Dear Families,
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in the best of health. We’ve had a typically busy few days at the Academy again this week. It was nice to connect with so many families at the Year 9 Parents and Pathways Evening on Wednesday, and on Tuesday the Academy hosted colleagues from across Spencer Academies Trust who toured our inclusion and SEN facilities. We have almost completed the Year 11 and Year 13 mock exams and thoughts are now turning towards the Summer Exam series which will start on 1st May. Further details will be shared with students and families in due course.
Year 11 Update
Year 11 Parents’ Evening:
A reminder that the Year 11 Parents Evening will be held on March 26th Appointment bookings opened on March 12th and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so please let us know if you need assistance with booking. We will be sharing our intervention plans for Easter and the May half-term during the evening, so we highly encourage your attendance. Our Sixth Form team as well as Careers’ advice service Luminate, will also be available to answer any questions following the release of the Sixth Form conditional offers. We look forward to seeing you there.
Geography – Year 9 Twycross Zoo trip
All Geography students have now received their letters about the Twycross Zoo trip taking place on Tuesday 1st April. Please ensure your child returns their reply slip to their Geography class teacher by Friday 28th March. We realise this is close to Eid. Families should therefore await confirmation of the date students will be authorised to be absent before returning the form.
Teen Tech City of Tomorrow Festival at De Montfort University.
A group of 30 Year 8 students attended the Annual Teen Tech Festival this week. The task was to design a building or City which would improve lives and living conditions for the future by providing protection from natural disasters and consequently being more sustainable. Each attendee received a certificate for winning categories such as accessible building and most innovative. Our students were able to speak confidently with the judges when discussing their creations and immersed themselves fully in the tasks and challenges. Teen Tech and the Expert Mentors complemented the commitment and engagement of our students who represented the Academy to the highest standard. All the groups have been invited to submit their projects to the Teen Tech Awards Competition at the end of March in an effort to be invited to the National Final in June.
Sports Update
Y7 Football: The Year 7 football team played away at Alvaston Moor on Thursday. They showed great determination, and teamwork throughout the game, and enjoyed a satisfying result. An 8-1 win, with HH scoring 5 goals, BL scoring 2, and BW scoring 1. Next week’s game is at home on Wednesday 19th March against Woodlands, where they are hoping for another great result.
PE Kit Reminder: A reminder to all families that, even when students are excused from PE for medical or injury reasons, they should still bring kit to lessons as they may be asked to take part in other ways..
Science Update
British Science Week : This week, British Science Week, students explored the theme of “Change and Adapt,” focusing on how living organisms and environments evolve over time. Lessons covered adaptations in animals and plants, demonstrating how species survive in different conditions. Students also conducted experiments on growing bacteria, learning about microbial life and the factors that influence bacterial growth. Additionally, they investigated how diseases are transmitted, gaining insight into the spread of infections and the importance of hygiene in preventing illness. Through hands-on activities and discussions, students developed a deeper understanding of biological changes and their impact on the world around us.
Science fair at Ashwood Spencer Some of our students attended the science fair at Ashwood Spencer this week. Miss Bate and Mrs Falcon went to the school armed with microscopes and Bio viewers. The chosen theme was flowers- students and adults were able to see the stomata from a tradescantia leaf. This was chosen because of the bright colours of purple and green that can be seen. The daffodils were dissected and the parts placed on a slide for analysis. The slides showed the ovum, the anthers and pollen grains, whilst the Bio viewers were able to show different parts of a flower on a photographic film. The primary school students were left with a model of a flower to complete and agreed that they had enjoyed an interesting and insightful day.
Careers Update
This week’s job of the week is a Jewellery Designer.
International Women’s Day: On Tuesday our Year 7 girls had a special assembly to mark International Women’s Day. Three women from Balfour Beatty shared their career journeys into working in the construction industry. They emphasised the great opportunity open to girls in a wide range of careers from Quantity Surveying & Engineering to Project Management. They also ran a workshop for a number of students in Year 7 to follow on from the assembly. You can find out more about Careers at Balfour Beatty on their website.
Derby Moor Dispatch: The Dispatch is emailed to the students’ school email address, so it is important that they check this regularly. You can also view the Dispatch via the Careers page of the Derby Moor website. Please take a look at the website as there is a wealth of useful information including a specific page for parents.
Luminate Careers: Our independent and impartial Careers Advisers from Luminate Careers have an excellent website with a wealth of useful information Please have a look at these links designed for parents/carers about careers conversation starters and Post 16 Options.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal