Kingsmead Newsletter April 2014 In this issue: Student News Sports News School Trips Primary Liaison Community Update House Information Term Dates School closes—Friday 11th April 3:00pm School opens—Monday 28th April 9:50am Bank Holiday—Monday 5th May School closes—Friday 23rd May 3:00pm School opens— Monday 2nd June 8:50am The Great Kingsmead Bake Off!!
School closes—Friday 18th July 12:00pm
You have heard of the ‘Great British Bake Off’...well, Kingsmead have been running Future Key Events their own version of this! We have staged our first ever Kingsmead Inter-House competition—and competition it certainly was! Tuesday 6th May The first round entailed each Tutor Group holding their own ‘in-House Bake Off’ to Sixth Form Partnership Evening determine who would go forward as their Representative. Thursday 8th May The second round took place during House assemblies. Here, the Tutor Group winners Y7 Progress Evening turned their skills to producing ‘Cookies’. Offerings included a range of flavours from lemon curd to marshmallow! Thursday 15th May The two winners from each House then progressed to the ‘Live Final’ held after school Y8 Progress Evening on the 11th February. The chosen category was ‘Sponge Cakes’ with students being Wednesday 25th June allocated two hours to create their masterpieces! These included Chocolate, Coconut, Y6 Induction Day Guinness and classic Victoria sponges! Our two well qualified judges, Mrs Robins and Mrs Gill Manley assessed on three Wednesday 2nd July categories: appearance, taste and texture. The decision was extremely close but finally Y6 Induction Day Caitlin Tsang, Y8 student was crowned the winner with her ‘Triple Chocolate Layer Cake’. Mrs Greenwood, who Wednesday 2nd July organised the event congratulated all entrants and finalists. New Y7 Parents Evening “The standard was extremely high and the competition a complete success!”
Student News GCSE students ‘Maximize’ their efforts! Over thirty Y11 students accepted the invitation to boost their GCSE preparation during Saturday morning sessions with the Educational Consultancy Company, ‘Maximize’. The sessions were led by Dai Perks, who has over 30 years of teaching and school leadership experience. He uses this to blend cutting edge thinking on motivation, success, revision and exam technique into a dynamic four hour exam preparation session. Our Y11 students heard inspirational stories demonstrating how success is mostly won through individual hard work and endeavour. In addition, students were shown over forty different revision tips and specific exam techniques collected from examiners, teachers and a variety of students over the years. All the students who attended the session said it had been well worth giving up a Saturday Morning. Some of the comments from Kingsmead students included; “The session has made me more determined to succeed and I feel really motivated to revise” and “The session has inspired me to achieve my full capabilities and has given me a range of revision techniques and strategies to meet my goals...or higher!” Y10 & 12 students enjoy Health & Social Care Workshops Y10 students were recently visited by Sharon Moran and Victoria Cotton from the 'I Care Ambassador Service'. The visitors spoke to students about their role in adult social care and how to provide care in a dignified and respectful manner. Sharon and Victoria also talked to the students about Apprenticeships available in this area of work. Mrs Fittes, Curriculum Leader for Health & Social Care said "This was an excellent opportunity for students to link their classwork with the work professional carers carry out day to day. It gave the students an insight into the world of adult social care." Gary Lee and Jenny Falmer, Palliative Care Nurses at ‘St Giles Hospice’ spoke to Health and Social Care students in Y12. The session provided an insight into what is involved in their role and how to provide care in a dignified manner. Students had to role play the act of feeding each other. This enabled them to empathise with patients who are unable to do this for themselves. Gary Lee also offered an opportunity for students to apply for a place on a Summer School at the Hospice to gain experience in this field. Mrs Fittes said "Students gained an understanding of palliative and end of life care and the often sensitive and difficult issues around this aspect of work. They heard first hand about the work the Hospice does and how supportive this is for patients at the end of their life as well as their families." ‘Care Home’ Concerts Before Christmas, a small group of singers visited two local nursing homes, ‘Tudor House Care Home’, and ‘The Heathers’ in Heath Hayes. Our students sang a range of Christmas songs, followed by a chat with the residents. The students were well received by both staff and residents at the care homes. Indeed, so much so that we will be returning to ‘The Heathers’ again in the near future. The students are delighted to have the opportunity to perform again. All the students commented on what a positive experience the concerts were. They enjoyed getting to know the residents and thoroughly enjoyed the stories they were told! Miss Grice, Curriculum Leader for Music said “It was a real eye opening experience for all. I am very proud of the students and feel they are enjoying making a positive difference in their local community.”
