Alternative Curriculum Week at Settlebeck 17^th - 20^th July 2006
Monday
  At the start of the day we did a couple of little experiments to do with rocks and weathering. While we were working, Mr Burrowes said that he and staff would be performing a not very well-rehearsed play. They did the …. exciting …. play. We had to find out who killed who by using all the evidence that was found on the window sill, on feet and finger prints. And the murderer was Pat (Mrs Oughton). Jamie Game 9H
  My shelter design worked well, it stayed up for our group and for some staff. Me, Sam and Bryan started jumping on it and it still stayed standing, even with me jumping on it.
  We had to carry the things down to the river but it was easy because we lobed them down the hill. At the end we demolished them, we had to carry the things up the hill but I used the wheelbarrow!! At the end we went swimming down to the weir and we were almost late for the bus. I don't always enjoy school but I loved that day!!
Tom Coates 9B
  I learned how to work together and if you cooperated it gets done better.
Freddie Evans-Jeanrenaud 9B
  The teachers made our day fun. It is a memory I will treasure.
Rachel Bainbridge 9B
  Today we had a year 9 team building activity out on the field. It was good fun as we had to compete with other teams and build shelters and coracles. Because it was such a nice day we raced in the coracles and then we all had a dip in the river. It was great.
Sophi Schools 10J
  Overall our group worked well, and managed to complete each task quite easily. I contributed very well, I helped build the shelter and made the team flag and thought of a name for the group.
  Our final outcome was successful, our coracle managed to go down the river without sinking, and after a class vote our shelter was the best.
  There was a funny moment when everyone had to tidy-up around the outside of the shelter, and Kurt was hiding underneath the coracle. Also a memorable moment was when Toby set off on the coracle down the river, his face was hilarious, it had a sign of fright as well as happiness, but in the end he managed to make it without falling out.
Simone Raw 10J
  As they pushed the coracles into the water I thought "god, that's going to sink". However, at first it beat predictions by floating and supporting the weight of the largest person in our group but then it tipped up a tiny bit and got filled with water and sank. The funniest thing was the way our coracles l had been stripped for parts before it even got to the finish line.
William Richardson 10J
  The moment I will remember was when we got into the raft and set off. At first it was going quite well and then water started to leak into the raft and it sank completely then when I was swimming ahead to the weir and I sank a bit.
Kierhan Hoyes 10J
  Our boat was useless it couldn't float because we filled it with tyres. It got a few meters before it sunk to the bottom of the river. David Goad 10J
  I found all the activities memorable. I can't fault any part of the day. It was fantastic. Danielle Keyland 10L
  I enjoyed the boomerang day, especially flying them. I thought our presentation went well and we came joint first.
Rebecca Wheatley 11W
  From doing the boomerang day I learnt a lot, especially how to make boomerangs. Nick Game 11W
  I thought it was good because we got to go and test the boomerangs outside in the sun. Grace Hunter 11W

  I really enjoyed the Wildlife Oasis. I enjoyed holding the animals but the snake hissed at me. I also held a lizard that stuck its tongue out at me. The weather was too hot, especially in the Butterfly House. Ellen Bell 8O
  Tuesday was the best day. We had to build a bridge and a shelter; we used things to help build the bridge, e.g. woods, string, barrels, crates, tyres, scissors, tarpaulin. When we had finished the whole of the group had to cross it. The other group won. Then we went swimming at the weir.
Jake Hodgson 9H
  We were in our form groups and were given some materials like wood, string, tyres, etc. and we had to make a bridge across the river. The other form won but ours was still good. When we finished we went to the weir and went swimming - it was good fun.
Alex Lavery-Hoffe 9H

