Issue 4 - The Ongar Academy

The Ongar Optimum
The Ongar Academy
27 May 2016
Issue 4
From the
Headteacher
Dear reader,
I would like to extend a warm
welcome to all readers of our fourth
newsletter of the academic year. This
term has seen us feature on national
TV and in the national press,
recruitment of new teachers for Year
2 and confirmation of planning
permission for our wonderful new
building.
This term we have welcomed three
new staff to the school:
Mrs Anna Haley – Administration
Assistant / Receptionist
Mrs Sarah Mansell – SENCO and
Mathematics teacher
Mrs Michelle Dutch - Technology
Teacher (Temporary)
We have sadly said goodbye to Mrs
Highfield and Mr Timcke since our
last newsletter. I wish them all the
very best with their next roles.
I thought it would be useful to
announce our new appointments to
parents for next year:
Faculty Leader: English
Paula Suttle
Paula is currently teaching at The
Eastwood Academy. She possesses
grade eight in a number of
instruments and has the ability to
teach Music as a second subject.
Assistant Faculty Leader: Science
Hollie Montgomery
Hollie is currently teaching Science
and AS Chemistry at Great Baddow
School in Chelmsford.
Classteacher: Music & Art
Angelica Jackson
Angelica is a neat fit for our context
and will join us from Canada for one
year to teach both Music and Art.
Subject Leader: French
Elise Robillart
Elise is currently leading French at
Brentwood County High School. She
is excited about joining us and is also
fully able to teach Spanish as a
second subject.
New Building
As parents will know, our planning
permission was approved earlier this
term. The completion date is summer
of 2017 and so far the background
contractual work is near completion.
We are oversubscribed for our
students in 2016 and we have
recruited at a very high level for next
year. We are starting to deliver the
promise and hopefully all of you will
feel that the dream is starting to
become a reality and that the risk you
took in sending your children to a
brand new free school is starting to
pay off. I will endeavour to keep you
updated on progress as things move
on. I hope you will share in our
excitement at the pace of change.
Thank you for your continued support
and I hope you enjoy the articles in
the pages that follow. I wish you all an
excellent half term break.
Subject Leader: Geography
Beth Luckie
Beth is currently teaching Geography
at Helena Romanes School in
Dunmow. She is keen to join our staff
having read lots of information about
growth mindsets.
Classteacher: Mathematics
Stephanie Clarke
Stephanie is currently finishing her
trainee year in the Mid-Essex SCITT.
David Grant
Headteacher
Elocution for Employment
Following a study of Spoken Language in their English classes, where they evaluated dialect, sociolect, idiolect and
accent, our Year 7 students identified key areas of their own language that they wanted to evolve. With the competitive
world of work in mind, we considered the first impressions that are created of people during interview situations
evaluating appearance, attitude, body language and elocution.
A current role sees an average of 24 people applying for the same position (according to The Guardian) with this
anticipated to treble by the time that our students are of employment age. Acknowledging that they may be facing such
stiff competition, students recognised that every second counts. Therefore they need to create the best representation
of themselves as possible in order to have every possible pathway open to them.
Following their feedback on the areas of their speech they would like support in evolving we created the fortnightly
focus on the misuse or overuse of certain words, as well as the pronunciation of certain dropped letters.
We are so pleased at the success that our current Elocution for Employment initiative is having and the positivity we
have felt amongst, staff, students and parents. We have also enjoyed extensive press coverage of the initiative,
including Headteacher David Grant and two students Amelia Stanley and Riley Palmer attending ITV London Studios
to discuss it further with Piers Morgan and Kate Garraway on ‘Good Morning Britain’. Whisked down to London at
5.30am on bank holiday Monday, the three faced questions spanning from Adele to the use of ‘like’. It was an exciting
day for all and the video is available to view on our website.
Although some students have found the initiative hard to adjust to they have shown real resilience and risen to the
challenge exceptionally well. One commented that, “At first I was really worried as I didn’t know how I could possibly
talk without using the words that I do. But then, when I gave myself time to stop and think about what I was saying
more, I realised that I just needed to find better ways of expressing myself and actually I do think it is really helping me
to expand my vocabulary too.” Another student acknowledged that the initiative is helping her prepare for the world of
work, “I want to be a barrister when I’m older and so I know that when I’m in court I have to sound professional and
represent myself well in front of the judge to make my case credible and do my best for the person I may be
representing. I certainly couldn’t be saying ‘like’ after every other word then, so it feels right that we should be looking
at this now and correcting our habits to stand us with the best chance in the future.”
This captures the aim of our initiative perfectly; we want all of our students to have the best chance in the best roles to
be the best that they can be. We believe that our investment in shaping their elocution is just as important as our
commitment to their education if they are to have the futures that we believe they so rightly deserve.
Mrs R Hingston
Assistant Headteacher
Curriculum Extension Day
On 9th March, Year 7 students at The Ongar Academy took part in their second
Curriculum Extension Day called the Electric Enterprise Challenge.
The challenge was to work as a team to plan a community awareness campaign
to promote Electric Vehicles (EVs) that can be charged using public charging
points in the community.
Electric cars might not be a new idea, but the latest technology means that they
might be the vehicles of the future!
Red Cross Appeal
The Ongar Academy would like to
thank students and parents for their
support in donating food items to
our Red Cross Appeal. As you can
see, community spirit was alive and
kicking during the week and this
resulted in a generous donation to
the Red Cross.
Guest speaker from the Red Cross,
Using stimulus information and the internet, the students researched the
benefits of EVs and decided upon the campaign they would need to
communicate. Students’ campaigns included a logo or slogan, examples of
media and how they would be used, as well as radio and television interviews.
Students finished the day by presenting their campaigns to the year group.
Janine
Thomas,
delivered
an
assembly on the work of the charity
as a whole before explaining how
the food donations would go to a
local food bank.
Janine thanked
The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all students and everyone gained a deeper
understanding of business enterprise.
everyone at The Ongar Academy
Here’s what two students had to say about the day:
that it would, “provide very much
“I found working out the costs challenging as we had to make sure that we didn’t
go over the budget of £5000 and that we used the amount we got to its fullest,
but I really enjoyed the day as it tested, developed and introduced us to new
skills.” Chloe Moffat 7B
needed resources for people who
“I really enjoyed it as I found it really fun designing our own logo.” Isabel Joyce
7A
Faculty Leader: Mathematics and
Miss J Box
Assistant Headteacher
for supporting the charity and said
have fallen on hard times.”
Mrs E Ledwidge
Computing (Associate SLT)
A ‘Micro:Bit,’ about The Ongar Academy’s New Computers
This week saw the arrival of 100 BBC Micro:Bit computers at The
Ongar Academy.
The Micro:Bit is a pocket-sized codeable computer with motion
detection, a built-in compass, and Bluetooth technology, which
the BBC has given away free to every child in Year 7 across the
UK.
The BBC’s ambition, and ours, is to inspire digital creativity and
develop a new generation of tech pioneers, to combat the critical skills shortage in the technology sector.
Students attending Computing Club were the
first to trial these new computers; measuring in
at just 4cm by 5cm, the Micro:Bit may look mini,
but it certainly packs a punch. Within minutes
students were writing their own code and
seeing their names light up in LEDs.
Computing Club takes place every Tuesday
afternoon in L3 from 3:30-4:30. We’re always
looking for new recruits!
Mrs E Ledwidge
Faculty Leader: Mathematics and Computing
(Associate SLT)
House Points Update
As we enter the last half term of the academic year our Year 7 students have continued to
make excellent progress, as the house points figures clearly show, with each house almost
7A
2112
7B
2083
7C
2254
7D
1995
doubling their totals again since the last newsletter! Well done to 7A who have moved up
two places on the score board to second place and congratulations to 7C who continue to
hold the lead!
A special mention goes to the individual students who have achieved the most House Points
in their form so far - Jamie Barnes (7A), Molly Rayner (7B), Claudia Grosvenor (7C) and
Leyla Bubb (7D) – well done and keep up the hard work!
Editor
British Science Week 2016
“Science is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of
waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore
and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world..."
President Barack Obama, 23rd March 2015
British Science Week took place between the 11th and 20th March, and is a ten
day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths. The week
featured fascinating, entertaining and engaging events and activities across the
UK for people of all ages.
This year the theme was all about the different spaces (open, outer, digital, built
and personal) where science can be found
and conducted.
We celebrated British Science Week at The
Ongar Academy through a number of activities held within lessons and at
lunchtimes.
Students gained an understanding of the Great Plains
(open space) thanks to a David Attenborough
documentary shown in S1 at lunchtime. In
Attenborough’s 90th year; armed with refreshments,
students sat back to enjoy seeing the greatest
gatherings of wildlife on earth: two million gazelles on
the Mongolian steppes, three million caribou in North
America and one and a half million wildebeest in East
Africa. Students also saw many of the Great Plains
predators including eagles, wolves and lions.
