the whole

group when I say I would like to extend the

biggest thanks to Dr Ketchoin, Mr Hamson

and especially Mrs Gu for organising the

trip and being with us on our visit. It was a

trip of a lifetime, and I’m sure the memories

will stay with us for a very, very long time.

George Bacon Yr.11

2625

Chinese Summer Camp

2827

Having been awarded Confucius

Classroom status last year, the China Week

celebrations were particularly significant

and the school’s new Confucius teacher,

Mr Zhikwan Wei, was right at the heart

of events. Wednesday morning saw him

take a whole-school assembly to talk

about Chinese New Year traditions and

this was in addition to the Tai Chi class on

Tuesday after school and free adult taster

classes in Mandarin for the community on

Wednesday and Thursday evening. At the

senior end of the school, Sixth Formers

organised a China quiz over lunchtime on

Wednesday and on Thursday afternoon we

were treated to an excellent lecture about

modern China from Katharine Carruthers,

the director of UCL Institute of Education

Confucius Institute for Schools.

Meanwhile, at the younger end of the

school, pupils in Years 6 and 7 tried

their hand at making traditional Chinese

dumplings on Friday morning. Children

in Reception and Nursery began Monday

listening and dancing to Chinese

music, going on to make Chinese

lanterns, Chinese fans, paint pictures

of monkeys and sampling Chinese food

with chopsticks! In the afternoon two

senior school pupils came to share their

experiences of China with the children.

Following some practice writing Chinese

symbols, all went home with a Chinese

party bag including some chopsticks to

practise eating with at home.

The Dixie Grammar School first

introduced Mandarin Chinese to its

curriculum over 16 years ago. Along with

French and German, it is now a language

taught to all pupils in the younger years

as part of the school’s core curriculum.

Indeed, pupils are first introduced to

Chinese culture and some simple language

in Year 5 in the Dixie Grammar Junior

School and Mr Wei’s arrival from China

has allowed the school to bring this

opportunity to other local primary schools

also (Congerstone and St Peter’s), where

Mr Wei teaches on a weekly basis. The

study of Chinese in the school goes from

strength to strength, with a full weekly

adult class, which is free to the community,

and Deputy Head Boy, Edward Platts,

having recently received an offer to study

Chinese at Oxford University next year.

Mrs Lucy Gu, teacher of Chinese and

Confucius Classroom Manager at Dixie,

said, “I am delighted with this week’s

celebrations. It was a real honour to

welcome Katharine Carruthers to the

school and just wonderful to see the range

of activities we could offer to all of our

pupils, from the youngest to the most

senior.”

Take-it Away, Dixie

Our Year 12 Maths Leaders visited the

Junior School to try their hand at teaching

a lesson to some of our younger pupils as

part of their Maths Leaders Award. Lessons

included a shape hunt with Reception, a

mini-beast survey with Year 1 and surface

tension challenges with water (Year 2). The

Maths Leaders did a fantastic job and the

Junior School pupils thoroughly enjoyed

their sessions.

In the afternoon Year 5 were treated to a

series of mathematical team challenges

run by Mrs Daniels and the Maths

Leaders. Activities included a jigsaw

challenge, problem solving with cake and

a mathematical treasure hunt. Year 5 were

so engrossed that even when a helicopter

landed on the school field they didn’t stop

working!

3029

The Power of (L)6

Feb 9th 2016 Tweet - Year 4 have refined

their pancake aing and flipping skills. And

eating of course!

It’s Shrove Tuesday and pancakes are on

teh house...Opps!

Tuesday 9th February was a well-planned

affair for children in the Pippins Nursery

and in Reception at the Dixie Grammar

Junior School, incorporating a whole day

of activities. Pupils watched a recipe video

in the morning and wrote instructions on

how to make a pancake. In the afternoon

Mrs Clare Cormack (Reception Teacher)

and Mrs Lindsay Chapman (Early Years

Educator at Pippins Nursery) held a special

pancake bake-off to see who could make

the best pancake. The children loved

watching the good and bad cooking skills

and told Mrs Cormack everything she was

doing wrong including leaving the egg

shells in the batter! Then came pancake

tasting, with a variety of toppings and

finally everyone made their way to the

bandstand for the Great Pancake Race!

