HEADMASTER’S LETTER CHIGWELL SCHOOL
APRIL 2017
T0 PARENTS
Dear Parents Once again, in the blink of an eye it seems, the end of term is upon us. As always, Chigwell pupils have packed a huge amount into the last few weeks and they should feel very proud of all that they have achieved, some of which is outlined in the following pages.
Contents Page 1
Mick Fenton Tommy Redhead Blue Calendars School Fixtures Summer Ball Staff News
Page 2
Trip to Italy
Page 3
Trip to Ghana
Page 4
Trip to Iceland
Page 5
Duke of Edinburgh
Page 6
Duke of Edinburgh Old Chigwellians’ Dinner
Page 7
Epping Forest College
Page 8
Careers Convention Speech Day
Page 9
And Finally
Mick Fenton
School Fixtures
worked devotedly for the School since
many students have important public
Very sadly, Mick Fenton, who has
During this busy time of year when
1987 as a member of the maintenance
exams, we would appreciate your
team, passed away over the weekend.
continued support in encouraging your
He was a skilled member of the team
sons’ and daughters’ commitment to
and a loyal member of the school
sporting fixtures throughout the term.
community, and examples of his work are all around the School. He will be
Summer Ball
deeply missed and our thoughts and
A ticket order form and details of the
prayers are with his wife and family.
Summer Ball to be held on the evening
of Saturday 8th July are being been sent
Tommy Redhead
out by e-mail. This is always a very
Congratulations to Tommy who has
popular event and you are urged to
played for the ISFA U16 national
apply for tickets as soon as possible as
representative side throughout the season
and
the
team
they are allocated on a first come first
remains
served basis.
undefeated. Over Easter they travelled to Germany and played three games
Staff News
including one against Hertha Berlin,
We are delighted to welcome Miss Heidi
a Bundes League side which ISFA defeated 3-1.
Baber who joins us as a teacher of PE
ISFA have commented
this term to help cover Mrs Miranda
on how well Tommy and indeed the
Baldwin’s maternity leave. We hope she
whole team have represented English
will be very happy here.
schoolboy football.
Mr Steve Jeffs who was Catering
Manager for Chartwells has decided to
Blue Calendars
leave Chigwell after five years. In his
As usual, the Trinity Term calendars are
place, we welcome Mr Guy Kaye and we
being distributed to pupils who should
look forward to working with him.
also bring home a copy.
1
Trip to Italy
During the first week of the Easter
leaving behind many buildings and
Lower Fifth to Middle Sixth boarded
back 2000 years into Roman culture; the
holiday, a group of pupils ranging from
giving pupils an opportunity to look
several trains and embarked on a
Colosseum in Rome, where some of the
classical adventure to Italy, exploring
pupils re-enacted a gladiator fight with
Naples for two days and then Rome for
great enthusiasm; the Palatine Hill,
another two. The classicists looked
standing above the Roman forum and
round amphitheatres and catacombs,
the Circus Maximus, all of which the avid
discovered ancient towns and modern
classicists among the cohort enjoyed
day Rome, and even climbed a volcano.
exploring. The group enjoyed exploring
There were many highlights of the trip, some
being:
the
excursions
Italy and understanding more about the
to
incredible world of the Romans. All in
Herculaneum and Pompeii, towns
all, a wonderful trip for everyone
devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius
involved.
in 79AD, but remarkably preserved,
2
Trip to Ghana
On 31st March ten Lower Fifth students
and two members of staff set off from
Heathrow to Accra, Ghana. They went
to work with the charity "The young shall grow" supporting poor rural communities in Ghana. Their task was to
work in a school in the Keta region teaching English and helping to improve the facilities.
Two weeks later they arrived back at Heathrow having made some wonderful
friends in Ghana. They travelled to the rainforest, braved 40m high rope-ways
above the forest, saw the horrors of the slave trade, fed monkeys sitting on
their arms, witnessed poverty and hardship, and worked with the most
welcoming, supportive and joy-filled people on Earth. Living with power cuts,
high temperatures, unreliable water supplies and poor roads was a challenge;
however, the group says that they will never forget the warmth of the people. They opened their lives to the Chigwell
party and showed them how to relax and be filled with joy.
3
Trip to Iceland
A group of mainly Middle Sixth geography
students visited Iceland during the Easter break to bring to life the geographical features and processes they have studied
within the subject. The students visited the Blue Lagoon, a popular man-made
geothermal spa of crystal clear water and
the only site on earth where it is possible
to swim in 40°C water all year round; the sun was shining and the students described it as one of the most memorable
places they had visited. The visit to the Blue Lagoon was followed by visits to
three stunning waterfalls and a geyser situated in south-western Iceland that has
been active for over 10,000 years. Other
popular attractions during the visit included Thingviller, the national park where
Iceland’s
parliament
was
established in 930AD which is also scoured
by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Rift valleys are
clearly visible where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates pull apart at around 2cm a year. However, arguably the most stunning part of the trip was the
chance to see the northern lights.
4
Duke of Edinburgh
During the second week of the Easter
break fifteen students from the Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth completed the DoE silver canoe training and practice
expedition at Fairlop Waters and the
River Chelmer. The first two days were focused on paddling skills, rescue
training, equipment, camp craft, route planning exercises and navigation, and
this was carried out at Fairlop Waters. The second phase was the practice
expedition where the group completed a one day and one night expedition
remotely supervised, and completed a 15km route on the River Chelmer. The group camped close by the river at
Hoemill Lock and they are now fully prepared to tackle the qualifying
expedition in June where they are
planning to paddle a section of the River Thames from Lechlade to Abingdon.
