The Chalfonts Community Chronicle us... · The Chalfonts Community Chronicle Success is an...

The Chalfonts Community Chronicle

Success is an Attitude!

Paula Procopi, Assistant Principal

Contact information Narcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, SL9 8TP Email: [email protected] Tel: 01753 882032 www.chalfonts.org Fax: 01753 890716 Twitter: @CCChalfonts

One of my responsibilities as Assistant Principal is to run recruitment fairs to promote teaching as a career and to try and recruit high calibre professionals to train to become teachers.

In recent years there have been many Government changes and incentives to promote and allow people to choose teaching as a career, many of which are still relatively new, so the general awareness is still quite low key. It is my ambition to ensure that we promote teaching not just locally but nationally, as we have a duty of care and responsibility towards our children to give them the best education delivered by the best teachers!

Training and coaching our teaching staff through working closely with the Universities has opened the doors of opportunities to professionals from all walks of life and to some of our ex-students. The routes into teaching are:

School Led Teacher TrainingAcross England there are school-led training options for graduates who want hands-on training in a school. On a school-led training course, you’ll get the chance to learn on the job in at least two schools, learning from experienced colleagues and putting your new skills into practice from day one. Schools Direct, SCITT (Schools Centre Initial Teacher Training), Assessment only, are all accredited by the University.

University-led trainingUniversities and colleges offer teacher training courses for both graduates and undergraduates. If you want your teacher training to be based at a university, this is the option for you. We work closely with Hertfordshire, Roehampton, Brunel, Middlesex, St Mary’s, Oxford Brooks as well as UCL The Institute of Education. As previously stated, our school has been presented with awards of excellence in teacher training from both Roehampton and Brunel Universities this academic year. With this in mind we are confident in our teacher training program and have recruited a good number of this year’s PGCE students to join us as NQT’s (Newly Qualified Teachers), when they finish their training in the summer of 2016.

It is our ambition to support all students with their education through providing high quality teaching and learning across all lessons with consistently good and outstanding teachers.

If there are any parents/carers who might be aspiring Teachers, please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information, my details are on the school website.

Thank you for your continued support. Paula Procopi - Assistant Principal

Dear Parents/Carers

We are members of the Herts & Bucks Teaching School Alliance which means we are in partnership with Universities and many outstanding schools in Herts and Bucks, working closely together to recruit and train outstanding teachers.

Issue 10 - published 26th April 2016

Sixth Form - UCAS ConventionOn Monday 19th April, Year 12 students attended the UCAS Convention at ExCel, Docklands, East London. UCAS stands for Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and is the centralised service that students use to apply to university.

Exhibitions/Conventions play a vital part in helping applicants decide what and where to study in higher education. They consistently attract over 300 exhibitors such as universities, colleges, charities, gap year companies, recruiters and organisations from across the UK, united in their aim to inform and advise 16-17 year olds on their future options.

Most of our Year 12 students attended and came back to school the following day buzzing with what they had experienced. Comments included:

“The stands were so useful and gave tips on what to include in your personal statement for particular courses, as well as advice on what they are looking for in terms of work experience.”

“It helped to narrow down university choices and

Beijing Foreign Studies University Summer Camp

This year again we have been invited to represent Great Britain at the Beijing Foreign Studies University Summer Camp.There are a limited number of places which means a rigorous selection process. The programme includes 9 days in Beijing University learning about Chinese language and culture, from 17th till 26th July 2016.

There will also be visits to famous places such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China amongst others.

If you are interested please submit a letter of application, no longer than one side of A4, stating the reasons you would like to attend the trip. Any questions please see Mrs Bremner or Mr Quéré.

Mr Quéré Leader of MFL

the speakers were really helpful in recommending universities for particular courses.”

“For me the UCAS day was an eye-opener because it was tailored for the individual student.”

“Our arms ached from carrying so much information! Lots of freebies to tempt us. A really productive and informative day out.”

