Principal: Ms Janice Farrell Lower City Road, Tividale. B69 2HE Tel: 0121 552 5501

Fax: 0121 511 1326

would like to wish all students every success with their exam results and wish

you all a safe and happy summer holiday.

The Academy closes on Friday 20th

July 2012 and re-opens on Wednesday 5

th September 2012 for students in

Years 7, 12 and 13. Year 7 and 12 will start at 9.00am, Year 13 students will start at 12.00 (midday).

Students in Years 8,9,10 and 11 will start at 11.20am on Thursday 6

th September 2012.

Thank you.

Lower City Road, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2HE

Tel: 0121 552 5501 Fax: 0121 511 1326 Email: principal@ormistonsandwell.org.uk Web: www.ormistonsandwell.org.uk

.

Dear Parents and Carers,

This has been a hectic term with lots of events in which your son or daughter may have participated. Year 10 and 11 sat GCSE exams and can expect results on August 23rd, a few Year 9 students completed both GCSE and BTEC qualifications in one year and are looking forward to seeing how they fared. Year 13 have completed their studies and a number have plans for further study at universities in London, Worcester and Birmingham. We wish them all good luck. Our Maths Olympians pitted their brains against others in Sandwell and represented the academy at this local competition. There are details of participants inside the newsletter. Three of our Year 7 students took part in a Sandwell speaking competition along with every secondary school in Sandwell. Once more we have to congratulate them for their courage in speaking in front of a large audience made up of their peers. The Olympics has been part of our learning theme with an emphasis on the values and how these are incorporated into everyday learning. Our vibrant Teaching for Learning group came up with some creative ideas to develop these values into lessons and we rewarded students who demonstrated these values. The overall winner of our Olympic learning week is Dahl house. In September we will welcome the following new staff: Mrs Rashpal Channa to lead Business and Enterprise Mr Bill Stevens to lead Modern Foreign Languages Mrs Georgina Bishop to be our new SENCO Mrs Siobhan Clegg to lead on Literacy Mrs Donna Millard will teach Health & Social Care Ms Bobbi–Lee Anderson and Miss Ashley Langille will join the Maths department Miss Melanie Hodgins will join the Humanities department Miss Tina Tameta and Miss Tamara Simmons will join the English department Miss Erica Clarke will join Modern Foreign Languages department Miss Nehal Patel will join the Science department At the end of term I mention staff who are moving on to new posts and the same is true this year. Mrs Diane Brown and Mr Tony Mills are retiring. Ms Emma Hudson, Mr James Allen, Mr Alan Peacock, Mr David McQuillan, Miss Stacy Bayliss, Miss Rebecca Cooper and Miss Morgan Whitfield leave us this summer to continue their teaching careers abroad or elsewhere in the country.

It is also with regret that I have to inform you of my own decision to leave OSCA as from September 1st. I choose to leave at a time when I am free to relocate and take up a post in January. There never is a good time to leave as a Principal but a September start is easier for the sponsors to accommodate and given our expected monitoring visit and subsequent Ofsted it makes more sense that my successor has the opportunity to continue the developments. It has been a rewarding experience and privilege working here first as Head of Tividale Community Arts College from 2006 and then as Principal of Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy. Thank you for the support and commitment you have shown. Janice Farrell Principal

Ormiston Academies Trust trading as OSCA. Registered in England and Wales No. 11332

Free School Meals Application

Do you receive either: - Income Support?

Income - Based Job Seekers Allowance?

Employment & Support Allowance (Income Related)?

Guaranteed Pension Credit (Inc. Child Tax Credit)

Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Child Tax Credit, with an annual income of less than £ 16,190

If you have answered Yes, your child may be entitled to free school meals.

If you receive Working Tax Credit regardless of annual household income

you will not qualify for Free School Meals.

The Academy relies on funding from

Free School Meals to provide resources for your child,

therefore we urge you to please apply for them whether

your child wishes to take a meal or not.

If you require any further information please contact the Academy

on 0121 552 5501 and ask to speak to Mrs Rowlinson.

Congratulations to Miro Blicharz, Jack Wakeman, Simran Malhi and Tyler Shiel who have achieved a place on the

OSCA Learning Consultant Team.

They will be working with the rest of the team on the MLM project.

Well done to you all!

Orimston Sandwell Community Academy would like to say a big thank you and well done to all the students who have sat

their GCSE and SATS exams, in recognition of your good attendance, behaviour and hard work.

On Tuesday 19

th June, 45 Year 10 pupils studying History, Geography

and RE went to Frankie and Bennies after school to celebrate their hard work and achievement this year.

.

Well done to you all!

