SBS News
Inside this issue... SB Poet Laureate / NCST - a family of schools / Women in Tech Event BHM Bookmark Competition / Year 7 Living Wage Launch Event / Plus much more
Spring Term 2022
Headteacher's Welcome Following our return to full school life in September, students have continued to make the very most of the opportunities we offer at Sarah Bonnell school. This edition of Sarah Bonnell News gives you a flavour of these opportunities. For example you will enjoy reading about our students' work with Newham Citizens to promote the launch of the London Living Wage campaign and reading about our two very successful Extended Learning Days. The challenges of the global pandemic are still very real for the school community - we continue to follow all the national guidance and adapt the way we do things to make sure we are working together in a Covid Safe way. As a result we continue to support students with their resilience and well-being as part of our Form Time ‘Bounce Forward’ programme. Next year the school term starts on Wednesday 5 January with onsite covid tests for all students . The usual school timetable of lessons begins for all students on Thursday 6 January 2022. Wishing you all a very safe, healthy and happy winter holiday and a peaceful new year.
BHM BOOKMARK COMPETITION It has been so wonderful for students to be able to return to the Learning Hub and take advantage of all the wonderful resources available to them. Their excitement has been infectious! The girls have done a phenomenal job demonstrating their excellent ability to adjust and adapt, and continue to work as hard as ever. To celebrate their hard work and dedication, as well as recognise Black History Month, a celebration very close to my heart indeed, we decided to roll out a ‘Design a BHM bookmark’ competition. The competition ran throughout October, up until half term and all students were welcome to enter. It was almost impossible to choose the winners, as all our submissions were outstanding, based on effort, consideration and creativity.
Congratulations to our overall winner Sumaia Islam (8R) whose design encompassed BHM and books beautifully whilst also highlighting some great titles. Sumaia’s has won a fantastic book bundle and will have her design reproduced and distributed around the school. Our fantastic runner ups are Dannah Messaoudin (Year 7), Anastasija Pukianec (Year 7) and Tonima Hamid (Year 8) who will have their designs also reproduced and have won a book and pen each.
Well done to all our winners and thank you to all those who entered!
Ms Du Cran & Ms Kaur
Year 7 Living Wage Launch Event The school continues to work in partnership with Newham Citizens to provide opportunities for our students to develop as active citizens. Ms Griffiths, Ms Whitehouse and Mr Begley have all supported this initiative and on 18 November our students attended the launch of the London Living Wage campaign with Newham Mayor Fiaz and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The artwork for the poster campaign was designed by SBS students.
Online Safety Matters @ SB Congratulations to the following students who were successful in their Digital Leaders applications!
Mbatha Zunairah Sahebdin Imani Chowdhury Ella Faiqa Sultana Salma Allam
Luka Narbutyte Ahmirah Olafemi Calandra-Achode Tusma Dipu Shahana Unais
Gayathree Thanigaivelan Tasfia Miha Jerusha Johnson Sairah Bukhari Maryam Hussain Zaffar
Aleesha Haque Onuva Siddiqa Rimzim Baser Saima Hussain Dalia Razali Alexandra Banciu Chantal Sowah Rayhana Abubakar Samira Islam
These students will now be trained on Online Safety and become fully qualified Digital Leaders @ SB.
Good news for parents! - We are working closely with the National Online Safety team this year to ensure parents are kept up to date with the latest technology issues. Please check the school website for updates and details. In the meantime please do take the time to access the Parent Online Safety Course online for free which will give you updated information on what issues our children face online and what you can do to support them at home. APP is free to download, and certification achieved at the end of the short online parent course.
Sarah Bonnell recently had a visit from two SBS alumni from 1969 who had been involved in creating the Tapestry celebrating the school's 200th birthday. Lesley and Christine said thank you to the girls for making their visit really enjoyable. “The girls are a credit to the school and we’re so enthusiastic about learning of our school days at Old Sarah’s together with their enthusiasm about their own school.” The feeling of sisterhood spanning the decades! We look forward to welcoming them back in the summer term for Sarah Bonnell’s birthday.
Year 7 has had a fantastic start to their time here at Sarah Bonnell. From their Induction Day on Thursday 2nd September to now, they have thoroughly engaged with their learning and a range of enrichment opportunities. Read on to find out more about the experiences they have had so far from some of our brilliant Year 7s themselves. Hi my name is Jasmin and I am reporting to the amazing day of Induction day for the new Yr 7s, they of course were eagerly waiting outside the school gate for their first day of Sarah Bonnell school, as they entered the school they were warm welcomed and went to their lane to make sure they were on the register to start of their day, as the Yr 7s were patiently waiting to have a quick tour they were chatting and meeting new people which was glad to see! :)
Then, they went to the assembly hall where Ms Potter was leading them in and she had a lovely presentation for the Year 7s about the Sarah Bonnell expectations and lots more.” After the assembly ended, the form tutors led their class to their form classroom. Everyone has been seated in register order waiting to do some fun activities, they were all meeting each other and their form tutor so they can get to know each other. One of the activities they did was to get into shortest to tallest and youngest to oldest. As the bell rang for break time they were all together meeting one another which was really splendid after they got in their classrooms to have a tour so they can get round about in the school, after they did a really fun activity which was to answer some following questions about the school and they were wondering round the school to test their knowledge about the directions in the school. After lunch they still were doing that fun activity until it was the end of the day. Everyone had so much fun and they were really excited to come to school the next day again to learn something new. Zainab Rashid 7E: “I really loved the first day of Sarah Bonnell School, my favourite activity was to meet everyone and my form tutor and wandering around the school to answer some questions about the school! :)”
SB Poet Laureate Ms Malik, Assistant Headteacher and Mr Slater, Associate Senior Leader, organised our annual Poet Laureate competition in October as part of our work on developing literacy and oracy skills. The quality of the entries was very high with students writing powerfully around the theme of Choice. Poems included ideas about overcoming personal adversities, supporting each other to make the right choices and feeling empowered about choosing who we are and who we might become…
Our winning entries now hold the prestigious position of Sarah Bonnell Poet Laureate for 2021-22. They will be writing poems to help the SB community recognise and celebrate key events.
Well done to Usra (Year 9) and Hannah (Year 11) for their fantastic poetry!
"I have a choice, to be more than just the "B" in BAME"
Hannah YR11
"Then you'd never have to wonder... if you'd summoned all your thunder"
Usra YR9
Year 11 had an amazing opportunity to attend the first ever UK based event run by OneTrust. The event was focused around Women In Tech. Students were learning about different career paths in Tech plus what different study routes are available for them. Year 11 also enjoyed a day of discussions, collaboration, team activities, and presentations.
Each student received a goodie bag from the OneTrust team containing lots of essential items! Our winning team won their very own One Trust teddy bear plus computing goodies. Overall year 11 this was a very informative and motivational day for our Year 11 students studying Computer Science.
Ms Adel
Enhanced Learning Day 1:Thursday 14 October
Our first Enhanced Learning Day held on 14 October was a great success. At Sarah Bonnell School, we promote an anti-racist curriculum, working together to provide opportunities for students and staff to learn about the history of British racism, the present day experience of racism and the actions and attitude required to promote social justice, diveristy and inclusion. On ELD 1, students from Years 811 were able to explore diversity, social justice and anti-racism through a range of meaningful activities: Year 8 students explored Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams with professional actors and shared their wonderful performances at the end of the day as part of 'Play in a Day'. The performances were heart-warming, hilarious and insightful with students bringing Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, Accra and London to the stage! Year 9 students explored 'Shoreos' with the question 'who inspires us?' and heard from guest speakers including Ricole Marshall-Appleby from Universal Music who shared her inspiring story. A small group of Year 8 students also explored the question "What does my Empire mean to Me" in an engaging and insightful session by Bow Arts. Year 10 students explored the Windrush Scandal, Social Action and celebrating Black British Excellence through a series of engaging sessions. They also worked with our external partner 'Chain Reaction' in drama workshops around using their voice for positive change. Year 11 worked with our phenomenal guest speaker, writer Mackayla Forde (The Red Medusa), who is a writer, poet and academic. They created their own inspiring & moving poems and shared these with their peers with great success. Our GCSE Computer Science students represented our school with pride on an educational visit to OneTrust to learn about diverse women in tech. Year 7 cohort took part in a transition focussed in ELD with the foal to support and challenge students to take part in an interactive experience in London, developing their character and collaboration skills: They had a fantastic time exploring at KidZania where they were able to take part in a range of activities to develop their independence including riding a fire truck, becoming news presenters and cleaning windows! Feedback from students and staff has been really positive and emphasises the important contribution these enhanced learning days make to students’ learning and development.
For our second Enhanced Learning day, students were able to take part in a range of stimulating and meaningful activities to develop their knowledge, skills and cultural capital. Year 7 students had a wonderful time engaging with Zine in a Day which was planned and delivered by Bow Arts and the Art, Design and Technology team. A small selection of students also went on a Bow Arts PE visit to the Olympic Park where they learnt to be Media Ambassadors. Year 8 students went on an educational visit to the IMAX where they watched a documentary on our relationship with the environment. They also took part in meaningful RSC sessions with 'The Big Talk' to learn about relationships. A small selection of students also went on a Bow Arts PE visit to the Olympic Park where they learnt to be Media Ambassadors. Our wonderful Matilda cast were able to rehearse the school production too. Year 9 students were able to take part in a range of activities linked to sex and relationships through their work with 'The Big Talk'. They also heard from Guest Speakers from 'TfL' to 'ElevateHer'. A small selection of students also went on a Bow Arts PE visit to the Olympic Park where they learnt to be Media Ambassadors. A small group of students also took part in Bow Arts sessions in humanities. They were also able to take part in peer mentoring training too. Year 10 students explored Youth Safety as part of our work with Newham Citizens. Students conducted 'listening' throughout Year 10 and created campaigns which will be used as part of our work with UEL and Citizens UK with the aim to make Newham safer for our students. They heard from a range of inspirational female guest speakers including Maria Raji, Ebony King, Councillor Carleen Lee-Phakoe, Andrea Silvain and Shanea Kerry Oldham. Year 11 explored Numeracy for Life, planned and delivered by the wonderful Maths team. They also worked with guest speakers Nadia and Edmee on Financial and Emotional well--being. Our GCSE PE and Health and Social care students were able to take part in guest speakers Nadia meaningful practical sessions whilst other students took part in production rehearsals and peer mentoring. Finally, A&I planned an educational visit to NewVic to consider pathways for the future. Feedback from students and staff has been really positive and emphasizes the important contribution these off-timetable days make to students’ learning and development.
BHM and Women: Celebrating the achievements and positive contributions of countless black women over the centuries in Computing Computer science is often portrayed as a white, male middle-class subject so this project aimed to redress the balance recognising the achievements of women computer scientists past and present. Last term in Computing students in year 9 studied Computing history and the impact of technology. Students worked in groups with different roles and investigated diverse women from different backgrounds and times who played a significant part in the development of Computing. Year 9 had the chance to showcase their creativity with a wide range of mediums via a cross curricular focus. The year 9’s really did impress the department with their projects and presented an array of drama, poetry, spoken word, models, quiz shows and digital portfolios. Below are a few examples of the fantastic work created. RAP FOR GRACE : By Duaa Yr 9 Grace Hopper She was an American computer scientist Grace hopper, no one could top her A computer programmer navy battalion commander Created the UNIVAC Co-developed the COBOL She invented the compiler, taught computers to read Graduated from Yale with a phd She invented a linker And got Medals for freedom and technology Hats off to grace cuz she's legendary
Rap for Katherine Johnson: By Hanifa Yr 9 Johnson was inquisitive, always asked why And in the face of barriers, her dream didn't die At 34, She got hired at NASA, won awards, She faced hate, but it didn’t absorb By ‘58 they were on the race to space She did the math to put the first american in orbit - that's the case Katherine our mathematician, the reason we fulfilled our mission The reason we fulfilled all our visions
Nerea-The Lawyer Zoeya- Dina St Johnston Faridah- Annie Easley Nerea: Order! Now, may Ms Easley and Johnston please make their way, towards the courtroom, do not delay. Faridah: no one thought this black woman had a vision, but I am an American computer scientist, rocket scientist, and mathematician. Zoeya: And I am a British computer programmer credited with founding the UK's first software house, compared to that, your work is that of a mouse. Nerea: Calm down ladies, let the judge Faridah: Did you make it to NASA, Miss Johnston? Or were you still in the shadows, not even known? Zoeya: Well, one of us still cares about the work that was put in, all you did was make a flying metal tin. Faridah: (gasps) I beg your pardon, how dare you even try, the work of yours was nothing compared to that of mine. Zoeya: I made the first UK’s software houseFaridah: but white like the rest of them, not black by an ounce. I am a black African-American woman, discrimination was what I faced all because of my very precious race. Nerea: order, order. Please try to calm down, I will not sit here as if I’m a cloud. Faridah: You see, your grace, it’s all what it seems, I should be given the Nobel peace prize because of my self-esteem. Zoeya: But your grace, I was born Aldrina Nia Vaughan in 1930. I left school at age 17 and worked very early. Faridah: and I made a high-energy rocket technology that used liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to boost rockets into spaceZoeya: Did we even ask in the first place?Nerea: settle down now Ms JohnstonZoeya: My name is Johnston and I should be known. Nerea: Ms Johnston, my bad but I fret you must leave, there is too much anger in what you believe. Faridah: Your honour, I just want to add that I am proud of my heritage, is that all so bad? I was part of something huge, something new, something that flew. I now i want to say that i deserve more than the discrimination and racism but most of all i deserve the prize of nobel peace. I will not accept defeat. Zoeya: ahum, I must interrupt, but all that she says is full of destruct. But I am also a woman who made a great change, all that I ask is that you try to rearrange. All that I created was best for mankind, if one cannot see that I fear you are blind. Nerea: Out of my court I need time to discuss, I cannot do that amongst this fuss. I still need to decide, which one of you deserves the Nobel Peace prize.
This term, we had over 50+ students playing tennis twice a week from Year 7-11. A lot of them are now transitioning to the orange tennis ball which is the next level up.
Over the October Half-Term, we had 40 different students attend tennis camps which was brilliant to see.
We are also starting to run our own internal tournaments now as the students are aware of the basic rules of a match, and are keen to compete. Mr Sippy - PE Teacher
Young Writers Competition
The following students listed all entered the Young Writers Competition and their short stories were selected to be published in the latest Unsolved Mysteries. Each student will be awarded with a free copy of the book to share with family and friends. Do you want to take part in the next competition?
How much does a story change if we change the point of view? What would the villain say if they could share their story? Are the bad guys evil? Misguided? Misunderstood? Twisted Tales is a fantastic opportunity to flip the script and explore another side of the story. Find out more on the noticeboard outside of F06 for more details on how to enter or see Ms Sahebdin.
Congratulations to: Abigail Olajide Eshal Tariq Maisha Rikita Nafisa Chowdhury Nyla Mhando Rodoshi Salim Sabrine Zamit Vrinda Desai Zaynab Akhtar
Life in Kidzania
For our first Year 7 ELD the whole cohort had the opportunity to visit KidZania! A scaled city where students get a glimpse of the future, this experience was very much enjoyed by all. Students were given the freedom to be whoever they wanted to be and explore a unique indoor city. From being an airline pilot to actor, firefighter to radio DJ, the students could work, play, earn and learn whilst having fun. The visit provided an opportunity for all to work collaboratively and independently, and empower them to discover their individual passions, talents and skills through an immersive experience. Please read on for a first hand account from Ayesha Rahman 7L about the visit. Ms Whitehouse, Progress Leader Year 7
When I first heard about going to Kidzania I was really excited because this was going to be our first trip in Year 7! We went by train and walked through Westfield to get to Kidzania. When we finally arrived, we received a card that had 50 Kidzos. We were told the rules and then we were allowed to go with our friends. I explored the different places in Kidzania and worked in many areas and at the end of the trip I had a total of 118 Kidzos! After we were told that we were allowed to spend the Kidzos but I only got a wristband because I didn’t have enough for anything else. I really enjoyed this trip and I would like to go on more fun trips like this. :D By Ayesha R 7L.
