regents review spring '15

REGENTS PARK COMMUNITY COLLEGE NEWSLETTER SPRING 2015

Vegetable Art Year 7 Rugby Club

page 15

Visit to Lille

page 13

MAS Gossip

page 6 page 17

Rock ChallengeSee page 4

The Regents Review

The Regents Review Spring 2015

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WELCOME

Headteacher’s WelcomeWelcome to the Spring 2015 edition of Regents Review. Firstly I must thank students, staff and parents for their support during the Headteacher recruitment process and I am proud to be appointed as the permanent Headteacher. I am looking forward to working with all of the Regents Park community to continue the improvements that have been made over the last 18 months. It has been a very successful term for Regents Park and many of the successes are highlighted in this edition of our newsletter. I was immensely proud to be at Rock Challenge and see the school come first! Well done and special thanks go to Mrs Anibaba and Mrs Ballard for leading the team - good luck in the grand final in June.

I was also very pleased that the school’s outstanding results have been recognised nationally by the SSAT (The Schools Network):

‘Regents Park Community College one of the best in the country for student progress at GCSE.’

Regents Park Community College has received national recognition for the value it adds to students’ achievements at GCSE.

SSAT, the Schools, Students and Teachers Network, recently undertook its annual in-depth analysis of official Department for Education data on all state-funded schools in England and identified Regents Park Community College’s success.

The school has qualified for an SSAT Educational Outcomes Award by being in the top 10% of schools nationally for progress made by pupils between their Key Stage 2 results at primary school and their GCSE results at age 16.

The school has been invited to receive their award at a regional celebration ceremony hosted by SSAT at Holland Park School in London on 12 May.

Sue Williamson, Chief Executive of SSAT said:

‘Regents Park Community College should be congratulated for their

exceptional achievement. They have proved themselves to be leading the field in improving GCSE outcomes for their students. There is so much good practice that this school could share, and I hope they will join us at the celebration evening for the chance to network and share strategies with award-winning schools.

‘These results are testament to the commitment and hard work of the students, teachers and leadership team at Regents Park Community College, and show what can be achieved when skilled teachers have high expectations and ambition for every young person. I am proud that this school is a member of the SSAT network.’

I think this is testament to the hard work and commitment of all staff and students at Regents Park.

Finally, I would like wish all of our community a very happy and restful Easter break.

Jonty Archibald Headteacher

Library Hunger Games CompetitionWith all the recent hype surrounding the latest ‘Hunger Games’ film, our librarian decided to host a competition based around the story.

The challenge from the ‘Capitol’ was to create a new game for the tributes to take part in. The competition was open to Key Stage 3 students and their task including a drawing and a written description.

GENERAL NEWS

Mr Archibald judged the entries and the winners were:-

1st Prize Bobbie Miah 8 Branson VO

2nd Prize Crystal Turner-Brightman 9 Parks KO

Runner up Owen Gray 7 Branson CD

Runner up Lauren Williams 8 Branson VO

Runner up Rosie O’Shea 9 Rowling MK

Mrs Andrews, the librarian, would like to say a massive well done to all students that entered.

May the Odds be Forever in Your Favour!


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GENERAL NEWS

‘Dolphin School of Swimming’ Sponsored SwimOn Sunday 1st February, the Dolphin School of Swimming took part in a sponsored swim to raise money for Jane Scarth House, in memory of Jo Warren, who was a longstanding and valued member of staff at Regents Park, and Marie Curie Cancer.

The aim was to cover the distance of the English Channel as a swim school, no matter what the person’s ability or age; all ages from toddlers to grandparents took part. Mr Archibald allowed the swim school to use the pool free of charge in support of the event and the charities supported.

‘The Dolphin School of Swimming’ is run by Di Reed, a member of staff at Regents Park, and she was proud to announce that the team managed to swim all 21 miles (33600 meters/1680 lengths) and have raised £350 so far. Sponsor money is still being collected and the grand total will be announced in the next edition of the Regents Review.

Di would like to thank all of those who took part and also everyone who supported the event.

Unity 101In January, Mr Archibald attended an awards ceremony at the Novotel in honour of outstanding members of the Unity 101 radio station team. Jamie Moran, a Year 11 student and long-standing member of the college show broadcast team, was awarded recognition for her ongoing work presenting the weekly show. As well as being an integral part of the show, she has also been responsible for training new presenters and leading the existing team.

The show is broadcast weekly on Thursdays between 2pm – 3pm and you can listen online at http://unity101.org/listenlive

VIVOsAt the end of last term, all students with 100% attendance were awarded with certificates and badges in special Christmas assemblies. This was also an opportunity to recognise students’ hard word and acknowledge students who had received the ‘Top 10’ VIVO points for achievement, effort and attainment.

Head of Year awards, headteacher awards and badges were also awarded. This was also a chance for achievements in reading to be acknowledged. Prizes included cuddly toys, chocolate and an Ipod shuffle. These were given to students with a high combination of achievement, effort and attendance.

Have you logged on to VIVO to track your achievements? If you have forgotten your password see Mrs Bradley in the lower school office and she will reset it for you.

Parents, are you tracking your child achievements? If you are having problems please let your child’s tutor know.

The following Year 7 students have already earned their silver certificates. This is extremely impressive as they’ve only been collecting VIVOs since September.

Beth Davies, Reeve Edwards, Shanice Geary, Ellie Heath, Deveena Khela, Robyn Langston, Cathy Owens, Evelyn Pybus, Yazmin Simmons, Phoebe Underhill, Annamarie Wilcox.

Year 8 Gold Certificate winners

Bobbie Miah

Lauren Williams

Rhiannon Ford-Bailey


Abigail Flynn

Ajit Digwa

Tshana Wilson

Nathan Clark

Ben Edwards


Alex Horsfall

Amber Dadswell


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GENERAL NEWS

Rock Challenge

On 24th February, approximately 90 students travelled to Southampton Guildhall for the ‘Be Your Best Rock Challenge™’ Day 2 heat. The entry was entitled:

‘Mobile Lovers’

‘Who will save us from the Witch of the Web? Taking over minds, bodies and spirits of our people – her reign shows no sign of slowing down or stopping! Who will avenge the people from this evil? Will we be free to look up, go outside and free our minds?’

The dance showed civilians glued to their phones as they went about their everyday life, whilst an evil Witch controlled them and their addiction to technology. She stopped all human interaction. 4 superheroes were there to save the day, rescuing all of the civilians from their phones. The competition was of a very high standard but after a tense wait, the judges’ decision was shared. RPCC students were overjoyed to discover they had won ‘Awards of Excellence’ in the following categories:

• Visual Enhancement • Concept • Soundtrack • Costuming character • Set design and function • Stage use • Entertainment • Performance skill • Drama • Choreography

Finally, the overall winning school was announced and… 1ST PLACE had been awarded to REGENTS PARK COMMUNITY COLLEGE! Disbelief, happiness and elation followed.

Special thanks to: Miss Jones, Mrs Selfe and Miss Croud for help with costumes, hair and make-up; Mr Marchment, Mr Branford and Mr Makepeace for their help on the day; members of the community who supported by attending fundraising events; Mr Ockwell at the Mayflower Theatre for donating theatre tickets as a prize; the Rotary Club for donating £250 to our entry and the many parents involved. Mrs Anibaba and Mrs Ballard are extremely proud of the students and look forward to accompanying them to the ‘Be Your Best Rock Challenge™ Southern Open Final A’, which takes place on 18th June 2015 at Portsmouth Guildhall.

Students, parents and teachers are welcome to come along and support the dancers.

Music Lessons – Sign Up TodayDid you know the Music Department has vacancies for small group or individual lessons on:

• Woodwind (saxophone, clarinet, oboe and flute)

• Brass (trumpet, baritone, euphonium, trombone)

• Strings (violin, viola, cello and bass)

• Guitar (acoustic, electric and bass)

• Piano and percussion instruments (drum kit)

• Vocal lessons (singing)

The lessons are very reasonably priced and delivered by professional musicians. If you’re interested in finding out more and getting involved, come along to M1 and see Mr. Barron for more details.

Eco NewsOver the last 18 months, we have been lucky enough to have had a willing volunteer in the form of John Hopkins. He has been working in the school grounds on a Thursday and we would like to say a big thank you to him for his hard work. His tireless work is evident in the clean playgrounds, weed-free garden beds and trimmed hedgerows. John has also helped with the development of the pond area by assisting with the clearing and digging prior to the re-planting programme. If anyone else would like to join John, please contact Suzi Hoskins through the main school office.


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GENERAL NEWS

Year 7It is difficult to believe it has only been two terms since Year 7 were welcomed into the Regents Park community. During that time, Mr Sinclair has got to know many of the students in his year group as individuals. He has been delighted to learn that the year group is full of talented musicians, singers, swimmers, writers, artists, mathematicians, designers and more. It has been an enjoyable experience for him to see students develop, not just academically, but in all areas.

Students that have been nominated to represent the year group as part of the College Council are beginning to find their voices and have been doing a great job of helping to shape college life.

The month of February saw the whole of Year 7 sitting the first of many exams that they will take during their school life. No doubt the experience was daunting and presented a challenge after only 18 weeks at secondary school.

Having said that, it is the school’s responsibility to do their utmost to prepare students for their final exams in just over four years time. In terms of academic progress, Mr Sinclair was pleased that many students are on course to meet or exceed their challenge targets, and in fact a few students – in a number of subjects – have already achieved this. Mr Sinclair and his team will be looking forward to challenge these students further to ensure they continue to strive to improve their grades.

Most students have managed to achieve 500 VIVO reward points and some have even achieved their silver (1000) award. Check out the ‘General News’ section of this newsletter to see which of the students are racing ahead in this area.

There are a number of exciting trips coming up for Year 7. Students studying French will have an opportunity to visit Boulogne for a day. There may be availability for students studying Spanish to attend this trip too. More details will follow from the Languages Department.

At the end of the academic year, students will be invited to visit Marwell Zoo. Visits to Marwell Activity Centre will also be on offer and students will be able to enjoy activities such as canoeing/kayaking, climbing and raft building. Letters for these trips will be sent home with students shortly.

Mr Sinclair would like to say well done to all Year 7 for a fantastic start.

Mr Sinclair, Head of Year 7

Year 8Year 8 have enjoyed a successful start to 2015. They’ve shown dedication and commitment, especially during the Year 8 exam week, which took place in January. The purpose of this week was to provide a clear view of each students’ level across subjects and to track just how far they had progressed.

Notably, different curriculum areas were encouraged to see students achieving a large number of top levels. This was fantastic to see. The highlights included:

• Awab Abbasi was commended by Miss Dunn in History for his fantastic work.

• 8GX had fantastic results in Mathematics and were praised by Miss O’Leary with positive phone calls home.

• Elwira Kilichowska and Mia Earle also received congratulations for their incredible level 8s in Art!

