Issue No.147, October 2006
Issue No.147, October 2006
| FROM THE HEADTEACHER
On Wednesday 11th October we once again threw open our doors for prospective parents. Our Open Evening was buzzing with visitors who enjoyed hands on science experiments, painting in the Art department, solving maths puzzles, designing wall plaques in the DT department and much more. The music department entertained us with both the Jazz band and the roving Samba band. This year saw the introduction of a short film produced by three Year 13 students, Ashley Phillips, Katherine Grant and Joel Stagg. This ran between my presentations in the Main Hall and was extremely well received. To sustain our visitors samples of school meals were available from Christine Stedman, Catering Manager at Therfield, and Mary Shipley, Commercial Manager for Surrey Commercial Services as well as refreshments organised by The Trust. We have also hosted tours of the school which proved so popular that an additional tour was organised. The feedback from all these events has been extremely positive. On Monday the 16th our Drama department presented Grimm Tales and a selection of current drama productions at The Leatherhead Theatre, an honour that has been afforded to Therfield as the only school to have been given the Theatre for an evening of its own entertainment. This was truly an amazing evening. The one hundred and thirty strong cast played to a packed theatre who were kept entertained from start to finish. The Drama department deserve all the accolades that have been awarded to them recently and it is clear that many talented students are waiting in the wings to continue this success. I will be holding a surgery for parents on 8th November from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. If you would like to book an appointment to see me please contact my PA Jo Devonshire on 01372 814432. Website Editor's note: Mr Graham Tuck, Headteacher since September 2001, is leaving Therfield School at the end of this term. As from January 2007 he will be working as a School Improvement Partner and Adviser for a number of Local Authorities and as a Consultant Leader with the National College for School Leadership. Mr Tuck writes: October 2006 This is to inform you that I will be leaving Therfield at the end of the term to take up an exciting new role in the world of education. As from January, 2007, I will be working as a School Improvement Partner and Adviser for a number of Local Authorities and as a Consultant Leader with the National College for School Leadership. It is a challenge that I am looking forward to enormously. I am particularly proud of what has been achieved over the last five years at Therfield: our consistently high levels of academic attainment at all key stages culminating in this year’s record-breaking A level results; our designation as a Sports College in September 2005; an ever-expanding extra-curricular programme including World Challenge, Sports Leadership, Duke of Edinburgh, Music and Drama and a major county-funded building project all serve as important markers of our school’s recent successes. However, for me there are three personal and professional high spots:
Truly, Therfield has a bright and exciting future. It is one that will be shaped initially by Mrs Susan Willman who will be taking on the role of Acting Headteacher from January and Mr Steve Hill who will move up to the position of Acting Deputy Head. They will make a superb team. It has been an enormous privilege to have been headteacher of Therfield School and I wish all those associated with it the very best for the future. Kind regards, Governors'
Letter to Staff 5 Oct 2006 Book Signing & Resource Centre Opening Alan Gibbons, the well known children's author, will be visiting Therfield on Tuesday 21st November to open our refurbished Resource Centre and to sign copies of his books. Alan was the winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2000 with his best selling book Shadow of the Minotaur and a judge for the 2001 awards. He was also short listed for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and won the Leicester Book of the Year Award, the Angus Book Award and the Stockport Book Award. Alan has also appeared on the BBC education programme Writer's Block, Radio 4's Front Row, The World Tonight and The Message. Students can buy one of his books and have it signed by him on the day. The books range in price from £4.99 to £6.99. More Amazing Results
Apologies to the following students whose names were missed off
last month's list of A Level Results: Congratulations to you all on these tremendous results. Business Link Gives A Level Students a 'Taste of Charity' The Business Studies department arranged a visit from Vic Veats, the Head of Events at Barnardo's, the children's charity. Vic has become a Business Link of Therfield School and offered to come and talk to the students about the environment in which she works. The aim of the one hour session was to expose the students to real life situations that businesses face. Vicky Valentine, an A2 Business Studies student at Therfield said “The presentation that Vic gave was friendly and interesting, she managed to combine humour with information… it was intriguing to learn how a charity works and how it faces exactly the same amount of finance and planning as a normal business.” Feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive and many commented on how they could see their learning in the classroom applied to real situations, a vital skill required at A Level. They even gained the opportunity to resolve a real issue that Vic and her department were facing and Vic Veats commented, “ I was wary at first, until I quickly realised that these students have a business acumen that is beyond that of many I meet in my day to day dealings at work, the enthusiasm is great!” As Vicky Valentine added, “ … it illustrated that the business theory