HEADMASTER’S LETTER MARCH 2018
T0 PARENTS
Dear Parents Yet again it has been a busy term and I have enjoyed seeing many of you at the various events that have taken place. Details of some of these are described in the pages that follow.
Contents Page 1 Page 2
Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6
The Big Chill Easter Readathon British Biology Olympiad 2018 Chemists in the Royal Society of Chemistry Analyst Competition UCAS Evening National Engineering Prize for Adrianna Ski Trip Art Trip Festival of the Foreign Word English Trip Cricket Course
Page 7
First World War Battlefields Trip
Page 8
Trip to India
Page 9 Page 10
Music Choral Concert Drama Footbal BBC School Report
Page 11 Page 12
Boys’ Hockey
Page 13
Boys’ Hockey
Page 14
Girls’ Netball
Page 15
Girls’ Netball
Page 16
Girls’ Netball
Page 17
The 18th Annual German Exchange
Page 18
Careers Convention Public Speaking Public Examinations
Page 19
Sixth Form Induction Days Twitter and Facebook Public Acess to Social Media Traffic on the School Site Snow
Page 20
And Finally
Page 21
Message fron the Chaplain
Page 22
Message from Sarah Innocent – Chair of the Friends of Chigwell
Page 23
Message from Sarah Innocent – Chair of the Friends of Chigwell
The Big Chill Easter Readathon Following their reading of Robert
and three fellow students to get involved
thinking about the plight of the homeless.
called The Big Chill. The idea is simple:
in a sponsored read which they have
Swindells’ Stone Cold, 8E have been
students set themselves a personal
Their reading of the novel has focused the
reading goal over the three week Easter
group’s attention on how it might feel to
break and ask friends and family to
be cold, homeless, hungry and afraid. In
sponsor them in achieving their target.
light of the recent snap of cold weather,
Your
the class have been moved to raise funds
son/daughter
might
ask
sponsorship per page, chapter or entire
for Centre Point and they have several
novel read. Sponsorship forms have been
activities planned. Last Friday, they
passed to the children via their form tutors
organised three very successful cake sales
and have also been posted to you on
within the School and they intend to
Gateway. Please help support 8E in their
organise a class sleep out later next term.
goal of raising as much money as possible
Most exciting of all, they are calling on the
for this very worthwhile cause.
help and support of their key stage two
THE BIG CHILLL - Sponsorship Form Curl up with a book this Easter… E and help to fight off the cold d! Raising awareness and funds for Centre Pointt, a charity that provides shelter, support, counselling and education on to vulnerable \RXQJ SHRSOH ZKR ƓQG WKHPVHOYHV ZLWKRXW D KRPH
Your Name:
Title
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Your Form:
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First Line of Address
Postcode
for
Please tick here if you would not like to receive updates by post
1
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Please tick here if you would like to receive our updates E\ HPDLO
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British Biology Olympiad 2018 Three students have won medals in the Biology Olympiad. The competition is an increasingly popular online quiz run by the Society of Biology for Years 12 and 13. Over 7,800 students took part this year including a team of twelve from Chigwell. Particular congratulations go to Jerry Zheng who came in the top 6% of candidates and was awarded a gold medal; Leah Redmond gained a silver medal because she was placed in the top 10% and Leon Raj came in the top 15% and achieved a bronze medal. We are delighted with these results and send our congratulations to all who took part.
Chemists in the Royal Society of Chemistry Analyst Competition
Three Year 12 students worked extremely hard in the regional heat of the RSC Analyst Competition, held at Queen Mary College, University of London. Along with teams from twenty three other schools, A level chemists Poppy Bradley, Catherine Liyanagama and Arjinder Hara took part in a three hour practical including the standardisation of a citric acid solution and its analysis via spectroscopy. Much of this work is degree level chemistry and the students worked extremely hard as a team. Mr Andrew Long, who accompanied the students, was hugely impressed by their professional approach and teamwork.
