Issue No.56 June 1998
Issue No.56 June 1998
| FROM THE HEADTEACHER
THE NEW SCHOOL DAY: This is an early reminder that in September our new School Day timings start. Pupils will be allowed in school at 8.30 am with registration taking place at 8.35; there will be a break at 10.45-11-05, with lunch from 1.10 to 2.05 pm and school will finish at 3.30 pm except for Wednesdays when the finishing time is 3.35 pm. The new structure means that we will be teaching five one hour periods each day instead of, as at present, eight 35 minute periods. STAFFING May and June has been a busy time for interviews and I am pleased to report that we are fully staffed for next year. Details will be given in July's Newsletter. OFSTED - Another reminder that Therfield receives its second Ofsted inspection in the week of September 14th. The inspection team will be holding a meeting for parents on the evening of 7th September. If you have not already done so, please fill in the questionnaire that was sent out by the Ofsted team. ASTRO-TURF - this is now being put to good use and is almost complete with work on the Changing Rooms nearing an end. The official opening will be on 1st July by Councillor Mrs Heather Hawker, Chairman of Surrey County Council. CYCLING - I have recently had reports of Therfield students cycling to school in a dangerous way - Barnett Wood Lane seems a particular area of concern - and with their cycle helmets dangling from the handlebars. I would ask parents to reinforce the rule about the wearing of helmets to and from school and remind pupils of the importance of cycling sensibly and with consideration for other road users. If anyone recognises students who are riding dangerously please let me have the names and I will do my best to encourage them to think more sensibly about cycling to school - and wearing helmets. SCHOOL BAGS - The National Back Pain Association is very concerned - as I am - about the weight some children are carrying in their school bags, sometimes as much as up to a third of their body weight. This could lead to back problems in the future. Unlike 40% of secondary schools we do provide lockers which can be hired - £6 a year, see Mr Cockerill. The NBPA will be bringing out a schoolbag which has been designed to reduce the risk to children's spines and this will be on sale in major stores in the Autumn. - Enquiries can be made from NPBA, c/o Wave Express Ltd, 1 Geron Way, London NW2 6LW. PARKING PROBLEMS - From time to time we receive phone calls from local residents concerned about cars being parked so that others cannot park at their own homes. The problem is always greater on rainy days and any help that parents can give to help residents of Cleeve Road, Dilston Road and the Waterfield area is appreciated. CABARET EVENING - 20th July: This is one of our most popular social events. Tickets are limited as the audience sits at tables and enjoys a Cabaret atmosphere. There will be music to suit all tastes. All the school's orchestras, bands and choirs will take part and there will be performances by some promising junior groups. Cost is £2.50 per adult; everyone should have received a letter of invitation - if not ask at the School Office and get those replies in early!! MANY THANKS - to those parents who have given haberdashery and textiles to the Technology dept. We get through a tremendous amount of material so any gifts are gratefully accepted - plain textiles being particularly needed. HOMEWORK CLUB : This is being run lunch times in M8 throughout the Summer term and offers a quiet spot plus help if needed. SCHOOL UNIFORM - The Friends will be holding a sale of second hand uniform on 7th July from 3 - 5 pm. Items for sale and donations are needed. A Uniform Shop for the purchase of new uniform will be held at the school from 5.00-8.00 pm on 9th July. Uniform can, of course, be purchased at any time via the order forms in the School Office. CAN NUTRITION HELP? - This is the title of a talk to be given at the University of Surrey on 8th July starting at 7.00 pm. The speaker is Dr Jacqueline Stordy, who discusses the way nutrition plays its part in treating people with dyslexia, dyspraxia and Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder. There will be ample time for questions and admission is free. The evening is sponsored by Efamol Ltd and seats can be booked on 01483 402663. 