Issue 1 2014

RGS Newsletter Terms 1 & 2 2014

Autumn Edition INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Message from the Principal 1

Executive Officers 2014-15 2

Senior Prize Giving 2014 3 Open Day 2014

Big Band Exchange Trip 4 RGS Autumn Concert

Duke of Edinburgh - Bronze Award 2014 5 Year 9 Certificate Afternoon

Year 9 Theatre Trip – To Kill a Mocking Bird 6 Year 10 Geography Trip

Year 8 Trip to the National Portrait Gallery 7 Year 10 Visit to the Imperial War Museum

House Charities 2014-15 8 RGS Charity Fundraising

Harvest Festival 2014 9 #Endebola Year 7 Parents’ Events

E-Safety 10 RGS Gets By-Election Fever

RGS Celebrates with a Mixture of Styles 11 Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party

Sports News 12 RGS Hall of Fame

Important Dates for Terms 3 and 4 15 December 2014 Issue 1 2014 Term 1 & 2 RGS Newsletter

M ESSAGE FROM THE P RINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers

As we end 2014, let us reflect upon and celebrate the successes of the year. Firstly, students achieved outstanding results this summer. 70% of all grades at GCSE were at A*/A, 68% of AS grades were at A or B (highest in the school's history), 83% of A2 grades were at A*-B (in the 80s for the third consecutive year) and the IB average was an astonishing 37 out of 45, way above the world average of 29. Four students entered an Oxbridge university and one headed to the USA to commence her degree in Princeton, an Ivy League university. Overall, the grades achieved by the students represent their sheer hard work, determination and effort. I wish to congratulate them and I am sure that we are all extremely grateful to their teachers for their outstanding support during the year.

This term, the school went election crazy with students voting for their Executive Officer team. On the morning of the candidates’ speeches – which in true Thinking School style were in the form of ‘what if?’ Thinkers’ Keys, such as ‘what if the sun disappeared?’ - all students in the school completed an active citizenship activity on the importance of voting in their vertical form groups. Incredibly, 1111 students voted in the Executive Officer elections, a turnout of 94% at the polling stations! You can find out more about the candidates on page 2.

To coincide with the Rochester- by-election, Year 12 students adopted the roles of political parties and were then quizzed by Year 11 Citizenship students who were acting as journalists. This was followed up by interaction with actual parliamentary candidates with 25 of our students participating in a televised debate for BBC South East. Various questions were sent to political parties with one candidate deciding to visit the school to answer these – she did not expect a lunchtime audience of over 100 though!

Election fever created a real buzz across the school, but this was not the only event to generate such excitement. Our Open Day in October was attended by over 400 families and 600 volunteers were kept very busy giving tours and helping out in curriculum areas. The Big Band from Traben-Trabarch raised the roof at the Autumn concert. Five students took it upon themselves to fund raise for Save the Children to support the Ebola crisis. Year 12 held their Senior Citizens Christmas party, the event that they plan completely from start to end, and achievement and progress were celebrated at the annual Senior Prize giving ceremony.

I have created a new section in the newsletter to celebrate the achievements of students and staff outside of school; this recognises the Habits of Excellence that they demonstrate beyond the school gates. I have also launched Principal’s commendations to reward students for producing a piece of work that has filled their teacher with Wonderment and Awe.

Yours sincerely

Mr G Bassan Principal Page 2 RGS Newsletter

E XECUTIVE O FFICERS 2014-15

THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER PROCESS groups with a member of the Sixth Form team. Whilst on the walk we had to check that everyone was following the Code of Conduct, ensuring there was no eating in form rooms, no litter being left etc., as the Officer team do on a regular basis. Each group was met with different situations depending on the time and day of the walk. This meant we couldn’t prepare for this stage, each walk was unique and brought forward different challenges. We had to show both independence and confidence on the walk, being able to confront other students who weren’t following the school rules. Personally I remember feeling quite nervous for this part of the process, because I had to stand out in a group of equally amazing applicants and many others I spoke to felt the same. However knowing this stage could set me apart I tried really hard to spot any problems. Unfortunately for me and my group it seemed the school had never been cleaner or better behaved. It was strange to be wishing for somebody to break the rules just so you could tell them to behave properly. The learning walk may have been frustrating but it was In order to get into the Executive team, candidates first of all also interesting to see the school from the perspective of an had to be brave enough to collect an application form. Before Executive Officer. beginning to attempt to answer the questions, a nomination from another student was required. The questions that followed Bethan Firmin were challenging and pushed the applicants to think creatively and outside of the box. As well as the expected questions as to why you are interested in becoming an Executive Officer, how After all of the applicants had been whittled down to the final ten, you would carry out the role effectively and what experience we were given titles for our speeches. In previous years, the titles you can bring. To show your vibrancy and passion, it was were on topics such as inspirational women or idols. This year, the essential to answer the questions with flair and in the most Sixth Form Team decided to change the setup and gave the ten imaginative ways. For example, linking past experiences with applicants “What if…?” questions. These included ‘What if the sun how they would enable you to carry out the role to the best of disappeared?’ or ‘What if crystal balls could really tell the future?’ your ability. The final question required us to plan for a parents’ We were given these titles on the Monday and our speeches were evening at school. Most of us, having never been asked to do on the Friday. It was given at such short notice to test our ability to something like this before, navigated ourselves around the prepare, rehearse in very little time and a two minute speech to be question cautiously, though consciously, as we wanted to ensure presented in front of the whole school. We were also told to create that we had ‘covered all bases’. For successful candidates, the one slide that will be projected onto the screen behind us while we application form was superseded by interviews with the existing gave our speech. All of this made for a very nerve-racking week Executive team. with the anticipation of interviews and speeches on the same day. Needless to say, it was a huge relief for everyone when they Oliver Wheeler collapsed at home on Friday night, with only the small matter of who will be selected hanging over their heads.

The final part of the selection process for the top ten candidates John Adams was an interview with a current member of the Executive team. Personally, my interview was with Tanpreet Hunjan. It was fantastic to be interviewed by a peer because it allowed me to Following our speeches, each candidate had an interview with show how I can communicate with my peers in a professional Mrs Brinklow, Mr Bassan and Head Girl, Molly McDonough. capacity. The interview also allowed me to gain confidence in Here each interviewer would ask a series of question regarding myself and helped to show me exactly why I wanted to be on being a part of the Executive Officer team. The introductory the Executive team. It is important to understand what being question was "Who are you?" This question for me personally was part of the Executive team entails, and talking to Tanpreet surprisingly difficult to answer as I had to sum up 16 years of my helped to enhance my understanding of how important the life and personality into two minutes! Later there were a series of executive team is and what they do. Many of the questions were scenario questions including how to organise events that were situation questions about the daily running of the school. In sprung upon you last minute! Before the interview began we were order to answer these questions I had to put myself into the all given a sheet of paper which had a list of different types of situation and work out a systematic way of solving the issue. leader, amongst others this included Authoritative Leader, This is a beneficial skill to gain because the Executive team are Transactional Leader and Democratic Leader. Each candidate was faced with problems every day that need to be resolved. to choose the leader they would like to be or take qualities from different leadership styles and be their own type of leader. I felt this Lilibet Dibben was a good approach to take, as a leader should encompass many of those great attributes.

Everyone who applied to be in the Executive team had to go on Rijuta Pattnayak a learning walk which entailed going around the school in small Issue 1 2014 Page 3

S ENIOR P RIZE G IVING 2014

On Thursday 6th October 2014, RGS held A new prize was also given by the Alumni for their Senior Prize Giving evening and Contribution to the Wider community. The prize congratulations must be given once again to was awarded by Mrs Ann West who is Chairman all the current Year 11, 12 and 13 students of the Alumni and the first winner was who received achievement and progress Ayo Phillips, 13A for her work at a local Hospice awards. The speaker for the evening was where she volunteers in her own time to support Mrs Jenny Young who leads the government hospice patients and their families as well as -funded Diversity in Engineering programme operating the lighting for Woodville Halls at the Royal of Engineering. Theatre. The musical interludes were performed Jenny is a STEMNET Ambassador and has by Hannah Bryant, Maria Dorey, and chaired the and Medway STEM Susanna Alsey. Many congratulations to all the Advisory Forum for the last 3 years. Also winners. joining her on stage were Imogen Alabastar, 12 Fz2 who talked about being a semi Mr Macaulay professional footballer and Vice Principal (KS4) Alumni Trophy Molly McDonough, 13C who spoke about being Head Girl and her RGS journey.

O PEN DAY 2014

On Saturday 11th October, we opened the doors to the school for our prospective students to come and look around and get a feel for the opportunities that RGS has to offer. This year was a record year on all counts. We had over 600 of our own students volunteer to come into school to help act as guides and provide excellent advice and demonstrations in subject areas. As always, many of the families who visited praised the guides, in particular the way they made their daughters feel so welcome. During the morning we had over 400 families visit and many reported that they had had a very pleasing and informative morning. This year we introduced a new area, that showed all the extra curricular clubs we have to offer at RGS. The success of this event is due to the dedication and hard work of the staff and students.

Mrs Britten Assistant Principal (ECA) Page 4 RGS Newsletter

B IG BAND EXCHANGE TRIP

The Big Band spent a lot of their time visiting places such as and London, however the later days were spent rehearsing for the RGS Autumn Concert in which they were set to perform. This meant that pupils got to sit in some RGS lessons, for example the student I was accommodating had to sit through double Maths with a group of Year 12 sixth formers. Although Claudio was only 12 years old, he said that it was interesting to experience learning in a different environment with different teaching styles.

When the Autumn Concert began, Claudio and I went to rehearse our separate pieces with the two orchestras. The school hall was full and ready to hear all the different music that was going to be During October, the Big Band from the in performed. The first half included music from NChant, the RGS Traben-Trabarch came to visit. I was lucky enough to have Orchestra and a few solo acts. After the break, the Big Band had set given accommodation to one of the pupils who played in this up and were ready to perform. The pieces they played (such as group. Skyfall from the James Bond film) were all easily recognizable and performed extremely well. A notable moment was when they played

the theme tune from The Muppets that everyone loved so much that Being a person who has experience playing musical they played it again as an encore. instruments, I was excited to be able to see how students from foreign schools performed and played music. When my exchange student visited we talked about different music from I enjoyed the experience and have kept in contact with Claudio and both countries and shared different artists by watching hope to visit their school in Traben-Trabarch very soon! numerous videos. Ardra Radhalakshmi, Sv5

AND RGS AUTUMN CONCERT

Anyone who wasn’t at the Autumn Concert in November missed a real treat! It was a truly international affair in terms of performers and performances. The programme included excellent orchestral, choral and solo classical repertoire – or should we say baroque (Vivaldi - Italian), classical (Mozart - Austrian, Beethoven - German), romantic (Chopin - Polish/French) and 20th century (Elgar and Holst - British and Rachmaninov - Russian) and less well-known composers. Modern classics included Chariots of Fire (Vangelis), There is Sweet Music (Gawthrop), and On My Own (Schonberg).

Several made their RGS concert debuts with great aplomb: the student-led Acabellas, Talis Spence (Rachmaninov Prelude in G sharp minor), Euan Washbourn (Chopin Nocturne in C sharp minor) and singer-songwriter Ella Taylor who entertained in Café 6 during the interval. Others, already famous at RGS were equally confident: Seb Patey (piano improvisations to prelude the whole event), Emma Beniston (violin, Severn Polish Dance), RGS Young Musician 2014 Susanna Alsey (violin, Beethoven Romanze op.50) Lucy Ogden (Mozart Bassoon Concerto) and Venetia Iga (On My Own from Les Miserables). To have so many outstanding soloists at RGS at the same time is really quite remarkable.

The Year 7 Choir, on just their second outing, delighted the audience and then also got them to join in. NChant, with their usual polish, presented two highly complex yet contrasting numbers, There is Sweet Music and, to finish the whole evening, the gospel style Shine Down.

The internationalism was especially enhanced by the return of the Traben-Trarbach Big Band. Their repertoire included the modern classic Bohemian Rhapsody, Skyfall – featuring our own Venetia Iga, and the highly entertaining Muppet Show Medley of which the audience demanded an encore. Issue 1 2014 Page 5

B RONZE AWARD 2014

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a very reading skills, in successfully navigating Congratulations to everyone who passed popular extra-curricular scheme which their way around their Saturday and the weekend. WELL DONE! runs at The , Sunday routes. All 17 groups passed their with the help of Medway Council. The assessed expedition, which is due to their Award involves students taking part in a marvellous team work and camaraderie. Student quotes… variety of activities covering the four sections of: Skill, Volunteering, Physical I learnt how to map read and loved and of course the EXPEDITIONS! meeting new people during the Rochester Grammar School has the expedition. By volunteering, it made largest group of Medway participants me open my eyes into how charities taking part in their Bronze Award, and work and how much hard work is put one of the largest groups in the country. into running and organising charity events. After several weeks training in first aid, Priyanka Amlani 10Fz5 menu planning, cooking, camp craft, navigation and route planning; the weekend of 26th – 28th September came I learnt how to work in a team during and 100 Year 10 students descended on the expedition and also managed to the beautiful Kent countryside to take part improve my skill of playing the violin. in their assessed expedition. I improved my own knowledge and skills by coaching and volunteering. Students had to plan a 27 kilometre route, These students should have now completed Aisha Aggarwal 10Tm2 which they navigated over the weekend. the remaining sections of the Award, which They had to cook their own food on gas will then culminate in a celebratory powered stoves, and sleep in tents they presentation held at in had learnt how to expertly put up. April.

Fortunately, the weather was good to us Thank you to all the staff that have given and apart from a little rain overnight on up their free time to help with the Duke of the Saturday, we couldn’t have asked for Edinburgh Expeditions: Dr Vickery, better. The students showed excellent map Mr Carr, Miss Dannatt and Miss Williams.

Y EAR 9 CERTIFICATE AFTERNOON

On 10th September, we had our first Year 9 Certificate afternoon. For the last two years these students had been working towards their RBACC (Rochester Baccalaureate). This is a KS3 diploma developed by the RGS as a way of raising the profile of KS3 and also being able to reward the students for all their hard work. The final level of the RBACC was a combination of all the students’ assessment grades, examination grades, cross curricular projects and active citizenship over the two years. There were three achievable levels; Pass, Merit and Distinction. In order to obtain a Distinction, students must have achieved consistently high attainment and contributed to a range of events throughout the two years. It was a real pleasure to see so many students getting this level.

Mrs Britten Assistant Principal (ECA) Page 6 RGS Newsletter

Y EAR 9 THEATRE TRIP T O KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

To say that To Kill A Mockingbird was the best trip I’ve been on and discussed the brilliance of the production. would be an understatement. Being the first trip of Year 9 and first trip for Drama GCSE I was more than excited. As soon as we As the lights flashed for the commencement of the second act it arrived at Marlowe Theatre I could feel the adrenaline fill my was obvious that exhilaration filled the room. body. The theatre was amazing: modern but with a sense of

As we boarded the coach home we were no longer engaged in the drivel of teenage girl life that once had entertained us before we had experienced the production, but the topics and authenticity that is vital for any auditorium. I looked around in conversations that To Kill A Mockingbird has raised and for awe at the beautiful architecture. However, little did I know that that I will never forget it, “How could they treat people like the beautiful building was nothing compared to the journey that that?”, “I’m so glad things have changed”, “Jem was amazing.”. the performance would take me on. I learned about the variety of drama techniques used such as the fourth wall, narration and realism that were all conveyed Knowing nothing about To Kill A Mockingbird, I was unaware of throughout the production acting as an inspiration for future what I was about to see but the relationship that the actors projects. conveyed provoked an array of emotions. At the end of Act One, looking across to my friend’s face showed nothing but Elizabeth Castell wonderment. We spoke about the controversial topics it provoked Hg2

Y EAR 10 GEOGRAPHY TRIP

On Friday 19th September, Year 10 Geography students went to visit Margate as part of our Controlled Assessment. The weather was very misty and a little chilly.

We collected data using land use maps, questionnaires, environmental quality surveys, litter and pedestrian counts to investigate the question ‘To what extent is Margate a tourist destination?’

In class, before the trip, we looked at images of Margate during the 1970s when it was really popular. There were many hotels and attractions and people would travel from around the country to visit. Since the increase of holidays abroad, Margate has lost its ‘spark’. The famous Dreamland Amusement Park finally closed in 2006, showing how much Margate was in decline. On the trip we could see evidence of a town trying to regenerate. We went to look at the Turner Gallery and the boutique shops and cafes of the Old Town, which showed how Margate is trying to bring people back to visit. However, the High Street was a stark contrast to this as there were many vacant shops and hardly any tourists.

It was really interesting to see how Margate is attempting to improve with plans to reopen Dreamland as a vintage amusement park (the first of its kind). However, it’s clear that there’s still a long way to go!

Miss Paternoster Curriculum Leader of Geography Issue 1 2014 Page 7

Y EAR 8 TRIP TO THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

On the 23rd and 24th October Year 8 students visited the Grayson Perry work which was exhibited and on show for the first National Portrait Gallery. The trip was to support their studies time that day. He spoke to the students about his meeting with in Art, exploring a range of self-portraits. It was a lovely day Grayson Perry, how he took his stories and turned them into the and a wealth of inspiration was seen, from the Tudor and tapestry that was hanging in the gallery for the students to see. A Stuarts through to modern day. lovely day was had by all.

Throughout the day the students explored Miss Farrow the gallery, selecting work that they Art Department personally felt inspired by, completing drawings of the work in situ. Seeing the work in real life really filled the students with wonderment and awe at the scale, or originality, or sheer accuracy of what they saw. One painting in particular of Kelly Holmes, a photo-realism piece, really amazed the students, as they could not believe it was not a photograph.

Several students were also lucky enough to meet Stewart Hill, a Lieutenant Colonel, who was featured in the new

Y EAR 10 VISIT TO THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

19th November 2014

GCSE Fine Art students are currently working on a unit of work based on the theme ‘War and Conflict’. The visit to the Imperial War Museum provided the students with an opportunity to draw artefacts from direct observation, to acquire information and document their thoughts and feelings to generate ideas for their own work.

The Imperial War Museum has recently been renovated and contains a wide range of experiences linked to all wars. As well as drawing, students also analysed Art work produced by a variety of leading war artists. For example ‘Gassed’ 1919 by John Singer Sargent.

Taken as a whole, with its huge variety of objects and breadth of coverage, IWM London is an excellent and sensitively organized museum, with an important message for all generations. Highly recommended.

Ms Gurr Leader of Art Page 8 RGS Newsletter

HOUSE C HARITIES 2014-15

RGS CHARITY FUNDRAISING

MONEY RAISED IN TERM 1 &2 :

Raised By For Amount Maisie Orange organised a “Share a Star” Oakley Orange £140.77 cake stall

Whole School Tag Day Student Council £1,553.36

Big Band concert “Share a Star” £230.76

Maisie Orange organised a “Share a Star” Oakley Orange £103.09 cakestaff

Sixth Formers Football Match Heart Foundation £21.42

Maisie Orange organised a “Share a Star” Oakley Orange £147.29 cake stall TOTAL £2,196.69

From 3rd Sept to 13th December 2014 Issue 1 2014 Page 9

H ARVEST FESTIVAL 2014

Every year the staff and the pupils of RGS all contribute to donating foodstuff as well as creating some spectacularly decorated Harvest boxes. To start off the Harvest festival, we have a Harvest assembly where all the members of the school come to realise once again how much we have and it reinstates a great sense of thankfulness within the school; not just for the food that we have access to, but also for the opportunities we have, that so many others do not.

