Insight14

Da Vinci

Seacole

Edison

News from Highgate Wood School arts college

CONSIDERATION COOPERATION COURTESY CONTRIBUTION

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL

OPEN EVENING 2013

Issue No 14

October 2013

GOVERNING BODY UPDATE The Chair of Governors, Charles Wright, writes: Welcome to the new school year – now well under way of course - and a particular welcome to everyone who is new to the school, including new Deputy Headteacher Craig Hewitt, working alongside Katerina Christodoulou, as well as to our students staying on into our Sixth Form.

We are settling in to the new house system, which we hope will provide a solid platform to focus on improving outcomes for all students, academically and in other ways, building on our ethos as a community school for all. Governors will continue to keep a close eye on how the new system is bedding in over the coming months.

We are also spending time looking closely at this year’s exam results, at GCSE and A Level. Again these were an excellent set of results, confirming our improvement over past years, and giving confidence to parents and carers for the future. But detailed analysis is vital to get to grips with areas where we can improve further, and make sure that we are providing the best possible education for all students.

One important area whatever year you are in is attendance. Being at school is of course vitally important, and I hope that parents and carers will support us in this area.

Finally, this year we say goodbye to several governors; Carol Vincent and Andrew Boardman, staff governors Jack Fitzgerald and Saad Mohamed, who have moved on from the school, and Tristan Ashman who is standing down after sterling work.

Sincere thanks for all their efforts for the school. We welcome new staff governors Emily Ford, Joe Demetriou and Audra Daws-Knowles. There are details of the upcoming elections for new parent governors elsewhere in this bulletin.

Cover picture: The cover features images from our Open Evening when dozens of our students acted as helpers and guides for the hundreds of families who visited the school in the expectation that their children would be starting here in September 2014.

Thanks to Year 11 Media Studies students, Hayal Tapki and Yunus Korkmaz for being the official photographers for the event.

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Arabella Weir writes: SPEND AND RAISE - the easiest and completely cost free way to raise money for the school! If you do any shopping at all via the internet please, please, please remember to visit the retailer's website to make your purchase, via www.spendandraise.com/hwspsa - that is it, that is all you have to do. Literally, that is it!

The retailer, NOT YOU, gives a percentage of your purchase to the school at no extra cost to you. So, if it's your weekly shop, a new pair of boots, your Xmas shopping or a bunch of flowers - whatever you buy on the internet - please buy it via that website. It's crazy not to!

There are currently two Parent Governor vacancies on the Governing Body. If you would like to be a Parent Governor please contact Kiymet Ozturk before Friday 8th November.

The school’s Governing Body aims to reflect the full diversity of Highgate Wood School and encourages applications from parents and carers from all of our community groups.

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY Chair of Governors: Charles Wright (Community Governor) Vice Chair: Imogen Pennell (Representative Governor) Representative Governors: Cllr Eddie Griffith • Oliver Blackaby • Brenda Allan Parent Governors: Diana Brown • Philip Cavendish • Elizabeth Hess • Chris Tully • Rob White Community Governors: Phil Cocksedge • Caroline Conlon • Violet HazelwoodHenry • Chris Parr • Headteacher Governor: Patrick Cozier Staff Governors: Audra Daws-Knowles • Emily Ford • Joe Demetriou If you wish to contact the Governing Body please write to the Chair of Governors, c/o Mrs K Ozturk, Highgate Wood School, Montenotte Road, London N8 8RN (koz@hws.haringey.sch.uk)

October 2013

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Welcome to the first edition of Insight for the academic year. To those who are new to us as parents/carers of Year 7 students...

Welcome! As this is my first time of writing to you all I will take this opportunity to express my hope that you have

75%

70%

GCSE Trends over the years 5 A*-Cs (including English and maths)

65% 60% 55% 50% 45%

40% 35%

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Good Exam Results!

Similarly, at A Level the levels of attainment keep getting better and better, as you can see from the table below. We have yet again been able to celebrate our best ever results, and as always our year 13 students have been able to secure places at some of the best universities up and down the country.

In the summer we again received a very good set of exam results. Although we didn’t quite match last year’s best ever results overall, we are pleased nonetheless that the overwhelming majority of our students achieved their full potential with some excellent individual results. To have achieved 68% 5A*-Cs (including English and maths) is a result that we were ecstatic about as little as two years ago, so for us to see it as a slight dip now is a mark of how high we have raised our own expectations.

I would like to congratulate the students from last year’s Year 11s and Year 13s on these good results. I would also like to thank my brilliant staff who worked so hard and with such passion and commitment to ensure that our students were supported to do their best. A good effort all round, and we at Highgate Wood School have much to be very proud of!

all had an enjoyable summer.

However that is a long way past now and we are approaching the end of the first half term. I hope very much that your child has had a good and positive start to the term.

GCSE 2013: How We Did Overall Result 5 A*- C (inc Eng and Maths) 5 A*- C 5 A*- G 1 A*- G English Baccalaureate

68% 82% 97% 98% 22%

You can see from the table that up until 2010 it would have been reasonable to have described us as a ‘50% school’. However, over the last three years I am particularly proud that the first three groups to pass all the way through the school from year 7 to year 11 during my headship have propelled us into a school you could now describe as a ‘70% school’. Our target for the current Year 11 cohort (in green below) is 73%, and we have every confidence that they will achieve this.

October 2013

Early Entry Policy for GCSE English and Maths – Change in Government Policy By now I’m sure you are aware of the sudden announcement by the Government on Monday 30th September regarding GCSE early entry. The announcement said that from the 29th September onwards, if students sit a GCSE in English or maths (and some other named subjects) only the result of their first entry will count in the school league tables.

Essentially, the government is doing everything possible to force schools to refrain from early GCSE entry, and more specifically to prevent the popular practice amongst schools of multiple entries, i.e. giving students ‘more than one bite at the cherry’.

This latest change (as there have been many) was announced with no prior warning and was implemented with immediate effect, meaning that all of the work that schools have been doing to prepare

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students for their November exams was placed at risk. The move by the government is in essence a way to penalise schools for early entry by making them look bad in the league tables. Ordinarily, this would not be a concern for me. However, we have sufficient reason to believe that the school league table data will also be used by Ofsted as their primary evidence for judging student progress and for making judgements about a school’s overall effectiveness when they inspect it. This is something that most schools (include ours) cannot and will not ignore.

As you can imagine, every school in the country that enters Year 11 students in November for English and maths (and the other subjects mentioned in the announcement) have been having this vitally important discussion during the course of the last three weeks, and some varied decisions have been taken. I know of one school in Haringey who have decided to carry on regardless, and face the tough conversations about possible perceived lower performance later. A number of other schools (both within Haringey and beyond) have decided to withdraw all of their students from the November exams.

Our response to this, we believe, is a balanced one.

