Lordswood News

December 2018www.lordswoodgirls.co.uk

Dear Parents,

I write this letter with the memories of a very successful Christmas concert fresh in my mind. The standard of performances is usually very high but this year students excelled themselves and it was particularly wonderful to see so many younger students perform to such a good standard and so confidently. Well done to all involved!

There have been a number of highlights this term. At the start of the school year it was particularly pleasing to see Lordswood Girls’ School listed as one of the top 10 schools in Birmingham, the other nine being selective schools. The Department for Education’s performance tables places Lordswood in second place, just behind King Edward’s Camp Hill Girls’ School, and in the top 2% of schools nationally – this is really pleasing and testament to the hard work of students and staff. Other highlights have included the official opening of the sports hall and Sixth Form Centre by Preet Gill MP and students continue to be excellent ambassadors for the school through their participation in conferences, sporting fixtures and master classes.

At this time of the year, it is probably important to give a reminder of the systems we have in place for informing parents about whether the school is open at times of bad weather. In the event of extreme weather conditions which make it impossible for the school to open, a decision will be made by 6:30am and information posted on the school website and a message sent out via ParentMail. We will also inform local radio stations. If there is no message on the website or you do not receive a text/email, school is open as normal and there is therefore no need to ring the school.

You will be aware from my letter at the start of the term that we have moved to a new catering provider. The tender process involved members of the School Council as well as staff and governors and all agreed that the food offer looked impressive. Sadly what has been provided to date has not lived up to expectations and we have had a meeting with the company and stated that the standard of food provided must improve. We have received reassurances that this will happen and

A Letter From The Headteacher

new menus will be put in place. I have also asked that these are sent out to parents so that you can see what is supposed to be provided. We continue to monitor this closely; senior staff are on duty in the canteen every day and are checking that there is sufficient food for students, especially those on the second sitting.

I should like to thank those parents who attended this term’s Parent Forum on 26th October. The minutes from the meeting can be found on the website. Next term’s parent forum will take place on 14th February. In addition, next term we will be sending out a survey from Kirkland Rowell. This is a national company that produces surveys for schools and benchmarks responses against those for other schools nationally. We would be really grateful if you could take the time to complete this survey so we can understand what we are doing well and what we need to improve. Students will also have the opportunity to respond.

This week we say goodbye and thank you to Mrs Rodriguez, in the Modern Languages Department and wish Mrs Jhalli (Science) well as she starts her maternity leave.

The term ends for year 12 and 13 on Thursday and for all other year groups at 12 noon on Friday 21st December. The Spring term starts for all years at the normal time on Monday 7th January.

I should like to wish you all a very joyful Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2019.

With all good wishes,

Mrs Jane GötschelHeadteacher

Mrs Peniket, Miss Briggs and Mr Goetschel would like to congratulate all those students who have excelled in their studies during the autumn term, and received an impressive number of praise slips from subject teachers. Mrs Peniket said, “The following Year 7 and 8 students have proved to be outstanding academic students this term, and have demonstrated a positive attitude towards learning. The Year 7 students have settled well into life at Lordswood, and I would like to congratulate them for their contribution and inspiration in lessons. Well done to all Year 7 and 8 students; I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday.”

Miss Briggs said, “It has been an honour to oversee the Year 9s this term. It has been a difficult start to the academic year for quite a few students and it has been wonderful to see the support and friendship that others have offered. There have been many Year 9s who have represented the school on trips and extra-curricular events with exemplary behaviour and they are a credit to the school. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you all and hope that you have a wonderful holiday.”

Mr Goetschel said, “It has really been a pleasure to be Achievement Co-ordinator for Years 10 and 11. Choosing just two students from each review group has been a difficult task, and that is testament to how hard our Year 10s and 11s have been working this term. I’m particularly proud of the Year 11s for their attitude towards what has been a very challenging term: they approached their mock exams with an exemplary level of commitment and were a credit to the school. The students nominated for awards have impressed teachers this term with their academic achievement and outstanding behaviour. They are exceptional role models to the students in lower years. Well done! Merry Christmas!”

Year 7Halayna Hussain 7DCadee Hunter 7DJodie Tatton 7GShreya Rawat 7GArshdeep Kaur Singh 7LAamina Hussain 7LGurbani-Simran Samra7RHaneen Elfaki 7RLucy Gwilt 7SFreyja Girling 7SDaisy Wray 7WLily Smith 7W

Following elections in September, the new School Council certainly hit the ground running and have had an incredibly successful first term.

Reps have already organised three non-uniform days, the first of which fell on Friday 26th October and was in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and their Wear it Pink campaign. The second non-uniform fundraising day was held for Children in Need on Friday 16th November, with the third taking place on Friday 14th December to raise money for Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper campaign. Participation in each of the fundraising days was exceptional and the School Council would like to express their profound thanks to all students for being amazingly selfless and generous.

In total, the Breakthrough Breast Cancer event raised £842.67, the school raised an impressive £909.53 for Children in Need, and our Christmas Jumper Day raised a total of £725.06! This brings the grand total of money raised this autumn term to an incredible £2477.26!

As well as fundraising, School Council Reps have also been working with their peers to address issues arising from the change in catering provision in the school canteen. A list of concerns was passed to Mrs Götschelwho, in turn, brought these up with the new supplier.

The School CouncilMrs Riley reports on the School Council who have had an amazing autumn term

Year 8Sukman Shoker 8DLovleen Gidda 8DEsme Read 8GLaiqa Ahmad 8GNicoli Tcacenco 8LErin Norman 8LGracie Pilling 8RTiffany To 8RClaudia Vuthyani 8SSmanta Dudele 8SEmily Town 8WZoha Hussain 8W

Year 9Gursimran Malhi 9DSanya Mohammed 9DSara Kawani 9GClaudia Bryan 9GRadiyah Sohail 9LNikita Gill 9LReeha Saleem 9RQudsia Fatima 9RYara Ali 9SSkye Andrews 9SAishat Lekuti 9WFeodora Toure 9W

Summer Term Achievement AwardsCongratulations from the Achievement Co-ordinator team of Mrs Peniket, Miss Briggs and Mr Goetschel

Year 10Jovita Manickam 10DFarah Shah 10DAmeena Ahsan 10GLayeba Khan 10GSuditi Mukherjee 10LSeonti Thompson 10LGia Kattapuram 10RLeya Rose Mann 10RAriana Ahmadzadeh 10SAlina Javed 10SAysha Majeed 10WAlisha Symons 10W

Year 11Sanaa Khan 11DLuka Emanuel 11DHajra Ahmed 11GIshpreet Sohanpal 11GKushmeet Roopra 11LLydia Harris 11LJaspinder Shoker 11RVanita Kaur 11RSimran Phull 11SSumaya Choudhury 11SKarandeep Kaur 11WSophie Keight 11W

In early November I went to a mental health ambassador training with a fellow classmate. To start off with we introduced ourselves and said one thing that we did to help our mental health. At first I was slightly taken back because I have never been personally asked what I do for my mental health and wellbeing. I enjoyed this activity because it was a time to reflect on my week and what I had done to manage my mental health.

Afterwards we talked about mental health and the stigma around it. I found this very helpful because I feel people need to know more about mental health and that it’s okay to talk about it, as well as expressing what is happening in your own life to do with mental wellbeing. During the presentation the leader of the course went through statistics and facts about mental health and mental illnesses through the generations. It showed that generation Z struggles the most with mental health issues and that’s why I feel I need to do something to help. Also in the training we split into groups and made lists of things we could do in our schools and involve staff, students and parents/carers. This really inspired me, so me and my fellow classmate had a meeting and talked about our action plan for this coming year. In the meeting we decided to hold assemblies and do more in PSHE days. Our main focus is to work with the year 7 classes because if they have a good understanding earlier, then it will help them through the rest of their years at Lordswood. I find mental health an important issue and I hope you will help me and the staff of Lordswood Girls School to tackle the stigma of mental health and tell others the importance of mental health in our community.

