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Issue 19 | November 2021

Newsletter

Resilience - Excellence - Respect

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Issue 12 | October 2019 W e l c o m e m e s s a g e f r o m

r s

B e t t s

Latest Artwork Colchester Academy As a welcome back project, Ms Coburn invited all of our students to fold a paper crane with a wish or hope for the future contained within it. This comes from an old Japanese tradition where people fold 1,000 cranes to make their wishes and hopes come true. We didn’t quite make 1,000 but they do make such a positive splash of colour in our windows. Any student who made one will see their crane hanging up and hopefully remember the Newsletter positive wish for the future contained within it. Ms Coburn Team Leader Art & Technology

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Dear Parents and Carers It seems like a lot has happened since our last newsletter. We returned to school in September and haven’t slowed down since. I am immensely proud of students, staff and stakeholders in the way that they have returned to the business of learning, in order to pave the way for future success. This term we have seen the creation of a new fitness suite, with grants obtained from both Active Essex and Persimmon Homes, and our thanks go to them and to local Councillor Julie Young for supporting us in finding funding for, our now, state of the art facilities. The extensive building project in the Sports Centre is almost nearing completion, with the Sports Hall and Gym looking excellent, the PE department cannot wait to have all of their facilities returned to them. Year 11 have been preparing well for their Mock Examinations and their maturity and attitude to learning will be rewarded in their outcomes. Ensuring that students are prepared well for life after school is something we are very passionate about, we want our students to be successful beyond their time here at Colchester Academy, and we work hard to create the conditions for this and to give students a wide variety of opportunities. The Careers Convention is just one example of this, where we welcomed numerous employers and education providers into the Academy to converse with Year 9, 10 and 11. The quality of questions and information gathered by our young people was of the highest standard, definitely taking advantage of opportunities on offer. Year 7 have settled in well and it is fantastic to see their palpable excitement and enjoyment of learning across the different subject areas. As the nights are drawing in and winter is clearly on its way, stay safe, stay in touch and I look forward to seeing many of you in the exciting months ahead. Kind regards

J B etts Mrs J Betts Principal

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Artwork by Fia Louise Year 10 Student

Artwork by Jamie Gladwell Year 10 Student

Culture - Character - Currency - Commitment

Meet the Staff

What do I have in common with a Year 7 student? Ordinarily not much but, at the start of term, it was feeling nervous. Nerves about being a new member of staff at Colchester Academy and starting at a new school. I shouldn’t have worried. I have been made to feel so welcome by both students and staff since I started in September and I have thoroughly enjoyed my first half term at the Academy. Thank you to all students and staff who have made me feel so welcome. I have really enjoyed meeting and starting to get to know you all, and look forward to what the rest of the year brings. I am really enjoying my new role as Assistant Principal – Teaching and Learning at the Academy. I believe that excellent education should be available to all and believe in the transformative power of education. As part of my role, I am working closely with my dedicated colleagues to ensure quality first teaching across the Academy. Excellent teaching leads to outstanding progress and outcomes for all students, in turn opening up a range of opportunities for students when they leave the Academy. I am also enjoying working with our ECTs (Early Career Teachers) and trainee teachers. I teach History and have always been fascinated by the subject. I am particularly interested in twentieth century history and politics, especially the events of the First World War and the votes for women movement.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and have a daughter who is nearly 3. She loves swimming, craft activities and watching Paw Patrol! I am a big football fan and have had a season ticket at West Ham since I was a child. I attend matches with my Dad and Aunt, and had a claret and blue theme at my wedding with bubbles instead of confetti! My Tottenham supporting husband took some convincing… I enjoy running and run with a local running club. I think running is a great way to clear your mind and take in your surroundings. I also love reading and will definitely be stuck into a book or two over half term. Mrs Wager Assistant Principal

