Caludon Update Summer 2013 Dear Parents/Carers As ever I am extremely proud of our students and the commitment shown by our staff. This term students have been involved in a wide range of both curricular and extracurricular activities to challenge their thinking and broaden their learning experiences. Feedback from your children has shown that they have both enjoyed and valued these opportunities. Many students have demonstrated increased confidence. In particular, the Student Leadership showcase to our Governors was particularly impressive and showed that your children can be confident, enthusiastic and independent leaders. There is a whole school focus on ensuring English and Maths standards continue to improve, but we also want to continue to champion the ‘Arts’ and Sport. Last week we were privileged to have a number of visiting artists entertain our students during the ‘Arts Festival’. In September, we will be launching a new target system and online reward facility so that all students making good and outstanding progress can be recognised. As you will be aware, we achieved an outstanding Ofsted judgement for every category in November 2011. This made us eligible to apply to become a national Teaching School, much like a teaching hospital, to provide high-quality training and development for trainee teachers, established school professionals and support for other schools. This provision will be available to schools across Coventry and wider. We were successful in our application and have been designated a Teaching School by the National College for Leadership and Teaching, from September 2013. A condition of becoming a Teaching School is that we form an alliance with a number of partners to offer a range of development opportunities and support for other schools. A number of Coventry primary, secondary and special schools have become partners within our alliance, as well as Coventry Local Authority and the University of Warwick. Our alliance will be known at The Castle Phoenix Teaching School Alliance.
This is an exciting new venture for us and we know that it will help us to continue to support our students to achieve their very best. As a teaching school, we will provide high quality professional development and become the lead school for training new teachers to the profession. We offer the renowned training programme for new entrants to the profession endorsed by University of Warwick and have a long track record of developing outstanding teachers. Some dates for your diary: School closes for the summer break at 1.15pm Tuesday 23 July. School re-opens to Year 7 students at 8.50am on Tuesday 3 September, and for Year 8-11 students on Wednesday 4 September at 8.50am as usual. This term has been an exciting, but busy term for everyone. Many students have been involved in taking GCSE and AS/A2 examinations and staff have spent many evenings after school supporting them to achieve their best. We wish your children good luck with their results which will be available on: AS/A2 results day – Thursday 15 August – 8.00am A2 results; 10.00am AS results GCSE results day – Thursday 22 August – 9.00am Year 11; 11.00am Year 9 and 10 (Please note, we will not be posting out Year 9/10 results if they are not collected, unless a stamped addressed envelope is provided). I wish you a good summer and look forward to welcoming all students back on Wednesday 4 September. Yours faithfully
Mrs M Marr Headteacher
2
We have certainly had a very busy term! On Wednesday 15 May we had the opportunity to invite the acclaimed author Alan Gibbons in to our library. Alan turned out to be an inspiration to all; he delivered an amazing creative writing session, interjected with stories of his time as a teacher and of his travels visiting schools all over the world. He captivated our audience and certainly gave them lots of creative writing ideas. The comments below give testimony to his visit. “Alan Gibbons was an incredibly funny, entertaining, and inspiring person. The opportunity to meet him was an honour, and proved an experience I shall never forget- his tips and help I shall use throughout my work.” Callum Daniels “When Alan Gibbons visited our library, it was inspirational. He helped me to make my stories more interesting. He was really fun and told good jokes about his childhood. He has inspired me to do more with my writing and what I could achieve. He has made me believe that maybe, one day, I could actually become an author. He was a real inspiration to me and, probably to the whole group that was there, to carry on writing.” Rebecca Foster “I really enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to meet a really talented author like Alan Gibbons. He is an inspiration, he has achieved so much. I was honoured to be chosen to meet him.” Taswinee Kissoondoyal Miss Barton Librarian
3
Back in April this year, I gave members of our creative writing group the opportunity to enter a writing competition.
‘Young Writers’ had set a task to write a story about a place in the world in no more than 80 words. For this competition students were asked to write a story on a theme that inspired them, with the added challenge of using 80 words or fewer. I am delighted to report that Kelsey Kennefick’s story has been selected for publication based on imagination, perception, expression and creative use of language. As a result of Kelsey’s story being selected, she received a certificate and bookmark. As a school we will receive a complimentary copy of Around the World in 80 words (11-18) UK adventures. Congratulations Kelsey! THE GHOST Crash! The lightning flashes on the cold winter’s night. John hastily rushes to get to his sister Jane. She has cancer and was told not to expect to survive the next twenty four hours. John was in the middle of the ocean on a boat. Suddenly he saw a light… in front of him appeared a mortifying ghost. It smirked as John screamed. At that moment Jane died. John never returned as he was lost to the Bermuda Triangle. Kelsey Kennefick 7.5 Miss Barton Librarian
4
Our reading group always looks forward to this book award process as we love to explore the accompanying website and look through and use the different resources
The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards. Often described by authors and illustrators as 'the one they want to win' - they are the gold standard in children's literature. The Carnegie Medal is awarded annually to the writer of an outstanding book for children. The Carnegie shortlist was announced Tuesday 12 March 2013 and we had 8 titles to read through this year.
5
This year’s winner announced on Wednesday 19 June 2013 was ‌. Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner. A stunning book with an underdog hero, Maggot Moon offers a powerful depiction of an utterly convincing and frightening dystopia. With clever plotting, conspiracy theory and a truly original concept at the heart of it, this is a real tour de force without a hint of sentimentality. Miss Barton Librarian
As part of joining in with the Coventry Book Festival Monday 10 June - Friday 14 June we attended two author events and hosted our own; we had a brilliant week! On Tuesday 11 June we saw Cathy Cassidy in action at Sidney Stringer Academy, she was inspirational and above all had the audience wanting to go off and aspire to be authors! .
