Chestnut News Issue 29 |
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Chestnut News Date: 29 Jan 2016 Issue No: 29 MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Dear Parents STEM Yesterday morning Mr Ting took a group of students to a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programming and computing event at the Royal Institution. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students and the fact that they were all girls demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that more of our girls are encouraged to pursue careers in STEM subjects. Not only was the day incredibly enjoyable for all concerned, but we featured on the ITV news and were trending 3rd globally on Twitter. Please check #girlsinstem. Thank you to Mr Ting for organising this event and for giving our students the opportunity to participate in such a prominent event. We have a very active STEM club in school, which is run by Ms Barnett and Mr Stokes, please encourage your children to get in touch with them if they are interested in getting involved. Priority School Building Programme Next week marks the long-awaited started of our new build programme. The construction company Kier will arrive on site on Monday and will begin preparing the site for the demolition of the old sixth form block. I will keep you updated about the building programme throughout the construction process through the newsletter which you will continue to receive every two weeks. Bomb scares You will be aware from recent news items that there has been a spate of bomb scares at local secondary and primary schools. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that these have been treated as hoaxes or malicious communications by the police and have not had any credibility as serious bomb threats. Every incident will be treated on its own merit and we have robust protocols in place should such a threat be received by Chestnut Grove Academy. In the event of the school being evacuated it is likely that the police would need to search the building and therefore, I would have to send students home before the end of the school day, possibly without their belongings. I have drafted a letter which I would issue to all students enabling them to travel free of charge on London Buses. It might also be wise for you to have contingency plans in place . Mr C Kingsley Headteacher CHESTNUT GROVE ACADEMY STUDENTS IMPRESS LONDON MPS On Thursday 21st, January Chestnut Grove sixth form students travelled with Mr Taylor to central London to attend a select and highly exclusive drinks reception held at the London Capital Club, near Bank station. The guest speakers for the event were the Rt Hon Mark Field, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, and Dr Tania Mathias, MP for Twickenham, who spoke on the theme of This Government’s Priorities and the Economy, under Chatham House rules. Hearing two MPs speaking candidly and being in a position to probe them with incisive questioning, was a fantastic opportunity for the students, who responded brilliantly by asking searching questions on topics as diverse as Britain’s need for more social housing, whether the notion of ‘one-nation’ conservatism was dead, whether the Conservative party had a strategy for dealing with an ageing population and whether opportunity only exists for the academically successful. The evening ended with the requisite glad-handing of the assembled great and the good, but the learning experience and insight into how politics happens was immeasurable for this group of sixth formers. All guests commented on the quality of our students, on their mental agility and their ability to articulate their views in an unfamiliar, and fairly daunting, setting. Well done to those who attended and gave such a positive impression of the Chestnut Grove community. Mr Taylor Assistant Head/Head of Sixth Form Pictured left to right: (Back row) Cedric Akrong (Head Boy), Jacques McClean, Ephraim Conteh. (Middle row) Orla McBride, Chloe Burridge, Dr Tania Mathias MP, Sara Aouane (Head Girl). LONDON INDOOR YOUTH ROWING On Thursday 21st January, 12 students, from Year 7 and 8 represented Chestnut Grove at the Row 4 Results London Indoor Youth Rowing Competition. This year’s competition was held at the London Sea Life Centre, which gave the students involved the opportunity to explore the aquarium before the event. In preparation for the competition, we had the opportunity to take part in two training sessions given by experienced London Youth Rowing members. In these sessions they covered basic technique and students had the opportunity to race competitively. The equipment provided for these training sessions was a linked system of eight rowing machines, connected to a big screen. To replicate the experience of the main competition for our students who have had no previous experience of indoor rowing. The competition involved individual races, where every students’ distanced covered was recorded and went towards a team total. Year 7 students rowed for two minutes, and Year 8 students for three minutes. This made every students’ final distance vitally important for the overall team score. The students showed great resilience and determination in maintaining their effort levels in all races trying to gain every extra metre for the team total, even when not in contention for the race lead. Once all 12 students had raced, we nervously waited for the results, many of the students felt initial disappoint in their performances as we had not won many races! When the results were announced this disappointment soon changed, as Chestnut Grove had placed second, being only 26 meters behind the eventual winners. This was a great performance for a group of students who have only had two sessions using indoor rowing machines. With a second place finish, unfortunately we did not qualify for the national finals as a team. The coaches from London Youth Rowing were very impressed with the performances of the team as a whole and noted some remarkable performances of some individuals. Our second place finish has given the opportunity for the coaches to return with their indoor rowing equipment to run another session, giving students the opportunity to attempt to qualify for the national competition as individuals. Following on from the success, London Youth Rowing will provide the opportunity for students to have an experience of an on-water rowing session later in the summer term. Mr. Tobin Head of Physical Education FOOTBALL BEYOND BORDERS Believe in yourself and hard work: this was the message from this week from England’s World Cup star Lianne Sanderson as she sat for an interview with 9 Turner Debra from Football Beyond Borders. Sanderson gives excellent advice about believing in yourself and chasing your dreams. A confident Debra started the interview well, getting Lianne to cheekily admit she only came to the interview for the chance meet Debra. Check out the rest of the interview below. Football Beyond Borders is an organisation that uses football to help young people in London. Debra was rewarded for consistently practicing FBB values. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je4GjRdsYZw CHESTNUT GROVE MAKES THE NATIONALS WITH THEIR PRIDE CAKE! Chestnut Grove students competed during Anti-Bullying Week to create a rainbow cake in aid of Educate and Celebrate, an LGBT charity that seeks to educate young people about rights for all. Our students produced a range of outstanding cakes and a small group of students secured a place in the finals. They will have to make a cake live in front of an audience at Urswick School in Hackney. The theme this year is LGBT History and the cakes will be judged on originality and the ‘wow’ factor. LGBT History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans history and the campaigns that have taken place, and continue to take place, to secure human rights for all. This half term, Chestnut Grove students will be learning about LGBT history and wearing badges to raise awareness. Our LGBT society, called ‘Embrace the Rainbow’, is run by Sixth Former Mia Burgess and takes place every Wednesday. We are proud to announce that Mia has recently been nominated for Wandsworth Young Person of the Year for her work in this field. Jo Taylor ‘EDUCATE AGAINST HATE’ GOVERNMENT ADVICE Education Secretary Nicky Morgan presented a new government website last week called ‘Educate Against Hate,’ comprising of advice for parents and teachers on how to protect children from radical views. She promoted the site in a speech she gave last week at Bethnal Green Academy, an East London school that has been working hard to promote best practice in this area, since 4 girls from the school left for Syria. The site offers guidance from different charities including the NSPCC. Extremism comes in many different forms and can be defined as a form of violence, or a situation in which people hold violent views, that serve to further a political ideology. At Chestnut Grove, we recognise that young people may be vulnerable to pressure to adopt views that might be deemed radical or extreme. Protecting children is paramount at the school and, as such, students learn about different factors that can make someone vulnerable to gang involvement, sexual exploitation and extremist ideologies. Students in all year groups consider issues of identity and belonging, how to discern propaganda and recognise that the media may be biased, and how to respond to others with kindness and respect. This year we have already focused on disability, race and LGBT awareness in our ‘Equality Focus of the Half Term’ campaign and will consider issues of gender, immigration and belief for the remainder of the year. Any parents who are concerned about these issues or the safety of their child or peers in general should contact the school safeguarding officers: Ms Jackson or Ms Jolley.