ACADEMY NEWS 10th July 2015

E X P L O R E

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Principal’s Report

Whilst students and staff have been actively engaged in a range of fabulous activities for the 2015 Adventure Learning Week, I have been helping to develop exciting plans for the new academic year to ensure Mounts Bay Academy continues to be a beacon of excellence in Adventure Learning for 2015-16 and beyond.

This week I have been working with a great team of Adventure Learning enthusiasts including Professor David Hopkins who is the founder of the Adventure Learning movement and recently voted the most influential educationalist in the UK and 16th most influential in the world according to the Global Gurus listings. Other members of this group are Jack Jackson, Principal of Launceston College, and Andy Barclay Head of Outdoors. We were all invited as special guests to the official opening of Launceston College Adventure Learning Centre and we took the opportunity to develop a revised framework for the award of Adventure Learning School status and to set up a National qualification in Character Development. This will provide progression for Mounts Bay students who have completed their Full Colours and Duke of Edinburgh award so their curriculum vitae can "stand out from the crowd" compared to other students when they apply to college, university or employment placements.

There is even talk of a climbing trip to top of the world destinations for the real adventurers in the Academy. Watch this space. It is always a great opportunity to learn from other great Cornish schools and Launceston College has opened it doors this week to representatives from our Senior Team at Mounts Bay and we have had the privilege to see a different learning culture from our own but one that we can learn a great deal from.

I hope to emulate their amazing new Adventure Learning Centre and introduce the problem-solving and enquiry-based learning ideas that we saw to such good effect on our visit to classrooms and the school grounds. We will soon be opening our new sports and adventure facilities for the Academy and the community including an amazing Sports Hall and a mountain bike track.

This week Mounts Bay Leavers’ Ball was featured on Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. If you would like to hear the programme, click here.

Don’t forget next Friday is our last day and we break up at 12.15.

The first day of the new school year will be Monday 7th Best wishes September. Year 8-11 will have a Student Led Conference on this day and Year 7 will have a day’s induction. The first full day back in school will be on Tuesday 8th September.

Sara Davey Academy Principal BE CREATIVE

Year 7’s Week

The week started with Year 7 being taken on a multi-sensory voyage of discovery in the Drama Studio.

Year 7 have spent the week developing their creativity. On Monday and Tuesday they took part in a series of trips to sites around including Art Gallery.

During the rest of the week they spent their time working on an in-depth project that was exhibited on Friday afternoon. The exhibition consisted of performances, sculptures, painted skimboards and documentary films. It was a great week that really did develop their creative skills. Report by Mr Hall Guided Walks Beside the seaside was the place to be on Monday and Tuesday, for Year 7s when they joined their Learning Support Manager Mrs Bryony Rylett, a professional tour guide, for short, guided walks along Penzance seafront.

During the walks, which investigated some of the history, heritage and culture of Penzance, as well as the flora and fauna, students discovered, amongst other things, the link between Queen Elizabeth 1, Malteser chocolates and seaweed and why the paving slabs on Penzance promenade are pink. Report by Mrs Rylett BE CREATIVE

Gallery Visit

As part of Adventure Learning week Year 7 visited the thought-provoking exhibition 'In Search of the Miraculous' at the Newlyn Gallery. The show was about the link between art and adventure, featuring work across a range of disciplines- including film and photography.

Students were greeted with a talk about the exhibition, and took part in a creative questionnaire which asked them to think like a practising artist. They responded to questions such as, 'What new artwork would you create that links to the theme of the miraculous?' 'If you could go on any expedition to make a piece of art, what would it be and why?'

Each Year 7 student engaged with the work with interest, asked meaningful questions and were perfectly behaved at all times. The gallery staff were very impressed with the insightful and reflective comments of each tutor group. Report by Miss Green Well done Year 7! BE CREATIVE

Skimboard Design

This week over 90 of Year 7 have been working as professional skimboard designers.

They have worked with focus and enthusiasm to develop an innovative and personal design that was presented in a final assembly on Friday afternoon. The students have used their awareness of colour theory, composition, shape and the current skimboard/surfboard market to refine their designs to reach a range of sophisticated outcomes.

Throughout each session, groups have used peer-critique to offer constructive feed-forward to help them improve their designs. The final board designs look very effective and it has been a pleasure working with such a hard-working, fun and focused group of students. Great work Year 7! Report by Miss Green BE CREATIVE

Year 7 go to War!

Students in Year 7 discovered the art of warfare by building the classic catapult- a trebuchet. Following stage one, model making, students moved on to make a one meter trebuchet from wood, nails, sweat and glue. The aim was to catapult a tennis ball as far as possible.

The trebuchets were taken onto the school field on Friday and all the students hard work resulted in some magnificent distances being recorded.

"We started by making the frame then the counter weight, then made the beam. It's been fun, we've all had a great few days, and would love to have more like it. (Finley Terry, 7 Orange)

"...our project has gone very well, it turned out to be a challenge.” (Josh Reeves, 7 Red)

Students even made time to contribute to an iMovie account, the best of which was shown to the Year group to round off a fantastic week.

Report by Mr Boex BE CREATIVE

Kite Building

Great success with kite building on Monday and Tuesday with Year 7; from scrap sails and bamboo from the copse to flight in one hour! The wind was strong on both days, so they had to be well made and tough to survive. Well done to all eight tutor groups, great effort.

Report by Mr Kilby BE CREATIVE

Drawing Workshop

On Monday and Tuesday Year 7 took part in drawing workshops with Mrs Dale. We experimented with different methods of mark making working from a variety of different still life objects on the theme of 'The beach'. Students explored their drawing skills using both their right and left hands, individually and simultaneously, blind fold drawing, memory drawing as well as mouth and feet drawing! Lots of laughter and pleasant surprises during the grand reveal of the blindfold drawings.

Fabulous concentration and great efforts by all.

Report by Mrs Dale

News Crew Documentary During Adventure Week a small group of Year 7s have been making a film about all the other activities running for Year 7 students this week. Students learnt how to interview using open questions, how to frame shots, use different types of shot, edit and narrate short documentary films. The resulting films were really well put together and the students obviously learnt a great deal. During their experience they also had a go at green screen weather presenting. Their films were presented at the Year 7 assembly on Friday. Report by James Salmon Curtin BE CREATIVE

Page to Stage

The students began their journey on a roller coaster, experiencing the thrill of twisting and turning in space. After warming up with some games, each group was tasked with the challenge of interpreting a script in 15 minutes about two goldfish stuck in a bowl. The performances threw up questions as to how to approach a script and make it come alive on the stage. The students were then moved quickly on to a new project and were asked to create a scene based on animals. There were adaptations varying from the Jungle Book to the popular Madagascar, including scenes of acting and singing. The students were transformed through the magic of face paint and costume with the help of Miss West and Miss Osborne. By the end of the day, the students took to the stage and performed their pieces in front of one another. A very busy and enjoyable day!

The next day we spent some time reflecting on the experience of day one and had the time to consolidate some of the ideas and skills that we had learnt and discussed. Through this reflection time, students were able to share what they believe makes a fantastic performance. The first activity of the day was based around a choice of two short scripted pieces. Students had 45 minutes to bring the script alive, thinking about character, timing and staging. It was great to see how a simple script can be interpreted in a variety of ways and it was clear that the students had made huge progress from day one. The final showcase is currently under way, where students have been asked to either revise their earlier work on animals, adapt the scripted piece or work on an entirely new project from another script. In this project, the students have been given more time to work more closely at the nitty gritty detail in each piece, for example, improving script writing, adding sound and light and stepping into character.

The students’ final showcase today was in the drama studio where their pieces stepped off the page and really came alive on stage!

Report by Mr W Payne and Miss Osborne BE CREATIVE

Let’s Get Cooking On Wednesday students started by researching the history of ‘Afternoon Tea’, and explored both the ingredients and the cultural significance of this very British tradition. The students then watched a bread- making demonstration and spent the rest of the morning making dough, designing breads, and baking. All of the breads looked beautiful, and were cooked to perfection! In the afternoon students reflected on their progress, and then watched a scone-making and cake-making demonstration ready for the following day.

