Dear Parent/Carer As usual this update reflects all of the exciting events that staff and students have so generously supported since September. I am particually pleased with the number of articles written by, or about, the student leaders in so many aspects of school life. Some helpful notes for you as we reach the end of term:
School will finish at 1.15pm on Friday 20th December
School will open as normal to all students on Monday 6th January
Tuesday 14th January Y9 Options Evening
Tuesday 28th January - Parents Session (6.00 - 7.00pm) How we teach English and Maths in Y7
Thursday 30th January - Y8 Options Evening
All that remains is for me to thank all the staff at Caludon Castle for giving so much commitment and energy to bring success for all of our young people. I would like, also, to thank you for your continued support so that our partnership is strong.
Have a peaceful festive break. Yours faithfully
Mrs M Marr
Christmas Callyovision This year, our annual Callyovision singing competition for year 7 has taken a different twist. All our year 7 tutor groups have learnt a Christmas song in either French or Spanish and have made a video of their performance. The performances have been absolutely amazing and the students really enjoyed getting to know their tutor group, practising pronunciation and improving their overall confidence when speaking in French or Spanish. The buzz will continue to other year groups who are given the hard task in assemblies of choosing the ultimate winner. Mrs Mitchell – Assistant Head, Faculty Leader for Humanities and Languages
Comenius What’s in the pipeline? Year 9 Science trip to Blonduos, Iceland 24-28 March 2014 Year 9 Spanish Arts & Sports trip to Seville, Spain 12-16 May 2014 All competition entries will be judged during the Christmas break. To win a place to Iceland, students have been asked to create a booklet encouraging people to visit their town / local area. For the Spanish trip students have to create an item of clothing using recycled materials or produce an information leaflet about recycling in Coventry and the UK.
Comenius visit to Samsun Turkey A superb and jam-packed week with some fantastic people! That’s the gist of Caludon Castle’s visit to Samsun, Turkey. From the 4th - 9th November Mr Herlihy, Ms Paddock and four Year 10 students - Anton Brookes, Richard Albrighton, Lauren Thorn and Henna Siddiqui - visited a Turkish school for AIM students. Here, the students and staff got to sample amazing local food made by the host families; we got involved in some Art activities and Ms Paddock even had a go at marbling! The students did an excellent presentation about Caludon Castle to the students and teachers from other schools involved in the project (including Belgium, Iceland and Portugal) and also made tasty cherry scones for the cooking demonstration. Our Turkish hosts were kind enough to take us to a traditional Turkish restaurant overlooking the city on our first evening, where a show was put on by a local dance troupe, all dressed in traditional attire. Some of us were even persuaded to join in and have a go…
Another rather traditional evening put on by our hosts saw Lauren and Henna (and Ms Paddock!) all wearing bridal veils and having their hands decorated with henna, as there was a demonstration of a traditional Turkish ‘bride-to-be ceremony’. It was a truly special evening enjoyed by all; we even celebrated Anton’s birthday with a wonderful cake and sparkler display courtesy of our extremely generous hosts.
We also went on a few day trips which were fascinating, especially being immersed in a very different culture. We visited a small mosque in a traditional Turkish village, an ancient ‘Amazon’ village, a replica ship/museum where we learned a bit about Turkish independence (it began in Samsun!) as well as a cable car ride over the city. All the students took to the different Turkish foods and especially Turkish tea, like ducks to water! Anton and Ms Paddock even ended up going home with a special tea pot for making Turkish tea, they loved it so much! Students were very open-minded when it came to trying new things and did themselves and Caludon proud. Several staff from the different schools attending commented on how polite and charming our students were. We just about had time on the last day to experience a true Turkish bazaar…for all those souvenirs! Students and teachers shelled out money for tea pots, engraved pocket mirrors, fridge magnets and not forgetting the precious apple tea, which was like finding a needle in a haystack! All in all, a fantastic time was had by everyone with some great experiences to take away and some friends from all over Europe that will live long in the memory. Teşekkür ederim Türkiye! Mr Herlihy and Ms Paddock
Spanish assistant and volunteers from Coventry University We are delighted to welcome our new member of staff to the MFL department, Elena Huertas, who has come to work with us this year. Her main role is to work with KS4 and 5 students to help with speaking and writing skills. She has been a fantastic help so far and students are really enjoying speaking Spanish with her and finding out more about the Spanish culture. We are also very lucky to have some students from Coventry University working with us for the second year running. We have students from Spain, Italy, France and South America. Again, they have been a massive help doing one to one work with students to help with progress and understanding. Most of the students would also like to go into a teaching career when they finish their studies at university so the experience is very useful for them too. Miss Harris -Teacher of Modern Foreign Language
World languages day 26th September 2013 On 26th September the languages department organised a variety of activities to celebrate World Languages Day. Amongst these were a French breakfast that was enjoyed by many pupils and staff where all croissants, baguette and pain au chocolat sold out very quickly!
A large number of staff greeted students in a different foreign language – ranging from Swahili to Chinese and everything in between. Students took part in tutor time quizzes and there were cultural activities happening in every lesson on the day. In lessons, year 7, 8 and 9 students enjoyed learning some British Sign Language including how to spell their name, and ask and answer basic questions. All thoroughly enjoyed these activities and wanted to learn more about it during their next language lesson!
Debate team The Caludon year 12 debate team took part in the Coventry schools debating event in October. This was held at the Council debating chamber and involved sixth form teams from secondary schools across the city. Caludon were given the task of proposing that ‘the police should be routinely armed’. The debating team of Tawfik Naas, Fintan Collins and Emma Gaffney did an excellent job and presented their argument with confidence and style. They also played a key role in each of the debates through sharing questions and comments. Particular congratulations go to Emma, who won 'best speaker' for the Caludon team. Miss Pettipher and Ms Allmand Teachers of English
BEAM!!! The BEAM group consists of a selection of the most able year 9 students in English. They meet every Wednesday to work collaboratively in a range of research- based group projects. Abigail Allman, Callum Daniels, Amrita Dhillon, Hannah Curtlin, Ciara Gratton, Jonathan Letts, Ella Richards, Sophie Rushton and Louise Vines have been chosen to take part. They will gain an ASDAN qualification, as well as developing thinking and independent skills to work towards an A* in their English GCSE and to work more collaboratively in lessons. The current project is researching the ‘Presentation of the Devil’, which they will showcase in a presentation at President Kennedy School In January.
Miss Rushton KS 2-3 Transition Leader for English
Year 7 Year 7 have recently been thinking about poverty in assembly and have decided to have a collection for the Coventry Foodbank. The Foodbank is a local registered charity which helps to support local families in crisis by providing a 3 day food package. In the two and a half years since Coventry Foodbank started it has helped to feed over 25,000 people. Please see below the extract taken from their website of how the foodbank works. We are collecting food in school to deliver to the Foodbank before the end of term. If you are able to donate any non- perishable foods please bring them in to Mr Williams’ office, Maths Hub, second Floor. Thank you.
How a foodbank works Food is donated Schools, churches, businesses and individuals donate non-perishable, in-date food to the foodbank. All food given out by foodbanks is donated. ‘Supermarket Collections’ are one of the main ways that food is donated: These are food drives held at supermarkets where volunteers give shoppers a ‘foodbank shopping list’ and ask them to buy an extra item or two for local people in crisis.
Food is sorted and stored Volunteers sort food to check that it’s in date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need.
Frontline care professionals identify people in need Care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, CAB and police identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher.
Clients receive food Foodbank clients bring their voucher to a foodbank centre where it can be redeemed for three days emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a cup of tea or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem. The foodbank also runs a rural delivery service, which takes emergency foodboxes to clients living in rural areas who cannot afford to get to a foodbank. Mr M Williams Year Leader Yr 7
Switch it Off Campaign 25 Nov to 6 Dec 2013 The Eco-Team have recently launched this year’s Switch it Off Campaign. The aim of the campaign is to encourage as many staff and students as possible to be aware of their energy usage and to reduce it as much as possible. Staff are encouraged to switch off any unused lights, computers and projectors and pupils have the opportunity during their tutor/mentor sessions to discuss the benefits of reducing energy usage. Energy monitors were on the lookout for any unused lights and appliances that had been left on and then left a subtle reminder asking staff to switch them off. We hope to report soon on how much energy the school saved during the campaign. If you would like to join the Eco-Team please come and see Mrs Flippance in F3 or the Humanities hub. Thanks again for your support.
