April 2012 King John School Newsletter

THE KINGSCHOOL JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012 THE KING JOHN

NEWSLETTER No: 44 - April 2012

Essex County Champions—Year 8 For the first time ever the Year 8 girls cross country team became County Champions! They took part in the annual Year 7 and 8 County Championships at Hylands Park, Chelmsford.

Over 50 schools from across the County take part in this competition with over 200 runners in each race. The team all finished in the top 50 of the race which is a fantastic achievement and shows the strength of the team. Kiera Tippett was 2nd, Frankie Roast 14th, Brionly Findlay 22nd, Emily Warren 35th, Jordan Clarkson 41st and Sophie Jones 49th. Kiera and Frankie along with Niamh Smith and Bryce O'Dea (year 7) will all go on to represent Essex in an Inter Counties match.

This is a fantastic achievement as Essex is one of the strongest counties in the country.

Well done to all of the runners that took part on the day.

Essex School FA U16 Cup Final winners The King John School U16 Cup Final WINNERS See full article on page 16

The King John Ski trip to Sugarloaf Mountain, USA.

THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

YOUNG ROTARY CHEF OF THE YEAR DISTRICT FINALS Congratulations to Charlotte Crudgington in Year 10, who competed in the district finals of the Rotary chef competition on Saturday 25th February. It was a very tough competition against four other schools including previous regional winners. Charlotte had two hours to make a 3 course meal for two people under the cost of £15. We are pleased to announce that Charlotte won the district competition and will continue to represent The King John School and Hadleigh district in the regional final next month. The judges were very impressed with not only the taste and presentation of Charlotte’s menu but her attitude and preparation skills. We wish Charlotte lots of luck for the next round.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Message Board From Margaret Wilson, Headteacher I hope that all parents and students have had the opportunity to read the letter from OfSTED confirming that they have externally assessed the school. The assessment looked at a number of aspects including students’ attainment, progress and attendance.

This interim assessment indicated that performance at the school has been sustained and, as a result, OfSTED have decided that the school’s inspection will not take place any earlier than the summer term 2013.

I would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to Mr Gray Pratt, Deputy Headteacher. Gary will be known to many of you as he has worked in the school for the past 10 years. Gary has now deservedly been appointed as Headteacher of Chafford School in Rainham and I hope you will join with me in wishing Gary every success for the future.

Once again I would like to mention the school’s sporting successes. We are going from strength to strength in this area and many team and individual achievements are including within this newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I do.

The next term will be very busy. Many of our students will be taking exams and I wish them every success. I am sure that I don’t need to tell them that the Easter holidays would be an opportune time to start their revision! In addition there are a huge number of creative and performing arts shows and performances on the school calendar and I hope to see many of you at these events.

Finally, I hope you all have a good Easter break.

DATES 2011 - 2012 TERMS (Inclusive dates) 2012 Summer Monday 16th April - Monday 23rd July Review Afternoon GENERAL HOLIDAYS (Inclusive dates)

18th—19th April 2012

2012 Spring Monday 2nd April - Friday 13th April 2012 Summer Tuesday 24th July - Friday 31st August HALF-TERM HOLIDAYS (Inclusive dates)

BANK HOLIDAYS

2012 Summer Monday 4th June - Friday 8th June

Friday 6th April 2012 Monday 9th April 2012

NON-STUDENT DAYS

Monday 7th May 2012 Monday 4th - 5th June 2012 Monday 27th August 2012

Friday 30th March 2012 Monday 23rd July 2012

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ADVERTISING IN OUR PARENTS NEWSLETTER Should you wish to Advertise in our next Parents Newsletter, please contact the Reprographics department after April 17th to discuss your requirement.

E-mail:ginae@thekjs.demon.co.uk Or Tel: 01702 426723

With your CONTACT details.

Gina or Sharon

THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Uniform Shop Opening Times

Letters Home

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday For Parents: 9.30am - 11.00am For Students: 2.00pm - 2.20pm Term time only

All letters that are sent home are available to view on the website www.thekjs.essex.sch.uk.

Please note that the Parent Newsletters and Extra Curricular Activities booklets are also on the website.

Reminder to all parents

Sixth Form Film Club UA2

When your child is absent from school we appreciate you calling Student Services to report their absence, but would like to remind you we still require you to send in a letter of explanation for the absence with your child on their return.

Without this in writing, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and may result in the involvement of the Education Welfare Officer.

Students can choose Film Club on Wednesday as an option for their enrichment. The aim is to introduce students to independent and foreign films to broaden their cultural and film experience.

All welcome.

MRS J COPELAND STUDENT SERVICES CO-ORDINATOR

Student Safety

Lost Property

The School is very concerned about the safety of the students on our site. With this in mind we would ask that cars DO NOT DRIVE ON TO THE SCHOOL SITE to drop students off or pick them up. This includes the car park at the Benfleet Road entrance. This car park is intended for staff and visitor parking only. A large number of students have to cross this area to get into school and the presence of cars driving through the car park greatly increases the risk to students. Please take notice of the signs on the gateway and drop your children off outside the school site. A small walk up the road can only be good for them!!!

Katrina Bentley, Bursar

LOST YOUR PE KIT, COAT, KING JOHN HOODIE, SHOES OR BAGS? Lost property for students to view will be on display at morning break by the Main staircase on Thursday 29th March 2012 Please be aware that any property unclaimed will be donated to a local charity PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU NAME TAG ALL YOUR BELONGINGS IN FUTURE

Food Technology

Borrowing Money

The Food Technology Department has set up a website for students to use when cooking at home. You can download demonstrations (which you can view with QuickTime) and recipe sheets for a range of products. (A DVD version is also in preparation).

