he eflectionT Rhe eflectionT Rachieving more together

www.liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk@Liskeard_School

May 2019May 2019May 2019May 2019May 2019May 2019May 2019

The magazine of Liskeard School & Community College

November/December 2019

Top Merit Earners this Half TermDear Parents, Carers and Friends of Liskeard School, Like every school, we have our own development plan which prioritisies specific areas we are trying to improve. Over the last two years we have been working on developing a number of things - I’ve listed two of them below as they feature in this month’s edition of Reflection:

1. Further improving our careers information, advice and guidance

You’ll see articles about three recent careers events that took place for Y9, 10 and 11 students. We also have events planned for Y7 and for Y8 next term. Watch this space to find out more!

2. Improving students’ oracy – their ability to use speech to communicate and express their thoughts.

We’ve included an article about how we’re trying to increase students’ vocabulary through our Words of the Week strategy. You’ll see the words we have focussed on so far listed later – ask your son/daughter how many they know!

As always, it gives me great pleasure to celebrate the amazing things that staff and students achieve throughout the year. Students have achieved more merits this term than I can ever remember. For the first time ever, I think we have students achieving their platinum awards before Christmas! There is also a special mention this month of some very talented students who are performing in their chosen sports at the very highest level. I’m sure there are others out there we’ve not included. Please let us know, if this is the case.

Thank you to you all for your continued support. I wish you a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to celebrating a fabulous 2020. Yours,

Alex Lingard Head Teacher

Head’s Letter

Year 9Charlotte Taylour 46Oliver Perrin 36Olli Bell 29Nadia Szeffel 29Melissa Zalick 29Thomas Wilson 28Tyler Upton 27Ryan Sharp 26Jake Truscott 26Keira De Villiers, Abigail Jones

=25Ruben Jaycock-McAdam

Year 10Josie Burnett 39Josh Gurdin 37Macey Cunningham 29Abi Hinchliff 28Poppy Prizeman 28Austin Tolfrey 26Jacob Blick 25Jago Sheaff 25Thomas Sichel, Sophie Bettinson

=24Erin Bull, Josh Dean, Joel Jackson

Harry Glanville 27Chloe Hawke 25Caspian Quinn-Erith 25Chloe Marshall 24Reef Parkinson 24

Aaron Upton 24Eli Horsfield 23Red Kennedy 23Harry Nicholls 23Jake Stallard-Causer 23Morgan Stapleford-Jonas 23

Year 11

Year 7Tyler Foster 43Evie Mordew 40Sammy Pennington-Ridge 40Billy Cullingford 38Luke Maton 36Curtis Pringle 35Sam Whell 35Tean Churchward 34Kaden Radcliffe 34George Ellis, Jenna-Rose Facey =33

Year 8Freddie Seeva 78Archie Lambert-Glover 65Jacob Meller 61Ewan A’Lee 48Charlie Barker-Mills 46Mason Pannell 46Aimee Roobottom 46Sam Cotterill 45Naomi Pollard 45

Daniel Hiscock, Poppy Honeywell=41

Imogen Rowe

3| a place where... |4

It may seem obvious, but without a good understanding of a range of words you cannot understand others or express your own ideas fully. Developing a child’s vocabulary is therefore really important as it is closely connected to both effective reading and writing skills, and these skills in turn are necessary for doing well in school and later in life. A good understanding of vocabulary gives you the ability to say what you mean, helps you make a good impression on others and boosts your power of persuasion. It also helps you understand what other people are saying, what you are reading as well as increasing your ability to grasp ideas and think more logically.

