Chestnut News Date: 16 June 2017 Issue No: 55 MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Dear Parents This week has been dominated by the tragic events in west London and our thoughts are with the families and friends of Grenfell Tower. I have personally written to the Headteacher of Kensington Aldridge Academy which is at the base of the tower and have extended our sympathy to the community and have offered to assist in any way possible. The tragedy has obviously raised questions about fire safety in large buildings up and down the country and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that our new building is safe and meets the highest fire regulations. Yesterday we met with the developers and they were able to provide us with reassurance that the new building does not have anything similar to the cladding seen on the Grenfell Tower block. Professional Day Friday 7th July is a staff professional day and the school will be closed to students. End of term The last day of term will be Thursday 13th July at 12.20pm. Students will return to school after the summer break on Wednesday 6th September. We will be writing to parents over the next couple of weeks to explain the induction process for all students into the new building. Appointments during school time If your child needs to leave school early for an appointment, then a note needs to be written in their planner confirming the time you wish them to leave school, what the appointment is for and the supporting letter from the hospital etc. if you have one. Please do not text or call the school unless it’s an emergency appointment. Your child will need to have their note authorised by their RSL and they can then be signed out at the school office. If they do not have a note, this will delay them leaving school. Water bottles A reminder in this hot weather please, to ensure your child brings a water bottle to school and fill it up at break and lunch time. TERM DATES 2017 - 2018 First day all staff (& Year 12 Monday 4th September enrolment) First day Year 7 students only Tuesday 5th September (& Year 12 enrolment) First day all students (& Year Wednesday 6th September 12 enrolment) AUTUMN TERM Year 13 enrolment Thursday 7th & Friday 8th September First Day Year 12 & 13 Monday 11th September Half Term 23rd October - 27th October Last Day of Term Tuesday 19th December Christmas Holiday 20th December - 1st January First day (for staff) Tuesday 2nd January First day (for students) Wednesday 3rd January SPRING TERM Half Term 12th - 16th February Last Day Thursday 29th March Easter Holiday 30th March - 13th April First day Monday 16th April SUMMER TERM Half Term 28th May - 1st June Last Day Friday 20th July STAFF PROFESSIONAL DAYS (students do not attend school) Friday 29th September, 2017 Friday 24th November, 2017 Tuesday 2nd January, 2018 Friday 6th July, 2018 PARENTS’ EVENINGS Year 12 & 13 (meet with tutors) - Wednesday 18th October, 2017 Year 10 - Wednesday 6th December, 2017 Year 7 - Wednesday 10th January, 2018 Year 11 - Wednesday 24th January, 2018 Year 12 & 13 - Wednesday 7th February, 2018 Year 9 (Options Evening) - Wednesday 7th March, 2018 Year 8 - Wednesday 21st March, 2018 Christian Kingsley Headteacher HEADTEACHER’S COMMENDATIONS Headteacher’s commendations this fortnight have been awarded to Kristina Carolina for outstanding PBE work, and Kane Johnson-Hauldren for his amazing design and technology project. Both students will receive 100 Vivos. DANCE Who... Ranya Bakali, Stacey Beasley, Matilde Blais, Megan Boyle, Jaden Dathorne, Callum Edwards, Kacey Elder, Reva Felix, Shanae Latouche, Lilian Merz, Daeana Richards, Juan Carlos Salvatierra and Lily- Rose Wood What... On Tuesday 23rd May, the Year 10 GCSE Drama students were developing their understanding and practical skills of physical theatre. The lifts that we explored in the lesson will help improve the students creativity and ability to perform challenging movements when devising group work based upon the current play that they are studying ‘Hard To Swallow’. All the students worked exceptionally hard in the lesson, developing vital communication and team-work skills needed to excel in this subject. I was very impressed with their focus and commitment throughout the lesson, well done guys! Ms Hodkinson Dance teacher CRICKET TRIPS ICC Champions Trophy On Monday 5th June students from Year 8 and 9 had the opportunity to attend an ICC Champions Trophy match at the Oval between Bangladesh and Australia. Mr Rahman did his best to recruit a strong fanbase for Bangladesh by handing out “Tiger posters” but the arrival of three Australian fans close to where we were sitting seemed to sway our female students into supporting Australia. Although the weather was not exactly perfect for cricket, we were able to enjoy the whole of the Bangladesh innings before the rain set in. I think all our students had a great day out, and for some this was their first trip to a cricket match - Thanks to the Oval for offering our school free tickets. It was also wonderful to see one of our ex-students - Azharul, who is now a steward at the Oval. He was a very good cricketer who represented Chestnut Grove many times, so it is great to see he has landed himself a job doing what he loves. Mr Hallsworth PE Department Surrey vs Kent On Friday 12th May, a group of girls from Chestnut Grove had the opportunity to experience a day in the Kia Oval Stadium. We watched a great match, Surrey vs Kent, and as if that wasn’t enough, there were lots of fun activities that we could participate in. Some examples are: the cricket factory, eating hot dogs (best thing EVER!), amazing free face paint and bowling practice drills. The professionals were incredible and we learnt a lot more about how the game is played. These are some of the opinions that the (Year 7) girls on the trip had about it..... “It was an amazing experience, we had lots of fun and we learnt more about cricket!” Manuela - 7 Kahlo “It was so much fun and I enjoyed it a lot.” Tenley – 7 Kahlo “It was a very exciting day and I was fortunate to have experienced it.” Molly – 7 Kahlo “It was really fun because we got to have amazing face paint and eat popcorn while we were watching the fabulous game!!!” Poppy – 7 Da Vinci Ms Keane i.c. girls PE WEAVING WORKSHOP Earlier on in the year teachers from several of our feeder primary schools attended a weaving workshop led by Miss Kench. The teachers then devised, planned and delivered a weaving project back in their own schools and classrooms. The efforts and results are amazing, so if you are at all interested in anything Textiles then please come along and have a look for yourself and be inspired! Where: Art Pavilions 3 and 4 on the 29th June 2017. FRIENDS OF CHESTNUT GROVE COMEDY NIGHT - 28TH JUNE 2017 Comedy Night tickets are now available on ParentPay at £10 per person which includes entry and a meat or vegetarian chilli (please email [email protected] to reserve a vegetarian chilli). Please bring along family, friends and neighbours – please also invite any new Year 7 parents who you might know.Please note this event is for adults only. We have a great line up for the night as follows: MATT RICHARDSON Matt started doing stand-up in 2009 when he was 18 and finally quit University and his job in a lettings office to become a professional comedian at 20. In 2013 he co-hosted ‘The Xtra Factor’ on ITV2 with Caroline Flack and since then has made many TV appearances including ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ ‘Fake Reaction’ ‘Sweat the Small Stuff’ and ‘Celebrity Juice’. He will be on tour later this year. PATRICK MONAHAN Patrick Monahan is adored by his audiences everywhere! He performs all over the UK and Europe and has appeared in far-flung hotspots including Dubai, Bahrain and Costa Rica! www.Ents24.com placed Patrick 3rd in the ‘Top 20 Hardest Working UK Comedians List 2016’ and in 2015 they placed him at number 1 for playing the highest number of venues in the UK. In 2015 he won the Stand Up For Labour Act of the Year comedy award, which is voted for by audience members at the events. His many TV appearances include ‘Weekend’ (ITV) ‘Safeword’ (ITV2) ‘Celebrity Squares’ (ITV) ‘Fake Reaction’ (ITV2) and ‘The One Show Edinburgh Festival 2015’ (BBC1). DAVID MILLS London-based American actor and comedian David Mills has a sharp-suited, cocktail-lounge-lizard image which belies an acerbic wit cut with fire-and- brimstone rants! His smart observations on contemporary life are set to superb comedic delivery alongside witty banter and salty sarcasm. Expect spikey comedy and irreverent commentary for grown-ups! David also works as an actor and can be seen in FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS which stars Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. MATTHEW BURDEN Matthew Burden won the “Stand Up For Yourself” comedy talent search at the Fairfield Halls in 2014 and is a regular performer at The Hideaway Comedy Club in Streatham. He hosted the Future Pro Wrestling live show 2011-2016 and is the current show host for International Pro Wrestling in Selsdon. Matthew is also the host for the Croydon Comedy Festivals ‘Live at the Utopia’ and can currently be seen presenting online for online store A Place in Space. DOORS AND CASH BOOD SERVED FROM 7.15pm to 7.45pm. SHOW STARTS 8PM to 10.15PM WITH AN INTERVAL – RAFFLE HELD AT THE END.