LAT TRUST BAKE OFF!

MYP Cultural Awareness

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

Marcus Garvey

Cultural Awareness has continued to grow in the last two modules. Following the incredibly popular topic of Japan, students and their tutors have worked hard to create representations of Japanese culture. Students were given complete agency so they presented what they truly believed represented Japanese culture the best! The entries from each form were outstanding and the depth of knowledge and appreciation for the culture was clearly evident. Projects from individuals across the academy’s MYP forms included: posters, leaflets, presentations, research projects, art work comprising water colour, line drawings, and they were in the traditional style as well as modern manga designs as well. Prizes have been awarded. A selection of student work will be going on display outside the library in due course to show off all the amazing Cultural Awareness sessions taking place.

Winners of the Japan projects were: 

Jupiter: Aiza, J12 and Shanthana, J8

Apollo: Kanna, A14 and Ava, A14

Minerva: Luca, M12 and Aiza, M14

Special Mention: George and Mason, J15

Module 3 saw students vote overwhelmingly to explore Nigeria's rich culture. This was achieved by students taking a virtual tour of the country and completing a virtual school trip questionnaire as they delved into the music, art, history, food, language, music and background. Students were especially keen to listen to music and explore the nation's diverse geography.

During Module 4, students were encouraged to use the research and knowledge they gained from the wildly popular and successful World Book Week events challenges. So, every form has focused on a different culture from North or South America. They have been working collaboratively on shared documents to allow for group work so students could investigate what they found to be the most interesting or unusual components of their chosen culture.

For the next module, students have voted overwhelmingly to explore Greek culture, which should prove to be an exciting and eye-opening experience.

Happy Easter to all!

BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT

Over the past few months, there have been lots of career activities and Business engagement across the school. Students are having the opportunity to find out what is in the real world of work.

 T LEVEL MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Our T level students were offered a taster day at the Hilton Tower Bridge Hotel about the history of how the Hilton group was built, to its now worldwide reputation across the globe. The students also had work experience on the front desk, concierge and meeting and greeting the guests at the front house. They were also given a tour of the different types of hotel rooms, the back office functions and the kitchen, which were all based in the basement of the hotel. The students have thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the hospitality industry.

WELLBEING

LITERACY

WA LIBRARY

The library, warming up as Spring rolls in, has been as popular as ever. Students are turning up each and every day to study hard, do their homework and read. It has been especially lovely to recently see a massive increase in students helping one another when needed. 

ACCELERATED READER

Top AR Students - 

Number of books borrowed from the LRC this year: 6,942

LITERACY - TUTOR TIME

We are incredibly proud of our ongoing literacy tutor programme at Wilmington. Students have engaged outstandingly with the tier 2 Word of the Week (W.O.W) as well as the form reading programme. Students in all years engage with a novel with their tutor once a week as well as discuss key questions from the text which tests their oracy skills. Delicious Easter eggs and book prizes were handed out to all the literacy  tutor-time winners in each college at the Easter assemblies.

WICKED WRITERS - BE THE CHANGE COMPETITION

This year’s theme was : The Environment.

Students were invited to write a persuasive piece about any environmental issue that is important to them and many students from Wilmington rose to this challenge!  Many fantastic entries were received and we are now eagerly awaiting the competition results at school!

Here are some extracts from the fantastic writing skills demonstrated by students from Wilmington:

Extract 1 (Y7- Alyana S - Jupiter) 

“...Individuals also have a responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint and advocate for action on climate change. We can all take simple steps such as using energy-efficient appliances, reducing water usage and eating a plant-based diet. We can also support political candidates and policies that prioritise climate action and hold our leaders accountable for their actions. Let’s be the change that we want to see!

In conclusion, saving the planet from climate change requires a collective effort from us all!  We must act urgently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the changing climate, and protect the planet for future generations. 

Let’s work together to create a sustainable future!

Let’s work together to create a better climate for us all!

Let’s work together to create change!”

