News from Highgate Wood School arts college
CONSIDERATION COOPERATION COURTESY CONTRIBUTION
Issue No 19
July 2014
GOVERNING BODY UPDATE Charles Wright, Chair of Governors, writes: We've reached the end of another school year; I hope everyone is looking forward to a great summer break, and I hope the weather holds up! Of course we have the exam results next month, and these are an important indicator of how we are doing as a school, as well as for individual students. Our exam performance has improved significantly over recent years, and we are now securely within the top performing 20 per cent of schools in England and Wales. There's no room for complacency though, and we are determined that all our students reach their full potential. The governing body will be looking closely at the results when they come out, and looking at areas for improvement as well as celebrating what I'm sure will be individual and overall success stories. Many thanks to all staff who have worked hard over the run-up to the exams, and to parents, carers and students. Exams are just one part of what Highgate Wood is about, and this was underlined again for me at this year's MADfest, another great event showcasing the huge array of talent and commitment among our students and parents! Another thank you to all involved in organising the day. Governors have also been taking a look at the new house system, as we reach the end of its first year of operation. The system is already making a difference on the pastoral side, and we will be considering what improvements may need to be made in the new school year. A final thanks to all my fellow governors for their work over the year, and to our hard-working staff. Have a great summer! Cover picture: The cover features the fantastic Madfest 2014. The weather held up, the crowds came and the entertainment was fantastic. Visitors were also able to see the spectacular A Level Art\Design & Technology show.
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Arabella Weir writes: A huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make MADfest the fantastic school community event that it always is. Despite patchy weather we still managed to raise over £5,600 for the school. It was a great day but we can always do and raise more! We want to make make next year's MADfest even better, so if you have some ideas or would just like to get involved please contact the PSA via our page on the website. One thought for the summer - if only ONE member from every Highgate Wood family came to MADfest 2015 we'd raise at least £15,000 on that day alone! So, please put it in your 2015 diary! Have a very happy, well deserved summer break, the Highgate Wood School PSA.
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 • Julia Chalfen • Paul Bennett 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)
July 2014
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Welcome to the last edition of Insight for this academic year. Yet again the year has absolutely flown by. However, that’s not to say that we haven’t been incredibly busy as always, continuously achieving new heights and delivering excellent experiences for our students. It seems like only a few weeks ago that I was writing to you to celebrate another set of good exam results at HWS last October. Well, given the tremendous dedication of our students and staff (and of course the fantastic support that we get from our parents/carers and governors), I am very confident that this August will see similarly impressive results to be proud of. I wish our Year 11s and Post 16 students the very best of luck! You will see in this edition of Insight just how vibrant a place HWS continues to be for all of our students and staff with so many exciting things happening. I think you will get a sense that at HWS we are very serious about doing whatever we can to make a positive difference to our students, maintain the highest of expectations and inspire self belief. I hope that you enjoy the read! School Development Priorities for Improvement for 2013/14 Priority A
Securing Outstanding Achievement and Progress
Priority B
Securing Outstanding Teaching and Learning
Priority C
Securing Outstanding Leadership and Management
Priority C
Securing Outstanding Behaviour and Safety
You may recognise that the two of the four key priorities for 2014/15 are the same as those for the last two years. They are Priority B and Priority C. This is no accident. We are very clear that if we as a school are to give our students great experiences and to July 2014
ensure their most outstanding achievements at HWS, we must ensure that they receive the very best teaching possible; and this in turn is only made possible if the leadership of the school is outstanding. Therefore, we intend to keep our focus on these two core priorities until we achieve them. In addition, and in line with the four areas of the Ofsted criteria, we have added Priority A and D which looks at the progress that out students make and how well they behave in lessons and around the school. We have made some good progress this year on all fronts and we continue to get better, but we know that we are not yet where we are capable of being, so the journey continues. With your continued support I am confident we will get there. Uniform in September We intend to be strict with our uniform expectations when we come back to school in September. Most students wear the uniform with pride and to a high standard, but not all. As a reminder, our expectations include the following:
Blazers are compulsory, but jumpers/cardigans are not – hence if students do not wish to wear two layers on top of their shirts, it’s the jumpers/ cardigans that should not be worn
No other alternative to the school jumper/ cardigan (with the HWS Blue trim) can be worn
Black shoes must be worn – please pay particular attention to the section later on in this issue by Ms Allaway on school shoes. Please note that canvass shoes and Keds, Vans and Converse are no longer acceptable forms of footwear; neither are leather forms of the above
Shirts for boys and girls must be worn tucked in
Ties should be worn to a length where at least five stripes are visible on the wide part of the tie below the knot – the knot must be worn high and the top button of the shirt must be done up
Girls skirts should not be rolled at the top and should be worn so that all four buttons down the side of the skirt should be visible
Short sleeve shirts are a perfectly acceptable alternative to long sleeve shirts for girls and boys
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We are very keen to ensure that we set and maintain the highest of expectations for students at HWS, and this includes the way in which the uniform is worn. I want to reiterate that we do not wish to make uniform an issue, and it won’t be with your support in ensuring that your child adheres to this. To be clear, we will be sending your child home to get changed if they arrive back in September not in full school uniform. We thank you in advance for support with this.
