Kingdown WeekFriday 19th July 2019

Number 37, 2019

Another academic year draws to a close, and it’s time for us to lookback and reflect on the successes gained in the past year.

Firstly I would like to express my thanks to the staff of the school fortheir commitment, dedication and unwavering focus on ensuring thatall students receive a secondary education of the absolute highestquality. We have been working extremely hard in school this year –and indeed will continue to do so – on the quality of teaching andlearning in the classroom and beyond. Great lessons lead to engaged,motivated learners; motivated learners build in self-confidence, gainan aspiration to want to improve and ultimately achieve greatoutcomes. We believe that education should be an holisticexperience; learning takes place of course in the classroom, but alsoon the sports field, on trips and visits, on the stage – and indeed inevery facet of school life. We therefore aim to offer a rich and diverseset of opportunities and experiences to our students to enrich, toengage and to challenge. I sincerely hope that we have been able tolive up to these ideals for your son or daughter this year, and I thankthe staff for their time and commitment in making these aspirationshappen.

So what of our successes this year? Many have been high profile– winning the Senior Boys’ county football cup for the first timeever, scaling Annapurna at Christmas for the ‘World’s HighestDinner Party’, victory in the national Quadcopter Challenge andEco-Marathon engineering competitions, the wonderfulproduction of Beauty and the Beast in October, celebratingreading with visiting author Chris de Lacey, a moving andinspirational visit from a Holocaust survivor, numerous trips to allparts of the UK, Europe and beyond…. the list is truly incredible.But of all the visible success stories, perhaps the greatestachievement at Kingdown this year has been in our approach torewards and positivity. We set out to spot those little things thatmake such a difference to our students and to our community:being polite and having good manners, trying hard in lessons andat home, volunteering to help others, learning to fail and pickyourself up again, and pushing yourself and try somethingchallenging or new. In the space of a year we have seen ourculture evolving in a positive and significant manner; we willcontinue to build on this as we move into next year in therecognition that we all respond positively to praise and reward.

Moving forward to next year, we are making significant developments in two (linked) areas:

• The Go4Schools system, which is your portal to track your son / daughter’s academic progress, attendance, rewards andbehaviour will be available as an app for the first time. This will help to keep you ever-more informed about your child’sprogress in school and, we hope, involve you further in their education through mobile phone-based access.

• Homework will be placed on the Go4Schools portal from September, making it available to you to view, support yourchild’s learning (and oversee its completion!). We have been aware that our setting of homework has at times beeninconsistent, and we hope that this approach will help you to keep a greater oversight of your child’s homework tasks aswell as allowing internal monitoring procedures to take place. We welcome any feedback as the system gathers momen-tum in the new year.

I would just like to finish with two further ‘thank yous’:

To our parents, may I thank you for your ongoing support for the school. This is highly appreciated, and makes such a difference insupporting our students to really excel in school. I would also add my personal thanks to those of you who have taken the time andtrouble to write in to thank colleagues when appropriate; positive feedback makes such a lovely difference in the workplace andcan really make someone’s day!

And of course to our students: our inspiration, our reason for being and our motivation to really be the best that we can be. Weserve a truly wonderful community of young people, and I look forward with relish to doing it all again in September.

Mr Locke - Headteacher

We sadly say our farewells to several members of staff this week, who are leaving Kingdown for pastures new:

Staff LeaversTeaching staffMr Adams Mr Adderley Miss Byham Mrs DrageRachel Ferris Mr Harwood Mr Hawker Mr Hedges Mr MurphyMiss North Mr O’Callaghan Mrs Quayle Miss Sainsbury Miss WilkinsTeaching AssistantsMiss Akers Ms Deb ThomasBusiness StaffTeresa Barsby Mrs BrettWe wish our colleagues all the best in their forthcoming new roles or retirement. A particular note of thanks goes to DannyO’Callaghan - a true Kingdown institution in himself! – who has completed 35 years of service to the school and the community.We wish him a long and enjoyable retirement.

