Issue No.74, 16 February 2000
Issue No.74, 16 February 2000
9th February, 2000 Woodhead names the class leaders |
|
Of the 704 secondary schools
inspected by Ofsted in the academic year 1998/99 Therfield
School was in the top 80, one
of three such schools in Surrey. For the full story click
the Ofsted link shown below. full story Ofsted |
| FROM THE HEAD TEACHER Financial Outlook We now have more budget news. It seems that the County Council has been able to put more money into school budgets, but we are still very concerned that it may not be enough to cover our costs. The Governors may well be writing to parents about this In the near future, when the position becomes clearer. |
| Meeting the Challenge Congratulations to our Tough Guys and Girls who competed so successfully in this gruelling national event that they won the Cup for the best school team. In second place came Wilson's School, third Ashcombe, fourth B-Tec Gladiators and fifth Ardingly College. The winning times of the first eight runners home were taken and Therfield achieved a creditable 20.46.35 time, beating the time for the winning university team of Balliol College, Oxford. First home for Therfleld was Mr Hill (2.25.21), closely followed by Mr Smith (2.26.35), then Daniel Buss (2.30.07), Miss Lansdown, Mr Gamer, Matthew Enston, Richard Koh and Miles Nation. Miss Lansdown (2.36.05) achieved the fourth fastest time of all the women competitors. Four staff and 24 students took part and only one was forcibly retired by the marshals, being plucked from a pond near the finish clearly suffering from hypothermia! Anyone who saw the photographs in the national newspapers of runners struggling through mud filled drainpipes and scaling netting to balance their way across strategically placed logs will know this was a real test of ability and endurance. Well done everyone! |
| Early Closures Year 9 Parents' Evening takes place on March 1st and Year 7 Parents' Evening is on March 29th. On both these Wednesdays, school will close at 3.15pm. |
| Academic Tutoring The second Academic Tutoring Day, which was hold last week, was again very successful. If you did not manage to attend with your son/ daughter please check in his/her Planner to see what new Targets have been agreed. We would appreciate any help you can give pupils in working to meet these targets. Next term, Academic Tutoring Day will be held on Friday, 12th May. |
| Parents' Prayer Group The next meeting is on Monday, 20th March at 8 pm at the school. If you would like to request a prayer to be said, please contact Mrs Jill Poole (01 932 845476). Or just turn up on the night, you will be most welcome. |
| Looking Ahead A level results will be available at school on 17th August 2000. GCSE results will be available on 24th August 2000. |
| Lots of Praise Sixteen of our students who attended an International Product Development Conference at Leatherhead Food RA drew several letters of appreciation and comments from a distinguished audience. The students, who are studying Food Technology, were invited as testers and tasters for a number of products which manufacturers hope to introduce to the UK market and were asked also to comment on the packaging and general appeal of the product. Then, working as teams, they gave a presentation on their findings. They impressed the audience by the perception and frankness of their comments and their confidence in speaking out. An impressive portfolio of their findings has been put together and will be distributed internationally. On the second day students were able to attend a series of lectures and were delighted to meet TV personality, Lloyd Grossman, who was one of the speakers. |
| Bound for Adventure Venezuela is the venue for a four week expedition for 21 Year 11-13 students led by Mr Smith, Head of Science, Miss Wooding, Geography, and two World Challenge leaders. The party leaves for Caracas on 14th July but members are already fully engaged in preparations - these range from Spanish lessons, expedition training courses in the Yorkshire Dales and individual fund raising. In March the team will be tackling an Army Assault Course to group fund raise - so if you see a sponsor form, please sign it! Next month will also see them having their fitness tested by 'yomping' six kilometres in one hour carrying 10kg in their rucksacks. |
| Water and e-Bills If you agree to pay your bills to Sutton and East Surrey Water by e-mail then the company will pay your nominated school £5. You will need to register for e-billing by 23rd February and can do so by accessing www.waterplc.com when all will be explained! |
| Lost Property We cannot keep lost property indefinitely, particularly when so much of it comprises bulky outdoor coats. After a suitable lapse of time all 'lost' property will have to be disposed of, so if your son/ daughter has lost something, encourage them to come to the Office to see if it has been handed in or, better still, make sure everything is named so it can be returned. |
| Parking Care We try to maintain good links with our neighbours so please do not park in a way which obstructs entrance to nearby houses and garages. This applies also to the Waterfields area. |
| Parental Support The next course being run by Partnership with Parents is being held at Furzefield Primary School, Merstham on Tuesday evenings, starting on 29th February. The course is for people wishing to train as a parental supporter to parents of children with special educational needs and will include listening skills, negotiating skills, parents' rights and notes on education legislation. More information can be obtained from Kate Evans on 01 737 646227. |
| Happy Skiing Half term sees the exodus of a number of Therfield pupils to the ski slopes. Mr Hill is taking a group of upper school students to Les Gets in France and Mrs Wingrove is co-ordinator of the visit to St Johann in Tirol in Austria for 81 lower school pupils. We wish them a safe and happy trip and plenty of snow. |
| Shakespeare Day A touring theatre company, Shakespeare in Schools, came into school for a day and entertained and educated Year 9 students with an in-depth look at Romeo and Juliet. They adopted an interesting stage set of a Japanese garden, with pale painted faces, lashings of eye-liner and brightly coloured kimonos. Romeo and Juliet were excluded from these fashions, presumably for symbolic effect. Two key scenes on which pupils will be tested In the forthcoming National Curriculum Tests were given special treatment, including 'hot-seating', 'thought tracking' and different interpretations, and will, hopefully, add to pupil knowledge and understanding. In the afternoon, actors arranged group workshops so that Year 9 were able to show off their own acting skills. The day made a positive contribution to pupils' appreciation of the play. |
| Music News Therfield's Senior Choir and soloists Timothy Boniface and Anita Coskery drew high praise for their performance as part of the varied programme in a Candlemas Concert at St Barnabas Church, Ranmore. Mr Pratt was co-producer and conductor and was delighted with the whole evening. Two important musical dates to make a note of are: Friday 10th March for the School's
Choral Concert and |
| Please collect Please collect computer vouchers from Tesco stores and newspaper vouchers and crisp tokens for Free Books for Schools. In past years we have amassed record amounts and after the chore of counting and cutting out has been completed have always been delighted to receive the promised reward! Collecting boxes are in the Resource Centre. |
| Taking Part Drama students who went to the National Theatre to see The Mystery Plays found themselves totally involved. This was a Promenade Performance (reminiscent of Therfield's Jacobean Evening) telling of the Passion to the Day of Judgement - Sixth Former Laura Stewart was targeted and thrown Into the flames of Hell by the Devil! On Friday, 17th March, Year 13 students will
be showing their A level practical work in a Drama Showcase.
Tickets will be on sale at £3 each and, as usual, the
evening promises a challenging and varied programme. |
| Bonus Meeting As a fillip to their preparations for the finals of the Mock Trial competition, our Sixth Form London area winners have been invited to attend the function which will decide what case they will have to prosecute or defend next month. Guest of honour, and maidng the draw for the running order, will be Cherie Booth QC., wife of the Prime Minister. |
| Lines from Uganda Michael Traboulsi, former senior student, is spending his gap year teaching in Uganda and has sent home a newsy, amusing and very informative letter about his time there. Michael's address is - Bishop Nkoyoyo Secondary School, PO Box 227, Lugazi, Uganda, East Africa. He would love to hear from Therfield friends - we can't promise a speedy reply as he is kept busy teaching PE, English and Biology, cooking, collecting rain water and travelling! |
| Successful Exchange Tearful farewells, promises to write and calls of 'see you in June' bore testimony to how well the Exchange visit of 34 pupils from Nicolaus-Cusanus Gymnasium was received last week. A joint outing to Brighton was a popular date on the itinerary when visits to the Pavilion and the Pier were enjoyed by hosts and guests alike. The German visitors spent two days in Therfield culminating in a European Quiz which was won by Nick Reeves' team. They also visited London and attended a number of privately arranged parties, cinema trips and an end-of-exchange disco. Pupils from Years 9, 10 and 12 are now looking forward to the return part of the Exchange in June. |
| Dyslexia Association Interested parents are invited to a talk by Pam Lore, Head of English at Moon Hall, Dorking on 'Phonographix' at the Woolsack Room, Harlequin Theatre, Radhill on 14th March at 8 pm. The phonic based reading method will be the theme of the talk sponsored by South East Surrey Dyslexia Association. Details from Jan Warne (01 883 712224). |
| Marathon Run Miss Lansdown from the PE department plans to run in the London Marathon on Sunday, 16th April and would welcome sponsorship from parents and pupils. Money raised will be split 50-50 between one of the school's charities and to buy sports equipment for St Giles School, Croydon (which is for children with severe learning disabilities). Miss Lansdown ran in the 1997 Marathon with a time of 3.13.43 and aims to beat 3.10 this time. |
| Swimming Success Paul Belk, who was a noted sportsman when he was at Therfield, being particularly successful at swimming, won gold awards in two of the freestyle events in the National Championships at Sheffield and was interviewed on TV by Sharon Davies. Paul, who is in the final year of a Materials Science degree at Bath University, will be swimming for Great Britain at the World Championships in Athens in March. |
| Cross Country Congratulations to the Inter-boys team of Guy Head, Dean Matthews, Warren Gale, Gary Self, Simon Holmes and Michael Firth who came home first in the sub-mile relay at Purley on Saturday. It was the team's second win of the series and means they have now won the overall team title. |
| Into the Finals The Year 9 team of Michael Bartlett, Nick Leyland, Segun Ogunsheye and Kyle Goodwin have won the regional round of the Sunny-D '3 on 3' Basketball Challenge. They have qualified for the national finals in Sheffield. Well done! |
| Football The Year 8 team are going particularly well this season and are top of their league, having lost only tm games all season. Year 7s reached the quarter finals of the County Cup. |
|
VACANCY FOR A PART-TIME
FINANCE ASSISTANT A Finance Assistant is required to provide
both financial and administrative support to the Finance
Manager.
Further details and an application form are
available from the Finance Manager, Mrs Jenny Good, tel:
01372 814429. |
| DATES
FOR THE DIARY also see the School Calendar |
|
| Feb 21-26 | HALF TERM |
| Feb 18-26 | Lower School skiing in Austria |
| Feb 18-26 | Upper School skiing In France |
| Feb 21st | Y11 Study Skills
Seminar - 9.30am start Parents' Study Skills Evening - 7.30pm |
| Feb 28th | Return to School - WEEK 1 |
| Mar 1st | Year 9 Parents' Evening |
| Mar 10th | School Choral Concert |
| March 17th | Drama Showcase |
| March 18th | Mock Bar Trial finals, Southwark Crown Court |
| Mar 23-26 | Y10 Geography visit to Swanage |
| Mar 29th | Year 7 Parents' Evening |
| Mar 31st | Spring Concert |