Newsletter - Love Your Site
Transcription
Newsletter - Love Your Site
Newsletter Issue 20 | 7.2.2014 A Message from the Principal Firstly, can I start by saying very well done to parents, staff and friends of the school who took part in the PAG Quiz last Friday? We clearly have a lot of talented staff and parents and a good time was had by all. Particular thanks to the PAG Committee for putting on such a great night and for all the planning and preparation which went into this. Dates for your Diary Tuesday 11 February PSHE Day 3 This week has been a busy one for events, with Year 9 off timetable on Monday to look at the Holocaust in more detail. We also welcomed 28 local employers to the school on Wednesday for our second Big Interview Day, when they gave Year 10 an excellent opportunity to get some interview practice and direct feedback from a “real” employer. All the students I spoke to said that they had found the experience really useful. If you are interested in getting involved next year please get in touch with Wendy Graham who I know will be pleased to hear from you. As teachers, we feel that providing our students with knowledge and experience of the wider world is crucially important in setting children up for life after school and I think that this is one of the things which JBS does really well. We have staff who appreciate that an education is more than just what happens in the classroom and they put an awful lot of work into putting on events such as these, and for this I am very grateful. I know that the Year 9 and 10 experiences will be remembered for a very long time and it’s great that the students get so much out of days like these. Thursday 13 February Key Stage 3 Parents’ Forum - 6.30pm Today we say goodbye to two of our highly regarded colleagues in the admin team, Mrs McGunigle and Mrs Edwards. Both Trudy and Kirsa have given sterling service to the school over the past 11 and 7 years respectively, and I would like to thank them for all that they have done to support our students and staff. We will miss them both and wish them all the very best for the future. Contact Don’t forget that we have a non-uniform day next Friday which is actually a “Wear Red” day for Valentine’s day. This money raised will go towards Oscar Conroy-Purbrick and Catherine Hopkins’ Scout Jamboree. If you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact Mrs Lexy Bracey Have a great weekend. Ms Carleton The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Friday 14 February Wear Red Day (Non uniform) Last day of Term 3 Reporting Absence: 01249 819190 General Enquiries 01249 818100 www.johnbentleyschool.com Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy New Year! 2014 Chinese Year of the Horse To mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year, some of our year 7, 8 and 9 students have been finding out more about the traditions associated with this important time of year in China. Students were also given the opportunity to learn Chinese numbers. This became much easier once we practised with a rap song. Each student was given their name, written in Chinese and we enjoyed trying to write our names out ourselves. The Chinese tea received mixed reviews from students, but I was impressed with all the students who were prepared to try it. Students were also able to make their own Chinese dragon (a most important symbol in China which brings good fortune) and paper lanterns, decorated with lucky Chinese words and symbols. The students enjoyed the opportunity to look at a different language, and it gave us all a good insight into a language and culture so different from our own. There are just a few spaces left on the Year 11 Blood Brothers Trip on March 12. Here are some of the students’ views on their Chinese New Year lessons Tickets are £20 and Year 11 students should get a letter and medical form from Mrs Webb before paying at the Finance Hatch. “It was fun learning Chinese and I prefer it to French because it’s more interesting.” Bethany, Year 7 “Chinese is interesting and fun to learn. I enjoyed trying the tea andd making the lanterns. i hope we can do this sort of thing again.” Josh, Year 7 Year 9 Exams During the past week Year 9 have completed mock examinations in English, Maths and Science. I have been mightily impressed by how students have approached these exams- by how they’ve made the life of staff and invigilators easy by entering and exiting smoothly and given each exam their very best- well done Year 9! Mr Cave The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed French Enrichment Trip Sat 19 July - Mon 21 July 2014 Latin Club We are pleased to be able to offer an exciting opportunity for students in all years to take part in a trip to Northern France during this year’s enrichment days. The trip will provide students with an opportunity to experience a different culture, try out their language skills (if they are feeling brave!), and find out more about French food. We will be travelling by coach and Eurotunnel, and staying in a beautifully restored 19th Century