14 May 2020STEAM Competition!
Following the huge success of our Stay Creative competition, which saw over 250 entries submitted, we are launching our next Trust community competition! This time, we are having a STEAM focus; asking students to demonstrate their skills and interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.
The competition has been created by teachers across the Trust and is for ALL students at any of Valley Invicta Academies Trust schools to take part in!
All you have to do is visit: https://valleypark.padlet.org/DFuller/3romwzaft4j0bvf8 and enter the password VIATsteam2020! (don't forget the exclamation mark!)
You will then be able to see a host of STEAM-based challenges and projects you can replicate or take inspiration from. Once you have created your own piece of work, you please send a photo of it to: steamcompetition@viat.org.uk to take part in the competition. You can submit as many entries as you want to.
Once you have submitted your work, it will be uploaded into a padlet here: https://valleypark.padlet.org/DFuller/d3gpj0gjvgkyga9r, using the same password, where you will see your initials, your year group and the VIAT school you attend.
The deadline for the competition is Monday 1 June. After that date has passed, a vote will be opened for people to choose their favourite primary and secondary entries. Winners in each category will be announced when the vote closes.
New ideas, videos and tutorials will be added to the site on a daily basis to inspire your STEAM skills and creativity. We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!
5 May 2020Stay Creative Winners Announced!
The Stay Creative competition has now closed, and winners have been chosen!
The project, which was created by Lead Practitioner for Art, Graphics and Photography, Chris Spurr, at Valley Park School, for all students at any of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust schools, to take part in, had over 250 entries. The idea behind the initiative was to boost creativity while we all get used to the new way of working and learning from home.
The entries included painting, photography, crochet and digital illustrations to name but a few, and the standard of entries was incredibly high.
The winners have now been announced via a new padlet which you can see here: https://padlet.com/c_spurr/StayCreative2020WInners
If you see your initials, school and entry, then you have been selected – well done! A number of teachers have also received an honourable mention for their efforts!
You can still see a gallery of all the amazing submissions here - https://padlet.com/c_spurr/StayCreative2020 then enter the password stayingcreative.
CEO of Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT), Julie Derrick, said: “We have been absolutely blown away by the standard of entries and the incredible pieces of work put forward by students, and in fact staff, from all the VIAT schools. It’s so important we all stay creative during these challenging times and these brilliant submissions are a wonderful representation of that.”
28 Apr 2020Welcome to VIAT
We are delighted that you will be joining one of our secondary schools (Invicta Grammar School, School of Science and Technology Maidstone, The Lenham School and Valley Park School), all of which are part of Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT), this September. We thought it would be a great idea for us to get to know you better before you arrive, especially since you are not experiencing a typical Year 6 at the moment.
So, we have set up a VIAT initiative which we would love you to participate in – in fact, we would encourage you to take part as many times as you like! You can find all the information you need by following the link below:
https://valleypark.padlet.org/MHutchinson/mwfw75fkh7r
and by entering the password, which is: VIAT2020!SeptWelcome (case sensitive). You can also scan the QR code provided below, using a smart phone or tablet.
We have put some ideas on the padlet already, which you might like to try – or be original and come up with your own – we will really enjoy celebrating your abilities! To get started, perhaps you could:
Design a sustainable house for the future;
Describe your day when you wake up in another dimension;
Write an algorithm that sorts insects;
Take a tour of the Palace of Versailles;
Write a poem about what it means to move up to secondary school;
Create an impactful piece of Art;
Take a photograph of a dish that you cooked from scratch;
Escape from Hogwarts – see the padlet (link above) for more details.
All you need to do is email your contribution to gettingtoknowyou@viat.org.uk, attaching a photo of your work and letting us know your full name, which primary school you attend and which school you will be joining in September. We will upload your masterpiece to the website (make sure you look out for it!) – please be assured that we will identify you only by your initials and your primary school name, rather than publishing your full name on the site.
You are very welcome to explore the website to search for inspiration, and to learn about the skills of other students who will be joining you as part of the VIAT family in September. We look forward to hearing from you!
15 Apr 2020Ceramics workshop creates amazing pieces to say thank you
Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT) children of key workers tried their hand at ceramics yesterday, when Miss Alison Collins, the Lead Practitioner for Ceramics from Valley Park School, held a special workshop for them at Valley Invicta Primary School at East Borough, as part of the Easter Holiday provision.
The workshop focused on forget me nots and the wonderful work being carried out by key workers during these unprecedented times. The pupils created positive and creative decorative pieces – from plaques, to mugs and jewellery - in clay and took on the role of making things for others to show their kindness and thanks.
Miss Collins said: “It was brilliant to see mixed age groups working together and helping one another.Once their fantastic efforts have been fired and glazed, they will create a great exhibition to show commemorative artwork that the pupils have created across the Trust showing their thoughts and understanding of the meaning behind this situation.”
VIAT CEO, Julie Derrick said: “I want to say a very big thank you to Miss Collins for her wonderful creativity, enthusiasm and personality that exuded in the ceramics workshop for the children we have in school at the moment. I saw, first-hand, how much they loved the session, which is testament to her ability and reminds us all of the importance of creativity, collaboration and empathy in these unusual and challenging times.”
3 Apr 2020Valley Park School Virtual School Choir record song for NHS while in isolation
Students from Valley Park School who are part of the school choir have come together virtually, to record a rendition of Coldplay’s hit song ‘Fix You’ in tribute to the NHS, while in isolation.
The 16 students each recorded their part separately at home this week, before sending it to their music teacher, Ross Blyth, who joined the voices together to form the choir.
The recording was then set to a montage of video footage showing NHS staff, and released on social media.
Mr Blyth said: “When we are at school, we rehearse most lunchtimes; to me, the idea of the students not singing together again for months on end was unthinkable. When I sent the students the parts and asked them to record them, their response was remarkable. The final product is testament to their talent and dedication.”
Headteacher of Valley Park School, Margaret Hutchinson, said: “We, like so many others across the country, have been astounded by the tremendous efforts of the NHS and, when Ross suggested a Virtual Choir recording that could be dedicated to their amazing efforts, it was just our own small way of saying thank you. I am incredibly proud of our students’ achievement with this track and I’d also like to thank Ross, who has spent hours editing everything together.”
The video can be viewed here:
