Preview into this year’s Art Exhibition theme By: Art Club, Laser Club, Ellie Fogarty, Katherine & Sarah Padley

Summer 1

HEADLINES Hello Readers! Welcome to a packed edition of OSA Today. It has been another busy half term and I would like to put on record my heartfelt gratitude to the students and staff for all their hard work. We are now well and truly into the exam season and I hope we have prepared the students well for their upcoming exams. I would urge and encourage parents and guardians to make sure their children are revising for at least 2 – 3 hours each evening and that they are well rested, nourished and have a quiet place to study in preparation for exams. It is wonderful to see the Football Academy go from strength to strength, winning their League as well as winning the Hertfordshire School’s District Cup. Testimony to the superb leadership of Gary Bailey and Jake Knight, as also about a dozen of the Football Academy students have been offered scholarships to continue to study and play football in the USA. This is a phenomenal opportunity for some of our young people to work and study abroad. I am sure you will join me in wishing them, and all of our students taking exams this year, the very best of luck. This term will see progress at the school moving on a pace. The second half of the refurbishment of the windows, and improvements to the heating around the school begins at the end of June. We are in final discussions with contractors and neighbours in putting an application together to put to the council regarding the new proposed building work.

We say a fond farewell to two members of staff this term – my PA, Cetta Guglielmo and the Deputy SENCO, Jackie Fuller.

Jackie has supported the SEN team superbly over a number of years. She has made sure that the experience of our students with more complex needs is always of the highest quality.

Cetta has been PA to three headteachers in her time at the school. She has been at the heart of much of what the school does and has always done her work with great personality, efficiency, imagination and humour.

Both will be very much missed. My heartfelt thanks to the staff at the school for all their support and hard work. My thanks also to the parents, carers and guardians of our young people for your continued faith in the school and the love and support you provide for your children. I wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable Spring break. Mike Harpham

Headlines

Autumn Term: Summer Term: 1st September - 21st December 2016 18th April – 24th July 2017 1st September Inset Day 1st May Bank Holiday Monday 7th October Inset Day 24th July Inset Day 25th November Occasional Day Half Term: 24th – 28th October Half Term: 29th May – 2nd June

Spring Term 5th January – 31st March 2017 20th February Inset Day 18th April Inset Day

14th April Bank Holiday - Good Friday 17th April Bank Holiday - Easter Monday Half Term: 13th February – 17th February

OSA DIARY June: 6th to 17th Public Exams 9th Extended Learning Day 13th French Trip 14th Year 8 Consultation Evening

July: 1st District Athletics Year 13 Leavers Party 7th Year 12 – Work Experience Information Evening 8th Year 11 Prom 11th Year 6 into 7 = Parent Information Evening 12th School Presentation Evening 14th Year 6 – Secondary Transfer Day 15th to 16th Young Carers – Tolmers Trip 18th to 22nd Year 12 – Work Experience 19th Day of Sport 22nd Last Day of Term

Extended Learning Day

Cadbury World Year 7 students visited Cadbury World to learn about the history of chocolate and how Cadburys advertise/market their products.

Duke of Edinburgh & British Cycling

Coca Cola Factory Students travelled to Coca-Cola Enterprises located in Milton Keynes to gain an overview of their manufacturing operations. Coca-Cola Enterprises manufactures, sells and distributes over 80 different soft drinks products across Great Britain and produces around 2.6 billion cans per year. Students gained an overview of this multinational business, learnt about the manufacturing process and were provided with an insight into the science which goes into the quality assurance of their products. Students were given examples of the ICT systems used and received a guided tour of the factory floor.

Ready Steady Cook

Dover Castle Year 8 students had a fantastic visit to Dover Castle in Kent. There was so much to see and do! As well as a Roman lighthouse & Anglo-Saxon Church, students enjoyed Henry II’s Great Tower, dressed as it would have been in medieval times with interactive holograms to tell them all about it. They were able to walk the battlements on the castle roof where they met Audrey, a retired school Principal from Colorado, USA who was delighted by the students’ politeness and enthusiasm. The students also benefitted from a tour of the underground tunnels and the Dunkirk Operation Dynamo recreation as well as WWII Underground Hospital tour, complete with bombing and black-out atmospherics.

First Aid Skills

English & MFL

With the end of May comes the end of GCSE English forever for our Year 11 students, I’m sure they can’t wait! Our students are currently working hard in preparation for their final English exam, English literature. From attending lessons and interventions to diligently working through sample and mock papers, the focus, drive and dedication shown by Onslow students has been phenomenal- they even sat a walking-talking mock where they blasted their way through an almost four-hour exam in just two periods!

As well as an exam on poetry and drama assessments during the year, the English literature exam focuses on two novels, ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, and John Steinbeck’s classic, ‘Of Mice and Men’. While there’s no doubt that the students will be glad to see the back of exams and all the pressure that goes with them, it’s a safe bet that they will always fondly remember the stories and characters they encountered during their studies.

