Wilson Stuart School
Wilson Stuart SchoolSummer Term A Special Academy
Newsletter Summer 2015
D
ear Parents, Another school year is almost complete, and I am very pleased to say it has been another year when our students have really enjoyed their time at school and have continued to make excellent progress.
Amongst the highlights has of course been our fabulous Ofsted inspection report, students enjoying residential experiences, educational visits, sports days and a wonderful 60th. Anniversary Celebration day. We are also enjoying watching our exciting new building project develop before our eyes, this will be a stunning addition to our school. (See pictures) The majority of the work will be completed by September and school will be ready to go on Monday 7th. I promise! As ever, to make all this possible, our staff have once again been truly outstanding. Their dedication, hard work and commitment, in all my experience, really is without equal. Finally may I thank you for your support and contribution to school, not least of all in providing us with such inspirational children that are simply a joy to teach. I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable summer holiday.
SteveHughes - Head Teacher
Primary Residential On the 28th April some pupils from Meerkats, Monkeys, Butterflies, Turtles and Giraffes set off for the Pioneer Centre for a week. For some of us this was our second trip. The Pioneer Centre in Kidderminster is a very exciting place with many things to do, a great place to stay and the food was fantastic! We had so much fun that the time flew by. We sang songs around a campfire and had a great laugh playing games like the banana challenge. Once we had unpacked and settled in, it was wall to wall fun. Most
children liked the big bounce and the visit to the cinema. There was also a disco night and the excitement of rock climbing. By Daniel I climbed very high and I gave the lion a high 5 at the top and jumped down. I slept good. I loved eating marshmallows around the camp fire. The food was good and the staff were good. I want to go again. By Amari My favourite part was abseiling as I felt I accomplished something I’ve never done before. By Unais
Keep up to date with news on our website: www.wilsonstuart.co.uk
Wilson Stuart School
The Science of Sound
Our hearing is one of our most important senses, necessary for basic communication, speech and awareness. But have you ever stopped to think; what exactly is sound? And how do our ears actually work? Sound is caused by something emitting energy in the form of a vibration. Areas of high and low pressure move outwards creating a form of longitudinal wave (a wave which vibrates in the direction of travel). 3.1, (and later 3.2 & 4.2) attended a presentation about the Science of Sound at Symphony Hall. They heard about how we sense and process sound waves. That’s the job of our ears. The ear is an extremely clever organ, consisting of a collection of tiny bones, tubes and membranes (namely the ear drum) which process the sound and send it to the brain. The funnel-like shape of the ear is effective at collecting the sound wave and filtering it through the ear passage, where it causes vibrations of the ear drum. Then the vibration is converted in to electrical impulses and sent to the brain. It was Tahmid’s Birthday on the same day and it was announced to everyone in the audience. The whole of Symphony Hall sang “Happy Birthday To You” and Tahmid was very excited. He was amazed by how big and how amazing Symphony Hall is and had a fabulous Birthday.
Summer Term
Sealife Centre On Friday 8th May our Early Years children went on a visit to the Birmingham Sea Life Centre. Children spent lots of time watching the newest addition to the centre - the penguins! They loved seeing how the penguins moved around on the ice then jumped into the water for a refreshing swim. They were able to see the penguins as they swam about due to the underwater viewing area which ensured the children got up close and personal with their feathered friends. Daniel wanted one to put in our school swimming pool! After spending lots of time watching the penguins we then went to go and explore what else the sea life centre had to offer and encountered a variety of different types of fish. We got the chance to touch a crab and explore what was living in the rock pools. We saw tropical fish of all colours, wobbly jellyfish, slow seahorses, scary sharks and spiky stingrays. We then headed to the underwater tunnel and watched the fish and sharks swim over our heads. We also got an enormous surprise when we saw two gigantic turtles - they were big enough to use as a school bus! We had a fantastic lunch then headed back to see our favourite creatures again and some of us visited the 3D cinema to learn more. By the time the buses came to get us we were exhausted and some of us fell asleep on the trip back. We had a fantastic time on our visit and would like to go back soon.
Daniel wanted one [penguin] to put in our school swimming pool!
World Book Day Although we didn't win the top prize, the judges wrote us a letter to say they were inspired and delighted by our entry - and sent along with the letter a prize of big box of books. The students who had entered the competition celebrated by acting as librarians and giving each book the official school stamp. Well done to our KS3 bookworms!
Keep up to date with news on our website: www.wilsonstuart.co.uk
Wilson Stuart School
Summer Term
Fruit Salad Project
Parents Maths Workshop
During their maths lessons this week 4.3 have been working on a fruit salad project. This involved looking at different ingredients that they could use in a fruit salad and gathering data about the different fruits and recording it in a class pictogram. They also worked out how much the ingredients would cost at a local supermarket and whether they could afford to buy all of them during our trip.
