Ashcroft Technology Academy 100 West Hill London SW15 2UT Tel 020 8877 0357 Fax 020 8877 0617 email info@ashcroftacademy.org.uk website www.ashcroftacademy.org.uk

Keeping parents and students informed Term 5 Letter 6 Wednesday 15 July 2015

All Library and course resources need to be returned to either LRC1 or LRC2 preferably by the end of this term. Overdue DVDs and 14 day loans will be ‘charged’ at 5p per day. If students have anything at home to return please arrange with the LRC staff to arrange a day to return items if the summer break has began.

Arts Week began with a superb exhibition of the best GCSE and A Level art work displayed in the reception walkway.

This was followed by loads of activities organised by the Performing Arts department.

Orchestra WorkshopA selection of our students who play instruments were invited to a orchestra workshop to learn a few techniques following phrasing and playing effectively together as an ensemble. Miss di Bartolo, herself an accomplished musician, acted as the orchestra conductor and worked with the group to understand when to play quietly, when to reach a crescendo and follow the beat.

Gifted and Talented Drama‘Page to Stage’, our gifted and talented drama group performed the famous fairy tale ‘Snow White’ with a modern spin replacing the Dwarves with Amigos.

The group performed with confidence and flare entertaining the student audience. From the ugly sisters to the evil step mother, the audience were taken on a roller coaster of fun and laughter.

Well done to the talented Year 7 and 8 performers. We look forward to seeing their talents reach new heights in the future.

KS3 Drama Club PerformanceThis was a very clever performance called ‘Alphabet of a Student’. The group only had a few weeks to learn their lines and perform a 26 scene

playlet. The A-Z ingredients aimed to inspire and educate students on how to survive life as a student through a range of performance styles.

It was a great performance by great performers. Well done to you all.

Year 9 Drama Performance

Year 9 GCSE students were given the stimulus ‘Secrets’ and were asked to write a monologue based on either receiving or telling someone a secret.

Ms Clarke and Ms Smith combined both GCSE classes who performed brilliantly to an audience of Year 9 praise and reward students. They stunned their audience with their thought provoking monologues and performed with such natural emotions that you hoped the secrets would be told to everyone. Alas, the audience were left to guess!

Silent DiscoSilent disco is a popular pursuit where people dance to music listened to on wireless headphones. Rather than using a speaker system, music is broadcast via a radio transmitter with the signal being picked up by wireless headphone receivers worn by the participants. Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to nothing in almost darkness except for a few disco type lights attached to the headphones.

If aliens were looking on at the year group silent discos they would think we were mad. Although meant to be silent the students sang along to the music and their voices could be heard all along the gym corridor. It was great fun though, with some good dance moves from the more adept dancers.

Inter-house Bhangra Dance OffBhangra is fusion of music and dance which originates from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. In its earliest form it was a celebratory folk dance which welcomed the coming of spring. Now Bhangra has evolved and in the past 30 years it has become integrated into popular Asian culture after being mixed with hip hop, house and reggae styles of music. Bhangra has come a long way from its humble beginnings in India but now it is recognised and enjoyed the world over.

Last year saw our first Year 8 Bhangra Dance Off which proved so popular it has now become a House competition as well as a highlight in the Arts Week calendar.

Mr Chadda, who seems to be an expert in this type of dance, introduced the present Year 8 students to the same routine where they performed for their House and in form groups to a panel of judges, headed by Mr Hetherington.

Once again, the boys seemed to enjoy the competition more than the girls! This year the judges thought all the students were worthy of praise but they had to choose winners in each category. Endeavour were announced as the best overall house dance team and 8T6 as the best overall form group team. Best Female Bhangra dancer went to Basima Javed and Best Male Bhangra dancer was Fayzal Mumin Cali.

The Bhangra Dance Off was also the last House competition of the year with points awarded added to the final scores which could change the battle for House Champions 2014/2015.

Dance WorkshopYear 9 and 10 Dance students had a great opportunity to work with professional dancer Kelly Ward. Step by step she choreographed a routine involving spins, jerks, leg lifts and arm movements until the group could perform the routine all the way through.

