Spring 2015
Harris messenger
HARRIS MESSENGER Spring 2015
Courage, challenge, success
Message from THE Principal We have now reached the half-way point of the academic year; three half-terms completed and three very important ones to complete. The year to-date has been very successful so far. The Academy continues to develop and innovate. We have seen the introduction of Chess lessons to all Year 7 students to develop their strategy, planning and numeracy skills; introduction of specific 'old-fashioned' grammar lessons to boost student understanding of this key life and examination skill, all alongside the introduction of our enhanced extra-curricular programme with wonderful activities such as Korean, Mandarin and Fencing now available for students to enjoy. We have continued to work with our parents
Students visited museums, galleries and other
Year 11 students understand the importance
and families. A range of information evenings
exciting locations across London. I myself
of the next two terms; this is the final stage
have taken place to provide parents with
enjoyed two great trips: one to the fantastic
of their 11-16 education and the work they
valuable information. The evenings to-date
V&A museum with Year 8 students and another
complete now, will make all the difference
have focussed on our curriculum; to help
to the Brick Lane / Shoreditch, Liverpool Street
come the summer examination window.
parents understand what and how lessons are
area to meet a street artist and explore street
To help Year 11 students remain focussed;
taught within the Academy as well as the very
art!
we have informed them of our plans for the
important topic of E-Safety. For any parent unable to attend those sessions, please visit our website to find some very helpful guides to help keep your child as safe as possible when using the internet or social media. Parents are also reminded to keep an eye on the web site. We have regular family learning mornings and also organise a range of classes for parents to take here at the Academy. The pace of change at the Academy continues to keep us all on our toes! During this last half- term the Academy introduced the new Harris Federation assessment system.
The week also provides our Year 11 students with an opportunity to work for a whole day (each day of the week) with their GCSE subject teachers to complete in-depth examination preparation and complete final sections of Controlled Assessment. This is a hard and challenging week for Year 11 students and teachers; however the impact is well worth the effort by all! During the week, Mr Pritchard, Miss Sweeney and Mrs Stow led our first ever overseas trip. Students were guided safely to Switzerland
The system has been developed due to the
and looking at the images and reading the Ski
removal of National Curriculum levels by the Department for Education, thus requiring all
amazing time! I look forward to hearing more
schools within the UK to alter their assessment systems. To ensure the accuracy of our data, we work closely with our Federation partners and compare results in detail. There will need to be adjustments to the data and system over the next few months as the nation gets to grips with the new curriculum materials and new methods for measuring students’ progress and potential. To keep parents informed we will update the assessment section of the web site regularly and put on short workshops before and during Parent Evenings to keep parents as informed as possible. The final part of the term was hopefully another very enjoyable one for our students. Students spent the last week of term enjoying the first of our annual two 'Aspire, Experience and Explore' (AEE) weeks.
Trip blog on the website, the group had an from the students after half-term. The next half-term is a short one; five weeks only. The race to the end of the year is quickening and before we know it, the academic year will have flown past.
Summer Ball in their honour. The rules are simple. To gain entry Year 11 students must: demonstrate good behaviour; have a high level of attendance; attend all Saturday and holiday support sessions and achieve their expected target grades by their final mock examination. All simple rules that every student can achieve, if they work hard and remain mature and dedicated to their studies! I almost forgot‌ We also received our first ever full Ofsted report during this half-term; it was a pretty good report (actually an amazing report!) so if you have not read it yet, you might want to visit our website and read it!
Art & Design It has been another exciting and productive start to the New Year in the Art Department. Students throughout the years have been working incredibly hard on a huge range of new topics, with new schemes of work, utilising both traditional and more unusual methods and materials. Our new Year 7 students are currently
Landscape, taking inspiration from
working on a Self-Portrait project, in
their own photographs, and working
which they are thinking about how
with a massive range of materials
colours, shapes and collaged images
including acrylic paint, inks, collage,
can represent their own mood and
print, and textiles.
character. This is a great introduction to the Art department at Harris Morden; enabling students to use a range of materials, and helping the new students learn about each other.
Year 11 have been busy making sure all coursework is up to date and polished. They have already sat two Art mock exams, the first
Tara in Year 9 - 'Mixed-media' Year 8 have been studying Beetles and
concentrating on sculpture, with
Butterflies, looking at real examples
Henry Moore. In the second they
of the insects, and focusing on their amazing range of colours and forms.
looked at the bold, textural work of
From initial sketchbook studies, the
own images using techniques and
students will now look closer at detail,
materials based on his work.
Anselm Keifer, and reproduced their
with the use of magnifying glasses, to
Larenzay in Year 12 - 'Self-portrait'
Follow our Artzone blog!
produce more abstract final pieces.
www.harriscademymorden.wordpress.com
Dzifa in Year 10 - 'Mixed-media'
Our Year 9 and 10 students have embarked upon their Art GCSE coursework this year, with some impressive work already being created. They are looking at
We have also seen the addition of our A Level course this year, already our students are creating impressive art work, giving mature, personal responses to the topics set. Sandra in Year 10 - 'Mixed-media'
Julia in Year 11 - 'Light Sculpture'
Aspire, Experi A.E.E. Week - February 2015
Harris Academy Morden strives to create fantastic experiences for all of our students. To broaden the students’ experiences we run a week of ‘Outstanding’ educational opportunities. During February students were removed from their timetabled lessons to participate in the Aspire, Experience and Explore Week.
magnis LO quae inus Walking Tour Theluptiae Alternative London am re nos nouse.Henatis
Written by Faye - Year 9
During A.E.E. Week I took part in the Alternative London Walking Tour. The tour really changed my opinion of street art. Many people relate street art to being illegal, vandalism and just wrong, but if these people actually took the time to look at the pure beauty and history of each piece their opinion might strongly change. The tour itself geographically covers a small area of east London but the content is huge, providing historical and political insights into the community. The skills of each artist are unique and incredible. This trip was a feast for the eyes and mind! Throughout the tour you walk around London noticing art that beforehand you would have walked past and ignored. Each piece is different with a meaning behind each one. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly making the cold walk very interesting and amusing.
Overall this experience has really opened my mind to street art and art in general. I will recommend this tour to friends and family as it shows a completely different angle to London and how street art can be positive. Students exploring the amazing artwork!
