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As we reach the half way point of the academic year I have been reflecting on the excellent progress that the students have made so far. This progress would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the fantastic staff at the College. Every day they are planning and preparing high quality lessons, with many opportunities for feedback. I continue to be impressed with the work that is taking place during every lesson of every day. It is this daily grind of ‘getting it right’ that will ensure positive outcomes for the students. The next parent forum on 21st March will be focusing on feedback and the whole college priority of learning and teaching.

I have found myself this term at times in a challenging situation, leading a school where there are distractions away from the job I need to do. Whether these have come from the press, the

expectation of ‘service’ that we provide or the ongoing government funding issues. However this only makes me more determined to succeed! I am passionate about the education of the young people in Sidmouth and will do everything I can to put their achievement at the forefront of every decision that I make. I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and the community for the support that I, and the rest of the staff, have received this half term.

Every year group at the College has important milestones. I had the pleasure of meeting with Year 7 students this week to share with them how impressed I have been with the way they have not only settled but are excelling in their learning. The Year 9 guided choices evening provided the chance to have conversations about GCSEs and the Year 10 parents evening gave the time for reflective conversations about progress. It is at this time of year that our thoughts turn to those year groups with exams in the summer; I would like to congratulate students in Years 11 and 13 for the mature and positive way they are approaching their studies. As a school we are supporting them and providing structure and resources. We are encouraging students to engage with the 13-1 countdown in order to ensure that they are prepared by the time the exams start.

I had the privilege on Saturday of taking my children to watch The Wiz. It was my first experience of a production by the Youth Theatre and I was overwhelmed by the quality of the show. To see the students perform at such a high level was incredible. The experience that students get from being involved in a production of this level is something really special to Sidmouth. A performance of that calibre is only possible because of the fantastic team of people behind the scenes, and the vision of Miss Davies. She has to be congratulated for orchestrating such a wonderful show that was enjoyed by so many members of the wider community.

This half term has once again been incredibly busy outside of the classroom. The amount of enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities on offer to our students is fantastic. This newsletter provides a selection of these and celebrates the success that students have at the College. As you are reading this we have 32 students from Years 10-13 overseas on the Holland & Belgium trip. We will continue to look for opportunities to enrich and support the learning in the classroom to enable our students to have their horizons stretched.

Finally I would like to congratulate Mr Dudley on his new appointment as Deputy Head at Courtfields School in Wellington. Mr Dudley will be leaving us at Easter, he will be greatly missed by staff and students and I am sure you join me in wishing him luck in his new role.

Have a wonderful half term holiday. I look forward to seeing you back on Monday 25th February.

INSIDE

The Wiz Pages 2/3

Sporting Success Pages 4/5

Eden Project Page 6

Coach Bright Page 7

Berlin Page 8

Chess Club Page 9

Spring Term: Edition 3, 15th February 2019

Sidmouth College Newsletter

2 The Wiz

The Wiz Shines Bright in all its Emerald Glory

2019 has brought us another outstanding

show by the Sidmouth Youth Theatre and

their Director, our Head of Drama, Angela

Davies. This year, a well known fantasy was

retold in a kaleidoscope of colours, ‘The Wiz’

is an absolute hit, just as it was when it was

last performed by the Youth Theatre 12

years ago in 2007!’

‘The Wiz’ is faithful to the original, taking

Dorothy from Kansas via a tornado to Oz

and back to Kansas again. In Oz she meets

the familiar characters we all know and love,

Scarecrow, Lion and Tinman. Filled to the

brim with wildly infectious songs, audiences

over 6 performances were in for a treat.

Devised in the 1970’s at the height of the Motown era, the show was bursting with energy and fun. The music

reflected the distinctive style of the 70’s, Funk, Soul, Gospel and Blues which students performed brilliantly.

As the curtains opened, a story of daydreaming begins, audiences lit up as we see Ollie or Buster playing Toto

shoot across the stage and young Dorothy not far behind. Dorothy whose head-in-the-clouds distraction runs

afoul of her Aunt Em’s more straight-laced expectations. When a cyclone, fantastically displayed through UV

lights, rips through her Kansas town, she is swept away to the Land of Oz, where she learns if she wants to make

it back home, she had better get herself off to the Emerald City to see the all-powerful Wiz, who is said to be

capable of incredible feats. Along the way, she meets new friends, all of whom are seeking their own prizes from

the Wiz: brains, a heart, and courage.

Daisy Theophilus is a winning Dorothy, with her sweet kind nature, and a great singing voice too. Tom Varley

dazzles as the Scarecrow, sliding, shuffling, and shimmying across the stage. Cameron Retter’s Tin Man is

charming, and Jack Wilson, as Lion, has pitch-perfect comedic timing and a ringing voice. We also saw some old

and new faces with Lauren Brewster doubling up as Aunt Em and the evil witch Evillene, Kezia Egargo as Glinda,

Charlotte Hadfield as Addaperle and returning to the Youth Theatre Jake Burlow as The Wiz and Uncle Henry

and Elliot Wright as the Emerald City Gatekeeper.

The scenery and sets were magnificent. Archived from the first production in 2007, the fantastic and detailed

artwork by Elizabeth Molony transformed the stage into a variety of magical lands, with each new scene seeing

the back of the stage light up in beautiful projections. (Continued on Page 3)

The Wiz 3

Throughout the show we saw a host of amazing

costumes, created by the cast and Miss Davies,

which are a glorious rainbow of creativity.

On the journey to see the Wiz, we saw the stars of the

ensemble take to the stage. The Yellow Brick Road

and Tornado dancers, Oliwia Orlowska, Tia Lee,

Esme Bagwell, Mya Throne, Erin Kirley, Leoni

Morgan, Georgie McNally, Flora Hadfield, Tara

Darlami, Fern Denner, Imogen Bagwell, Teigan Moss,

Jess Perry, Hollie Howe, Stephanie Trevena and

Emily Pulman, all dazzled with the brilliant

choreography from Oliwia Orlowska and Sammy

Morris. As well as the dancers, we were treated to a

stage full of Munchkins, Crows, Mice, Kalidahs,

Monkeys, Poppies and Winkies, all in perfectly

constructed costumes that ignited the stage.

There were over 20 musical numbers, including the

well know favourite ‘Ease On Down The Road’, which

many may remember from the film version starring

Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

The production took all the excitement of Oz and

tossed it onto the stage in an explosion of

empowerment and energy. In all, The Wiz is a

fantasy of hope and a reminder of what happens when we help others find who they are and what we gain when

we believe in our own best abilities. A message important to the Youth Theatre and one we would like to instil in

all our students. Congratulations to Director Miss Angela Davies, all of the staff who supported the production

and, of course, to our brilliant cast of students! Well done on another brilliant show! After each performance, a

bucket collection was held for Macmillan Cancer Support which raised an incredible £865.79!

‘The Wiz’ Continued

U14 Rugby Success

The U14’s participated in an Exeter & East Devon rugby festival

consisting of 9 schools this term.

The boys started strongly, winning all their pool matches to progress to

the semi finals. After a narrow extra time victory, they reached the final

where they just fell short; losing by 1 try.

The boys played some outstanding, skilful rugby in tricky conditions.

They were particularly resilient in defence, only conceding 3 tries in all

their matches. They just about managed to stay warm for the day! A

brilliant effort and a credit to the school.

Sporting Success 4

Toby is Devon Champion

On Saturday our very own Head Boy, year 13 student Toby

Garrick, won U19 Devon Schools Cross Country which took place

at Stover In Newton Abbot. At the event every school in Devon was

represented including State, Sixth Form and Private schools. After

3 stages of the competition Toby was up against the best 12 and

ran fantastically to victory. He completed the tough 6.4km run in 21

minutes and 44 seconds, winning by a 32 second lead.

