December 2019 www.lordswoodgirls.co.uk Lordswood News happen, by driving down the pavement. A Letter From The In some cases, other parents or residents have been able to note the car registration and the school has then passed this Headteacher information on to the police. Please could Dear Parents, all parents ensure that they do not break the law when bringing or collecting their children from school, and it Welcome to the Autumn term edition of our newsletter goes without saying that no parent should be driving which I hope will give you a flavour of what has been onto a resident’s drive or dropping off their child in happening this term. the middle of the road. Thank you for your support in ensuring the safety of our children. Earlier this term, we were delighted to have our 2019 examination success recognised by the national school Earlier this term we said farewell to Mrs Richards, Post- performance tables which rated the school as ‘well 16 Student Support Co-ordinator and also to Mrs Seeley, above average’. The publication of the Department Curriculum and Assessment Assistant, and at the end of for Education’s data confirmed the school’s position this term we say goodbye and thank you to Mrs Farrah, as within the top 4% schools nationally, which is very Lead Professional in Science. Mrs Farrah has worked at pleasing. This success reflects a lot of hard work on the Lordswood for 16 years and has made an outstanding part of students and staff and I should also like to thank contribution to the teaching of science in the school. parents for their support and encouragement of their We wish her well as she embarks on a career in senior children. leadership at a school in Solihull.
The new Ofsted inspection framework focuses heavily The festive season at Lordswood reaches its climax on the curriculum in evaluating the quality of education with our Christmas concert on Wednesday 18th and follows concerns raised by HMCI Amanda Spielman December and a performance of A Christmas Carol on that many schools are narrowing down their KS3 19th December. Tickets are available from school and curriculum to focus on KS4 preparation. At Lordswood I hope to see many of you at one of these events. The Girls’ School, the KS3 curriculum has always spanned term ends for years 12 and 13 at 3pm on Thursday 19th years 7-9 and is designed to ensure that students have a December and for years 7-11 at 12 noon on Friday 20th good foundation for study at KS4 and beyond. Similarly, December. The Spring term starts for all years at the at KS4, the core curriculum provides students with the normal time on Monday 6th January. necessary breadth that will enable a range of options at KS5. You can find information about our curriculum at I should like to wish you all a very joyful Christmas and a Key Stages 3 and 4 on our website under ‘School info’ happy and prosperous 2020. and information about the KS5 curriculum can be found under ‘Sixth Form’ – ‘Courses’. Please do let us know With all good wishes, if there is any additional curriculum information which you would fine helpful. We are currently revising the programme of study for relationships and sex education (RSE) and are updating the RSE policy. Separate briefing sessions will be organised in 2020 for parents to review the policy and ask questions about the new RSE programme of study. Mrs Jane Götschel You will be well aware from my previous letters of my Headteacher concerns relating to students’ safe travel to and from school. The dark mornings and evenings present their own challenges but the situation is made far worse by a minority of parents who endanger their own lives and those of other road users by performing U-turns in the path of on-coming traffic or, as is now starting to 7S 7W Year 7 Achievement Emily Mitchell Ella Hadley Keira Koleshi Allaha Azzizi Awards Mrs Peniket congratulates members of Year 7 on a great start to life at Lordswood Mrs Peniket would like to congratulate all Year 7 students for making a fantastic start to life at Lordswood. In September they were commended for being outstanding guides on our open evening and morning and they also provided an array of delicious, colourful cakes for our Macmillan coffee morning, and raised £101 for the charity. We hope that they enjoyed the theatre trip to see ‘The Snow Queen’, and that Year 7s decorating the Christmas tree in reception they have a wonderful Christmas with their family and friends. The School Council Mrs Riley reports on the School Council who have had an amazing autumn term With the School Council in place from early October, this term has very much focused on getting to know each other and on charity fundraising.
On Friday 18th October the School Council arranged its first fundraising day of the year by organising a non- uniform day in aid of the annual Wear It Pink campaign for Breast Cancer Now. The school was full of colour as everyone wore non-uniform and added something pink Waiting for The Snow Queen at The Old Rep which raised a huge £851! This charity day was quickly followed by Children in Need on Friday 15th November. Again a non-uniform day was held and students also brought in some fantastic home-made cakes and biscuits for a bake sale at break time. This day raised an incredible £935.55 which is the biggest total from a single day’s fundraising since I have been Co-ordinator for the School Council!
Recycling in school has continued and is still going well, so well in fact that we have had to organise additional collections from the City Council to cope with all of our paper and card recycling!
In the new year it is hoped that the newly elected Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl will start to work with the School Council. With a view to giving these two Students selling cakes at the Macmillan Coffee Morning positions more responsibility and importance, staff will The following girls excelled in lessons and in service to work with the two girls on developing their leadership the school community, and received rewards during the skills so that they can work their way towards chairing end of term assembly. Well done girls; you are a credit School Council meetings and running the Council. It is to the school! also hoped that the Head and Deputy Head Girls will start to work with Mr Pearce and assist him in chairing 7D 7L Headteacher’s Question Time in the new year. Nancy Foster-Jones Esha Dillon Kricia Campbell Abibat Lekuti There’s lots to do after the Christmas break so watch this space for more news. From everyone on the School 7G 7R Council we would like to wish you all a very merry Caterina Domigan Hiba Islam Christmas and a happy new year. Alima Munir Jorja Skinner ball. As an attacker, this game tests your ability to pass LGS Earns Bronze and make decisions rapidly and accurately and be able to predict and block those passes as a defender. After this warm-up, we play another game that targets LGBT Award a different skill each week, whether it is shooting, Mrs Peniket on how Lordswood has been passing, dribbling, defending or attacking. To end, we recognised for its efforts to education and play a match against each other which is where we can incorporate the skills we have learnt and develop into a celebrate each and every person real game situation. Playing matches as a 5-a-side group In November, Lordswood Girls’ School was awarded an also helps us develop our teamwork and communication award from Educate and Celebrate, for supporting and skills which are necessary when playing as a team. educating students about equal rights and respect for others. In the library there is a range of books available There was recently an amazing trip to Liverpool Football on identity, autobiographies and fiction and non-fiction Club Academy and it really gave me and other members texts which explore different life choices across a range of the LGS Football Club from years 7-10 a great insight of different social contexts. These books are marked into how one of the top, and, in my opinion, the best, with a rainbow star, so that students can access this football clubs is run and what it takes to be successful literature should they wish. We have also extended the at Liverpool. Not only that, but it was an insight into the regular membership of our group to around twenty- different careers that the club provides. To start the trip five students who come along to discuss issues about we first had a tour of the academy and managed to see identity, homophobia and the rights of the individual. the facilities the LFC provides. We then played matches Please contact Mrs Peniket for more information. in the LFC indoor pitches and it was a huge opportunity and an honour to be able to play on the same pitch that Thank you to those parents and carers who have some star academy players have played on. After that, expressed their interest in the group; your support is we were fortunate enough to be able to have a Q&A greatly appreciated. session from the Head of Education at the LFC Academy. The answers to our questions allowed us to understand what goes on at the academy, an LFC player’s routine and what it takes to be successful. To finish off this unforgettable day, we watched the terrific under 19s play against Napoli under 19s in which Liverpool romped to a 7-0 victory. It was a great experience to see how professional players play on the pitch and their use of skill, technique and space. After the match it was time to head back to LGS after a long and unforgettable day at the LFC Academy.
Students enjoying the LGBT books in the school library LGS Football! Year 10’s Nour introduces Lordswood’s Football Club Football is a great sport that involves a wide range of skills like teamwork and communication. We are fortunate enough to be able to have a football club in school that allows us to improve these skills. As Members of LGSFC training at Liverpool’s training facility a member of LGSFC I have highly enjoyed all the and watching the U19s in action opportunities that Mr Dickinson and Mr Goetschel have So far this year the year 7/8 and 9/10 teams have had provided me and all the members of LGSFC with, such many opportunities to play against many schools which as playing matches, training and trips. resulted in a lot of victories and some unfortunate losses. The year 9/10 team played in a small tournament Training sessions take place every Tuesday for years 9 at Harborne Academy in which they won 3-0 against and 10 and every Friday for years 7 and 8. Each training Harborne Academy and 8-0 against Balaam Wood. The session starts off with a rondo which is a quick game year 7 team won their match 2-0 against Harborne that targets the attacker’s ability to pass the ball to Academy as well. However, the year 8 team came up their team mates without the defender retrieving the against a very strong Harborne team in which they managed a goal in a 7-1 loss. The combined 7/8 team narrowly lost to Balaam Wood 2-1. The year 7/8 team played against Queensbridge School, winning 13-0 and Archbishop Ilsley, winning 5-1! The year 9/10 team came up against a very strong Archbishop Ilsley side and lost 5-0.
Finally, LGS Football Club held a competition amongst the students to see who could come up with the best logo for the new LGS kit. The badge that will go on to the new kit was designed by Laila and you can see it here! Seasonal Netiquette Four rules for screen and tech over the festive break. ‘Tis the season to be a thoughtful sharent That picture of your little nephew wrapped in tinsel may be adorable – but check before you post on social media. His parents might have a different view on posting images of their children than you do. Older children may also have their own views on whether they want awkward images of them in ill-fitting Xmas sweaters splashed all over their Facebook wall.
The host’s rules apply If you are staying with relatives or friends over the holiday period, you may have to relax some of your own rules around screen time and access. If you are concerned about your children accessing inappropriate content while you are away from home, then ensure E-Safety Update that you adjust your devices accordingly. For advice Mrs Finucane with an update on how to about setting parental controls on your family devices stay safe online https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/ Parental-controls and for setting screen time limits Resources for Parents https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/18/googles-parental- Childnet has developed a ‘Parent and Carer Toolkit’ control-software-family-link-gains-much-needed- that provides a collection of three resources designed features/ (these webs links can also be found on to help Parent and Carers talk to their children about the e-safety page in the parent section of the school their online life and manage boundaries around family website) internet use. To access the resources and to download the full toolkit, visit https://www.childnet.com/parents- Pay attention to the people you are with and-carers . This link can also be found in the parent It can be tempting to spend even more time on social section of the school website. media over the Christmas period and, as an adult, it’s very difficult to tell children to cut down their device use In addition to the resources from Childnet, the two if you’re constantly checking your phone yourself. websites below also have resources for parents to get current and up to date information regarding online Make sure any games and tech gifts you give are age- safety. appropriate If you are giving computer games as Christmas presents, make sure you check the PEGI ratings. https://www. thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/gaming-whats- appropriate-for-your-child/. There is a lot of Virtual Reality gear doing the rounds this Christmas too – be aware that there is an upper age limit of 13 for most To learn more about the games and apps your children headsets. are using, Common Sense Media covers thousands, which includes advice reviews from other parents. https://www.commonsensemedia.org internetmatters.org - Lots of age-specific related information created specifically for parents. Includes information on how to set up devices. https://www.internetmatters.org The ambassadors are wearing a lanyard with a ‘ I’m here Bags For Brummies to talk’ badge, so you can easily identify them. We hope this will encourage more people to talk about how they Mrs Waraich with news of the Sixth feel. Form’s latest charitable endeavour Helping the under privileged has been a focus for the sixth form students for a number of years. Since 2018, the students have been helping local charities The Creative Process that support the homeless in Birmingham. Bags for Farah of Year 12 on a recent art and Brummies is a local initiative located in Digbeth that photography trip to Warwick University requests hats, gloves, toiletries, sleeping bags and It was such an amazing opportunity to meet well known small treats so that the homeless can have a gift at artists in the university. They gave us a clearer vision on Christmas time. The sixth form students promoted the all the different courses we could do at university that cause and donations from staff and students were sent relate to art and photography. Most of the well-known to the charity this month. Thank you to all of you who artists we met told us about how they had the chance donated! to work with celebrities. This inspired us and made us feel more confident about going to university so we can move into higher levels in art. The artists changed our perspectives on going to a university for art and photography, they also gave us some important hints on how to become successful in the art industry and how we could make a living from something we enjoy doing. Artists we met taught us how to use our creativity to create something unique that no one has ever done before and to always have the courage to present our work even if a lot of people judge it. SSAT Market Place Miss Tooley with news of Arts Award and DofE students’ successes Mrs Heard and her volunteers dropping off the LSFC On Wednesday 4th December, students were invited donations to hold a stall at the SSAT conference at the ICC in Birmingham. The stall had to showcase an element of enterprise that took place at Lordswood Girls’ School. LGS’ Silver Arts Award students organised the logistics of Mental Health the event whilst a group of Duke of Edinburgh students, who are completing their volunteer section for Future Ambassadors Leaders UCC, made the items to sell. This group of Year 9’s Rose and Esme introducing our creative students made an assortment of Christmas related gifts to sell, including cards, bookmarks and Mental Health Ambassadors beaded decorations. Taking care of our mental health both in and out of school is becoming an increasingly important issue. That’s why we have introduced the ‘I’m here to talk’ programme; designed to promote student wellbeing and make our school a happier, healthier and more productive place to be.
The mental health ambassadors are here to listen and offer support in a non-judgemental and confidential capacity. There may be issues we do not feel comfortable discussing with tutors and staff, and we hope that our ambassadors will be able to offer an alternative source of peer-to-peer support. Relevant issues will be reported back to staff so we can make the best possible environment at school. They will work alongside Forward Thinking Birmingham to enable the Manning the stall at the SSAT Market Place best advice. All items were professionally packaged before the event together to discreetly place our donations in the church with information about the charity to raise awareness foyer without disturbing the Parish who were attending of where all of the profit was heading. On the day the communion at the time. It seemed fitting to respectfully Arts Award students were in charge of setting up the leave items in this way and offer our own contributions stall and speaking to customers about how the gifts had to the communal service and vulnerable residents in the been made and where the money was going to. Our area. Well done to all those who donated and a special students did us proud and showed a lot of confidence in well done to the Sixth Formers who gave up their time speaking to delegates at the conference and persuading to help others. It is true to say that although we cannot them to come and shop at the stall. In total £208.50 was help everyone, everyone can help someone by giving raised in just over an hour of selling time. The enterprise what they can. managers at the SSAT conference were so impressed with the quality of items for sale and the students’ attitude that we have been invited back again next year! We l l d o n e to e ve r yo n e i nvo l ve d ! An Italian Adventure Ella from Year 11 describes an idyllic trip to Italy We arrived at school ridiculously early with the common school trip mixture of tiredness and excitement. A quick doze and chat on the coach and then we were at Manchester airport in the darkness of the morning. I began my Italy reading, “A Room with a View” on the plane, the hazy sun and the sap-green meadows were almost unimaginable to me at that point on what seemed to be a journey that lasted days. But then small glimpses of clusters of white villages nestled into immense mountains set off sparks of joy. The beautiful items for sale on the stall We landed in the afternoon to warmth that all of us were expecting but hadn’t fully imagined and with Food Bank Donations another coach ride and some rummaging through bags to find sunglasses, we arrived at our first visit, Paestum. News of more donations from sixth form This city is known for its three ancient Greek temples students dating from 600-450 BC and are still standing. The views On Wednesday 20th November a Team of Lordswood were amazing, and, with the sun setting and our first Sixth Form members, three students and three staff breath of fresh air for hours, it was the best way to start members, took this year’s collection of generous the trip. donations from our staff and pupils to Quinton and Oldbury Foodbank. From Paestum, we drove to Sorrento, where we’d be staying for the trip. We couldn’t see much of the journey as it was getting dark which meant that when we awoke the next morning to the sight of the bustling town where we were staying, everything felt alive.
On the morning of our first day, we prepared ourselves for the great Mount Vesuvius which we would be climbing that morning. When we arrived at the volcano, the first thing I noticed was the clear temperature drop to something that reminded me of back home. The ascent began and the chilliness was overshadowed by the amazing views that we were seeing. After a relatively short climb, we reached the crater of the infamous mountain. When we walked around its perimeter, we were witness to a rock fall which as a Mrs Heard and students making their donations history student, I knew nothing about but my good The Trussell Trust Charity, who organises this local food friend Lucy, a trusty geography student, told me that bank, has revealed that over the last five years the there was nothing to be worried about despite the number of supplies being distributed to the public has absolute booming echoes that we heard. The slippery, risen by 73%. We chose this foodbank for a second dusty walk down brought hilarity to the morning. It also year running to support those local to the area and to meant we had our first taste of più gusto crisps, tomato show our commitment to the community and those in flavour(a common character on the trip) and of the jam need. This experience was enriching and worthwhile packed schedule we had to stick to as we were on our for both staff members and students as we worked way to the ancient city of Pompeii. I didn’t know what to expect from Pompeii, but it on every topic, as well as educating themselves surpassed any preconceptions I had, a complete city about the state of the countries they represented with clear signs of its inhabitants. Our tour guide was (Benin, Mongolia and Uruguay). They then used this incredibly informative and we had a fully rounded understanding to take part in debates on key issues, insight into the lives of the people. One place that stood building skills of diplomacy, forming alliances, and out for me was the baths as it was so interesting to see thinking strategically in order to promote resolutions how similar we and the people of Pompeii were/are. that could address international issues. These issues were as significant and varied as regulating Day two meant the Amalfi coast and after our pizza cryptocurrencies such as BitCoin, and establishing a fair making course the night before, I think it is safe to say grounding for international copyright law! Despite the that we all felt proudly touristy. We took pictures on the complexities involved, and the fact that our students stairs of the Amalfi Cathedral, ate pasta in the street and were participating alongside many more experienced got lost down shaded alleys, it was bliss. We then went delegates, each one of them found ways to contribute to a small town called Ravello which is known for its to their committee, and can be proud of their efforts. opera festival and the cats in the square. We only got to enjoy the cats but that was more than enough for me. Throughout the event, all 16 students were outstanding Ravello was beautiful with an understated church at the ambassadors for the school, and took the opportunity top of a very steep set of steps which brought day two to learn more about life at an elite university. They to a close. received guided tours of key University of Oxford buildings, and even dined in Keble College’s grand The third day was our last one. We first visited hall! Furthermore, they were also able to forge new Herculaneum which is a similar city to Pompeii but was friendships and links with students from a huge range of excavated later and buried under mud not ash so is national backgrounds. better preserved. Although it was a smaller town, it was much wealthier. It is easy to say that Herculaneum is the Congratulations are due to all participants: Daani more beautiful of the two ancient towns and yet has Dhillon, Kiran Dhillon, Donia Jawid, Adeeba Khan, not been excavated fully. There is stunning marble and Ambreen Khan, Sumaiya Khan, Rania Khurshid, Sanjana frescoes which we got to see more of when we went to Kumari, Tara Lidder, Umaymah Mahmood, Tafadzwa the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples. There Matsenhura, Lyla Perkins, Bano Salman, Rehma Zaier was one fresco in particular, which is gorgeous, named (all Year 10), Iqra Ahmed and Kallam Nandra (both Year So Called Flora which was the last painting I saw before 13). We hope that the event has given them a taste of we headed into the streets of Naples. We found a university life, and may even have encouraged them to pizzeria where we had the best pizza that I’ve ever had, take a role in tackling the international problems of the the bitterness of the slightly burned base contrasted future! the sweetness of the tomato which complemented the mozzarella. With the last mouthful, came the last Iqra and Kallam from the sixth form give their moment of our trip and heavy hearts to leave what had perspective: been an amazing experience. Attending the Model United Nations Conference was an enriching experience, providing an opportunity for Coming home, I felt a sense of sadness but also delegates from all walks of life and from across the adventure as I can’t wait to go back. In true Lucy world, to develop their debating skills. Whilst debating Honeychurch style, fingers crossed I get a room with as with others may seem daunting, the Conference was nice a view as she had next time. an exciting opening to confidently and strategically demonstrate ideas in a style of sophisticated and personable communication. The Conference is held at the University of Oxford where each delegate is The Model UN allocated a country and a committee to discuss key topic areas in the United Nations such as education Conference inequality in UNESCO and the exploitation of Mr Lovejoy reports back from Oxford Traditional Cultural Expressions in WIPO. During the committee sessions, the main outcome was to produce University resolutions that were both pragmatic and pertinent During the autumn term, 14 students from Year 10 and to all nation states. To successfully achieve this, two from Year 13 took up an exciting opportunity to during unmoderated caucuses, delegates effectively participate in a Model United Nations Conference held communicated with one another to form blocs with at the University of Oxford. Working alongside students countries who had policies, treaties and conventions from schools around the world, our pupils aimed to that were able to deal with the contemporary issues solve international problems in working replicas of faced by their country. Within the education inequality several UN committees, such as the Economic and debate in UNESCO, it was vital for Mongolia to team Financial Committee and the UN’s Outer Space agency. up with countries such as China, the UK, Belarus, the USA and France as these countries were able to Of course, any event like this requires preparation, recognise the polarising gap of social and economic so each of our students compiled detailed research inequality faced by the global south and hence were everyone else, we will be sending out an email to you able to put in suitable resolutions. For Mongolia, in before the end of term. Please keep a look out for this the debate of the exploitation of Traditional Cultural email and be sure to log in to your account shortly after Expressions in WIPO, it was pivotal to form alliances in order to start using the new platform. with more developed and Capitalist countries such as Singapore and to compromise with other developed In the meantime, please feel free to browse the demo yet Communist countries such as Spain and China who site at https://www.edulinkone.com/#!/demo and click had already implemented attractive solutions for their on the “Parent” button. country, to ensure coherent resolutions were reached at a consensus and that provided protection for all Traditional Cultural Expressions globally. Exploring these topics allowed delegates to become more socially and Office 365 For politically conscious of current affairs and acquire a deeper insight into the diverse social perspectives in the Student Home Use society and world in which we live. During moderated Software for all LGS and LSFC students caucuses, delegates were invited to present the views of their country on specific sub issues to a large audience. IT Support will soon be able to offer a copy of Office 365 Whilst this was the most challenging aspect of the to all students to use during their studies at Lordswood committee as it required great courage, it was the most Girls’ School and Sixth Form Centre. More information exhilarating experience that we could possibly endure, will follow in the new year as we are currently finalising the subsequent adrenaline rush combined with the licence numbers with Microsoft. Once we are all set autonomy finally allowed us to seek self-fulfilment, up, you will be able to request a free license for Office self-realisation and carve the pathway for our utopias. 365 that will provide you with full access to the suite Model United Nations has developed delegates of Microsoft Office applications from any internet into more proficient speakers with the capacity, self connected device. determination and poise to actively and passionately engage in imperative pandemic issues and to be able Don’t forget, as a student of Lordswood, you will already to confidently deliver reasoned, rational, informed have access to Google Suite (including Docs, Sheets, and balanced arguments in a compelling manner to Slides etc) as part of your lordswoodtrust.co.uk Google practically address these issues. account. EduLink - Parental Rounding Up In Engagement Portal Geography Miss Gager on a very busy term in the For Student Data Geography Department Mr Machin with an update Year 7 have been going on a ‘World Tour’! They have Parent/guardians of students Year 8 and upwards, will been exploring our fascinating planet from the comfort have previously been given a SIMS Learning Gateway of their classrooms, discovering the history, culture, account to provide access to your child’s data, reports, landmarks, and human and physical features of attendance, behaviour etc. Due to the impending countries such as Brazil, India and Russia. They are just termination of support for the product from Capita, we about to embark on their final tour destination – to the had to make sure we had an alternative in place. After wonderful continent of Antarctica! Let’s hope they wrap a successful trial we have made the decision to partner up warm! with a company called OverNet and their fantastic parental engagement platform, EduLinkOne. Year 8 have just finished studying rivers and the hydrological cycle and are now moving on to a human EduLinkOne is a purpose built parental communication geography topic of Settlement. They are going to be tool in the form of an iOS and Android App – with deciding on where the best site is to locate their own support from a website for those unable to access the settlements, looking at factors such as resources nearby apps. and the topography of the land. Then we will be going on to look at urbanisation and why cities grow, using For security, this new system requires an individual case studies of megacities such as New York and Tokyo. parent login username and password. If you have more Students will also be looking at the positive and negative than one child at the school, you will only require one issues associated with urbanisation and how we can account and all children will be visible through this. best look after our urban areas.
If you have a child in years 7, 10 or sixth form, you Year 9 have been creating their own multi-national will have received your login details already, but for corporations as directed by Lord Sugar himself! They have been looking at the natural and human resources of different countries to decide on the appropriate Mount Vesuvius, Herculeneum, archaeological sites, division of labour of their company components to and spent a full day touring the Amalfi coast. They also create the most profit they can. The product they are attended a pizza making workshop and sampled a very creating is a mobile phone and we have had some impressive amount of gelato! The students behaved in fascinating ideas, such as a solar-powered self-charging an exemplary manner and were great ambassadors for phone, and one that doubles up as a vending machine! our school. Thank you to Miss Briggs, Miss Rahim and Apple, watch out! Mr Lovejoy for helping out!
Year 10 have really settled in to GCSE study and they Our ‘Geography Mentor’ scheme is in full swing and are now on their second topic – ‘People of the UK’. This KS3 students are really reaping the benefits of having is a fascinating topic where we look at how the UK’s A-Level pupils helping out in their lessons. Thank you population is distributed and how the population has Simran, Destiny, Josiah and Karandeep! changed and is predicted to change using a variety of geographical models. They have just finished studying Year 12 and 13 A-Level Geographers recently attended the case study of London and the regeneration that a lecture on hazard management led by a researcher in took place in Stratford for the Olympics, including how ‘Disaster Management’ from the University of Coventry, it impacted the local residents and the wider London organised by the Geographical Association. This focused economy both positively and negatively. on Taiwan as a multi-hazard environment. There are a number of lectures coming up next year for our A-Level Year 11s have recently completed their mock students, including topics such as ‘China in Africa’, examinations and are really getting stuck in to their ‘Water Security in Ethiopia’ and ‘Forest and Marine final year of GCSE study. They are currently studying the Conservation’. Peruvian rainforest and the Andros Barrier Reef as their case studies for the ‘Ecosystems of the World’ topic and As ever, our changing world and climate has been at the have been shocked at just how fragile these fascinating forefront of the news and media, in part thanks to the and important ecosystems are. Year 11’s should be legend that is David Attenborough. Here are some ideas implementing a thorough revision programme at this of how you can try to reduce your own carbon footprint stage and they have all been added to the ‘google in 2020. How about deciding on an eco-friendly New classroom’ which has lots of revision resources on it. Year’s resolution?
The Year 12 A Level geography class have settled into A • Start recycling your bathroom recyclables. Level study fantastically well and Mr Linton and I have • Wash your clothes on a lower temperature. been very impressed with the mature and conscientious • Buy fruit and vegetables that aren’t wrapped in attitudes of our new geographers! In human geography, plastic, wherever possible. the students have been focusing on the ‘Changing • Set up a compost bin and throw all your fruit and Places’ topic – which is very good at getting students veg scraps in there. ‘thinking outside the box’ – looking at questions such • Change your commute. Why not walk or cycle to as how we define place, how we make connections to work? Alternatively join a carpooling scheme and certain places and how place meaning can change. Have give others a lift too. a go - would you define a motorway as a ‘place’? • Purchase a reusable water bottle and refill that In the physical geography unit, the students have been frequently instead of buying bottled water. studying natural hazards, earthquakes, volcanoes, • Stop printing what you don’t need to print. Most wildfires and tsunamis! It really highlights how powerful things like tickets can be shown on your phone now. our world is. Students have been looking at how we can • Buy second-hand instead of brand new. mitigate the effects of these hazards and how it is best • If you don’t already, take reusable shopping bags to to plan, prepare and protect the world’s citizens. the supermarket or market. If you often intend to but forget, make your New Year’s resolution to put Year 13 Geographers are now on their last units of the more effort into remembering! Maybe you could A Level course. They are studying coastal landscapes keep them in the boot of your car? with Mr Linton and global governance and systems with Miss Gager. The global governance topic is sparking lots of interesting debate in our current political climate! Our Year 13 students have just sent off their Great Start In Maths UCAS applications and it is really exciting that they are Mr Pearce with an autumn term update planning ahead to some super careers, a number of I would like to start by saying a huge well done to all which are geography-related! We can’t wait to see our the students in year 11, 12 and 13 who participated in Lordswood students care for the world and its people! the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge in November. The Senior Maths Challenge is a national competition where Extra-curricular: students are tested on their ability to apply their maths In October Miss Gager organised cross-curricular visit skills to ‘non-standard’, challenging questions – such as to the Bay of Naples, Italy, for geography and history this question taken from this year’s paper: GCSE and A-Level students. Students visited Pompeii, There were some fantastic scores in all year groups but a particular well done to Aishah Parveen who achieved a bronze award; Vanita Kaur, who was awarded a silver certificate and Nikitha Raghunaathan who achieved the UKMT’s gold certificate. Furthermore, Nikitha’s excellent result means she qualified to progress to the next round of the competition. Thank you to all who participated and thank you to Mr Fox for organising and coordinating the competition and offering the students a chance to practise and refine their skills during lunchtime.
