Every issue of the Webberzine we aim to give you an insight into different departments in the school.

In this issue, we are putting the spotlight onto Modern Foreign Languages.

At Mary Webb School and Science College students in Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) study French and Spanish.

The teachers in the department are:

The department prides itself on the acquisition of vocabulary and student’s willingness to speak and have a go in front of their peers. The aim of the department is a love of languages and languages for life.

There are numerous skills that are taught implicitly in the department alongside the language skills. Students learn to work collaboratively, to listen carefully and share ideas and learning strategies.

This year the department (alongside the humanities department) are running a trip to Normandy, this is an opportunity for Year 8 students to immerse themselves in the language and the culture of France.

Onatti- an interactive theatre company visited the school and gave a performance to Key Stage 3 students. This was immersive and gave students an opportunity to speak in front of the lower school! All students who were asked to were happy to do so and pleasingly had the support from their friends.

Students recently were asked about their language learning and these were some of their comments:

“I am doing well because it intrigues me”

“the teachers teach it well, so we want to learn, it is not boring, one of the most enjoyable lessons they always make it exciting so that everyone joins in”

“interesting, always something to do- it is a good skill to have, engaging not repetitive”

“If we are stuck, we ask for help”

In the early hours of Thursday morning, we all met at The Belvidere School, deposited our cash in The Bank of Bird, and boarded the coach ready to go back to sleep. We sped down the motorway until sunrise and had a pitstop at the service station, eventually arriving in Dover in time for our ferry. Having eaten all my sweets, we boarded the ferry to Calais and were given a voucher for a free full English breakfast which I happily ate. As it was my first time on a ferry, it felt very odd, but I soon got used to it. After having free time, and re-enacting the scene from the Titanic, we regrouped and boarded the coach ready for the 2-hour ride to the chateau. On arrival, we were allocated our rooms, played football, and then went in for our dinner and some well needed sleep.

The next morning, after a lie in, we had a lovely pain au chocolat for breakfast, made our lunch for the day and set off on our journey around Belgium. First, we visited Sanctuary Wood where we walked in the footsteps of soldiers through the original trenches. Then, we went to Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery with around 12,000 graves, 8,400 of which were unknown. It was astonishing to see how many graves there were and how neatly they were kept. After that, we went to Langemark Cemetery, one of four German cemeteries in the region of Flanders. Although it was less than a quarter of the size, there were three times the number of soldiers buried there than in Tyne Cot. This is because of the mass grave of around 24,000 soldiers buried in the centre. We then moved on to Passchendale Museum where replicas of underground bunkers consisting of offices, bunkbeds and trenches had been built. There was also a presentation showing how the front line moved over the months of the fighting during WWI. To finish our journey around Belgium we went to the small city of Ypres. Here, we went to The In Flanders Field Museum, where a bracelet was given to us that corresponded to a person living during the war. Throughout the exhibit, we were able to scan the bracelet and find out what our person was doing at the time. Also in Ypres, we went to a Belgian chocolatier with a very jolly shopkeeper, where I managed to spend half of my euros! After that, we went to a nice restaurant for our evening meal. To finish the day off, we watched the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, laid a wreath down, and on our journey back played Mr Roberts’ Amazing Quiz.

On our last morning at the chateau, we got up early as we had to pack our bags and load the coach. We set off and soon arrived at Thiepval Memorial. This is a 150ft tall memorial commemorating the missing of the Somme. It bears the names of 72,000 United Kingdom and South African soldiers who were never found after the fighting of the Somme. The final memorial we visited was Vimy Ridge. This was a monument commemorating the victory of the Canadians in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This battle was significant as it was the first time only Canadian forces fought together and marked a turning point in the war in favour of the Allies. For the final time in France, we got on the coach and headed to Dunkirk. After a long drive and passing through French and UK Border Controls, we managed to get on an early ferry to reach the white cliffs of Dover by 6:00 pm. As the sun was setting, we made our journey home tired and exhausted after our incredible three-day visit.

Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. One of my most memorable moments was falling in a deep puddle whilst walking through the trenches and travelling on the ferry across the choppy waters of the English Channel.

