Stringer Press | Spring Term 2023

Stringer Press

SPRING TERM

Contents

Headteacher's message

LGBTQ+ allies

Upper school production - PEAK

Sustainability news

Shaun by the Sea competition

PE news

Dance show

Music recital

Spring concert

Photography competition

Nepal trip

Poetry Live trip

Oxford University trip

Science Live trip

Theatre trips

Quiz night

Parent fundraising comittee

Fatto a Mano pizza workshops

Library news

Kemptown Bookshop competition

Poetry competition

Year 10 Dare to Dream

Roedean Academy

Dorothy Stringer Mastermind

Show Racism the Red Card Comp

Stringer Science Week

Maths Challenge

MFL Spain trip

Staff news

Alumni news

Positive feedback

Social Media Photos

Head to page 15 for information on our Shaun the Shee

HEADTEACHER'S MESSAGE

MATT HILLIER

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Governors and Students

Welcome to our Spring term Stringer Press. I very much hope that you will enjoy reading this publication over the Easter break. It pulls together the busy aspects of both work and enjoyment that occur on a daily basis here at Stringer. The last three months since Christmas have passed rapidly with students engaging in a huge amount of learning and a plethora of extra-curricular activities as well.

One of the most pleasing aspects of this term has been seeing parents and carers back in school for Options and parents’ evenings, as well as our Quiz night, held in support of our fundraising efforts for the school. In these underfunded times, it’s crucial that we look to maximise any additional income that can be used to support our students in the wider curriculum. The Quiz night was a joyous affair, ending with an edge-of-the-seat tie-break, and the evening led to almost £2,000 being raised towards a muchneeded new school minibus. We use our minibuses on a daily basis to ferry students to fixtures as well as for fieldwork and trips, so we really need to ensure their future use. Your support with our fundraising is much appreciated, and there is further information about our fundraising on our website: https://dorothy-stringer.co.uk/fundraising/. You can volunteer to be part of our parent fundraising team by emailing communications@dorothy-stringer.co.uk.

Last term we were really pleased to receive a donation organised by a parent through their work with a large multinational organisation. This donation was very much tied in with supporting STEM work and I’m pleased to see the DT department have used this to purchase a 3d printer. The students in Year 11 could really see their work coming to life and I know future engineers will be fully supported over the coming years with this new equipment.

Spring is often about new beginnings and for one of our staff, this Easter brings fresh opportunities as they retire after thirty years at Dorothy Stringer. Mr Furini has been a mainstay of both the English department, the pastoral team and of course, the senior leadership team over the course of his tenure. He leaves a lasting legacy of not only supporting thousands of young people through the school, but the legendary Italy trip, which I know so many have enjoyed over the years. We wish him well for his retirement and thank him for his dedication and service to Stringer.

I wish you all a safe and happy Easter break. I do hope those on the ski trip have a fantastic time and come back with memories to cherish for a lifetime, and that Year 11 students will have some time to relax with family and friends as well as preparing for their upcoming formal examinations. We look forward to welcoming all students back into school on Monday 17 April for tutor time at 8.40am.

Kind regards

Matt Hillier Headteacher

LGBTQ+ Allies

We are delighted to share that this term we have launched our LGBTQ+ Allies Support Rep group! At Dorothy Stringer we’re pleased that all our staff are allies to the LGBTQ+ community, and our Allies Support Reps will be working to ensure there is a visible support system for students who may wish to discuss any concerns or thoughts around their sexuality.

Our LBTQ+ Allies Support Reps are identifiable by their rainbow lanyards and have introduced themselves below!

Hello, my name is Mr Allen and I am the Inclusion Co-Ordinator here at Dorothy Stringer. Apart from really liking the lanyard, I wanted to be an ally as I want all members of our community to feel safe and have the confidence to be themselves. School can be a very hard place to navigate and I want all our students to know that they can talk to me and other members of staff if they need too.

My name is Mr Elliott, and I have chosen to be an LGBTQ+ ally because I strongly believe in supporting all of our students in feeling safe and happy at school so they can be successful. I want our LGBTQ+ students to feel they have members of staff who are looking our for them and who can help them if they ever need advice or support. We have a wonderfully diverse school community which and I am really glad we are celebrating it with this new scheme.

mr elliott

mr allen

MEET OUR LGBTQ+ Allies

My name is Miss Dombey and I am a maths teacher and year 11 form tutor. Being a form tutor for 5 years has highlighted to me the importance of students having a member of staff that they feel safe to talk to. I want LGBTQ+ students to know that I am an ally, they can come to me with questions and queries and will be met with support and kindness.

I am an ally because I believe in the importance of representation and allyship, to show that there is a space for everyone to be themselves and be supported. Whether or not you define as LGBTQ+ should not matter in these moments, but it is the help you can give to a young person struggling with identity that makes all the difference.

Making sure that the LGBTQ+ community feel seen, heard and valued here in Dorothy Stringer is important to me. I recognise that being a teenager can bring up questions about identity. I hope that anyone who needed some support (or just someone to listen without judgement) would know that there is a safe space and a friendly face always available to them.

I am an ally support rep because I wish for all students, staff and parents to be able to identify me as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. I work closely with a lot of students and their families, and act as a role model to some, and I want for them to know and understand what I stand for and believe in. I want members of the LGBTQ+ community to know that I am with them, and that I am proud to be!

