The Rockwood Standard

The

Rockwood Standard

EQUALITY

C O R E

LOVE RESPECT The Newsletter of Rockwood Academy 1st Edition December 2016

CONTENTS

01 Section 1 Principal’s Message

02 - 03 Section 2 Years 7 & 8 04 - 05 Section 3 Years 9 & 10 06 - 07 Section 4 Year 11

08 Section 5 Curriculum Updates

09 Section 6 In Other News

10 Section 7 Message from Head Boy & Head Girl

Rockwood Academy

Cover design by Ayesha Sadiqah, Form - 7E

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PRINCIPAL DEAR STUDENTS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY, It is with great delight that I write my very first welcome to the first edition of the Rockwood termly newsletter, the Rockwood Standard. I am extremely proud of all the amazing achievements of the students and staff at Rockwood. I am sure that you will agree with me that their hard work and successes need to be cascaded so that we as a community can collectively celebrate these wonderful accomplishments.

The start of this new academic year has seamlessly built on the tremendous success we experienced in our first year as Rockwood Academy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank students and parents for their continued support, which is invaluable to our success.

Please enjoy our newsletter, and I already look forward to our second edition, which will be equally full of good news stories.

Best wishes, Mr F Choudhury Principal

Section 1

01

YEARS 7 & 8 DIRECTOR OF LEARNING MESSAGE TO YEAR 7 It’s been a fantastic start to the academic year and our new Year 7 students have started Rockwood with a bang! They have shown great character and scholarship in everything they are doing. Our students have embraced the change from primary school to secondary school and are starting to show high standards and expectations.

All students come to Rockwood every day prepared and ready to learn. This is shown in their attendance figures for this term, their immaculate uniform and being equipped with the correct equipment and resources for every lesson. I am fortunate and excited to be on this special journey with these students. Mr A Nore

MESSAGE TO YEAR 8 It has been a very exciting start to the term for all of our Year 8 students.

Attendance within this year group has been a particular stand out feature. A large selection of students have been recruited to our Cadet unit within school and were fortunate to meet the Defence Secretary who personally presented each student with their berets. This is an important year for every student as they will begin to decide their GCSE options for Year 9 and many students I have spoken to have taken ownership, control and responsibility with regards to where they want to pursue their passions. It’s a privilege to be with students who have such high levels of maturity. Mr A Nore

SUCCESSES YEAR 7 POSTCARD COMPETITION During the Year 7 open evening, the Principal personally launched a postcard competition to all Year 7 students. During the summer holidays, students had to design a postcard which would be used as an actual praise postcard that would be sent home to students. The lucky winner would also be presented with a bike of their choice presented to them by the Principal himself. Isa Uddin in 70 was the lucky winner with his excellent design and this was announced in our weekly Year 7 assembly. This design was voted by the students from a shortlist of five designs.

Talking to Isa about his design, he said, “My design is all about multi culturalism: people from all faiths and backgrounds coming together.” Well done Isa and we hope you enjoy your bike.

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Section 2

EVENTS YEAR 7 & 8 – TAKEOVER BIRMINGHAM PROJECT On Thursday 20th October 2016, 16 students in Year 7 and 8 took part in the launch of a special project with ‘Kids in Museums’ in association with the Birmingham Royal Ballet called ‘Takeover Birmingham’.

Rockwood Academy was specially chosen to start off the project which aims to look at Birmingham’s arts and culture within the city. Our students worked collaboratively to talk about the different things Birmingham has to offer to people all over the world.

They were also asked to use their creative minds and create a brand and a logo for the project which will be used as the official project logo. During the project, students will visit many arts and culture sites around Birmingham to get a real taste of the rich diversity within our amazing city. How exciting!

REWARDS

AWARDS/MERITS

YEAR 7

Three students in Year 7 have really excelled and in return have shown this through being awarded merits. Merits are awarded to students for various reasons such as arriving to lesson and being ready to learn, going above and beyond with homework and maintaining high levels of standards and expectations consistently in every lesson.

Husnaa Hanif in 7B has the overall lead in Year 7 with an amazing total of 70 merits.

