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Firstly, we'd like to wish Eid Mubarak to all of our Academy community who are celebrating! We are excited to welcome our students back for the summer term! This term is always a busy one, especially for our students in Year 11 and Year 13 who will be sitting their end of course examinations. We encourage the students to keep working hard until they finish and to take advantage of any additional revision and intervention sessions they may have. This week we share some of the events from the end of last term, including Battle of the Bands which was a fantastic evening, and our Year 8 trip to Paris. We also share what our Year 7 students have been doing in History and Enterprise. Finally, we explore the value and importance of reading and literacy, sharing some of our initiatives in terms of encouraging young people to embrace reading. Year 8 explorent de nouveaux endroits !Over the Easter break, some of our keen Year 8 linguists had the amazing opportunity to visit Paris to see some beautiful landmarks, and put their French skills to the test! 
We visited a French chocolate factory en route to where we were staying, and learnt about the process of chocolate-making from bean to bar. Whilst it was lots of fun learning the new French vocabulary, the best bit had to be the tasting! All of this new vocabulary came in handy later on for our market visit to Melun where we had to use our French to negotiate the best prices for our lunch from the tasty local produce on offer. Miam miam ! 
Braving 222 steps to the summit of Montmartre, we were rewarded not just with breathtaking views over Paris, but also with a memorable culinary experience at a beautiful 19th century French restaurant. I can still taste the chocolate cake now...worth every step! 
Other activities that we did included a river boat cruise down the river Seine to take in the stunning sights of the City of Love, a morning at an interactive science and industry museum, and a behind the scenes tour of the home to France's national team – the Stade de France. 
Of course, no Mr Price trip is complete without a day at Disneyland for our petit moment de magie ! Sounds of Success – An Unforgettable 'Battle of the Bands 2024'On Wednesday 20th March, Q3 Academy Great Barr Music Department held its second annual 'Battle of the Bands' competition. The event was a roaring success with over 150 families, friends, and staff coming to see the nine bands competing for the top prizes. 
The evening was expertly hosted by Head of History, Mr Davies. 
Two prizes were awarded: the Judges' Award and the Audience Award. Our judges included, Mr Smith – Saxophone teacher and international performer, Mr Pritchard – Chair of Governors, and Isobella Mewis who is in her final year at Q3 Academy Great Barr. 
There were nine excellent performances spanning many genres and styles. Our judges commented on the amazing talent, confidence, and hard work of our young musicians. 
This year's electrifying Battle of the Bands showcased the talents of nearly 50 performers, with almost 20 making their thrilling debut on stage! 
Battle of the Bands 2024 was also the debut for new Academy ensembles, such as 'Woodwind Albion' who performed a medley of 90s dance classics. 
This year's incarnation of Manic Street Teachers (a band made up of Q3 Academy Great Barr staff) included eight members. The band performed 'Blinding Lights' by 'The Weeknd'. 
Members of Manic streets teachers included Ms Costello, Ms Anderson, Ms Merchant, Ms Baines, Mr Pol, Mr Burlace, Mr Sassons, and Mr Mills who is pictured below laughing at Mr Sassons' drumming ability. 
The judges commented on the expert singing and soulful harmonies of the Manic Street Teachers. 
All audience members received a voting slip upon arrival. Following the nine performances, our audience chose their favourite. Pictured below are Killer Smiles, 2024 winners of the Audience Award. 
The judges struggled to pick a winner citing the level of talent and dedication to musicality in our competing bands. Pictured below are Big Brass Theory, the 2024 winners of the Judges' Award. – Mr Sassons 
Sewing Sustainability: The Ugly Doll ProjectMrs Leybourn's Year 7 have been working hard to create their Ugly Dolls using textile items they have sourced from home, in order to understand the importance of sustainability. 
Students have been developing their textile skills by creating their own pattern pieces, cutting fabric accurately, and then applying decorative techniques such as embroidery and applique to their final piece. 
Through dedication and creativity, the students have transformed their vision into fantastic final products, well done Year 7! – Mrs Leybourn 
A Historical Rollercoaster!Year 7 History students have been studying about the Reformation during the reigns of the Tudor kings and queens of the 16th century. 
They have created historical rollercoasters to show how the changes in religion during this time period in the middle of the Tudor Dynasty affected the population at the time. 
Well done to the students in Mr Davies' Year 7 group whose work is on display. They have put their knowledge and skills from the curriculum into these pieces, well done all! – Mr Davies 
"I read a book one day and my whole life was changed" – The New LifeOur main priority in the Academy is to ensure that our students have the skills to grow in their next steps and navigate the world beyond education. Reading is a skill that underpins our work and a vital part of their learning. We recently celebrated World Book Day, which helped students to share their own feelings about their favourite books and what would make reading more thrilling for them. Students worked really well with the tasks and gave us some really exciting ideas for our Library. 
Not only did we see students reading for pleasure during their lessons, we also saw students engage with our initiative 'The Big Book Swap' with over 100 books donated on our first day. Students are able to come and take a book from the shelf that one of their peers has donated. It has been lovely to see students sharing their thoughts on some of their favourite books with one another. Students can donate books at any time, so please send them in if they are gathering dust at home! 
We continue to celebrate the hard work of our Sixth Form Peer Reading mentors, who work really hard with some of our younger students to help them become enthusiastic and more confident readers. Finally, reading is not only an extremely important skill but also an opportunity for students to escape reality and ignite their imagination, we recommend all students to be reading at home, and if you have any concerns about your child's reading age please contact your child's Personal Tutor. 
Happy reading! – Miss Bull Crazy for Careers!We're really proud of the outstanding careers provision at the Academy which is embedded throughout the curriculum from Year 7 onwards with lots of exciting events taking place all of the time, and an array of education and employment providers working with groups of students to turn aspirations into action! Year 10 are currently in the process of arranging their work experience which is a fantastic challenge to test their independence and ability to organise a placement at a company of their choice. Mrs Meredith will continue to be available to students during Wellbeing Inspire and at Careers Club (every Wednesday morning from 8am in the Library) to support any students who'd like further guidance or help in securing a placement. Message from Mr ArnullIf you haven't yet seen the letter from Mr Arnull on our website, you can find it here. Ms Spencer enjoys ZAFTA successMs Spencer hosted Zog for the week in recognition of her brilliantly clear explanations in KS3 Science. In the spirit of customisation that the ZAFTAs have enjoyed this year, she raised the bar by having Zog embrace his inner Einstein! – Mr Mills 
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