The Importance Of Mental HealthCaelyn of Year 9 on the importance of mental health awareness

Headteacher’s Question Time sessions have also been running since October and each year group has had one session with a panel of staff. Questions have been really interesting this year, particularly from the Year 10s and 11s, and there were a lot of insightful and inspired questions from each year group.

In the new year, the Council hopes to begin a new paper and cardboard recycling initiative. All Reps are anxious that we get the paper and card recycling right before moving onto the hot topic of the year: plastics. Students and staff will be asked to look out for new recycling schemes around school as the Council attempts to make the school a greener and more eco-friendly place.

On behalf of the School Council, I would like to wish everyone a happy and restful holiday and to once again express our thanks for the amazing support with our charity endeavours. The Council could not do it without you!

On Wednesday 21st November, all of Year 8 watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, live-streamed to schools up and down the country, in the hall. It was a more modern version of the traditional story. We really liked the set choice; they decided to use a cube set design instead of a balcony because, contrary to common belief, the story doesn’t mention a balcony anywhere. The RSC production also used a younger cast than usual which was to reflect the young age at which children were forced to marry. Romeo and Juliet are, after all, a very young couple. There was some cross-casting (traditionally male roles played by females or vice versa) with Mercutio, who is traditionally played by a man, played by a woman.

All in all it was an amazing performance and we would definitely recommend it: it has set us up nicely to study the play in English lessons after Christmas.

Romeo And Juliet, A ReviewErin and Anna of Year 8 review the RSC’s Romeo and Juliet

Musical.ly is now TikTok

The social network app Musical.ly has often given adults cause for concern, because of the way that children use it to generate and share their own short videos and lip sync to popular audio clips. The app has a new name and new features, and now includes live streaming. Although the app has an age-limit of 13 years old, in practice there will be younger children using it, and the content may not be suitable.

Please be aware that profiles on TikTok are automatically set to public, so that any content you post can be seen by anyone within the app. There is also a ‘Restricted Mode’ which can help to filter out inappropriate content and prevent the user from being able to start their own live streams.

You can find out more here: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/blog/what-tiktok-looking-latest-lip-syncing-app

Online Safety UpdateMrs Finucane with tips on how to stay safe online

Facebook launches new live streaming app – no privacy settings

It now appears that Facebook are getting in on the live streaming act with their version called Lasso. Worryingly, the app has been reported as having no privacy settings which can make users vulnerable to experiencing or seeing inappropriate behaviour.How can you help your child stay safe when live streaming?• Stay involved in their internet use• Use webcam and devices in public spaces• Use privacy and safety settings if these are available• Be wary of requests to chat in private• Build resilience• Make sure your child knows where to go for support

and where to report

ThinkUKnow has produced a guide to help parents understand why live-streaming is so popular, and how to keep children safe.

You can find the article here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/live-streaming-responding-to-the-risks/

Christmas is coming and the crooks are getting fat!

Christmas time and the associated present buying is a golden opportunity, not only for legitimate retailers, but the crooks too and where better than to target online shopping.

We are very good with our online safety messages to children, but we often don’t always think about or raise the awareness of fraud quite so effectively.

Action Fraud and the City of London police have launched a Christmas campaign to reduce the risk of crime online. Here are their top tips to avoid being caught out by the Christmas rush!• If something seems too much of a bargain, it’s

probably poor quality, fake or doesn’t exist.

• Don’t pay for goods or services by bank transfer unless you know and trust the person. Payments via bank transfer offer you no protection if you become a victim of fraud.

• Make sure you’ve installed the latest software & app updates. Criminals use weaknesses in software to attack your devices and steal information, such as your payment details.

• Use a strong, separate password and 2FA to protect your email account. Criminals can use your email to access other online accounts, such as those you use for online shopping.

• Don’t click on a link in an unexpected email or text. The volume of online shopping related phishing emails increases during the holiday period. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Report phishing: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report-phishing

Every Report Matters – if you have been a victim of fraud, report it online or by calling 0300 123 2040.

This term has been jam packed with exciting drama opportunities for students:

Silver Arts Award“I am really enjoying Arts Award as I love learning about new techniques in drama and how to apply them to my acting. I especially like how we get to experience new and different styles of performing, such as when we went to see ‘The Capital’ with our group which was unlike any other plays that I had seen previously. I am really looking forward to watching more performances and organising our own performances and workshops so I can broaden my knowledge about acting. Doing Drama Arts Award Silver has allowed me to see all the different ways that acting and expressing our opinions can impact our lives.”Ruby Howarth

“We went to see ‘The Capital’ by Stans Cafe about life in a big city. The show followed multiple people with many narrative points throughout, with the actors multi roling to create an even more in-depth narrative. The show was performed on 2 parallel travelators that throughout the show interchanged directions and added a whole new dimension to the show. They sped up and slowed down throughout the show to create specific moments. To go along with this, an amazing set of powerful music was created that I really enjoyed. It was really good for us to see a different kind of theatre than we are used to seeing. On behalf of Arts Award thank you Ms. Swallow for taking us!”Eve Yarker

Busy Busy Drama!Miss Briggs and Mrs Swallow on a frenetic term in The Drama Department

“As part of Arts Award Silver we have chosen for our leadership skill the route of teaching younger children (T.I.E). As a group we had to decide what the theme and overall teaching would be about. We chose mental well-being as we wanted to explore the issue of mental health with a younger audience. We wanted to abolish a taboo of not talking about mental health and wellbeing, especially with young children. Individually we were allocated jobs for people to do: finding Victorian paintings, modern pictures, poems, songs, warm ups and warm downs. We then discussed whether we were going to use any of these in our piece. It helped us know what not to do and what wasn’t appropriate for a primary audience.”Lyla Perkins

Year 11 Orange Polar BearOn Friday 9th November the Year 11 drama students went to watch Orange Polar Bear at The REP Theatre Birmingham. Here are a few comments from the students:

“Going to see Orange Polar Bear was very engaging experience, with a very relatable plotline” Esther Ling

“The experience was great as I enjoyed the play very much. I loved the piece as it related to our age and had some very funny moments” Shenay Arscott

“It was the best play I have ever seen and it was fun to spend time with my drama class at the theatre; we got to speak with the director after the performance to find out how she created it”Tayjah Johnson

“A spectacular spectacle! Definitely the best performance I have seen. It was engaging even though half of it was in Korean; I understood everything that happened!”Georgia Germain-Rees

Steam WorkshopLordswood Drama Department was specially selected to take part in Evolution and Mask workshop exploring evolution spanning 370 million years! The students were able to work with some fantastic to scale masks,

Students exploring the development of mammals

understanding how mammals have developed over time.

“The workshop wasn’t what I expected! It was so fun and when I tried on the mask it allowed me to focus on my movement”Trinity Hutchinson

“ It’s really helped me understand human evolution and expand my knowledge”.Abbigale Mclaren

“It was both good fun and educational, rather than just reading it out of a book we were able to have a go ourselves and by doing the movement with the mask, we got a better idea of how these animals moved and lived and what they looked like” Adeeba Khan

Off to see The Orange Polar Bear

Legally BlondeRehearsals are well under way for the hip shaking, finger clicking smash hit Legally Blonde! This year we are cutting the price of students tickets to only £2 and holding a student performance straight after school on Wednesday 13th Feb! Evening performances are being held on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th February. Head to the website to buy your tickets!

Message from Miss Briggs and Mrs Swallow: In lessons we have been wowed by some incredible Macbeth set and costume designs by students in Year 9, as well as hilarious silent films from Year 8, while Year 7 have been learning their craft by exploring devising using The Little Match Stick story! We both look forward to all the exciting opportunities that will be on offer next year including Year 7 Drama Club, Bronze Arts Award and the school production of Legally Blonde. We wish all students a restful holiday and a wonderful Christmas.

Year 7s held a coffee morning to raise money for the cancer charity, Macmillan, during our annual open morning in September. We raised £169 in total and Mrs Peniket would like to thank all students and parents who made and donated cakes on the day.

Year 7 Fundraise For MacmillanMrs Peniket on the annual fundraising coffee morning

During the autumn term, eight students from Year 10 and two from Year 13 took up an exciting opportunity to participate in a Model United Nations Conference held at the University of Oxford. Working alongside students from schools around the world, our students strove to solve international problems in working replicas of several UN committees, such as the Security Council, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Human Rights Council.

Of course, any event like this requires preparation, so each of our students compiled detailed research on every topic, as well as educating themselves about the state of Peru, which they all had to represent. They then used this understanding to take part in debates on key issues, building skills of diplomacy, forming alliances, and thinking strategically in order to promote resolutions that could address international issues. These issues were as significant and varied as handling the delicacies of disarmament in the Korean peninsula, and deciding complexities of jurisdiction in the governance of the internet! Despite the complexities involved, and the fact that our students were participating alongside many more experienced delegates, each one of them found ways to contribute to their committee, and can be proud of their efforts.

Throughout the event, all 10 students were outstanding ambassadors for the school (and Peru), and took the opportunity to learn more about life at an elite

Model UN ConferenceMr Lovejoy on an exciting opportunity amongst the Dreaming Spires

university. They received guided tours of key University of Oxford buildings, and even dined in Christ Church’s grand hall! Furthermore, they were also able to forge new friendships and links with students from a huge range of national backgrounds.

Congratulations are due to all participants: Noor Adool, Florentina Dasgupta, Sapna Karsan, Komalpreet Dhiman, Mareem Sami Faris, Manpreet Sahota, Farah Shah, Ella Thrush (all Year 10), Javaria Alvi and Tanvir Kaur (both Year 13). We hope that the event has given them a taste of university life, and may even have encouraged them to take a role in tackling the international problems of the future!

Year 7 proudly manning their cake stallStudents and Mr Lovejoy outside the Radcliffe Camera

“The three days that we spent in the heart of Oxford was full of new experiences, meeting new people from around the globe and coming together to debate the problems which we face today. We were all feeling very nervous after the opening ceremony as we could clearly see that we were one of the youngest groups there, but this made us realise what a great chance we had been given. This experience allowed us to view Oxford University and meet many students who talked to us about how to get in it. This perspective opened our eyes to the possibility of us applying in the near future and how coming from a state school does not matter.

Thoroughly enjoying their Oxford experienceAll of us were split up into different committees, giving us the opportunity to be independent. Everyone also had two completely different topics that related to your committee. Being in our rooms with lots of different people with all their countries’ views showed how these problems affect everyone. In the end, all the countries in each committee had to come together and create a solution to the topic’s problems which causes many rifts between countries as they wanted different things. This

This half term involved the exciting collaboration between the RE department with Art, ICT, and the English department to deliver Year 7 Integrated Learning Day. The theme and focus for the day was what makes us human? The response to the question was based around the RE dispositions, so the next question is what is a disposition and why is it relevant to us?

A disposition is the way we look at the world. In contrast, your character is determined by your inner moral values, and your personality reflects what you’re like as an individual. A student who loves creative writing and art will have the disposition of being imaginative and explorative. Religious Education is based around dispositions to help you develop a greater insight into the ultimate questions we face in our lives, such as ‘Does God exist? If so, why doesn’t he intervene to stop suffering?’ These questions would develop the disposition of having regard to suffering as well as being reflective and self-critical. During the integrated learning day students created wonderful pieces of art and wrote limericks inspired by their peers and their dispositions.

On behalf of the RE department, we would like to wish everyone a peaceful Christmas holiday.

The following students have really impressed us this half term! Our RE Stars!Year 7Kate HarperSafah SafeerSenai ThompsonIffah Armeen

Year 8Tiffany ToLaiqa AhmedMillie ConwayShree Tejaswini Pappala

DispositionsMiss Ghalib with news from the RE Department

division made us realise how difficult it is for countries to come together to agree on one solution.

Even though this experience caused quite a bit of stress, we all loved every minute of it and would love to go again. It taught us new communication skills; for instance, when we had to deliver a speech in front of our entire committee. We only got ninety seconds so we had to be clear and to the point otherwise, the other countries may mishear you. Our group (Noor, Komalpreet, Mareem, Florentina, Ella, Manpreet, Sapna, Tanvir, Javaria and Farah) had a great time and we thank our teachers for allowing us this opportunity!”Mareem Sami Faris and Farah Shah

Year 9 Liba MahmoodNatasha KhanUmaymah Mahmood

Year 10Manpreet SahotaJuny MonamaJovita MavikamAsma ParveenMona KhosrahiBoneeta Braich-BainsMareem Sami-Farris

Year 11Sonia BazZara AhmedSimran Purewall

Year 12Kallam NandraKelly TchomoghoAreena Shah

Year 13 Mehwish JahangirKainat JahangirDilawaiz JahangirIman Raza

This term has been a busy term for the Sociology and Politics Department. We have had a number of visits and guest speakers across the term. In September a group of Government and Politics students attended the Conservative Party Conference and were able to see a number of prominent government ministers deliver speeches on a range of domestic issues. A small group of students were also able to see the Prime Minister deliver her speech to the Conservative Party Conference.

In November, sociology and politics students from Year 12 attended a question time event at the Birmingham Council Chamber. This event involved students from sixth forms across Birmingham asking questions to local politicians. The students enjoyed listening to the different views of different politicians and the opportunity to ask them questions on a range of political issues affecting Birmingham and the United Kingdom.

Finally, in December Lord Hunt of Kings Heath visited the sixth form to deliver a presentation on the role of the House of Lords. There were opportunities for questions and students appreciated the opportunity to find out more about a key element of the politics specification.

News From Sociology And PoliticsMr Wells with an update

Young CuratorsThis half term art students from Years 12 and 13 have been taking part in workshops run by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The workshops have been based around the gallery’s collection of Pre-Raphaelite art work and how to engage a younger audience in the work of Rossetti, Millais and Hunt. The paintings are generally favoured by an older audience and the gallery would like to entice younger viewers to learn about the stories behind their paintings. Led by the gallery’s

From The Art DepartmentMiss Tooley with an update on what has been a very busy term

curators, the groups had to work in teams to create mock ups of how they would like the gallery spaces to look and make decisions on what additional pieces they would like included to help them understand the themes in the artwork. Whilst at the gallery, all students had the opportunity to look at the other exhibitions on show in the gallery and make comparisons between them. The students decided that more links to modern day society should be included such as newspaper articles and song lyrics and that the gallery space should feel more welcoming and exciting. At the end of the Year 13s session, the curator who deals specifically with the Pre-Raphaelite artwork at the gallery came to listen to their ideas and was really impressed with the contemporary twist the students had given to Pre-Raphaelite artwork….so impressed in fact that some of the ideas may well be used to re-display the pieces when the paintings come back to Birmingham after their tour of London and America!

