Achieve. Message from David James, Principal. Issue 17. October Inside this issue: Keeping parents/carers in the loop! Christmas Show 2012

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1 Achieve Keeping parents/carers in the loop! Raveloe Drive Nuneaton CV11 4QP Tel: Issue 17 October 2012 Company Registered Number Registered in England and Wales Hinckley Road, Nuneaton CV11 6BH Inside this issue: Message from David James P1 Christmas is Show 2012 P1 Message from Laurel Penrose P2 Maths Circus P2 Condover Hall 2012 P3 Never Been a Better Time To Read P4 English News P4 English Revision Timetable P4 50 year Celebrations P5 Junior Miss Nuneaton P5 Attendance P5 School Counselling P5 Key Dates/Concertina Days P6 Play Netball! P6 Unicycle P7 Christmas Show 2012 The Christmas Show rehearsals have been going really well with just over 100 students currently taking part. It has been a pleasure to work with them and they are raising the standard from previous years. The show is on the 19th and 20th December and it would be great to try and sell those nights out. Information regarding tickets will follow in the next edition of Achieve Miss Mason - Director of Music Message from David James, Principal. As we approach another October break, it has been a busy but very rewarding halfterm for everyone at The George Eliot School. After the examination celebrations in August, when last year s Year 11s performed so brilliantly with 97% gaining 5 GCSEs at grade s A*-C, our newest recruits in Year 7 have settled in at The George Eliot School very well indeed. All the initial nerves have now gone and they are all getting to grips with their new school, new timetable and new subjects. They have all recently returned from their trip to Condover Hall in Shropshire where they tried all kinds of exciting activities and which proved to be very popular with everyone more details can be found inside this edition of Achieve. Also recently, it has been our pleasure to welcome students from our local feeder schools to The George Eliot School. Year 6 students from All Saints, Wembrook, Middlemarch and Chetwynd all visited our school to take part in our annual Maths Circus. As well as having fun with numbers, the students had the opportunity to have a look around our school and meet some of our fantastic teachers and students. Two weeks ago we also organised an Enterprise Day for our Year 9 students when visitors from local companies came into school to work alongside our students. The young entrepreneurs were given the task of designing and marketing a mobile phone case and they responded magnificently. This term has also seen a major celebration as we welcomed the school s first students and teachers back to The George Eliot School for a reunion after a spell of 50 years. It was a wonderful day that brought nearly 40 of our former students back to school. They all remarked on the cleanliness and neatness of the school and how wellbehaved and attentive our current crop of students were as they enjoyed a tour of their former school something that made us all feel very proud. In addition, we were able to celebrate the event by putting together a time capsule that we will be keeping at the school for future generations of students and teachers to open in New for this year is a greater emphasis on the improvement of literacy with all subjects across the school looking at how they can embrace initiatives to improve literacy. As part of this drive for improvement, for half an hour on Friday afternoons, all students and staff now pick up a book and read the response from students has been extremely positive. I hope that you enjoy reading about our school in this latest edition of Achieve and I look forward to bringing you more news on our hard-working students in the next edition which will be published on the run up to Christmas. Best regards David James, Principal. 1

2 Message from Laurel Penrose - Chair of the Local Governing Body It has been really good to see some of the positive press coverage about the school during the first few weeks of the term. I was interested to read about the celebrations around the school s 50 th anniversary. Also the recent urban assembly which included a DJ and break dancer and promoted the after school clubs on offer to students with an urban arts theme sounded fantastic. There is so much great work going on within the school and this is a real credit to the staff and the students. I am very proud to continue in my role as chair of the local governing body. Listening to you At the end of the summer term parents and carers were asked to provide important feedback about the school. The local governing body has been very keen to review the findings of this exercise and all the matters raised have been taken very seriously. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide their views. We were pleased to see the many positive comments about the school and we have looked closely at the areas you have highlighted for improvement. For example one of the areas you asked us to look at is parent/carer teacher communication and in particular if it is possible for parents/carers to staff directly. As governors we will be looking at how we can make improvements in these areas and we will carefully measure progress. Learning from each other This school is one of a growing number of college led academies who have a shared vision to achieve students, staff, partners and the local community. By working with you, with our partner schools and with the college, we continue to make great progress on our exciting school improvement journey. I hope you enjoy the half term break. Laurel Penrose Chair of the Local Governing Body Vice Principal Quality and Curriculum, North Warwickshire & Hinckley College Maths Circus 2012 Students from local feeder primary schools once again enjoyed our annual Maths Circus. Students from Wembrook Primary School, Chetwynd Junior School, All Saints Church of England Primary School and Middlemarch Junior School spent the week with us. All the young mathematicians will be considering joining The George Eliot School next September and so the fun packed Maths activity was a great way to have a look around and make new friends. In addition to discovering that mathematics can be fun and putting their number skills through their paces, the young students also met teachers and teaching assistants. Sue Mustin believes that this type of activity not only helps brings Maths to life but also helps in the transition process from primary to secondary education. She said: We work very closely with local primary schools and this type of day is typical of the activities we organise to assist with the transition form Year 6 to Year 7. All the primary school students attending the event are currently in Year 6 and they are working closely with our current crop of Year 7 students many of whom they know very well from last year when they were all attending junior and primary school. The event was delivered by Paul Stephenson from The Magic Maths Workshop. Paul said: I have been coming to The George Eliot School for many years now and I am always impressed by the attitude of the students. They always find the activities fun and it is a pleasure working with them. I am looking forward to coming back again next year. A big well done and thank you to everyone involved from our school for their input. Miss S Mustin - Assistant Principal Inclusion 2

