Welcome to this week's news from Year 8.
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 8
It has been another action packed week at Waldegrave. On Tuesday our Year 8 assembly highlighted Children’s Mental Health Week, an awareness week launched by children’s mental health charity, Place2Be. The week exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK. The students gained a deeper understanding of the varying situations that could affect a person’s mental health, and what kind of support is available. Feedback from our pupils has been positive, they have enjoyed learning about positive mental health and it was great to have representatives from Year 8 helping to lead the assembly. Well done Jasmine, Anuska, Leila and Daisy - great job! A huge well done to all our wonderful Year 8 students who participated in the Bake Off last week. A special mention must go to first place winners 8FLE - Emilia, Gabby, Hayley - with their incredible strawberry and mat- cha cupcakes, second place were 8PIR - Bella, Allegra, Mia - with their zesty orange and raspberry cupcakes, and in third place were - 8STR - Charlotte, Bea C, Anushka - with their beautiful lemon and raspberry cupcakes. We are incredibly proud of all of our Year 8 bakers! Well done to all the students who are demonstrating the enjoy, achieve and empower ethos of school life. Topping our individual leaderboard this week is Angela H - 8PIR with 16 points, followed closely by Tiffany W - 8PUN with 10 points and Minnie M - 8FLE with 11 points. Keep up the great work! Please remind your child that you can be awarded epraise both in lessons and form times for: working collaboratively, great work and homework, supporting each other, engagement in class activities, helping in the classroom, and supporting the teacher/ tutor. A reminder about student punctuality. It is recommended that students arrive at school at no later than 8:30; this allows 5 minutes for them to get to their form time for a punctual start at 8.35. We appreciate your support with this at home.
MRS LYDDON, HEAD OF YEAR 8
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: 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 8 HEAD OF YEAR AND TUTORS 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.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS FOR PARENTS
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