July 2014

Kingsmead Newsletter July 2014 In this issue: Student News Sports News School Trips Primary Liaison Community Update House Information Term Dates School closes: Friday 18th July 12:00pm School opens Wednesday 3rd September Inter-House Sports Day… and the sun shone!

It’s that annual event that is as old as the school itself… but still continues to excite… and bring out the best in so many students!

So, it was on a very sunny July afternoon the Inter-House athletics competitions came to their culmination in the Grand Finale of Sports Day itself.

Fiercely competitive as ever, all students were determined to achieve honours for the House they represent.

There were many closely fought contests in events such as the Javelin, 100m Sprint and Long Jump, but as the day progressed Wimblebury and Hayes Houses started to pull away on the ‘Leader board’ with many of their students achieving top places.

Wimblebury were extremely successful and finally crowned ‘Sports Day Cup Winners’.

The ‘Victor and Victrix Ludorum’ individual competition also takes place at this time.

This is won by the competitors from each year group who gain the most points from three individual events. Individual winners were as follows: Girls Champion: Victrix Ludorum Y7—Lily Walker (Uxbridge) Y8—Hannah Hampton (Valley) and Megan Nicholson (Wimblebury) Y9—Mollie-Mae Hudson (Hayes) Y10—Rachel Cumberledge (Hayes) Boys Champions: Victor Ludorum Y7—Nathaniel Francis (Hayes) Y8—James Chisholm (Littleton) Y9—Daniel Robinson (Valley) Y10—Jamie Greenwood (Hayes) and Tom Green (Wimblebury)

Y7 9:50am Y12 9:15am Y13 11:05am Thursday 4th September All Years (7, 8, 9, 10 & 11) 8:50am Y12 Induction Morning Keys Park 9am—12pm School closes: Friday 24th October 3:00pm School opens: Monday 3rd November 8:50am School closes: Friday 19th December 3:00pm School opens: Monday 5th January 9:50am School closes: Friday 13th February 3:00pm

Student News National Memorial Arboretum Competition To commemorate the outbreak of World War One and the Christmas Truce of 1914, Y7, Y8 and Y9 students were set a challenge!

In association with the National Memorial Arboretum and the Football Association, all classes had to design a memorial statue that would remember and honour soldiers who ceased fighting on Christmas Day and took part in a friendly game of football in ‘No Mans Land’.

Miss Baylay, teacher of History said “I was inundated with entries and it was an incredibly hard task to narrow the entries down to the final few. Mr Goodwin, Deputy Headteacher judged all entries and Y8 were particularly successful. Third place was awarded to Y8 student Lewis Powell, the runner-up place went to Jasmine Rainer also in Y8. Rianne Martin Y8, was the overall winner. Her design has been sent to the National Memorial Arboretum to be judged with other entries from all over the country. Many congratulations Rianne! The winning design will be made into a statue to stand at the Arboretum. I am incredibly proud of all the students who participated and took the time and care to design their statues.”

P.S. ‘We are extremely proud to announce, as we go to press, that Rianne’s entry has been selected as one of the thirty five shortlisted submissions. These will be presented to the judges: HRH The Duke of Cambridge and footballer Theo Walcott.

The winning design will be announced on the 14th of September 2014.

GCE Applied Art and Design Show Students presented their work in the form of an exhibition. It showcased Y12 Applied Art and Design achievements, featuring a range of work including textiles, ceramics and animation. Students produced work based on their visit to ‘The Botanical Gardens’ in Birmingham, as well as ‘The Textiles Heritage’ tasks produced for ‘The Museum of Cannock Chase’.

Y13 work included glass, printing and textiles. Students also produced a personal negotiated project which promotes independence.

Friends and relatives attended the event along with staff from Kingsmead and Norton Canes High School.

My Motocross Each weekend, I race my motorbike in motocross competitions all around the country. I compete against other riders in my category.

During the week, I practice around a course on ‘Cannock Chase’ to keep me fit for racing. I also do weight lifting so I am able to hold onto my bike.

This year, I am currently winning the series as I have won four out of the five rounds. I have five more rounds to go!

My brother and I compete in motocross every weekend, unless it rains and the meeting is cancelled. We ride on many different surfaces including sand and woodchip. Sand is the hardest to ride on! The easiest is when it has been sunny all week and the track goes bone dry.

Luke Woodhoouse Y7 student

Student News School Council Update The School Council has had several meetings this term to organise and vote on the £1,000 ‘School Improvement Competition’. There has been some very good entries from each House, including the idea of a school radio station. The winning entry came from Littleton House, whose idea was to install more water fountains around the school. Mr Bryant, Headteacher will be overseeing the logistics of this in the near future.

