Ambassadors Assembly Page 4
Issue 624 - 29th March 2018
C7 Showcasing Page 5
www.honywoodschool.com | Tel : 01376 561231
Headlines By Acting Head James Munro
You won’t be surprised that I am going to dedicate the first part of this week’s iGazette to Simon Mason. This is the 624th Gazette since he wrote the first edition back in September 2002 when he commenced his headship here at Honywood 15 years ago. In Simon Mason Honywood School found an exceptional leader who was prepared to stand up for the educational theories that he believed in, bucking the often outdated traditions and not accepting that because that’s the way it’s always been done is the reason to do something. He is someone who was adamant that young people should be given every opportunity possible to shine and make the most of life; someone who was determined to provide an education for young people of all capabilities and backgrounds. Most of all, someone who was ready to steadfastly, consistently and honestly work tirelessly placing youngster’s best interests first when making every decision he took. Simon has led the school magnificently over the past 15 years and I know that youngsters who have been educated here will be both happy and successful in their lives as a result of the impact the school he has evolved has had on them. Simon, thank you. I think it’s important at this transition point to be clear that the core values of our school have remained consistent throughout the time I’ve worked here and will continue to do so. From Keith Hotchin, to Simon Mason and now to Headteacher Designate James Saunders, Honywood will always treat every youngster as an individual not a statistic. This will continue to be achieved through the dual focussed model that Simon has evolved during his time; developing both knowledge and understanding through the subjects studied but also, and equally as importantly, developing self and the attributes required to succeed in the world after school. A recent study has estimated that the youngsters of school leaving age today will have on average 7 different jobs in their lifetime demonstrating the need to develop the skills, attributes and dispositions to be a life-long learner. James Saunders has spent an increasing amount of time in Honywood this term and has already spent a large proportion of this observing teaching and learning across the school engaging with learners at every opportunity. Inevitably, James will have his own ideas for developing the school moving forwards, but youngsters will always be at the centre of anything we do here at and Simon can ‘hang up his boots’ knowing that he has left the school in a fantastic position, with lots to look forward to. Congratulation To Maryann Cooke (10NPo) who passed her Grade 3 Piano with a Merit award last week. Thanks To Anna Collins (9SLO), Maryann Cooke (10NPO), Ava Coughlan (10NPO), Tyler Emery (9KCO), James Korniej (10KHO), Poppy Lord (9LBR), Ian Morley (10MGR), Jack Myhill (10MWO), Scarlett Rose (9CHA), James Smith (10MRA), Mia Stimson (10MRA), Megan Stoney (9JWI) and Caterina Taylor (9CHA) for their efforts supporting our C7 Maths showcasing event this week.
James Saunders Headteacher Designate Over the last two weeks I have had the pleasure of being welcomed into a range of classes to see our learners. It has been great to get into lessons, get to know the learners and see the learning and teaching in action. I don’t know about you, but the prospect of a new Headteacher and two senior leaders coming into my class would not fill me with calming thoughts. I am pleased to say that Honywood teachers and learners didn’t even skip a beat when I appeared in their class. The highlights from my learning walks have definitely been the conversations I have had with the learners. I have found that they are happy and focused and ready to be challenged. They demonstrated capacity for independence, perseverance, resilience, and an authentic thirst for knowledge. I can’t tell you how enlightening it is to get out and about to see a cross section of learning in a range of disciplines; I am hoping to continue this after Easter and will be keeping you updated with what is happening across the school. I have found strengths in every corner of the school and I ended each day enthused and mentally stimulated. In English I was touched by the honesty and personal connection a learner exhibited during a speaking assessment. In Expressive Arts I watched on as a complex Bollywood routine engaged every single learner as they danced confidently in complete unison. In History I felt I was attending a mesmerising HE lecture. In Science, the nervous system was brought to life through a colourful investigatory creative process. In Maths, I had a great discussion about how to find the nth term and witnessed personalised learning and independence in action. In MFL I was inspired by the confidence of our learners and the lyricism of language immersion. I had a great debate with two learners about animal testing and vegetarianism in another English lesson. In Geography, I saw questioning used to challenge the thinking of a learner to uncover the answer by himself. Art presented a great use of teacher modelling and ES inspired me through the facilitation of a meaningful reflection activity. I then had the honour of presenting the newly appointed C10 Ambassadors and Lead Learners with their ties in front of their parents/carers; this was most definitely the highlight of my week and reminded me why I chose to come to Honywood. I wish you all a Happy Easter and am looking forward to joining you permanently for the Summer term. Kind regards James Saunders
Parents’ Time Members of the Leadership Team will be available to see parents without appointment: Monday 9.00am—9.45am Tuesday 7.15am—8.00am Wednesday 3.00pm—3.45pm Thursday 5.00pm—6.00pm Friday 7.15am—8.00am
Ambassadors Assembly
On Tuesday we held our Ambassador assembly for our newly appointed Ambassadors and Lead Learner Team in Cohort 10. The learners should be really proud of their achievement in securing an Ambassador role, the competition for these places was extremely high and many learners had to undergo several interviews to secure a role. This will help to prepare them for life in the real world, where people need to be resilient and persevere to get interviews and secure jobs. Interviewers have been very impressed with the learners they have interviewed, commenting on how smartly they have been dressed, that they arrived on time and answered the questions in an articulate and thoughtful manner. These are all key attributes and skills that will enable them to be happy and successful in their future lives. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our successful ambassadors and Lead Learners and look forward to their positive contributions in leading the school over the next year. Mrs Jo Brook
Duolingo Winners Well done to the following learners and staff: Cohort 7: Matthew Collier 7JLa, Marcia Swain 7DPe Cohort 8: Sam Barker 8APr, Radvilas Venckus 8KAr Cohort 9: Abigail Wilson 9KBr, William Dubbini 9CHA Cohort 10: Maddie Smith 10KHo, Natasha Stevens 10HTr Cohort 11: Jack Hasler 11HBy, Peony Lawrence 11CHo Staff: Mr S Mason and Mrs P Downes Also a special mention to Guy Anderson 9KBr for his insanely high score on Duolingo. A big congratulations to all our winners who will receive each the famous duolingo prize draw certificate in the post very soon. Again thank you to everyone who is playing duolingo and learning a new language. Keep up the hard work and there will be a new prize draw in the summer term!
Cohort 7 Showcasing On Monday 26th March, Cohort 7 took part in a Maths showcase for study period 4. During this study period they have been learning about scale drawing, constructions and formula, and have been applying this within the context of planning a music festival. The showcase took place during Maths learning sessions, and gave learners the opportunity to showcase their learning to learners from Cohort 9 and 10. These GCSE learners study music, and as a result were able to question on the mathematical aspects as well as looking at the overall music festival design. In addition, one of our former learners, Mikey Buick, who now studies music at university came to help evaluate both showcases, which gave an extra emphasis to the showcase and how learners conveyed their maths skills. It was a very successful morning, and we'd like to say well done to Cohort 7 for the positive showcasing of their learning. Mrs P Downes
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Learners in Cohort 11 will be completing their actual GCSE speaking exams in French, German and Spanish over the after the Easter Holidays. French exams will take place across Wednesday 25th, Thursday 26th, Friday 27th and Monday 30th April 2018. German exams will take place across Tuesday 1st, Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd May 2018. Spanish exams will take place on Tuesday 8th May 2018. On Monday 16th April every learner in Cohort 11 will be emailed a document with their specific date and time slot and their Learning Group Leaders will also be provided with the information. In addition, parents and carers will be sent an email via GroupCall with the same information. As this is an actual GCSE exam, it is essential that learners arrive punctually to their exams and pay particular attention to the dates and times. Speaking contributes 25% to the overall GCSE grade and therefore it is vital that learners revise and prepare effectively in order to build their own confidence. In Cohort 11 MFL classes learners have been preparing answers to key questions in French, Spanish and German and have also practised techniques for the three different elements of the exam; Role Play, Photo Card and General Conversation. As a team, we are dedicated to help learners build their confidence with speaking a foreign language as much as possible! We would encourage all youngsters to attend after school support sessions (Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays) and to book MLCs with an MFL teacher. We wish all of our youngsters in Cohort 11 lots of luck and success in their exams!
April 23rd
Dress down day or come to school dressed as your favourite book character! Competition held at lunch in EN5 with prizes. Book sale also being held in EN5 all week. Prices start from 50p.
My Learning Choices Enterprise & Solutions MLCs this week are available to C7 learners that would like to develop their understanding of ‘what a social enterprise is and how Private Limited Companies differ from Public Limited Companies. Sessions will also be available for C8s that would like help developing their CVs and personal statements, ready for the week 37 activity applications and beyond.
Important Dates 29th - March Last day of Term finishing 3.20pm 2nd - 13th April Easter Holiday 23rd - April World Book Day/Dress Down Day 4th - May St Omer
Business Studies MLCs this week will be focused on the ‘recruitment and selection process’, as they begin the 3rd unit of the course – ‘Human Resources’. Sessions will also be available for C10s who would like to revise specific aspects of the course, as they continue preparing for their mock exams. English Please spend some time reviewing your most recent learning points in English. What is it you need to do to improve? Do you know how to move forward with your learning? We have many members of the English team available for you to book an MLC appointment with. Your 1:1 or small group MLC session could be focused on improving an aspect of your writing or tackling a particular question on the GCSE language papers. It might be that you’re finding poetry tricky or the study of a particular text is causing you concern. Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to book an MLC today. Maths Do you want to boost your confidence in Maths? Please book your Maths MLC for extra support with your learning. We will be offering workshops on specific topics, as well as general maths sessions where you can bring any learning you need support with. Book for yourself, or bring a friend, or if a small group of you need help with the same topic, book a session together.” MFL Cohort 11, with your actual GCSE speaking exams approaching after the Easter holidays, why not book an MLC with an MFL teacher today!
Well Done to our Cohort 8 Duty Receptionists
Hayden Lowing Erin Mills Joseph Morton
Family Learning Team
email FLT@honywoodschool.com If your youngster is absent please email attendance@honywoodschool.com