Welcome to this week's news from Year 7.
WEEKLY BULLETIN
7 FEBRUARY 2025
ENJOY - ACHIEVE - EMPOWER
KEY SCHOOL DATES
HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE
Thank you to all the parents and carers who at- tended the Year 9 Information Evening on Tuesday. Choosing GCSE options is a really important step for our students and we have been working with them through Year 9 to help them make informed decisions, whether through GCSE taster lessons,
Bugsy Malone performance (joint production with Hampton School) - 11-13 February Y10 Ski Trip - 15 - 22 February
A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEADTEACHER
Half-term - 15-23 February No school, staff INSET Day - 24 February
assemblies or careers advice. I have really enjoyed talking to the students about the ideas they have and hearing their clear reasoning. I hope that the Information Evening will allow you to continue the conversation over the next couple of weeks. On Monday Mrs O’Brien took a group of Year 9 to see ENO’s production of The Marriage of Figaro at the London Coliseum. For many it was their first experience of opera and it really helped to bring their music curriculum to life. On Wednesday afternoon, Year 11 students studying Macbeth for their English Literature GCSE had the opportunity to enjoy a screening of Donmar Warehouse’s latest production of the play starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. Yesterday we were fortunate enough to welcome Lucy Owen into school to talk to the sixth form about her career in politics. Students were fascinated to learn about her varied career in politics. Today I was so impressed by the quality of cupcakes made by our Year 7 bakers. Mrs Ahmed was delighted by their talents, particularly as half the year group are yet to start their Food and Nutrition rotation. This week’s winners were 7EEL with zingy lemon and lime. 7ESU came in second with Biscoff and vanilla and 7SON in third with chocolate orange. Congratulations to all who took part!
HOLIDAYS & NATIONAL DAYS
International Day of Women and Girls In Science - 11 February International Mother Language Day - 21 February
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send us your achievement stories and photos to share by email to
~ Ms Tongue, Headteacher
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
info@waldegravesch.org STAY CONNECTED WITH US:
This week is Children’s Mental Health Week and we recognise that parents are in the front line of supporting children who are struggling, despite the fact that adolescents may not easily accept their help. Let’s All Talk Mental Health’s latest blog ‘How to build stronger bonds with your teen’ addresses this issue. Dr. Sheila Redfern, a Consultant Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist discusses the importance of Reflective Parenting, encouraging parents to be curious about the thoughts and feelings behind a teenager’s actions, rather than focusing solely on challenging behaviour. By taking a step back and being reflective, parents can show emotional control without being too strict or too lenient. The blog goes on to discuss emotional regulation, addressing triggers and boundaries, and supporting teens (including neurodiverse teens) through challenges such as grief, trauma or mental health struggles. She says: “It’s important to keep letting your teenager know, even if they need space, that you’re still thinking about them and checking on them.” To find out more about parenting and connections, you can read Dr. Redfern’s books, Reflective Parenting and How Do You Hug a Cactus?
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A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF YEAR 7
This week was Children’s Mental health week with the theme: “Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.” In tutor time students looked at how they deal with their emotions and thought about areas that they are strong at and those they struggle with. In assembly on Wednesday we reflected on a clip from Inside Out 2, discussing how they as young people can manage emotions, the impacts of puberty on how we feel and what helps them to know themselves better. Well done to the Year 7 Basketball team who played their final league match against Twickenham School on Wednesday. They won by a score of 35 points to 0, their highest score yet! See more details in the Sports Fixtures section on page 3. With one more week to go until half term here are the Epaise tutor group and Individual standings; 1st 7PFO, 2nd 7PCO, 3rd 7SDE. Individual; 1st Mia B 7PFO, 2nd Emma C 7PCO, 3rd Lily K-J 7PCO. Well done to everyone in Year 7 for making a concerted effort to gain even more Epraise points. Yesterday the Year 7 Bake Off competition took place. It was lovely to see the bakers in action and even more delightful to sample and judge the cupcakes at breaktime this morning. Well done to the following top 3 forms 7EEL (Honey, Kate and Georgia) with lemon and lime cupcakes, 7ESU (Kalila, Luisa and Lyla) with Biscoff and vanilla cupcakes and 7SON (Izzy, Isla and Nina) with chocolate and orange cupcakes. A special mention was also given to the team from 7SDE (Natalie, Ava N and Fatima) for the lovely tempered chocolate swans they made to decorate their cakes with. Today pupils took part in the Richmond School Sport Partnership swimming gala, we will report on how they got on in next week’s bulletin. Good luck to the Year 7 Netball team who are playing Turing House next Tuesday and Teddington on Thursday after school. We wish them well and will report back their results next week.
MRS BASHFORD-HYNES, HEAD OF YEAR 7
BOOK OF THE MONTH
‘My name is Mina’ by David Almond
In the form of a journal, this book is a prequel for the book Skellig, and focuses on the character Mina before she has met Michael and Skellig. It focuses on her troubles with school and family and shines a light on her creativity. It is a fun, but serious book all at the same time and has many different forms of creativity like poetry and made-up stories. Overall, it’s a very personal and emotive tale, with lots of much needed honesty about school and the stories that are missed of kids who struggle in school. - Isabelle H, Y11
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 KS3@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 7 HEAD OF YEAR AND TUTORS
FRIDAY MATHS PUZZLE Our learning focus for tutor time on Fridays this term is mathematics, with the maths department setting some thought provoking brain teasers each week for pupils to grapple with. When playing maths puzzles we must think creatively about the problem we are faced with. This skill can be transferred when facing everyday difficulties and decison making, fostering strong problem solving skills and even helping us to take control of our emotions. Please have a go at this week’s problem, talk to your child about how they approached it and what the solutions were. We hope you enjoy these at home as much as the students have enjoyed them with their form!
SPORTS FIXTURES
Date
Fixture
Result
05.02.25
Year 7 Basketball v Twickenham School
Won 36-0
04.02.25
Middlesex Cross Country, U15
4th place
28.01.25
Y9/10 Football v Teddington School (Away)
Won 10-2
Last week our Year 9/10 football team (pictured) played an outstanding match, winning 10-2 against Teddington school. A sepcial mention goes to Poppy B for stepping up to play in goal for the first time. This week two of our pupils took part in the Middlesex Cross Country event, with Jasmine G, 10PGU coming 4th in the Under 15s group. Amazing work! Huge congratulations to the Year 7 Basketball team who won their final league match, they played against Twickenham School scoring 36 points to 0. The team performed really well, throwing good passes, taking great shots and keeping up a strong defense as they prevented Twickenham from scoring even a single basket! Well done to them all and congratulations to Sio D who was voted players’ player for the match.
Lastly today, 21 of our pupils attended the Richmond Schools Sports Partnership swimming gala - we will give a full report next week.
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