WEEKLY NEWSLETTER – 23 FEBRUARY 2018 Website www.facebook.com/GreenswardAc/
w/c 26 February: B
A THANK YOU FROM THE PRINCIPAL Thank you to staff, students, parents and Governors for your support during our Ofsted visit this week. The Inspectors were very impressed with the school and the students and commended them for their positive attitude to learning and excellent conduct. I will give you more details when I receive them officially from Ofsted. Our students were also a credit to us during our fire evacuation today – well done to all of them!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK During the half term break, 26 Sixth Form students spent 5 days visiting New York City. The trip was filled with an abundance of activities and it was bound to be exhausting; more so for the teachers than anyone else.
Throughout our brief yet enjoyable stay, we visited the key sites of Radio City Hall, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and of course the shops of 5th Avenue.
@GreenswardAc
We were also lucky enough to see Aladdin on Broadway which was a phenomenal show that weaved its magic around the whole group. Despite the upbeat morale of the trip, other monuments such as the 9/11 memorial brought us back into reality and reminded us how, even in the most vibrant and exciting city in the world, not everyone is as fortunate as us. We experienced late nights and early mornings; the latest of which occurred after we attended an ice hockey match in New Jersey. Here, we saw the New Jersey Devils beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 and a stadium of Americans cheer as though a war had ended. We too left pleased, but nonetheless eager to get back to the hotel and our comfortable beds!
Overall, I think we all spent far too much money and Mr Benson spent far too much time saying “c’mon losers”. Regardless, we would like to thank Mrs Camy, Miss Hulme and Mr Benson for providing us with such an incredible experience and we hope others get to undergo the same adventures as we did on a trip we will never forget.
Katie Odell 12NLH
SKI BANFF 2018 On Friday 9 February forty-five Year 11s and Year 8s made their way to Heathrow Airport for our nine-hour flight to Calgary. Upon arrival we were greeted by a fresh layer of snow and a beautiful drive through the empty highways on our journey to The Banff Inn. A display of pizzas welcomed us, and throughout our week the dinners continued to get better. During the week of skiing we visited three breath-taking resorts, Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mount Norquay. Our first four days consisted of runs after runs, and views after views. Being up in the mountains was beyond words. To be surrounded by so much fresh snow and have the slopes so empty there is no better way to ski. Lake Louise had incredible slopes, like Men’s Downhill or the Rock Garden, and Sunshine Village supplied us with incredible food and unbeatable views and for many of us, tumbles we will not be able to forget. Taking us around the mountains and giving us techniques to make us into the best skiers possible was and incredible team of instructors from the Ski Big 3. They were all so friendly, they made our week amazingly fun and so worthwhile. Our last day skiing, at Mount Norquay, was brilliant. On top of the skiing we were given the opportunity to try a slalom, which was quickly turned into a competition of who could do it quickest’. Then later in the afternoon, we got to go tubing. Sliding down a snowy slope, with falling snow, at a quick speed resulted in a lot of students looking a tad frosty, but it was beyond fun and an incredible opportunity. In the evenings, when we weren’t too worn out from the hours of skiing, we got the chances to wander into Banff town, to visit the shops; a student favourite being McDonalds and their all-day breakfast. One evening we
walked to a local bowling alley. A combination of pool, arcade games and bowling created an evening of fun for us students, and even the teachers. On top of this, chilling in the hotel and hopping between rooms to talk to friends was a great evening pastime, what better way to end a day than with sharing stories of the falls that had happened on the slopes that day. On our last day, on the way to the airport we got to go shopping! Roosters shopping outlet was insanely big, with shops from Calvin Klein, Bath and Bodyworks, to a noteworthy food hall. It was the best way to keep a group of teens occupied for three hours until we left for the airport. Having a night flight home drained the energy from everyone, and on the final coach journey back to Greensward Academy everyone was asleep. I cannot think of a way I would have rather spent my week off school, than in a beautiful country, with my friends and wonderful teachers, creating unforgettable memories. I am sure everyone else will be able to agree, that Banff Ski trip 2018 is a ski trip to beat!
Jessica Newman 11R
“I would like to thank and congratulate the students of Greensward Academy for being arguably the most polite group of students I’ve had on board in the 32 years I’ve been flying. Bravo!” (Air Canada Flight Attendant)
WORLD BOOK DAY
A reminder that World Book Day is next Thursday, 1 March when students will have the opportunity to dress up as their favourite book characters. For those students who are not dressing up, they are expected to come in full academy uniform.
CONGRATULATIONS TO …
ESSEX SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY COMPETITION
… the Girls Gymnastics Team who recently competed in the District Gymnastics Competition. For many of the girls this was their first experience of such competitiveness. They had all worked extremely hard leading up to the competition and this was reflected in their final standings. The Junior team finished 3rd and Senior team finished 2nd. This meant that the overall competition was very tight between the top 3 and Greensward ended up finishing 3rd overall. Well done to all the girls for doing so well.
