This weekly bulletin contains the latest news updates across Year 11.
EEKLY W B ULLETIN 19 JANUARY 2024
A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEADTEACHER
KEY SCHOOL DATES
HOLIDAYS & NATIONAL DAYS Veganuary - January World Religion Day - 21 January Holocaust Memorial Day - 27 January Children’s Mental Health Week - 5-11 February Higher Education Evening - 5.30pm 22 January GCSE MFL Mock Speaking Exams - 22-26 January Oxbridge Briefing - 5.30pm 29 January Year 9 Options Evening - 5pm 6 February
This morning I attended the Year 9 assembly as a judge for our Year 10 public speaking competition. Students were shortlisted following the workshop run last term and having had a chance to polish up their speeches, put their newly learned skills into practice by delivering inspirational speeches, sharing personal passions and experiences that
really made the audience think. The topics included False Memories, Hope, Rugby and Ignorance. Well done to all who took part and special congratulations to Uma and Emilia who will represent the school at the borough competition later this term. This week we were delighted that a number of our students in Years 7 to 9 were invited to participate in the Oxford University Computing Challenge as a result of achieving a score within the top 10% of the national entries in November’s Bebras Challenge. This is an incredible achievement and the students really enjoyed having the opportunity to challenge their computational thinking even more in this round. Our Design and Technology teachers have been incredibly busy supporting examination students through their make days this week. Having an opportunity to spend a whole day realising their designs allows the students focused time to produce some truly exceptional artefacts. We will be inviting parents into an exhibition of their work later in the term. Thank you to all the parents who participated in the Year 11 PCM. Teachers really appreciated having time to talk in more depth about how students can use these final weeks to prepare for their exams. On Tuesday we were delighted to welcome Dr Christos Pliatsikas from the University of Reading to talk to our A level Psychology students about his research into bilingualism, explaining how this affects cognition and supports brain health.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send us your achievement stories and photos to share by email to info@waldegravesch.org STAY CONNECTED WITH US:
~ Ms Tongue, Headteacher
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
SUPPORTING THE PTA A little help goes a long way... Are you able to help out at our forthcoming Quiz Night Event? Sign up now!
The news is full of stories about the seizure of thousands of illegal vapes that are very clearly targeted at children and young people, through their use of bright colours and sweet flavours. The blog The Open Principle includes very thoughtful information for parents, including the stark message that “All types of kids are vaping in school” - even the “good kids” who would never have smoked traditional cigarettes. This week the Twickenham Police Safer Schools Team, have shared information with schools about some very worrying local developments about vapes containing high levels of chemicals that have caused some children to lose consciousness resulting in hospitalisation. Please read the letter attached from Inspector Graham Norman about what to look out for and how to report concerns.
SIGN UP HERE
A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF YEAR 11
It has been a really busy week for Year 11. On Monday and Wednesday Year 11 took part in the DT Make Day, this was for students taking Textiles and Product Design. It was great to see all of the fantastic products that they have designed and are the process of making. On Wednesday after school it was Year 11 PCM and it was a very productive evening with students, parents and staff being able to have academic conversations to help support students moving forward. If you have any follow-up issues related to this please contact the KS4 hub. It has been a great start to the term with epraise points, our top points scorers this week are Evie in 11SAS, Asmaa in 11FLE and Paige in 11FLE. The top form this week is 11SAS with 55 points. Closely followed by 11FLE and 11PON. Keep up the good work. The Year 11 Core mock exam timetable was released to students this week. They should now be planning their revision for these forthcoming exams in March. They will be receiving information from their subject teachers regarding the content. In the meantime they should be planning their timetable accordingly, if they need any support with this they can see their form tutor, myself or Ms Dhir. We look forward to hearing how the Year 11 students get on in the Richmond Borough Cross Country event that has now been moved to Friday 26 january at Richmond park. Good luck to our runners and let’s hope the weather warms up! We are currently undergoing uniform checks in school and students were reminded of the uniform expectations in form time this week. In particular, students should not be wearing more than one earring in each ear and necklaces can be worn, but should not be seen. Skirts also need to be the correct length and students must wear lanyards at all times.
MRS BASHFORD-HYNES, HEAD OF YEAR 11
SPORTS FIXTURES
Date
Fixture
Result
12.01.24
U14 Rugby Tournament
SECOND PLACE
17.01.24
Sixth Form Football vs Teddington
LOST 3-1
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu Rising is a captivating rollercoaster of drama and emotion. Taylor Jenkins Reid successfully presents the Riva siblings’ lives against the atmosphere of ‘80s Malibu. The characters feel like friends you’ve known forever, their struggles and triumphs resonating with the teenage experience. The glamorous setting contrasts with the raw, relatable human stories, creating an intriguing narrative. Reid’s writing is touching, making it a page-turner that explores family dynamics, love, and the pursuit of identity. Malibu Rising is a must-read that blends nostalgia with timeless themes for any teenager.
~ Recommended by Dila K, 11ERU
ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE PROJECT
Year 12 student, Elodie M, on the Environment Committee is involved with an exciting project in the school. Here is her account of what they are doing: “We as the environment committee, which are students from years 7-12, are currently doing a project called ‘lets get outside and learn’. Which is a project throughout the borough with many schools to improve the biodiversity and help the environment in the borough. They are going to give us some money to help improve a part of our school.
Currently we have made a hedgehog house as hedgehogs are crucial for maintaining our biodiversity as they eat the insects that can cause damage. Hedgehogs are currently on the decline and are at danger of going extinct. We have also made some wormaries to help the soil become fertilised.”
SUPPORTING THE PTA
A little help goes a long way …
The next events to raise vital funds for the school are the Quiz Night on Friday 23 February and the Silent Auction at the end of March. We really need your help in making these events happen.
There are numerous well defined roles, with varying degrees of commitment, such as setting up tables for an hour before an event, doing a cash and carry run for refreshments and snacks, serving drinks or food for a set time period, contacting local businesses to ask them to donate lots or even coordinating an event. Please do take a moment to look at the requests on the below links and if you could sign up for one of the events, it would really make a difference to the success of raising vital funds for the school which directly benefits the students. Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
If you would like to volunteer at the Quiz Night please sign up here.
If you are interested in helping out at the Silent Auction please sign up here.
Waldegrave PTA
Please contact us with any queries or problems you may have. To get in touch with a member of staff from your child’s year group, you can: Send an email to KS4@waldegravesch.org Or you can contact the school via phone by calling: 02088943244 WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL Fifth Cross Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 5LH HOW TO CONTACT YEAR 11 HEAD OF YEAR AND TUTORS
The following items are not endorsed by Waldegrave School.
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4www.waldegrave.richmond.sch.uk
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator