LIMEHURST TIMES DECEMBER 2013
IN THIS ISSUE Mobile Phone info School Dress Code
Free School Meals information
December 2013
Cold Weather Procedures
D
Term time Holidays Dates for your your diary
ear Parent/Carer
Welcome to our winter newsletter. We hope you like the new format! It feels like only five minutes since we arrived back at the start of term, and yet here we are almost at Christmas. It’s said that time flies when you’re having fun! In truth, it has been a really great term here at Limehurst. There always seems to be something significant happening at Limehurst, but I doubt there have been many terms quite like this! We have welcomed 120 extra students and 7 new staff. We have introduced – very successfully – a new school uniform. Most importantly, we have started working with Year 10 students, and it is they that I would like to pay tribute to first. Since they learnt, back in Year 8, that they would be our first GCSE cohort, we have asked them to take extra responsibility for their learning. With that responsibility comes added pressure, and I feel that they have responded superbly well to that pressure. I really enjoy going into Year 10 lessons and sampling the positive learning atmosphere which exists. Well done Year 10 – keep it up! However, students in the other year groups are no less deserving of credit. Our new Year 7s have settled in really well, helped ably by the older students. One aspect that we have really focussed on this year is improving attendance. It goes without saying that there is a direct link between good attendance and good progress, and we have been working hard to promote that with students. This involves rewarding those with very high attendance, and also those who have significantly improved their attendance. It has also meant us taking a tough stance on parents who are failing to ensure that their children attend regularly. We make no apology for this, and I would like to thank you for supporting the school in improving attendance. Please see later in the newsletter for a change in our policy on term-time holidays. Next term promises to be equally busy. You may be aware through the local press that we have submitted plans to add a new teaching block ready for the start of the next academic year. I hope to bring you much more detail on that in our next newsletter. I will finish by wishing all staff, pupils and their families a peaceful and relaxing holiday, and a reminder that term starts on Tuesday 7th January at 8.45am.
Yours sincerely Jonathan Mellor Headteacher Achievement in a Caring Environment
MISUSE OF MOBILE PHONES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING I am very pleased to report a substantial fall in the number of incidents that you have been referring to us which revolve around cyber-bullying, which allows us to spend more time focusing on your child’s education. We speak to all pupils regularly about the issues and problems associated with social networking sites and explain to them the dangers, the traps they can fall into and the problems that can arise. I would be grateful if you could continue to do the same to try to help make the message stick. I should point out to you that Facebook lists the following in its terms of use: You will not use Facebook if you are under 13. Finally, the school policy on mobile phones is quite clear. We very much appreciate that, for safety purposes, many of you wish your child to carry a mobile phone on their way to and from school. We would not wish to prevent this, but ask that pupils hand their phone in at Reception at the beginning of the school day and collect it at the end. This prevents the misuse of phones throughout the school day, and also protects you and your child against the loss, theft or damage of the phone. If there is an urgent need for your child to contact you during the school day, the correct means of doing this is via Reception. Mr J Mellor Headteacher
Friendship Group
GOODBYES
This term’s Friendship group has been, once again, a great success. A number of Year eight pupils took part, at first very shy and retiring, but ending the session being out-going and confident! All were able to express themselves with ease; if things in school get tough, everyone knows which group member they can turn to and rely on for help and advice. The party in the final session of the term was expertly organised by Mrs Bassford and Miss Barnsdale. All the pupils would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to them and to wish everyone a happy holiday!!
We are sorry to say goodbye to two members of staff who are leaving us: Mr Bennett is moving to work at a school in London, and Mrs Furber is leaving her post in the school reception. Thank you both for your hard work, and we wish you every success in the future.
Mrs C Craven SENCO
NEW STAFF AFTER CHRISTMAS We have two new members of staff starting at the school in January: Dr R Meacham
Teacher of Maths
Mrs V Narsing
Exams Officer
We wish them both all the very best!
Limehurst Buddies Last summer we introduced a Buddy System to enable a smoother transition for new pupils commencing at Limehurst Academy. We would like to thank the following students for their fantastic work in helping the students to integrate quickly into their new school environment: Jayan Patel (8FD) Hope Stewart (8FD) Romey Watson (8ST) Meera Patel (8ST) Leighton Auld (9CA) Shamim Ullah (9NE) Nadim Faruk (10HA) Laura Preston (10HA) Mrs R Chauhan 2
COLD WEATHER PROCEDURES
PARENT GOVERNORS NEEDED
During severe weather, the first place that you will hear any news about the school is on BBC Radio Leicester (104.9 FM). Their website (www.bbc. c o. u k / l e i c e s t e r ) also has a constantly updated list of school closures. Other radio stations will also be informed, but may not announce any news as quickly.