Toby has competed in this event every year since joining the

College in year 7 and in his last opportunity has finally taken first

place, well deserved for his commitment and perseverance!

Well done to Toby, the College is so proud of you!

East Devon Athletics

Well done to the Sidmouth

College indoor athletics team

who this term placed 5th,

with only a few points

between them and 4th place.

Students took part in a range

of jumping, throwing and

running events at The Kings

School.

East Devon Cricket Champions

This term the Under 15 cricket team have been working

hard at their cricketing skills ready for the East Devon

finals which took place in January. The girls played

against a host of schools form East Devon, making it

through and being titled the overall winner!

PE staff said they played very well and were a credit to

the College: Well done to all the girls.

Sporting Success 5

Past Pupils Excelling in Sport

At the start of this term we were delighted to welcome back

Jasmine Scott (year 11 2018) and Aimee Keast (year 11 2017)

to help with year 8 girls hockey. Jasmine has recently been

selected into the British College’s U17 women’s squad, one of

only 20 students in the country. An incredible achievement.

Aimee is still balancing her love of netball and hockey, regularly

playing to a very high standard in both! It was wonderful for our

current pupils to see what can be achieved through making the

most of the opportunities available at Sidmouth College in order

to build a solid foundation on which to excel when they leave

us.

Thank you to both Jasmine and Aimee for giving up their time

to come and offer their expertise to our aspiring students.

Girls U15 Rugby

Our U15’s girls rugby team enjoyed their

first rugby game of the new year at the end

of January.

They played a friendly fixture at home which

proved ideal preparation for the upcoming

Exeter and East Devon School tournament

which is coming up next half term.

The girls played some outstanding rugby,

particularly with ball in hand and managed

to secure a comfortable win. Great effort

from the girls, we look forward to hearing

how they get on when the tournament

begins.

Primary Sports

This term we were delighted to host a number of primary school

events for students from Sidmouth, Branscombe, Sidbury and

Newton Poppleford primary schools, During their visits our

students and sports ambassadors worked with groups to

complete a round robin of events and tasks, all aiming to improve

the students key PE skills.

On Wednesday 23rd January the college ran a leadership

workshop for some of

the Gifted and Talented

pupils in our feeder primary schools. The pupils thought about the

volunteers and role models who have helped them in sport and how

they can emulate them. Mrs Malton brought the pupils through a series

of activities to improve their confidence, organisation and

communication skills. The pupils were buzzing with ideas on how they

can lead playtime activities in each of their schools. We look forward to

hearing how they get on.

New member of Student Support

This term Polly the Collie-Doodle has joined the Student Support team. Polly is a therapy dog that along with her owner Pat visits the college once a week to spend time with students in Student Support. Polly’s job as a therapy dog is not only to make people smile, but also to encourage a relaxed environment for students to read and work in.

The college’s Inclusion Manager, Carole Clark, said “studies have suggested that spending time with an animal such as a therapy dog can improve the overall psychological state of participants. The benefits for the students have been huge, Polly’s visits have provided a calming and rewarding experience and the students have loved spending time with her in Student Support.”

We’d like to thank Pat and Polly for their time and for working with the students and which is already having such a positive impact.

Eden Project 6

Eden Project

On Thursday 10th January the entire Year 9 cohort visited

the Eden Project in Cornwall on a geography field trip.

It was an early start at 8:30am when three coaches of 125

students and 10 staff set off on the 2 hour journey.

The group was split into two and each received a welcome

talk from staff at the Eden Project and found out all about the

History of Eden since March 2001 when it first opened. The

groups each took part in two activities. The first group were

able to explore the Mediterranean Biome and the entire site

of Eden, including the outdoor gardens. They had a booklet

and quiz to complete with various plants to find and questions

to answer. The second group stayed with the Eden staff and

completed a workshop centred around Climate Change and

how it impacts the environment. They looked at the

importance of plants in the Rainforest and how we rely on

them in everyday life. After that they visited the Rainforest

Biome, searching for plants that are used to make products

such as the fruits we eat and the cosmetics we use. The

temperature and humidity levels were high and many

students were pleased to get back out in the cold after vising

a climate similar to that of South America. Many students

even took the brave steps up to the suspended platform,

which is 165 feet high, to look down on the tropical canopy. In

the afternoon the two groups swapped over and took part in

the other activity.

