AGS news 36 - Anthony Gell School

Anthony Gell School specialist sports college
Summer 2013
ISSUE 36
What is Accelerated Reader?
All Year 7 students at Anthony Gell have taken part in a
new reading programme this year called Accelerated
Reader (AR). AR is a computer programme that helps
manage and monitor students' independent reading.
Students pick a book at their own level and read it at
their own pace. When finished, they take a short online
quiz, which checks they have understood their book and
awards points towards their target for the half term.
Year 7 students have been discovering that points mean
prizes!
Why read?
What can you do at home?
“Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st century
will read and write more than at any other time in human
history.” (International Reading Association)
Year 7 students will continue with AR as they move to Year
8, and our new Year 7 students will join the programme
too. There is lots you can do at home both to support AR
and reading in general. The programme requires at least
twenty minutes reading each day. It is a squeeze to fit all
this in at school, so some reading at home is essential!
Reading for pleasure is a valuable skill and the benefits of
independent reading are widely documented. In addition
to being fun and entertaining, regular reading can help to
develop important skills such as concentration, and it
exposes students to new ideas, beliefs and experiences.
It also provides significant educational benefits such as
increasing vocabulary and improving writing skills. A
student with a well-established reading habit will
invariably perform better in all curriculum subjects,
improving their chances of overall examination success.
Why not try some of these ideas?
- Talk about reading at home. Students have a Reading Log,
which you can look at to see how much they are reading.
You can also see their progress on AR by searching “Home
Connect Renaissance Place” and entering the login used for
AR in school.
https://ukhosted9.renlearn.co.uk/2234895/homeconnect/
What the experts say:
Year 7 students: "It makes you read more".
"You get to do quizzes". "It helps you know what books
you should be reading" "It makes you think about what
you have read". "It improves your spelling and helps you
create a mind of your own"
English teachers: "A super opportunity for readers of all
ability to challenge their reading experiences"
"The children have really embraced the opportunity to
develop their reading"
The Librarian: “ AR is proving very successful, even with
our reluctant readers. One lad has read more books this
year than he as in the rest of his life!”
- Find some books at the appropriate AR level by searching
the AR Bookfinder
http://www.arbookfind.co.uk/default.aspx
- Encourage book ownership - buy some as presents
- Let your children see you reading
- Set aside a family reading time
- Encourage older children to read to younger brothers
and sisters
- Link reading to other activities such as films or visits
Accelerated Reader claims that students who participate fully in the scheme can see an average of two years' reading
age improvement in only one year, so we have been keen to see it in action! Overall, Accelerated Reader has been a
resounding success, with our Year 7 students reading a massive total of 5 046 919 words in one half term alone!
Emma Woodcock left the sixth form in 1991 but she came back to Gell in 1996, after
her degree, to do A level English. She had dropped out of it first time around.
Some of her fondest memories of school are of learning Latin with Mr Pearce
(Headteacher at the time): “Latin wasn't on the curriculum, I was just geekily
interested in it, and Mr Pearce was thrilled that finally someone wanted to learn it.
I learned a lot about English from studying Latin – and other European languages
too. Whenever we learned a new Latin word, Mr Pearce would ask me what English
words it reminded me of. Often I could work out for myself what it meant when I
realised it was the root of several familiar English words.This is the best kind of
teaching: not only did I learn a specific language; more importantly, I learned how to
analyse, and work things out for myself.
Many of my worst school memories involve sports: hockey in the freezing cold;
slithering up the muddy slopes on cross country run. The very worst must be when
my knicker elastic broke half way through PE. I had to complete the run, holding my
pants up.”
Since leaving school Emma has worked variously as a pump jockey, envelope
stuffer, librarian, potter, and for the past ten years, web designer.
She lives in Derbyshire with a boyfriend and a child – but still no dog, despite her
constant hints.
She has been trying to write books for the past quarter century, but the need to
make a living kept getting in the way. She has now perfected the ability to live on
twigs and acorns in order to pursue her literary ambitions.
