Clifton News Volume 1December 2017

Clifton NewsWe aim to send every young person into the world able and qualified to play their full role in it.

Welcome to the first edition of our school newsletter, which will inform you of the exciting activities and celebrate the achievements of our pupils.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, I would like to thank everyone for their support throughout what has been a very rewarding term.

A great deal has happened at Clifton over the last term and we will continue to be relentless in our drive to ensure that our pupils have the very best educational opportunities.

There have been a number of excellent achievements this term; one of my highlights has been how well our Year 7 pupils have become part of the Clifton family. The induction activities have really given these young people a chance to learn about the Clifton Way and settle into school life quickly. We know it is crucially important to get this transition right and we appreciate the support of parents and our primary feeder schools in helping make this work so well.

I want to congratulate all of those pupils that have worked hard and shown a positive attitude this term - they really are a pleasure to work with. Thank you to all parents, carers and families for your on going support. The combination: home, school, and pupils here at Clifton will prove to be unbeatable.

I wish you and your family a restful and enjoyable Christmas break, and a happy New Year.

My staff and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 8th January 2018 when, as always, no less than total commitment, concentration and ambition will do.

T.HardcastleMr. Hardcastle Headteacher

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Extra curricularThe practitioner who came to lead a workshop is an ex performer of Phoenix Dance and now works for them by delivering workshops to students.

Y10 and a few Y11 BTEC students had the privilege of working as a professional dancer would for two and a half hours. They learned three different warm up techniques and most of the students presumed this was the dance choreography as it lasted 50 minutes. The choreography was a contemporary based theme to ‘Shadows’ which is a professional piece by Christopher Bruce, a world renowned choreographer.

The Phoenix Dance Company Comes to Clifton

This term has already been a busy one for the Performing Arts Faculty! Music Week took place from 25th – 29th September and was busier than last year, with pop-up performances around school, a pianothon and performances in assemblies.

Music & Drama

Upcoming events...

December 2017:Hollywood Bowl - School Rewards Trip

January 2018:Poetry Live with Miss Foster - School TripY7 Parents Evening - Thursday 18thY9 Parents & Option Evening - Tuesday 30th

February 2018:Hairspray with Miss CottonClifton Community School Live ShowY10 Parents Evening - Tuesday 20th

March 2018:Poland3 Night School Trip with the Humanities DepartmentY8 Parents Evening - Thursday 1st

Year 11 students took part in their careers day last week and attended sessions on Higher Education, Apprenticeships and UCAS Progress as well as each student taking part in an individual ‘mock’ interview with a visiting professional. All students have been working hard during lessons to prepare their CV to submit to the professionals. The students were given feedback on their CV’s as well as tips on interview techniques. The students also had the opportunity to attended workshops to find out more about Apprenticeships, Vocational study and student life at University.

Careers & Future Planning

The Clifton Factor Final took place on 9th November, with 7 fantastic finalists competing for the trophy. Congratulations to Demi and Isabelle with their joint win!

Rehearsals are well underway for this year’s school production of Return to the Forbidden Planet, the Shakespearean rock musical. Set on a space ship the story follows the tale of Captain Tempest and his crew aboard The Albatross which crash lands on a mysterious planet.

What’s inside...• A warm welcome from Mr. Hardcastle Headteacher at Clifton Community School

• Curriculum News:- Design Technology- Food Technology- Maths- MFL- Student Librarians- P.E & Sports

• Head of Year Updates:- Miss L. Miller- Mrs J. Webster- Mr D. Griffin- Mr R. Duroe- Miss J. Hewitt

• Extra Curricular Activities:- Dance- Music

• Clifton Achievements:- Careers Fair and Future Planning

• Upcoming Events 2017/2018...

Watch out for our next Newsletter coming March 2018

Keep updated on the go:www.cliftonschool.orgFollow us on Facebook:Clifton Community SchoolFollow us on Twitter:@cliftoninfo

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Clifton curriculum, year group updates & more

Pupils and staff entered the Clifton Bake Off Competition with a variety of entry categories. This was judged by Sam Beighton from ASDA, Julie Tester and Karen Creaghan. Well done to all of the winners: Mr Yates, Mr Brown, Molly Burgin Y10, Ethan Gale Y10, Sabeehah Aslam Y9 and Alexandra Kovacova Y7. All of the entries and bakes from our very own Y10 hospitality students were sold at our Macmillan coffee morning from which we raised over £500!

On Tuesday 28th November Year 11 students set up an ‘in school restaurant’ as part of their final GCSE assessment. Pupils prepared, cooked and served a three course meal as part of their GCSE in Hospitality. The evening was a massive success with parents, teachers and governors praising the delicious food and their fabulous serving skills!

Hospitality & Food Technology

Year 10 Design TechnologyThis term students have impressed in their new project. Y10 students have been given the task of designing and then making their own desk lamp from scratch out of recycled materials from school, their homes, and local business donations of used and/or broken products. So far the work has been outstanding with all students showing a flair for creativity having now designed, developed and modelled some of their ideas.

Student LibrariansThe Clifton Library is a hub of activity every day, from Year 7 reading lessons to intervention groups and the stationery shop. Staff have spent time recruiting students to help in the day to day running of the Library. After application forms, interviews and trial runs, we now have a dedicated team of Student Librarians to oversee the shop, use the library computer system and organise books. Our thanks go to Ihab, Abisha, Sathurja, Alexandra, Molly, Alisha and Alicia for their commitment to helping other students enjoy a pleasant Library environment.

Modern Foreign LanguagesIn preparation for the forthcoming Water Sports trip to La Fosca in the Costa Brava, students and staff have been working very hard in fundraising. In this half term alone students have managed to raise a fantastic £758.22.

On Tuesday 26th September, our school celebrated the European Languages Day where students were offered a little taste of some of the different cultures we have in Europe. Activities included an International Cinema with the French film “Les Choristes” being projected and a tongue-twister battle with tongue-twisters from different european languages. Students were also seen posing in the photo booth with quotes and expressions from around Europe. The school canteen also served typical European meals, such as Swedish meatballs and Greek salad.

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MathsYear 12 student Yosra Alenazi was the recipient of the Award for Achievement in Maths at the GCSE Presentation Evening. She started her journey in Maths in set 3 studying towards her GCSE at foundation level. Due to her commitment to her studies and her resilience she progressed upwards to set 1, successfully studying for a GCSE at higher level and achieving a grade 7, coming 8th in the whole year group. An amazing achievement with equally amazing commitment to her education. On the same night Shahbaz Hussain (Year 12) was awarded the Judy Sissons award for achieving the highest total of marks on the higher tier, achieving a grade 8 with a total of 182 marks, receiving a cheque for £100.

Year 7For our Year 7 students, this has been an exciting and sometimes daunting start to their secondary school career. They have settled well and worked tirelessly to learn and start to show, just how well they fit in to the Clifton Way. They have already achieved lots of excellent things. Taking part in the inter-form rounders as a year group was a particular highlight, with so many students working together to achieve their full potential. They have grown in confidence and pushed hard to improve their attendance, punctuality, effort and attainment across the school and continue to drive up their standards, in the hopes that they will all come out with not only top grades at the end of year 7, but going forward in every year to come.Miss Miller (Head of Year) & Mr Rowlands and Miss Hemmingway (SPM’s)

Year 10Since September Year 10 have been working on understanding and embedding several strands of the Clifton Way to ensure that they have made a positive start to their GCSE courses. Our main focus has been being equipped to learn, working hard and dreaming big. These are fundamentals to success not only in student’s GCSE courses but important life skills that will ensure they are able to fulfil their role in whatever their chosen field is when they leave Clifton. Many of our students have already set their sights high for when they leave Clifton and have clear aspirations for themselves. Not only have they decided on their goals and future careers but they have gained the information and knowledge regarding qualifications and skills needed to gain access to courses in various Form Tutor time activities and through independent research.Mr Duroe (Head of Year) & Miss Hemmingway (SPM)

Year 11Since September Year 11 have been working on preparing themselves for the year ahead with regards to their GCSE examinations that are fast approaching. Our main focus so far this year has been on being equipped to learn, working hard and planning for further education whether that be sixth form, college or an apprenticeship. Within Year 11 we are working hard towards building a culture of achievement and celebrating successes. We want every student to be proud of what they achieve and encourage each other to do well, supporting one another in their endeavours. Year 11 is full of students with an abundance of potential that they demonstrate in a multitude of ways. There are plenty of exciting events coming up throughout the remainder of the year, so keep an eye out and get involved!Miss Hewitt (Head of Year) & Mrs Harris (SPM)

Year 9Since September, we have looked to raise expectations repeatedly within the community. Y9 have regularly been taking part in Duke of Edinburgh schemes where we are taking pride in our local area, and providing public services in Clifton Park. We have represented sports at the highest level in Netball, Football, Rugby and Cross Country via sporting events and cup competitions. We have had several young people taking part on extra-curricular clubs, most notably, four Y9 finalists in this year’s Clifton Factor, with joint winners being shared by two of our year group. Our attendance continues to improve, as does our punctuality; the average attendance from Y9 is above 91%, but still needs to climb. Mr Griffin (Head of Year) & Mr Davis (SPM)

P.E & SportsPupils from Y7 and Y8 attended a workshop in Huddersfield to design a new rugby kit for the school team. The kit is to be produced by England shirt sponsors Canterbury Sports.The school will receive 20 shirts as part of the RFU initiative. The pupils were brilliant and the final designfeatures images unique to our school.

11 Year 7 pupils, who have made an excellent start in PE and at school in general, were taken to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United V Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup. The trip was a big success and the pupils had a great evening.45 pupils attended the World Cup Qualifying Match between England and Slovenia on the 5th of Octoberat Wembley stadium. The pupils were selected from the KS3 girls and boys football teams as a reward tripfor commitment and behaviour.In other Football news, on Friday 20th October, the Year 11 team competed against the Staff in a charity match after school. This event saw over 200 pupils and staff stay after school to support and help to raise over £300 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Year 8It’s been a great start in Year 8 with students learning all about what the Clifton Way means to them. Our students have also enjoyed sporting success in netball and football. They have been out and about attending the remembrance service in Rotherham, going out for tapas with the Spanish department and the top students were also rewarded with a trip to Alton Towers where they had a fantastic day at Scarefest. Our next focus is improving attendance, punctuality and ensuring homework is completed. Overall it’s been a really positive start.Mrs Webster (Head of Year) & Mr Rowlands (SPM)