The #5 January 2020

Connection SOUTH DARTMOOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE RENT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION Welcome to The Connection. Inside this fifth, new year edition you’ll find a celebration of our college

community, updates and opportunities to get involved and support the amazing students and staff at SDCC.

A message from Mr. Dyke… Dear All With Christmas a distant memory and with both dark mornings and evenings we are truly into the heart of the academic year! The second mocks are fast approaching for our year eleven students who have very little time left with us – there are lots of extra curriculum sessions happening, to help with revision so if you are not already signed up, speak to your teachers now! Year sevens are now well established and fully embedded into the culture and expectations of South Dartmoor. The college is full of life and activity with clear focus on learning through a wide variety of

different means including Academic, Sporting and the Arts. The connection is just a snapshot of the fantastic opportunities that we provide for the whole school and the wider community. Enjoy this month’s addition and thank you for all of the staff, parents, students and wider supporters of SDCC that make it possible.

K. Dyke Interim Principal

Opening Doors Through Education

Want to know how to boost your long-term memory and study or revise at home for best results?

Visit https://www.learningscientists.org/ For videos, blogs, podcasts and how to guides.

The U13s and U15s boys indoor cricket teams both returned unbeaten from the district round of the 8 - a - side competition, emulating the girls' success last week.

In the U13s competition, South Dartmoor started strongly with a 76-53 victory over College. In their second match the team got off to a slow start against , losing early wickets, before Ethan Lee steadied the ship, with the team scoring a massive 30 runs off their final over to post the highest total of the day, a mighty 106 runs from their 6 overs. Mayne could only manage a meagre 33 runs in reply. The final match of the group stage was a more closely fought affair. The team was held to 65 runs by Academy, but came out strongly in the field. The opposition were strong with the bat but were unable to match us, finishing on 57 runs.

The side clinched their place in the Devon Finals in January with a solid 69-29 victory against Paignton Community College. Our bowling attacking giving nothing away to end the day with their best fielding performance.

Special mention to Sam Field who gave very little away behind the stumps, Ethan Lee for several incredible sixes, also to Felix Partridge who captained the side fantastically well.

Not to be outmatched, the U15s won all their matches with relative ease until their final match of the day against . The opposition were able to keep pace with the score set until the final two overs, when Ben Wotten and Captain Jack Ansley bowled two miserly overs to seal the victory and with it a clean sweep for both teams.

The Acrylic Skateboard Company: Craft Guild Exhibition The Acrylic Skateboard Company's exhibition will be on display at the Bovey Tracey Craft Guild until the 8th March.

If you haven't had a chance to visit, get down there because here's what your missing…

Exhibition Review

Firstly, it's brilliant, congratulations to all involved. The artwork is amazing and so thoughtful (melting earth ice-cream), detailed (spaceman and peacock) and intelligently witty (girl with the pearl/hoop earring!). All the boards showed their own unique style and skill. I'm no skate boarder but I loved the artwork.

Secondly, it is clear to see how the company has progressed immensely in the last year. I first heard about Acrylic Skateboard Company at the Daisi Art Conference held at Torre Abbey. I was impressed then hearing about the pupils' drive and commitment to the company and was blown away on Saturday when I realised that the exhibit was Acrylic's. The exhibit not only held its own within the gallery space but was exciting and innovative, a pleasure to view. I've never met you guys, but I felt incredibly proud nonetheless to tell the people I was with how the company had started (bit cheesy but true).

I would love for our primary pupils to get the opportunity to visit the exhibition, it's current, culturally enriching and could be hugely inspiring for them. I will try to get the exhibition invite sent out with our school newsletter.

I wish you every success with your enterprise and I'm excited to see what you do next!

Kind Regards

Miss Stapleton

Exminster School

SDCC SPARX Students going above & beyond

Students have been completing Sparx home learning for the last term. All students complete the compulsory home learning, but students also have the option to complete optional and target home learning questions. The optional and target home learning challenge students even further and allow students to make additional progress with their learning in mathematics. The additional questions increase the level of challenge and the length of the home learning considerably. A number of students have gone above and beyond and have completed all their compulsory, optional and target home learning tasks every week. This represents a significant investment in their maths learning and students have levelled up, earning a certificate and a pin badge, which students are proudly wearing on the lapels of their blazers. To date, 26 students have earnt this privilege and badges along with certificates were given out in assemblies this week. The maths department are very proud of the effort that these students have made. It has been proved that independent learning increases outcome potential and these students are already on a pathway to significant success in maths.

When we were at Plymouth University, we learnt about; polygons, polyhedrons, and flexagons. We spent a whole day there with different year 7s from different secondary schools. We all learnt about polygons first and then went onto do polyhedrons. We learnt that polyhedrons were a 3D polygon. After that, we did flexagons which were shapes that almost tricked you. They were double sided things that when folded in a certain way, could make some strange things revealing hidden sides. We also had a circle with a loop so when we cut it, it would double in size. Everything we had done was GCSE level maths and overall, the day was a lot of fun but the flexagons were my favourite part. By Annie Alden

10th January 2020

Dear Parents/Carers,

New Parent Forum

As many of you will know, parents have been working closely with the school both through FOSDA and also through other informal routes, to maximise support for all that the school does. We are delighted that we are about to launch a new parent consultation forum which will formalise some of this work and will sit alongside the fantastic fundraising work of FOSDA. The aims of the parent forum will be:

 To give the parents and carers (SDCC) an effective voice.  To offer positive support for the students, staff, schools and our communities.  To connect this community college to the communities it serves.  To provide a forum for the school to gauge parent views about initiatives planned and implemented.  To enable parents as a group to raise issues effectively.

We are intending to hold the first meeting of this group on February 6th, 2020 at 5.30pm. The group will be jointly led by a parent chair and a senior staff member. We are also seeking representation from the Governing Board.

The intention is that this will be a group of parents who represent the full spread of the college and who are able to commit to regular meetings and other activities, which may involve seeking wider views from other parents/carers not on the group.

If you are interested in participating in this group, please email me (Rebecca Cosgrave) on [email protected].

It would be really helpful if you could let me know the year group your child(ren) are currently in and any further information which you think may be relevant in helping me to ensure we have a representative group.

Really looking forward in building a positive forum together. Kind regards

Rebecca Cosgrave

Wow wow wow!!! #SouthDartmoorAlumni Rachael Fee we are so proud of you. Congratulations on your promotion to the Team Bath Netball senior squad!! #BlueandGold 

Full story: https://netball.teambath.com/2020/01/15/rachael- fee-2020-superleague/

If you want to CONNECT please send us your good news stories by emailing: [email protected]

SDCC 6th Form Phoebe and Jack pick up Bel Tor’s top award! INVESTS! At the end of every term Bel Tor staff and students take time to acknowledge the numerous achievements made by 6th Form students are engaged in Bel Tor students over the term. Furthermore, Tutors also 2 share investment competitions use this occasion to nominate students for the Hember Cup. this year. One Student Investor, a truly international competition This award is the most prestigious praise award that with over 6400 teams entered students can achieve in Bel Tor. Presented at the end of trades in fantasy money but with each full term, this award recognises students who have a top prize of an all expenses trip gone above and beyond expectation with regards to the to Wall Street in New York, the other Shares4Schools, where the house ethos of respect, commitment, and honesty. The first students invest £2000 of really recipients of the cup this year were Y7 students Phoebe money in the stock market. One Mogeni and Jack Lewis. Their nominations stood out as a of our Student Investors teams is result of their incredibly positive transition to life at doing exceptionally well and is Secondary School. In their short time at SDCC they have built on the cusp of a semi-final place with less than 48 hours left of a reputation as being a positive and helpful members of trading. More updates to come their tutor group, made constructive contributions during in later editions of Connections. impact days, and both demonstrated an impressive commitment to extra-curricular opportunities including In the Shares4Schools competition the team has seen involvement in the school production of ‘FAME’, Carols on an early £150 profit wiped out by Tour, and dance and cricket clubs. They are positive role some horrendous luck. First not models to other Y7 students in Bel Tor and beyond. one but 2 of the Chairmen of the Well done Jack and Phoebe – we are proud to have companies they invested in decided to retire sending the you in the Golden Tor! share prices plummeting but then shares in IAG, British Airways owners, began to fall with the outbreak of the China Virus and its potential impact on international travel! The team are now back to square one and looking at what other companies might give them a chance to see their investments grow.

Mr Rodgers

Both students were presented with the cup on the last assembly of 2019 by Head of House Mr Slater.

Friday 17th January 2020

Last Friday Year 7 had the opportunity to watch the 'Virtual Reality' play delivered by Paul Stevens. The play looked at how social media and too much time spent in this 'gadget' world can have an impact on a young person's well- being. The play explored the dangers of how words and images can be used to bully and harm others. As a parent or carer, you play a vital; role in helping your child to stay safe online. It is important to remember that you don't need to be an expert on the internet to help keep your child stay safe online. Please use the link below to access additional advice and guidance on how to support you as you support your child to use the internet safely. https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice- centre/parents-and-carers

Come along and join SDCCs’ new Sustainability group… A brilliantly enthusiastic group of students from all year groups are keen to make South Dartmoor a more sustainable school. We have signed up to the international Eco-Schools Green Flag award, this aims to be largely student led. To start we are carrying out an environmental review and will focus on ten key topics: biodiversity, energy, global citizenship, healthy living, litter, marine, school grounds, transport, waste and water. Information can be found at https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/ Please encourage your child to do their bit – start with encouraging them to bring a refillable drinks bottle to school each day! We would love to welcome more members – we meet in RS1 on Thursday lunchtimes.

Hope to see you there, Mrs Thomson & Mr Wilson.

U13 girls football team came runners up at the Devon FA National Futsal event at Paignton Community College. Poppy did not concede a single goal during normal play in the tournament and Milly finished as the top goal scorer. They were a pleasure to coach and tried their best!

Results:

Group Stage – Winners!

SDCC 3 - 0 St Cuthbert Mayne A Milly, Harriet and Jasmine

SDCC 3 - 0 Milly x2 and Loren SDCC 1 - 0 Newton Abbott College Milly

Semi Final

SDCC 1 – 0 Churston Grammar Harriet U13 Girls Football Team - Milly Klinkenberg (C), Jasmine Course Final (VC), Poppy Anstiss (GK), Isabel Course, Harriet Course, Ruby SDCC 0 – 0 Torquay Academy (Torquay Lambert, Eloise Smith, Molly Academy won 2-0 on penalties. Pickard and Loren Gonski

Mr Pryke South Dartmoor Girls Football Coach

Year 12 Chemistry Schools Analyst Competition During the 3rd week of term Year 12 were We had the first of our scheduled Y11 given the opportunity to enter the National Psychology revision days on Chemistry Schools Analyst Competition. Saturday 18th January. It was a successful day, a Three students were chosen to represent high number of Year 11 Psychology students the school and accompanied Mr Lewis to attended, the pace of the delivery was rapid, Plymouth university to compete in the local and students felt that they had made real round of this national event. The students progress in preparation for the summer’s GCSE. spent the day using their chemistry knowledge to compete against 9 other Psychology dates scheduled for: schools from the local area. Answering Saturday 1st February problems and taking part in practical Saturday 15th February sessions using the university laboratories th and equipment. Despite some amazing Saturday 29 February teamwork and efforts, they did not finish in a top 3 position, but an amazing day was Religious Study dates scheduled for: th had by all and the experience gave them Saturday 14 March th insights into university life they have ahead Saturday 28 March of them! Saturday 25th April Leo Sherbersky, Abi Froom, Oliver Burgess and Mr Lewis Places are now limited but if you still wish to attend, you should speak to your parents and the Psychology / RS department.

Mr Murray who is running and delivering the days will be pleased to have you on board!

Preparations for South Dartmoor’s Annual Dance Production of Body Language are well underway, and we can’t wait to share the work of our talented students with friends, family and the local community. Body Language is a performance platform which showcases the dance that takes place in curriculum time and through extra-curricular opportunities here at SDCC. Be sure to check out the next issue of The Connection for more information about this year’s Body Language programme. Below are key dates for your diary; Primary Body Language 2020 – Tuesday 10th March Body Language Tea Party – Wednesday 11th March

Body Language 2020 – Thursday 12th & Friday 14th March For your chance to get involved with the 25th Annual Dance Production of Body Language, get yourself along to a club at lunchtime in DA1 or sign up for the chance to audition a piece of choreography you have been working on in your own time, be it a solo, duet or group dance.

2020 will see the launch of a new Primary Dance Project ‘Leap Ahead’ which combines the creativity and vision of SDCC’s previous primary dance platforms ‘Footsteps’ and ‘Transitions’. ‘Leap Ahead’ is a new 6-week primary project for Year 5 and 6 students with a passion for dance and who want to build relationships with the SDCC community ahead of jumping feet first into life at SDCC as a Year 7 student. The project works towards performances at SDCC’s Dance Platforms in March.

Please see the poster for more information and please book your child’s place on the project by emailing Miss Cowell [email protected]

The Connection If you want to CONNECT please send us your good news stories by emailing: [email protected]

January Issue 2020