Emma’s own writing heroes are Diana Wynne Jones, Neil Gaiman and Philip Reeve.
She would very much like to one day write something as magical, enthralling and oh,
just perfect as Howl’s Moving Castle, Stardust or Mortal Engines.
Darklands is her first novel. It will be followed in 2013 by Kikimora, the story of a
reluctant monster, a heart-broken magician, a frustrated violinist, a kind-hearted
Rusalka – and the magician’s cat, who just might have the solution to all their problems.
We asked Ruby Tomlinson and Sarah Duckworth, two of our keenest Year 7
readers, to review Darklands for us. Here is what they thought:
Ruby: Darklands is a fantasy. Throughout the pages magic, mystery and darkness
combine. Sophie has been transported to another world where it never rains and she
is forced to marry the king. Will she ever return to her world? Will it anything ever be
the same again?
I thought Darklands was really good . It did slow up a bit in the middle but by the end
of the book I couldn’t stop reading
Sarah : The Darklands book was a good read. There was action all the way through.
She is able to integrate the modern world with the mystical world of Darklands.
When Sophie puts up a fight she finds surprising allies and unnerving truths. Lots of
mystery is wound into this book. What is devotion and why can’t the king be killed? I
thought the book was a real page-turner and would give it 8/10
Congratulations to Ruby Tomlinson and Josef Whitfield who were this year's Cromford Festival Poetry
winners as selected by Chris Thompson, our local script writer.
Harli Moore also collected a prize for the superb presentation of her poem.
The following students were also commended for their poems: Harriet Peck, Helen Bowler. Will Woodruff,
Billy Rowlatt, Jacob Cousins. Richard Tunicliffe, Cerys Heap and Heather Stonehouse.
Just before Easter a team of four Anthony Gell students travelled to
Swanwick Hall School to take part in the Regional Final of the UKMT
Team Maths Challenge 2013. This is a national competition made up
of four rounds of maths quizzes including a crossnumber puzzle
(like a crossword but with maths questions) and a relay race where
teams are split up and answer questions in turn and run around to
pass the next question to other team members.
Our team came 4th overall out of a total of 28 schools from across the
East Midlands. This is a fantastic result against mainly much bigger
schools and also a number of private schools. Congratulations to
Finlay Poole, Ada Player, Emma Burke and James McCabe.
Year 11 at Shottle Hall
Year 13 at Makeney Hall
In PSE in Year 8 we have carried out our usual Send My Friend
to School Campaign which this year is focused on supplying
more teachers as its petition. Year 8 designed lots of '“ideal”
teachers and we sent the completed figures to our MP Patrick
McLoughlin. The aim is to keep up the pressure on world leaders
to try to achieve the Millennium Goal of getting all children worldwide into primary education by 2015.
This year we linked this campaign to the Giving Nation funding to
enable global citizenship activities – so each class had a budget of
£50 to use to raise money. They had to plan events and ways to
raise money as a competition with the other classes in Year 8. Activities have included everything from throwing wet sponges at
teachers, sponsored walks, football competitions, making and selling cakes, an ice cream stall and guess the number of sweets in
the jar! Each class is also writing an online blog as they go
through their project/event(s).
Students in each class have to decide from a 'Menu' of educational items, the things they wish to buy with the money raised
…..books, school uniforms, desks, training a teacher, sports
equipment for a special school......The charities involved are
Oxfam, Christian Aid and Salt of the Earth. There is a prize for
the winning class and we hope to be able to buy lots of very
useful items to help other children to have a good education.
the current total raised so far is over £ 700 across the four classes
- they have really got involved!
The theme for the Well Dressing Design this year was Africa; this was chosen
to mark Africa day which was on May 25th.
Year 7 students all created a design for the well and they looked at the work of the
artist Chris Ofili for inspiration. The work of five students was put together to create
the final design. Chris Ofili is well known for his references to his Nigerian heritage,
his highly decorative style and his playful exploration of his cultural identity. He is well
known for his use of unconventional materials in his paintings such as elephant dung.
Groups of students of all ages worked on the well and just like Chris Offili some unconventional materials such as plastic drinking straws were used – but no elephant
dung! The charity we are supporting this year is Aid Camps International and specifically ‘Building a Future for Africa’ which aims to build schools in poor areas of the
country. Our Caretaker, Martin Church had a special interest in the well, as his
daughter is helping to set up a school in Sierra Leone.
Students in Gell House have been organising an appeal for the
Carsington and Brassington Food Bank.
The Rev David Truby launched the appeal when he
came into school to discuss the project with the
organising group who have gone on to produce posters
and publicity for the project. Donations of food and other
essential items have been coming in since the appeal was
launched at the start of May. The first collection of
donations was made to the Food Bank just before half term
but the appeal is open until the end of term. Food Banks
help an increasing number of local families through short
term crises.
Mr Whittall, Gell Senior Tutor commented 'I have been
impressed with the response of students in Gell who have
planned and promoted the appeal and organised regular
collections of donations. I think the fact that this appeal
isn't asking for money has also been a reason so many
people have responded so positively.'
Thanks to the volunteers from BTCV who worked
so hard to create our raised beds
The Science Department have been preparing for an
exciting new GCSE course called Environmental
and Land Based Science (ELBS). This course will be
for students who are studying BTEC Applied Science.
It will involve them completing units on different
methods of plant growth and doing coursework projects
testing those methods. This is where the polytunnel
comes in. So that we can grow crops all year round, we
have built a polytunnel to keep them nice and
warm. During this half term, you will see ELBS students
preparing their raised crop beds in the polytunnel ready
for seedlings to be grown in them after the summer
holidays. You might even smell that we have started
fertilising the soil!! I do hope this time next year that we
have a polytunnel full of vegetables, fruits and flowers
ready to eat (and maybe some to sell)! So please look
after the polytunnel and make sure that you help us to
preserve it for as long as possible.
This new course does not stop here though, we will also be
doing an Animal Care unit and from September there will be a
few new members of the science department. This will include
a rabbit or guinea pig, some fish and we will be hatching
chicks each spring. Don't worry, they won't be teaching, but
ELBS students will be learning all about how to care for
them. Over the next few years we are also planning on how
all students can use the polytunnel and work with the animals
during science lessons and GCSE courses. If in the
meantime, you have any spare gardening tools at home or
small animal cages or equipment, please let Miss Waring
know and we will gladly take any donations.
The Sixth Form Performing
Arts BTEC final assessment
piece “Terra Nova” turned a
tale of disaster into an acting
triumph. The play tells the
story of the ill-fated
expedition to the South Pole
in 1912 lead by Captain
Scott. Working within a beautiful but minimal set with only
a few props to help them, the seven strong cast created a
moving portrayal of the struggle to reach the pole, only to
find that the Norwegian Amundsen had got there before
them. Even more moving was the story of the return journey,
which eventually claimed the lives of the whole crew.
All the cast (Sara Pidcock, Jack
Dranfield, Mark Page, Blake Curzon,
Brandon Higton, Kevin Doxey and
Paddy Fitton-Jones) were deservedly
awarded Merits or Distinctions for their
powerful and well-judged
performances, but they were the first
to acknowledge the help and support
they had received, especially from
Sam Wright, Kim Lowry and courseleader, Tina Hampton.
Year 7 were enthralled earlier this term as our
rainforest roadshow got underway. “Tropical Inc”
came into school as part of the Y7 Humanities
module celebrating the life and culture of Brazil.
Students had hands-on experiences with a range of
tropical rainforest animals, with the firm favourites
being the kookaburra and the skunk, which was,
fortunately, very well behaved
Sports Day 2013
After the closest of contests last year, few would have predicted an almost carbon copy finish in 2013. After a
morning of field events, Wright house led the competition with 190 points, closely followed by Fearne on 188.
This would prove to be the difference between the houses as the track events saw all four teams being separated
by just two points. Final scores: 1st Wright 292pts, 2nd Fearne 290pts, 3rd Arkwright 284pts, 4th Gell 253 pts.
Congratulations to all those who took part, especially the athletes who set 14 new school records.
We have a number of staff leaving us at the end of this year, some after working at the school for many years.
Emma Webster has been our Ks4/5 learning mentor for the last few years and has helped many students with
their coursework and exam preparation. She has been central to our Breakthrough programme for Years 10 and
11 and in setting up our new support system for the sixth form. She is leaving us to do teacher training in the primary sector.
Simon Olphin took over as our music teacher five years ago and has done much to promote the popularity of music in the school. He has great energy and is just as at home in the lunchtime skating club as he is working with
the jazz band or in the classroom teaching both music and PSE. He has introduced the greater use of Technology to the department and has been central to our music productions and concerts. Simon has a new job much
nearer home in Stoke on Trent.
Both Helen Mitchell and Jo Kenworthy joined the school over 20 years ago as art teachers. Helen has continued to teach art throughout her time at school, teaching both GCSE and A-level and also becoming a moderator
for the subject with the exam board. Helen has given her time generously to school, including during the annual
Wirksworth Festival and has also developed ICT in the department. Jo’s career took a different turn when she
became our SENCo and has headed up the Learning Support Department for many years. Jo’s commitment to
pupils with Special Needs cannot be in doubt and she has helped many of our students to navigate their way
through school and gain the best possible qualifications. Many would not have succeeded without her. Both Jo
and Helen are taking (early) retirement and are looking forward to many new challenges.
Also leaving this year is one of our longest serving Teaching Assistants Cheryl Gaskin. Cheryl has support many
students in school and has worked particularly closely with the Humanities department and most recently in the
Sunshine Room. She has been a regular on many school trips, especially the Y7 residential in Castleton.
Cheryl’s calm and caring approach has helped so many students to thrive when they might otherwise have struggled to cope in school. Cheryl is retiring this summer.
We would like to thank all our staff for their hard work and dedication and wish them all the very best for the future. We hope to see them regularly!
Message from the School Governors
The role of the school governors is to work with the Head to help the school provide the best possible education for
students. Governors have attended all the recent parents' evenings and have really enjoyed talking to parents,
students and staff. These conversations, together with questionnaires to parents, are really helpful in keeping us in
touch with what parents think about the education the school is providing. We are pleased to say that the feedback has been very positive and in the few cases where parents have raised issues, these are followed up by the
governors or the staff as appropriate. There is more information on the school website about who the governors
are and what we do. One important role is to make sure that the school can continue to maintain and develop its
buildings and facilities as well as possible and there are some articles in this newsletter about very welcome new
funds or bids for future funding.
Brendan Quinn, Chair of Governors
Proposals to improve Sports Facilities and Car Parking.
The School has worked very successfully with our partners to develop local sports facilities, working with the Anthony Gell School Foundation, Derbyshire Dales District Council and local Hockey and Football Clubs. This has
resulted in the excellent Leisure Centre, floodlit artificial-surfaced pitches, upgraded grass pitches and new
changing rooms.
Now, these partners are applying for planning approval and a £120,000 grant from Sport England to make additional improvements for 2014. The Town & District Councils and local Hockey and Football Clubs will contribute
towards overall costs estimated at £436,000 with a major investment of £270,000 from AGS Foundation. Demand
from local Hockey and Sports Clubs for facilities to meet the needs of young people is currently outstripping supply
with clubs having to travel elsewhere in the County. The plans involve:
•
Upgrading the surface of the main All Turf Pitch by providing a sand- dressed surface which is better for
Hockey and still fine for Football
•
Providing an additional floodlit all-weather pitch to provide for Football & Hockey training and four tennis
courts
•
Replacing two tennis courts with parking area for 25 cars to ease problems on Canterbury Terrace and
Water Lane referred to in local consultation through Future Wirksworth.
