Timings for Online School Day

7th April 2020Mr M Jones
After the Easter break, lessons will resume on Tuesday 21st April with a new timetable for Years 7 to 10:
This will allow more time to be devoted to exercise and well-being and allow teachers to plan and deliver lessons in more detail.
Some things to note:
A copy of the new timetable was emailed to all students on the last day of last term.
There may be a change of teacher for some students in some subjects. This does not mean they have moved sets.
Where the timetable says MADTCF students will study either Music, Art, Drama, Tech, Computing or Food, depending on which group they are in. This will be apparent when they get their work set.
The timetable is only in place whilst online learning is taking place. The normal timetable will resume as soon as we return to school.
The timings of the day have been altered slightly so that all students in all years follow the same timings (to help where there are students from different year groups in the same household.
Work will continue to be set using Google Classroom; as long as students are logged in throughout each weekday, they will access all the correct lessons for that day.
The time table is unchanged for students in Year 12.
A “preparing for Post-16 study” timetable will be added for Year 11 early in the new term, ready for teaching from Monday 27th April.

St Edmund’s Supporting Wellbeing

3rd April 2020Mrs D Curtis

We understand that the outbreak of COVID-19 can create worry and distress for our students and families. These feelings are normal and it’s important we acknowledge them and remind each other to look after our physical and mental health.

There are many things that we can do to support and manage our wellbeing during these times. The academy has collated guidance and resources to support you through this.

Please click on the website link below for further information.

https://www.stedmundscloud.co.uk/wellbeing/

First Aid Skills

11th March 2020Mrs D Curtis

Jessica, Bhavesh, Elizabeth, Hajrah and Owen learnt some basic first aid skills today. They learnt about DR ABC, the Primary Survey, which is used by St. John Ambulance. 

 

Mrs Beech, who used to be a paramedic in the Navy and currently volunteers with St John Ambulance, shared her real life experience with the group. 

 

The session began with looking at hazard and risk in real life scenarios, everyone critiqued the situation well and recognised the potential hazards. The students justified the correct contents for a first aid kit and when they should be used.

 

We then discussed how to assess a casualty, looking for evidence and clues. This included inhalers, Epipens, Insulin pens, medic-alert tags, prior knowledge etc. 

 

We complicated the situation to include an unconscious casualty, everyone tested their new skills to assess the situation and their casualty using D (danger), R (response), A (airway), B (breathing) and C (circulation) using the Resusci Annie. They then went on to roll each other into the recovery position and learn the importance of maintaining a casualty’s airway.

BMW Girls Go Technical Programme 

6th March 2020Mrs D Curtis

During the February half term, I was fortunate enough to take part in the BMW Girls Go Technical Programme at the Hams Hall Plant in Coleshill Parkway. It was a very interesting and valuable experience.

I initially applied for the programme on the BMW website, there I learnt about the programme briefly and the activities that would be set for the applicants during the three day work experience. To begin with, mechanical engineering wasn’t my main career choice, however the programme most definitely made me more interested in engine manufacturing.   

The first day, the other girls at the programme and I had a tour and introduction to the plant itself. There I saw various types and sizes of machinery and tools that are used to assemble the BMW engines.

I got more hands-on the next day. I was taught how to build and put together different parts needed for the engine. The manufacturing aspect of vehicles captivated me even more as a result of the activities and even the friendly staff and team that helped the girls taking part in the programme.

On the last day, the Girls Go Technical team at Hams Hall drove us down to the ‘MINI Plant’ in Oxford, where we met all the other girls in the programme from Oxford and Swindon. The ‘MINI Plant’ is where all the parts are assembled and come together to make a Mini road-ready model. We got given a tour of the assembly area where all the parts are put together and also a tour of the paint area where the cars get customized.  

Overall, the experience was very enlightening because of the activities and even the staff, it was a happy and friendly environment. After my participation in the Girls Go Technical, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in anything automotive as it is a vast sector and there are many jobs that are involved in the making of a vehicle.

by Emmanuela Esedebe

Year 9 Trip to Murcia, Spain

6th March 2020Mrs D Curtis

At 03:00 on Sunday 9th February, forty excited students and a team of four staff members arrived at school, where nervous parents waved us off into the gloomy prelude to Storm Ciara, praying that our long-awaited flight to the south of Spain would not be cancelled. Thankfully, luck was on our side, as we were able to check in swiftly and board with ease, with only a little turbulence at the beginning of the flight. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our native Spanish “monitora”, who immediately set the tone of language immersion by directing our group to the coach in Spanish, and we set off on our final part of the journey to our home for the next five days – next stop: El centro Arbolar, los Urrutias!

 

The shock on everyone’s face when we arrived at our destination could be summarised in one word – WOW! 

 

Our residence was a beautiful, white, purpose built activity centre, in a quiet little Spanish village, right on the seafront! After a lovely three course lunch to regain some energy, we met our other “monitores” (hosts and activity leaders) and played some icebreaker games – in Spanish of course – and some beach sports. In the evening, we had a lovely walk before dinner around the area and then got some well needed rest to prepare for the days ahead.

 

 

On Monday morning, after sharing some sunrise photos with our not-so-lucky family members and friends, we had breakfast, and students had to quickly tidy up upstairs as it was time for the first of the daily “inspección” of rooms, before the morning Spanish class. During the week, this really helped students learn an array of new adjectives, such as: maravilloso (marvellous), genial (great) and chupi guay (cool!). We had a busy day of cooking traditional “tarta de la abuela” (grandma’s cake), a team photo scavenger hunt and – a highlight of the trip for many – an outdoor Zumba lesson! The monitores were so impressed with the group’s engagement with the activities that they even asked two students to help lead the group in the Zumba routines – muy bien Raymond y Caroline! 

 

Tuesday was our first day trip: to the beautiful harbour town of Cartagena, where we were treated to a guided tour of the streets and local churches and, despite just missing out on attending the local mass, our very own Mr White led us in a wonderful spiritual reflection in one of the city’s churches. After lunch in the park, students completed an information hunt in Spanish before being treated to some highly anticipated free time in the town to purchase souvenirs and enjoy the cultural experience with friends. Some of us – staff and students alike – even tried “churros con chocolate” for the first time in a local café! The afternoon session in Cartagena took us to see a fantastic Roman theatre and we learnt much about the history behind the building and the town itself. We arrived back at our residence, were delighted to see and try the delicious tapas for dinner and we spent the rest of the evening having a lot of fun playing team games – and even discovered many hidden talents!

 

 

On Wednesday – the last full day of our trip – we had our Spanish class in the morning and then headed over to a nearby street market – where we were able to buy local products and some final souvenirs for family and friends. We were even able to practise our haggling in Spanish – and Jusnoor showed real skill here! In the afternoon we were finally able to do the star activity of the week: water sports! We geared up and split into two groups – sailing and kayaking. This was an absolutely fantastic experience on the sea, where new skills were learnt, teamwork was required and lots of fun was had by all involved – particularly Mr White and Mr Taylor who caused a lot more mischief than any of the students!

 

I think it is safe to say many students wanted to stay longer and that they had an experience they will not forget in a hurry. I am extremely proud of our students – we have been talking about this trip since they were in year 7 and they did not only impress us with the level of Spanish and engagement in the activities, but also our hosts, who said “thank you for being such an amazing, dynamic group and we hope you return soon!”

Well done to all of the students, and a huge thank you to all of the staff involved in planning and running of this trip – the first of many we hope! 

 

 

Miss Rainey