Contents

Mr Howe, Headteacher, writes:
A very warm welcome to our latest
newsletter. As always it has been another
fortnight packed with many personal and
team achievements and successes. Inside this
edition we celebrate our many ‘sports stars’
as part of our school community. Throughout
this week I have had the pleasure of leading assemblies with all our
students centred around the theme of ‘achieving more than you ever
thought possible’. These assemblies have focused on three key
messages:
Contents
Date: 24 March 2017
Dates for your diaries………………………2
Attend to Achieve…………………………. 2
RAISE the bar…………………………………..2
Headteacher Awards……………………….3
FACs………………………………………………...4
After School Detentions…………………..4
Appointments………………………………...4
Uniform…………………………………………..4
Stop CSE………………………………………….5
Sports Relief 2017…………………………..6
Abbeywood’s Book Fair…………………..6
Sporting Stars……………………………7 - 10
ACS PE Faculty……………………………….11
Accelerated Reader………………………..11
Creative Arts……………………………12 - 13
Easter Egg Raffle…………………………….14
Spotlight on Post 16………………..15 - 16
Community News…………………………..17
1. ‘There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.
One is called Yesterday and the other is called Tomorrow.’ Dalai
Lama. In other words—we can learn from the past but our future
destiny is dictated by our choices in the present.
2. Success comes through hard work that is directed by focused practice and underpinned by
remaining resilient throughout the many challenges we will inevitably face as we work towards our
goals.
3. Learning takes place in that magical place between comfort and panic—the ‘stretch’ zone.
These three key messages chime with the importance we attach to developing our RAISE skills—
Resilience, Aspiration, Independence, Support and Engagement and we continue each and every day to
do our utmost to help all our students develop these essential life skills.
Abbeywood School@AbbeywoodSchool
1

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
Term 4: Monday 20 February - Friday 7 April 2017
Term 5: Monday 24 April - Friday 26 May 2017
SLT Drop-in:
Monday 27 March:
Tuesday 28 March:
Wednesday 29 March:
Thursday 30 March:
Friday 31 March:
Every Friday 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. - No Appointment Necessary
Year 11 PE VCERT Exam (am)
Year 11 GCSE Photography Exam (all day)
Year 7 House Tournament
Year 8 House Tournament
Year 11 GCSE Photography Exam (all day)
Year 9 Girls Basketball League vs Brimsham Green (home)
Year 11 GCSE Art Exam (all day)
Year 11 GCSE Art Exam (all day)
Reward Incentive
The lucky winners of the fortnightly 100% attendance
draw for the fortnight 27 February—10 March 2017
were:
Year 7 - Jake Heathcote
Year 8 - Bradley Laird
Year 9 - Amy Wilkinson
Year 10 - Emma Curry
Year 11 - Lewis Ware
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 20 - Friday 31 March is to:
“Use ICT efficiently so that it supports
your learning”
Congratulations to all of them!
They have each been awarded a
£5 Amazon voucher.
2

Headteacher Awards
Answering 45 questions on a difficult substitution task in Maths
Myles Clark, Josh Mills, Paolo Pali & Alannah-Mae Parker
Being a brilliant help with organising the Dance Festival
Diana Fernandes Lopes, Bianca Gornea & Denisa Racaceanu
Being an excellent participant at the Concorde Book Awards
Marianna Baker, Jennifer Crossley, Jake Heathcote, Josh Hendy, Liv Lewis,
Dylan Parrish, Gwen Willcox & Harvey Wong
Fantastic Maths homelearning
Rosie Henson
Hard work and good progress in English Literature
Aaron Challenger
Being supportive to another student
Lauren Greville
Great attitude towards learning in Maths
Cam Brown
Helping to decorate the Tutor door for World Book Day
Callum Barlow, Emilia Stone & Rachel Taylor
Outstanding performance in Drama
Georgia Dell, Alisha Greaves, Amelia Kovacs, Eloise Smith-Ferrier & Robyn Wright
Representing ACS at the UKMT Maths Challenge and being awarded 5th place -
great achievement!
Jovan Dhillon, William Lambern, Dylan Parrish & Aditya Putravu
Writing an excellent article for the school newsletter about RAISE day
Evie Clark
Your successful transition from PLH to year team
Zoe Clarke & Lauren Greville
3

The Friends of Abbeywood (FACS) will be
holding their AGM on Wednesday 5 April at
7:00 p.m. in school.
Your valued support would be most welcome.
After School Detentions
A reminder for students
Have you checked? ...
Students that have been given an After School
Detention will no longer receive a reminder. They
will be responsible for checking the detention lists
which are displayed at the end of the day at all
student exits.
Parents will be notified by text or email for same
day detentions.
...Remember to check that your name is not there!
We would like to remind parents to please not
arrive at school to see a member of staff without
a prior appointment. If you have any concerns
please contact your child’s tutor in the first
instance, otherwise the appropriate Head of Year
(Year 7 Mr Doyle, Year 8 Ms Clarke, Year 9
Ms Furleger, Yr 10 Miss Gilmore, Year 11
Miss Woodward).
If you are dealing with a specific member of staff
regarding an ongoing matter then please
telephone beforehand to make an appointment
with them. Staff are fully committed during the
school day and will not be able to see parents
unannounced.
We do offer a drop-in
with SLT in G05 every
Friday 3-3.45pm no
appointment needed.
We will be holding a cake sale at break and
lunchtime on Friday 7 April to raise
money for Young Carers.
Donations of cakes will be greatly
appreciated!
Please note that both the Rugby shirts for boys
and Hoodies for girls are essential items of the
PE kit at ACS. Please see our website for full
uniform requirements and an order form.
http://www.abbeywoodschool.com/Parents/Uniform/
EARN SOME EXTRA MONEY WITHOUT
LEAVING HOME
City of Bristol College is one of the region’s leading education providers with many students from across the UK studying
with us.
We are looking for accommodation/host families to house students, particularly around the Parkway area (BS34).
We offer hosts excellent rate of pay and full support. All we require is a room for approximately 2 week blocks, breakfast
and an evening meal. It’s very flexible and term time only.
For further information please call 0117 312 2081 or email: maria.gonzalez@cityofbristol.ac.uk
4

National Charity NWG Network asks all to unite against child sexual exploitation for their National Child
Sexual Exploitation Awareness Raising Day – 18th March 2017.
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of sexual abuse that involves the manipulation and/or coercion of
young people under the age of 18 into sexual activity.
The National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Raising Day aims to highlight the issues surrounding child
sexual exploitation; encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero
tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children. Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a
form of sexual abuse that involves the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18
into sexual activity.
Show your support by writing a personal pledge and posting to your social media with the hashtag
#HelpingHands to help them raise awareness of CSE.
Visit www.stop-cse.org to find out more about the National Awareness Raising Day and putting a stop to
CSE.
What can you do? Say Something if you See Something! Adopt a zero tolerance against sexual abuse
through exploitation. If you are concerned about a child or young person, please contact school and ask for
one of the safeguarding team, please see below for details of who’s who:
Karen Harding – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Nicky Lopeman – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (Assistant Year Lead Yr 8 & 9)
Lisa Bamford – Assistant Year Lead (Yr 10 & 11)
Nkoyo Antigha – Assistant Year Lead (Yr 7)
Niki Blake – Family Liason Worker
Albert Gardiner – Personalised Learning Hub Assistant
Sarah Phillips – Personalised Learning Hub Assistant
Graham Manson – E-Safety Lead
What do ACS do regarding CSE? All of our staff have Safeguarding training annually, awareness of Child
Sexual Exploitation is included in this. Our pastoral and safeguarding staff are all trained in
identifying and supporting students at risk of CSE. We work with the Local Authority Children’s Services and
Barnardo’s Against Sexual Exploitation (BASE). If you’d like to find out more, please visit the Local
Safeguarding Board website, using the parents section – http://sites.southglos.gov.uk/safeguarding/children
A really useful hard-hitting short film to watch is Kayleigh’s love story made by Leicestershire Police. It’s a
true story of social media grooming over a very short time. A must watch for parents, however please bear
in mind that it would be a 15 certificate if shown in the cinema! You can find this at https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kahRV5DGEVo.
5

