AllAll Saints Advocate Advocate Vol 5 No 2 December 2013

ALL SAINTS ACADEMY

From the Principal ‘very unusual, unique and special’ and something that is rarely seen in any school. They were also pleased to record students’ comments about the Ofsted journey on which we have embarked, the As you know, we experienced an improvements we have made since opening and Ofsted inspection on 07 and 08 what we need to do to improve further. Ofsted November 2013. In our previous were clear that Governors’ support of the work of inspection in 2011 we were judged the Academy was good and that Governors bring a to be a Grade 3, described at that range of high quality expertise. time as Satisfactory. In our latest inspection we have again been judged to be a As Parents/Carers you are well aware of our vision Grade 3, now described as Requires Improvement. and indeed our journey so far, and you will know In our own evaluation we also judged ourselves to that we will tackle the issues head on and that we be Requiring Improvement; the main reason being shall continue to do everything we can to raise the that although the percentage of students achieving results of our students. 5A*- C has risen from 22% prior to opening to 40% in 2013, we know that there is still some way to go The Autumn Term in a nutshell before we can judge ourselves to be in the Good All Saints is a happy, safe and friendly environment category. Ofsted recognises that we are above the in which all students can learn. Our new Year 7 Government’s floor targets and has advised us on students have settled in really well, students in what our focus should be in order to be put us into Years 9, 10 and 11 are working hard, and the Sixth the Good category next time. Form is thriving. Students regularly tell us that

they are happy and proud to be part of All Saints In particular, the Ofsted team advised us of three Academy. areas of focus:

As you know, the last day of term will finish early 1. Improve the quality of teaching and learning for students at midday following a series of 2. Accelerate the rate of students’ progress Christmas assemblies. May I take this opportunity 3. Improve the quality of leadership and to wish you and your family a happy and peaceful management Christmas and New Year. We have a whole staff

training day on Monday 06 January 2014 and we Ofsted were keen to highlight many of our good look forward to all students returning to school on features, including students’ behaviour and safety Tuesday 07 January 2014. in lessons and around the Academy, teachers’ questioning, improved attendance, and students’ attitudes to their learning. Governors were Tom Waterworth delighted to hear Ofsted’s description of our Principal students’ sense of belonging to the Academy as

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY & ARMISTICE DAY As usual, students were involved at the Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day Acts of Remembrance in both Dunstable and Houghton Regis through local uniformed organisations as well as representing the Academy directly. At Dunstable Priory on Remembrance Sunday Mr Grubb accompanied Jersey Villanueva and Saskia Davies who laid the wreath for All Saints. A second wreath was laid at Houghton Regis on Armistice Day by Georgia Roberts and Saskia; the standard and guard of honour were provided by Army cadets Liam Bond, Owen Lindsay, Mark Wade and Jordan Miles, accompanied by Mr Waterworth and Fr Coles. It’s a moving time of year for many families and it’s encouraging to see how many local people from across the full spectrum of age ranges are involved with these ceremonies; the words and silence give us time to ponder the cost of past and present conflicts to ordinary people – ‘we will remember them’ - and the great value of even our imperfect peace. British Legion local convenor and former Guardsman, Mick Hunt, warmly thanked those involved and said to us ‘the students are a credit to the Academy, their families and the community’. Fr Alasdair Coles AVP - Chaplain

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 2 VISIT TO BEDFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY Here at All Saints Academy we pride ourselves in the opportunities that we provide for our students. As a part of this, for the Year 12 and 13s who are currently studying the BTEC Level 3 Course we provided the opportunity to visit the University of Bedfordshire. Students attended a finance talk to show exactly how to apply for student finance, how to budget and make the most of their money whilst living the student life. For many this is a confusing and complicated area and many wonder if they can afford to attend university or not. Hopefully, this talk helped to address the fears that many of the students had and allowed them to carefully consider the options that they have before them. Other sessions were delivered by the expert staff in the Health and Social Care department from the University of Bedfordshire giving information on a range of courses including; Nursing, Midwifery and elements from Psychology. The students also had a chance to speak to those who currently attend the university about their experiences and ample opportunity to ask questions throughout the day. Lucy Jennings Teacher of Health & Social Care

