World Book Day was celebrated in style at Emmanuel. The Learning Resource Centre Co-ordinators, Mr Rogers and Ms Stone, hosted award-winning authors Jim Cace and Emma Pass.

Jim Cace shares his

writing experience with Sixth

Form students

The Royal Society of Literature celebrates and nurtures all that is best in British literature, past and present. It organises events each year

including encouraging authors to visit schools. The Nottingham Emmanuel School were lucky enough to be the beneficiary of this scheme and welcomed the award winning author Jim Cace, to talk to our A level students on Tuesday 4 March. Jim has twice been nominated for the Booker Prize and has won the Whitbread Prize on two occasions. Jim spoke to the students about how he writes his stories and the ways in which he develops his narrative. He told some fascinating tales about how his own experiences have enabled him to become a better writer and by using fewer but more pertinent words it makes for a better story. One student was particularly interested in how he “colours the truth to make a story more interesting.” His presentation and answers to questions will help students with their ability to analyse texts and look for the deeper meaning in an author’s choice of words. Jim signed copies of his books that he had chosen for our Sixth Form LRC and which were very generously given to us free by the RSL.

Emma Pass leads a special creative writing workshop

Emma Pass has written ACID (Agency for Crime Investigation and Defence), a dystopian thriller, and has another book, The Fearless, out on 24 April in the UK.Students from Years 7,8, 9 and 10 attended Emma’s writing class throughout the day and really developed their creative techniques. Maddison Harrop and Lauren Thorpe in Year 7 worked together to write a funny story about a small monster that terrorised the school with its awful smells. Victoria Chodan in Year 8 did some great freestyle writing and drawing about the objects Emma had brought in to inspire the students’ imagination. World Book Day was scheduled in order to allow children in over 100 countries to celebrate books and reading. All students at Emmanuel received a book voucher to use at their local bookshop. It was a fantastic day with students coming into the LRC actively talking about their love of books and suggesting new titles for us to purchase for their library.

Mr Rogers and Ms Stone, LRC Co-ordinators

Emmanuel

EXPRESSA L S O I N T H I S I S S U E

W O R L D P I D AY

S W E E T M U S I C I N M E M P H I S

B B C S C H O O L R E P O R T: M I S S I O N A C C O M P L I S H E D

S C I E N C E W E E K : E N E R G Y E X P E R I M E N T S

Together to learn, to grow, to serve

ISSUE 29 APRIL 2014

DISTINGUISHED AUTHORS VISIT EMMANUEL FOR WORLD BOOK DAY

Top Left: Jim Cace talking to the Sixth Form students; Top Right: Emma Pass with Keynan Coxon (702), Maddison Harrop (702), Lauren Thorpe (701), holding the work that they created during the workshop. Bottom: Lauren Thorpe (left) and Maddison Harrop (right) reading the short story they wrote together during the workshop.

S P O R T R E L I E F : R U N N I N G F O R C H A N G E

First Story strives to support and inspire creativity, literacy and talent in UK secondary schools and their communities.First Story arranges for acclaimed writers to run creative-writing workshops for students in schools across the country. Each Writer-in-Residence leads weekly, after-school workshops for a group of up to twenty-one students. First Story then publish the students’ writing in a professionally produced anthology. As part of the Nottingham Emmanuel School Literary Festival, 16-20 June, we will be hosting a book launch whereby the students will read their stories to their peers, friends, families and teachers. Throughout the year students have been encouraged to enter their work in various

competitions. It is a pleasure to report that Nicole Cox’s 100 word story has already been selected for publication by First Story.At one of the after-school workshops in February, Niki Valentine, Emmanuel’s writer-in-residence said: “We started by doing lots of writing exercises including games to get the students going with their writing skills. Then, we talked about structure, character and dialogue in order to improve their work. I have been impressed by their creativity and the quality of the work.” Ms Stone, LRC Co-ordinator KS4&5

Together to learn, to grow, to serve2

On Friday 21 March, 20 Sixth Form students were given the opportunity to attend the annual Maths Inspiration Lecture Show at The Nottingham Playhouse.