we learn in the classroom is relevant and used in businesses all over the world.” If you think you could provide similar support in any subject area, or would like further information please contact S Sykes at ssykesATlhead.therfield.surrey.sch.uk [replace AT with @ before sending] or call 01372 818123 extension 252. Visit to the Tate After a rather tedious coach journey into central London, we eventually arrived at The Tate Modern, an obtrusive brick building, reminiscent of an old industrial factory that is far from aesthetically pleasing. However, the architecture may seem rather stoic and suppressed, but the collection of art is unbelievable, the excitement one feels when approaching this haven of inspiration simply drives you inwards, into a plastic white interior besotted with masterpieces. It was my first experience of the Tate, so I was curious as to what art it housed. The scale of the gallery was far larger than I had premeditated and admittedly I struggled to decide where to begin. Logically, I decided on the third floor where the first collection of artwork was being displayed. On this floor there were two divisions devoted to Surrealism and Material Gestures (painting and sculpture from the 1940's and 1950's which emerged from post-war Europe and America). Both are highly inspired and exotic. However, Surrealism, personally, was the more powerful body of work whereby the artists portrayed every wisp and tremble of their sub-conscious state, which produced marvels of imagination truly assertive and menacing. I then proceeded onto the fifth floor where the remainder of the Tate's collection was being presented. This gallery was comprised, yet again, of two main sections - Minimalism and Cubism, as well as Futurism and Vorticism. These collections were of great interest to me, simply because they were a crisp contrast to the previous coupling on the third floor, and to each other, yet they both endeavour to convey similar ideas in a rejuvenated manner. The Minimalism movement was a generation of artists who attempted to break away from the expressionistic style of the post-war era. They offered a radical dynamic and created a juxtaposition of intent to the post-war artists. Cubism was an early twentieth century movement where artists broke free from decrepit preconceptions of art and removed the shackles of realism restraining them from truly portraying their philosophies on their new shifting society. They strove to find a more fragmented way of describing the forever evolving, machine based community they existed in. The likeness of the artist's subjects are surprisingly apparent. Even though the subject may be torn apart and represented roughly by amalgamated obtrusive shapes, the end result is quite stunning. It introduced a hovering mode within me, I found a stubborn idleness about me which I have never experienced. I was spell bound. Unfortunately the time came, too soon it seemed, to leave. My taste of contemporary art culture came to a premature ending. It was time to return to Therfield. Ben Farquharson 13TY SPORTING SUCCESS In at the Deep End Our congratulations go to George Quinnell-Harcombe (9PBU) who recently won two gold medals at the Surrey Diving Championships held at Crystal Palace. George decided to take part in the competition despite learning only ten hours earlier that his coach, Wally Clark, had died unexpectedly. It was an emotionally charged event, with a one minute silence held for the coach who has played a vital role in British diving for many decades. Ricky Smith, the South East Region Diving Manager, paid tribute to Wally as a man of great honesty, commitment and achievement. George, who performed dives from the 1, 3, and 5 metre boards, has been coached by Wally for five years. In this time Wally has helped him to win many championships, including the Southern Counties championship and the Great Britain Diving Federation national championship at Cheltenham. Leading the Way As part of the development of students at Therfield they are encouraged to take on leadership roles. A recent event saw all Year 11 tutor groups organising a team competition with a Year 7 tutor group each. 11PCR took on the organising and overseeing of 7PBS. 11PCR were given organisation roles including, Alex Bailey as Master of Ceremonies, Declan Spinks and Catherine Hore as Safety Officers, Katie Mitchell and Lucy Rodger as photographers, Andrew Royal and Donal O'Donovan as coaches and Connie Deans as the reporter. Below is an extract from Connie's
report:
In the Under 17 event held on the Saturday Gareth fought successfully through the rounds to win in the final 15 - 11. on the Sunday Gareth competed in the Under 20 Championships getting through to the final 8 where he encountered the GB 20th senior ranked player. This opponent proved too strong beating Gareth 15-7. His opponent was the eventual winner with Gareth finishing 6th over all making him the top Cadet competitor. This was an excellent finish to the weekend, which could see him take top spot in the GB rankings and superb preparation for his first full Under 20 international with the GB squad in Bratislava. This will be followed by a trip to Bonn with the Under 17 GB squad. VACANCIES Learning Support Assistants We are looking for Learning Support Assistants to join the Learning Support Department. The posts are part time, term time only. You will be required to work with students both in class and in withdrawal situations. Experience of working with children who have learning, language or behavioural difficulties would be an advantage, but is not essential as full training will be provided. Salary is SY4 point 1 which for 21 hours would equate to £6677 per annum (pay award pending). Please e-mail or telephone the school
office for an application form and further details on 01372
