Pupils Jubilee Art on Main Street

Pupils from Darras Hall First School, Ponteland First School, Ponteland Community Middle School, Coates Middle School and Ponteland Community High School provided over 200 drawings to adorn the pages of a Loyal Address (letter of congratulations) which will be received by the Duchess of Northumberland as the Queen’s representative on June 6 at Alnwick Castle.

A selection of the drawings have been enlarged and mounted in front of the Pele Tower on Ponteland Main Street for everyone to enjoy.

 Diamond Inn by Will Pattinson – Ponteland Community High School

 Diamond Jubilee Flag by Lauren Mole –
Ponteland Community Middle School

 Memorial Hall by Sophia Bernadi – Darras Hall First School

 Pele Tower by Esme Lecotourier – Richard Coates Middle School

St Matthews by Bradley Cooley – Ponteland First School

Flower Power Solution to Problem Pavement Parkers

FLOWER power could help solve the issue of problem parkers near two Ponteland schools.

Complaints about cars parking along Thornhill Road and on pavements when taking pupils to and from Richard Coates Middle School and Ponteland First School intensified when the first school moved from North Road to a site next to the middle school in 2007.

Since then they have worked closely with Northumberland County Council and Ponteland North member Richard Dodd to try to get parents to stop further away from their premises in order to relieve congestion and improve safety.

Coun Dodd has spent £20,000 from his small schemes allowance on yellow lines, new parking bays for elderly residents in the neighbouring bungalows and a new zebra crossing.

And the education side of the campaign has had some success as the majority of parents are going elsewhere.

But Coun Dodd says there are about 20 people still causing problems, which also includes irresponsible driving, and he recently met the schools, highways chiefs and concerned parents to discuss what else can be done.

“I would like an extension of the yellow lines and another idea is to put some planters on the pavement and fill them with flowers,” he said.

“As well as stopping the irresponsible drivers from parking on the pavement, they will also make the area look nicer.

“The schools and Cowell’s Garden Centre have shown an interest in maintaining the flowers so if the price is right with the officers we can move forward on this.

“It is very frustrating that these drivers, who I believe do not live around here, continue to abuse our village with their inconsiderate parking and bad driving, such as making dangerous u-turns and using the bus lane.

“They refuse to listen to our advice and I think they would drive right to the classroom if they could.”

Police have warned that anyone seen by officers parking illegally in Thornhill Road will receive a fixed penalty notice.

In a joint statement, Headteacher of Ponteland First School Lynn Blain and Headteacher of Richard Coates Middle School Paul Rusby said: “We work closely together on many matters and we have worked collaboratively to improve traffic issues around our school site with Coun Dodd, Northumberland County Council, local businesses, Northumbria Police, local residents and parents.

“We are very grateful to the majority of parents who now park away from Thornhill Road, which is helping ensure pupil safety as they access our school site.

“We continue to encourage all parents to park with consideration for local residents and the safety of our school communities.”
Source: Morpeth Herald

Pupils pay lasting tribute to Sir

PUPILS in Ponteland have honoured a former teacher by putting forward his name for a new development.

McCarthy and Stone's Assisted Living facility in the area has been named Henderson Court after Kenneth Henderson, who was appointed Head of Ponteland First School in 1975.

At that time the school was in North Road, next to where the apartments for elderly people are being built.

The company asked pupils at the school, which is now in Thornhill Road, to suggest a name for the development and both Lucy Naraine, five, and Alisha Ballantyne, seven, submitted Henderson Court.

Mr Henderson was head teacher for nearly 20 years before retiring and was an influential figure. The girls' research also discovered that the Henderson family once ran a builders yard from the site of the former school kitchens.

Regional Sales and Marketing Director at McCarthy and Stone Fiona Brooks said: "We pride ourselves on building communities and not just homes so we always aim to select names for our new developments that will have real meaning to the local residents.

"Being able to work alongside the students at Ponteland First School has helped us to gain a better understanding of the Ponteland community as a whole and we have been really impressed by the amount of valuable research they each put in to coming up with some great names.

"We chose Henderson Court as it clearly reflects a bygone era in Ponteland's history that is still important to the area's residents.

"We really can't thank Lucy and Alisha enough for suggesting it."

When complete, Henderson Court will provide 59 apartments for people over the age of 70 who might need additional assistance with their daily lives.

Source: Morpeth Herald

Chefs go back to the classroom

TOP chefs cooked up a creative lesson for Ponteland students as they passed on their catering skills.

Pupils at Richard Coates Middle School welcomed Aramark chefs Jonathan Duke and Paul Walton to the classroom as part of the national Let's Get Cooking Big Cookathon.

Around 230 community cookery events were organised nationwide through the initiative, with more than 3,000 pupils, parents and teachers from ten north east schools joining in.

