Mr Pettitt Accepts Certifi cate Of Excellence From Realsmart

Bishop Of York’s Young Leaders Award pictured with Cheque

Winners Of The Spelling Challenge - 8K (2013-14)

Mr Pettitt Accepts Certifi cate Of Excellence From Realsmart

Bishop Of York’s Young Leaders Award pictured with Cheque

Winners Of The Spelling Challenge - 8K (2013-14)

Newsletter Issue 50Autumn 2014

“A good school with OUTSTANDING features.” Ofsted 2010

Great news for Kingsmeadow as academic results rise again for our Year 11 and Sixth Form students

We are delighted to report that we celebrated excellent summer GCSE and A Level results, as a year of hard work and dedication finally paid off. Students who achieved A*-C grade in both English and Maths was up 13% on 2013, making these our best ever GCSE results in both subjects! Our A2 students achieved a 100% pass rate, with 54% of them achieving an A*-B grade. Our AS students achieved a 96% pass rate, with 47% of them achieving an A*-B grade. Many of our Y11 students chose to stay on at Kingsmeadow Sixth Form, where they are given the opportunity to study a wide range of courses in our state-of-the-art facilities. All of our successful Y13 students have gained their first choice at either university, college, apprenticeship or employment. This was truly a first class achievement that we are all very proud of. On December 16th we will once more be hosting our coveted annual awards evening, which in light of our recent results will be our most successful yet! However, we will not be sitting back and celebrating for long as we will continue to strive to improve the quality of teaching and student progress for all. We also want to make sure our parents and carers become more involved in the progress of their children. This year all our parents and carers will receive a weekly progress report detailing information about their child’s attitude to learning in lessons. They will also receive a half termly academic progress report. We would certainly welcome parents’ comments about this and will deal directly with any concerns they may have. It is an exciting time to be at Kingsmeadow, as we have implemented a number of exciting curriculum developments. In Year 7 and 8 we have included Project Based Learning in the curriculum, where students will have the opportunity to improve their skills for learning by engaging in a number of authentic community projects. Over the summer break a project based learning environment was created for our students to immerse themselves in a different style of learning. Parents will have the opportunity to see the outcome of their work in an exhibition day on Saturday 6th December. Students in years 9-12 are also studying new courses in computer science and engineering this year. I am delighted that the parents of our new year 7 chose to sign up to the new Chromebook scheme. This means that Y7 students have one-to-one and unlimited access to online learning resources throughout the school day. This scheme is something we will watch and evaluate very carefully with its regard to impact on student progress, as we hope to roll it out to future year groups joining the school. We have also invested heavily over the

summer break on new computer hardware across the school, as we believe access to information technology is critical in developing the skills of our students for the future employment. The new school year also brought the introduction of our newly revised school uniform and PE kit. Our students look extremely smart and are very much the envy of lots of other schools in Gateshead. I would like to thank parents and carers for supporting us with this change, which we think plays an important part in our relentless focus on raising standards. At the end of term we said goodbye to Mr I Farthing, Mrs Sergison and Mr Self after many years of service to the school. We also said goodbye to Mr Connorton, Mr O’Hara, Mr Stubley and Miss Hawkins who are all moving on to new and exciting challenges. We wish them all well! This term we have seen a number of staffing changes as we welcomed Mr J Farthing in Maths, Miss A Shaw and Mrs Ellis in Technology, Mr Bolam in Physical Education, Miss Coupe in Music and Mr Dixon in Geography. I am confident that they will make a huge impact in the school and help us continue to develop and further improve student achievement. Finally if you would like to know more about life here at Kingsmeadow and are interested in the quality of education we have to offer, I would be pleased to hear from you. You may have missed or not been able to make our recent Open Evening or you would simply like to see the school while it is in session.I often arrange tours of the school during the day for parents to help them choose the right education for their children. You can arrange a visit by contacting my PA, Mrs Rodaway on 0191 4606004 or by emailing arodaway@kingsmeadow.org.uk. You might also wish to visit our school website www.kingsmeadow.org.uk where we have just posted a short film about life at Kingsmeadow. I am confident you will be impressed with what you find.

