Contents

Date: 3 February 2017
Mr Howe, Headteacher, writes:
A warm welcome to the last newsletter of Term 3 - where does the time go? Last week
we were fortunate enough to have over 30 local employers in our school conducting
mock interviews for all our Year 12 students. This experience was excellent preparation
for life after the formal phase of education but also emphasised the importance of a
commitment to life-long learning so we never cease to better ourselves.
Next week we are focused on Mental Health Week as this is such an important topic to
highlight so we can all learn to speak openly about mental health issues and raise awareness to give mental health
the parity with physical health. This issue is of particular importance as we move into Term 4 and the pressure of
pending examinations comes closely into view.
It has been another hugely successful term at Abbeywood Community School and we look forward to seeing lots of
you at the parents’ evening next Tuesday (7 Feb) and at the Abbeywood’s Got Talent event next term (23 Feb). I
would like to sign off by thanking all our parents and carers for their ongoing support for our school and particular
thanks to all those of you who have completed the online parent questionnaire to celebrate all the incredible work
and achievements of our school community—the responses have been overwhelmingly positive.
SLT Drop-in:
DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
Term 3: Tuesday 3 January - Friday 10 February 2017
Term 4: Monday 20 February - Friday 7 April 2017
Every Friday 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. - No Appointment Necessary
Tuesday 7 February: Parent Consultation Evening 4 - 7:00 p.m.
(Year 11 Priority)
Year 9 House Match P3 & P4
Year 8 House Match P1 & P2
Year 7 House Match P5 until 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday 8 February: Year 8 House Tournament
Festival of Youth Dance
Thursday 9 February: Festival of Youth Dance
Friday 10 February: Ski Trip departs
End of Term 3
Saturday 18 February: Ski Trip returns
Monday 20 February: Start of Term 4
Tuesday 21 February: Year 8 RAISE Day
Wednesday 22 February: French Theatre Company Visit - Year 7 & 8
Thursday 23 February: Year 9 Pathways catch-up Evening
Abbeywood’s Got Talent - 6 p.m.
Contents
Headteacher Awards………………….2
Attend to Achieve……………………...3
RAISE the bar……………………………..3
Children’s Mental Health Week...3
Sainsbury’s Active Kids……………….3
GCSE Information……………………….4
Year 9 Pathways………………………...4
Parent Consultation Evening……...4
Girls interested in a career fighting
Cyber Crime……………………………….5
Numeracy Brainteaser……………….5
Accelerated Reader…………………...5
PiXL Edge…………………………………...6
PE Faculty News………………………...7
Creative Arts……………………………...8
Spotlight on Post 16…………….9 - 11
Community News & Events……..12
Abbeywood School@AbbeywoodSchool
1

Headteacher Awards
Always trying hard and displaying great resilience in English
Loretta Csajbok
Excellent effort and independent work in Science when learning about the digestive
system
Steven Gould, Ben Harrison & Renata Kovacs
Excellent effort in French
Isaac Hooper & Essence Mulzac-Decordova
Excellent progress in English this year
George Baines
Excellent engagement and showing initiative in an English lesson
Codie Smith
Fantastic attainment in Physics assessment
Luke Arnold, Jose Miguel Ojeda Jirout & Chris Yalamov
Exceptional effort in Science
Emmeline Higginson, Yahye Ismail & Caitlyn Rice
Fantastic work in Maths on quadratic sequences
Darleen Hartmann, Rosie Henson, Courtney Jones, Cassidy Smallwood, Arielle Toko Yaleu &
Tom Wallington
Great attitude to learning English Support
Lola Murphy & Kacper Szczypta
Outstanding French IHL project
Adam St Quinton
Outstanding results in Listening and Reading PPE and scoring full UMS in MFL
Soraia Costa & Charlotte Goose
Showing resislience in completing a Science test
Edward Perrett
Showing great responsibility in supporting others
Jessica Nawrocki
Superb effort in English
Millie Hooper, Esme McCarthy & Isaiah Miller
2

Reward Incentive
The lucky winners of the fortnightly 100% attendance draw for the fortnight 9 - 20 January 2017 were:
Year 7 - Alex Greer
Year 8 - Sami Hassine
Year 9 - Cassidy Smallwood
Congratulations to all of them!
They have each been awarded a
£5 Amazon voucher.
Year 10 - Molly Vowles
Year 11 - James Dash
Throughout this academic year, all students
will have a fortnightly focus in order to
‘RAISE the bar’.
This is in order to improve the atmosphere
around the school, which will have a positive
impact on the learning of all students.
The focus for Monday 30 January - Friday 10 February is to:
“Remember to bring a
reading book as part of
your equipment and be
prepared to read it if
asked to as part of any
tutor or lesson activity”
Children’s Mental Health Week – will take
place from the 6-12 February. The aim of the
week is to encourage everyone — adults and
children alike — to spread a little kindness.
We’ve all known someone going through a
tough time, and it can be hard to know what to
do to help, especially where children are
involved. It may sound simple but in these
moments, small acts of kindness can make all
the difference. Plus did you know studies show
that being kind can make you happier and less
stressed?
For further information, please follow this link:
https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-story/
childrens-mental-health-week/
Active Kids is back!
We are now collecting vouchers for sports and cooking equipment from Sainsbury’s. These can be collected from
Sainsbury’s Local, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets and Online at Sainsbury’s.co.uk from now until 30 June 2017. Please
collect these and give to your child to hand into Reception – please also ask friends and family to collect as well to
inspire children to get active…..
Eat well Move well Live well
3

English Language and Literature GCSEs
The Year 11 English exams are fast approaching. For both English Language and English Literature we
have now completed teaching the courses and have started the revision programme. With the PPEs
now finished it is essential that students start to work on English at home. With both GCSEs being
100% exam there is a lot of content to revise and therefore cannot be left until later on. We have
recently sent important information home regarding the exams, this can also be viewed by clicking
here.
Year 9 Pathways
Year 11 Revision Guides available in School
Various revision guides are available to purchase
through the school. Please click here for more
information.
If you were unable to attend the Pathways
evening on Monday 16 January, there will be an
additional evening on Thursday 23 February 2017.
The booklet has been distributed to all Year 9
students and is available on our website and can
also be viewed by clicking on the booklet below.
Parent Consultation Evening (Year 11 priority)
Tuesday 7 February 4 - 7 p.m.
Please book appointments through the online system (if you haven’t already done so)
https://abbeywoodcommunityschool.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/
Alternatively, you can call the school office on 0117 307 5660.
GCSE Examinations - Summer 2017
The GCSE Exam period is from 15 May - 21 June 2017.
Students will be issued with a provisional exam timetable at the end of
February/beginning of March. Final detailed timetables will be available after Easter.
Students behaved excellently in the recent PPEs (Pre Public Examinations) and we hope
that this will be continued during the summer examinations.
4

WANTED: Girls Interested in a career in fighting Cyber Crime!
A great opportunity for tech savvy girls to become involved in this growing area of security.
The UK Government is looking for girls aged between 13 and 15 who spend a lot of time on social media and online
and who want to follow a career in fighting cyber-crime.
A special competition has been launched that will test girls in their knowledge of logic and coding, networking and
cryptography. To take part, girls will need to be in teams of four and take part in a series of online tasks. Each
round of tasks will become progressively harder. The ten teams with the best score will be invited to a ‘CyberFirst’
competition final in London.
Any girls, or parents, wanting further information should contact me at school, or search for “CyberFirst Girls
competition” online.
If we are able to build a team, the entry will be arranged by the School.
Graham Manson, Head of Computing
Numeracy Brainteaser…………. How Old is Granny Puzzle
Tom asked his Granny how old she was. Rather than giving him a straight answer,
she replied:
"I have 6 children, and there are 4 years between each one and the next. I had my
first child (your Uncle Peter) when I was 19. Now the youngest one (Your Auntie
Jane) is 19 herself. That's all I'm telling you!"
How old is Tom's Granny?
Fortnightly Accelerated Reader Star Prize Results
Each fortnight, the winners from each tutor group will receive an email home, an Achievement
point for Literacy and a chocolate from Ms Storey
Congratulations to ……..
Year 7
Year 8
Ben Collis
7R
Daniel Sweetnam 8R
Lucia Rios Villodres 7R
Jennifer Crossley 8O
Marianna Baker 7O
Jake Takle
8O
Jack Burt
7O
Martin Domsa 8Y
Jakob Heathcote 7Y
Harvey Wong
8G
Emily Butcher
7Y
Finley Wheeler-Evans 8B
Jaden Takle
7I
Abigail Shipway 8B
Zahra Saeed Hashemi 7I
Ryan Gregson
8I
Alannah-Mae Parker 7G
Elliot King
7G
Codie Smith
7B
Maddison Ridge 7B
……....who were the top readers in their tutor group this fortnight!
Keep up the good work, well done - Ms Storey
5

Update : Since the start of 2017 our Year 7 cohort have been keeping themselves busy by taking on
new activities and challenges to gain points for their PiXL EDGE Apprentice certificate. This award is
nationally recognised and a great way for future employers and universities to see what our students
are capable of achieving away from the classroom. In the first week of term, the Year 7 PiXL EDGE
afternoon gave the students the opportunity to reflect on previous challenges undertaken and take on
new ones. In order to attain their apprentice certificate they need to complete ten challenges in the
next two years. Over 70 students in the year group have now completed at least one activity towards
their award while some are already halfway there on 5. The range of activities undertaken by students
both in and out of the classroom has been phenomenal, from teaching lesson starters to their peers,
raising money for charity, making their own YouTube channel or helping out at a local Primary School
Rugby Club. We are really proud of everything our students have worked towards and look forward to
seeing what else they are capable of achieving.
Ellie Adams
Lewis Bailey
Poppy Baldwin
Michaela Barnes
Josie Boyd
Matthew Brenton
Daisy Buck
Ethan Burgess
Jack Burt
Kate Catanho
Jessica Church-Farthing
Loretta Csajbok
Tia Ford
Chloe-louise Gilpin
Georgina Haile
Adam Hall
Summer Hughes
Libby Ivers
Amelia Jeans
Oliver Jenkins
One PiXL Edge
Activity point
Katherine Jenkins
Tyler King
Elliot King
Molly Mccarthy
Joshua Mills-champion
Bethan Morris
Szymon Olinski
Jack Powell
Maddison Ridge
Lucia Rios Villodres
Megan Semple
Emilia Stone
Kacper Szczypta
Kyra Taynton
Maddison Thompson
Abigail Thyer
Travell Vincent
Ataya Welch
Anna Williamson
Two PiXL Edge Activity
points
Samuel Arathoon
Jamie Arnold
Anna Arnott
Poppy Elvin
Tiana Hyde
Isobel Jackson
Ellouise Lucas-Cockram
Harry Nicholson
Adam Nolan
Emily Reakes
Codie Smith
Lewis Smith
Lewis Smith
Rachel Taylor
Gwen Willcox
Rosie Willis
Jacob Wilson
Three PiXL Edge Activity points
Four PiXL Edge Activity points
Ellie-Rae Carey
James Carey
Imogen Conway
Katie-Mae Wheeler
Marianna Baker
Logan Brand
Zoe Cooper
Jacob Heathcote
Five PiXL Edge Activity
points
Jessica Baber
Eva Bagatelas
Emily Butcher
Grace Crompton
Alexander Greer
Well done Year 7!
6

