Stoke News - Autumn Term 2022, One

Welcome

It has been a very exciting and productive first half of term, to commence the new academic year.

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to the next issue (published at the end of Term),

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Students returned looking incredibly smart in their new school uniform; thank you for being so supportive. They quickly settled back into good learning routines, and the numerous teaching initiatives that have been introduced are having a terrific impact on their learning. There is a great sense of celebration of the students’ work in all areas, both academic and co-curricular, the latter enhanced by the introduction of our Diploma in Character & Resilience

I would like to thank you for supporting our growing list of sports fixtures, with our collective congratulations to the students on some fantastic results. As the school grows, so too shall we develop strength and depth to our sports teams and performing arts ensembles. Talking of which, it is wonderful to see so many students involved in our whole-school production of ‘West Side Story’ which will be performed in March 2023.

Our recent Open Morning was extremely successful, followed up by an equally successful 11+ assessment day, with over 20 children looking for a place in Year 7, September 2023. Your support of the College in being our strongest advocates is deeply appreciated.

The second half of term will feature an evening of Fireworks (Wednesday 2nd November), a Careers Fayre on Friday 18th November, an evening of music and poetry in Cambridge (Thursday 24th November), a Christmas Carol Service on Friday 16h December, and many more sporting fixtures - your attendance of such events is always most welcome!

Enjoy this Newsletter: it is full of wonderful accounts of your children’s endeavours.

Warmest wishes, Gareth Lloyd. Dr Gareth Lloyd

Your support on our social media is hugely appreciated. Every like, comment and share helps us to

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College.

Our website stokecollege.co.uk contains links to school information together with a link through to Parent Portal - your unique space to find information about

school life from

Henry Breaks Jail For 54 Mile Trek

Patrick’s Epic Adventure

No stranger to expeditions into the wild, Patrick, Year 13, decided this year’s solo challenge would take him across Europe’s tallest mountain range.

Henry, Year 10, took part in a 54 mile/ 24 hour jailbreak exercise on foot with the Explorer Scouts.

Henry’s team came second out of 300 participants, beaten only by a team of Sixth Formers. After the event, Henry was awarded a medal by the Mayor of Saffron Walden.

Asked about his achievement, Henry said, “I’ve learnt I’m stronger than I thought I could be.” Congratulations Henry on this incredible feat of endurance and strength

During the last summer holiday, I set out to tackle one of Europe’s most beautiful treks: the Tour du Mont Blanc. This is an epic trail, covering a distance of roughly 170 km and gaining more than 10,000 m of altitude - more than a kilometre higher than Mt Everest! The trail itself circumnavigates around western Europe’s tallest mountain range, the Mont Blanc Massif, and takes you through 3 different countries: France, Italy, and Switzerland. To fully experience the wilderness, I decided to go alone, taking only a tarp for shelter and wild camping most of the way.

Congratulations to Hector, Year 8, for winning the title role in Bugsy Malone.

“I am so proud of Hector and his commitment to performing, both in and out of school. Hector has a bright future ahead of him and we wish him all the best with Bugsy - the most perfect role for him.”

Miss J Davey, Head of Performing Arts.

To be able to do this enjoyably, preparation was key. I had to ration the food carefully to ensure I wouldn’t go a day with too few calories. I had to be aware of where I could and could not wild camp, and I absolutely had to keep a keen eye on the weather. Just before I set off, my bag weighed about 15 kg, which was as light as I could get away with.

After many months of preparation, I finally arrived in Chamonix, the start of the trail. The views were spectacular, made even better by a high, warm sun and a cool, gentle breeze. The predominant scenery was valleys filled

with a blanket of forests; fuelled by the melting glaciers high above, forming rivers and streams that trickled down the mountain side. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant and clear most of the time, except for 2 days of fog and 1 day of rain. Considering I was there for 2 weeks, 3 days of bad weather was nothing!

My typical day consisted of walking from sunrise to sunset. Other than the 3 main meals of the day, I would have a significant break 1 or 2 times before and after midday. Meals consisted of dried fruits and nuts, and the occasional dehydrated camping food for the evening.

Although I intended for the trek to be a solitary one, towards the end I joined up with 3 other people. After a very enjoy able day, we decided to camp together and finish the trek officially as a group the following day. At about midday, we passed another group that also decided to join us. In all, we were a group of 8. After an incredible day of hiking 35 km up and down the trip’s highest points, I finally finished the trail! Exhausted but exhilarated, we were eager to celebrate our epic journey with a much-needed meal that lasted far into midnight.

“Everybody loves that man”

Test Success For Future Medics

Two Stoke College students have passed the rigourous UCAT examination, allowing them to apply for medical study after A level.

Themes for thought

We are so proud of Stoke Sixth Form students, Sasha and Georgie for passing the notorious University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). The UCAT is an admissions test that is necessary to pass in order to apply to read medicine at the very best universities in the United Kingdom and around the world. The two-hour examination tests areas such as abstract thinking and verbal reasoning.

“After the exam it felt surreal as you get your results as soon as you finish and so you are instantly able to determinie

whether or not you can apply for your dream course. It gave me a new perspec tive on how to handle stress and to develop exam skills.” Sasha, Year 13.

All Stoke College Sixth Form students receive guidance, support and tuition to prepare them for the univeristy application process.

Applications for the Mark Wang Sixth Form Scholarships must be in to our Admissions department by 31st October.

Each month of the Stoke College calendar is devoted to a theme. Inspired by the International Baccalaureate the themes are used as the basis for assembly topics and presentations together with inspiring a monthly article in the Suffolk Free Press written by our Principal, Dr Lloyd.

The Themes for the Autumn Term are:

September - Curiosity October - Knowledge November - Communication December - Think

Black History Month

Our Head Girl, Saffron, led two assemblies in October to mark the start of Black History Month. Saffron invited Stoke College students to consider the Afro-Caribbean British perspective of the theme ‘Sharing Journeys”. Year 7 student, Neema, read a poem.

Stoke Open Day Success

The traditional Open Day season has been a busy one at Stoke College with high numbers of prospective students and their families visiting our campus.

Thank you to everyone involved in our recent Open Events.

There was a lovely atmosphere across the entire school estate at the recent Open Morning. Record numbers of guests enjoyed bright sunny weather as they were led around the school by our wonderful tour guides – including students, teachers and parents. Many also visited our homely boarding houses and stopped to watch some rugby and netball action outside.

Thank you as ever to our tremendously supportive PTA who entertained many of the guests in Dr Lloyd’s study with the much-appreciated benefit of plates heaving with brownies, cookies and other delicious delicacies freshly handmade in our kitchen.

In addition to some most welcome positive comments on the day, we have received email feedback over the

weekend. One parent of a very bright and mature Sixth Form applicant we met wrote “we have not seen our son so enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of schooling in a very long time.” So, a big thank you to everyone involved in this event, which has provided a tangible reminder of the gradual progress that we are making together.

The Stoke Approach

Stop, Look And Listen Out For Stoke College

Many more people are starting to learn about our wonderful school thanks to our latest advertising and media campaign. From bus journeys to radio airwaves - the Stoke College message is getting out there.

Our Autumn advertising campaign is in full swing, promoting Stoke College to a wider audience. The campaign features photography from our latest shoot taken by Award Winning photographer and Stoke College parent, Alison McKenny.

The images showcase our beautiful new uniform and feature many scenes of school life from Sports to Music. Classroom photography has been used in magazine advertising to demonstrate the individual attention given to each and every Stoke student.

Several A Level students posed like professionals for a range of images that tell the story of life at Stoke Sixth Form. One of these images featuring Angus, Carina, Georgie and Saffron is currently touring the Stoke College catchment area on the side of buses, promoting the Mark Wang Scholarships.

Georgie, Year 13, also took the role of voice actress by recording her own words for a Heart Radio campaign. The campaign was played throughout the day across West Suffolk, North Essex and East Cambridgeshire for two weeks.

“Ours is a genuinely happy school where a rich mix of students reach towards the world’s top universities,” commented Georgie, Year 13, on the Stoke College Heart Radio advertisement.

in the photographs

helped

promote

brilliant school.

A Busy Half Term In The Boarding Houses

Movie nights, culinary curiosities, Cambridge, ‘Wacky Races’ and a Dog Show. Read on to discover what our boarders have been up to.

Friday night is time to kick back, relax and enjoy a good movie. There are even rumors that Christmas is starting early in boarding with a premiere showing of ‘Nativity’!

Creating Culinary Curiosities

Even with our new a la carte evening menu, the boarders still enjoy baking and creating their own culinary masterpieces. A pinch of this, and dash of that is much more fun than following a recipe! Although you also have to take your chances with the outcome - fortunately, the boarding staff are always on hand to act as official taste testers!

