Special Pull out
ASA Open Evening
Springbank & Swindon Village Primary pages
A summary of our recent Open Evening Page 3
ASA TODAY
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
The All Saints’ Academy Newspaper
Pages 9-12
www.asachelt.org
Sixth Form go to Parliament By Jack Lane
Student Reporter
On the 2nd October the A-level students of All Saints’ Academy went to London to visit the Houses of Parliament. The first thing we did was a Q & A session with Alan Campbell MP; he is the Labour Opposition Deputy Chief Whip. From listening to his answers he seems to be a very enthusiastic politician who has strong views. His talk was very insightful. Afterwards we met Martin Horwood MP, who is our Cheltenham MP. Martin had recently been reported to have said how faith schools could make non-religious pupils feel like second class citizens, however when questioned about this he gave us an apology and explained to us how his words had been taken out of
context. I feel a bit of sympathy is needed as a politician’s life can be hard and the media can twist words. After a chat with Mr Horwood we were taken on tours of the Houses of Parliament which were very beautiful and interesting. The main problem being we were not allowed to sit down on the seats in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We visited Downing Street and had a photograph outside 10 Downing Street, which I may add was surprisingly busy. The final and probably most fun for most was our visit to Oxford Street. It was a long strip of massive shops, our shopping centre pales in comparison. My friends and I even saw an ex-Eastenders star! In conclusion I can say that our trip was amazing. Student Emily Domm said, `I didn’t really know what to expect but I enjoyed it and learned a lot about politics.` Also student Harmony Wheeler said, `It was well worth the money; the experience was great.`
Above: Sixth Form students outside Parliament
Above: Half of the students with Mrs Gooch outside Downing Street
Above: Students doing a Q & A with MP Alan Campbell
“It was well worth the money; the experience was great!” Harmony Wheeler
EDITORIAL
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
Editor’s Goodbye to comments Mr Kingham Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager
Keep up to date with ASA
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Mr Kingham
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Principal
Address: Blaisdon Way Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 0WH
Chief Editor for ASA Today
Wow, it has been a really busy start to the new academic year. So much has happened since the last issue of ASA TODAY. We had a fantastic Sports Day at the Prince of Wales Stadium, summer camp, exam results (a special edition was released for these), the Year 11 & 13 Proms, many trips including the Rock Assembly, French Trip and Gems TV. In this special bumper edition (20 pages) we recap on some of these events from last academic year and also things that have been happening this term. We also worked with Swindon Village Primary and Springbank Primary Academy to create their own school pages. Year 6 students came in to ASA to do a newspaper workshop. You can find a special Primary pull out in the centre of the newspaper. We encourage responses to our articles so if you would like to send in a letter for our letters page please email kskelding@asachelt.org
ASA TODAY Editorial Team Chief Editor: Miss Skelding Editor: Mr Hamilton
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Many of you will be aware that my working life over the past three years has been incredibly busy with setting up ASA and leading the Academy through the first two years. One of the pressures I have faced is the significant commute from my home near Coventry. As a result, I have lived away from home, working here in Cheltenham during the week. This has unfortunately become an unsatisfactory situation for me and my family. The time has come to prioritise my family and my health. As a result of a great deal of thought and reflection, it is with regret that I have decided to step down as Principal of ASA. I have discussed this with Anthony McClaran, Chair of Governors, and it has been agreed to release me from my role as of 31st October. I am sorry to be leaving as I would have loved to continue to lead you on our journey towards being an outstanding academy. It has been a privilege to work with you and to establish and lead ASA, and it will, I am sure, remain a highlight of my career.
All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Excited to announce our 4 new Head Students at ASA - Bryoni Bradshaw, Kaisha Knott, Emma Power & Alistair Potter! Congratulations! Gloucester Diocese @GlosDioc 16 Oct @asachelt @GodfirstChelt @CheltenhamYFC @The_Rock_Glos @Aidanandsilas Sounds like a great event. Have a good day! All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Also joining us is Sacred Hearts Church, Family Space, United Reform Church and West Cheltenham Churches and Hesters Way Baptist Church
Phone: 01242 711200 Absences: 01242 711203 Email: admin@asachelt.org
All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Fantastic clergy day in the hall today. We have been joined by @GodfirstChelt, @CheltenhamYFC , @The_Rock_Glos @Aidanandsilas
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Suzanne Williams @suzLD 9 Oct @asachelt @SpringbankPri Great to hear of our schools working together
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Year 13 Prom The Year 11 & Year 13 Proms were both held at Hatherley Manor last academic year to celebrate the successes of our students. Year 13 had a 3 course meal, awards ceremony, teachers leavers video and disco. The evening began with students walking down the red carpet and being ‘papped’. Once in the venue they were invited to tweet their thoughts using the hash tag #ASAPromY13. This was broadcast as a ‘Tweet Wall’ on a projector. We also set up a photo booth for students to have their photographs taken.
All Saints’ Academy @asachelt 9 Oct It has been a busy day at ASA. We had 44 pupils from @SpringbankPri in to take part in a newspaper workshop. They did some fab articles!
Year 11 Prom The Year 11 Prom was held at Hatherley Manor this year and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Eighty students and forty staff attended and enjoyed a red carpet entrance, welcome mocktail, sweetie table, buffet, awards, leavers’ videos, photo booth and disco. Oscar awards were given to students for different categories voted for by students on the yearbook website.
Above: Year 13 students in the photo booth
Year 11 Prom Awards 2013 • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Best Sports Boy - Will Rayson Best Sports Girl - Emily Domm Most likely to become Prime Minister - Jack Lane Most likely to win an Oscar Grace Etheredge Most likely to become famous Adam Hampson Best attendance - Sophie White Principal’s OCIC Award Jake Sollars Prom King - Liam Carbin Prom Queen - Jasmine Odiero Best Dressed Female Rebecca Davies Best Dressed Male David O’Connell
Above: Prom King & Queen Liam & Jasmine Below: Y11 all gathered for a group picture at Prom
Above: Y13 Prom - Jake & Abigail
Above: Most of the Year 13 students
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
ASA NEWS www.asachelt.org
Open Evening
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By Eryka Cameron Student Reporter & Photojournalist
By Lewis Brookes Student Reporter
On Monday 30th September 2013 was our ASA open evening. This was an event where Year 6 children from lots of schools came into our Academy to look around and see if they wanted to start Year 7 at ASA. It was a very exciting evening and many people were involved in it, making our school look as brilliant as possible. There were many things going on in lots of different places, dissections in the science rooms, equations in the Maths rooms! Gymnastic displays were performed to show off our amazing sports hall and sporting facilities. Mr Kingham, Principal, gave an inspiring talk to new parents and children at the start of the evening. In my opinion I felt he did a very good job and if those children are as happy here as I am then they will have made the right choice. Erin Lockua from St Thomas More Primary said “my favourite subject is science, tonight has been great.” Yakov from St. Gregory the Great Primary said “I like PE best, the open evening has been good.”
Above: Students dissecting hearts
Above: Students playing basketball Left: Primary visitor sets her hands alight in Science experiment
Above: Erykah being a photojournalist for Open Evening
Making significant Academic progress with the support from PixL By Mr Clarkson
Assistant Principal
Summer 2013 brought an outstanding set of GCSE results from our Y11 students – their hard work, determination and focus had paid off; the teachers’ commitment to Y11s and the Parents support also paid off. The many extra hours of tutoring, mentoring and tracking of student progress also paid off. One additional help, which Mr. Kingham (Principal) signed up for was to join PiXL - a country-wide group
of Schools and Academies who meet to share ideas/resources/best practice. These meetings cover a range of educational issues but principally focus on how schools’ can do the best for their students, especially in achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths in particular. On Wednesday 9th October Mr. Kingham and Mr. Clarkson (Assistant Principal) joined over 300 other Headteachers and Seniors Leaders at a Celebration Dinner in London. We were able to celebrate the success of All Saints’ Academy in the last 12 months and bring back more ideas to help our students in the future. Sir John Rowling chairs PiXL and was delighted with ASA’s success (see photo: Mr. Kingham on the left, Sir John on the right). We look forward to continuing to have PiXL’s support in the future and will continue to do all we can to give A.S.A. students the best opportunities in life: academically, pastorally, spiritually and socially.
House Message from Canterbury, Durham, Westminster & York
Above: Mr Kingham & Sir John Rowling at the PixL at the celebration dinner in London on 9th October
We would like to welcome our new Phase 1 students to All Saints’ Academy and to their Houses. They have made a fantastic start by looking smart in their new uniforms, having outstanding attendance and collecting loads of Star points. Each House has been busy appointing their new House Councils and House Captains and we look forward to working with them this year. Each House is busy encouraging students to have outstanding attendance, participate fully in House events and collect as many Star points as they can so that the House trophies have their ribbons on them.
SPIRITUALITY
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
Pioneer Activity Centre Trip
Religious Education in Year 7 By Mrs Scarfe
By Mrs Spence
Assistant Principal of Spirituality
Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain On Friday 27th September, 120 Year 7’s accompanied by 12 members of staff set off with great excitement for The Pioneer Activity Centre near Kidderminster for a team building exercise. On arrival the students were welcomed by the staff and given a talk explaining about the centre and an overview of the day - a group activity in the morning and after lunch students were free to visit as many activities as they wished-time permitting. After being divided into groups of 12, students set off for their morning activities which included bridge building, raft building, night line, indoor caving, climbing, high ropes and archery. There was a great buzz of excitement in the hall when the whole group came back together for lunch and swapped stories about their morning. After lunch the students were free to choose from the following activities and visit as many as they could, abseiling, high ropes, archery, zip wire, big bounce and challenge course. The day proved to be a great success, with both students and staff having a most memorable and enjoyable day. Among the things which stood out most for the Chaplains was the way in which the students encouraged and helped each other and also how brave some of the Academy staff were taking part in the activities, well done to all.
