Wayland summer newsletter

NEWSLINK WAYLAND ACADEMY NORFOLK’S

SUMMER 2013

Year 11 Leavers Week Page 4

part of the

Art Academy News Pages 10

Rome Trip Page 12

Contents NEWSLINK Welcome Page 3 Former student achievements Page 3 Year 11 Leavers Week Page 4 Growing Up Page 6 Healthy Choices Event Page 6 Languages Festival Page 7 Mission to Mars Page 8 Year 9 Physics Competition Page 8 Plumbery Prize Page 9 Academy Art News Page 10 Rome Trip Page 12

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Rotary Club Young Designer Awards Page 14 Sports at Wayland Academy Norfolk Page 15 Library and Information Centre Page 18 A Community Project for the Heart of our Community Page 20 Shakespeare for Schools Event Julius Caesar Cast List Page 21 ECO BUGS Page 22 Dates for your Diary Page 24 Attendance News Page 24 Thank you Page 24

FORMER STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Rachel Ward went on to Dereham Sixth Form to study A levels in Geography, History Philosophy and Ethics, Government and Politics and then went on to get a First Class Honours Degree in Geography at the University of Bangor. Rachel is going on to do Teacher Training at Cambridge University.

Laura Eastwood went to Gordonstoun School, Scotland to study 3 A levels. She then went to the University of Cumbria to study Costume and Production and has achieved a 2:1 degree.

How things have changed!

As we come to the end of another school year, I was reflecting on how the school looked in 2002 upon my arrival. 10 mobiles, some sinking into mud, dull drab insides, poor Science laboratories and only 32 computers – oh how times have changed.

students, parents, staff and local community. We are proud of what we have achieved but recognise we are still on a journey and we should not be complacent. Results can go up and down but our determination and dedication must remain strong and purposeful.

Rightly so, our children and staff expect the best possible learning environment and we continue to strive to make the best of our old buildings. Perhaps more importantly I think if you compared conversations with students and staff you would now hear about a sense of real identity and purpose.

You would hear about more success and a real tangible sense of pride.

My growing links with Watton Junior School have made me even more determined to support and nurture the education of our young people in this town and surrounding area.

There is no one person who can maintain and make a difference; positive change is driven by the

Lisa Moxham went on to City College Norwich to study a BTEC in Health and Social Care – with her GCSE and BTEC results this gave her 360 UCAS points which enabled her to go to University of Bedfordshire and Stoke Mandeville Hospital to study a nursing degree with honours. She will be starting her nursing careers in Kings Lynn Hospital A & E department in October.

Anna Codling went to Dereham Sixth Form to study her A levels, then she went to University of Lincoln and gained a First Class Honours Degree in Illustration.

If you are a former student and you have a story about your achievements please send your details to mashby@waylandacademy.org.uk

I wish you all a restful and refreshing holiday and I look forward to welcoming you all back at the start of September.

Michael Rose Headteacher part of the

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2013 Year 11 Leavers Week The 2013 Year 11 Leavers Week was a huge success and will be remembered by both staff and students alike as being the best one yet!

The week kicked off with Muck Up Day and although students were conscientiously thinking about their exams, it certainly didn’t dampen their enthusiasm when it came to their fancy dress costumes. There were some amazing characters including an Avatar, Marilyn Monroe and even Mrs Brown herself. The school was invaded by both pirates and gremlins and everyone seemed to have a ball.

As is tradition, Muck Up Day was swiftly followed by Suited and Booted and the students turned out in style in their suits with matching shirts and ties. Even though it absolutely poured down that day,

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the girls pulled out all the stops with their pretty summer dresses.

Despite the spring downpour, the show must go on and in true Wayland Academy spirit it certainly did. They settled down to an Awards Ceremony that would give the Oscars a run for its money, with an indoor BBQ and personalised cupcakes for every student.

Students voted for their ‘Most Likely to’ and ‘Mr Men and Little Miss’ of Year 11, Class of 2013 with Chantelle Samuels voted as the student most likely to become a secret agent. Watching her vault onto the stage in her maxi dress went some way to prove that the students had probably been right.

The day ended with an emotional journey through the life and times of the Year 11s at

Wayland Academy with a few baby pictures thrown in for good measure. Mr Chapman thrilled the crowds with his magic show, Megan treated the audience to a sing song and Mrs Brown shocked us all with her amazing dance skills. The students were a credit to themselves and thoroughly enjoyed their final week as a student at Wayland Academy.

