Newsletters

31st March 2019

School News

March has been another busy month for both staff and students who are now very much looking forward to the Easter break! Preparation for the Summer examinations is well and truly underway, Year 10 have taken their examinations, we have has visiting guest speakers galore in the majority of year groups and the students have even found time to raise lots of money for charity for both the local and wider communities. 

As a reminder, the last day of the Spring Term is on Friday 5th April and we will return for the Summer Term on Tuesday 23rd April.

Finally, for those of you who are not aware, I have an email address that you can use to contact me if necessary. It is Head@ribstonhall.gloucs.sch.uk 

Wishing you all an enjoyable Easter holiday.

Sarah Colombini, Headteacher

The Tenner Challenge

Ribston Hall students were invited to take part in the national Young Enterprise Tenner Challenge where they were challenged to turn a £10 investment into a profit. They would have four weeks to set up their student company and sell their product or service. The aim was to make as much profit as possible and to develop their business and entrepreneurial skills along the way.

Business, product and service ideas included: snacks, cakes, brownies, sweets, popcorn and drinks, with 1 group even selling pizza slices (which, ironically, sold like hot cakes!), household chores, homemade items including candles, cards, bracelets, slime, stationary, origami, photo GIF postcards, hair scrunchies and bath bombs, dog walking, raffles and lucky dips, henna tattoos, guess the name competitions, car washing and even sponsoring a lamb!

Students set up pop-up stalls around the school and some groups chose to sell their wares outside school too, with venues ranging from the family home to farmers’ markets and even at Brownie meetings.

The teams were invited to enter a national competition to design a logo for their business. Each school could make 5 entries and hundred of entries were made. One of our Ribston teams were the proud first place winners! Congratulations to Mia Cecchi, Chloe Thorogood and Eulalie Bisimwa for their ‘Cinema Snacks’ logo. The judges said that it was “an excellent, well executed design. Neat in layout, well considered and will work in monochrome. The logo is easily identifiable and represents the product brilliantly. Well done”. The team won a £50 Amazon voucher and have been invited to attend the National Tenner Challenge Awards at the Bank of England in May.

We are still totalling up the profit made by all groups but so far, we have reached £708 with over £342 of this being donated to a variety of charities including Make a Wish, The James Hopkins Trust, Bobath (for cerebral palsy), Cancer Research and buying food for the homeless, with some groups donating all of their profit!

Some of our teams:

I am very proud of all the students who took part and showed such outstanding spirit. They have all developed invaluable enterprise skills and can use their experiences in later life. A particularly big well done has to go to Cinema Snacks for winning the national logo design competition, and to Tom Greatrix in Year 12 and Holly Dobson in Year 7, who were our only ‘sole trader’ businesses and both had superb profit totals of £193.43 (all donated to The James Hopkins Trust) and £106.00 respectively. Mrs Hay would like to say a special thank you to the students who have kindly donated their sponsorship money to 'Make a Wish' - very touching and kind!

Mrs Nicklin, Business Studies

Cyber Schools Hub Awards Evening

On the 15^th of March there was a celebration of the past year’s activities arranged by the Gloucester Cyber Hub. Mr Jones, Mr Storey and some of our Sixth Form students represented the school, spoke to industry representatives and other schools present about how the program has positively impacted on our school and the students within it. We also heard how the initiative is bringing other schools and industry together to inspire the next generation of cyber security specialists, some of which may well be Ribston students leading the way!

Building a Virtual Reality Rig - Weds 27^th March

Earlier in the year we ran a competition to see who in the Sixth Form could specify the best VR gaming rig.  Here you can see the winning kit, purchased for us by the Cyber Schools Hub and waiting to be put together. Helping with the build last Wednesday were John Cummings from BAE and FC from Cygenta. This truly gargantuan powerhouse will be spinning up soon in IT2 at Ribston.????

The Cloister Challenge

On Friday 23rd March, the Rotary Club of Gloucester and the people of Gloucester came together to support both the homeless of the city and those at risk of homelessness. A number of our students took on the challenge of a night in the cathedral cloisters to raise awareness and money for the homeless and vulnerable. They experienced a glimpse into the challenges and struggles the homeless and vulnerable experience on a daily basis. Thank you to Mr Barnard , Assistant Headteacher for overseeing their care that night, I don;t think he got much sleep but found it a very humbling experience himself. Below is an account of the night written by Mollie Gomer, 12SF3.

'The Cloister Challenge was a truly remarkable experience, even though it wasn’t a true representation of what homelessness is like. I enjoyed spending time with friends and raising both money and awareness for the homeless in and around Gloucester. In all honesty, the evening itself was very enjoyable, but it’s difficult to put into perspective how homelessness affects individuals, particularly how they may feel and the conditions in which they live. The Cloister Challenge has changed how I perceive homelessness to be and has influenced me to help with the community even more, not just in Gloucester but other towns and cities also.'

Fantastic wins for the Ribston Y8 and Y9 Netball Teams!

Congratulations to the Yr 8 Netball team who Won the County Tournament on Monday 25th March. The team worked hard through the group stage winning four of the matches and drawing one. This led the team to the semi-final where they beat Kings 6-0. The final was against Denmark Road High School.  

The pressure was high as not only had we drawn with them in the group stage but it was a repeat of last years final, which we lost by only one goal. The match was excruciating close and at the end of full time a draw 3-3. The draw remained after extra time was played, absolutely nail biting! If you are still drawing at the end of extra time in Netball it then goes to golden goal, this is the first team to score wins. A fantastic shot by Jasmine Marshall, Captain, led the Yr 8's to victory!! This was a Squad effort as everyone played a role in getting to the final- Congratulations!!

