Issue 254 October 2018

Alumni Events It has been a busy term for Farringtons with not one, but two Alumni Events. In September we held our annual Chapel Service and Lunch for former students and staff, which has been well attended in the last few years. This is always a joyous occasion with a wonderful atmosphere and a very noisy lunch. Our thanks to Reverend Stephen Burgess, a former Farringtons School Chaplain who delivered a wonderful service. At the beginning of October we invited former students and staff from Stratford House School to a similar and equally enjoyable event. Former Stratfordian and current member of staff, Holly Greenaway, wrote: On Saturday 6th October, Farringtons School held their first Alumni event for the pupils and teachers who attended Stratford House School which was located in Bickley before it merged with Farringtons in 1994. The event started with a Chapel Service which included their school hymn ‘Land of our Birth’ followed by a wonderful lunch where everyone had the chance to reminisce. After lunch there was a chance for all to tour the Creative Arts Department Building, named ‘Stratford House’ which was built and dedicated to the memory of the school when they merged, honours boards and portraits of all the head-mistresses are on display inside. Farringtons School library was filled with memorabilia and Stratford House’s very distinctive pale blue uniform. It was a huge success and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. On both occasions our Sixth Form Ambassadors were absolutely outstanding and represented Farringtons with pride. Welcoming guests, showing them around and giving talks in Chapel were just some of the tasks they took in their stride.

I have been a Scout for many years and I have learnt a lot of skills, one of these skills is First Aid. I never thought I would use it until one day, I was on a bus and I saw a lady who did not look well. I realised she was about to faint so I caught her before she fell and hurt herself, put her in the recovery position and checked her airways were clear. I then instructed the people on the bus to keep calm and call the ambulance. If I hadn’t been a Scout I would not of known what to do. This is how I got my Jack Petchey Award of £250 which I donated to the Scouts.

May Kinchin, 10T Congratulations to Morgan Squibb who has been invited to join the English Talent Programme for Pentathlon GB. Morgan was also featured in the magazine, ‘Athletics Weekly’ high-lighting her fantastic achievement in the Girls 1500m steeplechase, where she broke the record at the Loughborough School Games.

Farringtons in the Community

On Tuesday 2nd October, Years 5 - 13 were presented with a moving talk by a brave lady called Lorin Lefaye from The Breck Foundation. She shared first-hand her traumatic experience after the tragic loss of her son through online grooming. From that we took away the real dangers that young people can face every day through the use of the internet.

Lorin also explained that if you, or a friend are feeling uncertain or unsafe, then by spelling out Breck’s name you can:

Be aware Report it Educate yourself Communicate Keep safe It is never a good idea to meet someone online without a responsible and trusted adult keeping you company.

Olivia Sethard-Wright, Year 9

For further information regarding this charity please visit

www.breckfoundation.org.

Roald Dahl Day

On Roald Dahl Day, Year 3 were treated to a ‘Roald Dahl Workshop’ centred around the story of ‘The Enormous Crocodile’. Our day started by talking about what we already knew about Roald Dahl, and making up some funny words, just like he did! Then, Orla and I got to dress up as Willy

Wonka and Violet Beauregarde from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Orla even blew up just like a blueberry! It was so funny!

Afterwards, we did some drama, acting out the story of ‘The Enormous Crocodile’, including his secret plans and clever tricks, and how he met the characters ‘Humpy Rumpy’, ‘Trunky’, ‘Muggle Wump’ and ‘The Roly Poly Bird’.

We also got the chance to make a scene from the story using a shoe box and a range of different materials. Some of us made the set, whilst others got to make the characters, using pom poms, pipe cleaners and glue. It was a really fun day and we loved it!

