Polesworth Matters Dear All This has been an incredibly busy week for our school. We have had our first Enhanced Learning Day which provides appropriate personal development activities for every year group. A huge well done to Year 7 in particular. I have received several emails from Conkers and accompanying Polesworth staff stating that our students are a credit to themselves and their school. Well done Year 7 - you have made a great start to your time at Polesworth. This week we have hosted our Year 12 welcome meeting and our MFL KS4 meeting. Both were very well attended and I do hope that parents and students found the events useful and informative. Please be aware that our first parents evening will take place on 9th October. The Polesworth School is no longer using Ken Miller Travel to transport students to and from school. Solus will be providing the 881, 882 and 888 services in the short term until a more permanent solution is put in place. I apologise for any inconvenience caused! Headteacher Y13 Geog Trip to Grange-Over-Sands Headteachers Message i All Years Extra Curricular Sports Clubs A Wider Mission In Science Club Music Department News this Contact Details issue Frankenstein Theatre 10th Sept Oct trip, Coventry Y13 Forensics Day UCAS deadline for 7th 15th Oxbridge, Medicine, Macmillan Coffee (in school) Veterinary & Dentistry Key 27th courses Morning Y9-11 Curriculum Evening Dates Y9-11 Curriculum Evening 27th September 2019 9th (Arden and Kenilworth) (Stratford and Warwick) — 4.00pm 16th Sept / 4.00pm Y7 Parents/Tutor 30th Oct Meetings 10th Staff Training Day 18th Out of Uniform Day Issue 259 ……… At The Polesworth School we are committed to a broader programme of education which extends beyond the academic, technical or vocational. We aim to support you in developing responsible, respectful and active citizens who are positive, open minded and forward thinking. Our School of Character and PSHEE programmes help our students to confidently question, consider, challenge and embrace the wider issues they face growing up in today’s society and give them the cultural capital to move forward. Over the year, through three Enhanced Learning Development (ELD) days, students will explore age related topics to encourage personal development and understanding of issues such as citizenship, democracy, the justice system, sex and relationships, online safety, protective behaviours, mental and emotional health, careers, CPR, road and water safety, anti – social behaviour and accountability to list just a few. This is further supported by two School of Character tutor sessions every week which cover both national and global issues. These sessions are written by a team of experienced teaching staff and delivered by tutors. We hope you will support us over the year in helping to develop young adults who are curious, compassionate, courageous and confident. There is a lot of spooky goings on in the music and drama departments this term. In their music lessons, Year 7 is creating a musical soundscape based on an 18th century poem called ‘Danse Macabre’ and Year 8 are composing a soundtrack to accompany the epic film ‘Jaws’. In drama, Year 7 are devising their own version of a play called ‘Darkwood Manor’ which tells a story about a haunted house and Year 8 are looking at Frankenstein. Be scared, be very scared!!! Before the Summer, we hosted our annual Talent Show. Well done to everyone who participated, especially Grace Lloyd and Alliyah Brookes who were runners up. Our winner for 2019 is Lilly Haywood with a fantastic rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserable. Lilly is currently recording her version which will be available to listen to on our department website shortly. Well done Lilly. The Drama Department is delighted to be welcoming the acclaimed 'Splendid Productions' with their latest production of Dr. Faustus to Polesworth on Tuesday, 26th November at 6pm. Splendid are known for their highly comic, stylised performances. The brilliant scholar Dr. Fautus uses his fabulous intellect to summon the actual devil to grant his every wish! But the devil has a price: it will cost Faustus his soul. Is this the best deal in history – absolutely everything for absolutely nothing? Or is it perhaps the other way round? The production will be approx. one hour in duration and will be followed by a post-show talk which is a fantastic opportunity to ask the actors questions. All students studying (or planning to study) GCSE and A level Drama and Theatre should attend; however we welcome anyone with an interest in theatre to join us for what is guaranteed to be an enjoyable evening. £6 - Before the Summer we participated in our first Polesworth Carnival. Our children’s film and TV themed float came a respectable 2nd. A great day was had by all and Mrs Glover is already thinking about that winning float next year! Rehearsals have now started for this year’s show. The rehearsal schedule will be displayed in Inigo outside our office. Music rehearsals will be Wednesday lunchtime in I3 and the script and video links will be on the music department website shortly. Costume ideas have been discussed, however if you need help come and see Mr Brookes, Mrs Leftwich-Lloyd and Mrs Glover. Mrs Bradford-Jones in Technology is starting a costume club so if you need help with sewing and accessories, please go along and have a chat. Over the course of the last week 16 A-Level Geography students travelled north to Grange- Over-Sands and the Morecambe Bay area, with the primary aim of collection data for their NEAs (or coursework) that will make-up 20% of their final grade. Students were introduced to a range of humans and physical fieldwork techniques, including using callipers and clinometers to determine beach clast size and profile respectively, as well as rephotography and urban drift. They then spent time constructing unique investigation hypotheses and designing their methodologies and sampling strategies, before producing data collection strategies and risk assessments and actually collecting their data. On return to the centre students revised a number of statistical techniques that might aid them, from Mann-Whitney U and Chi2 to the Hudson equation, before practicing their GIS skills. In their spare time students took part in a range of recreational bonding activities, including table-tennis, football, basketball and a variety of card games, not to mention some rather tense games of Jenga! ALL Years Extracurricular Clubs - September 2019 out. help and up turn just with the clubs to help want pupils If any Why not use the fitness centre at the sports centre at lunchtimes or afterschool? Before School Lunchtime After school 7.50- 1.15 – 1.50 3.05 – 4.15 8.25 Activity Activity Venue Activity Venue Yr 7 Football Field Monday Volleyball Sports Hall Sports Science catch-up I5 until 30/9/19 Yr 8,9 and 10 Football Field Dance Gym Tuesday Rugby Field Yr 7&8 Badminton Sports Hall Handball Yr9-11 Badminton Sports Hall Sports Science catch-up I5 from 9/10/19 Wednesday Circuit/Fitness club Gym Sports Hall Handball Yr 7 & 8 Netball Sports Hall Thursday Dance Gym Yr9-11 Netball Sports Hall GCSE Theory (LLO) I5 Indoor Hockey Sports Hall Friday Dance Company (runs at Dodgeball Sports Hall various times of the year) Gym Library Opening times: Letters Monday–Thursday: 8.15am – 4.00pm Think you’ve missed a letter from school? Friday: 8.15 am – 3.30 pm Our letters—including Trip letters— can be found on our Students and Staff may use the facilities before and after website under the School Life section. school, or during break and lunchtime for book selection, research or for a quiet place to sit and do homework. Alternatively, there is a broad range of magazines and Lost Property newspapers, chess and Sudoku and other games to challenge the little grey cells! See Student Services where all In addition to the Library is a dedicated Sixth Form lost property is kept. Also be area. This is a quiet study area which is available for Year aware there will be a display of all 12 and 13 students to use during their free periods. lost property at each Parents’ Evening . Don’t forget, you can Parent Pay Shop check all term dates Parent Pay Shop items available to purchase are School on our website - Ties, Revision Guides, Calculators and Art Supplies. www.thepolesworthschool.com Click on www.polesworthschool.com and then click on the shopping trolley. @PolesworthSchl The Polesworth School - Official Contact Us The Polesworth School Dordon Road Dordon Tamworth Staffordshire B78 1QT Telephone Number :01827 702205 Fax Number : 01827 702206 School email for general queries : To inform us your child is absent : [email protected] [email protected] Opening Hours Monday to Thursday: 7.45 am to 4.45 pm Friday: 7.45 am to 4.15 pm .