Message from Principal, Andrew Booth @OasisCoulsdon

@OasisCoulsdon
Message from Principal, Andrew Booth
I would like to thank students and staff for their passion, commitment and
hard work over the past year; there have been many great achievements.
But rather than look back, I think it is more important to look forward. I am
really excited about the future of the Academy and want to make each
year "the best year yet!" - building on successes and refining systems
and structures when necessary, to ensure we always meet the needs of
our students.
August is a nervous time for many, as students and their families await
examination results . I wish the Sixth Form and Year 10 and 11 students
every success and look forward to seeing them on results day. This will
be the time when each student will be rewarded and credited
according to the effort and hard work they have put in over the past
months and years. We all await the results in eager anticipation.
During August although the Academy is closed to the students, lots of
activity takes place in preparation for the new academic year. Staff will be
busy writing schemes of work , devising curriculum strategies, creating
resources, planning visits and doing everything needed to ensure they deliver
outstanding lessons, giving the students the best opportunities they can for "the best year yet ".
There will be some internal building work in the Academy during the summer. The very successful O-Zone
(Autisic High Dependency Unit) will be moving into new accommodation on the second floor with purpose
built classrooms, learning spaces and state of the art technology for students and staff. Five other internal
spaces are going to be adapted into classroom spaces giving students and staff improved
learning areas. We are also re-organising admin areas and staff work areas.
Of course, August will also be a time for students and staff to rest and refresh themselves in preparation
for a great year ahead. I trust the time you have with family and friends will be blessed and refreshed.
I would like to make a special mention to two members of staff who will be getting married to their
respective partners over the summer: Ms Kelly Jones who will return as Mrs Radford; and Mr McKenzie
will also be 'tying the knot'. I hope that all the last minute preparations go well for both of your very special
days which will certainly be ones to remember.
Sadly we are saying good bye to some staff. Many have secured promotion in other schools and
Academies, whilst others are leaving to relocate, or work closer to home. Good byes are always difficult in
any family so I will keep those private but I would like to wish them all well in their new posts and thank
them for their individual impact in making Oasis Academy Coulsdon the place it is today.
I am already very excited about the next academic year and look forward to welcoming the largest year 7
yet, along with a new members of the staff team in September. We will be hitting the ground running
when we arrive back with lots of exciting plans and opportunities for students.
I hope you enjoy reading the content of this newsletter and I pray that the summer vacation will be a safe
and enjoyable one.
See you all in September!
Andy Booth
On Thursday 10th July Year 9
students took part in a range of team
building and competition activities including, a three legged race, barrel rolling, egg and spoon, wellie boot throwing and a mega
assault course. In the afternoon
Curie and Brunel split into two teams
and had to solve 3 challenges. These
included making marshmallow and
spaghetti towers and balloon and sticky
tape structures. Certificates were
awarded to students for their
contributions to the family mentor
group over the summer term and the
day was topped off with all
students eating together with
staff in the Diner at lunch time,
with food served by
Mr Pelling.
A BRILLIANT DAY IN BIRMINGHAM AT THE OASIS FUTSAL FESTIVAL
Miss Chapman and Mr Wall took a team of Year 7 Futsal Players to an Oasis
Futsal Tournament. A small group from the Oasis Atomic Cheerleading team
also went along to perform between the matches.
200 students from 20 Oasis Academies took part and played in a highly
competitive mixed-gender tournament at the Birmingham International Futsal
Arena. To add to the excitement and festive fun, the Oasis Academy
Coulsdon Cheerleading team – Oasis Atomic - performed outstanding
routines to launch each of the different stages of the knock-out tournament.
The morning started with coaching sessions for all students delivered by
Futsal Academy students from Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Oasis
students learnt the skills of World Cup heroes Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo,
and couldn’t wait for their matches to begin.
The group stage matches produced some thrilling shots, skills and saves from all players. As the tournament
progressed to the semi-finals everyone was delighted to welcome Graham Mungeam and Keith Dennis from the
Oasis Executive Board as well as Midlands Regional Director, Chris Edwards. Our distinguished visitors joined in the
cheering from the touchline and were delighted to hand out medals, trophies and the coveted ‘Golden Boot’ awards
at the end of the day.
Congratulations to Declan Tilley from Oasis Henderson Avenue and Luke
Hooper from Oasis Mayfield who each won the Golden Boot in their
respective tournaments. They were thrilled to receive their trophies but
had trouble holding them over their heads in celebration as they were so
heavy!
Oasis Academy Warndon (Year 6) and Oasis Academy Shirley Park
(Year 7) won the tournament and runners-up were Oasis Short Heath and
Oasis Mayfield . All received glittering trophies and medals.
Our students are to be congratulated on their skills and sportsmanship
throughout the day and were presented with competitor medals and
certificates. Well done Oliver Simsion, George Creed, Joe Green,
Lucien Lodge, Ranjanee Eesvaran-Obareki, Kacie N.Singh and Bridget
Oseponye.
Members of our Oasis Atomic Cheerleading team were: Molly Beagley, Charlotte Mulvey, Maddie Boome, Eloise
Robertson, Amanda Smith, Selin Uysal, Katie Allen, Aliis Mallinson.
Frank Rodriguez, Chief Executive of @Futsal Group who work in partnership with a number of Oasis Academies,
said:
“….. some of the young ladies playing were fantastic and I would have given a golden boot to one of the girls who
was a goalkeeper, who I thought was outstanding. We thought the cheerleader group from Oasis Coulsdon were
also great, considering this was only their second public appearance.…….I also wanted to say that we all felt that
your young people were brilliant ambassadors for Oasis - they contributed, were respectful and seemed to have a lot
of fun.” Frank Rodriguez, Managing Director Futsal UK.
Everyone left tired but happy and all are determined to return next year and be crowned Oasis Futsal Festival
Champions 2015!
The Academy World Cup came to a thrilling end with the team
representing Australia claiming the title and trophy. The tournament
brought together students and staff in a festival of excitement and
football.
The OAC Teams were announced one week before the tournament
started. Members of Staff and Year 10 students quickly snapped up the
positions of managers and coaches. Once aligned with their team, the
players, coaches and staff bid for the honour of representing two of the
current 32 Teams of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
All teams played 3 games in each of their group stages and after 8 lunchtimes of end to
end football the knock out stages started. Some of these games were decided in extra
time and even the cruel penalty shoot-out decided the fate in two matches at this stage.
Day 10 saw 32 teams now whittled down to 8 in a quarter final afternoon which left Australia, Ecuador, Costa Rica
and Honduras the victors, invited to the finals the following day.
Semi Finals and runners up games were played on the final day. Equal runners up honours went to Honduras and
Ecuador in a 1-1 thriller.
Australia and Costa Rica played the final and in the end the strong Australia team
lifted their game to new heights and won convincingly 5-1.
Some statistics.

