Headmaster’s Letter to Parents
March 2021
Dear Parents We have been delighted to have students back in school for the last three weeks of term, even though the pandemic has meant that life is not quite back to normal yet. We have been impressed at how well the community continues to pull together through this challenging period and what follows are some of the highlights of the last few weeks. It is important that pupils continue to carry out COVID testing at home throughout the Easter holidays and into the summer term. They should test twice a week at home and report results online as positive, negative or void. It is particularly important that they test before returning to school either the night before, or morning of, the first day back. Families and households can also access home test kits for adults. I wish all Chigwell families a very happy Easter. Those in exam year groups will be preparing for the assessments next term but I hope all manage to have some time off together, particularly if restrictions start to reduce. I hope to be able to see more of you in person next term. Best wishes
Yours sincerely
Michael Punt
Contents Page 1
RSC UK Olympiad
Page 2
UK Linguistics Olympiad Careers Week
Page 3
Students’ Medicine & Dentistry Society
Page 4
BASE competition Apprenticeships Week
Page 5
Young Ambassadors Recitals Colours of the Soul’
Page 6
FOC Photography Competition
Page 7
International Women’s Day LAET Sixth former’s Induction Day
Page 8
Staff News
Page 9
Message from the Chaplain
RSC UK Olympiad We are extremely proud of the thirteen students who gained awards in the Royal Society of Chemistry UK Olympiad 2021. What makes this achievement even more outstanding, is that seven of the thirteen students who achieved medals are in the Lower Sixth, in a competition which is aimed at the year above. Read more about the medal winners at: http://bit.ly/UKchemistryolympiad2021
1
UK Linguistics Olympiad
Careers Week
Well done to all students who participated in the online Intermediate Linguistics Olympiad in February 2021. They had to solve linguistic data problems in four languages: Ditema, Filipino, Longgu and Latvian. Twelve of our students were awarded a Bronze Award, putting them in the top 35% of entrants nationally. Congratulations to the Bronze Award winners: Amelia, Ayesha, Cornelia, Imaan, Lora, Meenakshi, Melody, Michal, Sara, Teo, Vika and Vivisha.
This year we took our annual Careers Convention online. The event ran in conjunction with National Careers Week, meaning a whole week of events and talks, giving students from the Lower Fifth to Middle Sixth the opportunity to talk to representatives from a variety of employment areas and higher education.
Read more: https://bit.ly/ChigwellSchoolUKLO2021
Read more: http://bit.ly/ChigwellCareersWeek2021
2
Students’ Medicine & Dentistry Society We are pleased to hear from two of our Lower Sixth students, Dhanjot and Keashigan, who have been running their own Medicine and Dentistry Society. The society aims to inspire and
motivate aspiring healthcare students, while giving realistic insight and improving knowledge. Read more: http://bit.ly/medanddensocietyin touch.
3
BASE Competition
Apprenticeships
Thirteen of our Lower Sixth students
To celebrate this year's National
recently took part in the National
Apprenticeship Week, our Head of
Business and Accountancy Skills
Careers ran a dedicated series of talks
Education (BASE)competition, organised
and workshops. Students from the
by
Chartered
Upper Fifth to Middle Sixth joined in a
Accountants in England and Wales
presentation from the AIM Group
(ICAEW). The competition aimed to
where they found out about all the
give them a real-life understanding of
different types of apprenticeships on
what it is like to be an ICAEW Chartered
offer, the levels they could study, how
Accountant, whilst developing their
they work and where to look for them.
key employability skills.
The School's events were run in
the
Institute
for
conjunction with national events such
Read more:
as The Big Assembly, the UCAS Virtual
http://bit.ly/BASEcomp202
Apprenticeship Fair and Amazing Apprenticeships. Read more: http://bit.ly/NationalApprenticeships Week2021
4
Young Ambassadors We are thrilled to announce the
Chigwellians starting higher education
launch of our Young Ambassadors
an opportunity to link up with an Old
programme, offering those
Chigwellian at their chosen institution. These individuals are already studying there and are very happy to discuss their experiences and provide advice and insight. Current students can contact them prior to the start of the academic year, during their first term and beyond. Read more: http://bit.ly/CSYoungAmbassadors Contact development@chigwellschool.org for further information.
Recitals
Colours of the Soul
Livestreamed on YouTube, Third Form,
Also on Chigwell’s YouTube Music
Remove, Upper Fifth and Sixth Form
Playlist is Noah’s half term lockdown
recitals can be viewed on demand on
project - 'Colours of the Soul'. His
the Chigwell’s YouTube Music Playlist.
emotive performance combined with
The performers cheered for each other
poignant visuals from the pandemic
in person, while parents and friends
creates a truly moving piece and is well
watched from home. Congratulations
worth viewing.
to all the students involved for their
View the Music Playlist:
fantastic performances.
http://bit.ly/CSMusicPlaylist
5
Friends of Chigwell Well done to everyone who took part in
Mr Edwin Aitken, Head of Art & Design
the FOC photography competition.
and competition judge, commented
The brief was to take an inspirational
how the entries were of a very high
photo from nature and with over 150
standard – which made choosing the
entries from across the School,
winners all the more difficult.
competition was fierce. View the winners and galleries: https://bit.ly/FOCphotocomp2021
Enjoy ‘Baking with Bird’ over the break – link via SchoolPost and social media. Pre Loved Uniform – Donations are still very welcome. Please hand in to any of the School’s receptions. Read more about the FOC’s activities: http://bit.ly/FriendsOfChigwell
6
International Women’s Day Chigwell School marked International Women's Day on 8th March with a range of activities across the whole school. The theme this year was #ChooseToChallenge – which invites
View the Headmaster’s special video
us all to call out gender bias and
and read the highlights:
inequality in our own lives.
http://bit.ly/ChigwellMarksIWD2021
LAET We are pleased to support the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET) and recently our Head of Sixth Form, Mr Simon Coppell, along with Mrs Teresa Kwiecinska, Miss Charlotte Nairac and Mr Jonathan Chapman, spent time on Saturday at their entrance interviews on Zoom. Read more at http://bit.ly/ChigwellandLAET
Sixth former’s Induction Day Sixth former’s Induction Day for current Upper Fifth students continuing into the sixth form, will be held on Tuesday 29th June.
7
Staff News We say goodbye to three colleagues.
Lastly, in 2008 Mrs Pam Rex joined us
Having retired once at the end of last
as a teacher of religious studies and
academic year, Mr Ron Spicer returned
was subsequently made Head of
to help cover economics teaching and
Department. She is a highly capable,
he now leaves us again. We are very
dedicated and caring teacher who has
grateful for everything that he has done
worked tirelessly to bring out the very
so cheerfully and we will miss him.
best of all the pupils she has supported.
Mrs Simrat Khera joined us as a
Nothing has been too much trouble for
maternity cover in the religious studies
Pam and we will certainly miss her as
department and has been a highly
she begins her retirement. We thank
committed
and
her for everything that she has done so
colleague. We have valued everything
well and hope that she will stay in touch.
teacher,
tutor
that she has brought to the School and wish her every future success and happiness.
8
Message from the Chaplain Red Nose Day has always been a popular
that a new window would be a fitting
event at school with the Charities
memorial. It has been designed to reflect
Committee making full use of opportunities
things which were important to Faith as well
for raising money. This year, thanks to a
as aspects of school life. Hopefully once
suggestion from a parent, we have
restrictions are lifted more of our wider
supported the charity ‘Sals Shoes’. They
school family can come to chapel and see
collect surplus or outgrown shoes along
this for themselves. The most popular
with a small donation to help with
aspect of the window seems to be the mice
distribution and send them to some of the
which are hidden in the design and I have
estimated three million barefoot children
had a steady stream of pupils visiting chapel
across the world. We had a target of 100
to try and find them. Faith would have
pairs for the charity but typical of Chigwell
approved!
generosity almost 300 pairs were collected and will be delivered at the end of term. In
As we break up for Easter I hope you have a
addition we also collected for Red Nose Day
lovely holiday and keep safe and well.
itself and once the final total is counted we With all blessings
expect to send a cheque for over £750. This is a magnificent collection and the Charity
Chaplain
Committee would like to thank everyone who supported these appeals. Anyone coming into chapel will be struck by our new stained-glass window which was installed in February. The window is in memory of Faith Cullis, an active and longterm supporter of school as well as a Chigwell Mum. Faith sadly died some years ago but we are delighted that her family felt
9
TERM DATES 2021 Trinity Term (Easter Day is 4thApril) First day:
Monday 19th April
Half term:
Saturday 29th May to Sunday 6th June INSET Day Monday 7th June
Term ends:
Wednesday 14th July
Michaelmas Term Staff meetings and INSET on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd September First day:
Monday 6th September
Half Term:
Saturday 16th October to Sunday 31st October
Term ends:
Wednesday 15th December
