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Pg 15 Movie Review Pg 18 Holocaust Museum Visit Pg 23 Sport

Journalist: Mr TiffinFor two years now, with the assistance of the University of Leeds engineering department and West Yorkshire STEM, DYCA has been supporting the development of computer programming skills in primary school age children, by running after school Robotics clubs in a number of primary schools.These clubs are very popular and always oversubscribed, as they are fun as well as educational. Robots made of Lego Technics - how can that not be fun?Last year we took our robot building to another level. Our team from Manston Primary, accompanied by two students from here at DYCA, entered FIRST Lego League, the biggest competition for young people in the world, in terms of the number of young people taking part. It has 250,000 entrants in teams from all over the world!They participated at one of the regional competitions, held at Bradford University, just before Christmas, and what a great day. Though they were the only team from a Primary school, they won a cup, one of only four awarded on the day! But, to use a cliché that is so true, it wasn’t just the winning that mattered, it was the taking part.The competitors met students and teachers from schools all over the Leeds and Bradford area, all of whom were interested in the building and programming of Lego robots, and many interested in careers in engineering and programming. The robots they had built, all of which were wonderful, competed against one another to see which one was best able to carry out the predefined tasks and score the most points. It was so much fun and really exciting. At one point we were in second place and looked as if we might even win, though that was not to be…this time. Now it’s your turn. Would you like to take part as well? Would you like to try and beat Manston and get through to the national or even international finals? Places in the club are sought after, but if you have what it takes then talk to Mr Furey or Mr Evans and see if next year, it could be you!

Reaching out to the community and rebuilding... One Lego piece at a time

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Hello everyone, I’ m Osiah the student editor of The Chronicle. I hope you had a nice holiday, had a nice time with family and friends and got all the presents you wanted. I got to spend my holidays with family and friends and was lucky enough to receive a PS4. Whilst I was on my holiday I celebrated by playing on

my PS4 and eating cake. Since the last edition there has been a Christmas pantomime performed by the teachers of DYCA, which I and the rest of the school

enjoyed. DYCA has introduced a new policy called “Achieving your best” which has been introduced to encourage students to make the best choice for themselves and their community. The students of the Academy have been staying curious as always, as shown by the recent DYCA sixth form trip to study Astronomy. This edition also has updates from Manston St James and charities that the David Young Community has been helping; the ICT department explaining E-Safety; an interview with new RE teacher Mr Abbas and an article on the recent Comic Book Awards. I hope you enjoy this edition of the DYCA Chronicle.

Debate Club

The Great DebateJournalist: Osiah Ndlovu

Hello DYCA students, welcome back to another block, hope you had a good holiday. I will be writing about the events that occurred in the last block and about DYCA’s debate against Leeds Grammar School. We were debating whether money could bring happiness or not. We had been preparing for a few weeks, and working on different debating techniques and presentation skills, such as body language and posture. This was very helpful to me because I feel more confident when I am presenting in my lesson and I feel that I have greatly improved. We went to Leeds Grammar to partake in a debate with their students. Even though I had practised for the debate, I was still nervous. We entered the Leeds Grammar School and it was very big and grand, compared to the big and contemporary DYCA. We (Lydia, Andrew, Gameli, Kane, Shammah, John and I ) entered the school and we were greeted with juice and biscuits( I was unsure about whether the biscuits were meant to fatten us up and make us lose concentration, or if they were just a friendly treat).We were then split up into teams of four, with me, John, Kane and Anusha, in one room and Lydia, Shammah, Andrew and Gameli in another room. The debate was very fierce as everyone had either a strong argument, good voice projection or both. At the end of the debate, DYCA won one debate and Leeds Grammar won another debate, meaning that the debate was a draw. Even though my team had won one debate, I was still unhappy with my performance, and I believe I could have done better. Overall this event taught me that no matter how well you do you can always do better. To become part of the debate club or participate you can come to the LRC on Thursdays at 4:30pm, and the debate club usually ends at 5:30pm. Thank you for reading.

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Learning Resource Centre

The British Comic AwardsDubbed the Booker Prize of the graphic novel world, the prestigious British Comic Awards ceremony was held in Leeds at the end of November - and DYCA students were there to help celebrate!The Young People’s category was judged by young people themselves. A group of our students read the books on the shortlist and then, after much deliberation amongst themselves, voted for their favourite. The ceremony at Leeds Town Hall included a workshop with cartoonist and illustrator Sarah McIntyre, which was so inspiring that our students suggested we ask her to visit the Academy so that their fellow students could share in the excitement –watch this space for more info!Oh, and the winner of the award was - The Complete Rainbow Orchid by Garen Ewing. You’ll find copies of this book and all the other books on the shortlist in the LRC – do come and borrow them!

Reading LeadersFifteen of our Lower Sixth students recently took part in a one-day training session to learn how to help younger students develop their reading skills. They had the chance to explore the idea of matching resources to the interest of the reader, and to remind themselves of the huge range of material available in the LRC. Now they’re really looking forward to getting to know the students they’ll be working with, and to passing on their new-found expertise – but, most of all, they’re looking forward to sharing their passion for reading!

Diamand Sparkles in the LibraryNo, that isn’t a spelling mistake - as part of the Ilkley Literature Festival, author Emily Diamand came to speak to DYCA Freshers about her latest book ‘Ways To See a Ghost’ and about how she became an author. After the talk, many students asked whether she could come back to the academy to run a hands-on writing workshop. So, just before Christmas, Emily returned to a spooky, candle-lit LRC, where she worked with students on their own ghost stories. She gave out lots of hints and tips about their plotlines and how to write their characters. We’re looking forward to more visits from Emily in the very near future as she’s just agreed to be DYCA’s Patron of Reading! Watch out for more about our Reading Patron in the next edition of LEAF Chronicle!

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Robinwood Residential

Year 6 attended their residential at Robinwood. I have to say it is an absolute pleasure to witness how much your children grow in confidence as the three days progress. It always brings home to me how important these activities are for our pupils’ development. A huge thank you to Mr Wyman, Miss

Smith , Mrs Kerry, and Mrs Lucas for giving up their time to be with our pupils during the trip.

Match of the DayThe school football team had a match against Ingram Road Primary and were able to wear their smart new football kit. This was paid for by Gary Thewlis, dad of George and Maddalene, whose firm GTD Painting and Property Maintenance Ltd sponsored our team. We really appreciate this

and the children certainly are excited about the kit. It must have really motivated them for after a short run of not winning matches they won 4:0 on Tuesday night.

A Christmas Cracker

Then we have had our Christmas productions. “CHRISTMAS” was performed by our reception class.

It always amazes me how well our staff work with your children, to settle them down and to be able to put on a production, when

they have been in school for just three months and many have not turned 5 yet. “The Alien Christmas” from year 1&2 showcased some stunning singing and great dances. Again, our staff worked very hard to produce a play of such high standards. I would like to thank them all and congratulate our pupils on such a fine effort.

PTFA Fair

A staggering £1130 was made last Friday night at the PTFA Fair in just two hours! This is a record for recent years and I would like to thank all those parents and staff that gave up their time to put this event on. I would also like to thank you as parents for supporting this.

Manston St James

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Goodbye Mrs Beagrie

We say goodbye to Mrs Beagrie, who retires and starts a well-earned rest after working as a teacher for many years. Mrs Beagrie also served our school as a support assistant prior to completing her teacher training. Mrs Beagrie has always been

a champion of the arts in our school and leaves us two great legacies Filmclub and a beautiful piece of art work that our pupils developed as part of a project she created, with our talented artists in school. We thank you for all the hard work and dedication you have given our school over the years.

Journey to Bethleham

Year 3 and 4 presented us with a “Journey to Bethleham.” Again I was impressed by the quality

of singing in this year’s production and would like to thank our children for working so hard. A huge thank you also needs to go to our talented year 3 and 4 team of staff for their patience and hard work, to get our children to perform at such a high standard.

Carols and Our Thanks

And finally year 5 treated us to a lovely session of carols and readings in the playground; again, thank you to our pupils and year 5 staff team.

Mrs Helen Wright devotes a generous amount of her time to our school. Mrs Wright rehearses all our productions’ singing elements and plays for our performances. Mr Wright provides lighting and sound at our events; I would like to thank them

both for all their support to our school.

Collection at performances:As you know, Joshua and Emily in Year 6 have been collecting for LGI ward and Cancer Care for children during our Christmas productions. Thanks to your generosity they have raised £544.12. Thank you for supporting them in their efforts.

Manston St James

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It All Adds UpChildren have been working very hard again. Year 5 and 6 have been concentrating on improving their maths and we have seen some great progress. Back In My DayWhat a busy time we have been having. Year 1 classes have been out to Armley Mills and had a great time looking at what it would be like to attend school in the Victorian times.

Visitors EverywhereWe have had a visitor in almost every class this week to share collective worship time with the children. They came from our own church, the Methodist church and St Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church. The children have enjoyed having visitors. The volunteers in year 5 and 6 were able to chat to the visitors from St Theresa’s over break.Keeping On RunningOur running team were in action again on Jan 11th with a league match at Beckett Park. Well done to all the children who ran well on a

very soggy field. Special congratulations to Jake Campbell with our best boy’s position of the year at 17th. and Mr Johnson for supporting us so well.

All Creatures Great and SmallReception class had a visit from staff that work at Pets at Home, they learnt all about the care of small animals. We had a visit from a mobile farm. Our children had a great time finding out about farm animals. They even did a bit of llama trekking across the school field!

Manston St James - What Have We Been Up To?

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QuizmastersThe first Manston St James PTFA Family Quiz Night took place last Thursday evening. We had a fantastic turn out in the school hall for the event. The quiz was broken down into individual rounds by our quiz master, with questions for all ages. The rounds included a chocolate and sweets picture quiz, TV theme tunes, general knowledge and nursery rhymes (so the mums and dads had a chance to answer). There were fantastic prizes to be won in each round, including family tickets to Eden Camp, Mother Shipton’s Cave and the Thackray Medical Museum. All this topped off with a fantastic Wilsons Pie and Peas supper

(hotdogs for those non pie connoisseurs) included. Although it was a bring your own bottle event, we also had a tuck shop and teas and coffees available. A good time was had by all. Look out for the next family quiz night in the school newsletter. Please try to support these events, and remember - ALL profits raised go back into our school.

Dates for the DiaryEaster Disco 3rd April - Bag2School 7th May - Dress down day 9th May - Tombola in the Cross Gates Centre 10th May - Summer Fair 28th June

Raffle PrizesWe are currently collecting prizes for the big fundraising raffle which is drawn at the Summer Fair. If you or the company you work for, are able to donate a prize we would be very grateful. It will help to raise funds for our school and also be great advertising in the local community. Please get in touch if you are able. fomsjames@gmail.com Our registered charity number is 1146675

Keeping you informedYou may be interested to know that we are beginning to work with the St James Parish Council to see if there is any way we can redevelop the parish hall. We are looking to provide extra space for school, as well as creating a modern and efficient building that will cater for current and future community use. I have to stress this is very early days and we are just looking at feasibility at the moment. I will keep you posted as and when the project develops.

Rainbows and BrowniesDo you have any spare time on a Monday evening? Would you be interested in helping out at either Rainbows ( 5 – 7yrs) or Brownies (7 – 9yrs)? If so please contact me, Joanne Jackson, on 07988 757290. I am often in the playground so you can also contact me there.

Manston St James - Keeping You Up To Date

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The Manston St James LegionI have it on good authority there is an impending Roman invasion! Look out Manston - the legions are in training and it will only be a matter of time before they arrive!

The Roman Invasion of West YorkshireAlthough Julius Caesar visited Southern Britain in 55 and 54 BC, it was not until AD 43 that the Romans landed on the south coast to conquer territory. Some historians and archaeologists think that when the Romans invaded Britain they did not intend to take over the whole island. They might have been content to occupy the richer agricultural lands of south and east Britain and leave the Pennine uplands alone. This was impossible after the fall of Cartimandua in AD 69. The Romans did not want a hostile force on their northern border.In the early 70s AD major forts were established at Brough on Humber, York and Malton, to allow the Romans to strike into the Pennines. The first fort at Castleford was probably founded

at this time to control an important crossing point on the River Aire. However, little progress northward was made immediately. The Romans had to content themselves with pacifying the rebel Brigantes until Wales had been subdued. It was not until AD 79 that the Roman general Agricola was able to turn his attention to the conquest of the North. A description of the Roman campaign is given by Tacitus, a Roman writer and son-in-law of Agricola. Unfortunately, the account is possibly biased in Agricola’s favour and there is not enough

geographical detail to allow historians to establish the precise deployment of the Roman troops. Nevertheless, it seems likely that the Romans would have proceeded northward on two fronts, one on each side of the Pennines. The forts at Malton and York would allow for forays deep into Brigantian territory and the establishment of smaller outposts on the cross-Pennine routes would allow for communication between the two wings of the army. By AD 84, it was all over. Agricola had led his troops as far as the Scottish Lowlands. The conquest of Britain had been accomplished. Article compiled with the help of the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory.

Manston St James

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Our Talented Reporter

I’m Jayden from 5S and earlier this year I became a young advisor to Leeds City Council and a reporter for Child Friendly Leeds. I have been sent on lots of assignments, but last Sunday’s was the best. I had to report from the red carpet of Sports Personality of the Year, live from Leeds arena.

