SIXTH SENSE
WINTER EDITION
SOUTH SEFTON 6TH FORM COLLEGE WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
TERM DATES FOR 2011 JANUARY 2011 Monday 3 January – Bank Holiday - College Closed rd
Tuesday 4th January – Term Starts AS and A2 Exams FEBRUARY 2011 Monday 14 to Friday 18th February – Half Term Break (1 Week) th
MARCH 2011 APRIL 2011 Friday April 1st – Term Ends. Monday 4th to Friday 15th April – Easter Break (2 Weeks) Friday 22nd April – Good Friday – College Closed. Monday 25th April – Easter Monday – College Closed. Friday 29th April - Royal Wedding - College Closed. MAY 2011 Monday 2 May – Bank Holiday – College Closed nd
Friday 27th May – Year 13 Study Leave Begins Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June – Half Term Break (1 Week) JUNE 2011 Thursday 30 June - Year 13 Leavers Ball th
AS and A2 Exams JULY 2011 Friday 1 July – New Student Taster day. st
Friday 15th July – Term Ends August 2011 Thursday 18 August – A level Results – A2 Enrolment th
Thursday 25th August – GCSE Results - AS Enrolment
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
WELCOME Welcome to this term’s edition of Sixth Sense, our very own college magazine. It has been a busy and successful year so far for the college with a new Year 12 starting in September and our Year 13 moving on to their A2 courses and applying to university. We ended the summer term with our first foreign language trip to Paris; a quest to gain Fair Trade status for the college; the all important AS exams and our end of term celebration day that included life size table football, a barbeque and college staff and student bands performing harmoniously! This edition of Sixth Sense captures a number of the se stories from the end of Year 12 whilst keeping all our readers bang up to date with current initiatives and developments at the college. Happy reading and very best wishes for a peaceful Christmas Holiday and happy new year from us all at South Sefton Sixth Form College.
Computers for Ukraine This year, South Sefton student, Daryna Plysak, launched her own initiative to send computers to her old home town of Volodymyr Volynski , in the Ukraine. Moved by the poverty and disadvantage she witnessed
there, she wanted to supply her former school with laptops. It is hard to imagine that there are still parts of the world where a laptop is a novelty, but when Daryna’s mother took her old laptop as a gift to a local family the event was reported in the local newspaper. Daryna appealed to our students to donate their old laptops and also raised money through cake sales to pay for their postage. So far three have been sent and we are building close links with the local high school in Volodymyr
Volynski. The initiative began as part of Daryna’s Extended Project A Level with her goal initially to raise awareness of the Ukraine with our students and build closer links between our college and the local school, Volodymyr Volynski. Already Daryna has achieved far more than this and we are hoping that our link with the High School in Volodymyr Volynski will help us build close ties with this culturally and historically rich, though relatively still unknown, part of the world.
Power to the People With students at the heart of all we do at South Sefton Sixth Form College, it is great to see the college council going from strength to strength. The council, chaired by Y13 student, Lauren O’Neil, works closely with the Vice Principal, Ian Seddon, to ensure the student voice is heard loud and clear across the college. We concluded our first year of the college being open with our students running an end of term celebration that included live music, a barbecue, a games’ tournament, basketball and 5 a side football, and life-size, table-top football!! A final day celebration to remember!! This year the council are busy planning the Y13 Leavers Ball, and working closely with the Thumb Print Cafe to ensure the food served caters to all our students’ needs. In February the council plan to hold our own “South Sefton’s Got Talent” with a little X Factor so watch this space for further details, a night to remember for sure! Finally our students have recently voted for two of their peers to be their representatives as Student Governors on the college’s Governing Body. A big well done to Y13 Student Leonie Kavanagh and Y12 student Josh Griffiths, who were voted into post to represent the views of students on the governing body of the college. [4]
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
College Sets Sight On Fairtrade status Spearheaded by a group of our own students as part of their enrichment programme, the college is well on its way to gaining official fair trade status. Fairtrade is an organisation that actively campaigns to ensure farmers from poorer parts of the world receive a fair price for their crops, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for all involved. Year 13 student, Kayleigh Nelson Everett is spearheading the initiative, working closely with our college chaplain, Alison Benson. The aim is to integrate fair-trade into our daily lives at the college, from the food we purchase to the coffee available in the staffroom!
Kayleigh is clear about why the college should be involved in this initiative and so gain fair-trade status. It is her belief that we should seek out and establish community links, promote ethical trade and responsible buying and raise awareness of Fairtrade. The world may not be fair but we can all do our part to make it a little fairer and the college, staff and students, are right behind this initiative.
Health Matters Keeping Our Students Safe
She is able to offer advice and guidance and sign post students to other agencies who can help if she cannot.
With students at the heart of all we do, the college is keen to promote good health and safeguard the well being of all its young people. With this in mind we have a number of key initiatives to help our students remain healthy, in body and mind. The college has a nurse on site every Wednesday afternoon who offers a free drop in service for our students.
This term we are delighted to offer our students the support of a counsellor who is available to help young people work their way through whatever challenges they may be facing from exam stress to concerns about their future. As with all counsellors the service is confidential but such confidentiality can only be kept as long as the young person is not at risk themselves. The counsellor can be contacted through either referral or email and ordinarily is able to offer an
appointment far sooner than referral through a GP. This term also saw our Y12 Health and Social Care students run a Health Campaign Day raising awareness on a number of issues from mental health to safer drinking. The stalls staffed by our students were attractive and well resourced and many of our young people visited throughout the day, learning sound health advice from their fellow students. Please note that all policies relating to Safeguarding, Child Protection and student wellbeing will be available on the college website in the new year.
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
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ENRICHMENT Something for Everyone Enrichment goes straight to the heart of what South Sefton Sixth Form College is all about, a place where every learner has the chance to fulfil their potential, and extend their range of skills and experience beyond the curriculum, and so compete with the best. Our enrichment programme runs Wednesday Afternoons in college and involves all our students. The list of opportunities is incredible, quite literally from Duke of Edinburgh to knitting, but more of that later. Some of our students undertake the same enrichment for the year, while others change, term to term. Whatever they undertake the afternoon is hugely popular and many students have written about their activities in applying to university. The range of opportunities is so comprehensive that there really is something for everyone. Whatever students want to do, from First Aid, to jamming with the soul band; learning to sail on Crosby Marina or be the next Alan Sugar through taking part in Young Enterprise, opportunities abound! A case in point this year is the popular knitting class. Introduced to both develop students’ craft skills as well as their manual dexterity, the idea is to help those who are applying for courses such as dentistry and medicine, allowing them to show they can handle equipment with confidence. As charity focused as the college is, the group has been knitting squares which are then shipped to Africa to be sewn together to make blankets for orphans. For more details of this most worthwhile cause visit http://www.knit-a-square.com From make do and mend to five-a-side, there really is something to suit everyone. If you have any ideas of additional opportunities we could offer our students do not hesitate to contact the college and let us know your ideas.
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WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
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Bon Voyage! Grey skies and heavy rain failed to dampen the spirits of a group of students as they set off for a short visit to Paris, with a view to consolidating their language skills developed throughout their AS course, furthering their knowledge of the “Ile de France” region, studied at A2, and of course, spending some time in one of the world’s most beautiful and remarkable cities. Indeed, the grey skies of Liverpool felt very far away, as we awoke the next morning to sunshine and croissants! The short stay was jam-packed, as students walked the length and breadth of Paris, visiting major attractions, from the Tour Eiffel to Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame de Paris, the Seine, the Louvre and even finding time for a stroll along the Champs Elysées. Students even experienced the delights of French cuisine, sampling some delicious escargot à l’ail (snails!!) in a Parisian restaurant. It was a wonderful experience for our students, who thoroughly immersed themselves in all activities and proved to be exemplary ambassadors for South Sefton. À l’année prochaine...!
Geography Field Trip Already a firm part of the college calendar, South Sefton’s geographers again visited Castle Head Field Study Centre in Cumbria for two nights, just before half term. The first day was spent carrying out a village study; investigating two villages - one outside and one inside the National Park - in order to study the differences in services on offer. The first village featured one of the biggest bike shops in Europe, conducting most of its business on the internet, quite unexpected in a village so small. The second day students spent in Kendal and other sites further upriver, studying a surprising range of flood prevention schemes. [8]
The next morning, before returning to college, an all-out assault was launched on an unsuspecting Kendal in order to determine peoples’ perceptions of the flood hazard. Some amazing and original charm offensives were employed all in the cause of conducting questionnaires. One notable contributor was the Mayor of Kendal who was stopped by students as he entered his council chambers in the arctic conditions. So impressive was the interview that it was filmed by the local tourist board!!
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
The Scales of Justice This November, 45 members of ‘Team Law’ braved the winter winds of Liverpool to attend a Crown Court Sitting. After passing through airport style security students knew that they were in for an interesting day, with cases ranging from murder to assault; fraud to intimidation; supply of class A drugs to possession of a weapon and affray, amongst some of the cases. A group of eager ‘Lawyers to be’ headed up to the courts with fingers crossed that His Honour, Judge Roberts QC, would once again take the time out of his busy schedule to talk to them about his career as a senior Judge. As ever, His Honour was only too pleased to talk ‘Team Law’ through his career, his usual day, and the most challenging cases he has had to deal with in his distinguished career On the 5th floor of the QE II Law Courts, students were able to experience a murder trial in action and to see the devastating effects of crime upon all those concerned. Seeing law in action brings to life cases studied in class and suddenly makes the academic very real! An excellent day was had by all, with many future career choices made, and as ever ‘Team Law’ were a credit to the college!
Happy Halloween Dress to Impress
Never keen to miss a chance to celebrate, South Sefton College Council transformed the college on the last Friday of the half term into a cob webbed cavern of ghouls and giant spiders. Many students chose to dress up for the day, from fiendish clowns to corpse like vampires. But the day was all for a good cause, to raise money for two charities, one in aid of the Pakistan Flood Appeal and the other for ongoing research into breast cancer. As ever the students and staff of South Sefton Sixth Form College were generous in their donations and over £300 was raised from the day.
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
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Little Shop of Horrors One of the stars of the our first ever drama production at the College, gave the whole experience a big thumbs up. Robyn Nevin, who played Audrey in the “The Little Shop of Horrors” spoke glowingly of the whole theatrical process of staging this musical for the first time. “We were in rehearsal from January. It may seem like a long time, but the college only opened in September and we were starting from scratch. There were a lot of changes to the cast, because of A level pressure, and in the end it became a staff/student production. The college atrium, where the
play was staged, proved ideal for drama. The plot concerned a man-eating plant and I’m afraid my character is eaten, although I must stress it was is a comedy!” The play is another product of our enrichment programme. The initiative offers a wide range of opportunities for students from volunteering to sporting activities, with the performing arts section proving one of the most popular.
week. It was really enjoyable it and we are looking forward to doing another production next year.”
Little Shop of Horrors played to packed houses on each night, with standing room only, and was a huge success. “I think the atrium would have been full if we had put it on for a
From Page to Stage The thrill of live performance is something that is hard to beat and already this term our students have seen some of the best plays to be staged in the region. Students were fortunate enough recently to see Kim Caterall, of Sex and the City fame, star in the well reviewed Liverpool Empire production of Shakespeare’s, Antony and Cleopatra. Closer to home students saw the ever popular Blood Brothers starring ex Spice Girl Mel C who gave a stunning performance in this classic tale of two brothers seperated at birth. As well as these two classic plays, students also travelled to Bolton to see a stirring production of Tennessee William’s, A Street Car Named Desire and to Manchester for the Royal Exchange’s ground breaking production of Marlowe’s, Dr Faustus. Studying a play in class is one thing but seeing it performed truly brings the words on the page to life and makes for an unforgettable experience.
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WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
Give, Give, Give This term has seen a number of charitable events at the college spearheaded by the college’s enrichment charities’ group and the College sixth form council. The charities group led the college in its response to the devastating events in Pakistan in the wake of the recent floods, with a tube appeal for the sweet toothed! Each tutor group was provided with a tube of sweets which were then bought by students and the missing sweets in the tube replaced with money. Sweet and simple, the fundraiser brought in over £200 in aid of those suffering in Pakistan. The Sixth Form Council spearheaded our Halloween celebrations with fancy dress and a cake sale which again raised over £300 for the Pakistan Flood Appeal and Breast Cancer. Already a key feature of the college fund raising calendar, students have been busy in the last few weeks filling their shoeboxes to be sent as Christmas gifts to the less fortunate in deprived parts of the world, from Eastern Europe to Africa. Each tutor group takes responsibility for two shoe boxes, one for a boy and one for a girl, filled with an array of gifts from crayons to skipping ropes, socks to soap; simple enough presents but ones that will transform the Christmases of those children who receive them. As ever our students responded with generosity and kindness and at the end of November, 96 shoeboxes were ready for collection. Without a doubt, at a time when many of us are being ever more careful with our money, the students, parents and staff of South Sefton Sixth Form College care and want to make a difference!
The Future Looks Bright Now in to our second year, it is that time when our year 13 students are busy planning their next step in life, be that applying for university, employment or other training. Students apply to a maximum of five universities and the majority of our students are applying for a wide range of courses. We have young people applying to be dentists, doctors, veterinary scientists, midwives and teachers. Students are applying for courses from Criminology to History, Spanish
and French to English and Marketing.
their own reference in support of each student’s application.
With over 50,000 courses to apply for, making the right choice can often be mind boggling but our students are not on their own. We begin to look at the options after college in the February of Y12 with Next Step 1, followed by a day at Liverpool University in the May and Next Step 2, in July. All of our tutors are geared up to support their students in applying on line for university, writing their personal statement and writing
This is a wonderful time to see our first year intake, looking ahead to university and applying to universities from Oxford and Cambridge to Liverpool, Bristol and Durham. Those students not applying will also be supported in applying for further training and employment. Every individual matters at South Sefton and it is with great pride we support our students in moving forward and making their place in the world.
WHERE ASPIRATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
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Match of the Day Both the A and B football teams have impressed all this year with some dynamic playing. The A team are now starting to turn draws into wins and to show the same fantastic form with which they ended last season. Hot on their heels, the football B team have been in outstanding form from the start of the season winning all but one game, putting them top of the league! Hopefully their performances will continue in the same vein, placing them in a great position to better their semi-final place they secured last season. Basketball has been extremely popular this term and coached by Samantha Kilroy our team won their first ever game against local college, Hugh Baird. The basketball team are now involved in a local league, playing weekly games against other colleges and sixth forms and as ever are focussed on victory. The college rugby team has built on last year’s promising start, now competing in local tournaments. The players have formed a strong team through hard work and motivation which has seen even inexperienced first timers develop into great players and solid team members. Finally, netball has been well attended and the players are improving each week, building a formidable team ready to play competitively. Indeed our teams at South Sefton are ready to take on the world!
Hopefully Sixth Sense has given you just an insight of what goes on at South Sefton Sixth Form College. We always welcome the views of parents and carers and can be contacted by email at admin@sssfc.ac.uk or by telephone on 0151 288 6300. You may have an idea for enrichment, a contact we could use for work experience or simply want to share your views. Whatever the reason we would be delighted to hear from you!