Winter 2014 Edition No: 14 Phoenix joins Excellence Programme pdf... · The Phoenix Collegiate Newsletter Winter 2014 Edition No: 14 Phoenix joins Excellence Programme. 2 Important

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Phoenix has been chosen to become a Centre of Excellence in Financial Education as part of a ground-breaking partnership between the UK’s leading financial education charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) and Santander.

We are now working with pfeg’s educational specialists to create a detailed programme of financial education for our students.

Santander is supporting Phoenix to enable us to achieve the Centre of Excellence status this year, turning us into a beacon of best practice in teaching children and young people about money.

“Everything we do at Phoenix Collegiate is aimed at preparing young people for life.

Managing money is one of those skills that we use every day in one way or another - and we believe it is crucial that we give our students the tools they need to do this well.

We are absolutely delighted to be joining the pfeg Centres of Excellence programme to embed financial education into the school curriculum, and know that

this is going to make an enormous difference to our students, both now and in the future”.

Gary Hill, Head Teacher

“We are delighted that Phoenix Collegiate has joined our Centre of Excellence programme through our partnership with Santander.

The work that staff will be doing with our educational specialists over the coming months will be of enormous benefit to students, with financial education set to be firmly embedded into the curriculum. Our aim is to ensure that all students

enter adult life with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage money well”.

Tracey Bleakley, pfeg Chief Executive

IN THIS EDITIONGovernors ................................................. page 2

Hubs news ...................................... pages 2 - 10

Key Stages news incl Duke of Edinburgh.pages ............... pages 10 - 13

Pastoral news ................................ pages 13 - 14

Priority School Building Programme.......... page 15

Sports update ................................ pages 15 - 16

The Phoenix Collegiate Newsletter Winter 2014 Edition No: 14

Phoenix joins Excellence Programme

2 www.aspirebelievesucceed.com

Important dates for Spring term 2015Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th January 2015 School closed to pupils for Inset days (pupils return to school on 7/01/15)

Monday 12th January 2015 Year 10 parents’ evening 4.00-7.00pm

Monday 26th January 2015 Year 8 parents’ evening 4.00-7.00pm

Monday 2nd February 2015 Year 9 options evening 5.00-7.30pm

Monday 9th February 2015 KS5 parents’ evening 4.00-7.00pm

Monday 16th to Friday 20th February 2015 Half term holiday

Monday 2nd March 2015 Year 9 parents’ evening 4.00-7.00pm

Monday 30th March to Friday 10th April 2015 Easter break

School ClosureClosures due to poor weather conditions are very rare and will be avoided where possible. In some cases we may decide to open later than normal to allow time for the site to be made safe; again, this will be announced on the radio and the school website. There is no need for parents to contact the school to check whether or not the school is open. Unless announced on the radio and school website, the school will be open.

School Closure Procedures:

If the school is to be closed, there will be an announcement on the following radio stations to state this:

Radio WM Free Radio Birmingham (formerly BRMB) Heart FM/Capital FM Free Radio Black Country (formerly Beacon Radio)

Additionally this announcement will be posted on the school website, www.aspirebelievesucceed.com (details will also be posted on the Local Authority website following notification by the school to the LA).

If the school is closed BEFORE the start of the School Day - Please refer to the procedures outlined above.

If the school closes DURING the School Day - Pupils will only be sent home if there are satisfactory arrangements for them to return safely. Should any parent/carer wish to make any alternative arrangements for their child, they should put these in writing to the Head Teacher.

due to poor weather conditions

GovernorsSodhi AujlaTeaching staff governorSodhi Aujla is the Phoenix Collegiate teaching staff governor, responsible for bringing the views of the Phoenix staff to governors’ meetings and inputting a staff perspective in to the work of the governors in raising standards for all students.

Born in the Punjab (North India), Sodhi immigrated to England with his family in the mid-1960s. He has lived in North Birmingham ever since.

Having graduated from Hull University with a degree in Mathematics, Sodhi started teaching Mathematics in 1984 at Moreton School in Wolverhampton, then worked in three Birmingham schools teaching mathematics up to Advanced level, before coming to the Phoenix Collegiate in 2012.

Passionate about teaching his beloved subject of mathematics, he often supports students after school, in the holidays and Saturday mornings with extra lessons in preparation for their examinations.

Sodhi has three children; a son who is twenty five and working in the family business, a daughter aged twenty one studying Medicine at Leicester University and the youngest daughter in year 10 at Hamstead Hall school. In the past Sodhi served as a parent governor for eight years at Hamstead Hall School.

Sodhi has been a keen philatelist (stamp collector) since the age of 12 and now has millions of stamps in his collection, from various countries around the world. He also enjoys playing badminton and snooker regularly.

Kelly HurdParent governorKelly has been appointed as volunteer parent governor and joined in May 2014. She has a daughter who attends Phoenix Collegiate and another daughter who attended the school when it was known as Menzies

High School. Kelly lives in West Bromwich and is familiar with the community. She has genuine interests in adding value to good quality education to all students regardless of their barrier and in raising aspirations. Kelly has strategic and project management skills, knowledge of business, education & careers and work and personal experience which complement the Governing Body.

Her employment experience: Kelly was employed by Black Country Connexions as the Senior Service Deliver Leader. In that role she was responsible for reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETS) in Sandwell. She managed a team of Personal Advisers who supported vulnerable NEETs in Sandwell, such as the homeless, teenage parents, looked after children, young offenders etc. Kelly is therefore aware of barriers to learning and processes and methods in motivating and encouraging young people back in to education, employment and training.

Kelly is also an experienced Business Contracts Manager which involved managing Business Advisers to meet contract obligations to support people to become self-employed or in company/business growth throughout the West Midlands.

Currently she is self-employed and has two quite varied businesses: a Business Consultancy business and a Fitness Academy.

Her personal experience: Kelly was a teenage mum, having her daughter at 15 years old. She therefore has had a colourful background and education and has first-hand experience of overcoming barriers in achieving an education, gaining confidence and ambition.