We have no intention of preventing those students in Year 11 who are ready to sit the exams now from doing so; hence if a student is going to achieve their target grades in English and maths in November, they will sit the paper. If not, we will wait until June and do everything necessary to prepare them to do their best.

For your additional information, I also include a statement from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) General Secretary Brian Lightman released when the news first broke: “David Cameron in his conference speech today referred to a broken education system. ASCL does not accept this. It is easy – and politically expedient – to say that something is broken. It is an altogether more politically courageous to build trust. We call on all political parties to build a culture of trust and confidence in our education system. We must create cross-party agreement on a vision for our education system that enables, motivates and inspires.

“While our education system is not broken, the torrent of new initiatives and policy changes is

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counter-productive and is potentially damaging to education. We are not against change but it needs to be properly planned and implemented. Nowhere is this more evident than in Sunday’s announcement of a major policy change to GCSE entry, moving from counting a student’s best GCSE grade to their first grade. Making this change with immediate effect, part way through the school year when some students have already entered for exams, is potentially hugely damaging and shows not only a lack of respect for students’ futures but a lack of understanding of the impact on schools.

“We are calling on the Secretary of State to defer this decision, and to issue a proper consultation about how GCSE entry fits into a robust accountability system. If after this consultation, the decision remains to move to first entry, then there should be a proper lead time so that schools and young people can plan accordingly.

“We need a wide-ranging, cross party debate about how schools can and should enable all students to achieve their best and to narrow the achievement gap between students at either end of the economic spectrum. That is why we invite politicians of all parties to our Great Education Debate – the conversation that will shape education for generations to come.”

Given the above context, we have also decided to withdraw all of our Year 10 students from the June exam that they were scheduled to take at the end of Year 10. Instead, we will do everything necessary to prepare them in the best way to take their exams in English and maths at the end of Year 11, which is in line with the government’s objective.

I am sure you appreciate; we are fighting against constant national changes whilst trying to maintain the priorities of running the school for the best interests of all students. Sometimes we are forced into responding at quite short notice, but I can assure you that everything that can be done will be done to make sure that all of our students continue to perform to their absolute best.

Non-Uniform Day Last Summer – An Apology Those parents of students in Years 8 to 11 will be aware of the Non-Uniform day that we had towards the end of the summer term; and in particular that some aspects of the day did not go well. I would like October 2013

to apologise for what happened, as frankly, we got it wrong. We have held non-uniform days on numerous occasions over the years without any difficulties, but on this particular day it didn’t go according to plan.

The big issue for us was the fact that the weather was very hot at the time and we wanted to guide the choices of wear for the students to maintain a level of appropriateness. However, the dress code for the day (and particularly the list of ‘forbidden items’) was communicated to students but not to parents/carers.

This was a mistake.

Following some difficult conversations with students and parents about decisions to send students home to get changed into something more appropriate, I have come to the conclusion that there are some things that we must and will do better next time.

For future Non-Uniform Days we will ensure that  Any guidelines about appropriate dress for school will be shared in advance with parents/carers as well as students.  The enforcement of what is acceptable and what is not will be more consistent because all members of staff will be fully aware of the school line on this.  Any decisions to send children home to get changed will be endorsed by either myself or one of my two deputies.

Non-Uniform days are very positive days in the Highgate Wood School calendar because the students really enjoy them and we also get to raise money for very worthy causes. We will make sure that future days will remain very positive. I apologise to any students or parents who were inconvenienced or dissatisfied with the one held in July.

is another new member of the History Department.

Ms. M. El-Damanawi, Mr A. Ward and Ms N. Michael are new members of the Science Department, with Ms Michael having a responsibility role within the department. Ms S. Golamgouse and Mr F Uddin have joined the Maths Department and Mr D. Bomani is a new teacher in PE. Ms O. Esirorie and Mr S.Rowe have joined our technical support staff working in Science. Ms D Bryan is our new receptionist and Ms K Blackwell has joined our Admin team. We also have a new Facilities Manager in Ms A Beirne.

Some of our existing staff have been promoted into new posts of responsibility. Ms S. Birnie is now our Deputy Head of 6th Form, Ms M. McGurk has responsibility for 6th Form enrichment and student leadership. Ms C. Osborne is now responsible for Student Voice, Ms C. Angove has responsibility for Student Careers Advice and Aspirational Guidance, and Mr T. Russell becomes our International Coordinator. Ms. McConville has taken on wholeschool oversight of attendance and will also be lending her considerable experience to supporting Year 11 intervention and renewing our Leading Parent Partnership Award. Mr Charlesworth has been seconded to the Senior Leadership Team and will be working on some specific projects.

I am confident in the quality of the staff that we have recruited and promoted, and I have no doubt that through your children’s experience of them during this first half term, you will have very positive stories about the impact that they are already starting to make. I wish them long and successful careers here at Highgate Wood School.

New Staff (and existing staff promoted)

Open Evenings and Mornings – A Positive Start to the Year

Since I last wrote to you we have recruited really well in a number of key positions across the school.

Mr C. Hewitt has joined us as a Deputy Headteacher.

Mr Hewitt is also a teacher of Sociology. We have a new Head of ICT (now the Computing Department) in Mr D. Talbert and a new Head of Social Sciences in Ms Z. Dabrowska. Mr E .Quarcoo is a new member of the teaching staff in Business Studies and Computing, Mr A. Coyle has joined the ECS department, as has Mr A. Smith who also teaches History. Mr C. Holmes

We held our Open Evening on Wednesday 2nd October and followed this up with three Open Mornings the following week (8th, 9th and 10th October) for all prospective Year 6 students and their parents to come and view the school. I was really pleased with the very large number of people that attended each event and even more so with the extremely positive feedback that we received. The popularity of Highgate Wood School has steadily grown over the last few years (with over 1000

October 2013

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parental preferences last year for the first time), and I am proud that more and more we are considered by our community as the local school of choice.

The best element of the feedback that I received however, were comments about our staff and students. The number of people who fed back positively about the good vibe of the school was heartening. They noted the incredible keenness of our students who contributed positively on the evenings and mornings by being tour guides or helping out in departments – and the pride that they showed in their school.

Sixth Form Recruitment Similarly, our sixth form admissions have gone very well. We have recruited a higher number of students than ever before (268 students), beating last year’s total by over 40.

Total Number of Students Enrolled in Sixth Form:  Year 12 = 154 students (123 at enrolment last year)  Year 13 = 114 students (101 at enrolment last year)

LEARNING REVIEW DAY Mr Hewitt writes: Parents\carers of students in years 7 to 10 should have already Friday 8th November received information from their child’s Form Tutor to enable them to schedule their meeting on Learning Review Day, Friday 8th November.

The normal timetable has been suspended so Form Tutors can have appointments with students in their Tutor Group, together with their parents, to review progress and discuss strategies for further improvement and success.