I’m Mx King, I am part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I am a rep because it is important that there is representation and support for the students in our school. Along with Mr Schvetz and Ms Brown I started the Queer club last year at Stringer so that students in the LGBTQIA+ community felt they had a space where they could be heard, and supported.

mx king

miss lock

ms hand

ms taylor

miss dombey

MEET OUR LGBTQ+ Allies

I am Mr Sandercock I teach Geography and Environmental Science. I have been with my husband for 20 years. I am an LGBTQ+ ally support rep, I think it is important that students have positive role models within the school environment, I wish I had had something like that when I was at school.

I am a Science Teacher and I have worked at DS since September. I have become an ally support rep to allow pupils to have a safe space in my classroom and a person they trust to protect and educate them during their time at DS. By being an ally and showing support of LGBTQ+ people, I hope to foster safety in the confusing teenage years and help all pupils and staff understand the importance of equality, acceptance and mutual respect. Being an ally allows a way to educate pupils about acceptance and also demonstrate how we should treat each other in society.

I am Dr Smith. When I was at school Section 28 existed and homophobic slurs were common and went unchallenged. Therefore, many of my LGBTQ+ friends had no support growing up in school. This has had a huge impact on their wellbeing which has continued to affect them as adults. I have become an LGBTQ+ Allies Support Rep because I want to contribute to providing a safe environment for all pupils.

I am Mrs de Silva and the LGBTQ+ community is a community that I belong to. I chose to be an ally in this group at Stringer because when I was growing up, any queer adults in my school were in the closet. This wasn’t helpful for me at a time when I was trying to come to terms with my sexuality and had no adults at school to talk to. I want to be a friendly, non-judgemental adult that our LGBTQ+ students feel they can talk to and for them to know that this is not something they have to go through alone.

Mr sandercock

Mr wrennall

dr smith

mrs de silva

MEET OUR LGBTQ+ Allies

My name is Paul Watson, Assistant Head and SENCO and I’m pleased to be an LGBTQ+ ally. I want all our students to feel safe, proud and confident in the person they want to be. I’m happy to be there as an ear to listen when situations arise that might cause students difficulty and to help with advice and guidance.

My name is Amy Jones and I am proud to be an LGBTQ+ ally at the school. I feel that it is important for all students to be supported, to feel safe and be heard. I would like for all people in our community to have the confidence to be true to themselves. I think this is a fantastic idea but hope that any student would find support and safety from any member of staff at our school. I am also really looking forward to getting my lanyard!

I am part of the LGBTQ+ allies support reps group because I want students to be able to see that staff active promote the safe and inclusive environment that Dorothy Stringer is so proud of. It is so important that students see their diversity visible in school in all areas including teaching staff.

Hello, I am a Pastoral Manager at Dorothy Stringer. I have seen how difficult it was for adults of my generation to feel supported whilst growing up with very little or no support from an LGBTQ+ community. My role at school is often being someone students can talk to about gender or sexual orientation to help them feel supported and represented in the school. I would like to think that advocating for them and talking to parents and signposting to other places where they can get further advice, helps students be proud of who they are and gives them confidence in becoming a respected part of the community.

mr watson

mrs jones

mr schvetz

ms smith

PEAK

The Drama Department production this year was PEAK, a self-written play that explored the teenagers and the adults in an imagined secondary school in 2023

PEAK was born after a visit to Stringer by playwright Simon Stephens. In a conversation about the lack of accessible modern plays for young actors, he challenged me to write one; the idea being that after 30 years working in secondary schools, I might have enough material! In schools around the UK and the world, there really has been a boy on a roof, a Haribo drug heist and kids with buckets on their heads They exist It happened The rest of the narrative is also true apart from the bits we’ve made up!

Despite this being a brand-new production, we played to a full house (made up of current students, parents and carers and returning Drama alumni) over three evening performances Here is some of the audience feedback – thank you to all those who sent reviews And a big thank you too to Paul Winter for the amazing production shots

Well done to the young actors, crew and the whole Drama team for their tireless hard work and creativity.

Debbie Ettinger Head of Drama

Playwright and director of PEAK

"If (my son) could be described as anyone right now, it would be Eliza Doolittle after the ball where she sang, I Could Have Danced All Night! He’s grinning and buzzing and utterly exhausted but oh so happy. THANK YOU, what an amazing production, it was brilliant!"

Write about what you know is the old adage, so when a Drama teacher with years of experience writes her first play and it is delivered with loving and detailed direction, it transcends the run-ofthe-mill ‘amateur production’ and becomes a nuanced, and hilarious at times, study of teenage issues swiped from the playground and the classroom; served up by some very fine and talented actors from across the school years and makes for a superb hour and 20 minutes of theatre I was incredibly moved as we flipped between tender 2-hander scenes to the chaos of the transition choreography of life between classes. A really stunning piece of work. Loved it!

"I just wanted to say how much we enjoyed tonight’s performance! You must be very proud! We will be back on Saturday and are already looking forward to it!"

I just wanted to say how impressed I was with PEAK this evening. A genuinely amazing script that was performed brilliantly by all of the students. The hours of dedication - by you and them - that must have gone into it, I can't imagine. Please pass on my admiration to the students as well.

Hilarious and touching in equal measure. Beautifully choreographed, it is full of energy with some uncannily accurate depictions of school life. And an unforgettable, Esther Williams-esque scene about Wales! Congratulations to all the cast and crew.

