YIA Newsletter March 2012

Academy Newsletter Edition 4, March 2012

FRIDAY 30th March 2012: ARRANGEMENTS FOR LAST DAY OF TERM

Periods 1 -5: Normal Lessons 3.00pm Academy Closes

Welcome from the Academy Principal, Mr R Gilbert Dear Parents/Carers, At the time of writing this editorial we are sixteen full weeks away from the handover of our new building. It is very difficult to comprehend how quickly the time has gone, in relation to both our conversion to Academy status and the announcement of the funding being awarded to the Academy for its new build, and now that handover is nearly upon us. During the first phase of the whole construction period, we have been very fortunate in the weather being as good as it has been and the positive working relationships the Academy has developed with Willmott Dixon in a number of ways. This, I believe, has contributed hugely to the progress that we have seen on site and the confidence that I have in them maintaining this right through to the end of the construction programme early in 2013. The handover date of 9th July 2012 remains the milestone we are all looking forward to. In the final week of term for students, we will be planning a programme of orientation and familiarisation for students in Years 7 to 10 and the Sixth Form. Also around that time, I will be communicating with all parents/carers with regard to the arrangements for access to and from the new Academy site during the next phase of the development - Phase 2a. This will include student access, on foot and by bicycle, as well as vehicle access for visitors. We will also be looking at the potential to run a series of open mornings for all parents/carers to come and visit the new building, either at the end of Term 6 or in the beginning of the new academic year. In recent weeks we have been privileged to work more closely with Willmott Dixon and a number of students have had the opportunity for site visits as part of their studies or a longer work experience programme. Members of staff from Willmott Dixon have also been involved in working alongside students in Science, looking at the energy systems being required in the new build and the impact of that on the environment and sustainability. Again these have been well received and have contributed well to some of their studies in Key Stage 4. On Tuesday 20th March 2012 I was invited to London, with Jason Hunt the Site Manager, for an award ceremony, as part of the construction industry’s Considerate Contractors Scheme. At the awards ceremony, Willmott Dixon’s work on the Yate International Academy site received recognition under that scheme and was awarded an accolade in relation to the number of points achieved as part of the criteria for becoming a Considerate Contractor. This not only recognised the work they had done on site and with the Academy itself, but the work and relations that have been instrumental in its success with the immediate and wider neighbours to the Academy. On Wednesday 21st March 2012 we held a parents evening for the parents/carers of our incoming Year 7, in September 2012, who had recently received notification of their offer of a place at the Academy. It was very pleasing to see so many prospective parents/carers at that meeting and with Year 7 numbers entering the Academy being the highest they have been in my seven years as Head/Principal here,

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it is a clear indication of the confidence you all have in what we are achieving for all the young people we serve. We look forward to working with this new cohort of parents/carers in the years ahead. We are fast approaching the annual Rock Challenge performance in Portsmouth, which this year is being held on Monday 16th April 2012. I know that many of the students involved in Rock Challenge this year have been working extremely hard, both in terms of the commitment to practice and the work going alongside that behind the scenes – this is what makes this event such a successful one for the students. Once again we are working again in collaboration with students and staff from Culverhill School, and I would like to wish Mrs Bell, Miss Greaves, and all of the team the best of luck for the performance in Portsmouth. The public examination season for the summer of 2012 will soon be upon us. The start of Term 5 will see the last of preparations being made for students to be as prepared as possible for those important examinations. During the Easter break, the Academy is open for Year 11 GCSE revision classes in many subjects and parents/carers would have had a timetable of these given out on Year 11 parents evening on 8th March or, if you did not attend, it was posted home to you. I would encourage as many Year 11 students as possible to take advantage of these classes as they have proven so beneficial in the past. It is a particularly stressful time for students and parents/carers alike and I would like to pass on my best wishes to all of those taking part in public examinations this year. Work hard and be well prepared! I would like to thank all parents/carers for their support of our recent zero tolerance approach to the use of mobile phones during or in between lessons at the Academy. This has been very well received, by both students and staff in the Academy, and for lessons, it has ensured that the focus is entirely on the learning taking place. Following the recent parental questionnaire, it has been requested from some of you that we take a stronger stance in relation to uniform. This we shall be doing. From the start of Term 4 we expect all children to be wearing their blazer in the building during the Academy day. There has been an increase in the number of ‘hoodies’ that have appeared, particularly if worn in the place of an outdoor garment. These items of clothing will be banned entirely, with effect from 16th April, which is the start of Term 5. Students who wear such items of clothing to the Academy will have them confiscated on entrance to the Academy buildings and they will be returned to them at the end of the day. Again I trust that I will have your full support in this matter as we move towards ensuring that all of these small aspects of Academy improvement are upheld. I hope you find the rest of the information in this newsletter of interest to you and I would be happy to receive any feedback, in relation to our communications with you, to ensure that we are able to provide you with the opportunities for updated information as much as possible. Finally, we are expecting a Section 5 Ofsted Inspection at some stage before the end of this academic year. I would like to thank all parents/carers who returned the recent questionnaires, based on the Ofsted framework, regarding how you view what we do at the Academy. The outcome of the response we had back (approximately a 10% return) has given us a clear indication of our strengths and areas that you feel we could improve upon. I can assure you that we will endeavour to do this and I will be indicating how we would like to move forward with parents/carers early in Term 5. Thank you for taking the time to read this editorial.