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Above: Year 7 students taking part in the activities
In Year 7 at All Saints’ Academy, the first topic that students study in Religious Education is “What is Truth”? They considered how we know something is true and looked at different types of truth. They began to study the Bible and reflect on the idea that the Bible for Christians is the Word of God. Through different Bible passages they look at how different imagery reveals something of the nature of God. By their own admission, many students said that they had never had 4 hours every 2 weeks, to reflect debate or discuss God in any form or fashion and many welcomed this opportunity. Last week I put a table of 20 words on the board that could be described as attributes or beliefs about God. It led to a wonderful discussion, where all views and ideas were valued and listened to. I wish to share with you some of their reflections on the lesson. “This lesson we had a big discussion about God and it made me think about God but I still don’t believe.”
Above: Year 7s having a break between activities
“God isn’t responsible for your behaviour, God isn’t telling you to mess up your life – it’s your decision.”
“I think that God is someone that can help me with my troubles and I know that you can just ask him and he will help you”. ” I still don’t believe in God, but after today I might be able to think about God being real, because if were all the same, it would be boring so maybe God created us all to be different in separate ways.” “God will forgive our mistakes and always help and love us. Everyone should have a second chance- we’re only human.” “Today, we discussed God and what I have learnt is that we all have different opinions about God.”
“This lesson I have learnt lots. I am starting to think more about God and found people asking and answering questions helped me a lot. It has been interesting listening to all the different questions.”
@asacheltRE
ASA welcome Confirmation for Mr Dance Fr Charles O’Huro By Mr Dance RE Teacher
By Mrs Spence
Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain Fr Charles is a Roman Catholic priest and the Chaplain at Angal Secondary School in Northern Uganda. He gave a talk and slide presentation to several groups of students about life in his school. Angal is a rural day and boarding school with 1250 students ranging in age from 14 to 19. Although there are 4 local languages, the students are taught in and expected to speak English. There is no electricity in the school and so there aren’t any computers or other devices. Students have to pump water from a well in the grounds as there is no running water either. All students wear a uniform but many have no shoes as they can’t afford them. Class sizes can be as high as 110 students. The subjects offered are Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Art, English, Maths, Geography, History, RE and Agriculture national exams are taken at 16
Above: Students at Angal Secondary School and 18/19, with many students going on to university and further education. The talks gave a real insight into a very different type of school life and reminded students of how grateful they should be for the excellent facilities and resources we have here at the Academy, which so easily can be taken for granted. Fr Charles also celebrated Mass on 20th October in St Benedict’s Chapel. Students were given a dove shape, which is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit, to place on the branches while inviting them to think about what it is like to have to wait for something and to offer a prayer.
A wise person once said to me that it is important to see confirmation as a part of your journey in faith in Christ and not just in isolation. So therefore after attending a great number of confirmation classes here at ASA, I was, (privileged, I feel), to be confirmed at the start of term one, during our very first week back after the summer holidays. ‘Wow’ what a return to school with Bishop Michael in attendance. I found the whole experience absolutely amazing and would encourage others, as many as possible, to do the same also, just pop down and speak with the Above: Bishop Michael & Mr Dance with staff & students Chaplaincy team for advice. I’m sure that they will tell you that this is a good way to explore your own faith by attending a course with others who are also thinking about confirmation. Clearly, this is a safe place to ask any questions you have about God, Jesus and your journey of faith. The best bit for me was the number of students and staff that attended, not only for the tea and cake afterwards, but for the confirmation ceremony itself. To them I would wish to say a big thank you for atAbove: Rev Linda Cronin with Mr Dance & Bishop Michael & Ian being tending and marking my journey in faith. blessed
SUMMER NEWS
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
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ASA Summer Camp
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By Miss Metcalfe Summer Camp Leader
The start of the summer holidays saw the 2nd All Saints’ Academy Summer School. All Saints’ Academy Summer School aimed to improve the numeracy and literacy skills of selected students starting their secondary school career at All Saints’ Academy in September. The free two week programme also aimed to introduce students to some of their new teachers, learn their way around the Academy building, make new friends and experience things they wouldn’t normally get to. During the two weeks students took part in a range of activities run by different members of All Saints’ Academy staff. One activity gave the students a chance to express their creativity and develop accurate skills with various tools in the All Saints’ Academy workshop. The design and technology project saw students designing and making pinewood door signs and acrylic key rings using a variety of practical and computer based techniques. Emma Holland, who ran the activity, said that “The children were a pleasure to work with and showed great enthusiasm whilst working on their mini projects and produced fantastic individual pieces of work”.
Above left to right: Celebration afternoon, Totem pole climbing in the Forest of Dean & Archery at the Forest of Dean Students also took part in an overnight visit to the Forest of Dean where they faced and conquered their fears by taking part in a series of activities at a high ropes course. Later on in the day the students embarked on a 5-mile walk to Monmouth to get their dinner. One student said “the walk was really long but good fun and it was worth it for fish and chips” Other activities students took part in including a trip to the cinema and afterwards students developed their literacy skills by writing and presenting a film review. A trip to Longleat Safari Park was a huge
hit with both staff and students as was the pizza-making task. Students were given a strict budget in which to buy ingredients to make their own pizzas for lunch. Students also got to take part in a rowing challenge, run by Mr Ferguson, which involved developing and applying their numeracy skills using ratios, proportions and scales to work out a series of problems. They then applied these skills to a geographical situation and planned their own route around the world. Working to a scale they calculated the time it would take them to row around the world and
estimated a distance they would be able to row in an hour and then they applied their physical skills to actually rowing for an hour. They then used their scientific skills to investigate the energy content of a selection of foods and worked out a food list, which they would take on their journey. Students then applied and developed their literacy skills to create a story of their journey around the world using expressive language to communicate their thoughts, feelings and experiences as they undertook their perilous journey! Other activities that students
took part in were an ecology investigation, treasure hunt, gaining a sports leadership award and an alternative sports day. The two week programme ended with a celebration afternoon in which parents and carers were invited in to watch their children given awards for their achievements during Summer School. All Saints’ Academy summer school was a great success with students having a great time and parents and carers being very grateful for the experiences their children had.
Students get a taste of the TV industry
Chelsea directing & Vision Mixing
By Chelsea Craven Student Reporter What an AMAZING experience! Honestly one of the best trips I’ve been on. Not only did I learn a lot of essential skills and tips but I had loads of fun! We began the trip by being greeted by the Sales Manager Matt Bennett with a warm friendly smile, he gave us visitor passes (this helped us feel like we were really welcome and a part of the staff for the day) then he took us upstairs to answer
The media class with presenter Lynn Jinks some questions and help us learn a little more about the company and his role in it. This was important because as media students this year we are learning about the TV industry and what certain people behind the camera do, and to create a picture in our minds so that when we have a question to answer in the exam that has to do with TV we would have had an inside look and can answer the questions with confidence that we know what we are talking about. After Matt made us feel comfortable and welcomed we received a tour from Sian. She was very nice and informative. She made sure we understood what each room/person/in-
strument did and why it was so important. I was really impressed with the neatness of the building itself. The sets were very impressive and modern looking. It was exactly what a jewellery selling company building should look like. It was really nice for me especially to see an actual studio and a studio team in action. My excitement for the future grew after this trip. I want to be in this kind of industry as career and this trip was exactly what I needed. After the tour we headed back upstairs to talk to some Producers and Directors, Jake, Paul & Jenny who were just as helpful, they talked to us about what they did before and why
Charlotte Jones presenting Jewellery Maker they choose this job and how they’ve enjoyed it. They also gave us some helpful tips and insight as to how we could accomplish getting a job like theirs. For example, they told us what their interests and experiences were. Then we met Lynn Jinks, who was truly inspiring. She gave us some great advice on how to be a good presenter/actor/sales person, even taught us some good life skills. She told us that our first impressions are vital and to be a presenter those first 5 seconds are crucial. I really enjoyed listening to her, she gave me the information I needed, things you can’t get online or be taught you just have to know. Her bubbly per-
sonality made everyone happy to be there. After we talked to Lynn we had some hands on experience. Everyone had the opportunity to be a director, a camera man, and a presenter. Not only was this experience full of laughs and smiles it really gave such an insight to what happens in TV that you don’t actually see on the TV. As well as give us a little practice and inspiration for future careers. I honestly think we learned a lot, I know I did. I’m really thankful to Gems TV for giving us this amazing opportunity, also to our teachers Miss Skelding and Mr Clarkson for making it happen. I had so much fun!
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Bon Voyage! Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
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July 2013: Year 7 trip to Paris In July, thirty five Year 7 students (now year 8s) went on a trip to Paris for 4 days. We travelled by coach and ferry and were lucky enough to have a weekend touring one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The pupils gained so much from their trip away and their behaviour was outstanding. All of the pupils were a real credit to both t hemselves and the Academy. Above:The group beside the Eiffel Tower
Above:The view from Tour Montparnasse Below: Caricatures in Sacré Coeur.
By Demi-Leigh Kelly Student Reporter
By Wiktoria Sereda
Student Reporter On our Year 7 trip to France we went on a coach to Dover which took over 3 hours until we finally reached our destination to catch the ferry to France. We then had another short journey to the PGL centre in Paris (Chateau de Grande Romaine) where we were welcomed by our representatives, Jade and Joe, who gave us a tour of the main facilities in the centre. After that we were given the cards to our
rooms and got settled in. Later on we got to use the outdoor swimming pool for half an hour and then went to get dressed to go to the dining room where we had our main course and a selection of salads, drinks and desserts. On the Saturday we got up early and went to breakfast, where we had croissants and other French breakfast items in preparation for our trip to Tour Montparnasse which is the 2nd tallest building in Paris. We went all the way up to the highest floor where we could see the view all around Paris. The lift is one of the worlds fastest! After that we went to have lunch under the Eiffel Tower and then went up to Montmartre in the afternoon and we had a look at the Sacré Coeur which is a beautiful church overlooking Paris. Lots of us were lucky enough to have our portraits drawn by one of the street art-
ists. On Saturday evening we celebrated Bastille Day (France’s national holiday) by walking down to the local village of Lesigny. We danced to a local band and got to watch an amazing fireworks display. On the Sunday we went by coach to Parc Asterix which is a big theme park. Whilst we were there we got to go on lots of rides and a variety of park attractions. After a busy day we came back to the centre where we had a disco and other evening entertainments. Some of us were also brave enough to try snails with our evening meal!!! On the last day we travelled home and stopped off in Calais to do some last minute shopping. We arrived back on Monday evening to greet our parents at ASA. Overall the trip was really exciting and enjoyable!