On Wednesday 12 June we were back to Sidney Stringer again: this time to meet award winning Sarah Crossan. Sarah won a category in the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards earlier this year with her great book, ‘The Weight of Water’, which follows the story of young Kasienka coming to Coventry from Poland with her Mama. She has to cope with settling in to a new school and generally fitting in, as well as trying to find her Tata. Miss Barton Librarian
6
Continuing with taking part in the Book Festival we hosted our own event to finish off the week. On Friday 14 June we invited pupils from Wyken Croft School and Pearl Hyde School to join us. We welcomed author and film maker, Jeff Norton, writer of the Metawar series; ‘a combination of the real world and cyber life’. Jeff encouraged our audience to think about our everyday awareness of leaving a digital trail….amid lots of thought provoking facts about server farms which are in the middle of nowhere. Fascinating stuff! Jeff Norton with Matthew Rogers 7.8 and Joseph McFadden 7.4 Miss Barton Librarian
SUMMER 2013 LIBRARY OPENING TIMES Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1.00 pm - 5.00 pm 9.00 am - 12 noon 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm 2.00 pm - 7.00 pm 9.00 am - 12 noon 9.30 am - 4.00 pm
Our library is open all summer
7
Year 7 Science Club A group of year 7 students attend Science club every Thursday. The last half term has involved the students designing and making a balloon car. To inspire them they were shown a video clip about the Thrust cars. The students then raced their cars (with varying amounts of success). They visited the Coventry Transport Museum and went on the Thrust simulator. They also saw how the design of the car has changed from its inception. Oliva Cozza Arnold Selimovic Joseph McFadden Jai Bhachoo Sophie Mitchell Caitlin Pearce Michael Prentice Mrs Duffield Teacher of Science Coventry and Warwickshire school physicists 2012/13 Three Caludon Castle students and their families were invited to attend the ‘School Physicist of the Year’ ceremony at the University of Warwick, on the evening of 20 June 2013. These were Viraj Chauhan, Matthew Hirons and Aaron Maroke. In recognition for the effort shown and an enthusiasm and aptitude for A-Level Physics, these students received a certificate and prize on the evening. The event was sponsored by the Ogden Trust, a charity set up for the promotion of Physics and physicists. The students were able to view and discuss undergraduate work with University of Warwick students, heard a keynote speaker and were photographed receiving their certificates from a senior member of the university. Well done to all those involved. Mark Nicolson Leader of Physics
8
As the school year draws to a close, STEM Club members continue to work hard as they make the final touches to their Mission to Mars projects. Having visited the National Space Centre in Leicester and taken part in a simulated space mission, the students were inspired to create their own mission by devising a range of activities and challenges. The challenges will highlight and develop the essential skills needed to be an astronaut, such as team work, problem solving, lateral thinking, good communication, numeracy skills and working under pressure. STEM Club members welcomed a group of year 5 pupils from Shrubland Street Primary School in Leamington Spa on Tuesday 9 July, and hosted and led the afternoon session. On Thursday 4 July STEM Club represented Caludon Castle at the STEM Celebration and Careers Event held at Sidney Stringer Academy. The event, the first of its kind, provided an opportunity for our club to showcase the very successful Lego League project, as well as presenting individual STEM-based projects and highlighting our exciting upcoming STEM trip to Iceland. In addition to the student showcase, there was a variety of employment and educational opportunities on show from a range of companies and educational institutions, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Warwick University, IBM, Cosworth, GE, Coventry University careers and Rolls Royce. We also enjoyed an inspiring presentation from Gez Halton the Manufacturing Director of local Coventry based firm Premier Sheet Metal, makers of the 2012 Olympic torch. The event was rounded off with presentations for the best student projects. The Caludon STEM Club Lego League team and Thomas Killestein, for his most excellent astronomy project, were successful in winning raspberry pi computers. All of the students who attended the event were outstanding ambassadors for the school and a credit to the STEM Club. The winners were Niamh Emery, Hannah Rose, Joanna Gay, Hanna Osman, Thomas Killestein, Sophie Millington and Lucy Killestein. And finally, the STEM team are busy sending out letters and application forms to our new STEM Club hopefuls as we recruit for the autumn term. So, new year 8, if you have completed and returned your application form, watch this space to see if you have been successful in joining STEM. You never know it might be you next year taking part in Missions to Mars, building and programming Lego robots or even planning a once in a life time trip to Iceland. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all students involved in STEM this year and we are looking forward to lots of exciting projects and experiences in the new school year. Miss Miller Teacher of Science 9
In search of Shakespeare
On 23 of May, tutor group 7.7 followed a treasure tail around Stratford Upon Avon, solving a series of clues to find locations linked to Shakespeare. In teams of five they raced through riddles in order to find the house where Shakespeare was born, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare’s School and other places that played a part in the Bard’s life. Each team took a group photograph at every venue to prove that they had visited. According to Josh Martin the trip was “very interesting…I learnt a lot about William Shakespeare and got to go into his house and theatre.” Nawful Hassan said that the trip meant he got to learn more about the famous playwright ‘in a fun way’. A perspective confirmed by Blake Fuller who described the day as ‘fun and educational’. Teams each chose a gift to represent Shakespeare and will be presenting and justifying their choices next lesson. Miss Roden Teacher of English
10
Review of Royal Shakespeare Company Trip on 13 June 2013 On 13 June 2013, eight students from year 8 went to see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) performance of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Liam Bennett, Michael Clapham, Louie Hall, Amy Hutt, Jonathan Letts, Wesley McKee, Cara Stuckey and Yasmin Vavan all went with Miss Rushton and Miss Howard from the English Faculty to Stratford-Upon-Avon. During the morning, we took part in a creative workshop with RSC actor Simon, which increased our knowledge of Shakespeare and his plays. We played various drama warm-up games and then, in small groups, performed two acts from the play in front of Simon, our classmates and students from three other Coventry schools. In the afternoon, we took our seats for the matinee performance of Hamlet, which lasted 3½ hours. Afterwards, we talked about the play and discussed what we thought. We all enjoyed a very interesting and successful day. Jonathan Letts, English Ambassador, 9.6
In ICT this year some students have been taking part in Coding Club after school with Mr Fitzjohn and Mr Smith. Over the course of these sessions the students have learnt HTML for programming websites and python. Whilst learning python the students have been using a Raspberry Pi to program as well as some tutorial courses they have used as a resource to support their developing skills. This culminated in 100 students taking part in 'Programming with Python' days in Activities Week. Mr Fitzjohn Teacher of ICT 11
Odd socks Ever wondered why odd socks disappear from the clean washing never to return? During activities week the mystery was solved – it was established that following a metamorphic process they emerge to a new life as a sock creature. Two days were spent observing this phenomenon and the array of changes which took place were amazing. Some socks transformed into pigs, others into rabbit and zebra like creations and a couple even turned into rock stars. Thank you to all the students who took part in these sessions, I hope you have as much fun as the teachers did, and that you are all taking good care of your sock creatures. Mrs Detheridge, Mrs Jackson and Mrs Vincent
12
ICT There’s an App for That More than 70 students spent a day during Activities Week creating an iPhone or Android phone App. Students were given a design brief via a video message from singer Gemma Ray to create an iPhone App to promote her latest album and tour. The morning was spent designing graphics and editing photos to make them suitable for the smaller screen of a smartphone using a range of tools in Adobe’s Creative Suite. Students spent time learning to create apps through the online application AppShed, enabling them to create smartphone apps quickly that could be further customized through HTML, CSS or Javascript. Student feedback was very positive about the day – the activity was challenging and rewarding. Students were particularly impressed when they were able to load their apps on to their own phones and see them working. Mr Harvey Leader of ICT
13
Music Workshop In English some students took part in exploring musical genres. We explored the world of jazz, rhythm and blues and pop through listening to artists, dissecting the beats, style and lyrics and singing along! The day culminated in students selecting to write and perform a song, selecting a particular genre or designing memorabilia, tickets and album covers. The day was very competitive with many rounds being won and lost. Students showed how creative they are and how effectively they work in a team. Miss Roden Teacher of English
Chocolate bonanza Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! Melting it, mixing it, tasting it (chilli flavour not popular - except with Mrs Casey!) and even drinking it! During activities week, approximately sixty students spent the day learning how to design a TV promotion and the packaging/design for their own chocolate product. They also tested out their culinary skills by creating marshmallow rocky roads, chocolate crispies, chocolate brownies and a delicious chocolate cheesecake. The best part was presenting the promotions together with the tasting at the very end. A fattening day was had by all. Mrs Jones Teacher of English
14
Photography Workshop During activities week years 7,8 and 9 students worked together with Art technician Shiam Wilcox to illustrate their own book. They took inspiration from strange objects and by using traditional darkroom photographic techniques, which don't include using a camera, produced some amazing illustrations. Together these formed an amazing but sinister story called ‘Another World’. The techniques used were chemiograms, photograms and contact printing. Shiam Wilcox Art Technician Year 7 Camping Trip During activities week some year 7 students experienced an overnight camping trip to Rough Close campsite. Students were involved in activities such as bush craft, camp fire building, shelter building and water purification, as well as enjoying a good old fashioned sing along around the evening camp fire where they toasted marshmallows. All staff and students had an amazing time with lots of memories. Mr Williams Leader of Year 7
15
Throughout this year the KS3 council have been making a few changes; we have had meetings with the area managers of Alliance in Partnership (the company that runs the canteen) to attempt to lower prices of food, introduce meal deals and widen the variety of choices when buying food. We have also sent a letter to Mrs Marr to ask for more seating on the ground floor. So far, both of these have been successful, the Alliance in Partnership have taken our opinions on board and created a feedback method which will be outside of the canteen for students to write their comments and receive replies. Mrs Marr has also agreed to purchase extra seating. Myself and Caitlin Leigh, representatives from the council, have met
with Mrs Marr to choose the seating. This seating will soon be outside of the technology hub opposite the lift on the ground floor. Furthermore, we are still working hard to voice students’ opinions and make the school even better - but we need your help! Everybody's ideas are important so feel free to contact us and share your ideas by talking to your representatives or emailing us at the address below. You can contact us at: KS3Council@caludoncastle.co.uk We look forward to hearing your suggestions. Lucy Killestein and the KS3 Council
Let’s get cooking Let’s Get Cooking resumed this term with year 7 students. This was led by 2 sixth form students and our year 8 student leader Jonathan Letts. The year 7 students have learnt to make a whole range of sweet and savoury dishes Jonathan made the following comments about how much he has learnt from being involved in leading this club; “I think I have developed my leadership skills from taking some of the lessons. I have also developed compromising and decision-making skills, because of when we have to make a certain decision, whether that is on behaviour, what to make with them, methods…” Mrs Ruddy Leader of Food Technology 16
GCSE Hospitality On Thursday 14 March the GCSE Hospitality group put on an event for 34 pensioners from the Young at Heart Club. They had worked hard to plan and organise this event ensuring that the guests had all their dietary needs addressed, providing a menu, preparing and cooking the food and then providing waiter service. The event was very special and great entertainment was provided by the school choir as well as a quiz and a game of bingo. The feedback from this event was excellent, with many of the guest commenting on the high standard of the food and service and how smart and polite the students were. We were very proud – Well done to year 10! The new year 10 GCSE Hospitality students have just had their first taste of catering for an event when they prepared and served the food for the student leaders’ showcase held for the Governors on Wednesday 3 July. All of the students took part in making the food which looked amazing. The food was served by Bethany Mason, Megan Frost and Sian Healy; they looked very professional in their new chef whites!
Mrs Ruddy Leader of Food Technology
“The thing I have most enjoyed about hospitality are the events that we have done. The one I most enjoyed was the event we did on 14 March 2013. I enjoyed this because I had several roles throughout the event which consisted of Front of House and Head Chef. The events allow us to put into practice what we have learnt in class” Akash Prakhabar – Student Leader
17
Activities week. TV Cooker Students took part in two TV Cookery competitions – a Bake Off and Masterchef. Students from Years 7 - 10 worked in pairs to produce a Victoria Sandwich and to make and present scones in the Bake Off competition during the morning session and then, in the afternoon, had to create a dish using puff pastry and ingredients selected from the range available for the Masterchef competition. Everyone worked incredibly well to produce high quality results for both competitions. It was very difficult to judge as the standard was so high. The Bake Off winners were: Shia Hibbert and Megan Bee on Tuesday and Harry Paton and Kara Gaggini on Wednesday. The Masterchef winners were: Beth Mason and Nia Parekh on Tuesday and Fern Gower and Sophie Johnson on Wednesday. Well done to all the winners! The feedback from students was very positive and gave the teachers ideas for making the activity even better next year. The days were enjoyed by staff and students alike. Mrs James Food Technology
Students said: ‘You let us work independently which was fun.’ ‘It was a really good experience and I had a fantastic time.’ ‘I liked our freedom and that we made new friends.’ ‘It would be even better if we had more ingredients to choose from so we could experiment, to make it more challenging.’ ‘It’s just been excellent and fun.’