Some of our Year 7 students are currently doing an evaluation of this resource; if you would like to look at the demonstrations and recipes yourself you can log on to www.cook-king.co.uk We would welcome your feedback and ideas for recipes you would like us to add.

Other food resources, linked to exam preparation for Key Stages 4 and 5, can also be found on the school VLE. C. Woodhouse Head of Food Technology

Student Services lend small amounts of money to students in emergencies only i.e. forgotten lunch and/or bus money to get home. A phone call will be made to parents to confirm this is allowed. We would like to remind parents that if your child has borrowed money from Student Services it should be repaid the next day as we only have a small float to lend to students.

NB. This facility will be withdrawn from a student who has money outstanding.

BAD WEATHER

Articles from Students

This is the time of year when severe weather may cause problems for teachers and students trying to get into school.

Pl ease li sten to th e l ocal r adio (BBC Essex and Heart) for the up to date news from the school. School closures will be posted on our website by 7.30am www.thekjs.essex.sch.uk. It would be helpful if you didn’t telephone the school directly - the line just gets jammed and teachers trying to contact the school cannot get through. We now have our own snow plough.

If any student is interested in placing an article of interest in the Parents Newsletter please see Gina Ebner or Sharon McGrory in Reprographics.

So don’t be shy we want to hear from you.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012 Raising Money for Africa to help a former student

YEAR 7

A former King John Student, Jordan Brannigan, enrolled in the Essex Army Cadet Force over 4 years ago and will soon be off to Ghana with a group of volunteers.

Joseph Greenwood and Maddie Knighton are performing in the Palace Theatre production of Oliver! in June - we wish them well.

The trip to Ghana really will enlighten him to the world and all of the cadets going will see how sacred life really is, and how the little things we take for granted really are special and should be respected and treasured.

Niamh Smith came 2nd in the Essex schools cross country at Hylands Park in Chelmsford 22nd February

Thank you to the Year 7 students and staff for all their hard work in raising money for such a good cause.

Ollie Helps won a competition to write a letter to an author, saying what he liked about his book. Ollie will now have the chance to meet a famous author to discuss the writing further.

We were delighted to be able to present Corporal Jordan Brannigan with a cheque for £800 to support his charitable trip to Africa.

The Year 7 students raised money for Jordan through the Christmas Bazaar and their disco. Thank you very much to everyone who supported us.

Miss Murray

Niamh Smith came 41st among a field of 300, in the under 13 Cross Country championships at Parliament hill on 25th February.

Alysia Johnson-Gray, James Cox and Louie Felton are taking part in lamba drama and will take an exam soon.

Royce Taylor will be taking part in a South East Essex trampolining competition.

Ellie Charles came second in her inter house gymnastics competition.

James Cox came second in a karate competition The Kursaal Bowling Trip

Hair and Beauty Show 2012

Over 100 students in Year 7 will be enjoying an evening out at The Kursaal Bowling Alley on the 29thMarch. They are looking forward to socialising with friends, showing their bowling talents and enjoying some snacks. Thank you to staff who will be coming with us. Find out how we got on in the next newsletter Miss Murray

Hair and Beauty are putting on a show on Wednesday 2nd May 2012. Tickets will go on sale from Wednesday 18th April 2012.

Please join us to make it a success

Parking in Surrounding Roads.

I do appreciate that it may be difficult for you to find parking spaces in the surrounding roads at 3.30pm, particularly as the school requests cars not enter the site in the interests of students’ safety. However, I would ask that you park with consideration for the occupants of the nearby houses and allow the home owners to have access to their own driveways.

Installation of More Cameras During the Easter break we are installing additional cameras in the school for increased security. This is part of a programme to ensure the safety of students at all times . The cameras are to be installed in both the male and female toilet corridors leading to the cubicles. (Not in the cubicles).

Many thanks Katrina Bentley (Bursar)

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Read international The Sixth form READ International team would like to extend a huge thanks to all the teachers, parents and sixth formers who supported the recent Quiz night, which was advertised in the last newsletter. The evening was a huge success with 18 teams taking part. The winning team were sixth formers Jenny Scott, Matt Fogg and their team - well done to them.

The evening raised a fabulous £780 and we are very grateful to those who donated raffle prizes; The Mahajara, Morrisons Hadleigh and the Maison Noir Florists in Hadleigh. This will be added to the money raised through cake sales and other events which have been going on throughout the year. Look out for our final total in the next newsletter.

The team have also collected nearly 1000 books which will be shipped out to schools in Africa where they follow the same curriculum as the UK but often have to share one text book amongst up to 15 students. This not only helps them but also avoids waste and landfill. For more details on this award winning charity please see www.readinternational.org Well done on a fantastic achievement to Alice, Hannah, Jack, Kate and Charlie - The Read Team, and thanks to Rob and Alex for their help on the night.

Hannah Arrowsmith

Archery girls go from strength to strength Congratulations to Rebecca Griffin (year 8) Kayleigh Griffin (year 11) and Lenni Canham (year 10). The girls, who shoot at Rayleigh Town Archery Club, have all been selected to represent their county this season. This is a fantastic achievement which has required a lot of hard work and commitment from the girls. It’s great to see their dedication pay off. All three girls have shot in their first County Team match, and all three girls came away with team gold medals.

