25th September 2002
25th September 2002|
FROM THE HEAD TEACHER Open Evening This year our Open Evening takes place earlier than usual. Wednesday, October 16th is the day when the school will be open from 6.30 pm showing what it has to offer new students in September 2003. This is the main recruitment event of the year, so if you know of anyone who has a son or daughter moving to secondary school next year, please tell them about Therfield. Tours of the school will be taking place and more information can be obtained from the School Office. tours booking link Examination Success Our students have returned excellent results in public examinations in all areas. At Key Stage 3, 85% of our Year 9s attained Level 5 and above - the highest in the school's history and almost 20% above the national average. In GCSE, the results were also the best we had ever achieved with an A*-C pass rate of 75.6% and an impressive 72.8% of the year group attaining five A*-C grades. Many students gained the maximum of ten As and A*s and special mention should go to Poppy Stagg who achieved one of the top five marks in the country fo Science out of 35,755 candidates. At AS level, 67% of the grades awarded were at A-C an at A2 level, this figure was 66%. The average points score was 21.8, very similar to last year and once again we featured highly in all national newspaper 'League' tables. Howard Ebison attained a magnificent 53 points and Jack Wooding, who achieved A grades in all his subjects, had a special letter of congratulation from the Edexcel Board for an outstanding performance in Government and Politics where he was among the highest scoring out of 5518 candidates. A New Look for the Resource Centre Towards the end of the Summer Term, the Resource Centre closed early and the workmen moved in. What was previously a quiet study area was gutted, repainted, benched and cabled and is now a 16-station computer suite with state of-the-art PCs connected to the school network and the intemet. The old computer area has been dismantled, repainted and equipped with 15 purpose-built study carrels for individual work. The main area of the Resource Centre has been transformed with a new paint scheme, modern venetian blinds, new lights and a new 'chill out' area offering relaxed seating. Mrs Claudette Solomon, the Resource Centre manager, plus the students have voted this new look a great success and an even more popular rendezvous for all years. In addition to the building and decorating work, there has also been a major weeding out, updating and overall increase in the book stock. All of these improvements were possible because of the funding provided by the Therfield Trust Fund. Thanks to the nenerositv of existing Parents an important facility is available to all present students and those due to join. Without the commitment of parents to the Trust Fund none of this could have come about. Thank you. Governors' news The Governors' annual meeting with Parents will take place on Wednesday, October 2nd. Reports from the various committees will be given and there will be the opportunity to ask questions. As we seek to make this a pleasant social evening as well as an informative one we have combined with the Friends, who invite parents to attend for a 7.30pm start to their own Annual Meeting. Once the formalities are over, the evening provides a good opportunity for parents to meet and mingle and we offer a particularly warm welcome to parents of new students. The new Chair of Governors is Mr David Crutchley with Mrs Paula Scriven as Vice Chairman. We thank Professor Mark Cross for all his work as a Governor for ten years and as Chairman when he stepped in to fill the post, following Mr Hickey's resignation last Christmas. Dates to Note The first of our Academic Tutoring Days will be held on Thursday, October 3rd. Students have individual appointment times and should attend in school uniform. Parents are welcome to accompany their sons/daughters, though we realise this is not always possible. On Wednesday, October 9th, school will close at 3.15pm to accommodate Year 11 Parents' Evening. Music News There is an Information Evening on 25th September at 7pm to give information about the Year Seven Band. There will be a short demonstration of the instruments available and an explanation of how the Band is set up. New students in Year 7 must remember to return their application forms by Monday, 30th September. Music plays a big part in the life of the school and students can join the Main Choir, Lower School Singers, Symphonic Band, Swing Band, Main Orchestra, Advanced Singers as well as the Year Seven Band. An early date for your diaries is Tuesday, 17th December when many of these groups will be taking part in the Annual Carol Concert. Prayer Group The first meeting of the new school year will take place on Monday, 30th September at 8 pm at school. New arents are most welcome to join or you can request a prayer to be said. More information from 01932 865476. World Challenge A training weekend in Buxton, Derbyshire proved to be exhausting, challenging, wonderful and exhilarating. The weather was great and the whole enterprise gave the 26 students and three staff who attended, a tempting glimpse of the challenges ahead in Northern Australia come the summer. However, one of the biggest challenges facing the students is to raise the £3000 each individual needs to take part! Heather Miller in Year 12 has decided to call on her academic skills to help bring in some money. Having achieved A* passes in GCSE English Language and Literature and A grades in French and German, Heather is offering one-to-one conversational lessons to Year 7s in French and German (£3.50 an hour) and help with English (£5 an hour) for Years 7-9 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Heather can be contacted via the school and is happy to meet parents to discuss the venture. Miss Nicholls would be pleased to hear from anyone with other suggestions as to how hard-working