newsletter - John Wallis Academy

Transcription

February 2014
NEWSLETTER
SPECIALISMS: MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY
From The Principal
Reflection/Prayer
In short there are three things that last,
faith, hope and love,
and the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians: 13 v 13)
OFSTED JUDGES THE JOHN WALLIS CHURCH
OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
TO BE A ‘GOOD SCHOOL’
We had just returned after the Christmas holidays
and at lunchtime on the Wednesday of the first week
back, I received a phone call to inform me that we
would have an Ofsted inspection which would last
for two days, 9th and 10th January. Five inspectors
would arrive the following morning at 8.00am to
carry out an inspection of our 3 – 19 Academy. The
lead inspector told me that he wanted to celebrate
the good work of our Academy and this was the
message Miss Lacon and I imparted to our pupils
in the primary and our students in the secondary
Academy at assemblies that afternoon. For the
next two days, our pupils and students, “our
greatest ambassadors“ demonstrated through their
learning how good it is to belong to The John Wallis
Academy.
As I write to you, the final report of our inspection
has just been published and has been put on the
Academy website. I will send a hard copy of the
report to you with our end of term newsletter and
I am sure that you will enjoy the many good things
that the inspectors had to say about our Academy.
The overall effectiveness of our Academy is judged
to be good, with the achievement of pupils and
students, the quality of teaching, the behaviour
and safety of pupils and students and leadership
and management all deemed to be good. I believe
that this is a great achievement for our 3 – 19
Academy with the inspection team recognising and
acknowledging the great progress that has taken
place since the Academy first opened in September
2010. They reported that ‘the proportion of students
gaining five or more A* - C GCSE grades including
English and Mathematics has improved significantly
since the Academy’s inception’. In 2011, we opened
our new Sixth Form with 23 of the first cohort of
students going to university in 2013. The inspection
Joy of Achievement....
team acknowledged that ‘the embryonic Sixth Form
is developing well with good achievements and
some of the Sixth Form work in vocational subjects
judged as ‘outstanding’. In 2012, we became an all
through 3 – 19 Academy and the inspectors reported
that ‘the primary sector, which has been in operation
for just four terms, is now flourishing because of
high quality leadership and the establishment of a
committed and stable staff’.
This is a well deserved report on our Academy. I want
to thank our pupils and students, acknowledged by
the inspection team as ‘our greatest ambassadors
‘for all the gifts and talents that they bring to our
Academy. I also want to thank our teaching and
support staff, parents and carers, governors and
sponsors for their sterling work, commitment and
support which enabled our Academy community to
make such rapid progress over the last three years
and four months. It has indeed been an amazing,
challenging and exciting journey but a journey of
success and celebration. We will of course continue
to strive to build on this success to become an
outstanding school where high aspirations, high
expectations and high standards continue the norm.
Please take the time to read the full report.
This has been a very busy term with many activities,
trips and new initiatives filling our calendar of
events. On Wednesday 5th February we held a very
successful Options Evening for over 200 of our Year
8 students and parents as our Year 8 students begin
to choose their GCSE options for the courses which
will begin in September 2014. Thank you to all the
parents, carers and students who were present for
this very important information evening which was
a very enjoyable and productive evening for all.
Forty-two students and six members of staff set
out on a skiing trip to Austria on the 8th February
returning on the 16th February. We wish them a
wonderful holiday experience and a safe journey
there and back.
Our Sports Teams, Duke of Edinburgh students, and
Music students have been enjoying extra-curricular
activities this term. Congratulations to our U16 boys’
badminton team who became the Ashford District
Champions and will now progress to play in the Kent
Schools Final in February. Congratulations also to
Adam Sharp, one of our Year 13 students who won
the Vocal Section in the Kent District Final of The
Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition.
Adam will compete at the South England District
...Thrill of Success
February 2014 NEWSLETTER
Final in March and is hoping to win through to the
UK final. We wish all our students the best of luck in
their upcoming competitions.
Our Year 6 pupils, Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13
students are working very hard in preparation for
their public examinations which are less than three
months away. They will be studying during the midterm break and I ask parents and carers to please
support them at this important time. There will be
revision classes for pupils and students during the
mid-term break next week and during the Easter
holidays and I ask parents and carers to ensure that
your children take full advantage of these revision
sessions. Pupils and students know what they
have to do to get the levels and grades that they
need and in the coming weeks, the Academy staff
will be supporting parents/carers and students with
preparation for these examinations. I encourage
all parents and carers of Year 6 pupils to attend
the Saturday morning classes being put on for the
pupils in Year 6 by Miss Wood in preparation for
their SATs.
In December, we said goodbye to Mrs Oulton,
Headmistress of Benenden School and one of our
sponsors/governors who retired after many years of
distinguished headship at Benenden School. Mrs
Oulton played a major role in the development of
our Academy and I would like to thank her for all her
good work and support on behalf of our Academy
and wish her every happiness and blessing in her
retirement.
I welcome Mrs Price who took up her post as
Headmistress of Benenden School this term and will
replace Mrs Oulton on our Governing Body. We look
forward to working with Mrs Price and continuing
the excellent relationship between Benenden
School and The John Wallis Academy. This term,
the Year 12 Benenden students paid a return visit to
our Academy as part of the mentoring programme
with our Year 11 students. Once again this year
this mentoring programme has proved to be very
successful. Our Year 6 pupils also visited Benenden
School this term and they had a wonderful day
learning in the Science labs and participating in
sporting activities in the gym. Thank you to all the
members of staff in both schools who organised
these excellent activities and events.
We continue to keep in our prayers our students,
Chanel Alldis, Faye Price and Kodie Cooper and
ask God to bless them with His healing and love.
We also pray for our staff who are ill and pray for
their return to full health.
Chaplaincy Report
As another term draws to a close it is amazing how
quickly time passes. It does not seem that long
ago that we were preparing for all of our Christmas
celebrations. The Carol Services, Nativities and
Christingle were all super events and everybody
involved performed magnificently. It was good to
see so many parents and carers coming along to
support the pupils and students at these events.
The retiring collections raised £167.47 for The
Children’s Society, £19.13 for Macmillan Cancer
Support and £77.66 for Cruse Bereavement Care.
Looking forward now to Easter, we are hoping to
join local church groups on the Easter Monday
Youth Pilgrimage to Canterbury. Last year over 50
students and staff members walked the 16 or so
miles from Ashford to Canterbury Cathedral. This
year’s Pilgrimage is on Monday 21st April. We will
leave from Christ Church, Beaver Road at 5.00am.
Please contact me for more details.
In the Secondary Years, Christian Union continues
to meet on Thursdays at 10.55am in Room 061. It
is an opportunity for students to meet together in
fellowship and discuss moral and topical issues.
A short service of Morning Prayer takes place every
Wednesday at 8.10am in Room 046. All staff and
students are welcome to attend.
On Monday 27th January we held a Holy
Communion service at the Academy which was led
by Canon Sheila McLachlan from Kingsnorth and
Shadoxhurst. Our next Holy Communion Service
will be at 3.15pm on Ash Wednesday, 5th March, to
mark the start of Lent. This will be led by Fr. Anthony.
Parents are welcome to join staff and students at
these services.
This term in our Assemblies, Mr McParland invited
students to reflect on the life of Nelson Mandela
and used his famous “Education is the great engine
of personal development” speech to encourage
students to aspire to greatness. We also looked at
the word “Tenacity” and used examples such as J.K.
Rowling, Richard Branson and Colonel Sanders
who have all refused to give up when they have
faced rejection or adversity. On Friday 7th February
we were pleased to welcome members of Gideons
International to the Academy. They led a Year 7
assembly and presented students in that year group
with a New Testament and Psalms.
I wish all our pupils, students, staff, parents/carers,
governors and all who read our newsletter a very
happy and restful mid-term break.
In our Thought for the Day in Tutor Time we
have reflected on Baptism, the Pope’s New Year
message and the word “Scapegoat”. We have also
commemorated specific dates such as Epiphany,
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and The Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity and Holocaust Memorial Day.
Mr J McParland, Principal
Mr I Rich, Academy Lay Chaplain
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Energy Drinks are Banned in
the Academy
A recent article on the BBC highlighted the negative
impact of energy drinks on young people.
There is increasing concern about how unhealthy
they are and the negative impact they have on
behaviour and the ability to learn. The high levels
of caffeine and sugar mean that these drinks are
extremely unhealthy.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents
that these drinks are banned in the Academy.
