SBS News - summer 2023

SBS News

Headteacher's Welcome Headteacher's Welcome

This edition of Sarah Bonnell News shines a light on all the wonderful opportunities students have experienced this term. I hope you will enjoy reading about our many national achievements - Sarah Bonnell really is a top school competing with schools from all over the country. For example we are National Debate Mate Champions, Runner-up in a National competition for Young Science Writers, National Rocket Car Champions, National Book Writing Competition and more #SBonnellAimHigh.

I am very pleased to announce that we have elected a new Head Girl for 202324. Tiana Tara-Walibange is going to be a brilliant Head Girl and I am excited to see how she builds on the legacy left behind by Aasiyaah, outgoing Head Girl. Tiana will be leading a group of dedicated and hardworking Deputy Head GirlsYusra, Jorusha, Salma and Marianne.

As we move towards the end of term it is important to remember the excellent work done by staff at Sarah Bonnell and I hope you will enjoy reading some of the messages students wrote to show their appreciation of this during the recent National Thank a Teacher Day . Have a wonderful summer holiday and I look forward to seeing all students in school on Tuesday 5 September 2023 for the start of another great year.

Ms Potter - Headteacher

Sister Achievement Assemblies

The Sister Achievement Assemblies brought the school together to celebrate students’ achievements and award prizes for each curriculum area and the school values. The special Sarah Bonnell Whole School Awards were presented by Ms Potter, Headteacher, as follows

Be Proud - Alexandra Arena 10A

Aim High - Layeba Layeba 8H

Work Hard - Naomi Chima 7S

Be Kind - Nehal Bhatt 9D

No Excuses - Vaishnavi Charan 9S

These students are recognised for the way they uphold the school values and the contribution they make to the school community.

The audience were treated to musical performances, an inspiring speech by Head Girl, Tiana TaraWalibange, and a poetry recital by one of our alumni from 2022.

It was a wonderful way of bringing our school community together on the last day of term to celebrate a successful year.

The photos below show the award winners from each of the assemblies with Mr Leslie, Chair of Governors, Ms Potter, Headteahcer and Ms Oloyede and Mr Slater, Assistant Headteachers. Congratulations to all our award winners

Year 10 Outward Bound Prefect Leadership Residential

In June, 24 Prefects in Year 10 travelled to the beautiful Lake District in Ullswater as part of their adventures at Outward Bound. Outward Bound is a charity that gives young people access to amazing experiences in the outdoors and the trip was designed to encourage SBS students to get out and explore the world around them.

The aim for the residential visit was to develop their understanding of leadership and challenge. As part of this experience, Year 10 engaged in a range of outdoor activities. They went for a jog and dip; they went canoeing; they also climbed up mountains including the famous Hallin Fell. All the experiences helped students to get out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to learn something new and to become more informed leaders.

Students had an unforgettable time! While their memories of bunking together in a cabin and toasting marshmallows in an open fire will stay with them forever, it was the growth they appreciated the most. Aaliyah, one of our prefects, commented: “Going to Outward Bound really taught me how to lead a situation and come up with fast solutions to benefit a team. Climbing the mountain felt like a huge challenge but we overcame this and it brought us closer together as a team!”

Ms Myers said: “For a first residential trip I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful, courageous and positive group of girls to go with. They inspired me with their resilience, determination and their kind energy that really made the weekend unforgettable. I can’t wait to see what these brilliant young women bring to the Prefect Team!”

We are immensely proud of our Year 10 students and all they achieved during their week in Aberdovey. We know this experience will be something that helps them in years to come. Most importantly, we are proud to have been able to provide an enriching experience as part of the diverse and exciting curriculum we offer at SBS.

National Debate Champions

Well done and congratulations to our debating teams who took part in the Debate Cup 2023 London Regional Finals at the University of Law.

Once again, Sarah Bonnell brought home the cup for the second year in a row, guaranteeing us a place in the National Finals in June!

Congratulations to our year 10 team won the final debate against Brampton Manor and clinched the London Regional Title. So proud of you all!