Vocabulary can be divided into 3 tiers:• Tier 1 – high frequency in spoken language (for example; table, slowly, write, horrible)• Tier 2 – high frequency in written texts (for example; gregarious, beneficial, required, maintain)• Tier 3 – subject specific, academic language (for example; osmosis, trigonometry,

onomatopoeia)

Tier 1 – most children arrive at secondary school knowing the basics and if not they will quickly pick them up in conversation with their peers.Tier 2 - vocabulary presents a problem however due to the fact that teachers and parents will often read these words and be so familiar with them that they won’t always notice if children don’t know them. These are usually words that pupils will already have a conceptual understanding of, even though they’re unfamiliar with the vocabulary. For example, if we were to explain that ‘benevolent’ means ‘kind’, few children will struggle to understand kindness as a concept even though they may not initially be familiar with the word itself. Tier 3 - words are subject-specific key words taught in lessons.

Learning new vocabulary Research studies have shown that in most cases you have to see, read and interact with words 5-7 times before they are admitted to long-term memory. Words are more easily learned if you are active. For example, if you are able to (1) draw a picture of the word, (2) write your own definition of the word or (3) think of an example sentence to use the word in.

It is also useful to use the ‘vocabulary triangle’ when learning new words.

Recognition – how is the word spelt? The ability to use phonics (breaking down words into letter sounds) to decode new vocabulary and then to be able to reproduce the spelling makes a big difference.Pronunciation – how is the word said? Making children say the word aloud and use it in a sentence increases the likelihood they’ll remember it.Definition – what does the word mean? It might sound obvious, but if you know the meaning of a word, you’re much more likely to remember it.

In the Spotlight... Improving vocabulary: Words of the Week

As well as our ongoing drive to develop literacy and reading skills across the school, we are focusing specifically on the teaching of Tier 2 and Tier 3 words.

Tier 2 words: Each week we will be sharing 3 new ‘Words of the Week’ during assemblies, through tutor time and in lessons. The Words of the Week will focus on Tier 2 words and students are provided an overview of the meaning of the word and examples of how to use it in a sentence. Students are then encouraged to use these words in conversations across the school. If a student correctly uses one of the Words of the Week they will receive an oracy merit. One member of staff is the ‘Word Hoarder’ and if a student uses the Words of the Week correctly in their presence they will receive 3 oracy merits.

The Words of the Week so far this year have been:week 1: analyse, constitute, contextweek 2: established, derive, interpretation week 3: formulated, significant, perspectiveweek 4: authority, assessed, identifiedweek 5: conclude, regulate, maximizeweek 6: revenue, liberal, transitionweek 7: substitution, acknowledge, incidenceweek 8: involve, misinterpret, respondweek 9: acknowledged, capable, diversityweek 10: distribute, estimate, exportweek 11: finance, economy, sectorweek 12: legislation, administration, domestic

Tier 3 words: Individual subjects across the school are focusing on the teaching of Tier 3, subject specific vocabulary. These words will be made explicit in lessons and opportunities to pronounce, recognise and define these words will be promoted. For Year 7 and 8 students, a further resource are the Knowledge Organisers which are emailed to parents every half term and are available on the school website for download within the ‘student tab’. Knowledge Organisers outline the basic content being taught and as well as providing the subject specific Tier 3 vocabulary and their definitions to help with learning at home and support success in school.

What is Liskeard School and Community College doing to develop vocabulary?

Read together: The key to a wide vocabulary is a love of reading. It’s important to make reading a routine with a regular slot every day. Don’t just read school books; recognise your child’s interests and find books that relate to them. This will also encourage them to read purely for enjoyment.Younger children love to hear stories so read aloud to them. You can build their vocabulary by choosing books that would be too difficult for them to read themselves. Don’t just stick to stories; reading non-fiction books, newspapers, magazines and comics will expose your child to a wider range of words. Talk about what you’re reading too as this will help your child’s comprehension.

Use new words in sentences: There is no point in your child learning new words if they don’t know how to use them. Ask them to share the new ‘Words of the Week’ with you and use them in a spoken or written sentence to help them understand the meaning and context. Get them to write a sentence that includes each word, encouraging them to look it up in a dictionary if they’re unsure of its meaning.