WATCH THIS SPACE: Key Stage 4 Languages
trip to Spain and France – 10th – 17th July 2014. More details to follow shortly!
ENGLISH NEWS
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
www.asachelt.org
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New to the English department this year Marchbanks By Anonymous
By Mr Nicklin
Assistant Principal of English
I am very proud to join the English team at All Saints’ Academy. As an experienced teacher of English and an experienced subject leader, I recognised what a great team of English teachers we have here when I first visited the department back in May. I was not wrong. The team have made me and the other new members of the team feel very welcome. They remain dedicated and committed to providing your children with the best possible experience of English. I am confident that my team will continue to achieve excellence at All Saints’!
English Literature at AS level
Mr Nicklin
Miss Waterman
Ms Turner
Mr Nicklin has been teaching since the late 90s. He has worked in a number of schools around the county, most recently Millbrook Academy in Gloucester where he was Head of English for 8 years.
Miss Waterman is a superb classroom teacher who has joined with us to teach English, as well as leading on year 7 Drama. Previously, Kate taught in Gloucester but she is passionate about delivering the best quality education at All Saints’.
Ms Turner has been teaching for several years. She has joined the team to teach English but she is also leading on year 8 drama. Hailing from Oxfordshire where she taught previously, Nicky is a highly skilled classroom practitioner.
Exam Fever
By Troy Sutton
Student Reporter
Since starting ASA in September I have been thrilled with the quality of the English Literature AS course especially the unparalleled wisdom and guidance the teaching staff bestow on us every lesson. We are currently studying The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald with Mr Wright and writing a dystopian text with Mr Nicklin. A particularly satisfying part of this course is the depth at which we analyse language and our practice of writing our own narratives, which the natural storytellers among us enjoy greatly. Perhaps the most vital thing we learn however is the importance of language and the written word which has inspired us all to read more often and with more variety, we have learnt the power of books and how they improve us as human beings. None of which I could have done without English Literature at All Saints Academy. I also find, and I’m sure many of my classmates will agree, writing our own texts in English to be a brilliant creative outlet, a way to quell those infamous teenage moods and to experience the joy of creating something that others may enjoy, which could lead some of us down the path to become journalists or even authors. Personally English Literature is my favourite subject and I couldn’t imagine studying it anywhere other than All Saints’ Academy; if you’re not studying English Literature, you’re missing out.
By Mr Nicklin
Assistant Principal of English This term, Year 11 students have been working hard to prepare for the iGCSE examination in November. It has been a strange term in that the government have made two shock revelations about the way in which GCSE English is assessed. This has meant a radical change of direction for year 11. They have worked incredibly hard to complete folders of coursework, prepare for a Speaking and Listening exam, and undertake revision sessions for the exam in November. A lot of hardwork, but they have risen to the occasion.
Some Year 11 students doing an English Mock Exam As a new member of staff, I have been very impressed with the way year 11 have performed during this hectic period of transition. Already, more than 40% of students have achieved a C grade or higher at GCSE English and this is brilliant. Now, it is time to focus on preparing those students for June where they will sit the iGCSE exam and bring home the best set of A/A* grades in the history of the Academy. Right now, though, we are focusing on supporting those students who have yet to achieve a C grade. These students are entered in November and have been working incredibly hard to get through all of the work that is required. Over the coming few weeks, these stu-
dents will take their Speaking and Listening exam. They will sit an exam in the last week of term and they will sit the real thing during the first week back after the half term break. Due to the busy nature of the term, we have arranged for students to come off timetable in order to complete work. We have arranged a day for them to focus fully on their iGCSE folders. We have also provided drop-in sessions for students before and after school so that they can get one-to-one support and ask any questions they may have. Furthermore, we have arranged for year 11 students to take part in a webinar that will provide them with extra support.
I spent the majority of the recent weekend reading Winston Churchill’s account of World War Two, which I do very slowly, because I seem to hear that wonderful phlegmy voice declaiming every word. How many people, I wonder, hear voices as they read? I always do. I read American books with an American accent, and Welsh books in a Welsh accent, and English books in the voice of a friend of mine who speaks the best English I have ever heard. People have told me that I would be able to read much faster if I gave up this indulgence, and clutched groups of words and whole paragraphs with my greedy eyes, but I pay no attention to them. My method is the one I like, and it is an infallible touchstone for judging a writer’s style. The man who writes only for the eye generally writes badly; the man who writes to be heard will write with some eloquence, some regard for the music of words, and will reach nearer to his reader’s heart and mind. Of course, fools and clods will write like fools and clods, whatever means they use… * * * * * * * Over the summer I have been enjoying the fruits of my economy; the rapacity of the energy companies has been thwarted by the balmy weather. As winter closes in, however, I find myself toying with the idea of putting the heating back on. Ever the siren call of the thermometer sings to me, particularly in the early mornings when I crack the frost from my blankets and stumble into the day like a new-born foal. I have spent the summer hoarding odds and ends of wood, and the last few weeks have seen an increase in my woodsplitting and stacking. Of course, by the time I have done this, I am too hot to want a fire. It is these perversities of life that make me a bitter shell of a man. There is a saying, attributed to Lincoln, that ‘he who splits his own wood, warms himself twice.’ Frankly, I don’t believe Lincoln ever said any such thing; he split a lot of wood himself, and knew what a bore it is. But when great men die, preachers and school-teachers, and others who are in need of constant support in their battle against human nature, invent sayings of this kind and attribute them to the dead, who are unable to talk back. Probably when I am gone I shall be represented to posterity as a man who always ate all his spinach, advocated hard physical exercise, and never left undone what he could do today. These will be gross untruths, of course, and no child who bases his life upon them will ever be anything like me; it is thus that the mentors of the young hornswoggle their students and prevent them from becoming wise and great.
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
MATHS NEWS
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A new A-Team in Maths By Mr Wilkinson Assistant Principal Head of Maths
I am very happy to welcome a number of new teachers to the Maths Team for the start of the new school year. I know that many will have been in touch to introduce themselves on the telephone in the past 6 weeks to share good news about your children who have made such a positive start to the year. Speaking to the students from across all groups I have been pleased with how well the teachers have settled in and the positive relationships that are beginning to develop so quickly. It can be tricky for both students and staff when developing a new understanding at first but on all fronts great strides are quickly being made thanks to the efforts and enthusiasm on both sides. Our new teachers have quickly proven that they are dedicated to the success of the students and are willing to go the extra mile, supporting students before, during and after school.
Mr Wilkinson, Assistant Principal, Head of Maths
Year 11 Maths By Cleona Aston Student Reporter
The experience of working towards these important exams has been very challenging and tough. To overcome these I have been taking complete advantage of the resources I have, such as: My Maths ‘Booster Packs’, revision books, school text books and after school revision clubs. These have helped me improve and my grade expectations have risen. In my spare time, I have been doing extra studying on ‘My Maths’ and on previous exam papers. During school time I have had extra maths sessions with Mr Bagnall, going over things that might come up in the exams, things that I had learnt previously or didn’t know at all. Being involved in these sessions has boosted my confidence and my capabilities of succeeding. I would recommend anyone approaching their exams to take full advantage of these resources if offered as they have been very beneficial to me and I would like to thank the teachers for their extra support.
Miss Wife, Assistant Head of Maths
Dr Horlock, Maths Teacher
Mrs Wilcznska, Teaching Assistant in English & Maths
Mr Yousaf, Assistant Head of Maths
Miss Dunne, Maths Teacher
Mrs Bayliss, Teaching Assistant in English & Maths
The exams never leave us for long! By Mr Wilkinson Assistant Principal Head of Maths
No sooner have we congratulated the Class of 2013 Yr 11s on their fabulous summer results than we have to turn our attentions to the “new” Yr 11 and the upcoming November exams. During the first week after half term almost all of our Yr 11 students will be re-sitting the Maths GCSE examinations with the aim of improving on their previous results following another intense period of focussed teaching at ASA. A quarter of the current Yr 11 students have already achieved an A*-C grade and those students will be re-sitting in June 2014 in order to achieve the biggest haul of A/A* grades ASA has ever achieved. For now, however, our focus is firmly on those seeking to join them with a “golden” GCSE of a C grade or better. During this half term we have been delighted with the attitude from our Yr 11s who have responded with the necessary drive and determination to meet the challenges we have set them. The number of students attending voluntary revision sessions af-
ter school has topped 75, working with an equally dedicated and driven teaching team of 6 staff every Monday evening. We have also had around 40 selected students receiving additional tutoring in small groups led by our specialist intervention staff in order to correct misunderstandings and fill in knowledge gaps – all leading towards building mathematical confidence in those students. Leading up to the “Big Week” we will be supporting everyone with a dedicated day in school for all students to undertake mock examinations in order to check progress in time to address any persistent issues. We will also be running three maths revision sessions during the half term for all students taking the exam in November – it is crucial for students to take up this offer given the timing of the exams immediately following the half term break. It is our aim, as ever, to help every child fulfil their potential in maths – whatever level that may be – and the attitude demonstrated to us by Yr 11 shows that the students are in a determined frame of mind to do just that!