Year 8 Progress Reward TripSeveral Year 8 students enjoyed an afternoon at The Blue Orange Theatre on Thursday 6th November. Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ was definitely a performance not to be missed and was fully enjoyed by all the students who attended. Congratulations to you all; we are very proud to be able to acknowledge your hard work.

The trip was in recognition for their effort, attainment and positive attitude, which they have shown within their English lessons. Here in the English department we encourage and recognise the hard work that our students portray and we have many more exciting adventures for our students to be a part of. So come on, get yourself recognised, and who knows… you could be off on our next adventure!

English


Year 9 story openings...“Homelessness”Oh, how I adored sunrises! The way the sky bleeds red as the sun creeps over the horizon, like a silent murderer; casting sunbeams in every direction while it illuminates this small town. I watched as it grew into a big ball of fire, changing from dark orange to dark yellow as it began to heat up the earth. It moved across the sky with grace as if to own it; accompanied by the clouds that move so lackadaisically, drifting along the sky, with nothing to care about except their next destination. The sun makes the sky more radiant as it climbs higher and higher into the sky as each minute passes by. A thrilling feeling of awe swept over me. The reason why I adored sunrises so much was because they were so fascinating, glorious, heart-stopping, magnificent, magical, hypnotic and resplendent. I could go on for hours.... Even a novel of description couldn’t suffice. It is a wonderful aspect of nature and no-one takes the time to appreciate it, so it is always taken for granted.

That’s probably the only perk of having insomnia. I get to witness every single breathtaking sunrise.

Most people couldn’t care less about sunrises. I used to be like that. I never used to give them a second thought. But it’s different now. Now I’m on the streets, it’s changed; I have a different view on everything. I’m so used to being around dull, hideous and unpleasant things, that the first beautiful thing that catches my eye has me gazing at it until it disappears. It’s almost hypnotic. Maybe that is a bit extreme, but I certainly feel like I’m stuck in a trance. The only thing I can do is watch helplessly as the sun drags me into a day that I’d desperately rather avoid.

But as enchanting as the sky is, I knew today would be tremendously awful....

By Englandina Hoxha - Year 9

Literacy Update This term has seen the launch of our ‘Reading Mentor’ Programme, where Sixth Form students volunteer to read with year 9 students in order to accelerate their progress in improving their reading ages. This year we have also extended the programme to twenty year 11 students, who will be supporting year 7 tutor groups.

The Renaissance Accelerated Reader scheme is also still helping students to develop their reading and comprehension skills, with many of our

students successfully reading lots of books and passing multiple quizzes. We already have 3 students this year in our exclusive ‘Millionaire’s Club’, meaning they have read over 1

million words since September. Congratulations to Aadel Semmoudi (1,949,434 words), Bardia Dodangeh (1,249,649 words) and Arijus Danilevicius (1,237,510 words).

As Christmas draws closer, the English department have created a list of unmissable reads, including The Bunker Diary (Kevin Brooks), Solitaire (Alice Oseman), The Pointless Book (Alfie Deyes) and, for fans of the Hunger Games series, The Maze Runner (James Dashner). These are all great gift ideas which will support reading progress as well as being superbly entertaining!

Birmingham Repertory Theatre TripThe Kite Runner - October 2014This term pupils from Y11-Y13 had the opportunity to experience a live evening performance of Khalid Housseini’s The Kite Runner at the Birmingham Rep.

The New York company provided a mesmerising adaptation of this AS level set text. We were transported back to a more peaceful time in Afghanistan, then travelled on a journey that took us to the more recent troubled past, and finished with a new future in America.

We were spellbound throughout, all pupils expressing their appreciation of the storytelling skills of the actors.

A truly memorable experience for all!

“Homelessness”All around me foolish pedestrians are on cloud nine. But I feel as though I am sitting on a grim lookout tower, making me the only person who is not intoxicated by dazed happiness. Sadly, I used to be one of them. Recently, I have learned to neglect the hunger to be successful once more. A dark cloud hangs over me, whispering my past in a degrading, masterly and overwhelming tone. “Look at them,” it whispered. “Don’t you wish you hadn’t thrown it all away?” Each person in my view is a partner in a never-ending dance. All going in unison like a herd of cattle, leaving no room for me. The pure odour of me whips through my air passages like coursing venom. My head throbs from last night. It’s ironic really; I can’t even stop my addiction when I have absolutely nothing.

What a mess.

What a complete waste.

Presumably, it has almost been a year since I sat down on this kerb and left everything behind me. Yet in all of that time, there had only been one kind soul to actually look upon themselves to help me. I remember that day like the back of my hand....

It was a typical windy day on the streets; no-one gave me a second glance. Until I saw him. He strolled down the street quite arrogantly (in my personal opinion) wearing a black suit and tie; he really looked the part. As his perfectly-shined shoes stepped closer and closer, his eyes and his expression somehow grew kinder, until he stopped right in front of me and eventually said...

“Don’t waste it.”

Surprisingly, a crisp twenty pound note emerged from his bottomless pocket.

“Th...thank you,” I stuttered.

He flashed me a grin and swanned away triumphantly....

By Isabelle Pearce - Year 9 “Homelessness”


Library of BirminghamAs part of the course for A level English Literature, we had the chance to visit the Library of Birmingham on Tuesday 11th November 2014 in order to do some wider reading. The trip was an exceptional one, as we got an amazing opportunity to explore the hundreds of thousands books offered, with the support of our teachers undoubtedly helping us with our coursework.

We also participated in the two minute silence for Remembrance Day, held at the city’s Hall of Memory and the Centenary Square. It was a wonderful trip, and thank you to the relevant staff who organised it. We hope to visit again soon!

Sapna Sandhu, on behalf of the sixth formers who visited.

CSI JuniorsA group of year 6 pupils coming from several feeder primary schools became CSI’s for the day when they visited the Phoenix Collegiate Science department.

Led by Mrs Haines, the budding forensic scientists attempted to solve “The Case of the Kidnapped Head Teacher” by using various forensic detective techniques to analyse the available evidence and compare to suspect profiles.

Forensic techniques included identifying unknown chemicals by flame tests, chromatography to determine the pen that wrote the ransom note, extracting DNA and reviewing CCTV footage from the Head’s office.

A great time was had by all involved and even a shock visit from Mr Baker (the prime suspect) did not deter the would-be detectives!

Spooky Story CompetitionDuring the month of October the Learning Resource Centre ran its annual spooky story competition, where pupils were invited to write a scary story.

The story had to be based around a haunted house and its characters which were displayed in the library from 1st October until 31st October.

This year the lucky winner was Deyal Higgs, a year 8 pupil. Deyal was given a voucher worth £10 to spend in the Teen

edition of the Scholastic Book Club.

The two runners up places went to Charlotte Tayler and Daisy Nock also both year 8 pupils. The girls were both given £5 vouchers to spend. The stories are all on display in the library for everyone to read.

This year the competition was judged by Mr Raun Jones, SEN co-ordinator.

Maths

UKMT ChallengeOn Thursday 27th November, a team of mathematicians from the Sixth Form participated in the annual UKMT Senior Maths Challenge at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys.

The event was organised by The Further Mathematics Support Programme in partnership with the UK Mathematics Trust. In 2014-15 the competition is sponsored by Rolls-Royce plc.

The STMC is for students in years 11, 12 and 13, testing mathematical, communication and teamwork skills. Each team must consist of four Year 11, 12 or 13 (or equivalent) students with no more than two students from Year 13. This year Phoenix Collegiate was represented by Matthew Guy, Diana Mordi, Naheem Hussain, and Osahenomase Omoruyi.

Up against a number of highly talented students, the team battled through three difficult rounds to finish a respectable 24th. As it was their first experience of this level of competition, they should feel incredibly proud of their achievement. Thanks to Mr Hewlitt and Mrs Bradley for accompanying the students to the competition.

Science


F1 PhysicsYear 13 physicists delved into the hi-tech world of Formula 1 motorsport with a project based on how down force and tyre technology increase the acceleration of Formula 1 cars and allow cornering speeds that would have any other car spin off into the gravel!

The project was delivered in the form of a highly professional presentation including facts, figures and calculation of the maximum theoretical cornering speeds for a given car on a given corner with various tyre combinations, even factoring in the effect of banked corners.

It was all very technical stuff involving Newton’s laws, components of force, co-efficients of friction, angular velocity, and centripetal force.

The next generation of motorsport engineers in the making...

Macmillan Charity ChallengeDuring the summer holidays, Mr Baker, Leader of Science, along with two friends, attempted a charity challenge to visit all 20 Premier League football clubs in under 24 hrs.

The purpose was to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and help a dear friend who is fighting cancer raise the £10,000 she has targeted herself. To make things even more difficult, the challenge was completed in a van rather than a car!

The mammoth journey began at 6 pm at Southampton, heading for the capital.

The 6 London clubs were completed by midnight and they were at Swansea by 3 am, Albion and Villa were done by 6am, then on to Leicester, Stoke, the 2 Liverpool and 2 Manchester clubs.

After Burnley and Hull, the end was in sight. Arriving at Sunderland just after 5 pm, the journey across town to St James’ Park seemed an easy task in the time remaining... but this was rush hour in Newcastle!

Crawling in traffic past the Angel of the North, nerves were becoming frayed until finally the traffic subsided, the road ahead opened and the Newcastle stadium was in sight.

The van pulled into St James Park at 5.47 pm, 23 hours and 47 minutes after they had left Southampton, 926 miles ago and with just 13 minutes to spare!!!

Being a scientist, data of times and mileages were dutifully collected, and put into a table. There is probably even a graph somewhere...

Sponsor money is still being collected, with money raised so far well in excess of £1000.

The Science department

hopes you have had a wonderful Christmas and

wish you a Happy New Year!


Art & Design Hub

Birmingham VisitA Level art and photography students visited Birmingham on Tuesday 14th October.

Students engaged with historical and contemporary art work at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Ikon gallery and the new library.

Students enjoyed the trip thoroughly and agreed that the gallery was an interesting and inspiring visit, which would help them to develop their coursework portfolio.

Macmillan Cake SaleOn Friday 26th September, we held the first fund raiser of the new school year. The event was for cancer research.

The new year 7 pupils played a big part in raising funds by taking part in the big bake off, making and selling cakes in support of Macmillan coffee morning.

The coffee morning was held in the school hall with a wide selection of cakes and drinks being sold by the year 13 hospitality students, the Duke of Edinburgh pupils and the year 7 representatives.

The event was well attended by both pupils and staff.

The amount raised exceeded £700.00. The event was a great success.

WW1 Mood BoardsYear 11 created mood boards in response to World War I.

They responded through the use of old letters and photographs from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/ and with a limited colour scheme.

The mood boards shown are by Jordan Breeze and Natasha Brown.

Black County Poppy Appeal T - Shirt CompetitionYear 7 Textiles took part in a Black County Poppy Appeal T Shirt Competition by the Royal British Legion. The theme was Poppies.

Nevaeh Leveridge was the winning entry to represent Phoenix Collegiate and the overall winner will be notified in January 2015.

The photographs displays the work of (from top left to bottom right) Nevaeh Leveridge, Mahin Miah, Amanpreet Dhillon and Shanice Piper.

National Big Draw Art CompetitionStudents took part in the National Big Draw Art Competition organised by the National Campaign for Drawing. The theme was ‘Word Art’. An exhibition of finalists’ Word Art work is displayed in the Learning Resource Centre.

The work was judged by Ms Hill and Ms Hall.

The winners are:

1st Heidi Thornton

2nd Kirsty Cadman

3rd Azra Hussain


Students working with professional artistsGifted and Talented Art and Design students have worked with Jamie Jackson and Stephen Whitehead, two professional artists, to create land art work, digital imagery and a film during the summer holidays and after school.

Students will be involved in an exhibition for Sandwell Museum services and Winterborne House and Gardens in Birmingham - watch this space for details of the exhibition and please visit the following web page for a look at the Litterwatch film project.

http://www.saltroad.org.uk/pages/Current_projects.html

Design Technology - SMSCJust before half term year 7 technology students enjoyed a visit from the education officer at the Dog’s Trust. Scott came to talk to the pupils about caring for your dog and the legislation which helps to prevent animal abuse. The pupils had a fun session which included a lively ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ quiz in which everyone took part.

Year 7 pupils have been given the task of designing and making a novelty mirror frame which will raise awareness of the issues surrounding animal cruelty and promote related charities. The visiting speaker gave them new information and inspiration for slogans which can be incorporated into their design ideas. Well done to all those who took part.

Business Hub

Code ClubThis term, we started running a new after school Code Club. The school has purchased a few of the popular Raspberry Pi computers to help teach the students how to code.

At the club, we use the Python programming language to write mods for Minecraft. This is a fun way of helping students to learn a bit more Python (a popular programming language) or to brush up on the skills picked up in Computer Science lessons.

We’re only a few weeks in, but already our small

group of regulars have managed to write their own programs to display a “Welcome Home!” message when the player returns to base in Minecraft.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be adding to our attendees’ Python skill sets, showing them how they can write increasingly complex algorithms (really important for their Computer Science studies), program flow control and even showing them how, by using a Raspberry Pi, a few basic electronics components and some clever Python code, they can make their programs interact with the physical world.

Code Club runs every Tuesday between 3pm and 4pm in the CLC, and is open to all Phoenix students.

Business in the Community’s Business Class Programme2014/2015 will be the second year of a highly successful partnership that Phoenix has formed with Halifax.

The partnership was set up as part of the Business in the Community’s Business Class Programme.

The programme is designed to help young people in schools understand, in a very practical way, what opportunities exist in the world of work and what qualifications and expertise they need to access them.

Currently, 30% of UK employers say that a lack of skills in the workforce makes it hard to fill entry-level vacancies. Schools and businesses participating in the Business in the Community programme report that it has improved students’ employability by 40%.

In 2013/2014 Halifax employees:

• Spentafullday with all of our Sixth Form students developing their ability to perform well in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

• Halifax‘BrightSparks’groupworkedwithPhoenix’s student council to develop their role and provide an effective channel through which students views can be expressed.

• Phoenixhosted‘TheBigLunch’on1stJune 2014, where members of the local community took part in fun lunchtime activities and raised £1,078.20 for Sandwell Parents for Disabled Children.


GeoPost Decorating ChallengeStaff at GeoPost undertook their biggest decorating challenge to date at Phoenix whilst the school was closed for the summer break.

Students returned to discover the whole of B block completely redecorated thanks to the generous staff at GeoPost.

Over 80 GeoPost staff took part in the challenge which extended over a three week period. Head Teacher Gary Hill said “We really are very grateful for the continued support of GeoPost and its staff. They continue to support our drive for higher educational standards and are providing opportunities for our students which are simply not available to students at other schools. We really are very lucky to have them as partners”.

European Day of Languages at PhoenixOn 26th September (European Day of Languages) Language Leaders hosted a visit from All Saints Primary School for a morning of Spanish activities. The year 6 pupils really enjoyed learning from the older students about food, pets and colours.

The year 10 pupils were able to put into practice once again their leadership and teaching skills learned during their successful completion of the Language Leaders certificate.

Phoenix Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryThe Computing Department took over 70 students to Cadbury’s World in Birmingham, as part of a thematic project being undertaken by some of the Year 9 students.

They had to find out information about the history of chocolate making and understand what technology was used and how it has improved over the years.

The students also needed to focus on the products being manufactured as well as the different forms of advertising that were used.

The students immensely enjoyed their visit and at times stopped to take the odd photograph for their project. Their teamwork and communication skills were definitely used throughout the day and to also be able to test the products was a bonus for all!

Well done to you all Year 9 and to the staff who supported you on the day; Mr Abbas, Mrs Kapoor, Mr Webb, Miss Kaur, Ms Foulkes and Miss Beard.

Year 11 Trip to IKEA - WednesburyAs part of their GCSE qualifications in Applied Business, over 45 Year 11 students have been provided with an opportunity to visit IKEA Wednesbury and use the business as a basis of investigation for their coursework.

Students have visited the business on two occasions during November and have been able to carry out an investigation of the company by listening to a presentation delivered by IKEA personnel and by undertaking a guided tour of the store.

Students were provided with an excellent standard of hospitality during each visit.

Thank you to Nuzhad Chagan at IKEA for providing this very valuable experience to our students.

A joint Business and MFL project with Year 10 studentsA selected group of Year 10 students have been chosen to take part in an online enterprise project run by ‘Achievers International’. The project provides an opportunity for Year 10 Phoenix students to actively engage in international trading whilst developing their foreign language skills.

Students have formed a company under the guidance of Miss Duffy and Ms Francis and are planning to import and export goods with a partner school in Spain.

The attached image is an image of students from our new partner school COL. LA INMACULADA based in Oviedo, Asturias, in Northern Spain.


Humanities Hub

RemembRance DayTuesday 11th November 2014

A special service of Remembrance to mark the centenary of the start of WW1 was held in year groups throughout the school.

This service took place in order to honour all those who have served in the armed forces, and especially those who have given their lives in all the Wars since 1914.

A very moving occasion.

Sports & The Arts Hub

Afrikan Fusion

Drumming

WorkshopOn Friday 3rd October, some of our Year 7 students were given a cultural flavour of African music making when Afrikan Fusion dropped in to deliver a series of African Drumming Workshops, as part of the celebration to mark Black History Month.

Some comments included:

“I’d never played the drums before, but it was great!”

“That was a surprise... can we do that every week?”

“I enjoyed learning about a different culture and playing the instruments from a different country”.

Year 11 Dance Conference

Students visited London and Birmingham to experience a student dance conference delivered by AQA on 21st and 28th November. We saw lots of interesting performances and really got to grips with the syllabus.

The trip was insightful and thought provoking for all involved.

Students really did represent Phoenix, myself and themselves well. Well done to all involved!

Miss Radburn

Pearl of AfricaFor the third year in a row Phoenix played host to the Pearl of Africa children’s choir from Uganda.

The evening was another success with staff, pupils, parents, members of our local community and even host families from the choir itself as an audience.

As a fundraising event the evening is always a success but more than that the lust for life from the children and helpers in the choir is infectious.

We are still awaiting a final figure of monies raised on the night but we are expecting it to be in excess of £300 which is a massive achievement.

The choir will be back next year so watch this space for advertising!!

Year 8 celebrating Divali Year 8 students took part in the traditional way of celebrating the Divali story of Rama and Sita in their Religious Education lessons. They had to work in groups to produce a role play script which they acted out. Many brought or made their own props to use in their plays. Harmanpreet Jabbal brought her grandmothers gold Sari, she said she ‘enjoyed working in teams, it was a lot of fun and it helped us to remember the story’.

Maram Ahmed as Sita

Philosophy Essay CompetitionJasbir Talwar year 13 who studies Philosophy and Ethics at A Level was runner up in a prestigious Philosophy essay competition organised by the University of Gloucester.

Jasbir had to write a 2500 word essay on “What is the proper role of religion in a modern, secular society?”. He was up against many philosophy students from independent schools, colleges

and 6th form centres across the country. He received a commendation from the University for the quality of his essay and a prize voucher. Well done!


Performing Arts ExtravaganzaOn Friday 24th October approximately 200 Year 4/5 and 6 pupils visited Phoenix to experience a performing arts extravaganza.

Firstly, pupils were treated to a fantastic performance from the Sandwell Music & Arts Live Band which played a range of styles on different instruments.

Following the showcase, pupils got to experience a taster of what life is like in performing arts lessons here at Phoenix and participated in two workshops from dance, drama and music.

Comments from pupils included:

“The dancing was tiring but I had fun.”

“When can we come again?”

“The performance was great because they played music that I liked.”

Vocational Hub

Hands-on Lessons in Health & Social CareDuring this term, Year 10 Health and Social Care students have been learning about the key features of the infancy and early childhood stages.

They had a great opportunity to meet, observe, hold and interact with a real life and a pretend new born baby , a two year old and their mother (Miss Arrowsmith) and a ‘cheeky’ 3 year old (Mrs Fyffe’s son) whilst role playing the role of a health visitor. Students had the opportunity to change nappies, carry out development checks and play games with these children to check their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development.

At the end the practical lesson, ‘Head, Heart and Bag’ questions were asked i.e. What have your learnt/thought about today’s lesson?, How do you feel about today’s lesson and one thing that you would take away from the lesson?

Unanimous answer - “Amazing, I felt warm inside... OMG... awwwwww... I felt so privileged to hold the baby and interact with children and I know the difference between fine and gross motor skills and what egocentric means.”

The Duke of Edinburgh AwardOn Monday 10th November the first cohort of Phoenix DofE Students celebrated receiving their Bronze certificates, presented by Gary Hill and Chair of Governors Leigh Pepper.

There was a fantastic atmosphere as the now 6th formers proudly collected their awards in front of family, friends and staff. The sense of achievement from these students was clearly evident. This first group will be working with the DofE team to start

their Silver Award within the next few weeks.

Well done to Weronika Jaworek, Sasha Bowen, Chloe Millward-Moran, Masuma Payamon and Joseph Hibbs.

What an amazing achievement for our students.

Onwards and upwards!

Duke of Edinburgh - Day Walk: IronbridgeShropshire Wednesday 22nd October 2014With the 60l rucksacks packed up with lunches and flasks of hot chocolate, the ‘Green Cohort’ were ready for action. In our water proofs and walking boots, we set out for our annual ‘Day Walk’. This year we had a very enjoyable few hours, trudging through and around the delights of Ironbridge, Shropshire in very mild conditions for the time of the year.

Following a very informative ‘mini tour’ of the locality, courtesy of Mr Jones, the group were ready for action. Using good communication and team work, the group began to navigate around a route, using maps and key features to help. The students were

exceptional in their attitude and helped each other to complete the 6k walk. All of these skills will help the group to work towards obtaining their Bronze Award in the next 12 months. The next section of Expedition training will take place in March 2015 with the final assessment being completed in May 2015.

If you are interested in joining the Phoenix DofE group, please see Miss Hancocks or Mr Jones for more details.

Key Stages


Year 11 pupils were very fortunate to spend the day out at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) for the Career Skills Roadshow. Every pupil had the opportunity to speak to professionals from a range of different organisations and to gain an understanding of what qualifications, further education and university degrees are needed for certain professions.

Overall it was an informative experience for all Year 11 pupils which has made them aware of the importance of gaining their targets and perform well when it comes to the real exams in the summer term! Good luck!

Lastly, Year 12 and 13 were given opportunities to prepare their university applications and to understand the importance of gaining their targets within their subject areas. They were very fortunate to have an inspirational talk presented by one of the UK’s top motivational speakers, David Hyner. He inspired pupils to find their inner strengths and qualities and made them recognise that they can achieve any goal in life by ‘keep going’. His inspirational phrase was:

‘See that rhino, be like that rhino and charge straight ahead like a rhino! Go rhino!’

Overall, it was an excellent day that provided all pupils from Year 7 to Year 13 with the motivation to achieve their goals inspired by a range of speakers. We look forward to our next enrichment day on Wednesday 21st January 2014.

Student Enrichment DayIt was Student Enrichment Day (SED) on Thursday 13th November 2014. For all pupils, the academic timetable was collapsed in order for pupils to take part in activities that involved learning aspects of PSHE, Careers, Finance and Citizenship.