AIR CADETS AT INSIDE THIS ISSUE Remembrance Page 2 ALL SAINTS Visit to University Page 3 All Saints student Cadet Corporal Jason Lee won three Air Cadets Page 3 Trophies in the Air Cadets Awards Evening on Thursday Islamic Art Workshop Page 4 14 November 2013. The annual awards event reflects the cadets’ behaviour, standards and commitment Logo Competition Page 5 throughout the year. Well done! “A Grand” Competition Page 6 Grease the Musical Page 7 Learn how to Fight Page 8 Advert for Sports Tour 2015 Page 9 Backstage productions Page 10 Year 7 Roald Trip and Showcase Page 11 Children in Need Page 12 STEM Club Page 13 Enterprise Week Challenges Page 14 /15/16 Work Experience Page 17 Be Prepared Page 18 Sports News Page 19 - 23 Vivo News Page 24 Information Pages Page 25/26/27

3 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org ISLAMIC ART WORKSHOP On 21 November, Sixth Form Students and Gifted & Talented Art students from Years 10 and 11 took part in an Islamic Art workshop. They learnt about the principles of Islamic Art and how it shows unity; a key concept in Islamic culture. Many thanks to Anouar and Maryam from the Milton Keynes Islamic Arts, Culture & Heritage Organisation who planned and ran the sessions.

In the workshop that I attended on Islamic Art I learned that it was not only used in Islamic countries but also in countries such as Spain. After a short presentation explaining what Islamic Art is, we were all given a template to trace onto tracing paper, which we then had to transfer onto tea stained card. When we had done this most of us realised that we had missed the odd line here and there so had to draw that on once we had finished. Once the pattern was transferred we then used acrylic paints to paint in the different shapes. I learned how, depending on what part of the world you are in, different colours are used, as they try to use only colours that are natural to the area. Years 12 and 10 were only allowed to use red, black, white and then both dark and light blue and green. We then used gold and silver gel pens to outline the different shapes. When all the pieces were finished we put them all together to create one large piece of work, and it looked really good. Even though it was very time consuming and required a lot of attention to detail, I enjoyed the day and thought that the final outcome was worth it. Kerrie Loughnane, Year 12

The day was very enjoyable, seeing just how much cultures vary artistically is amazing and inspiring. It was relaxing, calm and took a lot of patience. Slotting all the pieces together to make a beautiful final piece is something I could keep in mind for my own projects in Art. I also learned how some cultures use art to portray spiritual meanings and resemble religious beliefs. I found the whole day fun, and learning someone else’s views on art was interesting. I never knew that Maths could be so involved in creative drawing and art; the way things in some art are developed using mathematical calculation is really interesting. Chloe Taylor, Year 10

Rachel Hart Acting CL for Creating & Designing

4 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 4 LOGO COMPETITION FOR ARCHDIOCESE OF ST ALBANS

In October Year 9 and Year 13 students spent time considering what says ‘celebration’ in an image. The students then used the ideas contributed by the group to create a logo that could be used by the Archdiocese of St Albans in their 100 year celebrations. The imagery seen here is just a small selection of what was submitted.

Rhea Brindle Roxanne Stone

Year 13 Year 13

Ashleigh Charles Connor Blythe Year 9 Year 9

Rachel Hart Acting CL for Creating & Designing

5 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org A GRAND ENTERPRISE COMPETITION Aspens Catering Services are offering All Saints Academy students a chance to win £1000 by designing a creative and tantalising menu for the day and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Grand designers in Year 10 Business class demonstrated their culinary skills by working in groups to come up with the final winning menu. Sam Winter (10TB) designed the ultimate menu, which will be submitted to the Aspens Catering company for the chance to win a Grand for the Academy. Students took into consideration the current food pricing offered at the café, so that their price range was in line with the Academy.

Farzana Asghar Second in CA – ICT & Business

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 6 GREASE THE MUSICAL

Rehearsals are well and truly under way for the production which will be held on Thursday 13 February 2014. Students have shown dedication and enthusiasm to their roles, attending rehearsals and really getting into their character! This is a show not to be missed! Tickets will go on sale from Student Reception around mid January priced at £5.00 for adults and £3.00 concessions including refreshments. Heather Howard Third in CA - Creating & Designing

