HEADMASTER’S LETTER
T0 PARENTS
CHIGWELL SCHOOL
MARCHÂ 2015
Dear Parents Many pupils, and I suspect parents, will be exhausted at the end of this week, packed full of high quality events at the end of another busy term. The following pages give a taste of some of the highlights but, as always, thank you to the pupils who continue to take advantage of so many opportunities and to parents who support them in all that they do.
Contents Page 1
Trip to India
Page 2
Trip to Iceland
Page 3
German Exchange Physics Olympiad
Page 4
Choral Concert
Page 5
Music
Page 6 Page 7
London Philharmonia Chorus English Department Activities Scouts
Page 8
Girls’ Netball
Page 9
Girls’ Netball
Page 10
Boys’ Hockey
Page 11
Boys’ Hockey
Page 12
Dance Showcase
Page 13
Dance Showcase
Page 14
Drama School Shop Staff News Alice Melvin
Page 15
Middle School Public Speaking Competition Joseph Klein
Page 16
The Howard and Mitchell Essay Competition
Page 17
Chigwell Open Art, Design and Technology Exhibition
Page 18
Careers Convention Public Examinations Upper Fifth Leavers
Page 19
Holiday Activity Courses at Chigwell School
Page 20
And Finally...
Page 21
Chapel
Trip to India Fifteen pupils, parents, teachers and
through the Bede Griffiths Charitable
members of the Bede Griffiths Charitable
Trust, makes a real difference to people’s
Trust flew to India for the February Half
lives. Another highlight of the trip was
Term. The group stayed in the beautiful
when the group was privileged to be
surroundings
Saccidananda
guests of honour at the Bless School
Ashram. This year there was much to see
cultural evening, a primary school funded
as Chigwell School’s fundraising for the
by the Trust. Chigwell pupils also had a
Trust was very much in evidence. They
chance to participate in some teaching at
visited the new modern house that has
the school. When the group flew back via
been built to replace a very basic
Sri Lanka, they were again guests of
structure, a new school hall and a
honour at a school that had links to a
refurbished Old People’s Home.
This
Chigwell family. This was an experience
area of Tamil Nadu is wonderfully vibrant
that will stay with the participants for the
but also very poor and the contribution
rest of their lives. It was a real privilege to
made by the Chigwell community,
be welcomed like this!
of
the
1
Trip to Iceland Geography A level students visited Iceland
930AD which is scoured by the Mid-Atlantic
during half term to bring to life the
Ridge. Rift valleys were clearly visible where
geographical features and processes they
the Eurasian and North American tectonic
have studied within the subject. On the first
plates pull apart at around 2cm a year.
day the students visited the Blue Lagoon,
However, the most stunning part of the trip
the popular geothermal spa of crystal clear
was Solheimajokull (which means ‘sun
water which is the only site on Earth where
house glacier’); this is one of several outlets
it is possible to swim in water all year round,
from the Myrdalsjokull icecap and is located
at a temperature of 40 °C. The group visited
in a valley that extends 8km. It has been
two stunning waterfalls and a geyser
retreating since the end of the 19th century
situated in the south-west of Iceland that
at a rate of around 100m per year but the
has been active for over 10,000 years. Other
heavy snow on the day made it one of the
popular attractions during the visit included
most picturesque views the students had
Thingviller, the national park where
ever seen.
Iceland’s parliament was established in
2
German Exchange Chigwell pupils participated in the fifteenth
Hamburg. Other highlights of the trip
annual German exchange in record
included a visits to the ‘Arriba’ adventure
numbers. The exchange takes place with
swimming pool, the Maritime Museum in
our partner school in Hamburg and it was a
Hamburg, the Salt Museum in the medieval
great success, this year involving forty
town of Lüneburg and, of course, making
pupils, the youngest being in Year 7.
chocolate bars in the ‘Chocoversum’. Now
During their stay in Germany the group
the pupils are looking forward to
spent half a day at school, together with
welcoming their German partners for the
their exchange partners, which gave our
return to Chigwell.
