MANGOTSFIELD SCHOOL BULLETIN
December 2016
Headteacher's News
The house competition is still going strong and we are recording in excess of 4000 behaviour tokens a week now. Our strongest week to date saw 5761 tokens issued to our students for uniform, work and good behaviour. The students are really buying into this scheme and during break and lunch you see students come along to cash in their tokens. This token scheme has a very high impact at no physical cost to the school.
Each house has chosen a leadership council of 8-11 Year 11 students. These will hold the main roles within the house with a tier underneath of all year groups who will work as a school council. There has also been a great response to First Aid and Media teams. The aim is to grow the student leadership.
All Year 11 students have been sitting their Pre Public Exams ( formerly known as mocks) in late November and early December. The rationale for using a more formalised term for the series of exams (referred to now by all as PPEs) is simple: students should see the exams as a realistic insight into the experience they will have in the summer.
Intervention evenings have begun in areas where coursework or Controlled Assessment is still an element of the final grade. The priority has been to ensure that students are, at minimum, achieving their target grade. Coursework and Controlled Assessment, in the main, should be completed by the end of term 2 so that students and staff can focus on preparing for the exam element of the course. The English and maths departments have been running a joint intervention evening on a Tuesday (known as 'Bucket 1 night') for the students who, with some extra support, will achieve both their English and maths GCSE.
The Science team has also been further preparing the science students in sessions after school on a Wednesday. Other areas (buckets) will have their own allocated intervention evenings after the Christmas Holidays: Bucket 2 (ebacc subjects) on Wednesdays and Bucket 3 (all other subjects) on a Thursday. The PPE data will inform staff of students who need to be targeted to attend intervention evenings to ensure that these sessions are really focused on raising the attainment of students who possibly would underachieve without some support.
Regular learning walks have continued in order to support staff in improving their practice. These learning walks also provide us with firm evidence for knowing what our next steps in teaching and learning should be. This has been combined with a large-scale work scrutiny. There are many strengths in department areas. For instance, English and RS have effective marking practice and clear examples of modelling good work have been seen in Art. A core team of strong teachers has been running teaching and learning workshops after school and contributing to school briefings. This will be the focus of learning walks, appraisal observations and staff training in Term 3, beginning with the INSET day at the start of the term.
Looking further ahead, we are moving towards a new Behaviour system which will eliminate any low-level disruption in the classroom. We have worked with a number of schools who already use this approach. It looks really exciting. There will be more information provided on this in Term 3 and an opportunity to hear about it during an Information Evening (date to be confirmed).
It is long overdue but we will have a new website very soon. This will much more obviously reflect the ethos, work and direction of travel of Mangotsfield School, and is much needed.
Please support us by ensuring that all of our lovely students come back in January not just rested but in a really high standard of uniform, particularly in the correct footwear. Please contact us if you are unsure about what to buy.
It has been a long term and everyone is due some down time! Have a restful Christmas and New Year.
Best wishes.
David Spence
Student Road Safety
Staff Car Parks
There has been one accident this term involving a parent and a staff member's car and numerous occasions when the entrance to the staff car park has been blocked. Therefore, please could parents who drive their children to school, drop them on the Common car parking area and not drive into the staff car parks.
Thank you.
House News
House League Table
I would like to personally say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported and/or competed in any house competition since September. The response has been fantastic with over 900 participants across all competitions. My personal highlights include both fun runs and 'The Voice' (where I have never seen so many people in the hall to support). This showed what we are about as a school and long may it continue!
Results: It looks that Chase are favourites to hold onto the lead and finish 2016 as the House leaders. There will be plenty of chances and opportunities to earn house points in 2017, so all is not lost. A couple of good weeks and any house can take the top spot.
Remember, you are fighting for the pride of being Mangotsfield's first-ever House winners, plus that day off-timetable in the summer for the grand prize.
Term 3 competitions include: Wii Basketball, Wii Tennis, Badminton, Bench Ball, Table Tennis and the Great Mango Bake-off. Please continue to sign up to all competitions and let me know if you have any competition ideas not on the schedule.
Have a great Christmas and see you all relaxed and ready in the New Year.
Mr Jordan
House Competition Co-ordinator
Head of House Messages
Chase
The first two terms as Head of House have been amazing! Watching students take part in all types of competitions and the pride I felt at the Remembrance Assembly, for the mature attitude displayed. Winning the cup in the first term was also important.
Chase now has a student leadership team, with House Captains Will Evans and Lucy Bourton. I can only see a positive road ahead as myself and the mentors work as a strong team to build on the positive ethos of the house, as well as Chase students supporting each other in the wider Mangotsfield community.
