Check out the app on the The App Store or Google Play.

While you are at it check out Brightstorm.com, Sixty Symbols and Dr PhysicsA Youtube channel.

@UVHSPhysicsHub

Classes have plenty to be working on and should use the lesson time for independent study.

Mr Rice will want to see the work that has been done by students when he returns.

Any queries see Mr Thompson

2. Shell have given up on drilling oil in the Arctic… for now

3. Is this new tarmac the solution to flooding in urban areas?

Extension Physics is intended for AS and A2 level physics students who would like to investigate some topics, skills and practical activities that go beyond the standard curriculum.

It is not a physics course and there is no assessment. It is designed to be useful and interesting to those who might want to study physics or engineering at university, or maybe just want to look at some fun physicsy things.

http://extensionphysics.thomascarlpion.co.uk/fermi-problems

BRICS and implications on resources

Complete for Tuesday 29th September.

Sample contents of the magazine can be seen here

AQA-PH2HP-W-MS-Jun15

When you get your paper back you should use the mark scheme to identify where your strengths and weaknesses lie and take measures to address the areas in need of improvement.

The grade boundaries for the paper were as follows:

A* 45/60, A 36/60, B27/60, C 19/60

2. With the ongoing refugee crisis straining diplomatic relations across Europe even the coveted Schengan agreement is at threat. Europe now has more physical barriers to movement than it did during the cold war

3. Staying on the refugee theme, here is another interactive map plotting where refugees are and estimates on numbers.

….This will make sense in Tuesday’s lesson….

At The Forum, Barrow at 7.30pm on Wednesday 23rd September. Entrance FREE

This will be Robin’s 14th visit to present a lecture in Barrow and he always fills the hall. Well worth attending.

Please also the flyer here for the first of this year’s Barrow and District Association of Engineers talks at The Forum in Barrow on Thursday night.

JimAllen Poster (1)

Finally please look at the Masterclasses on offer from Lancaster University this year – they are a fantastic opportunity and give your personal statements a boost as well.

Lancaster Masterclasses

1. Asylum seekers arriving into Europe has been a major news topic throughout the summer, pushed to the fore by the terrible photo of a young Syrian buy, Aylan, drowned on a Turkish beach. This report outlines where many start their journey and this one outlines why so many asylum sekkers are heading to the EU. Most are escaping conflict or persecution.

Part of the reason for the switch in  public and media attitude to ‘migrants’ has been the confusion between an economic migrant and an asylum seeker.

2. The world’s second largest economy, China, has seen its economy start to slow down. This interactive graph outlines what the impact on the rest of the world could be in terms of trade.

3. The British Isles weren’t so much a collection of islands during the end of the last ice age, more an extension of NW Europe:

Year 12 please read the handbook carefully and both year groups please complete your online questionnaires before the end of next week.

bit.ly/yr12questionnaire

bit.ly/yr13questionnaire

Thank you.

https://isaacphysics.org/account?authToken=NDAWNJ 

Any queries? – ath@uvhs.uk

This work needs completing on A4 paper and handing in on your first physics lesson with Mr Thompson…

BUT…

There is an alternative….

Go to isaacphysics.org and create an account. When you are logged in, join the group ‘Classes 12’ by entering the code NDAWNJ in the box.

You can then go to ‘My Assignments’ and complete the work online. Simples. Nothing to write – nothing to hand in.

As always – any questions – email ath@uvhs.uk

2.There are now 31 low income countries in the world, fewer than ever before.

3. A bit of destructive wave action to get you in the mood for summer

This is worth a watch – A short 9 minute film outlining the cold war

The team should be proud of their efforts.  They are Barrow and Cumbrian Champions and the ‘4th best school in the North of England’, but I am going to say, knowing these kids and how they can play they are much better than 4th but will just have to live with the fact that on the day that is the best we could do.

Well done again Luke A, Luke Q, Jamie B, Ted S, Megan S, Jack S, Jordan M, Will G and Freddie B.  The cricketing success you are helping bring to UVHS is great.

Can I personally thank Mr. Bob Simpson (Cumbria Crickets Development Manager) for helping me get the team across to York CC on the day as York is not your usual local fixture.

Mr Quint

Well done all.

• The space race between USSR and USA 1955-1971
• The Cuban Missile Crisis – 1962
• The development of Nuclear weapons – 1945
• The Korean war 1950-53
• Vietnam War
• Marshall Plan

Please bring your presentation on a data stick or upload it straight to Google Slides. I will upload all of the presentation into the Drive after the lesson.

2. Planning has just been approved for the world’s largest Potash mine… And it’s In a National Park. Economic sense or a mockery of National Park protection?

3. From an Internet users point of view this is one of the most important maps in the world.

4. Lots of thunder and lightening on Sunday. Here’s a reminder of what causes it.

Also – another bed has been found for Kennet School!!!  Many thanks to the family who made that offer .

Band letter

Saturday 20th  –  BIG BAND @ The Old Friends (Sautergate) from 20:15 – 22:00 (in the beer garden marquee)

Sunday 21st – SWING BAND @ Grange Bandstand from 14:00 – 16:00

Both events are FREE.  Please publicise them amongst friends & colleagues and on social media – it would be great to have big audiences to play to!

We will be organizing the summer concerts, arranging the Christmas Festival and discussing further fundraising for the Wind Band Tour to Salzburg.

All parents of musicians welcome

Saturday 20^th June        Reduced Swing @ The Old Friends – 8pm

Sunday 21^st June           Swing @ Grange Bandstand – 2pm

Monday 22nd June       Sax Ensemble @ Prizegiving – 6pm

Saturday 4^th July           Swing @ Market Cross – 11am (carnival)

Monday 6^th July            Chamber Concert @ UVHS – 7pm

Friday 10^th July             Wind Band Concert @ The Coro – 7.30pm

(with Kennett School Wind Band)

Saturday 11^th July         Swing @ LowickFest – 6.00pm

(with Kennett School Soul Band – BBQ, Bar, ice cream etc)

Wednesday 15^th July     A Night At The Musicals @ The Coro – 7.30

Those students playing know who they are and received a letter last week with all the arrangements.  We are taking 7 saxes, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, drum, bass and piano.

Please make sure you are wearing full swing band uniform (with t-shirt underneath for warmth if necessary), and bring a waterproof for when we are not playing.

The new Learning Support/Sixth Form Centre with a myriad of scaffold as the roof is completed and the brickwork and internal fixings are well under way. The glass is now in the link corridor and work on the terracing is well underway.

Special congratulations to Alex Nicklin, Francis Smith-Ward and Emily Glass who all made their debuts, and had to sight-read about 75% of the programme!!!!

Next Swing Band gig is at Grange on Sunday 21st June @ 2pm, but the Combo has three engagements before then:

Friday 29th May  –  Holker Garden Festival (12.00 & 2pm)

Saturday 20th June  –  Private Party at Newlands (6.30pm)

Saturday 20th June  –  The Old Friends (8pm – 10.00pm)

Well done to Megan S, Holly P, Jamie B, Luke Q, Will G, Ted S, Vincent J and Jordan M on an excellent team performance.

Mr Quint

National & International Success

Last week two groups of pupils from Ulverston achieved success in national & international orienteering competitions.

View the photo gallery →

International

Seven pupils travelled to the World Schools Championships held near Antalya, Turkey. This is the first time the biennial championships have been held in Turkey so it was a step into the unknown regarding the terrain and weather. However, by looking at previous maps from the area and checking some videos posted on Facebook, the group were able to prepare themselves by training on similar terrain in the Lake District.

Adam was part of the senior boys select team. He is the first pupil to represent England in 3 championships after a change in the rules this year. Previously he ran in the UVHS schools teams. The standard in the seniors is extremely high with very strong teams from Sweden, Finland and France to contend with. Adam struggled in the long race, finishing 43rd, but was more pleased with the middle distance where he was the first England finisher in 25th place.

Harry was part of the junior boys select team, running in his first international competition. He ran very well in the long race, finishing in a creditable 17th place. He consolidated this with 25th position in the middle distance. As part of a very strong team, Harry is proud to come home with a gold medal as England dominated the team prize.

UVHS has had school teams selected for every championship since 1997 and this year they were chosen as the junior girls school team. With no idea of the standard of the other countries the 5 girls from UVHS could only concentrate on their orienteering and hope it would be good enough

The long race produced highs and lows. Megan had a stunning run, planning the long legs well in advance and hitting the controls cleanly. She was rewarded with an individual silver medal. Anna ran a really good race to finish 9th and Fiona completed the scoring in 22nd place. Catherine ran extremely well and would have been 7th, but went to the wrong fallen tree and was disqualified. Tilly made 3 mistakes and finished in 27th place.

The long race was dominated by New Zealand who had 5 girls in the top 8 places. However, UVHS were in 2nd place, a long 30 mins behind. They were closely followed by Latvia, 5 mins back, and then Spain, a further 13 mins behind. It would be almost impossible to catch NZ, but Latvia were strong and it would be hard to maintain 2nd place.

The middle distance race was much shorter, but the terrain was very rocky resulting in some slow times. Catherine put her mistake from the first race behind her and had a clean run to finish 8th. Tilly also overcame her previous disappointment and finished 3 mins behind Catherine in 16th place. The school score was completed by Anna in 26th place. As expected the Latvian team had storming runs, beating UVHS by over 20 mins to take the team silver medal behind NZ in 1st place. However, UVHS had done enough to take the bronze medal ahead of Spain.