Student News Sixth Form Update Preparation…. This has been another busy term for our Y12 and Y13 students. As the Summer exams approach students have been preparing hard using our Learning Centre on Saturday mornings and taking advantage of the ‘late night study’ sessions every Thursday in the Sixth Form Centre (3.30pm – 6.00pm). We wish all students the very best of luck for their forthcoming examinations. Plans for the future…. I am delighted to say that a number of Y13 students have secured offers from Universities all over the country. As part of a new initiative Y12 students will be participating in a ‘Futures Week’ which will see them visiting Universities including Warwick and Liverpool as well as spending five days on a ‘Work Placement’ opportunity. Successes…. Our Y13 and 14 Cache DCE students have just received some excellent exam results ranging from Grade A – C which will enable them to access their University courses in September. Well done girls, a great achievement. Congratulations to Steven Bird who has been awarded a Scholarship to study Psychology at Aberystwyth University. Natalie Harris, one of our Y12 students is attending the annual ‘VetCam’ course for aspiring vetinary students. The course is held at Cambridge University and Natalie has received a full bursary from Cambridge to attend this course. We hope it inspires her to aim high and reach her goals! Our Sixth Form monthly magazine ‘Sixth Sense’ has also been launched this term. Thank you to Stephanie Webster and her team for producing this high quality piece of work. Prospective Y12 students…. Over the last term we have interviewed over one hundred and thirty Y11 students to join our Sixth Form in September. I am pleased to say that we have a fantastic cohort of students coming through, who are already preparing for A level courses. Good luck to them in their GCSE’s this Summer and we look forward to welcoming you to our Sixth Form in September.
Year 11 Update The ‘Challenges’ and the ‘Joys’…. As everyone knows, Y11 face a challenging term ahead. Those all important exams loom just around the corner. Students have now received exam timetables and some very useful revision guides and helpful preparatory information. Don’t forget… revision sessions take place after school Monday to Thursday each week and of course, there are revision schools during both Easter and Spring Bank Holidays. Please see website for full details. However….hopefully….there will be happy times too!!
The Y11 ‘Prom’ (Thursday 3rd July) at Chase Golf Club.
The ever popular Y11 ‘Final Assembly’ (bring your hankies!) on Friday 20th June 2014. Further details to follow.
That final ‘Year Group Photo’ (you will treasure it for years to come!)
We wish you all well in the ‘Challenges‘ and ‘Joys’ ahead and look forward with hope and confidence to Y11 ‘Results Day’ on Thursday 21st August 2014.
Student News School Council Update…. The School Council is made up of two elected House members from KS3 and KS4. The elections took place at the end of September 2013. They ran along the same lines as a local parliamentary election. We even used ballot boxes and booths from the District Council! In addition to elected members, each House Captain, our Head Boy and Head Girl are invited to attend Council meetings. So far this year, following student consultation, we have put forward the following proposals and ideas:
Students should be allowed to wear charity wristbands as part of the school uniform.
Feedback and ideas for the new Stationery Shop which has got off to a flying start!
Proposals on how to spend £1000 for the benefit of the School Environment. The House Council will select the best ideas put forward by their Houses. These ideas will then be put forward to the School Council and Governors in the Summer term for the final decision.
The School Council in collaboration with the House Councils are proving to be a real asset. Any student who would like to be part of the School Council should look out for nomination forms for the next elections in September. Year 7 Fantastic Places Assessment Y7 were set the challenge of investigating a ‘fantastic place’ as part of their Geography assessment. Students were given the freedom of presenting their ideas in any way they wished. The project had to include details of the human and physical characteristics of their place along with geographical comparisons to other similar places. All students worked particularly hard. A special mention must go to 7E. Miss Baylay, teacher of Humanities was treated to a ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’ cake, carefully made by Joshua Hiatt. The cake included five layers of delicious sponge styled with a slight lean. Another superb effort was ‘The Eden Project’ built by Cameron Kitson. Other delights included ‘The Egyptian Pyramids’ and ‘Big Ben’. Miss Baylay said “The care and consideration, not to mention time and effort put into these projects is to be highly commended and something which all the students should be proud of. I certainly am.”
Y11 Netball….Consistent Success Being successful is one thing… sustaining it over a period of five years is quite another! That however, is exactly what our Y11 Netball team have achieved. They have remained unbeaten in all league matches as they moved from Y7 through all the years at Kingsmead. Not only that, but they also entered District Tournaments each year and were always either semi finalists, finalists or outright winners! Congratulation to Jess Fowler, Amy Garraton, Laura Greenwood, Helena Pickerill, Amelia Pincombe, Ellie-Jayne Ryder and Alice Sewell. You have done yourself great credit. We are very proud of you!
Sports News Record Breaking Success!! Our U13 Girls Hockey Team competed in the Midlands Competition this month. The girls played superbly throughout the rounds and qualified for the Final! The girls lost 1—0 in a hard fought match but as runners— up they qualified for the Nationals! We are the first EVER State school to get to this stage in 35 years and will be the only State school out of the 10 finalists! Staffordshire Finals Year 8 and 9 Girls Football Teams were both crowned Staffordshire 7-a-side Champions! Hockey News Brilliant result as our U13 Girls Hockey Team beat De Ferrers School 4—1 in the Final of the Staffordshire Schools County Competition. They have now qualified for the Midlands Cup!
Sports Relief Mile 2014 Students from all years have been donning their onesies and fancy dress costumes over a two week period to complete the Sports Relief Mile during their PE lessons. Y11 kicked the event off to a superb start and it was in full swing with Y7 really pulling out the stops with their fancy dress!! Students have raised £632 - Well done to all!
