THERFIELD NEWS Issue No.68 July 1999

GOOD NEWS
This is the final Newsletter of what has been a very successful year for the school. It began with the best exam results that we have ever achieved, was quickly followed by an excellent Ofsted report and has ended with some first-class National Curriculum Test results for pupils in the present Year 9. My thanks for all the hard work put in by their teachers.

Here are some facts and figures - a comparison of the percentage of Therfield pupils gaining Level 5 in Maths, English and Science compared to the national figures, and for Level 6:-

STAFF CHANGES
This time of year is always tinged with sadness as we say farewell to students and some teachers. We shall especially miss Mr Dave Cox, who retires this Summer after 22 years at Therfield. During that time he has made an immense contribution to the life of the school. For nearly all that time he was a Head of Year, but also he ran many of the shows, encouraged clubs and societies and accompanied many trips in this country and abroad. Many students owe an enormous amount to him as also does the school.

click here for some photos of Dave Cox's leaving do

Miss Perrett is leaving us to become Head of Modern Languages at the Priory School in Dorking and Mr Moorhouse has also accepted a more senior post as Head of Geography at Riddlesdown High School in Croydon. Both promotions are richly deserved and the schools who have recruited them are very fortunate.

Other staff who are moving on include Miss Johnson, (English), Mr Palfery (Science) and Mr Porterhouse (Psychology). Each has made their own distinctive contribution to Therfield and I thank them for it.

Mrs Holt and Mrs Reynolds, Learning Support Staff, are also moving on to promoted posts in other schools and we also sadly say farewell to Mr Jackson, our ICT Technician.

NEW PUPIL INTAKE
We have had 278 parents expressing a first choice preference for Therfield. We have also had a number of parents appealing to County for places here. We are expecting to enrol about 240 in September. Most of these we welcomed for a two-day induction programme recently, and a very nice bunch of youngsters they seem.

CHANGES TO TIMETABLE
As the number of pupils in the school grows, so we are having difficulty squeezing them all into assemblies. To try to achieve this, our timetable on Wednesday afternoons will now no longer finish slightly early, but will go on to the normal time of 3.30pm. We shall, however, try to finish early on those days when there is a major Parents Evening. These evenings are noted on the school Diary of Events which will be sent home in September.

Please note that all letters to parents will go out on Wednesdays and the Headteacher's Newsletter will be sent home on the last working Wednesday of every month.

We at school are very much looking forward to the break. I do wish each of you a very happy, safe and restful Summer.

CONGRATULATIONS
To James Haslam who has been awarded an Arkwright Scholarship to further his studies in Design Technology when he enters the Sixth Form in September. The area officer for Arkwright Scholarships came into school to interview James and inspect some of his work and said how impressed he was by James' overall ability. Therfield has an excellent record of success in gaining these prestigious awards which are open to - and keenly contested by - all schools, both state and independent.

ELECTED
Alice Humpheys and Jeremy Weeks have been elected by staff and fellow Sixth Formers as Senior Students for the coming year.

EUROPEAN CONNECTIONS
Pupils in the present Years 8 and 9 and the Sixth Form have the opportunity to take part in Exchange visits with French or German schools next year. If you haven't received a letter or have been slow to respond, September will not be too late to sign up - see Mrs Hrouda. Reports on the Year 7 visits to Koblenz and Dieppe will appear in the next Newsletter.

THRILL FOR STOMPERS
A chance conversation at a Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen concert led to a thrilling afternoon for the Therfield Stompers last week. Tim Boniface, the group's leader, was chatting to Andy Cooper, who is chief clarinettist with the Kenny Ball band, about the Stompers and their ambitions when Andy offered to come into school, hear them play and give them a few tips.

As a result M7 echoed to some beautiful sounds - so much so that our neighbours at ERA were glad they had their windows open! - and the Stompers were given a marvellous session with a world-renowned jazzman who, not only played with them, but offered tips on stage craft, help with musical arrangements and playing technique - all for the price of a glass of orange squash. No wonder the Stompers declared themselves as being "absolutely thrilled and almost speechless with delight".

RESULTS DAYS
'A' Ievel results will come out on August 19th and GCSE results on 26th August.

TOMORROW'S WORLD
A number of Year 9 students enjoyed a visit to the Exhibition at Earls Court and found themselves appearing on the popular Science TV programme. Therfield students were particularly to the fore during Peter Snow's piece on GM pizzas! Displays on communication, health, engineering, genetics, computing and the environment drew pupils' attention and we are grateful to National Grid for setting up the visit.

HORROR COMES GOOD!
The production of Little Shop of Horrors drew gasps of admiration and a certain indrawing of breath last week as the flesh-eating plant dominated much of the action. The cast was ably led by Michael Peck, Jeremy Weeks and Emily Plumtree, as this production demonstrated, once again, the versatility of all involved in our Drama and Music departments.

NEWSPAPER DAY
Our entry to the Times Education Supplement's competition was awarded a Highly Commended Certificate. The judges praised the design - especially the front page and the general high quality of the presentation. "A good first effort".

SPECIAL REQUEST
Please try and make certain that ALL clothes and property are labelled or marked. Also, as we keep very little money in school we cannot readily change money for pupils - £5 can present a problem, £20 an impossibility.

WANTED
If you have, or can supply, any old wooden pallets, please contact Mr Thomas. These are urgently needed for the Year 7 Activity Week.

ART EXHIBITION
Visitors to the viewing staged by A level students in the Sixth Form centre found plenty to admire. The paintings, drawings and sculptures were of an exceptionally high standard and were the culmination of two years intensive work by the students - and their teachers. Emily Brodie, Ed Jones, Adrienne Mickey, Vicky Millard, Rachel Potts, David Reynaud and Jon Tuke were the exhibitors.

ZOO VISIT
The whole of Year 7 visited Marwell Zoo near Winchester and voted this day-trip, organised by the Maths and Science Faculties, a great success. The journey - unlike previous excursions to London Zoo - was uneventful and the worksheets kept everyone busy and attentive. The education talk on Classification proved to be a highlight. The differences between vertebrates and inverts were clearly demonstrated, aided by four live examples, which could be handled. Of equal interest were the many stunning examples of confiscated customs material. Pupils were also made aware of future responsibilities in helping endangered species.

GEOGRAPHERS IN CHAMONIX
A study of glaciers was the main purpose of this visit and this was certainly met. Students were able to see glaciers at close quarters, learn about their enormous destructive powers and measure the very cold water that flowed out of them. A trip inside a glacier proved memorable - especially when rewarded by the appearance of a large St Bernard dog! Plenty of mountain walking toned up the legs and lungs of the 19 students and 3 members of staff.

SCIENCE IN SWANSEA - Those attending the Year 10 Science trip found the novelty of staying in a hall of residence at the university a fascinating experience - they were complimentary about the rooms and even more so the food! They were also able to enjoy visiting Bulmers cider factory, scrambling around down a coal mine, attending a 'surprisingly interesting' cosmology lecture, touring the BP site to learn about the products made there, carrying out a shell survey on Swansea beach and visiting the National Museum of Wales. They also found time for some sport, relaxation and sunbathing.

CARNEGIE AWARD
Therfield readers disagreed with the Carnegie judges, who placed David Almond's Skellig at the top of their list to find a first rate children's book. The Therfield panel, under the guidance of Miss English, read the five shortlisted books in a matter of weeks and then, in the best traditions of book awards, had a heated discussion as to the winner. They finally picked The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price, describing it as "a powerful text - it hit every sense".

UK JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE
Only Year 7 took part this year as Year 8 were away on a residential trip. They achieved 4 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze awards. James Claxton was adjudged best in school and other gold award winners were James Woolsey, Adam Nunns and Sam Hopper. This Maths Challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using basic techniques and is targeted at the top third of pupils.

THINKING OF OTHERS
Year 9 Geography students took part in World Vision 24 hour famine and raised £511.43. This will go towards helping orphaned children caught up in bonded labour in India and Rwanda. We have also received thanks from Global Care for raising £430.25 for the Kosovo Appeal and Comic Relief for the £326.91 sent to them.

AFRICA EVENING
Once again this was a great success and the new format of dividing the evening two performances worked well.

CABARET EVENING
Coming as it does at the end of the Summer term, this popular event never gets the coverage and praise it deserves. Word of mouth, however, is an equally effective ticket seller and, once again, Cabaret (held on Wednesday 21st July) was a sell-out.

SPORTS DAY
Leith House were the winners this year with 7241 points, closely followed by Norbury (7231), Juniper (7104) and Polesden (6631). Individuals who achieved most points in their year group were Steve Douglas and Alice McFadden (Year 7), Andrew Hardy and Stephanie Hughes (Year 8), Alexander Christie and Emily Parker (Year 9) and Christopher Lloyd and Hannah Alexander (Year 10).

FUN DAY
The green and gold of Australia well to the fore when we staged our own Kwik Cricket World Cup, but at least the honours were shared around. Year 7 winners were NWN (West lndies), Year 8 NOW & LCC (England & India tie), Year 9 NDE (Pakistan) and Year 10 (Australia). Over 500 boys and girls took part and were given tremendous vocal support throughout the day.

CRICKET
This has been a good season for all in their respective leagues. Therfield emerged as runners-up in Years 7, 8 and 10 and winners in Year 9, who defeated by Glyn in the final of the Callingham Crane Cup. Having beaten Glyn in the league we were disappointed not to do better in the final. The good weather during June and July has meant that, for once we have managed to fulfil most fixtures and now nucleus of very keen and successful cricketers.

SAILING
Conditions for sailing were ideal during the three-day regatta at Hayling Island and our sailors came away with five trophies, two second and two third places. Trophy winners were lain Foster (fast fleet crew), Russell Flint (novice race), Simon Fuller (Seaman of the Year) and Neil Ferguson, who won both the Slow Fleet Helm and the Topper Class. We had to concede the Pearne Trophy as School of the Year to Royal Grammar Guildford, with Therfield as runners-up and Howard of Effingham in third place. We were also runners-up for the Ken Grace Trophy for RYA achievement.

JUDO
Following a break from judo to concentrate on his GCSE examinations, Alastair Lee is now doing demonstration throws and holds in readiness for his senior grading at the sport. He recently competed in the Surrey Trials, his first time as a senior, and narrowly missed getting a bronze medal. His sister, Jennifer, in Year 8 did gain a bronze medal for her year group in the Surrey trials. Jennifer was one of those chosen to compete for Mole Valley in the Surrey Youth Games and won a silver medal.

TENNIS
Congratulations to our young tennis players who reached the final of the U13 Midland Bank Trophy where they were beaten by Aldro School of Godalming. James Lloyd, Richard Derrick, Tom King and David Erasmus had to defeat a number of well-coached teams from independent schools on their way to the final and deserve to be congratulated on their many wins and also on their 'impeccable court behaviour'.

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