Issue No.48 October 1997
Issue No.48 October 1997
| FROM THE HEADTEACHER
Recruitment Time: If you have friends, relatives, neighbours with children due to start secondary school in September 1998 please tell them about our Open Evening on 12th November. The school will be open from 6.30 pm with a formal talk in the Main Hall at 6.45 pm and 7.45 pm and demonstrations, displays from all departments taking place at other times. This is a lively and encouraging occasion which is a vital date in our calendar as we seek to keep our numbers up and so continue to provide the high standard of education and services people expect from Therfield. Tours of the school are also scheduled for the following seven school days at 10.45 am and can be booked at the Open Evening or through the Office. PLEASE NOTE THAT SCHOOL CLOSES AT 1.00 pm ON WEDNESDAY 12th. A number of pupils may be asked to stay and help. SCHOOL RE-STARTS AT 10.00 am ON THURSDAY 13th. Survey - Evidence of how well our current Year 7 have settled in comes from a survey in which pupils were asked for reactions to their first half term as Therfield pupils. 52.5% said they were 'very happy', 43.5% said they were 'quite happy', 2.5 said they were 'not very happy' and 1.5% said they were 'very unhappy'. We will be doing our best to help the 4% who are unhappy to sort out their troubles but are pleased to get such a positive reaction from the great majority. The High Ashurst 'getting to know you' days were popular and, once again, worked well. Prizegiving - parents, pupils, staff and guests who attended were enthusiastic about the evening which gave us the opportunity to celebrate the hard work and achievements of pupils in Years 7-10. A special mention should go to Emily King, Alexander Head and Timothy Boniface for their excellent musical contributions. World War 1 Battlefields - this highly concentrated two day trip for 60 Year 9 pupils provided an excellent background for lessons about the 1st World War. A certain amount of mud provided pupils with an inkling of conditions underfoot and they were noticeably moved by the rows and rows of white crosses marking the British dead in the vast Tyne Cot cemetery. The sounding of the Last Post at the nightly Menin Gate ceremony also provided a lasting memory. A special mention here for Mr Dave Cox who received a phone call at 5.20 am on Thursday morning asking him to stand in for a sick colleague who was due to be one of the staff escorts. Mr Cox arrived at 6.10 am with bag packed and passport at the ready - only his packed lunch was missing! Work Experience - Our Year 11 pupils have been spending this week seeing how the world of work looks to them. Some of them will be extending this to two weeks to take in the half term as well. This is part of an initiative by Surrey Careers Service enabling the students to gain accreditation for the skills they acquire and which will help them in applications for work. This year's list is as varied as ever with Nicola Kerr going furthest afield to work in a hotel in County Kerry. Others are sampling work in the British Museum with the Tyrrel Racing Organisation, the House of Commons Library, the Law Courts, National Trust and various magazines, recording studios, shops and offices. Once again we are grateful to employers for giving our pupils this experience and to Mrs Kinloch and Surrey Careers Service for organising it. Staffing - Mrs Hrouda, formerly Head of German, is now Head of the Modern Languages Faculty, and Miss Lawson takes over as Head of History and Politics. We welcome Mrs Jenny Good to the staff as Finance Manager. Exchanges & Trips - An Exchange with our partner school in France is being organised for next year. It is open to all Year 9 and 10 students who do French. Letters giving details can be obtained from Mr Boucry or the French department. Year 7 pupils have the chance to visit Germany or France in July next year - letters have gone out and places are limited! SALAD DAYS - performances on 20, 21, 22 November. Letters about ticket sales will be going out after half term. Remember Therfield musicals are always popular and always sell out early! Science - Well done to our team of Philip Haines (Year 11), Jennifer Lawrence (Y10) and James Ellis and Sarah Waldman from Year 9 on coming second in a Chemistry Quiz organised by the Downland Section Trust of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Contestants had to label equipment, do a practical test and answer quiz questions. They just missed out on a place in the area final. English -Matthew Sweeney, a poet working with Guildford schools, came to Therfield last week and ran three workshops - two for Year 12s and one for Year 7s. Students were encouraged to write their own poetry and