Futsal Finals Year 7, 8 and 9 Girls Football Teams won the Futsal Finals during February and March. ESFA National Finals During the ESFA National Finals the U12 Girls Football Team finished 5th after drawing two matches and losing one. Great performances!
Sports Shorts Y9 Boys Football Team—League Runners-Up and 5-a-side winners U14 Boys Badminton— District Champions U14 Girls Badminton—District Champions U16 Boys Badminton—District Champions and County Runners-Up U16 Girls Badminton—District Champions Swimming Squad—3rd Place in District Finals Y10 Netball—District Semi-Finalists Y9 Netball—District Group Runners-Up U14 Boys Hockey—3rd Place in Staffs County Championship U16 Boys Hockey—Runners-Up in Indoor Staffs Championships and Midlands Regional Championship Finalists
School Trips Broadening Horizons… a Cultural Visit to London Growing up in Hednesford you soon realise how small our town is, especially when you step into the capital city of London. Studying Theology and Religion in the country’s capital gave me such an insight into the variety of cultures. It is a huge melting pot of people! I wanted to give our students the same experience by visiting not only St Paul’s Cathedral but also the Buddhist temple in Wimbledon and the Neasden Mandir (Hindu Temple) near Wembley stadium. We set off on the 6th of February and made our way down to Wimbledon. We were met by Linda, a lay Buddhist who took us into the amazing temple. Inside, the walls are all hand painted with the story of the Buddha with a few modern additions! We all tried some meditation for 5 minutes, you could have heard a pin drop! After lunch we headed into Central London to South Kensington where we were staying. We just had enough time to get ready for our meal at the Hard Rock Café and onto the theatre to see ‘Wicked’. The show was amazing and enjoyed by the entire group. Luckily, the students were tired out and by midnight, were safely tucked up into bed for a decent night sleep before another busy day. The next morning, prior to our evening journey home, our coach driver John, gave a brilliant tour around the sights of London. St Pauls was our first stop of the day. The students were each given an audio tour of the Cathedral and the chance to climb the 500+ steps up to the ’Whispering’ gallery. We spent just over an hour enjoying this incredible building. After lunch, we headed towards Neasden, a district by Wembley. Here, in the middle of a housing estate, we viewed a white, hand carved marble Hindu temple. The columns inside the temple were all carved with different gods and goddesses. The students went around the exhibition finding out about the Hindu tradition. Did you know India was the first place to discover such things as gravity, Zero and plastic surgery? It was soon time to head back home with students constantly saying how much they gained from the trip. I can safely and proudly say I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the visit to London. The students were a huge credit to the school and I am so glad they enjoyed the experience. Mrs Frazer, Teacher of Religion and Ethics. Ski Trip to Alpes D’huez Students enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to the beautiful French resort of Alpes D’huez. Students arrived at their hotel on the 18th January and after unpacking spent two hours getting ‘ski fit’. This entailed ensuring all the students were fitted out with the correct boots, skis and helmets. Following their busy day students were tucked up in bed by 10pm, exhausted and excited about the following days skiing. Skiing during the week was incredible! Students experienced all weather conditions from bright blue skies to blizzards to fresh powder. For many, this was the first time they had skied. The instructors were extremely patient and encouraging with many of our students progressing through the groups throughout the week. The hotel was fantastic with traditional English and French food served throughout the week including frogs legs and snails! Karaoke, ice skating, a night out at a local Pizzeria and limbo kept the students entertained each evening. The trip was enjoyed by all and students are already asking when the next one will be! Mr Perry, Curriculum Leader for Performing Arts.
School Trips Kingsmead’s ‘Chocolate Box Girls’ see author, Cathy Cassidy
The Infirmary at Worcester University
As part of the ‘Science and Our very own ‘Chocolate Box Girls’ went to see author, Cathy Cassidy at The Lichfield Engineering Week’, Y8 History Garrick Theatre. students visited ‘The Infirmary’, a Cathy told us she classed herself as a bit of a ‘dayformer hospital. Worcester University dreamer’ at school and she felt that this helped inspire her bought the site and have developed writing. A show of hands reflected how many potential part of it into a medical museum. authors could have been in the audience! She introduced us to each of the characters in her ‘Chocolate Box Girls’ series, and a quick quiz determined which character we We were met at reception by Carol, were! who spent most of the day, giving us a We had an opportunity to buy one of Cathy’s books and tour of part of the building, getting us get it autographed. Cathy was lovely and made time to to look carefully at what the building speak to everybody. We were all fans of Cathy before we can tell us e.g. where and how it has met her and are even greater fans now! Some of us plan to go on her website to changed since being built in 1850. find out more about her and look up her daydreaming tips. Mrs Harrison, School Librarian. Spending time in the ‘Interactive Museum’ followed. We had the chance Trip of a lifetime to New York to do some key-hole surgery, take part Forty students, together with their teachers embarked on a Business Studies trip to in a touch screen quiz to see if we ‘New York’ on the 3rd March 2014. The journey began at 3am when could have made it as a surgeon in the we boarded coaches to Heathrow Airport. 