Year 11 students will be occupied either with public examinations or with a study skills session.

SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Year 11: don’t forget the Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 12th December between 17:00 and 20:00

This means that more Highgate Wood students than ever before are making the positive decision to stay on and complete their A levels in our sixth form, and equally vital, more students from other Haringey schools and beyond are choosing to join us. We are incredibly pleased with the number of students that we have recruited and we believe that this is another affirmation that our popularity as a school continues to increase as students and parents recognise the positive and successful experiences we provide.

Ms Angove writes: Work Experience will take place for Year 10 students between 28th April and 2nd May 2014.

To allow us to place students appropriately and carry out health and safety visits please ensure that any “own find” forms are returned no later than 18th November.

... And Finally

SCHOOL UNIFORM CODE

As always, the autumn term is very busy and you will find lots of information in this issue of Insight to give you a flavour of some of the things that have been happening at Highgate Wood as well as some useful prompts of things that are on the horizon.

I would also like to thank you for your continued support – it is very much valued.

Regards Patrick Cozier Headteacher

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WORK EXPERIENCE

In recent weeks there have been a number of issues where students have not kept to the uniform code. This has involved some students coming to school with inappropriate footwear, others wearing “skinny” jeans. To help avoid these mistakes happening we are taking this opportunity to reproduce the current uniform code in Insight.

As we move towards winter there may be occasions when rules on footwear are changed so students are properly equipped for snow and ice. If this is the case the news will be communicated to students and their families.

October 2013

SCHOOL UNIFORM DRESS CODE We expect all students to wear the correct uniform with pride and for it to be kept clean and smart at all times.

This includes to and from school, the playground, corridors, classrooms, when attending school visits/trips and

Boys: Shirt: Plain white, tucked into trousers at all times.

Trousers: Plain black tailored, not to be worn below the waist, i.e. no visible underwear. NO JEANS, TRACKSUIT BOTTOMS or CORDS. Trousers that have the appearance of “skinny jeans” are not acceptable.

Ties: The school tie must be worn, pulled smartly up to the top shirt button. Ties should be at a length so that at least five of the black and white stripes can be seen of the thick edge of the tie.

Pullovers\Cardigans: HWS Plain black, V‐neck with HWS blue trim around the neck to be worn in cold weather as needed. No other form of jumper or cardigan is acceptable.

Jackets: Plain black HWS blazer with school logo on breast pocket and HWS blue lining. This must be worn at all times except inside a classroom where they may be put on the back of a chair (or coat hook) or when outside the school buildings at break or lunchtime.

Shoes: Plain black design, but no trainers (i.e. no Nike, Puma, Reebok, Adidas etc). We do allow canvas shoes from brands such as Keds/Vans/Converse—i.e. the plimsoll look, as long as they are completely black with no coloured trim.

Socks: Plain black or grey socks.

Girls Shirt: Plain white, tucked into trousers/skirt at all times.

Trousers: Plain black tailored not to be worn below the waist, i.e. no visible underwear. NO JEANS, LEGGINGS, TRACKSUIT BOT‐ TOMS or CORDS. Trousers that have the appearance of “skinny jeans” are not acceptable. or Skirt: School skirt (worn correctly—four buttons should be visible) Ties: The school tie must be worn, pulled smartly up to the top shirt button. Ties should be at a length so that at least five of the black and white stripes can be seen of the thick edge of the tie.

Pullovers\Cardigans: HWS Plain black, V‐neck with HWS blue trim around the neck to be worn in cold weather as needed. No other form of jumper or cardigan is acceptable.

Jackets: Plain black HWS blazer with school logo on breast pocket and HWS blue lining. This must be worn at all times except inside a classroom where they may be put on the back of a chair (or coat hook) or when outside the school build‐ ings at break or lunchtime.

Shoes: Plain black with flat heels. Plain black (low‐heeled boots are also acceptable).

Tights: Black, white, grey or flesh coloured (no patterns).

All Religious Wear: Religious wear is acceptable. Headscarves should be restricted to plain school colours: black, navy, school blue or white.

House Badges: All students are issued with a House pin, which should be worn on the label of their blazers as directed.

Equipment: Every day students must bring the following: Journal, pencil, eraser, ruler, pencil sharpener, black or blue pen, calculator, geometry set, pencil case, dictionary, reading book, PE Kit (including trainers, on the appropriate days), and any other necessary item requested by staff.

Bag: Students must have a bag that is large enough and strong enough to carry all school books.

Coat: There is no uniform coat. However if students choose to wear a coat, it should be plain coloured with no offensive or obvious logos or slogans. Dark colours are preferred. Coats must be large enough so uniform jackets can be worn under the coat. NO HOODIES. Headwear: Hats/caps can be worn outside and in the playground, but must be removed inside the building. Bandanas are not allowed and should not be worn.

Jewellery: Large items of jewellery should not be worn, e.g. large hooped earrings (earrings bigger than that which comfortably can fit a finger between the ear lobe and the earring), large bracelets or rings. Necklaces/Chains should be worn under shirts so that they are not visible.

If there is any doubt about whether a particular item is acceptable parents should check with the school before purchasing. The Headteacher reserves the right to exercise his discretion over any specific item in relation to whether or not it is an acceptable part of the school uniform October 2013

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NATIONAL YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL

Ms Daws-Knowles writes: On the last week of the half term over fifty A Level Media Studies students and their teachers attended a National Youth Film Festival student premiere of The Selfish Giant at the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley.

Not a film that we might ordinarily choose to see, The Selfish Giant is one of those productions that is likely to inspire younger people.

After premiering in the Cannes’ Film Festival earlier this year Peter Bradshaw reviewed it in The Guardian as "an intensely felt piece of social realism, reinventing Oscar Wilde's story, shows director Clio Barnard growing into one of Britain's best young film-makers".

BFI FILM ACADEMY WORKSHOP Ms Daws-Knowles writes: Art, Media Studies and Photography students Idris Sule, Alaine Demosthenous, Mistura Raji and Matthew Montford attended a BFI Film Academy Film and Video Workshop Taster Day this month as part of the application process for a week long training session taking place during half term on CGI and other Animation techniques.

All of the students presented their work and completed an arduous application including two reviews of animated films. Well done!

Everyone was successful! We look forward to seeing your films next term.

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EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES

Ms Gomez writes: As a way of celebrating the European Day of Languages this year, Key Stage 3 students were given a card containing the word “Hello” written in one of the European languages (including its phonology). The idea was for students to greet their peers and members of staff in their allocated language throughout the day.

Students were very enthusiastic and there was a great sense of diversity during the event. I would like to thank everyone who encouraged students to enjoy acknowledging the many languages spoken in Europe. Special thanks go to Ms Angove and 8W who agreed to take pictures hands on!

We carried out a student survey and received great feedback, with 85% of students saying they would like to celebrate European Day of Languages again next year and some comments: “It was good to hear so many languages that I had never heard before.” and "everyone who knew the language would help the person trying to say the word".

October 2013

MINORITY LANGUAGES AT HWS Ms Lacroix writes: Every year we have students taking examinations in languages that they have not necessarily been taught in school. Currently we are able to offer French, Spanish, German and Turkish within the school and Arabic, Russian, Italian and Mandarin with the support from the Local Authority.

Students who wish to be entered for these exams will need to contact me as soon as possible. You should also contact me if you wish to be entered for another language examination. It may be possible that we find suitably qualified staff to support you.

The conditions for us entering you for a minority language exam are as follows:  You must be fluent ( speaking, writing and reading)  You must complete the letter from the MFL department before Christmas and hand it to Ms Lacroix.  You must be in Year 9 or above ( with the new government measures, we might select you from Year 10 to make sure that you are ready to take the exam and succeed in it).

Miss El-Damanawi writes: Are YOU an imaginative thinker. Do YOU wonder about deeper questions in life like: How do we think? Why do we gasp when we are scared? Can lightning actually smash glass? Why can emotional pain feel physical? Can colour blindness be cured? This is your opportunity to research and share your theories about some of these mind twisters!

You do not have to have the correct answer but you do need to come up with an answer that is based on some science. It can be presented in any form you wish, and humour is appreciated. The rules are : acknowledge your sources and do not go over 2 sides of A4.

See Miss El-Damanawi in P5 for more details.

October 2013

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Madeleine Baron and Scarlett Monaighan write: Recently two Year 9 English classes were lucky enough to see a production of William Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing. We have been studying this play during this term. This production, set in 18th Century Spain, was a humorous and interesting take on the play. The two main actors that played Beatrice and Benedick developed a real chemistry on stage. The actor who played the deceitful character, Don John, was also entertaining.

The play was set on a thrust stage, which meant that we could also observe the audience’s reaction to the play. There were also three entrances and exits that the actors used, and they sometimes walked up the aisles making us feel involved in the drama. The only criticisms were that the stage scenery was quite static and the music became a bit repetitive. However, having seen the film version, it was really good to compare it with a live production.

At the end of the play, Benedick, played by Harry Meacher, invited us on stage to join in the audience’s applause.

HOLIDAYS DURING TERM TIME Mr Worth writes: The Government have told schools that to discourage absence in term time parents can no longer apply for “holidays”.Parents can now only apply to Head Teachers for leave in “exceptional circumstances”.

If there is persistent absence for minor illness not covered by medical evidence we will ask parents for permission to refer students to the school nurse for assessment and advice.

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ADISA - PERFORMANCE POET

Mr Lamb writes: This term the performance poet Adisa came to Highgate Wood School to perform his work for Year 9 students.

He spoke about how he got his ideas, his childhood memories and the art of performing. The students really engaged with his work, and he only performed a poem after responding to questions from the audience!

COMENIUS 2013-14 Ms Christodoulou writes: In the latter part of the Summer Term, the British Council informed us that we had once again successfully bid for funds from the European Union to run our third Comenius project.

The project is entitled: My world, your world, our environment, and will specifically involve students in the current year 8 and 9.

The main aim of the project is to prepare students and staff for the challenges of the future: students will develop lifelong learning skills and competences in different fields such as environmental sustainability, mathematics and science, ICT and foreign languages; teachers will share pedagogical practices.

In September we hosted teachers from our partner schools in Belgium and Germany. The focus of their visit was to confirm the programme for the coming two years. The first activity is that we will be welcoming 20 students and staff from the two schools in November. You will be able to read full details of what they get up to in the next edition of Insight!

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TRAID— RECYCLE AND REUSE

Cassandra Penfold writes: On 17th September we had a visit from Traid, a charity working to stop clothes from being thrown away - turning clothes waste into useful resources and funds, and so reducing the environmental impact of the industry.

Traid came in to hold a two-hour workshop and spoke to us about what they do. They explained how they have a network of over 1,500 charity clothes banks, home collections and charity shops that succeed in diverting around 3,000 tonnes of clothes from landfill and incineration every year.

They work in 191 boroughs and districts in the UK supporting local authorities, business, schools and communities towards zero waste. The funds they raise go towards global projects to improve conditions and working practices in the textile industry.

They spoke to us about the importance of recycling and trying to make the most out of our clothes.

I personally found this workshop to be very helpful towards completing my GCSE coursework because it helped me understand that there are more issues in the world than we think.

INTERESTED IN MUSIC? JOIN THE CLUB MON - Funk Band in D5 with Mr Harlow TUES - Orchestra in D5 with Mr Harlow WED - Jazz Band in D5 with Mr Ekstrom & Nick Wilkinson THUR - Brass Ensemble in D5 with Sarah Williams FRI - Choir in D5 with Ms Ryan & Ms Dornan

October 2013

MEMORIES OF THE LAKE GARDA MUSIC TOUR

Ms Hassan writes: July’s music tour to Lake Garda Italy, proved another huge success, with plenty of memories that 93 students and ten members of staff will cherish forever.

After a 24 hour coach journey we finally arrived at our hotel, welcomed by the most beautiful and breath taking landscapes, students and staff’s tiredness soon dissipated when a lovely bowl of pasta steamed in front of us.

Our first concert was in Baselga di Pine, a town at the top of the mountain, a challenge for the coach drivers that produced sweating brows for them and us to navigate their long vehicles up the narrow, winding streets. This was followed by two further concerts in Lazise Main Square and Sirmione. All concerts attracted large audiences but definitely the most enthusiastic audience member was a 2 year old in Lazise, holding his very own guitar who strummed along for the whole concert, the youngest budding rock star I had ever seen.

We also visited the pretty towns of Verona, Torbole and Malcesine, travelled across the Lake in a steam boat and who could ever forget Canerva World, a huge Water Park where Mr Harlow and Miss Dornan were brave enough, coaxed by the Year 12s, to descend down the most tallest ever plunge water slide you could imagine.

It was already Sunday, the tour was almost at an end, apart from the ensuing 24 hours coach journey back, another tour gone but laughter and happy days imprinted upon each student’s memories forever.

YEAR 7 ART MASTERS Mr Astrop writes: Everyone in the Art department have been amazed by the extraordinary talent and ability that has been shown by many of our new Year 7 students.

The drawings here are both by Eve Cumming from 7D. Even our fantastic sixth form students were astounded by the quality of her illustrations. None of them thought they had shown such talent when they were that young.

And exciting future awaits us.

October 2013

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HOUSE NAMES DECIDED

da Vinci

Seacole

Leonardo da Vinci (1452—1519)

Edison

This term Tutor Groups have been choosing their House name. The process began with all students suggesting the names of men and women of historical importance who could symbolise the identity of their House. All these names were collected in by the House teams who reduced them down to the three or four most popular names. This final short list was then presented in assemblies to the members of each House.

