Chestnut NewsDate: 7 June 2019 Issue No: 90

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Visit from Dominic HerringtonOn Friday 24th May we were delighted to welcome the National Schools Commissioner, Dominic Herrington, into Chestnut Grove Academy. Dominic came into school to discuss the potential expansion of the Wandle Learning Trust and to hear about the work of the Wandle Teaching School Alliance. I took Dominic on a tour of the school site and we visited several lessons where he commented on how focused the students were on their learning and how enthusiastic they were to articulate their learning goals to our visitor. It was a really positive end to the half-term.

Student achievementsI am always pleased to hear of the successes of Chestnut Grove students whether these be at school or out of school hours.

Recently, Jay Johnson-Haldren in Year 7 was the runner up in the 12U National Tour tournament at Halton Tennis Club and was the winner in the U12 National Tour in doubles. He also won the 16U regional doubles event with his 12 year old partner.

Jay has also been training alongside Andy Murray at Reeds School – watch this space for a tennis star of the future!

I was also pleased to receive a letter from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) on return from the half term break explaining that Jurre Campman-Williams in Year 7 had spend two days of his half term holiday volunteering with them and was an excellent contribution to the team. Well done Jurre!

Concerns over AstrotufI have been contacted by a number of parents recently who are concerned about grassed areas being replaced with Astroturf following

Students are expected to attend the Academy every day with the expectation that each student should achieve a minimum 95% attendance.

Sickness:If for any reason a student will be absent then Parents/Carers are requested to phone the Attendance Officer (Ms Ramsay on 0208 673 8737 option 1) before 08:30 on the first day of absence. If the absence is for more than one day, you will need to phone the school each day of the sickness. A doctor’s note will be required after three days absence.

Lateness:Morning registration starts at 8.45am. Students arriving after 8.45am will not be admitted through the main gate and will be asked to sign in at reception. Students will be marked late by the attendance officer and parents will receive a text informing them that the student has a same day detention to make up the number of minutes late. Students who are late and have a note from their Parent/Carer explaining the lateness, should report directly to the Attendance Officer before going to class. Students who arrive after 10am with no parental explanation are considered absent and are recorded as such on the Academy roll.

Appointments:The Attendance Officer should be alerted to appointments attended during the school day, by a note in your child’s planner, which should also be accompanied by the appointment letter or copy of the confirmation text received.

Please do not call, email or text the school if your child needs to leave school early for an appointment as their note will suffice. This note must be authorised by your child’s RSL (Raising Standards Leader) before they can leave.

Ms Ramsay, Attendance Officer

ATTENDANCE

news reports of this happening at another school in the borough. I would like to reassure parents and students that having just spent a large amount of money on turfing our playground, we have no plans to replace it with artificial surfaces. Not only is the grass proving to be a great resource for our students, who until recently have only had concrete to play on, but it also supports our commitment to the environment and to providing open green space in this busy, congested city. The grassed area compliments our wild flower bank and our recently installed raised vegetable beds.

Christian Kingsley, Headteacher

Safeguarding

Your child’s safety is of paramount concern to us. If you have any concerns over the personal development, behaviour or welfare of your child or any other child within Chestnut Grove Academy that cannot be resolved by the child’s teacher, tutor or RSL, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Ms Jackson on 0208 772 2510 or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Mikayla Jolley on 0208 772 2545. Should either of these be unavailable and you have an urgent safeguarding concern, please ask for the other Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, Ms Verber or Mr Taylor.

PE DEPARTMENT

FOOTBALLP16 League Cup Final vs Ark Putney

After an undefeated league campaign, Chestnut Grove faced Ark Putney in the Cup Final. The result in the league was a hard fought 3 – 3 draw. With the final taking place at the start of the exam season and an afternoon kick off, the starting XI was much changed. Three of the first choice starting XI had the A level History and GCSE Science exams, arriving by taxi as the second half started. This also had affected the Ark side with numerous changes from their league squad.

Chestnut Grove started the brighter with much of the possession without creating any chances. Finally the deadlock was broken with a long ball which Yousuf controlled and beat the keeper to make it 1 - 0. The score line stayed this way until half time.

As the second half started, the rest of the squad arrived only to see Ark score two quick goals to take the lead. Azriel (playing up an age group), Jered and Jeavarn made an immediate impact with fresh legs and were keen to make up for missing the first half. Azriel created a number of chances on the left hand side. Eventually Yousuf finished from close range to even the scores, before Jeavarn fired home from close range to take a 3-2 lead. The remainder of the second half became a tense affair with a number of hard tackles and a few players from both sides losing their composure. With five minutes to go, Yousuf completed his hat trick with a superb strike from the edge of the box to take a 4-2 lead. Ark made a number of late changes with immediate effect, pulling a goal back from a goalmouth scramble, before a long range effort found the bottom corner on with what was the last kick of normal time to level at 4-4 and force a penalty shootout.

Shay, Emmanuel, Yosusf, Jeavarn and Azriel all bravely volunteered to take penalties. Rhys made a fine save on the second penalty however this was not enough after two misses from Chestnut Grove saw Ark take the final 4-3 on penalties.

The squad worked hard all season with the only loss being their last game, an unfortunate result which was hard to take for a number of the Year 13 students in their final game of Football for Chestnut Grove but will provide as good motivation for the Year 12s for next season to go one step better.

Congratulations to the squad below for your hard work and dedication over the season.

Squad: Rhys Nagle, Tawan Chojnacki, Arthur Butler, Shay Dormer, Nural Deets, Mohamed Ali, Emmanuel Kufoalor, Jarrell Wilkinson, Yousuf Boutouili, Daniel Ffrench, Jeavarn Hendricks, Jered Mills, Bolu Ajayi, Jumale Mohamud, Azriel Annon-Nicolson.

ATHLETICSCongratulations! After successful performances at the Wandsworth Borough Athletics competition last term, Jace Woolery (Yr 9) has been selected to represent Wandsworth in the High Jump at the Year 9 – 11 London School Athletics Championship this weekend at the Millennium Arena. Johanna Nicholson (Year 8) and Angus Heritage (Year 7) have been selected for the 1500m alongside Bertie Downes (Year 7) in the Javelin at the Year 7-8 London schools Championship at Mile End Athletics track on the 11th June. We wish these students every success in their upcoming competitions.

Mr Tobin and the PE team

Day 1We arrived in Rome at around 12:00. We were all very tired, so we had a relaxing walk by the river and went to a square for an opportunity to buy souvenirs. We had pizza for dinner, and walked back to the hotel back past the river.

Day 2We were all very excited for Thursday, as we were visiting the Colosseum! We had a very knowledgeable tour guide named Richard, who gave us a tour around the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and showed us some amazing views! We had a picnic in the park, and then walked back to get some dinner. We had pasta, chicken and potatoes. It was delicious!

Day 3Since we were all so tired from the day before, Friday was very relaxed. First, we visited the Trevi Fountain. It was very beautiful, and extremely majestic. We had a spending opportunity, then made our way to the Spanish steps. They were amazing, but not so much when we were climbing up them! We went to a park for a picnic, before walking back to the hotel and going to dinner. We had, yet again, pasta, chicken and potatoes!

Day 4On Saturday, we spent the entire morning walking and shopping, but we went to the Vatican City in the afternoon. We saw the Sistine Chapel, and Ms Holding gave a VERY informative tour of the museums and chapel... We made our way back to the hotel on the Metro, then had (yet another) dinner consisting of (guess what) pasta, chicken and potatoes!

Overall, we thought that the trip was definitely worth the early mornings and endless walking. It was nice to learn about the history of Rome as well as improving our Italian, whilst hanging out with friends and stuffing our faces with ice cream. We really enjoyed this trip and would recommend it to anyone planning on going.

ROME TRIP - A STUDENT’S DIARY

PERFORMING ARTS Our school show is fast approaching! It will take place on the 9th, 10th, 11th July 2019 in the Theatre.

RehearsalsWe insist that students are at all rehearsals from now on - (excluding pre-arranged lessons/tutors etc.). We have only a short time left and are running sections of the show which require the whole cast. Unless it has been pre-agreed with Ms Durban, students may find that they are unable to be in a specific scene/number if they miss a number of rehearsals.

Rehearsals will now run as follows - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday after school until 4:30-5pm - in the TheatreWednesday, Thursday lunchtime - Vocal rehearsals - room S.2.23Monday Lunchtime - ‘Yuppies’ dance rehearsal - Dance studio

Saturday 6th July - All day rehearsal at Chestnut Grove - run through with set/microphones - Theatre

CostumeThank you so much to the FoCG and Parents for their financial contributions towards costumes so far. These are very gratefully received. We are now accepting donations of clothing/hangers and cheques towards the show. More details available upon request by emailing edurban.212@lgflmail.org

On Thursday your child will bring home a letter with basic costume requirements, please check carefully and encourage your child to bring in any items they are unsure about for us to check.

