JUNE 2013 Message from the Head Teacher From Oxford, via Bartley Green Reservoir, to meeting someone who works with UNICEF in Jamaica: we pride ourselves on exposing Kingsbury students to a breadth of learning experiences. This newsletter includes examples of the many varied learning opportunities our students have taken part in this month. With a strong focus on ensuring students are making good and outstanding progress, we also know it is important to have a breadth of experiences in order to prepare for adult life. For those students joining us in Year 7 this September, their learning journey starts in July. We are running a two week Summer School during the first two weeks of the holidays. For more information, contact school reception. Ms C O’Driscoll, Head Teacher
Birmingham Walk for Kids 2013 By Dylan O‘Keeffe, Year 11 th The Walk for Kids took place on the Sunday 19 May. 15 of us started at 9am and finished not long before 6pm, taking us 9 hours to walk the full 26 miles. The walk started really well and we were all really energetic and looking forward to it, but once we had hit 10 miles, we became tired and the pain started to hit us. Our feet began to ache and the sun began to blaze down on us causing sun burn amongst most of us. The pain we were in was immense but we knew we had to carry on. Although the sun was blazing and the pain was unbearable, we knew we couldn‘t give up. The people we were walking for were suffering a lot worse than us; I‘m sure walking 26 miles wouldn‘t be half as much pain as what it must feel like for someone who is suffering from leukaemia. Throughout the whole of the Birmingham Walk for Kids, the walkers managed to raise an outstanding £302,009 which was a fantastic effort from everyone involved.
Dates for your diary nd
Tue 2 July nd Tue 2 July Wed 3rd July Fri 12th July Fri 19th July nd Mon 22 Jul nd Fri 2 Aug
5pm Parents‘ Forum* New Year 7 parents‘ evening Induction for new Year 7 Sports Day Summer Holidays begin New Year 7 Summer School
*Contact Mrs Jakszta for information
Well Done: Corey, Wiktoria, Dylan, Aishah, Layla, Hana and Aneesa
STOP PRESS (Over 16‘s) Youth Jobs Fair. Friday 5th July. 10am-3pm. Birmingham Metropolitan College. Matthew Boulton Campus. Jennens Rd. B4 7PS. Real jobs, Apprenticeships, Further study, training, self-employment help and advice.
Maths Revision The Maths Faculty held three successful Maths revision workshops over half term. Over 40 Year 11 students attended and were committed to achieve or exceed their target grade. It was great to see students aiming higher to achieve their personal goals, as these comments demonstrate: ―I‘m now starting to enjoy Maths; I have high expectations for myself‖ ―College asked for an A in Maths. Maths revision has boosted my confidence. Now, I am aiming to achieve an A*!‖ Many thanks to the Maths team: Mr Choudhury, Miss Woodward, Mr Thompson and Miss Ashmore for giving up these days during their holiday. Good luck to all students in Year 11 in your final GCSE Maths result. Mr Shergill Kingsbury School and Sports College, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE Phone: 0121 373 1080 Fax: 0121 306 4878 Web: www.kingsbury.bham.sch.uk
E-mail: enquiry@kingsbury.bham.sch.uk t: @KingsburySSC
Sports Awards 2013 An audience of over 160 guests attended our Annual Sports Awards evening in May. Students received awards for recognition in school PE, team of the year and outstanding progress in examination PE, amongst many other categories. Once again we had fantastic support from parents who joined us to recognise our students‘ commitment and enthusiasm for school sport. Our guest of honour was local Paralympian footballer Darren Harris, who represented the UK in London 2012, as well as at previous Games in Judo. Darren gave a truly inspirational speech, and one audience member said it made her feel very proud of all our British athletes. Amongst the many awards were: Sports Leaders: Destiny Reuter, Abigail Pritchard, Omar Schrouder and Remel Cockett. Key Stage 3 Team Award: Year 7 Football team, Key Stage 4 Team award: Table Tennis team. The prestigious awards of Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year were presented to Lee Simmonds and Jessica Preece. May I take this opportunity to thank all of those involved in the preparation for the evening and all the support from parents, carers and governors, and of course a huge congratulations to all those who received an award. The event was a huge success. Well done and good luck for next year! Miss Walters
The winners with staff and Guest of Honour Darren Harris. Photo courtesy of Tyburn Mail
New Year 7 Transition from primary to secondary school is one of the biggest changes that children will experience. Year 7 Achievement team Mr Brotherton and Mrs Hitchins have been busy visiting local primary schools, to support the transition process. The Student Leadership Team and some Year 8 students have also been speaking to Year 6, answering questions or concerns they may have about what will happen in September. For any new Year 7 students or parents reading this newsletter, we look forward to meeting you at the Induction events and Summer School (dates on the front page). If you are still worried about starting at Kingsbury, Year 8 student Asiya Mulla (pictured) has the following advice: ―Before I started at Kingsbury I was worried about getting lost and being late for lessons. I went to the Summer School which was really fun and helped me make friends and get to know my form tutor. When I started in September, if I was unsure about anything I just had to ask and everyone was helpful. I feel happy and confident now. I would say to anyone that there‘s really nothing to worry about, there‘s always someone who can help you and you soon settle in.‖ Mrs Hitchins
UNICEF Education expert visits Kingsbury nd
On 22 May we welcomed Dr Kenneth Russell from UNICEF Jamaica, who are working with the Jamaican Ministry of Education as they seek to strengthen their education system. Dr Russell spent the day visiting students and staff to find out how UK schools such as Kingsbury have been successful in raising standards. He observed classroom management and teaching practices, looked at how the school develops literacy through all subjects, leadership development, behaviour management, student assessment, attendance management and how we work with parents. Dr Russell will report his findings back to UNICEF to inform their work in Jamaica. ―It was a very informative visit.‖ he said: ―I learned valuable lessons that will influence my work in education. In particular, the time spent with Student Leaders was very rich and informative; they are a very capable group. I would like to thank Kingsbury School and Sports College for welcoming me to their school. everyone was cordial and made me feel welcome.‖ Mr Moore (Pictured, Dr Russell chats to Year 8 students Christopher Perkins and Said Pacha)
Lead Learners on Tour Year 10 English Lead Learners visited Birches Green Junior School to perform a play that they had written themselves, as part of World Book Day.
This month we interview Mrs Jennings What is your job role at Kingsbury and how long have you been here? I have been here six years, as Lead Practitioner in ICT and Enterprise. I teach ICT, Business and French. I introduced the Business course and Young Enterprise into Kingsbury, and now I am also the STEM coordinator. Working with other staff, I arrange activities and programmes to develop skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths across the school. Tell us about your journey to becoming a teacher I studied Business at university, specialising in transport and gaining a BA (hons) degree. I worked in logistics in the transport industry for a few years, eventually working for an international company as ICT coordinator and organising transport to France, which involved extensive ICT skills as well as speaking in French. I was also a member of the Territorial Army, again in logistics, for 6 years. In 2002 I was commissioned as an Officer at Sandhurst. During this time I realised that the aspects I enjoyed most about my jobs could be better suited to teaching. My sister was a teacher and seeing her love for the job I decided to change careers and trained as a teacher in Business and ICT at Wolverhampton University. Following placements and teaching roles in the Black Country, I came to Kingsbury in 2007 on promotion. What do you enjoy about your job? I love seeing students succeed, especially those who didn‘t believe they could succeed, but with hard work have been able to achieve and exceed their targets. I enjoy trying new things, and always striving, with students, for continuous improvement. I am taking part in an Outstanding Teacher programme which will help develop my skills as a teacher.
Year 4 were treated to a performance of ‗The Quest for the Cake‘ where a baker travelled through the Kingdom in search of the ingredients he needed to bake an amazing cake for the King. Along the way he encountered challenges from different characters including a squirrel, a talking tree and a troll. With the help of the pupils, the baker answered all questions correctly to successfully make the special present for the King. Dylan O‘Keefe‘s interview with the audience can be heard on KS Radio. See below for how to access it. The children thoroughly enjoyed the play, making comments such as: ―I liked the talking tree with the apples!‖ and ―The squirrel made me laugh the most!‖ Furthermore, the class demanded that the Lead Learners returned with a new play in the very near future! Well done to all the Lead Learners involved in this special day. Mr Smith and Mrs Bowley
Needs YOU! Run by students, for students
Do you have a passion for speaking? Want to share your own thoughts? Interested in media? KSRadio is looking for students to host their own radio show. Your show could be about anything: news, gossip, celebrity, performing a radio play, sports, film reviews...the list is endless! Why not follow KSRadio on Twitter: @KSRadio84 or listen to previous broadcasts via our app. Just visit http://myapp.is/KSRadio and download the app to your smartphone. It has all the latest news, a twitter feed, a gallery and details of current vacancies including Head of Sport and Head of News. For more information, speak to Mr Smith or Mr Sturk. Full training will be provided.
What are your interests outside school? Well I am a busy working mum of a four year old so that keeps me pretty busy. We enjoy family camping holidays. I enjoy keeping fit and am a qualified Zumba instructor! Finally, what advice do you have for our students? The most important thing is to believe in yourself. If you focus, and do your best, you WILL SUCCEED. It is also very important to take part in activities outside school hours. In today‘s competitive environment, students need to stand out. Whether it is in applying for a job, an apprenticeship, college or 6th form, interviewers will always ask about interests and hobbies, as these can demonstrate a range of skills such as leadership, teamwork or problem solving.
Why not try STEM Club after school on Wednesdays? For more information come and see me!
Thank You Sainsbury’s Mr Stapleton appreciates the donation of flower bulbs and seeds from Mrs Hyland at Sainsburys Castle Vale. Included in the pack are some ‗bee friendly‘ flower seeds, so we will be able to do our bit to help local wildlife as well as brighten up our environment. Mrs Rose
Gifted and Talented News
New Corridor Rules
Oxford visit
After discussion with teachers and the School Council, a new one way system has been introduced which means corridors will be less crowded and students can move to their classrooms quicker. Year 8 held a ‗corridor competition‘ last term, with the aim of spreading awareness ahead of the new system being implemented. The finals were held in the end of term awards assembly, with each form presenting the rules in the form of a rap, play or song. The winners were 8N with an amazing musical performance. Well done also to runners up 8I and 8K who performed raps. Miss Pearson.
On 14th June, 30 Year 11 students visited Keble College in Oxford. Students were inspired by visits to the medical sciences department where they studied a human brain, and the great halls and buildings of this historic place. ―The trip to Oxford inspired me in so many ways‖ said Natasha Wykes, whilst Harkamal Gill said it was ―a real eye-opener.‖ Rebekah Lott said the trip inspired her to work even harder so that she may get to study there one day. All students came away from the trip having learnt more about higher education pathways and motivated to work even harder on their GCSE‘s.
Sailing Master class 6 KSSC students attended the North Area Network Sailing Master class at Bartley Green reservoir on 25/26 May, along with students from other schools. Students had an amazing time, not only achieving their target grade or above towards their PE GCSE, but also gaining a RYA Level 1 Sailing Qualification. Jack Smith said: ―It was an experience which most people don‘t get; I got a sailing qualification as well as an A grade over the weekend.‖ Omar Schrouder added: ―It was a fantastic experience and something I will never forget. Working with other schools also improved our teamwork and communication skills, and if I had the chance to do it again I definitely would!‖ Well done to Omar, Jack, Daniel, Nelly, Salma and Ellen.
Future Network events: 20th June - Come Dine with Me Final at UCB 21st June - Dayle Demaret Smith and Raheel Mohammed will be playing at a musical showcase at SS Mary and John primary school. 3rd July - Year 10 Drama Day at Arthur Terry School 5th July - Year 8/9 Ikon Gallery visit 13th July – Year 8 Poet Laureate event, Great Barr School 16th July – Year 10 Enterprise through Inspirational Technology, North Birmingham Academy Miss Millward
A summer of cycling The Leisure Centre has a whole range of cycling activities on offer during the summer holidays, for teenagers, families, young children, and parents. These include: Bikeability, Learn to ride, Ditch the Stabilisers, bike maintenance and more. Many sessions are completely FREE, and others carry a small charge. For more details please contact the Leisure Centre on 0121 306 4874 or visit the Community section of the school website: www.kingsbury.bham.sch.uk Miss Stevens
MIDLAND SOCCER COACHING Mon 29th July - Fri 2nd August 10am—3pm With Paul Devlin Ex Scottish International & Premier League Player Cost: £50 (half price £25 for second or subsequent brother and sister) which covers referees, trophies, certificates and many other awards presented. All are guaranteed to receive at least one engraved trophy and certificate. To book, contact the coordinator on 07583 912703
LOST PROPERTY should be collected from Student Reception before the end of term. Any remaining items will be disposed of during the summer holidays. Mrs Gilchrist
Can YOU help create the next generation of entrepreneurs? Through Young Enterprise school programmes, students get to set up their own business and learn skills which employers value. At Kingsbury we have seen several entrepreneurs in the making! Can you spare some time to help as a Business Advisor mentoring students? Full training and support is provided. For more information, contact Sanjay at Young Enterprise via email: sanjay@tlmsearch.com or call 07729 116102
@KingsburySSC