Playground to accommodate the additional need. This will mean slightly less playground space for students, but in compensation for this we will make sure that they are placed in a sensible position that has the least impact possible. You may also recall earlier in the year that we have had to use temporary toilets for the boys due to a fire in the toilets in the main building. The good news is that the refurbishment of the toilets is now nearly complete, so in September they will be in operation again.
New House Ties In order to further develop our house identities we will be introducing new ties from September. The new ties will have an additional coloured stripe to represent the house colours (i.e. Da Vinci – dark blue, Seacole – green, Edison – yellow). The first purchase of the new tie will be free to all students in Year 8 to Year 11 (in September) on production of their current tie. What this means in practical terms is that we will accept the current school tie as payment for the new tie in the first instance. Year 11 Uniform Return We are encouraging year 11 students to return any items of uniform that are in a good state of repair when they come in to collect their exam results in August. We are keen to build up a stock of spare uniform that we can re-sell on to other students at a reduced second-hand rate, or that can be used on a day to day basis to resolve any issues of non-uniform compliance from September. There will be some containers on GCSE results day, 21st August, where items of uniform that are no longer needed can be deposited.
Senior Leadership Team (SLT) Changes The main areas of responsibility are not too dissimilar to last year, but in terms of keeping parents informed, I thought it best to include the table below showing you who is responsible for what. Hopefully, it should help you in terms of approaching the right person to deal with any queries that you have depending on the nature of your query. Mr P Cozier Headteacher
School Development Strategy
Ms K Christodoulou Deputy Head
Mr C Hewitt Deputy Head
Staff Development (CPD)
Self Evaluation
Performance Appraisal
Curriculum
Departmental Performance
Staffing & Recruitment
Pupil Premium (Student Progress)
Pupil Premium
Attendance Pupil Premium (Pastoral)
Temporary Science Huts & Boys’ Toilets In September the number of students in year 10 who will be studying triple science will double compared to previous years. 120 students will be studying all three sciences as compared with 60 in the previous years. As a result of this, we need more science teaching spaces. Unfortunately, in the short term, this means that we will have two temporary classrooms in the Main
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Assessment
SLT Performance
Ms S Hatch School Business Finance & Premises Health & Safety Oversight of Managed Network Services
July 2014
Ms D Spence Assistant Head
Mr D Mansfield Assistant Head
Mr A Hartley Assistant Head
Inclusion and intervention Child protection lead
Learning and Teaching Development
KS4 Coordinator
Pupil Premium (Inclusion)
Literacy Strategy Maths Strategy
Key Stage 4Raising Standards Leader External Complaints PSHE Delivery (share)
Ms L Pinnick Assistant Head
Mr T Ashman Assistant Head
Ms C Allaway Assistant Head
KS3 Coordinator
E-Learning strategy and ESafety Officer
Behaviour for Learning
Communications (including PR)
Community & Arts Specialism
Key Stage 3 Raising Standards Leader Timetabling PSHE Delivery (share)
Procedures & Data Protection Student Voice
KS2-3 transition
By keeping a note of the roles and responsibilities above, I am hoping that it will make it easier for parents to direct any queries or concerns directly to the most appropriate person to deal with it.