Should students be seen to have energy drinks they
will be confiscated. Please discuss the dangers of
these drinks with your children and ensure that they
are not brought into the Academy.
Thank you for your support.
Parking Can Be Difficult!
The difficulty of
parking is one
of the hazards
of modern life –
though this driver’s
solution is not to
be recommended!
With the miserable
weather and dark nights there has been an
understandable rise in parents driving to collect
their children from the Academy.
Parking is limited, especially if collecting from the
Millbank Road entrance. For the students to be
able to cross roads safely they need to be able to
see clearly. Passing traffic also needs to be able to
see them. Please consider this when parking near
to the Academy.
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Primary Academy
I am delighted to welcome you all back to another
exciting term. It has certainly been a busy beginning
to the year! We have already been on some
wonderful trips, benefited from some inspiring visits
and started some new clubs this term too.
At the end of the very first week of this term, we were
fortunate enough to be able to invite the children’s
author Luke Temple back into the Primary Academy
for a second time. After a fascinating talk to the
whole school, Mr Temple proceeded to open our
repainted library. There was even a beautifully made
cake to help celebrate the occasion! The children
enjoyed listening to Mr Temple, whose enthusiasm
for reading and literacy really prepared them well for
their new early morning reading sessions.
As many of you are aware, our early morning
reading sessions have now begun. There has been
plenty of encouraging support and anticipation on
the part of pupils and parents. Thank you to all of
the parents who have shown so much interest in this
new initiative. I am pleased to see so many pupils
making the most of this valuable opportunity, and I
am sure their commitment will be hugely beneficial
to their learning.
I would like to take this opportunity to continue to
encourage you to bring your children along to our
reading sessions – it’s wonderful to see the slips
keep coming back, and the number of children
attending growing!
I am proud to report the success of two trips this term
involving the Upper School. The Year Five children’s
trip to the O2 Arena to take part in Young Voices was
a splendid chance to perform and to represent their
parents and the Academy. At Benenden School, the
Year Six pupils engaged wholeheartedly in a wide
range of activities, and very clearly exhibited the
same joy and enthusiasm for learning that we see
in the children every day at the Academy.
Please can you also be considerate of those who
live near to the Academy who, at times, have had
driveways blocked. Thank you.
Our pupils are brilliant representatives of The John
Wallis Academy and our wider community, and
we are all very pleased to be able to have such
confidence in them.
Rev. Millwood Vice Principal
Miss S. Lacon, Vice Principal Head of Primary
Primary Music Trip –Young
Voices Concert at the 02 Arena
Nursery
On Monday 27th January 2014, 25 children and
four teachers went to perform at the O2 Arena as
part of the ‘Young Voices Concert Series.’ We had
to learn a mixture of songs and dances including a
Hip Hop Battle with the children versus the parents!
The children were very excited and nervous about
singing in such a large venue but they did a great
job. We had a rehearsal in the afternoon followed
by the actual concert in the evening. We were
given special t-shirts and little lights to shine in the
arena to make the atmosphere magical. There were
7300 children performing in the concert and we
sang with Stacey Solomon from the X Factor who
was an amazing singer. Songs included a ‘Family
Film Medley,’ ‘Lean on Me,’ ‘Mr Blue Sky’ and the
favourite of the night was a Pop Medley including
songs by Taylor Swift and One Direction.
The Nursery children have been learning about hot
and cold this term. We have looked at the weather,
made ice and made a cake that sets in the fridge.
We have also learnt about the animals that live in
cold countries, so it seemed a good idea to travel to
the South Pole to see them!
It was a brilliant day out and the children performed
superbly – well done to you all.
Nursery Trip to the South Pole!
We made our own passports, had them stamped at
the ticket desk and then boarded the “aeroplane.”
We had the safety talk and then took off. We had
a snack on board and enjoyed the in-flight movie.
When we landed we saw the animals in the snow,
built an igloo with our pretend blocks of snow and
then built a snowman. We had a great time, but did
have to fly home!
On 14th and 15th January, Miss Lacon visited the
Nursery and gave out Rhyme Challenge Certificates
to the Nursery pupils. The children were very proud
of their certificates and enjoyed showing them to
their parents.
At the ticket desk!
In our igloo
Mrs Bolton, Primary Music Teacher
Miss J. Harrison, Nursery Teacher
4
Reception
The Reception classes have had a very exciting
term. This term the library in the Primary Academy
was reopened and we really liked Luke Temple the
author who came to celebrate this event with us.
In the past few weeks we have also received lots
of new toys and equipment for our outdoor area
and the children have thoroughly enjoyed getting to
use this equipment during our own learning time. In
week three we filled our marble jar. Miss Mangan
and Miss Reid awarded us with marbles for good
behaviour and when we filled the jar we got to go to
the pirate ship playground which we really enjoyed.
Here’s to filling it again!
Year One
This term we have been learning about nocturnal
animals. We sorted a variety of animals into two
groups – ones that were awake in the day time and
ones that were awake during the night. We have
read a lot of information about owls, foxes and
badgers.
Last week, we had the opportunity to learn even
more about owls as we were visited by the Rare
Breeds Centre. We were able to see three different
owls and we all had the chance to hold one! This was
very exciting! The best part of the visit was when the
owl keeper showed us how Horace the owl could fly
and he flew from one side of the hall to the other.
After the visit we went back to our classrooms and
wrote about something we had learnt from the visit.
In Literacy this term we have been reading the story
“Rosie’s Walk”. We have been acting the story out
and creating masks and drawing pictures for our
display. We have also spent time creating our own
story maps and inventing our own story. The children
have loved being involved in making their own story
and retelling it to the class. Our handwriting has
been improving and we have been practising every
day. We are now taking reading books home with
us and some students have also begun coming to
early reading every morning at 8:30 to improve their
reading and this has been very successful.
This term in numeracy we started taking maths
homework home at the weekends which was very
exciting as we had never done this before. We have
been learning about money and how to use it. We
have pretended to be shopkeepers and customers
and exchanged money for goods. We have also
learned about different types of coins and how to
differentiate between them.
In Literacy this term we have read a new story called
‘Mr Gumpy’s Outing’. We have discussed outings
that we have been on and spoke about what we
saw and heard. We have been learning about reenacting stories and also about the importance of
being a good audience. We worked in groups and
took it in turns to act out the story to the rest of the
class. (The picture below shows the characters
falling out of the boat!)
Miss Reid & Miss Mangan Reception Teachers
5
2P Class, Year Two
We have had a very exciting term so far and the
children have been working extremely hard in all
areas of their learning.
As well as drama we have been using music to retell a story. We went to the music room and chose
instruments that we felt represented the characters.
For example we chose bells to represent cats (like
bells on a collar). We worked as a year group to use
music to tell the story.
In Numeracy we have become number detectives
trying to solve number problems using our
mathematical skills. The children have been using
their knowledge of number bonds, addition and
subtraction to find the best way to work out a
problem. We have also looked at the value of money
and solved money problems using multiplication.
The children have been able to work out how much
you would need to buy items or how much change
you would get.
For Literacy the children have been using amazing
vocabulary to write stories and riddles. They have
been extremely creative writing their riddles trying to
use lots of adventurous words, including adjectives
and verbs to make their writing more exciting for
the reader. We have had lots of fun sharing stories
together and trying to solve the children’s ‘What am
I?’ riddles.
During Religious Education the children have been
looking at Hinduism and researching how Hindu
families celebrate their beliefs in their homes. The
children have found that there are lots of different
gods and goddesses who represent a variety of
things. We have also been thinking about whom
or what is important, special and meaningful in our
lives and why certain people mean a lot to us.
Mrs Pyke, Year 2 Class Teacher
2W Class, Year Two
After this, we looked at a very similar story called
‘Mr Handi’s Journey’. We enjoyed spotting the
similarities and differences between the two. We
noticed that both stories begin and end in the same
way. However the characters are different.
Miss Jakeman & Mrs Shaw, Year 1 Class
Teachers
This term we have been exploring materials in
Science. We have looked at how materials change;
carried out an interesting experiment using ice and
investigated icebergs using a tank of water and an
ice balloon. We found out that most of an iceberg
is not on the surface of the water but underneath
– the part under the water is huge! We are looking
forward to carrying out some further investigations
using fair testing.
In Literacy we have been exploring the book
“Traction Man is Here” by Mini Grey. This book
is full of great vocabulary and we have created a
word wall using some amazing language such as
mysterious, stench, expanse and scaly. The children
have begun to use these words in their independent
writing and as part of our daily sentence challenge.
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They enjoy learning adventurous new words that
will improve their writing.