Open Evening It was with great pleasure this year that we were able to open our doors and invite members of our community and students from the surrounding primary schools to come and see what Colchester Academy could offer them. Prior to the evening, I had done the rounds visiting the feeder schools and raising awareness of the event, which took place on Thursday 30 September. As always with these events where there is no booking in system, there is always a degree of nerves as to whether anyone is likely to turn up. The Academy was bustling with some 130 students eager to help the various departments to demonstrate the outstanding provision and quality of education on offer for potential students. As the doors opened, the nerves soon dissipated into a feeling of.....”we are going to need some more chairs....”. It was standing room only in the Theatre, with Mrs Betts giving her first talk at 6pm to a brimming hall. This was supported by music and singing from the Performing Arts department and speeches from two new Year 7 students, as well as our two Head Students. The evening was a resounding success and it was great for the Academy to welcome the public back through the doors. A big thank you to all staff and students, as well as the large number of parents and students from our local community, who came to see our amazing Academy. Mr Stronach Assistant Principal

This term Year 7 students have had ‘The Bookbuzz Experience’. Bookbuzz is part of the BookTrust – a charity which aims to encourage students to read by providing them with their own books to keep. Here’s what some of our students had to say. Jasmine 7O2 Switch-Up To start our Bookbuzz journey we watched a video containing a review of each of the books.I chose the book SwitchUp about two girls who board the same flight to London. It’s the beginning of the craziest plan ever. Damiola 7H1 Animals Up Close Bookbuzz is a book company dedicated to getting books to Year 7 students for free. I think Bookbuzz is a fabulous charity as I was not a fan of reading. In class we watched a 24 minute film about the books and the Colchester Academy students have benefitted enormously from this organisation and the wonderful events they have to offer, explained the stories. and weauthors will continue to support our students through offering everything Make it Happen has to provide, to ensure our students have bright futures. Below are links and information areas for you to explore. Please sign up for any events you wish to, they Tristan Bad Man are all there to7L2 helpLittle support our community, particularly through what is a very challenging time. Bookbuzz has helped me a greatthese deal. events, Insteadplease of me do having pay fortoa contact us via general@colchesteracademy.org.uk. If you need any support in accessing not to hesitate book (reading is now one of my favourites) Bookbuzz put it in my hands for I could notstep thank We are free. with you every ofBookbuzz the way. enough for putting such a brilliant book in my collection. Mrs Ross Marleigh-Rose 7L2 City of Ghosts Assistant Principal and Raising Standards Lead I’ve always enjoyed mystery books so when I saw City of Ghosts I knew I

Careers Festival Students 1010 and 11 had the privilege of attending a careersafair, here in school, where 30 employers and further education providers StudentsininYears Year9,9, and 11 had the privilege of attending Careers exhibited Thursday 7th October, 2021. The eventand wasfurther designededucation to allow students to seek information from the various employers and Festival, on here in school, where 30 employers colleges regarding their organisations, the jobs they seek to employ, the qualifications needed and the level of job satisfaction that might be on providers exhibited on Thursday 7 October. The event was designed offer, should they choose to peruse that pathway. to allow students to seek information from the various employers and colleges regarding their they seek event to in school. The benefit of face to face conversations and It fantastic to be able to open ourorganisations, doors and createthe facejobs to face careers employ, thegathering qualifications needed and the students. level of job information was a huge benefit to our Thesatisfaction interactions and questioning they were able to engage with, was priceless. Students andbe exhibitors were very positive about the and both gained much that might on offer, should they choose to event peruse that pathway. from those interactions. All the employers students Colchester Academy It was fantastic who to beattended able tostated openthat ourthe doors and at create face to face were wonderful; they said they asked some very intuitive questions, were not afraid to ask challenging questions and sort as much information as they could, to help them make informed decisions careers event in school. The advantage of face to face conversations about their futures. Students represented the school brilliantly and made us all very proud. and information gathering was a huge benefit to our students. The interactions and they were able next to engage It was a privilege to questioning create and host such an event, year wewith hopewas to make it even bigger! It was a proud moment to see the high level of priceless. and exhibitors were very positive theinformation event engagementStudents in the activities. Well done to all our students, weabout hope the you gathered will inspire you to aim high and seek to be the best that can be. and bothyou gained much from those interactions. Mrs Ross The employers who attended stated that the students at Colchester Assistant Principal

