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Issue 3, Summer Term 2010

From Mrs Jones,Principal

Inside:Indie Project Report 2PE report / Sports Week 2/3Photo Album 4-5LRC 6Community Partnership 7Future Dates & Events 8

Newsletter of Heartlands Academy

Dear AllWe have now almost completed our

first year as an academy and as ever there have been so many successes. Many of these you will have read about in the newsletters.

This last week of term has seen us embark on a new programme of activities, requiring a lot of organisation and time commitment from so many people. I am sure you, as parents/carers, would want me to thank all staff concerned for their efforts and support in this programme.

With regard to September, I would be grateful if you would encourage your child to drink the more healthy drinks such as water or fruit juice. There is a tendency for some students to bring in the high energy drinks which are not always of benefit to them. Water – this can be flavoured water still or fizzy. Fruit Juices/Smoothies these should be pure juice rather than ‘juice drinks’ Milk/milk products – must be served cold and of the semi skimmed variety. These can be flavoured milks containing less than 10% sugars.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support, and to provide an important message to our young people this holiday: “stay safe”.

Mrs. G. Jones Please refer to page 8 for important

information regarding the arrangements for 2nd September.

HeartlinesMelisa Hanson, 11HAM, has again qualified for the UK School Games after taking part in the West Midlands Schools’ final in which she ran 200m in record time! Melisa has been running for Birchfield Harriers for a number of years and runs both 100m and 200m for school and her club. Last year she went to the UK School Games where she won a gold medal in the relay. This year she qualified for the West Midlands Schools final which was held on Saturday 12th June. She ran a time of 24.6 seconds beating her nearest opponent by 2.1 seconds, and qualifying for the English Schools final due to be held on 3rd July in Gateshead. She also ran the 100m in 12.2seconds and finished first.

Melisa will go on to represent the West Midlands at the UK School Games this September.

Melisa Through to UK School Games After Running 200m in Record Time

STOP PRESS

Sports Week sees the Launching of a House

System

Report and pictures page 3

Melisa raced in the English Schools competition earlier this month. In the first race of the heats, Melisa went through to the semi-finals of the 200m finishing 2nd and earning a place in the finals. Despite strong competition, she achieved 5th position nationally.

Denise Lewis with Melisa Hanson

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In this, the first year of academy status for Heartlands, the PE department went from strength to strength involving students in almost every sport imaginable. The students took part in a variety of activities, from camping in the Peak District, to rock climbing and canoeing and finally our fantastic Sports Week.

APPLYING MATHEMATICALPROCESSESThe year 8 students (Set 1 Maths) did a practical maths activity on Wednesday 14th of July 2010. The group has been put forward as a pilot for Applying Mathematical Processes activities by their Maths teacher, Miss Javeheri. The students’ work and behaviour were highly praised by the visitors from Birmingham City University and teachers from other schools.Thanks go to the Head of Mathematics, teachers in the department, the Head of Key Stage 3, year 8 and Soreena.

E. Javeheri

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARDSAs part of Heartlands Academy’s initiative to embed internationalism in the curriculum,  many projects, links, visits abroad and international activities have been taking place.  As a result, the academy has been awarded the Foundation and Intermediate Level awards for “International School Award: Introducing and Developing Internationalism”. The award is given by The British Council working in association with the Department for Education. This is because we, staff and pupils, have demonstrated an excellent approach in promoting the international dimension across the academy and highlighting the benefits of learning in a global context.   The academy’s commitment to extending and embedding internationalism in the curriculum is a valuable aspect of its ethos. 

 K. SmithHead of MFL

WIZARD OF OZHeartlands Academy’s first full-scale musical took place on 6th, 7th and 8th July. The young cast had been rehearsing regularly since January and their hard work paid off with three excellent performances, enjoyed by parents, friends, staff and visiting primary schools. The final night was very exciting and featured a special finalé dance by our very own Tin Man, Eugene Mashidiku. For the first time, the majority of the technical crew backstage were also students, from years 9 and 10, gaining vocational experience as part of their BTEC studies.