18
Rangoli is a Hindu belief which is supposed to bring good luck. Rangoli patterns possess rotational symmetry of at least order 2, and they can have many lines of symmetry, usually 4. When making a Rangoli pattern, you have to take a pinch of your chosen material (sand, rice, flowers) in between your thumb and index finger and then sprinkle it on your design. In
our Rangoli pattern we used dyed rice and lentils so it would create a 3D effect. We really liked using rice to create Rangoli patterns because we had to link it to our maths knowledge of symmetry. 8 groups set to work and produced marvellous pieces of work and the end result of all of them was exquisite. Many teachers, including Mr Williams and Mr German, came by to have a look at the patterns we had created. That’s how we created outstanding Rangoli patterns. You should try it! James Friday and Liam Webb
19
On Friday 14 June 2013, the year 8 Enterprise students raised money for charity in record numbers with a whole host of activities and opportunities for all of our students across the school. This week was to help develop students’ Enterprise skills such as decision making, group work, leadership, risk taking and creativity. Over 130 Year 8 students took part to raise money for a good cause and their four weeks of planning raised more than £400, an all-time record! On Friday we opened our doors to the hustle and bustle of the Year 8 Enterprise Fair and the whole school went charity crazy with activities across the school aimed at raising money for good causes. Year 8 students created stalls with unique games, competitions and sales of a variety of goods. The most popular was the chocolate fountain and ice cream stand which raised a record £43 for charity. Perhaps the most talked about stall was Peter’s Place which had everything but the kitchen sink donated by Peter Higham and his now empty house. The students got deep into the spirit of things and spent a lot of their own money making this fair the best yet. We all want to say a huge congratulations to our Year 8 and a big thanks to the Business faculty for organising and supervising the event with a special mention to Mr Byatt, Mr Newsome, Miss Detheridge and Mr Davoile. Each event so far has raised more money than the last, so how much can they raise next time around? Promotions Team
20
May saw Caludon host a careers parental engagement session. The evening aimed to provide both parents and students with information on future career options. There were a wide variety of education and training providers including four local universities, a range of apprenticeship providers, the army, navy and the national careers service. There were also some fantastic talks from Richard Witts from De Montfort University and David Lennox who overseas apprenticeships for Coventry. Staff from Caludon were also present to provide careers advice, sixth form information, interview techniques and CV writing skills. The evening was a great success with a large parental and student turnout. One provider when asked said ,“It is the biggest turn out I have been to with any careers event of this sort” with another commenting it was “great to see so many parents supporting their children”. A big thank you for all of those staff Richard Witts: De Montfort University involved and to the many parents and students who attended to make it such a positive and successful event. The careers team are planning on running a number of careers events both in school and in the evening across the coming year targeting different Key Stages. Mr Handy Assistant Head Teacher Profile May Name:
Carole Foster
Role:
Careers Advisor
Availability:
Tuesday and Wednesday
Location:
L7 (First floor opposite music corridor)
Other information: Carole offers careers interviews to all year groups with a focus on KS4 and KS5. To book an interview with Carole come to her. Interviews last around 30 minutes and provide impartial advice about all aspects of careers including post-16 options, apprenticeship options, college courses and on the job training. Carole and the careers team will also be available at the KS3, KS4 and KS5 options evening, careers parental engagement sessions and in-school careers events.
21
Year 10 Exciting Comenius opportunity in Turkey ‘After the first two hugely successful legs of the Comenius European Project, with all the students being hosted at Caludon, and an amazing trip to Portugal, we are delighted to announce the third trip to Samsun, Turkey in November. This opportunity is open to new year 10 students. If you are interested, you will need to enter the competition. You have a choice of: Creating a leaflet describing Britain’s favourite national foods Writing up and illustrating a favourite recipe or meal Devising a quiz about national eating habits or sporting activities in the UK In the 21st century everyone must eat healthily. Discuss. The winner will be announced before the holiday. Mrs Mitchell Leader of Languages
22
Northern France trip
During activities week Miss Blud, Miss Harris and Mr Herlihy took a group of year 8 and 9 students on a rewards trip to Boulogne and Le Touquet in Northern France for a French discovery tour. During the trip there was a visit to a sweet factory, a sea life centre a chocolate factory and a traditional French bakery. Students had a really French experience and got to try lots of delicious food along the way! Watch this space for more trips abroad with the Languages department. ‘I really enjoyed trying the real French croissants.’ ‘The man in the sweet factory was really funny.’ ‘I enjoyed practising my French.’ Mrs Mitchell Leader of Languages
23
Mandarin Chinese 你们! - nimen hao! Hello everyone! J Caludon’s MFL department was privileged to have a native Chinese speaker, Yidan, run a session for a group of students in activities week. She showed us some interesting clips and spoke passionately about Chinese culture, folklore and the country’s history. Students learnt some basic Mandarin and very quickly grasped the new language; particularly difficult as Mandarin uses 4 tones to clarify the meanings of words! Since many characters have the same sound, tones are used to differentiate words from each other. (For example, the word ‘ma’ can have 4 different meanings, depending on its pronunciation: mā mother, má - hemp, ma - horse and mà - scold.)
The Great Wall is believed to be around 2,300
Students had fun learning how to use chopsticks and had a competition to see who could pick up the most sweets in 30 seconds - congratulations again to our winner, Nicolas Bennett, an amazing effort! We also had the opportunity to practise our calligraphy writing skills and students were able to discuss the significance of the panda in China, too. A great day and excellent effort from all students involved - well done! Ms Paddock and Mrs Mitchell
The giant panda is native to southwest China
再見/再见! - Zài jiàn! Goodbye! J
Chinese temples are a common sight outside of Mainland China
Chinese dragons are divine mythical animals that are the ultimate symbol representing good fortune and long life
24
I would like to say a huge thank you to Caludon’s Promotions Team for their outstanding dedication and hard work over this year. The group have spent this academic year establishing themselves within the school and setting up systems to effectively advertise and promote student leadership events within the school. They have been eager to report on events by going along to activities and interviewing and photographing what is going on with a view to either writing articles for the Caludon Update or include in their promotional DVD or on the school’s student leadership page on the VLE. They have done all of this with the utmost enthusiasm! So what have these ambassadors achieved? Promotional DVD – they interviewed and filmed other student leaders during a variety of activities and edited it all into an engaging video which they showed to other students to encourage them to take part in student leadership themselves. Assemblies – some members of the group presented assemblies to all the year groups about the importance of taking part in leadership activities. They showed them the DVD and took names of students that were interested in particular activities to pass on to appropriate staff. Caludon Update articles – they have written a range of articles over the year to advertise specific activities with an aim to increase interest. VLE student leadership page – Their latest achievement was to work with staff across the faculties and design a VLE page for them. Each faculty has their own page under the ‘Student Leadership’ section of the VLE. These pages promote what has been going on in these faculties throughout the year. Please access the VLE to check Members of the Promotions this out! VLE – Community – Student Leadership Team are: And on top of all that they proudly presented their work to the school governors during a student leadership event!
Amie Jobe Aneesah Afzal Alex Kenna So, a big ‘well done’ to the students involved in the Promotions Danielle Payne Team. Staff have commented on your conduct and Jasmine Hucthings Amrah Iqbal professionalism and it has been a pleasure to work with you all this year! I look forward to another productive year where we start Parcha Safi to look at student leadership in the classroom! If you would like to join the Promotions Team, please see Miss Sutheran Miss Sutheran in F1!
25
Students Aim High – The Annual Rotary Awards June once again saw the annual Rotary awards take place, with all students’ work being displayed for 10 days at the Coventry Transport Museum. The awards celebrate the achievement of students across the city in Design and Technology. The Technology faculty entered students across our faculty, with entries from Graphics, Catering and Hospitality, Resistant Materials and Product Design. Our highest achievers included Jasminder Bansal winning the Quality Award for Resistant Material with his bird box. Abbey Brain won the overall award for the school with her contemporary barbeque. Our biggest winner of the night was Abbey Dixon whose VW campervan bookshelf was one of only nine A-Level projects entered out of all of those entered to compete at the regional finals in Bromsgrove, competing for the hotly contended Innovation Award.
