NORTHGATE REVIEW. On Thursday 17 March, my English teacher, Mrs Bury, and I, went to Homerton College in Cambridge for the regional and

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NORTHGATE REVIEW May 2016 POETRY BY HE RT On Thursday 17 March, my English teacher, Mrs Bury, and I, went to Homerton College in Cambridge for the regional and national rounds of the Poetry

On the Friday morning, before the competition started, we enjoyed a literary tour of Cambridge followed by a creative writing workshop.

Each poem was chosen from a timeline anthology of over 600 years of poetry; the poems I chose were The Witch by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge and Divorce by Anna Wickham.

It was also a huge honour to perform to the audience and judging panel, which included the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Jean Sprackland, Daljit Nagra, Patience Agbabi, Glyn Maxwell

The last day of the competition started with performances from a special collection of World War 1 poetry. The poem I performed was The Messages by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson.

1 NORTHGATE REVIEW May 2016 POETRY BY HE RT On Thursday 17 March, my English teacher, Mrs Bury, and I, went to Homerton College in Cambridge for the regional and national rounds of the Poetry By Heart competition. On arrival, we attended a candlelit dinner, received a formal welcome to the college and met the other 40 county winners. On the Friday morning, before the competition started, we enjoyed a literary tour of Cambridge followed by a creative writing workshop. In the afternoon, it was time to perform the poems: one written pre and one written post Each poem was chosen from a timeline anthology of over 600 years of poetry; the poems I chose were The Witch by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge and Divorce by Anna Wickham. It was an extraordinary experience to watch and listen to the other students and I was truly blown away by the phenomenal standard. It was also a huge honour to perform to the audience and judging panel, which included the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Jean Sprackland, Daljit Nagra, Patience Agbabi, Glyn Maxwell and Tim Dee. In the evening, all these poets read for us in what was a remarkable event; this was followed by a book signing. The last day of the competition started with performances from a special collection of World War 1 poetry. The poem I performed was The Messages by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson. All of the recitals were both moving and compelling, each using the power of poetry to capture the intensity of war. The results came next, revealing the eight regional champions who would compete in the grand final. Although I did not get through, the winner of our region was outstanding, and eventually came in second place in the national competition. The winner s emotive recital of My Grandfather at the Pool by Glyn Maxwell was particularly touching. I am very grateful for the opportunity I was given and for the support of Mrs Bury. Lucy Peake

Even if you have been chatting to someone for a long time, remember that people that you have only met online are still strangers.

2 The internet can be a fantastic place to connect with friends, discover new things and be creative. However, it is really important to be careful about what personal information you share and who you share it with. Not everyone online has good intentions. Even if you have been chatting to someone for a long time, remember that people that you have only met online are still strangers. It is important that you know what to do if someone talking to you online makes you feel uncomfortable or asks you to do things that you do not wish to do. These tips can help: Be careful who you trust online Remember that people you have met online are still strangers, no matter how long you have been talking to them or how friendly they are. Meeting up with these people can be dangerous, so Staying TitleSafe Be careful who you trust online only do so with your parents or carers permission, even then only when they can be present. If you only go with your friends then you risk putting them in danger too. Keep it private When you are chatting to people or posting things online make sure you keep your personal information private; this includes things like your home address and mobile number. If you are active on social networking sites, or if you have your own blog or gaming profile, think about who can see it and what they can see. You can set your privacy settings to limit who can see your content - giving out personal information can make you vulnerable. Understand the tools If someone is being inappropriate online it is important that you save the messages or conversation. Many services have tools that enable you to block and report users who are being abusive or making you feel uncomfortable. seriously and a police officer will contact you to advise you on the next steps. Source: If you have any questions regarding e-safety please contact Mrs Frost, at mag@northgate.suffolk.sch.uk Stay in control! If you have met someone online and the conversations with that person are making you feel uncomfortable tell an adult you trust or you can report it to the police. All reports are taken Dates for Your Diary Wednesday 25 May 2016 Monday 30 May Friday 3 June 2016 Wednesday 22 June 2016 Tuesday 12 July 2016 Wednesday 20 July 2016 Thursday 18 August 2016 Thursday 25 August 2016 Monday 5 September 2016 Friday 21 October Friday 28 October GCSE Art Exhibition Half Term Sixth Form Art Exhibition Sports Day End of Term, school ends at 2.30pm A/AS Level results published GCSE results published Autumn Term starts Half Term