This was a great result for a team who had flown in under the radar and let their orienteering do the talking. The most pleasing aspect was that all 5 girls contributed to the school score, demonstrating the strength of the team. Now, they are preparing for the 2017 championships to be held in Italy.

National

At the same time a larger group travelled to the British Championships in the Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The area is completely different to the Lake District with a maze of tracks, footpaths, streams and ditches. However, the undulating, deciduous woodland was lovely to run through and there were some fast times posted. Taking the wrong path or missing a small stream resulted in time being lost on the challenging courses.

Results from the individual event on Saturday were solid if not spectacular. In the M16a class Sam finished a creditable 8th, just missing the championship time by 2 mins. The year 7 girls have only been orienteering for 6 months, but still managed some strong results in W12a. Ellie finished 8th (championship time), 40 secs ahead of Merryn (10th). Charlotte (18th), Sophie (19th), Rebecca (21st) & Lucy (23rd) also posted good times. Jess finished 9th in her first year in W14a.

In contrast to the results on Saturday, Sunday’s relays were outstanding. Pupils were running as part of Lakeland Orienteering Club. The M18 team of Sam (M16), Alex (M16) and Noah (M18, Kirkby Lonsdale) finished third, against older teams. The girls teams did even better. The W18 team of Daisy (W16), Polly (W16) and Hannah (W18, Cartmel) held their nerve to win GOLD. However, the result of the weekend came from the W14 team. Merryn (W12) finished the first leg in 2nd place, 1 min behind the leaders. Ellie (W12) took the lead by 40 secs and Jess (W14) held off the strong challenge from the Derby team to win GOLD. With most pupils having at least another year, if not two, in their relay classes, the future looks good

Well done girls on getting so far in this National Competition.

Mr Quint

Well done girls on getting so far in this National Competition.

Mr Quint

Both myself and Mr. Taylor had the pleasure of escorting the team for the day and we watched our 6 pupils play some excellent golf.  The pace of the greens for some added shots to each hole until they became more comfortable but their tee to green play on the whole was excellent, considering for most this was the first time they had played this course.  The pupils played in mixed 3 ball groupings and had their individual scores added with their partners once completing their 18 holes and for a short period the UVHS 2 and 1 teams held the No 1 and 2 spots respectively on the team leader boards.  But as the scores came in, others had played excellent golf also to push the UVHS pairs out of the first 3 positions.  However, Natasha S held on to the girls best gross prize with a fine score of 76 (3 over par) and Natasha S and David B (UVHS 2) finished a fantastic 4th and Scott P and Luke Q (UVHS 1) a credible 9th overall from 16 teams entered.  Individually in the gross competition against the course par of 72 (boys) 73 (girls) (without handicap adjustments) Natasha S 76 (1st girls section and 7th Overall), David B 78 (10th Overall) and Luke Q 83 (17th overall) and the Nett Competition (after handicap score adjustments) Luke Q 83 -17=68 (4 under / 5th), David S 78-8=70 (2 under / 10th) and Natasha S 76-2=74 (1 over / 20th).  Scott P (86-6=80), Scott W (87-7=80) and Chris L (94-15=79) also all played some excellent golf on the day.  This is the first time for some time UVHS has played competitive schools golf and after the way our pupils have performed in this tournament hopefully further opportunities can be found to give our golfers further opportunities to excel at this very rewarding but difficult sport.

Top 10 team Scores  and Top 25 Individual Scores Below along with Natasha receiving her award.

Mr Quint

• 1st prize: Ticket number 679 Becks Hodgson sold by Tilly
• 2nd prize: Ticket number 507 Sophie Wilson sold by Fiona
• 3rd prize: Ticket number 863 Mike Cunningham sold by Ms Lomas
• and the Last Duck Home prize was ticket number 468 Margaret Lawrence sold by Miss Evans

The Shock of the Fall is an award winning novel that follows the story of Matthew Homes, a 19-year-old boy with Schizophrenia. He starts off the novel by recalling a holiday 10 years earlier with his parents and brother Simon, who tragically died. As the story unfolds through Matthew’s inner thoughts, feelings and sketches we see him wrestle with both his Schizophrenia and his guilt over his past actions. It is a heartbreaking but gripping tale of one man’s journey to redemption and good health. The writer himself was a mental health nurse before lecturing in Creative Writing at Bath University, so his descriptions of Matthew and his struggles have a sincerity to them that makes this story thought provoking and original. The book has been compared to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (which I read with both of my Year 9 classes this year) and it isn’t hard to see why. Both writers create characters with illnesses of the mind in powerful and absorbing ways that allow us to empathise with them without pitying them. A definite must read.