Play word games: From Scrabble to Scattergories as well as games online, there are a huge range of word games that will help your child learn new words. Making language learning a part of games is really useful as it makes it interactive and fun.

Writing for pleasure: Children are sometimes turned off writing by being made to write about things that don’t interest them at school. Try to counter this by encouraging your child to write for pleasure on any subject that enthuses them. It’s been proven that children who enjoy writing are up to seven times more likely to write at the expected level for their age.

Word Walls: This is a great way to help new words sink into your child’s brain. Write each new word they learn on a post it and stick them on the fridge, a wall in their bedroom or in a scrapbook.

Choose a new word of the day: Introducing a new word each day will boost your child’s vocabulary by 365 (or 366) words every year, and is an activity that the whole family can get involved with. You could use a website or app to suggest new words or simply pick them out of a dictionary. Make sure your child knows the meaning of the word as they will then be able to use it in their own speaking and writing. Remember to use the vocabulary triangle!

Don’t ‘dumb down’: Children always have a bigger receptive vocabulary than expressive vocabulary; they understand more words than they’re able to use. This means that you shouldn’t oversimplify the way in which you talk to your child.

Teach them how to use a thesaurus: Knowing how to use a thesaurus (a hard copy or online) will increase your child’s vocabulary and improve the quality of their written work. Show them how to use it and encourage them to have it on hand when they are writing. You could read through their writing with them and get them to highlight words that they’ve overused so they can look up alternatives.

Create a Word Bank: Word banks are collections of related words; for example, nature words or alternatives to the word ‘happy’. You’ll find lots of word banks online, or you and your child could make your own using a notebook with a page per word group, adding new words as you find them. Your child can have word banks on hand when they are writing to help them include new and more interesting words.

Praise and encourage: Positive reinforcement is known to help children learn, so create an environment where vocabulary is praised and celebrated. Make a big deal of new words your child uses in speaking and writing; the more enjoyable the experience of learning vocabulary, the more likely children will be motivated to learn and use new words.

If you require any further information regarding this article please contact Mr C Knipe chknipe@liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk

What can you do to help develop my child’s vocabulary?

Platinum Merit Award Winners(100 merits)

Freddie Seeva - 8S117 merits

Kerensa Shaw - 8L114 merits

Charlotte Taylour - 9A106 merits

Don’t Forget:Last day of Autumn Term

Wednesday 18th December (Early finish -12.30pm)

Start of Spring Term - Monday 6th January

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at LSCC

5| a place where... |6...there are no end of possibilities

Student of the Month Nominees Cont.

Josh Chester (Y11) for his unfailing determination to listen, use the advice he’s given and try his hardest to gain as much as he can from English lessons. He is a well-motivated and mature learner. Nominated by Dr Shilling.

Molly Burchell (Y11)for showing true dedication to her GCSE engineering, producing incredibly detailed work. (She spends most lunchtimes working on her project.) Nominated by Mrs Key, Mr Hurdwell & Mrs Yoxall

Hadleigh Shelton (Y11)for making excellent progress with his programming project ‘The Dice Game’. Nominated by Mr Morgan

Jamie Adams (Y11)for his kindness. Jamie donated his trumpet to the Music Department free of charge. In a climate of no money for schools, such an expensive gift from one of our own students is priceless! Conscientious and kind. Nominated by Mr Bond and Ms Warwick

Connie Frith (Y9)for being a positive role model and leader. In a sporting sense she has shown talent and commitment representing the school since Year 7 and achieving success at county and national level. Academically she shows just as much commitment to learning, being in the top group of students achieving the best scores for her effort. She is always positive and enthusiastic around school and volunteered to help at the Year 5/6 Open evening. Nominated by Mr Glasgow

Brooke Warren (Y7)for displaying the three core values of resilience, kindness and courage as well as always having a smile on her face! She helps out from a tutor perspective and is becoming a promising geographer. She has also fully taken opportunities given to her, such as helping out on open evening and attending both ‘Bring Your Grown Up To’ events. As a result, she has already completed her citizenship awards for this year. Nominated by Mr Aird

Student of the Month

WinnerRuth Dunn (Y10)For embodying all 3 of our core values of courage, resilience and kindness.Ruth has decided to start a club for year 10 students to deal with workload stress through creativity. Her goals for the club are to bring together students through creative writing and illustrating to help them through the stressful exam environment of key stage 4. She is hoping to keep the club’s activities book themed too to encourage people to read more. Ruth really is a very altruistic person and her drive for doing this is simply to help those who are struggling. Nominated by Mr Davis

Heather Hart (Y12)for giving up her time to run drama club and directing an original devised piece with them to show on 12th December. Nominated by Ms Stoneham and Ms Farrow

Kirsty Eyres (Y11)for her brilliant ‘can do’ attitude and her work ethic. She has made the transition to our school with such quiet, steady determination. She is impressive! Nominated by Ms Leon.

Chloe Marshall (Y11)for displaying a positive work ethic and for consistently going above and beyond. Chloe is determined to push herself to achieve and this is reflected both in lessons and in EARN. She is keen to do well and has the motivation and determination to work independently. Nominated by Ms Jeff

Student of the Month Nominees

Josh Woolfe (Y9)for his display of our school value of kindness by regularly walking a Year 7 neighbour to school in the mornings as this student has been particularly anxious about going to school. Josh calling for her and walking her in helps her to attend school and feel more settled.

7| a place where... |8...we are inspired

Student of the Month Nominees Cont.

Mason Retallick (Y7) for exceeding expectations of independence through huge resilience. Nominated by Ms Holroyd

Tia Hutchings (Y7)for her continued resilience and an excellent attitude towards school and her personal development. Nominated by Ms Kelly

Sam Pennington-Ridge (Y7)for being an all-round great student. Sam represented the school on Remembrance Day; he has a fantastic attitude to learning (an example is his castle and moat model for Miss Dove, which is amazing); he has volunteered to be one of the ones who visits the care home with a Christmas hamper; he is helpful and kind and is just generally a lovely lad with a positive attitude. Nominated by Mrs Ward

As a school we have had a great relationship with Liskeard Radio over recent years hosting them on site since 2017. In return, a number of our students have been trained up in using the specialist equipment.

Now the station has returned to the town centre, we are also hugely grateful for their incredibly kind donation of radio equipment of our very own to use at school!

Congratulations and well done to the following students who have been presenting on Liskeard Radio this season. Feedback has been really positive and we are very proud of them all. Huge thanks to Dean Moore, in particular, for coaching the students in the art of broadcasting.

Poppy Honeywell, Kerensa and Jessica Shaw, Sophie Shaftoe, Lily Barrett, Katie Lockley, Darren Steer, Olli Partridge and Charlotte Buckley.

Students presenting on Liskeard Radio

Important Information and Updates

AttendanceWe have been hit hard by the recent stomach and flu bugs, so our attendance this year is down a little on this time last year. Please do ensure students attend school when they can as missed lessons lead to gaps in knowledge and can be difficult to fill. If you have any concerns please contact the relevant Head of Year, Assistant Head of Year or one of our Attendance team, Mr Potts, Ms Cox or Ms Blasco.

Holidays during Term TimeIf you decide to take your child out of school, without approval/permission, you will be committing an offence under the Education Act 1996. We may refer the matter to Cornwall Council, who, as the issuing officer, may decide to take legal action against you. A penalty notice can be issued under Section 444A and 444B of the Education Act 1996. This carries a fine of £60 if paid within 21 days or £120 if paid after this but within 28 days. Fines are issued per parent/carer, per child. Failure to pay the penalty notice may result in Court action. Persistent absences not authorised by the school may result in a prosecution in the Magistrates Court, leading to fines up to £2,500 and/or custodial sentences.

