School Newsletter | October 2016 | Student name:______

InIn thisthis issue….issue…. WelcomeWelcome toto OurOur NewNew YearYear 7s7s „CHESS‟„CHESS‟ Lealands‟Lealands‟ PresentationPresentation EveningEvening

PlusPlus muchmuch more...more...

AspireAspire BelieveBelieve AchieveAchieve InIn ThisThis Issue….Issue….

Content Page Introduction from Headteacher Mr Burridge 3-4

Dates for your Diary 5 Medical Information 6-7

New Website 8

School Improvement Priorities 9

International Award Success 10-11

Clubs & Extra-Curricular Activities 12-15

Outstanding Achievements 16

Welcome to our New Year 7 Students 17-19

Year 7 Trip To Dell Farm 20-21

Our Week At Summer School 22-23

Fun In The Sun 24

Summer Games 25

Charity Work 26

Book Review 27

Duke of Edinburgh Award 28-29

Sports Day 30-31

CHESS 32-33

Luton 6th Form Taster Day 33

London Rambert Trip 34

Lealands Celebrates At Annual Presentation Evening 35

2 Introduction from Headteacher Mr Burridge

Dear parents and carers, We have had a fantastic start to the year and have really enjoyed welcoming all our new students – they have been delightful. This year has seen the largest growth in numbers in recent years and we have responded with a separate lunchtime for Year 7 students. This has, not only allowed Year 7s to settle in even better, but has meant that lunchtime queues have been very manageable and run efficiently in the time. The sheer number of students, in the school now, is very evident at the end of the day when they are all leaving at the same time. We are pleased that this growth has gone well and we are now full in most year groups. 2017 will be the final year of growth to our full capacity of 1050. Following consultation during the last academic year, the school converted to Foundation Status from Community Status on 12th September. On the whole, parents and students shouldn’t see any differences, but we now have greater control over our buildings and land as well as becoming our own employer. As well as welcoming many new students, we also have a significant number of new staff. Some of our new staff are from Canada, Ireland and the USA – they have brought an added dimension to the school which is further enhancing the opportunities and experience of our students. Others have joined us from across the UK including, York, Wales and ! We really are a truly international school! We have included our school improvement priorities for 2016-17 in this newsletter. We are really focusing our energies on further enhancing teaching and learning within our ambition to have as much outstanding teaching as possible. We also want to enhance our interventions so that all students make really good progress. This is in the context of an increasingly academic and challenging curriculum leading to significantly harder GCSEs. At the Year 9 Tutor Evening a few weeks ago, I know many parents were interested to hear about the complicated changes to GCSEs and grades from Mr Little, our Assistant Head responsible for curriculum. Information about this is available on our website along with much more. This year we have also further developed careers provision in the school with the appointment of Miss Griffiths to a new Careers Coordinator role. She will be further

3 Headteacher‟sHeadteacher‟s IntroductionIntroduction

developing the many opportunities that students already have to explore the world of work and make important decisions about their futures. Miss Griffiths is now located in Learning Resource Centre so that students can see her whenever they need to. I hope you enjoy reading about the many interesting events and activities our students have been involved in and how they have demonstrated what it means to be a Lealands’ student throughout this newsletter. I am particularly pleased to see a number of the reports written by students which we hope to continue throughout the year. Mr J Burridge Headteacher

ContactContact InformationInformation  

As we settle into the new academic year at Lealands, we would like to remind you that it is extremely important that we have up to date contact information for all students. If there are any changes to a student’s address, parental contact telephone numbers or email addresses, please can you inform Mrs Lawes in the Finance Office as soon as possible on 01582 611600 or email admin@lealands..sch.uk Lots of information is sent home via these methods and if contact details are incorrect, unfortunately important information may not get passed on.

4 DatesDates ForFor YourYour DiaryDiary

Year 7 Tutor Evening - Wednesday 19th October 2016 Year 11 Parents’ Evening - Wednesday 2nd November 2016 Blue Peris Trip - Tuesday 15th November—Saturday 19th November 2016 Year 8 Parents’ Evening - Wednesday 16th November 2016 Year 10 Parents’ Evening - Wednesday 30th November 2016 Christmas Concert - Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th December 2016 French Trip - Friday 9th December—Monday 12th December 2016 Term Dates Half Term: Monday 24th October - Friday 28th October 2016 Autumn Term Ends: Friday 16th December 2016 Spring Term Begins: Thursday 5th January 2017 Training Days Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th December 2016 Wednesday 4th January 2017

££ ££ ££ OnlineOnline PaymentsPayments

Don’t forget you can pay online using the ‘Parents’ Payment’ link which now appears as a £ sign on the slideshow of our website: www.lealands.luton.sch.uk. If you do not have your link code to login, please contact the school Finance Office on 01582 611600. The following is currently available for payment online:

Voluntary Contributions Events, Trips and Visits Other Technology Years 7,8,9 Blue Peris Music Lessons Textiles Year 10 and 11 Duke of Edinburgh Resistant Materials Year 10 and 11 Food Contribution Year 11

The school also prefers for all school meals to be paid for online. This gives you the flexibility to top up your child’s account at home using a debit or credit card rather than having to use cash or cheque. Further details and an online payments instruction manual can be found on our website: www.lealands.luton.sch.uk under the ‘Parents’ Information’ section.