Year 7 Rocket Car Racing Competition

During ELD in May Year 7 students were given the opportunity to do some engineering and building. Students had the task of building their own rocket car in groups Year 7 learnt the engineering concepts of building cars and why speed is important and how designs impact speed of the cars. Year 7 were successful in creating and designing their rocket cars ready for the race in July. On Thursday 6th July year 7 raced their rocket cars with the bloodhound team! Well done to all students that took part in building and racing. We had the fastest car in the country with speeds of 125 kmph. Well done

STEM Filming with Girls Believe Academy and careers workshops

During STEM week celebrations and ELD we had the pleasure of hosting yet another Girls believe Academy workshop all day to year 9. Students were introduced to the world of engineering and different career pathways that are open to them. Students were engaging in conversation with the female engineers that were presenting We also had the opportunity to feature in their new advertisement short film which was all about women in STEM.

Year 9 Tycoons in Business - Present @ KPMG

The Year 9 Tycoons in Business CEO’s had the opportunity to present their business idea to staff at KPMG offices on the 8th June 2023 Students were confident in their delivery and KPMG were very id f th j t

Year 9 Tycoons in Business Summer Fair 2023

On Monday 26th June our year 9 Tycoons in Business group held a Tycoons in business summer fair after school. This was well attended by our Sarah Bonnell Community. It was great to see so many parents/carers at the event Students made over £700 which is all going to our UWS charity Henna, care packages, handmade bracelets and many more wonderful items were sold at the event We even had our very own Ice cream van!

Thank a Teacher day Thank a Teacher day

Once again this year Sarah Bonnell jumped on board National Thank a Teacher Day . Students were given the opportunity to write special thank you cards to staff in the school - teachers, teaching assistants, Admin Hub officers and all the other adults that work in the school to support students’ academic progress and personal development. Here are a small selection of the many messages staff received - all hand delivered by the Headteacher ! Well done to all our students who made time to show their appreciation - #SBonnellBeKind

Sarah Bonnell Music 2022-23

This year students have had the opportunity to share and celebrate their progress and achievements in music at a range of events. Starting the year off with incredible performances from the String Group and our resident rock band made up of students from Years 9 -10 at our Achievement Assemblies, the year ahead only had more and more musical greatness to come.

We are very proud that students have performed at a range of events this year, from assemblies to grand events such as Black History Month, International Women’s Day, and providing musical entertainment at the Summer GCSE Art and Design Technology Exhibition

Our singers also had the fantastic opportunity to work with BBC singers in the Spring term, taking part in a massed performance with a range of school’s from across Newham, as well taking part in a recording of the Ukrainian Eurovision winning song, which was filmed and shared nationwide!

Winter Warmer & Spring Concert

We have had two grand celebrations so far of the work our students have done this year in music lessons and enrichment clubs At the Winter Warmer and Spring Concert we have had over 70 students perform, from stunning solos to incredible performances from our singing, string, band and drumming ensembles, the students have yet again outdone themselves, demonstrating not only their incredible talents, but also the fantastic work our teaching and peripatetic team have done this year to support their progress.

Summer Showcase

We have one final exciting concert coming up on Monday 17th July, where students will have the opportunity to perform to parents, families and Sarah Bonnell Alumni This will be a fantastic event, where all of our performers will get to showcase their achievements in music this year. With some exciting additions, such as the launch of our Music Producer Club creations and a Mega Band performance, bringing performers together from all musical specialities!

We are very proud of all of the work our students have put in this year. We now have over 150 students receiving 1 to 1 and small group instrumental tuition as well as excellent commitment to our music enrichment clubs If your daughter is interested in having instrumental lessons next year, please encourage her to sign up in September! More information will be sent out in the new school year

Finally, a huge thank you to our fantastic music team, without which we would not be able to put on these fantastic events: Mr Hernandez, Mr Slater, Mr Chawora, Tracey, Ross, Liz, Az, Barbara, Kit and the fabulous Drum Works team!

I hope you have a fantastic summer and look forward to making more music at Sarah Bonnell in September.

Ms Whitehouse Curriculum Leader Music

This June, in conjunction with the Drama Curriculum Area, a group of Year 7 students went on an educational visit to the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) in order to learn about the engaging theatre style of “Theatre-in-education”. They had the opportunity to actively participate in these interactive plays, to develop their creativity and performance.

All members of staff from Sarah Bonnell School were highly impressed by their marvellous work, and students were praised by the performers and staff at the university for their wonderful contributions For instance, IOE lecturer Dr Theo Bryer stated “Your students were so amazing - what an achievement that your school encourages them to be so confident and vocal, even out of school.”

