Newsletter

Issue 23 | 06.03.2015

Year 11 have been celebrating their many successes this week with a special assembly where
a huge number of them were rewarded for their hard work in a range of subjects (see inside
for details). It makes us all really proud to watch them celebrate and realise that all their hard
work is beginning to pay off. The next few months will be challenging for all of our students
preparing for exams and so we will be doing our best to give them lots of constructive feedback,
additional learning opportunities and as many positive experiences as we can.
As parents, it is sometimes hard to know how to support our children when theyre calculating
formulas that look like they would challenge rocket scientists and writing essays that boggle
the mind. I find that chocolate Hobnobs, positive praise and the patience of a saint works
wonders! However, I thought a few more practical ideas might be of use. How often do you ask
young people why they arent doing their homework/revising/getting on with tasks and the
response is Im stuck!? Next time this happens, try one of the following:

If I gave you one million pounds to be unstuck, what would you do?
What would you tell a friend who was stuck to do?
What did you do the last time you were stuck?
Imagine you were someone who wasnt stuck, what would they do?
What have you forgotten to do?

These ideas came from Jim Smith, the author, teacher and educational trainer who ran our TD
Day last week. He shared this and many other innovative strategies to improve teaching and
learning in the classroom and to encourage students to be more independent.
Thank you to so many of you for attending Academic Mentoring on Thursday and Friday. It is
wonderful to see so many intense conversations going on based around students learning and
their wider school experience. Now that they have their reports, it provides the information
they need to ask their teachers for specific ways to improve when they attend Subject
Consultation Evenings over the next couple of weeks.
Friday 13th March is Comic Relief. Students and staff will be donning red and participating in a
range of wacky activities to raise money for this worthwhile cause. More on this next week...!
Have a great weekend!
Melanie Sutton
Acting Principal

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Dates for your Diary

Thursday 12th March
Subject Consultation
Evening for Years 7, 9
and 11
Friday 13th March
Red Nose Day - non
uniform
Monday 16th March
Year 10 and 11 Science
ISA examinations until
Friday 27th March
Thursday 19th March
Subject Consultation
Evening for Years 8, 10, 12
and 13
Friday 20th March
Photographs for Years 11
and 13

Calne Bowl
Now Open

Last month saw the opening of the Bowl in Calne. This

project has been a long time in planning and a good
number of John Bentley School students have been
instrumental in driving the process forward with the
support of Calne Town Council and Wiltshire Council. The
core group of former JBS students included Tom Harries,
Jordan Hyde, Jake Brock, Ian Summers and Greg Pilgrim.
They were supported by Jane Vaughan, Community Area
Manager with Wiltshire Council, Stuart West from Calne
Town Council, and Wiltshire Councillor and Deputy Mayor
of Calne and Howard Marshall to help this project come
to fruition.
Jane Vaughan was full of praise for the youngsters saying,
The young people who have worked on this project have
been a credit to their community and
deserve to be congratulated. As a school we
wholeheartedly agree and we take great pride in the fact
that our students have done something hugely positive
which the young people of Calne will benefit from for
years to come.

Active Kids Vouchers

School is Collecting

Councillor Christine Crisp, Chairman Calne Area Board,

added, Their commitment is such that they did not
merely request others to provide this facility for them, but
worked hard and raised over 65,000 towards the project.
They have worked with Wiltshire and Calne Town Council
officers and the Area Board to develop plans, appoint
contractors and manage public concerns and
expectations. They have recognised the need to raise the
profile of young people in the town and to gain public
approval for their project and have gone a long way to
achieving this. These young people deserve the
commendation of their peers and their community and
certainly have the respect of the Calne Area Board.