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Message from the Principal It is very clear that the expectations placed on us as an Academy, by the Department for Education, as well as our sponsors, is that all students conform to Federation policies. Therefore I would ask your support in ensuring your child comes to the Academy each day in the appropriate uniform. To remind you all:

• The Academy blazer is a compulsory item and must be worn at all times • The Academy jumper is optional, but is the only garment to be worn over the top of the

mandatory white shirt and Academy tie. No other garments are permitted whatsoever, including cardigans, hoodies etc.

• The Academy tie must be worn properly • Black shoes are compulsory at all times • Grey trousers, or knee length skirts for the girls, are the only garments to be worn in addition to

the above. Leggings are not permitted. If your child does not wear the correct uniform you will be notified on a consistent basis. We expect your child to turn up every day, on time and dressed in the appropriate manner. Please ensure they do so! IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFEGUARDING Parents and Carers are reminded that if your personal contact details change e.g. telephone/mobile numbers/work numbers or addresses, then Yate International Academy should be informed as soon as possible. We may need to get hold of you in an emergency! Students can give this information to The Academy, via their mentors or parents, or contact the main office themselves to ensure we have the correct information. Your help with this important matter is greatly appreciated. Be on your SAFE ‟GUARD‟ ING. CHALLENGE It is now policy that all staff wear I.D. badges at all times. It is an expectation that parents/visitors always enter Yate International Academy via Reception. Parents/visitors will then be signed in and given a Visitor badge. Please do not be offended if you are asked to go to Reception and to sign in as a visitor – it is an important matter of safeguarding. You will then be met by the member of staff you came to visit or escorted to them through the building. We have innumerable points of entry at YIA and we are endeavouring to make the building as secure and SAFE, as we possibly can. The new build Academy will have only one point of entry and a secure line to safeguard your children.

NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION DATES 2011-2012 For information the publication dates for further 2011-2012 newsletters will be as follows: • 28th May 2012 • 9th July 2012

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YEAR 11 BOYS FOOTBALL After such a promising start to the season, with the 5 A-Side competition under their belt and a 5-0 win against Bradley Stoke, sadly Year 11 were pushed out of a qualifying position in their league. Liam Payne scored his first ever goal for the team with a converted penalty against Bradley Stoke! Chipping Sodbury’s match was cancelled twice and so we were given the points without even kitting up!!! The

game against Castle School was probably the best football we have played in the league. This was a very close match, with some exceptional passages of play but unfortunately we forgot how to shoot!! The final score was 2-1 to Castle. We had another fine game against Marlwood but conceded an early goal against the run of play. We dominated the second half, playing downhill with the wind behind us but we couldn’t find the net, hitting the crossbar twice and the post once!! We narrowly lost by that one early goal. Year 11’s final match of the season will be a charity event in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of Jordan Thorn. This match will be against Year 12 on Tuesday 27th March. Kick off will be 3:15pm and entry 50p each. All players must raise at least £3 sponsor money. YEAR 10 FOOTBALL Year 10 started the season well by winning the 5 A-Side competition at Filton but were unable to secure many wins after that. We played Bradley Stoke in the cup and league and narrowly lost to them twice by just one goal with the end result being 2-1 on both occasions. The match against Marlwood was the best football our Year 10 team have played to date! This was an excellent game which saw us run out 3-1 winners. Standout players this season were Tyler Johnson and Frankie Vaughan. They were ably assisted by Aaron Walkling and Brad Simons. YEAR 8 FOOTBALL Year 8 have grown in confidence from last year and have started to gel as a team. They are a group of enthusiastic boys who regularly turn up for training in all weathers and give their best. The best result for them this season came with a 5-3 win over Bradley Stoke. We battled away and dominated in midfield with Kyle Head a fantastic game. Our defence were great and goalkeeper Kyle Williams pulled off some very brave saves. The strength of Casey Brown up front was too much for the Bradley Stoke defence and he scored 4 of our 5 goals with the fifth going to Luke Perry. We struggled against Marlwood and Castle schools where our stature not our football let us down. Local rivals Chipping Sodbury gave us a fabulous game, with both teams well matched physically and ability wise. The end result of a 2-2 draw was fair to both teams. Stand out players for this season were Alex White, Luke Perry and Casey Brown who were ably assisted by Zak Pritchard, Kyle Head and Kyle Williams. Many thanks to Year 12 students Ben Weaver and Mason Poole for helping out with Year 8 YEAR 7 FOOTBALL Year 7 were very keen to be involved in representing their Academy at football. They showed up to training sessions no matter what the weather in large numbers, all keen to have a kick about. Although they lost every game, they played every game with spirit and enthusiasm. With regular training they can only get stronger next year. Stand out players for this season were Rhys Higton and Joe Shutt who were ably assisted by Matthew Bullock and Kian Mugliston.

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GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMME

As part of our Gifted and Talented programme, five students from our

development squad attended a session at WISE campus, Filton College. The

session comprised of fun and challenging table tennis and fitness sessions. There

was also a strength and conditioning element to the day which will be repeated on the squad’s next visit to WISE on 24th

April to see if there has been any development and progression of the individual. The session was run by

professional coaches based at WISE which inspired our students and gave an

insight into sport at an elite level.

Students Involved: Milan Cacacie, Cian White, Telilah Wears, Jasmine Upton and Joe Shutt.

GB SELECTION FOR GYMNASTS Congratulations to Jake Underdown, Shanie Redd-Thorne and Danielle Jones who have all been selected to represent Great Britain at the Acro-gymnastic world championships in Orlando in April. All three represent King Edmund Gym club and have competed in three British trials to get to this stage.

MILAN CACACIE- MOVE IT DANCE FESTIVAL – 2012 Milan Cacacie in Year 7 attended the Move It Festival in London for 3 days from 9th -11th March. She took part in workshops with Alleviate, who were runners up in ‘Got to Dance’ last year and also worked with Matt Flint. The workshops focussed on jazz, contemporary and hiphop styles of dance. Milan also met Akai, the winner of ‘Got to Dance’ 2010 and Chris and Wes, winners in 2011. After being inspired by these great acts Milan entered the Maoam freestyle dance competition on the Sunday. She made it through to the final and came out as the overall winner. After winning she was presented with an iPod Nano, £25 iTunes voucher and the chance to open Bobby Dazzlers show in her Majesty’s Theatre London on June 9th. Well done Milan – a fantastic achievement! GIRLS’ NETBALL

Sport on the girls’ side has been a little quieter this term with netball being the main focus. The under-16 netball league has just finished and our girls managed to finish in joint second place on points and third once goal difference was taken into account. After winning our first 3 games against Bradley Stoke, Winterbourne and Chipping Sodbury we were hoping for great things but with very strong competition, rearranged games and clashes with other afterschool activities the games became very difficult and we lost our last 2 games. However, nothing should take away from the fact that the girls have done extremely well with a Year 10 team playing against Year 11 teams, new players coming into the team and no

training. Well done girls, let’s go for top of the league next year!

