Dates for your diary
- Tuesday 07/03/2023 - Yr9 Options Evening
- Thursday 09/03/2023 - DRET Secondary Music Festival
- Monday 13/03/2023 - Yr7 Lincoln University visit
- Friday 17/03/2023 - Yr10 Stamford College visit
- Saturday 22/04/2023 - SUMO - free course for parents, grandparents, carers and any adult supporting or working with children (see section below)
More calendar dates can be found on the school website here
Senior Leadership Team Update
It has been a busy and productive week at KEVI. Our Year 11 and Year 13 students have worked so hard on mock their final mock examinations. These are so important as they give teachers crucial information about what to prioritise in the weeks remaining until the real summer exams. We have one more week to go and we are really proud of the levels of effort and commitment so far.
One of the highlights of our week was Quantum Theatre giving a performance of Macbeth for Year 11, Year 10 and some Sixth Form students. This is a play we study for GCSE English and students said that the performance really helped to bring the text to life for them.
On World Book Day, staff enjoyed sharing extracts from their favourite books with students and there was a treasure hunt which involved collecting quotations from literature which were hidden in plain sight around the school. On Thursday we hosted a Cake Sale to raise money for Sport Relief and also as part of our very exciting House Championship.
Looking ahead to next week we are looking forward to meeting families of Year 9 students at our Key Stage 4 Options Evening which takes places on Tuesday 7th March from 6pm – 8pm. Please see the separate section below for further details.
Mrs S Jones - Executive Principal
Mr M Wilkinson - Acting Head of School
Live Performance at KEVI
Shakespeare's Macbeth came to KEVI on Thursday 2nd March and Quantum Theatre's compact performance was seen by Year 10, Year 11 and students in Year 12. The production was fast paced and handled the difficult staging of conflict with imagination. A soundtrack throughout added to the suspense and drama and clever use of silhouette made moments of conflict convincing.
Students were delighted with the production and Year 11 were particularly excited to see a live theatre company enact a play they know well in preparation for their upcoming Literature GCSE. It was wonderful to see their involvement in the performance, clearly understanding the plot and complex language. At times, students knew the lines so well that they were almost joining in. One student said, "I can't believe that I've been watching real live actors right here in school and not a film version! It was fantastic."
At the end, the thunderous applause from an extremely appreciative student audience spoke volumes about how much the performance was enjoyed.
Stop, Understand and Move On (SUMO) – A course for adults to help support children
We are excited to announce that, after Easter, we will be hosting a free adult course at KEVI aimed at providing the necessary tools to help children develop resilience and embrace their wellbeing. The course will be delivered by two experts in their field, Ed and Sarah Scrase-Hollamby. They have a wealth of experience in working with families and their course follows the principles of bestselling author Paul McGee in his book SUMO.
Children do not always have the knowledge and experience to deal with challenges in life that involve emotions, self-worth, resilience and confidence. This course is open to parents, carers, grandparents, and any other adults who support or work with children in some way. It will explore and share new ways to help children (and adults) navigate through life.
The course will take place at KEVI on Saturday 22 April from 10:00am to 4:00pm. It is funded by Lincolnshire County Council which means that it is completely free to attend, and there is no limit to the number of people who can come along. All we ask is that you let us know in advance that you wish to attend. You can do this by emailing Mr Riley (priley@kingedwardacademy.co.uk) with the subject “SUMO” and include in the body of the email how many places you would like to book.
Here is a summary of the four sessions that will be covered during the day and the intended outcomes of each:
Me, you and the big world out there.
In this session we will explore the meaning of wellbeing. For us and our family what does this look like? How can we be in control of this and how can we help our children be in control of this for themselves too? We will look at the importance of learning to press ‘pause’ to self-regulate, think and make good choices.
Shall we think about that?
We think a lot. We spend almost all of our time thinking, however, is all of that thinking healthy and helpful or can it sometimes be unhealthy and unhelpful? In this session we will be learning how to tell the difference between the two. We will understand how our thinking is strongly linked to our emotions and actions. We will explore how our brain works for us but can also work against us.
Let’s Flip it and it is ok not to be ok
Following on from all the thinking we have done in the last session, this session is full of simple and practical tips and tools to help use when “faulty thinking” creeps in to help us to have healthy and helpful thinking patterns rather than unhelpful and unhealthy. We will also be discussing what we need to do when it all gets too much and how this time can provide us with the valuable opportunity to make choices about how we best move on.