Must See ExhibitionIf you get the chance to go and visit Birmingham Museum and Gallery over the Christmas holiday, make sure you take a look at the Women, Power and Protest exhibition in the Gas hall.

To mark 100 years since women first won the right to vote, this exhibition contains work by female artists

Students working with the curators to help make Pre-Raphaelite art more accessible to young people

addressing themes such as identity, activism and gender equality and is a must see! Entrance to the exhibition is free.

Photography CompetitionThe National School Photography awards are back!A competition has been launched across the whole of the UK to find young talent amongst school age photographers. The competition which runs until the end of March would be a fantastic opportunity for any budding photographers at Lordswood. To be in with a chance of winning a camera or a workshop with a professional photographer, you will need to take a photograph that you think represents the following theme:‘Our changing World’ – Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11‘Next steps’ – Sixth form students

Once you have taken your photograph you will need to speak to Miss Tooley or Mrs Douglas about how to upload your image and to fill out an entry form. Please do this by Friday 22nd March so that we can send everything off in time.Get creative!

Year 7 Integrated Learning DayOn Wednesday 5th December year 7 were off timetable for the day to take part in their first integrated learning day. The day had the theme ‘Who is….?’ And was the perfect opportunity for students to work with someone in their review group to find out new information about that person. Once students had discussed the various elements that make us individual and form our identity they were challenged to write a limerick about their partner and take photographs which would capture something about their personality. These photographs became the base for creative outcomes which incorporated text from their poems and illustrations based on the facts discovered during the first session. Students had the freedom to explore different fonts and practise styles of drawing before creating their final outcomes. The outcomes are fantastic and we have included a couple so that you can see what a creative year group Year 7 is!

Some of the work produced by students during the Integrated Learning Day

The Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) supports schools across the UK to embed children’s rights in their ethos and culture. The award is based on principles of equality, dignity, respect, nondiscrimination and participation. It recognises achievement in putting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s practice to improve well-being and help all children realise their potential. We intend to further promote these rights and enable further understanding of the global issues affecting children both in the UK and the rest of the world.

As the RRSA lead co-ordinator I will be inviting students to apply to participate in a steering group that will meet on a regular basis to discuss issues affecting our students and young people around the World. Once elected, these RRSA ambassadors will develop and promote ways in which the Rights of the Child can be respected within the Lordswood community. Students will be able to apply for a place on the steering group in the New Year and further information will be given through a range of assemblies.

Rights Respecting Schools AwardsMrs Hartland with news of a new initiative

The Science Department would like to congratulate all our students on a very successful term. We’ve been really impressed with the way the new Year 7 students have settled into their lessons and enjoyed learning new skills such as lighting and using the Bunsen Burners and measuring and mixing chemicals, all while working safely in the laboratories.

Year 11 have just completed their mocks and they have been working incredibly hard to learn a vast amount of content for all three sciences. We hope they enjoy their well-earned break.

Useful revision sites for our GCSE scientists:Free science lessons – a YouTube channel covering all three sciences at GCSE

https://www.bbc.com/bitesize

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/combined-science-trilogy-8464/assessment-resources

Well Done To Science StudentsCongratulations from Mrs Farrah

Buyers meet Sellers at the German MarketImmediately there is an intriguing view of festive lights with the incomparable smell of fresh, handmade crèpes complemented by the positive sound of laughter echoing as you walk into the markets. The crowd of people welcomed us into the markets where we, the buyers, met the sellers. We went in groups, exploring the strategies the sellers use to attract us as buyers.

Every year, the German Market is a huge success in Birmingham with over 5.5. million visitors a year who come for the food and drink, toys, decorations, jewellery and crafts. As a class, we observed and took note of the prices of the products and services that were offered at the markets in comparison to how much it costs the sellers to bring it to us. We had an amazing time and are appreciative of this opportunity which allowed us to gain a better understanding of what the sellers want to achieve and how they work towards their aims. We had the chance to go around to the sellers, asking questions in order to widen our knowledge of how people trade and why the German Markets are so popular.

What seems to change every year that we go? This was one of many questions, my group focused on during the visit. We researched and found that the prices had increased from last year and the sellers had told us that they expect to make more profit this year than they did last year. In addition, the markets are arguably becoming less ‘German’ and more European with Romanian and French citizens having stalls. We could also clearly see that visitor’s safety is important and that the markets attract an array of visitors creating a cheerful atmosphere.

Overall, it was a helpful and enjoyable day trip where we were free to explore and learn new things about how people bring goods and services as well as culture to us in the form of the German festive markets every year. It’s clearly an expectation that Birmingham hosts the markets as without it, Birmingham would be less merry and £85 million out of pocket.Halima Sadia Year 13

Year 10 Business StudiesBusiness Studies has been a fascinating subject thus far. There have been many moments in the course where students have been given the opportunity to showcase their creativity and work with peers they haven’t yet worked with. We got to show off what we have learnt and present info to others about various businesses and how they are run. One of these chances, for example, was towards the beginning of the year, where students were told to create a product, or service, that they wanted to provide for people, and if the end result was pitched successfully it would be made into a start up

Busy In BusinessReports from our A Level and GCSE students

The fantastic new sixth form block opened in September 2018. The sixth form centre facilities include a cafe available for sixth form students to purchase food, snacks and drinks creating a relaxed atmosphere on entry to the building. There is a main social space for students to complete their academic studies and a number of classrooms to aid academic learning.

The facilities include a brand new sports hall which offers a wide range of sporting opportunities for all students. The Physical Education Department teach a wide range of sports throughout the academic year including handball, dance, badminton and many more! Lunch time clubs are popular and this allows inter-form groups to compete against each other, trying out different sports each term. The sixth form students also have the opportunity to play a range of sports at lunch time creating a fun, social environment. There are a wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer including gymnastics, basketball and netball, which allow students to have the opportunity to compete against other schools. Lordswood Sixth Form is renowned for its basketball and cricket academies and the Basketball Academy is the longest running academy in the region.

New Facilities For PEMiss Currie explains the benefits of our new build

As part of our Induction Week in Year 7, we went to Dudley Zoo. The visit to the zoo enabled us to make new friends and to feel more at ease with our new school. We had to imagine we were an animal in preparation for an English assessment, so we focused on the surroundings of the giraffes, flamingos, seals, monkeys and tigers. We also got a feel of what a Lordswood school trip would be like and how the school welcomed us into its environment.

One of the highlights of the trip, was going on the cable cars; you could see as far as Birmingham city centre! Another highlight was eating our picnic surrounded by peacocks and it really gave us a chance to get to know one another. We all squealed and laughed when we explored the haunted castle, which was filled with creatures such as bats, rats and mice and we took millions of pictures on our phones of the monkeys and their babies. We also explored the gift shop, which had a wide variety of items from sweets to cuddly toys to take home to our families.

Dudley ZooLucy and Lily of Year 7 on their first LGS school trip

On Friday, 15th November, Innovations Hair Salon, Harborne, kindly volunteered their services and joined Ms Baxter’s Hairdressing Club to offer styling tips and advice on the essential skills needed to work in this industry.Innovations created three individual styles on our students who agreed to be models; the rest of the class observed and learnt how to curl, flat-iron and braid.

22 Students gained invaluable advice, first hand, from this excellent local salon who specialise in all hair types.

Hairdressing ClubMrs Baxter on a great visit from a local business

The fantastic new sports hall at LGS

Mr Prince and his form at the zoo

business… What we quickly learnt was that we all need to work on our unique selling point and understand our market segment more thoroughly!!

We’ve also had the opportunity to visit the confectionary giant Cadbury (Mondelez) where we were accompanied by year 11 and 6th form students. We learnt about topics such as production methods what we will need for our year 11 studies and also marketing which we are currently studying. It was great to get first-hand experience of how the business operates and also learn about why it’s so successful and how it was taken over by such a large international firm which consolidated our knowledge on business growth.

So far…I’m glad I chose business studies as I’ve been able to work on developing so many of my attributes.Elliott Duffell Year 10

The new sixth form block and sports hall is a fantastic modern facility allowing students to reach their full potential through academic studies and sporting opportunities.

One of our models gets her hair done while the other girls watch and learn

Thank you to Innovations for volunteering their time and Mrs McInerney for creating this new partnership.

Well done to all the Year 7 and 8 students who submitted entries for the Black History Month competition. There were some wonderful entries of both art work and poetry, and the following poem by Aliza Majid in 7G won first prize:

Believe

Born away from his homelandTorn away from family and friendsTossed up into a world of evil spiritsRobbed of his freedom, his culture, his securityShackled, whipped, overcome by loathsome smellsTerrorise by the smell of the dyingHorrified by the shrieks of women screamingAn on-going nightmare of sufferingThis was the forced removal from his native village Of a young NigerianYet this young person held on to his dignity and his faithAll this horrible treatment yet providence gave himAn opportunity to education and respectAn opportunity to write about the injustice and cruelty he had experiencedHis name will forever be remembered.For his courage and determination.

Black History MonthA round up of entries for the Black History Month competition

I would like to start by saying a huge well done to all the students in Years 11, 12 and 13 who participated in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge in November. The Senior Maths Challenge is a national competition where students are tested on their ability to apply their maths skills to ‘non-standard’, challenging questions – such as: What are the last two digits of 72018?A: 07 B: 49 C: 43 D: 01 E: 18

In previous years this has been an enrichment opportunity that we have offered to our post-16 students, but we felt this year’s GCSE students would relish the chance to have a go, and we weren’t wrong. There were some fantastic scores in all year groups, but particularly so in Year 11, with three students achieving the UKMT’s Bronze Award! Well done to Saniyah Mahmood, Vanita Kaur and Steffi So.

Thank you to Mr Fox for organising and coordinating the competition and offering the students a chance to practise and refine their skills during lunchtime.

At the opposite end of the school, our Year 7s have also settled in nicely to their new maths groups and have demonstrated this through excellent performance in recent assessments, increased ‘Numeracy Ninja’ Scores and fantastic progress through the Passport Maths Programme. Well done Year 7!

The Maths Department would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Great Start In MathsWell done all round from Mr Pearce and the Maths Department

On Wednesday 12th December 2018, Tayyba Tabassum 9R, Nour Abdel-Dayem 9W, Ezzah Ahmad 9S, Aram Akbari Madovi 9W, Claudia Bryan 9G, Sanya Mohammed 9D, Kiran Dhillion 9L and Donia Jawid 9S formed two formidable teams to represent Lordswood Girls’ School in The Regional Language and Culture Competition 2018-19.

The two teams of four joined 12 teams from schools from across the south west area to compete in a six round quiz that tested their knowledge of Spanish and French grammar and vocabulary, as well as their general European knowledge.

The girls demonstrated wonderful team spirit and successfully worked together to solve puzzles in French and Spanish, to understand the meanings of announcements in French, Spanish and German and to identify famous international people and places.

The competition was tough and with 14 teams competing, the girls most definitely rose to the challenge. When the results came in, LGS Team 1,

MFL Language And Culture QuizMiss Siviter with news of another successful OAKs event

consisting of Tayyba, Nour, Ezzah and Aram were awarded a fantastic fourth place. Well done!

Meanwhile, LGS Team 2 with Claudia, Sanya, Kiran and Donia were awarded FIRST PLACE and crowned regional winners of the Language and Culture Competition 2018.

A huge congratulations to the girls; an outstanding effort and a fantastic result, well done! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teams and congratulate all of the girls on their hard work and endeavour, we are extremely proud of you! ¡¡¡Muchas gracias!!! Merci beaucoup!!!

I would like to thank everyone who attended the first Parent Forum of the new academic year on the 26th October 2018. The main focus of the forum was to discuss home school communication with a particular focus on parent mail and the school website.

The items discussed regarding ParentMail included the issue in delays in payments being credited on to lunch cards and the lack of notifications if the balance was low. This has now been investigated and any top ups made should be on the system within 2 hours and a warning message sent to inform if the balance is low. Regarding the school website, items discussed included providing more information in the curriculum section about the courses studied at GCSE in order to help parents support their daughters more. This information is now included on the relevant pages.

In order to improve the communication of curriculum, assessment and behaviour information, the school is planning to introduce the SIMs Parent app from April 2019. This will provide a more user friendly, easier to navigate environment to access the information and thus replace the Learning Gateway currently being used for this function.

To read the full minutes of the meeting, go to the school website/Your LGS/Parents then click on the link ‘Parents’ Forum Minutes’.

If you have any items that you would like the school to discuss in more detail in a future Parents’ Forum meeting, please contact me on l.finucane@lordswoodtrust.co.uk

The next Parents’ Forum meeting will take place on Thursday 14th February 2019 at 8:00am.

Kirkland Rowell SurveyIn the new year, the school will be commissioning a whole school survey known as the ‘Kirkland Rowell Survey’. Already used by almost 3,000 state and independent schools in the UK and abroad, Kirkland

Parent VoiceMrs Finucane with news from our parents’ forums

In Year 8 English lessons this term students have been exploring poetry derived from a range of eras, cultures and forms. They have also been reading a wide variety of corresponding fiction and non-fiction prose to hone their skills of analysis and inference. In addition, students have had the opportunity to emulate the style of some of the poets studied through their own work as seen below. Here students used the form of a praise song, and in particular, Grace Nichol’s poem ‘Praise Song for My Mother’ as inspiration for their own work.

You areSummer to me,Joyful, boisterous and tranquil.

You are A brownie to me,Hard yet soft and protective.

You areThe London Eye to me,Caring, guiding and an angel.

You areCherry blossom to me,The sunshine yellowness,The menacing rain protecting her daughter Re-establish, Re-establish

Aim for gold you repeated.Muslima Faraz

Praise Song for My NanYou were lemonade to me

fizzing and bubblyYou were music to my ears

homely to me

LGS’ Year 8 PoetsA selection of poems from the English Department

Rowell Surveys provide schools with a truly cost-effective, self-evaluation solution by gathering and analysing feedback on all aspects of the school from parents, staff and students. Beneficially, this survey will help the school prepare for inspection and identify areas to improve.

All stakeholder surveys will be released after half term on 25th February 2019 and there will be two weeks available from this date in order to complete them. Parent surveys will be paper based and staff and student surveys will be online.

More information about the logistics of the survey will be provided in the new year.

soothingYou were water to me

deep and boldYou were an opening gate to me showing a pathway to a journey

presenting new adventures to meYou were like a mother to me

supporting me at all timesYou were the moon to me

providing a glistening light for me you are always watching over me

Shweta Kumari Praise poem for My Motheryou are a diamond to me beautiful and precious and priceless

you are the sun to me bright and warm and enlightening

you are a feather to me gentle and soft and calm

you are the world to memusic to mea thornless rosea shield protecting, protecting

follow your dreams you sayShavi Bir

You are Coke to me Fizzy, bubbly and uplifting

You are the sun to me bright and bold

You are the stars to me magical, shiny and always there

You are sweet tea to me warm and comforting

You arethe traffic in london never ending

You are my world ....Aniah Smith - Douglas

You are my world,You are a bright spark to me, clever, lively and funnyYou are a sunrise to me, bold, beautiful and warmYou are the stars to me, mesmerising, radiant and brightYou are a rainbow to me, peaceful, stunning and happyYou are a knight in shining armour to me, supportive, helpful and lovely

The Geography Department welcomed a new member of staff this term, Mr Linton, who has taken on teaching geography to all years. Mr Linton says that he has been made to feel very welcome at LGS and has praised the behaviour and work ethic of our students! We also welcomed back Mrs Mellor, who is working part-time within the Geography Department.