House

Family Fortunes
Mrs Shuker acted as Vernon Kay, Les Dennis or Bob
Monkhouse (depending on your era) as host of Family
Fortunes. Much fun was had trying to guess the most
popular answer as the Houses competed against each
other. The famous wrong answer noise and phrase, If
its up there I will give you the money myself were heard
when a team suggested that Mr Ruscoe was the most
likely JBS member of staff to be the next James Bond.
Results were:

10

879

830

899

785

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Duke of Edinburgh
Bronze

On Tuesday, 66 Year 10 students completed their

navigation training around the Avebury downs. The
students were broken into a morning and afternoon
session with the students navigating a variety of routes
across the hillside, testing their navigation work as well
as team work. The students set off in good conditions in
the morning and were really lucky, managing to avoid a
harsh winter downpour which hit just as they got on the
coach back. The morning group enjoyed the better of the
weather and, despite the odd shoe being lost in the mud
and a couple of soles being walked off boots, they were all
very successful in their navigation.
The afternoon groups were not so lucky with the weather.
The cold wintry conditions continued on top with even a
little snow shower to add to the fun. The groups set off in
the chilly conditions and without the calamities of losing
shoes all successfully managed to complete their routes,
even with the occasional detour added in. Well done to
all the students who took part. The next expedition for
Bronze students is their practice expedition on the 8/9th
May. A huge thank you to the staff involved.

Silver
On Sunday, 61 Silver DofE students left school at 8.00am,
heading for the Brecon Beacons, Wales in some rather
overcast and drizzly conditions. Despite the early start to
the day the students arrived bright and almost awake, and
before too long we had crossed the bridge and were soon
departing the bus ready for our days walking.
The students were broken into two large groups which
would approach the mountain, Sugarloaf, from two
different routes. Within each group the different teams
would lead the group of staff and students to a given
spot. We were soon heading up into the mountains
passing vineyards, streams and enjoying the magnificent
views as the sun beamed down. The two teams reached
the top in good time but the wind had picked up, and
with conditions getting colder by the second, a quick bite
of lunch was had with views of the main peaks of the
Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons before heading back
down.
Congratulations to all of the Silver DofE students who
showed a very high level of navigation ability all day.
The next expedition for students is on the 2-4th July on
Exmoor. Finally, a big thank you to the staff who gave up
their Saturday to make the trip possible in the first place.
Mr Parry
Expedition Leader

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Department in Focus
Humanities

The Humanities Faculty is growing this year, and we were very happy to
welcome Mrs Musgrove and Mr Rogers to the team in January. As always
the faculty is busy planning trips and activities for students of all ages; we all
believe that a vital part of learning about Humanities is the opportunity to
explore how all three subjects affect the world around us. To facilitate this we
have already been to Ypres in Belgium, Iceland and Cheddar Gorge this year.
Year 7 have now studied units covering all three Humanities subjects and are
now returning to a term of Geography. The study of water within the
environment is an exciting one as it covers both physical and human
geography and allows the students to apply the skills they began to develop
earlier on in the year. Year 7s most recent assessment on the Battle of
Hastings showcased the budding historians we have within the year group;
their ability to not only describe the exciting events of the Battle of Hastings,
but to also explain its causes and analyse its consequences, was exciting to
see.
Year 8 are
beginning a unit
focused upon the
impact of prejudice
within society. This
thematic unit
considers several
case studies that
show not only the
impact prejudice
can have, but also
the steps taken
by individuals to
counteract it. Last
term in contrast
|Year 8 considered
differing aspects of
extreme climates.
This involved not
only attempting to
survive in the Arctic;
but also presenting
their own ideas on
how we can attempt
to halt the impact of
global warming.
Year 9 study Humanities as three separate subjects, as they
develop both skills and knowledge in preparation for GCSE.
The students are reaching the end of their units on Conflicts in
History, the role of pressure groups and the impact of Natural
Hazards and will begin to consider the impact of Genocide
upon the world, the differing debates as to the creation of the
world - and the contrasting nations in both Africa and Asia.

