Academy Newsletter Edition 14, December 2011

FRIDAY 16th DECEMBER 2011: ARRANGEMENTS FOR LAST DAY OF TERM

Periods 1 -3: Normal Lessons 12.45pm Guild Assembly 2 Period 4: Mentor period 1pm Academy Closes 12.30pm: Guild Assembly 1

Welcome from the Academy Principal, Mr R Gilbert Welcome to this Christmas edition of the Yate International Academy newsletter, and the final one for 2011. It is difficult to comprehend how time moves so quickly and that we are about to enter one of the most significant years in the Academy‟s history, alongside King Edmund Community School. 2012 will be a landmark year for the Academy, with the opening of the new build coinciding with the London Olympics, and providing a sporting and cultural legacy for all of us in the community of Yate. Progress with the build itself has been significant since the Topping Out Ceremony in September. the building is now almost fully watertight and you will have seen, from Stanshawes Drive, that the south block is built with the elevations showing that windows have been installed. Inside the building, many of the classrooms have now been completed, in terms of partitioning, including corridors and circulation spaces. From inside the building, you also get a sense now of how the building will operate on a day to day basis, particularly in relation to lesson changeovers during the Academy day. I have been hugely impressed with the work and professional approach shown by Willmott Dixon throughout the process, and this has come to the fore, particularly in the last few months. As well as the design and build of the facilities themselves, Willmott Dixon have been heavily engaged in working with a range of students on various projects in the Academy during this period of time. This has provided the opportunity for students to experience construction, in the real sense, and I am sure that those who have been involved have seen the value in that. During the early part of 2012, we will be sending out further information on progress with the build and will be discussing the impact of the changeover, in readiness for September 2012, and what that will mean for a good transition into our new facilities. On 24th November 2011 it was a privilege to be at the Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol for the Federation Presentation Evening. This evening celebrated the successes and achievements of last years‟ Year 11, alongside those of their counterparts at Winterbourne International Academy. The guest of honour, Dr Antony Jinman, a renowned Polar Explorer was hugely motivational in his keynote address to the students, parents and carers at the presentation evening itself. His theme of „Achieving your ambitions‟ resonated greatly with the audience and I am sure provided all of our students with the motivation to achieve further in the future. It was very pleasing to see many parents and carers at the Academic Review Day on Thursday 1st December and I know that there was a lot of positive feedback for the Academy at that evening. We are very pleased with the progress that all our students are making and this was evidenced in a very successful, and well attended, event. It is very important that we maintain close contacts with all parents and carers regarding your child‟s progress and, if you were unable to attend that event for any reason,

2

please do not hesitate to contact us at the Academy, either by email or by telephone, to make an appointment to meet with your child‟s mentor to discuss their progress in Terms 1 and 2. When we return in Term 3 of the New Year, Years 12 and 13 will be straight into sitting external examinations at both AS and A2 Level, as part of the January examination season. I would encourage all Sixth Formers involved in examinations in that period to plan a thorough revision programme during the Christmas holiday period, in order to ensure that they are fully prepared for those examinations. This will be particularly true for the new Year 12 students, all of whom will experience this for the first time. There will also be a Year 11 GCSE Maths examination for the groups taught by Mr Lord and Mrs Taylor, and I would trust that these students will also be preparing themselves adequately for this during the Christmas break. I would like to remind all Year 11 students that those who are intending to apply for Sixth Form places for September 2012, need to have handed in their completed application forms to by Friday 16th December 2011. This is the first deadline for Sixth Form applications and all students in the Academy have the entitlement to progress on to Post-16 courses with us; therefore, could we please ensure that this first deadline is met and that applications are handed in to mentors accordingly. Finally I would like to express my thanks once again for your continued support for the Academy and your children during the last calendar year. It has been a very successful year and we certainly look forward to 2012 with a great deal of optimism. I would also like to pass on my best wishes to you and your family for the festive season and trust you will all look forward to 2012 in the same way.

Message from the Principal It is very clear that the expectations placed on us as an Academy, by the Department for Education, as well as our sponsors, is that all students conform to Federation policies. Therefore I would ask your support in ensuring your child comes to the Academy each day in the appropriate uniform. To remind you all:

The Academy blazer is a compulsory item and must be worn at all times

The Academy jumper is optional, but is the only garment to be worn over the top of the mandatory white shirt and Academy tie. No other garments are permitted whatsoever, including cardigans, hoodies etc.

The Academy tie must be worn properly

Black shoes are compulsory at all times

Grey trousers, or knee length skirts for the girls, are the only garments to be worn in addition to the above. Leggings are not permitted.

If your child does not wear the correct uniform you will be notified on a consistent basis. We expect your child to turn up every day, on time and dressed in the appropriate manner. Please ensure they do so!

3

The rugby season kicked off this term with the 12 aside festivals, this year held at Winterbourne International Academy. These proved a real success and were a great start to the season with the Year 10‟s playing particularly well with great wins over KIngsfield and John Cabot. The season finished with the now traditional World Cup tournaments at the WISE Campus in Filton. The Year 7 team again took part in The Grange Rugby tournament; they found the first games tough against some very big teams. They stuck to the task in hand, developing really well as the day progressed and by the end of the tournament were playing some nice rugby finishing with a good win against a strong Castle B team. Tom Keenan and Jimmy Bristow have shown real promise and will hopefully lead the team to greater things next year.

The Year 8‟s got off to a slow start and struggled in their first few games, however the boys stuck to the task and by the end of the season they were playing some competitive rugby. James Cooper was always keen to show his worth and Jamie Dwyer is showing real promise at scrumhalf.

In Year 9 there is potential for a very good squad. A highlight for them was their performance at the Kings Oak tournament were they played some fantastic rugby. Chris Edmunds has developed tremendously well and really gets the team going forward. Dan Miller has also developed well and is a very strong runner with the ball in hand and always breaks the first tackle.

Year 11‟s started the season with a bang with an impressive win against Bradley Stoke. They then went on to play a fantastic game, impressively beating a big Chipping Sodbury side. Alex Turner proved to be the match winner with a brace of tries for himself whilst creating a number of our other points. The stand out team of this year has been the Year 10 team, who were able to produce some of the best 15 man attacking rugby that has been seen at Yate International Academy for a long time. After their success in the opening season tournaments they went on to beat Chipping Sodbury by 22 points and Abbeywood by 51-0! Every player has really developed and listened to the instructions of their team manager. Over the season 20 out of a total of 38 in the entire year group have represented the Academy. Aaron Walkling, Sam Cope and Jack Mayes have really benefited from joining Chipping Sodbury Rugby Club. The stand out players in the team have been Bradley Simons for the forwards, tackling anything that moves and securing lots of ball at ruck time. In the backs Tyler Johnson and Frankie Vaughan have caused havoc for the opposition and have scored and created hatfuls of tries. The highlight of this season must be Frankie‟s length of the pitch run to score and beat a very competitive Winterbourne team in a triangular tournament at Winterbourne!!

Unfortunately the Football hasn‟t gone so well. Year 11‟s lost 5-1 to Castle in the cup. Despite quickly going 1-0 down the boys played really well and drew level with a fantastic long range effort from Alex Turner. However, that was the last of the scoring for us and Castle were able to pull away, scoring a couple of late goals just as we looked to get back into the game.

4

After three really well attended training sessions, led by Ashton Coleman, Shaun Foster and Sam Wilmot, a strong Year 7 5 aside team was picked to play their first tournament at Bradley Stoke. They played really well in the Pool stages with some great work and goals by Joe Shutt. They then progressed through to the Semi Finals but were unable to beat a strong Chipping Sodbury team. Our students at King Edmund Gym Club have continued to achieve much International success. Shanie- Redd Thorne, Danielle Jones and Jake Underdown were selected to represent Great Britain at the European Championships. Shanie and Danielle scored fantastically well and ended up in fourth place; Jake did fantastically well and has added the European Gold to his impressive array of titles. Next up for them will hopefully be the World Championships in April 2012. In Cross Country a committed group of runners have represented the Academy in league races at Downend School and Patchway School. The last race was the Cross Country Championships at Blaise Castle, which proved to be an eventful day, starting with the theft of our booked coach from outside the school by Chipping Sodbury School!! The girls did particularly well in the team races and for the boys Joe Shutt achieved notable success in the league races but was unfortunately injured for the championships. Miss Greaves, ably assisted by Mrs Bell, Emma Jane Smith and Becky Hendy have done a fantastic job in improving the standards of the girls Netball teams. Training has been fantastically well attended with 30 girls regularly

attending sessions. For the first time in a long time we have been able to put out 5 teams across Years 7, 8 and 9. This has provided the opportunity for many more girls to develop their game. The stand out team has been the Year 7 „A‟ team who have beat Brimsham, Chipping Sodbury, The Castle and Winterbourne (at the second attempt). The result against league winners Winterbourne shows how far the team have developed this season. Well done girls!

For the first time a South Gloucestershire Schools swimming gala was held. The Academy was represented by Joe Heron who achieved notable performance in the 100m Freestyle race. In the race to become the Guild Champions for 2012 Phoenix are currently in the lead with wins in the Year 10 Rugby, Netball and Year 11 Trampoline competitions. At the recent Year 11 awards ceremony, held at the Wills Memorial Building, Jarrod Campling and Amy Roberts received the Sports Personality of the Year awards and Mason Poole was fittingly the recipient of the Jordan Thorn Sporting Memorial Trophy. Well done to every student who has participated in Sport this term and we hope to see as much enthusiasm into 2012. Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.

Mr Revett, Head of Sport

5

…by Mrs Hughes, Head of Science Science Club for Year 8 has been launched with entry into the GO4SET competition. Members of the team have already met with their mentor from the MOD and will be planning and building a model of an ecoclassroom. This will challenge students to further develop their team work and problem-solving skills as well as providing them with valuable opportunities to use the knowledge and expertise they have from Science, Maths and Technology. Watch out for the great STEM quiz being run by Miss Orford. Questions are being sent to all students by email – cash prizes to be won.

VLE news: vle.trfyia.org.uk

EXAMZONE

On examzone you can find all MathsWatch clips (what was on the CD) and you can download a worksheet for the clip you are watching. There is also a higher and a foundation ‘practice book’ to

access extra questions and a ‘CD booster’ book with grade C and D work.

KS3 MATHEMATICS PAGE (years 7-9)

The KS3 Mathematics page contains copies of all KS3 textbooks.

Coming soon: Levels 3-5 MathsWatch Clips for KS3 students

Parents did you find Mathematics challenging at school?

Why not boost your confidence and work through mymaths www.mymaths.co.uk

Contact Mrs Taylor for your own login

Alternatively login to the vle and use MathsWatch –your very own personal tutor.

E-mail Mrs Taylor for advice and tips on how to use mymaths and MathsWatch in improving your own maths skills and help your child improve theirs too!

Elizabeth.taylor@trfyia.org.uk

6

CAN YOU SOLVE THIS PUZZLE??

ALL SOLUTIONS TO MRS. TAYLOR BY FRIDAY 6TH JANUARY, with Maths class and Maths teacher as well as your name!

Winners will receive a chocolate bar

Each symbol has a numerical value. The total for the symbols is written at the end of each row and column.

Can you find the missing total that should go where the question mark has been put?

7

News from The Guilds

Lion Guild

Last academic year, the Lion Guild amassed a total of 14,000 Guild points. This year, in only two terms we are already over the 7,000 mark. This is testament to the hard work and consistent effort of the students in their lessons. The behaviour of the students remains good and the Guild attendance of 96% is to be applauded. There are a total of 34 students who still have 100% attendance. These and the others on 96% or more will be going into the hat to see who comes out with a £50 voucher as a reward for good attendance. We have been focussing very much on charity this term. Assemblies by Mrs Bulpin for Children‟s Christmas shoe boxes produced a good response – the best in the Academy. However, I am sure this will be vastly improved upon next year. Another assembly by Mrs Edwards highlighted the plight of Chinese orphans who are frequently abandoned if they are not “perfect”. Until recently the death rate for these poor children ran at 90%. However, thanks to a charity called Eagle‟s Wings, matters have started to improve. Bade Pirinc and Georgina Johnson of Year 9 are to be congratulated for their money raising cake sale for this worthwhile charity organisation. On behalf of the Lion Guild may I wish all our readers a very merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Mr A Lord – Head of Lion Guild