This is truly a time for reflection and gratitude from everyone in the school. After the assembly the boxes are then judged, not only by their aesthetics, but also by the generosity of the students. This year we were given the theme of ‘Harvest’ to decorate our boxes by, so we saw many excellent boxes; from Heinz tins to barns. For the third year running Cassidy won the Harvest Box competition, with scarecrows with teachers’ faces on them, driving a tractor. The calling of the boxes was very close, although the generosity of Cassidy just tipped the scales slightly, earning them the victory.

This is also how Harvest festival brings the school closer as students use their lunchtime to work together across year groups, creating friendships as well as competing for the best box between houses. Finally the food is given to a local Charity; Caring Hands in Chatham where the food can be used to support the less fortunate in our community.

By Hazel Woolmer, Yr13 Cassidy

#ENDEBOLA

The following Fitzgerald students have been raising money for the Save the Children charity in support of the ebola crisis: Abby Debell , Ashliya Pathania, Saoirse Deko, Tolu Kuku,Rachel Oxby-Parker. They have set up a page on the Just Giving website as #endebola and any donations would be welcomed.

The students raised money from baking cakes and selling them at lunchtime. Ashliya and Abby also organised a 10 mile walked to raise funds. They invested quite a lot of time in planning their walking route, practicing the walk by doing a mini 6 mile walk the week before and on Saturday 13th December completed the 10 mile walk. They set off from RGS and walked to Hoo and then back into Strood – taking 6 hours to complete.

So far they have raised a total of £527.73 for Save the Children - (£100 of which came from the cake and food sale at school).

Y EAR 7 PARENTS’ EVENTS

We all know that starting at can be very The second of these was our thinking and memory forum, as an daunting for students but this is also the case for many parents. To advanced thinking school we feel it is just as important to involve help parents feel a part of The RGS and address some of the our parents in these tools as well as the students. So as part of concerns they may have we have run a series of evenings this resilience week we held a parents forum which got parents and term. students working together to fully understand how all the tools work and how they can be applied to a wide range of subjects. The first of these was a chance for the parents to meet the Heads of House and look at some of the events that their daughters The third evening was more of a social meeting where parents got would be taking part in over the next term. It was also a chance to the chance to meet their daughters tutor to discuss how she has meet other parents and develop links with their daughter’s houses. settling into the school after her first few weeks, over a glass of Many parents expressed how useful it was to have time to meet wine and some nibbles. It was also a chance to find out about the their daughter’s new friend’s parents and find out information school’s Parent Association The RGSA and recruit some new about how they daughters would be supported through the year. members.

Mrs Britten Page 10 RGS Newsletter

E- SAFETY

In Term 1, Mr Anderson delivered the first e-safety session of the school year to Year 7 parents. The session focused around enabling parents and their children to engage in a learning conversation about being safe online. We looked at what students get up to online, the potential risk they may face, how to engage with children regarding their online activities and safety tools. The Internet is like the real world and there are parts of the real world where you would not want your child to go unsupervised and explore – this was the key message. Technology enhances learning and we need to ensure all children get the most from it, by encouraging responsible online behaviour (not keeping a list of their usernames and passwords!) Research from the Oxford Internet Institute and Parent Zone suggested supportive and enabling parenting has a more positive impact than restricting or monitoring internet use.

Mr Andersons top tips for being safe online:

Know what to do if something goes wrong – contact CEOP report, a parent, carer or teacher Never give out any personal details or contact details Think before you posts – whatever you post potentially can remain public forever Check your privacy settings on a regular basis Ensure your anti-virus software is up to date

Safer Internet Day 2015 10th February – watch this space for upcoming events .

R GS GETS BY- ELECTION FEVER!

th As I am sure everyone is aware, on 20 November, there was a Liberal Democrats both sent letters to the students responding to parliamentary by-election in Rochester and Strood. This did not specific questions they had asked. However, Naushabah Khan, the go unnoticed by the students at the RGS some of whom gave Labour candidate wanted to answer the girls in person. It is fair to speeches for differing political parties, some of whom played the say that she did not expect over a 100 of our students (from almost role of journalists and some were even able to ask direct questions all years) to turn up at less than one day’s notice to hear her speak. to one of the candidates. Furthermore, she said afterwards that some of the questions were among the most challenging she had faced in the whole campaign. Year 11 Citizenship students took on the role of journalists. Each I am not surprised as she received a determined challenge about student was allocated a political party (either Conservative, Green, her plans for Lodge Hill (particularly Sophie Curry!) and questions Labour, Lib Dem or UKIP) and was asked to write a letter asking she can’t have expected such as one on mental health provision in for clarification of their policies and ideas. Many of these letters the local area. were extremely strong, showing excellent research into what the candidates had said or what their parties stood for. The best letters I know it is normal to name the students involved in such articles, (some 30 in total) were sent off to the candidates themselves. but there were simply too many. And perhaps that is the biggest compliment I can pay to the level of interest that the girls showed. Meanwhile, the Year 12 Politics students also got involved. They were allocated parties and were then asked to prepare speeches to Mr Edmunds give to Year 11 in the hall. They then had the daunting prospect of Curriculum Leader responding to questions asked of them as if they were the actual candidates. Both the speeches by the year 12s and the questions chosen by the year 11s were of the highest quality showing passion and research on all sides. After the speeches and the questions, the Year 11s voted in an election, with the Greens emerging victorious with 31% of the vote (Labour were second, Liberal Democrats were third. Conservatives fourth and UKIP last-a completely different result to the “real thing!”)

Finally, there was the interaction with real candidates. BBC South East contacted me two days prior to their televised candidates’ debate wondering if there were 5 or 6 sixth formers interested in attending. They seemed dubious that anyone would show at short notice. In the event, 25 of our students applied for tickets and the BBC were so impressed that all were allowed to attend-showing how involved in politics our sixth form have become.

The short notice requests did not end there, however.as we Students and Mr Edmonds with Naushabah Khan, the Labour received three responses to the students’ letters. The Greens and candidate (in red). Issue 1 2014 Page 11

RGS C ELEBRATES WITH A MIXTURE OF STYLES

Many of the RGS pupils attended Rochester Cathedral for the school’s annual Christmas Carol service. It was an evening filled with a mixture of traditional carols and modern performance, each producing a beautiful sound. The evening was spiritual and welcomed in the holiday season with much festive cheer.

The Year 7’s performed ‘Walking in his care’, a sacred version of the popular song from ‘The Snowman’; they produced an angelic sound for such young voices. The new choir, the ‘Acabellas’, filled the Cathedral with harmonic music and the Gospel choir provided much rhythm for the evening. The orchestra accompanied many of the traditional hymns for the congregation and produced a warming sound, even though it was an extremely cold evening!

The choirs came together to perform a medley of well-known Christmas tunes.

NChant once again didn’t fail to impress with songs such as ‘Eatnemen Vuelie’ (popularised by the recent Disney movie ‘Frozen’).

All in all, the evening was enjoyable and was a fitting start to the Christmas celebrations.

Amber Gollay, Year 12, Cassidy 2

S ENIOR CITIZENS’ CHRISTMAS PARTY

Every year we hold a Christmas party for Christmas was on its way. Although our everyone’s faces whether it be because senior citizens, many of whom came from guests loved the quiz and the raffle it they won the raffle or a conversation that care homes and this year was another seemed that the star attraction for the made the whole table dissolve in smiles success. Every Year 12 played a part, from evening was the mountain of mince pies and laughter. One moment that will stick planning the event to spreading Christmas that quickly became a few crumbs on a with me is ‘Silent Night’ being played on cheer on the night. Each house was given plate. the piano, whilst several of the front table a different section of the party to be in sang everyone down the sides of the hall charge of, my House was given Admittedly some of us, including myself, hummed along. That moment for me decorations and we spent several hours had been apprehensive as the night grew summed up the evening, everyone came over a few weeks sorting out snowflakes closer wanting to make sure everything was together in a spontaneous few minutes of and paper chains. Entertainment for the finished and that it would meet our high festivity. After fretting over the minor evening included several very talented expectations. As with every great party things beforehand, it seems that simply pianists, a solo and group dance, as well however, all the stress and rushing around being there to share a few hours of as an amazing rendition of ‘Have yourself was quickly forgotten when the hall lights merriness with each other was what made a merry little Christmas’. With Year 12s were switched on with the fairy lights the night so enjoyable for everyone who attended. covering both the hall and themselves in around the tree and people started coming tinsel and festive music playing through the door. For me the highlights of Bethan Firmin throughout the evening it was evident that the evening were seeing the looks on 12 Cd3 Page 12 RGS Newsletter

