The Boulton July 2019

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“It takes a whole community, to bring up a child”

Herminder K Channa JP FCCT - Principal
Ark Boulton Academy | Birmingham| B11 2QG

T: +44 (0)121 773 8156
E: [email protected]

W: www.arkboulton.org

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The Principal’s message 3–4
Ark Boulton Sports day 5
Art’s Festival 2018 & 2019 6
VbE Quality Mark
The Gallery year 2018/19 7— 8
LeadingAspectAward 9—10
Envision Winners
Interview with Emily Bulman 11
Student Spotlight on Yuosuf 12
Ark Boulton Pledge Day 13
Pause, mental health support 14
Ackers Adventure—free activities 15
Stay Safe Summer 2019 16
Key Dates 2019 17
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The Boulton – Principal’s Message –
Issue 09 Summer 2019 Edition

Another year has passed us by, as we now
come to the end of year four at Ark
Boulton Academy, and what an eventful
year it has been.

Firstly, I would like to thank you - our
parents, students, staff and the wider
community for your continued support. A
school environment can only truly
continue to thrive and succeed with the
support of its community.

In the past month we have welcomed our
new Year 7 intake for September 2019 and
said farewell to our Year 11’s as their
journey at Boulton comes to an end. I am
once again, immensely proud of the
progression Year 11 have made, especially in their final year. They have
worked tirelessly and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. We eagerly await
results day in August to share in the success.

For our incoming Year 7, induction day was the beginning of an important
relationship between Ark Boulton and the students and their family. It was a
pleasure to have a hosted a day full of taster lessons, team building activities
and fun and games arranged for students to help them make the all-
important transition from primary to secondary school. We hope you
enjoyed the day and cannot wait to meet you all again in September. On page
___ of this newsletter you can find some useful ‘hints and tips’ for starting at
a secondary school.

Ark Boulton Academy has recently achieved the VbE Quality Mark (Values-
based Education) for underpinning universal positive human values such as
respect, integrity, honesty and compassion within the curriculum and
academy life. The Virtues programme for character education is an integral
part of the Ark Boulton curriculum, for which every staff member plays a
significant role. Topics such as Physical, Mental and Emotional Health,
Being a Good Digital Citizen and Compassion for the Environment which
will equip our children with the resilience to navigate the challenges of
modern life and within the global village we live in.

(continued on page 3)

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The Boulton – Principal’s Message –
Issue 09 Summer 2019 Edition (continued)

Ark Boulton staff role model virtues in their
daily interactions with each other and children
alike, demonstrating compassion, honesty,
gratitude and humility. Each member of staff
practises commitment and discipline in the
positive engagement in training, research,
planning and assessment of virtues as part of
the whole school culture and ethos. Simply put,
we love our children.”
I am proud to be able to share with you that the
VbE International Annual Conference
2019 will be held at Ark Boulton Academy on
18th October, with delegates from different
parts of the world joining together to meet VbE consultants and VbE schools,
hear from key note speakers, take part in values-based workshops and listen
to Ark Boulton’s students delivering virtue exposition speeches.

Our annual Artsfest took place toward the end of the summer term. A time
for us to celebrate and recognise the arts that take place at the academy.
From our drama students, music students, and art students to the choir – all
were celebrated and shared in an amazing gathering of the Boulton
community. This year we took part in a special collaboration between artist
Leon Sparks and our GCSE Art students, painting a personalised mural for
our academy with a special unveiling at the event.

Students also took part in our second Boulton Sports Day. The weather was
amazing and the competition was thriving – we have some great athletes
amongst us! Students took part in 200 and 100 metre races, relay runs, the
long jump, tug of war, and a classic favourite of mine the egg and spoon race!

I do hope you enjoy this edition of The Boulton, which only captures a
snapshot of all the amazing achievements and experiences at Ark Boulton.

I wish you all a great summer, stay safe in the sun and enjoy your break with
family and loved ones. We look forward to welcoming you all back in
September.

H K Channa JP
Principal

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Ark Boulton Sports Day—June 2019

On June years 7, 8 and 9 enjoyed their annual sports day at Wyndley Leisure Centre in
Sutton Coldfield.

Each Year group split into their form groups to compete in activities such as; egg and
spoon race, long jump, relay race, running events and tug of war.

The students told ne, “it was a very enjoyable day.” “As well as the sports it was
also a great opportunity to spend some more time with our form tutors and
classmates.”

It seemed that the ice-cream was very popular with most students also. Well done to
all the teams for competing!

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Ark Arts Festival—Thursday 18th July at 5pm

The Ark Boulton annual Arts Festival will be held from 5pm on Thursday 18th July. It
is an unmissable event; showcasing the diverse, create talent from so many of our
pupils.
A buffet is provided free of charge, along with refreshments, cakes and ice cream.
There will also be musical performances, art work that can be purchased and
decorations. It’s also a great opportunity to get to know some of the local community
and spend some time getting to know the Ark Boulton staff in a fun, uplifting
environment.

See you there!

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VbE Quality Mark—July 2019

Ark Boulton Academy has recently achieved the VbE Quality Mark (Values-based
Education) for underpinning universal positive human values such as respect,
integrity, honesty and compassion within the curriculum and academy life.
Our virtues curriculum has enabled us to teach students key life skills for their
conduct and character development, alongside the academic curriculum. Thus,
enabling our students to develop key personal skills and aptitudes such as
communication, leadership, team work, and problem solving that are so sought
after by today’s top universities and employers.

“The Virtues programme for character education is an integral part of the Ark
Boulton curriculum, for which every staff member plays a significant role. Topics
such as Physical, Mental and Emotional Health, Being a Good Digital Citizen and
Compassion for the Environment will equip our children with the resilience to
navigate the challenges of modern life and within the global village we live in. Ark
Boulton staff role model virtues in their daily interactions with each other and
children alike, demonstrating compassion, honesty, gratitude and humility. Each
member of staff practises commitment and discipline in the positive engagement in
training, research, planning and assessment of virtues as part of the whole school
culture and ethos. Simply put, we love our children.” Mrs H K Assi, Assistant
Principal.
Ultimately, the VbE has allowed our academy to “become a place where students
experience positive values in context. They learn how to apply and talk about values
appropriately. They become self-motivated, and their behaviour becomes calm and
purposeful. Division reduces, collaboration between student’s increases and values
underpin a sense of unity and positive direction. Values work in a dynamic way
through developing aspects such as leadership focus, positive role modelling and
community values.” (VbE).

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VbE Quality Mark—July 2019

What is VbE?

“Values-based Education (VbE) is a successful worldwide transformational
movement for positive change. VbE empowers educational settings to underpin
their life and curriculum with universal positive human values such as respect,
integrity, honesty and compassion.
The outcome of developing such an ethical vocabulary is ethical intelligence, which
Dr. Neil Hawkes argues is the most important intelligence for the sustainability of
our world.
The ethical vocabulary is the foundation of a new universal narrative through which
all human beings, irrespective of culture; religion or ethnicity can communicate,
thereby establishing trust and well-being.
The outcome of Values-based Education is self-leadership, which enables each
individual to work towards fulfilling their wonderful potential.”
“It is an honour to have achieved the Quality Mark for Values Based Education. At
Ark Boulton academy we are committed to ensuring that all of our children have
access to a strong academic curriculum, so they can go onto university or leave
equipped to access a career or apprenticeship of their choice; however this is only
part of the work we do. Our character development and virtues curriculum
develops within our children a sense of belonging and responsibility to;

· look after their parents,
· become role models for siblings and younger generations
· Upskill their communities.
A strong education must be in service to strengthen society and upskilling
communities. The Quality Mark further endorses the strong links the academy has
with families and the wider community working together to strengthen the city of
Birmingham and provide opportunities and hope for future generations. For it
takes a whole community to bring up a child.” Mrs H Channa, Principal Ark
Boulton Academy.

Find out more about the VbE Quality Mark.