1st in the UK!15th in the World!With 2526 miles per gallon!

Kingdown Engineers – Winners OfShell Eco-Marathon Europe Prototype Vehicles 2019

If you imagine an event where every secondary school inWiltshire sent a team of ten and they all competed in races overfive days, then double that – that’s how big this event was. Wewere the only secondary school there, all the other teams werefrom university engineering faculties or large company researchand development departments, which makes our teamsachievements even more stunning. There were over 1800people staying on the campsite where we were! Racingtogether on the track there were vehicles from France, Italy,Spain, Morocco, Sweden, Germany and the UK and on thecampsite you could hear every different language as youwalked through the field of tents.

Our new vehicle, designed by Mr Leater and Alistair Mallard, is made from carbon fibre and contains some very advancedelectronic and mechanical systems. Pupils in Y7,Y8, Y9, Y10 and Y11 have been working on parts of the car in the after schoolEngineering club all year to help perfect this record breaking prototype.

Team manager: Mr Leater Assistants: Mr Webster, Mr Bray, Miss PelopidaTeam members: Silas Hamilton, Ned Bell, Alex Chatwin, Theo Jones, Hugo Blighe, Jonathan Roberts, Russell Marchant,Alistair Mallard, Emily Wilson, Maggie, May

“A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voicecan be remarkably difficult.” Melinda Gates; co-founder of Microsoft

Last week, I had the privilege of working with a group of amazing girls from across KeyStage Three. We shared a day of workshops where we explored our abilities as creativethinkers, effective communicators and above all, as brave, resilient risk-takers! In short,we explored our ability to speak out in class, and indeed, in all areas of our lives.

Speaking aloud in a group context is never easy, and even those of us who appearconfident, calm and collected, are likely to be working overtime both mentally andemotionally. This is the case, regardless of gender and regardless of age. This was therefore no ordinary day, of team building andpresenting; this was so much deeper than that- we were honest about who we are as human beings. We began to share how wefeel when asked to verbally contribute, what thoughts and emotions this evokes, what physical reactions then take place, andtherefore the knock-on impact on our self-esteem.

The girls helped each other explore real scenarios, by discussing some of these experiences and found a real sense of camaraderie inthat ability to share, to validate and to empathise with each other. A number of the girls commented on the fact that they felt thatthey weren’t alone and this self-exploration and reflection really created a sense of a ‘learning journey’ taking place. We were alsoable to take part in improvisation activities to relax our minds and experiment with creating a character other than ourselves, and therewere some very lively creations! We also visualised our proudest achievements, and I was astounded to realise that I was in the companyof a star of BBC’s ‘Countryfile’, having been talent-spotted as a fantastic equestrian eventer, a young lady who actually saved anotherperson’s life, an absolute ‘warrior’ who confronted her fear of heights and tackled an entire high ropes course, a vet in the making,who saved a family of ducks and made them feel so safe afterwards, that they elected to climb on her lap! I could go on!

These give me my proudest moments, as a teacher. The bravery and maturity to share, to discuss, to challenge. I was in absoluteawe of these girls! They managed to work together to share motivational speeches and then share some of their findings in theafternoon- not an easy thing to do, when you feel physically sick at the thought of speaking aloud. These girls dared to try; theydared to fail, and in doing so, they realised that it’s the taking risks that make us grow as human beings. They taught me so much,and I’d like to very publicly thank them for their trust in me and in each other. Well done girls! Mrs Murray x

Emotional Intelligence and Self-ReflectionReigns Supreme, As Students ‘Find their Voice’…

Last week, forty-one Y7s took a trip across the Channel to theseaside town of Hardelot, France. Having left Kingdown at 8amon Friday, we arrived in France just after lunch ready for afun-filled weekend. Over the weekend we visited a market, madecroissants and baguettes at a real French bakery and even builtshelters in the woods.

Matilda’s favourite part was visiting the market in Le Touquetand Alisha loved being able to practise speaking French there.Charlie loved playing games and competing in silly races at thebeach. Max’s favourite part was going to La Coupole and learningabout the history of WW2 and how they built rockets. Mia reallyenjoyed watching her friends’ reactions trying snails for the firsttime at the snail farm while Imogin learned lots of usefulinformation about looking after her own snail.

We all had a fantastic time and want to say a massive ‘merci’ toMiss Ferris, Mr Henry, Mr Blizzard, Mrs Taylor and Miss Sainsbury for coming with us.By Matilda McLeod-Jones (WePN), Mia Philps (WePN), Imogin Gibson (WiHR), Max Reed (WiHR), Charlie Duggan (SiWL) and Alisha Cairnie (MiDY).

A ‘Bon Voyage’ Had by All

It has been another fantastic year of Wimbledon’s Wimbledon. Students showed determination,enthusiasm and sportsmanship across the tournament with players from Y7 to 10 competingas well as tutors and even some of our Y6s who were in for induction.

The final was between two-time champion Tom Fletcher (9WiCH – right) and first-time finalistLiam Henry (9WiLN - left). Both players competed fantastically throughout the competition,culminating with Tom’s third Wimbledon’s Wimbledon victory. The boys then went on to playTeacher Champion Mr Hawker and his doubles partner, Mr Holman. The match went to anail-biting third game, but the teachers took the edge defeating Tom and Liam 2-1.A huge congratulations to our winners and all those who took part!Miss Sainsbury, Assistant Head of House

Wimbledon’s Wimbledon Grand Final!

On Friday 12th July, Steph Cox who is a Community Fundraiser forDorothy House, joined Millennium House is their final assembly of theyear. She was there to give a talk on how Dorothy House can helpyoung people in the area and to receive a cheque totaling £1510.41which has been raised from the Meerkat Markets and prior to thatthe £10 challenges. Steph gave a special thank you to Harry Guy whohad raised £167 by hosting a cake sale at his home earlier in thesummer. The cheque was formally presented to Steph by two youngpeople who have directly benefitted from the work that DorothyHouse does.

After the assembly Steph emailed her thanks and also let me knowthat since 1993 the school has raised £7,898.50 (without the£1,510.41 that was given to her on Friday) – a phenomenal amount of money for a charity that does such important local work.

Millennium challenge – final standingsMillennium also celebrated the year that has almost finished,remembering all the significant events of the year including theMillennium Challenge. This year’s leaderboard was much tighterat the top than in previous years, with only 11 points separatingthe top 3 and only 3 points separating the top 2 tutor groups.Mr Pemberton’s dream of winning has finally been realised andMIPM walked away with the coveted Meerkat trophy, leavingMIPO languishing in second place.

Kingdown Sports Day 2019!

Millennium Fundraising

From the 1st to 5th July, our year 12's had the opportunity todevelop their employability skills and try out some careers. We havehad excellent feedback about our Kingdown students, with someeven being offered job opportunities! Well done to all of them and ahuge thank you to all the employers who supported this.

If you are keen to offer support for work experience in the futureplease contact Ms Gale, Careers advisor: vjg@kingdown.wilts.sch.uk.

Experiences Of TheWorking World -Year 12 Work Experience

Kingdown Gardening and Wildlife Club have enjoyed a very successful year creatingnew green features around the school site.

The new allotment behind the Food rooms has started to give us fresh, tasty produce.Lettuces, carrots, spinach and strawberries have been harvested, with lots ofcourgettes, cabbages and cauliflowers continuing to grow over the summer. A potatogrowing competition, sponsored by Fonthill Lakeside Garden Centre, has given thegrowers a bumper crop of over 7kg of fresh potatoes. The largest single potato wasgrown by Maisy Friar in Year 8 weighing in at an

impressive 113g. Having planted lots of bulbs earlier in the year, supplied Christmas table decorationsfor reception and flower tubs for the entrance and Memorial Garden, the Club finished the year witha back-breaking challenge to turn a rock-hard, weed filled border next to Creative Arts into a newhardy perennial flower garden. The final after-school Club of the year saw the team plant over fortyshrubs which were kindly donated by gardeners from across the town. Thoughts are now turning tothe new school year when the club hope to add to the 500+ spring bulbs planted to date, and anexciting Bird, Badger and Amphibian Watch project using a night-time camera.