Cambridge Trip

A chance to shop til you drop and the boarders did exactly that, returning laden with bags full of bargains. Mrs Bailey gave a walking tour explaining some of the unusual facts associated with the Cambridge Colleges. The Corpus Clock provided an added challenge to try and tell the time - however, it is not the most accurate clock and in fact has a more morbid sound, representing the passing of time which ultimately leads to death through its inscription ‘mundus transit et concupiscentia eius’ meaning the ‘world and its desires pass away’!

Go Karting - Stoke style ‘Wacky Races’

The boarding community decided to test their mario kart skills in real life rather than on the TV when they attended Go Karting. Rivalries were quickly developed with the added challenge of waving at each other across the track, and zig zagging in front of each other to prevent any overtaking. If I can’t win, then no one can.

Dog Show

Coda was put through his paces by Harley and Rodrigo. Despite lots of practice and consumption of many dog treats, Coda was pipped to the post by Sunshine - Mr Bell’s dog in the veteran dog category. Rodrigo was very pleased with the first place rosette but a little disappointed that the prize was some lovely dog treats for Sunshine. A lovely village eventHarley and Saffron were very pleased

with their vintage bag purchases and the Oreo ice cream was a huge success. Coda is already in training for next year.

Belchamp St Paul

Lions V Unicorns: Let Battle Commence

This year Stoke College’s House System has been re-launched to reward students for their hard work, encourage healthy competition and give all students the opportunity to be rewarded for team and individual achievement.

Our house system also provides opportunities outside of the curriculum across all departments where we can celebrate students’ talent, effort and success. This half term we had our first Inter-House Art Competition and the whole school Tug-of-War, both competitions invited students to work together across all key stages and it was exciting to see the commitment and fun students had together.

So far this year, the Lions are in the lead with 1,719 points in total! Individual successes go to Ffion Smith in Year 9 (Unicorn) who is the first student to achieve a Bronze certificate for over 100 House Points across both houses. Well done to her!

The Tug-of-War Competition was very close, however the Unicorns came out as champions winning in KS4 and KS5. In the Inter-House Art Competition, the Lions took the crown with individual artwork produced from some very talented new artists at school (see over the page for the winning artwork).

House Point Awards

House points can be awarded for the following: Class contribution, excellent classwork, leadership, teamwork, excellent homework, excellent effort, helping outside the classroom, imaginative ideas, assembly, kindness to others.

Inter-House Art Competition

1st Place - Emily and Connie

Artwork Of The Week

A new competition for the new term, celebrating Stoke College’s incredible artists.

Henry Brings the Stoke Literary Walk to Life

With the delight of assemblies held in the church, the art department has introduced the ‘Artwork of the Week’ award to showcase just some of Stoke College art students’ creations in the beautiful setting.

Each week, an artwork is selected for showcasing exceptional ability and effort for the whole school to see. So far, winners have included Ellie Morris Year 9, Ffion Smith Year 9, Emily Loynes Year 12 and Freddie, Year 9, with each student enjoying a week of exhibition for their hard work and 25 house points.

As Stoke College prepares to open its grounds for a literary walk inspired by A Christmas Carol, Year 11 GCSE Art student Henry H worked hard to illustrate the event invitation to bring literature to life.

Drawing inspiration from The Wind in the Willows, Peter Rabbit and other literary features of the expedition, Henry has certainly got us all excited for the event.

Look out for Miss Coll’s new Stoke Art Awards stickers on Facebook and Instagram Stories.

Over 40 Students Involved In The School Production

There is a buzz around the PAB as students and staff prepare for an exciting year ahead of musical theatre, examination pieces and LAMDA lessons.

It has been an exciting start to the year within the Performing Arts Department. We announced our annual school production, ‘West Side Story’. This exciting opportunity will involve over 40 students from cast to backstage. It captures the essence of the Stoke Approach, providing students from Years 7 -13 with an opportunity to perform in a full-scale musical in a professional theatre. We have worked with Haverhill Arts Centre for a number of years and their hospitality and support allows students to have a fantastic life experience. There will be two evening performances at 7:30pm on 23rd and 24th March 2023.

In other areas of the performing arts, we have welcomed a brand new LAMDA teacher Miss Wieland, who is offering lessons in verse, prose, acting, public speaking and musical theatre. We currently have 17 students taking these lessons, with a few limited spaces still available.

In Key Stage 3 drama, all students have been developing skills in the fundamental approach to characterisation, Year 7 developing confidence in improvisation, Year 8 focusing on storytelling and Year 9 studying the play DNA by Dennis Kelly.

Our current GCSE and A Level Drama students are working on their coursework performances. In Year 11 we have two groups, one exploring the importance of friendship and the other how social media can impact a young person’s life today.

All students across every key stage are looking forward to sharing elements of their work with you on our annual Drama Evening on Friday December 2nd 2023.

A Level Art Student Creates West Side Story Creative

Year 12 A-Level Art student Isla has worked hard, demonstrating her fantastic digital design skills to create a unique West Side Story logo for the upcoming school musical.

Isla’s design will be used across all promotional material for the show from posters to the all important cast and crew hoodies.

An Exciting New Way To Learn

Stoke College has launched a twenty-first century approach to music tuition.

Are you looking for a music lesson?

We have launched our exciting new online music instrument teaching studio, complete with cinematic sound and 70 inch screen. This enables Stoke students to learn musical instruments from the best professional musicians and teachers in the country.

Would you like to learn or progress a musical instrument this term?

If you are curious about a musical instrument, now is the time explore. We have availability for private lessons in the following:

Viola Violin Music Theory

Guitar

Saxophone

To discuss this further, please speak to Dr Olyver, Head of Music or contact the Main Office info@stokecollege.co.uk

Who Was St Cecilia?

St Cecilia is the patron saint of music and musicians.

According to legend, Cecilia was a third century Roman noblewoman who upheld her vow of chastity even after marriage. Her husband agreed to respect her vow on the condition that he could see the angel to whom she had committed herself.

After agreeing to be baptised, her husband was greeted by a vision of Cecilia talking to the angel. His brother took the same action. Both brothers were martyred for their visions.

Cecilia herself had to undertake various tribulations before she, too, was martyred by being burned at the stake. Her purity protected her and she received no harm. This angered the powers and they chose to behead her instead.

From this cruel and violent end, Cecilia became St Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Her final resting place is Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, a 5th-century church in Rome.

Her Saint’s Day is 22nd November and we are choosing to honour her with an evening of music and poetry in Cambridge. See opposite.

Great Sporting Start To The Season For Stoke College

It could be the smart new kit, the clement weather or the brilliant coaching team - Stoke sports have gone up a gear. Match reports provided by Tom P, Year 13.

U13 V Ipswich High

On Wednesday the 28th September, the under 13 rugby team faced their first fixture of the season against Ipswich High School. Both teams made a quick start with tries coming from Oskar Metcalfe. The boys showed a great level of communication and support in this match and were able to stop Ipswich High’s attack with exceptional tackling from Stanley Kerr and Hayden Osborne. Hector Duckworth Smith led our attack in the opening stages of the game which set a high standard for the boys for the rest of the match. Through hard work and determination, Stoke were leading the scoring for most of the game with Sam Evans also adding to the scoresheet. This was a great display of teamwork from Stoke, who were leading the match 25-20

in the final few minutes of the game until Ipswich levelled the scoring. The under 13’s deserved to win this game by all accounts and were hard done by at the end. The boys should be proud of their performance and they have now set a bar for the future. Well done Stoke.

U15 V Brookes

Our U15 rugby team played the return fixture against Brookes School. Mr Khan gave the boys a rousing speech which fired them up and the boys from Stoke started quickly. Brookes were blessed with larger players than ourselves and this led to a quick breakaway for Brookes which fortunately did not lead to a try. Stoke slowly grew into the game and began to put together some phases and show some understanding of what it

means to play rugby “7’s style” culminat ing in a try. We scored a further 3 tries including a great final run from Tom Willigers who touched down in the corner with very little time on the clock. There were some great carries by Sam Sayers, Harvey Osborne and Tom Willigers as well as some stout defence by Rodrigo Semelas and Riley Pector-Hird against boys much larger ourselves. In all Stoke scored 4 tries to Brookes’ 3 and won 20-19, a nailbiter!

We have seen some huge improvements from this group this half term and it would be amazing if everyone in Year’s 9 and 10 can now feed off this progress and continue to work hard for one another. Man of the match goes to Tom Willigers for his tenacity in his ball carrying and leading by example.

A brilliant win for Stoke U18 Rugby V Gosfield

Tom H takes Man of the Match with a special mention to Britton for great tackles.

On Friday the 23rd September the under 18 boys travelled to Gosfield for their opening match of the rugby season. Gosfield were said to be a much-improved side and following Stoke’s 100%-win rate last year there were certainly high expectations to live up to.

However, even with the added pressure and the team missing a couple of players, Stoke started on top scoring two early tries thanks to the speed of Gabriel Mason. With one of these 2 tries being converted Stoke went 12-0 up. Throughout the remainder of the first half Stoke continued to apply pressure using some of the passing routines we’d practiced in training. Right before the half ended, some strong running from Sean Mckenny meant we were another try stronger and had a healthy 17-0 lead going into the break.

The second half proved more challenging as Stoke suffered with a couple of injuries. Brave tackling meant that Gosfield were unable to break through our defense for much of the second half. However, with around 5 minutes left of the match Gosfield scored an unconverted try to make it 17-5. With the clock running down Stoke pushed for one final try but were unsuccessful. The match ended 17-5, a brilliant win for the lads.

Man of the Match goes to Tom Hearn who kept our forwards organized throughout the game and made some great hits on the opposition. A special mention must also go to Britton Fuller who made some great last-ditch tackles in order to prevent tries.

Mixed Hockey Success for Stoke v Brookes

More great results for Stoke in the U13 Mixed Hockey at Brookes School.

The U13s gave great attack and kept their opponents’ defence on their toes. Brookes’ Goalkeeper gave some great saves but, luckily for Stoke, didn’t get to them all.

Many players in this team are relatively new to hockey so it is fantastic to see such teamwork in action already. Let’s hope for more success next term.

Complete your Stoke Sports Kit

As the weather starts to turn, it could be time to think about adding a few warmer layers to the sports kit bag. Our new sports uniform also includes: Tracksuit trousers Base Layer top Sports Sweatshirt Sports rain jacket not forgetting the Stoke Sports Kit Bag (personalisation available) To order contact Mr Bashford ottis@btconnect.com

Lessons Learned From History

Miss Liddicott shares the topics studied this term by Key Stage Three. Read on for a glimpse into the History classroom including some questions to pose to students. Ms Bailey shares classroom insights from Year 13 Geography.

In Year 7, students have been branching into the world of Archaeology and looking at what we can learn about the past from the material objects left buried in the Earth...this term we have had a focus on the Anglo-Saxons. Why not ask your child if the Anglo-Saxons really were living in the “dark ages”?

Year 8s have kicked off the year with a look into the famous Henry VIII and the Tudor Dynasty. Why did he have so many wives? How did the Tudor monarchs impact religion in England during their reigns? Did Elizabeth rejecting King Philip II of Spain lead to the Armada? See if your son or daughter can answer those questions!

20th century History encompassess Year 9 and we have begun at the beginning of that century taking a look at WW1. From Trench Foot to poor treatment of Chinese Labourers, from rationing to the Defence of the Realm Act. Did soldiers’ experiences of war match up to the colourful, cheery posters used to get them over to France?

Picture opposite of Anne Boleyn from www.englishhistory.net

Geography News

The best way to learn is to teach someone else. Year 13 have been developing their teaching skills whilst consolidating their knowledge of the landforms at varying tectonic plate boundaries. They delivered 15-minute lessons to the class and planned all the resources and activities to support their lesson. The mini lessons were informative, engaging and fun with a range of activities including: annotating diagrams, crosswords to consolidate key terms, application of knowledge to theoretical models, practical demonstrations and a competitive game of kahoot.

Celebrate Apple Day 2022

The Stoke Walled Garden orchards are bursting with apples this year. Mrs Connelly takes every opportunity to utilise the home grown harvest and, here, shares with us her own recipeToffee Apple Crumble Traybake

Why Apple Day?

Apple Day, 21 October, was launched in 1990 by Common Ground.

The aspiration was to create a calendar custom, an autumn hol iday. From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a cele bration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food.

For further information visit commonground.org.uk

Ingredients

For the Cake

200g Butter/ Margarine 220g S.R Flour 200g Castor sugar or Golden Castor 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt 4 Eggs

½ teaspoon baking powder

For the filling 4 Apples

30g Brown Sugar

Tin of caramel/ Condensed milk made into caramel

For the topping

50g Plain Flour

25g Butter/ Margarine

25g Brown Sugar (this gives more crunch)

Optional ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Preparation

Begin by preparing the apples, peel, core and dice. Place into a pan with a little water and 30g sugar. Cook down until it resembles a thick paste.