and willing students can raise more money! Odds on Success! An Education Day at Epsom Races on September 11th was greatly appreciated by fifteen Year 9 students. The visit gave them the opportunity to take part in a number of practical Maths activities, including working out how many horses could fit in the parade ring, planning a three day diet for a jockey based on 500 kcal per day, working out speeds of horses and judging winning distances in photo finishes. The students benefited from using their mathematical skills in real problem solving situations. A Happy Visit Five days in his School Diary for July 2003 are writ large for Language teacher Mr Andrews. This is the time when he escorts a group of Year 7 students to Boppard in Germany and surprises them by saying 'it's the best thing I do all year'. Tales of foreign travel by the students are familiar, so it is interesting to hear from the perspective of a member of staff. Getting students to settle down on the first night is 'like fighting a blancmange - you push it in one corner and it squelches out another'. Internal telephones can prove to be a menace as can the non-stop questions ranging from 'what are we doing tomorrow' to 'how much further is it?' He describes the task of constantly counting heads as the group goes sightseeing and the relief of always having the correct numbers and how on the night before returning home, staff and students look back and congratulate themselves on a visit much enjoyed. As Mr Andrews says "each time we see the programme through new eyes, and the sense of wonderment and sheer enjoyment you see among these groups of youngsters makes everything worthwhile". This year as well as a cruise on the Rhine, visits to Rüdesheim and Lorelei, the group had a street festival outside the hotel and a grand firework display to add to their programme. The good news is that Mr Andrews is already making arrangements for the visit next July so present Year 7 students can look forward to it as well! Testing Work 220 Year 11 students will be placed in Work Experience for a week in October. As usual, requests for placements have been varied and students will be trying out their skills at places as diverse as Epsom County Court, the Tweeters Music Studio, American Airlines, Kingston University and a fashion design salon in London. Once again we are grateful to the many employers, most of them local, who support our students by offering placements and then spending time and energy in helping them get a flavour of the work on offer. Our Therfield Poets Three Year 9 students - Thomas Coton, Oliver Marriage and Karen Coulton - were invited to join Lorna Dowell, the Mole Valley Poet Laureate, and read their poems at an 'Evening of Poetry' at the Watts Gallery, Guildford on 25th September. The invitation to our students is further recognition of the high regard for their work following the Mole Valley Literature Festival and the evening with Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate. Visiting Parliament When 26 of our Sixth Formers who are studying Politics visited the Houses of Parliament on 19th September, they had the rare treat of standing on the floors of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Some managed to enjoy the experience of standing at the despatch boxes in the manner of the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Students also met Robert Key MP and had the opportunity to question him about Iraq, the Euro, the 'A' level marking scandal and even the perils of being a teenager! Appreciating Shakespeare A visit to the Globe Theatre provided a memorable outing for Advanced level Drama students and staff. The production of 'Twelfth Night' performed by an all male cast and 'in the round' as it would have been in Shakespeare's day gave extra relevance to the play. Students admired the splendour of the costumes and the excellence of the acting, in particular that of Rhys Meredith as Sebastian and Michael Brown as Viola, who sustained the illusion of the twins superbly; also Mark Rylance in black dress and golden crown, who made a marvellous Olivia. Having had such a welcome start to their live drama studies, the students now look forward to seeing 'A Doll's House' in London on October 14th. Sign Up Early Mr Hostler is urging students in Years 9, 10 and 12 to let him know as soon as possible if they wish to take part in next year's French Exchange. He reminds students - and parents - that places are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and promises a time of adventure, fun and friendship! Cycling to School Students who wish to cycle to school can only do so if they have a valid number plate, wear a helmet and ride with consideration for other road users. We adopt a totting-up rule which means that after acquiring 12 points, students can be banned from cycling to school. School Bank After a highly successful first year, the School Bank reopens on 1st October. It will be open in the Resource Centre on Tuesday lunchtimes for deposits and withdrawals. Year 7s will be getting a letter explaining its functions and all other years can see Miss Shariff for information. Dictionary Fortnight Students in Years 7 and 8 have a special reason to remember to bring their dictionaries during October as they will be taking part in a number of activities involving words, spellings and meanings. Tutor Group rivalry comes to the fore in dictionary races and a final game of 'Call My Bluff'. Please Collect Please collect cereal top tokens and send them in to the Learning Support Department. |
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| October 2nd Friends'& Governors Meeting with parents 7.30 3rd Academic Tutoring 4th Year 11 Geography trip to Docklands 5th Friends' Jumble Sale 1.30 pm 7th Dictionary Fortnight - Years 7 & 8 9th Year 11 Parents' Evening 16th Prospective Parents' Evening 6.30 pm 17th/18th Belgium Battlefields Visit - Year 9 21st-25th Year 11 Work Experience 29th-1st Nov HALF TERM |