At Sarah Bonnell School, we understand the importance of playing an active role in our local community and have been a partner with Newham Citizens for over three years now. This term, we selected a group of Year 9 and 10 students to become our Youth Safety 'Campaign Champions’, leading work on social justice with the goal to make the streets of Newham safer. On 11 November the team met for the first time to establish their shared goals and worked with Alistair Rooms, Senior Community Organiser to understand how to make a change. On 18 November, our campaign champions met with students from St Bonaventure's and NewVic College for a joint planning session. On 1 December, our students represented Sarah Bonnell with pride at the University of East London for the delegates assembly, sharing their work from our Youth Safety Enhanced Learning Day. They spoke in front of a large audience as well as Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz. We are so proud of these students for their contribution to Sarah Bonnell and the wider community.
CAREERS BEHIND THE CAMERA Year 8 Scholarship and Apprenticeship students had an exciting insight into the world behind the camera. Students gained an insight into the breadth of careers available to them in one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors. From food to filming to finance, the screen and film industry serves as a microcosm for the whole world of work. After completing the sessions students had the opportunity to enter a competition by writing a persuasive letter to convince the producers to employ them in one of the careers. Alex and Alexis did a great job on these practice letters. Ms Sahebdin Scholarship Co-ordinator. The purpose of this letter is to persuade you that I'm capable of working as an executive producer for the production of your film ‘No time to die’. An executive producer is responsible for decisions with high stakes, such as attracting investors and finalizing business and finance settlements. However those are only the off-set roles that you would find going on in meetings and documented on papers. Executive producers are also in charge of hiring directors and crew, coming up with a concept and scripting lines, setting a budget and raising capital for the project and most importantly, ensuring that the production is of quality. It is often overlooked how specific these requirements are, but I am someone who will meet and exceed your expectations. To be successful one must have developed skills in every department. Some examples are: communication skills for coordinating the project, creativity in deciding how the script should be interpreted and represented, time management skills to keep in check of deadlines and most crucially, leadership skills. After all, an executive producer is answerable for the entire set and at the end has to promote sales of the film to studios and independent investment companies. I can assure you that I have all these qualities and more. Of course, I’m only a kid with big targets but I know very well where the boundaries stand, and if you ask me then wanting to be an executive producer is pretty realistic. As far as I can tell, I have all the skills necessary and I certainly have the will. I urge you to think this through carefully and consider my position in your production. Yours sincerely, Alex, Year 8
CAREERS BEHIND THE CAMERA Dear Producers, My name is Alexis Arunga and I would like to be considered for the position of floor runner at your sophisticated establishment. I would like the opportunity to have this role because I know that this would give me the best chance to showcase my capabilities. Overall, I know that I would be an excellent addition to your team. As a floor runner I am aware that I must be trustworthy, on time and always show reliability. This is why I am perfect for the role. My multi tasking abilities are solidified and I am capable of doing multiple tasks at once, and doing them efficiently too.
Reading the call sheet would also be a very important aspect of this job and I would be able to correctly understand, and analyse it to prepare myself and colleagues for what awaits us in a day. In addition, communication is so vital in being a successful floor runner and it is one of my best skills. When talking over the radio I would ensure that my instructions are short and precise so that my colleagues can understand me clearly. I also do things quickly, especially when I have to work under pressure and I know that this is important because small mistakes such as forgetting to do things or not doing them quickly enough can potentially cause wasted money in the budget and other departments. These are several skills that I would bring to the position of floor runner if granted the opportunity. After all, there is no business like show business and I would be honoured to work for your company. Thank you for reading my letter of application and I appreciate your time. Yours faithfully, Alexis Arunga
NCST
A family of schools
Our annual Joint Professional Learning Day took place on 26 November 2021 with opening remarks from Paul Leslie, Sarah Bonnell Chair of Governors. This was an opportunity for the four schools Lister, Rokeby, Eastlea and Sarah Bonnell to come together to network, collaborate and share practice with colleagues from across the four schools. Our staff took part in a variety of activities which were designed to strengthen understanding of the curriculum and reading, and to inspire passion for teaching specialist subjects. We worked collaboratively to understand the context of Newham and the NCST, building relationships and networks, and sharing expertise.
O’Brien Family Scholarship Alex and Jeff O’Brien, the generous people behind our O’Brien Family Scholarship have extended the programme for a further five years. This is wonderful news and means another five young people will benefit from a scholarship of up to £15,000 to support their further education. The five existing Scholarship winners visited school on 23 November to meet with Alex and Jeff and Mr Begley and Ms Potter, to share their achievements over the last academic year. Binta Bah, the first winner in 2017, is in her final year at King's College and due to graduate as a nurse having already secured a permanent job at St Thomas’s hospital. Ashanti Kizamba the 2020 winner is applying for Oxbridge to study Land Economics. The 2021 winner is Melina Subron and all five students will be attending the Year 11 Certificates Evening on 19 January 2022.
Queens College Scholarship It was great to welcome Mr Tillett (Principle of Queens College London) back into Sarah Bonnell for another inspiring assembly to Year 11 students. The prestigious Queens College were so impressed with our students' talent that they are offering more fully funded bursary places for three of our students to attend in 2022. Our Sarah Bonnell alumni also spoke about their brilliant experiences at Queens College London it was exciting to hear about fantastic opportunites that they have been involved in since joining the sixth form. We look forward to working closely in partnership with Queens College for another exciting year. The students who are successful for the three bursary places will be announced in our Summer Term edition of the SBS News. #SBGRILSWHOCAN
@SBonnellSchool
A few of our top tweets of the Autumn term.
WHAT IS DEBATE MATE? Debate mate is a programme where we discuss and debate about important topics in our society.
We learn and develop our speaking and listening skills.
WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN? Debate mate gives you the opportunity to improve and work on your oracy skills such as public speaking and building confidence. It gives you the opportunity to share your views on topics you care about. You get the opportunity to compete with other schools It's a great way to meet new people It can give you the skills you need for the future for example if you want to be a lawyer or a politician It would look impressive on your CV You gain SB hours It IS A LOT OF FUN!
HOW DOES A DEBATE WORK? Usually a team will consist of 6 people. Only 4
those people will be required to speak and of the other two help the speakers prepare their speech.
WHAT IF I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE? You don’t need to worry. Everybody starts somewhere. At debate mate you will work with mentors who will help and support you every step of the way. Its ok if you are shy or confused, don't be afraid to ask for help. Debate mate is all about learning and developing your skills so you’ll be fine. Remember everyone is welcome to debate mate no matter their race gender or ability.
WHAT SKILLS DO I NEED? Nothing in particular. You just have to make sure you are organised and committed to the 17 week programme. Any other skills you’ll need will be taught to you.
HOW DO I APPLY? See Ms Sahebdin if you would like to take part as spaces are now limited Join the GC to see what we will be debating: jw5oj2j TIME:Every Thursday at 3pm-4pm
What is ParentPay? ParentPay is an online system which allows you to make quick efficient payments for your daughter’s school lunches and other school activities, trips and visits. What are the benefits? ParentPay offers you the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like, safe in the knowledge that this website has been security checked by local authorities and has very high internet security standards. It also helps parents to keep track of their child’s spending and avoids problems from occurring if students lose their money or forget it at home.
Further information Please visit the ParentPay website: www.parentpay.com to find out more information on how to set up ParentPay. You can also download a user manual via the following link: http://www.bsfc.ac.uk/files/ParentPay% 20 Userguide%20for%20Parents.pdf once you have set up your account.
How do I use ParentPay? To access the ParentPay system you need to go online at: www.parentpay.com. You will need a valid email address and a username and password, which would have been sent home in a letter from the school. If you require a copy of this letter then please contact Ms Ijad on 020 8534 6791. We at Sarah Bonnell School believe that everyone will benefit considerably from the facility to pay online and this will help in our quest to become a cashless school.
The festive spirit and joy illuminated Sarah Bonnell School on Friday 10th December as we celebrated Christmas Jumper Day! As part of Christmas Jumper Day, staff and students fundraised for United World Schools to support their ongoing work with the school we sponsor in Cambodia. Thank you to all students and staff for supporting this brilliant charity.