Staff Member Subject/Department
Years of Service
Ms J Johnson Modern Foreign Languages
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Mr S Brown
Technology & Head of Learning
14
Ms K Smith
Science
13
Ms L Sanders English as an Additional Language 12 Ms L Emery
English
Mr G Contor Head of Drama
12 10
Ms K Dornan Music
6
Ms B McConville English & Head of Learning
6
Ms A Ryan Music & Deputy Head of Edison
6
Ms D Gunes Geography
4
Ms D Wilson English
4
Ms C Osborne PE
4
Mr T Russell English
3
Mr C Rodrigues Maths
2
Mr F Uddin Maths
1
Mr A Smith History
1
Ms R Darnell Drama
1
Mr P Wiltshire ICT/Business Studies
1
Ms A Yilmaz Pastoral Care Mentor
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All those who are leaving have made Highgate Wood School a richer place and we are very grateful for that significant contribution. We offer our very best wishes to all for the future!
Amazing Student – Pauline Ashbee 4Cs Award! I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate some very special students. Firstly, I would like to congratulate Alexandra Burgess for being awarded the Pauline Ashbee 4Cs Award at the Year 11 Celebration Evening. This was a well deserved award for a top student. We are proud that she is a Highgate Wood Student. Good bye and Good Luck to leaving colleagues As always, the end of the summer term is also a time for farewells. We are saying goodbye to a number of staff at the end of this term.
July 2014
... And Finally – Thank you for your support! I would like to thank you all again for your valued and continued support. I wish you and your families a pleasant summer holiday Please remember, we return on Tuesday 2nd September 2014. Regards Patrick Cozier Headteacher
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MAJOR WORK TO SCHOOL ICT SYSTEMS
SUMMER IN HARINGEY
Mr Ashman writes: During the summer break there will be some very significant upgrades and changes to the school network, together with some building work. This will cause some impact to the smooth running of things during the summer holidays. The majority of the work will be completed in time to ensure that A level and GCSE results (on 14th and 21st August) can be provided, and for the school will be functioning as normal for the first day of term (2nd September). But please be aware the school phone lines and email traffic will be disrupted and our admin staff may not be able to respond to enquiries and requests. Online content on the MLE will be transferred to a different area during August so will not be available. However students accounts with SAMLearning will remain active.
Haringey Council have produced a 40 page booklet (available at http://tinyurl.com/hwssummer) listing a whole range of activities available for young people in the borough over the summer holidays. Many of them are free, with some not even requiring you to book. Many of the activities are for younger children, but there is also a number of events listed in that could be great for students. These range from a Dynamic Sports Academy at Finsbury Park Stadium and a Tennis Camp at Downhills Park, to a Cooking Skills course at the Muswell Hill Centre and film screenings at the Marcus Garvey Library. There is Boxing training for 13-16 year olds at Campsbourne Primary School and a Driving School at Bruce Grove Youth Centre where, for free, an Approved Driving Instructor will give you the training required to prepare you for your driving test (you must have a provisional licence to qualify for this course). More information for things happening in Haringey over the summer are available on the Haringey Youthspace website: http://tinyurl.com/hwssummer
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July 2014
GET IT RIGHT FOR SEPTEMBER!
Ms Allaway writes: As mentioned in the last issue of Insight we are returning to the more precise and formal requirements for school footwear that were originally part of the school’s Uniform Code. From September 2014 all students from Years 7 to 11, must wear shoes that offer appropriate grip and support whilst also being smart, formal and suitable for school. The school specifies the following: All school shoes need to be black leather (or leather-look). Boys’ shoes must be black, plain well supported and low heeled. All stitching and laces must be black and laces tied at all times. Trainer style shoes (even if they are black) are unacceptable, as are canvas gym/pump style shoes and “show off” designer labels, logos, piping and stripes. Girls’ shoes must be black, plain and well supported with a low heel. They can be worn with fastened black laces, buckles or Velcro. Trainers or canvas gym/pump style shoes are not allowed. Most canvas slipper/ballet style shoes provide no support and are unsuitable for school. We do appreciate that buying shoes, probably more than any other item of school uniform, is open to a range of interpretations and can be very difficult. There have been times when parents have bought shoes that are in the “school” range of very reputable stores, and have then been told July 2014
that they are not appropriate. We can imagine that this is very frustrating. However, it is important to note that, whilst a shop or a manufacturer may describe their shoes as “school” shoes” that does not necessarily mean they are “Highgate Wood School” shoes. We will endeavour to provide as much guidance through the website and elsewhere to ensure that a clear message on shoes and the school uniform in general is communicated, and we hope that the picture above provide some guidance. We feel that rather too much time and energy that should be spent on learning is sometimes spent on dealing with uniform issues, and we trust that from September 2014 this will change. To help ensure that this happens we will adopt a policy of zerotolerance on uniform issues in the new academic year and will impose severe sanctions, including where necessary sending a child home, for any infringements of the code that occur. As has always been the case the final decision does rest with the Headteacher on what is the correct interpretation of the code. If you have any specific concerns or questions please email them to uniform@hws.haringey.sch.uk This email address will be monitored throughout the summer break. With thanks for your continued support.
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IT’S APPIN’ @HIGHGATEWOODSCHOOL
Mr Talbert writes: As part of the new computing curriculum, Year 8 students were given a homework project where they had to work as part of a team to come up with a concept for an app for a good cause as part of the Apps for Good programme. Apps for Good gives students the chance to develop an idea for an app with the chance of it being made and sold on the App Store and the students receiving the share of the profits. This year Highgate Wood School was lucky enough to have one team that made it to the finals. Nancy Levy-Vegh (8W) & Rhea Patel (8W) made it to the finals on the 23rd June 2014 at the Barbican. Their app Water Works has been developed to help tell the user whether water is safe to drink or not while travelling abroad. Also, it will highlight the need for clean water in foreign countries and users can donate money to help support this. It was a jammed pack day with top executives from Samsung, Facebook and Thompson Reuters judging the app ideas and although the girls did not win their category they had a great experience learning about the app making process and meeting some interesting people. They were also lucky enough to have a tour around Facebook’s new office in London which ended with them raiding Facebook’s own sweetshop.
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New Year 8 students be on the lookout for more information about Apps for Good 2015 in September so start thinking of some ideas for an app for a good cause as it could be you that wins next year.
HWS:A DIGITAL SCHOOL HOUSE SCHOOL
Mr Talbert writes: Highgate Wood School are proud to announce that we are now a Digital Schoolhouse school. The Digital Schoolhouse project is a national and international recognised pioneering initiative in teaching Computing to primary school pupils. From September Highgate Wood School will be opening its computer suites twice a week to Year Five and Six pupils and teachers and offering a variety of lessons to meet primary schools individual Computing needs as part of the new Key Stage 2 programme of study. July 2014
HWS @ THE BT ROCK ASSEMBLY
WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
Mr Talbert writes: Forty Year 8 & 9 students were treated to the BT Rock Assembly at Wembley Arena as a result of their work on the Apps for Good programme and as part of the BT Digital School Champions programme where they trained a relative how to use Google or upload a photo. It was a jam packed day starting with a futures fair where the students were able to speak to universities and organisations about future careers. Then in the afternoon 10,000 students from across the country were treated to the BT Rock Assembly with performances from Angel, Misha B, Conor Maynard and Professor Green. The students all enjoyed themselves especially Aiesha (8S) who did not sit down the whole afternoon as she was singing and dancing to every song. If you want to have a chance to go to next year’s BT Rock Assembly on the 1st July 2015 see Mr Talbert for more information.
