CGA News The Wellbeing Issue
A Message From the Headteacher Dear Parents,
3rd February 2017
NHS 5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing
Supporting Children’s Mental Health Week 6th-12th Feb
1. Connect connect with the people around you: your family, friends and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships.
Key dates Feb 10
Professional Learning Day
School closed to students
Welcome to this wellbeing themed issue of the CGA News.
Feb 13
Half Term 13th - 17 Feb
During February, students and staff will be involved in a number of activities and events focused on developing student wellbeing and understanding of key areas of the PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education) curriculum.
Feb 20
Students return to school
Mar 24
Non-Uniform Day Raising money for Comic Relief
Mar 31
End of Spring Term 12.20pm
Some highlights are CGA hosting the annual national ‘rainbow bake off’ as part of our celebration of LGBT+ History Month and students exploring how they can ensure their online safety as part of Safer Internet Day. If you are interested in finding out more about this focus on wellbeing and how you can support your daughter, we look forward to seeing you at our wellbeing information evenings in March. Our parents’ evenings this term play an important role in communicating with you about your daughter’s progress and wellbeing. These have got off to a great start with very well attended Year 9 and 11 parents’ evenings. Students in Years 10, 8 and 7 will be bringing home letters and appointment sheets over the next few weeks. Please look out for these. Thank you to all of you that have completed paper or electronic parent surveys. As a school, we value your feedback and will be using the survey outcomes to inform future plans.
We’re holding two wellbeing themed information events for parents. The aim of these events is to provide parents with relevant information, introduce parents to experts from agencies which work to promote physical and mental wellbeing with young people and to answer any questions parents may have. Thursday 2nd March – KS4/5 Thursday 9th March – KS3 Nightingale Hall – 5.30-6.30pm Parents welcome from 5pm for refreshments and to meet with key staff.
Attendance Challenge Well done 10T for achieving 100% attendance last week. Also 7N and 7P for being in on time every single day!
Anna Feltham In support of students’ wellbeing we are trialling a ‘quiet time’ mindfulness and meditation session in morning collective time for Y8s.
@ClaptonGA
SAVE THE DATE
Well done to form groups achieving on or above our academy target attendance of 97% last week: 7P, 7O / 8N / 9C, 9T / 10T, 10N /11N / 12B, 12E / 13D
ClaptonGirlsAcademy
claptongirls
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Congratulations to Year 8s who took part in their first Intra-Form competition of 2017. Intra-Form is a competition run by Ms Hamilton where all six forms in one year group compete against each other. This time it was a rowing competition. All the teams performed really well and the atmosphere was incredible with lots of students coming to the gym to support and cheer on their forms. 8P won the team race and the individual race was won by Sophie 2. Be Slaymaker, 8N. active – Take Go girls!
a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life.
top tweets @ClaptonGA 3. Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile or a thank you or larger acts, such as volunteering.
ClaptonGirls’Academy @ClaptonGA Congrats CGA debating team who took on top public schools in @SOAS Debating Competition last week. Debating from 9am to 7pm! #womenleaders
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Good luck to our debaters this Saturday at the Cambridge University regional debating competition, and at the Oxford University regional debating competition that we are hosting on Wednesday 8th Feb!
reminder
Nurturing Confidence A group of KS3 students attended the Debate Mate Urban Debating League competition last week, held at Deloitte HQ.
Work of the month
4. Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and confidence.
A reminder of dates for Parents’ Evenings this term:
Feb 9
Year 12 & 13 Parents’ Evening 4.00 - 7.00pm
The girls performed amazingly, showing great debating skills and confidence, winning all of their debates!
Feb 23
Year 10 Parents’ Evening 4.00 - 7.00pm
In other debating news, Cate Couzins 11A, Maddy Diggins 10T and Sukie Jenkins 11A are organising a weekly debating competition with local primary schools.
Mar 16
Year 7 - CLA Parents’ Evening 4.00 - 6.00pm
Mar 30
Year 7 - PTON Parents’ Evening 4.00 - 6.30pm
They said: “It’s great to show younger students the importance of debating and watch their confidence grow.”
ClaptonGirls’Academy @ClaptonGA STUDENTS! Expand your knowledge! Lots of interesting free #lectures happening this month at @GreshamCollege #learning
Students participating in the Tuesday Programme have really stretched themselves by learning new skills. This term they have been involved in a film making workshop and have already produced and filmed a short film on their own.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
Student Voice Book Review: ‘A Face Like Glass’, by Frances Hardinge
5. Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.
In the mysterious underground world of Caverna, cheeses can be hallucinogenic, wines can make you forget the past, and perfumes can manipulate your emotions. The inhabitants of the city are no less strange than the products they create: their faces are completely expressionless.
The story opens with a highly renowned cheese-maker, Grandible, discovering that something has infiltrated his storage rooms. Something with an appetite for luxury cheeses. Something with small, human-shaped footprints… Neverfell is a young girl with no memories of her past, and a face which causes all who see it to recoil. She has lived her whole life in Grandible’s cheese-rooms, hiding behind a mask when visitors arrive. Now, in order to recover a slice of exceptionally important cheese, she must face the world outside her home: a world where lying is an art, and the citizens are not as simple as their faces would lead you to believe… I thought this book was completely immersive. The protagonist, Neverfell, is easy to relate to as she feels woefully under-equipped to deal with her circumstances. The world itself and the social structures are incredibly interesting, and I think the skill in the descriptive passages is exceptional. I would recommend this book to all fans of fantasy and young adult novels. Maddi Vass 10A
Governors’ Corner When I recently visited the school, I saw a commitment to supporting students’ emotional wellbeing. We discussed plans for future developments, such as training sessions for staff, parents and students on recognising mental health difficulties as well as getting students’ feedback and providing more information on how to access support.
Dr Sophia Milsom Clinical Psychologist & CGA Governor