105th Edition April 2017 Year 9 Conference Year 9 students attended the Rocking Ur Teens conference in London on Wednesday 8th March with other young women from around the country to celebrate International Women s Day to address important issues and receive empowering messages from influential leaders. Review from Year 9 Student ShianLi The visit to the Rock Ur Teens conference in London was simply amazing. We were there to become motivated and inspired by numerous speakers all of who were truly incredible, from a presenter called Remel who hyped us all up; AnneMarie, a woman who is not just smart but encouraged us all to get involved with subjects that are typically still in a 'man's world' so that's why she encouraged us to become STEMettes and take over that world!; and Grace from The Self Esteem Team who showed us how to defeat the demons that stop us from doing the things we love. Among these three were many inspiring other women, who all paved our way to being truly rocked and feeling the want to have a career that suits us. We all felt empowered to strive for the impossible, since there is no such thing as impossibility, and this conference surely changed our ways of thinking and, instead, let us believe in our own strengths for the upcoming future. The connections we made there are ones that we shall each keep close, and the motivation we now have instilled deep in our souls are going to be expressed as loudly and proudly as we can make them.
Physical Education & Performing Arts News A huge congratulations to the Performance Group who performed their piece Controlled' at Stourbridge Town Hall. The event included several schools from Birmingham and Dudley coming together to celebrate and share dance works. The students were extremely professional and a credit to the Performing Arts department. Thank you and well done to: Naomi, Jaida, Akasha, DanielleStella, Esther, JadaLi, Mya, Angel, Alarna, Tinotenda, and Taddisha. Miss King Teacher of Performing Arts Here at Hillcrest, we acknowledge the significant contribution that music has on students' development. As a result, we currently offer instrumental lessons in keyboard, guitar, dhol drumming and steel pans, where students have the opportunity to take exams with the instruments they play. This term I would like to congratulate the following pupils for passing their exams: Sanya Copper Music Award on guitar. Joyce Copper and Bronze Award on guitar. Mr D. Nock Teacher of Music
Parks Inter Netball Many Year 7 and 8 students from Parks form groups competed in the Inter Netball. The competition demonstrated excellent skill levels and great team work. The games were timed and the competition was a round robin, which means every team played each other and were awarded with 5 points for a win, 3 points for a draw and 1 point for a loss. The results were as follows: 1st place P8 2nd Place P1 and P2 4th place P3 and P7 Well done to P8 for winning all of their games! Year 9 and 10 Netball, Malala and Nightingale Well done to all the students who entered the competition, five Nightingale teams and three Malala teams entered. The results were as follows: 1 st place Nightingale 2 nd place Malala joint 3 rd place Nightingale and Malala
Key Stage 3 Current Sports Results Term 2 Year 7 and 8 Football Year 7 Indoor Rowing Year 8 Indoor Rowing Year 8 Badminton Year 7 and 8 Netball P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 Participation 0 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 points 1 st place 100 2 nd place 60 Overall points 0 140 80 80 80 80 180 80 Current position 4th 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 3 rd 1 st place 100 2 nd place 60 3 rd place 30 1 st place 100 2 nd place 60 3 rd place 30 Current overall 0 240 110 80 80 170 240 180 Points Current overall 6th 1st 5th 4th 4th 3rd 1st 2nd position Participation 20 20 40 40 40 40 1 st place 100 2 nd place 60 3 rd place 30 Current overall 50 320 150 80 120 210 240 320 Points Current overall position 7th 1st 4th 6th 5th 3rd 2nd 1st Participation 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 points 1 st place 100 2 nd place 60 60 3 rd place 30 30 Current overall points 185 470 240 80 210 300 360 430 Current overall position 7th 1st 5th 8th 6th 4th 3rd 2nd
Key Stage 4 Current Sports Results Term 2 Event Participation points Year 9 and 10 King ball Nightingale Malala 1 st place 2 nd place 3 rd place Total overall points Current overall place 160 60 220 2nd 140 100 240 1ST Year 10 and 11 Badminton Year 9 Indoor Rowing Year 10 Indoor Rowing Year 11 Indoor Rowing Year 9 and 10 Netball Nightingale Malala Nightingale Malala Nightingale Malala Nightingale Malala Nightingale college Malala college 140 30 290 2 ND 320 100 60 770 1 ST 100 60 30 480 2nd 0 0 0 770 1 st 0 0 480 2nd 100 60 30 960 1 st 100 580 2nd 60 30 1050 1 st 45 100 30 755 2 nd 27 60 30 1167 1st Miss L. Taylor
Friends of Hillcrest Charity Fashion Show The Friends of Hillcrest held a charity fashion show on the evening of Tuesday 21st March to raise funds for the school. The eagerly awaited show was a huge success with lots of Bargain Hunters readily spending their money on up to the minute fashion for all ages and sizes. All of our models were exceptional and certainly got the best out of the clothing, which ranged from High Street staples such as New Look, up to the high end Italian and French designer number. Thank you to the Hillcrest models Chloe, Nutwara, Jamaira, Grace, Jamara, Aisha, Ruvarashe, Shanel, and Aymee. Hillcrest fashion models! The Raffle and Refreshments also turned out to be winners with lots of the audience participating in both. The money raised on the evening was 446.62, so all in all a very acceptable fundraiser. So much so, we are hoping to do it all again next year! Lin Fowler The Friends of Hillcrest PTA
Friends of Hillcrest 50:50 Club
Mindu Hornick The whole of Year 9 had the opportunity of listening to a talk by Mindu Hornick who was a survivor of the death camp Auschwitz. This term the with the Religious Education Department, Year 9 have been learning about The Holocaust and to have Mindu come in and talk with us was a humbling privilege. She talked so frankly about the indescribable suffering that she endured as a young teenager at home and at Auschwitz; and detailed bitter sweet motions of escaping the camp. She personalised the whole unit in a way that could not have been predicted. She moved many of the audience to tears with her story and we all learnt something from her strength of character and determination for survival. Miss Muncey and Mindu Hornick She left us with the most important message from this horrendous example of human history which resonated with all of us. Never Forget, Never Again.
The Holocaust In Year 9 students study the Holocaust. When I was in year 9, I studied it with Miss Calder and we went into depth of how, why and when it happened. On Wednesday 1 st of March, Year 9 RE and Year 10 Philosophy and Ethics groups gathered in the hall to see a speaker who survived the Holocaust. Her name was Mindu Hornick. She spoke of her experiences in NaziGermany and what it was like to be in Auschwitz at the age of just 12. She lost both parents and both brothers to World War 2. Hearing her story and what it was like to go through all of that pain and hatred was inspiring. I felt so overwhelmed and inspired. I couldn t believe that she lived in such a world where people hated her and many others to the point of killing them in such horrific ways. However, she was not the only one to survive. Luckily for Mindu, her sister survived too. Mindu said that it was her sister s courage, strength and love for her that helped her go through the experience. She said she was very lucky to have her sister by her side as she was separated from her brothers and mother as soon as they were placed in the camps. Its people s stories like Mindu s that should make us realize that the world needs to change as things like this still happen. The last words Mindu said before leaving was what she had learnt from her experience. These consisted of these two things: Treat all people as equal, no matter what their race, religion or sexuality. Treat everyone as equals. Intervene when there is unnecessary violence Phoebe with Mindu Hornick People shouldn t stand for others hatred because the world will only get worse and we will never learn. If we accepted others hatred, things like the holocaust could happen again and many would suffer. So, treat all people as equals and don t stand for others hatred or violence towards you or anyone else. By Phoebe, Year 10
The Big Maths Quiz at Birmingham University On Wednesday 8th March, I had the great pleasure of taking 3 teams of Year 10 students to the University of Birmingham for the day to compete in their annual Big Maths Quiz. The Big Maths Quiz is an opportunity for Year 10 students from across the West Midlands and beyond to pit their mathematical talents against each other. Our students represented the school and themselves beautifully it is exciting to see so much mathematical talent in our future Year 11 s! Students who represented the school were: Layla N2 Madhia N6 Amy M4 Shams M6 Najma N3 Myrah M6 Salma M3 Tyanne M2 Naomi M5 Jaida M5 Ruvarashe N7 Shahad M4 Some of their thoughts on the day I would love to do a quiz like this again because it built my confidence in maths. I also enjoyed looking around at other schools and seeing their ability. Myrah The questions involved a lot of problem solving which I struggle with sometimes in maths so it was a challenging to solve many problems in a short period of time. I enjoyed watching surrounding schools whizz around desperate to find an answer we confidently knew. Jaida The Year 10 Big Maths Quiz held at Birmingham University was an amazing wonderful learning experience... My favourite was the geometry section, countdown questions and the section on the great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. Ruvarashe Mrs R. Kanona "Stretching the mostable mathematicians in Year 10! We are delighted to have recently started the Further Maths Level 2 Programme for some of our most talented mathematicians in Year 10. This is a Level 2 qualification that really supports bridging the gap between GCSE and ALevel and will fortify those skills necessary for success in the GCSE examinations at the highest grades as well as allowing students to gain an additional Level 2 qualification. Well done to our Year 10 students for continuing to work so hard in mathematics!"
