Phoenix CCF Is Taking Off!
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The Phoenix Newsletter Summer 2019 Edition No: 21 Phoenix CCF is Taking Off! It has been another extremely successful Performances at the meal were provided by Staffordshire year for The Phoenix Collegiate Combined Cadet Force. Wing Band and our very own Corps of Drums. The contingent has gone from strength to strength, resulting Following the dinner, the awards and achievements of our in the exciting news that we will be expanding next year. cadets were recognised, including specialist awards for those To complement the excellent opportunities provided to cadets who had excelled in a specific area. by the Royal Navy, the new Royal Air Force section will allow Congratulations go to LH Islam for winning the RN Ethos students to take to the skies and participate in other new Award, CPO Bridges for winning the Nelson Tropy and to exciting activities. PO Stoian for being this year’s recipient of the Contingent This year saw the introduction of our first ever Phoenix CCF Commanders Cup. evening. The event took place on Thursday 11th July and This was an incredible experience for us as a school, for recognised the commitment of our fantastic cadets and the CCF unit and for our cadets’ families, showcasing our celebrated their achievements over the academic year. outstanding young people and the This very special event was attended by 25 cadets and admirable accolades they have well their families, the CCF team and the following VIP guests: and truly earned. CSgt Steve Parkin (Area Instructor for West Midlands), Major Well done squad! (Retd) Simon Cuthbert (Schools Cadet Expansion Officer), Lt Sophie Rennie (Liaison Officer BRNC - Navy Cadets), Lt Cdr Please see inside for further Suzanne Lynch, LH Grandison and LH Christie (RN Outreach information about our Phoenix CCF Team), Don Williams (Vice Chair of Governors) and Mike Smith (Head teacher). Return dates for September 2019 IN THIS EDITION Governors .................................................page 2 Students return to Phoenix on Wednesday 4th September 2019 Hubs News ........................................pages 2-15 Year 7 students to arrive at 8.40am and report to the dining hall Combined Cadet Force (CCF) ............pages 15-17 Year 8, 9, 10 & 11 students to arrive at 11.20am and report to their tutor in form rooms for P3 Key Stages News .............................pages 18-24 Year 12 students to arrive at 9.30am and report to the school hall Miscellaneous ..................................pages 24-27 Year 13 students to arrive at 11.30am and report to the school hall Sports Update ..................................pages 27-28 www.aspirebelievesucceed.com 1 Important Dates for Autumn Term 2019 Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd September 2019 School closed to students for inset days Summer 2019 Wednesday 4th September Students return to school Results Days Monday 23rd to Friday 27th September Year 6 open week (by appointment only) Thursday 15th August GCE Thursday 26th September Year 6 open evening (4.00-7.30pm) and Level 3 Results: Thursday 3rd October Year 11 motivational evening (5.30-7.30pm) Year 12 and 13 from 9.00am to 12.00pm Thursday 24th October Years 7, 10 & 12 settling in evening (5.00-7.00pm) Thursday 22nd August GCSE and Level 2 Results: Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November Half term holiday Year 11 and Year 12 re-sits from 9.00am to 12.00pm Thursday 14th November Key Stage 5 open evening (5.30-7.30pm) Year 11 pre-public examination results Thursday 28th November Sixth Form Enrolment: parents’ evening (4.00-7.00pm) Thursday 22nd (8.45am-1pm) in the school hall, Friday 29th November School closed to students for inset day Friday 23rd (10am-2pm) and Thursday 29th August (10am-2pm) in the school’s reception area Monday 23rd December to Christmas holiday Friday 3rd January 2020 Collection of Results Monday 6th January 2020 School closed to students for inset day Whilst most students collect their results, we Tuesday 7th January 2020 Students return to school appreciate that this is not always possible. Results can be posted or collected on students’ behalf by prior written arrangement only. Posted results will require a stamped addressed Governors board and responded positively to this request. envelope of A5 size with the candidate number Andy’s interests include holidays, Welsh Rugby, reading, written in the top left hand corner. Andy Collins swimming and U3A (University of the Third Age). Co-opted Governor Paul Rogers Andy attended a boys’ Parent Governor grammar school in English South Wales. Paul was born and raised in West Bromwich He obtained a degree in where he has lived all History and Philosophy his life. He attended Sign of from Lampeter Churchfields High University, followed by School. Four trip a PGCE from Cardiff University. Andy took a