Congratulations to all the cast and crew - you were fabulous!

Watch this space for details of our next performance.

M. HansonHead of Music

PEREPORT

Rounders - Teams have taken part in the Aston Schools’ Tournament and competed exceptionally well. The year 8 team have shown great commitment and played a range of matches throughout the season.

The U15s again played really well and despite picking up some injuries, they still managed a win against Priory School.Trampoline - The team have once again been the dominant force in the Aston Schools’ Partnership with Michelle Ncube winning for the year 7 team and Bethan Fulwell winning for year 8.Leadership - This has been a big focus this year. The sports leaders have once again provided great support to PE developing skills for leading the primary schools. They were highly praised for their hard work at an athletics event. A big thank you from the PE department.Athletics - The athletics teams have trained hard this year and competed in various events, performing well in all of them.

F. Forrester

During Sports Week 2010, to highlight the paralympic events, every student took part in able and disabled sports. Another first for this year was the introduction of a House system: Tornado (green), Lightning (yellow), Storm (red) and Hurricane (blue). Each House was awarded points according to their commitment to the following activities: wheelchair basketball; blind football; tennis; high jump; table tennis; volleyball; boxercise; ultimate frisbee. To finish off the week, Heartlands Academy held a whole school assembly attended by special guest, Denise Lewis, 2000 Olympic Champion. Denise was on hand to present some of the awards and gave a short talk that really inspired both students and staff alike.

Here’s hoping that 2011 will see our house system grow and grow, and Team Tornado be champions!!

J. Lea (Tornado)Head of PE

Sports Week

INDIE IN BELGIUM 2010‘Inclusion and Diversity in Education’ (INDIE) is a British Council led project aimed at promoting social cohesion and raising educational standards in culturally-inclusive schools. It is run in collaboration with local and regional education authorities from nine EU Member States: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Students, teachers and decision makers from all participating countries came together in Brussels from 26th until 29th February 2008 and agreed on a European Youth Charter on Inclusion and Diversity in Education, based on their experiences within schools throughout Europe.

This Youth Charter formed the basis of future initiatives and programmes aimed at establishing best practice in managing culturally- inclusive schools.  All partner schools had a vital part to play in ensuring that the Youth Charter on Inclusion and Diversity in Education was fundamental to starting the process of development and change.

In May 2010, the end of the project was celebrated in the place where it began: Belgium. Govan Rashid, as a Young Leader on the project for our school, and I were invited to attend the event based at the European Parliament building in Brussels. The aim of the event was to share the impact of projects in our schools and the leadership development of the Young Leaders.

Young Leaders from all the partner countries were able to debate with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in attendance on further strategies to ensure that inclusion and diversity in education maintains a high profile on any educational policies developed.So where next?Our Academy plans to participate in ‘Connecting Classrooms’. This is a global programme that creates partnerships between clusters of schools in the UK and others around the world. These partnerships bring an international dimension to young people’s learning, to improve their knowledge and understanding of other cultures and prepare them for life and work as global citizens.

D. Dunkley, Assistant Vice Principal

Govan in the European Parliament chambers

Govan with Tony Howell, Strategic Director for Children, Young People

& Families in Birmingham

WHOLE SCHOOL PHOTO

GCSE ART

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ALBUM

YEAR 11 PROM

GCSE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

PHOTO

A selection of GCSE artwork by:(from top left clockwise)Kenizzi Yamilimbu, Ebony Gray, Sania Nisa,Rowena Begum,Rahma Haji.

Resistance Materials CourseworkA selection of products designed and made by students. Students were encouraged to

use architecture as a source of inspiration in designing a storage system for personal items

such as DVDs, money etc.

