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ACADEMY NEWS

WE’RE PROUD TO BE SHOWN AS THE BEST SCHOOL IN CORNWALL IN THE TIMES 2015 “BEST SCHOOL NEAR YOU” SURVEY

21st OCTOBER 2016

BE YOURBEST

Best wishes

Principal’s Report

Sara Davey - Academy Principal

There is a culture of taking risk and doing things differently when appropriate. Today has been one of those days with some rather risqué Halloween costumes, I think you will agree. Not to be outdone by the staff, the students have also arrived at school in ghoulish and scary costumes and a great deal of laughter has brought a happy atmosphere for the last day of this half term. Thank you to parents for providing the money for charity. Our charities of Sepsis Awareness and Penhaligon’s Friends are very worthy causes.

Our students have been working very hard this term and deserve a short break to recharge their batteries. We will be returning on Monday 31st October and a week later will be Assessment Week where students will be completing tests, the results of which will be reported to parents. Year 11 in particular will be undertaking their first round of pre-public exams (mocks) to give them some indication on how well they are doing and what gaps they still need to fill to get the best grades in the summer.

Finally, I would like to make a special mention of two students who acted in a heroic fashion on their way to school. Dillon Freeman and Sophia Schofield found an elderly gentleman who had fallen over and they were quick to offer support and assistance to guide the gentleman towards his appointment at the hospital. I received a phone call from the Nursing Sister at West Cornwall Hospital who commented on their caring and mature response to the situation. She pointed out that people are quick to complain about young people but here is an example of some great citizens of the future.

I wish you all well for a restful half term and look forward to seeing you all on Monday 31st October.

It has been a great half term full of exciting and creative opportunities for learning. I would like to extend a big thank you to all the staff for consistently producing lessons of quality and extra experiences of inspiration and excellence.

BEINSPIRED

On Tuesday all of Year 8 enjoyed a performance of the play, "Witch" from a local theatre company called Circle of Spears.

The play is set in the past and is about a local woman with healing skills who is accused of witchcraft by her neighbour. At the end of the play, the audience is invited to discuss the outcome of the play with the cast.

‘Witch’

Report by Mr Yeates

This production was particularly relevant to Year 8 students as it developed their understanding of the Gothic Literature module they have been studying in English. It was also a great opportunity to watch a play from a local theatre company.

One of our students commented that:

"This tale was wonderfully tragic. Each character conveyed emotions in a fantastic way and I applaud the brilliant acting."

BECHARITABLE

Halloween Non-Uniform Day

On Friday 21st of October, there was a non-uniform day to raise money for Sepsis Awareness and Penhaligon’s Friends. Many brave students and staff came in full-on Halloween outfits, while others came in normal clothes with a splash of orange.

Throughout the day there were lots of activities including teacher karaoke, a cake sale and glitter make-up stall.

Students and staff paid £1 for the privilege of being out of normal school wear, and all the money raised on the day is going to two charities!

The charities we are supporting with this fundraising have a big impact on both a personal, local and national level, and complement each other in the services they provide.

Every year in the UK there are 150,000 cases of Sepsis, resulting in a staggering 44,000 deaths – more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. The UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) was established as a charity in 2012 with the objective of saving 12,500 lives every year. The Sepsis Trust is committed to changing the way the NHS deals with Sepsis, to increasing public awareness and supporting those affected by Sepsis. Every penny you donate is valuable in helping them achieve their goals.

Penhaligon’s Friends is a Cornish charity supporting bereaved children, young people, parents and carers throughout the county. They offer children and young people the chance to meet others and share their experiences, as well as practical resources for children and parents.

If you would like further information on either of these charities, please get in touch with us. Thank you for your support.

BECHARITABLE

Unexpected Cookie Delivery

On Thursday Tesco phoned the Academy to ask if we wanted 250 free cookies! Another school had ordered them but cancelled at the last minute, so they phoned us. The timing was perfect, as we already had a planned charity fundraising day scheduled for the next day (Friday). The cookies were gratefully accepted and were sold to students and teachers at lunchtime, with the proceeds going to The Sepsis Trust, one of the charities we raised money for on Friday.

Thanks to Dave and Stu, from Tesco, who kindly delivered them. On the Thursday alone £43.50 was raised for the charities.