(My daughter) is rather bereft that it’s all over, but she is keen to be part of next year’s production and has been inspired to join a local drama group in the meantime.

WHAT A FANTASTIC PLAY!

It was so refreshing to see a play written about teenagers by someone who actually works with teenagers! It wasn’t patronizing; it wasn’t all ‘doom and gloom’. It was honest, funny, caring, sad and I enjoyed every minute of it! It was so brilliant to see young people performing in a play showing a range of skills and techniques that some professionals can only hope to achieve.

Thank you so much to all of you!

Wow! I am still thinking about the play today and couldn't wait to congratulate you, the drama department team and all the young actors for putting on such an incredible performance on Thursday Everything was so perfectly put together; I was really blown away.

Wow wow wow! I couldn’t quite get over the quality of the show; incredible. At its core was a powerful message that was beautifully acted by a talented (and clearly hard-working!) cast –engaging, emotional, real and funny.

Queen's Green Canopy

We are delighted to share that following the planting of a broadleaf canopy by our Eco Committee students and Mr Sandercock, the Stringer Way Avenue project has been accepted as part of the Queens Green Canopy. The trees planted by our students will now feature on the Queen’s Green Canopy map, along with many other projects across the country. Take a look here: https://queensgreencanopy.org/

Butterfly Haven Volunteer Days

In conjunction with The Friends of Liz Williams Butterfly Haven and Butterfly Conservation we held three volunteer days at the butterfly haven this term. It was an excellent opportunity for our community to come together and do something positive for wildlife in our local area and learn about countryside management techniques.

The volunteers began with some Buckthorn and Blackthorn planting, before working on some hedge maintenance and fencing removal, and then finally creating some miniature chalk scrapes. Thank you to everyone who turned out to support the work – it's lovely to see the haven looking ready for Spring!

Introducing the Brown Hairstreak

The Liz William’s Butterfly Haven (a designated Local Wildlife Site) is managed by a group of nature enthusiasts, the “Friends of the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven” Their aim is to manage the site as both a teaching and learning resource for the school and also as a site of nature conservation importance for the local community.

Although the site boasts sightings of 89% of all the butterfly species recorded in the city of Brighton & Hove, only one of these species has been deliberately introduced, the Brown Hairstreak The national charity Butterfly Conservation describes its conservation status as:

Section 41 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in England

Section 7 species of principle importance under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016

UK BAP status: Priority Species

Butterfly Conservation priority: High

Protected under Schedule 5 of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act (for sale only)

Overleaf, Dr Dan Danahar tells the story of the remarkable success this group has had with this species.

In the late summer of 2020, Max Anderson informed me of a cricket pitch in Portslade where there was a healthy population of Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) butterflies The females of this species, once mated, lay their eggs on their hostplant, Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) This takes place in August/September, where the eggs reside until the caterpillars hatch the following March/April.

However, on this particular site a keen groundsman annually cuts the egg-bearing twigs from the bushes because the Blackthorn grows onto the periphery of the cricket ground, intruding onto the area of play. Max quickly realised that this meant a significant number of Brown Hairstreak eggs were being removed annually

In 2014, Jeremy Burgess had reported this species from Patcham and in 2015 Jamie Burston videoed the butterfly from the same location. This is just a stone’s throw away from the Liz William Butterfly Haven and so I had decided to plant some Blackthorn on the reserve, in the hope that the butterfly would colonise the site Sadly, in the intervening eight years this never happened, but the Blackthorn grew well and by the time that Max told me about the Brown Hairstreak problem at the Portslade cricket pitch, the answer to this issue seemed to me to be simple: I suggested we translocated the eggs from the one site to the other

So, in the winter of 2021, Max and I collected 40 eggs and individually attached them to the blackthorn bushes of the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven, using black electrical insulating tape In the summer of 2021, Tony Gould photographed the first female Brown Hairstreak on the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven site and in the winter of that year we found wild laid eggs on the haven.

Subsequently, we took another 40 eggs from the donor site during the winter of 2022 and in the summer of this year we observed three females, each seen two weeks apart, i e they were three different individuals.

On the 28th January 2023, a quick search around the Liz Williams Butterfly Haven revealed about 15 wild laid eggs distributed widely throughout the site Then Max, Becky Claire, John Miller and I revisited the Portslade cricket pitch and collected a third batch of 40 eggs, which we once again transferred to the Haven

It appears that this experiment is working well!

SHAUN BY THE SEA

We are really pleased to be able to share that we'll be taking part in the Shaun by the Sea art trail later this year! The trail will feature over 40 individually designed sculptures on display around Brighton & Hove, and we're lucky enough to have our very own Shaun to decorate!

Our Shaun will be arriving in school in April, and we need your bold and imaginative designs to help us decide how to decorate him. If your design is shortlisted, you will be joining a select group of artists to paint Shaun!

All designs must relate to our specific theme, 'The Living Coast' . The Living Coast is a designated urban biosphere reserve and covers a huge area of land all the way from Newhaven to Shoreham-by-Sea This means that the area we live in has significant natural value. Your designs might incorporate our local wildlife and nature, or perhaps they might highlight the principals of community and conservation. They could even include local landmarks or landscape We can't wait to see what you come up with!

