Ark All Saints Academy Summer 2016 The Saint From the Principal’s Office Dear Parents Here is the bumper edition newsletter - for such a small academy it is amazing what we manage to do! We have now come to the end of our third year, and the new Year 7s are joining the academy at an exciting time; with our music offer growing every term, new facilities in several departments, and our Year 9 scholars heading into their first GCSE year. Our extra-curricular activities are a vital part of our offering, and we've struggled to fit everything we've done over the last couple of terms into this newsletter! We will be having a second Sports Day in September, which our new Year 7 scholars will be a crucial part of. We are also looking forward to 2017 and our first school musical. My thanks goes to the staff and their never ending supply of energy that enables scholars to experience so much on top of a fantastic academic education. Our scholars make us proud every day and it is my joy to receive commendations from the general public regarding the way the scholars carry themselves. Our Camberwell community is always looking out for AASA scholars. Finally may I thank all parents - without your constant support we would not be able to provide for your children. Thank you for working alongside us - it makes it all possible. I wish you a relaxing and enjoyable summer, and I look forward to seeing you all in September. Lucy Frame Principal Inside this From the Pastoral Director’s Office issue Principal’s Message ....................... 1 A welcome for our new Year 7s Welcome to Year 7 ...................... 1 We are looking forward to welcoming 120 new Year 7 scholars into the Academy in September 2016. This year’s scholars are our fourth cohort, and with our Year 10s starting Science Challenge ......................... 2 their GCSE courses in September it is an exciting time to join AASA. Preparations are Art trips ......................................... 2 well underway for our Summer School in the last week of August. I know it is sometimes a Our Theatre .................................. 3 time of anxiety moving from Primary school to Secondary so we offer our new scholars the opportunity to visit the school for four days when other scholars will not be in the Sports Day..................................... 3 Academy to learn the basics of how Ark All Saints Academy works. Citizenship Days ........................... 4 We will bring every scholar up to a level of competency where they can feel confident as Cultural Evening ........................... 5 they take their first steps along the marathon to university and beyond! I will have met with Start of term treats ........................ 5 each scholar before they start in the Academy in September either on a 1:1 meeting at the Academy or on a visit to their Primary school. I quickly get to know each scholar and to Year 7/8 Residential ..................... 6-7 ensure their learning and welfare needs are met. Rest up well over the summer and Year 9 Residential ......................... 8 prepare yourself for September by ensuring you have the following: Sports news ................................... 9 A large sized school bag capable of fitting a folder, books and other materials inside News Roundup ............................. 10 A reading book (or two) New scholars ................................. 11 The correct Academy uniform and PE kit Summer prayer ............................. 12 A professional haircut (no dyes or cut-ins) Staff changes ................................. 12 A plan, and back up, for how you will be getting to and from the Academy each day Important dates ............................. 12 Enjoy the holiday and keep yourself safe and your brain busy. Half an hour a day reading will keep you fresh for when you return to learning in September. Joe Norton-Jones Pastoral Director for Year 7 Ark Super Science Challenge Caitlin and Jenae in Year 7 took part in the Ark Super Science Challenge, against several other Ark schools from across the country. After a day of science challenges, they come out victorious and took home first place. Congratulations to them both! Art Trips During the Summer term, Year 8 and 9 Art scholars have participated in a series of workshops as part of the Jack Petchey START programme. The workshops were run by professional practicing artist and photographer, Marysa Dowling. The aim of the workshops was to engage scholars with contemporary art in a gallery setting, to view and respond to live art exhibitions and to collaborate with a professional artist. Finally, scholars were able to create their own conceptual art work, which will be exhibited in the South London Gallery of Contemporary Art. Scholars had their imaginations thoroughly stretched and the resulting art work is both mature and exciting. On 14th and 15th July, 60 AASA scholars were privileged to have their art work exhibited in a public exhibi- tion at the South London Gallery. There was an opening night event with soft drinks and nibbles, which a number of AASA staff attended. Congratulations to all the scholars who exhibited! Our Theatre As a part of the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre’s Our Theatre project, eleven Year 7 scholars from AASA were one of 9 Southwark secondary schools who were given a 5 minute section of Richard III to perform. AASA scholars had the important middle section including the deaths of 4 main characters in what is a very bloody and gruesome play. The scholars performed twice in the Sam Wannamaker Theatre, a Jacobean replica theatre which is inside the Globe Theatre site. The afternoon performance was performed to their peers and teachers and the evening performance to their families. The scholars demonstrated an incredible amount of professionalism, confidence and success in being able to perform perfectly to these packed audiences and conduct themselves with responsibility throughout the day. They made their families, peers and the academy incredibly proud. Sports Day We will be holding a further Sports Day on Tuesday 13th September 2016. Citizenship Days Cultural Evening Ark All Saints Academy is an incredibly multi-cultural We run Citizenship Days every term at AASA, and they are school, with scholars, staff and parents from all corners of an important opportunity for our scholars to learn extra the globe and with amazing heritages. topics that are not part of the curriculum. Just before the EU Every year, we give our scholars the chance to show off referendum, we ran a Citizenship Day all about the some of their cultural background to each other, parents importance of voting, how political parties work and the and staff. actual process of voting. The Great Hall was filled with flags of every colour, We have also made a change for our Citizenship Days from dazzling traditional clothes, delicious food and national now on; all scholars are invited to attend the day in music. The scholars put together stalls and cajoled their professional dress. This is to teach them how to dress for parents into cooking food and helping them research their university interviews, job interviews and get them ready for backgrounds. sixth form or college in the near future. We were so impressed with the effort the scholars put in; they all looked incredibly smart and professional. Cultural Evening Ark All Saints Academy is an incredibly multi-cultural school, with scholars, staff and parents from all corners of the globe and with amazing heritages. Every year, we give our scholars the chance to show off some of their cultural background to each other, parents and staff. The Great Hall was filled with flags of every colour, dazzling traditional clothes, delicious food and national music. The scholars put together stalls and cajoled their parents into cooking food and helping them research their backgrounds. Start of term treats In our end of term assembly in December 2015, Ms Frame challenged all of the scholars to see if they could only pick up a maximum of one correction in each term. Ms Frame promised that if they were successful she would give them a reward. In every term since, many scholars have worked really hard to make sure they are on time, fully equipped and working in a scholarly way at all times. We have so far had three treats; ice cream and doughnuts! Each scholar who has received 0 or 1 correction in each of the last three terms has received a lovely treat, courtesy of our endowment. Year 7/8 Residential Our Year 7 and Year 8 scholars attended the annual 3-day/2-night residential trip. This time to Arethusa Venture Centre. Some of the aims of the trip were for the scholars to build better relationships with each other, gain teamwork skills, and increase their confidence with activities and games that they have never done before. Some of the activities included climbing, orienteering, the giant swing, fencing and teamwork games. The scholars had a great time and learnt a lot; we’re already looking forward to returning next year with our Year 8s and our incoming Year 7 scholars! Year 9 Residential This was our first camping residential at hidden gem in the Croydon area that is cov- cleared up afterwards. We witnessed scholar AASA. This event was both a stepping stone ered mostly by woodlands. camaraderie as well as concern and caring for scholars to experience the outdoor life as for each other. We successfully took three groups of schol- well as to build their self-reliance and resili- ars to camp for 24 hours (approximately 95 Despite the wet weather experienced towards ence. The detailed planning and the desire percent of Year 9 attended!). The scholars the end of the trip the scholars were resilient to see our scholars grow from the adult team, participated in events such as orienteering, to last minute changes and the changing combined with the enthusiasm and dedica- archery, climbing, quad biking and the infa- environmental conditions.