Students started Thursday by baking tray bakes and buns. When these were out of the oven and set aside to cool, students were divided into three scone-making groups (cheese, sultana and plain). In the afternoon, students then worked on adding butter and jam to the scones and preparing mini Victoria Sandwiches out of the tray bakes. A small group of students then accompanied Mrs Madge to Pengarth Day Centre to deliver the cakes and scones to the visitors and staff there. The scones and cakes were gratefully received! The students were complimented on their baking skills and were invited to come back again with any other tasty treats they whip up. The remaining students spent the afternoon decorating their buns. Some beautifully decorated buns were stored in containers ready to be taken home to parents and relatives, while others were swiftly dispatched before the final bell.

Students spent the final day of the ‘Let’s Get Cooking!’ activity putting everything they had learned together. Some students baked bread that was then used to make ham and cucumber sandwiches. Another group of students created a variety of scones, while a third group created mini Victoria Sponges. A fourth group documented the preparations and created a presentation on ‘Afternoon Tea’. In the afternoon students combined all of the elements to produce a beautiful final product – an ‘Afternoon Tea’ that was almost Ritz- worthy – and presented their work to the rest of their Year group.

The students really impressed us over the three days; they worked well in their groups, shared ingredients and work spaces with maturity and created various products of excellent quality. It was also great to see students having so much fun and being so creative while learning about a great British tradition.

Report by Mr Johns BE CREATIVE

Giant Sculptures

The giant sculptures group have worked very hard over the last few days. They have researched a variety of artists that they have found to help them. These include Anthony Gormley, Henri Cartier Bresson and Barbara Hepworth, They made their own abstract designs and took photos inspired by Henri Cartier Bresson’s naturalistic figures in motion. They turned these into cyanotypes using cut paper inspired by Henri Matisse. They then made wood block prints to try to abstract their figure further. From here they could build their own smaller models out of scrap wood before deciding on a couple of designs to make larger. They covered their sculptures with a calico skin before shrinking the cloth and painting it glossy yellow.

Report by Mr Cross BE ADVENTUROUS

French Adventures

This week Year 8 have been submerged in tradition.

On Monday and Tuesday all students looked at shopping, greetings and directions in French. They also had the opportunity to experience Morris dancing and learn 'The Tinners Rabbit'. Before going to Roscoff all students researched the events, attractions, history, local cuisine and places to visit around the town.

On Monday before our trip and then again on Thursday afternoon after it, students had a rotation of activities that included: looking at folktales that link Cornwall and Brittany, what towns Penzance and Roscoff are twinned with, and what the importance of twinning is, the French film movement - Nouvelle Vague and Celtic Sport, in particular Boules.

Wednesday saw our day trip to Roscoff. The ferry crossing pitched and rolled all the way from England to France, which left a lot of people with motion sickness!

On arrival in Roscoff the students were amazing. They managed to order drinks and food in French and explored the town and the market.

The weather was fair until the end of our picnic lunch, but the change in conditions helped hurry us to the ferry port ready for our journey home.

A few students opted not to go to France and instead had a picnic at Trengwainton. They were met by a member of National Trust staff who told them about the garden’s links to mining. Report by Miss Dowrick BE ADVENTUROUS

Boules

Year 8 students experienced the traditional French game of Boules (known in the South of France as Pétanque). Mr Smith informed students how the game originated in ancient Greece, but has since become a French pastime. It’s excellent fun and there’s lots of competitiveness.

Report by Mr Whiteman

BE INSPIRED

Geocaching

Geocaching is such a great way to explore new places in your local area as well as around the world. Students have spent a session learning how to hide a geocache and how to find them on a trail around the Academy. Many students have already downloaded the app to their smartphones in preparation for a summer of geocaching.

This week there have been some super competitive groups who have raced around the trail and logged all 14 caches. Teams had to work out the route via a set of encrypted clues as well as their handheld GPS. Once located the caches were opened to reveal an item that may be useful for survival on a desert island. Teams had to negotiate and come up with their top five survival items from the 14 given.

