THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1 18.1

Shanzay Adnan

Lola Batty

Zara Hadley & Lauren Palmer

Riley Langford

The K’Ford

Times Kingswinford

Academy Newsletter

December 2019

Art by S Bianco and L Griffiths

12 Days of Christmas These are the entries that a group of Year 8 and 9 students have painted as part of a local schools project for Himley Hall. The posters will be printed on transparent film and displayed in the windows of the mansion. They will be on display from Friday 13th December as part of the ‘Winter Lights’ event and remain on display until the New Year. If you would like to visit the hall to see the display the Coffee Lounge is open Tuesday to Sunday 11 - 4pm. Thank you and well done to Year 8 students; Alexia Chapman, Oliver Fisher, Maddison Brigdale and Year 9 students; Ava Griffiths, Kate Calvert, Katie Edwards and Emma Aston who all gave up lunchtimes and worked really hard to paint these designs.

Bokeh Effect Photographs Mrs Bianco and Year 10 Photo-graphy students have been getting into the festive spirit by producing bokeh effect photographs. In photography, bokeh (Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". Using the Aperture priority setting on the DSLR cameras students explored different focal ranges to create ‘Depth of Field’ and achieve these wonderful Christmas photographs.

Sienna Bennett

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1 18.1

WAT Conference by P Guest

Windsor Academy Trust’s annual conference, held on 6th December, brought together staff from across all nine schools, parents and guests from other multi-academy trusts and national organisations. The theme “Tomorrow’s People” was showcased across the day and began with amazing performances from students of all ages from across the Trust. The programme included world renowned keynote speakers including Baroness Susan Greenfield, Mary Myatt and Sir Ranulph Fiennes . Approximately 800 delegates also had the opportunity to choose from inspiring and innovative breakout session speakers. 13 Kingswinford students performed at the WAT Conference at the ICC on the 6th December. They performed two pieces alongside students from our other schools within the trust. This year, we had our WAT choir, WAT dance troupe and a WAT rap group – indeed two of our students were chosen to rap a solo section in the performance - Jake Connelly and Lucas Nijhof- Clarke. Holly Page was also selected to perform a solo during the performance. Well done to those students and also to Eleanor Timmis, Ellie Raybould, Sophie McColgan, Bobbie Perry, Daisy Harris, Mia Hickman, Ashleigh Smith, Hayden Rowley, James Poole and Lewis Everall who also performed. All of the students had committed a lot of time to ensure they were prepared for the event and are to be congratulated on representing our school and Trust perfectly in front of such an esteemed audience and in such an incredible venue! - Definitely stars of the future!

K’Ford Christmas Activities by T Macdonald and N Abel

Congratulations to Year 8 student, Aroosh Shahid, whose fabulous design was chosen for this year’s Christmas card design. Well done Aroosh!

Carol Concert

On Thursday 12th December, we held our annual Carol Concert at St. Mary’s Church. Students from all year groups performed to a packed out audience raising £222 for Macmillan Nurses as well as contributions made on the evening for The Children’s’ Society.

There were outstanding performances from our school choir and orchestra as well as some wonderful solos and duets

from Holly Page, Daisy Harris, Eleanor Timmis, Freya Hughes, Myla Haywood, Mia Hickman, Ellie Raybould, Lily-Anna Cassidy, Alicia Evans, Hayden Rowley, Lewis Everall, James Poole, Methuli Ravikumara, Brandon Downing and Gabrielle Downing.

Alongside all of the musical performances were readings and carols, making the evening full of Christmas spirit.

Miss Abel & Mr Macdonald would like to thank all of the students that performed and for their hard work in preparing for the event.

Thank you to Jack Payne who returned to our academy to support with the technical aspects of the evening and to Eleanor Bradbury, Niamh Guest and Bethany Palmer who welcomed our guests to the church. Our final thanks go to Reverend Giles and his team for giving us the opportunity to hold our Carol Concert at St. Mary’s church and to the staff and guests who supported the event.

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Christmas Jumper Day by P Guest

On Friday 13th December we all donned our Christmas Jumpers, blazers, reindeer hats and elf costumes to raise money for Save The Children. We raised over £190. Thank you to everyone who took part.

