Parents’ Information Newsletter
Bringing you our latest news!
Issue 3 Spring Term
Friday 30 January 2015
SPOTLIGHT
T h e f i r s t o f t h e Po l t a i r M a s t e rc h e f Q u a l i f y i n g Ro u n d s
Re s u l t s : -
First: Bradley Woodward and Mrs Kellow Second: Jay Barclay and Mr Morris
Third: Ty Tait and Miss Owens
Look out for a full report on the first two rounds, in next week’s Spotlight!
Congratulations to Mrs Pearson on her
MA Arts Degree success!
I started my MA Arts Practice at University of South Wales in September 2012.
Throughout the course I developed projects that created opportunities for
Poltair pupils to become involved in designing and creating large scale art work
that celebrated the local community and environment. The Poltair Ceramic
Mural took two years to complete and consists of 437 hand-made tiles. The
year 8 pupils that worked on this project showed determination and
commitment by giving up their own time to create work that can be shared by
the whole school community.
My final major project saw me design and create 4 large paintings that formed part of the St Austell
in Bloom bid of 2014. The theme was WW1 and I tried to create a sequence that represented several
viewpoints such as the soldier, mother, worker and finally the future. These paintings are on display
in Chandos Walk, St Austell and received a Silver Award.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it reinvigorated my passion for Art. I was elated when I
graduated in November 2014 achieving a Merit.
My work can be viewed at eileenpearsonart.wordpress.com
On Friday 9th January, a Holocaust survivor visited Year 10 History classes to tell her shocking story of
concentration camp life. The classes were speechless when they heard the horrific ordeals that Joanna Millan
suffered in the Thereseinstadt Camp.
Millan, whose original name was Bela, was only two years old when she, along with
her mother, was rounded up like cattle and sent to the concentration camp. Her
father had previously been taken to a different camp, and she never saw him again.
Sadly, her mother died of tuberculosis the following year, leaving her all alone.
There were five other orphan children at the camp, and the six of them relied upon
each other and became extremely close. She struggled through the next two years
with nearly no food or drink. One woman, Listka, who had been given hard labour
on the vegetable patch, saved small amounts of fresh vegetables for Joanna and
snuck them to her when she could. Without this help, Millan would most likely
have died.
In May 1945, the camp was liberated by the Red Cross. The six orphans stayed at the camp to be treated by the
doctors, unsure of where their futures would lead. However, on 15th August 1945, their luck changed. A group
of RAF bombers, bringing back Czech pilots from Britain, took 700 children back to England. Upon arrival, she
was scared. None of the orphan children spoke English and they had no family. Shortly thereafter, an MP found a
house for the orphans to stay in. They were eventually adopted by Jewish families. Joanna's family insisted she
changed her name from Bela to something more English to help her ‘fit in,’ and she was told not to mention that
they were not her real parents. All through life she has lived with two identities!
After her youth, Millan became a magistrate and owned a small business
which sold double basses and strings. She searched for her relatives all over
the world and eventually found family in Germany, Australia, and the USA.
Despite everything she has lived through, she is an extremely friendly and
happy person.
The visit linked directly to our classwork because at GCSE we study Nazi
Germany. It was a huge eye-opener and illustrated to us just how cruel and
inhumane the Nazis treated people. It also helped us to reflect on how
different the world is now and how much has changed since the appalling
events of World War II.
The Reality of World War II Hits Year 10 History Students With Holocaust Survivor Visit By: Ben Bassett, Poltair News Team
Drug Awareness Assemblies
Poltair School works very closely with external services and agencies to ensure that at crucial times in a young per-
son’s life there is the opportunity to listen to key messages and reminders which will enable them to make sensible
and healthy choices.
During February we will be visited by our Police Youth Intervention Officer, PC Jay Dorman, to deliver assemblies to
Years 9 & 10 educating about drugs and drug misuse. The sessions will cover the legal stance to drug misuse, but also
the lifestyle choices and how these can affect lives from the perspective of the Police themselves.
For further information please contact Mr S Harrison, Assistant Headteacher.
