Newsletter 38 - July 2012 - Faringdon Community College

OFSTED OUTSTANDING SINCE 2008
OUTSTANDING STUDENT PERFORMANCE 2011
95% of students achieved 5A*-C at GCSE
59% of A Level passes were at A*/B
Y8 & Y9 Paris Residential 2012
Did You Know?
facts, news, achievements
COME ALONG TO OUR 50TH CELEBRATION THIS SATURDAY, 14TH JULY,
(10am – 2pm)
Focus on Year 9:
Focus on Chemistry:
Newsletter 38 - July 2012
The best is left to last. Year 9 has concluded the year as busy as
they started. Having completed their exams, year 9 has officially
completed KS3. I am proud to say that more than 85% (the final
figures are yet to be confirmed) have achieved levels 5 and above in
English and Maths. This should put us in a good position for
achieving impressive grades in year 11 to make us all proud.
To name but a few of our best results: In English, Sebastian
Morris-Dyer achieved 8.8, followed by Grace Ryan and Eden
Szymura, 8.5. In Mathematics and Science, Sebastian Morris-Dyer,
Joshua Vogwell and Jonathan Wright have equally achieved 8.8 and
8 respectively. A fantastic performance; well done.
The inter tutors competition
for the maximum points
accumulated through the year
was won by 9VW who were
taken on a day out to Oxford
visiting the Natural History and
Pitt Rivers Museums followed
by lunch in the Park
(surprisingly not a drop of
rain!). The competition was
based on Achievement Points (post cards, etc.) where 9VW scored
732 followed by 9SDE 651 and in third, 9CK 534.
Six of our students volunteered
to help out at the Shrivenham
wind farm during Ecoweek:
Benjamin Draper, Kayleigh
Moore, Lucia Woodall, Max
Fraser, Rebecca Kench and Will
Clarke. STEM was running
renewable energy workshops for
the local primary schools. Our
students did a fantastic job that was well
appreciated by the organisers and most
importantly the primary students (I have
included a scan of one of the many cards we
received from Uffington Primary; thank you).
A group of our budding musicians have also
been original in presenting an assembly on
Honesty. We will be entertained again by the
same group during celebration week. We
shall be looking forward to that.
And finally, may I take this
opportunity to congratulate
year 9 on a super performance
and wish them a well deserved
holiday and look forward to
seeing them next year fresh
and ready to take on the
challenge of the GCSEs.
Years 7, 8 and 9 study chemistry topics as part of their
science curriculum. In year 7 students study some
common chemical reactions using metals, acids and a
range of other elements and compounds. Knowledge of
these reactions forms the basis for further study during
GCSE’s. Students are then introduced to the idea of the
particles that make up matter and then begin using more
complex descriptions such as atoms, compounds and
molecules. Year 9s see a more in depth look at the
periodic table and specifically the reactions of metals
and metal compounds and their uses in the wider world.
All 3 year groups have recently completed end of year
tests, which along with all of their end of topic tests goes
towards their end of year Science level.
In order to give them a head start for next year, the
current year 10s have all recently begun their year 11
Chemistry, Biology and Physics work before embarking on
their work experience placements. GCSE students will all
be issued with workbooks in September meaning they will
always have work to do at home and this is an ideal way
for students to check their knowledge and understanding
of the course throughout the year. This, along with their
AQA revision guide gives them plenty of resources to be
working from at home. Workbooks will be checked in
lessons to help students to identify weak spots and
maximise progress.
The Chemistry team are looking forward to a very busy
new academic year at FCC with two year 12 groups
embarking on the AS Chemistry course in September
2012. The students can look forward to re-visiting some of
the main concepts covered in GCSE in rather more detail
such as Atomic Structure, Bonding and the Periodic table.
Our new students have recently enjoyed a Chemistry
induction lesson to familiarise themselves with what to
expect in this challenging but highly rewarding AS / A2
level course. We actively encourage students to brush up
on their year 10 and 11 Chemistry knowledge in preparation
for September as the course will assume a solid
knowledge of
the GCSE
course the
students have
covered. We
follow the OCR
AS Chemistry
Syllabus.
