DECEMBER MARCH 2013 2012
LIMEHURST NEWS Dear Parents Welcome to our spring newsletter! Despite being quite a short term, it has again been a very busy term for us at school, as you will be able to read in the rest of this newsletter. I would like to begin by thanking you for your response to our uniform consultation earlier in the term. We have taken your opinions, along with those of the pupils and staff, and designed what we think will be a very smart uniform for our ‘new beginning’ as an 11-16 school after the summer holidays. Throughout the process, we have been very conscious of the cost of new uniform, and we will be writing to you again next term with more details about this. Meanwhile, you can read about the new uniform elsewhere in this newsletter. I think that the uniform issue demonstrates that your views are very important to us, and do influence decisions. To that end, we’ll be sending home a wide-ranging parent survey shortly after the Easter holidays. This is your opportunity to let us know what we are doing well, and what is important to you. Please do take the time to complete this survey when it arrives home. We remain very busy in our preparations for our first Year 10s starting with us in September. Thank you to those of you who are parents of Year 9s who supported your child and us with the Options process. Many of you attended the Options evening in January, and we would be very interested to hear your thoughts on how the process operated. We have begun the process of recruiting the extra staff that we are going to need, and we will hear during the Easter holidays whether our bid to the government for some capital money to do some work to the building has been successful. I will keep you updated with both of these. Finally, a reminder that school will close at 3.00pm on Friday 22nd March, and re-open for pupils at 8.45am on Monday 8th April. Have a wonderful and relaxing holiday. Yours sincerely
Jonathan Mellor Headteacher
MARCH 2013
MATHS NEWS
doing the Junior Maths Challenge set by the University of Leeds on Thursday 25th April and we are sure many will be successful in achieving a Bronze, Silver or Gold awards for their problem solving skills in this challenge. Mr A Lakhani Head of Maths
On Monday 25th February, Mr Bennett and Mrs Tyler accompanied 6 Y9 students to the “Maths in Networks” event at Our Lady’s Convent school. The students spent the morning looking at the Maths behind networks e.g. food chains and had great fun examining the links and networks in the film Toy Story. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to be introduced to different areas of maths and to work with staff from the University of Cambridge. Well done to everyone. On Tuesday 26th February, 10 Y9 students attended a gifted and talented workshop at Snibston Discovery Park on “Maths in Fashion”. Students enjoyed their work in three maths workshops linked to the Fashion industry, they also had the opportunity to look around the exhibits during the day. Mr Lakhani and Miss Barnsdale, who accompanied the students, were very impressed with the confidence in which they tackled the Maths scenarios.. Well done to all concerned. On Thursday 7th March, Mr Lakhani and Miss Barnsdale accompanied another group of 10 students to the “Maths in the Environment” event at Snibston Discovery Park. Students completed three workshops which looked at various environmental issues and they applied their maths skills during these workshops. Students then presented back their work and ideas. Well done to our students who presented so confidently and worked so hard throughout the day. Future opportunities to develop Maths outside the classroom will be coming soon. In May, we will be visiting Snibston Discovery Park again with Y9 pupils for a “Maths in Sport” day which many pupils are looking forward to. Gifted and Talented Y7 and Y8 pupils will be
PLANNED VISIT TO GERMANY Staff and pupils will be travelling to Germany in April. They will be flying to Berlin on 3rd April, returning on 12th April The visit is part of a project run by the British Council. Whilst they are in Germany they will be visiting Berlin, Leipzig and Gröbzig, spending part of the time in Gröbzig with staff and students from our Partner School. A range of linguistic, cultural and fun activities are being arranged. They include staying in a Youth Hostel in Leipzig, travelling to Berlin for day trips and then moving to a hotel in Köthen, which is near to Gröbzig. This is a fantastic opportunity which both pupils and staff are very excited about and are looking forward to. Mrs S Haigh Head of MFL
PARENT GOVERNOR VACANCIES We have a very committed Governing Body who play a vital role in Limehurst’s success. We currently have sixteen governors, but we do have two parent governor vacancies. If you would like further details on this, please contact Sue Heppenstall in the school office, who will pass your details on to Lisa Kilner, our Chair of Governors, who will contact you in due course. Mr J Mellor Headteacher
MARCH 2013
SCIENCE CLUB NEWS Science clubbers have been really busy this term, investigating a variety of chemical reactions, including how to make slime and creating methane powered rockets (the screams of terror as they exploded were nearly louder than the rockets themselves!) They have also put their gardening skills to use by planting a substantial hedge to encourage biodiversity at the boundary fence of the Year 7 playground in a record time of 45 minutes! A big well done to you all! Ms Mallick Science
We are so pleased that so far this academic year we have raised fantastic £143.00 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! Miss M Barnsdale
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
FRIENDSHIP GROUP This term saw another successful Friendship Group run by Mrs Howlett-Bassford. The pupils have enjoyed their time in the group and have certainly learned some useful strategies in dealing with other people's personalities! They have been able to make friends within the group which has certainly boosted confidence! Many thanks to Mrs Angell for all her help too. Mrs C Craven SENCO
MARCH 2013 DESIGN NEWS – SPRING 13. 3D DESIGN Preparations for starting GCSE work at the end of this academic year are going well. The department has put in a bid for some exciting new equipment which we believe will help increase grades at GCSE and inspire our students with new technology. I will keep you informed!
ready for their coursework starting in September. The club will continue after the Easter holidays. New members are always welcome! Ms J Armstrong Head of Art/Design Technology
FRENCH PLAY
Mr A Marina-Chouhan
BAKE OFF CLUB The club has been a real success with girls and boys from year 7 and 8 attending. We have creamed, beaten, sieved and baked our way through a variety of traditional recipes from butterfly cakes to upside-down; cakes what will the “show stopper” be? It has been a treat to spend time with the pupils making, discussing and tasting food; all of them have shown a passion for baking. We have also had staff members joining us to practice unknown recipes and visiting on the hope of a taste!
On Tuesday 19th February 2013, 30 year 9 students were given the opportunity to watch a play which was conducted solely in French by 2 French actors at Loughborough High School for Girls. The play was called Les Filles and was on the topic of relationships, and featured GCSE vocabulary Lots of humour was used throughout the play. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the comedy which was very well acted and were thankful that no-one was chosen from Limehurst to get up on stage!!
Steven Gibbs 8Mk
TEXTILES CLUB The Textiles group continues to meet on Tuesdays after school and it is nice to see a group of new members joining this term to practice new skills on machines and fabric techniques such as tie-dye, and batik. Some pupils have used the club as an opportunity to work on classroom projects. A group of Yr 9 students, intending to take Textiles GCSE, are starting to develop ideas
Staff were very proud of how much French the students understood and at how maturely they conducted themselves during the afternoon. They had obviously prepared well by reading the vocabulary book they had been given before the play. A big thank you to Duncan Gough from Loughborough High School who kindly organised the play. A great afternoon was had by both students and staff. Miss L Cadenhead MFL
MARCH 2013 HAVE A GO DAY AT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
some of the jokes could have been cut shorter with nothing missed. The production’s scenery was relatively simple: there were some doors which could be wheeled into place for the entering and exiting of rooms, an armchair and the representation of trees as well as numerous hand-held props. The costumes, too, were not elaborate or excessive although they got the point across well.
On 19th February all Year Nine pupils visited Loughborough College to take part in the 'Have a Go' Event. Pupils were involved in a range of workshops linked to learning at post 16. These included Hairdressing, Motor Vehicle Maintenance, Music Technology, Catering, Childcare, Accountancy, Engineering, Public Services and Retail. The pupils made the most of the opportunity and many of them are interested in taking courses in these areas later on in their Education. Mrs V Beeby Head of Year 9
I really enjoyed A Midsummer Night’s Dream: it was a fun play which was enjoyable to watch and would, I think, make an excellent introduction to Shakespeare’s works. Jay Kerslake 8Mk
CRAFT CLUB
Year Seven girls have been active this term making items for the Craft Club. They have made Valentine’s keyrings and Mother’s Day bracelets. Mrs G Parker
REVIEW OF A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM AT LOUGHBOROUGH TOWN HALL On Tuesday 26th February I - along with a group of my peers – went to see a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Town Hall.
