Weekly Bulletin – Week 20

It’s been a very busy week in tutor time this week. On Monday year 7 found out all about the Winter Olympics, the events and Team GB potential successes. They are creating a medal tally, let’s hope they get to fill in some medals on the chart!

For Tuesday’s tutor time the EDI committee had created a presentation on the Lunar New Year. Students found out that on 17th February it’s going to be the year of the Horse and this represents speed, strength, and independence and is associated with optimism and forward momentum.

On Wednesday the topic was children’s mental health week and students discussed the theme for this year which is ‘This is My Place’ This is based around belonging and how we can feel a sense of belonging and help others feel like they belong.

On Thursday, ahead of Ramadan, students learned about this festival and the key aspect that all students are encouraged to practice inclusion by supporting those who are fasting and making sure everyone can participate in school life. Also that everyone should remain open to learning new things about Ramadan and showing respect for different cultures and beliefs.

Year 7 finished off the week with the Friday quiz, we will see who tops the leader board after half term.
Finally I am delighted to say I popped into Science club last week and saw students taking part in a very exciting woodlice experiment led by Ms Smith. They were enjoying the experience very much and learning lots about this creature’s habits.

Congratulations to the Year 7 Basketball team who won their final match 23-0 v Hampton High. The opposition voted the following 2 members of the team as the players’ players; Isabel M & Jemima P. This means we topped our league and will be through to the final after half term. Well done to all who played.

Here are the three students at the top of the individual epraise leader board this week:
Arya Y (7EHA), Alice J (7FBO) & Brooke B (7EHA). Well done to Vanessa G (7EHA) & Poppy K (7SSN) who have earned 100 epraise points since starting in September.

The top three Year 7 tutor groups for epraise this term are: 7SSN, 7FBO and 7EVA. The overall leaderboard sees a new form at the top with 7EHA in first place, 7FBO in second and 7SSN in third. Keep earning those epraise points.

Last week 7FBO were the highest scoring form in the weekly quiz. Here’s the answer to the general knowledge question posed last week; What is the main language spoken in Egypt? Arabic is the official and most widely spoken language in Egypt, used in government, education, and everyday life. However, most people in Egypt study English at school too.

A reminder that the Year 7 parent consultation evening takes place on Wednesday 25 February, with appointments taking place between 4-6.30pm. The bookings portal opened last Thursday for you to book appointments with your child’s subject teachers. There is now the opportunity to make further appointments for the forthcoming Y7 Parents’ Evening as of 12pm on Thursday 12th February.

We hope you all have a lovely half term next week. A reminder that students return to school on Tuesday 24th February and it will be week B.

Have a wonderful half term!

Mrs Bashford-Hynes, Head of Year 7

This week Year 8 recently enjoyed a fantastic whole-year theatre trip to the Rose Theatre in Kingston to see The Boy at the Back of the Class. The production brought Onjali Q. Raúf’s powerful and moving story to life with sensitivity, humour and heart. Students were fully engaged throughout and responded thoughtfully to the themes of friendship, empathy and understanding others’ experiences.

The visit offered a valuable opportunity to see a professional theatre production in a fantastic local venue, while also deepening students’ learning beyond the classroom. Behaviour was excellent and many students commented on how impactful and memorable they found the performance. It was a thoroughly enriching experience and a real highlight of the year for both students and staff.

This weeks ePraise winners were Ava J SDE, Maya G EHO and Natalie S SDE, a very well done to those students and our final tutor group award of this half term goes to 8PCO with a fantastic 2284 combined points.

As we come to the end of the half term, I would like to congratulate all our students on how hard they have worked over the past few weeks. Their commitment, resilience and positive attitude to learning have been a real credit to them and to the school.

We hope everyone enjoys a well-earned and restful half-term break. Please remember that Monday 23rd is an INSET day, so students will return to school on Tuesday 24th. We look forward to welcoming them back refreshed and ready for the next half term.

Have a wonderful half term!

Ms M Rook, Head of Year 8

We have had a fantastic final week of what has been a busy start to the year and Year 9 has continued to impress both myself and their teachers. In form time this term we have been completing activities for Children’s mental health week and the theme this year is ‘belonging’.

We know that our sense of belonging as individuals, in our friendships, in school, and in communities plays a vital role in our mental health and wellbeing. To know our place and really feel part of our environment is a basic human need. It can have powerful and long-lasting impacts in lots of areas of our lives, including our physical and mental health, education, employment and relationships. When we feel that we belong, it empowers us to contribute to the world and make a real difference. In year 9 we encourage each other to be kind and thoughtful at all times and we pledge to continue to work on ways to encourage a sense of belonging.

It was wonderful to welcome you into school this week for our Options Evening presentation and the options booklet has now been shared with you and with students. We encourage you to spend some time discussing choices and pathways with your child over the half term – please note each pupil has a form in their google classroom to complete. Any queries related to options can be directed to the dedicated email address: ks4options@waldegravesch.org.

Our top three epraise forms this week are as follows – 9 PIR with 1672 points, 9FDR with 1293 points, 9SHU with 1279 points – keep up the great work! Well done to all of our students who have demonstrated the enjoy, achieve and empower aspects of school life this term.

This week saw the start of the Winter Olympics. Higher, faster, stronger – together. Nations from all over the world have gathered in Italy as athletes strive for their best on the biggest global stage for winter sports. The world is watching – and cheering – I would encourage Year 9 to watch some coverage of the games over the half term.

We have many talented athletes in year 9 one being Daisy G in 9EDA, this week she proudly represented Waldegrave, competing for Richmond Borough Schools at the Middlesex Schools Championships on a tough course in Harrow. Daisy finished an impressive 16th place and helped Richmond come 1st place in the Borough Team Standings – huge congratulations to Daisy – we are proud of you!

I am sure everyone is looking forward to the half term. Students are due to return to school on Tuesday 24 Feb.

With the break it is a good time to replenish any stationery or clothing that is required. We encourage you to remind your children about the key expectations around uniform, lanyards and chrome books. This will enable Year 9 to put their best foot forward and continue in the same positive way that they have started the school year. I look forward to welcoming them back into school with a spring in their step – ready for the second part of the Spring Term!

Have a wonderful half term!

Mrs N Lyddon

As we finish another half term, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our Year 10s on their incredible work. I know that for some this has been a challenging start to GCSEs, but we hope that they are getting into better habits in terms of revision and homework as we move into Spring Term 2.

Our assembly this week by Mr. Bannister was an incredibly inspiring assembly on LGBT+ Month which runs thoughout February. This year the focus is on science and innovation . We were given 5 key historical figures throughout time and I know that the students found it engaging and thought provoking.

Our top forms for epraise this week are: 10POR, 10FCO and 10EMU and our top students for epraise points: Viktoriia M, Anastasiia M and Maisy N.

Today was very exciting as a number of our students took part in a portrait photography experience with photographers from the National Gallery. You can see pictures and read more about this on our website.

We do hope that you have a wonderfully restful half term. Please can we remind parents that we do not allow fake nails, false eyelashes or unnatural hair dye. While we know some Year 10s will do this for events in the holidays- can I remind you of our uniform expectations when we return to school.

Many thanks in advance for your support. Have a lovely half term!

Mrs O Mortimer

This week in form the tutor groups learnt about the celebration of Ramadan and Lunar New year with both of these calendar events starting on Tuesday 17 February. Our EDI committee therefore created informative presentations about the importance of Ramadan and why it is celebrated by many. Hopefully the students found this to be informative.

Congratulations to 11ERU for getting the most number of epraise points from the most number of teachers. This really shows that students are trying consistently hard across a whole range of subjects. Good work!

After half term, students will be starting their mock exams. We have been really impressed with the number of students who have attended the intervention sessions offered and who have been staying late after school. Well done! Hopefully students will find these mocks useful and be able to get useful next steps to improve from the feedback offered.

A reminder that fake/painted nails are not allowed in school. If your child gets this done over the holidays, please ensure that it is off by the first day back.

Have a lovely weekend!

Mrs H Porteous