It was a really special event and the Drama team would like to thank all of the UCL IOE activity leaders, as well as the SB students and parents and carers for making it such a positive event

Year 7 Trip to the UCL Institute of Education Year 7 Trip to the UCL Institute of Education Year 11 Leavers’ Assembly

It has been a busy term for our Year 11 students who have worked incredibly hard during the GCSE exam season. They have shown resilience, dedication and grit throughout their exams and we are so proud of their commitment. In order to celebrate their successes over the last five years at Sarah Bonnell, we held a celebration leavers’ assembly on Friday 26 May 2023. The assembly was jam-packed with leavers’ messages from form tutors, form awards, speeches, musical performances, laughter and tears! Once they have enjoyed a well-earned rest in their summer break, they will be taking their next steps into further education, training or employment. Their time at Sarah Bonnell is now over, but their legacy will live on for years to come!

Greenhouse Tennis Greenhouse Tennis

This term, the Year 9 and 10 students participated in 4 fixtures: winning two, drawing one and losing the other by a narrow margin This is such huge progress from last year where we were still developing our tennis and playing against established students who beat us in matches with ease Now, we’re challenging or winning against them. I can’t overstate how difficult this has been to achieve, and huge recognition must go to those who represented the team

-Coach Sippy

Sarah Bonnell’s partnership with Greenhouse Tennis goes from strength to strength. We continue to work together to give students opportunities to develop their skills in a great sport and develop their confidence and character On Thursday 20 April, Rae Potter - Headteacher and Tom Sippy, Greenhouse Tennis Coach, were invited to a high profile event for investors in the charity at the National Tennis Centre. Mr Sippy coached the investors and hit with some of the UK’s top tennis

stars. Ms Potter spoke to the investors about the success of the tennis programmeme at Sarah Bonnell School and the impact it has on our students. Mr Sippy and Ms Potter also enjoyed talking to former UK Number 1’s Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.

On Wednesday 19 July Sarah Bonnell is hosting a Greenhouse Celebration event to recognise the achievement of students from lots of different schools involved in the Greenhouse tennis programme

Year 11 Graduation Evening

With great excitement and joy we celebrated our Year 11s finishing their journey at Sarah Bonnell! Flowers, greenery and twinkling lights - our school was transformed into a magical escape for our Midsummer Night’s Dream themed Graduation Evening where students arrived in style. It was an amazing evening filled with music, food and laughter. It was an opportunity for students to reunite and meet friends they might not have seen for a little white and it was heartwarming to see them greet one another with love and warmth as they all entered on the green carpet!

An awe-inspiring moon backdrop was set up and students were able to pose amongst the stars - taking away polaroid shots of themselves with friends. Fellow colleagues had also planned and led on many entertaining activities from temporary glitter tattoos to creating flower corsages and headbands, we had a limbo competition and a 360 photo booth to ensure fantastic memories could be stored forever from the magical night.

A huge shoutout to our Year 10 prefects who exemplified professionalism, grace and charm for the night, helping us make the event possible!

The Year 11 students once again made us proud with how graceful and sensible they were even on a night of revelry and fun. As the night was danced away, students were also handed out their Leavers Hoodies and after much dancing, taking pictures and eating we bid them goodbye.

Y10 Visit to UCL

A selected number of students from Year 10 got the enriching opportunity to visit and tour the UCL campus while exploring language and culture, as well as an insight into how UCL functions, with their student friendly facilities and their history.

As a part of the taster day, we attended a linguistics lecture and a guided Dutch taster lesson - which provided us with a deeper understanding of the way languages work and the impact it has on the world.

Enhanced Learning Day - Tuesday 9 May

On Tuesday 9 May, we held our forth and final Enhanced Learning Day of the academic year. The day was jam-packed with exciting enrichment activities where students were able to develop their knowledge, skills and curiosity.

Year 7 students worked with our external partner ‘Bloodhound’ to develop their engineering skills to build a strong and fast prototype for a rocket car that will run at speeds of up to 50 mph! The other half of the year group engaged in five mathematical workshops to promote students problem solving skills, growth mindset and resilience.

