February 2013

Student Voice & Epraise Reward Assemblies

After two terms of the new school reward system, ‘epraise’ celebration and reward assemblies were held for all four Houses in April 2013. The assemblies were led by the outgoing Chairperson of the Student Executive Tommy Scudamore who gave an entertaining insight into the work of the Student Voice and Student Executive so far this year.

Congratulations to the 448 students who received the Bronze award (50+ points), 33 students who received the Silver award (100+ points) and the four students who received the Gold award  (150+ points)  epraise certificates during these assemblies.  This is not forgetting the amazing achievement of the one  Air house student who received their Sapphire award (200+ points).

Well done to Water House who are currently leading in the race to win the first year of the epraise Inter-house Cup and WRM who are currently at the top of the Tutor Group epraise league.

Students are able to use their epraise points in the on-line epraise shop or donate their points to their House Charity.  Earth House currently is the most philanthropic House with the largest number of donations to their chosen charity, the RSPCA.

The winners of the Interhouse epraise Cup, Tutor group epraise League and individual epraise student winner  of the year  will be announced in the end of term House Celebration assemblies in July. 

Year 11 Textile Final Products

Year 11 Textile students have been working extremely hard this term to complete their final products.
The students have produced some extremely technical and demanding products showing great creativity. They have worked from their own designs and through testing and modelling have created very individual pieces. Students have made dresses, tops, cushions and bags with care taken on the accuracy and detail. Their work will be exhibited at 'Arts on  Summer's Evening' in the summer term. We have been very impressed with their dedication and to high standard achieved this year.

Army ALD

Advanced Learning Day for some of our YR9 students was spent at school with the Army who travelled up from Aldershot to be here. Weather conditions meant that we had to be in the Sports Hall rather than outside but that did not spoil a really good, fun day spent doing group problem solving and tasks set by the Army. Our students were fantastic all day long and loved the challenges thrown at them. Leaders came to the fore but team work was the order of the day. All the students were wholeheartedly and enthusiastically involved.Tasks included dismantling and rebuilding a bridge with students blindfolded with a sighted student calling instructions out to them. Another was a seemingly impossible problem of how to balance three short planks of wood between three barrels in such a way as to support the weight of an adult. The girls were particularly good at this, much to the boy’s embarrassment! Building a structure in the style of a wigwam with large wooden poles and ropes that would be strong enough to support the weight of the whole team was a challenge too.

After lunch, the students were in a classroom and given the task of building a bridge using just a certain amount of card, string, thin wooden sticks and a metre of sellotape. It was a competition to see whose bridge supported the heaviest weight. The winning team were the excellent Michael Shrewsbury, Luke Stanton, Chetan Mistry, Joe Price and Callum Peyton-Bruhl with a bridge that held a whopping 16kg.

Many thanks to the Army for providing us with such a fun day. We’re looking forward to the next one.