Château, just 45 minutes from Calais. Whilst we are there, we will be visiting a chocolate factory (learning about how chocolate is made and sampling some of the chocolate too) and a “boulangerie” (where we will learn about the process of making French bread and then having a go ourselves). We will be starting up the Latin club for students in all years after half term. Latin Club will run every Friday lunchtime in L20 from 1:15pm-1:45pm. Students are welcome to bring their lunch with them. We will be following the Cambridge Latin Course and if students are prepared to put in some work, there is the possibility of entering for the Cambridge Latin Course Certificate next year. Any student who would like to find out more about the club should come to a brief meeting in L20 on Friday 14 February at 1:15pm. Put the date in your planners, I look forward to seeing you there! There will also be time to use the leisure facilities at the Château and to visit a traditional French town and less traditional shopping centre to buy souvenirs. The trip will cost £190, and this includes all transport,2 nights accommodation at the Château and all meals in France. Students may wish to bring a little extra money for shopping. If you would like more information about the trip, or would like to reserve a place, please collect a letter from the Languages Department office (next to L20). Alternatively, if you have any questions regarding the trip, please contact Mrs Cobbold at the school (email: [email protected]) Revision for GCSE French and German We understand that revising for French and German exams can seem daunting to pupils in Years 10 and 11. However, help is on hand. If your son or daughter is struggling with their revision, or any aspect of their languages work, please do encourage them to come and speak to us. We are available every lunchtime to help, as well as every Wednesday after school. All too often we hear students tell us that they “can’t learn languages”, but what they mean to say is “I can’t learn languages....yet!” Why struggle another day? Come and see us! The Languages Department The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Bonjour and Konichiwa John Bentley! Year 8 MFL Subject Enrichment Day @ UWE On Wednesday 5 February five Year 8 students were lucky enough to attend the Modern Foreign Languages subject enrichment day organised by Routes into Languages and hosted at the University of the West of England. This day was designed to give Year 8 students a chance to try various languages in a university setting. students work with students from other schools, as they collectively trawled their memories for French from Year 7. The UWE campus tour was next, ably hosted by two Student Ambassadors from the university who answered questions about student life our students asked them. Amongst other things, our students were shown around a typical student apartment on campus and were quite surprised and amused by what they saw: After a wet and windy drive down the M4, the group of students arrived slightly apprehensive about the day ahead of them, however their worries were soon forgotten as they launched themselves into the day. Izzy Street and Georgia Woods said “I don’t think I would need two cookers as a student – but then again, as the flat After some brief introductory films about why people, is big, you could have lots of pizza parties!” in particular young people, should learn languages from Routes into Languages, the group then went off to their Matt Evans was more practical about other facilities he first session. This was an interactive French learning saw on the tour – “UWE looks like a really great place to experience that saw JBS students getting to grips with study and socialise too – the library looks amazing and some advanced French grammar in quite a short space of I could see myself studying there as it was so big and time. Team JBS did well on the personal ID question-andspacious and the technology was great – there were answer sessions and also on the intricacies of forming see-through computers!” plural question and answers. It was great to see our The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Our final learning session was all about Japanese. The teacher, Rie Yuh, delivered a great session to a packed lecture room and our students soon got into writing and pronouncing various sentences in Japanese. Izzy and Georgia also managed to make up a song to go with the numbers from 1 to 10. Liam Cole liked this language session in particular, as it helped him to remember some of the Japanese that he has learnt previously. He said “This session is great, as I can now remember how to say the sounds properly that I was taught in the past and I can practise writing them as well now.” So would JBS students recommend going to check out studying languages a university? The answer from... Liam Cole Georgie Woods Even Mr Wicks and Mrs Wilkes-Ciudad were getting involved, Izzy Street learning how to greet people, count and also introduce Matt Evans themselves in Japanese. With a few more