Doug PettittDoug PettittHeadteacher

Enjoy and Achieve

Spelling’s Magic The spelling challenge this year became a hot competition with tutor groups vying against each other on a weekly basis for the coveted spelling trophy and the accolade of being best spelling form group. Competition reached a fever pitch when Mr Pettitt announced that there would be a new, large trophy on offer with class average point scores soaring to new heights despite there being ten - not five - spellings to learn each week after Christmas.

It was close for the best spelling form over the whole year, but again Mr Gray’s well-oiled spelling machine, otherwise known as 8K, managed to see off all competition.

Well done 8K.

Next year spelling will be a form competition and an integral part of the house competition system - so brush up on your etymology, revise your derivations, acknowledge your cognates and... love your language!

JK Who?Budding authors Hannah Hood and Laura Armstrong have been treated to a number of masterclasses by author of nineteen novels, David Waine.

Having been treated to a look at some of the girls’ classwork, our ‘author in residence’ was flabbergasted by the talent on display. “If I could have written like these girls at my age, said Waine, 64, from Jesmond, “I would have been a millionaire by now! They have a mature style and a love for language that I see in some of my favourite writers. If they continue developing their skills, the Harry Potter Saga will be just a footnote in literary history.”

Hannah and Laura jumped at the chance to be working with a real-life author. “We got great hints and tips about our writing and also about how to make it as a writer.” said Hannah, 13, from Dunston. “I think we have benefitted greatly from being able to work with a professional.”

So, who will be first to win the Man Booker prize?

Ladies, stand by your laptops…

David Waine appears courtesy of Amazon Books

Young Writer’s competitionInspired by the power of language and the opportunities writing has to excite the soul, Laura Armstrong decided to enter the Young Writer’s competition without any prompting from her English teachers.

Laura entered the competition which asked entrants to write about their “Ultimate Idol”, deciding to write about her mum.

“I didn’t think I would even get close to being considered,” remarked Laura, 13, from Dunston, “but I guess luck was on my side as I received a letter a few weeks later telling me I had been chosen to be included in the “My Idol” anthology. It was amazing being told your work is going to be published and I’m glad I wrote the poem about someone who inspires me every day.”

Well done Laura. One day I’m sure someone will be writing about you!

Book Club“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” Haruki Murakami

Members of Kingsmeadow Book Club have been meeting on Monday afternoons in the English department this year to discuss a range of novels including ‘Divergent’, ‘Gone’, ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘The War of the Worlds’. Students have participated in animated debates about the content of each book and have defended their favourites passionately. From September, we intend to continue to explore a wide range of literary genres and associated media texts, like the recent ‘Divergent’ film, and there have even been requests to read the seasonal classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’, as we approach the festive season. Ho ho.

Accelerated Reader MillionairesCongratulations to all of our students who enjoyed snacks and drinks at our Accelerated Reader Millionaires Celebration at the end of the summer term.

Students from years 7, 8 and 9 were rewarded for their effort and determination over the year and every student in attendance had managed to read over 1 million words over the academic year! This is a huge achievement and each student should be very proud of their progress.

Our Accelerated Reader Millionaires are:

1. Hollie Smith

2. Kelsey Malin

3. Katie Pharaoh

4. Dylan Dixon

5. Angel Bautista

6. Chloe Thompson

7. Charlotte Wales

8. Adrianna McGuire

9. Hannah Hood

10. Laura Armstrong

11. Megan Atkinson

12. Alexander Cochrane

13. Leon Kay

14. Courtney Burn

Numeracy ChallengeA numeracy challenge was introduced as part of our tutorial program during the summer term. Students were given just three minutes to answer as many questions on the multiplication tables as they could, out of 50.

Each week scores were collated and the winning tutor group was presented with a trophy.

Look out for next term’s numeracy challenge which will focus on number and decimals.

Enrichment for Gifted MathematiciansTwenty-six of our students entered the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Junior Challenge on the 1st May 2014. Congratulations to Adam Dobson who did exceptionally well and was awarded silver certificate and best in school, also well done to Lauren Gardiner, Damon Tweedy-Gray and Blessings Svotwa who were awarded Bronze certificate for their achievement.

Year 9 GCSE TextilesIn May, our year 9 GCSE Textiles Technology class enjoyed a visit to one of the events held at Eldon Garden, as part of Newcastle Fashion Week. It gave the students the experience of a live fashion Catwalk Show. The fashion show featured items from local fashion retailers along with work designed and manufactured by Newcastle University Fashion Students, allowing the year 9 students to see fashion items produced at Degree level. The experience allowed students to see how they could take their studies further into the world of Fashion Design in the future.

Visit to Jesus College, Cambridge

Chloe Kirkbride, Abigail Thompson and Lauren Gill, all year 10 attended a valuable residential visit to Jesus College, Cambridge in June. The visit, which was organised by the local authority, brought together students from a number of local secondary schools.

The students attended lectures and seminars, completed workshops in engineering, science and theology and toured the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, experiencing first-hand what student life is like at one of the country’s top universities.

This was a great learning opportunity for the students allowing them to consider how to apply for university and what opportunities university can provide both academically and socially.

Little Dresses for AfricaGCSE Textiles Technology Students in Kingsmeadow have been working hard this term making “Little Dresses for Africa”. The 9 students turned old and new pillow cases into pretty dresses which will be sent away to Africa to help children who are lesson fortunate. The dresses are each individually made to suit a particular age range as part of the “Little Dress for Africa” Appeal. A non profit organised Charity run around the world. Examples of the dresses the students made can be seen in the picture along with examples of finished products with the children. Well done to those year 9 students for a simple task which will change a child’s life.

London VisitThis September the humanities team will be taking 44 students from years 9 to 11 on a residential visit to London. The main focus of the visit will be geography and history based, with students extending their learning outside of the classroom. Students will visit a range of venues including a sustainable community to investigate how such living can reduce our carbon emissions, The Thames Barrier to demonstrate the capitals’ ability to protect itself during floods and the Science Museum where the students will be able to experience an earthquake as well as studying other hazards our planet faces.

History will be brought to life for students as they will get to experience the history of law and order in a journey through the London Dungeons. In addition, to enhance their knowledge and understanding of medicine through time, students will visit St Thomas’ Hospital where they will witness how operations were carried out prior to anaesthetics! We look forward to an enjoyable and beneficial visit.

Gifted and Talented Celebration EventWe hosted five Gifted and Talented projects throughout the academic year where three students from each of our link primary schools were invited to participate. The students took part in projects in the following subject areas; Business and Enterprise, Technology, Drama, Science and English

The students and their parents/carers attended a Celebration and Awards Evening which was held on Wednesday 25th June at Kingsmeadow School. The students’ work was showcased throughout the evening and two students from each project were awarded special prizes. Each student who participated received a certificate, a t-shirt and a goody bag.

A good evening was had by all.

Prom 2014Our annual Prom was held on Thursday 26th June at the Marriott Hotel, Gateshead. It was a fantastic evening enjoyed by both students and staff.

The year 11 students arrived in style, including one student arriving on the back of a Harley Davidson.

It was a wonderful evening with plenty of lovely memories for students to look back on in years to come. You can see more photos on the back page.

Project Based LearningWe are very excited to be introducing project based learning to the curriculum this academic year. The key features of PBL are that it is Rigorous, Engaging and Authentic Learning. Students will be immersed in projects throughout the year that will develop both their academic skills and their habits for learning and work. They will be introduced to the concept of developing high quality work through a thorough and rigorous process of critique and re-drafting. PBL will also develop the skills that the students will need in the world of work and further education such as collaboration, communication and problem solving. The projects culminate in a final exhibition to showcase learning to staff, parents, experts and the wider community.

