Weekly Message 239 – 4 October 2024
4th October 2024
We pride ourselves on the wealth and variety of activities available to pupils as part of our extra-curricular provision. Many pupils have signed up to these clubs and activities across the school and it is something we encourage all pupils to do. Whether it is subject related to practise and consolidate learning or something completely different to develop new skills, pursue an interest and enrich their experience at school, we hope that there is something for everyone. We ask parents/carers to encourage their child to participate in extra-curricular activities and to have the courage to participate, perhaps, in something new. Please see our website for the full timetable.
The full school’s calendar is accessed via our website, but we remind parents and carers here that the school is closed to all pupils on Friday 25 October 2024 as this is an INSET Day.
Here’s what has happened this week …
Red Spider Climbing Trips
On Monday, Year 10 BTEC Sport pupils visited the Red Spider Climbing Centre. This indoor facility caters for climbers of all skill levels, featuring a range of climbing walls suitable for both beginners and experienced climbers.
The trip was filled with excitement and challenge, especially for pupils who were climbing for the first time, reaching the top of the walls. Teamwork played a crucial role as classmates supported one another, cheering each other on throughout the climbs. Overall, our pupils left the centre feeling accomplished, energized, and eager for more climbing adventures in the future.
Art Exhibition
On Tuesday, we hosted our annual Arts Exhibition to celebrate the amazing art, photography, and graphics work from the Class of 2024. Past pupils, their families and friends were treated to a real feast for the eyes.
We were incredibly busy, and it was lovely to hear the pupils talking through their own work with their families. We were also delighted to be joined by some of our Year 10 Hospitality and Catering pupils who, along with the rest of their class, prepared and provided an array of delicious canapés for the event which were a triumph.
The quality and quantity of work on display was testament to the hard work and dedication of these pupils, many of whom have continued their creative journey in further education. Pupils across the school have also had the opportunity to visit the exhibition during their Art lessons or during break times, engaging in conversations with their Art teachers with an insight into the breadth of the experiences on offer to our pupils.
Art Exhibition Catering by Year 10 Hospitality and Catering Pupils
The Year 10 Hospitality and Catering pupils had the pleasure of catering for the GCSE Art exhibition on Tuesday. A range of sweet and savoury canapes were on the menu and included mini eclairs with a caramel glaze and caramelised onion, thyme, and garlic tartlets. This was their first catered event and whilst there was a sense of trepidation at the start, they excelled!
Being part of a kitchen brigade requires teamwork and strong communication skills and we saw this throughout the preparation, cooking, and the presentation stage of the dishes. Some of the pupils volunteered to serve the canapes at the exhibition to showcase the fruits of their labour, and they received some very positive feedback from guests, staff, and governors. Well Done! Looking forward to our next event.
Art Club’s Autumnal Rag Wreaths
For the past few weeks Art Club members have been busily making a substantial amount of mess in the Art Department! We have been making use of the generous donations from the Cams Hill community by making autumnal rag wreaths from fabric.
We started with making the wire hoop and learning how professional sculptors use various wire wrapping methods to create strong armatures. We then began joyfully ripping and cutting up lots of fabric to attach to our hoops. This week we finished up our wreaths by glue gunning on embellishments, such as leaves and felt acorns.
Well done to everyone who created a beautiful rag wreath – they are all unique in colour, size and style. Next week we will move onto some Halloween crafts. We have plaster painting and felting coming up to celebrate the spooky season.
Art Club is held in Art2 on Wednesdays, 1500-1545, for pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9.
Sports Results
Year 9 football drew against Portchester- 4-4
Year 8 netball won against Portchester 16-5
Year 9 netball won against BrunePark 19-3
Year 11 football drew with Portchester 3-3
Year 10 netball won against Henry Cort 30-21
Menu w/c 7 October 2024
This week the Chef’s Pod will be Omelette and we will be featuring Oreo Milkshake on Friday.