DIA
RY D
ATES
Thursday 29 January
Thursday 5 February
Thursday 12 February
KS3 Round
KS4 Round
KS3/KS4 Final
Monday 16 to Friday 20 February Half term
Monday 23 February Staff Training Day (no pupils in school)
Thursday 26 February Year 8 Curriculum Evening (further details soon)
Wednesday 4 March Year 10 Parents’ Evening 3.45—6.15 pm (Main Hall)
Friday 27 March Last day of term school finishes at 1.00 pm (buses leave at 1.15 pm)
Saturday 28 March to Sunday 12 April Easter holidays
Monday 13 April Staff Training Day (no pupils in school)
The answer to the Maths question in Spotlight Issue 2: -
20 kg
WEEKLY MATHS QUESTION
It takes one man one day to dig a 2m
x 2m x 2m hole. How long does it
take 3 men working at the same rate
to dig a 4m x 4m x 4m hole?
Free Microsoft Software for Students Following our upgrade to Office 365 over the summer we can now offer
all students free licenses to use the latest version of Microsoft Office at
home, this includes Microsoft Office on a Mac,
and also Microsoft Office on Android or iOS.
You can download the software from your Office
365 profile page, by logging into the school
Webmail, then clicking the Gear in the top right
hand corner and then clicking Office 365
Settings, from here then select Software. Or by simply signing into the
Android/iOS Office Apps using your school email address and password. If
you do not have these Apps installed on your device, you can download
these from the App Store/Play Store by searching for Microsoft Word,
Microsoft Excel or Microsoft PowerPoint. H
OU
SE
ST
AR
S
Sam Currell
10MBA
For his positive attitude at
all times.
Phoebe Reid
8HV
For being an outstanding
ambassador for the school
always representing the
5Ps.
Rachael Hide
8DBR
For being positive and
‘smiley’ during tutor time.
Always willing to support
her tutor and her tutor
group.
Alex Gobbitt
7MG
For 100% attendance,
no behaviour points and
being a positive and
polite student.
Diana Pasca
11LH
For 100% commitment to
doing her best in Year 11.
Constantly positive, polite
and helpful.
Emma White
10GL
For consistently following
the 5 Ps and always going
that extra mile.
Kisrty Symons
9BRi
For being supportive of
another pupil in the tutor
group.
Talitha Jobson
10ABR
For her positive attitude
to school .
Please note that the weekly Spotlight and any archived Spotlights, together with news items are available to view
or download from the school website www.poltairschool.co.uk
Parents’ Coffee Morning
We hosted an informal coffee morning at Poltair last term. As it was the first time we had run such an event
we invited a small group of parents to measure interest. The feedback was positive and we would like to
widen participation for the next coffee morning, which we hope to hold sometime in February!
We had a respectable turn-out and all parents and carers said they would like to attend another one. The
morning was very positive and it was a pleasure to meet parents and carers in an informal, relaxed,
environment. We had a small raffle, prizes included; cinema tickets, restaurant vouchers and chocolates. The
feedback highlighted the usefulness of the conversations between all involved and some parents expressed
an interest in setting up a parent group to meet regularly. The tea and coffee was flowing and we even had
some left over cake and biscuits. The morning had a vibrant feel and it was great to get started on meeting
some of the parents and carers of our pupils at Poltair.
Many thanks to all involved.
If you have any questions regarding future coffee mornings or the Family Support
Advisor role please contact me by email: [email protected]
Bu
gle
Pa
nto
mim
e G
ro
up
40
th A
nniv
ersary
Pr
es
en
ts:-
‘Cinderella
’
First m
atin
ee p
erfo
rmance
Satu
rday 3
1 Ja
nuary
(£3.0
0)
Tuesd
ay 3
Febru
ary
(£4.0
0)
Wednesd
ay 4
Febru
ary
(£4.0
0)
Thursd
ay 5
Febru
ary
(£4.0
0)
Frid
ay 6
Febru
ary
(£5.0
0)
Satu
rday 7
Febru
ary
matin
ee (£
3.0
0) &
evenin
g (£
5.0
0)
Tick
ets a
vaila
ble
from
:
Bugle
Spar S
hop fro
m T
uesd
ay 1
4 Ja
nuary
Te
lep
ho
ne
: 01
72
6 8
50
51
2
Com
e a
long a
nd jo
in th
e fu
n!
CO
MM
UN
IT
Y E
VE
NT
:-