BOTTISHAM VILLAGE COLLEGE
April 2009 PRINCIPAL’S NEWS Welcome to the Easter Newsletter. Once again you will find it full of details outlining wide ranging achievements by Bottisham students. In recent weeks it has been particularly pleasing to receive positive feedback on our students from many different sources. One such example would be a completely unsolicited letter from a temporary member of the catering staff, who commented on the positive attitudes shown by our students: “Without fail your pupils were always polite, courteous and a pleasure to serve.� The feedback from colleagues in our partner primary schools about our students who took part in the West Road Concert was also extremely complimentary, both in terms of the talents and attitudes of the Bottisham students involved. There are many other examples that could be cited and all students are to be congratulated. Building Programme As the term draws to a close, we are finalising arrangements for the beginning of the building programme which will commence after Easter. Over the holidays, we will be moving out of the existing mobiles and into the new ones situated at the Bottisham village end of our site. Students will be informed about any room changes that are necessary and also about the appropriate safe routes to access the mobiles whilst the building work is being completed. All such details will be available on the college website prior to the start of the summer term. Inevitably, this building programme will create some challenges for us, but we are confident that by working in partnership with our contractors, any disruption will be kept to a minimum. We remain excited about the benefits to all students that these improved facilities will offer. Uniform We are delighted with the improvements that we have seen during this academic year, with a vast majority of students now wearing the correct uniform. In light of this improvement we have reviewed the sanctions for that very small minority of students
who fail to meet our expectations. From the beginning of the Summer Term any student in breach of our uniform expectations will be placed in three 20 minute lunch-time detentions rather than after school. We are confident that in the majority of cases this will be effective with the outcome of there being no further concerns. For the tiny minority of cases where there are repeated offences the students will be placed in after school detention with a member of the College Leadership Team. Attached to this newsletter you will find a copy of the uniform code and guidelines which were issued in the Autumn Term. I would ask that you consult it prior to buying any new items of uniform in the readiness for the start of the Summer Term. In particular, I would also like to remind you of the requirement that students must wear the college polo shirt at all times. If they are inside the building and require an additional layer of clothing then this should be the college sweatshirt. The rationale for this rule is to ensure that students do not wear other fashionable alternatives to the college sweatshirt, such as a cardigan or a hoody. We would ask you to remind your son/daughter of these expectations and thank you in anticipation of your continued support in our commitment to maintaining consistently high standards of uniform. Term closes at 1.25pm on Friday and on behalf of the staff at Bottisham Village College, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter. We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Tuesday 21 April 2009.
Kate Evans
Bottisham Village College School Uniform Rationale: We believe that a school uniform helps to give young people a sense of identity and belonging. Ours is a straightforward and comfortable school uniform which students are expected to wear in the correct spirit and with a sense of pride. Our core business is teaching and learning and our expectation is that all students arrive at their lesson fully equipped and ready to learn. Wearing the correct school uniform is a crucial part of this readiness; it shows that students are fulfilling their responsibilities and allows us to devote all our time and energies to teaching and learning. Code and Guidelines: All clothing should be clearly marked with the owner’s name, preferably with name tapes. Shirt: Sweatshirt:
Trousers:
Skirt: Shoes:
Socks: Tights: Jewellery: Hairstyles: Makeup:
College polo shirt College sweatshirt A plain white or black short-sleeved t-shirt may be worn discreetly under the poloshirt. Plain black, full length, traditional style: no studs, no decoration, no distinctive belt. Jeans or jeans-style trousers are not acceptable. Tight-fitting or skinnystyle trousers are not acceptable. Plain black, mid-calf to knee-length: no extreme styles, no decoration, no distinctive belt. Tight-fitting and short skirts are not acceptable. Plain black, traditional style and suitable for movement around a large, busy school:no distinctive markings or logos. Trainers, skateshoes or other casual canvas shoes are not acceptable. Backless sandals or mules, high heels are not acceptable. Black, white or grey Black, neutral or dark green The only jewellery allowed is one small, plain stud in pierced ears. Nose studs and other facial/body piercings are not acceptable. Extreme haircuts and colours are not acceptable. Any make up which is obvious and noticeable is not acceptable. Light foundation products and mascara may be worn discreetly. Eyeliner, eyeshadow and nail varnish are not acceptable.
The College poloshirt and sweatshirt are supplied by us directly. The order form is available on our website or from the Finance Office
Outdoor clothing: All students are required to wear the College polo shirt. If they are inside the building and require an additional layer of clothing then this should be the College sweatshirt.
When travelling to and from school and when outside the school building, students are allowed to wear all items of outdoor clothing, including coats, jackets, hoodies, scarves, gloves and hats. None of these should have inappropriate slogans or logos. On re-entering the building, students should remove all hats, scarves and gloves immediately. They may continue to wear a coat or jacket, if it is worn over a sweatshirt. When they enter their classroom, students should actively remove their coat or jacket, to ensure that they are ready to learn as quickly as possible. If they are not wearing a college sweatshirt, students need to remove their coat on entering the building. As stated above, the second layer of clothing inside the building should be the College sweatshirt. Uniform order form can also be found on the school website, or collected from Student Support.
English Faculty Cambridgeshire Newsday On Wednesday 18 March, a team of students turned Room 8 into a newsroom and created a newspaper within a day! The current BVC magazine editors teamed up with next year’s BTEC Media Studies students to create a digest of the day’s national and local stories, as well as celebrity gossip, entertainment, fashion, a comic strip as well as just-plain-weird news! Students at Hills Road Sixth Form also joined in the challenge. You can find the finished publications on the colleges’ websites.
Letters to the Future Trip On Tuesday 31st March, the following group of Year 8 students participated in the ‘Letters to the Future’ event at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, as part of the University’s 800th Anniversary celebrations. Students wrote letters to pen pals 100 years in the future, which will be opened on the 900th Anniversary in 2109. The letters were written on specially produced archive paper and will be stored in the archives at the University Library.
Thomas Groom Laura Foreman Simon Hudson Michael Ward Gus Martin Alex Snow Laura Grillenzoni Sophie Hammond
Rama Lakshman Bethan Manton-Roseblade Melissa Pettit Emma Tunnacliffe Nick Wray Olivia Duffy Lucy Crossfield Guy Birch
Miss Ceranic
Corpus Christi, Cambridge
Maths Faculty Intermediate Maths Challenge On 6th February, 56 students took part in the Maths Challenge and 35 of them were awarded certificates. Ben Nazareth and Eric Wieser both qualified for the Olympiad round and Frances Haynes, Vicky Halsall, Adrian Fitch, Oliver Cook and Daniel Gibson all qualified for the European Kangaroos. Those students who took are part are: Year 9 Gold
Year 10 Gold
Year 11 Gold
Daniel Gibson
Eric Wieser Vicky Halsall Oliver Cook Adrian Fitch
Ben Nazareth Frances Haynes
Year 9 Silver
Year 10 Silver
Andrew Wightwick Jonty Haynes Alex Gilday William Brown Penny Weiser
Dominic Pettitt Alex Nicholls Joseph Acklam Natalie Boyle Paul Varty Iona Martin Katy Lamb
Year 9 Bronze
Year 10 Bronze
Year 11 Bronze
Alex Pope Katie Bellwood Liam Fendick Nickie Dailly Joe McGee Lucy Pluckrose Ciara O’Brien
Thomas Jones Jessica Rayner Alexander Logan Like Rhodes Megan Warner Matthew Hammond Thomas Asplin Katie Scholan
Alex Kingdon
Congratulations to everyone who took part
UK Maths Team Challenge On Monday 26th March, a team of four students, two from Year 8 and two from Year 9 went to the Centre for Mathematical Sciences at Cambridge University, to take part in a whole day of maths. There were 31 teams in total, some coming from as far away as Bedfordshire. Last year, our team finished in third place and this year we were hoping to better our predecessors’ achievements.
The building was extremely environmentally friendly, with motion sensitive lights in the bathrooms that only turned on when someone was inside, the windows opened automatically if the rooms became too hot and there was even a roof garden reminiscent of Teletubbies to help insulate the building. Ironically, for such aneco-friendly building, there was an extraordinary amount of paper around, more than you could shake a big stick at. Indeed, we’d be surprised if there were any big sticks left to shake—they’ve all been turned into paper. In any case, the atmosphere was vibrant and friendly, if very hot. The windows were on overtime. By the end of four rounds of challenging questions, we were all heartily sick of squirrels, pizzas, tiles, emptying baths, light speed, slugs and anything else that could be fitted into a maths question.
