ASA TODAY - Issue 26, Term 5

Austria Trip

Year 7 Retreat

Students go skiing during the Easter holidays Page 6

Students take part in fun activities with the Chaplains Page 3

ASA TODAY

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

The All Saints’ Academy Newspaper

www.asachelt.org

We did it, £32,090 raised!

By Mr Kelly

Assistant Director of Sixth Form On Tuesday 13th May, The Africa Team at All Saints’ Academy successfully completed our fundraising target of £32,090!

This money is being used to send a group of 21 students and staff on a missionary trip to help build a new school and community centre in Kigoma, Tanzania, as well as provide much needed resources and education to the local people.

ll that our students wi Above: The school nzania be working on in Ta

Above: The team in Africa that ou r students will be working with

Mr Kelly with Jon, Nicole & Jack

Some of the Africa team fundraising - selling roses for Valentine’s Day

Raffle success 6 weeks of raffle ticket selling, 2500 tickets sold and 77 prizes to be won!

At 1.45pm on Friday 9th May, Mr Powell launched the ASA Raffle in aid of the school trip to Tanzania.

A massive thank you to students, parents, carers, staff, members of the community and local businesses for donating such fantastic prizes and for purchasing raffle tickets. We wouldn’t have had such a successful and exciting

Raffle draw without everyone’s support.

Our top Prizes were; 1st: Eurocamp Holiday for 6 people (worth £1500), 2nd: HP Laptop 3rd: Nexus 7 Tablet We raised at total of £2500 from Raffle!

A huge thank you for everyone’s support,

Thank you to all

who have donated towards the Africa trip!

£32,090 has been raised.

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

EDITORIAL

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Editor’s comments

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Miss Skelding

twitter bites

PR & Communications Manager Chief Editor for ASA Today I wanted to say a big thank you to all of the staff and students who contribute to the newspaper each term.

It has been another busy term with the Africa fundraising and exams fast approaching. Students have been working to tight deadlines to get coursecompleted and start revising for their exams.

In addition to this there has been Student Review Day which was a great success with a fantastic number of parents/carers and students in attendence. To add to this we had a number of businesses and colleges come in to hold a careers fair.

The Sixth Form journalists had their chance to attend a board room meeting with the Cheltenham Festivals for the upcoming project on the Cheltenham Science Festival. You will see their work in the next edition of ASA TODAY.

If you are interested in being a student journalist please send me an email: kskelding@asachelt.org

ASA TODAY Editorial Team Chief Editor: Miss Skelding

tes Resources @tesResources A leaflet on coping with exam stress.

Includes a list of do’s and don’ts when preparing for exams #KS2SATs http:// ow.ly/wAbvI

Above: Some of the students that took part in the Africa fast.

Mr Powell

Interim Principal

Flicking through these pages, you won’t fail to notice that All Saints’ Academy is spreading its wings! Service to others and social justice are at the heart of our beliefs. By reaching out into the local and international communities, our students prove themselves to be the world changers of the future.

Over the past few months, I’ve counted around sixty school trips to a huge range of destinations, including New York and Berlin. We’ve hosted visits from both neighbouring schools and from Italy and Uganda. Students have listened to survivors of the Holo-

caust and interviewed their local MP.

Out of this huge range of activities, I’ve chosen a couple that sum up the ambitions of All Saints’ students.

Firstly, the students and staff involved in the Africa Trip have shown impressive creativity and determination in raising the funds needed to support a school in Tanzania. One of the most recent fundraisers was a sponsored twenty-four hour fast and “sleep-over”. The spirit, humour and team-work on show from over a hundred staff and students were remarkable. It’s no wonder they are nearing their target of £32,090 as I write.

Another new venture is a collaboration between All Saints’ and Cheltenham Festivals. We are the only Cheltenham school to be working with the team that organises the festivals. Soon, twelve All Saints’ Sixth Formers will

work as journalists for the Science Festival and their daily reports will be published in the Gloucester Echo.

This will be the first of many occasions when our students represent us at these prestigious events.

And on top of all this, we’re on line to achieve another jump up in our examination results in both the Sixth Form and Year Eleven. We’re also heavily oversubscribed in both Year Seven and the Sixth Form for next year. As ever, this is only achieved through students, staff, parents and governors working together. Thank you for the essential part you continue to play.

We want to know how we can keep improving too, so please get in touch, either by joining the parents’ forum, or simply by phone or email.

All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Brilliant news - Two of our Sixth Form students at ASA have been called up to play Water Polo for #TeamGB http:// www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/YoungSport-Cheltenham-water-polo-duo-winGreat/story-21058866-detail/story.html All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Some great work by the Year 9 & 10 sports leaders today! Some fantastic mini tennis activities going on with the year 2 pupils!