Our knowledgeable guide talks about the artwork
Local character Charlie Burns by Ben Slow
ience, Explore Year 10 Transferable Skills Workshops @ K i n g s t o n U n i # a i m h i g h e r # yo u r f u t u r e Teamwork, Communication, Listening, Cooperation, Leadership & Resilience - were the buzz words of the day for the Year 10s on a visit to Kingston University. Ben Kahn, the Unversity’s Education Liaison Officer and his undergraduate Student Ambassadors: Laura, Miriam, Amelia and Kasha, led a fast-paced two hour workshop, putting our students through their paces to test their transferable skills.
Warm-up: Identify the pros and cons of progressing to Higher Education?
Challenge 1: The ‘ice breaker’ standing opposite a partner who can mime a phrase using nonverbal communication?
Challenge 2:
Students taking part in the 'String Ring' activity
The 'string ring' - which team can conquer a maze of string, move around the room and not let the tennis ball drop to the floor?
Challenge 3: The ‘string ring’ – which team can complete it in silence, with the addition of a prop, under the direction of their leader?
Challenge 4: The ‘helium pole’ – which team will be the most resilient?
Challenge 5: The 'string roller' - who will think outside of the box to solve the problem?
Tour of the University Campus: Iis the type of University you would want to study at? What is the appeal?
Helium Pole Activity
London Natural History Museum On the Friday of A.E.E. week we visited the Natural History Museum with a Year 7 group who displayed excellent behaviour and enthusiasm around the Museum. Upon returning to the Academy we held a literacy competition to see which student could sum up their experiences best. On appraising their work certain aspects of the Museum were highlighted by students on a regular basis. The earthquake exhibition, dinosaur skeletons and the escalator running through the “earth’s core” were universally loved by all students. As a staff group we were delighted to see wonderful manners displayed by the students, an example of which was when Tashwana Thomas held open a door for a member of the public in the Museum. All students were a credit to the Academy and certainly will now aspire to achieve further knowledge on the exhibits they explored today!
String Roller Activity
Aspire, Experience, Explore A.E.E. week Continued Bee keeping & ZooLab UK During A.E.E. Week students welcomed Dave Charnley from Wimbledon Beekeepers' Association and Joe Campbell from ZooLab UK. Both highly respected and experienced in the
For more information on bee keeping www.wimbledonbeekeepers.co.uk
field of bee keeping and animal handling respectively. During the day Year 8 students
ZooLab UK then delighted the students as they had the opportunity to
investigated how habitats
see some of the animals they have studied at school. Our expert Joe
from rainforests to the ocean
also promoted animal welfare, environmental awareness and confidence
and desert thrive. They
building. Students even got the
watched various interesting
chance to hold a rather large ‘smooth’
clips from documentaries
snake as well as viewing an African
before creating a number
snail, cockroach, rat and a tarantula!
of mind maps and finally presenting their findings to
This has been an exceptional learning
their peers. Students had sessions with Dave, the Bee Keeper, where they were shown
experience for all the students involved which will be a talking point for years to come!
everything from how to start a beehive to the products that you produce from the honey and the wax. It was truly an awesome experience for the students and they left with a much greater knowledge about bees and their role in the environment. During the summer term some students will go and investigate a live beehive and get to wear all the protective clothing that was on display.
Joe from zooLab UK showing students how to hold a smooth snake!
Emirates Air Line - Greenwich Our journey started on London's deepest underground - The Northern Line. When boarding at Morden there was a mist of fear surrounding one of our group leaders while our Year 8s were jubilant and excited! However, on we went, 221 feet beneath the busy streets of London with the only sights being darken tracks broken by lighted tube stops. Finally we boarded what seems to be an electric cart. It was the East End’s famous DLR (Docklands Light Railway). There was not a driver on board just a conductor who shouts "we are ready to depart". We had lunch at the Docklands Museum while students roamed free, wondering how much longer will it be before we are suspended from the Emirates' cable tree. On the other hand the misery was brewing, becoming uncontrollable for Mr Adou, who for the 100th time threatened to flee. Now fresh from lunch we journeyed to complete the last leg of our adventure - a 14 minute flight in a cable car over the River Thames. There was laughter, smiles and uncontrollable happiness from all but one. Up, up and away to 295ft we flew, and smaller and smaller the city below us grew. For fourteen minutes London was as clear as can be. We could see the Gherkin, London Eye and the River Thames flowing swiftly beneath us. We rode it not once, not twice, but in total three times!
Students taking part in the 'String Ring' activity
Then sadly we departed from London to school to enjoy all the other activities that A.E.E. Week had to offer.
London maths trail
Students boarding their cable car!
Imperial War Museum
Numbers are all around us, but we did not need much excuse to get
interested on quizzing the Downing Street Policemen, and even more
out of the classroom and explore
so when Ms Williamson realised she
ready to find out at least 5 interesting facts from the vast range of displays inside.
London, our amazing capital city.
used to teach one of them!
They shared these facts with one another throughout the day and on the journey
30 Year 8 students took the tram and tube to Westminster to marvel at the sights so recognisable
The Maths Trail ended at Trafalgar Square, we saw roman numerals
on the television and to walk to
on the Admiralty Arch, discussed
streets with so familiar names; Whitehall or The Stand. Finding
height of Nelson’s Column and the
maths along the way, we stopped to look at Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church (consecrated in 1523), Houses of Parliament and
the shape of Trafalgar Square, the width of the National Gallery. Year 8, wearily travelled the 13 stops on the Northern Line to Morden and walked the 1.2miles back to school.
Horse Guards Parade to name a
An enthusiastic group of Year 7 students arrived at the Imperial War Museum,
home. Here are a few of these facts: "Did you know the RAF’s biggest problem in 1939 was navigation?" "The most interesting thing was the inside of the planes, they showed how tiny the space was, and where the guns would be." "The air-raid shelters were really small and uncomfortable."
few.
"I realised how sad and scary
The Year 8 boys were very
how messy it was when loads of
the war must have been, and explosions happened."
Imperial War Museum
A.E.E. Week gave students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and experiences through many exciting trips and activities. Other trips and activities included:
Students make friends with police officers at Downing Street
Science Museum, Natural History Museum, V&A Museum, British Museum, Imperial War Museum, Crystal Palace FC, On-site Sports, Alternative London Tour, Chinese New Year Activites, Photography workshops, BBC School Report Day, Royal Marines Introduction and many more.