Total of 64 games played.

Over 112 players involved.

Over 32 year 10 coaches.

Over 32 Members of Staff managing teams.

Money raised from the team auction, player subscription and fines:
£210.
The charities chosen to receive the money raised include a football project in slum areas
in Kenya run by a former OAC PE teacher Mr Swais and an Anti-Trafficking Charity in
Belgium being supported by the Academy.
The top goal scorers were:
boys
girls
8
7
Tyler
Paul
Carney
Ansah
14
13
Netherlands/Ecuador
Australia/Switzerland
9
Joel
Oddoye
12
Costa Rica/Iran
8
Jorja
Cole
2
Ghana/Columbia
A R T A N D M IN D S
Students in DNZ in the Summer term took part in a Art and Minds competition being run by the
NASUWT Union. Students were asked to produce a piece of artwork celebrating multiculturalism in Great Britain
today. Two groups of student produced art works, committing time outside of form to complete their pieces before
the deadline. Prizes include overnight accommodation in London before the prize giving ceremony, a trip to a
London attraction, £1000 for the winning school, £350 for any finalist
schools and £100 gift vouchers for the students. Currently we’re still
awaiting to see if either have been selected as finalists but fingers
crossed!
“One Love”
by Megan French and Ellie Dawson
“Multicultural Britain”
by Ty Carney, Ben Wallner and
Isaac White
In the Spring term this year KS3 students looked at the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival as inspiration for their
artwork. In addition to creating clay sugar skull tiles, skeleton figures and Mexican style prints, some students also
produced a shoe box shrine dedicated to a person or group of people who have passed away. The shrines are
intended to be a celebration of people’s lives and should not be gory or depressing.
Prizes were given in five categories, with the students choosing the winners out of 30 finalists. Congratulations to all
students who took part!
The prizewinners were:
Most original design – Gus Farndon
Design most in keeping with the Day of the Dead theme – Billy Laing
Best use of mixed media – Briony Taylor
Best overall, Student choice – Lara Sandle
Best overall, Miss Zuberi’s choice – Polette Salgado-Riveros
Year 10 trip to Lupita (a Mexican restaurant) in London
On Tuesday the 17th June Mr Martin, Mrs McGeekie and Ms MacGregor took thirty three year 10
students to Lupita restaurant in London. Everyone had an absolutely wonderful day making
Guacamole, discovering Mexican history and culture, eating delicious Mexican food and learning all
about different types of chilli! The staff at the restaurant put a fantastic programme together for us; the
students particularly enjoyed learning how to do a proper Mexican ‘Grito’ (a mixture between a yell and
a yodel which Mexican Mariachi singers do in the middle of their songs)!
The introduction to Mexican cuisine has been very useful for the students who have been able to talk
about Mexican food in their latest written controlled assessment. The winners of the Guacamolemaking contest were Georgia, Lily, Arounima, Varvara and Fionnuala with their delicious and spicy
adaptation of the classic Mexican sauce. The students behaved in an exemplary fashion and enjoyed
themselves hugely.
Muchas gracias Lupita!
Fourteen high achieving Year 10 girls were invited to a Sixth Form taster day at Croydon High School to experience a real sixth form learning environment and try out some new subjects. Here is what some of the
girls have to say:
Q: Overall, how would you describe your experience on the taster day?
Micah: Overall, the day was helpful to me because speaking to the sixth formers who study there informed
me of what some of the subjects were like and what it was like to go to school there. Some of the lessons
were helpful and interesting and they even gave us free periods to relax when we got to watch the tennis
and socialise!
Natasha: I found that the taster day was incredibly helpful as it gives you an insight into the different
options in a deeper understanding than just a tour. I enjoyed the fact that the lessons we were
participating in weren't the stereotypical classes, so it opens your eyes to a wider variety of options
Q: What was your favourite subject and why?
Abbie: My favourite subject was Philosophy and Ethics because it was completely new to me . It was so interesting and you had to think outside the box.
Micah: Same for me, the teacher was really passionate about it and made you think differently. For
example, the teacher asked me to define the word ‘numbers’ which we use every day but find it hard to define.
Q: Did it change or challenge any of your
views about sixth forms?
Abbie: Yes, as it more like secondary school
than I thought, due to the structure.
Micah: I thought that you would have to
study all the time and that the teachers
would be really strict but in Croydon High the
sixth form seemed really fun and
relaxed.
Q: Would you recommend a similar
experience to a peer?
Kate: Definitely, we got the chance to do
taster lessons in subjects we haven’t heard
much about at GCSE level, such as
classical civilisations.
Sophie: I would recommend it because it
gives you an insight into different courses.
The theme for our page this term is ‘Our Community.’ One of the key roles of
the Council is to serve as ‘Champions’ to the local community and to support
the link between the school, parents and the local area. Oasis believes that
their schools should be a welcoming place for all members of the local
community and be a ‘hub’ so that everyone feels included and can reach their
potential.
Councillors Community News
From Mrs Henriette Westergaard-Belcher, Parent and OAC Councillor
The EcoClub run by Mrs Madar assisted by (Mrs Westergaard-Belcher) is
attended by years 7 and 8 students once a week at lunchtime. Students have
been working hard this year conducting an environmental review of the school. They
are currently writing an action plan and are hoping to submit an application for a
bronze eco schools award this summer.
From Mr Chris Wright, OAC Councillor
A group on local community leaders have got together and are organising a
Commemoration of the start of World War 1. I was delighted with the Academy
again actively joining in with community activities in Old Coulsdon. Not only have
they hosted the World War 1 community meetings but also the students have
produced some wonderful banners to hang in St Johns Church, will be involved in
the War Memorial Service on August 3rd and in the Exhibition in Coulsdon College.
From Sue Raynor, OAC Chair
I was delighted to attend the annual Rotarians dinner in June. The food was
absolutely delicious and was prepared and served by some delightful Year 10
students under the watchful eye of Mrs Buckingham and Mrs Ward. The
Rotarians continue to provide lots of opportunities for our students through the
many Rotary Club competitions such as Young Chef.
The world community alive and kicking at OAC
The final of the OAC version of the World Cup was in full swing when I visited
the school recently. As I stepped out of my car, the noise of the loudspeakers
was at fever pitch and students were having great fun as the tension built for the
final. Unfortunately I had to attend a meeting but was told later that Australia
triumphed. This was a great example of the importance of coming together as a
school and being part of a world sporting event. Great fun!
Thank you for serving the community as a member of the OAC Council to…
