AUTUMN TWO ISSUE 2011
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NEWS .
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Ofsted Praise
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Barcelona Trip
Maths Challenge Awards
Photography Students
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. London 2012 Olympics
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Steve Parker Author Visits
Community Quiz Night
Students Build PCs
Any Witch Way You Can
Parents Coffee Morning
New Website
Working with our partner schools
The Big Freeze
Eleven Million
Takeover Day
Pennies for Pudsey
Community Gym
Rapper Coll
Learning Resource Centre
City Academy Norwich wishes you a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year Inside:
Ofsted Praise Working with our Partner Schools Community Gym
From the Principal
an adventurous experience alongside developing their empathy for those that suffer this plight.
This magazine captures wonderfully what City Academy Norwich is all about. We want our students to have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of real life experiences. This publication shows that we are on track to making this a reality. We are developing a tradition of trips abroad, visits to important national sites and local expeditions. Students willingly give up their time to participate in fund raising for those that are less fortunate. The Big Freeze was a wonderful example of this, where students combined having
Our commitment to our community is clear with the work in our primary and junior schools, and the development of our gym as a community resource also shows this. Our new school will have even more to offer, such as access to a shop and even our Learning Resource Base. Our new Learning Resource team are having a very positive impact on the Academy with more and more students making use of this excellent resource. This has been a very positive term for the Academy and has given an excellent springboard to strive towards giving West Earlham an outstanding school. I thank you for your support and wish you all a very good Christmas break.
Dates for your Diary ... 19 & 20 December 2012 Holiday Club 18 January 2012 Mock Results Day 19 January 2012 Year 11 Parents Evening 24 January 2012 Year 9 & 10 Parents Evening 28 January 2012 Family Walk 1 February 2012 Year 9 & 10 Parents Evening 9 February 2012 Year 8 Options Evening 13 February - 17 February Holiday Club** 24 March 2012 Family Activities Day
Mr D Brunton Principal
23 June 2012 Family Activities Day ** and every holiday/half term for the rest of term
Maths Challenge Awards
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Its not just the GCSE results that are grabbing the headlines. Sixty high flying Academy students from years 7 and 8 entered the 2011 UKMT Junior Maths Challenge FifteenYear 7 students at CAN learned to build a PC from 'bare bone' components in a 12 hour after school ‘Computer Fundamentals’ course. The students also learned how to
maintain a PC and install it on a home network. After successfully completing the course the students were able to take home a fully working free PC system.
on 6 May this year. Five of these students received awards. Aakash Weerasingha, Jodi Taylor, Connor Mather and Bethany Sadler won bronze
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certificates and James DeAntonis clinched a gold. Well done to everyone who took part and good luck to the 2012 candidates!
tudents learn how to build a PC!
Just in case you missed the article by Kate Scotter in the Norwich Evening News on 11 October ...
Ofsted praise for City Academy
Norwich in Earlham Three years of hard work and dedication has paid off for staff and students at City Academy Norwich after it received a ‘good with outstanding features’ report from Ofsted. Inspectors recognised that the former Earlham High School has made huge improvements in the two years since it became an academy.
The news comes just days before parents of prospective pupils get a sneak peek at the school’s new £21m building. Principal David Brunton, who took over the reigns three years ago when the school was on special measures, said: “We are delighted with the progress we have made to date. An element of that
Photograph by Simon Finlay, Eastern Daily Press.
