THERFIELD NEWS Issue No.138, 14 Dec 2005

We are saying goodbye to two members of staff at the end of this term. Judy Skyte is retiring after 10 years of service in the Maths department, and Chris Evans is moving north. He will be greatly missed by staff and students.

May I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year

Christmas Carol Service Students, parents, staff and friends of the school all enjoyed preparing for Christmas by attending the annual Christmas Carol Service at the Parish Church on 12th December. We were grateful to David Eaton, Vicar of St Mary and St Nicholas church, for leading the service and making us so welcome for the third year running. The students that took part are to be congratulated on the high standard of their musical performances.

The burgeoning orchestra performed Gabriel's Oboe by Morricone before the service and accompanied the Lower School Singers during the service in their bold performance of a German traditional carol, Kyrie Eleison. The Gospel Choir presented three pieces in contrasting styles: Remernber O Thou Man by the contemporary composer Bob Chilcott, A Boy Was Born by Benjamin Britten, and the well-loved traditional carol In dulci jubilo.

The Lower School Singers also performed the delightful Star of Bethlehem carol, written by John Williams for the film Home Alone. The congregation heard seasonal readings from the bible and everyone joined in singing traditional carols accompanied by organ and the Therfield Brass ensemble. The retiring collection raised in the region of £140 for the work of the church in Leatherhead and the Rush Self Help Project in Kakamega, Kenya.

This event has become a favourite in the school's calendar, allowing the whole school community the opportunity to meditate on the meaning of Christmas amongst the frantic preparations at the end of term. Particular thanks are due to the music department staff for their hard work and to the Friends and parents who provided wine and mince pies after the service.

Sports College At the end of November we held the launch day for the Sports College and Sports Partnership programmes. Two hundred children from local junior schools attended an afternoon of sports training that was run by our Year 13 Sports Leaders.

We were also lucky enough to be joined by Brett Gerrard who is the Great Britain Hockey Captain, he helped to coach the students and answered questions abou his experiences at the last two Olympic Games. The students and staff all responded extremely positively to the afternoon with many asking if they could come back again.

We have now appointed Christian Guy as the School Community Sports Development Officer. His role is to implement the community component of the Sports College Programme, this will involve working with local residents, sports clubs, MVDC and the Surrey Sports Development Unit.

Nine year 12 students attended the Active Surrey Step into Sport Conference last week. The sixth formers joined colleagues from other Sports College Partnerships developing their coaching skills, completing first aid and child protection training. They will now be placed with local sports clubs in order to achieve their two hundred hours of coaching that will allow them to gain the Step into Sport gold award. At the end of the day Danny Ross, 12PP, was named as the student that made the largest contribution to the conference, this was a fantastic achievement.

We have continued our work with other subject areas over the last month. We have supported the English Department's drive to increase the opportunity that students have to read at school and home by funding resources. We have also given a grant to allow the Year 7 Parents' Maths Classes which take place on Sunday mornings.

At the recent District Cross Country Championships Therfield were represented by four teams. The best performances were from Gillian Fox who came 4th and Sarah Morris who came 7th in the girls event, Matt Holmes was 6th in the boys U15 event and Craig Gale came 7th in the U17 boys race.

Citizenship Day All Year 8 students were taken off timetable for 13th and 14th December to be informed about what being a citizen is all about. Guest speakers from Greenpeace, Vote 16 and Amnesty International gave presentations throughout the day. A big thank you must go to the sixth formers for their 'Question Time' event which was a highlight of the day incorporating last year's candidates from the mock election.

News of a Past Student Twenty three year old James Baulcomb who left Therfield School in 1999 has just become a Royal Marines Commando. He successfully completed 32 weeks of the hardest initial military training in the world and has been awarded his coveted Green Beret. A number of James' family and friends enjoyed the Green Beret Presentation and passing out parade at the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre, at Lympstone in Devon on Friday 4th November 2005.

Where are they now? We are always happy to hear what past students are doing now. If you have details of an ex Therfield student's achievements then please let us know. We may be able to feature them in a future edition of the Therfield News!

Mini Motorcycles, Motorised Scooters, & Other Powered two Wheelers PC Ken Wheeler the Casualty Reduction Officer, Clive Smitheram the Mole Valley District Council Community Safety Officer and Bob Whiting the MVDC Environmental Health officer have produced an advice sheet for parents and people who have or are contemplating purchasing one of the above machines.

In 2005 Surrey Police and Mole Valley District Council received a significant number of complaints relating to road traffic offences being committed on the road and in public places and of noise pollution caused by the use of the above machines.

Not only were there complaints but also serious concerns by Police and MVDC about the safety of the users and the public, who they are likely to come into contact with.

These motorcycles are a fun way to use leisure time and it is not our intention to prevent people lawfully using these bikes but to ensure they are used in a safe and lawful manner. At present there are no local sites within Mole Valley where these bikes can be used lawfully, however there are tracks in adjacent counties where these bikes can be used in lawful and controlled conditions.

To help people make an informed decision on their purchase and use we have provided a checklist, guidance and answers to questions you should ask yourself, when using or considering the purchase of one of the above machines. These are available at Dorking or Leatherhead Police Stations.

Classes for Parents
Year 7 Parent Maths Classes Thanks to all parents who replied. Starting later in the Spring term, we will be offering a one hour class on a Saturday morning for six weeks of basic maths to parents of Year 7 students. If this is successful it may be extended to other willing volunteers. Information from Mrs W Foley, Head of Maths.

Family Links parenting course The next ten session course will be starting in the New Year from 12.30 to 3pm on Wednesdays. For further details please call Liz Noble on 01372 814431 or see the Therfield website.

Parents' Evenings Year 10 Parents' Evening takes place on 25th' January. There are still a number of forms missing, please return these in the first week of term so that appointments can be scheduled.

The invitation letters for Year 12 Parents' Evening will be going out in the first week of term. Please can you return them to the main office promptly - thank you.

Please note school will close at 3.15pm on Wednesday 25th January.

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