Make a caramel out of the condensed milk or have your ready made caramel to hand.

Prepare and line a rectangle tin. Grease the sides.

Cream the butter, sugar together, add the eggs gradually. Add the rest of the cake ingredients and beat or mix until smooth and combined.

Make the crumble topping in a separate bowl by rubbing the butter and flour together and finally adding the sugar. Now you are ready to assemble the cake. Pour the cake mixture into the tin.

Dollop the caramel and apple sauce around the top of the mixture. Use a spoon or knife to swirl around. Then sprinkle the crumble on the top.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until nice and golden on top. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Enjoy as it is or serve with cream or custard.

“I love tray bakes- having a large family, they are quick, simple to cook and can feed a crowd! This recipe is one to use when you are fed up of the usual apple crumble and pies. Great warm on a cold winter day. With the flavour of Toffee Apples and the promise of Halloween and Bonfire Night to come!”

Mrs Connelly, Food Technology

Capturing Sights Down The Microscope Lens

Microscope Club produces beautiful and intriguing art. Who can guess the subject captured in the main image?

This half term a number of students, in particular year 7, have been enjoying the Microscope club on Tuesday lunchtimes.

They have learned how to prepare their own fresh samples to view on low, medium and high magnification.

They have looked at both human and plant cells, as well as lots of fascinating pre-prepared slides of tiny creatures and human tissues.

Club members have also practised their photography skills by, very carefully, and with great patience, using mobile phones to take pictures down the lens.

Some of the best micrograph pictures were captured by Daisy H, Year 7, including those featured here. The large image features a celery stem.

Microscope Club will continue next half term! But look out for a possible change of day.

Stoke Mathematicians Rise To The Challenge

On 4th October, our A level Maths and Further Maths students took part in the National Maths Challenge.

The theme of this year’s Senior Mathematical Challenge, set by the UK Mathematics Trust, was “Promoting a love of problem solving”

A roomful of Stoke mathematicians sat the test, together with students all around the world, on the 4th October.

The Senior Mathematical Challenge is a 90-minute, multiple-choice test. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

The problems on the Senior Mathematical Challenge are designed to make students think.

Mathematics and Further Mathematics are popular A Level choices for Stoke College Sixth Formers. The students follow a curriculum designed to enable them to understand the subject in a way that promotes confidence, fosters enjoyment and provides a strong foundation for progress to further study.

We wish our Mathematicians the very best of luck for their results.

Celebrating the European Day of Languages 2022

On September 26th, we celebrated the European Day of Languages, with a special assembly, a quiz for Year 7 and Year 9 watched a presentation.

The European Day of Languages is celebrated on September 26 every year. It is a day to alert the public to the importance of language learning to increase pluralism and intercultural understanding. Furthermore it shall provide the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe and encourage lifelong language learning.

The European Day of Languages was proclaimed by the Council of Europe on December 6th 2001.

Dr Lloyd informed us that:

• Welsh is the oldest recognised European language.

• Welsh is the Anglo Saxon word for Foreigner!

• The Welsh are the oldest inhabitants of ancient Britain.

Why Is It Good to Learn More Languages?

• You can get jobs in other countries when you are older.

• When you are on holiday, you could speak the language.

• You can make new friends from other parts of the world.

Speaking another language lets you enjoy a wide range of art, music and film.

The Council of Europe believes that language skills are nec essary for everyone. They believe that only speaking one

language can stop people from taking advantage of amazing opportunities throughout their lives.

Our Social Media Quiz page

What Does It Feel Like To Have Dyslexia?

Our Learning Development Team used National Dyslexia Week, 3rd-9th October, to help us understand what it is like to have dyslexia.

Dyslexia Week is an annual event to raise awareness of dyslexia. Every year key dyslexia groups produce resources and share information to highlight a different dyslexia-related theme.

Dyslexia influences at least 1 in 10 people and is a genetic difference in an individual’s ability to learn and process information. Over 6 million individuals in the UK have dyslexia and may not have received a diagnosis. Despite its commonality it is often hidden and those living with dyslexia make countless compromises to ‘fit in’ to a neurotypical society.

If a child isn’t diagnosed in their formative years (0 – 8 years) and does

not receive the support they need, the impact can be lifelong.

Dyslexia Week 2022 ran through 03 October - 09 October, with this year’s theme, ‘Breaking Through Barriers’.