1st July 2010Novotel, Broad Street, Birmingham

Heartlands first ever whole school photo

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Aston Villa Kick and Cook Programmewith Year 10 GCSE cookery studentsYear 10 GCSE students took part in a five week Extended Schools Cookery Programme delivered by Aston Villa and funded through the PCT. Students attended talks about nutrition and healthy eating during the first week. Throughout weeks two to four, students took part in practical cookery sessions in the Aston Villa kitchens with one of the chefs. During week five the students were given a budget to visit Tesco so they could understand about budgeting and shopping for a family. At the end of the programme the students were invited to a prize giving evening and were allowed to keep their chef whites, which had been embroidered with their name.

If you would like information about:

• primary school transition• Heartlands Academy events• parenting support programmes• community partnership work

contact:Mrs Rachel Buckingham

Community DirectorHeartlands Academy

Great Francis Street, Birmingham B7 4QR

0121 464 5531

r.buckingham@heartlands-academy.org.uk

Parent/Community News

ESOL Classes for Ladies Every Thursday

In partnership with the Birmingham Ethnic Education and Advisory Service (BEEAS) and the Wardlow Centre Women’s project, Heartlands Academy encouraged ladies from Heartlands Academy and the community of Nechells to attend ESOL for ladies, delivered every Thursday from 9:30-12:30 at the Wardlow Centre. If you would like to attend please feel free to come along.

Keep Fit for LadiesLadies from Heartlands Academy and the Nechells community attend ladies-only keep fit classes every Wednesday evening at 6pm. Classes are free of charge and delivered by a qualified instructor. The programme is delivered in partnership with the Wardlow Centre Women’s project.

Adult Mentoring Programme

In partnership with Bournville College, adults from Heartlands Academy and Nechells Community took part in the five week course An Introduction to Mentoring. The course ended July 16th. Those who attended said they had learnt many transferable skills that they will be able to use with their own children and when seeking future employment. Three of the participants are employed as parent home link workers at Heartlands Academy.

GRADUATION

Cartoonist Visits the LRCIn June, John McCrea a well-known comic book illustrator, visited Heartlands and held a demonstration in the LRC. Even if you haven’t heard his name, you have probably come across his illustrations in any of the following comic books: The Hulk; Batman; Bart Simpson; Star Wars Tales; The Preacher; The Hitman, Olverine; Judge Dredd. He taught some of our budding artists how to create their own comic strip. The work produced is currently displayed outside the libray.

Our Year 7 Reading Champions

organised a successful

Horrid Henry Day for year 7 students. The pupils decorated the library with jokes and pictures of Henry. They also prepared and delivered mini quizzes and competitions as well as a lovely feast of tasty goodies. Prizes were also awarded for the best Horrid Henry joke and picture. The girls involved in organising the lunch and tutor time activities were Ameera Zair , Huma Shazadi, Husna Shazadi, Zara Aktar, Aisha Shaheen and Syann Beaumont.

The Year 9 Reading Champions Ibrahim El Kundi and Amie Njie led a fantastic Manga competition for Year 7 pupils. They were asked to draw a poster of their favorite Manga character. Winners were Canroy Horne and Hassan El Kundi. Well done to all those who entered the competition.

Class of 2010The Heartlands Academy Graduation was held on the evening of 13th May 2010 this year. It was an excellent evening of fun and entertainment. A great speech was given by our guest speaker, Dan Fox, an England hockey player, and the entertainment was provided by Dr Teeth, a swing jive band. Thank you to Dan Fox, Dr Teeth, all of year 11 and the staff who supported the event for a fantastic night.

World Cup and Foul Play Reading GroupA group of year 7 boys got together once a week during the world cup to read and play World Cup games. They discussed football tactics, competed in teams to win several World Cup quizzes and games as well as predicting world cup fixtures. Throughout the sessions they also read the book Foul Play by Tom Palmer. Boys who took part were Kyran Gardiner, Layton Parker, Lewis Higgins, Jackir Ahmed, Bilal Muhammed, Hassan El Kundi, and Canroy Horne. A big thank you to the boys for their enthusiasm and to Mr Langton for his help in organising sessions.

