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School Road, Billericay, Essex, CM12 9LH Tel: 01277 655191 Fax: 01277 314414 www.billericay.essex.sch.uk E-mail: info@billericay.essex.sch.uk

MESSAGE FROM MR MOHAMMEDDear Parents/Carers

The rich and varied range of activities that our youngsters are involved in is shared with you in thisnewsletter. The determination of our students to be involved and excel, supported by the membersof staff is a credit to all, reinforcing the principle that Billericay is one big family.

Alongside this, it gives me great pleasure to share with you that at the end of January, three of ourstudents, Louise Tribe [History], Matthew Thompson [History] and Jake Hillion [Maths andComputing] received offers of places at Cambridge University, with Chethana Krishna Rao[Medicine] offered a place at Nottingham University for September 2018.

Many congratulations to them; we await offers for other students. This is a credit to their hard workand perseverance. We are extremely proud of the achievements of all of our students.

Thank you to those parents who sent in emails and letters supporting the actions of the schoolwhilst the school had to close due to burst water pipes during the recent adverse weather. I verymuch appreciate your understanding.

My 'Thanks' to the many parents who also took time to write to the school expressing their gratitudefor the work of the school in showing them how to support their children in preparation for theirforthcoming GCSE examinations. A lot of staff time and effort goes into the organisation of theseevenings and your positive communications make it all worthwhile.

I hope that you are able to enjoy time with family and friends during the Easter break.

Ahson Mohammed

Aspiring to Work and Study In China?

In February, a group of Year 11 and Year 12 studentswere given an insight into study at university in Chinaby Tom Bailey, Principal of the Cambridge InternationalSchool in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Studentsgained an understanding of the changes taking placein the university system in China, examining theUniversity of Hong Kong, Shenzhen as a case study.There was also an opportunity for students to ask lotsof questions which students were eager to takeadvantage of.

There was much to interest all students present fromthose interested in the economic and technologicalchanges in the Chinese 'Silicon Valley' in Shenzhen, tothose whose academic interests lie in Maths, Scienceand Engineering. This was an opportunity to see howthis part of the world is surging ahead in terms ofresearch and development. Students taking Mandarinin our school were able to learn more about Chineseculture and its education system, and all present wereable to learn that university opportunities in China wereopen to all, as classes are delivered in English.

Overall the session proved of real benefit to allwho attended, with students appreciating thepresentation of such opportunities. Many of ourpast students spend periods of their adult livesstudying and working abroad, and opportunitiessuch as these can prove inspirational in makingstudents take an informed ‘can-do’ approach totheir future plans.

‘Wear Red for Your Head’

This Spring, the 6th form chose to wear red todraw attention to the ‘Wear Red for YourHead’ campaign promoted by Mind, aregistered charity helping people with mentalhealth problems, offering support, advice andservices and empowering them to gain abetter quality of life. Students came up withthe idea to promote the campaignthemselves, contacting Basildon Mind forinformation and literature to make studentsmore aware. The campaign was promoted inassembly with students discussing theimportance of attention to mental health in oursociety generally as well as in their own agegroup in particular. Students collectedmoney on the day, raising over £100 for thecharity.

Active community participation is one of ourkey values in the 6th form, and it washeartening to see so many students take theinitiative in drawing attention to such a worthycause.

HappyEaster

500 Word Story Competition

Year 7s and 8s took part in the 500 Word Story Competition, writing a short story on a topic of their

choice in 500 words exactly. Although there were some fantastic entries, the winner was Jessica

Maher 7CTNS with her story, ‘Travelling Through Time.’ The runners-up were Samuel Larsen

7EJLA with ‘The Promise’ and Joshua Hogg 7KRYS with ‘The House of Sisters.’

Well done!

WORLD BOOK DAY

Thursday 8 March saw our belated World Book Day celebrations.Due to the school being closed on the actual Word Book Day we postponed the event by a week.

This year we built on the success of last year’s events and once again ran a book-themed cake making/ decorating competition. Our Judge Mrs Berry, awarded first prize to Nikolas Hervey in Year 7.

Other activities included a school-wide treasure hunt; an extremely popular Very Very Short Storycompetition (where students had to write a story in 10 words or less); we also had a book stackingcompetition, a range of quizzes and a second-hand book sale.

