MERRILL ACADEMY - Northworthy Trust Newsletter...6 Jan Inset Day 4 7 Jan Merrill Re-Boot day 1 8 Jan...
Transcript of MERRILL ACADEMY - Northworthy Trust Newsletter...6 Jan Inset Day 4 7 Jan Merrill Re-Boot day 1 8 Jan...
Follow us: @MerrillAcademy Autumn 2019 Issue: 2
MERRILL ACADEMY - Northworthy Trust
Newsletter
ClassCharts is changing. Merrill Academy will be
moving more towards recognising and rewarding
students who consistently ‘do the right thing’.
Please remember to create your parent/carer
account if you haven’t done so already? (How to do
this was detailed in the October 2019 Letter).
You can also contact your child’s tutor or student services for the details of
how to do this, or to reset your account.
Dates for your diary…
Date Event
18 Dec
Christmas lunch &
festive jumper day.
Winter talent showcase
5.45pm - 7.30pm
20 Dec
Non-uniform Day.
Students depart at
12.35pm
6 Jan Inset Day 4
7 Jan Merrill Re-Boot day 1
8 Jan Merrill Re-Boot day 2
22 Jan Year 7 Parents Evening
4.00 - 6.00pm
15 - 23
Feb Half term holiday
27 Feb
Options and Year 9
Parents Evening 4.00 -
6.00pm
3 Mar Year 8 parents evening
4.00 - 6.00pm
Message from the Headteacher
My first term as Merrill Academy’s new head teacher is almost over and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas It’s been a busy term for me getting to know both staff and students and I’ve been so impressed with how welcome I’ve been made to feel. The changes I’m making have already been having a positive impact on student attitudes. It’s great to see the planners being used for homework and I know the lockers we are introducing in the spring term are creating quite a stir. All students are receiving their first report this term and these will provide you with important information about their academic potential and progress. As you read the newsletter you will come across further
changes I’m proposing to make (Page 8) and I urge you to put
your views forward next term because what you think matters
to me . Parents who I’ve spoken to this term know that I listen.
To help you contact the school I’m also extending reception
opening hours to
8.00am – 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Wishing you all an enjoyable two week break with your
families.
Fundraising:
Congratulations to Mrs Docherty and
her daughter for raising over £760 for
YMCADerbyshire Burton. We are very
proud of you and the sacrifice of
giving up your bed, sleeping rough for
the night to raise money for others
Our New Reports format:
During this last half term we are very pleased to have introduced our new style high quality reports that have been sent home with your child.
These new reports have been designed to have a greater level of clarity that will help to improve transparency and communication around the progress that your child is making in all of their subjects in order to best support them on their journey to reach the best possible outcomes.
Introduction from our new Chair of
Governors – Jon Foster
It is with great pleasure I have taken on the role of the
Chair of LGB and I look forward to working with all
students, staff, parents, carers and anyone associated
with Merrill Academy.
I have been involved with the academy now for nearly
two years and bring to the position experience as
working as a teacher in a range of schools. The
academy is moving forward with Jo Harlow as the
Head and all the governors are fully supportive of the
progress that has been made at the academy this
year.
I know what an important part the academy plays in
the local community and continuing this is a priority for
everyone involved. I hope that over the next year I will
get to meet as many people as possible that are
involved with the academy.
We are also looking for new Parent Governors at the
academy to join us in 2020. If you are interested in
applying? Please contact the academy.
Exams Officer notices:
Week commencing 23/03/2020 – Year 11
Mock Week (Core Subjects)
11/05/2020 – Date of first Examination on
national exam timetable
23/06/2020 – Date of final examination on
national exam timetable
20/08/2020 – Release of Exam results to
candidates
Learn by Design, Year 8 Drop Down Day, 12th
November 2019.
The whole of Year 8 spent the day working through a series of workshops delivered by Learn by Design supported by Industrial Ambassadors from Rolls-Royce. This was a fantastic day with students taking part in a number or workshops including teambuilding, engineering careers, operating robots and a tower building competition. This inspirational and insightful day was enjoyed by all those who took part.
Music Department
It has been a very busy half term in the Music
Department with all Key Stage 3 students having their
performance assessments in the lead up to Christmas.
Students have now completed their first project in
music; Year 7 – ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ (Classical), Year
8 – ‘The Races’ (Chinese) and Year 9 – The Blues.
The second project will commence in January.
Keyboard Club is packed full of budding Beethovens
every Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime and it is
fantastic to see the progress students are making by
gaining that extra bit of practise.