3 Democracy Titlein Action In February, Year 12 Government and Politics students spent an informative day at Westminster Parliament. We were met in Westminster Hall by Mr Ben Gummer, MP for Ipswich Central. We also met two of his research assistants, one of whom is a former Northgate High School student who was spending time in Mr Gummer s Westminster office as part of her MA in Parliamentary Studies. We had the opportunity to discuss degree courses and careers in politics. Mr Gummer gave us a fascinating talk on the history of the Palace of Westminster, including its painting and architecture. During our tour, part of our group had the chance to sit in Strangers Gallery to listen to a debate on taxation in the House of Commons, whilst other members of the group sat in on a debate in the House of Lords. Seeing the two Houses of Parliament in action helped our knowledge of the different functions and powers of the elected and non-elected chambers, and reinforced our understanding. Andrew Reynolds summed up by saying, It offered an informative insight into the workings of Parliament which we had learnt about in our Politics lessons. We were then whisked up many flights of stairs, away from the hustle and bustle, to a Committee Room for an informal question and answer session with Mr Gummer. He spoke about the role of the parliamentary representative and about his plans for Ipswich; we had the chance to put forward our points of concern and our wishes for the future. There were questions raised about public transport, trains in particular, where Mr Gummer put forward a desire to have trains from Ipswich to Improvements for people our age London taking only one hour! Mr Gummer was keen to hear our thoughts and we discussed improvements for people of our age at great length. It was interesting to hear Mr Gummer s views on the future of Ipswich, including shopping and nightlife. Leaving Parliament we headed along Whitehall, and passed some of the main government departments and Downing Street. We joined the tourists in Trafalgar Square from where we returned to Liverpool Street and Ipswich. A fun and interesting day, summed up by Keziah O Hara: It was a good trip, where we had the opportunity to see the workings of the UK s parliamentary democracy. One student has been lucky enough to be given a week s work experience with Mr Gummer in the summer which will help to further her knowledge and understanding of the political process. She will be working in London for most of the week, alongside Mr Gummer and his team, and also with Dr Therese Coffrey, MP; this opportunity will provide an amazing insight in to the everyday life of our elected politicians.

Honours at Twickenham On Saturday 12 March Northgate High School pupil Ella had the honour of singing the National Anthem alongside soprano Laura Wright.

Ella s attendance at the game was the culmination of Northgate s involvement in the 2015/16 All Schools Rugby Programme.

4 Honours at Twickenham On Saturday 12 March Northgate High School pupil Ella had the honour of singing the National Anthem alongside soprano Laura Wright. She and 90 other children performed in front of an audience of 82,000 rugby fans at Twickenham rugby stadium before the England vs Ireland Six Nations clash. Ella s attendance at the game was the culmination of Northgate s involvement in the 2015/16 All Schools Rugby Programme. The programme was launched in 2012 by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in partnership with the Rugby Football Foundation, which aims to help more secondary state school children play rugby. Between 60 and 70 Northgate lower school pupils regularly attended rugby training after school each Wednesday, many of them inspired by the World Cup. In September, four of our keenest and most dedicated Year 8 rugby players were selected to represent Northgate at the national All Schools shirt design workshop held locally at Stowmarket Rugby Club. The workshop was delivered by RFU representatives and Canterbury Sportswear designers (an official partner to All Schools). Pupils learnt about the RFU values of teamwork, respect, discipline and enjoyment and about the history, heritage, values and importance of the rugby shirt. Pupils were then given the freedom to create their own designs for a new school rugby shirt, incorporating their school s colours and emblems. Canterbury Sportswear turned the winning drawings into bespoke designs to be proudly worn by each school s rugby team. The winning shirts were unveiled at Twickenham. Our congratulations go to all four Northgate pupils, Ella, Marcus, Felita and Alex for their excellent designs. Many thanks to the England RFU for hosting such an exciting initiative.

5 Honours at Twickenham

or the past five years sixth form students studying German F or History have had the opportunity to take part in a 4-day cross-curricular trip to Berlin.

With so many historical sites to visit in Berlin, it can become quite a challenge picking out the most important things to see, so each day was given a theme to ensure as many sites were visited as

Viewers of the recent Channel 4 TV series Deutschland 83 might be familiar with who the Stasi were, but for others, the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit - the Stasi - were the official state security

The prison is now a chilling reminder of how East Germany treated people who were politically opposed to the Socialist Government.

6 or the past five years sixth form students studying German F or History have had the opportunity to take part in a 4-day cross-curricular trip to Berlin. The trip gives students a fantastic opportunity to visit the historical sites relating to the Cold War and WW2, which features in both courses. With so many historical sites to visit in Berlin, it can become quite a challenge picking out the most important things to see, so each day was given a theme to ensure as many sites were visited as possible. Checkpoint Berlin! The first day was dedicated to visiting all things Stasi-related. Viewers of the recent Channel 4 TV series Deutschland 83 might be familiar with who the Stasi were, but for others, the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit - the Stasi - were the official state security service of East Germany, responsible for spying on the population and fighting any form of opposition. On a rather cold and bright morning we set off to visit the former Stasi prison Hohenschönhausen. The prison is now a chilling reminder of how East Germany treated people who were politically opposed to the Socialist Government. Nowadays some tours are hosted by former prisoners; the father of our tour guide had been held at the prison. Later that afternoon we visited the former Stasi Headquarters which has now been converted into a museum dedicated to showing the surveillance methods employed. It was a fascinating insight into how the Stasi operated almost octopuslike across the whole country, not just in Berlin. After a day looking at the depressing side of life in East Germany, we visited the DDR Museum that evening to look at what everyday life was like for people at that time. This small, interactive museum has exhibits on everything from how socialist children were pottytrained (collectively!) to a simulated ride in a Trabant, an East German car. Hohenschönhausen Prison Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp The second day was dedicated to the Third Reich and the Holocaust. The morning was spent visiting the site of the former concentration camp at Sachsenhausen. Built in 1936 to imprison political opponents of the Nazi party, it eventually housed people considered racially or biologically inferior. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned in the camp Topography of Terror? Sachsenhausen Memorial between , including some British POWs. Students were given time to explore the site on their own and, for all of us, it was a very sobering and harrowing place. Later that afternoon a number of students took part in a city tour dedicated to visiting memorials to the victims of the Nazi regime. Other students took the opportunity to visit the site of the former Gestapo and SS Headquarters which now houses the Topography of Terror museum. Our Third Reich Day ended with a visit to the Bendlerblock, built in 1914 but enlarged by the Nazis in 1941 to house the Ministry of Defence; it is one of the few buildings to have survived the bombings of Berlin during WW2. It is also the place where Colonel von Stauffenberg and other high ranking officials who plotted to kill Hitler under Operation Valkyrie were Sachsenhausen Memorial

Checkpoint Berlin! executed, and now a memorial dedicated to their resistance stands in the courtyard. The day was rounded off with a night visit to the Reichstag Dome.

The day started with an excellent Berliner Unterwelten tour - an underground tour of escape tunnels and abandoned underground stations - and one could only admire the lengths to which people went to

Later in the afternoon we explored more of East and West Berlin by visiting Checkpoint Charlie, walking along Unten den Linden towards the Brandenburg Gate, and finally stopping and admiring the