7 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org YEAR 9 LEARN HOW TO FIGHT! Did you read that right? Yes, indeed! On Monday 25 November a large number of Year 9s entered into battle as they learned some fantastic new stage skills in a Stage Combat Workshop organised bythe Creating and Designing Curriculum Area. Thankfully, nobody drew blood! The Workshop was led by Andrew Strafford Baker and Andy Toynbee, who are professional actors and trained in stage combat techniques. Students were trained in posture, lunging, physical preparation, balance and body movement, before battle commenced… Once trained in a range of basic techniques students were allowed to construct a really disciplined and polished sequence, including parrying, thrust, cut and ‘nap’. The students who took part hugely impressed the two workshop leaders with their attention to detail and the fact that they were able to practise their work to get the highest standard. This was a fabulous day and the All Saints students really focused and willingly took part. They were brilliant ambassadors for the Academy and Andrew and Andy expressed a strong wish to come back and work with our students again. High praise indeed and well deserved. En guarde! Chris Bruce Media Studies

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 8

If your son/daughter (current Year 9 only) is interested in going on the Sports Tour – please see Mr Gilbert or Mrs Reed for an information booklet

9 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org BACKSTAGE PRODUCTIONS Backstage productions is a Student run group that is raising money to produce a magazine. Every student has a role and it is ran like a proper magazine company. The group ran a cake sale and managed to raise £80. Thank you to everyone who supported us!

Amanda Di Giampasquale Joint CL - English

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 10 YEAR 7 ROALD TRIP Today I found out that Roald Dahl was a pilot in World War 2! He was low on fuel when he was flying over Lybia so he tried to land. He thought he was landing it in the clear but his wheel hit a rock. It flipped the plane! He received some bad injuries. Harvey Dawkins 7AD Today was faberoonie! It may seem like a long trip but the day was GREAT. The people that owned the museum were really kind and helpful. They helped us the whole day! I would recommend it! Kelsey Taylor 7AD

The Roald Dahl trip took place on 10th October and it helped students be creative in their writing.

Amanda Di Giampasquale Joint CL - English

YEAR 7 SHOWCASE

On Tuesday 17 December we will have our first Year 7 showcase. This will be a fabulous evening of entertainment that truly shows the achievements of Year 7. Year 7 parents have been invited to come along and see the work their children have been doing this half term and experience the joy of learning at All Saints Academy Dunstable. Amanda Di Giampasquale Joint CL - English

11 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org CHILDREN IN NEED The first non-uniform day this year was held on Friday 15 November to raise funds for Children in Need, the BBC charity which has raised over £600 million since its launch in 1980. Sixth Form students collected small change in Mr Barnard’s empty Benecol bottles which raised about £20. Many students came in dressed in their onesies and donations in all raised about £500 for the charity. Thanks to everyone for their generosity.

Fr Alasdair Coles AVP - Chaplain

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 12 STEM CLUB Fourteen students from The STEM Club visited the Science Museum in London on 12 November. Joined by Sixth Form Students from Manshead School, who were attending a lecture by Peter Higgs, we made our way to the capital. Although our students were not able to get tickets for the lecture they still had a fantastic day exploring and being submerged in such a variety of Science. The Year 7 group enjoyed the energy section (pictured below), receiving a small jolt of knowledge on why renewable energy is the way forward. Meanwhile, the Year 11 group were trying their luck at racing a car with reversed steering, learning how the connections in our brains sometimes only work one way. With an impressive backdrop of London Bridge visible from the Medication through History wing the day drew to a close. A quick stop at the shop and out to the coach when who should appear in the street but well known comedian and mathematician Dara O’Brien. “It was a lot of fun. The best part was the “About me” interactive activities” – Darshika Arauinthan “It was magnaflorius” – Darral “We learnt all about veterinary science and aerodynamics” – Connor Field If you would be interested in doing similar trips and finding out why fireworks go bang or how to dissect a frog, come along to STEM Club in 0122 on Wednesdays after school.

Catherine Surtees Teacher of Maths

13 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org ENTERPRISE WEEK CHALLENGES Enterprise Week is the world’s largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship, taking place in 115 countries. This year the campaign took place 18 - 24 November 2013. During this week students worked in various subject areas taking part in the Africa Enterprise challenge 2013. Students were given the challenge of applying the African themed concept to develop the most innovative and creative designs. Have a look at some of the marvellous work manufactured during this week.

Catering & Hospitality (Year 12) - cooked a selection of exotic mouth-watering Morrocan dishes including Aromatic lamb with dates, Morrocan meatballs & Tabbouleh and Moroccan tomato and chickpea soup.

Art & Design (Year 7 & Year 9) – Congratulation to Felicity Moore (7HJ) for her winning African t-shirt design and for earning a gigantic 150 Vivo points. Well done to Niamh Griffin (9RK) the runner-up.

Creating & Designing (Year 10) – A big round of applause goes to the winner of the African Apron to Katie Wilson (10IH) for accomplishing a whopping 150 Vivo points. A big bravo to the runners-up Courtney Newson (10IH), Chloe Taylor (10TB), Grace Sharp (10IH), Nicola Demeter (10JSI), and Ashleigh Hilton (10JM).

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 14 ENTERPRISE WEEK CHALLENGES (continued) MFL & English -Students took part in producing African poetry anthology by designing some creative and elegant book covers.

ICT – Year 7 students Hannah Burns (7AD) and Kayleigh Kent (7HB) developed some interactive and engaging videos using the Windows Movie maker software and embedded African themed music.

Business – Year 10 students designed their products from fashion accessories like these glamorous footwear and sophisticated hand bags by Katie Wilson (10IH) and a desirable phone cover design by Harry O’Brien (10TB).

Farzana Asghar Second in CA – ICT & Business

15 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org AFRICAN EXPERIENCE CHEMISTREE As part of Business Enterprise week, our task was to We saw an example of a “chemistree” on the create an African themed product. However, we internet and decided to make one of our own using decided to plan an event and make it a reality. So equipment and solutions that we use every day in we have gone ahead with the idea, with the the Science Curriculum Area. permission of Mr Waterworth, and the support of Happy Christmas everyone! our Business Studies teacher, Miss Robinson. Our event will be held at All Saints Academy during the Easter months. Lesley The plan is to have all subject areas involved. There Botcher will be many different events going on; cake sales, Debs Mills BBQ, football/basketball tournaments, African Science Dance and Drama acts, and much more. Technicians We have a chosen charity, UNICEF. UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realised. They have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes them unique among world organisations, and unique among those working with the young. For the upcoming event, we need to raise money to be able to fund it. In order to do this we are going to do a cake sale, guess how many sweets are in the jar? And also, guess the teddy’s name? We will also be taking any donations offered, as every little helps. We think this would be a great event and will CHRISTMAS CARD raise money for a good cause (UNICEF). There will be a donation box at Student Reception as of Well done to Roxanne Stone, Year 13, for the great Monday 9 December 2013. Art work on our Christmas card this year. Many thanks for your support. Shannon Stack and Cheyne Howard Year 10 Students

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From all the Staff and Students at All Saints Academy Dunstable www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 16 ACADEMY WORK EXPERIENCE Academy Work Experience (AWE) has now launched and is available to all Sixth Form students across the Academy enabling them to develop qualities of leadership, to assume greater responsibility and to contribute to the smooth running of the Academy. Placements give an insight into the world of work and are very important in helping students make decisions about future careers. Sixth Form students who successfully complete the programme receive certificates for their efforts and the experience will help their transition to higher education, the world of work and adult life. We are committed to developing our students’ skills and attributes to ensure they leave us as the well-rounded, responsible, community members that are so attractive to universities and employers.

“The idea of having work experience roles within the Academy allows us, the students, to fully engage with our chosen area and experience what it would be like as a career.

Although, the Academy Work Experience (AWE) is new to us, I feel as though I have benefitted hugely, as I am more comfortable with speaking to new people. It has also taught me a lot about time management and how to organise schedules successfully. I feel very important within my role as an Assistant Receptionist and have built up a friendly and positive relationship with the staff.

I look forward to work experience every week and feel that the benefits are huge.”

Natasha Ryan – Head Girl

Julie Baldwin Acting AVP Achievement Leader for Sixth Form

17 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org BE PREPARED FOR LIFE AFTER ‘ALL SAINTS’ VISIT THE CAREERS ROOM (in the Learning Resource Centre)

Careers library - more than 100 books with information about:

Occupations Apprenticeships Writing a CV Interview skills Applying to university

University and college prospectuses

Noticeboards with details of:

Job vacancies Apprenticeships Voluntary opportunities Employability skills and tips University open days

4YP Careers Adviser regularly available for one-to-one interviews by arrangement with Ms Anton.

4YP CV workshops and National Apprenticeship workshops are available by request to Ms Anton.

Ms H Anton AVP - Professional Development

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 18 RUGBY Rugby has taken off at All Saints, with big numbers attending regular training sessions held every Wednesday with PE staff, Dunstablians Rugby Club coaches and two professional Northampton players. I have been incredibly impressed by the positive and dedicated attitude our students have demonstrated, consistently listening to advice and working hard to improve their skills and techniques. A huge well done to all students who have been involved so far, your determination to improve and work hard for each other has been exemplary. I would like to encourage you all to make the effort to train together weekly as a squad. This will allow you to improve and win games!

Our Year 9 and 10 combined team have been involved in three fixtures so far and have shown superb teamwork and desire in all games.

We were narrowly beaten by Queensbury and Barnfield West in a tri-tournament at Dunstablians on 23 October. Considering this was their first ever experience of competitive rugby, the boys put in two solid performances, with a number of outstanding individual contributions.

More recently we were well beaten by an experienced Manshead team, however a rematch has been arranged so watch this space!

Special recognition is due for Josh McGhee who has been chosen to represent the County for his respective age group, congratulations Josh.

Year 7s are also showing some real talent and as soon as we can get a team together fixtures will be organised.

All Saints Rugby Squad: Emmanuel Omotayo, Marcin Mackowiak, Joshua Schliebe, Aiden Skipp, Lewis Wilkins, Mitchell Rutterford, Darren Kirby, David Leversidge, Anthony Kennett, Michael Afuye, Corey Partridge, Joshua Wilkins, Joshua McGhee, Jordan Lee Taylor, John Taylor, Himesh Devshi, Bradley Hayward and Jack Hupton.

Andrew O'Rourke Second in CA - Sport, Health & Leisure

19 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org GYMNASTICS AND TRAMPOLINING

We are happy to be able to offer gymnastics as an activity at All Saints again. It is great to see more students showing an interest and coming along to training each week. The girls are currently working very hard putting a routine together and cannot wait to perform it in the Christmas assembly... keep up the hard work girls! We are also lucky enough to have brought three new trampolines this year and are excited to add trampolining to our curriculum. After the Christmas break we will be offering trampolining as an extra- curricular activity. It will run at the same time as the gymnastics club, which is every Tuesday 3:30 - 4:30 in the Sports Hall - all are welcome. It would be great to see some new faces, so please come along to the clubs to try out some new activities. Kelly Mannion Teacher of Sport

HOCKEY CLUB All Saints Academy Dunstable have had a great start to the season winning two of their matches. The Year 10 team won 1-0 ‘Vs’ Manshead and 5-0 ‘Vs’ Vandyke. The team is made up from a combination of Year 9 and 10 students. Well done to all the students who have taken part; Ciara Craig, Eliza Ankra, Lilley Coleman, L'or Adolfo, Molly Smiley, Rebecca Geary, Ellie O’Keefe, Dion Chwanga, Melville Nyatondo, Selina Mupayah, Chanel Hills, Chelsea Jefcoate, Rose Songa, Millie Henderson-Williams, Jody Jones, Paige Willis, Shanice Rutterford, Amirah Robinson, Gabriella Cawley and Amber Cole. We still have plenty of matches left and practice will be running after the Christmas holidays, so still time to get involved!! Hockey Practice: Mondays 3.30 - 4.30pm All welcome

Sophie Delderfield Teacher of Sport Health & Leisure

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 20 FOOTBALL NEWS With huge interest in football this year from all years the fixtures have started for the boys’ football.

Year 7 boys started off their All Saints fixtures with a loss, unfortunately. The boys battled hard with two superb goals from Nathaniel Connolly and there were good performances from the whole team. The match was the boys’ first game together with some of the team playing their first games at 11 a-side and they worked very well. Unfortunately, Linslade school, who had been playing together for 3 years, were too strong in the end and came away winners and progressed to the next round of the cup. The Year 7 boys will continue their footballing fixtures during December in a friendly vs Houghton Regis Academy and will hopefully get back on track with a win and a good performance again.

In Year 9 the results have been similar to the Year 7 boys, with games vs Queensbury, Samuel Whitbread and Van Dyke. Unfortunately, the boys have lost all three games but again have worked hard during these and shown good commitment, members of the team such as Shane Phipps, Neville Nyatongo and Paul Blench have attended training each week. Hopefully the boys will be able to turn around their fortunes after Christmas when the league continues.

In Year 11 the boys have had better results, progressing in the County Cup with a late goal from Jonathan Wyllie proving to be enough to take the boys through. Girls’ football is beginning to start with some good interest from all years. District tournaments started at the beginning of December and hopefully the girls can carry on where the Year 11 boy’s left off!