The elections for our new School Council Representatives will take place early in the Autumn term. This will enable work to continue on our next project, which is to focus on keeping the school litter free. Planning will start next term. We will also be looking at organising a ‘Christmas Raffle’ and ways to attract sponsorship for further school improvement ideas. If you feel you could help with this, please contact myself at school.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my current Council Representatives, especially Y11, whose input into our first year has made it a great success and given future members a strong foundation on which to build. Would you like to become part of the School Council and the decision making process, why not stand for election in September?

Ms A Evans Your Form as a Book ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover... but can you judge a form?’

To celebrate ‘World Book Day’ and ‘Literacy Week’ all forms were invited to design a book cover that reflected the character of their form. This was not easy due to all the different personalities and interests within each form. The challenge was to choose a book title and design a cover for that book.

We received a huge range of entries, from fairy tales and fantasy, to humour and horror stories. The top three entries from each House were shortlisted and put on display around the school. Following some tough judging decisions the favourite from each House then progressed into the ‘Final’.

Our finalists were: ‘The Beanstalk’ (Coppice) ‘Mr MOF Collection’ (Hayes) ‘Littleton Shop of Horrors’ (Littleton) ‘The Story of U-FB—Caring Ground’ (Uxbridge) ‘Recipe for the Perfect Brood’ (Valley) ‘Diary of a Wimpy Form’ (Wimblebury.

Many congratulations to our overall winner ‘Uxbridge House!’

Last Night of the Proms Students certainly arrived in style to their ‘Prom’ at the Chase Golf Club on Thursday 3rd July in an array of vehicles including classic, vintage sports cars and stretch limo’s!

All the students looked fantastic and a good night was had by all, promenading, dancing and enjoying both a ‘Hog Roast’ and ‘Chocolate Fountain’.

Thank you to all students, staff and parents for investing so much in this memorable event!

Student News Snowboarding to success!

Olivia Taylor, a Y8 student has had a fantastic year snowboarding. She has been concentrating on her ‘freestyle’ snowboarding and has won her first competition, the TSA Takeover event by beating over sixty other competitors. She also competed in the annual Snowdome Snowboard Cross competition. Despite being the youngest in her age group, she finished in second place in the female category and fourth overall.

Olivia has featured on the UKs largest snowboarding website ‘White Lines’ and had several photo-shoots. She has also met one of her hero’s ‘Olympic Bronze Medallist’ Jenny Jones.

Olivia loves to snowboard... and would live on the snow given the chance!

Staffordshire Young Teenage Fiction Book Award 2014 After months of reading, nominating and short listing, the YTF group of readers at last had the chance to find out which book had won the prestigious award.

The scheme asks young people to nominate and vote for their favourite book of the year from the short list of six finalists announced in March.

Eight students visited the ‘JCB Lakeside Club’ on Tuesday 1st July, where they watched six school presentations in favour of each nominee and took part in the final vote. They met authors Sally Nicholls (whose book was ‘All Fall Down’), Rob Lloyd Jones (whose book was ‘Wild Boy’) and the winner Tom Becker with his book ‘While the Others Sleep’.

Y10 and Y12 Futures Week:

June 23rd—27th

This year, we introduced a ‘Futures Week’ for our aspiring Y10 and Y12 students. Students took part and experienced a wide range of opportunities and visits. These were designed to help steer them in their future choices and allow them to make informed decisions about their careers. Students also undertook ‘Work Placements’ at local businesses, school and retail outlets to name but a few. The feedback has been excellent. Well done to all!

Y10 applied for a ‘real job’ set up by a local business. They completed a CV, application form and attended an interview technique seminar. Nine lucky students were selected to attend a ‘real’ interview with the business. Scarlett Oakes was the successful candidate and received £30 of Amazon vouchers!

Y10 students also visited Leicester and Nottingham Universities. Students experienced sampling the University life of lectures and seminars and perusing students accommodation. Talks by Barristers, Entrepreneurs and Bhangra dancers completed their week, which was rounded off by lunch in the Sixth Form area.

Y12 students experienced a real ‘Internship’ application from the University of York. This involved aptitude tests, team building skills and E Tray exercises in conjunction with visits to Warwick and Liverpool Universities. Y12 enjoyed presentations and inspirational talks from a variety of speakers, most notably, a brilliant presentation by Mr Hektor Krome. He really encouraged our students to think further afield and inspired them to pursue their aspirations. Completed evaluations showed that over 90% of students enjoyed and benefitted from their ‘Futures Week’.

Keele University Language Visit For the seventh time, we have been able to take some of our Y8 students to Keele University to take part in the ‘Routes into Languages’ event. The event lasts all day with students taking part in a variety of taster lessons and events to gain an insight into different languages.

Once again, the event proved to be highly popular and successful!

Miss Rosbach Teacher of MFL

Sports News National Hockey Finals—Top Ten Teams in the Country!

Our U13 Girls Hockey team qualified for the ‘National Championship’ that took place on the 9th of May at Cannock Hockey Club. The girls won their first two games beating Felsted School 3—2 and Leeds Grammar School 1—0. We lost our third game against a strong team from Danes Hill School, Surrey. We needed to win our last game against Blundells Independent School, Devon. The girls played some fantastic hockey to secure a 3— 2 win! This win qualified us for the 3rd/4th place play-offs!

The play-off game was a hard fought contest against Brandeston Hall, Surrey but at the final whistle we were the winners with a 1—0 score line. That makes us third in the country!

Miss Craddock and Mr Chambers, teachers of PE said “We are so proud of our team and their incredible achievement at one of the highest levels of competition. Their hard work, fantastic attitude and skills have resulted in a record breaking achievement for them all! Well done!”

Cannock Schools and District Athletics Rounders' Success!

Overall Results June 2014 Our Y10 Boys Hockey Team represented Cannock and Rugeley in the recent ‘Staffordshire and Stoke Summer Festival’. The team played well and achieved third in the County! Fantastic result!

Meanwhile, our Y7 and Y8 Girls Rounders Team were also in action at the ‘Staffordshire and Stoke Schools Games Rounders Competition’ at Keele University.

The girls played to a high standard throughout and qualified for the Final, where they beat St. Josephs school 7—1 and were crowned Champions!

Trampolining Eight Kingsmead students qualified for the ‘County Trampoline Competition ‘at Trentham Gardens during May by winning the ‘District Competition’ last month.

Congratulations to the Intermediate Team: Lauren Dodd, Shannon Barber, Caitlin Cockayne and Jasmine Bradbury and to our Beginners Team: Lewis Byrne, Nicola Payne, Thea Benbow and Amellia Bowen.

Mrs Greenwood, teacher of PE said “The standard of competition was extremely high but our students rose to the challenge and performed extremely well with our Intermediate team being placed third and our beginners team finishing fourth. This was an exceptional achievement, as it was our first time in this level of competition.”

Y7 Girls—1st Y7 Boys—4th Y8 Girls—4th Y8 Boys—8th Y9 Girls—2nd Y9 Boys—1st Y10 & 11 Girls—3rd Y10 & 11 Boys—1st A number of students were selected to represent Cannock Schools in the County Championship.

Congratulations to: Oliver Butler—Triple and Long Jump Dylan Ottey—Discus and Javelin Daniel Robinson—High Jump and Discus Callum Warren—800m Tom Pearce 1500m Niall Hadlington—1500m Steven Thompson—Hurdles, 100m and Relay Jamie Greenwood—Javelin Matthew Horton—Shot Put Jack Mucklow—100m and 200m Dan Ozumba—100m and 200m Leah Aldred—100m, 200m and Relay Rachel Cumberledge—200m and Discuss

School Trips Belgian Battlefields Trip Y9 students took part in a highly successful trip in which they experienced the sights of the Belgian Battlefields.

Our tour departed on Thursday 3rd of July via Dover and we arrived at the hotel in time for our evening meal. Following a good nights sleep, a packed day lay ahead with visits to the ‘Lissentheok Military Cemetery’ and a three hour guided tour of the ‘Flanders Field Battlefields’. Following an evening meal at a local restaurant, we visited ‘The Menin Gate’ where students, following the ’Last Post’, laid wreaths. Saturdays excursions included ‘The Museum of the Great War’ in Peronne and ‘Delville Wood South African Memorial and Museum’. Our last visit of the tour was to the ‘Vimy Memorial and WW1 Trenches’ on Sunday before travelling home.

“All students were a real credit to themselves and the school.”

Miss A Thompson Teacher of Geography Geography Visit to the Dorset Coast Y12 students recently visited the Dorset Coast as part of their A Level Geography course. The purpose of the visit was to see at first hand the areas covered in the course and give a greater understanding of the subject.

The first stop of the day was the town of Dorchester for our ‘Rebranding Places’ unit.

We studied erosion, strata and rock formations as well as coastal management. It was interesting to see how the recent storms have affected the shoreline and what is being done to help the area. It was a short walk over the hill to ‘Lulworth Cove’. We were able to see for ourselves the rock features and formations. We visited ‘Chesil Beach’, where the destruction from the storms had exposed the ‘Gabions’.

These are cages of rocks used to stop waves from damaging the coast. In ‘Portland’, we looked at tourism and rebranding. We visited an old lighthouse, two quarries adapted into a rock sculpture park, a wildlife park and the Olympic Rings.

Students feedback showed they had found the visit useful, informative and beneficial to their A Level course.

Mrs Harrison School Governor Y12 Trip to Wolverhampton University During June, the Art Department and some Y12 students visited Wolverhampton University for A Level Art. The purpose of the visit was to inspire students to take Art at University and for students to experience Third Year Degree Shows.

The day began with us taking part in a ‘Ceramics Workshop’ delivered by a University student. We were shown a series of glazing techniques and given the opportunity to try them out! In the afternoon, we toured all the Third Year Degree Shows These included Fine Art, Fashion and Textiles, Graphics, Interior and Product Design, Animation and Ceramics.

Miss Pearce, teacher of Art said “The shows were truly inspired and opened the students mind to what was available to them after Sixth Form.”

School Trips Rome Trip Y10 History Visit to Quarry Bank Mill On a warm Friday morning, forty one very tired but excited Y10 students along with four members of staff returned from their week long, yet fantastic trip to Rome. The In June, over one hundred Y10 History students went on a visit to ‘Quarry tiredness and sore feet were a small price to pay for what had been a brilliant and Bank Mill’ in Cheshire. enjoyable week. On Monday, we departed for Liverpool airport at 1:30am. After Quarry Bank Mill was a textile mill going through customs, the EasyJet plane was boarded and we started our journey which first opened in 1784 and to ‘Naples’. As soon as we landed, we took the short coach journey to ‘Pompeii’, a remained in business until 1959. The site of an ancient Roman city that has been destroyed by ‘Mount Vesuvius’ erupting Mill was owned by the Greg family. in 79AD. We were taken on a thorough tour of the city visiting the original The focus of the visit was on students amphitheatre and shops, as well as seeing casts of the people who were there at the gaining an understanding of both the time. The weather unfortunately was not on our side, as thunder and lightning working and living conditions at began and continued on into the night. However, this did not stop the enthusiasm as ‘Quarry Bank Mill’. Students were given a guided tour around the mill we checked into our hotel in ‘Sorrento’, had dinner and then strolled into the idyllic and village, where many of the workers town for an ice cream. would have lived! The Mill was Tuesday morning, we headed to ‘Mount Vesuvius’ to start the climb to the top and pioneering both in terms of what it indulge in the stunning view over ‘Naples’. A small produced and how it treated its problem was encountered, as due to the weather there employees. Samuel Greg even employed a doctor to help look after had been a slight landslide making the summit his workers. inaccessible. However, the Italians appeared with Despite this, students were still shovels and a path was made for us all to climb! The shocked both at how loud the weather was glorious at this point with some spectacular machines were and that children as photos being taken at the top. We travelled to the city of young as nine worked there. They Rome in the afternoon and checked into the ‘Hotel Lazio’. After dinner, the decision quickly realised that two hundred was made to take a leisurely stroll to the ‘Vatican’, a mere 2.6 mile walk, followed years ago, they would have been by photo opportunities and then back to the hotel. On Wednesday, we caught the operating the machines! The tour guides complimented the students on metro to the ‘Colosseum’. The sheer size of the their engaging and inquisitive nature building was breath-taking and the tour was insightful throughout the visit. and interesting. This was followed by the Roman Commenting on the visit, one student Forum and a short walk to ‘The Trevi Fountain’. After said “I really enjoyed the visit, lunch, we visited ‘Castle Sant’ Angelo’, a fortress built especially the tour guide, as he gave as a mausoleum for the Emperor Hadrian in 130AD but us lots of good information about the also used as a prison and Papal residence. Following Mill that will help us with our more picture opportunities at the top, we returned to the hotel passing the Spanish coursework. He clearly explained and demonstrated the dangers that the steps. Early Thursday morning, everyone was packed and ready to return to England, apprentice children faced working in but not before a final day of sightseeing... first stop ‘Vatican City’. As we walked the mill, as well as showing us a through the exquisite grounds, Miss Hughes guided us through the impressive rooms typical apprentice house.” in the Vatican with her extensive knowledge and The trip was a huge success. Students finally though the ‘Sistine Chapel’, an awe-inspiring will use the information from the visit sight! A short stop in ‘St Peter’s Cathedral’ to complete a piece of controlled followed, admiring statues and some late Pope’s coursework about ‘Quarry Bank Mill’. lying in State. After lunch by the ‘Pantheon’ it was a short walk back to the hotel and then on to the coach for the drive back to airport.

The week was fantastic, interesting and simply brilliant. A special mention and thank you to Miss Hughes for organising the trip, Mr Madsen for his super directions, Mr Cole for getting us lost and Miss Baylay for her singing abilities! Also, the students must be commended for their fantastic behaviour and maturity throughout the trip.

Induction Days and Primary Liaison A welcome to our New Y7 students As we go to press, we are eagerly anticipating and preparing for the arrival of our new Y7 intake in September.

Certainly, if raw enthusiasm is anything to go by, the Y6 pupils who visited recently for our annual cycle of induction events, will be a real asset to our school in the years ahead.

On their ‘Induction Day’ visit, they all made a really good impression. They were eager to get to know all about Kingsmead, eager to engage with other pupils from other primary schools with evaluative comments such as ‘great’, ‘awesome’ and ‘can’t wait to come’. They were a real credit to their primary schools, their parents and most importantly—themselves!