… Jan Gallagher and Carmen Patel, both staff representatives, whose terms of office have come to an
end. Your contributions and service to OAC Council are very much appreciated.
And Finally…
On behalf of the OAC Councillors, I wish all of our readers a very well deserved rest and enjoyable break. It’s
been a busy year and I would like to thank Mr Booth and all staff of Oasis Academy Coulsdon for their tireless
efforts and care of every student. Everyone in the school community really does make OAC a very special
place.
Sue Raynor
Chair of OAC Council
Once again the end of the year has come upon us and we can look back
on an exciting academic year.
Curie students have thrown themselves into the life of the academy
taking part in many activities and opportunities. Along with the academic
work of the school it is important that students embrace all the extra
opportunities that come their way if they are to get the most out of the
time at the academy. We have seen Curie members helping at parents’
night, Carol services, Open days and many other academy events
Members of Y10 Curie took part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award
expedition this year with the practice being a little wet and the actual expedition also having moments of
wet, mud and fun. Well done to all the Curie students for successfully completing an exhausting couple
of weekends.
Curie students took part in the OAC World Cup and although they did
not win they did have a great time in all their matches. The weather
was kind for once and all who took part had happy memories to take
away.
The Charity fund raising events were well supported by Curie students and many
students took part in the cycle to Africa bike ride whilst others raised money with
cakes sales.
Y10 Curie students have been out on work experience and it has been an
amazing experience for them with students getting placements in law firms,
medieval research and the Army to mention but a few. The Y10 students have put a lot of effort into
arranging quality placements and I encourage Y9 to start thinking about their own placement for next
year. It’s never too soon to start making enquiries for placements with businesses.
Curie students have also been taking part in many special events that
reward students for their excellent attendance behaviour and
punctuality. We have had inflatables day, pizza and ice cream parties.
We of course cannot end without mentioning the Y10 prefect elections.
This year has seen the largest number of applicants in the Academy
history with more than half of the year group applying to be a Prefect. It
was amazing to see so many students wanting to give something back
to the academy over the coming year. There were many difficult
decisions to be made and many students were unfortunately
disappointed. One Curie member who was not disappointed was Georgia Poulier
our new Academy Head Girl. Well done Georgia!
On behalf of the Curie Family I would like to wish you all a restful and fun filled
holiday. I look forward to seeing all the students in September ready to start another
productive new year.
Rob Martin, Head of Cure Family
What an amazing year this has been! We have had some fantastic results from
year 10 students taking their exams early. All Brunel students have been raising
money for various charities including Sports Relief; they have enjoyed theatre
trips and volunteered at Academy events such as Sports Fest, parents’ evenings, tours, Christmas and Old Coulsdon Village fairs; enjoyed rewards events
including a pantomime and inflatables day as well as our forthcoming Thorpe
Park trip, the list goes on for the amount of events Brunel students have been
involved in!
Well done to BCW for winning our attendance competition and receiving a box of
Heroes for 100% attendance!
Year 10 are currently on their work experience placements and we hope they are
enjoying a taste of what it is really like to work in their chosen field and look forward to hearing all about it on their return. I am sad to see year 10 Brunel students leave the Brunel family but I know you will all flourish under Mrs. Patel’s
care and guidance through your GCSEs next year, good luck! Year 9 students
have enjoyed a celebration and team building day as they prepare to come back
in September as Year 10.
A huge congratulations to the new Head Boy, Head Girl and their Deputies, of which
5 are Brunel students (Sorry Mr. Martin!) Also congratulations to the Prefects who
have been chosen from some amazing letters of application it was such a hard decision to make from a wonderful year group.
We are all very proud of our two Jack Petchey winners : Ruth McKenzie for her
good team work and navigation skills during her recent expedition and also for
helping to teach others how to navigate. She will be putting her £200 towards a
new tent for further Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
Sophie Speed for training hard to gain a place in the Great Britain U19 underwater hockey team, her Jack Petchey prize money will be spent in the PE department.
As I said in our newsletter right at the start of this academic year, “We are committed to ‘Everyone, Every time’ and ensuring that students are smart in appearance, organised, attend regularly and arrive on time, so that knowledge is gained
in all subject areas in order to be successful”. This has not changed throughout
the year and our expectations are still high and I would like to remind students to
use their summer holidays to get prepared and organised for the new term in September, and of course to get plenty of rest and have some fun!
Enjoy your well earned break and I look forward to seeing you all in September
ready for all the exciting things planned for you and the new academic year
ahead.
Ms Kavanagh, Brunel Family Leader
Mrs Patel’s group of students in 9a1 wanted to combine their
Mathematics ability with a Charity, to complete a project. Each
group was made up of approximately 6 students and they
completed events such as selling ice creams, popcorn, sweets
and car washing to raise funds.
Their project incorporated the following mathematical and social
skills – sampling, writing questionnaires, surveys, data handling
Information – pie charts, bar graphs, pictograms, planning,
working in small groups, creating a power point presentation,
presenting their findings to their peers in class and decision
making were just some of the skills.
Over 3 weeks, the students competed fiercely to outdo each other
and the results were fantastic. They pooled their monies together,
and the group that raised the most money, voted for the chosen
charity.
As young people themselves, they voted unanimously for the organisation “ Make A Wish Foundation UK.” The total
donated was £129.74. They feel so privileged and honoured, to know that they have made a small difference
to a young child’s life. The money went towards granting a magical wish to a desperately ill child / young person.
They loved every minute of that activity and are already thinking about another event.
Honour Roll
Congratualtions to the first group of year 11 students have completed their exams and their year on the
Honour Roll Programme. We wish them the best of luck for results day in August!
Honour Roll 2013-2014
Shelley Allen
Esther Amedume
Zoe Arnoutis
Kirsty Bailey
Daniel Benham
Bayley Burke
Noah Cockram
Sean Collard
Raushaun Deacon
Shaani Dow
Claire Fowler
Ryan Gordon
Akeela Green-Field
Lauren Hazeldine
Kadel Henry
Kyrah Henry
Micahel Hodsdon