3 Year 7 Visit to Condover Hall - 3rd - 5th October 2012 On Wednesday 3 rd October, all the students in Year 7, along with their form tutors and some other members of staff, packed their bags and set off to Condover Hall, Shropshire, for 3 days of team bonding and fantastic activities. It was a brilliant trip which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Each small group had an activities instructor from Condover Hall and took part in activities such as rock climbing, abseiling, swimming and fencing. Not only were we kept busy during the day but we also had 2 great evenings! Wednesday night saw the year group gathered around a large campfire singing songs and on the Thursday night the staff and students enjoyed a Headphone Disco where they witnessed some of the best singing and dancing (mostly from the teachers!) It was a real privilege to see students encouraging each other, trying activities they had never done before and facing some of their fears. When it came to Literacy, our Year 7s liked it extreme! As you can see from the pictures our students kept up the reading even if it was in the most unlikely of places! The George Eliot School were the largest group during the 3 days and our Year 7 students certainly did the school proud. Amanda Biggs Youth-180 Youth Worker 3

4 There s never been a better time to read. The School s new literacy push is gaining momentum with staff and students enjoying the opportunity to pick up a book and have a good read. There s a really nice atmosphere all around school as students and staff demonstrate a passion for books and reading during P6 on Fridays. With everyone taking part, it can only help us to develop a reading culture that will drive up standards in literacy in all subjects across the curriculum. Mrs Stanton - Director of English English Department News We are fast approaching the end of the half term and all of Year 7 will have now taken a range of assessments in English. From this there may be some changes to the group your child is in. This change would affect English, Science, Humanities, I.T. and Expressive Arts lessons. Your child may be issued with a new timetable which could change their class teacher. Obviously we will have made changes that are only essential and this will ensure your child is supported appropriately. Should there be any queries regarding this please contact myself once the new timetable has been issued. Thank you for your support. Mrs J Newborough English Department ENGLISH REVISION Revision Timetable for After School Sessions (week beginning) Date Topic Location 5 th November Media Paper Presentational and Linguistic Devices 12 th November Media Paper Writing to Argue / Persuade / Describe 19 th November Media Paper Writing to Argue / Persuade / Describe 26 th November Media Paper Writing to Argue / Persuade / Describe 3 rd December How to Analyse Poetry for an Exam/ Poetry Revision 10 th December How to Analyse Poetry for an Exam/ Poetry Revision 17 th December How to Analyse Poetry for an Exam/ Poetry Revision 7 th January Media Paper Presentational and Linguistic Devices 14 th January Media Paper Writing to Argue / Persuade / Describe 21 st January Poetry Revision Any student can come to after school for English study but the timetable is specifically for Year 10 and 11 4

