Ambassadors Network

Gateshead Council's short story competition is open to anyone who lives, works or receives full-time education in Gateshead (excluding Gateshead Council Libraries & Arts employees). As 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, the competition takes the title 'Reach for the Stars' which you can interpret as you wish. The closing date is noon on Monday 9 March 2009. Winning entries will be published on Gateshead Council's website and will be available in all Gateshead libraries. There are also cash prizes for the winners: 11 years and under: 1st prize £50 / 2nd prize £35 / 3rd prize £15 12 - 18 years: 1st prize £75 / 2nd prize £50 / 3rd prize £25 Over 18 years 1st prize £150 / 2nd prize £100 / 3rd prize £75 To enter, send a copy of your story to dorothycameron@gateshead.gov.uk you should also include your name, address, postcode, telephone number, email address, age on 9 March 2009 (if 18 or under), school currently attended and title of work submitted. This information should not be written on the story itself, and the story should not have been published or read on television, radio or stage.

Four leading poets are coming to Gateshead for the Out of this World Poetry Festival on January 19 - 21 2009. Aimed at years 3 to 6, the festival will give children a chance to work closely with professional poets, and to write their own poems which can be recorded as podcasts on the Festival website. The poets involved are Nick Toczek, Paul Cookson, Gez Walsh and Craig Bradley. Schools may sign up for one session. For details of the poets and the event, visit http://www.ictgateshead.org/2008/11/poetry_festival_january_19_20.html Places are limited and can be booked with Janine Brookes on 0191 460 2900.

We're pleased to introduce one of our latest Cultural Partners, New Line Graffiti. The group offer graffiti workshops to children and young people, giving them an opportunity to explore the artform and discover the positive impact it can have upon their space.

New Line Graffiti have recently completed a project with West Jesmond Primary School, at the school's temporary site. Concerned that unpleasant graffiti was frequently appearing in the playground, the school decided to commission the artists to run workshops that would fill the playground with the children's artwork.

The theme of 'the jungle' was chosen, and after a week of workshops with New Line Graffiti, the children had brought their playground to life with words, animals and plants based upon the theme.

The teachers, children and artists were thrilled with the results. "We've had a great five days working with some of the nicest and most enthusiastic children you could meet," said the artists, "They worked really well over the five days and we covered years three to six. The kids created some really great work and they all learned a lot, and more importantly had a great time whilst doing it!"

New Line Graffiti are available for workshops with children and young people of all ages. To find out how they can work with your learning setting, email Robby at info@newlinegraffiti.com or see the website www.newlinegraffiti.com

 

 

Artist Jane Swan, great granddaughter of Joseph Swan, has donated an original work of art to the school that shares the inventor's name. Jane is based in Cornwall, but travelled to Newcastle last year for the launch of The Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research at Newcastle University. It was there that she met Headteacher Allan Fuller, and offered to create an artwork especially for the school.

The CCA Network's Fourth Culture in Education Showcase took place on Monday 2nd July. We had stall holders from some fantastic artistic and cultural organisations including Seven Stories, The Sage Gateshead, Baltic, Gem Arts, Tyne and Wear Museums, NE Regional Museum hub with their very popular freebie bags, Eye of the Fly and Dance City.

Teachers had the opportunity to try proggy matting, felt making, chinese painting, weaving with recycled materials, view DVDs of organisations work and pick up loads of information directly from organisations. The 2007 CIE Directory of cultural partners was also launched and given to attending teachers on the day.

We also had Monster Productions in costume, Emma Boor with her puppet show, 'Cinderella Green the Recycling Queen' and African drumming with Arts Isiziba and an after-school club from St Joseph's in Highfield, who all helped to entertained us.

I'd like to give a HUGE thank-you to the Stall Holders who were all fantastic, and I hope that the teachers enjoyed the day.

Please feel free to leave any comments on the Showcase or information on Stall Holders and I'll get back to you.

Help make your school bloom. Enter the Gateshead Council Summer Garden Competition and your schools’ efforts could be recognised whilst helping improve Gateshead’s environment for all to enjoy.

There are 3 area competitions to enter covering the whole of Gateshead each with the category – Best Kept Garden/ Class project. This category is open to all Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Special schools in the area.

For further information contact Events Unit, Gateshead Council,
Sport & Leisure, Old Town Hall, West Street, Gateshead, NE8 1HE, or telephone 0191 433 6900.

You can no log on, find out what the ideal virtual school looks and sounds like on the Virtual Vision website and post a comment (scrolling to the Explore menu (right hand side) and clicking onto 'Thoughts and Ideas'):

Click onto:
www.virtual-vision.org

Virtual Vision - Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd of June 2006

We invite you to review our flagship project, where Gateshead teachers worked one-to-one with our Cultural Partners to create a virtual creative school, creative curriculum and creative management model.

As part of Gateshead Council's priority on developing Education with Character, especially related to Culture, we built a network of Culture and Creativity Ambassador teachers (CCAs for short) within Gateshead Schools.
This initiative was launched on 3rd June 2003 at The Shipley Art Gallery. Our research has involved looking at various models of Ambassador schemes across the country and in Gotenburg, Sweden (a cultural partner with Gateshead). Due to demand, we welcomed all Early Years providers in Gateshead to join the network in Summer 2005.
Read on for more and see the full, updated list of teachers for Autumn 2005...