24th September 2003
24th September 2003
| FROM THE HEAD TEACHER
Examination Results - Advanced level results this year were outstanding. 75% of grades were at the all-important A-C level and we had a record breaking return of 56% at grades A and B. The overall A - E pass rate was 98%, an increase of 4% on last year. Given the trend nationally - as highlighted in the national Press - it was good to see that both boys and girls at Therfield had very similar success. Nicholas Lambon and Ian Lyszyk secured their Oxbridge places and most students gained places at their first choice universities. Four A grades were secured by Ian Lyszyk, Geoffrey Cousins, Maria Crilly, three As and one B by Dan Richards and Peter Sellen, three As by Ellen Andrews, Lucy Busuttil, Nicholas Lambon, Bryony Leventhall, Emily Parker and Sarah Russell. Our GCSE results continue to better national and county levels with 65% of students gaining five A*-C grades and, again, boys and girls had similar attainments. Some outstanding individual results were achieved : Adam Nunn (7A*, 2A), Kirsty Lytton (6A*, 3A), James Claxton (6A* 2A, 1B), Madeline Hall (5A*, 1A, 3B), Catherine Cannon, (4A*, 5A, 2B), Clare Smith (4A*, 4A, 1B), James Woolsey (4A*, 5A, 1C), Amy Worsfold (4A*, 3A, 2B), Alexander Stypulkowski (4A*, 2A, 1B), Jack Richards (4A*, 2A, 1B), Thomas Comfort (3A*, 4A, 2B), Kathryn Garden (2A*, 6A, 2B), Louise Noble (2A*, 5A, 2B), James Thompson (1A*, 7A, 1B). The National Curriculum Test results for the present Year 10 were, as reported in the July Newsletter, excellent and augur well for the students now they have embarked on GCSE courses. At the start of this new school year I am looking forward to continuing to develop the partnership of governors, parents, students, staff and the wider community. We always welcome feedback from parents and students on how they view the school. This is the time to embed our vision of achieving 'the best for all'. One area of focus this year will be on our assessment and monitoring procedures. Two Academic Tutoring days will be held this year with greater emphasis on following up targets set. There will also be a Teaching and Learning evening for parents at which we would like your views on the policies as developed at Therfield. School Terms - Following widespread consultation, plans for a six term school year have been rejected by Surrey County Council. However, from September 2005 a modified three term calendar will operate, with a fixed two week Spring holiday in April. In some years, Easter will fall as a long weekend during term time. The total number of days that staff and students attend will not change. An Important Date - The Governors annual meeting with Parents will take place on Wednesday, October 8th. It will, once again, be held in conjunction with the Friends Meeting and so provide an opportunity for parents to meet and mingle and also ask questions. Letters of invitation went out earlier this term. The evening starts at 7.30 pm. Mr David Crutchley has been re-elected as chairman for the coming year, with Mrs Paula Scriven as vice chairman and Mr David Christie as second vice chairman. Recruitment Time -
Now is the time when Therfield welcomes parents and students who
will be seeking a secondary school place in September 2004.
Wednesday, October 15th is the date for our Open Evening so if
you know of anyone who has a son or daughter about to move
schools, please tell them about Therfield. Tours of the school
will be taking place and more information can be obtained from
the School Office. Prayer Group - Meetings for this term have been arranged for Monday evenings, 29th September and 17th November at 8 pm. All are welcome to attend or you can request for a prayer to be said. More information from J Poole (01932 865476). Cashless Catering - If a cheque to top up the balance on your son's/daughter's catering card is placed in the box in the Dining Hall by 9.30 am it will be credited to the correct card by lunchtime. Please put the student's name, tutor group and card number on the reverse of the cheque and make it payable to 'Surrey County Council'. Student Post - Letters have gone home explaining the importance of the Trust Fund and the role of the Friends to school finances and I hope all parents will feel able to contribute. It is helpful for us to know you have received this communication, so please do reply. Very shortly the school calendar and a list of clubs and out-of-school activities will be sent home. Term Time Work - Catering Assistants are required for the School Canteen - Please contact Mrs Stedman, the Catering Manager on 01372 375089 if you are interested. A Challenging Time - A warm welcome back to the staff (Miss Nicholls, Mr Batchelor and Mr Meadows) and 25 students who had a marvellous time on the World Challenge Expedition to Australia. All returned safely after surviving a dust storm in Adelaide, rations eaten by emus at Mount Remarkable National Park, red back spiders and a night of -10°C in the outback near Alice Springs. The party was split into groups for conservation work - group one helped the Park Rangers in Ormisten Gorge to check for possums and clear areas of forest to act as fire breaks and group two spent four days on Olive's Land clearing the fire-risky buffalo grass. Everyone will remember the breathtaking sunsets and sunrises as they visited Kings Canyon and Uluru and the welcoming sight of the waterfalls and rivers at the end of a five day hike in ever-rising humidity and temperatures along the Natbula Trail. The rest and relaxation phase of the trip took place in Darwin where they were able to look back on a challenge well met. As well as providing a valuable travel experience linked to conservation work, those taking part learned the value of teamwork, money management, fitness, decision making and leadership plus many more skills they did not know they possessed or would even need. Where shall we go in 2005 is the next big question? Money Wise - Did you know that Therfield has a branch of HSBC bank operating in the school on Tuesdays at lunchtime in the Resource Centre? Students run the branch with the assistance of a bank representative from the branch in Leatherhead. The students are fully trained in dealing with transactions and setting up new accounts. Both helpers and customers have found this a marvellous way to learn about money management and all students are welcome to set up an account. Before the Cameras - 15 years-old Daniel Bickerdike spent a large part of his Summer holidays taking part in the Disney Channel TV series of Bus Life, in which he plays a dark visaged Goth. The first episode goes out on October 4th. Daniel, who has ambitions for a full time acting career, is no stranger to the TV cameras, having appeared recently in several episodes of The Bill. Firstly though, his GCSE exams next Summer loom large and he then plans to follow a course in film and photography while accepting any offers of acting work. Reading Club - This popular lunchtime Club meets in the Resource Centre on Thursday lunchtimes. New members are always welcome. As well as discussing books and taking part in special reading promotions, students are encouraged to complete a Reading Passport. They get a small reward when they complete a passport. Visiting Germany - Once again the Year 7 visit to Boppard in Germany was a great success and provided an enjoyable end to the first year of secondary schooling for those who attended. This five day visit is one of the most popular in the school calendar and Mr Andrews has already started organising the visit for next July. Letters to all new Year 7 students have gone out and a quick reply is needed. Numbers have to be restricted and the visit is usually over-subscribed. Showcase Evening - This well attended event at the end of the school year gave students the opportunity to show parents and friends their skills in drama, art, music, dance, trampolining and gymnastics. This was a first-ever programme presented by the Creative and Performing Arts Faculty and proved to be highly popular and successful. Work from Year 7 through to Advanced level was on display - some of the performers, such as violin soloist, Kevin Yu, and the Upper School Dance Club were very experienced, while others had only recently taken up the sport or activity. Head of Faculty, Mr Garner, said, "the idea was to have a cross section of skills on view and everyone performed superbly - so much so that we clearly have a number of stars for future shows". Geography Fieldwork - The Geography department managed to find the only two wet days in a fine spell last term for the Year 10 field visit to Guildford. The purpose of the visit was to gather material for the GCSE individual study which represents 15% of the final grade and also enhance students' understanding and skills on collecting fieldwork. Poetry Day - A return visit by Philip Wells, the 'fire poet', was a welcome centrepiece for Year 10's Poetry Day in July. The students had the opportunity to work with Philip Wells, whose performances of poetry certainly saw sparks fly and highlighted the value of words and images. In turn, the students were asked to read and perform their own poems and these showed a great deal of imagination and creative thought. Language Workshops - Year 10 students were given the opportunity to add to their oral skills in French and German when separate workshops were held at the end of last term. The oral component of the GCSE examination is worth 25% and the fun-based yet highly competitive workshops were designed to add to students' skills in a happy and positive way. Students took part in role plays, worked on IT skills and watched and assessed past GCSE oral examinations on video. School Fleece - The school can now supply thick and comfortable fleeces for students - in black only and bearing the Swan logo. The cost is £13 for size 11-12 and £18 for all others (sizes XS - XL). Tutors will have order forms which should be returned to the Finance Office with a cheque payable to 'Therfield School'. Please return your order by 10th October. The fleeces should be available for collection after half term. Money and Labels - No money is kept in the School Office so we cannot change notes or give money to use the telephone. Also, please make sure that all items of clothing and equipment have a name on them - lost property quickly piles up and we cannot keep bulky items for long. Hockey Call-Up - Well done to Tim Everard and Niall Cunningham, both in Year 8, who are among the thirty boys chosen to train with the Surrey Boys Hockey squad in the coming season. German and French Exchanges - Students now in Years 9 and 10 who are interested in joining next year's Exchanges should see Ms Buckell or Mr Hostler promptly. Baking Tins - The Food and Textiles Department is getting seriously short of sponge and 'brownie' tins and donations would be welcome, as would the return of any borrowed tins. Scalextrix Wanted - The Design and Technology Department hope that some of you will have scalextrix sets or parts you would be willing to donate. These are needed as a teaching resource to help stimulate and develop electronic projects and also to enable an after-school club to be set up. Please contact Mr Cockerill or Mr Steventon. Thank You - Following a very successful yet, at times very distressing visit to the RUSH Self Help project in Northern Kenya, Mrs Noble, who is in charge of our Teaching and Learning Centre, would like to thank all those who so generously donated money, vitamin tablets, books etc. Much of the money went directly to fund a free medical day at the clinic - 1,300 people queued all day in the heat and were seen and treated by one of the six doctors on duty. Mrs Noble now plans to raise funds for a second medical day and is also hoping to collect old tools such as planes, chisels, saws etc that can be used to build much needed shelters. DATES
FOR THE DIARY |