Our year 7s have also settled in nicely to their new maths groups and have relished the opportunity to become involved in extra maths outside of the Students loving their Bloody Brothers workshops classroom. A number of year 7 and 8 students recently An Inspector Calls at The Birmingham Repertory participated in a national problem solving competition, Theatre organised by Explore Maths, where the focus was In preparation for their final examinations in June, Year not solely on the maths but also on the students’ 11 went to see a production of ‘An Inspector Calls’ abilities to work together as a team to solve complex at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Students will problems. Well done to Iffah Armeen, Chloe Baldock, be expected to write about both acting and design Harleen Andev and Lauren Jayhauie on being selected elements and the production was full of exciting to represent the school at the next round of the elements for them to focus on. competition. “We went to watch ‘An Inspector Calls’ at The REP The Maths Department would like to wish you all a for our Drama GCSE component three exam. I really Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. enjoyed it because of the symbolism, especially when the set of the Birlings’ house was destroyed, when the cutlery crashed to the ground and real fire was used on stage. If I could, I would go watch it again.” Alisha Lots Of News Symons 11W From The Drama “As an audience member I found the piece gripping and intriguing, filled with impressive technical effects. The whole set was a representation of the Edwardian Department! era - really setting the scene. The acting was terrific and Mrs Swallow and Miss Briggs on their very believable and captured the characters from Priestley’s busy department play.” Bethany Broster 11S Blood Brothers Workshops Year 10 Students attended a whole day at Birmingham Young Arts Ambassadors 2019-20 Hippodrome on Tuesday 10th November meeting Congratulations to Erin Normal, Alisha Bhalla and Anna the cast of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, having two Ndure who have been nominated to represent LGS specialist workshops, watching the play and having a at the Birmingham Hippodrome for their continued backstage tour! Students were an absolute credit to support and commitment to school performances. the school and staff at the theatre commented on their attentive, creative and mature focus throughout the day. “This year, I was chosen to represent the school as an arts ambassador for the Hippodrome Education ‘It was amazing, I really enjoyed the whole day’ Amrit Network. The ambassadors chosen get to go on three Virdee 10W trips to the Hippodrome theatre to discuss the arts in school and we went to our first session on Wednesday “I found the performing interesting- it really drew me 20th November. We talked with many other schools in. The workshop made me consider how an actor plays and discussed what we liked about the way the arts different characters”. Alishba Yassin 10G are taught in our schools and what we feel could be improved. We also got the opportunity to talk to the “I was completely shocked by the performance - it Hippodrome staff about how they can help support the had so many twists and turns. The backstage was also arts in our school. We discussed the ideas of replacing really surprising; it’s a whole different world behind the curtains in the hall with blackout blinds, and getting the scenes! So many props and pieces of set.” Trinity fold out tiered seating facing the stage. We got to share Hutchinson 10R these ideas with the staff running the ambassadors programme, and talk about how we may fund these changes. Overall it was a really great day and I am Arts Award - Careers Day looking forward to represent the arts at school!” Erin “It was fascinating to experience the variety of job Norman 9L opportunities in theatre. I had always previously only considered acting as the only job in a theatre but there Young Choreographers are hundreds behind the scenes in a working theatre. I Bonneeta Braich-Bains and Raiaz Fisher in Year 11 found the marketing department the most interesting, have been given the opportunity to participate in the researching the audience and social media.” Lyla Perkins Young Choreographers programme at the Birmingham 10R Hippodrome. This will enable them to take part in four choreography workshops with professional choreographers, watch a number of live theatre events and showcase their own work on stage at the Hippodrome in the spring.
“I found the technical work quite challenging but working with the professionals taught us choreography that can be transferable to people of all abilities.” Bonneeta Braich-Bains 11W
“The workshop at the Hippodrome I participated in has really helped to develop my skills in choreography. By Finding out about the many careers in the theatre working with professional companies I have been able to explore professional work on a larger scale than ever Sixth-form Theatre in Training Day before. I am really enjoying the experience.” Raiaz Fisher Performing Arts students spent the day at Birmingham 11S Hippodrome with universities exploring possible theatre courses and future career pathways. Let’s Dance A number of students in KS3 have been working on a “It has broadened my horizon with regard to different Harry Potter influenced dance routine to enter into the styles of theatre such an ensemble puppetry. Working Let’s Dance festival at the Birmingham Hippodrome on with Rose Bruford College was really refreshing as we 30th March 2020. The dance is being choreographed by collaborated with new students to create a piece of Year 10 students Betsy Merrell, Ruby Howarth and Lydia physical choral movement.” Rosie Palmer-Downes 13.5 White. Tickets are now on sale and it would be great to see some of the school community there to support our “Working alongside Birmingham School of Acting young people and share in all the hard work that has and the Conservatoire has enabled us to take a fresh gone into the project. approach to Theatre in Education and the power that theatre has in making you look at situations in a CITY ACADEMY PRESENTS different way. Listening to other people’s ideas, working in the style of a university workshop has had me LET S consider theatre at university.” Imogen Pain 13.5 A Christmas Carol Drama club have been rehearsing for the play ‘A Christmas Carol’ based on the novel by Charles Dickens. DANCE The club will be performing in promenade, the first time Lordswood has seen this style of performance, BIRMINGHAM meaning the audience will walk around and follow the 2020 action rather than sit in their seats. Drama club has been extremely popular this term with over 60 students In association with from year seven to year thirteen being involved. I am very proud of the students’ dedication and commitment Charitable Trust to the rehearsals and hope that the audience enjoy the performance just as much as we have had rehearsing!
Disneyland Forty students will be heading to Disneyland Paris in February to complete a performing arts workshop and explore the theme park. The students are primarily GCSE Drama students and students who have been heavily involved in extracurricular drama. Hopefully the Birmingham Hippodrome Monday 30 March 2020 weather will be kind to us and it won’t be too cold! 7pm | Tickets £12.50* | Ticket Sales 0844 3385000** | birminghamhippodrome.com
*Prices and discounts subject to change, postage from £1.50 **Calls cost 4.5p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge Shakespeare Events In English Mrs Brookes sums up the first term of the Masterclass Trip year A masterclass in the Bard with the English As we look forward to the New Year and the challenges Department that brings, we reflect, like the Ghost of Christmas Past, on the busy term we have had. In preparation for their English Literature GCSE, eleven year 11 students visited the University of Birmingham to Year 7 have settled in incredibly well and have been attend a two-hour workshop on Shakespeare’s tragedy launched into studying challenging Victorian literature in ‘Macbeth’ with Mr Evans. During an event attended by the form of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. They have been five different schools and nearly one hundred students, able to apply knowledge of context to their reading and Lordswood students raised more points about the grappled with some of Dickens’ lengthy sentences too! play than all other schools combined. Teachers from Some of our other learners have been exploring spooky other schools commented on how impressed they fiction and you may well come across some of their were by points raised by the students and the lecturer poetry in this newsletter. himself commended one Lordswood student on her “exemplary introduction to hamartia” in Shakespeare’s Year 8 have been reading a range of poetry as well as plays. The students who attended the event reflected non-fiction from different eras and cultures which are all the thoughtful and engaging discussions taking place in broadly tied together under the theme of ‘relationships’. English lessons on a daily basis.
An anthology of short stories was the stimulus used to Students who attended: get Year 9 thinking more analytically about how writers Ariana Ahmadzadeh structure their work and use language to shape meaning Nebahat Akca and in particular they have enjoyed stories about a Hermione Bennett Polish teacher’s tie, chemistry and emigration to name Laiba Hassan but a few. They have more recently begun to study Layeba Khan poetry from a power and conflict anthology. Ellie Mcdonald-Stanton Samantha Middleton As ever, our GCSE students continue to work hard and Juny Monama Year 10 have nearly finished reading ‘Jane Eyre’. Having Mareem Sami Faris initially been sceptical about how they would fare with Maria Shaker a lengthy Victorian novel, Year 10 have thoroughly Alisha Symons enjoyed the emerging romance of the two protagonists – so much so we have heard whoops of joy at some of the pivotal moments in the text (from Mr Evans’ room in Sixth Form Social particular!) Somya from the sixth form reports on Year 11 have completed their mocks and await their another successful social trip results in January. Their undivided focus will be needed The bowling event which was arranged by Mrs Waraich after the break as teachers relay ways to improve was a fantastic experience to get to know other students performance, particularly on the language papers, in our year. We had laughs and smiles throughout the and it is important students heed this advice. As we event with, of course, some clumsiness which made the go to press, staff note that amongst some pleasing day even more enjoyable. performances there have been some avoidable errors and not just in the way students have timed themselves. It was a great end to the first term of sixth form and there will be many more social events to come which, I The GCSE Sixth Form students await their GCSE results am sure, will be extremely fun. in January and A level students are working hard to complete ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Othello’ as well as coursework in Year 13.
But it’s not all work in English….next term sees the re- launch of our KS3 English club, the expansion of the Year 10 reading club and a new Year 7 reading group as well as an exciting opportunity to be involved in the RSPCA’s national debate competition.
Smiles all round on the first social trip of the year Finally, to all our students and parents have a wonderful Christmas break and if you are stuck for what to give this Christmas, then a book is the best gift of all! of Dudley zoo. Some people were lucky and managed to News Of Netball go on a train tour around the whole place. My favourite part of the trip was when we let the most beautiful Mrs Uffindall brings us news of our coloured birds eat from our hands. talented netball teams The Autumn term has been a busy period for the Our picnic took place held outside a diner next to some Lordswood junior and senior netball teams. The girls pits for seals. There was even a peacock walking around have been training hard every week and competed us! We watched a bird show held outside the castle and against local teams in the South Birmingham Netball even got to see the bird attack a rubber snake. We went League. inside the castle to see some bats all sleeping quietly in the cage. We saw some meerkats and they were very Due to their success last season, they were promoted to nosey and didn’t have a cage around them. It was a nice Division 1 this year and have experienced a combination day because we managed to make some new friends of wins, near wins, draws as well as some losses. and it was a very nice trip to go on for our induction Nevertheless, the teams have shown great teamwork week! and competitive spirit and have demonstrated grit and determination in some of the most challenging of fixtures.
Well done to the junior team who have won 3 out of 4 of their matches so far; beating Kings Norton 9-4, King Edwards Five Ways 16-15 and Bishop Challoner 18-13.
The Senior team, which is made up of students from years 9 and 10, have faced competitors from Year 11 during most of their fixtures and still managed to hold King Edward’s Five Ways to a 16-16 draw.
Well done on your success so far this season and good Mr Dickinson proved that he has a head for birds as well luck with your remaining fixtures in January! as languages!
Mrs Morrall wasn’t so sure about her unexpected lunch date!
Our talented netball girls Mock Election Year 10’s Bano on her recent democratic experience Back In September... I recently had an amazing experience with the mock Zaia of Year 7 remembers Induction Week election in our school. As a citizenship student helping As part of our new Year 7 Induction Week in September, out in the mock election strengthened my awareness of we visited Dudley Zoo, where the students had a the importance of voting. fabulous time making new friends and preparing for an English assessment. These mock elections gave me an insight into how MPs candidates may go around and convince people to vote At Dudley Zoo, year 7 saw some lovely animals such as, as I had practical experience of going around, briefing flamingos, giraffes, tigers, lions and many more. We also and telling people about the importance of voting and went on a chair lift and got a beautiful view of the whole democracy. Encouraging them to vote was proven to be a success on the day of the mock election, as we only respect and we are celebrating our differences now had a few spoit papers. more than ever, especially with the help of communities of people urging change, such as Interfaith groups. Our I believe it is an important experience for students as differences, after all, link in to the ways we choose to they could see how easy it is to vote and how it only live, and belief systems that we care about. Nobody takes a couple of minutes to do so. It also made them should be allowed to change the fact that anyone understand the importance of voting when they get should be allowed to worship their God/Gods and to the eligible age and that they should not hesitate to practise their religion, whilst also feeling safe enough vote and be ignorant of the process. to express themselves. Equally, anyone can choose not to believe in religion at all. I have met so many people This experience gave me a view on how nerve-racking during my life; all of whom have been so different election day can be and how to handle situations and from myself. From all the discussions I’ve had with problems that arise. I consider myself fortunate to learn them (ranging from ones about believing in heaven citizenship in school and having a well-balanced view of and hell to believing in alternate universes, parallel to politics that others may not have. our own) I can say that I have learnt so much about different beliefs, and have learnt to question negativity The most interesting part of the whole experience was and offensive generalisations. In turn I’ve realised just when the review groups in each year came in and I was how important respecting other people’s differences responsible for stopping them and making sure they are. They are, after all, what makes us human. And knew who they were voting for. My class fellow, Tara, it would be pointless to even try and “eradicate” the was in charge of directing people to their voting stations cultivation of traditions and religions because, from the and everyone else took their turn in getting classes, day humanity began (however they did, anyway) we’ve handing out ballot papers and counting the votes, and been creating more and more branches of beliefs and recounting them. concepts to explore, share and identify with over the course of generations. Overall, I found the experience very educational and amazing as I learned that the majority of people are So, instead of begrudgingly accepting one another’s unaware of the political parties in our country and what differences, why don’t we start celebrating them?” they stand for. I am truly grateful to my teacher, Miss Rahim, for arranging this unique event and providing us The following students have really impressed us this half a practical, yet amazing experience. term and have received RE star praise cards in the post! Well done and keep up the hard work!
Year 7: Interfaith Week In RE Layla O’Brien Reflections from the RE Department Zaja Hassan This term the Religious Education department has Jaiya Kharbow celebrated Interfaith Week. November 10th- 17th Halima Naseem marked an annual reflection and celebration of faith in Hannah Maxwell the form of Interfaith Week. This week is about focusing Angalina Farid on the power of uniting people, be they of faith or otherwise, to come together to achieve great things. Year 8: Jaismeen Kaur Below, Laiqa of 9G has shared her thoughts on what Keeley Williams interfaith means to her. Amelie Baker Hooriya Butt “Whilst at Primary school, as someone who’s Pakistani Saina Sadeghimanesh and Muslim, I was regarded as different from my Cindy Agbanrin classmates because I was basically the only one with that ethnicity and religion. Because of this, I was once Year 9: Year 10 regarded as scary by a student that had just joined the Poppy Gordon Kiran Dhillon school because my skin colour reminded her of the Aliyyah Riaz Aiza Khurram terrorists on the news. Unfortunately, my differences set Laiqa Ahmad Leyla Imran-Nessa me apart from others and didn’t help me there. Kirpa Kaur Olivia Ludlow Olivia Malenor-Rollins Rehma Zaier However, here I am, a secondary student growing up Eleanor Davies-Upright Reah Dadra-Ellahi in one of the most culturally diverse places in England, a member of arguably one of the most important Year 12 generations in human history; years after realising there Henna Haravi was nothing wrong with me. People of different races and religious beliefs (whether they believe in God or Year 13: not) have finally united in a mutual understanding of Shawon Sheikh portfolio. Students learnt about the history of Cadbury, Breakfast Club For All the area of Bournville and importance of the business being based in Birmingham....we also had the chance to Mrs McInerney with news of free indulge in the chocolate treats along the way. breakfasts for any student School is pleased to be able to offer all students a free breakfast between 7.30 and 8.30am every day in partnership with the National School Breakfast Successes In Food & Programme. We would also like to thank Tesco in Quinton for donating items for the club! Cookery Mrs Faulkner and Mrs Muggleton on some culinary delights We would like to start off by saying a big thank you for the support parents and carers have given food and cookery. Your support really does make a difference in ensuring all students are fully prepared for their practical lessons. As usual, the girls have been busy making lots of fabulous food dishes from gingerbread in year 7 to cheese, onion and potato pasties in year 9.
A particular highlight of this term has been teaching the year 7 students; they have settled into the rhythm of the food and cookery lessons well and it’s lovely to see their confidence and skill level grow. We have lots of exciting dishes for the girls to make over the next term and we hope everyone enjoys sampling them back at home. Staff from Tesco donating food for breakfast club Year 10 hospitality and catering students have made some fabulous dishes and a highlight of this term was cooking for the UCC Ghana Celebration Ball. The Business Students Get girls made some tasty canapés; mini ham and cheese quiches, mini chocolate brownies, roasted vegetable Out & About wraps to name but a few. So a big well done to the Mrs Waraich on a busy term for her hospitality and catering team. department Finally we would like to take this opportunity to wish 70 business students took the number 9 bus to the you all a happy Christmas and best wishes for the New German Markets this year to enjoy the 20th Anniversary Year. of the annual event.
The year 11 GCSE students were joined by the year 12 A Level students to explore the markets and see that ‘business is everywhere’ in the evolving city centre, from the banking industry around Cathedral Square, to food and beverage outlets at the markets as well as Grand Central, the employment agencies along New Street and the changes to the high street that have recently happened. Students have the opportunity to explore Birmingham and evaluate the changes, from the tram system newly introduced to the types of shopping outlets now available. The trip allowed relationships to be formed between the year 11s and the sixth formers, which was lovely to see.
Year 10 business students, accompanied by a handful of year 12 students, visited Cadbury World to explore why and how Cadbury have been a reputable brand for generations. Both cohorts are learning about marketing campaigns and so Cadbury brought it all to life. Students were engaged in a talk led by a Cadbury specialist Delicious treats for the UCC Ghana Celebration Ball where they discussed the strength of branding and the importance of the Dairy Milk bar within their product Birmingham Food Renaissance Survey Accelerated Reading How you can help Birmingham become a An update from Mrs Ashford healthier food environment All Key Stage 3 students are involved in the Accelerated As part of shaping the approach to creating a Healthy Reading Scheme. Students pick books within the reading Food City, Birmingham is working hard to become a city levels they are given by their teacher after they have where all citizens can thrive and achieve their potential, completed a STAR test, and once they read their book, and creating a healthy, affordable and sustainable food they complete a quiz on the website which helps to environment across the city is key to this. ensure they understand what they have just read. Students need to attempt the quiz no more than 48 When we talk about the food environment in hours after reading the book. Birmingham we are thinking about how we grow food, transform it from raw materials into dishes, sell it Targets are set by their English teacher at the start of through shops and serve it in schools and care homes, each term. All students are expected to have taken and and also how we recycle it and treat food waste. passed at least 2 quizzes each term (with a pass of 85% or more). In order to move towards a healthy, affordable and sustainable food environment, we need to understand Also as part of the scheme, students are given citizens’ views, influences and choices across all of these certificates along with prizes for “milestones” such as food topics and so the Public Health Division has created completing 10 quizzes and achieving their targets. In the Birmingham Food Survey. The survey asks about the school library we have a Reading Wall of Fame and a your background, your thoughts on food policies that Word Millionaire board to celebrate students’ success. shape the city and about the kind of food you eat. As the Autumn term ends, all students should be For a little more context, watch our video – Starting congratulated on their efforts but a special mention the Birmingham Food Conversation: https://youtu.be/ should go to those students who have read over one Dlup5Ta7ajA million words each!
Who are we trying to reach? Oreoluwa Ajayi 7L EVERYONE! We want to hear from all Birmingham Riyane Brandy 7L citizens about their thoughts on food and the food Wesal Nouredin 7S choices they make. Ella Hadley 7W Whether they’re an individual, family, student, retired Alisha Parvaiz 9G or newly arrived in the city, their opinion counts and we Haya Vardag 9L are really keen to hear from people of all ages and in Claudia Vuthyani 9S every community in Birmingham. That includes you and your families and friends! Also, congratulations and well done to the following KS3 review groups who, as I write this, are currently top of How can you help? their year group leader board. You can help us hugely by mentioning or circulating 7L Mrs Brook 7,071,788 words the survey and video links to colleagues, groups and 8G Miss Tooley 5,291,818 words organisations across the city. 9G Miss Branson-Harper 5,507,423 words
And don’t forget, your views count too! Please get involved by completing the survey yourself and then Year 7 Get Spooky give it a share on social media to let your friends and family know about it. Remember to use the hashtag Poems from Emily and Sukhmani #talkfoodbrum My Recipe for the Perfect Spooky Story
Link to survey: https://www.birminghambeheard.org. Begin with bags full of suspense. uk/place/birmingham-food-survey/ Mix in a dash of storms. Sprinkle over an ounce of blood, blood and more blood. Link to video: https://youtu.be/Dlup5Ta7ajA Hashtag: #talkfoodbrum For added murder stir in an abandoned street. Next stir in some babies crying in the distance. Add a teaspoon of fear and anxieties in order to make the mixture tense and gory.
Bake for a long, foggy night And serve with horror. The Perfect Spooky Story Whisk until it’s a glaze like texture. Begin with a bag full of horror - this will make the mixture mysterious. Place dough in a baking pan with plenty of room to rise and flourish, Add eighteen bottles of blood and With a brush gently glaze your mixture. an ounce of darkness. Do not miss a single drop. Mix with screaming desperate cries for added tension. Bake at learning degrees for 5 years. Serve fresh out of the oven Next, stir in abandoned places and an axe (be sure to open windows in summer, stuffy rooms are a with dripping blood, in order to make the recipe violent. dough’s weakness) Bake for thirty minutes of a dark, stormy night and serve with crimson rain. Black History Month Sociology & Politics Competition Mr Wells on how recent events have Well done to our Year 7 students influenced activities in school Well done to all those Year 7 students who entered the This term has been an eventful one as students have Black History Month competition. been analysing our rapidly changing political situation. The events in Parliament and the Supreme Court in The winner was Courtney whose outstanding September and October have provoked topical debates contribution impressed all staff. Courtney demonstrated and an interest in how the constitutional framework an impressive level of creativity and she had clearly functions. The upcoming general election will give the spent a lot of personal time completing her display students the opportunity to apply a range of theories board. Second place went to Caitlin who wrote an relating to voting behaviour, as well as examining issues eloquent poem about equality. such as the turnout for the election and its significance.
Masterclass Visits This term there have been a number of students Health & Social Care involved in attending master classes at the University Mrs Muggleton and Miss Atkinson report of Birmingham. Students who attended were able from the top floor to experience a university lecture from experienced university professors. In politics, the master class The health and social care students and staff have covered the impact of Brexit on UK politics. Those who been working hard to meet the demands of the various attended were given the opportunity to discuss and courses offered at key stage 4 and 5. present their own views. In sociology, students took part in a master class on the issue of youth crime. Year 10 health and social care students have impressed This session involved looking at the possible causes us with their excellent work ethic and determination of crime and how these explanations have influenced to produce their first piece of coursework to a high government policy. Both sessions enabled the sixth form standard. students to develop an understanding of university life and further their understanding of relevant issues in Year 11 have shown a very positive attitude to relation to their A level. component three, which requires them to assess an individual’s health and wellbeing. The have to create a health plan with justification which allows them to show of their knowledge of PIES (physical, intellectual, Lordswood Serves emotional and social developments through life) and physiological measures of health.
1050 Students across the key stages have had hands on A poem by Naomi from Year 8 experience of exploring the equipment used to measure Firstly butter a hot pan with respect, an individual’s level of health. Lots of fun was had by all After 10 seconds add a ready made mix of and they even got to play nurse to the staff! Staff high Love, determination, success and wisdom. blood pressure readings were put down to inexperience Leave to sizzle of using the equipment!
In a very large bowl sprinkle originality, optimism and Our new year 12 students have settled in to lessons well grace over a dough of intelligence, and are coping with the demands of several units of Kneed until all evenly distributed. work whilst making new friends and sharing ideas on a Next add bravery and courage in a separate bowl and range of thought provoking issues. We wish our year 11, 12 & 13 students every success each other and engage in vibrant conversations. The in their forthcoming external examinations. They have enrichment team plans to organise more events like this been practising past paper questions and revising hard in the future. so hopefully their hard work will all pay off.
Mrs Kempthorne gets her blood pressure checked KS3 Reading Challenge Guidelines From Mrs Ashford Students need to register their interest with Mrs Ashford in the library. Every time a student finishes a book from the list they need to take the Accelerated Reading quiz and pass it at 85% or above.
Fill in the booklet and get it signed by Mrs Ashford in the library. Students got cosy in onesies and pyjamas
Rewards: Read 10 books – praise slip Read 20 books – certificate Run, Hide, Tell Poster Read 40 books – prize – to be decided Read 60 books – name in the draw for the “Grand Prize” Competition at the end of the summer term. Congratulations on a winning entry Congratulations to Imani of 7D for winning the Lordswood Lockdown and Run, Hide, Tell poster Movie Night At LSFC competition, which was set as part of the PSHEE day A night spent in front of the big screen activities. To welcome the new year 12s and increase interaction between both years, the student leadership enrichment team decided to organise a Halloween themed movie Medication In School night. The students were given a choice of three horror movies and the movie with the majority of votes was played on the night. Lots of snacks were readily Consent Forms available for the students to purchase and they were Information for all parents free to bring their own food as well. We are pleased to advise that consent forms for medications to be taken in school are now available From the paper jack-o-lanterns hanging from the ceiling on the School’s website in the parent section. These to the red coloured strobe lights, the enrichment team forms can be downloaded and sent in with medication created the perfect atmosphere for a horror filled required by your daughter if you are unable to call into movie night. With animated screams at jump scares and the school in person. hushed whispers asking to pass the snacks around, the night was filled with amusement. It proved to be a great For further information please speak to Mrs Rossiter, opportunity for both years to introduce themselves to Attendance & Medical Needs Officer. friend! Solicitors) andwon a30minute MAC makeover witha Zara Rashid12.6(placement secured at NichollsBrimble makeover withafriend! Legal Solicitors, Essex) andwon a60minute MAC Kushmeet Roopra 12.1(placement secured at Links assembly hisweek: secured theirplacement andwere rewarded in Well doneto thefollowing students whohave already [email protected] or01214205960. work orbusinesspleasecontact Mrs McInerney on any students duringthat week at your placeof If you have any contacts whocan accommodate Experience at abusinessorindustry oftheirchoice. Next AprilYear 12willspendoneweek onWork Monday, 20thApril-Friday, 24thApril2020 Year 12Work ExperienceWeek News fromMrsMcInerney Week Work Experience OUR PARTNER
Has some amazing Christmas present ideas! Christmas Gift Subscriptions from £10 outstanding performance! Erin Norman,IsabelStretch andRose Sulaimanontheir congratulations to thewinners ofthequiz,AnnaNdure, and GityAfzali whowere very strong runners-up and Sheppard, Rosa MariaDallison,AniahSmith-Douglas from Lordswood Girls’School.Well doneto Shannon West Birminghamtook part,includingtwo teams Languages quiz.18teams from schoolsacross South hosted theannualSouthWest BirminghamModern On Wednesday 11thDecemberLordswood GIrls’School An update fromMFL Languages Success InModern Nandos SellyOakfor donating theprizes! Thank you to MAC Cosmetics, Grand Central and Architecture Ltd) andwon aNandosvoucher! Aminah Iqbal12.6-(placement secured at BM3 Hospital) andwon aMAC goodie bag! Vanita Kaur 12.4(placement secured at BirminghamCity
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subscribe.firstnews.co.uk/christmas Diary Dates
Tues 25th - Year 9 options deadline Mon 6th - Spring term begins Feb Jan 2020
W/C 2nd - Ski trip Thurs 16th - Year 11 Parents’ Evening Mar Jan 4 - 6pm
Weds 4th - PSHE day W/C 20th - Year 9 examinations Mar Jan
W/C 16th - Year 10 examinations W/C 27th - Year 11 mock examination Mar Jan resits
Thurs 19th - Year 8 Parents’ Evening Thurs 6th - Year 9 Parents’ Evening Mar 4 - 6pm Feb 4 - 6pm
Fri 20th - Sport Relief Fri 7th - Drama Disney trip Mar Feb
Fri 3rd - School breaks up for Easter W/C 10th - Year 11 fundraising week Apr holidays Feb
Mon 6th- - Easter holidays Weds 12th - Parents’ Forum 8 - 9am Fri 17th Apr Feb
Mon 20th - Summer term begins Fri 14th - School breaks up for half Apr Feb term
Mon 17th - - Half term holiday Fri 21st Feb From everyone at Lordswood Girls’ School & Lordswood Sixth Form Centre, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Lordswood News