students an idea of school life in the state of
Physics Olympiad Congratulations to Bianca Andrei who has
stage of the competition in the last three
made it through to the final stages of the
years, and she is only in her first year of
prestigious Physics Olympiad competition.
studying the subject at A level. Good Luck
Having already been successful in two
Bianca!
extremely challenging written tests, Bianca has now been selected to join 15 other students from around the country to take part in the final stage of the selection process for the team of six that will go on to represent Britain in the International Physics Olympiad this summer. Bianca is the second of our students to reach this
3
Choral Concert The resplendent Nicholas Hawksmoor’s
woven tapestry of Mozart’s writing was
(1661-1736) Christ Church, Spitalfields
clearly delineated by the voices. A
was the venue for the 2015 Choral
highlight of the evening was of course
Concert. The evening opened with the
the use of our own choristers as the
beautiful, soothing and healing sounds
soloists required; Requiem aeternam
of
Lullaby,
and Communio, Lux aeterna: Maddie
performed with an ethereal dreamlike
Lovett; Tuba mirum: Brooke Newton,
quality by the Chapel Choir. There then
Alice Melvin, James Botcher, Lucas
followed
exhilarating
Abrami-Gill; Recordare: Kate Hawes,
performance of Beethoven’s Piano
Hana Edwards, James Botcher, Adam
Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37 by Katie
Melvin; Domine Jesu Christe: Lara
Marshall (O.C.), (now in her first year
Hobbis, Alice Melvin, Gopal Kambo,
studying medicine at Christ Church,
Jusden Halabi and Benedictus: Sarah
Oxford). The standing ovation and
Chamberlain, Rhea Gupta, James Botcher
rapturous reception that greeted the
Adam
final chords were nothing more than her
without a doubt demonstrated a wealth
performance deserved.
of musical maturity and academic
Eric
Whitacre’s
a
Seal
musically
Melvin.
Their
performances
conscientiousness and gave all an
The Choral Society raised the standards
unprecedented experience of the power
to new heights with a masterful and
of music for both listeners and performers
commanding presentation of Mozart’s
alike.
Requiem in D minor, K626. The richly
4
Music Both Upper Two and Third Form have held
Following a most successful Choral Concert,
their Prom Concerts this half term and both
the Chapel Choir made their debut solo
have proved exceptional in terms of quality
performance at Royal Festival Hall on
and breadth of musical performance. So
London’s Southbank on Sunday 22nd March,
many pupils have taken the opportunity to
singing Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque and
perform solo, duets and trios that it is
Stanford’s The Blue Bird (soloist: Kate
impossible to single out any one in particular.
Hawes). They represented the School with
All pupils must be congratulated.
great distinction.
5
London Philharmonia Chorus Two of Chigwell's Music Scholars, Max
works in venues, such as Kings College
Albert and James Botcher, have been
Cambridge, the Barbican Hall and the
admitted into the London Philharmonia
Royal Albert Hall. They may also work
Chorus. Aside from singing in various
in conjunction with other choruses,
choirs inside school, the two sixth
including the Swedish Radio Choir. Both
formers
level
Max and James have achieved Grade 8
commitments against the demands of
with Distinction for their singing, under
additional choral singing in and around
the tuition of Chigwell singing teacher,
London. They now have the opportunity
Danny Thomas.
balance
their
A
to regularly participate in great choral
6
English Department Activities by their favourite books and constructing ‘Book boxes’ (a book brought to life inside a shoe box). The Removes produced some great Book Spine Poems, the lines for which had to be derived from novels they had read and enjoyed; an example of one is printed below:
In English, pupils have had a very busy term with theatre trips for the Fourth Form who saw Shakespeare in Love, the Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth groups who saw A View from the Bridge, and a visiting theatre group who introduced the Third Form to the Bard with their Shakespeare Live! show plus a special Q and A session on their set text ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Annabel O’Reilly and Will Weightman represented the School at Andrew Motion’s Poetry By Heart Regional Final in which Will was highly commended. In addition, the Festival of the Spoken Word was a highlight of the term.
‘I’d tell you I love you but then I’d have to kill you,’ said the uncommon criminal,’ She was a perfect scoundrel, Part of the heist society. Her next mission is enclosed in 13 little blue envelopes, She has to rescue the girl with the broken wing.