And the Ponteland youngsters were delighted with their share of the food fest.

Food technology teacher Lisa Burton said: "The Let's Get Cooking clubs are really keen for people to work with industry professionals so we had two chefs that came along to work with our gifted and talented children and they provided everything.

"They are top chefs and they showed the kids all the fancy techniques.

"The children seemed to really enjoy it. The group who were taking part have really good skills already, but they certainly benefited from working with real chefs rather than teachers.

"This was the first time we have worked with these chefs, but they are keen to come back into school on a more regular basis, which would be great."

Let's Get Cooking is a network of after school clubs for children, their families and the wider community, led by the School Food Trust and supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

It aims to give people the skills and confidence to cook healthy meals on a budget.

Source: Morpeth Herald

Richard Coates Annual Ski Trip

Richard Coates returned from yet another fantastic Ski Trip this week.  Having taken some 47 pupils to the resort of Les Menuires in the Trois Vallees, Mr Hopper was only full of praise for his students on their return.

The pupils were all an absolute credit to the school.  Each has progressed so far in a week in terms of not only their skiing ability, but also thier social skills and living away from their home comforts.

The hotel Piolet managed by Chay and his wife Zoe was an excellent base from which we were able to ski to and from the door each day was an excellent base in the resort centre.  The quality of service from the staff was fantastic.

SKiing in 6 days of solid sunshine certainly meant spirits were high and the views from the top of the pistes were breathtaking. Especially looking across the magnificent Mt Blanc.

I know that the pupils will cherish the memories of the trip for many years to come and I look forward to start planning again for next years adventure.

Quotes from pupils on the 2011 Ski Trip to Les Menuires

I thoroughly enjoyed this years skiing trip. The skiing, the accommodation and also the food, it was all great!   My favourite part of the trip was learning to parallel ski down the red slopes.  I also enjoyed the après ski activities like the town trail. Quiz night, crepe night and the disco.  Our 4 instructors Marco, Lolo, Audrey and Muriel were very friendly.  I would definitely recommend this trip to the year 7s.

Adam 8 He

Skiing was a really good experience and I will always remember the trip.  I would definitely go skiing again as it was great fun.  It was the best activity holiday I've ever had!

Kim 8He

The ski trip was amazing! The best thing for me was getting down a slope and knowing that you had achieved it.  If you made a mistake the instructor told you how to correct it and you could improve.

Logan 8Ry

Skiing 2011 in Les Menuires has been the best week of my life.  It has taught me that if you put your head to it you can do it.  I will never forget this trip.

Jack 8Ry

I would recommend the skiing trip to everyone.  It was fun and I was able to make more friends. 

Bradley 

The great thing about the ski trip was being able to experience a new environment and try something that I had never done before.  I will always remember the feeling of skiing down the mountain in the sunshine.  It was amazing.

Dan 8Ry

RICHARD COATES SCHOOL CLOSURE 1ST DECEMBER

Snow Update 6.15am and 8.00am - Wednesday 1st December 2010-SCHOOL IS CLOSED due to local weather conditions and road conditions. We apologise that this decision has been necessary. Ponteland First, Middle and High School and Whalton, Heddon, Belsay, Stamfordham and Cambo First Schools in our Partnership are also closed today. I will update the website throughout the day, but looking longer term, will do all we can to reopen on Thursday 2nd December (weather permitting)

From Richard Coates Website 

ROTARY "FOCUS ON THE CROCUS"

Pupils in the Gardening Club at Ponteland County First School planting 250 purple crocus bulbs with Master-in-Charge Philip Vincent.  Also pictured are Raymond Tipping, President of Ponteland Rotary Club and Bob Crosby, Senior Vice-President. This is part of a nationwide Rotary Project to publicise steps being taken to eradicate Polio in the Third World. There are five and a half million purple crocus bulbs being planted nationwide during October with a headline publicity event in Trafalgar Square. This should produce a show of purple throughout the UK in February 2011 when Rotary's 'Thanks for Life' Campaign will reach its peak. The 'Ruby Giant' crocus represents the coloured dye dabbed on children's little finger to indicate they have been immunised against Polio.

Some 4000 bulbs will be planted by Rotary in Ponteland at schools, in Ponteland Park and on Rotary Way.

Ponteland nursery has got talent

PONTELAND has definitely got talent if Park House Nursery pupils are anything to go by.

For not only have they learned tricky songs and music to stage their first outdoor concert, but ten of the group will see their written work in print.

Children were encouraged to enter the My First Poem competition, sponsored by Need2Know, for the chance to publish their pieces in a regional anthology.

The four-year-olds were given templates, tailored to complement the Early Years Foundation Stage programme, and were guided through the challenge by Deputy Manager of the Berwick Hill nursery Julie Summerscales.