Maths Inspiration is one of the largest Maths enrichment programmes for 15-17 year olds in the UK. It was a chance for students to experience the UK’s most inspiring Maths speakers live who presented mathematical concepts in the context of exciting, real-life situations. The show featured three interactive talks and a lively Q&A session at the end. The talks were entitled ‘The Secret World of Code Breaking, ‘Weird and Wonderful Maths’ and ‘The Friendship Paradox of Facebook.’ Dr James Grime looked at the fascinating history of mathematical codes and code breaking - from ancient times to the present day, including a demonstration of an original WWII Enigma

Machine! Steve Mould, Science expert, TV presenter and Comedian, led a seminar on how maths can confound our expectations whilst Dr Ria Symonds, from the University of Nottingham, mathematically explained why, on average, our friends have more friends than we do!Mr Taylor, Director of Mathematics, Computing and Business Learning Community

The focus for this year’s Light Night on 28 February was to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Eco artist Sarah Turner designed the illuminated tank which was placed in the grounds of Nottingham Castle. Year 8 students from our school had the unique opportunity to contribute towards the design

and were able to visit this spectacular creation.Jamie Ducker, Year 8, said: “When I went to visit the tank, it was much bigger and better than I thought it would be.” Well done to Sarah and our students for producing such a powerful exhibit.Ms Barnes, Head of Art and Photography

First Story: Catching up with Niki

Valentine, our Writer-in-Residence

‘The Great Orchestra Experiment’ – A Great Performance by the winners of ‘Sing City’Sally Jackman (Year 12) and Faith Tucker (Year 8) performed in ‘The Great Orchestra Experiment’ on Thursday 27 March at The Nottingham Albert Hall. The concert was a performance for primary school children in Nottingham City who are learning musical instruments. As winners of this year’s ‘Sing City’ event, Sally and Faith were personally invited to perform, as soloists, with the Robin Hood Youth Orchestra, which also featured several Emmanuel students. They gave a wonderful performance of Nina Simone’s classic ‘Feeling Good’.Ms Smith, Head of Music & Music Technology

Top, Left to Right: Grace Ellerby (1008) working on her story; Raheem Iqbal (1001) and Elliott Rodel (1006) with Niki Valentine; Niki with Ms Stone and Ms Bell.

LIGHT NIGHT 2014 – A Glowing Success

INSPIRED!

Together to learn, to grow, to serve 3

As part of our Sixth Form service programme, students in every tutor group have been inspired by Mr Skinner to give to Grace Church’s food bank in order to support local families during their time of need. Shannon Taylor said: “It was Mr Skinner who told us about the food bank and how it helped people within our city who need it most and who can’t afford a square meal. The most shocking aspect we felt was how the church relies totally on donations, so the chance to collect the food and then personally take it to the food bank was one I will never forget. What the church does is incredible and having a chance to be part of it has enabled us to give back to the local community.”Ms Wiltshire is immensely proud of the generosity of spirit shown by Mr Skinner, all of the students and the tutors who have kindly donated an array of produce on a weekly basis, and will indeed continue to do so throughout the summer term.

Sixth Form Service

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK AT EMMANUELTo celebrate National Science Week, the department were fortunate to receive a visit from ‘Professor Smart, and his assistant Miss Bright’ on behalf of E-ON, a leading energy supplier. Throughout the day, three groups of students from Year 7 took part in a variety of research tasks and experiments in order to examine key energy issues such as production, costs and efficiency. The research tasks encouraged students to investigate renewable sources of energy and the dwindling reserves of fossil fuels. They were also encouraged to become more efficient and to save not only money but to also avoid wasting energy. Students also undertook a range of practical experiments in order to research the effects of insulation, and how to make wind turbines the most effective.By the end of the session, the groups fed back all of their information to the Professor, so that he and his assistant were well informed and briefed for their meeting. The students reported on the information that they had researched in a confident and articulate manner.Mr Tandy, Academic Mentor for Science

Nigel Pickard Prize 2014The Nigel Pickard Prize was established in 2012 to celebrate and inspire creative writing by 11-18 year olds in the East Midlands.The prize is in memory of inspirational English teacher and school leader Nigel Pickard, who was passionate about encouraging young people to write. He saw writing as a joyful expression of creativity and personality, and as a powerful agent for literacy and self-esteem.We are encouraging all students to write a story in 75 words or less centered upon the theme of humour.