We have a very committed Governing Body who play a vital role in Limehurst’s success. We currently have fifteen governors, but we do have two parent governor vacancies and a community governor vacancy.
You can also check the school website where any news will be posted – www.limehurst.org.uk Should the school close we will send a text message to all parents. To ensure that you receive such messages we need to have up to date mobile telephone numbers. If you change your number, please could you ensure that you let us know so that we can amend our records?
If you would like further details on becoming a governor, please contact Debbie Shatford in the school office, who will pass your details on to Lisa Kilner, our Chair of Governors. We will then contact you for an informal chat in the first instance about the role.
NEW FORMAT We hope you enjoy the new format of the newsletter. In future, paper copies will only be made available on request. Parents will be able to receive the newsletter by e-mail, and it will continue to be made available to all via the school website, www.limehurst.org.uk
Mr J Mellor Headteacher
FREE SCHOOL MEALS QUALIFYING BENEFITS If you get any of the following support payments your child may be entitled to receive free school meals: Income Support Income-based Jobseekers Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit Universal Credit Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also allowed to receive free school meals. Children under the compulsory school age who are in full time education may also be entitled to receive free school meals. NO OTHER BENEFITS QUALIFY FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS HOW DO I APPLY? E-mail freeschoolmeals@leics.gov.uk Apply via telephone on 0116 3056588 or 0116 3057093 Fax 0116 3055785 OR CONTACT LIMEHURST ACADEMY on 01509 263444 3
SCHOOL DRESS CODE 2013/14 Students are required to wear our distinctive school uniform. This consists of the following: CARDIGAN, JUMPER One to be worn at all times or BLAZER SCHOOL TIE
Black and green striped school tie to be worn at all times
TROUSERS
Black full length trousers of a school style which should be totally plain,
without any type of adornment label etc. and cannot be excessively tight
(NOT PERMITTED – jeans or “jean-type” trousers, skin tight trousers / leggings ’combat’ style, cropped or dropped waist) SKIRT
Black skirts should be of a modest knee-length, which should be totally plain, without any type of adornment label etc.
(NOT PERMITTED – very short and/or tight stretchy skirts, jean-style skirts) SHIRT
Plain white school shirts
FOOTWEAR
Plain black school shoes
(NOT PERMITTED – Trainers or trainer-style shoes) JEWELLERY/
Students may only wear a watch and stud earrings, one stud in each ear
ACCESSORIES
No other jewellery may be worn including piercing jewellery (e.g. nose studs, facial piercing, tongue studs)
MAKE-UP
No make-up should be worn in school
HAIRSTYLES
No extreme hairstyles or colours
RELIGIOUS HEADWEAR
Plain black or white
PE KIT
Royal blue polo shirt with embroidered school logo
Royal blue/white reversible long-sleeved top with embroidered school logo
Black PE shorts or black tracksuit trousers
For Health & Safety reasons all jewellery to be removed
BEHAVIOUR TO/FROM SCHOOL Behaviour in school has been judged as Outstanding by OFSTED in their last three visits, and visitors to the school routinely comment on the calm, learning atmosphere. We are very proud of to report that we still our pupils on the way those responsible and
this, and also of our community relations, so I am disappointed to have – very occasionally - receive some complaints of anti-social behaviour by to and from school. So far, in each case, I have been able to identify they have been made to apologise to those reporting the incidents.
Please remind your child of their responsibilities while travelling to and from school, particularly if they are using public transport Mr J Mellor Headteacher 4
Girls Get SET
Girls in Engineering Thursday 21st November saw a group of Year 9 girls from Limehurst Academy, go to the GE site in Groby to learn about and experience a real live, world leading, engineering company. The girls were introduced to the vast array of engineering jobs that are available both here and abroad. The day was jointly organised by Loughborough University who run projects throughout the Year to promote access to higher education. It was also to help promote engineering as a viable career choice for girls. Firstly, students were introduced to the participants from other Leicestershire schools and were divided into mixed teams. The challenge for the girls was to design and make a solar powered racer with some fairly basic materials. The girls worked really hard and overcame lots of design problems. They had to test and try things out to see what was successful and what wasn’t, eventually coming up with a working solution.