Miss Hocking would like to take this time to congratulate all students on their maturity and hard work during this time.

Last term’s tutor competition was fiercely competitive amongst all tutor groups. Each task used a variety of skills and talents from designing video games to rapping and costume making! In the end it was a close win but congratulations go to Branson VO who won with an impressive 45 points! Miss Hocking is looking forward to starting the competition back up after February half term to see who will win next.

Year 8 attendance has been consistently positive, averaging at 95.12%. The year group must continue to strive higher and the aim is now to average 96%. Incredibly, Year 8 has maintained a high number of 100% attendees; 30 in total!

Year 8’s have also been keen fundraisers this year. Already over £100 has been given to chosen charity, ‘Young Carers Project’, supporting children whose lives are affected by caring for an unwell or disabled family member. Student representatives are currently organising the next fundraising activity for the summer term.

Overall, Miss Hocking is very proud of her year group for their overall behaviour and attitude to learning. This term has seen the first gold VIVO certificate winners. Read more about this in the ‘General News’ section.

Miss Hocking, Head of Year 8


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GENERAL NEWS

Mrs Neale – acting Head of Year 9 – is enjoying the role since stepping in for Miss Cooper in November. She said, ‘I am very proud of our students. Oh, and speaking of Miss Cooper, she gave birth to a lovely boy in January. Mother and son are doing well’.

Mrs Neale, Head of Year 9

Year 10Year 10 have had a great start to 2015 and to KS4 in general. It is a huge leap for a young person to go from KS3 into the world of examinations and controlled assessments. It’s fair to say that Year 10 have already seen themselves taking part in a steep learning curve and many have really found their feet. It has been a great pleasure for Mr Holloway and his team to see them mature and realise the importance of the next two years of their school careers.

Praise has been heaped upon Year 10 in many subjects recently and a few students have really shone in Art, History, Science and English. It has been noted, in particular, that the way they have approached and completed their controlled assessments has been terrific.

Well-done Year 10!

In addition to their academic progress there has been a lot of excellent extra curricular achievement. This week, five Year 10 boys, who had won their heat, represented themselves on the Premier League Enterprise Challenge. This challenge was held across all of the Premier League football clubs.

Our group had to present their idea for how to raise family ticket sales to a panel of four judges including the Financial Director and Sales and Marketing Manager of Southampton Football Club. Not only that but they had to do it in front of 50 other students from schools across Southampton. They presented excellently and handled the judges questions with confidence. They are a real credit to the school.

In addition, nine Year 10 boys and girls have volunteered to participate in the Bond Dickinson mentoring scheme. The students are teamed up with a mentor and meet monthly at their offices in town. There they are put through a series of challenges and team building tasks in order to discover more about working environments, how to write a great C.V., social skills and career opportunities.

Some students are also involved in the Southampton University’s ‘Learn with US’ project. The Year 10 ‘Learn with Us’ programme is a themed two day intensive research

Year 9As this newsletter goes to press, Year 9s are planning their options for GCSE. The choices they make are so important, shaping the paths they take after Year 11. On February 12th, Options Evening took place and around 80% of parents and students were in attendance.

The aim of this evening was to provide parents with the chance to speak with teachers and curriculum leaders about their child’s choices.

The Year 9 subject review evening in January was very successful, too, with a turnout of 66%. If you missed the evening, feel free to call and arrange a meeting with your child’s tutor. The support of parents is vital and much appreciated.

At the end of last term, our ‘Girl Talk’ programme, workshop sessions devoted to self-awareness, healthy approaches to relationships and general well-being came to an end. All those that attended the sessions were keen to report on how useful and enjoyable they found them. The sessions were provided by the NHS and were aimed at small groups of Year 9 students. This term, the sessions have been run for boys and, once again, the feedback has been very positive.

Students are becoming more and more involved in the creation of our weekly assembly. Last week a group of our Most Able Students (MAS) gave an engaging and creative presentation on ‘gossip’ and how destructive it can be. As you can see from the image, the students were really inspired; several have come to ask me if they could do the next one.

This level of enthusiasm is wonderful, and it’s reflected in behaviour across the cohort. Looking at the ‘Behaviour Log’ for February, for example, there were 23 incidents, the majority of which were low level disruption – there were no high level incidents.


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GENERAL NEWS

challenge that gives students the opportunity to develop their presentation, teamwork and research skills. The students will take part in a presentation skills and effective communication workshop before being given research time guided by student mentors. The project will culminate in a competition between schools, which will then be judged by University research staff.

As one of the cohorts with the highest targets in recent years, the expectations of Year 10, as a year group, is high. With the positive attitudes currently displayed by most students towards their studies, there is a great chance that the year group will be successful. As Year 10 mock exams are fast approaching, Mr Holloway would like to wish his year group the very best of luck and leave them with a thought:

‘There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from mistakes’.

Mr Holloway, Head of Year 10

Year 11As Year 11 come to the end of their penultimate term at Regents Park, Miss Bishop is keen to acknowledge their success in 2015 so far.

Eleven years of school is coming to an end for Year 11 and they are excited, but nervous for the next chapter. Almost all students have applied and been accepted for colleges around the city and further afield to start the next stage of their education.

On the 20th January, all Year 11s had a mock results assembly. Students were given the chance to see how the summer results day will run and what their grades could look like. Students were asked if they were happy and whether they would be able to get in to college with their grades. Students were also asked the question, ‘what if you got one grade higher- would this be better?’ 100% of the students agreed. We really do have the time to get one grade higher now; students were talked through the opportunities in school and how they could make this happen.

