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 and since then has made many TV appearances including ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ ‘Fake Reaction’ ‘Sweat the Small Stuff’ and ‘’. 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.

General emails to [email protected] Follow us on Twitter (@FriendsofCGA) or join us on our Facebook page Friends of Chestnut Grove. ART DEPARTMENT

At the beginning of the year the art department had serious FOMO when they saw the language specialist lapel badges, so immediately ran a competition for our art specialists to create their own lapel badge design! Izzy Gander in Year 8 won and they have finally arrived, so now all art specialists are now proudly wearing them!

Ms Kench FUNDRAISING FOR SIERRA LEONE

In the May half term Mrs Ong travelled to Sierra Leone with the charity Street Child. Chestnut Grove has done some fundraising for Street Child when they held a Chestnut Grove’s Got Talent evening at the school which raised vital funds for this charity.

Street Child aim to get children off the streets and into education or reunited with family members, many of whom are orphans of the Ebola crisis. They implement long-term, sustainable projects such as family business loans in order to support this work as well as immediate, short-term solutions such as providing school equipment for students.

Mrs Ong participated in workshops run by Street Child where she heard from inspiring, local people and learnt more about who and what the charity supports. She also visited some of the projects while she was there which included school visits and watching an amputee football match. The main event of the trip for the 170 international runners who travelled to West Africa was the marathon which has raised over £230,000 for Street Child so far. With the help of Chestnut Grove, Mrs Ong has now raised £2,700 herself! CHESTNUT21

Firstly to share some success with you. Thanks to the efforts of students, parents, the Friends of Chestnut Grove, staff and supporters, as well as the generosity of trusts and foundations, we have now had over £238,000 received in funding, in kind or pledged for the future towards Chestnut Grove Academy. This is an amazing achievement and will provide an impact on students here for years to come!

We continue to work hard to maximise opportunities for students through external funding and will keep you updated with success.

MAKING YOUR MARK CAMPAIGN

If you would like your brick to be included in the first group of bricks that are put up, or you want to be one of the first chairs named in the Drama Hall, please ensure that you make your payment by parent pay AND send me the form downloadable from the website www.chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk/Chestnut-21 by Friday 7th July 2017.

Donations from the bricks will be used towards the facilities in the grounds of the new school, and those from the chairs will go directly to the sound and lighting equipment needed in the new drama hall.

Any questions then please contact me on [email protected]

THAT OLD CHESTNUT

You may remember a few months ago we asked if there were any mementos from the old building that you would like to keep. This could be a door handle, science stall, sign etc. We already have a number of requests, but we are able to consider any others that we receive by Friday 30th June. All that we ask is that you make a donation for it. Please do contact me with any requests on [email protected]

SAINSBURY’S VOUCHERS

WE HAVE BEATEN THE NUMBER COLLECTED IN 2015 SO THANK YOU! Please do bring along any that you find between now and the end of June to be included in the count!Thank you for your help and I will report back with news on what we purchase with them in the next issue!

EasyFundraising

Finally, we have already raised over £450 through this - you can actually book holidays, flights and travel insurance through the scheme as well as shopping etc. This is all at absolutely NO COST TO YOU! Please do consider logging on and purchasing things online through the scheme - you can find us at www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/chestnutgroveacademy/

YEAR TEAMS

YEAR 7

Year 7 have finished their exams but are keeping up with their studies. I visited maths this week and saw the students exploring shapes and nets. The students were very eager to learn and displayed excellent resilience, ensuring all work was completed correctly.

I would like to remind all parents and students that during the school day students are representing the school and should be in full uniform. This includes ties knotted correctly and of appropriate length as well as wearing black school shoes.

As we approach the final few weeks in the term I hope we continue with the excellent progress and behaviour we have shown since starting in September.

Mr Stokes Raising Standards Leader Year 7

YEAR 8

Year 8 are exploring a very important and current issue affecting millions of people across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Our students are learning all about the migration crisis. In this day and age it is essential that humanitarian crisis are not presented as distant issues; we must expose them to the harsh challenges many millions face if we are to cultivate empathetic, global citizens. Therefore, in relation to the migration crises, Year 8 are learning:

The causes and being able to • describe and explain them • evaluate the most important and least important causes • describe the origin countries of people migrating from Africa • explain the most popular route and why it is so

European view on migration • be able to explain the positive and negative impacts of migration on Europe.

Management and solutions • Describe and explain a number of management methods. Ms Gostling teaching an outstanding lesson - • Suggest a sustainable management/solution so fantastic to see our Year 8’s engaging with this proactive and highly emotive material. proposal based on what they have learnt so far. Well done Year 8! In other subjects:

• PE have been making the most of the pleasant weather when possible by playing a fantastic game of soft ball. Larry (8 Kapoor) on the ball, Maceo and Tomas (8 Hepworth) nailing some home runs. Excellent preparation for sports day on the 10th July. Well done Year 8!

• SCIENCE Geology! Mr Wilson teaches a very engaging lesson exploring the history behind the formation of our planet. Outstanding responses from Rahsaan and Valentina (8 Kahlo). Year 8 have a keen environmentalist spirit it seems!