TicketsWill be available on ParentPay soon. Please keep an eye on the school website. Cast members will be emailed.

Thank you so much for your support!

Ms Durban and ‘Team Performing Arts’

SCIENCE HOMEWORK - MODELS OF EARTH

The students had a choice to compete a written task or make a model of the earth for homework. I was very impressed with the efforts these students put into making realistic models to represent the different layers that make up our planet. Well done girls!

Ms DouglasScience Teacher

CHESTNUT21

More Grant Success……

We are pleased to announce that we have received a further grant of £5,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation to spend on further greening of the grounds……you will already begin to see a lot of the improvements taking place thanks to the work of the Study Incentive Club and other volunteers who have been helping to attract more plants and animals to the grounds.

Hannah Hussein

Ingrid Mekshiqi Megan Marchant

Ralitsa Syundyukova

Chestnut Grove Academy Kitchen Gardens

Thursday 30th May was a very active day here at Chestnut Grove Academy! Parents, students, ex-students, family and The Conservation Volunteers came along to get stuck in! We have completed the first two raised beds for the kitchen and planted further planters with flowers to attract wildlife in the shady areas near the south building. Watch this space for the next opportunity to take part…………

Friends of Chestnut Grove Quiz Night

This is taking place on 27th June! Tickets are available on ParentPay – more details are in the Friends of Chestnut Grove section of the newsletter.

HELP US GET £5,000 FOR THE LIBRARY!

Please could you register to vote for Chestnut Grove Academy to get £5,000 worth of books? It literally takes 1 minutes to do! You can also share with friends and family and ask them to do the same! We managed to win the TESCO scheme and the AVIVA scheme by all chipping in – so we can do this for the lovely Ms O’Herlihy in the library! Please see the link here: https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools?utm_source=nbt&utm_medium=email&utm_content=schools-prize&utm_campaign=20190508_schoolsprize19

Ms NobleDevelopment Manager

FRIENDS OF CHESTNUT GROVE

COMEDY NIGHT - THURSDAY 27th JUNE - TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ON PARENTPAY!

Tickets are now available on ParentPay at £12 including chilli con carne (adults only).(veggie chilli must be pre-ordered once you have booked your tickets on ParentPay by emailing snoble@chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk )Doors and bar (cash or card) open at 7pm and the food will be served between 7pm and 8pm with the show starting at 8pm in the Sports Hall.

We have four fantastic acts appearing at our Comedy Night and they are:Ivo Graham, Tania Edwards, Stefano Paolini and Matt Green.

Apologetic Eton and Oxford alumnus Ivo Graham started stand-up in 2009 at the age of 18 and eight months later became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ award for new acts at the Edinburgh Fringe. With a gauche charm and crafty, self-aware wit, Ivo has been seen on multiple TV and radio shows including Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and Live from the BBC.

Italian/English Stefano Paolini is a gifted impressionist and beatboxer whose inventive voices and vocals are a sure crowd-pleaser. In huge demand for his lively and refreshingly different comedy style, Stefano is a regular at London’s Comedy Store and has appeared as far afield as Dubai, Singapore and Doha

Tania Edwards is a rising star with a thoroughly likeable kooky style which hits you between the eyes with some killer – and surprisingly evil - punchlines! Her solo show ‘Electrifying’ was named ‘Pick of the Fringe 2018’ by both James Acaster for The Guardian and by Glamour magazine, and was in The Mirror’s top five jokes of the Fringe.

Matt Green has been charming comedy audiences since 2003 and his deceptively youthful looks and intelligent, witty material keep him busy both at home and abroad where he has extensively toured. In demand as a corporate host, Matt is a skilled and polished performer.

Easyfundraising

We have raised £1146.17 so far using this scheme and there is absolutely no cost to you! Please consider signing up to activate it for all your online shopping (holidays, groceries, insurance, fashion,

home, garden, presents and more). Once you have done so you will only need to click on the automatic pop-up whenever you browse these sites. The link is: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/chestnutgroveacademy

General emails to friendsofchestnutgrove@gmail.com Follow us on our Facebook page Friends of Chestnut Grove.