Academy were wonderful; they said they asked some very intuitive questions, were not afraid to ask challenging questions and sort as much information as they could, to help them make informed decisions about their futures. Students represented the school brilliantly and made us all very proud. It was a privilege to create and host such an event, next year we hope to make it even bigger! It was a proud moment to see the high level of engagement in the activities. Well done to all our students, we hope the information you gathered will inspire you to aim high and seek to be the best that you can be. Mrs Ross Assistant Principal

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GCSE Success Evening It was an absolute pleasure to open our doors to a record turnout of our Year 11 students and their supportive parents on Thursday 23 September. The evening was a great success, offering plenty of guidance regarding key curriculum information, directly from the experts in every faculty. We also shared how to stay calm, relaxed and yet strive to achieve during the exam season, as well as revision techniques, curriculum revision guides, information on sleep and exercise to support a smooth journey. We were blessed to have support from three of our further education colleges, as well as having the privilege of hosting Cambridge University; our ambitions for our students are endless! All this and we had some amazing food demonstrations and tasting from the fantastic teachers in our Food department. Parents were wonderfully supportive of their children and feedback was highly complementary. All our further education providers were impressed with the level of questions students asked, and staff commented on the enthusiasm our students had for their studies and their determination to do well. Long may this continue. The evening was designed to give as much information as possible, to reduce fears and above all, give all our students the message that we, the school and their families, are with them every step of the way. This is a journey, where the end is now insight, so as we take each step, we hope that the information from the evening will help smooth some of those bumps in the road, to make Year 11 a positive and purposeful journey, to success at the end. Good Luck Year 11! Mrs Ross Assistant Principal

Meet the Senior Prefects Deputy Head Students: Academic Mentoring Leads Prefects are Year 11 Layla Armstrong and Pen Igbinedion students who have been R e m o t e L e a r n i n g , L eOur a r nroles i n g will O n lbe i n the e , Lfollowing: i v e L nominated e a r n in g by … w e h a v e b e e n d o i n g i t a l l , a t C o l c h e s t e rdepartments before - To assist the Head Students and to always ready, if undergoing a be rigorous A cad em y needed, to fill the Head Student role process. They selection - To assist thein Head with matters concerning Lockdown has been long and tiring. Sitting frontStudents of a screen, day have a range of duties to charity Student Council related matters in day out, has been a burden on all and of us, including students, including lunch to parents and guardians, and -any souls will who use has fulfil assisted in Head Students Allother Teampoor Leaders the Deputy ensuring students at CA have continued to be dedicated tosupervision, their teaching help other students with their planning or their actual studies. studies. We will either provide the support or small groups ourselves of younger task one of the Prefect Team to help and supporting students However, we are immensely-proud of our community and cohort of Help Head Students to organise all other prefect related students for the dedication and resilience they have shownthe in school’s faculties. tasks progressing with their learning. It has been a real pleasure seeing our Assist with next year’s Prefect application process. learners flourish, especially with new features, such as the ‘chat