The competition is open to all students in Years 7, 8 and 9, and you can enter by handing your completed template in at the Art office, or directly to your Art teacher If you would like a printed A3 template, you can collect one from your Art lesson or from the Art office. The deadline is 24th April. Good luck!

This term has been amazing in the PE, Sport and Dance Department. Not only have we entertained the masses with the Dorothy Stringer Dance Show, thanks to Miss Sampson and Miss Bishop-Williams, but students also had the chance to represent the school in Football, Rugby, Netball, Swimming, Basketball, Climbing and Table Tennis We are now looking forward to our summer schedule which will include all the usual sports activities including Tennis, Athletics, Cricket and Rounders.

This term our Football Teams have continued their outstanding run in the County Cups, Brighton Leagues and Brighton and Hove Cups Our Year 7 Boys A team have made it to the County Cup Final and remain in with a chance of taking the Brighton League The Year 8/9 girls football team had a fantastic run in the Brighton Cup before meeting an incredibly strong Peacehaven side who have also stormed the league. Our Year 10 boys A team are in the Brighton Cup final and will play Cardinal Newman after Easter, whilst the Year 10 B team have won the B league and got to the semi-final of the Brighton Cup Our Year 10/11 girls had a fantastic tournament last week with Newman, Varndean and Blatchington Mill – we have a semi-final to play in the Cup to continue our season The Year 11 boys team still remain in the Brighton Cup and are in contention for the league. They will have a few games to finish after the Easter break.

This year our swimmers have had even more opportunities to represent the school at swimming meets

The school club has been well attended and students have been enjoying Friday morning sessions At the most recent Brighton and Hove Swimming Gala at the Prince Regent we had some fantastic performances, and most importantly we regained the Brighton Ottaway Trophy. This was without a doubt the key aim for the Dorothy Stringer students.

Our Netball teams have continued to represent the school superbly in extra-curricular fixtures, showing solid skill, passion, and teamwork on the courts. Our newest teams, the Year 7s, have shown great determination and taken away multiple wins under their belts, and a special mention must go to Savannah S who has come away with the most Player of the Match nominations, awarded from the opposition Our Year 9A team just narrowly missed out on representing Brighton and Hove in the Netball finals, after the tournament was rained off and results decided upon the games played up until that point The Year 11 team have continued to show great enthusiasm and ability, and it will be a shame to see them go, although we look forward to their final game, versus the staff, next term! Well done and thank you to all the students who have shown commitment to the sport, throughout a somewhat disrupted term – we look forward to getting stuck back in, in September

This year our wonderful Year 7 Table Tennis players have reached the national final Ryan G, Daniel S, Finley A and Rafa MDP have represented the school very well. They will compete in the Nationals in the first weekend of the Easter holidays. Our Climbers have also made the school proud this year with a fantastic display at the Boulder Brighton Schools competition Anya H, Stan W, Tom M, Ronnie B, India S and Rico T represented us in the finals, with Tom M and Anya H winning their respective age groups!

Our Year 7 and 8 Rugby teams have had a great run this year in the County Cup With some outstanding performances in Year 7 from Noah T, Blake H and Harvey S and in Year 8 from Hafi A, Eddy B, Dillon T and George H both teams did the school proud Our year 7s made the County Cup Finals Day, losing to St Phillip Howard (by one try) and Heathfield (by two tries) and Year 8 were narrow losers to Cardinal Newman in the Semi Finals, where a last-minute try from Newman in extra time won the day

Well done as well to Stan C, who was awarded the Donatello extra-curricular prize for his outstanding attitude both on and off the pitch. Thank you to Donatello for providing Stan with premium tickets for the next Brighton and Hove Albion match!

Well done to everyone who has represented the school this term!

DANCE SHOW

MS SAMPSON AND MISS BISHOP-WILLIAMS

After the boys’ dance group kicked off the week by performing their piece at ‘Let’s Dance’ at Brighton Dome, on Saturday 18 March we held the Stringer Dance Show, also at Brighton Dome. Another wonderful evening held by the school in this top venue For such a big venue the auditorium was near capacity, and the audience were extremely supportive for the wonderful work on show The evening showcased pieces that were from the extensive extra-curricular programme on offer at Stringer, as well as some class pieces and GCSE work All year groups took part and performed in a variety of styles and genres.

This is a highlight in the school calendar for many of our students and their enjoyment in being up on the stage, sharing what they do best really shone through The show enables hundreds of students, no matter what their experience or ability, to be involved in a performance and event they will never forget.

Huge thanks to all the family, friends and staff who attended the show and supported this event We hope to see you all again next year, bigger and better than before Stay tuned for photos in the next edition of the Stringer Press!

MUSIC RECITAL

On Thursday 9 March we were delighted to present our Music Recital at St Matthias Church, with our Year 11 Rockschool students working incredibly hard to put on a performance for selected family and friends as part of their final assessment We had everything from Rock to Musical Theatre, including some clever costume changes and lighting too! A very big well-done to all students involved; some terrific music made!

SPRING CONCERT

The Music Department were pleased to host our first in person Spring Concert since 2018, before the pandemic. There were over 80 students involved and the evening contained performances from Stringer's large ensembles - Orchestra, Jazz Band, Vox and Show Choir - as well as smaller bands and solos from Year 11 leavers. The variety in pieces was fantastic and the evening spanned genres of rock, pop, classical, folk, jazz and more. It was brilliant to see the Middleton Theatre full of friends and family, alongside Stringer staff and students who came to support the performers. Thank you to Music teachers Georgia Parker-Hanks and Shifra Hoskins for taking on the organisation of the evening and doing such a fine job, and congratulations to all on a hugely successful evening!

You can enter as many categories as you like, maximum 3 photos per category.

Photos must be landscape and high quality as the winners will be printed. Please mark each entry with your name and the month/category.

Deadline for entries: Monday 1 May 2023

Email entries to: photocomp@dorothy-stringer.co.uk

The themes for each month are:

FEBRUARY:

MARCH: ANIMALS

AUGUST: TRAVEL/ MAGICAL PLACES SEPTEMBER:

JULY: OCTOBER: AUTUMN

NOVEMBER: SHAPE

& STRUCTURE

DECEMBER: BLACK & WHITE

YEAR 10 NEPAL TRIP

In February this year, eight Dorothy Stringer explorers from Years 9 and 10 set off on a two-week expedition to Nepal. It was a fantastic trip that combined cultural experiences around Kathmandu, project work in a local school and a five-day trek in the Himalayas to altitudes of nearly 3000m. Students found it challenging yet rewarding, and different parts of the trip resonated with different students.

Project Phase

The team spent five days in Shree Saraswati School just outside Kathmandu. We were warmly welcomed by the headteacher - being offered traditional Nepalese scarves, and shown to our bedrooms for the next five days (classrooms!). We quickly developed a routine: every day two students assisted in cooking/cleaning for the day. Delicacies included pancakes, dal bat (traditional Nepalese dal/rice dish, momo (Nepalese dumplings), paneer curry, tempura and much more. Many of us would join the school’s 6:30am martial art class with students, before embarking on the construction phase of the project. Outside we were tasked with moving/laying lots of bricks/paving/rocks/sand to a site to build a new area for the school playground. It was hard work but we made great progress as a team. We also painted inside/outside two of the school’s new buildings. Our explorers then decided that they also wanted to paint a mural inside one of the buildings – and created a wonderful world map, that said “hello” in 12 different languages.

During the afternoons, were mainly dedicated to teaching in the classroom, and the Nepalese students were very welcoming and engaged with our presence. We were able to teach classes from Years 1-10, and we were constantly impressed with their expertise in English and subject knowledge. After tea and biscuits, the explorers would go and play football with the locals as the sun set behind the mountains.

Trekking Phase

Whilst on the project we did a ‘mini-trek’ to Nagarkot, where we got spectacular views of the Himalyas, and a sense of what ‘Nepalese flat’ means (think Seven Sisters terrain!).Then after a quick pitstop in Kathmandu we packed our rucksacks for a 5-day trek – and the explorers were tasked with packing their bag with all the essentials but keeping it as light as possible.On our trek we had 3 porters, who were able to carry some of the kit, but one student (Rhona) managed to carry all her equipment for the whole 5 days. This is something no-one had seen a student do before, and she was nicknamed ‘sherpini’ for the duration of the trip. The trek was challenging, 4-8 hours hiking each day, in 25 degrees, often climbing more than 1500m in a single day. The group showed an impressive amount of grit each day and were rewarded with impressive views and a filling lunch of egg-fried rice of noodle soup (every day!). After day 1, a local dog joined us on the walk (we named him Alfie) and he stayed with us for the rest of the trip, and motivated a lot of us to climb those mountains. Each evening we stayed in a local teahouse (think simple bed and breakfast but lacking heating!) or a homestay (where a family let you stay in their home) –all of which gave us insight into Nepalese culture.

Cultural phase

Physically exhausted, we returned back to Kathmandu to indulge in a more varied cuisine, buy some souvenirs and to visit local sites. As a team we visited Monkey Temple, Boudha Stupa and ate in a Nepalese restaurant owned by the father of one of the explorers on the trip. The hustle/bustle of Kathmandu is not something that one will forget quickly.

The expedition leader, from Adventure Lifesigns, had visited Nepal 29 times previously and was an expert in all areas of the country. Nar and Raj were our Nepalese guides and have worked with Adventure Lifesigns for over 12 years. Their hospitality, expertise, cooking and mountaineering skills were second to none. Students kept a joint journal for the duration of their expedition, writing up a couple of days each (I hope you enjoy hearing some of their experiences in their own words!). I could not be prouder of what they each personally, and as a team, achieved on this trip. Watch this space for a 2024 expedition!

CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK COLLECTION

POETRY LIVE TRIPS

60 of our Year 11 students represented the school in phenomenal fashion as we headed to Brighton Dome on 6 February to join the Poetry Live! Experience.

We heard from old favourites, Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage, alongside some other incredible poets reading and discussing their work. All the students received insight into the minds and words of these talented poets, alongside a discussion with a chief examiner who shared tips and tricks on how to answer the Unseen Poetry section in English Literature Paper 2.

Thank you to all the students who behaved impeccably, engaged with the session and made the English Department very proud.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY TRIP TRIPS

On Thursday 23 February some of our Year 10 students visited St. John’s College at Oxford University in support of their HPQ (Higher Project Qualification). They had a really informative talk about what Oxford University is like and how its collegiate system works. They then had a delicious lunch followed by a tour and a Q&A session with a current Oxford University student.

Finally, they visited the Ashmolean Museum where they had a hands-on experience with some Ancient Greek artefacts as well as the opportunity to see all the exhibits. The students conducted themselves in a fantastic manner and showed so much enthusiasm and intrigue about the University and museum.