inspection is how rapid the improvements have been made along with the recognition that the quality of teaching is good. There’s great pride in the achievements of staff and students and we’ve got far more support from our parents and teachers. When the Academy started we had a simple vision - we wanted to be recognised as an outstanding school by 2014. This
was a key milestone for us and we now need to work towards turning those goods into outstandings.” In its former life as Earlham High School, the Earlham Road school was named and shamed as the fourth worst of 3,600 secondary schools in the country four years ago. At the time, just six per cent of its pupils left with the minimum requirement of five good GCSEs including English and maths. This summer saw 40pc of City Academy Norwich’s students achieve
five A* to C results in maths and English.The improvements have been put down to improving the culture and ethos within the school, driving up teaching standards and engaging the community. Mr Brunton, former head at Wymondham High School, said: “The fresh start was really crucial. The local community had lost faith in the school and our intake was just 80, we now have 170. One of the areas where we were deemed outstanding was the work we do with the local community and our feeder schools. Winning back the support of our local community was
really important to us and we put a lot of effort into.” The doors of the school’s new state-ofthe-art building on the corner of Bluebell Road and Earlham Road will open in May next year. The building will feature some of the finest digital technology available nationally, a media suite, drama studio and a fitness suite. There will also be a wing dedicated to community access. There are currently just under 700 pupils at the school. The new academy is designed for 1,100. It is hoped there will be an intake of 180 students for the first time in September.
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AN Photography Students
Our photography students are really thriving. During the first term they gained an understanding on how a digital camera works and the different techniques that can be used to achieve varied effects. They have also gained experience in how to use an SLR camera, how to develop black and white films in the darkroom and how to print.
The students have been on two visits. One was to see our new building, where they used the knowledge they had gained to capture images of the building work in progress. These images were so good that they were entered into a national Arts Award photography competition. The theme was “Celebrating our school�.
All KS4 Art and Photography students have visited the Sainsbury Centre for visual Arts to look at live art and a photography exhibition, which has helped enormously towards their development in the Arts. They are all looking forward to next term, where they will continue to develop their skills and present work based on their photography hero/heroine. Below is a photo of the Year 11 Art and design students outside the Sainsbury Centre for the Arts. In front of a Henry Moore sculpture.
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ixth Form Students visit Barcelona
On Monday 11 July 11, three AS Geography students and staff departed from Stansted airport to Spain. Their destination was the beautiful city of Barcelona, where they carried out a field study trip to support their AS Geography coursework. Barcelona was chosen as a destination as it has all the areas of study needed for the coursework; Coastal, Ecosystems, Re-branding and The Effects of Tourism. Accommodation for the week was halls of residence at Barcelona University and the weather couldn’t have been nicer. While in Barcelona the students packed in numerous visits to local attractions, including: La Sagrada Familia; Parc Guell; The Magic fountain of Montjuic; The Olympic Park, the site of the 1992 Summer
Olympics and Las Ramblas for a spot of shopping! They even managed to fit in a trip to the coastal resort of Sitges, on what turned out to be the hottest day of the week! At the end of each day the students would discuss the day’s events and complete work before heading out for dinner. The visit enabled the students to experience the ‘hustle & bustle‘ of Barcelona. They were able to dine at various eating establishments and by the end of the week they were all experts at commuting on the Metro! It was a great experience for the students. The opportunity to experience another culture was invaluable and will undoubtably be a trip that holds fond memories for them.
Have you checked out our new website yet? www.cityacademynorwich.org It’s a work in progress ... but we’ll endeavour to keep you up to date with life at City Academy norwich!
GCSE
Geography Enquiry: Investigating The Legacy of the London 2012 Olympics
As part of their GCSE course, geography students visited London’s east end to investigate, at first hand, the issue of urban regeneration and its connection to the London Olympics.
Students had presentations from a local expert and collected a range of data to be used in their controlled assessment.
They visited the Olympic Park site at Stratford then travelled by Docklands Light Railway to Millwall Dock / Canary Wharf / Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs.
As well as gaining an insight into the world’s biggest current regeneration project, students also experienced a side of life in the capital and had an opportunity to view where all the action will taking place in June 2012 (not to mention the excitement of a train with no driver!).
