Issue 607 - 16th November 2017
DanceEast Workshop Page 6 Primary Challenge Page 9
Netball Report Page 10
www.honywoodschool.com | Tel : 01376 561231
Headlines By Simon Mason
Honywood Staff Learning Conference Between Friday 17th and Tuesday 21st November our staff embark on our annual learning conference. This long weekend allows us to dedicate quality time to the development of our practice, ensuring that the learning experiences we offer our young people continue to improve. Of course, an impact of the school being closed to learners means that families have an extended five-day weekend ahead. Whilst this long weekend will mean additional time to relax and recharge, it is also an opportunity for learners to further prepare themselves for the learning challenges that lie ahead. Cohort 7 and 8 youngsters are part way through completing their showcase weeks for each of their subjects. Over the weekend, they could consider the following questions: • Have you taken the quality time needed to reflect on ‘Where was I? Where am I? Where could I be?’ in every subject? • Have you demonstrated through evidence the progress you believe you have made? • Have you shown that you understand how you are becoming a better rounded learner through your awareness and appreciation of My Learning Attributes? Investing some quality time over this long weekend will ensure that learners’ My Learning Journey platforms are truly reflective of them, in time for their Learning Reviews. Learners in Cohorts 9 and 10 are part way into their GCSE courses. Does this mean that reflecting in the way that Cohort 7 and 8 should do is of no use to these learners anymore? Of course not! Alongside the independent study in which I am sure learners will be investing time, learners should take the opportunity this weekend to also consider the growth they have made on each of their courses since the start of the year. Consider the following questions: • What is working? What is not? • What needs to change in order to make you more effective at study? • Are you taking the opportunity this weekend for additional study in order to put yourself in the best place possible when you return to school on Wednesday next week? Cohort 11 are now four days into their mock exams, and the first few days have been nerve wracking and for some slightly overwhelming, and perhaps more challenging than some learners had expected. So how do we overcome these challenges and perform at our best in an environment few of us enjoy and most would not chose? We can learn from the successes so many of our youngsters enjoy, for example, in the Arts and in Sport where the secret of success always begins with preparation. For example, our youngsters currently preparing for their School of Rock performance (which is just a few weeks away) have put in weeks of practise and rehearsal, to ensure they are making the most of the opportunity. Revision over the long weekend should cover two things, making sure knowledge is certain and making sure it can be reproduced in the most effective way in the conditions which will be in front of you on the day of your mock exam. During the long weekend, every youngster has the chance to make real progress with their revision. I recommend the following pattern during these five days:
Session 1 9:00 am 9:30 10:00 10:15 10:45 11:15
Subject 1
Subject 2 Break Subject 3 Subject 4 Break
Session 2 1:30pm
2:00 2:30
Subject 5 Subject 6 Finish
If this pattern is followed each day of this long weekend, each learner will have completed 15 hours of revision across the five days; they will also be learning at times of the day that correspond with the times when their examinations will actually take place. This helps to prepare them for the intellectual and emotional challenge GCSE final exams pose. As you can see, however, such a programme still leaves youngsters with a great deal of time to relax and enjoy their long weekend – an important part of preparing for the tests ahead. The key to successful revision is to make the process of revision active; successful techniques include: · Mind mapping a topic to see the connections between different ideas and concepts · Answering past examination questions or questions in revision guides – an especially important technique when trying to re-produce knowledge under the pressure you will find in exams · Using the internet to search for key topics, making notes on the topics you are revising. Using the voice recording apps available for the iPad may well help some of our youngsters to record key points if notetaking is not something you enjoy · Making cards up of key words, with definitions written on the back of the cards · Explaining revision to someone at home or working alongside a friend who is revising the same topic. This could be an excellent use of ‘Face-Time’ · Using a highlighter pen to make key words and phrases stand out in a text · Using flowcharts to remember a process For all our learners, getting into the habit of active exam preparation will help maximise exam potential and ensure another generation of young people at Honywood revel in exam success in the same way that our learners consistently excel on the Stage and on the Sports field. Making Learning Challenging Matters With our Cohort 11 learners now four days into their mock examinations I know that many of them are finding those exams really challenging and some may be wondering why it is that we ask them to study the demanding subjects that make up the curriculum