Special mention must go to Owen Whiting, Kray Bray, Sofia Thomas, Poppy Burford, Stephanie Sampson, Phoebe Lagor, Dylan Picot, Brandon Burridge and Tyler King who did the whole trail at a full gallop and were very successful.

Now the challenge is on for you all to catch me up…you know my caching name. Report by Mrs Marsden BE INSPIRED

Moorland Walking And Climbing

Year 9 students have been sighted striding across the moors of West Penwith.

They have been lucky with the weather and the students have developed map reading skills and worked as a team to reach their destination.

They have walked across the moors and explored some of the ancient sites that are scattered around the peninsula. The students have also had a go at climbing with Mr Fish.

It has been a great week spent in the natural environment that surrounds us in west Cornwall. BE INSPIRED

Porthmeor Beach

Beach Safety on Porthmeor Beach in St Ives. We have spent the week on Porthmeor Beach completing beach safety activities. We start in the classroom where Mrs Mudd delivers a basic first aid talk related to the essentials of being on the beach and a practice of the recovery position. We then go to Porthmeor Beach where we have a talk from the lifeguards who go through their work and the equipment they use. Mr Blackabey then takes the group through some surf lifesaving games and then the students complete a short swim. It is a fantastic day and a lot of fun is had by all whilst students learn the basics of living by the sea and staying safe.

Report by Mr D Payne BE INSPIRED

Camp Craft

The Year 9's have all spent time this week having a go at basic camp craft. We enjoyed learning about camping equipment and how it works, as well as having a go at using some of the equipment. We put up tents and used camping stoves to boil hot water to make yummy hot chocolate! Lots of students are looking forward to using these skills when completing their Duke of Edinburgh Award, and most students believe they will use the skills in the future when attending music festivals or camping with friends.

First Aid Training As part of the Year 9 Activities Week programme all of the Year have taken part in the British Heart Foundation's (BHF) Call, Push, Rescue programme. They have been trained in both adult and child CPR, use of a defibrillator and putting someone into the recovery position.

This has been made possible through the generous donation of 34 manikins from the BHF, and has allowed every student to practise the skills which save lives. Report by Mr Raggett BE INSPIRED

Total Wipeout

During the morning Year 9 students developed their understanding of what makes a good leader, discussing and analysing why famous individuals are considered great leaders. The students then had the opportunity to work in small groups to create their own competition and games which they then showed to the rest of the group. The highlight of the day was the team total wipeout course to finish the day. All students completed a timed course culminating in a water slide. All students worked hard and had a good week.

Report by Mr Strong BE CURIOUS

Work Experience

During Work Experience Week, Year 10 students have been offered the opportunity to undertake high quality and meaningful work experience in a variety of settings. Several teachers have travelled the length and breadth of Penwith visiting students in their work placements. St Levan Primary School, Newlyn CP School, The Exchange Gallery, PM Gendall Builders and Boscarne Dairy Farm are just a few of the interesting and varied placements. On each visit employers have sung the praises of our students, leaving teachers feeling very proud of our Year 10’s.

Report by Ms Jones BE CURIOUS BE CREATIVE

Theatre Trip

On Tuesday evening, 11 students were lucky enough to see the theatre version of the book 'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time' at the Hall for Cornwall.

The main character of the story, Christopher, is an intelligent 15 year old boy who lives with Autism - yet every day is an investigation for him because of the parts of life he doesn't quite get. When the dog next door gets killed with a garden fork, Christopher becomes quietly insistent that he will find out what Photos by Shelley Claxton has happened, although he tugs at the world around him to find clues a lot of secrets unravel messily engulfing him.

The stunning cast, which included Joshua Jenkins, Stuart Laing and Gina Isaac (also not forgetting the ensemble), executed a spectacular performance, earning a standing ovation at the end. The production's technical side also had a huge part of the performance as the background relied on lighting, sound and

projections for it to work in the way it did.

A big ‘Thank You’ to Ms Claxton and Ms Jones for transporting us and booking the tickets for us to see the performance.

Report by Loren Trevorrow BE COMPETITIVE

Sports Day 2015 Blog Mounts Bay’s Sports Day takes place next week on Tuesday 14th July (weather permitting). If you are interested in watching the action live, please pop into Mounts Bay for the day. However, if you are unable to visit in person, you can still keep abreast of all the action by visiting our live blog, set up by MBA Digital Leader, Maisy-Sky Lumbers, on:

mbasportsday2015.wordpress.com

Tennis Coach

Ellyn Calveley, Year 7, was asked to go back to her old junior school at Newlyn to run a tennis club after school. She asked Cameron Boase to help and for the last two Tuesdays they have run sessions for up to 15 children. Under the supervision of Newlyn's Miss Tudor, Ellyn and Cameron ran the sessions and organised a selection of drills and fun games.

Both Ellyn and Cameron have played tennis for Mounts Bay Academy this year and also play at Penzance Tennis Club. Ellyn wants to be a tennis coach in the future and is regularly hitting with some of the younger juniors at the tennis club.

Penzance Tennis Club offers a free taster session for any junior wanting to see what the club has to offer. BE INSPIRED

Word Millionaire Success

I am so thrilled that so many students have risen to the challenge of becoming word millionaires and nine of them have not only achieved it once but twice, and in five cases an incredible three times over.

Jake, Jack, Jenny and Scarlett have shown a real competitive spirit at the top of the table with all taking the top spot at various points throughout the year. Unfortunately, there has to be a deadline due to the iPad hand-in date and the imminent end of term. Very well done to Scarlett Bottrell of 7 Cool who has taken pole position with quizzes passed on the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, as well as many other great books.

It is a shame that not all your reading can be recognised on this word millionaire table and I know that Joe Manser has read many great books, which do not have Accelerated Reader quizzes. He has just finished the last Iain M Banks novel, The Hydrogen Sonata. Huck and Woody New have also read lots of fantasy novels, which don’t have quizzes. Don’t let the fact that there isn’t a quiz stop you reading what you enjoy; just let us know what you thought of the book and collect your Vivos.

Well done to all our students who have engaged with the Accelerated Reader Programme, discovered a lot of new authors and good books, passed quizzes and seen their reading age rise, some by as much as four years since September.

Of course reading isn’t a competitive sport and it is important to relax and read a great book for nothing more than enjoyment. The summer will be a perfect time for you to find the time and space to enjoy reading for pleasure.

Please do come to me in September and let me know what you have enjoyed and which books you would like to see in our Library.

1st 2nd 3rd

Scarlett Bottrell, 7 Cool Jenny Dash, 8 Blue Jake Seaton, 7 Warm

Report by Mrs Marsden Word Count Report 1 of 16 Printed Thursday, 9 July 2015 11:15:24 School: Mounts Bay School Reporting Period: 05/09/2014 - 17/07/2015 Custom

Report Options Reporting Parameter Group: All Demographics [Default] BE Sort By: Word Count (Highest to Lowest) Group By: Do not group INSPIREDFilter Student Quizzes: No

Word MillionaireClass: MultipleTop Of The Class Table Selection Reading Practice Quizzes Student Passed Taken Word Count Bottrell, Scarlett 48 54 3,821,358 Dash, Jenny 39 39 3,805,084 Seaton, Jake 46 47 3,644,810 Styles, Jack 35 35 3,378,748 Ellis, Alisha 50 64 3,049,337 Dylan, Ruby 54 56 2,690,896 Manser, Joe 20 20 2,548,936 Wadham-Duke, Lily 39 41 2,317,525 Thompson, Isaac 26 26 2,050,471 Osborne-Williams, Nathan 41 44 1,993,691 Jack, Niamiah 21 24 1,985,374 Finch, Skylar 24 26 1,861,115 Firth, Louis 18 18 1,757,130 Kempen, Reece 21 21 1,601,562 Berwick, Amber 23 24 1,518,193 Johns, Cory 32 33 1,456,568 Osborne, Toby 16 16 1,376,425 McSally, Azura 16 16 1,343,005 New, Woody 14 14 1,277,354 Oakes, Rebecca 26 26 1,271,070 Dee, Lewis 25 29 1,257,511 O'Neill, Eseld 16 16 1,207,477 Williams, Hugh 15 15 1,173,755 Berwick, Holly 14 14 1,148,593 New, Huckleberry 16 16 1,075,062 Davies, Kayleigh 13 15 1,043,423 Neal, Erin 18 20 936,739 Thacker, Alice 13 13 930,488 Mayho, Allanah 23 27 925,895 Wearne, Joseph 25 26 921,281 Gibbs, Helen 13 14 921,250 Emerton, Hannah 15 16 918,957 Thorgood-Dowell, Freya 12 12 910,988 Brown, Rhys 22 27 875,647 Sanders, Amber 12 12 871,076 Goros, Noah 11 12 870,382 Calveley, Ellyn 18 18 828,405 BE CREATIVE