Extract 2  (Y10- Bedangshi S - Minerva)

“We deserve a safe future, we demand a safe future!  Is that really too much to ask? Whenever we imagine the future to be, don’t we all paint a positive image? But what if the future that is to come isn’t something positive, isn’t something bright? Environmental degradation is one of the biggest challenges we face and our future hangs in the balance. Let us reconcile with Mother Nature before it is too late! 

Today, I stand before you to address a matter of utmost concern and importance that transcends boundaries and binds us all inevitably together- our environment! We face many crucial challenges and the consequences of leaving these challenges unanswered are dire. Nonetheless, in the face of such circumstances, I find comfort in the potential and worth of our greatest asset - the youth.

As an established member of the Empowering Youth Movement, I have worked vigorously with my peers and fellow members to raise awareness and bring about the impending change that is very necessary, in order to ensure a bright future for coming generations. However, as individuals, there might be more pressing and stressful matters that need more attention. Nevertheless, why don’t you stop and consider the goal that we are all working towards, together at the end of the day: a brighter future with a sustainable environment….”

Extract 3 (Y11 - William O - Minerva)

“...At school, advocate for better environmental rights; represent the environment and be its voice to guide your community into a better and stronger place. Be bold and send letters to your local MP and persuade them by voicing your concerns about the environment. Volunteer at multiple locations around your area which aim to better the environment. 

Picture your lifestyle now; it may not be sustainable and environmentally conscious but there is a starting point to everything in life. What basic steps can you take to become more green for our planet? Switch off your lights when you leave the house, opt to use public transport, hold onto your rubbish until you see a bin. These small changes can make a drastic difference! A famous quote from a successful entrepreneur once said “The pain of regret is far greater than the pain of discipline”. Think about how we would all regret the damnable decisions we could make now that will inevitably lead us all to an uninhabitable planet. How awful would that be for all? Let’s make small adjustments so that we will never suffer such horrible and unimaginable regret of destroying the only planet that we have!

We at Youth Climate Movement strongly suggest that you begin your lifestyle change now. Kick-start your journey to becoming the greenest and environmentally responsible you can be…”

SPARX  -READER

Highest Reading Minutes in the entire LAT trust since Wilmington Academy commenced with SPARX- READER - Congratulations to all Y9 students!

Team English and the Literacy team would like to celebrate all Year 9 students for their dedication to Sparx Reader. Across both modules 3 and 4, we have won certificates week on week from the Trust; your hard work sets a shining example. Remember, reading is a journey with endless rewards. We would like to specifally recognise these students in Year 9 for their dedication, commitment, and success with Sparx Reader. Congratulations, and keep striving for success! Well done! 

Jupiter:  Tosin O

Apollo:  Kanna M

Minerva:  Rose-Marie M

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH - BRINGING TEXTS TO LIFE!

"In module 4, GCSE students had a wonderful opportunity - we watched a dramatisation of our setwork, the post 1914 play by J.B.Priestley. The play, An Inspector Calls, was nothing short of amazing! It really helped me to learn quotes and the context of the text for my GCSE exams, and I’m sure that many other GCSE students would agree. It was a new and more fun way to revise and gave us a better understanding of the plot and impact of stage directions as well! One thing in particular that I found especially brilliant was how they had someone playing three characters flawlessly. Overall, the play was very well thought out and thoroughly enjoyable!"

Y11 - Miley M - Minerva 

DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE - DRAMATISATION FOR THE Y11 STUDENTS

"The play of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, brilliantly illustrated Robert Louis Stevenson’s purpose of portraying the deep and dark secrets of the Victorian society. I loved how they incorporated the context of the play whilst also acting out the book. What also fascinated me was how the actors were able to use one person to play a variety of roles.  The production definitely helped me understand the book better and to support me with my exam preparation.  I really enjoyed the play and I’m glad I got to witness it. What a wonderful afternoon of literary genius! "

Y11 - Elyana S - Minerva

'IT WILL HAVE BLOOD THEY SAY, BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD'

"The Macbeth play was absolutely  wonderful.The actors were completely immersed within their roles and portrayed the characters within Macbeth amazingly. A scene which really stood out to me was the fight between Macduff and Macbeth which was depicted with huge amounts of emotion and passion. It was truly an interactive experience and has definitely helped me a lot with remembering the plot of Macbeth for my exams coming up. I really enjoyed the play in our lecture theatre! "

Y11 - Kara G   (Minerva)

Maths

ALL YEAR GROUPS

As we returned to school in the new year, the students have continued to bring their positive attitude to learning in Maths. With students attending revision after school and engaging in Sparx they have continued to progress excellently in Maths!

KS3

Given that we are now mid-way through the year, all MYP students have had the opportunity to complete all four criteria within our MYP programme: Knowledge, Investigating Patterns, Communication and Real-Life Application. Well done to all students with their efforts within these assessments!

A couple of key dates to make you aware of are: the w/c 6th May and w/c 17th June where students will be completing their Maths assessments for Module 5 and 6, both helping to contribute towards their end of year grade. 

As a team, we are looking forward to our Summer newsletter where we will be able to highlight the efforts made in our Interdisciplinary days later this year, in June. This is where students will be able to use the Maths skills, in conjunction with other subject areas, towards a larger project!

KS4: Y10 MATHS’ FEST!

We are thrilled to extend my congratulations to four Year 10 students for their fantastic performance in the recent maths competition. Their dedication, hard work and enthusiasm for mathematics did truly shine through, and we could not be prouder! Participating in a maths competition requires not only mathematical knowledge but also problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and perseverance. Their passion for learning and willingness to challenge themselves is inspirational. We have no doubts they will achieve great things in the future. They are:

• Divine

• Robyn

• Adam

• Sydney

MOCK EXAMS

Year 11 students have now completed their 2nd round of the GCSE maths mock exams. The students conducted themselves well during these mock exams and have been working hard indeed. Following these mocks, we hope students will continue to attend revision sessions which will be used to support and develop areas that they wish to work on. We wish all year 11 students great success in the summer exams!

NUMERACY

A huge congratulations to the year 9 Functional Skills students for their continued commitment to their course and their ever improving grades; testament to their hard work and support from their teacher Mrs Shead.  We wish them all good luck for their exams in the summer.

SPARX

Seen below are the highlights from SPARX for this module, well done for everyone's continued involvement and effort in working towards consolidating their maths skills and knowledge!

Science

POST 16 TRIP- HUNTERIAN MUSEUM 

In January this year, our IB students visited the  Hunterian Museum in Lincoln’s Inn field. The museum is part of the Royal college of surgeons. The exhibits were very interesting to our students and they thoroughly enjoyed exploring the specimens and engaging with the interactive displays. Some of our students are inspired to continue study of Biology, The Natural World and Medicine. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all as it provided the students with lots of information about animal and human physiology and medicine.

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

This module we celebrated British Science week, where students learnt about different careers science can lead to. Students  were thoroughly intrigued when they discovered that they could become ‘a cosmetic chemist’ and that this could develop into them creating their own make-up brands! 

The theme for Science week this year was TIME, and all the students were invited to produce a poster about how they perceive time. The creativity across the school was phenomenal and it was a hard decision for the science team and Mr Gore to decide on just 5 winners. Through lots of deliberation we came up with our five winners. Their winning posters will be submitted to the national poster competition through the British Science Association. 

ESPORTS

On the 20th March 2024,  the Wilmington Academy Esports League of Legends and Valorant teams won to move through to the national British Esports British Esports Student Champs SEMI-FINALS.

This is the first time two teams have progressed to this stage since we started running esports as a competitive team. A brilliant success, meaning they are now one win away from a grand final held at the headquarters of British Esports.

Alongside this, the F1 Racing team of Boris Stefanov and Freddy Ford finished with a DNF and a 9th place finish meant 2 points on the board in the race for 5th in the league with three races to go. Ending school at 5:30 pm the team raced hard on a difficult track at Baku!

Finally, our StreetFighter unbeaten champion Dani Power goes into the British Esports live-streamed finals today with a perfect record in the competition. 

Esports is becoming more and more successful and it is heart-warming to witness this high level of engagement!

MFL 

The MFL department has had a busy few months with our first ever entire cohort of year 11s taking on a language GCSE. We are so proud of our pupils for how they have risen to the challenge, especially because many of them have been attending regular revision sessions after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We are hopeful that their hard work and determination will pay off in the actual examinations next module, with the speaking exams starting off on the 29th April 2024!

The Year 7 Spelling Bee will be going ahead in Module 6 and we would like to specifically praise Caleb, Shan, Ini, Freddie, Aiza, Chim, Michael, Hazeeb, Kalani and Dom for attending practice sessions after school on Thursdays. Their dedication has been outstanding and we can’t wait for the competition to get underway!

Our year 10 Spanish students have recently written letters to their Colombian pen pals at Institución Educativa Departamental Enrique Pardo Parra, a school located in Cota, Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is an official establishment, belonging to the Secretary of Education of Cundinamarca. Our students were very excited to write their letters, sharing their experiences of school in the UK, as well as the types of music they listen to and are eagerly awaiting their replies! Our year 8 students have also had the opportunity to design and write their own postcards based on Colombian cultures. We are so proud of how open-minded our students have been and how much they have contributed to the International School Award. We can’t wait for our French students to also start writing to their penpals in a school outside of Paris.

Pupils have also been entering stories to a Flash Fiction competition at the University of Oxford. We have had some fantastic entries and have our fingers crossed for a successful outcome. 

Congratulations to:

Coral P      Y7 Spanish

George H      Y7 French

Alex K      Y8 Spanish

Charlotte L       Y8 French

Mac E       Y9 Spanish

Chloe N      Y9 French

Kaylem W      Y10 Spanish

Priscille T      Y10 French

Kara G      Y11 Spanish

Priya K      Y11 French

Finally, a huge well done to all of our students for continuing their engagement with the Languagenut platform. We are looking forward to the trust wide competition next module, however as per usual we have some of our own champions from the past two modules,they all received Amazon vouchers for their fantastic achievements.

HISTORY

Our historians at Wilmington Academy have had a busy start to 2024!

YEAR 7

In module 3, students explored what life was like in Medieval England. Through interpretations and chronicle sources, we’ve learned how the unhygienic conditions led to the spread of the Black Death. Surprisingly, some students really enjoyed learning about the gory symptoms of the plague!

In module 4, we progressed to Medieval Monarchs studying ‘Forgotten Matilda’ and her near 20 year fight during the Anarchy with her cousin, Stephen I, for the English throne! We argued whether King John was really so bad when he was forced to sign the Magna Carta? In addition, we also learned about the princes in the tower and whether we could find out if it was their uncle Richard who ordered their deaths! 

YEAR 8 

In module 3, students studied a pivotal point in British history following our exploration of the Empire; the Industrial Revolution. Students were able to investigate working conditions in factories for children. We then analysed views from different historians to make judgements on whether the Industrial Revolution really made England a better place!

Module 4 has seen year 8 students learning about the First World War. Students have delved into the causes of the first global war. They have been able to research and write wonderful essays on which was the most important; Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism or Nationalism. 

YEAR 9

In module 3, students focused on the Holocaust reading and investigating stories of Jewish families before the commencement of the war. Engaging with the personal narratives of Holocaust survivors allowed the students to make powerful connections to the awful tragedy that occurred and how acts of genocide are still affecting our world today by looking at more modern events in Serbia and Rwanda.

During module 4, we have moved to the post-war period and The Cold War. We have studied the different ideologies of the U.S.A and U.S.S.R. This has given students a taste of the 20th century history unit that those choosing to do history for GCSE will look at in further detail. Lessons focused on the Atomic bombs dropped on Japan, the M.A.D theory and just how close the world was to nuclear annihilation during the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis!