The Prizes for winnersThe winner will receive a laptop and two runners-up will receive book tokens to the value of £50. At least one prize will be awarded to a student in the11-14 age group.The JudgesThe prize will be judged by a panel including William Fiennes, Henderson Mullin and Lily Pickard, Nigel Pickard’s daughter. The inaugural prize will be awarded in the autumn of 2014 at a Regional Celebration Event.Ms Stone, LRC Co-ordinator KS4&5

Friday 14 February saw the return of the annual dance competition Step into the Limelight, hosted by Green House.Students queued through the wet and windy cloister in a hope of getting a seat at the event. Those who made it in were not disappointed, with the 5 finalists dancing to everything from J-Pop to tap, the standard was incredibly high. It even included a performance from the Head of Green House himself Mr Pickup! This year we were pleased to welcome guest judge Lee Nugent aka A.I. from local breakdance crew Groundhogs who recently appeared on Sky One’s ‘Got to Dance’ and Fiona Dawson, volunteer from local charity The Arches Project, to whom all the money raised at the event will be sent.The final was hosted by the incredible Alice Edmonds and Jasmine Wigman (1004). The show started with a street-dance performance by Amazing Wongyai (1102), followed by a wonderful tap dance by Ashleigh Morris (808)

and Rosie Bentham (807). Next came the unique J-Pop experience delivered to perfection by Tyra Beckford (904), before it finished with a carnival inspired dance by the always energetic Cerruti Plummer and Charmiane Alibinu, and a contemporary dance by Martha Harris (1103), inspired by the film Silent Dead. The judges had a hard job to choose a winner but, after much deliberation, they announced the winner of Step into the Limelight 2014 as Martha Harris. Her prize is an evening with 2 of her friends at Nottingham Playhouse to watch some of the city’s most talented dancers in ‘Episodes’, a national competition to find the UK’s best community dance group. Mr Pickup is pleased to announce that this year’s Step into the Limelight final raised £341, which will be given to Green House’s charity The Arches Project which supports some of the most vulnerable people in the city. Mr Pickup, Academic Mentor

STEP INTO THE LIMELIGHT

Year 7 undertaking a variety of research and experiments

Top: The group sorting out the food donations. Bottom, Left to Right: James Parkin (1603), Shannon Pendergast (1601), Mr Skinner, Esther Lowe (1607), Nathan Taylor (1603), Shannon Taylor (1601) and Ruth Woodcraft, Grace Church’s Food Bank Co-ordinator.

Together to learn, to grow, to serve4

Medical Marvels: an interactive revision sessionYear 11 Historians undertook a visit to the Thackray Museum in Leeds in order to deepen their understanding of how medical knowledge and procedures have developed from the 19th century to the present day. There were gruesome facts and plenty of blood, guts and gore as the sounds and smells of an operating theatre were brought to life! Students learned about public health in the 19th century and how important individuals such as Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch and Alexander Fleming have helped to instigate change. The students completed an array of tasks that will aid their revision for the forthcoming exam. As Renée Pierce (1103) states “It brought to life the Medicine Through Time course in a way that was more memorable from simply reading it on a page …the stench and horrors of life in a working class area in Leeds in 1842 were clearly displayed through such a dramatic exhibition”. Ms Wiltshire, Assistant Principal

Thursday 27 March saw the eighth annual BBC School Report broadcast; students from both Years 8 and 9 visited the e-Learning Centre on the day to complete the shooting and editing of their own BBC Nottingham Emmanuel School Report. Acting as mentors based on their previous experience of the project from last year, the Year 9s were able to assist in the technical as well as the performance aspects of the project. Students and members of staff from the Nottingham Emmanuel School, as well as staff from the e-Learning Centre, worked tirelessly in order to produce an informative and investigative report that would show off the key media and journalistic skills of the group. Students were extremely focussed in their efforts on Thursday and produced a piece of journalism that is both creative and engaging, with a range of stories to include something for everyone. The School Report team will air the final piece to students, parents and members of staff in the Chapel on Wednesday 23 April.Mr Kyle, Teacher of English

S c h o o l C e l e b r a t i o n E x h i b i t i o n a t t h e C o n t e m p o r a r yAs pa r t o f a l o c a l e xh i b i t i o n , ou r t a l e n t ed Yea r 9 A r t s t uden t s e xh i b i t e d t h e i r own wo r k a t t h e No t t i n gham Con t empo ra r y Ga l l e r y. Th i s p r o j e c t i s a c o l l a bo ra t i o n be tween No t t i n gham Con t empo ra r y and 15 c i t y s c hoo l s , made po s s i b l e t h r ough t h e gene rou s f und i ng o f t h e P r i n c e ’s Founda t i o n f o r Ch i l d r en and t h e A r t s .