I was given a press pass from the BBC and went on to the carpet. We set up our camera and microphones. The VIPs started arriving from 4pm and we had to shout to get them over to us, or a lady from the BBC would get them for us. To start with I felt quite nervous, but also excited. It was a good atmosphere and it got very noisy with lots of reporters and cameras shouting to get interviews. It was great fun. I got better at thinking of questions and was filmed interviewing over 20 sports stars in the end. Some people I spoke to were - Sir Ben Ainslie, Rebecca Addlington, AP McCoy, Robbie Savage and Sir Chris Hoy.

My favorite people I interviewed were Ben Cohen (rugby) and Louis Smith (gymnast). I asked Louis Smith “Is it a good experience being at Sports Personality and which do you think will be the best?” He answered “ It s great to catch up with other sporting stars and see lots of friends. All of the SPOTY have been good but I think this one in the new Leeds arena will be the best!”

Thank you for reading my reportJaydenMaking Leeds Child Friendly

“Well done Jayden we are all very proud of your role and look forward to hearing more about your assignments in 2014”

Manston St James

1) What is the square root of 5 squared?2)

3)

Maths

Maths Brain BustersJournalist: C. Wainwright

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1) 52)

3)

Maths

Maths Brain Busters - AnswersJournalist: C. Wainwright

Teacher Profile

Mr Abbas As a newly qualified teacher, starting a first job can be quite a daunting event. This is because you are not as experienced as some of the other teachers and you have a lot to learn during your first year of practice.My initial concerns about starting at DYCA

were whether the pupils would actually accept me as a new teacher and the ways in which they would react towards me, this made me quite nervous.

As I did not know anyone from the local area, I didn’t know the make-up of the school as it was a new city for me. I then moved from Manchester to Leeds and this was quite difficult in itself.Once I properly started at DYCA, I was excited to come in each morning as the response by both pu-pils and fellow colleagues was good and there was plenty of support available. I met my classes during my first week and was eager to start teaching them, putting my own spin on the teaching and learning methods, which I had learned from my time at university.As a new teacher and an NQT, many people would experience the same emotions as me, but with the correct support, guidance and thoroughly planned lessons, it will all go to plan.

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Literacy

My Favourite ReadJournalist: Mr Evans

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Journalist: Alix Pickles (Newcastle University)Photos: Dominic Haynes (Nottingham City College)

During the week at Thwaite Mills, we got involved in five different activities. Everyone got to explore the history of the mill, have a go at archery, arts and crafts, traditional games, bush craft and to take two trips on canal boats, traversing deep locks and even driving the boats.

Archery was enjoyed by all, whether they had tried it before or not. Experienced instructors meant we all had fun developing our bowmanship and teamwork skills, with the added bonus of balloon and zombie shooting games. One participant proudly proclaimed, “I’m a zombie killer.” Some were pleased when they shot better scores than their mentor, Alex Ing-Simmons from Edinburgh University, despite him having previous experience with archery.

Each day two canal narrow boats were driven up to Clarence Dock near the Royal Armouries in Leeds city centre. It was said this was a favourite activity of the week and everyone really liked the big blue boat, the 65ft long ‘Explorer’.

Being on a boat was new to many of us, but everyone enjoyed it. Some even said that they would happily live on a canal boat. Others were not as enthusiastic at first, but had a go at steering on thier second trip. They then found it was actually “not scary at all.” The only bit not enjoyed was sailing past a smelly rubbish recycling tip; everyone held their breath and covered their noses! The trip included a safety demonstration and a fun quiz about what everyone had learnt about boats and canals.

Week Two brought a change of scenery and three days of different activities at Carlshead Farm, near Wetherby. Yet another first for many of us was the opportunity to try our hand at fishing. The day started with pond dipping and identifying the insects and creatures that live in and around the lake. The children were much less squeamish about the leeches and water snails that they found than some of the adults. A few small fish were even caught in the process and named before they were returned home. Following lunch there was the chance to try and catch bigger fish using a rod with sweet corn for bait.

Feature Article

DYCA Summer School - What We Did

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Another trip was into the extensive woods on the farm to learn more about woodland plants and animals. Each person was encouraged to make a ‘journey stick’ from things found as they explored the forest floor They collected interesting objects and learned about the diverse plant and animal life. One object found was a quite freaky mushroom called a jelly ear. Frogs were spotted and broken egg shells from hatchlings discovered.

The second half of the day in the woods brought people together in teams to solve a problem, how to build a safe bridge across the forest floor between two trees. It was a difficult task that required team work, and innovative thinking, to put the natural materials to effective use. Despite a few arguments initially - at one point Brody Gatenby declared, “our bridge is a death trap” – by the end of the day everyone had built and safely crossed their bridge.

