Headteacher’s Newsletter
BISHOP VESEY’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL
End of Term Summer 2010 Message from the Head ‘They think it’s all over…….it is now!’, well nearly, but what a hugely successful end to a tremendous term, which began with ashstranded staff and students, then progressed through the ‘group stage’ with a collective sporting experience in our Sports Hall on 23 June (see Page 3) as England lurched forward. Unlike our footballers, we terminated on as great a high as ever seen in BVGS, equalled only in the streets of Madrid, with a multitude of almost innumerable ‘beyond the classroom’ opportunities to complement the high octane academic thrust. Let’s hope that ‘They will be dancing in the streets’ at the end of August when our public exam candidates receive the just rewards for their labours this year. The ‘Vesey Experience’ is truly better than ever before as the academic year 2009-10 reaches the closing ceremony. Sincere thanks to all who have contributed to and been involved in a quite remarkable year.
David Iddon Headteacher
The Vesey Wall Game? Yr11students, deep in discussion, grab every moment to help one another to achieve their best at GCSE.
Staff News
House Music Festival
Well-earned retirement Valete after long and distinguished service at BVGS to Mike Sadler (left) who joined in 1974 and Bob Atkins 1977.
We pay tribute to Mike, Head of Modern Languages, and Bob, Assistant Headteacher and former Head of Year, and other members of staff retiring or moving on in their careers this summer. Steve Crawshaw, Director of Sport and former Head of Year, leaves after 22 years of tremendous success coaching and organising PE/Games. School Bursar, Joan Cameron, retires after 5 years of distinguished service which was marked by the opening of the Music Centre and the building of the artificial pitch on Middle Field. Bushra Hameed Teacher of Science and Teacher i/c PSHE/Citizenship moves to London to be married after 3 years. Ed Jopling, Head of English and extra-curricular Drama leaves after 2 years to move to Welshpool High School, Eve Chang Teacher of English leaves after 2 years and Ed Seymour, Teacher of Music and Leader of BVGS ‘Man Choir’ moves to Haybridge High School after 1 year. All will be remembered for their service to our students, their commitment to the Vesey cause and their camaraderie as colleagues. We wish them well as they move into retirement or other stages in their careers. Equally we say thanks and farewell to Tony Bennett for covering Maria Hill’s maternity leave. We welcome back Maria and Fahima Asha and wish Sarah Whittle and Alison Downes all the best as they embark upon maternity leave.
Now in its second year and clearly establishing itself in the Vesey calendar, the House Music Festival provided a wonderful platform for KS3 musicians to explore a full range of performance types as seen here. Callum Lacey enthralled the audience with his interpretation of Michael Jackson, whilst Sebastian Heley gained the coveted ‘Green Ribbon’ for the highest score throughout the competition. We are indebted to Sandy Hay, our visiting adjudicator, for so kindly judging, giving formative feedback and presenting the certificates and prizes. Thanks equally to Director of Music Alison Timms, Wendy Brown, Ed Seymour and all helpers. 13 June 2010 One of many special Assemblies, bringing our students and indeed staff up to date on youth violence in our nearby communities. Raymond Douglas, the National Co-ordinator for AntiYouth Violence, joined us for a special, and in parts quite disturbing, assembly for Yrs 8-9 as he lay bare the sad facts of sociological problems in our city and across the country.
The Great Midlands Fun Run
6th June 2010
‘TEAM VESEY’ set to run and run…...pictured below are this year’s Great Midlands Fun Runners, joining the ‘Vesey Community’ in celebration of athleticism and in aid of good causes. School Captain Andrew Cotterill and Dan Locke preferred to slip into a banana skin! Congratulations to Vesey parent, Rob Andrew, who came 2nd overall. Do sign up for next year via fun-running fund-raiser, Deputy Head Dominic Robson.
Headteacher’s Newsletter
Page 2
Team Building Day as Year 9 enjoy a special Royal Air Force event
Science and off-site L6 Enrichment Activity Lynn Penny and Martin Lea helped Jake Dubbelman, Alex Pike, Stephen Hall, Dan Leng & Joe Maguire to experience the life of a teacher- the L6 students have planned a science enquiry lesson, involving racing cars down tracks, which they will teach to Yr4 pupils at Whitehouse Common School. Thanks to Geoff Goode for agreeing to make the tracks!
L6 Law Trip
Further Science Achievements
The L6 enjoyed a trip to the Galleries of Justice, Nottingham on 9 July. The highlight of the visit was participating in a Mock Trial of the criminal case R v Scott Green. Each of the students took a role in the trial. After a closely fought battle between the Prosecution and Defence Advocates, the Jury decided upon a guilty verdict, although the sentence handed down by the Judge was generally considered to be lenient!
Well done to Jugraj Hothi, Thomas Maker, Harkiran Uppal & Cyrus Suratia L6 who have been accepted onto the Academic Enrichment Programme 2010 at the University of Birmingham from 23 -27August 2010.