Voting took place over the last two weeks of the half term, with the result that Blue House is now become da Vinci House, Green House has become Seacole House and Yellow House is Edison House. These names will be the identities for the three Houses at Highgate Wood School for the foreseeable future.

Over the coming weeks Houses will need to agree on their charity, their motto and also to design their House logo.

The logo competition is open to all members of each House and will result in three prizes, the winner not only receiving a £25 iTunes vouches but also having their logo adopted for the House. (see next page for details)

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection” Leonardo da Vinci is one the world’s greatest thinkers, artists and philosophers. In several different fields, from science to astronomy, he proved to be both innovative and several centuries ahead of his contemporaries.

Leonardo was a central character in the European renaissance period, which saw a flowering of creativity in science, art and philosophy.

He once noted “It has come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

These are some of the Civil Rights Leader other famous people that Tutor Groups identified as possible names for their Houses. The rules were that the person had to have made a worthwhile and lasting Edmund Hillary contribution to our modern world, and had Mountaineer and explorer been dead for at least 40 years.

We also had to rule out an individual who was Elizabeth Blackwell Florence Nightingale wanted by every single House. That was Pioneering doctor and social Social reformer and found campaigner of modern nursing Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King

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October 2013

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er

Mary Seacole (1805—1881)

Thomas Edison (1847—1931)

“My experience of the world leads me to the conclusion that it is by no means the hard bad place selfish people would have us believe.”

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Learning medicine from her mother, Mary Seacole overcame indifference and prejudice to nurse the sick and dying in Jamaica, Panama and, most famously, the Crimea. “The grateful words and smile which rewarded me for binding up a wound or giving a cooling drink was a pleasure worth risking life for at any time," she said.

Seacole was the first black woman to make a real mark on British public life and was celebrated through much of her lifetime. After her death, her story was largely forgotten, but in the 1990s interest in Mary Seacole returned, and her historical importance was finally recognised.

Thomas Edison developed many key inventions of modern day life. Crucially, he was able to develop the first practical light bulb at low cost, lighting up our homes and streets. He was first to record sound and also invented the motion picture camera.

He believed that resilience, determination and learning from our mistakes are the keys to success.

“I have not failed," he said, " I have just found 10,000 ways not to so do something." "What it boils down to is one per cent inspiration and ninety‐nine per cent perspiration.”

Charles Darwin Mahatma Gandhi

Rosa Parks

Political leader and social campaigner

Civil Rights Campaigner

Marie Curie Nobel prize winning scientist.

October 2013

Naturalist and Geologist.

Albert Einstein Physicist and mathematician

13

DESIGNING THE HOUSE LOGO

Logo Brief:

If you are going to enter the House Logo competition remember the basic rules of a good logo.

It will need to be simple, reproducible and it needs to be memorable. The House logo will need to be used on certificates and awards, on office doors and noticeboards and on the website.

Make sure you follow the logo brief, so that your final design is circular, includes a symbol and the house colour. It must be original and should not contain more than two other colours.

To get some ideas of how best to represent your House’s identity read the little known facts about Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Seacole and Thomas Edison in the boxes below.



da Vinci House It is believed that Leonardo da Vinci was ambidextrous - which means he could write as well with his right hand as his left.

Many of da Vinci’s notes are written in mirror writing.

Da Vinci used to buy caged birds so he could set them free Da Vinci was a vegetarian Da Vinci drew plans for a whole range of inventions, well before their time. These included an armoured car, a glider, a helicopter, a machine gun and the parachute.

Da Vinci is regarded as a polymath, as he was expert in a wide range of fields, from art and literature to science and philosophy.

14

Seacole House Mary Seacole published an autobiography “The Wonderful Adventurers of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands.”

Seacole liked to dress in bright colours, and loved bonnets decorated with red ribbons.

Seacole has been voted top in a poll of 100 Great Black Britons She was one of the first practitioners to recognise the value of cleanliness, healthy food and fresh air.

The life of Mary Seacole is often used to illustrate the benefits of a multicultural world.

In later life Mary Seacole liked to wear medals on her clothes.

Seacole has become symbol for determination and courage.

   

It must be circular Include your house colour Include no more than 2 colours Include a symbol It must be original (no copies of existing ideas/brands)

Some examples

Edison House Edison’s first great invention was the tin-foil phonograph, the world’ first device for recording and playing back sound. Without this we would have never had the vinyl the record, the CD or the mp3 recorder?

Edison enjoyed communication with Morse Code so much that he proposed marriage to his girlfriend in it, and nicknamed his children "Dot" and "Dash".

The lightbulb is Edison most famous and important invention.

Imagine what life would be like with out the electric light.

Edison was almost completely deaf, but he sometimes used this to his advantage as it enabled him to concentrate and not be distracted.

October 2013

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL COUNCIL 2013-14 Da Vinci Year 7 H: Kieron Matthews Anna Jevons I: Alasdair Ellis Mya Josiah G: Jamie Mutaba Rebecca Manoharan

Seacole

Edison

Year 7

Year 7

A: Bruno Jakupi Lydia Sheppard.

T: Alexander Harris Rugul Ozdemir E: Billy Tibballs Ellie Starky

Year 8

Year 8

H: Zoe Pavey Gabriel Bazzarelli dos Santos I: Darius Ju Pierre Holly Hart G: Luke Gosling Ashley Forde

A: Hope Peacock Jason Jordan-Rose T: isobel Crompton Finn Lilburn E: Cassius Shanahan Jasmine Bell

Year 9

Year 9

H: Andreas Bevilacqua Hannah Ramsden I: Margarita Cimatti Joshua Rodney G: Jahibul Hussein Maddie Stott

A: Dylan Jennings Ayca Kose T: Frankie foster Amber Mckenzie E: Annie Stanford Sina Nafissi

Year 10

Year 10

H: Amin Adan Louise Johnson I: Berivan Korkmaz George Tonkinson G: Rio Newton Price Elisabeth Jahn-Morrissey

A: Pablo Oliver Amy Haynes T: Imogen sheppard Tariq Jogee E: Eden Diffley Reece Osborne

Year 11

Year 11

H: Cansu Gunal Carsel Ryan-Small I : Sacha Morris Harvey Clements G: Freya Everest Toby Buchan

A: Abdullahi Hashi Tess Eva Johnstone T: Alex Whitlock Felix Brown E: Tomer Raphael Kazenthi Lungah

W: Emer Stevens Jasvinder Kumar D: Stephan Avramov Trulie Mynott.