3L Class, Year 3
The start of this new year has been a busy time
in 3L. We have enjoyed learning about Usain Bolt
and challenging ourselves to see if we could be the
next Lightning Bolt! We had a practical lesson to
see how far we could run in
9.58 seconds and another
practical session to see
how long it took us to run
100metres – I think we
have some future athletes
in 3L!
In Learning Challenge we
have been learning about the Early Britons. The
highlight of this topic so far has been making our
round houses. We are looking forward to learning all
about their hunting and gathering next.
We retold this great superhero story and eventually
the class became authors and illustrators by writing
their own adventures. The quality of their ideas
was fantastic and they were very proud of their
achievements.
As part of our Learning Challenge we have thought
about the question “What would
Charlie Bucket find interesting
about Ashford?” Again, the children
had lots of wonderful ideas about
their favourite places to go, from
McDonald’s and the Stour Centre to
Singleton Environment Centre, and
were able to figure out questions
that would enable them to find out
Charlie’s favourite place – “Do you
like nature?” “Do you eat hamburgers?” “Can you
swim?” They have also been looking at different
maps and symbols, using Google maps and paper
copies of the local area. They have created their
own map to show how to get to school using their
own symbols and also made up their own island and
features they would like it to have using Ordinance
Survey symbols.
Miss Walker, Year 2 Class Teacher
7
In Numeracy, the children are trying extremely hard
at their weekly times table challenge with some
children ready to move onto the green challenge.
In Literacy, we have learnt lots of ambitious new
vocabulary. Reading is also a key part of our daily
routine in 3L. Lots of children have joined the new
reading club and enjoy reading with an adult every
morning. With the opening of our new library, there
has been no better time to pick up a book!
Miss Lynch, 3L Class Teacher
3A Class, Year Three
3A have been very busy this term. They have been
introduced to not one but three new schemes since
the beginning of the new year, including maths,
literacy and phonics. 3A have done exceptionally
well to adapt to the changes and improvements
have been seen already!
We are delighted to be able to report that we have
made great strides in our times tables this term, with
many of us moving up levels in the Times Tables
Challenge. I would like to thank all the parents
who have helped their children improve their times
tables knowledge over the past term. We are now
focusing on division and its link with multiplication
tables we have been learning.
Learning Challenge has been a lot of fun this
term. As part of Learning Challenge, 3A became
archaeologists for an afternoon and went on an
archaeological dig in the classroom where they
dug up the remains of ancient artefacts with a
variety of archaeological tools. We also extended
our knowledge of the Early Britons by studying the
types of houses they lived in and the food they ate.
4K Class, Year Four
This term we have begun a new numeracy scheme
with the pupils. They love their new colourful books
and have enjoyed learning. 4K has begun work
on word problems and multiplication. The children
really enjoyed the multiplication and have greatly
improved over the last couple of weeks. They have
also been working especially hard on their word
problems, and have even made up their own ones.
A handful of children have also begun looking at
Year Five and Year Six work, which is excellent. In
the ‘Times Tables Challenge,’ a lot of children have
progressed onto divide. Keep up the fantastic work.
In Literacy the children have also begun a new
scheme, called Read, Write Inc.. They have been
working very hard in their new books. We have been
looking at writing our own stories and designing
posters. The children have really progressed in their
individual writing. They designed beautiful posters
based on a text we read in class.
In Science this term we have been investigating
how muscles work and have focused in particular on
Usain Bolt’s achievements as an Olympic athlete.
We were very excited to make our own models
of a hinge joint to fully understand the processes
involved in movement.
In our Learning Challenge we have been focusing
on the question -“ Why were the Norman castles
certainly not bouncy?” The children have been
looking at the structures of castles and how they
were defended. To finish off this topic, the children
designed and made their own castles with working
drawbridges.
In Science the children have been learning about
sound. They have learnt how to draw and label an
ear. To experience sound, 4K took a trip to the music
room, where we discovered that sound is caused
by vibrations. We played all types of instruments,
which was very enjoyable.
We were very excited to hear that Luke Temple was
joining us for the official reopening of our school
library. On Friday the 10th of January, Luke made
a special appearance in our school where he cut a
book-shaped cake to celebrate the special occasion.
Mrs Aherne, 3A Class Teacher
by John Purawe
8
William explains that it travels along the ear canal.
Sandesh tells us that it then vibrates the ear drum.
Anurag says the vibrations from the ear drum cause
the hammer to strike the anvil, which causes the
stirrup to vibrate.
Lauren continued by saying the stirrup vibrates
the cochlea which sends the vibrations along the
auditory nerve to the brain.
In the Learning Challenge we have made castles.
In Religious Education the children have learnt
about the stories that Jesus told. These are called
parables.
We are all looking forward to the last week of term
as this is Cultural Awareness Week. We are going
to be looking at the Nepalese culture.
4K would like to say
goodbye to Riju Limbu.
Riju has moved to a new
school. We wish her luck.
Mrs Hopper, 4H Class Teacher
5H Class, Year Five
Miss Kelleher 4K Class Teacher
4H Class, Year Four
In literacy this term we have been writing stories
about Lost or Stolen. It was a story about a brother
and sister and their cousin. It involved a missing
games console, a brother and sister celebration
ceremony and a fair.
Our new Learning Challenge topic this term is
the Egyptians. The adults in Year Five have been
amazed by how many children have gone away
to find out as much as possible about this topic at
home! So far we’ve taken part in an excavation,
advertised holidays to Egypt and learnt all about
how mummies are made.
The children enjoyed different parts of the story.
Frankie liked the part where the sister gave her
cousin a bracelet even though they were not the
best of friends.
Amie liked the part where the three children became
friends and all went to the fair together.
In Numeracy the children have learnt about word
problems, multiplication and division.
Ted says the key to answering word problems is to
identify the key information.
Lorenzo says the secret to good division is to learn
your multiplications.
In Science this term the children have learnt how
we hear sound.
Courtney explained that we hear sound by trapping
sound waves in the outer ear.
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We started our daily before school reading this
week. We’re all excited that it’s finally started
and have been really enjoying ourselves. We
particularly enjoyed sharing Mrs Price’s favourite
books together.
It has been a busy term for the sporting pupils in
Year Five this term with our first ever netball match
as well as plenty of football matches too. We’re all
really proud of our progress and want to say a big
thank you to Miss Uprichard, Mrs Hodges, Miss
Lynch, Mr O’Gormley and Mr Dawson for helping
us train!
Miss Hackling, 5H Class Teacher
5U Class, Year Five
Young Voices trip
For the last six weeks, twenty-five pupils in Year 5
have been practising tirelessly for the Young Voices
concert. Finally at the end of January we performed
at the O2 Arena with over 7000 pupils from various
schools across the country. We spent the day singing
old classics and contemporary medleys. When the
concert began we had the privilege of performing
with Stacy Solomon and various other artists. As
well as this we performed a hip hop battle against
parents, which we won! It was a long day but all the
pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves and
we look forward to going back next year.
Year Six
We are seriously focusing on their learning in
preparation for SATs in May. We have set up
learning and reading sessions at 8.30 before school.
There is a literacy after school club on a Monday
and a numeracy after school club on a Wednesday.
Both of these are only for Year 6. We have started
Saturday club for Year 6 which includes fun ways
of developing learning, skills and understanding of
literacy and numeracy from 9.30 to 11.30. This has
provided fun for both teacher and the children. All of
these activities have spaces so please contact Mr
Dawson or Miss Wood if you would like your child
to attend.
Luke Temple came back to open our library. This
involved our new librarians who are giving up time
with Mrs Hirst on a Friday after school to be trained
by Mrs Sammut. They will be involved in running,
organising and adding stock to our own library.
We had a fabulous day at Benenden where we
had sixth formers read to us and with us, explored
a range of science activities including using the
microscopes and building rockets. We were treated
to an impressive chemistry demonstration. Lunch
was delicious and the afternoon was taken up
with sports activities to develop stamina and using
the gym equipment. All the children were given a
Benenden pen and pencil set as a reminder of their
visit.
Keaton – I really enjoyed drinking the mouthwatering, delicious hot chocolate at Benenden.
Zoe – I loved holding the leopard geckos and giant
snails. I loved the school.
Cody – I liked the science show, especially where
he changed the colour of the flame.
Tyrone – I liked going in to the gym. We used the
treadmill, rowing machines and bike. The exercising
was fun.