ASASportsDept @ASASportsDept Day 3 of skiing, first day it’s snowing! #onemandown Cheltenham YFC @CheltenhamYFC @JoeBent and @JSGirling on our stand at the @asachelt Student review day yesterday

Happy Birthday Parental Forum!!!

Yes, the Parental Forum is about to celebrate its first birthday.

Address: Blaisdon Way Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 0WH Phone: 01242 711200 Absences: 01242 711203 Email: admin@asachelt.org www.asachelt.org www.facebook.com/asachelt www.twitter.com/asachelt www.youtube.com/asachelt

All Saints’ Academy Parental Forum - which meets once a term, for an hour, to discuss a whole variety of issues related to life at the Academy – started one year ago.

Over the year topics discussed have included Enrichment, ILTs, Student Review Days, School Uniform and Communication.

The last meeting for this academic year is on Tuesday June 10th 2014 at 6pm.

The group is open to all parents so if you are interested in attending please email Mrs Crawford (Assistant Principal, HAL) on acrawford@asachelt.org We look forward to seeing you at this meeting.

The Parental Forum needs you!

“Your children, your views, your ASA.”

OUR RETREAT ‘ROCK’ED

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

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By Mrs C Spence Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain

The day began with students and Academy staff meeting at ‘The Rock’, St Peter’s Church, Tewkesbury Road at 9.00am.

On arrival students were welcomed by staff from The Rock. After an introduction they were divided into five groups, each with a member of staff as the leader, this was followed by activities in which the groups had to work as a team in order to complete their tasks.

The next activity involved the groups visiting Prayer Stations/Zones which had been set up for them on different aspects of the theme of Community and Belonging which fits in with the RE Topic students are covering at present.

The stations proved very thought provoking and provided an opportunity to reflect.

Each had an action to perform which students were invited to take part in.

After the groups had visited each station there were further activities exploring the idea that, although we are all different, we have many things in common which give us a sense of belonging.

This theme was then developed to think about how the early Church evolved and what Jesus’ followers had in common.

After a break, which included drinks and biscuits, the students were given the task in their groups of setting up their own Prayer Stations/Zones. They were given a variety of resources to choose from and each station had bible verses which

Retreat Activities

Student Reporter

Assistant Principal of Spirituality During April and May, Year 7 students will be out of school on a day retreat with their RE teacher and chaplains.

The theme of the retreat is linked to the Year 7 RE syllabus, of which the fourth unit is on the theme of BELONGING. During these lessons we discuss and learn about the different communities that we all belong to and the influences they may have on us . In particular this leads us to consider the implications of belonging to a Christian community and the significance of the sacrament of Baptism.

This year the retreat has been planned in conjunction with THE ROCK .

Andy, the leader met with the chaplains to discuss the programme.

The theme of the day was being part of a community and belonging to one. The day started with us playing games, like getting into order of tallest on one side and the smallest on the other; but we had to stay on the white line to do this. It involved co-operation between the group to achieve this.

Then we were asked to participate in five reflections. The first was writing on a piece of wood things we had to forgive someone for. Then we were given sand paper and asked to sand the words off as a sign that we had forgiven that person. Then we moved to hopes and dreams where we wrote out own hopes and dreams on a piece of paper and clipped these onto a large wooden cross. At the third we placed our hands in a box of sand to make an impression.

This helped us to think about what impression we leave on others. The fourth involved us drinking water and thinking about people in the world who don’t have water and other things like we do.

Finally we had to write a question we would like to ask God and peg this onto a piece of string. I asked God if he had power and if he was real.

After break we had to make our own prayer stations. My group had the theme

tower using newspaper and tape, the winning team being the one with the tallest tower. This caused great excitement and some of the designs were ingenious!

The day ended with the a reflection on the day, with students in their groups discussing what they enjoyed, what they had learnt, what they took away with them and what made them think the most. We ended with a prayer.

The Retreat days have been most enjoyable and provide a well balanced mix of activities and time for reflection and discussion all of which students have fully engaged with.

Students taking part in a workshop at The Rock

Student experiences

By Maja Nowak

By Mrs T Scarfe

tied in with the theme and these were the starting point. This created a real buzz as students shared ideas and planned how they were going to set up their zone which had to be interactive. The students had fifty minutes to complete their task, then the groups went around and visited each station. The zones were all very different and showed great imagination on the part of the students.