By Dexter Small, Charlie Stanfield and Isabella Albert (3O)

Harvest Festivals

The Harvest Festival celebrations this year showed how our school commu-nity is committed to giving. Thank you for the amazing support from our fantastic Junior School pupils all the way to our Sixth Form, who donated generously in order to help those in need. The Chapel services given by our Chaplain last week highlighted and reminded us all of the unforgettable underlying meaning of Harvest. The Harvest goods were collected by the White Chapel Mission, who collect and distribute goods to those in need. Further information about the charity can be found by visiting their website - www.whitechapel.org.uk. Thank you to everyone for your support.

Serena Patel, Philanthropy Prefect

Edukid Charity

Thank you to Bonnie, an inspirational young woman from Cambodia, sponsored by Edukid who presented to Farringtons School. Edukid is a Christian UK charity that

helps children living in poverty and conflict have an education.

Edukid supports territories by partnering with local people and organisations, helping them to develop

projects born out of their deeper cultural understanding of what is needed and likely to be effective.

We are planning to initiate a philanthropic partnership with Cambodia later this year.

Summer Holiday Art Workshop – Art With Glass

During the summer I was fortunate to participate in a week long work experience in a stain glass studio in Crystal Palace organised with the help of Mrs Allen.

A totally new experience for me, during the week I learnt how to create stain glass panels using a variety of coloured glasses, leading and soldering techniques. I

managed to create four amazing pieces and was so thrilled to have had the opportunity to learn in a new studio based environment.

I had such a great time and would like to thank Vince Reid, the owner and director of ‘Art With Glass’ and his team for graciously agreeing to let me attend work experience and for the truly invaluable time and learning that I had. Thank you also to Mrs Allen for arranging the whole thing.

Serena Patel, Year 13

European Day of Languages

On Wednesday 26th September, the Junior School celebrated European Day of Languages. Everybody was asked to wear an accessory from a European country. I wore a Portuguese bandanna and brought in English and Portuguese flags. Madame Bastos held a quiz for Year 6 pupils during the lunch break and 6C won by only two points! We all had lots of fun and the quiz was very competitive. The kitchen staff had prepared some tasters from different countries; they looked and tasted delicious! During MFL lessons, we had lots of fun too learning about lots of different European countries and languages. We also received ‘European passports’ and learnt a lot while we completed them.

A big thank you to Madame Bastos for organising such a fun-filled day.

Obrigada.

By Abbey Mardell 6C

Engineering Work Experience at BAE SYSTEMS

I was delighted to be selected as one of the few participants attending the Engineering Taster Week at BAE SYSTEMS Rochester. The company manufactures and tests parts for the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet including the holographic head-up displays and electronics within the cockpit.

The week consisted of technical workshops and a series of creative challenges – some individual and some in teams as big as ten – as well as visits to the testing facilities and shop floors. The challenges focused on skills needed as an engineer, from coding and design to communication and creativity. My favourite challenge was when two groups in separate rooms had been given the brief of “liberating a refugee camp” in an inaccessible area. We had nothing but a helium balloon, an RC car and lots of scrap to work with. As if this wasn’t challenging enough, the two groups could only speak to each other on the phone every 15 minutes which made clear communication critical.

It was also very exciting to see military equipment that is still in development. I tried on their Augmented Reality helmets and night vision goggles, which was possibly the coolest (and most expensive) gadget I have ever used.

Throughout the week we had the chance to speak to engineers who are at the top of their field which has been very inspiring and helped me see that this is the right career for me. A truly life changing experience for anyone considering Engineering as a career.

Marcell Kuba, Year 13

A big thank you to all the children and parents for the supporting the Book Fair. The amount we raised was £970.10

which will be used to buy new books for the Junior Library.