19th Century and dress up as surgeons from the past (aprons covered in Following breakfast and a highly efficient check-in, we departed for blood, gore and other horrible bits and New York. We landed on time, collected our luggage and began the bobs!) as well as present day ‘scrubs’. transfer to our hotel. We checked in and braved the freezing –9° to walk to ‘Times Square’. In the afternoon we enjoyed a The Square was buzzing with New Yorkers, tourists, entertainment workshop on ‘Victorian Surgery’. We and bright lights. The students enjoyed many activities throughout the week learnt how people went through surgery sometimes without being including a guided marketing tour around the biggest department store in the world anaesthetised, having to be held down ’Macy’s’, a walking tour of the ‘Financial District’, a trip into the ‘Federal Reserve or even punched unconscious! Using a Vault’, a boat trip around ’Manhattan’, a visit to the top of range of written sources and images ’Rockerfeller’, interactive games at ’Sony Wonder Lab’ and even students then presented what they some shopping! had found. Some groups choosing to act it out in role play. The hotel location was fantastic as we were in walking distance of many attractions and right by a subway station. Even though we used the subway “It was certainly an interesting day, occasionally, we still managed to walk around 50 miles over the four days! with everyone Jessica Pardoe, Sixth Form student said “New York was a once in a lifetime agreeing that if opportunity. We saw some amazing things and also got to learn a lot about the they had to be ill they’d rather it financial side of New York and some of its history. My favourite part was going to was today, and the ‘9/11 Tribute Centre’ and speaking to one of the survivors. not in the times Dan Evans and Paige Stokes wrote “During our trip to New York, we experienced of the ‘Vile some unforgettable memories and sights we will never experience again. We visited Victorians’” historic landmarks throughput the famous city. My favourite part was our visit to the Miss Hughes, ’9/11 Memorial Museum’ which was both interesting and touching and our trip to Curriculum Leader for the top of the ’Rockefeller’ building with stunning views across New York seeing Humanities. sights such as the ’Chrysler’ building and ’Central Park’. Overall, this was a wonderful and unforgettable experience that I would recommend to all. Thank you to the teachers for an unforgettable trip and giving us the opportunity to go”. The students evaluation showed the trip was a huge success. Mrs Lowe, Curriculum Leader ICT and Business Studies.
Primary Liaison Curriculum Links with our Primary Schools We have welcomed and visited several of our local primary schools during this term. Our staff and Y6 pupils have been busy in the Art Department where Mr Morgan led a pottery lesson with pupils from West Hill Primary. Pupils drew their own faces and then created them using clay. The finished pieces were joined together to create a collage of the class. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed their session and plans are underway for the pottery teaching sessions to continue. West Hill have also taken part in ICT lessons with Curriculum Leader, Mrs Lowe where they have been learning through the ‘Scratch’ program. Hazel Slade Primary School visited our Music Dept to take part in the ‘X Factor’. Kingsmead Y8 Pupils rehearsed and coached their own groups ready to take part in the ‘Live Final!’ where pupils performed their pieces on stage in the Main Hall. Hazel Slade have also continued their sessions with Curriculum Leader for Religion and Ethics, Mrs Bedford. Our recent new link with Pye Green Valley Primary has continued this term with visits from our English, MFL and History Departments. Gorsemoor Primary School were also visited by staff from our Modern Foreign Languages and History Departments who delivered lessons to Y5 and Y6 Pupils. The Enterprise Trophy has once again been a success with all our Primary Schools this year. Winners have been chosen and the final is now being planned. Watch this space for further information including the name of the winning school!! PRIMARY LIAISON – ‘A New and Highly successful Initiative’ In terms of Primary School Liaison work, a particularly successful innovation has been piloted this term. For quite a long time, we have been running a very effective Saturday morning Study School for our pupils here at Kingsmead. As part of our commitment to extend our curriculum collaboration with our primary feeder schools, we were keen to offer this learning opportunity to Y6 pupils as well. In consequence, as part of a scheme coordinated by Mrs Ryder, we have been offering Saturday morning enhancement classes to pupils of our primary feeder schools. Those targeted at Level 6 in English and Maths have been our particular focus. At the time of writing we are three weeks into the five week project – and it is proving very popular indeed! Some 50+ Y6 pupils have been in attendance. They have been ‘brushing up’ their skills in English in areas such as punctuation and spelling, or, in the case of Maths in Algebra and Probability. Each course runs for one hour (10.30am – 11.30am and 11.30am – 12.30pm) and both classes are available in either of these periods of time. At present, many our of Saturday morning Y6 ‘eager beavers’ are staying for both subjects. Indeed, some of them (even without the incentive of the free carton of drink which is on offer) are opting to stay until the end of Saturday School at 1pm. These Y6 pupils choose to remain in our Learning Centre and work on computers alongside our own Kingsmead pupils. This is of course, a fantastic opportunity for them to get to know a few people – and is so good for their self-confidence in this all important transition year. Well done to the pupils who attend – and , indeed a big thank you to Kingsmead staff, Miss Everton, Miss Kemp, Mrs Peacock, Mr Ryder and Mrs Davies for making it all happen and engaging the Y6 pupils so well. The feedback we have received would indicate that not only the pupils but also the parents and primary school teachers are very grateful for the initiative – and very happy with the outcomes!
New Year 7 Intake We are busy planning and looking forward to welcoming our new Y7 students in September this year. Parents will shortly receive a welcome wallet containing lots of information including our very own DVD produced by students in our current Y7. Mrs Ryder, Senior Leader, will be working closely with staff from feeder Primary Schools, students and parents to ensure the transition process goes as smoothly as possible. All the latest news is available on our website on the ‘Prospective Parents’ page.
Community Update First of all.. A ‘thank you’ to our parent community. Thank you to all parents for your support and comments during the trial of the ‘Online Parents Evening Booking System’ for Review Day on the 20th of March. Feedback has indicated the system was positively received. Therefore, we will be using this system for all future Parents Evenings starting with Y7 on the 8th of May followed by Y8 on the 15th of May. Parents will receive a letter with login details and information for the evening.
Hednesford Town Football Club We are currently working with our local Football Club, Hednesford Town, to develop a Community Programme. The club is well supported by our students and is also the venue for our Y12 Induction Day.
Students complete ‘The Chase Walk’ On the 15th of March, five Kingsmead students took part in ‘The Chase Walk’. Ethan Thornton, Beth Parrish, Josh Lilly, Natalya Birch and Mitch Worrall are all Y9 students as well as members of the 1st Hednesford Scout Group. They completed the walk in aid of ‘Meningitis Now’ and in memory of their school friend, Tom Smith who sadly passed away. The walk involved participants hiking over Cannock Chase terrain for 14 miles with a full kit bag, reaching checkpoints within time constraints. In appreciation of their achievement a parent wrote “Your students have taken on this CHALLENGE and will ACHIEVE their goal with PRIDE in the knowledge that their selfless act will help save lives. I feel as a school you should be proud in the knowledge that your ethos runs outside of their school life and that along with the Scouts, you have helped create young people with character and determination.”
Community Art and Design Project ’A Stitch in Time’ by Mrs Simmonds, Curriculum Leader for Art and Design. Students studying GCE Applied Art & Design have been involved in an exciting ‘Textiles Heritage Project’. Inspired by the 75th Anniversary of Kingsmead School, the project has looked back at the thriving mining community which employed many local people for over a century. The project was supported by the Museum of Cannock Chase. Students had access to archive photographs and the opportunity to handle display objects. Mick Drury, an ex-miner also shared his experiences of working in the pits.
Julia Jowett, Textile Artist, delivered a series of stitch technique workshops within school. Pupils were taught the importance of heritage textiles, exploring Watch this space…. the importance of storytelling and imagination in textiles. Julia creates images with wire, pencil and stitch; intricately working dense areas of traditional embroidery and needlepoint stitches into metal gauzes and figuratively manipulated wire lines. Community Inputs into Careers Guidance Y10 students have recently had the opportunity to visit two career information events with Mrs Butler, Career Guidance Officer. Fifteen, Engineering students attended a ‘Careers Master Class’ at JCB Headquarters. The day involved a factory tour, guidance on careers with JCB and other global companies, career profile interviews and a question and answer session about careers, apprenticeship and graduate schemes Forty students then had the opportunity to attend the ‘Skills Show Experience’ at the Staffordshire County Showground in Stafford. The purpose of the visit was to gain a range of information, advice and guidance around a variety of career areas as well as experiencing ‘have a go’ activities! The event promoted vocational pathways, apprenticeships, further education and higher education options. Mrs Butler said “We have enjoyed two great events with students gaining knowledge and information of a wide range of opportunities.”
Local artist and ex-pupil, Charlotte Bailey has produced a documentary film for the project. Students who expressed an interest in digital art have worked alongside Charlotte and enjoyed producing simple animations. Some of the work from the project is now on display at The Museum of Cannock Chase. The large collaborative textile panel will eventually be archived at the Museum, along with the documentary of the project. Future generations will be able to enjoy the fruits of our students labours.
House Information Coppice House As another school terms draws to a close, it is time for reflection. What a lot Coppice House students have packed into their time at Kingsmead! It all began in September welcoming our new Y7 students and I am now so proud of how well they have settled into the Kingsmead community. At the other end of the academic spectrum, Coppice students are working hard completing GCSE and A level work in preparation for the Summer exams, in common of course, with all the other Houses across the school. They are also involved in revision activities, Sports Relief Mile and Drama production rehearsals and performances! As Easter draws closer, it is election time! Coppice House are looking for Y10 and Y9 students to fill the shoes of the retiring Y11 House Captains, Deputies and Prefects. On behalf of all Coppice staff I would like to thank Y11 students Amy Garraton and Jay Duffin (House Captains); Y10 students Kayleigh Wright and Reece Shore (Deputy House Captains); Y11 Community Representatives and Lead Prefects Charlotte Williams and Ashley Farmer and indeed, all our Prefects for their tireless work and support during their year in office. I wish all Y11 students much success in their examinations and future plans, be it Kingsmead Sixth Form or further afield. Many congratulations to Tanaka Katsukunya, Y9 student, for his footballing success! Tanaka was spotted playing for his local team by ‘Walsall Football Club’ Scouts and has been signed as a junior for the club. Well done Tanaka and we look forward to seeing you play in the first team one day! Well done to Olivia Green, Y8 student, for her success at ‘Crufts’ this year. Olivia came fourth in the ‘Young Handlers’ category with her Pyranean Sheepdog, Jacque. Olivia has also been asked to write a column for the Kennel Club along with a review for the Pyranean Sheepdogs magazine. Once again, Jessica Fowler, Y11 student, has been selected to play for England in a ‘National Handball’ competition. A fantastic achievement! Coppice House wishes everyone a Happy Easter and a restful break.