There was also a tour around parts of the site to see how things worked and the array of products that are made, which included silicon wafers for pressure sensors. In the afternoon the girls raced their finished products using powerful spotlights as the energy source for their solar panelled cars. After a tricky start for some of the teams they were given just two minutes to improve on their initial timings. After some frantic redesigning for some teams they all raced again, the winning team managed to cover a distance of 4metres in 4.03sec! This was an excellent result. The final part of the afternoon was for the students to meet employees of GE. Their task was to find out all about them as individuals. e.g. Career choices, educational background and random interesting facts. It was a pleasure to see the girls engage with all the tasks and challenges making the day thoroughly enjoyable. They were all a credit to the school and their families. There will be a second session based at Loughborough University where all the girls have been invited to another day to look at the Centre for Renewable Energy. We are looking forward to it already! Mr. A. Marina-Chouhan & Mr. D. Parker
SCHOOL FUNDING – IS YOUR CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS? As I know you are very aware, funding for schools is much lower now than it has been in recent Years. Clearly, we still hope to be able to preserve and build upon as many as possible of the excellent things we offer. However, several of the grants that have supported these activities over the Years have ceased, meaning some difficult decisions have to be made. One potential source of income that you may have heard of is the Pupil Premium. This is where schools receive a fixed amount of funding according to how many of its pupils are eligible for Free School Meals. This income can make a huge difference to a school such as Limehurst, where around 25% of our pupils are currently registered as eligible. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you can read about eligibility criteria. It is easy to register. If you think you meet the eligibility criteria, I would urge you to register – even if you do not wish your child to claim a free school meal. By doing so, you could be making a big difference to school funding and helping to preserve some important services.
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New Venture at Limehurst School Direct Teacher Training We are delighted that from 2014 we are offering Teacher Training in conjunction with the University of Leicester and our partnership schools (Castle Donington College, Charnwood College, De Lisle College, Hind Leys College, Humphrey Perkins, Rawlins Academy, Shepshed High School and Woodbrook Vale). This venture will allow us to build on the successes identified in our Ofsted 2013 report where 93% of our lessons were judged as good or outstanding. We will then be able to use this experience to develop our teachers for the future. School Direct is an innovative, new school based route for teacher training School Direct is open to enthusiastic graduates or professionals, which places trainees directly into departments working alongside
outstanding practitioners We are delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Leicester to offer this course The majority of the programme is school-based at two of the North Charnwood Learning Partnership (NCLP) schools The course carries PGCE and Masters accreditation from the University of Leicester If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting venture, please visit our website www. limehurst.org.uk or email: schooldirect@limehurst. org.uk for more information.
TERM TIME HOLIDAYS The Government have amended the 2006 regulations regarding term-time holidays and extended leave. The new regulations came into effect on 1st September 2013 and state that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The amendment also states that failure to ensure your child’s regular attendance will result in both parents being fined £120 (reducing to £60 per parent if the fine is paid within 21 days). Failure to pay the fine within 28 days will result in legal action. Limehurst Academy is part of the Loughborough Schools Partnership and collectively the group have agreed the following: ‘Regular attendance’ is judged above 90%. ‘Exceptional circumstances’ will be judged at the discretion of the Headteacher. However, this is unlikely to include family holidays. It is therefore now likely that if your child’s absence is below 90% you may be fined for unauthorised absence if you choose to take your child out of school for a family holiday. If you would like more information about the new regulations please visit: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/a00223868/regulations-amendments Mr J Mellor Headteacher
CHELSEA’S CHOICE Limehurst was pleased to host the preview presentation of a play designed to educate children about the dangers of sexual exploitation. “Chelsea’s Choice” is based on the true story of a girl who was groomed and forced into prostitution. The 35-minute drama, by Alter Ego Theatre Company, was previewed at the school in November, receiving widespread media coverage. Next year it will be staged at schools across the county, including here at Limehurst where it will be shown to Year 8 and Year 9 students.
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Manor Adventure November 25th – 29th In late November Mr Grainger together with Mrs Beeby and Miss Taylor accompanied a party of 34 Year 8 students to Manor Adventure in Shropshire for a week long residential experience centred upon a variety of outdoor activities which included abseiling, hill-walking, wallclimbing, archery, shooting and BMX biking. The party was housed in the premier accommodation and treated to three excellent meals
centre’s were a day.
This was the fourth such trip to the venue and like the previous three a fantastic time was had by all despite arriving back in Loughborough rather weary and ready for a good night’s sleep! Mr Grainger
asdan news The ASDAN group successfully ran a coffee afternoon on Friday 29th November. Students, staff, parents & Aunties were invited for a relaxing afternoon. The group served coffee, tea, juice & biscuits to around twenty people. WELL DONE! Around £8 was collected for the Philippines disaster appeal. The ASDAN fayre run by our year 10s was a wonderfully festive and enjoyable occasion! Well done everyone for the organisation and professional way the stalls were manned - toys, tombola, Christmas decs, raffle, guess the weight of the cake, Gold santa sacks.......... Eveyone loved the special ‘baskets’, arranged by Mrs Sharp; the tea, coffee and cake stall as always, was popular (a special thanks to all staff here, being run off their feet!). The ‘hospitality’folk were amazing, organising everything in advance:thanks to Steph & Rob. Have a Very Merry Christmas!’ C.Craven & T.Sharp
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LIMEHURST ‘FUN’D EID AND DIWALI FAIR
On Wednesday November 6th Limehurst hosted a Diwali and Eid Fair. Tempting snacks , refreshments and a delicious array of food was on sale as well as a Mendhi stall, Cake Stall, Bangle Stall, Lucky Dip and Penalty Shoot- Out Competition. The afternoon began with the recital of an Arabic prayer by a Year 9 pupil followed by lively dance performances from some of our Year 7 and 8 girls. The food was kindly donated by parents to whom we are very grateful; all proceeds will go to Rainbows. We had a fantastic turnout and it was an opportunity for the community to celebrate together. The amount raised from this community event was an incredible £135.83. We hope to see you next Year!
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RAISING ACTIVITIES CHILDREN IN NEED
On Friday the 15th November students at Limehurst raised a fantastic £530 for Children in Need. The event was organised by members of the School Council who came up with the theme of ‘pyjamas’ for a non school uniform day. Students (and staff!) came to school dressed in their pyjamas, onsies and dressing gowns. However, instead of taking the opportunity to have a relaxed duvet day, students went the extra mile by taking on staff at a variety of sports in a “Beat the Teacher” competition. As well as raising a huge amount for a worthy cause, students had a great time taking part. Well done! Miss Barnsdale, Mr Nelson and the Student Council
PHILIPPINES APPEAL The staff enjoyed two weeks of baking and eating cakes to raise money for the Philippines appeal. They raised over £80 for this worthwhile cause. Now the diets begin! Mrs G Parker When Jolo Comia (10 MO) heard about destruction left by the typhoon which hit the Philippines last month he decided to take action to raise money for the Typhoon Appeal. On November 29th were asked to pupils donate £1 for the privilege of not wearing school uniform. We raised the fantastic amount of £576!! Thank you to everyone who contributed!! Jolo Comia with Seirlyn Sollele and Ronn Javellana 9
SCHOOL FUNDING – IS YOUR CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS? As I know you are very aware, funding for schools is much lower now than it has been in recent Years. Clearly, we still hope to be able to preserve and build upon as many as possible of the excellent things we offer. However, several of the grants that have supported these activities over the Years have ceased, meaning some difficult decisions have to be made. One potential source of income that you may have heard of is the Pupil Premium. This is where schools receive a fixed amount of funding according to how many of its pupils are eligible for Free School Meals. This income can make a huge difference to a school such as Limehurst, where around 25% of our pupils are currently registered as eligible. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you can read about eligibility criteria. It is easy to register. If you think you meet the eligibility criteria, I would urge you to register – even if you do not wish your child to claim a free school meal. By doing so, you could be making a big difference to school funding and helping to preserve some important services. Mr J Mellor Headteacher
Maths equipment for sale
TEXTILES CLUB
The Maths department are selling various items of equipment, which your child will require for their Maths lessons. The following items are available:
This term has seen a record number of members joining...so much so that we have had to run two groups coming on alternate weeks. As usual, pupils have chosen a variety of projects to tackle, ranging from Tie-dye(a particular favourite) to patchworks and screen printing. It is always nice to see a cross section of all year groups coming along, and some Year 10 GCSE students have taken the opportunity to use the club to develop and plan ideas for their coursework. A really good start to the year!