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cience fact beats cience Fiction for Academy students
Around 100 science students at City Academy Norwich were truly inspired recently when they were visited by prolific science writer Steve Parker. Mr Parker, who is a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, wowed the students with his extensive knowledge of the natural world, biology, technology and general sciences, which has seen him write over 250 illustrated books. The visit was organised as part of national non-fiction day and was held in the Academy’s Learning Resource Centre. As well as having the opportunity to hear from Mr Parker on how he researches and writes his books, the Year 8 and 9 students also produced their own pieces of non-fiction writing about Galileo in a variety of styles, including a very well received rap! Asked by GCSE science student Khadija Feruz what advice he would give to aspiring science authors, Mr Parker said “The most important things are that you’ve got to enjoy your own company and be inspired by what’s around you.” City Academy Norwich student Liam Bulldeath said “It was really interesting. I was surprised about just how much research and writing is involved in making a non-fiction book. I am really looking forward to reading Steve’s new book about CSI and forensic science.”
No matter how many CDs or MP3s you might have, nothing can replace a live music experience and year 7 were treated to a live set from Coll, the City College student who is starting his rap career in the music business. His music has an inspirational message, encouraging young people to work hard to achieve their dreams and it went down really well with the students... he even had the staff dancing! Coll and his team, Coll Music, put on a great show and he is set to return to City Academy to be a judge in this years CAN's Got Talent.
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ANY WITCH WAY YOU CAN ... Parents got into the Halloween mood at Parents’ Coffee morning by sculpting pumpkins into Ghosts, Haunted Castles and Spooky Faces. They took their sculptures home, turned off the lights and waited for the witching hour to begin ... Meanwhile students attending Holiday Club used the pumpkin flesh to make pumpkin soup and pancakes. Many had never tried pumpkin before and were pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted!
Eleven Million Takeover Day Lewis Moore, Year 9 was selected to take part in the Eleven Million Takeover Day at Norfolk Constabulary Head Quarters at Wymondham. During the day, Lewis, together with seven other students from various schools in Norfolk, were given the opportunity to visit several departments, including a tour of the Firearms Department and CSI, where they got a chance to understand the forensic side of Policing. At the end of the day they had an opportunity to speak to the Deputy Chief Constable, Mr Bailey, who presented them with certificates to mark their day. Lewis enjoyed the day and now wants to be a policeman.
NEW Community Sports Centre – OPENING JULY 2012 Within the new academy building there are a number of excellent sports facilities, which our pupils will be able to use during PE lessons and during extracurricular clubs. We are excited to announce that these facilities will also be open to our local community to use during the evenings and weekends. The new “City Academy Norwich Community Sports Centre” will open to the public in July 2012 and will offer clubs, organisations and members of the public the opportunity to use the Academy’s brand new sports facilities. The aim of the new facility is to provide a range of sport and physical activity opportunities for CAN pupils and young people and adults from our local community. The Sports Centre will include a large sports hall, which can be used for the following sports; • 5aside football • Basketball • Badminton • Netball
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Cricket Tennis Trampolining
It will also include a multi activity studio which could be used for; • • •
Exercise classes Dance classes Martial arts
The centre will also include a gym and a range of exercise machines and weights similar to the current Community Gym that we have at present. If you would like more information about the NEW City Academy Norwich Community Sports Centre, please call 01603 452628 or email: lettings@cityacademynorwich.org
Pennies for Pudsey
Students and Staff at City Academy Norwich raised £132.63 by collecting pennies all week and holding a penny race to see which school had collected the most coins. School teams had to race to lay the pennies in a line from one end of West Gym to the other. Well in the lead with a line that crossed the gym four times was Leadership, followed closely by Values, Creativity and Discovery. Thank you to all who supported this event for Children in Need 2011. Anne Cathersides Charities coordinator
Sixth Fo stud rm e raise nts also d by h over £30 avin a no g n unif day orm .
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Over 70 people attended a Quiz Night on Friday 18th November, raising £370 for Children In Need. City Academy Norwich hosted the event and welcomed teams from other schools in the Norwich Community West Cluster. Participants battled with questions on sport, literature, food and science as well as on their local community and Children in Need. In a tense finish, West Earlham Junior edged ahead of the field and went home with the Quiz Trophy. We look forward to welcoming them next year when we hope they will defend their title. Our grateful thanks to our coffee morning parents for their hard work on the night and also for preparing nibbles for everyone to enjoy at the beginning of the evening.
