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The newsletter for Cornelius Vermuyden School Issue 16 | Autumn 2017

OPEN 7 1 ’ Y A D !

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Headteacher’s Introduction

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Welcome back

he opportunity to educate other people's children is a rare privilege, bringing with it a huge responsibility to providethebestall-roundeducationpossibleasweaim to prepare young people for happiness and success in their adult lives. At Cornelius Vermuyden School, we take this responsibility extremely seriously. We care about the individual and pride ourselves in the warmth of a community in which all our students feel valued.

We live in exciting and fast changing times and this means that providing an outstanding, progressive and well-rounded education is more important than ever.

Of course examination results matter and at Cornelius our students consistently achieve excellent results in a majority of subjects. However, this is just one aspect of a Corneliuseducationandstudentsaresupportedtoshow ambitionbothwithinandbeyondtheclassroom.School should also be fun, we all know happy children are more likely to be successful. We see it as our responsibility to bring out our boys' and girls’ talents, to broaden their interests and to develop their personal qualities. To do thisweaimtofosterconfidence,perseverance,tolerance, flexibility and integrity; to enhance communication skills; to embrace creativity; to encourage teamwork; and to promote an open minded and outward-looking mentality so that students are ready to make a really positivecontributiontotheirwidercommunity.Wealso believe that these skills and values will serve them well astheycontinuetheireducationandtrainingandprove invaluable in the world of work.

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Tradition is important at our school and still shapes some of our guiding principles but we seek to build on the past while looking to the future. This is, and will remain, a forward-thinking school that enthusiastically embraces innovation and new opportunities. We are committed to making a Cornelius education accessible to talented students whatever their background. We welcome our new Year 7 students along with our returning students and hope that they will aspire to be even more successful in their achievements than our recent Year 11 students. As ever, we will endeavour to workcloselywithparents,carersandourcommunityon Canvey.

The 2017 outcomes were some of the best ever results for the school. I would like to congratulate the students and staff for their hard work and dedication at a time of major change for the GSCE qualifications. The headline figures were as follows: 70% of students gaining a 4+ grade in English and Maths.

Across all the other subjects (still graded A*-G) there was an average pass rate at A*-C of 76%.

Individual subject related successes at A*-C were; 100% Additional Maths 100% Statistics 100% ICT 100%Photography 100% GCSE Sport Science 100% PE 95% Art 93% French 88% Triple Science 78% Geography

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We are committed to making a Cornelius education accessible to talented students whatever their background ThenumbersofA/A*and7+gradesarehigherthanever and some of the individual student performances are staggering in terms of the number of optimum grades attained especially the pleasing number of grade 9’s achieveddespitenationallylessthan3%beingawarded.

Whilst acknowledging the enormous achievements of the most able is very important, what gives me the greatest pleasure is the consistent progress that our students make irrespective of their ability or starting point. We are a truly inclusive school that embraces a ‘Respect,Resilience and Responsibility' philosophy and this along with the fantastic support and dedication of our parents and our wonderfully resourceful teachers have allowed us to scale such heights.

We were particularly proud of these students with their 2017 GCSE results:Paige Monk 13 A*/A (Maths 9; also including A in Additional Maths) (Northwick Park) Mufaro Mutsatsa 11 A*/A, 1 B (English Lang and English Lit 9) (Winter Gardens) Cerys Wilks 11 A*/A (Leigh Beck) Feranmi Odeyemi 10 A*/A (Pitsea Junior) Ellana Woodley 9 A*/A, 1 B (English Lit 9) (St Katherine’s)

Harry McCartney 9 A*/A, 1 B (William Read) Emilee Pogue 7A*/A, 2 B (Canvey Junior) Liam Rodrigues 7 A*/A, 4 B (Northwick Park) Sophie Gould 6 A*/A, 4 B (English Lit 9) (Winter Gardens) The followingYear 10 students attained outstanding grades in their English Literature exam:Ellie-Marie Ashford (Northwick Park) 9 Lauren Oakley (Winter Gardens) 9 Cameron Waters (Leigh Beck) 8 Nathan Barlow (Canvey Junior) 8 Macy French (St Joseph’s) 7 Kian Crudgington (Canvey Junior) 7 Kiera Blake (Canvey Junior) 7 Megan Heuer (Northwick Park) 7 Mitchell Munday (St Joseph’s) 7 Brooklyn Walker (William Read) 7 Connie Sullivan (Lubbins Park) 7

Mrs C P Skewes Headteacher

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Art Exhibition

Art exhibition On Thursday 13th July, we held our Design, Art and Technology Summer Exhibition. This proved to be a great success, with so many proud students, parents and staff members alike attending the event.