21 Year 7 and 8 students competed in the Essex Schools Cross Country competition on a cold and muddy Wednesday afternoon at Stubbers Activity Centre in Upminster this week. A flat, quick and muddy course with several water jumps made for a brutal race for all. Our students applied themselves as they always do, with pride and determination with approximately 200 students from across the county running in each race. Special mentions must go to Harrison Thorpe 25th, Ella Turner 27th, Logan Caswell 35th and Josef Leverington 52nd in the whole county in their respective year groups. .
… the Year 7 netball girls who had their first game of 2018 against King Edmund this week. They played extremely well winning 19-0. Player of the match was awarded to Megan Hook. Well done girls! … Kitty Harris in Year 9 who had almost 12 inches cut off her hair in aid of The Little Princess Trust (www.littleprincesses.org.uk) – a charity that provides real hair wigs for children suffering from hair loss. She also managed to raise £75 in sponsor money for this excellent cause. Her family is very proud of her and we hope that she will inspire others to do the same.
… Mrs Lesley Wolfenden an ex-Greensward pupil (formerly Lesley Bader, 1976 - 1981) who recently attended Buckingham Palace with her children Alice and Freddie, to receive the LVO. The LVO stands for Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order and in comparative terms it sits above an O (e.g. an OBE) but below a C (e.g. a CVO or a CBE). Mrs Wolfenden has worked for Business in the Community, one of the Prince's Charities, for over 30 years after she left Exeter University.
ONLINE SAFETY EVENT As parents/carers will know the academy takes the safety of its students very seriously including their safety while they access the Internet. On Thursday this week an all-day event took place led by E-Safety trainers, John and John, and this included our Year 5 feeder children, staff and parents. From their background in law enforcement, The 2 Johns have an immense knowledge of internet safety and the ‘dark web’ and this was evident from their sessions, which delivered hard hitting messages on the implications of using the Internet, sexting and chat forums.
Thank you to all the parents who attended this session as well, here is some of their feedback:“Thank you so much for organising such an informative evening. It was hard listening at times and I felt uncomfortable. It was such a good opportunity to get a
better understanding of what is out there on the web and how we can best support our children.”
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH COMPETITION
“This is just a short note to say thank you very much indeed for extending the invitation to yesterday’s e safety event to the year 5 pupils and parents. It was a brilliant event and we really appreciate having the opportunity to attend.”
The Chairman of Rochford District Council is holding a competition to find a local child to represent the district during a special service at Chelmsford Cathedral marking the 100th Anniversary of the Commonwealth.
“It was brilliant, I learnt so much from it.” “I just wanted to say how interesting I found it … John and John were brilliant. So professional and up to date - in a field where I would imagine it to change daily.” The 2 Johns can be contacted via their Facebook Page EST E Safety Training (@The2Johns). More helpful advice on how to stay safe on the Internet can be found on our online safety advice page for parents on our website.
ART WORK OF THE WEEK
Entrants should make a costume and banner linked to a Commonwealth country, then submit photographs of their creations with their Entry Form by the deadline of 9.00am on Monday 5 March 2018. The winner and their family will be invited to attend the service at Chelmsford Cathedral on Sunday 29 April 2018 at 3.30pm, where they will wear their costume and join in with a lively procession. The Entry Form is available at www.rochford.gov.uk/chairman.
Apprenticeship Open Evening Thursday 1 March 2018 This is an outstanding opportunity to be trained with a forward thinking international organisation. Today sees Ipeco continuing to transform aircraft seat design and pioneering the introduction of innovative galley insert equipment, delivering improved crew and passenger comfort, experience and productivity. A group-wide philosophy recognises the loyalty and commitment of the people that contribute to our success. They are offering Engineering Apprenticeships to commence September 2018 with the benefit of: -house training centre
ARE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN ENGINEERING? Please contact Clare Brooks for an Invitation:
[email protected] or telephone 01702 209715
This beautiful portrait is by Tabitha Wotton in Year 13 and is an acrylic portrait on wood inspired by the artist Colin Chillag.
ASSEMBLY THEME & THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Erudition “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Albert Einstein
FAMILY AWARNESS DAY Students in Years 7, 8 and 9, along with their parents/carers are invited along to the University of Suffolk, Waterfront Building, Neptune Quay, Ipswich to find out more about studying at university. The event will take place on Saturday 28 April, 11.30am – 3.00pm. Places can be reserved by using the online booking form at www.uos.ac.uk/fad
CHARITY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
On June 16, the Brainstrust is holding a charity football tournament on Saturday 16 June at Hockley Community Centre. It is a fun, family day out for all with the goal of raising a lot of money and awareness. If you can’t attend but would like to donate please do so via www.justgiving.com/Sharon-Springall. The event is been organised by Mrs Sharon Springall.