UCAS Evening
There will be a UCAS evening for pupils in the Lower Sixth and their parents on
Thursday 3rd May, starting at 6.30pm.
2
National Engineering Prize for Adrianna Sixth Form student Adrianna Wojtyna
antibiotic resistance. She hopes that
Engineering Competition for Girls. This
medicine as well as in agriculture. In
her research will find an application in
has won the Talent 2030 National
time, it could also provide a low-cost
is an annual contest which invites girls
method of identifying and targeting
to resolve the world’s most significant
antibiotic therapy.
issues using engineering solutions. All participants were invited to present
their project as a report, website, video
or a poster, showing their innovative
approach or analysis. From over two
hundred projects, forty-one shortlisted entries were selected to present their work
at
the
Birmingham.
Big
Bang
Fair
in
The winners received
awards and certificates and had the
opportunity to showcase their projects to the audience. Adrianna’s solution was recognized by the judges and was
awarded first place in the 17-18 years old category. In her research project, she
combined
nanotechnology
her
and
passion
for
materials
engineering to provide an eco-friendly method of rapid bacteria identification. Using
chemical
engineering
and
spectroscopy, Adrianna wants to help find a solution to one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century, namely
3
Ski Trip
Over half term, twenty seven Year 10 pupils spent a week skiing in Artesina, Italy. They stayed in a hotel adjacent to the slopes and thoroughly enjoyed the ski in, ski out location. The skiers were split into two groups based on ability and experience. The beginners made excellent progress during the week and the group of intermediate skiers had a great time skiing the pistes of Artesina and linking to the neighbouring resorts of Prato Nevoso and Frabosa Soprana. The group were well looked-after by all the staff at the hotel. Each day after skiing they took part in a varied après ski programme including a quiz night, karaoke, tobogganing and celebrating the 54th birthday of the resort of Artesina
4
Art Trip
During February, those studying in the Upper Fifth and Sixth Form visited a number of independent galleries in London. During the trip, pupils were able
to see some of the most interesting and important contemporary art that is being produced today. Living and working close to London we are fortunate that we are able to access some of the world’s most famous and cutting-edge galleries. Visits included Peter Doig at Michael Werner Gallery, Glenn Brown at Gagosian and Minjung Kim at White Cube. The pupils were able to gather lots of interesting images and information that will help them prepare for their upcoming exams.s.
Festival of the Foreign Word
The second annual Festival of the Foreign Word competition took place in the Swallow Library recently. A student was selected to represent each modern language and each had to choose one piece of literature to read in front of the student audience, judges from the modern language department and Governor, Mrs Isobel Peck. Julia Kotlarska represented French, Tej Hindocha represented Spanish and Daniel Trickov represented German. The students were judged on intonation, gesture, fluency and delivery of the piece, in the particular language. At the end of the event Daniel Trickov was announced the winner and will receive his prize on Speech Day.
5
English Trip
A party of nineteen Lower Sixth students travelled to Stratford-on-Avon on Saturday March 10th to see the muchpraised RSC production of Webster’s “The Duchess of Malfi”. The trip, organised by Dr Gillian Groszewski, was most successful as it gave the students a chance to see one of their set works performed. Everyone enjoyed the production which, suitably gruesomely, brought Webster’s masterpiece to life.
Cricket Course As I said in my last letter, we will be running a cricket coaching course for all age groups and abilities during the Easter holiday. The course dates are as follows: Monday 9th, Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th April 2018.
Excellence and Intermediate groups) although this is not essential.
The cost of the three day coaching course is £75 and fees must be paid in advance (cash or cheque) and sent with the application and medical form (available on our website). Attendance can also be daily and the cost is £25 per day. Please indicate on the application form which day/days you are requesting. Cheques should be made payable to “Chigwell Mitre Enterprises Ltd”.