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Christmas Dance Show by C Mclaughlin

The Kingswinford dance students will be performing in the second Christmas Dance Show to celebrate their achievements in dance over the autumn term. Dancers included students from Year 7 –Year 11 including the GCSE Year 10/11 dancers, Junior Dance Company (year7&8), Kingswinford Dance Company (Year 8,9,10 & 11) plus dancers from Year 7 PE. The show sold out very quickly as students are very keen to show parents and friends their developing talent.

Art, Design & Technology By E Wilkinson

Year 7 Photography Masterclass A new extra-curricular photo-graphy master class is coming soon for year 7 students! We are offering a chance for budding photographers to master shooting in manual mode using one of the Art Departments top of the range SLR Canon cameras. Students will be introduced and expected to explore various aspects of photography such as view point, depth, exposure, light trails, etc. Further details will be shared with students. For any further information speak to Mrs Shaw.

Year 9 Textiles Club: Thursdays 3.15-4.15 pm Come along if you are thinking of choosing Textiles as a GCSE Option, or just to explore the world of textiles!

We are currently working on our entries for an ‘Illusive’ London

Competition where students design their own ‘Illusive’ tracksuit. We have decided to make our favourite designs! Fingers crossed we will win first prize!

Textiles Students have been working hard in all areas of Art, Design and Technology and have produced some amazing outcomes Textiles Technology students have designed and made their own fantastic storage pouches based on a ‘Monster’ theme. Special mentions to Maiya-Jay, Liam, James and Olivia for outstanding practical items

Well done to Josh for this amazing headphone holder!

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Maths Update by R Deakin

Year 9 Girls in Stem Day On Wednesday 18th September a group of Year 9 students

visited The University of Birmingham to attend an event aimed at Year 9 girls, providing an inspiring day of interactive activities to encourage then to continue studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at GCSE, A-level

and beyond. Students took part in a workshop which involved testing the strength of chocolate bars using scientific equipment;

a workshop looking at the real-life decisions that are made during an epidemic and they got to see a lecture by a senior professor on the usefulness of stem subjects.

Year 8 Maths Day Reported by Lucas Nijhof Clarke

Students from Kingswinford Academy were left amazed after a fascinating experience at The University of Birmingham on Wednesday 23rd October. This incredible opportunity included a tour and a lecture. The Year 8 students learnt more about maths in the real world, saw a

functioning top of the range campus and also got to attempt some challenging graph theory puzzles unlike those they would

at school. They are now ambitious and excited about further education. Comments from students included “engaging, inspirational and informative” and many now want to go to the university. With a hugely successful day, UoB can pat themselves on the back for a job well done!

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

WAT Maths challenge winner Well done to Zahraa Kapasi for winning the Windsor Academy Trust autumn maths challenge.

We have subscribed to Maths Watch for Years 10 and 11. Students are set homework on this and they are also encouraged to do independent study to concentrate on their weaknesses.

Students have their own personal logins and are able to watch videos to help them improve.

Parents can monitor progress and homework set by using the following login instructions:

Joe Bloggs would have a login of jbloggs@kford followed by a password of kford 2019.

Other Useful websites

The following are some recommended websites to help students with their homework and independent study:

• Corbett Maths – Worksheets, answers and videos. https://corbettmaths.com/contents/

• Maths genie - Worksheets, answers

and videos https://mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.html

• KS3 BBC bitesize – interactive quizzes, tests and videos https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zqhs34j

Reminders…

Equipment reminder

Please could you ensure that in January your child returns to school fully prepared for their Mathematics lessons. It is vitally important that your child has the correct equipment, not just for examinations, but also in their Mathematics lessons to help improve their confidence in using it correctly. Below is a list of equipment that they are required to bring to every lesson:

• Black pen

• Pencil

• Eraser

• Pencil sharpener

• Ruler in cm

• Scientific Calculator (e.g

Casio FX85-GTPLUS)

• Pair of compasses

• Protractor

• Glue stick

• Green pen

Movember by T Macdonald

The Movember Foundation is the leading global organisation committed to changing the face of men's health. In order to raise money for this worthy cause, staff donned various moustaches (real and fake). Staff were judged on the best one by Mr Grey – our resident facial hair expert!

Congratulations to Mr Fendek for coming first and thank you to everyone who helped to raise money. Mr Fendek raised £200 for this important charity with his fantastic ‘tache!