ROMEO AND JULIET
As everyone knows, the play is one of Shakespeare’s comedies in which Titania, Queen of The Fairies, is tricked into falling for a man with a donkey’s head while another fairy makes mistakes with a flower potion which will make a person fall in love.
Just before half term, Mr Grainger, Mrs Beeby and Mrs Gale accompanied a party of Year nine pupils to Rawlins College to see the school’s production of Romeo and Juliet which featured a large number of students acting, singing and dancing. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience which demonstrated to the pupils how Shakespeare’s work can be interpreted in many different ways.
I really enjoyed the play: it was, as is the nature of successful comedies, funny. However, I did feel that
Mr N Grainger English
MARCH 2013 FORENSICS TRIP TO DMU
BEHAVIOUR TO/FROM SCHOOL
On the 20th February 4 lucky year 8 pupils had the opportunity to take part in a Forensic Science Day at De Monfort University in Leicester. The day provided an opportunity for the pupils’ to work with staff from the universities Forensics department and employees from 3M in various aspects of Forensic Science and ultimately solve a crime.
Behaviour in school has been judged as Outstanding by OFSTED in their last two visits, and visitors to the school routinely comment on the calm, learning atmosphere.
During the session pupils spent one hour in the Crime Scene House where they gowned up in the robing area (overshoes, gloves, and overalls) and rotated between four activities, each lasting 15 minutes. They viewed and photographed the crime scene as well as removing evidence safely then analysed it using state of the art equipment in the universities laboratories. Pupils now have to take all of this information and put the pieces together and solve the crime. They then have to produce a display that will be judged by the staff from 3M. We will keep everyone informed about whodunit in the next newsletter. Mr M Chamberlain Head of Science
SCHOOL UNIFORM
We are very proud of this, and also of our community relations, so I am disappointed to have to report that we still – very occasionally - receive some complaints of anti-social behaviour by our pupils on the way to and from school. So far, in each case, I have been able to identify those responsible and 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.
COUNSELLING SERVICE Limehurst offers a free and completely confidential counselling service for any of its pupils who feel they would benefit from such a service. The counsellors used are fully trained, and not school staff, so confidentiality is assured. If you would like any further information, please contact the school and speak with Ann Parker.
SUMMER TERM DATES
The outcome of the extensive consultation process for the new uniform for September 2013 is Black v-necked jumper/cardigan, School Tie and White shirt. In addition there is the option to wear a blazer if parents/students wish to do so.
School Opens
Monday 8th April 2013
May Day Bank Holiday
Monday 6th May 2013
We will write again in the Summer term to confirm where to purchase the new uniform.
Mid-Term Break
Monday 27th May to Friday 31st May 2013
School Closes
Friday 12th July 2013
All current uniform that we have in stock is now half price. A range of sizes are available. Anything that we need to order in from our stockists will still be at the full price. Mrs C Corker Assistant Headteacher
Mr J Mellor Headteacher
MARCH 2013 FREE SCHOOL MEALS QUALIFYING BENEFITS The current criteria for claiming free school meals are as follows: • Income Support (IS) • Employment and Support Allowance (Income Based) • Child Tax Credit, provided the annual taxable income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue is not in excess of £16,190. Families who also receive an award of Working Tax Credit do not qualify to claim for free school meals • The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit • Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 • Children who receive Income Support (IS) or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals NO OTHER BENEFITS QUALIFY FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS HOW DO I APPLY? E-mail us on freeschoolmeals@leics.gov.uk • Apply via telephone on 0116 3056588 or 0116 3057093 • Fax us on 0116 3055785 OR CONTACT LIMEHURST ACADEMY on : 01509 263444 •
VISUAL CV DAY In January Mr Grainger and Miss Barnsdale accompanied a party of 30 Year 9 to DeMontfort University in Leicester to take part in a Visual CV Day. Through a series of interactive activities the pupils were
encouraged to examine their personal skills and natural abilities, and to consider their future ambitions as a way of assisting them in making informed decisions, particularly in their upcoming GCSE options. Mr N Grainger English
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
MARCH 2013 LIBRARIAN VISIT Thursday saw a visit from senior county librarian-Nicole Jordan from Leicestershire Library Services for Education who gave some amazing presentations to Year 7 about great books to read. This was quickly followed by ‘The Great Book Swap’ which was an incredible success. Pupils brought a range of books into school to exchange for a new read!
LIMEHURST LOVES LITERATURE – BOOK WEEK 2013
We celebrated our love of reading for a whole week from 18th – 22nd February with lots of activities and events. The week was thoroughly enjoyed by both pupils and staff. Some highlights included: Daily Quiz questions – Well done to the winning forms – 7Kd, 7St, 8Ga and 9Ch. ERIC (Everybody Read in Class) in which lessons stopped for 15 minutes to enjoy reading. Activities in a range of subject areas • Learning the genres of horror, children’s classics and fantasy • Reviewing a range of children’s science books • Exploring books on sport and sporting heroes • Creating their own picture books in French • Reading a range of books in foreign languages BALI RAI VISIT On Wednesday, we were lucky enough to welcome Leicester Author Bali Rai to the school for a day of book talks and workshops exploring the importance of reading, and the writing process. Bali discussed his life as an author and explained the origins of his ideas for his books. Some Year 9s took part in workshops looking at how to put a plotline together. At lunchtime, pupils had an opportunity for an informal chat with Bali and an opportunity to buy signed copies of his books.
Very busy Book Swap!!!!
BOOK CHARACTER DAY Alice, Frodo, Mary Poppins and Tigger (to name just a few) were some of the characters who ‘joined’ us for the day. Some great imaginative costumes – Well done! Our Literacy Objectives this term have been: Year 7 – using commas correctly Year 8 – using a range of connectives Year 9 – using semi-colons and colons REMINDER: Pupils are expected to carry a reading book in their school bag at all times and are encouraged to make full use of the school library. Please help us by encouraging your child to read regularly at home and bring a book to school each day. News about ‘Recommended Reads’, Graphic Novel Club and some writing activities will follow next term. Mrs N.Gale Head of English
MARCH 2013 TERM DATES 2013-14 Autumn Term School Opens Mid-Term Break School Closes
Thursday 29th August 2013 Monday 21st to Friday 25th October 2013 Friday 20th December 2013
Spring Term School Opens Mid-Term Break School Closes
Tuesday 7th January 2014 Monday 17th to Friday 21st February 2014 Friday 11th April 2014
STAFFING NEWS Firstly, I would like to wish a Happy Retirement to Dave Onslow, Assistant Premises Officer. Dave has been replaced by Joe Parkin. Also, welcome back from maternity leave to Karen Brierley, Pupil Support Manager. Finally, congratulations to Vickie Beeby, who has been appointed as Assistant Headteacher from September 2013. Mr J Mellor Headteacher
Summer Term School Opens May Day Bank Holiday Mid-Term Break School Closes
Monday 28th April 2014 Monday 5th May 2014 Monday 26th May to Friday 30th May 2014 Friday 11th July 2014
POLICY ON DETENTIONS I am sure most of you are aware that the Department for Education has removed the need for schools to give parents 24-hours notice of after-school detentions. As has always been the case, we reserve the right to keep pupils for up to 10 minutes at the end of school to discuss minor breaches of the school behaviour policy. Please rest assured that, where a longer detention of up to one hour may be appropriate, we would always contact you first to let you know.
DON’T FORGET PARENTS EVENING! A reminder to our Year 7 parents that there is a parents evening in the second week of the Summer Term on Monday 15th April, between 4.00 and 6.30pm.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Friday 22nd March
School closes for Easter
Monday 8th April
School opens for the Summer Term
Monday 15th April
Year 7 Parents’ Evening
Monday May 6th
Mayday Bank Holiday
Monday 27th - Fri 31st May
Half Term Break
Tuesday 5th May – Friday 17th May
Internal Exams
Monday 24th June
Year 9 Reports
Monday 1st July
New Parents’ Evening
Monday 1st July
Year 8 Reports
Thursday 4th and Friday 5th July
Induction Days
Monday 8th July
Year 7 Reports
Friday 12th July
School closes for Summer Break
MARCH 2013 OPPORTUNITIES AND TAKING PART COMMUNITY GROUPS This has been another fantastic term for a range of activities that enriches the School’s interaction with parents and the local community. There is a range of activities for pupils and their families which have now been running successfully for several years. Our commitment to the Limehurst community has continued this year with a number of very successful classes offering ESOL, ICT, yoga, aerobics and swimming. We have added a drop in session for parents on Tuesday at 10 am with the chance to have a cup of tea or coffee and to take part in discussion concerning different topics relevant to the School, its young people and parents.
MOIRA CENTRE Year 8 and Year 9 pupils have taken part in confidence raising, life skills and personal social development workshops at the Moira Centre this term. They have worked on media, 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. These sessions have been so successful this term that we have extended the course for a further three weeks.
INTERVENTION Limehurst is proud to be able to support pupils and families in a number of ways. Our Student Behaviour and Intervention team continues to do a fantastic job. 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, 20-20, Fire Skills Project and Student Support services. The team have run a number of small group and one to one sessions, covering a range of needs from anger management to confidence and self esteem building. We have also been able to offer specialist play therapy sessions and a Friendship group as part of our commitment to pupils’ emotional well being. The Friendship group has been
an outstanding success for our pupils, with the chance to look at strategies for making, maintaining and extending friendship opportunities.
FOOTBALL PROJECT We have had the opportunity to extend our football project this term with Year 8 pupils taking part in a 6 week project run by Graham Chambers. The course looks at how football can motivate and promote a positive attitude to learning. Pupils have attended 6 sessions combining classroom activities as well as the chance to improve their football skills. This will include a presentation session and tour of the King Power Stadium.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH BRONZE AWARD SCHEME Limehurst pupils are well underway with their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award commitment. They have completed 2 first aid sessions with the St John’s Ambulance organisation and have worked for 6 months on their physical section of the award, for 3 months on their skills section and have nearly completed their volunteering component. They have already shown great commitment and enthusiasm in their efforts. They are currently planning the outdoor physical challenge part of the award. All members of our Duke of Edinburgh team from last year have been awarded their Bronze Award and a presentation evening was held for family and friends to show their pride and see the group gain their certificates.
BRIDGE PROJECT Since October we have been very fortunate to have Katy from 'The Bridge' project working with some of our pupils. Katy 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. Katy comes into school once a month to offer a 'drop in' service. This service is open to parents/carers
MARCH 2013
as well as pupils and so if you would like a chat, in confidence, with Katy please feel free to call into one of the sessions. If you are a pupil and would like to see Katy between 12.30 and 1.30 please see Mrs Sharp or Mrs Angell for an appointment slip, otherwise call into the small reception room between 1.15 and 1.30. Dates for the next sessions are: 24th April 22nd May 26th June
University Visits As part of our commitment to promoting the benefits of higher education we have organised for groups of pupils to visit Loughborough and De Montfort Universities. These visits give pupils insight into student life and the value of continuing their learning. They meet with students, visit halls of residence and spend time in departments. Pupils have taken part in a Beyond Sport day at Loughborough University linking physical activity to associated careers and a Visual CV day at De Montfort University looking at evaluating their skills and attributes in terms of choices and Careers. Two more sessions are planned for next term.
Mentoring We are currently involved with a mentoring scheme with Loughborough University. A number of Year 9 pupils are working with students from the University in one to one and small group sessions. The benefits of having a mentor are proven in terms of pupil achievement and we feel that the opportunity that the scheme provides in encouraging young people to maximise their potential is of huge value. We hope that help with time management and organisational skills,
Visit from Sylvia Lancaster Sophie Lancaster was a 20 year old girl who was murdered in 2007 by a group of teenage boys who noticed her and her boyfriend because they were Goths and dressed in a particular way. As a result of her murder her mother Sylvia has developed a board game
to be used in schools that looks at stereotypes and our views and actions. The game was successfully trialled by a group of our pupils for use in Personal Development. As the first school in Leicestershire to be given the opportunity to look at the resource and talk to Sylvia Lancaster it proved to be a thought provoking and important chance to confront prejudice and discuss the possible tragic consequences that may arise. Miss S Fisher Deputy Headteacher
A VERY BIG THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.
Just before Christmas Year 9 students presented an assembly about the Carpenters Arms in Loughborough. This is an organisation which helps families in Loughborough who are in need. The charity started by giving out 14 food parcels a year. That has grown to 25,000! The whole of Year 9 decided that they wanted to join in. We would like to thank all of the parents who gave so generously – emptying your cupboards of tins and nonperishable foods for a good cause. A car boot load of food was delivered at the very end of the winter term. Thank you! Mrs S Haigh and 9HA Tutor Group.
STOP PRESS!! Limehurst staff and pupils have raised an amazing ÂŁ948 so far for Comic Relief!!! We are still counting. . . . . . . .!!
TEAM LIMEHURST
LIMEHURST ACADEMY SPORTS NEWS BASKETBALL NEWS: (So far this year over 40 students have represented the school in basketball fixtures) Basketball league fixtures have now finished! This year has seen a dramatic improvement in how our teams have demonstrated an ability to play fast attacking basketball whilst holding shape and position. It has been really pleasing to see and show that commitment to Monday night basketball club does pay off (a huge thank you here must go to coach Karl Brown who takes Monday night practice). In all games we have come up against tough opposition with Basketball being a strength in this area. Castle Donington looks set to dominate the playoffs yet in all fixtures they have had this year their teachers commented on how tough Limehurst teams were to play against. Our Year 7 girls and boys had good results against Hastings, both teams winning.. Also Year 7 boys were successful in their game against Charnwood College, Year 8 boys unfortunately lost their game, but played well. Our Year 8 girls’ team have been our most successful team winning the majority of their games – highlights were performances against Woodbrook Vale and also De Lisle. Fatima Choudhury and Samiha Choudhury have been star performer all year for the girls – well done ladies!!
TEAM LIMEHURST
FOOTBALL NEWS: (So far this year over 60 boys have represented the school in football matches) Football has started again! Our first fixture since Christmas was a Year 8 game versus Charnwood College. Last year Charnwood won this fixture 8-0. Our lads won this years game 2-1 with fantastic goal from Mo Aljaf and Raheem Uddin. This win shows how far our lads have progressed since last year. A huge well done to the whole squad! All three teams have also played Humphrey Perkins – one of the best schools in the league. Last year all three teams suffered heavy losses at Humphrey Perkins, and although we lost this year all games were close! Year 7 lost 4-1 in a fantastic encounter, Year 8 lost 4-1 in an end to end thriller and Year 9 lost 3-0 with two late goals flattering the hosts. These results prove that our lads are holding shape better and playing football that is of a much high standard compared to last year. Lads, we are very proud of you. We played against Woodbrook Vale and Caste Donington recently, and unfortunately the results do not reflect the performance: Woodbrook Vale - Y9 lost 5-1, Yr8 lost 2-1and Yr 7 lost 6-1. Castle Donington – Yr 8 won 2-1, Yr 7 lost 5-1. We have fixtures and Anstey Martin coming up.
Our Year 9 boys and girls teams have also had some strong results especially against De Lisle and Woodbrook Vale as well. With these teams our star performers have been Dominic Wardle, Kyle Needham, Iara Tomas, and Errienne Thomas. A huge well done to all students who have been involved in league fixtures. Training still happens on Monday nights and we also have some non league fixtures lined up for you – keep an eye on the bulletin!