World Book Day was also celebrated in the Senior School with the Third Form and Fourth Form creating Haiku poetry inspired
By Nari Gould.
Scouts The Chigwell scouts have had another busy few months. Earlier in the term, they spent the night on HMS Belfast and last weekend, some scouts had their first taste of cold camping. The overnight weather certainly lived up to the title of the event.
7
Girls’ Netball The second half of the netball season has been very busy with all age groups taking part in a number of tournaments. The 1st VII have continued to be successful and they have had some very exciting and closely fought matches. Many of these players are also part of the U16 squad who have played against new
team work. A special mention must go
opposition such as Latymer Upper
to Alisha Evans, who unfortunately
School, where they pulled back the score
suffered a serious ankle injury at a tournament whilst representing the 1st
VII. We are looking forward to seeing Alisha back to sport in the future and line in the last minute to lose only 23-22.
wish her well during her recovery.
This season we have also had large 2nd
The 1st VII, U15 and U13 squads took
and 3rd VII squads who have played
part in the Kelsall tournament at
encouraging netball and consistently
Brentwood School. Although all three
demonstrated their enthusiasm and
teams played skilful netball, the U13
8
Girls’ Netball team did very well, losing only two
In addition, the U11A and B teams took
matches, finishing third overall. This
part in the Bancroft’s tournament with
followed their third place result at IAP’s
the U11B team finishing in a fantastic
alongside the U12 squad who also
sixth position and the U11A finishing in
finished third in their group, just
eighth position out of thirty. The U11A
missing out on the national finals.
also attended the New Hall
Tournament
where they reached the final of the cup competition
against
Alleyn Court winning 13-2. The U10s will be looking to match this result when they take The U15 and U14 squads have played in
part in the tournament
a number of matches and once again
later on in the year.
they have continued to perform well. The U14s will carry on the Chigwell
A number of the Chigwell pupils will be
tradition and take part in the Georgia
attending county trials in April, looking
Cordery Netball Cup at the end of the
to be part of the county or regional
term. The Chigwell girls always take
academies. A high number of pupils
great pride in participating at this
have continued to join local clubs in
tournament whilst supporting the
order
charity on the day.
encouraging participation both in and
to
develop
out of Chigwell.
their
skills,
They will then be
preparing over the summer break for the Disney Netball tour to Orlando, Florida in October 2015, which will give them a fantastic opportunity to play against teams from all over the world and to learn new skills in the ESPN arena.
9
Boys’ Hockey
It has once again been a fantastic year for boys’ hockey.
champions Whitgift School. Despite a
At the top of the
resilient and whole-hearted performance,
School, the 1st XI progressed to the
the team lost 5-2 to an extremely talented opposition and we now wish them the best of luck in the later stages of the competition. The 2nd XI, made up entirely of Lower Sixth and Upper Fifth pupils (the majority of which
fourth Round of School’s Hockey Association Cup Competition. Following an impressive 3-2 away win to an experienced Ipswich team, the squad were drawn against defending
10
Boys’ Hockey
are travelling to South Africa on hockey
Following the seniors’ example, Junior
Tour this summer), continued to make
School hockey at Chigwell continues to
excellent strides forward resulting in
flourish. Representative opportunities
only one defeat throughout the entire
have increased, with the fixture list
season. Whilst in the middle school, the
now offering regular ABC fixtures, attendance at extra-curricular clubs has
U15 and U14 squads have shown a
grown, whilst the number of pupils
great deal of potential, producing
playing hockey outside school are at
several memorable excellent matches,
their highest levels in recent years. A
most notably against Aldenham and
special mention should be made of the
Haileybury.
U13 boys who narrowly missed on qualification to the National Finals following their performance at the regional IAPS tournament and the U12s team who competed a year young at the U13 Essex Tournament.
11
Dance Showcase
12
Dance Showcase
The 2015 Chigwell School Dance Show saw 61 pupils from Year 1 through to Year 8 performing a variety of dance pieces from ballet, to tap, to Indian, Rumba and Tango, Cha Cha Cha and contemporary.
There
were
solo
performances from eight pupils which all engaged the audience throughout. Sunderani Sharma with an exquisite traditional Indian dance. The large group performance from the Junior School Dance Club was fun and energetic and included 20 pupils from Year 3 to Year 6. It was a pleasure to have pupils from the Pre Prep involved this year. Their performances were outstanding and each one drew breaths Joshua Copsey held the audience in
from the crowd and rapturous clapping
silence with his tap routine without
and cheering on completion. As always
music and Rosie Beckley who finished
Andy Lewis's technical support was
the show delighted everyone with her
invaluable and brought the whole show
ballet on pointe. Further solos came
together. All money raised is being
from Alexandra Scott with a beautifully
donated to Smiles with Grace and The
choreographed ballet piece and
Chigwell Riding Trust.
13
Drama This half of term, the Drama department has been busy with GCSE and A Level plays. The Upper Fifth performed their fourth and final set of plays on 18th March. This was a real festival of drama with five half hour plays devised and created by the students themselves. Candidates offered costume, make up, set design, light, sound and, of course, acting, all employed with impressive skill to explore a range of themes from missing people to holidaying in Ibiza! The AS Drama group performed two plays on 25th March: “The Wonderful World of Dissocia” by Anthony Neilson and Eurypides’ “Medea”. The latter play was disturbingly recast in Nazi Germany with stunning costumes by Ellie Jackson. Outstanding
performances
were
achieved by both casts to create a really entertaining and thought provoking evenings’ theatre. Well done to all.
School Shop
Alice Melvin
Over the Easter break, the School Shop
We send our congratulations to Alice
will be open from 10am to 3pm daily.
Melvin who captained the Essex County U16 team as they won their matches to
Staff News
become East champions – a marvellous
Our congratulations go to Mrs Vanessa
achievement!
James and her husband Ian on the arrival of their third son, Edward Arthur.
14
Middle School Public Speaking Competition
Joseph Klein Chigwell students are encouraged to gain work experience in the holidays. Joseph Klein in the Lower Sixth may study
In the tradition of past competitions, the
Politics or a related subject at university
standards in the Middle School Public
and he arranged work experience over
Speaking Competition were very high
half term with the MP for Bedford,
and the results were the closest for many years.
Richard Fuller. As part of his experience,
The topics ran from media
he was included in a meeting with the Rt.
distortion, to slang, to the political
Hon. Chris Grayling MP, Lord Chancellor,
landscape of today. The adjudicators,
about the problems caused by new
Miss Janey Foster and Mr Andy Stubbs, praised
the
speakers
for
arrangements for magistrates courts. In
their
addition, the Prime Minister came to
consistently high standards in both
Bedford to announce the Marriage Tax
delivery and content. The winners were: Aimee-Lee
Nguyen
(chair);
Allowance and Joseph was specifically
Owen
invited to attend the private press
McCausland (speaker) – “The rise of
conference with SkyNews where he had
emerging parties in Europe”; and Pena
the chance to meet with David Cameron.
Iiyambo (vote of thanks). Several other speakers were commended, including Michael Chamberlain who was judged runner-up and Tanu Kugathasan, who gave a highly entertaining speech on slang. Only one mark separated the first three placings with Caswall’s first with 55, Lambourne second with 54 ½ and and Penn’s with 54. Swallow’s came fourth.
15
The Howard and Mitchell Essay Competition Essay
Highly commended: Adam Keiller "To
Competition is a longstanding Chigwell
what extent is interstellar and deep
School essay competition for the Lower
space travel accomplishable by man?”
Sixth. Entrants research and write an
The judges gave many hours of reading and
The
Howard
and
Mitchell
essay on whatever they want, over the
careful deliberation: for the Howard, Mr
last two terms of the Lower Sixth and
Graham Dixon (school governor and
the summer holiday. EPQ essays are
Managing Editor of BBC Radio 3), Head of
entered as well. The essays are judged by
Politics Mr Simon Pepper and Head of
separate panels. It is a great opportunity
English Mrs Emma Rea, and, for the
for this year group to get their teeth into
Mitchell, Ms Deborah Cohen (Editor Science
some serious research as they prepare
Radio, at the BBC), Head of Maths Mr Shakil
for university admission. The depth of
Chaudhary
knowledge they gain stands them in
and
Senior
Laboratory
Technician Mr Derek Wyatt-Barrett.
good stead for personal statements and
On 24th February the two winners gave
interviews.
presentations on their essays, to a
Howard Essay
packed Library, and impressed everyone
(humanities & social sciences):
particularly with the way they handled
Winner: Gaby Leadbeater "Is the
some tricky questions. There then
enduring literary cliché of love as war,
followed the annual Howard and
as expounded by classical authors, fair?"
Mitchell Prizewinners’ Dinner, with some tricky table questions, and an excellent
Highly commended: Sarah Chamberlain
speech on the evils of continuing sexist
"Is Syria doomed by its past?"
attitudes
Mitchell Essay (sciences and maths):
in
universities
and
workplace from Felicity Osborn (OC).
Winner: Hugo Blogg "The Duckworth-Lewis method: is it time for it to be given out?"
16
the
Chigwell Open Art, Design and Technology Exhibition On Saturday 28th February, the private
of young people and their teachers. All
view of the Chigwell Open Art, Design
the
and Technology Exhibition took place
framed, giving the exhibition a uniform
and was attended by around 250 families
and professional appearance.
and friends of the local young exhibiting
Mrs Claire Tilbrook, Head of Junior Art,
artists.
This was the eighteenth
exhibition,
where
maintained
two-dimensional
exhibits
are
Design and Technology, said, "It was
and
delightful to see the joy on the artists'
independent schools are invited to
faces when they attended the Saturday
submit up to six pieces of 2D or 3D work,
morning exhibition private view, and to
without restrictions on size or medium.
share the pleasure of their families and
So far, we have succeeded in exhibiting
schools.
every piece of work submitted. There is
We have had a bumper
response this year, with twenty five
no theme to the exhibition, or prizes; its
schools submitting work!�.
aims are to celebrate the achievements
17
Careers Convention
Public Examinations
On Thursday 23rd April,
Students in the Middle Sixth, Lower
we will once again be
Sixth and Upper Fifth are advised to print
holding our annual careers
a copy of their finalised summer
convention.
As always,
timetable and place it in a prominent
the aim of this is to help
position at home, such as on the fridge.
older students consider
The exam timetables are available, as
the possible future
previously, on both the Pupil and Parent
career options
Portals.
that
exactly when their exams are taking
are
This will help them to know
available to
place and avoid problems. Apart from
them and to allow
listening exams, all take place in the
them to hear about different
Sports Hall. Morning exams start at 9am
employment areas from those working in
and afternoon exams start at 1.30pm. If
various areas. We are keen to represent
your son/daughter has an exam clash
as many fields as possible and would be
then they will be seen on an individual
delighted to hear from parents from
basis and handed a letter stating the new
across the School who would be prepared
order of examinations.
to represent their area of work.
place after the Easter break.
The
This will take
format of the evening is: 6.00pm
Welcome and buffet for all
Upper Fifth Leavers
advisors in the Swallow 7.00pm 8.45pm
Room Coffee Shop
We hope that pupils in the Upper Fifth
Arrival of parents and
will choose to continue their education at
pupils in New Hall
Chigwell in the Sixth Form, subject to achieving
Evening concludes
the
necessary
grades.
However, should you decide that your
If you would be prepared to help by
son or daughter will be moving to
attending what is invariably a very
another school, please remember that
pleasant evening, please e-mail Mrs Sue
we do need to have a term’s notice in
Lee (slee@chigwell-school.org) with
writing. The deadline for written notice is
details of the area that you would be
Monday 20th April.
willing to represent.
18
Holiday Activity Courses at Chigwell School Easter cricket coaching course for all age
Chigwell School is delighted to announce
groups and abilities run by Mr Frank
a new holiday music course on 9th, 10th
Griffith, Master in Charge of Cricket (ex
and 11thApril between 9.30 – 4.30pm.