Mr Karam
HOW TO CONTACT US AT FCC
Telephone: 01367 240628/240375 Fax: 01367 242356 Email: office@fcc.oxon.sch.uk Email: studentservices@fcc.oxon.sch.uk
Faringdon Academy of Schools, a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales. Company Number 7977368.
Registered Office: Faringdon Academy of Schools, Fernham Road, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7LB

MEMORIES School staff 1964
The draw for the Olympic
rings performers for KS3
was made earlier this week
by our Sports Assistant, Sophie Smith. All three
winners will receive a £20 sports gift voucher.
Callum Holmes
Joe Fairclough
Charlie Rowland
7DS
8SDe
9SDi
Well done!
PE Department
Term 5 and Term 6 2012
There were 129 students nominated for a Blue 7 and 71 students nominated for a
Community Star. The following students won a voucher to spend at WH Smiths.
Blue 7s
Name Tutor Group Nominated by Subject
Emma Williams 7SB Mr Millard Student Voice
Konnie Townsend 9SR Mr Davis RE Engineering
Lee Stanton 10JWe Mr Jukes Hall of Fame
Ellie Orchard 10JWe Mr Karam Physics
Hayley Lavender 10DT Mr Jukes Hall of Fame
Tim Dymock 10DT Mrs Viner Geography
James Fry 10NB Miss Ho Physics
Elisa Pun 10EB Mr Twycross Geography
Zak Iles 10EB Miss Ho Physics
Rachel Hopkins 10MP Miss Thomas Art
Euan Coard 10MP Miss Ho Chemistry
Holly Titcombe 10AD Mrs Howes Maths
Lucy Spoors 10AD Mrs Viner Geography
Cajo Pumphrey 10AD Mr Millard Student Voice
Community Star
Name Tutor Group Nominated by
Lisa Lewis 7SKh Miss Sutton
Niall Heffernan 8JBe Mr Bettle
Fiona Eaton 8JBe Mr Bettle
Zoe Day 9VW Mrs Viner
Liam Anderson 10AD Mr Millard
Congratulations to Jamie
Townsend, an ex student who
left in 2007,he has obtained a
1st Class Honours Degree in
Mathematics from Oxford
University.
Y9 Options
Details of the Y9 into Y10 option
subjects allocated will be given out to
students on Wednesday 18th July
when the students are in school for
their follow up activity day.
We will post information out for any
students who are not in school next
week.
We apologise for giving these out a
week later than usual, but there were
a couple of key staffing appointments
which we needed to make before we
could be sure of providing the range
of subjects we intended. We are
pleased to say that appropriate
staffing is now in place.
Mr J Butler
Deputy Headteacher
Theme for the week commencing
16th July
50th CELEBRATION
WEEK/ENGINERING ALIVE!
I hope you like the ‘new style’ newsletter.
Our aim is to keep you much more informed about what the students are learning
and, alongside this, be more up front in the celebration of individual student
achievements.
If you have any comments about the ‘new style’, please email them to the school.
office@fcc.oxon.sch.uk
There will be NO late bus service the last
week of term.
Late bus service will re-start on Tuesday
18th September.
School finishes at 1pm on Friday 20th July.

FCC Paris Trip 11th-15th June 2012 – Year 9’s View
Four weeks ago a group of year 8 and 9 students embarked on a quest to discover and explore the depths of
Paris. At 6.15 on the 11th of June, bleary eyed and confused, we clambered onto the coach after ten minutes
of torrential rain. After eleven sweaty hours, ten horrible minutes, and 3 dreary seconds, we were welcomed
by radiant sunlight. Scrambling off of the coach, we realised that
eleven hours wasn’t good for the legs and collapsed in a heap in
the reception. After the feeling came flooding back to our legs
we headed to our rooms to hit the hay.
