Pyrenees Ski Trip
Maths in Focus
Students get a taste for the ski slopes
We interview the new Head of Maths, Mr Wilkinson. Maths Page 5
Ski Trip Page 8 & 9
ASA TODAY The All Saints’ Academy Newspaper
Hands on in History
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
By Mr Giblin
History Teacher
History has come alive recently with our new partnership with the Cheltenham museum thanks to the recommendations of Mrs Gooch, the Head of History. This partnership has meant that we are now able to borrow many interesting artefacts from a kaleidoscopic number of eras to bring alive the learning of history at ASA. Many of our readers will be familiar with the First World War, Civil War and Crime and Punishment artefacts that have added a new found dimension of interest to the subject. Current Year 7s have been given the chance to explore and interact
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with a number of the Slavery artefacts that we have acquired for the term. These artefacts include many of the devices that were used to inflict pain or evoke fear for those unfortunate enough to be taken to work as slaves on one of the many plantations of the West Indies or the Southern states of America. Fear, more so than pain, was a key instrument of submission that ensured the slaves carried out the task that they were ordered to complete. The feedback from the students has been quite extraordinary. One student remarked that, “That lesson went superfast”. This has had an added benefit that the attainment of students has increased because many, as the quotes suggests, have become far more interested in the history because of the physical interaction with the items from the past.
Above: Alex examines one of the artefacts from the Cheltenham Museum Left: Magdalena tests out the artefacts during her History lesson
All Saints’ Academy has teamed up with Yamaha Music Education to offer you Yamaha Keyboard courses Classes will be happening between 10 – 5pm most Saturdays. Sessions are approximately 25 minutes. If you are interested in attending please email naustin@asachelt.org Lessons will be one hour at a cost of £10.
BBC School Report 2013 By Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager On Thursday 21st March 11 students from All Saints’Academy joined up with 1000’s of schools across the UK making the news. The students took part in BBC News School Report, a BBC project to engage 11-16 year-olds in the news. Ex-teacher and BBC News presenter, Huw Edwards, is lending his support to the project. He says: “I’m involved because I want to give young people the chance to make the news themselves, and I want to share the principles of good journalism.” Left: Jasmine, Katie, Joe, Alex, Emily, Megan, Jackson, Bethany, Thomas, Gabrielle & Megan
Principal Peter Kingham said ‘This has been a great opportunity for our students, they have worked really hard and have came up with some great stories’ Students got the opportunity to gather news in the morning, hold editorial meetings, create reports, interview people and do a video broadcast. It has been a fantastic project to oversee, the students have really taken ownership of it. I have definitely seen some budding journalists, presenters and photographers today. Student Gabrielle Parsons said “It has been a great day and I hope I can take part in next year’s BBC School Report.” To find the articles that students did on BBC School News Report day please see the link below: h t t p : / / w w w. a s a c h e l t . o r g / N e w s / BBC-School-Report-2013
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013 Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager Chief Editor for ASA Today
EDITORIAL www.asachelt.org
Principal’s Comment By Mr Kingham Principal
It has been a very busy Term 5. At the end of last term, 11 students took part in BBC School Report. It was great to see so many students doing reports and writing stories for our website. They even had their picture put on the BBC website! Hopefully this project gave them an insight into what we do with the school newspaper. We hope to encourage these students to write regular articles for ASA TODAY. We are very excited to be working with two local primary schools in our next edition of ASA TODAY. Mr Hamilton and I will be working with a Year 6 class at St. Marks Church of England Junior School and 27 pupils from Gardners Lane to create a page for each school, so keep an eye out next time. This term has been jampacked with events and successes; we hope you enjoy reading about them! If there are any students wishing to get involved in writing for the newspaper please come and see me in Reprographics.
Above: BBC School Reporters, Bethany holding the last ASA TODAY
Another very busy term draws to a close at ASA. We have received our Ofsted report, and the hard work of students and staff was recognised. We still have a great deal to do, and we will, as always, rely on your support to help our students achieve their potential.
Parent Forums
I would like to take this opportunity to invite any interested parents/carers to join one or more of our forums. These forums allow us to work much more closely with you, and give you the chance to help shape our wonderful Academy. The following forums are available: •Catering – meal choices, cost of food, menu design. •Your Child – ideas for improving the Academy’s communication with home. •Homework – developing the ILT offer, sharing expertise. •The Principal’s Forum – a one-hour forum dealing with any other Academy issues. If you want to join one or more (or even all!) of these forums, email: sdavies@asachelt.org
A reminder for all parents and students
Courses for Adults
At ASA we don’t just want to educate children. We can offer courses for adults too, and design them to fit around your own schedules. We are keen to hear from you if you are interested in any of the below courses. If you would like us to offer something not on the list, get in touch! ➢GCSE (or equivalent) English and Maths ➢Family/Personal Finance ➢Starting a business ➢Improving literacy and numeracy
Ofsted
Above: Chair of Governors Anthony McClaran
Ofsted graded the Academy as Good in three areas: teaching; behaviour; leadership & management. The inspectors felt we could still improve in terms of attainment, and we are working hard to make that a good too. However, the journey doesn’t stop at good; we will not be satisfied until we have become an outstanding Academy in all areas. All the staff here at All Saints’ are committed to helping the students, and we know that the same desire burns fiercely in them. There will be tough sanctions against those who get in the way of learning, but wonderful rewards for students who try their best. Ofsted commented on the Governance of All Saints’ being Outstanding. We caught up with the Chair of Governors Anthony McClaran,, he said:
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“Governors share the vision of the Principal and his staff to make ASA a beacon of excellence. We’re pleased that the Ofsted team recognised that the support we provide is outstanding. We challenge, help set the strategic direction, hold staff to account for levels of attainment and make sure resources are used well. But it isn’t about us – it’s all about raising achievement for the students of ASA and supporting the staff who work so hard to turn the vision into reality.”
From September 2013 all young people must participate in education or training until the end of the academic year when they are aged 17. If you are in Year 11 now this means you have to be in education or training next year. From September 2015 students must be in education or training until the end of the academic year when you are 18. So if you are in Year 10 now you have to stay in education or training for two year after Year 11. This is the law!
Good Luck!
And finally, on behalf of all the staff at All Saints’ Academy, I would like to wish all students sitting exams the very best of luck. You have worked so hard for so long, and we are all so very proud of you. In this month of May, the month dedicated to the Holy Mother, Mary, I invite all of you to say this prayer for our students each evening: O Mary, mother of love, of knowledge and of holy hope, I choose you as the guide and patron of our students’ studies; and I humbly ask that through you, the Holy Spirit comforts them during this exam period, strengthens their resolve, and lights in them the Light that never goes out. Amen.
Parental Engagement at ASA What already happens? •Year 6 parents in during July for a parental meeting. •First 3 weeks back into term – tutors should make contact with all parents of their tutees. •Student Review Day – parental interviews/ questionnaires. •Parents’ evenings – as follow up from Student Review Day
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
Proposed first meeting – Monday June 10th at 6pm (after CPD) Suggested topics for discussion•ILTs •Attendance – how to encourage good attendance. •Encouraging good revision/ study techniques at home. •Transition from Primary to Secondary education. NEW – Parents’ Forum We would like to invite parents to join a new Parents’ Forum that we are setting up at All Saints’ Academy. The aim? To meet once a term, for an hour, to discuss a variety of topics – starting with ILTs. The first meeting will be held on June 10th at 6pm. If you are interested in attending the first meeting please would you email Mrs Crawford (Assistant Principal, House Achievement Leader) on acrawford@asachelt.org We look forward to seeing you there.
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
ASA NEWS
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Art & Photography trip to London By Mrs Bayliss Head of Art
The Art and Photography students recently enjoyed a gallery and museum trip to London. They visited the Saatchi gallery where they saw some striking and thought provoking paintings, sculptures and photographs by a range of Russian Contemporary Artists. After touring the gallery and hearing about several key exhibits students attended a collage workshop using the work of Anna Parkina as inspiration to create dynamic and expressive images. Student then spent the remainder of the day in the Victoria and Albert Museum. During this time they independently selected an area of the museum to study in that had a link to their exam topic. They had the opportunity to do first hand observational drawings and take photographs. A truly inspiration day!
Above: Terri-Ann Hynes drawing at the Art Museum Below: Students looking for inspiration for their drawings
Above: Art and Photography students poes for a trip photo
Left: Students having a tour around the Museum
MP Martin Horwood inspires students By Miss Skelding PR & Communications Manager Year 11s got expert tips today during their Learning for Living day activity. Students studied Government and democracy. Year 11 students had to design their own parties and manifestos. They then prepared an election campaign and presented all of their ideas at the end of the day. Local MP Martin Horwood gave the students an introduction to the day and was also helping them with policies, manifestos, presentations and speeches. Student Jack Lane said “I have really enjoyed today. Politics is an important institution and I feel we should learn and understand more about it.” Year 11 student Fern Dean said “Enjoyed working with different people in the activities today. It has been great meeting Martin Horwood and getting to know what he is like, he is really inspirational.”