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Yate International Academy hosted a Year 7 netball tournament as part of Sport Relief week on Wednesday 21st March 2012. Ten teams involved were from across south Gloucestershire, playing in a round robin format in 2 pools. Each team played in a final against the team that finished in the same position as them in the other pool allowing everybody to play in 5 mini games. Yate International Academy entered two teams. Other Sport Relief activities include a quiz going to each mentor group, a staff vs. sixth formers netball match and a complete the Sport Relief mile challenge for those students who had PE or dance on Friday 23rd March. There were voluntary collections made throughout the week and all money raised will go to Sport Relief. SUMMER EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - After Easter our programme of summer extra-curricular activities will begin so keep an eye out for athletics and rounders club! NATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WEEK : 9th to 18th MARCH 2012

WHO DUNNIT!! - Primary Forensic Festival On Monday 12th March, 130 Year 5 pupils visited the Science Centre to help solve a murder mystery! They had a morning to work in small groups and use their scientific skills to determine the suspect guilty of murdering a fictional character. Mr Parris helped them identify who had left a muddy footprint at the

scene, while Mr Bolster introduced them to chromatography to identify the ink that was spilt near the body. The pupils also worked with Mrs Hughes and Miss Orford to figure out the type of salt that had been left behind, while Mrs Watson helped them look for whorls, loops and arches in the culprit's fingerprints. The primary school pupils were aided by several Year 8 students, all of whom worked really hard throughout the sessions. By the end of the morning, several groups had found enough forensic evidence to arrest the cook, Ms Delia Smythe! Everyone involved had an exciting morning and enjoyed seeing how science can be applied to a real life situation. NSEW QUIZ

To celebrate NSEW, the Science Faculty held a quiz for all mentor groups. The theme for the week was ‘Our World in Motion’ and all questions were based on this topic. The mentor groups were encouraged to work as a team and the results were high!

In equal 1st position with 88% were: X7PB, P89JF, L89MG, P1011SB – each mentee received 5 Guild Points each!

In equal 2nd position with 84% were: X89AST, L1011HG, X1011STR, L7KW, G1011SL, X1011MJ, G1011SJ, L1011CJ – each mentee received 3 Guild Points each!

In equal 3rd position with 80% were: L1011SCO, P89LR, G89AO, P7JM, G89KL – each mentee received 1 Guild Point each!

In equal 4th position with 76% were: P1011NB, G1011AS, X89ET, G1011AM, P89RHE In equal 5th position with 74% were: G7AH, G89GB

In 6th position with 60% were X89KK All 4 winning mentor groups were put into a hat to decide the winners of the chocolates, and P89JF were

the lucky recipients of those. Well done to all who took part!

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BIG BANG FAIR – NEC, BIRMINGHAM

On Friday 18th March 2012, to mark the end of NSEW, 45 Year 9 students went to the National Exhibitions Centre in Birmingham for a fun-filled day of Science excitement!

There was so much to see and do; we didn’t know where to start! We met Kelly Sotherton (Olympic Heptathlete), who showed us about drugs testing in sports, we raced to build a model JCB the quickest (we were still the leaders by the time we left!). We watched liquid nitrogen freezing daffodils and we also made ice cream without a freezer - and that’s to name just a few! We were all so tired out by the end of the day with all the excitement; the coach ride home was very quiet!

MOTHER’S DAY – BATH BOMBS At lunchtime on Thursday 17th March 2012, twenty Year 7 students made bath bombs for their Mums!

