Blog week ending 1 May
What a way to spend the Easter break! Mr Powell, and the staff team accompanied 45 students on a trip of a lifetime to the Marmot Basin Rocky Mountain ski resort in Jasper, Canada for an amazing time on the slopes!
The resort was perfect, offering amazing views and great skiiing conditions with excellent instructors who made sure every student got the most out of the experience. Mr Powell and the team were impressed with just how much progress students made over the course of the trip, tackling tricky alpine trails and executing impressive moguls and jumps .. as well as skiing backwards. Off-piste highlights included, an evening visit to an aquatic park, quiz night, pizza night and a retail stop-off to the Crossiron Mills Calgary Mall.
For videos and more photos, go to our dedicated X/twitter feed here @WGSB_Snowsport
Mr Powell and the team would like to thank all the students for their excellent company throughout the trip. Feedback from the staff at the resort was unanimously brilliant!
Year 8 PE students were in action on the fields this week practising their athletics skills. In the below photos, students supported the technique of their team-mates with coaching advice and encouragement! As you can see from the below, today’s lesson focussed on shot-put and javelin. We are incredibly lucky to have such extensive grounds for PE .. and to have plenty of trees to provide welcome shade!
We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Miss O’Dwyer from Deputy Head of Maths to Head of Math. Miss O’Dwyer has established herself as an integral part of our department consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and passion for helping students achieve their full potential.
As Head of Maths, Miss O’Dwyer will continue to inspire our students and lead the department into an exciting new chapter. We look forward to the continued growth and success of the Maths team under her leadership. Miss O’Dwyer commented “I am extremely passionate about students developing mathematical skills they can use in all aspects of their lives and allowing them the chance to be creative in the subject. I aim to continue to boost our mathematics curriculum to allow enrichment opportunities for all students and opportunities to develop their problem-solving skills. I look forward to working with all our young people and seeing them achieve exceptional things”
Welcome to new Teacher of DT, Ms Mott, who joins us with a wealth of teaching and design experience having studied design at Central Saint Martins University before going into education to teach Design Technology. Most recently, Ms Mott led the DT Department at Colfes School. In this lesson Year 8 students are working on the design of their mini skateboards. Ms Mott added “this topic is a brilliant introduction to get students considering what makes good functional design, as well as providing an insight into designers in the workplace. I am passionate about good design and supporting students to consider the technical application of their designs – problem solving is key!”
Year 9 Art students have been learning about a range of painters from Impressionism to contemporary artists. They have learnt how to use acrylic paint for the first time, using layering techniques and a knowledge of colour mixing to create small studies of sections of artworks as practice pieces. Once they are confident in their practice pieces they are given a canvas to paint on and here you can see their progress after only one lesson.
Our WG6 Year 12 Geographers have been completing their preparation coursework ahead of their forthcoming residential fieldwork trip. In a previous urban field trip, students visited Southwark before travelling by Uber boat to Battersea Power station. This trip enabled students to perfect their field work data collection techniques ahead of the forthcoming residential.
The date of our next Community Afternoon Tea has been set for Friday 27th June. Full details are as per the below poster .. please do share with family and community members.
PTA Update
We are looking forward to the summer term ahead and have a few events planned which we would appreciate support from the school community.
Preloved School Uniform. We always welcome donations of preloved school uniforms. If you have any items to donate, please drop them off at reception, marked for the PTA’s attention. If you’d like to request a preloved uniform, please email us at [email protected].
Doughnut & Samosa Sale – Friday, 23rd May. We’re holding another delicious doughnut and samosa sale! Pre-orders can be made via Parent Pay for collection after school, and students will also have the chance to buy them during their morning break. Our last doughnut sale raised £580.35, thank you to all that supported this event!
Summer Fair. We are holding our Summer Fair on Saturday 14th June and will be looking to hold the ever-popular assault course for students to take part in as well as some fun and games on the day along with selling refreshments and our usual barbecue. Please look out for raffle tickets on sale on Parent Pay.
Matched Funding Appeal. Some employers offer matched funding for charity initiatives, which can significantly boost our fundraising efforts. If you or someone you know can help with matched funding, please get in touch with the PTA—we’d greatly appreciate your support! Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to an exciting Summer Term!
Mind North Kent have shared the below poster regarding their forthcoming community workshop.
Forthcoming Dates;
Year 13 – Remote Parental Briefing – 1 May 5.30pm
Year 11 MFL Speaking Exams – until 2 May
Years 7 & 8 Junior Maths Challenge – 1 May
Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice Expedition – 1 – 2 May
Year 13 A Level Art Exam – 2 -7 May
Year 11 Assembly and Last Day prior to Exams – 6 May
Year 13 Assembly & Last Day – 8 May
Year 10 Parents’ Evening – 4-7.30pm 8 May
GCSE Written Exams – 9 May – 18 June
A Level Written Exams – 12 May – 20 June
Year 12 WG6 Geography Field Trip – 22 May
SEN Review Afternoon – 21 May 1-4.30pm (parents/carers will receive invites with further information)
Doughnut & Samosa Sale – 23 May
Last Day of Term 5 – 23 May
First Day of Term 6 – 2 June
Years 7, 8 & 9 Assessments – 3 – 6 June
Year 12 Grades & Written Reports sent home – 3 June
Year 12 UCAS Trip – 5 June
Summer Fair – 14 June
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Headteacher