Miss Hawkins
Head of Chase House
Pomphrey
Pomphrey have made a really positive start to the academic year. As a house they have begun to form their identity, they have chosen a House song, logo and when I go and see them in their mentoring groups they are beginning to form and become ‘families’. They have the best attendance in the school and their behaviour in and around the school site has really impressed me.
I have also been impressed with the numbers of Pomphrey students who have participated in house competitions, and who regularly volunteer to help and support. Likewise, I was also pleased with the efforts made by members of the House to organise shoe boxes for the homeless and the generosity they showed.
Year 11 have also really inspired me in the last couple of weeks, the way they have conducted themselves in the Pre Public Exams and the mature attitude they have shown in handling the pressure. I wish everyone a very merry Christmas, I hope they all enjoy the time off and then come back to school in the New Year to continue the impressive start they have made.
Mr Gilpin
Head of Pomphrey House
Rodway
WOW! What a term that was! We have all really enjoyed the introduction of the House system and all of the wonderful new opportunities for student leadership and inter-house competition it has presented.
My personal highlights have been the times when members of Rodway have united behind the common cause to give it their all! In term 2 we went on a great run, winning 4 out of 5 Friday events with differing talents on display. These included big wins in The Voice, KS3 football, Dodgeball and my personal favourite the Tug of War ... all pulling in the same direction!
We are looking forward to next term and more doing things the right way ... doing things the RODWAY!
Mr Fear
House of Rodway House
Siston
Throughout the past few months I have had the real pleasure of working with the students in Siston. In many of the inter-house competitions we have returned victorious and we are gaining a strong reputation as the 'sporting house.' We have managed to participate on an outstanding scale and with that has come the rewards of victory. This was especially prevalent in the fun run and the 5 a side football.
Alongside our clear sporting prowess I was also especially touched by the number of charity shoe boxes which we collected together as a House. This shows many of our key attributes as Mangotsfield students but especially generosity and a care for those less fortunate than us. The leadership team is also taking shape, and I am sure that Mr Emery will enjoy working with both this group and the wider House next term.
I hope that you all enjoy the festive break and come back with an even stronger determination to achieve in the classroom and to chase down the other Houses!
Mr John
Acting Head of Siston House
Introducing The Nurture Group
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to the school community.
We are the Nurture Group, comprising of subject teachers and teaching assistants working with a small number of Key Stage 3 students based within the school. The group was set up in September 2016, following research into the transition phase from primary to secondary school life, and the difficulties some students face in a mainstream environment. Mangotsfield School has recognised that for some students this can be a traumatic time, and has set up the group to provide support and skills for these children to achieve progress in their learning.
Here in the Nurture Group we follow the curriculum for the key subjects and, in addition, we enhance other skills in our Nurture lessons over a period of time whilst reviewing the progress of our students. One part of being in the Nurture Group is being responsible for looking after the school animals, learning how to care for them and sharing duties throughout the week.
This term we have been thinking about the environment and have planted some tree saplings in preparation for the school community to replant later next year around the grounds. We have also spent time clearing out the pond area next to the Science block and will be creating a ‘garden’ space in the New Year. Our Eat Well Plate topic has taught the children about enjoying healthy food - the students made some rainbow fruit kebabs which were all eaten up very quickly!
A typical day starts off in the Breakfast Room where we plan the day, allowing the students to eat some breakfast and prepare themselves. We have a structured fortnightly timetable which works alongside the mainstream programme. At the end of the day we discuss progress with the students and offer each other positive recognition for achievement.
Our ultimate aim is for our Mangotsfield students to gain the confidence and skills to flourish in school.
Mrs Rogers and Ms Cerguera
Music Notes
Albert Hall Visit
On Monday 14th November, eight music students from Mangotsfield School took part in the Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Freya Sage and Lea Scott (Year 11), Adele Skenderoff, Courtney Tinkler, Hannah Ellis, Lily Dyte and Macy Patten (Year 10) and Zoe Stuart (Year 9) joined this combined event involving approximately 400 students from South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset.
The girls had a great day and were a credit to the school.
Mrs Borowski
Theatre Visit - Billy Elliot, The Musical
The ride to the theatre was interesting as it was a long one, but everyone was feeling really excited and lucky to be going to such a fantastic show. By the time we got there it was pouring down with rain but, despite that, everyone was still in high spirits.
When we arrived at the Hippodrome, there was a mad rush to get up the stairs and, most importantly, to the sweet store! Once everyone had settled down, the show began.
Billy Elliot is set at the time of the miner’s strike of the 1980s. It is a show about a boy who goes to boxing but hates it. When he finds his future lies in ballet, Billy will do everything he can to achieve that dream.
