Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope you enjoy reading about the exploits of AVA students who

go from strength to strength and excel in a wide range of

activities. The students at AVA are the real strength of this school

and their increasing commitment is inspiring.

I hope you have a good summer break.

Mr R Burman

Executive Principal

Dates for your Diary

Friday 21 July 2017 - School closes at 13.25pm

Thursday 17 August 2017 - A Level/BTEC L3 Results

Thursday 24 August 2017 - GCSE/BTEC L2 Results

Monday 4 September 2017 - Staff Training

Tuesday 5 September 2017 - Students return

Thursday 21 September 2017 - Year 11 Welcome Evening

Thursday 28 September 2017 - Years 7/10/12 Settling In

Evening

Thursday 5 October 2017 - AVA Open Evening

Thursday 19 October 2017 - AVA Open Morning

AVA Students join Berryfields Sports Day

Berryfields enjoyed

fantastic weather for

its summer sports day

on Thursday 6th July.

All pupils took part in

the day, which saw

races and competitions

held with the help of

student leaders from

A y l e s b u r y V a l e

Academy.

The 30 pupils from Year 8 assisted in the officiating and running of

the races. The leaders were tremendously helpful and were seen as

very positive role models to lower school pupils.

'The students were a credit to (and indeed a great advert for) the

secondary school' (Mr Walker, Headteacher of Berryfields).

Newsletter of The Aylesbury Vale Academy

Paradise Orchard Berryfields Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP18 0WS

t 01296 428 551 enquiries@theacademy.me www.theacademy.me

July 2017

GCSE Geographers Aiming for Gold!

On Thursday 29th June, seventy Y10 GCSE Geography students

visited Stratford in East London as part of their Fieldwork in a

‘human’ environment. The task was to identify whether the

regeneration of the Olympic area had a positive effect on the

surrounding environment. After much discussion, it was largely

agreed that the area surrounding Hackney Wick was not up to

the same standard as the vicinity of the stadium, and that

gentrification had disenfranchised the previous local community

leading to them moving out. Old traditional ‘blue collar’

industries such as workshops, salmon smokers and textile

manufacturing had been replaced with ‘white collar’ internet

cafes, radio stations, pop up shops and restaurants and gyms.

A huge dichotomy in terms of development in such a small area

of east London, and an excellent opportunity for our students to

see first-hand the positive and negative effects of urban

regeneration, which will contribute to 30% of their final GCSE

grade.

Thorpe Park Trip

On Saturday 1st

July, a large group

of year 7, 8, 9

and 10 students

v i s i t e d T h o rp e

Park. Students were

invited on this trip if

they had at least

95% attendance,

very few behaviour points and a good number of achievement

points. Students enjoyed a day of thrills, and some spills

judging by some of the wet clothes, on rides such as Derren

Brown's Ghost Train, The Swarm, Stealth and Tidal

Wave. Whilst I wasn't brave enough to venture onto the Ghost

Train, I hear that Mr Burman wasn't at all scared by people

jumping out at him during the virtual reality ride!

Apparently there will be new rides at Thorpe Park in 2018 and

we look forward to inviting more students next year. Students

with 95% or above attendance and positive behaviour in school

will be invited on the reward trip in 2018.

Year 7

Year 7 have had

lots of things to

celebrate and to

be proud of over

the last term.

A high number of

students have

taken part in many enrichment activities on offer this half term.

In particular I would like to congratulate the Year 7 cricket team,

although the results haven’t always been what they wanted, they

have shown commitment and desire when representing the

Academy at various fixtures.

Attendance awards were also presented to those students with

100% attendance since the start of the year. Congratulations to

all students who were nominated and the winners of the awards.

With the 7s moving into Year 8, this brings me onto next year.

After a very successful four day transition week, I look forward to

welcoming the Year 6s to the Aylesbury Vale Academy in

September and below is the Year 7 team:

At our recent awards assembly, various awards were presented

to the following students;

Progress – Tamzin Pykett

Endeavour – Maddie Russell

Community – Joseph Mclennan-Parish

Outstanding Achievement – Ramya Vijendran

Achivement Directors Award – Jamie Hayes, William

Webb, Katie Norman and Jess Barnard

Mr O’Leary – Achievement Director Year 7

Ms Toohey – Pastoral Support Assistant

Ms Kitter – SLT Link for Year 7

And the Tutor team;

Faraday 1 – Ms De Alwis

Faraday 2 – Mr Ngoma

Faraday 3 – Mr Pennicooke

Faraday 4 – Mr Cummings (Mrs Lipson Co-Tutor)

Franklin 1 – Mr Hallam

Franklin 2 – Mr Trieu

Franklin 3 – Ms Cross (Miss Bibi Co-Tutor)

Nobel 1 – Mr Anandavasagar

Nobel 2 – Ms O’Loughlin (Mrs Wright Co-Tutor)

Nobel 3 – Mr Hemming

Muhammad Esa

Abdul Khan

Leo Peacock

Jake Hydon

Ezekiel Ameche

Nicholas Moore

Lewis Johnstone

Davis Agyei-Baah

Jawad Ahmad

Muhammed Abubakr

Jordan Mangena

Jayden Mark

Jamie Oliver

The Year 7 cricket team are:

Year 8

Year 8 will be a

s o m e w h a t

d i f f e r e n t

experience this

year, with the

exciting prospect

of the choosing

o f G C S E

options. In order to give our Year 8 students as much

opportunity to study subjects they have chosen themselves we

are giving them the chance to pick the options a year earlier

than before. This gives our students a fantastic chance to make

mature life shaping decisions. On top of the thorough options

programme, the focus will still very much remain on the core

subjects of English, Maths and Science.

The Year 8 team consists of myself as Achievement Director, Mrs

B Steedman as Pastoral support and Miss E Kitter as the SLT link

for the year group. The rewards system in place last year, such

as the Star of the week and the tutor group of the week, will

continue to run this year as we look to congratulate students

who consistently get it right in both behaviour and attendance.

These rewards will run in conjunction to the awards assemblies

at the end of every half term. On behalf of the year 8 team we

hope that the summer holidays will be as restful as possible in

order to best prepare them for the rigours ahead, and we very

much look forward to working with each and every student over

the next year.

Year 9

Achieve Today

Year 9 is a

challenging but

also exciting

c ha p te r i n

Academy life!

Year 9 is an

opportunity to use the skills they have learnt already and

develop them on a platform from which to springboard to

success. One thing I have realised through working with this

year group throughout their journey at AVA, is that they LOVE

achieving. I hope to encourage this passion within their learning

experience at the Academy.

Amaze Tomorrow

As you know Year 9 is an important year, where decisions will

be made which may influence their future. I want to ensure that

they make the right informed choices in order to succeed and

fulfil their passion and potential. Therefore I am looking

forward to getting to know year 9 more closely so I can provide

the best guidance for them through their difficult, but exciting

transition into adulthood.

Join us on the Journey

As year 9 Achievement Director, I am thrilled to be part of this

journey. I am blessed to have already participated in their

maiden voyage to adulthood as assistant achievement director

and have seen chrysalises of hope and glory emerge from what

has been, for some at times, sweat and tears.

One of the big messages pushed in year 8 was that it is

important to always try, never to give up and to use mistakes to

make things better. I intend to carry on encouraging

transparency and championing this message. I am passionate

about the development of the whole person and believe that

knowing how to do life, bumps and all, is essential not only to

their academic progress, but also their emotional wellbeing. It’s

through these challenges we learn, and our overcoming of these

challenges that makes us stronger. I endeavour to work with

yourselves as parents, carers, and the students themselves, to

make this a reality. I also look forward to celebrating the

accomplishments that will definitely follow.

Year 10

As a form tutor I

have seen my form

make posi t ive

changes to their

a t t i t u d e s t o

learning and their

general attitude

around school. I

am proud of how

their attendance and punctuality has

improved and how they have remained

focused in lessons (just look at all the

achievement points they have amassed…!).

Which is why I am thrilled to be a part of

the Year 10 Achievement Director team in

September. I am looking forward to

working with a much bigger "tutor group"

with whom I can guide towards GCSE

success and watch develop into mature

young adults, ready for life beyond school.

Year 11

Year 11 is an

important year and

I would like to take

this opportunity to

reassure you that

we work tirelessly

to ensure all

year 11 students

achieve the very

best, allowing them to progress to their next step in education.

Throughout Year 11, we aim to build students’ self-confidence

by recognising their successes and achievements. Equally, we

want to continue to develop independent learning skills,

identifying what students need to progress and formulating

personal action plans to make this happen. It is essential for

students to listen and put in place the guidance from subject

teachers and mentors so they can walk into every exam

confidently.

Below are some of the important dates for Year 11 students:

Year 11 welcome evening: Thursday, 21 September

Getting the Grade Evening: Thursday, 9 November

Mock exams: Week Beginning Monday, 4

November for two weeks

Parents’ evening: Thursday, 11 January

Getting the Grade Evening: Thursday, 22 March

Summer exams begin: Monday, 07 May

In September you will receive a detailed plan of all the

interventions available for year 11 students throughout the year,

as well as more information on the evenings listed above. I look

forward to working with you and your child to help them achieve

the very best.

Post 16

Over the last

half term, Year

12 have been

preparing for

the world of

work. They have

completed at

least one week

in a work placement, organised by themselves. The placements

varied from primary schools to charities, and supermarkets to

pest control. They all received positive feedback from their em-

ployers and all participants felt they had developed their skills

for work.

We said goodbye to our Year 13s this half term, many of whom

will be starting their degrees at a range of universities, or

undertaking quality apprenticeships in September. We are

expecting some excellent results and we wish them all the best

for the future.