A similar positive attitude was apparent on the ‘Primary Inter-Schools Sports Day’. This is a ‘fun afternoon’ aimed at gathering the pupils from our local primary feeder schools to begin to bond together as they participate in Olympian challenges such as the obstacle, potato and sack race—to name a few!

Finally, it was encouraging to see such a good turn out for our ‘Induction Parents Evening’ in early July. Parents were, as ever, very supportive and we were delighted to receive positive parental feedback regarding both the usefulness and effectiveness of the evening.

Mrs Ryder Senior Leader

Primary Cooking and Drama Lessons at Kingsmead Our Food Technology Department welcomed Y4 pupils from Five Ways this month.

Pupils used worksheets to create personalised biscuit designs before decorating their biscuits using a variety of ingredients including icing and sweets!

The results were amazing and all looked fabulous! Pupils took their biscuits home where we are sure they were thoroughly enjoyed!

Mrs Robins, Subject Leader for Home Economics said “The pupils designs showed a great amount of imagination and attention to detail. The pupils worked hard and were a pleasure to teach.”

Y5 pupils from St Peters also visited Mr Truby and our Drama Studio this month. Pupils created their own scripts and performed the pieces ’on stage’.

Mr Truby, teacher of Drama congratulated the pupils on their creativeness and fantastic performances. “They were a pleasure to watch. Stars of the future!”

Community Update Charity Balloon Release

Goodbye and Good Luck A number of staff are leaving us this summer including: Mr Skurr (started 1987)

Mr Firth (started 1990)

During the afternoon of Friday 10th July, Ms Evans and six members of Wimblebury House will be releasing balloons in aid of our six House Charities.

Staff, students and parents have contributed £5 per balloon and we are hoping for responses from far and wide.

Prizes will be awarded to the owners of the balloons that travel the furthest!

Watch this space!...

Kingsmead Links to German University

Mme Pullar (started 1993)

For three months, our Language Department has been lucky to have had the support of Alino Deserno, a student teacher from the ‘Bergische Universitat’ of Wuppertal in Germany.

Alina quickly settled in and has helped our students with their language learning. She is We wish all staff who are moving on well liked by our students and completed some great work with them. She will be an the very best in the future whether excellent teacher and we wish her all the best as she leaves us. in retirement or new roles.

We have only recently linked up with this German University We are looking forward to welcoming a number of staff who are joining us in September.

as I managed to enrol us on the ‘Erasmus’ programme last year. The link has been highly successful! We are looking forward to next year when we will welcome another student teacher!

Miss Rosbach Teacher of MFL

Community Partnership with Hednesford Town Football Club Our first project with our local Football Club started on Thursday 10th July. ‘Hednesford Town FC’ have commissioned our Y10 GCSE Art Students to produce work for their hospitality suite and grounds.

This is an exciting opportunity for students to take part in a live brief and to potentially have their art work on exhibition in the local community.

A visit has been arranged to the Football Club on Thursday 10th July.

Students will attend in two sessions. The purpose of the visit is to make observations, take photographs and gather information to use back in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to see the venue and the designated space for the final art works.

Steve Price, owner of the club, has also offered students concession tickets to attend a pre-season friendly match at the club on Saturday 19th July.

This will give students the opportunity to gain an improved understanding and the chance to experience the atmosphere whilst taking photographs and making drawings to include in their portfolio.

SCHOOL SUMMER HOLIDAYS Wednesdays—Littleton Green Thursdays—Cannock Park Fridays—Hednesford Park 3pm—6pm WEATHER PERMITTING

House Information Coppice House As the school year draws to a close, it is time for reflection; what a lot Coppice House has packed into their time at Kingsmead!

It all began in September when we welcomed our new Y7 students and I am so very proud of how well they have settled into the Kingsmead community. At the other end of the academic spectre, Coppice said goodbye to our Y13 students including Deputy Head Girl Amie Sleigh, who has done a sterling job representing both Kingsmead and Coppice House. Y11 began their study leave in earnest and rounded it off with a wonderful celebratory morning at their ’Leavers Assembly’. Amy Garraton, Jessica Dimmack, Jordan Gill and Rhiannon Hill all performed at this special event to make it a wonderful time to reflect on the last five years at Kingsmead. It was also a pleasure to see so many of Y11 in their finery at the annual ‘Prom’ at Chase Golf Club earlier this month.

Megan Ellis, a Y10 student has recently spent time in France pursuing a successful career in Boxing. She represents ‘Right Stuff Boxing Club’ in Stafford and has had a very successful year winning two competitions of late. Megan trains regularly as well as balancing her studies and is a great role model for Coppice. Well done Megan!