Ou r s t uden t s h ave been wo r k i ng w i t h l o c a l a r t i s t S am Me t z t o c r e a t e an ima t i o n s b a s ed on v i s i t s wh i c h t h e y have unde r t a ken t o t h e ga l l e r y o ve r t h e pa s t yea r. The i r h a rd wo r k and ded i c a t i o n have pa i d d i v i d end s ; i t wa s a p r i v i l e ge t o s e e t h e i r a r two r k s hown a t s u ch a g r e a t l o c a t i o n and t o s u ch a l a r g e a r ray o f v i s i t o r s o ve r t h e two day s . M s B a r n e s , H e a d o f A r t a n d P h o t o g r a p h y

Artist Sam Metz leads a workshop with our Year 9 Art students at the Contemporary

BBC SCHOOL REPORT 2014

Congratulations to everyone involved in the project:Georgina Blyth (807), Jessica Blyth (807), Cameron Darkin-Price (808), Tobias Rodel (808), Amara Frearson (806), Sam Richardson (808) and Finn Christman (808). Year 9 mentors: Rebecca Paul (905), Mia Grundy, (907), Alice Stephenson (905), Sakara Szowkomud, (907), Laura Ward (907) and Kinga Sitkiewicz (904).

Students in Year 10 Resistant Materials lessons have undertaken a mini lighting project in preparation for their controlled assessment coursework. Students were encouraged to use their creativity to design a USB light, which they then had to independently manufacture. Students were able to use a range of materials including wood and acrylic; some even chose to use fluorescent edged acrylic which produces interesting lighting effects. Throughout this project students also had the opportunity to develop their CAD/CAM skills and manufacture part of their design using the laser cutter. The enthusiasm and engagement from all of the students was fantastic and the quality of their end products was excellent.Ms Gyekye, Teacher of Design TechnologyTop, Clockwise: N Design by Matthew Shaw (1008) for his hockey team; Pyramid design by Lewis Fleming (1007) and Mask design by Connor Coxon (1005)

Emmanuel ExtravaganzaOn 24 February, we were delighted to welcome 250 Year 3, 4 and 5 students from South Wilford and Sneinton C of E Primary Schools to take part in the annual Emmanuel Extravaganza’s range of taster

workshops in Music, Drama, Science, IT, Art, Food and Resistant Materials. Mr Wolfe, Vice Principal said: “It was a real privilege to go round each of the workshops and to see such high quality lessons. It was clear from the showcase session for parents and staff just how much students had enjoyed the afternoon.”

Ms Lee, Head of School at Sneinton, said: “The children are full of stories from their afternoon and thought Emmanuel was ‘amazing’!” Mr Wolfe, Vice Principal

DT STUDENTS’ WORK SHINE BRIGHTLY

Together to learn, to grow, to serve 5

On 6 and 7 March, the Raising the Grade Science conference took place at NTU’s prestigious conference centre. Year 11 students from across the city joined in sessions on revision techniques, study skills and had intensive seminars on key concepts across the three sciences.

As well as our students receiving support and inspiration Mr White and Ms Loj were invited to lead sessions to a range of students throughout the day.Mr White and Ms Loj commented that it was inspirational to see so many students committed to improving their GCSE grades and our students in particular made us proud. They approached this day with a high level of maturity and resilience.Ms Loj, Director for the Science and Design Technology Learning Community and Mr White, Science Key Stage 4 Manager

A HANDS-ON APPROACH TO LEARNINGAs part of their Geography unit on Africa, a group of Year 8 students had the opportunity to make their very own model of a village in Ghana. They were asked to investigate the way people live in villages in Ghana compared to the way we live in England by looking at the infrastructure and the quality of everyday life for those people living there. The work undertaken within the classroom was closely connected to the school’s Partner Ghana project. Ms Barratt was given the challenging task of judging the models but also shared her experiences with the students about her visit to Ghana during October half term. The teachers involved were extremely pleased with how pro-active the students were with their research and how they collaborated in small teams to produce the models. Mrs Oakley, Teaching and Learning Assistant

From Left to Right: Ismael Akhtar, Fayde Judd, Mrs Oakley, Haroon Farooq, Tyler Thorpe and Brandon Betts with their Ghanaian village models.

