AllAll Saints Advocate Advocate Vol 6 No 3 February 2015 ALL SAINTS ACADEMY been several times when we have had to advise From the Principal students about the colour of their hair; please do not allow your child to dye their hair an unnatural Dear Parents/Carers colour. Finally, visible body piercings are not permitted. I suppose the barometer for correct How time flies! Christmas is just a dress code is a student who does not draw breath away and yet seems so long attention to themselves because of their ago. We have had a busy half-term appearance. at All Saints which has culminated in three magnificent performances of the Wizard We are trying to make improved use of Student of Oz. The next edition of the Advocate will report Planners within the Academy and if we have to fully on the success of the show and as I write I can send a message home for whatever reason we are only report in admiration on all the hard work encouraging staff to write in planners. Staff will which students and staff have put in so that the also write details of detentions in planners. If your performances were the best they can be. Many child currently does not have a planner they can thanks to all who have contributed to the after purchase a new one from Student Reception or via school sessions and indeed the two Saturdays VIVOs. If we as a whole Academy community can spent in rehearsals. be consistent on this, then the atmosphere will be better for all of us. Behaviour and Uniform/Dress Code In January we re-launched the Climate for Learning We have also tightened up on behaviour this half- and we now have an on-line Behaviour Log which term and whilst we do not enjoy imposing is already producing positive results. However, we sanctions on children, we feel that sometimes we need even more support from you, the parents/ have to apply a sanction in order to achieve the carers of our students. First of all, we ask that you necessary positive behaviour. As has been the case ensure your child fully co-operates with the since we opened, the vast majority of our students Academy’s dress code; for students in Sixth Form behave impeccably in and around the Academy and this means smart business dress. For students in we would, therefore, want the support of all our Years 7 to 11 expectations regarding Academy parents/carers in helping us to encourage students’ uniform are clear; the full Uniform Policy can be behaviour, including their thirst for learning, to be found on the Academy website and details are also outstanding. As you know, we have made huge in your child’s Student Planner. In particular, improvements to our ethos, aspiration and leggings, stretchy skin tight trousers, stretchy skin students’ attitudes in the last few years and by tight skirts, bright coloured socks and trainers are working closely together we can make student not acceptable. Our definition of a trainer is any behaviour as good as anywhere else in the country. shoe which has a soft sole – although it might look Your support in these matters is welcome and like a shoe a soft sole would imply that such a shoe valued. could be used in the gym indoors. There have also (See pages 9 and 10 for more information). www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org FROM THE PRINCIPAL Continued Year 11 and PiXL Many of our recent efforts have been put into additional after school classes for Year 11 students, known perhaps to relevant students as Period 11. As we move ever closer to the onset of Summer 2015 examinations the programme of Period 11 and support for individual students will intensify. Since September as an Academy we have been involved in a PiXL Club (Partners in Excellence), an organisation which has 2000 secondary schools within its membership. The aim of the Club is to raise students’ attainment and, therefore, it is appropriate that we are part of such an initiative. No fewer than 15 of our teachers have attended PiXL Conferences and each one has returned with vigour and energy to try out new things in their teaching. Let’s hope this translates directly into GCSE and A Level results in 2015. Finally, thank you for your continued support. We know we still have work to do but the atmosphere at All Saints is really buzzing, the students love their Academy, they are amazed at the facilities, and they tell us that they feel safe and that they are happy. Long may this continue. Tom Waterworth Principal THE LUNCHBOX A competition has been launched for students to name and design a new outdoor ‘lunchbox’ kiosk which will serve food/snacks during breaks and lunch-times. There is a £100 prize for each of the two winning students, or £200 for one student if they manage to win both categories! The kiosk will be situated in a new canopied outdoor eating area. Work on preparing the ground will begin during the Easter holiday and the kiosk will be ready for use during the Summer term and the (hopefully) sunny weather. Paula Burgess Assistant Principal – Finance & Operations www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 2 YEAR 11 PROM The Prom Committee has been working hard organising fund- raising events for the Prom. We hosted our first cake sale in January and such a sale will take place every other Friday at break- time. All proceeds go to the Year 11 Prom and in return students and staff can buy yummy treats from our Catering students. Upcoming events include a music concert hosted by BTEC Music students. We look forward to seeing more of you at our future cake sales! The Prom Committee MAIN GATES INSIDE THIS ISSUE The electronic gates are now fully operational. From the Principal continued Page 2 We are very pleased with how this has improved The Lunchbox Page 2 the security of the building and in turn ensured the safety of our students throughout the day. All Year 11 Prom Committee Page 3 visitors to the Academy now need to speak to Main Reception via the intercom in order to gain Main Gates Page 3 access to the site. As previously, the gates will Operation Santa Page 4 remain closed to vehicles from 8.15am to 8.30am each morning and between 3.15pm to 3.30pm Sixth Form London Visit Page 5 (Mon – Thurs) and 12.55pm – 1.10pm (Fri); this is to ensure that students can access and leave the Ultimate Dodgeball Challange Page 6 site safely. Catering Visit Page 7 Student Success Page 8 It is important to note that Main Reception and switchboard close at 4.00pm Monday to Thursday Congratulations Page 8 and at 1.00pm on Fridays. Therefore, there is no Climate for Learning Pages 9 & 10 access to vehicles after these times but anyone wishing to visit the Academy may park off-site and Heart Defibrillator Page 11 access the Academy via the pedestrian gate. Vivo Miles Page 12 Attendance Page 13 Information Pages Page 14 Diary Pages Page 15 3 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org OPERATION SANTA All Saints Academy held a non-uniform day on the last day of term before Christmas and donated £500 to “Operation Santa”. The initiative has raised approximately £4000 to ensure a special Christmas was had by all at Keech Hospice. Funds were used to provide gifts for adult patients, and to build Santa’s Grotto for a children’s Christmas party, where each child and their siblings received a present. Parties were also held for the many volunteers who give their time freely to Keech Hospice. Donations also enabled Santa to deliver presents personally to patients being cared for in the community. Keech Hospice Care receives approximately 30% of its running costs from the NHS, and the support offered was therefore very gratefully received. Claire Mcinally, Fundraising Volunteer Coordinator at Keech, thanked staff and students at All Saints Academy for ‘making the difference’. Sharon Reid PA to Principal www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org 4 SIXTH FORM LONDON VISIT All Saints Academy Sixth Form students set off on a wonderful Christmas treat on Wednesday 17 December 2014. The visit was to reward them for their efforts and achievement in their studies at the Academy and was entirely funded by the Academy. The first part of the day included a visit to the Winter Wonderland, where the students wandered around the various stalls and attractions. Following this, they set off to see a production of ’Wicked’ at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, the incredible prequel to ‘The Wizard Of Oz’. Finally, to round off the day, they returned via Regent Street to see the beautiful Christmas lights and officially begin the Christmas countdown. Julie Baldwin Acting Assistant Principal and Achievement Leader for Sixth Form On the London visit there were many things I enjoyed, like in Winter Wonderland I enjoyed the range of food and gifts. My favourite was the German BBQ stand. In my opinion the highlight of the visit was the performance of Wicked. I have even kept the ticket because I enjoyed it so much. I hope there is another visit as great as this one for next year. Connor Clark Year 12 student 5 www.allsaintsacademydunstable.org ULTIMATE DODGEBALL COMPETITION The British Heart Foundation is the UK’s number one heart charity and works to provide support and research into cardiovascular diseases. For this reason, on Tuesday 16 December 2014 All Saints Academy was proud to host a dodgeball fundraiser for this important charity.