A massive thank you to all the parents that attended parents evening last month. 81% Attendance - really positive atmosphere in the hall and some excellent learning conversations taking place. If any parents reading this were unable to attend, please contact your child’s tutor through the school office and they will be happy to help arrange communication between yourselves and your child’s subject teachers. Thank you!

On Monday 12th June, Ms Buchanan, Mr McCarthy and Ms Guerreiro took a group of Year 8 students to the Southbank University in Elephant and Castle to take part in a STEM learning day. STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. The students were: Gabriel Wilson Yasmina Brodie Nilan Patel Joseph Zimmerman Jake Lloyd Yusuf Ahmed Ayo Giwa Kaela Clarke Isabella Gander Madeleine McGuinan Ryan Carpio Gonzalez The students spent the day being led by university students, who at the end of the day answered young people’s questions about what it’s like to study STEM subjects at College and University. • Each student team worked on three of the following four activities: 1. E-FIT forensics 2. Robotics 3. Medical diagnostics 4. Vehicle activities All out students were fantastic. In particular well done to Gabriel and Yasmina for designing the best designed and fastest car. Also, very well done to Yusuf and Ryan for the strongest diagnosis of an illness in the medical section of the day. This even led to these four being presented their awards by the Mayor of Southwark! If you would like to know more, visit the link below for details of the National STEM programme. www.stem.org.uk/about-us

Mr McCarthy Raising Standards Leader Year 8

YEAR 9

Dear all,

We are rapidly coming to the end of the year and soon students will start on their new journey as GCSE students. I feel very privileged to be able to continue that journey with them and look forward to seeing them through the next two years of their education. However, some students need to ensure that they continue to remain focused in their current lessons. Whilst we appreciate that some students have now decided which subjects they will pursue in Year 10, it is not acceptable for them to stop doing the required work in other subjects. It is exciting to know that you are going to do what you want to do, but we still have to ensure that all students fulfil the requirements of their education this year. I’m sure you’ll agree and support us in this.

Year 9 have now moved into their GCSE sets in English and Ms Smith has said that they have all transitioned well and that the English teachers are very impressed with them.

In two weekend’s time, the second Duke of Edinburgh trip will take place. Sixty-eight students will be walking a further 25 miles carrying all of their equipment, clothing, food, stoves and tents. I’m sure you will join me in wishing them the very best of luck and clement weather.

Ms K Striesow Raising Standards Leader Year 9

YEAR 10

Opportunity for Year 10 students - Pan Out - Cooking with Confidence!

Do you want to work in food? Well we have the course to help you get started! But it is going to take your passion and commitment.

‘Pan Out – Cooking With Confidence’ will help you to get job-ready to work in a café, restaurant or catering environment.

The course will provide an introduction to professional cooking, customer service and food safety.

There will be three kitchen training sessions, over the course of three weeks, as well as the requirement that you complete training to make sure you are in a good position to get the job you want.

Are you ready to start your career in food?

Interested students need to apply for the workshop by writing a letter to Ms Fletcher stating why you should be selected and what your plans are in the industry.

Mock exams – 26 – 30th June 2017

A copy of the exam timetable and revision tips is available on the Academy website. http://fluencycontent2-schoolwebsite.netdna-ssl.com/FileCluster/ChestnutGrove/MainFolder/ Krystel/Y10/Y10-Mock-Exam-Dates-June-2017-final.pdf

University Workshop –Today I was among a group of triple science students who took part in a workshop with university students. We were all very happy to have been part of this. The two students explained to us about university life; this has helped me, and other students to look at university from a different perspective. A lot of us are interested in going to university. Later on in the workshop, we discussed our beliefs and ethics and it was a great opportunity to share our opinions and perspectives to help us get a better understanding of each other. We ended the day with a debate about ethics. This was a phenomenal opportunity for us all to experience others’ views and beliefs. We gained a better understanding of morals and society in general, thinking about why we believe the things we do. We are all looking forward to another workshop with these university students.

Sonia Zia, Head of Year 10

Volunteers are crucial to the success of the summer reading challenge at Tooting Library, we are one of the busiest Libraries in London and last year nearly 1000 children joined the summer reading challenge here. So your help is vital in ensuring a successful summer.

In order to finish the challenge and get their certificate and medal children need loads of encouragement, and that’s where volunteers come in.

Your Primary job will be to give a little time to each child, each time they come to the library, listening to what books they have read, giving them the right prizes and cards along the way and also giving them loads of enthusiastic encouragement. So as many children as possible not only start the challenge but have the impetus to finish it too!

Volunteers will also be asked to help with general library jobs such as tidying books to keep the library looking spick and span even when we are really busy and if you want to I am very happy for volunteers to get involved with summer events such as story times and crafts and displays.

We do rely on our volunteers so please do turn up for any agreed shifts and let us know if you can’t make a shift

We can take a fairly large number of volunteers and I am happy to sign people up throughout the summer so if you know anyone else who might be interested, please tell them to come and visit me in the library.

Finally: if you have ideas please let me know! I’m always keen to hear of new things we can do to make the summer in the library even better!

THANK YOU we can’t do it without you! Ms Fletcher Raising Standards Leader Year 10