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20 January 2023

Maths Student of the Week

Eva 9T - for asking for help when she is stuck and so making sure she gets her work correct!

Well Done!


Y7 Geography Reading Group

Monday evening, 16 January, saw the launch of the Year 7 geography reading group, which CASCA has provided funds for. 

Ms Boardman expertly read us chapter one of Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, followed by a lively discussion of some of the geographical themes raised. 

I can't wait until next week for chapter two!

M Evans 
Head of Geography 


Y7 Reading Success 

All Year 7 students have one English lesson each week devoted to individual reading. During this lesson they are helped to choose appropriate books and encouraged to read at home.  

To give their reading some structure, all students work towards bronze, silver and gold awards. 

1) For the Bronze Award, students have to read 5 books by 5 different authors and complete a short written activity for each book. We expect most Year 7 students to gain this award. The focus of the silver award is wider reading. 

2) For the Silver Award, students have to read 10 books from different genres and complete a short written activity for each book. 

3) The focus of the Gold Award is literary merit. To gain the Gold Award students must read 10 books chosen from a list of recommended books and complete a short activity for each book. 

Only a few students gain Gold award each year. I am pleased to congratulate Lily and Kyoko both from 7T who have completed their Gold Award.   

Here is a poem that Kyoko wrote about one of the books she read for the Gold Award.  The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson is a mystery story. The young detective is a boy whose life is severely restricted by OCD.


The Goldfish Boy

My name is the goldfish boy
Some people think I’m mad.
I love sparkling clean surfaces
It’s really not that bad.

I sit at my window,
Watching the world go by.
And sometimes when I’m particularly bored,
My mouth lets out a little sigh.

I notice things other people don’t,
Especially on my street.
Like when Mr Charles from number 2
Forgot to dress his feet.

The secret box under my bed,
Isn’t as cool as you think.
A box of gloves to fight the germs,
Unlike the spooky hidden stink.

I’ll clean all day with no reason
Till I'm completely satisfied.
Sometimes when it’s just too much
I’ll close my eyes and say, “I tried”

My name is the goldfish boy,
I wasn’t always like this.
But when my poor sister died,
My life fell into a deep abyss.

Well done!

Susan Green 
Librarian


Y10 Product Design 

Year 10 Product Design students have made a fantastic start to their GCSE. They've been exploring animal forms from cats to reindeer, and used them as design inspiration in their Zoomorphic Lamp project. I'm always so impressed with their creative thinking and thought we'd share and celebrate the variety of outcomes.

 

Ms Ronayne
Head of DT


Holocaust Memorial Day Young Artists Competition

Jacob’s (Year 13) portrait of a Bosnian survivor was selected as a winner in the Holocaust Memorial Day young artists competition and will be shown in the advertising space at Piccadilly Circus on 27 January.

Along with other portraits, and photographic portraits by Rankin, it is currently being exhibited in Portcullis House in the Houses of Parliament. 

Here's a link to the competition.

Well done Jacob!


Weekly Wellbeing

Give Yourself a Compliment!

Do you ever catch yourself being overly critical of yourself, or thinking mean thoughts about yourself? 

Being overly negative or telling ourselves we are no good can really damage our self-esteem and can stop us from trying!

Giving yourself a compliment and practising positive self-talk is crucial to achieving a healthy mindset, boosting our self-esteem and giving us the confidence to accomplish our goals.  Give yourself credit for the things you do well, don’t take them for granted or brush them off as nothing.

Starting your day with positive self-talk focuses your attention on positive things and improves our overall wellbeing. Here are some examples you could try:

  • I’m proud of myself for trying
  • I forgive myself for my mistakes and I’m going to learn from them
  • I’m doing my best and that’s all that matters
  • Three things I did well today are…..
  • I am strong, I am smart, I am enough!