S PORTS NEWS TERMS 1 & 2 FIXTURE INFORMATION Football against Fort Pitt where they won 9-3. Unfortunately the next game The U13 league this year has been particularly challenging and for the Year 9 team was against Invicta Grammar and they lost unfortunately, the U13 team lost their game against Westlands 4‑26 followed by a match against Rainham Mark which they also School, however the girls should be proud of how well they lost. Next the team played Chatham Grammar which was a very played as a team for their first match representing The tense first half but unfortunately Chatham Grammar picked Rochester Grammar School. The U14 team started the season themselves up in the second half and won. Next the Year 9 team with a 5-4 win against in a very tense attended the Kent Schools’ Tournament, this was an exciting day match. Their second match was against Sandwich, in which for all and it gave the girls the opportunity to watch some of the best they played extremely well and won 7-0. Unfortunately, their school teams play. After playing a total of eight games the girls next game was against where they finished 6th in their group, well done ladies! lost 0-3. The first game of the season for the U16 team was once again The U16 team won their first match against with against Fort Pitt where they played fiercely and won 17-5. The girls a brilliant score of 6-1. They then played Fort Pitt Grammar then lost their game against but pulled School where at half time the score was 1-0 to RGS. The girls themselves back winning their game against Rainham Mark 14-7. knew they had to continue to play their best to make sure the Their next game was against Chatham Girls which was win was safe but during the second half Fort Pitt came back unfortunately a loss of 12-25. Next the U16 team had their Kent even stronger. Luckily the Rochester girls continued to play the Schools’ Tournament where after a long day they finished 5th in way they were and they managed to score another goal while their group. The U16 team only have one match left to play, preventing Fort Pitt from scoring leaving the final score as a 2-0 against Rainham Girls, we hope they can get back to their winning win to Rochester Grammar. Regrettably their final match was ways for this match. Good luck ladies! less successful with a loss against The . The U19 team started the season with an extremely tense match The U18 team won their first game against Hayes 2-1. against Invicta Grammar where after a good fight for the win the girls lost 8-12. The next day the same team had their Kent Schools’ Netball Tournament where they played a number of matches in which they th The Year 7 a team played their first ever match against Fort Pitt experienced wins, losses and draws and they placed 4 in their with a superb win of 11-3. Regrettably their winning streak did group. not continue with a 0-3 loss against Rainham Mark Grammar School. The Year 7 team still have a number of fixtures and a Cross Country tournament to come and we wish them luck in their future Once again there were brilliant results by the RGS girls in the cross matches. country, which took place on Thursday 20th November at the Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School. The RGS team were The Year 8 team played their first match of the season against the overall winners, making it a four wins in a row for The Fort Pitt where they also won. Unfortunately the next two Rochester Grammar School! The Year 7 team came 3rd, the Year games were harder and they lost both their matches against 8/9 team came 2nd, the Year 10/11 team came 1st and Sixth Form Rainham Mark and Chatham Grammar School for Girls. The team came 1st! Well done girls! There have also been a number of Year 8 team also have a number of matches and a tournament students who have been invited to the next stage of the competition to come so we hope that they are able to get back on their and we wish them all the luck in this. winning streak.

The first game of the season for the Year 9 team was also

RGS HALL OF FAME

In assemblies at the start and end of term, students’ and staff achievements outside of school are celebrated. Some of these can be seen below.

Millie Powell 12Cd6 In Millie's IT lessons last year they were learning about augmented reality, which Millie is really interested in and is keen to pursue as a career. Mr Carr set the class some work to do which meant researching the subject. Whilst doing this, a link to a European company appeared. They were running a competition to design a children's app using augmented reality (AR). Millie entered this competition, sending off her design and ideas. It was a competition open across Europe for under 18's. Millie won! She won an iPad mini and tickets to attend an AR conference being held in Munich during half term.

Ms Chapman took part in a 20 mile obstacle race that involved running up and down Mount Snowdon. For those of you not in the know, Man vs Mountain comprises the following: run to summit of Snowdon from Caernarfon. Run down to Llanberis. Climb the ‘vertical kilometre’ (a timed 1km race within a race, with a height gain of 260 metres). Run some more. Abseil. Jump into freezing water. Play around on some inflatables in a lake. Negotiate a couple of dry land obstacles. Finish. Collapse. Total distance: 22.5 miles. Total climb: 1600(ish) metres. Issue 1 2014 Page 13

RGS HALL OF FAME

Mrs Bailey sails with her husband in a dinghy called a buzz and regularly takes part in competitions over the country and Europe. On 6th June, she became the National Champion in the Buzz – she received a trophy and a crew trophy. In July, she travelled to Lake Iseo in Italy to compete in the Europeans and in October she came second in the inland Championships at Northampton sailing club. Being a geographer, knowing all about the ebbing and flowing of the tides and the prevailing winds obviously gives her a competitive advantage!

Simren Chug 9By 4 has taken her grade 7 in public speaking and communication skills. “Outside of school I take part in Trinity Guildhall public speaking exams in both communication skills and performing text, prior to my exam I have around 4 sessions of preparation, with my tutor Mr Watson. I have recently done my grade 7 exam in communication skills which I passed with merit and my performing text which I passed with a merit.”

Grace Ibrahim 10By3 – completed her D of E Bronze award and had to walk 27KM for the expedition and camp in Sittingbourne. The award required her to walk for over 27km and camp outside for 3 nights in Sittingbourne, volunteer at charity, participate in extra physical activity for 3 months and build on her skills for 6 months, along with about 100 other girls in Year 10.

Molly Hepburn 7By 2 passed her Arts Award at the higher level and got her certificate from Junior School a few weeks ago. “When I was in my last year of , I achieved something I never expected to. I got my Arts Award qualification number 2, after the Arts Award Discover. I had to visit my group leader, Mr Smyth, each lunch time about it and planned various activities such as the Big Arts day where we designed, made and learnt many things. We also had to plan a day in which we would become the leaders of a Year 3 class. We had been taught various skills to pass on to the children. Our books, at the end of our two year course, were to be sent out to the administrators to examine and see if our work and presentation was good enough. Thankfully, it was, so we didn’t have to start all over again. At the end of it all, all thirteen of us each received a certificate from the Trinity College of London and a medal. It was so much fun and exhilarating.”

Louise Penhaligan 12 Cd1 came 1st in the Trampolining championships for Kent

Xara Kofi-Opata 9Cd1 came 2nd in the 200m at district athletics

Olivia Webb 8Cd2 has competed in the European champion competition for cheerleading where they came 1st and this has won them a place at the world competition next year.

Rebecca Hollister 12 Cd2 – came 3rd in her street dance championships.

Ellie Masters 7Fz2 – Came 1st in the ‘Copper Beeches Art Competition’, meaning that her work has been displayed in a local care home. Copper Beeches care home in Borstal offers specialist Nursing care for individuals with Dementia in a supportive and comfortable environment. Ellie Kenney 8Fz3 – Came 2nd in her ‘Classical Ballet Dance Duet’ in the under 14’s Kent Competition.

Molly Millar 8Fz5 – Has had a WW2 inspired drawing of hers displayed at her local museum as part of the Romney Marsh Wartime Collection.

Zoe Iyaniwura 9Fz5 – Has been accepted into the ‘Premier Division Netball Team’ for the junior Medway Netball League.

Lacey Martin 11Fz4 – Has recently gained a Distinction in her ‘Musical Theatre’ exam. Lacey has also recently played the role of Sandy in Grease, performed at the Central Theatre in Chatham.

Jessica Edwards 9Hg2 came 3rd in national ice skating competition

Alexandra Crockford – completed a half marathon to raise money for a new barn at her stables

Amrita Takk, Oliver Wheeler and Gabriela Cuison, along with the rest of their National Citizen Service group, raised over £1200 for unit 1 skate park in Rochester as part of their social action project for their NCS qualification. They hosted a quiz night, sponsored silence, won a grant by O2 and Barclays doubled this.

Emma Lambkin 9Tm4 has been selected to train with the Kent Development Squad in Hockey.

Elsa Burdett 9Fz5 has gained the Kent Girls Champion award for Orienteering.

Rijuta Pattnayak , Imogen Lang and Amy Campbell won their race in the junior 18 years old sculling quad category, with a time of 10:43.

Abigail Negal’s sculling crew won the junior 17 years old four category, with a time of 10:59. Her crew also won our Adults four category with a time of 10:14. In this race they also won fastest women’s time of the day out of all women competitors.

Lucy Laraman – Street Dance Troupe competed in the World Championships in Germany. They came 2nd Page 14 RGS NEWSLETTER

RGS HALL OF FAME

Amrit Dhadwal (13P), was always destined for big things in the world of journalism when, at the age of 12, she had an article written in a National and International newspaper about her poem. Now, at 17, following her own independently arranged work experience at Trinity Mirror she has progressed to writing for The Sunday People. Writing at a level suitable for the reader of a national newspaper in itself became a challenge that proved fruitful when in August Amrit's by-lines were printed in the paper. Since then, Trinity Mirror traced Amrit through Twitter to make contact with a view to commissioning her to do some paid work. She visited a media event about the endangered Lemur in association with a documentary film release. She had an opportunity to meet and interview the producer as well as staff at the resort to collate material for an article she submitted to Trinity Mirror for publication. Her article entitled ‘We’re best of primates’ was published on 21st September in The Sunday People. The school is very proud of Amrit’s achievements and we wish her every success with her future in this field. Let’s keep an eye out for more of her articles in future national newspapers. Issue 1 2014 Page 15

L OOKING AHEAD — I MPORTANT DATES FOR TERM 3 & 4 2015

Tuesday 6 January Start of Term 3 6-16 January Year 11 Exams 6-9 January Year 13 A2 Mocks 13 January Year 10 Dip Vaccination 14 January Year 12 Parents’ Evening 19-23 January RGS to Liege 21 January Year 11 into 12 Evening

28 January Year 13 Parents’ Evening 30 January Year 11 into 12 Taster Day 30 January Final of RGS Young Musician of the Year 4/5 February Year 7 Globe Theatre Trip 4 February Parents’ Forum – Enriching Learning Experience 9-13 February RGS to Berlin

16-20 February Mid Term break

Monday 23 February Start of Term 4 23-27 February Year 8 Core Exams and History/Geography 25-27 February Year 12 AS Mocks 25 February Year 10 Parents’ Evening 27 February Year 8 Ypre Trip 2-6 March Leige to RGS 2-3 March Year 12 Geography Trip to Juniper Hall 5-7 March School Production 11 March Year 8 Parents’ Evening 16-20 March Berlin to RGS

17 March Year 10 Men C Vaccination

18 March Parents’ Forum – How the teenage brain works and dealing with stress 20 March Year 8 Kew Gardens Trip 25 March Year 8 Options Evening 1 April Parents’ Forum – E-safety 2 April Last Day of Term

3-17 April Easter Holiday

Monday 20 April Start of Term 5

Reminder: The full School Calendar can be found on the Learning Platform in the Parent and Community Zone drop down box.