2008 Term 5

Thamesview School Summer Term 5

May 2008

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Headteacher’s Letter 2

Working for the Community

3

Construction to the Rescue!

5

MOPA Theatre Company

6

Eco News 9

Term Dates 10

Year 11 Prom 11-12

THAMES V IEWS

Year 10 Construction Trip to Dubai—(see page 7 for the full report)

Win, an I-Pod...see

our competition

on page 10!

(See page 11 and 12 for more)

Dear Parents, Carers, Governors, Staff, Students and Friends It seems we have been saying many ‘good-byes’ this term – good-bye to our traditional House system with the well known names of Cambria, Centaur, Mirosa, and Vigilant, good-bye to the idea of having a Head of Year, good-bye to Year Group based tutor groups, and good-bye to one of the most outstanding groups of students I have had the pleasure to know, our Year 11 cohort, led by a fantastic Head Boy and Head Girl team, Louis Saward and Toni Allen. However, with all good-byes, it often means new opportunities and new doors will open, and indeed they have! It is now a resounding welcome and big ‘Hello’ to our four new Learning Communities: Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour and Enterprise. One of these four Learning Communities will be the base for your child(ren) during their stay at Thamesview, and will be a mini-family within our larger Thamesview family community. We say hello to our four Learning Stage Leaders, and their Assistant Headteacher – Heads of Learning Communities, who will each

play significant parts in leading their Learning Community. The allocation of staff so far is shown in the table below this letter. Every member of Thamesview will be allocated to a Learning Community, and your child’s Form Tutor will be your first port of call when you have any query

related to a non-subject specific issue. If a matter relates to a curriculum area then please contact that Head of Faculty or the teacher concerned. If you are not sure who is

who, then please visit our website, where a list of all staff is available. You will receive a separate letter informing you which Learning Community your child is in, and who is their Learning Stage Leader and tutor is. We will soon be saying hello to our new Year 7 cohort who will eagerly join us in a mixed-age tutor group, ready to embark on their exciting five-year learning journey at Thamesview. These new students and the ones currently in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be our first students, who will step in our new

school, which is still going ahead to plan, and building works should begin at the end of the Summer holidays. We have welcomed new playground equipment to enhance the healthy life- styles of our students, including fixed outdoor table tennis tables, a bike barn, and soon to be delivered, large outdoor Chess and Connect 4 games for healthy minds! Time never stands still and you will know from all you read in our Thames Views that much is happening to boost the educational experience of your child whilst at Thamesview, and we welcome your next visit to us; be it at a PTFA event, Parents’ Evening, our next Parents’ Forum, or our re-vamped Sports Day planned for Term 6 in order for you to see first-hand our improvements. Enjoy your week’s holiday! Rhiannon Hughes Headteacher

Year 10 Health and Social Care and Skills for the Working Life

This may look like Year 10 enjoying themselves at Thorpe Park, but in fact they were working on a Health and Social Care Project/Skills for the Working Life. Students had to complete work on Customer Service, Health and Safety, Risk Assessments and Care Values, related to taking a four year old to a theme park. The virtual babies had a great time as well as their parents, the Year 10 Students! Pauline Blayney

Summer Term 5

Moon Walk 2008

Mrs Dance spent the night of her birthday last week pounding the streets of London along with Miss Evans. They walked 26 miles in their decorated bras as part of this year’s moon walk to raise money for breast cancer charities. Between them they hope to raise over £700. Many thanks to everyone who sponsored them – further donations would be gratefully received.

Learning Community

Assistant Head – Head of Learning Community Learning Stage

Colour

Challenger Mr Wallis (newly appointed Mr Mark Hodges will lead from September 2008)

Miss Hudson White/Blue

Discovery Mr Sorby

Mr Chapman Gold

Endeavour Mr Temiz

Mrs Lima Pink

Enterprise Mr Streets (newly appointed Dr Paul Bell will lead from September 2008)

Miss Phillips Maroon

For the last year, five students have undertaken a course every Monday night at Tree Jumpers, in Longfield. No matter what the weather has been like they have participated in various activities to develop their personal skills and teamwork. Although many activities have been enjoyable, they have had to work hard at their approach and teamwork. As the course comes to an end they are to be congratulated on their determination to succeed and their leadership skills. Pauline Blayney & Helen Goodwin