It’s really easy; all you need is citric acid, bicarbonate of soda, some vegetable oil, scented oil and food colouring. We had all sorts of pretty smells, colours and shapes of bath bomb creations! The bath bombs had to be left overnight for them to dry out, and a big thank you goes to Mrs Poole for helping the students wrap them beautifully the next day. To celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, we will be making soft-centred chocolates by

using a special enzyme. The first 20 students to tell me what an enzyme is and/or does will bag themselves 2 Guild Points – or Prom Points for Year 11 students! I don’t know about you, but we are already looking forward to NSEW next year! STUDENTS GO GREEN FOR CLIMATE WEEK Climate Week is a supercharged national campaign to inspire a new wave of action on climate change. It concludes with thousands of events and activities taking place throughout the week of 12th March 2012, planned by organisations from every part of society. On Monday 18th March, Students from both Yate and Winterbourne International Academies had 5 hours to work on the challenge which was announced at 9am as part of a series of events for Climate Week. This year’s challenge was Green Your Space. Students were asked to develop an idea to change a place they know to make it better for the environment.

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The winning team across the Federation, as judged by Mr Gilbert, was Holly Staines, Lucy Smith, Chloe Zapata, Aimee Lett and Sophie Baker. The team thought that the new Cabot Circus Development in Bristol needed the ‘Green’ touch. As a result they developed a series of features which took advantage of the huge number of visitors each day. They designed moveable paving stones which created friction as shoppers walked around. This could be turned in to energy to power the lights in the shop windows. They also invented ‘Energy Boxes’ which could be attached to the bikes of people who cycle around the area. The energy

created by the cyclist could be used to power the heating during the winter months. They also introduced clothes banks where shoppers could off load their old clothing before re-stocking their wardrobes with new ones. Their design has now been entered in to the national competition against the 1800 other schools who took part this year. Winners will be announced online before the end of the month.

The second place team at Yate International Academy aimed to improve a space they use outside of Academy to make it more ‘Green’. This included building a pond to attract wildlife, solar panels to harness the sun’s energy and an allotment to provide food for the local people. Other teams developed areas in both schools which could be used to harness ‘student power’. These involved exercise bikes to create electricity and allotment areas which could be used to grow food for the canteen.

The event was a huge success and students are looking forward to taking part in next year’s challenge. WOODLANDS PUPILS PLAY FAIR TRADE

On 7th March 2012, thirty Year 5 pupils from the Woodlands Primary Phase attended a Fair Trade event held in the Secondary Phase as part of national Fair Trade Fortnight. During the day pupils learned about the importance of buying Fair Trade products and

how they can help children the same age as the just by changing their choice of chocolate. They carried out a tasting session, designed a new Fair Trade Chocolate bar using all of the products available in the shops and created an advertising campaign to encourage people to buy their new ‘delicious’ chocolate bar. After some fantastic and imaginative TV adverts, the winning team was chosen by Mr Luxton, Head of Year 7. The team developed the ‘Strawberry Bang’ chocolate bar which ‘melts in your mouth and helps the farmers around the world’. The day was a success and we look forward to working with the Woodlands Primary Phase pupils again in the near future. WORLD MATHS DAY - 7TH MARCH 2012 Earlier this month students took part in World Maths Day organised by UNICEF to raise awareness of children around the world who do not have the chance to be educated. Students took part in mental maths activities both against the clock and each other. The opponents were chosen at random from around the world which meant that they played against other students from over 30 other countries.

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The class winners are shown below and should find Mr Cornick for their prize:

Class Name 7y1 Shannon McCLURG 7y2 Rhys HIGTON 7y3 Alice SNOOK 7x1 Connor NEWTON 7x2 Ben EDWARDS 7x3 Lewis SMITH 9x1 Amber SHARPE 9x2 Bade PIRINC 9x3 Jordan CROWTHER-RUSSELL 9x4 Thea SEAMAN 9x5 Deanna PRENDERGAST

PHOTOS FROM EPRA GOT TALENT

Engaging Parents in Raising Achievement

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TANZANIAN VISIT On the 14th and 15th March 2012, we had two Tanzanian guests, Simon and Hurmua come to visit the students of Yate International Academy. They visited lessons and interacted with our students to see how schools developed differently here to those in Tanzania.

Simon is teacher who looks after under-privileged girls who have not been in education. He wanted to look at what Yate International Academy had to offer to girls of Yate who can later go into some sort of trade/apprenticeship. Simon, really enjoyed seeing the hair salon and beauty room, and we have also discussed the possibility of setting up a trip or lessons by Skype in which the teacher and students of Yate International Academy can introduce new

skills to the girls of Tanzania. Hurmua is a youth worker who again works with under-privileged children, getting them to learn different activities from outside of school, such as arts and crafts, sports and trade. It was a really successful two days; the students of Yate International Academy were outstandingly welcome to our guests, showing real interest in the country of Tanzania and hopefully after the success of the visits we can continue to make the links between our countries. Any students, who would like to get involved after Easter with Pen Pal letters or Arts and Crafts, please see Miss Bulpin. A huge thank you to everyone for your support!

• February 14th – Valentine’s Day

• 23rd April 2012 – International Book Day

• 18th May 2012 – International Primary Link

• 26th June 2012 – Olympic Sports Day

INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR 2011 - 2012

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News from The Guilds

Lion Guild

This year really seems to be going quickly. It seems only a short while ago that we were celebrating Christmas and now here we are almost in April. Attendance has always been incredibly important to the Academy. As such it is pleasing to note that there are many students still exceeding the attendance target of 95%. The Lion Guild 100% students are Aaron Charles, Andrew Jenkins and Kurtis Luke of Year 11. Others are Nathan Allinson, Leigh Blackbourn, Georgia Dewar, Thomas Dewar, James Heron, Shay Isaacs, Elle Lewis-Evans, Bethany Nolder, Corey Paul (who came in even after he had broken his leg!), Bade Pirinc, Millie Theobald, Ethan Veale and Chloe Whiffen. Congratulations to these young Lions. The Guild, at the moment, is still top of the Guild point championship. Top scorers in each mentor group are Ellie Buet, Alex White, Genna Bradbury, Nathan Reed, Blaine Skuse, Curtis Slocombe, Sam Wilmot and Leigh Blackbourn. We hope that everyone in the Guild continues to work hard and impress their teachers. Finally, news about one of our Year 11 students, Luke Hedger. Luke has always been a good motorcycle rider, but matters have improved so much that he is now favourite to win the British 125GP Motorcycling Championship title this year. Our best wishes go out to Luke.

Mr A Lord – Head of Lion Guild

Griffin Guild

At the time of going to press Griffin Guild lie second in the Guild Point League Table, tantalisingly just out of reach of the elusive Lion. As things stand, we are only one hundred or so points behind Lion. Surely, with a concerted effort, top spot is manageable before the end of term. Well done to Year 7 Griffins who are currently in second place overall in the mentor group league table, especially Cortney Pearce (with 190 Guild points) and Lauren Moseley and Tyler Groves (both with 169). Big shout outs also to all Griffin Year 8 and 9 mentor groups who have done their bit to put us in second place: KL – in eighth position (thanks to Chloe Zapata (164 points) and Deanna Prendergast (184 points)), AO in twelfth (well done Joe Wood (163 points), James Johnson (142) and Megan Minett-Smith (143) and GB in eighteenth (big pats on the back for Amy Johnson (168 points) and Callum Hunter (105)). A special mention to Miss Strachan’s mentor group who have come from nowhere in to seventeenth position! Well done to Maisse Theobald (158 points) and Ellie Wood (149). At the moment the Heads of Guild are arranging the annual Paintball Guild Play-Off for the summer term. This will involve the 25 highest Guild point scorers from each Guild (they must also have not incurred a detention between the time of the trip letters going out and the date of the trip) who will be invited to battle it out at a secret location near Thornbury for the title of Paintball Champions of Yate International Academy! Details of who, when and where will follow. Last year we had a fantastic time and I am looking forward to getting revenge on Kyle Sheppard in particular who shot me in some painful places!