Key Stage 3 Drum assembly and lessons
On Monday 9th December, Key Stage 3 students
attended an assembly led by our new peripatetic drum
teacher. Students were mesmerised by his
demonstration and performance. The drum teacher is
already fully booked with students that have signed up
for drum lessons, starting on Thursday 19th December.
Drum lessons will take place every Thursday, free of
charge to all students who are interested. This is
another great opportunity for students to get involved
with extra-curricular Music.
Winter Showcase
Students and staff are very excited for the upcoming
Winter Showcase on Wednesday 18th December
(5:45-7:15pm). Our performers are working very hard
to produce an excellent evening full of Christmas spirit
and are rehearsing tirelessly. Admission is free of
charge. There will be light refreshments and stalls
available plus a very warm welcome from our students
at staff at Merrill. Tickets can be collected from main
reception.
Music trip to the Halle Orchestra
I have been organising Merrill’s first ever music trip to
see ‘The Halle Orchestra’ play the works from the
Harry Potter film series at the Royal Concert Hall in
Nottingham on the 14th March 2020. Over 50 students
expressed their interest in the trip! This will be the
opportunity of a lifetime for our students – it will be my
first time seeing a live Orchestra too!
Key Stage 3 Guitar assembly and lessons
Up and coming…watch this space as we will be
offering one-to-one Guitar lessons to all Key Stage 3
students after the New Year. I shall be organising a
‘launch’ assembly to inspire our students to see a
professional guitarist at work!
Mrs E Bradbury - Teacher of Music
Merrill Academy Elections Thursday 12 December 2019
Students arrived at the Poll Clerks desk (ran by Student Ambassadors) and gave their names. They were ticked off
the list and given a voting slip. Students then went in to the voting booths, to place their vote and put the slip in the
polling box, like the real General Election that took place on Thursday 12 December.
The trip that won by a large majority was Alton Towers.
PE NEWS:
This terms sporting calendar changed to Basketball across the city, Merrill
have been represented across all age groups with some varying success
with the leagues not due to finish until February next year.
Our year 7 took part in a round robin tournament held over at Noel Baker
where they played their first competitive games. They showed
remarkable resilience and determination as a group losing the first two
game 4-0 to Littleover: 4-2 St Benedict’s
respectively. Their final game was a draw 4-4 to West Park.
They were a credit to themselves and the school, please give them lots of praise for
their commitment and efforts over this term. Well Done Boys
And a massive well done to Kyle in Year 10 who won Gold!! at the 2019 World
Taekwondo Championships
Merrill Sports Council – Sport for All!
The Sports Council was formed in October 2019 through a rigorous application process
which included mentor references. There was a strong field of 30 applicants which made the
final decision a challenging one. Since then the 16 successful applicants have been hard at
work behind the scenes to create several opportunities for Merrill students. Some of the
work done by the Council is detailed below:
Student voice – Council members are in the process of analysing data from a student survey that was distributed at the end of the Winter term. The aim is to use student’s voice to personalise provision.
Jilan A (Yr 9) and Joshua W (Yr 11) have been invited to become Youth Council Members for Derby Football Association. The pair have also secured Football refereeing qualification opportunities for students in years 9-11 to begin Summer 2020.
Daniel M (Yr 9) and Anabel O (Yr 7) have secured extra-curricular provision with Derby County in the Community Trust which will begin in January 2020. They also liaised with Derby County’s Physical Activity and Health Officer to secure FREE gym and swim for students who would like further support with nutrition and fitness. For further information please see a member of the Sports Council.
The Sports Council’s aims are
1) To encourage student participation in physical activity 2) To improve student levels of health and fitness 3) To support pathways into sport at all levels
Student feedback, information regarding sporting opportunities and suggestions regarding physical activity is
encouraged. Members of the Sports Council are happy to be approached and will highlight discussion points at
the Sports Council’s weekly meetings.
Meeting with Merrill’s Sports Council and Derby County in the Community
Trust. Left to right –
Sharon Dale - Health Manager at Derby
County Community Trust and Ben Asquith
- Physical Activity and Health Officer
Daniel M (Yr 9) – Merrill Sports Council,
Miss Barron – Teacher of PE and Proud Head of House Nightingale, Anabel O
(Yr 8) – Merrill Sports Council
Meeting with Merrill’s Sports Council and
Derbyshire FA. Left to right -
Reece Davies – Referee Development Officer,
Derbyshire FA
Adam Wing – Football Development Officer,
Derbyshire FA
Jilan A – Football Opportunities Co-ordinator, Merrill Sports Council
Joshua W – Football Opportunities Co-ordinator, Merrill Sports Council
Miss Barron – PE Teacher and Proud Head of House Nightingale
Cheerleading
Merrill Allstars Cheerleading Squad have been formally invited to perform at AFC
Chellaston’s annual Summer Fayre and so are currently hard at work on their stunts. Huge
congratulations to Merrill’s very first Cheer Captain Holly-anne M (Yr 8) and Co-Captain Lyla
K (Yr 8). Their skill sets complement each other perfectly as they prove to be excellent
leaders; delivering the warm-up each week and supporting their squad throughout.