S: Charlotte Whelan Toby Wyckoff-Smith

Year 8 W: Elle-Mae Netherton Joe Williams D: Thorn Myers Briar Brunner S: Sian Leigh-Moore Max Cowie

Year 9 W: Gabe Watson Phoebe Bennett D: Joachin Harris Kesanna Bryan S: Burcin Garip Herbie Lee-Bramble

Year 10 W: Fred Linhart Isabella Considine D: Florence Penfold Barney Terrington S: Aaron Pettitt Hamdi Dalmar

Year 11 W:Sushilla Ghose-Coveney Innes Peacock D: Adyna Moseley Oscar Clements S: Jordan Briscoe

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL TOP VIVO EARNERS - SINCE SEPTEMBER 2013 1st Alexander Diaferia (Year 8) 2nd Freya Dougan (Year 7) 3rd Daniel Dop (Year 9) 4th Lucy Whelan (Year 9) 5th Madeleine Baron (Year 9) 6th Phoebe Berman (Year 9) 7th Tolga Kale (Year 9) 8th Dennisha Edwards (Year 9) 9th Leo Pitsillides (Year 9) 10th Ishmael Tikly-Young (Year 9) October 2013

11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th

Sadie May (Year 9) Billy Tibballs (Year 7) Natalie Manoharan (Year 7) Charles Fraser-Allen (Year 9) Holly Carter (Year 7) Scarlett Monaighan (Year 9) Luke Gosling (Year 8) Abel Kent (Year 9) Rebecca Manoharan (Year 7) Leyla Osman (Year 7)

21st Amelia Doyle (Year 7) 22nd Caleb Wyckoff-Smith (Year 8) 23rd Melissa Guvenler (Year 9) 24th Evin Efe (Year 7) 25th Joachim Harris (Year 9) 26th Rosa Salonen (Year 9) 27th Max Murphy (Year 7) 28th Carolina Cimatti (Year 9) 29th Sophia Dottore (Year 9) 30th Calum De La Motte (Year 7)

15

FIRST DAYS AT SCHOOL Ms McConville writes: We asked some of the Year 7 students to write a poem about their first days at Highgate Wood School. The quality of all the poems was extremely high, with many students using a very wide range of poetic devices to convey their thoughts and ideas.

Here is a small selection of their work.

My First Days at Highgate Wood

By Theo Sikuade

Tying my tie was the first challenge Five stripes - OK. Walking to meet my friend The cool morning air feels good.

Our first lessons English, Technology History, Science, Geography, Maths, Feel so long, but I’ve never Felt so happy coming home From school in my life. Hurray!

Smaller classes and more teachers It takes some getting used to It felt like an age Getting into my uniform, but then I became faster, quicker Walking up to Highgate Wood I feel so small And the challenge before me So big I take each step with Smiling determination And walk through the school doors With my friends 16

Recipe for the first day

By Nina Corney Add a shake of fear and fright With a spoonful of excitement and nerves Break some worries into a bowl And whisk until as fluffy as a cloud Blend in some friendly faces With some confusion And a drop of curiosity Add in a bit of shyness With a smidge of uncertainty And a pinch of homework Bake until the bell rings Like a fire alarm Telling you to get out You succeeded Your first day was a piece of cake.

My First Day

By Nino Geliashili While I am walking up the hill, A little black bird with a yellow bill, sang “Welcome, Nino, to the school, You'll find that being here is really cool.

You play and study every day Then the teacher, he will say: “How’s your day going girls and boys, Please don’t make so much noise.”

In a little while the morning is done Then out we go to have some fun.

At the end of the day before it’s dark You’ll leave the school and run to the park.”

October 2013

OPEN EVENING FOR THE SIXTH FORM

My First Day of School

By Liliare Vitoriano I walk through the gates Butterflies flutter in my tummy My heart beats like a drum Twice a second.

I stroll through the hallway looking left and right I hear the bell ringing, Excitement grows inside.

I enter the classroom And take a seat Switch my thinking hat on, I’m ready to learn.

After some of my classes are over It’s lunchtime The room is crowded like a herd of bulls My taste buds tingle I’m eager for food.

I take a bite of my first pasta pot My mouth waters I have a good feelings That this school is going to be awesome.

I walk out the gates And turn around I feel as though 1000 tons have been Lifted off my back A breeze of relief Passes through my face I have a new day ahead of me.

October 2013

Mr Charlesworth writes: Students in Year 11, their parents and many from other local schools are invited to investigate Post 16 options when Highgate Wood hosts its annual 6th Form Open Evening on 12th December.

Visitors can discuss course options with teaching departments and current students before they attend the presentation in the hall with Mr Cozier and and myself.

Doors open at 5:00 pm for discussion with staff while the presentation is scheduled for 6.30 pm.

Last year over 500 people visited the school and the presentation in the hall saw standing room only.

In the weeks before Open Evening students in Year 11 will undertake a series of activities in Citizenship lessons designed to stimulate thinking on which courses make an effective combination for A Level.

Selecting the right courses is a key part of success in the 6th Form and students will be given information on the combinations that are valued by Universities. Once applications are in all students will be interviewed giving them an opportunity to discuss the courses that wish to study with a senior member of staff.

Places will be reserved for those at Highgate Wood in February so that they can focus on their GCSEs in the knowledge that they have a reserved place in the 6th Form in September 2014.

Last year’s exam results demonstrated yet again that students achieve better at Highgate Wood School than they do elsewhere, and we expect this pattern to continue in 2014.

17

GET SET TO MAKE A CHANGE?

Ms Roberts and Ms Eisa write: Ashyha Broomes, Keanu Greaves, Zoe Hutchings, Rory Hammett, Magda Zieja and Chi Lee Chim attended the 'Get Set To Make A Change' Roadshow. The idea of the programme is to use the magic, power and inspiration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to empower young people to work together to create a positive change in their communities.

The team took inspiration and advice from Paralympic swimmer Natalie Jones and Etienne Stott who won a gold medal in London 2012 for canoe slalom. They will now plan and deliver a number of events involving the local community with the overarching theme of healthy living. They will set a number of pledges, the first being to deliver a workshop on healthy eating and being active in a local primary school.

To complete their pledges, they'll need a lot of support and assistance from their peers, teachers and parents so anyone who's interested can join in and help out. Requests for volunteers will be advertised when required!

Rory says: "I think it's going to be a great opportunity for students to get involved in volunteering and for us as a team to work with peers across the school who we wouldn't have even spoken to before. It will help us gain new skills whilst making the most of what we already have.

I'm looking forward to making a positive difference within the community by making more people healthy and active!"

18

ADA LOVELACE DAY - SPECIAL ASSEMBLY

Mr Talbert: On Tuesday 15th October the school celebrated Ada Lovelace Day. Ada Lovelace was a mathematician and is generally recognised as the first computer programmer, using an early machine in the 19th century. As part of Ada Lovelace Day Year 9 students were treated to a special assembly courtesy of Little Miss Geek who brought with them Siobhan Reddy who is the Creative Director for Media Molecule, creators of the Little Big Planet games.

Students were treated to a special preview of Media Molecule’s new game Teraway and Siobhan Reddy did an inspirational talk about her journey into the games industry. She showed female students that the game industry is not just for boys that if they have a passion for games that they should not consider it in any way out of their reach.

The students were inspired with Leila KikuchiHouse, Gabe Weston and Che Ove-Loncraine winning a copy of Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet 2 game for telling the assembly audience who is their female hero.

FIRST DAYS AT SCHOOL Interested in computers? A fantastic website on the His‐ tory of Computing has now been put together by London Grid for Learning and, as we are members, it is available free to all students.

Go to http://hoc.lgfl.org.uk/. If you are trying from home you will need to enter your regular school username and password.

October 2013

HWS PHILOSOPHY CLUB Mr Papagno writes: Have you ever asked yourself: Who am I? What is love? What is happiness? Is there such a thing as true friendship? What is free will, and do I have it? Is beauty real, or just something in the eye of the beholder? How do I know what is the right thing to do? Does life have a purpose or is it meaningless?

If so, you are not alone. Philosophers have explored and argued about these questions for thousands of years and continue to do so to this day. Although philosophers have given very different answers to these questions, they all agree that such questions are very important, and that thinking and talking about them can help us better understand ourselves, and the world around us.

If you would like to have the chance to discuss these, and many other topics, and in the process develop skills that will help you with all your subjects, Mr Coyle and Mr Papagno would like to hear from you.

If you are interested drop by A26 and Mr Papagno will be happy to provide you with further information.

GAME OF LIFE

Ms Burniston writes: Year 8 have spent the first term learning about the idea of reincarnation and moksha.

Their homework project was to create a snakes and ladders game that illustrated the caste system, reincarnation and the idea of good and bad karma.

The effort and imagination that Yr 8 have shown has been outstanding. Well done. Here are a few examples from 8G.

LOOKING FOR MEANING? Ms Kemp writes Highgate Wood School Christian Union will be running Wednesdays lunchtime in D2. All students, Christian and nonChristian are welcome to attend.

We provide various activities run by North London youth charity nflame. The group has now been running for one year and has seen many different students of all ages and interests popping in.

We have had sessions on big questions, role play, sharing favourite music and a pop up prayer room providing some rest and reflection in the middle of our busy day.

The hope is that some of our Christian students will be involved in running the group this year, interested parties please come along and speak to us, particularly KS4.

October 2013

19

IT’S APPENING AT HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL

THINKING OF TEACHING?

Ms Christodoulou writes: Highgate Wood School is currently working alongside other schools in Haringey as part of the New River Teaching Alliance. One of the key aims of this alliance is to play a leading role in recruiting and training prospective teachers.

The New River Teaching Alliance is offering the School Direct (non salaried) PGCE with our partner, the Institute of Education, London. Throughout this year we shall be recruiting for the following subjects: English, Maths, Physics, Physics with Maths, History, Geography, Business Studies, MFL, English with Drama, Music, Computer Studies, and Art & Design.

If you are considering teaching as a career, please come along to one of the Open Mornings where you can find out more about the School Direct scheme, the training bursaries available, and the application process. The next sessions include Alexandra Park School on November 22 (9-11am) and Fortismere School on January 16 (9-11am).

To book yourself a place, please e-mail sdaley@apsch.org.uk indicating which subjects you are interested in applying for and your preferred date. There will be further information mornings held at other schools in our alliance throughout the year – full details are here: www.apsch.org.uk/nrta

FIREWORKS - A WARNING

Mr Talbert writes: As part of the new Computing curriculum, Year 8 students are currently undertaking the Apps for Good programme. This is where students work as part of a group to develop an App that will solve a problem with the chance for their App to be made and sold on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

On Tuesday 1st October Highgate Wood students were given the opportunity to have a special assembly from Apps for Good Chief Operating Officer, Debbie Forster, Joao Baracho from the Apps for Good parent company CDI in Portugal and Kevin Eyres who is an Apps for Good Trustee who specially travelled from America to meet the students.

The students were treated to a fascinating and inspirational talk from Kevin Eyres about Apps for Good and his life in the IT industry. Some students were given the chance to meet the delegates from Apps for Good and gain some useful advice to help them with their App idea development.

Ally Pally Display on Saturday 2nd November Every year people get badly injured by fireworks. It is for this reason that we take the issue of fireworks very seriously at Highgate Wood School.

It is illegal for young people to buy or carry fireworks and if anyone does bring fireworks into school there will be very, very serious consequences.

If you want to see fireworks it is always best to go to an organised display.

20

After four years of no fireworks Haringey Council are again putting on a Firework Display at Alexandra Palace this November.

It is necessary to buy tickets for the event and these can be purchased bought by phone: Ticket Hotline: 020 3390 0150 or In person from Box Office at Ice Rink end of Alexandra Palace (daily - 10am-5pm)

October 2013

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL CHESS CLUB

Mr Lamb writes: Sixth former Vladislav Mandev will be running the chess club as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award.

Students have the opportunity to play games every break and lunch in the LRC. Players meet on Monday afternoons in the LRC and follow a strict ranking system in order to determine who will be in the top 10.

Chess Club runs in the LRC: Monday 15:10 -16:10

WINTER CONCERT AUDITIONS

Ms Dornan writes: It's that time of year again when the Music Department invites all our fabulously talented students to audition for solo slots in the Winter Concert. The Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Funk Band, Brass Ensemble and Guitar Group are already rehearsing for the concerts on 17th, 18th and 19th December. We would love to hear from new Year 7 acts, and dance groups, in the auditions this year.

If you are new to Highgate Wood and haven't seen the Winter Concert before, it is a concert that runs for three nights at the end of the Autumn term. We have soloists, bands, large ensembles, 6th form comperes, and a grand finale featuring every single performer who has been on stage all night.

There will be an announcement when tickets are on sale and we do encourage you to attend and see the enormous range of performing talent at Highgate Wood School.

October 2013

VIVOS - A HUGE SUCCESS

Ms Allaway writes: Since September teachers at Highgate Wood School have said “Well Done” nearly 60,000 times.

That’s the number of Vivos that have been awarded since the term began.

Vivos have been awarded for courtesy, for hard work, for being dressed smartly in the school uniform. Students have won Vivos for great homework, and for being brilliant in class. I am particularly proud of those students who received Vivos for being Ambassadors for the School during Open Evening and on Open Mornings.

All students seem to have appreciate the Vivo idea and the only complaint seems to be that they would like to earn more! Over the coming weeks we will be exploring different ways in which students might be able to earn Vivos, and also different ways in which Vivos can bring value. This could be by extending the “Privilege Pass” idea, or by extending the range of prizes available in the Vivo store. It could also be by starting to raise money for charities and good causes, which will be much easier once the three Houses have made their decisions on which charities to support.

But whilst I am delighted that Vivos have proved to be so successful, do not forget that they are only one of the rewards that students gain at school for working hard and doing the right thing.

Da Vinci, Seacole and Edison are already planning events, prizegivings and celebrations to benefit students for other achievements and successes that go beyond the day-to-day good work and good behaviour that the Vivo system is designed to reward. These ideas will soon be raised within the School Council

21

ACCELERATED READER

Mr Lamb writes: Accelerated Reader was introduced at the beginning of the year for all Year 7s. Students are able to take quizzes after they have read a book to track their progress and earn Vivos.

Students have been arriving before and after school to take quizzes and are rewarded each time they score over 80%.

So far, Year 7 have read 750 000 words, with a goal to reach 3 million by the end of the term!

BOOK BUZZ

Mr Lamb writes: Year 7 students had an exciting start to the term, as they had had the opportunity to choose their very own Bookbuzz book.

Students spent time with their form tutors deciding which books to read and were encouraged to write reviews for Vivos. The books were part of the Accelerated Reader programme, and students were able to take quizzes to test their understanding of their new books.

22

DEBATE MATE IS BACK! Mr Lamb writes: Debate Mate begins again in November. University based mentors will regularly visit the school to coach students in mastering their debating skills. The teams will take part in the Urban Debate League and the Debate Mate Cup. This is a fantastic opportunity for students as it there are regular outings and cross curricular links.

The programme is very popular and Highgate Wood has an exemplary debating record!

Debate Mate runs in the LRC Monday 15:10 – 16:30 (Year 7 and Year 8) Wednesday 15:10 – 16:30 (Year 9)

USE SAM LEARNING AND EARN MORE VIVOS Mr Ashman writes: During the half-term break we will be setting up Vivomiles so that students will also get Vivo rewards for the time they spend using SAM Learning.

For every 20 minutes you spend revising on the SAM Learning website you will get a credit to your Vivo account. You will receive more Vivos when you use SAM Learning outside of lessons that you will if you use the site during the school day.

Though the system will only start working after half term, all students who have already clocked up time working on SAM Learning will have their Vivo accounts credited… and that will be backdated right to when we started using Vivos on 2nd September.

By now everyone should know how to get onto their SAM Learning account. You go to www.samlearning.com, type in the centre ID which is N8HW. You then need to type in your username and password. This is usually your date of birth followed by your initials. So if your name is Anne Archer and you were born on 1st January 2001 your username would be 010101AA, and your password would be the same.

October 2013

SPORTING DEDICATION

Mr Ibrahim writes: Tuesday morning at 7.30am, a thick blanket of fog carpets the astro turf; the air thick with ambition and drive. For the last three weeks forty boys and thirty five girls from years 7 to 10 have begun to break the mould. Before most teachers have even got to school, the group have been working hard across both a strength and condition and cardiovascular fitness programme in order to improve their on field performance.

Run by Miss Osborne and Mr Goldberg, the aim to improve and enrich the opportunities for budding young sportsmen and women at Highgate Wood has been taken with great enthusiasm and interest.

With the new House system lending itself to an increased competitive drive, the rewards both for the individual and for the school are already coming into fruition. So far this year, the football results have been out of the top drawer winning 6, drawing 3 and only losing 4. With numbers increasing every passing week, it is demonstrating a new found desire to succeed at Highgate Wood School; one which bodes well the future of school level sports.

Of those who have attended, special mention must go to the following that have been at every session: Nye Newcombe (Yellow-Yr7) Scott Reidy-Martin (YellowYr8) Ryo Garling (Yellow-Yr7) Soloman Ove Loncraine (Green- Finn Lilburn (Green-Yr8) Charlie Clarke (Green-Yr8) Yr7) Kieron Matthews (Blue-Yr7) Johnny Roberts (Blue-Yr8) Kevonte Wiloughby (Blue-Yr7) Louis Hamilton (Blue-Yr8) Rory Moody (Yellow-Yr8) Leo Pitsillides (Yellow-Yr9) Ivan Benis-Scott (Yellow-Yr8) Tom Escott (Yellow-Yr9)

October 2013

THERE’S A WINNING MENTALITY BREWING

Mr Goldberg writes: Nye Newcombe is the Year 7 football captain and has begun his season with two wins and a draw.

This makes the Year 7s the most successful team in the school so far having secured 7 points from their first three games scoring 15 and conceding 10.

The Year 7s have consistently been the largest cohort to attend the Tuesday fitness sessions which has translated onto the pitch and a series of victories and great matches against other schools including Heartlands and Gladesmore.

INTERVIEW WITH YEAR 7 FOOTBALL CAPTAIN Nye Newcombe answered a few questions, giving an insight into the life of a prominent student athlete at Highgate Wood: How have you found settling into a new team of players?

I have found it a great experience to be able to meet new people; it has been a lot of fun Who has impressed you the most and who will have the biggest impact throughout the season?

For me Kieron Matthews has been the most impressive and Kevonte Wiloughby will have the biggest impact throughout the season What are your expectations for the season?

Realistically I would like to finish in the top 3 in Haringey, but winning would be amazing What do you as a team need to do to improve?

Marking and tracking back will help us beat teams.

If we all keep going to fitness, it should come naturally

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KEY DATES THIS COMING TERM Monday 4th November

Half term begins (Week 1)

Friday 8th November

LEARNING REVIEW DAY

Thursday 14th November

Year 9 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 21st November

INSET AFTERNOON (School closed to students from 2:10)

Wednesday 27th November

Sixth Form Parents’ Evening

Mon 2nd Dec—11th Dec

Year 11 Mocks

Thursday 12th December

Sixth Form Open Evening

Friday 20th December

Term Ends

AUTUMN 2013

SPRING 2014

SUMMER 2014

Mon 2nd September

Term Starts *

Mon 6th Jan

Term Starts

Tuesday 22nd April

Term Starts

28th Oct - 1st Nov

Half term break

17th Feb– 21st Feb

Half term break

27th—30th May

Half term break

Friday 20th Dec

Term Ends

Friday 4th April

Term Ends

Wed 23rd July

Term Ends

INSET DAYS 2nd June 2014 21st July 2014 22nd July 2014

PARENTS’ EVENINGS

INSET AFTERNOOONS Wed 23rd October 2013 Thurs 21st November 2013 Tues 4th February 2014 Mon 17th March 2014 Wed 2nd July 2014

Year 7: Wed 14th May 2014 Year 8: Tues 25th March 2014 Year 9: Thurs 14th November 2013 Year 10: Tues 28th January 2014 Year 11: Thurs 16th January 2014 Post 16: Wed 27th November 2013 (all Parents’ Evenings run 4:30pm—7:30pm)

The school calendar is now available on-line at www.hws.uk.com

Keep informed Find out what is going on at Highgate Wood School and keep up with our news visit us at our website www.hws.uk.com follow us on twitter twitter.com/highgatewood

Insight is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com