EquipmentOn the whole, students have been excellent in coming to school well equipped, but as the end of term approaches, a few items having been missing. After Christmas we will be doing a whole school equipment check, so please use the holidays to replenish pencil cases.

Skirts and JeansA small number of students are continuing to wear the wrong skirts to school. After Christmas, any students wearing inappropriate skirts (tight, clingy fabric) or coming to school in jeans will complete their school day in Room A until the issue is resolved. Students – you have been warned!

DrugsLast week, the police drugs dog, a black Labrador by the name of Jet, and her handler (pictured), visited the school to do a sweep of the site. Jet checked over 250 students and you’ll be pleased to hear that no drugs were found around school or on any of the students. As you know, we are committed to keeping the school a drugs free zone and will be expecting further visits from Jet in due course.

The East Cornwall Rugby Festival was filled with enjoyment, discipline and respect, as hoped for. Every team committed themselves to achieving success in the form of both winning and fulfilling the key words of the day, as well as reflecting the ethos of Liskeard School and Community College.

Liskeard School and Community College played in the tournament having only had 1 official training session prior to the day. They tackled extremely well, delivered some entertaining tries and learned a great amount about organisation on the day. A dramatic celebration from the Year 7 boys followed their first win, as a team, demonstrating their passion, enjoyment and progression. Liskeard School and Community College won 2 and drew 1 of their games, however each pupil that competed has developed a newfound love in rugby and now attends Rugby Club every Tuesday, after school.

The day promoted, not only the sport, but also how they can achieve success through unity and drive the courage, kindness and resilience of the pupils around them. The members of staff on the day were highly satisfied with their own team’s performance and the running of the day itself – positively promoting Liskeard School and Community College as a whole.

East Cornwall Rugby Festival Y8 Students select books in preparation for book review

Four Year 8 students visited The Book Shop on Barras Street, Liskeard, to choose a brand new book, free of charge, donated to the students by The Book Shop. The only requirements set in order to obtain their book were that titles had to be a fiction paperback. The students have been invited to write a review and they are given until after Christmas to read their chosen book before having to write the review for the start of term in January.There was a vast array of wonderful books to choose from, making it a difficult decision for some, but eventually they all chose a book from the teenage section of the shop. We look forward to hearing more about the books that were chosen and reading the reviews next term. The school will be starting a book club in January. This will be running every second Thursday at lunchtime in E8, where students can read and discuss their favourite books. We welcome all students who wish to attend. If you have a passion for reading or have read a book that you wish to share, please come along.

|10...we feel happy and enjoy ourselves

Amazing Sporting Achievements Whilst our ethos is based on ‘achieving more together’ (Team Liskeard) it is important that we recognise and celebrate individual achievements. Below are five examples of amazing sporting success from students in our school who have been performing at a national or even an international level. What is important to recognise is that these things don’t just happen, but are a result of great courage, resilience and a huge amount of effort (not to mention lots of support from home!). They are great role models to us all. If you are a student reading this and you’re performing along similar lines, let us know so we can celebrate your success

Joshua Pierce3 times World champion winning three gold medals in the recent World Martial Arts Championship in Scotland.

Finn SmithRaces for Clay Pigeon Racing (Jenson Button’s former club)Won the British Kart Challenge Cup and has raced at the prestigious Le Mans circuit this year

Cara Collins - BadmintonNo.1 in Cornwall for the U18 and senior squadsRegularly representing England in European internationals at U17, U19 and at senior level. Recently appeared on TV playing in the Irish and Welsh Senior Internationals!

Katie Latham - recently represented England in the U18 World Championships.

Maddy Price - Cheerleading Maddy is a ‘flyer’ (gets thrown into the air) and youngest member of her cheerleading team who recently came first in a national competition.

Fin Wiltshire - 2nd in the World for his age group in Karate and recently achieved his black belt, 2nd Dan.