Y12 HenleyInArden Visit Hasinah, Hannah, Anisa, and Saba, four of our Year 12 students were recently invited to HenleyIn Arden school as guest speakers to enhance the teaching of Islam at the school on their PSD and RE day. The topic was Being a teenager, British and a Muslim in the UK today which our students embraced with dignity, intelligence, humour and charisma. They took the lead in a discussion based lesson with Year 9 Students and after introducing themselves, allowed the students of HenleyinArden to ask them whatever questions they liked about themselves and about their religion. They answered many questions ranging from university courses, living in Britain s second city, being at an all girls school, religious views generally, personal responses to religious issues, views on bullying, education, the media and so much more. Our students dazzled the staff and students of HenleyInArden and were engaging public speakers. Their job wasn t easy as Religious Education isn t taught there on a weekly basis, but on a drop down day which is why they were invited. Some students are from very secular families and knew little of any religious beliefs or practices, and the Hillcrest students approached this in a friendly and accessible way. The feedback from the HenleyInArden students was very positive, so much so they sent flowers and a card with a lovely message inside. The students said it was the best RE lesson we have ever had, It s more relevant to talk to others our own age about being teenagers then our teachers Can we go to their school?. Hasinah, Hannah, Anisa and Saba were such inspirational examples of education post 16 and they certainly met the objective of enlightening their audience on Being a teenager, British and a Muslim in the UK today. They were equally passionate about talking about religion as they were about ensuring their groups were comfortable and engaged with their delivery. They are an absolute asset to Hillcrest School and Sixth form, very well done girls. Miss P. Calder
Year 11 News The Final Push Playtime is over!! Year 11 students are working hard in all subjects completing the final pieces of work and reviewing and revising their learning for two hours every night, ready for their final GCSE examinations which start on Monday 15 th May, 2017. Year 11 you are fantastic and now is the time to focus fully on revising for your GCSEs. PREPARING FOR YOUR EXAMINATIONS Plan your reviewing and revision to avoid last minute cramming use your planner. Stop doing any work at least one hour before bed (to let your mind relax and for your brain to process and memorise the information you have been revising). Have a good night s sleep turn your mobile phone off at night radical I know but social media will clog up your brain with nonsense which will lessen your brain s capacity to store the information you have revised. The Morning of the Examination Have a good healthy breakfast. Use positive selftalk. Imagine positive situations you collecting your brilliant results on the 24 th August. Morning GCSE examinations start at 8.50am; afternoon examinations start at 12.50pm. Leave home with plenty of time to spare to get to school and the Exam Hall early. Important Dates Monday 15 th May GCSE examinations start; Friday 23rd June GCSE examinations end. Thursday 24 th August GCSE Results Day! Best wishes from Mrs Penn and the Hillcrest Staff.