We hope the students found the trip inspiring and may be able to use some of the information from the museum in their research papers that they are completing and presenting as part of their HPQ projects!

SCIENCE LIVE

CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK COLLECTION

TRIPS

On 31 January, some of our keen scientists attended the ‘Science Live’ event at Brighton Dome, where they listened to fascinating talks by several amazing scientists. These included discussions of the future of computer science, how the largest telescope in the world was made, current advances in neuroscience, and the future possibilities of time travel!

They also heard from a chief examiner from AQA, who provided students with helpful insights into how to get top marks in their exams.

The students represented the school amazingly well, and hopefully went home with some big ideas in Science to think about!

THEATRE TRIPS

TRIPS

This term, we have taken Year 10 and 11 GCSE Drama students to see two productions, 'Noughts & Crosses' by Pilot Theatre Company at The Theatre Royal, Brighton and, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' at The Gielgud Theatre, London.

Live theatre is an incredible opportunity for GCSE Drama students to build on their knowledge and to see the skills and techniques they are learning in action. For some students, this was their first opportunity to experience the power of live theatre and engage in the collective response of an audience.

On both occasions, we were proud of our students' conduct and mature responses to the theatre they have seen. We look forward to more theatre trips in the summer term!

DEPARTMENT

QUIZ NIGHT

On Friday 3 March we were pleased to host the return of our popular Quiz Night! Over 130 parents, carers and staff came together for a fun, social evening and we managed to raise almost £2,000 to put towards a much-needed school minibus.

We would like to thank all our local businesses who kindly donated to our raffle; we had some great prizes up for grabs and sold a huge number of raffle tickets!

We’d also like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped to make the event a success, including our caretakers who did an excellent job of setting up the hall, our marvellous PE department for running the bar, and Mr Watson who was our Quiz Master for the evening. The quiz scoring was incredibly close and ended in a tie-breaker, with Quiz Team Aguilera finally being crowned the champions!

We hope everyone had a great time and look forward to running more events like this in the future.

Thank you to our sponsors...

FATTO A MANO PIZZA WORKSHOPS

In February, we were delighted to receive a very generous donation of ‘Pizza for Schools’ kits from local pizza business, Fatto a Mano!

The kits came complete with all the ingredients our students needed to create delicious pizzas from scratch including pizza dough, tomato sauce, fior de latte, parmesan and basil.

The kits went down a storm with our students who had a great time getting hands-on with the ingredients and getting a taste of Fatto’s delicious pizzas!

CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK COLLECTION

It has been such a busy and exciting start to my new role as Library and Literacy Support. The library has been reconfigured and all new releases are on the shelves! We have over 100 new books in stock for the students to enjoy and new opening times from 8:00am to 4:30pm to accommodate before and after school.

This term we had successful World Book Day events, including a Pop-Up Library in D block, to encourage students who don’t normally use the library to browse our new selections We also did a Library ‘Book See’ where students brought books from home to share and swap with others But this is just the start we are hoping to go even bigger and better next year!

This term in partnership with Kemptown Bookshop, we have also launched the Stringer Book Group, which is open to any Year 9, 10 or 11 students who love reading challenging and thoughtprovoking literature and are keen to have a forum in which to discuss it with other book fans! It is taking place every half-term, with the next book chosen after each meeting.

Finally, we are in the process of installing a new library system that will allow students easier access to our catalogue, as well as looking into the possibility of an audio book collection Stay tuned for more information about this in the future!

KEMPTOWN BOOKSHOP COMPETITION

We were really excited to kick off our collaborative relationship with Kemptown Bookshop by running the Holiday Reads book review competition. It was so lovely to read the reviews our students submitted and see what they had been reading over the Christmas period

Our winner was Phoebe B, Year 11, who wrote an excellent review of The Good Immigrant, a collection of essays edited by Nikesh Shukla Our runner-up was Albert L, Year 7, whose review of Tyger by S.F. Said came a close second. An honourable mention also goes to Daisy G, who came in third place.

Phoebe and Albert were awarded book vouchers by Remony from Kemptown Bookshop, who also helped to judge the competition

Take a read of their reviews below!

The Good Immigrant, review by Phoebe B

A stunning and necessary essay collection. Each writer brings a unique style to each essay and covers a different topic, but the quality never varies This book functions not as and end point, but the start of antiracist thinking for white Brits. And for people of colour? It was inspiring to see in the reviews, and the updated preface, the effect this book had on readers of colour (especially the young). If you want to read stories and perspectives that, although some or all may be unrelatable, deepen your understanding of race, society, and yourself, then I highly recommend this A new staple on my non-fiction bookshelf.

KEMPTOWN BOOKSHOP COMPETITION

Adam Alhambra and his family are foreigners in the land of the Empire But everyday he has to leave the safety of the Soho Ghetto and deliver packages throughout London. But when he is chased into a dump, Adam accidentally discovers a Tyger, a majestic immortal being, wounded and helpless

He and his friend Zadie True make it their mission to save the creature. But as the Tyger guides them through the doors of perception, imagination and creation, its enemies only get closer and more dangerous. Just as they are learning about their heritage and the tyger’s history, she is captured. With little to no hope and a destructive mob rampaging throughout London, they nearly give up But they convince the mob to turn on the tyger’s captors and destroy their estate…

Can Adam and Zadie free the tyger and help her to defeat her enemies?

I liked the idea plot and setting. There are not many characters, but SF Said builds the personalities well of the ones we do have I noticed how the writer emphasises the unfriendliness towards for foreigners, similar to how refugees can be treated in the real world today Also, we get to know the few characters that the author creates quite well.

I like the stylish illustrations by Dave McKean He is always the illustrator for SF Said’s books, and their styles work well together. They are all black and white illustrations.

SF Said is the bestselling author of Phoenix and Varjak Paw. He has a very recognisable style of writing, and it includes subtle powers and dramatic description. I rate all of his books, especially this one, 5/5 stars Also, this book is for age 9+

Tyger, review by Albert L

POETRY COMPETITION

The Power of Poetry competition asked students around the country to write about something that was important to them and mattered in their world, with the aim of empowering young people and giving them a platform to use their voices

We are so proud that our Year 7 entries from Alia C, Poppy C and Olivia C were all selected, and the competition organiser commented that having so many successes is very rare and something to celebrate Well done to the three students, you have made Stringer very proud indeed!

DARE TO DREAM

YEAR 10

Year 10 had some fantastic assemblies on Monday 16 January and Wednesday 1 March provided by ‘Dare to Dream’, a programme run by the LoveLocalJobs foundation.

This has been a brilliant opportunity to think about life beyond school and hear about what employers will want from students in the future. Jack Hayes, a local radio DJ on Heart FM, spoke to the students about his life experiences and what he has learnt, engaging students in a unique and memorable way on themes of self-awareness, identity, mindset, gratitude, resilience, teamwork and employability. He works with Love Local Jobs to help around 30 schools in Sussex. The students have been absolutely wonderful in how well they have listened and responded to Jack.

Some of the students are also taking part in a mentoring programme with volunteers from EDF Energy who come into school to share their experiences and help guide the students. Before the end of term we will also be going on a visit to EDF’s local offices for these students so they can learn more about the workplace and Jack will return after the Easter holidays for a final assembly.

The programme has been a great success so far and we will be looking to continue this with more students in the future.

ROEDEAN ACADEMY

YEAR 10

Some of our Year 10 students (along with others in the city) have been invited to take part in the Roedean Academy. A five-week programme, heading off in the minibus after school for two hours of lectures and critical thinking The range of subjects that they can choose from has been both challenging and varied. So far, our students have been to Economics, Sign Language, Tales of Ovid, Life Drawing, Screen Printing, Chemistry and Maths.

It has been a great opportunity for our Year 10 students to meet their counterparts from lots of different schools across the city and to challenge themselves outside of their comfort zone Head of Year 10, Miss Poole, said, ‘I have been very proud of the contributions our students have made so far and the way have embraced the learning on offer’.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR

At lunchtime on Friday 3 March we held our annual Mastermind competition, following on from the students’ General Knowledge quiz last term. Our four contestants were Zac, Isla, Reuben and Kit and their specialist subjects were US Survivor, the Solar System, Dr Who, and European Capitals.

The contestants all performed incredibly well in both the General Knowledge round and in their specialist subjects, with Zac and Isla tying in first place!

We’d like to thank Mr Watson for running the event and Ms Chrisp for assisting with reading the questions. A big thank you as well to Mr Stephens and Mr Flint who helped with the question writing, and to all the students who turned out to support the event

SHOW RACISM THE RED CARD COMPETITION

EXTRA-CURRICULAR

We're so pleased to share that Dorothy Stringer are taking part in the Show Racism the Red Card 2023 Schools Competition! All year groups were welcome to enter artwork, creative writing, multimedia projects, or a t-shirt design to us, and Mrs Mockeridge and Miss Parmar shortlisted their favourites to be sent on to Show Racism the Red Card - who will be selecting overall winners.

Our shortlisted designs were by Kristina T, and a joint design by Belle, Emily, Grace, Amy and Reem Well done all and good luck in the next stage of the competition!

Due to the Strike days falling during British Science Week (10-19 March), we decided that this year Dorothy Stringer would host its very own Stringer Science Week in the week following.

Our Science department put on some excellent lunchtime sessions for students where they could come along and witness some seriously explosive practicals! The team also ran assemblies with the help of some keen Year 11 scientists, and encouraged our students to think about how different careers are related to Science

Our students really enjoyed watching the practicals, and left feeling enthused about all the possibilities Science has to offer!

MATHS CHALLENGE

On Thursday 2 February all of our Newton classes across Years 9 – 11 took part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge. All students involved worked incredibly hard for this challenge and were fantastic on the day, working out problems right up to the last minute. We had some amazing results, with 54 students achieving a Bronze Award, 44 achieving Silver and 18 achieving Gold. Special congratulations go to Kit R and Mabel G-C who got the best results in their year groups, and to Zac C who was our Best in School! As well as this, we have 14 students who have qualified for the next rounds, with 5 students going onto the Grey Kangaroo and 9 onto the Pink.

The day was a great success and students left with a feeling of accomplishment. We wish the students who qualified for the following rounds the best of luck and cannot wait to see what they achieve. Excellent work by all who took part in this challenge – well done everyone!

SPANISH TRIP

The week before the Christmas break, a group of 40 students went to Spain to participate in an immersive Spanish experience.

The trip started with a big hurdle as, due to the snow, the flight was cancelled. However, we managed to work with the air company and were able to fly the following day.