Dr Ramon Trujillo Puig writes: A group of fifty-six gifted Year 9 girls visited the London Transport Museum in Acton Depot as part of Women in Engineering week. As well as finding out a bit about what engineering was and interviewing a female engineer, they also had the challenge of constructing a 3D train track that would travel a certain distance and stop at the 'station', without brakes! They were each awarded a CREST Discovery Award for their skill and resilience. The most memorable part of the trip was the walk around the museum looking at how modes of transport had progressed from the horse drawn carriages to the double decker buses and tube trains. As well as laughing at some of the old advertisements, students were in awe of the simple transitions from burning horse dung to petrol, and from spirit lamps in train carriages to electric lighting.
July 2014
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MODEL UN CONFERENCE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Our delegates: Harry Ghose-Coveny Tommy Pegler Emmy Budis Rosana Salonen Martha White Jake Canton-Perry
Sina Nafissi Ruby Neal Hannah Crabb-Krivine Lily Roberts Sadie Goswell Leila Kikuchi-House
Gloria Coles Anton Beka Lui Donaldson Lucy Whelan Laura Moss Mia Clifford
Alex McLaren Phoebe Bennett Imogen Sheppard Gabriel Brown Beth Gosschalk Patrick Hegarty-Morrish
Mr Robertson writes: On 10th & 11th July, 24 students in years 9 and 10 participated in the annual Global Classrooms Model UN event at Mulberry School for Girls. The topic of the conference was Sustainable Development Post 2015. Our delegates were asked to research what progress has been made in alleviating poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease and discrimination, and to propose what the international community must do to extend freedom and justice to all. This was the youngest delegation we have ever taken to a conference but you would not know it from the depth of their research, the eloquence of their contributions, and the maturity with which they negotiated with other delegates. Our students won awards in every committee they were assigned to, which meant that we received the award for Best Delegation - an exceptional achievement given their age and experience. Every one of our students should be proud of their achievements; for the impeccable way they conducted themselves and for the way they cared for and supported each other during a challenging two day event. As a school, we are incredibly proud of them. 10
July 2014
A LEVEL ART SHOW
Chloe Petmezas Walker
Ms Zwicky writes: This year's Art, Photography and D&T exhibition was of an exceptionally high standard. The students have curated a stunning show, which included atmospheric installation pieces by Sophie Gladstone and Sabi Newman-Chalk, as well as countless photographic and mixed media contributions. Some of the work which stood out was Kami Jogee's large scale paintings. Conrad Lee's Graphic photography work, Natasha Faircloughs delicate paper sculpture work, and Pip Whitelock's large scale portrait and urban landscape photography. We are very proud of our current cohort, and hope their hard work pays off when they receive their results in the summer. July 2014
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CROUCH END FESTIVAL
MEDIA STUDENTS AT HOGWARTS
Ms Allaway writes: Highgate Wood School students were involved again with the Crouch End Festival schools events for 2014. Ms Kate Dornan and Ms Anna Ryan led our school choir in performances outside the Hornsey Town Hall along with performances from all the schools in our network learning community including; Coleridge, Rokesly, Weston Park, St Mary's, St Aidens, Campsbourne and Hornsey School for girls. The year 11 band "Little Folk" performed and many of our students were performing in the Haringey big band. In addition to the music there was also the art. All the schools contributed to an exhibition in the Hornsey Library and we had a team of Year 7 and Year 9 students led by Ms Haf Stevens, Ms Michelle Masters, Ms Charlotte Angove and Ms Vesna Parchet working on two joint works on the theme of water. Hornsey Library said that it has been the best attended exhibition that they have ever staged and Park Road Pool have asked if the joint artworks can be displayed at their grand reopening in the autumn.
Ms Daws-Knowles writes: On Monday 14 July our Year 10 Media Studies students had their hard work rewarded by a trip to Warner Bros Studios. The students have completed two units of coursework this year analysing and creating magazine covers. They also wrote a 1000 word analysis of an action adventure film and designed a poster and trailer for their own film. The students visited the sets of the Harry Potter film franchise, rode broomsticks, and learned how costumes, make up, animal actors and special effects including animatronic monsters are used in the films.
MADFEST VEGETABLES!