Mrs J Davies Head of House
Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Danielle Anslow Piper Craddock Josh Edwards Tegan Kirkham Luke Knott Rhiannon Pyke Ethan Rogers Y8 Joseph Banks Emily Craft Abbie Davies Olivia Green Katie Jones Lewis Scott Jessica Shore Cameron Sproson Jenna Wood Y9 Katie Garraton Libby Jones Grace Pike Daniel Skerman Y10 Charlotte Archer Louie Benbow Maisie Cole Sophie Freeman Ben Hawthorne Josh Tiernan Lucy Wassell Y11 Jordan Archer Courtney Davies Ashley Farmer Amy Garraton Bethanie Pearson Connor Slinger Georgie Stokes
House Information Hayes House Hello and welcome to this term’s Hayes House page. Firstly, I would like to make a special mention of Lewis Banks, a Y10 student. Lewis has recently achieved his Bronze ‘Duke of Edinburgh Award’ and is now undertaking preparations for his Silver Award. Duke of Edinburgh is a wonderful award scheme which allows many skills to be developed. The discipline and dedication which Lewis has undoubtedly shown will help him as he aims for a career in the Armed Forces. Having attended our House Council meetings this year, I have been very impressed with the mature level of discussion and ideas Hayes House Council members have put forward. An exciting project the students are currently working on is a School Magazine. Oliver Thacker, in Y10, is working hard to develop and prepare this publication and we are looking forward to the launch next term. Hanna-Louise Bodley, a Y13 student, has been selected to be part of ‘Project Trust’. This is an educational Charity which annually sends around 300 volunteers to a variety of countries. The aim is to give disadvantaged children the chance of a better life through the aid of volunteer work. In order to fund this experience, Hanna has managed to raise £4000 by organising quiz nights, concerts and raffles. Hanna will be going to Malawi in Africa! This will be an amazing experience and is a testament to Hanna’s hard work and dedication. In order to help Hanna raise the remaining £1000 she needs, Miss Grice, Curriculum Leader for Music will be launching a mystery ‘Easter’ themed competition at the end of the current term. Watch this space…. I would like to thank Y11 Hayes Prefects for all the hard work carried out this year. The time is fast approaching for the handover of Prefect duties to potential Y10 candidates. Many names have been put forward by Tutors and we will soon be deciding who will take on this important role! I would also like to thank House Captains Helena Pickerill and Luther Williamson for all their hard work and Deputy House Captain Jamie Greenwood in assisting with the Stationery Shop. We have recently had a change of Lead Tutor within our House. Mrs Frazer has stepped down after more than two years in the role. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her support and contribution, particularly with the House Council, which she has been running since taking on the role. I would also like to welcome Mr Francis as our new Lead Tutor! I know he will also do a fantastic job! Good luck to all Y11 students undertaking their GCSE examinations this Summer.
Mr P Bradbury Head of House
Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Daniel Dorkins Chloe Pickerill Megan Renshaw Y8 Ben Marshall Rianne Martin Tia Whittingham Y9 Owen Baker Paige Collins Alice Evans Ella-May Greenfield Sophie Hollyhead Amy Lynk Bailey Whittingham Y10 Phoebe Brickley Jacob Cartwright Rachel Cumberledge Remi Flavell Jamie Greenwood Grace Hewitt Isabella Howe Heather Matthews Emma Smith Oliver Thacker Georgia Wilson Y11 Laura Greenwood Helena Pickerill Chloe Stirling
House Information Littleton House Welcome to our Easter update! 2014 has started well for us. We not only won the termly cup in February, we are hopefully leading the way again this term! At the moment, we are in the middle of the House competition ‘Penny Wars’. We are eagerly awaiting the results! However, the main winner will be our House Charity ‘Riding for the Disabled’. We have enjoyed some interesting and different assemblies this term including; a dramatic internet safety presentation by L-TT, a very informative assembly about Martin Luther King by L-HU, Chinese New Year traditions by L-MD and views on Lent by L-ABT. Our House Council members are still meeting regularly to discuss various issues, ideas and to offer a voice for the students. I am very proud that the recent ‘Bake Off’ was a Littleton Council idea! We hope to have many more productive meetings and I would like to take this opportunity to invite all students to put themselves forward to become House Representatives