News

Forest Road , Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3SJ | 01530 831561 |

info@newbridgehs.leics.sch.uk | www.newbridgehs.leics.sch.uk

Editor: Mr Goacher

Volume 12.02

17 October 2014

It’s nearly half term and �me rushes by at

breakneck speed. The school has been buzzing

just lately.

Open evening was a huge success with record

numbers of parents coming to see the school

and record numbers of our students showing

people round and talking about their work.

There was excitement at the Science Explosion,

ac�ve par�cipa�on in the sports hall and

fascina�on at the technology in the new media

room. On top of that, many visitors had their

taste buds �ckled by the range of food from

the Newbridge Diner! The highlight for me was not so much the entertainment, or the school

showing what an exci�ng place it is, but more the way our exis�ng students spoke with such

maturity and enthusiasm about the school. If you want to know how good our school is, talk

to our students.

Our students are on a ‘journey to success’ in so many ways. Ofsted are rightly concerned

these days with judging what they call ‘progress over �me.’ What ma)ers is not what can be

shown off for special occasions, but how much improvement there has been since last month,

last year or since their last school. The photos in the Book of Excellence are just a sample of

the ways this progress over �me is being shown. I have been visi�ng classrooms this half term

and I see quality teaching through which a love of learning is being fostered and progress is

being made. I’ve seen it in the depth of understanding of poetry, the thorough approach to

compu�ng, problem solving in Maths, and crea�vity and presenta�on in all areas.

At Newbridge our students are learning fast on their journey to success - and they know it!

Mr Goacher

Making progress on our journey to success

The Headteacher’s Book of Excellence is kept by Mr Goacher. Members of staff nominate students when

their work is excep�onal.

Mr Goacher is always interested to discuss the piece of work with students whilst entering their details

into ‘The Book’.

Your child will be given a cer�ficate if this happens.

The Book of Excellence

Excellent achievement in

Year 7 Compu�ng.

Year 8 Aboriginal

Art

Excellent English Literature

work in Year 9

An excep�onal piece of History

homework of a family tree, on a tree!

Excellent Maths work in Year 9

Thursday 2nd October marked this year’s annual Newbridge Open

Evening; which was a great success. The Open Evening sessions

allows perspec�ve students and their families, along with Year 7

students and their families to explore the school’s facili�es and

resources. Visitors had the opportunity to talk to members of staff

and current students too. The evening was a huge success!

This year it also used to showcase our brand new, state of the art

Media Suite. Which was officially opened by Mr Goacher

(Headteacher) and Mr Li)le (Curriculum Leader of Performing Arts).

This new suite has been built especially to house our new media

course, but it will also be used to enhance other curriculum areas

such as Music, Design and Art.

The Media Suite is primarily used by Music and Media and it’s

already had a profound effect on the students’ work. Music

students are wri�ng and producing phenomenal music tracks,

similar to which you would hear in the Sunday charts, whilst media

students have been ge@ng their hands into stop frame anima�on

by crea�ng their own Lego movies.

Our Photography enrichment students have been using the suite to

edit and manipulate the photos they have been capturing.

As our media course develops, we plan to introduce video edi�ng

and sound effects into the students’ work.

Alongside the opening of our new Media suite, we have begun a

new ini�a�ve “Student Media Officers” Their role will be to report

on what’s happening within the school and the local community.

Being students they will have a greater insight to what other

students are up to and their achievements. We will be celebra�ng

success in the students’ reports and as their role develops we will

be producing a student publica�on whilst also featuring reports in

Newbridge News.

If you came to the open evening you may have met our new

Student Media Officers Isabel Lowen, Daniel Slack, John

Stephenson, Keanne Lonsdale-Ellis, Sophie Cornes, Thomas Cornes,

Holly Folwell, Tyler Symons and Tara Reynolds. Watch this space for

exci�ng pieces from the Media Officers!

Media Suite & Open Evening

School Council

Follow the Academy’s Twi�er Page

for updates, news and informa�on:

@NewbridgeHSch

For Year 7, 8 & 9

Days: Monday, Tuesday &

Wednesday

Time: 3.15pm—4.15pm

At: Newbridge Library

School Council 2014-15 has newly formed this

term with some extremely enthusias�c students

ready and raring to get stuck in and represent their

tutor groups views and opinions in moving the

school forward.