All the children ran with the pancakes to

the stage and flipped them up into the air.

Great fun was had whether the pancakes

were caught or carried away on what was

a windy day! Last of all, the whole group

gathered together and on the count of

three tossed all of the

pancakes up in the air at

once. One even landed

on the roof! The children

loved it and it

was great to

celebrate this

fine tradition.

3231

Phoebe, age 5, said “I like the pancake race the best because I could run with a pancake and flip it. I really like running!” Flipping Fantastic!

Year 3 dressing up, learning about the

fort and trainning to be soldiers. 13th Oct

2015. Tweet.

Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed a trip To Lunt

Fort, where they experienced what it was

like to be a Roman Soldier. The children

learnt about what the Romans wore and

ate and their life in the fort.

They also learnt how to be a Roman

Gladiator, forming ‘The Tortoise’ and

marching into the ‘Coliseum’.

3433

Marching Orders

Our annual Year 5/6 Science Day is

always a favourite of ours. There was

some fantastic collaboration much in

evidence and our year 6 were the best

of hosts. Students were mixed together

in teams of 4 or 5 students from both

year groups and given the task of

designing, building and testing a timer

for the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020.

Mr Kirkwood, Head of Science, gave an

introductory talk in the hall on ideas on

timing devices that would allow a marble

to drop a vertical height of 50cm but take

exactly 60 seconds to reach the finish

line. Students were then taken to the

science labs where they quickly got on

with their initial designs and discussions

with their new team mates. Some amazing

devices were produced and a lot of

interesting scientific and engineering

experimentation was evident. Although

the task was challenging, all students took

an active part and learnt a lot from the

experience. The Year 5 students returned

later in the week and joined the other

new students - 60 visitors in total - for

induction day 2016. Next year’s senior

prefects helped settle nerves at the start

of the morning and entertained at lunch.

The day culminated in the Dixie uniform

fashion parade, with Mrs Ennis providing

the commentary. Students made a

fantastically positive impression wherever

they went and we are all looking forward

to welcoming them back to the Dixie

Senior school in September.

3635

“I have had fun buddying William. He was very kind and was nice to everyone. He would always help and was a good friend. He may be my best friend, he has been very kind to me. Thank you to everyone that came to induction day.” Jean-Luke Richardson Year 6 Buddy Up

Six Students from the Dixie Grammar

School representing the Midlands at

the ISA National Swimming Gala at the

Olympic Pool (London Aquatics Centre) in

London have returned with an impressive

medal haul. The final medal tally from our

National Finalists was: 5 gold, 3 silver and

3 bronze medals. Dan Kennedy was the

standout performer with 3 gold medals and

being named national champion 3 times

also. Results: Kartik Thakkar (Year 4) 4th

in Backstroke & gold in Freestyle Relay

Oscar Mitchell (Year 5) 4th in Backstroke

& silver in Freestyle Relay Dan Kennedy

(Year 6) 3 x national champion, gold in

the freestyle relay, gold in Individual Fly,

gold in Individual Medley. Becky Smart

(Year 8) bronze in Medley Relay, 6th in

50m Breaststroke Rhys Chiles (Year 11)

silver in 100m Breaststroke, bronze in

Senior Medley Relay Ryan Gordon (Lower

Sixth) gold in Fly with a time of 27.11

mins, bronze in Senior Medley Relay, Silver

in 200 Individual Medley. Well done to

Lancaster, who won the Swimming Gala.

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Swimming has featured highly on the agenda this academic year, with the ISA National Finals in the Olympic Pool in London, the Hinckley and Bosworth Swimming Gala and our very own annual Gala featuring students across years 6 to 9. Well done to everyone and congratulations on bringing home so many impressive medals!

Swimming Success

HALL OF FAME, 2015... Year 6 :

Cricket Ball Toby Salisbury 39.26

Year 8:

100m Matt Evans 13.11

Chloe Vinestock 13.24

400m Alex Brankin 1:04.2

800m Alex Brankin 2:33.2

Long Jump Matt Evans 1.42

Katie Mears 1.8

Year 9 1500m Georgia Ellis 6:18.5

4x 100m Relay Lancaster 57.79

Year 10

200m Tom McCarthy 25.41

Ella Grainger 29.00

Long Jump Ella Grainger 4.22

4x 100m Relay York 51.33

Year 11 + Seniors

200m Jimmy Webster 24.2

1500m T Mueller 5.12

Long Jump Jimmy Webster 5.61

High Jump K White 1.70

Shot H Draper 7.10

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“So many of our pupils have produced outstanding performances today and I couldn’t be prouder of them. Everyone has played their part. They have shown tremendous team spirit and it is great that our best are once again representing the county in the nationals.” Mr Christian Fielding Ready, Set, Go!

4241

We are extremely proud of all our students, their families and the staff for their wonderful efforts, support and continued generosity which has raised over £4,000 this academic year.

The Junior School sold fruit donated by

family at Sport Relief charity event which,

combined with other fund raising actives

including the sale of wristbands, raised

over £400 for Sport Relief. Rhiannon

Chiles, a Year 7 student added £200 to this

donation by completing a 3K course.

Members of the PTA at the Dixie Grammar

Senior school were convinced that their

children could not get enough of school

and so organised a sleepover for pupils

from Year 6 and 7 on Friday 6 May. Over

40 pupils returned to school at 6pm for a

BBQ and a chocolate fountain followed

by team challenges, a bouncy castle and

plenty of games to help tire the students

out, with a late night film to help ensure a

great night’s sleep. All pupils slept in the

school Assembly Hall, which we can now

confirm is definitely not haunted, and,

following a hot chocolate and croissant

breakfast, were collected by their parents

at 9am. A generous team of parents, staff

and Year 8 helpers ensured the whole

event was a great success.

Richard Lynn, Headmaster: “We are lucky

at Dixie to benefit from a friendly and

family atmosphere and it is this, along

with the generous support of our parents

and staff, which allows us to offer such

memorable experiences for our pupils.”

FUNdraising

The Dixie Grammar Junior School pupils

enjoyed a Harvest Festival assembly led by

the Reverend Julia Hargreaves. Following

the assembly Mrs Laird, Head of Junior

School and the Head Boy, Head Girl

and House Captains delivered the fresh

produce to Bosworth Court Nursing Home.

Donations of tinned and packet food, were

collected from the School, by FareShare

for distribution amongst local food banks.

The Junior and Nursery school has raised

over £255 for Children in Need and this

coupled with the funds raised at the Senior

School, the total for Children In Need came

in at an amazing £728.

Students at the Dixie Grammar School

have responded in record-breaking style

to this year’s shoebox appeal to help

give Christmas presents to children who

otherwise would receive nothing. The

appeal to support Operation Christmas

Child began in October and the final

count on Monday 16 November was 112

shoeboxes full of toys, the largest haul

the school has ever donated. Pupils had

been shown a short film in assembly

about what a difference a shoebox full

of small presents can make to a child

living in poverty, in war-torn countries

or as refugees. One student, Georgia

Nelson (Year 11) and her family were so

moved, that they personally filled and

brought in 40 boxes. The pupils are now

looking forward to hearing where the

shoeboxes went, happy in the knowledge

that somewhere in the world they will have

made some children’s Christmas a little

brighter.

Mrs Di Scott (teacher who organised the

appeal) commented “It was hard work

and by the end my classroom was so full

of boxes I could hardly move. It was like

Santa’s grotto! Dixie students are always

generous but this time they really rose to

the challenge.”

Sweet Charity in the form of Truffles made and

marketed by year 8 students in aid of Muscular

Dystrophy UK raised £295.

On Tuesday 19th of April all of us and Mr

Smaditch went to Warwick University

to take part in the Salter’s Festival of

Chemistry. The first challenge we faced

was called ‘Murder in Salterstown’ and

included Chromatography and salt

experiments. We split up into pairs and did

a challenge each. The Chromatography

required precision and accuracy to get

fair results. We had six samples of inks

and blotted them over two pieces of

Chromatography paper. The results for

both of the experiments would help us

work out who the victim and murderer

were. We practiced good teamwork skills

and used our Chemistry knowledge to help

us through it. We all worked well together

as a team in this challenge and enjoyed

doing it. All our work paid off as we came

3rd out of 12 schools and won a prize. We

were all very excited and happy.

The 2015 inter-House Photographic

Competition launched by Mr Paul Smith,

Chair of Governors, was extremely well

supported with 187 individual entries.