I can’t, I won’t, I don’t
Have you ever felt like you were speaking a different language to other people? Have you ever felt frustrated that you are not heard or really listened to? This session investigates the idea of perspectives and how these can affect how we respond and react to one another. This final session is also about looking ahead, exploring why we put things off and how we can find ways to overcome those barriers especially when we believe in the power of yet!
Values
Ambition and Aspiration
We have been busy making plans for National Careers Week which runs from 6th – 11th March. National Careers Week is a one-week celebration of careers guidance and free resources. The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people develop awareness and excitement about their future pathways.
Our ambition for all of our students is that they leave us able to create a life through deliberate choices. We know that without good qualifications and without good character life can be dictated by chance. To make choice, not chance a reality we have a duty to make sure every single one of our students has knowledge of all the choices available to them and is able to access them through qualifications and character.
We are excited to take Year 7 on a trip to Lincoln University on Monday 13th March because this is an important step in making sure all students are aware of all of the choices open to them in the future. Year 9 students have started their Key Stage 4 options process which will see them choosing courses which will unlock a future pathway for them. Year 11 students continue to prepare for examinations knowing that their performance in them will open up progression to sixth form, college, university and apprenticeships. Our Year 13 students have already made choices about their next steps.
The National Careers Week website contains useful resources which you might choose to look through together at home. There are some great conversation starters for discussions about Ambition & Aspiration: NCW One Stop Shop (ncw2020.co.uk).
Why we do what we do -Academy Rationale
We as a school are always keen to ensure that we can give a voice to all students to be able share any concerns or worries they have and not to have to remain silent. With that in mind at the start of the academic year we introduced house post boxes. These are situated in the house hub and are emptied daily by the head of house. The reason we introduced them is that we want all students to feel they have access to staff to discuss a whole host of issues and to gain the support they require.
On occasions some students find it difficult to articulate what they are feeling or lack confidence to approach staff, or indeed feel peer pressure around discussing certain issues. As a listening school we want to provide all students the opportunity to tell their story for whatever issue they are feeling, be it friendship concerns, suffering with mental health issues, being a victim of or knowing a victim of bullying, drug or alcohol related issues - literally any concern they have. These have engendered responses from students who may have otherwise not felt able to share their opinion, concern or issue.
Please talk with your child and even if they are not confident to discuss with a staff member remind them that we have the talking post boxes for them to air any concerns they may have.
We are always happy to discuss any wider concerns with parents too.
House News
Sports Relief Cupcakes
This week we held our first Cake Sale at KEVI. Students were very excited to donate to charity alongside eating lots of lovely cakes. All money raised has been donated to Sports Relief. We sold 150 cupcakes! A huge thank you to our Head Girl Finola for helping sell them.
Bullseye Quiz
Next week we have the Bullseye Quiz. House Champions are choosing a team of geniuses from their house to take part in the quiz. The knockout round quiz will earn each house points depending on how many answers they get right! Let the quiz begin!
Miss C Eyre - Games Master
Year 9 Update
As you know by the end of the month Year 9 students will have chosen their options. We have included a list of the important dates in this process:
- 03/03/2023 - Key Stage 4 options book sent out.
- 07/03/2023 - Options evening in school, 6.00-8.00pm
- 09/03/2023 - Five minute meetings with each Year 9 student and a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Heads of House or House Champions
- 21/03/2023 and 22/03/2023 - Online survey issued via MCAS to select option choices at home.
- 23/03/2023 - Students not making a choice at home will complete the form during tutor time.
Year 11 Update
Each student should have a revision timetable and should be completing two hours' independent revision per day. Please remember we have a programme of Period 6 after school lessons to support Year 11 students to prepare for their final examinations.
Saturday School
Here is the link for this week's Saturday School if you haven’t managed to sign up yet. We have three subjects on offer this week: DT, Religious Studies and History.
We are delighted to share with you the schedule for the rest of this term:
- 11/03/2023 - English Language and Maths
- 18/03/2023 - Religious Studies and French
- 25/03/2023 - English Language and Maths
- 01/04/2023 - History and Religious Studies
Sixth Form Update
Post 18 Options for Year 12
On Tuesday we had an external speaker from Bishop Grosseteste University come in to deliver the start of our next steps sessions. This included applying for university, gap years, apprenticeships, military options, studying abroad, self employment and work. It also included the progression routes into these choices which can be broken down into academic, technical or work based routes.
This was a very enjoyable, interactive session which really gave the students chance to explore whether they wanted to go to university, study abroad or take a gap year. If the choice is university, which one and how to go about it. Maybe they are more interested in apprenticeships and school leaver programmes and where to find those. Perhaps the world of work, military options and other public sector avenues are of interest.