Year 8 students developed their self awareness and strategies to support resilience. They explored important topics such as body image, mental health and online safety. They heard from external speaker, Gigi Moss, an expert in self-empowerment who inspired them with her empowering speech!

Year 9 students engaged in a day filled with a range of workshops and activities that inspired them to be ambitious for their future but also equipped them with a range of skills and activities that supported their mental health and wellbeing.

Year 10 students went on educational visits across London with our GCSE Geographers taking part in their compulsory GCSE fieldwork fieldwork and the rest of the Year group visited London Zoo!

Year 11 students worked with a range of curriculum areas to prepare them for their GCSEs including Religious Studies, World Languages, English, Science and ADT. A theatre group also visited Sarah Bonnell to perform Macbeth, a text that students study for GCSE English Literature. A selection of World Languages students also took part in the GCSE speaking exams.

There was also a student led craft gift table and polaroid photo station in the School Piazza where we were able to raise money for our charity partner, United World Schools and the school we sponsor in Cambodia.

Drum Works Workshop

For those of you who have not yet experienced Drum Works, they are a fantastic company who “use drumming as a tool to inspire creativity, build social cohesion and empower young people to direct their own futures Around 570 people take part every week through five partner schools in east London, community programmes in Walthamstow and Newham, and two progression ensembles. High-energy, engaging and creative sessions led by experienced professional musicians enable participants from all backgrounds and all levels of musical experience to create something they enjoy and are proud of. Through collaborative music-making we develop participants’ confidence, break down social barriers and build a supportive community where everyone can thrive.”

Drum Works have provided workshops and an enrichment club every Friday, at which students from all Year groups and levels can take part This culminated in a fantastic combined school workshop this term, with 9 Drum Works tutors leading Sarah Bonnell and St Paul’s Way Trust students in a 3 hour workshop followed by an incredible performance on the Green for students and teachers to enjoy The level of performance was outstanding and a real inspiration for everyone! We look forward to continuing our work with Drum Works next year!

Young Interpreter Scheme - YIS

Each year students attend the YIS training after school regularly. The following comments have been made by a few students;

Lelas YR7

Completing the Young Interpreter Scheme was very fun. The sessions were very engaging and we would discuss anything we wouldn't understand in the class. It built my confidence and social skills in talking with new people, and talking generally in front of other people like when I am standing on a stage. It helps you to be proud of the languages you know and to represent your identity and culture. I am very happy and proud to be a young interpreter.

Sarah YR7

I really enjoyed the young interpreter scheme. It was really fun and interesting and I was always fond of learning more about the job. I am excited to carry on this journey and I can not wait!! Thank you.

Katerina YR10

I just wanted to say what a brilliant experience and opportunity the Young Interpreter scheme was for me. I have learnt a lot with the programmme how to help those that need it to overcome the language barrier. The programme itself was very efficient.im glad I was a part of this course since it was really beneficial.

Students in Year 7 and 8 were given the opportunity to participate in this year's UKMT Junior maths challenge. In order to prepare for the challenge many students attended a series of after school UKMT clubs in order to develop their mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems We had an amazing turnout for each after school session which meant students were readily equipped for the challenge.

This year we have had an increased number of Bronze, Silver and Gold medals being awarded to students, including one student who performed the ‘Best in School’ and qualified for the JMC Kangaroo. Students thoroughly enjoyed partici to th

National numeracy Day (KPMG) National numeracy Day (KPMG)

In Maths students in year 8 celebrated National Numeracy on Wednesday 17th May. Students headed to KPMG in Canary Wharf and engaged in a variety of activities including a Masterclass on recreating Islamic geometric patterns being interviewed by KPMG for their website and participating in a Q&A wi al skills in Geometr ce and application t Sarah Bonnell w e day.