Griffin Guild

Christmas has once again crept up on us: suddenly the canteen is freezing, the male staff are wearing knitwear and teachers are having to raise their voices over the cacophony of coughing and sneezing in the classroom. The Christmas Griffin hopes that everyone in his Guild will be able to say, hand on heart, that they truly deserve the presents that Santa will bring them. Certainly, the students of Mrs Hughes‟ group will be high up Father Christmas‟ list because they currently sit in fourth place overall in the Guild League table with a whopping 2,322 points! Special mentions must go to „Titanium‟ Tyler Groves, „Lord‟ Levi Thame, Lauren „The Mack‟ Moseley, Hollie „The Destroyer‟ Davis and Casie-May „The Hatchet‟ Hacker who have all accrued over 100 Guild points at the time of writing. Mince pies should also be awarded to the Year 8 and 9 Griffin mentor groups who are the next highest placed in the Guild point league table at this moment in time. Miss Lane‟s group (currently in sixth place with 955 points), Miss Orford‟s group (currently in eighth place with 1832 points) and Miss Bulpin‟s group (currently 17th with 609 points) are all setting the standard for the rest of the Guild. The three Guild point Kings of Orient are (not including Year 7): Amy „Joy to the World‟ Johnson (GB) with 101 points, Deanna „Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Men‟ Prendergast (KL) on 95 and Liam „Wonderful Christmas Time‟ Webb and Chloe „Christmas‟ Zapata (both KL) who are tied in third place on 84. Well done to all of you; if you don‟t know how many Guild points you have, ask your mentor or find out for yourself on the Academy website. 70 points are required for a bronze award, a silver needs 150 and a gold certificate 250. Merry Christmas to one and all!

Mr S Ponsford – Head of Griffin Guild

8

Pegasus Guild

Term 2 of the academic year continues very positively. I know this because, in less than 2 terms, the total Guild points awarded to the Guild members are nearing 7,000, half the total gained from 6 terms last academic year! Pegasus students are trebling their efforts and achievements in lessons. I hope they can continue this for the remainder of the year. Could we be looking at a grand total of 21,000 points – now that would be totally amazing! Attendance is still a very strong aspect of our Guild and 44% of students have not missed a single Academy session and have 100% for the first two terms, well done! The Guild as a whole has an attendance of 94% which is excellent and demonstrates that Pegasus students want to come to the Academy and learn. This term will see the first Pegasus reward trip to The Science Learning Centre @Bristol on 8

th

December. This trip is available to a maximum of 50 students who have received no more than 1 buddy referral (detention of 30 minutes). I look forward to taking these students and showing them Bristol‟s answer to London‟s Science Museum. If you want more details please follow this link www.at-bristol.org.uk I would like to thank parents/carers for continuing to support our healthy Academy status by providing non-fizzy and decaffeinated drinks; this is helping boost concentration and ensuring the students perform to the best of their ability. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Mr S Matthews – Head of Pegasus Guild

Phoenix Guild

This newsletter places a special emphasis on the behaviour of our Guild as it is the best in the Academy. Well done to the overwhelming majority who always behave so well and congratulations to all for having the least number of detentions in the Academy. There have been some weeks when Phoenix Guild has had no detentions and this has cost me a fortune in chocolate - a price I am willing to pay! It was a pleasure to meet many parents/carers on the recent evening to be able to say how much their child had helped with this matter. Well done also to PB who are the highest scoring group in our Guild, in terms of Guild Points. Secondly, congratulations are due to the many students in Years 10 and 11 who have made substantial progress academically and have very good reports. Year 11 Excellent-Rhys James, Very good–Jordan Callaghan, Macauley Foley, Chloe Trivett, Good Liam Payne, Nicole Beardwell, Liam Hammond, Oleisha Edet, Josh Wiltshire, Holly Painter, Jasmin Gibbs, Jack Bull, Sarah Iles, Frank Warren, Liam Whittingham, Abi Fussell, and Connor Davies. We wish you well in the forthcoming trial exams. Year 10 Excellent–Liam Bailey, Jemma Hicks, and Jenny Lovell, Very good, Hannah Bradley, Maciej Pawlak, Heidi Clark, Chloe Wiltshire and Frankie Vaughan, Good, Ashton Coleman, Amber Meachin, Danielle Lewis, Bethany Streeter, Chloe Wilkinson, Jade Small, Tyler Johnson, Liam Stanley, and Samantha Trotman. Phoenix Guild students who have distinguished themselves outside the Academy are Chelsey Bennett in Gymnastics and Sammy Trotman in Cheerleading. As this letter is written the country is enjoying the first snowfall of the academic year, although only in the north so far. It is a timely reminder of wishing everybody well and to hope that each and all have a Happy Christmas. It is important to be careful in icy conditions but it is also important to make the most of the opportunity to enjoy it and have fun. Just as it is important to make the most of opportunities in the Academy. I am particularly looking forward to the Inter-Guild competitions that are timed for December.

Ms D Longley – Head of Phoenix Guild

At the end of the Academy day, most Thursdays, the workshops are open for students to work on their coursework, class projects or something crafty of their own devising. Come and join us for hands-on experience using tools and a range of materials to make your own creations. What‟s been going on recently?