Scientific calculator £4 (all students must have one) Maths set £1 (includes compasses, protractor, ruler & pencil) If you would like your child to purchase any equipment from the Maths department, please ask them to see their Maths teacher with the correct amount of money. Many thanks for your support. Have a great Christmas!
Mrs. E. Berrisford. Textiles.
Mr A Lakhani Head of Maths
So far this academic year we have raised fantastic £76.00 to spend on books for our school! A big thank you to all who have ordered books! Scholastic Book Clubs are an easy way for you and your child to choose and buy suitable books to read at home, or to keep in school bags to read within school. The leaflets feature a wide range of books to suit all tastes and abilities. We receive free books for our Classrooms and the library with every order placed! 20p in every £1 you spend comes back as funds to spend on books for our school. Once again a massive thank you to all who have ordered books this term! The new leaflets will be sent out in January, there will be some fantastic books at fantastic prices and as always orders can be made online! Thank you and Merry Christmas! Miss Barnsdale & Mrs Bassford 10
pupil support This term, in conjunction with ‘Worth It Projects’ we have been able to offer both pupils and parents a coaching programme to promote mental wellbeing, engagement and achievement. We have been able to facilitate 2 separate sessions for parents and 2 for young people, one for Key Stage 3 and one for Key Stage 4. All sessions have consisted of a 6 week programme developing coaching skills, knowledge of positive strategies such as goal settling, responsibility, decision making, confidence to have difficult conversations and awareness of feelings and emotions. Feedback from all sessions has been very positive, if any parents are interested in attending a programme please contact pupil support. The ‘Space4me’ project started in October and will continue to run until the end of January, this has been offered to a group of pupils across Key Stage 3 and 4. The project aims to cover topics dealing with acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, confidence and self esteem, coping strategies and safety planning for difficult situations. All sessions focus on how you feel what you hear and see. Activities are based on music, art, creating characters and debates. The pupils attending have really enjoyed the sessions and found them very informative. INTERVENTION Limehurst is proud to be able to support pupils and families in a number of ways. We also have a Relate counsellor, a dedicated school nurse and links to many other agencies and organisations including the Swanswell project, the Jubilee Project, Schofield Centre, YISP, Youth Workers, 20-20 and Student Support services. The team have run a number of small group and one to one sessions, covering a range of needs from risk taking behaviour, anger management to confidence and self esteem building. MOIRA CENTRE Year 7 and Year 8 pupils have taken part in confidence raising, life skills and personal social development workshops at the Moira Centre this term. They have worked on, art and design and team building tasks in small group sessions. The groups have met weekly and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn in a different way. BRIDGE PROJECT Chantelle from ‘The Bridge’ project has continued working with some of our pupils. Chantelle is a mediator who works with families and young people in the Charnwood area to solve issues around; understanding each other, agreeing and understanding rules, agreeing on what can be achieved, managing behaviour, living together so everyone’s happy and conflict resolution. Chantelle comes into school once a month to offer a ‘drop in’ service. This service is open to parents/carers as well as pupils and so if you would like a chat, in confidence, with Chantelle please feel free to call in to one of the sessions. These are 1.15 – 2pm on the last Monday of each month. Please contact Pupil Support for more information. Mrs K Brierley, Mrs K Angell, Miss T Durrands
Music November saw our Year10 Steel Band perform at a Christmas Lunch event at Beaumanor Hall. We raised £60 for Rainbows in the process. On December 16th, we held our annual senior citizens’ Christmas party.Elderly members of our local community were entertained by our Steel Bands, Hand Bell group, School Orchestra and even Singing Group. The afternoon was rounded off in the usual way in the form of a Christmas karaoke. Mr S Simpson
