Hampton Gardens Newsletter
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Issue 11 24 May 2019 HEAD OF SCHOOL’S NEWS A very warm welcome to our May Newsletter. It has been another very busy and eventful half term and I hope that you will get a feel for that as you read the articles in this issue. We completed the Year 7 parents’ evenings this month and I would like to thank all of you who attended and for the positive comments that were made to the staff and myself on these evenings. It is so important that parents are involved in their children’s education and I believe that the high turnout on these evenings is further evidence of staff and parents working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for our students. I would like to congratulate Year 8 for their conduct and the way they approached their end of year exams this half term, teachers are busily completing the marking of these exams and I look forward to celebrating the results with them after half term. Straight after half term is the turn of Year 7 with exams in Maths, English, French, Science, Geography and History. Again, these exams will take place in the hall under full examination conditions. It is important from the outset for students to understand the importance of examinations and how they should conduct themselves in a formal setting. Obviously different students approach exams in different ways, and for some it can be a very stressful and anxious time. I have already had stu- dents approach me in the corridor asking me what the pass mark is and are worrying about failing. I have stressed to students, and would ask you to discuss this with them at home as well, that there is no pass or fail, these exams are an opportunity for them to show what they know and to demonstrate that they are working at their minimum expected grade, or in many cases are exceeding this. The best way to avoid stress is to be prepared and I would urge all students to spend some of their holiday revising using in- formation provided by their teachers or online resources such as Mathswatch. You will find a copy of the timetable in this newsletter so that you are aware of what day each exam is on. If a student is ill on the day of an exam, we will arrange for this to be completed on their return to school. Congratulations to all the students who sat the UK junior Maths challenge earlier this term. This is a national competition for Year 7 and 8 students where they apply their Mathematical knowledge to some very challenging questions. Over 40 students received recognition of their success with either a Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate. A special mention goes to Peter (Year 7), Jack and Lukas (Year 8) who all achieved Gold. Sporting success continues to dominate the headlines as you will see in the sports pages of this newsletter, but I wanted to congratulate the Year 8 boys football team who regained the Peterborough Schools’ Cup Final with a win over Hampton Col- lege. I would like to wish the girls who have been selected to compete in the County Netball trials next month, 9 in total, the very best of luck and hope that they are successful in gaining a place in one of the County hubs. Now summer is finally here the students are immersing themselves in the summer sporting programme and I am looking forward to Sports Day on Friday 21 June when everyone takes part to help their form compete for the cup. Inside this issue: Hampton Garden News and Information 1 - 5 Attendance and Positive Points Leagues 6 Physical Education Department News 7-11 1 Diary Dates and Term Dates 12 Hampton Gardens Hampton HAMPTON GARDENS NEWS Following on from the very successful STEM day that we ran for Year 7 on the collapsed day, preparations are under way for our next event on 25 June. This day will be run in conjunction with Hampton College for Year 8 students including a careers fair and science demonstrations. We are always on the lookout for parents or their family members and friends who work in local businesses who would be willing to give up some of their time to talk to the students about their careers. If you feel that this is something that you could help with, could I ask you to please contact Mr Heald ([email protected]) and we will arrange a time to make this happen. Recently we have been approached by a number of parents requesting permission to take their children out of school during term time on holiday. Whilst I am sympathetic of the reasons why you may want to do this, as a school these absences will be recorded as unauthorised according to HAT policy regardless of the stance taken by other schools. Finally, we are looking forward to the end of the term and the enrichment week activities that will take place during the final week. These days will last from Monday to Thursday, with all students returning to school for a final half day on Friday. Mr A H Greenwood Head of School National Spelling Bee Competition Congratulations to Gabriel and Zara on their success in the Regional Semi-Final of Translation Bee at Queen Katharine Academy on Tuesday 14 May. Both students scored exceptionally well; Gabriel translated 20 sentences from English to French (that's one every 3 seconds!) and Zara translated 23 (one every 2.6 seconds!). They competed against 15 other schools in the Central region, most of whom were Year 9 students. To have reached this far is an outstanding achievement. Translation Bee Competition A huge congratulations to Gabriel, Zara and Lukas for their win in the Translation Bee Competition on Wednesday against Hampton College. These students have dedicated every Wednesday lunchtime to Translation Bee Club and their hard work and determination has paid off! Each student had 1 minute to translate sentences from English to French in three tenses, with high scores of 21, 17 and 18. Maths Challenge Congratulations to the 110 Year 7 and Year 8 students that were selected to take part in the National Junior Mathematical Challenge on Tuesday 30 April. The challenge was an excellent opportunity for our students to showcase their ability to prob- lem solve in the hope to receive an award. Out of these pupils and many more across the country, only the top 40% received a Bronze, Silver or Gold award. It was a great success this year and Hampton Gardens School were awarded 3 Gold, 15 Silver and 27 Bronze certificates. A huge congratulations to anybody selected as this is still a great achievement, and an even bigger congratulations to those receiving awards. Mrs Williams is looking forward to handing the certificates out after half term. 2 Hampton Gardens Hampton WE NEED YOUR HELP! On Tuesday 25 June we are hosting an exciting day focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers with a cross trust event for Hampton Gardens and Hampton College Year 8 Students. We are looking for local employers in- volved in STEM related careers to join us for a careers fair in which students will have the opportunity to meet employers, discuss careers and learn more about working in STEM. If you have any contacts or know of any employers that would be in- terested in supporting this event, please contact Mr Heald ([email protected]) to register an interest. 3 Hampton Gardens Hampton HAMPTON GARDENS SIXTH FORM NEWS Lessons in communication What connects a classic party guessing game and the body language of serial killers in a court room? Well, if you are a Year 12 Health & Social Care student the answer lies in how we com- municate – either when we are trying to make ourselves understood or when we are trying to hide a lie. As part of their studies into effective communication, the students have experimented with a number of activities designed to answer the questions, ‘Am I good at communicating?’ and ‘What am I telling people without even realising?’ They learned about verbal communication by playing the classic ‘Who am I?’ game with Post-it notes on their foreheads. And they watched footage of a murderer in the USA evading ques- tions but still giving away the truth through his body language. And what about ensuring all students are communicating their ideas, even in a crowded class- room of stronger personalities and louder voices? Teacher Mrs Carter had a novel idea of bring- ing in two cuddly toys to pass around a circle of students. Only someone holding a toy could speak and the circle wasn’t broken up until everyone had had their turn. “It meant everyone had their say,” said Mrs Carter. “There‘s no doubt that all these practical lessons have helped the stu- dents become better talkers and listeners. Maybe you’ve noticed at home?” Year 13 last class The time has come to say goodbye to the Year 13 Health & Social Care students who have had their last lesson together be- fore exam leave and then off to university. Teacher Mrs Carter laid on a small party with cakes and Hawaiian garlands to mark the occasion, and said: “The students de- served a special send-off. They have worked very hard over the past two years and can be proud of their achievements.” The students have all gained places at university, added Mrs Carter. “As you can imagine, it’s a fascinating mix of degree courses including Paediatric Nursing, Primary School Teaching, Psychology, Criminology and Art Therapy.