Kit sponsorship is available. Any local companies wishing to advertise via AFC Chellaston leaflets and Merrill
Allstars kit are invited to contact Miss Barron – Squad Coach and PE teacher.
Netball Extra-Curricular
Netball has fast become a popular choice for Merrill Students of all genders, years and
abilities to get active, practice their skills, gain new friendships and b part of a team after
school.
Merrill has linked with England Netball for a fabulous opportunity to log training/playing
hours in return for a whole host of goodies such as T-shirts, hoodies, water bottles,
vouchers towards coaching officiating courses and even a trophy to be presented at the
annual Golden Globe Awards. Further information and online registration for the rewards
can be found at https://www.englandnetball.co.uk/make-the-game/volunteers/pass-on-your-passion/
Congratulations to those who through demonstrating excellent leadership qualities and commitment to extra-
curricular have been elected as Captains of their teams. Final team selections are due to happen in January 2020
as we begin to participate in local tournaments.
Year 7 – Tiffany B, Year 8 – Kayleigh C, Year 10 – Daniela A
Girl’s Football
The girls are currently enjoying their Friday after school kick-about on Merrill’s AGP.
Participation is increasing week by week and teams are beginning to form ready for some local
friendlies in the new year. All years and abilities are welcome. All are actively encouraged and
supported in beginning their grassroot journey by joining local teams.
Due to demonstrating excellent leadership qualities and a commitment to training Captains
elected for 2019/20 are as follows
Year 7 – Bayleigh-Rae W, Year 8 – Anabel O, Year 9 – Rosie-Mae S, Year 10 – Maddison G
PE Sporting Achievement Awards
The following students were awarded with free tickets to go to Derby’s Clip and Climb as a
thank you from the PE department.
Luke J (Yr 9) for his continuous commitment and hard work for the Sports Council.
Lyla K (Yr 8) and Brooklyn B (Yr 7) for their outstanding commitment to Extra-Curricular. If
there is a sports club on – they are there!
Vitality Running World Cup
Enjoy running? Own a smart phone or watch? Students (aged 13+) and families
are invited to join us in competing for the UK by signing up to the Vitality
Running World Cup. The World Cup is on track to be the world’s biggest mass
participation running event where countries compete to log the highest accumulative running distance. The
qualifiers last one week from March 5th – 00:00am to March 11th – 23:59pm. Following that the top 16 teams
will enter a knockout style tournament, going head to head over the remaining weekends in March culminating in
the grand final in early April.
All competitors must be able to run 3k in 30 minutes or less so now is a good time to start that “Couch to 5k”. All
qualifying competitors are rewarded with a Vitality World Cup goody bag worth up to £80. Students that decide
to compete can screenshot their run and e-mail it to the Sports Council in order to enter our interhouse running
competition headed up by our very own Sports Council member Raiens Speks (Yr 10). Students need permission
from their legal guardian when they sign up at www.runningworldcup.com.
Important safety considerations when running outside
Appropriate dress – reflective clothes are preferable to ensure runners are visible to road users. No dark colours!
Appropriate footwear – plimsole/pump style trainers give little support to the ankles which can cause postural injury. Poor grip will also make it more likely for a slip or trip to happen.
Avoid the use of headphones – it is easy to mishear road users and other threats to safety.
Never run alone and stick to busy main streets. Ensure an adult knows your running route and the approximate time you should return home.
Avoid running near dogs. Cross the street if possible, to avoid “spooking” a dog that may see a runner as a threat and attack.
Never assume the road is clear. Cyclists often go unheard and tend to cycle next to the path.
Do not be tempted to drink caffeinated drinks prior to running. There are increasing reports of damage to the heart and even deaths that have occurred from participating in sports after a high dose of caffeine.
Milk, water or fruit juice is the cheapest and best source of hydration.
Remember to increase your calorie intake to compensate for calories burned. Typically a ten minute run will burn 100 calories which is the equivalent of a slice of thin toast with a scraping of butter.
Remember – If you can run even a short distance, you are a runner!
If you are new to running see Miss Barron for tips on getting started.