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The Big Freeze
Seventy students spent a freezing cold night sleeping on the school field to raise awareness of the plight of the City’s homeless. Students raised £2,500 for
Shelter and Duke of Edinburgh projects. The students made their own fun around the fire and lots of them said they didn’t know how the homeless do what they do day
in and day out. It was so cold around two in the morning that it really got them thinking about the issue.
50% off bership m ry Meanua m Gy in J
If you eat and drink a bit too much over Christmas and the New Year why not come into the Academy’s Community Gym in January and benefit from a half price gym membership! The gym staff are offering new members 50% off their first month’s membership if you join before the end of January. The friendly community gym offers a range of equipment that can help you lose a few pounds
and get back in shape following the festive period. The gym offers a range of flexible membership options including monthly unlimited use for only £20 (£10 for new members during January) or £3 per session if you prefer to pay as you go. There are no long term contracts and if you want to stop coming at any point then that is fine. For more information about the Community Gym call 01603 452628 or email: gym@cityacademynorwich.org
Working with our partner schools Throughout the term, children in Norwich Community West Cluster Schools took part in activities provided by the Community Team at CAN. From the Tallest Jelly Competition at the Forum in September, to Story Writing at West Earlham Junior, Community themed art at Clover Hill Infants, Firework Day at Valley Primary and Happy & Healthy Club at Henderson Green Primary. There were lots of opportunities to get sticky and creative! The term ended with a Christmas Card Design Competition across all thirteen cluster schools, with children submitting their glittery, sparkly art work for judging during Christmas Family Fun Day winners to be announced soon!
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Learning Resource We have lots happening this term in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) and you can read all about it here. We are open every day from 8.00 am until 4.30 pm and students can drop in anytime outside of lessons to find great books, use the computers, laptops and kindles, browse the magazines or join in one of our clubs or the Reading Challenge. We have a team of staff who work in the LRC and who can help students to find information and resources for their homework and also give advice on which books they might enjoy reading. We also have a team of student LRC helpers who help keep the LRC running smoothly at busy times. We are always happy to hear your suggestions for the LRC and you can email us at:
lrc@cityacademynorwich.org When I go to MANGA CLUB …
I HAVE THE TIME OF MY LIFE! When I get a good sharpened pencil and get my mind to it, we get to produce a drawn masterpiece. Come to Manga Club and get a chance to show off your creative skills and love for Manga. You get to play games and enjoy other peoples’ company, who also love to draw. You can follow drawing tutorials on YouTube. You don’t need to be an expert in drawing, practice makes perfect. Once you produce art like this and give it to Mr Rogers, he will put it on display in the LRC to show everyone. If you are interested in joining the group then come to the LRC on a Wednesday after School or talk to Mr Rogers about joining. Believe me, if you join it’s like being in an actual art class, but you get to draw whatever you want (obviously in the Manga theme!). Also another thing you get to do is watch DVD’s and read books to help inspire your art skills (for example Mew Mew Power (as pictured), Pokémon and in fact any type of Manga/ Anime related cartoon). Chelsea Hobbs
BOOK REVIEW
‘Simpsons Comics Strike Back’ is a must have read. It has lots of fun stories inside. The best story in my opinion is ‘Take Flight’, where Patty and Selma become Stewardesses on Mr Burns’ Airplane. There are some other stories highly recommended in this book. Homer is still VERY silly and not to forget Bart on his skateboard. If you need help understanding one of the stories, then look at: www.wtso.net and type the name in to the search-bar at the top of the page and watch. By Jordan Corstorphine (C1)
e Centre … NEWS BOOK REVIEW
My book is called The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. There are other books in the A Series Of Unfortunate Events like The Reptile room and The Vile Village. The front cover looks a bit scary but it depends what kind of book people like for example some people like fantasy, horror or sci-fi. On the back of the book it looks like he has written a letter to tell us not to read this book and sometimes it encourages people to read it. Only because they want to read it and know what it is all about. I think this looks like a good book because this is the book which encourage me to read on and on ‘til the very last page. By Austin Newitt
Clubs
The new build feedback The LRC staff asked students what they think about moving into a new academy building. This is what they said ... I am looking forward to moving in to the new Academy building, it looks cool and the shape of it looks really good. I think the education will be better and it will be nice to discover lots of new rooms and a new LRC.
Monday lunch
LRC News Team
Harry Ramsbottom (Year 10)
I am currently a Sixth Form student and unfortunately won’t be able to experience being in the new building for long, but I am looking forward to spending the rest of my time there. The sports facilities look bigger and more advanced and I am really looking forward to making good use of these. The Science area will also be of some interest to me, as it looks as if this could be a great interactive space. I am also looking forward to using the new facilities within the new LRC and will be making good use of this environment, as a place for personal study and self-reflection.
Monday after school
I think the new building looks amazing, as visually its massive and really interesting. The LRC will look good and will be a great place for reading and doing my School work.
Reece Stimpson (Sixth Form – Year 12)
Tambwe Demunga (Year 10)
I am really looking forward to reading more books in the LRC, as it will also be a lot bigger. I am intrigued with the much larger sized classrooms, as I prefer these to the smaller ones.
I am looking forward to moving in to the new Academy and using all the new technology. It will be good to use the new computers and iPads and really looking forward to reading all the new books in the LRC.
Lauren Downs (Year 9)
Hello, my name is Sarah and I am in year 8 at City Academy. In the LRC you can do lots of reading, home work and clubs. I often use the computers to help me to do my home work tasks, as well as borrow books and DVDs. I also have English lessons in the LRC. I like to read.
Kristen Dunthorne (Year 7)
Hello, my name is Nina and I am in year 8 at City Academy Norwich. I would like to talk about the LRC and what you can do in this area. I come here during my English lessons and like to do research for homework. I use the internet to do this. I also borrow books for my lesson. I spend 5-10 minutes reading most days and like to borrow DVDs. I would like to learn to draw better in one of the clubs.
LRC Helpers Crossed Wires (monthly) Tuesday after school
EAL Homework Wednesday lunch
Games Club
Wednesday after school
Manga Club Thursday lunch
Graphic Design Club Thursday after school
Cine Club Friday lunch
Chess Club
Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh students are being given the chance to enjoy new experiences. They have been enjoying mountain biking with the Sports Partnership, the first of many different experiences. Students are learning basic and then advanced skills over a three week period. The course takes place at City Academy Norwich, Eton Park and at Whitlingham Country Park. Further opportunities are coming up in the future, like climbing, fencing and the chance to experience some disabled sports.
Alternative Curriculum s chool
S t s e r Fo
Tree Nur sery
Forest schools gives students the opportunity to experience the outdoors and learn outside the classroom. Students learn new skills, develop teamwork and experience aspects of the curriculum in an altogether different environment to the classroom. Recently students have been involved in shelter building and fire lighting. They have developed new skills using bow saws and pruning saws and have learned about woodland management.
As part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Eco Schools, CAN has planted a tree nursery that will contribute to our own woodland management/ forest schools programme, whilst providing trees for the community. Students will look after the saplings, given to us by Earth Restoration Services, for a year before replanting them in primary schools and community groups. Students will be actively involved in teaching younger students the importance of trees to the environment and how to plant and look after these trees. All the trees are native to this country. We have started the project with 250 trees, including Willow, Oaks, Alder, Beech and Hazel.
It’s easy to get here ...
For more information, please visit www.cityacademynorwich.org City Academy Norwich Earlham Road Norwich NR4 7NU Tel 01603 452628 Fax 01603 507215 Email office@cityacademynorwich.org Principal Mr D Brunton
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