The afternoon session consisted of a carousel of three activities and games. Again the students had to work as teams. One of the activities which proved very popular was the Tower Building, each group had to construct a

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of “having a role in a community that you belong to”. To make our prayer station we drew a big cross to represent Jesus and then we drew jigsaw puzzle shapes all over it. These represented all the different roles we play in a community and how they come together. We then came up with 30 words. At the end of the day everyone in our class chose a word and placed it on a puzzle piece on the cross, making one big community working together.

I thought the day was fun, interesting and different because the members of the ROCK combined team work and sport to make us learn and think about being part of a community.

Students reflecting on images at the rock.

By Joshua Stoner Student Reporter

The theme of the day was community and belonging. The day started with us going to five reflections in our groups. I went first to one where we drank water and said prayer in our head for someone we loved. The second one was when we went to the sofas and wrote a question we would like to ask God. The third reflection was where I wrote something I was sorry for on a piece of wood . I then sanded it off to make it disappear. The fourth one was where we wrote out our hopes and dreams on a piece of paper and put them on a cross to offer them to Jesus.

The final one was when I put my hands in some sand to see the mark they made.

I then brushed it away so a new impression could be made for everyone to see.

After break we had to make our own prayer stations. The group I was in had the theme of acceptance. To make our prayer station we put some mirrors and pictures of people from around the world on a table. The task was for people to look in the mirror and see if they could accept themselves as they are. Then look at the pictures think how they accept others. You then had to make a paper bracelet with the words “I accept you” and give it to someone else in your group.

After lunch we did teambuilding games like 4 square and basketball and seeing who could build the biggest paper tower.

I thought the day was good because it was fun and we learnt team-building skills. The stories made me think about God and Jesus more than I would normally.

SPIRITUALITY Daffodil Tea

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

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Upcoming Events

June

Mon 2nd Bishop Martyn of Tewkesbury, visiting ASA Wed 4th & Thurs 5th Chaplaincy Assemblies Thurs 5th Mass will be celebrated by Fr Paul Brandon at 12.10pm in St Benedict’s Chapel Tues 24th Year 11 Leavers Service Wed 25th & Thurs 26th Chaplaincy Assemblies: Corpus Christi

July

Thurs 3rd July Catholic Secondary Schools Pilgrimage Day

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‘Opp or say t tunity to hank you’

By Mrs C Spence Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain On Friday 28th March we held a Daffodil Tea to which all parents and carers were invited. It was an opportunity for the students to say thank you to those who care for them and show their appreciation.

Every student during their ‘Living Well’ lesson learnt about the origins of ‘Mothering Sunday’ and then got involved in a variety of activities, including putting together a posy of daffodils for their carer.

Therefore each student had a posy of daffodils to take home. Alternatively, for those who had been recently bereaved or found this more difficult, they were invited to take them to the Chapel and place them in memory of their loved one. Students whose carers had come in for the tea, then went and collected them from reception and took them to the Dance Studio, where tables were laid with cupcakes made by students (thanks Mrs Coleman and team!) and biscuits and of course vases of daffodils. The students served their carers with refreshments, and together enjoyed tea and cake.The feedback from the event was very positive, so maybe this will be something that happens again.

@asacheltRE

Left: Our students serving their parents/carers with refreshments.

Right: Mrs Cronin, Mrs Spence and students making countless cups of tea!

The event was very positive!

Christian Aid Week God forgive those who cause war, those who benefit from war.

God bless those who fear war, those who are killed in war, those who are harmed by war, those who are bereaved by war, those who build and heal after war, those who live their lives so that wars may cease.

Father, forgive us, Jesus, redeem us, Holy Spirit, renew us.

Double Canonization in Rome

By Jose Lumactod Student Reporter

On Saturday 1st March, 12 students from In Rome during 26th-27th April, visited Rome with other pilgrims to see the once in a lifetime double canonization of now St John Paul the second and St John the twenty third. The trip was authorized by Mrs Carol so the pupil had enough time to see many things in Rome. St Peter’s basilica was the first place he visited many people queued to see the place where the canonization was held before the actual ceremony. Many wonders were held inside the walls which not only are home to promising architect and the fact that is was painted by Panini. The following day started at 5:00 am with people already queuing to see the canonization. The trains at that time were already packed to

the brim with other pilgrims in fact it was so full that it took 2 trains to take my entire group to the location. Afterwards it took at least 5 hours, if not more, to travel a couple hundred yards ending with us having to get out because of the barrier and the fact that it was claustrophobic only made it worse, I had to sleep on the pavement at one point. Instead we ended up visiting a friend’s house and watching it on the TV. At least the previous day ended with a trip to the coliseum and world famous gelato.

Above: Jose, in front of St Peter’s basilica.

Left: Pietà found inside St Peter’s basilica made by Michelangelo.

DEPARTMENT NEWS Student Review Day Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

By Mrs Parr Pastoral Manager Post 16 Choosing your career path can be a daunting prospect. With so many possible careers out there, students must decide which subjects to take to reach their dream job. Yet few people know exactly what they want to do from an early age, and for most there comes a time when they must find out what options there are and decide which they will pursue.

ASA students have been introduced to employers from the world of work at Student Review Day to help them find their way through the maze of careers.

Our careers fair offered students, their parents/carers and staff the chance to meet a wide range of employers and organisations and consider options for the future.

This busy event provided the opportunity to think about life beyond school and help make important decisions about their future.

We were fortunate to have many new employers joining us for our 2014 Careers Fair, some of whom offer apprenticeships in their different areas of work.

Exhibitors included: Airbus UK Ltd , Army, Barclays Life Skills, Bristol Street Motors, Cheltenham Borough Council, Cheltenham Borough Homes, CCP, CTFC, Clarkson Evans, CBC, Delphi Diesel, EF Host families, E Trust Year in Industry (Kohler Mira), Gloscol, Gloucestershire Constabulary, L-3 TRL Technology, PCSO, Prospect Training, RAF Careers, Thistle Hotel, 1-2-1 recruitment, UFS Direct

Local training providers ran a range of different activities including bricklaying and vehicle inspections; their representatives were able

to talk about working in the industry and future opportunities for training and employment within the local area.

The companies were superb, all really willing to come in and talk with students. We’d like to say a huge thank you to them for giving up their time.

We would also like to say a big thank you to all the parents / carers that attended Student Review Day. Your support is always appreciated.

Cadets

By Aleksandra Borowicz Student Reporter I have been doing cadets since the start of Year 10 and so far my best experience was flying, I went flying on two occasions and I have loved it both times. I love the feeling of flying although you do get a headache after the experience is definitely worth it. The first time I went I only got to go up for 5 minutes because we started late, it was a bit disappointing but it was my first time and I enjoyed it. The second time we went was more successful as we did get 30 minutes up in the plane and we got to take control of the plane ourselves and actually fly!

I also did some aerobatics with the pilot which was lovely. I’d have to say that even though I do not regret

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making the decision of going to cadets I do think it a big commitment which should be thought about, doing cadets does mean that you have to give up your own time not only after school but on weekends on holidays sometimes too.

I think that cadets is very challenging as you learn new things every time you go and its great however remembering routines and putting things into practice does get hard sometimes.

I think cadets did change me and I think it has made me more organized, whilst giving me many new opportunities, which have definitely had an impact on me, even my family have noticed the change in me and how I’m more punctual, I even follow orders more obediently.

Overall I think cadets is a very good experience and should be taken if the chance is given because it was definitely one of my best decisions to join.

NCS Year 11 & 12

NCS is a free four week program available to ASA students this summer.

Students will face their fears, grow personally and professionally, build a CV that employers are looking for, meet new people and have summer full of amazing memories.

If your child has been given an application form please do send it to the freepost address located on the front of the form to reserve their place as the program is filling up fast. For more information call 07881 835080 or email ncs@gloscol.ac.uk

Health and Social Care

By Miss Bonnici Head of Health and Social Care Last term Health and Social Care students were able to take part in question and answer sessions with a variety of professionals working in the sector.

Our special guests included; social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Students fired off many interesting questions to the panel – learning lots about these job roles and thinking about their own future careers.

Students learnt first

hand the difficulties and challenges these professionals face as well as the more rewarding moments.

One student commented that they discovered “things I never knew about these kinds of jobs - it was interesting to hear about the work they do and that no two days are the same.”

For Sixth Form students this was a great opportunity for them to find out what qualifications they need to embark on careers in this sector. As a result of the visit one Sixth Former has managed to secure some valuable work experience shadowing various individuals in the Adult Social Work team at Gloucestershire County Council.

We are looking forward to more visits next year!

Steam Museum

By Callum Drew Student Reporter On Thursday 13th February 8I went to the Steam Museum in Swindon. We all learnt about the experiences of World War 2. The day started when we got on the minibus, everybody was excited. First, at the museum we went to the train station and we met our WVS (Women’s Voluntary Service) who was a warden who told us what to do.

After that we went on the train and talked about the evacuee’s suitcase and what they would have taken with them.

When we got off the train Mrs Webb, Mrs Jaynes and Mr Day were the carers till the war was over.

Mrs Webb took me because I looked smart.

Near to the end of our visit

we had a talk about the bombs and we went in a public shelter. It was scary.

We all thought it was awesome and super good. When we were at the shelter the ARP (air raid precaution) said to me to SHOUT out “Put your light out”.