The third and final activity at the farm gave us the opportunity to interact with horses; a cob called Cathy and a little Shetland pony named Rocky. The day consisted of learning about horse whispering, grooming, plaiting manes and even mucking out the stables - a task which several pupils surprisingly volunteered to do. However, some were distracted briefly, trying to interact with the pigs next door, by snorting with them and feeding them oranges.

Feature Article

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Event

Primary School VisitJournalist: Ms Johnson

This block DYCA had a very exciting day involving students from Parklands Primary and Seacroft Grange. The year 5 students took part in the ‘Autumn Extravaganza’. During the day the students completed an exciting array of activities in science, business and creative and media. In Science students took part in a forensic science event where they were exposed to a mock crime scene and took part in a forensic science investigation.In Creative and Media students were able to be a TV reporter and report for DYCA TV.Finally in Business the students took part in a spooktacular activity, where they completed challenges against the clock. The students all completed a presentation to a scary team of dragons from our very own sixth form. Amy Plant and Sarah Upton who were 2 sixth formers assisting with the exciting day, couldn’t believe how good the presentations were and how well the students could work as a team, even though some of them had never met before. The students worked in teams with pupils from other primary schools in the local area. The day provided opportunities for students to sample academy life. The students and teachers from both of the primary schools loved the day and would like to thank all the DYCA students for making them feel so welcome in the Academy.

Art

Open Your Mind with M.C. EscherJournalist: Mr Furey

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world’s most famous graphic artists. His art is enjoyed by millions of people all over the world, as can be seen on the many web sites on the internet.Apart from being a graphic artist, M.C. Escher illustrated books, designed tapestries, postage stamps and murals. He was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, as the fourth and youngest son of a civil engineer. After 5 years the family moved to Arnhem where Escher spent most of his youth. After failing his high school exams, Maurits ultimately was enrolled in the School for Architecture and Deco-

rative Arts in Haarlem.He is most famous for his so-called impos-sible constructions, such as Ascending and Descending, Relativity, his Transformation Prints, such as Metamorphosis I, Metamor-phosis II and Metamorphosis III, Sky & Water I or Reptiles.But he also made some wonderful, more realistic work, during the time he lived and travelled in Italy.Such as Castrovalva where one can already see Escher’s fascination for high and low, close by and far away.

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Invisibles Movie Quiz Can you name the movies pictured below?

Just to make it more difficult we have removed the people. If you are having trouble, why not ask a teacher. The answers to this issue’s quiz are on page 20 - no cheating!

1 2

3 4

5

7

6

8

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Movie Review: The Hobbit - The Desolation of SmaugJournalist: Mr Evans

Director: Peter JacksonStarring: Martin Freeman - Bilbo BagginsSir Ian McKellen - GandalfBenedict Cumberbatch - Smaug (voice)Richard Armitage - Thorin OakenshieldOrlando Bloom - LegolasEvangeline Lilly - TaurielAiden Turner - Kili

This second Hobbit movie is extremely enjoyable. I was worried going into the film that this is where the Hobbit trilogy would start to show signs of stretchinf the material too far, as turning one book into three quite lengthy movies is something of a challenge. I was however pleasantly surprised. The movie moves along at a decent pace and doesn’t seem to drag at all.Now I must admit that when I watched the first Hobbit movie I watched in its full 3D and HFR glory (HFR is high frame rate and means that rather than the standard 24 frames per second it is in

48), this experience actually was not the cinematic extravaganza I assumed it would be. It is fair to say that it was spectacular in places, however at other times it was also too real, to the point that some of the illusion was lost, as you were reminded that you were actually sat in a cinema and not scaling a mountain in the company of dwarven royalty. This time however some of the kinks have been worked out, and you are left with a truly awesome visual feast.

The movie sets off at a gallop and rarely lets up. It is a wonderfully exciting romp with some terrific set pieces. Watch out for the river barrel ride particularly. The fight scenes, as with all the previous films in the series, are amazing to the point it is hard to take it all in.

Smaug, of the movie title, is of course the terrible dragon voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. He has taken custody of the Lonely Mountain and its stock piles of treasure. In addition, he has usurped the previous residents, the dwarves, and scattered their kingdom. Now the brave band of dwarves, set with the challenge of unseating Smaug have teamed up with the ever present Gandalf and the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins. This film focusses on the group’s approach to the mountain, and the challenges they face,

which include such obstacles as relentless orcs, shape shifters, giant spiders and unsympathetic elves.