Art

Exhibition

GCSE

and

BTEC

Level 2/3

PE Kit

Before the next academic year begins, we would like to take this

opportunity to remind parents/carers of our PE kit expectations.

Students participate in at least one lesson of PE a week, either

indoors or outside. Please ensure your child has the correct PE

kit in school on the timetabled days. Thank you to those children

who consistently wear the correct PE kit during lessons.

Please could we remind you that it is essential for all students to

wear appropriate kit for their PE lessons. The purpose of our PE

uniform is:

Personal hygiene and safety.

Increasing students’ sense of pride and belonging – both

in PE lessons and when representing the school.

Provide an image that does not replicate that of other

local secondary schools

During PE lessons, students are not allowed to wear jewellery of

any kind, including watches, necklaces and earrings; these must

be removed and can be safely secured during lessons.

Kit should include:

Navy sports polo with Aylesbury Vale Academy logo.

AVA navy tracksuit bottoms.

AVA navy shorts.

Suitable trainers.

AVA rain jacket/jumper.

*Leggings and hoodies are not to be worn during any PE

lessons.

If students fail to bring in their kit (or the correct kit), they will be

expected to borrow spare kit and complete a 15 minute break

or lunchtime detention with their subject teacher. If a student

refuses to wear the spare kit or this becomes a persistent issue,

then a one hour detention will be set with the Senior Leadership

Team. All orders and further details including prices and sizes

can be found via the link on the school website (http://

www.pbuniformonline.com/).

By having high expectations and clarity, our standards remain

high, we reduce opportunities for distraction and support our

students in how they present themselves. We thank you for your

continued support. It is clear from our improvements that

working together to support our students continues to be a

strength of the school.

Please feel free to contact Miss Fuller in the PE Department if

you have any further queries.

Miss L Fuller, Curriculum Leader, PE

Daytona 60 by Joseph Wright 6th Form

Racing has always been a passion of mine. Watching and

competing. Luckily for me, on Saturday 8th July, I was able to get

behind the wheel of a Kart in an hour long race at Daytona

Milton Keynes with two friends – one of which, a professional

Endurance Kart racer. As I had never raced outside in a kart

before, the team suggested I had most of the 15 minute

practice/qualifying session to learn the kart and the track.

After suiting up and getting the helmet and gloves on, I got into

the kart and headed towards the exit of the pit lane. I was

immediately held up behind a number of karts, so I was thrown

into the deep end on my first lap.

Running at speeds of over 35 miles an hour along the back

straight, it was very scary when I felt the kart start to skid through

the very fast left hander. The brakes felt soft, so the kart was not

in good shape. Dealing with the issues, I had ten very fun

minutes of practice before heading back into the pit lane and

handing the kart over to Hazard. Dillon got into the kart in the

final few minutes and put the kart onto second on the grid – 3

seconds faster than my practice laps.

As the 60 minute session began, Dillon shot off from the line

and immediately challenged for the lead. He pushed too hard,

however and lost about 2 seconds from the race leaders. After

his 20 minutes were up, we signalled him into the pits, at which

point he was 2.5 seconds off of the race leader. He pulled the

kart up, and I jumped in – a driver swap of just 3 seconds (the

second fastest driver swap was 9 seconds long). This however,

was because I decided to keep the kart in the same condition as

Dillon had it – with pedals very close to the seat and a booster

seat to ensure he was held in the kart. Because Dillon is about

three quarters of my height, it meant that my legs were not at the

correct position, and for my 20 minutes of running, I kept on

having my knees thrown into the side of the wheel and the edge

of the kart, leaving multiple large bruises. The booster seat also

meant that I sat at least 30cm taller than any of the other drivers

– which when coming along the back straight meant I had to

lean down just to get the speed up.

On my opening lap of the 20 minute stint, I spun the kart on the

sharpest and hardest corner of the track. Annoyed with myself, I

pushed too hard and binned it again the following lap. After

passing the pit lane, I saw my team telling me to calm down and

keep it within my limits. Following that, I did not spin again –

although I got close to a number of walls. The scariest moment

of my race came about 10 minutes in, through a very tight, yet

fast right handed corner. I was running at about 25mph when I

hit a bump in the track, that sent me to the outside of the track,

picking up speed to about 30mph, when I scraped the barrier –

my body being thrown to the left, but luckily I lost no time, and

continued on without coming off the accelerator – although this

did badly hurt my left knee.

After my stint, I was signalled into the pit lane by my team, and

again another fast driver swap of 5 seconds as Hazard jumped

into the kart. I found out due to the spins I had lost 30 seconds

to the leaders, however was remaining very consistent in my

laps, with two laps being just 0.001 seconds apart. Hazard was

able to keep the kart together in the final stint, and we crossed

the line in second, the only other kart on the lead lap. We

finished ahead of third by 3 laps.

Podium celebrations and a bite to eat ended an amazing day,

but I was also glad to hear I will be going back there for a 90

minute race in August, as well as testing for an official racing

team at the end of the Season in preparation for next year.