Abbeywood PE Faculty
Winter Games - Girls Football
The Year 9/10 team had only to travel next door to the SGS College for their next
football competition on Tuesday 24 January (which made a nice change from the usual
two hour journey for the national cup!).
This time however, the girls were competing in a 7-a-side competition as part of the
Sainsbury's Winter Games. This brought together the best ten teams in South
Gloucestershire and Bristol to battle it out for the title.
Our girls started very well in a tough pool and won 3 out of the 4 games they played.
The fourth was a draw and although Abbeywood dominated they couldn't find the back
of the net. Nevertheless it was enough for our girls to take the top spot in their group
and progress to the semi- finals along with Redland Green, Mangotsfield and Bradley
Stoke, who won the other pools.
In the semi-final, our girls played Mangotsfield and although they had a lot of shots on
target, the Mangotsfield keeper saved them all. This led the girls to their first ever
penalty shoot-out, the best of 3. Mangotsfield went first but our keeper Annabelle
Thomas made a great save. Keira Beck from Abbeywood then had her penalty saved.
Mangotsfield’s second strike was also saved by Annabelle. Next, Zoe Jones fired a low
shot past the keeper and into the net. In the third round the Mangotsfield keeper took
the next penalty and scored. Lastly, Captain Daisy Ackerman quickly took her shot and
scored but she hadn't waited for the whistle and had to retake her penalty. However,
Daisy held her nerve and fired another past the keeper to secure a place in the final.
In the final they played Redland Green who they had already beaten in the group
stages. Our girls remained motivated after the penalty shoot-out, dominating play and
beating the girls 2-0 to win the competition.
Final result: Bradley Stoke 3rd, Redland Green 2nd and Abbeywood 1st.
Well done to all girls who took part, they didn't lose a match all day.
A great team effort and a fantastic win against some good teams.
Avon Cross Country Championships
On Saturday 21 January, three Abbeywood Community
School students braved the freezing cold to run in the
Avon Cross Country Championships. Logan Brand
(pictured front) came in 10th place which means he is
first reserve for the South West Championships, an
amazing achievement. Oli Jenkins (pictured behind)
came in 18th place and Adam Nolan came in 26th place.
Abbeywood School is incredibly proud to have three
students competing in this event and will do all it can to
support the boys in developing their running ability.
Watch this space!
The PE dept is now on Instagram! If you would like to keep updated with fixture results and pictures please follow acs.pe.
7

This term the Year 12 Photography group have been focused on the distortion of
images. They have been exploring a range of techniques based on their theme
ENRICHMENT UPDATE
Next term two music enrichments will be back! Vocal Group will take place on Mondays
at 2:35 and The Folk Group will also return on Tuesday at 2:35. If you love performing
any style of music come along!
8

Spotlight on Post 16:
Key Dates & Reminders..
23rd January—2nd February—AP2 Data Collection
22nd February—Core Programme Morning (Y12 & 13) —You will have meetings with your tutor—Mock Exam
Reflection
1st March—Post 16 Parents Evening (Y12 & 13) - please ensure that you are booking appointments with your teacher (not via the usual
system)
8th March—Ambitions+ Event (Y12) – SGS Wise Campus
5th April— UCAS Convention (Y12) – Cardiff Met. Univeristy
10th-21st July 2017—Y12 Work Experience—please get these organised as soon as possible
*Letters will be emailed out this week for these two events—please return consent forms and voluntary contributions to school ASAP!
Mock Interview Day—Y12 and Y13 Core Day
Monday 23rd January saw 75 of our Post 16 students take part in a mock
interview supported by 24 employers from a number of local businesses and
other places of work. These included Aramark, Carillion, the MOD, Virgin UK and
many more. The interview involved a 20 minute grilling, followed by feedback and
CV feedback. Students were interviewed in a variety of fields of their choice—
these included shop assistant, Apprenticeships, Humanities
degrees, medicine
and Armed Forces. They gained a great deal of experience and there were a
number of notable mentions from Carillion and the other
business mentors—
these included Sky, Rosanna, Aimee, Tarja, Finley, Jack N, Alice, Max C,
Lina,Tasnim, Thaminah, Olivia, Lorne and Housin—well done to all those that
took part!
It was evident, and commented on by a number of employers, that there was substantial student absence on Monday, can I
please take this opportunity to remind all parents and students that our core programme days are a compulsory part of our Post
16 curriculum. A huge amount of time and effort from employers and staff went into the mock interview day.
Alps—Making OUTSTANDING progress—RED HOT!!
You need an average Alps grade of 4 or better to be making good progress. The challenge for you now is to get out
of the BLUE and move towards the RED. If you are already RED the challenge is to stay there. Continuous
improvement is the underlying theme.
In order to be able to complete Independent Study at home you MUST ensure that you are making good progress.
You need to provide evidence of this too—it must show consistently GOOD progress. If you are BLUE what are you
doing about becoming BLACK or RED. If you are Alps BLACK, let’s say 5 or 6, are you happy with being
AVERAGE? We are talking the bottom 50%! Speak to your teachers...
It’s all about you being the best you can be and DREAMING BIG—you can be whatever you choose!
9