This is the first year that students in the Removes have been able to take part in the Bronze DoE award following changes to the DoE scheme.
The
expedition section is split into three sections;
training
day,
practice
expedition and qualifying expedition.
Over the Easter break seventy-one pupils completed the training day and
5
Duke of Edinburgh
practice expedition. The school DoE
Old Chigwellians’ Dinner
with girls on one and boys on the other,
Chigwellian
team ran two separate training days
Throughout
initially at school with lectures on
by some sixty Old Chigwellians and
location was Skreens Park near Roxwell unaccompanied 18km walk.
organises
the Lansdowne Club in London attended
The practice expedition included
Old
Over the holidays, there was a dinner at
kilometre walk in the Hainault Country activities
Association
the
keep them in touch with their school.
planning exercises, followed by a 12
where
year,
events to bring O.C.s together and to
equipment, camp craft and route Park area.
the
partners.
an
I would encourage current
Chigwellians to stay in touch when they
leave and to play their part in keeping the O.C. network strong.
6
Epping Forest College
Last term, I was shown around Epping Forest College by the CEO and Principal,
Ms Saboohi Famili. After a difficult period, a great deal of work is going on to
help the College improve and this includes the recruitment of new college
governors. I have attached a letter from Ms Famili explaining more and if you would like to find out about becoming a governor at the College, I know she
would be delighted to hear from you.
YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE NEEDS YOU! Are you committed to seeing the young people in our community c get the best possible education and life opportunities? Do you believe in lifelong learning? And, that academicc pathways are not always the best route to success for some young people? Do you want to live in and support a thriving and vibrant local community? for! If your answer to any or all of these As you probably know, Epping Forest College had a poor Ofsted report last year. The College is improving fast, leaving the shaded past behind and working hard to be the best technical and vocational provider of education in the local community. There T is no question that this is a highly exciting challenge for our newly appointed Senior team m at the College who are adamant about turning the fortunes of the College around and d turning it into an outstanding provider of education by 2020. S 2016. We have I was appointed the new Principal of Epping Forest College in September already started our journey on a pathway to excellence, with green g shoots of success visible throughout our operation and organisation. This is reported in our recent Ofsted visit recently published on the Ofsted website. Within a very short period p of time, we have been able to assess the shortcomings of the College accurately and have h worked with the government agencies to ensure that we respond swiftly and deecisively to the challenges we face. We have a forthright and no-nonsense approach which iss complemented by a passion for excellence and drive to succeed with a caring and compassionate ethos to embed a culture of high expectation and continuous improvement. Our visionary board of governors is determined to support the College in its mission. The Board strongly believes ability to make the difference that is needed. However, we cannot do this alone. W We need the support and help from our community and would like to invite you to join the bo oard off go governors, become a patron of our college or simply join the panel of experts to offeer our learners valuable life and work experience advice. If you choose to join us on our jou urney, you no doubt will be a key player and an instrumental force for good ensuring the future success of your community and your local FE College. mmitted to making a If you have a positive attitude to overcoming obstacles, are com difference to the future of young people and have a fire in your belly to support a very worthwhile project you are the right person for the role. Do you fit the bill? If you are interested, please get in touch via email at future@eefc.ac.uk. We would love to have you on board! Thank you,
Saboohi Famili CEO& Principal | BSc (Eng), PGCE, MA(Ed) Epping Forest College | 020 8502 8701 | 078241 55959 Skype: SaboohiFamili | Saboohi Famili - LinkedIn https://www.justgiving.com/Saboohi-Famili
7
Careers Convention
As I mentioned in my last letter, we will be holding our careers convention on Thursday 20th April. There will be representatives from a range of careers and we hope that students will take the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the potential
opportunities available to them and how they can best make themselves attractive to potential employers. Students from the Upper Fifth should attend but those from the
Sixth Form and other year groups are also very welcome. We are grateful to parents, Old Chigwellians and friends who have given up their time to make this event possible.
Speech Day The programme for Speech Day and its related activities will follow the usual format: Friday 7th July
2.15pm
3.30pm
Saturday 8th July 9.45am
11.30am 2.30pm
Pre Prep, Lower I and Upper I Service in St Mary's Church
Pre Prep, Lower 1 and Upper 1 Garden Party Junior School Service at St Mary's Church
Senior School Service at St Mary's Church
Speeches and Prize Giving in the Marquee
The Guest of Honour at Speech Day this year will be Mrs Johanna Southern O.C.
Having studied Business at university, Jo has spent her career working in marketing in the U.K. and, for the last fifteen years, in California. Having had roles which
included being Vice President (Sales and Marketing) for Duchy Originals, Jo is now a
consultant and a Board Member of the British Benevolent Society. She was also the first female Head of School at Chigwell between 1983 and 1984, and we very much look forward to welcoming Jo and her family back to Chigwell as our Guest of Honour.
The preacher at the services on Saturday morning will be The Reverend Canon Dr Christopher Collingwood who is Canon Chancellor of York Minster but was, until 2009, School Chaplain here. The preacher at the service on Friday afternoon is Reverend Christopher Davis, Rector St John’s Loughton.
8
And Finally
I realise that exams are a feature of this term,
but there are also a great many other events
to look forward to and I will see you all again soon.
With best wishes Yours sincerely
Michael Punt
9
TERM DATES 2017 Trinity Term Half term: Saturday 27th May to Monday 5th June (INSET Day Monday June 5th) Term ends: Wednesday 12th July Michaelmas Term First day: Wednesday 6th September Half term: Saturday 21st October to Sunday 5th November Term ends: Wednesday 13th December