The Secret is Out!As part of the Blue House’s charity fundraising commitment, a secret auction of students’ unique photographic work will be held on 4 April. A secret auction means that photographs can be bid for by placing a sealed bid in a box and the highest bidder will therefore secure the art work. Ms Barnes, Head of Art and Photography, said: “We decided to raise money in a creative way and it also provides us with an opportunity to showcase the creative talents of our students.” Already a high quality of prints has been submitted and we are looking forward with anticipation to the event.

Base 6 Challenge For Our Mathematicians!Emmanuel’s enthusiastic students Vikki Thomas, Alex Taylor, Elliott Bairstow and Qasim Hassain spent an action packed afternoon, earlier this month, at Loughborough University competing against the best mathematicians from Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The competition was set in an alien world where the inhabitants have only three fingers on each hand requiring them to count in base 6, the numbers 7, 8, and 9 don’t exist. Our mathematicians came an extremely creditable 5th missing out on 1st place by only two lines through the Base 6 maze.Base 6 Quiz question. If 123 x 2 = 255 then what does 123 x 4 equal?Mr Burns, Mathematics Key Stage 4 Manager

Front: Alex Taylor (1006) and Vikki Thomas (1008); Back: Elliott Bairstow (1008) and Qasim Hussain (1001)

Top: A very hands-on workshop for our students exploring Ohms Law. Above: Year 11 Science students Amelia Smith, Christopher Brown, Hannah Sekula, Connar Coxon, Heather Keith, Eloise Wright, Adam Carver and Sabah Ahmed with Mr White outside NTU’s conference centre.

GHANA BOUND Sixth former Matt Cole (1608) is making excellent progress in his fundraising efforts for the planned school trip to Ghana this summer, thanks to the generosity of Mr Reg Adair, his local councillor (Ruddington). Matt will be joining 32 other students on the annual expedition to undertake a range of practical building and service projects at the Dutch Komenda School.

This year’s Sport Relief took place from 21-23 March. The chosen theme for this year was to raise

the profile of working children around the world. Over 215 million children have to work to survive, often in dangerous conditions. The heart of the national campaign is the ‘Sport Relief Mile’. At Emmanuel, the PE Department worked hard all week to raise money for Sport Relief 2014, with students completing the Sport Relief mile in their PE lessons. Before starting their run, students watched a video which brought the issue of child labour to life by exploring the challenges faced by two young children from Northern Ghana, Daniel and Raymond, who spend their weekends working in informal goldmines to support their families. Mr Marsh, Sports Community

Leader, said: “We feel that sport brings everyone together and this was a great opportunity for getting us active and pro-active about the plight of working children. As Sport Relief is a charity, we allowed students on this occasion to wear bright clothes whilst running their mile. Thanks to the generosity of the students and staff, the PE Department raised £450.”Mr Marsh, Community Sports Leader

COMIC RELIEF 2014

Students getting to learn more about the hardships faced by working children in Ghana; the starting line - ‘Onesies’ were popular this year!

The Construction Action Group of Employers (CAGE) is a non-profit organisation seeking to fill the skills gap in the construction industry. Since 2005 CAGE

Greater Nottingham has worked with schools and colleges to provide placements and apprenticeships. Each year CAGE organise a challenge for secondary school students to compete in a range of construction situations. On Thursday 6 March, Mr Gregory from the Design and Technology Department took a selection of six Year 10 Construction students to the Nottingham City Challenge Apprenticeship day known as the CAGE CHALLENGE. The students were James Taylor, Maugan Shreeve, Jake Cumberpatch, Joshua Wilkinson, Zydane Richardson and Tyler Bestwick.The day involved learning skills in plastering, painting and decorating, bricklaying, carpentry and electrical maintenance. In the afternoon all school groups and the 40+ students who attended were set a specific task as part of the competition. After receiving initial key training in each skill, the students had to put their newfound knowledge into practice, in order to perform a series of construction tasks independently. Tasks included building a wall, wiring up sockets,

building a wooden mug tree and a plaster ceiling rose from scratch, all within a short time limit. The students successfully completed all the tasks to a high standard and demonstrated a positive attitude throughout.At the end of the day the organisers handed out awards, with Maugan Shreeve winning best overall student in carpentry and a £50 voucher. Furthermore it was a fantastic achievement for all the students involved to be crowned as the best school; collectively they received a £150 voucher, a radio, and a trophy.Mr Gregory, Teacher of DT