Matthew Sweeney set stimulating and challenging tasks. He offered excellent practical advice on how to improve poetry - a plea to avoid 'vagueness' being his main message of the day. He also performed a collection of readings from his own poetry to a Sixth Form audience. The event proved to be a rewarding experience for all involved as they gained a great deal from this practical, humorous and entertaining poet. Busy time - a number of visits to theatres in and around London means that pupils have been able to enrich coursework and set book study in an enjoyable way. lain Banks provided a stimulating, if bizarre, start to the A Level Language and Literature courses with The Wasp Factory and a visit to the Globe to see The Maid's Tragedy was equally unusual! Peter Hall's production of King Lear at the Old Vic had two visits - one by Year 12 and one by Year 13 as a help to their studies. Over 60 Year 10 students saw J B Priestley's An Inspector Calls at the Garrick and another 50 enjoyed Blood Brothers at the Phoenix. Finally, GCSE students in Year 11 were able to enjoy an effective adaptation of To Kill a Mocking Bird at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking. Visits are next planned for Jane Eyre and Treasure Island !! Driving - when Head of Year 11, Mrs Thomas, offered her year the chance of taking part in a Pre-Driving Course she did not realise quite how overwhelming the response would be! Only 20 places were available and this could have been filled three times over! The course, arranged with Mrs Segal, the Road Safety Officer, consists of five sessions and covers documentation and buying your first car, vehicle maintenance, the theory test and ends with pupils having a practical driving session. Those lucky enough to be on the course voted it a great success - the good news is that two further sessions are planned for the New Year. Prayer group - the next meeting for parents and friends of the school will be held at the school at 8 pm on Monday, 24th November. Extra time - if you wish your son/daughter to be considered for extra time in the forthcoming GCSE examinations you should obtain a checklist from Mrs Kirton, Head of Learning Support. Help wanted - would anyone be interested in making and serving tea and coffee to staff on two or three mornings a week? It usually involves 1½ hours, from 9.45 - 11.15 am, and carries a small remuneration. The days worked can be flexible and Mrs Kinloch would be pleased to give further information. Messages from parents - we do our best to pass on your messages to pupils but it is not always easy - particularly if you 'phone 10 minutes before the final bell and they are still out on a cross country run! If possible, please phone with messages re picking up points and collecting keys, before 1.45 pm and we can put a message in the registers, this also saves a lesson being interrupted. Emergency messages are, of course, always given priority. Harvest Appeal - donations are still needed for Education Aid for Albania - pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers, exercise books are all wanted. Two Sixth Formers, Louise Straker and Victoria Millard thought of writing to some local wholesalers and retailers for help and were pleased to receive donations from Spicers, Menzies and Rossiters. Coffee Morning - Leith House raised £140 and managed 194 signatures towards the record as part of the World's Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan Cancer Relief - Leith's chosen charity this year. Norbury will be supporting the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Polesden the Lighthouse Club and Juniper Leukaemia Research. Sport - a triumph for our runners in the TSB Cross Country Cup. All four teams qualified for the regional finals - the Intermediate Girls and Junior Boys came first and the Junior Girls and Intermediate Boys were second. Traditionally we do well in this event but this is the first time we have had all four teams go through. Terry Lyszyk broke the course record as he came home in first place. We are still in the early stages of the football, netball, hockey and badminton programmes. Often on a Saturday we put out as many as 8 football teams. We are still in the County Cup with four of our year teams and looking good in the leagues. CRAFT FAIR - you should have received yesterday a separate notice with full details of the Friends' Craft Fair but if you missed it - a reminder that on Saturday, 1st November from 10am to 4.30pm, 50 quality craftsworkers will be displaying a superb variety of their crafts - an opportunity to start your Christmas shopping and find some unusual and original gifts. Refreshments, including hot lunchtime snacks and Cream Teas, will be available. DATES FOR YOUR DIARY. |