Newsletter 14 - 28Th
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Friday 28th April 2017 RUSHEY MEAD ACADEMY Newsletter ISSUE NUMBER 14 RMET Free School Application We are pleased to announce that the Department for Education (DfE) has approved our application to open a free school in Leicester. The new secondary school is expected to open in 2018 or 2019 and will be based on the model of Rushey Mead Academy, that is “rated outstanding by Ofsted and consistently one of the highest performing schools in Leicester“. Through Rushey Mead Educational Trust, the new school will have access to a world-class education network and excellent school-to-school support. We will now work with the Department for Education to establish a location for the school and, once that is confirmed, will work closely with the local community and parents in this exciting new venture. For more information about the Free School please visit www.rusheymeadfreeschool.org.uk “Take if further opportunities” Year 7 STEM day On Monday 24th April, 60 of our Year 7 students had the opportunity to experience a STEM day delivered by Engineering Development Trust (EDT). The aim of this event was to widen participation by encouraging students from diverse groups to consider courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The day was filled with a range of hands-on activities and a career talk from the STEM ambassador. Students were challenged to work effectively in small teams to solve problems practically. Challenges included investigating the issues with supplying energy to the world given the current population growth and the new demands on energy supplies. Students then had the opportunity to design and create an elastic band powered car. The winning team managed to build a car that travelled 5.10m, which was a fantastic achievement. Congratulations to Sabith 7HAM, Fiona 7BOS, Viraj 7MEM and Janaki 7MEM. The EDT team commended our students for their enthusiasm, effort and behaviour. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the day, gaining new skills and confidence. ‘This was a great day as there were a variety of challenges. I got to work with other students and build on my teamwork skills’ Ritu 7BEM ‘The car building task was really interesting and made us think about how to improve our designs in a practical way.’ Dhaaran 7CHM Year 8 STEM day In March, 30 Year 8 students had the opportunity to visit Coventry University for the day as part of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) initiative. The programme saw students watching graduates work on 3D printers and race cars as well as building their own working models. From building bridges to constructing 3D skyscrapers the students excelled throughout the day. Sadly, they did not win the trebuchet building contest but finished a gallant second. Well done! Year 11 Physics Masterclass and ‘Journey to a comet’ public Physics lecture Students in Year 11 had a fantastic opportunity to complete a Physics Masterclass programme this term delivered by an Ogden Teacher Fellow and the National Space centre. Students attended a set of three inspirational master classes where they had the opportunity to work on higher level Physics concepts to further stretch and challenge their thinking. The sessions involved a mixture of theory and practical science to develop understanding of key astrophysics concepts. The programme culminated with a public lecture on the ‘Journey to a comet’ and an award ceremony for the participating students. Ali Panju from the Ogden Trust and Andy Murray from the National Space Centre delivered the inspirational public lecture to Y9-Y11 students, parents and carers. The lecture also provided an insight into the Astro Academy: Principia, a unique education programme carried out by Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station. We hope to collaborate with the Ogden Trust and the National Space Centre in the near future to provide further opportunities for our students. ‘The masterclass programme was great and gave me a real insight into higher level Physics! I really enjoy Physics and am hoping to pursue this subject as one of my A levels. The final lecture was inspirational and motivational.’ Brinthini Vickneswaran 11BOM ‘It was very interesting because the subject is fascinating and the experiments were fun. The masterclass also enhanced and consolidated our knowledge on what we learnt in the GCSE Physics course.’ Pranav Mistry 11BOR All the 22 students who enrolled onto the programme worked exceptionally well and successfully completed the course. Congratulations to the Y11 students below: Dhyey Doshi 11CHM, Rajan Chita 11BEM, Arjun Mattu 11BEM, Jay Limachya 11CHM, Shashank Himatrai 11BEM, Parth Mangela 11HAR, Shaylan Ramaiya 11BOR, Dillan Patel 11CHR, Pranav Mistry 11BOR, Bhavin Shah 11BOR, Nirav Majithia 11MER, Bhurva Tank 11MER, Joshua Steel 11HAR, Rushil Kotecha 11BOR, Akash Patel 11BER, Ria Parmar 11BER, Nikita Vaja 11BOR, Vinay Jobanputra 11CHR, Cartic Vimal 11CHM, Rihab Bachu 11BOM, Yash Sharma 11BOM, Brinthini Vickneswaran 11BOM Women in Science Congratulations to Tanisha Chauhan (10BOR) for securing a place on the University of Cambridge Easter residential: “Women in Science”. This is an exciting programme of enrichment in the Sciences. We look forward to hearing about her experience shortly. Medicine calling The University of Leicester delivered an interactive twilight conference for Key Stage 4 students in March considering a career in medicine with a spotlight on psychiatry called ‘Medical Calling’. Many of our students were proactive and attended the conference. They had the opportunity to find out more about the UCAS application process for medicine and types of work experience that they should get involved with. Medicine Calling Department of Medical and Social Care Education Medical schools delivered lectures and workshops, including roles plays that our students found extremely interesting. Many of our students were not aware of the varied careers a degree in medicine offers. It was a great experience for all those who attended, leaving them motivated and determined to succeed. ‘I really found the workshop focusing on the mental health problems interesting and it has given me an insight into an alternative area of medicine I could potentially pursue. The role-play was definitely thought provoking.’ Maryam Mohamed Ameen 10HAR ‘The conference has made me research into psychiatry. The role-play was very well acted Open 28 Artwork Congratulations to Dhwani Koriya whose artwork has been selected to be exhibited in The Open 28 Young People Category. Dhwani will be exhibiting her work at the refurbished Old Library Gallery at the Leicester Adult Education College on Belvoir Street, 8 July - 19 August 2017 Stranger danger We regularly remind students about the importance of “Stranger Danger”. We have recently put a message out to students, via Fronter, to remind them of key points that they should be aware of, see below. Please speak with your child about being vigilant at all times and to report anything suspicious to an adult. Thank you for your support. - Don't talk to strangers - Don't walk with strangers - If ever approached by a stranger, tell a parent or an adult - Don't accept gifts from strangers - Don't get into a car with strangers - Don't talk to strangers when they ask for directions - If ever approached by a stranger and you are still near school, return to your school and immediately tell a staff member Sporting Updates Basketball The boys Year 9 and 10 Basketball teams have had an unbelievable season. Within the East Leicestershire League both teams won the league, playing at an amazing standard. This was an outstanding achievement in its own right. However, the boys went on to compete at County Level with the Year 10’s becoming County Champions and the Year 9’s coming runners up. This has moved the boys on to a different level of play and has been great for them to experience. Within the County Championships both teams played incredibly well with the Year 10s playing an amazing final quarter, coming back from ten points down to winning the game against Rawlins Academy. It was unfortunate that the Year 9’s were beaten in the finals by Rawlins Academy. Both teams showed amazing resilience and character and represented Rushey Mead fantastically. A huge thank you to all of the student volunteers that gave up their day (a Sunday) to help score and officiate the County games. Referees, officials and teachers from opposing schools have been very complimentary about their level of professionalism and dedication. Well done to all! Handball The Year 10 Handball team recently went to Soar Valley College to compete in a schools Handball Tournament. The boys played extremely well and played with professionalism and respect for other teams. The boys won the tournament and have been crowned East Leicestershire Champions which is an incredible achievement. Staff members within the PE Department at Rushey Mead have recently been on a Handball course in order to upskill their knowledge. This will further the provision for students and enable us to offer students the best possible experience and knowledge of the game. Volleyball The Year 10 boys and girls Volleyball teams played incredibly well throughout the term with the Year 10 boys becoming the East Leicestershire Champions and the Year 10 girls came runners up. Both teams got through to the Spring Championships at Loughborough University but the girls were asked to attend as West Leicestershire representatives. Both teams played really well with the boys coming 2nd overall after a first close 21-20 victory against South Charnwood. The girls came 7th overall but both teams have great team spirit with respect for other teams and were great representatives for the City and Rushey Mead. Netball In February a group of students completed their ‘Into Officiating’ Netball Umpiring course hosted at Rushey Mead by England Netball.