By Claire Taylor Student Reporter On Thursday the 13th of February 8I went to Swindon Steam Museum, as we were learning about World War 2 and finishing off our topic.

We were evacuated onto a train and we saw some of the things that children and adults would have packed in World War 2. We went to see what a local air raid shelter would have looked and sounded like. It was noisy, stuffy and cramped but I felt safe.

Lucy Davis said, “It was an amazing day and I had a great time learning more about WW2”.

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

AUSTRIA TRIP www.asachelt.org

Let’s go Skiing

By Alistair Potter Student Reporter The 2014 ski trip started on the second week of the Easter holiday. Everyone going had had at least a few hours of practice at the dry slope in Gloucester; a few of the students were more experienced skiers having gone in previous years. We shared the coach and the rest of the holiday with schools from the Leek Federation.

On arrival at the hotel we only had a few hours to get unpacked before we had to go and get our ski equipment, boots, skis, helmets, and poles. On the first day students were taught the basics of skiing to make sure everyone was capable of going further up the mountain, and on the second day they were put into ability groups. Ryan Murphy was allowed to snowboard on the second day as he’s an experienced boarder, however this ended badly for him as he broke his left ankle.

As the ski trip was late in the season we expected the weather to be sunny and for the conditions to be very slushy due to the sun, however on the third day when we all woke up we noticed that it was snowing and it didn’t stop until well into the fourth. This made the conditions much better and was ironic to see everyone’s surprise of snow on a skiing holiday.

The area our hotel was in was only a drive away from multiple resorts, which meant we went to a total of four resorts over our six days of skiing. On the final day we had a race where the first three would receive gold, silver and bronze and the last would receive a shark. The race was split into ability groups with Jed and Mitch coming first within their groups and Aaron Mason being the only person to fall during the race coming last in his.

ASA students and staff skiing down the mountain

Aaron Mason & Bradley Simms ready to go

Mr Pierce & Mr Ferguson getting ready to ski

Most of the ASA ski team

The X-Ray for Ryan Murphy’s broken ankle

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Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

HISTORY

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Remembering the victims of the Holocaust

By Mr Giblin History Teacher

On Wednesday 26th March I was privileged to take a pair of students on a trip to Auschwitz-Burkenau. Known more commonly as Auschwitz, this was one of six purpose built extermination centres located in the conquered eastern portion of Hitler’s Third Reich, formally and presently, known as Poland. The main aim of these extermination centres was to destroy people who did not fit into the Nazis grand vision of a master race in Europe. These people included Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Asocials, Jehovah’s Witnesses, political enemies, Slavs, Poles and Russians. However, singled out above all others for special extermination was the Jews. Hitler believed that the Jews were responsible for all of the problems in the world and were holding back human development with their existence.

At Wansee in January 1942 the Jews were handpicked for annihilation. They had already been targeted in a gradual increase in persecution for years but now they would be destroyed. The main method of destruction would be gas in purpose built bunkers that could hold up to 2000 men, women and children at a time. Jews had been murdered previous to this through firing squad. However, this was deemed inhumane. Inhumane that is to the German soldiers tasked with executing people at close range. In places such as Auschwitz the guards would only need to see their victims enter the camp and then the gas chambers. After destruction they were removed by special task units, known as the sonderkommando, who would take the bodies for destruction in purpose built overs. The sonderkommando were themselves Jews. They were

fed better than other inmates of the camps but were themselves destroyed every 4 months to prevent them from using their physical strength and organisation to resist the system of terror. It is this story, as well as many others, that the students were made aware of while in Poland.

The trip itself, began in Auschwitz town. Here we were taken to the only surviving Synagogue of a place that once had a population that was 57% Jewish. The current population is now 1 person. The reason for the survival of this place of worship, we were told by our Rabbi tour guide, was due to the fact that it was used to store the stolen goods of the Jews of Auschwitz who had been taken to the camp. This was due to its square shape and close locality to the main train station.

From the town we travelled to Auschwitz 1, the first of over 40 camps in the area that collectively call themselves Auschwitz. Auschwitz 1 was the original camp and conditions were truly terrible.

Any dissent was met with death to the 40,000 that called the small site their prison. Here, medical experiments, torture, forced labour and death was a regular occurrence. However, the size and scale of Auschwitz 1 was nothing compared to that of Auschwitz 2, which had a population of 200,000 when at full capacity.

This was the true centre of death, either through destruction through work or in the gas chambers that I have already mentioned. If you were fit and healthy you would work but if you were old, pregnant, disabled or young then you would die.