5 MedicalMedical InformationInformation

GUIDELINES FOR VISITS TO THE MEDICAL ROOM

 Our trained Medical Officer can administer minor first aid and will contact parents/ medical services for more serious cases.

 All accidents and visits to the medical room are recorded and monitored.

 All visits should be made during break/lunch time, unless it is an emergency.

 Any student attending the medical room during lesson time without their learning diary being signed by a teacher will be sent back to class.

 If a student is causing a real concern or is in distress, a visit to the medical room is at the teacher’s discretion.

 It is very important to ensure that we do not dehydrate. Students should ensure they bring a bottle of water with them to school – this can be refilled at the water fountains. Students will not be permitted to leave lessons to visit the medical room to get a drink.

 Any fizzy drinks or energy drinks WILL BE CONFISCATED.

 Students should not be leaving lesson to use the toilet unless it is an emergency or they have been issued with a toilet pass due to a medical issue. Please speak to Matron if you have any concerns. MEDICINES IN SCHOOL Prescription medicines MUST be supplied to the Medical Room in a container labelled by the pharmacist. All other medicines must be provided in their original packaging. All medicines held and dispensed by the Medical Room must have a parent’s/carer’s written consent. Medication prescribed for 1 / 2 / 3 doses a day should not normally require administration during the school day, unless times are specifically stated by their GP. The medication should generally be taken at the following times:- 1) before school 2) on arrival home from school 3) before bedtime Asthma Inhalers Inhalers for the relief of asthma must be immediately available and should be carried in school by pupils who use them. Please ensure the child’s name is on the inhaler. A spare inhaler should be left in the Medical Room in case of emergency.

6 Paracetamol Paracetamol can only be given to students who have returned their permission slip. Tablets will only be given at break, lunch time and at change of lesson unless the school has been informed the student suffers with migraine or is on the Medical List. Students must not carry pain relief tablets. If students are caught carrying medication in school, the tablets will be confiscated and the Senior Leadership Team will be informed. 48 HOUR RULE Could I please remind you that any child who has had diarrhoea and / or vomiting should be kept at home for 48 hours from the LAST episode of diarrhoea or vomiting. This directive comes from the Health Protection Agency – Guidance of Infection Control in Schools and other Child Care Settings. MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS Whilst we realise that some of these are unavoidable, please try and book appointments before or after school and ensure proof is supplied to ensure a two hour appointment time is authorised. Students should not be taking the whole day off school to attend appointments. For longer appointments (ie London hospitals), please speak to Matron direct as a longer absence can be authorised in exceptional circumstances. Matron

PricePrice IncreasesIncreases

The price to purchase a replacement tie and learning diary from the School Office has increased. The price to purchase a replacement tie is now £5.50 and a replacement learning diary is £4.25.

7 NewNew AcademicAcademic Year,Year, NewNew WebsiteWebsite

Lealands is very excited to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website. The site has a modern and fresh new look and is now compatible with desktops, tablets and smart phones. Visit us to keep up to date with the latest news about . To find out what's coming up, visit the School Calendar and if there is any information you require about Lealands you will be able to find that under the 'Our School' tab. Letters which have been sent home during the week will be available to view on our 'Letters to Parents' page under the 'News & Events' tab. For direct links to our online 'Parents' Payments' system, Show my Homework, Accelerated Reader, Dynamic Learning, GCSEpod and our Facebook page, see the icons on the slideshow photos of our homepage. We hope you find the new site faster, easier to navigate and more user friendly but still just as informative. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the new layout and we hope you enjoy navigating your way round. The website address remains the same. Visit us as: www.lealands.luton.sch.ukwww.lealands.luton.sch.uk To get notifications direct to your mobile device from our website as the news happens, download the School News App FREE from your App Store. You can also import our calendar events straight into your device calendar so you can set reminders for upcoming important events. 8 SchoolSchool ImprovementImprovement PrioritiesPriorities

Priority Area 1: Continuously improving teaching and learning so that:

 it is consistently good and more is outstanding

 students receive regular written feedback consistently which helps them improve their work further in all lessons

 appropriate homework is set and completed which supports all students to further their learning in all subjects

 lessons are planned and delivered to match the needs of individual students more effectively Priority Area 2: Support students to achieve excellence by:-

 ensuring excellent progress and achievement for all students with a special focus on improving outcomes for boys as well as those joining the school with average ability or from less advantaged backgrounds Priority Area 3: Improve the attendance and behaviour of vulnerable students and students most at risk of underachieving by:-

 continuing to improve attendance to 96% overall with a focus on improving the attendance of students with special educational needs and from less advantaged backgrounds

 ensuring that students at risk of not achieving are identified early and supported to improve their attendance, attitudes to learning and achievement

School‟sSchool‟s FantasyFantasy FootballFootball LeagueLeague

Due to another successful season of the school’s Fantasy Football League, Mr McCracken will be running another season. Entry forms are available to collect from him and for students who are interested, a club has started on Monday lunchtimes in ICT 3, for competitors to come and set up their teams or to get help if required. Last year’s overall winner was current Year 8 student, Robbie Howe. Well done to him and good luck to all for the new season!

9 InternationalInternational AwardAward SuccessSuccess

We are extremely proud to announce that Lealands has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom. The International School Award is a badge of honour for schools that do outstanding work in international education, such as through links with partner schools overseas. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens. Lealands’ international work includes working with two overseas schools, in Tanzania and one in India. Regular visits to both the schools and return visits to Lealands have helped build a relationship enabling students and staff to learn more about global citizenship. Lealands has donated funds to Sazira School in Tanzania, which has helped to provide cooking facilities, electricity, water and many other resources throughout an on- going four year relationship. On hearing the news that Lealands had received the award, Headteacher, Mr Burridge said: “I am delighted that our continued work with overseas schools and other countries has been recognised by the reaccreditation of this prestigious award. Our students are extremely aware, and have a great understanding of their role as global citizens. They are also benefitting from some amazing opportunities to interact and learn from others around the world.” John Rolfe, from the British Council, said: “The school’s fantastic international work has rightfully earned it this prestigious award. The International School Award is a great chance for schools to demonstrate the important work they’re doing to bring the world into their classrooms. Adding an international dimension to children’s education ensures that they are truly global citizens and helps prepare them for successful future careers in an increasingly global economy.” The award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus and Pakistan as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme. Around 5,000 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.

10 InternationalInternational AwardAward SuccessSuccess

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

 An international ethos embedded throughout the school

 A majority of pupils within the school impacted by and involved in international work

 Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools

 Curriculum-based work across a range of subjects

 Year-round international activity

 Involvement of the wider community Fore more information about the International School Award, please visit the ‘Curriculum’ page of our website: www.lealands.luton.sch.uk

“Hard“Hard WorkWork PaysPays Off”Off”

Lealands High School is very proud of our students who worked extremely hard to achieve some excellent results in this year’s GCSE examinations. This year has been especially challenging with the many changes to GCSEs. Students have achieved excellent individual successes in many subject areas. We would like to congratulate all of our students who achieved excellent GCSE grades and wish them every success in the future. Very special congratulations to:

 Naa Ntodi who achieved A* in all 10 of her GCSEs. This is a spectacular achievement.

 Rubina Begum who achieved six levels of progress in English and maths with 8 GCSEs at A*-C

 Head Girl, Nadine Scarlett, who achieved 8 A*/A grades Mr Burridge, Headteacher, said “These results show that hard work really pays off and our students should be proud of their achievements. Many students surpassed expectations to gain some fantastic GCSE results. We wish them well in the future.”

11 ClubsClubs andand ExtraExtra--CurricularCurricular ActivitiesActivities

Extra-curricular activities are a major strength of Lealands High School. Enrichment activities range from clubs at lunch time and after school, to a number of residential trips. Throughout the academic year, all departments contribute to our program ensuring we offer an extensive range of activities to engage all. Students are consulted regularly on opportunities they would like to be made available within school. As part of our specialist sports status, there is a wide range of sporting opportunities available for all students. These clubs vary from individual to team sports, and provide broad and balanced opportunities for students of all aptitudes and abilities, to participate in promoting a positive, healthy lifestyle through participation and competition. Our Performing Arts Department provide opportunities for all with a popular music, dance and drama timetable encouraging the creative side of Lealands' students to grow. There are a number of performances throughout our calendar year, providing students with the opportunity to showcase the wonderful skills they develop within performing arts lessons. We believe that promoting leadership opportunities and skills will ensure our students to achieve the best they can when they leave Lealands. There is also a wide range of leadership opportunities for our partner primary school students, across a number of subjects allowing students to learn and develop interpersonal skills in a fun and active way. The available PE and Performing Arts clubs can be found opposite, whilst the full itinerary can be found over the page. A copy can also be downloaded from our website, on the ‘Curriculum’ page. 12 ClubsClubs andand ExtraExtra--CurricularCurricular ActivitiesActivities

Anyone interested in trampolining, swimming or fitness, after school clubs, please come to the PE office on a Monday to complete a sign up sheet.