The Year 10 GCSE PE group are completing a research project on the cardio respiratory system this week. The Science department loaned us some very useful props to bring our learning alive.Once we’d identified the major components of the heart, we made our way to the gym to begin our work out and track any heart rate changes. The students were great and the use of practical components within the theory lesson really helped them to understand what happens to body systems both during and after exercise. Students also identified variables which affect the results, such as temperature and exercise intensity. Well done to both groups.

BECURIOUS

PE Theory

Report by Mrs Crowle

On the MBA Open Evening, the Maths department ran a ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’ competition. The sweets have now been counted and the number verified, and a winner has been identified.

Ben Dawson of Godolphin Primary School guessed the number of sweets in the jar - being only one away! In total there were 242 sweets and Ben's guess was 241. Here is Mr Williams (reluctantly) presenting Ben with his sweets.

We Have a Winner

Report by Mr Williams

Hamlet Schools Broadcast

At Mounts Bay Academy we have signed up for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s School’s Broadcast of Hamlet, King Lear and The Tempest. Details of these productions can be found on the RSC website. It is a fantastic opportunity for our students to see critically acclaimed productions without any cost.

The first production is Hamlet on Thursday 10th November. Here is a synopsis of the production:

Hamlet has the world at his feet. Young, wealthy and living a hedonistic life studying abroad. Then word reaches him that his father is dead. Simon Godwin directs Paapa Essiedu as Hamlet in Shakespeare’s searing tragedy. As relevant today as when it was written, confronting each of us with the mirror of our own mortality in an imperfect world.

Students from across Years 8-10 are invited to watch this production in the Hall. The timings of the event:

BECURIOUS

Part 1 - 9am - 10amBreak - 10am - 10.15amPart 2 - 10.15am - 11amBreak - 11am - 11.15amPart 3 - 11.15am - 12.35

Report by Mrs Marsden

BEINSPIRED

On Friday evening Mr Raggett and I were en route to school to collect vehicles when we came across a serious road traffic accident at Stopgate junction leaving Porthleven.

Hazard lights on, out we jumped. Mr Raggett immediately sprung into action assessing the situation. Due to his extensive experience and knowledge from his outdoors training and work with Cornwall Search and Rescue, he was able to gauge the situation in a calm and logical way so that the casualties could be cared for before the emergency services arrived.

Two cars were involved and one lady was lying on the floor. Mr Raggett showed me how to stabilise a passenger in one of the cars who had hurt her wrist and back. He instructed other people to do other things. He was brilliant and made everybody feel as if somebody was in charge. Emergency people arrived , police, paramedics, doctors, fire engines and ambulances. All team members from the Emergency Services commended Mr Raggett for his fast thinking and stated how much of an asset he is for the community and our school. Three people were sent to hospital.

Personally I think we are very lucky to have Mr Raggett on our team, training staff and students in first aid. Just think how much safer our community will be in the future with all this knowledge.

Well done Mr Raggett.

Mr Raggett is First on the Scene

Report by Mrs Murray-Lambrou

BEADVENTUROUS

“The weather was kind during Friday’s walk. Not so kind on Saturday when we had the full works with thunder, lightning and very heavy showers. Morale was boosted by cooking a hot meal on the Trangias under a welcome shelter at Church Cove. Luckily it was dry for tent erection at camp two. Day three dawned and the homeward leg took in the glorious views of Kynance Cove before pick up and return to MBA.” - Mrs Murray-Lambrou

Duke of Edinburgh

This last weekend 23 students completed their Silver expedition. This saw them walking for seven hours a day for three days. They navigated their own routes, starting at Perranuthnoe and following the coast path down to the Lizard and around the coast and around Lizard Point. All behaved impeccably, worked really well with their teams, cooked and camped with no adult supervision. The weather was either really bad or really good with plenty of sunshine after the rain to dry everything out.

Report by Mr Fish

BEINSPIRED

Accelerated Reader for all students in Year 7

What is Accelerated Reader?

Accelerated Reader is a way for you to check your understanding of the books you have read and for teachers to see how much progress you are making. This is monitored through a reading test called STAR Reading and Accelerated Reader quizzes on individual books.

How do I check my progress?

Your English teacher will get you to take a reading test in your lesson called STAR Reading. This will give your teacher a ZPD level, which they will share with you. Go to look for books in the library within your ZPD range. They are clearly marked on the library shelves using a colour coded system.

