Nexus€¦ · Web viewWe are delighted to welcome you and your son or daughter to the Gifted...

Information for Parents and Carers

Academic Year 2018-19

GIFTED PROGRAMMES

We are delighted to welcome you and your son or daughter to the Gifted Programmes here at Nexus. The Gifted Programmes will provide your child with some incredible opportunities to engage with their interest in STEM and PPE subjects, within a framework of very high expectations and academic rigour. We are at the start of a very exciting journey and we look forward to working closely with you to make sure that your child’s educational journey is extraordinary.

Dr. Jo Foster Vice Principal & Director of CSMS and the Nexus Gifted STEM Programme

Mr A OatesVice Principal & Director of the Nexus Gifted PPE Programme

Nexus Gifted Programmes 2018-2019

Within this guide you will find information about:

The shape of the school day Teaching staff at Nexus Curriculum, homework and assessment Co-curricular activities Break and lunch time Transport Contact details Further information

We hope that you will find answers to many of your questions within this guide, but if you have further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected].

Students in the Gifted Programmes will have a Tutor group and House at CSIA and will be fully integrated into school life. As with all other students at CSIA, for most school communications the Tutor will be the first point of contact. For any concerns specifically regarding Nexus please contact Dr. Jo Foster, Director of Nexus STEM (or Mr. Dan Chapman, Deputy Director) for STEM queries and Mr Andrew Oates, Director of Nexus PPE for PPE queries.

Students in the Gifted STEM Programme will be studying all their Science and Maths lessons at Nexus, as well as IT once per fortnight and Religion, Philosophy and Ethics once per fortnight.

Students in the Gifted PPE Programme will be studying all their Science and English lessons at Nexus, as well as IT once per fortnight and Religion, Philosophy and Ethics once per fortnight.

The week at Nexus – STEM Programme


Week A Week BYear 7 Tuesday and Friday Tuesday and FridayYear 8 Tuesday and Friday Tuesday and

WednesdayYear 9 Monday, Tuesday and

ThursdayMonday, Tuesday and Thursday

Year 10 Monday (from P2) and Wednesday

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday

The week at Nexus – PPE Programme

Week A Week BYear 7 Tuesday and Friday Tuesday and Friday

The shape of the Nexus day

Due to the increasing numbers of students participating in the Nexus Programme there is a change to the arrangements from September 2018.

On non-Nexus days students should be dropped at the CSIA main campus by 8.15am and be collected from CSIA main campus at 4.45pm each day. Co-curricular activities for Nexus students will take place after school at our main campus on these days. Students should go to the Einsteiners Canteen for their tea on these days. Staff will then escort them to their co-curricular activity or their supervised homework session.

On Nexus days, students in the Gifted Programmes will spend the whole day at Nexus. Students should be dropped at Nexus from 8am onwards. We cannot accept students on site before 8am. They should be collected at 4.45pm from the Nexus campus, except on Fridays, which end at 2.45pm.

At 2.45pm on Nexus campus days tea will be served in the Nexus dining room. The co-curricular activities begin at 3.15 pm. On Birthdays or other special occasions students may bring cake to share with other students at teatime if they wish.


Students should be collected from either the main campus or Nexus campus at 4.45pm each day. Please ensure that pick-up is punctual. We ask that all students vacate the school building by 5.00pm.

There is no co-curricular programme on a Friday. Students should be collected from 2.45pm or can walk home .

Staying until 4.45pm from Monday – Thursday day is a compulsory element of the Gifted Programme. The exception to this is if a student has a sporting or musical commitment. In this case they may miss the co-curricular time on that day. Please email [email protected] if your son or daughter will be missing a co-curricular session for this reason.

Leadership team at Nexus

The Leadership Team at Nexus are:

Dr. Jo Foster (Director of Nexus and Cornwall School of Maths and Science (CSMS), Vice Principal CSIA) [email protected]

Mr. Andrew Oates (Director of Gifted PPE Programme, Vice Principal CSIA)[email protected]

Mr. Dan Chapman (Deputy Director of Nexus and CSMS) [email protected]

Mr Gareth Rees (Nexus and CSMS Lead Practitioner in Maths) [email protected]

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any concerns about your son or daughter’s life at Nexus. Any other concerns should be directed in the first instance to your child’s tutor.

