DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
INDEX:-
February 2018
Desborough Legacy
Legacy Comedy Night
Student Success
Desborough Student Support Primary Event
RAF Stem Day
Chess Tournament
Surrey University Trip
Sixth Form Open Evening 2018
UKMT Maths Challenge
Birthday Celebrations for Mr Nicholas
Young Enteprise— E-Cycle
Bikeability
Radley College Lecture
Dear Parents/Carers,
Over the last 30-odd years I have been privileged to work alongside a number of inspirational teaching colleagues who will be remembered throughout their lives by the pupils that they taught. They tend to share similar characteristics: they are excellent communicators; they enjoy the challenge of supporting young people to meet their potential; they are experts in their field; they are often mildly eccentric; but above all the obvious enjoyment that they gain from being in the company of young people and watching them progress shines through. Their pupils know that they are respected and liked by the teacher and they respond in kind. Well, we have just such a teacher at Desborough. The boys and girls call him simply “The Legend” and he celebrates his 80th birthday over the half-term break. He is, of course, the incomparable Mr Nicholas who, astonishingly, decided to go into teaching in his sixties after a hugely successful career in engineering, working for companies like Esso Petroleum and English Electric. He graduated in Mathematics with a First Class Honours Degree but also has a B. Sc. in Electrical Engineering. A patriotic Welshman he loves Rugby Union and, indeed, coached London Welsh 2nd XV following his own playing career which saw him competing at the highest levels. He won the Staff v Sixth-Form Quiz Competition practically on his own and loves music, reading and history. He began his career at Desborough in 2005 and, judging by the energy and passion that he brings to his work, has a few years left in him yet. We all hope so.
Swire Chinese Programme Launch
Hockey
Year 12 Psychology Conformity Experiment
Library Report
Thanks go to Tom Hodgson, himself a very talented mathematician, who has baked Mr Nicholas a wonderful cake for the occasion, photographs of it included elsewhere in this newsletter. If you have a special occasion coming up and would like a bespoke cake as part of the celebrations you might want to commission one from Tom.
Drama Report
Kind Regards,
Calling All Parents!
Exam Invigilator Advert
Information for Parents
DESBOROUGH LEGACY CONTRIBUTION FORM 2017-2018 Desborough Legacy (PTA) is a fundraising charity run by parents & staff to provide extra equipment and facilities that benefit the students at the College. We are now starting a drive to provide lockers for the boys starting with the younger age groups. Please consider making a small monthly donation to the Legacy. The donation amount is entirely discretionary, but we encourage parents the monthly standing order or regular payment to provide us with regular flow of funds which is easy for us to administer. (If unable to give monthly, one-off donations are of course welcome). If you are a UK tax payer, please complete and return a Gift Aid form to enable us to boost funds by reclaiming tax on your contribution at no cost to you – send an email to the address below and we can send one by return. Donations can be made in one of 3 very simple ways (see below). For any option please include your son’s name as a payment reference. 1. ONLINE OR MOBILE PHONE: Set up standing order donation(s) directly to the Desborough Legacy bank account below. Log in, set the frequency, start date and monthly payment date. Our Bank: Account Name:
HSBC Desborough Legacy
Sort code: Account No:
40-31-05 90559261
2. YOUR BANK BRANCH: In your branch, complete and submit the Bank’s Standing Order Form 3. BY CHEQUE payable to “Desborough Legacy” and sent to the school office for the attention of Nuria White. Please include a note of your name and your son’s name. Please return this completed form to the school office For the attention of Nuria white or scan it and email to NuriaWhite@desborough-college.net
Thank you so much for your assistance! – keep an eye on our activities and projects on our Facebook page, including our drive to raise money for the provision of lockers
Desborough Legacy charity status number: 1113365
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2 Things to know …. It’s a Great Place to Meet Other Parents & We Only Hold Relevant Timely Meetings
SOME NEWS FROM DESBOROUGH LEGACY Hello from The Legacy Team
From the start of this academic year we have tried to raise the profile of the Desborough Legacy. We are the fundraising arm of Desborough College and a charity in our own right. The name was chosen to reflect the principle aim of funding and driving projects that will deliver a lasting benefit for the boys and the school.
