Senior School Newsletter - September 27 2019

SENIOR SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER Friday 27th September 2019

'Les Miserables’ rehearsals got under way last week with our students across the year groups beginning to learn the songs. How excited we all are as the show begins to take shape, characterisation begins to emerge and we all have the shared goal of the performances in March 2020.

All students involved are to take responsibility and commit to the rehearsal process fully. Students will need to check the rehearsal schedule on the board outside the Oliver studio please.

Neil Madden, Director, ‘Les Mis’ The Year 8 and 9 gifted and talented group met after school on Monday to take part in a critical thinking activity. The pupils worked in groups to decide the tactics they would employ if they were shipwrecked on an island with only certain resources available to them. They had to plan their base camp and decide what the structure of their new society would be. The pupils all got very involved in the activity and were able to question and argue their points clearly. I would like to say well done to all of the pupils and in particular to Toby C (Year 9) who demonstrated clear leadership within his team. (Cath Harding and Rachel Bee)

Sixth Form Open Evening and Course Fair Tuesday 15th October 2019 6pm – 8pm

• Talk to subject staff and current Sixth Form students.

• Find out more about the broad range of subjects on offer.

• Get the very best advice to help you make informed decisions about your son’s/daughter’s next step in their education.

• Find out about the programmes of study tailored to meet individual needs and interests.

• Find out more about life in our Sixth Form, the way it differs to the rest of the school and the opportunities it offers students.

• Sibford Sixth Form encourages individual talents to grow, skills to develop and ambitions to take shape.

The Sixth Form Open Evening will start promptly at 6pm in the Oliver Studio where you will be able to hear from Toby Spence, Head and Cate Mallalieu-Needle, Head of Sixth Form.

The evening will continue in the Main Hall with the Course Fair where displays, staff and students will inform you about the subject offer available.

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting event.

If you would like your son/daughter to stay in school for prep and tea please let Caroline Cartwright know at ccartwright@sibfordschool.co.uk .

SFL Learner of the Week The SFL department are delighted to award Tabby Year 8 the SFL learner of the week award.

Tabby has shown an excellent level of engagement in her SFL lessons and has really mastered ‘Evidence’ this week. Well done Tabby!

SFL Learner of the Week The SFL department are delighted to award Tom Year 7 the SFL learner of the week award. Tom is such a courageous learner, never giving up when things become difficult. We have been so impressed with Tom’s strength and determination to succeed and he is a pleasure to teach. Keep it up Tom!

SFL Parent conversation afternoons The parent conversation afternoons take place on alternate Friday afternoons and are an opportunity for parents/carers to make an appointment to see your child’s SFL teacher(s) for a 15 minute discussion about your child’s progress and any concerns you may have.

The forthcoming date for the Autumn term are: 11th October, 8th November, 22nd November and 6th December Please contact Frances Claydon on 01295 781200 or francesclaydon@sibfordschool.co.uk to book an appointment.

We look forward to seeing you!

BBC OwnIt - digital wellbeing app The BBC have launched a new app for children called Own It. The app monitors how young people interact with others online and uses artificial intelligence to evaluate the mood of the child so it can offer advice. For example if the child types 'you're really stupid', the app will alert the sender and ask if they really want to send. It does a lot more and definitely worth a look. For more information see here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49726844

Past student gap year presentation Imogen Roberts, a past student from Sibford came into to talk to the sixth form about her gap year experience in Australia. Imogen spoke so proudly of what she had undertaken during her time away and all the skills she had developed. The places she visited, people she met, jobs she undertook and the mistakes she made along the way were all part of the journey. I was fortunate to be her tutor when she joined us at the end of year 12 at Sibford and I quietly observed how she resiliently tackled all the challenges she faced throughout her A levels. It was with great pleasure that I watched how proudly she delivered her presentation and revealed all the skills she developed and the lessons she learnt. Imogen now looks forward to starting her first year at university and there is no doubt that the experience she gained from living adventurously will prove to be invaluable. (Darren De Bruyn, Assistant Head of Sixth Form)

On Friday the 20th of September, a post 18 provider that specialises in gap years came into Sibford to present to our Sixth Form students. The decision to take a year out of education to travel abroad and be involved in experiencing cultures and working on projects is a very exciting opportunity. Every year more British students across the country are weighing up their options and exploring alternative post 18 pathways. Taking a gap year is becoming increasingly popular for students to recalibrate, challenge themselves and explore potential hidden talents. The presentation included all the destinations on offer around the world, the projects or work involved, the fundraising required to fund the experience and the time frame involved. A truly wonderful opportunity for students to challenge themselves in a way they have never imagined and make a substantial contribution to the lives of others.

Kayaking success for Sibford pupils Many congratulations to Michael and Harry who recently competed in kayaking at the Sobeka Flanders Cup in Belgium and won bronze medals in both the K2 200m final and the K4 Final. This competition was a fantastic opportunity for them to gain experience of international racing and we now wish them good luck for the National Schools Kayak Championships later this term.

Equestrian The Sibford Equestrian team have had a fantastic start to the year by winning several rosettes at the SEG Sibford One Day Event at Swalcliffe. The team were fortunate to have a glorious sunny day to compete in the three disciplines of dressage, show jumping and X Country. There were plenty of double clears achieved amongst the team and special mention must go to Emily who was the overall champion of the 90cm class. I am delighted that we now have two teams qualified for the inaugural SEG Championships on the 6th October at Broadway. I would also like to thank our fantastic team of pole pickers who supported and represented the school superbly throughout the competition.