ContentsHead Teacher Page 2

Literacy Focus Page 3

Science Week Page 4

Trips Page 5

Sport News Page 9

April 2015

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Year 12, Geography trip, Wales. March 2015

The last half term has certainly been action packed! Not only have we been busy with exciting learning experiences but Southam College has also been busy receiving exciting awards!Early in the term we were given the status of being a National Support School by the National College of School Leadership and identified as being in the top 10% of schools

nationally for both progress and attainment by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. These accolades are the result of the combined efforts of students, staff, parents and governors and I would like to thank them for all their continued hard work.The last five weeks have as usual contained many fantastic opportunities. ‘Southam’s Got Talent’ provided inspirational performances, the Sixth Form ‘Question time’ quizzing of local parliamentary candidates demonstrated a real maturity from our older students and the Ski Trip gave all involved a truly unforgettable week.Going into the Summer Term is always an uplifting

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Southam Colege Science Week, March 2015

experience with the weather finally becoming warmer. It is also a time when students sitting external examinations have to put in the hard hours of revision needed to allow them to realise the huge potential I know all of them possess. Needless to say we are all behind you and although in the coming weeks revision may seem to be taking up all your time , let me assure you it will be worth it when you get that brown envelope containing your results in August!So, as I sign off this 4th newsletter column of the year, can I wish everyone a restful Easter holiday and thank you again for your contribution in making Southam College such a wonderful school. Mr Samra, Head teacher

Message from Mr Samra

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Science Week 2015

Day 3 Sixth Form students were able to demonstrate some scientific tricks to students and KS3 got stuck in with a building challenge. Day 4 had some dangerous experiments involving explosions and Day 5 ended with a Solar eclipse and a pool full of custard! Next year will take some beating! Thank you to everyone that helped with Science Week and everyone who got involved.

Science Week at Southam this year was crammed with activities and excitement. On Day 1 the students had a chance to dissect mice and watch Mr Eltringham crushing a pig’s brain. Day 2 saw the leftovers of the dissections being fed to snakes; with other visitors from the animal club including guinea pigs and Rosie the tarantula! On

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  Sixth Form Art Trip to New York

Friday 13th? Turned out all right in the end!!I have never been superstitious but I have to say 'the luck' we had on the trip certainly challenged my beliefs. Broken down bus on M25; 5hrs delays; routine checks by German Traffic Police; 2 pupils with overnight stops in Zell Am See hospital, one Air Ambulance ride, were the highlights for me! However, the staff and pupils took all these little things in their stride.It has become a cliché but once again Southam pupils were an absolute credit to the school. Despite the challenges the group, and some individuals experienced, reports from parents indicate that everyone had an amazing time. We run the trips to give pupils memorable, and in some cases life changing experiences. Numerous first time skiiers have 'got the bug' and are biting at the bit to get back on the slopes. It's fair to say that the staff and I genuinely enjoyed their company, the laughs, the 'bantar' and seeing them develop and progress in such a short time.The trip was to Saalbach & Hinterglemm in Austria. Snow and conditions were very good, 27cm in the days prior to our arrival meant that they didn't have to get the cannons out. Sunny and clear most days made for good skiing conditions, especially in the morning before the slopes became busy. Each night after the days skiing a Kangeroo court debated the comical incidents in the day, the winner got to ski in a delightful tiger onesie a n d f e t c h i n g h a t a r o u n d t h e h o t e l ( s e e t h e y e a r 1 0 b l o g ) . Shopping, Table Tournaments and Ice Hockey were highlights in the evening in and around the hotel. Food was very good and accommodation comfortable. However more

on the skiing. There were some very talented and determined skiers in the group, who worked hard to overcome mental and physical challenges and do so well. In the top set most were far better than the staff, Giles (poser award), Bendzak, (slalom king 21secs!!) and Dimambro-Denson (most casual) shone. In 'beginners' and 'intermediate', crazy Iacovides (both of them), steely Steel and Robo Morecroft got several mentions throughout the week. Final shout out to Jayden Constable (who'd never skied! ) got most improved, greens to challenging reds and parts of blacks in a week. Natural ability combined with a low centre of gravity!!Finally a massive thank you to Mr MacGibbon, Mrs Morten and Miss Moorcroft, Ash (the rep) and the Tony's for being so supportive and professional when things, on occasions, got serious. A great and memorable week, photos can now be downloaded from the website should pupils' want additional memorabilia, there are some corkers on there.

Year 10 Ski Trip

On February the 12th we embarked on our trip to New York City. After a long journey we arrived at JFK airport and had our first sight of the amazing skyline illuminated at night - this would be something we would see a lot of over the next four days. The trip was an amazing experience, with highlights including visiting the MOMA, Guggenheim, Times Square, Central Park and Top of the Rock. It was incredible for the art and photography students to see some of our favourite artists work in real life at the MOMA and was a very inspiring experience. Walking through Central Park in the snow was another memorable experience and it was quite unreal to see the many famous landmarks. Emily Edwards Year 13

 

The Big Bang Fair NEC BirminghamTo kick off Science Week at Southam College year 9 students were taken to the NEC 'Big Bang' Fair as a reward for hard work in lessons. This involved multiple different experiments, demonstrations and stalls at the fair. The students enjoyed visiting the stalls and exhibitions and some of them managed to top the leader boards (staff included!) and win some prizes. They some saw an interactive show about food science on the big bang stage, where audience members ate mealworms and bug blood.

All in all this was a great day out and it was absolutely fantastic to see Southam students and staff so enthused and engaged with Science.

Sixth Formers on ITVFour students from Southam Sixth Form attended the ITV Central News School Debate 2015. Presenter Sameena Ali-Khan hosted a lively debate which included several contributions from Harry Stewart, Angus Taylor, Ellie-Mae Parker and Leah Warren. With the election just weeks away, it was excellent so see young people taking a keen interest in politics, and the students were a credit to the school. The show was broadcast during ITV Central news.

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Southam College would like to congratulate Year 9 Will on all his motocross achievements this Year.

1st Place - Schoolboy Championship

1st Place - Adult Championship

Sixth Form Trip to IcelandOn Friday 13th February 22 Year 12/13 students plus a very excited Mrs Cumberbatch and Mr Clarke set off for a 4 day visit to Iceland. Our early start meant that by lunchtime we were already relaxing at the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. The silica mud masks were very popular and the steam cave certainly lived up to its name, we all agreed this was a real treat for a Friday afternoon. Later that day we had the chance to explore the capital city Rekyjavik and visit the Old City Hall. Saturday was our South Shore tour, we visited Skogafoss waterfall which looked even more dramatic as much of it was frozen. We were also able to view a glacier and visit the black lava sand coast line. After a thorough soaking everyone enjoyed the relative warmth of indoor ice skating that evening.

Sunday we did the famous Golden Circle Tour, this was an amazing experience and really useful for the A Level Geographers with volcanoes, geysers, a geothermal power station, and an earthquake simulator. The day finished off with breathtaking views of beautiful Pingvellir National Park where the two tectonic plates meet. It was a fabulous few days, the students were an absolute pleasure to spend time with and Iceland is an amazing country. Any current Y12s who would like the chance to visit Iceland in 2016 should see Mrs Cumberbatch for a letter.

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German ExchangeIn March, thirty Year 9 and Year 10 students spent a brilliant week in Germany as part of the German Exchange. They stayed with host families in Lauffen am Neckar, and visited our partner school, Hölderlin Gymnasium, in which they attended some lessons. During the week they visited Stuttgart (The Mercedes-Benz museum), Heidelberg (a historic university city with plenty of history and lots of beautiful buildings) and Heilbronn (a more modern-looking yet still historically interesting city). They had several tours, went ice-skating, participated in a Karaoke evening, and visited a bakery in Lauffen to see how German pretzels are made. On the last evening, at their leaving party, the students were treated to some lovely home-made food, brought in by the German families. The students’ behaviour was impeccable throughout the week and they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves and really tried hard to speak German.

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From Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th March, AS Geography students were in North Wales studying rivers in preparation for the geographical skills exam. For many, it was a nostalgic return to Marle Hall, having stayed there when collecting the data for the GCSE Controlled Assessment in Y10, while for some it was a totally new experience. The weather was great for the time of year, with blue skies and sunshine helping to enhance the dramatic scenery around Aber Falls. Students showed excellent teamwork to collect their data, and worked long in to the night analysing it! As usual on geography fieldtrips, we also spent time seeing examples of 'geography in the real world', including a glaciated valley and a river gorge. Hopefully, students now feel well-prepared for both of the exams in the summer!

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Trip to Marle Hall

Leave of AbsenceIf you are considering taking your child out of school for any reason, please ensure you are fully aware of the increasingly tight restrictions on schools to authorise absence. Please navigate from our homepage >> Parents >> Document Library >> Leave of Absence to find full details.

Medical AppointmentsAlthough our attendance figures are well above the Warwickshire and National average we do not compare as well locally with medical appointments in school time. Please make every effort to arrange these out of school hours where possible.

Sports NewsAmazing Athletics News!On Saturday 14th February 2015, Georgia Clarke, Sophie Smales and Morgan Reeves all competed at the Indoor Athletics Midland Championships at the NIA in Birmingham.

Georgia competed in the 300m event, where she won the Gold Medal, with an awesome new personal best time of 44.44. As a result of her outstanding achievements she was selected to compete in Sheffield at the England Athletics Age Group Championships where she qualified for the 60m Hurdles and 60m flat. Georgia got a PB in the 60m (8.44) on Saturday 21st February 2015, and on Sunday 22nd February 2015 she achieved another PB in the 60m hurdles (9.74) and made it through to the semi finals. Unfortunately Georgia did not make the final but a Great achievement for her first national championships.

On Saturday 14th Febuary 2015 Sophie Smales also competed in the 300m where she finished in a very respectable position of fourth place. Sophie ran in an amazing time of 46.38, also achieving a new personal best time.

Morgan Reeves competed in the 400m, running a 53.14 to come second in his heat which claimed a position in the final. Morgan finished fourth in his event running in an another amazing time of 53.3.

Well done all of you and we look forward to hearing about all your future successes.

We are extremely proud of you! Southam College P.E. Department

County Championships here we come!Maddy Collins (year 10) and Maisie Robinson (year 11) braved the long road trip to north Staffordshire to compete in a county qualifier Show Jumping competition this weekend. Both girls jumped brilliantly and both qualified for the county championships - Maisie in the 80cm and Maddy in the 90cm. This is a great achievement so early in the season and made even more so as both girls are on new horses this year. Well done girls and good luck at the Championships.

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Year 7 are finishing the Rugby season in style. Two excellent team performances secured victory in the Leamington U12 tournament.In the key game against North Leam, a brilliant Jacob May try in the dying seconds grabbed the vital win. It capped a Man of the Match performance and was one of several dazzling runs from Full Back. Harry Westland had given Southam the lead showing great strength in the maul. Final score: Southam 10 NLS 5.Earlier, Fly Half Alex Costa was on incredible form with two early tries as Southam seared to a 29-0 victory over Myton. There were two tries and two conversions for Jacob May, plus an excellent try for skipper Ben Irving. Ben Smith was Man of the Match, with some great speed on the wing.

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An excellent performance saw the Southam College A team see off some very good opponents to win the central Warwickshire netball tournament. The Southam College B team also had a good evening finishing 3rd in the pool narrowly missing out on a semi final place. Southam A team managed to complete the early rounds without a single defeat and ended first in their pool where they saw off Kenilworth, Kingsley and NLS. They drew Aylesford A in the semi final and managed a 5-1 win with some very good shooting from Hope Aris and Marie Pavey. The final saw Southam face Kingsley, a strong rivalry after yesterday's fixture saw Kingsley win 12-3. However the Southam girls dug in deep and with the support from a very vocal B team on the sideline they managed to pull off an outstanding performance against a very strong Kingsley team, resulting in Southam taking the title. A fantastic day for both teams, some exceptional shooting, defending and teamwork was shown from start to finish.Well done girls, I am very proud of you. Miss Warman

Leamington Champions!

Superb performance by the Year 8 Netball team see them win the Central Warwickshire Netball Tournament

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Year 9 RugbyLeamington RFC tournamentBattling Year 9's do Southam Collegel proud!

March 19th - The Year 9 Rugby team produced two committed and powerful performances against well matched teams from Myton and North Leam. Fielding a team with a number of late call ups following drop outs from some key players, the spirit and discipline of our team was a credit to all who played.

Southam 0 - 5 Myton

Our first match was against Myton, and although we had the majority of the possession and territory we were unable to convert this into points. They had one sustained attack on our line and, despite some solid defence, managed to get over the line for the only score of the game.

Southam 7 - 5 North Leam.Again this was a game against 2 well matched teams, but this time following a great solo run and finish from Dean Jordan we were able to make the early breakthrough. Dean was also able to convert what was to prove the all important kick, and although North Leam pushed hard towards the end and managed to score in the corner at the death, it wasn't enough and we held on for the win!

Congratulations to all the team, and we are looking forward to finishing the season on a positive note with our last game of the year against Kineton on Monday.

We all are wishing Jacob a speedy recovery following a crunching tackle that left him with a fractured collar bone, and hope to have some of the other missed players back to bolster the squad for the Kineton game.

NetballLeamington RFC TournamentA tough old match!Year 8 and 9 had a very tough match against two very well trained Kingsley teams.

The Year 8's played extremely well throughout the game, but unfortunately a few silly mistakes meant that Kingsley could turn over the ball. The defence of Katie and Clarice had a very tough game on their hands, battling with the GA and GS throughout. In the second half Southam seemed to calm down their play seeing some success in the form of goals from Marie and Hope. With the final score being 12-3, a very good battle girls.

The year 9's faced a similar battle with the year 9 Kingsley team being equally as strong. Southam showed a very good and disciplined performance throughout the first half, however it did see Kingsley take a big lead. An unfortunate fall from Elouise in the second quarter saw her having to be replaced by a Year 8 due to a blood injury. Elouise was patched up on the side of the court and managed to make an appearance in the final quarter to score the only Southam goal of the match. Final score 14-1, good fight girls. Well done girls. Miss Warman and Miss Evans