Spotlight on Post 16:
Sutton Trust Summer Schools
The Sutton Trust is working in partnership with 11 leading universities to offer over 40 different subjects at
this year’s Summer Schools. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to attend academic lectures, live
in halls of residence, make friends from across the UK and receive high-quality advice on how to navigate
the UCAS application system. All costs including travel, accommodation, food and activities are covered by
the Trust and their partners which means it is completely free of charge to attend.
Universities offering subject-specific Sutton Trust summer school include: University of Bristol, University of Cambridge,
Durham University, University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, King’s College London, University of Nottingham, Royal
Veterinary College, University of St Andrews, UCL, University of Warwick.
Details of the universities participating, subject strands, programme dates and an application form are available at
http://summerschools.suttontrust.com
Applications will close at 5pm on Thursday, 2nd March
Airbus Apprenticeships
Airbus Apprenticeships In the UK, apprenticeships are available at Airbus, Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space.
All their programmes last 3 years or 5 years and combine college or university studies with practical training. These
programmes provide a clear route for progression and applicants can choose between different entry options according to their
level of educational achievement and abilities.
The closing date for Craft Apprenticeships is 17th February 2017, 10th March 2017 for Airbus Defence and Space
apprenticeships and 31st March 2017 for all the other Airbus apprenticeship programmes.
Further details are available at: http://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/people-careers/apprentices
Apprenticeships & School Leaver Programme Event
Apprenticeship & School Leaver Programme Event Tuesday 14th March,
4.30-6.30 pm at Brimsham Green School, Yate. If you are considering
an apprenticeship after you finish your A-levels, this event may be of
interest to you. It is open to students who attend any secondary school in
South Gloucestershire. Employers and Training Providers will be there to talk about opportunities from a wide range of sectors
including Engineering, Finance, Armed Forces, Legal, Construction, Travel/Tourism, Catering, Hair & Beauty and Accountancy.
Post 18 Options
Use the Career Pilot website to support when planning for your future.
There is lots of information on the website about all sorts of careers
and university options. It also has information about Gap years, where
to study, work and live, and many, many more helpful guides.
#DREAMBIG #BEAMAZING
10

Spotlight on Post 16:
Understanding Alps—Update
WHAT IS YOUR ASPIRATIONAL TARGET? WHAT IS YOUR SUBJECT TARGET?
WHAT DOES YOUR ALPS GRADE MEAN?
Your Alps target grades are calculated based on your GCSE outcomes. You are given an
average points score as a result, e.g. 6.53 (mainly As & Bs)
You receive an Alps Subject Grade alert each Assessment Point. This grade is generated
by taking your subject target grade against your predicted grade; and gives you a number
between 1 and 9.
1-3 = RED
4-6 = BLACK
7-9 = BLUE
e.g Subject target grade (taken from GCSE outcomes) C2 against your teachers
predicted grade D2 will generate an Alps grade. This will vary based on the
individual and isn’t comparable to others in your class. For this you may For this you may get, for example, an Alps Grade 7 or
8 (it is below target!!).
Where do you want
to be on the Alps
thermometer?
How can you improve your Alps Grade?
Liaise with your teacher,
What work can you do outside of lessons (at home
and during independent study) to work towards
RED?
How do you get out of Alps BLUE?
What do you need to do to improve in your
subjects?
What work have you missed that you need to catch
up on?
What gaps are there in your subject knowledge?
What exam questions/practice can you do to support your improvements?
Have you set clear SMART targets with your tutor or teachers?
What will you spend your independent study doing?
Have you met with your tutor/teachers to discuss support or strategies?
11

Community News and Events
Tickets prices
Adult £2
Children £1
These leaflets can also be viewed by clicking here
12