Sports Relief 2017
The staff and students of Abbeywood
signed up to a challenging rowing and
cycling event for Sports Relief 2017.
This was held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
on Friday 10 March 2017.
The staff and students raised almost
£300 from sponsorships!
Every participant had 15 minutes to cycle or row as far as they could.
The star of the cycling was Mr Dilley with a super 12.7 km in 15
minutes and the rowing star was Jasmine Ajaz (Yr9) with an
excellent 2.9 km. The overall distance of the cycling was 216.3
km which is the distance from the school to Liverpool and the
rowing distance was 59.9km.
There was also a special
guest appearance from Mr
Burns from the television
show “The Simpsons”!
Thank you to everyone who took part in the event.
Written by Jacob Wilson, 7O
Abbeywood’s Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who supported Abbeywood’s first book fair.
The fair created excitement among students, staff and parents
many of whom went home with brand new books. Lucia Rios
Villodres, Anna Williamson, Jake Takle and Anabelle Thomas were
each awarded £5 to spend at the book fair after completing some
excellent IHL and independent reading.
The success of the fair has earnt Abbeywood library £84 to spend
on brand new titles. Come and check them out in the LRC.
6

We are always proud to publish the achievements of the students at Abbeywood Community School.
Many of our students belong to various sporting establishments outside school which we are
showcasing here. We would love to hear of your child’s achievements to display in future newsletters
(these do not have to be sports related).
Student Name:
Kinsly Murray (Year 9)
Sport:
Football
Name of Club(s):
Bristol Rovers Academy
Level:
National
Awards/Honours:
Academy Level
Student Name:
Esme McCarthy (Year 9)
Sport:
Tae Kwon Do
Name of Club(s):
Stoke Gifford TKD
Level:
Esme competes at a national and international level.
Awards/Honours:
European Champion 2015 - Patterns under 14's
World Champion 2016 - Patterns under 14's
Bronze medallist (world champs) - Sparring
Achievements:
Black Belt 1st degree and currently training towards
her 2nd degree status.
Student Name:
Morgan Baber (Year 9)
Sport:
Acrobatic Gymnastics
Name of Club(s):
King Edmund Acro Gymnastics Club
Level:
Regional/National & International
Awards/Honours:
Gold in every competition they have competed in so far up and down the
country and look forward to competing in Spain in May!
7

Student Name:
Mike Thatcher (Year 10)
Sport:
Rugby (position Flanker)
Name of Club(s):
Dings Crusaders
Bristol Academy (Regional)
Awards/Honours:
Dings
Nandos Cup Playing at Ashton Gate
Winners of the West Country 7’s at Bath
Finalist of the Gloucester & Bristol Combination Cups
Winners Of the Leicester Tigers Cup
Achievements:
Playing For Bristol Rugby Academy against other Counties
Student Name:
Liam Holden (Year 7)
Sport:
Kickboxing
Name of Club(s):
Team Bristol
Level:
National & international
Achievements:
British Champion
National Champion Grand Champion 2014, 2015 & 2016
Croatian open silver medallist
Selected for junior Great Britain squad
European bronze medallist
Student Name:
Daisy Ackerman (Year 9)
Sport:
Football and Athletics
Name of Club(s):
Bristol City Women’s FC and Bristol & West Athletics Club
Level:
Football – England National Performance Camp
Athletics – National Youth Development League
8

