Newsletter 29:1:16
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ACADEMY NEWS 29th January 2016 E X P L O R E Students Explore 3D Printing at the Careers Fair QR to view on the web BE YOUR BEST Principal’s Report The students have been enjoying the second Project Week of the year and have been engaged in a variety of topics relating to Personal, Social, Health and Futures Education. We have four Project Weeks per year to cover all the essential requirements of this important area of secondary education. The Project Week approach allows us to get fully immersed in the topics and we have welcomed nearly 100 outside speakers, from the Fire Service to Cornwall Healthy Living, to bring the ideas to life. Year 11 students have been involved in revision workshops and assemblies and completed Controlled Assessments as part of their build-up to the summer exams. Two Year 8 students called Elke Phillips and Abigail Pearson, have reported that Project Week “has been an excellent experience and given us new knowledge and understanding about what’s around us and how to keep a healthy lifestyle”. We have also welcomed visitors from our partner school in Holland and other European teachers from Denmark and France. It has been a busy, exciting week and students will now be ready to start a new set of courses on Monday for the Spring Semester. Please look out for Student Guides in exercise books for each subject and see what exciting plans have been organised for the next nine weeks. This week also saw the launch of our ever popular Masterclasses to help our Year 11 students in the run up to their GCSE examinations. These will run from 3:30 - 4:20 and we will be preparing a weekly timetable for students. Refreshments will be offered from 3:15 - 3:30 after which students will either remain in the Canteen for private study or will go to subject specific sessions. Everyone will be offered the opportunity to attend a Masterclass by their tutor if they think they will benefit and students may also opt to attend Masterclasses of their choice. Everyone will be given a booklet this week with the subjects on offer each night and we anticipate that students should be in school until 4:20 from next week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The placement of students will be centrally co-ordinated to ensure that we manage their workloads and everyone gets the support they need. Parents/guardians will receive a text or email on a Friday with the days of the sessions their son/daughter has been selected to attend for the next week. Finally, can I draw your attention to some changes we are making for the booking of the Late Bus service. From Monday students who need to book the Late Bus should do this at the Compass desk. The area to the right will also host the spare uniform for students, including shoes and blazers. Best wishes Sara Davey - Academy Principal BE INSPIRED Year 7 - Human Rights Year 7 have been looking at the very important topic of Human Rights. The students started the week having an entry point to the topic followed by watching the film 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'. Their work was then based around the 30 different human rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The students produced a variety a fantastic creative pieces within the areas of Art, Photography and Animation, DT, Sculpture or Drama and Moviemaking. Look out for more pictures on the website BE CREATIVE Year 7 Human Rights in Art For Project Week this semester Year 7 have been introduced to the theme of ‘Human Rights’. Students have watched the film 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', based on the book by John Boyne, which tells the harrowing story of two young boys who form a friendship despite one of them living in a concentration camp. In Art, Year 7 have thought openly and extensively about how the Human Rights Act came into being, and have identified the human rights they think are most important. They have also discussed the difference between needs and wants; what do we really need to survive and how does this relate to the 30 human rights we have? The students have presented their work in groups, sharing their thoughts and ideas in a mature and sensitive way. One student, at the end of the lesson, said, "I didn't know anything about our human rights until today, I had never really thought about it." He then went on to say, "It has already made me think differently about how I treat people and how people are treated in the world as a whole." The students then devised a piece of creative writing and artwork to support their views on a human rights issue of their choice. They have worked with focus and maturity, creating a varied and insightful range of visual outcomes. Their work has been exhibited in the Dome this afternoon, alongside the rest of Year 7 and the Project Week team. We are very proud of them and the work they have produced. Well done Year 7! Report by Miss Green BE CURIOUS Year 7 Campaign for WaterAid As part of a Project Week based on the topic of Human Rights, a number of Year 7 students have been researching and designing campaign materials for the charity WaterAid. Students have worked in teams to design products, water filtration systems and then ‘pitch’ their ideas in the ‘Dragon’s Den’. Students also created TV advertisements linking their products with the work undertaken around the world by WaterAid. The films (and other advertising materials) can be viewed via MBA’s Firefly link. Click here to visit the page. We also had a visit from Peter Crumpler who is undertaking a charity cycle ride along the route of the Brest to Nantes canal in France. All proceeds will be donated to WaterAid. Each Year 7 tutor group is sponsoring Peter by attempting to fill a 5 litre water bottle with loose change. Please give generously! To make a donation to WaterAid via Peter’s JustGiving page, click here. To find out more information about WaterAid, click here. Report by Mr Whiteman BE ADVENTUROUS Year 8 Year 8 have worked on two different projects. Warm population have been working with Mr Raggett and the Adventure Learning team on the John Muir Award. This is an environmental award scheme that encourages students to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places through a structured yet adaptable scheme. This week we have spent 4 days on the Award during which we have spent a day in school researching the life and work of John Muir. A day on the beach looking at environmental issues the marine environment encounters today along with a beach clean and art project, a day crossing the Penwith moors incorporating camp craft skills and navigation and finally a day exploring the coast path from the Cot Valley to Botallack via Cape Cornwall. The students have been fantastic throughout the week. Cool population have been in school looking at how to be healthy. The students have had a great week working on a carousel in the following areas including: music therapy, life style choices, smoking and its long and short term effects; contraception and sex and the implications of these. The students also had sessions on visual imagery and relaxation based on the Pilates principles and healthy lifestyles with the Cornwall Healthy Weight organisation. During our next Project Week the two groups will swap activities. BE INSPIRED Healthy Eating for Year 8 The Academy was very lucky to welcome guest speakers from Cornwall Healthy Weight, an organisation which aims to promote healthy lifestyle choices for children and adults alike. Year 8 students - as part of a Healthy Lifestyle Project Week, adapted indulgent recipes, learnt tips on reading food labels, and went through the Eatwell plate - a useful guide on how to achieve a balanced diet. We also took the opportunity to cook some classically decadent baked goods, which had their sugar and fat levels greatly reduced. Students thankfully still lapped up the results! The Cornwall Healthy Weight website is a really good source of information on ways to produce healthy, affordable meals, and lets you know of the goings-on of the organisation in case you wish to become involved. Our thanks to Amy, Mahala, Joe and Ashton from the organisation for all your efforts this week. Report by Mr Bromfield BE INSPIRED Pilates for Year 8 Year 8 took part in a workshop based on the principles of Pilates. The students really enjoyed learning the correct breathing techniques and relaxing to music. We used a visual imagery script and let go of all tensions and anxieties. 8 Purple were fantastic and were the first group to experience this session this week. Two students actually fell asleep as they were so relaxed. Report by Mrs Crowle Music Therapy In this project week, we have been focusing on the theme of healthy minds. Stephanie Jayne from Clear Support kicked off each morning session with a music therapy workshop, involving improvisation on percussion instruments and vocalising. Students were encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings throughout the workshop and express how the music altered their mood. The second session was focused around discussion and finding out about mental health problems and raising questions about how we think. Students were encouraged to listen to a range of music and guided in the process of free composition during the day. The final session ended with Taiko drumming.