The Chalfonts Community Chronicle

Success is an Attitude!

Laura Harvey - SLT Teaching and Learning

Contact information Narcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, SL9 8TP Email: info@chalfonts.org Tel: 01753 882032 www.chalfonts.org Fax: 01753 890716 Twitter: @CCChalfonts

The final assembly for year 11 students will take place on Friday 1st July, also followed by a formal Prom. The staff wish good luck to all of our students taking exams this year and will be looking forward to the celebrations in August.

On the 4th July the school will be on inset to allow staff to attend our Teaching Alliance Conference. This will be held at Parmiter’s School and St Michael’s in Watford. This provides staff with the opportunity to attend seminars led by teachers from many of our alliance schools. The Chalfonts Community College will also be presenting 4 seminars, one of which will be focused on our two year research project, funded by the DfE and partnered by the Institute of Physics, addressing a whole college approach on ‘Improving Gender Balance’. This is a valuable experience for all staff who attend.

As we move into the final weeks of the year this is an exciting time for the college. As you will already know we have managed to secure our new principal, Russell Denial, for this time and alongside him we have also appointed Doug Humphries as Senior Vice-Principal until the end of term. We have also made a number of enhancements to the school’s Governing Body in recent months and I am very pleased to announce that Roy Page has joined us as a Governor. Roy is the former Head Teacher of the highly respected Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, a position he held for 9 years. Roy was also a National Leader of Education and worked with non-selective schools in many areas, including Bucks, for 7 years. It is intended that Doug Humphries will also become a Governor with effect from September.

Together Russell, Doug and Roy bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to our college and with teaching and learning as the driving force this will help to ensure the future success of our college.

It is our ambition to support all students in their career choices and to provide high quality teaching and learning across all lessons. Thank you for your support and dedication.

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are now midway through the final school term and in the last week lucky enough to enjoy some summer weather. Our year 11 students have been completing their GCSE exams, as well as our sixth form students completing AS and A2 modules, and there is a buzz of determination in the air. The final assembly for our year 13 students was well attended and enjoyed by all and students were able to say goodbye in style during a final farewell dinner and Prom at the Pinewood Hotel.

Issue 13 - 13th June 2016

Page 2

The Science Department would like to thank all those enthusiastic students who have produced some fantastic posters for the Copper Competition. You certainly have a great imagination! These have now been photographed and sent off to the competition judges at the Copper Development Alliance.

from the

ScienceDepartment

News

So how does it work?

Acceptable items...If you are having a clear out before the summer holidays, why not consider giving some of your bags to Chalfont Community College in order to help raise funds. Bag2school is operated in many schools throughout the country, and is a very simple way for us to raise funds for our school and also to help reduce our carbon footprint on earth by reusing unwanted items.

2Bag

School

SECOND HAND ADULTS AND

CHILDRENS CLOTHING, SHEETS,

CURTAINS, SOFT TOYS, SHOES

(PAIRS ONLY), BELTS AND

HANDBAGS.

NO DUVETS CARPETS MATS

PILLOWS OR BRIC A BRAC

ACCEPTED.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

together we can all make a difference…

Students will bring a special bag home to fill with second hand goods. Please return the bags on Tuesday 29th June 2016. The company Bag2School would then collect the bags on Thursday 30th June at 9am. We fully understand that this system is operated by a profit making company, however you can determine how much or little you would like to donate to our cause , so that both our charity and the many other worthy charities can share in the benefits of your unwanted goods. Science Department

Page 3

Year 7 & 8 Girls Mixed Cricket vs Misbourne (AWAY) KTC - pick up approx 6.00pm

GCSE mixed rounders friendly vs Holmer Green (AWAY) FNR - pick up approx 5.30pm

Year 8 Rounders Tournament @ Chiltern Hills CHG - 4.00pm-6.30pm

Year 8 Tennis vs St Marys (AWAY) 2 doubles NBL - pick up approx 5pm

Year 8 Cricket vs Thorpe House (AWAY) PNH - pick up approx 6pm

Year 9/10 Athletics @ Misbourne CHG/FCT - pick up approx 6:30

Tuesday 14th June

Wednesday 15th June

Sports FixturesMonday 13th June

Page 4

On Sunday 5th June 2016 my friends, my form tutor Louise Flisher and I took part in The Race for Life at the Royal Windsor Racecourse to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Cancer Research UK is a charity that is close to many people’s hearts but it is especially close to me and my family, as on the 29th April 2016 we very sadly lost my dad to malignant melanoma. The 5th June would have been my dad’s 52nd birthday.

We have set up a Just Giving page & any sponsorship would be massively appreciated. Please visit our page;https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/louiseflisher

Thank you very much.

Imogen ParslowYear 12 Student

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As part of our work to raise aspirations in students, we completed our Year 9 university visits on 26th May by taking the final group to the White Knights campus at Reading University.

We had a great day there, starting with a fun, interactive quiz, in a lecture theatre. The students were then offered the opportunity to start thinking about their own interests and how these might relate to a university course. There were some great discussions with the

student ambassadors who were able to highlight the variety of courses available, share experiences about student life, the decisions they have made along the way and their thoughts for the future.

We were all offered a very nice lunch and an interesting tour of the university campus.

Christine SandersLeader for Employability

Our students completed the University feedback form and we have the following data to share:

92% of the students felt that they would

be ‘able’ or ‘fully able’ to apply for Higher Education.

92% of the students felt that they had an

in depth knowledge or sound understanding of what it would be

like to be a student at University.

In response to the question, “What was the

best thing about today?” we had the following responses:

‘Looking through the booklets for information and career titles’

‘Being able to see the types of course and the requirements needed to apply for them’

‘I enjoyed the campus tour’

When asked, ‘What would you improve?’, a

student said, “Nothing, it was great.”

Reading University visit

Page 7Page 6

Employability and LRC News...

If you are leaving The College this summer, please can I remind you to return

any books you have on loan from the LRC. Thank You!

Please encourage students to read at least twenty minutes

per day to gain maximum benefit from the Accelerated

Reader scheme.

Bucks Skills Show – Saturday 2 July 2016University Campus Aylesbury Vale

This is an experimental careers showcase. You will be able to hear from a range of high profile keynote speakers and

employers giving career insights into a variety of industries.

For more information and to book tickets: https://oppsinbucks.org/1576-2/

Career Related Opportunities:

Please can I remind you to look at the VLE for career related opportunities:

http://learning.chalfonts.bucks.sch.uk/course/view.php?id=384

Local opportunities include:

Childlink (pre-school nursery) – Apprenticeship

MetOne (design, web and print) – Apprenticeship

Montage (hair/beauticians) – Apprenticeship

Tescos Store, Gerrards Cross – opportunities for full/part time vacancies

Personal Assistant at Symitry

Thames Valley Hospice (shop) Gerrards Cross – Volunteering opportunities

Year 10 Work Experience 11 – 15 July 2016

As I write this piece for The Chronicle I am putting together work experience packs for Yr10 students and finalising arrangements with employers. Students will receive their packs 22/23 June.

Our students have found some very exciting opportunities and I am sure they are going to benefit enormously from their experiences in the ‘world of work’. To give you an idea of the range of work placements, today I have spoken to the acclaimed Artichoke Restaurant in Amersham,

Hasbro Toys, Reliance Solicitors, the Theatre Royal Windsor, Richbourne Labradors, local primary schools, Beauty Boutique, Studio Portraits.....

Please can parents/guardians encourage our Yr10 students to complete their work experience journals daily so they can record all the skills they are acquiring and developing. Upon their return to school on 18th July students will spend time with their tutors debriefing. This will be an opportunity to share experiences and learn about different work choices.

Andrea GilbeyLRC Manager

‘World of Work’ Programme in the Chalfont St Peter Academy

As part of an Employability project, The Chalfonts Community College is introducing a World of Work’programme in the Chalfont St Peter Academy for Year 6 students. Research shows that children do better in school if they have work aspirations and for this they need to know which jobs exist and what it is like to do them. The more people children meet and talk to about work, the more they learn about and succeed in work. The ‘World of Work’ programme encourages children to consider lots of different roles and allows them to meet a few professionals and ask them questions about their day-to-day work.

Myself, Dr Jess Hamer from the Institute of

Physics and nine of our sixth form students are in the process of preparing to present to the Academy. The sixth formers are going to be practising their facilitation and presentation skills with some of the year 7s over a couple of lessons next week. A few of the students decided to engage in this project because they are genuinely interested in going into teaching and the others felt that the work experience opportunity was too good to turn down!

I am looking forward to delivering this programme with Jess, the sixth formers and the external visitors we have invited over the next few weeks.

Christine SandersLeader for Employability

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Sixt

h Fo

rm N

ews End of Study Leave for

Year 12The current Year 12 students return from their study leave on Monday June 13th and will become our new Year 13. As part of their transition we will be electing a Head Boy and

Head Girl and deputies to take over from our current team of Dan Schuite, Alex Papadatos and Cameron Chana, Tom Bertrand and Ola Sadowska; our thanks to them for being great ambassadors for the school.

Martyn WayLeader for Sixth Form

UCASAs previously mentioned, the next step in this process is our UCAS Day on 23rd June, where we invite former students and guest speakers from various universities to deliver presentations on choosing a course/

university, student finance and writing personal statements, as well as giving an insight into student life. There will also be a Parents’ UCAS Information Evening on 30th June covering all of the above. You will be receiving a letter in the next few weeks inviting you to this event.

Leavers Assembly and BallOn Friday 27th May we said goodbye to our Year 13 students with an afternoon assembly followed by a Leavers’ Ball at the Pinewood Hotel.

The assembly comprised a presentation showing the highlights of their time at The College and an awards ceremony voted for by teachers and peers. The Ball was a black tie event with some very glamorous outfits on the red carpet. It was organised brilliantly by the committee of Ola Sadowska, Jemima Sinclair, Melissa Askew and Claire Webb.

We wish them all well in their A Levels and look forward to some great results in August.

Martyn WayLeader for Sixth Form

Drop in coffee sessions

Please feel free to attend any of our ‘drop in’ coffee sessions for parents to meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team to discuss any topics. These will run for an hour, as per the calendar below. No appointment required.

Sessions are...

16th June; 9.30am 28th June; 9.30am 14th July; 5.30pm

The Chalfonts Community College’s Top Tips on e-safety

Don’t add people you don’t know on social networking sites. You wouldn’t talk to a stranger in the street, so why talk to them online?

Don’t upload photographs of yourself that are inappropriate or give information away about yourself. You don’t know how these images will be used by others!

Don’t give away your personal details on the internet. You don’t know who can access this information!

If you feel unsafe online, tell a parent, carer, teacher or your head of year.

Parent Pay

We are asking all parents/guardians to now use ParentPay, which is an online payment method, to pay for trips, visits and other one-off school related events. We will not be accepting cheques or cash for payment of such items for the remainder of this autumn term, or indeed the whole academic year. We will be asking for your consent on ParentPay, and you will be prompted to provide an emergency contact number and any relevant medical information before paying for a trip. This will allow us to carefully monitor payments and reduce administrative time in collating all the necessary information before a trip can take place.

School Fund Contributions

Parents can now make an online donation via ParentPay (www.parentpay.com). Contributions to the School Fund will support the College in further developing our larger projects that we receive limited external funding for. The School Fund projects impact on every student in the College, ensuring they have the best facilities and resources to enrich their learning experiences. It is for these reasons that we ask you to support the scheme and any amount would be gratefully received. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity. Together we can make a difference!

Dates for your Diary

13th June - Y12 return from Study Leave

17th June - Sports Awards Evening; 6.30-10.30pm

21st June - Y9 Geography students local field trip

23rd June - AS/A2 Art Exhibition Y12 UCAS Induction; 11.30am-2.50pm

24th June - Y8-10 Music Students Royal Albert Hall trip

27th June - Student Leadership Training

Help us to help you!

Do your online shopping through the College website and the College will benefit in commission. No registration or signup required. We have links with Amazon, Boots, M&S, House of Fraser, Argos, John Lewis and many, many more. Please note that your personal information is not recorded when making a transaction.

http://www.chalfonts.org/page/default.asp?pid=56

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School NoticesNews from the Medical Room &

Lost Property

Lost Property

Please remind your child that items they have ‘lost’ may still be where they left them. But they need to come to lost property, more than once, to check if items have been handed-in.

HPV vaccinations for current Year 8 girls

The Community School Nurses will be returning on Tuesday 14th June to do the injections for any girls who were absent last month.

Hay fever medication

If your child suffers from hay fever, please will you ensure that they take their medication, preferably a ‘one-a-day’, as I don’t have supplies to give them and it would helpful if they have some tissues on them!

Gayle Romney

Medical Administrator/First Aider/Lost Property

01753 881627

gayleromney@chalfonts.org

HPV vaccinations for current Year 7 girls

During the next few weeks information and consent forms will be distributed to all Year 7 girls in readiness for their first HPV injection in September.

Could parents please read the information & return the completed consent form by the date given. Consent forms need to be returned, signed by a parent, whether or not you consent to the vaccinations.

Page 10

Medication kept in the Medical room

Year 11 students – Please collect any medication kept in the Medical room by Friday 1st July.

All medication kept in the Medical room MUST be collected before the end of term or it will be disposed of.

Warm weather

Please remind your child to drink plenty of water, especially during warm weather, as this will help prevent a lot of the headaches that the students seem to be suffering.

Students sitting exams need to take a small (330mls) bottle of water into the exam with them – we don’t want them needing the toilet every few minutes!

Principal; Russell DenialNarcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards

Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8TP01753 882032

info@chalfonts.org