Our first project was launched in school to students on 4th September and to our year 7 parents on the evening of the 4th of September.

If you would like to know more about PBL please contact Mrs Langley.

Yr 9 students enjoyed a fun-filled, fantastic visit to Bede’s World where they explored the life of the Anglo-Saxon warrior - and one in particular - Beowulf.

After trying on armour (chain mail and helmet) as well as undergoing shield and weapons training, the group donned warrior attire and retired to Firlings, an authentic mead-hall, to rest around a blazing fire, telling tales of derring-do and exploits of old.

Bede’s World

There, with Callum Sargeant playing Grendel, Jordan Baines as Beowulf, Jack Walker lording it over us as King Hrothgar and a cameo by Renee McGowan as Grendel’s evil mother, the gory tale of Beowulf was re-enacted for everyone’s pleasure.

Thanks to Bede’s World staff for looking after us and to Mrs McGinty for her support.

Hwaet, Athelingas!

Staying Healthy

PE updateKINGSMEDOW CLUSTER QUADKIDS COMPETITIONQuadkids is an athletics event which includes a 50m sprint, 400m run, howler throw and a standing long jump. Kingsmeadow hosted our cluster primary competition on Friday 13th June, 2014 for year 3 and 4 students. Over all the competition was won by Dunston Hill who went through to the finals to represent the cluster.

QUADKIDS FINALS

YR 2 TRI-GOLF FESTIVAL: 11th June 2014 Kingsmeadow SchoolKingsmeadow hosted the year 2 Tri-Golf festival. There were a total of 13 schools in attendance and a total of 250 year 2 students. We provided 35 young leaders from our year 9 and 10 PE classes who were responsible for the smooth running of the event. Leaders involved commented on the afternoon saying that ‘It really contributed towards developing students confidence’ and some stated that ‘After taking part some students want to become teachers’.

TYNE AND WEAR GIRLS CYCLING COMPETITION: Thursday 12th JuneOn Thursday 12th June the PE Department organised and hosted the Tyne and Wear Secondary School Girls Cycling Event. Students from Lord Lawson, St Anthony’s, Park View, Biddick, Whickham and Kingsmeadow competed. We are able to run this event because we have access to such fantastic facilities and surroundings which are suitable for cycling. Equipment includes 20 Mountain bikes and 10 BMX bikes.

GATESHEAD SCHOOLS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Wednesday 14th MayStudents from years 8, 9 and 10 competed in the Gateshead Schools Athletics Championships at Gateshead Stadium. All students demonstrated great determination and effort in both track and field events with some outstanding performances:

• Shauna Lane year 8 competed in the 100m against year 9 students, she gave a great performance finishing 3rd and qualifying to represent Gateshead at the County Championships.

• Rebecca Brannan year 9 jumped her way to 3rd place in the High Jump clearing a personal best of 1.38m.

• Megan McCluskey year 8 finished 4th in the Hurdles, racing against year 9 students.

• The Junior girls relay team did our school proud finishing 3rd.

Well done to all!!

L4L YEAR 9 INTRA FORM ROWING COMPETITION: Friday 20th JuneYear 9 students participated in an intra form class rowing challenge as part of their Learning for Life Programme. All students girls and boys took part in a 2 minute intensive row on the ergo meter machines attempting to row as far as they could in the given time. Results were recorded for each race and their progress throughout their races was evident on the big screen which showed the position of their boat. This enabled the spectators to see who was leading the races which created a great atmosphere with students cheering and encouraging their form members.

INDOOR ROWING STAFF CHAMPIONSHIPS: Kingsmeadow WinnerGateshead School Sport Partnership organised a Gateshead Staff Rowing League. The aim of the league was to find the Gateshead Staff Rowing Champion for 2014 (male and female category). This involved staff participating in a one minute sprint and trying to go as far as they could.