Record Label Launch

Well, we’ve been talking about it all year, and we are extremely excited to finally unveil the track listing and full artwork for ‘ferris wheel’, the first release on MBA’s very own record label, Qube Records! The album is released next week on Wednesday 15th July, and will be available to download from iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play and most other download stores, as well as on CD. All 10 songs have been written and performed by the artists themselves and the album showcases some truly incredible talent.

The launch of the album will be celebrated by an event on the evening of the 15th in the school hall, which will feature live performances from the featured students, a performance by the Year 7 dance crew, a fashion showcase and prize draws! The event starts at 7pm and entry is £2.50 for adults and £1 for under 16s.

Hope to see lots of you there for what is sure to be a memorable evening!

FERRIS WHEEL Track Listing:

1. Be This Way – Beth Trevithick 2. Ferris Wheel – Olivia Stephens 3. Don’t Follow – Brody Barden and Amber Symons 4. You’re Mine – Emily Rees 5. Caught Up With You – Woody New 6. Reflections – Arielle Fitkin 7. The Girl Who – Sammy Dunn 8. Only Escape – Demelza Jones 9. L.O.V.E. – Olivia Stephens 10. Moaner Lisa – The Cold Six Hundred

Design by Abby Huckle

Photography by Tegan Shutt Report by Darren Roberts BE INFORMED BE COMPETITIVE

Cornwall School Games - U13's Mixed Hockey Champions

On Friday 28th June the U13's mixed hockey team competed at the 2015 Cornwall School Games. We played 7 games in total, winning 6 of them.

Our games consisted of playing School, in which we lost 2-0, Penryn and B, where we won 2-0 in both games, Humphry Davy, with us winning 2-1, Bude A, which we won 3-2, and Penrice and Poltair, where we won 1-0 in both games. Everyone played really well, with goals from Megan, Tilly and Harris and also with amazing goalkeeping from Toby. After the day had finished we had the results and Mounts Bay had won by 1 point in front of Truro School.

This made Mounts Bay County Champions of the Cornwall School Games. Well done to everyone that played, and thank you to Mrs Trevail for taking and coaching us.

Team: The results were: Megan Pengelly, Tilly Hocking, Iona 1st Mounts Bay - 18 points O'Connell, Toby Osbourne, 2nd Truro School - 17 points Harris Eddy, Tyler Keerey, Ben 3rd Penrice - 13 points Wragg, Chloe Graham, Aimee Polyblank

Report by Megan Pengelly BE A WINNER

Maths Quiz House Competition This Week’s Puzzle: Green: 28 Points Find three different whole numbers that add up to 10. How Orange: 22 Points many ways can it be done? Purple: 21 Points Blue: 19 Points Yellow: 17 Points Red: 11 Points

Click here to submit your answer

Closing date for Entries: Thursday 12:00 Win an iTunes voucher

Last week’s solution: For each correct answer throughout this semester we will The difference is always 2. put your name in the hat for a chance to win an iTunes voucher – the more correct answers, the more chance of winning.

Could you write next week’s puzzle? If you would like to set the numeracy puzzle for a future week click here. You will win house points.

This Week’s House Points Totals BE INFORMED