school newsletter march 2013

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

Newsletter March 2013

From the Headteacher

Dear Parents Thank you to all who have contacted us with congratula ons on the recent Ofsted report. We are pleased that the excellent progress the school has made has been recognised officially. The inspectors were very posi ve about all that they saw and were par cularly impressed with the confident, ar culate and mature young people they had the opportunity to meet. I would also like to thank those parents who came to the school with le ers for the inspectors, because, they explained, parent view did not give them the space they needed to write about how good the school is. There are rumours that we are going to have a “White Easter”, lets hope they prove unfounded and we have some much needed sunshine. Enjoy the break what ever the weather. Susan Willman Headteacher

L&G and Leatherhead HUB Dragons Den Business Day

Therfield School ‘The Best for All’

Excellence - Leadership - Opportunity

On 19th March there was another hugely successful Dragons Den Day to Year 9 and 10 students at Therfield School in Leatherhead. The energy, enthusiasm and dedica on from all involved was amazing ‐ the words of Claire (Head of Business Studies at the school), captures it perfectly when she said 'IT WAS AWESOME'! Comments from the local businesses are below;

Following a proven model for the last 3 years, this CSR marke ng development day not only gives the students the opportunity to learn about marke ng, but also takes us back to our grass roots and reminds us that amongst the spreadsheets, business cases and approval documents of our day to day roles ‐ we should remember what a vital role marke ng plays in the success of an organisa on. Chris ne Massey Legal and General

It was a terrific adver sement for how business can successfully work with schools within their local community ‐ bringing student learning alive in a fun, prac cal and rewarding style. It perhaps took us all out of our comfort zones at mes ‐ mentors, facilitators and students. But the day delivered something that provides value and learning to all. John Laney Legal and General I'm sure the students gained a lot, and I felt they were engaged, informed and though ul. There were some good ideas and some characters and all the students performed well during the pitch considering they were in front of their peers. Jeremy Haines IPS





MADD Cabaret

Therfield’s MADD (Music, Art, Dance and Drama) Cabaret On Wednesday 27th February 2013 Therfield celebrated the Arts, invi ng members of the public to an evening of live music, Art and Drama performances. The event was designed to fit the theme ‘Ordinary and/or Extra‐ordinary’. The la er is a former GCSE Art exam tle from the Edexcel specifica on. The audience were invited to walk around an Art exhibi on showcasing GCSE work, engendered from the aforemen oned theme. Amongst the art work, A Level ar sts created pieces live, especially for the show. During the interval, audience members obtained refreshments and observed the year thirteen pupils in the midst of their process. Farhan in Year 7 spent the evening crea ng complimentary caricatures for guests. The year seven student’s talent for capturing life‐like cartoons was discovered whilst a ending Art Club every Thursday lunch me. He first promoted his gi for portraiture during Leith House Charity Week, selling caricatures to raise money for Cys c Fybrosis and The Alzheimer’s Society.

The performances on the night were excep onally well received judging by the audience reac ons.

The extra‐curricular clubs involved included Jazz Band, Vocal group, Symphonic Band, VOX, b‐VOX, Ukulele group, Therfield Guitars plus numerous soloists and duets.

For one night only, the Jazz Band was joined by a group of dancers who swung their way through Sing Sing Sing by Louis Prima dancing amongst the audience. Lindsay Jones and Rory Kent took to the podium for a dance break sec on which was fantas c. One soloist who par cularly shone on the night was Charlo e Weston, with her rendi on of On my Own. Charlo e, without fear embraced the stage, and did jus ce to the ‘Les Miserables’ number.

Callum Smale who had par cipated in the Youth Theatre performances commented ‘We performed a piece en tled “The Museum of the Grotesque”. My peers and I adopted the role of ‘Museum exhibits’. Our characters were intended to shock and stun the audience. I loved every minute of it and many members of the audience were surprised by the unorthodox ideas we presented.’

Other ‘moments’ presented during the evening were the ‘plant conversa ons’ and the serving of toys to each table, for which some members of the audience donated generously. Therfield Youtheatre originally bought the toys from local charity shops and will return those unsold, plus a share of the proceeds – a total of £72.34 – so everyone’s a winner! During the interval, the audience was invited to ac vate instant theatre in the foyer, inspired by art pieces seen by the company during the day. Ms Caroline Upson Head of Art



Mountain Experience Therfield School ‘The Best for All’


Therfield students enjoy Sco sh Winter Mountains at their best.

Half term saw 15 intrepid students, me and Mr Clarke, packing to head to the Sco sh hills for some winter mountaineering. I arrived early at Gatwick airport to await the stu‐dents, feeling ridiculously nervous, not only was she in charge of 15 students but they had requested homemade cake for the trip, so this was duly packed and bagged ‐ but would it survive the hold? Flying over the Sco sh mountains I could see some nervous faces as the snow cover looked sparse, but as we drove closer it was clear that there would be more than enough for our exploits so with boots and crampons fi ed it was me for an early night ready for an early start. Students spent 5 days in the mountains, in groups of 5, covering the various skills required to be able to walk, navigate, take shelter and cope with steep ground safely. This included learning how to stop yourself from sliding down a slope using an ‘ice axe arrest’, I think this was what many students enjoyed the most as it was requested for their final day. Having mastered the art of walking in crampons and how to prevent a slip turning into a slide each group planned a big day out with their instructor. This resulted in all 3 groups achieving one or two summits, every students stood on Cairngorm Mountain (1245m above sea level) while one group stood atop Ben Macdui first, which at 1309m is the second highest mountain in the United Kingdom, beaten only by Ben Nevis (which we could see over 50 miles away from the summit!). The weather on this day was truly amazing and we were all rewarded with views rivalled by the Alps!.



Views were harder to come by on the next day as a late start and finish meant walking out in the dark – this was all planned as it was ‘snow hole day’. The task at hand was to construct a large enough

snow hole for your group to cook and eat in comfortably, before naviga on back to base in the dark. This was the day many of the students had been looking forward to (along with Mr Clarke) and a er 4 hours of digging in ice and snow groups were rewarded with hot drinks and food, before an exhilara ng walk out. The final day was le up to the students to choose (within reason) and four year 13 students chose to improve their techniques on steep ground, while the other students all chose to go ‘sliding’ and ‘digging’, so while they spent some me looking at technical skills, they also enjoyed making ‘people trains’ and sliding down safe slopes. It was a

red but very happy bunch that headed back to Inverness Airport, looking forward to going home, but reluctant to leave the mountains behind, and yes the cake survived the hold, but not 21 hungry mountaineers!. So what did some of the students think? Peter Stock (yr 13) said it was a “An amazing life changing experience which has given him the confidence and knowledge to con nue with outdoor ac vi es”. This was echoed by Ben Morgan (also yr 13) who said “best school trip I have been on and it has given me the inspira on to con nue moving forward with outdoor ac vi es”. The youngest students present were year 11 who had nothing but praise for the instructors with them, Sam Valente said “the instructors were fantas c, so friendly and nice while working with us”, while Rachel Simons said “it was great because we had a say in what we did each day” How would I sum up the trip? An absolute privilege, to be in such an awe inspiring loca on with unbelievable weather and students who make me extremely proud to be part of the team here at Therfield School, how can I improve on this week (someone suggested the Alps…….)? Helen Picke Leader of Outdoor & Adventurous Ac vi es



A level Photography

A level Photography trip to London 2013 On Friday 8th March 2013, the A2 Photography students visited several London loca ons to record 'Nature' and 'Urban Life' as part of the examina on element of their course. The weather forecast was overcast and showery but it did li le to dampen the class' spirits! The students began the day in Kew Gardens, where highlights included the Glasshouse walkway, Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory where there was an orchid display. Students had previously researched the work of photographers who explored the theme of 'Nature' such as Joanna Jackson and John Shaw. They recorded scenes from these loca ons in their prac oner's style. Students automa cally observed that their images manipulated pa ern, earthy tones, layering and reflec on. A er two hours, one student had taken up to three hundred images! The second photo‐shoot loca on was Borough Market. Students found the journey between venues lengthy but stopped for lunch as soon as they arrived. Here, students spent one hour recording visuals for the theme 'Urban Life'. The class weaved between stalls, sampling their goods, speaking to tradesmen and photographing human exchange/interac on in this urban se ng. Students le the market place weary but sa sfied. On the journey back to Therfield, one student commented..."Kew Gardens was a great place to capture 'Natural World'...It was a brilliant opportunity and I'm pleased with my shoot".

Therfield School wins County recognition for London 2012 commitment

Therfield School is proudly displaying a new decora on, a London 2012 Olympics banner from Surrey County Council. The school won the banner from Surrey County Council, who ran a compe on to give away the various pieces of Olympic signage and memorabilia. The school’s compe on entry outlined how the school had received its Sports College at the same me that London was awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and that during the subsequent 7 years had strived to emulate and embody the 7 Olympic and Paralympic values, culmina ng with a group of students being selected to represent the school as Young Games Makers at the Paralympic Games. Councillor Helyn Clack, Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games, visited Therfield, along with her colleague Rhian Boast, to present the school with their prize. They had specially chosen a green banner in recogni on of the school’s colours. During the visit they spoke with Mr Garner and Miss Rennie about the school’s contribu on and commitment to London 2012. Mrs Clack and Mrs Boast then met with a group of students from Year 11, 12 and 13, including members of the Young Games Makers team, where each were able to speak about their personal sport or Olympic experiences. The Surrey County Council representa ves were very warm in their praise of the school’s commitment to London 2012, and the very good work that takes place every day.



BBC School News Report



On Thursday 21st March, 16 Year 8 students from Therfield School par cipated in the worldwide BBC News School Report event. The event allowed students to become reporters for the day, finding, researching and repor ng news for the BBC. The students had a strict deadline to adhere to and worked relessly to produce their ar cles and broadcasts, mee ng the deadline with minutes to spare! The sixteen students reported on stories ranging from the forced adop ons in Australia to the recent Harlem Shake dance craze; of which the Science Department produced their own version. Two reporters also conducted an inves ga on into what is newsworthy, exploring what students and teachers regard as important. Students interviewed staff and each other about their opinions. It was a frene c day, but the students felt a real sense of achievement at seeing their hard work being read and watched by so many people. Chess O’Mahoney said, “The day was really fun because it showed what being in the News Media was really like – I found it really interes ng and having people around the world reading my news story was amazing.” Niamh Hammond said, “I loved being a reporter for the day, and really enjoyed interviewing people to get their opinion about issues in the news. Being a news reporter was exhaus ng but very fun!” Miss Mckinney said, “The students worked incredibly hard all day and produced some fantas c ar cles and broadcasters. I think we have some reporters in the making!”

Lost Property


Excellence - Leadership - Opportunity History Well‐done to Madeline Aus n in year 7

for winning the History castle compe on

We have several bags of lost property, which is mainly mu i, and would be grateful if you would ask your son/daughter to check if they have lost anything. We will be giving to charity anything useful that is not collected by Wednesday 1st May 2013. As always we appreciate your support and would ask that you name every item of clothing as this helps us to return lost items to students.

Request for leave of absence in exceptional circumstances Please be aware that the a endance policy has recently been reviewed and some changes made to the request for leave sec on. These changes will take effect from 15th April and for further details please see the school website where the up to date policy can be downloaded.

school newsletter march 2013

Documents

opportunity therfield

excellence leadership

art work

day roles

art exhibion

successful dragons den

csr markeng development

business cases