By: Jack Cawthorne

Day 1

The first day started by visiting Belgium and the trenches used in WW1, they were very small and muddy with tunnels and hideouts. This showed us how uncomfortable and difficult it would have been to live in them. Next, we went to the Passchendaele Museum in Belgium which had amazing displays, an underground bunker, and outdoor trenches replicas. Soon after we explored a famous cemetery called Tyne Cot. As soon as we saw it, we were all shocked at the number of white gravestones that stood row upon row. After seeing Tyne Cot the German cemetery at Langemark after seemed minuscule. However, it had thousands more bodies under its grounds than Tyne Cot. This showed us how little remembrance the German soldiers were given compared with the British. We continued to the center of Ypres, Belgium, where we visited an interactive museum and explored the town. We bought lots of Belgian delicacies. After having some good food at a restaurant, we made our way to pay our respects at the Last Post Ceremony, which has happened every day at the Menin Gate since the end of WW1.

Day 2

The second day we were in France, visiting memorials and monuments. The first memorial was the Thiepval Memorial which had around 72,000 British and French missing soldiers engraved on its walls. We laid a wreath to show our respect. The second and final monument we saw was called Vimy and was built to celebrate the Canadian soldiers who fought and lost their lives. The monument was huge and set on a hilltop which had views for miles.

The trip was so much fun, very interesting and gave us great experiences we’ll never forget.

By: Abbie Steward

As part of the GCSE Geography Course Year 11 Geographers undertook fieldwork in preparation for their Paper 3 examination in June.

At Carding Mill Valley students undertook a variety of fieldwork activities testing river hypotheses. Students worked in small groups at 2 different locations in the valley – the Upper and Lower Courses. They measured river flow velocity, the depth of the river along and across the river channel, sediment size and they measured the rate of erosion.  Also, students contrasted and compared the land management of differing locations with thin the valley.

The weather was very kind to us, despite it being the beginning of March. Although the valley was very busy with other visiting schools and students even for this time of the year.

TrustEd Student Parliament Day at Church Stretton School

Hello, my name is Zia and I am a Year 7 student at Mary Webb School and Science College. On Tuesday 15^th March, George and I embarked on a trip to Church Stretton School where the TrustEd Student Parliament officially met up for the first time in person, which was very exciting! The experience was nothing short of transformative, brimming with anticipation and enthusiasm as we were absolutely prepared to present our chosen charities. We, exuding confidence above our level, delivered an impactful presentation that set a high standard for the day. We felt assured that the trust would be swayed by our heartfelt pitches, advocating for causes close to the hearts of all at Mary Webb School.

Just to give you an idea of what the TrustEd Parliament is, it’s a Student Parliament that has been set up to represent the voices of approximately 5000 students across the nine TrustEd Schools. It is headed up by Mrs Bell from Oldbury Wells School.

Continuing explaining our experience, we engaged in a series of engaging team-building activities that fostered the unity and cooperation among the group. From problem-solving challenges to creative exercises, laughter and learning intertwined seamlessly, creating an atmosphere of shared accomplishment and mutual support. These activities not only strengthened bonds, but also honed the communication and leadership skills between different schools, preparing them for the tasks ahead.

Amidst the buzz of activity, we took a well-deserved break to enjoy a delicious meal together, exchanging our stories, memories and laughter as we all bonded over our shared experiences. Following this moment of chill and relaxation, the focus shifted to the crucial tasks of selecting the beneficiaries of our fundraising efforts. Through a democratic voting process, the TrustEd Student Parliament has made the decision to support Papyrus UK as the official national charity and Birmingham Children’s Hospital as their local charity, decisions made with heartfelt consideration and support.

If you’re wondering what Papyrus UK and Birmingham Children’s Hospital are, I will introduce them to you now. Papyrus UK is a national charity that works to support young people struggling with thoughts of suicide. Suicide is the biggest killer of young people under the age of 35. In addition to supporting young people, Papyrus UK deliver suicide prevention projects and training programmes. Sadly, Mary Webb School lost James, a Year 11 student from our school community in late September 2022. The tragic loss of his life, was completely unexpected for all who knew him. This not only had a great impact on us at our school, but also the primary school that he went to in our trust.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital offers leading care for sick children and their families. The hospital has a bowel transplant centre and are a global centre of excellence for complex heart conditions, the treatment of burns, cancer and liver and kidney disease. St Leonards C.E. Primary School currently has three students that are being supported by the incredible work that Birmingham Children’s Hospital do.

Again, explaining our experiences, after the votes were counted and the charities successfully chosen, we wasted absolutely no time in channelling all of our energy and creativity into brainstorming ideas on how to elevate our fundraising efforts. Armed with passion and determination, we collaboratively penned down a plethora of innovative strategies aimed at increasing awareness and raising crucial funds for the selected causes. With a shared commitment to making a difference, the group left no stone unturned in the task to ensure that more people will recognise the noble work of these charities and are inspired to contribute to their missions.

