Welcoming everyone back to a very busy school!
Welcoming everyone back!
It has been great to be able to welcome all of our students back into school this week. It has been so lovely to have everyone back in school – there is such an energy to the place again. I have been so impressed with how our students have come back to school and got back into the routines straight away.
Students in all year groups undertook a lateral flow device COVID-19 test on Thursday and Friday last week. This meant we were able to work in the whole school back into school on Monday for lessons. We have adapted the curriculum for all year groups to enable us to make the most of the time that the students have in school. Our academic leaders are confident that the recent lockdown will not have a detrimental impact on our students’ long-term educational goals. We were very impressed with how the students applied themselves during the lockdown.
Students returning to school this week have found the experience to be the same as when they were previously in school before Christmas. The school is still divided into discrete year group hubs. The key difference is that students and staff are now wearing face coverings in lessons as well as other indoor areas.
Students have two further COVID-19 tests to take in school and then they will join the staff in having twice-weekly home tests. Years 10-13 had their final test today and Years 7-9 will have their final test on Monday. I will be writing to parents and carers on Monday with information about home testing and students will be given their kits on Tuesday.
Fun Friday
What better way to celebrate a return to face to face Fun Fridays than with a school full of doughnuts, quizzes, bingo and a lot more!
The winner with a full house in the Yar 11 bingo was Alfie Fenn, well done Alfie!
CCF returns
This week our CCF returned with the Year 9s and 10s parading on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Performing Arts Academy back in full voice
It has been absolutely fabulous having all of PAA together in their year group bubbles again! It was a moment we’d been dreaming of over the past few weeks… the unmistakable buzz and energy of PAA all in the same room! Members should be congratulated for the way they engaged in the remote sessions during lockdown while we navigated the uncharted territory of teaching musical theatre remotely! The students were wonderful while we tackled group dance sessions in front rooms, scene rehearsals in virtual ‘breakout rooms’, even virtual chorus singing!
It was the students’ dedication over the lockdown that has meant this week we have been able to jump back into things at a hundred miles an hour! Progress is amazing and we are keeping everything crossed that all PAA year groups will be able to put on face-to-face productions for the end of the school year. Here is a small taster of what has been happening this week in PAA.
Back on the playing field
Our Sixth Form boys and girls have been straight back into training this week. I know how much they have enjoyed being able to play and train with each other again.
Hospitality & Catering Students!
It is so wonderful to see our Catering and Hospitality students returning to our Food Technology classrooms. They settled so quickly to the tasks set and demonstrated their knife skills and cooking techniques in the production of a wholesome and nutritious vegetarian or meat Cottage Pie. I was also impressed by the way they took pride in cleaning their stations and then writing a detailed evaluation of their practical work.
Publish your own book!
It was World Book Day last week and we are offering all students the chance to publish their own books!
Would you like the chance to publish your own novel?
This world book day, you can!
Write an opening chapter which introduces a main character or a setting in your choice of three genres: dystopian fiction, Gothic or tragic romance.
Be the first in the UK to use a new publishing website designed for young people. It will help you with ideas and allows you to upload your own illustrations!
Visit https://tqacademy.baobabooks.com/
All the instructions are in this presentation which is on the Google classroom:
TA Music Department welcomes back Instrumental and LAMDA lessons
At TA we provide incredible one-to-one tuition opportunities in Music and Acting, so we have been delighted to welcome back our peripatetic staff to continue the provision of outstanding lessons. If you would like your Son or Daughter to learn an instrument or have yet to sign up for the Spring term now is the perfect time! We have availability in Bass guitar, Singing, Drums, Acting (LAMDA) and Piano, you can access lessons for your son or daughter through parentpay which is open for applications now. Lessons have begun this week so do not hesitate to sign up.
Unfortunately, we are unable at this time to resume Guitar and Drum lessons until after the Easter break all lessons on these instruments will be fulfilled in the Summer term. If you have any queries regarding instrumental lessons please get in touch via email to tamusicdept@tqacademy.co.uk
Reading Success
During year 7 and 8, students complete their reading journals every time they read a book. Working their way through history and it’s many inventions that have changed mankind, earning star reading badges as they go. Lyra Bowstead has read so many books that not only has she completed her first reading journal, she is well on her way to completing her second.