This was a great opportunity to brush up on their street dance styles and perform together.

AshtivalArts Week culminated in an array of talent from KS3 and KS4 performing to their year groups. Although scheduled to be outdoors the weather forecast was unsettled so everything was set up in the Auditorium.

Nevertheless, this did not deter the performers who like true professionals made sure the music festivals went to plan. We were privileged to listen to some wonderful singing duos, trios, and groups besides orchestral compositions and great guitar performances. Our equally talented staff also joined in the fun with Mr Chadda on vocals and drums, Dr Smith and Mr Nicholls on guitar, Miss di Bartolo and Mr Revelant on piano whilst Ms Clarke took lead vocals to perform to a very appreciative audience. A fitting end to another memorable Arts Week.

Stem Club ReviewBuilding on the topic of flight, the newest challenge was to make a hot air balloon. Instructions were limited so using Science and Engineering skills were crucial. A huge congratulations to all ‘Stemmies’ involved and look forward to seeing you in the club next year.

Spotlight on Achievement - 1One of our Year 11 students, Kyle Cranston, was selected for the London Schools Athletics team to compete in the Intermediate Boys 100m at the English Schools Track and Field Championships at Gateshead last weekend.

He narrowly missed being in the 100m final but finished fifth in 11.39 seconds in the semi final B race. However Kyle did pick up a Bronze medal in the Inter Boys 4 x 100 metres Relay. Kyle has more

than justified the PE Department’s decision to award him their special Sports Tie and already this year he has broken the academy 100 metre record twice.

Photos from the event will be displayed in the PE area and hopefully motivate other students to reach the level he has achieved. All we can say is ‘Watch out Usain Bolt - Kyle is on your heels’

Year 7 trip to LilleAt Ashcroft we firmly believe that our students should experience the French language in real life contexts right from the start in Year 7. So around 130 students in Year 7 had the opportunity to accompany the MFL Department on a day trip to Lille.

Once there, students took part in a photo competition and a microtrottoir (survey) that allowed them to explore the town centre and to get to know some of the lovely French residents, who were always ready to help them with their activities. To top it all off, students visited a waffle house where students were taught how to make Flemish waffles and, last but not least, a traditional boulangerie, where they saw a demonstration of how bread is made and tasted real, all-butter pain au chocolat.

A most enjoyable day out for the students who did their best to converse in French and take in the different culture.

Trip to Wellcome CollectionPraise has been heaped on the Year 9 students’ excellent behaviour and hard work at the Wellcome Collection trip recently. Students took part in an eclectic mix of art and science through gallery, creative and discursive activities. Mystery objects, a gallery challenge and presentation on a topic, developing persuasive pitching skills and creating three examples of an anthropological non-medicinal intervention (sculpting a votive, creating a non-votive painting and making a charm) were amongst the activities during the trip.

At the exhibition they were praised for their high standards of work and their group work skills. The staff said that they were thrilled to spend the day with them as they had such interesting personalities and their presentations were some of the best that they had seen.

They were all excellent ambassadors for Ashcroft Technology Academy!

Cracking MathematicsA group of nine Year 10 students had the opportunity to participate in an enrichment day at Queen Mary University of London to explore innovative mathematic conundrums.

The day was hosted by Ben Sparks, a teacher and freelance maths enrichment speaker and Dr Hannah Fry, a mathematician at UCL. Their intention was to put the excitement back into maths and make the students gasp in awe at the sheer power of numbers - where they come from and how to use (or abuse) them.

The students also enjoyed a race against their peers to uncover clues to crack a code.

Attendance PrizeThirty students from Year 7 and thirty students from Year 8 with 100% attendance from April to June were excited to go to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home as their prize for full attendance. The group also took gifts for the animals which were much appreciated by the staff and animals.

Whilst there they were introduced to the dogs being looked after and learnt about the responsibilities that come with dog ownership, Many of the dogs had been found new homes and were waiting to be collected. Some of the dogs were unwell and were being medically cared for before they could be adopted.

