Kingsmead School
Challenge Achievement Pride
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FEBRUARY
2017
NEWSLETTER
@KingsmeadOnline
MUSIC TEAM RECEIVE MAJOR AWARD
Dates for your diary
During the autumn term, the Kingsmead
Music Department conducted an in-depth
audit alongside the Entrust Staffordshire
Music Hub Leader. Together, they audited
all areas, such as the quality of music
teaching, classroom expectations and the
quality of lesson resources. Also taken into
account is students’ attitude to music, how
well the department is managed and how
broad the opportunities are for students
both in and outside class lessons.
We are proud to announce that the
majority of areas were given a 4 rating,
therefore, the Music Department has been
awarded the Music Education Hub Silver
award— surpassing copper and bronze on
their first audit!
14
February
Y11 Photographs
17
February
Half Term - School finishes at
3:00pm
27
February
School Opens at 8:50am
28
February
Y9 Vaccinations
02
March
Y10 Progress Evening
09
March
Y13 Progress Evening
14
March
K-FEST
15
March
Y9 Progress Evening
22
March
Y10 Aim Higher
28
March
Y8 Futures Day
30
March
Y8 Options Evening
07
April
School finishes at 3.00pm -
Headteacher’s Foreword
“It’s been another very busy
half term at Kingsmead and
Christmas is well and truly
behind us. Year 11 and 13
students are counting down to
their external examinations in
the summer, well aware that
they are not far away at all.
Amongst all the usual
busyness of school it was
great to visit the Futures Fayre
which a large number of
students and parents
attended. They were able to
meet with a wide range of
representatives from colleges,
universities and employers.
Look out for the news report on
our website.”
Mr I. Bryant
Throughout December, H-LG Tutor Group did a ‘Reverse Advent Calendar.’ They
collected donations from The Red Bag Co—homeless charity. On Sunday 16th
December, Miss Grice and Mr Wardle joined The Red Bag Co in Birmingham handing out
gift bags to people living on the streets. There were hundreds of bags to donate and the
outreach covered every street in the city centre. For more information about the work The
Red Bag Co does please visit http://redbagco.bigcartel.com. Miss Grice would like to
thank H-LG for their donations, they made a real difference to people in our community.
A Kingsmead Learner … takes on a challenge
Key Feature
“In January Year 9 GCSE students visited Birmingham City Centre to
gather data for their human geography fieldwork. The two day visit
was rather chilly but all of the students embraced the cold and cracked
on with their data collection. The students used a variety of data
collection methods which they can talk about in their exam including:
questionnaires, field sketches, pedestrian counts, environmental
quality surveys, land use maps and sensory tests. The focus of the day was to look at the different parts of the city
centre, old and new, and to look at which parts were the busiest and attracted the most people. The students began their
research at the newly built Grand Central Station at New Street. Here students got the chance to speak to the public
about their views on the regeneration scheme and their opinions of the station. The fieldwork continued through Victoria
Square, Paradise Forum, The ICC and Brindley Place; where the students completed the rest of their tasks. Overall the
students were amazing in Birmingham and did Kingsmead School proud.” Miss Goodwin
Sporting Achievements
Y7 Boys Futsal Squad qualified in the level 3 Tournament
by winning the Cannock Competition. To add to this
success, Y7 & Y8 Boys and Girls have qualified for the
level 3 Indoor Athletics Competition. Finally, both
Kingsmead’s Y9 and Y10 Basketball Squads have both
won their first games of this season!
Congratulations Music Students
Summer Term Grading:
Sean Chin – Grade 1 Drum Kit (with Distinction)
Jack Withington – Grade 2 Drum Kit (with Distinction)
Lewis Powell – Grade 4 Drum Kit (with Distinction)
Autumn Term Grading:
Science Club
Molly Bishop – Grade 2 Trumpet
Ruby Pike – Grade 2 Flute
Liberty Jones – Grade 4 Violin
Jack Withington – Grade 3 Tuned Percussion (with
Merit)
Here’s some of the things we’ve been up to:
Halloween Fun… static ghosts, glowing water, squeaky
doors.
Firework Chemistry… sparks and flame tests.
Colour Physics… mixing colours, rainbows.
Polymer Chemistry… Magnetic slime.
Designing and making a real moving hand model.
