Griffin Guidebook

The Griffin Guidebook “Griffin United, We wont be divided”

THE STRENGTH OF A LION, THE POWER OF AN EAGLE What does it mean to be a Griffin?

TACTICS TO WIN

CONFUSED ABOUT ANYTHING GRIFFIN?

Competition MERITS VS. HOUSE POINTS Champions Griffin.

Keep reading.

THE DIFFERENCE

Cambridge Home School Online

Table Of Contents Chapter 1 What is a House?

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The House System

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Chapter 2 Griffin House Responsibility Roles What does it mean to be a Griffin?

General Griffin Events

Chapter 3 Chapter 3.1 Merit Opportunities

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The Big Guns

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Chapter 3.2 Study Tips

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population graph STATISTICAL EVIDENCE: HOW MANY GRIFFINS ARE LEGENDS?

LEGEND LEGEND

NOT A LEGEND

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The Past

A Collection of the times Griffin House was No.1 on the leaderboard

Griffin house 1766 House Points

Summer Term

2023/2024

Griffin house 1247 House Points

Spring Term

2023/2024

Griffin house 609 House Points

Spring Term

2021/2022

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NGRIFFIN NGRIFFIN NGRIFFIN NGRIFFIN NGRIFFIN NGRIFFIN NGRIFFIN VA

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G R I F F I N H O U S E

What is a House?

Houses are student communities. Each House competes for the House cup which is awarded at the end of the academic year. The objective is to earn house points by participation, engagement, and involving oneself in competitions to not only broaden each of our experiences but help us develop as an individual.

In other words, Houses are the good type of competition!

If you’re reading this, it means you have been assigned to the best and most esteemed house of them all: Griffin. With the utmost seriousness: the only thing standing in our way are the other Houses, Pegasus and Phoenix. We must do everything in our power to defeat them and valiantly claim our rightful place as champions.

Phoenix The road to the House cup won’t be an easy

The Pheonix is known for its ability to be

one, Griffins, which is why we have two

born again. It wouldn't hurt to destroy

forces opposing us. Besides Pegasus, the

them right? They’ll just rebirth. Don’t be

fiery creature that is Phoenix circles our

afraid to be ruthless, Griffiners. We fight

throne.

with honour, kindness, respect, and with all we got! Don’t hold back

The colours of Pheonix house are Orange and Red. Red is a bright tone, isn’t it? These vibrant hues belong to those secondary houses. Griffin House has more elegant, muted tones..flaunting our brilliance with eye-catching colours would be a little arrogant.

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Pegasus

G R I F F I N

Pegasus, the horse of Greek Mythology. A worthy challenge. You’ll find them everywhere (an incredibly common species that is Pegasus students, indeed).

Their statement colours are Blue and Silver. Blue is a colour that symbolises trust, loyalty, and tends to calm the viewer. WRONG. As our competition, we need to be keen and perceptive.

We can’t let them sneak up on us. One day your focus will be on Phoenix, when you should’ve been looking out for the horse all along.

Pegasus House has established themselves as a winged horse assassin. Your classmates, friends, teachers, even the man behind you could be part of Pegasus house. Stay away! Here in CHS, we treat everyone with kindness and respect..as Griffins we offer no help and let the pony trot on.

H O U S E

Goodbye 4-legged goats.

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ouse System H e Th

Merits Merits are the basic unit. These are the

These precious jewels are what we need to

rewards teachers send you for participation

gain. You acquire them through house

and such. 10 merits equate to a full house

competitions and merit opportunities (since

point. House points are larger than merits.

they’re converted). More information on

In other words, if in a decision, participating

how? Checkout our tactics in chapter 3.

in a task that gains house points rather than merits would be the correct tactic.

However, don’t forget Griffins that if you win house points, they won’t be counted as merits and added to your personal student merit count. If you obtain merits they are automatically turned into house points, but this doesn’t mean you lose the merits!

When you earn merits, you gain house points.

House Points It’s imperative that every student within Griffin house understands the House system to effectively calculate and strategize accordingly.

If you gain house points, you only get house points.

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Some tasks win merits, others house points.

G R I F F I N H O U S E

Griffin House Responsibility Roles Below are brief descriptions of every leadership role within Griffin House. This hopes to give Griffiners insight to what these roles may entail and introduce them to their Griffin Leaders.

Griffin House Captain The Griffin House Captain is the leader of the house. This role involves coordinating events, guaranteeing Grffiners keep informed on the opportunities CHS provides, inventing new Griffin establishments to cultivate community and gain points, fostering a sense of unity and positivity, and representing Griffin House in the best possible light!

Griffin Deputy House Captain The Griffin Deputy House Captain supports the House Captain in all duties including ensuring the House spirit never falters and everything runs smoothly. This role is vital in assisting in the organisation of house activities.

Additionally, they also serve to plan and come up with ideas. Both the Captain and the Deputy run Griffin House as leaders of the sky!

Griffin Prep Mentor The Griffin Prep Mentor is dedicated to guiding and managing the Prep Griffin students. This student comes up with innovative ideas and events customised with Prep students in mind. They oversee all activities and initiatives related to the Prep side of Griffin House. This helps Griffin manage all students from every level of CHS.

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Griffin Design Officer The Griffin Design Officer is the creative genius

G R I F F I N

behind all swaggy Griffin merchandise! They oversee the design team while contributing valuable artistic input, brainstorm merch ideas, ensuring that all products reflect the identity of Griffin House.

Griffin Social Ambassador The Griffin Social Ambassador is the heart of our house’s social network. This individual sends out check-up messages, encourages interactions, and inspires a sense of community by engaging with house members through simple, friendly questions like "What’s everybody's plan for the holidays?"

H O U S E

Griffin Brainstormer The Griffin Brainstormer is the Griffin leadership team's lightbulb! The Griffin Brainstormer comes up with ideas constantly. Creating official and creative slogans (Griffin United, we wont be divided’) is just one of the many contributions from this role.

Moreover, they set up meetings to inspire and motivate Griffin students-fanning our undying spirit!

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What does it mean to be a griffin?

Spirit, Strength, Majesty To be a Griffin is to embody the very essence of courage, strength, and majesty. Like the mythical creature with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle, a Griffin symbolises the fusion of power and grace.

In the arena of friendly rivalry, Griffins stand out not just for their fierce determination, but also for their noble spirit and relentless pursuit of excellence. They soar above challenges with the sharp vision of an eagle, spotting opportunities where others see obstacles, and tackle every task with an open mind.

We form doors, driving our own pathway to success.

To compete as a Griffin means to inspire others with your valour, lead with integrity, and strive tirelessly for victory while uplifting your teammates. Griffin house doesn’t just hold a spirited community but a family.

Griffin House is the home for hearts of violently vibrant spirits. Our members have an unyielding enthusiasm for life and a ruthless dedication to our ideals. Together, we form a place where every individual’s light shines brightly, our strengths conflated into puzzle pieces of a Griffin warrior. This radiant and dynamic energy that defines us is what makes us the best house in Cambridge Home School.

In every endeavour, we uphold the legends that is our house.

“Griffin United, We Wont be Divided”

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Termly griffin Assembly

G R I F F I N

In every academic year, there are three terms: Winter, Spring, and Summer. At the end of each term we have house assemblies-your termly meet ups with your house!

In Griffin House assemblies we recognise the brilliance of certain students who have made a valuable contribution to the house during the term, promote more merit opportunities, and socialise with some games! Some of our most popular activities are our ‘meme economy simulation’, ‘name that tune’ and ‘chase’ with Prep Griffins.

ask SHH.. nd arou use o h n i griff d out n i f to eme m e h t who is king

H O U S E

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Merit

Opportunities Join Think BIg The Think Big committee hosts regular events such as engaging debates, lectures from distinguished hosts, academic discussions and more. For the lecture series CHS has hosted mathematicians, poets, forensic scientists, mountain climbers, doctors, CEOs and historians!

Besides broadening your horizons through knowledge from experts, you get 5 merits for every event you attend.

Every contribution counts.

Book Reviews CHS amazingly opens it’s E-library to all students so you can read for free! Write a short book review from a book you’ve read on the school’s E-library and send it to Mrs. Trafford to earn merits.

Our school has given us this amazing opportunity to access knowledge and the Griffin Leadership team will ensure that we inform you of all the ways a Griffiner can contribute. The E-library is especially helpful when you’re just itching to read a book, or the sequel, check it out! You might just find what you’re looking for without even moving from your seat.

Contact Mrs. Trafford if you’re not sure about your log in details.

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G R I F F I N

debate club Joining the school’s debate club earns you 5 merits. Debate club, hosted by Mr. Dowling, has discussed a range of thought provoking and enjoyable discussions such as ‘This house believes that AI is the best thing since frosted doughnuts’ and ‘This house believes that the world would be a better place if run by women, and those who identify as female’.

Enrich your vocabulary, elevate your public speaking skills, immerse yourself in the world of debaters!

The Cambridge Collective

H O U S E

The Cambridge Collective (CC) is an essential part of the CHS. Join for 5 merits at the cost of meeting new people, making friends, and having a few laughs! Any student can participate or join meetings at any point throughout the year.

Joining CC meetings means taking part. This could mean contributing ideas and opinions, helping decide the magazine theme, being a writer, proofreading for the magazine, managing layout design, and illustrating unique drawings.

Furthermore, The Cambridge Collective sends out a message for their issues asking for articles. Merits are awarded per person, 10 merits for each. Keep those eagle eyes wide open to watch out for new CC updates!

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Bake-off Club Bake-off Club is extremely popular within the community of CHS. Hosted

by Mrs. Murray, students join from across all levels to indulge in fun and food! You earn 5 merits for sharing a picture of your delicacy and a tasty treat along with it.

Griffins, we are multi-talented; let’s do this!

The Head Teacher’s Challenge Keep a lookout for a new HTC, where students are given a variety of offscreen tasks to complete for house points. The purpose of the challenge is to help students balance their online life, whilst earning rewards for their efforts. For their well-being and their house.

Completing one HTC task earns you a whole house point- and if you complete all tasks you get bonus points!

Class Participation Generally good participation and class effort can earn you many merits. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and raise your online hand!

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T.H.E B.I.G G.U.N.S G R I F F I N

trustpilo

Writing a trust pilot review for CHS

golden tickets for House Points!

Writing a review of CHS on trustpilot is not only an

view re

and taking part in house competitions are

t

Link to t!

Truspilo

effective way to show off how fantastic the school you

SUBMIT NOW!

are in is, it also earns Griffin 10 House points! 10 house points amount to 100 merits in just one go!

Each Griffin student can decide whether to request that

Dont deprive future Griffins

their parents write a review, or they could write it themselves!

Either way pushes our house one step closer to the house cup.

from the chance of..well..being

Kindly inform Mr. Boylan, the

a Griffin! Submit your review!

e

mpeti o c ti A new house

s on

Hou s

Deputy Head, once completed.

competition is usually announced

every term to bring house members together in a collective effort to win house points.

House competitions might include the Season of Giving challenge, House Art competition, House Origami competitions, and more. Every entry earns Griffin extra

ART. H SKILL. O TALENT. U S E

House Points!

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SUCCESS EXCELLENCE GRIFFIN. As part of our sole mission to win the House Cup, sharing study tips and resources will help us grow as an academic and earn merits along the way! Some of you will contribute to Griffin House by excelling in your studies, gathering merits for your dedication and discipline.

Below are some useful tips worth implementing in your study routine.

Blurting Blurting is where a student reads a section of material and then immediately tries to write down or "blurt out" everything they can remember without looking back at the text. Blurting is otherwise known as ‘active recall’.

This helps reinforce memory retention and identify areas that need review.

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Watching Youtube Videos

Spaced REpetition

Watching YouTube videos can help visual

lash cards involve reviewing concepts and

learners to better understand and

ideas at increasing intervals to enhance

memorise topics. Change it up a bit-

long-term memory retention.

G R I F F I N

listening to others taking about new subjects could be the key to a good

Well known flashcard makers would be

grade!o fa

ANKI and Quizlet. Creating flashcards are quite time consuming. Thankfully, there are pre-made sets; search the website

Pomodoro technique

and take a look.

Past papers

The Pomodoro Technique involves

Past papers let you identify trends in

studying in short, focused bursts (usually

mark schemes and review a big part of

25 minutes), followed by a short break.

the subject’s syllabus. Mark schemes can

It’s important to prioritise breaks and

be very specific about the phrasing of

avoid burnouts!

answers, so trying a few out can be helpful.

There is evidence to conclude that allowing your brain to rest and relax

You can know the concept and still not

helps you regurgitate information better.

earn the marks.

Studying for 6 hours not stop is not the way to go.

H O U S E

taking a nap

Mind Mapping

Yes. Take a nap. Research shows that

Mind mapping helps condense concepts

nap improves our long term memory

to make them easier to learn. It can help

retention. Naps help us retain the

you see the big picture and understand

information while earning some rest.

after absorbing new material, taking a

the relationships between different pieces of information.

This technique is best used when attempting to comprehend a block of information. You’ll realise it wasn’t a block to begin with!

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the feynman technique The Feynman study technique involves learning a concept by teaching it in simple terms (maybe to someone younger than you) and breaking down complex ideas into straightforward language. It helps refine an explanation until it is clear and understandable.

Try teaching a sibling, parent, or friend (an activity you can try during group study sessions).

Once you can thoroughly explain a certain topic to someone else, you know you’ve mastered it.

Richard Feynman American Theoretical Physicist

past papers

Link to Papa Cambridge

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flashcards, active recall

Link to ANKI

G R I F F I N H O U S E

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“Griffin United, We wont be divided”