Kingsmeadow staff demonstrated some great performances with all of the participating Kingsmeadow ladies finishing in the top 5. Miss Waugh gave an outstanding performance finishing 1st rowing a fantastic 295m in 1 minute.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Netball

Rugby Union

Examination PE Catch Up

Fitness / Weight Training

Active Tuesdays

Netball

Football

Gymnastics

Fitness / Weight Training

Fitness / Weight Training

Basketball

Football

Netball

Fitness / Weight Training

GCSE PE and A Level Practical Catch Up

3.00pm - 4.00pm

3.00pm - 4.15pm

2.45pm - 4.00pm

8.00am - 8.30am

1.45pm - 2.45pm

8.00am - 8.30am

3.00pm - 4.15pm

3.00pm - 4.15pm

3.00pm - 4.00pm

8.00am - 8.30am

8.00am - 8.30am

3.00pm - 4.15pm

3.00pm - 4.00pm

8.00am - 8.30am

3.00pm - 4.00pm

Y7 and Y8

Y7 and Y8

Y9-Y13

All Years

All Years

Y7 and Y8

Y7 and Y8

Y8-Y11

All Years

All Years

All Years

Y9, Y10,Y11

Y8, 9,10,11

All Years

Y9-Y13

Sports Hall

Rugby Pitch / Astro

PE Classroom

Fitness Suite

Various

Sports Hall

Field / Astro

Sports Hall

Fitness Suite

Fitness Suite

Sports Hall

Field / Astro

Sports Hall

Fitness Suite

Sports Hall

Mrs Jennings

Mr Dunlop / Mr BolamMrs Skirrey / Mr Hood / Miss WaughMr Bolam / Miss Waugh

External Coaches, Associate

Staff and Sixth Form Students

Mrs Skirrey

Mr Hood

Miss Pattison

Miss Waugh

Mrs Skirrey

Mr Bolam

Mr Bolam / Mr Pettitt

Miss Waugh / Mrs Skirrey

Mr Hood / Mrs JenningsMrs Skirrey

Activity Time Year Group Venue Staff

*All activities will also be supported by our Sports Leaders

PE Extra Curricular Programme

KINGSMEADOW GAMESThis summer saw the commencement of our fi rst annual Kingsmeadow Games, which took place on Friday 11th July 2014.

The games were a chance for all staff and students to compete in various events to win points for their House. There were four houses competing: Angel, Baltic, Sage and Tyne. Students and staff took part in a whole range of activities, including rowing, cycling, athletics and even an “old-school” style sports day, with everyone taking part showing real eff ort and determination to do their house proud.

One student from each year won an award for ‘Outstanding Attitude’ in each house. A full list of these winners along with their photo from the awards ceremony can be seen on the website. A selection of photos from the Games can be seen on the inside cover. A video of the games and many more photos are also available on the website.

Winner of The Kingsmeadow Games Pinnacle Cup… BALTIC HOUSE

KINGSMEADOW GAMES AWARD CEREMONYOn Tuesday 15th July, Kingsmeadow came together to celebrate their achievements during the Kingsmeadow Games.Staff and students from the whole school were joined by our Chair of Governors, Sarah Diggle and the whole event was ably compared by our very own Mr Wightman!

A huge thank you to our sponsors who supported the event and each trophy:

Year 7 Beehive Club (Jan Quinn)Year 8 Dunston Hill Primary School (Bill Foreman)Year 9 Cofely (David Wilkie)Year 10 SCS (Neil Greenwell)

The overall winning cup was sponsored by Pinnacle Schools and Jacquelyn Irving from Gateshead Council presented the cup on behalf of Ron Abrahams.

Making a positive contributionGovernor NewsThe start of a new school year is always an exciting time and this year it is particularly exciting at Kingsmeadow. Exam results this summer were the

best ever and the governors send their congratulations to all the students involved. Results should be even better next year as new developments take eff ect. The new Chromebook initiative is one of the most exciting things going on at the moment. It will transform teaching and learning and will make the School one of the most modern in the country in its approach to study. Alongside this, the new project-based learning will give students essential skills, increasing their successes at school and equipping them for adult life.