Miss Uprichard, 5U Class Teacher
Mrs Wood & Mr Dawson Year 6 Class Teachers
10
Winter Uniform Reminder
Although as yet we have not seen any snow there have been a number of cold
days. This has meant that some students have taken to wearing extra warm
clothing. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key points
about uniform at this time of the year:
1. Boots are not permitted to be worn inside the Academy
2. Scarves, gloves and hats should all be removed upon entry to the Academy
3. Any additional coat should be of a dark colour without any logo or slogan
on it. This should always be removed on entering the Academy and the blazer
must always be worn underneath.
4. Hoodies are never permitted to be worn.
5. Tank tops must be worn at all times
Please can I also mention footwear in wet weather. If the weather is particularly wet please ensure that
students wear something suitable on their feet to walk into the Academy and then change into their school
shoes as soon as they arrive. Canvas and Vans style shoes are not permitted as part of the school uniform.
This is very important as students will not be allowed to wear trainers because their shoes have got wet.
Thank you for your on-going support in maintaining our high standards with regards to uniform.
Hair Colour and Piercings
Please can I remind you that student’s hair must only be of a single natural colour, worn off the face and that
where it is onto the collar it must be tied back. If students come into the Academy with hair that is not a natural
colour they will be sent home until they have been able to return it to a natural colour. Students are also not
permitted to have any extreme styles. If shaved, then this must be a number two or above. No tram lines or
other insignia should be shaved into the hair.
In addition to this I would like to remind you that students are not permitted to have any piercings apart from
one single small stud earring in each ear. Should students be wearing anything other than this one small stud
earring they will be asked to remove them. If they are unable to do so then they will be sent home until they
can do so. This includes tongue piercings. Thank you.
Rev. Millwood Vice Principal
Term Dates 2014
Term 4 2014
Monday 24th February 2014
Wednesday 2nd April 2014
Thursday 3rd, Friday 4th April
Start of Term 4
Last day of Term 4
Inset days for staff
Term 5 2014
Tuesday 22nd April 2014
Friday 23rd May 2014
Start of Term 5
Last day of Term 5
Term 6 2014
Monday 2nd June 2014
Friday 18th July 2014
Monday 21st-Wednesday 23rd July
Start of Term 6
Last day of Term 6
Inset days for staff
Mrs Porter-Aslet, Director of Finance and Operations
11
Year 7
The New Year Term has seen pleasing developments from many Year 7 students. I would like to start off by
praising all of Year 7 for their fantastic efforts during our recent Ofsted inspection where students represented
Year 7 superbly. A special well done goes to Megan Holloway, Cerys Barton, Hayden Dyke, Millie Chew, Anna
Brient, Morgan Davis, Lauren Murphy, Utsab Shahi and Eleanor Chance who met with the inspectors and
shared their wonderful experiences and opinions of the Academy.
Special Year 7 developments this term include students’ efforts in their literacy: and the Lexia programme.
The following students have all made over 60% progression in Lexia this term Neesa Makhim, Ribash Rai,
Holly McGuinness, Patrik Mako and Dylan Monks. Congratulations to all of these students. I am delighted
with Year 7’s efforts in their literacy so far this year and all of Year 7 are working hard with their reading. So
far this year, Year 7 students have taken 1,111 Accelerated Reader quizzes and an even more impressive
figure which reflects their hard work is that together the whole of Year 7 have read 9,442,816 words. Well
done Year 7, keep this up!
I have been especially proud of the high number of Year 7 students who have a 100% attendance record
so far. This is a tremendous achievement. To celebrate this, the 58 Students have been rewarded with the
Principal’s Award of 50 Vivo miles apiece, with one lucky hat-draw winner (Faith Francis) receiving a voucher
to spend at a store of her choice.
The Year 7 highest Vivo rewards so far this term
Congratulations to the following 12 students on achieving the most Vivos this term:
Milo Blackman
Teddy Fitzpatrick
Madeline Magee
Rebecca Ansell
Logan Dawkins
Miranda Kowalska
Hugo Lelubre
Hollie Scott
Tegan Taylor
Kyle Spokes
Aaron McCloud
Luke Fielder-White
Well done on this very special achievement, keep this up next term.
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind students of the importance of being fully equipped for
their learning. Students must ensure that they bring their planner, a pen, pencil, ruler and reading book
to the Academy every day to support their learning. Tutors will complete weekly equipment checks within
Tutor groups to help ensure students remain organised.
Finally, I would like to thank you for all your continued support,
Miss Waller, Leader of Year 7
12
Year 8
Mr S.Scales
Miss D.
Scott-Boatfield
Miss C. Tinsley
Mr E.Wright
This has been a great term at the John Wallis Academy and I would like to thank the whole of Year 8 on
behalf of the team for their part in that. I hope they all have a lovely half term week and continue the great
work next term.
We are very proud of our Year 8 rowers; Jakub Murzyn came 3rd overall out of fifty one competitors, Jaydon
McFarlane came 16th and Kieron Calveley 24th.
The Year 8 team (Jakub Murzyn, Jaydon MacFarlane, Kieron Calveley) came 3rd overall out of 12 teams.
They were only 9m away from 2nd place in the relay.
This was a really impressive piece of teamwork and we would like to congratulate them on this achievement.
Vivo League
Congratulations to the following students who are currently at the
top of the Year 8 Vivo League:
Jessica Cross Jade Covey
Jakub Murzyn
Josie Crust
David Kormos
Shannon Nichols
Well done to all!
Can I please remind students they are to
always be in correct uniform when they
attend the Academy.
If you need to discuss any issue relating to your
child, please contact me through the Academy
e-mail:
Full uniform does include The John
Wallis C of E Academy bags for Year 7
and 8. The drawstring P.E bags are an
option and can be purchased for just £3
from the main reception.
[email protected]
Or contact us by telephone on the usual Academy
number,
using extension 2241 for Miss Tinsley
Miss C. Tinsley, Year Leader, Year 8
13
Year 9 News
VIVO LEAGUE
Congratulations to the following
students who have made it to the
top of the Vivo league for Term 3:
9EWI
Brooke Lloyd
Callum Carroll
Courtney Silburn
9BMC
Holly King
Sophie Byles
Candice Henning
9SHA
Courteney Lee
Harry Delamain
Alicia Ping
9EDO
Archie Dingwall
Megan Ludlow
Bradley Brummit
9MSU
Kasey Arthur
Tahang Limbu
Brandon Williams
9NBE
Courtney Caton
Paige Young
Bethany Cowan
9NCO
Alliyuh Randall
George Stevens
Bethany Heyward
9RVA
Jade Cross
Winona Gurung
Ellie Sadler
Year 9 Football
On Friday 24th January, the Year 9 team played a
grudge match against the Year 10 team.
Lewis O’Leary, Billy Gramson, Alex Peacock, Riley
Pawsey, Archie Dingwall, Sam Smythson, Wisdom
Danns, Aaron Baker, Layton Bryant, Joe Griffin,
Tervil Iliev, and Liam Dadd all made a valiant
effort, and demonstrated some amazing skills and
sportsmanship. Unfortunately this was not reflected
in the final score which stood at 9-0 to the Year 10s.
Well done to all involved!
The attendance target for all Year 9 students is 95%. Currently,
the figure falls short of this target, so there is still some room
for improvement! Students will be issued with a catch up
card if they have had an extended period of absence, and
attendance plans will also be completed for those students for
whom it is necessary.
I would like to extend my thanks to tutors and parents for their
continued support in raising the attendance for the year group.
East Kent Indoor Rowing Championships
Year 9 would like to say a huge well done to Chloe
Sutton who came 14th out of forty competitors with a
new personal best of 856m in four minutes!
What a fantastic achievement!
I would like to take this opportunity to send the thoughts and
prayers of Year 9 students and all of The Academy staff to
Kodie-Jae Cooper who was injured recently whilst at school.
We hope she has a speedy recovery
Contact Details
If you need to discuss any issue relating to your child, please
contact me through the Academy e-mail:
[email protected]
Or contact us by telephone on the usual Academy number,
using extension 2237
Mrs Rowe, Year Leader, Year 9
14
Year 10 News!
On the 24th January, the Year 10 football team took on Mr
Nicholas’ Year 9 team. It’s fair to say the Year 10 boys put their
best efforts in and as a result, the score was an amazing 9-0!
Well done to all of the boys involved and Mr Collis and Mr Rich
for doing such a great job of managing the boys – David Moyes
could learn a thing or two!
A special mention must go to Rick Pun, Samir Rai, Jordan
Greenfield and Dependra Gurung as they were the goal scorers
on the night – so an extra congratulations to them.
It was lovely to see parents and students there supporting the
lads, so thank you to everyone who came.
Hangsa Limbu, Rick Pun, Owen Jones, Charlie Leeming, Denver Kidney,
Samir Rai, Tyler Sorrell, Deshaun Alldis, Dependra Gurung, Max May, Joshua
Twyman, Jordan Greenfield, Bradley Epps, Reece Chapman, Billy Mabb, Anjan
Garbuja Pun.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind Year 10 students
that they will be completing their work experience placements
next term. Some students have already begun to look at roles
that may interest them and Mr Terry is working hard to organise
more placements and the booklets.
Please be aware that students will be having interviews with Mr
Terry over the coming weeks.
There is yet another piece of exciting sports news I wanted
to share with you. On 28th January, the Year 10 rugby team
took on Swadelands. This is a newly formed team and the
boys performed admirably – coming from 10-0 down to win 1210, despite the fact that The John Wallis Academy had to lend
players to the opposition, who unfortunately could only field 8
of their own players!
Reece Chapman, Teaghe Sullivan-Daly, Max May, Denver Kidney, Jack Porter,
Hangsa Limbu, Rick Pun, Anjan Garbuja Pun, Jason Gurr, Immanuel Blankson,
Owen Jones, Charlie Leeming, Tyler Sorrell, Ayron Lakin, Dylan Makotore, Jack
Stannard, Billy Mabb, Deshaun Alldis, Jordan Bonner, Samir Rai, Dependra
Gurung, Janadhip Rai, Niban Sherpa, Evan Louder
Attendance in Year 10 is currently at 91% - this is below the 95%
I would hope that Year 10s should be achieving. For those who
have had absences, catch up cards are issued on the students’
return. Tutors are also working extremely hard towards improving
our attendance and we thank parents/carers for their continued
support.
Vivo Update:
The following students are currently
on the leader board for the most
Vivos awarded since the beginning of
Term 3. Well done to all of the named
students:
10ABE:
-
Jason Gurr
-
Anjan Garbuja Pun
-
Pubindra Limbu
10CON:
-
David Witucki
-
Evan Louder
-
Brad Foster
10DMC:
-
Jordan Bonner
-
Liam Parker
-
Teaghe Sullivan-Daly
10JTH:
-
Daniel Smith
-
Ryan Smith
-
Dependra Gurung
10LBR:
-
Deshaun Alldis
-
Jack Staras
-
Billy Mabb
10MFO:
-
Nathan Mason
-
Mona Rai
-
Nidesh Musuhang
10SQI:
-
Joel Terry
-
Nicole Pietrzak
-
Sathuriyan Sivaramalingam
If you would like to contact the Year
Leader, you can email:
[email protected]
Or contact us by telephone on
the usual Academy number, using
extension 2342 for Miss Hawley
Miss Hawley Year Leader, Year 10
15
YEAR 11 NEWS
During the first assembly of the term we celebrated our fantastic student’s achievements. There was a prize
draw for the 46 students who had achieved 100% attendance
so far. This represented almost a third of all students! The
winner was Mebika Rai who won a £20 voucher to spend at
the Ashford Designer Outlet. A further prize draw was held for
the 41 students who had achieved zero sanctions throughout
the first two terms. These students have always had perfect
uniform, never been late, completed all homework on time and
have never had to be sanctioned for behaviour. The winner was
Joe Smoothy. Congratulations to Joe and Mebika we hope you
spent your vouchers wisely
VIVO LEAGUE
Congratulations to the
following students who
have made it to the top of
the Vivo league for Term 3:
11ADV:
Adam Wilkinson
Mingma Sherpa
11DSO:
Showdesh Limbu
Melissa Wells
11JCL:
Kelly Rai
Daniel Westwood
11JTA
Oliver Bourne
Sam Stewart
Konrad Sekowski
11LBA
Anna Baker
Kiran Thamsuhang
11LBU
Valerie Chitambira
Yolanda Chen
Over the past few weeks the Year 11 students have been receiving their grades
from their GCSE examinations in English and Maths. In English 68 students
have achieved a grade C or above whilst in Maths 65 students have achieved
a grade C or above. Following these results we have created extra sets in both
subjects to reduce the teacher to pupil ratio and in turn increase our students’
chances of improving their grades. The Academy has also started working on
a new programme called D.T.T (Diagnostic Therapy Testing). Mr Debling and
Mr Williams will be using D.T.T to highlight which areas each individual student
needs to improve in and from there will lead specialist sessions to focus on
these key topics to prepare them for their summer examinations.
With half term fast approaching it’s imperative our Year 11 students continue to
study during their break. As well as completing revision work from their teachers
we advise all students to;
1) Read – every student in the Academy should have a reading book, and there
are always opportunities to read. Please make sure that your child has a book
at home that they can read on a regular basis.
2) Have a key word bank – every subject will have a selection of key words for
your child to learn and use in their lessons. Encourage your child to have a
bank of these at home that they practise using and learning.
3) Summarise – it is important that the students do not forget what they have
learnt that day. Encourage your child to keep a record of their learning at home
by recording what they have done in each lesson and ensuring they understand
the learning that took place.
If you would like to contact the Year Leader, you can email:
[email protected]
Or contact us by telephone on the Academy number,
using extension 2274 for Mr Williams
11TLO
Shannon Brooks
Mark Cripps
Mr Williams Year 11 Year Leader
16
Sixth Form
January has been a busy month for the Sixth Form students of our Academy. Most of our students took at
least one mock examination for their courses. This involved a lot of hard work, revision and preparation. For
the students this was a challenging time as they realised the true jump between GCSE and A-Level. They
were supported well by their teachers who put on a host of revision classes, essay club sessions and after
school one-to-one intensive sessions.
Now that Year 12 students have completed this first step towards their AS / BTEC qualifications, they are
encouraged to begin researching the many opportunities that are open to them after they leave the Academy.
As part of the Academy’s IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) programme we have focused on this
preparation for progression. Sixth Form students will attend a series of assemblies and workshops on student
finance, application to university, apprenticeships and the search for jobs.
We have also organised two trips which will enable our Sixth Form students to investigate the paths before
them. Students will have the opportunity to attend the “Kent Choices 4U Live” careers convention on Thursday
27th March 2014. This will include training, employment and vocational stalls as well as local universities. The
second trip will be to the “Kent and Medway Higher Education Convention” on Wednesday 23rd April 2014,
which will be aimed primarily at those students wishing to investigate higher levels of education after Year 13.
The majority of our Year 13 students have applied to go to university in September 2014. We have already
received many conditional offers and our students are being invited for interviews to various universities
including Exeter, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham and Southampton. Over the next couple of terms, students
will be encouraged to sort out their student loans and accommodations for university, and those who did not
apply to Higher Education will be helped to make the right decisions about their future.
Year 11 applications to the Sixth Form have now temporarily closed. The students applied through the
Kentchoices4u.com website, choosing their preferred subject choices. All of the year 11 students (whether
they applied to The John Wallis Academy Sixth Form or not) will be interviewed by either Mr McParland, Rev
Millwood, Mr Shepherd and Mr Clerville so that they can be further advised about their Post-16 choices.
Offers of a place in The John Wallis Academy Sixth Form will be confirmed by letter in May/June 2013.
Students will be offered a place on the expectation that they achieve the appropriate GCSE qualifications for
their chosen subjects. They will also be expected to have attendance, engagement and behaviour which are
in keeping with the expectations of the Academy.
Any student who missed the deadline but still wishes to apply to the John Wallis Academy Sixth Form should
see Mr Clerville as a matter of urgency.
Mr S Clerville, Leader of Sixth Form
17
History
Castles are a key part of Britain’s historic landscape. From the formidable square keeps of Norman castles
such as Canterbury Castle, to the picturesque castles such as Bodiam and Caerphilly, castles are often an
important element in medieval events.
As part of the medieval history element of Key Stage 3, students in Year 7 study the development of castles,
from the early wooden Motte and Bailey castles to the much stronger and more imposing stone castles. As
well as comparing the two, students also think about how they would attack and defend these castles.
Students were then challenged to design and “build” their own medieval castles.
Mr C. Beach Director of History
Modern Foreign Languages
Great news from the Modern Foreign Languages Department! France, here we come!
In June 2014, a day trip to Boulogne sur Mer in France is organised for all the Year 7
students studying French in the Academy. Students will visit Nausicaa
Underwater World and Cité Europe, a shopping Centre in Calais. This
will be an exciting day and a fantastic opportunity for our students to
experience the language first hand and to practise some of the language
they have been learning in their French classes this year.
