Newsletter December 2021

December 2021 Parkside Middle School Dear Parents/Carers, I would like to start by thanking you for your responses to the communications survey we sent out in November. Strong communication with you is vital in ensuring that you feel supported and part of your child’s education at Parkside. I look forward to writing to you early in the New Year to let you know the key actions we will be taking in response to your views. I would also like to thank you for your support and encouragement in the children’s use of Century Tech at home. This is a key part of the school’s educational recovery for all and is a personalised programme that will really enable your child to consolidate and deepen their learning. This term, in Century Tech’s weekly Winter Cup, Parkside has twice been awarded second place in their national competition; this has been achieved for having the most ‘nuggets’ and questions completed by the children. We have our sights set on achieving first place next term! Earlier this term, the Governors of the school had the opportunity to talk to the children, visit their lessons and look at the work they are producing. They were very impressed by the high standards seen and the children’s enthusiasm, confidence and pride. The huge number of achievement and attendance certificates, as well as the array of wonderful nominations for the Pride of Parkside Awards that I was able to give yesterday, is testament to this. I am very proud of the children’s accomplishments this term. In January, you will receive a mid-year report giving you information on your child’s progress in the core subjects and information on their attitude to learning across all subjects. In addition, you will have another opportunity to discuss your child’s progress with their teachers at another set of virtual parent’s evenings. They will take place on: Thursday 17th March 4.00-7.00pm Tuesday 22nd March 4.00-7.00pm Thursday 24th March 4.00-7.00pm If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact the school. Can I please ask that social media is not used as a source of information as this will not have been authenticated by the school. Please look to the school’s website www.parkside.worcs.sch.uk and official letters, texts and emails. Thank you. Finally, I would like to end with a sincere thank you for all your support this term. Whilst we are still living in the midst of a pandemic, our aim is always to provide a safe and happy learning environment for the children. I would like to wish you all a healthy and relaxing Christmas break. Mrs Mancini

PRIDE OF PARKSIDE Mrs Mancini presents Pride of Parkside awards each half term. These are given to pupils who have been nominated by a teacher because they have done something or behaved in a way that the whole school should be proud of. This can be a pupil who is going above and beyond our Parkside Standard every day or for a 'stand out' event or action. This half term teachers have nominated both individuals and classes. We are very proud of the following pupils and classes who received the Pride of Parkside Award: Jack T (5SN) George H (6EC) Jenson D (5JP) Will W (7NO) Libby H (5VR) Tristan W (7KBW) Eleanor D (6KW) Finley R (6BA) Daisy M (6EO) Bethany C (8SL) 7JN English 8ZB Maths 8JD English 8RC Maths 8ED WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY SCHOOLS FA CUP Huge congratulations! Parkside’s U13 Girls Football team have successfully made it through to the final of the Worcestershire County Schools FA Cup. We wish them all the luck for the final. BLETCHLEY PARK TRIP On the 7th December we took a group of students to Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes. Bletchley Park, the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers is now a vibrant heritage attraction whereby the children got the chance to see where the wrens would have worked in the huts and have a go on a real Enigma machine. The children sampled decoding morse code and then using a German Generals code manual to create code in the Enigma machine. The children explored code breaking, internet safety and problem solving challenges. We all had a fantastic day! ART NEWS One of the best-known prizes for visual arts in the world is open now at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum! For the first time, a Turner Prize jury selected a shortlist consisting entirely of artist collectives. Tackling pressing issues in society today. Their work reflects the solidarity and community demonstrated in response to the pandemic. All nominees work closely with communities across the breadth of the UK to inspire social change through art. The Herbert Gallery, Coventry also has a fantastic and very child-friendly natural history & space gallery. Tickets are free to book until the 12th January.

YEAR 5 AND YEAR 6—TTRS BATTLE OF THE BANDS, DECEMBER 2021 Well done to all the pupils that have taken part in the first ‘Battle of the Bands’ on TT Rock Stars of the 2021-22 academic year. An overwhelming response from the pupils with 246 pupils from KS2 taking part in the battles and 254,829 correct times table questions answered throughout the battle! The winning bands were Maroon 5 Squared, One Division, Number Souls, Red Hot Chilli Numbers and Black Add Peas. With Year 5 beating year 6. See below for the full results and highest earners in each band (Rock Star avatar names!) The next battles commence in the Spring Term. Battle One Division 21 Pie Charts Panic! At the Division 1 64,234 17,893 17,147 Battle Highest Earners: Highest Earners: Highest Earners: 2 Carlton Hudson Richie Waits Roy Keene Allen Red Mouth Daddy Nanna Majid Wolf Battle Pump Up the Volume Maths Potato 3 3,062 Maroon 5 Squared 7,479 14,488 Battle Highest Earners: Highest Earners: 4 Bella Leone Highest Earners: Angelo Strong Piper Gremio Bob Boblin Battle Amelia Alpert J Alvin 5 Black Add Peas Little Mixed Numbers 3,411 14,234 Highest Earners: Highest Earners: Baz Steak Irox Park Piper Reber Saphia Walla Rocktagons Number Souls 44,812 59,851 Highest Earners: Highest Earners: Carolina Deschoolmeester Wendy Case Aston Wiley Smokey Spector Red Hot Chilli Numbers Sausage and Math 3,052 2,919 Highest Earners: Highest Earners: Zack Cohen Slash One Tony Shears Rockin’ Kramer Battle Year 5 Year 6 6 144,550 110,279

EFL GIRLS CUP Parkside U13’s entered the EFL Girls Cup, a popular football tournament held at West Bromwich Albion Training Ground. The group stages consisted of twenty-one teams which were divided into groups of four. There were many goals scored by Parkside and they played some incredible football, beating St George Salter 2-0 and George Dixon 3-2 with fantastic link-up play between Maddie M and Maya R who executed some brilliant finishes, scoring five goals. The girls only conceded one goal from Ormiston Forge Academy who beat them 1-0, meaning they finished second in their group sailing through to the quarter finals. It was an extremely tough battle against Wood Green Academy, two very strong footballing sides and after full-time, despite many shots on target, neither team were able to score past their opponents. This led to sudden death penalties which would be the decider! Maddie M as a dutiful Captain, stepped up and was brave enough to take the first penalty and the pressure didn’t faze her as she drilled the ball straight into the bottom left corner. Up next the Wood Green keeper placed the ball down ready for her penalty and struck it straight past our keeper making it 1-1. Tension was mounting for Maya R as she placed the ball down ready to take her penalty, but, she picked out her spot and had no problem delivering; BAM! The ball shot to the bottom right corner and the keeper had no chance of getting to it in time. Parkside now had the upper hand and it was Erin W’s moment to shine in her keeper gloves. As Wood Green’s striker hit the ball, Erin’s fast reaction time, coupled with her excellent goal keeping ability saw her dive across the floor, saving Wood Green’s shot and securing us a place in the semi-final. Parkside couldn’t believe their luck when they drew Ormiston Forge in the semi-final, they had been defeated by this team previously in the group stages and were determined to prove they were the stronger side. Parkside passed the ball, showcasing some excellent phases of play and battled their hearts out, particularly Bella M who had her work cut out for her man to man marking, not only a quick-paced but very skilful midfielder. Parkside’s impressive chain of passes allowed them to keep possession, to which a perfect pass was laid off to Maddison M, who with her quick feet turned a player and BOOM smashed the ball straight into the back of the net securing them a place into the final. Other schools gathered around to watch a very heated final against Ipsley School Academy. Both teams were hungry for the win and Maddie M and Maya R tested Ipsley’s keeper on many occasions shooting at every opportunity at all angles. Parkside kept possession well and the link up play between defence and midfield saw the ball passed out wide to Ruby B who executed the perfect strike, which could only be described as a rocket, straight into the back of the net, crowning us champions with a 1-0 victory. Each and every one of the girls deserved the win due to their hard work, determination and team efforts. They all worked hard to win their individual battles as well as working collectively as a team. Parkside U13’s now have the privilege of representing WBA in another tournament in the Regional Finals to try and make their way to the National’s and perhaps the opportunity to play at Wembley.

PRIMARY MATHS CHALLENGE 90 pupils in Year 5 and 6 took part in the Primary Maths Challenge on Monday 15th November. Well done to everyone who took part! Bronze certificates: Sebby in Year 5 and Jessica, Reuben, Ava, Oliver, Evan and Charlie in Year 6. Silver certificates: Amelia, Euan, Holly, Isaac, Isla, Charlie and Oliver in Year 6. Gold certificates: Seth in Year 5 and Mia in Year 6. Amazing! A couple of questions for you to try at home! 1) Jonathan the Tortoise eats 20g of salad leaves a day. The leaves are sold in 80g bags which cost 90p. How much would it cost to feed Jonathan for 4 weeks? A: £.4.20 B: £4.80 C: £5.30 D: £5.70 E: £6.30 2) More than 60% but less than 65% of the spiders in my cupboard have hairy legs. What is the smallest number of spiders that could be in my cupboard? GIRLS FOOTBALL—INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER The KS3 girls football team were fortunate enough to welcome guest speaker Dr Naomi Datson, currently a sports lecturer at Chichester University who delivered an hour's session on ‘A Day in the life of a Professional Footballer’. Naomi Datson was previously the sports scientist for The England Women’s National Football team and has worked at both European and Olympic Events alongside The National Women’s Football Team. This allowed pupils to learn all about how scientists use statistics in professional football as well as what a typical day would look like playing for the National Team. Pupils also were able to use some of the fitness testing equipment and given the opportunity to handle gold medals and signed shirts and ask any questions on previous World Cups and Olympic Events. This inspirational Guest Speaker helped to spark some interest in careers in the sporting field. YEAR 6—SCIENCE In their last Science lesson of term 6KW have made balancing birds. The resources were from the book Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines, from the author Alom Shaha. The book and his website have a number of different projects that can be made with limited resources. What made the lesson extra special, was a video to us from the author himself! Well done to Year 6 for all their hard work in Science this term.