lessons, they might John Cook do as well as the JBS students were doing. After lunch in a huge cafeteria, the students attended a session all about student life and routes into universities in the UK. We heard about all aspects of life after school, from finance and sports clubs to how to get into a university and what studying a subject might entail in terms of timetables and fees. ... is a resounding OUI, YES or even HAI – that’s yes in Japanese! All of the students really enjoyed the day and it certainly gave them a taste of life at a university. They brushed up their French, learnt new language skills and met new people, but importantly they discovered that university life is accessible to all students, whatever background you are from and that learning languages is something that can really help you to boost your career choices in the future. John Cook was definitely impressed – “I think that it would be great to go to university and learn new things. It was very different to how I imagined and I would like to see more taster days for other subjects too, not just languages.” The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Artist of the Week Year 8 - Animals Fox - Kaitlyn Trend Giraffe - Davin Selkridge-Carty Cat - Harriet Brown Snow Leopard - Fabian Vines Panda - Caitlin Green Eagle - James Town Tiger - Brad Harris Bear - Sam Duff The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Holocaust Memorial Day Learning about the people behind the numbers Monday saw Year 9 commemorate last week’s Holocaust Memorial Day with a day off timetable, focussed on the events of the Second World War and genocide in a wider context. The day started with an assembly which picked up on 3 stories of individuals who had experienced life in a concentration camp. Students then broke into groups to learn more about the historical facts around the treatment of Jews and other minority groups at the hands of the Nazis and moved on to explore more recent examples of genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia. In the context of this, students then went on to do Art, English and Drama lessons where they acted out scenarios from the Holocaust, of people being loaded onto trains, created a variety of pieces of art using key words they had word-mapped while learning about the Holocaust and in English, created news reports which they attempted to deliver without emotion. The students were moved by the day and their learning experiences, which will resonate in a wider context for them. “I was surprised by the numbers of people involved and the effects of the many people killed. It has given me an insight into equality and how countries develop.” Milly Mardel. “The rape aspect of genocide has been shocking. I want to learn about this kind of thing and I think you need to be taught about it. It has made me realise that one person can make a difference and that lots of people can make a massive difference.” Abbi Scaith “I’ve got a lot from the drama because it brings out the empathy. You have to feel it to act it. Today has put prejudice into a bigger perspective and given us an understanding of collective responsibility.” Ellie Ford Teacher Training at JBS A great start for the next generation of teachers ideas and having an extra pair of hands in the classroom is always helpful. It has been a very exciting year for teacher training at The John Bentley School. So far this year, we have hosted twenty-two trainee teachers from the Universities of Bath, Bath Spa and The University of the West of England. In total, over 40 members of our teaching staff have supported the trainees through coaching and mentoring, and developing these skills benefits everyone in the school. As the person in charge of the teacher training programme in the school, I would like to thank everyone who is involved in this work and all those who have contributed to the next generation of successful teachers. Laurence Rogers Professional Tutor and Curriculum Leader for Humanities Next term we welcome a further six from Bath University. Having trainee teachers is a real benefit to the school. They bring fresh The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Staff in Focus Brand New Student Receptionist, Mrs Greenfield Tell us a little about yourself? Most recently I was a Coordinator for Childcare in the Army Welfare Service because we lived in Germany. Before that I worked in schools as a TA, HLTA and in the office. While we were stationed in Germany, we lived in Paderborn which was very pretty architecturally. Germany is very family orientated and there are lots of festivals. I am pleased to be back in the UK, though, because the language barrier makes life a bit tricky. We moved to Wiltshire in August and are really liking how green and picturesque it is here. I have a stepson who is 19 and three daughters, 16, 13 & 9. What is Your Dream Job? I’d be a Formula 1 driver. I love the sport. My favourite driver would be Michael Schumacher. Personal Goals I’d love to zip wire down Mount Snowdon. And I’d quite like to get my actual motorbike licence as I recently got my CBT. I’ve got all the gear, my husband has a big bike and I want to do it for myself. 