Speaking as someone who has read the Hobbit ( a long long time ago) I would saying this film is pretty respectful to the text, even with the addition

of characters from the Lord of the Rings who are not in the Hobbit or the creation of a love triangle that previously did not exist. As before one of the most amazing aspects of the movie is the absolutley breath taking New Zealand scenery, in all its storybook beauty.

I am really looking forward to the third film, which I suppose is testament to the quality of this film.

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Weird SciENCE

Last block, 10 Senior 1 students from DYCA visited nearby Grammar School at Leeds for a workshop about space. They learnt that nappies were invented for astronauts so they could wee in space, they did an experiment with solar panels and made a comet. Here’s what some students said about the day:

“It was really interesting”

“It made space seem really fun”

“It made me understand how big our solar system is and how small our planet is”

The students’ favourite part of the day was watching a boy getting sealed in a plastic bubble to show us how big the universe is. The students made a scale model of the solar system with all the planets spaced out to scale. They found out if the sun was the size of a football, we would have to go all the way to America to get to the nearest star!

Science

Space The Final Frontier

Performing Arts

DYCA Staff Panto - Beauty and the BeastJournalist: Mr Close

An enchantress, disguised as an old beggar, offers a young prince a rose in exchange for a night’s shelter in his castle, but the prince declines. As a result of the prince’s actions, the enchantress transforms him into a monstrous beast, his servants into household items, and his castle into a dark fortress. She gives him a magic mirror that enables him to view faraway events, along with the rose, which will bloom until his 21st birthday. In order to break the curse, the prince must learn to love, and be loved in return, before the rose′s petals have fallen off, or else he will remain a beast permanently.

The staff at the DYCA have enjoyed doing this love story, as this year’s DYCA Panto. With staff from lots of departments coming together for the students

enjoyment, including the ever present Mr. Allen as our panto dame, and lead roles going to Miss Benson and Mr. Jarman along with the rest of the cast, who had a great time working late to put together a great show for the students and staff at the DYCA.

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RE Visit

Beth Shalom - The Holocaust MuseumJournalists: Ms Briggs & C Barrow

On the 7th January, 44 Senior 3 students visited the Holocaust Centre in Newark, as part of the GCSE studies about prejudice and discrimination.The visit was only able to take place as we were kindly funded by a grant from The Well Being Fund through the inner North East area committee, awarded by local ward members and by Proceed of Crime Act, awarded by the North East divisional community safety partnership. The staff and students of DYCA were very grateful for this funding.

I believe having this experience has given me a first-hand account of what happened instead of reading from a book in lessons.This privilege will help everyone understand what people went through during the Holocaust and hopefully share our experience to people who didn’t go.

Jack Naden

I think the visit will help me with my GCSE in RE as it provides evidence for the topic of discrimination, as Hitler discriminated against the Jews. The life experience I gained from the trip was to listen to a Holocaust survivor.

Dean Myers

A monument naming the ‘death’ camps. Soil from each camp is placed

beneath the monument.

Students looking at pictures of victims that died during the Holocaust. The photos were found at

camps such as Auschwitz.

Students place stones on the memorial to remember the child victims who died at the camps. This is a Jewish tradition to pay respects

to those who have died.

Students were given time to walk around the garden of remembrance, to look at the memorials and flowers planted to remember the many victims of the Holocaust.This is a Jewish tradition

to pay respects to those who have died.

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Geography

The Worst Winter in 100 Years? Not Quite!

The worst winter in 100 years was predicted recently in some papers, such as the Daily Express, which caused excitement on social media websites. However, predicting the weather a few months in advance is still in its infancy. It is very hard to predict what will happen two weeks time with the weather, let alone over the whole of the winter. Early reports in November predicted it was going to be the worst winter in over 100 years, but forecast models have shown that actually we could be having a fairly mild winter with average temperatures expected. Some snowfall could happen in January and February, but prolonged cold periods are not expected according to the Met Office predictions. As for the chances of Christmas Day white stuff - it was never likely to happen. Over the coming weeks it is going to be mild with average temperatures likely to be around 8/9 degrees. The bookmakers were giving odds of 4/1 for it to snow in Leeds this Christmas Day, so you were better off saving your money for the January sales.

