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CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER
December 2011
Message from Mr Venkatesh - Headteacher
At the end of another busy term, I would like to take this
opportunity to thank parents and other friends of the school for
supporting the work of the school over the last few months. A
great deal of hard work has been done by pupils, students and
staff, but parents in particular play a vital role in ensuring that
the school continues to be successful.
I know that many of you recently attended the school
production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. This was an event which
involved a very large number of children and adults, all working
together towards a common goal. I am sure that a great deal
has been gained by all concerned. At a time of some difficulty in
the wider world, the production was a great example of what we
can achieve together.
Best wishes for a happy Christmas
and an enjoyable New Year.
Pupils break up on
Wednesday 21st December at the
earlier time of 1.40pm,
and return to school in the New Year on
Thursday 5th January 2012
School Council News
The School Council elected a new committee at their recent meeting. The new Chair of the
School Council is Rebecca Saw (Y11) and Deputy Chair is Daniel Lalli (Y10). Jaspreet Rai (Y11)
was elected to continue as Secretary for this year.
The newly elected Year Reps are pictured below and on the page opposite.
The recent School Council meeting included a discussion about the implications of Academy
Status with Mr Venkatesh, as well as analysis of a recent survey completed on pupils' views of
the new Dining Hall arrangements.
Pupils can contact the School Council via their Form reps or by using the email
address: [email protected].
Mr J Wilding - Deputy Headteacher
Year 7 Representatives (below)
Kiara Abayasekara 7RKG, Rajbir Kanda 7DJB
Joshua Mannall 7TIN, Maya Zowada-Noise
YEAR 7
Year 8 Representatives (on the right)
Eleanor Butterworth 8DAB, George Lee 8FAW
Anisa Iqbal 8JLF Anand Talwar 8VJC,
YEAR 8
YEAR 9
Year 9 Representatives
Harveer Sanghera 9TJB,
Beth Aulsebrook 9MSP
Ben Appleby 9SJW,
Yomna Amer 9KLJ
(Missing from photograph)
YEAR 10
Year 10 Representatives
Daniel Lalli 10CMC
Jenny Cebers 10LSP
Emma Mulvany 10NBO
Joe Daley 10NBO
YEAR 11
Year 11 Representatives
Imogen Sutherland 11SJD
Sam Taylor 11SJD
James Smith 11MJB
Jaspreet Rai 11BKV
Rebecca Saw 11CLF
Appointments During the School Day
Following recent enquiries, I would just like to clarify the position with regard to the above.
Please avoid appointments during the school day. However, if this is not possible, send a letter in
to your child’s form tutor or put the details in the school diary prior to the appointment. This must
be shown to the form tutor and then to the Pupil Support Office where the pupil needs to sign out
on the day of the appointment.
All pupils must then be collected from the main Reception area. We do not allow pupils to walk
home, meet elsewhere, or make their own way to the appointment. This is ultimately for the
safety and well-being of your child.
If the pupil returns to school the same day, please ensure that they sign back in at Pupil Support
to confirm they are back on the school premises.
Jon Wilding
Deputy Headteacher
School Newsletter Goes Electronic!
Thank you to all parents who have replied to our recent letter requesting your email address.
This will now enable us to send you an electronic copy of the Littleover Community School
Christmas newsletter for the first time in mid December. Communication by email will I hope,
allow you to view future correspondence easily at your leisure, in full colour and will also help us
to reduce costs and become more environmentally friendly.
If you do not have access to email facilities at home, paper copies of the newsletter will be
available for collection at Reception. In addition, the school newsletter will continue to be
available on the school web site.
I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter.
Chris Simmons
Assistant Headteacher
Beauty and the Beast
Last week over 750 people packed the Main Hall over three nights to enjoy the School’s
Production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. A huge effort involving over 100 pupils and about
40 members of staff culminated in a visually stunning and musically superb piece of theatre that
would not have been out of place on a West End stage.
The lavish and innovative costumes, and the professional lighting and sound, gave the whole
show a wonderful magical quality that was a fantastic spectacle in the run up to Christmas. With
the help of the Music department, the band once again performed the musical score with a huge
amount of talent and skill and provided an excellent foundation for the performers on the stage.
The central characters were wonderfully
supported by the Chorus (directed and
choreographed by Mrs Bush and Mrs
Oversby). Made up of pupils from all year
groups, they sang and danced with lots of
energy and enthusiasm.
The main cast all performed their roles
superbly and captivated the audience with a
tale of love, loss and the need to look beyond
the surface. They sang, danced, made us
laugh and made us cry with some fantastic
moments that will be remembered for a long
time.
Behind the scenes, many hours of work went
into making the show the huge success it
was. The Art department and the Technology
department provided the expertise and vision
to bring the story to life and created a set to
rival any professional production.
Many pupils helped Mr Ashman produce the
wonderful props during their Art Club, whilst
others took on roles as Stage Crew and
Lighting Technicians, helping to ensure the
show ran smoothly night after night.
All in all this truly was a whole school
production and a magnificent example of what
can be achieved by the Staff and Pupils of
Littleover Community School.
Finally, my personal thanks have to go to everyone that was involved in helping make Beauty
and the Beast the fantastic success it was. Without the support of the staff and pupils of the
school, and especially the parents of those involved, the show would not have been possible.
Can I also extend my heartfelt thanks to the Littleover Community School PSA. Their consistent
support of the Creative Arts Faculty is greatly appreciated by all the staff and pupils and by all
those that attend our events. Thank you.
Mr M Chawner - Head of Drama
The Cast
Belle
Beast
Cogswarth and Lumiere
Maurice
Gaston
Lefou
Mrs Potts
Chip
Cogsworth
Lumiere
Babette
M. D’Arque
Madame d’la Grand Bouche
Silly Girls
Rose Huyton
Jacob Yeomans
Nick Kelly
Tom Shah
Devon Brawn
Aine O’Neill Mason
Max Yates
Tim Goodfellow
Josh Birchall
Lydia Wiggins
Ed Gowland
Rachel Benson
Katie Spence
Imogen Sutherland
Katy Phelps
Flute
The Band
Dr Flux
Ellie Homes
Amy Reynolds
Henry Melville-Sankey
Amy Whitten
Jack Herbert
Clarinet
Charlie Lacey
Keeley Goodwin
Trumpet
Toby Overton
Alex Seddon
French Horn
Tuba
Violin
Nathan Mannall
Joseph Reed
Mrs V Keane
Samuel Foxon
Sarah Higgins
Bass Guitar
Piano
Percussion
Tom Herbert
Mrs K Jack
James key
The Chorus
Joe Butterworth, Rachel Gowland, Lauren Crumpton, Ella Holness, Helen
Suckling, Ella Shepherd, Eithne O’Donovan, Rachel Ownsworth, Kayleigh
Widdowson,
Darcey Adlington, Beth Aulsebrook, Sophie Jones, Maddie
Jack, James Squires, Dan
Pocock, Naomi Green,
Alexandra Hodgson, Charlotte
Newall, Georgie
Collinson,
Simran Johal, Ellie Henderson,
Tammy Waldram, Phoebe
Patrick, Josie Maguire,
Shannah Murambwa, Eleanor
Butterworth, Holly Burnett,
Chiara Fappiano, Ifrah Nawaz, Alexandra Jarvis, Rhianne Rees Sims.
Beauty
and the
Beast
Free School Meals
Who qualifies for free school meals?
Your child qualifies for free school meals if you are getting the following support payments:
Income Support or
Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance or
Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance or
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or
Child Tax Credit, unless you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit, and you have an annual
income as assessed by HMRC that does not exceed £16,190 or
Guarantee credit element of State Pension Credit.
Children over 16 and still at school are entitled to free school meals if they get Income Support or
Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance in their own right.
If you think you may be eligible for free school meals, please visit the Derby City Council website to
download an application form.
http://www.derby.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/free-school-meals/
New Adult Education Course
We have a new course starting on 9th January 2012
Introduction to E-Bay
The course runs for five weeks
Mondays 6.30pm - 8.30pm
£45 (full fee), £22. 50 (concessions), or £40.50 with a gold card
Enrol on the first session - 9th January 2012 at 6.00pm
For further details telephone: 01332 510746
or access the helpline on: 01332 717900
Anna Febbrari - Adult Education
SENIOR MATHS CHALLENGE 2011
The following students from The Millennium Centre are congratulated on gaining a certificate in
the recent Senior Maths Challenge:
YEAR 13
YEAR 12
Gold
Miles Plaskett (Best in School)
Gold
Daniel Whitehorn
Silver
Calvin Luu
Selvi Altunoz
Silver
Caleb Riley
Joshua Sahota
Bronze
Jacob Scully
Raldeep Banga
Rajpinder Seehra
Simon Tapping
Jenna Dunn
Catherine Lee
Rebecca Waldron
Javed Malik
Bronze
Clinton Gordon-Clayton
Luke Cheetham
Ayano Sakuma
William Chick
Ben Clarke
Matthew Oldfield
Ranjeet Bassi
Naomi Allen
Rebecca Beesley
Lawrence Braines
Lucy Milligan
Congratulations also go to Miles Plaskett who qualified for the British Mathematical Olympiad.
There are only 1000 students nationally that take part in this follow-on round so it is a massive
achievement. The paper lasted for three and a half hours and we await the results early next
term.
Why not try some of the Senior Maths Challenge questions yourself?
Granny and her granddaughter Gill both had their birthday yesterday. Today, Granny's
age in years is an even number and 15 times that of Gill. In 4 years' time Granny's age in
years will be the square of Gill's age in years. How many years older than Gill is Granny
today?
A 42 B 49 C 56 D 60 E 64
Jamie conducted a survey on the food preferences of pupils at a school and discovered
that 70% of the pupils like pears, 75% like oranges, 80% like bananas and 85% like
apples. What is the smallest possible percentage of pupils who like all four of these fruits?
A at least 10%
B at least 15%
C at least 20%
D at least 25%
E at least 70%
What is the minimum value of x2 + y2 + 2xy + 6x + 6y + 4?
A-7
B- 5
C-4
D-1
Mrs N Taylor - Teacher of Mathematics
E- 4
Reading Passport Scheme Launched
Our Year 7 pupils have been the first to try out our new ‘Reading Passport’ scheme. This new
approach to our library lessons encourages young people to think about their reading and how
they can develop vital literacy skills. One English lesson, every two weeks, is held in the library
and is dedicated to completing various tasks in our passports. The process enables students to
assess books and think about what they like (and don’t like) to read.
The first passports were handed out on Transition day in June, to the students coming up from
Year 6 and pupils were encouraged to start filling them in over the Summer holidays. Since
September we have been completing the tasks and recorded our thoughts and comments about
the books we have read. As Christmas approaches, we are working hard to complete the first
passport and are looking forward to moving on to our next one in the New Year.
New Online Catalogue
Work has now been completed on our online catalogue and for the first time students are able
to search for material in the library, electronically. This should prove a huge help to students
wanting to find out what books are available, those wanting to check when books are due in, or
even those who just want to browse our virtual bookshelves. It is particularly of use to older
students completing revision and coursework, as the catalogue can be searched by subject or
topic. A real bonus of the new system is that books which are already out to other students can
now be reserved online and collected once they have been returned.
At the moment, the ‘Library Catalogue System’ as it is known, is available from any computer
in the school and plans are already afoot to make the service available from home, via the LCS
Gateway.
Year 9 Reading Award
A smaller number of Year 9 students have agreed to take part in a new reading award scheme
entitled ‘The One That Got Away!’ The award scheme has been established by local school
librarians and includes five fiction titles which were ‘runner-ups’ in major book awards over the
last few years. We are going to read all the books, discuss our thoughts and then vote on the
eventual winner. Those involved have already been hard at work reading the books and we will
be meeting in the New Year to begin our deliberations!
Mrs R Whitty - Librarian
This group was set up in school in September in response to interest from students who study
Human Rights as part of the Year 9 PSHE course. A number of these students felt they wanted
to do something about Human Rights abuse around the world and so the LCS Youth Action
Group was set up. We meet every Tuesday lunchtime and follow Amnesty International’s Youth
Action programme, which in October/November focused on the issue of stoning as a death
penalty.
Do you remember the shocking case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani over the summer? Maybe
not. Sakineh was an Iranian woman sentenced to death for ‘adultery while married.’ As Iran is a
male-dominated society, she stood little chance against her husband. This has been Amnesty’s
focus since September. We have written countless letters to her, the Embassy in London and the
Justice Department in Iran. We have gathered over 100 signatures to send as well. We have
taken several photos for a campaign that Amnesty is doing. In general, we are trying to stop
stoning in Iran.
We have now moved on to ‘Writing for Rights’, writing cards and letters over the festive season to
prisoners of conscience.
By Lillie Fitzsimons, 8DAB
Next Steps Trampolining Competition for Derby City West
Each student performed a trampoline routine, set skills on the trampoline and a body
management routine on the floor. The results were as follows:
Step 1 - Lydia Keen 1st, Katy Horton 3rd, Aneesha Johal 7th, Harriet Snape 7th
Step 2 - Amy Whitten 1st, Eleanor Barraclough 2nd, Katy Phelps 4th
Step 3 - Francesca Britten 1st
The first three students in each level go through to the next round, so congratulations to the
following students who will compete in the City Final in January:
Lydia Keen, Katy Horton, Amy Whitten, Eleanor Barraclough, Francesca Britten.
Catherine Jeffries - Teacher of PE
Cross Country – City Championship
On November 9th the following pupils participated in the meeting at Moorways Stadium.
The results are shown below:
Year 7
Megan Herbstritt 7MLB
Natalie Sharp 7JNP
Matthew Chan 7RKG
Year 8
Zoe Percival 8VJC
Jade Sandhu 8VAB
Year 9
Harry Bennett 9KLJ
Martin Lalli 9SSM
Matthew Ward 9GWT
Year 10
Sam Hassall
Danny Caborn 8FAW
Joeseph Gallimore 8VAB
Dylan Garbett 8JLF
Hugo Milner 8NLT
Results
Year 8:
Hugo Milner
League
City Championship
1st
1st
Zoe Percival
League
3rd
Year 9:
Matthew Ward
League
City Championship
1st
3rd
Year 10:
Sam Hassall
City Championship
3rd
Mr S Modara
Olympic Cup
Inter-form Sport
This term has seen the start of our inter- form sport competition, the Olympic Cup. Forms have
competed for their country in a variety of sports, and positions on the league table have been
constantly changing.
Year Group Competition
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Greece RKG
Brazil TIN
Kenya ELL
Year 8 Inter form Relay
Australia GMW
France VAB
Canada DAB
Year 9 Inter form Relay
Germany GWT
Canada JLP
Spain TJB
Kenya CMC
Japan DTB
Canada GLC
Year 7 Basketball Shootout
Year 10 Team Badminton
Current overall standings are:
Team
Points
Kenya
27
France
26
Greece
25
Canada
24
Japan and Australia
23
Spain
17
Brazil
16
Germany
15
During the spring term, teams will be competing in an Olympic Gold Challenge, to run
2012km.
Details will go out to forms in the new year.
Mrs Oversby
School Sport Co-ordinator
Olympic Cup
Design a Logo Competition
During this term, Year 7 pupils as part of their Design and Technology lessons, have taken
part in a logo project. Pupils were asked to design a logo for our school’s new Olympic Cup
Inter- form sport competition.
Entries were of a very high standard and designs were shortlisted. From the shortlist the best
three designs were:
Saminda Sidhu
7ELL
Daniel Razzaq
7DDB
Samad Hussain
7ELL
Saminda’s design was chosen as the winning design and this has been downloaded onto the
computer by Mr Simmons. The design will now be used for the Olympic Cup at school .
Saminda Sidhu
7ELL
Saminda’s winning design which includes the Olympic motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ which
translates from Latin to ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’. Well Done Saminda!
Mrs J Oversby - School Sport Co-ordinator
PSHE and CITIZENSHIP
Year 7 Enterprise Day – New Band Challenge
On Friday 11 November pupils in Year 7 took part in the “New Band Challenge” . Pupils worked
in teams, in their form groups, to manufacture a new pop band. They had to create the band,
design their clothes, write the first hit single and plan and budget for the marketing of the band.
Pupils designed T-Shirts, wristbands, sweatshirts and advertising to market their band. They also
had to make a bid for sponsorship to get extra money for their marketing campaign. Judith Gill
from NatWest listened carefully to each team’s plans and either awarded them sponsorship or
not, depending on the quality of the bid.
All pupils worked very hard and did not even want to go out for break in the morning as they were
so committed to creating the best band! The winning teams from each form went through to the
final in the hall in the afternoon. Whilst the judges were deciding, a band comprised of students
from the Sixth Form performed an excellent song to entertain us all while we waited anxiously!
The final pitches were excellent and the judges had a hard job choosing, but the winners were:
Harvey Gilbert, Hannah Wright, Amy Linscott, Cameron Lord all from 7MLB
Well done to these pupils and to all the Year 7 pupils who worked really hard all day.
Practice makes perfect!
Mock Interview event on 24th November 2011
Over 160 Year 11 pupils took the plunge and volunteered to have a mock interview with local
employers. This after school event was co-ordinated by the PSHE/Citizenship Department as
part of the Careers Information Advice and Guidance programme. There were 33 employers who
gave up their time freely to conduct interviews using a generic, ‘fictional’ job role, that allowed
pupils to practise their presentation skills and answering techniques. The interviewers gave
invaluable feedback to the pupil’s performance and also their CVs. The evening proved to be
both popular and busy, so the Year 10 pupils who volunteered to help with running the event,
worked really hard to ensure a smooth passage - they certainly had to use their problem solving
skills!
The volunteers who conducted the interviews were overwhelmingly positive in their praise of how
the event was organised, the response from pupils, and the extent to which they believed it to be
a worthwhile experience to help pupils prepare for the next step after school. “My first time….
very good for the students and I thought the Year 10 helpers did a great job. All pupils were
extremely polite, helpful and courteous – a credit to the school” Mr D Brown, CEVA Logistics.
Organisations such as Toyota, Rolls Royce, BT, and the NHS were represented as well as a
huge range of other organizations. Some of the interviewers from these companies were parents
of LCS pupils and we were boosted by their support.
Overall, the event was a great success and we intend to continue offering the opportunity to Year
11 pupils on an annual basis. If you would like to be involved as an interviewer next year, please
contact : L. [email protected]
Ms L Wilson - Co-ordinator of PHSE / Citizenship
Exploring Future Careers
It continues to a very busy time in the Careers Library! The room is open throughout lunchtime
from Monday to Friday and is available to pupils from all age groups to find out more about
careers and to discuss their future plans.
This term, we have been fortunate in hosting representatives from Toyota, the NHS and the
Armed Forces, who have been giving careers talks during lunch-time sessions. We were
delighted to welcome Liam Chorley, an ex-pupil of our school, who is now in his second year of
the Apprenticeship Programme at Toyota. It was an invaluable opportunity for our pupils to ask
about what work is really like!
The PSHE and Citizenship Department are always looking to extend the variety of work
sectors represented in the Careers information sessions. We would welcome any new contacts
in this respect and would also love to hear from you if you are able to offer mock interviews for
pupils in the future.
Miss Came
Deputy Coordinator PSHE/Citizenship
Email: [email protected]
For the first time a Year 11 Physics class took part in a national project this November. As part
of "I'm A Scientist Get Me Out Of Here", the students emailed questions and took part in live
webchats with five nuclear physicists working across the UK and internationally. As the project
continued students voted for which scientists they wanted to keep in the competition, leading to
an eventual winner who received a £500 grant. In the process, Aaron Dinas was awarded a
prize as well as being picked for asking the best questions in the 'Subatomic Zone'. The
students really enjoyed the fortnight and agreed that it had really helped them to see scientists
as real people with an interesting career, instead of "old blokes with beards.!!"
Mr I Horsewell - Teacher of Science
Beauty
and the
Beast
2011