60 Second Quickfire What do you listen to? I prefer 60s music generally; Northern Soul is a winner. Marmite or Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Cinema or DVD DVD What are your Favourite Films? Dirty Dancing, obviously. Some Like It Hot is also a lovely film. Recently I watched Rush which is about Formula 1 and really enjoyed it. TV or Radio TV Chocolate or Crisps Crisps Pop or Jazz Pop Train or Bus Train Indoors or Outdoors Outdoors Beach or Skiing Skiiing KFC or Nando’s Nando’s Romcom or Horror Romcom Tea or Coffee Tea Gym or Spa Spa Morning or Evening Morning Rugby or Football Football What Are You Reading? Recently I’ve got into the third Bridget Jones’ Diary and David Beckham’s biography. Where Would You Travel To? I’m not that interested in sun worshiping, so holidays are more about sightseeing for me. I’d probably go to China. What Are Your Hobbies? I sing to myself a lot and do a lot of dancing. My dream weekend would involve lots of glossy magazines, big packets of Haribo and a Dominoes pizza delivery. I’d shut the door, turn the phone off and do nothing. Fun Fact I am on the front cover of a book: World War 2 Women’s Military Uniforms. You can buy it on Amazon. And Arnold Schwarzenegger lived with my uncle, Bob Woolger, who was a body builder and was Arnold’s mentor. The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed The Big Interview Day Preparing our students for their next steps On Wednesday The John Bentley School held the second annual ‘Big Interview Day.’ This is a vital day in the Year 10 students’ calendar, giving them the opportunity to experience interviews for jobs with real employers from outside of the school environment. This event has been hugely successful, with many of the students commenting they felt much more confident going on to employment and university interviews with this practice. In the months preceding the day, the students have worked on a carefully compiled programme of activities to prepare them. They have applied for the jobs; writing CVs and letters of application. They have looked at interview preparation and technique, body language and how to dress appropriately. Employers provided the students with verbal and written feedback on their CVs, letters of application and their interview technique and told them whether they would have been ‘hired!’ “I am delighted that this day gave our students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in the context of a work environment, increasing their self esteem and motivation for their next interview interactions. At The John Bentley School, we do everything we can to arm our students with as many experiences as we can that will help them to secure the future they aspire to.” Wendy Graham, Work Related Learning Coordinator Desert Island Discs As part of Year 12 and 13’s BTEC Music we will be compiling a chart of staff members’ top 8 albums of all time. The chart will be revealed at the Concert which will take place on 25th March 2014. Each week in the newsletter we will publish the top 8 choices of a different member of staff. If you would like to submit your top 8 albums please e-mail Mr Grant who is compiling the chart to find out what JBS’s favourite album is! Ms Carleton’s top 8 are: Duran Duran Rio INXS Kick Crowded House Woodface REM Automatic for the People Paul Weller Stanley Road Kirsty Macoll Tropical Brainstorm Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand The Killers Hot Fuss Lunchtime Writers Club I will be running a temporary lunch time club for Year 7 & 8 students who would like to enter the Radio 2 500 Words competition or for young writers who would just like a bit of one-to-one advice on their writing. This will take place every Wednesday, starting 29th Jan and running until the deadline on Wednesday 26th February, in LO2 (English block). Miss Midgley Geography Revision Student Comments: “I was nervous once I had finished the interview, as I wanted to know how I had got on. The feedback was really useful and I now know that I need to write more on my CV and covering letter.” Employer Comments: “This is a very useful day. Not many schools do this sort of thing and I feel that schools have a moral responsibility to help students gain skills in employability as well as academic qualifications. This was a very well “It was a really good experience and I organised day and could serve as a would like to do it again next year for more template for how events such as this practice.” should be planned and run.” “Answering questions on my strengths was easy, but it was quite hard to answer the question about my weaknesses. I will definitely have to practice that!” “I was so nervous to start off with, but after the first couple of questions it was really good fun.” “A very well organised day, with everything we need to help the students as best as possible. The tricky bit is getting past the nervousness and encouraging the students to talk to you!” Year 11: Revision is on Monday lunchtime in M14 Year 12: Revision is on Thursday lunchtime in M14 Job Vacancy: Exam Invigilator Salary: Grade B (£6.69-£7.11 PER HOUR) Job Description All examinations need adult supervision according to examination board rules, so we need to appoint invigilators who are able to work as and when needed during the examination seasons. Please see our website for more detail and to apply or telephone our HR department on 01249 818100 The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Year Seven Year Council Student Representation in school Action on Options Student petitions the Principal JJ - Lottie Ramsay and Ellie Warren JO - Anna Williams and Ellie Cameron JH - Ellis Burry and Harver Ashcroft BB - Josh Williams and Stephanie Brennon BE - Polly Conroy-Purbrick and Elizabeth Wells-West BN - James Bradfield and Isabelle Barbieri We are Year 7 Year Council, made up of the Year 7 tutor reps. Every two weeks we meet with Lydia (one of the Head Students) to discuss issues brought up in the class councils from each tutor group. Recently we’ve been talking a lot about Vivos, and how the system can be improved. For instance, why there are many more B’s at the top of the leaderboard than J’s, and making sure the Vivos are being given out fairly by all our teachers and for the right things. During a Citizenship lesson, Lauren (9JO) studied pressure groups and campaigns. From this, she was given the task of setting up a campaign and she chose a subject that she felt affected her and all other year groups. Lauren chose to do a campaign for Year 9 students to have more choices at Options time. As well as a very detailed letter to the Principal, Laura enclosed a petition with 225 signatures from across all year groups. Many students added their own comments: One of the things we’d love to discuss in the future is afterschool clubs, and getting more of them up and running. Laura Bowyer (10JN) “Found choosing Options hard as wanted to do three Options. I was really disappointed I We’re here to listen to the voices of Year Sevens, and take couldn’t take Geography.” any problems to the Year Council or School Council to really make a difference. Matt Evans (8BT) “I think this is great! More Options means more chance of a successful occupation.” Kayleigh Gazzard (12BC) “I wish I’d had four choices.” Lauren met with Ms Carleton on Tuesday 4 to talk about the Option choices. After the meeting Lauren said “I feel better knowing that my letter has been taken into account. I hope it helps the Options overall and all the people in my year to make their decisions.” Lauren pictured above with Miss Baker who has taken on her views PAG Quiz 2014 Last Friday PAG held their annual Quiz, always a popular event in the community with parents, teachers, students, past and present and local quiz teams competing for the coveted PAG quiz trophy. The Hall was buzzing and every last table filled. The competition for first prize this year was a closely fought contest and the trophy was narrowly won by the ‘The Breakaways’ ( Mr Ruscoe, Ms Sutton, Mrs Bates and Mrs Durham are still celebrating!) only one point clear of the runner up, The 4 Nations (commiserations to Mr Rogers, Mr & Mrs Kelly, and Mrs Bloomfield) . Thanks to PAG for organising the competition and to the quiz masters Roger and Lisa Trowbridge. We all look forward to next year’s event. The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed For the Attention of Year 10, 11,12 &13 Students Please speak to Miss Brown for more information Key Stage 3 Parents’ Information Evening Thursday 13 February 6.30-7.30 in MO2 For new Year 7 parents to find out the difference between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 work in core subjects For Year 8 parents to support their children in making the most of the opportunities in maths, English and Science For Year 9 parents to support their sons and daughters through Year 9 assessments and transition into Key stage 4 All parents will have the opportunity to ask questions to Guidance Leadersand Key Stage 3 Coordinators of English, Maths and Science. To assist us with planning, please fill in the reply slip below and return it to me at school We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 13 February at 6.30 - 7.30 pm in MO2 (Music Room) downstairs in the Performing Arts Block. Dr McKie FAO: Dr McKie I will be attending the Key Stage 3 Forum on Thursday 13 February Please reserve ______ places. Student’s name ____________________ Tutor Group ______________________ Signed ___________________________ parent/guardian. The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed Send a rose this Valentine’s Once again, JBSTV are spreading the love with their unique rose giving service. For just £1 you can order a rose from us that we will hand deliver during PDT on Friday 14 February. Come and find us at any break between Monday 10 and Thursday 13 outside the finance hatch. Roses can be sent with a message or anonymously… It’s up to you! The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed