Medina Matters7th September 2018

Update from the HeadKaren Begley, Head of School

Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome to our first newsletter for the academic year 2018/19. It has been a very positive start - I have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming all our fantastic students. Year 7 have settled in well and have had a very positive start to their time at Medina College. I have dropped into a number of lessons and met all year groups in Assemblies. I have been really pleased with the way that everyone has approached the new term.

We were pleased with the GCSE Results this summer. We saw a 6% increase in the 4+ achieved in English and Maths. There were some incredible individual results with a number of students achieving the top level of a 9 in a range of subjects. Medina College is continuing to show a year on year improvement. It has been really great seeing so many of our outgoing Year 11 cohort join our VI Form Campus.

Homework at Medina is set through Show My Homework. We will be posting a letter home to all Year 7 parents with information on how you can log on to see what homework has been set. Tutors are reminding all other year groups in tutor time. If any parents need more information, please do not hesitate to contact form tutors.

We have a small stock of ties on sale in the school shop for any Year 7s who did not manage to purchase one from Kids & Co. We will be getting more stock in shortly if other year groups wish to buy them. They can continue to wear their old ties.

I would like to welcome some new, and returning colleagues joining us this year: Giovanna Avino teaching Italian, Neill Doe and Claire Ezard teaching English, Sophia Houghton teaching Art and Technology, David Mather teaching Business Studies, Nicola Thompson and Owen Williams teaching Maths. We have Ian Harrison joining us as a Cover Supervisor, Daniel Gustar as Apprentice ICT Support Technician, Sophie Tait as Assistant Head of Year to Years 9 and 10, Max Mursell and Julia Neill as Science Technicians and Sian-Louise Bland and Benjamin Whiten as Learning Support Assistants.

Year 7 will be completing Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) next week, which are a short series of tests to assess a student’s reasoning (thinking) abilities in key areas that support educational development and academic attainment. We will use this information to better meet their needs in the classroom and help them achieve. This report will be available for parents at the Year 7 tutor evening.

I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and look forward to working with all of you in the Medina community this year.

Have a great weekend.

Diary Date:

Week beginning 10.09.18Year 7 CATs

Thursday 13th September 2018Whole school photos

Thursday 27th September 2018Year 7 Tutor evening (letters will be coming out about this)

Tuesday 2nd October 2018 Year 11 Careers Information evening, Theatre and Sports Hall

Wednesday 3rd October 2018Shakespeare Schools Workshops

Tuesday 9th October 2018Medina Year 6 Open Evening 6.00 - 8.30pm

Thursday 11th October 2018Carisbrooke Year 6 Open Evening

Thursday 18th October 2018Noel Turner Physics Festival at Cowes Enterprise College for Year 10 students

Monday 22nd through to Friday 26th October 2018HALF TERM

Tuesday 6th November 2018HEAD ON

Thursday 8th November 2018Shakespeare Schools Show Day and evening performance

A complete list of events for this academic year can be downloaded from the College website:www.medina.iow.sch.uk

ONLINE FOOTBALL

Following a football-filled summer, and with over 20 million players in the current season of FIFA, we have created a free guide for parents and carers on the nation's favourite online football game.

This free guide for parents and carers covers what they need to know about the game to help safeguard their children from potential online risks including; online payments, in-game chat, addiction, fake accounts and more.

To access the free guide: https://twitter.com/natonlinesafety/status/1037317637339054081Help us spread the message by retweeting our FIFA guide for parents and carers.

For more information regarding our NOS Certified School Community package, developed in line with the new 2018 DfE Statutory Guidance, 'Keeping Children Safe in Education', please complete the form here: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/online-safety-certified-schools-accreditation/

Many thanks for your continued support and for helping us to achieve a safer online world for children!