‘Of Mice and Men’ is a particular favourite of students and teachers alike, with its themes of friendship, loyalty and dreams of a better future. However, due to a change in the new GCSE specification, it is no longer going to be examined at GCSE level. This means that that this is the last year we will be teaching ‘Of Mice and Men’, and as a department, we will not be glad to see the back of this compelling tale. We look forward to continuing to teach ‘Animal Farm’ however, and welcome the many interesting changes in texts that the new GCSE brings. Good Luck to all our GCSE students!

LANGUAGE EMBASSADORS FROM HERTS UNIVERSITY. Once again Onslow St Audrey’s has been very lucky to take part in the Language Program run by Herts University. Over the course of eight weeks Robert Jarrett worked with our Year 7s on their Spanish pronunciation and sentence building skills.

Mrs Hernández says: “This is a valuable experience for our students as it helps them with their confidence when learning a language and makes it “real” as they realise they can communicate with others”.

Maths

UKMT Maths Challenges Over the past few months, students have been competing in the UKMT individual maths challenges. Under exam conditions the students complete multiple choice question papers. There are three levels to cover the secondary school range of 11 – 18, and attract over 600,000 entries from over 4000 schools and colleges.

We would like to congratulate all of our students that took part, with special mention to:

Mark Gauden for obtaining the highest score in our school and qualifying for the second stage.

Tyler Bartlam for obtaining an exceptionally good result with 113, over 75% benchmark for a merit certificate

GSCE Revision Guides Revision guides are now available to buy for the new GCSE Maths Course from reception.

New GCSE Maths Edexcel Revision guide & workbook: Higher or foundation with online edition for the grade 9-1 course. £6.00 (RP £11.98)

New GCSE Maths Edexcel Revision guide only: Higher or foundation with online edition for the grade 9-1 course. £3.00 (RP £6.95)

New GCSE Maths Edexcel Workbook only: Higher or foundation with online edition for the grade 9-1 course. £3.00 (RP £6.95)

Brain Teasers Please send your answers to newsdesk@onslow.herts.sch.uk

Easy Intermediate Hard Name the shape

If you are twice your sisters age, she is 15,

how old are you?

99% have failed to solve this! If 3 = 18 4 = 32 Then, 5 = 50 10 = ? 6 = 72 7 = 98

Science

KS2 Science Masterclass Our Science Department hosted another tour de force Masterclass for local primary schools. More than 80 year 4 & 5 students were involved in experiments using Bunsen burners and acid. Staff were extremely impressed with the behavior and talent they all displayed.

Year 12 Psychology – Strategies for Success Former OSA Student, Melissa Mountford, discussed strategies and tips for success with our current Year 12 Psychology students. After achieving fantastic exam results, Melissa is currently undertaking a clinical placement where she has been trusted with her treatment groups.

Future Doctor Brice Observes Surgery

6th Form student Brice Adusei, has gained the opportunity to observe Consultant Surgeon – Dr Tom Holme perform three gall bladder surgeries.

CDE Artists workshop at

Hertfordshire University

Year 10 students visited the University of

Hertfordshire to meet – Kate Owns.

She uses leftover pieces of fabric to

create her art; the fabrics are different

shapes and sizes and each individual piece is unique making her art so distinctive and abstract.

We designed our own T-shirts using bits of fabric and created exclusive designs and patterns of

our choice. Once we had used all of the fabric that we needed, we returned the excess for the

artist to use in another piece.

During our visit, the artist told us of conversation

between the previous artists during a workshop,

this represented the ‘leftover’ dialogue, just as she

uses leftover fabric in her artwork.

Our entry to the Hatfield Skyline Competition

Humanities & Music

The performances of three rarely staged WWI plays were delivered by FRED Theatre, a talented

Midlands based Theatre Company, and examined the issues such as morality, disillusionment and

patriotic fervour. Difficult subjects in a time when only pro-war propaganda was seen as

acceptable.

The students found the performances extremely powerful, particularly the play Black ‘Ell by Miles

Malleson and several of the students drew present day comparisons from the message of the

drama.

The performances were followed by a Q & A with the entire cast and creative team which provoked

further mature reflection and critical thinking.

WWI Theatre at University of Hertfordshire

Our Year 9 & 10 students were thrilled to

be invited by the University of

Hertfordshire’s Heritage Hub to enjoy an

evening of WWI theatre.

You can find all of our curriculum news at http://onslow.herts.sch.uk/department-news/