VbE International Annual Conference 2019 will be held at Ark Boulton Academy on
18th October, with delegates from different parts of the world joining together to
meet VbE consultants and VbE schools, hear from key note speakers, take part in
values-based workshops and listen to Ark Boulton’s students delivering virtue
exposition speeches. For further information and to book tickets, visit Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vbe-international-annual-conference-2019-tickets-59298761191

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We are proud to announce the achievement of the 'Leading Aspect Award' for lead-
ing practice in the area of our Virtues Curriculum here at Ark Boulton Academy.
The Leading Aspect Award is a self-evaluation tool that recognises and celebrates
leading practice. It is a national award that gives formal recognition and encour-
agement to all involved.
At Ark Boulton we firmly believe and celebrate the importance of shared Identity,
rooted in the ethos of our virtues. The Virtues Curriculum is a thread running
throughout all aspects of school life, from the morning line up, lessons, monitoring
and assessment, through to exposition speeches. The school day has been created
around this focus, which gives integrity and gravitas to this aspect of the school
curriculum.

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Envision Winners!

A huge well done to our
Envision Community Apprentice group

‘Swap a Knife for a Life' w h o w o n
'Best Presentation' a t th e fin a ls o n Fr id ay 10th

May.
We also won second place overall for our entire project.

A great achievement Team Boulton!
"Congratulations on winning the best

presentation!
I was told not just by the judges but by multiple
people that your presentation was very smart! The team
should be so proud of this and how far they have come and what they

have achieved over the past few months."
- Katie Booth, Envision Coach.

full article:
http://arkboulton.org/news/envision-community-apprentice-best-presentation

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Interview with Ark Teacher training – Emily Bulman
Subject – History (BA hons)

Why did you choose history?

Firstly, this was the subject I chose for my
degree, which I did at University of
Birmingham I love story-telling and history
(his story) is all about the true life experiences
of people who came before us.

Through the study of history we are given
deeper insights into human nature and as a
result can gain a better understanding of each
other. This can help us form our own opin-
ions and make more informed choices in our
future lives.

By learning from the past we can also learn to

be more compassionate and courageous and become more confident in our lives; helping to
create a better future by working together with gratitude for all that we have now, compared to

generations in the past.

Why did you do before?

Becoming a teacher is a very big career change for me. I previously worked as a Legal Recruitment
Consultant. This entailed the sourcing of legal experts and teams for very large scale cases, on
behalf of the Government, sometimes working all hours of the day and night when timescales were
tight.

You will have heard of the Grenfell Tower disaster? This was one of the cases I was assigned and
had to recruit legal advisors to deal with the ramifications, after the tragic event.

Why the big change?

However much I enjoyed my previous career, I found it wasn’t fulfilling on a deeper level. As a
teacher I can bring what I have learned to others. Whereas in the past I would be moved from
project to project, here at Ark Boulton I will be able to see the results of my work. I feel that I have
knowledge and enthusiasm that I want to share with the new generations and help them to create
their best lives.

Why Ark Boulton?

I was born and raised in Hall Green, just down the road from Ark Boulton. I am Brummie born and
bred and know the area so well, it’s important to me to contribute to my home community and give
back some of what I have learned from and experienced growing up here.
I also know the history of this school and have watched how it has transformed from the issues that
were encountered in the Golden Hillock days to becoming the inspiring, successful and aspirational
School that it is now. I am excited to become a part of this schools future by teaching about the
past!

And, finally what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I volunteer in a home for the elderly a couple of times a month and I’m also a member of the labour
party, so actively support and market campaigns on their behalf.
I love music and am trained to Grade 8 on piano and I also love my computer games. I am advance

Anecdote: Emily was born under the astrological sign of Taurus, whose symbol is the
1b4ull. How interesting that the she also has ‘bul’ in her name!

Year 9 student: Yousuf Ibrahim

What careers are you interested in?

I am very interested in the sciences and
have considered medical sciences but I
think I would prefer to be an astronaut.

Why appeals to you about that?

I am fascinated by space, I’d love to
explore it and I am particularly
interested in black holes.
Nothing which has ever gone into a black
hole has ever come out of it, and I want
to be the first person to explore one and
live to tell the tale.

How come it is so dangerous?

A black hole sucks up all the energy around, it has no air and time does not exist inside a black
hole. There is no time in a black hole either, I think it would be interesting to travel in time, or to
a parallel universe. It may be possible one day.

FACT FINDER: Black holes are the only objects in the Universe that can trap light by

sheer gravitational force. Scientists believe they are formed when the corpse of a massive star
collapses in on itself, becoming so dense that it warps the fabric of space and time.

And any matter that crosses their event horizons, also known as the point of no return, spirals
helplessly toward an unknown fate. Despite decades of research, these monstrous
cosmological phenomena remain shrouded in mystery.

You recently selected your options I take it you chose Science?

Yes, double science and I enjoy music also.

ThanksYousuf,youknow thatEinsteinwas alsoa talentedviolinist?

So, What Does It Take to Be an Astronaut?

Astronaut requirements have changed with NASA's goals and missions. A pilot's license and
engineering experience is still one route a person could take to becoming an astronaut, but it’s no
longer the only one. Today, to be considered for an astronaut position, you must meet the
following qualifications:
1. A bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or

mathematics.
2. At least three years of related professional experience obtained after degree completion OR at

least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft.
The ability to pass the NASA long-duration astronaut physical. Distant and near visual acuity
must be correctable to 20/20 for each eye. The use of glasses is acceptable.

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Ark Boulton Pledge Day—Monday 15th July 2019

Ark Boulton students had a day of activities, attached are some photos from some of
them.

Bear Gryllis Adventure, NEC Birirmingham
The Crocky Trail, Chester
Weston Super Mare beach

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Pop in to the Ackers and try
out the free activities offered

exclusively to 14-18 year olds
in South-East Birmingham!

Unlock a hidden talent!

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StaySafeSummer2019

Sun Protection and Heat Exhaustion

Always apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside -- even on cloudy days. Even
waterproof sunscreen loses its effectiveness after about 80 minutes of swimming.

Keep Cool

As temperatures rise, heat exhaustion becomes a concern. Symptoms include fatigue, extreme
thirst, and muscle cramping.

How to Treat: spray with cold water from a bottle or hose, fan them, and get them into
the shade. If you suspect heatstroke, call 911.

Beware of Bee Stings

Beware strong floral scents. Likewise, don't leave out open containers of food and drink.
How to Treat: If you are stung, brush the stinger away with the edge of a credit card.

Next, apply a paste of baking soda and water. Lavender oil is also helpful.

Bypass Bug Bites

Themost effective products contain DEET it's proven to repel both mosquitoes and ticks.
How to Treat: Topical antihistamine or lavender oil will reduce itching. If you find a tick
on, use tweezers to pull it off by its head. Ticks have to be embedded in the skin for about

24 hours to transmit germs if this occurs contact your doctor.

Steer Clear of Food Poisoning

If you can’t wash your hands use an antibacterial hand gel. Clean all raw fruits and
vegetables, and keep raw meats separate from cooked foods.

How to Treat: Treatment involves fluids, rest, and a bland diet, but the illness may
require medical attention.

BE SMART

No swimming in rivers or playing by deep water
Don’t create rope swings from trees

Only climb when using professional equipment
Be careful by canal paths

UsefulContacts:

1. NSPCC: 0800 800 500—if you are worried a child may be at risk of harm.
2. Childline: 0800 111—if you are worried that a child may be at risk of harm.
3. Forced Marriage Unit: 0207 008 0151— or email: [email protected]
4. Young Minds Mental Heath Charity: 0207 089 5050
5. Yong Carers Birmingham: 0121 227 7000—or email:

[email protected]
6. FGM—Muslim Women’s Network: 0121 236 9000—or email:

[email protected]
7. NHS Direct—for non emergency health issues dial: 111
8. Brook advisory Service—for concerns about sexual health: 0121 237 5700
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Ark Boulton Arts Fest — Thursday 18th July 2019
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Teacher Training days—1st & 2nd Sept —School Closed
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SCHOOL OPENS
3rd September 2019

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Year 9 Vaccines—Thursday 30th September 2019

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Network Day—4th October 2019 —School Closed

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Teacher Training Day—4th November—School Closed

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28th October to 1st November—School Closed

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Week commencing: 4th November
Year 11 assessments & mocks—English & Maths

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