Not far behind her is Muhammed Ali in 7B with 68 merits and in third place is Maleeka Mahmood in 7B with 65 merits. It is very close at the top! Students who reach 300 merits will be entered into a prize draw. We wish everyone the best of luck. Keep asking your teachers for merits!

YEAR 8

The top three students in Year 8 to be awarded with the most merits are Isha Jahangir in 80 with a total of 38 merits and Ibrahim Mohammed in 8L who also has 38. Both of these students are joint top of the leader board in Year 8. In third place is Anisa AbdulKadir in 8L with 37 merits. Between the top 8 students in Year 8, there are only 10 merits separating them. Well done to all the students for their hard work in being awarded merits. We hope you continue to get more merits in recognition of the excellent contributions you are making in class.

The Rockwood Standard

03

YEARS 9 & 10 DIRECTOR OF LEARNING MESSAGE TO YEAR 9 It has been a truly wonderful start to the new academic term for our Year 9 students. Moving from Key Stage 3 into the GCSE journey can often be a very stressful time; however, the students at Rockwood Academy have really undertaken this new journey with pride and passion.

With the new curriculum design shaped by the Principal, Year 9 students are undertaking a range of different subjects that have enabled them to explore new and different themes and skills.

Whilst the academic curriculum provides real educational stimulus for our students, extracurricular activities have further shaped the experiences our students have received. The external partnerships that the Academy has with a range of different organisations like the Saheli women’s group have led to over 40 of our students being involved in skiing and canoeing activities. Other activities such as health and fitness classes have been gratefully received by a large number of Year 9s. Through the CCF set up at the school, a large number of students have signed up to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh programme; this is a fantastic opportunity for our students to equip themselves with many skills such as independent learning, map reading skills, team work and goal setting. Mr Wray and I are very honoured to be part of the journey that the students are on. Mr S Malik

MESSAGE TO YEAR 10 Year 10 is a very pivotal academic year in the journey to ultimately leave the Academy with excellent results. In the midst of the new curriculum changes, it is imperative that Year 10 remain focused and determined to perform at exceptional standards. It makes me really proud to see our Year 10 students undertake their academic journey with pride and a real zeal for learning. The academic curriculum at Rockwood Academy has enabled students to undertake a wide variety of subjects that enable them to develop not only the core content they need but also cultivate independent skills to guide them through their successful academic journey.

Mr S Malik

SUCCESSES THE JOURNEY CONTINUES As the journey continues for Year 9 and 10 at Rockwood Academy, there have already been many successes for the year groups. Attendance and punctuality continue to improve with a good number of form classes achieving percentages in the high 90s. Particular recognition goes to 9B and 10B who have maintained a 100% record for attendance. A significant number of our students are involved in the Duke of Edinburgh programme, a tremendous opportunity to obtain an award which is internationally recognised and enables our pupils to develop a wide range of skills that will support them after they leave Rockwood Academy.

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Section 3

EVENTS POST 16 PROGRAMME Rockwood Academy has developed a strong post 16 programme and this involves the work experience element of the programme. Earlier in the term, Year 10 attended the key note presentation conducted by our lead work experience coordinator Andy Marshall. Year 10 had the privilege to learn the journey they will undertake to organise and attend their very own work experience placement with one of our business providers early next term. Year 10 are well underway with organising the type of placements they would like to undertake and already we have had confirmations from companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Next, Boots and various other work providers.

TRIPS SKIING AND CANOEING Year 9 and 10 pupils enjoy the weekly skiing and canoeing sessions provided by The Ackers Trust, where many of our brave pupils are now reaching some very frightening heights to ski down from! Well done Year 9 and 10.

Our entire cohort of Year 10 pupils attended the National Skills Show at the NEC this half term. This provided a unique chance to explore thousands of post 16 opportunities available to them once they leave the Academy.

REWARDS 100% ATTENDANCE! Rewards at Rockwood Academy are a unique opportunity to really celebrate pupils who work hard to meet the Rockwood Standard. Reward assemblies, praise post cards and merits are used as a tremendous recognition of all the hard work our pupils put in during their journey at the Academy. Special congratulations go to Fatima Munir who has consistently met the Rockwood Standards in order to obtain 100% attendance, recognition for all her work outside Academy hours and also being a true ambassador for the Academy.