OPEN EVENING

Year six students are invited to Heartlands Academy

OPEN EVENINGon Wednesday 22 September

2010between 4:15/6:00pm.

If you would prefer to visit during the day-time, please call Mrs Buckingham at the Academy to arrange a tour.

Price Waterhouse Coopers & Business Dynamics Business Studies students working in partnershipBusiness Studies students took part in a day’s programme led by business role models from PWC and Business Dynamics. Through a tailored programme of interactive seminars, students learnt how to work in teams in a competitive environment and gained a practical understanding of some key areas of business: Sales and Marketing, IT, Finance, Human Resources, Design and Development and Business Management. Students’ feedback was positive with many commenting on how much they had learnt from the day’s interactive programme and stating that they would like to work with more partners in the future.

by B. BlackhamLearning Resource Centre Manager

Winning drawing by Canroy Horne, 7THE

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Academy DatesAutumn Term 2010

Wednesday, 1 September -Friday, 17th December

Half term breakMonday, 25 Oct - Friday, 29 Oct

Teacher Days (non-pupil days)Wednesday, 1 September

Friday, 24 September

Other datesThu, 2 Sep Special arrangements (see below)Wed, 22 Sep Open Evening

Heartlands Academy, Great Francis Street, Birmingham, B7 4QRTelephone: 0121 464 3931 • www.heartlands-academy.org.uk

Maths Club

Key Stage 3 Math’s Club is heldevery Monday after school

from 3:05pm to 4:05pm in F7.

This is an opportunity for pupils to get help with homework and explore

maths through games, puzzles and other activities.

Come along and bring your friends.

Discover how much fun maths can be.

Work Experience PreparationYear 10In anticipation of our year 10 students beginning work experience in July, a company called Bright Futures came to Heartlands and delivered workshops on Work Experience Preparation. Pupils attended the workshops and explored what it means to go to work. They looked at what skills they would need and employers’ expectations. They also considered who their future employers might be and what sort of work experience would be most relevant. The day was varied and active, ending with an excellent activity that developed their creative, problem solving and presentation skills.

B. Blackham

ENVIRONMENT MATTERS

At Heartlands, we are committed to being green and saving the planet by being environmentally friendly. This is acheived in part by recycling and actively tackling waste.

Recycling bags are provided in every classroom and office to help recycle newspapers, magazines etc. In order to maximise waste disposal, old ICT equipment and ink cartridges are collected and disposed of via a collection programme. Many charities such as the Rainbows Children’s Hospice, World Horse Welfare and Jeans for Genes benefit from donations as a result of the academy’s participation in this programme. Recently, the academy had a paperless day when all pupils and staff aimed to reduce their paper usage significantly.

The removal of old inefficient CRT monitors and replacement of new TFT monitors means that the PCs are up to five times more energy-efficient, as less heat is wasted. Lighting in some restrooms is equipped with motion detectors to help reduce energy.

As an academy, we have made donations to many charities and good causes such as Comic Relief, Children in Need and the Islamic Relief, as well as generating donations in support of the local community such as Acorn’s Hospice to international appeals.

Jiaqi Shi

STRATFORD MARATHONWould you like to get fitter or possibly

lose weight and have fun raising money for charity.

Next year the academy will be entering the ‘Stratford Marathon’ in May.

If you are interested please emailMr Langton

stratford-marathon@heartlands-academy.org.uk

and you will be sent more information.Full support will be given helping you

to complete the event.

ALL ABILITIES WELCOME

Unfortunately this event is only open to those aged 18 or over.

Personal Development Day at the Army Year 10Pupils spent a fun day at the Army Head Quarters in Stafford learning team building skills. They were set the challenge of completing nine activities, all of which involved working as part of a team. It was a great day out so thank you very much to the Army for providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills.

OPEN EVENINGWednesday 22 September 2010

4:15pm - 6:00pm

Arrangements for 2nd September: Year 7 Normal day Year 10 Study skills day Years 8, 9 & 11 Review day

You will receive more information about these arrangements during the holidays.