HM Letter to Parents April 2017

HEADMASTER’S LETTER CHIGWELL SCHOOL

APRIL 2017

T0 PARENTS

Dear Parents Once again, in the blink of an eye it seems, the end of term is upon us. As always, Chigwell pupils have packed a huge amount into the last few weeks and they should feel very proud of all that they have achieved, some of which is outlined in the following pages.

Contents Page 1

Mick Fenton Tommy Redhead Blue Calendars School Fixtures Summer Ball Staff News

Page 2

Trip to Italy

Page 3

Trip to Ghana

Page 4

Trip to Iceland

Page 5

Duke of Edinburgh

Page 6

Duke of Edinburgh Old Chigwellians’ Dinner

Page 7

Epping Forest College

Page 8

Careers Convention Speech Day

Page 9

And Finally

Mick Fenton

School Fixtures

worked devotedly for the School since

many students have important public

Very sadly, Mick Fenton, who has

During this busy time of year when

1987 as a member of the maintenance

exams, we would appreciate your

team, passed away over the weekend.

continued support in encouraging your

He was a skilled member of the team

sons’ and daughters’ commitment to

and a loyal member of the school

sporting fixtures throughout the term.

community, and examples of his work are all around the School. He will be

Summer Ball

deeply missed and our thoughts and

A ticket order form and details of the

prayers are with his wife and family.

Summer Ball to be held on the evening

of Saturday 8th July are being been sent

Tommy Redhead

out by e-mail. This is always a very

Congratulations to Tommy who has

popular event and you are urged to

played for the ISFA U16 national

apply for tickets as soon as possible as

representative side throughout the season

and

the

team

they are allocated on a first come first

remains

served basis.

undefeated. Over Easter they travelled to Germany and played three games

Staff News

including one against Hertha Berlin,

We are delighted to welcome Miss Heidi

a Bundes League side which ISFA defeated 3-1.

Baber who joins us as a teacher of PE

ISFA have commented

this term to help cover Mrs Miranda

on how well Tommy and indeed the

Baldwin’s maternity leave. We hope she

whole team have represented English

will be very happy here.

schoolboy football.

Mr Steve Jeffs who was Catering

Manager for Chartwells has decided to

Blue Calendars

leave Chigwell after five years. In his

As usual, the Trinity Term calendars are

place, we welcome Mr Guy Kaye and we

being distributed to pupils who should

look forward to working with him.

also bring home a copy.

1

Trip to Italy

During the first week of the Easter

leaving behind many buildings and

Lower Fifth to Middle Sixth boarded

back 2000 years into Roman culture; the

holiday, a group of pupils ranging from

giving pupils an opportunity to look

several trains and embarked on a

Colosseum in Rome, where some of the

classical adventure to Italy, exploring

pupils re-enacted a gladiator fight with

Naples for two days and then Rome for

great enthusiasm; the Palatine Hill,

another two. The classicists looked

standing above the Roman forum and

round amphitheatres and catacombs,

the Circus Maximus, all of which the avid

discovered ancient towns and modern

classicists among the cohort enjoyed

day Rome, and even climbed a volcano.

exploring. The group enjoyed exploring

There were many highlights of the trip, some

being:

the

excursions

Italy and understanding more about the

to

incredible world of the Romans. All in

Herculaneum and Pompeii, towns

all, a wonderful trip for everyone

devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius

involved.

in 79AD, but remarkably preserved,

2

Trip to Ghana

On 31st March ten Lower Fifth students

and two members of staff set off from

Heathrow to Accra, Ghana. They went

to work with the charity "The young shall grow" supporting poor rural communities in Ghana. Their task was to

work in a school in the Keta region teaching English and helping to improve the facilities.

Two weeks later they arrived back at Heathrow having made some wonderful

friends in Ghana. They travelled to the rainforest, braved 40m high rope-ways

above the forest, saw the horrors of the slave trade, fed monkeys sitting on

their arms, witnessed poverty and hardship, and worked with the most

welcoming, supportive and joy-filled people on Earth. Living with power cuts,

high temperatures, unreliable water supplies and poor roads was a challenge;

however, the group says that they will never forget the warmth of the people.

They opened their lives to the Chigwell

party and showed them how to relax and be filled with joy.

3

Trip to Iceland

A group of mainly Middle Sixth geography

students visited Iceland during the Easter break to bring to life the geographical features and processes they have studied

within the subject. The students visited the Blue Lagoon, a popular man-made

geothermal spa of crystal clear water and

the only site on earth where it is possible

to swim in 40°C water all year round; the sun was shining and the students described it as one of the most memorable

places they had visited. The visit to the Blue Lagoon was followed by visits to

three stunning waterfalls and a geyser situated in south-western Iceland that has

been active for over 10,000 years. Other

popular attractions during the visit included Thingviller, the national park where

Iceland’s

parliament

was

established in 930AD which is also scoured

by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Rift valleys are

clearly visible where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates pull apart at around 2cm a year. However, arguably the most stunning part of the trip was the

chance to see the northern lights.

4

Duke of Edinburgh

During the second week of the Easter

break fifteen students from the Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth completed the DoE silver canoe training and practice

expedition at Fairlop Waters and the

River Chelmer. The first two days were focused on paddling skills, rescue

training, equipment, camp craft, route planning exercises and navigation, and

this was carried out at Fairlop Waters.

The second phase was the practice

expedition where the group completed a one day and one night expedition

remotely supervised, and completed a 15km route on the River Chelmer. The group camped close by the river at

Hoemill Lock and they are now fully prepared to tackle the qualifying

expedition in June where they are

planning to paddle a section of the River Thames from Lechlade to Abingdon.

This is the first year that students in the Removes have been able to take part in the Bronze DoE award following changes to the DoE scheme.

The

expedition section is split into three sections;

training

day,

practice

expedition and qualifying expedition.

Over the Easter break seventy-one pupils completed the training day and

5

Duke of Edinburgh

practice expedition. The school DoE

Old Chigwellians’ Dinner

with girls on one and boys on the other,

Chigwellian

team ran two separate training days

Throughout

initially at school with lectures on

by some sixty Old Chigwellians and

location was Skreens Park near Roxwell unaccompanied 18km walk.

organises

the Lansdowne Club in London attended

The practice expedition included

Old

Over the holidays, there was a dinner at

kilometre walk in the Hainault Country activities

Association

the

keep them in touch with their school.

planning exercises, followed by a 12

where

year,

events to bring O.C.s together and to

equipment, camp craft and route Park area.

the

partners.

an

I would encourage current

Chigwellians to stay in touch when they

leave and to play their part in keeping the O.C. network strong.

6

Epping Forest College

Last term, I was shown around Epping Forest College by the CEO and Principal,

Ms Saboohi Famili. After a difficult period, a great deal of work is going on to

help the College improve and this includes the recruitment of new college

governors. I have attached a letter from Ms Famili explaining more and if you would like to find out about becoming a governor at the College, I know she

would be delighted to hear from you.

YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE NEEDS YOU! Are you committed to seeing the young people in our community c get the best possible education and life opportunities?

Do you believe in lifelong learning? And, that academicc pathways are not always the best route to success for some young people?

Do you want to live in and support a thriving and vibrant local community?

for!

If your answer to any or all of these

As you probably know, Epping Forest College had a poor Ofsted report last year. The College is improving fast, leaving the shaded past behind and working hard to be the best technical and vocational provider of education in the local community. There T is no question that this is a highly exciting challenge for our newly appointed Senior team m at the College who are adamant about turning the fortunes of the College around and d turning it into an outstanding provider of education by 2020.

S 2016. We have I was appointed the new Principal of Epping Forest College in September already started our journey on a pathway to excellence, with green g shoots of success visible throughout our operation and organisation. This is reported in our recent Ofsted visit recently published on the Ofsted website. Within a very short period p of time, we have been able to assess the shortcomings of the College accurately and have h worked with the government agencies to ensure that we respond swiftly and deecisively to the challenges we face. We have a forthright and no-nonsense approach which iss complemented by a passion for excellence and drive to succeed with a caring and compassionate ethos to embed a culture of high expectation and continuous improvement.

Our visionary board of governors is determined to support the College in its mission. The

Board strongly believes

ability to make the difference that is needed. However, we cannot do this alone. W We need the support and help from our community and would like to invite you to join the bo oard off go governors, become a patron of our college or simply join the panel of experts to offeer our learners valuable life and work experience advice. If you choose to join us on our jou urney, you no doubt will be a key player and an instrumental force for good ensuring the future success of your community and your local FE College. mmitted to making a If you have a positive attitude to overcoming obstacles, are com difference to the future of young people and have a fire in your belly to support a very worthwhile project you are the right person for the role.

Do you fit the bill?

If you are interested, please get in touch via email at future@eefc.ac.uk. We would love to have you on board!

Thank you,

Saboohi Famili CEO& Principal | BSc (Eng), PGCE, MA(Ed) Epping Forest College | 020 8502 8701 | 078241 55959 Skype: SaboohiFamili | Saboohi Famili - LinkedIn https://www.justgiving.com/Saboohi-Famili

7

Careers Convention

As I mentioned in my last letter, we will be holding our careers convention on Thursday 20th April. There will be representatives from a range of careers and we hope that students will take the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the potential

opportunities available to them and how they can best make themselves attractive to potential employers. Students from the Upper Fifth should attend but those from the

Sixth Form and other year groups are also very welcome. We are grateful to parents, Old Chigwellians and friends who have given up their time to make this event possible.

Speech Day The programme for Speech Day and its related activities will follow the usual format: Friday 7th July

2.15pm

3.30pm

Saturday 8th July 9.45am

11.30am 2.30pm

Pre Prep, Lower I and Upper I Service in St Mary's Church

Pre Prep, Lower 1 and Upper 1 Garden Party Junior School Service at St Mary's Church

Senior School Service at St Mary's Church

Speeches and Prize Giving in the Marquee

The Guest of Honour at Speech Day this year will be Mrs Johanna Southern O.C.

Having studied Business at university, Jo has spent her career working in marketing in the U.K. and, for the last fifteen years, in California. Having had roles which

included being Vice President (Sales and Marketing) for Duchy Originals, Jo is now a

consultant and a Board Member of the British Benevolent Society. She was also the first female Head of School at Chigwell between 1983 and 1984, and we very much look forward to welcoming Jo and her family back to Chigwell as our Guest of Honour.

The preacher at the services on Saturday morning will be The Reverend Canon Dr Christopher Collingwood who is Canon Chancellor of York Minster but was, until 2009, School Chaplain here. The preacher at the service on Friday afternoon is Reverend Christopher Davis, Rector St John’s Loughton.

8

And Finally

I realise that exams are a feature of this term,

but there are also a great many other events

to look forward to and I will see you all again soon.

With best wishes Yours sincerely

Michael Punt

9

TERM DATES 2017 Trinity Term Half term: Saturday 27th May to Monday 5th June (INSET Day Monday June 5th) Term ends: Wednesday 12th July Michaelmas Term First day: Wednesday 6th September Half term: Saturday 21st October to Sunday 5th November Term ends: Wednesday 13th December