Miss Cuthbert Teacher of Design Technology
26
Year 10 Bronze Qualifying Expedition On the weekend of 18 -19 May, a group of staff and year 10's travelled to the Long Mynd in Shropshire to complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh assessed expedition. The expedition required the students to walk 30km over 2 days along a route they had planned. The first day was the longest at around 18km with two long uphill sections which the groups managed well, with all getting into camp by dusk. The students then had to put up their tents, cook food and prepare for the day ahead. The second day was shorter, being only 12km, however, it began with a testing uphill section. The students were a credit to the school with each group arriving at the final meeting point within 15 minutes of their expected arrival time, something the assessor was particularly impressed with. The students then completed a presentation to the assessor outlining the challenges their group had faced, their strengths and weaknesses. All students passed the expedition and are now working on completing the other sections in order to fully complete the Bronze level Year 9 Bronze Practice Expedition
Activities week saw 65 Year 9s complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition at Ullesthorpe, Leicestershire. For many students this was their first experience of outdoor expeditions of this type, especially having to plan a route, pack for 2 days independent walking, walk 20km and cook for themselves. The students were split into two with the first group walking Monday/Tuesday and the second walking Wednesday/Thursday. Both expeditions began with bag repacking to ensure that students were only carrying the necessary equipment. Both groups completed a long first day of around 12km practising working as a group and focusing on their map work skills. The second day focused more of skills development rather than group walking and working on areas of weakness identified from the first day. We will now be working on refining the skills learnt to get ready for our final qualifying expeditions in September. Well done to all of the groups who took part as they were a credit to the school. Mr Handy Assistant Head Teacher 27
Eco-schools Caludon’s Eco-Team have had a busy term evaluating the school’s energy consumption and considering ways that all members of the school community can become involved in reducing the amount of energy the school uses. This has involved analysing this year’s ‘Switch it Off’ data and considering whether it is a successful scheme. The Eco-team presented their findings to the Governors, which sparked a debate on further improvements the school could make. Watch this space, hopefully we can ensure that Caludon becomes even more sustainable. On the back of this, the Eco-team will be launching a fantastic competition. They will be asking students to come up with an idea that will encourage members of staff to be more ‘energy aware’ – switching off unused projectors; using natural lighting etc. Students will have to present their winning ideas, which can be a format of their choice – PowerPoint presentation; poster; interview; short film etc. There will be prizes for first, second and third place which have been kindly sponsored by CEP. So get thinking over the summer holidays and watch out for competition at the start of next term. As always, we welcome new members from all year groups, so, if you would like to join the EcoClub please come and see Mrs Flippance in the Humanities Hub or F3. Year 8 Trip to Coombe Abbey Country Park This year for activities week, Mr Child and I took 19 year 8 students to Coombe Abbey Country Park for a fun-packed outdoor learning experience. Students took part in activities which encouraged team building, problem solving and an appreciation of the environment. During the morning students made survival shelters and fires using a flint. They had to search and select appropriate materials for both their shelters and their fires and proved themselves to be very resourceful. Students also showed a tremendous amount of perseverance whilst trying to get their fires lit, but were rewarded in the end with the opportunity to toast marshmallows. After lunch students took part in an orienteering challenge which gave them the opportunity to practise their map skills and again build upon their teamwork and problem solving skills. Again they proved themselves to be natural geographers. The trip was a great success and the students demonstrated excellent bush craft survival skills – watch out Ray Mears! Mrs Flippance Teacher of Geography 28
Geography goes to Brazil! During last term year 8 were discovering the country of Brazil. As part of the project we focussed in detail on the Brazilian Favelas. These are slums that cover a large area of some of Brazil's major cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Co-ordinating with the Art department, year 8 Geography produced their own Favela using rubbish and refuse, just as they would use in Brazil. The finished product is proudly on display in the concept lounge next to reception. This is what some of the students said about the project: "It made us really think about how other people live and work in another country". "I loved getting 'hands on' and actually making a Favela, it made it real". "Really cool lessons, I learned more because it was a mix of practical and theory". Mr Abercrombie Geography Department
Castles Live! On Monday 17 and Wednesday 19 June, almost half of year 7 went back in time to visit life in a Castle during an activities week visit to Kenilworth and Warwick Castles. The purpose of the visit was to develop an understanding of the development of castles over time, how to attack and defend, and what life was really like behind the stone walls. The visit included a long climb up and down the 536 stairs of Guy's Tower and ramparts at Warwick, and a stroll through the Elizabethan gardens at Kenilworth. Students were able to see the birds of prey in action and a demonstration of how Elizabeth I got ready in the morning. "I really enjoyed my day on the castles trip learning about the structure and the purpose of every feature." Michael 8.4 "The castles trip was a really good experience. I had no interest in medieval times, but after this visit I am engrossed!" Khalil 8.4 The staff would like to thank all the students for making such a great couple of days out. Miss Beasley Leader of Humanities
29
History Club The ‘History Detectives’ are meeting on Thursday 18 July in S22. AIM students who are interested in History will be given the opportunity to further their knowledge and skills through a variety of weird and wonderful historical investigations! Ask at the Humanities hub for more information. Miss Darwood Teacher of History Catch-up Sessions The History Department are starting targeted catch up sessions for all Year 10 and 11 GCSE students. Students will be invited to attend one of the following sessions; I don't get it! Stop the week
Wednesday 3.00pm in S19 with Miss Beasley Thursday 3.00pm in S20 with Mrs Webb Miss Beasley Leader of Humanities
Caludon Rewards - History May 2013 The History Department would like to say a special congratulations to all the winners of the History rewards, May 2013
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11
Subject Ambassador/ Advocate
Outstanding Learner
Most Achievement Points
Rose Carter
Khalil Ismail
Maya Patel
Emily Tallis
Jay Cranston
Simruth Timana
Sophie Millington
Charnel Abbott
Abigail Heap
Tobe Kalu
Devon Keith
Aaron Marlowe
Ellen Davison
Harry Stevens Minns
Alex Sojkowski
30
Upcoming History Visits Learning beyond the classroom activities planned for the Autumn and Spring term include: Year 9 9/01/14 and 13/01/14 Visit to the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester. Year 9 will be experiencing the many aspects of conflict from weapons to medicine and the impact on civilians in the state of the art museum. 12/03/14-14/03/14 Visit to The Somme trenches, France and Belgium The 3 day tour includes a visit to sites that witnessed some of the worst fighting of the First World War, including memorial sites, grave sites and actual trenches. Year 10 and 11 09/04/14-14/04/14 Visit to Berlin, Germany The 6 day tour covers every aspect of the city in History and includes a visit to the Reichstag, the Olympic stadium as well as sites which represent some of the darker elements of German History. Year 11 04/03/14 Hitler on Trial theatre visit, Loughborough A play which encompasses “what if� history, valuable revision and exam practice, all in one day. Miss Beasley Leader of Humanities 31