Y7 Danielle Anslow Molly Ashman Joe Ball Tegan Kirkham Rhiannan Pyke Y8 Joseph Banks Ewan Gullick Katie Jones Amy Langley Leo Slinger Y9 Katie Garraton Chloe Husselbee Libby Jones Grace Pike Daniel Skerman Courtney Wilson

Yet again, Y11 student Jessica Fowler has been selected to play for England against Sweden in the ‘Handball Championship’. This is a great honour and we wish Jessica all the best!

Congratulations to Joshua Tiernan and Maisie Cole, our newly appointed House Captains; Daniel Skerman and Abbie Duffin, Deputy House Captains; Community Representatives and Lead Prefects Ben Hawthorne and Lucy Wassell and our elected Prefects: Aiden Stone, Jordan Reay, Matthew Taylor, Molly Arrowsmith, Kayleigh Wright, Abbie Davidson, Sophie Freeman and Reece Shore.

Coppice house bid a fond farewell to two Tutors this year; Miss Archer and Mr Lakeland. We wish them every success in their new ventures and thank them for all their hard work in making Coppice such a wonderful team.

I shall miss them greatly.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Coppice staff and students a wonderful summer break and a well earned rest after another busy year.

Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’

Mrs J Davies Head of House

Y10 Ben Hawthorne Josh Tiernan Lucy Wassell Kayleigh Wright

House Information Hayes House It is hard to believe another academic year is coming to an end. I have found myself reflecting on the success and development of Hayes House students, particularly Y7 who have settled in extremely well. It only seems a very short time since they first started, but this week our new Y6 pupils arrived for their initial taste of Kingsmead life. It looks as though Hayes House has a strong intake of musicians, artists, actors and sports stars joining us this year. I look forward to welcoming them properly in September!

On the subject of sports stars, Rianne Martin in Y8 has recently been selected to play hockey at Midlands level and her ambition does not stop there. Rianne is looking ahead to September when the Nationals tournament takes place. I am confident her skill and determination will take her far in her chosen sport. She practices regularly, as well as working hard in her academic studies. She is a great role-model for Hayes! Well Done and Good Luck!

The time has come to bid farewell to our Y11 students, who have been true role models for the younger year groups in Hayes. Helena Pickerill and Luther Williamson have made very fine House Captains and have helped run the House Council throughout the year. Their presence and inspiration will be missed. Hayes House and Kingsmead wish them all the best for the future and thank them for their hard work and dedication.

Huge congratulations to Isabella Howe and Jamie Greenwood who have been selected as our House Captains. Sophie Hollyhead and Bradley Fisher will be representing Hayes as Deputy House Captains.

I would also like to give a special mention to Oliver Thacker, who has been selected as Lead Prefect after a fantastic application and interview. Our newly elected Prefects are: Jack Martin, Tom Johnson, Jacob Cartwright, Lewis Banks, Georgia Wilson, Adam Williams, Grace Hewitt, Leah Bodley and Tia Berry. I know you will all do a great job!

I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all Hayes staff and students for their hard work and enthusiasm. Have a fabulous summer holiday and a well deserved rest after a busy and at times challenging year.

I look forward to welcoming you all back in September ready for all the new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Mr P Bradbury Head of House

Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Daniel Dorkins Sarah Gray Chloe Pickerill Megan Renshaw Tayla Tudor Y8 Ben Marshall Rianne Martin Tia Whittingham Y9 Owen Baker Paige Collins Ella-May Greenfield Megenta Hiscock Sophie Hollyhead Mollie-Mae Hudson Amy Lynk Holly Mullen Tilly Smith Y10 Phoebe Brickley Jacob Cartwright Remi Flavell Jamie Greenwood Grace Hewitt Isabella Howe Heather Matthews Oliver Thacker Georgia Wilson

House Information Littleton House Well, here we are again at the end of another very successful year for Littleton House. We won the ‘Half Termly Cup’ for the first half of the summer term!

Hopefully, this will put us in a good position to retain the ‘House Cup’ again this year.

Assemblies

Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Anna Lycett Abigail Phipps Lara Tolley Morgan Upton

This term, rather than having assemblies presented by Tutor Groups, each House has taken it in turn to produce and show a ’Video Assembly’ based on their House Charity.

I would like to thank Hannah Baker, Caitlin Tsang, Lewis Byrne and Kieran Roberts for producing an excellent presentation providing information, video clips and photos about our charity ’Riding for the Disabled’.

Y8 Jude Hughes Nathan Kaczan Georgia Rose Sophie Tompkins

New Roles and Responsibilities

Y9 Hannah Baker Holly Butterfield Sarah Dickson Amie Heath Joshua Hobson Abigail Malcolm Louise Maunders Kieran Roberts Catlin Tsang Anna Woolridge

Since our Y11 students have left on study leave, we have been busy interviewing applicants for our vacant roles. Some tough decisions had to be made as there was some fantastic candidates. In the end, Lewis Byrne and Charlie Tittley were chosen as our House Captains and Kieran Roberts and Louise Maunders as our Deputy House Captains. Congratulations to you all!

