Sir Robert Woodard AcademySummer 2013 Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers

The summer holiday is just around the corner and with the glorious weather we are experiencing there is a feeling

of optimism and excitement in that we may, after the greyness of recent years, enjoy a sunny and hot summer holiday. That is no different to the feeling of optimism that is felt within the Academy at the moment. Things are happening and this is well illustrated by our last newsletter for this academic year; and what a bright and sunny edition it is!

It is a bumper edition and its content reflects the tremendous amount of dedicated work by all the staff and the fantastic contributions and achievements of our students. Recently, we have been involved in a number of highly successful events which have included the Lower School Celebration Evening; the hosting of the Electric Storm Youth concert, a tremendous fundraising evening of music which celebrated the musical talents of the Sompting and Lancing community; a visit to Boulogne by a group of Year 7 students; several inter-chapter competitions; a production of ‘The Robin Hood Files’; plus an energised, early morning ‘Business and Friends Breakfast’ attended by staff, students and representatives of the local business community.

During the holiday period there will be several projects carried out, ably led by our Site Manager Darren West. These include the relocation of the Learning Resource Centre, a move that will provide a much larger and improved space for SRWA’s multitude of books and other resources. Our entrance foyer will be transformed through the display of some of our students’ art and technological creations. Indeed, the whole building will soon be adorned by works of art as we enter into a new era of celebrating and sharing our students’ artwork. Finally, the long awaited work on establishing the school field and landscaping the land that borders the A27 will also be completed.

I would also like to pass on my best wishes to those staff that are leaving us this term. The Revd James di Castiglione is departing to become the Parish Priest for Ashington. We wish him and his family every success and happiness in their new role within the community. Revd James’s work has been instrumental in further embedding the role of Chaplain within SRWA. Indeed, a recent Woodard Inspection applauded the Revd James’s ‘clear and coherent vision’. Several other staff are also departing for new posts and experiences, both in Britain and abroad, they include; Cait Gillman (English), Chris Marsh (History), Amrita Balkhu (RE), Mark Fairbanks (English), David Banwell (Construction), and Samantha Norris (English). We are also saying farewell to one of our Assistant Principals, Derek Donaldson, who will be heading up the Science Department in another West Sussex school. I am sure you will join with me in wishing them all the very best for the future!

We have a number of new staff joining the team in September, some highly experienced, whilst others are at the beginning of their teaching career. What they all bring is a passion for education and ensuring students are able to realise their full potential. Some, such as former member of staff Dick Bryant, return to carry out a specific task whilst others are looking to establish themselves as professionals and make a positive contribution to our mission of becoming an ‘outstanding’ school. Many staff currently within the Academy will be taking on new roles and we extend our good wishes to them too. Full details concerning staffing will be published on our website.

I would like to inform you that the Academy re-opens in the autumn for new Year 7 and Year 12/13 students on Wednesday 4th September 2013. On Thursday 5th September, ALL students should arrive at 8.50am and report directly to their Mentor Rooms.

Finally, I would like to offer special thanks to our committed team of staff, who have persevered throughout the year and especially since my arrival in April. They have demonstrated that they are truly professional and have embraced the change in leadership and the many initiatives instigated with energy and determination. As this newsletter demonstrates, there is a great deal happening. I would also like to thank all of our community for their support and encouragement over the past 12 weeks, wish you all an enjoyable summer, and look forward to working with you in the new academic year.

Peter MidwinterPrincipal

Performing Arts Dance Department

Fifteen members of the SRWA Dance Company performed at the Red Cross ‘Dance make your move’ Competition on Saturday 8th June. The dancers had worked extremely hard since Easter rehearsing a challenging performance based on the 2011 Japan Tsunami. The dancers looked at the moments before, during and after the disaster struck, exploring emotions one would go through in their bid for survival in such terrifying circumstances. The dancers cascaded,

collapsed, collided with each other in a physical response to the stimuli and the amazing work the Red Cross do to help those in need. The Judges were impressed with their performance and awarded the Company with the ’Best Spirit of Dance award’; which highlights how enthusiastic and dedicated they were. The event was also held to raise awareness amongst young people of the importance of supporting such charities as the Red Cross.

The Dancers worked hard collectively to raise money managing a grand total of £147.50 which resulted in them winning a Bronze fundraising award. The dancers were extremely professional and were fantastic role models for the Academy.

Miss Warren and Miss Lawlor

The Robin Hood Files 18th – 21st June

As we come to the end of a long year in which so much has happened, so many changes have been made and we have seen so much progress in so many areas of the Academy, it was a sheer delight to sit in the Alan Strong theatre and laugh, and laugh!

The students involved in the production of The Robin Hood Files excelled themselves in the best production yet. It is difficult to imagine how this might have been possible given the high standards that recent shows have set, but they have. Everywhere you looked on the stage you could see a young person growing in confidence, already a head taller than they were last year. All of those who have been in other productions looked like they belonged on the stage – so focussed were they and so self-possessed, rising to the challenge of comedy like seasoned professionals. And all of the new faces looked so safe, surrounded by their new friends and fellow professionals.