The National Online Safety Team

National Online Safety T: 0800 368 8061E: hello@nationalonlinesafety.com W: www.nationalonlinesafety.com

Safeguarding News

Message from Mrs Clarke

As from September, as part of teachers’ continuing professional development, we will occasionally be filming lessons. The main focus of the filming will be the teacher. The only people to view the film will be the teacher themselves and/or another colleague. At no point will the film be used for publicity or public showing and the film will be destroyed once reviewed. Students will be made aware when the filming is taking place. Many thanks for your support in this matter.

News from the English Department

Year 7 – Lest We Forget

Welcome to Year 7!

To introduce you to KS3 English, you will begin this year by reading the novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, as well as study a selection of poetry. Through these texts you will explore how poets present their perspectives on war and how a writer creates empathy for characters.

In class you will read:

• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas• Who’s for The Game? • Dulce Et Decorum Est.• Belfast Confetti • The Yellow Palm• The Right Word • Out of the Blue

Assessed Pieces

Writing

You will write an informal letter in the voice of a character from the novel.

Reading

You will write a comparison of how poets express thoughts and feelings about war/conflict.

Wider Reading

Throughout this unit you could read other novels which will expand your understanding of the ways that writers present different worlds.Suggested novels:

• Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo • Goodnight Mister Tom – Michelle

Magorian• Diary of Anne Frank – Anne Frank• The Boy at the Top of the Mountain -

John Boyne

Homework

HT1 - Create a four page newspaper.HT2- Speak Out.

The instructions for your homework are in your book, on SMHW and displayed in the corridor downstairs in the English block. You are expected to bring in each piece, each week.

You also have weekly spellings and will be tested on these in class. The lists are on SMHW.

Year 8 – Trash

This term you will have the opportunity to read Andy Mulligan’s novel, Trash,described by The Daily Mail as 'A SLUMDOG, FEEL-GOOD TREASURE FIND'. Through this text, you will explore what it’s like to live in one of the world’s poorest communities and the dangers that children and families face living on a dumpsite, sifting through rubbish for a living.

In this unit, you will have the opportunity to develop your narrative writing skills, develop your voice by writing from the perspective of a character. In addition, you will also learn how to analyse language and structural devices, their effects, and investigate the writer’s purpose.

In class you will read extracts from:

• A range of non-fiction texts. • A range of persuasive texts.

Assessed Pieces

Writing

Throughout the unit we will be developing our narrative writing skills through whole class, group and independent tasks.

In your final assessed piece, you will write a first person narrative from the perspective of either, Raphael, Gardo, Rat or Auntie.

Reading

We will focus on ‘how does the writer use language’ and ‘how does the writer structure’ question stems, exploring the effect using relevant subject terminology.

These assessments will build on the foundations laid in Year 7.

Wider Reading

Throughout this unit you could read other novels which will expand your understanding of the ways that writers present different worlds.Suggested novels:

• Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens • Refugee Boy – Bejamin Zephania • A Long Walk to Water – Linda Park• The Garbage King – Elizabeth Liard • Monsters of Men – Patrick Ness

Homework

HT1 – Child Poverty Project HT2 – Speak Out

The instructions for your homework are in your book, on SMHW and displayed in the corridor downstairs in the English block. You are expected to bring in each piece, each week.

You also have weekly spellings and will be tested on these in class. The lists are on SMHW.

News from the English Department

Year 9: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

In this unit you will read the novel Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, using this text as a stimulus for developing your GCSE skills in Language and Literature. This challenging text will enable you to build on non-fiction writing skills, allowing you to enhance your ability to write for purpose, form and audience. In addition, you will take your first steps towards completing GCSE Paper 1 English Language skills, analysing extracts for both Language and Structure, building on the foundations laid in KS3.

In class you will read:

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs • War Photographer- Carol Ann Duffy • Extracts from Harry Potter • Extracts from The Tattooist of Auschwitz • Extracts from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

Assessed Pieces

Language

You will write a broadsheet newspaper, choosing from one of the following tasks:

• Option 1: write a broadsheet newspaper article to inform the audience of the bombing of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Children.

• Option 2: ‘Parents today are overprotective. They should let their children take part in adventurous, even risky, activities to prepare them for later life.’ Write an article for a broadsheet newspaper in which you argue for or against this statement.

