Newsletter 22:3:13
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NEWSLETTER 22nd March 2013 Principal’s Report It’s been an incredibly busy and amazingly impressive week here at Mounts Bay, and it never ceases to amaze me how hard staff and students work to make the Academy a truly outstanding school. This week there has been so much going on that I hardly know where to start. There’s been Science week with everything from meteorites to Scrapheap Challenge; we’ve been inspired by a visiting Olympian; broadcast a live 40 minute TV News show for BBC News School Report and put on five performances of the Academy’s wonderful production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. While most schools will be winding down next week with Easter fast approaching, we will be continuing at the usual pace. On Monday we will be holding a Year 8 Deep Learning Project Celebration evening, with some spectacular work on display. Tuesday will see some of our talented musicians performing at the Acorn Theatre in the MixX Jam and on Wednesday night parents will be invited in to view the BBC News School Report programme that we made this week, and have a tour of the MBTV studios. On Thursday morning there will be a Year 8 Options Assembly where students will be introduced to the Year 9 Curriculum, which will give students some of the information they will need to pick their GCSE subject for next year. After this, I think you will agree that staff and students will take a well deserved break. As I am sure you are aware, the Academy closes at 12:40 on Thursday 28th March and we return on Monday 15th April. May I take this opportunity to thank you for your support in all aspects of the Academy and wish you a restful Easter break. Best wishes Sara Davey Academy Principal BE INSPIRED Students Honoured at the House of Lords On Tuesday evening three Year 8 students were invited to the House of Lords for a presentation by Lord Robert Winston and the Dean of Imperial College, London, to award the winners of a Science competition. Students from across the country had been asked to answer the question ʻWhy are some students being put off studying Science at school?ʼ The competition was organised by the Royal College of Scientists Union and the girls only learnt on Sunday that they were amongst the finalists. At the ceremony the three students, Olivia Hewett, Alice Pritchard and Harriet Radford, were singled out by the Dean who was surprised to see such young students amongst the finalists, given that all the other groups present comprised Public School sixth formers and University undergraduates. The girls were delighted to be awarded third prize and following the awards ceremony and delicious canapés, they were taken on a personal tour of the House of Lords by Lord Winston himself. It was a wonderful experience and the opportunity of a lifetime which the girls have said they will never forget. Congratulations! The students meet Lord Winston BE INSPIRED Space Science On Tuesday, all Year 9 Science GCSE students were treated to a presentation by astronomer Brian Sheen from the Roseland Observatory in Par. When the BBC recently held a three day 'Stargazing Live' show they were linked to various astronomers and stargazers across the country and Mr Sheen was part of the Eden Project link. Mr Sheen began with a short film about star evolution and shared some very interesting anecdotal stories about his career in the field. We were shown stunning images of stars and nebulae that were taken by the Roseland Telescope, proving it is not just NASA who produce these sorts of pictures. Finally, Mr Sheen produced some meteorites which were handled with much awe and wonder by the students. At the end of Mr Sheen's presentation, the students showed their appreciation by spontaneously breaking out into two rounds of applause (I had to convince Mr Sheen afterwards that they weren't prompted!). Year 9 were a captive audience and impeccably behaved and we can look forward to a future collaboration between MBA and Roseland Observatory. I also think Mr Sheen's assistant (Year 10 work experience Toby) proved to be a hit with certain MBA students! Science Joke (yes, we have them) "We all know light travels faster than sound which is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak" - Albert Einstein Science Week Science week has created a buzz around the Academy all week with many exciting events. It has really given a great impression of just how varied and exciting science is. From TV star Brian Cox to stars born in distant galaxies, students have been taken on a thrilling journey. In Reception the Physics Busking and the Gadget Shop have proved great hits and attracted many fascinated students. CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE CONTACT US BE INSPIRED Inspiring Olympian Former Olympian Vernon Samuels visited Mounts Bay on Friday 15th March. Vernon, who competed in the 1988 Olympic Games as a Triple Jumper, visited the Academy as part of the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme. Sky Sports Living for Sport uses sports stars and sports skills to improve young people's lives. The programme is designed to inspire and support every participant in areas relevant to them whether it's improving confidence, attainment at school or leading a healthier lifestyle. He started the day with an assembly and then took the Year 7 girls groups for PE. Vernon then spent time with the Year 10 GCSE PE theory group. He finished the day by working with the High Performance Group in the afternoon. The sessions were multi skilled and looked at core strength and fitness. He also talked about his life story to the Year 10s. Vernon was an inspirational speaker and could connect with students brilliantly. He was able to talk about “his story”, how he achieved his Olympic success and the commitment he needed to reach the top in his sport. Maths Masterclass Over the last 10 weeks we have hosted gifted and talented students from eight local primary schools. The aim has been to challenge them and inspire them in their mathematical studies. Over the week the group of Year 4-6 students have looked at a range of topics including finding the internal angles of a megagon (a one million sided shape); spotting sequences in nature; using graphs to understand the TopGear Team's race across London and making money with percentages. CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE CONTACT US BE CURIOUS Raspberry Pi Prize Well done to everyone who has taken part in World Pi Day but particularly Georgia Kennedy-Curnow who memorised 100 decimal places. Apparently the trick is to put the digits to song! The picture shows Georgia receiving her Raspberry Pi Computer which was the prize for the top performer on the day. English House Competition WIN BOOK TOKENS £10 First Prize £5 Runner Up Either Write a book review on a book you've recently enjoyed. Write a persuasive article Or aimed at teenagers: ʻReading- Just Do it.ʼ Or Write a report on your favourite author. Closing Date April 15th. All entries to Mrs Marsden in the English Department Click here to enter. CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE CONTACT US BE CURIOUS Maths Quiz House Competition This Week’s Puzzle: Purple: 48 Points What is the largest number of people at a party if no two Yellow: 29 Points Orange: 25 Points people have a birthday in the same month? Blue: 15 Point Extension for Bonus Points: Green: 11 Point Red: 6 Point A man is asked how old he is. “I am 35 years old not counting Saturdays and Sundays.” How old is he? Closing date for Entries: Thursday 28th March at 12:00 Click here to submit your answer Last week’s solution: Win an iTunes voucher 49, 169… For each correct answer Extension: throughout this semester we will put your name in the hat for a The tenth triangle number is 55 chance to win an iTunes voucher – the more correct answers, the more chance of winning. Could you write next week’s puzzle? If you would like to set the numeracy puzzle for a future week click here. You will win house points. Last week's answer was church The winner was Reece Evans. Well done! Translate the word of the week from either French, German, Spanish or Italian and send your answer to [email protected] to be entered into the weekly competition. Use the word of the week in your Language lesson and get a credit from your teacher! CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE CONTACT US This week’s word is: Repertoire. Definition: Repertoire – noun This refers to a list or set of plays, dramas, operas, musical compositions, songs or roles which an artist or performance company is prepared to perform. Although the original meaning of the word referred to the world of performance and art, the word has now come to refer to the entire range of skills or aptitudes or devices used in a particular field or occupation. A doctor might have a repertoire of procedures or medication they can offer to deal with a health problem and a chef might have a repertoire of techniques for creating desserts. Etymology: repertoire is borrowed from the French répertoire, and originally comes from the Latin repertorium ("an inventory, list, repertory"), from Latin reperire ("to find, find out, discover, invent"), from re- ("again") + parire, usually parere ("to produce"). Competition Congratulations to Pema Bradley-Peer who wins a WH Smith Voucher for pointing out that last week we failed to include the word ‘discrepancy’ in the newsletter.