As exam season approaches it is important to remind ourselves to look after our emotional and mental health, not just in times of stress or heightened pressure and anxiety but every day.

The mental health benefits of exercise are well documented, the school gym is open to Sixth Form students throughout the week. All you need to do is sign a fair access agreement. Many oft he gyms in Morpeth also have preferential student rates.

One practical thing that can support our emotional and mental health is CLANGERS. These can be daily vitamins of joy and health that can be positive thoughts, actions and rewards to support us each day…

C – Connect: build relationships with other, not virtual ones, talk to people

L – Learn: maintain the curiosity of youth, rediscover a old hobby, develop new passions and set goals

A – (be) Active: ensure your mind and your body are active, take up a sport, do a park run, read a classic novel

N – Notice: fill up your senses, be still for 15 minutes each day to reflect and focus on sights, sounds, smells and tastes

G – Give back: volunteer in school or in your community, support others and feel a sense of pride and achievement

E – Eat well: enjoy a broad range of foods and drink plenty of water

R – Relax: take time out to rest and relive happy memories

S – Sleep: essential for emotional and mental health, and maintaining memories. Aim for a regular 8 hours each night.

In School Support

Promotion of good emotional and mental health and well being is important to us as a school and Sixth Form, if you have any suggestions on how we can improve or add to our provision, please speak to any member of the Sixth Form team.

Below outlines some of the things we have and also some additional things we have added to support students’ emotional and mental health:

• Tutors, mentors, year leaders and/or trusted adults you can talk to
• You can contact the Counselling Service (posters around ASC) and School Nurses (A1 drop in)
• Invested in self help literature from Mind, available in The Den, we’ve also ordered some posters to go in ASC and tutor rooms
• We try to share and repost useful and supportive social media content
• Book in to see Beth, our Sixth Form Chaplain available Tuesday lunch times and Wednesday afternoons
• Sessions booked in during Extended Reg, assemblies and Wednesday afternoon Enrichment time
• Mental Health Advocates training with Brnabas/the NHS
• Talks from Educational Psychologist on managing stress

Year 13 will be fundraising by doing a Spinathon on Friday 5th April in the ASC from 9am until 3pm. All the money raised will he donated to the Just Giving page Oliversjourney (linked below) which will be used to buy Oliver a sports prosthetic. Teachers and students will race against one another on gym exercise bikes in LR1 throughout the day, for Team Rory or Team Louis. Oliver will cycle against Miss Familton at lunchtime! There will also be other fundraising activities throughout the day such as raffles and cake sales.

There is fierce competition already between staff and students!

If you would like to donate to #Oliversjourney, then please use this Just Giving link and write SPIN into your message, or donate on the day in the buckets. Please also share this page as much as possible.

Link to Just Giving Page #Oliversjourney

Let’s SPIN!!  We really want to help reach the target of £15,000.

The editorial team of the student newspaper are delighted to share with you the Spring Term edition.

The Red and Black Spring Term 2019 Issue 

From the auditions in mid-October to choreography sessions this March, the school’s production of Sister Act has taken a lot of dedication from its 40 cast members, teachers, and the school community. On the whole, the process was a rewarding one for everyone involved, but we all had our fair share of challenges to overcome. Whether it be finding our dancing feet, being prepared to sing out in front of a crowd or just urging ourselves to take part, the whole cast came together and united to create a production that we could not wait for you to see.

Sister Act tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a jazz singer in the 1970s who finds sanctuary in a convent when she finds herself in a dangerous situation. Against the odds, she befriends the nuns and helps them to find the voice they never had, creating unconventional friendships and an empowering story of unconditional love.

As an avid fan of theatre, it was incredible to be a part of this production, and having being involved in the production of High School Musical in 2017 and knowing what the drama and music departments are capable of, I can confidently say they have outdone themselves. Due to the mass of nuns within the production, we had more full cast rehearsals than previous productions, and although these had proved strenuous for us all, it was entirely worth it. As we approached the performances, the excitement grew as we saw our hard work paying off in large scale rehearsals on the stage. There is a brilliant dynamic within the show due to the contrasting of the fun-loving sisters in the convent, and the rival characters consisting of gangsters who are set out to kill Deloris. Despite being a part of the action on stage, the enjoyment factor was tangible even when we rehearsed, with the cast laughing and tapping their feet along with the action on stage, so we knew the audience was in for a real treat.

The songs were lead by Mrs Harrison and Mr Forbes, which contain powerful and meaningful messages that stuck in our heads for hours after rehearsals, and the choreography, created by ex-student Lauren Gordon, brought the entirety together, making us feel like the performances were our reality! There were so many smiling faces at rehearsals, even though we had often been at school all day prior to them, which just goes to show how much passion we had and still have for this piece.

If the rehearsals weren’t fun enough, we put our all in the shows themselves, with audience member Emily Dougal in Year 12, saying ‘Sister Act was by far the best show I have seen at KEVI’. The audience was absolutely enthralled, as were the cast, crew and staff. Feedback received from parents was extraordinary, saying ‘it would not have been out of place in any professional theatre!’ as well as that they had never seen a show ‘where the cast worked together so much and visually showed how much they were enjoying it’.