Mr Todd, Assistant Head of Maths
Mr Clarkson, Assistant Principal, Maths, English & Media teacher
Mr Bagnall, Maths Support Coach
Mrs Morris, Maths Teacher
Mrs Jacobs, Teaching Assistant in English & Maths
Mrs Jones, Maths Support Coach
What can you do to help your child? • Ensure you know what the key dates are and what revision sessions are planned. • Ensure your child is revising and is revising the correct materials. • Help them revise by testing them on key facts which they can write on prompt cards for you. • Ensure that they are motivated but not over-stressed. • Ensure that they are well rested the night before the exam. • Ensure that they arrive at school early on the exam days for last minute revision reminder sessions and breakfast in school. • Contact ASA quickly if you need more guidance. Key Revision Resources: • Your child should have a revision guide from us by now, we have more in the Academy if needed. • www.mymaths.co.uk (login: asachelt password: algebra) for resources teaching each topic and practice questions. • http://frog.asachelt.org/ Your child can log in to the school VLE (frog) and find the Maths department. Inside the resources sections there are videos called “Maths Watch” showing the methods for completing all types/grades of exam questions. • Practice Exam papers are also on Mathswatch and in the GCSE section of the resources on Frog.
PRIMARY PULL OUT
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
www.asachelt.org
9
Encouraging the younger generation to become journalists By Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager You may remember in our last edition of ASA TODAY we featured a couple of primary school pages. This term we worked with another two local primary schools, Springbank Primary Academy and Swindon Village Primary. Each term we invite pupils from different primary schools to All Saints’ Academy to do a newspaper workshop with myself and Mr Hamilton. We also have some of our Sixth Form students help out with managing the session. The newspaper workshop allows pupils to work together as an editorial team. They are split up into smaller groups and a few pupils are selected to be the editor, photographer and designer. The remaining pupils have an equally important job as the journalists, finding stories and typing their articles up. The final product is then put into the newspaper layout that we use and sent to print with our ASA TODAY newspaper. We deliver a copy for each pupil that took part in the workshop for them to keep. If you are a primary school reading this and you haven’t yet taken part in our newspaper workshop please email kskelding@asachelt.org
Above: Pupils from Swindon Village working together to create a brilliant article for their news page
Above: Miss Skelding & Mr Hamilton check pupils progress
Left: Some of the journalists gather ideas for their article with the help of Sixth Form student Jordan Campbell
Above: Springbank pupils interviewed some year 7 ASA students Above: Pupils from Swindon Village Primary start work on their articles
Above: Class 6R from Springbank Primary Academy
Above: Most of the Sixth Form newspaper helpers
A big thank you to ASA students that helped assist with the Springbank Primary workshop: Sixth Form students Jake Sollars, Demi Wheeler, Charlotte Randall, Charlie Quinn, Jordan Campbell, Nick Davies and Freya Gray.
The Spa Times Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
Springbank Primary Academy
11
Football Results By Ryan, Zac, Lee and Alisha
Ten people are in the school football team. Lee, Zac, Ryan, Callum, Stephen, Nick, Adam, Willam, Aiden and Jaden. Lee is the goal keeper and Zac is the captain. Also we are playing against Greatfield Park school. ‘I am feeling awesome about the match’ said Zac. ‘I feel amazing.We
are going to win’ said Ryan. ‘My favourite part is when I got chosen for the team.’ In addition, we have a girls football team which we have never had before. Also, we do not know if we have a match but we are hoping that we will get a match soon. There are 10 players in the girls football team and they are very good and they are up for any challenge and that is a good thing to have in a football team because there are lots of other good teams but we have the confidence to beat them.
A Tearful Farewell By Josh, Kelsi and Elise
In the last few weeks of the 2013 summer term, Year 6 pupils of Springbank Primary Academy, perform in a leaver’s show to celebrate their years at primary school and to say goodbye to pupils and staff. The summer 2013 show was
called ‘The Phantom Letter Thief of Old London Town’. They did a dance from some very famous musicals like Grease, We Will Rock you and Annie. At the end of each performance the letter thief stole a letter from the show sign and collected them together. At the end of the performances he re-arranged them into a message saying ‘Farewell’ to all the staff and students of the school. This was followed by some videos and pictures
made into one big film that showed moments from the whole school year. Then the graduation began and all students, teachers and parents had tearful eyes. Next year, for Summer 2014, we are looking forward to our show, even though we do not know what the theme is going to be. These are some suggestions of songs that some people would like to do: not surprisingly, Harlem Shake and dancing had the most votes!
Primary to Secondary: Year 7 Interviews
Boys vs Girls By Callum, Owen and Lauren
Prince of Wales By Harry, Abby and Olivia
By Bea and Lara Springbank Primary Academy interviewed two year 7s from All Saints. We found out that the answers were different to what we thought they would be. We started by interviewing Leah Hamblin. What was you first day of school like, was it scary? “Yes, but it was exciting”. Secondary school is obviously a scary time for everybody, but Kaci
Rosaman still thinks it is “really quite fun, though I’m the smallest in the school.” Another question was do you prefer secondary school or primary school? Leah said “secondary but I miss Springbank Primary Academy”. Kaci said “I prefer secondary school, ITS JUST AMAZING!” A pupil, Beatrix Flynn, from Springbank primary academy, said, “What is your favourite thing about secondary school?” Kaci replied: the trips. I’m so excited about the france trip at the end of the year!” Leah said “the teachers”.
After another pupil , Lara Williams , asked what do you like least about secondary school? They both said “nothing” The next question was: who is your favourite teacher, and why? Leah replied,: “Mr Griffin, because English teachers are the best!” Kaci said: “Mr Wright because giving out chocolate is just awesome.” Aidyn Cole asked the daring question, : Who is your least favourite teacher?” the girls looked at each other. The answer was none.
We are yet to find out who is participating this year at the Prince of Wales Stadium. It is a fun event that involves sport competition like relay, sprinting and lots of other sports related activities, against other schools in Cheltenham: like Garders Lane, St Marks, St Gregorys and Hesters Way. We do this at the Prince of Wales stadium in Pittville. Last year, although we didn’t win, we were very successful in running. These are the people that participated: Elise Collier, Harry Collier, Zac Humphries, Nick Duckworth, Aiden Smith, Alisha Bastin, Kelsi Rosaman, Emma George and others. This year we will encourage the children to train harder and win. Even though, it’s taking part that counts.
All girls think that they are better than boys at everything but not everyone agrees, carry on reading and you will find out who is better. Here are some ideas of what boys and girls are good at. Girls: net ball, gym, hand writing, running, swimming, cooking and more. Boys: football, basketball, gaming , making people laugh, good looking, scooters/bikes So, what do you think about our questions? Well, we think that boys are better than girls because they are better at sports. However, girls can still beat boys at running and our handwriting is still better!
Editorial Team Edited by: Olivia N and Beatrix F Designed by Alana H and Adam O Photographer: Charley M
The Spa
Answer
Springbank Primary Academy
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
10
6H’s day at All Saints’ Academy
Leicester Planetarium By Alisha, Charlotte and Ethan Children in KS2 have the pleasure of going to the Leicester planetarium .It’s the UK’S largest planetarium . This is going to help us with our topic all about space .KS2 are putting together a fundraiser to get more money, that will go towards the trip. Each child will donate either 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2. At the end of the donation this money will make a picture . The journey will take 2 hours to get there and 2 hours back.
By Vicky, Liam and James On the 9th of October Year 6 from Springbank Primary Academy, had an exciting trip to All Saints’ Academy. Year 6 pupils walked to All Saints Academy. When we got there sixth formers waited for us. One of the first things we did was have a tour around the school. On the tour we saw pupils doing experiments. Also we visited the chapel, we entered with peace and quiet to be respectful. When the tour had finished a lady called
“I have enjoyed the trip, by writing a newspaper article with my group members” Mrs Carroll and some year 7s explained how it felt to be in year 7. They were also answering Y6 pupil’s questions. After this we planned what we would write in our own newspaper. We had a
Epic Assembly By William, Lucy and Casey
Above: Editoral team take a quick break from planning the paper little meeting to decide who were going to be the photographers, Designers and Editors. Our designers designed the logo for our newspaper. We asked other year 6 pupils about there visit. Casey-Jane Richards said “This was really exiciting, fun and educational because we got to write a fun newspaper article.” Liam Dobbs said “I liked
the tour of the school.” Lucy Wright said “ I have enjoyed the trip, by writing a newspaper article with my group members.” Ayecha Azzouz said “I thought the day was exemplary!” We had a fabulous day at All Saints’ Academy and can`t wait to come back!
Interview with Mrs Henderson By Millie, Stephen, Kyla and Aiden We interviewed Mrs Henderson who is our Y6H teacher. Good afternoon, Mrs Henderson Q: Where are you from? A: I am originally from Russia Q: Was your childhood different from ours? A: Yes, it was. I didn’t have a computer until I was 15 and I spent a lot of time
playing with my friends outside. Q: What is your favourite thing about teaching in SPA? A: I love doing EPIC assemblies and celebrating pupils’ success. Q: What is your favourite subject to teach? A: My favourite subjects to teach are Dance and English. Q: What was your favourite subject when you studied in Russia? A: It was Art. Q: What are your other hobbies? A: My hobbies are modelling, reading and listening to classical music.
Every Friday morning, all year groups in KS1 and KS2 have split Assembly to award special trophies to EPIC children. We start off with walking into assembly with our theme song (proud). The head teachers ( Mrs Clarke and Mrs Morrison) welcome people into the hall. The teachers take it in turns, to announce the EFFORT and PARTICIPATION awards to each children. After, the trophies have been given out, the house captains come and do their jobs. One by one they give out certificates to people who have reached a maximum target in house points. A bit later, the head teachers pick a teacher to reveal a name on a raffle ticket. The lucky winner gets to choose a prize out of the prize bag. Next, the attendance monitors come up to the front and share which class has achieved the most attendance for the week. Our school’s target is approximately 95%. Sometimes, children receive certificates if they have achieved a good score on mega multiplication (times table challenge). We only have this six times a year so it is extremely important to try your best. In a nutshell epic assemblies are fun but also can be hard work !
6th Form Interviews By Millie, Bobby, Emily and Curtis Today at All Saints’ we interviewed some sixth formers about their experience in the academy, this is what they answered.
Nick Davis
Q: What Subjects do you take? A: I take Catering, Philosophy, IT and History. Q: How many lessons do you have? A: At least four but they range on certain days of the week. Q: What time do you have to be in school? A: 8:40am. Q: Is your work hard? A: Some parts can be hard yes.
Charlotte Randall
Q: What clubs do you do? A: I go to a basketball club on certain Thursdays after school and I also try to help out with music clubs after schools as often as possible. Q: Did you get to choose your subject? A: Yes, you get to choose subjects, although some are still compulsory. Q:Are you in a band? A:Yes with Charlie Quinn and Jo Oliver called The Full Moon Theory and I play bass. Q: How long have you been at the school? A: Well at All Saints’ Academy alone I have been here for nearly 3 years.
Editorial Team
Edited by: Ayecha A and Jayden Y Designed by: Nick D, Olivia K and Sophie M Photographer: Tia L-B
SVPS
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
Steaming
NEWS
Swindon Village Primary School 12 Learning from each other, Achieving together!
hot
school dinners By India Teasdale, Taylor Warren & Eleanor Lloyd
Our dream hot school dinner would be cheese burger, cheesy chips and baked beans. However, we never get this luxury. Our favourite meal has got to be their pizza and their delicious roast dinner. But on the down side is the hairs children find in the meals and they always make up excuses. Recently our school has had a fantastic new build, our old “kitchen” has also had a miraculous makeover. It used to be a little mobile container which would heat all of our dinners now it’s a proper full kitchen thank goodness. The dinners are also much much nicer. Our TA Mrs Wiggins said, “I would have it again; one of the din-
SVPS Choir win at the Town Hall! By Holly Palmer-McKinnon, Nathan Thever & Avni Ajit During May, Swindon Village Choir travelled to the Town Hall in Cheltenham. They celebrated their love of singing by winning the great trophy of fame! When they came back to
Above: Josh Perks
Super sprinting Perks
Above: Year 6 Swindon Village journalists ners I had was Christmas dinner. It was scrumptious. I also had a baked potato with creamy chicken. As well as this I love being able to put extra free
salad on our plates. There wouldn’t be anything I think I’d change I think everyone enjoys them the way they are.” After some hard thinking we
school they had bags under their eyes like they hadn’t slept even a bit at night! Poor things! As well as that, they came back in the afternoon and they still had a smile on their faces! Now we have an interview from Nathan about young voices!
A song by Hans Christian-Anderson. Do you know how many children where there? Only about 7000 children, not that many!
Young Voices Interview With Nathan and Holly How many songs did you sing? About 15-30 songs! Wow! What was your favourite song you sang?
Thanks for this great interview Nathan! Right: Interviewee Nathan Thever
Film Reviews
By Ryan & Maisie
tunately, we had to go back to school.
3/5.
OH MY GOSH! Were you tired in the morning? Yes. In fact, I even lost my voice!
Year 6 Evacuee Trip The year 6s went on a coach trip to Winchcombe railway station (we had to dress up as evacuees and have a world war II lunch). Once we got there we met two men called farmer Brown and farmer Brighton, who showed us to the World War II steam train replica. Carefully, everyone clambered on to the train. On the train we talked to some people who had experienced what it was like to be evacuated in World War II. After our train ride we got to use a water pump and fire hose at the train track then we got to try on some clothes and play some games from World War II, after that we nervously tip-toed into the air raid shelter with trepidation coursing through our body. In the terrifying shelter, we were visited by Mary(another evacuee) who told us about her life in the country side. Then unfor-
would give our hot school dinners a
Above: Winchcombe train station
Above: Year 6 dressed as WWII evacuees
Hugh Jackman Rips It Up In ‘The Wolverine’ By Stanley Adlam Logan AKA Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) tore back to the big screen this year on July 25th. Especially after the poor reviews of X-men Origins: Wolverine, this could make up for it. This is definitely a darker film than the other X-men films (this being the 6th film in the franchise). With director James Mangold, a great cast is also provided to make a spectacular action movie. Personally, this is the best of the franchise. I would give it 10/10 adamantium claws!
Smurfing Smurfs 2
By Caitlin Davies, Jackson Higley & Chloe Cook
This year is the final time that Josh Perks can complete his challenge for the 4th time in a row, until he leaves his history behind, and moves on to secondary school. He has been Cheltenham’s unbeaten champion for 3 years. Hopefully, he can make it 4 years in a row. The determination, that never ends, carries on not just for Josh but for the whole school who have been cheering him on since the very beginning. He contends the Prince Of Wales Stadium boys’ 100 meter sprint every year; he has never walked away without victory for Swindon Village Primary School. He has an extremely triumphant history; he has never finished a race with a frown on his face! The other racers stare in astonishment, his speed is unbelievable, and they are perplexed about how it could be possible. With Josh Perks anything is possible, you can always see the determination in his eyes and the faith in everyone else’s eyes around him. This year there is one more chance to keep the role of the reigning champion of Cheltenham at the stadium. He is the fastest boy in Cheltenham! We are privileged to have in our School. Keep it up Josh!
By Alfie Beaver On the 31st of July 2013, Smurfs 2 was released in Cinemas all over the world. The cast returned producing another phenomenal film. Neil Patrick Harris returned as Patrick and Hank Azaria as Gargamel. It’s Smurfette’s birthday and she gets a surprise. She has to choose over her family, or her dark side. It ends up a disaster as she goes to France and gets up to some unique adventures. Papa comes to the rescue with some of the crew; including Brainy & Vanity Smurf. Overall it’s a Smurfing good film. 5 Smurfberries out of 5.
Editorial Team Edited by: Sam Burge Designed by: Jess Francis Photographer: Martha Brown
HOUSE ACHIEVEMENT
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
13
www.asachelt.org
Canterbury
Durham
House Star student of the Term Callum Coltman 4CH
Lewis Driscoll 8DH
Tutor Comment (Mr Dance) Callum is assertive and unassuming all at the same time and has developed self-confidence to express his opinions, get involved and volunteer throughout Academy life. Callum’s gentle and quiet nature makes him extremely popular with fellow students and staff alike and he produces neat, thorough and very detailed own intuitive work. He is a genuine joy and pleasure to have in both tutor and teaching groups; he is an example to all students.
HAL Comment (Mrs Crawford) I am delighted that Callum is Canterbury’s Star Student. I have watched Callum grow in confidence over the past three years and become more at ease with himself and his place in the Academy – this is a real pleasure to see. He is always polite and is a quiet and determined worker. I am proud that he is a member of Canterbury House. Congratulations Callum.
Tutor Comment (Mrs Allen) Lewis is an extremely valued member of the form. He is well liked by students and teachers and is a real pleasure to have in 8DH. Lewis is always so keen to help others out and to get involved in tasks during tutor time. He will readily volunteer himself and a prime example of this was at sports day where he represented Durham in a number of events. More than that, he won 3 of them! He is an extremely modest student who rarely sees his own potential and will always apply the same hard working attitude to everything he does, even if he finds something difficult. He is an asset to 8DH and to Durham house. Well done Lewis!
Outstanding Christian
Student Comment At school I enjoy Engineering, Hospitality and Catering, ICT, Maths and PE. I feel that I have become more confident in my classes and I am now speaking out more and I hope to carry on building my confidence.
House Star student of the Term
Inclusive
HAL Comment (Mr Bradley) Lewis has had a great term and his attendance has improved. Well done! He has developed into a great role model to other students in his year group. Lewis has many great qualities that we regularly see, including showing perseverance, determination and demonstrating a positive attitude to learning. Lewis has to now show this again and again as he moves up the academy – no pressure then! Student Comment I feel amazed to be nominated because I have never had this before. I love representing my house for sports day and I’m happy that my hard work with the lessons I find tricky lessons has been noticed.
Community
Term 6
2013
York Alana Watts 8YH
Emily Bond 1WH
House Star student of the Term
Tutor Comment (Mr Neely)
Tutor Comment (Mrs Austin) Emily is a consistently outstanding student in all areas of school life. She is a responsible member of the form who has worked hard as council rep. She takes part in a variety of enrichment activities and can always be relied on to behave impeccably when representing the school. She is diligent with her academic work and pushes herself to meet challenges. In addition, she is friendly and lively with an excellent sense of humour. She definitely deserves to be recognised as Student of the Term.
Student Comment Thank you for nominating me as student of the term. I’m very proud to be a student at All Saints’ Academy; there are many things I enjoy about ASA, for example, the many opportunities I have received. I also like getting involved and helping the younger pupils in my tutor group. I really appreciate this award, thank you.
Inclusive
Term 6
House Star student of the Term
HAL Comment (Mrs Mitchell) Emily has proven to be an outstanding member of Westminster, she is a dedicated and motivated student, who is always willing to help out and get involved. An excellent ambassador for both the house and the whole school, I am proud to say Emily is a member of our house and I congratulate her on all her hard work. Thoroughly deserved, well done Emily.
Christian
Community
2013
Westminster
Outstanding
Alana is a quiet, polite and courteous member of 8YH. She gladly helps out within the tutor group. One example of this is shown by her willingness to complete the register during assemblies.
HAL Comment (Mrs Adsett)
Outstanding Christian
Alana always strives to do her best at All Saints’ Academy. She wears her uniform with pride and is always polite and courteous. She is a valued member of her tutor group and completes tasks during tutor time quietly and diligently. She has worked hard this academic year and her confidence is growing. Well done Alana, you are a credit to York House.