Year 7 football Boys start season well! The Year 7 football team have had a promising start to their first season of 11 a-side football. Around 20 boys have been involved in 7 games so far in a number of competitions. In the “friendly” league, the boys have played 3 games, being victorious against Finham, but losing out in close games against Bluecoat School and Bishop Ullathorne. In the English Schools Cup, the team has had a very good run and have progressed to the 5 th round which comprises the last 64 schools in England, from a starting total of 650! In doing this they have beaten schools from Leicester, Birmingham and Coventry and are due to face Wilnecote School from Tamworth in the 5th round.
The squad have played their first round fixture in the Coventry schools cup and took revenge for their league defeat by beating a very good Bishop Ullathorne side 3-1 Fixtures and results so far. League Vs Finham – 4-2 – W Vs Bluecoat – 4-6 – L Vs Bishop Ullathorne – 5-6 – L Coventry Schools Cup 1st Rd Vs Bishop Ullathorne – 3-1 –W English Schools Cup 1st Rd – Bye 2nd Rd – Babbington College, Leic – 7-0 – W 3rd Rd – Great Barr School, Bham – 7-0 – W 4th Rd – Cardinal Newman School, Cov – 5-2 – W 5th Rd – Wilnecote High, Staffs - Weds 11th Dec. H Thank you and well done to the following squad members this season:
Nathan Allen, Jay Kelly, Sam Turrell, Raman Marva, Luke Kennedy, Robert Livingstone, Callum Martin, Mitchell Gibson, David Malpass, Brandon Teirney, Micheal Print, Luke Glenn, Matthew Stasiw, Jakub Strzelecki, Jake Langridge, Modou Barry, Callum Foster, Michael Clough.
Thanks to all students involved and also to all parents who have helped and supported the boys.
Mr Shepherd Assistant Leader of Sport
FUTURECHEF2014 All Year 10 Hospitality and Catering students were entered for this national competition. The competition was also open to year 11 Hospitality and Catering students. The students had to plan a main course meal for two costing less than ÂŁ5. They then had one hour to prepare cook and serve their meal. The competition took place on Thursday 17th October. The competition was fierce and the atmosphere was tense as the students worked hard to produce their meals. Mr Walker (from AiP) and Mrs Marr were the judges and agreed that the standard was very high. After some deliberation the winner was announced. Beth Mason was the winner this year and Akash Prabhakar was the runner up for the second year running. Well done to them both. Students who also deserve a special mention are Sian Healy, Laura Nelson, Dale Patrick-Evans and Sam Martin. Beth then went on to take part in the local final at Henley College on Thursday 21 st November. She won this with her menu of Asian crispy skinned trout with braised pak choi and sticky rice followed by spiced oven roasted plums, praline crumble and orange marscapone. Beth will now be mentored by a professional chef to help her prepare for the regional final in January. Well done to all the students who took part and good luck to Beth! Mrs Ruddy Leader of Technology Faculty
Plas Dol-y-Moch,the Caludon Way! The trip to Plas Dol-y-Moch in the Welsh valleys began with a large group of Caludon’s eager geographers waiting at the top gates for our coach to arrive. There was a buzz in the air, a buzz of anticipation and, when the coach rounded the corner, we cheered and eagerly clambered aboard. Several hours later, when we arrived after a leisurely drive through the countryside, we were greeted by the staff of Dol-y-Moch. The next day, we started our adventure by visiting the quaint Welsh village of Bedgellert, a place with more than its fair share of stone cottages and narrow streets. It was here that we were introduced to the meeting of two rivers and the stunning landscape that is Wales. After driving up to the viewpoint at the base of Snowdon we had lunch before proceeding to the river we would be studying. After collecting the required measurements, we returned to house and had dinner before going to our rooms so we would be fresh and rested for the next day. Glaciers was the subject of the following day, and it was the first day that we experienced the Welsh weather at its best. The wind swirled around the valley and the temperature dropped, leaving our small group shivering on the former glacial rocks as the wind whirled around us. The final day of our visit was split between visiting the sand dunes which were colder and wetter than the Valley and building a raft on DolYMoch’s private lake. Raft building was the most enjoyable moment of the trip as we floated across the freezing water, united by our fear of falling into the icy lake. The trip was not all laughs, however, there were some slight mishaps. One of us fell in a bog, another was blown into a ditch, while two of us fell over on the sand dunes. And then there was Miss Roberts’ endless and ridiculous questions. Never have I heard so many questions with obvious answers in the space of one week: “So which way was the glacier going? That way?” “So...do we only give them the marks if they get the question right?” “Wow…amazing! Look at the views! Amazing! Amazing! AMAZING!” Despite the freezing weather, Miss Roberts’ endless questions and minor accidents that we experienced, I think I can safely say that everyone, including the cold fearing Mrs Coleman, who was wrapped tighter than a sandwich in cling film for the entire week, enjoyed themselves immensely. After all, we did it the Caludon way!