Nathan Jeal
Christopher McFall
Samantha Millhouse-Lowe
Nilesh Narain
Kyziah Nelson-Payne
Aimee Nicholas
Ricosha Nornoo-Okine
Thomas Okyere
Eseosa Omoruyi
Elizabeth Peters
Michael Poupart
I just cannot believe how quickly a year has flown by! This year has seen a real enthusiasm from students for trying
to gain the ARC awards for Service, Professionalism, Academic and Enrichment. I was amazed at how quickly they
achieved some of the merits in each of the areas reflecting a keenness and passion to do well, with many of them
attaining the Principle’s Award.
For our end of year report I thought it would be nice to have comments from Da Vinci Mentors and students about
how this year has gone.
Miss Chapman:
“We liked it when Miss Chapman asked us to make paper aeroplanes so we could fly them outside and see who got
the furthest, it was really fun and we liked doing something different. We feel like we have done a lot this year which
has been really good fun including rewards for attendance and good behaviour and our form Christmas Party where
we got to dance around and be crazy! Miss Chapman has always made our PSHCE lessons interesting with fun
debates and hearing about people who she has met in her life which links to the subject.”
Miss Fox:
“I have really enjoyed my time with my mentor group this year, and I’ve especially enjoyed our PSHCE sessions
where students have made really thoughtful, mature
contributions and had lots of interesting discussions. I feel like
my mentor group really get on well as a team and are always
considerate of each other. We’ve had a lot of laughs and have
had some very heated and competitive quizzes, especially when
it’s girls vs boys. I thought the effort that they put into Secret
Santa was very sweet, and nobody was left out. They take a
real interest in the world around them and some highlights have
been when we watch news clips and they seem so aware of
what’s going on in the world around them, or ask lots of
interesting questions to find out more about what’s happening in
the news. Their sense of humour and kindness has really made
mentor times enjoyable for me.”
Miss Billington:
“Aspirations are high in DJBI. We’ve got aspiring chefs,
sportspeople and actors, and with the grit shown by our mentor
group this year there’s no doubt that all those fabulous
ambitions will be achieved. When Ms Green sent round eight
questions to test our grit the whole mentor group came together
to generate some fantastically creative answers. Can you cry underwater? Yes, said Ewan. Just hold a bucket of
water over your head. Scott had the scientific explanation for how tears are dissolved, while Katheryn answered Ms
Green’s question about the difference between a wise guy and a wise man with the suggestion that a true wise man
is a woman!
I’ll never forget the theories that emerged when I asked my imaginative mentees to solve the mystery of the murder
of two of my pet chickens, in particular Josh’s suggestion that I might have been the guilty party. Outrageous! I’ve got
many happy memories of DJBI to take with me to Hong Kong next year and I’m looking forward to hearing about
their many successes in the future.”
Miss McGregor:
“It’s been a fabulous year in DRMA. I’ve been very lucky with the students that I have in my mentor group, we all get
along and we help each other out when we’re feeling low. One of my highlights this year was our amazing Christmas
party, which was a wonderful example of my mentees’ great manners! You would have thought we were having tea
in the Savoy, so well behaved and polite were my students to each other. Mentor time is the best part of my day, by
a long way. DRMA definitely feels like a second family to me.”
Mrs Tapley:
“We have come to end of the first year of the O-Zone, provision for students on the autism spectrum. Mentor time is
of great value to us. It is a time for us to gather together and support each other. We have worked on several group
projects in mentor time such as making papier-mâché storage boxes for our room. These are some thoughts from
some of the O-Zone students”:
Hannah “ Mentor time is actually ok, because even though you have to work, you feel more relaxed that
you’re in your mentor group. You have a choice of journey book, writing, or educational games on the computer. You
just loosen up because you’re somewhere that everybody knows you and what you’re doing.”
Storm “ Mentor time is a time to do many things like draw in your journey books or relax in the quiet room.
You can do many things but my favourite thing about mentor time is that you have a choice of a variety of things to
do.”
Sam “ In mentor time my favourite thing to do is to go on the computer and do something educational like
Bitesize or the Science Museum website.”
Ms Johnson
Quotes from DDJ:
‘My happiest memory of DDJ is when Ms Johnson buys us cakes or chocolate for our birthdays, she is nice to us and
also when we watched the boy with no eyes (Ben Underwood) he could still play basketball and go skateboarding
and it showed us that we should not give up’
‘In DDJ Mrs Johnson has been a lovely leader’
‘When we watched the boy with no eyes, it was remarkable and made me think how lucky I am’
‘When Mrs Johnson reads to us and uses funny accents, I enjoyed Raven’s Gate’
I will miss them and wish them every success
Mrs Skilton
“This year has passed so quickly. With the support of the Year 8 students my Year 7 students settled in extremely
well, their aspiration to achieve Arc awards has been amazing. At parents’ evening it was a pleasure to discuss not
only their progress but how each individual student has been a delight to teach. I shall miss their smiling faces and
happy chatter - they are great ambassadors for our academy. “
Mr Wade
“My first year at Oasis as a mentor has been a pleasure. I had no idea what to expect but I was blessed with the best
bunch of students. Every mentor time we've had countless jokes and banter. They have been like my personal
‘fashion police’. Every time I wear something that doesn't quite suit me, they're quick to let me know, but on the other
hand when I look stylish they're the first ones to compliment me. I am going to miss my students as I move to a
different family, hopefully I'll have some of them in the next mentor group that I have.”
Miss Zuberi
I’ve had a lovely time this year with DNZ! This has been my first year at Oasis Coulsdon and the year 8s in particular
have been great at helping me and the year 7s settle into the Academy. Mentor time can certainly be chaotic
sometimes with either George making displays with “Steve” the mannequin head, or Xavier protesting loudly about
something, or James, happily chatting and doodling manga in his planner when he should be listening! I’m really
proud of all the students and I wish I had more space to write here. They’ve all at some point amazed or pleased me
with their talent, kindness or ability.”
Mrs Buckingham, Family Leader
I am very proud to be the Family Leader of Da Vinci. I have seen the present Year 8s change from being shy, quiet
students in the beginning of Year 7 and grow into mature, confident young adults. Both year 7 and 8s have really
shown some of the character traits that we use every day, Zest, Aspiration, Self-Control, Grit and Love. As a family
we have achieved so much this year, I always find that students are willing to help out at events and try their hardest
in whatever they do. I have some great memories from not just this year but over the past two years. I will be sorry to
