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Sandhill Soundbites I S SU E 7 AU T UMN T ERM 2017 EDITION
SHV
The theme for this term that we have been pushing with students here in the Academy has been that of ‘raising aspirations’. Students have been given many and wide ranging opportunities to push and develop as well as challenge themselves to be the best that they can be. This is sought not just in lessons, but also linked to high standards of student attendance, behaviour, attitudes towards learning and also conduct around the site. Mr. Carr Head of School
Upcoming Events Spring Term Begins
Tues 9th January 2018
Careers & SMSC Day
Thur 11th January 2018
Yr 8 Progress Evening Wed 17th January 2018
Sixth Form Open Evening Wed 24th January 2018
Since September and our best ever examination results, standards continue to rise here in Sandhill View; we have continued to recruit very high quality of new teaching and support staff and we have also invested heavily in our facilities. The new lunch-time biometric payment system and making further improvements to student toilet facilities, the new Year 9 Common Room and Academy cafeteria are some of the best examples of this and feedback from both students and parents/guardians is telling us that we are responding to your suggestions in the correct manner and effectively.
Earlier this month our annual Kirkland Rowell Perceptions Survey was sent out for completion by all parents/guardians and we look forward to the results so that we can see how far we have come since the move to academisation, find out what we are doing
well and also how we can improve areas that you feel we could be even better at. We are also looking to the future and in the New Year we will be consulting with everyone affiliated with the Academy on how we can better provide support for students in the areas of mental health and sexual health advice and guidance. Students are making every effort in their studies and out Year 11 learners have recently successfully completed their mock GCSE examinations in advance of the final exams in the summer. Around the Academy there are many activities and examples of student success which take place every day. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Soundbites publication as we showcase some of the highlights of this term so far.
Sandhill View Academy: Telephone: 0191 594 9992 Email: info@sandhillview.com wwww.sandhillview.com
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Sandhill Soundbites I SSUE 7 AUTUMN TERM 2017 E DI T I O N
Charity of Choice This term, students got to opt for the Academy’s charity focus for the year. All form classes initially put forward three potential charity suggestions and then the top three were put to the school vote. In the spirit of democracy each student was given a token and then allowed to cast their final vote to choose the winner. This was a landslide win for Cancer Research UK which will now be the main charity that students will raise money for throughout the year. On top of this the Academy will still raise money for nationwide events, with 25% of all proceeds going to support our partner school in Tanzania.
Refurbed & Ready Over the summer holiday our school facilities underwent a ÂŁ250,000 renovation. This included a full redecoration to our sports facilities and LED lighting being installed in the leisure centre, the gym floor was replaced and the gymnasium was re-lined to give the entire area a much needed face lift. In addition to this we have also provided new seating to our dining hall to go alongside the renovations made there at the end of last year. New signage and displays have also been fitted to main reception and the school corridors to make the building more welcoming both to visitors and pupils.
Introducing our School Council A short while before the summer break we introduced our newly elected Head Boy (Bailey Price), Head Girl (Faye Graham) and their deputies (Ben Ridley and Laura Smith). These students were elected by their peer group to represent the Academy and student voice for this current academic year. The students meet with Mr. Carr every fortnight where discussions take place around daily Academy life, the student experience and how the school can be better improved for staff and students. Look out for a new feature coming soon in the blog with space being given over to our student leaders!
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SHV In this issue... • School Council Election • School Visits & Events • Teacher Talk
Honours Programme on the Go A group of nineteen Year 11 pupils were invited to visit Durham University, with a view to gaining a better understanding of what studying for a degree involves. First, pupils attended a lecture, where they were given advice on how to research and plan responses to essay questions effectively. Following the lecture, pupils were given a guided tour of the Bill Bryson Library and had some free time to explore the facilities for themselves.