Book Club
Book Club was formed in November 2019. The Club’s first choice of book has
been Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah. Students are leant books from
Merrill’s very generous English Department. After an agreed time period
having read the book, meet to discuss their likes, dislikes, suggestions for a
prequel/sequel and general enjoyment of the authors writing. Each member is
encouraged to speak but are welcome to take a book and just come and listen to others club members thoughts.
Open to all students.
BOOK REPORT
‘Alem lived with his Mother and Father. His Mother was from Eritrea and his
Father was from Ethiopia. Both these countries are at war and are not safe to live
in. As a result of both Countries being at war Alem and his Father travel all the
way down to London to spend four nights in The Paloe Hotel. During their time in
London, Alem had to improve his English. After
the four nights had passed Alem woke up in the
hotel to find his Father gone. He was then
greeted by two ladies called Mariam and
Pamela who took him to a refugee council to
help him.’
(Blurb by Phoebe S, Yr 10)
Calling all Budding Athletes
Compete in a Sport? We want to know! If you compete in sport from local level and up, bring in a photo of you
competing with a short description of what you do and we will celebrate your efforts with you on our new Sporting
Achievements display board in the PE corridor. Submissions to the PE office
Congratulations to the Year 9 Football team who are
currently unbeaten in the league this year. Captain Issac B et
al., have managed to score an impressive ten goals so far
which has put them top of the league; MVP goes to
newcomer Maros C strengthening the back line. Well done to
all students who have represented the Academy this year:
Nathan W, Archie F, Christian J, Daniel M, Abel O,
Mohammed D, Kasper L, Vishavdeep S, Issac B, Tyler W,
Denva S-L, Abdullahi A, Maros C and Milan D, Haydn McD and
Adam B.
Thank you, from Mr New.
Message from the Headteacher cont…
Uniform Expectations for January 2020
I expect students to be ambassadors for the school and to wear our uniform with a sense of pride and purpose. I am proud to
share my high expectations and standards with the community and believe it is important that this is reflected in how our
students present themselves. Wearing our uniform instils a strong sense of belonging. It also reduces bullying and stereotyping
by preventing the wearing of expensive branded items. In representing Merrill Academy, I expect students to wear full Academy
uniform correctly on the way to the Academy, throughout the Academy day, and on the journey home. In choosing to send your
child to Merrill, I know you will fully support this because your child is an ambassador for the school.
Our uniform policy is
- Black Blazer with Academy badge (unless obtained before 2017 )
- Plain black V neck long sleeved jumper
- Plain white shirt with collar
- Plain black tailored trousers or knee length skirt
- Academy tie
- Black tights if wearing a skirt
- Sensible leather look shoes in black only. No BOOTS of any description
All school trousers need to be the correct length and fall at the shoe.
A ‘hoodie’ is not an appropriate coat as it is not waterproof and is not part of our uniform at all.
We will the starting the new term in January checking that all students are in full uniform as they arrive. Reminders about correct
uniform have gone out to parents regularly throughout the autumn term. Students not in uniform risk not being admitted into
school and being sent home to change. In addition, items of clothing worn in school, that are not part of our uniform will be
handed to a member of staff who will keep them until the end of the day when they can be collected by the student.
Proposed changes to Merrill School Uniform
The spring term will be used as a period of consultation with students and parents over proposed changes to our school uniform.
Merrill Academy is like any other school and needs to come into line with other schools in Derby. I will be putting forward my
proposals to governors in January.
From the start of the summer term we are intending to introduce much stricter rules on jewellery, make- up and hairstyles. I am
also seeking to make the wearing of black socks with school trousers compulsory.
From the start of the autumn term, September 2020 we are looking to introduce a new school skirt, V neck school jumper, and PE
kit, all with the Academy badge on.
Please be aware that staff at Merrill Academy have a business dress code which is different to the students.
Proposed Changes to the School Day
The spring term will also be used as a period of consultation with the community over proposed changes to the school day from
September 2020. These changes have been put to governors to consider and are an 8.45 am start to the school day and a 2.10pm
finish for students on one day of the week. This will enable further student enrichment, student interventions and staff training to
take place and will not affect your child’s learning time.
Further details on how you can put forward your views will be issued to students and parents at the start of the new term in
January.
I want the best for the students at Merrill Academy and having high expectations and standards is at the heart of this. Many of
the students I talk to are also keen to see the school grow and further improve.
Mobile Phones At Merrill Academy, just as in other schools across Derby, students are not permitted to use their mobile phones. From January, confiscated phones will now be kept in reception to be collected by a parent/carer at the end of the school day. Please do not compromise your child by contacting them on their phone during the school day. In an emergency, please phone reception first. Thank you for your support with this.