818123 or via email to headteacher@therfield.surrey.sch.uk Cover Supervisors - Part time We are looking to add to our complement of Cover Supervisors to work on Thursdays and Fridays. This is an administrative position, but our Cover Supervisors work closely with the teaching staff providing continuity and consistency in the classroom. If you have classroom based
experience, or of dealing with similar groups of young people we
are keen to hear from you. Therfield School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Election Results Congratulations to the following students for receiving the most votes in the elections for School Council held last week. William Trickey (8PMA), Yasmin Belgrave-Warner (8LJE), Keith Mills (9JMH), Alec Mills (9NLE), Ali Turpie (10JCO), Sophie Collins (10LCY), Jonathan Lloyd (11JMS) and Fran Hughes (11PJA). Well done to all the other candidates. All the elections were very tightly fought contests. Recycle Mobile Phones and Stamps If you would like to recycle your old mobile phones or have any old stamps we would be very happy to take them off your hands. There are collection boxes located in our Reception. Guide Dogs for the Blind will receive £3.50 for each phone recycled which then goes to a third world country. Calling All Keen Historians On Saturday 28th October Bourne Hall Museum in Ewell are hosting a Family History Day with special relevance to World War One. There will be re-enactments and an opportunity to meet and question 'Tommy'. There will also be memorabilia on display. As Years 9 and 10 have been studying World War One this term this would be an interesting display for them to see. New Basketball Club Hoop2Hoop have set up a new basketball club at Therfield on Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. The club is open to all, just turn up. The next session is on 1st November. The cost is £1 per week. Art in the Valley The work of several Therfield Art students featured as part of the Mole Valley schools annual exhibition at Denbies vineyard in Dorking last weekend. The work looked really impressive and demonstrated the wealth of talent that we have in our school. The work created a real impact due to the breadth of subject matter and materials used. There were lots of fantastic comments from visitors attending the exhibition. Well done to Amy Fleming, Holly Wilkes, Samantha Ross, Hannah O'Reilly, Elizabeth Yau, Louisa Banks, Teela Wyman, Katie Deacon, Marisa Wisdell, Kelly Lloyd and Jessica Anderson. Amnesty International at Therfield Mr Andrews has taken over the running of the Therfield Amnesty International Group, which meets every Tuesday at 1.30pm in S4. Amnesty campaigns for the rights of prisoners of conscience and victims of torture worldwide. We show our support by writing letters to heads of state, reminding them of their obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and asking them to intercede in specific high profile cases. Last week for example we wrote to President Putin in the Kremlin and to the president of Bosnia Herzegovina, who has allowed a group of his citizens to be taken to Guantanamo Bay. We do not expect a reply, but it helps that governments know that someone somewhere is keeping an eye on what they do. Sometimes we write to individual prisoners, and evidence shows that our letters of support are of inestimable value for their morale and as a spotlight on the conscience of their warders. We also consider the international arms trade, the rights of women around the world and various issues to do with globalisation. Membership of the group gives us valuable insight into the origins and the course of many global conflicts, and forces us to re-evaluate our own opinions. We also learn to write a concise and pointed letter to those with the reins of power. Anyone wishing to join us, students, staff or parents, is welcome to turn up to our Tuesday meetings. WANTED Distribute leaflets to houses If you are able to help with any of the above please call T Barker at the school on 01372 818123 extn 262. Club Updates Following the resounding success of after-school lessons last year, the Mandarin Chinese Club has started up again every Wednesday after school in S5. Lessons are delivered by a native speaker and enjoyed by students of all abilities from all Key Stages. Due to popular demand, lessons are now open to motivated Year 7 students. If you would like more information, please contact Ms Ensum. Bridge Club has moved from Thursday to Friday lunchtime in S5. Students learn the rudiments of the game then practise their skills in contracts and card counting. More details are available from Dr Patel. Chess Club is now open to all interested students in Years 7 & 8. Students who are interested should see Miss Croft for further details. In early October letters went to parents, carers and staff formally announcing that Mr Graham Tuck Philosophy Café is a new venture for us. It is open to all students in Years 7, 8 & 9 who are interested in the Big Questions in life. Coming soon will be a Philosophy Club for Key stages 4 and 5. The Debating Society for Years 9 and 10 has started up. We welcome all students interested in a good argument! A team of debaters from Year 10 will soon be taking part in the Surrey Great Debate. Any student who wishes to be involved should see Mr Coy for more details. Year 8 Parents' Evening will take place on Wednesday 8th November. You should have received a letter via your child regarding Parents' Evening. If you have not, please send in a list of up to seven teachers you would like to see plus their subject. Please note that there are limited places available. Forms need to be returned to the School Office by Monday 30th October. Data Collection Sheets Data Collection Sheets have now been given to every student to take home to their parent/guardian. Please check all data carefully and make any necessary amendments. Please return to the Main Office by Friday 3rd November. Science Modular Exams
Students will need a black ballpoint pen, pencil and calculator.
