october newsletter 2014

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

Newsletter

October

2014

From the Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers It has been a first class start to the new school year and we have already had a number of highly successful events. The year 7s have had their Team building days and our business partners have been providing a range of activities such as the body image workshop with Unilever for our year 8s and a business day for year 7s which was also attended by teams from Oakfield and Trinity primary schools. The curriculum evening for parents in Maths and English were very well attended and parents were issued with information on coursework and mock exams for students in years 10 and 11. The feedback we have had on these events suggest that parents find them very helpful in supporting their child. Open Evening on the 14th of October was an extremely successful evening which gained positive responses from many of our visitors. They were most impressed by the students who were tour guides and those helping in faculty areas. Several visitors said what a credit to the school they are. We know our students are our best ambassadors and we appreciate the contribution they made to showing off their school. Susan Willman Headteacher

An early start at the school gates saw over 40 Year 9 and Year 10 historians gathering to board a coach destined for the continent. A short ferry ride and a drive through France lat-er Therfield students were ready to investigate the First World War battlefields. Our first stop was to the town of Ypres. Here students were able to see the Mennin Gate up close and consider its importance as one of the largest war memorials to the fallen soldiers of WW1. They discovered Ypres significance to the battles that took place on the salient and why every day the last post is observed at the entrance to the old city.

A short lunch break with waffles and ice cream later it was back on the bus with our tour guide in tow to visit some German trenches used during the war and other cemeteries. In addition to viewing the war graves as a means of re-membrance the students were al-so asked to consider them as his-torical sources and to consider the differences between the common-wealth cemeteries and Lange-mark, the only German cemetery

in the area. We also managed to visit the Grave of Will Griffith's great great uncle who served during the war and whose headstone can be found at Essex Farm Cemetery. As the day drew to a close we headed back to Ypres in order to take part in the last post at the Menin Gate. Two students were able to lay a wreath on behalf of the staff and students of Therfield school.

Therfield School ‘The Best for All’

Excellence - Leadership - Opportunity

Belgium Trip ACTIVITIES WEEK TRIP TO BELGIUM JULY 2014

Our second day took us forward 21 years to consider aspects of the Second World War. The first stop was to a local museum to learn about the Allied evacua-tion of Dunkirk, we then took a short walk to the beach to see where the soldiers had waited for hours on end hoping to be rescued while the Axis army bombarded them from the air. The Scale of the beach at Dun-kirk really put into perspective scenes from images and paintings students had studied showing the evacuation.

Our final stop was to the underground V2 bunker, here students learnt about the Nazis' plan to invade Britain and actions taken by the Nazis throughout the war. It was also a good opportunity to cool off from the scorching sun that fol-lowed us over both days. It was then back on the bus to head home. All students participated excellently and were perfectly behaved throughout the two day trip. One student said: I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Belgium in July. On the first day we visited Ypes in Belgium, one of the main cities which were affected by the great war. It was absolutely breathtaking seeing where the people that we possibly have to thank for being here today fought. On the second day, we visited Dunkirk beach, museum and also we saw where they made the V2 rockets. This was incredible as it was my first time seeing these. It was a really enjoyable trip filled with a perfect mix of fun and education. I have now been on the trip twice and I would love to go again!! Miss B Palmer - History Teacher



VISIT TO ESSEX FARM CEMETERY by Will Griffiths - Year 10 As part of our trip to Belgium this summer, we visited Essex Farm Cemetery, which is where my great, great uncle, William Isaac Griffiths is buried. He was born and grew up on a farm in West Wales and was elder brother to my great granddad. He was one of 12 siblings, with 5 brothers and 6 sisters. He was 18 when he was called up for action, serving on the front line in Flanders Field, where he was tragically killed. He is buried in Essex farm cemetery, along with others from his Welsh Battalion. Going to the cemetery allowed me to see where he is buried and made me realise the vast number of people, who were killed. It is strange to think that he died at 19, where as my Great Grandfather, his brother, lived to be 101. During the summer holidays, I went to visit some of my Welsh family and saw William Isaac’s war medals and the commemorative plaque for him at his local chapel. This showed me that even though his life was short, he has been and will be well remembered.