We would like to express our congratulations to the students who took part in Olympiad Maths Competition. They enjoyed the day and did us proud.

Year 7 - Jordan Patridge and Joseph Boucher Year 8 - Megan Bailey and Jake Hawley

Year 9 - Harpreet Bhogal and Olivia Jordan Year 10 - Karanjeet Thandi and Lap Pong Kan

Special congratulations to Karanjeet Thandi for being the second best student in the Year 10 Olympiad Maths competition. Karanjeet managed to solve some of the most challenging maths problems during the competition and everyone congratulated him for the work well done and for his excellent effort. He truly deserved the achievement.

Well done to you all!

Congratulations to Mr Samuel, Miss Clair and all the students in the house of Dahl, on your magnificent win on Sports Day. Well done to you all!

Congratulations to Jordan Partridge, Lily-May Priest and Ta’jay Dean on making it through to

the Enterprise Challenge Semi Final and well done to Jordan for making it through to the top 5

out of 600 entries.

Well done!

A Level -Thursday 16th August at 12pm GCSE - Thursday 23

rd August at 12pm

Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy would like to congratulate the following students for

being elected:- Head Girl - Lauren Garcha (top left) Head Boy - Miro Blicharz (top right) Deputy

Head Girl - Mercedes Richards (bottom left) Deputy Head Boy - Karanjeet Thandi (bottom right).

Well done to you all!

On Friday 1st June Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy invited their Year 11 students, their

parents and staff to their final assembly. The event started at 9.00am and all of the students

looked wonderful as they had dressed up for the occasion.

The hall had been decorated in a Hollywood theme for the event which created a fun

atmosphere for everyone there. Ms Farrell started the proceedings and welcomed the audience

to this special occasion to celebrate the students last 5 years at school and wished them all

good luck with their exams and future.

Then it was time for the Heads of House supported by the Guidance Managers to present the

OSCA awards. This was a very emotional time for both the students and staff as the staff spoke

about the students and their achievements.

In between the awards there were student performances of the songs “Without You”, “Broken

Promises” and “We Are Young”, these were all performed brilliantly and highlighted the talent

that blossoms at OSCA.

The Principal’s awards were the last to be presented and these were given to students that had

given up their time to support the school by being Prefects, Peer Mentors, Learning consultants

or members of the School Council. All the students had carried out these roles of responsibility

diligently and have been a credit to the Academy.

The Head Boy and Girl addressed the assembly and thanked the staff on behalf of the students,

which lead onto the showing of the Year 11 DVD; this was a lovely way to end the assembly.

Tea and cakes and tearful farewells from students and staff completed the morning’s event. This sad but momentous day for our Year 11 students is one that we hope will be one of their best memories of their school life and we would like to wish them every success with their exams and future. Thanks must go to all the parents who came to celebrate this important stage in their children’s lives and also to the staff and pupils who worked hard in organising and taking part in this very memorable assembly.

On Friday 6th July Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy’s Year 11 students held their Prom at the Ramada Park Hall Hotel in Wolverhampton. The evening started at 7.00pm with students arriving in style and all looking amazing and sophisticated in their evening attire. The students were very excited as they entered the hotel to a round of applause by the staff as they walked up the red carpet into the Ballroom. The room looked beautiful and had been decorated in a Hollywood theme. The excitement of the arrival continued as the students gathered together to have their official photographs taken.

At 8.00pm everyone was seated and Ms Farrell gave the welcome speech and then it was time to enjoy a delicious three course meal.

After the meal students and staff voted for the Prom Princes, Princesses, King and Queen (Thanks to all the staff and volunteers who helped with the count).

At around 9.50pm students and staff were invited to go into the hotel grounds to watch a splendid firework display which ended with the spectacular ‘CLASS OF 2012’ firework. Then it was time to announce the results of the vote. Ms Farrell announced the results in reverse order and started with the 2nd Prince and Princess these went to Archer Williams and Lauren Twist. The second vote was for the 1st Prince and Princess and they were Craig Price and Mary Jones. The final votes for the Prom King and Queen went to Courtney Jones and Rebecca Allen (Well done to them all). The winners were then invited to restart the dancing and everyone joined in on the dance floor.

The students and staff danced the night away until midnight until the evening came to the end. It was a wonderful evening which I’m sure has given the Year 11 a night to remember with fabulous memories of the lovely way this ended their school days. Thanks to all the students, parents and staff who supported this event and made it one to be very proud of. Thank you!

On Friday 13th July students at Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy had the chance to be an OSCA Olympic torch bearer in school and create their own piece of history. The OSCA Flame (created by Year 9 Expressive Arts students) started its journey from the school foyer and made its way around school by a relay of students until it reached its final resting place in reception (Where it is still burning brightly). Well done to you all!

