Term 1 Newsletter

October 2023

Headteacher welcome

As Term 1 draws to a close, I know that you are all looking forward to a well-deserved break and spending quality time with your children. This term has been incredibly busy but so positive. I’m very proud of what we have achieved this term at Cornwallis. Students have settled back into school life fantastically well and made excellent progress this term, which is testament to their hard work and resilience. 

Have a relaxing half term and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday 6th November.

Take care

Mrs McMahon – Headteacher – Cornwallis Academy

 

Reminders

This year’s Poppy Appeal launches in school on Monday 6th November. Poppy Appeal collectors will be distributing poppies so please do look out for them and get your poppy from sellers in your year area.

Students of the week

Year 7 - Maria Duarte and Alex Sims

Year 8 - Riley Spice and Melina Tsatsklas

Year 9 - Rose Beaver and Jason Comins

Year 10 - Livia Edwards and Taylor Hartnoll 

Year 11 - Nathan Quinn and Sophie Turner

Sixth Form - Ben Toovey, Shreya Ganesh and Christine Phiri

Attendance Awards

Year 7 - Eddie Ambrose

Year 8 -  Chloe Cadman

Year 9 - Brooke McKnight

Year 10 -  Kaylah Cook

Year 11 - Mark Boruk

Christmas Hamper drive

Open Events

What an amazing two weeks we’ve had with our open events. On Wednesday 27th September, we hosted our annual Open Evening. Over 470 families took the opportunity to visit our school and it was a great pleasure to see so many happy faces. We also met over 200 families during our seven Open Mornings. The feedback from families has been amazing and highly complimentary. I really believe the excellent work, care and attention our staff provide to every student, is a testament to this. Thank you to all staff and students for giving up their evening and representing their school with such enthusiasm, energy and pride.

Trust Sixth Form Open Evening

Our Trust Sixth Form Open Evening, takes place on Wednesday 15th November between 5:30-7:30pm. All Year 11 Families are invited to come along and hear about the amazing courses we have to offer for Post-16 learning. With over 30 courses to choose from, we’re really looking forward to seeing you there.

Year 7 Bulletin

Dear Year 7 families,  

Students in year 7 have had a really busy term. They have had to adjust to secondary school life and make alterations in their daily routines, all students have made a really positive transition. 

There have been year group assemblies, including a reward assembly for those students who have excelled in certain subjects, we have had our school photographs taken which will be available for you to purchase shortly. There was a planned practice fire alarm drill and a lock down drill to prepare the students in case of emergency, in both drills students conducted themselves in a very grown up and mature manner. The attendance of the year group has been really good; currently 95.36%. 

Earlier in the term the students completed a CATS test to give us additional information on their abilities, this is going to be used to help set students in the core subject areas. Finally, students have been earning house points and hopefully as a family you can now access epraise to check how your child is progressing. House points can be used to purchase prizes in the epraise shop. I have a fire safety assembly planned for the first week back and there will be lots of activities taking place for year 7 leading up to Christmas. We look forward to seeing your children again on Monday 6th November 2023. 

As term 1 comes to an end, please could you check the following over the 2 week half term to ensure all is in place for when the students return for term 2: 

 

 

Thank you for supporting us thoughout the term and for helping your child to have a really successful start at Cornwallis Academy. Please do get in touch with the year 7 team if you need any help or have any concerns. 


Year 7 Term 1 subject recognition awards 

During our rewards assembly, a number of our students were rewarded for outstanding achievement in this first term. Huge congratulations to the following students. 

 

Art Award winners: 


Science Award winners: 


Art Award winners: 


DT Award winners: 


Drama Award winners: 


English Award winners: 


French Award winners: 


Geography Award winners: 


History Technology Award winners: 


Maths Award winners: 


Music Award winners: 


Dance Award winners: 


PE Award winners: 


RE Award winners: 


Spanish Award winners: 


SMILE Award winners: 

 

Football scholarship award  

Raiden Barrow Weatherall 

 

Dance scholarship award 

Dolcie Delaney 

 

Art scholarship award 

Carlos Cheung 


Year 8 Bulletin

I would like to start off by congratulating our students on successfully completing their first full term as a Year 8 student. In our first assembly back, I spoke to the year group about our focus for the year which is to role model. I reminded the students about what it felt like to start Cornwallis as a year 7 student and what I would like to see from them to ensure they can help support our younger community to become as settled as they did. We spoke about our conduct, our presentation and how we support one another in the community. This is something we are aiming to continually promote as we work our way up through the years. The awards evening I spoke at this term was a glowing example of how mature and fantastic our year group can be. The awards were very memorable for many reasons and I was just so proud to present the awards to our amazing students as really they did role model themselves impeccably.