By David Mitchell

I’m a huge fan of David Mitchell’s novel: he’s probably most famous for Cloud Atlas, which combined lots of different genres, from historical to sci-fi, and was turned into a film a couple of years ago. However, Black Swan Green is possibly my favourite book of his because it captures, through the story of 13-year-old Jason Taylor, the sometimes hilarious, often painful experience of growing up. In the course of the story Jason has to deal with a speech impediment, bullies, family tensions and even kissing girls. It’s a brilliant read, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and at other times poignantly sad; it was so gripping that I read it in a day. It was definitely a day well spent!

The steel structure for the new sixth form resource centre/Learning support department is completed

The novel is told by Roseanne, who is uncertain of her age; she thinks she is now one hundred. She’s been incarcerated in asylums in Ireland for over sixty years, and is writing the story of her life, on pieces of paper that she hides under the floor boards of her room.

This is the Secret Scripture of the title; which comes from a poem by an Irish nationalist poet, Thomas Kettle, who fought for the British in World War I. As the book unfolds, we discover the why and the how of her incarceration.

The second narrator of the novel is Roseanne’s psychiatrist Dr William Grene, who must judge whether Roseanne can be released into society as the hospital is about to close. As he comes to know her, he becomes fascinated by her and the history – which is the history of twentieth century Ireland – that she represents.

Sebastian Barry tells readers how he uses his own family in his fiction and how the character of Roseanne came from hearing about a great aunt who had been shunned by the rest of the family – the only thing known about her was her great beauty. His was a family beset with secrets, and his mother, Joan O’Hara (a famous actress of her day), was a “consummate un-coverer of secrets”.

Listen here.

Poor Duncan just wants to colour in. But when he opens his box of crayons, he only finds letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!

Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown, Blue needs a break from colouring in all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other.

The battle lines have been drawn. What is Duncan to do?

I absolutely love this book! It is a beautiful, playful and imaginative story that will make you smile. You’ll look at crayons in a whole new way!

The mountains and sky reflect in the cold, cool, lake like a watery mirror. The deep blue sky dotted with clouds like white fluffy cotton.

The young spring walks across the plains waking up the land as he moves.

He touches the blades of grass and it immediately starts to grow, allowing the hungry cows to graze.

When he touches the barren trees, the branches begin to bud and form leaves.

The now leave-filled elderly trees sway with the wind as their leaves dance around.

The sun shines down like a spotlight on the land casting shadows.

In the winter all there is to see is heaps and mounds of snow.

As you kick into the mounds of snow you feel this cold buzz running through your body.

When you walk through the gentle fluffy snow you hear a crispy crunch which sends joy to your ears. As you lean down to communicate with the layer of snow gripping tight, never let go.  Dripping water all down your clothes as you take a deep breath of smoke from the burning fire places with a warm smell of hot chocolate burning though the frostbite on your nose as you smell the mixture of smells  that hit you.

This savoury taste looming around your mouth, your juicy face swelling to the taste as you walk around in deep snow.

The snow like a deep distant lake that won’t end until a light makes way. The snow as soft and white as clouds.

The crunch of the layers of snow.

Everyone tasking it slow.

The strong gusts of wind whistling past your ears.

She keeps everywhere bright like the sun.

She blows the snow into your faces.

The taste of nothing brings happy faces.

The damp breathes of cold air.

The numbness to make your fingers stiff.

The snow as soft as candy floss.

She rains as fast as the Niagara Falls.

And it never ends as it is Britain.

The never ending water flow it leaves people with flooded homes.

Schools shut down with little snow.

All the kid waiting for Christmas.

Car sliding, children skating and people falling when there is unexpected ice.

She frost the morning with style and elegance.

She makes the animals look magnificent with beautiful scenery.

All gulls and bird disappear out of sight and the occasional glimpse.

I remember when I was four years old and it did snow. I looked out of the window and it looked like it was raining icing. I ran outside.  It smelt damp and wet but it was awesome.  It felt cold but the best thing ever it crunched under my feet making a sensual sound. I looked across the land and I could see white blankets of snow everywhere. I scooped up handfuls of snow to make a snowman.  The snow felt cold, wet and soggy. Happy children everywhere shouting and laughing running around throwing snowballs like white grenades , MLG, hot potato, quick scope, no scope, 360, collateral head shot, righty tighty, lefty losey, wrist twist, ladder stall, mum get the camera.

The snow is hovering down from the sky and then landing on the lush green grass or the hard grey road, then settling on the ground waiting for the morning sun to melt it away or to consume people into the joy of snow.

The joy of snow would devour you slowly; eventually you would be one with the snow as is it engulfs you.

She maybe all beautiful and peaceful but at her best of times, she can be ruthless and malicious like a house cat. She can create monstrous storms and devastating weather which destroys everything it wishes.

Luke Harris

His horrific looks kill the trees but only the leaves. 3 months before he shows, everything starts to shrivel up and die… except the mental evergreen.