Year 7 Super Learning Day Year 7 super learning day took place on Wednesday 12 June and was based on healthy living/lifestyles. The day was an amazing experience for all students in year 7 who took part in activities such as Tug of War team challenges, circuit training, aerobics and even the Royal Marines joined them to lay on some of their physical training activities. Classroombased activities included a Royal Navy chef cooking up healthy meals, t-shirt/ sports logo designing and lessons based around the effects of smoking. After lunch, students took part in sports afternoon where they enjoyed activities such as throwing, sprinting and team challenge events. An amazing day was had by all of the students and year 7 staff team. Mr Williams Leader of Year 7
32
Year 13 Leavers Assembly The year 13s went on study leave on Friday 24 May and finished their exams at the end of June. On their last day, there was a leavers’ assembly to celebrate their hard work and commitment over the last two years. Mrs Carter gave out some special awards and Ellie Barnes made an excellent presentation which included photos of the students from year 7 up until year 13. Ben Emery, Matt Whale and Jack Crump entertained us by performing a selection of tunes which rounded off a fabulous afternoon. Sixth Form Prom The Sixth Form Prom took place on the 28 June at the Royal Court Hotel in Keresley. The event was superbly organised by sixth form students including Raman Kaur, Sophie Rose, Beth Dunton and Ellie Barnes, and was ably assisted by Sharon in the Sixth Form Office. The night’s events included a casino, which was thoroughly enjoyed by both students and staff, particularly Dr Jones! There was also a sweetie table, with a wide variety of retro sweets. The DJ was excellent and students (and staff!) danced the night away. Everybody made a real effort to dress up and they looked fabulous. The next time we will see year 13 will be on results day, and we are looking forward to celebrating their success!
33
Birmingham University Trip Our year 12 students spent a day at Birmingham University during activities week, and found it useful and interesting: 'Mohammed Ansar began the day with an incredibly useful lecture mainly in the realm of student finance and he raised things that we were not aware of before such as Birmingham's A2B scheme. We realised that a lot of the Russell group universities will have schemes for high achieving students who are first generation university and from a state school. He was entertaining and kept the mood light with his humour! We then split into smaller groups for a tour around the campus followed by a free lunch! It was a really useful and enjoyable day.' George Whitehouse (new year 13) Aston University Trip Year 12 students were then able to take advantage of a UCAS fair at Aston University: ‘This trip allowed us to search for what we wanted to look for as an individual. In our UCAS training week at Caludon we had been directed to get a list of places, courses and questions to take with us. We were able to go and find the stall of the university that we wanted to find out more about. We were able to talk to a representative about a course, collect a prospectus (which you normally have to order off the website) and wander to other university stalls. I found it really useful. We were then given freedom to have lunch in the area. It gave us a taste of independence.’ George Whitehouse (new year 13) The students were a credit to the school and conducted themselves with absolute maturity throughout both days. It was a record attendance of 139 students and we know it will help inform them about the major decisions they have to make about their future. We are beginning to see our sixth formers blossom! Miss Roberts Sixth Form
34
Student Leaders This year I began to formalise and try to bring together all the work our sixth formers do within the school. We began to have meetings in October, initially weekly, but then as required. A team of dedicated student ambassadors was formed and Rebecca Cribdon (one of our year 14 students) and I pointed them in the kind of direction they should be going regarding their role within faculties. We discussed the school focus on collaborative learning and decided that their input and viewpoint regarding this would be essential to the different subject areas. Their first presentation was in a staff faculty meeting, which was a great success. The students met to evaluate their impact, and
staff also gave feedback for the students, helping their progress and focus as faculty ambassadors. It has been wonderful to see the development of their role, as it has become tailored to each faculty’s needs, always reflecting school priorities. This has continued throughout the year and the faculty support and student motivation has been key in this. They presented their work to governors at their last meeting, and the students were an absolute credit to the school. We are very proud of the motivation, dedication and maturity of our sixth formers and I am personally thrilled with the development of student leadership in sixth form this year. Miss Roberts Sixth Form
Apprenticeship Fair Caludon hosted an apprenticeship fair on Thursday 25 April. Many Coventry career advisers and training providers ran stalls and workshops to give guidance and advice on how students could progress with their career pathways and aspirations. The event was really popular and students found the information they gained was invaluable for finding out the next steps for their potential careers. Many students know what they want to go onto but found the advice they gained useful in finding alternative pathways, and also how they could work and progress at the same time. Some students are apprehensive about the route that an apprenticeship offers and this was dispelled by the information gained directly from trainers and employers during the fair. Presentations were given as well as lots of individual interviews, so that students could find out about their own personal interests and career paths. Mrs Waring Head of Sixth Form
35
KS3 Drama Club Many thanks to the students from our KS3 drama club who gave fantastic ‘Short Shakespeare’ productions in May. The quality of the acting and the originality of the ideas were fantastic to see. The club had been working with four different teachers, on four different Shakespeare plays and with groups of students from three of the local primary schools. We are very proud of the determination shown by our students with such challenging language and ideas and also in the way that they’ve supported the primary school students. We would also like to thank all of the parents who came and supported the event and hope to keep seeing you next year. The final word has to go to one of those parents…“Absolutely fabulous I loved every minute. I think the girls have grown massively through having done this”. Mr De Groot Leader of Drama Y9 Theatre for small children Students from two year 9 classes had a brilliant experience by visiting Ravensdale school with short performances created for very young children. They showed work to the year 1 and year 2 children and had made versions of the kind of books used in those schools during literacy sessions. The excitement of the experience and seeing the effect of their work on their chosen audience was a real pleasure for the students who attended and nearly all of them were pleading to go to other schools! This is definitely a project for our new Y9s to look forward to next year. Mr De Groot Leader of Drama
36