Student Comment I am very thankful to be chosen for student of the term and I think it’s an amazing opportunity because I enjoy coming to school.
Outstanding Christian
Inclusive
Inclusive
Community
Community
Term 6
2013
Term 6
2013
ASA SIXTH FORM
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
www.asachelt.org
Echo Editor visits ASA
The Sixth Form Media Studies group with Michael Purton, Deputy Editor of the Gloucestershire Echo
Royal Society of Chemistry By Mr Burger
Sixth Form Tutor
Did you know, some of the water molecules in anything you drink today will probably have already been through the bladders of all of your classmates? This was one of the many interesting facts that ASA Sixth Form Chemistry students learned when they attended the Royal Society of Chemistry annual conference hosted by Cheltenham Ladies’ College, on Tuesday 1st October. The event was well attended by many post-16 students from schools across Gloucestershire, and was intended to provide an exciting and engaging insight into the world of chemistry, supporting the students’ curriculum learning, and raising awareness of the importance of studying chemistry into the future and as a career. Charis Winder, one of the year 13 students who attended, said this was a “Really inspirational experience. The experiments were cool, and made me more curious about the way in which chemistry works.” Firstly we were given a very interesting talk from Professor Adam Hart of the University of Gloucestershire about the science of chemical messages in insects. We all had a chance to sniff vials of the chemicals featured in the talk, and discovered, amongst other things, that many of the chemical flavourings that we use every day in things like food and perfumes can also be found in insects’ bottoms! After a quick break we then had a short lecture from Tim Harrison of Bristol ChemLabs on the application of chemistry in industry, and learned a
huge amount about the complexity of making and testing toothpaste. This was then followed by a brilliantly entertaining demonstration by Dr John Kilcoyne from the University of Sunderland (and who featured regularly on the TV series Brainiac: Science Abuse). John gave some humorous demonstrations of spontaneous combustion, elephant toothpaste (Google it!), liquid nitrogen showers, and the odd explosion, amongst other things, as well as teaching us all some important chemistry along the way. The Sixth Formers all thoroughly enjoyed the day, were a credit to the Academy, and hopefully will be
inspired to continue studying science at University and beyond. Mr Bradley, one of the A-level chemistry teachers at ASA, commented: “Over the last two years or so we have been developing strong links with the Chemistry Department at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. So, I was absolutely delighted to see ALL of our Y12 and Y13 Chemists taking up this great opportunity and benefit from the experiences on display there. Chemistry is not only an amazing subject but it is also fun and eye opening. A massive thank you goes to Mr Burger for organising the trip and providing the students with a deeper insight into the world of Chemistry.”
By Curtis Mansfield Student Reporter
Sixth form Media Studies students at All Saints’ Academy were treated to a visit from Deputy News Editor of the Gloucestershire Echo, Michael Purton. His visit included a question and answer session with students who take a greater interest in journalism, with Michael offering advantageous information on educational paths to aid those interested in journalistic careers. The question and answer session, which took place in the students’ break, was especially insightful with Michael giving advice that any aspiring journalist would be recommended to listen to if they want to reach their dream job. The key message to anyone who wants to enter the media/journalism industry is to get your name out there; get as much experience you can get and involved as much as possible. He also created a task for the year 12 students in their Media Studies lesson; encouraging them to ask him questions about a fake incident and then writing an article with the information that they had retrieved from him, similar to a reporter’s job in a newspaper. Michael’s visit to the academy served as a very useful experience to all students involved.
The 2013 Sixth Form Celebration Evening By Mr Simcox
Head of Sixth Form
The Y12 Information Evening for parents was held on Thursday 19th September. Important messages about how to help students be successful with their studies were given by Mr Simcox, Director of Post 16 and by Mrs Atkins, Head of Y12. Mrs Atkins also explained the Extended Project Qualifi-
14
cation that is being introduced this year. The Y13 Celebration Evening was held on Thursday 26th September. During the evening 30 students received awards for excellent progress during Y12. This was followed by an inspirational presentation by Mr Carroll on applying to University and then a motivational talk from Mr Kelly about getting the most out of Y13. Mr Kelly’s talk included a recorded conversation with last year’s student Jake Higgins. Jake was having the best time of his life at University.
Despite nursing a broken foot, Mary Butler still got up to recieve her certificate from Mr Simcox
Parliamentary Per spectives By Chelsea Craven Student Reporter
What’s the differences between British Parliament and USA government? Unfortunately I’m not a whiz when it comes to politics but here is what I do know about the differences between the US government and UK government. The US Congress is largely based on Parliament. So already the US and the UK are pretty similar. For example, the representatives voted for by the citizens form the UK House of Commons and the US House of Representatives. These members debate policy and proposals to form a rule of law. The US Senate and the House of Lords role is to approve and make laws that come from the lower House. However, this is where there are differences, the Senate are voted in to office by its State citizens, whereas, the House of Lords are not voted in, they are appointed. Another difference and probably one of the most obvious one is- the US and UK government leaders and their roles. In the US it is the President and the UK has a Prime Minister. The President only directs one branch of government, the Executive branch. The Congress forms the Legislative branch and the Supreme Court primarily form the third branch; Judicial. In my opinion Politics or Campaigns are very much about money in the US. The more airtime you can buy or the more exposure you can capture the more likely you are to win. The fault is largely because of a ‘two party’ system that influences candidates in the US, less and less focus is paid to platforms or constituents but just beating the opponent. Although there are dozens of officially recognised Parties it is dominated by the Republican and Democratic Party. Sadly I think Politicians have become far more self-serving and less representative to those who voted them in office to begin with. They focus more on winning wherever they can and lose sight of the issues they give up on. There are the differences but, I think the purposes of the governments should be the same all over the world. In my opinion, I think US and UK governments are of two great nations. I am glad that I can experience the best of both worlds.
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
15
www.asachelt.org
S c i e n c e ICT & Computer Science By Mrs Cain
By Mrs Odedra
Assistant Principal Head of Science
Head of ICT
AS Applied Science trip to the Zoo On Monday 7th October, the AS level Applied Science group went on a trip to Bristol Zoo Gardens. They were focussing on part of their course work – science at work. During the day the students took in the variety of animals at the zoo and also had an education session. Students were looking at Health and safety regulations at the zoo and how the zoo complies with these. We found a lot of different health and safety signs, procedures and hand washes. The education session allowed students to role play hazards and investigations that take place in the zoo. One group had to look at a range of x-rays and be veterinary scientists to diagnose what the problem was. Another group were looking at the conservation of the white clawed crayfish. We were also surprised to find out that some of the keepers have to trained in firearms just in case an animal gets loose and needs to be sedated quickly. The whole group thoroughly enjoyed the trip and learned a lot – “The trip was really exciting to be a part of, especially all of the animals being in their specially designed enclosures. My favourite animals were the seals, particularly when they dived in and out of the
Above: Meerkat standing to attention
Above: Students doing an activity pool. We were surprised at the amount of safety regulations that need to be in place in such an organisation” George Spence, yr 12 AS Applied Science student.
Health & Social Care
By Emma Power Student Reporter
By Chelsea Midwinter
Student Reporter We currently study Level 3 Health and Social Care. In Year 12 we completed two work experience placements, 25 hours for each one. We completed our second placement together at Oakwood Children’s Centre; we went once a fortnight for 2 hours after school. We took part in an afterschool club for young carers from different primary schools in the area where they come and take part in a variety of activities. When coming towards the end of our placement the organisation asked us if we wanted to stay on and take on a role of a volunteer. As we had enjoyed working there, we took this responsibil-
ity and wanted to take this challenge; we now volunteer every Monday after school for 2 hours. We feel as if we we’re doing our bit to make a difference in these children’s lives and help them to have a good time whilst they are there. We are hoping to help set up something similar at school following this experience. This experience has showed us that these children need all the support they can get. Groups like this help the young carers find someone that they can talk to, take their minds off things and just have some fun! Through completing work experience in year 12 we feel it has helped us get to where we are now; without this opportunity, we would not have as many ideas and choices about what we want to do after sixth form. Also, we feel that volunteering has helped us with getting to know new people and building relationships with the service users we are working with. We feel from doing work experience it has made us realise what some of the children in our society go through. It has made us want to help them more because they do a lot but don’t get much back.
Things are happening in the educational world of computing.. With a female (Marissa Mayer) taking the CEO key role at Yahoo! we see the norm changing. 2013 saw more females choosing to take Computer Science at ASA, doubling the overall numbers from last year’s option block. With programming taking a strong hold on the Phase 1 education where pupils are encouraged to make their own computer games we may be enabling the next generation of game creators to get their first experience. Inclusion is always the key word when developing schemes of learning so the Computing team at All Saints’ ensures that the software used is available free online. At Sixth Form level we can see the department offering a comprehensive programme. With the BTEC level 3 students gaining invaluable skills for the ICT industry, along with the exciting opportunities to create bespoke websites and innovative graphics. Our AS/ A2 courses offer both in-depth theory and professional standard large project working setting the students on path to higher education or jobs in the sector. The future is bright, the future is computing!
Psychology & Sociology
A female student in an ICT class
Product Design By Miss Holland DT teacher
By Miss Brannan Head of Psychology/Sociology Already our sixth formers have been experiencing the realities of experimenters and researchers! Psychology students have been conducting memory experiments on staff & students then presenting their findings to the class. Sociology students have been conducting research in to society’s changing views of marriage, divorce & families. One student used social networking to gather views from a variety of ages
A - Level Product Design is a new and inspiring course at ASA this academic year. Students have been set the challenge to design and manufacture their own innovative MP3 docking station in the style of one of their favourite designers or design movements for their coursework. They will be completing the full design process similar to a real life industry designer. The students will further develop their skills in designing, planning, practical and graphical illustration. A deeper understanding and knowledge of design is fostered through careful study and various theory linked practical activities to enhance the students design awareness. Students successfully gaining the A-Level Product Design qualification can lead on to many diverse careers which include being a Designer, Advertising Consultant, Project Manager, CAD Technician or even Gaming Interface Designer. These professions are all very creative and rewarding. Later in the year, pupils will have a unique chance to experience an opportunity to complete an industry day to gain knowledge and understand-
ing of two chosen commercial companies and their specific manufacturing of products and running of the company. A lot to look forward to in the coming year for Product Design A-Level students.
Film Club:
Edward Scissorhands Review By Shaun, 11
Student Reporter
I loved it! There were romance flash backs and the best thing about it in my opinon was the story line. I would recommend this film for age 11 and 12. All younger viewers will just find it weird but it is a good film. I would rate it 10000000000/100000000000.
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
Introducing Mrs Jerzykowski By Mrs Jerzykowski
Durham Social Evening By Mrs Taylor
MFL Teacher
I am thoroughly enjoying my time here at All Saints’ and am so pleased my application for the role of French and Spanish teacher was accepted! The students are enthusiastic and wonderful to teach and I am learning more and more every day in terms of teaching and how to enthuse students about languages! The staff have really eased my transition into the academy – I am very thankful that I am surrounded by such kind and supportive colleagues, especially my Head of Department Mrs Atkins who has enabled me very quickly to settle into the department. Before coming to All Saints’ I had worked with young people over the years, teaching English in Switzerland at a ski school and in Birmingham for the Refugee Council, mentoring school leavers in Birmingham and even being an outdoor activity instructor in France. My love of travel and youth work has led me also to Australia where I worked on a cattle ranch, to El Salvador introducing young British
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Durham House Pastoral Support Manager
people to international development work, while also studying in Poland, Italy and teacher training in London. Through my experiences I really have learnt that the world has so much to offer and hopefully I can pass my enthusiasm on to my students!
The school year has unfolded and as such the calendar of social events has begun. On Thursday 10th October Durham House hosted a welcome evening for our year 7 and 8s. This was a chance to meet up with other students and staff in a relaxed environment and share experiences of their first term at All Saints’Academy. We split the night in to three sessions of activity culminating in the soon to be annual ‘Griff Quiz’ . The highlight of the evening had to be the impromptu ‘BasNet ball’ match an amalgamation of Basketball and Netball with a very slight nod to any rules! Students who impressed with their skill and agility are Cameron Smith of 7DH and Rheiss Mitchell of 6DH. The star of the night though has to be Louise Hitchin of 8DH who scored 9 of the 12 nets ably supported by our House Achievement Leader Mr Bradley who himself scored the remaining three. A re-
Students & teachers playing ‘BasNet Ball’ sounding 12 -3 win over the team captained by Mr A Griffin of 3DH. It was pleasing to see the students happy to stay later to complete the quiz. A well-received evening of fun and friendship also raised funds for the CLIC Sargent charity supported by Durham House , that offers help and support to young people suffering from Cancer. A big thank you to all the staff who gave up their free time to support the evening.
Introducing Mr Miah ASA Guide to Stop the Clock By Mr Miah
Business Teacher
Since joining All Saints’ Academy, my time here has been brilliant I have been overwhelmed by the presence and ethos of the school. It is apparent ASA’s staff and pupils all infuse the OCIC philosophy and transcend this into their work ethic and positive behaviour. I have been really fortunate to join a fantastic department. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Farrelly and Mr Kelly who made me feel very welcomed; they are both really supportive and it is a pleasure to work with them both to make the Business Department the best it can be! Pupils at ASA have a great attitude to learning and are keen to better themselves in their academia and impart their diverse talent, whether it is in sports, music, creative arts or enrichment activities. I look forward to working with such pupils’ every day. I have worked in Education for the past 5 years. My career started as a Teaching Assistant in North London, Camden Town, where I was born and raised. I was later promoted as a Cover Supervisor at the same school and now working at All Saints’ Academy as a Business Teacher. During my spare time I enjoy volunteering. One my greatest achievements were taking part in the London 2012 Olympics where I volunteered as a London Ambassador. This was a great experience and a once in a life time opportunity where
1 = Outstanding 2 = Good 3 = Requires Improvement 4 = Inadequate
By Mr Clarkson
Assistant Principal
I greeted and welcomed guests from all over the world during a historical event. I also endeavour my time to work with those who are less fortunate than ourselves. I work with young ex-offenders to live a life away from committing crimes to promote a positive and constructive approach that contributes to the society that they live in.
On four occasions, throughout the year, students and teachers spend time in lessons completing “Stop The Clock!” (STC). This is when teachers give students grades for their effort (Attitude to Learning), their homeworks (Independent Learning Tasks) and their organisation and equipment. Each teacher will talk to the student, during a lesson, and go through the grades given – identifying strengths and
weaknesses and deciding on targets for improvement. These conversations take place over a 2 week period in October, December, March and June. From the December STC, Y7-Y11 teachers will also issue a current Level/Grade in each subject and report whether the student is “on target” for their end of year grade or not working well enough and “below target”. After each STC, parents will receive these grades either during Student Review Day (November 2013 and April 2014) or they are sent home as a report (December 2013 and July 2014). This is a very valuable stage of the students’ learning because it enables teacher and student to discuss, in some detail, how much pro-
gress has been made over the previous 6-8 weeks and then to inform parents. This year students will be given 1-4 grades from each subject: 1 = Outstanding; 2 = Good; 3 = Requires Improvement and 4 = Inadequate. We hope that all students will achieve 1 or 2 from each subject. Any student achieving a 3 or 4 will have additional conversations with House Tutor and Head of House or Head of Department, to ensure that progress is made before the next STC period. If any student or parent would like more information please contact Mr. Clarkson (Assistant Principal) through the Academy and he will be happy to meet to discuss the process (sclarkson@asachelt.org).
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
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A r t By Mrs Bayliss
Head of Art & Design
Currently Year 11 students are producing chalk studies of fruit pods. They needed to accurately build up layers of chalk to create the right colours. The chalk had to be blended smoothly to give a silky tonal effect. The background colour choice was key to achieving a contrast that made the fruit stand out.
Above: Chalk drawing by Shawn Jelfs
Above: Chalk drawing by Melody Young
Above: Chalk drawing by Billie Anne Samuelson
Left: Chalk drawing by Dan Bolton
ASA Guide to Pupil Premium By Mr Clarkson
Assistant Principal
In recent years, the Government has given schools additional money to spend on students who are considered “Pupil Premium” (PP). This money is to be spent on each individual student to support and increase their progress/ Levels/Grades from Y7 through to GCSE in Y11 and then A-Levels in Y13. A student who is considered “Pupil Premium” will be one who is currently entitled to Free School Meals (FSM) or has been entitled to FSM in the last 6 years (“Ever6”). Head teachers are required to publish how the overall money is spent, such as paying for additional Maths/English Tutors; increasing the
number of teachers in the school; running Summer Schools; Mentoring etc. Mr. Clarkson (Assistant Principal) is currently monitoring all students who are “Pupil Premium” - just under half of the students across the whole Academy - he is talking to them about their progress in all subjects and asking if there is any additional support we can provide. Already, we have been able to give some Y11 students laptops to help with coursework and exam preparation; calculators and text books to use at home; payment for some GCSE school trips. Over the course of this year we are looking to help all Y7-Y13 PP students to make more than expected progress in all subjects and especially in English, Maths and Science. If any parent or student wishes to discuss this, please contact Mr. Clarkson through the Academy (sclarkson@ asachelt.org) and he will be more than happy to look into any help we can give.
Above: Chalk drawing by Ellie-Louise Fewing
The second meeting of All Saints’ Academy Parental Forum met on September 17th 2013. Topics discussed on this occasion were many and various and included Enrichment, Student Review Days and School Uniform. These meetings are held on a regular basis, with the next meeting to be held on Monday November 4th at 6pm. The group is open to all parents so if you are interested in attending please email Mrs Crawford (Assistant Principal, House Achievement Leader) on acrawford@asachelt.org We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
COMMUNITY
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
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ASA and Dean Close School join forces By Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager Over the half term break, we are introducing SIMS Learning Gateway to All Saints’ Academy. Links to allow Parents, Careers, Students and Staff to use this new service will be in the logon sections at the top of the Academy web site. http://www.asachelt.org/
Fifteen year 10 pupils from All Saints’ Academy (ASA) have volunteered to join the ranks of Dean Close School’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF). The interschool partnership, which began in early September, sees the group of mostly RAF cadets travel across Cheltenham each Wednesday after school to experience and gain from the weekly training session held at Dean Close. They also take part in the termly Field days, which this term was the Inter-house CCF competition on Wednesday 25th September. The RAF section has had its numbers swelled to thirty new recruits by the inclusion of the ASA cadets who are really enjoying the experience and will continue to train with Dean Close as well as attend their Annual Summer Camp next July. Supported by the CCF staff from both schools, the cadets are learning to develop a sense of responsibility, self-reliance, resourcefulness, endurance, perseverance and a sense of service to the community. The plan is for the staff and cadets at All Saints’ to become a standalone RAF CCF unit over the next three years. This current group of cadets will be the future NCOs and leaders as this partnership grows.
Usernames, passwords and help guides for Parents and Careers will be issued at Student Review Day and there will be help available on the day to get you started. All Students will receive their usernames and passwords after half term. If you have any questions please email Mr Revell - crevell@asachelt.org
Benefits for Parents and Students
• Instant access to personal information about your children’s progress, achievements and timetables. • Compatibility with tablets and smartphones so even busy parents can access information on the move. • Students can access data so they can take responsibility for their progress. • Access to historical information, such as attendance data, behaviour issues, achievements and reports. •Parents and staff can work together to boost students’ achievement. • Parents can quickly alert the school to changes of personal details.
Jack & the Beanstalk at All Saints’ Academy!