Student Name:
Annabelle Thomas (Year 9)
Sport:
Football (position Goalkeeper)
Name of Club(s):
Bristol City WFC, RTC
Level:
Bristol City Girls U14s is a Regional Talent Club,
Annabelle has also attended England FA
National Camps
Awards/Honours/Achievements:
Trialled successfully for Gloucestershire Player Development Centre 2013/14.
Offered a place at Bristol Academy WFC Skills Centre 2013/14.
Trialled successfully for Bristol Academy WFC Centre of Excellence (now Bristol City WFC RTC)
2014/15 and 2015/16.
Awarded a ‘No Trial Pass’ to continue playing for Bristol City WFC Regional Talent Club, Season
2016/17.
5 England FA National Camps at Loughborough University 2016/17.
2 FA Regional Excellence Camps at Bisham Abbey 2016/17.
Student Name:
Joseph Budd
Sport:
Football
Name of Club(s):
Bristol Rovers
Level:
Academy (elite player development) National
Awards/Honours:
Since signing a pre contract agreement at 8 years of age Joe
was given a full FA youth contract at the age of 9. Since then
Joe has captained the Bristol Rovers academy team at every
age group and played against the likes of Man City,
Southampton, Chelsea and Wales National squad.
Although awards are not available at academy level he has
played for Rovers in a tournament in Holland where they came runners up missing out on
penalties. Joe has progressed through the system and his efforts and abilities have been
rewarded by representing the older age group in the premier league cup tournament against
Reading, Bristol City and Swansea.
Joe has also represented the school in the Basketball, Handball, Rugby and Football teams.
9

Student Name:
Molly James (Year 9)
Sport:
Basketball
Name of Club(s):
Bristol Academy Flyers Women (National League Div I),
Team Gloster Jets/Cotswold Basketball Club
U18 Women’s National League
Gloucester Saxons U14’s.
Level:
National: England U15 Team
Regional: South West U13 and U15 Teams
Awards/Honours/Achievements:
Molly Has been playing Basketball for just over 2 Years after retiring from Gymnastics. Molly was
selected for the South West U13 Regional Team just a few weeks after taking up the Sport and
played a major part in the Team’s Success at the Inter Regional Tournament finishing 6th in 2015.
Molly was then selected to become part of the South West Regional Performance Centre which
brings the Best of the Regions Players together monthly to learn from the Regions Top coaches as
part of the National Performance Development Pathway.
Action Shot playing for Bristol
Academy Flyers Women’s Team.
(Credit to Billy East Photography)
In 2016 Molly was selected in the South West U15 Team despite being a year younger than her team
mates. She also captained this Team. The Team travelled to the Czech Republic and Poland to play
European opposition before going to the National Regional Development Tournament in Manchester
in September 2016. Molly Led the South West Team to a 4th place finish, its highest ever finish in the
tournament losing to the eventual winners the East in the Semi Final.
As a result of Molly’s performance in the RDT she was selected to become part of the England U15
squad for a 4 Day Christmas Camp in Manchester. After surviving the cut Molly has been selected to
join the U15 team in April to Train and play a Series of Games Vs Scotland and her first International
caps.
Molly also signed to play for Bristol Academy Flyers Women’s Team in February after a successful
training period with the Club. At 14 Molly is the youngest Senior National League Player in the
League, scoring on her debut in the home win over Essex Blades at the WISE Arena. The Bristol
Academy Flyers women boast players from across Europe and the United States and play in one of
the top senior divisions in the UK.
Student Name:
Jessica Baber (Year 7)
Sport:
Jockey & Horse Handler at Shepperdine Riding Stables
Achievements:
Won numerous rosettes in shows all over the region including 'Best Child
Handler' and has recently become the first young person at the school to achieve
all her 'Stable Management Qualifications' at 11 years old and is now studying
the Adult 'Stable Management' qualifications which wouldn't normally be taken
until 16 years of age!! This means that in the near future she will be qualified to
teach riding! She currently assists the owner with the maintenance and handling of the ponies every
weekend and also in half terms!
10