Congratulations also go to Elliott Cracknell and Josie Skinner (year 9) who were both placed alongside the girls in the County Top 10 for the indoor season. Hopefully they too will soon receive their county call up.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Level 3 Electrical Treatments Body Electrical Treatments: Galvanic Electro muscle stimulator Micro-Current Lymphatic Drainage

Facial Electrical Treatments: Direct High Frequency Galvanic Micro-Current Lymphatic Drainage All facials are good for deep cleansing of the skin, also helps to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles giving skin youth and radiance. Visible results can be seen after a course of treatments. Cost per treatment £10

Visible results can be seen after a course of treatments. Cost of treatment £8

dis 20 co is a unt i % stu f yo ur de sch nt at child the oo l

The King John t o n is th r! t. Lifestyle Fitness Suite s n o o o m ed f no c In Hadleigh! t rs arg at i F ch ut ti o The Fitness Suite is equipped to a very high standard y r with Wellness machines provided by T

Technogym and staffed by Personal Trainers who will give you individual advice about your fitness regime..

Joining fee £15:00

For further details simply come along to the Fitness Suite (via the Benfleet Road entrance to the school) or call during opening hours on 07768 906386 A member of our fully trained staff will be available to advise you Opening Hours 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm (Monday to Friday)

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£25.00 per month

THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Creative & Performing Arts Performing Arts students went to see Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

We had great seats and they were all very well behaved. Some of the students were very excited to see Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud play Princess Fiona and she definitely put on a great show!

‘ ALL THINGS STOMP ’ STOMP Workshop Two professional performers from the ‘STOMP Theatre Company’ came into school on Monday 6th February and held two, two hour workshops with Creative Arts students from Years 9- 12. The students learnt how to play pipes, dustbin lids, chairs and even use their own bodies as an instrument!! It was a highly enjoyable and interesting workshop where students embraced new ideas and techniques that they will be able to use in their forthcoming GCSE performances and The Year 11 Arts Award version of The KJS STOMP on the evening of May 9th 2012.

STOMP Theatre Visit On Monday, 5th March students from Years 70 to 11 went to see ‘ STOMP at the Ambassador’s Theatre London. It was a highly enjoyable, funny and exciting evening where the student’s behaviour was exemplary. Harry Camp and Ellie Hudson even managed to get a photo of themselves with three of the shows performers at the stage door!

The KJS STOMP Students from Year11 Arts Award (as part of the Arts Leadership section of the course) have been working towards The King John School’s version of ‘The KJS STOMP’ with a selection of gifted and talented students from Years 7 and 8. The Year 11 students have been leading the Year 7 and 8 students in Art/ Drama/ Music lunchtime workshops in preparation for the show. The show will take place on the evening of Monday 9th May and tickets will be available from the Creative Arts Office soon.

Tate Modern Art Gallery Trip On 16th of March, 52 year 10 Art GCSE and Year 8 gifted and talented students went to visit the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London. This trip was arranged in preparation for Year 10 GCSE exams, and to allow Year 8 the opportunity to see art works on display.

Students left school by coach, bright and early at 8.30am. Once we arrived at the Tate students were given question booklets. They spent time in each of the galleries looking at the pieces, and answering questions. All of the students were excited and eager to see the live art pieces on display.

Students enjoyed the traditional, contemporary and non-conformist pieces of art on display, giving them a wide range of views on what art should look like, before a quick trip to the gift shop and travelling back to school in time for lunch.

Students were very well behaved and a credit to the school, I am glad that so many of them enjoyed the trip.

Miss N Evens

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012 Performing Arts students Amy Crudgington, Imogen Robins and Chelsea O’ Connell participated in the Stratford Music Festival. They were entered into different categories and received feedback on their performances by a judging panel. They all did very well and all received a commended mark.

Congratulations to all of the girls!

KS3 Inter house Drama Inter house drama this year was very successful with Year 7 and 8 taking part in lessons, and then voting for their favorite performance from their form to go forward to the judges. Rehearsals with tutors and drama teachers started at the beginning of February with both years given the task of creating a piece based on the Olympic values.

We had an expert team of judges, the amazing Miss Murray from Year 7, Mrs Sheern from Year 8 and several other members of staff to whom we are very thankful.

If this array of fabulous judges wasn’t enough we had our very own resident judges who would give Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole a run for their money, the incredible Mr Saunders our ever hard working head of department, lively Ms Grennan our bustling key stage 4 co-coordinator, and Mrs Woolgrove our other energetic drama teacher.

A big thank you to all of our judges for kindly donating their time willingly or not! Thanks to all of our tutors who got all their groups organised and tirelessly gave up their time to supervise rehearsals. But most of all a huge thank you to all the students who took part.. Without you this competition would not have gone ahead, well done for all your hard work.

The standard this year was incredible and some of the best work we have seen, but there can after all only be one winner. The votes have been counted and verified and the winners of Inter house Drama 2011 are 7-03 and 8-10.

Well done to both teams!

The Year 12 Music BTEC students will be hosting a Top of the Pops show on 17 th April. They will be showing off their talents with hits ranging through the decades!

We have had several shows in March within the Performing Arts department. Year 9 performed to an audience on 22 nd March, they also went to Thundersley Primary school to serenade the Junior school students with current popular music. Year 10 gave an evening performing on 27th March and the Year 13 show was on 29th March.

We have more events coming up, so please look out for photos in the next newsletter!

The GCSE Music recordings will be taking place this month. The students have been very focused on completing their compositions and preparing their recorded pieces and we would like to wish them all luck!

GCSE Drama GCSE Drama students in Year 11 and 10 are busy preparing for their Final Practical examination by rehearsing after school. Their exam takes place on 26th and 27th April with evening performances to friends and family in the Drama studio on Monday 23rd April and Wednesday 25th April. Invitations to these performance evenings will be sent home shortly.