February 14th – Valentines Day

March 2nd – Saints Day/World Maths Day

April 23rd – International Book Day

May 18th – International Primary Link

INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR 2011 - 2012

James Heron at work on the fret saw making a

sword

Year 10 PD students (Warwick & Corey)

experimenting with flashing LED circuits driven by old

phone chargers... hope they get their lights sorted by

Christmas

Mike and Frankie in year 11 catching up with the Product

Design Coursework

Mike is making a fried egg light. Can you see the CAD

CAM mould for the egg yolk?

Year 10 and 11 students looking at

Geoff’s amazing portfolio of work

10

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD 1ST NOVEMBER – 18TH NOVEMBER 2011 A huge thank you to all who took part in the Shoe Box Appeal. We only managed to collect 36 boxes, but hopefully next year we can collect more.

The boxes that students had put together were collected and sent to Belarus in Eastern Europe. We have received a certificate of thanks from the “Samaritans Purse”. In 2012 we are going to be setting up Operation Christmas Child again and would like everybody to get involved to help bring the joy into the lives of needy children through Christmas.

DIVERSITY DAY 2011...by Miss Bulpin, International Coordinator

On 21st October 2011, Year 9 students were involved in an International Project called “Diversity Day”. This involved the whole of Year 9 participating in a workshop called “Dance 4 life”.

The Dance 4 life workshop is an exciting initiative that seeks to inspire, educate, activate and celebrate young people (aged 13-21) around the world who tackle HIV and AIDS. By using all aspects of youth culture, including media, music and dance we increase knowledge and raise awareness of the global pandemic. The workshop took place during lessons 1 and 2 on Friday 21st October, where students enjoyed facts of life, dance and some raping with the workshop organisers.

We also had a visitor to the Academy that day, who came along to watch the workshop, local MP Steve Webb, who part took in the activities with the students and also gave a speech to the students about the HIV topic. The day became a great success having the Dance 4 life team helping raise awareness to the students and educate the life threatening disease to the next generation. Thank you to all who participated and help out.

11

CALENDAR TERM DATES 2011/2012

TERM 2

Monday 31 October TERM 2 BEGINS

Tuesday 29 November INSET Day – Academy Closed to Students

Friday 16 December TERM 2 ENDS

2012:

TERM 3

Tuesday 3 January TERM 3 BEGINS

Friday 10 February TERM 3 ENDS

TERM 4

Monday 20 February TERM 4 BEGINS

Friday 30 March TERM 4 ENDS

TERM 5

Monday 16 April TERM 5 BEGINS

Monday 7 May BANK HOLIDAY – ACADEMY CLOSED

Friday 1 June TERM 5 ENDS

TERM 6

Monday 11 June TERM 6 BEGINS

Friday 29 June INSET Day – Academy Closed to Students

Thursday 19 July TERM 6 ENDS

Thursday 19 July INSET Day – Academy Closed to Students

ATTENDANCE HOTLINE This is the number to phone if, for ANY reason, your child

will be absent from the Academy:-

01454 862668 Jane Whiting —Attendance Clerk

12

In the interests of SAFEGUARDING Parents and Carers are reminded that if your personal contact details change e.g. telephone/mobile numbers/work numbers or addresses, then Yate International Academy should be informed as soon as possible. We may need to get hold of you in an emergency! Students can give this information to The Academy, via their mentors or parents, or contact the main office themselves to ensure we have the correct information.

Your help with this important matter is greatly appreciated.

Be on your SAFE ‟GUARD‟ ING. CHALLENGE

It is now policy that all staff wear I.D. badges at all times. It is an expectation that parents/visitors always enter Yate International Academy via Reception. Parents/visitors will then be signed in and given a Visitor badge. Please do not be offended if you are asked to go to Reception and to sign in as a visitor – it is an important matter of safeguarding. You will then be met by the member of staff you came to visit or escorted to them through the building. We have innumerable points of entry at YIA and we are endeavouring to make the building as secure and SAFE, as we possibly can. The new build Academy will have only one point of entry and a secure line to safeguard your children.

NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION DATES 2011-2012 For information the publication dates for further 2011-2012 newsletters will be as follows:

9th February 2012

29th March 2012

24th May 2012

19th July 2012 Copies also posted on the Academy website (www.trfyia.org.uk):

LOST PROPERTY We have a very large amount of items in lost property which is still unclaimed. If it is not clearly labelled or is not claimed by the end of term, it will be taken to a charity shop, as we cannot store it all.