Natalie, Year 7, has just joined the Northgate News Team and for her first interview she spoke to Mr Rodriguez, who joined Northgate in September. Mr Rodriguez teaches in the Maths Department. Find out what he had to say in response to Natalie’s questions below.
Have you taught any subjects other than Maths?
Yes. I have taught Spanish and P.E. Once I taught a Technology class.
Have you had any other jobs apart from being a teacher?
Yes. I have been a rugby coach, a receptionist at a hotel, a pe teacher and I help out on my dad’s farm.
What would your perfect house look like?
My perfect house would have a good size garden where I can have lots of space and in the countryside so I can have a farm of my own.
What is your favourite chocolate?
Any type of chocolate.
Were you good at Maths from a young age?
No. When I was younger, I struggled in certain areas in maths but I worked really hard on those areas that I found hard and now I’m really good at maths.
How is the Spanish school system different from the English school system?
The structure is very similar. The only difference is that pupils do not have school uniforms and students wear their own clothes instead. Although if you went to a private school, you did have a uniform.
What was your dream job when you were growing up?
I wanted to become a teacher because I love helping people learn.
Can you describe Northgate in 3 words?
Friendship, outstanding, people.
What is your favourite bit of Maths to teach?
Algebra.
If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Country Roads by John Denver.
What is your favourite sport?
Rugby and any sport related to water.
What are your hobbies outside of school?
Rugby and finance.
If you could teach any other subject than Maths what would it be?
I would be a P.E. teacher.
Quickfire Questions:
Algebra or shape? Algebra.
Rugby or football? Rugby.
Eat in or eat out? Eat in.
Chocolate or biscuits? Biscuits.
Movie or book? Book.
Spring or Autumn? Spring.
Vacation or staycation? Vacation.
TV drama or TV documentary? TV drama.
Calculator question or non-calculator question? Non-calculator question.
Tea or coffee? Coffee.
Thank you to Mr Rodriguez for taking the time to answer Natalie’s questions. We always look forward to finding out a bit more about our teaching staff and support staff at Northgate. We look forward to the next interview.
We were delighted to welcome award winning author Christopher Edge to our school on Wednesday as part of our run up to Science Week. Christopher engaged the whole of Year 7 in his interactive and informative presentation – who knew bananas could be nuclear or that clever code breaking would lead us to answer the clues to escape? It was a delight to see students engaged and queuing to buy the books, eager to read more fiction with an ‘element’ of science.
Two Year 7 classes were involved in fun and engaging creative writing workshops , thinking about characterisation and setting creating their own setting for an escape room. Congratulations to Scarlet, Emily and Joseph who showed originality in their ideas and were awarded with a signed copy of Christopher’s latest book ‘ Escape Room’.
All books are available to borrow from the school library – although there may be a waiting list!
Ella, Year 7, attended the talk and workshop and commented, ‘Christopher told us that it is scientific facts that give him a spark to come up with an idea for a new book, for example, a lightning bolt has enough energy to toast 100,000 pieces of bread! It was really interesting to hear about his process of writing a book. We also looked at pig pen ciphers and other code breaking activities which inspired one of Christopher’s books, ‘The Longest Night of Charlie Noon’. It was great fun and I really enjoyed it!
Throughout Science Week in the library, students were encouraged to become super sleuths and investigate the dastardly demise of Miss Terry, the assistant librarian and a fantastic CSI style mystery. From three suspects and using investigative skills and science-based facts, our detectives ploughed through the evidence to deduce the guilty suspect and how they succeeded in committing the crime and why. Another great example of the types of activities and events put on in our library. We can’t wait to find out what the next event is!
It’s been 3 year since we have been able to enter a group of students into the Advanced Maths Support Programme Year 10 Maths Feast competition, after the last competition was cancelled just before we went into lockdown. It was so nice to be back competing against other schools. Our team comprised of Emma, Milo, Zach and Joschka, who all attended practice sessions in advance of the competition along with reserves Alyssa, Callum and Dexter.
We headed off to City of Norwich School, not knowing what type of challenges we may face, nervous but ready to compete. There were 16 teams in total – a great showing from lots of schools in Norfolk. Before we got started, Ian Clarke, AMSP Area Coordinator for Norfolk, talked about opportunities in Maths beyond GCSE and how having further qualifications in Maths can really be of benefit, particularly in the skills learnt along the way.
Then it was time for the competition to begin. The first round was called ‘What, no word!’ and involved diagrams, shapes and all sorts of problems with no words or instructions. The team soon got into their rhythm and separated the problems between them, carefully completing and checking each other’s work for mistakes. This was a great start for Team Northgate, scoring a fantastic 36 out of 40.
Round 2 was called ‘Four for Fifty’, basically four problems with questions related to them and fifty marks were available. Again, our team showed real determination, working independently at first and then more collaboratively when it got more challenging. A very respectable score of 40 marks was achieved, although the team were a little disappointed with this.
The third round was called ‘Comprehension Card Sort’ and consisted of some information which the team had to use in order to sort sets of cards. This round really tested special awareness and geometry and proved tough for some. Team Northgate, again, scored extremely well with 20 out of 23 marks!
The final round was the most intense and high pressured. Working in pairs, one pair answered a question and passed the answer to the other pair. They then used this in their problem and passed the resulting answer back. This continued for 16 questions, with the opportunity to gain bonus points for each string of 4 questions in a row that were correct. Miss Theobald was particularly impressed with some of the skills on display in this round and a score of 17 out of 20 was achieved!
So, overall, Team Northgate scored 113/133. Ian commented that this was the highest scoring Maths Feast competition he’d been to this year and so the competition was clearly tough. All team members received a certificate of participation, however we were really pleased to be one of the teams who also received a special certificate for scoring highly in all rounds. Overall, Northgate finished 5th. We were really pleased with the result – well done to all the team members.
A big thank you to City of Norwich School for hosting the event and to the AMSP for organising it. We look forward to taking part again next year!
Members of our Northgate News Team have decided to find out a bit more about staff at Northgate. Emma, Year 10, met with Mrs Rae, who joined the Modern Foreign Languages Department back in January, for a quick chat.
1. Which country are you originally from?Â
I am originally from England – based in Norwich.
2. When did you first start to fall in love with French/France?
It started when I was at school. I was taught French in an English school in France, and I enjoyed it a lot then.
3. How long did you live in France for?Â
I lived in France for 4 years, came back home, then travelled to the south of France for a year.
4. What were your professions there?Â
I finished my degree in the UK, then moved back to France to live in Paris and worked for an Investment Bank.
5. Would you recommend studying a language GCSE and why?Â
Definitely! It improves thinking, communication and problem-solving at the same time. It introduces you to other cultures, opens more doors for travelling and living abroad. Also, statistically, in some jobs you will likely not only be put ahead of those who have not studied languages, but you also could be offered a higher salary having a language degree.
6. Where did you get your teaching degree?Â
Reading University.
7. Why did you choose to teach at Northgate?Â
I currently also teach part time at Reading University, but liked the type of environment Northgate has, with a good ethos of teaching and learning. I also really liked the idea of the learning cycle – I think it’s a great idea.
8. What is your favourite restaurant?Â
A restaurant called ‘Benoli’, which is an Italian restaurant in Norwich.
Thank you to Mrs Rae for taking the time to answer these questions. It’s great to find out a bit more about our staff, their teaching backgrounds and why they are so passionate about their subjects.
We are pleased to introduce our December bulletin. In our bulletin this month you will find out all sorts of information and updates. There is news about Anti-Bullying week, a sustainability project with schools in Spain, Germany and Italy, and updates to our recycling programmes.
We hope that you are able to take some time to have a look at all the goings on at Northgate from the last month and enjoy seeing what we’ve been up to. Please share with your friends and family via our Facebook and twitter pages.
Miss Theobald (School Council Coordinator) + Northgate School Council.
Natalie, Year 7, has just joined the Northgate News Team and for her first interview she spoke to Mr Rodriguez, who joined Northgate in September. Mr Rodriguez teaches in the Maths Department. Find out what he had to say in response to Natalie’s questions below.
We headed off to City of Norwich School, not knowing what type of challenges we may face, nervous but ready to compete. There were 16 teams in total – a great showing from lots of schools in Norfolk. Before we got started, Ian Clarke, AMSP Area Coordinator for Norfolk, talked about opportunities in Maths beyond GCSE and how having further qualifications in Maths can really be of benefit, particularly in the skills learnt along the way.
The final round was the most intense and high pressured. Working in pairs, one pair answered a question and passed the answer to the other pair. They then used this in their problem and passed the resulting answer back. This continued for 16 questions, with the opportunity to gain bonus points for each string of 4 questions in a row that were correct. Miss Theobald was particularly impressed with some of the skills on display in this round and a score of 17 out of 20 was achieved!
d out a bit more about staff at Northgate. Emma, Year 10, met with Mrs Rae, who joined the Modern Foreign Languages Department back in January, for a quick chat.