7 Checkpoint Berlin! executed, and now a memorial dedicated to their resistance stands in the courtyard. The day was rounded off with a night visit to the Reichstag Dome. Having had two quite heavy days of sightseeing and walking around Berlin at breakneck speed, the third day of the trip focused on East and West Berlin. The day started with an excellent Berliner Unterwelten tour - an underground tour of escape tunnels and abandoned underground stations - and one could only admire the lengths to which people went to escape East Berlin after the Berlin Wall was built. Later in the afternoon we explored more of East and West Berlin by visiting Checkpoint Charlie, walking along Unten den Linden towards the Brandenburg Gate, and finally stopping and admiring the concrete architecture of Alexanderplatz. While the food at the youth hostel was pretty good, we had our last meal of the trip at an authentic German Brauhaus where students were able to choose from a fine assortment of traditional German dishes such as Currywurst, Schweinebraten, Spätzle, Flammkuchen, Knusprige Haxe and Sauerkraut! Berlin Wall With the trip drawing to an end, the last morning we visited the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis the remains of a bombdamaged church in the centre of Berlin. A modern church with blue stained-glass windows has been built next to the old church. In its day, the old church would have been spectacularly beautiful, but the remains of the church, as well as a donated cross made of nails found in the rubble of Coventry Cathedral, are a poignant reminder of the futility of war. After visiting the church, students were given some free time to explore the main shopping street in West Berlin, the Ku damm, and to visit the famous KaDeWe department store. The trip was thoroughly enjoyable and we are now looking forward to Berlin 2017! Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Checkpoint Charlie

Congratulations to Ellen Lear, an A Level Art student who has recently had her work exhibited at two prestigious art galleries in London: the Mall Galleries and the Lloyd s Gallery.

The exhibitions were hosted by the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) and the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA).

They also work with young people to encourage and enhance their appreciation and understanding of art and our artistic heritage through their Young Arts and grant programmes.

8 Congratulations to Ellen Lear, an A Level Art student who has recently had her work exhibited at two prestigious art galleries in London: the Mall Galleries and the Lloyd s Gallery. Ellen s work was selected at the A Level art exhibition and submitted on behalf of Ipswich Decorative and Fine Art Society (IDFAS) amongst many works from all around the country. The exhibitions were hosted by the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) and the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA). The NADFAS has 98,000 members in more than 375 Societies throughout the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. They also work with young people to encourage and enhance their appreciation and understanding of art and our artistic heritage through their Young Arts and grant programmes. The collaboration between NADFAS and the RBA came about following a pilot project in East Anglia in The societies organised an exhibition of work chosen from 11 schools and two students work was selected to go forward to the RBA annual exhibition. The project was then opened up to the NADFAS across the UK. This year 55 societies supported the venture and they submitted a staggering 348 images of original student work including paintings, ceramics and sculpture. The challenge was for RBA President James Horton and his fellow council members to select work which combined the highest levels of skill, expression and draughtsmanship. Mr Beattie, Head of Art & Design, was proud to attend the award ceremony with Ellen and was very impressed with the high quality of work on display, representing the very best Boy in Blue An invaluable opportunity of A Level work nationally. It is an invaluable opportunity to showcase students talent to a wider audience, and in seeking to make the Arts accessible to all. Ellen reflected on her success: In October 2015, I was told my name had been submitted to the final list of artists to exhibit in the RBA Rising Stars exhibition and subsequently that I would be made a scholar of the society. I was overwhelmed by the news that my portrait Boy in Blue (which was originally a tester piece for a bigger outcome) was to be sent to London to be shown in the Lloyds Register Gallery from the 12 February to 11 March. It was not until then that I realised what a prestigious event and honour it is to be a part of such an exhibition. It was at this showing that I met Michael Portillo (by this I mean said hello, shook his hand, took a photo and parted ways) and mingled amongst some very posh people and other young artists looking as dazzled as me! Then onto the Mall Galleries from the 17 March to 2 April, where the president of the society greeted and praised us all. Our work was displayed next to the work of the members of the Society showing glimpses of what may or may not come in the future. This has been an incredible experience for me and a big step up in my possible career in the Arts.

N 10 : the visit of the Bunker

N 10 : the visit of the Bunker Since the days of the Berlin Blockade in 1948-49, the Berlin Senate makes provisions for emergencies and threats during the Cold War. We made a guided tour of an original