The School continues to off er a broad curriculum and very good pastoral care to meet the needs of all students, whatever their abilities and aptitudes. The governors will continue to ensure that inclusion is a priority for the School. We must not forget the sporting successes that the School enjoys - good luck to all individuals and teams taking part this year. There are many activities available in School which bring fun and enjoyment to all students, with an increasingly wide Active Tuesday programme. So we can all look forward to an exciting year ahead. The governors will continue to work closely with the Head Teacher and his team to take the School forward. Sarah DiggleChair of Governors

Would you like to be a governor? We have vacancies for three parent governors. Watch out for details of how to get involved, which will be available soon (see the School website). This is a very important, interesting and rewarding role, so please come forward if you can.

Cloud TechnologyKingsmeadow’s Digital Leaders attended the annual Cramlington Festival of Learning on Friday 27th June 2014. They supported staff from all over the country who were in attendance to listen to a presentation from our Head Teacher, Mr Pettitt.

The presentation was entitled Using Cloud Technology to Build a World Class School and illustrated the digital journey we have taken since last September.

Some year 8 students have recently completed the Bishop of York’s Young Leaders Award. They have worked incredibly hard over the year with the various tasks. Part of the award was classroom based, where the students examined the question “What is faith?” by looking at past and present figures who have demonstrated faith in their community or the world. In the spring term students focussed on hope and how they can make a difference to their school and local community. For the school based project students planted poppy seeds in remembrance of Armistice Day and the 100th anniversary. Once the poppies were established they replanted them within the school grounds in the shape of a cross. Some of the students also took part in an assembly based on Armistice Day and are creating a display within the school.

The Big SingOn the 3rd July, twenty four year 7 and 8 students took part in ‘The Big Sing’ at the Sage, Gateshead. Students worked extremely hard during the six weeks leading up to the event, learning new repertoire, in the newly formed Kingsmeadow Community School Choir. Students have shown fantastic dedication, rehearsing twice a week and continuing their rehearsals independently outside of school time.

As a newly formed choir, students have demonstrated outstanding teamwork

For their community based project students helped raise money for St Oswald’s. They organised a raffle and bake sale within school which raised £301.54. A few students also volunteered to give up two Saturdays to bag pack at B&M on the Team Valley. They worked tirelessly and feedback from the manager and customers was fantastic. They were “a credit to the school” and managed to £1,012.53. In total they have raised £1,410 (which also includes a sponsored silence, car washing and students collection of unwanted clothes by staff, students and parents).

Representatives from St Oswald’s visited school to thank the Young Leaders for all their efforts and to explain how their donation will help. This was an invaluable experience for all concerned as the students learned how the money they raised will be used.

Delegates listened to the presentation and were then shown how Google Apps are used in our school to allow collaboration between staff and students, ably assisted by our Digital Leaders using their Google Chromebooks.

The students were an asset to the school and should be proud of the way they assisted throughout the day.

skills and dedication, supporting members of the choir, working with professional musicians visiting the school and most importantly performing as an effective choir. The Big Sing culminated in an uplifting performance involving lots of primary and secondary schools in Hall One at the Sage, Gateshead. We are all excited for the Autumn term and would like to invite all students in school, including sixth form to join and continue to build our repertoire and skills as a successful choir.