What does ZPD mean?

It means zone of proximal development. It is a way of measuring your reading age. Your ZPD level should increase every semester with each new STAR reading test taken as long as you read your books and are successful on your accelerated reader quizzes.

How do I log on to the Star Reading test and the Accelerated Reader quizzes?

Your username is the initial of your first name, followed by your surname and then the year you began school eg: lmarsden16

Your password is unique to you and is the one that Mr Jones issued you with at the start of school. You have this in your notes and can copy and paste it across, if you can’t remember it. You can save your password after you’ve entered it once.

What if the books I am guided to are are too easy for me?

Read a page or two and make a decision. Talk to your English teacher and Ms Jones in the library. I am in the library every tutor time so you can see me too. Make sure the quiz number of the book you are looking at is at or above your range. There is a difference between a yellow 4.0 and a yellow 4.7. There is bound to be something to suit you amongst all the books in the library. You can still bring in your own books from home to read. We are also getting excited about buying new books so let us know what you would like to see in your library.

Will I still be able to take a quiz on a book from home?

Yes. Search for the books on the Accelerated Reader site and if it is there you can take a quiz. If it is not there come and tell me and I will email the company who make the quizzes and request they make one. They usually do this within three weeks.

BEWELL READ

BEINSPIRED

How many quizzes can I do?

You take a quiz on every book that you have finished reading. You will be given a score. If you don’t get them all correct you can go back and see the correct answers. Your aim is to get an overall success rate of 85% +.

Why are some students getting Vivos for Accelerated Reading?

Students are being awarded Vivos for success in their Accelerated Reader quizzes. A successful pass is 85% and above. I check the quizzes taken for each form every Monday and award 5 Vivos for a successful pass of 85% and above.

Why are some students wearing a Word Millionaire badge?

Every time you pass a quiz on a book the number of words you have read are counted. When your total reaches a million words you become a member of the Word Millionaire club and will be awarded a badge as well as a pair of cinema tickets to be used at Merlin cinemas.

What if I read regularly but my books are short, am I missing out on a prize?

I check the reading records of every student once a week. All students who have passed an accelerated reader quiz at 85% and above are entered into a monthly draw. Every month one successful reader will be awarded a pair of tickets for the Merlin cinema group.

Can my ZPD level go up?

We definitely hope so. You will be able to take the Star Reading test at regular periods throughout the academic year. It is a thirty minute multiple-choice reading test, which you take on your iPad. We will give you a STAR test once a semester so you can monitor your progress.

When can I start?

Haven’t you already? What are you waiting for?

BEWELL READ

Report by Mrs Marsden

BEINTERNATIONAL

Dutch Exchange

Visit to Amstelveen: March 5th-10th 2017Return visit to Penzance: May 7th-12th 2017

Cost £325

To sign up or for more information contact:

Mr Strong: nstrong@mountsbay.orgMrs Crowle: dcrowle@mountsbay.org

We are launching a Spanish Language trip in 2017. We will be travelling to the area of Spain called Cantabria and will be staying in a town called Santillana del Mar.

The trip will give you the opportunity to use your Spanish language in real life situations whilst soaking up the atmosphere and excitement of a Spanish town. The trip will be taking place over the May half term and the total cost will be £550. If you are interested in this amazing opportunity you need to see Miss Tripp in the MFL office for a letter ASAP. An £80 deposit will need to be paid. If you have any questions please email Miss Tripp on ktripp@mountsbay.org or speak to your MFL teacher.

Spanish Language Trip

Only 18 places left

BECREATIVE

Artist of the Week

Edith Willett-Green in Year 8 is our Artist of the Week. Edith exudes enthusiasm for her work and is brilliant at discussing, questioning and evaluating her work as it progresses. She critiques her progress with intelligence and insight and explores materials to create different effects. Edith is working on her preparatory studies presently for her final triptych landscape piece. She is working towards capturing the reflective qualities of water using a combination of watercolour, wax candles and cling film.

Report by Mrs Dale

Not sure what a triptych is? Check out triptych paintings by the artist Giotto (1267-1337)

BECREATIVE

Your design brief: To create your own personalised playing card from a deck of cards. The most creative and ingenious individual design will win a prize and the House that has the most complete deck of cards by the end of the competition wins overall.