Curriculum, homework and assessment

Students on the Gifted Programmes will be studying a curriculum that has been specially designed to challenge the most able students. The curriculum will follow similar topics to those studied on the CSIA main


mailto:[email protected]

campus, but the approach will be more challenging, with repetition removed and each topic set in a real-life context.

Homework

Students will receive homework in Science and Mathematics or English at Nexus alongside their other subjects. The Science homework will at times consist of a thematic piece of research which matches the topic area. This homework will require the students to carry out some of their own research and will be carried out mainly in co-curricular time. Homework will be regularly marked, and the marks achieved will feed into the overall assessment for each student.

Homework and some classwork will be set via Google Classroom so it can be accessed from both school and home. Your child will be given a code to join the Google Classroom at the start of term.

Assessment

Students will be regularly assessed formally through testing and homework, and through lesson activities. Students will be given regular feedback, instruction, advice and support on how they can improve. From the first half term, approximately every 6 weeks student progress will be reported to students in a list which rank orders the students according to their achievement. Schools which use a similar system report that it is motivating and clear to the students where they are in relation to their peers. It will be very important that we have parental support for this system and that both parents and students see it as a useful tool for feedback and development. The rankings must be seen within the wider context as all the students in the Gifted Programmes are very able; a student who is rank 18/18 is still likely to be in the top 25 of their Year group of over 300.

Students in the Gifted Programmes will receive reports and Parent Evenings on the main CSIA report schedule. A Year 7 Exhibition Evening


takes place annually before Christmas so that parents can visit Nexus and see some of the work and activities the students have done.

Academic concerns

The Gifted STEM and PPE Programmes are very challenging academically. If a student begins to fall significantly behind their peers in the programme parents will be invited in for a meeting with Dr. Foster, Mr Oates or Mr. Chapman and their child at which an action plan will be drawn up to help support the student. We are clear that, once in the Programme, we will work hard with parents to support the child to stay in the Programme if possible. If, after approximately a term of support via an action plan, the student is not enjoying the Programme or is not making the expected progress, the student will leave the Programme and re-join lessons at the main campus from the start of the following term. The final decision over whether a child remains in the Gifted Programmes is at the discretion of the school.

Co-curricular time, homework and independent study

Students are expected to make good use of co-curricular time at Nexus and CSIA when they do not have a scheduled co-curricular activity. This time should be used to complete other homework, for music lessons or practice, to pursue their own research or continue with other projects. Students are encouraged, with support, to independently plan and use this time productively. We would ask for your support with this and ask that your expectation, in line with ours, is that students remain at Nexus/CSIA each day until 4.45pm unless there are exceptional circumstances or they are involved in another activity off-site.

After feedback from students and parents, this year there will be no co-curricular programme on Fridays and students are able to go home at 2.45pm.

Music lessons can sometimes be arranged at the Nexus campus. This is organised by the Music department, and Nexus are not involved in the


Music timetabling. Please let the Music department on the main campus know when you return the form requesting lessons.

Sports ClubsIf your child wishes to take part in Sports clubs at the main campus, you will need to let us know. This will enable us to know who will need to be transported to the main campus on Nexus days. Usually PE clubs take place on a Tuesday and a Thursday. A minibus will leave promptly at 2:45 to take those taking part in Sports clubs at the main campus if necessary. If it is not a Nexus day for your child you will still need to inform Nexus by including it in your options so we know your child’s whereabouts during co-curricular time. For any questions about Sports curricular opportunities please contact the PE department on the main campus.

Co-curricular activities 2018/2019

There is a wealth of co-curricular activities on offer on Monday to Thursday. We hope that we have something that everyone will enjoy. Students should choose at least two co-curricular activities per half-term. Letters will be sent to parents during the first week of term and then at the end of each term asking students to make their choices for the following term. An overview of the co-curricular offer can be found on the following pages.

Nexus 7 and 8It is advised that students take part in two co-curricular options per term. This will enable students to have time to complete homework and other research that they wish to pursue. If your child is likely to be involved in Sport on the main campus after school you may wish to limit the co-curricular activities to one per week to ensure they have sufficient time for homework. Students can choose a selection from either STEM or PPE-based activities regardless of which strand of the programme they are in.Please note, these activities may change slightly due to staffing availability but this will give an idea of what will be available during the


academic year 2018-2019. Unless otherwise stated, each of these activities runs for a half term.