Students had a fantastic day, for many it was their first visit to

the Eden Project. Year 9 will use all the information they

recorded and ideas from their visit in upcoming Geography

lessons to make connections between Climate Change and

its effect on places and plants. The trip was a huge success

and Year 7 will be visiting next term do work on their own

Geography project.

To see more pictures visit the Sidmouth College Facebook

page at: https://www.facebook.com/sidmouthcollege/

Coach Bright Exeter University Trip 7

Visit to Exeter University (Report by Student Piper, Year 8)

The Coach Bright trip to Exeter

University was an experience that I

will never forget. We arrived and got

off the coach by the Northcott Theatre

where we were greeted by April, who

would be taking us around the

University.

We walked around to a big building

and into to a room which had so many

TVs it wasn’t even funny, then me and

my coach sat down and took part in a

pop quiz to get us all relaxed and

having fun. After that, we split into 2

groups. First my group went around

on a tour of just a small fraction of

their huge campus, we saw everything

from food stands to study areas to

even a small little shop where you can have a haircut, it was strange but very cool at the same time. Then we saw

one of the most old but still very beautiful places I’ve ever seen, the chapel. As we walked in April told us that

some of the building is up to 300 years old which was insane, but the ceiling was so gorgeous and the pattern

was amazing and peaceful.

After the tour had finished we went back and we did a treasure hunt. We had to go around this big building finding

facts and talking to students, it was so much fun and the students that I talked to where so nice and helpful to us,

it was amazing. Then after lunch we met some students who told us some more about college life which was

interesting.

Finally, for the best bit of all, the ceremony where we all got our certificates and took lots of pictures with the

people who helped make this all possible. We then all got on the coach and came back to school. It was an

amazing opportunity to meet some incredible people and I will remember it forever.

Sidmouth Arts Society Make Generous Donation

The College is hugely grateful to the Arts Society of Sidmouth who have kindly donated £1,150 to purchase a

brand new pottery wheel for the school.

Head of Art, Mrs Carr and a selection of

her GCSE Art students received the

cheque this term and are eagerly awaiting

the arrival of the wheel!

The department are planning to integrate

pottery throwing into lessons and the

curriculum, as well as a resource students

can use in Art clubs and in A-Level

lessons.

We would like to thank the Arts Society for

their kind donation, the money and

resources will be a fantastic asset to the

college and will enrich the students’

lessons and learning.

Berlin 8

Berlin Trip (Report by Mrs Roberts)

Berlin was a fantastic experience as it’s a

city steeped in modern history and one

which has rapidly been modernised to

become a choice city destination. Berlin

offers so much more than our

preconceptions, well known for its Art and

Architecture we experienced a proud city,

which provided a taste of this through for its

art galleries/exhibitions. Through Street Art

both on the street and in the galleries, if you

ever get to go ‘Urban Nation’ was a

highlight. Another highlight was a visit to the

Bundestag (Reichstag dome), who’s post

war renovation was designed by British

architect Norman Foster. A trip off the

beaten track gave us education on street

art, via a tour and Graffiti skills workshop.

We could feel the oppression during war

times depicted by the artist Kathe Kollewitz.

Areas we visited showed us the differences

between East and West Berlin, which at

times remain stark, and we could easily

identify the more recent gentrification of the area of Mitte in East Berlin, where

we stayed. The students were such great company and it was really rewarding

as teachers to provide this experience for them.