Literature

You will write an extended response to a GCSE style Literature question: How does Riggs present the theme of courage in Chapter 1? You will be required to show your understanding of the task, use references/quotations from the text to support your ideas and comment on the effectiveness of a range of writer’s methods. Your Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar will be assessed as part of this.

Wider ReadingThroughout this unit you could read other novels whichwill expand your understanding of the ways that writers present different family relationships.

Suggested novels:• Harry Potter series – J K Rowling • Hollow City – Ransom Riggs• Library of Souls - Ransom Riggs• Divergent Series – Veronica Roth• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

HomeworkHT1Research and produce a journal written from the perspective of a child who was evacuated in World War Two. HT2Speak Out Project

During this unit you will complete a weekly spelling test.

Instructions for your homework are in your book, on SMHW and displayed in the corridor downstairs in the English block. You are expected to bring in each piece, each week.

News from the English Department

Year 10 A Christmas Carol

In this unit you will study A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and a range of poems, fiction and non fiction texts linked to the text.

In class you will study:

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens• London by William Blake• Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland• Remains by Simon Armitage• Emigree by Carol Rumens• Checking out My History by John Agard

Assessed PiecesEnglish Language

English Language paper 1 and 2 (Assessment 4).

English Literature

English Literature paper 1 and 2 (Assessment 6).

Wider Reading

Throughout this unit you could read other novels whichwill expand your understanding of the ways that writers present power and responsibility.Suggested texts:

• 1984 – George Orwell• Animal Farm – George Orwell• Great Expectations – Charles Dickens• Dr Faustus – Christopher Marlowe

Homework

Homework will be set from a revision booklet, focusing on texts you have already studied and areas you need to improve.

News from the English Department

Year 11: Structured revision

In this unit you will be focusing on revision in preparation for your practice trial exams this term. Rather than integrating Language and Literature revision you will now focus on particular areas which have been identified

as problematic for the whole year group.

You will spend 2 weeks looking at Language paper 2 skills, 2 weeks looking at Language paper 1 skills, 2 weeks looking at Power and Conflict poetry and 2 weeks looking at unseen poetry. You will also spend two weeks recapping paper 2 writing skills as historically students struggle with this.

Assessed Pieces

English Language: TBCEnglish Language paper 1 and paper 2 under exam conditions

English Literature:English Literature paper 1 and paper 2 under exam conditions

Wider Reading

• In preparation for revision of Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls, now is a good time to reread these texts – there won’t be any time in class to reread them!

Homework

Homework will be set from a revision booklet, focusing on areas you need to improve.

News from the English Department

S e p t e m b e r M a r k e t i n g

Hi we’re Caterlink, your school caterer. This month we have plenty of offers, promotions and events for you. In September there’s National Cupcake Week, British Food Fortnight, Destination China and your In Season Food Hero is... Courgette!

BULLETIN

Food Hero CourgetteSustainability and seasonality is important to us here at Caterlink so each month we focus on an in season food and incorporate it into our recipes. This month courgettes are in abundance in Britain therefore, we are using them in salads, soups and sweet cakes to encourage the pupils to take advantage of in seasonfood!

National Cupcake WeekEach month we celebrate different national food events. National Cupcake week falls in September and we are fully prepared by having over twelve different cupcake variations for pupils to enjoy. Not only do we have a massive variety, we have funky cupcake decorations which add an element of fun to lunchtime.

British Food FortnightBritish Food Fortnight celebrates some great British classics such as pies, pasties, your favourite sandwich fillings like traditional ploughmans and egg & cress. Of course we couldn’t forget a range of classic desserts including bread and butter pudding and fruit crumble.

Destination ChinaHere at Caterlink we like to create new recipes and therefore have put together themed meal deal offers and a variety of main meals, sides, grab and go items and sweet puddings. Some of these include: Chow mein, crispy kale seaweed, prawn crackers and a whole lot more!