But the bulk of the work was left to the children's imaginations as they created their own personal poems.

And now they have all been selected for inclusion in the book, which is due to be published in August.

Nursery Manager Eileen Appleby said: "The poems are absolutely superb.

"These children are just four-years-old and I think they should be recognised because the poems are really beautiful. It was a really educational project and the children were fantastic."

However, the hard work was not over for the youngsters as next up was their nursery concert.

The performance was based on the theme 'mini beasts' and children dressed up for the occasion to sing their recently learned songs.

More than 100 parents turned out to support the event.

"Every child was dressed in costumes of mini beasts and they looked spectacular," said Mrs Appleby. "As with all their annual concerts, their singing was outstanding.

"The children learned so much from doing mini beasts, understanding that everything living on the planet has a place. Learning new words like millipede, centipede, squirmy and squidgy and fitting them into some tricky songs gave them lots to laugh about.

"It was so well received, perhaps summer concerts will become a yearly event, along with Christmas concerts."

Source: Morpeth Herald

You'll pay the price, rogue drivers warned

PEOPLE who fall foul of new measures to tackle congestion in a Ponteland street have been warned they will pay the penalty.

And a local councillor is hoping the police will back up their words with action to reduce the problems in Thornhill Road at the start and end of the school day.

Richard Coates Middle School and Ponteland First School are next to each other on the street.

Complaints about cars parking along the road and on pavements when taking pupils to and from school — which parents, local residents and councillors say reduces an already narrow road and puts children's safety at risk — have intensified since the first school moved there in 2007.

So in a bid to tackle the issue following discussions between the schools, Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Police, new double and single yellow lines were introduced at the start of the year.

Team Traffic Manager for Northumberland County Council Alan Bawn said the parking plate signs for the single yellow lines, prohibiting parking in key areas between 8.30am to 9.30am and 3pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday, have now been installed.

And Neighbourhood Inspector for East Tynedale Kevin Oates said: "Fixed Penalty Notices will be issued to drivers who park illegally in Thornhill Road.

"I would appeal to people who are attending the school to park legally in the area and avoid causing congestion. I appreciate this may involve a short walk from nearby car parking facilities."

There were traffic calming measures along the road already, including a 20mph speed limit and speed cushions. A zebra crossing and other road markings were put in place last year.

But many complaints have been made that indiscriminate parking on Thornhill Road is reducing the highway to single lane traffic and causing visibility problems for pedestrians.

Ponteland North county councillor Richard Dodd, who has been campaigning for new measures for a number of years, said: "I have still seen people parking on the yellow lines since they were put down so I hope the police and traffic wardens will regularly enforce the regulations like they have been doing outside County Hall."

Richard Coates Headteacher Paul Rusby said it has been working with other organisations to make the street as safe as possible for pupils as they go to and leave school and thanked parents for their support on the issue.

"I think the yellow lines will have a positive effect and help to address the congestion problem," he added.

Lynn Blain, Ponteland First School Headteacher, said: "We are committed to making sure access to and from the school is as safe as possible and the recent developments are a step in the right direction.

"It also requires education of the whole school community, including children and parents, about the importance of walking or parking in a village car park then walking the rest of the way whenever possible as well as effective enforcement of parking restrictions by the police." 

Source: Morpeth Herald

A taste of the Aztecs

PONTELAND school pupils got colourfully creative to celebrate its Aztec Day.

All Year 5 children at Richard Coates Middle School started making masks during art lessons before the event and finished them off on the day.

They came dressed in Aztec costumes and had a feast in the style of the ancient civilisation.

They were also involved in five activities — playing board games similar to the Aztec game patolli, crafts such as jewellery making, cooking food including tortillas and dipping fruit in chocolate, making an Aztec instrument, music and dance, and tackling an Aztec challenge in computers.

It was organised and led by Co-ordinator for History and Geography Christine Cowan with the help of Year 5 staff.

It was was part of a series of activity days about civilisations and time periods, including the Tudor and Victorian eras, held when pupils are studying them in lessons.

Richard Coates Deputy Headteacher Shirley Clark said: "Activity days like these bring the topic to life.

"The things the pupils learn from reading textbooks and internet research are put into practice, which helps them to remember the information."

Source: Morpeth Herald

Super troupers raise the roof

FUN and fund-raising was the name of the game at a Ponteland school's charity Abba night.

Pupils at Richard Coates Middle School, as well as their parents, school staff and people from the local parish, danced and sang to the music of the Swedish band and about £600 was collected to support a fresh water and feeding programme in The Gambia.

In 2007 a group of volunteers called The Wellwishers was formed to raise money for the projects.