After a rude awakening by a handful of willing teachers at 0700
hours we opened our eyes and were very surprised as many of
us had never seen this hour before. Breakfast was a calamity so
we won’t go there... We sprinted to the coach to ensure the best
seats. A busy day followed visiting The Stade De France and
Montmartre. The evening consisted of a visit to the Eiffel Tower.
Stunned by the huge lights and limos around us, we eventually
got to the second floor losing 5 pounds in the process. We were
amazed by the mesmerising view and promptly left due to our obsession with food. After food and a cheeky
power nap we returned back to base.
Day 3 of our quest. After losing Mr West during his optimistic run, once again we ventured into Paris. Firstly
jumping on the chance of a boat journey we headed down
the river for the photography enthusiasts. After a bit of
relaxing and sightseeing in the Louvre courtyard, we
headed off to the Musée d’Orsay.. We started off a bit too
optimistically and strode straight for the Monet section,
abruptly realising than we weren’t as fit as we originally
thought and had to have quick power nap on a nearby
bench. Eventually getting into to Monet’s section, we saw
his original paintings and had a chance to buy prints of
them. After an enormous hike from the gallery to Notre
Dame which almost killed us (especially after 2 hours of
lightly strolling around an art gallery) our tour guides
greeted us warmly to their humble abode. They took us to
the actual shops which starred in Sweeney Todd and then later explaining that the Notre Dame’s architect had
made two statues of himself on the building because he was an arrogant Frenchman. Then the heavens
opened, dumping millions of gallons of water on us and treating us to a jaw dropping thunderstorm. Let’s just
say we got a bit damp… We then stiffly waddled around the corner to the crêperie where we enjoyed a lovely
two course meal of crêpes. To be honest some of us weren’t exactly what you’d call clean. With full stomachs
we marched out of the restaurant into a now clear skied
city. We all then got a bit stressed and confused when
the bus driver decided to play chase through the busy
roads. Eventually getting back to base exhausted, we
collapsed on our beds and soon fell asleep.
Day 4 of our quest: Parc Astérix! No one minded the
lengthy bus journey as they had been looking forward
to this all week. When we arrived, Miss let us roam free
throughout the park only being summoned for lunch
money. The day was incredible, hitting big ride after big
ride and occasionally some of the little ones. What a
way to end a fantastic trip to France. The journey back
was long but incredibly entertaining as we had plenty of
banter and food. We would like thank all of the teachers
for enabling this trip to be as enjoyable as it was and to
put up with us for a week.
By Jake Thacker- Pugsley, Millie Buck. Mallory Ritchie, Freyja Langford and Abigail Campbell.

Alumni Open Day
at Faringdon Community College
Saturday 14th July 2012 (10am - 2pm)
The school is open for all former pupils, staff and
members of the community to come and see what
is happening in our Departments in 2012. Please
come and join us to celebrate 50 years on the
Fernham Road site and bring back some memories!
Faringdon Community College is proud to be part of the Faringdon Academy of Schools
Faringdon Academy
of Schools

BUSINESS ADMIN OPPORTUNITY IN
FARINGDON
FARINGDON
OPEN GROUP
SILVER EXPEDITION – BLACK MOUNTAINS, WALES
Berks, Bucks and Oxon Football Association are
looking for an apprentice to train in all aspects of
business administration.
You will need good IT skills and be reliable and a
good team worker. You don’t have to be
interested in football!
The apprenticeship will include training at
Swindon College.
For more details please contact Brian Moore on
07889508887.
If you need any help please see me.
Tina Belcher
Careers Advisor
Microsoft Visit
Last Tuesday eleven Year 9 students from Faringdon
Community College spent the day at Microsoft Corporation‛s
UK Headquarters near Reading. The eleven students, were
given a tour of the site, saw demonstrations of some of
Microsoft‛s latest products including Microsoft‛s surface
tablet technology and the new operating system ‘Windows 8‛,
took part in a discussion about internet safety, learnt about
internship opportunities with Microsoft and had time to try
out a few games on the X Box.
