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Academic Enrichment: Page 33
Academic Enrichment
Contact: enrichment@cherwellschool.org
@CherwellEnrich
Oxford Half Marathon
A group of students kindly volunteered to lead an aid station at the Oxford Half Marathon - preparing the site, giving out energy drinks, cheering on runners with unwavering enthusiasm, and clearing up after the event. Their support was invaluable, and we know that runners and organisers alike were incredibly grateful!
Get Involved!
We have many opportunities for our Sixth Form students to get involved in the school (and local) community. Some of the opportunities on offer currently are:
• Chess Club volunteering • CIRB volunteering • Sustainability Group • Curriculum, Learning and Development
Group
You can find more details in the weekly student bulletin! If you have any questions, email us at enrichment@cherwellschool.org
PERFORMING ARTS
It has been an action-packed time for the Performing Arts Faculty Staff since September. We have got nearly all of our pre-pandemic, extra-curricular clubs up and running and have aims to boost instrumental uptake by running a multitude of workshops in organ, saxophone and double reed. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to enlist the expertise of national experts such as David Crown rehearsing with our senior choir and work with the Gabrieli Consort cumulating in a concert of 65 of our singers in Coventry Cathedral. We’ve had a number of Dance and Drama workshops which you can read about below.
Drama: Students at GCSE and A Level have enjoyed brilliant workshops by the world renowned Frantic Assembly. The workshops enabled students to gain first hand experience of the style of Frantic Assembly. We then took over 50 students to see the brilliant production of Othello by Frantic Assembly at the Oxford Playhouse. GCSE Drama students enjoyed a trip to Milton Keynes theatre in September to watch a brilliant production of Blood Brothers by Willy Russell. We have also taken our GCSE Drama students to see the new play Brown Boys Swim at The North Wall, written by the highly acclaimed local playwright Karim Khan. Khan was a winner of THE SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST AWARD and BBC POPCORN AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY for Brown Boys Swim. We were then really lucky to have the North Wall visit Cherwell to hold a workshop based on the play with ourGCSE Drama students.
KS3 Drama Club has been meeting regularly on a Monday after school and regularly attracts 50-60 students each week which is fantastic. We are looking forward to performing at The North Wall theatre on Wednesday 1st February to showcase a collection of the students' work from Dance and Drama club from Years 7, 8 and 9. KS4 and KS5 students have been busy rehearsing for the upcoming school show Twelfth Night. This year, due to roof maintenance on the school hall, we have booked the North Wall theatre in Summertown to showcase the production on Tuesday 17th January. This will be a fantastic experience for the students and something we hope to book again for the future. We very much look forward to GCSE and A level Drama practical performances as part of their exams in February. Dance: In November, GCSE Dance students took part in a very exciting project by dancing with a flash mob at the centre for members of the public at the Westgate Shopping Centre. What turned out to be a special event with the Estonian Ambassador and members of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the students performed with live musicians (Jacqui Miles violin and Ali Kane piano) and taught the public the choreography.
In January, we have the return of Juka Dance Company. KS3 and KS4 students will have the opportunity to learn new dance techniques, led by a wonderful choreographer and freelance dancer who will support the Dance Club to prepare for a performance at the Reconnects Arts Event on July 14th 2022 in the North Site Hall.
We have taken our A-level students to a fantastic concert from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rite of Spring, and a Lutoslawski symphony. Our KS3 Drama, Music and Dance students who have regularly attended ensembles are going to see Creation Theatre’s Christmas production.
The Christmas Concert was a huge success with choirs and small and large ensembles. It was wonderful to be back in St Michael and All Angels Church after a hiatus three years. We are very grateful to Gavin Knight vicar of St Michaels and all his team for enabling us to perform in such a beautiful setting. (photos overleaf)
Next term we look forward to Twelfth Night which will be held in The North Wall and many other performing events. Do follow us on actual arts to keep abreast of all events that have taken place and forthcoming ones. From the Performing Arts Faculty Staff we wish you a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2023.
Mrs Hollindale Head of Performing Art and the Team
Gabrieli Consort ROAR Project (KS3 & Senior Choir) Coventry Cathedral
Christmas Concert 2022 - St Michael & All Angels Church.
YEAR 7 NEWS
As we look forward to the Christmas holidays we take time to reflect on what a busy and exciting first full term in Year 7 has been. Students are now settled in to their classes and fully in the flow of life at Cherwell. They have had plenty of opportunities to try new things such as Sports Clubs, Drama Club, Pop Choir, Creative Writing and much more! It has been a real pleasure to celebrate the achievements of our sports teams in assemblies. It has also been lovely to see students making new friends across the year group and accepting others into their friendship groups and we are especially proud of how much they have done to get involved in the wider life of the school. For example, we had a high uptake for being a student guide on the Year 7 Open Evening, the Anti-Bullying Ambassador Scheme and extensive involvement in preparations for the Winter Festival. This was a brilliant day with a wide range of stalls and it was lovely to feel the festive buzz and see the togetherness and enthusiasm of the students who ran the stalls - (see some pictures below). The money raised will contribute towards break and lunch time activities for Year 7! As the end of term approaches, we’re looking forward to the Celebration Assembly where we will reflect on how much progress Year 7 have made since September and celebrate the individual successes of many students! Well done Year 7, we are so proud of them!