The tour was completed with a service from the Rabbi, following which all present were invited to light a candle and place it on the railway line that once brought people to the site for death. In total 12 million people died due to the Nazi’s belief that they were not suitable to join their master race. Of these 12 million, 6 million were Jewish and of

Above:The entrance to Auschwitz 1.The message reads ‘work makes you free’ these 6 million, 1.2 million perished at Auschwitz. The students that are a part of the project will be completing their own project linked to the Holocaust in due course. For them it was an experience that was both moving and shocking. However, from the project, all will learn a message of tolerance that we

here at All Saints’ Academy celebrate.

Special thanks must go to the LFE Holocaust Project and Mr Steve Powell for providing he funds to cover travel and the Head of History, Mrs Gooch, for making me aware of the LFE Holocaust Project. Finally I would like to thank the students, Jack Lane and

Jodie Wilkinson, for their time and effort. They were a credit to the school during discussions with other students from other schools as well as religious leaders and the Project organisers, all of whom commented on their superb manner.

Below:The cattle truck that men, women and children were crammed into for their journey to Auschwitz

Above: Rabbi Marcus explains the existanceof the Synagogue and the story of Jews of Auschwitz

HOUSE ACHIEVEMENT

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

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Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

SIXTH FORM www.asachelt.org

Cheltenham Festivals opportunity

By Chelsea Craven Student Reporter

What an exciting opportunity! I along with 9 other students have been given the chance to be journalist at the Cheltenham Science Festival. There we will be able to interview speakers, other journalists and special guests. Recently we attended a briefing meeting at the Cheltenham Festival’s headquarters where we all discussed the purpose for us being involved and what we wanted to achieve.

We came up with these points: • To show science is exciting • To get people involved with science • To inspire • To gain a larger audience • To surprise and inform With the help of Candice Pearson we then brainstormed things that we need to include in our work from the festival, things like audience, content, layout, and conventions. As the meeting concluded we were sent home with topics to research and to start working on some articles. I

am so excited for this opportunity. Many of us students including me are pursuing careers in Journalism, Media, and Science and find the subject interesting. So this will truly benefit us in countless ways.

Practising interviewing people other than students and peers will be particularly beneficial. I’m particularly looking forward to interviewing speakers on subjects that they are passionate about. I’m interested in science and I really support the idea of showing younger people that science is fun and I hope to demonstrate this in my work at the festival. One thing that will be challenging will be asking the right questions and researching thoroughly as well as meeting the deadlines.

However I look forward to this though because it will give us the practice that is extremely valuable in the career field.

Erin Mason, another student involved said, “I am incredibly honoured to be partaking in this exciting opportunity. I hope that this will open many windows for me in terms of future ventures into the world of journalism and I can’t wait to begin!’’

I look forward in working further with the Cheltenham Festival team and I will be anxiously waiting for that week in June to come.

Photography

By Mr Chilman

Photography Teacher Congratulations to the Year 12 and 13 Photography students who have this week just completed their final pieces during a 5 hour and 15 hour exam respectively! All the students have again worked exceptionally hard this term and produced some exciting, varied and interesting outcomes using the digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop. Two of the Year 13 students chose to look at the representation of the human body with Emmanuel Villarba exploring the nature of what is beautiful, whilst Leah Hampton chose to explore the human body as art with her eye-catching images. Chelsea Craven chose to study reflections, creating some great depth and darkness. Well done to all the students!

Above: Some of the journalists at the Chel tenh

am Festival’s base in Cheltenham

Visit from Teenage Cancer Trust of Simon HewettAvison

By Mr Simcox

Director of Sixth Form

Emmanuel’s photography work

Simon talked to the Sixth Form on March 14th about the work of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

He joined Teenage Cancer Trust in 2010 and has been blown away with how supportive the charity is and staggered at all the amazing work it does to

help young people, their friends and families who have been affected by cancer.

Simon visited a teenage friend in hospital with cancer and found that he was in a ward with old men. His friend had nothing in common with the rest of the patients and so was frustrated and lonely. The Teenage Cancer Trust raises money to equip hospitals with specialist wards for teenagers.

Simon also gave advice about the types of cancers that can affect teenagers such as melanoma. The damage done to your skin when you’re young can lead to skin cancer developing in later life.

Simon also gave advice on how students could carry out simple checks to make sure they do not have cancers developing and he encouraged students to seek medical advice if they were concerned.

How to be more effective with your study time The following points are taken from http://www.studygs.net/timman.htm.

1.Blocks of study time and breaks Blocks ideally are around 50 minutes, but perhaps you become restless after only 30 minutes? Some difficult material may require more frequent breaks.

2.Dedicated study spaces Determine a place free from distraction (no phone or text messaging) where you can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies can bring! You should also have a back-up space that you can escape to.

3.Prioritise your assignments When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject or task.

You’ll be fresh, and have more energy to take them on when you are at your best.

4.Postpone unnecessary activities until the work is done Postpone tasks or routines that can be put off until your school work is finished! This can be the most difficult challenge of time management.

5.Use your free time wisely

Leah’s photography work

Chelsea’s photography work

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Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

COMMUNITY www.asachelt.org

Host an Exchange Student!

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Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

SPORT NEWS

11

www.asachelt.org

Students become leaders for the day

By Miss Skelding PR & Marketing Manager

140 Year 2 pupils from Christ Church Primary, Hesters Way Primary, St Gregory the Great, Gloucester Road Primary and St Thomas More Primary visited All Saints’ Academy for an exciting Tennis Festival led by Year 9 & 10 students from All Saints’ Academy.

The primary pupils took part in several different tennis activities set up and led by some Year 9 & 10 PE students. The Year 9 & 10 ASA students get to practise their leadership skills, some of the students can use this festival to go towards a BTEC sport module. Year 9 students Reziquel Dalogdog, Macy Patterson and Chloe Betteridge are in the Year 9 District Leadership Academy so used this experience to support at District events.

PE Technician Clare Daley said “In Year 2 they haven’t played much tennis so it is a really good opportunity for them to have a go, without playing a proper game of tennis they can hold a racket, throw a tennis ball, and do some fun drills that are tennis related.

A few of the ASA students have never led a festival before and have been great today. They have taken to leading really well and have got a positive response from the primary pupils. The PE students have been telling me that they enjoyed it and would like to do it again.”

All Saints’ Academy works with a local group of primary schools to provide fun festivals for the pupils to take part in. This is beneficial to our PE students and also to the primary pupils who get the chance to learn something new.

Year 10 student Eloise Tay-

CRICKET

By Mr Rollason P.E. Teacher

lor, 15, helped lead an activity called ‘Ready Steady’, this involved pupils learning about balance and the rules of the court . Eloise said “This is my first festival and I have really enjoyed working with the young pupils. I want to be a paediatrician when I am older so this has been a great experience to connect with younger children and hopefully will prove beneficial in years to come.”

Gymnastics Squad Success

By Miss Daley P.E. Technican

With the year 8’s taking part in their first cricket match ever against Cleeve, they were looking forward to gaining experience and building for the next few games.

However, it was to be a different story.

ASA set a respectable run total of 72 from 15 overs with a good innings from Josh Morton-Ellison (18) and Chase Nield (12). Cleeve had a very good batsman come to the crease and was proving difficult to get out. However, Nigel had different ideas and finally got his man after a great bowl and catch. Nigel finished his bowling spell with 3 maiden overs and 4 wickets. Chase and Josh also had successful bowling spells each getting a couple of wickets. With the game reaching its last over Cleeve needed 7 runs from the last over. ASA fielded brilliantly and Cleeve now needed 2 runs from the last bowl.

Ethan Clifford bowled a perfect straight ball but was hit high by the batsman, who eventually made his 2 and won the game for Cleeve. A great performance from ASA and a great start to the cricket season!

Well done boys, next up – St. Edwards.

Since the ASA gymnastics club began in September the squad have been very successful representing the school in the Gloucestershire Gymnastics Cup at St Peter’s School.

The squad members performed a floor routine and two vaults, with three members of advanced squad; Cameron, Biddy and Ellie Eardley also performing an excellent trio routine.

The squad showed great commitment by attending the weekly gymnastics club as well as extra sessions. Well done to the ASA Gymnastics Squad who finished in 4th place, which is a great achievement for only the first year of the club.

The squad consisted of 5 members of the advanced team; Cameron Morrissey, Biddy Holmes, Ellie Eardley, Leah Averiss, Ellie-Mae Williams and 10 members of the novice team; Yindiia Russell, Jade Pearce, Rebecca Marks, Faye Cresswell, Tilly

Cresswell, Oliver Ray, Amy Oakley, Gulalai Maroofkhil , Abbie Easterbrook.

The squad are currently preparing for the All Saints’ Dance and Gymnastics Production on Tuesday 20th May, raising money for the Africa trip. The ASA Dance Club and Gymnastics Club have come together for this production to show case the talent we have at All Saints’. Auditions were held and then regular practice sessions have taken place for the performers to create and work on their routines. Students have shown true commitment and dedication to the production which we hope you were able to enjoy.