Lewis Kimberley A Level Geographer
Autumn Careers Fair On the 27 November Caludon ran its Autumn Careers Fair. The event was well attended by students and staff from across all year groups. In the main hall there were around 15 training providers including Warwick, Coventry and Birmingham Universities; Henley and City College; the Army and Navy amongst others. Students and parents were given the opportunity to talk to providers about applying to university, information about apprenticeships and college courses and options available beyond education. The evening also included three very popular talks on student finance, basic introductory information on university and starting a business at university. Students could also complete a C.V. workshop and practice their interview skills by completing a mock interview. If parents missed this event there will be another Careers Fair on the 27 February. Mr Handy Leader of Enterprise, Enrichment and Employability
AIM/ Careers Joint Fieldtrip On the 15 November the Year 10 AIM students visited the World Skills Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The fieldtrip aimed to give students a wide range of advice about possible future career pathways. The show includes a large number of interactive exhibitions, shows, talks and provides students with the opportunity to talk with industry professionals about the best routes into a variety of careers. There were also a number of “Have a go� exhibitions allowing students to engage in everything from virtual reality design to film make up, in fact a number of the students arrived back home with some impressive, if fake, cuts and scratches! Mr Handy Leader of Enterprise, Enrichment and Employability
Caludon Castle School - Staying Safe At Caludon we believe that there is no excuse for bullying. Everyone should: Feel safe, secure and happy. Treat others the way they would like to be treated. Respect all members of our community Celebrate difference, and value people’s feelings and faiths, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disabilities. Stand up for what is right. ‘See something, say something.’ ben@caludoncastle.co.uk Text ben 07624 810912
ben@caludoncastle.co.uk Text ben 07624 810912
‘We are better without bullying.’
Staying safe at Caludon
Creative Enterprise Programme (CEP) Four of our year 12 students last year were involved in the national pilot of this new AQA programme. Jack Veasey, Viraj Chauhan, Corley Johnson and James Taylor, all had a GCSE in Media Studies and undertook project qualifications and the Enterprise and Employability Certificate course. Together these gave access to the CEP certificate and the chance to be entered for national ‘Progression Awards’. This programme is endorsed by the Cabinet Office and will be used in 130 schools this coming year. Each of the boys created their project in an area of the creative industries – spanning fictional and documentary film, music composition and journalism. These projects were submitted to major creative employers, who then chose the winning students for the Progression Awards.
All four students were winners. James Taylor has recently attended a day’s experience at the Evening Standard in London. The staff on the day commented that he was ‘a worthy winner’. The other three will be attending a two week intensive media training programme at ITV next summer. The judges were so impressed with Corley’s music work that they are altering the programme so that he can concentrate on the music rather than moving image side of their output. The Evening Standard are adding the following write up of the Progression Award day to their website: The award-winning project chosen by the Evening Standard was by 17-year-old James Taylor. James, who is currently studying his A-levels at Caludon Castle School, took part in weekly onehour sessions in which he learnt about the fundamental skills of journalism. His subsequent project, looking into media presentations of gender inequality in sports earnings, caught the eye of editorial staff at the Evening Standard, who decided that he was deserving of the Progression Award. James was invited to the Evening Standard’s bustling London newsroom to spend a morning gaining an insight into the huge amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes into the publication of the Standard and its sister papers, The Independent, i and Independent on Sunday.
“It was great to see how it all works,” James said. “With normal qualifications, you would never usually get the chance to see the workplace like this.”
He added: “It has really shown me where I’m headed, and also the difference between college and work life.” James also praised AQA’s scheme by saying that his resulting qualifications would make his CV really stand out from the crowd. “I would definitely recommend the Creative Enterprise Programme. I know that a lot of people from my college who chose not to take part in it have regretted it afterwards.”
E-Safety Sixth formers participated in an assembly on e-safety, including features such as online protection, cyber bullying and plagiarism. In particular they found out about ways in which universities and colleges can detect plagiarism, and the consequences of perceived cyber bullying. Esafety awareness across the school has also been raised with a range of new esafety posters for considerations for students when using the internet, along with where to go if they have worries or concerns. Tom Fitzjohn Leader of ICT
STEM Club Autumn Update It has been a busy start to the year for Caludon STEM Club. In September we welcomed back our existing Year 9 members who were keen to show our new STEM Club recruits the ropes. We have a group of dedicated Year 10 and Year 11 students who mentor and support the younger members of the club as they prepare for the annual Lego League competition. In addition, some of our Year 12 members have also returned as part of the sixth form enrichment programme to lead on STEM based projects and activities. The club is expanding year on year enabling us to take on exciting new projects, to have a wider impact across the curriculum and to enthuse and inspire Caludon students about all things STEM!
STEM Club members are currently busy preparing for the annual First Lego League competition, which takes place on Wednesday 18 December at Loughborough University. This is the sixth year running that Caludon Castle has entered the event and yet again we are fielding 3 teams. Nature’s Fury is the focus of the competition and students are required to research a variety of problems specifically related to natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes. The students have developed possible solutions for their identified problem, which they will present to a panel of experts at the regional competition. In addition to the research and presentation part of the competition, the students have built and programmed a Lego robot to complete a set number of obstacles. This year we will travel to the competition with a team from Leamington Shrubland Street Primary School STEM Club. Our STEM Club has worked with the students from Shrubland Street on a number of joint projects in the past and we are looking forward to them joining us on the day.
Following the success of Caludon STEM Club at the STEM Celebration and Careers Event held at Sidney Stringer Academy earlier on in the year, Tom Killestein has been invited to present to the Institution of Engineering and Technology. The evening presentation will take place at Coventry University and will form part of the programme of events during National Science and Engineering week. Being asked to present at this prestigious event is testament to Tom’s commitment to STEM and reflects the outstanding contribution that all of our members make on a regular basis. We wish Tom all the best.
And finally, Caludon STEM Club is applying to be one of 25 pilot schools to be involved in the Elite Engineering Programme (EEP)! The EEP is a bold new education initiative to discover Britain’s future engineers. The EEP aims to encourage young people to consider careers in engineering and is supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering as well as a host of enthusiastic supporters such as Ross Brawn OBE (Motorsport engineer and Formula One Team Principal), Professor Tony Purnell (Head of Technology for British cycling) and Emma Pooley (Olympian Cyclist and Engineer). If successful, the EEP will be donating over £3,000 worth of free STEM resources to each of its 25 selected schools. As a school we will be able to deliver LEGO based engineering programmes to enable students to use the resources and then compete to win a LEGO Education Innovation Studio worth £20,000 for our school....nice! This fantastic opportunity would also enable a wider range of students within Key Stage 3 to access STEM across the curriculum. Our application involved sending in a 60 second video to promote our club and to demonstrate what impact being part of the EEP would have on the STEM Club and the wider curriculum. Very special thanks must go to Niamh Emery and Hannah Rose for their acting talents and to George Whitehouse for producing and editing the film.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all students involved in STEM this year and we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Miss Miller and the STEM Team
Iceland Trip 2013 Written by Danielle King, Y10
On the 29th October a group of 30 previous members of STEM club travelled to Iceland for a 4 day trip. The ages varied from 14, all the way to 18, accompanied by 3 teachers; Miss Miller, Mrs Collinson and Miss McManus. During the 3-night trip, they stayed in two different hotels; Hotel Cabin in Reykjavik – the capital city and Hotel Dyrhólaey in Myrdalur. The duration of the trip included an immensely packed itinerary, with trips to The Blue Lagoon, a volcano crater, a geyser, a glacier, geothermal power station and even seeing the northern lights. Overall, the most memorable highlights of the trip appeared to be The Blue Lagoon – a naturally heated lagoon, a large attraction in Iceland – and seeing the Northern Lights.
“Seeing the Northern Lights was the highlight of the trip. Pictures don’t do Iceland justice. You need to see it to believe it. It was well worth it” – Yatin Darbar, Y12
“Iceland was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It allowed different year groups to interact and share a bond with one another. Having this opportunity is something that I will treasure for a lifetime.” – Hanna Osman, Y11
GCSE Hospitality On Tuesday December 10th the GCSE Hospitality group put on a Christmas Party in the form of an afternoon tea for 26 pensioners from the Young at Heart Club. They had worked hard to plan and organise this event ensuring that the guests had all their dietary needs addressed, providing a menu, preparing and cooking the food and then providing waiter service. The team managers that ensured success were Bethany Mason and Jack Dunton. The event was very special and great entertainment was provided by the school choir singing some Christmas songs as well as a quiz and a game of bingo hosted by Tom McDowell and Kyle Jones. The feedback from this event was excellent with many of the guest commenting on the high standard of the food and service and how smart, polite, confident and friendly the students were. We were very proud – Well done to year 10
Year 11 have now completed their first controlled assessment where they had to make four items containing dairy foods….. We had some amazing menus and very high standard presentation, well done year 11!
by Daniel Jakus
by Martine Delahunty
“The thing I have most enjoyed in hospitality are the events that we have done. The one I have most enjoyed is the hospitality event we did in March the 14th 2013. I enjoyed this because I had several roles throughout the event this consisted of Front of House and Head Chef. The events allow us to put into practice what we have learnt in class…” Akash Prakhabar – Student Leader
Caludon Castle Choir at UHCW This December the choir performed their usual Christmas set at the local hospital, raising funds for the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire charities. They performed for an hour in front of patients, staff and volunteers. Mrs Marr came down for her annual sing song and as always, the choir were very well received! H Stokes – Leader of Performing Arts.
Caludon Castle Enter the Charts? This year, Caludon Year 13 Music students, in conjunction with University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) are producing a charity single to raise funds for the Neo-Natal Baby Care Unit. Obviously, NHS funding provides all medical equipment for the unit, this fundraising is for all the ancillary care that goes on, mostly without the public knowing about it! The unit has 4 purpose built rooms for family and parents to stay in, the Neo-Natal unit is building more rooms so more parents can stay if their new born is struggling. We are raising funds for all the extra equipment that is required, including, pillows, mattresses, sheets and towels.
The single has been written by Mr Stokes, with lyrical inspiration by the patients, staff, doctors and nurses from the hospital. Year 13 music students have been going to a professional recording studio in Coleshill on Mondays to get the track down and design the cover and all promotional material. Called ‘Someone’, the track will be released in March on CD and on iTunes.