further degree in Economics He has always worked and Politics from London University whilst teaching in the public sector field and obtained a Diploma in School Management where he worked for the NHS for 15 years and now Studies from Wolverhampton University. works in a primary school as an office team manager. Andy’s first teaching post was in South Wales and He is married with 3 children, one of whom who started he moved to the West Midlands for promotion in the at Phoenix in September 2018. mid-1970s. He enjoys spending time with his family and running He became Head of Department then Head of Upper his children to the various sports clubs that they School at Longlands, Stourbridge. This was followed undertake. These include gymnastics, trampolining, by a Deputy Headship at Shelfield Community School karate, swimming, stage school and tennis. He also in Walsall, which led him to become Head teacher at enjoys relaxing when he can and watching sports on Going to the theatre with Year 11 students Shelfield in the early 1990s. TV, especially football, rugby and cricket. was elementary! 14 Year 11 students were lucky enough to have their GCSE text “The Sign of Having always lived around the area, he always said After more than ten years as Head teacher, Andy Four” by Arthur Conan Doyle brought to life at that no child of his would ever attend Phoenix. resigned and then worked for Wolverhampton the Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, in December. University running the Graduate Training Programme. He had heard negative stories that were associated The cast embodied the characters of Sherlock He transferred to Newman University in a similar with the school and never gave the school a chance. and Watson and gave the students an insight role. When the DfE closed down the GTP (a However, when coming to choose a secondary school into how their characters would behave very retrograde step), Andy ran the Assessment for his daughter, she wanted to take a look around whilst solving the case of the ‘Sign of Four’. Only Route to QTS at Newman until he retired in Phoenix. They attended an open evening and were Josh Walker, Year 11, commented “It was a September 2016. For 30 years, Andy was a Senior greatly surprised and impressed with the school. great production and it really improved my Examiner and Principal Examiner for AQA in History Everything that he had heard and been told was totally understanding of the text”. and General Studies. inaccurate. Andy had been a governor at Ace Academy since Having attended the open evening, Phoenix became his The play featured intrigue, shock, romance and 2003 and was vice chair when the DfE decided to child’s first choice and they were both pleased that she comedy which was interwoven with Sherlock’s remove the whole governing body in August 2017 was given a place. masterful crime solving skills. (another retrograde step). After the open evening, he then looked at how he could The play certainly didn’t leave the students’ Andy was approached by Phoenix to see if he would make an impact on the local community but also the “minds rebelling at stagnation”, as Sherlock be interested in joining the Phoenix Governing Body school and was pleased to become a parent governor. Holmes might say! 2 www.aspirebelievesucceed.com Speakers’ Trust: World Book Day at Speak Out Phoenix This year Phoenix celebrated World Book Day in style, with departments across the school dressing up as Challenge classic literary characters! Students in Key Stage 3 The English Department have been working in and 4 participated in a variety of reading activities to collaboration with the Speakers’ Trust this year celebrate the important day whilst the staff were full to develop the speaking and communication of optimism and enthusiasm. skills and confidence of our Year 10 students. Many students entered reading competitions and Thirty of the students were also selected to were able to play “guess the teacher”. represent Phoenix in the Speak Out Challenge competition. A fantastic day was had by all and the English Department look forward to its growing success in years to come! English Revision Here at Phoenix we’ll do anything in the name of revision…even “graffiti” the grounds! On the afternoon before the GCSE Literature exam, Year 11 students were tasked with “grafitting” the pathway to the exam hall with quotations from the Literature texts they studied. Students thoroughly enjoyed the activity and The first stage of the competition involved stated that it really helped with their last minute a day of workshops with a Speakers’ Trust preparations. Year 11 students this year also received Trainer, culminating in the students delivering a revision tips from Helen Pickering, the former two minute speech to an audience of Year 10 Principal Examiner for GCSE Literature. Helen delivered a key note speech and students and a panel of judges.