Email: slloyd-ppa@holly-hall.dudley.sch.uk Website: www.hollyhallacademy.co.uk
16th May 2014
Gurpreet Atwal (7SIM)
Thomas Moran (8STN)
Nominated by Mr Nation (Mathematics)
Nominated by Mrs Lee (Spanish)
“Gurpreet always completes her homework on time and to a good standard. Her attitude in class is excellent and she works hard all of the time.
“Thomas has made exceptional progress this year. He is currently working at a very strong level 5b (his end of year target was a 4c). He is always willing to go the ‘extra mile’ and is a real pleasure to teach.”
Well done Gurpreet!”
Emily Smith (9CAL)
Sana Ifzal (10THO)
Nominated by Miss Haycock (Physical Education)
Nominated by Mr Parmar (Mathematics)
“Emily has an exceptional attitude to lessons. She works hard and is highly motivated. She performed particularly well in the recent unit of work ‘gymnastics’ where she has performed more complex skills.”
“Sana puts excellent effort into her work. She is very focussed and determined to succeed. Sana is a pleasure to teach. Keep up the fantastic effort Sana!”
Archie (11YOR)
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Nominated by Yorke (English)
Miss
“Archie has made outstanding progress this term. He listens carefully to everything that will help him to be successful. He is on track to gain a grade C in his examination.’ Pictured left to right: Gurpreet Atwal, Archie Jackson, Sana Ifzal, Thomas Moran, Emily Smith,
Congratulations to our Students of the Month for April 2014. They were presented with a special badge and certificate by Mr Lloyd, Principal. Their commitment to their work at Holly Hall is outstanding. Our students are keen to be successful and set themselves consistently high challenges.
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Pavanya Witharanage (10THO): Myself, Jacob Maybury (11YOR) and Paige Moran (9DHE) (pictured bellow) attended a training day organized by the Dudley Central Youth Council. We were all given a warm welcome and introduced to students from all over the borough selected to join the Youth Council through a series of “ice-breakers”. Throughout the day we were given tasks to complete associated with one quality that a Youth Council member should possess. To determine which candidates would be chosen to represent their borough, students were told to vote for three people who executed each task to the brief. The day was great fun, lively and full of laughter. The best part being making new friends.
A report by Mrs Collins – Co-ordinator of PSHE/Citizenship
“The unexamined life is not worth living” This is a quote from one of the greatest ever philosophers, Socrates. He believed that there is no point in life if we don’t think about it! Our Year 8 and 9 students have been developing their Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education over the past two years at the Academy by using a speaking and listening tool called P4C (Philosophy for Children). They have been trying to find answers to some of the biggest questions we can ask, like “What is the purpose of life?” as well as coming up with their own which are often discussed in class! Now it’s your turn to get your mind thinking deeply!
Congratulations to Mrs Clifton who has recently completed her HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) qualification and Mrs Nettleford who is now qualified in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). SCOTTY G’S WEEKLY SPECIAL – NEW ON THE MENU! This week in Scotty G’s come and try our homemade chicken tikka or vegetarian tikka served with fragrant basmati rice and naan bread. Also on the menu is smoky BBQ ribs served with potato wedges, coleslaw & corn on the cob. REMEMBER – all our meats and vegetables are sourced from local suppliers.
A philosophical question will appear in Insight magazine for you to try and find an answer to (remember, there is no right or wrong answer at all!). Have a think about the question over the weekend, and jot down your thoughts. Give these answers to a member of staff in Humanities, and the most t h ou ght pr o v o k in g a n d imaginative answer will win a £10 cinema voucher! So to get us started here is this week’s philosophical question… “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Get your thoughts in by Friday 23 May to be in with a chance of winning! ON THE WRAPS COUNTER – try our new value meal for £1.85 - a box including a choice from the Spicy Chicken Selection, together with homemade potato wedges, salad and a large carton. Page 2
Regular readers will remember INsight reporting on the death of Deb Morton last year. Deb was a long serving member of staff who fought a long and courageous battle against cancer. Deb’s parents, John and Olive and her son Ross came into the Academy last week to plant a tree in memory of a much loved daughter, m o t h e r , colleague and friend.
A report by Mr Giles, Cover Supervisor: vengeance is boiling in my heart…”
“Hell’s
The scorned Queen of the Night tries to persuade her daughter to murder the High Priest Sarastro in one of the most famous arias ever written for Opera…. Last Friday, a group of Year 9 students travelled to Warwick Arts Centre to see Mozart’s last masterpiece The Magic Flute brought to life on stage by English Touring Opera. Although it was the first time at the Opera for all of them, it seems to have left a lasting impression.