Harry Smith – Yr13
Christmas Lectures at Birmingham Medical School On December 10th 9 year 10 students attended the Annual Christmas Lectures at Birmingham Medical School. The students enjoyed lectures from current teaching and practising doctors and professors. The lectures ranged from deciding ‘Why is Santa obese?’ to ‘Red-eyed Rudolph’. The lectures covered current medical issues with a link to Christmas with topics that included the dangers of contact lenses (pictures of infected eyes definitely caused a reaction). The professor also demonstrated how an eye was repaired- but used a tomato and not a real eye. Much to the relief of the students! Also explored was how Santa’s expanding waist line can affect his general health including diabetes and heart disease. The students found out about the other medical careers that they could study at The Medical School. They had a talk from the President of the Medical Society. He gave them an insight as to life as a student in the 21st Century. The main point was it is really hard work but a hugely worthwhile and rewarding career! Comments from Students:Teri Dudley – “The trip to Birmingham Medical School was very interesting. We looked at many important issues that affect a lot of people all around the world, some more than others, but none are less important. I enjoyed being able to walk around their school freely, which gave us a sense of trust and maturity. I loved learning new things and some extra little facts and statistics about things I was already aware of too. I had a really enjoyable, acknowledgeable day and would happily do it again.” Becky Martin –
“I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the Birmingham Christmas Medical Lectures as they covered a wide variety of topics and allowed us to discovered new and important topics/illnesses/afflictions that are known globally. Also I found that even though we were one of the youngest there we were very welcome to the lectures and also understood a lot of the subjects covered. The lecturers were very accommodating in the overall speeches and made the day very enjoyable. I would happily go back for more lectures at Birmingham as I feel it would further my scientific knowledge in Biology. Students taking part:Becky Martin, James Hookham, Teri Dudley, Jake Cook, Sam Ludford, Harkuran Burai, Georgia Judge, Hari Bhachoo, Louis Wynn-O’Leary Mrs Duffield Science Teacher
Year 7 Twycross Zoo Trip – 20 th and 27 September
th
Year 7 started Science at Caludon with a bang with an exciting trip to Twycross Zoo! Students were ready and waiting from 8.30 in the morning and we arrived at Twycross exactly at opening time, ready to make the most of our time there. Students spent time looking at exhibit design, animal classification and attended a fantastic hands-on classroom session about conservation. Many students enjoyed wandering through the Lemur walk, where the animals are free to roam around the visitors. The Penguin feeding time was also popular as the penguins are taken for a walk, following their fishy dinner. By 2pm when the coaches arrived, students were sufficiently exhausted, leading to a quiet ride home. Since returning from Twycross, students have been following a Zoo themed course, covering animal classification, exhibit design, caring for animals and conservation. We’ve also had a visit from Sally at Sam’s Species, who brought in several reptiles, a tarantula and a family of hissing cockroaches for the students to handle and learn about. Emily Ayre - KS3 Coordinator Science
Children in Need Enterprise Fair
November 15th was the date set for the fifth Year 8 Enterprise Fair to be held at Caludon Castle School it was designed to coincide with Children In Need so that this could be the focus for the fundraising. Year 8 students were challenged to organise a stall for an Enterprise Fair and utilise the enterprise skills they have developed such as creativity, decision making, responsibility and leadership. The enterprise fair was the culmination of 4 weeks preparation, during which students worked in groups of 4 or 5 to develop their fundraising stall. Initially, ideas were generated and further research was carried out to establish the viability of the ideas. Students then worked together to market their stall and also gather the necessary resources required on the day. November 15th arrived and half of Year 8 students met in the hall to set up their stalls. Once the stalls were ready the remainder of Year 8 joined us in the hall and had 40 minutes of entertainment and fun. There was an abundance of cake stalls, however, students had been very creative to make their stall attractive and appealing. Students had also been very creative in devising a variety of games for others to participate in. Stalls included sweets, tombola’s and raffles, treasure maps, guess the name of the teddy, glitter tattoos, a beat the goalie competition, plus many more. In total £ 349.28 was raised for Children in Need. Mrs Detheridge Subject Leader of Business Studies
Year 8 Geography Fieldtrip Sea Life Centre and Botanical Gardens On Tuesday 3 December and Thursday 5 December the Geography department took 90 students on packed activity days to the Sea Life Centre and Botanical Gardens. The students were given a tour of the Sea Life Centre especially focusing on coral reefs, which they are currently completing a topic on in class. Students were given the opportunity to stroke a starfish and got to watch a 4D film. At the Botanical Gardens students completed an orienteering challenge around the gardens, a “Backpack Challenge” in the tropical and sub-tropical biomes. Students had a series of clues that they used to find specific rainforest plants. In a new addition to this year’s trip students also got to hold a corn snake and some tropical giant African millipedes! Alex Handy Assistant Head
