St Martins School Feb 2017
Welcome to our February Newsletter
We have had lots to celebrate in school since Christmas
We had a visit from the Mayor of Derby who
introduced her ‘Express Yourself’ project. Many
classes have submitted entries, which can be
viewed in the reception area, on the screens,
inside the council house. Some of our school
councillors were also invited to visit the Mayor
at her chambers in the Council house. Students
went along with Bryony and Heather just
before half term. Azaid, Sean, Toni, Lavina,
Cole and Michael represented school well and
found out all about the Mayor’s roles and
responsibilities.
I would like to make a few other special mentions. First of all congratulations must go to Clayton
in Year 10. Clayton is completing his GCSE in PE, together with students at Noel Baker. Reports
are always positive, as Clayton’s good attitude to learning, excellent behaviour and positive
efforts are recognised by his teachers. Sean in Year 11 won student of the term from his options
tutor at Derby College. Sean was praised for his polite, helpful manner, as well as his determined,
hard work. Finally a big well done goes to Tia in Year 8. Tia collected food for homeless people and
took this to the Padley Centre before Christmas. This was Tia’s own idea and her determination to
see the project through resulted in her taking many bags of food to the Centre. Well done
Clayton, Sean and Tia! I am proud of your achievements and thank you for being shining
examples of our great school.
I hope you enjoy reading about more achievements on the following pages.
YEAR 7 YEAR 8 YEAR 9 Year 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 YEAR 13
Aaron Lennon Dillon James Michael Harrison Dean
Zakary Arjan Cindy Brandon Sean Jack
Katelyn Shareen Harry Aiden
Connor Jack Matthew
James Euan
Cameron
Nathaniel
Congratulations to the
following students
who have
100% attendance to
date this academic
year.
2
GLR
As a reward for a fantastic autumn
term GLR chose to cash in all of their
reward tokens and have a much
deserved trip to the Cinema to watch
‘Fantastic Beasts’. This was followed
by Pizza for lunch. A great day!
On returning from the Christmas Break
GLR have had a great start to 2017. All
have displayed incredible maturity and
resilience. They should all be very
proud of themselves. All continue to
work hard and enjoy and thrive in their
chosen options groups.
In his Drama option Michael is learning the
skills of ‘Sound Engineering’ for a live
performance.
In their Duke of Edinburgh group
Jared and Brandon will be
learning about camp craft and
essential skills for independence;
putting up a tent, using
cooking equipment, preparing a
warm meal, navigation and map
skills, CPR and first aid training,
team building and more. This is all
covered in their skills section for
DofE. All these skills will prepare
them for their Expeditions which
take place in May and June, in the
Peak District.
3
GLR
Kieran is approaching the end of
his first Art GCSE project. He has
experimented with a wide range of
materials and techniques and has
produced work of a very high
standard.
As part of his Arts Award
course Marcus is using online
software to design his own
cartoon characters. He is
learning new skills, producing
great work and clearly enjoying
the creative process.
Dom has been learning how to
care for cold blooded animals. He
overcame his initial fear of snakes
to hold and handle a Ball Python.
Well done Dom!!!
Jamie is designing his own,
unique mobile phone case which
will be produced using the new 3D
Printer we have in school.
Excitement is beginning to build as we plan our class Residential trip to
Kingswood Activity Centre in March. This will be a great opportunity for the
Students to try new activities and bond with each other beyond the school
environment. We are all looking forward it.
4
GLG Visit to Oxygen Free Jumping
Both Dean and Tilly both said that they had a brilliant
time and would love to go back. They both certainly had
a spring in their step when they got back to school!
Some of GLG had the chance to visit Oxygen free jumping
as part of their P.E lesson. They had a great time and
were able to try out all of the trampolines on offer.
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…………………..are proud to introduce some up and coming poets to you.
KS3JV have been studying poetry in English and the students have really engaged and
produced some poems of their own that are of a very high standard, so good in fact that
we have sent copies to the Mayor of Derby. She is currently collecting examples of work for
her ‘Express Yourself’ project. Here the students are reading aloud their work to the rest of
the group. Below are a couple of examples of their work.
6
GLJ
GLJ have been working extremely hard in their
Maths lessons learning about their 2, 5 and 10
times tables and exploring 3D shape
properties. They have taken part in some
wonderful discussions making them effective
participators and great team workers.
In Topic we have been
learning about Olympic/
Paralympic heroes and
heroines. We have created
fact files and learnt about
the key qualities of heroes
and heroines. We have also
made some of our own
medals and torches!
Euan really liked researching
Adam Peaty who swims in
Derby!
GLJ have had a very happy and busy start to
the Spring Term. There have been lots of
different changes including two new
teachers and new displays and things
around the classroom to help with our
learning. Everyone has settled in
marvelously and lots of learning has
happened. Keep it up GLJ!
In English we have explored
poems and diaries. We have
written poems using
rhyming words and
onomatopoeia. We used our
team working skills to find
rhyming words and
onomatopoeia sound words
for objects around school.
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7
KS4R
Students are continuing to build friendships and are
contributing positively to being in KS4
They have all made a great start to
their accreditations.
Their attitude to their studies
continues to impress their
teachers.
The group saved and spent
their reward tokens together
enjoying a trip to bowling and
Are involved in making their own
plans for a
residential trip to see a
West End Show
in London
8
GLC
We have enjoyed
getting fit and
having fun at
Oxygen Free
Jump.
We are developing
our technical skills
by making
helicopters and
cars.
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In Science we are
learning about
electricity and
building circuits.
Outdoor Education sessions have enabled us to develop physical skills, teamwork
and problem solving skills.
We have had fun
writing poetry for
the Mayor’s ‘Express
Yourself’ project.
GLC
10
We also went on a poetry walk where we used our five senses and imaginations to create a
poem about the playground. Here are some of our ideas:
KS3B
This term, in English, KS3B have been looking at and writing poetry. We have learnt about poetic devices
such as alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, repetition and onomatopoeia. We enjoyed reading Kit Wright’s poem
The Magic Box and the class have written their own amazing version.
The Magic Box
I will put in the box
Torturous, Terrible Teachers
Play stations that people love to play.
I will put in the box
Everyone that loves the exciting, epic Eastenders
The fun, amazing Emmerdale.
I will put in the box
The squeaky sound of shiny diamonds
Creepy clowns that come out with frowns.
I shall surf in my box
And relax on the swishy sea watching Coronation Street.
I can see the creepy trees and the ghost moving around.
I can taste the mud; disgusting, stinky, dirty mud.
I can smell the wet, damp wood.
The loud, long noise of an aeroplane tickling my ears.
The cut grass tastes like perfume.
I see a creepy clown chasing me. Help! Help!
Well done KS3B, you are excellent poets!
11
GLA
We have enjoyed working and learning together this half term. We have
been consolidating our skills and learning new ones while always
thinking about key school attitudes.
Topic
We have enjoyed work
relating to
superheroes. We have
transferred this
knowledge to our
learning about real
hero’s. We have been
thinking about the
ways in which ordinary
people can be heroes
and learning about fa-
mous heroes.
Working together
We have enjoyed developing the skills
required to work with others such as
communication, compromise, team work
and resilience.
Learning about
different places We have been learning
about different countries
and cultures. We have
been learning about
France as part of our MFL
work and have been
learning about China as
part of our work on
Chinese New Year. We
have listened to music,
watched dragon and lion
dances and tasted a
variety of Chinese food.
We have been practicing
using chopsticks!
English During this term we
are focusing a lot of
our work around the
story of the BFG. We
have been reading
the story, watching
clips from the DVD
and enjoying doing
some creative work
relating to the char-
acters, dreams and
the language used
by the BFG.
Maths
Our main maths themes this half term
have been time and working out the an-
swer to calculations using knowledge of
counting in 2’s, 5’s and 20’s. We have
also continued to work on numbers and
the number system. PSHE
We continue to work on
understanding and
regulating our emotions. We
have also been working on
developing a positive and
realistic understanding of
ourselves including building
our self esteem.
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KS4M Assembly This term it was our turn to present the assembly and our focus was Achievement and
Aspiration. To help other students begin to understand how they can achieve steps in school
towards their future aspirations, the whole class helped out. Sean demonstrated his skills as a
DJ, as this is what he wants to do when he leaves school. The other students really enjoyed his
DJ skills. Richard helped with running the power point and we showed the other students some
of the achievements in school he has made towards his ambition to work with animals. Chloe
and Sara demonstrated their skills in hair and beauty, and explained about how they are both
applying to colleges to become qualified beauticians. The assembly was a great success and
the other students in school really appreciated the fact 4M shared their Achievements and
Aspirations.