Y8/9 Jazz/Commercial Dance

13 ClubsClubs andand ExtraExtra--CurricularCurricular ActivitiesActivities

Location Category Activity When Contact or Room History Geek Club Year 8- Wednesday Humanities History Miss Young 11 Lunch 4 Tuesday PM Learning Learning Homework Homework club Wednesday PM Resource Support Thursday PM Centre ICT Homework and Study Monday Lunch Mrs Fergus ICT 2 Centre (Years 8-11) Tuesday Lunch Mr Little ICT1 ICT ICT Homework and Study Friday Lunch Mrs Alani ICT2 Centre (Year 7) Foreign Cinema Club - Mrs Grace Tuesday Lunch Voc 2 Year 7 Mrs Whybrow Miss Plaideau Mr McCracken Languages Homework Club Languages Languages Wednesday PM Mrs Grace (All Years) 2 Mrs Whybrow Mr Pugsley Mr McCracken Languages Language Leaders (Year 8) Thursday Lunch Miss Plaideau 2 Miss Wednesday Games Club (Year7) Chowdhury Maths 4 Lunch Miss Lomasney Maths Games Club (Years 8 and 9) Thursday Lunch Mr Whelan Maths 1 Maths Homework Club (All Tuesday PM Maths Dept Maths Years) Orchestra (Years 8-11) Monday Lunch Mr Patterson Choir Years 8 and 9 Tuesday Lunch Performing Key Stage 4 Drama Tuesday and Arts - Intervention Wednesday PM Mr Patterson PA Music/ Key Stage 4 Music Mr Hart Thursday PM Drama Intervention Mrs Patterson Year 7 Samba Friday Lunch Key Stage 4 Choir Friday PM Boys Only Dance Club Tuesday Lunch (All Years) Key Stage 4 Dance Performing Tuesday PM Dance Intervention Miss Miller Arts - Dance Studio Year 7 Dance Club Wednesday PM Jazz/Commercial Dance Friday Lunch Club (Year 8and 9) 14 ClubsClubs andand ExtraExtra--CurricularCurricular ActivitiesActivities

Location Category Activity When Contact or Room Schools Fantasy League SFL Monday Lunch Mr McCracken ICT3 (All Years) Trampolining (Years 10- Monday Lunch 11) Table Tennis Mr Ashby Monday Lunch (Years 10 - 11) Sky Sports - by invitation Monday Lunch Mr Payne only (Years 8-11) Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Mr Payne Tuesday Lunch Award - when requested Mr Morris Miss Watson Netball Training Miss Hambleton Tuesday PM Football Fixtures PE Dept Basketball Fixtures

Table Tennis (Year 7) Mr Ashby Mr Didlick Trampolining (Year 7) Wednesday Lunch Sky Sports - by invitation PE & Mr Payne only (Years 8-11) PE Sports Miss Hambleton Trampolining Training Mrs Hyland Wednesday PM Miss Watson Netball Fixtures Miss Hambleton Table Tennis Mr Ashby (Years 8 and 9) Mr Didlick Trampolining Miss Watson Thursday Lunch (Years 8 and 9) Miss Hambleton Duke of Edinburgh Silver Mr Payne Award - when requested Mr Morris Girls Basketball Training Miss Hambleton

Girls Football Thursday PM Miss Markland Mr Ashby Swimming (All Years) Mr Didlick

Fitness Training Friday PM Mrs Hyland

15 OutstandingOutstanding AchievementsAchievements

In our last edition, we highlighted the outstanding achievements of our Year 9 student, Lauren, in the swimming pool. During the Summer, Lauren was back in competition and here’s an update on how she got on…. At National Open Water, Lauren swam in the 13 year old 1500m event in a time of 19:21.00, which meant she came 2nd. She won a silver medal in a PB of 01:04.00. Due to her 2nd place, she was selected for Sport England Talent Camp Phase 1 at Peterborough on Saturday 17th September. She was really looking forward to being coached by some of Team GB's top Coaches Mike Parker and Fred Furniss. At English Nationals she improved her entry position in both 400m and 800m freestyle. She has 7 women's open qualifying times (there are no age groups) for the East Region Short Course Winter Championships, which are being held at Inspire at the beginning of November. We will keep you updated on Lauren’s progress. Good luck Lauren!

CollegeCollege andand SixthSixth FormForm OpenOpen DaysDays

Redbourne Upper School Thursday 13th October 2016 North Herts College Saturday 15th October 2016 Saturday 15th October 2016 Central Beds College Wednesday 2nd November 2016 Bedford College Wednesday 2nd November 2016 Shuttleworth College Saturday 5th November 2016 - St Albans Saturday 12th November 2016 Oaklands College - Welwyn Garden City Tuesday 15th November 2016 Cardinal Newman Sixth Form Wednesday 23rd November 2016

16 WelcomeWelcome ToTo OurOur NewNew YearYear 77 StudentsStudents

It was with trepidation that I stepped out into the playground on Monday 5th September. All these new faces! All sorts of questions filled my head. Would they smile at me when I smiled at them? Would I get to know their names quickly? Would I say the right things? All of these questions faded very quickly as the first face I saw shouted “Hello Mr White!” Phew, someone remembered my name from the transition events that we held here at Lealands last year. If I was feeling nervous about my first day as Head of Year 7, I can only imagine how our new students were feeling on their first day at their new school. Nervous! Apprehensive! Excited! Many have told me since that they felt this way, but it is good to see that they have settled down nicely into life here at Lealands. When I think back to their first day, I remember being struck at how very smart they all looked in their new uniforms, a different sight from seeing them all in their different primary school sweatshirts. I also remember getting a sense of pride from them as they all sat in anticipation for their very first assembly together as year 7 to begin. Once they had been introduced to the day and our high expectations here at Lealands, they had an extended tutor time, spending time getting to know their new tutor and class mates. Here, they learnt what their timetable was going to be and began work on their “getting to know your school” booklet. They also went on a tour of the school and met some teachers. After a well earnt lunch, they went merrily on to their lessons where learning began. By the end of the day, I watched them leave, along with all the other students of the school, and was proud to see extremely large smiles and lots of excited chatter. Since then, the students

17 WelcomeWelcome ToTo OurOur NewNew YearYear 77 StudentsStudents

have been learning that if they cannot do something, either at school or in life, it is something that they cannot do just yet, but hard work will help them achieve it in the future. They have all worked so hard to show this growth mind-set and use the RICC skills – Resilience, Initiative, Creativity and Communication – to progress and many achievement points have been collected because of it. Congratulations to 73MP who have gained the most achievement points so far as a group, and to Evie,71DZ, for having the most as an individual (35). Well done. Looking back now, it is now easy to forget the nervous faces looking at me in those first moments. It has only been four weeks, but the year 7 students have settled in well to life here at Lealands. I look forward to getting to know them a lot better. Keep up the good work Year 7. Mr P. White, Head of Year 7

18 MyMy FirstFirst WeekWeek atat LealandsLealands

I was very nervous on my first day. I only knew two people well from my tutor group but we didn’t go to the same primary school. Luckily, I knew them from when we went to Dell Farm. Dell Farm really helped me come out of my shell. As I went in on the first day, the atmos- phere was very silent. I could sense that I was not the only one nervous. I picked up my courage and said hello to two girls. They seemed to know each other very well and I tried my best to get to know them. After the first and second day, I knew a lot of people I had never met. This really helped me. After my first day at Lealands, I felt a little bit more secure of where everything was, the rules and opportunities there were. Tutor time also helped me settle in and get to know my tutor group better. Whenever I have a problem, I can speak to Mr Shafi or any other adult. I am now feeling a lot better about being here at Lealands. The staff and other students are very supportive. Thank you so much! By Hannah Jeans, 75HS.

ValueValue ofof thethe MonthMonth

19 YearYear 77 TripTrip ToTo DellDell FarmFarm

During the summer holidays, some of your new Year 7s took a trip to Dell Farm along with Mr White, Miss Chin, Mr Hall and Matron. At Dell Farm, the students took part in many activities with the aim of getting to know each other and some staff members ready for the start of school in September. Some things that they may have learnt was Miss Chin’s love of sweets, Mr Hall’s good aim at archery and the clumsiness of Mr White when he tripped over a log! Mia, 74VM tells us about her experience at Dell Farm. Day One: The first day started off quietly, but then became a whole lot cooler! Once we arrived at Dell Farm, we were greeted by two smiling faces who we later found out belonged to Luke and Charlie, our mentors for the next two days. After a small briefing, we set off on our trek to find the woods. Around half way there, Luke and Charlie told us about a tree on a hill that we could see in the distance. It was from a scene in Harry Potter, which rather excited me! After a long walk, we reached our destination in the woods and began our first game – Monster. In this game, our job was to hide in ten seconds and not get found. It was not very easy for me and I was found every time. The aim was to sneak closer, still hiding. If you ran to the monster without him seeing you, you won. We were then put into teams of 4 to play again. After a few more rounds, we were put into teams of 13 and 14 (including 2 teachers in each group). Sadly, my group lost, but it was very fun. At the end of the game, we ate lunch on Dunstable Downs. It was nice to sit and chat. We then played a new game. This game, we had to stop as many people as we could from entering our base. We had to try and get as close as we could. After a few rounds of feeling like a secret agent, we headed back and boarded the coach. After a long, fun day, I think everyone was worn out. Day Two: Upon arrival, we were split into two groups. One went with Luke to do archery, and the others went with Charlie for some team building challenges. I was with Charlie for the morning, so we went over to an area with goats and chickens around. We were shown how to build a shelter and went off to play ‘cross the swamp’. The first game was the basic rules of getting a mat across the field without getting off it! We had to collect the things to make a shelter and then get back across the field and make the shelter. The second game added some challenges. First off, we were not allowed to talk (the biggest challenge for me!!).

20 YearYear 77 TripTrip ToTo DellDell FarmFarm

Once we had built our shelters, we headed to a box of helmets and a cave entrance. We were going into the CAVE OF DOOM. I was really scared, but Charlie convinced me to go and try it. At first it seemed easy, but the second part had some challenges. However, it was the third go that stirred some drama! Everyone got stuck so me, and a couple of others went back. Eventually, everyone came out safe and we had lunch. After lunch, we had a go at archery. At the end of the day, we were all given souvenirs and headed home from a set of amazing days. I felt so much more excited to be coming to Lealands. I made some new friends and I am so glad I came. By Mia, 74VM.

