CCF Challenges, Junior NBA, fitness and enterprise
Torquay Academy CCF RAF Section Newsletter
The cadets have had a really busy time in their first term learning many new skills and taking on challenges which they probably never expected.
The RAF Contingent is well underway in delivering the necessary training to achieve the Class 1 Grade cadet badge which, subject to passing a few tests, will be worn on the RAF Blues uniform that will be issued in the first quarter of 2020. The training syllabus offers the following:
1. Drill
2. The RAF
3. Map reading (To Include National Navigation Award Scheme)
4. Initial expedition training
5. History of Flight
6. Principles of Flight
7. First aid
8. Radio communications
9. Flying Simulator
10. Leadership training
11. Adventurous training
12. Field craft
To support all the cadets the CCF are launching a fundraising drive to help get some of the more interesting (and expensive) kit into school. They are starting with the Flight Simulation Hardware and Software and have a just giving page set up to help. Please can you spread the word as it would be good to comfortably achieve the target so we can put together a package which inspires the next generation of students to come along. Please share this page and support us if you can.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/TorquayAcademyRAFCCF?utm_term=eddzJJq3m
The cadets will undertaking a wide range of activities to raise funds:
Bag Packing –
When: Saturday 14th December 2019 – 0900hrs to 1300hrs
Where: Sainsbury’s (The Willows, Torquay)
Boxing Day Dip –
When: Thursday 26th December 2019 – 1045hrs for a 1100hrs dip
Where: Torre Abbey Beach, Torquay
Ten Tors –
When: Training letter will be available soon with key dates. The actual event will be held over the
weekend 1 – 3 May 2020
Where: Okehampton Camp, Dartmoor.
3 Peak’s Challenge –
Coming in 2020, details will be released next year
Please follow the link to the Newsletter below to find out more:
Ollie joins Dawlish ATC on Dartmoor
This weekend Ollie Hill, 8N, has completed his first training session for the Exmoor challenge with the Dawlish ATC squadron on Dartmoor. He hiked 8 miles on the road on Saturday and 8 miles across moorland Sunday, along with mountain biking, road marching, map reading lessons and much more, in some harsh weather conditions. He’s certainly had a busy and tiring weekend! Ollie attends Dawlish squadron Air Cadets twice a week, plus volunteers at a youth club. He completes his homework tasks in advance at weekends to make sure he is able to attend these clubs without falling behind. We are extremely proud of his determination to succeed!
Ollie arrived home safely, tired and in need of a hot bath but feeling proud!
I’m a celebrity…
fitness challenge! Our year 7 girls absolutely loved their ‘I’m a celebrity’ fitness challenge with Miss Walklin this week. They were having fun whilst being competitive to win as many stars as possible and learning the components of fitness.
CAD/CAM clocks
I have been very impressed with the quality of the CAD/CAM clocks our students have been making in Product Design. Well done Amelia and Oscar for your hard work, effort and great eye for good design!
Chow Mein!
On Thursday morning there were wafts of delicious Vegetable Chow Mein permeating throughout the school! Well done to everyone on their cooking skills.
UCAS Applications
Many of our Year 13 students have been applying to university these past few weeks. After hours of drafting and re-drafting their personal statements, researching and choosing their courses, completing the online form and having their tutors write their references, many are beginning to reap the rewards of their efforts. Offers from universities from around the UK are coming in thick and fast! 3 students (Josh Atkinson, Shannon Ottley and Codie Rees) have received unconditional offers based on the strengths of their applications! This is an exciting and nerve-wracking time for these students but we wish them all the very best of luck.
Lily O’Sullivan, Kieran Parker, Codie Rees, Jasmine Powell, Josh Nicol, Shannon Ottley, Sam Beer, Grace Gwynne, Sasha Moore, Molly Beaulah, Hannah Dale, Josh Atkinson, Thomas Gabl, Brooke Cheesmond, Emily Haddon, Maggie Foulds
Sparx Leaderboards
In Maths this week our end of cycle 1 Sparx XP leaderboards went up to coincide with the awarding of Level badges and certificates last week. As you can see from the photos the students were very keen to see where they placed within their year groups!
A beacon of best practice
Our students benefit from amazing teachers who are dedicated to improve. To support this, every teacher receives a coaching session every week. They are observed in a lesson by their coach and then they have a follow up coaching session where they look at what can be done to improve. To support this we have been working closely with Josh Bryan who runs Analysis Pro to use video analysis software; this is the same program used by many premiership football and rugby clubs (and our own football team). This week we held a conference that was hosted by Mr Littler to share our experience so that other schools can benefit in the same way we have.
Can you help us to help others?
Every year we support our local Salvation Army in their appeal to help local families for whom Christmas is a difficult time.
This year, on Wednesday 18th December 2019, every student and member of staff are asked to wear a christmas jumper (this isn’t mandatory) and bring in an item that will be donated to Torquay’s Salvation Army. Please see below what items should be donated:
Year 7 & Year 8: Tinned food
Year 9, 10 & 11: Dry food such as pasta, rice, cereal
Year 12 & Year 13: Tea, coffee and sugar
Staff: Toiletries
Please make sure that the food items are in date!
The Student Leadership Team will collect donations from each tutor group during morning registration.
Nurse visit for Year 13 Health and Social Care students
We would like to thank Angie Foulds, Senior Research Nurse, who enthralled our Y13 Health and Social Care students on Thursday with her first-hand account of the NHS, tailored to meet the needs of our exam curriculum. All of the students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of listening to Angie.
Team TA Sports Roundup
Basketball
Firstly our Under 14 team continued where they left off, having disposed of Churston GS, it was the turn of St Cuthbert Mayne to face them on home turf. Our boys were on the front foot from the start and quickly built up a sizable lead. Sonny Houlahan back after injury was controlling the game, whilst Alan Kumiega was defending against their best player as if it was the Olympic final. Both Xander Tostevin and Freddie Kingdon continued in the same rich vein of form that saw them put in man of the match performances in our last game and it was great to see how much their game has come on in recent weeks. Evan Kinghorn, Kian Bowness and Riley Houlahan are getting better and better as they play more games and it was lovely to give a first run out to Lucas Washbrook, on the day we just had too much fire power for St Cuthbert Mayne and ran out winners by over 20 points.
Next up our Year 7 team played in their first ever Under 12 match for the school in a competition called the Jnr NBA, as part of the competition we were supplied kit by Basketball England and play under the banner of the NBA team Oklahoma Thunder. This week they played against a team from Spires and the hard work they have done in training paid dividends from the very start. An excellent attacking display from Jake Green scoring 28 points and a fantastic defending display from Charlie Selby meant that the rest of the team of Matthew Oborn, Rhys Phillips, Alfie Wildy, Bailey Wright, Sam Stapleton, Tyler Stirling and James Lovell were able to play a free flowing game, passing the ball beautifully and improving their shooting as the game went on meaning we were able to run out 44-29 winners a great first result.
Finally, on the basketball front our Under 13 team were looking to seek revenge on St Cuthbert Mayne after a recent defeat and this time they did not disappoint, leading from start to finish. The boys were outstanding our starting 5 of Owen Woodcock, Josh Thompson, Evan Kinghorn, Riley Houlahan and making his debut Bradley Tarrant starting the ball rolling quickly opening up a 10 point lead, the boys that came on to replace them, Jake Green, Lucas Washbrook, Charlie Selby and debutant Cole Shobrook, continued where they left off, throughout the game the boys defending resolutely and put the ball in the basket at crucial times when needed resulting in an overall 46-36 win.
Year 7&8 Dominate Indoor Athletics
Our boys and girls were amazing at the indoor athletics, smashing the track and field events with some unbelievable individual and team performances. Both the boys and girls will now progress to the next event in Plymouth in the new year after winning the boys and girls Torbay competition.
Year 7 boys into round 6
2 goals from striker Amari was enough to take us through to round 6 in the esfa national cup, beating a really strong Ivybridge college team 2-1. The weather was horrendous and made it difficult for both teams but we showed that we had great heart to travel down there and come away with the victory. The only photo they could get was back on the bus!
Cricket
Over the past few weeks we have had a cricket development coach come in to teach year 8 girls the art of indoor cricket. This week two teams travelled to Paignton to take part in their first cricket tournament. We had picked up a variety of different skills prior to the day so we’re confident we might come away with a few wins. The girls played well on the day working as a group and making some lovely runs. We did come away with a couple of wins on the day, which was great as it was the first time we had played others schools. We will be working hard between now and the summer when we have a chance to compete again and hopefully place better second time round. Well done girls
Students of the Week
Students of the Week with me this week are: Fearne Harby, Lottie Hodgson, Rebecca Hall, Billy Robson, Kole Gjikolaj, Leo Hill
Principal Certificates
Bronze : Daisy Gibbings, Archie Cox, Orianna McCaul, Hollie Hand, CallumYeates, Sean Crawford, Ashton Lindow, Aidan Chadwick
House Stars of the Week
Year 7
Brunel – Mollie Stanion
Christie – Selby, Charlie
Darwin – Jayden Langhorn
Fawcett – Olivia Wood
Harrison – Aliyah Davey
Kitson – Damien Bratusa
Nearne –
Pengelly – Alfie Porter
Year 8
Brunel –
Christie – Penny Richards
Darwin –
Fawcett – Charlotte Long
Harrison – Ellie Chammings
Kitson – Evie Heron
Nearne – Jack Alcock
Pengelly – Fraya Hyde
Year 9
Brunel – Jonah Handford
Christie – Rebecca Lovegrove
Darwin – Kian Bowness
Fawcett – Kezia Stanley
Harrison – Jacob Mason
Kitson – Megan Bird
Nearne – Victoria Bulwicka
Pengelly – Tyler-James Nunn
Homework Stars of the Week
Year 7
Brunel –
Christie – Milo Marshall
Darwin – Nina Hocking
Fawcett – Emily McCondichie
Harrison – Marcus DeLucis
Kitson – Cole Crews
Nearne –
Pengelly – Maxwell Lee
Year 8
Brunel –
Christie – Charlotte Sweeney
Darwin –
Fawcett – Ed Fogarty
Harrison – Sam Kelly
Kitson – Freya Hawkings
Nearne – Lacee Kiff
Pengelly – Kiela Weaver-Snarey
Year 9
Brunel – Mia Burton
Christie – Katie Harris
Darwin – Hollings, Amber
Fawcett – Kye Graham
Harrison – Dominic Bearne
Kitson – Jasmine Armour
Nearne – Leo Dunkley
Pengelly – Olivia Walker