Students gave the following statements about the trip and their experiences:

Sam Pyne said “Berlin was a truly remarkable trip which I found both

educational and inspiring. I gained a greater understanding of a new culture

thus helping me to develop as an individual and open my eyes to new concepts. Before the

Berlin trip I saw graffiti as vandalism and a crime but now I see that it can be so much

more. Graffiti can be used as propaganda to spread political messages and fight against

oppression. My favourite part of the trip had to be the graffiti tour as it made me realise how

narrow minded I was and that art is so much more than what you see with your eyes.”

Cameron Retter said “I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The trip was very much an experience

that I would want to experience again. There was lots to see and do with a wide variety of

art and culture to view and definitely made me appreciate art and photography more.”

Henry Morgan said “On the Berlin trip we explored the art and photography side of Berlin

and looked around different exhibits and outside freelance paintings to widen our mind and how to add things to

our work at home. On the trip I most enjoyed the outside parts as I prefer a landscape photoshoots and the colour

of the buildings at night show up very well and are good for long exposures. This trip was very good at showing

us what we can add to our work to make it look better and have a different perspective.“

And finally Bertie Bentley said “Berlin was a truly remarkable trip which I found both educational and inspiring. I

gained a greater understanding of a new culture thus helping me to develop as an individual and open my eyes to

new concepts. Before the Berlin trip I saw graffiti as vandalism and a crime but now I see that it can be so much

more. Graffiti can be used as propaganda to spread political messages and fight against oppression. My favourite

part of the trip had to be the graffiti tour as it made me realise how narrow minded I was and that art is so much

more than what you see with your eyes. We visited a number of galleries and saw a great variety of art work

which I wouldn’t get the opportunity to see. Great value for money! ”

Chess Club Champion 9

High Achievers Conference

On Monday 4th February, twelve of the highest achieving year 10 students attended a More Able Students

Conference at Wellington School organised by Academy Conferences. Individuals were selected on the basis of

their ‘polymathic’ skills: the ability to perform at a high level across a range of subject disciplines. They joined

groups of year 10-13 students from a range of schools across Devon.

Over the course of the day, the students attended a series of sessions led by professors and doctors from a

selection of prestigious universities. The day began with an in depth examination of different viewpoints regarding

claims about the afterlife, which was very thought provoking. This was followed by a Lecture by Professor Tom

Greggs of the University of Aberdeen concerning whether history is a collection of viewpoints and whether what

we determine to be truth is in fact just memoirs of the elite in society so, therefore, a distorted view of the past.

The students were then invited to participate in the big debate: Should the Monarchy be Abolished? Following

contributions from two of the lecturers, each school provided their input and a Twitter poll ensued to determine

the verdict with the majority voting to retain the current system.

After lunch, and the opportunity to use the Snapchat mortar board images, the students listened to a talk by Dr

Christopher O’Neill about the Psychology of Outstanding Achievement. This outlined factors such as stickability

and practice (10,000 hours in fact) being the key to mastery of a subject or skill thus giving students some

strategies for success to take away with them. The final session was a very humorous musical sensation from Dr

Mark Lewney, Guitar Physicist. He explained the concepts of sound being vibrations in the air through the use of

a rock guitar and a slinky. His lecture also included a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody with his own take on the

words to explain scientific concepts. Audience

participation was a pre-requisite!

Mrs Dudman, who has recently taken on

responsibility for high achievers within the college,

said of the event:

“This was a very inspiring day, which gave students

a great deal to think about moving forwards. They

will hopefully have come away from it questioning

what they think they know and with a better

understanding of how they learn and how they can

help themselves to continue to make progress. It

was also a great taster of what university study is

like and will have provided them with insight and

enthusiasm for their future studies.”

Chess Champion

This year Mr Osbond has been running a

weekly Chess Club in the Library,

challenging any student who thinks they

are good enough to beat him and win 4

praise points! Well, its taken a term, but

during the first meeting back after

Christmas Year 7 student Karl managed

to beat Mr Osbond in only 4 moves! Mr

Osbond was very impressed and said

Karl played exceptionally well. If any

other students fancy taking Mr Osbond

on, then all are welcome to join Chess

Club in the library on Monday

Lunchtimes.