Gardening Club Celebrate ASuccessful Year

On Tuesday 9th July selected students from Years 7 and 8 were invited to come to the Library as a rewardfor having, either, completed their Gold Reading Passport or produced work which reached the final ofthe Library Cup. They completed a quiz in groups of two or three and there were prizes for the teamwho answered the most questions. They then watched a very interesting documentary about the makingof the Harry Potter series of books and JK Rowling’s research into magic and myths; some of which were

incorporated into her books. They all received a ‘goody’ bag containing popcorn,sweets, chocolate and a bookmark to enjoy while watching the documentary.

Finally they designed their very own house shield, giving it a name andcharacteristics pertaining to that house such as: perseverance, determination,powerful, intelligence, leadership etc. The shields are amazing and will be ondisplay in the Library soon. The two winners received prizes of books,chocolate, badges and bookmarks. All the selected students have a trip toHarry Potter World to look forward to in November.

Mrs Strange, Miss Elliott and Mrs Harris

Literacy Rewards For Year 7 & 8

Wembley held their annual bake sale, in honour of their housecharity. All members of the tutor groups were involved in eithermaking cakes, setting up the stalls or selling the cakes. Specialmentions should go to the show stopper entries, which were;

Lucy Yeates, Summer Romain, Amber Jackson, Nadia Hall, Phoebe Craig, Ollie Willis and Ms Pointer!

A total of £188.43 was raised, which is a fantastic effort. Thank you to all those that took part or bought a cake!.

Wembley Charity Bake Sale

The backgroundIn September 2017, we started looked at the school rewards system, in order to help grow the further develop the positiveculture at Kingdown. We wanted students to be at the heart of these changes, so we gathered views from students across thewhole school through house councils, surveys, focus groups and from student leadership groups.

The findingsStudents were clear on what they wanted from a new rewards system:• Recognition for all students; those who work hard every day, as well as those who go ‘above and beyond’.• Rewards for a range of things; not just achievement in the classroom, but for all the things that make a well-rounded person.• Tangible rewards; things that students can enjoy / experience / eat / take home!• Students wanted regular rewards throughout the year, rather than a focus on one ‘big’ event in the last week of July.• Students wanted to be able to track their rewards, as well as their parents.• Students wanted to make sure rewards had to be earned; they wanted recognition for when they have achieved something.

The responseSo in September 2018, we launched ‘Learning Behaviours’. This system allows students to earn ‘positive points’ for a range ofthings, from handing in a piece of homework they had spent a long time on, to being kind and helpful; from showingresilience, to making a contribution to the local community. The system is available for students and parents to view live, andweekly summary emails can be accessed to give details of any positive (and minus!) points given during the week.

The rewardsBased on the student feedback above, we have arranged a number of reward events during the year. These events have taken intoaccount the number of points a student has earned in that term, so that students always have a fresh opportunity, each term.

Across the year, we have arranged:- 6 termly houses giveaways (students chose either doughnuts or cookies!)- 4 films on the big screen in our assembly hall.- 4 visits to the Kingdown Sweetshop- 4 ‘Kingdown in the sun’ experiences, with ice lollies, music and time with friends.- 3 ‘Key Stage 4’ cafes, by inviting our Year 10 and 11 students for a hot chocolate and some table football matches.- 3 extended breaktimes with a ‘chill-out zone’, and a funky stationery giveaway.- 2 Easter egg hunts, for our PiXL Edge and Beyond The Edge champions!- 2 Wall of Fame meetings, to celebrate students with the best Attitude to Learning score on school reports. These students receive a book token.- 1 trip to Longleat to see the new residents at Koala Creek!- 1 ‘Positivity Focus Fortnight’- 1 ‘Attendance Focus Fortnight’- 1 PiXL Edge Graduation Ceremony- 1 Awards Assembly for each house- 1 visit from the local ice cream van!

And of course, 39 Stars of the Week, to celebrate the student who has achieved most positivepoints each week.

A whopping 1250 students (or 87% of the entire school) have participated in at least onereward event this year. Students were clear that they wanted a system whereby rewardswere accessible to all, and had to be duly earned. Wow, have they risen to the challenge!

What next?As you can see, it has been a jam-packed year! As we roll our rewards system into its secondyear, we look forward to embedding what we’ve started. Go4Schools are working on a newapp to allow parents, carers and students to track rewards in an even easier way; we’regoing to give students more choice over the rewards the earn and, of course, we’ll keepspeaking to students about their views. Feedback so far has been overwhelminglypositive!

We have loved the strong focus on all of our students’achievements this year, and are already looking forwardto seeing what next year brings!

Happy, positive summer!

Mr RichardsonAssistant Headteacher

Kingdown looks back on a year of positivity!

Kingdown School, Woodcock Road, Warminster Wiltshire BA12 9DRTel: 01985 215551 Email: admin@kingdown.wilts.sch.uk Web: www.kingdown.wilts.sch.uk

Last week three Year 9 students, Allanna O’Brien, Lilly Sharpe and MollyMortimer took up the IT £5 challenge and organised a Sponge-the-Teacherevent in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Allanna’s ten year old sister Trinity,who attends The Avenue school, is partially sighted and has a great love ofguide dogs, so the charity seemed a perfect choice. The students used theirfive pounds to buy sponges for the event and after a lot of soaking theyraised over £80 for the charity. As a thank you treat, the students met twolocal puppy walkers, Anita Silk and Hillary Reed, and used the opportunityto hand over their cheque and pet their puppies, the youngest Bella beingjust weeks old.

Making A Splash For Guide Dogs

Trinity and Bella Anita, Bella and Allanna

The next STOP Parenting Programme will run from Octoberuntil December 2019, dates to be confirmed. The group willmeet once a week for eleven sessions and benefit bylearning how to:

�� Understand their child/young person (and howtheir brain works)

�� Strengthen their relationships at home�� Develop new and positive parenting skills�� Learn how to successfully manage conflict and risk-

taking behaviour�� Build resilience, and healthy emotional wellbeing in

their child/young person

Comments from participants this year include:“Made me much more confident in my role as a parent and has

helped my relationship with my children”“My son has benefitted from my change in allowing him

to be heard”“There’s more tolerance both ways with a calmer relationship”

“I’m more understanding of my teenager’s feelings“We are much closer and she trusts me more”“She is better with certain rules and routines”

“I feel more in control of certain situations”“There’s not as much arguing”

“We are closer than before”

If you are interested in taking part apply through your Headof House or contact Mrs Gordon gd@kingdown.wilts.sch.uk.It is recommended participants attend all sessions and thesewill run in term time only on Wednesdays from 4-6pm,meeting at 3.45pm for refreshments before we begin.

Fantastic efforts by both Jess Spiller and Lucy Yeates in Year 9, who as part of the £5 challengein ICT lessons have raised, by themselves, £107 for the RSPCA following a bake sale to theirlocal community over the weekend. Class totals are still coming in from a range of moneyraising activities led and run by students in year 9 including soak the teacher, splat the rat, a

coconut shy, raffle, milkshake sales, Ice-lolly sales, donut sales and a teacher car wash to name a few. Well done to all studentsfor their efforts and thank you to the students and staff of Kingdown supporting their worthy causes. Together we have raisedwell over £300 for a range of charities these last few weeks. Mr Grayson & Mr Adams

£5 ICT Charity Challenge For RSPCS

Important Dates & Notices:September

Tuesday 2nd September 2019:Start of Term 1 - Year 7 & Sixth Form Students Only

Wednesday 4th September:All Students return plus: Year 7 House Photos

A Supportive Programmefor Parents of Teens