The course will consist of three morning sessions from 10am to 1pm and three afternoon sessions from 2pm to 3.45pm. Participants on the courses should meet at the Dining Hall by 9.45am each morning and it is expected that participants will bring packed lunches. As the programme will involve using outdoor facilities (no indoor facilities will be available for the duration of the course), it is essential that participants bring trainers and a sweater and preferably their own cricket equipment (named) including an initialled tennis ball (full equipment for the School of
Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Tina Page for further information on 020 8501 5711 or email tpage@chigwellschool.org
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First World War Battlefields Trip A group of Year 9 pupils travelled to the First World War battlefields recently. The first day of the tour was centred around the Belgian town of Ypres, a hugely significant place for Britain during and after the war. Whilst on the Salient they visited the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Lijssenthoek, which was strikingly different from the German cemetery they visited later in the day at Langemarck. In between these two visits the pupils entered the trench system at Bayernwald in order to see how the Germans held the advantage of the high ground around Ypres. The group ended the first day at the hugely imposing Menin Gate in the town centre, which lists the names of those who went to the Front but never returned and were never found.
Memorial to the Missing and amongst the 72,000 names is the name of H.B.K. Allpass, another Old Chigwellian. By the panel with his name they left a wreath and heard a poem that he had written himself, alongside one written by a former Headmaster the Revd. Canon Richard Dawson Swallow. It was a memorable trip and the pupils were a credit to the School.
The following day the group were on the Somme and visited some fascinating places including Ulster Tower and the trenches that were left on the 1st July 1916. Closer to home they visited the Delville Wood cemetery where Geoffrey Pain, an Old Chigwellian, is laid to rest. He was only sixteen when he was killed in action on the Somme. They listened to a poem written by J.K. Thurlow, another Old Chigwellian victim of the First World War, as they observed a minute’s silence by his graveside. At the end of the day they visited the imposing Thiepval
7
Trip to India
A party of twelve comprising eight pupils, two parents, Mrs Evelyn Gibbs and Mr David Gower took part in the annual trip to Tamil Nadu to stay in the Saccidananda Ashram and visit the Timothy Pruss memorial School over half term. The pupils spent time reading and speaking English with pupils at the school which has been developed in memory of former pupil Timothy Pruss who died after leaving Chigwell in 2005. They contributed to the entertainment at the school’s prize-giving by dancing and they distributed the prizes. They also visited the social projects supported by the Ashram in local villages and saw first-hand both some of the everyday hardships faced by the poorest in the population and also what can be done to help people out of that poverty. There was also time for a little sightseeing. Despite the heat, the relative lack of luxury and the odd insect, everyone on the trip was prepared to get the most out of it and made it a wonderfully memorable experience.
8
Music
were treated to a variety of genres on guitar, piano, violin, clarinet, drums, voice, French horn, to name just a few, all displaying a wonderful array of creativity.
Chigwell School’s Chapel Choir was selected to perform an extended set at the Youth Makes Music Concert at the Royal Festival Hall in February, and we were fortunate to be allowed to use the magnificent organ played by Simon Winters. Music included works by Charles Wood, James Curnow, and John Rutter. The choir were utterly magnificent gaining resounding ovation and plaudits from those who were lucky enough to hear them. Soloist, Oliver Jackson permeated the Hall in Rutter’s ‘Rise Up Shepherd And Follow’. Along with the Chapel Choir, Krish Gupta (Year 8) dazzled with his electric guitar compilation of well-known hits. Six of our orchestral musicians also performed with the Redbridge Symphony Orchestra, including Yasmin Antoniou as Principal Violinist in Bernstein’s West Story Suite. These young musicians, certainly performed at a level well beyond their young age. Once again the Big Band were asked to perform at the annual Rotary Makes Music Concert for local schools and organisations in New Hall in March. The band was fabulous, hitting the grooves and syncopation as one in an excellent allround performance. The Third Form Prom on the 14th March closely followed by the Upper Two Prom on the 21st March, both displayed a packed programme of musical talent across their years. Parents and pupils
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Choral Concert
Drama
We are looking forward to our forthcoming annual Choral Society Concert which takes place in the stunning setting of Christ Church, Spitalfield’s, on the 28th April. Tickets may be purchased from Eventbrite using the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/springchoral-concert-2018-tickets43970779786?aff=es2
Thursday and Friday evenings last week saw an exceptional series of scripted pieces, both monologues and scenes that the Upper Fifth Drama classes had prepared for this year’s examinations. The Drama Centre was packed both evenings and the audience saw a series of outstanding and moving performances. There was a focus on Greek classical tragedy so the light-hearted excerpts from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “Two Gentleman of Verona”, Neil Simon’s “California Suite” and Patrick Barlow’s zany take on “The Thirty-Nine Steps” came as a welcome relief from the succession of tragic heroines and the blind Oedipus. This is not to say that the audience weren’t moved and awed by the more serious pieces.
A fabulous evening of wonderfully powerful and evocative music, including: Ludwig van Beethoven's Finale to Symphony No.9 featuring the now wellknown and popular European anthem, “Ode to Joy”. Soloists: Soprano - Eleanor Janes, Contralto - Daniela Thomas, Tenor - Alexander Garziglia, Bass - Matthew Duncan. Charles Villiers Stanford's Magnificat in Bb; Schubert's Gott ist mein Hirt. Soloists: Kate Hawes, Maddie Lovett, Sarina Rattan and Yasmin Antoniou.
The winner of Chigwell School’s Young Musician of the Year Competition 2017, Rowan Jones, will perform the famous and popular Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A, K622. Conducted by Howard Ebden.
There will be a bar open during the interval in the beautifully and newly renovated crypt. Drinks can be pre-ordered on the evening.
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Football
BBC School Report
Chigwell School has qualified for the final of the national Independent Schools Football Association Small Schools cup. The U16 semi-final against Bedales School was played at home and Chigwell dominated early possession. After sixty minutes, Amaveer Pawar scored and Ife Oyewole followed moments later. Bedales came back with a goal scored from a long free kick, seconds before the final whistle but the 2-1 victory means that Chigwell will now play Priory in the final at St Georges Park in April. We are very proud of the boys and what they have achieved this year. To get to the final at St George’s Park is a fitting ending to an exceptional season for an extremely talented group and we are very much looking forward to the match on 26th April.
Chigwell joined more than 1000 schools across the country to be part of BBC School Report News Day 2018. Twenty yearsevens and eights, created a forty-minute news programme that reflected their interest in: growing food underground; the UK’S readiness for electric cars; the wisdom of investing in Bit Coins, the consequences of illegal video streaming; the dangers of laser pointers on aircraft and on our eyes; how the Internet has transformed job recruitment in the 21st century and a unique weather forecast from the top of Olympic Park’s ‘Orbit’ in Stratford. Our thanks to the parents, staff, sixth formers, mentors, and the BBC’s Josh Cheetham, (Old Chigwellian), who helped train, support and edit our reporting team. See for yourself: https://gateway.chigwell-school.org/bbcschool-report/2018
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Boys’ Hockey
It has been an extremely busy second half term for the boys’ hockey squads. Despite the weather doing its best to disrupt fixtures and tournaments, matches have been rearranged and played right up until the very end of term. In the Junior School the Lower Two pupils, our youngest age group to play competitive fixtures, have had an outstanding season. Success has been achieved not only through excellent results, with five wins from six matches, but also in terms of participation with every pupil having had the opportunity to represent the School this term. Not to be out-shone by the year below, the Upper Two pupils also have a great deal to be proud of. The U11 boys have grown in confidence as the season progressed culminating in a first class performance at the Essex Tournament. The U11As finished equal on points with Felsted, only be placed as runners-up on goal difference despite only conceding one goal all day during the seven matches played. The boys have progressed to the East Finals at Gresham’s School where they will compete amongst the strongest hockey teams in the region. At the top end of the Junior School both the U12s and U13s continue to make good progress prior to playing eleven aside in the senior school. The U12s performed admirably competing a year young at the Essex U13 tournament whilst the U13s proved, when focused, they can
compete with anyone, being the only team to beat the county winners on the day. There is no doubt the boys have benefited from the additional early morning and lunchtime indoor sessions. At the top end of the school, the 1XIs season has been much disrupted this second half term. Momentum has been difficult to find due to the weather and progress exams, but despite this there have been several
12
Boys’ Hockey
once again has been the outstanding senior team and is establishing a strong reputation on the school circuit. With only one defeat to their name this season, a young squad and a high turnout at afterschool clubs, the future looks very promising for these senior boys. In the middle school, the boys should also be commended on their efforts. The U15 boys competed a year young having qualified for the East Regional Tournament at the University of East Anglia. Ultimately, this proved to be a step too far for the squad but they have gained a great deal of experience competing at this level for the following season. The U14s have also made sound progress. Despite results being a little inconsistent, with a little more self-belief throughout these pupils are capable of competing against any opposition on the school circuit.