What does it take to be an Astronaut? 10

Tomorrow’s Engineers Competition

Students Louis, Charlie & James from year 8 and Kirsty from year 13

have been working hard in the Robotics Stem club since the Autumn

term in preparation for the Tomorrows Engineers competition. The

students have had a steep learning curve and have learnt how to

programme and manipulate Lego Mindstorm robots.

At the competition the students had to take part in a range of tasks

including a speed

challenge, challenge mat

activity, Robot deign

presentation, Humanitarian

Aid presentation and an unseen teamwork challenge.

The students worked hard and gained a lot of knowledge and

information through the process and gained a commendation for their

Humanitarian Aid presentation.

Thank you to Arconic, Tomorrow’s Enginers and CSW for organising a

fantastic project

What does it take to be an Astronaut? (report by Year 8 Katie)

On Wednesday 13th February, all year sevens and eights

had the opportunity to attend a talk by Dr. Suzie Imber

about her recent work and how we could enter the

profession that she is in. Dr. Suzie Imber is a planetary

scientist in the University of Leister, which is where she

completed her PhD. However, when she was young, all she

wanted to do was discover a new land, inspired by stories of

20th-century exploration in the Antarctic. Excitingly, her

dreams did come true to a certain extent: Suzie used a

supercomputer, which she had access to at Leister

University, to analyse the Andean mountain range and,

using a mathematical code, she discovered new mountains,

some of which she has climbed.

She was recently a contestant in the BBC Science television programme called Astronauts- Do You Have What It

Takes? After a series of mentally and physically demanding challenges Dr. Suzie Imber won the competition,

winning a letter of recommendation from Chris Hadfield if she ever applied to be an astronaut.

After getting her PhD, Dr. Imber went to work for NASA in the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland as a

research scientist, working with data sent back from the Messenger Mission, which was sent to Mercury. On top

of all of this, Dr. Suzie Imber talked to us about her great sporting interests: Lacrosse, which she has been

playing since early secondary school, mountain climbing and rowing. She said that she loves sport and that it is

important to have hobbies, claiming that having interesting hobbies, skills and achievements sets you apart from

other people.

Suzie Imber also mentioned space tourism and the laws and ethics surrounding it, which got many people

pondering questions like ‘should everyone be allowed to go to space?’ and many others on this controversial

subject. In my opinion, one of the most valuable pieces of advice that Suzie gave us was that we should always

be learning new skills either for fun, out of curiosity or for keeping your brain active. Whether that skill would be

learning a new language or a new sport or an instrument it would still be beneficial. She reminded us that no one

is good at something first-try and that we should, therefore, always keep trying. In conclusion, Dr. Suzie Imber’s

visit was both inspirational and thought provoking. She proved to us that we can do anything that we put our

minds to.

Daffodil Competition

After the success of last years daffodil competition,

the college has decided to open entries up to students

again. All year groups are welcome to enter.

The Sidmouth Daffodil Society organise the

competition to mark Sidmouth Daffodil day which is on

Saturday 16th March this year.

If students would like to enter a piece or art or photo

they need to hand these into Mrs Carr by Monday

11th March. They must include on the back their

name, age and school. All entries will be displayed at

Kennaway House in an exhibition on Saturday 16th

March and winners will be announced.

Good luck, make sure to get out and about in

Sidmouth over half term taking photos and getting

some inspiration.

SCA Quiz 11

www.sidmouthcollege.devon.sch.uk www.facebook.com/sidmouthcollege

www.twitter.com/sidmouthcollege

Sidmouth College Association

The SCA are holding a Curry and Quiz night on Friday

29th March. All are welcome to join and make up

teams of up to 6.

A host of quiz rounds, games and a licenced bar will be

available on the night, as well as a delicious selection

of curries and sides.

To buy your tickets

either visit the college

reception or visit

Eventbright.com by

scanning this QR code.

Thank you to all those

who show their

ongoing support.