• Update from The Sixth Form at Southmoor • Careers News • Head of School’s Awards • Sports Update
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Putting the Fun in Fundraising In November, our students participated in a day of fundraising activities in aid of BBC’s Children in Need. Activities ranged from bake sales, a mini disco, sponsored sports & video games challenges and special prize competitions. Our students also donned their Pudsy ears and spotty clothing for a non-uniform day in aid of the charity. Congratulations to all of our staff and students, as a school we have raised and impressive £1084.23!
Prefect Perfection
Some of our Year 7 & 9 students have recently been selected to act as members of a peer support group. The group includes such duties as being attendance prefects and anti-bullying monitors. Although our new Year 7 group are settling in to life at Sandhill View fantastically, having a level of support amongst the year group itself is a great way to help our Learning Coordinators make sure that their time at Sandhill continues to be a happy one.
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Careers Fair 2017 On Tuesday 10th October Sandhill View Academy hosted its first careers fair. Our students, parents and carers had the opportunity to explore and discuss their future career paths with a range of representatives from our regional education and training providers as well as our Sixth Form at Southmoor and Connexions. We were also joined by the armed forces. For students thinking about higher education options, university staff from Newcastle, Sunderland and York St. John were on hand to answer their many questions. Many of our students are considering the apprenticeship route and the careers fair enabled them to consider the vast range of apprenticeships available in the north-east and Leibherr’s mobile welding unit certainly attracted a wide audience!
Aspirations Day
Over the last few weeks students have been learning about key employability skills and how subjects develop these essential employability skills. During the course of our first careers focus day students had the opportunity to demonstrate and further develop these skills so they will be ready to compete in the fast-changing world of work. Students were also given an insight into the many different pathways which our staff have followed throughout their careers and with this realising that learning never stops! Throughout the day all lessons were linked to the heart, whether it was learning about heart surgery, your heart rate during exercise or the heart-felt passion which artists (and teachers!) have for their work.
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Brave Biologists Pupils from Thorney Close Primary joined us recently to take part in a special biology lesson as part of our transition programme. Year 6 pupils got the chance to handle animal organs, watch a dissection of a pig’s heart and learn about its structure. Despite the squeamish prospect, the pupils really enjoyed getting hands on with anatomy and getting a great idea about the type of lessons and topics they will study in Science at Secondary school.
Primary Prize Winners Congratulations to the primary school pupils whom have won some of the fabulous prizes up-for-grabs at our open evening in September. Gypsy Burt of Hasting Hill Academy had the closest guess for the ‘sweets in the jar’ competition, Tayn Blacklin of Broadway Juniors was able the correctly guess the name of our school mascot and Faith Adams from Thorney Close peddled away with a brand new bike thanks to her wonderful letter about her first impressions of Sandhill View to Miss Scott. Well done everyone!
Spooky Science Pupils from Year 7, along with the assistance of the Academy Science Ambassadors, took part in the Science department Halloween themed Science Club at the start of month. They made spooky slime and pumpkin bath bombs which smelt amazing and were some of the best we have ever seen. As it was close to the 5th of November they made their own sparklers and experimented with different salts to create a variety of coloured flames. They also used their carved pumpkins to create a spooky “elephants toothpaste” reaction and also tested the toothpaste for the trapped oxygen by relighting a glowing splint. Watch this space for more special Science Club sessions throughout the year!
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Head of School‘s Awards Return
Congratulations to our Head of School’s Award winners for the first half term. These pupils have earned the most Praise Points since the start of the year and are recognised by Mr. Carr with a certificate, a photo and a special ‘Head of School’s Award’ Pen. The winners were; Charlie Peverley (Year 7), Kaitlin Hepple (Year 8), Imogen Laing (Year 7), Connor Walshaw (Year 7), Cameron Ridley (Year 10), Kaitlyn Stephenson (Year 7), Megan Forrest (Year 10), Ellie Foster (Year 7) and Joseph Johnston (Year 7).
A special congratulations goes to Layla Anderson (Year 8) who achieved the highest level of Praise Points in the school. Well done to everyone!
