This weekly bulletin contains the latest news updates across Year 13.
WEEKLY BULLETIN
13 SEPTEMBER 2024
A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEADTEACHER HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE
KEY SCHOOL DATES
It has been lovely to welcome all our school community back to school over the last two weeks and, after the excitement of the first couple of days, to see students settling back into calm focused learning. I have been particularly impressed by the kindness students have shown to new students, helping them to find their way
Year 12 Subject change deadline - 16 September Year 12 & 13 Information Evening - 17 September
around the school. On Friday afternoon last week, I toured two former students around the school, who had started their first year of secondary school when it was Thames Valley School in 1964. It was inspiring to hear their happy reminiscences about learning and see how their friendship, forged in school, had lasted so many years. Seeing our own students making new friends and becoming passionate about their subjects is one of the great joys of teaching. On Tuesday we welcomed Year 10 parents and carers into school for an information evening to learn more about GCSE study. It was fabulous to hear such positive feedback at the end of the presentation. Over the coming weeks we will be hosting evenings for parents and carers in other year groups. Meanwhile please remember that you can contact the school via the info@waldegravesch.org email if you have any queries. On Wednesday our Year 11 Drama students went to Wimbledon Theatre to enjoy a performance of War Horse as part of their GCSE studies. Everyone greatly enjoyed the production even if there were a lot of tears as the audience was transported by the mesmerising puppeteers. I would like to remind parents that we encourage students to walk or use public transport on their journeys to and from school. Fifth Cross Road is a quiet residential street and doesn’t have capacity for heavy traffic at the start and end of the school day. Thank you for respecting this as congestion in the road endangers our students and neighbours.
School Photographs - 18 -19 September
HOLIDAYS & NATIONAL DAYS
Sleeptember - achieve better sleep in September
Every Woman Day - 16 September
World Cleanup Day - 20 September
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
As we start the new school year, it seems a good opportunity to remind you of the ‘Helping teens with’ series of webinars being offered by the local Men- tal Health Support Team. You can book now for upcoming sessions on sleep difficulties, exam anxiety, and friendship difficulties. The organisation Let’s Talk Mental Health is also offering an online workshop about Teen Friendship Do and Don’ts for Parents at 8pm on 16 September. Additionally, it was World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September and lots of organisations shared excellent resources and webinars. The Charlie Waller Trust have produced this webinar on Supporting a young person experiencing thoughts of suicide Thrive LDN, funded by the London Mayor, have also put together a 20 minute suicide prevention video that aims to help us all meet the aims of the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign.
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A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF YEAR 13
It is with pleasure I welcome all students back into Year 13. It has been really lovely seeing them settling back into lessons and learning. They have been reminded of the expectations around attendance and punctuality and briefed this week on the UCAS process. We will continue to provide a rich pastoral programme during form time that equips students with the skills and knowledge needed for their futures. Great news for the group of chemists who entered the Global Health Prize run by Imperial College London. Their submission on the potential of rapid TB testing for displaced people has been shortlisted and they will now com- pete in the final in October. Well done to Sabaa Qaisar, Anvi O’Shaughnessy, Keira Williams, Gracie Davies, Lara Robinson and Leila Soderback! We wish them all the luck for the next stage of the competition. Students will be well aware there are more mocks this term and I know they will want to build on the lessons they learnt from the last mocks. We will support students through this process and I have reiterated to all of them that they should pass on any concerns they have to their tutor, myself or any member of staff. We know the pressures and challenges of Year 13 and are here to support them. After a busy start to the term, it has been a pleasure to see how quickly our Y13 students have settled back into the rhythm of Sixth Form life. We understand that collab- oration between the school and parents / carers is vital in ensuring that your daughters / sons continue to enjoy their experience and go on to fulfil their potential. As such, we would like to invite parents / carers to our Year 13 Key Information Evening, which is scheduled to take place from 18.30 to 19.30 on Tuesday 17 September 2024. Please see the letter that was sent to parents for further information.
MS SILLWOOD, HEAD OF YEAR 13
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Educated by Tara Westover
“My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs.” Describing her journey from a childhood with her extreme survivalist family in rural Idaho, where she didn’t go to school, to Cambridge and Harvard universities, Westover’s story is moving and shocking. With memorable detail, she describes how she sought to form her own identity as she grew to adulthood and the painful process of learning to trust her own perception of the world, not the warped indoctrination of her father. It’s so interesting to read alongside Megan Phelps-Roper’s memoir Unfollow, which explores similar themes.
~ Recommended by Mrs Nowicki, Joint Head of English
HOW TO CONTACT YEAR 13 HEAD OF YEAR AND TUTORS
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 sixthform@waldegravesch.org
Or you can contact the school via phone by calling: 02088943244
WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL Fifth Cross Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 5LH
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Being multilingual: A guide for parents
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