Already they have enthusias�cally agreed to

support the ACE group in their determina�on to

raise money for The Macmillan Cancer charity by

dona�ng the money from our first non uniform

day on Friday 17th October which will be added to

the money raised from the coffee morning and

cake sale on the 26th September.

The team have also talked through with their tutor

groups the 10 points for debate raised by the

Na�onal Youth Parliament and all students have

voted for the one they feel is the most important;

that should be debated later in the year in the

House of Commons by young people from across

the country. The aim this year is to get 1 million

young peoples’ voices heard.

In the pipeline this year is for the Council to look

into lunch�me provision for all students which will

hopefully provide more choice and opportuni�es

for all. The Deputy Reps will also be involved in a

project to make our school more environmentally

friendly.

It is all going on, with so many opportuni�es for

young people to get involved and make a

difference! Watch this space!

Mrs Farragher

The Department for Education (DfE) guidance

with regard to the removal of children from

school during term time has been effective

since September 2013. Previously schools

were allowed to authorise up to 10 days

holiday during term time. The DfE now states:

“Headteachers have the discretion to grant

leave, but they should only do so in exceptional

circumstances. If a headteacher grants a leave

request, it will be for them to determine the

length of time that the child can be away from

school. This leave is unlikely, however, to be

granted for the purpose of a family holiday.

Parents can be fined for taking their children on

holiday during term time without consent from

school.”

Families must not take holiday during term

time. In very exceptional circumstances Mr

Goacher will authorise holiday. An example

would be “ where Dad only has one week’s

leave between overseas posting serving with

the Army in a war zone”.

Mrs Warren

Holidays in

term-time

The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is Macmillan Cancer Support’s biggest fundraising

event. People across the UK – and some�mes further afield – hold coffee mornings, where

dona�ons are made to Macmillan. Students in Miss Ede’s session worked together to

plan, organise and publicise the event that took place on 26 September 2014.

The event allowed students to develop and enhance skills in communica�on, research,

teamwork and problem solving, whilst suppor�ng a very worthy cause. The whole event

was extremely successful with staff and students alike suppor�ng the cause by purchasing

delicious bakes and treats prepared in school. The group also arranged a lunch�me nail

salon where students contributed in exchange for nail art. The Student Council have also

supported the cause by vo�ng to contribute today’s Non-Uniform contribu�ons to the total

of money raised. In the next edi�on of Newbridge News, we will report on how much

money was raised in total.

Miss Ede Macmillan is a charit

y that we donate money to help s

upport families coping with

cancer. We decided to sell coffee, tea

and cakes for the world’s big

gest coffee

morning.

During our ACE lessons we

planned and prepared for the

coffee morning. We made

posters, invites, researched

recipes and did a trial bake t

o make sure the cakes

tasted nice! They tasted love

ly.

The coffee morning was on the 26 Septem

ber. On the morning we started baking the

cakes before break time so they wou

ld be nice and fresh.

It went really well, we sold lo

ts of cakes and tea and coffe

e. We had really long

queues.

I would like to thank everyon

e who came to the morning—staff/students.

And one big thank you to Miss Ede for hel

ping us to organise this for Ne

wbridge High

School.

We raised £170 and we are pla

nning a non school uniform day at the end

of this half

term for MacMillan. Jake Leaper

If you forget to bring money to put into the system for

lunch, go to your Pastoral Manager who will issue you

with a voucher and write to parents.

This term a number of parents have not

re-paid the debt, so their son/daughter will be provided

with a piece of fruit if they are without again.

Mrs Warren

No Money for lunch?

Make convenient and safe

cashless payments in

schools

Our online payment system gives you a more

convenient and flexible way to pay school

online and helps to keep your child safe. By

making cashless payments you know that your

money has reached the school safely.

You can view your account statement and

payment history, check when payments need

to be made and set alerts to tell you when to

pay school online.

Payments can be made for not only Diner

services, but also trips, ac�vi�es week and any

other items that require payment to school.

I will be wri�ng to all new parents over the

summer holiday period with further details

and informa�on.