OSCA hosted its Olympic Learning Week from Monday 9th July - Friday 13th July. During the week learners were challenged learn about and demonstrate the 7 Olympic and Paralympic values, with each subject area taking responsibility for teaching about 1 of the seven values. Students collected stickers on their collector’s card throughout the week and posted them into the prize draw entry box. Students and staff had a fantastic week and we have over 140 students who can proudly call themselves Olympic Learners. All Olympic learners will receive a gold star badge to wear proudly on their uniform in September. We have also awarded the following prizes: Louise Reid - First Prize Seetal Chohan & Jaspreet Ryat - Prize for the most stickers. There were also 4 prizes awarded per house:

Dahl Da Vinci Picasso Shakespeare

Romario Sweeney-Fenton Olivia Francis Pekai Ahmanzai Yumna Taqdees

Millie Homer Cameron Ghag Liam Ashcroft Darren Dube

Ryan Beaman Simran Singh Jessica Taylor Kayleigh Bagley

Himesh Patel Jordan Wainman Keah Tyler Lauren Smith

Students will receive their prizes in the end of term assemblies. Badges will be given out in the new academic year. Thanks for everyone's hard work and enjoy the Summer!

On Wednesday 27th June 40 Media students from Years 10 and 12 and 4 staff embarked on a magical adventure to visit the Warner Brothers Studios in London, and tour the studios of the eight Harry Potter films. Here is what one of the Year 10's had to say about the day:

Harry Potter is a big part in my life and having the opportunity to visit the Studio tour in London was amazing. From visiting the Hogwarts’ Great Hall to the model of Hogwarts was a really brilliant experience! The attraction as a whole was really educational - learning how they use a green screen for different effects and how they came upon making the fictional animals look really realistic. I think everyone who came along on the trip to the Studio tours would agree that the best bit of the day was actually seeing the breath taking model that was the Hogwarts castle, this castle was nearly 50 feet in diameter and used for aerial photography. You can tell that an amazing amount of detail was put into this hand sculpted model considering all the doors were hinged and real plants were used as trees. When we first arrived we had the 1st of the 3 guided tours which was a pitch black room with screens showing some of the directors talking about Harry Potter and the movies, the 2nd bit of the guided tours was a movie theatre room (one of the best bits of the day for me!) which showed the actors along with the directors telling us what we are going to be visiting today. At the end of the clip the screen lifted and the entrance to the Great Hall awaited! It was a truly magical experience! The last bit of the guided tour was an employee talking through the wonders of the Great Hall and all the added detail that went into creating and designing the hall. We then got to leave the Great Hall and make our own way through the rest of the day. We visited many exciting and familiar sets that featured in the films such as, the Hogwarts gates, the giant clock from “The Order of The Phoenix”, the Gryffindor common room, the boy’s dormitories, the entrance to The Chamber of Secrets, Professor Umbridge’s office in Hogwarts and the entrance to her office in the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore’s office, “The Burrow”, Hagrid’s hut, the Ministry of Magic itself! And many more! The sets were not all we saw in the studio tour, we also saw the wigs some characters wore, the costumes they wore and plenty of props to last us a lifetime! We also saw the carts which featured in the wizarding bank which is Gringotts, the broom sticks the characters had and Sirius’s motorcycle he gave to Hagrid! In the outside sets we saw Harry’s Aunt and Uncle’s house, 4 Privet Drive, the ruins of his Mother and Father’s house in which You-Know-Who killed his family, the Hogwarts Bridge, The Knight Bus and the chess pieces which were in the 1st movie (Philosopher’s Stone). We also got to take pictures in the Weasley’s car and Sirius’s motorcycle. In the break between the 2 studios we all tried the famous Butterbeer which appears in the movies, although some found it sickly I thought it was interesting, but I finished it all! The 2nd part of the Studio there were more props, creatures, designs, portraits and major sets. Props included what some people would say “Baby Voldemort” when he featured looking like a

baby in the Goblet of Fire, the Mandrakes and Hedwig. The Creatures included Aragog, Buckbeak (the Hippogriff), Thestrals and the Basilisk which was killed by Harry in the Chamber of Secrets. Designs included hand drawn designs of what the creatures are going to look like once edited and white card models of major places features in the movies such as the Three Broomsticks, The Leaky Cauldron, Hogwarts itself, the Headmaster’s office and many more. Portraits included pictures of major scenes in the movies such as the “golden trio” escaping from Gringotts on a dragon, a picture of Dobby the house elf and many more. Finally the 2 major sets in the films, the one and only, Diagon Alley and as mentioned before the Hogwarts castle. We all got to walk down the famous cobbles of Diagon Alley and stare into the shop fronts; we went past the famous shops, Ollivanders, Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkin's, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, the Apothecary and the wizards bank Gringotts. We then went to visit the Hogwarts model which again was magnificent! The end of the tour arrived and we visited the enormous gift show where I brought the Elder wand, a poster of Bellatrix Lestrange and 7 postcards all of which are up proudly in my bedroom! As a Harry Potter fan I would say the tour was one of the best experiences in my life if not, the best experience in my life, and I would happily visit the studios again!

Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy’s Year 10 Student Zachary Smith has qualified for the World Kickboxing Championships later this year. The championships will be held in Holland. We wish Zachary every success and the very best of luck in these. Well done Zachary!!!

On Sunday 1st July Olympic torch bearer Mr Frank Istace took time

out to have his picture taken with Miss Pearce (P.E Teacher at Ormiston Sandwell Community

Academy) as he carried the flame through Redditch.

Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy Lower City Road

Oldbury West Midlands

B69 2HE Tel 0121 552 5501 Fax 0121 511 1326

www.ormistonsandwell.org.uk

You need

to know

our login

and

password

Dear Parent/Carer,

Introducing the SAM Learning service

At school we are always looking for ways to extend our students’ learning. Part of our

improvement programme involves the use of SAM Learning, a unique online service that covers

all subjects. SAM has a proven track record; studies have shown that using the service leads to

better exam results.

Access details

Students are able to access the service at anytime and anywhere. It is available to them in

school, but also at home, in the library and community centre. All they need to do is visit the

website and enter their unique login details.

Website address: www.samlearning.com

Centre ID: B69TH

User ID: Date of birth followed by two initials: first name then last name. Example: 010896DJ is the User ID for David Jones born 1st Aug 1996.

Password: Initially same as the User ID, Learners are encouraged to change this to something difficult to guess.

It is advised that students keep a record of the access details in their homework book.

How to get involved

All students will be taught how to use the service and you might wish to ask them how it works.

The service enables homework to be set and marked which means that you can easily monitor

the progress of your child.

We hope that your child is able to take full advantage of SAM Learning and thank you in

advance for supporting the initiative.

Yours faithfully,

Mr A Qamar Assistant Principal

Applications for Secondary School Travel Assistance

Are you eligible?

Is your child

A Sandwell resident?

In Year 7-11 during 2011-2012 academic year?

Travelling more than 3 miles from home to school by the shortest pedestrian

route?

Attending the nearest appropriate school with places available?

In addition, the Education & Inspections Act 2006 has given additional entitlement

to low income families. You may be eligible if:

Your child is:

In receipt of Free School Meals or the maximum working tax credit; and

Living between 2 and 6 miles from school; and

Attending one of the nearest three schools with places available?

If you have answered Yes to all of the questions then you may be eligible to

receive travel assistance from the Sandwell Local Authority.

Change of Address

Assistance will only be provided if All the following criteria are met:

Your child is in Year 10 or 11 at the time of change of address

Transfer to a school closer to home is impractical because of syllabus

requirements

The distance between home and school by the shortest pedestrian route is 3

miles or greater.

NB Renewal applicants do not need to complete an application form unless circumstances have changed i.e. change of name, address etc.

If you feel you meet the above criteria please contact the Academy for an application form.

16-18 photocard forms are also available.

The Post 16

Consortium @OSCA16

There is still time to apply for a place in the Sixth Form @OSCA!

As expected, demand for places in our new Sixth Form has been high and a number of courses are now almost full. However, there is still time to apply and enjoy

the wide range of new courses on offer.

Our new consortium means we can give our Sixth Form students all of the benefits of a ‘big’ college, with more courses, more choice and more enrichment opportunities,

but still have the personal support that our students value so much.

If you have any questions about the new Sixth Form, or would like a copy of our new prospectus, please have a look on our webpage or contact Mr D McQuillan at OSCA.

The Post 16 Consortium @OSCA16 will be the place to study, the place to learn and the place to be, Post 16.

Why is it important that my child arrives at the

Academy on time?

It will be disruptive to the class if your child arrives late

Your child will miss important instructions on how to

complete their work.

Social interaction with peers before school is important for

your child, it allows them to make lasting friendship groups.

To instil good habits. Punctuality shows reliability and

commitment, these are valuable attributes for later life.

Future employers, colleges and universities look for

reliability. A good record of attendance and punctuality is a

good indication of this and they will request to see your

child’s attendance record.

The Academy day starts at 8.35am.

Ensure your child is receiving the best education they can

by attending every day and

ON TIME!

Please ensure all trip money is handed into the Finance Office Mrs Phillpotts/Mrs Welsh.

This can be handed in between the following times:

8.00am - 8.30am Morning Break

Lunchtime After school

The safety of the students is always paramount at the Academy. We ask all parents not to drive into the school driveway to drop off students, as this causes congestion in the gateway which is

hazardous to students who walk to school.

Thank you.

Please be aware that the opening and closing times for the gate allocated on the New Birmingham Road are as follows:-

The gate will be opened

at 7.00am and closed at 9.00am each morning.

It will be reopened at 2.40pm and closed at 4.30pm each day.

Thank you.

Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy’s Year 8 Athletics team finished in 3rd place out of 14 Sandwell Schools. Congratulations to the following students in the following events:- Jordan Jakeways - 3rd - 200m & Long Jump Zac Downing - 3rd -100m James Boden - 1st – Javelin Jake Burke - 4th - 200m Ryan Williams - 8th - 800m Daniel Smith - 3rd - Shot Put Yassin Benhamou - 5th - 100m Emily Hopper - 1st - 100m Toni Highfield - 5th - 100m Shona Cooper - 6th - 200m Demi Russell - 4th - 200m & Triple jump Harmit Kaur - 4th - 800m Abigail Bullock - 4th - 800m & Long Jump

Many congratulations to Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy Year 10 student Sarah Price who has achieved a 100% pass rate on the Making Learning Work

course. Sarah won a certificate and a £30 gift card.

Well done!

OSCA Fun Our extra curriculum timetable is varied and offers a range of activities both during and after the school day. Outings are a frequent occurrence and they extend the curriculum beyond the classroom with trips to the theatre, concerts, places of interest and museums. Please see the extended services timetable for the full extra-curricular timetable http://www.ormistonsandwell.org.uk/News/OSCA-Extra-Curricular-Activities/ Homework Club Homework Club is in the Library Monday – Friday 3.00-3.45pm. If you require a light tea for your child please call 0121 552 5501 Ext 5 cost £1.95. Just think once the homework and tea has been done, you can enjoy a quality family evening. Lunchtime Activities Sandwell Youth Services will be in the Academy to provide organised games and activities to our Students at lunchtimes. They will also provide 1:1 advice sessions for young people. If you do not want your child to take part in any of the activities please email extendedservices@ormistonsandwell.org.uk to opt out. Summer Transition 2012 The Extended Services Team and the Success Centre are looking forward to welcoming our new Year 7’s to take part in an action packed and fun filled 2 weeks of Summer Transition Fun. The Department of Education awarded the Academy funds to run a summer transition programme for 44 children, the response from our feeder schools was overwhelming and we have 74 children on the programme! The Autumn Term newsletter will let you know how the programme went. Summer Activities There are lots of activities for children and young people to do over the summer, I have posted information on play schemes on our website and don’t forget to have a look on Sandwell MBC website www.sandwell.org.uk for activities happening in and around the borough, Autumn Term 2012 We have some fantastic projects lined up for the Autumn Term for our young people and parents to get involved in. • Boxing Project – In partnership with a local gym • POSH – Social Skills project for girls • TOFF’s – Social Skills Project for boys • Unique Dance Company - Urban Dance School More information in the Autumn Newsletter. Have a fabulous and safe summer! From the Extended Services team

OSCA Support. Being a parent is one of life’s greatest joys, but like anything worthwhile it is far from easy. Every day you have to make choices which shape your child’s future, and your choice of school is one of the most important and far-reaching. You are determined to secure the best for your child, and providing them with a first-class education is a great step in that direction. But where do you go from there? Engaging Parents in learning is one of the themes for the Extended Services and Community Learning department. OSCA Coffee Please check the website for dates and times OSCA Advice Agency Please check the website for dates and times. OSCA Voice Have your say in the extended services and community learning department by becoming part of the OSCA Mum’s/Men’s group. We will work together to look at the needs of our schools and apply for funding to deliver projects such as the social evenings, trips, family learning activities, residentials, proms, open mike session, holidays to the seaside. Come on get engaged in your child’s learning! Safeguarding Statement At OSCA the health and safety of all children is of paramount importance. Parents send their children to school each day with the expectation that school provides a secure environment in which their children can flourish. OSCA therefore has to ensure that this expectation becomes reality. In order to do this a wide range of measures are put in place; please view our safeguarding policy http://www.ormistonsandwell.org.uk/About/Policies/

3.00pm - 3.45pm

Autumn Term