If you would like to get involved with the Legacy, message us via our Facebook page (Desborough Legacy) or email Louise.braddick@hotmail. co.uk
How it works:
Run rather like a primary school PTA Fundraises and supports activities and projects within the school Brings together parents, school staff, governors & carers Generates funds through monthly contributions
We kicked off 2018 with a fabulous quiz night, and we have another legendary comedy night on its way! We are planning to capitalize on the forthcoming World Cup fever this summer with a themed event, which promises to be a whole heap of fun for everyone. This year already we’ve funded an author visit to the library, globes for the Geography department, equipment for the Young Enterprise team and spot prizes and awards. We are working with the boys (via the School Council) and the teachers to agree what else they need to help enrich school life. It’s simple, we raise funds for the boys and the school whilst holding fun events for you!! We hope to see you soon.
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SAVE THE DATE!! MARCH 16TH COMEDY NIGHT JUNE 23RD WORLDCUP BBQ AND FUN
Student Success “On 14 January I competed in the County Sportshall Match at the Thames Valley Athletics Centre, representing Maidenhead Athletics Club, U13 Boys. There were 6 boys in the team, from Years 7 and 8, all from Maidenhead. I took part in 6 events including 1 lap race, 2 lap race, 1 lap obstacle, relay, standing long jump, and speedbounce. Our team came 2nd and we won the silver medal, competing against clubs from Bracknell, Reading, Slough, Windsor and other schools”. Here is a picture of me with my medal after the presentations. Javier Fimia—Year 7
Desborough Students Support Primary School Event Recently, 10 Desborough students supported a School Sport Partnership Primary Schools Sports event that took place in the Sports Hall at Desborough. It was a joint venture with Berkshire Cricket Foundation designed to get youngsters involved with cricket from an early age – Year 2! It was a brand new format – a Y2 Cricket Skills Festival – all about having fun, having a go and trying out some basic cricket skills! 90 children from 9 different primary schools had a brilliant morning here at Desborough and these 10 students below all did a fantastic job, guiding the little ones, encouraging them and running their own activity stations. Congratulations to the boys who were all patient and understanding and were great ambassadors for Desborough. Thank you also to Mr Hamilton for selecting and organising a great crew of boys! Emma Fitzgerald Partnership Development Manager, Ascot & Maidenhead School Sport Partnership
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Student Success Continued ... “We are Katya and Alex Fairbridge from Maidenhead, Berkshire. My Sister Katya is 12 years old and attends Newlands Girls’ School and I am 14 and I attend Desborough College. During our short time of skating we’ve achieved a bronze medal in the 2017 British Championships; here's our story. Less than two years ago, we started skating for the first time at Slough Ice Rink after Katya encouraged me (Alex) to try out the amazing sport of ice skating. Since then, progress has picked up quickly and after a year of skating we moved up from Beginner to Basic Novice Ice Dance Couples. Representing Bracknell ice rink at several competitions in the country, we finished in the top 3 in all of them except our first competition together, where we came 4th. We’ve competed in Ghent in Belgium at the start of the season, where we achieved two gold medals and we’ve also participated in our first ever international Seminar Camp in Poland during the summer holidays. We trained every day during the seminar and learnt a lot of new ice dance techniques. This was an astonishing experience that we will never forget. Then came our first ever Championships, the 2017 British Championships in Sheffield at the start of December. We had been working really hard to qualify for this National, passing endless amounts of levels and tests just to be eligible to enter in the first place. However, because of all this training, we are now holding level 6 pattern dance, level 4 free dance, level 4 field moves and level 2 free. At the British Championships we achieved 1st place in pattern dance and claimed the bronze medal overall in our dance category. Because of our performances in competitions during this season, we are currently ranked 2nd among Ice Dance Couples in the Basic Novice category in the UK. But it doesn't end there! Right after the Championships we were able to participate in this year's pantomime "Beauty and the Beast" at Bracknell which was a huge success for our first ever pantomime. Who would have believed, on the 14 January 2016, when we made those first careful steps out onto the ice that we would be skating in National and international competitions within two years? Not us. This was our first season and a very successful one for us. Katya and I are extremely thrilled with what has happened so far and are looking forward to the next season of competitions, seminars and events in 2018. Events and competitions such as the Lee Valley Competition coming up and an international seminar camp in Germany which will happen either this year or in 2019.”
Alex Fairbridge—Year 9
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Student Success Continued ... Charlie Rycroft in Year 9 recently competed in the first weekend of the Berkshire and South Bucks County Swimming Finals at The High Wycombe pool. He came away with a bronze medal in the 200m Breaststroke and two South East Regional qualification times, (regionals take place in April at the K2 in Crawley). He was very disappointed to just miss out on a medal in the 100m Breaststroke given that he was in 2nd place at the turn, but picked himself up. He will be competing again in two weeks’ time in the 50m Breaststroke; fingers crossed he achieves his goal there. Congratulations to Harry Messitt who popped into school earlier this week to tell Mr Frazer that he has managed to secure a football scholarship to Parklands College in Illinois, USA after he was talent-spotted by an American coach. Harry travels to America in August and as well as playing football for the College he intends studying for an Engineering Degree over the next 4 years and gaining coaching qualifications. It’s always good to hear of ex-Desborough boys doing well.
Well done to all our students
“I've been busy training with UK Junior National Squad at weekend camps at inland and coastal venues around the country. I also do lots of fitness training in between weekends. The topper racing calendar starts mid February but I entered the sail Juice Datchet Flyer where I was first junior and also won Maidenhead sailing club Christmas series.” Leo Wilkinson—Year 9
“I will be playing chess for England in the Czech Republic over Easter. I am currently ranked in the top 10 in England for chess at U13 level. I am missing 3 days of school so I can go over there and represent my country. I will be staying in a hotel in Frydek Mistik and will travel by plane. No parents are allowed to go and I will be with 15 other boys who play chess. We will be with two supervisors who accompany us. I have been to Paris and Belgium for chess but this is going to be the most exciting and it is going to be the hardest competition I have ever been in.” Nicholas Vallis—Year 8
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RAF STEM Day—15 January “Salutations. I am here to talk to all of you reading about the RAF’s STEM outreach day that happened recently. The students were off-timetable all day, doing fun activities relating to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths). The activities included creating model radio broadcasting towers out of straws and tape, programming a robot’s travel route through a special scenario, and creating model helicopters (with working rotor blades) out of K’NEX and a single rubber band. The activities also helped the students develop teamwork skills by working together to create something none of them could do on their own. Students were in groups of four (and, on occasion, five) with each group named after a military term. Points were accumulated by the teams during each of the activities, with different actions and ideas gaining each team a certain number of points. The final winning team was Team Phantom. The winners and the runners-up were given special RAF merchandise. Generally, it was a fun and insightful experience for all students involved. Also, a big thanks to the volunteers and RAF workers who helped to set up the entire event for us.” Aidan Melling, Year 9
The winning team – Team Phantom Felix Pendered, Aidan Melling, Joe Stevens
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Chess Tournament, Reading School —22 January Congratulations to the awesome Desborough College Chess Team who were narrowly defeated in the recent game away to Reading School, an independent day and boarding school of over 900 boys. The Desborough team contained some boys who were two, three and four years younger than their opponents. I’m not making excuses because I don’t need to: I am very proud of the Desborough boys who fought tenaciously and pressed their opponents, two of whom have national rankings, very hard indeed. So, Maxim, Nicholas, Josh, Aditya, Jonathon and Kai, well done! Mr Frazer—Principal
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Surrey University Visit—23 January Year 12 Psychology boys were invited for an exclusive taster day at Surrey University recently. The programme they experienced gave them a real taste and insight to life on campus at Surrey. A real highlight of the day was the lecture from Dr Naomi Winstone on personality research, then a chance to see how a chosen module is taught on a Psychology degree. This was followed by research participation and a tour of the behaviour and brain laboratories - what an incredible experience! The feedback from the boys was overwhelmingly positive; some told me they were inspired and I heard comments such as: "I thought I may want to go to Uni, but now it has cemented it for me." "I definitely want to come back here." "I now have a goal - I have looked at courses since the visit and my goal is to the achieve the grades required to get there." I would like to thank the boys for their exemplary conduct (commented on by staff at Surrey, and as a result we already have our invite for next year), and also Mr Clawson for driving us there! Mrs Gerber - Curriculum Leader of Modern Foreign Languages and Psychology
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Sixth Form Open Evening—25 January Once again our Sixth Form opened its doors to the local community, with the aim of giving parents and Year 11 students an insight into what makes us so successful and unique at Desborough. It was standing room only for our presentations, where Mr Frazer shared the Department for Education’s recently released value added data, which once again reinforces that boys and girls in our Sixth Form make far greater progress than their counterparts nationally. It was then the turn of our Head Boy and Head Girl to share their experiences of Sixth Form life, their reasons for choosing and staying at Desborough, and their plans for the future. I had the pleasure of concluding the presentations with details of some additional features that make our Sixth Form a unique learning environment: a diverse and evolving enrichment programme, tailored careers and employability support, a strong pastoral structure, and high academic and professional standards for all students. At Desborough, we encourage our students to be unrelenting in their pursuit of success, and uncompromising in their ambitions. At Desborough, better never stops! Our guests then had the opportunity to peruse our subjects and to see what is on offer for September 2018, speaking with staff and current students about what they can expect from their respective A-Level courses. Our enrolment process continues long after Open Evening, with tours/meetings available for interested students and parents, as well as opportunities for our current Year 11 students to experience our A-Level subjects in more depth. The closing date for applications from all internal and external applicants is 23rd February. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at sixthformadmin@desborough-college.net or access a copy of our prospectus and application form online at http://www.desborough.org.uk/Admissions1 It was a privilege to showcase our Sixth Form at our Open Evening, and is an even greater honour to work in it! Mr D Clawson Assistant Principal & Head of Sixth Form
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UKMT Maths Challenge—1 February Each year, thousands of students across the country take part in the UKMT Maths Challenge. The competition is designed to test each individual's problem solving abilities in a mathematical context. The students have one hour to complete the multiple choice paper, where marks are awarded for correct Answers, but they are also taken away for incorrect ones. There is no change if a student leaves an answer blank. This adds an extra challenge to the paper as students must be confident in their answers if they want to avoid getting marks deducted, and it also discourages guessing. Students who score in the top 25% of the country are invited to take part in subsequent rounds, where prizes are then awarded to the winners. There are three papers in total, each one for a different age range: Senior (Years 12 & 13), Intermediate (Years 9 - 11) and Junior (Years 7 & 8). The Senior challenge was held in November and we had a number of Sixth Form students take part. Unfortunately, none were invited to the next round but there were four bronze and two silver certificates awarded to those who achieved a good score. Seventy students represented Desborough in the Intermediate competition on the 1 February and we eagerly await the results. The students’ feedback was that it was a difficult competition but a great opportunity for them to showcase not just their mathematical capabilities but also their problem solving skills. Many have already expressed an interest in competing again next year and have asked if we can attempt similar problems in lessons. The Junior challenge will be held on the 26 April and we hope to have many students representing the school. Mr Formstone—Deputy Curriculum Leader of Maths
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Birthday Celebrations for Mr Nicholas
The cake, unfinished, that Tom is making to mark Mr Nicholas’ 80th birthday. It’s extremely impressive and, from past experience, I know that it will taste delicious. Tom can be contacted via his email address for anybody wishing to place an order.
The finished result
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“And the winner is ….” Have you got on board with the E-cycle message yet? Well, the judges at Saturday’s Young Enterprise Trade Fair certainly did, awarding Desborough College’s team the Best Trade stand award. Saviel Monzac (Year 12), receiving the award on behalf of the team said, “The judging was pretty intense – they asked a lot of questions about the business, from the ideas behind it to how we are funded”. E-cycle is a social enterprise, which means that any profit they make is channelled back into the company to fund more key messages and good works. The company’s current promotion is towards making students understand that their impact on the environment now will stay with them for life … and become a problem their generation will have to fix. They’ve installed plastic bottle recycling bins at school which fill up very quickly.
What do we do with the bottles? As you may have seen in The Bulletin, bottles are used to make ‘Botpots’ (see next page) and we’re pleased to say Zak Ifsasse (Year 12) presented Prime Minister Theresa May with gift boxed Botpots at the Trade Fair on Saturday, where she told the boys “This is very important work”. Follow us for more ideas on environmental issues and to support our social media campaigns.
_ecycle
Left to Right: PM Theresa May, Zak, Gursangat, Jasraj, Rahul, Saviel
Ms S Neal—Curriculum Leader Business Studies and Enterprise Centre Lead 13
What do E-cycle do? We are a committed social enterprise aiming to
What’s a social enterprise?
improve our environment encourage people to take responsibility for their impact consider what we can do to improve the wellbeing of the local community leave a legacy.
A company or organisation that reinvests its profits in the business, usually for the benefit of the cause it supports.
And that’s our cause!
OUR FIRST CAMPAIGN (of many!) We want YOUR SONS to recycle their used plastic bottles in our bins. (Eventually we’d like people to stop using one-use plastics but we’re taking things one step at a time.) If they do put bottles in our special bins, we’ll make them into a Botpot. We’ll give them away at trade fairs and wherever we can promote our cause. People can then make their own. Here’s the idea …
At our first trade fair we had two schools ask if we could go to give workshops to their pupils to spread the idea!
Self ing! r e wat
E-cycle’s tip: if you buy potted herbs at the supermarket, they often die before you’ve used them all. Separate each stem and plant it in a BOTPOT and you’ll have basil or whatever for months. It will get bushier if you prick out the growing shoot too.
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A BRIGHTER TOMORROW, TODAY
Bikeability
The Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead offered our KS3 pupils the opportunity to take part in a Level 3 Cycling Proficiency Course in February. A number of boys took up this opportunity to learn about road safety, how to negotiate roundabouts and busy roads. The boys also learnt how to use their mobile phones to navigate and find the best cycle routes to their destination. Having cycled around the school grounds and nearby roads, the day culminated in a theory session led by the instructors. The day was a great success and is part of our programme to improve safety and awareness on the roads. Mrs Eaves—Senior Assistant Principal
Radley College Lecture About Free Speech On the afternoon of Wednesday 7 February we were presented with the opportunity to attend a lecture from Peter Tatchell about Free Speech at the esteemed Radley College. He talked about the issues of free speech within the universities of the United Kingdom and provided an insight into his beliefs from the use of four caveats. One such example of this is that free speech should not be limited unless it takes a form of harassment or violence. Many questions were asked and all of them were challenging and useful. Overall, we found this lecture very insightful and interesting and it was able to spark a discussion between ourselves. We hope to attend many more excellent lectures in the future. Alex Dubovsky- Year 11
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Swire Chinese Language Programme Oxford Launch Event My Mandarin Swire Chinese Launch Event “On the 6 February, Ryan O’Haire, Ajay Verma, Henry Curno, Joseph Clarke and I went to Radley College where we performed the Bo Po Mo Fo song. Afterwards, we had a Chinese New Year buffet consisting of amazing food, lots of fortune cookies and other treats. When everyone had eaten there was an amazing firework display. I love studying Mandarin as it is interesting and just makes me feel really special that I can speak some Chinese. I will probably go on to study Mandarin as a GCSE as it is really fun and easy to learn.” Hugo Quinn-Bower—Year 7
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Hockey Congratulations to the boys pictured below who were a credit to themselves and the school in their recent success with hockey. Mixing it with the big boys of hockey (Wellington, Eton etc) they played wonderfully well. We are officially the fourth best school at Hockey in Berkshire in Y9. Comments from Owen Herne-Smith, Connor McGovern, Vinnie Moore, Rehan Awan, Ishaan Joshi, Chares Rycroft and Haris Nijjer, Year 9 “We didn’t give up after losing our first match against Wellington. We lifted our heads and won against Windsor. We have improved and developed our hockey skills during the course of all the matches, and we are determined to win this competition in the future.” The results are as follows:Desborough v Wellington = 0-2 Desborough v Windsor = 2-0 Desborough v -Pangbourne = 1-0 Desborough v Bradfield = 0-2 Desborough v Eton = 0-1 Desborough v LVS = 2-0
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Year 12 Psychology Conformity Experiment Due to the heavy flow of traffic through the English corridor, the Psychology Year 12 group set out to see if they could affect behaviour, inspired by Mr Craig-Wood and an experiment done in China. The boys recorded the student traffic through the English corridor at first break time, then set to work re-designing the corridor with duct tape (many thanks to Mr Bannister here for his support with duct tape!). We then waited for the lunch time bell, for the hungry students to hear the call of the chicken burgers in the canteen. It was an amazing and instantaneous impact - the students stopped, looked bemused but in 99% of cases they followed the markings and the traffic flow immediately became quieter and smoother. We, the Psychology group, had discussed what they felt would be the impact beforehand, but none of us had anticipated the effect on behaviour would be so great, seeing the process of conforming first hand. Two weeks later and the effect is still in place. A successful experiment - applying A-Level knowledge and skills to every day life - well done Psychology Year 12 lads! Mrs Gerber - Curriculum Leader Modern Foreign Languages and Psychology
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Library News It has been another busy term in the LRC. 3,709 books have been borrowed since September and 82,745,961 words read by year’s 7 and 8. We have 16 millionaires and our new Reading Bingo is having the desired effect of encouraging boys to try different genres. We have already had a few “full houses” with books in the genre of: family, horror, non-fiction, classic, suspense and historical novels. The last few months has seen a deluge of fantastic modern children’s fiction. We are constantly adding to our collection and read as much of it as possible so that we can recommend novels for each individual tastes.
Some fabulous recent books we would recommend include:
For those that enjoy horror we have The Call by Peader O’Guilin and Martin Stewart’s Riverkeep and his new crossover novel, The Sacrifice Box. Cressida Cowell is back with her brand new series The Wizards of Once; as is Philip Pullman returning to Oxford with the Book of Dust and one of the scariest antagonists in children’s fiction to rival Ian Fleming’s “the child-catcher” in Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang. Geraldine McCaughrean’s breath-taking novel, Where the World Ends is a triumph at creating a sense of place. Frances Hardinge deftly weaves ghosts into the English Civil War in A Skinful of Shadows. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas is heartbreakingly topical as is Muhammad Khan’s/ am Thunder.
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Library News Continued ... Good first time authors that have also been long-listed for the Branford Boase Prize and are excellent include Kick by Mitch Johnson and Troublemakers by Catherine Barter. http://www.branfordboaseaward.org.uk/BBA_Current/BBA_Long_List.html The Costa Book Award shortlisted books are also available in the LRC; Moonrise by Sarah Crossan (one of our most popular authors); Kiran Millwood-Hargrave’s second novel The Island at the end of everything; Lissa Evans Wed Wabbit and The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. The Empathy Lab have announced their 2018 list of books to promote positivity and combat social divisions: http://empathylab.uk/empathybookcollection I am also pleased to report that older books including the classics are read just as voraciously at Desborough as we encourage boys to read widely. Popular texts for the lower years include: Watership Down by Richard Adams Animal Farm by George Orwell A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells Jekyll and Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Author visit and World Book Day 1st March 2018 Mark Walden author of the H.I.V.E. series is visiting on 28 February as part of our World Book Day celebrations. Mark is an extremely popular author at Desborough and numbers are limited, so boys who have excelled in their reading or have read his books will be invited to attend. This has been made possible by the generous support of parents through the Desborough Legacy and we are immensely grateful to run this second author event in five months. World Book Day on the 1 March has a theme of “Villains and Antagonists.” Years 7 and 8 are invited to dress up as one of these book characters on the day. A donation of £1 per costume from those taking part will be spent on purchasing new books in the LRC. If your son requires any help suggesting books to read or wider reading for pleasure or study please encourage them to use the Library and ask the Library team for advice.
Mrs Hallissey Librarian @DesboroughLRC
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Drama Report THEATRE COLLABORATION WITH NEWLANDS SCHOOL The Drama departments at Desborough College and Newlands Girls’ School teamed up for a trip to the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith with A Level Drama students, to see the wonderful production of ‘Things I Know to be True’ by Andrew Bovell. This performance by Frantic Assembly was a stunning, creatively intelligent and unpredictable fusion of dialogue, movement and music; combining hard-hitting psychological realism with moments of emotional expressionism that gripped us all. The themes included the fragility of family life, dysfunctional relationships, love, growing up and growing old, death, gender identity; this was not a comfortable performance. In a packed auditorium, there were moments of collective shock and tension where everyone seemed to hold their breath and our students were no exception. I was impressed that students recognised and tackled the challenging themes with maturity and sensitivity. There is no doubt that growing links between the Drama departments at Desborough and Newlands will pave the way for exciting future projects and collaborations.
BLACKEYED THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF ‘TEECHERS’ The second outing for the term was a GCSE trip to South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell to see ‘Teechers’ by John Godber. Year 9 and 10 Drama students settled in the front stalls for this classic comedy written in 1984 about life at a struggling academy. Crammed full of unforgettable characters, political hooks and razor-sharp comedy, ‘Teechers’ was brought up-to-date with its messages about education today. Current chart music added to this contemporary feel and reinforced the connection with the young audience. Skilful multi-rolling and ensemble work from the three performers, to create 20+ characters, was an excellent example of how an actor needs to adapt voice and physicality to communicate character and attitude. The performance was non-stop funny, with a few poignant moments in typical Godber style, and much fun was had by all!
Many thanks to Mr Bromley, Miss Lennon, Mr Pirrie and Miss Pankhurst for helping out with these events. GCSE and A Level Drama students are currently working hard for their performance exams and all the drama staff wish them good luck with their final preparations. Reports to follow in the March Newsletter. Mrs Turner - Curriculum Leader for Drama 21
Calling All Parents! Calling all Desborough parents/carers
Your sons and daughters need
YOU
In today’s competitive world our young people need all the experiences of the world of work that they can get. They need to understand the scope of the potential career paths that currently present themselves. They need to understand how to work to deadlines, how to be an effective team member and how to communicate effectively – and they need to understand how participation in the world of work is, hopefully, successfully managed – and it is on this aspect that I would like to address you. We have a wonderful array of different skills, careers and businesses within our parent/carer community and I would like to invite you all to consider how you might be able to bring your experiences to our student’s aid. Could you or a colleague perhaps attend school for an hour or so for a session with interested students to talk about your job/career and the often circuitous route that so many of us take to our final position? Could you or your work place offer some form of work visit for our students to have a close up look at what goes on in the office/workshop/factory/ restaurant etc. that is your place of work? Could you or your work place consider offering some form of work experience - a day, a week or even longer? Any of the above or indeed any variation you might be able to think of, we will be only too delighted to discuss with you.
Mrs Sansom Careers advisor, (Please contact on: christinasansom@desborough-college.net)
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Information for Parents Our mobile App is live on both Apple and Google Play Stores; you can stay in touch with our Events, News and receive free push notifications from us!
To download visit the Apple or Google App Stores and use the Username: Desborough Pin/Password: 6345
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Information for Parents Cont .. Parentview Gives you the chance To tell Ofsted what you Think about Desborough
It would be helpful if you could share your views of Desborough College with Ofsted. Please visit the website below even if you have done this previously.
School Uniform Desborough College now has a tracksuit available to pupils to buy from Goyals in Maidenhead. This can be used during PE sessions, particularly when the colder weather arrives and as part of the boys’ team kit when they compete. If parents have any second hand uniform, in good condition and would have no objection to donating this to the school, please contact Nuria White in Student Services. Thank you.
Homework Club All students are welcome to attend Homework Club which takes place Monday-Friday from 3.15 until 5.00 pm in Room B10. Maths Sixth Form Tutors attend the session every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 25
Information for Parents Cont.. Free Hot Meals For Students If you are in receipt of state benefits or you work less than 16 hours per week your son may be entitled to free schools meals. We believe that the FSM is a crucial entitlement to help ensure that all children, independent of their family income should be able to get a nutritious meal in the middle of the day. They also have important health and educational benefits for the children that receive them. All school providers are encouraged to introduce cashless systems so that children in receipt of FSM get this funding automatically. This was one of the reasons to improve our catering service. If you have any further questions, please contact the school on 01628 634505
Cashless Catering for Students Desborough has a cashless catering system in place for all our students and staff. We are working in partnership with Catering Academy to ensure a healthier delivery of food to all its students and staff. Our dining room is open from breakfast onwards and offers hot and cold drinks, snacks, and home cooked meals created by the chef on our site. Samples of the Catering Academy menus can be found on the school website. Once your child is registered for our cashless catering system he/she will be able to buy food in our dining room without the worry of remembering to ensure they have cash with them. The cashless facility has allowed us to provide the students with a quicker service as no money and change is being handled. Please be aware that there is no cash facility at the tills. In addition parents can pay for trips and take advantage of other offers available on-line. Desborough now has a brand new sQuidOnline portal that is quicker and easier to use with a whole host of new features. From 20 October 2016 parents will no longer log in through the old system and will be able to access the website through https://portal.squidcard.com/loginPortal/ To download the sQuid App go to squidcard.com/app. If parents require further information please contact the school.
Next Principal’s Surgery Parents wishing to have a private conversation with me about any issues relating to school are invited to attend my Principal’s surgery. The next one will be held on Friday 16 March 2018 8 am to 11 am. These sessions are 10 minute slots. If you wish to have a longer conversation then please book a separate appointment via Nicola Humphries on 01628 762521.
Desborough College Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 2QB Tel: 01628 634505 Fax: 01628 639263 E-Mail: info@desborough-college.net
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