Newsletter
December 2018 Principal’s Welcome
At the time of writing this column it seems that our ruling party, Parliament, and the whole political process are in a degree of turmoil not seen for a very long time. There is a saying for circumstances such as these: “May you live in interesting times”. Some have claimed that to be an ancient Chinese curse, although a quick internet search suggest that it is a more modern invention. Nevertheless, I'm sure ancient Eastern sages looking for an appropriate proverb for our political masters would have struggled to come up with anything better.
The curse of “interesting times” for education has certainly not gone away either. I know that some of you will have been following the BBC programme “School” and if you haven't seen it then I recommend you catch up with some of the episodes on iPlayer. What comes across most clearly is that schools which are well-run and which have a strong culture, history and ethos are always going to be in a significantly better position than those which seem to be constantly playing catch up. Part of that culture and ethos is parental support and expectations, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the AGS parent body for their consistent and strong commitment to our values, standards and expectations.
Having said that, this is no time for complacency. The overall funding of education remains a key concern for all of our schools and I think it's important that I share with you the following statistics: An 8% real terms cut to school budgets since 2010 (Source: Institute for Fiscal Studies)
A 20% real terms cut to post-16 budgets since 2010 (Source: Institute for Fiscal Studies)
There are well over half a million more pupils in schools since 2010 (Source: Department for Education)
Compared to last year, we have 2,800 fewer Teaching Assistants in our schools (Source: DFE statistical release “Schools workforce Nov 2017”)
Compared to last year, we have 5,400 fewer teachers in our schools (Source: DFE statistical release “Schools workforce Nov 2017”)
Compared to last year, we have 2,600 fewer support staff in our schools (Source: DFE statistical release “Schools workforce Nov 2017”).
Please do make it a new year's resolution that whatever happens in the political world, and whoever is our education secretary in January, that you write to them and express your concerns. If even the best run schools are concerned about the future provision of what is expected, it is so much more challenging for those schools operating in difficult contexts, and for those students with SEN whose funding has been severely reduced.
Finally, back to some genuine ancient Chinese wisdom 寧為太平犬，莫做亂離人 - “it is better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be a human in a warring period.” Whatever happens elsewhere, may you and your families have a peaceful Christmas break and a happy 2019. I (and my dog) certainly intend to. Exams Officer update
Well done to Year 11 students for all the hard work put into their mock exams. Timetables for Summer 2019 will now start appearing on AGS portals, so please do keep an eye on those.
Year 12 exams start on the 9th January 2019; please check AGS portals for individual timetables and clash resolutions. ID cards will be issued in Spring Term which need to be taken to every exam.
Year 13 now have access to mock and summer entries; although rooms are still subject to change. Years 10 to 13 - if you have any spare time over the holiday do check out the Examinations section of the school website, where you will find links to past papers, the‘ Route to Success’ handbook, and rules and regulations set by the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications).
Have a restful break and a very Merry Christmas!!
Mrs Dancy Examinations Officer
New school minibus
With support from the Stratford Town Trust and donations to our School Fund, we have been able to purchase a new school mini bus to take our students to our many extra curriculum events.
Alcester Grammar School School Fund
We are grateful to all those parents who have already pledged a regular monthly amount to our school fund. If you have not already done so, please read the letter from the Principal and Chair of Governors on our website at : http://www.alcestergs.co.uk
The level of funds raised will determine to what extent the school will be able to deliver the “essential extras” - those extras which Securing the best possible contribute so much to the quality of education at AGS but which soon won’t be able to be supported from our budget in the light future for our students of reductions to our funding. Library and Information Centre … … working together
… … reaching goals together
BOOK DONATION We are very grateful to have had a number of books kindly donated to the Library recently by students, staff, parents and governors.
READING CLOUD MLS AGS have invested in upgrading our online library resource, which is now called ‘Reading Cloud’. Reading Cloud is accessible from any internet enabled device, meaning that parents can also access Reading Cloud at home. Parents can monitor their child’s reading progress and assist with writing and videoing book reviews to engage with their child’s learning. Parents can also scan a book’s ISBN through the mobile app and get information on whether it’s in the school library. Teachers can create targeted reading lists for specific year groups or class sets to support curricular topics. Reading Cloud’s catalogue search functions encourages children to actively search their school library online to develop their information seeking skills, whilst the blogging and reviewing area where students can write about their favourite books and authors, builds their confidence, social skills and understanding texts.
NEW WINDOWS AND PCS We were very pleased to return to the library at the start of the school year to brand new windows and PCs. The new windows in the computer area of library have been tinted to help prevent glare from the sun. This has made a big improvement on the students working environment! The new PCs are much smaller and much faster which has also made a big difference to the students and the way in which they can access information.
STUDENT LIBRARIANS ALCESTER SCHOOLS’ BOOK AWARDS We have recruited this year’s team of student We will be welcoming back author Helen Watts librarians and they are well underway with their to AGS in the spring of next year to host an event training and are already an asset to the Library! for a select number of our most enthusiastic readers.
This will form part of the 3 stages of The Alcester Schools’ Book Awards which is held here at AGS, Alcester Academy and also St Benedict’s Catholic High School. English News
WRITING CLUB The Creative Writing Club, which means on a Tuesday lunchtime (12.50-1.20pm) in En1 has continued to go from strength to strength under the guidance of A level English Language student Eryn. She writes, Since taking over the Creative Writing club, I am deeply impressed at the students’ work and how every week they are able to conjure up new ideas for either a play, a poem or a piece of prose.
Over the last few weeks, Creative Writing club has experimented with many styles of writing, from children’s novels one week to poetry the next. However, every week has seen some amazing pieces of writing created and, whether in groups or on their own, all the members of the club have shared their work and appreciated each other’s creativity. Most recently, we tried poetry for Christmas, and they had to choose a Christmas storyline to base their poem on, with everyone writing a stanza each. They chose as a group to do “The First Ever Christmas”, including all sorts of mayhem such as Mrs Claus’s paranoia over Santa’s disappearance on Christmas eve, or Rudolf’s dismay at not being chosen to join the other Reindeers. Enjoy a taster of their hard work below!
Everyone’s ready; the plan is set, dear Mrs Claus stands up to be met. Through the bright stained-glass-window streams bright coloured light, Oh Santa, get ready for such a great fright!
And so a plan was hatched, A fake wedding was to go ahead. Oh what a shock Santa would get, as his wife married Elf 5293 with glee.
Back into the warmth of this house he comes, Covered in white, smelling of plums. He spreads his arms with a look of delight, Then I scream at him: “Where have you been all this night?”
I have this red nose you see, So Santa won’t pick me, All of the other reindeers, They all have gone but, oh, not me….
ROMEO AND JULIET LIVE SCHOOLS' BROADCAST The best "two hours traffic [revision] of our stage" On Wednesday 21st November Year 10 were lucky enough to have the opportunity of watching a live performance of the RSC's current production of Romeo and Juliet streamed into our theatre at AGS. This was a contemporary production highlighting the impact of oppressive authority over teenagers and raising interesting questions about a pervading masculine culture both in Elizabethan England and the 21st century. For Year 10 students embarking upon their study of this GCSE set text, watching a world-renowned live theatre production of the play is invaluable for developing their own interpretations of the text, exploring characterisation and reflecting upon themes, as well as securing their understanding. The production was followed by a live question and answer session with the cast.
Some responses from our students were as follows:
"The live production makes the text real and easy to understand." "I have been inspired to revise!" "The modern adaptation brought the play closer to home." "The cube set made an interesting adaptation." "I've seen the production at the RSC before but it became much clearer the second time round." "The play expressed ideas about gender differently and the "balcony scene" not on a balcony felt different." Perhaps ask your Year 10 students at home for their views… Mrs K Doudican and Mrs S Taylor Maths News
JUNIOR MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD Following on from Haydon Phillip’s outstanding result of gold in the Junior Maths Challenge he was invited to take part in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad. This is a fantastic achievement with only 1200 of the very highest performers being invited to take part in this elite mathematical Competition.