This year numerous assemblies have been run by colleges coming in to talk about what they are offer students. Year 11 have found this useful and have had other opportunities from Sir Richard Tauntons College to have taster sessions of subjects such as: Criminology; Psychology; Public Services and Law.

Weekly visits from Sir Richard Tauntons have taken place this year in support of Year 11 and the college application process. Students have found this easier than going out of

school for interviews as it has been less daunting.

Year 11s attendance is also very high, currently at 95.15% and the push is on towards maintaining last year’s attendance. This is the best attendance Year 11 have managed throughout their time here at RPCC.

Thirty six students have taken part in the motivational challenge in school this term. Staff have been in competition to achieve the highest scores in Year 11. Students on motivational report have been rewarded for excellent behaviour and attitude in lessons.

Revision sessions are in full swing with opportunities for a morning breakfast before school and revision sessions after school every day. There were revision days within half term and many of the staff and students in Year 11 are giving up their Saturdays to catch up with coursework and improve their grades in their final push for success in the summer. Make sure you look at the revision sessions that are happening over the Easter holidays. These will continue throughout next half term as well.

Following on from Miss Bishop’s previous mention of Farhana Ahmed’s outstanding charity work in the last edition of the Regents Review, her continued work in this area must be applauded. She has now received acknowledgement from David Cameron. A huge well done to Farhana and long may her charitable work benefit those in need.

As ever, Mrs Cosford and Miss Bishop are really proud of the Year 11 student body and their behaviour in school. They are looking forward to supporting Year 11 in their final term at school. It will no doubt be tough and stress levels may rise, but as the Year 11 team and as a school, support will provided in every stage of this final journey. In light of this, please let Miss Bishop know if further support can be offered.

Miss Bishop, Head of Year 11

Calling all Year 11s If you would like to donate your blazer to the college after you finish your exams, we would be very grateful as it would help the school to provide spares for other students.


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DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

EnglishReadathonReadathon was launched in the second half of the spring to promote reading for pleasure and also to raise money for charity. Readathon was founded in 1984 with the aim to help charities for seriously ill children. There are four charities that Readathon support:

• CLIC Sargent – a leading cancer charity for children and young people, who provide care and support for them and their families from diagnosis, treatment and beyond.

• Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity – helping children that suffer with serious neurological or blood conditions. They provide children’s nurses, equipment, carers and toys.

• ReadWell – providing books and storytellers for children in hospital.

• Together for Short Lives – leading UK charity for all children with life threatening and life limiting conditions. They support families, professionals and services, including children’s hospices. There are an

estimated 49,000 children and young people living in the UK with life threatening or life limiting conditions that may require palliative services. Together for Short Lives is there for every single one of these children.

Students were sponsored by friends and family to read as many books as they could to raise money for these good causes.

4 sub levels of progress 6 sub levels of progress 7 sub levels of progress 8 sub levels of progress

Year 7 Millie Scott Carla Castelbranco

Azhar Imran

Ellie Holmes

Chantal Sibanda

Chloe Wiltshire Katie Scott

Year 8 Solonya Cunningham

Charlotte Hacker

Zuhra Aryayee

Sukhveer Kaur

Wanessa Mazur

Oliwia Jozwiak

Filip Pazdziurkiewicz

Jakub Szczpalkiewicz

Liam Kennedy

Stefan Arseniev Connor Pilgrim

Dominika Nowogrodzka

Zak Blake

Marcin Rusiecki

Year 9 Rhia Sanger Parris Hall Konrad Bebacz

Great Progress in ReadingAt the end of last term, the English Department were pleased to report some great progress made by their Renaissance Reading groups:


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DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

World Book DayOn Thursday 5th March Regents Park Community College celebrated World Book Day. Staff across the school dressed up as characters from their favourite books.

The English department celebrated the 150 years since the first publication of Alice in Wonderland by dressing up as different characters from Lewis Carroll’s famous novel.

In tutor times, students had quizzes and activities to complete about books.

Key Stage 4We are in full examination mode in the English Department already.

With 2 of their controlled assessments completed, Year 10s have moved away from English Language to focus on Literature. It must be said that their behaviour for these examinations have been exemplary. With lots of students coming during the lunch time and after school in order to make the difference, they need to be congratulated. As mentioned, the controlled assessment focus is English Literature and to ease them in gently the texts chosen are from the Modern Drama selection in the syllabus. This will be either: An Inspector Calls, Educating Rita or Our Day Out. If you would like to help your son or daughter in their studies at home, online is a good place to start; just make sure that it is an educational site and expect to have some interesting conversations around the dinner table about Daisy, Rita or Susan.

Year 11 have a limited time left in school – but they are making the most of it. Some very successful sessions have taken place, not only on a Thursday, when our English Intervention specialist is in school, but also on a number of Saturdays as well as 2 days during half term. It’s amazing what an offer of hot chocolate and snacks can do! Seriously, as a department, we have been amazed at the turn out and at the hard work and dedication that these students have shown.

We only can hope that their hard work and commitment will help them to reap the rewards that they richly deserve in August. Revision sessions will be offered to Year 11 during the second half of the spring term; but in the meantime we would advise your children to read their exam texts, because familiarity with the text is a key to success.

We would also like to take this opportunity of welcoming our new Head of Department, Mr Lucas, who joined Regents Park Community College in January from Wildern School, after Ms Webster’s promotion to the leadership team. As an English and Media specialist, we have been very fortunate to have him on-board.


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DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

MathematicsInterventionLots of support is on hand from the Mathematics Department to enable Year 11 to reach their maximum potential. Mr Keenan and Mrs Keenan have designated times to meet individually with students needing practice on their examination technique and/or key topic areas. In addition three members of staff (Miss O’Leary, Miss Jones and Mr Hayward) are working after school with individual or pairs of students, eager to boost their grade even higher. Every available moment of time is utilised, including tutor time, to boost students’ confidence and attainment in Mathematics. The Mathematics Department would like to express their appreciation of the many positive comments received from students and parents for the help students have received.

Intervention is also available in Key Stage 3 from Mrs Milburn who provides additional Maths lessons with targeted students to focus on numeracy skills using a more interactive approach and the Accelerated Maths programme.

Intermediate Maths Challenge February 5th 2015The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in Mathematics. The UKMT organises national Mathematics competitions and other mathematical enrichment activities for 11-18 year old UK school pupils. It was established in 1996 and in the last academic year over 600,000 pupils from 4000 schools took part in the three individual challenges, the UK’s biggest national Mathematics competition.

Eighty students from Year 9 and 10 (9BW Miss Jones; 9BX Mrs Kaplon; 10BW Miss Jones) were chosen to represent Regents Park Community College in this competition, answering 25 challenging questions set by the University of Leeds and the Actuary Profession. Congratulations to all students who were chosen to sit the paper and the results are eagerly awaited!

Maths Really Can Be Fun!With an increased focus on problem solving in the new GCSE (2017), the aim is to make sure students can see how Maths can be applied to real life situations. This makes Maths more tangible for students and provides opportunities for fun for students – and staff! In Year 9, students have been outdoors investigating loci problems. Year 8s have been constructing triangles and geometric patterns to ensure greater dexterity with equipment; they have also been conducting probability experiments using Smarties. Year 11 have even been ‘eggxperimenting’ in the classroom and will soon be icing biscuits to identify circle theorems – tasty and educational!

The Maths Department enjoyed taking part in ‘World Book Day’ and also ‘Pi Day’ on 14th March. Look out for images in the next edition of the Regents Review.


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DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

ICT and TechnologyGCSE Product DesignAfter a long design process the Year 11 Product Design group has been busy producing their final pieces, speakers, lights and much more. Their focus now will be on their upcoming exam and I wish them the best of luck for this.

GCSE Resistant MaterialsThis term Year 10 have made a positive start to their controlled assessment. They have been conducting clear research into their chosen topics. A special mention must be given to: Megan Crane, Ben Rutter, Natalia Kuzma and Mitchell Pugh for their outstanding presentation of folder work, along with Dariusz Gil, Liam Bowles, Jason Sibanda and Alex Honeyball for exceeding their targets so far. Good work and keep it up!

Technology ClubWednesday afternoons between 3-4pm are as busy as ever. The students who attend have been creating a range of high quality personalised products using both hand and CAD/CAM facilities. There will be some exciting challenges to come later in the year for groups of students to be involved in so watch this space.

GCSE Food TechnologyAfter some interesting products made in the run up to the controlled assessment, Ben Fripp has shown good creativity and flair in the Food Technology room. Overall, the Year 11s have been working very hard on their controlled assessments, researching and planning ideas. After the Easter holidays, the focus will be on evaluating their products. Exam revision will start around 6th May.

Year 10 have done very well in producing chocolate profiteroles – this was a testing and challenging practical which was using higher level skills. The following students are working well in both theory and practical and have shown a positive and mature attitude towards their learning: Kylsuma Alom, Shannon Crabb, Oliwia Burczyk, Carl Anicoche, Erinne George and Chloe Walker.

KS3 Food TechnologySome amazing food products have been made so far this year in Food Tech, ranging from quality curries such as: the one made by Nikhil Kumar and the chilli con carne as made by Nathan Chalk. In Year 8, the focus on has been on producing a range of mouth-watering pastry products and some delicious biscuits. This has also included some tasty savoury products made by the likes of Millie Dowse and Bobbie Begum. In Year 7 lots of interesting products were made with some good skills shown by all and lots of enthusiasm in the kitchen. Well done to all.


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WelcomeThe Science Department would like to extend a warm welcome to Miss Groves who has joined as a member of teaching staff. She is enjoying getting to know her students and staff.

Year 8 ExamsYear 8 sat their mid-year Science exam in January. The exam covered all aspects of the Year 8 curriculum since September. It was delightful to see how hard the students worked in preparation, followed by excellent behaviour and positive attitudes during the examination itself.

Congratulations to the following students who achieved the greatest progress since KS2 and are the highest scorers in their classes. Certificates have been awarded to all students to celebrate these successes. Well done Year 8!

Year 8 Highest scorers

Awab Abbasi 8 GZ

Lauren McAllister 8 GY

Elwira Kilichowska 8 GX

Louie Batchelor 8 GX

Miguel Moragdo 8 BZ

Maddison McGregor-Richie 8 BY

Alice Simms 8 BX

Year 8 Greatest progress (since KS2- January exams)

Lauren Williams 8 GZ

Destini Moylan 8GZ

Ivan Wheelwright 8 GY

Louie Batchelor 8 GX

Angelika Szumlak 8BZ

Connor Pilgrim 8BY

Rhiannon Ford-Bailey 8BX

Kieron Buckle 8BX

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Science

Year 10 ISA Days and Reward Christmas LessonsOn the 11th and 12th of December the Science Department was full to the rafters with Year 10 students working on completing their Science ISA controlled assessments. Students worked in their class groups with their teachers to prepare for the exam papers. Again, the Science Department were blown away by the positivity of the students and their excellent work ethic to completing their examinations. The ISA’s are a very important part of the student’s GCSE grades as they compromise of 25% of their total grade.