#iloveboarding AUTUMN BOARDING WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

This half term we have enjoyed unseasonably warm conditions for our boarder’s trips. We went to the Cutty Sark in Greenwich and then a river cruise up to Embankment and everyone took lots of photographs! We walked through to Covent Garden, where we enjoyed the musicians and entertainment. The boys particularly enjoyed Go-Karting, even though Patricia gave the boys a good run for their money and came third overall. Vincent did extremely well and is a boy racer in the making. Our visit to Chislehurst Caves was extremely interesting and a short trip due to the school Open Day. Canterbury is always a special treat and the boarders enjoyed going into the Cathedral as well as a little bit of shopping and retail therapy. Broadstairs was a super day out , the boarders played Mini-Golf, went to the beach, harbour and found many delightful places to buy local fish and chips! Brighton was well-received by our boarders and they particularly enjoyed the Pier, the Lanes and the Pavilion. They have certainly had a taste of British Culture and were a joy to be with on these outings. The next trip is to the Science Museum fol-lowed by a number of festive activities in the run up to Christmas.

Sue Arnold, Head of Boarding

HARVEST CELEBRATIONS

A class of Year 8NC and two Sixth Form pupils performed songs and readings for the Duke of Kent Court Care Home’s annual harvest celebra-tion. Pupils entertained the residents who were very appreciative of the time and effort pupils had put in with their preparation and commitment.

After the service the residents entertained our pupils with stories and anecdotes from the past. It was lovely to see both old and young interacting and enjoying each other’s company. Thanks to Mr Rayner, The Director of Music for preparing the choir and to Mrs Nancekievill for accompanying on the piano.

Sixth Form Open Evening

On Tuesday 9th October, Farringtons welcomed a record number of visitors to the Sixth Form Open Evening, including many of our Year 11 students and their parents and students from local schools.

The evening was a great success and our Sixth Form prefects were a marvellous asset to the school, supporting with registration and taking families on tours around the building and grounds.

Holly Morris and Marcell Kuba, our Head Boy and Girl, spoke eloquently and warmly about their experiences at Farringtons and were excellent ambassadors for the school.

The academic success of the Sixth Form, impressive university destinations and holistic approach to learning really impressed our guests and we hope to see many of them in the Sixth Form in September 2019.

Ms V Jackson, Head of Sixth Form

BTEC Sport

The BTEC Sport Sixth Formers visited the Thriftwood Campsite on a blisteringly cold Monday morning, full of expectation and excitement for what the day would hold. With everyone wrapped up in countless layers, and Mr Doyle in summer shorts, the group arrived early to begin their first activity; Archery. After the initial instructions Year 13 went first and all four of them collectively scored less than Henry from Y12 did on his own whilst on crutches. After an untold amount of affability from Mr Doyle towards Year 13 and Mrs Ody looking on in fear, the points started to pick up from both sets of the Sixth Form and it became a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Then the Sixth Form were then told they were 'Going Over the Top' as the Rifle Shooting activity began - so Mrs Ody gladly sat out. The objective of the activity being - shooting lead pellets at a target, which again the standout performer was Henry with military like aim. However, this was the activity that Mr Doyle did take part in, somehow managing to not load the gun properly even after instruction but nevertheless did take a considerable chunk out of his targets from a good 10 yards away, outstanding aim.

Then after lunch came Rock Climbing and Abseiling, an activity which frightened the life out of Max Benson in Year 13, normally such a calm and collected student who for the 20 seconds that the abseil took, thought the end of the world was near. This was however the first activity that the Year 13 weren't totally embarrassed by, as those on crutches were unable to participate - with each student successfully completing the abseiling and making it at least half way up the very steep rock face. Lastly, the final activity of the day was, for some, the most enjoyable, and for others the most enjoyable as spectators which again included Mrs Ody and Mr Doyle.

The group put their trust in the Thriftwood instructors to ensure that their dry clothes stayed that way, and then apprehensively drifted out into the lake where it really did feel like it was every man for themselves in terms of staying the most dry. They were then faced with the 'Thriftwood Ninja Challenge' which meant that going through six stages of kayak skills - the first having both legs on the outside of the boat and the last stage, standing up inside the kayak itself. Fairly unsurprisingly, no one made it past stage three except Ozum Karamanli in Year 13 who somehow made it all the way to stage six without falling in. Nonetheless still a very fun day overall and mainly an entertaining experience.