at our school. Many secondary schools in England choose a different route for their learners, offering them the opportunity of taking some qualifications which are very easy to pass. The best example of such a qualification from recent times is the European Computer Driving Licence. Described by the organisation that markets it as “the benchmark for digital literacy in educational systems around the globe” this is a course that Government Performance Tables regard as being similar in standard to a GCSE in Chemistry, Maths, English Language or a Modern Foreign Language, yet no-one ever seems to fail it! Why do schools like their learners to take this course? Could it be that the school’s place in the performance tables is guaranteed to go up if they ask all their learners to sit such a course? (Had we asked our learners to sit this course last year, our ‘Progress Score’ in performance tables would have improved by 0.4 – a thirty nine percent increase in this new key measure of school performance.) We continue to be determined not to ask our youngsters to take such qualifications as we believe that learners only benefit in the long-term from pursuing qualifications that are appropriately demanding and require significant hours of study if they are to be passed at GCSE standard. In October 2013 some research was published by Dr Cristina Iannelli, senior lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Edinburgh. In her research she looked at the impact of studying different subjects at school on the lives of learners as they reached the ages of 23, 33 and 42 and compared this with the impact of the type of school those young people attended. What she discovered was that the subjects youngsters studied had a much greater impact on the success they had in their lives than the type of school they attended. So whether the young people in the study went to private school, grammar school or comprehensive school was much less important than the subjects they studied whilst at school.
She went on in the research to demonstrate that studying demanding subjects such as the individual sciences, Maths, English Language and Literature and most importantly Modern Foreign Languages made a huge impact on the chances of young people entering better paid professions and more highly rewarded managerial jobs. She also found out that the effect of the type of school you attended grew less important as you got older, whereas the subjects you actually studied at school retained their importance in your life-long success even by the age of 42. We believe that the purpose of our school is to ensure that our youngsters have the opportunity to succeed in their lives after Honywood as we feel sure that such life-long success is likely to support their life-long happiness. We do not think that the school should make decisions that are taken so that the school can look good in Government Performance Tables. It is very pleasing, therefore, to see that rigorous academic research is demonstrating that our decision to continue to offer the three sciences to a large number of learners and expect every learner to study a Modern Foreign Language to GCSE is the best decision we could take if we are to give our learners the very best chance of life-long success and happiness. Sadly, GCSEs such as the three sciences and Modern Foreign Languages, have got much more difficult to pass in recent years as a direct result of the central government changing the way grades are awarded. So what should our learners do when faced with this challenge? All the research evidence demonstrates that our learners should show the most determined attitude they can adopt, work harder than learners attempting easier subjects elsewhere and refuse to accept that they will achieve a lower grade at GCSE simply because they are studying something they find hard. The more positive the attitude learners show, the more likely they are to overcome the demands of these academic GCSEs and the more likely they are to live the successful lives apparent to the researchers who carried out this study. It’s likely, is it not, that the more you develop a positive attitude to challenge, the more likely you are to overcome challenges as you get older and as a result have a more successful life. We make that challenge a part of our curriculum at Honywood and know that our learners will rise to it, undoubtedly to their great benefit in their future lives. School Production On the evenings of Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th December our youngsters will be performing ‘School of Rock’. Tickets went on sale this week via our learner reception (£6 for adults £4 for children); the show commences each evening at 7pm, with refreshments available at the interval. Our youngsters have been in rehearsal since April and the hours of dedicated practise will undoubtedly come to the fore when they perform this fantastic show. Can I urge everyone to come along and support our young people and enjoy the brilliant production they are putting on for us all. Thanks To Gabrielle Assuman (8PBl), Aidan Bailey (8HGi), Lauren Baker (8HGi), Jenny Bird (8HGi), Eloise Rigby (8HGi) and Sam Trevains (8CRs) for their support with visitors to the school this week. To Troy Collins (11CFr), Elleanna Jenkins (11DBr), Dan Maher (11DBr) and Jacob Thomas (11HBy) for their support for our certificate evening for Cohort 12 learners last week. To Josh Greensides (7AGi) for his support during a parent tour last week.
Parents’ Time Members of the Leadership Team will be available to see parents without appointment: Monday 9.00am—9.45am Tuesday 7.15am—8.00am Wednesday 3.00pm—3.45pm Thursday 5.00pm—6.00pm Friday 7.15am—8.00am
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DanceEast Workshop On Friday 10th November, 20 learners from Cohort 10 and 11 GCSE Dance traveled to DanceEast in Ipswich to take part in two workshops. The workshops were run by James Cousins Company and StopGap Dance. Both companies choreograph and perform contemporary works which are part of the new GCSE Dance syllabus. This was a fantastic opportunity for the youngsters to work alongside the choreographers, recreating the choreography from the pieces to give them a deeper insight into the initial thoughts and inspiration for the pieces. Following on from each workshop there was time to ask questions from the companies about the dance works, giving the youngsters support for their exam responses. Our learners were a credit to the school; they were enthusiastic and curious in their approach to the workshops, pushing themselves out of their comfort zone to engage ion the activities. Well done to all of the learners who took part. Learner’s Quotes: ‘I really enjoyed the workshops and it was a great experience to work with professional dancers!’ Olivia Hodgetts 10MWo ‘I thought the dance workshop at DanceEast was amazing and a great experience. It has helped me to add in different dance techniques and more creative ideas into my GCSE dances.’ Abigail Lee 10KHo ‘I loved the workshop at DanceEast it was really interesting and fun to do a different style that was a bit out of my comfort zone.’ Eleanor - Mae Thorn 11LSt
D A N C E E A S T W O R K S H O P
Celebration of Learning Each month, learners who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to learning in and out of school are recognised through the Celebration of Learning Awards. Nominations can be made for circumstances where learners have demonstrated commitment to learning beyond expectation, exceptional progress in the development of one or more of their My Learning Attributes, represented the school or an outside organisation in a regional or national event, or completed a challenge. Each learner who is nominated for an award will be invited to the Celebration of Learning Evening, where they will be able to showcase the work they have been nominated for in the presence of friends and family. Our next evening is on Thursday 18th January. Nominations are made by any member of staff in the school and learners can also nominate themselves or their peers through their Learning Group Leader. Congratulations to the learners who have received a Celebration of Learning award in October.
Matthew Collier 7JLA
Amelie Gillman 9SLO
Freya Edwards 7DPE
Shanti Simonelli-Nurthen 9SLO
Fern Hazell-Young 7MHA
Rafferty Bradford 10NPO
Jake Ring 7RPH
Becky Clark 10HBR
Finlay Ball 8DCA
Poppy Elmer 10KHO
Maisie Harris 8KGU
Alex Manfield 10HBR
Hannah Read 8KAR
Beth Archer 11FJO
Oliver Stayt 8PBL
Lewis Boosey 11FJO
Tyler Stephens 8KGU
Kirsten Burrows 11HBY
Charlie Day 9TGI
Rhyse Hudson 11DBR
Adam French 9CHA
Jack Petchey Joe Grant 10MGr has won the Jack Petchey Award for November 2017 for the part he played in a film, “Run, Run as Fast as You Can.” The film has not only raised awareness of children suffering with cancer, but also has raised money for a foundation set up following the death of Margot, a little girl aged only 2 years old. Margot suffered with blood and bone marrow cancer and the foundation raises money for charities which support research and families who are also suffering.
Primary Challenge 'In 'Being Creative in English' club we have been looking at the purpose and format of newspapers. We have researched the different elements of newspaper articles, including an interesting headline, and then created our own. We look forward to writing our own newspaper article in the coming weeks.' Millie Harrington English Teacher ‘Since returning from half term learners have been very busy in Science club they have learnt how to safely set up and use Bunsen burners allowing them to conduct their own flame tests and learn more about the chemicals that go into making fireworks so colourful. Learners have also had the opportunity to make a jelly baby scream in an exciting demo and have created their very own lava lamps using ingredients you can find around the house!’ Kaytie Egan and Kate Guy Science Teachers ‘The Primary Dance Club have been very busy rehearsing an opening routine for the school’s annual show of ‘School of Rock!’ Tickets are on sale now for both performances on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th December 7pm. The children have been working very hard with the choreography and It is great for them to have the opportunity to perform in front of an audience. Michelle Gray LSA - Dance ‘Primary maths learners enjoyed their first session investigating games and magic tricks involving numbers, this week they were developing their problem solving skills through a variety of mathematical problems’ Mr Radics Maths Teacher Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discovering Halloween traditions in Japan and learnt a few spooky words! Learners also had the chance to discover the language independently, using the school iPads, in a very successful Duolingo session. Amy Isac MFL Teacher
Netball Report and Fixtures Team: Hannah Plumb GA/GS, Emma Boland GA/GK, Lily Owen GS, Lilly Brewer WA, Megan Evans C, Holly Wilde WA/WD, Tawana Murombedzi WA/WD, Maddie Smith WD, Emily Reeve WA/WD, Tierney Faraway WD/ GK, Annabel Hughes GD. The U15 NWESSA District Netball Tournament was played on Wednesday 8th November at Helena Romanes School. On a bitterly cold evening the girls played Notley and Hedingham in their pool games. A slow goal for goal start against Notley, the score was even at half time, ended in a convincing win. The girls had now got into their stride and went on to beat Hedingham, leading throughout the game. As winners of pool B the team went through to play the runners up of pool A. This time they faced the hosts Helena Romanes. Honywood went into the game confidently and went on to secure their place in the final. Sadly this year it was not to be and after coming up against a stronger and more physical Tabor team, Honywood can hold their heads high and say ‘they worked their hardest but lost to the better team on the day’. Overall an excellent individual and team performance by all. Player of the tournament is Hannah Plumb with Megan Evans also deserving a mention. Well done Girls! Mrs Jones
Team: Kate Southgate, Georgia Potter, Izzy Sigourney, Megan Stoney, Sadie Cornish, Lara English, Jess Neary and Alice Rissen. Our Cohort 9 netballers went to HRS for the District tournament on Tuesday 14th November and played fantastically well finishing as Runnersup!! They had great wins against Alec, HRS and Forest Hall, who were a really tall team but they dealt with the challenge brilliantly. Their only loss was against Notley who are a very experienced side. Really well done girls! Also a big thank you to Mr. Walters for taking us. Miss Thomas
Honywood PE Information WEEKLY FIXTURES – w/c Mon 20th November (subject to change) DAY
DATE
Mon
20th
Tues
21st
Wed
22nd
Thu
23rd
Fri
24th
COHORT ACTIVITY
COMP
V’s
VENUE
LEAVE RETURN/ SCHOOL/ FINISH KO
STAFF
8
Netball
District
District
HRS
15:15
18:00
CTH
U14
Netabll
Essex Cup
Tendring
Tendring School
14:20
16:30
CTH
7
Netball
District
District
HRS
15:20
18:00
SBA