Derbyshire CCC). Course dates are
MyBand is a popular Song writing,
Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th and
Playing, Recording and Performing
Friday 17th April 2015. More information
holiday course for 11 - 17 year olds.
and booking form are available on the
Ability is not the criteria. We recommend
School website.
that you book early, as places are limited. For further information and
Barracudas multi-activity day camp for
booking
children aged 4½ to 16 years. Open
details
please
visit
www.mybandmusic.co.uk.
Easter 30th March to 10th April and
For more information on any of these
summer 27th July to 28th August 2015 www.barracudas.co.uk or call 0845 123
courses please visit the School website:
5299. Parents of Chigwell School will
http://www.chigwell-
receive an extra £5 off per week booked
school.org/whats_on/Pages/Activities-
if they quote code HSCHIG at the time of
Courses.aspx
booking. The Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy and International Netball Roadshow are coming to Chigwell School in May Half term (27th to 29th May). The 3 day coaching courses are for children of
all
abilities
and
International
Netball and Cricket stars will visit the course! For more information visit www.activatepsort.co.uk
19
And Finally Over the Easter break, there will be a study trip to Nice for twelve members of the Senior School. They will spend time in a French school as well as sampling some of the cultural delights of the French Riviera. There will also be some Duke of Edinburgh training. We wish everyone a safe and successful trip. Meanwhile, the sight of daffodils in bloom is a hint that both spring and public exams are around the corner. Many students in the top end of the School have been working very hard but we appreciate that some are feeling anxious. The trick is to keep well-planned, purposeful revision going over the holidays, but to build in some rest as well. If they have concerns, please do continue to encourage pupils of any age to get in touch. With best wishes Yours sincerely
Michael Punt
20
Chapel Much has been said and written recently about
teaches that failure is the springboard to self-
teenage mental health. Most will be aware of
understanding, the springboard to greater
the fact that pressures on teenagers today are
knowledge and wisdom.
probably greater than ever before. Teenagers face pressure to conform to stereotypical images
The Easter Story is the story of human frailty.
of the human body which are often “doctored”
Peter the strongest disciple is the one who
in order to present perfect skin, perfect body
denies that he even knows Jesus.
shape with idealised lifestyles. They face high
disciples “run away” when confronted with the
expectations in terms of their academic
reality of arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
performance where anything below the top
These same individuals, including Thomas who
grade is seen as failure. They are expected to be
refuses to believe the resurrection, need to be
surrounded by friends with a full social life
reminded that the core of life is not what they do
displayed on Facebook. Then there are the
or say it is that they are loved and precious
extras, particular talents and abilities that are
despite what they do and say. It is this
seen as cool, these range from a sense of
unconditional love which enables us to go from
humour to sporting skills.
failure to achieve great things.
In the face of these pressures very few, if any,
The one thing that teenagers need to know is
feel that they can live up to these expectations.
that
The result is that we have an increasing number
unconditionally. That you accept them for who
of young people who are not happy with who
they are not who you want them to be. That you
they are. Individuals who feel that they need to
will provide the foundation of love and security
change something about themselves in order to
in which they can grow in self-confidence, in
be accepted, to be special. The result ranges
order to face the world rejoicing in their gifts and
from eating disorders to self-harming.
abilities, their looks and character. With this
you,
their
parents,
love
All the
them
foundation they can face triumph and disaster knowing that you will always be there for them.
How do we as parents and as young people deal with this onslaught? Despite its low profile
Who ever said that parenting was easy!
religious faith does have much to teach. It teaches that we are made in the image of God;
May I wish you and your families a very happy
that each individual is precious and unique; and,
Easter holiday.
that God creates beauty in diversity. It is our differences that make us beautiful. Faith also
Father Simon
21
Term Dates 2015 Trinity Term First day: Monday 20th April Half term: Saturday 23rd May to Sunday 31st May (INSET day Monday 1st June) Term ends: Wednesday 8th July 2015 Michaelmas Term First day: Thursday 3rd September Half term: Saturday 17th October to Sunday 1st November Term ends: Wednesday 16th December