july 2013 newsletter

Therfield School ‘The Best for All’ - Excellence Leadership Opportunity

Newsletter July

2013

From the Headteacher Dear Parents and Guardians As we come to the end of another school year at Therfield, its good to look back and reflect that we are s ll keeping the vision of excellence, leadership and opportunity at the forefront of what we do. The 2012 examina on results were the best in the school’s history and we look forward to another record breaking set of results for 2013 when they arrive in August. The ac vity days we have held recently were again a great success with an enormous range of ac vi es on offer and once again the key phrase that was repeated by staff returning from the visits was, “the kids were amazing”. Indeed they are, and we are always proud of the impression they make on the general public during visits. Our growing link with The Leatherhead Hub this year has been a key development for us. The organisa ons involved are providing Therfield students with an excep onal range of work related opportuni es from Dragon’s Den Days to mentoring to curriculum support. We would like to thank CGI, Interek, Legal & General, Menzies, Mole Valley Housing Asso-cia on, SATRO, Surrey Police, Unilever and Wates who have all provided staff to work with our students and helped develop their understanding and skills in rela on to the work place. We have a number of staff moving on to new ventures at the end of this year and we are pleased that we have recruited excellent replacements and will be fully staffed for next year. I would par cularly like to men on Deputy Headteacher Jeremy Garner who is leav-ing Therfield to take up a post as headteacher of De Stafford School in Surrey. This is an extremely well deserved promo on and I am sure that you will join with me in thanking Jeremy for all that he has done for Therfield and wishing him well in his new post. Thank you for all you do to support your son or daughter, and the school. Have a relaxing and fun summer break. Susan Willman Headteacher

Therfield School ‘The Best for All’

Excellence - Leadership - Opportunity

DAY 1: Tuesday 18th June Seven Year 12 students went to Pagham Harbour and Selsey Beach to use a range of

field sampling techniques to study the two areas. They started by studying zona on on

the salt water marsh at Pagham Harbour. The Year 12s carried out a systema c sam-

pling technique by laying a 100m transect tape from the footpath into the middle of

the salt marsh. Using this they recorded samples every 10m with either a frame quad-

rat (seen being used by the girls) or a point quadrat (seen being used by the boys).

Other than nearly losing a few wellies to the marsh, all went very well and some text-

book data was skilfully collected. Both groups were able to iden fy the red fescue, sea

purslane and sea aster growth zones on the salt marsh.

Year 12 Biology Field Days!

Science



A er Pagham Salt Marsh we headed to Selsey Beach, a pebble beach that clearly shows

the stages of succession of plants the further back from the shoreline you sample. The

Year 12s carried out a random sampling technique that is used to compare different sam-

ple areas. They marked out two large areas and then randomly placed frame quadrats to

es mate percentage cover of different plant species.


DAY 2: Wednesday 26th June With six Year 12 students, we travelled to Newlands Corner to carry out two different

field studies. One on a grasshopper popula on (Chorthippus parallelus) and the other on

the infesta on of holly leaves by miners. The students used sweep nets to catch as many

grasshoppers as they could. Chris an gets the prize for catching the most. They then

had to paint a small green spot on the grasshoppers before releasing them again. Later

in the day we recaptured the grasshoppers and recorded the ra o of marked to un-

marked. This technique is called mark-release-recapture and is used to es mate popula-

on sizes for mobile species, in this instance, grasshoppers. At Newlands Corner we also

put on gardening gloves to collect bags full of holly leaves. These were used to iden fy

the various stages of the holly leaf miners (Phytomyza ilicis) food chain, by iden fying tell

-tell signs on the holly leaves.

From Newlands Corner we drove to

two sampling points along the

Tillingbourne River. The river’s

source is on Leith Hill, from here it

flows through Wo on, Abinger,

Shere and Shalford before it merges

with the River Wey near Guildford.

The students used a wide range of

sampling techniques to carry out a

full river survey on the Tillingbourne.

This included using a new water

sampling kit seen here in use by the

boys. The girls found and catch

some minnows and we cheered on a

homemade boats race between 30

plus kids from a local primary school!



Year 8 Careers Day Therfield School ‘The Best for All’


‘Mega Structures’ The day was run by SATRO for our Year 8 students. They

produced some amazing work as you can see from the pictures below bearing in mind

that the structures created were from paper. Problem solving and team work were

just two of the skills that students experienced.

Design Technology Therfield School ‘The Best for All’


Therfield Threats – The School Go Kart Team

On Tuesday 25th June 2013 Therfield Treats, the school Go Kart Team went to Dunsfold Park to take part in their first ever race. We have been working on the Go Kart for about a year, we meet once a week every Thursday a er school. The build has been a slow and steady process but with me and effort we were able to get the kart com-pleted and enter our first compe on. It is with thanks to Chawton Hill for their spon-sorship and especially to Steve Tripp from Electrum for his me, effort, exper se and support on the day. The school go kart team consists of Niamh Hammond, Dillion Hammond, Jake Tripp, Jonathan Liennard, Callum Morris, Ben Harding, Adam Brady, Robert King and Simon King. We arrived and set up our posi on in the pit lane, our car went to scrun neer-ing; which is a bit like an MOT, we were told to make a few adjustments to the go kart before we could race so we had to pull together as a team to get everything ready. We did and passed, we were given race number 7. We had to have a mini-mum of 5 drivers so we had Jake, Ben, Adam, Simon, Callum and Jonathan all driving and with everyone else being part of the pit crew. The race is a med endurance race which end-ed up being quite technical as we were limited with on-ly 4 ba eries to last the 2hour 40 minute race. We had decided on changing the ba eries half way through the race and at the same me we changed driv-ers, hopefully taking less

me overall. This pit stop was par cularly tricky as we had some wires come loose



Duke of Edinburgh

Friday 28th June saw Mrs Picke , Miss Kidd and Mr Lawson heading to the Brecon Bea-cons with 23 students, ready and eager for their Gold D o E qualifying expedi on………. A er a (long) ba le with heavy traffic the campsite came into view, well the field and tap which was to become their home for the night. Tents were soon appearing as the rain began to fall, fortunately not enough to dampen spirits (unlike the prac ce in Snowdonia!) and a er a brief chat with their assessor students se led down for the night, with Pen Y Fan in their sights for the next morning. No students had chosen the summit of Pen Y Fan as their checkpoint, however they were (pleasantly I hope) surprised to see all the staff and their assessor wai ng for them on the summit and as students walked on to their next point staff made their way back down, some on bikes, some running to ensure they saw as much of their groups as possible. Having conquered Pen Y Fan the routes then got easier for each group and all were se led in their respec ve campsites by 5pm, as the smell of chorizo riso o dri ed from some areas and the midges descended for a feast! Driven into tents by the bi ng insects, most groups se led for the night, two groups preparing for their longest day (li le did they know…..).



Dawn broke and the groups set off, two groups having a long route with naviga on which was not too challenging, meanwhile two other groups were met with disappearing and non-existent footpaths in dense woodland, followed by barren open ground. Not to be beaten they soldiered on into more woodland with stunning waterfalls, and (unfortunately) more challenging naviga on. Two weary groups were s ll 5km away from their campsite at 8pm, so to boost morale (?) they were joined by Mrs Picke and Dave as they completed the final sec on. Never have I seen a group so happy to hear the sound of ‘we all live in a yellow submarine’ dri ing across the hills as they spo ed another group who had walked 3km to meet them and help with their packs. As they arrived into camp everyone rallied round to ensure tents were up quickly and food was prepared, I suspect eyes were shut before heads hit pillows that night. The two groups who had endured the long day now had an easier day (meanwhile the other two had the challenging day to beat) and it was a much shorter day for all, by now we had seen very li le rain and while students were red, as is normal for day three they were upbeat and discussing which service sta on to stop at on the way home (KFC or Burger King, a very important choice at this stage). All groups were se led into tents much earlier than the day before and ready for the final day, with three groups tackling Pen Y Fan again! With a deteriora ng weather forecast groups were keen to be at the vehicles before the rain set in, and as staff once again made their way to the summit of Pen Y Fan and packets of haribo (or ‘moralibo’ as some students now call them) appeared in hedges or ‘fell’ out of van windows each group made their weary and footsore way to the finish, bea ng the rain and the embarking on the journey home (via KFC). Once again it was an absolute privilege to spend 4 days with such self-mo vated students, par cularly watching their selflessness as they helped each other in mes of difficulty, as ever I am immensely proud of the 23 students who have now successfully completed their qualifying expedi on – well done guys!


Excellence - Leadership - Opportunity Skellig A er months of prepara on, rehearsals and hard work the dedicate cast of ‘Skellig’ comprising of 20 students from year 7, 8 and 9 stepped on to stage to tell their story. The show lasted for two nights and the cast rose to the occasion pu ng on a wonderful, moving and heart warming performance. The students were excep onally professional and maintained their focus for the en re performance las ng 1hour 20 minutes without an interval. Skellig is a story about faith, friendship and learning how to fly. The story follows Michael, a 12 year old boy, and his family as they move house. A house that is falling apart with a toilet in the dining room! His mother gives birth to his baby sister prematurely during the move and the baby is rushed to hospital. An anxious Michael spends me off school whilst the family deals with what has happened. Whilst Michael is off school he adventures in to the garden, where he meets Mina, the girl who lives next door and forms an everlas ng friendship. Mina is, in Michael’s eyes, ‘extraordinary, she is home schooled and has a love of art, literature and nature. In the garden Michael also ventures in to the garage, ‘amongst old tea chests, broken wash basins, bags of cement, piles of newspaper and great boxes of old nails all covered in dust and spiders webs’ he discovers a strange man. Together Michael and Mina nurse the strange man back to health. The strange mans name is ‘Skellig’ and beneath is jacket are wings that unfurl from his shoulder blades. Skellig visits Michael’s mum in her dreams, or so we are lead to believe, and in return for Michael and Mina’s kindness helps breathe life back into the baby.