Year 7 Know How to Party Just before half term our Year 7 were given the chance to get their groove on in their annual school disco. The evening involved fun games, snacks, music and some very wild dancing that gave our pupils the chance to bond socially outside of lesson time, make friends and learn more about their new peers.
A Big Book Buzz
Every year, the Academy takes part in Bookbuzz. Bookbuzz is a reading programme that supports schools by encouraging reading for pleasure, it celebrates independent reading choice and works to develop a school reading culture. Every Year 7 pupil gets to choose a book from a selection of 12 books which are all free. Our Year 7 were spoilt for choice this year, with many of them being very excited about receiving their book.
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2015 Year 7 & 8 Student Planner
Entering the Litter Lab
Car Crazy at Nissan
Fifty five of our students from Year 8, 9 & 10 visited the Nissan Sunderland plant to see for themselves the careers available in the advanced manufacturing industry. They had a tour of the plant to see how the Nissan Juke and the new electric Nissan Leaf cars were built. The students watched the production line staff complete a variety of roles before watching very closely how the robots fitted the rear windows. Afterwards the students went to the classroom and raced against time to build a car and complete a variety of engineering and construction tasks. Our Year 8 students worked so well as a team that they beat Year 9 & 10!
At the beginning of October, our students were invited to enter the ‘Litter Lab’ in assemblies presented by the national ‘Bin It!’ campaign. The campaign has been running since 2006 and has grown to support schools and teachers in a multitude of ways. Each year the Bin It! roadshow visits over 240 schools across the UK and Ireland, helping young people explore a sense of personal responsibility and allowing them to see the impact of anti-social behaviour, such as the consequences of dropping gum, in an engaging in-school event.
On an Energy Quest
Magnificent Musical Mentors
At the beginning of term, our students enjoyed a toe-tapping assembly hosted by the school’s peripatetic music team. Pupils were serenaded by live renditions of songs that they themselves could be taught, were invited to take a turn on stage with the African drums and were encouraged to join our tuition programme by our passionate tutors.
Last week, Year 8 took part in an interactive STEM workshop called ‘Energy Quest’. It was a day packed with hands-on activities, careers information and stories of how engineers are constantly problem solving. Each student explored different sources of energy that could be utilised in a variety of countries and then set about making an electric car. The students were challenged to problem solve and then investigate the optimum charge needed to make the car run. The organisers of the event was full of praise about our students enthusiasm, conduct and behaviour.
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Bring it on! On Wednesday 4th October, Mr. Bunn and 14 Year 8 students visited the ‘Bring It On’ event at The Stadium of Light. This is an event where STEM companies showcase the amazing opportunities that they have for young people that will be looking for a career in the next ten years. Companies such as Komatsu, Liebherr, Reflections, Proctor and Gamble and many more sent representatives to showcase the amazing things that are happening in the North East.
We are a growing hotbed of STEM industry and our students really made the most of the chance to speak to these multinational companies. Students got the opportunity to have a go at many of the skills that are needed in some of these careers. These included welding, programming a driverless car, making suggestions for the future of banking, virtual reality problem solving and many other opportunities that teenagers in other areas simply won’t be able to access.
Hunting Shelf Elves In the run up to Christmas our Year 7s have been on the look out for a mischievous ‘Shelf Elf’ who has been up to mischief around the school. From hiding in Miss Johnston’s office, to swinging from the lights in Drama, ‘Freddie’ has been all over the Academy. Eagle eyed students are being rewarded for catching him, with the first student to return him to Miss Scott being rewarded with a free box of chocolates.
Biometric Brilliance
Superb STEM Success
We are pleased to announce that under the leadership of Mr. Bunn, the Academy has recently received acknowledgement of our work in STEM by being the proud recipients of the national ‘STEM Ambassadors’ Award. STEM stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. This means that Mr. Bunn looks for opportunities and initiatives that our learners can benefit from. At Sandhill View we realise the huge positives in giving our learners as many STEM opportunities as possible. One of the primary reasons for doing this is the amazing career benefits that it can bring. By using STEM we coach our learners into being the ‘problem solvers’ which all businesses require.