Our Head Students are function’ in the google classroom. Such a function has enabled our selected teachers to question students in a different manner, engaging new from within a responses and developing ideas thoughts in a different way. of Senior Prefects. group Newand Joiners Leads Fab Sarwar and Brogan Mead path to these The Further to this, the attendance to lessons of all students has been of is rigorous, an exceptional standard, especially when you consider we,appointments as an Our roles will be the following: and before selected, they academy, have been providing ‘live’ lessons for all learners. Highlights have seen 78% of theand academy logging on and attending have completed an application form, delivered a presentation then undergone an interview with a panel - To assist the Head and Deputy Head lessons per day, with this peaking in certain year groups to 82.9% in Students with of senior staff members. This year’s demanding selection process was the most competitive the school has matters concerning charity and Student Council related Some of our Year 7 and 8 students have been participating lockdown Mini Bookwe Club Year 11, 79.3% in Year during 10 and 79.5% in Yearin 7. a Additionally, have– At Home reading witnessed years, andbydue to the quality of the candidates, the of would become the matters also seen real dedication from our students with 51% attending 4 or an ebook ofin‘I recent Have No Secrets’ Penny Joelson, a page-turning thriller seendecision through thewhom eyes of a unique narrator. To work directly with all Year Leaders to ensure all new more lessons on a daily basis; again, this has peaked at 53.9% in Year school’s Head Students was an extremely difficult one to make. Nominated for a CILIP Carnegie Medal, it won the FCBG Children’s Book Award for Older Readers. 11, 55.5% in Year 10 and 52.7% in Year 9.given I hasten to add, these joiners are a tour of the school figures are above national averages, as reported Sutton Trust. - To actively ensurebyallthe new joiners, across the five year Students metdeliberation, online in a Google Classroom and when we finally came back to school we were able to use a large After much the above students were chosen to fill the appointments of Head Students. groups, are happy and to make sure their transition is We know we are all yearninghealthy for the return of students to the classroom for our discussions. and positive We know that whatever measures have been put in place Well done to Daniel Johnson and Skye academy. Marzell. - To be a point of contact for all new joiners, if there is an online, it doesn’t make up for who the quality of face to face teaching and The last event was a Google Meet with the author, Penny Joelson, gave us some insight into her writing style issue they feel it is difficult to speak to a member of staff lea (lots of Post-It notes) and told the story of how she was once so immersed in her reading, she got locked in a library about. Mr Halliwell for 2 hours after it shut! Assistant Principal

Something else

1,500 pupils participated in the online interactive event! It was Friendship the first time so many pupils across the country Mentoring & Wellbeing Leads took part in a book club. Pupil engagement was fantastic – thereDavid wereClayton so many that Google nearly andquestions Maddie Kelsey crashed! Our roles will be the following: We were very proud to have been part of the launch of the first-ever National Teen Book Club. - To assist the Head and Deputy Head Students with matters concerning charity and Student Council related Mrs Hawkins matters Library Coordinator

Author Visit

- To work directly with all Year Leaders to ensure all students who aren’t happy have a fellow student they can come to for advice - To be a point of contact for all students, if there is an issue they feel is too difficult to speak to a member of staff about.

Extra-Curricular & Clubs/Sports, House and Functions Leads Kaitlyn McGenn and Ashley Dale Our roles will be the following: - To assist the Head and Deputy Head Students with matters concerning charity and Student Council related matters - To work directly with all staff who run or assist with any lunchtime or after school club or sports teams. We will offer the following assistance: - Administration help - Support with letters or advertising matters - Setting up and tidying away venues - General help regarding all matters to do with clubs and sporting events.

Competition Winners! Before summer, I entered a competition which included writing around 500 words about our school and why we were deserving of receiving 100 Penguin books from Black, Asian and minority ethnic authors. Out of 1600 applications, they only picked 500 schools, and we were chosen as one of the winning schools! The application had to focus on why and how our school would benefit from the donation. Therefore, I spoke about how our children and staff have a range of different backgrounds and how we, as a diverse school, needed a range of books to help educate our students on different cultural backgrounds. After half term, these books will be in the school Library and in 2.11 for students to access. Please promote this as much as possible as we would like students to engage in these novels. Feedback from “Lit in Colour” included this: “It meant so much to hear about how you will use the books and what it will mean to your students. We genuinely hope this donation will revitalise your school’s library and stir inspiration amongst your students”. Miss Moore English Teacher