The technical team behind the scenes is growing by the day. In their own right, these young people deserve praise for the slickness with which every scene change and lighting and sound cues were executed. The costumes, the set and even the front of house all saw the skills of the students blossoming. The staff involved: James Reynolds, Wendy Prendergast and Jo Lawlor deserve huge thanks for their commitment and drive to make this happen. Bel Venn deserves a forest full of medals for her endless energy, creativity, drive and passion.

As the audience left the theatre with aching cheeks and stitches in their sides, every one of them was proud to have been there. Our students were magnificent.

Mr WilliamsDirector of Performing Arts

Skoolfest - ‘Retro South’

Academy students; Shaun (Year 10), William (Year 8) and Felix (Year 9) formed rock band ‘Retro South’.

Retro South competed at S’koolFest on 22nd May at the Worthing Pavilion and won the prize of ‘Star Potential’. There were 24 acts from around the region with six prizes up for grabs. The band performed to a huge crowd and were well received.

Since then Retro South have been given the opportunity to play at Shoreham Beach Dreams Festival which was on the 9th June.

Mr LeLean

Art Competition to ‘Celebrate Diversity’

This competition was between local primary and secondary schools in the area with the work being showcased at the International Neighbours Festival at Shoreham Civic Centre on Saturday 22nd June. The Festival was opened by Alison Lapper MBE who also presented the prizes to the top three places.

At the Academy we ran the competition during PDC to promote diversity in the community and it was offered to Year 8 and 9 students who had to produce an A4 or A3 poster celebrating diversity in the community in all its forms. The students used inks, collage, digital design and drawing.

The following students from the Academy attended the festival in Shoreham and were awarded prizes:

Charlotte Leyton, 8CMC - awarded 3rd placeChristy Carew, 9CP - awarded highly recommendedGeorge Eccleston, 8AG - awarded highly recommended

They were presented with their certificates and any relevant prizes from local artist, Alison Lapper MBE, who was the special guest at this year’s festival.

Miss Pigg

SRWA Collaboration with Brighton University

Brighton University Faculty of Arts are in the initial stages of planning an exciting new project for the next academic year and will be collaborating with our Sixth Form students on the project. The project centres around creating an installation at the university’s Grand Parade campus, which the Faculty will be working on with current undergraduate students as well as Sixth Form students from the Academy. The project will enrich students studying a wide range of subjects including: art, design, English, drama and performing arts or construction.

The Project Leader, Anna Deamer, will be teaching University of Brighton students relevant skills including art direction and production design. These students will then be involved, along with Anna, in passing on these skills to the Sixth Form students here at the Academy. Initial planning is for the project to take place during spring term 2014. The Sixth Form students would be invited to take part in five afternoon sessions which will be based at the university. The sessions will involve students undertaking their own design projects comprising script breakdown, sketching, simple technical drawing and model making. These are all transferrable skills that they could use on a school show/event/concert/music gig if they wanted to. All students would give a design presentation during the last session along with the undergraduate students they have been working with.

Miss Pigg

Art

Zumbathon

The 1960’s themed Zumbathon was held on Saturday 22nd June in the Academy Sports Hall. Supported by a core of enthusiastic Zumba lovers, everyone entered into the spirit with 1960's costumes. Live bongos and singing added to the atmosphere as attendees Zumba’d for two hours!

Showtec provided the lighting and Matchdays arrived with energy drinks for everyone to keep them going.

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Lois Doe for leading the Zumbathon and to Shelly Hicks and Fiona Campbell for their tireless organisation.

Mr Williams

We are at the end of the exam season for all students, my message to all students: Good luck to all the GCE-A level students for their results this summer, I will see you on results day and I hope all your hard work will have paid off. The Year 12 AS students went on a trip to Surrey University in June, to experience mathematics in context of real life problems; Mr Jackson lead the trip. Good luck to all the GCSE-level students for their results this summer, I will see you on results day and hope that your hard work will have paid off, a big thank you to all the parents for your support with the various revision events, which were generally very well attended. We have completed the KS3 assessments, for some students their first exam in a main hall. Behaviour and attitude going into these tests was a real credit to all involved, however we still need to ensure all students are fully equipped. The tests are now marked and grading has been provided to all students. These assessments, in conjunction with the work completed throughout the year, will now be taken into account for setting targets in 2013-14. We are expecting another set of improving exam results and aim to build further next year so that we exceed the national average at both GCE and GCSE level. I hope you all have a lovely summer break and enjoy the last series of puzzles. Did you get the last ones right?

Mr Redmayne

SRWA Mathematics Specialism

Mr Redmayne’s Conundrums:

Question 1Which numbers are increased by 500% when they are squared?