ICT

E-Safety for ChildrenJournalist: J Kellett

The use of technology is rapidly evolving and has changed the way we live our lives dramatically. E-safety meaning electronic safety, ensures that the use of internet, mobile phones and as game consoles are safe and protected for children to use appropriately. I believe that it is essential to teach young people the importance of internet safety, and be aware of dangerous situations, which can arise due to careless use of the internet. Children should be aware of the dangers of using the internet, which is why it’s important for schools to illustrate the safeguard of e-safety for children as part of the curriculum. E-safety helps prevent fraud, abuse and bullying which are some of the main problems which surface because of the use of the internet. Young people should be aware of the following:

1. Never give out personal information through the internet (address, phone number).

2. Avoid clicking links (advertisements, pop-ups, unknown emails).

3. Make sure parental settings are set up to block specific websites which contain unsuitable content.

4. Protect your computer with an anti-virus software immediately.

5. If suspicion arises tell somebody.

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English

War Poetry

This year after studying a range of war poetry Mr Ennis’ S1 class wrote their own examples. These poems are based on the idea that they have lost a loved one during a conflict.

Invisibles Quiz Answers:1. The Princess Bride, 2. The Lone Ranger, 3. Independance Day, 4. After Earth, 5. The Hangover, 6. 28 Days Later, 7. Night at the Museum, 9. Cool Runnings

War

War is a terrible thing,To block out the pain I usually sing,

It makes me angry and really sad,I wish he wasn’t gone my brave hero of a dad,

Everyday I think of you,I can’t imagine the hell you went through,

I get really sad and always cry,I wonder why you had to die,

I miss you more than words can explain,I wish you could take away all the anger and pain.

By Elle Callaghan, Lovejoy Vurombe and Anita Afriyie

The Futility of War

Families of the fallen stared endlessly,At the thousands of poppies surrounding Westminster,Tears falling into a puddle of hopelessness,The gun fires repeatedly exploding one after the other,Everyday is heartache,Each day a loved one still remains gone,Christmas and birthdays have changed forever,Their memories stored in a safe place,Their presence still remains,For the families this is the end,For the fallen it is just the beginning.

By Meghan Hughes and Jessica Turner

 

Life

I was born in West Virginia,My one and only home,I did not enjoy school that much,Left before I was very old.

16 to be exact,Didn’t know what to do,16 no future no money,Qualifications just a few.

Met a man who was a soldier,Told me of a place,With grass, just green and sunny,I believed his smiley face.

It was just like heaven,I went and packed my bags,Everything was there,The men gave me some tags.

We trained and trained together,I was a real army fan,Now to travel on a plane,It just didn’t go to plan.

First I was badly injured,Then they shot me dead,In a place called graveyard,Is where I now rest my head.

By Joyce Odion

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Modern Foreign Languages

There are over six thousand languages in the world!

Here's how to say Happy New Year in

just a few of them

Buon

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Bonne Année!

Buon Anno!

Καλή χρονιά あけましておめでとうございます

С Новым Годом

Manigong Bagong Taon

Buon Anno!

新年快乐

Kia hari te tau hou

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Design Technology

STEM AwardsDYCA recently hosted the first STEM awards ceremony, which was an evening of celebration to those who had shown progress and achievement in science, technology, engineering and maths, so far this academic year. The evening was held in the Moyes Centre and hosted by the gunge-tastic Mr. Appleby. Displays of students work, science activities and maths challenges awaited parents and students before the awards ceremony began. Inspirational and thought provoking speeches followed by Mr Moon, Rebecca Knowles and Jon Barber from the University of Leeds, who shared their passion for STEM and how it can influence future career paths. Students of all year groups were awarded certificates and trophies for their efforts in all four STEM subjects for most improved and best attainment and these were met with a rapture of applause from staff, students and parents. The evening was rounded off with the STEM Nobel prize awards, mirroring those awarded to professionals within their fields. This was the very first awards ceremony for STEM and from the proud smiles on the students faces, it certainly won’t be the last.

Maths

Gifted and Talented Maths ClubJournalist: Ms Tucker

Students of the G+T club meet once a week to test their logic and mathematical skills against challenging problems and ideas. This week we wrestled with probability statements such as the three below.1. There are three outcomes in a football match - win, lose or draw so the probability of winning must be 1/3 2. In a lottery, the six numbers 3, 11, 16, 24, 36 and 44 are more likely to come up than the six numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.3. In a group of 10 children the probability of two of them being born on the same day of the week is certain.

Answers1. False - imagine Arsenal playing the year 6 football team: the outcomes are not equally likely...2. False - any choice of 6 numbers is as likely as any other, even ones that seem to us to have a pattern.3. True - if the first 7 children are all born on different days then the 8th one must be the same as one of the first 7. If any of the first 7 are already born on the same day then you also have certainty!

