The Aylesbury Vale Academy Newsletter

December 2018

Message from the Executive Upcoming Events

Principal Wednesday 19th December School closes at for Christmas break

Dear Parents and Carers, Thursday 3rd January Spring term begins for students Christmas is now upon us and as we look for- ward to welcoming the New Year, we also Thursday 10th January reflect on the last half-term at the Acade- Year 11 Parents' Evening my. Thursday 24th January The children and young people continue to Year 8 Options Evening demonstrate that they are an amazing col- lective and I hope you enjoy sharing a small Tuesday 5th February sample of their many and varied achieve- Safer Internet Day - Parent Information Even- ments. ing

Whatever you are doing over the Christmas Thursday 7th February break, I hope you get some quality family Year 7, 12 and 13 Parents' Evening time and enjoy whatever activities you are involved in. Friday 15th February Student Reward Event We look forward to welcoming students back School closes for half-term at the end of the day to school on Thursday 3rd January.

Mr R. Burman Executive Principal

Aylesbury Vale Academy Student Wins Gold at the British Championships Aylesbury Vale Academy student Alfie Thornton, Year 9, achieved the top accolade at the British Championships recently when he was awarded the Gold medal.

Alfie’s passion for martial arts also means he will be undertaking a three-hour black belt exam in the new year.

The Aylesbury Vale Academy is incredibly proud of Alfie and his achievements.

AVA Dragon Trophy Winners

AVA Young Enterprise students win this year’s Dragons Den tro- phy!

Congratulations to 'Castles in the Air', Aylesbury Vale Academy's Young Enterprise team, for secur- ing the overall winning trophy at this year’s Aylesbury Vale Young Enterprise Dragons Den competi- tion, recently hosted at the Acade- my.

Executive Principal Roger Bur- man presented 'Castles in the Air' with the winning trophy at the team's board meeting on Friday 9 November.

One of the Dragons was so im- pressed with the AVA Young Enter- prise Student Company that they have decided to invest!

In a recent letter to Mr Bur- man, Laura Hook, Chairman of Young Enterprise Ayles- bury Vale, congratulated the team on their success and also expressed gratitude to Mr Burman and the Academy for hosting such a success- ful event.

Mrs Hook went on to say "...without your positive support towards the YE Company Programme we could not have run this event. The Company Pro- gramme gives these young people the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ and is underpinned by a key set of employability skills. This event was invaluable in enabling Congratulations to all! these young people to get real live face to face time with successful business people and entrepreneurs".

FoBS Christmas Fair 2018 A huge thank you to everyone who came along to our Christmas Fair. FoBS raised an amazing £3,500 for the Primary School. Thank you to all the parent and teacher volunteers who helped to make the fair such a huge success. Cake Decorating National Competition Winner

When I was only seven, my mother started to make and decorate birthday cakes, she grew in knowledge and skills and is now known world wide. This year my mother encouraged me to take part in a competition taking place in Birmingham. Little did I know the compition required the very best skills.

When I started off, it was only three weeks before the competition and I had no idea what to do, I finally decided to make a dragon cake. I watched the and I realised that Smaug would be an interesting and difficult character to bring to life in cake form.

I thought it was going to be easy and after a week of moulding and sculpting the head the dragon began to look realistic.

During the second week I started to paint the dragon using a aerograph, this was very

tricky especially as I wanted to get the shading right. When I had finished I was amazed by the outcome.

In the final week I put a lot of thought into the eyes and how I would make them come to life. I thought that using isomalt would give me the effect that I wanted. Moulding the eyes was very difficult and challenging.

When completed the cake was carefully transported to the comepetition where it was judged against all the other entries.

On the Saturday morning I waited for the results to be revealed. My name was called and my family cheered.

Smaug in cake form can be viewed in the AVA’s reception.

I am coming for you Paul Hollywood!