The exams are on: ISA coursework exams for Year 10 will take place on 28th November, 19th March and 3rd July. Students will need to bring a pen, pencil, ruler and calculator. Year 9 SATS mock exam is on Monday 8th January. Revision guides for Years 9,10 and 11 are available from the Science Technicians priced at £4. Kenya Update Many thanks to all again for your support and good wishes while I was in Kenya this summer. Coming back is always very difficult not least because of the weather. As my friend Abuu said “There's no Jambo* in London Liz” Happily there is quite a lot of 'Jambo' in Therfield for which I am most appreciative. At the moment I am working through the list of things required in Kakamega and I thought I would start by collecting vitamins, Panadol, Paracetamol, Lego, big men's watches and old mobile phones. All contributions gratefully received. Liz Noble *Jambo - General Greeting Hello, as in "Jambo Kenya" which is what the 'Jesus is Lord Radio' shouts at the population every morning at six!! Specialist Centre News Following a recent review of specialist provision for students with Speech, Language and Communication difficulties, Therfield's Language Unit has become one of nine Specialist Centres for Speech, Language and Communication Needs in Surrey. The centre has places for a total of twenty statemented students; there are spaces for four children in each year. With the support of the staff in the unit, students are able to be completely integrated into school life and study a full curriculum. The three Year 11s who left in 2006 are celebrating excellent GCSE results. All students passed differing numbers of GCSEs at C or above. They are now going on to study in the 6th form or do college courses. Tin Tin If you have any unwanted large containers such as biscuit tins or large ice cream tubs the Food and Textiles department would love to take them off your hands. They are used by students to take their cooking home. Thank you. Mrs Gale What is History? Year 7 has spent the whole of the first half term investigating 'What is History?'. This is a new unit being taught by the History department. Students have produced timelines of their own lives, considered what makes someone significant in history and looked at different interpretations of events by studying Richard III and Lord Nelson. They have also looked at a poor camel called Alphonse and considered the changes in the toilet through time! All these lessons should prepare them for their next unit on the Romans, and have demonstrated to them the different skills which the History department will be assessing them on. These changes are across Key Stage 3 and all students will have a copy of the new skills sheet in their exercise books. English Magazine The first edition of the English Faculty Showcase magazine was produced at the end of last term. It is packed with pieces of excellent work of all kinds produced by your children last year. Many parents indicated that they would like a copy, but I have not had the £1 cost price from a number of students. If you would still like a copy, or, indeed, did not order one but would like to, please send your child to see me, or their English teacher, with their money as soon as possible. First come first served! Mrs Percival Year 12 Geography Trip to Brighton Thursday 5th and 6th of October saw the Year 12 Geography students battle with the elements to practise fieldwork techniques and collect data for their AS Level. The waves were huge and the wind howling, but the students still managed to collect information on beach profiles, wave type and Long Shore drift. Things were slightly drier for the students collecting data from Brighton town centre and surrounding roads! A great two days were had by all even though we were wet and chilly! Miss Wooding - Head of Humanities New Website The all new Therfield School Trust website is up and running. To access it you can either go to www.therfieldschooltrust.co.uk or visit the Therfield Website select Community and then Therfield School Trust. Maths News - Short Updates Eleven Year 10 students are taking the opportunity to sit an extra GCSE in Statistics after school on a Wednesday. So far, students have developed work started in their normal classes and are extending this further. On November 1st, twenty Year 10 students will be attending a lecture on statistics at Kingston University entitled Can't See the Wood for the Trees - more on this in the November newsletter. Vote for Film Three of our Year 13 Media Studies students have entered an international film competition for young filmmakers. Ashley Phillips, Joel Stagg and Jamie Boswell have all produced one minute films on topics of their choice. Ashley's film is entitled 'Lifetime', and demonstrates the frenzy of city living. The subject of Joel's film is our perceptions of the place we live - in his case, our very own Leatherhead. And is called “Look Harder”. Jamie's film is entitled 'Mannequins' and is a clever and extremely funny stop-motion piece. All three are currently waiting to hear if they have been chosen to compete in the final in Amsterdam. In the meantime, you can help by visiting the film competition website www.theoneminutesjr.org , select 'Watch Videos' and 'Sort by Country' and vote for them to win the People's Prize. All three have been in the top ten, but need your votes to keep them there! Ms Tilley, Media Studies Parents' Prayer Group The group meets twice a term at the school . Our next meeting is on Monday 13th November at 8pm. A warm welcome is extended to all, especially to any new parents who might like to join us. For more information, ring J Poole on 01932 865476. Dates for Your Diary
Letters If you would like copies of any letters listed below please contact the Main Office 01372 818123
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