Meridian Index

Village College

Swavesey Kids Club

Breakfast Club and After School Care We are expecting to start the September term with some spaces for both Breakfast and After School club care, although these may be taken up quite quickly once the new infants start attending for full days.

Breakfast Club meets from 8.00am (7.30am by arrangement) in the Primary School hall with breakfast available until 8.15am. Contact Jenni Cowdrey on 07801 156181

After School Club meets 3.15-6.00pm at the Youth Centre, SVC. Both run on weekdays in term time. For further information and to arrange a visit, contact Tracey-Jane Newton on (07710 710291).

The Kids Club is a charity run by a voluntary management committee. We will need new committee members this year, so if you are interested in helping out we’d like to hear from you – you don’t have to have children or use the club but you will have to be willing to have a Criminal Records check. The next Annual General Meeting is at the Village College on Wednesday 17 November at 8pm – if you’d like information ahead of that, contact Helen Sargan (232253 or email: hvs1001@cam.ac.uk).

Swavesey Primary School

Caught On The Cameras
Following the recent vandalism I reported to you, we have now instructed a firm to install CCTV cameras on site. Most urban schools have taken similar precautions in the last few years. Although this is very much a reactive measure in our case, we can look upon this as a further step in improving security for your children and the school. We have also invested in some anti-climb paint, as much of the damage has been caused by intruders getting onto our low roofs. We sincerely hope these strategies deter intruders and vandals.

Time To Rhyme
Our YEAR I children have been using RHYMING WORDS in phonics sessions to make up simple poems:

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday the drama club performed The Wizard Of Oz, with the help of music club and the choir, to three separate audiences. All the different songs were great fun to sing. All the cast really enjoyed taking part in each performance. The audience had big smiles on their faces at the end of the play. Our main actors were;

Dorothy (Chloe Weber / Sarah Newman)
Scarecro (Charlotte Ambrose / Oliver Leigh)
Tin Man (Josh Bauld / Kelly Hodson)
Lion (Kiera Roseberry / Lucie Newton)
Toto (Charlotte Jackson)
The Wicked Witch of the West (Billie Hall)
The Wizard Of Oz (Nicholas Wroe)

We loved wearing some great costumes and being made up for the shows. We would like to say thank you to Mrs. Russell (make up artist) and to our excellent directors Miss Heath, Miss Davey and Mr. Wilson. Eleanor Dennis & Jessica Russell Y5 Pedal Power

Cycling Course
The Year 6 are taking a cycling course in school at the moment. We started off with a thorough bicycle check (by Mr. Reeve). Our first lesson started on the playground. In a video we found out what we have to do to pass the test. This includes test books and reading materials to learn. We fill in our test book at the end of each lesson to assess our skills so far.
We are learning about how to indicate before turning on the road. We learn to overtake parked vehicles. On a cycling trip around Priory Avenue we practised our indicating and looking behind for vehicles. Billie Hall Y6

Holiday Dates

Check out the school's website (www.swavesey.cambs.sch.uk/news.htm).for dates for the current year—and for lunch menus, CCC Education &Schools site shows all main future term dates

Tuesday 20 July - Last day of school year
Thursday 2 September - Children return to school
Friday 22 October - Break for Half-Term
Tuesday 2 November - Children return
Friday17 December - Last day of Autumn Term
Wednesday 5 January - Children return to school
Friday 11 February - Break for Half-Term
Tuesday 22 February - Children return to school
Thursday 24 March - Last day of Spring Term

Swavesey Village College

Newsletter Summer 2004  

I would like to begin by recognising the contribution that two retiring Governors have made to the College over many years.  Louise Milbourn and Mac Walker have been Governors at the College for 22 and 27 years respectively, supporting and guiding the school through years of improvement and growing success. Their commitment to the College has made a lasting difference to the education that students and their parents expect and receive.  

At the time of writing, Year 11 students are coming towards the end of their exams and their Leavers' Prom. The students have worked hard and can look forward confidently to results day on Thursday 26th August and to moving on to post-16 colleges in September. We wish them all best wishes for the future. 

At this time of year, with year 11 on exam leave, one might expect life in College to slow down. This could not be further from the truth, as you will see from the following highlights of this term.

Year 10 Work Experience One of the annual highlights of this term is the two week Work Experience for Year 10 students. A record 240 students were involved from Swavesey this year and no student failed to make a success of their placement. The feedback from employers was again very positive with many students receiving excellent reports. As always, the real stars have included a number of students who find aspects of school life and study quite difficult.  

National Design Week (21st - 25th June) The Design Department organised a variety of activities to celebrate National Design Week.   

• Year 8 pupils had a half day design challenge on the theme of the Olympic Games.
• Sameer Shirgaokar, an industrial designer from the firm 'Cambridge Consultants', worked on design projects with year 10 Graphics Design students.  
• Mrs Hurcombe organised an Inter-form 'Master Chef' competition for years 7, 8 and 9, with preliminary rounds followed by a Grand Final. Judges in the final included Martin Cullen, an ex-student who is now a chef at Restaurant 22 in Cambridge.

Science events have included:

• Science Challenge Week. This team event, on the theme of the Olympic Games, attracted 21 schools, with Sawtry Village College the eventual winners. Our team did exceptionally well to come fifth. The winning team won a cash prize together with tickets to the 'Excitement of Science' lecture at the Royal Institution. Judges included representatives from MCA services, Bayer Crop Sciences, Nokia and ARM.
• Science Key Skills Day Over 200 Year 6 students attended a series workshops run by our business partners demonstrating the applications of Science in the world of work. The College is grateful to the involvement of the following companies and organisations Domino, Cambridge Ultrasonics, Addenbrookes, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Nokia, Cathodeon, Tyco integrated systems, Hinchenbrooke School, the Police and Fire service, Cambridge Vetinary school and St Johns Ambulance service
• 'Express Yourself in Science' Conference A number of our students participated in solo or group presentations at the regional heats:  Robert Hoath, Jamie Hall, Robert Davies, Paul Allen, Matthew Richardson, Daniel Jones, Hannah Dunk, Carla Hodgson, Andrew Hardman, Daniel Clarkson.
• Salters' Festival of Science at APU. Josh Beer, Matt Overall, Rachel Young and Emma Dobson from year 8 represented the College in this prestigious science competition.

Trips this term have included :

• English Department trips to Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre Trip and The Tempest in Thetford Forest
• Geography field trips for year 8 students to Stibbington near Peterborough.
• The Year 9 History Battlefields Trip to France and Belgium.
• Year 7 Humanities trip to Ely Cathedral for a Medieval Day.
• Year 8 trip to a Hindu community at Bhativedanta Manor
• Year group trips to Woburn Safari Park, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers.

A busy term in the Music Department included 'Music for a Summer Evening', a concert at Fenstanton Manor in aid of the Church Restoration Fund. The setting was perfect with the audience taking picnics and enjoying the weather and surroundings. Swavesey Village College provided the programme for the second half. The standard and variety of the programme genuinely impressed the gathered audience. The term's musical highlight was the College's Summer Concert.

Dates for your diary 2004 - 5

The College calendar is being finalised at present. By the time you read this, the keys dates for the year should be available on the College's website : www.swaveseyvc.co.uk

The College's Open Morning for the parents of prospective students for 2005 is on Friday 5th November 2004. We are very happy to welcome other members of the community to come and see the College 'in action' at this time, by contacting my secretary Mrs Gent.

Martin Bacon
Principal