During the rehearsals the students were extremely dedicated; they took on the mammoth task of learning lines from an extensive script as well as having input on direc ng the show and giving ideas about the staging. The Physical Theatre Cast worked with two 6th form students Leah Fullalove and Jasmine Williams, both A level Drama and Theatre Studies students, to devise the three interludes of ‘dream sequences’ which were distorted, abstract and nightmare inducing. Oscar Leonard who played young Michael has commented that ‘The overall show was enjoyed massively and all the cast members enjoyed performing and the overall atmosphere of the show and being on stage. Since the audi ons I have enjoyed the rehearsals with lots of humor involved. The whole me has been great and it has been a great experience for all the cast members and me and that experience will give me a very big boost in life and the future. Finally I have really enjoyed spending me with all the cast members and I have made a good bond with all of them. It, without a doubt, has been a great adventure for all the cast members’ and me. A er the show the audience commented on how professional and talented the students were and how much they had enjoyed the performance. One parent commented on how their child had developed throughout the process and how far they had come from their primary school performances’ with the encouragement of the staff and 6th form students involved in the show. A huge thank you and well done to all the cast on a fantas c performance. Miss Chard Director of Skellig and Teacher of Drama

Summer Mountain Experience

Summer Mountain Experience – and for the first me it was sunny! Wednesday 17th July saw the fourth Mountain Experience visit preparing to leave, buses and vans were loaded with 20 students, 8 staff, waterproofs, sun cream and 280 pieces of homemade cake! 6 hours later and we pulled into our base for the next few days, and in the tradi on of ‘experien al learning’ each student group was passed a tent and le to grapple with poles and guy ropes…….help was eventually offered to ‘straighten things out’ before dinner was served. In a change from previous years students were issued with a trangia and their helping of sausage casserole and sent away to heat it up and collect bread and cheese to complement it before finishing with fresh strawberries and raspberries (and the sun was s ll shining….). Following the success of the ‘alterna ve cluedo’ on our winter trip it was me for students to choose a name, innocent object and se ng, having received these it was me to plot the un mely demise of others – and all were out to ensure Mrs Picke suffered and ‘unfortunate event’, unfortunately two students had been ‘knobbled’ before bed so students se led down to sleep thinking about the days which lay ahead and how they could carry out their individual missions……. The can lever was the target for the next morning so three groups set off from the car park, with unfamiliar words ringing in their ears – put sun cream on and do you have 2 litres of water? Each group had chosen their members and Mrs Picke ’s group were excep onally fast (despite being asked to slow down – ‘let the old lady catch up’!) and accompanied by Jack Munnings and Mr North they made speedy

me up the scramble and soon had the can lever in sight, followed shortly by the next two groups and the obligatory photograph was taken – 27 this year and s ll no ‘wobble’ form the stone! An ‘unfortunate event was foiled at this point as Ma tried to hand his object to Sco on the can lever, but several other students had now fallen, and one student was emerging as a ‘serial cluedo killer’ The descent was warm but made pleasurable by a li le ‘foot dipping’ in the lake as we stopped for a well-earned rest, then ice creams at the bo om (and the sun was s ll shining…..). We were camped alongside a small river so a er a quick risk assessment (Mrs Picke ge ng in the water and splashing around) the students were soon cooling off a er a challenging route. Spaghe Bolognese and homemade cake followed before weary students made their way into tents, Mrs Picke had now overtaken the ‘serial killing student by claiming her third vic m with a map in the people carrier, it was now war – students and staff could be heard saying “who’s got Picke , we have to get her!”.



On our first visit four year ago we climbed Tryfan, a scramble from start to finish, we have been unable to a empt it again due to poor weather, not this me, the sun shone once again so 20 students and 8 staff began the hot scramble to the summit, with some overcoming personal fears of heights/exposure to be rewarded with a fantas c summit, views across Snowdonia and a new photograph opportunity. Mrs Picke requested that her team take a slow and steady approach to the descent, no such luck as Lewis bounced like Tigger from rock to rock as he expertly led us down to the path and eventually the car park, It was an impressive ‘killing’ from Selous as he handed a frying pan to a student by a rock, he was catching Mrs Picke up again……(and the sun was s ll shining……). Barbecue was on the menu for the evening so a er another dip in the river to cool off several students set about cooking 52 sausages and 30 burgers accompanied by salad and a mountain of bread rolls. The next day was to be spent on the sea so with more sun cream applied it was off to Anglesea for kayaking and coasteering (and poor Mr North had innocently succumbed to a piece of fruit in a field that morning, who was s ll alive?). Students spent half a day kayaking, or trying to be capsized by others as it was so hot, and the other half of the day scrambling around some of the beau ful coastline of Anglesey and jumping into the sea from heights of up to 10m, the first jump felt cold and from then on it was refreshing to be cool as (you’ve guessed it) the sun was s ll shining……. The day was finished with pizza, freshly cooked on site and instruc ons on how to get cleared up the next morning for climbing, the tension as moun ng in our alterna ve cluedo as Mrs Picke was s ll alive and no one was owning up to having her (and unbeknown to them she was planning her 5th ‘unfortunate event’).

Sunday dawned (cloudy!) and staff were woken early by teenagers packing tents, they were keen to be in the first climbing group, so off we went towards Betws and some retail therapy or climbing. A er a hard uphill walk students were climbing on clean, warm rock as once again the sun was shining (yippee) and many overcame different fears as they had to trust their belayer and a few had very interes ng abseil techniques. The trip was now drawing to a close and students headed back towards the minibus, two people were plo ng their next vic ms demise……Unfortunately both were foiled, Selous made a valiant effort with a helmet on Mrs Picke , but she realised just before she took hold of the ‘weapon’, however she was also foiled as Max had been warned and saw through her plot to hand him a fleece on a bridge. It was with sad faces that several vehicles loaded began the journey back to Surrey (and the sun was s ll shining…….). As we approached junc on 9 on the M25 traffic slowed to a stands ll – we were on a bridge and Max had chosen to sit behind Mrs Picke , an innocent request for him to place her fleece into her basket and Max had succumbed, Mrs Picke could now sleep well knowing she had not been beaten (and the sun was s ll shining……) None of these trips can take place without the support of staff members and Mrs Picke could not have run the trip without the support of Miss Haig, Mr Terry, Mrs Squire and Mr North, along with Andrew Nye (a regular helper), Mr Kershaw and Jack Munnings (an ex-student) so a big thank you from Mrs Picke to them. And once again the students involved made Mrs Picke proud to be part of the team here at Therfield, watching them confront individual fears, grow in confidence, learn new skills and support each other over the 4 ½ days in an absolute privilege, just can we please book the same weather for next year??????

Parent Pay

ParentPay - our new online payment service We’re pleased to announce that we will shortly be accep ng payments online for lunch money and school trips. Using a secure website called ParentPay you will be able to pay online using your credit or debit card. ParentPay will be our preferred method of making payments to school. What are the benefits to parents and students? ParentPay is easy-to-use and will offer you the freedom to make online payments whenever and wherever you like, 24/7 – the technology used is of the highest internet security available ensuring that your money will reach school safely – offering you peace of mind payments can be made by credit/debit card full payment histories and statements are available to you securely online at any me your children won’t have to worry about losing money at school. Parents can choose to be alerted when their balances are low via email and/or SMS text – How to get started with ParentPay… We will shortly be sending you your account ac va on username and password, just follow the instruc ons in the le er we give you to get started with ParentPay. If you want to find out more about ParentPay go to: www.parentpay.com/Parents If you don't receive an email please check your junk emails.



PE Skort for Girls

Bfree film competition Therfield School ‘The Best for All’


Young people from Bfree and from the Bridge entered films challenging smoking into the Surrey Cut film compe on and a ended an awards ceremony at Bfree on the 12th June, hosted by Will Best from T4. Some Therfield students who a end submi ed films. Skye Miles, Bethany Heasman and Samantha Francis in Year Seven submi ed films together and another submi ed by Bethany Heasman and Samantha Francis won a people’s choice award based on votes cast online. The event was a ended by the Mayor and representa ves of Trading Standards and Surrey County Council.

Sports Skort for Girls PE The PE Kit for Girls has been extended to incorporate an OPTIONAL skort. For those who don't know a skort is a sports skirt with Cycling shorts already sewn into the lining. We believe that the Skort will be able to be used in any games ac vi es and other suitable sports. Those students who play games ac vi es for school teams may also wish to invest in a skort of their own. The school will be inves ng in some for representa ve teams. The skorts are available in both of our outlet stores: Lester Bowden in Epsom and G M Sports in Fetcham.

Therfield Trust & PTA Thank You We would like to thank the Therfield Trust and PTA for all their support and efforts given to the school. The me they give over to providing refreshments for school events and raising money for students, benefit the whole school and is very much appreciated. Please take me to read the Trust newsle er to see the resources they have raised money for.

Community Information

july 2013 newsletter

Documents

school year

therfield students

science therfield school

excellence leadership

staord school

salt water marsh

leaving therfield

vision of excellence