On Thursday 20th June, Year 11 leavers attended their Prom, once again held at Barnham Broom. This year there was a record turnout as 109 students from Year 11 attended.

Students arrived in style in a variety of vehicles ranging from fire engines to tractor and trailer to a range of classic cars and sports cars.

Mr Fudge was a highlight. Seeing students doing the ‘climb the ladder’ and the ‘shopping cart’ was hilarious.

The evening was thoroughly enjoyable and it was great for the staff when rides turned up to take students on to their Prom Parties so

that we could drag our tired selves home and be up bright and breezy for school the next day.

All that is left is to wish Year 11 every success in your exam results – remember, results day on Thursday 22nd August, everyone.

Hope to see you smiling!

As usual the boys looked fantastic and seemed to have transformed overnight into young men, in a style reminiscent of the Ugly Duckling.

The girls had pulled out all the stops and looked stunning in their finery.

Polished, preened and proud in dresses covering almost every colour of the visible spectrum, they looked amazing!

Students made use of the gardens and patio area as the weather decided to be kind and the customary ‘Dance Off’ led by

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GROWING UP A poem by Ty, Max, Myles, Steven and Harley (Year 9 students) Growing up is crying when you drop your dummy Growing up is crying when you miss your mummy Growing up is when your mum pretends the spoon is a plane Growing up is playing with your wooden blocks and your toy train Growing up is getting excited for your first day at school Growing up is about learning respect and following rules Growing up is being together Growing up is keeping friends forever Growing up is scraping your knee Growing up is being chased by a bumble bee Growing up is getting your first kiss though it was a miss Growing up is worrying about awful omens Growing up is dealing with awkward moments Growing up is about finally caring about what you wear Growing up is your dad letting you have your first beer without a care Growing up is watching people die Growing up is learning to say goodbye Growing up is about change Growing up is LIFE

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HEALTHY CHOICES EVENT Do you run a service, a charity or a business that is to do with sport, food or health and well-being? If so would you like to promote what you do at our Healthy Choices Fair on September 14th 2013?

You may wish to provide a demonstration or offer tasters (food or activity!) or simply provide leaflets and information.

The event, which is FREE is being run by the Wayland Partnership’s Health Focus Group in association with the Watton Town Team and the Breck’s Food Festival and Norfolk’s Living Well programme. There will be competitions, demonstrations and fun activities and the event will provide those attending with a fun day out filled with good information about Healthy Choices.

Languages Festival On Friday 21st June, Year 9 students ran the annual Languages Festival for primary school children from Ashill, Watton Junior, Carbrooke, Thompson, Hockham, Saham and Caston.

There were a variety of activities ranging from international food

tasting to Italian twister. The primary children tried out different activities in lots of different languages, winning certiďŹ cates and prizes as they went round.

For Year 9 it was the opportunity to use language and leadership skills in a real context. For the Year 6s, 5s and 4s it

was a chance to have some fun whilst learning some new words from different countries. They also got to spend some time with older students in a safe and supportive environment.

Well done to everyone who took part!

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MISSION 2 – 21ST SEPTEMBER / MISSION 3 – 5TH OCTOBER

Mission to Mars On Saturday 6th July students from Hingham, Hockham, Carbrooke and Parkers took part in a STEM day with Mr Allott and Mr Harder.

Students manufactured black powder engine rockets. The rockets should fire vertically to 500m then fire a second engine to release parachutes for the egg pod and the rocket’s fuselage. The most successful rocket was from the Hockham team called Launching Leopards with their rocket Turbotastic. They successfully launched an egg and had it return to earth whole. Well done to Ronnie, Oliver, Ralph and Milo.

We hope to see more Year 6 students at Mission 2 on Saturday 21st September.

TO BOOK YOUR SEAT

CALL 01953 881514 EXT 222 OR EMAIL JTHUELL@WAYLANDACADEMY.ORG.UK

Year 9 Physics Competition Four of our top Year 9 pupils visited a school in Bury St Edmunds to take part in a Physics Competition against other schools all over East Anglia – a great day was had by all, and they did the Science Department and Wayland Academy proud!