The next step along the UCAS process is our UCAS Day on 23rd June, where we invite former students and guest speakers from vari ous universities to deliver presentations on choosing a course / university, student finance, writing personal statements as well as giving an insight into student life. There will also be a Parents’ UCAS Information Evening on 30th June covering all of the above. More information about attendance and the timings of these events will follow nearer the time.

University is not the right choice for everybody but we aim for our 6th form students to be armed with enough knowledge to make an informed choice.

Martyn WayLeader for Sixth Form



Salters’ Festival The Salters’ Festival is held annually to promote the appreciation of chemistry amongst young people. In March we competed at Brunel University.

Our students, Thomas David, Sean Mayhew, Leah Stabler-Dukes and Gracie Whittall were runners-up. In recognition of their achievement, the students were awarded ‘MolyMod’ chemistry sets, Salters’ stationery and participation as well as second place certificates.

A fantastic achievement!

Mickella DawkinsLeader for Teaching & Learning(Science)



Employability and Career related information

British Airways VisitI recently attended an event at the British Airways head office and heard about the various courses they are able to offer our students at their Community Learning Centre at Heathrow. Since opening in 1999, the Centre has educated over 100,000 students in areas such as Customer Service, Work Readiness, Language Workshops, IT/Social Media and the Environment.

A very interesting point made by BA about their recruitment process, and of no surprise to me, is that they are putting a huge emphasis on the attitude and behaviour of new recruits. The employability skills they demonstrate are so important; for example communication, team working and problem solving.

The following key messages have been shared with our students:

Tuesday, 3rd May – Apprenticeships and Careers Open Evening from 4.30pm – 7.30pm (students need to register. Details should be on their website).

Current vacancies for Customer Services staff at Heathrow, 18 yrs+, 3 GCSE’s grades C or above

British Airways offer 13 Apprenticeship schemes covering operational, office and customer service roles (18+) and a Graduate Programme. See their website for information.

Future Pilot Programme

www.bafuturepilot.com

As pilot training is very expensive, BA are now partnering with another company to introduce a sponsorship scheme that will make flying feasible for more individuals. The details are on the website above.

Qualities BA looks for in pilots are as follows:

• 5 GCSE’s A* - C• 3 ‘A’ levels – currently BBC (these grades are under review and might be lowered)• Ability to manage high volumes of information• Process driven and can manage systems effectively• Logical and rational• High personal standards and high levels of motivation• Customer and interpersonal skills• Risk Management

We are really pleased to have this relationship with BA and look forward to working with them more in the future to help develop and inspire our students.

Christine SandersLeader for Employability



LRCApprenticeship Schemes

If you are interested in applying for an apprenticeship and wish to know; how they work, the different levels and get an idea of what apprenticeships are available, take a look at: https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

On this site you can search for apprenticeships in England (you do not need an account to search).

You need to create an account to:• apply for apprenticeships• get email & text alerts about new apprenticeships • track your applications

Apprenticeships due to begin in September are currently being introduced to the site.

Information for Students Post 16

Please can I remind you that I have posted career related opportunities on the VLE under Tutor notices. You can access by going onto The College’s website:

http://www.chalfonts.org/page/?title=Careers+Education+%26+Advice&pid=193

You do not require a username or password to access.

CitizenCards

Young people’s concessionary travel scheme / proof of age card

If you are a resident of Buckinghamshire aged 16 or 17 you are able to take advantage of discounted bus travel with the Make More CitizenCard. The proof of age card entitles you to travel on buses within Buckinghamshire for a reduced single fare. The offer starts after 09:00 weekdays and all day at weekends.

In addition to reduced bus fares, card holders can benefit from a range of other discounts through the Lealta Discount Scheme saving them money at participating shops.

For further information and to download an application form please visit: https://www.citizencard.com/what-is-a-citizencard You can also collect an application form from Andrea Gilbey in the LRC.

To avoid charges forms must be sent from the school. Please return all completed forms to Andrea Gilbey, LRC, Chalfonts Community College.

Books Borrowed - LRC

If you have borrowed books from the LRC, please can I remind you to return them before you leave the college.

Thank You!

Andrea GilbeyLearning Resource Manager



News from the Medical Room & Lost PropertyMedication

Please contact me if your son/daughter requires prescribed or over-the-counter medication during the school day as they should not be carrying it around with them, except for epipens, asthma inhalers or diabetic medication.

Lost Property

All named lost property is returned to its owner via e-mails to the students’ tutor, so please name anything that is likely to get ’lost’. Un-named lost property is put on the table in the corridor outside the Medical Room for anyone to claim and is re-cycled after a couple of weeks as there isn’t any storage space for the quantities of items received. The PTA is now re-cycling uniform which they are washing, mending and selling.

Hay fever medication

The hay fever season seems to have arrived early this year. If your child suffers from hay fever, please will you ensure that they take their medication, preferably a ‘one-a-day’ as I don’t have supplies to give them.

Diabetes UK – Making the GradeGood Diabetes Care in School Award

We have been nominated for this award by the parent of a student with Type 1 diabetes. All our evidence has now been submitted and we will know in June if we have been successful.

Thank you to the parents of students with Type 1 diabetes who completed the questionnaire and to any parents who responded to the request in a November issue of the Chronicle and responded on-line to Diabetes UK.

HPV vaccinations for Year 8 girls

The girls second HPV vaccinations will be done on Tuesday 26th April

Gayle Romney

Medical Administrator/First Aider/Lost Property

01753 881627

[email protected]



Student Leadership - Reflection Report

Over the course of the spring term the student leadership subgroups have worked with their designated staff member, other teaching and support staff, and students from across the College, to raise awareness of key issues, to help triangulate information, to support the learning and progress of their peers, and to strengthen our links with the wider community.

The SMSC task force began the year by hosting a student-centred conference for several of the local primary settings. The student council/student voice groups for each primary were invited to the College to actively engage in workshops led by our Prefects. The workshops addressed a range of issues that are pertinent to life in modern Britain, such as; cyber bullying, equality and healthy eating. The students from each primary setting were then tasked with taking the information, ideas and issues they had discussed during the conference back to their own schools. They would then present their learning to their school’s senior leadership team and look for ways to address these issues within the context of their own school - such as through the introduction of anti-bullying display boards, or charity bands… The conference was a hugely enriching experience for all involved. It helped the primary students to consolidate and extend their understanding of key social issues and enabled our Prefects to develop their skills as leaders and orators.

Whilst the SMSC task force were working to support the holistic development of student leaders in our local primary schools, the Learning task force have been addressing the well-being and development of learners within the College. Based on the work of Carol Dweck (2006), a Lecturer and Psychological theorist, the Learning sub-group have been examining the concept of ‘Growth Mind-set’ and the idea that intelligence is not a fixed ideal, but rather something that can increase based on a positive attitude to challenge and failure. Our Prefects have been looking at what they believe makes a ‘perfect’ teacher, student and classroom setting. They will be sharing this information with staff and students with a view to ensuring that all lessons provide a safe and nurturing learning environment, through which staff can facilitate challenging activities, and students can embrace and ultimately learn from setbacks.

The Training and Assessment subgroup has also been reflecting on the academic development of students, but specifically within the Year 6 classes of Robertswood

primary school. This taskforce have worked in collaboration with Ms Nadine De Souza, the Leader of Tracking and Progress for Year 7, to support the learning and progress of students at Robertswood in the lead up to their SATS examinations. The Training and Assessment group devised Maths and Literacy lessons that were delivered to the students. These lessons were designed not only to help consolidate the students’ existing knowledge, but to also challenge their learning and support with the academic transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. The lessons were of great benefit to the primary learners, but also helped to strengthen the leadership skills of our Prefects.

The Leaders of Health and Wellbeing have been working directly with their peers to ascertain the views and opinions of our student body with regards to the extra-curricular programme currently offered by the College. A survey has been designed which will be issued to each student. The qualitative and quantitative data collected as a result of this survey will be used to refine the extra-curricular timetable and to adapt teaching approaches in PE lessons. This is to ensure that all students feel comfortable taking part in physical activity and are enthused by the sport.