To celebrate the hard work and success of the ISA controlled assessment days, Year 10 spent the afternoon of the 16th of December in Science letting their hair down and doing some festive experiments. The students completed a circus of practicals with a festive theme. All students seemed to enjoy the afternoon and continued their positive work ethos. Well done Year 10.

Year 11 Morning Revision – University Students, After School Revision – Saturday and Holiday RevisionAs Year 11 rapidly approach exam season, preparations are in full swing. Students are attending weekly revision sessions on a Thursday afternoon, which are targeted to specific subject areas to facilitate and support students identifying their own strengths and weaknesses.

The Science Department’s natural aroma is replaced on a Wednesday morning with that of tea, hot chocolate, bacon and sausage rolls as Year 11 come in to do breakfast club. Numbers continue to grow as the year progresses and the support of University of Southampton Science students at these sessions is an added bonus.

The department are also running half term and Easter sessions for the students to revise and catch up on missed ISA controlled assessments. Students will be invited to these sessions and their attendance is sure to help them meet and, in many cases, exceed their target grades.


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DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Modern Foreign LanguagesVisit to Lille 27th-29th NovemberOn a cold morning, late in November, approximately 45 students and staff met in Tesco’s carpark ahead of a visit to Lille, a city in the north of France.

Having taken the Eurotunnel, they arrived at a Boulangerie just outside of Lille and were shown how to bake Artisan bread. This was the first culinary delight of the visit.

Later, the group drove into Lille itself to take a visit to the Christmas markets. Staff and students alike sipped chocolat chaud to stave away the cold air. Some of the group took a ride on the Ferris wheel, as the Christmas lights were being switched on. After nightfall, they arrived wearily at their hotel in Douvrin and settled down for dinner, followed by a quiz run by Miss Hocking.

On the Friday, an early start took the party on a trip to a sweet factory where they observed the manufacture of the famous Bêtises de Cambrai sweets. This went down well with the intrepid travellers, as there were freebies aplenty. Following this, the visit took a more historical path, as they went to Vimy Ridge to observe the war memorials and trench system.

Following a stop at a hypermarché to stock up on more presents, they visited the Wellington Quarry from which Allied Forces created during the First World War. Led by expert tour guides, they took a walk through the tunnels under the city centre and learned how the tunnels were developed from already existing tunnels from Roman quarries.

Regents Park students had to wear helmets to avoid cracking heads on the rocky surfaces. Towards dusk, a visit to the centre of Arras to climb the belfry tower and enjoy striking views of yet more pretty Christmas lights was enjoyed by all. The market in Arras was bigger and had more to offer in terms of exciting purchases and presents for home. Afterwards, the tired group returned to the hotel and to celebrate Reesha Chick’s birthday with some cake.

The final day involved another early start, after some breakfast to whet the appetite, taste buds were continued to be tantalised as another visit to an artisan waffle manufacturer on the French-Belgian border. The final major stop was in Ypres, in Belgium where students were able to investigate the Flanders Fields museum – very poignant given the anniversary of the start of the First World War.

What an action-packed three days!


14

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Creative Arts DepartmentBronze Art AwardThe Bronze Arts Award (BAA) group have been very busy this year experimenting with photography and digital art. They have learnt how to take photographs using a digital SLR to create light drawings and edits on digital editing programmes. Now the BAA students are focussing on designing a campaign to promote something they are passionate about. They will produce a part photography/part traditional final piece, which will be on display around school when finished.

Gold Arts Award students are very independent and have been pursuing Unit 1 of their Arts Award. Each student chooses an art form they are most proficient in and experiments with an area they are interested to extend their original form. Dominic Green is producing his entire drama based portfolio through YouTube which is a fantastic and inspiring output for Gold, whereas Nikola Rek, Emma Webster, Charlotte Turner and Georgia Underhill are producing inspiring traditional art sketchbooks.

Stay tuned for more exciting exhibitions and shows in the future to showcase the hard work each of these students has dedicated to the prestigious Gold Arts Award!

Year 7 ArtYear 7 has made a fantastic start to KS3 Art. They have been exploring some of the visual key elements of Art such as line, tone, texture and markmaking. Students have experimented and explored the different qualities of a range of media like pencil, charcoal and ink. Vincent Van Gogh has been a key artist that students have referred to – observing how he creates movement and energy through his expressive markmaking. The photographs show examples of students work recreating their own interpretation of a Van Gogh piece of work, whilst experimenting with different media. They have then gone on to create their own landscapes using photographs from the local area.

Mrs Flynn looks forward to moving on to working with print and clay in the following months with Year 7. As a year group they consistently demonstrate an enthusiastic and positive attitude towards their learning.


15

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

West Side Story 31st March & 1st April 2015Mrs Freeman and her team would like to say ‘a huge well done and congratulations’ to all students and staff involved in this year’s musical production. She would especially like to thank Paul Swindale and the students of Richard Taunton’s College’s Performing Arts Department for providing the live music and musical guidance.

Please have a look at some of the photographs on the school website.

BTEC Performing Arts – ‘Carly’s Voice’On Thursday 12th February Taunton’s College came to show the BTEC Performing Arts students an amazing piece of Drama based on living life with Autism. It was a fantastic piece, which was highly emotive and full of brilliant theatrical techniques. 50 BTEC students came to watch and were in total awe.