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Plumbery Prize Did you know that plumbery is actually a word? Nope, neither did I until a colleague suggested it as a potential name for the Gifted & Talented Challenge that I was planning in the Skills Centre. I will freely admit that, being the cynic that I am, I had to go away and look it up to check he wasn’t winding me up, but there it was… plumbery (noun): the trade or work of a plumber.

Having admitted that it might really be a word, albeit a very old one (according to the Oxford English Dictionary it was first used in 1464), I then decided that with a helping of alliteration (I’d just spent a fair amount of time doing English revision with Year 11s) and some delusions of grandeur thrown in (shades of the Nobel Prize here), the Plumbery Prize was the perfect name for an event which I hope we’ll be running on an annual basis.

Both City Academy Norwich (CAN) and Fakenham High School (our partner schools in the TEN Group) were invited to nominate teams to take part in the day; an invitation they enthusiastically accepted and we were all set.

I was suitably impressed that, despite it being a Monday morning, the students all arrived with a level of open enthusiasm rarely seen amongst the usual inhabitants of the Skills Centre (KS4 students are not often vocal about their enthusiasm). Having said that, I was also informed by one Year 8 that I could have had hundreds of volunteers if I’d

mentioned the juice and biscuits that were supplied. Once everyone had arrived and name labels were firmly in place, we made our way down to the Carpentry workshop; the venue for the day.

The task that we set for the students was very simple… all they had to do was move water from a tank sitting on the desk to one sitting on the floor, using a submersible pump.

The challenge was to design a run that was as creative and innovative as possible. The only stipulations were that their design had to include both a funnel and two (or more) plastic milk bottles. They were given flexi pipe, 15mm copper tubing, compression fittings, enough olives to stock a small builders’ merchant and a board to screw everything to.

They were also given free access to cordless drills, spanners, and various other tools.

We also, somewhat foolishly as it turns out, gave them a couple of tubes of silicone sealant. Little did we know that this would be used to provide waterproof seals, as glue, as a filler, as an alternative to PTFE tape and even, by one team, as an alternative to tightening their fittings!!

Watching the students work through their ideas was amazing; watching them fathom out what wouldn’t work was even more amusing (Hint: water does NOT want to flow uphill). All in all, it was a great day and according to their feedback, the students enjoyed it too.

Congratulations to the team from CAN who won the challenge.

My thanks go to everyone who helped make this event a success… we’ll see you next year!

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Academy Art News Well done and Good Luck to the GCSE Art and Design students.

They have worked really hard completing their portfolios.

Year 7 students are enjoying a new project creating Willow birds. We are lucky to have the use of the new outdoor classroom to work in. Thank you Bev Page!

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PROJECT: GROUNDED The organisers of Watton Festival have very kindly asked us to fill 5 display boards for this year. This year the theme is based on artists ‘The Boyle Family’ who have spent a lifetime visiting and creating artworks based on the surface of the Earth. Students are invited to upload their photos of the ground via Instagram to our account called waylandart. The 5 most interesting compositions will be the starting point for 5 large scale collaborative pieces.

Year 7 are looking forward to a Literacy through Art day on Tuesday 23rd July. They will spend the day in their Houses, doing different workshops and have an exhibition of their work and a quiz at the end of the day. Students are invited to dress up as a book/comic book character. The best costume will win a prize!

Gifted and Talented students are currently volunteering to create a new ‘Harvest Festival’ themed backdrop for a display in Carbrooke Church. Thank you to Rene Smith for the opportunity.

Year 10 students enjoyed an educational visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. They took part in drawing exercises and created work on the theme of ‘Still Life’ for their coursework with the brilliant Gallery educator. We also found time to enjoy the sunshine at lunch!

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Rome trip A group of 28 students and staff made an exciting and historical trip to Rome at the end of April.

The trip was designed to bring the Year 10 Religious Education course to life – which was most certainly achieved.

Each of the four days was crammed full of religious and historical sites

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to marvel at; from Michelangelo’s magnificent Sistine Chapel to the 2000 year old Basilica of San Clemente.

Students and staff alike were wowed by the beauty of St Peter’s Basilica, climbing the 551 steps to the top of the dome to experience the most fantastic views of the Eternal City.

Whilst the group occasionally used Rome’s underground network, they mostly explored this amazing city on foot, one day clocking up over 10 hours of walking. In this instance they had well earned their ice cream stop in Piazza Navona!

Almost unanimously the students thought that the Colosseum and

Roman Forum, visited on the third day, were the most spectacular experiences of the whole trip.