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PE Newsletter All students involved in sport this term have been a credit to our school. Our teams are showing that they can compete with local teams and in many cases win. Most importantly our students take part demonstrating the Olympic value of respect. We would like to thank all parents and carers in their continued support of Limehurst sport – it is hugely appreciated! Here is an overview of what has been going on: Girls Rugby and Football The Girls have had fantastic success at Rugby this Year. There have been two area festivals so far - one being tag rugby and one being full contact rugby. The girls are unbeaten so far and they are really looking forward to their next full contact rugby festival in January. The football girls have also had great success. They have participated in both futsal (indoor football with a heavier ball) tournaments and football tournaments. The Year 7›s won an area tournament at Charnwoood College in November and player of the tournament was Karmun Sharma. The Year 8’s and 9’s have also had success in matches against Charnwood College. Star performer for these teams has been Rene Kew Moss. There are many more football fixtures coming up in the New Year. Mrs Mottram Netball The Year 7, 8 & 9 girls have played against numerous schools in the Charnwood area over the term. The Year 7 girls have shown great enthusiasm and have gelled well as a team. They have shown commitment to training and have progressed massively from their first game. The girls gained their first win towards the end of the season against Shepshed High School which I’m sure will continue next term. Well done girls. The Year 8 girls have had some very close games this term and 100% effort has been given by all that have contributed. Their best performance came against Castle Donington. The Year 9 team made a great start to the season and progressed even further throughout the term. The girls won all of their games bar 2, both of which they played exceptionally well, just narrowly missing out to Loughborough High and Woodbrook Vale. The Year 10 girls have had only had 2 fixtures so far in which they played well. Hopefully this will continue in the Yew Year. Thanks to all the girls that have given up their time & effort this term – we look forward to more Netball in 2014. Miss Taylor Boys Football So far this Year our boys’ teams in Year 7, 8 and 9 have been involved in the Charnwood leagues. We have faced local rivals De Lisle, Woodbrook Vale, Castle Donington and Shepshed High. Our Year 7 team have progressed well showing better performances as the games moved on but unfortunately lost all of their games. Star performer in Year 7 has been Jack Elliott. Our Year 8 team has shown massive improvements from last Year. The highlight this Year was a win at Shepshed – a team who beat us convincingly last Year! Star performers have been Ethan Hulley and Jacob Weston. The progress the team has made has been outstanding – where teams beat us heavily last Year we have narrowed the deficit to one or two goals this time around. Year 9 looks promising for these lads! The Year 9 team has been our most successful team winning all games apart from a 3-2 defeat to 12
De Lisle (a team who beat us 8-2 last Year). The Year 9 team is proof of the progress students make in sport whilst at Limehurst – as Year 7’s they lost all of their fixtures. The best result this Year came against Shepshed with a 4-2 win. Star performers have been Mo Aljaf (with 6 goals) and Captain Erald Koci. The Year 8 and 9 teams represented our school in the Leicestershire County cup. Our Year 8 boys lost 4-0 to a very strong Castle Rock side. Year 9 lost 4-2 to the current county champions Lancaster School. This was an amazing performance were our lads held their own with the best team in the county. Year 10 boys have had a cup fixture were they lost to Groby Community College. The lads have their league fixtures after Christmas were we will face local rival Woodbrook Vale, De Lisle and The Martin. Well done to all lads who have played football for the school so far this Year – you have represented our school fantastically with a mixture of talented performances and high level of sportsmanship. Mr Croucher. Badminton Update. This Year we have been playing in the Leicestershire Schools Badminton League and so far we have played matches against The Martin High, Loughborough Grammar School and Longslade College. We have had some very close matches at both U14 and U16 demonstrating our high levels of skill and passion for badminton. Against Longslade College and Loughborough Grammar School at U14 we drew in games but unfortunately lost by 5 and 7 points respectively on count back. We have had a mixture of results including 2 wins but all games have been played to a very high standard and we have demonstrated high levels of respect for our opponents therefore representing Limehurst to a very high standard. In the KS3 and KS4 tournaments which are held every Year at Shepshed High School, we finished 4th in the U16 boys and girls competitions and 3rd in both the U14 boys and girls competitions. These results are fantastic considering the strength of badminton in the area. Star been
performers Abu Taher
so Tufael
far (KS3
this boys),
Year Fatima
have Choudhury
(KS3
girls),