The Return of Dreadlockalien 14 July Library and English Department event - Year 8 students enjoyed a day of Slam Poetry workshops and performance with Dreadlockalien.
Gifted and Talented: who dunnit? A group of 25 G&T students from Year 8 have been gathering evidence to decide who shot JFK. In small groups they have undertaken research, code breaking, fingerprinting and analysis to produce a case to support or defend the supposed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Students have developed team skills and will be presenting their findings in their final session on 19 July.
Baby Boom in Biology! This term has seen the birth of 21 baby Robrovski Dwarf Hamsters in Biology. Students from all year groups have enjoyed learning the fascinating biology behind hamster gestation as well as visiting daily to care for the litters. All pups have now found good homes with staff members or students. Andrew Hexley and Kevin George Yr8 are checking on the health of a 5 week old hamster pup. A cute way to learn Science!
Yr 7 Residential
The Dot Robot Roadshow Thanks to James Paremain 7KE who contacted Jason Bradbury via Twitter asking the presenter if he could visit BVGS - the presenter of the Gadget Show brought his children’s book event The Dot Robot Roadshow to school on Monday 5 July. Sixty pupils from Whitehouse Common School also attended the Roadshow. Jason gave a fascinating and lively insight into science, robotics and his favourite gadgets.
12-16 July 104 boys enjoyed a 5-day trip to Abernant Activity Centre led by Head of Year Lynn Penny and her team .
Charities 2009-10 Austerity, Down-Turn? We are giving more! Record level of funds raised.
Grand Total: £13,411.16
EES scheme Celebration Day our team with Malcolm Constantine (right) of GKN Minworth and Simon James.
Over 60s Classes offered at BVGS by Sixth Form students From 20 Sept 2010, BVGS will be running FREE Beginners Computer lessons for over 60s and Arts & Crafts classes at the cost of £1 per session. The classes will be run by our 6th Form ICT students and supervised by Teacher i/c Sixth Form Enrichment, Cheryl Taylor. The classes run between 2.15 and 3.15pm on Mondays, with a Christmas meal and entertainment at the end of term. Further details on Tel: 0121 250 5400.
July 2010
Page 3
Annual German Exchange to Bayreuth
Art
15 BVGS boys accompanied by Rüdi Götschel and Denise Quail spent 8 days with their partners on the German exchange now in its 13th season. The exciting programme included lesson visits, a guided tour of Bayreuth, official reception at the town hall, a visit to Richard Wagner’s Villa Wahnfried, a visit to the beautiful word heritage town of Bamberg, Nürnberg with the Nazi documentation Centre, its glorious imperial castle and some serious shopping and finally the border museum at Mödlareuth, aka Little Berlin. An 8-6 win in the now traditional football international against our German hosts, our 5th consecutive victory, countered what happened on the professional pitch! The German host families were once again very friendly and generous and really enjoyed our boys’ company, who in return proved very popular and keen to learn the language, sample the food and thoroughly experience the German way of life.
BVGS India Trip 1-11 July
Trip to Iceland A new and exciting GCSE Geography trip to Iceland is planned from 18-21 February 2011. Based in Reykjavik with visits to tectonic features such as the Mid-Atlantic ridge and geysers, waterfalls, glaciers and the Blue Lagoon outdoor spa. We are also hoping to see the Northern Lights on one of the evenings. This trip is only for current Year 9 students who are taking Geography GCSE next year. Enquiries to Sam Harper at seh@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk
A touring party of 11 students, led by Steve Baugh and Matt Collins recently returned from a spectacular tour of Northern India, visiting the centres of government in Delhi, The S.S.Khalsa School (above), the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Golden Temple in Amritsar and the banks of the Holy River Ganges at Rishikesh. Bombarded by a cacophony of cultural experiences, the deep learning that only travel can embellish will take time to assimilate. Minds were indeed broadened.
Fire Service Schools Challenge 26 June 24 members of Year 10 took part in the first West Midlands Fire Service Youth Team Challenge in June, consisting of five different events: Orienteering, Equipment challenge, Water challenge, It’s a Knockout, Quiz in the Town Hall. We came joint 4th and all involved enjoyed participating. Thanks to Tom Williams and Lynn Penny, Vivienne Green and April Slater who helped out in the supervision of events.