Thank you to all parents and guardians who have supported us in vastly improving the lunch-time experience for our students by supporting our move away from a cash and card based system to a more modern finger-print based method. After our recent consultation period with you, we are pleased to inform you that the new biometric lunch system began operating on the first day back after October half-term break. Students are telling us that the new system has rapidly reduced waiting times and by removing cash having to be paid into machines, the new system has also reduced queues, meaning that students are now getting longer to eat their chosen option whilst also socialising with friends.
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A Life Saving Lesson Some of our Year 7 & 8 pupils have recently completed CPR training with the British Red Cross. Our students were given the chance to learn and then practice these valuable skills in a hands on session, with the hopes that it will give them the confidence to step in during a crisis wherever they may be and perhaps even save someone’s life.
Big Draw 2017
Coffee & Cake for a Good Cause On Friday 29th September our staff and students were able to come together in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support to drink tea, juice and eat cake on their annual coffee morning. As a school we managed to raise an excellent £100. This is a huge achievement and as such should be acknowledged that staff and students dug deep into their own pockets, and clubbed together to raise this money which will be given directly to MacMillan to support patients, and relatives suffering, or going through the effects of cancer.
We take the time to have a chat with one of our new members of staff for this year, Miss Hardy... What do you do at Sandhill View?
I’m a teacher of PE. Having only just started in September I’m still a newbie! This year I am setting up netball teams for Years 7, 8 and 9 (anyone interested should come and see me!). I teach all year groups and have a Cambridge National Sports Science group. I also teach a Year 9 and Year 10 Child Development group. My Year 9 form group (who are amazing), already have had fantastic attendance and praise points so far this year.
Who was your favourite teacher?
My favourite teacher at school was my History teacher, he supported me and guided me throughout my GCSEs. The best part of his lessons were the songs he made up on guitar to help us remember our topics.
What are your spare time interests?
In my spare time I go to the gym and play netball. I’m super competitive so I love anything where I can challenge myself. I also enjoy watching all the soaps.
Year 11 Art and Photography students are currently featured in an exhibition in Gateshead which celebrates the impact of art education in the North East. Posing in front of the “all school should be art schools” sculpture at our trip to YSP in the summer. Students across the school were asked to respond to issues that were important to them using Keith Harrings’ work as inspiration for ideas. They discussed themes such as the environment, stereotypes, anti-bullying and staying safe online.
Teacher Talk What’s your favourite Artist/Band?
My favourite singer has to be Olly Murs... I went to see him in concert four times in just one year!
What’s the one thing you can’t be without?
There are several things I couldn’t be without, although, most importantly I couldn’t be without my family and friends.
What’s the best thing about Sandhill View Academy?
Since I have only been at the Academy since the start of term, I can say the best thing so far is how quickly I have become part of the Sandhill family. Staff and students have been very welcoming and everyone takes the time to say hello when you pass them in corridors. However, I must acknowledge my brilliant department; they have supported and guided me through my first few weeks so well!
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Oxford at Southmoor Southmoor Academy was delighted to welcome some very important visitors from Oxford University in November. Dame Lynne Brindley, the Master of Pembroke College and Samina Khan, Head of Undergraduate Admissions came to speak to Year 10 and 11 students as part of the launch of the new OxNet hub for Sunderland which is based at Southmoor and is the first of its kind in the North East. The hub is designed to raise aspirations across the region both by improving the numbers of students applying to Oxford directly, but also by encouraging students to aspire to courses at Durham, Cambridge, and other top universities in the UK and beyond. Dame Lynne spoke to the students about the experience of studying at Pembroke College and took questions on a range of topics. She was particularly fascinated by the research topics students had themselves identified as part of Southmoor’s innovative new Honours Programme.