Belgium Trip


Leatherhead Hub Year 7 Business Game On Friday 17th October we held the Year 7 Business Game. SATRO, part of the Leatherhead Hub, has been running this successful game in Therfield for many years and, on Friday, nearly 30 volunteer business people from all areas of the Leatherhead Hub came in to support teams of students as they ran a manufacturing business for the day with students taking on the roles of CEO, Head of Marketing, Accountant, and Production and Quality Assurance. The students were split up into teams outside their usual friendship or tutor groups to encourage them to work with others and make new friends. We even had 2 teams made up of students from local primaries; Oakfield and Leatherhead Trinity. All the companies manufactured products throughout the day; buying supplies and selling their products at a profit. Team members were responsible for managing their finances, operating their bank accounts, and responding to occasional emergencies such as stock market crashes and strikes. At the end of the day, each company produced a marketing campaign and presented to a hall full of their peers and nearly 40 adults – no mean feat!!

Volunteer business people were assigned to each company to act as a mentor and advisor – giving young people the chance to talk to the volunteers about their ‘day jobs’. The day was fast and furious, sometimes stressful (just like the real working world!) and hugely exciting – for the students, business volunteers, and teachers involved! There were a number of positives to the day. Students were engaged in problem solving and working to tight deadlines, individually and in teams. It brought numeracy and literacy to life in a practical, hands-on way. It gave students the experience of working with business people and an opportunity to discuss careers. All the business volunteers were extremely impressed by the way the students worked together and their approach to the day. Mr J Place - Deputy Headteacher





AS Law and Politics Students got to experience at first hand Parliament and its role in making law and representing people across the UK. Students were given a tour of the Palace of Westminster, seeing both the House of Commons and House of Lords close up and getting an understanding of the role each play in both making laws and holding the government to account. They also found out the history of the building going back 900 years when the original palace was built. Students were then able to take part in a workshop on the role of an MP, showing that MPs have a duty not just to their political party but also to their constituents as well. Mr I Chamberlain Assistant Director of Sixth Form

Parliament Trip



Surrey Opportunities

Fair

Several of our Year 11 students attended the Surrey Opportunities Fair which was organised/ sponsored by Surrey County Council. The main focus was on further learning opportunities and Apprenticeships through a range of exhibitors, from Surrey County Council, Babcock, U-explore and ALPS (independent careers advisory services) a number of Building Services providers and several local Colleges – Brooklands/ Nescot/ Farnham/ Merrist Wood, a Football Academy and Coaching courses, then on a different level a limited number of permanent jobs via their Apprenticeship schemes with Allianz Insurance Company and worldwide consultancy firm Capgemini who offer IT apprenticeships at various levels. Students were encouraged to speak to as many stands as they could to find out what was of interest to them and to get information as to how to take their interest forward. There was lots for them to look at and find out about. Mr R Eddleston



Art

THE FRIEZE ART FAIR A LEVEL VISIT 2014 On Saturday 18th October A-Level Art and Photography students visited the Annual Frieze Art Fair in Regents Park. The aim of the visit was to develop contextual research into future outcomes and gain inspiration for the hang of their 2015 Summer Exhibition. Students arrived as the Fair opened to the general public at midday and spent five hours walking around the exhibition. The fair consisted of work by artists represented by hundreds of international galleries. Institutions from New York, Berlin, Paris, Sao Paulo, London and Rome were amongst these. Each gallery had a space, showing up to between two and five artists, designers and photographers. The Fair also included a Sculpture Park with fifteen different exhibits displayed in various locations around Regents Park. Sculpture was the most prominent type of Art featured in the fair, compared to previous years. This appealed more to our art students. However, Photographers found it useful to consider their presentation and how much space is required of an installation. The reason for this is that some Photographers will create film and installation Art based final works in their 2015 Summer Exhibition.

Evie Fisher comments: “It was interesting to see the different types of Art present in the show and it helped me to think about how I can display my final images for Assessment Objective AO4. My favourite piece was by artist called Adam Linder entitled ‘Some Proximity’. This piece consists of two choreographers dancing across an art space, selecting written compositions from surrounding walls and reading the content in a poetic manner. The artist and another dancer respond the writings of an Art writer. I felt that the performance was a comment upon political and economic unrest existing between some nations presently.” Miss Mundy and Miss Upson who attended the Fair with students met with the group for coffee to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the Art on display. Students gave insightful dialogue; evaluating what they had seen, explaining their interpretation into the meaning and purpose of the works and discussing what influences they could take from the experience. Albert Rendle, an A2 Art student says of the day: “I took lots of photographs during the visit and will put these in my Art coursework portfolio as research into my theme of ‘Distortion’. Much of the work was too abstract for my taste and required more information beside it to inform the viewer of its meaning. I don’t have a favourite piece from the day but I gained many ideas to influence my future practice.” An exciting moment was when some of our Art students came across the film piece in the Sculpture Park by Michael Creed, entitled ‘Work 732’. AS and A2 candidates are due to attend an Art Lecture Day on Friday 14th November 2014 at the Institute of Education, London to hear Creed speak about his work. Miss C Upson - Subject Leader for Art

Multi Sports Therfield School

‘The Best for All’


Year 10 and 12 Therfield students were involved in a Multi-Sports Year 3&4 festival on the 21st October. Participants experienced a number of different sports inside Therfield’s sporting facilities including handball, football, netball, uni-hockey, fitness training, rugby and ultimate dodgeball! The year 3&4 students really responded to the sports on offer and it was a fun day had by all from The Dawnay, Leatherhead Trinity, Oakfield and St Peter’s Primary Schools. Comments about the day: “The leaders were friendly, confident and encouraging towards the children. They supported all abilities…” “All very well organised – team leaders and Therfield leaders. Sports halls well set up and equipment was ready to go… All leaders were able to demonstrate good knowledge of sport. All children seemed to enjoy it… They made sure all the children were well engaged.” Student leaders included: Year 10 Sport Leaders – Laura O’Mahony, Lucy Napper, Becky Palmer, Thomas Doak, James Cooke and Sam Cooper Year 12 CSLA leaders – Anna Creswell, Brandy Miller-Holmes, Harriet Walker, Amy Knight, Rorie Williams, Tom Harty and Oliver Ayres. Everyone involved represented the school so well and are a credit to Therfield. WELL DONE! Mr H May - PE Teacher

Dates for you diary Date Week Event

25 Oct Sat Half Term Starts

2 Nov Sun Half Term Ends

3 Nov 1 Mon School council meetings this week

Year 11 Sixth Form Subject info sessions this week

5 Nov 1 Wed Yr12/13 EFG1 reports published on Parent portal this week

7 Nov 1 Fri Yr12 Safe Drive Stay Alive

Shakespeare Schools Festival, Leatherhead Theatre 9am -1pm + evening performance

10 Nov 2 Mon Centenary Remembrance assemblies and events week

12 Nov 2 Wed Teen tech Surrey small number of yr 8 students

14 Nov 2 Fri Creative Process AS/A2 Art Lecture Day

17 Nov 1 Mon Anti-bullying week

19 Nov 1 Wed 6th Form Open Evening 5pm - 7.30pm

20 Nov 1 Thu Yr7 reports published on parent portal this week

Cyber Safety parents information evening 6pm – 7.30pm

24 Nov 2 Mon Inter-House Football

25 Nov 2 Tue Yr9 reports published on Parent portal this week

29 Nov Sat Yr13 devised perf. exam rehearsals

30 Nov Sun Yr13 devised perf. exam rehearsals

1 Dec 1 Mon

Yr13 devised perf. exam rehearsals

Yr12/13 begin EFG 2 assessment fortnight

Geography – Inter-house event this week

2 Dec 1 Tue

Yr13 devised perf. exam rehearsals

Ski trip parents info evening 6.00pm

Yr7 Celebrating Success 3.30pm to 4.15pm

3 Dec 1 Wed Yr13 devised perf. exam rehearsals

Yr11 Parents Evening 4-8pm

4 Dec 1 Thu Yr13 devised performance exam

Middle Leader Tea 3.30-4.30pm

8 Dec 2 Mon

Juniper House Charity Week

Sixth form options assembly for Yr11 completion of preliminary option forms

Work Sampling Week – observing quality & frequency of marking

Maths trip to Kempton park racecourse

9 Dec 2 Tue AS photography trip

10 Dec 2 Wed Christmas Concert 6.30pm

(TBC)

16 Dec 1 Tue Yr 11 Art mock exam

17 Dec 1 Wed Yr8 reports published on parent portalThis week

Yr 11 Art mock exam

19 Dec 1 Fri Yr11reports published on parent portal this week

END OF TERM SCHOOL FINISHES AT 1.10PM

20 Dec Sat Christmas Break

4 Jan Sun Christmas Break

5 Jan 2 Mon AS/A2 Theatre Stud. Controlled Assessment starts

Year 11 Mock Exams (in class) start for 2 weeks

7 Jan 2 Wed Yr12/13 EFG 2 reports published on parent portal this week

Community

information

october newsletter 2014

Documents

students of therfield

therfield students

new school year

school gates

war graves

business day

world war battlefields

largest war memorials