Well done to Haydon. We are very much looking forward to hearing of future success from him in the Maths Challenge this year.
OMEGA CLUB Mr Atherton has launched a brand new club this year for Years 7 and 8. The club involves playing strategy board games in a fun and friendly environment and the students are really enjoying challenging their friends. If this sounds like fun then do come along to Ma1 on Tuesday lunchtimes.
SENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE Over 40 students in Years 12 and 13 recently took part in the Senior Maths Challenge. The challenge involves intriguing multiple choice question papers, which are designed to stimulate interest in maths in large numbers of pupils. 32 students gained a certificate with 4 of these qualifying for additional rounds. Alexander Stronach, Robin Mason, Mehrdad Halali and Alex Bond qualified for the Senior Kangaroo. The Maths Department would like to wish these students the best of luck with their upcoming round.
MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD FOR GIRLS The Mathematical Olympiad for Girls is a competition aimed at girls in Year 11 and above. It aims to encourage and inspire as many girls as possible to get involved in advanced mathematical problem solving. Another purpose of this competition is to form part of the process to identify potential squad members for the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad and other international competitions. Three of our students took part in this competition, Molly Gill-Swift, Francesca Wiseman, both from Year 12, and Amy Gemmil in Year 11, with Amy Gemmill securing a Distinction in this highly challenging competition.
SENIOR TEAM MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE The STMC is a competition testing mathematical, communication and teamwork skills, with the students competing against teams from other schools and colleges in our region.
Mehrdad Hallali, Alex Stronach, Jodie Young and Rhys Mahon represented Alcester Grammar School in this competition.
UNIVERSITY INTERVIEW PREPARATIONS Earlier this term, we arranged some mock interviews with Associate Professor, Dr David Wood, from Warwick University. He came into school to help prepare some of our keenest Further Mathematicians for potential university interviews for maths related degrees. The students found the experience really useful and it involved them talking about their maths interests and discussing a maths problem.
The maths department and students would like to thank Dr Wood for this invaluable experience. Science News
PHYSICS SIXTH FORM LED PRIMARY MASTERCLASSES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ROYAL INSTITUTION Throughout the autumn term, 6 of our Year 13 students have been working hard to plan and deliver a series of after school sessions for students from some of our local primary schools.
The sessions are part of a Masterclass series which have been developed with the support of The Royal Institution, who trained the students on how to plan and deliver the sessions.
Every week, the primary students have come to AGS and received an hour and a half long session focussing on some aspect of the use of maths in physics, with the sessions been entirely planned and delivered by our Year 13 students.
They have had sessions on speed, elasticity, binary and conservation of energy. They were then visited by Selwyn on behalf of The Royal Institution who talked them through Symmetry; what it means, different types and why mirrors reflect as they do. This session culminated with them making their own kaleidoscope to take home.
The final session then involved reviewing all the work they had done over the previous 5 weeks, with a Christmas twist!
The response from the primary school students has been superb, they were animated and engaged (despite coming to us having already completed a full day at school) and thoroughly enjoyed getting a taste of what physics will be like once they begin secondary school.
Our sixth form students worked very hard to plan their sessions at an appropriate level and were able to build great relationships with the students very quickly. Despite probably never having done anything like this before, they were able to enthuse and inspire them about studying physics and maths at a secondary level.
We already have our Year 12 students lined up to deliver the sessions next year and are looking forward to welcoming our next group of primary students. Science News
BIOLOGY FANTASTIC CORRIDOR PAINTINGS BY 6TH FORM STUDENTS
Two of our highly successful Year 12 students, Jade Ng and Rachel Joseph, found time to volunteer in the summer term and add to our eukaryotic plant and animal cell murals on the biology corridor wall. We are delighted with the resulting prokaryotic cells!
Here is a picture of Jade embarking on the project, and some pictures of the final work.
The photos do not do the work justice so do come and view them in the biology corridor if you get a chance!
YEAR 7 BRISTOL ZOO TRIP In October Year 7 went on a brilliant biology trip to Bristol Zoo. When we arrived we split up into our forms and got our instructions. Then we went round in our pre arranged groups of 3s or 4s and started to visit the wonderful animals there were all kept inside. The animals varied from the smallest insects to the biggest mammals, but every single species was amazing.
At lunchtime we discovered the vending machines and brought some snacks and ice cream! Soon after we went to the education centre and learned about the clas- sification of different species. While we were there we got to hold a Madagascan hissing cockroach, a Rainbow Boa and a ferret. It was really fun:)
Afterwards we roamed the zoo in our groups while we took in and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings completed the booklet. There were meerkats, lemurs and otters being fed while we learned lots of interesting facts about them.
At the end of the day we got to visit the shop which sold a variety of things such as teddies, food, mugs, slime and stationary. As the trip came to a close at 14.40 we all gathered near the exit and were counted onto the coach. In the coach we were a bit upset about coming back as this trip was really fun and everyone enjoyed it! By Kareena Hayer 7FN Science News
BIOLOGY FIELD COURSE DALE FORT, WALES By the end of the Year 12 five-week summer plan, our biology class spent three days in Dale Fort Field Centre, Pembrokeshire as part of our A level biology course programme. Roxie Davies mentored both groups taking part in this field course programme, which centred mainly around ecology and studying different organisms within and around the beautiful rocky shore in which the field centre was situated.
Many activities took place over the three days we spent there, such as crabbing (in which, to many students’ horror, ‘Spider Crabs’ were discovered), as well as students carrying out independent investigations by the final day of our visit, using skills we had learnt from the prior days at Dale Fort.
Although there was a substantial amount of trekking to various sites around the area (a lot) - the field course was a very lovely experience which enabled the sixth form biology students to gain some hands-on experience in biology and research, and to also enjoy the beautiful views!
Aimee Jones Year 13 Languages News
MODERN LANGUAGES We have been very busy this term in Modern Languages with many student activities and events on offer, success in competitions and some fantastic opportunities for student leadership.
EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES Our annual language celebration day in September was as action-packed as ever this year. This year EDL marked the start of our Year 8 Alcestervision competition, when the languages corridor became a little more lively than usual!
Students across the school also partook in a ‘guess the language’ to work out which European language members of staff had on their language day badges. Students were also invited to take part in a Europe-wide competition to design the EDL t-shirt for 2019!
There were lots of special tutor time activities, including a quiz, which helped to remind us of the importance of learning and appreciating languages and what they bring to our day-to-day life.
LANGSOC Bienvenue, Willkommen and Bienvenido to AGS’ new Languages Society - a group for anyone in Years 11, 12 and 13 who is passionate about other languages and cultures.
We have held many events this half-term, including talks from 2 ex-AGS students who are now studying language-related subjects at university, a session on career options, translation and debating practice, a trip to the Birmingham Christmas market and even a Christmas lunch with traditional food from other countries!
We are always happy to welcome new members, so please come along on Tuesdays at 1pm, if you are interested! Molly Wilshaw Year 12
AGS LANGUAGE LEADERS This term in the Languages Department, we have continued to run our successful Language Leaders Programme. With an array of students ranging from Year 7 up to Year 13 offering their support, we are able to contribute to development of the Languages Department to offer different and unique opportunities, which would not be possible without students' help.
This term, Language Leaders have run a Russian Taster Session, offering everyone at AGS the chance to learn another new language! We also enjoyed judging this year’s Alcestervision competition this term. As well as this, we run a weekly languages homework club for Key Stage 3 students, with support available from the older pupils.
All of this and much more will be continuing into 2019, with more taster sessions and extracurricular activities planned. Isaac Searle Year 10 Languages News
LANGUAGE PERFECT NORTHERN HEMISPHERE COMPETITION Well done to all everyone who took part in the recent Language Perfect Northern Hemisphere Competition.
AGS students answered almost 200,000 questions during the week-long competition, helping us achieve 4th place in England. Special mentions go to 2 of our linguists - Elise Russell in Year 9 and Nicholas Wing Ho in Year 10 who reached Elite standard, scoring more than 10,000 points each - a remarkable achievement which put them in the top 25 internationally!
The department is also really looking forward to our hugely popular Year 8 Language Residentials in July 2019. FRENCH TRIP 2019 In July 47 Year 8 students will be accompanying the French department on a cultural trip to Paris. We will be going to a traditional French bakery to make bread, taking a boat trip on the Seine, discovering the world’s best museum the Musée D’Orsay and exploring Château de Versailles among many other exciting activities.
The students will be encouraged to use their French during the trip as well as discovering la plus belle ville du monde. Miss Blud and Mrs Turner can’t wait!
GERMAN TRIP 2019 Mrs Mason and I are looking forward to taking 48 Year 8 students to Cologne and the Rhineland. We shall be kept busy climbing to the top of Cologne cathedral, visiting a chocolate museum, cruising down the River Rhine and taking an exciting cable car ride across the river to Koblenz, along with many more fantastic excursions!
SPANISH TRIP 2019 39 Year 8 students will be travelling with Ms Valera and Mrs Crabtree to Bilbao in July. We shall be visiting several cultural sites in and around Bilbao, travelling on a funicular railway and enjoying delicious, traditional local Spanish delicacies.
It promises to be a really exciting trip!
Mrs J Rose Head of Modern Languages
Geography News
SICILY TRIP On the 31st October at 3 in the morning(!) 36 students and 4 staff sleepily began the journey to the beautiful Italian island of Sicily. Prior to departure students were discussing which summer get-up they were going to wear and which set of sliders would look best by the pool, however these discussions were cut short, when on arrival in Catania we were greeted with a wall of drizzle and some distinctly British weather. This however, was not going to deter us and over the course of the next 5 days we explored all that the island has to offer.
On the first day we toured the hilltop town of Taormina, which offered beautiful views from its spectacular Roman theatre. The morning of day 2 was spent in the city of Messina which was flattened in 1908 by an earthquake, there we sampled local sweet delicacies and soaked up Sicilian cafe culture. That afternoon we visited the ancient ruins and beautiful coastal landscapes of Tindari.
The following day we battled against the elements to reach Agrigento where Greek temples still stand today. The 4th day we visited Mt Etna but were unfortunately unable to reach the summit due to fog and wind, we were able to walk along a lava flow from 1992 and see the impact of volcanic activity on the local economy and communities. The students were extremely well behaved, immersed themselves in the experiences offered and were a credit to AGS.
Many thanks to Mrs Mackey (for running the quiz), Mr Thomas (for hunting out the best cannoli) and Mrs Nicholas (for her crossword expertise). Geography News
GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION WORLDWISE QUIZ On the 6th November, two teams of students composed of geographers from Years 8-10 (who made it through the rigorous selection process) attended the annual Geographical Association Worldwise quiz.
This regional round pitted the AGS teams against 13 other school teams, testing their knowledge through a series of geographical rounds including: landmarks, fieldwork, and OS map skills. All of the students acquitted themselves very well and our teams placed 3rd and 5th (out of 15) narrowly missing out on a place in the national finals.
Well done to those who took part, we will come back stronger next year!
YEAR 9 BIRMINGHAM FIELDWORK On 12th October, Year 9 embarked on the inaugural Birmingham trip to investigate the regeneration of the city centre as part of their settlement scheme of work. Through wind and rain the students collected land use data, conducted pedestrian counts and interviewed the locals to find out how successful the redevelopments have been.
All students were superbly behaved and were incredibly resilient in the face of storm Callum. The data collected led to some outstanding investigation write-ups.
Many thanks to Mr Bond for helping to organise the fieldwork.
YEAR 12 STRATFORD FIELDWORK Just after half term, the Year 12 geographers undertook the human fieldwork required for the A level course. They spent the morning investigating the impacts of globalisation on Stratford upon Avon, looking at land use, local opinions and representations of Stratford in media and art.
In the afternoon, students used a range of cutting edge human geography data collection techniques such as mood meters, sensory mapping and building surveys to gain a better understanding of Stratford as a changing place and to trial techniques that they could use in their independent investigations next year.
All students conducted themselves excellently and the rain stayed away! Drama News
GCSE DEVISED After entering an experimentation room that provided them with a range of eclectic stimuli this year’s Year 11s created some highly original and advanced practical pieces for their GCSE course.
THE CHIRON EXPERIMENT Mercy wakes up in a dimly lit room with nothing but a red phone and 5 other lifeless figures. As days turn to weeks she begins to slowly go insane until the other figures begin regaining consciousness and together they start unpicking their journeys to this fate.
This GCSE pieces was a fast moving and insightful piece of theatre looking at different personality types and how they interact with each other. The performance was enhanced with some beautifully intricate physical sequences inspired by the work of Frantic Assembly and this aided the immersion of the audience into a world of mysterious circumstances that was cleverly and subtly unpicked.
THE SINCLAIR PROJECT Should we ever sign on the dotted line?
This piece explored the ambiguity that can exist between medical research and medical manipulation. Four figures lie comatose in a hospital facility with Dr Sinclair and his assistant seemingly focused on their recovery. However rapidly we realise that these figures are continually hurtled into the world of sensory recall on the brink of consciousness before being once again sedated, a continual tug of war for survival. The piece was a visually intricate performance, using the practitioner Complicite as inspiration the group cleverly combed video, music and physical movement to develop a number of interesting narratives in an innovative and engaging piece of theatre. Drama News
HAMLET Hamlet rehearsals are in full swing in preparation for our performances on the 4th, 5th and 6th of February.
Hamlet’s journey through his own tormented soul takes place in a plethora of locations including a lavish living room, a film set and an insane asylum. Our interpretation is set in the roaring 1920s with a soundtrack of Jazz reimaginations of modern tracks from the Rock, Punk and Pop genres. With a live band on stage and a Speak Easy close at hand for the use of both the Prince of Denmark and the audience it is sure to be a night of macabre merriment. Tickets are now available on Parent Pay. Music News
Although, it only seems a few short weeks since the start of term, we have managed to accomplish a lot since September. This term, we have launched Listening Club and Chamber Choir, whilst Young Voices, Senior Choir and Concert Band have gone from strength to strength. Orchestra tackled some serious repertoire in the form of the Overture to Handel’s ‘Firework Music’ which is over ten minutes in length and Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals.
The Music Department is never empty at break or lunchtimes, with students regularly practising and playing, including self-formed musical ensembles such as: the Sixth Form A Capella group and Year 11 bands. We have also introduced a ‘Music Ambassador’ award for those students who have shown an outstanding, recognisable commitment to Music.
We also welcomed a new member of the Department this year, Mr Chapman-Palmer, who has made a great start to AGS this term. It is therefore fair to say that Music at AGS is vibrant and thriving this year.
CHRISTMAS CONCERTS On Thursday 29th November, over 140 students from Years 7-13 participated in the annual AGS Christmas concert. This year we opted for a Dickensian-themed Christmas concert, complete with Victorian dress and our very own Ebenezer Scrooge as compère, superbly acted by Harry Lowe in Year 13. Members of the audience tucked into mince pies, mulled wine and the occasional humbug and many bought raffle tickets for the three Christmas hampers packed with goodies, the winners for which were announced at the end of the evening.
With so many students involved there was a fantastic variety of acts on show including the innovation of dancing and acting excerpts into the programme. The concert also featured some exceptionally talented soloists who performed challenging repertoire, including Amy Matthews who performed a Diploma piece for four-mallet marimba, Florence Cain who sang an Aria from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and Abi Wheeler who performed the Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite in C major. Two of our students, James Lake and Chloe Parish even conducted ensembles!
The concert showcased excellent performances from Strum, Young Voices, String Group, Senior Choir, Jazz Band, Concert Band, A Capella Group and Orchestra among others. The talent on display also extended to the staff, a number of whom performed in the concert alongside students. The final number included all performers, staff and also, the audience with a rousing rendition of two carols; even Scrooge joined in! We are very grateful to: Nigel Braithwaite, Mr Slater, Mr Reeves, Mrs Tingle, Mrs Dolphin, Ms Jones and Miss Waldron. Our peripatetic team: Pip Green, Jay Riley and Rosanna Todd. We must not forget our student crew who operated the technical aspects of the concert. Specifically: James Lake, Elliott Baxter, Harry Benton, Liz Belton and Iris Kirkland and also, our ‘dream team’ of students who helped to ensure a smooth transition between acts: Chloe Parish, Megan Dainter, Caitlyn Wright and Amy Matthews. Music News
On Tuesday 4th December, students from Year 7 and Year 8 in Young Voices and members of Chamber choir and A Capella group visited the retirement home, Jackson Place in Alcester and The Shakespeare Hospice in Stratford-upon-Avon to perform for residents, patients and staff.
Besides carols, the students performed a range of secular repertoire including Bob Chilcott’s ‘Like A Singing Bird’ and an arrangement of ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love With You’ by Pentatonix.
MUSIC CONSERVATOIRE AUDITIONS Since September, five Year 13 A level Music students have been gearing up for auditions at conservatoires both in the U.K. and abroad. These are extremely intense auditions, sometimes with multiple rounds in which students compete for a chance to study their instrument at degree level in a higher education musical institution. In the accounts below, two of our students, Amy Matthews and Florence Cain, describe their accounts of auditioning for conservatoire.
AMY MATTHEWS—ACCOUNT OF AUDITIONING FOR PERCUSSION AT A MUSIC CONSERVATOIRE Over the past month, I have auditioned for a percussion degree at two conservatoires, in which I was asked to prepare for pieces on xylophone, snare drum, timpani, four-mallet marimba and drum kit, along with a short interview with the panel around my musical aspirations.
Preparing for these auditions was gruelling, to say the least, as it required a huge amount more time practising than I was already spending. People who don’t play a musical instrument often don’t appreciate the level of commitment which is needed to achieve an end result; I find with drums and percussion this is especially true, as they are seen to be more accessible to beginners, so it’s assumed that this idea carries through to a more advanced level. So, when preparing for my auditions, I found that some people were fairly unsympathetic in terms of my time distribution, as they did not fully understand my commitment. Alongside playing drums and percussion, I play a further 4 instruments, so it was fairly challenging to juggle my time between up to 6 hours of individual music practice a day, ensemble rehearsals, a part-time job, an English coursework deadline and of course my usual commitments to my A level subjects.
Despite my struggles, I have really enjoyed analysing my pieces in an intensity that I don’t think I’ve ever reached before, and getting to know percussion instruments on a deeper level through this. Although after my auditions, it was a relief to return to my usual schedule, it has made me realise how much time I wasted in the past and how much potential each day brings. With a world where everything demands to be so instant, I can really appreciate more the idea of gradual change and progression, which was the only way I was able to pull off my performances in my audition. From preparing for my auditions, I have learnt to control my time and even self-doubt, allowing me to see a fuller perspective of my progress. Music News
FLORENCE CAIN – ACCOUNT OF AUDITIONING FOR VOICE AT A MUSIC CONSERVATOIRE You have to really want it. Auditioning for conservatoire is no easy thing, like all applications the Year 13s will be making this year it is a gruelling process. A conservatoire is ‘a college for the study of classical music or other arts’. As a singer (Soprano), I would go there to develop as a musician, take lessons in languages, history, movement and train to be vocally agile. The first decision I had to make was between Conservatoire or university. University is the safest option, but after spending several years at Saturday school in London at ‘The Royal Academy of Music’, I decided that I couldn’t spent three years of my life waiting for what I really wanted to do. Knowing that most singers apply later as the voice doesn’t mature until 24 and knowing that only 2 or 3, out of 200 sopranos get in to each institution, I decided I would audition this year.
After choosing four conservatoires, I had to apply. Three were through UCAS but the last (Guildhall school of Music and Drama) has its own website. After endless drafts of my personal statements and putting countless details in; I sent them off. Luckily, everyone who applies gets an audition, this is why, unlike the £24 fee UCAS charge; conservatoires charge a whole lot more. £100 and more for each audition is a kick in the teeth, so the people applying just for fun, may have found it a lot less exciting.
Preparation is key for these auditions. Months in advance you must choose your repertoire. Each college requires different things. For most it is three contrasting songs, some would like a piece of recitative (this is speak singing in opera) and a spoken piece. It is agonising picking these pieces as they shouldn’t be too challenging so that you make a mistake under pressure but also it must be technical enough to show your strengths. You must finally choose a written piece that shows you can perform and show variety in your speaking voice. I researched my pieces making sure I knew everything about them, read about the composer and that time period. I directly translated my songs and made sure I knew what every word meant - this is key. When singing a song in a different language you must know what you are singing about, not only to act it out but also to pronounce it. This has been a big issue for me, so I went to great lengths including finding an Italian tutor to make sure this wouldn’t hinder my chances. I also researched each institution and looked at each course to see what aspects are unique and interested me the most and especially how they advise one to prepare. Lastly you have to look into all of the teachers who work there and find which suits you as the panel love to ask about it.
After months of planning, walking into the audition was terrifying. I put a smile on my face and strode confidently in the room. You pick the first piece they pick the second based off the first. Some auditions have two rounds so the first audition can be incredibly short. Once I had sung, I had to leave the room and wait for ’the letter’. After what seemed like an eternity, they brought it out and escorted me away from the line of anxious sopranos where I could open the letter. The second round consisted of a movement class and a second panel audition. After performing my three songs I delivered my monologue and was then given sight-reading. Then we had an interview. I had prepared a lot for this; however, it was still challenging, and it was hard to remain confident and cheerful when your mind goes completely blank and four faces are looking expectantly back. However, I took my time and tried to give thoughtful and mature answers to each question.
After all that there is still a very small chance of getting in, but I made the decision to be a singer and consequently took on all the challenges that come with that. You really have to love it and want it to make any kind of career it in the music industry, so hopefully with enough passion and drive I will have what it takes. Music News
WHAT’S ON IN 2019… There are a number of events taking place in the New Year that we are particularly looking forward to in the Music Department. Firstly, we have a Tea-Time concert on Thursday 31st January at 4pm which parents are invited to attend to watch students perform in an informal environment with tea and cake. The Music Department is also involved in the Drama Department’s production of Hamlet which is taking place on Monday 4th – Wednesday 6th February in the AGS Theatre at 7pm.
On Thursday 14th February, our A level music students will be performing their recital programmes in the Theatre at 4pm. Parents, students and staff are welcome to attend this to hear students perform in preparation for their A level performance exam. We are also running a series of Booster sessions for those interested in A level Music from January – March. More information on this can be found on the AGS website.
Our summer concert will be on Wednesday 1st May at 7pm where we say farewell to our GCSE and A level Music students in style!
Lastly, we are extremely fortunate to be able to host Longborough Opera for the fourth consecutive year next summer. Longborough Opera are also devising acting and singing workshops specifically for our pupils as well as a visit to watch the dress rehearsal of an opera at Longborough Festival Opera House in June.
Thank you to all the students that have given up their time to be part of the music ensembles this term. It takes a lot of commitment and we are very grateful to all those who have attended rehearsals regularly and been so helpful in the run up to the concerts. Thank you also to all of the staff that have supported the Music Department and helped out this term; your support is greatly appreciated. We look forward to making a lot more music in 2019!
On behalf of the Music Department, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Ms Olivia James Director of Music Art News
GCSE MOCK EXAMS Our Year 11 students have been working on their mock exam projects throughout the autumn term. During this process they develop and fine-tune their ideas by researching a wide range of artists, experimenting with different techniques and also by improving their technical skills.
The students were able to produce some fantastic outcomes during their two day mock exam at the end of November. Here is a just small selection of their final pieces. Art News
YEAR 13 ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW Our annual exhibition will take place on Monday, 22nd January 2019. The students and the whole department always put an enormous amount of energy and effort into this show. For our Year 13 students it is an invaluable experience as they learn and improve on so many important skills: time management, editing, selecting the strongest pieces of work, thinking about display and layout to create the best possible impression… We look forward to welcoming friends, families, staff and governors. Please join us in the Newport Study on Monday 28th January, 4.30 – 6pm. Art News
YEAR 12 FINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY The Year 12 students have made a very good start to the course. The first half-term gives them a really good opportunity to improve on their existing technical skills in a set of teacher-led exercises. As the students experiment with new materials and techniques, their increasing confidence becomes evident in the sketchbooks. Below are some examples of their latest work. Art News DT News
ANOTHER INNOVATIVE DESIGN FROM OUR YEAR 10 STUDENTS The AGS submission to the national Ventura competition has been selected as team ‘Pink Fish’. This was a unique design which had a manufacturing cost restriction of under £5 for the Design Museum. The team produced a design geometry tool which fixed together with magnets and the cost had to include a simple packaging design.
The students devised sketch models and several working prototypes before developing their final submission which was laser cut.
An excellent team approach by David Grimes, Lydia Prins, Ben Robinson and Rudresh Vijayakumar. Well done!
PRODUCT DESIGN IN ACTION Some of our A level students attended Warwick University on Monday 3rd December 2018 for these entertaining and informative lectures.
Inspirational deliveries from Pascal Anton (Kingston University and BBC mentor), Sebesatain Bergne (industrial designer), Kirsten Jaeger (Jason Bruges Studio Ltd.) and James Trim (Jaguar) provided students with an insight into careers, object narratives and coursework creativity as well as interact with various designers and students from other schools.
YEAR 9S RAISE THE CREATIVE BAR Our Year 9 lighting project has proved very popular with students who produced a wide range of creative themed outcomes. Students soldered their own circuits, used CAD CAM laser cutting processes alongside manual techniques.
Here are just a small number of very successful night lights undertaken by (left to right) Lydia Coynes, Emily Adamek, Riya Shaju, Harriet Holmes and Georgia Jones (centre). PE News
RUGBY The rugby season, as ever, was very well attended by all manner of students across the school. With over 60 students regularly attending club it has been another busy campaign.
The girls have shown consistent improvement in curriculum lessons with rugby continuing to be an exciting part of Games in Year 9. Year 9 & 10 combined to take a team to a local South Warwickshire tournament and this proved to be a massive success. With over 50 girls competing from the surrounding areas AGS played Stratford in a developmental match and all parties benefited massively. There are also plans in the offing for attendance at another tournament in the New Year, akin to that one.
Rugby for the boys has been thick and fast, with all year groups showing promise in their fixtures. Year 11 had successful matches against Henley, Shipston and Prince Henry’s showcasing a multitude of talent across the positions.
The Year 10 team travelled away to Southam and had a nail-biting game that was more like a game of basketball - end to end stuff! AGS eventually, after a prolonged period of defence inside their 22, surfaced as victors by a very small margin. St Benedict’s were unfortunately unable to attend the next planned fixture.
The Year 9 team showed great heart against strong opposition in the form of Shipston and Southam, ensuring both games went down to the wire thanks to some great teamwork.
Year 8 built on their strong form from last year with a particularly memorable win against Shipston.
After a superb season the Year 7 team were unfortunate to lose out to a strong Southam side away from home. Wins against Shipston and Chipping Campden set the stage for an extremely hard fought return leg draw against Shipston on a blazing afternoon on the top field. Both teams were outstanding and a draw was a more than fair result.
The 1st XV have started this season with a continuance of their form in season 2017/18, with excellent levels of commitment to training, great team spirit and playing some attractive rugby. They started the season with a 29-15 win over Prince Henry's with 2 tries from Lewis Mellor and one-a-piece from Sam Bayliss, Alex Evans and Gwilym Davis. Their second match was a 24-33 loss to Five Ways in what turned out to be the match of the season so far. Five Ways got off to a flying start and were 23 points ahead at half time. The second half saw a complete turnaround with an incredible 19 points scored in less than 10 minutes with top quality tries scored by George Craddock, Alex Evans and Felix Shears.
Unfortunately, Five Ways were able to steady the ship and scored a controversial try in the final minutes of the game to seal it. Game 3 was a very one sided affair as the team ran in 9 tries to beat Solihull 3rd XV 53-0. Game 4 was a stark contrast and thus a much tighter and harder fought contest against Fairfax with the team spending large sections of the match defending in their 22 but holding firm to win by a very fine margin indeed. PE News
NETBALL Although we’re now into the dark nights, it was a bumper start to the 2018/19 season with over 170 pupils regularly playing netball, all of whom have had the opportunity to represent the school at least once. In Years 7-9 there are enough players to field a minimum of 4 teams per age-group, which means the competition for places on teams is at an all-time high.
Our 6th Form team faced a tough start to the season with their county tournament on 10th October, which was only the 4th week that the girls had been together – most were still learning the names of their teammates!
They played well and demonstrated tenacity and determination, despite suffering defeats to well drilled teams from Rugby School, Princethorpe, Kings High and KES. Subsequent to this the A - D teams have gelled well and have enjoyed some successes against King Edwards Five Ways, Princethorpe B and Lucton school.
The Year 11 team were incredibly busy in the first few weeks of term, with league matches, the South Warwickshire tournament and their Warwickshire county tournament. They are currently unbeaten in the league, and were deserved champions at their South Warwickshire tournament, banishing last year’s disappointment of a 4th placed finish. They played their best ever netball at the county tournament, beating Kings High school in the first round, before securing wins against Princethorpe and Studley.
Despite only losing one match all evening (versus Rugby school), they missed out on a top 2 place by a heartbreakingly close margin – just one goal in it! It is as close as any age-group team at AGS has ever been to progressing to the regional round of a schools’ tournament. The girls should be rightfully proud of their achievements so far, and we look forward to the second half of the season where we hope to complete the tournament/league double.
The Year 10 team have progressed in leaps and bounds, and have shown that with hard work big improvements can be made. They have made the most of their two hour training slot on a Monday afternoon and have increased their team plays and understanding of the game. They were narrowly beaten by Henley in their first league game, however they went on to achieve their best ever performance at the South Warwickshire tournament, finishing a more than credible 5th place– they were deserving of a semi- final place but this was still their best result to date. They are determined to build on this excellent foundation in the second half of the season.
The Year 9s can boast that they have the biggest number of netball players in a single year and continue to challenge each other for a place in the A team. They too are unbeaten in the league so far, and await their rearranged South Warwickshire tournament in March. It was fantastic to take the committed A team to their county tournament on Saturday 10th November at Rugby school, where there were some real highlights, not least given one of the players her A team debut. They finished in 6th place overall, a fair reflection of how they played on the morning. PE News
NETBALL CONTINUED The Year 8s have played matches against Shipston, Alcester Academy, Studley and Kingsley so far with an even spread of wins and losses. They still have most of their netball to come in the second half of the season when they will play their South Warwickshire and Warwickshire tournaments, and will hope to qualify for the league finals for the first time. They also have their first opportunity to go on our Condover Hall netball trip in April; we are taking our biggest ever group in 2019.
It’s always with excited anticipation that we welcome our Year 7s to AGS and see all of the extracurricular clubs that they like to get involved in. This year was no exception, and we have some keen young netball players who are already making an impact. We have enjoyed some wins against Shottery, Shipston and Kingsley, with games against St Benedicts, Stratford, Henley, Chipping Campden and Alcester Academy to come. We have some real potential in this age-group, and I suspect when the A team get together for the South Warwickshire tournament in March, they may well follow in the footsteps of their older counter-parts and achieve real success.
Watch this space!
NORTHAMPTON NETBALL TRIP It was an absolute pleasure to once again take our Year 10 and 11 netball teams to Northampton for a weekend of netball, bowling and trampolining! This is a bi-annual trip which has proven to be a popular beginning of season challenge for those girls who are selected to go.
After a 100% win record at the local schools tournament on the Friday night, the girls enjoyed a hearty meal in Bella Italia followed by some tenpin bowling. Let’s just say it’s a good job they are talented netball players - I hadn’t realised it was possible to miss all the skittles, even with the gutter bumpers in place!
They played tougher matches against Northampton High School on the Saturday morning, who had a number of county players in their teams. The two matches were closely fought, however NHS came out on top in both. Following an energetic trampoline on the Saturday afternoon, we awarded players of the weekend to the following: Trinity Waldron and Vicky Iles in Year 10, and Izzy Bridge in Year 11, before awarding Millie Fitchford (Year 11) with her well- deserved full netball colours which should have been presented at Sports Awards in the Summer term – better late than never!
It never ceases to amaze me what fantastic ambassadors our students are on school trips; we’re always very happy and proud to take them away. PE News
FOOTBALL Although the football season will officially start in the New Year, there are still plaudits to be reported from across the school.
The girls had a mixed age group match against Shottery which was played in excellent spirits and an enjoyable run around for all involved. The Level 2 South Warwickshire tournament will take place in January where our girls will pitch their talents against all the other schools in the area. There are also plenty of keen, budding footballers eager for club to start in the New Year and we look forward to welcoming them.
The year 10 boys made a very encouraging start to their quest for District Cup silverware when they travelled to Southam on a dark November evening.
A sublime team performance saw AGS post a 7-2 win and, furthermore, play some fantastic football throughout the match. All boys got a good amount of game time and we look forward to a quarter- final clash with Stratford.
Year 8 boys, for the first time, entered the South Warwickshire league and travelled to Henley for their opening fixture. Another very pleasing performance ensued and the team emerged comfortable victors.
Unfortunately Studley were not able to honour the next fixture but the team can remain confident for what will be an action packed fixture list post-Christmas.
Our sixth form team, the majority of whom have never played together, have battled hard so far this season with seven matches in total. Particular highlights were a resounding 7-0 win over Bablake and a closely fought 1-0 loss to Lawrence Sheriff. Matches against Princethorpe, Southam and Sandwell have also really tested the squad in what has been a busy term for both training and competitive opportunities.
The squad now look forward to another testing term after Christmas and also starting their run in the Mid & South Warwickshire Cup. PE News
HOCKEY YEAR 7 Many Year 7 students have experienced hockey for the first time. We have completed a four week module with the girls, which we will then complete another 4 weeks in 2019. There have been a range of boys at girls at hockey club and we have already played in two friendly tournaments for both genders.
YEAR 8 The Year 8 hockey teams go from strength to strength. We have an abundance of players which has enabled us to enter more fixtures and tournaments. As a year group they still have the highest number of students attending hockey club and this hard work is certainly paying off. They have had some close games with RGS Worcester, Stratford, Shottery and Shipston.
With most of the fixtures and their south Warwickshire and country tournaments next year, their is a lot to look forward to for the Year 8 hockey team.
YEAR 9 Year 9 have been involved in a range of fixtures. They have been part of the triangular tournament arranged at Stratford High, in addition to playing and beating Prince Henry's in their first 11 a side game as a team. They also have their south Warwickshire tournament to look forward to in 2019.
KEY STAGE 4 Year 10 and 11 have had a good range of fixtures already this year. Most of them have been mixed and it is important to mention the local tournament hosted by Stratford, exclusively made up of boys teams. We took over 8 students that had only played hockey in lesson time, but certainly held their own and left with a smile on their faces. The Year 10 girls team gained some new recruits for the girls South Warwickshire tournament which led to them finishing in a respectable 4th place.
6TH FORM The 6th Form team have had 2 fixtures so far. The mixed game was an entertaining fixture against Prince Henry's School of which they won. The boys team (with a few female additions) played KES and after a close battle lost 2-0. The team have more fixtures in the new year to look forward to.
Overall the attendance at hockey clubs and fixtures has been hugely promising. We have more students than ever attending local clubs and getting regular opportunities to play hockey. This is starting to reflect in our performance and the students understanding of the game. Hockey club continues to run during Tuesday lunch time and after school on a Tuesday from 4pm-5pm in the hall.
Thank you to Mrs O'Mahony and Mrs Moss for their support at hockey club so far this year. PE News
BASKETBALL Basketball season has had an exceptionally strong start with record numbers attending club sessions to develop their skills. There are currently 4 practice sessions: Monday lunchtime (Year r10-13), Thursday lunch (Year 7), Thursday 4-5pm (Year 8 and 9) and Thursday 5-6pm (Years 10-13) with new players always welcome.
The Year 7 team have bonded quickly and performed exceptionally well at the South Warwickshire tournament with at least one group of players remaining unbeaten. Both the Year 7 and 8 teams have been drafted to represent the Miami Heat in the jrNBA Birmingham league, with both teams making a promising start and winning their first fixtures.
The Year 9 team have had a number of new players join the squad, allowing us to run two teams in the South Warwickshire leagues and we hope they win their respective pools, giving an all-AGS final! Year 10 lost a close opening game against Aylesford U16, but learnt a lot from a playing older and more physical opposition.
The Year 11 team have huge potential this year, putting on a clinical display in their first national cup game, putting both skills and tactics from practice into use.
The 6th Form team have great work ethic and depth in the team, although fate has somewhat conspired against them this year, being placed in an exceptionally difficult national cup pool with opponents such as Northampton School for Boys and basketball academy Charnwood College. It is unlikely they can replicate their national cup last-16 finish from last year, but their determination is admirable. Well done to all involved.
The Year 11 and 6th Form teams also benefitted from a training experience at Worcester University, being taught by international coach Alex Radu. Alex has coached many national teams including Romania and Wales and gave students a real insight into the demands of high-level training along with opportunities to play whilst studying for a degree. We are hoping to work more in partnership in the future.
TENNIS Following on from last year’s National tennis success in both the senior students competition (7th in the country) and the Glanville cup (12th in the country), we have once again entered the senior boys into both competitions.
The senior students competition is a ratings capped tournament (at 7.1 and higher) which allows teams of 4 to compete in both singles and doubles matches. The team this year (Eugene Read and Ben Shepherd from Year 12, Sam Woodger and Harvey Williams from Year 13) have already achieved success against Leicester Grammar school and Rugby School ‘B’ team, but suffered defeat against Rugby school ‘A’ team.
We are waiting to hear if these results are good enough to take them through to the knockout stages of the competition, but regardless, the boys have played some superb tennis to achieve the results they have. The Glanville cup competition will start in the new year. PE News
CROSS COUNTRY Running club has been attended exceptionally well this term with students putting Mr Reeves through his paces rather than the other way around! AGS competitors strongly made up numbers in the South Warwickshire selection races on home soil with many students being selected to run for the South at the Warwickshire inter-area event held in Stratford on the 10th October. Pleasingly, only one other school had more runners at this event, demonstrating the depth of talent we have.
Top results included: Nathan Sanders winning the minor boy’s event with Ryan Oldfield in 5th. Scarlett Richardson 5th in minor girls Adam Taylor and Oscar Golinksi 6th and 9th in junior boys Grace Golinski 5th in junior girls Isaac Searle 10th in inter boys
These results (amongst others) enabled the South to win four out of the six divisions and place 2nd in the other two. The above athletes have also gained the opportunity to represent Warwickshire at the inter-county event on the 8th December. Congratulations!
We have also had a huge amount of success in this year’s English Schools Cross Country Cup. A team event, with the first four results counting, both the junior and inter boys teams raced in the first round at Princethorpe College. The junior runners finished with 20 points, smashing the opposition by some way to take the title. The inter boys finished on 29, just a little way off the winners, but ensuring both teams qualified for the regional finals.
Mr Reeves should be thanked for taking the boys to this event in Shropshire, where the junior runners repaid him by finishing 3rd and qualifying for the national final; a huge achievement. The inter team could not replicate this success finishing 8/12, competing with heart but with some talented runners unavailable due to other sporting commitments this was out of their reach.
Junior boys: Nathan Sanders, Ryan Oldfield, Adam Taylor , Oscar Golinski and Josh Roberts Inter boys: Isaac Searle, Harvey Ravenscroft, George Fox-Rowe and Jamie Robinson
With the support of parents, the junior boys team competed at the prestigious national finals and acquitting themselves very well to finish 23/27 teams competing. Runners: Nathan Sanders, Ryan Oldfield, Adam Taylor and Oscar Golinski.
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS It’s great to have welcomed some new Year 7s to our existing rhythmic gymnastics club, where we are busy choreographing a routine to ‘This is Me’ from the Greatest Showman soundtrack.
The performance will be able to be seen at the dance showcase later on in the academic year. PE News
CALSHOT 2019 During this years A level PE trip to Calshot activity centre, Southampton, we were treated to some wonderful sunny weather. The weekend was brilliant, all of the students got stuck in with the range of challenging activities as well building friendships and team work along the way. The sunny weather may have resulted in a lack of wind, but the 27 students made the most of the wind surfing and showed real camaraderie in some friendly competition during Kayaking. We were also lucky enough to participate in a Jetty Jump overlooking the Southampton shipping channel.
The students as ever got stuck in and demonstrated there true competitive side in many of the activities; Tubing, Climbing, Skiing, Archery and Velodrome Cycling.
The trip was an overall success and a really good way to start their A level course.
SWIMMING Mrs Moss took our swimmers to the local round of the ESSA (English Schools Swimming Association) relays competition at Warwick pool on the 5th October. We have previously enjoyed some regional success at this gala, even making the National finals at the London aquatic centre in 2016 with our junior boys’ team.
Each age-group consists of a team of 4 swimmers, who participate in a freestyle relay and medley relay (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle).
Results from the Warwick gala this year were as follows: Junior girls: 9th freestyle, 8th medley Junior boys: 2nd freestyle, 2nd medley Senior boys: 3rd freestyle, 2nd medley
Many thanks to Mrs Moss for taking the teams, who would not have been able to participate without her. PE News
ROW EVEREST CHALLENGE On Saturday 10th November AGS hosted the annual row Everest challenge, inviting participants to row the height of Everest (8848m) as either a team of four, two or individually.
The event had an excellent turnout and raised over £2,000 for Manisha UK, a charity that is helping support the rebuilding of schools and libraries in remote regions of Nepal post the 2015 earthquake in the region.
Congratulations to Adam Hayes, Connor Webb and Sam Godfrey who completed the challenge in a time of 43:28.8. Congratulations also to Guy Allison who competed the challenge individually for the second year running, beating his previous personal best with an excellent time of 50:17.1.
TABLE TENNIS The Year 7/8 Table Tennis team consisting of Ben Pons, Ewan Morrish, Beatrice Yates and Connor Reid travelled to Alcester Academy for the Level 2 South Warwickshire tournament. A buoyant atmosphere between all those attending made for a fun competition and one that our team performed very well in. After six sets of matches in a round robin format, AGS emerged victorious and managed to remain unbeaten throughout the evening.
They will now look to replicate this success at the Level 3 finals in the new year. Well done all! LEVEL 2 ROWING The very successful Year 9/10 team once again took Congratulations to both the Year 8 and Year 10 boys up the challenge of the South Warwickshire teams who have made it through to represent South Tournament. The experienced team of Ben Rycroft- Warwickshire at the level 3 games. Both teams put Stanly, Nick Ho, Amie Goldsmith and Ellie in excellent performances with the Year 8 team Goldsmith, played incredibly well, winning all of beating their nearest opposition by over 1,000m. their matches and didn't drop a set all tournament. Congratulations to: It was really great to see the team deliver such a high Year 8: Josh Roberts, Gianluca Gladden, Connor quality performance. Reid and Jack Harrison The Year 9/10 team will joining the Year 7/8 team and Year 10: Sam Morris, Will Madden-Forman, will continue on to the Level 3 tournament, Zak Amond, and Saraan Mohammed we will look forward to the results of that competition. DofE News
DofE NEWS There is never a quiet time on the DofE front. As well as successful Silver and Gold Assessed expeditions this term, 154 students have completed an award with 81 Bronze, 62 Silver and 11 Gold awards. We have also enrolled over 190 students on an award for the 2019 season.
In October, 5 students were selected to take part in the ‘HRH Real Tennis Tour 2018’ where the HRH Earl of Wessex is visiting all 28 real tennis venues in the UK to help promote the sport and raise funds for the DofE charity. Nell Bryant, Harvey Ravenscroft, Eugene Read, Arpan Das and Joseph Pinnock took part in a real tennis master class at the Leamington Spa club followed by an opportunity to meet the Earl of Wessex. Many thanks to all 5 students who were great ambassadors for the school.
Last week, the school was presented with a certificate from the DofE Central Office to acknowledge the contribution of our students in volunteering their time to the local community. From the 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2018, our 231 participants who completed awards donated staggering a total of 5031 hours of voluntary service.
Many thanks to all the students, staff and local organisations who have helped contribute in some way to this total.
As always, there are still plenty of students out there who still need to finish their award so as always, please email me at [email protected] if you need any help accessing eDofE and completing your award.
Congratulations to the following students who have recently completed an award: Gold: Thomas Walsh, Kirstin Winter, Harry Belton, Benjamin Swann, Ella Bowen, Glen Leyser, Isobel Meredith, Luke Embley, Elliot Kimber, Katherine Sloan and Rebecca Cooper. DofE News
Silver: Georgina Fellows, Toby Ellis, Mohammed Khan, Theo Brettell, Louis Walsh, Daniel Bowen, Rebecca Griffiths, Madeleine Price, Abigail Perrott, Lorna Higham, Joshua Hull, Olivia Beattie, Aidan Budd, Archie Lucas, Rebecca Parkin, Jodie Palmer, Molly Gill-Swift, Daisy Denning, Hannah Bamford, Jake Barnes, Jasper Sharpe, Rhys Mahon, Harry Parmar, Bertie Borodi, Will Dancy, Krishma Dheir, Elena Nakariakova, Tatiani Vorgia-Turnbull, Amelia Frost, Oliver Smith, Evie Beard, Finley Greenwood, Taiya Cooper, Bryony Trotter, Alexander Theodossiades, Naman Kalyan, Grace Hollis, Jamie Chance, Madelaine Clark, Amity Fenton, Freya Ramsay, Rory Deely, Calum Blackie, Matthew Tingle, Emily McMillan, Ava Mathias, Sam Bayliss, Anna Gionis, Zaahirah Ali, Aimee Drake, Isobel Haerle, Molly Seaborn, Eleanor Turner, Ogo Juwah, Isobel Howroyd, Benjamin Shepherd, Aran Woodger, Suzune Mishima, Danielle Ncube, Natasha Formby, James Baker and Emilie Cooke.
Bronze: Joseph Pinnock, Alexander Bucknell, Jeevan Cheema, Henry Cobb, Oliver McAdam, Megan Dainter, Emma Parkin, Maxim Silin, Daniel Vicente Thomas, Joshua Davies, Mia Parsons, Billy Harrold, Isabella Tutu, Sam Palmer, Valentina Bancroft, Jessica Clews, Elsie Clutterbuck, Niccolo Horton, Matthew Finnegan, Elle Footman, Matthew Hancock, Jack Hemming, Harry Leach, Edward Lillington, Chloe Parish, Sakshi Rajeev, Molly Roberts, Isabelle Robinson-Phipps, Isaac Searle, Rebecca Thruston-Nend, Alex Turrell, Rebecca Cutler, Owen Webb, Ben Woodhouse, Erin Wood, Natasha Wood, Cara Watson, Alfie Walker, James Smart, Patrick Ross, Emilia Richardson, Lydia Prins, Tegan Payne, Sienna Parmar, Amilia Mylchreest, Chloe Mowl, Maisy Molbech-McPhail, Jonas Meredith, Sophie Elstone, Daniel Baker, Anna Banks, Elliott Baxter, Teddy Burt, Lara Chester, Emma Lees, Vicky Iles, Alex Cohen, Tillie Dawson, Katie Bevan, Alice Brazier, Daisy Tipping, Oscar Higgins, Trinity Waldron, Meg Rogers, Samuel Morris, Henry Lavender, Max Aris, Anna Gillibrand, Ewan Thomas, Conar Aitchison, Annabel Prins, Seb Parr, Lucy Carter, George Fox-Rowe, Robert Littlewood, Harvey Ravenscroft, Adam Farrow, Finnian Bos, Sandhya Kalyan, Gideon Coleman and Liam Hunt. Student News
SOMME VISIT 2018 On Friday 19th October, I went to Church Hill Army Cadets and from there we had a 6 hour drive to Dover. When we arrived at the St Martin’s plain in Dover, where we received a commemorative pack and then prepared to go to France the next day. It was a privilege to stay here as it was the WWI Transit camp for the troops deployed out to France and Flanders.
On Saturday morning at 4am, we got up and packed our bags ready for the onward journey to France. We then travelled to the Ferry and had a 2 hour ferry journey. We then visited Deville Wood, the War Memorial for 10,000 South African’s and for the 5,000 British that died there. We then visited two other war memorials, at the first of them, Dantzig Alley, the memorial for 1,000 British Soldiers that died, I found a grave for someone called H Maher. Which was very humbling.
We then visited the Dantzig, the Devonshire Trench Cemetery for the 7/9 Battalion, which was a battalion that was in the trenches and most of them died on the First day of the Somme and were buried in their trench. We then proceeded to The Hawthorn Bridge Crater, a British Mine, which is the largest ever non-nuclear explosion which was heard in London.
The Final Parade of The Somme, was the Theipval memorial which had 73,000 names on it where we walked around, looking at the gravestones for a while before forming part of a much larger parade of around 1000 cadets and instructors in front of The Somme. In that parade, we had a service of remembrance of all the people who died in WWI, but mainly for those who lost their lives at The Somme.
Afterwards, we proceeded to our homebound journey, and got back in to the UK around 10pm, before travelling back from Dover the following morning.
“I felt honoured to be able to commemorate the soldiers sacrifice and be a part of the Army Cadets.” Harrison Maher Year 11 AGSPA News
AGSPA QUIZ AGSPA once again ran a successful, sell-out quiz evening back in November - the venue, Alcester Rugby Club, was bursting at the seams with enthusiastic quiz teams! 20 teams of 4-6 members competed for the AGSPA Quiz Buffs trophy and a hamper of goodies, and the competition was fierce. Teams such as ‘Days & Confused’, ‘Welford Wonderers’ and ‘Lets get Quizical’ fought it out over 8 rounds, but in the end a tiebreak question was needed to find the winner. The victors were The Freeman’s Five who beat The Firebolts into second place.
A raffle for a huge range of prizes kindly donated by local businesses also raised some extra money, meaning that we will be making another donation to the school in new year - we’ll keep you posted!
Many thanks to all of you who have supported us over the past year - don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates and information.
Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas. Joanna Robinson Chair of AGSPA
EQUIPMENT FOR THE PE DEPARTMENT The PE department were delighted to receive funds from the Parents Association at the end of last academic year to fund an additional video camera. The camera has already been extensively used to gain footage of A level PE coursework; both practical performances and observation and analysis orals. The quality of footage is much improved from what was previously possible, and we're sure the exam board will appreciate this increased detail to help standardise coursework marks.
Many thanks to our wonderful AGSPA. Young Enterprise News
Do you ever have that problem where your headphones are constantly tangled? Well our company Wraparound is here to stop that problem and save you time. We are a group of Year 12’s taking part of Young Enterprise and our product is here to keep your headphones tidy - in an aesthetically pleasing product that we are excited to share with you.
We have been selling Gingerbread Men Headphone Wraparounds this term and had a sale outside the Pitstop before we broke up for Christmas. You can still order through Email, Instagram and Snapchat, JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!!
These are the perfect Stocking Fillers and a useful accessory to stop your headphones from tangling.
wraparound.2018 @wraparound.2018 [email protected] Charity News
Staff and students have been raising money for a number of worthy causes this term.
The Macmillan Coffee Morning saw staff donating cakes to be sold in the staff room, and individual tutor groups organising fundraising events during tutor time.
An amazing £1407.21 was raised during the week.
ARDEN AND STRATFORD FOOD BANKS The response to the recent request for items to be donated to local Food Banks was exceptional .
Clare and Nicki in reception were inundated with donations and we were able to send 14 boxes in total to the Arden and Stratford upon Avon Food Banks.
Thank you to everyone who made a donation. They were very well received.
SPORTS HALL The aim of Alcester Grammar School Sports Facility is to develop sport, particularly for young participants, by making the facility available to sports clubs who offer structured sporting opportunities, or by providing sessions run by qualified coaches.
The Sports Hall is available for booking 6-10pm Monday-Friday. Weekend availability is dependent on business needs.
THINKING OF STARTING A NEW CLASS OR A NEW VENTURE? Booking charges per hour: Sports Hall (whole) £30 Sports Hall (half) £20 For further details please contact the school on 01789 762494 or email Louise Bennett, [email protected] for more information. AGS Term Dates 2019
Spring Term 2019 Term begins Monday 7th January 2019
Staff Inset Friday 8th February 2019 (School closed to students) Half Term Monday 18th - Friday 22nd February 2019 (inclusive)
Term ends Friday 12th April 2019
Summer Term 2019 Term begins Monday 29th April 2019
May Bank Holiday Monday 6th May 2019
Half Term Monday 27th - Friday 31st May 2019 (inclusive)
Term ends Friday 19th July 2019
Autumn Term 2019 Term begins Wednesday 4th September 2019 (Year 7 Welcome Day; Year 13 Welcome Back Day; No Years 8-12s in school) Thursday 5th September 2019 (Year 12 Welcome Day; Year 13 Reading Day; Years 8-11s return) Friday 6th September 2019 (All students in school) Half Term Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November 2019
Friday 15th November 2019 (School closed to students) Term ends Wednesday 18th December 2019
Dates for your Diary All of our school events are available to view on the school calendar. Visit alcestergs.co.uk to access the calendar and download it.