It was an interesting visit and the staff were very informative on all aspects of animal care including the cost of owning a cat or dog. Paul O’Grady was also seen filming for his programme ‘For the love of dogs’.

After the visit the students had a picnic lunch in Battersea Park and some played their favourite sport - football.

CanoeingFor some weeks now our CoPE students have been attending starter sessions in canoeing at the Wimbledon Park Boating Lake. They have all made good progress and will receive a certificate in recognition of their successful assessments.

Each week they have added to their canoeing skills and are now adept in getting in and out of a boat easily and paddling to steer their canoe in the right direction. They have even managed to learn the theory of capsizing and understanding the importance of wearing appropriate clothing and necessary maintenance of their canoe.

Ms Bailey has been very impressed with Charlie Mulcahy who has shown an aptitude for this water sport and has been a good support to the group.

Spotlight on Achievement - 2Well done to Jennifer Morais who won a silver medal in the shot event representing Ashcroft and Wandsworth at the London Youth ParaGames recently. Wandsworth Borough also won the ParaGames Trophy for the first time as well as

winning the Jubliee trophy for the third year running and retaining the Inner London Trophy.

House ChampionsThe countdown has ended and we now know the House Champions for 2014/2014 - Voyager, who accumulated a massive 25146 points throughout this academic year. They have done really well and are to be congratulated on their success. Current Voyager Head of House, Ms Akram is ecstastic as she stands down and hands over a Champion house to Mr Rowe. Also standing down as Heads of House are Ms Armstrong who hands over Discovery to Mr Wilson, and Ms Hennis who hands Challenger to Mr Hockaday.

As is the norm our End of Year Assembly applauded the sporting skills of our students and their achievements in borough tournaments. Medals and cups were distributed including awards for the year group Sports Days held recently.

We also handed over a cheque for £737 to a representative from the Save the Children Nepal Disaster Fund. This money had been generously collected during a cake sale to support the disaster fund.

House Champions 2014-2015

Get your summer break off to a fun start and join in the Get Active Festival - activities as below

UNIFORM SHOP

OPENING TIMES DURING THE

SUMMER BREAK

The Uniform Shop will be open at 9.00-12noon during the summer break

by appointment only on the following days:

Monday 21 July, Tuesday 22 July Monday 28 July, Tuesday 29 July

Monday 4 August, Tuesday 5 August

Please phone the Academy on 020 8877 0357 to make your appointment.

Please note after Tuesday 5 August the shop

will not reopen until Monday 1 September at 3.30-4.30pm

Have a relaxing and enjoyable summer break whatever you are planning to do and we will see you at the beginning of September when the Academy reopens for Years 8-11 on Friday 04 September fully refreshed and raring to learn!

TERM 1 Thur 03 Sept– Fri 23 Oct 2015 (Y7) Fri 04 Sept – Fri 23 Oct 2015 (Y8-11)Term Break Mon 26 Oct – Tue 03 Nov 2015

TERM 2 Wed 04 Nov – Fri 18 Dec 2015Term Break Mon 21 Dec 2015 – Mon 04 Jan 2016

TERM 3 Tue 05 Jan– Fri 12 Feb 2016Term Break Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2016

TERM 4 Mon 22 Feb – Fri 27 May 2016Easter break Thur 24 Mar – Fri 08 Apr 2016 Bank Holiday Mon 02 May 2016Term break Mon 30 May – Fri 03 June 2016

TERM 5 Mon 06 June – Fri 22 July 2016Term break begins Mon 25 July 2016

TERM DATES FOR THE NEXTACADEMIC YEAR 2015-2016

The Uniform Shop will be openat 9.30am-12noon during the summer break by

appointment only on the following days:

Monday 20 July, Tuesday 22 July

Monday 27 July, Tuesday 28 July

Monday 03 August, Tuesday 04 August

Monday 10 August - Tuesday 11 August

Please phone the Academy on020 8877 to make your appointment.

Please note after Tuesday 11 August the shop will not reopen until

Monday 07 September at 3.30-4.30pm