Rebecca Hatter, Helen Goodwin, Jade Goodman, Adam Lawrence, Anthony Murray and Jake Borrett (not pictured)

Rebecca Hatter & Jade Goodman

Working for the Community

On Thursday 1st May we held a quiz night for the students sitting their SATs exams. We had been running a booster programme for the students for over a term, which had proved very successful. There were booster sessions in English, Maths and Science which saw over twenty students at each session. The culmination of this programme saw thirty students arrive for the booster and quiz night we held on May 1st. This was a very successful evening which saw students attend quick revision sessions followed by a dinner and then the quiz. The competition was fierce and Mr Wallis and Mrs Bambridge assured us that it was the closest in years. Congratulations to “Mr Sorby is the best“; the winning team consisting of Becky White, Katie Harding, Rosie Hobson, Ben Lewing, James Freed and Emma Hogg who were unbeatable on the evening. Well done to all teams who participated and made it a very successful night! Thank you to the teachers who supported the students with both the booster sessions and the quiz night. Bring on the SATs results! Kate Hudson

SATs Revision Quiz Night

Teenage Judges Competition 2008

Book Trust, the independent national charity that encourages people of all ages to discover and enjoy reading, is launching a short story competition for teenagers aged between 11 and 16. Entries must be submitted by 28th July 2008. Pupils need to write a short story (in no more than 500 words) on the theme ‘The Great Escape’. The stories should be gripping, imaginative and dramatic. The best four entrants into the national competition win the opportunity to join the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008 judging panel in November and help decide on the best book of the year. For more information on how to enter see Miss Howe.

Thames Views

Another First for Thamesview On Saturday 10th May Thamesview held its first hair competition which is hoped will be an annual event. Various institutions took part with over 20 competitors and their models. In the steaming heat of the day, the hair designers arrived at 9.30am and had three hours to create wonders on their model’s hair which included makeup and clothes. At 1pm all were ready to take to the catwalk. Tara Banks would have been proud of the performance of all the students and their creations. After some very difficult Judging, winners were announced. Well done to the winners! Pauline Blayney

Germany Trip 2008 I went to Germany (Boppard) with the school from 11th-16th April. There was a day when we were going on a chairlift and I was nervous at first. However, Mr Shand talked me into it and it was worth it. If I had the chance I would do it all again. Thanks to Mr Morrell and staff for organising a great trip. Ciaran Moran, Year 9

Summer Term 5

Please park out-side the school gates when dropping children off or collecting in order to maintain their safety when on the school site.

Notices to Parents

Term-Time Holiday Requests

Permission for parents to take their children out of school during term-time for holidays will only be given for no more than two weeks in a school year and only if your child has an attendance record of over 90%. For students who have less than 90% attendance, requests will be refused and referred to the Educational Welfare Officer.

Thames Views

Since Christmas four students have been working on a project to bring happiness to the residents of Gravesham Place. This is an old peoples’ home, who lacked outdoor facilities and equipment. However, these students came to the rescue. They visited the home and came to the conclusion that they did have facilities but they did not enthuse the residents. So they set about building window boxes and furniture for the residents to use in the summer months. The skills they used were also put to good use for their construction course which they have just achieved. On handing over the furniture, the manager of the centre said, ‘This is unbelievable. These four young people have

brought a lot of sunshine to the lives of many people and we thank them most sincerely!”

Pauline Blayney

Construction Students to the Rescue!

Our Fantastic Year

Being chosen as Head Boy and Head Girl has been a privilege. Throughout the year we have encountered many challenges and been involved in numerous events. Our most recent task was to interview prospective Assistant Headteachers and help in the voting process. We have also provided a major input into the school uniform which resulted in the introduction of the black ‘V’ neck jumper.

Throughout the year we have made an appearance at parents’ evenings, awards’ evenings and talent shows. At times it has been slightly nerve-wracking but at the same time exciting. The main example of this was the speech we made at the start of the year to pupils and parents. We could not however, have achieved all this without the help and the support of the Senior Students and the teachers, who we would like to thank. We have also enjoyed meeting other students within the younger year groups as they have taught us new things. Overall, our time as Head Boy and Head Girl has been enjoyable and has been a great learning experience. It has also given us an insight into the running of the school and how different people work together. Our positions have helped to prepare us for similar posts and opportunities in the future. A final thank you to everyone for their sup-port. We will both take many happy memories with us of our time at Thamesview School. Lewis Saward Toni Allen Head Boy Head Girl

Two of the young men Anthony Murray and Jake Borrett (Missing from photo Adam Lawrence and Tulsa Hatch)

Summer Term 5

On 1st May 2008 MOPA Theatre Company came to Thamesview to work with the Year 9 and Year 8 students that were taking their SATs. They provided students with a fun over-view of the Shakespeare set text, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. In the sessions students were asked to play the main characters within the play and were provided with comical costumes in order for them to be recognised as particular characters. Props, lighting and

music was also used in order to bring the play to life. Next they were given time to have a go at directing their own scene from the play, with some coming up with very interesting interpretations. Lastly, students were given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their set scenes.

I would like to send a big well done to Liam Money and Luke Peters (Year 9) for being the most enthusiastic and for making the most of the sessions to enhance their knowledge! Miss Howe

Information, Advice and Guidance (IA&G) for You! Thamesview has always tried to provide its students with as much information, advice and guidance in order to assist our young people to make the right learning and career choices and enable them to find answers to the questions and issues, which can arise in their personal lives.

Twice a week, Connexions Personal Advisers work with our students in the newly refurbished I.A.G. Centre. They provide information, advice and practical help with all sorts of things that might be affecting students at school, college, work or in their personal or family life. Connexions also inform students about different people, places, websites and helplines that can assist them with many issues.

Thamesview School is very fortunate to have a full-time, committed member of staff from the Aimhigher organisation. The Aimhigher programme is a national project which aims to ensure that everyone is aware of the benefits of Higher Education and of the range of course options that can help people study in a way that suits them. Targeted students from Years 9, 10 and 11 take part in a range of activities including:

visits to university campuses residential summer schools master-classes and open days mentoring schemes

Our I.A.G. Centre is comprehensively equipped with up-to-date I.C.T. resources as well the traditional I.A.G. materials. We make sure that all students are well informed about the financial help they can receive to enable them to stay in education, such as the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and Travel assistance. Miss J Ryan Business, Enterprise & Work Related Learning Co-ordinator

Thames Views

On Tuesday 22nd April five students and two members of staff took a coach ride that took them miles away from Gravesend and England as they were going to work in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). They boarded an Emirates Flight which took them six and half hours before they landed in the biggest building site

in the world. The students were all Young Apprentices in Construction and they were being sponsored to work abroad by the Jumeriah Construction Group and Emirates Airways. On arrival, the first shock was the heat. At 7pm at night it was well above 38ºC. We were driven by car to the Five Star Hotel Jumeriah Beach and were greeted with cold towels and a drink. As they guided us to our luxurious rooms the word incredible took on another meaning!

The following days saw the group visit the only seven star (*******) hotel in the world, The Burj Hotel. A building shaped like a sail, built out to sea. The view from the top was unbelievable and took everyone’s breath away. We also visited Dubai Land which was being constructed as a theme park six times the size of Florida. We also visited the tallest building in the world under

However, the reason for this trip was to look at how construction and how sustainability can be maintained in Dubai. With 37% of the world’s cranes in Dubai, and the average building taking only nine months to build, it was a hard question to answer.

To aid our eco-friendly theme we also decided that cars, planes, boats etc were not the best way to get around as we looked at the environment. We discovered Segways. Designed by Philip Segway and costing £3500 each, we all learnt how to ride a scooter with two wheels and toured our surroundings (see picture left centre). Within five days we had seen and been at some of the most amazing places in the world. An opportunity like this does not come around every-day, but I can easily say that these five students have made Thamesview history and the possibility of a return visit for other students.

Teachers: Pauline Blayney & Bob Frame Students: Georgia Bradford, Blake Morchrie Cox, Joshua Jones, Jack Ryan and George Wade

construction which is four times the height of the Eiffel Tower. Rooms in this building were being sold at £100,000 per square foot. And yes, all but three flats had been sold! If this was not enough, a boat ride was organised in a speedboat which James Bond would have been proud of! It took us to Palm Island. This is one of three man-

made islands being built out to sea in the shape of a palm. Not forgetting the routes of Dubai we also visited the

desert in two 4x4 wheel drive cars to see what Dubai was like in the past. The sand dunes were amaz-ing and as the sun went down it was hard to understand that this amazing country once looked like this with just sand and nothing else.

Summer Term 5

Award Scheme Challenge The rain stopped just in time for this happy picture. Here are some of the Year 11 Asdan students outside Rochester Cathedral. They had all been studying at the Guildhall Museum and Cathedral. By their expressions you can see that they found it an enjoyable trip. Mrs Lewis

Thamesview water bottles now available from the Finance Office—price £1.

Recently some students from Thamesview took part in a National Poetry Competition. Pupils had to write poems about a theme of their choice and in any poetic style that inspired them. Poems were then sent to

for deliberation. I am now proud to announce that Abbi Percy (Year 8) has been selected to have her poem, ‘Loss of Love’ (shown right) published in one of the regional books representing the best of the children’s work. Congratulations Abbi Percy. Miss Howe

Healthy Schools Status

On 31st March Thamesview School was awarded “Healthy Schools” Status. This was the culmination of a year-long process where four different themes related to healthy living were audited, developed and improved by the staff and students of the school. In the area of PSHE, healthy eating, physical and emotional well-being, the school met government criteria and is now entitled to present a very attractive plaque on the wall, which is now proudly displayed in our reception. We are especially pleased with our new outdoor table tennis area and the new bike barn. There is still spare capacity in the bike storage area. New applicants please see Mr Morrell.

Eco Warriors Get Dirty in the Pond A big thankyou to Joe Degnin and Tony Shenton-Phelps of 9S for helping Mrs Assiter and Miss Cannon keep our natural habitat thriving.

Loss of Love It hurts when the heart beats

A gaping black hole is left It tears the soul apart

A bleeding heart is never put right Their heart beats no more

Their fingers are as cold as ice And at the middle of your heart

You believe it was you, your fault There wasn’t enough time

You couldn’t save them You couldn’t reach

Now they will never love again A loss of love can kill

Yet they live on inside us But is their love still with us?

We shall live on, we shall love again But they will not

Abbi Percy, Year 8

Reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of time you have lights etc on. Nature is giving us a helping hand by providing us with lighter nights and brighter days, so come on everyone lets do our bit as well. Check out our Eco Page on the Thamesview website for details of what our Eco Warriors are up to and hoping to be up to. You will also find useful tips to help you reduce your carbon footprint.

So what have we been up to this term? Warriors have been busy negotiating with senior management to increase recycling possibilities, therefore reducing the amount of rubbish that goes from the school to ‘landfill.’ Two Year 9 Warriors are currently engaged in a project called ‘Recycle for Africa.’ This involves them having to do a tremendous amount of research into the environment and sustainable schools etc. Then they have to make a profes-sional documentary style video of their findings. The prize the boys are aiming for? - A week long visit to a sustainable school in Malawi, Africa. 7V is busy looking forward to planting and growing pumpkins for the Kent Pumpkin Competition. Some of our students are entering the National Big Green Poetry Competition. I would like to ask you to take this opportunity of joining me in wishing all the students the best of luck in their chosen competitions. This term also saw the presentation of Eco Team badges to Joe Degnin, Sam Bannister and Sean Stroud in Year 9, also to Ben Cawood and Connor Murphy in Year 7. Well done boys and thank you for all your hard work! Miss Dean

Thames Views

Year 10 History Field Trip: 1st May As part of their GCSE History coursework, students are asked to study a local site and evaluate it as a source of evidence about life in the past. Having been set the task, 40 Year 10 students travelled to Rochester Castle to complete the investigation. They studied the changes that the castle had undergone and questioned how reliable the evidence was: Would the cannon tell us anything about the Middle Ages? Why is one of the towers round and not the others? What were the realities of actually living here? The group worked to a high standard and returned with plenty of ideas and knowledge. They will now write up their conclusions and present their coursework, which will count for 12.5% of their exam.

M. Llewellyn

Delivery Day

Staff and students flock to read the latest Thames Views!

Summer Term 5

Term Dates 6 2nd June—23rd July 2008 at 12.35pm

1 2nd September—24th October 2008

Summer Term 5

Thong Lane Gravesend Kent DA12 4LF

T hames v iew S chool

Phone: 01474 566552

Punctuality and attendance are

important—please arrive on time!

Parents Forum: 7pm Thursday 12th June

We have many new graphic wall displays around the school to help inspire students in their thinking as they walk around corridor spaces (see pictures).

Deadline: Friday June 6th 2008.

Entries to Headteacher

W IN AN I -P OD COMPETITION

Large circular signs are placed around the corridors. Each circle contains a word (ie ‘Inspire’ on orange). The competition is to write down all the words that you find, write the colour of the circle that the word sits in. All correct entries will go in a prize draw to win an I-Pod. The bonus 2nd free I-Pod prize goes to the entrant who works out what part of speech all the words are (ie Nouns, Adverbs etc), and what the theme is for the words in each shade of colour (i.e. what do all the shades of blue words relate to?). Entrants to me please. Happy hunting! Miss Hughes, Headteacher

Thames Views

On Friday 9th May, 110 students and 20 staff boarded three coaches in anticipation of a surprise location. The girls were all in the most amazing dresses, many looking glamorous enough to walk down the red carpet of a movie premiere. The boys’ outfits were superb too with suits, tuxedoes and bow ties. Everyone was so excited and wondering where the coaches would take us on our mystery tour. We arrived at Hempstead House in Sittingbourne just before 7:30pm. As we approached, we were greeted by a beautiful manor house with a welcoming fountain and waiting staff serving fruit punch in the courtyard. The professional photographer took photos as people arrived looking stunning and he was available all evening to take individual portraits and group poses. The evening progressed with a buffet and a disco with everyone, staff and students alike enjoying the food and dancing. Mrs Lima certainly deserved her certificate for her dance marathon throughout the evening! Prior to the night the year group had voted for several awards and the winners were: Most likely to be Prime Minister – Jamie Speake Most likely to be a Female Supermodel – Sophie

Cooke Male Supermodel – Rossini Cocca Clown of the Year was unanimously given to Saheed Abdul. The teachers had to make some difficult decisions on the night as everyone deserved an award for making such an effort and looking so amazing, but after much discussion the following certificates were awarded: Prom King and Prom Queen – Grant Winn and Amy Bannister, Best Dress – Sophie Driscoll, Best Dressed Boy – Sam Gullet, Best Hairstyles – Lloyd Walters, Chloe Gamman and Miss Fincham. Best Waistcoat – Adam Lawrence, Best Tie – James Sharpe, Best Shoes – Rebecca Dixon, Gangster of the Night – Matt Morrison, Pimp of the Night – Mejan Miah. Students also awarded Miss Ryan and Mr Sorby as best dressed teachers.

THAMESVIEW ’S TEAM SPIRIT !

House Name Points

Cambria 44

Vigilant 40

Centaur 38

Mirosa 46

Year 7 Triumph at Football

Congratulations to Year 7 Gravesham and Dartford football winners who won 6-2 against Leigh City Technology College and were presented with a fantastic trophy. Well done, what a great game! The winners: Harry Bunce Jack Crabtree Bill King Jez McCann Nathan Hales Toby Boyd Jake Ambrose Tyler Wilson Tony White Michael Carey Luke Adams Lee Harvey Danny Gildea

We concluded the evening with more dancing including a Limbo competition! I would like to say how proud I am of every student who attended the Prom. Everyone was fantastically behaved, beautifully dressed and a credit to our school. I hope that everyone will have special memories of their Prom to take away with them and that they all enjoyed the evening, as a way to celebrate the successful completion of their time at Thamesview School, as much as I did. A big thank you to all the staff that supported the Prom by attending and by showcasing their dancing skills. I would also like to take this opportunity to say Goodbye and Good Luck to all Year 11 students and wish them every success in their upcoming exams and futures beyond Thamesview.

All the best! Mrs Collins, Head of Year 11

Summer Term 5

2008 Term 5

Documents

Transcript of 2008 Term 5