The competition was of a very high

standard, and the judges, including

members of the local Rotary club and

a professional photographer, found the

entries very difficult to separate.

In each category there were 3 winners

from the lower, middle and upper school.

The winners of the competition within

each category are: Amber Jackson | Katy

Hurst | Abby Riley | Alice Whitmore | Cam

Overton | Zach Gauhar | Ethan Kirwan-

Jones | Jared Cutler | James Evans. The

photographs from these winning entries

have been made into a school calendar.

Health Education England (HEE) is

delighted to announce that students from

The Dixie Grammar School in Market

Bosworth are the East Midlands winners

of the Step into the NHS national schools’

competition. Year 8 students impressed

the judges with their entry to promote the

role of a drama therapist to their peers.

Mrs Joanne Banton, Head of Careers at

The Dixie Grammar School, said: “I am

thrilled that our students have won this

important prize and it is real recognition of

their creativity and teamwork skills.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is the

world’s leading youth achievement award

which enabling students to push personal

boundaries, gain new skills and enhance

their CVs and university applications.

The school offers the Duke of Edinburgh

Award at all levels to students in the Upper

School. The Bronze Award is offered to

students in Year 10, Silver to students in

Year 11 and Gold to students in the Sixth

Form. To gain the awards students must

undertake a physical activity, volunteer

their time and learn a new skill in addition

to completing an expedition. The Bronze

expedition takes place in the Charnwood

area of Leicestershire, Silver in the Peak

District and Gold in Snowdonia.

4443

A selection of the various awards presented to students over the past academic year. Congratulations to all who took part. Snapped Up Prizes

Christian Smaditch (Year 12) was named

winner of the Whitbread Memorial Prize

2015, not only due to his impressive

performance at GCSE in Year 11, but also

because of the outstanding involvement

he shows in other aspects of school and

community life. Christian, his parents, Mr

Richard Lynn, Headmaster at the Dixie

Grammar School, and Mr Paul Smith,

Chairman of the Governors, were invited

to the House of Lords to receive his award

from Lord Lexden, President of the ISA.

Year 10 and Year 11 students at the Dixie

Grammar School have been crowned

world champions in the annual language

competition run by Vocab Express. This

global event saw over 30 000 students

around the world learning vocabulary

online to accumulate points for their

school.

The final school total was 556 450 points

with Eniola Awodiya Dixie’s top scorer,

with 60 855, pushed all the way by Amy

Hemsworth on 56 800 and Zach Gauhar

on 45 875. Dixie also now boasts three

global champions, with Alex Harlock,

Natalka Smaditch and Judith Kam scoring

the most number of points in the entire

championship for Polish, Hebrew and

Mandarin respectively.

Mr Richard Thirlwell, Head of Modern

Languages: “We began entering this

competition every other year for fun in

2012. Having won in that first year and

again in 2014, this cohort of students

had a lot to live up to, but I was delighted

with the spirit in which they approached

it, the enjoyment they had over the week

and, of course, the success it brought

them. Watching our total score continue

to rise on the Friday and Saturday late

into the evening was remarkable and real

testament to our students’ enthusiasm and

dedication.”

true ‘gentle man’, calm, caring, professional

and thoughtful. He has not only been a

huge asset to the Music Department but

has also supported the PSHCE and RS

departments and acted as an assistant

form teacher to junior forms. He has

always found the time to support his

students and they will miss his thorough

approach, quick wit and gentle humour, not

to mention the ‘pot luck’ revision question

sessions - where correct answers were

rewarded from a seemingly bottomless tin

of chocolate treats!

An oboist himself, he has been the

conductor of the School Wind Band and

also established a Dixie Wind Quintet

which, under his expert direction, has

gone from strength to strength. They are

now a really polished ensemble and will be

performing one of his compositions in his

final Strawberry Prom Concert in July.

We wish him well in his retirement.