at the next election. It is an excellent opportunity to get involved and shape our school! We have enjoyed some excellent personal achievements within Littleton over recent months. Firstly, we have some very talented swimmers! Three of our students; Lara Hadlington Y11, Niall Hadlington Y9 and Morgan Upton Y7 recently competed in the ‘County Championship’. Lara won Gold in the 200m and individual medley, two Silvers and two Bronze medals. Niall won five Golds, two Silvers and two Bronze medals and was crowned overall County Champion in his age group. Morgan also won Bronze in the 100m breaststroke. A fantastic achievement by all! Rhys Bills, a Y11 student, has recently signed a scholarship for ‘Wolves Football Club!’ Y8 student, Caitlin Tsang competed in a ‘National Gymnastics’ competition and finished fourth on the beam and eighth overall. Lewis Byrne, Y10, has qualified for the National round of the ‘Cadets Shooting Team Competition’ and Kieran Roberts, Y9, competed in the ‘Central Regions Karate Championship’. Looking ahead to the Summer term, we are hoping to visit our House Charity again to see the good work they continue to do. I hope all of our students continue to work hard, so we can hopefully retain the House Cup, and maybe, even the Sports Day Cup this year! Our Y11 students are working hard for their GCSE examinations which start very soon. We would like to wish them all a lot of luck! I would also like to thank our Y11 Prefects for their hard work and commitment. The school and I are grateful for all the work you Mrs K Greenwood do. You have been great role models for the younger years! Head of House
Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Anna Lycett Kieran Morris Owyn Roberts Lara Tolley Morgan Upton Y8 Jude Hughes Nathan Kaczan Georgia Rose Brandon Stokes Sophie Tompkins David Woods Y9 Hannah Baker Lily Barker Sarah Dickson Amie Heath Abigail Malcolm Louise Maunders Kieran Roberts Catlin Tsang Anna Woolridge Y10 Sam Bridges Chloe Brookes Lewis Byrne Lucy Edgington Daisy Morrell Ben Reynolds Charlie Tittley Michael Waring Y11 Steven Holmes Oliver Parker Millie Pincombe Natasha Tsang Callum Wilson
House Information Uxbridge House Welcome to the Uxbridge page of the Newsletter! Since the last Newsletter, lots has happened at Kingsmead and in Uxbridge House! We finished off the calendar year with the Christmas Fayre. Uxbridge students ran a range of stalls, including the highly popular ‘Snow Floss’ stall!. Our students showed a fantastic example by running and managing these themselves. We also had a ‘Guess Where Santa Is?’ with the chance to win a £10 gift voucher! Over the two days we raised £138 for our House Charity, ‘Midlands Air Ambulance’. This takes our fundraising total to just over £1000 in 12 months. The House Council are busy working to come up with new ideas. If any students have any ideas please contact your House Council Representative, or if you are a parent then contact me. We are always looking for new and innovative ways to raise money for such a worthy cause. Looking to the future, Uxbridge are in the process of organising a ‘Pamper Evening’ which will hopefully take place in the Summer months. Parents and friends of Kingsmead will be able to come along and experience a range of health and beauty treatments and purchase products. Stalls will be run by students and local businesses; to help raise money for our Charity. Achievement is always celebrated in Uxbridge and it is nice to have a forum, such as the Newsletter where I can talk about the fantastic things our students continue to achieve! Unfortunately, I don’t have enough space to mention everyone but (at the time of writing) in Y7 we have 11 students with over 300 Achievement Points! Special mention to Lily Walker with 765! Y8 are representing Uxbridge in a great light too with Amy Newman leading the way with 658! There are also 8 Uxbridge students in Y11 with over 300 Achievement Points. Lucy Morson tops this table with an incredible 719! Our students excel in all year groups and our Sixth Form students are also making a valuable contribution to our total. Well done to all! I feel this is also an ideal opportunity to thank our Y11 prefects for all their hard work over the past year. A big thank you also goes to our current House Captains. I encourage Y10 students to apply for the upcoming Prefect and House Captaincy roles. I would like to end this by wishing all students who are taking examinations this Summer the best of luck! Uxbridgians, why not make use of Easter and Saturday school? Do some extra revision and earn some House Points in the process!
Mr M Cavanagh Head of House
Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Isobel Morson Luke Pilsbury Lily Walker Y8 Jasmine Rainer Emma Guest Molly Skelding Y9 Ryan Davies Kelly Raybould Heather Smith Emily Upton Y10 Cassie Allman Lauren Hylton Fern Nelson Daniel Newman Jade Shirley Holly Woods Y11 Sasha Beale Anna Bubalo Ben Marston Elana Monticoli Lucy Morson Ellie-Jayne Ryder Freya Walker Jordan Warren
House Information Valley House Our House motto is ‘Charity’, ‘Care’ and ‘Success’ so I would like to divide my Newsletter items into these categories. Charity I wrote last time about the preparations that were underway for the Christmas Fayre. The event was a huge success with over £97 being raised over the two days for our House Charity ‘Katharine House Hospice’. The House Council decided we would run a ‘Pick and Mix’, ‘Tombola’ and a ‘Cake’ stall. Many students and staff helped over the two lunchtimes. I would like to make a special mention of the efforts made by Luke Rowlands, Y8 and Jasmin Dias, Y11, for producing some outstanding cakes. Abi Grice and Callum Showering, Y8, also deserve a mention for running the Tombola independently over the two lunchtimes. Congratulations also go to Lacey Stevens, who in December completed her third Winter Walk for our Charity. Lacey surpassed her 2012 total by raising over £700. This is an incredible achievement! The whole House is proud of you, Lacey. Our next Charity event sees our House compete against the other five Houses during the ‘Penny Wars’. We are eagerly awaiting the results and I will have news on this event for you next time! Care Miss Wares’ Tutor Group produced an excellent assembly for ‘Safer Internet Week’. It gave excellent advice on how our students can protect themselves online and use the internet safely. Mr Lanes’ Tutor Group delivered an informative assembly about the Jewish holiday of Purim. I was incredibly impressed with the confidence of all the students involved in these assemblies. Standing in front of over 200 of your peers is not an easy thing to do. Congratulations! Success The hard work of students in Valley House was rewarded in January when we received the half termly-cup for earning the most House Points between November and December 2013. This achievement was in recognition of the fantastic effort of all students within our House. It is a success we very much want to repeat! We are currently third in the overall House point totals for the school year. The only target I set the students at the start of the year was to try to earn more points than last year. At the minute, we are well on course to achieve this target. I am confident that the students will continue their hard work and we can aim to win the House Cup at the end of the year. As I close this article, I would like to thank the current Y11 House Captains and Prefects for their hard work. They have all been excellent in their roles. I wish all Y11 students the very best of luck with their GCSE examinations.
Mr R Broomhall Head of House
Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Victoria Khyts Kieran Ramah Kezia Robinson Bethany Webb Y8 Lois Brindley Oliver Butler Hollie Davis Drew Roden Thomas Stevens Y9 Isobel Cummings Hollie Davis Lauren Davison Ellie Merricks Y10 Victoria Egan Casey Jones Ewan Jones Adam Keeling Isabelle Rogers Jessica Ryley Tia Tranter James Walker Y11 Lewis Cann Luke Lloyd Joshua Robinson
House Information Wimblebury House It has been a busy term for Wimblebury students! In addition to our Prefects and Council representatives we also have representatives from each Tutor Group who attend House Council meetings which are held every term. This term, during our House meetings we have discussed the wearing of wristbands (an issue bought forward by the School Council), the competitions we want to organise and how to move forward with fundraising for our House Charity ‘Breatheasy’. It was during this meeting the Council decided they wanted to form a Charity Committee. We now have a representative from each Tutor Group on this Charity Committee. They are busy planning a big Summer fundraiser which will be a ‘Balloon Release’. Each balloon will have a ticket attached with charity information on one side and school contact details on the reverse. The balloon that travels the furthest will win a prize!! This event is open to all students, staff and parents. Please contact me at school if you are willing to help with this event (i.e. prizes, costs for balloons etc). I would also like to thank Joshua Lilly in Y9, who has represented Kingsmead students at ‘Breatheasy’ meetings for the past two terms. It is at this point I have to say a huge thank you to Alice Farr and Connor Atkins, our House Captains, who have led our team of Prefects and represented the House so well this year. Thank you to all Prefects for their commitment to carrying out their duties. Year 10, your Form Tutors will be hoping that some of you will be becoming one of the new Prefects in the Summer term!
Y7 Jeeven Bahia Becky Heseltine Callum Jennings Y8 Sharanjeet Bassi Alethea Buck Courtney Jackson Luke Janes Megan Nicholson Byron Morrall Y9 Bethany Hayward Reuben Murcott Emily Watson Y10 Charlie Clarke Tia Clarke Kayleigh Ghent Scarlett Oakes Emily Phillips Harry Turner Jordan Worrall Y11 Kyle Allen Alice Farr Allan Lane
Kayleigh Ghent, Connor Atkins, Lauren Cross, Millie Rogers and Courtney Davis have took to the stage this term for Kingsmead’s production of ’Romeo and Juliet’. Y7 students enjoyed a preview of the show whilst family and friends attended the evening performance on Thursday 27th March. I wish all Year 11 students good luck in their exams, which are not far off now. Do your best and I hope we will be welcoming you back into the Sixth Form in September. Have a happy and relaxing Easter break!!
Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’
Miss A Evans Head of House
Future Events Friday 2nd May Non Uniform Day in aid of Meningitis Trust Saturday 31st May MFL Department trip to the Black Forest
Contact information Kingsmead School Kings Avenue Hednesford Cannock Staffs WS12 1DH 01543 512455 office@kingsmead.staffs.sch.uk What is happening at Kingsmead? Website: www.kingsmeadonline.net Twitter: @KingsmeadOnline Download our App from Googleplay and Apple Store Receive our Parent Bulletin via email: parentbulletin@kingsmead.staffs.sch.uk
Tuesday 24th June Primary Sports Day Wednesday 25th June Y8 Sports Day Wednesday 25th June Y6 Induction Day Thursday 26th June Y9 Sports Day Monday 30th June Y10 Sports Day Tuesday 1st July School Sports Day Wednesday 2nd July Y6 Induction Day Wednesday 2nd July New Y7 Parents Evening Thursday 3rd July Y11 Prom Thursday 3rd July Battlefields Trip Friday 4th July Italian Concert Tour