Boccia Competition Team: Amy Banks (Captain), Oliver Wrench, William Dubbini, Joshua Carter and Finlay Kennedy. The group took part in a Boccia competition at Columbus College in Chelmsford .There were 25 schools in the competition and Honywood played 4 games winning 3 out of the four. Every member of the team contributed and they were well led by captain Amy Banks .This was the first competition and for the team so to come 5th on points was an excellent performance. Each member of the team received a medal at the end of the competition. WELL DONE EVERYONE
Cross Country On Wednesday 15th Nov we took 30 learners over to the Discovery Centre in Notley to compete in the North West Essex Cross Country. The learners showed excellent perseverance throughout the event and showed each other brilliant support and encouragement. The C7 Boys raced first and all did brilliantly with Alex Banyard finishing first out of the team in a very respectable 19th place and all the boys in the top 50. The C7 Girls’ race took place next, Lily Tilyard was the first to finish out of our girls, closely followed by Megan Walby, Josie Dale and Hannah Edwards. Our Junior Boys team did really well with Will. Ferguson finishing in 8th place, qualifying for the county competition in January, and most of the rest of the team finishing top 40. The Junior Girls showed excellent determination with most of the team being C8 so running against older opposition. Hannah Pyatt finished in 15th position, with her sister hot on her heels in 17th place. Big congratulations to Emelia Saunders who competed in the Inter Girls race against older opposition and finished an amazing 9th place. Special thanks goes to Lilly Brewer, Millie Felstead and Rafe Donnelly who all helped with the smooth running of the event with their role as marshals. The learners all represented the school very well and showed great effort and determination. Mrs. Borella & Miss Thomas. C7 Girls: Josie Dale, Hannah Edwards, Caitlyn Grealis, Lily Tilyard, Megan Walby, Ena Watts C8 Girls: Daisy Donnelly, Hannah Pyatt, Emily Pyatt, Poppy Thacker C9 Girls: Eleanor Deal, Megan Gurbutt C10 Girls: Emelia Saunders C7 Boys: Harry Arkle, Alex Banyard, Harrison Campe, Harrison Cross, Jack Dearsley, Joe Ferguson, Brodie Henrici-Fernandes, Zane Kemp C8 Boys: Joe Partridge, Tev Partridge, Harry Regan, James Wardrop C9 boys: Will Ferguson, Jack Raine
Quintet Update and Winner Last half term we had this year's first Quintet Week which centred around the theme of 'Personal Safety and Awareness'. During that week our learners attended workshops with a specific focus for different cohorts. Cohorts 7 & 8 saw a play about road safety; Cohort 11 were given a presentation about in car safety and Cohorts 9 & 10 saw a play about the importance of wearing a seat belt. As the week progressed, learners were asked to work in their Quintet Learning Groups to design a campaign to promote personal and community safety in the local area. We had an astounding number of entries which were all completed to a very high level and, just before October half term, we shortlisted 5 Quintet Learning Groups for our final. We shared the 5 campaigns via our Honywood Facebook page and asked members of the community to vote for their favourite campaign by clicking 'like' on the corresponding post. The votes have been counted and we can now confirm the following: 4th Place - Quintet LGL CHo with "Yellow Lines" 3rd Place - Quintet LGL KBr with "Co-op Road Crossing" 2nd Place - Quintet LGL MGr with "Can't park here Rap" and Quintet LGL SAr with "Build a Bridge" WINNERS: Quintet LGL AGr with "CPR" Huge congratulations to all the learners in Quintet AGr and Miss Girling for coming first with a total of 20 Facebook likes on their campaign idea. The campaign focused on the importance of everyone knowing CPR and the idea that it should be taught to learners in school so that they could potentially have the skills to save someone's life one day. The idea was so inspiring that we are now looking into the possibility of organising some training for youngsters to make their campaign idea a reality. A huge thanks goes out to everyone in the community who engaged with our Quintet vote and viewed, shared or liked the campaigns. Learners were overwhelmed by the positive comments and were very proud to have their ideas on display in such a public forum.
Honywood School Presents
Wednesday 13th December Thursday 14th December Tickets on Sale in Learner Reception at Breaktime and Lunchtime only. Adults ÂŁ 6.00 Children ÂŁ4.00 Doors Open at 6.30pm for 7.00pm Start
Week 3 Main Course
Vegetarian Course Dessert Pasta Bake Courtyard Cafe
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Traditional Cottage Roast Gammon Linguini Carbonara Pie with Seasonal With Yorkshire Pudding,with Bruschetta & Vegetables or Beans Roast Potatoes & Green Salad Seasonal Vegetables Vegetarian Cottage Vegetable En-Croute Mediterranean Pie with Seasonal with Roast Potatoes & Vegetable Linguini Vegetables or Beans Seasonal Vegetables with Bruschetta & Green Salad Forest Fruits Jam Sponge & Eton Mess Crumble & Custard Custard BBQ Sausage Chicken Tikka Cheese Sauce Cheese Sauce Vegetable Tikka Tomato & Basil Plain Plain Plain Pizza Tugo Pizza Tugo Pizza Tugo Quad Special Quad Special Quad Special
Menu subject to change
Thursday
Friday
Vegetable & Bean Jalfrezi with Wild Rice & Samosa
Cheese & Onion Puff with Chips, Peas or Beans
Lemon Mousse
Flapjack
Arrabbiata Plain
Pasta Bake of the Day
Pizza Tugo Quad Special
Pizza Tugo Quad Special
Chicken Jalfrezi with Wild Rice & Samosa
Traditional Fish & Chips with Peas or Beans
My Learning Choices Enterprise & Solutions MLCs this week are available to c7 and c8 learners that would like some extra help and advice on how best to present their project work and to develop the depth and detail of their written explanations. ‘How to construct an effective business pitch’ is also available, as learners look towards to their showcase weeks. Business Studies MLCs this week will be focused on revising for either the c11 mock exams or the c10 Influences on a Business end of unit assessment. Going through aspects of the course that you’re unsure of, creating useful and lasting revision resources and practising applying your knowledge across the various forms of GCSE questions will all be available.
Job Advert
Important Dates 13 Nov - 1st Dec - C11 Mock Exams 17th Nov, 20th Nov and 21st Nov Non Learner Days 23rd Nov - Catch Up Photo’s 12th Dec - Deadline for Lead Learner Application 13th & 14th Dec - School Production 14th Dec - Textiles Showcase 18th Dec - Christmas Lunch C7 & C8 19th Dec - Christmas Lunch C9, C10 & C11 20th Dec - End of Term Variety Show 20th Dec - Early Finish for Christmas Holidays 3rd Jan - 2018 Back to School Week B 5th Jan - Cohort 11 Mock Results Day
Learning Supervisor (37 hours per week, full-time, £19,509 - £25,985 p.a.) We are looking for an exceptional person to join our team of staff supporting youngsters’ learning. The successful applicant will supervise classes and support learners in completing learning tasks during periods of teachers’ absence. Initially the contract will run until the end of August 2018 and would ideally suit a candidate looking to start teacher training in September 2018. An option to convert to a permanent contract will be discussed with the successful candidate. We offer:
A high achieving Academy producing excellent examination results. A challenging learning environment where you will be asked to expand your thinking about the education we offer our young people. An approach based on shared responsibility and teamwork, which values every member of our school community. Excellent in-house induction and training for all our new employees.
You will need:
Outstanding people skills, flexibility and initiative.
The mental agility to push your own learning and thinking in a fast moving dynamic setting.
Minimum Grade C GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Maths – this post would ideally suit a graduate, especially with a degree specialising in Science. A willingness to learn every day as you consistently strive to increase your impact on our youngsters’ learning.
For an information pack, or to organise a pre-application visit, contact Mrs S. Pattison (spattison@honywoodschool.com), Honywood Community Science School, Westfield Drive Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1PZ (Telephone: 01376 564706).
Closing date for applications is Monday 20th November, interviews will be held on Monday 27th November
MFL Cohort 11, with your Mocks for French and Spanish approaching, why not book an MLC with an MFL teacher today and maximise your MFL revision? English Is there a particular topic that you are currently finding challenging in English? Do you need support with addressing your recent learning points? Perhaps you are finding some punctuation tricky or you can’t quite get your head around how to use PEE to respond to texts. If so, don’t hesitate to book an MLC today. The support we can provide you with will benefit your learning immensely.
Well done
to our Cohort 8 Duty Receptionists Joseph Morris Ashtyn Newley Jack Newnham Ben Pinner Hannah Read
We have a quantity of un-named items in Lost Property - including several winter coats. Items can only be stored for one month. Please ensure that all items worn to school are clearly named.
Family Learning Team
email FLT@honywoodschool.com If your youngster is absent please email attendance@honywoodschool.com