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Year 11 Careers Evening

by L Mroczko

On Thursday 17th October, Kingswinford Academy held its annual careers evening in the Sports Hall. The aim of the evening was to provide important information for students and their parents/carers on current post 16 options. The evening was broken into two halves. Beginning at 5.30 pm, there was a series of short presentations by the school staff and from our Connexions advisor. The presentations covered topics including main routes and options post 16, careers interviews and application procedures. Students then had opportunities to speak with representatives from post 16 organisations and school staff on a one to one basis in the Sports Hall. If you were unable to attend this evening, you can speak to Mr Mroczko to get information. There were over 20 visitors, which will included local colleges, sixth forms, universities, training providers and public sector organisations.

Y10 -Work Experience by L Mroczko

13th – 17th July 2020

A proportion of Year 10 students have already arranged their own Work Experience Placement. Administration of these arranged placements is well under way. This stage of the process can take many weeks/months. Students who wish to take part in this exciting and rewarding week should be encouraged to arrange their placement ASAP. The final cut of date for all applications is Monday 24th February 2020. No applications can be accepted after this date. Students not attending Work Experience will take part in the school’s Active Learning Week. Students requiring help with their work experience should see Mr Mroczko in DT2 or Mrs Woodhouse. Additional application forms and work experience medical forms are obtainable from the Admin office, which is located by reception.

October Enrichment by A Wall

Our Aspire Curriculum Day that took place on Thursday 24th October involved a wide variety of engaging activities.

Year 7 students watched a performance from Loud Mouth and focussed on the importance of the five ways to wellbeing. They then spent the afternoon discussing mental health and ways to support themselves and others. Year 8 students went to Legoland Windsor to find out more about the model building to support them with their DT work and consideration of the forces and movements involved in the rides.

Year 10 students visited the National Holocaust Centre and Museum and had the chance to meet and listen to the story of a Holocaust survivor. The day was incredibly moving and the students were a credit to the school.

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Sporting Successes by S Holder & C Gould

U16 Girls Basketball We had a number of girls play our first U16 basketball game of the season against Beacon Hill Academy. The girls were outstanding throughout the whole game, showing not only great skill and commitment to the team but also great sportsmanship to our opponents. The girls haven't played together as a team in over a year and they came together and achieved a sensational result. A special mention goes to Ria Wooldridge, Lydia Mills and Samia Hussain, but the girl of the game has to go to Grace Gregory who stole the show. The girls won 56-8. Well done to all who played !!!

Dudley Schools Gymnastics Competition

To add to our sporting success within the Kingswinford Academy, this year we hosted the Dudley School Games Gymnastics competition. The competition saw 15 teams compete from 8 different schools within the Borough and the top 3 schools would progress through to the Regional School Games. Kingswinford Academy was represented by 5 outstanding gymnasts, some of which have competed at regional and national level for their own clubs and executed some fantastic results on both the floor and vault apparatus. After an exceptionally high standard of competition we congratulate Windsor High School for their

win and Ellowes Hall for finishing second. Kingswinford unfortunately missed out on a top 3 spot by 0.3 marks and finished in 4th place. In the individual competition, Tiarna finished in 3rd place out of more than 50 students and hit the highest score of the competition, scoring 9.9 on the vault. Finally, a huge well done to everyone that took part and we look forward to having you back later in the year for another one of our own competitions!

Man U v AZ Alkmaar

Thursday 12th December:

After a mundane first half, the game burst into life in the 53rd minute when Ashley Young drove home Juan Mata's cross for his first goal since February. Greenwood stole the headlines

though, firing home from the edge of the box before producing a fine left-footed finish to end the scoring frenzy. It was the first time the 18-year-old had scored two in a first-team game and took his overall tally for the season to six. He is now United's leading scorer in Europe this season.

We had the privilege of taking 45 students to Old Trafford on a rainy Thursday evening, but even with the miserable weather

students were in great football spirits and kept the staff fully entertained on the coach with their singing and chanting! The students thoroughly enjoyed watching United win 4-0 against AZ Alkmaar.

A massive thank you must got to Mr Staten for the hard work he put into organising this trip. Also, a big thank you to all the other staff who helped make this opportunity possible, for a lot of students this was their first experience of watching a live match. The students represented the school and once again have done the school proud.