The theme this year will allow us to reflect on the barriers that those living with dyslexia often face, while also focusing on how individuals, organisations and the education system have continued to succeed and break through these obstacles.

At Stoke College we have a proven record of success for supporting students with dyslexia from specialist intervention, classroom-based strategies to recognising individual achievements and triumphs across our broad curriculum.

News from the Stoke PTA

Camp nights, Summer drinks, Open events, Bonfire feasts and Christmas planning underway. Now is a great time to join the Stoke PTA and raise funds to enhance school life.

The walled garden of the Lion pub in Stoke by Clare was the location for this year’s Stoke PTA summer social. As the first official in person meeting of the last twelve months, everyone was thrilled to catch up, share ideas and chat without the confines of the Zoom screen.

Like many elements of school life, the PTA have been constrained by the pandemic during the past couple of years and all members were looking forward to the opportunities of live events and activity for the new school year.

The first fundraising event of the year was the Stoke Camp Night on the 30th September. Planned as an event in the fresh air near to the woods and River Stour, the weather had different ideas and enforced a change of location. Tents were pitched near the Sports Hall with campervans and motorhomes on the hardstanding nearby. Ms Beatham-McDonald organised a brilliant selection of games in the Sports Hall before the serving of the Camp Feast. Chef Paul and team supplied a delicious array of hot baked potatoes with steaming toppings and a mountain of cheese, followed by cookies for dessert.

After the feasting was finished, the campers sat on hay bales with glow sticks at the ready to wave along to the melodies of the Camp Fire Trio. Ms Bailey brought a group of boarders to join the party and everyone had a lot of fun singing and dancing along to Ms Stansfield, Mr Swain and Dr Lloyd.

The rain most definitely did not stop play and the event was a huge success, raising funds for the school. The PTA were thrilled to be able to sponsor the installation of two outdoor table tennis tables in time for the new term. Just one of many projects that we are able to support thanks to the fundraising.

We are now looking forward to the Stoke by Clare Fireworks event on 2nd November. We’ll be selling hot dogs, hot and cold refreshments and supplying the all-important S’mores!

Thank you to those members that have offered to help at the Evening of Music and Poetry in Honour of St Cecilia, in Cambridge on the 24th November.

Thinking about joining?

The PTA are a voluntary organisation of Stoke parents and staff that gathers about twice per term to plan events and fundraising to enhance school life.

If you would like to find out a little bit more about the Stoke PTA, join us for the AGM on 8th November, 7pm. This is an online event. For more information please contact us on email stokepta@gmail.com

Academic Calendar and key dates

Autumn Term 2022

November 2022

Weds 2nd U13 Rugby & Hockey vs Gosfield away, 2.30pm

Fri 4th Yr 9.2 Form assembly followed by parents & Headteacher coffee 2.30-3pm

Tues 8th Yr 9 Parents Evening

Fri 11th Yr 8 Form assembly followed by parents & Headteacher coffee 2.30-3pm

Mon 14th Scholarships Assessment

Tues 15th U15 Boys Dodgeball & Mixed Badminton vs Gosfield away, 2.30pm

Weds 16th U13 Rugby & Hockey vs Brookes/Thetford away @TGS, 2.30pm

RSHE drop down day

Yr 11 A Level Options Evening, 5-6pm

Fri 18th Children In Need fundraising day, including Battle of the Bands. Yr 10/11/12/13 Careers Fair

Mon 21st Charity Football Day - England vs Iran World Cup

Tues 22nd U15 Rugby and Girls Hockey vs TGS home, 2.00pm

Weds 23rd EPQ Presentation Evening

Thurs 24th Music Concert, 7pm

Fri 25th Yr 7 Form assembly followed by parents & Headteacher coffee 2.30-3pm

U18 boys Dodgeball & Mixed Badminton vs Gosfield away, 2.30pm

Tues 29th U15 Rugby & Girls Hockey vs TGS away, 2.30pm

Yr 11 Parents Evening

Weds 30th U13 Rugby & Girls Hockey vs TGS away, 2.30pm

December 2022

Fri 2nd 6th Form assembly followed by parents & Headteacher coffee 2.30-3pm

Fri 9th Christmas Jumper Day

Tues 13th Yr 12 Prefect application deadline

Weds 14th Whole School & Parents Carol service.

Fri 16th End of term and buses depart 4pm.