Question 2How many different shapes of isosceles triangles have at least one side of length 2cm and an area of 1cm2?

The answer to the Maths Quiz in the May edition of the Newsletter:-

Easy: S equals 20% of U, and U = 50% of M. If S + U + M = 80, what is S worth?Solution: Let U=1/2M and S=1/10M from above, so that M+1/2M+1/10M=80. Now solve: 16M/10=80, 16M=800, M=50. Therefore U=25 and S=5.

Challenging:

Question 1Find two different ways of expressing 4104 as the sum of two cubes.Solution: If you list all the main cube numbers and then use Trial and Improvement……..15³+9³=4104, 6³+2³=4104

Question 2Emily does not want to admit her age. She says ‘‘I’m 45 years old, if you don’t count Saturdays or Sundays’’. What is Emily’s true age?Solution: Emily is 63 years old…….from 45/5 days per week then times 7 days per week. Question 3The annual distance travelled by Tesco’s lorries is about 68 million miles, equivalent to how many round trips to the moon? (Earth to Moon is approximately 2.4 x 10^5 miles)Solution: Don’t forget this is a return journey and therefore 1 trip is 480,000 miles. So we have 68,000,000/480,000 = 141.666 trips. So about 142 trips! Question 4The diagonals of the faces of a cuboid are, in cm, √45, √52 and 5. What is it’s volume? Solution: From the cube we need to let each side of the cube be a, b, c respectively, so that we can make some simultaneous equations:a²+b²=45, b²+c²=52, a²+c²=25Using Pythagoras---- Hence (a²+b²)+(b²+c²)-(a²+c²) = 72Which leads to 2b²=72……… b²=36 so b=6, then finding a=3 and c=4So volume of cuboid is 72cm

Sport Round-upYear 7 Boys’ Cricket

The Year 7 boys’ cricket team have taken part in a number of fixtures over the past month, with strong performances against Shoreham Academy and Rydon Community College. Dale Stevenson’s 21 not out, included a number of fine strokes and put SRWA within touching distance of Shoreham’s large total.

Kayshaun Marrett has also progressed at a rapid rate since the beginning of the year, and has represented the academy for both Years 7 and 8.

Mr Dales

Girls’ Rounders and Athletics

On Monday 24th June it was the Littlehampton Athletics Competition for KS3 girls, followed by the Years 7, 9 and 10 rounders tournaments at Chatsmore and Davison High School.

Miss Hammersley and Miss Jarman

Health and Public ServicesHealth and Social Care

The Year 10 students went on their first week of work experience on Monday 17th to Friday 21st June. All students were placed in either Nursery Schools or Primary Schools in Shoreham, Lancing, Sompting, Durrington and Worthing. It was a great success with very positive feedback. The placements thought that our students were well prepared, friendly, confident and demonstrated good initiative. The students are due to complete their second week of work experience on Monday 23rd September to Friday 27th September.

Miss Jarman

15th/16th July - Sports Days

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy will be hosting our 2013 Sports Days. Students have the opportunity to represent their chapter across 8 different sports, to suit the skills and attributes of all of our students. All students have been given the opportunity to choose which sports they would best like to take part in. Some students have elected to take on extra responsibilities such as Team Leaders and Captains. In addition, we are working with the English department to provide ‘reporters/commentators’ for the day, and with the Maths department to utilise this opportunity for data analysis.

Students will need their PE kit as follows:

Monday 15th: Years 7 and 8, and athletics participants.

Tuesday 16th: Years 9 and 10.

Students will need suntan lotion, drinks, full PE kit for the sports days, and a positive attitude to work as part of a team! The Sports Days will be supported by the Samba band, kindly provided by the Performing Arts faculty.

Mr Bromley

BTEC Sport

On Wednesday 12th June, some of the level 3 BTEC Sport students attended the ‘Field of Sport’ conference at the University of Brighton. Here they got the opportunity to engage with people who have taken up sport related careers in a wide range of areas. They also had the opportunity to experience practical sessions led by current university students in fitness testing and street surfing.

Those who attended had great fun and highly recommended others going again in the future.

Miss Hammersley

Year 7 – Street Cricket

Eight Year 7 boys made the journey over to The Angmering School for the Boys’ Area Street Cricket competition. The boys made a terrific start to the day with victories over the overall runners up (Angmering) and Downlands. Unfortunately the boys lost their final group game and missed out on the semi-finals by runs scored.

Man of the Tournament- Joe Kinsman

Mr Dales

Brunel Chapter News I have been very proud to be Chapter Head of Brunel this half term as I have been witness to so much of the students’ talents and achievements in and outside of the classroom.

