theRedhillAcademy newsletter April 2019 Message from the Head of School The Easter holiday is almost upon us and I know students are looking forward to a well-earned break. It has been a busy term with a range of activities taking place and mock exams for the older students as the real exam period looms closer. All subject areas have been working hard on exam preparation and the students themselves have shown a real sense of purpose and a determination to succeed which will serve them well in the weeks ahead. As part of the assessment requirements, we have been treated to a variety of Performing Arts practicals and audiences have seen incredible talent in Dance, Drama and Music. March saw the return to school of many of our students who left the Academy at the end of Year 13 to pursue the next stage of their education at university or on higher level apprenticeships. We felt extremely proud of the incredible things they have achieved and it was a pleasure to reward them with their certificates alongside our own rising stars in Key Stage 3 and 4. Highlights of the evening included the awarding of the Melissa Ellis Award for Achievement in Modern Foreign Languages to Mollie Smith and the John de Boer Trophy for Outstanding Achievement at Key Stage 5 to Roma Ellis. We were also treated to a thoroughly engaging presentation from the former Olympian and European champion Richard Buck who gripped everyone with his experiences of the highs and lows of 400m running. Finally, I wanted to let you know that the Redhill 70th birthday celebrations will now take place on June 20th as opposed to the original date of May 1st. Please keep a look out for the forthcoming details of the event. Mr N Matthews - Head of School www.theredhillacademy.org.uk www.twitter.com/redhillacademy [email protected] Schools’ Massive This March, some of our Year 9, 10, and 12 Drama students participated in recreating a key scene from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. We performed alongside many other primary and secondary schools from around Nottingham at the Nottingham Playhouse over a span of two days. Over the course of six weeks we put together three scenes with help from Dawn Richmond-Gordon, a Playhouse director. Performing on a professional stage was a new experience for all of us, and helped our understanding of what professional theatre is all about. It was an amazing opportunity that many of us were lucky to participate in. We would recommend it to anyone interested in theatre or doing GCSE Drama. Skye Salmeron, Betsy Sheil & Alice Taylor - Year 10 It was ACE! The Arts Celebration Evening was held at the end of January, and what an amazing night it was. Year 8s, 11s and 13s were awarded for their service to the academy’s Performing Arts. The evening was even more special for me in particular, as I was awarded the Nichola Epworth Cup which is an honour that I will never forget. A wonderful evening celebrating so many talented people and led by the brilliant Performing Arts staff at Redhill. Peter Newton – Year 13 Holocaust Memorial Day On Wednesday 13th February, we had the honour of hosting an event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. As part of this event we were privileged enough to hear the testimony of Mala Tribich, a survivor of the Holocaust. The event was attended by Mr Matthews along with other staff and students from Redhill and Oakwood. Mala’s testimony was filmed by the Year 9 student Kieran Frankland and introduced by Miss Wilkinson. After the testimony the PRE Ambassadors led a service in the Memorial Garden where there were readings of poems and testimonies, as well as a reflection on the meaning of home - the theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day - and a musical performance from the Year 12 student Lucia Hughes. The service invited students and teachers to reflect on how we can educate future generations and inspire them to stand up against prejudice. Philosophy, Religion and Ethics Ambassadors Couch to 5k After Christmas, again this year the PE department invited students and staff to join the Couch to 5k program. Couch to 5k is a plan that involves 3 runs a week, with a different schedule for each of the 9 weeks. In just 9 weeks the programme helps you to gradually work up to running 5k. This year on the 13th March our Couch to 5k program came to an end and the runners ran their 5k. Well done to all runners that completed their 5k run. Resilience and determination has been shown by all attendees over the 9 weeks. We hope you all keep running! The running club will still take place on a Wednesday afterschool. The PE department U14 Girls South Notts Cup Semi-Final & U16 Girls County Cup Semi-Final Friday 22nd March saw two girls football teams visit The Toot Hill School to compete in two semi-final football matches. Our U16 Girls played to the best of their ability with a player down and managed to equalise the score meaning the first half finished 1-1. In the second half the girls unfortunately lost to Toot Hill 2-1. The girls showed great determination and resilience throughout the entire game. In our U14 girls match tensions were high. Olivia Lowe scored an early goal followed by a goal from Toot Hill causing the first half to end on a 1-1 draw. Second half - once again - an early goal was scored by Bailee Manners and Toot Hill then equalised. Both teams played exceptionally well and the end result was 2-2 meaning penalties had to decide the winning team. Eve Shaw, Olivia Lowe, Sommer Smith and Paige Haywood all successfully scored their penalties. Emma Porter, Redhill’s goal keeper, outshined during penalties and saved 2 shots meaning, Redhill won 4-2 on penalties and have gone through to the South Notts Cup Final! All the girls involved in the Semi-Finals were a credit to the Academy showing great teamwork, motivation and resilience throughout both games that were played. Well done girls! Miss J Davis – PE teacher Lady Taverners Competition Girls Cricket The girls Cricket season has once again been successful. The U15’s came second in the County at the Lady Taverners competition for the second year running, narrowly missing out on the regionals which was to be held in Stoke on Trent. It was an extremely tight final against West Bridgford and Ashfield, where we lost out on first place by a mere 3 runs. The U13’s came third in the county which was a massive achievement as they are a new team having only trained together a few times. We now look forward to the outdoor summer competitions. Ms E Baker – PE teacher Redhill goes Green A number of Redhill students from Year 8 to 13 have been meeting every Thursday to support the Academy’s push to reduce its impact on the environment, forming the Sustainability Committee. As part of this drive to make Redhill more sustainable, the Sustainability Committee presented assemblies to all of Year 7. Within these assemblies, each Year 7 received a metal water bottle, with the condition that they should use it to help reduce single- use plastic waste by purchasing less bottled water. Reducing single use plastics helps the wider environment but will also help keep the Academy looking neat and tidy. As part of the effort to keep Redhill tidy half a dozen Sixth formers, including Head Boy Jack Straw, undertook a litter pick collection of 20kg of waste. Emily Baggaley, Year 13, has been a driving force in the Sustainability Committee “We’re determined to change the attitude of some students, and we hope that you will join us. We have plans to improve understanding of recycling through activities in forms. In the meantime, we invite you to consider how much waste you contribute, and how you can make a difference. So, Redhill - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!” Mr Warren has been supporting the group “I have been really impressed with the commitment and passion these students have shown over the last few months. With their help we have already made massive steps in reducing our impact of the environment. We aim to keep this group going for many years to come, continually making improvements”. Mr J Warren – Operations Manager Footprints Charity On Monday 18th March, Knight House was visited by Andrea Kelley, a representative from Footprints Charity. Knight House Student Captains shared all the hard work from the autumn term that led to the raising of an impressive £732.25. A big thank you to all the students, parents and staff that took part or helped fundraise. Mrs C Warren – Knight House Co-ordinator Goodbye to all that In February this year Mr Tyler finally retired after 43 years at Redhill. Most of his time was spent in the PE Department though in recent years he has been a member of our cover supervisor team. Mr Tyler started at Redhill on the first day back after the February half term in 1976. During his career we estimate he taught over 32,000 PE lessons and in the last few years countless cover lessons. Looking back he told us “I wanted to teach PE from the age of 14. I consider myself extremely lucky to have spent so long in a profession that I always considered was second best to being a professional footballer!” Mr Tyler talks fondly of the extra-curricular sporting events and the many successes achieved by Redhill students over the years.