By: Zia M 7C

Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org)

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity (bch.org.uk)

We are the six students selected to represent the school in the Faraday Challenge, a national STEAM competition. Overall, we believe that this was an amazing opportunity to experience new surroundings and to be able to work as a group to create something that, in the future, could possibly be used in everyday situations to improve someone else’s life. None of us have ever properly worked with wires and electrical components which is why it was great being part of a group where everyone advances in multiple different and unique skills. It was amazing seeing all these other schools and listening to their ideas on how to improve our society. At the beginning we had many ideas of what our project should be and decided to focus on the people of our society instead. As a group we created a model that would help. We decided that our idea was going to be based on how close people always stood to the roads.  We put a flashing/beeping pressure plate, so if someone stood on it, it warned people about the danger that they are too close to the road and at risk of falling in.

We were extremely pleased with our result of how we, as Mary Webb School students, would like to positively impact a person’s day.

With all the support we received from our teachers before the Faraday Challenge and the adults there to help us on the day we managed to work efficiently and with minimum disagreements to engineer something that we were all proud to present.

We are all incredibly grateful for such an amazing opportunity and the chance to work alongside other future engineers. We hope that our ideas and designs have shown how well we work as a group and how much your support and encouragement helped us along the way.

Students of the Faraday Challenge: (Natasha Leoci, Will Robinson, David Jones, Will Mew, Tara Jackson, Emma Kultonova)

Today we were set the task to make rocket cars. We started by drawing on the bio-foam block where we wanted it cut to shape. We then stuck the remainder of the foam on the front, as a nose cone, and stuck a piece of cardboard underneath it to match the shape of the car. We then cut out two pieces of cardboard and glued them together and then glued it to the base. We then applied the wheels and the eyelet to the car, the eyelet allows the car to be attached to the race wire, so it would go straight and not fly off. After that we put them in a box and raced them on the field. The excitement of racing them was exhilarating!

By: Josh Scott 7W

Today we made cars to race to the finish line and see whose car was the fastest. We started off the day by getting taught how to make them. Then we got put into groups. My group made a car that beat the other car and went really fast. WE started off by designing it and doing rough drafts, then it was time to make it.

We started off by getting our bio-foam block cut into the car shape, then we hot glued the rest of the stuff on, it was fire themed. We faced difficulties by not adding everything we wanted on it, like wings. Now it was time to race!!

It was two at a time racing. We all lined around the edge and did a countdown, 3, 2, 1, go!

The cars had eyelets on so they wouldn’t fly off the track line and ours won against the opponent. Then we all went in and watched different kinds of cars being made into rockets.

Overall I think the day was fun and exciting and you got to be creative, so I really liked it and hope to have another day like this.

By: Layla Iqbal

Y8 Thinktank trip

I enjoyed everything, the planetarium and the free time around the museum. On the first floor there was a big old train and it looked like it had been painted recently and there was also all types of vehicles and some statues. The second floor had more old vehicles, a helicopter and some games. The third floor had a shop and extinct animal figures. The 4^th floor had a robot you could interact with and a planetarium which I really liked.

By: Karina H 8L

First, we had an assembly that informed us what life might be like when we leave school, some of the main routes being apprenticeships, A-levels and University. The inspirational sparks speaker was good and confident, he showed demonstrations and videos about what he was geting up to at University and the experiments he did as projects. We also saw a video from someone who is doing an apprenticeship as a carpenter.

Lesson 2 & 3 we did DNA necklaces with Mrs Lee, which was good as you could see the double helix and the small molecules. Mrs Lee was really good at telling us what to do and the session was set out well, the time passed quickly as we were having fun. We also did strawberry DNA.

After lunch we did PE in the sports hall with different machines to try out like rowing machines, to how many calories you burned in a minute. A Batak reaction timer, and there were 2 big inflatables that allowed us to measure the speed we kicked a football. Rowing machines to see how many calories you burned in a minute.

Then last lesson a lady talked to us about construction and showed us how to build a tower to withstand wind storms and earthquake. We were split into teams and had to build a tower, to test the towers they put ii on a wiggle board and put a fan to blow it, to simulate extreme wind and earth quake. If any pieces fell off you were disqualified, as it would be dangerous.

To summarise all the guest visitors were really good and informative, the day was planned out really well and it went really quick. My personal favourite was the DNA strawberries and necklace’s.

By: Jasmine Copeland 10T