Together to learn, to grow, to serve6

During February half term, Ms Smith, Mr Osgood and a group of Sixth Form music students travelled to Memphis, to visit Visible School, a Christian music college. This unique opportunity enabled our students to complete their A-Level composition work by using high quality facilities.Whilst in Memphis, the group had a phenomenal opportunity to experience first-hand, the rich musical heritage that has made the city famous – Memphis is the birthplace of musicians such as Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Otis Redding. Mr Osgood, Music teacher, said: “We were lucky to have a personal tour of Ardent studios and the Stax Museum by Ardent’s

owner, and legendary producer, John Fry. Later in the week John let us use one of his studios for free to record some of our own students’ work.” The group also went to visit the National Civil Rights Museum on the site where James Earl Ray shot Martin Luther King in 1968; it was here that they learnt about the civil rights movement, and about the consequences of King’s assassination. Towards the end of the week, the students were given the opportunity to perform in front of the music college’s undergraduate students; each musician showed that their talent was easily comparable to those students who were on a four year degree course. Mr Osgood, Teacher of MusicThe group: Sally Jackman (1602), Brandon Hill (1601), Ra-Chard Tucker (1601), George Gretton (1608), Ashley Simons 1607, Akshay Popat (1601) and Joshua Marsh (1601)

CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGE A SUCCESS!

CARNEGIE AWARD SHORTLISTED BOOKS AVAILABLE IN LRCOn18 March the shortlisted titles for the prestigious Carnegie Award were announced. The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the UK’s oldest and most prestigious children’s book awards - often described by authors and illustrators as ‘the one they want to win’.The titles are Bloody Family by Anne Fine, The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks, Roof Toppers by Katherine Rundell, Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead, All The Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry, The Wall by William Sutcliffe, Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper and The Child’s Elephant by Rachel Campbell-Johnston.These titles are now available in the LRC. It would be great to hear what you think of them – which would be your favourite to win?Mr Rogers, LRC Co-ordinator KS3

“I recorded one of my own

compositions called ‘Run as fast as

you can ‘ which I was also able to perform at

the Visible Music College. The trip was value

for money because we were able to visit all

the main attractions such as the Civil Rights

Museum as well as developing our music

knowledge and skills. I got along well with

the American students who were most

friendly and welcoming. I’ll definitely keep

in touch with my new friends.”

Brandon Hill (1601)

“The Ardent Studio had fabulous equipment that you only dream of. It gave me an insight into what I may want to do in the future: working in a production studio.

I enjoyed the trip immensely. The highlight was performing at the Visible Music College and I was pleased that my performance was well received.”

Ra-Chard Tucker (1602)

WALKING IN MEMPHIS

Above: Ra-Chard Tucker performing at Visible Music College

Together to learn, to grow, to serve 7

YOUNG ENTERPRISE TRADE FAIR

On 28 February, ten Year 10 Business Studies students involved in the Young Enterprise Company Programme participated in a trade fair which proved an exciting

opportunity for them to develop their problem solving, selling, communication,

team building and leadership skills. Ms Dimilta-Jones, Head of Business Studies, said: “We were delighted and proud of the efforts of Year 10 Business Studies students, especially as they were mainly competing against sixth form students. Our students were superb ambassadors for the school.” Congratulations to Caitlin Hill, Samuel Towner, Vikki Thomas, Elliot Rodell, Hadia Sajal, Nicole Lyons, Morgan Salt, Alex Boden, Alli Maleta and Elliot Bairstow.Ms Dimilta Jones, Head of Business Studies

As part of our wider developmental work in relation to whole school numeracy, we were thrilled on 14 March to celebrate World Pi Day. This is an international celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi) since 3, 1 and 4 are the first three digits of π in decimal form. Many exciting activities were run throughout the day to commemorate the significance of π; cakes were decorated with π by Sixth Form students raising £75 for the Ghana project, posters with interesting facts about π were showcased around the school and KS3 students took part in an exciting Treasure Hunt quiz which developed their Maths skills.The climax of the day was held in the grounds of the school, whereby the

students took on the mammoth task of calculating the value of the constant π (this can be calculated by dividing the circumference of a circle by its diameter) through a large-scale outdoor Maths demonstration. Over 140 students took part in physically calculating the value and all were astounded by how accurate the results were (107 students on the circumference and 37 students across the diameter lead to an answer of 3.14…). The whole day was a great success in raising the awareness of π and further boosting our students’ enthusiasm for Maths!Ms Teutsch, Teacher of Mathematics

BTEC STUDENTS STRIVING TO GET TO THE TOP! Year 13 students Harry Carter, Coral Parkes, Beth Griffiths and Natasha Hofton have been spending Tuesday mornings at the Nottingham Indoor Climbing centre. They have been learning the basics of rock climbing as part of their Level 3 BTEC National Qualification in Sport. They have developed their climbing techniques and are now keen to practise their skills outside. Mr Glover, Achievement and Pastoral Manager Year 7 and

Teacher of PE

The Arts Council Takes the LeadYear 8 students Kyra Waldram, Ashleigh Morris and Georgina Blyth have taken responsibility for the planning and delivery of an art

workshop for a small group of students from Sneinton St Stephen’s C of E Primary School. They inspired students to design a welcome sign for the entrance to the school. The school’s Arts Council will now be using all of their imaginative and exciting artwork to compile a final design for the summer term.We are excited that our students have had the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills in this way and hope for many more collaborative projects with our local primary feeder schools in the future. Ms Barnes, Head of Art and Photography

An inspiring workshop for the pupils of Sneinton St Stephen’s C of E Primary School which was led by our Year 8 artists.

DAY

As part of our commitment to ensure that the Sixth Form and our most academically able Year 11 students have access to a range of challenging, inspiring and independent learning opportunities, students across both year groups were invited to attend an evening with leading Oxbridge tutors on 10 March, at the Nottingham High School.The aim of the evening was to raise aspirations amongst our high achieving students in order to give them an informed insight into the Oxbridge application process and undergraduate life. Rachel To commented that “It was useful to take a moment out of our AS studies to envisage what we were striving towards. The tutors gave a dynamic insight into the admissions process, life at Oxford and Cambridge, and responded to numerous personal questions about specific courses during the Q&A session. The evening was an enjoyable experience as it acted as a catalyst to stimulate thoughts about my route through higher education and further motivated me in the period leading up to the summer examinations.”

INSIGHT INTO OXBRIDGE

On Thursday 27 March Sixth Form students Bilal Mohammed, Laraib Iqbal, Ra-Chard Tucker, Beth Chadwick, Iqra Ul-Hassan, Sam Kanyi, Anika Panesar and Asma Mohammed embarked upon a visit to St John’s College in Bramcote, for a day filled with philosophical and ethical intrigue as they attended lectures by leading philosophers on Euthanasia and Darwinism. One key lecture was delivered by the rather enigmatic Connor Cunningham who dispelled the idea of Darwinism and that we evolved from apes, instead he proposed the biological mechanism argument as an alternative theory. We looked at the three principles of Darwinism (variation, reproduction and heritability) and then explored the development of the evolutionary theory. With the audience, he then debated how Darwinism was seized upon and politicised and made into a universal philosophy. During the afternoon session, students had the opportunity to develop their essay writing skills and to also participate in a further debate with leading philosophers. The students were pushed and challenged to consider such deep philosophical issues which is all active preparation for their forthcoming examinations.Mr Skinner, Teacher of Religious Studies

FOOD FOR THOUGHTPhilosophy and Ethics

Conference

Rachel To (1605), Head Girl

We are delighted to report that the Year 10 Boys Football team have reached the final of the Nottingham Forest Vase Cup. The final is to be played at the City Ground on Wednesday 14 May, with a scheduled kick off time of 7.25pm.

Admission is £5.00 for adults and £3.00 for under 16s.

“The students have done exceptionally well to reach the final and I know they would appreciate your support on the day!”