On 24 June Head of Art, Emma Neville & Anne Fitton, took the current Yr 10 GCSE group on a visit to The Royal Armouries at Leeds to gain inspiration for their coursework project - Helmets and Body Armour. The group also enjoyed aerial displays from the resident falcons. Students were able to produce a range of sheet metalwork along with moulds
Funky Bishops at Jazz Festival in Lyon 5-9 July Quelle expérience! Sunshine, very comfortable accommodation, good food, a fascinating region and absolutely fantastic music! For a week at the beginning of July the Funky Bishops presented a series of concerts in and around Lyon, the highlight undoubtedly being their performance at the professional Jazz Festival in Vienne to an audience of nearly 400 and with two standing ovations. The big band played traditional jazz plus soul, funk, blues and latin numbers, which also drew very lively and appreciative city centre crowds at their other two concerts. With visits to the zoo, botanical gardens, rivers, basilica, roman remains, and market amongst the music, it was an excellent trip. Félicitations à tous nos musiciens de Jazz!
Warwick Castle Trip 17 June The history department took 30 Yr 7, ‘gifted and talented’ students to Warwick Castle to study life through the ages at the castle, including how to attack and defend a castle. We saw the Trebuchet being fired and the birds of prey display. A fantastic time was had by all and it was a lovely reward for a year’s hard work.
Cohesive Experience Year 8 Languages in Sport Day 15 July Come on England! Sumo Wrestling, Bhangra Dancing and Kabaddi Wednesday 23 June 3pm amongst many other activities.
Headteacher’s Newsletter
Page 4
BVGS Charity Arts Festival organised by students in Lower Sixth on 1 July 2010 Congratulations and sincere thanks to Hannah Smith, Annie Mears, Clara Heathcock, Danny Knowles and Penny Hodges L6 and their team of helpers on organising an inaugural Arts Festival, raising £1,200 for MS Trust and establishing a new event in the Vesey Calendar, thereby leaving a legacy of improvement at BVGS. A quite remarkable feat with everything executed to perfection and in such style. Hot buffet supplied by Peninsular Chinese Restaurant, Fazeley and entertainment from a range of students in Drama, Music, Dance and Poetry Reading with Special Guest, Midlands Artist Peter Welton, who donated, for sale by auction, a signed print of his royal commission painting. A new venture with huge potential. Danny and Penny our stylish compère and commère for the evening and Peter Welton who told us what led to his becoming a professional artist.
Our Junior Drama Club staged Ed Jopling’s version of Dr Faustus and went on to perform in a cross-city ‘Drama in the City’ Festival held at Bishop Walsh School on 12 July, along with 4 other B’ham schools.
ArtsAward: Congratulations to Ben Woodford 8R and Conrad Lummus 9B who achieved their Bronze Arts Award, with the help of Eve Chang.
Cricket st
1 XI Played 13, won 8 lost 5. A good season with some excellent young players showing real promise for the years to come. George Findley 11R has excelled with the ball and consistently taken early wickets. Will Slattery L6 and Andrew Hendry 10W have been the main stay of the batting and much will be expected of them next season. 2nd XI Played 9, won 5 lost 4. Ben Tipson 11B has emerged from the 2nds into the first team taking 12 wickets at an average of 11. Luke Finn 11G has also made significant contributions with bat and ball. U15s reached the final of the Birmingham Schools Cup with victories over KES Aston and Saltley School. They finished the season off with an enthralling victory over Warwick School. Qasim Yasin 10G took a hat-trick of wickets, before rising U14 star Monty Foley-Williamson 9W saw Vesey’s home by hitting a four from the last ball of the game to finish 90no. Congratulations to Matt Heller 10W and Qasim Yasin 10G who have both been excellent throughout the season with ball and bat. U14s had a turbulent start to the cricket season with the bat but have shown signs of progression and improvement. A big thank you to team sponsor & parent Richard Morgan and parents Rob Mewis and Lorna Curwen who have been such a help on the Saturdays (both at home and away) - Your support is greatly appreciated. U13s have had a fantastic season. They are in the Birmingham Cup final and Warwickshire Cup final both due to be played in the last week of term. This is a fantastic achievement. They are a very strong squad and so many have made first-rate contributions throughout the season. Well done and Good Luck! U12s, after a slow start, the team had a superb run, winning 5 games in a row and a Warwickshire Cup semi-final which they narrowly lost to King Henry VIII. Niall Keating 7PO has had a superb season taking 19 wickets at an average of 4, as well as averaging 26 with the bat. Oliver Wem 7BR hit form late in the season averaging 27 with the bat.
Athletics 3 boys represented North B’ham this Summer at the Alexander stadium – Ashley Guest, Sam Watkins and James Brown. James 9G (pictured left) achieved an English Schools’ Qualifying Long Jump of 5m 85, his PB, taking him to 1st in the West Midlands and selection for the West Midlands team at the English Schools’ Championships on 9/10 July in which he came 11th out of 22 Counties. David James 8B ran in U14 North B’ham 800m in a time of 2mins 28, thereby qualifying for U14 West Mids, in which he came third.
Super track, a perfect pitch for our Australian touring party. Sincere thanks to groundsman, Bob Brown.
Published for BVGS by Sharon Weblin, Headteacher’s PA sw@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk. Printed by Jayne Joyce , BVGS Reprographics.