Having been to see The Random Theatrical performance of The Robin Hood Files, I was impressed by all the students involved. I was especially thrilled to see such a high number of Brunel students demonstrating their talent and passion for the performing arts, many of which I had not yet alluded too. The students took on multiple roles, Matthew played a sensitive green legged Robin Hood, Edgars Kaminskis played a cute Dobby the house elf contrasting that with a very evil Gollum. Megan Phillips demonstrated her talent in dance, but also cross dressing as a very convincing Sheriff of Nottingham. Thomas Nulty and James Stevens, at many times a very funny double act, were joined by Guy Alford and Kieran Neal for hilarious dancing and Kieran has now convinced us all that there are other reasons why orange revels are everybody’s favourite. Mel Zaft played a gracious romantic lead, Caleb Eppy was David of Doncaster, Holly Harwood and Dennis Bowyer were guards, Dennis coming to a gruesome end. Danushka Dooraree was unimpressed with dinner, Charlotte Chenery played an elegant backing singer, Simon Alford took on responsibilities as front of house, but was also featured as the voice of Hilar. Zak Sharpe showed his unending flexibility for roles as well as the ability to do tricks with a pair of glasses taking on the role of Little John 2. I leave my last mention for Charlee Boniface, who had me crying with laughter throughout the performance with every role he played. I congratulate them all and eagerly await the next production.

Scarlett Jones, a student also dedicated to the performing arts has been in a production of CATS with the City Youth Theatre in Hove which was on Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th June at The Old Market, Brighton.

Over the half term break Caleb Livous played in a tournament with Barnham Trojans Football Club and came 4th in the age category above his own. Brunel students who are travelling abroad to take part in football tournaments; Jack Sutton is due to play in a football tournament in France and Ben Mason is also due to play in Holland. I hope that they do well and that they succeed in their ambitions.

Brunel did very well in the Family Maths Challenge. Danushka Dooraree and Harry Cheal were awarded Bronze certificates, Bethany Cheung Silver and Jonty and Curtly Orford both achieved Gold awards. Curtly was also ranked highest in year as well as in the Academy.

This half term we sadly say farewell to the Year 11s. As a thank you to the Prefects 2012-13, I took them to the Harvester, they were wonderful company and brought me beautiful flowers. I will miss them very much and I wish them all the very best with their future endeavours. Good Luck to all Brunel Year 11s, work hard and strive for your best this is just the beginning of a journey full of opportunities and I look forward to seeing those of you continuing at the Academy next year.

Miss RoycroftBrunel Chapter Head

Curie Chapter News Meeting Ellie Simmonds at Splashpoint

On Thursday 20th June 2013, twelve students from Curie joined Miss Arnold to go to the new Splashpoint Leisure Centre to meet World Record Holder and four times Gold Medal Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds.

We had the opportunity to ask Ellie any questions to do with her swimming career. Zach broke the ice with the first question – ‘Who inspired you to be a swimmer when you were younger?’ and others followed in his footsteps. After the Q and A session we had a group photo taken and then we had photos taken in school groups. Zach and Jordan managed to get seats right next to Ellie so when we had our SRWA photos taken we were all able to hold one of her gold medals from the London Paralympic Games.

Ellie was very kind and answered all questions honestly.

She is an inspiration to all of us as she has achieved so much at such a young age. She makes us very proud to be British.

By Elanor Francis and Hope Bridle, 6th form students

Years 12 and 13 3D Design Exhibition

On Thursday 23rd May the post 16 internet café played host to the Year 12 and Year 13 3D Design exhibition. The exhibition was curated and hosted by the Year 13s who took it upon themselves to promote the work they had produced over the two-year course in order to meet one of their grading criteria.

The exhibition contained work from various projects, including Ipod Docks, folding chairs, sculptural works, and children’s toys. At the centre of the exhibition was Connor Lane’s public sculpture, a series of chrome steps spiralling upwards and suddenly stopping, representing the earth’s industrialisation and raising questions regarding its future. Other points of interest were Tom Jannece’s and Josh Wheels’ light shades which would not have looked out of place in high-end boutique shops and Nathan Smith’s side table/stool which incorporated recycled items to try and promote the idea of re-use rather than refuse. Jenni Readman, the Sixth Form Chapter Head commented on

the high quality and variety of work on show “I think the array of design on show is outstanding, the quality of finish and interesting use of materials and manufacturing techniques on show really amazes me. The Sixth Formers who have been involved, should be incredibly proud of their

achievements”.

To view the work created on the level 2 and level 3 BTEC 3D Design course visit the Academy website and click on gallery.

Mr O’Brien

Mandela Chapter News Farewell to Year 11s

The Mandela Chapter has felt quieter over the last month or so as gradually the Year 11 students finished their GCSE exams and wrapped up those final bits of coursework. However the commitment to their studies in attending revision sessions after school and at the weekend has been admirable and I am sure they will reap the rewards when the results come out in August.

I feel in this newsletter it is worth sharing some of the pictures that capture the teamwork, fundraising and support to fellow students they have shown throughout this academic year.