Students were invited to come and launch a rocket
(outer space) and challenged each other to see who
could build the best rocket. The winner was
determined by which one travelled the furthest across
the playground.
In lessons students made slime, exploring the features
of polymers (built space). Glitter, dye and paint were
added, to make our slime sparkle, whilst students
were also able to vary its properties. Cross-linking
within the polymer meant the slime could demonstrate
both liquid-like and solid-like behaviour – this property
is known as viscoelasticity.
Students also took part in a British Science Week quiz
and a poster competition.
Everyone who took part really challenged themselves
and the results were fantastic – well done Year 7!
Miss J Box
Assistant Headteacher
Enrichment Focus – Rounders
This half term in Physical Education we are learning about rounders. We are playing many different games
to enable us to progress in outdoor sports. Next half term we’ll be learning Athletics, and an after school club
is already available for athletics and rounders on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So far we have practised
throwing and catching, otherwise named as throunders by 7A. Recently we played an actual match, taking
turns for batting and fielding.
The Rules are:
 Throw the ball correctly.
 If it is no ball, throw again.
 Attempt to hit the ball and if the ball is not hit then you still run, if you hit backwards then you would only
be allowed to run to first post.
 If stumped whilst the batter is in the middle running, the batter is out.
 If stumped when the batter is not touching the post, the batter is out.
 If caught once hit by the batter, the batter is out.
We are enjoying this topic a lot as we get to play in the sunshine (hopefully). This sport keeps us active
whilst improving our skills in throwing and catching for future topics and sports.
At the end of this half term a house competition will be held in a game of rounders and the best form will be
awarded house points which could change the leader board entirely!
Amelie Koppel 7A and Kirsty Norfolk 7C
UKMT Junior Maths Challenge
This half term has seen 39 students at The Ongar Academy take part in the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge. The UK
Mathematics Trust (UKMT) is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people
in Mathematics. The Junior Challenge is aimed at pupils in Year 7 and 8 across the whole country. The challenge
involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in one hour and is sat in school under normal exam conditions.
Marks are awarded as follows:
Five marks are awarded for each correct answer to Questions 1-15.
Six marks are awarded for each correct answer to Questions 16-25.
Each incorrect answer to Questions 16-20 loses 1 mark.
Each incorrect answer to Questions 21-25 loses 2 marks.
This challenge is a fantastic opportunity for all students to take a risk and battle against all students across Year 7 and
8 all over the country. The difficulty lies with Questions 16-25 where marks are deducted if answers are incorrect, but
there are huge gains to be made with correct answers. Therefore students have to decide whether to gamble and
answer a question with the possibility of losing marks if they are wrong.
Total marks for the challenge with 25 correct answers is 135. Last year thresholds were as follows:
Bronze 51-61 Silver 62-77 Gold 78+ Kangaroo Qualifier 88-104 Olympiad Qualifier 105+
Roughly the top 1200 students will be invited to take the Olympiad paper and another 5,000 students will be invited to
take the Kangaroo paper. It would be an amazing achievement if any of our students reach this level as they have been
competing against Year 7 and 8 students across the country. It would also be fantastic to see some students achieve
a bronze, silver or gold certificate. We will keep our fingers crossed for all the students who took part and wait for results
day in a couple of weeks. It is a competition where anyone could come out on top! For those of you who would like to
have a go try the questions below. (Answers on page 10).
Q17. In a group of 48 children, the ratio of boys to girls is 3: 5. How many boys must join the group to
make the ratio of boys to girls 5: 3?
A 48
B 40
C 32
D 24
E8
Q19. Three boxes under my stairs contain apples or pairs or both. Each box contains the same
number of pieces of fruit. The first box contains all twelve of the apples and one-ninth of the
pears. How many pieces of fruit are there in each box?
A 14
B 16
C 18
D 20
E 36
Q24. Part of a wall is to be decorated with a row of four square tiles. Three different colours are
available and there are at least two tiles of each colour available. Tiles of all three colours must be used.
In how many ways can the row of four tiles be chosen?
A 12
B 18
C 24
D 36
Mrs R Bolwerk
Subject Leader: Mathematics
E 48
Student Section
POETRY CORNER
On this page some of our students share their talents and ideas.
The picture below was designed by Eleanor Giles (7A) combining her
photography and computing skills to portray the Ongar Tree.
Spring Poems
By Nicole Saye (7C)
Spring
Out of cave! Out of hole!
Bear, rabbit, little mole,
Hatch from egg in nest in
trees!
The birds are back and so
are the bees.
The flowers bloom, the
leaves are green,
How do they know when it’s
spring?
Spring 2
Good Morning Britain!
Amelia Stanley (7B), with the help of Kirsty Norfolk (7C), provides her own
account of the experience of starring on national television as part of the
Elocution for Education initiative.
“On Monday 2nd May 2016 Mr Grant, Riley Palmer and I went to ITV studios
in Westminster to appear on Good Morning Britain. We arrived at the studio
at 6:35am - very tired but excited for the opportunity!
We waited in the green room for a bit and then went to have our makeup done;
which Riley was NOT pleased about!
The presenters were lovely and the experience was amazing. Mr Grant told
ITV news, “we are not declaring war on TOWIE,” and that the purpose of the
initiative was, “so they’re not judged in the first ten seconds of speaking,” when
in an interview.
The purpose of this initiative is so that we have more opportunity in the so
called ‘world of work’ and can compete with some foreign competitors who
have an excellent grasp of the English language. We are finding it fun to find
alternatives to words that we have been using and think that it will develop our
chances in finding a job in only a few years’ time.”
Spring appears in whispers
and hushed tones as the
bellowing winter bows away.
Drowsy flowers come to
attention waking from their
sleep.
Yawning with heads turned
upwards towards the
maestro called Sun.
I watch with anticipation as
the concert begins.
Meet the News Team!
Meet the Teacher!
The News Team continues to grow
and we have seen some excellent
contributions over the last few
issues. We look forward to even
more contributions in upcoming
issues!
In the meantime, read below to get
to know our new members a bit
better.
Name: Kirsty Norfolk 7C
Hobbies: Dance, netball and
listening to music.
Pets: One cat called Tinkerbell
Favourite subjects: English,
History and Computing.
What I like about The Ongar
Academy: I have made lots of
great friends and learned lots
since starting.
Name: Amelie Koppel 7A
Hobbies: Netball
Pets: One dog, Bruce and a cat,
Mabel.
Favourite Subject: PE, English
and History
What I like about The Ongar
Academy: The chance to
experience something that not of a
lot of people will, by being the
youngest yet oldest year at
school.
Name: Eleanor Giles 7A
Hobbies: Art (painting and
drawing), dance (ribbon and
freestyle jazz), cooking and
photography.
Pets: Two cats called Ebony and
Lottie, tropical fish, and kittens.
Favourite Subjects: PE, Art, D&T
and Music.
What I like about The Ongar
Academy: I like being a founder
of our school, and this means that
whatever we do it will all go down
in history. I love all the people who
learn, teach, support and fund
Ongar.
Maths answers: Q17 (C) Q19 (B)
Q24 (D)
This issue the News Team interviewed Miss Chapman, Head of Year 7 and Arts
and PE Faculty Leader.
News Team: What inspired you to become a PE
teacher?
Miss Chapman: My inspiration was my PE teacher in
Secondary School.
NT: When did you start playing netball?
MC: I started playing at the age of 6 at a district
tournament and we won!
NT: What encouraged to keep playing netball?
MC: I was originally a swimmer, but then they shut the
swimming pool at my university and I fell in love with netball.
NT: If you could choose another job what would it be?
MC: I would be a wedding planner.
NT: Do you have any pets?
MC: I have 2 cats, Princess Darla and Mr Parker.
NT: What advice would you give to people who want to teach PE in the
future?
MC: I would say speak to your PE teacher now and volunteer for opportunities
at school. Also start looking at the best universities that really focus on PE.
NT: What is your favourite part about teaching PE?
MC: Being outdoors and doing a subject that is different to the rest of the
curriculum.
NT: Do you play any instruments?
MC: I play the flute, the drums and I’m learning the guitar at the moment. I also
sing.
NT: What is your favourite sport?
MC: I love netball, swimming and going to the gym.
NT: Why did you want to come and teach at The Ongar Academy?
MC: Because I thought the opportunity was exciting and I wanted to be a part
of making the school grow.
NT: What is your favourite song?
MC: I don’t have a favourite song, there are too many good ones to decide
between, but my top three are ‘Free Fallin’ by John Mayer, ‘Layla’ by Eric
Clapton and ‘Love Never Felt So Good’ by Michael Jackson.
NT: You said your family is musical, what instruments do they play?
MC: We all used to be in a band together- my dad played bass, my brother-inlaw can play almost everything, but he was the main keyboard player and I
sang with my sister.
NT: Did you always enjoy PE at school?
MC: I loved it, and if I could get out of any lesson to do PE I did!
NT: Who is your role model / hero?
MC: I really admire my sister. She is an amazing mother and wife, an incredible
teacher and she is super creative.