At the end of the day, we finished third (again), beaten only by Bishops Stortford and Comberton (again) - our sabotage plans were never fully carried out. We left with free pens, ball-bearings, yet more paper and free rulers……….again. Oh well back to the drawing board. Daniel Gibson 9.4 Will Brown 9.2
Rama Lakshman 8.5 Kieran Gilday 8.5
Spanish Exchange 4th – 11th March 2009 Early on the morning of 4th March, a group of eighteen excited students and two (equally excited) teachers left Bottisham Village College, suitcases in hand, to embark on the trip of a lifetime. The Year 8, 9 and 10 students, all studying Spanish, had chosen to take part in an exchange programme with students from I.E.S. Virgen de la Calle in Palencia, Spain. During this first phase of the exchange, Bottisham Village College students were invited to stay with the families of their exchange partners in Palencia, and they will return the favour at the end of April when their Spanish partners come back to England. After a smooth journey, the group arrived safely in Spain, and any nerves or feelings of apprehension soon disappeared when the students were warmly welcomed by their host families, and even by the Mayor himself at a reception in the Town Hall. The time they spent with their host families gave the students a unique opportunity to be immersed in Spanish culture and language, and also to forge lifelong friendships (which were threatened only momentarily by the 4-0 victory of Liverpool over Real Madrid during the week!). All the students were very enthusiastic about practising their Spanish and have returned with renewed confidence in their abilities. Over the course of the week, students enjoyed cultural trips to Salamanca, Ampudia and Valladolid and they also had the opportunity to spend some time in the Spanish school, where they were treated as nothing short of celebrities! The Spanish students were quite literally hanging out the classroom windows to try and get a glimpse of their exotic visitors. Students and teachers alike thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are gradually re-adapting to life in England (and no doubt missing the vast quantities of food and afternoon siestas!). They are all very much looking forward to the return of their Spanish exchange partners in April, and we hope that the second part of the exchange is as successful as the first.
Miss Forbes
PE Faculty Golf Congratulations to Alex Logan (10.3) who won the Winter Eclectic Junior Golf title with the lowest final score at the Cambridge Lakes course. The competition ran over the winter months, with Alex finishing with a total of 22, the lowest final eclectic score in the history of the competition. Jack Andrews (10.4) came second. Fencing
Students from all years have had the opportunity to try fencing this term. There was a great deal of initial interest and a number of these students have attended all the sessions and have learned how to act as officials as well as competing using the electronic equipment to register ‘hits’.
Rowing After attending a school testing session in 2007 which was arranged in conjunction with the Amateur Rowing Association four girls (now in year eleven) decided to take up rowing as a sport. They joined the Isle of Ely Rowing Club and trained hard. They have recently been rewarded by winning the County Under 18 Quadruple Sculls competition and being crowned ‘Head of the River’ as the fastest women’s coxed quad. This is a brilliant achievement. Congratulations to Jenny Kingsmill, Anna Towriss, Emma Pencheon and Steph Boughey.
The year ten girls rowed round the world’ in one of their P.E. lessons with each metre covered representing one kilometre, and raised a lot of money for Comic Relief. Congratulations to all involved.
Football and Netball Students from all year groups have been representing the school this term in these sports. We are pleased that so many get involved and we regularly put out a number of teams from each year group against other schools. This gives an opportunity for students of all abilities to represent their school, and to experience the highs and lows of playing competitive sport against other teams. Congratulations to all who have participated.
Sports Leadership A large number of students from Years 9,10 and 11 regularly support the work of the P.E. Faculty by helping coach younger students, referee games and organise training activities. This gives them generic life skills such as communication, planning, empathy, organisation and co-operation that can be transferred into other aspects of their learning. Thanks to all who get involved. Any student who would like to help should see their P.E. teacher.
Mr Alvey
News from the Catering Department It has been a very busy period in the Catering Department. Year 10 have completed their work experience visits to Cambridge Regional College and the Year 11 students have produced wonderful dishes for their practical exams which took place during the week beginning 23rd March. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all parents/carers for their support during the examination period for ensuring that all students had their ingredients and that they had practiced their dishes at home. The students were a credit to themselves and performed extremely well under pressure. Revision booklets are available from the school to assist in the preparation for the written examination. The Year 10 students have been following the unit of work on meat and we were lucky to have Michael Beaumont from Beaumont Butchers in Fulbourn to come into school to give a demonstration on butchery and talk about the different meats. Next term the Year 10 students will be concentrating on preparation for their practical exam. Natalie Boyle took part in the Regional Finals of Future Chef competition in Bedford. In a tight contest, Natalie was runner-up. She received a special commendation from celebrity chef Brian Turner. Congratulations Natalie!
Mrs Taylor
West Road Music Concert
On 17 March, performers from Bottisham Village College and their feeder primary schools took part in an exciting concert at West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge, to celebrate the launch of a new arts partnership between the schools. The primary schools’ choir, directed by Nicola Plumb from Burwell, consisted of over 250 singers and they performed alongside the Bottisham Village College orchestra and big band, culminating in a specially written song composed for the event by David Minchin, featuring as solo vocalist, Sam Mackrill from the college. The evening was financially supported by the John Lewis Cambridgeshire Music Awards which aims to enable young people, whether as individuals or as part of groups, to achieve their musical goals. Commenting on the concert, David Minchin, the Arts Development Officer at Bottisham Village College, said “We had a fantastic evening and all the participants should be very proud of the quality of their performance. Bringing all the thirteen schools in our Circle Link Partnership together for the first time was very exciting and demonstrated the talents of our students and their teachers. We are very grateful to John Lewis, who through their music award, supported this event. Our new partnership, and any proceeds from this concert, will be used to enrich young peoples’ access to music, drama, art and dance.”
Mr David Minchin Arts and Development Officer
Visit to Ancient Key Housing Development On 26th February, the BTEC Construction students, thanks to Land Charter Homes PLC, had the chance to put on their personal protection equipment such as hard hats, reflective jackets and boots to make their first visit to a new housing development, Ancient Key, in Tunbridge Lane, Bottisham. The students were able to experience first hand how the skills they are learning in the classroom could be put into practice out on the building site. Two separate groups of students visited the housing development and they were given presentations on how a new development site is purchased, the planning process from initial drawings to the final application as well as being able to see the construction of the houses and a tour of the show home. The students have now been invited to visit the site again to see the next stage of the building process on the houses that are under construction. Our thanks go to Land Charter Homes PLC particularly Deborah Diggons, the Sales and Marketing Manager for her support in arranging the visit and also to Friends of BVC for supplying the personal protection equipment.
Mrs Matthewson
District Riding Club Qualifiers Cambs and District Riding Club Show Jumping Competition On Sunday 7 February, Sam Stringer in Year 9 represented Cambs and District Riding Club in a show jumping competition at Manor Farm, Huntingdon, riding his grey mare, Holly. 16 teams entered, with 4 riders in each team, so a total of 64 horses competing. Cambridge entered 4 teams in all. Sam was one of 3 boys in his team and one girl, also called Sam!!! After 2 rounds 5 teams had tied on a total of 8 faults, so the competition went to a timed and very tense jump off in round 3. Sam was one of only 3 ponies to jump a clear in all 3 rounds, and produced the fastest clear jump off time. This put his team into 2nd place behind one of the other Cambridge teams. Both teams now go forward to the National Riding Club Championship in Hartbury at the end of March. Potton One Day Event On the 22nd of February 2009, my sister Isobel and I went to Potton to take part in a one day horse riding event. We both took part in the Dressage and I received 62 penalties and Isobel 102 penalties (less penalties the better). In the show jumping we both had a nice clear round with 0 penalties. The cross country was a very fast event and we both galloped past the finish line with 0 penalties. When all the results were added up I came 3rd and Isobel came 6th. It was a great day and soon we hope to be in the teams representing the school in inter-schools event at Potton.
Lucia Gabain 8.7
Lucia and Isobel Gabain
Sam Stringer and Holly Potton Cross Country Inter-Schools Event BVC’s riding club took part I a cross country inter-schools competition on 15 March 2009. Considering it was the first competition of the year, the BVC team did quite well. Team A, consisting of Sam Stringer, Kelly-Ann Challinor, Lucia and Isobel Gabain came 6th. Lucia and Isobel had brilliant clear rounds, whilst Sam and Kelly-Ann started the season off by parting company with their mounts, Kelly before she even reached the first jump. Team B, however, managed 3 brilliant clear rounds and came 5th. The team consisted of Cicely Robinson, Pippa Wade, Daisy Parry and Georgia Marshall. The excitement did not end there, however, as 6 of our competitors took part in the pairs competition. Pippa and Cicely had a scorching round and came 3rd, Isobel and Lucia came 4th and Kelly-Ann, who was accompanied by Mrs Stringer as substitute for an unwell Sam, came 6th. This was quite a surprise considering Mrs Stringer had not walked the course beforehand. Lucia and Isobel Gabain had entered as individuals and Isobel picked up 3rd place whilst Lucia was also placed. All in all, our teams did very well, and we are looking forward to the next inter-schools competition. Thank you to Mrs Stringer for organising the teams!!
Kelly-Ann Challinor 8.3
Potton Cross Country Inter-Schools Event
Daisy Parry, Cicely Robertson, Pippa Wade, Kelly-Ann Challinor and Sam Stringer
Behaviour for Learning and Student Voice In the last Ofsted Inspection, our school proved what a brilliant school it is. There was only one point of concern arising from the report and this was low level disruption. The way we, as students, were asked to help with this, was to work closely with staff to guarantee that both sides were taken into consideration when writing the new Code of Conduct. By teachers and students working together we hope to get the correct discipline across to the students but in a more approachable and understanding way.
At the end of the last school year, the Head Students, in collaboration with a selection of students from Years 7 to 11, sat down to talk about issues in the school such as discipline and student organisation. We decided that the student voice was important, as well as the student understanding. We made many changes to student life, for example using a colourful scheme in the organisers, rewriting the Code of Conduct (making the rules easier to understand) as well as putting forward considerable options regarding school uniform ideas.
Nadira Amrani 11.5
Minnie Willmott 11.3
Josh Wells 11.7
BOTTISHAM VILLAGE COLLEGE TERM DATES 2009 - 2010
Autumn Term Wednesday 2 September 2009 Staff Professional Day Thursday 3 September 2009
Autumn Term begins for Year 7 only
Friday 4 September 2009
Autumn Term begins for Years 8, 9, 10 & 11
Thursday 1 October 2009
Staff Professional Day
26 - 30 October 2009
Half Term
Friday 18 December 2009 Term Ends for Christmas Holidays
Spring Term
Monday 4 January 2010
Staff Professional Day
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Spring Term begins
Friday 12 February 2010
Staff Professional Day
15 - 19 February 2010
Half Term
Thursday 1 April 2010
Term Ends for Easter Holidays
Summer Term Monday 19 April 2010
Staff Professional Day
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Summer Term begins
Monday 3 May 2010
May Day Holiday
31 May – 4 June 2010
Half Term
Thursday 22 July 2010
Term Ends for Summer Holidays
News from Friends of Bottisham Village College Welcome to the Easter addition of the Friends Newsletter! Many thanks to all who supported the Quiz Night in March, a record number of teams entered battling for 1st place. With testing questions from quiz master Greg Alvey, the final top three teams were extremely close! 1st Place League of Gentlemen, 2nd place BBC3, 3rd Place Action Time Vision. The Quiz night raised the fabulous amount of £780 Fabulous atmosphere, good food and thoroughly enjoyable evening had by all! Events for your diary! Saturday 27th June 2009 – Casino Las Vegas Summer Ball – A night not to be missed! Plans are under way for this fabulous evening. Welcome champagne reception drink; dance the night away, with music from ‘Shredded Beat’, sumptuous hot three course meal, entertainment throughout the evening and more!!!! The Summer Ball supports the Yr 11 Leavers Ball by funding the marquee used for their memorable evening to commemorate their time at Bottisham Village College. Without your support we would be unable to cover the cost of the marquee. Tickets now on sale - £40 each. Why not get a table together! We are currently seeking sponsors for the evening, if you may be interested and would like more information on sponsorship please email friends@bottishamvc.org or contact Claudine Bateman at the college. If you are unable to make the evening but would like to help with setting up on the Saturday and/or clearing up on Sunday morning, please email the address above or ring 01223 811250 ext 275. Christmas Craft Fair 29th November 2009 Following an extremely successful 2008 Christmas Market we are now taking bookings for 2009 stall holders – please contact friends@bottishamvc.org or telephone 01223 811250 ext 275 for an application form. We are especially looking for a wider range of food produce to add to the wonderful selection of crafts for sale. New members are always welcome to’ Friends’ meetings or if you would like to help at events please email friends@bottishamvc.org
Calendar of Events Month
Date
April
15 – 17
May
June
Year History Trip to Berlin
20
Staff Training Day
21
Summer Term starts
27
Parental Drop In Surgery
28
HPV Vaccinations Year 8 Girls
29
Spanish Exchange Students arrive
30
Junior Maths Challenge
4
Bank Holiday Monday
6
Spanish Exchange students depart
11
GCSE Exams start
16
CRC Open Morning
18
Parents’ Information Evening
21
Leavers’ Day
25 – 29
Half Term
25 - 30
Year 10 Trip to Italy
30
Year 10 Trip to Paris
2
Year 10 Trip to Paris returns
3–7
July
Event
Dutch Exchange Students (UK) To be confirmed
11
Year 8 Ecology Trip
12
Year 8 Ecology Trip
15
Year 10 Parents’ Evening
18
PSHE Day
24
GCSE Exams end
26
Leavers’ Ball
27
Friends of BVC Summer Ball
29
Year 10 work Experience starts
30
Summer Concert
1
Summer Concert
2
Year 6 Parents’ Evening
3
Year 6 Induction Day
6 – 10
Activities Week
10
Year 10 Work Experience ends
13 – 14
Year 10 Arts Curwen Print Trip
13
Prize Giving
17
School closes for Summer holidays