Academy News Autumn Term - Issue 1 Page 1

Autumn Term Issue 1

Another huge success with over 375 families attending in the evening and over 30 families visiting during the school day. The Principal gave 3 talks to parents throughout the evening, with the Auditorium filled to capacity. Thank you to all of our visitors, and for all of your wonderful feedback.

Open

Evening

Year Seven Summer School Eighty five soon to be Year 7 pupils spent five fun-filled days at the Academy following an action packed itinerary. Summer School is about giving pupils time to make new friends and become better acquainted with their school before the official start of term. This helps to boost their confidence and allay any fears they might have of ‘coming up to the big school’. The theme of this year’s Summer School was ‘Animals’ and each pupil was assigned to a team (Monkeys, Snakes, Tigers, Rhinos, Parrots and Crocodiles) that they spent the majority of their time with. Every pupil at Summer School had the opportunity to:

*meet and handle a range of animals, insects and reptiles, including a pygmy crocodile, a skunk, a pair of meerkats, a

bearded dragon, a chameleon, a tarantula, a tree-frog, a scorpion, a hedgehog, an owl, a snake and a millipede * design and print a ‘T-shirt’ and a mug * make lemon drizzle cup cakes *design and make a notebook

*design/paint an animal poster *learn sign-language *take part in competitive sport *use ICT to research and present information * plant seeds and investigate bugs *toast marshmallows by tea-light

Thank you to everyone who made this week such a huge success. Mrs Edgar

Academy News Autumn Term - Issue 1 Page 2

Higson Horror Talk A Great Success! On Tuesday 16th September, the English department took a group of enthusiastic Year 7 readers to Oakengates Theatre to hear best-selling children’s author Charlie Higson talk all things books. A packed audience full of students from across Shropshire listened intently as Charlie chatted about a whole host of topics ranging from how he first started

writing stories to his work as an award-winning comedy writer to how he desperately tried to scare the life out of his three boys while composing his latest horror offering, ‘The Hunted’, the new book in his ‘The Enemy’ series. Our Year 7 pupils were particularly excited to hear about his work writing the ‘Young Bond’ series and enjoyed listening to his obsession with the scariest monster of all, the zombie – especially when he likened them to teenage boys! Pupils were so taken with Charlie’s talk that as soon as they got back to school, their first stop was the LRC to check which of his books were available to borrow! Mr Duffield

Rolls Royce recently sponsored an Enterprise Activity Day at Aston University. Tasmin Mason, Serena Heales, Jack Loftus, Nathan Garvey, Katie Goring, and Govind Kumar from year 10 had no idea what to expect, but were pleased to see lots of other students from other schools in exactly the same position. A package of information was on each table which they had to digest and act upon at the start of the challenge. There was a supply desk where they could purchase items (a glue stick cost £20!) a bank, where they could

borrow money (monopoly money!) and a team of buyers who negotiated a price for the items and ideas they were making. The academy students designed a ‘computer wrist band, which was well received by the buyers. At the end of the day the team were placed 11th out of 30 an impressive performance. The students also watched a presentation about Aston University, and student finance, all in all a very worthwhile day. Thank you to everyone at Aston University and Miss Moszynska for organising. Mrs Kendall

The Principal's Monologue Schools are places where time passes exceptionally quickly. Every day whizzes by, every term is over before you know it. The pace of life in the last eight weeks has been no exception and they have been littered with significant events. Our open evening was very well attended. Over 400 families came through the Academy doors and there was much positive feedback provided about the building but more importantly about the pupils that showed parents around. Everyone I spoke to commented on how friendly, mature and impressive our pupils were. We also had our annual Haberdashers’ Deputation. This is when our sponsors send a number of their members to visit the Academy and reassure themselves that we are delivering the kind of education they value. Again must positive praise was received and a common thread was the confidence of the pupils that showed the Haberdashers’ around the building. Our House system has really come to life this term. The first two big competitions were held, photography and cross country. The first was won by Chloe Kennedy from Darwin House. The inaugural House cross country race was a fantastic event. Nearly 1000 pupils and 36 staff ran the race. The purpose of these events is to build competition and belonging. They also teach us that sometimes we need to do things that we are not good at, and maybe would rather not do, for the greater good of a community. For those of us, and I include myself here, for whom running is not a favourite past time the fact that we did it shows great character. Many thanks to all staff and pupils. The winners were Woodhall House. Owen, Darwin and Webb were 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. Next year we will hold the event a little earlier in the year to try and avoid the rain. Have a restful half-term and return

energised on the 3rd November.