 

As term 1 comes to an end, please could you check the following over the 2 week half term to ensure all is in place for when the students return for term 2:

 

School uniform: Please could you check over your child's uniform over this half term period to ensure all is accounted for. Blazers are a compulsory part of our school uniform and must be worn at all times whilst in the building and school shoes must also be smart and presentable. If for whatever reason your child does not have any of their uniform for school, please can you ensure this is communicated to us with the reason either by note, phone call or email. Also, please could you ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child's name so that should any go missing we can ensure they are returned.

 

School equipment: Please could you double check that your child has a full pencil case for when we return for term 2 and if any items are missing please could these be replenished. Compulsory equipment is as follows; 2 black pens, pencil, rubber, ruler, sharpener, protractor, compass and a scientific calculator (preferably a Casio fx-83GTX or Casio fx-85GTX)

 

Finally, I would like to personally thank you all for your continued support and should there be any concerns or issues about returning for term 2 that you contact us so that we can support. We look forward to seeing all the students return to school Monday 6th November 2023.

 

Year 8 Term 1 subject recognition awards

Huge congratulations to the following students below who have won an award from the following subjects this term…

 

Art Award winners:

 

Computing Award winners:

 

DT Award winners:

 

Drama Award winners:

 

English Award winners:

 

Food Technology Award winners:

 

French Award winners:

 

Geography Award winners:

 

History Technology Award winners:

 

Maths Award winners:

 

Music Award winners:

 

PE Award winners:

 

RE Award winners:

 

Science Award winners:

 

Spanish Award winners:


SMILE Award winners:

 

 

Football scholarship award

Freddie Tarling for his excellent dedication and focus.


Dance scholarship award

Scarlett Allen for her excellent attendance to after school support and extra-curricular

 

Art scholarship award

Dillon Masters for his excellent attendance to after school support and extra-curricular

Year 9 Bulletin

Dear Year 9 Families,

I would like to start by informing you that our Year 9 students have had a good start to the new academic year. They have settled back in with confidence, and we have celebrated some real successes over the last six weeks. Some significant successes I would like to mention, are those students who put in brilliant effort in the Maidstone Schools' Netball tournament and those that have been working so very hard in rehearsals for the school's upcoming musical production of Oliver Jr!

Students have been recognised weekly for having 100% attendance as well as the year team identifying students of the week. Rewards have included the distribution of Amazon vouchers.

As well as partaking in their timetabled lessons, this term has been filled with events, exploration of key themes and issues, as well as extracurricular activities. Students have responded maturely to a number of important assemblies and engaged in follow up tasks. This has included celebrating International Day of Peace and exploring UK Parliament. As a community we feel that the inclusion of a strong PSHE curriculum is vital in supporting students to receive a fully rounded and diverse education. In addition to the assemblies, our Year 9 students have explored many themes including Black History Month, British Slave Trade, Sukkot and World Mental Health Day.

Following on from their achievements in Years 7 and 8, our Year 9 students have once again fully embraced the extracurricular opportunities offered to them this term. It has been great to see so many Year 9 students signing up and participating in clubs including Art, Film, Sport and Performing Arts. Our students have also continued to excel within the scholarship programs.

This term, Year 9 students once again contributed significantly to the Jeans for Genes Day and Macmillan fundraising events, demonstrating real community spirit and the Cornwallis SMILE.

Although the year group has been working well, I would like to take this opportunity to identify some key areas of focus for next term. Firstly, consistency is vital. Our students need to ensure that they attend school every day, arriving on time dressed in the correct uniform, ready to learn with their school bags containing all the necessary equipment and books. If students do not have a fully stocked pencil case or have uniform inaccuracies, please can I ask that these are rectified over half term. Secondly, it is vital that students are treating others as they would expect to be treated; this is in relation to not only their peers but also staff. Taking time to reflect on the basic expectations and their general manners over half term is advised to support students in establishing a positive mindset on their return.

The term ended with a celebration of achievements not only at Awards Evening but also during our end of term awards assembly. I would like to congratulate the following students:


Lastly, as I did last year, I would like to challenge our Year 9 students to go above and beyond to achieve something that makes them proud. Whether this is inside or outside of school I would like to encourage students to push themselves into being and achieving their very best.

We would like to wish you all a safe and restful half term break and look forward to welcoming our Year 9 students back in term 2.

Mrs Harding and Miss Stephens-Clark. 

Year 10 Bulletin

Congratulations to our wonderful Year 10 awards winners, whose names were announced in assembly this week. They have been nominated because of their conscientious approach and can do attitude to their work. Well done to all of them. I’m sure they will maintain these high standards in Term 2. Their names are….



It’s been a pleasure to see this year group begin their GCSEs in such a positive way, and great to see so many of them help departments at the Open Evening in September. A group will also start their silver Duke of Edinburgh award scheme in Term 2.


The year team hope that students have a very relaxing 2 week half term and look forward to seeing you back in school on Monday 6th November.

Year 11 Bulletin

The students have come back to school with a strong eagerness to develop and progress in their studies, which has helped create interactive learning environments in every class. Miss Edwards and I are very happy with the attitude, behaviour, and work ethic of the group, both inside and outside of lessons. I have clearly communicated our expectations and standards to all the year 11 students, and I am pleased to see that they are surpassing them. As this is a critical year for everyone, our goal is to make sure that all students have the chance to succeed and feel supported in their academic pursuits.

Towards the conclusion of term 1, we had a fantastic occasion to honour the achievements of our students in their classes. I conducted a Subject Awards assembly, where we acknowledged and commended those students who have demonstrated exceptional performance in their lessons.


Year 11 Term 1 Subject Award Winners

A huge congratulations to the following students.

 

Art

 

Computing

 

Design & Technology

 

Drama

 

English

 

Enterprise

 

Finance

 

Food Technology

 

French

 

Geography

 

Health & Social Care

 

History

 

Maths

 

Media

 

Music

 

Physical Education

 

BTEC Sport

 

Science

 

Spanish

 

Sociology

 

 

School uniform: Please check your child's uniform during the upcoming half-term break to ensure that everything is accounted for. If, for any reason, your child is missing any part of their school uniform, please inform us through a note, phone call, or email, along with the reason for the absence.


Please ensure that your child's pencil case is fully stocked for the start of term 2. If any items are missing, kindly replace them. The essential items include 2 black pens, a pencil, an eraser, a ruler, a sharpener, a protractor, a compass, and a scientific calculator (preferably a Casio fx-83GTX or Casio fx-85GTX).

 

Extra-Curricular

To guarantee continuous improvement among our students and enhance their readiness for exams and coursework, we offer a comprehensive range of extracurricular activities. It would be highly beneficial if you could encourage your child to participate in these sessions.

 

Key dates:

Start of Term 2: Monday 6th November 2023

Year 11 Parents’ Evening: Thursday 9th November 2023 (3:45pm-7:30pm)

Children in Need non-uniform day: Friday 17th November (£1 donation)

Year 11 PPE Exams (2 weeks): Begins Monday 27th November 2023

End of Term 2: Friday 16th December 2023 (Early finish at 12pm and Christmas jumper day)

 

We extend our gratitude to all of you for your ongoing support. If you have any concerns or issues regarding your return for term 2, please reach out to us so that we can support. We eagerly anticipate the return of all students to school on Monday, November 6th, 2023.

Sixth Form Bulletin

Although this has been a seven week term, it seems to have passed by quickly. I hope that your child has settled into the routine of Post 16 learning with us be they year 12 or year 13.

 

For the latter, our winter series of PPEs (mocks) begins on 27th November and runs over the following two weeks. Your child will receive a personalised exam timetable shortly.

 

A gentle reminder now that the unseasonably kind weather looks like it's about to turn, hoodies and sports style / casual jackets are not permitted. If your child is wearing any of the foregoing to school, they must be removed once in the building. This is very much in line with lower school uniform expectations and as always, I look for our students to lead by example. Your support with this is appreciated.

 

As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with either myself or Ms O'Brien. E mail is always best where possible and a reminder of our e mail addresses is below.

 

Mrs Woollett - Head of Key Stage 5 -  jwoollett@cornwallisacademy.com

Ms O'Brien - Key Stage 5 Student Support Manager - sobrien@cornwallisacademy.com

 

Finally, it was our absolute pleasure and privilege to present so many awards to our students at last week's annual awards ceremony.  To be able to acknowledge publicly the hard work, dedication and resilience our students have shown makes us extremely proud.  Well done to all our worthy winners.