We have also elected ten new Prefects from our current Y10, who have started well in their new role.

Well done to Sophie Wood, Amy Redfurn, Ronan Mitchell, Sophie Spearman, Gemma Parr, Chelsea Baker, Sasha Parkes, Chloe Brookes, James Taylor (CF) and James Taylor (KP).

Sports Day Sports Day was once again a highly contested Inter-House competition this year with Littleton finishing in 4th place. Huge congratulations to Y8 students who won their year group competition. Many thanks to all competitors, a great effort made by all!

Examinations I would like to wish all our students in Y10, Y11, Y12 and Y13 who have sat exams this term all the best when they collect their results in the summer holidays. I hope all the hard work you have put in pays off and you move one step closer to achieving your future goals.

Finally, to summarise, it has been a very rewarding and enjoyable year! I hope you all have a great summer and come back refreshed to start all over again in September.

See you then!

Mrs K Greenwood Head of House

Y10 Lewis Byrne Daisy Morrell Sophie Spearman James Taylor (KP) Charlie Tittley

House Information Uxbridge House Welcome to the last Uxbridge Newsletter of the academic year. Hasn’t it gone fast! It doesn’t seem two minutes since I was welcoming Y7 to Kingsmead and wishing Y11 the best of luck in their final GCSE year. Now Y7 are well rounded, confident students going into Y8 and Y11 have finished their final GCSE exams and had their Prom at Chase Golf Club.

Whilst many will return to Sixth Form, many have also flown the nest onto college courses, apprenticeships and employment. So, it begins again with Induction Days for new Y7 students. I welcome all Y6 and encourage them to enjoy the summer and not be fearful about starting Kingsmead. To quote an over-used cliché “as one door closes, another opens.” Starting Kingsmead opens a host of new opportunities, new experiences and new friends.

Since our last Newsletter, lots has happened at Kingsmead and more importantly in Uxbridge House. I am pleased to announce our newly elected House Captains are Charlie Walker and Natalya Bubalo and Deputy House Captains are Dylan Ottey and Heather Smith. To assist our House Captains, we have appointed a team of ten Y10 students to take up the role of Prefects.

Along with the badge to wear on their blazer, Prefects provide a pivotal role in demonstrating the high standards that are expected, not only of Uxbridge students but Kingsmead students on a whole.

Uxbridge Prefects 2014 - 2015

Luke De Lecq Le Montais U- RP

Chloe Gardner U-JG

Jacob Greatrix U-LP

Lauren Hylton U-AP

Fabian Smith U-AP

Owen Aldred U-AP

Fern Nelson U-TP

Jade Shirley U-FB

I previously mentioned our Y6 Induction Days and I would like to thank all my Tutors and House members for the range of tasks and activities they arranged. These included Icebreakers, board games and preparing for Sports Day. In the last twelve months, I am delighted to report we have raised just under £1,000 for our House Charity, ‘Midlands Air Ambulance’ and we are always looking for new fundraising ideas. We want to break the £1,000 barrier next year!

So, if you have any ideas or projects you think would help us do this, I would love to hear about them.

Finally, future students who are waiting to start their first day, I wish you a relaxing and enjoyable summer. Do not be nervous about joining us—be excited! Those students who are returning to Uxbridge after the summer holidays, have a good break, rest and come back even better than before. Those of you who have Mr M Cavanagh finished your time at Kingsmead, I wish you the best of luck in Head of House your future endeavours.

Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Rachel Harris Jordan Ketland Isobel Morson Luke Pilsbury Lily Walker Tom Walters Y8 Millie Bates Caitlin Briggs Carl Corns Bradley Harvey Jasmine Rainer Grace Round Molly Skelding Y9 Amy Beech Ryan Davies Arnut Hill Dylan Ottey Lauren Roberts Heather Smith Callum Warren Y10 Natalya Bubalo Luke De Lecq Le Montais Lauren Hylton Fern Nelson Joshua Taylor Charlie Walker Holly Woods

House Information Valley House Welcome to my final Valley House Newsletter for this year.

We have had a very successful year!

In last Newsletter, I mentioned the ‘Penny Wars’ charity event that took place at the end of March. We came second in the competition, being one of only two Houses to finish with more copper than silver in the jar at the end of the week! From one penny and two penny coins this is a fantastic amount raised for ‘Katharine House Hospice’. A big thank you to Luke Rowlands and Callum Scragg for giving up their free time to supervise the event all week.

During July, several students from Valley House met with the school Governors to receive a letter of congratulations in recognition of their achievement, attitude and contribution to school life during the year. Congratulations to: Lacey Stevens: For exceptional commitment to fund raising for Katharine House Hospice and after a highly successful year as Deputy House Captain. Appointed as House Captain.

Liam Allen: Outstanding attitude to learning and achievement and after a highly successful year as Deputy House Captain. Appointed as House Captain.

Daniel Robinson: Outstanding attitude to learning and achievement.

Sports and Form Rep. Appointed as Deputy House Captain.

Isobel Cummings: Outstanding attitude to learning and achievement Key Stage 3 School Council Rep. Appointed as Deputy House Captain.

Oliver Butler: Outstanding attitude to learning and achievement. Commitment to sporting activities both in and out of school.

Luke Rowlands: Exceptional and consistent effort with fundraising events for Katharine House Hospice.

Sophie Fillingham: Outstanding attitude to learning and achievement. Has taken part in a wide range of volunteer work in the community with the Cadets.

Louie Smith: Outstanding attitude to learning and achievement. Reaching the final of the ‘Bake Off’ competition. Elected as Sports Rep for his year group.

The following Y10 students have also been appointed as Prefects: Charlie Hill, Isabelle Rogers, Bethany O’Sullivan, Casey Jones, Elleshia Larner, Sophie Fillingham, Vicki Egan, Olivia Dakin, Hollie-Bea Martin and James Greenhill.

I am very proud of all our Valley House students and it was fantastic to see their hard work praised and recognised by the school governors. I am also confident that our new House Captains, Deputy Captains and Prefects possess the skills and determination to carry out their new roles successfully.

There has been much to look forward to at the end of this term including Sports Day, Y6 Induction Days, Y11 Prom and the end of year Achievement Assemblies—hopefully the House Cup will have purple ribbons attached to it!

In closing, I would like to thank all Valley House students for their hard work this year and wish them and their families a very happy and relaxing summer break.

Mr R Broomhall Head of House

Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’ Y7 Caitlin Cockayne Madison Griffiths Victoria Khyts Kieran Ramah Kyle Ramah Kezia Robinson Louie Smith Bethany Webb Y8 Jai Ramah Louise Smith Y9 Oliver Butler Isobel Cummings Hollie Davis Ellie Merricks Elisha Pearce Daniel Robinson Drew Roden Y10 Liam Allen Charlie Hill Casey Jones

House Information Wimblebury House Hello again! It has been another busy term for Wimblebury students. We began by saying goodbye to our wonderful Y11 students and wishing them all the best for their GCSE exams. I will be there to see the smiles on your faces on results day.

Following their departure, I had to appoint new Prefects and House Captains. I am pleased to announce our new House Captains are Kayleigh Ghent and Liam Pinson. Deputy House Captains; Joshua Lilly and Bethany Hayward and our Y10 Prefects; Tom Green, Aaron Barratt, Millie Rogers, Kate Baldwin, Sophie Nutting, Katie Stansbie, Laura Allsop, Shania Wright, Bethany Vassiere and Heidi Jennings.

The newly appointed Charity House Representatives have been working very hard and have successfully arranged our whole school charity event ‘The Kingsmead Balloon Race’.

Congratulations to Niall Toolan Y8, who will be meeting HRH Princess Ann in the near future as he is the senior member of the ‘Junior Sailing Club’ committee at ‘South Staffs Gailey Sailing Club’. He will perform some of his enviable sailing skills before meeting HRH.

Y7 Jeeven Bahia Holly Barfield Becky Heseltine Callum Jennings Ronan Lilly Y8 Sharanjeet Bassi Alethea Buck Isobel Copland Josh Holdcroft Megan Nicholson Lewis Powell James Robson Y9 Bethany Hayward Simran Kaur Emily Watson

I would also like to make a special mention of several Wimblebury students who have notably made a huge effort to improve their ‘Attitude to Learning’ this year and have successfully turned their school experience into a positive one. You should be very proud!

Y10 Kayleigh Ghent Heidi Jennings Scarlett Oakes Sam Perry Liam Pinson

All Wimblebury staff and students are very excited about meeting our new Y7 intake in September and welcoming them to our team. On behalf of us all I wish you a fantastic summer break.

And last... but by no means least, after a few years of trying…

‘WE WON THE SPORTS DAY CUP!’

Congratulations to all competitors who performed exceptionally well. Y7 and Y9 students also won their year group competition!

Students with consistently high ‘Attitude to Learning’

Miss A Evans Head of House

Future Events Wednesday 10th September Y12 Welcome Evening Wednesday 24th September Y11 Partnership Evening

Contact information Kingsmead School Kings Avenue Hednesford Cannock Staffs WS12 1DH

Friday 26th September Y7 & Y8 Photographs Thursday 2nd October Open Evening Friday 3rd October Staff Training Day Tuesday 7th October Y10 Partnership Evening Thursday 16th October Y7 Partnership Evening Thursday 23rd October Festival of Achievement Wednesday 5th November Y9 & Y10 Photographs

01543 512455

Tuesday 11th November Y8 Partnership Evening

office@kingsmead.staffs.sch.uk

Tuesday 20th November Sixth Form Information Evening

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

Thursday 11th December Y12 Parents Evening