Computer studies The Computing Department has embraced the changes to the National Curriculum since September; the new Computing curriculum is now in full swing. We made some major additions to our programs of study in 2012 in preparation for the government changes, such as: the introduction of programming, real life 3D modelling in Google Sketch-up and database design in both Access and SQLite. We are now seeing the benefits of those changes; Year 7 has been exploring Desk Top Publishing techniques. They have made encyclopaedias for young people about Computers and Computing Architecture. Year 8 has been using ICT creatively for 3D modelling using Google Sketch-up. They have had great success in modelling everyday objects and are now moving on to designing buildings and architecture, culminating in the design of their own “Houses of the future”.
Real life digital modelling in Key Stage 3 Year 9 have begun their GCSE course well and in Key Stage 4 Year 10 students have been working on developing a gaming scenario in the computer language of Python as part of their coursework. Year 11 students have been working on the second piece of coursework completing a cypher puzzle. Marks so far are favourable and we are looking forward to great results this Programming at Key Stage 4
year.
e-safety The Academy has implemented the SHARP system (Student Help Advice Reporting Page System), which is an online system that allows students to report any incidents which occur within the Academy and local community. They have the option to make a report anonymously if they prefer to do so. In November 2014, we arranged for Hannah Jane Lewis, an up-and-coming singer songwriter, to speak to our Key Stage 3 students about E-Safety, cyberbullying, and staying safe on the internet. She shared some of her personal experiences of cyberbullying, and gave advice on how to stay safe on the internet, while entertaining the students with a few songs. As part of our commitment to E-Safety, we hosted an E-Safety briefing for parents and carers. Resources are available on the website if you were unable to attend. We will also be hosting E-Safety clinics at forthcoming Parents’ Evenings, where parents can learn practical tips for online safety, to help keep their children and themselves safe online. On Tuesday 10th February, we celebrated Safer Internet Day 2015, with the focus on creating a better internet together. Our students were presented with scenarios where social media was used inappropriately, and asked what action they should take, what the consequences may be for the young people involved, and how they would have supported them. We are also running a competition where we have asked students to submit their Online Pledge to help make the internet a better place for everyone.
www.hannahjanelewis.co.uk
Hannah Jane Lewis performance
Physical Education The PE department has been extremely busy this year with the introduction of the Saturday Sport Programme as well as a jam-packed enrichment programme. Since September we have been running archery and fencing clubs as well as a satellite girls' football club. Table tennis, basketball and football clubs have continued to be as successful as always and many teams have been out playing fixtures against other schools in the borough and the Federation. Our Year 8 leadership academy has flourished this year and students who took part in a 10 week course before Christmas are now leading events with the School Sport Partnership. They have helped to run a number of events including gymnastic, Boccia and multiskills festivals for our local primary schools.
Students listening to instructions at Lee Valley Velo Park In the Autumn term a select few Year 8 students were lucky enough to be invited on a fantastic trip to the Lee Valley Velo Park within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Tope (G5), Matteo (R2) and Taylor (G5) experienced Road Racing, BMX riding, Mountain Biking and Track Cycling on the iconic Olympic tracks. They had a great day and were very happy to represent the Academy at this event.
Year 8 Sports Leaders
Design Technology Year 11 Food Technology Year 11 students completed their GCSE catering examination in February. Students produced a variety of food products from different countries embracing the multicultural theme. Students demonstrated a good range of making, garnishing and decorating skills to produce well-made food products.
A wooden hedgehog makes its way down a steep ramp
Hedgehog Mechanical Toy Students in Year 9 accurately made a mechanical toy from plywood. The mechanical toy is in the shape of a Hedgehog and rocks back and forward down a slope using a simple lever and an oscillating motion. They worked very hard on it showing a great deal of commitment and enthusiasm. Students showed a high level of skill marking out, cutting, shaping and Amazing GCSE Food Coursework!
finishing their product. They also developed a range of skills in using hand tools and equipment.
Community & partnerships Family Learning Morning Attendance is always high to these events; in the Autumn Term we had to run two as the events were oversubscribed. We have delivered one so far in the Spring Term for Key Stage 3 parents and at the request of Key Stage 4 parents, we will be delivering a GCSE Family Learning Morning in March for parents to experience GCSE option subjects. Subjects delivered so far are: Design & Technology, Science, History, Maths and Spanish. Parents really appreciate these mornings and feedback is always supportive - parents would want to be on site, in lessons all day if they could!
“It was great to see Alex in his school Year 7 Parent environment and see the teaching methods used”. Students showing their science experiment results!
Family FUN
Community Art Roadshow
Family Fun sports activities are always popular at the Academy and
The amazing tiled art piece that was created by students attending our local primary
this term is no exception; family badminton and circuit training have been on the menu as we applied and were successful with our funding
schools has been roaming the Borough. So far it has “visited” Morden Library, Morden Civic Centre and Morden Hall Park. It is currently in Merton Priory Homes.
request to the Mayor of London’s’ FREESPORT programme. All of our Family Fun is free and open to everyone; not just families from he Academy.
"It is great that we can spend time together as a family and have some fun - and it is free!” Year 9 Parent
Primary school students show off their finished artwork!
Presentation Evening 2014
Artwork Roadshow
MSSP Merton School Sport Partnership In September 2014 the Merton School Sport Partnership (MSSP) relocated to Harris Academy Morden. The partnership has settled in well at its new centrally-based host school. The partnership have organised various sports activities for Harris staff to participate in, such as Back to Netball club, staff football matches and internal staff multi-sport competitions. The partnership delivers various enrichment clubs for the school. Lewis Riches, partnership coach, set up a table tennis club at the school in September. The club attracts over 25 pupils each week; as a result three Year 7 teams took part at the Merton borough competition in November 2014. Lily Smith, the partnership’s trampolining specialist, delivered a trampolining club in preparation for the Federation Trampolining Competition. Six students took part in the event and thoroughly enjoyed it, “I had a great time and I thought we all did really well. I particularly enjoyed performing against other schools,” Charmont in Year 10 Pupil. The Academy is very keen on Sports Leadership and the partnership runs a Year 8 Leadership Academy within the school. The Academy is a 10 week programme, which trains the Year 8’s to become good Sports Leaders ensuring that they can deliver safe and effective sports activities to younger children. The leaders then inspire Key Stage 1 children as they deliver a multi-sports club at St Teresa’s RC Primary School. The academy was a huge success and due to the leaders’ outstanding performance and professionalism at the Academy the leaders will be used to assist at future partnership events. Becky Forshaw, Coordinator of the Morden Cluster held the Year 5/6 Best Team and Year 5/6 Girls Football competition at Harris Academy Morden’ Both events took place on the school astroturf using the Year 10 Sports leaders to officiate all the matches. Without the use of the schools facilities and sports leaders the competition would not have been able to run so smoothly. The Morden Cluster also held a Year 3 Multi Skills Festival at the Academy which was delivered by the Year 8 and 10 Sports Leaders. The local primary school children really enjoyed the event and were thrilled to have young leaders organise this for them.
“I had a great time and I thought we all did really well, I particularly enjoyed performing against other schools”, Charmont, Year 10 Pupil. MSSP and the PE department are currently updating the gym and trampolining equipment. This will ensure that the local special school, Cricket Green School are able to take part in the rebound therapy club at no cost to the students.
OUR STILESTONES ANelIIE DIMPLE OLERO geld Tecum quam qui si con core venihil luptiae magnis quae ni minverfero inusam rus noestro milutarem ratia au.
Year 8 and Year 10 Sports Leaders
Mathematics The Autumn term has been vibrant in and around the mathematics corridor. We welcomed three new members of staff, Mr Cabanas, Ms Bissessar and Ms Low to the team and they have settled into the thriving atmosphere quickly. Ms Bissessar has taken charge of numeracy and all of us are looking forward to Maths Week in March. Ms Juszcyk has been busy implementing the new maths curriculum within the department and our students are enjoying the new style of lessons without levels. We hope that with our change in delivery we can continue to produce outstanding results for the students in mathematics. Key Stage 4 students are working hard and Year 11 have just sat their second mock paper. With results in line with last year’s record breaking grades, we are very
The United Kingdom Mathematics Ttrust Team Challenges promote
pleased with how attainment is shaping up.
mathematical dexterity, teamwork and communication skills. They also give
We look forward to exciting events on the horizon including numeracy challenges and the National Mental Maths Competition where we have a high-performing
students the opportunity to compete against students from other schools in their region.
group ready to take on the UK.
Numeracy This term students have been working hard during Tutor Time attempting the weekly numeracy activity. During these 20 minutes, students have had the chance to improve their numeracy skills and see situations where numeracy is being used in their daily life. One of the most discussed numeracy activities was “How old are you?” where students calculated their age in different units, they began with their age in years then months with some students able to calculate their age in minutes and seconds! Numeracy Week takes place in the Spring Term, which will see a number of competitions being run within year groups, faculties and the whole school. A wide range of prizes will be available for students to win during this week! Numeracy Week will culminate in our annual Pi recital, last year’s winner, Kamile G2, was able to recite Pi up to 100 decimal places!
Have a go at a Pi Dingbat. Say what you see!
Halle in Year 7 calculating her age
Science
This term the Science department successfully ran two Family Learning Mornings. The sessions were delivered by Miss Strydom, our new Key Stage 3 Science coordinator. The parents and students who attended these sessions had a fantastic time understanding how Science works and applies to them. Miss Strydom’s charismatic approach had all the members of the family engaged and enthused!
The Year 12 Biology students went on a course at Imperial College where they did some work on Cell Microscopy and Food Analysis. The students were most impressed with the details of the electron microscope and the characteristics of the world which exists within 1 millionth of a metre!
Young scientists impress at Open Evening 2014 Our Key Stage 3 booster clubs,
grade when they complete the
Gifted &Talented and Science
course.
Lectures were also well supported and this has positively impacted on our students’ attitudes to learning
The Science Department completed four drop days with Year
and involvement in Science.
11s, with focus on reaction kinetics,
For the first time at Harris Academy
Although the sessions were time
Morden we introduced our Year 9 to
consuming our Year 11s worked
the three year GCSE programme. I can confirm that our students have
well to complete the assessment to the best of their ability.
risen to the challenge of the GCSE course and I am very optimistic that this will result in an overall increase in the number of students leaving our doors with an A*- C
Core and Triple Science ISAs.
Our Biology Year 12 students have completed their AS Biology ISA and are completing the first set of mock examinations.
Students prepare for the Inter-Faculty Egg Drop
ski trip blog - february 2015 Ten students, three teachers and one amazing mountain range (the Swiss Alps!) is all that is needed for the inaugural Harris Academy Morden ski trip (February 2015)! This small but elite unit have stepped up, to rise to the challenge of learning to ski during A.E.E. week. They have applied themselves with no fear and lots of enthusiasm! Day 1 An excited group of students and a nervous group of parents attended the pre-trip departure briefing before we faced challenge one – fitting all of the people and luggage on to the minibus to get to the airport!
Our Resort This is our view from our chalet in Torgon, Port du Soleil, looking out into the valley with the alpine village of Aigle nestled in the foothills. We are a few kilometres from the French border so depending on how our skiing comes along we will be crossing into France for an afternoon one day soon… The snow is fresh and deep, the weather is sunny and warm (around 2 degrees Celsius) and spirits are high… 4 more days to go… We are not going to want to leave!
Day 2 After a basic, alpine, buffet breakfast we were kitted out with ski boots (very hard to walk in!), poles and helmets. We then made our way slowly to the slopes to meet our instructor, Sander. In the first session we learnt the basics and started getting used to the feel of being in skis, moving about and most importantly slowing down and stopping! Although this was harder for some than others we all kept picking ourselves up and trying again. The first ski lesson flew by and following a quick lunch we were back out where we learnt how to use the baby lift and started to develop our skills further. By the end of the day we had some very tired beginner skiers who were very much in need of the tea and cakes waiting for us at the Goldtest centre. We showered, compared bruises and started to feel the muscles in our legs that we never knew we had!
Torgon - por
Day 3 This morning we went in at 7.30am to wake the students up and they were all sleeping soundly! After breakfast we got to the slope a little earlier and nearly everyone managed to get their boots on without help. Sander decided that he was going to push us so we had not only tried backwards skiing before lunch but had also started using the button lift (which the intermediate skiers use!) Lots of progress is being made (with the occasional slip, slide and snowy face along the way). After lunch we started getting to the serious business of doing slalom turns slightly higher up the slope. Although this was hard, everyone kept at it although by now some skiers had started getting additional support from staff from the Ski Company - these smaller group sessions really helped and by the end of the day everyone had made good progress. After another big dinner we went out in snow shoes with flaming torches for a walk into the forest at the edge of town. The stars were twinkling, the trees were ghostly in the flickering torch light and the silence was broken only by the sound of excited but hushed voices. Once all safely home we had a hot chocolate and went straight to bed for another deep sleep!
rt du soleil
Day 4 Students were all up and ready to go at the later 8am start. After breakfast we continued our journey up the slope - lucky for us the weather was still amazing! Most of us had now reached the fifth pylon! This meant quite a steep slope but Sander assured us that going across the slope “isn't very steep after all�. He was right! Rolling down the slope with one ski was still quite steep though as Mr. Pritchard soon discovered. We continued to practise our turns and became more and more confident to the extent that we were freely moving up and skiing down the slope with ease by lunch. This continued after lunch with some additional skills being taught (such as slowing down without using the snowplough position). At 3pm Sander laid down the ultimate challenge: who was brave enough to attempt to ski all the way down the slope? Half the group were up for it, so we took the button lift to the last pylon, lined ourselves up and prepared for the descent (after a quick photo shot of course!) We were all very nervous as it was a long way down! Sander led us down stopping at regular intervals (usually coinciding with a tumble) but slowly but surely (and much slower than the groups of 7-10 year olds gliding in graceful snakes past us) we made the thrilling journey and there were high fives all around - challenge accepted and completed! Thankfully the snow was nice and soft when he landed!
At 4pm we returned to the chalet, had tea and cake and then decided to take a trip to the only shop in the village to buy some snacks. After some quick showers and burgers for dinner we then took on the climbing wall! We all had plenty of turns and with the automatic belay machines, the jumping off the wall and being lowered slowly to the ground - it was almost as much fun coming down as was the satisfaction of making it up in the first place! Everyone got involved and managed to climb at least one of the routes. All in all, another fantastic day followed by the deep and restful sleep of the happy, exhausted and exhilarated.
ski trip blog - continued
Day 5 Following a quick bus ride we arrived in
After lunch Sander's group learnt how
Place de Crois which has a much wider
to use a chair lift and were treated to
range of runs and a couple of chair lifts to
spectacular views across the Swiss Alps at
boot! Today was judgement day! Those who felt brave enough ascended the main
the height of 1750m - all the way to Lake Geneva!
button lift half way up the mountain.
After some hot soup, tea and (you guessed
The group that went with Sander were
it) more cake, the final decision of the day
going to face their toughest challenges
had to be made: to ski in the dark without
yet. As it happened the main challenge
poles with only the light of a flaming
turned out to be the button lift up the
torch to guide, or not‌ Three brave souls
mountain. Those of us who made it
volunteered. There were some nerves, but
waited for Sander and then went down an
all the students made it down smoothly
extremely exciting run, where we started
without setting themselves or anyone
getting more speed up and began to learn
else ablaze and all agreed that it was an
how to do parallel turns (whilst stopping to pick up the stragglers from the ski lift
amazing experience being part of the flaming ski snake! Another epic day in
en route).
Switzerland!
Day 6 Another challenging and exciting day... We were reunited as a large group and
Following this rather dramatic but ultimately harmless (and frankly hilarious)
we had another instructor with us (Luke) who was able to support the least
incident, it was the scenery's turn to take our breath away as we skied a path
confident skiers. Having warmed up on the relatively easy part of the Djeu
down the valley with awe inspiring views to behold. This was a beautiful
des TĂŞtes run, we progressed to the very top and successfully skied a blue run
stretch of skiing as it was well within our comfort zones and everybody had a
to the bottom of the next and greatest challenge to date, a now notorious
smooth and memorable ride to the chairlift which took us to the restaurant
button lift. True to form a certain unnamed trooper lost balance, slipped
where we stopped for lunch. It would be wrong to not mention the fact that
and began to slide down the slope into the path of the next of our skiers who
the chairlift was simply staggering giving us views across the Alps all the way
promptly also fell off. The lift was stopped as a lift operator came to their
to Mont Blanc the tallest mountain in Europe.
rescue. Once the lift began again, we had another tumble from a female student this time, who again collided with a friend both of whom came to rest near the first boys, having also managed to dislodge a ski from a fellow team member who impressively made it to the top anyway.
Day 7 Today Sander took us back up the route we went yesterday but rather than going down the slow paced mountain path with the amazing view on the left we went straight down the slope with the chair lift on (and the amazing view straight ahead). As a team we made ski trip history by making it up to the slope without anyone falling off, let alone causing a pile up on the button lift. Despite the reluctance of one member of the group who ended up getting a piggy back from Sander, on the whole the group did really well and were skiing confidently down the blue run. Impressive stuff considering their starting point earlier in the week! With the descent completed we rode the chairlift one more time to have lunch in the restaurant at the summit. The final descent was a beautiful journey with far fewer collisions and crashes than the previous day (but the hilarity of some of these incidents was of the highest order!) We have all learnt, from experience that falling over does not hurt (that much) and that all you need to do is get straight back up again after. We are now waiting in the airport for our delayed flight (it is Friday the 13th so hoping the delay is not too long), everybody is extremely tired but contented knowing they have learnt how to ski and have had a fantastic adventure that they will remember for the rest of their lives. I for one cannot wait for next year!
Harris Academy Morden, the students and the parents would like to say a massive thank you to Mr Pritchard for organising such an amazing opportunity and to Ms Sweeney and Mrs Stow for bringing them all back in once piece! Watch this space for details of our next trip‌
EAL English As an Additional Language
It has been an exciting, yet busy Academic year for the EAL Department so far. The EAL team has been amazed by the extraordinary levels of enthusiasm, commitment and resilience displayed by all of the students who come to the TLC (The Language Centre) to attend their intervention sessions, extra-curricular clubs and GCSE tuition in their Community Languages.
Cirque du soleil 27 students will be sitting their GCSE exam in their home language this summer and they all have high hopes for some excellent results. To reward their outstanding effort and determination this term, the EAL students were invited to watch the world’s famous circus performance, ‘Kooza’ by Cirque du Soleil, at Royal Albert Hall. Students and staff enjoyed a humerous but breath-taking performance by the cast.
EAL Training Day In January our Academy organised the Harris Federation EAL training day, which was attended by 37 Schools Direct teachers from both the primary and secondary sector. Our visitors took part in EAL focused workshops and Teach Meet style presentations. They also had a tour of the Academy, which left them hugely impressed with The Language Centre and the international corridor. All of the attendees spoke highly of their EAL tour guides, who have used this opportunity to develop their public speaking skills and to build their self-confidence. Azra in B7A and Ariakna in Y7A loved the experience and they have both volunteered to Azra and Ariakna – EAL conference tour guides
be trained to become ‘Student Interpreters’.
MFL Modern Foreign Languages It has been a busy term and a half for MFL, but an enjoyable one! In September, two new and very enthusiastic members of staff joined the team: Miss A Corchero and Miss M Navarro. They have both settled in well and are enjoying working with our students. The MFL department, I am pleased to announce also received fantastic feedback from Ofsted. Our students have been busy working towards achieving or exceeding their end of year targets. This term they have studied a range of topics across the key stages. Key Stage 3 (Years 7-8): Daily Routine, School and Sport. Key Stage 4 (Years 9-11): Music and TV, My free time and My Area and Home. For Year 11s, the end is almost in sight! The focus is now on ensuring that their Controlled Assessments are produced to the highest level along with revision of all topics covered throughout the GCSE course. With great resources such as Rosetta Stone and support through tutoring, booster club, Saturday and Holiday School, our students have every opportunity to achieve their target grades in Spanish. Our extra- curricular provision is at an exciting phase, with our Korean club growing in popularity! If you have not visited our Facebook and Twitter pages, please do, as our students have been cooking Korean style! Looking ahead, we have the Spanish trip to Barcelona to look forward to, which takes place in our second A.E.E. week in July 2015.
Students enjoyed making their own Korean Kimbaps
English Motivate Inspire and challenge! This is exactly what the English Department aims to do Harris Academy Morden. With a variety of activities and trips, our students enjoy and achieve simultaneously. One of our ongoing Key Stage 3 projects is the Shakespeare Schools’
focus is on developing writing skills. We see this as pertinent to the overall
Festival. This event is the UK's largest youth drama festival and it offers
development of our students. It is important that they are taught from as early
students from all backgrounds the opportunity to perform Shakespeare on
as Year 7 how to express themselves clearly using a variety of techniques. This
their local professional stage. Last term our Year 8 students exhibited their
club is very popular which is indicative of our students’ desire to succeed.
talent in a stunning performance of ‘The Tempest’, by Shakespeare. They exuded confidence, passion and true brilliance as they performed their
Key Stage 4 pupils have been working diligently in their preparations for their
interpretation of the play. Their outstanding leadership skills, coupled with
GCSE exams. All pupils in years 10 and 11, are experiencing a curriculum that,
their own willingness to succeed were instrumental in helping them to put on a spectacular performance. Preparations are already underway for this year’s
but one that enriches them as individuals. Through reading, writing and
not only gives them the knowledge and skills that their final exam necessitates,
festival. We aim to strive to create an environment in which every child is challenged and supported to realise their potential. To this end, the department runs a weekly Grammar booster session (every Friday after school) to support Year 8 students with developing their literacy skills. These sessions are structured so that students have the opportunity to reflect and develop technical accuracy in writing thereby enabling them to better access the curriculum. These sessions are very successful and, as a result, more and more students are making good and better than expected progress. Our Year 7 students also receive a weekly
speaking and listening, they have had the opportunity to express themselves
Writing Skills booster intervention session after school on Fridays where the
ideals and beliefs. To further enrich the curriculum, on Tuesday the 21st of
through critical analyses, exploratory writing and by verbalising their ideas, October, a selection of Year 10 pupils participated in the Jack Petchey “Speak Out” Challenge. The primary aim of this project is to raise the profile of public speaking and oracy skills development. Our Year 10 pupils were phenomenal in their showcasing of the above-mentioned skills. The regional finals will be hosted by Harris Academy Morden on March 17th 2015. Year 12 English Literature AS students recently embraced their study day in London with positivity and were rewarded with excellent strategies to tackle their exam. ‘The Struggle for Identity in Modern Literature’ unit is one of four which encourages students to develop the ability to read widely and critically. The poet, Owen Sheers, was a welcomed speaker at the event. Reading and sharing his poetry, he informed students of methods to address poetry within the unit. Students found the study day extremely helpful, enjoyable and
Students perform 'The Tempest' at the New Wimbledon Theatre
rewarding.
Literacy A huge new investment in new literacy software means that students needing help to boost their literacy skills now get amazing support! Thousands of pounds have been spent to ensure that we can now support more than four times the students we helped last year. That means that more than 130 students are now receiving individually tailored support sessions at least three times every week! The Lexia Phonics Programme is particularly popular with students because they are able to work through the exercises on their own, choosing which tasks to perform. Of course, our dedicated literacy team is on hand to intervene with extra one-to-one and group booster classes whenever students get stuck on a particular skill. One of the biggest benefits to Lexia is that students are not withdrawn from timetabled classes to attend the literacy booster sessions. Lexia takes place during registration and after school in more manageable 20-minute sessions, which means that students get to attend all of their regular classes too!
Students are excited to use the new Lexia Reading software
V.I.P. Guests C.I.T. Event - Does Social Media make us less social? On Friday November 28th we had a visit from the Mayor of Merton who came to join our C.I.T. event. 12 finalists had been selected from the applications for this competitive and popular event! The students had a thought-provoking and lengthy discussion sharing their views on this controversial and current topic.
“Social Media makes us use more slang and it will stop us getting jobs if we cannot use Standard English!” Our conclusion was that Social Media is really useful, entertaining and positive, if used appropriately, but equally it can be dangerous and a negative way of communicating. The older generation may not understand that this is how the younger
The Mayor of Merton with our students The Mayor of Merton was suitably impressed with the debate and how articulate our students were. She selected Megan and Javon as the winners to go forward into the final competition with Mr Mallin.
message each other!
“Social Media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family who live overseas.”
What’s Your Why? - Mr Beezy
Local Democracy Week
generation communicate, but we all agreed that when you are with friends and family it is better to talk face to face rather than text or instant
Academic Success Coach – Mr Beezy is one of the leading experts and highly requested speakers when it comes to student performance and academic success in the UK. We were moved by Mr Beezy’s motivational speech entitled “What’s your why?”The Year 11 students were inspired, motivated and in some cases even moved to tears!
During this year's Local Democracy Week, political members in Merton are talking to young people about their role and the services provided by the council. Councillors are visiting schools as part of the national Local Democracy Week initiative, which aims to bring together elected politicians with younger generations.
"Mr Beezy's talk made me realise how we need Hard work to be successful and we need to be focusing on our exams now!" David - Year 11
Councillor Oonagh Moulton with our students Leader of Merton Conservative Group, Councillor Oonagh Moulton, who visited Harris Academy Morden, said:
Thumbs up from an inspirational Mr Beezy!
"The views of young people are important. We want to learn more about the issues they care about, so that we can represent all Merton residents whatever their age."
SMSC spiritual, moral, social and cultural development In November, students in Years 7 to 10 took part in a range of activities designed to raise aspirations and to enhance skills. Through exploring the different options that are available after school, then analysing the implications of these choices, students are better placed to make positive decisions to maximise their life chances. Students also embarked on a range of activities to develop and enhance their teamwork and leadership skills, both integral to being able to be successful in later life.
Students enjoying the puzzle task
For Year 7 these activities took on an even greater importance as it allowed
The Spring Term sees the second SMSC and Wellbeing day of the year taking
students to get to know each other better, develop friendships with people
place; this time the theme is ‘Living well’. We hope that it will provide our
they do not always work with and to begin to show off the skills that they have
students with knowledge and understanding to lead even more happy and
brought with them to the Academy.
successful lives.
The day was enjoyed by all and proved once again what a fantastic group of young people we have learning within the Academy.
'This Girl can' Focus group On Thursday 5th February, Twelve enthusiastic girls from years 7 to 10 took part in a focus group which had the topic of female participation in sport. The focus group highlighted well documented gender stereotypes and social norms towards girls’ participation in sport, and how the media contribute to implying this.
The girls had great opinions on why girls and boys do not participate in sports that were not to be seen appropriate for their gender. Confidence, boys perceptions and body image were the main themes that the girls believed affected their participation in PE. Charmont, had a great view on the matter of boys participating in Zumba compare to girls weightlifting in the gym; "In society girls can wear boy’s clothes, but boys can’t wear girls clothes." The girls showed a high level of knowledge and were extremely confident and mature under pressure, as the advertising company that produced This Girl Can was viewing the focus group and the girls being filmed for research purposes.
hISTORY The Academic year to date has been an exciting one in the History Department, the team have been impressed by the level of determination, industry and enthusiasm displayed by students in lessons, extracurricular clubs, intervention sessions and school wide competitions. The Autumn term saw the History Department’s World War centenary
Away from competitions, the department has been delighted by the
competition won by Tope and Matteo from Year 8. The competition task
enthusiasm students have shown during the Key Stage 3 after school
was to design a PowerPoint that emphasised why it was still important
History Club that hosts an average of 25 students on a weekly basis. This
to remember World War 1. In order to introduce the competition, Harris
term we have learnt about a number of historical topics that do not sit on
Academy Morden was proud to host Dr David Ashby, Chairman of the Royal
the main curriculum such as Genghis Khan and The Great Wall of China!
British Legion’s Morden Branch. The winners will now be visiting important WW1 locations in March, on a trip to France and Belgium.
As we approach the second half of the Spring Term, it is important that we acknowledge the exceptional industry that is being displayed by our Key Stage 4 students, as they both start and maintain their focus during the GCSE History course. The booster and tutoring sessions which run until 5.30pm during the week, at the weekend and during school holidays will no doubt go a long way to maintaining the 87% A*-C grades achieved in the department last year. Two
Dr David Ashby, Chairman of the Royal British Legion’s Morden Branch
gEOGRAPHY
Inter-Faculty Code Breaking Challenge
Geography at Harris Morden has seen big changes from last year. Two new members of staff, Mr Shackleton and Ms Alexander, have been added to the Geography Department, and have brought with them an influx of creative ideas to help further the subject. Huge enthusiasm has been displayed by all years groups, with Year 7s investigating what is meant by geography, and exploring the country around them. Year 8 started by looking at Crime in the UK, and have moved on to the more physical topic of our Dynamic Earth. Some lovely posters were created outlining the formation of volcanoes, which displayed the creative skills of all students as well as brightening up the classrooms around them. Key Stage 3 have had two geography clubs to attend this term; Geography in the News and the United Nations Club. Both clubs look at discussing hard hitting problems and seek to improve students' general geographical knowledge, as well as improving their teamwork and literacy skills. Key Stage 4 has made strong progress through the GCSE course, with interventions and boosters being well attended by all three years, especially Saturday School sessions with the Year 11s. The current year 11s are looking to be well on their way to achieving the target of 84% A* to C in the exams in June.
Year 11 have been studying bays as part of their coasts topic
Religion & Philosophy Students have been working hard in their Religion & Philosophy lessons and showing great enthusiasm for their studies. As ever, many lessons show the great spirit of debate that is growing in our Academy. Year 7 have begun an exploration of beliefs into what happens when we die comparing their own beliefs with Christian and Humanist views before turning to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Year 8 have been finding out about how people make ethical decisions and are preparing to investigate whether or not the war in Afghanistan was just. Year 10 have done an introductory tour of the major world faiths before moving on to a thematic approach of ideas of religious importance starting with whether or not God actually exists! Year 11 are working hard in preparation for their forthcoming Religion & Philosophy GCSE exams. We look forward to more excellent result in this area.
Psychology
What happens when we die?
In the first year of Psychology being taught at the Academy, students in both Years 9 and 10 are embarking on the rigorous GCSE course. Having started the year finding out what Psychology is and about the impact this discipline has on all walks of life, students have begun exploring core theories within the subject such as individual difference, cognitive, developmental, biological and social psychology. Students have worked very hard to develop their understanding of these areas, starting with an exploration of gender development; comparing the biological and Freud’s psycho-dynamic approach. After this, students studied how we remember things, how we form attachments to people and why people obey or defy orders. Although challenging, students have taken a mature and positive attitude to their studies and are now developing their use of psychological language to evaluate theories and studies effectively. Up next: honing their skills in planning psychological research.
Charities At Harris Academy Morden we believe strongly in helping those in need. This year, each faculty has chosen a new charity to support and we have already hosted lots of different fundraising events. So far this year, our hard-working charity representatives and leaders have held fund-raising film events, a Christmas jumper day, a cake sale, a football “keepyuppy� competition and guess the name of the bear competition. Each faculty is in a competition to raise the most money for their charity by the end of the year; so we look forward to many more events in the months to come!
library The Library has been inundated this year with students quizzing for Accelerated Reader as their enthusiasm for reading continues to rise. Although new additions to the library shelves, like ‘The Maze Runner Series,’ are becoming popular, students still prefer the old favourites: Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Dahl. Year 7 has given Year 8 a run for their money since joining us in September with Hassan (G7B) quizzing 47 books and Scarlett (B7A) achieving the highest word count (over 1.5 million words!). But Juliet (8R2), Scarlett’s sister, is also a remarkable reader: she is leading Year 8 with a word count of nearly 700,000! There is a hot competition in Year 9 between Alexander (G5) and Adrian (G1) both vying for the top spot. So far Alexander has the best word count and Adrian has quizzed the most books but it alternates weekly, so keep reading boys! To help more reluctant readers, we launched our Book Buddy Breakfasts this year. Throughout the year we have dates set aside when adults connected to the Academy (that’s you!) to spend 30 minutes reading together with some of our weaker readers before going off to the Dining Hall together for a free 'fry up'. If you want to get involved, let us know! For more information please visit our website - www.harrismorden.org.uk As a result of all of their hard work in AR (Accelerated Reader) lessons, students have been rewarded with 32 certificates, 4 shopping vouchers and numerous bookmarks and highlighters. They have shown dedication quizzing outside their usual AR lesson using the library before and after school and at break and lunch too. Can you guess the teacher?
Would you like to become a Book Buddy? Visit www.harrisacademymoren.org.uk
Media The Media Department has been busy preparing Year 11 for their upcoming GCSE examinations. Miss Wilson and Mrs Vezey would like to congratulate the Year 11’s for their hard work and determination to succeed. We wish them every success in their summer exams. A special mention needs to go to Lewis who has worked very hard to achieve the highest mock exam results showing that focus and 100% effort = exceeding target grades. The unveiling of the 'Tagger Trainer' advertising campaigns showed the progress that has been made by all of the students in their production and post-production skills this year. Year 9 and 10 have also been studying advertising this term - some insightful radio adverts have been created. Special mentions need to go to Ben (R2) for his continued dedication to the subject and Sinead (G3) for her excellent voice over skills. Our students will again be taking part in the BBC Schools News Report this year. Mr Gardner’s Year 9 English group will be practising their journalistic skills during AEE week and will be competing against other schools around the country on March 19th to win a reporting slot at the end of the nightly news. Maybe it will be our report at the end of the evening news? Keep your eyes peeled! Good luck Year 9!
Drama
Students are briefed on their news tasks - BBC News Report
The Drama curriculum has returned to supplement English lessons this term with lessons for Year 7 and 8. They have been looking at Fables and the moral lessons that they can learn from them. The Key Stage 3 Performance Club will be performing in the Merton Schools’ Showcase at the New Wimbledon Theatre again this year. It will be a creative response to the show 'Oh What a Lovely War'. We will be going to see the show very soon. Every student that has been chosen to represent us this year should be very proud of themselves. They have a lot to live up to, as last year’s group were absolutely amazing and highly-praised by the theatre staff!
Students will be performing at the New Wimbledon Theatre
iNTER-FACULTY eVENTS Each half-term we hold several competitive inter-faculty events designed to challenge students both physically and mentally and enabling them to earn points for their Faculty. Most recently we had a ‘CodeBreaking Challenge’ run by the History Department. Congratulations to the Blue Faculty for winning overall, represented by 4 students from B7B: Andzelika, Kamile, Sofia and Tony. Other recent events have included chess, mental maths and the ‘Egg-Drop Challenge’. We are looking forward to the Spelling Bee and Cook Off coming up in Spring 2.
Breaking the code!
Who's egg will survive the drop?
Gifted & talented The Year 9 and 10 Harris Experience students have already had a number of enrichment activities to attend. In February we hosted a representative from the University of Law who presented to the Year 9s and got them thinking about possible career paths in Law. They have already attended their first session at Christies Auction House and will shortly be going on a theatre trip. The Year 10s have been on a very special trip to the Royal Opera House and joined other Harris Morden students on the Cirque du Soleil trip during A.E.E. Week. A programme of 'master classes' is being put in place for our brightest students to supplement the already successful Lecture and CIT programmes.
“The lawyer presentation really opened my eyes into the way law firms work. I never thought I could become a lawyer before but now but this has given me a new opportunity!” Sarah - Year 10
So you're thinking about becoming a lawyer?
Enrichment In September we began a pilot scheme to encourage Year 7 and 8 students to engage fully with our enrichment programme. We have been offering a wide range of activities from sport through cookery to Chinese and Korean language. A good number of students have engaged well with this programme and are benefitting from the huge selection of clubs on offer. Initial analysis shows that there are some students who are not attending the clubs they have signed up for regularly enough. We will be looking at this again in Easter and will need to consider an increase in homework set if we still find this to be the case.
Korean Food Making!
There is a sharp focus on working with Year 11 students to support them in their final preparations for the approaching GCSE exams. After school sessions are very well-attended, as are the ongoing Saturday and Holiday schools. We would like to thank parents and carers for their support in ensuring that the students maintain this focus and achieve the best possible outcomes in the Summer.
Extra-curricular fencing club
Harris messenger - Spring Edition 2015 www.harrismorden.org.uk
Courage, challenge, success