100% Attendance

Well done to the following Year 11 Mandela students who achieved 100% attendance throughout this academic year:

Sam LisneySine Sibanda Martha FranksLewis Backus

These students have been rewarded with gift vouchers and there are many other Mandela students across the other year groups on track for some prizes for their impressive attendance records.

Future Rock Stars?

Mandela Student, Will has been keeping his band mates in perfect rhythm, while picking up some awards on the way.

The band calling themselves ‘Retro South’ is made up of Will, Shaun and Felix. The band have been together for less than a year and started off playing cover songs but now work together to write their own material. It is a great example of students from different chapters working together to achieve success. Although it is universally accepted of course, that the drummer (Will) makes any band, therefore a lot of the credit must go to Mandela!!

More information can be found on Retro South under the Performing Arts page.

Mr LanganMandela Chapter Head

Year 11 Student Ben covered in fake blood and make-up to inspire one of his fellow students, Sydney Hodgson, to complete her GCSE Art coursework. The theme was ‘ordinary and extraordinary’ and Sydney decided to complete a project on ‘the undead’.

Ben offered this support during a weekend which highlights the great lengths the Mandela students have gone to, to support each other in their studies.

Mandela Inter-Chapter Basketball Team

Year 11 student, Curtis helping to put together the Mandela penny line for charity.

Roddick Chapter News It has been another brilliant term for Roddick Chapter both within the Academy and out in the local community.

• Roddick overall attendance rate has been excellent achieving 96% for the week beginning 10th July 2013.

• Roddick had a full house of entries in the LRC General Knowledge Quiz (no.3) with every Roddick tutor group returning a result. The overall champion for Quiz 3 was Roddick student, Joshua Baker 10AP, who scored an impressive 20 in total.

• A number of Roddick students took part in the Art Project sponsored by Marks & Spencer, with support from the artist Steve Geliot, to make sculptures of the South Downs. The sculptures will be on display at the Marks & Spencer Holmbush store and then in the Academy. The Roddick students involved included: Emily Smart, Alisha Murphy, Claire Rycraft, Emma Tulett, Ryan Mander and Leah Anderson New.

• Christy Carew 9CP achieved the prize of ‘highly recommended’ in the “Celebrate Diversity” Poster competition for the International Neighbours Festival that took place in Shoreham. The poster that was produced as part of a PDC lesson beat competition from neighbouring schools and she was presented with a certificate by Alison Lapper MBE.

• Ginny Goldsmith 9CD took part in the Academy Zumbathon which helped raise money for the Performing Arts summer tour.

• Both Brandon Joseph-Buadi 10AP and Kofi Joseph-Buadi 9CD play football for Portsmouth Youth Yeam and have been selected to continue next year, which is fantastic news.

• Kane Butcher 8PO plays for Worthing Dynamos under 13 team and the weekend of 22nd June he was in an international football tournament in France playing against teams from all around the world.

• Lauren Neal 9CD cycled in the London to Brighton bike ride helping to raise approximately £300 for the British Heart Foundation. Lauren said it took her seven hours to complete the bike ride.

• Mattheus Angell 9CD performed at Worthing Pavilion as part of the KC Dance Group with ticket sales going towards local charities.

• Shane Stagg 9CD, as part of the ATC Worthing Cadets, has passed the National Navigation Award Scheme and is now qualified to teach both children and adults to map read and go on expeditions.

• Louis Odile 8PO helped the Lancing Community Group with a litter pick on the local South Downs.

• Flynn Slaughter 8IS won 1st prize at the Westgate Skate Park, Eastbourne Scooter competition in June and his prize includes free-parts and sponsorship!

Mrs ShrimptonRoddick Chapter Head

Dickens Chapter News

Dickens won the Inter-Chapter Dance competition in May. Those in the winning team were: Jaime-Leigh, Madeleine, Lewis, Alexandra, Natasjha, Tamsin and Jade.

Dickens won last term’s merit prize again gaining the most merits in the Academy. They look set to win the prize at the end of term if they continue to gain merits at their current rate – even with Dickens having fewer students than in any other chapter!

Alexandra Butterfill was the first student to receive Platinum status in the merit awards scheme. She was awarded in assembly with a certificate and £15 ‘love to shop’ voucher as her reward. Very well done. An excellent achievement.

Several Year 7 students went on the school trip to Boulogne in June.

It was a fabulous day full of adventure and excitement! The students were amazed at the size

of the Nausicaa Sea Life Centre and at the variety of underwater wildlife they discovered, including penguins, seahorses, seals, sharks and even crocodiles! They really embraced France, especially the ones that bought different coloured berets and then wore them for the whole day!

It was the perfect trip for them to experience the Humanities subjects of History, French and Geography in the real world!

An article by Codie Levett, 7CLF can also be found under “SRWA trips”.

Ms NultyDickens Chapter Head

Lewis, Madeleine, Jaime-Leigh, Natasjha, Tamsin, Alexandra and Jade, mentored by Kai Gillett (6th form)

Dickens students, loving the berets!