- NEW Chef’s Pod dish…. BBQ Pulled Pork Bao Bun with Asian Inspired Slaw + Potatoes
- As requested by pupils, decaffeinated Cup of Tea for 85p available during lunchtime from the kiosk. (Hot drinks are not allowed in the building so must be consumed outside.)
- Gooey Chocolate Brownie
Whole School Letters Published This Half Term
Below is a list of letters emailed to all parents/carers this half term together with the date and time they were sent. If you are unable to find any of the communications, please email office@camshill.com and we can send you a further copy.
Digital Theatre – 4/10/24 0906
Late Start for Pupils on 27 September – 25/9/24 1101
We Will Rock You – 24/9/24 1016
School attendance – 18/9/24 1801
First completed week back – 17/9 1330
Proposal to build secondary school in Whiteley – 6/9/24 1136
Photo permissions – 5/9/24 1042
Punctuality to school – 4/9/24 1306
Uniform for Thursday 5 September – 3/9/24 1101
Start of Autumn Term – 30/8/24 1031
Summer mailing – 28/8/24 – 1354
Statistics
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 10.645 points
Year 8 12.643 points
Year 9 11.437 points
Year 10 8.779 points
Year 11 8.780 points
Attendance
This week – 94.1%
Same week last year – 92.9%
MathsWatch and Educake
These are two online resources that we expect pupils to be accessing routinely with homework set by teachers and independently to support their progress in Maths, Science, and other subjects. We ask parents/carers to check in with their child to see whether they are accessing these resources routinely and to encourage the best use of them.
If there are issues with access, please bring this to the school’s attention as soon as possible so that we can help.
MathsWatch
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
| Year 7 | 16.5 questions |
| Year 8 | 11.0 questions |
| Year 9 | 11.6 questions |
| Year 10 | 31.9 questions |
| Year 11 | 12.8 questions |
Over 50% in Maths Homework
| Year 7 | 68% |
| Year 8 | 74% |
| Year 9 | 80% |
| Year 10 | 60% |
| Year 11 | 66% |
Over 75% in Maths Homework
| Year 7 | 66% |
| Year 8 | 62% |
| Year 9 | 64% |
| Year 10 | 32% |
| Year 11 | 39% |
100% in Maths Homework
| Year 7 | 54%* |
| Year 8 | 37% |
| Year 9 | 38% |
| Year 10 | 6% |
| Year 11 | 13% |
*For example, this figure means 54% of Year 7 got 100% in their homework tasks.
Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages.
Maths Homework Club is open to all Years on Wednesdays in ICT2 until 4pm.
Year 11 Maths Revision on Mondays – see schedule in Maths classrooms for details.
Maths Assessment dates for Autumn term
w/b 7 October – Year 9 – non-calculator paper
w/b 14 October – Year 8 – non-calculator paper
w/b 21 October – Year 7 – non-calculator paper
4 November – 15 November – Year 11 – three mock papers, one non-calculator
w/b 2 December – Year 10 – 2 papers, one using a calculator
w/b 9 December – Year 9 – calculator paper
w/b 16 December Year 8 – calculator paper
w/b 16 December – Year 7 – calculator paper
A revision list will be published a week before the assessment to support with homework preparation for the test.
Assessments will be marked by the class teacher and then feedback will be given in class along with a pupil feedback sheet to support future learning.
Calculators and other equipment for sale
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculators can be bought via Scopay and collected from the Finance Office. Prices of these and other items for sale are shown below:
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculator- £9.00
Pre-packed pencil case – £2.50
Pair of compasses – 29p
Protractor – 9p
100 blank flashcards – £1.00
A range of GCSE Maths revision materials for KS4 use – See Scopay for details
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 40.08 questions
Year 8 27.24 questions
Year 9 56.32 questions
Year 10 71.03 questions
Year 11 84.92 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 337 questions
Year 8 132 questions
Year 9 350 questions
Year 10 313 questions
Year 11 310 questions