Once in Spain, we met the Spanish students we were partnered with, and the Stringer students fully immersed in all activities. It was amazing to see how they threw themselves into the Spanish culture. We were in Jaen, a small city where English is not really spoken. Our students used their Spanish in shops, restaurants and participated in many activities with their Spanish partners.

There was also time for fun as well as learning. We had a bowling night with the Spanish students and we finished with a disco night.

Everywhere we went we were complimented on the behaviour and respect that our students showed. As teachers, we felt extremely proud of our students. Not only did they learn more Spanish and about the culture, but they also demonstrated perfect manners and exemplary behaviour.

Overall, 10 out of 10!

STAFF NEWS

HEAD OF SCHOOL

CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK COLLECTION

A FOND FAREWELL... A FOND FAREWELL... A FOND FAREWELL...

Dear Parents and Carers

After thirty years of working at Dorothy Stringer, I will be retiring at the end of this term. It has been a great privilege to work in the school for such a length of time and there is no doubt that leaving after so long will be a great wrench While we have all had difficult times in the last few years, my overall feelings of having worked at this school are ones of happiness, enjoyment and pleasure Working with young people is not only a great responsibility, there are times when it is joyful and exciting and surprising, and I am sure I will miss this when it has finally sunk in that I have really left. Dorothy Stringer has been almost my entire adult life – I came here as a trainee teacher in 1992 and never found a reason to leave Alongside teaching English, and working in Pastoral Care, I was also lucky enough to be in charge of the Italy Trip for the last dozen years – and I’ll miss this too I’d like to thank not only my colleagues at the school, but those students, parents and carers I have encountered across my time at the school. I wish everyone connected to the school happiness and success for the future

This term we are saying goodbye to Stewart Furini, who is retiring after 30 years of service at Dorothy Stringer. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Stewart for his long-standing commitment to our school and wish him all the best for the future. He has written a few words below which we’re passing on to you, and we’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Ms Dale, our new Head of School MONEYRAISED:

Stewart Furini

...AND A BIG HELLO! ...AND A BIG HELLO! ...AND A BIG HELLO!

I am excited to join the team at Dorothy Stringer School. I have almost 20 years’ experience as an English teacher and have spent the last 11 years as an Assistant Head and SENDCo with a particular focus on Inclusion and Wellbeing I look forward to teaching within the English department and getting to know the students across the school, with a focus on Years 10 and 11

With three out of four of my own children in local schools, I feel I have a vested interest in the local community and am honoured to step into this role. I hope to get to know the students and families quickly, and that you feel my door is always open to support with any issues and celebrate successes

I wish Mr Furini all the best with his retirement and feel privileged to be picking up the ‘baton’ from him after so many years of service to the school and its community.

ALUMNI NEWS

CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK COLLECTION

On 12th March, ex-Stringer student Jonny Tully won an Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony Jonny was the colourist on the Oscar and BAFTA winning short film, 'An Irish Goodbye' Congratulations to Jonny!

Ex-Dorothy Stringer student and former Drama Department Assistant Simeon Desvignes is currently starring in a National Theatre production of Hamlet, specially devised and adapted for young audiences. Simeon is on tour around the UK and has also recently appeared on Newsround Well done, Simeon!

In other Drama news, we'd like to congratulate Django D and Aiden F, who are still with us in Year 11, but have both been accepted to the BRIT School Theatre strand from September Well done both!

We'd also like to say a massive well done to Lottie Brookes, who went on to Newman College after Dorothy Stringer and was part of their team who won the Women's Rosslyn Park National 7s Competition. Phil Ward, Head Coach, said; 'Despite only getting back into rugby in January and combining it with her college netball, Lottie’s work ethic forced her into the National Championship squad. In her first game of 7s for Newman, despite the team winning 34-0, Lottie chased back 25m to prevent the opposition scoring a try. It’s this mindset never to give up that helped her and her teammates win the National 7s Championship without ever contending more than one try per game.'

Well done Lottie and the rest of the team!

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK COLLECTION

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send us feedback and kind words this term; it is always appreciated. We've been really delighted to receive some lovely feedback from parents and carers recently, so we thought we'd share some of the comments with you

My daughter has come through the tough time that she was having last winter, and your support and positivity at the time were a great boost to both her and myself. I really appreciate your ongoing hard work and brilliant teaching.

My daughter’s history teacher Miss Moore is exceptional.

Just a quick message to say that my daughter was saying what a brilliant teacher you are, and how much she has learnt this year in your lessons. She's had a tough time with life in the last year and could have felt very behind, but your teaching has really boosted her.

Everyone was so encouraging and helpful at the Year 9 options evening and parents' evening recently.

I wanted to write to say thank you to the teachers and the whole team who organised and participated in the Y7 parents evening It was so encouraging to hear the feedback, especially for us being new to the UK as a family. We received both academic insights and social from most teachers which was helpful and reassuring that they see the whole child I especially appreciated how the teachers directly engaged my son and provided their feedback to him.

A big thanks for everything the school does in general, and for everyone's hard work.

When my daughter came home today she was so proud to tell me about the award that she received in maths. She has been working hard on her maths, and both of us have seen massive improvement. This is also down to how brilliant you and the Maths support staff have been with her. We all want to say thank you to all of you.

If you would like to leave us any feedback please email office@dorothy-stringer.co.uk

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