Throughout this term, students have been applying themselves to different maths challenges to extend and challenge their knowledge.  Most recent of these challenges took place on the 7th February when a small group sat the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, which is a one hour test for students from G1 and G2.  The Challenge is organised by United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) based at Leeds University and are designed to be lively, intriguing, multiple choice question papers, which stimulate interest in maths.  Later this term, G1 students will be taking part in a team maths challenge; working together to solve problems set by AMSP.

 

The Basketball and Netball teams enjoyed playing against students at Tenbury High School last week, showing excellent teamwork and sportsmanship throughout.  The netball team played a very close match with the final result 12 - 10 to Tenbury, whilst the Basketball team achieved an impressive result of 68 - 12.  Well done to all!

 

The students had a great time visiting the city of Bath on Saturday 9th February, where they took a tour of the ancient Roman baths as well as having some time to explore the city centre.

 

In cooking club this week, supported by our Head Chef, the students had a go at making their own sushi with some delicious results!

 

On Thursday, 7th February, we celebrated 50 years of King's Group education with a presentation held in Saint Michael's church and followed by the burial of a time capsule.  The time capsule contained a number of items, including some thoughtful letters written by students which gave an insight into their hopes and concerns for the future.  The time capsule will be unearthed in 25 years time, when King's Group will celebrate their 75th year.

 

On Sunday (3rd February), a selection of students enjoyed visiting Croft Castle to explore the house and grounds.  Noted in the Domesday Book of 1086 and with over 1000 years of history to uncover the students enjoyed learning about this impressive family home.

This week A Level and GCSE students are busy preparing for mock examinations.  Our A1 Biologists have been putting into practice their learning from whole school revision training by using mind maps, revision clocks, colour coding to organise their revision notes, and Bloom's taxonomy "Thinking Dice" to generate self-test questions.  Preparation is key to success!

In celebration of our 50 year anniversary, the prefect team worked together to create a wonderful 'KCSM Life' display of what King's College Saint Michaels means to them.  The display was housed in the traditional red telephone box located in the local community, used often to exhibit matters of interest.

 

 

 

We are very pleased with the results achieved by students who re-sat their AS exams in November.  Their grades are much improved on their June grade performance, increasing their opportunities to achieve what they require to attend the universities of their choice this coming September.  In support of this, all second year A-Level and University Foundation students have completed their UCAS applications in plenty of time and well before the deadline for university applications. We are already seeing some excellent offers coming in and our students and teachers are now working hard to ensure that they get to their first choices. 

 

 

Congratulations to Swan, Jamie and Jurgen for passing their IELTS examination ahead of time. Both Swan and Jamie achieved an overall score of 6.5, whilst Jurgen achieved an overall score of 7.0. This means that they can now fully concentrate on completing their A Levels knowing that they have achieved the necessary requirement for UK University entry. Well done! The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for non-native English language speakers and is widely recognised by higher education institutions.

 

 

Our Peruvian group have been working hard in their classes and enjoying some well earned fun in Oxford this weekend.  The students, along with our full-time academics, visited Christ Church which was used as the dining hall set for the Harry Potter films and some retail therapy.

G1 Environmental Science students investigated different soil samples to classify each type of soil and describe the different components of each sample.  Soil covers approximately a third of the whole Earth’s surface, with a thickness that ranges from tens of metres to a minimum of few centimetres, according to the intensity and duration of the rock changing processes.  There are many factors responsible for soil formation and the components of soil is different in each area of the world, depending on climate, rocks and vegetation.

 

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A-Level students worked together yesterday to practice interview skills in preparation for their university applications.  Supported with lot's of role play and a range of thought provoking questions, the students were able to consider how best to present themselves for interview by their chosen higher-level institutions.

 

Today our teaching team received training on a new 3D printer which will soon be rolled out to enrich educational experiences in ICT and STEM classes.  We look forward to seeing some creative designs next term!

 

The COBIS Mangahigh Maths Challenge is a free, online competition for 5-16 year olds designed to engage students with maths through a games-based learning approach. Using Mangahigh, students complete maths activities, which teachers may personalise to support students’ learning, to score individual points, which in turn contributes to their schools' tally. Students can access their activities at home or in school so it can be used for homework, revision, or a fun task!

We had a very exciting 2018 competition, which ran from Monday, 19 November - Friday, 30 November 2018. Eighteen students earned a magnificent tally of seventeen gold, eight silver and twenty-eight bronze medals. In total, 89 COBIS schools participated in the 2018 competition and 18,871 students were active during the Challenge. An impressive 748,709 points were earned by students!

 

The students enjoyed a very festive trip to the second city, Birmingham, last weekend, where they enjoyed visiting the German Christmas Market.  The spread of seasonal stalls - a centrepiece of the city's festive calendar and a sure sign that Christmas isn't far away - now attracts more than 5.5 million visitors a year and boosts the local economy by £400 million.  Birmingham offers the largest outdoor Christmas market in the UK, and the biggest German market outside Germany and Austria.

 

The students took a trip to London last weekend, for some sight-seeing, shopping and fun!  A great time was had by all.

 

 

  

 

 

The basketball team played a great game at their away match this week against Ludlow College.  Both teams played excellently and good sportsmanship was shown throughout.  The final score was 44-40 to KCSM - well done team!

 

Archery was the name of the game at Top Adventure sports this week, where a group of eager students tried their hand at hitting the bullseye!

 

As part of our PHSE (Personal, Health & Social Education) session this week, the students took part in a range of teamwork and trust building exercises.  It was a very impressive show of what can be achieved when you work together!

 

The entire school came together today as part of The Woodland Trust funded event commissioned to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I.  The students all took turns to plant saplings across the college campus in a joint national effort to 'Replant Britain'.  The students learned how much of the landscape was changed by the bombing of the Great War and also took time to look to the future and discuss concerns of the impact of deforestation on the climate and animal habitats.  In support of this learning, the students had the opportunity to decorate a large as life tree with leaves from the four seasons, as well as create some beautiful animal images in a variety of mediums.  We shall enjoy watching our new trees grow.

 

 

 

Geography came to life as the G2 students undertook an urban land use survey and environmental quality assessment in Kidderminster - a town located approximately 45 minutes drive from the College and famous for its cloth trade.  During the 18th and 19th centuries the town developed into the centre of British carpet manufacturing.

 

The Leadership Course is aimed at 'A' Level and UFP students and the purpose of the session this week was to inform and engage students in discussion on issues associated with value-driven/ethical leadership and the qualities of effective leadership.  This was done through instruction, class discussions, written activities and video clips.  In the first session next term, students will deliver presentations on what they learned this term.