Mr Nation, Mathematics Teacher: Year 10 and 11 revision classes are currently taking place in A12 every Tuesday at the end of the Academy day. The work focuses on practising examination questions for students aiming to achieve at least a grade C at the end of Year 11.
was far different to any other performance I had seen before. It was an enjoyable experience and was well worth going to see it.” Meanwhile, Mr Taylor reports that Peace Alake (9WES) was still humming The Queen of the Night Aria in her History lessons on Monday morning!
Lewis James (9MCN) says: “I left school with quite low expectations but I really enjoyed it! There was even some comedy thrown in; that was a real highlight of the performance for me!” Chelsea Sheldon (9WES) remarks: “The production
Tue 20th & Wed 21st May 4.30 – 6.30pm: Year 7 Parents’ Evenings
Monday 30th June
6.30pm: New Year 7 Parents’ Induction Evening
Thursday 3rd July
Academy Prom - Year 11 Leavers
Wednesday 9th July
2.00pm: Year 7 Presentation Assembly
Wednesday 9th July
7.00pm: Governors’ Presentation Evening Y8 - 10
Friday 23rd May
Academy closes at 11.50am for Half Term
Monday 2nd June
Academy re-opens at 8.45am
W/c Monday 2nd June
Extended Homework Tasks:
Friday 11th July
Enrichment Day6/Sports Day
Year 7 Science
Tuesday 15th July
Attendance Reward Visits:
Year 8 ICT
Year 7 & 8 Drayton Manor
Year 9 PE Tue 17th & Thu 18th Jun
Year 9 & 10 Alton Towers
4.30 – 6.30pm:
Friday 18th July
Academy closes at 12.40pm for the Summer Holiday
Monday 21st July
Inset Day - Academy closed to students
Year 8 Parents’ Evenings th
Tuesday 24 June
Official end of Summer 2014 External GCSE Examinations
Mon 30th Jun – Thu 3rd Jul Humanities Trip to Krakow Monday 30th June
New Year 7 Induction Day Page 3
Mr Sissons, Assistant Principal: reports that Year 7 enjoyed a faith in the community day. A range of activities were run allowing students to explore a number of things that are important and symbolic to different local faith groups. Some of the activities involved trying on different symbolic dresses, sampling different cultural foods and taking part in some group bhangra dancing.
Mr Jabore Assistant Principal: Year 8 students enjoyed the thrill of rocket science on Thursday’s Enrichment Day. The young scientists built paper rockets and managed to launch them in to a sub-orbital flight path over the Academy’s main block. Both Craig Law (8FER) and Nasar Hussain (8FER) were particularly successful with their rockets and should consider extending their interest in scientific research. In other activities students studied the principles of helicopter flight and one student, Tyra Harris (8COX), recorded each test flight in meticulous detail. The highlight of the day was the visit to the mobile planetarium and enjoying the night sky as never seen before. Students discussed aspects of Greek mythology, the life and death of our sun and why the planet Mars appears red!
Mr Malone, Senior Assistant Principal: Year 9 took part in a rich and varied range of activities. They started the day with a theatre production. Students then followed a programme of activities linked to their options choices, moving around a carousel to get a taster of what some of the subjects on offer are actually about. A group of students also gave the new sports hall a good workout in their taster session for PE.
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Miss Edwards, Director of Teaching and Learning English: Year 10 went on a trip to Stratford, home of William Shakespeare for Enrichment Day5. Activities included a visit to the house in which Shakespeare was born as well as some of the homes of his relatives. Although it rained, the day was brilliant and all of the students were momentarily transported back to the Elizabethan era. Ever wondered where the phrase 'Sleep tight' comes from? Ask a Year 10 student! Mr Webster, Assistant Principal: In preparation for their final exams, Year 11 students took part in revision sessions structured to their individual needs. They worked on their option subjects, with students that study technology spending a whole day finishing off their practical work of which there was some excellent work produced. The Year 11 team would like to wish the students all the best for their future exams and please remember “you only get out of life what you put in�. Go out there and be a success Year 11!!!
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Miss Griffiths, Coordinator of Geography: This week the Geography department launched a photography competition that everyone in Years 7 to 10 can enter. The star prize is a new digital camera!