Year 8 students will soon be picking their options for GCSE. Here are ten reasons why studying a modern
language should be one of them:
•
English is not enough. Not everyone speaks English.
•
A language will always be useful, no matter what you do.
•
In class you study a wide range of topics all about different people and cultures.
•
You can read books, watch films and listen to songs in another language.
•
Speaking another language increases your chances of obtaining a university place.
•
Languages mean business! 74% of employers are looking to employ people with language skills.
•
Using a language at work could increase your salary by 8-20%.
•
You can understand and talk to more people when you go abroad.
•
Learning languages improves your communication skills.
•
Languages are good for you! Learning a language increases your brain capacity, improves your memory and develops self confidence.
Mr Colmant Director of Modern Foreign Languages
18
THE
February
2014toNEWSLETTER
Huge
congratulations
our winners
at Ashford Photographic Society’s
annual Inter School Competition
sponsored by Givaudan. Ryan Dodd
was runner up in the 16+ category
and Kai Goodall won the special
Mayor’s Award for her whole body
of work.
This issue celebrates
photography work from a number
of students. Don’t forgot to look us
up on Flickr.
Mr Bean
Subject Leader
Art and Design
y
r
e
l
l
a
G
Term 3 2014 Issue 7
ASHFORD PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
INTER SCHOOLS COMPETITION 2014
SPECIAL EDITION
Ryan Dodd Year 12 - 2nd Place - 16+ Pictorial Section
19
Kai Goodall Yr 12
Still Life - Kai Goodall
Making Good Progress - Kai Goodall
Mayor’s Prize
for a Whole
Body of Work
Put Some Colour Into Your Life! - Kai Goodall
Padlocked Heart
Kai Goodall
Kai received the much
coveted Mayor’s Prize for
a whole body of work. The
judges were impressed
with Kai’s growing potential
which she demonstrated
through a range of subject
matter and styles.
20
London
Trip
London Bus - Mia Wilford
Lamps in Camden Market - Sophie Chittenden
St Paul’s Cathedral - Ryan Dodd
London Lights
Sophie Chittenden
Kerbside - Ryan Dodd
21
Blackpool Pier - Megan Johnson
Sam Stewart
Other Submissions
Dripping Roses - Smrita Limbu
Roxy - Maria Martin
If you have a Flickr account look us up at
John Wallis Academy Photography.
Look in ‘Sets’ to see individual students’ work
(NB Portrait photographs have been restricted)
22
Music
Rotary Young Musician of the Year Competition 2014
Our two Year 13 students Bishal Sherpa and Adam Sharp
entered the Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition in
November 2013. They applied to the Ashford Rotary Club and
were successful at this level. They moved forward to compete
at the District Finals for Kent which were held on Saturday
25th January at Invicta Grammar School in Maidstone.
Bishal was competing in the
Instrumental section and wowed
the audience with his rendition of
Canon Rock and The River Flows
in You. He was a strong contender
but unfortunately did not go
through to the next round.
Adam Sharp was competing in the Vocal section and performed two classic Theatre
pieces, ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Misérables and ‘This is the Moment’ from Jekyll
and Hyde. Adam won the Vocal section and now moves through to the South England
District Final on March 29th.
Adam said ‘We played and performed brilliantly! It was a tough competition and I was
proud to be a part of this with my fellow classmate Bishal Sherpa. I am looking forward
to competing at the next level and hope to win through to the UK final’.
Music Timetable Term Four 2013/2014
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Staff
Meetings
Cello Group
Year 7
Tutor Time
Saxophone Group
Year 7
Tutor Time
Flute Group &
Violin Group
Year 7
Tutor Time
Staff
Meetings
Staff
Meetings
Glee Club
4pm to 5pm
Senior Rock Band
4pm-5pm
Music Room
Combined Schools Choir
and String Orchestra
Senior Recording Studio
Club
4pm – 5pm
Guitar and Keyboard
Club
4pm – 5pm
Music Room 165
Junior Rock Band
3pm -4pm
Room 168d
Friday
Staff
Meetings
Staff
Meetings
Staff
Meetings
Mrs Grady , Director of Music
23
Geography
GCSE Geography
As we approach the GCSE examinations it is important that students work on completing their controlled
assessments over the next couple of weeks. Controlled assessment is worth 25% of the overall grade.
Students should have this completed by the end of February.
Students need to prepare for two examinations:
Physical Geography (37.5%)
Human Geography (37.5%)
Restless Earth
Population Change
Living World
Changing Urban Environments
The Coastal Zone
Tourism
Examination Date: 13/05/14
Examination Date: 22/05/14
Revision classes will take place on a regular basis
in the lead up to the examinations.
AS Level Geography (Year 12)
Year 12 Geography Students need to prepare
themselves for the following examinations:
Unit 1: Physical and Human Geography
-
2 hour written exam
-
Worth 70% of the AS Geography Grade
-
Topics include:
1.
Population Change
2.
Rivers and Management
3.
Coastal Environments
4.
Energy Issues
This exam is made up of short questions and
essay questions
Unit 2: Skills Paper
-
-
-
-
-
One hour exam
Worth 30% of the AS Geography Grade
2 questions
Question one will be a Skills based question based on Rivers, Flooding & Management or Population Change
Question two will be based on the River study carried out earlier in the year.
Examination Dates:
-
-
Unit 1 = 12th May 2014
Unit 2 = 16th May 2014
Mr D. McElhatton , Director of Geography
A2 Geography (Year 13)
Unit 2: Skills Paper (Repeat) (15%)
-
2 questions
-
15% of A Level
-
1 hour written examination
-
50 marks
-
Structured skills and generic fieldwork questions
-
First Question is skills based on Rivers, Flooding & Management or Population Change
-
Second Question will be based on the River Investigation
Unit 3: Contemporary Geographical Issues
(30%)
-
-
-
2 hours 30 minute exam
90 marks
Structured short and extended questions, plus an essay
Unit 4: Geographical Fieldwork Investigation /
Geographical Issue Evaluation (20%)
-
-
-
20% of A Level
1 hour 30 minutes written examination
60 marks
Examination Dates:
- Unit 2 = 16th May 2014
- Unit 3 = 12th June 2014
- Unit 4 = 16th June 2014
If any students in the Geography Department have
any concerns about their examinations please
contact Mr McElhatton in the Runcie Building.
24
Catering
The Year 10 and 11 students have been working hard to complete practical controlled assessment work for
their GCSE. The presentation of these dishes was of a very high standard and there were always plenty of
volunteers available to taste test the completed food! The photographs below show a few of these dishes
that students have made.
The Year 10 students had to make two savoury and two sweet dishes containing dairy products:
Year 11 students had to make a two course foreign meal with accompaniments.
Mrs A Bewley Design and Technology teacher
25
The Library and Resource Centre
The Year Seven and Eight
students are reading Frost
by Katherine James.
It has been a short but very
active term in the Library;
the Year Nine Book Club has
enjoyed reading Small Blue
Thing by S C Ransom.
The Library Club continues to
meet every Friday at 3pm and for
the next ten weeks nine Primary
Academy pupils will undergo the library monitor training under the mentorship
of the Year 7 and 8 library monitors. Each week the primary pupils’ mentors will
demonstrate a new task and once the primary pupil can demonstrate a good
understanding and demonstration of their learning, Mrs Sammut will sign each
task off on their training sheets.
At the end of their ten weeks’ training, these newly qualified library monitors
will receive a certificate and a badge and will be able to start running their
own library club at the Primary Academy’s new library. To maintain good
communication between the two libraries, one of the senior library monitors
will visit the Primary library to offer help and support every week.
The Writers’ Club is making preparations for the third issue of Infinity magazine
which is due out at the end of Term 5. This summer issue will be a bumper
edition with loads of interesting articles and stories, plus competitions and
funny facts.
The students are looking forward to the opening of the new library and are in
the process of choosing an author/poet visit to help celebrate this occasion.
The new library will be much bigger than our present one and will have many
more resources.
World Book Day
This year World Book Day falls on Thursday 6th March 2014 and throughout the
week, games and activities will be organised for the students in the library.
Students will be able to
• Make their own book mark as part of a World Book Day competition
• Play Library Bingo
• Make their own book review pennant and character masks
• Design a cover for their favourite book.
• Take part in Speed Book Dating
• Meet popular local author Ann Bryant
• Vote for their favourite book in the Library Book Election.