Year 7 pupils learnt about ‘Personal Hygiene’ and how this links with emotional health. The NHS Nurses delivered an interactive session where pupils were able to build their own imaginary characters and identify how the body changes linking to puberty. Pupils also were challenged to create an informative poster for the school - and well done to Ria Gharu for winning the poster campaign.

Year 8 pupils learnt about Drugs & Alcohol. They were presented with a seminar by a representative from DECCA (Drugs & Alcohol Education Service) where some pupils were provided opportunities to try beer goggles. This session allowed pupils to understand how taking drugs and drinking alcohol has a negative effect on the body and mind and how it affects others around them. Pupils were also challenged to create a Drugs & Alcohol poster and the lucky winner Kellan

Parchment won the competition by designing an imaginative and informative poster.

Year 9 pupils learnt about different aspects of the ‘World of Work’. They developed an understanding of different job sectors and pathways leading to a range of specialisms. Pupils were also presented with a seminar from West Midlands Apprenticeships and gained knowledge on how taking up an apprenticeship can support with gaining a qualification as well as enabling you to earn money at the same time.

However, from the evaluation comments it was highlighted that all the pupils thoroughly enjoyed ‘interviewing their tutor’. This session allowed pupils to ask their form tutor a range of questions about their career pathway in education which provided a real insight about the teaching profession.

Year 10 pupils were made aware in more detail of the seriousness of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). Pupils were presented with an ‘eye-opener’ presentation delivered by Sandwell Women’s Aid. It featured the risks and dangers of sexual exploitation through a series of video content and where to go to receive help and support. Although for some pupils it was a tear-jerker of a day, for all pupils in Year 10, it equipped them with the knowledge of how to stay safe and to recognise the risks of exploitation at an early stage. Please remember, if you or you know someone that may be exploited in any way please speak to Mr Smith (designated Deputy Head Teacher for Child Protection), or simply call Childline on 0800 1111. Remember, you can confidentially report abuse on our school website anytime 24/7.

Summer SchoolSummer school was held two days a week throughout the summer holidays. It was well attended and lots of fun was to be had. Students accessed a range of different subjects from literacy, numeracy, arts and crafts and performing arts plus many more.

The students visited the Science Museum on a trip and the day was really successful and enjoyable for all involved where we found out lots of interesting facts and got to explore modern day science experiments.

Primary Links / Key Stage 3 AchievementsBooster session for English & MathsWe are hosting booster sessions for those pupils who the local primary schools feel could be level 6 workers by the time the SATS exams come around for Year 6. Massive thanks to all the staff involved in preparation for the 11 week programme afterschool.

If you’ve been around school over the past few Thursday evenings, you’ll have noticed visitors from some of our local primaries working with Phoenix staff on some really challenging texts.

The students from Pennyhill, Ferndale and the Lyng are amongst the best readers and writers in their schools and are picking up some top tips and techniques ready for their SATS exams in May.

This exciting project has been a great success with students achieving beyond their current expectations and staff being really impressed with the imagination and thoughtfulness of the students.

Mr Uppal, Assistant Head Teacher (English) at Phoenix Collegiate, said: “it is great to see Phoenix Collegiate working in partnerships with our local Primary Schools in

order to help improve the literacy of young learners within our community. Phoenix Collegiate looks forward to welcoming such fantastic students in Year 7 over the coming years.”

Planned Events - Story Writing CompetitionFollowing on from the success over the last 2 years, the 6th Form Theatre company Phoenix Friends will yet again be holding a story writing competition amongst local primary schools. The winning child will see their story turned into live theatre and will be invited as a VIP to come and see the show.

Halloween DiscoDevils, witches, zombies and pirates had a ball at the Halloween Disco. The event was organised for Year 7 and 8 students on 23rd October to raise money for charity.

Year 12 students Sanjna Sandhu, Ifzaa Hussain, Weronika Pawlowska, Gurpreet Rehal, Laura Dell, Lauren James and Charlotte Mall worked really hard, selling tickets, making posters, baking cakes, decorating the hall and organising the music. In total they raised £214.68 for Water Aid. Weronika said, “It was great fun for us and

the Year 7 and 8 students.

Thanks to all the teachers who helped us run the event.”


Key Stage 4 AchievementsYear 11 Achievement Evening - “Yes we can!”On 18th September, we held an important evening for Year 11 as they started on their road to successful results next summer.

Presentations and study packs outlined how parents, carers, students and staff would be working together over the coming year to ensure that our Year 11 students receive as much support and guidance as possible and achieve their challenging goals. We even had video footage from the students themselves on what they need to revise successfully.

Such was the level of commitment from all those involved with Year 11, that we struggled to fit everybody into our hall. Since the event, students have continued to make huge amounts of progress. Congratulations to all of them; keep up the hard work.

Girlguiding UKMy name is Ruth Collett and I’m in year 11 at Phoenix Collegiate. Last June I was selected by Girlguiding UK to represent the West Mercia County at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree at Kirara-hama, Yamaguchi City in Japan next year.

Since my selection I have been fund raising to try and reach the total amount of £3,000 to cover the cost of the trip. I will be going to Japan with a unit of 27 Scouts and 9 Guides from Solihull, Shropshire and across the Midlands who will be joining together as one of the 75 units from the UK. Once in Japan our unit will join up with 30,000 Scouts from over 150 countries to what will be the experience of a lifetime.

To try and help reach the total of £3,000 that I need to pay for the trip I have been making and selling jewellery. I have been selling it at various places and it has proved to be very successful.

I have also been doing other things such as bag packs and table top sales. My fundraising is going very well so far and I am well on the way to getting the full amount that I need.

As a unit we have had several meet ups to ensure that we are well prepared and know each other very well before we head off. The first weekend that we all spent together involved playing lots of icebreaker games to

get to know each other and coming up with our unit identity, including coming up with a name, designing our neckerchief and designing our unit badge.

When we arrive in Japan we start our visit with a home hospitality stay. This will be an opportunity to really experience the culture and customs of typical Japanese families. After this will be the Jamboree itself. The theme for the Jamboree this time around is “WA - A Spirit of Unity” and while we are there we will be doing many different things which fall into seven categories including: City of Science, Community Services, Cross Road of Culture and Water Activities. Something that is surely going to be a highlight of the trip will be a day trip to Hiroshima to learn about the events of 1945. After our ten days at the Jamboree, we will spend our last few days in Tokyo.

I am very excited and can’t wait to take part in this experience of a lifetime.

Ruth Collett

Sandwell Youth Police & Crime CommissionerDavid Jameson, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner launched a scheme called ‘Youth Police and Crime Commissioners’ in February 2013 where there were twenty youth commissioners who were chosen to work directly with him, police officers and key decision makers in the West Midlands area.

The role is to be the voice of young people through actively engaging and consulting with other young people in their local community and ensuring their concerns are used to influence future planning for West Midlands Police. The roles carried out by the Youth Commissioners are voluntary.

Year 10 student Jardell Miller was successfully elected to stand for this role in December 2014.

This is a good opportunity for you to have your say and speak about any concerns you may have.

You can contact Jardell directly at: [email protected]

Children in needFollowing on from Student Enrichment day on 13/11/14, two groups of students organised themselves to raise money for “Children in Need”. Onesies were the order of the day and Jayden Evans indulged in some very fetching face paint!

The students from Year 10 raised over £283.08 and, together with the money raised on SED 1, this year group has raised well over £700 so far. Well done to all concerned!


Key Stage 5 AchievementsSED 1On SED 1 the RAF came into school to help the new Year 12 students improve their team work, communication and confidence.

The games and activities forced the students out of their comfort zones and made them think out of the box to find solutions to the problems.

The Career Crowd also came into school to kick start the Sixth Formers year off with some useful tips on study skills and help them to focus on their future careers.

David HynerOn Thursday 13th November 2014 Year 12 students, as part of enrichment day, were treated to a morning of entertainment and motivation with Stretch Development’s “Rhino Man” David Hyner.

David provided students with a morning of inspiration, fitting with the school ethos of “aspire, believe, succeed”.

Students had the opportunity to engage with techniques for goal setting, aspiration raising, revision techniques and memory techniques amongst other topics. This event will support students with target setting and revision skills in preparation for mock exams and the rest of their AS level studies.

A good time was had by all who attended and, as always, David was on hand to work with students after the session and provide them with individual links and support using his wealth of experience and contacts across the globe.

Raising more money for charity… Pearl of AfricaSixth Form performing arts students worked hard to market and fundraise for the Pearl of Africa event.

This was completed as part of their Level 3 Btec work.

Some events held around school included a staff obstacle course and sack race, a staff ice cream eating challenge and a Sixth Form FIFA tournament.

Pastoral

UniformAs the weather gets colder and wetter could you ensure that your child is appropriately dressed for the conditions.

At Phoenix hoodies are not permitted on site without exception therefore please ensure your child wears the correct overcoat.

Your help with this is much appreciated.


George and Thomas Henry Salter TrustWe would like to thank the Trust for the fantastic donation of £700 towards the Horticulture project which has helped us to purchase the tools required to establish this new initiative this academic year.

The Trust helps people in need living in Sandwell as well as supporting students with their further and higher education ambitions.

Unwell studentsAt times, if a pupil becomes unwell during the school day, we may need to send them home. Please be aware that if your child is unwell we will require a responsible adult to be able to collect them as we would not send an unwell child home unaccompanied.

Please ensure the school has up-to-date contact details at all times.

National Anti-Bullying Week17th - 21st November 2014Phoenix has made a focus on bullying in line with the national campaign through assemblies, tutor activities, tutor period slides, surveys and through normal lessons and curriculum time.

This is of course a focus week but our campaign to eradicate bullying at Phoenix is a daily campaign across the whole school year.

The occurrence of bullying at Phoenix is actually extremely rare based on the figures and feedback from student surveys but we still take any report of bullying extremely seriously.

Remember the student quote from last year - “if you report bullying at Phoenix it gets sorted.’’

We continue to gather more and more evidence for the National Anti-Bullying Quality Mark - ABQM-UK - with several of the criteria already passed. The standards of this award are extremely high, with only 4 schools in the country being granted the

award so far in 2 years. The evidence to date and the award itself will allow students, parents, staff and Ofsted to have a high level of confidence in our stance at Phoenix towards bullying.

Miscellaneous

Anti-Bullying Quality Mark - UKPHOENIX COLLEGIATE PEER MENTORING SQUAD 2014 / 2015

Jasmine Daffon (8O2)

Gloria Olaniyi (8P2)

Sean Perks (8P2)

Shannon Handley (8P2)

Ledeshia Caines-Beckford (8P2)

Leshay Caines-Beckford (8P2)

Ikram Mohammed (8P2)

Shania Bennett (8P2)

Shannon Weston (8O2)

Lewis Wyke (8P2)

Samuel Jordan (9P2)

Elizabeth Walker (9O1)

Britney Ebanks (9P1)

Chloe Bayley (9P1)

Courtney Cooper (9P1)

Megan Purcell (9O1)

Jade Harvey (9O2)

Courtney Simcox (9O2)

Morgan Francis (10X1)

Sarah Hale (11H1)

Oreoluwa Daodu (11 H1)

Phoenix ABQM Steering CommitteeABQM SLT lead - Paul Harris

ABQM Governor link - Don Williams

Teacher / Tutor - James Bryan

Student - Kiara Pullen (11)

School Council rep. - Harmanpreet Jabbal (8)

Senior Lunchtime Supervisor - Michelle Cook

Parent Rep. - Tracey Butts

Pastoral PSM / Mentoring - Jenny Powell

Exam CertificatesExam certificates from the 2014 examinations are ready to collect. You will need these when you apply for Further Education and Employment. Please bring photo ID with you to enable the Exam Office to pass on your certificates to you.

Have a sibling or friends that attended Phoenix? We also have uncollected ex-students’ certificates from 2010 to 2013.

Old Park School linkPhoenix pupil support department attended a very special Christmas production at Old Park School in Dudley.

The school educates pupils aged 4 to 19 with severe, complex and profound learning difficulties.

Old Park pupils spectacularly performed ‘Frozen’ with all pupils having an on stage role regardless of their needs.

Phoenix has been building ever stronger links with Old Park School Dudley, and our pupils value the continually increasing friendship with the pupils of the school.

The pupils also benefit from an increased understanding of learning needs and how they can support friends and family who have additional needs, whilst the teaching staff from both schools use the opportunity to share knowledge, skills and good practice.

We look forward to hosting some pupils from Old Park School at Phoenix in the new year.

Charity collectionThis year the School Library and Pupil Support department collected donations of food and toys for dogs.

The collection was presented to Birmingham Dog’s Home, which is a self-funded dog charity for abandoned and unwanted dogs.

Thank you to all the staff and pupils for their donations of dog food, toys, bedding etc. They were gratefully accepted.


Sports Update

SEN Coffee MorningOur ever increasing SEN parents’ coffee morning carries on being a big success with more parents attending every time.

On the 6th October the coffee morning invited both the school governor responsible for SEN, Mr Williams, and the Assistant Head responsible for our anti Bullying policy, Mr Harris. Both gave a small talk about their role before answering questions from the parents. The school and the parents present found the session useful and informative, allowing an increased level of partnership between school and the parents of SEN pupils.

The next coffee morning is on Monday 2nd February from 10.30 till noon. The parents have this time invited the leaders of Maths and English to attend and help inform them about not only the departments in school but also to give advice on how parents can better support their children at home.

All parents of SEN pupils are welcome; please phone the school’s pupil support department to confirm your attendance so we can order enough biscuits etc.

Year 10 FootballThe year 10 team played their first game on Thursday 2nd October away at Ace Academy; they lost 8-0 to a much more physical team.

Their behaviour both on and off the pitch was exceptional - even when provoked, they conducted themselves well.

Priority School Building Programme updateWe are extremely delighted to announce that the Education Funding Agency has appointed Carillion as the contractor to build our new school as part of the Priority Schools Building Programme. This means that we will have a new 3 storey super block which will sit alongside the current L block. The sports hall and L block will be completely refurbished. Following construction, the remaining blocks will be demolished.

Over the next three months (January - March 2015) detailed planning meetings will take place in order to build a school not only fit for 2017 but which will have a lasting legacy for the next 25-30 years. Consultation will commence after Christmas with students, staff, parents and the local community in order to gather the views of all concerned so that these can be taken into consideration.

Well and truly exciting times ahead. Finally our dream will become reality when diggers move in to start work next year.

Step into Sport ConferenceThe following students attended the Step into Sport Conference at Wolf Mountain on Friday 21st November: Jorge Smith, Brad Abrahams, Jack Atkinson, George Williams and Jordan Herr.

These students had been selected based on being Gifted and Talented in PE.

They had inspiration from two local sportsmen in Daniel Caines and Dominic Vincent, the latter being an exceptional Young Climber aged just 15.

Dominic finished 1st in the Youth Climbing Series in 2013. Daniel Caines is one of Great Britain’s top runners over 400M. He is a World, Commonwealth, European and Europa Cup champion in the 400M and 4x400M relay having represented his country in two Olympic Games.

Year 11 FootballBelow is a picture of the year 11 football team who lost narrowly to Ace Academy 4-3 on Tuesday 30th September.

Excellent football and attitude was shown throughout, well done!


Under 16 Badminton TeamThis group of players represented the school at the Under 16’s badminton tournament held at Wood Green in September.

They qualified through to the next round of the tournament with a fine display of singles and doubles badminton. A special mention goes to Daniel Patel who was unbeaten throughout the competition!

Left to right: Daniel Patel (Y10), Jorge Smith (Y11), Bradley Abrahams (Y11), Shamsher Singh (Y10).

Sports Update

KS4 Girls’ Badminton TeamOn Thursday 9th October our KS4 Girls team impressed with their determination and conduct at Wood Green.

The team performed exceptionally and between them did not lose a rubber.

Individual performances: (singles)

Natalia Paluszek: 19-4, 22-5, 18-10 Alyson Knott: 21-9, 21-4, 14-13

Doubles:

1&3: 16-5, 11-10, 15-8 2&4: 18-4, 18-4, 10-9

The team will now go on to represent Sandwell North in the next stages. Well done girls and congratulations.

Team members:

Natalia Paluszek, Alyson Knott, Lynnel Masangkay, Harman Singh, Moira Barcenilla, Oreoluwa Daodu

U14 Girls’ Badminton CompetitionThe year 9 girls beat Wood Green and George Salters in October and are through to the final to hopefully represent Sandwell.

Key stage 3 and 4 Basketball teamsThey have played three fixtures to date.

The key stage 3 team have won all three games, against Perryfields, St Michaels and George Salter and the key stage 4 team have beaten St Michaels and George Salter, but lost to Perryfields!

Sainsbury’s School Games Volleyball CompetitionThe Sainsbury’s School Games Volleyball Competition took place at Q3 Academy on the 27th of November. Phoenix girls in years 9 & 10 have been successful in the competition under the direction of Volleyball coach Miss Legarska, winning against two other schools (Ormiston and Oldbury) and will progress to further Black Country School Games in June 2015!

We think they’ll go all the way so let’s support them to see them win it! See you there in 2015!

David Hale - Year 7David Hale came third place in a karate competition and showed great control and determination.

Documents

Winter 2014 Edition No: 14 Phoenix joins Excellence Programme pdf... · The Phoenix Collegiate Newsletter Winter 2014 Edition No: 14 Phoenix joins Excellence Programme. 2 Important