lose the Year 8s but I wish them well as they move forward in their Academy journey and join Curie. I am sure that I
will still be seeing some of them in the office telling me their woes! I look forward to Year 7s returning in September
as Year 8 and I am sure they will be great ambassadors towards the new students. I am very much looking forward
to the new year in September and meeting the next generation of Oasis students. I wish all the students, parents
and carers a safe and wonderful summer.
Miss Ward LCW
This academic year has flown by. Students have forged strong friendships and have grown and
matured before my eyes. Whilst looking at the success throughout the year it is evident that
every mentee has achieved in all areas of our arcs, from academically to personally. They are an
enthusiastic group which have amazing futures in front of them, I feel blessed to have shared in
their year in the Academy as their mentor and am proud of every member of LCW.
Mrs McGeekie LTM
I can’t believe that I am actually writing our end of term form report. It only seems like yesterday that our lovely year
7s arrived at Oasis all full of nerves and in trepidation. Our year 8s did a wonderful job of welcoming them into our
form and in no time at all, the year 7s’ confidence had grown and they very quickly became a part of our Luther King
family. Mentor time has been a huge pleasure and I look forward to our daily sessions. They all bring something very
different to our family and I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them. I am sad that year 8s are going to be
leaving us but they are all ready to move on and ready to face their new challenges as they commence their next
journey into KS4. I wish them all every success. I know that our year 7s will miss having them around too but that
they are also ready to move on and become mentors themselves for our new students in September; they have
certainly had excellent role models. I asked our form to share their thoughts on LTM:
My form is very happy and positive; when they’re happy, I’m happy – Kacie
I enjoy being with Y8s who are always here to support us – Jasmine & Tom
I love the atmosphere in form and the way that we talk about any problems – Dominic
I enjoyed the activities and quizzes and spending time with Mrs McGeekie, my favourite teacher – Cosmina ;)
Working on our Journey Books and on the World Cup – Oliver, Jack, Jake & Katharine
We love Luther King assemblies because they’re interesting and you can earn Attendance, Academic and Star of the
Week Certificates – Kameron, Lucas, Jayden
Being with friends and being part of the Luther King family – Idara and Polette
The opportunities given to me to by Luther King to get involved in cake sales, Sports Relief and helping out in the
local community such as the Village Fair – Joshua
Rhiannon was unusually absent when I asked the question but I am confident that she would say she loved doing
artwork in her Journey Book! Wishing you all a lovely summer and stay safe.
Miss Davidson LSD
It has been absolutely fantastic working with LSD over the past year. Every day has been a joy. They have shown
themselves to be incredibly mature, focused and determined. They have risen to every challenge showing great
resilience, strength and character. They are a caring form who have supported and nurtured each other and become
great friends along the way. It has been great working with them and I wish them every success in the year ahead!
Miss Elvin LGE
Being asked to reflect on my form each year is always an exciting and interesting
experience – where do I start?! What wonderful individuals all my students are! There are
my Year 8s; Deanna who always kept me up to date with gossip and goings on in the
Academy; Hayden who has the best journey book that I have ever seen; Emily WB who was
a calming influence that sometimes our form so greatly needed! Fahima, with her creative
reasoning, and Keon who constantly seems to be hungry! I will miss each and every one of
you as you move into year 9 – go and show the rest how it’s done!
Miss Elvin continued…
Then of course our enthusiastic Year 7s, each of whom seem to have grown not only in maturity this year, but I think
that each and every student is now taller than me! Olly, my table-tennis champion; Warren who has the skill of
having conversations without me noticing before it is over and Josh, my hard worker whose favourite mentor time is
always assembly! Next there is Kishonath who has a great skill in hiding student planners; Daniel, who has one of
the best ‘Doh I forgot!’ faces that I think that I have ever seen; Emily W who always tells me her hedgehog stories;
and Ana, who is always able to find the drama! Finally, I could not talk about LGE without considering our newest
and youngest form member, she may not be a conventional student but I know that she is loved by all of us! Jessica
Rabbit – welcome to Luther King!
Miss Madar LAD
As the end of another academic year draws to a close, I have been privileged yet
again to witness the many successes of our young students in LAM. I have really
enjoyed seeing how well our Year 7 students have flourished and the maturity of
our Year 8 students. Congratulation are in order for Holly, Mollie and Eloise for
achieving outstanding GCSE mock results in Maths. These girls have high
expectations of themselves and aspire to be the best they can be. Throughout the
year both Bethany and Robert have valued close relationships with others
throughout the Academy. Tejin has displayed huge amount of grit inside and
outside of the Academy. Throughout this year he has taken part in numerous golf
competitions and has banked fantastic levels in his core subjects. Ahren and
George have without a doubt have provided the most laughter in LAM. Both these
boys approach life with excitement and energy.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the best to our Year 8 students as
they embark on a new journey in KS4.
Mrs Cassar LRC
I have thoroughly enjoyed mentoring my form of Year 7/8s this year. It has been a pleasure to work with them
through what has been an action-packed 3 terms of hard work and great achievement. I would like to congratulate
the year 8s on their forthcoming graduation and wish them every success in Year 9. Equally I would like to wish the
7s all the best for next year and hope that they continue to excel in the same way they have this year.
Mrs Huff LHH
I wholeheartedly wish my form, LHH all the best for the future. It has been an eventful year for them and I am
confident that all the year 7s will go on to have a very successful year 8 and I wish the year 8s who are graduating
the very best in continuing with the great work they have done in this very important stage of their school career!
Miss Thompson LKST
It has been a pleasure to mentor LKST this year. LKST is an exciting form filled with a variety of individuals who
excel in sport, drama, academia and service. I have particularly enjoyed our discussions about current affairs which
usually turn into exciting and somewhat heated debates! I have also enjoyed getting to know each and every student
well so that we can focus on honing their strengths and building on their weaknesses.
What a superb year – a big thank you to all of the students!
Mr Stanley LJS
My first year as a mentor and the time has flown by. It feels very significant to think
that the year 8s will be handing in their green ties and collecting the blue ties that
show that they are moving into Key Stage 4. Meanwhile, the nervous Year 7s from
September 2013 have become confident as they move towards being Year 8s and
have begun to start thinking about how they can help the next batch of nervous Year
7s settle into Academy life in Septem-
Mr Stanley continued….
LJS has a mixed bag of characters but I feel that they have gelled really well and all care for each other and enjoy
each other’s company.
I would like to send a message to each of my mentees:
Scarlett, stay positive in class and keep focussed on improving. Abbigail, keep your bubbly personality and
maintain your high standards in Year 8. Sade, I really hope you have a positive Year 8 and achieve your potential.
Connor, you have had a good year, please keep working hard and you will thrive in Year 8. Ellie, keep up the
good work and have a positive Year 8.
Doorvish get ready for some hard work in Year 9. You are very capable when you are focussed. Reece, Year
9 is your year to show how well you can apply yourself and fulfil your great potential. Samuel, maintain your
standards and the quality of your work no matter what. You will shine in Year 9. Hannah, keep working , enjoy your
stage performing and have a brilliant Year 9. Savannah, keep doing your very best with your work, behaviour and
your attendance and you can have a wonderful Year 9.
Tyrese, your knowledge of flags of the world is incredible. If you can learn everything else as well as that
you will have a super Year 8. Amber, you are a very reliable member of our form and a positive influence. Please
take that positivity with you into Year 9. Jon, your enthusiasm for your work and positive attitude around school are
great qualities to take into Year 8. Katie, I believe you have had a great Year 8. Keep working hard and maintain
your excellent behaviour and attendance.
Good luck to you all!
Mr Calvo, Family Leader
For the Luther King Family we have just had an amazing year. It is lovely when I read the mentors comments about
how proud they are of the students and the acknowledgement of how hard they have worked this year to achieve
their targets and consistently week on week they have attended the academy and won the attendance Olympic
challenge.
More so than ever before this year we have seen a very special bond develop between Year 7 and 8 and it was
lovely to see them stand so proud side by side for the final end of year photograph. Year 8 are now ready and
excited about the challenges ahead in KS4 and we wish them the very best for their futures at the academy and I am
sure that they will still want to pop in to the office to share their successes. Year 7 now confidently move into Year 8
stronger people with a true sense that next year they want to take on a leadership role welcoming and supporting our
New Year 7 students.
I would like to thank all the students for their continued commitment to the Academy and our Family and wish them a
very well earned rest for the summer. To the mentors and parents I would like to thank you for your continued
support in tracking performance and your commitment to seeing our students succeed.
Conor Watmough
Head Boy
Matthew Lavelle
Deputy Head Boy
Georgia Poulier
Head Girl
Billy Hudson
Deputy Head Boy
Lili Collins
Deputy Head Girl
Jessica Hann
Deputy Head Girl
Rosanna Tribe
Prefect
Varvara Nicolaou
Prefect
Mitchell Heyden
Prefect
Amy Durrant
Prefect
Amber Taylor
Prefect
Cameron Warr
Prefect
Harry Friend
Prefect
Daniel Heather
Prefect
Georgia McGrain
Prefect
Harry Parrisien
Prefect
Isabella Zuaiter
Prefect
Matthew Kendall
Prefect
Natasha Stear
Prefect
Ryan Precious
Prefect
Lillija Kologyij
Prefect
Bianca Cabungan
Prefect
Matthew Bean
Prefect
Tamah Gayle
Prefect
Bence Luo
Prefect
Georgina Falzon
Prefect
Connor Hong Mai
Prefect
Abigail Smart
Prefect
Niamh Carey
Prefect
Fionnuala Gibbons
Prefect
Habeedah Khoyratty Bathany Street
Prefect
Prefect
Abigail Smith
Prefect
Sport
Textiles Trip
Work Experience
For my year 10 work experience I found a fantastic opportunity to find out
what it would be like to be a Marine Biologist. I realized at the start of year 9
that I wanted to work in the Sciences. My first week’s work experience was
at a vet which was really interesting but I didn’t like being cramped into a
building all day, so I definitely know that I want to be outside sometimes.
Then when my second week work experience came around, I had an
amazing insight into the life of a Marine Biologist. Dr David Morritt from the
Royal Holloway, University of London was a brilliant mentor and really
helpful. I went behind the scenes of the Natural History Museum and went into a tank
room, where there was a giant squid that was found over a 100 years ago, and some of Darwin’s discoveries,
(both are not shown to the public).
We went down to the Chelsea Embankment near the Thames, and looked for Chinese Mitten Crabs (which are
an invasive species) and I also saw a few eels. All that was just on the first day. These crabs are threatening the
marine life in the Thames, and Marine Biologists are trying to find ways of preventing this.
On Tuesday I went further up the Thames (near Kew Bridge), where we searched for more Mitten Crabs and eels,
we found less (which is actually a good thing), but I did see a lot more snails. On the third day, we went further
down the Thames (to Woolwich, Erith, Greenhithe, Gravesend) and I helped with an under graduate project, by
taking pictures, looking for and collecting barnacles and seaweed. On the other days, I helped the same
professors and under graduates by going to Canvey Island and Erith again, to collect some Mitten Crabs, and
taking pictures.
This brilliant experience has definitely pointed me in the right direction to pursue my career as a Marine Biologist. I
was so sad when it was near the end of week; I wanted it to go on a lot longer. Finally I have to say a big thank you to Dr David Morritt
from the Royal Holloway, University of London for this great experience, which is definitely going to help
with my career as a Marine Biologist and my application for University.
If you are in a younger year than me and like Science, then these great work experiences are around.
But you have to start early; I had this arranged 7 months ago in December and would have
missed out if I had left it any later.
Danielle Holmes Year 10 CLRS
Shem Kent Nuako Owusu, 14
Reason for award: For making
an outstanding contribution to
Academy life since joining in KS4.
In particular he was an excellent
ambassador at the recent
Sportsfest for primary schools
held at the Academy.
£200 grant has been used for:
End of term rewards trips
Noah Cockram, 16
Reason for award: Noah is an active member
of the Royal Marine Cadets where he has been
involved in a wide range of community projects.
Some of the projects he has participated in
include a charity Santa Run in 2012, a chain
walk in Portsmouth for Blind Veterans, bag
packing raising money for Sea Cadets and
selling Poppies for the Royal British Legion. In
addition to these activities, Noah embraces his
position as a positive role model for younger
members of the Cadets, showing self-control,
zest for life and grit to achieve his fieldcraft and
marine engineering qualifications while also
maintaining high grades in all subjects in school.
His passion for helping the community through the Royal Marine
Cadets is an inspiration to his peers
and elders.
£200 grant has been used for: A
science rewards event
Da Vinci
Luther King

Emily Wood– Aspiration
Dwain Tyndale– Zest

Jake Aung-Mya– Self Control

Scott Thornhill- Aspiration

Samuel Poupart– Love

Christine Greenfield– Grit

Jayden Davis– Aspiration

Leon Gibb– Self Control

All Luther King students who have
helped with the primary school
student visits– Love

Mollie Penfold- Aspiration

Brunel
Curie

Niamh Carey – Zest

Rochelle Taylor–Aspiration

Kasey Shallcrass– Self Control

Lillian stocks– Aspiration

Amba Lanning– Zest

Jade Polden– Zest

Bethany Street– Zest
Francesca Mason– Aspiration

All Year 9 students in BMW–
Aspiration


Emily Lock– Grit
Sports Star




Emily Smith for her grit in PE. She always strives to do well and overcome challenges
(20th June)
Darryl Falzon for his brilliant efforts in playing in the Oasis World Cup Tournament
(3rd July)
Futsal & Cheerleading Teams who went to the Futsal Tournament in Birmingham
(9th July)
Well done to all the students who took part in Sports Day 2014. A particular well done to all
of the students who broke Academy Sports Records! (18th July)
Dear Parents/Carers,
The FOAC would like to pass on their thanks to all who have made our events this
year a success. We have had our favourite events starting with the fireworks and
Christmas Fair. This year has seen another of our great quiz nights; this was
supported by over 100 parents and staff. We have recently been to the Old Coulsdon Village Fair where we sold
our ever popular crispy crème doughnuts. We also did our bags2school day and raised £136.00.
All funds raised means we can buy extra equipment for Academy students. This year’s money has gone towards
helping Oasis Atomic our cheerleading team, buy 30 costumes for performances and also funded some extra
lighting for drama department productions.
We are hoping next year, to assist with a big project and would like to buy the students some new IT equipment.
This only comes with the support of families of the students and we would like to encourage you all to attend our
events.
Another way to raise extra funds is to log on to the Easyfundraising website and every time you conduct a search
in one of the many online stores you pass a donation onto the Academy. If a purchase is then made the retailer
will pass on a percentage of that purchase. Many stores take part in the scheme, Amazon, John Lewis, Tesco
etc… So please log on and join up.
If there is anybody that can assist through their company with ‘match funding’ please let us know. Many companies such as AVIVA, HSBC and many banks and insurance companies support this scheme.
So please help us in any way you can either by coming along with friends or family to our events or helping out on
the committee. For any enquiries please email us on [email protected].
Planned Future Events.
Firework Evening; Friday 7th November
Christmas Fair; Saturday 6th December.
With thanks,
Claire Taylor
Chair of FOAC
All the staff and students at the Academy, would
like to thank all the FOAC Committee members –
your support is truly OUTSTANDING!
Oasis has enjoyed another very busy year of evening and weekend bookings
by the local community.
All our indoor Sports areas are proving very popular for a variety of community
activities including basketball, netball, Zumba, badminton, Kettlebell fitness,
Taekwondo, football and ballet. For the hardier among you there is an outdoor
twice weekly boot camp, rain or shine. Details of these activities can be found
on the community notice-board in the internet café.
Caterham Community Church visit us every Sunday and
hold their service and coffee morning. They always
welcome new friends.
We have also been the venue for a variety of children’s
themed parties. Bouncy castles, inflatable slides, spy
parties, football, go-karting and discos have all been
enjoyed at Oasis followed by a birthday tea.
We have been visited by the British Kendo
Association who held their AGM and
weekend national training event for Kendo, Iaido
and Jodo. Their members came from as far
away as Edinburgh and Northern
Ireland.
We have been used by regional air-cadets for a
drill competition more commonly known as square bashing.
Congratulations to our local cadets who won all 3 categories and go through to the finals in Hampshire.
Frequent visitors are the Girl Guide Leaders who use us as their training environment for courses.
Once again we joined in partnership with Caterham Community Church and hosted another pantomime by the
amazing Saltmine Theatre Company. We all enjoyed their performance of the Snow Queen last December. We
haven’t forgotten this year and have already arranged Nov 28th as the date for your diary. Beauty and the Beast will
be this year’s must see event, come and join us.
The Oasis Fitness Suite is still open for new members. Should you wish to see the benefits of your hard work in a
few months’ time, just contact [email protected]
If you have a child who would be interested in playing netball this summer, there is a summer holiday club, details
are attached to this newsletter or on the community notice board.
The Coulsdon Horticultural Show was held here again, with a wonderful display of all
things green. September 20th is this year’s chance to view what your back garden can
produce.
Other events have included a korfball tournament, nearly-new sales, dinner dances, fun
days, race nights and discos.
If you have an event coming up and are looking for a venue, or if you help run a club or
organisation that would like to use us either as a one-off or on a regular basis, then
please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Finally a big thank you to our team of Community Assistants who help out at evenings
and weekends and ensure our visitors leave happy and keep coming back.
Jackie Holmes