Mr Clarke, Head of PE

Together to learn, to grow, to serve8

DATES FOR APRIL - MAY 2014Tuesday 22 April 2014: Term startsFriday 25 - Sunday 27 April: DofE Silver practice expeditionThursday 1 May: Junior Maths ChallengeMonday 5 May: Bank HolidaySaturday 10 May: DofE Bronze practice expedition Sunday 11 May: DofE Silver practice expeditionMonday 12 May: Primary School Transition Visits begin; Year 7 Science trip to Twycross ZooWednesday 21 May: Nottingham Schools’ U11 High 5 Netball Tournament - NES 4.30-6.30 pmFriday 23 May: Year 7 Drop Down DayMonday 26 - Friday 30 May: Half TermMonday 2 June: Term starts; Year 13 Induction commences

U13 GIRLS FOOTBALL: CITY CHAMPIONS FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNINGOn 25 February the U13s girls football team competed in the City Championship at Ellis Guilford School. On a very cold evening, the fixture list was lengthened with 9 schools competing from across the City. With our captain unable to play, Anita Gaspar stepped up to lead the team and what a job she did! Emmanuel were the only team to finish the competition unbeaten, winning 6/8 games and not conceding. Along with that, they were the top goal scorers and played some incredible football! Emmanuel were once again crowned City Champions due to their hard work, determination and regular attendance at training since September. Congratulations to Anita Gaspar (C), Judith Portwood, Ella Millichip, Ellie Bell (Year 7), Mandipa Pahlani (Year 7), Maizy Lancashire (Year 7), Sade Benjamin (Year 7 - GK)

U14 Girls Football: City Champions!On 11 March the U14 girls football team competed in the City Cup at Ellis Guilford School. After winning their first game against Top Valley comfortably, they slipped to defeat against Bluecoat (0-1). Fortunately that was the only defeat, and goal conceded throughout the whole tournament, Consequently, Emmanuel were once again crowned as City Champions! Congratulations to Olivia Hudson (C), Natasha Hudson, Kimberlee Wilkinson, Renell Bryan, Ella Millichip, Sharhnee Skirvin.

Mrs Wilkins, Teacher of PE and Head of House

F O O T B A L L S U C C E S S F O R U 1 3 A N D 1 4 G I R L S F O O T B A L L Year 10 Boys footbal l

f inal at the Ci ty Ground 14 May

U16 GIRLS BASKETBALL

COUNTY WINNERS!The U16 girls basketball team went to the County Finals at the Nottingham Wildcats Arena on 26 February. They were amazing to say the least!In the group stages the team finished second in their pool and faced the winners of pool B, Nottingham Academy, in the semi-final. The girls competed from the first second and quickly took a 5-point lead with outstanding contributions from Sophie Crew and Abigail Pendergast in a closely contested game. In the final against National, our girls took a quick 7-point lead but the National team slowly clawed the deficit back and Emmanuel entered the final minute with just a 2 point lead. Knowing that the end and the win were in sight, the girls battled on and finished deserved winners, winning 18-14. Congratulations to Abigail Pendergast, Sophie Crew, Naomi Towner, Nicole Cox, Georgia Pembleton, Vicky Thomas, Olivia Wright, Sharhnee Skervin and Nikeeta Sandhu.Mr Pickup, Academic Mentor and Head of House

S U P P O R T W A N T E D !

SPORTS LEADERS PERFECT HOSTS TO CRICKET FESTIVAL On Tuesday 4 March our Spor ts Leaders showcased their leadership sk i l l s by running a Year 3 cr icket fest iva l for South Wil ford Pr imary School , Welbeck Pr imary School

and St John’s Colwick Pr imary School . This was the second fest iva l in the new Pr imary School Spor ts Fest iva l tournament . Many schools across the c i ty and countr y took par t . Congratu lat ions to our Spor ts Leaders who taught the pupi ls the correct techniques for bowl ing and f ie ld ing before of f ic iat ing at the games.Mr Marsh, Community Sports Leader

Congratulations to the team on reaching the final: George Samson, Josh Wilkinson, Jake Willetts, Alex Taylor, Kyle Knight, Yenom Tesfalem, Kylan Knight, Raheem Suban, Jason Fellows, Zydane Richardson, Adrian Lang, Sam Needham, Joe Micallef and James Bennett.