Martin Conway Teacher of Sport

Year 11 Football The boys have made a promising start to the football season showing signs of development within their game, both as individuals and as a team, and the progress from last year is clear to see. Having unfortunately lost their first game away to Vandyke in the South Beds League, after dominating the game for the majority of the 2nd half, the boys picked up a well-deserved point against Manshead securing a 2-2 draw after trailing 2-1. This to me showed their determination and commitment to get back into the game which is pleasing to see. This result was then followed by an excellent 2-1 win in the 2nd Round of the County Cup with 2 late goals securing a place in the 3rd Round against Biddenham. This was an excellent result for the boys as this was their first ever win in the county cup, and joy at the final whistle was a pleasure to see. Well done boys and keep up the good work for the rest of season. Squad players: Ben Burgess, Jordan Boulton, Jordan Miles, Calum Burgess, Jonathan Wyllie, Georgio Neofitos, Matthew Lark, Jordan Knight

Mark Gilbert Teacher of Sport Health & Leisure

21 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org SPORTS PARTNERSHIP The Dunstable and Houghton Regis School Sports Partnership (which is hosted here at All Saints Academy) has been working hard with the Sport, Health & Leisure CA over the autumn term to provide some excellent opportunities for the students. The exciting development of a ‘Sports Leaders’ team has been well support by the students. The students was make up the team are creative, positive and determined to improve the sporting opportunities for all here at All Saints Academy. Some have represented the Academy by running as ‘’hares’’ in the Middle Schools cross country event, hosted by Houghton Regis Academy, and others have assisted teachers and coaches with extra-curricular activities as well as leading stations for the Sports Hall Athletics and SEN Sports Hall Athletics, and running the Year 5 & 6 Dodgeball tournament. The Partnership has also provided our Sports Leaders with the chance to gain coaching badges for basketball. Funding has been provided to support the Academy in offering students the opportunity to gain a level 1 refereeing and Level 1table official for basketball. Support is also being offered to Sixth Form students to gain other coaching qualifications such as Rugby Level 1 assistance qualification. All Saints Academy is in the process of setting up a satellite club with The Dunstablians Rugby Club and every Wednesday after school, coaches from the rugby club attend the Academy’s extra-curricular session to support the development of our students. Both the Academy and Dunstablians are looking to make this a permanent practice venue for all Academy students to be trained by qualified and experienced coaches, looking to then lead into becoming members and official team players for Dunstablians Rugby Club. This is a two year plan which is being looked at closely and which is being driven by passionate staff and students. The Academy and the Partnership have also been reaching out into the local community and its local lower schools. All lower and primary schools within Houghton Regis have been invited to All Saints Academy on a Friday afternoon to help develop their students’ knowledge and understanding of PE and to give their students an opportunity to experience sport here at the Academy. Leaders from the Academy have also been involved in these sessions and have played a vital role in the success of these sessions; thank you to all these leaders. All Saints Academy is a registered school on the Sainsbury’s School Games website, one of the benefits of this is that it can be accredited for all its sporting activity. We were lucky enough for the previous academic year to achieve a Bronze award in recognition for our sporting efforts. However, this year we achieved the Silver award in recognition of the increase in Sports Leaders and the number of events and opportunities offered to them, the high range of extra-curricular activities offered to all students, the high participation rate of students attending these extra-curriclar activities and many more sporting aspects within the Academy. This is a fantastic result and the CA and Partnership are striving to achieve Gold for next year! Stephanie Reed Technician PE /School Games Organiser

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 22 TABLE TENNIS NEWS

Year 7 students are getting stuck into the Butterfly Table Tennis Awards on Friday afternoons, the first group approaching intermediate level in only a few weeks of learning. Those who have qualified for Bronze and Silver Starter Awards already include Jersey Villanueva, Jack Beard, Lewis Seeby, Alex Lee, Kayleigh Kent and George Cousins. It’s great to see the younger students having fun and working hard acquiring skills for a game that is open to such a wide age range and which is renowned for improving fitness, concentration and reaction time.

Bedfordshire Schools County Finals Well done to Chandler Russell, Darrell Porter, Nick Murray and Connor Beirne for winning bronze medals in the County Finals at Bedford on Friday 22 November. It’s good to see their contrasting playing styles bring back some metal-work! The standard has got higher for the last three years and, with Bedford Modern representing Bedford Borough this year, there was a big leap. Samuel Whitbread also qualified for East Bedfordshire and Denbigh High for Luton. This high standard was felt especially at the top end of the team where Chandler and Darrell had to deal with very skilled players with Regional squad experience. Nick’s concentration and Connor’s attacking style were more successful as seeds 3 and 4 respectively. Despite being out-gunned, it was good to see both Chandler and Darrell stripping points from County and Regional players. Chandler 1-5 [won-lost] Darrell 1-5 Nick 3-3 Connor 4-2 We enjoyed the day at Bedford Academy for the County Table Tennis Tournament. We were up against very experienced players, some of whom have been in the Development Squad for the Region. We were all very happy with 3rd place as coming 3rd in a tournament over a large area is quite an achievement anyway! We had a fun time and are even more enthusiastic to play Table Tennis in order to improve our gameplay and confidence further. Chandler Russell - Year 11

Fr Alasdair Coles AVP - Chaplain

23 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org VIVO MILES

Below are the top five students in each year group with the highest number to date. Vivo Miles is the Academy’s reward system, awarding students under various categories, which will then enable them to collect virtual money; working in the same way as Tesco Club Card! Each student is given individual login details and can access their account from home. If you would like to know more about Vivo Miles please visit www.vivomiles.co.uk If you would like to look at your child’s Vivo Miles account, please speak to your child and they can give you a separate ‘parent login’. The Top 5 students in each year group with the most amount of Vivos are…………..

Year 7 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13

1 Daniella Da Silva 1 Sangeetha Kumar 1 Ciara Craig 1 Diana Ogonyo 1 Alexander Thomas 1 Bethany Pollard

2 Ben Acton 2 Michael Margrave 2 Molly Smyley 2 Andrew Aiken 2 Aeilish Wynne 2 Vanessa Ankra

3 Alex Bradshaw 3 Adam Giddings 3 Georgia Meredith 3 Ben Clarke 3 Jack Gorgone 3 Aimee Falvey

4 Georgia Hawthorne 4 Lewis Blake 4 Krishvinie Aravinthan 4 Paul Downing 4 Lucas Robinson 4 Jack Herrity

5 Alexander Bonney 5 Danielle Boulton 5 Amber Aries 5 Eunice Bukebo 5 Laura Harris 5 Kegan Witton

At the time of printing the student with the most Vivos is Diana Ogonyo, Year 11 with 971. Well Done to you Diana!!!! We currently have three, very generous, community supporters for our Vivo Award System. These companies are supplying us with a consistent supply of discount vouchers and game vouchers for listing in the Vivo catalogue, which are proving highly successful with our students. We would like to take this opportunity to say a big ‘Thank You’ to the Sales Team at GoBowling Dunstable, Mr Tim Platter at Albion Driving Centre and Mr Geoff Lambert at Sunshine Riding School, for their continued support in a what is proving to be a highly motivational scheme for our students. Sunshine Riding School Warden Hill Road Next to South Beds Golf Club Luton Bedfordshire LU2 7AE

Tel: 01582 505040 Email: [email protected] Website: www.sunshineriding.co.uk

25 Markham Crescent, DUNSTABLE, Bedfordshire. LU5 4SS

Telephone: 01582 475590 Mobile: 07850 878756

Louise Lissaman AVP - Student Achievement

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 24 ATTENDANCE

Statutory School Attendance Ofsted have recognised that attendance at All Saints Academy is good. Attendance has risen since the previous inspection, exclusions have fallen, and students are punctual to the Academy and to lessons. I would like to thank all students and their Parents/Carers for their continued support.

Rewards There is now a reward system in place at the Academy for attendance.

Weekly 100% attendance = 10 VIVOS Weekly 100% punctuality = 10 VIVOS Half termly 100% attendance = 100 VIVOS End of term 100% attendance = 100 VIVOS plus a bowling ticket which has kindly been donated by Go Bowling, Dunstable.

Keeping Parents/Carers informed Every half term we will now be sending home each student’s current attendance figure. Please be aware that as it will be sent via our text message service the message will be very brief as the system will not allow detailed messages.

Attendance & Persistent Absentees The Academy attendance target is 95%; any students below this will be monitored and if they drop below 85% All Saints Academy will need medical evidence to be able to approve the absence. Medical evidence can be any one of the following: copy of an appointment card/letter, a note from the GP/ Practice Nurse giving reason for absence, a copy of a prescription made out to the student, or any other suitable documentary evidence. A decision on whether or not to authorise the absence will be made by the

Academy. To give you an example of how your child’s attendance can be affected please see the facts below: 20 days off per school year = 90% attendance 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks off school 90% attendance in Years 7 – 11 means half a year off school 90% attendance for your child throughout Primary and Secondary School means they will have missed a whole year of school in their education

Punctuality Please ensure that your child arrives on time for school. Students need to be on the Academy premises by 8.25am so that they will not be late to registration at 8.30am.

Medical Appointments A reminder to Parents/Carers that medical appointments should be made for out of school hours where possible. We do appreciate that this is sometimes impossible and would ask that students only take the necessary time out of school, not the whole day. Medical evidence will be requested for all students.

New Personnel I would like to take this opportunity to advise Parents/Carers and students that Mr Andrew Copperwheat is the new Attendance Officer (formerly known as Education Welfare Officer) working for the Academy. Mr Copperwheat will work with the Academy investigating cases of prolonged absence along with carrying out door knocks for us on a regular basis for any absent students where the parent/carer has not called the Academy to advise on the reason for absence.

Absence All Absences should be reported at the earliest possible convenience on each day of absence, by calling 01582 619700 and selecting Option 2.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that attendance at All Saints continues to improve. Emma Gaskell Attendance Manager

25 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org FIRST AID PROCEDURES

A reminder to Parents/Carers that the Academy does not employ a nurse and members of staff are not medically trained. However, a number of staff are trained in First Aid. The following procedure should be followed in the event of a first aid incident or in the event that a student feels unwell:

 If a student feels unwell, they should report to Student Reception where a first aid trained member of staff will make an assessment. Students are encouraged in the majority of cases to return to lessons unless they are obviously very unwell. It is worth noting that the Academy cannot issue painkillers to students and any student reporting a headache will be assessed, offered a drink of water and encouraged to return to class as soon as possible with the option of returning if they continue to feel

unwell or their symptoms become worse.

 If a first aid trained member of staff feels that a student is too unwell to remain in school, they will contact the Parent/Carer to get permission to send the student home or to make arrangements for the

student to be collected.

 Only once all of these steps have been followed are students permitted to sign out of the Academy. Students should NOT contact their Parents/Carers via mobile phones and ask to be collected without the above procedures having been followed, otherwise the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

The Academy thanks Parents/Carers for their continued support in this regard.

EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS

A reminder for all Parent/Carers to please advise the Academy of any change of address or telephone numbers. It is important that our records are up-to-date, and the correct telephone numbers are vital in order that we can make contact in the event of an emergency. VISITORS’ CAR PARKING Visitors’ parking on site is limited but we are pleased to advise that there are six allocated short-stay parking spaces (including one designated disabled parking space) immediately outside the Main Reception for visitors to the Academy, including our Parents/Carers. Please note that, for the safety of our students, the main gates on Houghton Road will be closed every am from 8.20 to 8.35 and at the end of the school day from 3.10pm to 3.30pm Monday to Thursday, and 12.55pm to 1.15pm on Fridays.

CHANGE TO SWITCHBOARD OPTIONS Please be aware that the options at switchboard, between 8.00am and 4.00pm (1.00pm on Friday) have been amended. Please listen to the whole message before selecting the option you require.

www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 26 Diary Dates 2013 December Fri 20th Last Day of Term - Christmas Holidays Start Students finish at midday approx. January 2014 Mon 6th Staff Training Day

Tue 7th First Day of Term

Thur 30th Year 11 into 12 Pathways Evening 18.00 - 21.00

February 2014 Sun 2nd Candlemas Wed 12th Grease the Musical - Matinee Performance for Lower Schools Thur 13th Grease the Musical - Evening Performance Fri 14th Half Term Starts St Valentine’s Day Mon 24th Staff Training Day Tues 25th Students Return After Half Term

March 2014 Sat 1st St David’s Day Mon 3rd Year 11 into Year 12 Interviews and Year 12 Interviews begin Tue 4th Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) Wed 5th Ash Wednesday Mon 10th Year 13 Interviews begin Thur 13th Sixth Form Parent Consultation Evening 18.00 - 20.00 Mon 17th St Patrick’s Day Mon 24th Literacy Focus Week 4, Cheese & Wine Evening for prospective new Year 7 students/parents Tue 25th Cheese & Wine Evening for prospective new Year 9 student/parents Sun 30th Mothering Sunday

April 2014 Fri 4th Last Day of Term - Easter Holidays Start

27 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org

Principal: Tom Waterworth BA MA

ALL SAINTS ACADEMY DUNSTABLE HOUGHTON ROAD

DUNSTABLE LU5 5AB

Telephone: 01582 619700 Fax: 01582 619701 Email: [email protected] Web: www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org

Business & Diocese of St Albans Science Enterprise

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