Mr Stokes, Science Teacher: A group of Year 7 students undertook a project linked to team building, with each group attempting to build the strongest structure with only marshmallows and spaghetti. The students had to work as a team to plan, build and then finally test their structures. The activity was enjoyed by all. Pictured: Mr Fereday, Science Teacher with Year 7 students
We’re on the lookout for your vision of the world through a lens in one of four categories; Natural, Action, Iconic and Modern. We can’t wait to see your snapshots – no doubt judging will be difficult. All entries must be received by Friday 6 June 2014. For more information and to access the entry form go to the Geography section on the Academy VLE or see a member of the Geography department. Good luck!
Mr Moseley, PE Teacher: I am thrilled to report that the total raised for Sport Relief this year was £621.63. A big thank you to the charity committee for all their hard work. Page 6
Mrs Collins, Coordinator of PSHE/Citizenship: To finish off Year 8s Religious Studies unit on Buddhism, students devised their own 'Guides to Happiness' based on the Buddha's teaching called the 8 Fold Path. Creativity and imaginations ran wild in a bid to create the most catchy, and thought provoking presentations. Abigail Boden (8WDW), Jasmeet Atwal (8COX), Taylor Britton (8WDW) and Rhiannon Edmonds (8ARE) (pictured below) came up with the idea of using a 'Compliment Sandwich' to make people happy - it worked for them!
Mr Ward, PE Teacher: All basketball, football and netball fixtures for the season have now been played. We turn our attention now to athletics. Over the past couple of weeks Years 9 and 10 students have represented the Academy at the Dudley School Athletics Championships, held at the Dell Stadium. Year 10 displayed some good individual performances in both track and field events, in particular, Kayla Drummond (10THO), who reached the final of the girls high jump and D’Sharn Bonner (10POW) who won the girls shot putt event. Year 9 did the Academy proud with some equally impressive performances, by Divina Matondo (9STO) who made the final of the girls 100m, McKinley Chadwick (9BEA) who made the final of the 400m and a special mention to Mickel Gittens (9CAL) who produced a great effort with coming 1st in the High Jump and reached the final of the 100m. Well done to all participants. The Year 7 and 8 Athletics Championship is just around the corner and on Thursday there will be a training session for anyone who wants to practise for their event. Tuesday rounders practice all years. Tuesday Year 7, 8 and 9 cricket. Thursday rounders away at Ellowes. Thursday Year 7 and 8 athletics.
Congratulations to Dhanish Khan (8COX), the winner of Mr N a t i o n ’ s Calculations. Danish correctly worked out the answer of ‘two minutes’ to last week’s puzzle. Danish’s name was drawn from all of the correct entries received. He was presented with a £10 W H Smith gift voucher.
Mr Sissons, Assistant Principal: Students are reminded that their extended homework tasks for Design (Year 7), History (Year 8) and Science (Year 9) are due in next week.
Did you know ..... The objects in the asteroid belt would have been merged to form another planet if not for Jupiter’s pull. Page 7
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Miss Yorke, English and Drama Teacher: During an English lesson this week, I set the task of creating a poem containing five words, chosen at random by students. I was particularly impressed by the work of Amelia Davis (7SIM) who wrote this poem in a very short amount of time. A duck billed platypus was starving with hunger, He tried the butchers, a café and a fishmonger. None of these were for him, he could see, So he ditched the plan and went to KFC. The spicy chicken made his tongue pop, His fingers and toes tingled in his flip-flops. Back at home he was thirsty of course, He put on the kettle and did the chores. He got a mug and plopped a teabag in, Stirred it around and then threw it in the bin. He had a sip then gave a shout, He started to wobble and flail about. He saw himself on a xylophone, Playing a very futuristic tone. When he was back, he jumped on his computer, And googled ‘tea takes me into the future’. He gave a sigh and jumped up to say, “There was something peculiar in that water today.”
Mr Taylor, Cover Supervisor: Congratulations to Paige Moran (9DHE), and Chandler Newman (9CAL) the winners of the First World War Commemorative Trip to France in October. They were chosen from all of the entries by Mrs Alam, Head of History who is currently on maternity leave. She visited the Academy recently during Enrichment Day. They both win an all inclusive free trip to the First World War battlefields of the Somme and Ypres in October, run by the Department of Education as part of the 100th Anniversary of World War One. Thank you and well done to all of you who entered. Mrs Alam commented that 'It was a very tough decision to make, the quality of entries was very good’.
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Mr Lloyd, Principal: The GCSE Examination season started this week and everyone is working very hard to ensure that Year 11 can be the very best they can be. Revision sessions are in full swing as we all aim to be as well prepared as we can be. Pictured are the Year 11 Chemistry students who were in the Academy at 8.00am on Thursday for a breakfast revision session just before their Chemistry paper. Pictured students taking part in revision sessions, many of which took place during the Easter holiday.