Year 9 students at Liskeard School took part in ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ on Wednesday 13th November. This is an annual event where students are able to accompany their parents or relatives to their place of work for the day and start developing their own understanding of the work place environment. It is an opportunity to speak to their parents, relatives and other employees about the work they do, find out what skills or qualifications they need and also to gain a better understanding of the connection between what they learn in the classroom and how this relates to the work place.

Take Your Child To Work Day 2019

On 13th November all Year 10 students spent the day off timetable taking part in careers related activities. The purpose of this event was to give Y10 students the opportunity to meet people who have a range of different jobs to widen their understanding about the world of work.

Research shows that students who have regular contact with employers and employees make more informed choices about their own future, and tend to have more confidence and in turn higher aspirations. Students attended six 30-minute long ‘interactive’ sessions led by experts in E-health, engineering, construction and digital media to name but a few. During the sessions students spent 10 minutes listening to what inspired the experts to pursue a career in their sector and the advantages and disadvantages of routes in, either going to university or taking the apprenticeship route. Students then spent 10 minutes undertaking a hands on activity, such as interacting with robots in the E-Health session to working out the cost of building a house with construction experts, with 10 minutes left at the end for questions. Student feedback was very positive, with many noting how the event has helped to broaden their understanding of the careers opportunities that exist within Cornwall. 80% reported it made them aware of industries they didn’t even know existed in Cornwall and a further 95% said it made them realise it is possible to have a well paid career without leaving Cornwall.

Year 10 Careers Day

Christmas Partywww.facebook.com/liskeardcommunityaction

FREE Lunch!

Visit From Father Christmas

Story Telling - Food

Entertainment - And More

December 21st

12noon - 3pm

Liskeard School and Community College

Old Hall

Free festive community get together

Year 11 Mock InterviewsAs part of the on-going Careers Programme at Liskeard School, Year 11 participated in mock interviews on Wednesday 4th December, which were organised by the Careers Department. 15 volunteers from The Cornwall Bakery, Cornwall College, Liskeard and Looe Rotary Club, the Army and a school Governor put students through their paces and gave them opportunity to find out what it is like to be interviewed in a real-life situation.

Mrs Carlin, Careers Co-ordinator said that this was an ideal opportunity to get that first interview out of the way, practice general question and answers, as well as get important feedback, so improvements can be made.

Our visitors commented on how well our students presented themselves and told us what a credit to the school they were.

Year 9 Students Visit ParliamentWrite up by Lily-Beth Southcott 9L

On Thursday 7 and Friday 8 November, 50 year 9 students went to London to explore British values of democracy, equality and teamwork.

Our first activity was visiting the London Central Mosque. During this activity, we observed prayer time and had a tour of the Mosque itself. It was really interesting to find out about a religion I didn’t know too much about and the main hall was really beautiful.

After that, we did some sightseeing and saw a number of London’s landmarks on the way to our next activity, which was the Houses of Parliament. We started off with a tour and because of the election, we actually got to go in the Houses of Lords and Commons. It was very interesting to see where the people who make our laws debate. We also had a workshop about law making, where we got to act out the process of law making and debate a new law we wanted to bring in!

We then had dinner at Gourmet Burger Kitchen and after dinner went to the theatre to see Mamma Mia. It was amazing and I enjoyed it so much!

The next day, we went to London Zoo and

had a workshop about climate change. We learnt about how animals all over the world are at threat from climate change, and even got to see an example of a preserved frog that has died of a disease more common because of climate change. We also got to look around the zoo and see all the animals they have there. Did you know they have the biggest penguin pool in the UK?

Before we went home, we went to the Shard and got to see all of London from the top; the view was amazing. I really enjoyed the trip and I would encourage other people to go next year as it was a great experience that I will never forget.

House Competition UpdateWe have lots of house competitions planned this year. Every month there will be a subject competition. In addition there will be inter-house sports competitions running during tutor time. Remember that House points are are also awarded for good attendamce, good behaviour and great attitudes in class.

MFL House Competition WinnersStudents were asked to create a poster using French, Spanish or another language (other than English) which they are familiar with. They responded to an image which represents current environmental issues. Their work covered a range of designs including single words, short sentences and paragraphs.

Overall Winner: Abbie Jones, 9E - PhoenixRunners Up:Marnie Williams, 7R - GriffinGeorge Wood, 7S - PhoenixFrancesca Harding, 7K - PhoenixAmy Crabb, 9R - Centaur

As an additional incentive we also have an amazing prize draw planned for Easter where students get a chance to win a SUP.

Every half-term students with 100% attendance or 0 behaviour points will receive a virtual raffle ticket. The more tickets received the better the chance of winning!

Extended deadline 17th January

Sixth form students from Liskeard School and Community College have taken part in a day’s training at the Eden Project with ARTiculate Roche Court. Liskeard was one of four sixth form centres attending the event, the groups worked together to create presentations of two artworks, The Seed and Infinity Blue.

Liskeard student Darren said “it was an amazing experience for me to meet new people and to boost my confidence with public speaking”.

Eden Project with ARTiculate

Book Club - Starting January

Every second Thursday at lunchtime in E8

All students welcome

If you have a passion for reading or have read a book that you wish to share, please come along.

11| a place where... |12...we learn together & hard work is rewarded

Heads of Year Messages

I hope this message finds you well. Year 7 continue to go from strength to strength and are adapting well to the demands of secondary school life. Towards the end of last half term we had a major milestone with regards to our Year 7 residential to Porthpean. The main aim being to provide pupils and tutor with the opportunity get to know each other whilst having fun. Activities such as the ‘Leap of Faith’ and ‘High Ropes’ raised moral, camaraderie and unity within each tutor group. I must also say the behaviour and positivity around camp was outstanding and the pupils were an absolute credit to you all. Going forward we continue to have the highest expectations of each and every pupil. Can I ask that you continue to reinforce these expectations at home with regards to homework and organisation. Please ensure these responsibilities are placed on your children. As a school are working very hard to boost their ability to be proactive and plan ahead.

I’ll finish by wishing you an early Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. Mr Mitchell

Year 7

Year 9It was good to see so many parents and pupils at Year 9 Parent’s Evening on Wednesday 4th. If you couldn’t attend but have any pastoral or subject concerns, or just want some feedback from teachers, please email me and

I can forward on to the necessary teachers if required: anglasgow@liskeard.

cornwall.sch.uk

Year 8Christmas is nearly upon us and so are the Year 8 Progress Checks. Parents and Guardians should be receiving these soon. I am really hoping that the Application and Organisation scores are high this year. We are expecting pupils to get 1’s and 2’s in their subjects as this reflects hard work and a conscientious approach to their studies. Once the Progress Checks are published we will be looking to see how we can support pupils and ensure they achieve their best. If you are concerned about any subjects then can we ask that you contact the subject teacher in the first instance.

It is interesting looking at the Class Charts software and I would like to thank you for your support in addressing concerns/merits as they arise. So far the year group have achieved over 8395 merits and 2095 behaviour points. A significant number of these behaviour points are for homework and equipment so these can easily be addressed. Please can you continue to encourage pupils to check ShowMyHomework and that they have all the right equipment. Many congratulations to Mason Pannell, Charlotte Taylour, Kerensa Shaw and Freddie Seeva for achieving over 100 merits this term.

Over half the pupils are currently on the list to go to the Ice Skating at Plymouth Pavilions. Hopefully we will all have a fabulous time and there will be no injuries!! The remainder of the term is fairly hectic as is normal, please encourage pupils to stay focused on their lessons as well as enjoying the end of term activities.

Both Mrs Harris and I are really pleased with the way the year group have settled this term. If you have any questions then please email us so we can address them as soon as possible. Here’s to a very happy Christmas!Ms Snowling

Year 11Year 11 have really been professional and mature in the way they have approached the mock examination which have just finished. They have turned up fully equipped, looking smart and ready to tackle the exam. The mock results will be given out to students at the beginning of the spring term. Please ensure you have made a diary note for Wednesday 15th January 2020 which is the year 11 Parents’ and Carers’ evening.

Tuesday 17th December 2019 is another important day. Most students will be here at Liskeard to experience a 6th form day of lessons, others will be travelling to other places that provide post 16 courses. Many of the year group have been to see me to discuss options and possible A level courses. It is pleasing to see how enthusiastic the year group are about post 16 education. Should your son or daughter still have any doubts, please ask them to see myself or Mrs Carlin.

Many congratulations to Leon Bauer, Larena Cooper, Demi-Lee Walker, Abby Silvester, Lily Roberts and Mel Rice for receiving certificates of achievement in the Liskeard Arts Student Art Exhibition. The overall winner was Aaron Dark. The judges considered his work had a sensitive and accomplished use of tone, colour and light. They also said it was a beautifully executed piece of artwork.

Best wishes to you all for a happy and peaceful Christmas from the year 11 Pastoral team.Mr Gluyas

Year 10And so the first term of being GCSE students has come to an end! Overall the year group have settled well into their courses and have been highly praised by their teachers. Completion of homework has improved over the last few weeks, with a number of students making the most of EARN after school. If your son/daughter is struggling with the increased amount of homework, then please encourage them to attend EARN in the library after school any day from Monday-Thursday.

We are also really starting to push students in getting their work experience forms and placements completed. Although the deadline is March, I have informed students that they need to have provided evidence by the end of term of a placement or evidence of contact with companies. This will then allow them to complete the necessary forms over the Christmas holidays, and still allow time for chasing up and further Risk Assessments (if needed) to be completed in the New Year. Please can you have a discussion, and help your son/daughter with this process. If you have any issues, please contact myself or Mrs.Carlin on ext 116.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!Ms Dove

Last week saw the start of the 12 Days of Christmas event, organised by the Student Council. Fun events such as face painting and Santa’s penalty shootout are occurring every day until Christmas. Also, students are asked to think of those less fortunate at this time by bringing in items to donate to the Food Bank. The aim is an item per day, but it would be great to see every student in Year 9 bring in at least 1 item before the end of term.

The recent Progress Check highlighted an obvious imbalance within the year group – overall girls are working much harder than boys. Of the 32 students with an average Application score of 1-1.5, only 5 were boys. If you are the parent/carer of a young man in Year 9 please impress upon him the importance of hard work, focus and enthusiasm in lessons. Finally, I wish you all a pleasant, relaxing and peaceful Christmas with friends and family. Mr Glasgow

13| a place where... |14...together we achieve more

Drama Showcase Thursday 12th December6.00pm

Christmas Concert Tuesday 17th December7.00pm

End of Term (Early finish -12.30pm) Wednesday 18th December

INSET Day (School closed to students) Thursday 19th December

Start of Spring Term Monday 6th January

Year 11 Parent’s Evening Wednesday 15th January

Bring Your Grown-Up to English Event (Y7)

Thursday 23rd January 5pm - 6pm

Year 9 GCSE Options EveningWednesday 29th January

6pm - 8pm

Liskeard School & Community College

Christmas

Concert

Refreshments

provided by the PTFA (Mulled wine/mince

pies/soft drinks)

Admission £3 adults£2 concessions Children - Free(payable at the door)

Tuesday 17th December7pm start until 9.30pm approx..

New Hall Liskeard School & Community College

Music Department

Dates for your Diary

15| a place where...

Bring Your Grown Up to English

Thursday 23rd January, 5pm-6pm in the New Hall

achieving more together