encouraging performances, with victories over Aldenham and Royal Hospital Ipswich. Unfortunately, the boys’ HA Plate run came to an end in the 4th round losing to an impressive team from The Perse School. A special mention should also be made of following 1st XI players, Joseph Ahern, Ben Chillingworth and Patrick Duke who have progressed to the U16 National Club finals with Old Loughtonians Hockey Club. The 2nd XI
13
Girls’ Netball
important than how many games they have won. They have had a series of tough fixtures, against Felsted and Saffron Walden County High School (National Finalists), where both teams have acquitted themselves well with some excellent passages of play but not quite playing consistently enough to take the victory. In their U15 Kelsall Tournament, the A and B, like the Senior Girls, faced a very tough pool with Felsted and Highgate. In phases, they played some
Despite the weather caused by ‘The Beast from the East’ and ‘The Beast from the East 2’, the girls throughout the School have maintained a good enthusiasm for netball in the Lent Term.
The senior netball (1st to 4th VII) has been quieter this half term with it being a busy exam season and several cancellations due to bad weather. The 1st to 3rd VII have only played one fixture, which was against Forest School and with a weakened squad, the teams competed well but unfortunately all three teams lost by a narrow margin. With little preparation, the 1st VII then went to the Kelsall Tournament at Brentwood School. This tournament is renowned for attracting strong teams from across the local area. Of their pool of eight teams, Chigwell won three games, drew one and narrowly lost four games by a couple of goals. Despite the lack of preparation, the girls performed superbly well and have bags of potential. I know that with another year of playing together, the addition of some talented Lower Fifth players and better preparation, they will improve upon this year’s performance.
beautiful netball, passing the ball with fluidity and precision down the court but unfortunately lacked a bit of creativity in the shooting circle to capitalise. A special mention needs to go to Josie Gibbins. She has been a superb leader on the court, setting an example for all with her unfaltering work ethic. Other players who have also shown great improvement in their netball include Jessica Manny who has really grown into her defensive position and been a key ball winner in
The U15s have shown vast improvement this year, which is not necessarily reflected in their results. Both the A and B team have worked cohesively and have been better at supporting each other on the court, which in some respects is more
14
Girls’ Netball
matches, and Alissia Nicolas who has been a great utility player used across both teams.
Holly Hartwell has been a star player for the team, listening to instruction and executing accordingly in games.
The U14s have been very successful this year, with the A team setting the bar for all other netball teams. They have followed up their achievements at the regional tournament with wins at Felsted, Bancroft’s and St. Edmund’s, establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in our fixtures calendar. As a group of players, they have shown a mature
Whilst the senior netball has been good this term, the Junior School have stolen the show this half term with tremendous performances from the U13, U12 and U11s at their respective IAPS Tournaments.