Sarah Ennis

MR HAMSON has embodied what the Dixie

Grammar School is about over the past

nearly thirty years. Having been teaching

physics from almost the very start he

presented this subject in his own unique

way. Although not to everybody’s taste

(what subject does appeal to everyone?)

he has managed to inspire an impressive

number of students to go on to take

up careers in physics and engineering;

including such notable institutions as

the Royal Engineers and the European

Space Agency. He also has a phenomenal

memory for and interest in past students

(even those who were perhaps not the

most gifted physicists). When old boys

and girls return to school it is often Mr

Hamson who they ask about first so it is

fitting that he should have taken on the

role of building up the alumni network. All

institutions change and evolve over time

and the Dixie Grammar school will remain

here preparing students for the 21st

century but some will think it will have lost

a little something when next year lesson

ends are no longer punctuated with the

sound of ‘Homework diaries out!’

Joe Kirkwood

At the end of February this year we

welcomed KIRSTEN ENGFER to our school.

Kirsten is a student at the University of

Goettingen in North Germany. She is a

former pupil of the Jade Gymnasium (our

exchange school) - hence the connection

with The Dixie Grammar School. As part of

her studies she had to spend 3 months in

an English speaking country and asked if

she could work here on a voluntary basis.

Kirsten worked in the English Department

at the Senior School and also gave one

to one speaking sessions to our A level

German students and some of our Year

11 students. In addition to this she spent

every Friday morning at the Junior School

helping out wherever needed.

Kirsten settled into ‘Dixie life’ very quickly.

She was kind, patient and encouraging and

her hard work was valued by both staff and

pupils alike. Kirsten thoroughly enjoyed her

time at the Dixie and we were delighted to

have her here. We wish her all the very best

for the future.

Many thanks to everyone who helped to

make her stay so successful.

Jenny Field

4847

ANNE LARID

Anne’s gentle support and guidance of

me in my first two years as Head has

been a great comfort and her wisdom

invaluable to me. Her disarming good

humour, self-deprecation and relentless

focus on the children has ensured very

positive outcomes for all in her care. I am

so delighted that her last inspection gave

the external recognition and confirmed

what we all know to be true: she is an

exceptional Head teacher!

Richard Lyn,n, Headmaster.

Anne joined the Dixie Grammar School

which was then called the ‘The Wolstan’ in

1990 along with eight other new teachers.

This was her first job in an English school.

She began by being a class teacher in Year

3 but also specialised in teaching ICT in

both the Junior and Senior school up to

Year 8.

Anne was promoted to Director of Studies,

then Deputy Head before being appointed

Head of the Junior School in 2011. She

has seen many changes over the years,

one being the school’s relocation from

Market Bosworth to our present site at

Wellsborough. As Head she has overseen

the development of the open classroom

and the creation of the EYFS department.

Anne has always had a passion for

teaching, helping the pupils achieve their

potential. She enjoys following their

progress through the Senior School and

into the big wide world. Anne is very

approachable, has a ready smile and is

always cheerful. She never passes a pupil

or parent without a happy greeting.

The final accolade of achieving Excellence

in the recent ISI inspection was well

deserved, reflecting all the hard work she

has done over the years.

Sonia Horton

MRS HORTON has been with the School

since the Junior School began in 1990

as the ‘The Wolstan’. She has worked

tirelessly to support the children in her

classes. She has also taken on the roles of

Head of Early Years, Special Educational

Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator and

supporting pupils throughout the School.

Mrs Horton has also led the very popular

extra-curricular skiing trips to Tamworth

Snowdome and organised several School

skiing holidays.

MRS ENSTON joined the Wolstan the

following year as the Year 2 teacher and

has led Year 2 ever since. As well as being

our Humanities co-ordinator, responsible

for developing the History and Geography

curriculum, she has also been our in-

house librarian, working with the staff

and children to manage and organise the

library and bring the very popular book

fairs into School. MRS COOKE, piano teacher,

and MISS KATARINA, violin teacher, will

sadly be leaving at the end of this term and

we wish them well.

Mrs Anne Laird,

Head of the Junior and Nursery School

Initially RICHARD HOLLINGDALE joined

the school in January 2008 to cover a 2

term Maternity leave. Having spent many

years as Director of Music at King Henry’s

School, Coventry he brought with him

a wealth of invaluable experience and

expertise and we were fortunate enough

to persuade him to return permanently to

teach Music part-time from September

2009. His skills as accompanist and

organist have enriched many Concerts

and Carol Services and he has been very

supportive of all his students. Richard is a

Until We Meet Again...

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