Realise your Potential with Make Happen

Colchester Canon In September Colchester Academy launched its ‘Colchester Canon’ – a reading initiative designed to promote a love of This term Year 7 students have had ‘The Bookbuzz Experience’. Bookbuzz reading and encourage students to read a range of books, including titles or genres they may not previously have come is part of the BookTrust – a charity which aims to encourage students to across. read by providing them with their own books to keep. Here’s what some of our students had to say. There are 50 incredible books on the Colchester Canon list – 10 for each year group. Each year, students will be challenged to read Jasmine as many7O2 of the books as possible. The books were selected following recommendations from staff and students. Switch-Up Copies of all books are available in the library and in form rooms. To start our Bookbuzz journey we watched a video containing a review of the books.ICanon chose the book SwitchUp about two girls who board the Books ineach theof Colchester include: same flight to London. It’s the beginning of the craziest plan ever. Year 7 – Private Peaceful, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Damiola 7H1 Animals Up Close Year 8 – Treasure Island, Refugee Boy Year 9 –Bookbuzz The Diary of Anne Frank, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a book company dedicated to getting books to Year 7 students Year 10for – The U Give (THUG), free.Hate I think Bookbuzz is aMort fabulous charity as I was not a fan of Year 11reading. – Rebecca, A Short Historyaof In class we watched 24Nearly minuteEverything film about the books and the authors explained the stories. To encourage engagement with the Colchester Canon, all students read in form time at least once a week. This might be 7L2 Little Bad group Man reading or being read to by their Form Tutor. Since September it has been great to see throughTristan individual reading, enjoying reading and teachers bringing books to life through animated reading and group discussion. students Bookbuzz has helped me a great deal. Instead of me having to pay for a book (reading is now one of my favourites) Bookbuzz put it in my hands for We are looking forward to seeing students work their way through the Canon. free. I could not thank Bookbuzz enough for putting such a brilliant book in my collection. Mr Nijhawan Marleigh-Rose 7L2 City of Ghosts Head of English I’ve always enjoyed mystery books so when I saw City of Ghosts I knew I

Student Spotlight

In each issue, we pick the highlights from our student’s achievements on Twitter and share them here. Here are this term’s highlights.

Dates for your Diary Issue 12 | October 2019

Trips & Visits Colchester Academy

Mon 1 Nov

Year 11 Mocks start

Sun 16 Feb

Year 11 Disneyland, Paris

Tue 2 Nov

Year 7 - 11 Flu vaccinations

Wed 26 Feb

Year 9/10 History theatre

Thu 11 Nov

Remembrance Day

trip

Fri 12 Nov

Children in Need Day

Wed 11 Mar

Year 10 Stratford Field Trip

Wed 17 Nov

PSHE drop-down day

Thu 19 Mar

Year 10 Walton Field Trip

Fri 19 Nov

Year 11 Mock interviews

Tue 31 Mar

Year 10 Aspire GCSE STEM

Thu 25 Nov

Year 11 reports issued

Fri 26 Nov

X Factor competition

day, Essex university Aenean eros lorem, pulvinar a magna in, Sat 9 May Ladies FA cup final, suscipit auctor purus. Suspendisse eget lectus finibus, porta est Wembley ac, faucibus risus. Sed vel stadium sem posuere justo euismod sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nam at mollis ex, eu gravida nisi. In finibus rhoncus nulla, a lobortis metus tempus sed. Nam a magna nulla. Integer eu euismod est. Praesent justo elit, laoreet luctus tempus at, viverra sed massa. In diam elit, hendrerit a Artwork by laoreet in, volutpat at mauris. Nam at mollis Bailey Edwards ex, eu gravida nisi. In finibus rhoncus nulla, a Year 8 Student lobortis metus tempus sed. Nam a magna.

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Trips & Visits Thu 16 Dec Key Stage 3 reports issued Thu 2 Dec

Year 10 reports issued

Year 7 Residential July 2020 - students can Fri 17 Dec Last day of Autumn term collect information letters from Student Reception. Cost £190 (monthly payments (13:30 finish) accepted) Year 8/9/10 - South of France Trip Summer 2020 - £681 (monthly payments accepted) 7 spaces available. Students can collect information letters from student reception

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Colchester Academy Story Hawthorn Avenue Colchester Essex CO4 3JL

Twitter: @ColchesterAcad Facebook: ColchesterAcademy Tel: 01206 861217 Email: general@colchesteracademy.org.uk Web: www.colchesteracademy.org.uk

CultureResilience - Character - Excellence - Currency- Respect - Commitment