Inside this issue United Learning Northampton Academy Winter 2012 Awards Evening Newsletter Drama Production Parent Voice Principal’s Message Poetry Competition Sporting Success Design & Technology Open for Business Christmas Bazaar Enterprise Week Northampton Academy Twitter! Enterprise Week Christmas Lecture Newsletter - Winter 2012 Tom Davies Build a Boomerang First ever Awards Evening is a huge success Me, Prison, No Way th Northampton Academy celebrated its first ever Awards Evening on 14 November 2012. Sixth Form Open Even- The evening highlighted the fantastic work and effort that the students ing consistently put into their lessons and extra curriculum activities. Science Trip The evening was held in the Travis Hall and students, parents and carers watched as Key Dates students were awarded from different subject areas. The evening also showcased some outstanding performances by Vocal Jazzers and an Advanced Vocal group as well as the Year 7 & Year 10 Drama club. In total 44 awards were given out, these can now be seen in our Awards cabinet situated in main reception. The evening was supported by special guest speakers Mr Michael Ellis MP and our Chair of Governors, Mr Michael George. Students, parents, carers, speakers and staff had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and look forward to next year’s Awards Evening. Year 12 Drama Production Parent Voice 'A Handbag' by Anthony Horowitz and 'The Real Inspector Hound' by Tom Stoppard, showed off the talents of some of our amazing pupils. We are always looking for feedback from parents and 'A Handbag' presents a bunch of disparate youngsters 'having a go' at Oscar Wilde's play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in somewhat inauspicious circumstances. All are inviting as many parents is not as it seems as the characters reveal more about themselves than about Oscar as possible to join our Wilde's pristine masterpiece, as Algernon Moncrieff (Sulaiman) pronounces on dear Parent Voice group. old Oscar. A handbag is the least of their worries. Performed with panache and much wit the outstanding cast including Katie (Lady Bracknell) and Jason (Jack The group has been Worthing) work miracles, gleefully deconstructing the said masterpiece. Gwendolyn (Aaliyah) fills the air with certain 'bon mots' that certainly launched to help us gain a have us realising that this is no ordinary cast of characters. Francesca better understanding of and Abigail reinforce admirably even as the butt of some wicked what you think about what humour. we do. 'The Real Inspector Hound' had Moon (Charlotte) and Birdboot (Tanaka), two pomp- ous theatre critics, getting more involved than intended whilst the other cast mem- We would love you to join bers ruminate on who has shot one (or two) of the others. Typical Tom Stoppard with our group, if you would like his ability to wordplay to delight and confuse. Charlotte and Tanaka, outstanding, whilst Mrs Drudge (Kirsty) the housekeeper, sees and hears all; Simon (Tom) saunters to , please give us a call. in without a care on the world; Felicity Cunningham (Molly) is 'anyone's for tennis'; Lady Cynthia (Caitlin) plays it cool; and the Major, played by Matthew, literally bursts onto the scene with daredevil wickedness; and last but not least, an inspired outra- geous Inspector Hound played by the ebullient Gabriella rounded off a thoroughly 2 entertaining evening. Poetry Competition The 2012 Library Poetry Competition winner was Sophie Rosetti (7T1) for her beautiful acrostic poem ‘Stars’, and the runner up Hina Hothi (8T1). Sophie was presented with a £5 National Book Token and both girls received a certificate and letter writing set. The annual competition is held to celebrate National Poetry Day, a national event of poetry readings, A Message from Anne Hill, Principal competitions and Welcome to our new look newsletter. I do hope you like the format and content and web-based activities for peo- that it gives you a real flavour of Academy life this last term. ple young and old through- out the country. Northamp- This is an extremely busy time of year and there have been many events at the ton Academy students were Academy and beyond which students and parents have enjoyed enormously. At the end of a long term, I must thank our hard working staff who have spent time invited to write a poem with organising and taking students on trips, given up many hours after school for revision this year’s theme of ‘Stars’. sessions, rehearsing plays, practising music ensembles, coaching our sports teams The competition was judged and delivering a huge range of extra-curricular activities. I would also like to by a small group of A Level congratulate our students on their behaviour when representing the Academy on such events, we receive many positive comments about their exemplary attitude. English students. We have hosted several parent information evenings this term and I would like to thank you for your attendance and support for the Academy. It was particularly pleasing that we were full both nights of the year 6 parent information evening and again for the sixth form opportunities evening. We are all so proud that due to your support and confidence in us the Academy continues to be successful and oversubscribed. Our first awards evening, attended by our Local Governing Body and Michael Ellis MP, was a huge success and such a proud moment for us all. If you have not yet done so, pop into reception to see our glittering awards cabinet and trophies, kindly donated by the LGB. Looking forward, I would like to ‘plug’ our parent voice meetings and encourage you to attend so we can learn your views on the Academy and what we can do to improve. Details are on the website and we will also offer more sessions as a result of parents’ requests for help. Coming in January will be a session on how to understand reports and grades and details will be issued with the December reports due out after the break. I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 3 the New Year. Sporting Successes Northampton Academy students have had some We competed in all of this year’s town cross country incredible sporting successes this term. championships and the following students finished in the top 16 and gained entry to the County We have successfully qualified for the Level 3 School Championships in January: Connor finishing 6th (U15 Winter Games in Year 7/8/9 Boys Badminton. The boys) and Chris finishing 12th (U17 boys), both will now county finals take place next year at Kettering Leisure be invited to represent the Northampton Cross Country Village and the winners go to the National Finals in Team at the Town Championships. Nottingham. Our Year 7/8 boys & girls table tennis team won the Level 2 competition organised and hosted here at the Academy. Our Year 7 and 10 boys football team reached the quar- ter finals of the county cup. Our Under 16 boys basketball team travelled to Derby to play their first fixture in the National Schools basketball Premier Central league. Our U12, 13 and 14 boys and girls basketball teams competed in the school games Level 2 competitions at various venues around the county. Year 7 girls finished 3rd in the town’s football tournament Open for Business Year 7 Design & Technology Would you like to hire Year 7 have been busy again making their brilliant Animal Notebooks as part of their Year 7 Textiles rotation in Design and Technology. They have spent 12 Northampton Academy for weeks designing and making a useful notebook that they have designed your event? themselves, printed, decorated We have first class sporting and then used the facilities, ideal spaces for sewing machines to put together. They conferences and perfect have learnt lots of places for lectures. new skills in this project including To discuss your some new practical requirements in more detail skills and how to please give us a call on design for purpose. Their 01604 402811 or pop in one design skills this evening and we’ll show you year have been around. outstanding, a very talented and crea- tive year group! 4 Year 7 Christmas Bazaar Follow us on Twitter! Year 7 hosted their first Christmas Bazaar on 13th December to raise money as part of a business and enterprise scheme. Year 7 will spend this money and Many of you have noticed, invest it either into a new project or spend the money wisely towards some new but Northampton Academy equipment for their year group. is now tweeting! Tutors spent lots of time preparing for this and the students made some wonderful things. They made cards, decorations, cakes and parents also We use it to pass on contributed by donating immediate pieces of useful items that were also for information and we are sale. picking up new followers Parents were invited after- daily. wards to come along and see some of the fantastic To join the conversation craft items that they had please search for made. northacad, that’s us! It was a very busy and suc- cessful day that the children thoroughly enjoyed and after all their hard work they managed to raise a brilliant £238.84. Enterprise Week Year 8 developed their entrepreneurial skills during our Enterprise week by project managing the building of a pyramid commissioned by the Pharaoh, under the guidance of Barclaycard and Young Enterprise; students gained team work and leadership skills as well as money making skills. The Work Experience Programme for 2013 was launched for Year 10, ena- bling for the first time, students to organise their own placement and think about their lives after they leave the Academy 5 Enterprise Week Tom Davies Northampton Academy aims to employers and learn about a wide “inspire and challenge” students and variety of careers.