Letter From Principal - July 2012

 

Dear Parent/Carers and Students,

I am writing to wish you all a very well-deserved summer break after an exciting year here at the College.

We have achieved much here since last summer and everyone should feel proud to be part of the Ringmer Community.

We came back in September to record exam results – 76% A*-C GCSE – the highest ever in the schools’ history.

Our new year 7 and new 6^th form students all settled in well and have all made the most of what we have to offer here.

 

Highlights of the year include:

• Three students at Ringmer Community College successfully accepted onto the Centre for Advanced Training Scheme, a national intensive Dance Programme for 10 – 18 year olds.
• A hugely successful Child in Need fundraising event on Friday 18 November. All the staff and students were invited to come into school wearing fancy dress with the theme being ‘Superheroes’, raising a massive £1,547.58.
• Our annual Christmas production of a Wizard of Oz, showcasing our talented students and some staff!
• Our wonderful performances and concerts from our Dance; Music and Drama departments
• A trip to The Waterloo Theatre in London, for our Library Prefects, to see a production of The Railway Children. The show’s great coup was the glorious arrival of a splendid, fully operational Victorian steam engine. The carriage which was also being used was the original from the 1970 film of The Railway Children.

 

We are now an Ambassador Eco School, having been through a rigorous assessment.

This is the highest national recognition a school can get from Eco Schools.

Our Eco highlights this year include:

• On Friday 20 January 2012 Ringmer Community College Eco Reps attended the Opening of the Wind Turbine at Glyndebourne. The ceremony was attended by Sir David Attenborough who cut the opening ribbon with our student Head of Eco, Verity Cannings. Our Eco group have been very active in their support of this alternative energy source.
• 6^th formers Jess Smith, Ben Smith and Timmy Fordham worked alongside our Eco Coordinator, Mr Green to come up with a solution about the lack of adequate drinking water facilities available to students and the amount of drinking bottles and cartons thrown away daily. They presented the results of their drinking water project to the whole college in Assemblies this week . The group worked with charity tapwater.org. to devise a comprehensive scheme which allows students to purchase high quality drinking bottles from the college shop at a subsidised cost. The college has now also installed four drinking water coolers for students to fill their drinking bottles during Break and Lunch times.
• A brand new hi tech Eco Classroom which was unveiled on 1 May 2012. The building constructed with traditional rammed clay walls, wool insulation and a meadow turf roof boasts an immersion room where students can experience history and technology in 3D colour.
• Ringmer Community College and Sixth Form students recently climbed onto their roof to inspect the newly fitted solar panels providing free electricity to the Sixth Form building. The college already uses the sun, wind, heat from the ground and woodchips to provide energy. These are currently producing around 15% of the college’s energy needs and with this new array we hope to increase this to 25% whilst also providing a further step to low carbon teaching.

• Our fourth annual Green Car Race Day on Saturday 23 June, which was attended by several hundred spectators. Teams from eleven primary schools from across East and West Sussex competed for first place in a series of 24 heats.

Also:

5. Ringmer Community College and Sixth Form's Beatrix Cameron, Year 7 came in second against stiff competition to design a banner to celebrate a fantastic year for Great Britain.

5. Students from Ringmer Sixth Form have again attained the highest level of success in their National Diploma of Health and Social Care course being awarded Distinction which is the equivalent of 2 A Levels at Grade A.

5. The Gymnastics team came 2nd overall at the Key Stage 3 Gymnastics Competition held at Hailsham Community College on Wednesday 28 March 2012. Lauren Ablett obtained 1st place in Vaulting and Sports Acro and Georgina Mason also received 1st place for Sports Acro and Liberty Yates collected 1st place for Trampolining.

5. Our PE department has had a brilliant year, winning Stoolball and having numerous successful football fixtures this year – see the website for details of all events.

5. The Year 11 Prom was held at Barnsgate Manor Crowborough. Over 150 students attended the glittering evening arriving in and on vehicles as diverse as a handmade trap to the now traditional limo. The owners of the venue were so impressed by the behaviour and positive attitude of the young people that they rang the college the next day to tell us.

5. My congratulations to Year 12 students, Seb Cole, David Tungate and Beth Reeves who beat 6 other local colleges to win the Young Business Minds 2012 competition on 6 July 2012 at Uckfield Civic Centre Council Chamber. The competition is in its 2^nd year, and is sponsored by local business The Marketing Eye.

My thanks to you all and the wonderful staff we have here for supporting our students and their work. Please take care of yourselves during the holidays and we look forward to working with you next year.

Please ensure that students come back on Thursday 6^th September – normal time, ready to learn with the correct uniform and equipment. Year 7 students should all report to the hall where they will be greeted by senior staff and buddies from their mentor groups.

K Stonier

Principal