The exhibition was a fantastic celebration of all our students’ achievements over the year. Fine Art and Photography work was displayed throughout The Street area, along with hanging laser cut lampshades and large scale sculptures. Food students providing all the catering for the event, making and serving their own canapés, whilst Year 9 students played beautifully in an orchestra as background music for the exhibition. Thank you to all parents and students that attended and we are looking forward to this now becoming an annual event.

InYear7,studentscompleteaself-portraitprojectwheretheylearnabouttheproportionsoftheface.

Here are their final pieces, inspired by Henri Matisse and the Fauvist movement.

Studentsservingcanapés.Thestudentscameback afterschooltoprepareover400canapés.Years7 and8mademacaroonsandsaltedcaramelbites, whilstYear10focussedonspinachandfetamini quiches and strawberry tarts.

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Year8Design&Technologystudentsproducedthelasercutlanternslastyearusing2Ddesign.

StudentsinYear10Artproducedtheseclay pots inspired by the artist Kate Malone.

Studentsrecordedarangeofdifferentnatural forms in detail, using these to inform their design ideas.These clay pots have all been firedandglazedtocreatesomeverystriking outcomes.

ChairsourYear10studentscompletedaspracticefortheirGCSEpracticalcontrolledassessment.

Cerys Wilks in Year 11 had 10 hours under exam conditions tocompletethisartexamfinal piece, choosing to paint a selfportrait in oils on canvas.

Miss Cooper Head of Art, Design and Technology

InYear9,Artstudentscompletedaseasideprojectandthis isSummerMcLean’sfinalpiece.StudentsvisitedLeighon SeaandSouthend,takingarangeofphotographstouseas sourcematerialfortheproject.Thisfinalpiecewasbased onaphotographtakenfromoneofthecockleshedsinOld Leigh.

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Oh Calam!

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ast year was “A Wig and a Prayer – A Doubtfire Story”. It was all written from scratch – the scenes, the set, the music. Then re-write after re-write (as I am writing this, I still have all 18 versions on my laptop!)– and the process took months!

At first for this year’s summer show, we decided to keep it simple but still have a twist. “Why don’t we mix two shows together?” asked an excited Miss Hare.

“Brilliant! Which ones?” Mr Coates replied.

Suggestions abounded – The Sound of West Side, Les Moulin Rougerables, The Wicked Phantom and finally Chicagee! – a mix of Calamity Jane and Chicago set in the tiny western town jail house of Deadwood.

“Shall we just do Calamity Jane?” Miss Hare politely suggested, clearly seeing me getting carried away. We ordered the script and we,

Oh Calam!

Mr Coates and Mrs Stead, sent Miss Hare on her way for a year’s maternity leave. Mrs Stead quite rightly looked at our students and suggested the story will roughly stay the same but let’s allow the students to devise and put their own stamp on the show.

It is at times like this that you realise what incredible talent we have at the school – the flood of ideas and concepts were amazing – and when I was there in rehearsal, they had me in stitches! Mrs Stead directed the show brilliantly and was assisted by our other highly talented drama teacher Mr Wilson.

Miss Nolan and Miss Martins lead the choreography and enlisted the Year 9 dancers to create sequences. Mr Rodriguez and Mr Webster provided the woodworking skills

and set creation. Mr Coates locked himself away and re-orchestrated the songs.

The performance was slick, bright, colourful and such fun! Sunny Wheatley danced, sang, improvised and acted her socks off – her first show at Cornelius and will not be her last, a fantastic performance. Macy French as Katie Brown supported Sunny’s Calamity Jane with confidence and flair – again some excellent improvised scenes and the two girls are a huge asset to the Performing Arts Department. The male leads were Bailey Ayres as Danny Gilmartin and Kash Martin as Wild Bill Hickok. Both performances were assured and well performed but it must be said Kash dances better than Howard Keel!