Y12 Examination performance Probably the best part of being a Drama teacher is teaching y12 students – we get to direct students, as actors, for a visiting examiner, in whatever play we choose. It is our opportunity to be creative and to really challenge the cast in ways we’ve not been able to do in their previous years learning. This year the work was exceptionally strong and very well received. They performed a Bertolt Brecht play ‘Fear and Misery in the Third Reich’, about the rise of Hitler and the Nazi’s in pre-war Germany. The performance style used a type of clown called a ‘bouffon’ (where the word buffoon came from). It was a play being performed within a play. Although it was hard work for the cast they were unanimous in the sense of achievement felt as the performance was over. They really delivered a superb piece of work. Keep a look out next January and May for the opportunity to attend more A level theatre events. Mr De Groot Leader of Drama Arts Week During Arts week the newly rebranded ‘Arts Fest’ night was an opportunity to show a range of work created by different year groups. Sixth form students entertained with their ‘sitcom for the stage’ and Matt Whale created a visually interesting piece from Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’. A group of Miss
Gallagher’s Year 9 students were particularly impressive in a piece of physical theatre, created in class, about the effects of bullying on one person’s life. It was also an opportunity to showcase the performance taken to Portugal in June as part of the Commenius project exchange. ‘100 years – 1913-2013’, as the performance was called, showed 100 years of British history through a largely nonverbal performance style. The piece was exceptionally well received in Portugal – the fact that words were of only minor importance meant all of the international students and host families could understand the work, even where English was not a spoken language. I’d like to personally thank all of the students involved. They were amazing to work with in every way and truly did the school proud! Mr Degroot Leader of Drama 37
Play in a day During activities week the Drama department ran two ‘play in a day’ sessions where students had one day to create a performance to show that night. On the Tuesday this happened in school, a group of students created and devised scenes around a theme, Coventry in the Two Tone era, using their own research and ideas. It was shown after school and was really well attended by parents of the cast. Without real collaboration and focus, the work created would not have been possible and it was a credit to the students involved. On the Wednesday a very different approach was taken by Ego Theatre Company, based at the back of the transport museum in town. With no preconceived ideas or plans the imagination and creativity of the students was truly let loose! There were moments the department teachers were scared but, by the end of the day, with a lot of professional know how and outstanding dedication from the students, they succeeded in creating an amazing piece of work called ‘Hotel Z’ about a hotel that turns its guests into Zombies. What was particularly impressive about the venue was the way that costume, set, lights and props gradually appeared throughout the day until showtime, at which point, you’d have thought they’d had weeks! Well done to all students involved and again, a massive thank you to all of the parents who attended both events – theatre is nothing without an audience and we really appreciate seeing you. Highly Sprung Workshops On the Thursday of Arts Week, Highly Sprung theatre company worked with all three classes of our new year 11 students. We had expected some students to struggle with this kind of work – it is exceptionally physical and needs real commitment and dedication – but we were amazed at how well all of them took to the style. As Mark from Highly Sprung led the work, the Drama teachers were able to observe and mark students for BTEC assessment, the standards achieved were far higher than usual and so it was a valuable, as well as highly enjoyable, day. Mr De Groot Subject Leader of Drama 38
District 3 @ Cally! Arts week has been great. There have been lots of brilliant artists coming in to perform to us. There have been lots of different singers from rappers to pop singers, groups and soloists. I think everyone was looking forward to District 3 coming in (they were on X Factor last year). Mr Stokes and the rest of the Music department put on an amazing event which I think the whole school enjoyed a lot. The students can’t wait to do this again next year! Amy Stuckey – Year 7
39
Tuesday afternoon Ever Young performed to year 8 and 10. Mrs Vincent’s year 10 mentor group were also treated to an impromptu acoustic set in F5.
EverYoung are a newly formed vocal Pop Band signed to EMI label services/Seymour Place Music, having graduated from the world famous Sylvia Young Theatre School in Central London. The band have already performed at over 150 schools throughout the UK and appeared on Live with Fern Britton on Channel Five, as well as being interviewed on various BBC Regional Radio stations, Play listed on The Box, and had an article in the music industry magazine Music Week.
40
You may have known her as the girl in the Kingsmill advert and it’s possible you’ve also seen her on TV, with parts in Mansfield Park, and When Did You Last See Your Father, and Waterloo Road. Acting since she was 9, Tara Berwin now alternates between Leeds, London and LA and she’s set to make her way into the charts and onto our screens. Her first single ‘Cuz I’m In Love’ shows off her vocal range matched with catchy beats ready for the summer. Tara entertained the crowds at Caludon accompanied by her two dancers. Laura tweeted:laura_get wavey x @HilgerHowes@taraberwinx I would just like to say on behalf of Caludon castle school how much we loved having you perform to us! You deserve the best x
Tara Berwin with our very own boys from the Y12 band!
41
On Friday morning we had the pleasure of meeting MISUNDERSTOOD. Standing in at the last minute the South East London based Pop/RnB vocal duo had us singing and dancing along. Misunderstood was formed in 2010 and consists of two very gifted and talented young men, Stephan Benson (18) and Jeffrey Okyere (19). Together they form a dynamic, unique and exceptional young R&B / Pop duo. Having met in 2008 whilst key members of ‘Myztikal’ ,the London dance group, they took all the way to the 2010 semi-finals of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, Misunderstood was born shortly after, when they both realised they had a lot more to offer. The London based boys attribute their decision to take on the music scene together to their growing passion for singing and song writing, coupled with the belief that there is a gap in the market for a male Pop / R&B vocal duo of their kind. With the UK currently awash with rapidly ageing boy bands and girl groups, Misunderstood have been truly welcomed on the music scene and are a reminder of the glory days when the likes of OutKast and K-Ci and JoJo ruled the roost.
42
Wednesday in Arts week began with performances to Years 9,10 and 11 from RemedySounds. An urban-acoustic loop pedal artist rapping/singing about the story of his life and those who have played a role in it. Since signing to Future Music Management in October 2012, UK urban-acoustic artist RemedySounds has started to take the music world by storm! The ex-marine, who fought in Afghanistan, left the Navy to pursue a musical career, although you would be wrong to write him off as the next James Blunt! Since being a finalist and winning an award for the best original song in the prestigious Live and Unsigned competition, multiaward-winning loop pedal artist RemedySounds has landed himself endorsement details with Vintage Guitars and Sweby Apparel, and has already clocked up over 200 shows within just 12 months, supporting the likes of Chase and Status, Labrinth, Katy B, Wiley and Tinchy Stryder along the way. RemedySounds will be found smashing the UK festival circuit this summer with a fifteen-date tour in place, including performances at Beach Break Live, Croissant Neuf and OsFest. Add this to his jam-packed gig schedule with dates up and down the country, including a support slot with JLS and a performance within The O2, and RemedySounds is set for one busy summer!
43
On Thursday singer song writer/rapper Yomi Maison Davies entertained years 9, 10 and 11. He performed his single and debut EP ‘Suffering’. Having always had a passion for music, singing, rapping and song writing, music became the focus and driving force for Yomi and he has spent many years taking the time to polish his craft. Using his music and lyrics, Yomi tells his story and relays the hardship of growing up, the lonely childhood and rejection felt, being put into care and falling in to a life of crime, doing wrong things in order to survive. His music opens up the truth about the fear and pain faced daily. "Even though I was surrounded by darkness I always saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Music has been my saviour and played a big part in my turning my life around�
44
Bass Guitar club This year at Caludon, we decided it would be a good idea as music ambassadors to get younger students more involved in the Music department. This is why we started ‘Bass Club’. Every Friday lunchtime we teach bass guitar to year 7 and 8 students who wish to participate. We also hope to open bass club to all years in the future. Each week, the students learn a new song; after one lesson of learning the song, we let them decide if they want to carry on learning the song or if they want to move on to another. The songs that we select in bass club teach the students a variety of different techniques that they can add on and develop each week. In Bass Club we have worked hard to make sure the lessons are enjoyable enough to keep the students coming back to us. As well as teaching the students how to play the bass guitar it also teaches us valuable presenting skills and gives us additional skills for the future. By George Baker and Aidan Hall
Trombone Hi all. It is not every day that we turn up to work and be asked if a family can donate £800 worth of tenor saxophone to our school. This is what happened last week during the highly acclaimed Arts Festival when Mum of Bethany Finlan of new 10.5 kindly gave the Music department a saxophone to help with students who are less fortunate than others to begin lessons on a ‘free’ musical instrument. We, here in Performing Arts faculty, would publicly like to thank the Finlay family for this most magnanimous gesture and will ensure that the saxophone will definitely go to a well deserving home. Many thanks. We surely are blessed with such thoughtful generosity that encapsulates the spirit of the Caludon ethos. Mr Taggart Performing Arts Faculty
45
On 8 June at the Belgrade theatre, the Coventry Jazz Ensemble from Caludon Castle School, battled it out against other acts from 21 different schools to try and take home an award. Every year acts take the stage from different schools to win the title of Coventry's Young Entertainer! Despite all the fantastic talent the other school displayed, the CJE bagged a well deserved award for the best group performance for Caludon Castle School. The CJE formed in the summer of 2012 and came together through their love and curiosity of jazz and blues but also through their great musicianship. There are five members in this budding quintet made up of 3 year 11s (2 guitars and percussion and two first year sixth formers (bass guitar and various keys). The quintet regularly rehearse in and out of school and regularly play shows around Coventry's pubs, clubs and festivals, so don't miss out on a spectacular gig! To keep up with the ensemble why not like their Facebook page to keep up to date with their shows. Well done to all the fantastic acts that entered the competition and also the rotary club, not forgetting the Belgrade theatre for hosting the show. Nathan Sayers Music ambassador
46
the band an ample opportunity to change around the personnel of the ensemble and morph it, at times, from a large rock group to a solo singer backed by a piano. The band members: Niall, Rebekah, Georgia (All Vox), Hisaan, Lewis (Both Guit.), Scott (Bass), Harry (Keys) and Jack (Drums); all enjoyed themselves thoroughly throughout. The playing was, in fact, the easiest part of the assignment. Along with this, the audience had nothing but praise for the Sixth Formers. It seemed It’s the twenty-first of March, and an eight- that the staff was in agreement also. Hence, the piece band is setting up for their final-piece students all received a distinction grade for their of work towards their Music Btec. The Big performance. Along with the participants, audience Gig. This, as it says on the tin, is where the and staff, the personnel at Talyor Johns were also Level 3 Btec took a step up from the GCSE very satisfied with the work and effort put in by the equivalent; the students had to plan for, students at Caludon Castle. and perform at, a concert which included popular music to be enjoyed by a paying Harry Smith – Year 12 Music Ambassador audience. The students chose Taylor John’s House, in the Canal Basin, as the venue which would provide them with an intimate ambience to be filled with a menagerie of genres played by the octet. The ex-coal basement was packed with paying audience members; friends and family of the students, teachers, and fans of Coventry’s music scene. The 12-song setlist was played with confidence, competence and mastery. The hour-long set also gave
47
Sports Awards Evening 2013
On Tuesday 9 July, the Sport and Leisure Faculty hosted their annual awards evening to celebrate the numerous activities successes and achievements that had taken place throughout the year. In what has been a record breaking year for the faculty in terms of extra curricular attendance, over 100 students were nominated for awards given out on the evening. Yet again, the evening was a great success and very well attended by both students and parents. On the evening, a special recognition award was also awarded. This award is given to a student who we feel is not always able to be recognised through the usual avenues of awards assemblies and extra curricular activities. This year, the award went to Year 8 student Callum Daniels who has been very successful in the sport of badminton outside of school. He is ranked number one in Warwickshire for his age in both singles and doubles, attends an elite academy for players that have been identified as having exceptional talent and also represents the team of Warwickshire who are ranked 2nd in the Country in the county league. We feel that Callum was well worthy of being recognised for this success.
48
The main award on the night, the Outstanding Achievement award, went to year 11 Student James Maddison. James will leave us here to sign a youth contract at Coventry City Football Club. Throughout the course of his time here, he captained his year’s football team from year 7 through to 11 and also achieved 2 A* grades with us in Btec Sport in year 10. James is seen here with his award and also signing his contract with CCFC 1st team manager, Steven Pressley. We all wish James the very best of luck on the next stage of his footballing journey.
49
Other awards given out on the evening were to students who have shown outstanding commitment and achievement and attitude when participating in school sport. The winners of these awards were as follows. Year 7 boys – Luke Weatherby
Year 7 girls – Neve Plumb
Year 8 boys – Daniel Cooper
Year 8 girls – Isha Mistry
Year 9 boys – Thomas Hopkins
Year 9 girls – Samantha Boyce
Year 10 boys – Tom Green Year 11 boys - Liam Woodbridge
50
Our teams here at Caludon Castle are also very successful and this year has been no exception. Teams nominated for the Team of The Year award were the Year 11 football team, who were Coventry Schools Cup winners and ranked one of the best 32 teams in the whole country after a record breaking run in the English Schools cup. The Year 7 netball team, who were runners up in the Coventry Schools league and the Year 7 Football team, who in their first season together were winners of the Coventry Schools Cup. The overall winners of the Team of the Year award were the Year 7 boys football team. They are pictured below with their Coventry Schools winners trophy. The Sport and Leisure faculty would like to thank all of the staff and students involved in an extremely successful year of sporting trips and activities. We hope that next year will continue the theme of increased participation and success that was experienced this year.
51
Although not recognised on the evening, the year 11 boys football team as previously mentioned were winners of the Coventry Schools Cup and are pictured below. The Sport and Leisure faculty would like to wish all staff and students that have contributed to the success that has been achieved both on and off the sports fields, a very good and restful summer. Mr Shepherd Teacher of Sport and Leisure
52