• And Finally… a few students may also find a lucky book mark in their library
book and win a chocolate
Mrs S Sammut Learning and Reading, Library
26
Computer Club
Computer Club has now been running for three terms. It takes place for an hour after school on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays and has been regularly attended by a core group of twelve students. We are always
pleased to welcome new members who are committed to attending on a regular basis.
“Welcome to a world of lovely creations. If you enjoy your IT this is the club for you. We have lots
of fun every session and do a lot of hard work” – Year 8 Student
The focus of the first three terms has been web design. Students have used Dreamweaver to hand code
websites using html and css. Once they have an understanding of this they have gone on to include two
programming languages in their sites – JavaScript and PHP. Through this they have learnt some of the core
logic of computer programing.
The course has been quite challenging, and the students have worked hard at the end of the day to code their
sites using professional coding standards.
A selection of students’ websites
We have also built a “games computer” from a selection of high end components which has given the
students an understanding of what makes up a computer and how the parts fit together.
Inside the computer
In Term 4 students will be introduced to electronics and electrical components. This will involve a lot of
practical work to build circuits and will link science and computers which is important with the introduction of
the new GCSE syllabus. Once the basics have been explained students will go on to study robotics and will
hopefully be able to build a computer controlled robot to rival the Mars Lander!!
James Venables Year 8 Mr Wright Learning Mentor
27
The students at The John Wallis Beauty Training Academy
would like to invite you to the Beauty Training Salon.
We have limited appointments available for a selection of
treatments by the students at fantastic prices
Opening Times:
Monday - 8:30-3:00pm
Thursday - 2:00-4:00pm
For appointments please call: 07903 418430
Email: [email protected]
NB: All treatments are supervised by a trained specialist
28
Beauty Therapy Training Acadamy
Treatments
•
•
•
•
•
•
-
29
Facial
Pedicure
French polish
Colour
Buff finish
Manicure
French polish
Colour
Buff finish
Waxing
Half leg
Bikini
Under arm
Lip
Chin
Brows
Tinting
Eyelash tinting
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Makeup
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Prices
£10.00 - 1 Hour
£7.00 - 45 mins
To book an appointment
Please contact us on:
Tel: 07903 418430
£6.00 - 35 mins
Email:
[email protected]
Address:
£6.00 - 30 mins
£5.00 - 15 mins
£5.00 - 15 mins
£3.00 - 15 mins
£3.00 - 15 mins
£3.00 - 15 mins
The John Wallis Church of England
Academy
Millbank Road,
Kingsnorth
Ashford Kent
TN23 3HG
£5.00 - 20 mins
£3.00 - 10 mins
£8.00 - 45 mins
£8.00 - 45 mins
£8.00 - 45 mins
All timings are approximate
A Reminder of the Academy Policy Regarding Mobile Phones
The Academy understands that some students may need to
carry mobile phones to and from the Academy. However we
must make clear that, should students bring mobile phones into
the Academy, then they do so at their own risk. The Academy
cannot accept responsibility should a mobile phone be lost.
In order to maximise the learning opportunities of every student
the following guidelines must be followed:
•
Mobile phones must be switched off and out of sight at all times during the Academy day or during any extracurricular activity
•
The sending and receiving of text messages must not occur during the Academy day
•
The making and receiving of calls must not occur during the Academy day
•
If students are using mobile phones during the day then the mobile phone will be confiscated
by a member of staff. The phone will be placed in the safe until the next Academy day (if confiscated
on a Friday this will be the following Monday). At that time the mobile phone must be collected by
the student’s parent or carer.
Should you need to get information to your son or daughter, for example regarding an
alteration in pick-up arrangements, please telephone the Student Office. They will take
a message for your son or daughter and arrange for it to be given to them. If a student
needs to contact their parent or carer then they should go to the Student Office who will
get a message to you on their behalf. Under no circumstances should parents or carers be
calling students during the Academy day. Nor should students be calling their parents or
carers. Thank you for your support in ensuring that students comply with these rules with
regard to mobile phones.
Attendance Matters
Reporting Absence
I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and carers to please
telephone the Academy every day that your child is absent so that we know that
he or she is safe. Whilst a letter on their return to the Academy is appreciated it
is imperative that parents/carers make contact on each day of absence. We do
ask that you make any routine appointments outside of school hours or during
the Academy holidays. If this is not possible please call on one of the numbers
below to advise that your child will be late or will need to leave the Academy
early.
For Primary Pupils:
Primary Office on 621133 and press 1 for the absence line.
For Secondary Students:
Student Office on 662810
Parents/carers who need to report absences for Primary and Secondary students
Please call the Student Office and staff will be happy to pass on a message to the Primary Office on their
behalf.
Rev. Millwood, Vice Principal
30
New Detention Procedures
Detentions are an important aspect of the sanction system with students being given detentions either for
failure to complete work, for example homework, or for inappropriate behaviour. Often these detentions are
given for a very short period of time, either at breaktime or at lunchtime. However, on occasions, detentions
are given to be completed after school. This term we have revised the procedures for after school detentions,
with particular reference to the consequences of failing to attend a detention. This is explained below:
*
Teacher led after school detentions may take place on any night and will be for a short period – usually between 15 and 30 minutes. You will be informed by the teacher, either by telephone or via the student planner. If a student fails to attend this detention and has no acceptable reason then they will be escalated into Subject Leader Detention.
*
Subject Leader Detentions take place every Tuesday and Thursday in the Sixth Form Common Room for 30 minutes. If a student fails to attend this detention and has no acceptable reason then they will be escalated either into Year Leader Detention or SLT Detention.
*
Year Leader Detentions take place every Wednesday night in the Sixth Form Common Room for one hour. If a student fails to attend this detention and has no acceptable reason then they will be escalated into SLT Detention.
*
SLT (Senior Leadership Team) Detentions take place every Friday night in the Sixth Form Common Room for 1 hour. If a student fails to attend this detention and has no acceptable reason then they will be placed in Internal Exclusion on the following Monday for a period of time which will include both break and lunch.
Should a student be issued with a detention that they are unable to attend it is essential that they discuss
this with their Year Leader in order to avoid the above escalation process. Thank you for your support in this
matter.
Rev. Millwood, Vice Principal
Duke of Edinburgh
The Bronze and Silver students are working hard this term
training for their expeditions which are fast approaching.
They are now applying for their volunteering placements
around Ashford, as well as looking for ideas for their skill
and physical sections.
It’s been exceptionally busy on Wednesday and Friday
evenings in the sports hall with over 90 students
enrolled. So far students have been trained in their
first aid qualifications and some basic equipment. All
the students have also been trained in the new online
logging system “E-DofE” and are now exploring the new
benefits of moving to online log books.
This year we have five gold students all working away at
various points of the award. Hannah Terry has signed up to
go to Wales this year with Kent Duke of Edinburgh Centre,
and commences her training at The Swattenden Centre in
February half term.
On the 30th March the students will all commence their first
day hike to prepare them for the expedition season ahead.
It’s going to be a busy season so we wish all the DofE
students the best of luck on their upcoming expeditions.
Mrs Butchard DofE Leader
31
PE
Year 7 (2 minute races on Concept 2 Indoor
Rowing Machines)
Ashford District Badminton
Champions – Again!
Hayden Dyke came 2nd overall out of fifty
competitors in the Year 7 boys; whilst Sam Coates
was 14th overall.
As we did not have a full Year 7 boys’ team we were
unable to qualify for the Kent finals.
The Year 7 girls' team came 4th overall out of 13
teams. The girls were only 30m (about 3 rowing
strokes) from 3rd place.
Martyna Wasilewska came 3rd overall out of fiftyfour competitors and Tanisha Wynter came 5th in
her first ever competition. Hannah James came
34th and Angelina Quaife came 35th .
Year 8 (3minute races on Concept 2 Indoor
Rowing Machines)
The John Wallis Academy boys’ badminton squad
have had another successful year. The boys, who
have been U14 Ashford District Champions for the
past two years moved up to the U16 age group this
year and became champions again. They met the
Harvey Grammar in the finals and won their match
with a convincing 5 – 0 win.
The boys will now go on to the Kent School Finals
in February and pursue more success. Last year
the boys came third in their age group, but this year
they want to do even better.
Ms Sutherland. Teacher of Physical Education
Rowing
East Kent Schools' Indoor Rowing
Championships
The East Kent Schools’ Indoor Rowing
Championships took place on Wednesday
15th January 2014.
There were over five
hundred competitors and twenty five schools in
attendance. The East Kent Schools' Indoor Rowing
Championships is one of the largest regional events
in the country. A new format meant that in Years
7-9 only teams of four competitors could qualify for
the championships on 11th February. The top three
teams in each age group qualify.
Jakub Murzyn came 3rd overall out of 51
competitors, Jaydon McFarlane came 16th and
Kieron Calveley 24th. Hayden Dyke from Year 7
came a very respectable 27th. Hayden agreed to
row with the Year 8 team when a last minute injury
robbed us of one of their rowers.
The Year 8 team (Jakub Murzyn, Jaydon McFarlane,
Kieron Calveley and Hayden Dyke) came 3rd overall
out of 12 teams. They were only 9m away from 2nd
place in the relay. This was a really impressive piece
of teamwork.
Year 9 (4 minute races on Concept 2 Indoor
Rowing Machines)
Chloe Sutton came 14th out of 40 competitors with
a new personal best of 856m in 4 minutes.
So the Year 8 boys’ team qualify for the Kent
Schools' Indoor Rowing Championships on 11th
February. Despite the great effort from the Year 7
girls, they do not.
A special thanks to Miss Horgan for all her support
in running the club and travelling to the competition.
All competitors raced individually over the time
applicable to their year group and then in a four
rower relay team over a time of 4 minutes. (Each
rower rowing for 1 minute)
Dr Semple Rowing Club Organiser
32
Kent Schools’ Table Tennis Tournament
On the 29th January The John Wallis Academy set out to take part
in the Kent Schools’ Table Tennis Tournament that was being held
at Medway Park in Gillingham. The event itself is of an extremely
high standard with many of the players having an England ranking.
The tournament itself consisted of a group stage with the winners
moving into the next round and the losers going into a plate
competition. The boys who took part in the tournament knew they
would be up against some of the best players in the country and
would therefore need to bring their A game in order to stand any
chance of success!
Special mention must go to Galbu Sherpa who came 3rd in the
plate competition after an extremely hard opening group stage. The trio of Rick Pun, Dependra Gurung and
Tara Rai got to the quarter finals of the plate. The outstanding performance of the day though was Hangsa
Limbu who played some amazing first round games to qualify from the group stages. He then progressed
further only going out to an England ranked player in the quarter finals of the U16 Cup!
Mr Tandy Teacher of Physical Education
Football
Year 9 Make Amazing Progress
At the start of the season with only a few players in toe, I had an idea. A dream to get the year group united and
organised so they could start to move for promotion. As training started five students moved to eight, which
then grew to a squad of twelve for the first game against High Weald (3-2 loss) and a full squad of nineteen
ready for the return leg (4-0 win). The squad has
bonded well and with their new team kit really
started to put some performances together on the
field. The end of season game saw a home game
against Swadelands on the 3G. A very one sided
affair both possession and goals attempted ended
in a 2-2 draw which is a dramatic improvement
from the 4-0 loss earlier in the season. As their
coach I am so proud to have them as my team.
They have shown dedication and willingness to
improve and I look forward to training them again
next year ready for promotion.
Mr Nicholas Director of Physical Education
33
Year 8 Rugby
The news of the first ever rugby game for The
John Wallis Academy was met with an overflow of
interest and consent forms from twenty four boys.
Bearing in mind that rugby is 15-a-side this was an
overwhelming number that demonstrated to Towers
School both the enthusiasm and interest of our
students.
From the first whistle the match was played in the
correct manner and both teams struggled with the
difficult conditions. With plenty of options on the
bench, the players were fresh and full of energy.
The John Wallis Academy shocked Towers with the
first try of the game and with a missed conversion
put 5 points on the board. Towers pegged The
John Wallis Academy back but also missed their
conversion attempt. The tenacity of the forwards
and support players enabled James Taylor to burst
through the Tower’s backline and score a wellworked try: 10-5.
As the second half progressed the conditions
worsened and Towers took full advantage of some
slack tackling to level the score. With time running
out Towers sensed victory. Two quick tries in the
final five minutes gave the visitors a hard-fought 2010 win. No conversions scored!
The boys played very well and were a credit to both
themselves and the Academy. There were lots of
promising signs and with some tightening up of
certain areas these students could become a force
to be reckoned with.
Mr M Forster Teacher of Physical Education
Year 10 Rugby
The game started with an email Mr Forster received
at 13.00 saying 'Swadelands can only field 8 players'
for which the confident reply of "don't worry we will
lend you 8 players" rang true for the success and
development of the Year 10 rugby team. A great
squad of 24 players arrived for their first battle on
the Millbank Road Ground.
With pride and excitement the Year 10 squad with
boots and gum shields in hand, a newly formed
team, were ready to take on their first test. The
weather was overcast and patchy rain had made
the rugby pitch difficult under foot.
The John Wallis Academy squad was split into
three teams of eight players. Two teams combined
to start the first half and the remaining team joined
Swadelands to make a competitive game.
The first half was a sizing up affair, both teams
not holding back on tackles and getting stuck in.
The deadlock was broken by the Swadelands/The
John Wallis Academy team with Reece Chapman
getting on the end of a Teaghe Sullivan-Daly skip
pass to take the lead 5-0 (conversion missed). An
unfortunate fumble after a heavy tackle saw the
Swadelands winger scooping up the ball inside his
own half and sprinting the length of the field to make
the score 10-0.
At the half time interval Mr Jones, the Year 10 head
coach, had his way and put out his strongest 15
players. From then The John Wallis Academy did
not look back. The much more aggressive pack,
headed by Jack Porter's incredible power display,
scored their first try which was easily converted
by Rick Pun: 10-7. After the restart Swadelands
delivered an illegal high tackle that was capitalised
on by Teaghe Sullivan Daly, and a mixture of solid
play eventually combined for The John Wallis
Academy’s winning try.
The Final Score was12-10; a solid win which would
have been greater if all the players had been
playing on the same team. Thank you to the ten staff
members who came out to support. The boys were
talking about it in the changing rooms afterwards.
Mr Nicholas Director of Physical Education
Netball
10 – 0 come back for Year 9 Netball Squad
After another tough season the Year 9 netball
team finished the season in style, winning a match
against The North School. All warmed up, positions
set, the game began. The girls started strongly with
the defence duo of Jessica Handley and Jade Leck.
Devon Revelle scored an amazing four goals and
Lucie Chapman scoring two in the first quarter.
By the second quarter we had Winona Gurung
playing with a possible broken finger but still going
strong! No matter how hard The North tried to win
possession of the ball. It came down to Elleanor
Kerr, Teghan Sharland and Candice Henning to
win it back. No goals were scored this quarter. After
a team talk at half time, the girls came out even
stronger with Devon scoring another three. Devon
was itching to go, so swapped positions with Lucie
Chapman to have a run around on the court. It came
to the last quarter the girls gave it their all! Lucie
came out on top scoring another goal, which made
the score 10-0 to The John Wallis Academy. We will
be back even stronger next season!
Aimee Chapman Year 12
34
Netball Season at a Close
Trampolining
As the netball season comes to an end it gives us
the opportunity to reflect on the season gone by.
All the girls have worked exceptionally hard this
season training and playing/winning their games.
For those students who wish to continue netball
throughout the summer they can do so with the new
opportunity of Pay and Play at courtside. Dawn Cox
from Kent Netball will be running this alongside the
adult league in the summer on a Monday evening
between 7-9.30pm. Please see Mrs J Butchard to
sign up.
Trampolining off to a Bouncing Start
On Tuesdays at 3:50pm The Academy offers an
open session for students to attend. These sessions
have been running for just two weeks and already
we have over 50 students bouncing away ranging
from Year 7 through to Year 11.
The students will be learning all the formal skills for
trampolining from basic shapes to somersaults, in a
safe and fun learning environment. If students are
interested in joining they can pop along to the sports
hall on a Tuesday evening between 3:50 and 5pm.
Alternatively they can speak to any member of PE
staff.
Girls’ Football
The John Wallis Academy currently facilitates three girls’ football teams; Year 7, under 14s and under 16s.
This term the girls are playing within the Ashford District Schools League. The girls train every Monday and
Wednesday on the 3G.
The first football matches of the girls’ season are as follows:
Year 7
27th February
Home
The John Wallis Academy V Wye
Under 14s
6th February
Home
The John Wallis Academy V Homewood
Under 16s
6th March
Home
The John Wallis Academy V The North
Mrs Butchard Teacher of Physical Education
35
WE WISH ALL STUDENTS,
STAFF, GOVERNORS
AND SPONSORS
A RESTFUL BREAK
36

newsletter - John Wallis Academy

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