Pictured Lto R (Top row): Lauren Kester, Chinmayi Kirani, Rhiannon Bulpin, Sophie Webster, Jasmine Marshall, Ruby Newman, Holly Done. (Bottom row): Francesca Clarke, Daisy Seabright, Amelie Owen.

We are very proud to say Ribston Hall Year 9 Netball team became District Champions beating Denmark Road in the final 7-4. They have achieved this 3 years in a row. In Mrs Barnett's teaching time at Ribston this has never been achieved! A massive well done to the team.

‘As You Like It’ Theatre Trip

On the 27^th of February, the Year 10 and 11 Drama students went on a theatre trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to watch 'As You Like It'. 

We were all very excited because the RSC is an iconic theatre- no one knew what to expect. In our non-uniform and carrying our bags stuffed with snacks, we set off on our coach journey. In the theatre, wee had a fantastic view sat in one of the upper circles and the initial set was intriguing. A lone swing hung from the high ceiling surrounded by a round carpet of grass and was lit by a spotlight. In anticipation, we eagerly awaited the beginning of the performance.

Spoiler Alert! With no warning, the first character entered and began a passionate monologue. As the story unravelled, we became rapidly engrossed in the epic tale of a sibling dispute, a quest for love and a band of outlaws fighting for justice. As if this wasn’t enough, part way through, there was a complete blackout then a flash of light. An almighty crash brought down a black sheet and revealed the breath-taking scenery beyond. A wonderful forest scene was now stretching out before us. 

The actors were so talented and had great projection- we could hear every word. To our delight, there were inserts of song, beautiful harmonies furthered the story and were a fascinating break away from traditional Shakespeare.

Another aspect of the play that was intriguing but also comical was the character Audrey who never spoke but instead used British Sign Language to communicate. This made the love triangle between Audrey, William and Touchstone was very funny as William was presented as Audrey’s interpreter hired by Touchstone. As the play progressed William started to change what Touchstone was saying in an attempt to win Audrey over. This inclusivity was amazing and we were very interested by the interpretation.

Perhaps the pinnacle in this outstanding performance was the final scene. A huge puppet as tall as the theatre itself was rolled in and spoke in a booming voice. This was the god of marriage, Hymen, overseeing the joyful ceremony. His gestures were expertly controlled by puppeteers and the pure intricacy of his structure left us in awe.

As the performance finished and the actors took their bows, our hands burned from applause and we cheered ourselves hoarse. It had been an incredible performance, one we were not likely to forget, and we headed out, heads filled with excited fantasies. On the journey home many fell asleep, it had been a late night but it was most definitely worth it. I for one got into bed that night feeling completely inspired and grateful that I had witnessed such a stunning performance.

Thank you to all the staff who made this fantastic trip available for us.

Written by Evelyn de Gruyther and Deborah Otieno, 10S

GE Aviation Trip

This year’s GE Aviation trip was really fun with lots of different activities. My favourite one was where we had to build a raft that could hold as many marbles as possible only using a few select materials. I was in a group of 5 and our raft managed to stay afloat with over 50 marbles on it! My second favourite activity was when we had to filter dirty water with again only a few select materials. My group completed it the quickest, using cotton balls and a j-cloth. I had a great time and hope to go again next year.

Written by Jasmine Moss, 8D

Creative Physics Task

I asked students to come up with a story or poem with Physics references as part of world book day. Please enjoy reading this piece by Emma Silvester (right) and Alice Westmacott (left). I think is amazing and wanted it to be shared with the Ribston Roar. 

Mr Millward, Physics teacher

You swing yourself over a log, calculating your trajectory to ensure no damage is done, and you hit the ground smoothly. The grass tickles the curves of your feet, and you smile in joy. You’ve never felt so free. As you continue on your journey, the wind restricts you. It laces around the trees, and is adamant on pulling you back, preventing further propulsion. But you happily stay at the speed you are, speeding through and winding around bushes, avoiding possible dangers.

You’re well practiced in this art, running and avoiding as obstacles charge towards you. Mostly brandishing weapons of iron, but this time of wood. The wood whips harshly at your face, drawing trickles of blood that you ignore for the time being.

At the top of your lungs, forcing your voice box to strain at the sheer volume, you yell in ecstasy, the vibrations echoing around the deserted forest. Leaves crumble at your feet, pulling themselves apart strain by strain, until all that’s left is the ashes of a tree. Each footfall is a little lighter than the rest, and each contact you make with the ground is barely felt, as you’re off less than a moment later, as though floating. Further away from the central forest, the ground begins heating, smouldering the leaves on the ground. As you touch down for good, coming to a jarring halt, the floor burns your feet. The heat being transferred from the ground into your oversensitive feet, too fast.

Everything around you, it’s too much. The trees were charred black, just the crumbling spine of a once thriving nature. The heat emanating from the ground distorts your vision, to the point that is hurts, and you must look away. 

Food Technology 

Students across all year groups have been learning about the importance of Fair Trade products and the impact that they have on the people who grow and produce them. We are grateful to the local Co-operative store who donated products for display and tasting.

GCSE Food

Our Year 11 Food Preparation and Nutrition students have just completed their final practical examination...and we are very proud of their achievements! The girls had to produce and present three high skilled dishes in three hours, which is a big challenge.

Well done to all our students.