Limehurst Academy
Get Set Network member
TEAM LIMEHURST
NETBALL NEWS: (So far this year over 40 girls have represented the school in netball fixtures) Our Year 9 girls started the New Year off with a game away versus Charnwood College. Although we lost the game was very tight and finished 6-3 to the hosts. Our girls showed real commitment, as they always do, right up to the final whistle. All girls’ teams have also had a fixture against Humphrey Perkins – the school that dominated Charnwood netball last year. Our Year 7’s played amazingly well and lost a close encounter 6-4. Our Year 8 team also lost in a game that saw a repeat of last year’s playoff game. Year 9 lost to the best team we have seen in a long time. The Humphrey Perkins staff commented how they had won every game so far this year yet it was Limehurst who had given them the toughest competition in matches so far. This is a real credit to our girls’ performances. Recent games against Woodbrook Vale and Castle Donington had mixed results, although all teams played to their best ability: Woodbrook Vale – Year 8 and 9 lost, but Year 7 won. Castle Donington – Year 9 lost in a close match, Year 8 won and Year 7 lost in another close match We have fixtures against Anstey Martin coming up. BOCCIA NEWS One of our most successful teams at Limehurst is our Boccia team. Boccia is a bowls type target sport that involves a high level of coordination, judgement, accuracy and patience. Last year our team placed first second or third in every event they took part in. Our first event this year was on 21st Feb at Woodbrook Vale. Our squad finished 2nd overall. This was another fantastic achievement from all involved.
Limehurst Academy
TEAM LIMEHURST SPORTS HALL ATHLETICS On Monday 25th Feb Limehurst sent teams to the North Charnwood Indoor Athletics event at Charnwood College. We had teams for Year 7 girls, Year 7 boys, Year 8 girls and Year 8 boys. Last year you may remember our Year 7 girls won this event. Our students were fantastic. All performers gave 100% in events such as triple jump, long jump, 2 lap sprint, 4x2 lap relay, speed bounce and shot putt to name a few! Competing against 8 other schools our students did amazingly well: Year 7 Boys finished 2nd overall (only missing out on first by 4 points) Year 7 Girls finished 5th overall Year 8 Boys finished 3rd overall (last year in year 7 these boys finished bottom – what an improvement) Year 8 Girls finished 1st! This is the girls’ second win in a row – awesome! The girls’ now represent North Charnwood at the County event – date TBC. INDOOR CRICKET On February 4th our Year 7 boys took part in the north Charnwood indoor cricket event. This event was held at Charnwood College but run by Limehurst PE staff. 7 schools took part and the event was a real success. Our team was drawn into a pool with Loughborough Grammar and De Lisle. We lost both games which resulted in Limehurst going out of the competition but we did to lose to the eventual tournament winners – Loughborough Grammar. Jayan Patel was our star performer with some excellent bowling that resulted in a number of wickets. The girls’ event (also Year 7) took place on Monday 18th March at Castle Donnington School – this time the event being run by the Castle Donnington staff. Our girls, who were all new to cricket, demonstrated a fantastic ability to pick up and learn skills quickly. Although we lost both games we performed incredibly well for newcomers!
Get Set Network member
TEAM LIMEHURST
STAR PERFORMERS (This involves performance in games / effort in training / helping staff sort teams etc):
TEAM LIMEHURST
Timetable of physical and sporting activities: Day Monday
Lunchtime Table Tennis
After school Basketball club
Tuesday
Table Tennis
Netball – Lucy Green (Yr 7); Molly Satterthwaite and Elanor Beaty (Yr 8); Sumaya El Ahmar and Iara Tomas (Yr 9)
Wednesday
Badminton club; Football club; Netball club Fitness club
Basketball – Fatima Choudhury and Samiha Choudhury; Dominic Wardle, Kyle Needham, Iara Tomas, and Errienne Thomas
Thursday
Parkour club; Boccia club; Sports Leaders training Badminton – Sports fixtures; boys Gymnastics club
Boys Football – Star performers Ethan Hulley and Amir Miah (Yr 7); Trae Nath and Habib Ahmed (Yr 8); Kyle Doran and Alom Shah (Yr 9)
Friday
Badminton – girls
Boccia – Baden Gee and Chloe Johnson Sportshall athletics – Ethan Hulley and Ibrahim Miah (Yr7); Humairaa Begum and Millie Pennant (Yr 7 girls) Abu Taher Tufael and Ross Morris Sharpe (Yr 8 boys); Fatimah Choudhury and Samiha Choudhury (Yr 8 girls)
After Easter athletics, rounders and cricket fixtures will occur.
Indoor Cricket – Jayan Patel Opportunities for you: At Limehurst we run a number of clubs and activities. You are more than welcome to come and join in whether you want to do so for personal, health, social or even competitive reasons. Below is a reminder of when activities happen.
Limehurst Academy
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