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Windsor Sixth Form Application Deadline by J Latham-Pugh, Windsor High School & 6th Form

As you are aware, Kingswinford Academy is part of Windsor Academy Trust. As a Trust, we would like to support the journey of our Key Stage 4 students in to Post 16 education. Therefore, Kingswinford Students who would like to apply to study Level 3 courses are most welcome to make an application to Windsor Sixth Form – top performing Sixth Form in Dudley for the past two years.

We are fully aware that students may be concerned with transport to Windsor Sixth Form, so, as part of our trust family, we provide daily transport to students from Kingswinford to Windsor Sixth Form.

The deadline for applications is this Friday 20th December; however, should students wish still to apply we would very much encourage and support them during this process. Please make your on-line application via the Windsor High School and Sixth Form website.

Remembrance Day by J Wilkes

On Monday 11th November, with a representative from the British Legion, our students held a remembrance assembly, to pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during war. Each form group planted a memorial cross, creating a memorial garden for the local community. The Academy was also proud to contribute to Summerhill's poppy display, where over 900 of our students created an individual poppy to represent a life lost during war. Lest we forget!

World Skills Show by L Mroczko

On the 21st November, all of our Year 10 students had the opportunity to visit the World Skills Show at the NEC. This show is the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event. The event was broken up into several areas, Construction & Infrastructure, Health, Hospitality & Lifestyle, Digital, Business & Creative and Engineering & Technology giving students lots of opportunities to communicate with providers of higher education. The show enabled over 70,000 young people to engage with local and national businesses, Government lead provision and many other educational providers. It hosts and promotes a diverse range of careers and was packed with advisors and skills activities offering a wide selection of employment options, careers advice and future pathways.

THE K’FORD TIMES KINGSWINFORD ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Issue 22.1

Last words by T Macdonald

Fond Farewells! My starting comments are tinged with sadness as we say goodbye to four very much loved members of staff this half term. As always at the end of a term staff leave and other start with the school and we are very sorry to say goodbye to Mrs Edwards, Ms Smith, Mrs Stevens and Mrs Hollies. Mrs Stevens and Mrs Hollies left slightly earlier in the term and we would like to wish them both the very best for their futures and thank them for all of their hard work at Kingswinford Academy. Ms Smith is leaving at the end of the term: a much loved teacher and form tutor by all of the students and staff, she will be sorely missed for her caring nature and friendly and supportive approach to all – we wish her the best in her next career steps and I know she will miss all of her students! Mrs Edwards is heading to the Brier Special school – for a SENCO there is no greater dream than to work in a Special School (alongside our very own Mr Stanton!) and the Brier is an Outstanding special school which will only improve with Mrs Edwards influence! I am quite certain, however, that we will see her again soon as she leaves her daughter and husband at Kingswinford as student and staff respectively to it is a fond farewell sure in the knowledge that she will return to see how we are all doing.

Goodbye, good bless and good luck to all four of our departing staff! Glad Welcomes! Whilst sad to see staff leave, we are excited by the arrival of 3 more staff to join our amazing team. Whilst replacing such wonderful staff is always hard, we are fortunate in the imminent arrival of Ms Willmitt as our new SENCO, Mrs Airey as Head of House for Neon, and Mrs Dickens as our new Attendance Officer. I am sure students, staff and parents will wish them all a very warm welcome and we look forward to them joining our team! A strong end to the decade Well the results are in, literally, for our students at least! Reports will have gone home and you will have an idea of how your daughters and sons are doing this year. I can proudly say that our students continue to improve on previous years and, in particular, our Year 11s are set to get another astounding set of results this year as they get closer to their GCSE exams. They have worked, along with all year groups, tremendously hard this term and we expect great things of them – well done, they certainly have all earned a good break. That just leaves me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Upcoming Events

Date Activity

Monday 6th January Term starts

Students start at 9.40am

Thursday 16th January Y8 Parents Evening

Wednesday 22nd January Ski trip meeting for parents in hall 5:30 – 6:30pm

Friday 31st January Dance Trip to Sleeping Beauty, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (times tbc)

Wednesday 12th February Y7 Parents Evening

Friday 14th February Half Term holiday starts

Monday 24th February Half Term holiday ends

Coming to Kingswinford

Academy!

25th – 27th March 2020