Our class is now more than half way through year 11, now that's a scary thought!! So students
have been visiting the various options available to them when they leave St Martins in June
this summer. Students have visited Leesbrook sixth form centre which offers a wide variety of
vocational courses including Barbering and Construction which were of particular interest to
Peter and Lukas in our class. The students were shown around by our own Chelsea Hubbard
who left St Martins last year so it was good to be able to say hello again. The Derby College
trip was equally as positive and interesting with the college offering a huge amount of courses
at their various sites including Animal Care and Horticulture at Broomfield which Michael
really wants to do next year. By the time this newsletter is published students will have also
visited our own Horizon sixth form at the Guildhall in Derby to see what there is on offer there
for them too. All these visits are the first port of call for year 11 students, the hard work
comes now with them having to complete and apply to these various providers! Help is on
hand for them in IAG lessons as well as pastoral time but the time is flying in year 11 so let's
get busy applying.!! If parents/carers need any support in this process please contact the
KS4 team at school.
KS4RJ
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KS4C
This half term KS4C have been focusing on their Aim
Award in PE. Weeks 1-3 they completed all their theory
side of units 1 and 2 and then week 4 they all attended
Oxygen Free jumping to work out and collect picture
evidence for their next units. They all have been
outstanding in their hard work and attitude and at
trampolining they were a credit to the school.
We are really pleased with the progress of one of our stars. Clayton has been attending GCSE
PE at Noel Baker. He is now going to classes independently for theory lessons and practical.
This is a huge step for any of our students and we enormously proud of his achievement.
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KS3D Evacuees!
This half term our topic theme has been “Past and Present, with a focus on
“Children in World War Two”. The students compared their lives “now” to those of
children “then”, and used various sources of information to answer the question:
“How do we know?”
In their search
for evidence,
they looked at
old newspapers
and
photographs…
….and used books
and the internet.
They also had to imagine what it would be like to be evacuated.
They unpacked some authentic artefacts from some authentic suitcases……
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KS3D … and next week they will visit Nottingham Castle Museum for an air-raid shelter
experience.
They have also learned about Anne
Frank and Jewish refugees, which
has linked with their PSHE work on
racism, and their Citizenship work,
where they have been debating the
global issue of refugees. Here they
have used books such as “The
Colour of Home” and resources
from The Red Cross to consider
what would make them leave their
homes for another country.
16
KS3M
Fairtrade
matters!
KS3M have learned
more about how trading
works and what
Fairtrade is. We know
more about the trading
journey of the cocoa
bean and bananas.
17
This year, to remember and show respect for those who died during the
Holocaust and subsequent genocides, Appolinaire Kageruka, a survivor of
the 1994 Rwandan genocide visited St. Martins School. He talked about
his life before, during and after the genocide and answered our
questions. The kitchen staff also made a special vegetarian Rwandan
meal and Mandazi, a doughnut type of dessert.
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GLT Pastoral time is always fun!!
When we arrived to class each morning relaxing music is playing in the back ground to give
us a calming start to our school day.
We can sit with our peers to enjoy a healthy breakfast,
read quietly or chat with friends on one of our big red chairs.
Quiet time is a great time to develop our social and interaction
skills. We have an amazing time playing with the bubble machine!
Joe says he loves popping bubbles
Daniel says he likes to make them go up and down and grabbing
them
Sometimes we choose to colour a picture, play a game with a friend or complete
a jigsaw.
To develop our independent skills
we will take the register to the
office where the office staff always
greets us with a smile.
Each day we take it in turns to wash
and dry the breakfast pots.
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HORIZONS This term we are at Derby University attending an art Creative Expressive Therapies workshop
led by the students. We started off by getting to know each other. We played games
introducing ourselves for example throwing a ball saying our names.
After we played the ball game, we then got split up into different groups to create a piece of
music. The theme was set in a jungle. We then put together a piece of music. Then we shared
our piece of music with the rest of the group. Then to finish off the session we made positive
comments about the experience.
This is where we threw a
ball to each other and then
had to remember each
other’s names.
We then listened to each
other’s pieces of music
together.
In our group we were
making jungle noises of
different creatures.
We then had a quick relax in
the University café.
BY: Jack McBride, Brandon Brandrick, Matthew Sharp, Lukas Jano
Harrison Jones, Jack Whitmore, Ally Freeman, Kayleigh Summers
Hashim Ahmed, Tyrese Williams, Meghan Simpson
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KS4 Galaxy GLM Residential Some of us are going to Kingswood at the end of March to do lots of
different outdoor activities.
Adil- I will like some activities.
Azaid- I am looking forward to going to going to Kingswood.
Dwayne- I want to do fun activities.
KS4 Galaxy GLM We are all working hard towards getting our Skills and Attitude tokens we have
all got over 50 tokens and the highest amount is 115 tokens
Adil - I will spend my tokens on a shop voucher.
Azaid - I will spend my tokens on a game voucher.
Dwayne - I am saving my tokens.
Dan – I have already spent mine on Yu–Gi-Oh cards.
Tyler - I don’t know what I am going to spend my tokens on yet!
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We all really enjoy Science lessons. This year we have done a Chemistry AIM
award called Chemical Reactions which looks at chemical processes and acids
and alkalis and investigation of some reactions. We are now doing an AIM
award in Forensic Science.
KS4 Galaxy GLM – Science Work
Adil- I like reading Science books
and dropping acids into purple water.
Azaid - I like doing the experiments with acids
and alkalis.
Matt— Azaid also enjoyed the forensics work on
chromatography especially the m&ms experiment.
Dwayne- I like the practical work.
Dan – I like all the experiments and writing
about them. I am looking forward to doing
more experiments in Forensic Science.
Tyler- I like the experiments and
Chromatography and learning about
acids and alkalis .
Jared- I enjoy the experiments .
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KS3C
This half term we would like to celebrate the Positive Contribution
that the students have made, led in particular by
one student in our class, Tia Bullimore. Just
before Christmas Tia felt concerned for those
people without a warm home for Christmas.
With a little support she decided to write a letter
to the students and their families asking for do-
nations of food. Tia received a huge amount of
support and was then able to make a delivery
directly to the Padley Centre in Derby. The do-
nation was greatly received and Tia has been
praised for her act of kindness and thought for others. Well done
This half term I have joined the KS3C teaching team. I am a teaching student from the
University of Derby and am currently doing a post graduate qualification in teaching. I have been working alongside Claire and
Ruth and have particularly focused on English. The students in the class have been developing their own writing based on the story of Alice in Wonderland. After the trip to the theatre the students began to break down the story using the story mountain pictured above. The class used this tool to plan their own stories
(Alice in Wonderland adaptations). The students have also taken part in constructing imagery using their 5 senses which has helped them to produce fantastic story openings based on a character and setting they have each created. Great work KS3C, Keep it up!
Hello from Chloe
KS3C
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GLK Film Makers
Our director (Josh), camera man (Jack)
and clapper operators (Liam & Nathans)
working together to film the first scene of
the film, for each shot the students
changed job roles taking it in turns to
arrange the different scenes and
directing other students and staff.
The story has themes of
global disaster and the
dangers of pollution as
chemical waste is
responsible for a deadly
outbreak
at a secondary school.
Will the students
manage to survive
and save the school?!
GLK aim for
Hollywood
· · ·
This term the GLK
class have been
looking into creating a
story and working as a
team for topic work.
We have crafted a
script, drawn
storyboards, designed
props and costumes.
Using creative thinking
skills and by listening
to each other’s ideas
the GLK crew have
managed to create a
fun and unique story
and managed to bring
many different
elements together in
order to film their story
effectively whilst
having fun!
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SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES
2016 to 2017
School Opens School Closes
Spring Mon 20 Feb 2017 Fri 7 Apr 2017
Summer Mon 24 Apr 2017 Fri 26 May 2017
Mon 5 June 2017 Wed 26 July 2017
Bank Holidays
14 Apr 2017
1 May 2017
29 May 2017
School Closure Days (INSET)
17 March 2017
19 June 2017
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