All proceeds from the cake sale and second-hand book sale will go towards the school’s Readasaurusprogramme.

Winners of the competitions were as follows:

Book Tower Gamewith 75 books stacked was Jamie Lee Swan and Kaydee Blackburn

Wimpy Kid True/False GameJessica Grady and Maddie Pereira

Book Bonanza Quiz Jessica Dillon

Wimpy Kid word searchHarley Cowell

Characters QuizChloe Fowels

Harry Potter CompJessica Dillon

The Very Very Short Story CompetitionOlivia Merrell. Her body lay, lifeless; if only she’d opened the door!

UKMT MATHS

CHALLENGE

REGIONAL FINALS

On 6 March, Rishi Suresh, Christopher Lang,Michael Hlordzi and Hannah Cox were hand-picked by their teachers to take part in theUKMT Maths Challenge Regional Finals.They competed in a whole day of challenging,yet fun, maths tasks. Out of 27 schools,including regional grammar schools, theycame an impressive 11th place.

Well done!

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We continue to have amazing success withstudents taking exams in their homelanguages. Although these students do nothave formal lessons in these languages, theywork voluntarily with Mrs Bellers from ourModern Foreign Languages during theirlunchtimes. A huge thank you to Mrs Bellersfor supporting these students andcongratulations to them on their outstandingachievements.

If you feel you have the interest and ability totake a GSCE/IGCSE in your home language,we would like to discuss this possibility withyou. We have sample examination papers,which include all 4 skills: listening, speaking,reading and writing. You might also be able totake a GCSE paper in just listening andspeaking or reading and writing.

If you are interested in knowingmore, please contact Mrs V Bellers

(Modern Languages office).

EXAM DATES FOR SUMMER 2018

The above exam dates can also be found on the school website and in the students’ “Exams Handbooks”. It is vital that your child has their own copy

of this handbook before they take their first external exam this academic year as it contains important and useful exams information together with

regulations, which they have to abide by during GCSE and GCE examinations. If your child is in Year 10 - 13 and they have not yet received a copy,

please ask them to come to the Exams Office to request one. You can also find a copy on the “Exams” section of the school website.

If your child is taking GCSE exams in the summer, please would you ensure that you and your child are aware of the dates of each exam and when they

are scheduled. Individual examination timetables have been issued and a copy of this will also be sent via InTouch to parent/carers. If your child misses

their exam, there is nothing we can do to re-schedule it as dates are set by the examining boards, and unless there is a good reason (e.g. medical) for

their absence, you will be expected to pay for this exam as per the letter sent out recently by Mr Mohammed regarding “Public Examination Fees”.

Students have also received important information regarding attendance at examinations and advice if they are late arriving to an exam; this information

sheet is also posted on the school website.

Please also ensure that your child is properly equipped for each exam, especially Maths exams when calculators are required and are only replaced if

found to be faulty; a calculator will not be given to a student who forgets to bring their own (please see pages 12 and 13 of “Exams Handbook” for further

information).

We remind you that we do not authorise holiday absence other than in exceptional circumstances at any time of year. It is also vital that students in Years

10-13 are not absent during exam periods, which now stretch across much of the year. If you have any concerns, please contact the Exams Office in

the first instance.

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Edgar Guest, a Holocaust survivor living

locally, gave our year 12 students a moving

talk about his experiences as a child during

World War Two. He discussed his time

spent in the ghettos, his family’s

experiences and hardships endured,

including how difficult it was to secure extra

food. He enlightened all of us in helping us

appreciate similar situations thousands of

people faced during the 1940s, whilst also

leaving plenty of time for us to ask

questions. He answered all of these

questions fully and further extended our

understanding of his childhood and of this

period in history.

The experience was a once in a life time

opportunity, as we are one of the last

generations to be able to hear survivors’

stories of their past directly from them. Edgar’s

visit was truly moving and an experience we

will always value and remember.

Katie Smith

Year 12

Katie is one of our 6th Form students applying

to the Holocaust Education Trust’s visit to

Auschwitz, Poland this Spring.