OxNet is Go! November saw the launch of the ‘OxNet’ hub for the North East which was held at the National Glass Centre. Students from across the region attended alongside the Pro Vice Chancellor of Durham, Professor Alan Houston, Lesley Griffin of Sunderland University and academics from all the major regional universities. Dr. Peter Claus, the creator of the OxNet program was in attendance and accompanied Dame Lynne to Southmoor the following day. Students heard from a range of speakers about the exciting prospects of the programme as well as exploring the ‘Ordered Universe’ exhibition which is a collaborative project that some of our current Sixth Form students took part in over the summer.
In Other News... Sixth Form students found themselves in front of the camera recently as reporters from the BBC visited to get the scoop on our recent appointment as the North East’s first OxNet hub. Year 12 and 13 students spoke to the news team of their aspirations for reaching Oxford as well as the perceived barriers that students from our region have in reaching the world’s top university.
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Settling in well at The Sixth Form
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Fifteen former Year 11 pupils – now students at Southmoor Sixth Form – recently enjoyed a weekend visit to the Lake District. The visit was organised with the aim of helping pupils to settle comfortably into sixth form life. Whilst in the Lake District, our former pupils took part in a number of outdoor pursuits organised by Derwent Hill, including gorge walking, kayaking and a high rope challenge course. Evening time involved taking part in team building exercises, with the final activity being ghost stories around a camp fire. All former pupils left the Lake District having had a great deal of fun and with many new friends amongst their peers.
Open Evening 2017 The atmosphere in The Sixth Form was buzzing on Wednesday 29th November as we held the first Open Evening of the academic year. There was a fantastic turnout with students from across the city as well as Southmoor joining us to see what we are about. Year 12 and 13 student helpers supported staff in showing the very best the Sixth Form at Southmoor has to offer and the lengths we go to to help our students aspire to do their very best throughout their lives..
Biology Boffins Our Year 13 Biologists travelled to Newcastle University to take part in a workshop at the School of Biomedical Sciences. They used university-level laboratory techniques to identify a possible chemical terror attack using biomarkers. A very insightful experience, with several students even committing to careers in the field!
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Sports Spot Footballing Frenzy Our football squads have been in full action this season with some fantastically entertaining matches from Year 7 right across to Year 11. Our Year 7 boys team has had a particularly strong start to the season with back-to-back wins against our local competitors until their league run was brought to an end with a particularly close and exciting game against St. Aiden’s Catholic Academy. We hope for further strong performances as the season continues into the new year, especially from our girls’ squad, who have always done us proud in previous competitions.
Going the Extra Mile The Wearside Schools’ Cross-Country Competition took place at the start of December at Farringdon and we were able to take a full squad of girls and boys in Years 7 - 9.
Our Athletes had to battle against difficult conditions and tough competitors but represented the school impeccably with high standards of performance and behaviour. They were all a credit to our school with their resilience and we would like to congratulate all the students who took part in the event.
Thank you for taking the time to read Sandhill Soundbites. We look forward to reporting on more of the exciting changes, achievements and events that are taking place every term here at Sandhill View. Sandhill View Academy: Telephone: 0191 594 9992 Email: info@sandhillview.com wwww.sandhillview.com
Sandhillview @SHVAcademy
H‘way the Lads Six of our Year 8 students recently took part in football trials for the Sunderland Boys football team. All of our boys showed outstanding footballing ability, however, two students in particular impressed the coaches. Well done to Deacon Donnell and Mitchell Fairweather who were chosen to represent the district in their first game against Hambleton & Richmond in the ESFA national cup. Both Boys played exceptionally; demonstrating their ability, teamwork and desire to improve. The game finished 1-1 after a goal from Deacon. The school is extremely proud of the students extra curricular achievements and cannot wait for the forthcoming games. Good luck lads!