The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed

Department in Focus
Humanities

Humanities is very popular

in Year 10 we have seven
Citizenship classes and
three each of History and
Geography. The students
are all working hard,
developing their
knowledge as they near
the end of their first unit
of study and are looking
ahead to a summer of
internal exams and
controlled assessments!
Year 11 are busy preparing
for their exams
controlled assessments are
now completed for most
and they are
practicing their exam skills
with lots of questions
and revision sessions. We
run Geography revision
on Monday lunchtimes in
M12, History revision is in
M13 on Wednesdays and
Citizenship revision is on a
Thursday after school with
Mrs Kelly.
The sixth form are also
working well as they
prepare for exams in both
years 12 and 13.
Humanities in the sixth
form will be growing next
year not only because the
History courses will change
in September (Geography
and RS will change in
September 2016) but also
due to the addition of
Government and Politics
as a new course. This is an
exciting step for us; it will
provide a valuable link
between our subjects (and to many social science subjects) and will be
a natural next step for those who enjoy these aspects of the
citizenship course.
As is evident from the work shown above, students commit a lot of
time and effort to their Humanities work and we are very proud of
the progress they make. When students show their understanding by
drawing links to TV programmes they have watched, places they have
visited, or choosing to further their studies at a higher level, we as a
faculty believe we have succeeded in developing the knowledge and
understanding of every individual to the world, the society and the
history that surrounds them.

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Year Group in Focus

Year 11

The year group is entering the final two terms of year 11 at The John Bentley School. I am very proud of all the hard work
the students are putting into their lessons and the momentum they are building towards their exams. Please see below
the key dates leading up to the Year 11 Prom at Bowood. More information will shortly be posted out about these key
dates.
Key Dates
Thursday 5th March and Friday 6th March Academic Mentoring
Thursday 12th March Year 11 Subject Consultation
Friday 20th March Year 11 photos
Tuesday 24th March PSHE day
Monday 11th May First whole cohort exam - Citizenship
Friday 22nd May Leavers day for Year 11
Wednesday 8th July Year 11 rewards trip to Thorpe Park
Friday 10th July Year 11 Prom
I would ask that you continue to send your son or daughter to school even if they are slightly unwell. Our pastoral
system is extremely supportive, and can make a decision to send them home with your consent if they are really
struggling. I would also ask that you continue to support the school in other factors, such as the school uniform policy.
Qualities like looking smart and wearing a blazer, minimizing make up, extreme hair colour and piercings, and of course
being on time, are so important in this competitive working world we now live in. They all add to the perception that
others have about us.
We held our third tutor group of the term assembly this week, where attendance and behaviour are taken into account.
Congratulations to 11KL who were victorious again and just pipped 11ME. As part of this assembly, I again asked
Curriculum Leaders to nominate two or more students from their subject areas. I asked them to think about students
who were working well in lessons and thinking about their learning, as well as students who had faced up to a set of
poor Mock exam results and were taking on the challenge of improving those grades. The winners from each subject
are listed below:
Media
Science
ICT

Chris King

Connor Gray

Ellie Haines

Lewis Campbell

Ashley Hinks

Rebecca Halliday
Y11 BTEC Sport

Louis Sodera

Josh Hogben

Luke Sandell

Beth King

Mika Thomas

Ashley Hinks

Luke Child

Dan Thomas

Eloise Holmes

Mandy Croft

Mackenzie Scobie

Matt Sandell

Mika Thomas

Abbie Neale
GCSE PE all of the class but......