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Schuss! The annual February half term

school trip for Year 9 and Year 12 students of

the Billericay ski gruppe went to the resort of

Nauders in the Austrian Tyrol this year. After

a smooth 24 hour journey by coach to the

resort, the group of 43 students and 7 staff

arrived on the Saturday morning to a week of

fresh snow and blue skies. The two beginners

groups made excellent progress throughout

the week, progressing on to red intermediate

pistes, while the intermediate and advanced

groups skied big mileage around the whole

resort, with the advanced group having the

opportunity to ski on an off piste trail across

the border into Italy. Away from the slopes,

the group went curling on a local ice rink,

drove into Italy to eat pizza and sang karaoke.

An excellent week was had by all. Next

year‘s trip will be to the Ziller Valley in

Southern Austria.

The advanced group on their

off piste ski safari.

Mr Berry, Ski Party Leader

EMILY BOUCHER – YEAR 8

Emily donated 12.5 inches of hair to The Little

Princess Trust in February half term to help

poorly children who have lost their own hair

because of cancer. She also raised £536 for

them through her JustGiving page. The Little

Princess Trust

provide real-hair

wigs free of

charge to children

who have lost

their own hair

through cancer

and other illnesses (it costs the charity £500

for each wig they provide).

WRISTBANDS

FOBS are once again offering you the

opportunity to purchase Southend Adventure

Island wristbands at greatly discounted

prices with substantial reductions compared

to the in-park price you would pay! FOBS are

able to generate a small profit for every band

sold, raising important funds for projects to

benefit the students within school. We value

your support in this simple yet effective

fundraising initiative!

Prices are: Big Adventure wristbands £16.50

(normal peak time in park price £30)

Junior/Mini wristbands £12.50(normal peak time in park price £25/£20)

Terms and conditions apply

see school website for full details

g y q p y---------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUIZ NIGHT BOOKING FORM

Name: ………………………………………………………... Contact no:…………………………………………………... Number of tickets : Adults ……… Children ……………... I enclose a cheque for £……… payable to FOBS Return to Main Office, F Block, marked for the attention of FOBS

FRIENDS OF THE BILLERICAY SCHOOL School Road, Billericay, Essex CM12 9LH

Registered Charity Number 1022965

SATURDAY 28th APRIL 2018 7.30PM-10.00PM

The Billericay School, Main School Hall Adults £5 Children £3

Do you fancy yourself as a budding Egghead ?

Do you always beat the Chaser ? …or do you just like a good night out ?

Then why not gather together some friends and join us at our Quiz Night

to raise funds to benefit the students at The Billericay School

Bring your own drink and nibbles (No hot food provided)

Teams of no more than 8 adults

To book your tickets just email: Sarah on fobssocialsecretary@gmail.com …details on how to pay will be emailed to you.

Alternatively, complete the slip below and return to the Main Office, F Block, The Billericay School, CM12 9LH

enclosing your cheque payable to FOBS.

U16 GIRLS NATIONAL BASKETBALL

The U16 girls were entered into the National basketball competition for the first time. They have

worked extremely hard and have trained tirelessly throughout the season. The team is a complete

mix of age ranges from Years 8-11. They reached the last 32 stage of the competition and

unfortunately were knocked out by Thurston Community College, narrowly losing by 4 points.

Students involved:

Anna Trett, Charlotte Redhead, Mia Riches, Emily Brown, Mariya Mishnova, Freya Fuller,

Olivia Connor, Grace Brooks, Caitlin Hughes, Lily Lucy, Naomi Greenaway,

Francesca Bittasi, Rebecca Brown, Alena Panaghiston

OLIVIA &

HARRISON

CONNOR

Olivia Connor, Year 9, competes in both

Basketball and Netball for the school and

also competes in a National League

Basketball team. We have featured Olivia’s

successes several times in our newsletters.

Brother Harrison, in Year 7, competed in the

Essex Swimming Gala, coming 5th in the 50

metres Butterfly and 6th in 50 metres

Backstroke and is on his way to the Eastern

region events.

Well done to both!

U15 GIRLS

BASKETBALL

The U15 Girls basketball team made the

Essex Cup finals again for the 4th year

running.

They faced Fitzwimarc School on Monday

26 March and became Essex Champions

for the third year running, winning 83-75 in a

thrilling game.

The event was hosted by Woodlands

School. DANNY BRAYBROOK YEAR 7

Danny Braybrook in Year 7 was selected to

attend an annual Basketball tour to Spain

which took place over the New Year holiday.

The tournament was in aid of the organiser’s

son who had died a few years earlier as a

child, and it was an honour to be selected to

play. All involved received a t-shirt as a

memento. Danny also had to the chance to

see the country and embrace the various

languages spoken by both players and

referees. He also had the opportunity to swim

in the hot springs. Danny is hoping to be

selected for the Lithuania Tour in Year 8.

U18 Sabre Bronze

Daniel Twine

U16 Epee Gold

Refe Tant

U14 Foil Bronze

Kyran Porter U14 Foil 5th

Jacob Lewis

U14 Epee Silver

Lucus Godfrey

U14 Epee Bronze

Kynan Treby

FencingFencingIn January we competed at the Eastern Region Youth Championships. Our results were better than ever with all below

qualifying for the British Youth Finals in Sheffield in May.

U12 Epee (Boys) Silver

Oscar SaxonU12 Epee (Girls) Silver

Meia Singh

U12 Epee (Girls) Bronze

Alex Lines

Sebastian Pallier's most notable result recently was 28th

in the European U20 Championships in Sochi, RussiaConnor Bell

Our Most improved

Congratulations to Daniel Twine, who is a much sort after British Fencing Referee.

He Refereed the Finals of the Public Schools Sabre and is refereeing at the U15 International in Poland.

SCHOOLS’

BIKEABILITY

Schools Bikeability Training will takeplace on local roads during June atThe Billericay School. Free trainingwill be given by Essex County Councilqualified instructors at Level 2 andLevel 3 and is scheduled to takeplace over two evenings (exact datesto be decided) at 3.15pm-4.45 pm.

Please register your son’s/daughter’sinterest with Mr Maguire in StudentServices as soon as possible and notlater than 20 April. The requisiteParental Authorisation Form will thenbe given to your son/daughter andshould be returned to Mr Maguire by30 April to secure a place.

Training sessions will have amaximum of 6 students per group; ifnumbers permit it may be possible torun additional groups.

To undertake the training yourson/daughter must have their bike,ensure it is mechanically sound, weara helmet and suggest wear casualclothing (including wet gear ifneeded).

Under The Billericay School Healthand Safety policy, students will onlybe permitted to ride their bikes toschool if they have successfullycompleted Bikeability training at Level3, and their bikes must bemechanically sound. In addition theymust be seen to be wearing helmetsand have completed parking permitswhich can be obtained from theschool.

For information, 27 of our studentssuccessfully completed Bikeabilitytraining on 27 November 2017.

More information is available from:Https://Bikeability.org.uk/ or

www.essexhighways.org>Transportand Roads>Getting Around>Cycling

BE PROUD OF OUR SCHOOL !We know the vast majority of our students

are proud to be members of The Billericay

School community and wear their uniforms

with pride.

The school works closely with many local

organisations such as the Friends of Lake

Meadows and the Mill Meadows Society.

We get many letters of commendation

informing us of students behaving in a

caring and charitable manner and being

excellent ambassadors for this school.

Unfortunately, occasionally we receive

feedback from members of the public who

feel our students are behaving in an inappropriate manner and bringing the school

into disrepute. Please can you express to your children how important it is to

present a good image of themselves both in and out of school.

SUMMER TERM DATES

Term begins: Monday 16 April 2018

May Day Bank Holiday: Monday 07 May 2018

Half Term: Monday 28 May to Friday 01 June 2018

Term ends: Friday 20 July 2018

Year 8 Parents Evening: Tuesday 12 June

Year 7 Parents Evening: Thursday 21 June

CELEBRATE YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS

We want to hear stories about our students’ successes both in and out of school. We

receive feedback from our PE Department and Fencing Club but know many

children participate in clubs and societies outside of school for which they don’t

receive recognition.

If your child would like to be featured in our newsletter, which goes home to parents

at the end of each term, then please let us have your articles/photos for inclusion.

These can be forwarded to our central email address info@billericayschool.com

We look forward to hearing from you.