Sport ATHLETICS The Athletics season is upon us and we have started in a really strong way. We entered the Senior District Athletics Competition and achieved some memorable results from our squad. Dom Webb in Year 12 won the Triple Jump with a new school record of 12.68m Danny Thompson won Silver in the Long Jump, with a distance of 5.75m which was the same as the Winner. Unfortunately, he lost on countback as his 2nd jump of 5.71m was 2 cms less than the Winners 2nd Jump We then had 4 bronzes from Emmanuel Fambisai 8.59m in Shot Put Emmanuel Fambisai 30.05m in Javelin Danny Thompson 1.58m in High Jump Relay Squad Danny Thompson, Emmanuel Fambisai, Dom Webb Overall the team came 4th out of 10 schools – well done boys! Further down the School the Year 7s and Year 9s have had their first Athletics Match against Hertswood, Mt Grace, Bishops Hatfield and Yavneh School with some amazing results; Highlights were: 1st Place Year 7 Tyler Garnett 200m 32.46 secs Jerome Binns Long Jump 3.84 metres Max Jackson Standing Triple Jump 5.30metres Aaran Saluja Shot Put 76.89 metres Year 9 Alex Enache Javelin 32.10 metres 2nd Place Year 7 Alfie Rastall Hurdles 14.48 secs Finlay Wheeler 200 metres 32.84 secs Relay Team 65.1 secs Tyler Garnett Javelin 14.60 metres Emma Climo Hurdles 14.82 secs Emma Climo Javelin 12.89 metres Year 9 Alex Enache Shot Put 8.25 metres Daniel Oraegbuna Long Jump 4.12 metres 3rd Place Year 7 Casey Zwager 100 metres 14.49 secs Carter Hudson-Doncaster 300metres 56.06 Emma Climo 100 metres 14.55 secs Daniel Oraegbuna Hurdles 13.95 secs Daniel Oraegbuna 100 metres 13.21 secs Adam Cook Shot Put 8.19 metres

School News

OSA Exhibit at the Cultural Festival in Swidnik, Poland!

Year 11 students India Burroughs-Thompson, Robyn Harvey-Smith and Georgina Spelman-Bates were honoured to be invited to exhibit their holocaust artwork at the international Cultural Festival

Wellfield Trust Support OSA Young Carers

OSA were delighted to be supported for the 5th year running by the Wellfield Trust. The charity donated the very generous sum of £1000 which will be used towards activities for our Young Carers.

You can find all of our School news at http://onslow.herts.sch.uk/latest-news/

OnslowStAudreysOfficial @OnslowStAudreys

In May, almost 100 students from years 7 and 8 went to the forest with The Bushcraft Company and staff from Onslow and camped out for two nights. Our days were completely action packed and included inter-active games, first aid and emergency first aid, camouflage, making para-cord bracelets, whittling using tools, starting fires, shelter building and trap making. Mr Finn and Mr Chandler were our ‘victims’ in the amazing SOS scenario where the students had to rescue them from a smoking plane wreck! Some students camped out under the shelters they had built rather than stay in their tents for a full outdoor experience. In teams, the children also prepared for ‘Tribes Got Talent’ which was fantastic and included drama, dancing and a winning performance of the New Zealand Hakka! The food was delicious and cooked in the camp kitchen for every meal. Some foods were cooked in the camp fires, cakes and bacon for example. Meals were served by the Bushcraft staff, (on your plate if you were lucky), and one night we had individual pizzas cooked in their pizza ovens. Staff were taught to fillet a salmon while the students watched fascinated but disgusted at the same time. Some lucky students were picked to eat the salmon’s eyeballs; we honestly could have given out a huge bag full!! The staff at camp were great with the students, kept them fully entertained and were completely bonkers and fun to be around. The students were also all fun to be around and it was lovely spending time with them away from school. Their behaviour was superb and it was great to see them getting stuck in to all the experiences offered. What a wonderful bunch of kids. Hopefully they were all exhausted and full of news on their return from this amazing experience. I know we all definitely needed a shower…..

CCF Expedition Training at OSA Our CCF cadets spent the night at school, as a part of their expedition training. The cadets erected their own tents in the school grounds and lived on MOD ration packs which they cooked themselves on open flames. They also learned further lifesaving First Aid skills with our trainer of choice, Lawrie Symons, vital knowledge for any cadet.

Their behaviour was exemplary overnight and they were all up early to build a fire and cook their breakfast before learning how to improvise an outdoor shelter. They were also able to practice their shooting skills before clearing their site to something approaching military ‘leave no trace’ standards. All of the Officers, CIs and NCOs were proud of the group’s efforts and great attitude. We look forward to running similar events in the future, to which we hope to welcome a new intake of cadets to share in our unit’s success. We would also like to thank Sqd Ldr’s Hillman & Keeton for helping to make the event possible.

CCF Recruiting New Cadets!

The OSA CCF will be hosting a taster session for anyone interested in joining the CCF in their unit hut on Wednesday, 8th June. Students should attend from 4pm – 6pm and parents are invited at 5.45pm for an information talk and sign up details. The CCF is free of charge and anyone, male or female, of 12 Years and over are very welcome. Please see Flying Officer Marcham or Civilian Instructor Crocker for any further details. Student NCOs Corporal Murphy or Lance Corporal Bailey are also happy to talk to potential recruits at any time.

Clubs

Library Book Club Tuesdays @ 3pm The library has now added a range of new titles to its shelves – please come and explore the books.

The Base Lunch Club Wednesday & Thursday 12.35 – 1.10pm The Base A place to come and have lunch, make friends, socialise and play games!

Computer Club Monday - Friday 12.35 – 1.10pm B&E 02

Homework

Schoolwork

Revision

Printing

OSA Community