YEAR 10

Our year 10 historians have now completed their first whole unit, paper 1: Medicine in Britain which is worth 30% of their GCSE content. They have now progressed onto Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany. In recent lessons, they have been learning about the effects of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles and how this impacted Germany, leading to Hitler’s path to power. 

YEAR 11

Year 11 students have continued to demonstrate their hard work and commitment during their recent mock exams with many students outperforming themselves from Module 2! Students have now consolidated learning content for their final paper on Anglo-Saxons which means that after Easter we will be full steam ahead with revision ready for their first History GCSE exam on 15th May. The history team would like to wish Year 11 the best of luck in their exams!

YEAR 12

Students have been making excellent strides in their IB History course. They have finished Paper 1: Rights and Protests and have become experts at analysing sources. They are now completing the first part of Paper 2 : The Cold War and after Easter they will be moving on to the rest of Paper 2: Authoritarian States where they will learn how to compare and contrast the methods used by Hitler and Mao.

YEAR 13

Last but not least, Year 13 is in full exam preparation mode! They have finished their IA’s which were of fantastic quality so are now fully focused on their revision for their upcoming exams. The History team wishes them the best of luck in their exams!

ART

P.E

DARTFORD FC - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY WORKSHOP

Dartford Football Club, in partnership with Nike, Dove and Kent Police, hosted a workshop to #insprireinclusion for Women's football. Wilmington Academy had the pleasure of taking eight Year 9 girls to represent us. The day commenced with a carousel of football drills, where they had the opportunity to practise their passing, dribbling and shooting. The drills were run by the female coaches from Dartford FC and two U21 England Lionesses. They also had the opportunity to have a talk from three female officers from Kent police and write some messages about inspirational women in their life and attach them to the giant football! 

The afternoon provided the girls with opportunities to put the skills they had learnt into practice in a small round robin tournament. All the girls worked amazingly hard and I hope that they all enjoyed themselves! 

GIRL'S INDOOR CRICKET TOURNAMENTS

This term we have had a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the young female talent we have here at Wilmington Academy. We took two teams of year 7, year 8 and year 9 girls to represent our academy in an indoor pairs softball cricket tournament. For some of the girls, it was their first experience of playing cricket and after a few pointers from the Kent coaches they girls did amazingly well and made the academy proud!

We have had another positive start towards after-school clubs across a variety of different sports that are offered by the P.E. department. These consist of: football, netball, trampolining, rugby, and basketball. It is amazing to see the amount of students that turn up week in and week out to sports’ clubs across the different years. This allows us to organise fixtures and in-house competitions for the students to get the opportunity to represent the school so that they can showcase their talents and just enjoy taking part in a sport that they love. We are looking forward to offering new sports as well as seeing the numbers increase for the next module!

FOOTBALL 

During these past couple of modules, there has been an increase in the number of students attending after-school clubs since the start of the year, which has been fantastic to see! This allows the P.E. department to organise more fixtures as it is evident to see the number of students eager to get the opportunity to take part in a competitive match as they might not be able to do so outside of school. Seeing students' positive attitudes in competitions is also amazing regardless of the results. Moreover, we are really proud to witness students demonstrating their IB learning traits by being caring and communicating well with one another. 

TRAMPOLINING

This term, six of our students competed at the Kent Schools Trampoline Competition in Gillingham against other students across the county. After weeks of practice and choreographing routines at trampolining club each week, hard work and determination paid off when the students were rewarded with medals and trophies for their success! Congratulations to Oliver and Sonny in Y8 Apollo, coming first place in their categories, and to Elizabeth (Y7 Apollo), Evie (Y7 Apollo), and Grace (Y8 Minerva), coming in second place as a team. As well as Phoebe (Y8 Jupiter) for successfully completing two routines of very high difficulty. The students should be so proud of themselves. Well done to you all!  

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”  

Sonnet 98

William Shakespeare

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Thomas Edison

Return after Easter

We look forward to welcoming students back at the start of Module 5 on Monday 15th April. 

Lessons start promptly at 8.30 am.

Key Dates