On Thursday 12th December 2013 a professional cast from Wonder Productions will be performing a Jack & the Beanstalk Pantomime here at All Saints’ Academy, Cheltenham. This is an event for the whole family. A professional cast from the Wonder Productions Company will be performing Jack & the Beanstalk as a one off spectacular! This will be held at All Saints’ Academy from 7pm – 9pm, Doors open at 6.30pm. Refreshments will be available in the interval and free parking will be available onsite. You won’t find a cheaper panto in Cheltenham!
Ticket prices explained: Children under 3 go free - as long as they sit upon a parent or guardian’s lap or knee. Ordering Tickets To order tickets, please fill in the form below and return, with the correct details and payment, in an envelope to the front office of All Saints’ Academy, named “FAO Jamie Burn”. Once we have collected payment, we will then call you to confirm your booking, and we will either post your tickets to you, or reserve them so you can collect them on the door on the 12th December. Mr Jamie Burn Community Director
Ticket Prices Children (below 3) Free Children (3-16) £5 Adults (16-65) £7 Concessions (65+) £6 Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 Children) £20
……………………………………………………………………………....................................... Reply Slip: Please make cheques payable to “All Saints’ Academy” Name:………………………………………………………………….. How many tickets: Under 3’s:
Child:
Adult:
Family Ticket:
Concession:
Address:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Contact Number:………………………………
I enclose cash/cheque for the amount of:……………..
Signed: …………………………………………………..
Date:……………………………………..
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
ASA SPORTS www.asachelt.org
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Third round of the National Cup for ASA Sixth Form Did stress and anxiety effect the Sixth form team performance?
By Jed Seers
Student Reporter
Some of the team were very stressed leading into the game. Stress is the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, nervous, or anxious. There are 2 causes of stress: Internal and External. Internal stress includes things such as illnesses, not having enough sleep which a lot of students do not as they stay up late doing coursework until early hours of the morning and do not get at least 6-8 hours of sleep which they should. Some of the team may be affected by external causes of stress; for example things such as major life events and day to day hassles. Some of the players will be able to tell if they’re stressed or not be-
cause symptoms will kick in. Whilst students are stressed about the game they will have an increased heart rate, breathing rate, increased muscle tension, pupils will dilate and they will have an increased metabolism. The sympathetic nervous system will give the students a fight or flight response. Most of the team was very laid back during the game and this resulted in going 2-0 down, this stressed the team out and gave everyone a fight response. They decided to play better and work harder after being stressed about going 2-0 down. In the end we won 5-2. After the game the parasympathetic nervous system began to work. This helps you relax. It allows you to relax by relaxing muscles, slowing metabolism, decreasing heartrate, breathing rate and it also constricts the pupils. Without some of the symptoms of stress our team would not have been able to meet the demands of the match considering we was 2-0 down. A lot of the students also suf-
fered from anxiety leading into the game. Anxiety is a negative emotional state that is either characterised by feelings of nervousness, apprehension or worry. There are two main types of anxiety: trait anxiety and state anxiety. Trait anxiety is a behavioural tendency to feel threatened in situations that may not be threatening. State anxiety is a temporary mood state that will change to any situation to be considered threatening. Symptoms of state anxiety include concentration problems, fear and bad decision making which could have been costly in the match but luckily we was good enough on the day therefore the teams performance may have been bad at the start and we all had anxiety thinking we might of got a thrashing but luckily we just snapped out of it. Nobody had extreme cases of anxiety during the game but if they did it would have caused them to have complete muscle tension which would of stopped him from performing.
Year 10’s ‘Smash Up’ Badminton By Miss Daley
By Miss Daley
PE Technician
Earlier this month, Miss Morley’s year 10 BTEC students were fortunate to have their badminton lesson ‘Smashed Up’! The Year 10 students who are currently focusing on the application of rules and evaluating skill, took part in a fun taster session of ‘SmashUp’, which is a Badminton England initiative. The students enjoyed the games that put a twist on badminton, such as a game called ‘Black Out’ where students’ normal ability to see their opponent through the net was obscured by a solid black net. Come along to badminton club on Wednesday’s afterschool, 3-4pm, boys and girls, all years!
Playmaker Award PE Technician
Above and below:Year 10s at ‘Smash Up’ Badminton
We have had a really positive start for sport leadership at the Academy this academic year with 36 of our year 7 students successfully completing the PlayMaker Award at Summer School. This continues on from the successes of last year, including the sports festivals our BTEC sport students ran for our local primary schools and a number of our students gaining leadership awards such as the Badminton Junior Helper Award, Rounders Young Leaders Award and the RFU Young Leaders Award. The PlayMaker Award taught students a whole host of leadership skills; for example how to communicate effectively, develop organisational skills and
work as part of a team. Students took part in a variety of activities to help them learn how to lead others and develop basic skills to progress as a leader, which were delivered through the acronym PACE; Participants, Area, Communication and Equipment. Students were then required to plan and deliver their own sessions for other members of the group to take part in. Having mastered PACE, these year 7 students should now be looking to put their skills into practice, such as helping out during PE lessons or after school clubs!
6th Form Girls: Girls Go Ski Project By Mr Pierce
Assistant Head of PE
Go Ski is a fantastic opportunity for girls in 6th form to try something new and get involved in a different sport. Go Ski requires a commitment for 6 weeks every Monday after school, with sessions starting at 3.30pm till 4.30pm. Transport is provided to and from the Academy and ski hire is also included. This fantastic
opportunity starts after half term with a one off payment of £20. After completing the six weeks Go Ski project all students will hopefully become able skiers and if that is not enough there is a free hoodie for the girls who have completed the project. For more information please speak to Miss C Daley or Mr M Pierce.
ASA SPORTS Year 10 Rugby Results
Issue 22, Term 1, 2013
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By Mr Ferguson
Assistant Principal
Vs Royal Grammar School Worcester The squad travelled to Worcester in this daily mail cup fixture. The game started at a furious pace and despite some hard and organised defence were soon behind 12 – 0. The game was not one sided however, and only the solid defence of Worcester kept All Saints’ at bay. A poor series of tackles saw Worcester break away and score against the run of play and increase the lead to 17 – 0. A quick penalty allowed ASA to drive forward and score in the corner, Attwood went wide with the resulting conversion.
The second half continued at a frantic pace but ASA never gave up Worcester took a quick restart and ran through unopposed as ASA celebrated! The second half continued at a frantic pace but ASA never gave up. Tackling improved and the rucking and mauling continued to show promise. A second well-crafted try saw the gap close further, but a lack of awareness and speed of decision making allowed Worcester to keep the score board ticking over. The
Sportsability By Mr Fautley
Cover Supervisor
fantastic discipline and effort from the ASA boys throughout the game was commended by the Worcester staff and parents as they gave their all until the end. The game finished 67-10 to RGS Worcester but a great effort all round. Vs Bournside The team travelled to face Bournside and pressed hard to capitalise on the territorial advantage. As they committed numbers to the ruck too many openings were created and Bournside were able to burst through and score a couple of early tries. A sole penalty by Attwood closed the gap to 7 at ½ time. The second half started at a frantic pace with Bournside scoring a brace of tries quickly once again. ASA displayed their character and determination and moved the ball well creating the gap and Fee drove over to score under the posts, Attwood again stroked this over to once again pull ASA closer. A couple of missed tackles again allowed Bournside to win by what looked like a more comfortable margin than it was. 29 – 10 Bournside.
Gymnastics Club
By Miss Daley PE Technician
By Miss Oldham PE Teacher Finishing the last academic year as County Boccia Champions left the Sportsability team with a new challenge; to progress and excel at a new sport. The team has been lucky enough to have four new members join this year and are always looking for more to help them with this challenge. This terms focus has been inclusive tennis, using new equipment and different adaptations of the game so that all are included and valued. This year the team will be competing in district tournaments in sitting volleyball, goalball, boc-
cia, Kwik cricket and tennis. The first tournament is Sitting Volleyball on December 4th, with the team just missing out on the County Finals last year, so will be looking to come back even stronger this year!
Sportsability club runs every Thursday 3-4pm, if you’d like to attend come and speak Miss Daley or Mr Fautley.
Sixth Form Football Results By Mr Ferguson
Assistant Principal
The sixth form season kicked off with a first round game against Beaufort. With a depleted squad through injuries, work commitments and driving lessons, things did not look good! The game started with ASA showing their class and keeping the ball well. The cutting edge seemed to
be missing and Beaufort looked to use their route 1 brand of football to the best of their advantage. Sherman and Rayson were more than capable of defending against this and kept the centre forward quiet. Looking rather impotent up front it was difficult to see where a goal would come from as chance after chance went begging. Simms then displayed his true class as he leapt salmon-like to head the ball in from a divine through ball from Berisha. He missed it with his head struck it with his shoulder and it bobbled in over the line! 1-0 at half time. The second half saw Mr Fer-
guson make positive changes. The introduction of Babbage gave more of a direct threat and the team quickly eased to a 2-0 lead. Beaufort responded by capitalising on some poor marking at a free kick and heading home from 2 yards out. This only buoyed the team as Sherman was pushed forward scoring quickly, Berisha then found the net before Babbage once again slotted home. The 5-1 score line reflected the dominance of ASA, but complacency should not set in as we face St Peters in the next round.
Gymnastics Club at All Saints has been very popular, with boys and girls from a range of year groups attending. The students put on a spectacular show at the Academy Open Evening where they performed a variety of vaults and displayed a number floor routines they created themselves. The gymnastics squad have also been entered into the Gloucester Schools Gymnastics Cup in March. A trio team, advanced team and a novice team have all been entered. With some excellent gymnasts attending the club, we have a strong chance of winning!!!!!! Come support us at St Peters School in March!
Feeling flexible? Try out the Gymnastics Club every Thursday afternoon in the Gym
Sporting Achievements outside of ASA? Then let us know, we always like to keep tab on talented individuals
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