THERFIELD NEWS Issue 131 27th April 2005

It is with great sadness that I have to announce the sudden death of Mrs Ann Tamschick. Ann worked in our Language Unit and will be greatly missed by all of our school community.

Hellen Pickett, a member of staff here at Therfield, took part in the recent Flora Marathon. She achieved a time of just under four hours and raised over £700. This is her third London Marathon and in total she has raised over £6000 for the RNLI.

Recently there have been several strange rumours circulating in the Leatherhead area. Contrary to the rumours I am delighted to say that Terry Reddin, former Head of the school, is in robust health and enjoying his part time retirement and work as an adviser for the County.

Following the attack on Abigail Witchalls in Little Bookham, Surrey Police have sent out the following personal safety reminders to students.
- Do not walk alone to and from school but keep in reasonable sized groups and STAY together.
- Think carefully about the routes you use and avoid secluded areas. Be aware of your surroundings.
- Be careful who is around when using your mobile telephone.
- Treat strangers with caution.
- Always let someone know your plans and keep them updated of any changes.

Police have also stressed that they believe the risk of a further attack is very low. Additional personal safety advice may be found at www.crimereduction.gov.uk

If anyone has witnessed anything that may be of help to the police please contact them on 0845 125 2222

Geography Field trips
Year 8 Geography Field trip to Boxhill The Year Eights went on a fieldtrip to Boxhill on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th April. They were examining how to manage the area. They used quadrants to look at vegetation cover and they conducted pedestrian and car counts. They also carried out environmental quality surveys and produced a sketch map. All students were fantastically well behaved and a good two days were had by all.

Year 10 Geography Field Trip to Guildford On Monday 18th April the rain decided to give way to glorious sunshine just in time for the Year 10 Geography Students to visit Guildford. The aim of the day was to begin to collect primary data to investigate quality of life in Guildford. Students conducted questionnaires, compiled land use surveys noting shops and services and recorded changes in environmental quality along a given transect. This work, along with data to be collected in Year 11, will form the basis of their first piece of GCSE Geography coursework.

Sailing Holiday Twenty eight students and three staff enjoyed a week at the Medina Valley Centre, near Newport, Isle of Wight during the Easter Holidays. Sailing on the River Medina, all students obtained a Sailing Proficiency Certificate from the Royal Yachting Association, after assessment at the end of the week. Courses were run to cater for all abilities and experience, starting at Start Sailing Stage One and going right up to Advanced Seamanship Modules. There were varied weather conditions, with generally light winds during the week, and we undertook a day-sail down the River Medina to Cowes and out into the Solent.

Apart from the many practical sailing sessions and theory work ashore, there was still some time for leisure activities. These included ice skating and a visit to Ryde Bowling, with some videos and some indoor games at the Centre.

Parent Support Group
Mid Surrey Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder Parent Support Group Monday 9th May 2005 7.30-9.15, Post Graduate Centre (2nd Floor), Epsom General Hospital. Guest Speakers: A panel of teaching staff from local Senior and Junior Schools - ADHD & ADD lN THE CLASSROOM. This is an informal session to provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to share ideas about the best way to help children with ADHD/ADD at school. Staff will give a short presentation on how their school responds, which will be followed by time for discussion to promote communication between home and school.
Contacts: Fiona Taylor, Parenting Education 01372 227390/1; Patricia Allardyce, CAMHS, Leatherhead Clinic 01372 203368
Angela Sadler, School Nurse, Leatherhead Clinic 01372 384317/8/9

What is it like to be a parent in Surrey? Log on to www.spesg.org.uk and fill in the on-line questionnaire. All participants will be entered in a prize draw for a £50 prize.

Free School Meals - Changes to Free School Meal Eligibility From 6th April 2005 there has been a change to the income threshold, which forms part of the Tax Credit free school meal eligibility category. The new threshold figure will be £13,910.

Children whose parents receive the following support payments are entitled to receive free school meals:
- Income Support (IS);
- Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance (IBJSA);
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; or
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed £13,910.

Children who receive IS or IBJSA in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals.

Congratulations Congratulations go to George Quinnell (7PBU) who won the Sports Award at the recent Youth Achievement Award evening. George was presented with his trophy by Olympic show jumper Pippa Funnell.

Planner Competition Each year a competition is run to design the covers of the student planners. This year's competition was won by Toby Irwin (7LAD) for Key Stage 3 and Matt Major (9LH0) for Key Stage 4. Congratulations to you both.

Parents' Prayer Group The group meets twice a term and the next two meetings will be on Monday 16th May and Monday 27th June at 8pm in the school. A warm welcome is extended to all parents. More information can be obtained from J Poole on 01932 865476.

Job Vacancies

Careers advice for adults A free adult careers service is offered at Epsom ConneXions Careers Centre for parents, including women retumers and the unemployed. Professional guidance and help with writing a CV is offered. Any parents thinking of returning to work are welcome to phone 01372 722 291 to book an appointment.The address is ConneXions House, 83 East Street, Epsom, Surrey, KT17 1DN. All enquiries welcome.

Last Lines

Lower School Prize Giving Lower School Prize Giving will take place on 29th June. Letters will be going out to the prize winners after half term.

Therfield News The current Newsletter and back issues of the Therfield News are available to view on our website - www.therfield.surrey.sch.uk

National Curriculum Tests In May this year all 14 year-olds (Year 9 students) in English state schools will be sitting National Curriculum Tests in Mathematics, Science and English. The dates for the written tests are:
Tuesday 3rd May am Science 1
Tuesday 3rd May pm Science 2
Wednesday 4th May am Mathematics 1 + Mental Arithmetic
Wednesday 4th May pm Mathematics 2
Thursday 5th May am English
Thursday 5th May pm English
Friday 6th May am English

How to Contact Us Therfield School, Dilston Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7NZ
Phone: 01372 818123
Fax: 01372 818124
Email: headteacher@therfield.surrey.sch.uk

school website www.therfield.surrey.sch.uk