Bishop of York’s Young Leaders Award

Abigail Cass Katie Rickerby Olivia CowleyJosh Chatto Holly Spoor-Gemmell Jazzmin GrahamEllie Fagan Caitlin Borley Andrew FieldShannon Davison Lewis Cairns Ben MaliaJonathon Kennedy Katerina Proskova Kirsten SwanRebecca Fuller Emily Brown Joshua LambMorgan Johnson Matthew Blackburn Jade VickersDamien Garner Chloe Bridgewater Daniel NewtonMatthew Rames Abigail Thompson Jemma CoulsonLauren Gill Graham Smith Rachel GrayRebecca Laidlaw Jake Lane Hannah JordisonEmma Neve Robson Niall Wilson James BradleyRobbie Green Kyle Moody Alex WatsonJordon Forster

CONGRATULATIONSIt’s officially Kingsmeadow’s best year EVER for attendance. A BIG thank you to students, staff and parents for their support in achieving this HUGE goal. Pressure is on to beat this for next year but we have faith in our students and parents to help us achieve an even better year.Congratulations to students who achieved 100% this Academic Year, they are:

Active Tuesday Active Tuesday gives our students the chance to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities designed to enrich both their learning experiences and lives. Activities are delivered by school support staff or recognised coaches.

All students throughout the school are encouraged to enrol on an Active Tuesday activity, however, as of September 2014 Active Tuesdays became compulsory for all students in Year 7. Students can enrol on a different activity every half term giving students the opportunity to try six new activities throughout the school year. Scholars’ buses will of course be available from 2.45pm to take these students home.

Some of the activities available to students will be:

• Taekwondo • Fencing • Cycling • Running

• Rowing • Football • Rugby • Beauty School

• Cooking • Gymnastics • Model Planes

For further information or to receive a brochure please contact Miss Fullman on 0191 460 6004 or email sfullman@kingsmeadow.org.uk. Be sure to check our website kingsmeadow.org.uk/active-tuesday/ and follow us on Twitter @kingsmeadowcs to keep up-to-date with all Active Tuesday related news.

Staying SafeAttendance Matters

95%

Chromebook LaunchSummer saw our Digital Launch evening take place here at Kingsmeadow, with students, parents and carers visiting from each of our cluster primary schools, with a view to experiencing our digital vision for the future.

The evening showcased many of the exciting prospects which Kingsmeadow is implementing as a school, particularly our Google Chromebook scheme, which will see each Year 7 student owning their very own Chromebook, to accelerate and develop their learning skills.

This programme is a fantastic opportunity for students to be part of an exciting and innovative time at Kingsmeadow, becoming the first students in the history of the school (or any school in Gateshead) to embrace this type of cloud-based technology.

The evening included staff showcasing all of the various Google Apps for Education, which we are now utilising and the realsmart platform which we implemented at the start of the last academic year.

We were also privileged to have a member of staff from Google with us, travelling from London to be with us especially, who shared a wealth of information with our visitors, conveying Google’s vision for the future of education.

Behaviour WatchAt the start of this term we introduced a fantastic new system called Behaviour Watch. This system allows us to track your child’s behaviour and attitudes to learning effectively. All staff will have access and be expected to input information regarding your child and their progress and attitudes. This information is then available for you at the click of a button. You will be able to see how your child’s week at school has gone; their positives and negatives, successes in and out of lessons and points they have accrued for their house.

At the end of each week you will receive an email which will tell you all of this information.

If you have not yet given us your email address please call Denise Meakin on 0191 460 6004 and pass your this on so that you too can be part of this exciting progression at Kingsmeadow.

Centre for ExcellenceKingsmeadow School have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by realsmart, the company behind the implementation of our new VLE.

realsmart Centres of Excellence are recognised for their commitment to the implementation of realsmartcloud, to improve teaching and learning and communication in school.Kingsmeadow adopted realsmartcloud in September of last year and since then it has allowed us to provide our students with a digitally inclusive and independently focused learning experience.

One of the main benefits of realsmartcloud, coupled with Google Apps for Education, is that it allows our students to access their work from anywhere with an internet connection, on a range of devices.

Read more about our Centre of Excellence status on the realsmart website at http://help.realsmart.co.uk/kingsmeadow-school-realsmart-centre-of-excellence/.

CommunityDunston FestivalWe had another successful year at Dunston festival. Kingsmeadow Bee Project once again provided our stall with their fantastic products which included: honey, hand cream and beeswax candles. Miss Hughes kindly donated some of her homemade cakes to sell and raffle.