“It is at times like this that you realise what incredible talent we have at the school–thefloodofideasandconcepts were amazing – and when I was there in rehearsal, they had me in stitches!”

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Oh Calam!

Supporting the lead roles were the comedy duo of Hank and Pete played by Casey Gowland and Lottie Harris who not only brought comedy to the show but also an endless source of laughter during rehearsals.

Scarlett Read played the snooty star Adelaid Adams very well as usual. Mason Roddy as

Henry Miller portrayed the nervousness and panic of the Golden Garter landlord excellently. The rowdy cowboy patrons, played by Alex Girvan, Lucy-Marie Hope and Bethany Hazeltine, and the barman Jo played by Corey Lynes, all performed with such vigour and energy. The dancers were Scarlett Thomas-Morley, Rebecca Page, Jennifer Cooke, Olivia Hardy and Phoebe Hardy, all led by Alicia Cook who performed a great solo.

A huge well done to all involved in the show and many thanks as always to those friends, parents and carers who supported on the night and during the rehearsal process.

Thank you!

Mr Coates Head of Performing Arts

Macy French I found being a part of the annual summer show ‘Calam!’ an extremely exciting and fun experience for both me and every member of the cast. All rehearsals were carried out in a positive and relaxed environment with both Mr Coates and the cast willing to be productive with the time we had. Throughout the months that we have been rehearsing, I have developed a strong friendship with many lower and upper school students which I have found very rewarding. Everyone got along backstage which contributed greatly to the brilliant atmosphere and chemistry on stage.

I am so sad that Calam will be my last show here at Cornelius Vermuyden school, but I am confident that the productions I have participated in within the school have given me valuable skills. I will most definitely take the things that I have learned and apply them to my future career in performing arts.

Sunny Wheatley The whole show was a new and unique experience for me. I had never done a school performance before and I’m so glad I did. I finally got to experience the “behind the scenes” of a school performance. Watching them, it’s so hard to believe the amount of work, planning and determination needed prior to the actual performance. Being the main character, the whole thing can be very stressful but there are so many people that you meet who make your experience amazing. Lottie Harris was the comedienne of the whole experience, I will never forget when it was all silent and she just bursts out with a story of how she got smacked on the head by a door. I’m so glad I participated in the show and met so many amazing people who can perform so well.

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Creativity Days

A Roaring Success The Cornelius Vermuyden School Creativity Days this year were a roaring success for all the staff and the Year 5s involved. The idea that underpins these days is to give Year 5s on Canvey Island a taste of what secondary school would be like for them in Year 7 and beyond. The students were able to try a range of subjects from orienteering in geography to making Japanese fans in art. Judging by the smiles on their faces they thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Here at Cornelius we pride ourselves on a broad and varied curriculum. The Year 5s took part in maths, art, music, drama, geography, history and science.

They discovered their own local heritage in the immersive room with Mr Purkiss, immersing themselves in old news reels about the Canvey floods and how their town has changed throughout the years.

In science, they donned their lab coats, lit their Bunsen burners and set to work on discovering the science behind the food they eat.

The torrent of ‘Thank you, I have had a wonderful day!� at the end of the sessions was evidence of a thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and educational experience had by all.

We are looking forward to seeing many of those eager faces in 2018.

The Lead Practitioner team.

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Introducing our new staff...

Miss Whitworth

Miss Lower

I teach in the Humanities Department where my specialist subject is history. I recently graduated from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and am looking forward to deploying my passion for modern history to the students in the school. I am enthusiastic about empowering young women and highlighting the need for social equality. I also enjoy exploringhistoricalsitesandmuseumsinmysparetime,especiallyina foreign context. I am looking forward to getting to know and working with the students so that we can have a successful year together.

Before becoming a teacher, I studied Economics and Economic History at the London School of Economics. I’m really excited to be joining such a successfulMathsdepartmentand look forward to learning from my colleagues. In my free time, I enjoybeingactiveandarangeofsportsincludingcycling,rowingand sailing. I am currently reading The Island by Aldous Huxley.

Miss Taylor Miss Taylor I am joining Cornelius in my 6th year of teaching, as a Dance, Media and PE teacher. I have been dancing since the age of 12 where I used to tour and enter competitions across the UK. I went on to study Dance and Media in a joint degree at University of Chichester, where I was trained in Contemporary and Ballet, as well as Media Production, before moving on to a career in teaching.

4 years ago. Tanzania. This is wheremyteachingjourneybegan whenIdiscoveredmypassionfor teaching English. Teaching the components of the English language to 50 African secondary students, whilst trying desperately to practise my Kiswahili. It was a sight for sure. 4 years later, I have moved on from tropical Africa to the seaside island that is Canvey. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy being active with great interests in dance and competing in running events – my latest challenge being a marathon in a few weeks!

Mr Walding

Mr Meddings I have just joined the Humanities team after going to university at UCL Birkbeck in London and completing my training with the Havering Teacher Training Partnership. I enjoy music, travellingandreadinginmyspare time – taking in as much weird and interesting culture as I can. I’m lookingforwardtogettingstuckinaroundtheschoolandbecomingan active member of the team.

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Having taught French for the last 17 years in various roles and several schools, it has been a real joy to come and lead the Languages Department here at Cornelius. Students really want to engage in their own learning andtheschoolopensasmanydoorsaspossibletopromotelanguages and the new EBacc course. I really look forward to having a positive influencehereanddevelopingthelanguageprovisionaswellasextracurricular opportunities for our students.

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School news

Budding animator Hello there! I am Lucy, the author of the

called Clip Studio Paint (CSP). I create

the speech bubbles. In the future - I'd love

comic in this magazine. The process to making this is quite fun. I use my wacom drawing tablet to illustrate the comic onto a program similar to photoshop,

the panels first, then I sketch out the characters in grey. Next, I create a new layer, inking and coloring the image.

Finally, I place the pre-written script onto

to work in the animation industry!

GCSE English Literature Success

Lucy Dawkins 10K3

We are very proud of our pupils, now in Year 11, who sat their GCSE English Literature a year early at the end of Year 10.

Two of our pupils, Ellie-Marie Ashford and Lauren Oakley, achieved the very top Level 9, equal to A**, which is an additional grade this year, used to differentiate the most exceptional students. Ellie actually achieved full marks on one of her papers!

In addition, CameronWaters and Nathan Barlow, achieved a Level 8 (A*) and Kiera Blake, Megan Heuer, Brooklyn Walker, Connie Sullivan, Macy French, Kian Crudgington and Mitchell Munday achieved a Level 7, which is equivalent to a Grade A. Well done to all of our pupils who worked so hard at their English Literature last year.

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Sport

Sports Day We have enjoyed a fantastic year of interhouse competition from events such as netball and football in the autumn term to cross country and basketball in the spring term and, later in the year, table tennis, rugby, girls’ football and rounders. Sports captains have worked hard all year to ensure that teams are filled and it has been great to see so many students getting involved, supporting their house and enjoying sport.

On Friday 14 July, the inter-house competition came to a close on sports day, with the winners of the House Cup still in the balance. Throughout the morning, students competed in their field events before the whole school made their way to the field for the finale – the track events and tug of war.

Houses displayed their banners and many homemade flags, posters and bunting were on show in support of their follow competitors, which made for a great atmosphere throughout the afternoon.

The Results As sports day drew to a close and points were added to the scores already accumulated from all inter-house competitions throughout the year, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense as the whole school waited in anticipation of the results. It was the students in Darwin who left with the

biggest smiles as they were members of the victorious House for 2016-17.

Sports Day overall results were:Einstein (1st) Darwin (2nd) Athena (3rd) Hera (4th) Zeus (4th)

We look forward to another year of inter house competition.

Well done!

Mrs Skewes, Headteacher

Cornelius Vermuyden School | Dinant Avenue | Canvey Island | Essex | SS8 9QS Tel: (01268) 685011 | Fax: (01268) 510290 Email: admin@corver.rmplc.co.uk

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www.corneliusvermuyden.com

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