Mijaan-Ul Abedin (KS4 boys) and Erienne Thomas (KS4 girls). We will have lots more fixtures after Christmas. Thank you for your efforts so far and well done. Mr Robinson. Basketball Update As we write the updates for t his newsletter we are mid basketball season! Our teams have been fantastic so far this Year. Our Year 7/8 teams have shown fantastic promise. The boys beat a strong Shepshed team 10-6 with the star performer being Amir Miah. The girls also beat Shepshed in a convincing 10-8 performance. The star performers for the girls were Hanah Saleh and Aklima Khatun. Before Christmas we have fixtures versus Charnwood and Humphrey Perkins to complete. Our Year 9 teams have also been showing promise. The girls have won both of their fixtures versus Shepshed and also Castle Donington. Star Performers for the girls have been Fatima Choudhury and Samiha Choudhury (who have also represented the Year 10 team) – though we could probably name all of the girls! The Year 9 boys came close to beating De Lisle losing 10-8 and they beat De Lisle convincingly 12-6. Star performer has been Mo Aljaf. The Year 10 teams have played De Lisle and Woodbrook Vale. The boys beat De Lisle convincingly and lost by two points to a well drilled Woodbrook team. Star performers have been Dom Wardle, Jolo Comia and Ronn Javallena. The girls have won both of their matches – star performers being Karysha Vardy and Erienne Thomas. More fixtures coming soon! Well done to all involved in basketball so far this Year. Mr Croucher 13
Table Tennis In October our Year 7/8 and our Year 9/10 table tennis teams represented Limehurst at the North Charnwood championships. Both teams won and were then put forward to represent the area at the Leicestershire Table Tennis County Championships. These took place on Saturday 23rd November at Leicester Grammar School. In October our Year 7/8 and our Year 9/10 table tennis teams represented Limehurst at the North Charnwood championships. Both teams won and were then put forward to represent the area at the Leicestershire Table Tennis County Championships. These took place on Saturday 23rd November at Leicester Grammar School. Our boys were not only a credit to our school but were a credit to the North Charnwood area. The Year 7/8 team finished 5th in the whole of Leicestershire – a fantastic feat. The team was: Hamed Aljaf, Atif Rahman, Connor Wakley, and Majed Rahman. The Year 9/10 team played against Year 10 and 11 students finishing 4th in Leicestershire! The boys actually got to the semi-finals and drew but were knocked out on point’s count back which denied them a welldeserved place in the final. Then in the 3rd place play off the boys drew again and lost, again, on point’s count back. Although disappointed to lose in such a cruel way the lads were true sportsman – as a result they were awarded the fair play trophy. The team was: Mahi Ahmed, Hassan Uddin, Rejaur Rahman and Sakib Shah. Well done lads.!! MrCroucher PE Trips This Year we have been to Leicester Tigers and Manchester United! Back in September we took 30 boys and girls from Year 8 and Year 9 to watch the Leicester Tigers play Newcastle Falcons at Welford Road. The students got to parade around the pitch at half time and met Leicester Tigers (and former England) lock Lewis Deacon.
On December 10th we took 30 Year 9 students to watch Manchester United play Shaktaer Donetsk in the UEFA champion’s league. As always our students behaved fantastically well and were a true credit to our school. Thank you to everyone involved.
Mr J Croucher 14
North Charnwood Learning Partnership School Direct
Are you interested in becoming an excellent Secondary School Teacher? School Direct is an innovative training route open to enthusiastic graduates or professionals The North Charnwood Learning Partnership School Direct includes:
Our programme carries PGCE and Masters accreditation from the University of Leicester
Limehurst Academy (Lead school) Castle Donington College Charnwood College De Lisle College Hind Leys College Humphrey Perkins Rawlins Academy Shepshed High School Woodbrook Vale
For more information please contact:
For Initial Teacher Training in 2014/15 our partnership will be offering: English Mathematics Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) History Geography MFL Social Science
Limehurst Academy Bridge Street Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 1NH W: www.limehurst.org.uk/schooldirect E: schooldirect@limehurst.org.uk Tel: 01509 263444
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Cinema trip a.m. Friday 20
th
December School closes at 1:15p.m.
Tuesday 7z January 8:45 a.m. Monday 20th January Monday 17th - Friday 21st February Thursday 13th March Monday March 3rd Friday 11th April
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All pupils to return to school Year 9 Parents’ Evening Half Term Break Year 7 Parents’ Evening Year 8 and 10 full reports and Yr 7 and 9 interim reports issued School closes for Easter
Limehurst Academy
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Bridge Street
Loughborough
Tel: 01509 263444
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e mail: admin@limehurst.org.uk Headteacher: Mr J Mellor
• •
Leicestershire •
LE11 1NH
website: www.limehurst.org.uk