Blog Week Ending 13th September
Our new Year 7 and 12 students have made a tremendous start to their academic careers here at Wilmington Grammar School for Boys. Our Year 7s have started their Saturday Sport Programme, six morning sessions combining a range of fun sporting activities designed to help with the transition into secondary school life. The sessions provide opportunities to socialise and make friends with their peers whilst getting a flavour of the many sporting and team building opportunities available at WGSB. Parents and Carers are welcome to come along, and our PTA are on hand, selling a range of hot drinks and snacks. Please do consider joining our wonderful PTA, who make a huge and tangible impact on our school community. Thank you to Mr Lynch, Head of Physical Education for organising the programme and for all the staff who are coaching and supporting the students’ activities. It was great to see so many of our students and their families – a brilliant event!
The timings of the Saturday Sport sessions are 9.00am to 10.30am. The next session is on Saturday 21st Sep then Sat 28th Sep, Sat 5th Oct, Sat 12th Oct and finally Sat 19th Oct.
Pictured below, Miss Sweeney, Head of Year 7 & 8 with students
Pictured, our PTA serving hot drinks and snacks at our Saturday Sporting sessions. To read about our PTA projects and activities please click here Supporting Your Child – Wilmington Grammar School for Boys (wgsb.co.uk)
I’m delighted to share the news of new teaching and support staff as well as some new roles for existing staff which I will introduce via the school blog over the course of the next few weeks, including;
Introducing … Mrs Jones, Student Manager Years 8 & 9. Mrs Jones’ previous role at WGSB was with our SEN department offering bespoke one-to-one support and learning plans. “In my new role I will be working with all our Year 8 & 9 students and Heads of Year to provide support and strategies to enable all our students to have the best learning experience at WGSB. During our first term we are highlighting student planning; to create positive habits and mindset around time keeping, timetables and self-management. I am looking forward to (virtually!) meeting our families at our forthcoming Welcome Evenings and building close relationships between home and school.”
Our Year 7-11 Welcome Meetings are scheduled for Thursday 12th September at 5pm. Year 7 will be in person, all other year groups will be virtual, on Teams. Year 12 Welcome & Expectations Evening will be on Thursday 26th September, in person at WGSG.
Mr Corrigan, Teacher of Design and Technology is now also Assistant Head of Year 8. Mr Corrigan will be supporting Miss Sweeney who is Head of Year for Years 7 & 8. In the pictured lesson, our Year 7 Food Preparation and Nutrition students are learning which practical skills they will be mastering in the forthcoming practical lessons. Mastering pizza making appears to be a very popular lesson! Students will go on to develop an understanding of safety hazards and hygiene in the kitchen.
Our new Year 12 students are based at WGSB for their study periods but dependent upon their subjects and timetables are likely to have lessons at both WGSG and WGSB. Both sites have dedicated study and common room spaces as well as a Sixth Form canteen area at WGSG. Mr Salt, Teacher of History has been appointed Head of Year 12 and is delivering part of the WG6 induction programme to support students as they settle into their A level studies. Mr Salt added “I am very much looking forward to working with our students to enable them to get the most out of every opportunity for academic achievement and personal development available here at WG6”
Pictured below – Year 12 Study Centre.
Year 7 students have been enjoying science lab induction lessons to familiarise themselves with the apparatus and safety information ahead of the practical investigations that will be a regular feature of their engagement with scientific learning!
Pictured, Dr Musami, Head of Biology with Year 7 classes.
Our new caterers are already getting the thumbs up from students and staff alike who are enjoying the new range of meals, salads, snacks and fruit juice slushies on offer! Our Parents/Carers portal, which can be found on our website here provides information on menus and payment here Supporting Your Child – Wilmington Grammar School for Boys (wgsb.co.uk)
We foster a culture that celebrates, and is inspired by, all of our shared and personal achievements, whether school based academic ones or through clubs and activities undertaken out of school. We hope that in celebrating these successes they inspire other students to think big, try new interests and take on new challenges; so please do make us aware of any key events so that we can share them in our school blogs.
Please join me in congratulating Jonty H of 7B who has been recognised with a prestigious Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Achievement. Jonty is a dedicated and passionate rugby player who has won numerous tournaments and awards since joining Westcombe Park Rugby Club in Orpington aged 6. This season Jonty was awarded the ‘Players Player’ award by his club as well as being nominated for (and winning!) the Jack Petchey Award. A very great achievement indeed!
Key forthcoming dates;
Year 7 Meet the Form Teacher Evening – Thursday 12 September 5-6:30pm (in person)
Years 8-10 Meeting the Heads of Year & Form Tutors Evening – Thursday 12 September 5-5:30pm (virtual)
Year 7 Saturday Sports Enrichment Programme – Saturday 21, 28 Sept, 5, 12 & 19 Oct 9-10:30am
Year 8 Rugby Fixture – Monday 23 September 2.20pm
PTA AGM – Parents, Teachers Association – all welcome! Monday 23 September 6-7pm (in person, Main Hall)
Year 10 Rugby Fixture – Thursday 26 September 2.20pm
Year 12 Expectations Evening – Thursday 26 September 6-7pm (at WGSG in person)
Year 12 Design Museum DT Trip – Friday 27 September
Year 8 Rugby fixture – Monday 30 September 2:20pm
Year 9 Rugby fixture – Tuesday 1 October 2:15pm
Senior Maths Challenge – Thursday 3 October
Year 10 Rugby fixture – Thursday 3 October 2:20pm
Year 11 Mock Examination Parent/Carer Briefing – 6-6:30pm (virtual)
Year 9 Rugby fixture – Thursday 10 October 2.20pm
Year 10 Rugby fixture – Thursday 10 October 2:20pm
Year 7 Rugby fixture – Friday 18 October 2:20pm
Open Evening (for Year 6 students and parents/carers)
Year 10 Rugby fixture – Monday 21 October
Year 13 Reports Home – Monday 21 October
Year 6 Open Evening – Wednesday 23 October
Year 9 Rugby fixture – Thursday 24 October
End of Term 1 – Friday 25 October
Start of Term 2 – Thursday 7 November
PTA Update: We have had such a fantastic year with fundraising events and all money raised is given back to the school for various projects. Some have been completed and others are due to start, so thank you to everyone who has got involved and supported us over the last year. Please do get in touch if you would like to join our PTA – everyone is welcome! [email protected]
Monthly PTA draw: Please look to join our monthly PTA lottery draw. The cost is £12 for the year for 1 unique number, more than 1 number may be purchased. Each number goes into 12 monthly draws between September and August (3 draws made in November). Prize money is £30 per month and £50 in the December draw. All funds to help the PTA support the students. Winners will be notified by the school office. Please note cut-off date to join the lottery is 1st November 2024 to be included for the year
Sign up today via the Parent Pay platform https://app.parentpay.com/public/client/security/
For more details, please contact [email protected] .
Matched funding plea: Some companies are able to offer matched funding from their employer and we would love for anyone to offer to support this. If you or anyone you know can offer any matched funding please do get in touch with the PTA.
Saturday Sports: The PTA are supporting the Year 7 Saturday sports selling sausage and bacon baps and refreshments and on the final day are looking to hold a second-hand uniform sale. If anyone is able to donate any preloved uniform it would be greatly appreciated, you can leave any donations with the school office. The sale is due to take place on 12thOctober from 9am to 10.30am and if anyone from other years would like to attend, please come and find the PTA who will be on the school field. We will be selling blazers, lab coats, trainers, and have a large selection of coats, we do have some PE kit as well, but this is in short supply for years 7-9 so please drop us a message on [email protected] if there is something you specifically require.
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Head Teacher