At the end of the performance there was an opportunity to discuss the piece and ask how the Taunton’s students created the piece of theatre. Taunton’s were inspired to create the piece after reading the autobiography ‘Carly’s Voice’. Carly Fleischmann was diagnosed with Autism as a child and wrote her book to share the truths and mysteries about autism.

The group showed what it was like being a child with Autism, how the diagnosis works, how it affects people around and how to overcome any barriers to communication. The students really enjoyed watching the piece of theatre and look forward to seeing more work from Taunton’s College in the future.

A Competition In The Art of VegetablesSolent EBP is running a vegetable art competition called ‘Pick it Make it Snap it’!

It was a chance to get creative and design a piece of art using fruit and vegetables to represent one of the following themes:

• Food Miles • Seasonal • Healthy Eating • Fair Trade • Sustainability

Mrs Selfe and the Art Department decided to open up the competition to Year 9 students. They were introduced to the competition during lessons with a short clip and some examples. Students were directed to explore the different themes and come up with their ideas at home.

Some very interesting entries came flying back. Here are some of them! Watch this space for the possibility of some winners from Regents Park Community College.

The prizes consist of various Sainsbury’s vouchers, a party for their tutor group, a visit to their local suppliers and producers and a work shadow with a video production company. Plus their work will be displayed in Sainsbury’s at Hedge end.

Mrs Selfe is keeping her fingers crossed for everyone. Well done to all students who have taken part.


16

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Physical Education

In the spotlight this half term…

Rhiannon Ford-Bailey (Year 8) Her major achievements in 2014 include competing in the Heathrow Invitational Competition (Biggest National Development Plan Competition in the Country) at which she achieved 3rd place from 26 – the youngest overall pair in the category.

At regional level Rhiannon achieved 1st place in the South Zone Invitational, where she was part of the youngest pair in their category and also first place in another regional invitational competition.

Rhiannon is an active sports person at school, Dance and Gymnastic club. She leads and supports others in a positive and supportive manner. She also belongs to Southampton Gymnastics Leadership Academy where she supports volunteering to help at club events, fundraising and being an ambassador for new club members.

She also volunteers in coaching youngsters and beginners and will soon be undertaking her Level 1 course. Not only is Rhiannon a role model for the younger gymnasts, she is also held in high regard by the older gymnasts with her positive, supportive and hard-working attitude.

Not only is she a superstar when it comes to gymnastics, but she also is a member of Christine May School of Dance where she has reached Grade 4 Ballet and has been assisting with the younger classes for the past year. She is a member of the fantastic Rock Challenge team and should be proud of all her amazing sporting achievements.

Max Satterly (Year 9)Max is a member of Southampton Athletics Club. Whilst relatively new to middle distance running, he has competed in the 800m at the YDL National Finals at Alexandra Stadium and in the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill. Last season he finished 14th in 1500m in the Hampshire Track and Field Championships and had two great wins in Wessex league track events (300m and 1500m). He is currently 21st on aggregate in the region for the cross country league and came 10th in the Hampshire Cross Country Championships, qualifying him to run in the south of England Cross Country Championship where he finished 6th. This then led him to a place in the inter-counties championships.

Max is showing great potential in the world of Athletics, he competes in as many races as he can and shows huge determination to give his best performance every time. In addition to his own performances, he encourages younger children to participate in volunteering in sport – this was demonstrated when he supported local junior school children in Olympic festival days. He also has ‘paced’ park runners – although this must be a piece of cake in comparison to his own impressive PB of 19.11 for 5000m!!!

We look forward to hearing of further success stories of these two talented athletes in the future. We are also keen to hear of more fantastic achievements of other students from Regents Park. Please do not hesitate to contact Miss Croud in order to help celebrate some of the fantastic achievements of students here at Regents Park.

Regents Park Community College Physical Education Hall of Fame


17

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Year 7 Rugby ClubThe Year 7s have dominated Rugby at Regents Park so far this year. Due to Regents Park’s involvement in a nationwide initiative, the number of students attending the club has risen on a weekly basis. The ‘All Schools Programme’ aim to raise participation in Rugby, in the run up to the Rugby World Cup later this year.

Regents Park have been one of a number of schools in the city to be a part of the programme and students in Year 7 have been receiving Rugby coaching every fortnight since October. They are lucky enough to be coached by England Rugby coaches as part of their PE lessons.

The Year 7 Rugby team has already competed in a touch to tackle tournament held at Eastleigh Rugby Club. Despite not winning a game, their enthusiasm was fantastic.

At the time that this newsletter goes to press, the Year 7s will be competing with other schools involved in the ‘All Schools Programme,’ including Cantell, Oasis and USH. In addition the team will be competing against Southampton and neighboring Hampshire schools at Winchester Rugby Club. Results will be published in the next edition of the Regents Review.

The Rugby club is open to boys in all year groups at Regents Park.

Further News:

In May we are looking to introduce a Touch Rugby tournament for students and staff. This will be an exciting version of the game in which boys and girls can compete together including staff. It will be run by England Rugby coaches and will last for seven weeks. Further information will follow. If you are interested please see Mr Sinclair.

Extra-curricular Participation The Physical Education Department is constantly trying to improve the opportunities that are provided for students to participate in sport and exercise here at Regents Park.

It would be very much appreciated if parents can support this by discussing opportunities that are given to students and encourage them to come along.