It was a fun and informative day and gave the students a
taste of what it might be like to work in a major high tech
corporation. Well done to all the students who took part in the
visit: Joe Lynn, Megan Thacker, Jesse Whiting, Chloe Froud,
Aaron Langton, Rosa Gatenby, Jacob Thacker Pugsley, Julia
Thomas, Jacob Walton, Sebastian Morris-Dyer and Ruth
Hawley.
Mrs West
Congratulations to the twelve Year 11s who successfully completed a demanding
three day expedition in the Black Mountains last weekend as part of their
Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award.
Despite heavy rain and low cloud on day one and a very wet first night’s camp,
spirits remained high and the teams were rewarded with dryer and brighter
weather on Saturday and Sunday and a chocolate cake in camp on Saturday
evening to celebrate Martin’s birthday. All teams demonstrated good navigation,
route finding and camping skills and fantastic team work. The expedition
supervisors were very impressed, standing on the summit of the last peak, to see
all three groups converging from different directions towards the finish – tired
and muddy, but with big smiles on their faces.
Well done to; Ellesha Bedford, Rachel Bond, Martin Brabin, Natasha Jenkins,
Alice Nicholl, Will Renfrey, Jesse Stallard-Smith, Amy Stoner, Charlie Taylor,
David Thomas, Sophie Waller and Maddie Wellham.
Mrs West
Only £7.50 a day or £30 for 5 days!
Summer Cricket Camp 2011
Boys and Girls welcome - 11 to 15 years of any ability
Come and join two
experienced cricketers
who will share their
expertise and teach you
some new skills, with
ecb coaching badge and
50 county caps!!!
Enjoy the opportunity of
getting to use
fantastic new facilities
while developing you
cricketing skills throughout
the week, then finish
it all off with a fanatic
Twenty20 Match.
23rd to 27th July
Monday to Thursday - 1:00pm-3:00pm
Working on every key area of cricket including
Batting in cricket nets, balling machine and some
high class fielding drills.
Friday - 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Finishing end the week with a blast!!! Lets finish off
with some big hitting and some tactical bowing in a
Twenty20 match followed by a award ceremony.
Contact:
Michael Hume: 07968651230
Daniel Courtney: 07803071786
Location
Faringdon’s NEW Cricket Club
Recommended by:
Faringdon Community College
Rachel Kenyon (Schools Sports
Co-ordinator)
Faringdon Cricket Club
NEW TERM - SEPTEMBER 2012
Tuesday 4th September
Wednesday 5th September
Y7, Y12 and Y13
in school
All year groups in
school

Summer Cookery at
Faringdon Community College 201012
Monday 13th August
Both sessions suitable for ages 5+,
AM: 10am - 12pm
PM: 1pm - 3pm
Decorated Jubilee Fairy Cakes.
Banana Bread.
Tuesday 14 th August
Both sessions suitable for ages 8+
AM: 10am - 12pm
PM: 1pm - 3pm
Strawberry & Cream
Victoria Sandwich.
Quiche Lorraine.
Wednesday 15 th August.
Am session suitable for ages 6+.
Pm session suitable for ages 8+
AM: 10am – 12pm
PM: 1pm – 3pm
Jam & Cream Sponge.
Lemon Torte.
BOOKING ESSENTIAL
LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE
Cost per session is £10 per head; optional lunchtime supervision £2.50 per head (lunch not
provided)
All sessions take place in the DT Food Rooms (end of block opposite school car park)
Parents, Grandparents and Guardians welcome to stay and help
All ingredients provided – please note you must provide your own suitable container to take
your cooking home with you.
To book places please contact Lisa Groves via email on
ljgroves@fcc.oxon.sch.uk or 01367 240375
Closing date for bookings: Wednesday 18th July 2012
Due to the popularity of these courses you must enrol before the closing date as we cannot take
additional people on the day; we can only provide ingredients for enrolled participants.