All who made the trip found it exciting and tremendous fun but most of all educational. Students agreed that seeing the religious sites ďŹ rst hand really brought to life what they had been studying in the classroom.

What’s more, being immersed in the culture of Rome was an education in itself, especially when it came to meal times and experimenting with speaking Italian (not to mention indulging in the local cuisine).

It was noted how well the entire group conducted themselves and they were a credit to the Academy.

Well done!

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ROTARY CLUB YOUNG DESIGNER AWARDS The Rotary Club Awards Dinner at The Hare and Barrel in Watton was held on Thursday 13th June.

David Branson and Richard Crabtree came to Wayland Academy to judge the work of GCSE students for the Young Designer Award.

The winner was Chloe Everett who designed and made a Japanese inspired pink dress decorated with appliqué.

The Runners up were Ciaran Madeley who designed and made a wooden castle, and Elizabeth Omer who designed and made an Indian inspired dress.

They all received prizes and certificates at the dinner.

Ms. Wenham, the Textiles teacher also attended the dinner and received a certificate. She said that she was very proud of the students.

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Sports Day at Wayland Academy Norfolk

On Wednesday 10th July 2013 Wayland Academy enjoyed its annual Sports Day. The weather was kind to us and we had a warm sunny day. The whole Academy were involved with staff joining in and looking after events including table-top football, skipping, rowing, netball shoot-out and much more the scores were added to the overall results.

A huge thank you to the ice cream man for cooling us down.

Congratulations on students for breaking or equalling a record for: Shot Putt – Rhys Standley (Year 10 Star) 11.33m High Jump – Charlie Jones (Year 9 Nelson) 1.60m, Violet Carson (Year 10 Star) 1.45m, Harry Fennell (Year 7 Star) 1.34m Triple Jump – Hannah Kemp (Year 7 Hero) 8.87m 4 x 100m – Year 8 Star 57.44sec and Year 10 Macmillan 52.00sec The overall results of the day were:

Hero Macmillan Nelson Star

2510 2479 2256 2518

You all did yourselves proud.

Well done!

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England Hockey trip

Breckland win Silver in County School games hockey ďŹ nals Players Pollyann Batty (Captain) Billie-Jo Bailey, Tamika Bustin, Sam Holland, Steven Gale, Haidee Anscombe, Megan Hassey, Owen Hughson and Joel Spillman from Wayland Academy and Sian Evans.

15 pupils enjoyed a trip out to watch the England Women’s Hockey team qualify for the World Cup. Pupils were able to watch four international games, the highlight being England beating Italy. There was lots of entertainment and pupils even got the opportunity to play on the actual pitch.

Saracen Martial Arts

On 26th May 2013 at Barnham Broom Hotel, two students and former students of Wayland Academy completed their Black Belt Grading.

Classes are Wednesdays and Fridays, 7pm to 8pm and 8pm to 9pm at Watton Youth and Community Centre.

Well done to: Alice Bate Yr 10 Fraser Messent Yr 10 Charlotte and Danielle Hankin (former students)

For more information email: becomesmart@aol.com or visit www.smatkd.co.uk

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Breckland School Sports Partnership Summer School Games On Friday 5th July, 23 students spent the day at UEA Sportspark competing in the Breckland School Sports Partnership Summer School Games. There was some strong competition from the other schools and although we came 8th out of 8 overall, we did have some medal winners.

Silver medal winner Sergey Bell Yr 10 – Long Jump and 200m Bronze medal winners Charlotte Clubb Yr 7 – Javelin Owen Hughson Yr 7 – 1500m Chloe Hudson Yr 9 – Shot Putt The other competitors who did themselves proud too were: Violet Carson Yr 10 – High jump Joe Russell Yr 10 – 100m and 4x100m Dave Wooding Yr 10 – 800m and 4x100m Harley Evans Yr 9 – High Jump Chloe Fisher Yr 9 – High Jump Oliver Mowles Yr 9 – 4x100m Max Smy Yr 9 – 200m and 4x100m Bethany Wilson Yr 9 – Long Jump Ben Andrews Yr 8 – 4x100m James Beaumont Yr 8 – 100m Oliver Kerrison Yr 8 – 400m and 4x100m Tammy Levin Yr 8 – 200m Liam Owen Yr 8 – 4x100m Ellishia Poole Yr 8 – Discus and 800m Amy Studer Yr 8 – 400m Taylor Thompsett Yr 8 – High Jump Olivia Baker Yr 7 – Shot Putt Harry Fennell Yr 7 – Long Jump Joel Ferreira Yr 7 – Shot Putt

ROUNDERS RESULTS Year 7 V Neatherd WON 16.5 – 13.5 V Northgate LOST 10.5-20.5 V Thetford Academy WON V Methwold WON 15.5-10 Year 8 V Neatherd LOST 7-11 V Northgate LOST 5.5-9 V Thetford LOST 10.5-12.5 V Methwold WON 15-10 Year 9 V Neatherd WON 11.5 – 10.5 V Northgate LOST 16.5-28 V Thetford Academy WON V Methwold DREW 24-24 Year 10 V Neatherd LOST 18-27 V Northgate LOST 9-33.5 V Thetford WON V Methwold LOST 6.5-26.5

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE YEAR 7 TEAM WHO HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE SOUTH NORFOLK SEMI FINALS. GOOD LUCK! Olivia Baker, Charlotte Clubb, Lia Jones, Rebekka Vansittart, Aiesha Pitcher, Hannah Kemp, Lauren Dade, Jasmin Chilleystone, Abigail Street.

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LIBRARY AND INFORMATION CENTRE The Library has been a hive of activity this term. Year 11 students have been finishing important coursework, carrying out last minute revision and biting their nails! This was in addition to the usual hectic atmosphere.

I think that we are all looking forward to the summer holidays.

The inaugural Festival of Literature for Youth (FLY) is rapidly approaching and we are excited about being involved.

Congratulations to Nicola Everett, Year 10, who was selected by the UEA to be a Festival Reporter; this is an amazing opportunity for her to gain experience in writing articles, film making and in other journalistic areas. We are also going to be taking a group of Year 9 students to attend talks and performances by authors Alan Gibbons and Benjamin Zephaniah. We were visited by Mixy, one of the SLAM poets involved with FLY. He worked with Year 9 students and those students with the most successful compositions will be representing Wayland Academy in the SLAM Poet competition on the last day of the festival.

More details will appear in the next edition of NewsLink.

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We were fortunate to be loaned a display by City College Norwich; the theme being ’Modified Books’. The brief was to show that even in today’s digital environment, a traditional book can still attract our interest as an object of beauty or curiosity. The designs were very intricate and visually stunning.

Some of our staff and students were inspired and are currently in the process of producing their own designs.

Staff and students have been meeting on a weekly basis as members of a Carnegie Medal Shadowing Book Group. Lively discussions about the shortlisted books took place and many of us were somewhat surprised and disappointed to hear that Maggot Moon, by Sally Gardner, was the 2013 winner. Our preferred choices were In Darkness by Nick Lake and Midwinterblood

by Marcus Sedgewick.

We were also fortunate to be able to display the fantastic work on World War 2 produced by Year 7 Gold; pop into the library and take a look at their 3D Anderson shelters, letters and leaflets.

The Library recently hosted an exhibition by the Anne Frank Trust. By placing the complex historical events of the Holocaust against the backdrop of the life of one inspirational young person, the exhibition enabled our students to grasp the human consequences of persecution and war. The exhibition challenged the students to think about how these issues are relevant today and what they could do to prevent prejudice and discrimination.

Twenty Year 9 students received special ‘Ambassador’ training that enabled them to act as guides to teachers and their classes; they confidently delivered a wealth of information and, in the near future, will be visiting local primary schools to help them develop a better understanding of Human Rights.

The library is going to be the venue for a new venture next term. We are going to be running a Young Savers Club in partnership with the Wayland Community Bank. We hope that this will encourage students to develop a savings habit, set their own priorities and plan their spending and saving.

Richard Branson, watch out!

As the end of term draws near, we are getting very excited at the prospect of the library refurbishment which is due to take place over the summer holidays; the end result will be a brighter and more modern look and a multi-functional space.

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A COMMUNITY PROJECT FOR THE HEART OF OUR COMMUNITY Watton Town Team (WTT) was set up, at the initiative of the Wayland Chamber of Commerce, a year ago with the express aim of supporting the High Street and the businesses that operate in it.

As with most Market Town centres the businesses that trade in this environment have been hit by changing shopping patterns. Now shoppers are being drawn to out of town centre businesses, use internet shopping where shoppers fulfil their needs on line. Most recently and most damaging of all the financial crisis and the resultant slow down in all business.

It is from this view point that WTT was formed. A Government report was commissioned and was written by Mary Portas. In her wide ranging analysis of our town centres nationally she gave much advice and guidance for any Town Team to follow.

In Watton we chose to act upon the things that we could influence

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quickly and that would draw people into our own Town Centre.

We want shoppers to think; “What’s going on in Watton this weekend”; and just maybe we could make our community the one that attracted more shoppers into it. What have we done?

Our first enterprise was to set up our “Entrepreneurs Markets” with the express aim of putting new fledgling businesses on to the street. We hope that some will make it into shops eventually to fill vacated shops on the High Street. The markets have proved a limited success and run in conjunction with other events continue to attract a steady group of traders.

We have cleared a large space in Chaston Place and can now erect a 10m x 10m Marquee for the use of any business or organisation that needs a central all weather venue to promote itself.

This year we have run many business based events from

Wedding Shows, The Book Fest, The Bikers Day and most recently our Classic Car day, all of which have been well received. Our July event is “Watton in Bloom” organised by our two florist businesses.

I believe that we are making a significant change to our community and to the businesses that trade here. Others think so as well since traders from other towns are approaching us.

Market Town Centres are the heart of any community that surrounds them and without a vibrant business community they on the endangered list, it is up to residents and shoppers alike to recognise this and to where possible Shop Local.

We are always looking for more support and traders to join our team and the Wayland Chamber.

Chris Edwards Chairman Watton Town Team.

See the Wayland Chamber at www.wayland-chamber.org.uk

Shakespeare for Schools Event Julius Caesar Cast List I am pleased to announce the cast list for the up and coming Shakespeare for Schools event where 25 students from Wayland Academy will perform ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Norwich Playhouse.

We will be performing alongside Norwich High School for Girls and Castle Acre Primary.

Last year was a real triumph for the students. This cast, like last year, is very diverse and has a range of abilities. Our last performance was excellent but this years must be outstanding.

Notices will be sent out for rehearsals. Well done.

Julius Caesar Octavius Caesar Mark Antony Popilius Lena Brutus Cassius Casca Trebonius Decius Metellus Cimber Cinna Flavius and Marullus A Soothsayer Titinius Messala Strato Lucius Pindarus Calpurnia Portia The Ghost of Caesar

Kayleigh Eagling Josh Walker Jackson Cutts Sophie Wing Tim Allen Rebekka Vansittart Josephine Rumer Savannah Sadler Amy Studer Alex Gathercole Tamika Bustin Catherine and Danielle Abram Elise Green Liam Burley Abigail Evans Erin Stasiorowski Katherine Ward Callum Peel Tia Gort Georgia Schofield Aiesha Pitcher

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E BU C GS O

OUTDOOR LEARNING FACILITIES NOW OPEN! We are delighted to see our outdoor classroom up and open for lessons, the timber framed, thatched classroom was purchased thanks to an additional grant from Local Food, part of the Big Lottery funding stream.

We now have canvas windows fitted which will make this space usable even on the odd wet day we may have this year!

DUE TO THE HUGE SUCCESS OF THE OUTDOOR CLASSROOM, WE ARE LOOKING TO PURCHASE A SECOND OUTDOOR CLASSROOM TO BASE NEAR THE POND AREA OF THE ACADEMY. THIS WILL HELP WITH ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LESSONS. PLEASE HELP US TO RAISE £10,000 TOWARDS THIS GOAL. For more information please contact Bev Page by calling 01953 881514 ext 231 or email bpage@waylandacademy.org.uk

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The photos show the site before work and after a days work, the classroom was put up in just four hours.

ECO GARDEN AT ROYAL NORFOLK SHOW Well done to the students of Cavell Primary School and Wayland Academy Norfolk who supplied the wildlife-attracting plants used in this raised bed for Norfolk County Council’s eco-garden at the Royal Norfolk Show.

The County Council won the ‘Best Educational stand in the show’ award this year, and the judge made a special mention of how much he liked the garden.

BUZZBEES Late in the afternoon on the 7th June I was called to the Quadrangle because a swarm of honey bees had settled on the end of the wall beside the Gymnasium.

Immediately everybody went into panic mode, I called the BBKA (British Beekeepers Association of Great Britain ) but alas they could not help me at that time, so the challenge was on, we needed to get them removed before Monday morning at the start of school.

So a few more phone calls and a few favours we came up with a name. It was a Bee Keeper from East Wretham that came to the rescue, they came with a box and a brush and full clothing protection. Two minutes after they arrived they had the bees in the box and sealed up ready to go. We were told that they are quite harmless unless they are tormented or feel threatened.

K.Green.

LITTLE DIGGERS UPDATE Our big change this year is our garden extension, we’ve now got a sensory garden, a dry garden and a den to name but a few new additions.

We’re trying to grow lots of different fruits and vegetables this year.

We’ve planted up our suitcase with cucumbers, did you know cucumbers originate from India? We’ve also got a dustbin full of potatoes, an old metal dustbin is home to our rhubarb and an old log basket planted with courgettes – you really don’t need a garden to grow your own!

To prove what can be grown in a small space we now have two square metre gardens, we’ve planted ours with lettuce, kale, purple sprouting broccoli, runner beans, celery,

tomatoes, cabbage, gourds and aubergines – all in a relatively small space. We have a tumbling tomato in a hanging basket and we’ve even planted up an old pair of wellies.

Our pond is now home to some tadpoles and we’ve enjoyed pond dipping and looking at them through a jam jar each week to see their development, we feed them floating fish sticks, this has certainly helped them to grow.

We’re planning to enter some vegetables and craft items into the Wayland Show horticulture section again this year; we’ll let you know how we get on.

Little Diggers runs weekly on a Monday afternoon, booking is through Watton SureStart Centre, come and join the fun, call to book on 01953 880175.

We are delighted to announce that the RHS will be offering Continued Professional Development training days here at Wayland Academy from October 2013.

This is a fantastic opportunity to partner with the Campaign for School Gardening for delivery of their 2013-14 Teachers’ CPD programme. We welcome the first group on 1st October. All details for booking onto the courses can be found on the RHS Campaign for School Gardening website.

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Dates for your diary JULY Wed 24th – Academy closes 3.15pm for Summer Holidays AUGUST Thur 22nd – Results Day (11am to 12 noon only) SEPTEMBER Tue 3rd – Staff training day Wed 4th – Staff training day Thur 5th – Students return to Wayland Academy Mon 9th – DofE Bronze meeting 6.30pm to 7.30pm Tue 17th – DofE Bronze meeting 6.30pm to 8pm Thu 19th – Year 7 and Year 9 Photographs Fri 20th to Sun 22nd – DofE Bronze Expedition to Eastbridge, Aldeburgh Tue 31st – Lost property display Mon 23rd to Fri 27th – Year 7 Residential week OCTOBER Fri 11th to Sun 13th – DofE Bronze qualifying Expedition to Shotley Peninsula Tue 22nd – DofE Bronze meeting 6.30pm to 7.30pm Fri 25th – Academy closes at 3.15pm for half term NOVEMBER Mon 4th – Students return Tue 19th – Lost property display

Attendance news This year our attendance figures have continued to cause us concern and we have fallen short of our 94% target for the whole Academy.

In the past and in recognition of the needs of our diverse working community, I have on occasions ratified holidays taken in term time dependent on the current percentage attendance of a student (with a maximum of 5 days). As an Academy we are still subject to Department of Education directives. Recently we have received new instructions.

From 1st September 2013 all Schools and Academies will

no longer be able to authorise absence due to holidays.

We will consider ‘Leave of Absence’ in exceptional circumstances only. Parents who wish to make this request must collect a ‘Leave of Absence form’ from the Attendance Team.

In future years many Schools/ Academies will be considering the timings and structures of their terms as the next part of this development. I can confirm that currently the Governors of Wayland Academy Norfolk are not considering any changes to dates for the year 2013 to 2014.

Thank you!

We would like to thank the following local establishments and groups for their continued support of Wayland Academy throughout the year: • Adcock & Sons Ltd for their generosity in supplying us with a TV and Bakka Audio & Visual Ltd for the installation.

• Wayland House, various shops and estate agents, together with the doctors and dentist surgeries for kindly distributing our ‘NewsLink’ to the community.

• Tesco for adding to the success of the Year 11 Prom by supplying a various assortment of confectionery.

• The Watton and District Rotary Club and The Wayland Chamber of Commerce for their continued involvement in the life of the Academy.

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