Abbeywood PE Faculty
On the evening of Monday 6 March, 25 girls from Abbeywood
Community School and Bradley Stoke Community School travelled to
Bath University to watch Loughborough Lightening and Team Bath
play a Super League Netball Match. This trip was an opportunity for
our girls to see a top flight match including international England
players.
The two teams were 3 rd and 4 th respectively in the league so the game
was anything but boring. Throughout the match the teams alternated
taking the lead but in the end the home team crumbled and
Loughborough lightening were victorious. Despite the result our girls
enjoyed the game and said they couldn’t believe how quick it was!
Hopefully it will give them something to aspire to next season!
Weds 29 March - Year 9 Girls Basketball v Brimsham Green - Home
Weds 5 April - Year 9 Girls Basketball v Mangotsfield - Away
The PE dept is now on Instagram! If you would like to keep updated with fixture results and pictures please follow acs.pe.
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
Bethan Morris
Hazim Muhammad Yassin
Kyle Emery
Jaden Takle
Ellouise Lucas-Cockram
Jack Powell
Codie Smith
7R
7O
7O
7Y
7I
7G
7G
7B
Jake Brinsley
Sannah Bouzeghoub
Shakira Smith
Robert Styles
Maisy McQuaid
8O
8Y
8B
8I
8I
……....who were the top readers in their tutor group this fortnight!
Keep up the good work, well done - Ms Storey
11

12

If you love singing, it doesn’t matter how good at it you are or what
type of music you like! Come along to Mr Jones Vocal group
enrichment on Monday after school! Any ability, all types of music!
13

Easter Egg Raffle
Raising money for
Many prizes to be won
Raffle drawn Thursday 6 April
Tickets are 50p and can be bought in the library
14

Spotlight on Post 16:
Key Dates & Reminders..
5th April— UCAS Convention (Y12) – Cardiff Met. University
*please return consent forms and voluntary contributions to school
ASAP!
7th April—End of Term 4
8th-23rd April—Easter Holidays—please
check the Post 16 Revision Programme.
Y13s—You said; we did...
From the survey you said you would like more enriching
activities. What do you want to know before you leave? What
skills do you feel you are lacking? Personal finance, cooking,
car maintenance? Let us know what extra Enrichment you
want before you leave…….
Reminders ...
Leading Learners—supporting
classes. Please speak to your
teachers and get into at least ONE lesson a week.
Lunchtime Activities—the timetable is now in the
Common Room—please support the activities in S01 &
S04, the Atrium, Sports Hall and Pro5.
If you would like to talk about Post 18 options, careers,
university or anything at all—just ask!
BBC Bitesize Mindset
Use the BBC Bitesize Mindset webpages to support you
with the following:
Revision strategies—Beating stress with a plan; Tips
for using past papers; a guide to surviving revision
Exams—how to believe in yourself
How to keep calm
MY MIND AND ME—BBC RADIO 1
In addition to the Mindset webpages, which offer support for exam and
stress, have a look at the My Mind and Me webpages. This gives
advice about mental health and encourages young people to talk about
‘what is going on inside your head’.
15

Spotlight on Post 16:
Why does KPMG recruit school and college leavers?
If you’re looking to build a successful career in business, our school leaver
programmes could be the perfect catalyst. You could earn while you learn,
both on-the-job and whilst studying for a professional qualification.
Our KPMG360° apprenticeship programme gives you the opportunity to work across a broad range of business areas, offering
you depth and breadth of practical experience in work, coupled with study towards a professional qualification.
“I don’t feel like I have missed out on university at all. I am gaining experience while studying for qualifications that I can use
anywhere.” – Read Melissa’s KPMG360° experiences.
You’ll benefit from leading training and development programmes and work alongside some of the brightest minds in business.
We’ll also very soon be opening our Discovery programme to students in their penultimate year of college study. Discovery
offers a 2-5 day experience in one of our offices later this summer, and could pave the way to a job offer within one of our
programmes. Sound good? Find out more and apply via our school leaver website. Places are limited so apply soon!
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
Royal United Hospital—Careers in Health Care
28 th June - 30 th June 2017
At the Royal United Hospital, in Bath
£80 including lunch and refreshments
Apply now — see Mr Bendry for an application form, or for more information:
danielefawkner-corbett@nhs.net Tel: 01225 821486
Y12 Work Experience
10th - 21st July 2017
Have you organised your work experience for July? It is
an ideal opportunity to gain valuable experience required for
University courses, jobs or Apprenticeships. Speak with the
Post 16 team or Mr Muranda!
16

Community News and Events
These leaflets can also be viewed by clicking here
17