This lead to more questions from the students as to what is out there for them and gave us this list for future sessions:
- Student finance
- Apprenticeships/traineeships
- University life, different courses available, etc.
- Self-employment
- Armed forces and the Police
- Studying abroad/gap year
Mrs P Prince - Head of Sixth Form
Thinking Ahead – My Future, My Choice
Attention Year 8 & Year 9!
- What are your future plans & career possibilities?
- What plans to do you have after you have completed your GCSEs?
- Do you plan to go on to further/higher education? If so what courses might you study?
- What career ideas do you have for the future at the moment?
In Years 7, 8 and 9 you will be learning new skills and knowledge that will give you the confidence to help you plan your next steps. This process starts with your careers education in school which will encourage you to think about your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. You will also start to make some important decisions that could influence your future career path as you will be choosing your subjects to study for GCSE. This process will begin for all Year 9 students early this year.
Each week we will show you examples of the various careers linked to the subject you are studying. This week’s career idea is . . .
KEVI Careers Support
Attendance
Attendance for last week was 91.8% which is an improvement on the previous week, so well done!
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House Attendance
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If you would like to discuss your child’s attendance or need any support with attendance, then please contact Mrs Kwee or Mrs Ziller on 01790 756704 or tkwee@kingedwardacademy.co.uk to discuss ways to support your child's attendance.
Mrs T Kwee Attendance Manager
Table Talk
How was school today?
Good.
What did you do?
Not much.
Sound familiar? They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Yet how many of us ask our teens exactly the same questions, day after day - and still hope that, this time, we’ll actually start a conversation?
This is one of the reasons that we have a table talk in our weekly newsletter. A group of students have designed a 100 questions that they believe help parents start a conversation with their children.
The link is: Can we talk? 100 questions your teen might actually answer (familyzone.com)
Number 78 on the list is, Do you think teens have it easier or tougher compared to my generation?
Perhaps we could try this over the dinner table and discuss with our teens our upbringing and the pitfalls we had growing up. Get them to discuss with us the difficulties they find as they navigate through their teenage years. Try and get them to discuss social media, peer pressure, modern technology, recreation provision, likes and dislikes, school and how that has changed over the generations.
Mr A Carrington - Vice Principal
Out thanks to the Lincolnshire Police Prevent Team for this information.
What is PREVENT?
It can be hard to know what to do if you’re worried someone close is expressing extreme views or hatred, which could lead to them harming themselves or others. Working with other organisations, the police protect vulnerable people from being exploited by extremists through a Home Office programme called Prevent.
Young people can be at a greater risk of being targeted by extremists and the internet has made it much easier for radicalisers to find and identify people who might be easily influenced.
In Lincolnshire, last year most of the cases referred to Prevent related to young people and one of the biggest concerns was online activity including the sharing of extremist information.
Friends and family are often the first to spot worrying changes taking place. These can be big or small changes that take place very quickly or over a longer period. Trust your instincts and if you’re concerned seek advice.
ACT Early provides advice on the risks of radicalisation, spotting the signs and what to do if concerned.
ACT Early | Prevent radicalisation: https://actearly.uk
Homework
Why we do homework the way we do at KEVI
At KEVI we use homework to support pupils in retaining knowledge and key facts which are essential to academic success in the subject they are studying.
Prep homework has been designed using research informed strategies including: spaced retrieval, interleaving and chunking of information. This method allows pupils to begin the revision process from the outset of Year 7 meaning that by the time pupils reach their GCSE examinations they have been revising for five years and developing effective revision techniques.
Each student has a homework folder which contains a homework exercise book and a set of knowledge organisers which are used to complete homework activities. The exception to this is maths where at KS3 and KS4 they will complete work on Sparx.
The process has been designed to be simple for students to complete and parents to support with:
- Draw a line with a ruler and pencil every six lines down the page to create five boxes on the page.
- At the top of the page, write the name of the subject being studied and the date then underline both with a ruler.
- Spend two minutes reading and re-reading a section of the knowledge organiser (this will be prescribed by the teacher).
- Turn the knowledge organiser over and write down as much information as you can remember (two minutes' maximum).
- Turn your knowledge organiser back over and check it against what you have written, use a purple pen to tick any areas that you have correctly remembered and add in any details or corrections you have missed (two minutes' maximum).
- Repeat the process a further four times with the sections prescribed by your teacher so you have all five sections containing information and corrections.
Thank you for continuing to support your child(ren) with their homework and helping them to build revision skills for the future.