Christmas Buzzer Games, making Bath Bombs,
Spirometers, Volcanoes, Hover-Crafts and last but not
least… What makes me? DNA Extraction!
Student Stationery Shop
Kingsmead Student
Stationery Shop is open
every Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday
lunchtimes in the Foyer by
the Hall.
We cater to all of your stationery needs all at knock
down prices!
Royal Appointment for Niall
On Tuesday 31st January 2017, Y11 student Niall Toolan was invited to
attend Buckingham Palace, to receive the prestigious ‘Youth Rise Award’.
At the Palace, Niall was presented his award by HRH Prince of Wales, for his
services to St John Ambulance and recently qualifying as a ’Peer Educator’.
To gain this qualification Niall had to complete an intensive course which
involves becoming a trainer for St John Ambulance. During this period Niall
attended various universities where he trained the students first aid and life
saving skills. We are really proud that Niall was presented with this award in
recognition of his continued hard work with the St John Ambulance.
A new website for Kingsmead
Kingsmead have launched a new and
improved website this half term.
Working with the Student Council, the
website has been designed to be
easier to navigate around to find key
information. The feedback so far has
been positive and we will continue to
regularly update and add new features.
One feature to keep an eye out for is
the revision resources and materials
being made available, by subjects, for
the upcoming exams.
Physics students visit Geneva
“At the end of January we took 28 keen Y11, 12 and 13 physics students to CERN in Geneva. This is the largest physics
experiment in the world and is housed in a tunnel 100m deep underground. We had a lecture, 3D presentation, tour and
talk in two of the permanent exhibitions. The second day was spent in Bern where Einstein famously was a patent clerk.
The students were amazing, the weather was below freezing and the experience was an educational, social, linguistic
and geographical success. To get a close up look at organisation that blurs national bias, is funded from multiple
countries, has scientists from all corners of the globe working together for the explicitly peaceful pursuit of knowledge was
refreshing and somehow reassuring. We hope to do it again in two years time for the next group of physicists. Thank
you to the Governors for allowing us to do these trips that inspire and enlighten our students.” Mr Summers
Luther Williamson
After leaving Kingsmead Sixth Form
with A* A* A. I am now reading Physics
at Oxford University. The teachers at
Kingsmead helped massively in
applying for Oxford, both with academic
preparation and support with
admissions.
The workload is very tough at Oxford, I
have to work 8 hours+ per day to keep
on top of the problem sets given by my
tutors, so studying is like a full time job.
However, the best part is that it doesn’t
feel like a chore; the course is
interesting and everyone there has
such a passion for learning.
My first term at University has been one
of the best experiences in my life. I
would encourage every student to work
hard towards wherever they dream of
going because it pays off in the end.
Primary Links becoming even stronger
On 24th January, Pye Green Academy’s Year 4 students visited Kingsmead
for a Harry Potter themed morning, getting a taste of secondary school life,
as well as being spellbound by the Drama and Science lessons they took
part in! In Drama, with Transition Leader Mr Truby, they developed key
acting skills. With Mr Reynolds, our Head of Science, students melted down
and analysed Dragon’s blood. . All of the students were fantastic!
Y9 Enterprise Fortnight
On 15th December Y12 & 13 went on
the annual rewards trip to London.
Y9 Business Students have been
putting their entrepreneurial skills to
the test in January. Over a two
week period they were working in
groups to build a business with the
aim of making a profit. The project
helped develop valuable life skills
from teamwork, leadership, finance
to organisational skills.
We arrived at 11.30am, which meant
we had 7 hours to enjoy the sights of
Christmas in the capital. Donned with
Santa hats students ‘shopped till they
dropped’ on Oxford and Regent
Street. This was followed by a visit to
Hyde Park, where ice skating and the
Bavarian Market was waiting for
them. Our students were impeccable
and enjoyed a well deserved day out.
Current House Leader Board
Coppice = 13539
Hayes = 10313
Littleton = 11789
Uxbridge = 10491
Valley = 12580
Wimblebury = 10455
Going into February 2017 Coppice still remain the front runners with an impressive 13,539, however, snapping at their
heels are Valley with an equally impressive 12,580. Littleton follow closely behind with 11,789 which is still a very good
score for this point in the year. Come on Kingsmead, it’s not a done deal, dig deep for your Houses!