AntiBullying Poster Francis Barnish and Lin Fowler of Ishida Europe Ltd, a local company who are working closely with Hillcrest School, were delighted to be involved in the AntiBullying Poster involving all students of colleges Malala, Nightingale and Rosa Parks. Ishida were pleased to present a trophy to the winning form from each college, who had produced the best poster depicting the antibullying message. When judging the high calibre entries, Francis asked about the origins of the different colleges and how the names were chosen. The names selected linked in so well with the antibullying competition, especially Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai that Ishida decided to present three special gifts to the school. This was to celebrate the wonderfully inspirational women that Hillcrest have chosen to name their colleges after. Three books were presented: I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, Florence Nightingale by Pam Brown and Mine Eyes have seen the glory, the life of Rosa Parks. Ishida are looking forward to working alongside Hillcrest on many more initiatives throughout the coming years. Lin Fowler
Year 10 News Examination Preparation. Reviewing and Revising how to make your learning stick. Reviewing your work is very important, in fact it s the key to a successful memory. You can forget up to 75% of what you learn in lessons after 24 hours without reviewing. The Slide of Doom. You remember far more if you regularly review your work. Year 10 students should be reviewing their work from each day s lessons for 20 minutes every evening at home to make sure they have understood the learning in every lesson. Studying without reviewing is like running a bath DATES of YEAR 10 EXAMINATIONS: Monday 5 th June 2017 Friday 9 th June 2017 Short Term Pain; Long Term Gain! Year 10 students need to be revising for at least 2 x 30 minutes sessions every night. They should use the review and revision planners provided by school to help them organise their revision. Using dual coding [writing and images] to make revision notes makes memorising information more effective. Check out this website for more ideas about effective revision strategies: www.learningscientists.org The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you re willing to work. Good luck and best wishes from Mrs Penn and all the Hillcrest Staff.
A Message from the Headteacher The Easter break is upon us and it s been another busy term at Hillcrest with students and staff working extremely hard on their preparations for the external GCSE and A level examinations and internal Year 7 to 10 examinations that take during April, May and June. Please encourage your child to keep reviewing and revising during the holiday to ensure that their hard work is rewarded when they receive their examination results. It s a whole school priority to make sure all our students know how to review, revise and revisit effectively using brainbased learning techniques. The key to long term success is making sure your child reviews their learning every day after school, checking that they ve understood the work covered as well as completing all homework set via Show My Homework. This can be done by making notes, revision cards or diagrams that will help them condense the information and revisit it at regular intervals to make the learning stick. Examinations can be a stressful time for young people and their families and it s important to make sure that the hard work is balanced with plenty of exercise, a healthy diet and periods of relaxation. Making sure work at home is in 30 minute slots with 10 minute breaks and a longer break after 2 hours is really important. As well as reviewing the work in their books and folders all students have access to a range of online learning resources that can be accessed via the school website (see below Home Access+) or using the links below. Also try out our Monthly Maths and Everyday English challenges via the website. www.vle.mathswatch.com www.doddlelearn.co.uk www.mymaths.co.uk www.kerboodle.com If you have any questions or require any further information or advice to support your child please do not hesitate to contact one of the members of staff below. Parks Leader Ms A Adenike (Year 7 and 8) Malala Leader Mr S Kennard (Year 9 to 11) Nightingale Leader Mr G Perks (Year 9 to 11) Intervention Coordinator Mrs J Penn (Year 7 to 11) Assistant Headteacher Miss S Khalid (Year 7 to 11) Deputy Headtecaher Mr S ConnorHemming (Year 7 to 11) Deputy Headtecaher Mr S Abbotts (Year 7 to 13) Student Safety In school we regularly remind students about keeping safe on the journey to and from school. Please can parents also emphasise these key safety messages about crossing roads carefully and only at crossing points. Students are representing the school as they travel and therefore any reports of inappropriate behaviour will have consequences under the school Getting It Right policy. As a school we re very lucky to have a small number of parking spaces available to parents at the end of the day. Please can I remind parents that cars must not block the entrance to the school site, as emergency vehicles would be unable to gain access. If the parking area is full, please park on the school side of Stonehouse Lane and not in the entrance to the fire station, or local businesses. Thank you for your cooperation with this, to make sure our students are safe. Resources to support students and parents on all aspects of personal safety are available using the Keeping Children Safe link on the school website. Have a safe and restful holiday. Ms J Davies Headteacher
Key Dates End of Term students finish at 12.30pm Teacher Day Year 7 Examination Week Year 11 Progress Review Week Start of term for students @ 08.45am BTEC and GCSE Dance & Drama Showcase Evening Bank Holiday Day Year 8 Examination Week PSD Day 5 End of Term Friday 7th April Monday 24th April Week Commencing 24th April Week Commencing 24th April Tuesday 25th April Thursday 27th April Monday 1st May Week commencing 8th May Wednesday 24th May Friday 26th May