The Bee ClubOnce again Kingsmeadow Bees produced a bumper crop of honey this year. The hives which have been carefully cared for by the young students in the Bee Club, have become part of Kingsmeadow School over the years. The Club has gone from strength to strength. Over the past four years the club has allowed many students to have the opportunity to see and work with this very important insect.

After four years of running the Bee Club, the time has come for me to pass the baton over to Mr Dixon who will be in charge this year. I would just like to thank everyone who has, helped with the Bee Club, especially Kyle Miller whose expertise over the past few years has been so important and without him the club would not have existed.

So for the last time, thank you and goodbye.

Mr Farthing

The Mayor of Gateshead visited our stall and was extremely impressed by not only our bee produce but also our bee ambassadors Michael Dodds and Jason Trotter. Such was his enthusiasm for the Bee Project he has invited representatives from Kingsmeadow to visit him in his Council Chambers.

Kingsmeadow Basketball Club was represented by two of its players at the Regional u13 girls finals at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre, Shropshire. Selected to play for the North East, Charis Gray and Lucy Wood (pictured next to the famous Lilleshall lions), pitted their skills against girls from regional teams representing London, North West, South West, South East, West Midlands, Yorkshire, South, East and East Midlands.

“We were treated like royalty!” said Charis, 11, from Dunston. “I had a beautiful room of my own to stay in with en suite facilities and everything you could ask for. The Centre is wonderful at Lilleshall and, because you are staying in a stately home, you really do feel special. It was great to come here to the best facilities and play against the best players in the whole country and the experience taught me so much about the sport.”

Charis and Lucy have been attending Kingsmeadow basketball club every Thursday night, from 5.00pm - 6.00pm since it started and have both played in the CVL league organised by Newcastle Eagles. Charis and Lucy also had the honour of being selected to play for the CVL All-Stars team at Newcastle Sports Central.

Kingsmeadow Basketball Club is always looking for new players – why don’t you give it a try?

Kingsmeadow Basketball Club

School Lettings SolutionsWe are delighted to work in partnership with Kingsmeadow to offer an extensive range of lettings for the local community

during evening, weekend and school holiday periods.We are able to do this largely due to the fantastic facilities available at Kingsmeadow, as follows:

Hall/Auditorium Floodlit Astro-turf Pitch

Sports Hall Classrooms (including specialised classrooms)

Floodlit Multi-use Games Area (MUGA) Conference Room

Dance and Drama StudioGrass Pitch

Fitness Suite – Monthly memberships available contact SLS for details

Website: kingsmeadow.schoolbookings.co.uk Email: kingsmeadow@schoollettings.org Twitter: @KingsmeadowSLS

House SystemWe have introduced a new House System for all staff and students, whereby every student and member of staff now belongs to one of four houses. Each house is represented by its own house colour and logo. The logos were all designed by our students in a school competition.

The houses each represent a famous landmark in the North-East, focusing on the rich heritage of our region, each with its own individual style.

The Houses and House Captains are as Follows:

Events will be organised throughout the year, whereby all houses will take place and compete to be the winning house. Points will be awarded for each event and at the end of the year the house with the most points will be announced. Students can collect house points throughout the year either in lessons, tutor time, by representing the school and through house competitions,

such as spelling bees, Accelerated Reader and sporting events to name just a few. A running order of points will be kept on our new Behaviour Watch system and as well as gaining points for good work, students can lose points for poor behaviour, non-attendance and not being equipped for school.

Look out for our new programme of house events coming soon

Mrs Shaw

Mrs Williamson Miss Fullman

Mrs Boult Miss Waugh

Mr Dunlop Mrs Weatherill

Kingsmeadow Community SchoolMarket LaneDunstonGatesheadNE11 9NX

Tel: 0191 460 6004Fax: 0191 426 3920www.kingsmeadow.org.uk

Kingsmeadow Prom 2014