By Filip Kwasniewski, Year 8

favorite activities because we were able to Anti-Bullying Ambassador talk to them and find out what they do as a Training school to stop bullying happening. By writ- ing compliments about each other we proved that one compliment can put a On the 6th of December, the anti-bullying team smile on someone’s face. Additionally, we were invited to ambassador training where we did few role plays based on bullying and studied the meaning, the cause and the effect what it is like to be bullied constantly. Not only did we learn about what bully- ing means but also the sudden changes that a bully can bring into their lives. As the day was fast moving, we completed a booklet which was about, what an Anti- bullying Ambas- sador will want to do and how important it is for us. The book- of bullying. There are different forms of bullying let gave information about how to stay safe happening inside and outside of schools across online and what to do if someone is being bul- the country and we looked at how it changes lied. For example, tell a trusted adult, don’t one person's life instantly. During the event we took part in an opening activity which was a game of ‘would you ra- ther’. This helped us to get ready for the day and know more about what we would be cover- ing. We also did another activity where we interact- ed with different schools by writing compliments about them. Personally, this was one of my

such as writing compli- ments for each oth- er, role plays that rep- resent bullying and the different solu- tions>

This op- portunity taught me what I can do and how to help other students when they fight back (physically, or verbally) remain need support. It also taught me that one com- calm, keep on telling or speaking out to people pliment can put a smile on someone's face. who can support you and many more. These different forms were then passed onto students By: Miruthigaa Jayakummar as it would direct them what to do. Towards the end we all chose a leader that will repre- sent Aylesbury Vale Academy which was Miruth- igaa Jayakumar who will be representing the school. As a leader I presented the differ- ent campaign ideas that we will be doing throughout the year. This will be one form of spreading aware- ness. Overall, the Anti- Bullying training was an amazing oppor- tunity to find out more about bullying and what we as school can do to pre- vent such problems occurring. The day was fun and interac- tive when completing a range of activities

Berryfields Remembers worked out what was being said, and the dia- logue was voiced by actors. It brought the peo- On Sunday November 11th, one hundred years ple from WW1 to life and we realised that passed since a cease to fighting on the West- each one of the millions was a real person. ern Front in WW1. By the time the guns fell They Shall Not Grow Old wasn’t easy viewing, silent at 11am, the war had claimed 22 million but we avoid the pain of the past at our peril. lives. It is estimated 11,000 died just that We really remember, and pray for the peace morning. of God’s kingdom to prevail.

As Berryfields Community, on Remembrance Sunday, we gathered to remember them. The Typical conceptions of peace often involve scouts and cubs paraded, the Berryfields com- wondering through an idyllic countryside sce- munity groups lay wreaths, students from the ne, gazing upon cinematic skylines or sitting in AVA read poems they’d written, the schools a boat resting on a serene sea. In contrast to sung ‘You raise me up’, we sang, we listened this, peace and reconciliation, between na- to the haunting sound of Sammy Warman play- tions at war, friends or family who have fallen ing The Last Post on her bugle, we fell silent, out or ultimately between God and humanity, we prayed and Reville was played as we lit the is built upon costly sacrifice. Sadly, violence Berryfields beacon. still afflicts our country and wars continue around the world. At times, due to the level of violence and war in the world, it can seem overwhelming and hopeless. Despite this, the resurrection of Jesus encourages us that even in the darkness of death, there is hope, and as disciples of Jesus we are called to be harbin- gers of hope amidst present pain and conflict. The lengths to which God has gone to recon- cile the world to Himself shows us the im- portance God places on making peace between those in conflict. If we are to share in this min- istry of reconciliation, we need to acknowledge that to be peacemakers is a cost- ly affair. Yet I think there are small steps we can all take to bring peace and reconciliation In the schools that week I asked the question: in our lives, towns and the wider world. why are we remembering? And the answer is we want to show respect to those who fought I wonder, who are the people in our lives who for our freedoms we have today but also, we we need to be reconciled with? What actions don’t want to repeat the mistakes of our past. could we take to restore those relationships? But if remembrance is just a head exercise, Where in our communities is there discord? then the lessons of the past will be left be- How could we be peacemakers in that situa- hind. They will lose their power to change our tion? Which countries in the world are crying course, each generation will plough into the out for peace? Will we commit to pray for same errors of our ancestors. So, it was im- peace to be found in those nations? portant as a community that we did this and The one who we are called to bear witness to we allowed it to effect us is a crucified king, and as His ambassadors in Or rather, we tried to remember them because this world we will have to make sacrifices if these multitudes of fallen men are blurry fig- we want to be His peacemakers. Yet the cost- ures from the past. I wonder if you watched liness of Christ’s death and the hope of his res- the new feature film on BBC2 produced and urrection reminds us that peace and reconcili- directed by Peter Jackson They Shall Not Grow ation are worth fighting for. Old? He created it from archive footage which £435 was raised and split 3 ways, with £145 he colourised and turned into 3D. Lip readers going to each fund.