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It was a cold Saturday morning in March 2014 when the members of the Senior Jazz Band, Brass Band, Showband, Clarinet Choir and Percussion Ensemble boarded a coach and travelled to Meole Brace School in Shrewsbury in order to perform at the regional round of Music for Youth Festival (MFY). The Senior Jazz Band performed a twelve minute programme including Gordon Goodwin’s piece ‘Hunting Wabbits’ and Sammy Nestico’s arrangement of ‘God Bless the Child’. The performance was celebrated in the feed back comments given by the music mentors. It was approximately two months later the news came through that both the Clarinet Choir and the Senior Jazz Band had impressed the music mentors so much they invited them to perform at the National Finals held in Birmingham. Celebrating 10 years in Birmingham 8-12 July 2014, MFY's National Festival showcases dynamic

performances by young musicians from across the UK. Featuring jazz, orchestral, rock, folk and world, urban, wind and brass, pop, choral and chamber music! The Academy’s Senior Jazz Band was performing alongside some of the top School Jazz Bands in the UK which included Northampton School for Boys Big Band, The Blue Coat School Jazz Orchestra and Roundwood Park School Jazz Band. Under the direction of Doug Bill and Tom Gledhill the band performed a demanding set, which included Weather Report’s ‘Birdland’ featuring the Academy’s electric bass player Harry Beech.

Certificates of Achievement

At each session during the Festival, Music Mentors present two special Certificates of Achievement, one for Performance Practice and one for Innovation. The Performance

Practice certificate rewards special achievement in the quality of musicianship, or an aspect of performance presentation that deserves particular acknowledgement. The Innovation certificate is awarded for performances that are particularly imaginative, creative or inspiring.

After such an inspirational, well - balanced and innovative performance the Abraham Darby Academy’s Senior Jazz Band was presented with the Performance Practice award. This was in recognition for.., ‘a truly amazing performance with outstanding solos and a truly professional approach to all aspects of performance’.

This achievement was the perfect ending to what has to be described as one of, if not, the most successful year ever for the Abraham Darby Academy Senior Jazz Band.

Mr Gledhill

Abraham Darby Academy Senior Jazz Band Success

Music For Youth 2014.

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The experience of a lifetime!

The National citizens Service is a government run program that offers you at the age of 16 to have a once in a life opportunity.

During this past summer we participated on the program. During week one, we travelled to Glan Llyn, here we participated in lots of different activities such as rock climbing, canoeing, gorge walking and raft building. This is a picture of us on Bala Lake.

During the second week we stayed in the Telford Hotel and Golf Resort, here we had the opportunity to make a film and designed our own franchise for a smoothie business, this included making our own smoothie and presenting it to our wave manager. We also got to have a free driving lesson and a self-

defence class. My wave was the first wave to be able to attend the NCS festival. There was music, food, paint and people. It was an amazing day!

On the completion of the first two weeks, we were then required to do ‘social action’, this is when we met up with our team and leader and planned a project that aimed to benefit our community. We are so happy that we got involved with the national citizen’s service. NCS

has made me a better person. Not only have I faced my fears but I have also made amazing new friends and helped my community. I would recommend the experience to everyone.

Abbey Turton and Andrew

McMahon-Stone

Deputation Day

Once again the Academy welcomed the annual Haberdashers’ Deputation for a packed day of activities. The party of fourteen were taken on tours of the building and into lessons by students in year 11. Following on, all year 7

students were presented with a King James Bible, the Master gave a brief speech and welcomed the students into the Haberdasher family of schools. They then attended a Q & A session with some students from years 7-11 and also visited the extra curricular activities on offer that day. Another very successful visit and our guests left with smiles on their faces!

Academy News Autumn Term - Issue 1 Page 5

Darwin House is named after probably the best known local scientist in Shropshire, Charles Darwin. Darwin was a British biologist who laid the foundations of the Theory of Evolution and transformed the way we think about the natural world. He is celebrated as one of the greatest and most innovative scientists who ever lived. There are two quotes from Darwin’s writing that have provided Darwin House with our motto;

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”

We in Darwin House are a proud bunch. We work hard and we play hard, always with a smile! We love to win, but even if we don’t it is with the knowledge that we have tried our best. We love to work as a team and encourage and support each other as we strive to do our best to succeed in whatever we are doing. Mrs Duggan

Welcome to Webb House. My name is Miss Owen and I am lucky enough to be the head of this fantastic house. Webb is a fun and exciting house where all students are valued for their contribution, whether they be large or small.

Mary Webb, novelist and poet, is Shropshire’s most famous daughter. She passionately loved the Shropshire countryside, which she knew intimately, drawing from it her settings, her characters and the rich descriptive detail of her novels and poems. Her creativity was inspiring. The message we can all learn from Webb is that you should make the most of your

opportunities available to you, be as creative as you can be and use your surroundings to inspire your success.