Ms Jones writes: Another success for the BTEC Level 2 L2 Sustainability Skills Students. They made over ÂŁ100 through the school harvest at MADFest with their school grown produce. 12
July 2014
YPES - THE WORLD WAR I BATTLEFIELDS
Ms Kingston writes: At the end of June, Year 9 students enjoyed a History day trip to the battlefields of the First World War in Ypres, Belgium. We visited just a few of the huge number of cemeteries and memorials in the area. The Ypres salient was the scene of some of the most bloody and destructive battles of the war. Our students noticed the stark contrast between German and British cemeteries. We also saw gravestones of many people from the British Empire – including Chinese, West Indian and Indian soldiers. Students also got a feel for the war at the Passchendaele Museum where they tried on some of the kit that soldiers had to use. It all made for a memorable day. In 2009 the last surviving soldier of First World War – Harry Patch died at the age of 111. His passing marked the end of an era, but these visits help our students remember what happened in the ‘Great’ War. Over the next five years there will be much public discussion of the war as the centenary of the war begins on 4th August 2014. Hopefully, having visited these sites our students will have something to add to the debate.
July 2014
BRUGES MOVES TO SUSSEX!
Sheni Barry writes: On Tuesday, 8th July, 4 coaches of year 7 students went on a MFL trip to Bruges in Belgium, well that was the plan … Everyone had to be at school for 6.30am promptly and there was a lot of excitement in the air. We were put onto coaches where I sat with my best friend and after about 10 minutes fell asleep! Unfortunately, after waiting a few hours in the terminal to go abroad, it was announced that the Eurotunnel had cancelled all day trips abroad. However, instead of going back to school we made the most of the day and went to the beach in the UK instead. It wasn't Belgium, but we still had a lot of fun! it was great that Ms Booth and Ms Johnson organised this trip for us and made the most of a day out.
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CELEBRATION EVENING: THE CLASS OF 2014
Mr Hartley writes: Year 11 celebration evening was a fantastic event this year (as it always is) and all the Year 11 students had a great time! It was so good to see students enjoying celebrating each other’s success and hard work. They created an amazingly positive atmosphere in the Union Chapel. Parents and staff also enjoyed the event immensely. I was so proud of all Year 11’s achievement as individuals and as a year group and I know that Mr Brokenshire, their previous Head of Learning was very proud also. They were consistently supportive of each other throughout the year as well as being kind and considerate. All the students were a credit to themselves and their parents and to the school. I look forward to seeing everyone back in year 12. Several people have to be thanked without whom it would never have happened. Lindsay Pinnick and Bronach McConville, Nurissa Daniels and Andy Green put huge amounts of work into the event. Also my thanks to Heads of House and Deputy Heads of House, tutors and teachers and support staff for helping make it such a memorable event. Finally I would like to thank our guests, DJ Scott Mills and Cassie Compton.
Congratulations Alexandra Burgess, this year’s 4Cs Award Winner.
Mr Cozier
Mr Brokenshire
Cassie Compton Find out about Cassie Compton at www.cassiecompton.com
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July 2014
HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL
CLASS OF 2014
July 2014
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CAN WE GIVE BIRTH IN SPACE
SCIENCE LECTURES AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE
Jack Coomber writes: We are constantly bombarded with new, exciting propositions that humans will one day be able to colonize other planets. Most notable of these is Buzz Aldrin’s comment that the individuals on the first manned mars mission should remain on the red planet in order to begin developing a society. Such a proposal has ironically been coined a suicide mission, when in fact, it is designed to have the exact opposite effect, the expansion of life. However, we seem to overlook the fact that at the moment, we do not know if it is even possible to have a baby in space.