The U13s were unfortunately knocked out of the ISNC Plate by a well-drilled Woodhouse Grove, but have clearly learnt a lot during this competition, which they took forward to their IAPS Tournament at Felsted. Under the guidance of Mrs Lawrence, the girls qualified from their pool with some great performances, beating quality opposition. They ended the tournament with a nail biting 6th qualification spot play-off against the hosts Felsted. The game was an evenly matched and competitive affair with the teams successfully keeping score with each other. In the end, Felsted managed
approach to playing; everyone understands their role and the part they play in the team’s success, which they do not measure in minutes but what they do on the court. The B team has had a good season too and Mrs Ahern has been very complimentary of their attitude to playing and the improvements that both the team and particular individuals have made.
15
Girls’ Netball
progressing any further. The Captain Isabel Iley played an excellent tournament, adopting several different positions, demonstrating her versatility.
to achieve and maintain a two-goal lead, ending up 7-5 winners. Even though they lost, the girls had an extremely positive tournament and demonstrated the quality of juniors coming through the ranks. Naisha Pala and Alannah Foskett were some of the stars of the tournament, forming an excellent defensive partnership, making key turnovers, and launching some great attacks.
The U11s have been the consistent performers in fixtures this year. Both A and B teams have won the majority of their fixtures and enjoyed good success. On the same day midway through the half term, both teams had tournaments, the A team were at IAPS and the B team at the Bancroft’s tournament. The B team played well, finishing runners-up in the Cup competition. The A team had a dominant performance at the IAPS qualifier, finishing second in their pool, narrowly losing a few games to finish in this position. They went on to play off for one of the six qualifying spots. In the qualification matches, they showed their determination and fight, taking the last qualification spot. At the finals, the girls again, played extremely well. They won three pool games and only narrowly lost their other pool games. They were excellent representatives of the School, being competitive in every match and demonstrating both tenacity and humility. They were extremely disappointed not to progress to play-offs, but to put their achievements in perspective there were 240 that have entered their age group and they got through to top 50. So well done girls!
The U12s have really impressed the games staff this season with their commitment to training. They have been a delightful bunch to train and take to fixtures. We have fielded A-E teams consistently with all girls really engaging in their fixtures. They have achieved mixed results in their games but always maintained an excellent team spirit. The U12s entered IAPS Netball too, finishing middle in their pool and unfortunately not
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The 18th Annual German Exchange Chigwell pupils travelled to Hamburg for the eighteenth annual German exchange over half term. During their stay they went to school with their exchange partners and visited the city of Hamburg itself. Other trips took them to the world’s biggest model railway, the Arriba adventure swimming pool and the chocolate museum where pupils had the chance to make their own chocolate bars in the ‘Chocoversum’. In addition, pupils had the opportunity to visit the city of Bremen where they enjoyed the science museum in particular. We are pleased that our German friends have returned for their visit Liebe Freunde – willkommen in Chigwell!“
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Careers Convention
Public Speaking
As I said in my last letter, on Wednesday 18th April, we will once again be holding our annual careers convention. As always, the aim of this is to help older students consider the possible future career options that are available to them and the evening enables them to meet representatives from different employment areas. We have a wide range of careers being represented this year including architecture, neurosurgery, the travel industry, banking, herbalism, international gas and oil exploration, bioinformatics, real estate, law, education and pharmacology to name but a few. We have representatives on hand to discuss university applications, requirements needed for specific careers, alternatives to university (degree apprenticeships etc.) and suitability of career choices.
Congratulations to all those who participated in this year’s Middle School Public Speaking Competition. Topics included eliminating plastics, consumerism, Syria, Islam, and Amazon’s dominance. Congratulations to Ziyad Chaudhary who spoke on ‘belief’ and Zain Raja who spoke on ‘teachers’ who were joint winners as speakers, to Tilly Scarborough for presenting and Orin Daniel for his vote of thanks.