Gino's Update
Price List – March 2023
Breakfast
- Bacon roll 95p
- Sausage bap (Wed only) 95p
- Large bacon roll £1.35
- Fruit – piece or small pot 40p
- Toasted teacake 50p
- Yogurt 45p
Break
- Bacon roll 95p
- Sausage bap 95p
- Large bacon roll £1.35
- Pizza slice 95p
- Toasted sandwich £1.35
- Cheese & ham bagel £1.35
- Toasted crumpet 40p
- Toasted teacake 50p
Break & Lunch
- Salad box £1.80
- Baguettes (small) £1.20
- Baguettes (large) £1.70
- Sandwiches £1.35
- Large roll £1.35
- Small roll 95p
- Tortilla wrap £1.60
- Crusty bread roll 30p
- Fruit – piece or small pot 40p
- Yogurt 45p
- Condiment sachet 10p
Lunch
- Main meal with 2 sides £2.10
- Vegetarian main meal with 2 sides £2.10
- Meal deal (meal, cake/dessert or small drink) £2.40
- Pasta pot £1.65
- Stir fry pots £1.65
- Curry, rice & naan bread pot £2.10
- Panini £1.40
- Pizza 95p
- Jacket potato with filling £1.70
- Cake/Cookie 60p
- Hot pudding 65p
Drinks (Breakfast, Break & Lunch)
- Fruit juice carton 65p
- Flavoured milk carton 65p
- Semi skimmed milk carton 65p
- Radnors fizz bottles 70p
- Large bottles water 80p
- Large bottles flavoured water 90p
- Yazoo milkshake £1.00
Angela Clark - Catering Manageress
Teen Support
Have you had it up to here with the gossip and put-downs? Are you tired of following the dress code of your group but think you'll be dropped if you don't? Are you concerned about whether you'll still be included this year at school or whether you'll feel like an outcast — or worse, be picked on?
Whether you're on the outside looking in or the inside wanting out, it can help to know what makes cliques tick.
A Group of Friends vs. a Clique
Being part of a group can help make your day easier to deal with — and you can learn some great life skills like being a good listener, sharing experiences, and respecting people.
Groups can form around things people have in common. So jocks, goths, preps, skaters, and even the math club are naturally drawn together because they share similar interests. The people in these groups feel they have a place where they're welcome and supported, and where they can be themselves. Some people form groups from being in drama club, or liking the same music or movies, or even just because they like to hang out at the mall.
Some groups stick together for a long time. Others drift apart after a while as people develop new interests, make different friends, or just find they have less in common. People can move in and out of different groups and can even be part of several at the same time. Even within a group, people often have one or two friends they feel closest to and enjoy the most.
Some friendship groups seem pretty flexible and welcome people to join in. Others seem much more restricted, though. People in these groups make it clear that not just anyone can be part of their crowd. That type of restricted group is sometimes called a clique.
What's the Deal With Cliques?
Cliques are tight groups that usually have a strict code of membership and ways to act. Instead of being centred on shared values and beliefs, many cliques tend to focus on maintaining their status and popularity. For instance, a clique may try to make it seem like the people in it are "better" than those outside, or that their clique is higher status than another clique.
People in cliques sometimes use their power to hurt others on purpose, either by excluding them, being mean, or both. Sometimes they might insult people by trying to "fix" them or give them "makeovers." Other times it becomes more serious and someone outside the group is targeted or victimized for being, looking, or acting different.
Unlike regular groups of friends, where members are free to socialize with others outside the group, people in cliques often do everything together. They sit together in class, go to the town together after school — and they only do stuff with other clique members or people they decide are "cool."
Although people might think it's better to belong to a clique than to be excluded, many times people in cliques end up dealing with lots of pressures and rules. They soon start to worry about whether they'll continue to be popular or whether they'll be dropped. After a while, they may begin to realize that true friends wouldn't be so bossy or demanding.
Surviving Cliques
Whether you're on the inside or the outside, cliques can make your life tough. But there are ways to cope:
- Know yourself — and your reputation. Now is a time for getting in touch with your values, interests, and beliefs. If you're encountering cliques, it's a good opportunity to ask yourself some self-discovery questions about what you and your true friends give each other. Do you want to be part of a group because you need to feel accepted or because you actually share their values? Has your group of friends morphed into something you don't like? How do your friends influence the way people think about you? Does this make you feel good or bad?
- Stay involved in activities that make you feel good about yourself. If you're in a clique, don't let the group pressure you into giving up things you love or spending time and money on things that aren't important to you. If you're on the outside and feeling left out, getting involved in things that interest you is a great way to find a sense of belonging, help you feel valued, and take your mind off a group that's not welcoming. If you don't have friends at school, join a volunteer group (helping others or the environment can make you feel good about yourself).
- Keep your social circles open and diverse. Cliques can be very limiting in the way they control how members look, think, dress, and behave. Don't let them make you miss out on getting to know people who may become close friends. If you're on the outside, it can help to find a close friend or group of friends whose values, goals, and behaviours fit in with yours. The support and genuine caring you get will keep you from feeling so defenceless when the mean girls tease and bully. Sometimes just knowing that clique members are probably insecure can limit their power over you.
- Speak out. If you feel your group of friends is turning into a clique, take a stand for your beliefs. The clique might go on without you (remember those girls who feel threatened by someone else's strength). But there's also a chance that others might follow your lead and stop acting so clique-y. If it's too hard to get up the courage to speak out, you still don't have to participate in things that feel wrong. And if you're on the outside and know that a clique is bullying or intimidating others, let teachers know about it.
- Have a mind of your own. Be sensitive to others and don't go along with what you don't believe is right — even if others are doing it. You are the only one responsible for how you act. True friends will respect your mind, your rights, and your independent choices. Even if someone tells you to do something that is "just a joke," say no if you know it's not right. Try not to be intimidated. If your crush is on the "outside," ask him or her out anyway. It can feel good to mix things up a little.
Word of the Week
Affinity
Affinity: abstract noun – a close similarity between two things; having a natural liking or understanding of someone or something; the way in which two or more things go together well.
Word origin: ad (Latin) to + finis (Latin) border – bordering; closely related to something.
Humans have always had a special affinity with dogs. He thought the affinity between gammon and pineapple made them taste great together. We got on so well because we discovered a natural affinity between us.
Related words: Finite – limited in size or extend, having borders. Infinite – without borders or end.
Definite – having clear limits or borders.
Times Tables
Years 7 and 8 will be reciting their times tables to help embed them in their long term memory.
At the end of each lesson, they will stand behind their chairs in silence, preparing for themselves for the next lesson and just before they leave the whole class will chant the timetables assigned for that week.
Week commencing 6th March 2023 - we will be chanting our 12 times table.
Mrs H Johnson - Head of Maths
Accelerated Reader
KEVI celebrated World Book Day on Thursday with staff sharing their reading with students across the Academy. Students took part for their houses in a “Staff Read” quiz, hunting down facts about staff book choices. Together with staff sharing their book choices with classes throughout the day, students were enthused by staff passion about their reading and they discussed why books were chosen as being particularly influential and significant. Some great discussions about books and reading took part throughout the day!
Starting next week, we are setting the ambitious target for every student in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 to have taken a reading quiz on a book they have read by the end of term. House awards will be given to every tutor group where every student has quizzed. Please encourage your child to meet their reading target each week and to keep reading at home as well as in school.
The library opening hours continue to be somewhat interrupted during the mock exams next week. It is always open at 8:30am every morning, but students may find the library is being used by examination candidates at break times and during some parts of lunchtimes.
KEVI library books are part of the 180,000 books which have Accelerated Reader quizzes linked to them. Should your child wish to read a book from home, you can check to see if it has an Accelerated Reader quiz linked to it by visiting www.arbookfind.co.uk.
KEVI 20 WC 6th March: Period 2
Ms K Davis - Head of English Department
Credits:
Created with images by PANDA - "Many different pins on the calendar close-up. Important date. Place for text. Planning concept." • Rawf8 - "Carnival Venetian two faced mask, half black half silver on dark satin textile background," • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "woman embracing depressed woman during therapy meeting" • airdone - "What's Next, Motivational Words Quotes Concept" • VadimGuzhva - "A woman comforts a teenage daughter." • PX Media - "Options A, B, C - wooden signpost" • Artur - "Handwriting text writing Revision. Conceptual photo action of revising over someone like auditing or accounting Thick pages notebook stationary placed above classic look wooden backdrop" • cunaplus - "The defending UK" • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "young aviation personnel team with suitcases at airport" • Viacheslav Yakobchuk - "I am far from you. Teenager female keeping her eyes closed and holding telephone in right hand while standing between her parents" • Stillfx - "Teamwork" • leungchopan - "Student taking note on paper" • Mara Zemgaliete - "Mexican food Tacos" • teamjackson - "Standing out from a crowd for being different or a leader, Manager or boss inspiring a group of people with copy space" • chotiga - "Teamwork group of young people putting their hands together for showing unity" • Axel Bueckert/Wirestock - "House number "11" attached to a wall" • Pixel-Shot - "Beautiful young woman reading book at home"