Lecture Series(STEM and PPE)

We will regularly be joined by a variety of guest speakers from Universities, local industries and organisations. These lectures have broad appeal and are attended not only by Nexus students but also by members of the Cornwall Scholars’ Community and Cornwall School of Maths and Science (the VI Form specialist STEM Provision). Nexus students are able to choose which of these lectures to attend.

Astronomy TasterLed by Dr. and Mrs. Mackintosh

Explore and learn more about the Universe with expert Dr. Grant and Mrs Kim Mackintosh from the Tolcarn Observatory.The 6 week taster sessions will give students an insight into Astronomy and enable those who wish to continue it for a GCSE to have a taster of the course.

StargazingLed by Dr. and Mrs. Mackintosh

Have you ever wanted to be able to identify constellations and other features of the night sky? This Stargazing course will allow you to take your family on a night out stargazing, find and identify the constellations and learn more about different types of objects in the night sky.

Ham RadioLed by Dr. Mackintosh

Are you receiving me? Fancy yourself as an amateur radio enthusiast? Learn the phonetic alphabet, make your own radio and discover the etiquette of the airwaves in this introduction to ham radio.

Technology Club – Light boxes

Led by Mr. Green

Design and create your own Light Boxes and programme an Arduino chip so that they say whatever you want in a dynamic display. These sessions will involve a lot of hands-on technology, so if that is your thing, sign up today!

Technology Club – 3D Printing

Led by Mr. Green, in conjunction with RNAS Culdrose

We’ve set ourselves a challenge this year – we are planning to try to 3D-print our own Nexus Chess set, with the faces of Nexus students and staff. To achieve this we’ve teamed up with the 3D printing and engineering team at RNAS Culdrose who will share how they use 3D printing to support their operations at home and overseas. This activity involves a trip to RNAS Culdrose.

Technology Club – Rotating LEDs

Led by Mr. Green

Using programming and your technical skills, design and make your own board of flashing LEDs which, when spun round, spell out words! This fun and hands on session involves some soldering and circuit building as well as programming an Arduino chip.

Game development and coding

Led by Mr. Gray

Many Nexus students are keen on programming and testing their own games. This club allows students to develop these skills, and also encourages student to develop their understanding of Artificial Intelligence and the challenges this presents. We are fortunate to be running this activity in conjunction with Professor Simon Colton’s team at the Games Academy at Falmouth University.

Lego Robotics

Led by Mr. Gray

This is always a popular activity. Use the Nexus Lego Robotics kit to design and make Lego Robots to complete a series of challenges.

Drone Programming

Led by Mr. Green

We have two programmable drones at Nexus. In this activity develop your coding skills by writing the programme that instructs the drones how to fly. Then test your skills further by programming the instructions to fly a complex course with your drone to win a prize!

Maths An opportunity to challenge yourself with higher level


Enrichment

Led byMr. Rees

Mathematics. There will be a variety of mathematical challenges to keep you going! Later in the year you will have the chance to devise some fiendish Maths puzzles to challenge your friends. A small group of students will be selected for the Junior Maths Olympiad and these sessions will be used to develop their skills for this challenge.

Greenpower Formula 24 Car Challenge

Greenpower is a nationwide competition to design and race a real racing car. The Greenpower Club will run all year round and we are looking for designers, motor engineers, mechanics, electrical engineers, a marketing team, drivers and pit crew to support the effort this year. This is an incredible project and with two cars to work on and several teams to choose from there is something for everyone!

Mandarin (Beginners)

Led byMrs. Fedorchenko

Begin learning the Chinese language, Mandarin. A growing number of companies worldwide seek people with the skills to speak other languages. Mandarin is one of them. You will learn about the culture of China as well as learning the language.

Mandarin(Intermediate)


This is only available to those who have already started from the previous year. Continue learning the wonderful Mandarin language at a higher level and challenge yourself further. You will have the opportunity to take a qualification in Mandarin.

Scribblers

Led by The English Department.

Is reading an absolute passion of yours? Are you enthusiastic about creative writing and would love to work towards publication? Do you listen to views and opinions and enjoy a lively debate? If you are fascinated by reading, writing and analysing text, then is for you.

Philosophy for beginners

Led byMiss. Perry

Budding philosophers will have the opportunity to explore the ideas of classical thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle; as well as formulating their own ideas and questions in a supportive environment. In philosophy club we use the community of enquiry method of discussion to explore the big questions in life such as ‘How do we know what is real?’ and ‘What is the purpose of life?’.

Advanced Philosophy

Led by Miss. Perry

Only for those who attended Philosophy for beginners or Philosophy Club last year, Advanced Philosophy takes a deeper look at the thinking of some of the most famous minds of the past and present.

Debating Society

Led by Dr. McGovern

Developing your skills in public speaking is one of the most important things you can do to help you prepare for a career in Politics or Law. Join the Debating Society and take part in a range of lively and stimulating debates on a variety of topics.

Journalism

Led by the English Department

Stop the press! Journalism is a new club for this year, focusing on allowing students to make and report the news. If you love writing and think a career in journalism might be your thing come along and find out more.

Chess Club Chess is one of the most popular pastimes at Nexus. Whether you are a total beginner or an aspiring Grand Master come to the chess club to learn more.

Classics Club

Led by Mr. Oates

There’s a lot to learn from the Greeks and Romans. If you want to learn more about these amazing civilizations, and discover a wealth of myths and legends along the way, then Classics Club is for you.


Nexus 9


We will regularly be joined by a variety of guest speakers from Universities, local industries and organisations. These lectures have broad appeal, and are attended not only by Nexus students but also by members of the Cornwall Scholars’ Community and Cornwall School of Maths and Science (the VI Form specialist STEM Provision). Nexus students are able to choose which of these lectures to attend.

Future Medics We have joined forces with Exeter Medical School to bring you the Future Medics Programme; a hands-on look at careers in Medicine and Dentistry. If you want to find out more about these challenging but rewarding fields come along to these sessions and see if you have got what it takes.

Mandarin(Intermediate)


This is only available to those who have already started from the previous year. Continue learning the wonderful Mandarin language at a higher level and challenge yourself further. You will have the opportunity to take a qualification in Mandarin.

Debating Society

Led by Dr. McGovern

Developing your skills in public speaking is one of the most important things you can do to help you prepare for a career in Politics or Law. Join the Debating Society and take part in a range of lively and stimulating debates on a variety of topics.

Advanced Philosophy

Led by Miss. Perry

Only for those who attended Philosophy for beginners or Philosophy Club last year, Advanced Philosophy takes a deeper look at the thinking of some of the most famous minds of the past and present.

App design with Swift

Led by Mr. Gray

You'll build five projects, beginning with a simple flashlight app that changes the background colour of the screen and ending with a shopping app that works with network services to communicate with a web server. After you finish the course projects, you'll have a chance to build your own personal project, working through design, prototyping, and development phases.

After School Chemistry

Led by Dr. Gower

This is your opportunity to spend time with your teachers to make sure you are making the maximum possible progress. Some of these sessions will focus on revision and exam skills, some on areas that individual students need some assistance with. Sometimes these sessions will be used for practical Science activities. These sessions are compulsory.

Duke of Edinburgh takes place on a Wednesday for Year 9.


Nexus 10


We will regularly be joined by a variety of guest speakers from Universities, local industries and organisations. These lectures have broad appeal, and are attended not only by Nexus students but also by members of the Cornwall Scholars’ Community and Cornwall School of Maths and Science (the VI Form specialist STEM Provision). Nexus students are able to choose which of these lectures to attend.

Scientific enquiry projects

Led by the Science Department

Many of Nexus 10 may choose to take part in International competitions, conferences and events. This session is an opportunity for students to carry out their own research projects to take to these conferences and events.

Greenpower Leadership

Led by Mr. Green

Greenpower is a nationwide competition to design and race a real racing car. The Greenpower Club will run all year round and we are looking for designers, motor engineers, mechanics, electrical engineers, a marketing team, drivers and pit crew to support this effort this year. We are looking for Year 10,11 and 12 to lead some of these teams. This is an incredible project and with two cars to work on and several teams to choose from, there is something for everyone!

STEM Ambassadors

Led by Mr. Green

There’s a wealth of STEM Careers to choose from. This co-curricular activity is an ‘opt in’ activity where you can go to some sessions and not to others – depending on which careers interest you.

App design with Swift

Led by Mr. Gray

You'll build five projects, beginning with a simple flashlight app that changes the background colour of the screen and ending with a shopping app that works with network services to communicate with a web server. After you finish the course projects, you'll have a chance to build your own personal project, working through design, prototyping, and development phases.

Duke of Edinburgh takes place on a Tuesday for Y10.


Food and other things…

Break and Lunchtime at Nexus

Food will be available to purchase at Nexus at break and lunchtimes. The kitchen at Nexus from September 2018 will have the fingerprint or PIN system that is used on the main campus, so meals can be paid for by topping up your child’s parent pay account. If your child is eligible for free school meals, they will be able to receive these at Nexus. There is no charge for after-school tea.

Transport

Parents of students on the Gifted Programmes will be asked to sign a letter that confirms that they are happy for their son or daughter to be transported between CSIA main campus and Nexus either in a minibus or, rarely, in the car of a member of staff.

Public buses

Some students are entitled to free transport on a Public Bus. To arrange this for your child call the Transport Department at Cornwall Council (01872 322003). Depending on which side of Camborne your child approaches CSIA, they may be able to leave the bus at the Station stop on the mornings that they come to Nexus. If your child’s bus stops at the main campus and the council will not extend their bus pass to Nexus, please contact us and we will aim to put a plan in place for transport to the Nexus campus from the main campus.

Drop off and pick up

Please come in the far end (not the Station end) of the car park and use the large layby in the car park for dropping off students. Students should not arrive on-site before 8am, and must be collected by 5pm at the latest.

Issues with transport


If you are struggling with significant transport issues, please contact us on [email protected] and we will see if we are able to help.

Key dates for Autumn Term 2018/2019

Tues 4th September (Week A)

1st day of term for Years 7, 9, 11 & 12Nexus Year 7 and 9 students - to arrive at the CSIA main campus at 8.20am. Students will be bussed across to Nexus after P1. Please collect Nexus 7 and 9 students from Nexus at 4.45pm.

Weds 5th September (Week A)

1st day of term for Years 8, 10 & 13Nexus 7, 8 and 9 students – This is a main campus day, they will remain on main campus after school finishes at 2.45pm for co-curricular activities until 4.45pm. Please collect Nexus 7, 8 and 9 students from main campus at 4.45pm.Nexus 10 studentsArrive at the main campus at 8.20am. Students will be bussed across to Nexus after P1.Please collect Nexus 10 students from Nexus at 4.45pm.

Thurs 6th September (Week A)

Main campus day for Nexus 7, 8 and 10 studentsNexus 7, 8 and 10 students should arrive at CSIA from 8-8.20am, and be collected from CSIA at 4.45pmNexus 9 studentsThis is a Nexus day for Nexus 9. Students should arrive at Nexus at 8-8.20am and can leave Nexus at 4.45pm.

Friday 7th September Nexus day for Nexus 7 and 8


(Week A) Nexus 7 and 8 students should arrive at Nexus from 8-8.20am, and be collected from Nexus at 2.45pm.Main campus day for Nexus 9 and 10Students should arrive at CSIA from 8-8.20am, and be collected from CSIA at 2.45pm

Monday 10th September (Week B)

Week B timetable (see Nexus days in this publication for further details)

Monday 17th September (Week A)

Week A timetable (see Nexus days in this publication for further details)

Monday 24th September 2018

Nexus Open Evening for Year 6 students and parents.Some Nexus 7 students will be asked to remain at Nexus until 8pm. Transport to Nexus at 4.45pm and a pasty dinner will be provided.

Weds 12th December 2018

Nexus Exhibition Evening for Year 7 ParentsAn opportunity for students to showcase the work they have been doing this term. All parents invited. All Nexus 7 students must attend.

Thursday 20th December 2018

Last day of term. No co-curricular programme at Nexus or CSIA.

Absence

If your child is absent, either through illness or because of an appointment, please inform school in the normal way through the main school switchboard (01209 712280). This process remains the same on every day of the week.

Contacting us


Strong partnerships with parents and carers are key to a young person’s success. We would encourage you to contact us if you have any concerns regarding your child.

We have a website where you can keep up to date with news and events. www.nexuscsia.co.uk. From the website you can navigate to our Facebook page where we will post further news and events. There is also a Nexus iPhone app, available from the Apple App store, which will update you with any Nexus news from the website.

For any enquiries about provision on the main campus, tutor groups, pastoral issues or PE, please contact main campus Reception on 01209 712280.

For anything specifically related to Nexus we can be contacted by choosing option 6 from the main switchboard.

Our direct email is [email protected]

Direct emails:

Dr. Jo Foster - [email protected]

Mr Andrew Oates - [email protected] .

Mr. Dan Chapman - [email protected] .

Mr Gareth Rees – [email protected]




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