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-Strood 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.