5 50 Year Celebrations On Thursday 27th September we held a 50 year re-union and we were joined by 35 former students and teachers for what proved to be an enjoyable afternoon. VIP guests were Mr Peter Marston, our first Head Master and Mrs Edith Hall, former Deputy Head Teacher. The tours proved a big hit - particularly South Wing, the original site of the George Eliot High School. Former student, Sue Neate said: It was really nice to speak to the current students. They were really well behaved and showed a genuine interest in why we had returned to our former school and what it was like back in the 1960s. Mr and Mrs Collins are joined by former P.E. Teacher, Colin Jones and former Maths Teacher, Roy Evans with a time capsule due to be opened in Has your daughter got what it takes to become Junior Miss Nuneaton 2013? Miss Nuneaton is an official heat for the semi-finals of Miss England It is open to girls aged If you have an older daughter who you think would like to take part please let them know. Junior Miss Nuneaton is open to girls aged to compete for a Modelling Portfolio and a year s signing to a local agency. Applicants must live, work or study within 25miles of Nuneaton. Miss Nuneaton applicants should apply online at putting Nuneaton on the form. Juniors should info to dianeslater27@me.com. Audition fee is 20. For more information please call or speak to Miss Slater. Attendance George Eliot students have achieved 95.1% attendance so far this term exceeding the school target of 95%. Unfortunately during the latter part of this half -term attendance has slipped due to sickness. Please remember that students should attend every day if they are fit to do so; do not let them have time off for minor complaints or illnesses and please book medical appointments out of school time if possible. Despite a long Autumn Term please continue to encourage your child to maintain good attendance: Good attendance will be rewarded at the George Eliot. Rewards will be presented in assemblies for 100% in any school week and individuals will be awarded gold, silver or bronze certificates for achievement above 95% attendance in the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. Good attendance brings long term rewards: studies show there is a strong correlation between a student s absence and the qualifications they achieve. Every lesson matters, children who have time off often find it difficult to catch up and do well at school. We hope that your child is enthusiastic about their time at The George Eliot School and remain positive throughout the year. However if you have any concerns please do not keep them at home, contact your child s form tutor, Director of Learning or myself and together we can sort any problems quickly. Shirley Holder Education Casework and Attendance Officer School Counselling The George Eliot School employs a qualified Counsellor which students are able to see confidentially. If you do not wish your son/daughter to be able to access this service please notify the school in writing. 5

6 Key Dates/Concertina Days for Autumn Term 2012 There s always plenty going on at The George Eliot School... Here are just some of the key dates you need to be aware of for this Autumn term. On a Concertina Day lessons are 10 minutes shorter and students leave school after Period 5 at 1.35pm. Supervised study time will be available for any students who are unable to go home at 1:35 p.m. OCTOBER 2012 Monday 29th October-Friday 2nd November - Half Term NOVEMBER 2012 Maths GCSE Paper 1 November 8th PM for Year 10&11 Maths GCSE Paper 2 November 12th AM for Year 10 & 11 Wednesday 7th November - Concertina Day (school finishes at 1.35pm) Thursday 15th November - Year 7 Parents Evening Tuesday 20th November - School Photographs Monday 26th November to 7th December Yr10 &11 Internal Exams Tuesday 27th November - Concertina Day (school finishes at 1.35pm) DECEMBER 2012 Wednesday 5th December - Year 9 Parents Evening Monday 17th December - Concertina Day (school finishes at 1.35pm) Monday 24th December - Friday 4th January 2013 Christmas Holidays Concertina Day Times Period 1 8:40-9:30 Period 2 9:30-10:20 Break 10:20-10:35 Period 3 10:35-11:25 Period 4 11:25-12:15 Lunch 12:15-12:45 Period 5 12:45-1:35 JANUARY 2013 Monday 7th January - INSET Day (no students in school) Tuesday 8th January - Students return to school Want to get into a sport and have lots of fun? The Griff and Coton Netball Club are looking for girls aged between 10 and 14 to join our junior netball club. If you want to improve your game, play a new sport, meet new friends or just have some fun, then come along to our training sessions! All you need to bring is a pair of trainers and a drink! When? Tuesday evenings. First training session is free and then 1 after that Where? Griff and Coton Sports and Social Club, Heath End Road, Nuneaton, CV10 7HQ What time? pm Any queries, phone Tracey on

7 STOP RIGHT THERE! Do you have any unwanted, clean, good quality school uniform and/or sports kit? Please remember to recycle these items by donating them to school. Simply place in the UNI-CYCLE box located in student services, hand in at school reception or bring your unwanted items to our Uni-cycle sale. UNI-CYCLE SALES: 15th November 2012(Year 7 Parents evening) 5th December 2012 (Year 9 Parents evening) 16th January 2013 (Year 11 Parents evening) 24th January 2013 (Year 10 Parents evening) 12th February 2013 (Year 8 Parents evening) Buy uni-cycle school uniform at our sales. Items from 50p each. For general enquiries parentcouncil@george-eliot.warwickshire.sch.uk To buy uni-cycle uniform eileen.young40@yahoo.co.uk 7