  Very warm and fun like making our own song and auditioning for parts. It was nice when we went to the river. It was relaxing. Tom Johnson 8B
  It was good and we got to put on a performance to the other groups and we went swimming at the end.
Hugh Gallagher 8B
  We went on a trip to Manchester. First, we went to the Imax Cinema to see a 3D film about endangered sharks. Then we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. We saw old-fashioned trains, aeroplanes and helicopters. Then we went to the scientific part and played around with scientific gadgets all day until the coach came and we went home.
Elizabeth Hunt 9H
  I really liked the 3D film and it was well air-conditioned! The fish looked like they were really swimming out! The tram was good fun. It was a bit too hot to be in museums but it was nice and cool (and fun) in the hands-on experiment. It was fun on the bus too.
Freddie Jeanrenaud 9B
  The Manchester trip was great! The 3D cinema was really good - it felt like the sharks were coming towards us and we were trying to grab them. The science museum and experiments were good fun and we could see Coronation Street from the window. I saw four characters. The Mars Quest was the best because it was cold. Katie Hoggarth 9B
  All of Year 10 went on a trip to Carlisle as part of the Alternative Curriculum Week at the end of term. First of all we went shopping in the square, where we passed the beautiful Carlisle Cathedral. There were a variety of shops for both the make and female students. After a two hour shopping spree, all the students were spent up. Amy Baines says, "We all had a super fab time. I bought a top from Miss Selfridge." After this we all got back onto the bus and drove about two miles to the bowling alley. We were in groups of 6 and had 4 lanes between us all. Natasha Hardy bowled first and, yes, she got a strike. Everyone enjoyed the bowling and competing with each other, especially the males. Jenni Lamb says, "It was a really good day, a worthwhile trip."
Natasha Hardy and Kellie Schools 11T
Learn to Earn
  Learn to Earn was a very interesting experience. A young girl called Sarah, who worked for Young Enterprise, talked to us about our careers and qualifications. We were split into 2 groups and then sub-divided into a further 4 groups. We did lots of activities from a Young Enterprise book. We discussed what, where and how you can get certain qualifications. I benefited a lot from the day and it definitely increased the chances of me going to university. Anon
  The first 2 lessons we were doing about our dream lifestyle, what we wanted to do in the future and other things. For my dream lifestyle I put that I wanted a massive stone house in West Newbury, Massachusetts and I wanted an Aston Martin DB9 and a house full of American huskies. For the second double lesson, we did a board game about what we are going to do after school. That was fun also. For the last 2 lessons we were filling in the rest of the booklet, which was quite boring but I learnt about careers and different annual salaries. Overall, it was a good day!
Danielle Keyland 10L
  I would give the Learn to Earn experience a 7/10. In the morning we decided what we would like to do in the future, if we would go on to further education or get a job. Before lunch we played a game about more education or getting a job. After lunch we did a quiz about what we learnt. I enjoyed the game before lunch but I didn't do very well. I would have enjoyed a few more games.
Matthew Mudd 10J
Get the Whole Picture
  Get the Whole Picture came in on Wednesday to show us what university and further education was about. We were split into groups to play games which would give us an idea of university life. I enjoyed the whole experience. At the end, the groups with the most points were given a prize.
Adam Parkinson 10L
  I think the morning was excellent and a lot of effort had been put into organising the event. We had to collect jigsaw pieces and passwords to type into the computer, which tallied our points. Our group won the competition and won a box of Roses! Natalie Iveson 10J
  This was really fun. It was great that we were constantly active and doing stuff. The time limit made it extra challenging and it was fun to be competing, even though we weren't winning. The great thing was that all of the activities were different and because of the all the computers, everything went smoothly and it was hard to get lost. The only thing was, right at the end we had just finished a really hard task and we had to stop, so we could have had another 3,000 points but it was too late.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Anon

  At Settlebeck we have a small and very hardworking PTFA committee. Over recent years we have been raising funds in various ways, both modern and more traditional, for example supporters who shop on line are able to earn us commission from retailers (details below). We have been able to buy items that would otherwise have been beyond the budgets normally available within school (See separate article). However we have found the more traditional types of fundraising events such as the 60s Dance and Quiz Night are giving less 'value for effort'.
  At 7pm on Thursday 12^th October we will be holding a special meeting in school where we will be looking for a more positive, effective way ahead. (We have to include the requirements of an AGM, but don't let that put you off, it will be informal and brief!)
  We are really hoping that some ideas, and offers, will come from our community and the many supporters of Settlebeck - we know you're out there…..    If you can help we would be delighted to see you at the meeting, there will be no expectation that you take on any commitment unless you want to. You could also contact us in other ways - chat to a committee member or drop a line to school. New committee members are also welcome, young or old, you don't need a direct, or even indirect connection with school - though almost everyone seems to have one. Meetings are informal, and often in a local hostelry!
  Some of the suggestions already on the table are

• Encouraging people to help with PTFA functions without necessarily joining the committee, for example being a regular helper at the quiz night once a year.
  
• Aiming functions at particular groups within our community who may have fewer choices when it comes to nights out, such as families with young children.
  
• Trying fresh fundraising ideas, or a return to the very traditional such as domino and beetle drives.