Recent Drama Trips A-level Theatre studies students went to the Belgrade Theatre to watch ‘Kindertransport’ as part of their course. The story is set in the 1930s Germany and a nine year old girl named Eva is being sent away to Britain by her Mother, Helga. Helga, in her early thirties is preparing her daughter to travel with thousands of other Jewish children, to safety, thanks to the rescue effort known informally as ‘Kindertransport’. The bond between them is strong and although Helga reassures Eva that they will be reunited soon, she hurriedly prepares her daughter for the separation and for the self-sufficiency she may need. In England Eva is cared for in Manchester by Lil who helps and encourages Eva in her futile attempts to have her parents join her in the relative safety of Britain. As those hopes fade, Eva continues to be cared for and raised by Lil. She adopts the English name Evelyn. Her German Jewish background also fades as a fledgling English identity is formed along with a new mother/daughter bond with Lil. Eva is seventeen when Helga, older and seemingly frail, is reunited with her daughter. This is a revelatory moment of particular poignancy in the play. Helga is upset by the change in her daughter. The change in name is a slight on her heritage. The change in her accent and language is a slight on her culture. Helga implores her to join her to start a new life with her in America but Evelyn has firm roots and a settled naturalised life in England. Helga leaves her daughter again. This time forever. It is many years later when Evelyn’s daughter Faith starts to uncover her mother’s past. In a scene reminiscent of the action that took place between Helga and the nine year old Eva, the twenty year old Faith is reluctantly preparing to leave home. The invisible ties and tensions of another mother/ daughter bond are revealed. Whilst sorting through her mother’s attic, Faith finds books and papers from a past that she never knew existed and that Evelyn had long since buried. The confrontation that follows explores the notions of identity, belonging and the multi- dimensional strength of the mother/daughter bond. Two different time periods are staged seamlessly throughout this story, creating a fluid yet challenging theatrical convention that helps us see the ghosts of the past writ large in the hopes of the future. Amber Gallagher
Leader of Drama
Up and coming visits to the theatre: Blood Brothers 99 students studying Btec Acting and Drama GCSE are going to visit the Belgrade Theatre on Wednesday 5th February 2014 to watch ‘Blood Brothers’ Written by Willy Russell. The legendary play tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences. The superb score includes Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True. Few musicals have received quite such acclaim as the multi-award winning Blood Brothers, and Bill Kenwright’s production continues to enjoy standing ovations at every devastating performance. No wonder Blood Brothers is now ‘The musical for all time’. Jack and the Beanstalk On Friday 13th December, 50 year 7 drama students celebrated the festive season with a trip to the Belgrade Theatre to watch ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’. It has great reviews ‘A performance with boundless energy, fantastic scenery, wonderful costumes and a rather scary but impressive giant.’ Coventry Telegraph. ‘Impressive set and production by West End standards, let alone Coventry.’ Daventry Express.
Year 11 Btec Acting Year 11 Btec Acting students are currently working towards their final performance of their themed assignment ‘Belonging’. They will be showcasing their great work in January 2014 to an invited audience.
“On our Btec acting course we have been given the topic of Belonging, to which we must create a devised piece; this will be shown to a live audience in January 2014. We have taken part in many workshops and warm ups showing us a variety of new, innovative techniques and ideas to include in our work. This includes: transitions, movement workshops, vocal technique, stage presence and musical/ metaphorical meaning sessions. Our group has developed our idea based upon a collection of experiences, ideas and researched information. We have a timeline involving five characters with naturalistic and abstract scenes littered within the space between. We also have work with sheets, masks, physical theatre and vocal work. We were given complete freedom of range on this topic and with such; we have an unexpected ending and interaction with the audience. Hopefully our performance will entertain and ultimately make the audience feel something.”
Written by Megan Taylor, Chloe Evans, Robert Follows, Sophie O’Hara and Zac Chattaway.
Year 10 Drama GCSE We have been studying Commedia dell’ arte and have been given a scripted piece that we are going to perform at a show case at the start of term in January. Commedia started in the 16 th century and is renowned for the stock characters that were involved. Within our piece there are four main characters; Silvo a pompous, self-indulgent but a very romantic gentle man. In contrast Arlecchino is a playful, likable but mischievous clown who always gets up to no good. These two characters are the foundations of the story, trying to win the love of Isabella and Columbina. As a group we are collectively staying faithful to the original characters but including a modern twist. We have enjoyed exploring this new genre within drama as we enjoy the challenges of over exaggeration. Please come and see the show!
Written by Jasmine Hutchings, Chloe White, Renee Vassell and Jonathan Payne