The Rockwood Standard

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YEAR 11 DIRECTOR OF LEARNING MESSAGE TO YEAR 11 As the Director of Learning and Outcomes for Year 11, I am extremely proud of the current cohort and their efforts so far this year. The group excite me as their enthusiasm is infectious and remind me of why I applied for the role in the first place. This is an exciting time for the students as we eagerly await post-16 offers from colleges and sixth forms. Our students have spent a lot of time researching their potential pathways and we wish them all the best as those offers begin to come in. Miss R Smith

SUCCESSES LEAVERS BALL 2017 Huge congratulations go to Hasan Hussain in 11E, who was recently appointed as the organiser for the Leavers Ball in summer 2017.

With the help of the Head Boy, Head Girl and their prefects, Hasan is already planning an even bigger and more extravagant experience for our current cohort. This will be the welldeserved event of the year, marking high attendance and dedication to lessons, after school revision sessions and holiday clubs.

With hard work already being displayed, the upcoming occasion will really highlight the success which is yet to come.

EVENTS

GRADUATION EVENING

As we come to the end of another winter term here at Rockwood, the Academy has been reflecting on our accomplishments. One fabulous event which did exactly this was the graduation evening in September, for our former students. The evening marked an end to a fantastic year and was put together by Ms Anjam. Our current Year 11 prefects supported in this event and thrived on what is also to come for them at the end of the academic year.

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Section 4

TRIPS BOTANICAL GARDENS Our wonderful Year 11 students had the opportunity to visit the Botanical Gardens, with their new teacher Ms Chattaway. Surrounded by magnificent glasshouses, fascinating landscapes and stunning gardens, our students were able to see nature in all its beauty. A sense of creativity was induced and some excellent production pieces and collages were created as part of their GCSE project work. A huge thank you to Ms Chattaway for such a breath-taking day, and a well done to the GCSE group for being on their best behaviour as always.

REWARDS 99 MERITS! All of our Year 11 students have been working tirelessly in all subjects areas to ensure they achieve their desired grades/ results. As teachers, we recognise and appreciate their dedication and hard work. One student in particular, Sumaiya Ali has already gained plenty of merits this year and 99 merits were awarded for attaining full marks on her controlled assessment coursework in Child Development. Well done!

The Rockwood Standard

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CURRICULUM BUSINESS ENTERPRISE

Year 10 & 11 Enterprise - Mr. Raza Enterprise empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills. Here at Rockwood Academy, an enterprise competition was conducted with our Year 9 and 10 students. The competition was an incredible success as pupils made the connection between life at school and the world of work. This enabled our pupils to develop the knowledge and attitudes they need to succeed, building on 8 key skills: • Communication • Confidence • Financial Capability

• Initiative • Organisation • Problem-solving

• Teamwork • Resilience

Huge congratulations to all the pupils involved in the competition and in particular our winners Fatima Munir and Ahmed Asalow, both in Year 10, for a superb demonstration of these skills.

ENGLISH Our wonderful Year 7s have been creating poems for the Busta Rhyme Poetry Competition this term, producing poems on topics they feel passionate about. Some of the entries address issues such as bullying, respect and the importance of education. We are really proud of their efforts and achievements with these poems and hope to see some of them published!

GEOGRAPHY RESIDENTIAL

Year 10 & 11 Rhyd-y-Creuau Welcome to Wales! A group of Year 10 and 11 students visited Rhyd-y-Creuau field centre for 3 days. This was a fantastic opportunity where Year 10s experienced outdoor learning and team building. The Year 11s worked extremely hard in collecting field work data in a small village called Betwsy-Coed for their controlled assessment.

We can’t wait to revisit our Welsh friends again next year.

PE DEPARTMENT The PE department has been hosting their autumn to winter competitions. The Year 7 Football tournament was held on Thursday October 13th 2016. The pupils were organised in friendship groups with the aim to compete against the winner of the other year group.

The games started off with a bang assisted by referees from the Maths Department.

Each game lasted for 10 minutes and was dominated by the Year 7s who showed no fear when going in for a tackle, dribbling towards the goal as well as defending and keeping their formation.

Well done Year 7!

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Section 5

EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES

“¡Hola!, Namaste, Swadika, Dzień dobry and Hello!”

For the fourth year running, the MFL team gave Rockwood students the chance to explore and discover languages from all around the world to celebrate the European Day of Languages. Our school celebrated its cultural and linguistic diversity by embracing over 38 languages spoken all around the world, some of which included languages the students had never heard of, such as: Yoruba, Zulu & Quecha!

Students took part in a competition where they had 2 days to find out what language staff members were representing around school. Each staff member had a designated language with a greeting in a foreign language and students had the challenge to find all 38 within the 2 day deadline.

In addition to this, students also used their own time to independently research the names of countries where the languages were spoken and consequently found out that Yoruba is actually spoken in West Africa!

It was a very competitive event but there could only be a few Champion Linguists!

The winners will be announced where they will find out which exciting prizes will be awarded to the budding linguists.

IN OTHER NEWS COUNCILLOR BRIGID JONES VISITS THE ACADEMY We were delighted to welcome Councillor Brigid Jones back to the Academy, to see what we’ve been up to over the last few months!

After a tour of the Academy, the councillor met with a group of cadets and members of the Academy Council. Students articulated most enthusiastically the transformation they have seen over the last twelve months, in terms of a significant improvement in students’ behaviour, as well as complimenting the newly energised teaching and learning that is taking place.

Councillor Jones was really impressed with how passionately and proudly the students spoke about their Academy.

GNK CADETS Tuesday 4th October will be remembered as a unique day for Rockwood Academy and specifically the 30 cadets on parade. The students were formally appointed as Cadets by the Minister for Defence, the Right Honourable Sir Michael Fallon, as part of his visit to the Academy’s newly formed CCF unit. In his address, he outlined the importance of communication, confidence and teamwork, all of which are embedded in the values of both the Academy and CCF. The Minister acknowledged everything that the Academy’s CCF unit has achieved since its inception in September.

Section 6

09

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING – MONDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2016 It was wonderful to have so many supporters coming along to enjoy coffee and cake, in aid of Macmillan Cancer support. Cakes were generously donated by students, staff and parents and the event raised £270.30. We look forward to taking part in this fund-raiser again next year!

Miss Bi-Baroo

REMEMBRANCE DAY November 7th marked the start of a range of activities relating to the act of Remembrance where Rockwood Academy students had the opportunity to reflect on those servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving their country. Each year group participated in information sessions regarding the history of the poppy and the backgrounds of some of the young men who fought in World War 1. Year 8 students spent a day at the National Memorial Arboretum where they learnt about life in captivity, life in the trenches and more about the regiments that were formed during the war. To conclude our act of Remembrance, Year 7 and 8 participated in a short service and joined the whole Academy in observing a two minute silence at 11.00am on 11th November.

HEAD BOY & GIRL

We are hugely proud of our prefects, who not only carry out their lunchtime duties every day, with their amazing lanyards on show, but have also volunteered to take part in various events around the school. For example, parents evening, induction days and the Year 11 graduation event, where our hosting skills were on show. Not only were the students amazing ambassadors for the school but they were polite and interactive with the guests with many parents complimenting how wonderful they were. In addition, we are all proud of the Year 11 students who have been remarkable role models for the younger students, many of whom have been wearing poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day. Overall, it has been an incredible time for us here at Rockwood Academy, thanks to the support we receive from our Principal, Mr Choudhury, and his team of staff.

Rockwood Academy

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Nansen

Section 7

Rockwood Academy, Naseby Road, Alum Rock, Birmingham B8 3HG Tel: 0121 566 6500 Email: enquiry@rockwood-academy.co.uk Nansen www.rockwood-academy.co.uk

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As Head Girl and Head Boy, we are immensely privileged to be the voice for the students and provide our input in what goes on in the school.