He skips across sea and lakes freezing them with every step he takes. His soul doesn’t exist. His heart is cold as solid ice and when he’s gone you’ll know he’s been. Just peer through your window and look to the skies; look for the white ash floating down. If you missed it don’t frown, just look at the ground as it sets.

If you try to touch it don’t expect much apart from a chilling shiver and for it to drip through your fingers.  Go out in it and it will make you freeze and shiver. It can come in like an army of feathers or it can bombard you like a blizzard.

Smell it. Breathe it in.  Feel the icicles forming on the tip of your nose and smell the frozen fresh air.

He can get you out of school but don’t forget to say thanks or he will drown you in an ocean of snow and ice. If you force him to go, expect to become one with the snow.

For winter does not care that he can bring despair, freezing your car and water. Just remember Jack Frost does not care.

Lhyam James Jackson

This photograph was taken on February 3rd and shows all the steel work on site which will form the new sixth form resource centre and the new SEN department. It took over 3 hours to unload the steel from a low loader and maneuvering the truck off site  proved to be a tricky challenge.

You can also see the completed steel structure for the new glazed corridor.

The foundations are now complete for the sixth form resource centre/new SEN department. The steel work for this new building will start to be erected in the week beginning January 26th.

The steel work nears completion for the glazed corridor at the back of the school. This should be completed by January 24th. There have been a number of unavoidable delays but things should now start to really take shape!

Build a game

• Level : beginner.
• Learn Javascript essentials by building a fun flappy bird in just one day

Build a web app

• Level : beginner.
• Learn fundamental programming skills to build your own web applications

Data visualisation

• Level : intermediate.
• Get experience by interacting with data collection, infrastructure and visualization

Practical data analysis

• Level : intermediate.
• Learn how to apply various machine learning techniques for exploring, forecasting and classifying data.

It was an early start on Sunday for journey to Temple Newsam, an impressive Tudor-Jacobean house with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, just east of the city. The challenge for the day for all 51 orienteers was to compete in the British Schools Orienteering Championships, navigating around the parkland and through open woodland. There were some fantastic individual and team results, contributing to UVHS winning Silver in the Large Schools competition, coming a close second to Banchory Academy, Scotland.

Individual Medals:

• Merryn Yr 7 Gold
• Fiona Yr 10 Bronze
• Adam Yr 13 Silver

Team Medals:

• Yr 7 Girls Gold: Merryn, Charlotte & Sophie
• Yr 8 Girls Silver: Jess, Harriet & Eleanor
• Yr 9 Girls Silver: Megan, Polly & Matilda
• Yr 9 Boys Bronze: Francis, Philip & Victor
• Yr 10 Girls Gold: Fiona, Anna & Eilidh
• Yr 10 Boys Bronze: Alex, Harry & Sam
• Yr 11 Boys Silver: Calum, George & Ryan
• Yr 13 Boys Silver: Adam, Jacob & James

All the pupils worked really hard & as always, were a credit to the school, their parents and themselves. Finally a huge thanks to Miss Evans & all the coaches who give up so much of their time to make orienteering such a success at UVHS.

Well done to everyone!

Deep foundations are being dug outside the large dining room to accommodate the new glass corridor.

The steel work for the new corridor arrives on site on November 13th. This will start to be erected at the back of the main school in the week beginning November 17th.

The new drain has now been laid along the back of the school where the new cloister corridor will be. The old drain was situated where the foundations need to go and so needed to be re-sited.

The excavations started today for the bolt boxes to house the foundations for the new glass cloister.

These courses are a fantastic opportunity to experience University life and get a taste of what Computer Science is about post sixth form.

Headstart courses (scroll down to see all the courses) are available for year 12 students and run in July 2015. Computer Science courses are provided by:

• University of Warwick (Tue 30th Jun to Fri 3rd Jul)
• Durham University (Mon 6th Jul to Thu 9th Jul)
• University of Sheffield (Sun 12th Jul to Thu 16th Jul)
• Aston University (Mon Jul 13th to Thu 16th Jul)
• University of York (Tue 14th Jul to Fri 17th Jul)

Each course costs £350 which includes everything except travel to and from the University campus.

A selection of some of the courses available currently:

• Web science: how the web is changing the world
• Data to insight: an introduction to data analysis
• Introduction to cyber security
• Begin programming: build your first mobile game

Check them out and start learning today.

Everyone jumped twice, once forward and once backwards. Huge thanks to the Ogden Trust for supporting this activity.

Over 250 children and their families were shown some simple physics demonstrations by Patrick Rigg and Harry Musker during the third day of the event.

The most popular activity was making and firing rockets using a compressed air launcher .

Many thanks to Patrick and Harry for giving up their time to promote physics amongst the general public and to raise the profile of school.

We started looking at the equations used to determine the ‘spring’ constant and initial length needed so that neither extreme acceleration or hitting the ground occur:

We then used a simulation with springs and string, calculating the exact length needed so that a weight ‘just’ missed the floor: Energy calculations

See the video results below.

Students will get the opportunity to see the samples in special assemblies and during lessons, and they will hear about what the rocks tell us about how the solar system was formed.

Family members of UVHS students can attend a presentation on Wednesday 22nd at 5.30pm in the school hall. Please phone 01229 483900 if you would like to attend.

The events surrounding the loan of the meteorites and lunar rocks are part of the science department’s continuing work with the Ogden Trust to provide enrichment opportunities for students across Furness and South Cumbria.

For more information email ath@ulverstonvictoria.cumbria.sch.uk

An iron meteorite held by a UVHS student in 2004 when we last borrowed the samples.

There was of course no Apollo 18 (apart from the in the film of the same name). The rock samples which will be at UVHS in January were collected primarily during the Apollo 17 mission by Eugene Cernan and Harrison Scmitt.

Plans for this special week in January are well underway. Sign up on the right column of this page to get updates on how you can join in.

After eating in one of the university cafeterias the students will be treated to a lecture on anti-matter by CERN physicist Dr Roger Jones. This will be followed by a tour of the physics research facilities and some spectacular demonstrations.

After a quick tour of the general campus the students will be bussed back to Furness, all courtesy of the Ogden Trust.

Year 10 students interested in taking part should contact their physics teacher in school.

Presented by Director of Future Combat Air Systems, Tom Fillingham, BAe Systems

7.30 pm Furness College, Channelside, BArrow-in-Furness

The dome will be at Furness Academy on the 24th and 25th October and we are expecting over 500 students from 5 different schools to be involved.

See http://www.polestarplanetarium.co.uk/

The Universe is a dynamic, ever-changing place full of extremes. From Black Holes to asteroids, massive exploding stars to elusive distant planets, every part of the Universe poses it own questions. But how are astronomers trying answer those questions? And how can you take part? Come along to find out.

Address: Barrow-in-Furness Sixth Form College  Rating Lane,  Barrow-in-Furness,  Cumbria.   LA13 9LE

For more details contact Mr Alaric Thompson by phone (01229 483900) or email (physicshub@ulverstonvictoria.cumbria.sch.uk)

Delamere Forest is well used for walking, biking and horse riding. It’s many paths and tracks could be very confusing and it was always important to keep the map orientated. The pressure to run fast sometimes produced silly mistakes. The vegetation ranged from open woodland to dense conifers and, much to the runners dismay, large areas of brambles. The high rainfall in recent weeks resulted in the marshes being much bigger and deeper than expected and some of the ditches were impassable. The runners had to make quick decisions about route choice in order to find the easiest and quickest way to the controls. Luckily the weather couldn’t have been better. After an early frost the sun shone all day which made participating very enjoyable.

There were some excellent individual results. The school won 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. Alex Foster (B7) (pictured above top) only started orienteering in Sept, but ran steadily throughout the course to win the silver medal. Angus (pictured right) recovered from a conservative start to register 4 fast splits at the end of the course which moved him from 7th into 3rd place and the bronze medal. The final individual medal was won by Katie in Girls 12. In a very competitive field she kept a fast pace throughout, making few mistakes to finish 3rd. Lois, Girls 11, just missed a medal, finishing in 4th place for the second year running. Heather, G7 was even closer to a medal, just 7 seconds off bronze.

Ulverston’s greatest strength is the large number of orienteers who compete for the age class trophies. UVHS won 5 age class trophies and achieved 2 second and a third place. One of the highlights was the success of the Boys 7 team. With only 2 months of training behind them the boys were faced with the largest class (78 runners, 11 teams). However, Alex (2nd), William (10th) and Francis (11th) blew the field apart to finish as champions, 16 point clear. The Girls 7 team were unlucky to be beaten into 2nd place by just 6 points.
The other highlight was the continued success of the Boys 12 team. Angus (3rd), William (5th) and Patrick (14th) retained their trophy and have yet to be beaten after 6 years. The third winning boys team was the year 8 team who retained their trophy from last year. Sam (6th) Harry (14th) and Stewart (22nd) beat Torquay by 12 points.

Perhaps the most unexpected win came from Girls 9. After finishing 3rd last year Mary (8th), Daisy (10th) and Grace (16th) leapfrogged into first place to win by 13 points. The older girls teams were not to be out done and there was success for the Girls 13 team who, despite having only two runners, were able to retain their trophy. Meghan (5th) and Collette (7th) brought the trophy home.

Ulverston Team Results

Boys 7 – 1st (A 2, W 10, F -11)
Boys 8 – 1st (S 6, H 14, S 22)
Girls 9 – 1st (M 8, D 10, G 16,)
Boys 12 – 1st (A 3, W 5, P 14)
Girls 13 – 1st (M 5, C 7)
Girls 7 – 2nd (H 4, H & E 12, M 13)
Girls 8 – 2nd (F 8, A 17, R 27)
Girls 12 – 3rd (K 3, K 8)

The competition for the Large Secondary Schools trophy was very exciting. With teams from as far away as Devon and Aberdeen, as well as the usual contenders from Kennilworth and Coventry the competition was close. After a tense wait it was finally announced that Ulverston had regained the trophy after a 2 year gap, beating Banchory Academy into 2nd place by 10 points.

Large Secondary Schools

1. ULVERSTON VICTORIA HS 38 (2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6)

2. Banchory Academy 48 (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9)

3. Kenilworth School & Sports College 58 (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 10, 11)

Photographs kindly provided by BSOA and Ray Barnes.

The stunning scenery and temperatures nudging 30C would have been great for a holiday, but provided problems for the orienteers. The terrain was reminiscent of the Lake District, especially of the slopes around Claife, but everything was on a bigger scale. The slopes were much steeper and although 2/3 of the course was downhill the runners had to be very careful not to shoot past the controls. Boulders and crags were over 5m high, but with so many on the ground runners had to make sure that they kept in contact with the map and not get lost among the numerous features.

The first race was the classic (long) distance. The planner tested the runners with a variety of route choices and everyone made mistakes and lost time. Ulverston’s best result came from Adam who, despite losing 8 minutes to the winner, had a strong run to finish in 5th place. Angus was 5 minutes behind in 13th place and James in 22nd place, 8 minutes further back. Patrick made a large mistake and dropped 20 minutes to finish 29th. Ulverston’s best time was achieved by William who finished in first place a minute clear. Unfortunately, when he downloaded he discovered that he had missed a control and was disqualified. After training hard for over a year and running what he felt was the perfect race William was understandably disappointed.

Team positions are worked out by adding the 3 fastest times for each school. The large mistakes spread all the teams out. The local school from Primiero were in the lead 10 minutes ahead of New Zealand. Spain were in 3rd, 11 minutes further back, followed by Slovenia. Ulverston had dropped to 5th, 8 minutes off the bronze medal and 19 minutes behind silver. The final race was a shorter middle distance course. It was going to be very difficult to make up time and it looked like mission impossible to get on the podium.

The Ulverston boys were confident that they could catch up time and set about the task with determination and concentration. Their technical skills were excellent and as each Ulverston runner came to the finish they went into first place. Their final times and positions were outstanding – Adam 2nd, Angus 5th, Patrick 7th, William 15th and James 22nd. They were only 2 mins down on Italy, but they annihilated the other teams beating Slovenia by 14 minutes, New Zealand by 15 minutes and Spain by 19 minutes. They had leapfrogged into 3rd place overall and were only 4 minutes behind New Zealand in silver.

After all the hard work over the last year the Ulverston team deserved their place on the podium and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. They are looking forward to the 2013 championships in Portugal were they will lock horns with Sweden and attempt to overtake both Italy and New Zealand.

The teams are very grateful for all the support they received from SLDC, Marks & Spencer and Ulverston Rotary Club.

Haverigg dunes run in a narrow strip west/northwest from the rugby club to the wind farm near Haverigg prison. The dunes themselves vary from parallel ridges near the sea to large dunes with depressions, sandy slopes and hills in the centre. North of this the contours were much ‘softer’ and it was difficult to make out the knolls and re-entrants in the long grass. The paths were removed from the map so runners had to navigate by reading the contours and the courses zigzagged east/west taking the orienteers from the fast running dunes to the slower grass area and back again.

Ulverston achieved some excellent results on all courses. Jack (13) showed good fitness as well as navigation by finishing 2nd on the longest course (Brown). Will (10) stepped up a course to Green and did well to also finish 2nd. However, he would have won by 2 mins if he had not had problems at the last control. The best result on the technical courses came from Sam (11) on the Blue. He came in 2nd, just 2 mins behind the winner, beating some very strong adults. Ulverston pupils totally dominated the Light Green course with 8 runners in the top 9 places. Patrick (10) led the group home, 4 mins ahead of Angus (10) with James (9) 5 mins further back in 3rd.

Thanks to all the parents who helped with the event, but particularly Mrs Allison for planning the courses and Mrs Browne for organising.

All the courses started in the forest where the rain and dark sky made it difficult to read the map. They then progressed over the boundary fence and onto the fell. The combination of rain, mist, heather and marsh made most courses more technical then expected and everyone struggled. Half the entrants on the light green and short green courses retired and those that did finish posted some very long times.

After his disappointment last week Will (10) bounced back by winning the light green course. He finished 27 mins ahead of 2nd and 30 mins in front of Angus (10) in 3rd. James (8) went out on his first LG course and, despite a hiccup in the middle, finished in 6th place. Dan (8) had a solid run on the orange course finishing 4th, only 2 mins off 3rd. Anna (8) was our next runner on that course in 8th place and just missed breaking the hour mark. The blue course was the most popular and the first 3 runners were well ahead. Only 5 mins separated the next 9 runners with Sam well placed in 6th place overall. Ben (10) and Collette (11) persevered on the short green course finishing in 5th and 6th place after 90 mins in the rain.

However, most runners were just pleased to finish, get back to the minibus and change into dry clothes. The fact they could still laugh and joke about their experience says a lot about their character! I hope the parents weren’t too upset about the state of the washing.

The wooded area of Formby dunes is well known as a habitat for red squirrels, but the competition area was held in the open dunes. Here there were large flat areas between areas of complex contour features. As in all sand dune areas there were numerous paths, many of which weren’t mapped. The orange course was very tricky with only 6 controls over 2.8km. This resulted in long legs between the controls and some runners found the paths very confusing and lost a lot of time by taking the wrong ones.

With a lot of the juniors running down a class the competition was tough. The classes were divided up between men & women. On the orange course Lois (9) came 7th after losing time to control 3 and 4. Collette (8) was one of the youngest on the course and ran well to finish 12th, losing time on the 2nd & 3rd control. Adam (9) had a clean run to finish 2nd while Will (10) had a nightmare on control 2, losing 8 mins, dropping him from 1st to 7th place just 1 sec ahead of James (9). On the light green course our best results came from the boys with Angus (10) having a great run to finish 3rd ahead of Martin (13) 4th and Max (12) 7th. The girls found it more difficult, but Katie (10) did well in 5th place.

With a lack of runners on the longer courses LOC ran Jack (13) on the blue course. This was the most popular course with 89 runners, but the tactic worked with Jack finishing 1st, 30 sec ahead of the next runner. A great result for him. Unfortunately, it was not enough for LOC to qualify for the final, beaten by DEE from Merseyside. Hopefully we will do better in next year’s competition.

Nathan 2010 Club Champ

The school orienteering year always starts with our own championships. These are run on a handicap basis so everyone has a chance of winning. Taking all results from last year, time and distances are used to find a runners average minutes / kilometre. Start times are allocated (to the second) so that, in theory, everyone will finish at 6pm. The school champion is the runner who finishes first, thereby beating their handicap by the greatest margin.

Who will get there first?

Starting above the quarries on Birkrigg, parents could watch the runners finding the first few controls on the front slope before running behind the hill. The first control on the long and medium course provided a variety of route choices and many of the runners found themselves far too high up the slope. Once over the hill the three courses had the runners zigzagging over the limestone and disappearing into the bracken. With controls placed in depressions and at the foot of small crags, runners had to use accurate navigation in order to find the right one. The last few controls brought the runners back into sight as they sprinted down to the finish.

The fast running on Birkrigg resulted in most of the runners finishing before the expected time of 6pm.The first two to appear were Nathan and Amelia, racing down the hill. Nathan had managed to catch Amelia, overcoming her 11 min head start and he was able to draw away to finish over a minute clear. Both of them shattered their handicap by 25 minutes! Another 5 minutes went by before a group of 3 runners were spotted coming through the bracken down the hill. Collette had had an excellent run on the short course catching up 3 mins on Florrie and 7 mins on Ben to take 3rd place by 2 seconds.

Close finishes

After the race pupils enjoyed refreshments (pizza – very healthy) and waited for the results to be announced. As well as club champion, prizes were awarded for the fastest girl and boy on each course. The occasion also provided an opportunity to thank all parents for their support, particularly those involved with training and accompanying trips. Without their help and time the O club would not be able to function.

Results are as follows:-

Our first day was spent relaxing with pupils making use of the free kayaks before walking to the beach through the pine forest. While it was not safe to swim we spent the time with a sandcastle competition. The next day we went to Hahei to join a 3 hour sea kayaking tour. We paddle out to some nearby islands before landing at Cathedral Cove . This has striking white cliffs with a long sheltered and sandy beach bisected by an impressive rock arch that vaults over the sand like the nave of a cathedral. The guide made fresh hot chocolate while we swam in the warm sea before we paddle back through the rocky marine reserve to the vans.

Our last day had a late start. Our surf lesson started after lunch at Whangamata beach. After squeezing into wetsuits for the last time, instruction was given on the beach. Some had trouble jumping up onto the board on the ground. There seemed to be little hope for doing the same in the sea. The sea conditions were perfect – onshore surf with an onshore wind. Perfect for beginners, but they still kept falling in. Jonny was the first up only to finish with a head first dive. Everyone else perfected the side or back dismount. Very few stayed standing for very long – although both Will and Meghan managed a 5 photo ride.

We are now waiting for the drive to Auckland and the beginning of the long journey home. Hopefully this will be our last communication…………..!