HEAD’S COMMENDATIONS

Headteacher’s commendations are given for students demonstrating the PROUD ethos, either through behaviour or exceptional pieces of work. Any student can be nominated by their teacher. Students who receive a commendation get a certificate from the Headteacher and also receive 100 PROUD POINTS. The following students have received commendations in the past fortnight:

Representing Chestnut Grove

Jurre Campman-Williams

YEAR TEAMSYEAR 7

Year 7 return re-energised and ready to take on the last half term of Year 7. Year 7 girls have been enjoying the sessions with the specialist Netball coaches, as part of a programme ‘Netball For Change’ ( NFC) targeting girls and their safe use of social media . We are pleased to have NFC back at the Academy for another 6 weeks. I received the following feedback after the first session on Tuesday:‘both groups worked with enthusiasm, enjoyment and great teamwork’ - Great to see PROUD in action!

While netball was taking place - a three team football competition was being hotly contested - it was certainly more like Football & Netball weather, however the most competitive action was taking place during Rounders!

I have been very impressed by the number of completed RSL 7 PROUD golden rewards trip cards that have been handed in. All students will need 40 points (40 circles signed by GCA Staff ) and that needs to be more than the negatives - avoiding an A3/A4 incident at all cost.

I will be costing the trip and sending home the permission slip for the trip to Chessington, World of Adventure in the coming week.

Shorts

Charlie has said that the tailored shorts are smart looking and comfortable to wear, especially in the warm weather. Thanks Charlie for modelling brilliantly!

Celebrations and congratulationsHappy Eid to all the students and their families that celebrated earlier this week!

I’m pleased to announce that over the half term I celebrated getting married and am now Mrs Karen Fletcher-Carter!

Mrs Fletcher-CarterRaising Standards Leader Year 7

YEAR 8

I hope you all had an enjoyable, restful half term and would like to congratulate our group of Year 8 students who went to Rome on what I’ve been told was a very successful trip.

Two things from me. Firstly, you will shortly be receiving the letter for the end of year rewards trip which will have information for the day. Any questions that follow please let me know (the best way is usually email: dokeeffe@chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk).

Secondly on Wednesday 12th June Year 8 will be having an LGBT+ panel during period 1. This is an exciting occasion wherein a diverse group from the LGBT+ community will be coming in to answer any questions our students have about their lives and experiences. For myself as a head of year it presents an opportunity to foster an attitude of respect and acceptance within the year group as they get older and these issues become more relevant. On the Monday of that week we will be preparing questions to ask in their Health lessons but if you also speak to your children about the day and what questions they might want to ask this will add to its significance and impact.

Mr O’KeeffeRaising Standards Leader Year 8

YEAR 9 Before the half term holiday, Year 9 participated in an overnight trip to Leith Hill for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. I had the pleasure of joining them for the weekend. Take a look at what two of the students had to say about their expedition below:

D of E was a really fun and interesting experience, the most important thing I learnt was how to take bearings and read a map, I didn’t realise how much freedom we would get in terms of the teachers not being around us the whole way. Especially on the second expedition, where the only adults that helped us when we were slightly confused were the lovely locals. My group and I enjoyed the camping the most, and when we finally got used to the weight of the bags we were able to also appreciate the amazing scenery surrounding us. We did get lost a couple of times but as we became more efficient and familiar with using the map we worked out where we were and headed on in the right direction, I also enjoyed the challenge of trying to get back on route (even though sometimes it was quite stressful). Overall it was a very enjoyable trip, I will definitely be doing Silver next year.Amy Wenn 9 Da Vinci

For me, D of E was a very positive experience. I really enjoyed the teamwork and mapping part of it all because it was exciting going somewhere that you haven’t been before with your friends and being able to find your way around it using just a map, compass and route card. It really pushed me to become more resilient because it is really important in D of E that you don’t give up. It was hard at some points because it is a lot of walking and the rucksacks were very heavy. However, I was very surprised and

pleased with how much independence and freedom we got to have. Me and the rest of my group found camping and cooking our meals fun. I really liked all the free time we got to relax and play games with each other. I would really recommend Bronze D of E to anyone who likes camping, walking and amazing views. Overall, I really enjoyed my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition and hope that I will be able to do the next one (Silver).Poppy Coultas 9 Da Vinci

Mr StokesRaising Standards Leader Year 9Mr Hallsworth - D of E Coordinator

YEAR 10

Duke of Edinburgh

A massive congratulations to all the Year 10 Students who achieved their Bronze award last half term. You have been fantastic and demonstrated the skills required to excel in the field of orienteering and aspects of leadership, as well as time management and organisational skills. Well done to you all! The last leg of this season’s Duke of Edinburgh award takes place in July. I am very excited to join the Year 10 crew this time round!

Year 10 GCSE Physical Education Students

Last half term the first of the year group sat elements of their GCSEs. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognise the following students - Archie, Asher, Asiah, Jaden, Justine, Kieran, Louis, Maceo, Joe, Emmanuel, Mateusz, Javed, Jake, Joshua, Anton, and Tai.

As the first in the Year group to go through the pressure and stress of sitting a GCSE we are all very PROUD of the mature and composed approach you showed. I hope you receive the marks you deserve for an excellent attitude to your exam!

Well done 10 Da Vinci

The termly quiz scores below show just how tight the competition was this term! Each week, every tutor group takes part in a quiz – the scores have been collected and Da Vinci demonstrated the sort of team effort that we celebrate at Chestnut Grove. Myself, Ms Merritt and her tutor group enjoyed a pizza party on the last Friday of half term before the break as a way of celebrating their tight knit community and the team work required to attain such a high score. Well done to you all!

Mr McCarthyRaising Standards Leader Year 10

YEAR 11

We have reached the half way stage of the GCSE exams and I couldn’t be prouder of the resilience and determination they have shown. The invigilators in the exam rooms have commented that they are the best year group they have known in terms of behaviour, attitude and respect.

Plans for Graduation and the Boat Party are finalised and you should receive a letter in the post at the start of next week. Students will need to return the permission slip to go on the boat to reception as soon as possible.

Leaver’s hoodies are now in school and students are gradually collecting them. If your child hasn’t got theirs yet, please do remind them to come and collect it from me. They look fabulous and the students who have already received theirs are already wearing them despite the heat!

Although we are coming towards the end of Year11, this really is just the beginning of a new journey in the sixth form and I am looking forward to welcoming back as many students as possible next year to embark on their sixth form courses under the leadership of Mr Taylor.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to take the opportunity to thank any teachers or make comments about the Academy, please do contact me on kstriesow.212@lglfmail.org.

Ms StriesowRaising Standards Leader Year 11

SIXTH FORMYear 13 LeaversCongratulations to Year 13 students who had their final day at Chestnut Grove Academy on Friday 24th May 2019. This marks the end of either seven, or two, years at the academy and is a major milestone for our young adults on their pathway towards maturity. We hope that they enjoyed their Sixth Form experience and that they feel suitably prepared for their next steps, be this moving on to university, apprenticeships, further education and training or the workplace.

Year 13 Study LeaveYear 13 students are now officially on Study Leave and should continue to attend until their final exams are completed. Then we look forward to celebrating with them at the Sixth Form Graduation and Prom Party to be held on Thursday 4th July.

Parents of Year 13 students are invited to the Graduation Ceremony from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. After this, there will a break of approximately 30 minutes for families to take photos and to mingle before the Prom Party begins from 7.00pm (students only).

The Prom Party is for both Year 12 and Year 13 students, and is a perfect way to remember those treasured memories with dear friends and accompanying staff. Tickets for the Prom Party are priced at £1.00 each and are available from Debbie Sturrock in the Sixth Form Office. No admittance without a ticket, and no tickets on sale at the door. So purchase in advance to avoid disappointment!

Year 12 students beginning Year 13 contentCongratulations also to Year 12 students for completing their AS level exams. Although there are some Applied Science exams and some BTEC external assessments which remain to be sat at time of writing, the vast majority of AS levels have now taken place.

However, it is important to remind Year 12 students and parents that school for Year 12 continues until the end of term, with the final day being Thursday 18th July. Students failing to attend their lessons between now and the end of term jeopardise their place within the Sixth Form next year.

Sixth Form Induction Day - 25th June 2019On 25th June we will be welcoming our new intake of Year 12 into the Sixth Form for a day of ‘taster’ lessons, and to discover what is unique about the Sixth Form experience at Chestnut Grove Academy.

We are keen to embed our staying on culture from Year 11 and, following our highly successful Ofsted inspection, where the Sixth Form was rated as ‘Outstanding’, we anticipate large numbers of both internal and external prospective sixth formers on the day. Therefore we would appreciate it you could kindly detach and return the reply slip at the bottom of the Induction Day letter (posted home separately) to inform us of your intention to attend. Attendance is compulsory for those joining us from September 2019.

Dates for Diaries:• Year 12 Work Experience - Monday 17th to Friday 28th June (two weeks)• Year 12 UCAS/Apprenticeship Parents’ Evening - Tuesday 2nd July• Sixth Form Graduation - Thursday 4th July • Staff Professional Day (school closed to students) - Friday 5th July• Year 12 UCAS week - Monday 15th to Thursday 18th July

Mr J Taylor, Head of Sixth form