Mrs Christine Sanders and her Employability team have been working tirelessly to finalise the design of the Denham Parish Council’s new website. In addition to completing this long-term project, the task force have also been actively involved in the design and production of resources for the Year 8 Options Fair and have also recently visited the National Apprenticeship Show. This trip enabled the Prefects to ask a number of questions to a range of employers about the design of an apprenticeship, the qualifications needed, and the remuneration when undertaking this style of further education. This information will be disseminated to students from across the College through assemblies and tutor time in the summer term.

The Equality task force has been continuing their work with Dr Jessica Hamer, looking at the concept of gender imbalance and the ways in which this can be addressed to support the learning and development of students. Furthermore, the News prefect team have been working with staff and some of our Curriculum Leaders to reinvigorate The Blue Planet student magazine and to ensure that our learners have another platform on which to publish and share their creativity, thoughts and opinions.



Kirat Braich in Year 12 is proactive about her future career. She is studying A-levels in Maths, English and Business Studies. During the “Great People Day” at Chalfonts earlier this year, Kirat met with Dr Jane Griffiths, CEO of Janssen – the pharmaceutical branch of Johnson & Johnson. Through this contact she organised herself a week of work experience at the company for herself. This is what she says:

“On my first day I felt intimidated by the towering, corporate and reputable building that stood before me. I was put with the department of Infectious Diseases where I met placement students, managers and directors. I attended TC’s with people around the world and shadowed meetings for new up and coming drug launches with influential people. It was a warm environment and full of charisma; everyone was willing to take time out to talk to me about my future based on their personal experiences, contacts and interests.

On the second day, I worked with the department of Neuroscience on the marketing team, learning marketing strategies. Day three I was out in the field in London on the sales team, where we had various consultations to promote certain drugs for mental health diseases. This involved going to psychiatric wards, where I realised that not only was I part of a corporate reputable company which is financially massive, but also that lives are being changed and influenced by this organisation and that people chose this company to help save lives. Through their sales team’s enthusiasm I learned that you should pursue a career because you enjoy it. This was ingrained in everyone I met and I learned that it’s what makes you a successful person.

I spent day four in Oncology where I explored a range of different job roles through networking with; a communications associate, a senior project man-ager, a marketing assistant, a placement student, the commercial leader as well as with business intelligence associates. These people gave me good advice and opened my eyes to a whole new perspective of the future and what different types of careers there are, especially in the pharmaceutical

industry – it’s not just pharmacists!

My last day was in Haematology where I planned a London event and met doctors. I was honoured to have lunch with Dr Jane Griffiths CEO, who offered me advice for my future. She took great interest in my ambitions, recommended further placements and a potential graduate scheme with her company.

Despite this taking a week of my holidays, I was excited walking into Janssen from 10am – 4pm each day knowing that I would meet someone new, learn something new and also create another stepping stone to my future, which made it less scary and more reachable. This work experience offered me something that school can’t, through networking with top directors and CEO’s it gave me confidence in my speech, communication and also myself as a person. I made contacts through receiving loads of business cards and it gave me a taste into the real world of work. This has helped maintain my motivation and drive for the exams in the next few weeks. My future is now much clearer.”

Kirat BraichYear 12 Student

The future is in your hands - An example of a student seizing every opportunity



PE News GymnasticsIn March our gymnastics team of: Ben Howman, Rebecca Matthews, Charlie Walsh and Gemma Matthews travelled to Stoke-on-Trent to compete in the Under 16 Mixed National Floor and Vault Gymnastics Championships. There were 22 schools from around the UK who had qualified as winners of their regional competitions. After three of the team vaulted and completed an individual floor routine, all four combined to produce a group floor routine of exceptional quality, giving them a 7th place finish!

This is a remarkable achievement as our students prepare with fairly limited equipment and apparatus in comparison to other entrants. The students and coach are to be congratulated on their hard work.

Richard EdwardsPE Apprentice Assistant

CheerleadingThe Children Cheetahs Cheerleading Stunt Group - Level 3, recently took part in a Future Cheer Competition held at Loughborough University.

The squad of five students includes four from Chalfonts: Zoe Snoch, Gracie Whittal, Rebecca Matthews and Gemma Matthews.

They have been training since September 2015 for this event and their hard work truly paid off as they went on to win the Junior Level 3 and got the highest points of all the stunt groups, making them Grand Champions.

Well done girls, a fantastic achievement.

Mrs ChargeDeputy Leader for PE



On Sunday 3rd April we travelled to Barcelona with 70 students for our annual Sports Tour. The students participated in a busy five days of activities such as: a beach HIIT class, a run along the promenade, Portaventura Theme Park, Tour of Nou camp, shopping, sports training sessions and a one day tournament.

Despite the grey, wet weather they still managed to dive into the swimming pool and enjoy the beach during their free time and have energy for the evening’s Karaoke night and Disco. In the Edwin Doran Netball Tournament our Year 10 A team Netballers came second and the B team came fifth out of seven. The Year 9A team came fifth and the B team ninth out of 14 teams. In the Edwin Doran Football Tournament our Year 10 Footballers came second overall and the Year 9 Footballers came third out of ten teams.

We are extremely proud to have taken every single one of these students on tour. They followed rules that were set, were polite to others and we had fantastic feedback from the Edwin Doran Company. We’d like to give special congratulations to the individuals who received awards from the coaches and we hope the students, like us, enjoyed every minute and have come away from the tour with some great memories.

Naomi NoblePE Technician

Sports Tour 2016...



Drop in coffee sessions

Please feel free to attend any of our ‘drop in’ coffee sessions for parents to meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team to discuss any topics. These will run for an hour, as per the calendar below. No appointment required.

Sessions are...

5th May; 9.30am 18th May; 5.30pm 16th June; 9.30am

The Chalfonts Community College’s Top Tips on e-safety

Don’t add people you don’t know on social networking sites. You wouldn’t talk to a stranger in the street, so why talk to them online?

Don’t upload photographs of yourself that are inappropriate or give information away about your-self. You don’t know how these images will be used by others!

Don’t give away your personal details on the internet. You don’t know who can access this information!

If you feel unsafe online, tell a parent, carer, teacher or your head of year.

Parent Pay

We are asking all parents/guardians to now use ParentPay, which is an online payment method, to pay for trips, visits and other one-off school related events. We will not be accepting cheques or cash for payment of such items for the remainder of this autumn term, or indeed the whole Academic year.

We will be asking for your consent on ParentPay, and you will beprompted to provide an emergency contact number and any relevant medical information before paying for a trip. This will allow us to carefully monitor payments and reduce administrative time.

School Fund Contributions

Parents can now make an online donation via Parent-Pay (www.parentpay.com). Contributions to the School Fund will support the College in further developing our larger projects that we receive limited external funding for. The School Fund projects impact on every student in the College, ensuring they have the best facilities and resources to enrich their learning experiences. It is for these reasons that we ask you to support the scheme and any amount would be gratefully received. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity. Together we can make a difference!

Dates for your Diary

26th April; Year 13 Beauty Pamper Event

2nd May; Bank Holiday

4th May; Year 10/11 McAlpine Visit Year 11 Pupil Premium Exam Preparation

10th May; Primary PE Festival

11th May; Year 10/11 DofE Training 9

Help us to help you!

Do your online shopping through The College website and The College will benefit from commission. No registration or signup required. We have links with Amazon, Boots, M&S, House of Fraser, Argos, John Lewis and many, many more. Please note that your personal information is not recorded when making a transaction.

http://www.chalfonts.org/page/default.asp?pid=56



Acting Principal; Neil MoirNarcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards

Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8TP01753 882032

[email protected]

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