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Physical EducationSky Sports Living for Sport Paul Broadbent VisitJournalist: Mr Hall

Paul Broadbent has recently visited DYCA for a second time, in his new role as a Sky Sports Living for Sport mentor. Paul is an ex-professional Rugby League prop forward, whose career spanned over 17 years. During this time Paul represented England and Great Britain as well as making 450 first grade appearances for

teams including Sheffield Eagles, Halifax, Hull and Wakefield. On his visit to DYCA Paul worked with students in both Fresher and Senior 1 years. The day involved students taking part in a practical session, focusing on developing the fundamental skills of rugby as well as developing their ability to communicate effectively and work as a team. The second part of the session involved students listening to an inspirational speech given by Paul. Paul spoke about the sacrifices and choices he had to make during his childhood in order to attain the success that he achieved over his career. Paul spoke

about his career highlight, captaining Sheffield Eagles to a Challenge cup success, and informed the students that they were all capable of achieving their dreams if they are well focused and dedicated. The students thoroughly enjoyed this experience and were very appreciative of Paul coming in to work with them. Let’s hope that some of our students are now inspired to work hard on their journey to achieve their goals.

Girls RugbyJournalist: Ms AshworthThe Fresher and Prep girls rugby team was formed at the beginning of the academic year and has been working very hard to learn the basic rules and skills of the game. The girls have played two games recently and unfortunately are yet to win. However, they played an excellent game against Cockburn High School where they only lost by two tries. The girls have several other games coming up in the next month and hopefully they will get a win under their belts. Any girls who are interested in representing the DYCA girl’s rugby team should attend training on a Monday during session 4.

The Senior girls rugby team played their first game against John Smeaton earlier in December; they played extremely well and won the game 24-16. They have several other games coming up in the next month to hopefully achieve victory again.

Endless ProjectJournalist: Mr Hall

A number of talented students have been picked by members of the PE department to attend extra sporting activity sessions. During the previous block, students attended six boxing sessions at Market District where they learnt a number of new skills and techniques. As a result of this experience some of the students have chosen to engage further with boxing and are now attending extra sessions in their own time. Over the coming block, students within the Endless Project will be participating in badminton sessions with a private coach through the SmashUp! initiative. To date all students have engaged extremely well with this project and are thoroughly enjoying the sessions being provided for them.

Danny Edmondson VisitJournalist: Tom Naden

Danny Edmondson, a Leeds Rhinos coach, has been visiting the school and kindly providing rugby les-sons for fresher students. During a three week block, pupils participated in rugby coaching during their PE lessons. All pupils thoroughly enjoyed and appreciat-ed the experience. The coaching allowed students to experience a new way of learning and it was great to see the pupils develop new skills and improve in ar-eas of the sport they may have been struggling with. The pupils’ confidence especially grew during their time with Danny; his passion and love for the sport has certainly rubbed off and influenced the pupils to continue in the game, and it is wonderful to see how students’ confidence and ability has excelled as a result of this experience.

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Physical Education

Primary School Indoor Athletics Journalist: Sophie Yeardley

BTEC Sport students were required to plan and deliver a sporting event at the academy, as part of one of their units which would contribute towards their BTEC Sport qualification. The students who planned and organised the event were Jordan Watson, Beth Rowley and Nathan Dale and it was decided that an indoor athletics competition would be an appropriate event to hold. This indoor athletics competition in-volved a cluster of primary schools from across Leeds. The event was well organised and went according to plan. The hard work and effort that was put into the organisation of this event by the BTEC Sport students was clear. Organising this event portrayed a promis-ing attitude and skill set that they could carry on into a future career. Most importantly for the BTEC Sport students, it was an enjoyable experience for the primary schools and the younger students thoroughly en-joyed competing and participating in the event. It revealed a great show of sportsmanship and competitive nature within the younger students.

Editor in Chief: Mr Furey Editor: Ms Rickeard Design: Mr Evans Student Editor: Osiah Ndlovu

Fresher FootballJournalist: Kamran Mann

The Fresher’s football team have had a difficult start to their fixtures in the Leeds Schools Football Association (LSFA) and suffered a few heavy defeats as a result of competing against some strong, well organised schools across Leeds.

It has been pleasing to see that this has not demotivated the students in any capacity. Instead, this has inspired the students to work harder and attend training to improve both their individual performances, as well as their ability to perform better as a team. All this hard work in training saw a dramatic improvement in the performances of

the students which eventually resulted in their first win - a 3-1 win against Leeds East Academy, the goals being scored by Kaiden Cheetham, Kyrone Buchanon and Brown Odion.

It is safe to say that all of the score lines have not been a true reflection of the effort that the students have put into these games, and through continuing to train and showing the same enthusiasm to improve, and become a better group of players, there will surely be a change in fortune.

We are still encouraging more students to join so we can improve as a team. If any Fresher boys would like to compete for the school, then you are very welcome to attend training each Tuesday during session 4.