Billy Elliot was a fantastic experience for young and old and I would recommend it to all. This was an amazing show and I think everyone’s favourite character was definitely Billy Elliot!
Review by Jessica Dando, Year 7, Chase 4
Chess Club
January will see the re-launch of Chess Club. It will run on Monday afternoons in the LRC from 3.15 pm - 4.15 pm. Students of all abilities are welcome, even if you have never played chess before.
We are lucky to have two senior students help with the club this year; Tom Carter and Oliver Stubbs are seasoned players who compete in national competitions. They will be there to help improve up-and-coming players and coach beginners.
We hope to establish a House chess competition next term, with those who do well progressing to the Delancey Chess UK Schools' Challenge next year.
Mrs Wells
Student Achievement
Street Dancing Champion
Year 9 student Izzy Challis (Pomphrey 9) has qualified for the European and World Championships in Street Dancing. She will be representing the UK in both championships in Glasgow (Worlds) and Germany (Europeans) in August of next year. Izzy and her partner, a student at Winterbourne International Academy, finished first out of the 100 entrants.
We could have the next World Champion in our midst! Good Luck Izzy.
Athletics
Mangotsfield Year 7 student Lily Bailey (Rodway 2) competed in the South West Championships at Cardiff recently. In the Under-13 section, Lily put her long legs to great effect to take the 200 metres Gold Medal in a brilliant performance with a winning time of 29.65 seconds. She dominated the race, creating a massive lead over the Silver Medal competitor. Lily also came away with a Silver Medal in the Long Jump with a superb jump of 3.94 metres.
Lily, who trains with Bristol and West Athletic Club, was delighted to go to the magnificent facility at Cardiff, enjoy fierce competition and come away with South West Championship Medals. She will be back for the second part of these Championships on 8th January 2017.
Every good wish to Lily for the next competition.
Sports Update
Table Tennis
Mangotsfield KS3 Table Tennis players took part in a competition recently at Hanham Woods Academy. The boys did well but, in our group we had the two strongest schools (who had players who practice in clubs 3 days a week), so they faced a difficult task.
We were so close to reaching second place, one of the boys missed out by just one point. However, it was a fun event overall and thanks to all those who took part.
Mr Hawkins
Badminton
Annabelle Amouroux, Georgia Hawkins, Zoe Cox and Lily Hanks are the Level 2 South Glos Badminton Champions. They move onto the Level 3 Games after Christmas at UWE. We will keep you updated on how they get on.
Miss Clipston
Netball
The Year 7 and Year 8 Netball teams won every game and became the unbeaten champions of the South Gloucestershire Netball League. They move onto the South and North Gloucestershire finals at the Grange School after Christmas.
Miss Clipston
Girls Football
The Year 7 girls came second in the 5-a-side football tournament at Brimsham Green. We progress to the next round after Christmas.
The Year 9/10 girls came third in the 7-a-side football tournament, qualifying for the next round at the 2016/17 West of England School Games after Christmas.
Miss Clipston
Careers
Contact e-mail addresses
To ensure your emails get quickly to the right member of staff, and to respond to parental feedback, we have created the following dedicated e-mail addresses:
exams@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
studentabsence@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
sixthform@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
teaching@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
E-mails to any of these accounts will be directed immediately to the department concerned who will reply via that e-mail address. If you know the name of the teacher you wish to contact, please add it to the subject line to ensure a prompt reply.
Thank you.
Dates for Your Diary
Christmas Concert: Wednesday 14th December, 7.30 pm
Early Closure: Friday 16th December, 12.45 pm
INSET Day: Tuesday 3rd January
First Day of Term 3: Wednesday 4th January, Week A
Y9 Meningitis Vaccinations: Wednesday 4th January
Y7 Academic Review Week: Monday 9th January
Monday 9th January: Y10 mock exams begin
Y11 Subject Evening: Thursday 12th January
Y12 Post-18 Options Evening: Thursday 19th January
Y9 & Y10 GCSE Support Evening: Thursday 26th January
Term Dates 2016-17
Term 1
Thursday 1 September 2016
Friday 21 October 2016
Term 2
Monday 31 October 2016
Friday 16 December 2016
Term 3
Tuesday 3 January 2017
Friday 10 February 2017
Term 4
Monday 20 February 2017
Friday 7 April 2017
Term 5
Monday 24 April 2017
Friday 26 May 2017
Term 6
Monday 5 June 2017
Friday 21 July 2017
Inset Days 2016 - 17
Thursday 1st September 2016
Friday 21st October 2016
Tuesday 3rd January 2017
Monday 20th February 2017
Monday 24th April 2017