Ms Grennan

Year 13 London Trip A fabulous cultural day was enjoyed by the A2 Drama & Theatre Studies course on 22 nd February. We had a historical trip through the past during a backstage visit of Shakespeare’s Globe, followed by a modern interpretation of “A Comedy of Errors” at The National Theatre in the afternoon. Lenny Henry was well cast in this mistaken identity farce, and the set was truly amazing with an impressive revolving tenement block. The trip was organised to support students Unit 4 written examination in the summer term so it was good for the students to see such a sharp comparison in the style of Shakepearean theatre.

We Will Rock You! The school production is now available to buy on DVD. Please see Miss Thomas in the Drama Office or contact us on 01702 426745 9

THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Globe Theatre On 24th February, 88 lucky Year 7 students and eight members of staff went on a trip to The Globe Theatre on London’s Bankside.

When we arrived at the Globe, we were split into four groups and each group was given a tour and took part in a workshop led by actors who work at the theatre. We were given brief histories of Shakespeare’s theatre and of how the actor Sam Wanamaker’s vision came to be part of the landscape of the South Bank. During the tour, we were lucky enough to be able to watch rehearsals of a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which were taking place on stage.

The workshops were great fun and engaged the students. They were also an insight into how actors and directors work with Shakespeare’s language when they are rehearsing. This enabled students to understand the language more clearly and, ultimately, to perform some excellent interpretations of extracts from Shakespeare’s plays.

After lunch, as the sun was shining, we took a brief stroll over the Millennium Bridge. This gave us lots of photo opportunities including the Globe, the Tate Modern, the bridges across the Thames , and St. Paul’s Cathedral. We were also able to witness the fine art of busking on the bridge. We returned to the Globe for a look at the exhibition. While they looked at artefacts from the Elizabethan era and from the Globe Theatre’s archives, students completed a quiz, before we began the journey home.

Thank you to Mr Rider, Mr Morley, Miss Bjorge, Mr Salkeld, Mrs Scott, Mrs Edwards and Mrs Wilson for helping to make the trip run smoothly. And a big thanks to the students who came on the trip – you were great company , and the actors at the Globe were very complimentary about your enthusiasm and your knowledge of Shakespeare’s world!

Mrs. C. Harvey

Year 8 Designing and making lots of nice things that can be taken away and used at home

Meets every Tuesday lunchtime UB6 with Mrs Potter Starting on a mini cabinet after the Easter holidays 10

THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Rights Respecting School Award Update As a whole school we are working towards achieving UNICEF’s Rights Respecting School Award. This award is based around the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child. A child is classed as anyone under the age of 18. This award is about every child knowing what their rights are and more importantly being responsible for their rights and respecting them. It is also about all adults in the school modelling Rights Respecting behaviour. We have achieved Recognition of Commitment from UNICEF, which means that we have an action plan in place and are working towards level 1.

As mentioned in the last newletter, all students and all adults in the school have had the opportunity to contribute to a Charter to help make the most of the Right to Education. The idea of the charter is for every person in the school to work together and know what is expected of them. The Charter is displayed in all classrooms and is a tool for positive reinforcement. Charters relating to other rights will be produced over time.

Why not try out a charter to set expectations at home?

For more information go to www.unicef.org.uk/rrssa

King John Charter Your right to EDUCATION Our responsibilities are:

Plan lessons

Try your best to: Complete all class work to best ability Follow instructions Be independent learners Seek help when needed Motivate yourself Respect the learning environment Participate fully in lessons

PAUSE

Differentiate

Be prepared/have equipment

Mark work regularly

Be a good listener

Feedback to students and parents

Encourage a positive atmosphere

Motivate and encourage students

Treat everyone equally

Give rewards

Be respectful

Give clear instructions

Use appropriate language

Engage and inspire Be approachable

Articles 28 & 29 of the UNCRC: Children have a right to an education. Discipline in school should respect children’s human dignity.

Education should develop each child’s personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents and their own culture.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Year 9 'Harry Potter Studio Tour' On May 3rd/4th the Media department is offering something extra magical! We are running an additional trip for Year 9 students to the recently opened 'Harry Potter Studio Tour'!

Located just 20 miles from the heart of London at Warner Brothers. Studios, Leavesden (the very place where all eight of the Harry Potter films were brought to life) the Studio Tour promises to be a truly memorable experience - whether your child is an avid Harry Potter fan or an all-round movie buff.

Students will explore the actual sets, see the props, costumes and models from the series in the very studios where the movies were created! They will visit the iconic and breath-taking Great Hall, walking on the actual solid York stone floor laid 11 years ago and see the solid oak and pine house tables that were built for the films and aged with axes and chains.

Beyond the Great Hall, Warner Brothers. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter continues with a tour of some of the largest, most detailed sets ever produced in the UK. In Dumbledore's office, you can see the authentic Sword of Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat and the portrait of the Hogwarts headmaster. Students will also get a backstage look at the production process and discover how green-screen technology helped create many iconic sequences for the films, including the spectacular Quidditch matches. Students will also visit the Creature Effects Workshop, showcasing the animatronics, exquisite make-up designs and iconic creatures from the films.

Unique and precious items from the films will also be on display, alongside some exciting hands-on interactive exhibits that will make our students feel like they're actually there.

The students will also have a chance to visit the unique Gift Shop, which is full of exciting souvenirs and official merchandise, designed to create an everlasting memory of the day at Warner Brothers, London.

And that's not all...

The trip is a two-day excursion, staying overnight in a hotel. On the second day students will take a guided tour of Oxford and visit even more set locations from the Harry Potter franchise as well as other iconic movie locations. A full VIP treatment for our VIS (Very Important Students).

Stay tuned for our report of the trip in the next parent's newsletter!

Mr Mechem Head of Media/Film studies Media Studies also organise a trip to Hollywood, USA every October. This is a once-in-alifetime VIP trip for those students studying Media Studies.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Year 11 Preparing to leave

YEAR 11 students have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the 2012 leavers’ experience is the best ever seen at The King John School.

While the build up to exams and putting the finishing touches to portfolios remains the absolute priority, the Year 11 Committee have been finding the time to add some sparkle to the year group’s final few weeks.

A dedicated yearbook team has put together a 48-page booklet that will soon be ready to send to the printers as a lasting memory of students’ school years.

Alongside the yearbook the media team have been using lesson time gained this year to put together what will undoubtedly be the most professional leavers’ DVD ever produced. Filming has taken place across the board with most major events from this final year, ranging from results days to sports fixtures, safely captured.

Dresses and tuxedos have been selling out as students look forward to the Prom on July 6, with the Prom Committee finalising ideas on a theme and fundraising plans to make the evening as memorable as in previous years.

One new addition will be a leavers’ hoody, with students taking on full responsibility for researching, designing and working with external companies to produce something students are proud to wear.

With this and the surprises staff have planned there is plenty to look forward to as students start to focus on the finishing line.

Summer Uniform 2012 From Monday 16th April students are permitted to wear the school summer uniform. This will mean students will be allowed to wear the official school polo shirt which has the school’s logo and red edging instead of a shirt and tie. For a small minority of students uniform can at times be a source of conflict. In order that everyone is fully aware of our expectations please note that no alternatives to the official school polo shirt will be accepted. Students who do not wish to take up this option will be expected to wear the standard uniform as per our usual requirements.

During this time students will be expected to have the polo shirt tucked in at all times and blazers worn in accordance with our normal expectations.

Summer polo shirts are available from the school uniform shop and an order form can be found on the school website; go to information then school uniform, order form.

Any student failing to wear the summer uniform correctly will be requested to return to the standard uniform during this time.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support with our school uniform expectations and if you have any further comments or suggestions please feel free to contact me.

S. Watts Assistant Headteacher

Examinations Office The King John School Examination Office now puts all important examination information on the school website. Look in the Main Entrance section and you will see the new examinations tab on the right-hand side.

We will be regularly updating the site with deadlines, times, venues, booklets and guidelines etc.

Please keep checking the site for the latest information about the current and forthcoming examination sessions.

Please contact the Exams Officer, Ms. Newton, with any enquiries.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

MFL The MFL department started this half term with a Key Stage 4 trip to Andalucia. French students have also had fun in the food rooms and the creative writing Valentines competition showed some true poets in the making.

On adore cuisinier!

Congratulations to Amelia Cook, Hannah Bright and Megan Devenport in Year 7 and Tiffany Ambrose and Holly Wilkie in Year 9 for their winning entries.

Au lieu d’un cours de français, nous avons préparé des crêpes.

D’abord, nous avons mis de l’huile dans la poêle et nous l’avons essuyée. Nous avons ajouté de la farine et deux œufs et un quart d’un litre de lait et de l’eau. Après, nous avons battu la pâte. Après avoir fini, on a versé la pâte dans la poêle pour faire cuire pendant trois minutes.

Finalement, nous avons ajouté de la sauce au chocolat ou du citron et du sucre, c’était savoureux.

Le cours était beaucoup mieux qu’un cours normal !

Merci à Mme Woodhouse et Mme Kavanagh pour avoir organisé cette activité.

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Andalucía Trip In February half term, 23 GCSE students from years 9, 10 and 11 went to the southern region of Spain, Andalucía. They spent a week staying at a Spanish school, taking part in lessons and visiting the area. They visited the local town of Benelmádena, the beautiful national park El Chorro, and the historically and geographically unique island of Gibraltar.

Every day, students took part in language activities and competitions designed to help them learn new vocabulary, practice for their exams and, much more importantly, improve their confidence.

Both staff and students who took part in the visit thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and students commented that they felt they had really improved their language skills and their confidence in speaking to “real Spanish people” .

Would you like to learn French or Spanish for your holidays?

The MFL department are offering a 6 week course to parents and carers to help you make the most of your summer holiday in France or Spain

Well done and thank you very much to all those students who went and all those parents who supported us, and a huge thank you to the staff for spending their half term holiday with the students.

No prior knowledge is required.

Lessons will be held on Wednesdays from 4:30-5:30 starting on Wednesday 25th April 2012.

If you are interested or would like any further information, please contact gemmaf@thekjs.demon.co.uk Student successes! Congratulations to the following students for being nominated by their peers or teachers as the student of the month in their class and year.

Year

French

Spanish

7

Lavinia Tidy Jones Ruby Blower Eleanor May Emily Higgins

Bethany Whipps Royce Taylor Abbey O’Rawe Francesca Roast

9

Victoria Read Callum Roberts

Ellanie Beaumont Charlie Murphy

10

Wilson Copeland Thomas Bell

Rees Hawkins Joseph Hogg

11

Lucas Hare Maria Barden Ben Gray Harris Foster-Carter

Alfie Richmond Rachel Roberts Polly Watson

8

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Dates to remember: 28th - 31st March KS4 Trip to Paris. Over 30 students will be undertaking language and cultural tasks around the beautiful city of Paris.

10th-14th April 2012 – Year 7 and 8 trip to Barcelona and surrounding regions.

47 students will be enjoying the culture and language opportunities provided in this beautiful part of Spain 13th July 2012—A joint French and Geography trip to St Omer for KS3.

Details for all trips, including photos and videos of past trips and letters can be found on the VLE, French/Spanish, trips.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

Models required

Hair & Beauty

Hair Price List

Facials Basic with Paraffin Wax with Prepared Masks with Peel-off Mask Dermalogica Facial

Styling (including styling products) Cut and Blow Dry/Set £6.00 Shampoo and Set £4.00 Blow Dry £4.00 Braids/Platting £4.00 Wet Cut £4.00 Intensive Conditioning Treatments (short) £5.00 Intensive Conditioning Treatments (shoulder length) £7.00 Intensive Conditioning Treatments (below shoulder) £8.00 PERMING (*without cut and finish) Perm— long hair by quotation £10.00* COLOURING (*without cut and finish) Semi-Permanent or Temporary £10.00* Permanent £15.00 / £20.00 Highlights/Wovens £20.00 / £30.00

Manicure Basic with Paraffin Wax with Prepared Mask with Peel-off Mask with Electric Mitts French Manicure File & Polish only Pedicure Basic with Paraffin Wax with Electric Booties French Manicure File & Polish only Eyebrow & Lashes Eyebrow tinting Eyelash tinting Eyebrow/lash tinting Eyebrow shaping (waxing) Eyelash perming Massage Full body massage Back massage Aromatherapy full body massage Aromatherapy back massage Electrical Body Treatments Faradic Galvanic G5 Vacuum Suction Microcurrent Epilation Eyebrows Lip/Chin Bikini Underarm Abdomen

Beauty Price List Make-up Day Evening Special Occasion Waxing Half leg Three quarter leg Full leg Bikini line Forearm (half) Full arm Underarm Abdomen Lip & chin Electrical Facials Microcurrent Vacuum Suction Facial Faradic Facial Galvanic Facial High Frequency

£6.50 £7.25 £7.25 £7.25 £10.00

£4.00 £4.00 £4.00 £5.25 £6.50 £8.00 £3.95 £4.50 £4.75 £3.50 £3.50 £3.25 £8.00 £8.00 £8.00 £8.00 £8.00

KJ’s Hair and Beauty Salon

The King John School Shipwrights Drive Thundersley Essex www.thekjs.essex.sch.uk We specialise in Dermalogica Products 15

£4.75 £5.95 £5.25 £5.95 £7.25 £6.00 £3.25 £5.25 £5.95 £7.25 £6.50 £3.25 £3.50 £4.50 £5.95 £3.95 £8.00 £10.00 £4.00 £12.00 £5.00 £7.00 £7.00 £5.00 £7.00 £7.00 £3.00 £3.00 £5.00 £5.00 £3.00

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

science Biology

Chemistry

This term students in Year 12 have worked very hard and completed their AS coursework. They have also been working on experiments into the totipotency of plant cells and which minerals affect plant growth.

Next term they will be looking at whether we should actually make toothpaste out of garlic instead of mint because of its antimicrobial properties!

Year 13 have also put the finishing touches to their coursework and are now working extremely hard towards their final exam. They have been investigating the rate of respiration in maggots and luckily none escaped this year!

If you had popped into the Chemistry sixth form lab over several days in February, you would have thought that you were in a research lab. You would have been correct! The Year 13 Chemistry students were each investigating their own chosen research topic as part of their A2 course. A whole range of instruments were in use, hundreds of measurements were made, dirty glassware piled up; all accompanied by expressions of despair alternating with that of joy and relief! Was it worth it? The consensus was an emphatic "yes". This was science in action. All were very appreciative of the tremendous support given by the science technicians in supplying clean glassware, chemical solution etc.

Physics Year 13 A2 Physics students will be taking an ISA examination before half term. Please ensure you see Mr Morley.

Year 12 AS Physics students will be doing an examination soon. Please ensure that you prepare for it using the resources suggested by Mr Morley.

Congratulations To all students who achieved excellent results in their January modules.

The King John School Essex Cup Final U16 Winners King John U16 girls didn't fail to impress as they were crowned victorious against Oaks Park, Ilford!

It was a triumph of a game. Both teams played hard making it an extremely tight affair between the two. However, King John came out on top battling harder and stronger and allowing the Benfleet outfit to pip the win. This is the first year a girls’ football team have made an Essex cup final – to then go on to win it is the highlight of our 5 years at the school.

I thought it was a well deserved win as KJS got so close last year, narrowly missing out on another cup final spot, but that’s in the past and we more than seized our opportunity today and came out on top with the silverware!!! We deserved to have the Cup final spot, having beaten a strong string of teams along the way. You have to beat the best to be the best!

The game started with both teams coming out hard, clearly up for the final. We were a goal down within the first five minutes of the game but we didn't let our heads drop, in fact it gave us the strength and motivation to pick up our game and start playing the football we know we can play. With this we got straight back into the game and grabbed an equaliser just before half time from Lauren Marshall; a great time to score!

The second half started with us under pressure, but our back line stood up to the test and we depended on quick counter attacks which kept our opposition on its toes. It was from one of these attacks that Lauren scored again with a rasping shot that burst the net leaving our opponents stunned and dejected. As the clock ran down KJS could have made the score even more flattering as that girl Lauren sent over a great corner that Paige Kemp connected with a great header, but it sailed over the bar.

All in all it was a great team performance from our safe hands keeper Kira Ryan to our busy frontline; what a TEAM !!! Nicole Brown and Danielle Sillitoe were solid at the back, throwing themselves into challenges, supported by sensible play by full backs Elizabeth Gray and Olivia Watson. Lisa Cutmore, Abby Pollock, Steph Hopper and Megan Condon were key in ensuring that the pressure was constant on the strong Oak’s Park team. Paige Kemp, clearly outshone the opposing England trialist in the centre of the park. Finally, a great game by Emily Condon who did an excellent job of holding and carrying the ball freeing up Lauren Marshall who has been outstanding in every round scoring the majority of the team’s goals. Thanks to Phoebe Head and Emily Webb who were with us as substitutes on the day, helping us in the earlier stages of the competition.

It was great to have the support of the teachers and our parents who all made the effort to support us on our big day.

We would like to say a huge thank you to the people behind the scenes making this all happen… especially to Miss Parrott our own Jose Mourinhio The final of the Essex School FA U16 Cup Final will be a game which will go down in KJS history and never to be forgotten, Congratulations one and all!

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

JOE BOUNCES HIS WAY TO NATIONALS JOE Harris has a spring in his step after winning his way through to national trampoline galas. The 12·year·old student from King John School in Thundersley took first place on the podium at the Eastern Regional championships at Brentwood and will now take part in events around the country.

And the Year 8 student is hoping to qualify for the national championships which will be held in July in Birmingham. His coach Graham Parker, from Brentwood Trampolining Club, has high hopes that the 10-year old will make the grade.

"Joe is on track and we are very proud of Joe and how hard he has worked," Parker said. "You have to be pretty sharp to pass a grade and then learn a new routine and be comfortable to perform it at the next grading, which may only be a few months later. He will be doing his first national competition in Bath later this month. There are five national competitions and if he can score enough points he will qualify for the national finals."

Joe started at a recreational club in Southend but coaches realised he was showing so much promise that they recommended him to Parker after only a few months.

By Paul Alton—Paul.alton@nqe.com

Now, 15 months later, he has successfully completed his four regional gradings to progress to national galas. Parker said each of the gradings have a minimum score which must be achieved before moving on to the next grade and he would expect athletes to take two to three years to make it to national galas. "It's not rare but if you are showing very good promise at national level you will do the grades quite quickly." The coach added., "there's only four grading competitions a year and they get progressively more difficult.

"Maybe six others in the region in the last three years have gone through the gradings in that time, which is not many when you consider there will be 400 to 500 people competing at each grading."

Joe was put on a training and conditioning regime with the club and currently trains five to six times a week at Brentwood School sports centre and the Basildon Sporting Village.

The youngster, who will celebrate his 13th birthday next month, will get his first taste of national competition at the' Sports Training Village in Bath on February 18 and 19. He will perform a 10-bounce set routine followed by a 10-bounce voluntary programme where the aim is to combine difficulty in a routine that Joe looks comfortable performing.

Parker expects a score of 51 points will be enough for Joe to secure a place at the National Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on July 7 and 8. "So far Joe has won every regional grading competition, where he has qualified to the next level and scored emphatically and now, hopefully, he can carry on his run of success through the national galas," said Joe's dad Lee. "We are very proud of Joe's achievements and goals in his sport."

Joe Harris has now qualified for the Trampoline National Championships in Birmingham in July.

He finished a creditable fifth in just his second national gala competition and scored well enough to qualify. There is a possibility that he will be able to make a medal place on the day.

Roxi Sheern, King John's Head of Year 8 said "This is such a huge achievement for Joe and we are all really proud of him."

Congratulations to Antonia Tidy Jones, Abby Mai Walters, Niamh Smith, Emily Condon and Christian Gray for taking part in the Cross Country Relay for their respective clubs, Basildon Running Club and Benfleet Running Club.

All students did really well and came second in their events.

Congratulations and keep up the good work Miss Gibson 17

THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

District Hockey Rally On 21st February the Year 7 hockey team competed in the District Hockey Rally held at The King John School. There were enough students playing to be able to put through two teams. Both teams played extremely well and showed a true King John spirit. The A team won their pool and the B team came 3rd in their pool.

The A team then went into the Semi final and won their game convincingly by three goals to nil. They then met King Edmund in the final and after 7 minutes were 3-0 down. At this point we thought we had lost but then a valiant effort by the team with exceptional play from Lavinia Tidy Jones and Maddy Dyer brought the score back to 3-3.

It then came down to Golden Goal where the girls were unfortunate in losing out in the 9th minute.

So well done to all squad members. I am very proud of the way you conducted yourself and the hard work you put in.

Congratulations to: Jessica Hanlon, Eva Swain, Isobel Juniper, Jenny Grimble, Abigale Lee, Abigail Abiona, Ellie Howell, Niamh Smith, Lavina Tidy Jones, Maddy Dyer, Charlotte Stibbards, Claudia Carrol, Harriet Tull, Anna Minkey, Johanna Cowen, Grace Smith, Summer Stalham, Connie Staunton, Emily Anderson, Charlotte Giles, Miss Gibson

2012 King John Ski Trip to Sugarloaf Mountain, USA This year the school ran its annual ski trip to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, USA. After a long journey we got up the next day to ski. Our first day of skiing was challenging for some, but more so for others for whom it was their first time and they were just getting used to the feeling.

The conditions were challenging at the start of the week as temperatures reached minus 20 with wind chill, but everyone still managed to ski to the best of their ability. With every day of skiing, the weather and the skills improved for everyone; people became more confident about skiing on the mountains and began to make real progress.

Overall people exceeded their expectations of their capability at skiing. Everyone thought that the instructors (Lona, Billy and Julie) were very friendly and helpful in developing their skills.

After every day of skiing we had an evening of entertainment and games. On Sunday we all sat down and enjoyed a film in the movie room which was very relaxing.

On Monday we played a game of wallyball in the sports centre which was really good fun. We had a tournament which Henry’s team won. On Tuesday we played a game called Dutch Auction which wasn’t Dutch, nor an auction! It was very funny and everybody took part, using their imagination, their persuasive skills and competitive spirit. James’s team won this one, but it was very close! Wednesday we experienced a night of tubing on the slopes; the teachers had saved the best till last.

We had races and Kostas’s team were victorious.

Thursday night was our last night in the USA, we travelled to Boston where we shopped around the Historic Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall.

We then had a presentation/awards night. Various awards were given out for all sorts of achievements on the mountain. Top tourist awards were given to George Weston (Year 12) and Alice Boston (Year 9). The instructors gave awards for the skier of the week which Cerys Wilson-Webb (Year 9), Natasha Cheeseman (Year 9) and George Lewis (Year 8) won. Other awards were given for the loudest person Amelia Carter (Year 9), winners of all the games nights, best dressed Kostas Dellas (Year 12), the biggest smiler of the week Natasha Webb (Year 8 and Helen Nguyen (Year 9). There was even an award for Felix Gibbons (Year 8) who had visited the fitness suite the most often to get themselves ski fit before we left for the trip.

Every night after dinner there was a prize given out to the person who had done the most embarrassing thing that day on the mountain. This prize was given out to a different person each night and had to be worn for the next 24 hours. The prize was a small teddy bear named John which was tied onto a neck strap. Various people won this award. Kai Carter (Year 8) won it for skiing off the side of the trail; George Lewis won it for showing off and falling over and Patrick Groves (Year 12) won it for being caught on video cutting up George who was a beginner....how mean?! Rosie Payne (Year 8) also won it for singing loudly on the slopes! On one occasion John was won by Mr. Webb because of his fall after showing off in front of 2 ski groups while filming them.

Everyone wanted to thank Mr Webb, Mrs Cann and Mr Lister for organising the trip and for also making it the best ski trip ever. We would also like to thank Pat our, visions ambassador, for helping to show us around and for being a great help when we needed her.

By Alice Boston and Jess Regan.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER—No 44 April 2012

PE Department KIT AMNESTY.....

The PE department are holding a kit amnesty. That means that if you have any school kit that belongs to the school, (for example, football kit, rugby kit, basketball / athletics vests, netball kit) we are asking that you return it to us as soon as possible.

As it is an amnesty, no questions will be asked...... we would just like it returned.

PE KIT It is essential that you bring PE kit for every PE lesson!

If you are unable to take part, (for any reason) you should bring a note explaining why you cannot take part and your kit so you can still take part in the lesson as a coach or as an official.

If you are unable to get changed due to an injury, for example a broken leg, we will of course be able to accommodate you elsewhere......this is not always possible for more minor injuries and ailments and you will still need to be part of your group.... WHATEVER the weather!!! Failure to bring in your kit will result in a detention.

PE and VALUABLES Please DO NOT bring valuables to school on a day when you have PE or a practice.

We are happy to look after small items such as mobile phones and watches but it is the STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY to hand these in to a member of staff at the start of the lesson or practice. THE SCHOOL CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ITEMS OF VALUE BROUGHT INTO THE SCHOOL.

NATIONAL SCHOOLS BIATHLON FINALS Well done to Ellie Jade Smith (Year 12) Christian Gray (Year 9) Mollie Garrard (Year 8) Frankie Roast (Year 8) and Kiera Tippett (Year 8) who have all qualified for the National final at Crystal Palace in March. This is the first time we have entered the competition and its a fantastic achievement to get five through to the National Final.

Kiera Tippett had an exceptionally busy weekend (17th March 2012)..........

She became Eastern Region Biathlon Champion (swim & run) at the Regional championships in Nottingham and has qualified for the British Championships in May. If she does well in this competition, she could qualify to represent her Country in the World Biathlon Championships!

She was amazing considering she was the youngest in her age groups (13 – 14yrs). She even beat every other competitor in every age group - she gained the most points in the whole competition!

This was an amazing feat, considering Kiera did road racing time trials the day before with British Cycling and gained a silver medal. She was again the youngest in her age group.

Kiera with her Medals

Follow the PE department on twitter.

You will find information regarding fixtures, results and general sporting news for year 7 to 13. So go ahead and twitter twitter@kjssport

Netball Essex Cup Good luck to the U16 and U19 Netball teams who are both through to the quarter finals.

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THE KING JOHN NEWSLETTER窶年o 44 April 2012

KJS Dance Show 2012

On 7 & 8 February Year 11 dancers took part in our last main school KJS Dance Show. It was a fantastic experience working together as a class and with Mrs Frost, on choreographing dances. It was a very emotional two days, but we all enjoyed it very much.

Over 140 students from all year groups performed and the variety of dances and styles performed was outstanding. King John has very talented dancers and we were so proud to perform on the nights.

Thank you to all the staff involved and those who helped on the nights.

Written by Melissa Knighton and Cecily Stokes Special mention to all the Year 11 dancers for some amazing choreography: Elena Dellas, Leanne Elston, April Haddrell-Davison, Jessica Gale, Annalee Hills, Molly Horne, Melissa Knighton, Anastasia Lake, Jade Salter, Cecily Stokes and Lucy Weir.

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