KS3 Geographers have been looking at a variety of human and physical topics. Year 7 are working on a weather and climate unit, and learning how to predict our ever changing weather. Year 8 are studying rivers and flooding events across the world, including their causes, effects and responses. Year 9s have been creating their own mobile phone companies, including locating each component of their company, and then pitching to Lord Sugar!

It has been a busy term for the GCSE Geographers with Year 11 pupils going out on two fieldtrips. One went to Carding-Mill Valley to do a river study and the second to Stratford-Upon-Avon to look at the impact of tourism. All the pupils worked really hard on the fieldtrips, despite the cold weather and some very hungry seagulls! We had some lovely comments from members of the public about the behaviour of our students whilst on the trips.

The Year 12 Geographers have made a brilliant start to A-Level study and they are really getting stuck in to all

Glorious GeographyMiss Gager reports from her department

You are the colour red to me, passionate, confident and lovableYou are oxygen to me, needed, life and givingYou are my worldNiamh Saunders

Praise Song for My ParentsYou are summer to me Warm, cheerful and uplifting

You are a waterfall to me Refreshing, calming and nourishing

You are tigers to me Strong, bold and protecting

You are flowers to meSweet, colourful and blossoming

You are treasure to me Precious, valuable and priceless

You are the birds’ call to methe moon’s face to me the universe to meIsha Mendez

elements of their course. They are looking forward to their fieldtrips!

Year 13 Geographers are preparing for their all-important final A-Level examinations and have achieved some really positive grades in their recent mock.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Geographers! Q: What do penguins wear on their heads? A: Ice caps.

We would like to start off by saying a big thank you for the support parents have given food and cookery. From organising ingredients to all of your lovely comments received at parents evening. Your support really does make a difference.

As usual the girls have been busy making lots of fabulous food dishes from apple crumble in Year 7 to salmon and broccoli pasta bake in Year 9. A particular highlight of this term has been teaching the Year 7 students; they have settled into the rhythm of the food and cookery lessons well and it’s lovely to see their confidence and skill level grow. We have lots of exciting dishes for the girls to make over the next term and we hope everyone enjoys sampling them back at home. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Christmas and New Year.

Food And CookeryMrs Faulkner and Mrs Muggleton with news from the Health Department

Health and social care continues to be a popular option with students at both key stage 4 and 5. All students are busy preparing for January and February external examinations and coursework tasks.

Highlights this term have been practical activities. In preparation for the health and wellbeing examination, Year 11 have carried out practical activities to measure physiological data which they can then interpret, analyse and use to create a person-centred health plan. Learning about systolic and diastolic pressure using digital blood pressure monitors was met with lots of giggles and laughter. Students have realised that examination preparation can be fun and we hope it helps with the retention and application of their knowledge. Other measures they enjoyed trialling were peak flow, pulse rate (when they could find a pulse) and temperature.

Sixth form students have carried out a series of role play activities. One example was taking on the role of different professionals at a multi-disciplinary team meeting. Job roles included a GP, social worker, occupational therapist and physiotherapist. Decisions were made on the best course of action for a case study involving a couple in their late eighties; the husband was suffering Parkinson’s disease and his mobility was severely affected. It was interesting to hear the students’ mature discussions when making difficult decisions. They showed excellent understanding of the importance of safeguarding, meeting specific needs of both the husband and the wife and the importance of the statement “no decision without me”. Other role play activities included filming communication skills so students could effectively analyse their strengths and weaknesses.

We have had a busy and exciting term with lots to look forward to in 2019.

Happenings In Health And Social CareMrs Muggleton sums up

To prepare for their unit on writing for media, Digital Media production students in year 12 visited the Frankfurt German Christmas Market in Birmingham to be journalists for the day. The students conducted interviews with stall holders and members of the public, to find out all about the market and its origins. The students found out some interesting information which they will use to write a magazine article. Stall holders

Journalists For The DayMrs Leadbetter explains what students have been up to

Our geographers in Stratford

A selection of the goodies made by our students

Year 7 students decorated the Christmas tree and were the most creative team ever! They had fun decorating each other with baubles and tinsel too!

Merry Christmas From Year 7Mrs Peniket on a Lordswood tradition

All KS3 students are involved in the Accelerated Reading Scheme.

Students pick books within the reading levels they are given by their teacher after they completed a STAR test, and once they read their book, they complete a quiz on the website which helps to ensure they understand what they have just read. Students need to attempt the quiz no more than 48 hours after reading the book.

Targets are set by their English teacher at the start of each term. All students are expected to have taken and passed at least two quizzes each term (with a pass of 85% or more).

As part of the scheme students are also given certificates along with prizes for milestones such as completing 10 quizzes and achieving their targets. In the school library we have a Reading Wall of Fame and a Word Millionaire board to celebrate students’ success.

As the Autumn term ends all students should be congratulated on their efforts but a special mention should go to those students who have read over one million words each!

Claudia Vuthyani 8S Harsimran Kang 9D Nicoli Tcacenco 8L Zoha Hussain 8WSimran Malhi 9D Haya Vardag 8L Tayyba Tabassum 9R Muslima Faraz 8GAlisha Parvaiz 8G

Also well done to Lucy Gwilt 7S (eight quizzes) ,Eloise Pitts 7G (five quizzes) and Isabelle Dolton-Konur 7L (five quizzes) who have 100% pass rate in all their quizzes.

Finally congratulations and well done to the following KS3 review groups who are currently top of their year group leader board. 9D Mrs Hughes 7,158,366 words7S Ms Rodriguez 4,723,228 words8L Mrs Douglas 7,142,919 words

Accelerated ReadingMrs Ashford with the latest scores

were asked, for example, where they came from and how long they had been coming to Birmingham. The students were surprised to discover that many of the stall holders were not, in fact, from Germany but came from all over Europe; they also discovered that the stalls are kept in storage in the UK when not in use.

The creative team decorating the tree

Well done to the winners of the Year 7 story writing competition, Malayeka Mirza, 7L, and Francheska Mills, 7L, who wrote engaging endings to a story from the book, ‘Uncle Motague’s Tales of Terror’.

Budding AuthorsMore congratulations for Year 7

A small but dedicated group of Year 9 and 10 students have been planning and organising activity sessions to deliver in local primary schools.

We are due to run the following extra-curricular clubs:• Rounders at Abbey Junior school in the spring term • Dance at Harborne Primary in the summer term• Multi-skills at Our Lady of Fatima primary in the

summer term

We have been practising and refining our skills in preparation, as well as learning new information about traditional dances of Europe! New members are always welcome, so if anyone would like to develop their leadership skills and lead sports activities in local primary schools, please come along!

Sports Leaders ClubMiss Hart’s next generation of coaches

Should your daughter be prescribed medication which is to be taken during school hours, please note that we will require a parent to sign our form of authority before medication is given.

Please contact the school office if you require any further information.

Thank you.

Medication Reminder For ParentsAll parents please take note

The Year 7 students thoroughly enjoyed a visit to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Monday, 17th December. The set, costume design and acting were outstanding and Cindy Agbanrin and Poppy Bigner-Golder said, ‘It was magical!’ Some of the students, and Mrs Peniket, Ms Tooley and Ms Baxter were particularly thrilled to see Toto walking out of the theatre, and he got lots of hugs, strokes and kisses from his adoring fans!

We’re Off To See The Wizard!Mrs Peniket on a fantastic show at the Rep

Visit from Queen Mary, University of London The Director of Admissions and Recruitment for the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London, Patrick Higgins, spent the day at Lordswood Girls with six undergraduate history students. Queen Mary is receiving an increasing number of applications from the West Midlands and a number of their undergraduates are already from the Midlands.

The visitors spent the morning in the Sixth Form Centre running a UCAS personal statement clinic, where the university students gave advice about the UCAS application process more generally.

Patrick and his students then spent the afternoon with the Year 13 history class. They spoke about studying history at Queen Mary and were able to help students prepare for their coursework. Our students were incredibly grateful for the expertise Patrick and his students were able to provide.

Patrick was a student at Lordswood Boys and was thrilled to be back in the area. We look forward to seeing Patrick and his team again next year!

Happenings In HistoryMiss Rahim sums up what’s been going on in the History Department

Seminars on essay-writing at Newman UniversityThis half term the History Department took the Year 13 historians to Newman University for two talks to aid the students in writing their history coursework. The first talk was from Dr. Juliette Harrisson, who is a lecturer at the university, specialising in Ancient Greece and Rome specifically ancient dreams and has written a book named ‘Dreams and Dreaming in the Roman Empire’. Juliette’s more obscure specialism allowed the students to understand the importance of primary and secondary sources and how both should be incorporated into their coursework. The second talk was from Dr. Christopher Langley who is an Early Modernist at the university. Chris spoke to the students in greater detail about how to use interpretations to form a personal judgement in their coursework for the very top marks.

Following the trip, all of the history students were very positive about the talks they had received and how they could use the skills discussed in their coursework. Students participated enthusiastically in both talks, with some very interesting questions coming from Head Boy, Stefan So. Students clearly gained from the day, with one aspiring to do a doctorate and two thinking about applying to Newman for their history degree after Lordswood. We have formed a solid link with the History Department at Newman University and look forward to visiting again at Easter time with some Year 10 students.

Returning to the History Department after the Christmas breakFrom the 14th January, we will be running revision sessions for Year 11 students every Monday after school from 3-4pm in F6. Please collect letters from your teachers and return permission slips to FA2.

History Movie Club will be returning to F6 every Wednesday lunchtime first week back.

Congratulations to Nikhita Daley, Esha Doal, Zahrah Azeem, Esha Doal, Amanpreet Johal, Taksima Khatun, Keshef Maqsood, Sajida Mohamed on completing their Birmingham University Forward Thinking programme.The students have taken part in a number of activities from Year 8 to Year 11. Their journey started with a launch event in year 8 followed by a subject taster and university experience day in Year 9 and mentoring sessions in Year 10.

The culmination was the celebration event on 5th December where students took part in a workshop on ‘Becoming a Successful Learner’, a lecture on

Forward Thinking CelebrationMrs Healey with congratulations to some of our Year 11s

Toto the dog with his fans!

Students at the Forward Thinking event

‘Space Weather’ and a very entertaining talk from a motivational speaker. Parents joined the students for a buffet and to see them receive their certificates from the Birmingham Forward Thinking programme.Congratulations and well done!

AthleticsOn Wednesday 5th December six students from both Year 7 and 8 went to the ‘Birmingham School Games Sports Hall Athletics Competition.’ Both teams performed extremely well, showing excellent sporting prowess and great team spirit. They participated in a range of indoor track and field events, including 100m sprint, sprint relay, 400m, obstacle relay, vertical jump, ball throw, standing long jump and triple jump. The year eight results were pleasing with a third place finish overall, and the year seven team did incredibly well, losing out on 1st place marginally, scoring 104 points compared to the first place winners who scored 114 points.

A huge well done to both teams for representing the school so well.

NetballOur netball season is almost complete with 14 games having been played across both our Year 8 and 9 squads. This academic year, our Year 9 have had the challenge of playing within division one, after having been moved up from division two after last year’s excellent results. They have been working hard at training and had a tremendous victory against King Edwards Five Ways on the 3rd of December.

The Year 8 netball squad (including a number of Year 7 students), competing in division two, have won every match they have played so far, showing an outstanding understanding for the game, ability to play numerous netball positions successfully, all with a very strong team rapport. With two matches still remaining, here’s to hoping they maintain their undefeated title!

Sporting Round UpMrs Vine with news from the PE Department

Later that evening we held our annual Sixth Form Open Evening to welcome prospective students to Lordswood Sixth Form. The evening was a great success thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of both staff and students and the number of applications received for the sixth form is already up by 40%. Head Boy Stefan, and Lilly and Amrit, members of the student leadership reflect on their involvement in the event:

“The open evening for the Lordswood Sixth Form Centre was a wonderful and heartwarming event. It was amazing to witness hundreds of prospective students accompanied by their lovely family members, attend the LSFC open evening. I was extremely pleased to see that

It has been an incredibly busy term in the sixth form for staff and students. We have moved into the sixth form block and are enjoying the excellent new facilities we now have. Here is a flavour of some of the events that have taken place since September.

Sixth Form Centre and Sports Hall Grand Opening - Thursday 22nd NovemberSpecial guests, Year 11 prefects and School Council Reps and members of the sixth form were all invited to attend the grand opening of the sixth form block by Preet Gill, MP. Guests were treated to a fantastic buffet and a gymnastics display in the sports hall. Head Girl Amrita tells us all about it:

“The Lordswood Sixth Form Centre grand opening proved to be an enthralling and vivacious afternoon. We were fortunate enough to have Preet Gill, our Labour MP, to do the honours of cutting the ribbon and opening the beautiful new sixth form block and sports hall., Mrs Götschel then went on to give our guests and students a warm welcoming presentation. Overall the LSFC grand opening was a successful and memorable day.”Amrita

News From The Sixth FormMrs Leadbetter, Director of Post 16 Studies, rounds up the autumn term at the Sixth Form Centre

Preet Gill MP alongside two of our sixth formers

many students currently in the lower years attended the open evening, as well as many external students who seriously consider LSFC as a place to realise their academic aspirations. The evening filled my heart with delight as I saw that guests who attended the open evening were from a diverse range of different cultural backgrounds, which proves that LSFC has truly become a welcoming place for all. During the open evening the entire sixth form building was open for tours, where those guests who were interested in our brand new building were given a tour accompanied by one of our student tour guides. The evening also included many subject related displays which included detailed leaflets and engaging activities based on every subject currently offered at LSFC. Many specialist sixth form staff were also present to answer any enquires that our guests had about the range of subjects we offered, our values and principles, as well as what sixth form life entails in general. All of which were satisfied with thoughtful and in-depth responses by staff and students. On the evening as Head Boy of LSFC I was able to give a personal perspective on why I chose to further my academic studies as Lordswood, and why I truly believe that studying at LSFC is indeed the right choice for anyone who wants to exceed their potential and realise their ambitions. Finally, I would just like to mention that the evening ended with warm words and joyous laughter, and that I look forward to seeing many of the friendly faces that I encountered during the new intake induction event at the end of the this academic year.”Stefan

“Being part of student leadership has given each member of the team a new insight into our participation within Lordswood Sixth Form. This was extremely evident at our open evening event, in which we all took on dedicated roles to present our sixth form community to new parents and students in both an academic as well as social light. From being tour guides to giving a welcoming greeting, each member of our team collaborated to bring out the best in our Lordswood Sixth Form community.” Lilly and Amrit on behalf on the Sixth Form Student Leadership Team

Year 11 students who wish to apply for the sixth form can do so via the school website: lordswoodgirls.co.uk/sixthform

Social and Charity EventsWe ended the first half term with a sixth form social which involved students from both year groups working in teams in a bench ball tournament and music quiz. It was great fun and we saw some great teamwork. There have been lots of other great social events and the students in the sixth form have done an amazing job supporting local charitable causes.

Sixth form students with the amazing amount of donations for Bags for Brummies

Bags for BrummiesOver the past couple of weeks, both Rimsha and I partnered up with the form 12.2 to raise money for a local charity of their choice. The charity which they chose was called Bags For Brummies, and this Christmas they will be providing the homeless with the necessities to get through winter, such as food, clothing and sleeping bags. We would like to thank everyone, on behalf on 12.2, who helped raise funds and brought in donations as now the charity will be able to continue providing for those needy people from within our community this Christmas. If it wasn’t for 12.2’s enthusiasm for the charity, we would not have been able to raise over £300 in donations alongside multiple bags full of warm clothing and daily essentials such as toothbrushes and sanitary products.

Last Tuesday, four students from 12.2 along with Rimsha and myself went to deliver the donations to the organisation personally. To say we felt proud of how much we had helped the charity within just a matter of a few weeks is an understatement. 12.2 should feel an immense sense of fulfilment for this rewarding action they have taken part in. Lastly, I would like to give a huge thanks to 12.2’s form tutor, Ms Holmes for supporting us greatly during the duration of this process.Harmeet Year 13

With the donations at the Zelig building in Birmingham

BowlingI found the social event to be a lot of fun and a good experience as it helped me strengthen my relationship with fellow sixth formers in an external, more casual environment. Due to this, it helped us be more comfortable and get to know one another outside the classroom. Coming from Lordswood Girls’ School into sixth form was an easy transition, however for external students it may have been more difficult as it would have been a totally different environment for them to adjust to, therefore the social event was a perfect opportunity to break the ice. Tarun Year 12

Ice SkatingAs part of an end of term social event, Lordswood Sixth Form kindly arranged an ice-skating trip in which all sixth form students had the opportunity to participate. Seeing as this was the longest term of the school year with staff and students working extremely hard, ice-skating was the perfect treat to enjoy ourselves and I must say I had an incredible time! Considering the fact that I can’t even ice skate and I was sliding everywhere, I had a really good time with my friends. Not only this, ice-skating was a great way to socialise with other people from the sixth form as it allowed us to engage more with one another whilst having fun. Amreen Year 12

Study Abroad UK StudentsThis year we have welcomed two students into the sixth form as part of the Study Abroad UK programme. Mahlet has joined us from Ethiopia as a full-time student and will complete her A levels with us. Miriam, who joined us from Slovakia, will sadly be leaving us to return home in January. We have loved having her as part of the sixth form community and wish her well for the future. Here she shares with us her experiences.

In the first place, I would like to explain why I decided to come and take a half-year stay in England. The world is big and I think in every person there is something that wants to make them explore this world. I always dreamed about going to another country and study there. My dream came true when my parents agreed for me to go to England. It was not as easy as it seems, though, but I think it was worth it to solve every obstacle that stood in my way. For me the priority was to improve my English skills but I got something more. My stay started on 8 September 2018 when I came

Sixth form students enjoying an afternoon bowling

to England and was assigned to the family and school that my agency selected for me. At first, it was a big surprise for me as I was staying with an Indian family, so a culture that was completely different from my own. A lot of things were new for me as I come from a small town with only 8,000 citizens. Birmingham is a huge city with lots of different people. I could meet these people in my school. I like the cultural diversity at school and the way the people accept each other. My first impression was very positive. Staff and students were really nice, everybody tried to help me in any way. I had chosen 3 subjects: Fine art, Media studies and English literature. I was open to any subjects because we do not have some of these subjects in Slovakia. For example all of the subjects I chose I cannot study in my country so I wanted to try something new and different. Also the school system is completely different from the Slovak school system. Our school system is more focused on marks we get from each exam. Here in England it is more about the knowledge you get. I learnt to do my best at exams and focus on my own satisfaction of the overall result gained than on the mark I get from an exam. I have learnt a lot in every subject. Media studies helped me to understand the world of technology and computers but also how to understand the mentality of people who work in these environments. English literature showed me part of English culture through ´Othello´ and I also learnt (tried to learn) how to write a proper english essay. And for me the best subject was Fine art. I have never tried so many art techniques as I have tried at these lessons which I am really grateful for. Besides studying, I have also found some amazing friends. Lordswood Sixth Form Centre also offered me a community of people who care about the world. We had some charity events which I really appreciated because this gives young people an opportunity to do something for the world. Of course, this trip was not always easy but this is what adventure is about. I would never have met these people if I did not travel so I just want to encourage you to travel, to explore, to get to know new people and new cultures. It always gives you more than you expect. Miriam Vojtechovská

Feeding the HomelessMrs Waraich, Miss Richards and six Year 12 students joined the volunteers from Midland Langar Seva Society on a cold Tuesday 4th December to help members of the charity ensure that the less fortunate had a warm meal that evening. The volunteers describe the experience as ‘a real eye opener’ and said that volunteering to support the charity was incredible. Students got a chance to see how this wonderful charity helps those in need and how committed they are to helping those who are less fortunate.

On December 18th, the Year 13s also participated in volunteering for the charity.

Tues 26th - Year 9 options deadline Feb

Thurs 28th - Year 7 integrated learningFeb day

Fri 1st - - Ski tipFri 8th Mar

W/C 18th - Year 10 examinationsMar

Thurs 21st - Year 8 Parents’ EveningMar 4 - 6pm

Fri 5th - End formal teachingApr Year 11

W/C 8th - Year 11 practicalApr examinations

Fri 12th - School breaks up for Apr Easter

Mon 15th- - Easter holidaysFri 26th Apr

Mon 29th - Summer term beginsApr

Mon 7th - Spring term beginsJan 2019

Thurs 10th - Year 11 Parents’ EveningJan 4 - 6pm Tues 15th - Whole school PSHE day Jan

W/C 21st - Year 9 examinationsJan

Thurs 7th - Year 9 Parents’ EveningFeb 4 - 6pm

Fri 8th - Year 9 immunisationsFeb

W/C 11th - School production weekFeb

Thurs 14th - Parents’ Forum 8 - 9am

Fri 15th - School breaks up for halfFeb term

Mon 18th - - Half term holidayFri 22nd Feb

Diary Dates

From everyone at Lordswood Girls’ School, we wish you a

very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Before going to the NEC we were constantly told how beneficial the World Skills Show was but we never truly believed it until we arrived. Attending the show was one of the best choices as we had numerous opportunities to talk to workers from a huge range of job sectors from business marketing to forensic scientists. Talking to people who were in my position not too long ago was truly an eye opener to the vast amount of opportunities

World Skills ShowSixth form students Lucky and Maya on a valuable trip

we are given at our age. We were also given useful advice on how to achieve our goals and how to maximise our chances of getting our ideal jobs in the future.

The highlight of the World Skills Show by far, was when we had won an apprenticeship at one of the biggest companies in the world (the Coca-cola company). Receiving this once in a lifetime opportunity felt like I was finally getting somewhere in what I want gain from my sixth form experience. For someone like me who is considering business, this experience will help me shape my future and what I want to pursue.