There is a strong emphasis on the need to include pupils (a sense of belonging) immediately on joining Webb House and build on the sense of community with each other as well as the need for positive role models. In our house we work to achieve through team work, encouragement and enjoyment. It is very important that students within the house are happy and have all they need to reach their true full potential. This will be achieved through a strong emphasis on mutual respect for each other and a calm and caring environment.

There are many opportunities for student leadership within the House system. Webb House believes it is important to provide more opportunities for our students to take responsibility and

develop leadership skills. There is a blend of different activities to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to represent their house at some point.

Webb house thrives on the ethos of:

Belonging

Heroes

Sense of accomplishment

Fun and excitement

Curiosity and creativity

Spirit of adventure

Leadership and responsibility

Confidence to take action Miss Owen This term the four houses have been running a photo competition. Below is the winning entry entitled ‘Calm’ for Webb House by

Courtney Hellowell 11 SEW

Confident Calm Caring

Here is Darwin’s winning entry to the

photography competition

Chloe Kennedy 11MAB

Webb House chosen charity for the year

Academy News Autumn Term - Issue 1 Page 6

Woodhall House is named after the famous Telford sportsman, Richie Woodhall. He is a former English boxer who held the WBC super middleweight title. He took the Bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and won the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Since retiring, he has followed a career in broadcasting with the BBC and Sky Sports. He has recently established his own charity, “Fight For Change”, that uses the

sport of boxing in inner cities and socially excluded communities to engage young people in positive activities. Richie grew up in Telford on the Woodside estate. .He attended the Abraham Darby School from 1979-1984. Richie was renowned for his hard work, teamwork and ‘above and beyond’ spirit.

These are the three values that Woodhall House is built upon. Whether solving murder mysteries, designing Christmas cards or playing house rugby I would always expect you to demonstrate these pillars of the house values when taking part in any activity. “Acta non verba”, which translates into actions not words, is the motto of Woodhall House. We want

Woodhall House students to use their initiative and take part in all activities to the best of their ability.

Owen House is named after Wilfred Owen, one of Shropshire’s most famous sons. He was a officer in WW1 and led his men bravely into battle on several occasions. However, his real talent was with words! He was the most amazing poet and managed to capture just how horrible the war was in dozens of poems that he wrote on the subject. His poems

are now known all over the world and are often read out on Remembrance Day each year. His life gives us our House motto, which is:

TALENTUM. DUCTUS. FORTITUDO. It means ‘TALENT.LEADERSHIP.BRAVERY’. In other words, we Owen students to show off their talents, set an example to others and be brave enough to make the right choices. Throughout the year, we hold lots of different competitions, to give students chance to win points for Owen House and help us win the House Cup at the end of the year. Some of these include:

INTERHOUSE SPORTS, HOUSE ARTS FESTIVAL, MURDER MYSTERY, MASTERCHEF,CREATIVE COMPETITIONS and CHARITY FUNDRAISING Many of the competitions involve trying new things for the first time; Owen students are encouraged to be open-minded in the pursuit of hidden talents! All students are expected to take part in the Interhouse competitions and Owen House uses an 8 level reward system to motivate them to do so.

As our motto suggests, student leadership is another key aspect of Owen House. We have a senior team of 2 house captains and 2 vice-captains who help run house events and deliver assemblies. Each mentor group also has a nominated form representative and sports captain to help with the promotion and organization of competitions. We want Owen House students to aspire to be future leaders and try to provide regular opportunities for them to demonstrate their ability.

Mr Gillespie

Owen House Photography Competition Winner Jasmine Birt 7 ERH

Woodhall House Captains and Sports Captains

We want to make your time in Woodhall House as enjoyable and successful as possible, both through competition and providing opportunities for personal growth. Our main expectation from all students in Woodhall House is that you take part to the best of your ability. Remember, alone we can do so little; together we can do so much! Mr Bennett

Richie Woodhall was presented with his Woodhall House Sweatshirt by Mr Bennett in an Assembly at the start of term.

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Solid Start to Sixth Form Netball! Netball at Abraham Darby Academy has been going from strength to strength in recent years and this year, the sixth form netball team is already looking better than ever. The level of performance from the girls last year was amazing, particularly during the Haberdashers tournament. This year’s team of Lois Fiano, Amy Vincent, Justine Tanomjit, Chloe Hobbs, Georgia Fellows, Hannah Venables, Nicole Kerce, Sandy Bassi and Suzette Yeboah are hoping to achieve even greater things. The team has been working hard in regular training sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays; improving teamwork, developing match tactics and learning technical drills. As well as preparing for this year’s Hab’s tournament, the girls will also be taking part in the sixth form league, competing against a high standard of netball from around Shropshire, and hopefully a netball tour later in the year. With only a few training sessions together, the girls were asked to compete in a tournament held at Newport Girls School against teams such as William Brookes and Wrekin College. All the girls put 110% effort into the games, showing that although they hadn’t been together as a team for long, the time they had worked together had been put to good use. This was reflected in the result as the came 3rd overall. A highlight of the tournament, was an astonishing 8-1 win over local school Wrekin College!

The girls played their first friendly match against local rivals Madeley Academy last week. As well as demonstrating a high level of skill, the team was able to identify areas to improve which will be worked on in training sessions. It may have poured it down and with Justine being carried off with a sprained ankle, you would have thought that the girl’s performance would drop. However, the competition was fierce and the teams were evenly matched until the end with Madeley taking the winning shot to end the game 18-17 to Madeley Academy. It was a tough game, and a great performance again from all the players. The score was close throughout the whole game which, hopefully, will end in favour of our girls when the two teams meet again in a few weeks. Hopefully, the girl’s success will continue to grow in the next few months and netball at Abraham Darby will improve even further! Amy Vincent & Miss Knowles

The Year 10 ‘A’ Netball team recently took part in a competitive tournament held at Madeley Academy at the end of September. After a scrappy and inadequate start to the tournament, we realised that we were not playing up to our full standards, as we have before. Despite this, we made a tremendous difference after an 11-0 win over Madeley Academy, yet improvements were still needed. After a swift discussion with our

coach, Miss Smith, where constructive criticism was made, we were able to compete in the final with 100% effort against Newport Girls High (A team) yet; unfortunately, we came away with a loss of 2-1. However, having only played a five minute game, the match was full of competitive spirits and was definitely the best we have ever played! The match scores were as followed: HLC 0 – 2 ADA

Madeley 0 – 11 ADA Burton Borough 4 – 5 ADA Newport Girls 2 – 1 ADA Also, a huge congratulations to the ‘players player’ of the matches: Olivia Jones Leila Archer Hannah Barney Taz Mason

Well done girls for coming 2nd out of 13

in the tournament! Taz Mason

Abraham Darby's ‘B’ team played a fair game at the Madeley Academy tournament. A lively atmosphere from other teams helped to welcome us and relax tension from nerves as we drew our first two matches against Charlton and our guest team: 1-1. Sadly loosing out on our third and fourth matches against Idsall and Newport, the scores being: 3-2 and 8-1. Players of the match included

Ellie( v.Charlton) and Alisha(v. Idsall and Newport) as appointed by opponents, helping to boost confidence and gain a sense of achievement for players, although the other members of the team played just as well. Congratulating our ‘A’ team for making it to the finals, we hope to participate in more tournaments soon and with assurance progress to reach the finals. Ellie Baggott

Last two weeks of the summer holiday, saw the rugby teams from all age groups come into the Academy for some pre season training to "ease" them into the new season. There were two sessions, juniors and seniors. Both were well attended with numbers never dipping below 17. Pre season training is vital to prepare the students for the physical and mental challenges they will encounter this term. Well done to all that came, it was enjoyable to see you working so hard! Mr Bennett

Academy News Autumn Term - Issue 1 Page 8

Abraham Darby Academy, Ironbridge Road, Madeley. TF7 5HX. Tel: (01952) 386000 Email: AD.Academy@taw.org.uk www.abrahamdarbyacademy.org.uk

With my very best wishes Lee Hadley Principal

Abraham Darby Academy, Ironbridge Road, Madeley. TF7 5HX. Tel: (01952) 386000 Email: AD.Academy@taw.org.uk www.abrahamdarbyacademy.org.uk

With my very best wishes

Abraham Darby Academy played host twice in September to the Telford and Wrekin School Cross County. Over four hundred students and staff gathered on the field, thanks go to Mr David Staley who was responsible for the course layout and the organisation. It was impressive to see students from all over Telford competing on our playing fields. We are hopeful that each year Abraham Darby Academy can host. Mr Thomas

Academy hosts Telford

Schools Cross Country

Abraham Darby Sports Council Tuesday 7th October saw the first Sports Council meeting. Representatives from Darwin, Webb, Woodall and Owen discussed promoting the school extra curricular programme, developing the school PE kit, and enriching the PE curriculum. All students conducted themselves extremely professionally and were a credit to their house. A special thanks to Daryl Coldicutt, and Lois Fiano for chairing the meeting. Watch this space! Miss Knowles

The senior rugby tour to Barcelona is fast approaching. To help raise funds for the trip, the rugby squad took part in a fund-raising ‘Row the Channel’. The squad of 20 had to collectively row from Dover to Calais. The challenge would be complete when they finished the 30 mile crossing. Once the group started, it was apparent that they would soon reach the target! In the space of 6 hours the squad crossed the channel 3 times rowing a total of 92miles. This is a fantastic achievement, one that the students can be proud of. If you are interested in helping to sponsor the rugby teams please speak to Mr Bennett at the Academy.

Row, Row, Row—all the way to France!