IN 1916 an American airman called James McConnell observed the Battle of Verdun from the sky. Although
the carnage of North-east France looked weirdly still from that distance the overwhelming impression was
one of devastation. “Peaceful fields and farms and villages adorned that landscape a few months ago,” he
wrote in his memoir Flying For France. “Now there is only that sinister brown belt, a strip of murdered
Nature. It seems to belong to another world. Every sign of humanity has been swept away. The woods and
roads have vanished like chalk wiped from a blackboard, of the villages nothing remains but grey smears
where stone walls have tumbled together.”
The destruction on all the First World War battlefields was total. Every account spoke of the sea of mud and
the elimination of any distinguishing features in the landscape. For troops in the trenches the only other
living things they would encounter, apart from fellow soldiers, were rats, mice or lice. But one miracle of
nature did survive. The conditions perfectly suited an annual herb called papaver rhoeas, whose seeds can
lie dormant in the soil for more than 80 years before germinating. The process is usually triggered by disturbance of the soil, which is why the plant better known as the common poppy is often found beside
ploughed fields. Now the so-called “war to end all wars” had served the same purpose. This had been apparent since the unusually warm spring and early summer of 1915, when poppies had begun to grow in
clusters on and around the battle zones. One of those to record the phenomenon was Lieutenant Colonel
John McCrae, a Canadian doctor who fought in the second battle of Ypres in Belgium. His friend Alexis
Helmer was killed in a shell burst in May 1915 and McCrae performed the improvised funeral ceremony
himself. Noting how quickly poppies grew around other recent graves, he composed a 15-line poem the
day after the burial. “In Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row,” the first verse
began. He submitted the poem to Punch magazine in London which ran it in December 1915. Unlike better
remembered First World War poets such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, McCrae did not intend to
agitate against the war. On the contrary the poem argued that it was the duty of new recruits to “take up our
quarrel with the foe” to make sure the fallen had not died in vain. As a
result it was widely republished as part of a propaganda campaign to
support the war effort. McCrae did not see the end of the war. He died
of pneumonia in January 1918 while commanding the Canadian
military hospital in Boulogne. Ten months later in the closing days of
the conflict his poem came to the attention of an American university
teacher called Moina Michael. Having received a donation from some
of the delegates she went out to search for silk poppies at a nearby
department store She had seen it before but as she volunteered at
the New York YWCA headquarters to organise an international
conference, the lines “If ye break with us who die/ We shall not sleep”
had a particular resonance. She made a personal pledge to wear a red
poppy as a sign of remembrance.
Having received a donation from some of the delegates she went out
to search for silk poppies at a nearby department store, which she then
handed out at the conference. After the war she pursued the idea of
selling silk poppies as a means of raising funds to assist
disabled veterans. She persuaded the American Legion
Auxiliary to adopt the flower as a symbol of remembrance
and in 1921 a French woman called Anna Guérin took the
idea back home to organise a poppy-making effort
in France. Guérin also visited London to
petition Field Marshal Earl Haig, the British
military commander who was president of the new ex-service association the British Legion. He agreed to
adopt the Flanders poppy as an emblem for the Legion. At first French women were sent across the
Channel to sell the poppies in Britain but in 1922 Major George Howson, an engineer who had served on
the Western Front, offered to supply his own version. With the aid of a start-up grant, he established a
small factory off the Old Kent Road in south London. The assembly process was deliberately made simple
enough that someone who had lost the use of a hand could make the flowers. “I have been given a cheque
for £2,000 to make poppies with,” he told his parents in a letter. “It is a large responsibility and will be very
difficult. If the experiment is successful it will be the start of an industry to employ 150 men. I do not think it
can be a great success but it is worth
trying. I consider the attempt ought to
be made if only to give the
disabled their chance.” Within months
the factory was providing work and an
income for 50 disabled veterans. As
demand grew, the premises became
too small and in 1925 it moved to its
current site in Richmond, Surrey. The
Poppy Factory now produces nearly
40 million poppies for wreaths, sprays
and buttonholes. The black plastic
centre of the poppy was marked Haig
Fund until 1994, when it was replaced
with the words Poppy Appeal. In
northern France and Belgium, the
poppies still grow – although not
necessarily in the volumes that
modern visitors hope to see. A single
plant can produce up to 60,000 seeds
but if those seeds don’t germinate, the
flowers won’t bloom. For them to do
so in the numbers that some people
expect the carnage would need to
happen all over again. And part of the
original point of the symbolic poppy,
as Moina Michael originally conceived
it, was to help make sure that it never
does.
Thursday 24th July
2-4pm, Sports Hall & Studio
Football Tournament
Dance Session
Provided by Dance Mix
£1 per student to attend, all year groups welcome.
Please sign up with Mr Richards and to receive a
permission form.