Learning Hub Book Fair Learning Hub Book Fair

In May the Learning Hub hosted a five day Book Fair We had an incredible range of books on offer which were sold at half price. From comedy to mysteries, our students delved in and were thrilled to have the opportunity to buy such fantastic titles. It was wonderful to see so many of our students getting very excited about books and stories Our girls requested books for orders and came back again and again to buy more. On our first day at at break time, we took in £100 in 15 minutes! The Book Fair created a great reading buzz which added to the reading culture of the Learning Hub At the end of the fair we had sold £733 worth of books and earned 30 free books for the Learning Hub. It was an excellent event which showcased that SB really does Love to Read. We look forward to hosting another Book Fair again at Christmas! Ms Kaur - Learning Hub Manager

Brilliant Club

A huge congratulations to all the following students who graduated from our Spring cohort of Brilliant Club 2022- 2023! Well done for putting in all the hard work and effort into your 2500 word essays on Periodontal Diseases

Message from tutor: “...taking the opportunity to thank you so much for your support with students' organization and more during the past few weeks

The students did so well despite the challenges and complexities of the course and I am very pleased with their performance. It has indeed been a privileged experience to teach such a brilliant group of students “

Youth Safety Champions

As a school, we are proud of our local community and are committed to educating young people about social action. Over the last three years, we have built a strong partnership with Newham Citizens, an alliance that supports members of the public in the local community with a key focus on Youth Safety. A strand of our Sarah Bonnell Way refers to ‘others’, where our students consider how they can ‘Be Proud to belong to a community that promotes diversity and equality as part of wider British Society’. Our Youth Safety Champions have gone from strength to strength and our Year 9 campaign champions have been working hard this year to campaign for change to make Newham a safer place for young people. In January 2023, one of Year 9 Youth Safety champions, Nijom, met with Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz at the Newham Council Offices, Dockside, and presented our asks. In this meeting the Mayor agreed to co-sign a letter to the TfL Headquarters and support our campaign. In March 2023, our Year 9 students also attended a GLA Transport committee meeting where our students were able to present a range of questions to push our agenda to make journeys safer. In June 2023, we were able to meet with three Newham Councillors (Terence Paul, Joshua Garfield and Mariam Dawood), conducting a safety walk to showcase the areas of concern to people in power. Finally, in June 2023, we visited Chobham Academy so that students could collaborate together, sharing their successes and to present our asks to Lyn Brown MP. One of our Youth Safety Champions, Vaishnavi, has commented on why social justice is so important: “I personally think that social justice is extremely important as it promotes fairness and equality. Furthermore, it is also important because I believe that every individual's safety is extremely important especially in their own community”.

Year 10 World of Work

This term all students in year 10 have had the chance to complete a mock employer interview and a career insight visit as part of their World of Work programme. Students worked with professionals from companies such as Morgan Stanley, Citi and KPMG on developing their interview technique and visited workplaces around the city to get a flavour of the world of work.

The career insight visits were a great success with students getting the chance to work in a team, network and deal with real life corporate scenarios. Our partners, the East London Business Alliance, were hugely impressed with the commitment and talent of our students and many said they hope to recruit from the Sarah Bonnell talent pool when the time comes in a few years!

Y10 Pearson Diversity Pearsons Ambassadors’ experience

he Pearson Diversity Ambassadors Working Group

During this academic year 2022-2023 a group of five Year 10 students have been collaborating with Pearson Publisher Educational Group and other schools across the UK to bring ideas to contribute to a future syllabus in secondary schools that is more inclusive and diverse

Salma Allam, Saira Bukhari, Laiba Chowdhury, Sumaiya Choudhury and Marianne Rhodes have worked together to represent and share Sarah Bonnell’s ethos during the meetings in those working forums

Our students have been sharing their mature thoughts and ideas on the following themes: Wellbeing and Mental Health, Sustainability and Climate Education and The Future of Education and Assessments. Session after session Sarah Bonnell was congratulated for the creative and thought provoking ideas brought to the forum It was a pleasure to see these eloquent and confident students taking part in such a prestigious initiative. The commitment of Sarah Bonnell students to create a better society was recognised once again in events with other schools.

Parent Online Safety Course - Information for parents to sign up

- Mr Begley

Our annual online safety training for parents & carers provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to feel confident and empowered to help keep children safe online.

The course is split into bite sized modules making it the most time-efficient course.

It is accessible on any device, any time, anywhere. Scan the QR code and select which course you would like to complete from the list below:

1

2. 3 4.

Annual Certificate in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of children aged 11-14

Annual Certificate in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of children aged 14-18

Annual Certificate in Online Reputation for Parents & Carers

Online Certificate in Cyber Security for Parents & Carers

We hope that this will help in further collaboration between Parents/Carers and the school, ensuring our students are aware of appropriate behaviours online and being responsible for their own digital footprint.