With best wishes for a lovely festive period,
The Winter Festival raised £1204.53
Well done to all involved. We have raised £469.50
for Children in Need
YEAR 8 NEWS
Since returning from the summer holidays it has been a pleasure to see the students settle into Year8 with such a positive attitude. The resilience this year group continues to show and never ceases to amaze us.
The commitment to learning and motivation we have seen from the year group is one to be commended, and we look forward to seeing students develop further in the New Year. As a school and year group we will continue to focus on the routines that keep us safe, give us calm starts to our lessons and the focused environment which is essential for learning.
Over the course of the term, Year 8 have created a quiz and taken part it every Friday morning. We have had quizzes about Sport, Harry Potter and some really challenging general knowledge subjects in which students can really show off their knowledge. We look forward to being able to award the masterminds of the year group on the last day of term in our celebration assembly.
We have also held a second Parents & Carers Evening since students arrived at the Cherwell School. It was great for teachers to finally be able to share the excellent achievements within the year group and to also give some constructive feedback in order for students to develop further. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of staff who helped to make the PCE so valuable.
We hope that Year 8 all have a well earned rest over the festive period andwe wish everyone a healthy, safe and Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Mr Madden & Mrs Goble, Head of Year 8 & Deputy Head of Year 8
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, it’s certainly been a busy term for Year 9! Some subjects have changed and students have separated into specific Science groupings and now study all three separate sciences for the first time at Cherwell as they prepare for GCSEs. They have had some brilliant opportunities for clubs and trips this year, and are (mostly!) looking forward to making their GCSE choices after the holidays. They have had plenty of opportunities to try new things such as different sports clubs, drama club, creative writing, going on a Science trip to Oxford, a dance trip to London and even some trips abroad - to France and Germany - for the first time in their time at Cherwell due to the pandemic.
We were really proud of how much they have done to raise awareness and money for good causes like Children in Need (£617.50) and we have a brilliant group of budding Anti-bullying Ambassadors who are continuing to be trained and empowered to tackle bullying, feedback ideas to the Senior Leadership Team and support those who need help. Year 9 students have really stepped up to the challenge of being the oldest on South Site, especially when it came to Open Evening where a record number of Year 9 students wanted to help out as guides, subjects specialists or general helpers. They are truly growing up and we can’t wait to see more of this maturity with opportunities offered to them in the coming months with things like Duke of Edinburgh Award, the options process and the move over the North Site in the summer months. Well done Year 9!
Mrs Hodkinson & Miss Evans, Head of Year 9 & Deputy Head of Year 9
YEAR 9 NEWS
YEAR 10 NEWS
Congratulations to Year 10! The Winter term has flown by and we are already at Christmas in Year 10. I have to say that we are overwhelmed with the year groups’ resilience and excellence in the face of beginning their GCSE courses. The year group has demonstrated maturity on their transition to North Site and they have shown responsibility across their subjects as well as extra-curricular activities.
Year 10 have continued to show commitment to their teams in the schools’ extra-curricular clubs. The netballers are on a roll with several wins against local schools both away and at home. Both boys and girls football teams are proving to be difficult to beat and that is down to the dedication and commitment of both teams. In addition, the school boys Basketball club has restarted and are looking forward to a match against a local team. It is a pleasure to see students contributing to the school community and representing the school with such energy.
Looking ahead, after such a successful Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, students now have the opportunity to sign up to complete their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. The success of last year shows that the year group is able to work as a team, communicate effectively and inspire effort in each other. We look forward to seeing how many sign up for Silver and demonstrate the tenacity they showed during their Bronze Award.
We hope that Year 10 all have well-deserved rest over the festive period. We would like to wish everyone a healthy, safe and Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Ms Bristow, Mrs Kidd and Ms Blake, Head of Year 10 & Deputy Heads of Year 10
The first two terms of Year 11 have flown by with several positive moments to share with you. Overall, myself and the Year 11 team have been delighted with how Year 11 have taken to the heightened expectations and challenges of being the eldest students at Key Stage 4.The work experience week was re-introduced following the COVID pandemic with all students taking part in a range of wonderful experiences in the world of work. We were so proud of the feedback received from the employers who recognised the brilliant contributions which the students made during this time.
Our pastoral time recently has included presentations of anti-bullying, remembrance and Black History Month. Thank you to Ms Magenty, Ms Rapson and Mr Hibbert for their presentations and tutor time follow up work.
The November mock exam period has been incredibly busy but useful for the students and their teachers. We have used the language of 'perfect practice' to get the most out of this process. Subject teachers and faculty teams will be carefully planning feedback to help guide and re-teach any common misconceptions.
As we look ahead to term 3, there will be genuine opportunities to support the students with their next steps. This will include the Careers Convention, Year 11 Parent and Carers Evening and the Sixth Form Open Evening.
We wish you and your families a wonderful Winter break.