And last year members Carol Morgan, a teacher at Richard Coates, and teaching assistant Frances Dawson took more than £1,000 to the African country, with support from school pupils selling raffle tickets.

The money from the Abba night, where a raffle was also held, will again be used to buy rice for the Sifoe Lower Basic School feeding programme, where children attending the school receive free school meals, and contribute to the fresh water appeal for the village of Sukuta — including a new well.

Mrs Morgan said: "More than 50 people attended and they all had a great night singing and dancing to Abba, while also donating to a worthy cause.

"With the Mamma Mia film and stage show having such a high profile, the tunes were equally as popular with the children as they were with the adults."

The best singing prize went to Year Six student Beth Mackenzie and the dancing queens were Mrs Dawson and fellow teaching assistants Marie Dunn and Sam Hood.

Source: Morpeth Herald

Pond puts nature on the timetable

WORK is underway to create an outdoor area for Ponteland school pupils to learn about the wonderful world of wildlife.

And an important discovery by one of them has led to plans by a county wildlife organisation to make the mini reserve in Callerton Lane, next to Ponteland High and Middle Schools, a haven to be enjoyed by residents as well. It has existed for more than 20 years but it had become overgrown and started attracting litter so staff and pupils began to clean and tidy up the area, which includes a pond, as well as prune some of the trees.
Then keen nature watcher Hannah Patterson, a Year 8 pupil at Ponteland Middle School, spotted a newt which looked different to ones she had seen before.
The Northumberland Wildlife Trust (NWT) was called in and together with Hannah they saw folded leaves and eggs to confirm the presence of great-crested newts — a rare and fully protected species.
Now the NWT is working with the schools to make the area a designated reserve with a pond dipping platform, seats, explanation signs and fencing to help prevent litter building up again.
Head of Conservation Steve Lowe said: "After the area was assessed we decided to work together to ensure the great-crested newts are protected and making a nature reserve will benefit all of the wildlife there as well as becoming an important resource for the schools and the local community.
"A clean-up day was held to clear debris and litter from the site and the attitude of the students and staff was fantastic as they were happy to get mucky.
"This is a beautiful area and a range of birds such as the blue tit, bullfinch and goldfinch can be seen along with the frogs and newts."
Funding is being sought for the works, which also include creating clear paths to the site, and pupils will help to manage it.
Ponteland Middle School Head Teacher Caroline Pryer said: "The children absolutely adore it and we are very proud of Hannah, whose discovery was even mentioned in the Cambridge Primary Review.
"It would be great to have a nature reserve next to the school where our pupils can see a lot of wildlife up close and help to feed the birds."
Gordon Baldwin, Business Manager of Ponteland High School, said that the project was fully supported by the Prudhoe and Ponteland Local Multi-Agency Problem Solving (LMAPS) group, which includes police and council representatives.
"It's gone well so far and it will certainly be a worthwhile venture once everything is in place, but it is still a work in progress," he added.
"Hopefully we will get the funding we need, particularly for the fencing to help keep the area secure."
A £250 donation towards the project has been awarded by Ponteland Town Council.
To help it find grants, contact Mr Baldwin on 01661 824711.

Source: Morpeth Herald

Continuing a centuries-old tradition

PONTELAND residents of all ages enjoyed a traditional event at the High School.

A Wassailing evening included performances by the Ponteland Community Band and the new Ponteland Community Choir, and among their songs were some favourite Christmas carols.
The celebration goes back many centuries and one form involves taking a Wassail bowl, usually made from wood or pewter, to distribute good cheer to the community.
Mince pies, mulled wine and raffle prizes were donated from local businesses with the proceeds going to the band and the choir.
Margaret McCormick, chair of the community band and organiser of the concert, said: "Today's focus is all about well being and community cohesion, so what better time than Christmas to bring out some true community spirit."
She also thanked Dobbies Garden Centre, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S, Rialtos, Fratelli, Ponteland Leisure Centre, Cowell's Garden Centre, Boo Hairdresser, Tesco and Deli@Darras for their donations.
Ponteland Mayor Robin Ramsay toasted those who attended by shouting 'Waes Hael', meaning be well. The audience responded with 'Drinc Hael' meaning cheers.
"It was extremely encouraging to see yet another example of a community event which involved all ages," said Coun Ramsay.
"I never cease to be amazed by the talent that we have in our schools and as a glimpse of the future we have nothing to be worried about. The High School and Margaret are to be applauded for organising such an event."
The Ponteland Community Band has been together for more than a year, with more than 40 members from across the area, who practise and showcase their talents at local events.
Replicating the success of the Community Band, Ponteland High School is now hoping to achieve the same success with the new choir and would welcome any new members to join them. Rehearsals take place on a Thursday afternoon at 3.30pm.

Source: Morpeth Herald