Mr S Ponsford – Head of Griffin Guild

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Pegasus Guild

Term 4 of the academic year continues very positively for students in Pegasus. The Guild members have reached 12,000 points, a fantastic achievement however Lion and Griffin have edged ahead this term they are still within reach but some extra efforts are required if Pegasus students are going to finish this year as strongly as they started, occupying the one of the top two positions. I am still very pleased with the Pegasus attendance which continues to be a strong aspect of the Guild, with 75% of students still exceeding the National target set for attendance. This is excellent because if you are absent you are missing out on your learning opportunities! Whole Guild attendance is 94% which demonstrates a persistent commitment to their learning, well done and keep it up. The students’ skill challenges are still being set in Guild assemblies, with students being challenged this term to be ‘Principled’ and ‘Responsible’ learners. Students have added these challenges to last terms ‘Reflective’ skills and as we move into the later stages of this academic year I hope to see these skills being put into practice in and around the Academy. 50 students will take to the ice at Bristol Ice Rink, on Thursday 29th March 2012. I look forward to this trip. If you would like more details of the venue please follow this link http://jnlbristol.co.uk. I hope to see many Year 11 students attend the revision sessions during the Easter break and would urge them to make the best use of the extended teaching and learning opportunities which the academy is providing. May I wish you a happy Easter and a relaxing break, in readiness for Term 5 and the start of the exam season.

Mr S Matthews – Head of Pegasus Guild

Phoenix Guild

The most exciting news this term has been the very good results in GCSE Mathematics for some Year 11 students. Congratulations go, to Rhys James, Liam Whittingham, Michael Regazzoli, Macauley Foley, Jassmin Gibbs and Josh Wiltshire. They achieved their Grade C early! Keep working hard! Many Phoenix students deserve extra praise this term, due to their ex-curricular achievements. Firstly, on Monday 12th March Phoenix students from Year 9 took part in a Cross-Federation Climate Challenge Event with 25 students from WIA. They were Sophie Hussey, Kara Buet, Kieron Rose, Amber Gardner, Amber Sharpe and Christopher Edwards. Well done for being chosen. The following Year 10 students are undertaking work experience at the end of the year. Securing work experience is much more of a challenge now than it used to be so well done those students for recognising a valuable opportunity when it is offered; Ashton Coleman, Jennifer Lovell, Frankie Vaughan, Heidi Clark, and Carissa Tanner. Eloise Robertson, Year 10, who was mentioned in a previous letter for her success in the Rotary Cooking competition, actually won third place in what was by all accounts a close competition of very high standards. Jenny Lovell, Saskia Dracup, Hannah Bradley and Sammy Trotman did the Academy proud recently by fulfilling their role as Sports Ambassadors. Finally, the following conducted a Geography day with Year 6 this month: Sophie Hussey, Kara Buet, Kieron Rose, Amber Gardner, Amber Sharpe, and Christopher Edwards. The following students deserve congratulations for 100% at the time of writing; Liam Bailey, Abbie Banwell, Nicole Beardwell, Kacy Brown, Chloe Failthful, James Fisher, Macaulry Foley, Liam Hammond, Sarah Iles, Laura Johnson, Chloe Lumbard, Reece Pearce, Kellie Peters, Amber Phillips, Amber Sharpe, Frank Warren, James Westacott, and Josh Wiltshire.

Ms D Longley – Head of Phoenix Guild

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VISITING AUTHOR ALEX SCARROW (THOSE WHO READ SUCCEED!)

On Thursday 15th March Year 7 and Year 8 had the fantastic opportunity of a presentation by Award-winning author, Alex Scarrow (Time-Riders books). The students were fascinated by his life story (including rock guitarist and computer game designer) and enthralled by a particularly gripping passage from one of his books. They also queued up to get books signed at the end – very motivational. Alex says if you live in a world without reading books

it is like living in a room with no doors or windows – no place to explore or escape! Check his website www.scarrow.co.uk. CONCORDE BOOK AWARD We have just completed reading 6 highly recommended books with our reading group and, along with 10 other schools and 2 public libraries, have chosen The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins as our overall winner. The titles were - Missing, Believed Crazy …The 13 Treasures … Scorpia Rising …Trash … Numbers:Time to Run … The Hunger Games. See LRC for details. Joe Heron, Christian Howlett, Deanna Prendergast, Emily Boskett, Chloe Simpson and James Westacott and LRC staff all attended the award ceremony at Brimsham Green School on Monday 12th March with author Alex Scarrow (Time-Riders series). This was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and watch presentations from the different schools on the books. COMMUNITY NEWS Yate Library

Deanna Prendergast, Christian Howlett , Thomas Keenan, Joe and James Heron, Emily Boskett, Chloe Simpson and James Westacott came along to our 5th March meeting after school at Yate Library to put together a plan with author/poet Sara-Jane Arbury for a Murder/Mystery event to be held in the summer at Yate Library. This will involve writing the drama, acting and producing. They were rewarded with Mrs Fiddes’ cake (!?) and Guild points and they have been praised by Sara-Jane for their ideas and enthusiasm. They are a credit to us!

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Please be aware that there is homework help in our LRC at break, lunch and after school until 4.15 and also homework help at Yate Library with free photocopies, online resources, laminating and pens, pencils and paper at the following times:

CALENDAR – Term Dates 2011/2012

TERM 5

Monday 16 April TERM 5 BEGINS

Monday 7 May BANK HOLIDAY – ACADEMY CLOSED

Friday 1 June TERM 5 ENDS

TERM 6

Monday 11 June TERM 6 BEGINS

Friday 29 June INSET DAY – ACADEMY CLOSED TO STUDENTS

Friday 13 July TERM 6 ENDS FOR STUDENTS

Thursday 19 July INSET DAY FOR STAFF

LOST PROPERTY We have a very large amount of items in lost property which is still unclaimed. If it is not clearly labelled or is not claimed by the end of term, it will be taken to a charity shop, as we cannot store it all.

Sun 11.00 am– 3.00pm Mon 9.30 am – 7.00pm Tue 9.30 am – 7.00pm Wed Closed Thur 9.30 am – 7.00pm Fri 9.30 am – 7.00pm Sat 9.30 am – 7.00pm

ATTENDANCE HOTLINE This is the number to phone if, for ANY reason, your child will be absent from the Academy. Absence should be reported on this number everyday

your child is absent:-

01454 862668 Vomiting/diarrhoea – students should be off 24hrs from last symptom)

Jane Whiting —Attendance Clerk

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THE HAIRDRESSING SALON IS NOW RUNNING CLIENT

SESSIONS EACH TUESDAY, DURING TERM TIME, BETWEEN 5PM – 8PM. ALL OUR SERVICES ARE

CARRIED OUT BY LEVEL 2 HAIRDRESSING STUDENTS, WITH THE SUPERVISION OF THEIR

TUTOR.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BOOK FOR AN APPOINTMENT PLEASE TELEPHONE:

01454 862624

Mirror Image Hairdressing Price List

Cutting and styling Cut and set/blow dry/finish from £6.25 Set/blow dry/finish inclusive from £4.00 Deep conditioning treatment (Inc finish) from £8.75 Cut (with another service) from £3.00 Men’s hairdressing Shampoo, cut and style from £3.25 Senior citizens cut and style from £3.00 Beard trim from £2.00

Colouring (hair cuts not included within colour prices) Permanent – colour full head short hair from £18.00 Permanent – colour full head long hair from £23.00 Permanent – colour regrowth less than ½ from £12.00 Colour sync full head short hair from £10.20 Colour sync full head long hair from £15.00 Hi/lowlights full head short hair from £18.00 Hi/lowlights full head long hair from £24.00 T – Section half – head hi/lowlights from £15.00 Colour graphics high lights short hair from £24.00 Colour graphics high lights long hair from £30.00 Bleach full head Price on request Bleach regrowth and toner from £20.00 Bleach regrowth from £ 17.00 COLOURS INCLUDE CONDITIONER Perming Permanent waving from £19.00 - £26.00

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