'BREAK-OUT' it has become a tradition for the Sixth Form to raise money for House Charities in July by taking part in a 'Break-Out' day. The idea is that teams of students (4 per House, mixed teams) try to travel as far as possible from school and back in a 12 hour period, spending no more than £10 per team. They take collecting buckets with them and are grateful for any sponsorship. In the past, teams have got as far as Lanzarote and Milan - so this year's Sixth Formers who will 'break out' on July 13th have a challenging day ahead of them. School, of course, will be closed to pupils on 13th July and also on the 10th as these are staff training days. Other training days set aside for the coming year are - 27th November, 22nd February 1999 and 23rd April 1999. AIRLINE MEALS - Year 10 Food Technology students visited Gate Gourmet Catering at Heathrow this month. Gate Gourmet are responsible for catering on all long haul British Airways flights, including Concorde. Students were able to see all stages of how the meals were produced, from planning, preparation and cooking, through to assembly on the trays ready for loading onto the aircraft, not to mention the washing-up area and re-cycling of trays, crockery etc. The visit was a valuable experience for them, as part of the GCSE Food Technology syllabus requires a knowledge of industrial catering. FRENCH EXCHANGE - 28 pupils from Years 9 and 10 and their teachers voted the Exchange a resounding success. They spent 8 days in the homes of their exchange partners and had lots of opportunities to practise their French and learn more about the culture and history of the region. Excursions included a fun day out at Futuroscope, a trip to Puy du Fou - a medieval village with falconry show and jousting - and a barge trip through marshlands to spot wild life. Pupils also took part in lessons at the local school and found time to watch some of the World Cup and soak up the lively atmosphere in Central Nantes. FUN DAY - our traditional Fun Day this year will be Therfield's Very Own World Cup Tournament on Tuesday, 14th July. Each of the 32 tutor groups in Years 7-10 now know which of the 32 teams in the World Cup they represent. Will parents please encourage their sons/daughters to think about kit, flags, mascots and anything else that will be representative of their 'country'. Teams of 7 will play each other on a Year basis and each team must contain at least 3 boys and 3 girls. As well as being a happy and colourful occasion we hope this event will also help raise awareness of different cultures around the world. CONGRATULATIONS to Pat Hunt, one of our parents who is also on the Friends' Committee, on completing the recent London Marathon and our grateful thanks to her for her donation of £200 to the school. This represented the amount which was contributed by parents and pupils of the school, from the total sponsorship she raised for the Diana Memorial Fund. GEOGRAPHY IN PARIS 80 Year 8 pupils went to Paris during half term as part of their Geography studies. Pupils need to learn about a European country as part of their Key Stage 3 curriculum and France is a popular choice. Pupils also had the opportunity to try out their French, see Science in Action and to learn something about the history of the capital. Activities included a Seine river cruise, ascending the Eiffel Tower, a tour of Paris and visits to the Cité de Science and Disneyland. REUNION - Did your child attend Barnett Wood School and enjoy the use of the swimming pool? If so would you like to come to a reunion at Therfield on Sat. 19th September. This event is being organised by a group of past parents in aid of SPLASH appeal to refurbish the pool. More information from - Kathy Thomson 813455, Alayne Crozier 273714, Ann Young 817319. CONGRATULATIONS to Christopher Langridge in Yr 8 who will be spending part of his Summer holiday at the national sports centre at Lilleshall training with England's elite junior badminton squad. Christopher recently represented England in a team of four boys and four girls at an international tournament in France which was won by the England team. Christopher reached the finals of both the doubles and singles in the U13 competition, beating the French No 1 and the number two seed on the way. ATHLETICS our junior girls came first in the district sports and we had 8 girls representing Central Surrey in the County championships. Special congratulations to Sixth Former Emily Nelson who ran a personal best to come home first in the senior girls 1500m. Emily Parker, Year 8, came second in the U15 hurdles and has now been invited to represent Surrey in an inter-counties event. In the Dorking Fun Run over 2.5 km at Brockham, Emma Firth, Sarah Dear and Victoria Thatcher took the first three places in the girls event and Warren Gale was second in the boys competition. JUDO - Congratulations also to Jennifer Lee (Year 7) and Alastair Lee (Year 10) who are both members of Dorking Judo Club. Jennifer was in the Mole Valley team which won a gold medal in the Surrey Youth Games; Alastair won a bronze medal as a member of Surrey Junior Boys at the regional championships. He also won a silver medal at the county junior trials and is a member of Surrey's Under 18 squad. SPONSORED SAIL & BARBECUE - this takes place on 10th July at Papercourt Sailing Club, Ripley. You can come and sail or simply enjoy a happy social event. Sailing starts at 5.30 and the Barbecue at 7.00. DATES WITH THE FRIENDS - Barn Dance on July 4th; Draw for the Grand Raffle at Cabaret Evening on July 20th; AGM on 7th Oct; Craft Fair on 1st Nov. DIARY DATES FOR JULY |