Nightingale Chapter News Superstar Simon

‘Superstar Simon’ this was the headline in the Help for Heroes magazine - Heroes edition 13. Simon leaves the chapter this year but for the past few years has shown incredible dedication to the charity running numerous events such as sponsored walks and merchandise sales, raising over £2500.

Attendance

Nightingale have really increased their effort towards improving attendance over the last 5 weeks. The chapter has moved from 90% attendance at the start of May to over 95% for the last 4 weeks peaking at 96% in the week of 10th June.

There have been 4 weekly winners of the attendance prize and they are Lauren Sinfield 10MA, Lewis Foord 8CMC, Kelly-Jean Bergh 8CMC, and Vanessa-Mae Watson 9NH. This means that in the Nightingale draw for the Kindle, there are over 230 names, some students with 4 entries because of excellent attendance.

In the chapter we currently have 8 students who have 100% attendance since the start of the year and they should be congratulated, they are in the running for a much larger prize and reward, these students are Lewis Foord, Nathan Stapleton, Shaun Williams, Ben Hornbuckle, Michael Shillingford, George Villiers, Ashley Grice and Jack Prior.

Congratulations on an excellent effort.

Inter-Chapter Dance Competition

Congratulations to the Nightingale students who performed in the Dance competition and for coming second overall with an energetic dance to Fame. Thank you to the Dance Leader, Lucy Attwell, who was also a previous senior student in Nightingale for leading and choreographing the dance.

The dancers were, Jade 9NH, Devon 9KHA, Sammy 10MA, Wiktoria 9NH, Amy-Jane 8CMC and also dancing was Ellie 8PW.

Well done!

Preparation for Sports Days

As current sporting champions the chapter are busy preparing for the sports days on 15th and 16th July and I wish them well and to play with all their heart to ensure that we remain the champions.

Assembly Themes on the Nightingale Values

I have been very proud of the tutor groups that have presented their values in assemblies recently. 8PW presented on our value of honesty and the whole tutor group contributed to role play, research and an animation on their thoughts about this value.

8CMC presented the value of self discipline, investigating what this means for them and setting challenges for the chapter to show self discipline. I particularly liked the short term gratification vs long term reward challenge where students were given sweets and told not to eat them, those who didn’t, received further rewards later in the assembly.

Well done to all the students who have shown courage to stand in front of the chapter and the effort and research that has gone into each assembly.

Mr FoxNightingale Chapter Head

Inter-Chapter Dance Competition 2013The first ever Inter-chapter dance competition was held in The Alan Strong Theatre on Monday 20th May. The event was organised and run by five students from the Curie Chapter. Each one was allocated a Chapter and worked with groups from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 to create a piece of dance. The competition was judged by Reverend James, Mr Midwinter, Mrs Morley and Miss Lawlor, who had to consider a range of criteria which included performance, choreography, costume and theme. All groups did very well but the overall winners were Dickens with a piece inspired by the film ‘The Jungle Book’.

Miss Lawlor

Summer Fête 18th May 2013The Performing Arts Summer Fête was a huge success, raising £1500 towards this year’s tour to France.

The 1960s theme was taken to with great gusto as staff, students and visitors dressed in 60s style and had their

faces painted.

The Fête opened with music from the Steel Band. This was followed up with music from the Junior Band, Community Band, a performance from Retro South and then the Orchestra. The entertainment baton was then handed over and Dance took up the entertainment followed by Drama.

Visitors could shop at many craft stalls and take part in age old Fête favourites such as: Tombola, Hoopla and Raffle, which ran alongside the 1960’s Quiz and for those that were hungry a 1960’s diner provided food.

This year’s bunting competition which was open to all schools in the area, was to design a Ukulele in 1960’s style and the four winners received a ukulele with their design on it. The winners were Maddie Dixon (Years 1-3) and Sophia Moulton (Years 4-6) both from Seaside Primary school and Talia Van Houghton (Years 7-9) and Charys Osbourne (Years 10-13) from the Academy.

Miss Redford

SRWA Links with the CommunityI am delighted to be back at the SRWA, albeit on a two day a week basis. Despite being ‘away’ for 18 months, I have kept an eye on developments, and I am now convinced the future is very bright for the whole Lancing and Sompting community. I had two wonderful eight year stints teaching at Boundstone and the Academy, and I can honestly say, that those youngsters I taught were as ‘good’ as any I have taught. Although I have been back a very short while, I am still of the same opinion, and under the leadership of Mr Midwinter, I am confident that the Academy will flourish.

I have had many meetings and discussions with a range of people within the community and I am putting the ‘stepping stones’ together to ensure a closer relationship between us all. The first Business and Friends Breakfast was held on Thursday 11th July, with over 30 people to help ‘kick start’ the vision for the community.

If you would like to know more about this and other community events, please contact me by email at: rbryant@srwa.woodard.co.uk. Dick Bryant

The LSU The Learning Support Unit (LSU) works with small groups of students from Year 8 through to Year 11. The students who access the LSU may need academic or social and emotional support. The students will work as part of a team and are target focused to address weaknesses. The emphasis is on alternative learning and fun.

Recently Mr Midwinter came to introduce himself to the new LSU students and found us using a pack of cards for a maths lesson, so Mr Midwinter showed the students how to play patience. Before he left he challenged the students to be able to complete the card game and beat his all-time record; of 4 piles remaining. Two students have now achieved this by getting down to 3 piles. The simplicity of the game has allowed healthy competition between the group members. It helps students with their concentration, categorising and reading data, in a social context. It also seems to have created a speed challenge amongst some of the students. One simple card game, lots of possibilities.

The LSU Challenge

In an LSU challenge, new students were asked to design an original shield. This was a creative way of introducing themselves to each other and learning something about the other members of the team.

The shield had to display the following success criteria:

At least 3 images.An original motto that they live by or one that inspired them to achieve something important to them.It had to be in colour.Good use of grammar.

The shields were judged by our Brunel Chapter Administrator.

Reece Purnell, 8CC came first. His Shield ‘Family, Friends, Food, Fun’ gave the message of unity, family support and play. It was the only shield to have all of the compulsory elements. Reece’s use of alliteration helped too.

In Second place was Jaadine Hobden, 8CMC. Her ‘YOLO’ shield was judged as having a fun aspect, with the “grab and enjoy life” message. Jaadine’s use of colour clinched her second place.

Mrs Ramshaw

Opening Ceremony of SplashpointOn Thursday 20th June we took several students down to the opening ceremony of Splashpoint leisure centre where they got the opportunity to meet, ask questions of and have pictures taken with Paralympian Ellie Simmonds. Ellie won her first 2 Paralympic Gold medals at the age of 14 in the Beijing Olympics and then went on to achieve another 4 medals, 2 of which are Gold, at the London Games last year. She was a very kind host to our students’ questions and willingly passed around her Gold medals for them to look at and hold. Being so young and having achieved so much she was a real inspiration to our students. She spoke about the commitment and dedication it has taken to achieve her dreams and how her continued success is now a real driving force in helping her stay motivated and enthused by swimming.

The students who attended were:- Jordan, Hope, Arron, Megan, Zach, Ellie, James, Carolina, George, Aaron, Sammy, Michelle, Charlie, and Bryony.

It was a fantastic opportunity and the students and myself all returned to SRWA buzzing from the experience. All students involved were a real credit to the school and have got some brilliant photos to remember the day by!

Ms Arnold

Chaplain’s Corner Twitter: @SRWAchaplaincyjdicastiglione@srwa.woodard.co.uk01903 875504

It has been a wonderful privilege to be Chaplain at the Academy; I leave behind many dear friends, amazing and inspiring students, and a whole heap of treasured memories. Some of those memories I am still recovering from, for example the charity leg-waxing, my best Noel Gallagher impressions, and managing the mighty Year 11 football team!

I wish our new Chaplain, Rev Hadge Hughes, every success and happiness as he takes over in September, and I hope to pop back now and then to see the next steps this fantastic Academy is taking in the journey forwards.

With my love, prayers, and best wishes

Revd James

Long Live Shakespeare

On Wednesday 5th June, the English department welcomed the Quantum Theatre Company to the Academy to give a performance of Shakespeare’s comedy ‘Twelfth Night’ to Year 9 students. The production was an energetic, vibrant and modern version, using music and some slapstick comedy features to draw out the humour. Year 9 were a wonderful and appreciative audience and it was amazing to see students laughing out loud at Shakespeare and spontaneously applauding the very talented actors. It was a rewarding experience for staff and students alike and a real occasion to have live Shakespeare in the Alan Strong Theatre.

Ms GillmanCTL KS3 English

The Woman in Black Theatre Trip

On Tuesday 18th June Year 9 English students travelled to London to watch “The Woman in Black” at the Fortune Theatre.

The students were a delight to be with and judging by their screams, they enjoyed the spine-chilling performance.

We hope it didn’t cause too many sleepless nights!

Ms Harrison

Notre Visite à Boulogne

Year 7 and 8 went to Boulogne for the day by coach and ferry on the 21st June. The best part of the trip was the shopping in the old town of Boulogne because we met new people and we spoke some French. I bought a bright yellow beret and my friends also bought them in different colours, so I think we looked quite French!

We then went to the Nausicaa Sea Life Centre which was really big and had lots of interesting fish. I thought the jelly fish were beautiful because they were very fine and glowing in the water. There were also giant tortoises which were amazing. The seals swam very fast under your feet and all around you as if they were playing.

The food on the ferry was good and it was fun to be with my friends. I think it was a really good day and I would love to go again.