21 OurOur WeekWeek atat SummerSummer SchoolSchool

At the start of the 6 week holiday, new Year 7s were invited to a 4 day program directed by student leaders from Years 8 and 9, plus Lealands staff. The concept of the program was to help the new students with their transition to high school; this involved making new friends, introducing them to school surroundings and forming bonds with teachers and students through fun activities. Throughout these days the new students undertook lessons involving: science, where students created egg parachutes made up of a plastic bag, cardboard and string at a set proportion; textiles, in which students produced a decorated portrait using sewing skills both by hand and machine; problem solving, which involved all students showing high morale, responsibility and group motivation; P.E sessions were used to introduce the students to school equipment and expectations which all students undertook. Towards the end of the program, students enjoyed a visit by a trained circus skills clown, who presented various tricks which were then taught to them. Also, a crime scene investigator provided a lesson on her profession to the class which included fingerprint taking, footprint investigations and a final judgement of who committed the crime. As a student leader on this Summer school, I led students to their activities, became involved in all activities, offered advice for when students began to struggle in tasks and shared my opinion to the students on my first high school memories. I feel that I can take away from this experience high levels of communication skills, good conduct and motivation as well as good punctuality skills. By Henry, Year 10 * * * After the school year finished, I could no longer coach netball at Pirton Hill. Instead, I was offered to volunteer at a transition Summer School once a week in the school holidays. On the first day I got to know the children, travelling around the whole day with the same group. We made slime in the

22 science class. I made sure to chat to the children and encourage them to ask scientific questions to the teacher helping us. I passed round the borax solution and glue which is what makes the slime. The food colouring was then distributed and a lot of odd mixtures were created. After that, there was a quick break of ten minutes. My group then went to the Technology Department where the children had portrait photos taken and then printed onto fabric. This would then turn into a mural of all the children's photographs at the end. We had lunch for an hour, then we went off to PE. As I've taken part in trampolining since the beginning of high school in PE, I was able to coach. The following week, the groups were mixed up and I went with the group that started off in Technology. A long session was spent in here. The children were instructed to create a visual representation of themselves. This included putting initials on their portraits, their favourite subjects, etc. They were given a variety of fabrics and once cut out with fabric scissors, to be glued onto their portrait. This isn't what would normally happen, but to keep everything together, it worked well. After lunch, my group went back over to the PE department to take part in team building exercises. The activity was to get the whole team, two gymnastic mats, two chairs, several balls and a hula-hoop to the other side of the sports hall without dropping anything on the floor. Upon reaching the other side, they had to pick up two cones and come all the way back, trying to beat the other team. After three failed attempts each, they started to talk and help each other move across the floor efficiently. On the last day, an outside agency came in to host a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation session. My group (again, swapped around) went there first. Someone had been murdered in the school and we had to find out who had killed him. They were shown how to observe a crime scene, brush for finger prints, and look at ink samples. I did help, making sure the equipment wasn't ruined. The children had a great time. Also, we did find out who killed him! After lunch, it was back to Technology. I had to show the children how to thread a sewing machine and help trim threads. They stitched around the outside of their added on pieces of fabrics in different colours of thread. A lot of them did get frustrated when it wasn't going how they wanted it, but no one gave up. There was still a bit more to complete (especially those who hadn't been there the previous weeks). By Hannah, Year 10

23 FunFun InIn TheThe SunSun -- 18th18th JulyJuly 20162016

My tutor group, 92AC’s game was pick a straw. We took so long trying to choose a game. We first chose hook a duck, but it was already taken by another tutor group. Once we finally found a game we wanted, we had to figure out what our prizes were. We had loads of teddies at home that no one played with so we used them. It took our form a couple of tries to get the information and the rules right but we managed it. At lunch on the day itself Trinity, Haddy and I went out to set our table up. We sorted the teddies into boxes because a certain straw indicated a certain sized teddy. We also made a sign for our table. Our straw box had been made for us which we were very grateful for. We didn’t expect our stall to get so much attention as it did. At times we had to ask people to go away so we could get the game ready again. We were amazed. In the end 92AC made £110.15 on our stall. We were surprised because we didn’t think it would make that much! By Jessica, Year 10

Fun in the Sun raised a magnificent total £841.31 which means we have £420.66 for Keech Hospice and £420.65 for Lealands. Over the coming weeks we will be seeking student views and identifying a project/thing to buy with the money raised. Well done and thank you to all the students and staff that made the day such a great success.

24 SummerSummer GamesGames

On June the 30th of school last year, I took part in the Summer School Games in Bedford. I did this along with Shekinah, Faith and Ashley of my year group as well. We didn’t compete though because; we actually did the media for the day’s events. What we had to do was observe the people competing and winning each event so that we could then do a write up, for what was going on, later. We split into groups and divided up each sport so it would be faster for us to report on them all. There was athletics, rounders, softball and even indoor rowing. Once we had our results and updates across the day we then had to either write up the overall report for what had happened so far or post a message and picture on the social media accounts we’d been given for the event. It all went really well and we were able to get everything finished by the end of the day. It was great to see everyone competing; especially the rounders team Lealands had entered into the competition themselves. By Charlie, Year 10

YearYear 77 HistoryHistory WorkWork

Our Year 7 students were asked to write a story including as many history key words as they could. This is a fabulous piece of writing from Alex Chalkley. Well done! Miss Young History key words: decade, century, A.D, B.C, chronology, source, archaeology, artefact, history, fact. A decade ago or maybe even a century ago, I died. I thought I would live forever but just forget things. I thought my life had started B.C. and was going to go on forever in A.D. It turns out it’s a fact you can’t live forever. Now I’m part of history and people who study archaeology are picking up artefacts I made. When I was around, people only just figured out chronology and it’s travelled through time from source to source. Now I watch the world go round because I live in space as a brand new star. By Alex Chalkley, Year 7.

25 MrMr Slatter‟sSlatter‟s CharityCharity BikeBike RideRide

On Sunday 31st July, Mr Slatter took part in the Prudential RideLondon—Surrey 100. The ride started at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and finished on The Mall. The route followed much of the original Olympic Road Race route and included the well known Leith Hill and Box Hill climbs. Mr Slatter completed the ride in 8 and a half hours as there were a couple of serious accidents that resulted in the ride being halted.

Mr Slatter said “It was a great experience riding closed roads, through Richmond Park, the Surrey countryside and central London. In total I raised nearly £700 for WaterAid”.

YearYear 1010 CharityCharity WorkWork

Year 10 tutor groups raised money for their tutor charities through various fundraising initiatives last year. These were the totals raised; 101AM £10 Mencap 102LS £20 Make-A-Wish Foundation 103KA £20 RCPCA 104MG £70 Great Ormond Street Hospital 105GR £40 Cancer Research 106SZ £85 Alzheimer’s Society 107CK £50 The Brain Tumour Charity 108VA £90 Space for Giants Well done Year 10, great work!

26 BookBook ReviewReview

How to Train Your Dragon: How to Betray a Dragon‟s Hero by Cressida Cowell Hiccup and his friends Fishlegs and Camicazi venture out to find the last hidden things to become King of the Wilder West. He must find the items by the end of Doomsday otherwise the kingdom is lost! However, can he dodge Alvin and the witch? Will he trust an unlikely person? Find out by reading this brilliant book! This book is very mysterious, and very motivating. I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

By Hannah Jeans 75HS Have you read a book recently that you think others would enjoy? Why not write your own book review? Hand it in to Miss Rezaei in the LRC and it might just appear in the next newsletter! ReadingReading MentorsMentors  A new term at Lealands can mean only one thing to me: a new set of Accelerated Reader points targets to be reached! To ensure that all students feel confident when reading, we have started our reading mentor programme. We have trained our Year 9 students to be competent and effective reading mentors and to be ready to listen to Year 7 students read twice a week. This a great way of helping Year 9 students to gain a valuable experience of a leadership role and will certainly look good on their student leader application forms. Many of last years’ reading mentors enjoyed the programme and found it a rewarding experience. We look forward to watching both our mentors and mentees blossom over the course of this academic year. Ms Rezaei - LRC Manager

27 DukeDuke ofof EdinburghEdinburgh AwardAward

During the Summer Term, eighteen Year 9 students completed the expedition section of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. They had all worked hard to learn important lessons from their training and from the practice expedition undertaken earlier in the year. Britain in July delivered its usual selection of weather and the teams had rain, wind and surprisingly quite a bit of hot sunny spells to contend with. Spirits remained high throughout and it was evident to staff that our students had made great progress. Once the walking was over and all the pasta, noodles and curry had be eaten it was time for the students to entertain staff via sporting demonstrations, singing, dance, gymnastic displays and some very interesting animal impressions! All the staff thoroughly enjoyed the evening’s entertainment.

Once back at Lealands the really hard work had to begin. The DofE Award consists of four sections with the expedition section being the one everyone knows about. All participants have to also complete a skill, physical and volunteer section. Our students have been doing this by taking part in a myriad of different activities. Students have been learning new skills such as creative drawing; learning to play chess; circus skills; conjuring up culinary delights in the kitchen and learning how to grow vegetables on an allotment. They have also been taking part in swimming, bowling, kick boxing, football, keep fit and karate to name just a few of their physical sections. We have students currently volunteering at local charity shops; at Brownies and Girl Guides; teaching and coaching children at music and dance youth groups and assisting at a host of community sports clubs.

28 At the time of writing this piece, five of the group have completed their Bronze Award. Hannah was first to finish closely followed by Charlie, Melissa, Karim and Henry. There are many more that are very close to completing and it is looking very likely that this will be our most successful Bronze Award ever! We have also had more great news this week: Kayla Perry and Daniel Gould who left Lealands in July, have both completed their DofE Silver Award. Well done to all of our students who have been working so hard and showing great commitment to improving themselves and their community. Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award participants: Jessica, Henry, Holly, Mukai, Daisy, Skye, Sophie, Jessica-Anne, Hannah, Anais, Karim, Charlie, Elli, Aimee-Louise, Zoe, Melissa, Kirstie and Hua Li.

SportsSports NewsNews

Netball The Year 9 netball team played their first match and what a game it was! The starting 7 had a fantastic first quarter where they defended well and made many successful interceptions, often resulting in a goal being scored. Fresh legs started the second quarter with 4 centre turnovers and some fantastic running passes. The 3rd and 4th quarter went from strength to strength with goal upon goal being scored. The final score was 48-0 to Lealands and player of the match was Kaylyn Harris.

Basketball The Year 8 boys basketball team played their first match of the year against Cardinal Newman. It was a challenging game with the opposition attacking hard, however, the boys managed to keep their spirits high and scored 2 baskets in the last quarter. Unfortunately they lost 14:4 but are keen to improve in their next match against Chalk Hill. Player of the match goes to Gracjan Drak.

29 SportsSports DayDay

Following two failed attempts at Lealands’ Olympic Sports Day due to heavy rain, the event finally got under way on the last Monday of the Summer Term in beautiful sunshine. It is an event we always look forward to on the calendar and we had been extremely keen to make sure it went ahead at some point before the end of term. It proved, as usual, to be a fantastic day, with students putting in 100% effort and excelling in every event. Each tutor group represented an Olympic country, displaying their values of peace, tolerance, respect, understanding and equality. The games were officially opened by Mr Burridge and the oath was read out by PE teacher, Mr Didlick.

30 SportsSports dayday

31 SchoolSchool ProductionProduction ofof CHESSCHESS

In July 2016, our Year 10 Performing Arts students took to the stage to showcase their talents in our annual school production. This year’s show was the musical CHESS: A story about a chess tournament during the cold war between an American grandmaster and a Soviet grandmaster. The two men become caught up in a fight over a woman who manages one of them but falls in love with the other. The students were split into two casts which performed the show over four fantastic nights. For all of the photos from the show, please visit the ‘Gallery’ page of our website.

32 LutonLuton SixthSixth FormForm TasterTaster DayDay

On Tuesday 28th June, the Year 10 students had the opportunity to go to Luton Sixth Form College and get a taste of their chosen classes. The day consisted of five classes and a general application lesson, which gave the students more insight of the ins and outs of college. With a beautiful, open structure and an array of courses, it is clear the college caters to as many students wants and needs as possible. It gave us a chance to test out any possible academic choices and consider subjects we hadn’t experienced. “The taster day made the majority of students much more secure in their decisions for further education”.– Charlotte Dean-Brown. It was a fantastic experience that we all appreciated and would love to do again before our days at Lealands High School come to a close. By Karris McGonigle, Deputy Head Girl. On the 28th June, Year 10 were given the opportunity to take a look at the next step in their education at Luton Sixth Form College. We were each given four lessons, a general application session and a map to help find our way around the college as we were given the responsibility to make our own way to lessons. My lessons were comprised of: A-level biology, A-level English, BTEC-medical sciences, A-level psychology and A-level sociology. Others had lessons that ranged from A-level archaeology to A-level drama. I enjoyed all four of my subjects, especially A-level English as it was very different to the GCSE English I am accustomed to. The compulsory general application session also gave me a lot of insight into what I’ll need to take certain subjects at A-level or BTEC, for example: An A-level biology student would need a 4 in English, a 6 in maths and two B’s in science. Overall, this day was definitely worth it as it not only allowed me to get a taster of a plethora of different subjects but also gave me information that will help me further my education. By Kamaal Lynch, Deputy Head Boy. 33 LondonLondon RambertRambert TripTrip

Last term, a group of Year 10 students were invited to have a tour around the Rambert building in London. When we got to the Rambert studio we were first shown around their dance studios and were told about why they made the new building the way they did. We were then shown the costume room; the room was filled with costumes from different shows, all of them specific to one dancer. The most interesting part of the tour was going into the archives. There were models of the stage, costumes and props that date back years. Finally we were allowed to watch a warm up class. In each of their warm up classes they have a different dance teacher bought in from outside the company as the dancers pick up new techniques and moves. We had a fantastic day in London, finishing it off with a walk along the Thames. I have to say it was the best trip I have ever been on and what a privilege it was to be invited by the company after a dance workshop in Aylesbury a couple of months before. By Lydia, Year 11

34 LealandsLealands CelebratesCelebrates atat PresentationPresentation EveningEvening

The successes of Lealands High School students were celebrated in style at this year’s annual Presentation Evening. Approximately 350 students, staff and parents filled the beautifully decorated Sports Hall to celebrate the fantastic achievements of students from the previous academic year. The school’s motto to ‘Aspire, Believe, Achieve’ was fully demonstrated with prizes and awards in a variety of categories presented to over 100 students. These included; progress, certificates of excellence and subject commendations. Presenting the awards and guest speaker for the evening was local children’s author Stephen Kelman. In 2011, his debut novel, ‘Pigeon English’ - a book about a young Ghanaian immigrant living on a tough London estate - was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Students from each year group also stood up and presented a review of the past year and their experiences at Lealands. This included the aspirations they have for the coming year and the challenges they may face. The biggest prizes of the evening were presented to a selection of successful students who departed Lealands after their GCSE exams this summer. They were invited back to receive prestigious trophies based on their individual successes. Their names will be forever engraved on the trophies and subsequently Lealands’ history. The speeches from the teachers presenting the trophies were very emotional, and moved a few students to tears. The ceremony culminated with a performance by Lealands’ Performing Arts students from the recent production of the musical ‘Chess’, which rounded off an exceptional evening beautifully.

35 AspireAspire BelieveBelieve AchieveAchieve

Lealands High School, Road, Luton. LU3 3AL Tel: 01582 611600 Fax: 01582 612227 Email: [email protected] www.lealands.luton.sch.uk www.facebook.com/lealandshighschool

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