We could not have been more overwhelmed at the passion our audiences had for the show! Extra seating had to be put in on the final night, the night we received our standing ovation from 280 audience members! Our hearts were warmed that something we had worked so hard on, whether it be our first school show or our last, had been adored as much from those watching than by those performing.

It goes without saying that it could not have been done without our brilliant teachers: Mrs Anderson, Mrs Stephen, Mrs Harrison, Mr Forbes and Lauren Gordon as well as Jonathan Hughes and all his help with the tech crew. Hopefully, productions in the years to come are as enthralling as Sister Act; it has meant so much to the cast to be involved and many of us can not wait to come back and do it all again. See you in 2021!

Article by Rosie Bowden, year 12

Every year many of our students choose to apply to ‘competitive universities’. The annual Oxford and Cambridge Student Conference is a great opportunity for our students to attend subject specific presentations, to find out the facts about applying to and studying at ‘Oxbridge’, and to meet admissions officers, lecturers and students. It’s a roadshow event allowing northeastern students to find out more…on their own doorstep.

Parallel is the Advisor’s Conference which is a very useful event for our staff to make sure that they are totally up to date with the latest information, to grill the admissions officers and lecturers, and to share ideas and best practice with colleagues across northern England.

Advanced information of changes affecting Cottingwood Lane in the near future. Following consultation with residents we have been informed at the latest Road Safety meeting that Northumberland County Council will be installing double yellow lines at the top of Cottingwood Lane, outside of the school and up to the barrier leading to St George’s Hospital. We believe the remainder of Cottingwood Lane will be introducing residents permit parking only.

Many of our students who drive to school park in this area and need to be mindful of these changes coming into effect and should seek alternative parking arrangements. This is particularly important as the exam season will soon be upon us and they must ensure that they arrive to exams in plenty of time.

We would take this opportunity to remind students that there is no on-site parking facilities, other than the permit spaces which we issue on a termly basis. We received several complaints from the Youth Service and Adult Learning during the recent mock exams due to student parking at these locations.

Also, please can I remind all drivers that Cottingwood Lane is a maximum of 20 mph speed limit and to adhere to this when coming to and from school site.

The first edition of 2019 is now available.

Newsletter 

One of the privileges of working with Sixth Form is that we get to see what life is like after King Edward’s. Lisa worked an awful lot with Janet, our student mentor, on her future plans and Janet was thrilled when Lisa got in touch recently to update us on her career so far…

Lisa joined Sixth Form full of hope and ambition, she just didn’t know what her vocation was – who does at 16?! A bright, outgoing and engaging student Lisa was academically very able and she made regular visits to our mentor team, striking up a great relationship with Janet who supported and encouraged Lisa.

Upon leaving Sixth Form, Lisa joined South Shields Marine School (who continue to support our KEVI Inspires events) destined for a career at sea. At college Lisa studied  a range of theory, including celestial navigation along with more practical elements. Lisa passed her exams at South Shields Marine College and was lucky enough to have three Cadetship offers – all from cruise companies.

As part of her Cadetship, Lisa lived and studied at Glasgow University in between periods at sea. Lisa is currently coming towards the end of her first sea phase where she has visited many places and learned many new skills and made many new friends.

Lisa has 18 months before she graduates but she has found her true passion and vocation. When she is not a merchant seafarer and is back on dry land, Lisa is hoping to become a Careers at Sea ambassador and we look forward to welcoming her back to Sixth Form to share her insights and experiences.

It is a real pleasure to see and hear how Alumni are getting on.

The election process for 2019 is well underway with a great selection of nominations. The role of Senior Student is a prestigious role that has prominence across the school and within the wider community. Although the titles of Head Boy and Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl are awarded, the reality is a team of four working on behalf of and representing the student community.

As part of the process all interested students had to put themselves forward and get their nomination formally approved and supported by another student and a staff member. Following this, students had to provide their manifesto; their vision for the role, that could be delivered in the form of a two minute speech. All candidates then had a ‘gruelling’ interview schedule with members of the Sixth Form team to further develop their vision and understanding of the role and commitment required.

For the Sixth Form team the interview process is ‘the best bit’ as we get to really explore our Sixth Form through the eyes of our students. It is impressive how articulate and passionate the nominees have been. The prospect of the role is one all nominees are relishing and will really take forward with supporting the wider school community, not just Sixth Form. The ambition and intent palpable, in a good way!

The most pleasing aspect, is that unanimously all nominates honestly share our view of Sixth Form as an inclusive and supportive community that seeks to work with and prepare students for the next stage, whatever that may be. All candidates have expressed a gratitude to The King Edward VI School and the Morpeth Partnership of schools as a whole, in shaping them as active citizens. The candidates want to give something back to the school and help it move forward.

The elections involve all students from Year 11 and Year 12, as well as all staff from across the school. All candidates will make their election addresses in assemblies next week and voting will take place on Friday 15 February,

We wish all candidates the very best of luck and look forward to working with the new Senior Students.