Droylsden Academy Presentation Evening
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The Droylsden Academy Magazine February 2011 Issue 4 Droylsden Academy Presentation Evening On the 17th November Droylsden Academy held the Class of 2010 GCSE Presentation Evening at The Monastery in Gorton. Contents Students and parent/carers Page 2 we e welcomed • ThStudents are doing it for to Droythe event with themselves! a drinks reception held in a marquee • Film Club prior to taking • The Day I Met William Ash their seats in the main event space, which was the beautifully restored Monastery. • Vivo Guests were entertained by Miss Platt and Mrs Croft performing Pie Jesu (Requiem) by Page 3 Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don’t Rain on my Parade (from Funny Girl) performed by Lucy • Play-in-a-day project Mountfort and For Good (from Wicked) performed by Danielle Foley and Lucy Mountfort • Enabling Enterprise both Year 10 students. • Castleton Trip Students were individually awarded their GCSE certificates; some also received their • Snowdon Climb Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards and certificates for other individual achievements. Page 4 The Academy also made eight special awards to the class of 2010 as follows: • Fundraising • Debate Mate • Samantha Coates – Sports Achievement Top Performing Girl • Technologist of the Month • Ryan Westwood – Sports Achievement Top Performing Boy • Bethany Micklethwaite – Attendance Award Page 5 • Matthew Smith – Endeavour Award • Chloe Kennedy – Outstanding Progress • La Tasca Chef visit • Jasmine Khanom – Academic Excellence Top Performing Girl • Dance for Life • Jack Naylor – Academic Excellence Top Performing Boy • BTEC Hospitality Manchester City • Saif Rehan – Principal’s Special Award visit The Principal, Sponsors and all staff wish the class of 2010 success and Page 6 happiness for the future. • Sporting Activities & Achievements Mathematics. This means that 44% of our Page 7 students have currently achieved an A* - C in • Library Corner Results Record! English and Maths. Huge congratulations go to all our current Page 8 Year 11 students on their fantastic results Students are now working extra hard to • Platt Hall Art Visit in GCSE English and Mathematics, January secure their target grades in Mathematics • Trip to France 2011. and all GCSE and Btec courses. • What’s been Happening? 64% of Year 11 students have achieved Revision sessions and extra intervention A*-C in English, this is a huge improvement groups are now taking place; please refer to from last year. 45% have achieved A* - C in the Droylsden Academy website for further information. Well done! Manor Road, Droylsden, Manchester, M43 6QD Tel: 0161 301 7600 www.droylsdenacademy.com 2 November saw the Students are doing it first meeting of Film Club at Cryer Street. for themselves! There was a fantastic turn out of students all of whom were incredibly This week, Years 9 and 10 have been changing their enthusiastic at being part of this new extra-curricular teaching – temporarily! They are indulging in the activity. privilege of individual learning, as they are making their own lessons. We started by activating the membership on the website and navigating our way around it. We discovered that we can request films that we would This new outlook on learning is an experiment to see what like to see so that the teachers can order them, and we were shown how to works better for the students’ education; this ranged from write a review of the films that we see online. performing different exercises in PE, different displays in science, and various sums in maths. The company, The FilmClub.org, runs a weekly competition for the review of the week from which the reviewer chosen enters a prize draw. Winners This is a new idea to research bigger and better ways of of this have received fantastic prizes such as the chance to go to an all teaching students, it is an individual idea that is in the works, expenses paid film premier in London and meet the cast of the film! but so far, it has proved rather exceptional. There is also the opportunity to get professionals from the A Year 9 student said; ‘This is great, we don’t get told what film industry to come into the to do, so we can work at our own pace. It was surprising how Academy and talk to the film well-mannered everyone is being in lesson, as they have their club members, people that freedom.’ work in hair and make up, prosthetics, costume, directors, This plan is only an experiment however, as it was temporary musical direction and actors. to gather results, but we may be seeing a whole lot more of Furthermore, there is a grant this in the future! we have access to that could improve our film club, so we The GYM will be looking to our members Year 9 and 10 have had a change in their lessons; they have for inspiration on how to make First Film Review: been told to manage their own learning. some improvements to our film club – so get your thinking caps Our first choice was Hocus-Pocus. We interviewed Abbie Royle, Year 9. She told us how on! Of course we could not watch it interesting the lessons were, we interviewed her while she all but we did watch about half an was in the gym, “Teachers don’t talk as much now, last week The film club is a government- hour of the film. My thoughts on we had fitness tests, and we taught each other fitness tasks.” funded initiative which works She told us how much she had enjoyed this week, how she with Lovefilm.com, we are sent 3 film club are that it is an enjoyable had double English and found it exciting- as there were more DVDs to watch at a time chosen place to be in and the opportunity activities, and less writing! Abbie also told our interviewers from a list on the website. We to watch different types of that they get to design their lessons how they wanted: “Now are allowed 6 DVDs per month films is rare. There is a friendly we get to create our lessons and use our imagination.” to watch, the members then atmosphere and everyone is there Emily Birchall review at least 2 films per term to watch films and have fun. online. As an extra incentive Miss Chapman will choose an There was a brilliant turn out and Academy reviewer who will win I hope that more people will come The Day I Met William Ash a film-related prize. as the weeks go on and they will enjoy the unique experience that a The Film club provides an It was true, William Ash, who played Chris Mead in ‘Waterloo few people at Droylsden Academy excellent opportunity to watch Road’, was standing in front of me. Finally, the first time I have have already tried and enjoyed films that you may never have met a famous actor. I had earlier thought of questions I would very much! seen, find that you have more want to ask him and with eight of us in the room we started to in common with others you may ask him some interesting questions. I recommend this extra curricular never have spoken to before, have fun, and finally improve activity to people who in their Here are a few questions and answers: the skills that you have learned spare time like watching movies, What TV shows or films have you been in? He replied: “Doctor in class. enjoy writing, or just want to try Who, Hush, Waterloo Road and some others.” something new after school! What inspired him to act? “Well” he said, “since the age of six I If you are interested in joining in, liked acting but took it more seriously at the age of 16. One of we meet in C38 every Thursday. By Alex Booth Year 7 my school teachers said I was so good at it. I have been lucky to have been acting for many years and I’ve always enjoyed it.” My opinion is that he was very nice to talk to and he answered Vivo is one of the ways the school encourages the the questions very well. After we had interviewed Mr Ash he students to be more enthusiastic about behaviour, gave us all a picture of him. He signed the pictures which read attainment and effort. By doing well in class you ‘get to the cooler’ a saying from ‘Waterloo Road’. As I left the get points awarded known as Vivos. Each Vivo is room after seeing him, I had a smile on my face. worth approximately a penny and students save up their Vivos on the Vivo website (vivomiles.com) to cash them in for prizes. I would just like to say a big thank you to Ms. Nicholson for There is a wide range of things you can buy: from the little things like pens, giving me the chance to meet William Ash. to big prizes like console games etc… There are a lot of different ways to earn them but the biggest points get awarded from after school curricular activities, By Sean Leyland-Raine Year 7 like the ALAN group. In my opinion Vivos are a great way to boost student confidence! Daniyal Irfan The Droylsden Academy Magazine Inspiring Minds 3 Play-in-a-day project Castleton Trip On the 10th and 25th of January, some Year 9 Recently I went on a Year 7 school trip to Castleton. Mandela students took part in an exciting French Play-in- house went before us and many of the students said they found it challenging so that put me in two minds whether to go or not.