Codie Levett, 7CLF student

SRWA Visits/Trips

LRCThe 6-Up Book Award Update

The LRC hosted the final meeting of the 6-Up Book award group, with Year 6 pupils from Sompting Village, Seaside and The Globe excitedly completing activities based on the storylines from the books as well as voting for their top read from the three shortlisted books. Our Gifted and Talented readers from Year 7 joined in the fun and helped to lead the younger students with the discussions about the books; Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis; The Secret Breakers by Helen Dennis and Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.

The votes were finally counted and… Sky Hawk won by a wide margin and the students were delighted!

Quotes from the Primary schools:“The children have really enjoyed being part of the project and have certainly been introduced to genres and authors that they would not normally choose, which is great. The impact on the rest of the class is good too, in that they have seen these books being read and have shown interest in them too.”

“According to their teachers they rushed into their classes on their return, and were desperate to tell everyone what they had been doing.”

Mrs WatonLRC Manager

Year 10 Skillforce Students Summer Residential Camp

Eleven students from the Year 10 Skillforce cohort attended a 2-night/3-day residential camping trip to Broadstone Warren, East Sussex during May 2013.

The students had been preparing for the trip for several weeks; learning basic map reading and navigation skills, as well as camp craft and field cooking.

After arriving at Broadstone Warren the students split into two groups and completed a 5km orienteering course to practise their map reading skills and to become more familiar with the campsite. The afternoon was spent on the pond at the campsite where the students built improvised rafts using poles, barrels and ropes before sailing across the pond. They all worked hard planning, creating and modifying their raft which was then successfully rowed across the pond completing the task in a very quick time.

After a freshen up, the students then set to build their own shelter to sleep under for the first night with only 2 sheets of tarpaulin and some string, this had to protect them overnight from the elements. They then cooked their own evening meal prior to testing their shelters. Despite a couple of rain showers around 2am, all the students stayed dry and safe and had a good night’s sleep.

The second day involved a full 10 mile walk around Ashdown Forest. The students set off with rucksacks, food, emergency equipment and some maps to complete the route. They experienced the full benefits of fresh country air and completed

the walk by 4pm, feeling exhausted but pleased with their efforts. The highlight for many was stopping for a much deserved ice cream at one of the final checkpoints. That evening they were given the luxury of a cooked BBQ and tents to sleep in before an evening of sports and games.

On the final morning, the students completed 3 activities: team building tasks, sports and pot-holing. Each activity was challenging and relied on the students to work together to solve problems within the specified time. They worked so well that the events staff running the team building tasks were impressed with the speed and skills displayed by all the students.

The trip can be considered a success, as all the students returned home completely worn-out from all the physical activity, but with smiles on their faces having enjoyed many new experiences and activities.

Miss Morley

Academy Information

Follow us and contact us by:-

Telephone: 01903 767434Academy Website: www.srwa.woodard.co.ukEmail: enquiries@srwa.woodard.co.uk

The Results Days for Exams taken in May/JuneResults

GCE results will be issued on:Thursday 15th August 2013Results will be available from Curie Chapter from 10am until 12pm. Entry will be via Curie only.

GCSE results will be available on:Thursday 22nd August 2013Results will be available to collect betweem 10am and 12 noon from The Plaza. Entry will be via Curie Chapter only.

If you cannot collect your results yourself, the person collecting them for you must have a signed note from you authorising them to pick up the results. They should possess some form of photo ID.

After the Results Days, your results will be available from reception, weekdays 9am until 4pm.

Certificates

For the June series of GCE and GCSE exams, certificates are usually available in November. Further information will be posted on the website in the autumn.

If your certificates are not to be collected by you, then the person collecting them must have a signed note from you authorising them to pick up the certificate(s). They should possess some form of photo ID.

Any questions please contact Mr Lamb or Mr Coldham in the Exams Office.

Our Partnership with Ricardo EngineeringIt’s been another busy term with our Ricardo Partnership which is coming to the end of its first year.

Students from Year 9 and 10 were involved in the third and final Ricardo masterclass this month. The focus this time was on renewable energy resources, a major area that Consultant Engineers at Ricardo are

developing. Consulting Engineer Penny Atkins and colleagues from Ricardo, together with Mr Palmer from the science department, guided students in the production of a government proposal to develop a sustainable renewable energy strategy for our future. Drawing on practical challenges such as a wind turbine power problems, and expert advice from Ricardo, our students worked hard in small teams to explore further their understanding of science and engineering.

The Year 7s ended the year with an exciting final Ricardo assembly on aerodynamics. This included Ricardo Engineer, Mike Cranfield and the Academy DT team dropping objects from heights in the theatre to demonstrate drag and basic aerodynamic forces. The students then had a demonstration of wind tunnel testing using airplane fins. In the follow up activity all of the students had a chance to take a basic wooden block and try to apply what they had learned to make an aerodynamic car, which was then tested in mini smoke tunnels.

A messy but rewarding and enjoyable afternoon.

Mr Harkins