‘The squad showed great commitment’

Issue 26, Term 5, 2014

ASA SPORTS

@ASASportsDept 12

www.asachelt.org

Year 8s and 10s gain priceless tennis experience Interhouse

By Mr Rollason PE Teacher

On the 30th April the year 8’s and 10’s visited St. Edwards to play singles and doubles matches. With many of ASA players experiencing tennis competition for the first time it was more of a learning curve for them. The year 8’s were made up of Jackson French, Jan Skowron, Pat Pozorski and Dylan Palmer. Despite all losing 6-0 they showed a real mature attitude and kept going till the very last ace was scored against them. The year 10’s did a little better having experienced tennis competition before. Brad Marks however got very frustrated and you could tell the pressure got to him during the final game. In a post-match interview with Mr Ferguson he said “I don’t even like tennis anyway”. Ergy Berisha had a very close game with St. Edwards top

Results

seed. It was a very close game throughout with every game going to deuce. Ergy also found himself getting frustrated after believing the court was “too small” and the court wasn’t “bouncy enough” for him. This may have had psychological effects on Ergy and he eventually lost 6-3. Chase Danby and Joe O’Shea also took part losing 6-0, 6-0 respectively.

Well done boys , next up – The All Saints Academy Open, against Dene Magna!

Term 4 Results Girls

Y7 1st Canterbury 2nd Westminster 3rd Durham 4th York Y8 1st Durham 2nd York 3rd Westminster & Canterbury Y9 1st York 2nd Durham 3rd Canterbury 4th Westminster

‘You could tell the pressure got to him’

Real Rugby Heroes Award

By Miss Skelding PR & Marketing Manager Ian Dance was nominated by All Saints’ Academy PE Technician Clare Daley and Assistant Principal Niall Ferguson.

The NatWest Real Rugby Heroes Senior Marketing Manager of Natwest, Martyn Wilson said “NatWest is committed to supporting rugby from the grassroots up to the England team and we are honoured to partner with the RFU in supporting the NatWest Real Rugby Heroes Awards, recognising the unsung heroes of the game. Their dedication and time is an irreplaceable component of the success that you see on the rugby pitch in schools up and down the country. They deserve recognition for all the work they do behind the scenes, from coaching the team to driving the minibus. We at NatWest would like to congratulate and thank each of the 10 winners for the great work they do.”

Ian Dance from All Saints’ Academy was the only school in Glouces-

Y10s enjoy softball day out!

By Mr Rollason PE Teacher

On

the 1st May the year 10’s enjoyed a day of softball training from top coaches and took part in a tournament against Bournside and Chosen Hill.

They were slow to start and found it difficult to pick up the many rules associated with the sport. However by the second game they found their feet with some great home runs and excellent fielding

and they eventually beat Bournside 17-8!

The deciding factor came down to the for and against rule and with Chosen Hill beating ASA quite convincingly the first game they were eventual winners. It could have been a different story, with Joe O’Shea needing a home run to get 3 players home in the first game which would have increased our run total’s dramatically. ASA finished in a respectable 2nd place and can hold their heads up high after what was a exhilarating day of softball played by all teams. They all represented the Academy brilliantly. Well done boys and girls!

tershire to win such a prestigious award.

Ian has been running a Saturday morning rugby club at All Saints’ Academy since its opening in 2011. He provides students with a positive way to spend their Saturday mornings, vital for some students who have deprived home backgrounds. After rugby sessions, Ian provides a free breakfast, which he funds out of his own money.

PE Technician Clare Daley said ‘Ian was nominated in recognition of all the hard work he puts in to running the Saturday morning rugby club for the students. This is a club that Ian, an RE teacher, runs voluntarily and started up himself. He is extremely motivated and passionate about rugby and the lessons it teaches students, such as discipline & respect for themselves and others. His outstanding commitment has given students a consistent and positive way to spend their Saturday mornings. After rugby sessions, Ian provides students with a free breakfast, which he funds out of his own money. In addition to this, Ian makes the trip to Cheltenham from his home in Bristol in order to run sessions. Ian is our Real Rugby Hero!’

Y10 1st Westminster 2nd Durham 3rd York 4th Canterbury Y11 1st Durham 2nd Canterbury 3rd Westminster 4th York

Boys

Y7 1st Westminster 2nd Canterbury 3rd Durham 4th York Y8 1st Westminster 2nd Canterbury 3rd York 4th Durham Y9 1stWestminster 2nd Durham 3rd Canterbury 4th York Y10 1st Canterbury 2nd Westminster 3rd Durham 4th York Y11 1st Canterbury 2nd York 3rd Westminster 4th Durham Overall House Results 1st Westminster 72 2nd Canterbury 69 3rd Durham 62 4th York 49

Next Interhouse Thursday 22nd May

Girls - Rounders / Boys -Softball

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