I asked Lyra why she loved to read – “Hello I am Lyra and I love reading because you can get so much more than watching TV. You can achieve so much more creativity and your imagination can run free. You can learn new words, new sentences and so many new facts. Some people overlook reading but if you find the right books and genres, you can in some way be a part of the character’s life. That’s why I love reading, it’s a wonderful way to learn.”
University Achievement
Georgia Large, who left Torquay Academy in 2019, is currently studying Journalism at Plymouth Marjon University and has really made her mark there. In her second year of Journalism, Georgia has consistently shown her dedication to Marjon, through work academically, with marketing, the Student Union, and through her incredibly successful Change Maker project, a Marjon University TikTok account. With over 1300 followers, 41.2k likes, and nearly 540k views, the @marjonuni TikTok has hit the ground running and was shortlisted for the Edurank #ThinkStudent award in November 2020, where is placed in the top 3 for the Best Campaign Supporting Student Wellbeing. Go and drop the marjonuni TikTok a follow at https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeM5cwqJ/
Congratulations Georgia, we are very proud of you!
Governor’s Bronze Certificates
Year 7 – Jemimah Jones and Millie Sneap
Principal’s Gold Certificates
Amelie Berriman Daisy Faulkner and Olivia Hosking
Principal’s Silver Certificates
Year 7 – Brooke Tully, Lyra Bowstead, Olivia Walters, Lisa-Marie Szewczuk, Eve Cameron and Amara Phillips
Year 8 – Joe Hosking and Megan Sellick
Principal’s Bronze Certificates
Year 7 – Jack Hicks, Lily Phillips, Leah Hope, Louis Rowe, David Wanstall, Bartosz Mitula, Isaac Knowles, Darcy Reece, Harrison Hogg, Callum Jackson, Colby Britton, Ben Phillips, Alexia Hawkins, Jacob Crago-Gould, Emma Matthews, Ashton Wilkinson, Kade Kelly, Chloe Hollis, Scott Knight, Diego Zulhayir, Bastina Johns-Kouadio, Poppii Marshall, George Scrimgeour and Amber Dicken
Year 8 – Samuel Simpson, Lacie Benson, Elliot Mills, Joshua Walsh, Sophie Packer, Kevin Vieira and Olivia Kirby
Year 9 – Shania Blades and William Reed
Students of the week
Year 7 – Henry Tregea and Amelie Berriman
Year 8 – Ryan Hooper
Year 9 – Jemima Holt
Year 10 – Riccardo Lordache
Year 11 – Dan Ilascu
House Stars of the week
Year 7
Brunel –
Christie – Charlie Grimley
Darwin – James Goodman
Fawcett – Agata Sadlik
Harrison – Kacey Young
Kitson – Leigha Smith
Nearne – Josie Todd
Pengelly – Lily-Mae Corderoy
Year 8
Brunel – Emily Miller
Christie – Jake Green
Darwin – Verity Griffiths-Howarth
Fawcett – Logan Churchward
Harrison – Lexy McLaurin
Kitson – Syd Yarde
Nearne – Lily Lewis-Shermer
Pengelly – Theo Corderoy
Year 9
Brunel – Ava Mitchell
Christie – Mia Bewers
Darwin – Ben German
Fawcett – Darcy Thomson-Wade
Harrison – Melissa Piper
Kitson – Benjamin McCarthy
Nearne – Oriana McCaul
Pengelly – Erin Allen
Homework Stars of the week
Year 7
Brunel – Matt Wadling
Christie – Dean Conway
Darwin – Emma Matthews
Fawcett – Sara Mills
Harrison – Kacey Young
Kitson – Oliver Los
Nearne – Jack Hicks
Pengelly – Millie Sneap
Year 8
Brunel – Rebecca Glasson
Christie – Jay Jay Henderson
Darwin – Tom Pattison
Fawcett – Maja Davies
Harrison – Marcus De Lucas
Kitson – Bella Lester
Nearne – Amari Hadley
Pengelly – Ollie Sillis
Year 9
Brunel – Zac Steele
Christie –
Darwin – Danny Frankum
Fawcett – Samuel Sherwood
Harrison – Shannon Adamson
Kitson – Anya Page-Dove
Nearne – Jack Alcock
Pengelly – Sophie Bastow
Sparx Leaderboards
Tassomai Leaderboards