Joseph Pickthall, Year 13

Biobake Competition

Congratulations to Charlotte Henley-Castleden, whose ‘Hand’ cake has been shortlisted for the national Physiological Society competition.

National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day was on 4th October and this

year the theme was Change.

National Poetry Day is an annual celebration that

inspires people throughout the UK to enjoy,

discover and share poems. Everyone is invited to

join in and in the junior school we enjoyed two

entertaining and hilarious performances by the

poet, Justin Coe, followed by workshops for pupils

in Key Stage Two. The children had the opportunity

to share the poems they had written to the rest of

the school in a special Poetry Assembly.

1KS Class Poem

Our pencil, isn't just a boring pencil!

Our pencil draws…

Shining stars and dangerous dragons.

Our pencil draws rainbow rabbits and the shining suns.

Our pencil writes….

Super sentences and our special names

Our pencil writes silly stories.

Our pencils are incredible!

Year 3 in their new PE kit

Merton Cross Country Relay Team

Year 4 ready for their Games lesson

Chislehurst Chase Winners

Chislehurst Chase Farringtons School

official finishers and trophy winners.

Kent County Tennis Training

Well done to Brianna. She has been

selected for the Kent County Tennis

Training.

Swimming Champion

Lilly Deller looks like she is going to be our next Rebecca Adlington. Lilly took part in the first round of Dartford District Swimming Club ‘Club Champs’ competition. The competition took part over 2 months with swim-mers in every age group competing on every stoke over a variety of distances. On the evening of Friday 5th October, Lilly raced in the 100m freestyle and came first with a fabulous time of 1.278 minutes. She was the fastest nine year old girl by a long way. She then competed in the 200m backstroke and also came first with a time of 3.47 minutes. Well done Lilly!

Mrs L Long

Tony Memorial

Cross Country

On Thursday 11th October, Year 4, 5

and 6 girls took part in the Tony

Memorial Cross Country.

Eleven schools competed in this event.

Farringtons finished third receiving

bronze medals.

Leticia Romanova, Luciana Smith,

Blanka Wojtczak and Grace

Buckingham had great finishing

positions.

Well done to all the runners.

Mrs L Long

A Fantastic Week of Rugby Farringtons junior rugby teams were treated to a fantastic week of rugby. Starting on Monday with the U8 (Year 3) followed by Tuesday U9 (Year 4) then Thursday U10 (Year 5) and finishing with U11 (Year 6) teams, All the boys played extremely well and were a credit to their school. I was especially proud of the good sports-manship that was demonstrated by the Farringtons Rugby teams this week.

Well Done Boys! Farringtons Rugby Teams

U8 (Year 3) - Achille Cardon, Rupert Knight, Tito Jegede, Jamie Meldrum-Caballero, Jacob Beckford, Cassius Perrott and James Eaton. U9 (Year 4) - Jamie Hine, Saud Ababtain, Leonardo Bouton, Samuel Hooker, Patrick Breese, Harry Jackson, Thomas Bridgwater, Samuel King, Damian Dadkov, James Hansen-Sackey, Ayomide Fakehinde, Ethan Mabibi, Jack Maartens, Bishop Osagie U10 (Year 5) - Zachary Perrot, David Akinrinmade, Dylan Cosgrove, Lwazi Nxara, Tanitoluwa Jegede, Luke Bonnici, Ethan Ayeh, Olubajo Faisal, Daniel Boyle, Oscar Creasey U11 (Year 6) - Sebastian Little, Henry Newman, Ronnie Squibb, Kevin Kardel, Adekunle Ajagbe, Harrison Roberts, Rares Ghinea, Niniola Olagundoy, Ethan Ayeh, Lwazi Nxara, Zachary Perrot

Mr B Suverkrop

Junior School early morning

running club. 49 runners attend

every week.

The majority of Year 2 have been

learning to dive this term.

It has been great to see so many

strong swimmers at a young age.

12 schools participated in this year’s Farringtons School Annual Cross Country event.

Year 6 boys won the team and Year 6 girls and boys won the Year group award.

Roxy finished third in the Year 5 girls’ race.

It was a splendid afternoon helped along with good weather and 320 pupils from Year 3 – 6.

Farringtons Junior School Annual Cross Country Competition Year 2 diving

The Sports Captains helped to

prepare for the Annual Cross

Country Competition before and

during the event held at Farringtons.

They were managing the medals and

trophies on the day.

Other Year 2 pupils were learning how

to swim back stroke independently.

GCSE “VESPA” Mindset Programme Launches with Year 10.

This academic year sees the launch of the school’s VESPA

programme with Year 10 to support them on their way to

preparing for the many rigours of GCSE study. Tutors and

teachers have been busily coaching students to become

exemplary GCSE learners by using a range of practical and

easily applicable tools, designed to supercharge learners’

resilience, positivity, organisation and determination. The

VESPA acronym focuses upon the five ‘non-cognitive’ char-

acteristics that are essential predictors of academic success:

Vison, Effort, Systems, Practice and Attitude.

VESPA is an umbrella system that engages pupils in fun and

engaging coaching activities which nurture the skills required

for success at GCSE and to develop life-long learning

capabilities. There is also significant emphasis upon the

coping strategies, life skills and resilience required as part of

the more demanding assessment culture that has emerged

around the newly reformed GCSEs. With student Wellbeing

at the core of our offering, Farringtons’ VESPA programme

draws on extensive practical knowledge as well as a solid

research evidence base to help our students reach their full

potential.

For further information and an example of one of the activi-

ties delivered to Year 10 in the opening weeks of term,

please visit our website: http://www.farringtons.org.uk/

correspondence.

Mr Lee Garwood, Assistant Head

Farringtons’ Christmas Card Competition 2018 We are delighted to have received so many entries for our Farringtons’ Christmas Card Competition 2018. Thank you to all the senior school pupils who entered. This year we had over 70 entries!! The shortlisted cards are on display outside East House Library until next Friday for pupils and staff to vote for their favourite design. Winners will be announced next half term. The artwork your child has created will be accurately reproduced in full colour onto Christmas cards by Art Projects for Schools Ltd (APFS), who we are working in partnership with, and are available in packs of 12 for you to purchase should you wish to. Additional items are also available such as packs of 6 larger gloss coated luxury Christmas cards, packs of 3 sheets of wrapping paper and packs of 12 folded gift tags. The quality of reproduction is excellent as is the quality of the cards. The funds raised, through our partnership with APFS, should you wish to make purchases will be donated to The Breck Foundation. Most importantly, the cards and items are a fantastic way to recognise and celebrate your child’s creative effort and are great to send to family and friends. To order, simply visit https://www.apfsorders.co.uk, and input the unique artwork code - found on the label on the reverse of the artwork - and your child’s first name and surname. Orders must be placed by midnight on 2nd November 2018. Any orders placed after this date will be classed as a late order and will be subject to a handling and postage fee. Re-orders can be placed through the same site using your unique code. PLEASE NOTE: The shop cannot be accessed unless your child’s artwork has been scanned by APFS prior to ordering. If you are unsure please contact Mrs Allen to check. Any enquiries relating to the project should be addressed to Mrs Allen, Senior School Art Teacher, gallen@farringtons.kent.sch.uk.

FIZ NEWS

BRILLIANT MEMORIES OF FIZ SUMMER HOLIDAYS

It seems only yesterday we were basking in glorious sunshine and having a fantastic time doing what we love doing best - HAVING LOTS OF FUN.

I hope our photos will put a smile on your faces. More photos can be found on the school website.

If you would like your daughter/son join us for our next holi-day (Christmas Break) , please contact Mrs E Wiltshire ewilt-shire@farringtons.kent.sch.uk . Thank you.

Mrs Ewa Wiltshire FIZ Club Manager