Mrs Thompson, Admin Manager

5 Star Diner

Congratulations to the Newbridge

Diner and their staff. They recently were

inspected by the District Council and we are pleased

to announced they received a 5 star rating for food

hygiene. Well done!

Mrs Adams

Want to find recipes used in Food Technology lessons?

Go to: www.newbridgehs.leics.sch.uk/adt/food-

technology

Development Plan

Goal 1: ‘Journey to success’

Every Newbridge student will progress on

a journey to personal, social and

academic success.

To pursue this goal we

will be bringing the

subjects we teach into

line with the new

na�onal curriculum and its assessment

closer to that of GCSE. We will be

assessing and developing the personal,

social and thinking skills of our students as

they move through the school. We will

also be extending choice and variety in the

ac�vi�es we offer within the taught

curriculum as well as at lunch�me and

aQer school.

Goal 2: ‘Overcoming barriers’

Every Newbridge student will thrive in a suppor/ve

community

To pursue this goal we will be

strengthening our

arrangements for transi�on

between schools, emphasising

the role of the tutor, upda�ng

and improving our approach to suppor�ng students

with addi�onal needs and establishing be)er links

with our parents and carers.

The next three years will be an exci�ng �me in the

school’s development. All the changes share a

common theme: aiming high and achieving more,

together, as one school community, preparing every

one of our students to achieve success in the ever

changing world of the 21st

century.

Overcoming barriers: the importance

of reading

Reading is a vital life and study skill. At Newbridge we are very anxious to ensure

that students who find reading difficult get as much support as possible. We aim

to help overcome this difficulty so that they can make progress across all lessons.

We try to ensure that students get as much reading prac�ce

as possible, through library lessons, silent reading �me and

paired reading.

We need your help!

If you would be able to spare an hour a week to come and help a Year 7 student

with their reading, we would be very interested in hearing from you. Please

contact Mrs York at the school on 01509 831561.

Hugglescote and Donington le Heath Parish Council will be holding a service and planting of trees to honour the first fifty soldiers that marched

through this village on their way to France in October 1914.

Venue: Millfield Recreation Ground

When: Saturday, 1st November, 2014 at 11:00am

This will be followed by a reception at Hugglescote Working Men’s Club with light refreshments and a performance of ‘Keep the Home Fires

Burning’ by Marlborough Square Community Choir.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Please contact Llynda Baugh on 07841 280 691 or email llynda@spialprojects.co.uk for more details

Healthy School Award

For the 18th

consecu�ve year Newbridge has been accredited the Healthy

Schools Award.

To gain accredita�on, the school had to sa�sfy a heQy list of criteria points by

providing evidence, which I am pleased to say, we did! Newbridge - a Healthy

School.

Mrs Warren

Chef of the Year 2014

Good luck goes to Chef of the Year competitors.

Area final 26 November at Newbridge

Last year Newbridge finalist Mary Harper got further in the National competition than

any student has!

Images of the delicious treats prepared by this year’s compe�tors

Product Design

Club Product Design Club is now in to its second

year and growing fast with students from year

7, 8 and 9 all involved this year.

Their first project is designing and building

the pantomime scenery for this year’s school

production of Dick Whittington following the

success of last year's scenery for Jack and

the Beanstalk.

They are currently building a variety of

scenery including a boat, shop and palm trees

and are working closely with the Art club who

are expertly painting the scenery. The growth

of the club has meant that there has been

demand for a lunchtime club which now runs

every Tuesday lunchtime.

All students are doing extremely well and

really committed to making the club a success.

The final scenery will look fantastic. Well done

to all involved.

Good luck to the Year 9 boys entering the Great British Make Off. The team consists of Liam Smith, Samuel Wright, Kian Corssen, Zach Bancroft and Harrison Potter. The competition set pupils the challenge to come up with their own design brief and specification for a cycling related product. The team identified the need for better bike storage at the school and improving facilities for bikes and scooters. The competition closes on the 24th October by which time the team has to film and upload a 2 minute video discussing and modelling their product. If pupils are successful they will earn the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a day working with a major UK designer or product developer to refine their design concept. Winning designs will form part of a national exhibition run by the Design & Technology Association.

Good luck to the Newbridge team!!

Mrs Milner

Join Newbridge Performing Arts students who will

be entertaining the crowds at: