Blog Week Ending 26th September
European Day of Languages 26th September – Across our MFL department we celebrated the event with a series of activities including (a rather delicious!) multilingual Bake-Off! and a European Day of Languages form time quiz for all Year 7 -11s. This special day is a time to celebrate the 6,000+ languages spoken around the world, promote language learning and have some multilingual fun!
Students battled it out for star baker with our teacher judging panel this week! Our student bakers really did celebrate the diversity of European languages and culture with a wonderful array of treats. Congratulations to all our fabulous bakers, you made the judges job incredibly tricky with such a wide range of international cakes, biscuits, sweets and breads! We will announce the winners in the next Blog. Below, a sample of some of our entries, and delighted judges!
Mrs Mimoun joins us as Head of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). Mrs Mimoun brings with her extensive teaching, leadership and ‘teaching teachers’ expertise. “I was the Director of the Kent and Medway Training Scheme which I undertook in conjunction with my teaching leadership responsibilities. In fact, I had the great pleasure to train a number of our teaching staff here at WGSB as well as at other Endeavour MAT schools, WGSG and Stone Lodge! My driving ambition for our students is for everyone to become linguists and enjoy all the economic and personal benefits learning a new language can bring!” In the featured French GCSE lesson below, Mrs Mimoun is coaching students in ‘best practice’ using the latest examination board feed-back. In order to maximise examination marks, Mrs Mimoun is encouraging her students to use verbs and opinions in their answers even when the question does not specifically ask them to do so. Students have been quick to develop their answers … great work!
Please join me in welcoming Miss Netherwood, our new school Librarian.
“I have seven years of experience of working in libraries throughout the education industry, working in schools, sixth forms, colleges, and universities. I have a rabbit named Alfie and love literature, art, Dungeons & Dragons, writing, rock music, animals, hiking and travelling. When I am not at work, you can usually find me watching Netflix, reading, or painting. My favourite genre to read is fantasy and my most recent read is The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. I am looking forward to sharing my passion for literature and learning with our students, and creating a safe space in the library for any and all students who might need to take a break from the bustle of the normal school day. I hope to see many students come through the doors in the coming weeks and months and I would be more than happy to discuss literature or any other of their interests with them.”
All Year 7 and 8 students have one dedicated library lesson a fortnight to fully take advantage of the many resources and clubs available in our Library space. Year 7 students have followed a library induction to ensure that they can get the most out their library lessons. In the pictured lesson students enjoyed an opportunity to read a book of their choice. For more details on our library services and opening times, please click here.
Each fortnight, in line with the timetable cycle Miss Netherwood will be spotlighting her Book of the Moment, currently;
New Head of Mathematics Mrs Ramic has previously held senior roles in both secondary and University settings leading post-16 curriculums. “I am passionate about our students making the links between classroom studies and their everyday application. Maths is a universal language understood all around the world, making it a powerful tool for solving problems and enhancing students’ understanding of the world around them as well as offering a multitude of exciting career opportunities”.
Mrs Ramic’s Year 9 students have been deepening their understanding of algebraic formulae and challenging themselves to solve a series of increasingly tricky problems! Formulae are used in everyday life and can be written, and equations solved, to find solutions to a range of problems in science and engineering. As you can see from both the interactive white boards and from the beautifully presented coursework below, students are certainly rising to the challenge.
Thirty-five of our Drama students from across the school will be taking part in the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival at the Woodville theatre in Gravesend – the world’s largest youth drama festival. For this event our student actors will be performing a 30-minute abridged version of Macbeth on Thursday 14th November at 7pm. Miss Holledge, Head of Performing Arts added “there will be other schools performing a different 30-minute version of a Shakespearian play and the event will be a wonderful opportunity for our local community to come together and celebrate the talent of our young people.”
Our student actors would love to see as many familiar faces as possible in the crowd supporting them – to find out more, and to buy tickets please click here https://www.woodville.co.uk/
“Hi, my name is Ruby Kaufman the student correspondent for WG6. I am an aspiring journalist working with the School Blog to advocate for the student voices within the sixth form and to share my own personal experiences. I encourage all students to put forward their own ideas that they would like to see in the School Blog and I commit to making them possible! “
Why electives?
The Wednesday afternoon off was always enticing when the Electives Program was introduced, however as I began to learn more, the opportunity became even sweeter.
The electives span four categories encompassing academics, sports, community and personal development and they range from university cooking to German for beginners.
For my first elective in Year 12, when I was unsure and went with the WG6 newspaper knowing that I had a passion for writing and wanted to jump on the early train to build experience. Many of my friends were confused and didn’t know what to pick, which resulted in a random selection, but we all look back and are grateful to the memories the program gave us. Winning the smarties Easter bunny in race around the world, publishing the WG6 newspaper with my name under editor and watching hilarious batting in rounders were the highlights of my Year 12 electives experience.
I was so nervous when arriving at my first elective (the WG6 newspaper) worried that I was alone and didn’t know anybody. However, I was easily comforted by welcoming faces unified by the same concerns. I quickly made friends and even chose to become the editor, taking on more responsibility and helping others with their articles. From the first week as strangers to then becoming a collective group working alongside each other to produce a cohesive newspaper taught me about how the Elective Program was worthwhile.
The Elective Program provides you with independence, freedom to enhance your extracurricular activities and to cross paths with people who you would not encounter usually. I made meaningful friendships outside of my lessons and these continued to flourish throughout the year and remain today, a year on.
From the confidence developed from my 1st elective, I decided to branch out of my comfort zone and choose rounders for my second elective. Whilst I was not great at the sport, I enjoyed the teamwork aspect and the slight competitiveness. Playing outside in the sun, on a Wednesday afternoon with my friends was a great way to de-compress from the pressures of school. I thoroughly enjoyed my Year 12 electives, and believe it was truly a stand-out of the year. I recommend taking this into consideration when looking at applying to WG6 sixth form as it is a unique opportunity for students to have.
Electives change slightly in Year 13 and allow for students to complete them anytime and anywhere! This allows for even further freedoms with a larger variety of choices. Electives work around you as a student and fit into your own busy schedule. For example, this year I have decided to pick writing my own blog, which has allowed me to begin building a portfolio for university and ensure that I pursue something that I love to do and not become overwhelmed by the demands of Year 13.
Thank you for reading!
Ruby Kaufman, your student voice at WG6.
Introducing .. Ms Aggrey, Head of Chemistry at WGSG who has a wealth of experience teaching Chemistry, planning truly engaging curriculum and leading departments in secondary settings. “I am incredibly passionate about Chemistry and hope to inspire all of our students to be as enthusiastic about their scientific studies as I will be in delivering the lessons!”
In Ms Aggrey’s WG6 Year 13 Chemistry A Level lesson (pictured) where students were challenged to expand their knowledge of Intermolecular forces and were able to identify the different types from weakest to strongest – excellent work!
Our new Sensory room offers students a calm, managed space to decompress. The room is managed and supervised by our SEND Team and Student Managers and provides a valuable resource to support inclusivity, ensuring all of our students’ educational and emotional needs are met. The benefits of sensory spaces are not restricted to neurodivergent or disabled students. They can be used as a relaxing, calming space for any student, should they feel overwhelmed or require support when preparing for examinations. Sincere thanks to our amazing PTA for their funding, making the project possible.
This week we are celebrating the sporting achievements of two of our Year 7 students, who take part in clubs and activities out of school as well as in school. Both have demonstrated great skill and determination in their respective fields – and both have earned awards as a consequence – congratulations!
Aariv of 7A attends karate classes on Monday and Friday evenings at Fairfield Centre, Dartford – organised by ERSKF (England Red Tiger Shotokan Karate Federation). Karate is an active sport for building self-confidence, balance, coordination, discipline and social skills. This year, Aariv participated in the WUMF (World Union of Martial Arts Federation) World Championships.
Aariv participated in two categories and was placed in both events – 2nd and 3rd Place, a great achievement indeed! To find out more about Aariv’s Club – and to find one near you please click here
James L of 7T is a keen sportsman and participates in a wide range of pursuits including; diving, basketball, karate, dance and football! Since joining WGSB and being introduced to rugby via our Saturday Sports Programme .. he’s now a keen rugby player too! James is also a member of British Ice Skating and recently attended his first competition (in Cambridge), winning the Bronze medal in the boys’ beginner category – an incredible feat for his first competitions! In order to compete James had to first achieve Skate UK gold level. His next completion is in November at Sheffield Ice Rink where he will skate a different routine.
James skates at Planet Ice in Gillingham and is coached by ‘Team Jones’ to find out more, their Instagram can be found here ⛸️The Team Jones Family⛸️ (@iceteamjones) • Instagram photos and videos
PTA Update: As an update the PTA are busy preparing events for the Autumn term and a selection can be seen below. We have over the past year supported various initiatives and some upcoming ones in the pipeline are the gym refurbishment, a painted mural (pictured below), assistance towards the model railway club, the sensory room and various book nooks around the school for quiet reading and reflection. A special thank you to Lee Baker, one of WGSB parents for donating towards the SEN project as well.
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 pre-loved 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 if there is something you specifically require.
Christmas fair and Market – 30th November – Various stalls selling arts, crafts and gifts in order for you to get some early Christmas presents. More information on this to follow
Christmas Tree purchase – as we do every year, we offer the opportunity to purchase a Christmas Tree, look out for information on this over the coming week and all details will be on Parent Pay.
Krispy Kreme and Samosa sale – 18th October – pre order a box of Krispy Kremes or Samosas on parent pay today.
Christmas Wreath Making – 3rd December 6pm-8pm – Details and purchase of tickets on Parent Pay.
Considerate Parking. Please can I ask that all parents and carers who collect their children from school be mindful of our neighbours, access for buses and the safety of our students when parking near our site. Unfortunately, we have had a number of issues recently where buses and neighbours’ cars have been blocked in or obstructed causing significant delays and inconvenience to all.
Forthcoming Dates;
Year 7 Saturday Sports Enrichment Programme – Saturday 28 Sept, 5, 12 & 19 Oct 9-10:30am
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
PTA Krispy Kreme and Samosa sale – 18th October – pre order a box of Krispy Kremes or Samosas on ParentPay today.
Open Evening (for Year 6 students and parents/carers) Wednesday 23 October (4:30 – 7:30pm)
Year 10 Rugby fixture – Monday 21 October
Year 13 Reports Home – Monday 21 October
Year 6 Open Mornings (for Year 6 students and parents/carers) – Thursday 24 & Friday 25 October (09:30 – 12:00)
Year 9 Rugby fixture – Thursday 24 October
End of Term 1 – Friday 25 October
Start of Term 2 – Thursday 7 November
Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival at the Woodville theatre in Gravesend – Thursday 14 November at 7pm
Click below to book your place at one of our Year 6 Open Events (for 2025 admissions)
Wednesday 23rd October – Open Evening
Thursday 24th October – Open Morning
Friday 25th October – Open Morning
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Head Teacher