MORRISONS COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS The community champions at Morrisons in Bromsgrove, very kindly donated tubs of chocolates and sweets to be used as prizes within school. As a thank you, pupils in 5JP created colourful Christmas posters which have been used around the Morrisons community board. These are proudly on display so look out for these next time you’re in Morrisons, Bromsgrove. HOUSE NEWS This half term has been busy for Parkside Houses. The House and Vice Captains would like to thank all the parents, carers and pupils who sent in cakes for the charity cakes sales. We are pleased to tell you that Gloucester raised £188.74 for Cancer Research; Hereford raised £180.82 for The Blue Cross; Malvern raised £80.91 for Macmillan Cancer Support; and Worcester raised £144.88 for the RSPCA. Also, we have held a competition for the House Calendar. Pupils were asked to create pictures around the topic of “Our Planet”. The winning calendar is Malvern and they receive 200 house points for their House. Congratulations! Hereford came second and receive 150 house points. Worcester came third and receive 100 house points. Gloucester came fourth and receive 75 house points. LIBRARY NEWS This term the pupils made a wonderful effort to engage with the library and keep up with their reading. What a great group of fantastic readers who were inspired by the ‘crypt’ competition where they had to guess a secret combination to open the mystery safe. Other competitions have also kept them positive and coming back for more. A big thank you to all those who donated and bought books from our second-hand book sale where we raised close to £130.00, which will be used to buy new releases for the library. What a great term we have had—enjoy some extra reading over the holidays.

CAROL SINGING On Monday 13th December a group of pupils from across all year groups went carol singing to Chandler Court Nursing Home. We sang outside to maintain our distance from the residents and staff opened the doors so that they could sit and listen. It was truly wonderful to see the residents smiling and joining in with the carols, some were even brought to tears by the beautiful singing of the pupils. Well done Choir for all your hard work and commitment to rehearsals, you were fantastic! GIRLS NETBALL AND FOOTBALL SUCCESS Both the Year 6 and 7 girls' football teams beat Westacre School, Year 6 won 8-2 with Lucy C being named player of the match and Zoe H was named opposition player of the match after their 5-2 win. There was further success for the Year 7 and Year 8 netball team, Year 7 won 16-6 with Sophie T being named 'opposition player of the match' and Sophie H being named 'opposition' player after winning 27-4. FACE MASKS The DfE strongly advise that: Face coverings should be worn in communal areas in all settings by staff, visitors and pupils in year 7 and above, unless they are exempt. Pupils (in year 7 or above) should continue to wear face coverings on public and dedicated school transport unless they are exempt. In line with this, we will be expecting staff, visitors, and pupils to follow this guidance. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 may also wear face coverings if they wish to do so. CHRISTMAS SERVICE Thank you to all the children who contributed to the Christmas Service this week. It was absolutely delightful to see how many talented singers and musicians we have at Parkside. Thank you to the Head Pupils who led the service and read beautifully, we were all very impressed. Reverend Levett joined us to remind us of the joy that can be found at Christmas time through a very entertaining version of the Nativity story. Well done to everyone involved, have a lovely Christmas

TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS WEEK Linked to Tomorrow's Engineers week at the start of November, Mrs Pap challenged our pupils to engineer a device which would remove harmful plastics from our oceans. Pupils were shown video clips to inspire their designs and she was overwhelmed with the vast array of models and posters that were entered. Jenson D (5JP) submitted the winning model. He had used Lego to construct a working prototype. His design would remove plastics from our ocean but he'd also thought about the sea creatures and how his model would avoid hurting them in the process. Thank you to all the entrants. BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS If you are looking to gift a book this Christmas, here are some suggestions for festive and wintery reads.

ABSENCE If your child is going to be absent, please can we remind you that you need to inform school via telephone or email to [email protected]. This needs to be done each morning that they are absent. CAR PARK Please note that the school car park is locked each morning from 8.40-9.15am and each afternoon from 3.00-3.30pm LOST PROPERTY We are seeing a large amount of lost property in school. Please can we ask that your child has their name in their uniform and that you encourage them to look after their belongings. If they do lose any items, they can look for them in the Lost Property area. WATER BOTTLES It is essential that pupils bring in a refillable water bottle to school every day. Due to Covid restrictions the water fountains are currently not in operation and we do not have a supply of plastic cups. TESTING AT HOME Please can we remind you that, if your child is in Year 7 or Year 8, they need to be completing a Lateral Flow test on a Wednesday and a Sunday. The result should be reported to school via the QR code shown on the box and also to the NHS. Dates for your Diary • Thursday 16th December School closes for Christmas Holidays • Friday 17th December School closed (TED Day) • Wednesday 5th January School open for the Spring term • Friday 18th February School closes for half term • Monday 28th February School reopens For further information and regular updates please visit our school website: https://www.parkside.worcs.sch.uk/