John Thompson, School Governor
Improvements to School Buildings
Last year, we were allocated funding of £360,000 by Derbyshire County Council to improve the structure of the
building. Work started in early May to improve the Technology Block - the fabric of the building has deteriorated
over the years and this renovation is much needed to ensure the best teaching and learning environment for staff
and students. We hope it will be completed at the beginning of the summer holidays and will be followed by work
to repair and improve the bridges.
In addition, we have just been allocated £400,000 for roof repairs and to improve the heating system in Gell Block
over the next year. This is significant investment in our school by Derbyshire County Council and we appreciate
their support in keeping our buildings in good order. We have also allocated £24,000 as part of our continuing
programme of upgrading computer rooms and replacing old computers.
Sue Marshall, School Governor
Coming soon………..
Gell Friends
Look out in the autumn for details of a new organisation for YOU
On the crest of a wave
Twelve Gell students
have successfully
completed their RYA
Stage 1 sailing
qualification this term
having attended an after
school club at Carsington
Watersports Centre.
Subsidised by funding
from “Sportivate” a
national project to encourage the take up of new sports, the
youngsters have loved the sailing and gained new skills &
confidence. Ms Price who runs the programme says “The
students have taken to sailing like ducks to water! The instructors
have been brilliant, making the sessions fun and engaging. The
students are a really enthusiastic bunch and I’m sure they will
make the most of the Gell boats which are available to them and
continue to enjoy their sailing in the future”.
“Gotcha with Boccia”!
A team of Gell students have achieved recent success in the sport
of boccia. Following in the footsteps of the 2012 Paralympians,
the Gell team played their way to victory and the opportunity to
compete for the District at the Derbyshire School Games in July.
Boccia is a new addition to the competition calendar and is a
game similar to indoor bowling involving skills and tactics .
Seven schools from High Peak & Dales attended the event held at
Gell, with teams from Hope Valley College and Anthony Gell
clinching the top medal spots from 11 other school teams.
We wish the victorious 6 every success in the County
championships next month.
Golf Success
On top of the many sports played at Gell, Year 9 students have
taken up the sport of golf and achieved local success by winning
the schools competition against Highfields and QEGs. Working in
partnership with the Golf Foundation and local Golf Clubs, the
School Sport Partnership has introduced the “Super Sixes” golf
event to the Secondary Schools Competition calendar. All three
schools have received golf coaching from local professional
coaches to prepare them for the SSP competition. Wirksworth
based golf pro at Stanedge Golf Club, Ricky Carvell has been
impressed with their enthusiasm for golf.
The team of 3 boys & 3 girls will now compete in the County final
of the Super Sixes competition at Bondhay Golf Club in July. We
wish them the very best.
Supported by AGS Foundation Governors
For further dates go to
www.anthonygell.co.uk
AUTUMN TERM
Wed 4th Sept
INSET
Thurs 5th Sept
INSET
Fri 6th Sept
Start of Autumn term for Y7, Y12,Y13
Mon 9th Sept
ALL year Groups in School. Week 1
Thurs 19th Sept
7pm Year 6 Open Evening
Thurs 24th Oct
School closes for HALF TERM at 3.30 pm
Fri 25th Oct
INSET DAY
Mon 4th Nov
Return to school Week 2
Mon 25th Nov
INSET DAY
Fri 5th Dec
7pm Post 16 Information Evening
Fri 20 Dec
School closes for Christmas break at 1pm
SPRING TERM 2014
Mon 6th January
Start of term
AGS Year 7 cricketers are celebrating a
successful cup run, reaching the finals of
the Derbyshire School Cup. Playing all four
rounds away from home, they defeated
QEGs, Lady Manners, New Mills and Tupton
Hall. Mr Etheridge was full of praise for the
team: “ We have thirteen squad members
and all have played their part. The fielding,
teamwork and tactical skills of the team have
been key ingredients in our success.
Richard Tunnicliffe and Josef Whitfield
have managed a joint captaincy skilfully.
Charlie Mellor has been a rock as an
opening bat and Luke Eaton has bowled
really well. The determination of the team
came through when the lower order had to
bat well against a strong Tupton Team”
The team face Trent College in the final.
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