Head of History and Law Sarah Gooch said “The session has been really beneficial to the students, it has opened their eyes to what goes on in politics. We have had some really interesting discussions on the impact different policies have on our country.” MP Martin Horwood commented “I was blown away by the student’s work. They were fantastic I had no idea that the manifestos, policies and presentations would be of such high quality. The students were very engaged throughout the session and the day was well managed by the teachers. The students produced very impressive speeches and presentations.”
“I have really enjoyed today. Politics is an important institution and I feel we should learn and understand more about it.”
SPIRITUALITY
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
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The licensing of Rev. Linda Cronin
St George’s Day 23rd April By Mrs Spence
Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain
To celebrate St George’s Day here at All Saints’ students were invited to come along to the Loaves and Fishes to decorate biscuits in the style of the flag of St George. This took place during morning break and lunch time and it proved to be a very popular event with over 200 students taking part. During the week Tutor Groups focused on St George, the patron saint of England in afternoon registrations and Collective Worship.
Above: Candles being lit
Above: Rev. Cronin with Mrs Scarfe & Mrs Spence
Above: Students decorating biscuits Above: Bishop Michael licensing Rev. Linda Cronin
By Mrs Scarfe
Assistant Principal Spirituality & Ethos/RE On April 11th the licensing of our new Anglican Chaplain took place in the Cotswold Hall. This is where the Bishop of Gloucester officially gives Linda a license to work as a chaplain at All Saints’ Academy.
Above: Rev. Linda Cronin after the ceremony Above: The ceremony Forty of Linda’s family and friends travelled from all over the country to be with her to celebrate and witness this special occasion. Representatives from every form came to the service as well as members of staff, governors and the parish of St. Mark’s. After a welcome from Mr Kingham and the Bishop the service continued with students from ASA asking Linda to do things and bringing up
symbols of her mission. A cross represented how Linda will help students to grow in the knowledge of Jesus and the Gospels; prayer cards symbolised her leading prayer and worship; the Bible was used as a symbol of Linda helping us to discover God’s purpose; a woven heart was brought up as symbol of how Linda can care and guide the students; a chalice was used as symbol of the Eucharist and finally a map was used to show how
Linda will work in the local community. Bishop Michael of Gloucester then read the License, blessed Linda’s hands with the Oil of Chrism as a sign of being chosen for a special task and then gave her his blessing. Prayers were then offered by Linda’s friends and colleagues. It was a lovely, distinctive and holy celebration and one that will be remembered by all who attended.
Interview with the new Chaplain Rev. Linda Cronin What made you decide to apply for the position Chaplain at ASA? When I was in my previous parish I really enjoyed working with the children and young people in the school and so the idea of doing that 5 days a week at All Saints’ Academy was attractive. What does your job entail? Caring for the whole community, so students and staff alike. Being available to people if they want to talk about anything. Organising some of the worship in the Chapel and much more. So you mentioned your previous parish, could you tell us a bit more about it? I was in the Diocese of Carlisle in a town called Barrow in Furness, which is quite a deprived area. The parish had 3 churches and a community of 25,000. Lots of poverty and lots of challenges but I loved it. What is the most rewarding thing about being a Chaplain?
Just being part of the All Saints’ Academy. What is your favourite film? Patch Adams. Who was your idol growing up? Lots of Christian leaders in church. I always respected their views even if I didn’t agree with them. What was your favourite subject at school? Music.
What is your favourite Bible verse? John 3:16 – it encapsulates the good news. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Tell us something about yourself? My dad was Mayor of Newton Abbot.
Above: Gabrielle & Chelsea Quick facts about St George: • Born in Turkey (in Cappadocia) • Lived in 3rd century • His parents were Christian • Became a Roman soldier • Protested against Rome’s persecution of Christians • Imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith • Beheaded at Lydda in Palestine
New Anglican Chaplain appointed By Mrs Spence
Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain I would personally like to welcome Rev’d Linda Cronin to All Saints’ and look forward to us working together here in the Chaplaincy in our ministry to all members of the Academy family.
DEPARTMENT FOCUS
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
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Mathematics
Maths in Year 11
Maths Enrichment By Miss Jones Maths support/ mentor
By Fern Dean Student Reporter Now that I am in Year 11, Maths is a lot more serious and there is no time to mess around. We were put into a strict group of girls. We had a lot of revision days in the half terms to attend again, which helped a bit. At the end of 2012 we were entered into a maths exam. Based on our results we were then re-arranged into another same sex maths group. This helped a lot as we were given new teachers, and a fresh start to start revising over again for the maths exam we were entered in for February. I had a lot of help from both Miss Badham and Miss Jones. They both helped a lot and I began to start understanding maths again. I had a lot of tuition lessons with Miss Jones that were sometimes in groups and sometimes one to one. They were really helpful as you had full attention and more time to understand maths and then go onto a different subject, like shapes and then algebra. In February we took another maths exam, this for me was really good and went really well. I felt like I was successful for once, and that I am going to come out with a C. I had put a lot of hard work into the exam, and found it quite easy. I would say if it wasn’t for my teachers I would most probably be coming back out with a D in this exam. Hopefully I will get this C I’ve been trying to get for over 6 months now. Fern achieved a C in her March Maths exam.
Above and right: Primary pupils doing Maths activities at All Saints’ Academy
By Mrs Hewlett Interim Senior Leader On the 9th May the Year 6 pupils who have been having help to prepare for their level 6 SATs visited the academy for their final lesson. They have all worked so hard throughout the year that it was time for some mathematical fun. They played ACHI, a game that originates from Ghana, and thought about whether it was best to start first or go second, which were the
best places to place their counters, and how simple games like this have a direct link through to the computer games being designed today. For their next activity they had to put a suit of playing cards in the right order so that when you spelled the number on the card the last card was the number you had just spelled out…. Too difficult to explain but lots of fun!
Finally they worked together to put the numbers 1 to 17 in a line so that, if you added up any two numbers next to each other the answer was a square number. Everyone at All Saints’ Academy has really enjoyed working with the Year 6 pupils. We wish them well in their SATs and look forward to welcoming them into Year 7 in September.
Our maths expert returned this term to give mathematical advice to our A-level maths students on how to choose a husband. His talk described the solution to the “stable marriage problem” which is commonly known in the mathematical world. As for the Y7 and Y9 students last term, he had the students up and out of their seats finding the answer to the problem. The boys were proposing to the girls and the girls were either accepting or rejecting their proposal based on their preferences. As there were an equal number of male and female students, by the end of the demonstration all of our Alevel students were paired to their “ideal” partners. Mathematically, all the pairs of students were described as “stable” as the way in which the problem was solved ensured that there did not exist a better pairing for either partner. After describing the mathematical theory behind the problem, our maths expert did point out to the students that as the boys were proposing to the girls, the solution favoured the boys preferences. Are we going to see an increase in marriage proposals by girls so as to favour their preferences on February 29th of a leap year now this information has come to light?!
Introducing our new Head of Maths - Mr Wilkinson What led you into teaching? Did you always want to be a teacher? I didn’t always want to be a teacher. I joined the Army originally and trained at Sandhurst as an Officer and then had an injury so I left. Subsequently I worked with young children in care whilst I was at University, taking them out doing activities and also working with them in their school and I really enjoyed that and thought that might be a way forward. When I was very much younger I also did some swimming coaching and enjoyed teaching people things and helping them. What degree did you do? I did a degree in Sports Science and Physiology. I think not having a Maths degree actually makes the teacher create more interesting lessons and a lot of our Maths teachers have degrees in different subjects. How long have you been a teacher? 10 years, in various different secondary schools around Birmingham. What have you that you
students taught could not have
learnt in any other profession? Don’t be hard on pupils that you don’t know, delve beneath the surface and find out more about the individual to get to the root of a problem. If someone is acting up in a particular way there is normally a reason behind that, so I guess I learnt to not go in with a hard approach, take the time to speak to the individual to find out what is going on. What in your opinion are the most compelling challenges with today’s education system? The biggest challenge with maths has always been the same challenge which is trying to make it relevant and to make it interesting for everybody. To help students believe that it is not a subject that you either can or can’t do. I know that every person can improve in maths; there are so many different areas. Everyone uses maths in day-today activities, using logic and everything else so we are already using it all the time. The challenge with maths is to help students believe that they can do it.
What is your favourite part of maths? I like shapes, I like drawing and creative stuff. I like transformations, reflections and rotation. What is your favourite film? I have a few actually, Shaun of the Dead, Rocky and Les Miserables. What was your favourite subject at school? PE, I love sport. Tell us something interesting about yourself 1. I was ranked top ten national swimmer in many different events when I was 16. 2. I really like gardening and growing my own vegetables I have had my own allotment for many years. I am actually a qualified permaculture designer; I am a bit hippy at heart. Who was your idol growing up and why? Australian Swimmer Kieran Perkins. He trained harder than anyone else.
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
English By Mr Dangerfield Head of English
Busy, busy, busy It’s been a busy term in the English department. Years 10 and 11 have been preparing for their GCSE exams (and not forgetting Mr Clarkson’s Year 9 iGCSE class); 12 and 13 have been putting the finishing touches on their A-level work; and the teachers have been running around completing all the forms for the exam boards! We wish our exam classes all the best; they don’t need luck, they just need to remember: Keep Calm and Carry On Writing! But of course, it’s not all exams in the English department. Luckily we still do have some time for fun and creativity. I’ll leave you with the wonderful words of Asher Reynolds in 7D.
The ship flew across ye Olde Ocean, The clouds swirling in a frenzied panic. Inside the boat, crowded and chaotic. The choppy waves thundered towards you, And then everything went black. The streaming current rocked the vessel, All around you, screaming and panic, “Brace for impact, get inside! Abandon ship, all hope is lost!” And then it struck, the final blow, The horrible sound of splintering wood fills your ears. Down it goes, into the deep, And with it everything you own. Family, friends, even lover, Are lost there forever. And as survivors slowly surface, It all becomes clear. Only sixty seven live, But no-one you were hoping to. Getting bashed by the waves, Wooden planks and death all around you. By Asher Reynolds
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By Mr Griffin
English Teacher
Poetry Slam Several months ago a poet called Spoz came into the Academy and worked with students in Y8. Students wrote poems about themselves, and then performed them in front of their friends and some of the teachers. A winning group was chosen, and the four boys started to prepare for the regional competition.
Above: All Saints’ Academy students pose with Miss Robinson & Spoz After some last minute drama, ASA students took their place on stage at Cheltenham Town Hall. Many local schools were competing, including Balcarras and Tewkesbury. The boys performed their poem, reading clearly and fluently, and were a great credit to themselves, their families and
Drama
Accelerated Reader
Year 7 English By Mr Griffin
English Teacher
The Lady of Shallott Y7 have been studying heritage poetry this term, and Finlay’s story has been inspired by The Lady of Shalott, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. He has included many features from the poem, including the four grey walls and towers. The poem itself is rather mysterious, and as Finlay’s class haven’t got to the end of it yet, he’s used his imagination. When we have finished the poem, perhaps Finlay will return to the story and tell us what happens next!
By Miss Smith
Co-ordinator of Accelerated Reader
We are really pleased with how well our Y7 and Y8 students have taken to Accelerated Reading and are seeing some tremendous results. The English department are supporting this important project and are dedicating time in some of their lessons to get our students reading. Students seem to be inspired by the competitive aspect of this project and are very keen to be on the leader board each week and to receive the small prizes that are awarded for successfully completing their quizzes. In addition to the small sweet treats given for successfully passing quizzes students now also able to achieve an award of ‘Word Badges’. Badges are given base on the number of words read and are currently awarded for 100,000, 50,000 – 40,000 – 30,000 - 20,000 - 10,000 Badges are also awarded to one student per class for passing the most number of quizzes per term. As a school we have now read 13,905,787 words and successfully passed 975 quizzes. Names of particular note are: Ceri Mavin, Jake Rich, Kai Champion, Cameron Woolley and Azad Khan who
the Academy. Unfortunately, they did not win on this occasion, but had a lot of fun along the way. Miss Robinson worked hard with the students, helping them prepare, and was there to watch, along with Mr Bagnall and Mr Griffin. Students involved: Keenan Taylor; Alex Smith; Josh Jones; Brandon Etheridge
Above & right: Performing Arts students showcasing their talent
By Miss Robinson Head of Drama Above: Quiz badges that can be won consistently appear on the leader board, are very though in their approach to quizzes and are working very hard to achieve the next colour band. We are looking forward to seeing who will win the big end of year awards for Accelerated Reader – The competition is still wide open, so everyone should keep reading to see if they will be a winner. If you have any particular ideas that you think would make good prizes then we would love to hear from you. Either speak to Miss Smith in the GLH or drop her email on esmith@asachelt.org We would like to take this opportunity to thank parents for their support and as ever, you can continue to support us by encouraging your to child to read at home as well as taking the opportunity to talk to them about the books they are reading.
Year 12 Performing Arts student impress On Friday 10th May the Year 12 Performing Arts group , (Mary Butler, Kaisha Knott, Emma Power, Bryoni Bradshaw, Laura Long, Jade Vincent and Kelly Waring) performed their devised piece for their AS exam. They had devised a piece for a commission on ‘Cultural Traditions’. This commission led them to explore the traditional values of relationships and marriage, with ideas drawn from well – known fairy tales from British culture. The group devised the piece incorporating a number of theatrical styles including physical and musical theatre. This gave them the opportunity to showcase the vast number of talents that are evident within the group, with each per-
former showcasing a chosen talent as well as adopting a style new to them. This was a challenging commission and the students rose to the challenge, producing an engaging and exciting performance that was enjoyed by the staff and students who formed the audience. It is with happy hearts that Miss Robinson and Mrs. McConaghie say a well deserved ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ to the Year 12 Performing Arts group. We would also like to thank, Yolanda Terera, Hope Read and Dominika Zyra for their technical support and Mr.Kingham, Mrs. Carroll, Mr.Carroll, Mr.Kelly ,Mr. Powell and Miss.Skelding for showing their support for the students and being such an appreciative audience.
I was on an adventure to Shalott for my country. I was looking for the lady that was cursed: if I could find her, I could set her free. My only clue was that I could find her in a place with palm trees and curly trees. Suddenly I saw something in the distance. It looked like a mirror shining in the sunlight. The light seemed to call me. I stayed in the trees and followed the bright light. Then I found my first curly tree and soon afterwards, a palm tree; I was on the right track! Soon I saw four grey towers, so I went to them and saw they were connected by four grey walls. I climbed over a wall and made my way into the castle. After searching many rooms I found her; she was moving towards the window – was I too late…? By Finlay Kerr (Y7)
DEPARTMENT NEWS Enrichment
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
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Star Points
Science
By Mrs Cain
By Mr Parkinson
By Erykah Cameron
Co-ordinator of Rewards
Student Reporter
Photography Club On a Wednesday after school Miss Skelding and Mr Hamilton run a photography club for students to attend as one of their enrichments. The club is held in the BG01 but we also often visit the photography room behind the C3 room. We use props (i.e. chairs, umbrellas etc) to make the photos we take look more effective and interesting. We also use flashes at different angles to make the shadows varied; this is a technique that we have learnt in the club. During photography club we get to direct the shoot when we are the photographer, telling the model where and how to position themselves. As the model we learn to follow the directions of the photographer thus enabling us to appreciate both roles. I have joined photography club because when I leave school I want to be a photographic journalist for the National Geographic magazine. Hopefully photography club will help me achieve my goal.
Above left: Erykah erased the background of this picture. Above right: The background picture of the jungle was the layer Erykah chose to put the frame image on to.
• In the Attendance race in Term 4 – Westminster 1st, Durham 2nd, York 3rd, Canterbury 4th. • In the Star Points race in Term 4 Durham 1st, Westminster 2nd, York 3rd, Canterbury 4th. • In the Boys Interhouse in Term 4 – Westminster 1st, York 2nd, Durham 3rd, Canterbury 4th. • In the Girls Interhouse in Term 4 – Westminster 1st, Durham 2nd, Canterbury 3rd, York 4th. Above: Erykah combined the two layers to create the image above in Photography club
HOW TO ORDER SCHOOL UNIFORM REPLACEMENT ITEMS FOR EXISTING STUDENTS 1. You will need to access the Price & Buckland website: www.pbparentsonline.co.uk/allsaintsacademy or use the link on our Academy website to order the items. Payment will be needed at the time of the order. If you do not have access to the internet you can post your order to Price & Buckland and pay be cheque. 2. Parents should opt to have uniform delivered to the Academy; this will save you the delivery costs. 3. Orders should be placed by 16th August 2013 to qualify for delivery to Academy in time for collection on the following dates. 4.Collection arrangements: 28th August and 29th August from 9am – 2pm each day. Should you have any queries, please contact Mrs Amanda Matthews on 01242 711201 or amatthews@asachelt.org
Music By Mrs Austin Head of Music
Easter performance In the last issue we reported on the preparations for the joint performance of “From the Stable to the Cross” with St Gregory’s and St Thomas More’s Schools. The performance, on Wednesday 13th March, proved to be a resounding success with many of the audience commending the students from all three schools on their enthusiasm and talent. Grace Etheridge in year 11 wowed everyone with an emotional rendition of “I don’t know how to love him” from Jesus Christ Superstar. All three schools are looking forward to working together next term.
Often I’m asked by students’ “What does it matter to my house if I don’t get house points or come in”. Well, the last House Competition standings show what differences YOU can make. At the end of Term 3, the house positions were Canterbury 1st, Durham 2nd, York 3rd and Westminster 4th. This was based on the Interhouse competitions, the attendance statistics and also Star Point totals. In Term 4, many of the house heads pushed their students, explaining how it can change everything. Well that push worked.
Keyboard Group The Keyboard club which meets on Tuesday continues to go from strength to strength and we are considering having to run an additional session! Students have been working on many pieces including an arrangement of the theme tune from Pirates of the Carribean which was produced by Mrs Bayliss’ son. Many thanks to Mrs Bayliss and Mrs Jones for their unstinting support with this club!
Raising Aspirations
Above: Forest of Dean
Geography By Miss Hannam Head of Geography
Since the last ASA TODAY Year 10 and 9 have been the busiest year groups with plenty of past papers and mock controlled assessments being undertaken. For the Year 10s this was valuable practice for their upcoming trip to the Forest of Dean. For the lower school year 7 can look forward to investigating the microclimate around ASA and year look forward to a brand new module all about Humans and the World.
Welcome Mrs Hanlon Many of you will have seen a new face around the science department. We would like to officially welcome Mrs Hanlon to the Science teaching team, here at All Saints’ Academy. Mrs Hanlon is originally from Gloucester but trained to be a teacher in Kingston-upon-Thames. She started teaching in London and has also taught in a couple of schools in Gloucester and Cheltenham. Mrs Hanlon enjoyed science at school and went to on to study Biology at University. She enjoyed the fun and practical aspects to Biology and really liked how it is relevant to everyday life. As well as being a talented teacher, Mrs Hanlon also spends her free time playing the guitar and the flute. She also enjoys playing with her children. We are really looking forward to getting to know Mrs Hanlon better and would like to offer a massive welcome to her. Please say “Hi” when you see her around the Academy.
Health & Social Care By Lottie McSorley Student Reporter
By Kirsty Stevens Student Reporter
By Mr Ferguson
Assistant Principal Co-ordinator of Year 10
Level 3 BTEC Students Level 3 BTEC students will be going into St Thomas More’s school to give year 6 students a welcome treat when their SATs have finished. As part of their course, the BTEC students are required to demonstrate the advanced recording features that are available on modern keyboards. They have chosen to do this by teaching groups of younger students how to create multitrack recordings using a variety of timbres and some of the preset beats.
This had a dramatic effect on the overall ranking. In Term 4 the current position is now; 1st: Durham 2nd: Westminster 3rd: York 4th: Canterbury What a dramatic turnaround for some houses. Now you can see – every competition helps. Well done Durham and “Outstanding” effort for Westminster. Bring on next terms statistics.
Head of Science
Several of our Year 10 students have shown a real desire and ambition to further themselves and press on to University. The students have had to complete application forms and indicate what they hope to gain from the experience. The rigorous selection process by the Universities has been applied equally across all schools, so it is very pleasing and impressive to have so many successful applications for the two University summer schools. A very big well done and good luck to: University of West England: Aiesha Burge, Taylor Crossan, Shawn Jelfs, Rosie McRoberts, Nicole Morrisey, Jack Payton, Patricia Recibe, Katherine To, Reece Wilson. University of Gloucestershire: Wiktoria Chojencka, Libby Delaney, Ellie Fewings, Alex Hamblin, Chloe Mason, Nicole McQuaide, Rosie McRoberts, Nicole Morrisey, Megan Timbrell,
On April 11th the Year 12 Health and Social care group went to the University of Gloucestershire for an insight into what University would be like whilst taking a degree in a Health and Social care course and the finances that come with it. The day started with an introduction about the different health and social care courses that the University had to offer and what qualifications you needed to be able to gain a place. After that we had tour of the Campus itself by an undergraduate student, this gave us a true feel of what it would be like to live the student life. After the tour we attended seminars about substance misuse and looked at family relationships and how they influence our behaviour. These two topics were taught by two different lectures who taught the courses at Gloucestershire University. They gave us a positive outlook about university and helped us understand what is required to gain a place. Overall we found this experience inspiring and it gave us a clear perspective about University and the financial background behind it.
ASA SKI TRIP
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
www.asachelt.org
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Boys learn new skills as they take to the piste By Jed Seers Student Reporter
Mr Ackland and Mr Ferguson both persuaded me to go on the skiing trip to Austria. I am quite a sporty person but neither really thought about the possibility of going skiing but once the opportunity came along I had no second thoughts. Me and another sixth form student Brad Simms with 6 other boys from younger years went on the trip. Before the actual trip we had some practice lessons at the dry slope in Matson. The trip gave Ackers and Fergie a general idea of who is going to need extra time on the starter slope when we got there. The candidates were Alex Hambling and Aaron Mason. Unfortunately a week later Aaron Mason broke his leg therefore could not go on the trip. He probably would have broken his leg the way he was skiing anyway! The bus arrived at the school and after saying goodbyes we got settled on the bus getting prepared for the long haul to Austria which would take us a good 19 hours. The bus journey was very long to say the least especially when people were being sick on the bus (Bradley Marks)! I think the ferry was the one bit of the trip which made people very uneasy. With even more people throwing up. Once the ferry was over with everybody got back on the bus with two new drivers , Mike and John, we started the long drive across countries such as France Belgium and Germany in order to get to Austria. On the way we saw many sights such as Bayern Munich’s football ground, the Allianz Arena. After a long drive we finally got to our resort the Lacknerhoff in St Johann. We were welcomed by a lovely family who ran the hotel. After everybody had settled into their rooms and got some sleep we had to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to have breakfast and be out the door before 7:45. After renting all of our kit we went and met our skiing instructor Stefan, who was a very strict but funny man. Everybody was struggling with the snow and trying to ski. We spent our first day on the starter slope. Our nights consisted of having dinner then going out and looking around the town. One night we went swimming which was nice because they had an outdoor pool which was very hot so you were warm. Whilst in the outdoor pool it started snowing which was lovely. We also went to a bar one night to watch the football where we were once again greeted very warmly. The town that we stayed in was very peaceful and quiet. After our first day on the starter slope everybody felt adjusted to the alpine con-
Above:The Austria Ski Trip group from 2013
Above: Austrian peaks ditions. We moved on to the blue slope going on the chair lifts which was very freaky for the first time. Brad Simms one of the oldest there had some fear issues and therefore he accidentally went flying down the hill out of control with Mr Ackland pursuing him, unable to catch brad Mr Ackland told him to turn or to bail! Brad performed a great turn out of nowhere saving himself! After this he was badly shaken
Below: Mr Ackland posing
Above: Jed Seers recieving his medal an certificate from the instructor
up so the group decided to move on without him. The next few days were the best days I’ve experienced so far. The skiing was amazing, it was nice to be able to be in control but also have the element of a risk of something happening. The adrenaline was out of the roof after getting to the top of the mountain and knowing that the only way down was to ski it. Everybody had falls but no-
body had any injuries. If anything it was funny when you fell over. Of course we couldn’t ski for the whole day so we had breaks. Scattered over the mountain were restaurants that served great food. Even though it was the end of the skiing season we still had some great days of skiing. Everybody bar Brad Simms was able to ski down the red slopes. Some of us also could ski the black slopes. On the second to last day Me (Jed Seers) and Ryan Murph decided to go and do the black slopes with Mr Ackland and Stefan. After completing the black slopes it was a great sense of achievement and it
made you feel like you could do anything. And the last good thing about the trip is that it was hotter than when it was in England! Most of us also caught a tan due to the reflection of the sun from the snow. We had a great time and also caught a tan! Couldn’t get any better if you ask me. I would highly advise anybody to go skiing, its great fun! I’m definitely going again!
TO AUSTRIA
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
www.asachelt.org
Chelsea’s Column
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The difference between British and American Summers By Chelsea Craven Student Reporter
Above: On the mountain
If you are interested in going on the Ski trip next year please see Mr Ferguson or Mr Ackland for a letter.
Above: Alex putting his ski boots on By Alex Hamblin Student Reporter
Our trip to Austria was definately one to remember. Every day was packed with activities. We would start on the slope at half eight and virtually stay up there all day. But if I take anything away from this trip I think it is the message that skiing is tough and tiring, but fun. It doesn’t help to have an Austrian ski instructor telling you you’re doing it wrong half the time. Luckily none of us broke any bones and the trip was a massive success. I would defiantly recommend people to go, an experience like this is priceless.
All Saints’ Academy
You might be surprised but there aren’t very many differences between summers in the UK and America. Besides the temperature and location, there are a lot of similarities. The thing which is nice about Utah (a middle state) is you get a pretty even amount of every season and all are very beautiful. Utah has different landscapes and diverse climates. The south part of Utah, St George, is hotter and has a red rock landscape (similar to the Nevada’s (where Las Vegas is) landscape.) Lots of Utah people go here or Las Vegas (which is a six hour drive from salt lake) for the summer, because it’s fast, economical, and ‘where the sun is.’ Last summer before I came to England my family and I went to Washington State (where I lived when I was little) and explored Seattle. It was fun to have all those childhood memories come back. Once we came home I went on some youth summer camps like EFY, Young Woman’s Camp, and a couple family camping trips too. After that I spent some time with my friends like every summer my friends and I usually drive around and just hang out. We chill at parks/public areas where we’d go on midnight hikes, weird/scary adventures up in the mountains or in the valley, play games, talk, attempt to par core (haha), or go to stores like Walmart or get food at a fast food restaurant and goof off. After we’d go to someone’s house where we would watch movies, listen to music, play games, have bonfires, talk etc. On special occasions my friends and I would go boating on Utah Lake where we’d go water skiing, tubing, and swimming. Or go to Utah’s amusement park Lagoon. I absolutely love Lagoon. Some of my fondest memories are there. Lagoon, not only has fun crazy rides and games, but they have an outdoor pool area with slipping slides and pools. There were some summer parties my friends and I would go to (dances, birthday parties, summer big group hang outs (with the whole high school)) but mostly we chilled and enjoyed being off school. That’s the nice thing about America, most schools have a summer holiday for four months (end of May or first of June – middle or August) It’s super nice. But if you don’t have things planned, summer can get boring and you almost want school to start
again to have something to do. However, that’s very rare. As you get older there are more things you want to accomplish in the summer time and sometimes it is difficult because your friends start working to get money or something. Luckily my friends and I usually found the time to at least hang for a few hours. As the summer went on I did some summer assignments for school and prepared for England. We’re talking tons of garage sales.
Above: Friends and I at a summer Youth Camp In past summers my family goes a lot of places in the South West of the USA like Vegas and California to spend time with my family, play in the pool, shop, etc. And there are lots of summer opportunities to take part in when you’re not traveling. A big holiday in the summer which every American looks forward to is the 4th of July. In July it’s nice and hot so it’s the perfect weather for barbeques, fireworks, shorts, tanks, flip flops etc. Usually during this holiday people are with families having barbeques and blast the national anthem on the radio while watching chemicals explore to produce colors and sound (fireworks). It’s a fun time of the year. So in reality American summers are a lot like United Kingdom summers, other than the weather and location, we travel to the warmer places, have valuable family time, and chill with friends. Summer’s a time to relax and enjoy the sun. Although England may not get that much we can at least travel and enjoy it while it’s here.
Blaisdon Way, Cheltenham
Above: Tubing, so much fun
GL51 0WH, UK
Left: At Lagoon amusement park with a friend
ASA SIXTH FORM
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
www.asachelt.org
Sixth Form students have a wheel of a time!
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Psychology By Miss Brannan
By Emmanuel Villarba
Head of Psychology
Student Reporter The 6th form social committee came up with an idea of a social event for the sixth formers that was held on Thursday, 25th April at Bristol Go Karting. This social event was organised by Katherine Fishwick as she felt that this was a great opportunity for everyone to take time off from the busy term and have fun. Mr Kelly, who is the Assistant Director of sixth form, thought it was a brilliant idea and took on a chance in organising the payment method and arranged the date when it would be possible for the majority to come. For some students, this was something to look forward to after having an allday exam on the same day as the trip was arranged to be held after school. Mr Guilbert kindly drove the minibus and got us there on time. Students psyched up after arrival only knowing that we first had to register as part of a process needed for the rankings, record time etc. and then watch the rules and regulations beforehand. We were introduced to what was important for us to know for everyone’s health and safety as well as the track itself and of
Above: Sixth Formers ready for Karting. Above: Winners Below Left: Naz Ali winning the wooden spoon course how to drive the kart and so on… position (kart number). When every- Having seen the results from the previAfter the briefing, we headed to another one was settled on their allocated karts, ous practice, all attempted to beat their room to choose ourselves a tracksuit and another member of staff was in charge current ranking (and peers) if not, their then waited patiently by the track for the of trial, seeing if we were able to brake best time lap. The winner of the race, current race to finish; we watched before when he instructed us to do so and one- Edward Perrins, won a trophy and the us the velocity the karts were driven at, by-one letting us proceed to the track af- 2nd place which was Charlene Jocson the actual track itself which smelled of ter successfully following his instruction. and 3rd place Keenan Bonner both won The first part was practice, where we a medal whilst the prize for last place burning rubber and fuel, the engine’s roar which echoed across the vast indoor started by driving slowly, getting to know was a wooden spoon which was unexspace and felt the atmosphere of the com- which pedals are for which purpose: accel- pectedly won by Nazim Ali who was up petition and adrenaline thriving between erate or brake, and getting used to our way against Katherine Fishwick in winning it. those fast-paced racers (demonstrating around the track which included a lot of Nevertheless, everyone had immense fun experience like they have done it before). curves, speeding up if we were confident (which is what really matters) and all went Finally, after all the anticipation, it was enough. Afterwards, we were given feed- back home completely pleased/satisfied. our turn on the 500m track! We headed back, a ranking of who came first place to to grab helmets as well as gloves and last, based from each racer’s best time lap. waited for the instructor to tell us our The second part was the actual race.
Visit Elite at Regent Arcade
Trip TO UWE By Lucie Jelfs
Student Reporter
By Lucie Jelfs
Student Reporter
Above: Mr Burger on the trampoline. On 24th April 82 Year 12’s ventured into the unknown world of University. We attended a Higher Education Fair where we had the chance to visit stalls and find out more about University life and the courses on offer. During the day we had the chance to visit stands and ask about the different courses at the different universities and attend seminars to gather information. Everyone came back full of information and most of us found out about universities that we’d never heard of before. It wasn’t just a day packed with information some people turned it into a freebie collecting competitions and
On Monday 29th April the year 13 Psychology students had a visit from Jenny Nash, a mental health nurse, to talk to them about working with people with mental health issues; in particular, schizophrenia. The students are currently studying the cause and treatments of schizophrenia so this was a fantastic opportunity to hear about it from an expert. Jenny talked to students about her first- hand experience with people with schizophrenia and spoke about case studies to really demonstrate possible causes and impacts of the illness. Hearing about it from someone who works in this situation every day was eye opening for the students and so useful for them in terms of understanding what it’s like to have schizophrenia and which treatments are most commonly used. The students also heard about Jenny’s background in Psychology, including her Psychology A-Level, degree and, of course, her current nursing job. This helped to raise aspirations of the students so they could see where qualifications in Psychology could take them, and ultimately the type of career they could have from it. Year 13 students would like to say a big thank you to Jenny for taking the time to come and speak to them!
Above: A couple of examples of the stalls. walked away with bags, fuzzy friends, badges and even data pens. Some of us, including Mr Burger, took up the Intel challenge of jumping on a trampoline and typing in words on the screen above, it seemed easy until you got on there. Overall the day was a huge success and everyone took something away from it. Its a great opportunity and if you get the chance to attend something like this make sure you do - you’ll learn loads of stuff you didn’t already know and it gives you the chance to find other university options than just the most talked about.
Elite’s journey as a young enterprise company has finished. However Elite is not ready to stop here. We attended the Young enterprise area finals on the 2nd of May where we along with 9 other teams had the chance to present our company and young enterprise experience. We were full of nerves as we waited and then took to the stage. We stood the awards on stage and one slid off the table, we saved it, but would it be downhill from here? Luckily not. We presented well and managed to scoop up third in the presentation category of awards. We also received a commendation for our financial performance. This won’t be the last you see of Elite as we will be selling our product in the Regent Arcade for a second time on June 8th - why not pop in and see us (this was a prize for winning ‘Young Retailer of the Year’.) Finally, we would like to say thanks for all the support we have had along the way and a big congratulations to Swapps from Cirencester College who will be representing Gloucestershire at the next stage in the competition.
www.facebook.com/EliteCraftCompany www.youtube.com/user/EliteCraftCompany Email: jelflu07@asachelt.org
Above: Lucie recieving the certificate for third place on behalf of all of Elite.
Calling all Sixth Form students! This summer we will be offering a summer school for Y6 pupils joining ASA. In the competition for places at universities, it will greatly enhance your CV if you volunteer to help. For more details, email: hmetcalfe@asachelt.org
HOUSE ACHIEVEMENT
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
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www.asachelt.org
Canterbury
Durham
House Star student of the Term Taylor Crossan 10CH
Kyle Pearce-Smith 5DH
Tutor Comment (Miss Clarke)
When I first started at the Academy Taylor was an incredibly warm and welcoming face who helped me out a great deal with settling in and getting to know the tutor group. She is always incredibly well mannered, smiley and positive; and really helps to create a great atmosphere amongst 10CH. She is popular in the tutor group, supportive to all members of the group and integrates well with everyone - both old and young. Taylor is not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right even if this means standing up to her peers. I have never heard Taylor say an unkind word about anyone quite the opposite - she looks to help increase the confidence of those around her at all times. She is a great influence on her peers putting in maximum effort to class work and encouraging them to do the same. On top of all this she is has a great sense of humour and for these reasons she is definitely the STAR STUDENT in my eyes.
HAL Comment (Mrs Crawford)
I am delighted that Taylor is Canterbury’s Star Student for term 4. It is above all Taylor’s positive attitude that shines through at All Saints’. She has a care for those around her and always gives of her best. She is a real asset to Canterbury house. Congratulations Taylor.
Student Comment
I am honoured to be nominated by Miss Clarke for the house star student. I enjoy supporting younger students within my tutor group, because it makes their confidence grow. I think the academy has helped me progress in my learning, so I feel I am reaching my full potential. I really hope I can continue to be a good role model in year 11.
Outstanding Christian Inclusive Community
Term 4
Ryan Murphy 10WH
Student Comment I am shocked to be nominated for Durham Student of the Term. During my time at All Saints’ Academy I have made amazing friends and have made outstanding progress in English, Maths and Business Studies. I need to get good grades in English and Maths so that I can become a firefighter. When I’m not at school I love to spend time with my family and my PS3!
Outstanding Christian Inclusive Community
Term 4
2013
House Star student of the Term Devon Rockamore 10YH Tutor Comment (Mr Guilbert)
Tutor Comment (Miss Harries)
Devon is an outstanding member of the form with his 100% attendance and always punctual to tutor time and House assemblies. He always comes to school with the correct attitude to learning. His uniform is always impeccable and he always brings in the correct equipment for the day ahead. He is a role model to other students in his form and the Academy.
Ryan has had very good attendance all year and excellent punctuality to form time and lessons. He has the responsibility of checking the tutor group’s equipment weekly and contributes to class discussions effectively. Ryan helps keep up the morale of the tutor group and supports the younger students in the tutor group.
HAL Comment (Mrs Adsett)
HAL Comment (Mrs Mitchell)
I am honoured to be receiving this prestigious award. I would like to thank my form tutor and assistant form tutor for nominating me for my punctuality, maturity and setting a good example to the tutor group.
HAL Comment (Mr Bradley) Kyle has had another excellent term at All Saints’ Academy. He thoroughly deserves the accolade of ‘Student of the Term’. I am always impressed with Kyle’s determination and positive attitude to learning, even when he finds the learning difficult. Well done Kyle and keep up the great work!
York
House Star student of the Term
Student Comment
Tutor Comment (Mrs Atrill) Kyle is a pleasure to have in the tutor group. He always has brilliant standards of uniform, punctuality and equipment. Kyle has been nominated for student of the term because of his determination. Although he has struggled in some subjects he is always pushing himself to improve. Kyle has asked teachers for extra support to improve and put in extra work at home. He is the student of the term because he has set himself a goal and is working hard to achieve it.
2013
Westminster
Ryan has shown a fantastic attitude this year and I have been impressed with his mature approach. It is great to hear he is a positive role model in tutor time and that his attendance is outstanding. Congratulations on maintaining the high standards Ryan, I very much look forward to seeing what else you have to offer the Academy.
House Star student of the Term
Outstanding Christian Inclusive Community
Term 4
2013
Devon is a star student in York House. His attitude to learning and his attendance are both outstanding. He is always willing to participate in House events and is a valued member of York House and his tutor group. Devon is always polite and courteous and makes an effort to achieve his best in everything he does. He is always smiling and happy. Well done Devon, keep up the good work.
Student Comment I think that the reason I have been chosen to be York’s star student is because: • I have 100% attendance • I have never had a C1 • I sign up and take part in every interhouse competition • I want to learn and do well
Outstanding Christian Inclusive Community
Term 4
2013
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
www.asachelt.org
University student’s story of her route into teaching
Above: Rhiannon helping in a Science class
By Rhiannon Hills
University of Gloucestershire Student I am a student from the University of Gloucestershire about to graduate in Biology and Geography. I was never a top student in either of these subjects in school. However from a young age I had a passion for wildlife and the environment so that never stopped me having an interest in science. When it came to thinking about careers I had the aim of pursuing a career as a scientist on television……as I was inspired by Sir David Attenborough! My
ambition was to film and research Natural Science for the BBC. Taking lots of careers advice on board I decided to go to the National University of Ireland Galway and study Marine Science. In my free time and during the holidays I worked as an Aquarist at the National Aquarium of Ireland. It was an amazing opportunity for me as I spent my days teaching the public and school students about something I was really passionate about and that was science. Suddenly my family made the decision to emigrate to Australia and I decided to leave my Irish life behind and follow them. It was at this point in my life when I realised that although animals and marine life are my great passion, marine
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Above: Rhiannon helping students to identify connectors and cells in a circuit science was not the course or the career for me. I decided to take time out of study. I worked and completed a course in film and considered my future carefully. In order to settle in to my new community my father and I volunteered at the local Marine Centre. The time I spent at the Marine Centre gave me more experience in teaching children and the public about local marine wildlife and the ecosystem. It was at this point in my life that I realised my ambitions had changed with the more life experience I had gained. I realised that television was not for me and maybe teaching was. Therefore I started to research universities and some how came across a university in a town I had never heard of……Cheltenham. I knew that
this was the right place for me as it involved all my interests in the module outlines and seemed like the perfect course. Once again I left my life behind me and moved to the UK. I immediately settled and knew I had picked the right course. I have had some amazing experiences from studying terrain and environmental change in Snowden, Wales. In my 2nd year I went to South Africa and learnt about conservation and did a group study on the Cricket Biodiversity there. This year I have had the wonderful opportunity of gaining work experience in All Saints Academy. I am currently in my second week at ASA and I am really enjoying it. All of the staff and
students have been incredibly welcoming. I want to use this opportunity to experience teaching in a school environment and to really see if this is the career for me as it’s something I truly enjoy. So far I have spent my time observing classes and helping students. I have had a great time assisting year 7 geography students learning about hurricanes and meteorology. I have also really enjoyed assisting year 10 students with their science coursework. I have learnt that what I enjoy most is the class interaction and encouraging students that science can be fun. I am also hoping that my time at ASA will encourage me into the wonderful career path of teaching.
Student Review Day - April 2013 By Mr Bradley
Assistant Principal (HAL)
On the second Student Review Day of the academic year, the Cotswold Hall was packed with an impressive 37 different organisations visiting the academy. We had local employers, apprenticeship training providers, gap year companies and community groups all setting up stalls that provided very valuable information to parents and students. The aim of the Careers and Community Fair was to inform students and their parents about some possible career options, community projects along with clubs and events that happen locally. The atmosphere in the Cotswold Hall was electric with lots of positive conversations taking place. Students and parents took the opportunity to talk to the representatives, collect information along with collecting the inevitable “freebies” that are always popular. Outside the hall, Martin Reay from Gloucestershire College
Above: Just one half of the hall, lots of community groups, Universities and Colleges being represented gave students and parents the opportunity to try their hand at bricklaying! This proved to be a popular attraction. A new addition this year was a visit from Yes2jobs with their Skills Pod; an inflatable structure equipped with multimedia; Wi-Fi enabled resources including iPads and a plasma
screen TV. The YES Skills POD offered a creative and innovative environment in which young people experienced learning and skills activities covering careers & employability skills topics. All our visitors welcomed the opportunity to visit All Saints’ Academy and meet students from Years 7 – 13; be-
Above: Yes2jobs Skills pod, and a student using their iPad fore leaving the academy they left us with a lot of positive feedback from the day. “The students and parents I spoke to were interested and a pleasure to talk to. I thought the atmosphere of the Academy and the relations between staff, students and their parents were a credit to everyone involved. All Saints’ Acad-
Above: Eddy Hope bricklaying at the Gloucestershire College stand emy is a very pleasant place to visit.” “Also, very impressed with the facilities… great Academy! Thank you All Saints’.” Many thanks to all the parents and carers that attended the student review day. Once again, we broke our records and had the best parent/ carer attendance we have ever had.
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
Year By Mr Clarkson
Assistant Principal Year 11 Co-ordinator I’m sure, for most Y11s, they didn’t even consider how fast this year was going to go! September feels like yesterday and the start of Y10 GCSEs doesn’t seem that long ago … we are into the final 10 days of Y11 teaching before “Study Leave” and then the final days, in June, as exams are completed! I have met with all Y11s and was able to congratulate the 12 Y11s who have achieved 100% attendance this year; also to the other 53 Y11s who have 95%-99% attendance. In total over 50% of the year group have achieved 95%100% this year – a fantastic achievement. My thanks, also, to Y11 students and parents who attended the last Student Review Day in April – the best attendance for a year group in the Academy. I see Y11s working hard in lessons; I see them attend after-school revision classes and also revision classes during holidays. However, Y11s are also arriving late to registrations; sometimes “forgetting” which lessons they should be in and not giving 100% effort. This week we started the first big written GCSE exam: RE on Monday 13th May (a.m.) with French in the afternoon. As you will be aware, Friday 24th May is the “last” day for Y11s but we are expecting many students to attend revision lessons in June: Subject Departments will contact you with the days, in June, when students can come in.
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As a general rule, any Y11 can come into school when they would have had a particular lesson and revise with a member of staff. We ask that students come in uniform and they will, of course, stick to the normal rules of the Academy. By now all students should have a revision schedule: a timetable of which subjects they will revise and when – this goes from Sunday to Sunday. Good advice is to revise for about 45 minutes at a time and give yourself a 15-20 minute break in between. Again, if anyone needs more advice and support please contact the Academy. I look forward to the success of Y11s this year – use the teachers and classrooms throughout June and keep the focus until 26th June when we have a Y11 final service during the day and the Prom in the evening.
Prom venue: Hatherley Manor As an Academy and, in particular, as a Faith Academy, all teachers are working hard to support students emotionally as well as teaching them and revising with them. If the next few weeks become difficult, please make use of our Chaplains and Heads of House / Tutors who can offer guidance. Good luck to all students: please remember GCSE Results Day is Thursday 22nd August 2013.
Careers By Mr Bradley
Assistant Principal (HAL)
By Mrs Taylor
Personal Educational Co-ordinator It has been another busy couple of months with Careers Guidance and Support at ASA, where we invited a number of guests into the Academy to engage with our students. Year 9 During the most recent Learning for Living day, all of Year 9 enjoyed a valuable careers planning day. Year 9 are now well prepared for applying for their dream jobs in the future! They have all discovered what makes a good job interview, how to write the perfect letter of application amongst other important skills.
Year 10 Year 10 students have been busy putting together their applications for University of Gloucestershire summer school. If selected, students will get the chance to experience student life, even living in University Halls for the week! There was also the opportunity for Year 10 Art students to apply for a week of creativity at the university. Year 11 The Year 11 BTEC Sport class played host to Pete Habershon from the University of Gloucestershire. Pete talked to the students about University Life, and was able to give them first hand advice on what to expect and how to make the most of their time. He talked about the courses available and possible routes into sport related careers. Following a visit to TDA Marketing, we arranged for one of our year 11 students, Managing Partner, David Westgate, came into the Academy to talk to Year 12 Business students. During the lesson he was able to give students an insight into the world of advertising and
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Year 10 By Mr Ferguson
Assistant Principal Year 10 Co-ordinator With all Year 10 students about to sit their GCSE Maths and English language exams this summer and some also sitting English Literature, GCSE Science and Media studies, they experienced a motivational revision skills workshop during the first week of May. All Year 10 students actively engaged in the workshops, conducting a learning style audit, set themselves revision and learning goals and created a revision time plan for the forthcoming weeks as well as trying different revision methods. All Year 10 students have been provided with Maths and English revision materials which they should be using in preparation for the important exams. Lesson time and after school sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays are being used to prepare students, but it is essential that they are making best use of their time outside of school to ensure they achieve as well as they can. The GCSE exam dates are listed below: May 14th, 20th, 23rd – Science GCSE May 23rd – English Literature GCSE June 4th – English Language GCSE June 6th – Media GCSE June 11th and 14th – Maths GCSE
marketing, which not only benefited their course work but gave them a head start on how move into a career in this area. Any Year 11 students thinking of a teaching career should consider banking some work experience after theirs exams have finished. University courses for teaching will expect you to have done this. If you would like to find out more, or discuss your options, please speak to Mrs Taylor or Mrs Parr. All Year 11 students should now have finalised their plans for next year, however if you are still waiting to hear from college, or have not yet had an interview, please contact Mr Bradley or Mrs Taylor on careers@asachelt.org Year 12 Year 12 students were also given the chance to apply to Bristol UWE and Liverpool Hope University, an opportunity many were keen to apply for as they begin their journey through the UCAS process. Year 12 attended a UCAS convention in Bristol where they had a great opportunity to talk to representatives from many universities, gap year providers and employers. They collected prospectuses, and returned to school with the relevant information necessary to help them consider their options and, of course, armed with the usual freebies. We look forward to seeing the universities at the Academy in November, for our next Student Review Day.
Year 10, 11, 12 Maths By Mr Wilkinson Head of Maths
Year 10, 11 and 12 Mathematics GCSE Exams – June 11th and 14th If not us, who, if not now, when? - Anonymous Not long now until the first paper of your final attempt at the maths GCSE exams this year. Time to worry, procrastinate, find distractions, persuade yourself you don’t really care about doing well and convince everyone who asks that you don’t really need to do well in maths anyway. That’s what you could do. And no doubt some of you will. It would be a massive waste of many, many years of hard work though. So I hope to make you think again. You have been studying maths now since you began learning to count blocks (and everything else you could see, ask your parents!) and more formally in school for around 12 years. That’s a lot of maths lessons and homework. And it all comes down to Tuesday June 11th and Friday June 14th. Wouldn’t it be a shame not to dig deep and give it one last go? So far this year more students have achieved a grade C or above than we have ever achieved (50% already!). I am excited that at least 20 more of our students can achieve that milestone by continuing to work with the focus so far demonstrated and an increase in effort at home to make sure the learning sticks. We have so many students at ASA who will fulfill their potential this year and are working with determination every day in their lessons. I know you are and we in the maths
team and very proud of your efforts so far. So what is there left to do? - Attend school EVERY DAY (even if your leg is hanging off) - Use every minute of every lesson to fill every gap in your knowledge that you can - Attend after school revision sessions (Tuesday and Thursday) or speak to your teacher to see if they can work with you on a different day – just ask - Buy a revision guide for only £2 from school (£6 in shops) and use it to fill in gaps in your knowledge and practice questions - Use practice exam papers (on the maths department area of Frog) and ask your teacher for some Use revision websites (bbc bitesize/mymaths, etc ) - Use “Mathswatch” videos when you need help with questions to see how they should be done (on maths department area of Frog) Practice, Practice, Practice! There is still enough time to make a BIG difference to your knowledge and ability to perform at your best in the exams, so what will you do with that time? Worry and bury your head or TAKE CONTROL and ACT! I hope you make the right choice and take best advantage of the support on offer to you from the ASA maths team. Good Luck to you all. In the arena of human life, the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action. - Aristotle Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. - Dale Carnegie
Apprenticeships Name: Sam Carpenter Company name: Doosan, Bristol Description of company: Power and Energy Company How did you find out about it? I found it on a brilliant website called www.apprenticeships.org I applied for many different apprenticeships and got offered a couple. How did you get selected for your chosen apprenticeship? Over 1000 young people applied for the apprenticeship position at Doosan. I was shortlisted to the final 8. I then did a Maths and English exam and an intense interview all of which I passed. What will you be doing on the apprenticeship? I will be doing my first year at a college in Gloucester and then 4 years at Doosan doing the apprenticeship. Doosan will cover all my accommodation and travel. I will be working in engineering, fabrication and advanced welding. Do you have any tips to pass on to students wanting to get apprenticeships? You have to be proactive, let people know that you are out there.
Name: Lucy Flippance Company name: Stuart Holmes Description of company: Hair Salon
How did you find out about it? The hairdressers that I currently work at part time told me about the position. How did you get selected for your chosen apprenticeship? I applied and got an interview, I was then the first one to get picked for an apprenticeship. What will you be doing on the apprenticeship? I will learn how to wash, cut, colour and style hair. The apprenticeship will last 3 years and I will spend one day a week at Gloucester College. Do you have any tips to pass on to students wanting to get apprenticeships? Send off your CV and apply for plenty of apprenticeships online as soon as possible as companies are choosing their apprentices now!
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
COMMUNITY
Community in Focus
www.asachelt.org
14
Q&A with Cheltenham’s Mayor
In each issue of ASA we like to keep you up to date with all of the extra activities that run after the school day.
Go Kan Ryu Karate Go-Kan-Ryu (GKR) Karate brings the Martial Art of Karate in reach of everyone, regardless of age or fitness levels. Karate is not just a great form of self-defense, but provides all students the opportunity to enhance their character and develop confidence, focus and inner security. We have many locations throughout Gloucestershire every day of the week at a variety of
different times. We teach in a noncontact environment to provide a safe way of building self-discipline and control. GKR Karate is available at ASA, so please call Senior Instructor Peter Langley on 0785 229 2218 for more details or check out www. gkrkarate.com or GKR Karate facebook page.
Did you know that...
As one of the world’s most popular forms of martial art, Karate is a originally from the Japanese island of Okinawa
Badminton Club Pittville Badminton Club is a friendly, sociable badminton club based in Cheltenham. We have grown quite a bit over the past year and have a healthy membership of mixed abilities from those playing at league standard all the way down to complete beginners. We have been increasing the number and variety of the sessions we provide and believe that we are able to offer something for players of any experience level. During September - April, we field teams in the Gloucestershire Badminton League to provide competitive opportunities for players. For those who just want to play socially for fun and exercise we have weekly club nights that anyone is welcome to attend. These sessions run on a Wednesday evening from 7:30pm until 10pm at Pates Grammar School and cost £4 per session. Recently we have also started a new
By Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager
Mayor Colin Hay visited All Saints’ Academy on Wednesday 17th April. He met with the Principal, a Year 8 English class and was also involved in a question and answer session in a Year 7 RE class. Students asked the Mayor about his role and what things he enjoys about his job. They asked about the relevance of the chain and if it has to be worn at all times.
adult badminton coaching session which is suitable for beginners, those looking to get back into badminton and those aspiring to play at a league standard. It runs on a Sunday morning from 10am until 12noon at All Saints’ Academy and costs £5 per session. From September we will be starting a new junior badminton coaching session on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm until 7:30pm at Pates Grammar School. For more information on our sessions, please check our website at pittvillebadminton.co.uk or contact Chris Travis (pittville@christravis.co.uk).
By Kiara Pearce Puzzle Editor
Above: Posing with a group of students, Mayor Colin Hay makes the most of his visit to ASA. Below: Mini-Mayor for the day; a student tries on the Mayoral Chain Year 7 student Magdalena asked the Mayor “Why is it important to visit the Academy and meet the students?” Magda said “It was really fun to meet the Mayor, we tried on his Mayoral chains, they were really heavy.” PR & Communications Manager Kerri Skelding said “It was great to see the students excited about the visit of the Mayor. The students asked lots of really great questions, they learnt a lot about the council and Mayoral duties.”
Word Sear h
The first two students to return their completed puzzle will receive a prize. So be quick!
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
ASA SPORTS www.asachelt.org
15
Year 8s Crowned District Champions By Mr Rollason PE Teacher
Year 8s took on a strong Tewkesbury side in the District cup final last month. Gambrell opened the scoring with a powerful run and finish to make it 1-0. Tewkesbury then equalised and would have gone in front if it wasn’t from Didcote in goal who made some outstanding saves. 1-1 Tewkesbury could have gone ahead in the second half but were saved by the wood work with Didcote stranded. However it was All Saints Academy who took the lead with Morgan chipping the keeper from 15 yards with his left foot. Tewkesbury pilled on the pressure and looked like equalising but Roberts had other ideas with a lovely header beating the Tewkesbury keeper in the corner of the goal. 3-1 The final whistle was blown and All Saints’ Academy Year 8s were crowned champions!!!
Year 8 crash out! Well done to the Year 8 football team who after winning the district cup last month went to represent All Saints’ Academy in the County cup quarter final. They played a strong St.Peters team with some gigantic boys taking control of the game from the back. All Saints’ Academy started slowly and it seemed the 1 month break from school football had taken its toll. St. Peters quick striker latched on to a ball over the top which Didcote should have dealt with and tapped in from close range, 1-0. Harry Breese then scored the goal of the season. However it was in his own net, making it 2-0. St. Peters were now cruising and scored another before half time to make it 3-0. The second half saw little improvement and All Saints Academy found it hard to penetrate the resilient St. Peters defence. 2 more goals were scored to make it 5-0. A good effort by all pupils at All Saints’ Academy and they should hold their heads up high.
Above: Year 8 District Champions
County Cup Football
By Mr Ferguson
Assistant Principal PE Teacher
Year 9 Quarter final vs. St Peters (A) Won (4-0) The day started very poorly with a bare 11 travelling to face St Peters the Gloucester city champions, some of our team deciding to represent their club rather than the school despite the opportunity of doing both. The game started at a frantic pace with St Peters twice going close in the opening minutes. The team competed well and pressed forward taking the game to the hosts. Lee Morgan playing up a year won a corner through his tenacity; he took it himself and delivered the ball perfectly onto the head of the salmon like Gambrell who headed home powerfully. Gambrell then grabbed a second latching onto a through ball from
Rushby and smashing it home off the inside of the post. St Peters started the second half with four upfront as they looked to get back into the game as quickly as they could. The team defended well with Marks turning a powerful shot onto his bar and some resolute defending from Dix, Harris, Driscoll and Rushby. The ball soon found Berisha as he beat the offside trap and finished with precision to extend the lead further. Lee Morgan looked to be the unluckiest man on the pitch as the St Peters keeper saved from him twice when he looked all but beaten. Lee showed a real determination to cap off his man of the match performance with a goal and finally got his just deserts as he smashed one home from 18 yards into the top corner.
Year 9 Semi final vs. Marling (H) Won (3-2) Still missing several players from the squad due to a variety of reasons, an under strength team faced a very big Marling team. With both teams having won their respective districts and then County quarter finals this would surely only prove to be a very exciting and competitive affair. Both teams started strong and had opportunities early on, Marling looked to dominate possession but were unable to as ASA closed them down quickly and cut off the options early. The
two teams created chances through some beautiful flowing football, but it was a messy goal which finally broke the deadlock. Gambrell once again the scorer as he bundled in a failed clearance. Berisha swiftly added to this with a similar goal as the keeper failed to hold on to a shot from the edge of the box and Berisha, taking his opportunity like a ‘fox in the box’ pounced on the scraps and slotted home. Marling got their reward for their hard work with Hitchman losing the ball in midfield and a well weighted pace allowing the centre forward to beat Rushby for pace and slot the ball home past the despairing Marks. Gambrell once again extended the lead, racing onto a Dix clearance and knocking the ball calmly past the advancing keeper. Marling looked to reduce the deficit but were limited to long range efforts by the ASA defence and midfield. Marling looked to press quickly in the second half and got their reward as their Bristol City centre back drove through five tackles and then smashed the ball through Marks in goal. Time and time again they pressed but the defence stood firm. Marks pulled off two impressive saves turning one onto the bar and another around the post as Marling looked destined to score again. ASA had their own chances which were also well defended by the visitors. The dying seconds saw Marling gain a corner and almost score but with all 22 players in the box it was difficult for them to find a route to goal and the ball was eventually cleared, sending All Saints’ through to the County finals. Let’s hope they can go one better than the current Year 11s in their two losing appearances as Year 9s and Year 10s.
Leadership Festival Year 2 By Miss Daley PE Technician
This month saw 130 children from the All Saints’ cluster primary schools come to the Academy to partake in tennis based activities. Year 2 students attended from Gloucester Road Primary, Rowanfield Infants and The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great. With the sun shining, the children smiling and 28 of our year 10 BTEC sport students ready to deliver sessions, the stage was set for a fantastic festival. In preparation for the festival the year 10 students have been studying the skills, qualities and responsibilities that good leaders possess. They planned fun, age appropriate warm-ups for the primary children and then went on to deliver their tennis themed sessions. The sports leaders engaged brilliantly with the year 2 students and were a credit to the Academy. “The children really enjoyed themselves, please thank the Year 10s for being so supportive”, Miss Sparkes, Year 1/2 teacher from Gloucester Road Primary School.
Above: Pupils playing Tennis
Above: Pupils on the courts Below: BTEC students working with the primary pupils
Issue 20, Term 5, 2013
ASA SPORTS
16
www.asachelt.org
Sportability Team District Champions By Miss Daley PE Technician
The National Star College played host to the district boccia tournament on Wednesday 15th May, where 9 teams competed to be crowned district champions! Newcomers to the All Saints’ team Jade Williams and Emma Hamblin were keen to do their best in their first sportsability competition. All Saints’ group games were played against Betteridge and Alderman Knight, with the ASA students winning 10-1 and 13-0 respectively. Fern Nachin started the tournament strong with some extremely precise throws, gaining many points for the All Saints’ team. As a result of the solid start to the competition, winning both games and topping the group, ASA gained a place in the final where they would face winners of groups B and C; Cleeve and Bournside. The first game of the final was to be All Saints’ v Cleeve, which started badly for the ASA team losing 3 of 4 ends – 3-0, 1-0, 1-0. However, Natea Harper urged the team to focus and concentrate which seemed to work with All Saints’ winning the last end 3-0, but it wasn’t enough for the team as the tally of points meant Cleeve won 5-3. All Saints’ last game of the final was against Bournside, which was a well contested and competitive game. The ASA team won the first end 1-0 as a result of Lydia Tsang who had the last throw, with the ball bouncing off the top of an opposition ball and landing closest to the jack. All Saints’ also narrowly won the second end 1-0,
Above: Winners collect medals
Above: All Saints’ Academy winners - District Champions however Bournside made some team changes at the half-way stage and went on to win the third end 4-0. The ASA team worked out that in the final end they needed 2 points to draw or 3 points to win the match. After an impressive fourth end performance from All Saints’, the ASA team went on to win 4-0, with an overall score of 6-4. Harry Stockwell made some
important throws during the game and will be a greatly missed asset to the sportsability team. The concluding game of the final was Cleeve v Bournside, which Bournside won, meaning the final was a three-way tie and would go down to point difference. After points were analysed, in what was a very tense moment for all in the ‘Boccia Arena’, Bournside and All
Saints’ were still inseparable! The winner was then announced on the result of the head-to-head, which All Saints’ had won meaning that the ASA sportsability team were district boccia champions! They now progress onto the Gloucestershire School Games boccia final on Saturday 15th June at Hartpury College.
Above: A tense moment as the referee measures the ball
Sixth Form
Softball
By Mr Pierce PE Teacher
By Mr Pierce PE Teacher
Year 9 & 10 students competed in the mixed district softball tournament held at Chosen Hill School. The weather helped set a very successful tournament which was organised Mr Derrick (Schools Sports Network Director). The day started well with the morning being split in to several coaching sessions led by specialist GB softball coaches. Once students completed the round robin, the order of play was presented to the teams and the tournament began. After 6 competitive games ASA finished the tournament a solid 4th securing a place in next years districted games. The Year 9 & 10 students were a credit to ASA and their positive behaviour and attitude was commented on by the GB coaches.
The IAL Games is an exciting competition where students access revision whilst competing in sports themed environment. The IAL Games see the release of an exciting sports village, complete with 10 sports games which students can play as they revise. Learners compete for the top spots on the ‘I am learning Games Leaderboards’ and can win real world prizes for themselves and your school. The games are launched to coincide with the critical revision period, helping students to ‘up their game’ in the key period leading to their exams. Join in: You simply need to login and click on the window in their room. Why you should get involved? ■ Research proves the more students use I am learning, the greater the performance increases ■ Provides an addition engagement opportunity to motivate students to revise ahead of this years exams ■ Students can win real world prizes for themselves and your school The Prizes ■ 1st Place: Sony PlayStation 3, X-Box 360, iPod Touch, Amazon Kindle, a Tablet PC or a PS Vita ■ 2nd Place: Nintendo Wii, Tablet PC, Nintendo 3DS, Kobo VOX or ‘Beats by Dre’ Headphones ■ 3rd Place: Official Olympic Kit, iPod Nano, Apple TV, Video Games (up to a cost of £100) or a Blu-Ray Player Visit www.iamlearning.co.uk/ialgames
Sixth Form students are entering examination term and what better way to help relieve stress and tension then Wednesday afternoon Sixth Form sport. This term the options are mixed rounders, mixed tennis, mixed softball and fitness suite. Alongside a healthy and well managed revision timetable, students are reminded that Wednesday afternoon Sixth Form sport is a compulsory lesson and all students are expected to attend unless excused by PE staff.
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