Hannah Keevan

Leah Stevens

Taylor Snell

Joe Fruci

Izzy Pearce

Dan Smart

Mackenzie Scobie
French

Callum Glen

Jack Warren

Eloise Holmes

Caleb Golding

Toby Iles

Charlotte Davies

Todd Buckley

Oli Bashford

Mitchell Perrett

Josh Hogben

Dan Roberts

Kezia Moyse

Lucy Jones

Matt Williams
German
Core PE

Harry Newton-Shaw

Sam Kenyon-Hamp

The entire Year 11 football

Milly Stuart

Cerys Boyd-Cox

team have been excellent

Daylan Davies
Food

Ned Fellenor

Callum Drummond

Cameron Brazier

Ollie Bashford

Marc Harding

Tom Dean

Sam Wallis
Geography
Product Design

Alex Henrich

Jamie Saint

Callum Drummond

Ben Martin

Mike Thomas

Sylwia Gral
Drama

Mia Brady

Daniel Roberts

Sam Kenyon Hamp

Luvly Peramo
Citizenship

Cerys Boyd Cox

Shannon Hurley

Harvey Austin

Katie Reed

Eloise Holmes

Lucy Jones

Emma Reed

Jake Anderson

Charlotte Davies

Toby Cranham

Alastair Dodd

Luvly Peramo

Ben Martin

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Year Group in Focus

Volunteering

Year 11

History

Harvey Austin

Alastair Dodd

Katie Hunt

George Stephenson

Lucy Tanner

Mika Thomas

Jack Warren
Music BTEC and GCSE Music

Niamh McCarney

BTEC Music

Sam Kenyon Hamp

GCSE Music

Joe Packer
English

Rebecca Nash

Harry Stewart

Rosine Stevens

Libby Poulton

Daylan Davies

Josh Phillips

Toby Iles

Mika Thomas

Owen Brice

Mitchell Perrett

Beth King

Charlotte Davies

Megan Luschover

Local Library

Humanities

Jack Angell
Business

Louise Carter

Jess Lowe

Alex Henrich

Cathy Daniells

Owen Davies

Lukas Harries

Kezia Moyse
Maths

Dylan Wootton

Oli Bashford

Will Fisher

Shannon Bell

Courtney Thomson

Lewis Campbell

Millie Stuart

Lucy Spyer

Lola Gleed

Ty Gleed

The whole of 11M2 with

Mrs Mulvenna

Do you have a passion for reading?

Want to make a positive contribution
to your community?

Volunteer to help with the

Summer Reading Challenge
in your local library!
The national Summer Reading Challenge encourages children to keep
reading throughout the long summer holidays by giving them support
and incentives.
A Summer Reading Challenge volunteer registers children taking part
in the challenge, listens to children talk about the books they have
read, keeps a record of progress and gives out stickers and other
prizes

Why volunteer?

Its valuable work experience with children

It can be used as a reference for employment
It counts towards accreditation for CVs, UCAS applications etc
Its an opportunity to develop confidence, social skills,
employment opportunities
It helps children to improve their reading and develop a love of
books

Register your interest with your local library

by 27 March 2015
We will be in touch again after Easter regarding the recruitment
process (places may be limited)

Mr Scott Ferguson
Guidance Leader for Year 11
sf@johnbentlyschool.com

Catering

Menu for Next Week

John Bentley Week 3

Beef or Vegetable
Bolognaise

Chinese Chicken Stir Fry or

Vegetable Puff Pastry
Parcel

Chefs Roast & Gravy or

Cheesy Courgette
Sausages

Chicken or Vegetable
Korma

Breaded Fish or Macaroni

Cheese

Tri Colour & Wholemeal

Pasta

Soy Noodles

Roast Potatoes

Pilau Rice

Chunky Chips

Sweetcorn

Stir Fry Vegetables

Garden Peas & Carrots

Naan Bread with Mint &

Yoghurt Dip

Baked Beans or Garden

Peas

French Bread Pizza

Southern Fried Chicken

Drumsticks

BBQ beef Wraps

Bacon & Mushroom

Baguette

Homemade Beef Burger in

a wholemeal Bap

Pineapple Upside Down

Cake & Custard

Chocolate Brownie &

Chocolate Sauce

Apple Pie & Vanilla Ice

Cream

Carrot Cake & Whipped

Cream

Mandarin Cheesecake

Pasta & a Selection Of Sauces

Jacket Potato with Various Toppings
Fresh Fruit Pot
Yoghurt

The John Bentley School Newsletter - Keeping You Informed