Each playing card entry has to be on a white piece of A5 paper. The design should have a theme and include a number/letter and a symbol. You can create the design by hand so it can be a painting or detailed drawing for example or creatively made using your iPad/phone at home/computer/camera etc.

Report by Mrs Dale

Creative Arts and Technologies Faculty

‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ Competition

The final design needs to be printed off so we can judge the final entries.

Please hand in your entries to Mrs Dale in room 35 by Friday of week 8.

BECREATIVE

This Monday, 17th October, saw the dancers across the Academy sharing and reflecting on their super busy half term since Suzie West joined Mounts Bay. The Arts Award students completed their Bronze Arts Award by sharing and teaching each other skills in dance, piano playing and singing. The Dance Company and Dance Club celebrated and shared all of the new ideas they have experienced from guest artist Lauren Syrett . For the last two weeks Lauren has been teaching workshops in African Dance, Capoeira and Contemporary to contribute to the global dance theme for the term. Report by Suzie West

Dance

The MBA equestrian team were in action last weekend, competing at Chyverton in the Cornwall Trec's annual Schools’ Hunter Trials. The team consisted of Jess Lee, Ismay Cornish-Murphy and Nicole Annis, with Nicole making her debut for MBA. Timings of the competition were delayed but the team remained focused and rode positively. Both Ismay and Nicole had clear rounds but all riders had very enjoyable and successful day. Well done to all and thanks to parents/helpers for transporting and supporting.

BECOMPETITIVE

Schools’ Hunter Trials

Report by Mrs Trevail

Thursday was county competition time for the U16 MBA girls hockey team. The competition took place at Penair School and luckily for us the sun shone all day. The girls worked very well together and improved greatly throughout each game played. A total of five games were played with two wins for the girls; a great result. The day was great fun, with lots of supportive, positive and truly lovely athletes. I must also send a huge thanks to Harry Doyle for giving up his time and umpiring for the team. Well done everybody, you've done me proud.

BECOMPETITIVE

U16 Girls Hockey

TEAM:

Megan Pengelly (c)Chloe GrahamCharley CliffordJade MossRosie SaddingtonJess JagoPoppy BurfordZelah Yuill

Megan ByrneSiena HoadleyEva HawkenIona O'ConnellTilly HockingElla LeiworthyMollie Keogh Harry Doyle (official)

Report by Mrs Trevail

On Thursday evening the Sports Hall was packed with 12 Handball teams from across Penwith. The was a real 'buzz' in the atmosphere and the games were filled with lots of goals and some great saves. Mounts Bay entered two teams in each age group and have successfully qualified for the Cornwall School Winter Games in December. Well done to all who took part.

BECOMPETITIVE

AFletcher Stevenson Toby OsborneTyler KeareyOakley Blackhall (c)Eli Williams Harris EddyPasha WilsonBen DurrantTom Hands

BNoah GorosSam OliverJack Edwards (c)Alex HoskingLewis DeeJoe SharpeKieran HarrisDan Whiteway

AJoe PengellyJacca Smart-Knight (c)Logan AspenHenry PiperMilo TaylorMax ShailEddy RoynonCallum Kitchen

Matthew ThomasCharlie Upchurch

BRhys PicotDylan JonesWes Eddy (c)Aston SineyJames SwanJacob PengellyLogan BlackhallHarvey StoneNathan LewisJaime Nieto

Handball

U15 Squads

U13 Squads

Report by Mr Strong

On Monday, the Year 8 Rugby team competed in a tournament at Penrice Academy. After a disappointingly slow start, we lost the first game 25-0. However, in the remaining pool games Mounts Bay registered a win and a draw to secure third place in the pool and advance to the quarter finals of the middle tier competition. With a renewed appetite for defending and a refreshing spark in attack, the boys progressed to the final with great victories over Callington School and especially Hayle School 15-10 and 25-0 respectively, with some superb team tries. Unfortunately, the final was one step too far going down to a physical Penair School side 20-0. All the boys put in great performances and improved greatly as the competition went on. A special mention must go to player of the day Jacob Pengelly for leading by example in both attack and defence.

BECOMPETITIVE

Year 8 Rugby

Report by Murray Westren

Squad: Angus McLeod, Logan Aspen, Charlie Upchurch, Dylan Kissling, Harvey Barker, Jacob Hill, Joe Benson, Harvey Stone, Danny Fyffe, Jacob Pengelly, Dylan Jones, Jack Edwards, Oliver Trewhella, Max Sudell and Henry Piper.

It was a great first win for the U16 boys football team against Falmouth School last week. Roll on round two! They played really well with goals from Mawgan Osborne and Archie Vingoe. Team: (From left to right):Back row- Ben Chapman, Will Trenoweth, James Williamson, Josh Storey, Ross Bryant, Mackenzie OliverFront row- Callum Buckley, Archie Vingoe, Jack Sharp, Dec Marshall, Ali Stacey, Andreas Calleja-Stayne and Chris George.

BECOMPETITIVE

U16 County Cup Win

Report by Murray Westren

Twickenham TripThe Academy is running a trip to

watch England v Italy at Twickenham Stadium, London on Sunday 26th February

2017. The cost of the trip will be £50, which will cover the cost of the ticket, transport to and from London and parking for the coach. It will involve an early start and a late return on the Sunday and you will be expected to attend school

on the Monday. There are only 43 places so if you are definitely interested and have asked at home,

please email Ms Page or see her in room 7 for a letter.

Teams from all around Cornwall came to Mounts Bay Academy to play a basketball tournament in the sports hall on 13th October. The teams were : St Ives School, Humphry Davy School, Hayle School, Cape Cornwall School and Mounts Bay Academy. The tournament was divided by two age groups: U13 and U15. All the teams played really well. The matches were six minutes long. Mounts Bay came first in both of the age groups, so Mounts Bay got the opportunity to go to the Cornwall School Games Finals in the summer.

BECOMPETITIVE

Basketball Victories

All five Penwith secondary schools competed in the Cornwall School Games qualifier at Mounts Bay Academy recently. The U15 team won all four of their games qualifying for the Summer School Games 2017. With only a couple of weeks of training the team barely conceded any points and won in convincing fashion.

The U13 team took part in their own round robin tournament also winning gold medals, however they will have to wait another year for their chance to compete at the School Games finals at U15 level.

Report by Jaime Gonzalez

Report by Mr N Eddy

PENDEENPILOTGIGCLUB

What:IndoorRowingClub

When:EveryFridayAfterSchool

Time:3.15-5.00pm

Where:MBAFitnessSuite

OPENTOALLSTUDENTS,STARTSTHIS

FRIDAY21STOCTOBER!

BEA WINNER

Maths Quiz

This Week’s Puzzle:

If 900 circles equals 20 squares, 40 triangles equals 20 squares and if a circle is equal to 1 then what would a triangle equal and what would a square equal?

Last week’s solution:

Fred has 3 cages and 4 canaries.

Could you write next week’s puzzle?If you would like to set the numeracy puzzle for a future week click here. You will win house points.

Win an Amazon voucher

Whoever submits the most correct answers over a semester will win an Amazon voucher – prizes are also awarded to the top scoring parent/carer/staff.

House Competition

Blue: 129 PointsYellow: 80 PointsRed: 56 Points

Green: 46 PointsOrange: 40 PointsPurple: 31 Points

Click here to submit your answer

Closing date for Entries: Thursday 12:00

This Week’s House Totals

Puzzle provided by Sam Treleven, 7 Blue

1st2nd

3rd4th

5th6th

BEA WINNER

To enter, simply write an original sentence correctly using the word expedition. Send in your sentence using the link below.

CompetitionCongratulations to all our winners this half term, who have all earned themselves 10 VIVO points each.

To be in with a chance of winning 10 Vivo points and having your picture appear in the newsletter, why not enter over the half-term holiday?

Click here to enter the competition

This week’s word is: Expedition

Definition: 1. A journey undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, research, or war.

2. promptness or speed in doing something.

Etymology: late Middle English: via Old French from Latin expeditio(n- ), from expedire ‘extricate’.’

BEINFORMED

Beach SafetyThis half term , if the weather is good, you may well be spending time on the beach or around the coast. It worth bearing in mind that the lifeguards are no longer on duty and you should be aware of the possible dangers. You can find information on the RNLI website:

http://rnli.org/safety/respect-the-water/activities/Pages/activities.aspx