On Tuesday 19th May a Maths parent workshop took place where parents of some primary, secondary and 6th form pupils were invited in to school. Parents were introduced to how number progression takes place in school and how parents can support their children at home. The day began with introduction to ideas and then pupils joined their parents and worked through a carousel of activities. Parents had the opportunity to experience, Numicon activities, numerous maths games and also a variety of Maths Ipad apps; furthermore, parents were also given a list and description of each of the apps to take home. Pupils enjoyed working with parents and also pupils from different classes.
On Thursday the 21st of May we went to Tesco’s to buy our ingredients. The first challenge 4.3 faced when we got there was finding the fruit and veg section, which was not located at the front of the supermarket. Every group found this independently and once they had located this section they then had several problem solving activities to complete. Each group had been given only £3 leaving some groups unable to afford all of their ingredients. 4.3 had to work together to find different ways to afford all of the ingredients the class needed for their fruit salads. Their excellent team work meant that the only fruit they had to put back was the packet of blueberries. They then had to locate the tills and pay for their fruit. Everyone was able to pay for their products independently and they all had a great time bagging up their ingredients. When we returned to school they took part in a fruit salad competition and the group that made the “best fruit salad ever” won a prize. Everyone had a fantastic day and really enjoyed their trip to Tesco’s.
Oily Cart This week we have had the amazing and innovative Oily Cart theatre company in to share their practise with the children in our PMLD department. Using trampolines, video projection and live music with a Middle Eastern flavour the actors and the children have been exploring bounce in all its forms from gentle to exuberant. Each performance is carefully adapted to the specific requirements of each participant and each participant has responded differently. Some children were captivated by the tinny Middle Eastern music, or by the rolling ball on the projector and other stilled in the silence developed to produce dramatic effects. It gave the children the opportunity to experience the theatre and also be an actor in the theatre making it a truly special performance for us all.
Keep up to date with news on our website: www.wilsonstuart.co.uk
Wilson Stuart School
Drayton Manor
Summer Term
Smart Cookies
Three classes - Caterpillars, Bees and Butterflies - were invited to spend the day at Drayton Manor by the Wylde Green Rotary Club this week. We were lucky enough to have a fantastic sunny day to really make the most of our visit to the Park. We headed straight to Thomas Land to see which rides we wanted to go on and we were lucky to not have to queue for too long! We saw Thomas the Tank Engine and lots of his friends and got to ride on some of them. We had a lovely picnic lunch in the sunshine then went to see what else we could experience. Some of us went on more rides and some of us went to explore the Zoo area. We saw a Tiger and some Cranes and heard Parrots talking and squawking. We also had the opportunity to have some Ice-cream! We all had a brilliant day out, enjoyed ourselves and had lots of fun. We would like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to the Wylde Green Rotary Club and their volunteers!
Home Cooking Skills is so much more than a qualification: it's a way to share a critical life skill with as many people as possible. This is a chance to arm students with sensible, practical knowledge that they can take into the world and actually use. Whether they're having a party, cooking for mates, feeding their future children or making lunch, they'll be fending for themselves, saving money and using these skills every day for the rest of their lives. This term some of our 6th form students have completed this qualification, creating some fabulous dishes. Well done to Anne – Marie, Chad and Stephen for your hard work!
National Art Competition Huge congratulations to key stage 3 children who won the Canvas Category of the Make Your Mark competition – a national art contest run by awarding organisation NCFE. We are very proud of our winning pupils – they put a lot of work and energy into their entry and it’s great to see that this has paid off. We were delighted to receive the £200 vouchers and look forward to investing in essential art supplies that will benefit all our pupils in their art studies.
Well done those Key Stage 3 pupils!!
Communication Group Social Our Communication Group invited some local students from Highclare School to come in for a social. The students chatted about school, families, hobbies, life in general and even shared a joke or two. The Communication Group were a little shy at first, but soon everyone was chatting like old friends. The Highclare students were really impressed with our student’s communication aids and we hope to see our new friends again soon!
Dates for the Diary Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
07 14 18 25 28 02 14-16 16 05 09 11 13 18 25 27 09 15 16 18
Pupils Return to School PFPA Coffee Morning Jeans for Genes Day Macmillan Coffee Morning National Junior Games Week Parents Evening online booking open 6th Form Residential Harvest Festival Student Awards Evening PFPA Guest Speaker eSafety Parents Workshop Children in Need Day English Parents Workshop Whole School Parents Evening Maths Parents Workshop Christmas Bazaar Primary Christmas Show Mince Pie Morning Secondary Christmas Concert Students break up for End of Term 2pm
Keep up to date with news on our website: www.wilsonstuart.co.uk