One new initiative is the ‘Extra-Curricular Challenge’ for Year 7 and 9 students. Each student will be given an extra-curricular diary each half term. In order to be in with a chance of winning some exciting sporting prizes at the end of each half term, they need to complete the calendar on the back of the diary and hand it in to the PE department. There will then be a prize draw in assemblies for the students that have had the highest rate of participation in sport and exercise inside and outside of school.

Students Continue to ‘Champion’ Sport at Regents Park This term has seen the PE Champions continue with enhancing sport and physical activity at Regents Park. Following on from the huge success of the Regents Park Football and Netball enrichment days and the first inter-tutor group Dodge-ball and Water-polo tournaments last term, a new lunch time sports club has now been set up.

The students also took part in the’ Comic Relief’ Swimming Gala on 20th March. This gave students the opportunity to compete in a variety of different disciplines against other tutor groups and raise money for Comic Relief.

Sainsbury’s have just launched this year’s vouchers for school. If you shop there or have access to someone that does, the Physical Education Department would very much appreciate it if you could post them in to the voucher box in the school reception area.


18

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Humanities GeographyThis term Year 9 students have been studying volcanoes and earthquakes. They were set the challenge of building their own erupting volcano. Some of the volcanoes were outstanding as you can see from the images. A special mention goes to Gemma Millers fact filled volcano show box and Harry Smith’s model Mount Fuji and fact file.

History RevisionIt is the time of the year when the focus is very much on Year 11 and their exam preparation! With this is mind the History department is offering a revision schedule to support Year 11. The sessions are on Tuesdays 2:40-3:30 in Rooms 26, 27 and 28. See you there!

We are also holding two day revision workshops in the Easter Holidays. Details to be confirmed but they will be open to all students and refreshments will be provided.

Human Physical Skills & Challenges

Employment Sectors River Terminology OS Map 1

Examples of P,S,T River Landforms Graphs

Settlement Patterns and Location

Flooding OS Map 2

Change in Settlements in HIC

Coastal Terminology Collecting Data

Settlements in LIC Coastal Landforms Climate Change

Tourism Facts and Figures Coastal Protection

Catch up Week 1 Employment Sectors/ River Terminology

Tourism Case Studies Plate TectonicsCatch up Week 2 Examples of P,S,T/ River Landforms

Population 1 Earthquakes

Catch up Week 3 Settlement Patterns and Location/Flooding

Population 2 Volcanoes

Catch up Week 4 Change in Settlements in HIC/ Coastal Terminology

Geography RevisionYear 11 examinations are fast approaching. To support students, the Geography Department are now offering a range of revision sessions. Below is a timetable of the subjects being covered in after-school revision sessions. These sessions will be delivered by members of staff from the Geography Department. Undergraduate Geography students from Southampton University will also be available, where necessary, to provide 1 to 1 coaching and additional support.


19

ADVERTISEMENTS

Offshore Sailing WeekendRPCC is again offering to students the opportunity to take part in a Sail Training weekend in May.

What is Sail Training?Sail training is a fun and exciting adventure. Sailing offshore as part of a team that is responsible for the running of the boat will open up a whole new world of challenges, skills and discovery. You don’t need any previous sailing experience as the staff on board will teach you everything you need to know. You will meet new people and work together to set sails, steer, keep watch and even cook. Together you will meet the challenge of the sea.

Sail Training is a challenging and fun way to develop self-confidence and

change lives. It provides an intense, structured environment with defined boundaries and a clear common purpose: the successful completion of a voyage. Participants learn to manage themselves and interact with others, dramatically boosting their self-awareness and confidence.

There are no contrived situations on a Sail Training voyage: you really do need to work together in order to achieve a successful outcome. In addition, the sheer exhilaration of harnessing the elements engenders enthusiasm and a feeling of achievement.

The cost is £117 per student. Bursaries to help towards the cost are available on application.

If you are interested see Mr Drewery for more details.

DIARY DATES FOR PARENTS

Regents Park Community College King Edward Avenue Southampton S016 4GW


Telephone (023) 8032 5444 Fax (023) 8032 2411 [email protected] www.regentsparkcollege.org.uk

Term Times School opens School closesSummer Term (1st half) 20th April 2015 22nd May 2015Summer Term (2nd half) 1st June 2015 22nd July 2015

Bank Holidays (not in school holiday time)4th May May Day

Inset Days19th June

Academic Review Day30th June – students attend for appointment only

School Holidays25th – 29th May

Late Start/Early Closure22nd June – students in Year 7-10 will arrive at 10.35am22nd July – students will leave at 12.30pm

Privacy Notice – Data Protection Act 1998

We, Regents Park Community College, are a data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. For more information on this and how it might affect you, please visit our website at: http://regentsparkcollege.org.uk

Calendar Events23rd April Enrichment Day – Rounders/Cricket30th April Southampton Schools Secondary Gala Championships30th April Maths Junior Challenge – Year 7 & 87th May General Election7th May Year 7 Subject Review Meeting11th May GCSE exams commence15th May Sailing Weekend – return 17th May1st June Year 9 Ardeche Trip 12th June Sailing Weekend22nd June Year 11 Leavers Assembly 26th June Sports Day

29th June Year 10 exams30th June Year 6 Stem Event2nd July Southampton Schools Track and Field Championships 2nd July Year 11 Prom6th July Year 10 exams8th July Presentation Evening – Year 7 & 89th July Presentation Evening – Year 9 & 1014th July PE Reward Trip 17th July Reward Trips Years 7-1020th August Results Day

regents review spring '15

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