Public Examinations Students in the Middle Sixth and Upper Fifth are advised to print a copy of their finalised summer timetable and place it in a prominent position at home, such as on the fridge. The exam timetables have been available on both the Pupil and Parent Portals since the start of the Lent Term. This will help them to know exactly when their exams are taking place and avoid problems. Apart from listening exams, all take place in the Sports Hall. Morning exams start at 9am and afternoon exams start at 1.30pm. After the Easter break, any students who have an exam clash will be seen on an individual basis and handed a letter stating the new order of examinations.
Upper Fifth pupils have been considering their A level choices and this event presents an excellent opportunity to discuss which subjects may be essential or desirable for particular careers. For those in the Sixth Form, the event presents an opportunity to discuss degree courses and postgraduate training within the careers that students may be considering. The evening will start in New Hall at 7pm and should end by 8.45pm.
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Sixth Form Induction Days A reminder that the Sixth Form induction day will be on Tuesday 3rd July when students will be given a taste of the work that they will be covering in their chosen A level subjects. This is an important day in itself but also the occasion when a unit of A level work is set to be completed over the summer holidays.
Twitter and Facebook Don’t wait for our end of term newsletter to find out about the daily events at our school; follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Please click on the links at the top of our website.
Pupil Access to Social Media
You may have read that Ministers are looking at limiting the time which teenagers can access social media sites, with many children between the ages of 12 and 15 spending twenty hours or more online. Please continue to monitor children’s time on devices and ensure that they are separated from their phones, laptops etc. well before they go to bed.
Traffic on the School Site
As we know, at certain times the school car parks do get congested. We would be very grateful if all parents could park in the allocated spaces and work with the support staff who try to manage the traffic to keep children safe
Snow
As I said in my Chigwell post message, I am very grateful to all the parents, pupils and staff who made it in despite the Beast From the East. In particular, we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated team of support staff and because they worked so hard to clear the snow, we were able to open as normal. However, I hope warmer weather is on its way.
19
And Finally
GCSE and A level candidates will want to use the three weeks of the Easter
holidays well, to balance time for revision
with that needed for relaxation. Effective use of the next three weeks will not guarantee top grades but the chance of
top grades can be lost if time is wasted. Ultimately, we want pupils to know that
they have done their very best and to be proud of whatever they have achieved
I hope you all have a very happy Easter and I wish those pupils and staff who are
participating in the trips to CERN and Iceland, and those who are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions in
Skreens Park, on the River Chelmer and
in the North Downs a happy, safe and successful time. I look forward to seeing
you all next term which begins with a week B.
With best wishes Yours sincerely
Michael Punt
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Message from the Chaplain Lent term has flown through with a number of changes to the Chapel. Last year I spoke to Miss Wales about the possibility of creating a ‘Triptych’ for the Chapel altar. In medieval times these would have been a set of three panels, painted or carved with bible stories and pictures relevant to the local community. The Art Club worked over the Michelmas Term and produced a series of stunning images which have been put together into three dramatic panels on the altar. The original artwork is displayed at the back of Chapel. The images are taken from activities and places around school and include references to the Chapel as a war memorial and a place of worship for the whole school community.
house and now hope to build a second. This will make a significant impact on the local community around the Ashram which we look forward to seeing when students visit again next February.
In February a number of students went on the annual trip to the Saccidananda Ashram in Southern India. They came back with an ambitious plan to raise money to build a house for one of the very poor families they had met. Charlotte JamesPajwani, Sophia Mouzourides and Deetya Patel spoke in Chapel on behalf of the whole group and organised a non-uniform day on March 23rd. The proceeds will go towards the building work. Information about the project was sent home and I am delighted to report that thanks to the generosity of a number of parents we have already raised the money for the planned
Easter is now firmly in everyone’s sights and after a busy term the school community is looking forward to a wellearned break.
I hope you all have a happy and blessed holiday. The Chaplain
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Message from Sarah Innocent – Chair of the Friends of Chigwell Well, what a year we have had so far! 2018 kicked off with some lovely events, Pre Prep Film Night, New Year Music Concert, Pop Up Mother’s Day shop, a theatre trip to the amazing Kinky Boots (the snow didn’t put us off), we hosted the bar for the Old Chigwellians 150th Anniversary Dinner and just last weekend we enjoyed the most fabulous Bollywood Ball….to name but a few!
ranged from an early morning essential tea cup and saucer accompanied by biscuits to an evening essential, an ornate wine glass! It was clear to see that the children enjoyed having the independence to choose a gift and card for their Mum and we hope all of the Mums enjoyed receiving a very well-deserved present. The Pre Prep enjoyed a film night in January where they had milk and a cookie followed by Pixar Mini Movies. Mini movies for mini people. Thoroughly enjoyed by one and all.
Our Pre Loved Uniform shop continues to be extremely popular and we are striving to open for two sessions per month. Dates and opening times will be posted via Chigwell Post parent mails, in the Chronicle and within the FoC pages of the Chigwell School website. To date takings from the Pre Loved shop are approaching £2,500. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made a donation. Please do keep them coming. Drop off points are at any of the school receptions with Mrs Horn in the Pre Prep, Mrs Lee at the Junior School and Mrs Scannell in the Senior School. All sizes and ages are most welcome, good quality, clean and with any name badges removed please.
Shrove Tuesday saw the FoC host the bar at the Old Chigwellians 150th anniversary dinner. This is an important annual event where 120 Old Chigwellians join the school for dinner. This year we hosted them in the in the newly refurbished Dining Hall and they enjoyed an evening together to catch up and reminisce. Despite the snow, the show went on and a group of avid theatre goers ventured into town and were treated to an amazing musical extravaganza at Kinky Boots, a must see if you haven’t already. Keep your eyes peeled for further theatre dates throughout the year. Dream Girls is our next trip on 3rd May – date for the diary. Visit Dreamgirlswestend.com to see more.
The Mothers’ Day pop-up shop was a really lovely event hosted for the Junior School. It was so wonderful to see the children choose just the right gift for Mum. Gifts
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Message from Sarah Innocent – Chair of the Friends of Chigwell The Bollywood Ball on March 17th was an Indian extravaganza! Kanchans restaurant was the amazing venue, generously donated by Chigwell Parents, Peter Baxi and Deepak Sharma. Their help and generosity made this wonderful evening possible. Parents, teachers, friends and the Headmaster enjoyed a sumptuous meal, drinks and many were even seen trying out the Bollywood dancing! A huge success all round and an event that the FoC, Mr Baxi and Ms Sharma would love to host again in the future. All in an excellent cause too as all profits are going towards a new adventure playground in the Junior School.
Finally, we would like to thank you for your continued generous support. Since September 2017, we have managed to raise over £15,000 which is a really fantastic achievement. We are so very lucky at Chigwell School to have such generous and involved families and none of this would have been possible without the support of each and every one of you. It is hugely appreciated.
Thank you from all of the FoC Team and best wishes to you all for a happy and restful Easter holiday.
Pre prep and Junior Easter Egg Hunt - on the final day of school we will host the annual Easter Eggs hunt where a very special guest comes to visit….The children love this annual event and this year the FoC have donated eggs to both the Pre Prep and Junior School for the children to enjoy the thrill of the Easter egg hunt before heading for their well-earned Easter break.
New events continue to be discussed with the School, if there is anything you would like to suggest, donate, or just raise with us please let us know foc@chigwellschool.org. You would also be most welcome to attend any of the future FoC meetings. Please email us for dates and further information.
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TERM DATES 2018 Trinity Term (Easter Day is 1st April) First day: Wednesday 18th April Half term: Saturday 26th May to Sunday 3rd June INSET Day Monday June 4th Term ends:
Wednesday 11th July