Ms El Damanawi writes: Talented chemists from Years 10 and 12 had their normal everyday assumptions about the world shattered with an evening lecture at Imperial College. It turns out that despite its popularity on earth, ice is most definitely strange. It floats in its own liquid, unlike all other 'bergs' and always has a slippery surface!. During a brief visit to the Science Museum earlier in the day they proved that they were more than chemists with one group managing to use the concept of moments to balance blocks to championship level and another moving a series of rings to predict the exact projectile motion of a ball. 16
Although it seems an unintelligent question to ask, we have to consider how human life has adapted to the specific measures of gravity the Earth is subject to, and therefore must note that our reproductive systems have acquired the mutations necessary to make sure hormones reach the growing foetus, not to mention the additional strain placed on the mother due to substantially less help from gravity during the process of the birth itself. Although research has been promising in rats, it is hard to generalize from such a creature to humans. Furthermore, the aforementioned rats were pregnant before entering space, so it is questionable whether a sperm and an egg are capable of meeting in such different conditions. All in all, we must be wary of getting too excited over the prospect of living on new planets, and cannot assume getting there is an end in itself, as in fact, it is only half the story.
July 2014
SCIENCE ENRICHMENT
Maleah Drake 7E writes: The trip to the science museum was brilliant and fun. We went to see the rocket show which was a blast, it taught me about Isaac Newton and rockets.10/10!�
Ms Roberts writes: In June, the science department took Year 7 students to three different locations in central London for their enrichment trip. The three destinations were London Zoo, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Staff and students had a fantastic time, whether they were marvelling at the monkeys, discovering about dinosaurs or being surprised by space! A huge thank you to Ms El-Damanawi, Ms Andreas and Mr Ward for organising such enriching trips!
July 2014
Amelia Doyle 7E writes: The best part of the day is that we got to run around the Launchpad. There were activities like the one where you had to bite a bit of straw and cover your ears and you could hear rock music! It was great fun and it would be good to have more opportunities to go on trips like this again!� Kamille Nicholson-Johnson 7S writes: ' We saw so many animals. My favourite was seeing the the giraffes. Our learning session was really good as we had the chance to see skeletons and even touch a snake! It was also fun exploring the shops. It was a great day out'.
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YEAR 7 TRIP TO PENDARREN
Ms. Eisa writes: A group of Year 7 students travelled to Pendarren this month, where they were treated not only to fantastic Welsh weather but also got the chance to face some fears and carry out a diverse set of activities. Year 7 were lucky enough to go canoeing, caving, climbing and walking; where they made it to the top of three mountain peaks over 700M above sea level. It was a great team building experience where new friendships were formed and new experiences gained. The two groups were involved in a variety of team building exercises and exhibited not only great skill but also great sportsmanship.
YEAR 10 AT THE DESIGN MUSEUM exhibition had to offer including a prototype of a fully sustainable car made of everyday materials and a model of an innovative new museum supplied solely by natural light.
Julian Block writes: In May, the lone GCSE Resistant material class ventured to the renowned Design Museum on the Southbank to participate in a ‘Design Workshop’ to inform us about varying types of lamps and explain the key components of effective design.
I enjoyed the experience as it helped my understanding towards my design context (e.g. adding ergonomic features) while letting me explore the innovations in modern design that could influence the way we see world in the near future, both on a small and large scale, and how I could implement these breakthroughs into redefining my design to be unique and original.
Although the trip served to assist our Memphis Milano style lamp coursework in many ways, it also proved to be a surprisingly intriguing couple of hours as we explored what the museum’s 18
July 2014
HWS FEMINISTS GROUP
Laura Moss writes: Over the past few months, myself and about thirty other girls in year 9 and 10 have been attending the feminist meetings run by Mr Robertson. On the first meeting, we all just got to sit down and discuss how it feels to be a teenage girl facing sexism in the modern world; whether it was a direct experience, something we’d heard from a friend or picked up upon in the media. Honestly, it was just really nice to be able to have an open discussion where we could identify with eachother and not feel judged or embarrassed by our experiences and opinions. Since then, we have discussed different aspects of feminism and sexism and done various activities within our meetings. One of the really interesting topics that we discussed was sexism within the media, which was a huge eye-opener as we take so much of it as normal, we don’t even realise what’s behind it. We look at a lot of positive things going on as well, such as feminist bloggers, and anything else that promotes equality. We recently had a visit from a sociology professor, who writes lots to do with girls and the issues that young women face. She has been given funding from Elle magazine to speak to young girls all over Britain about feminism. It was a really amazing experience to be able to speak to someone like that, and it felt really good that she wanted to hear what we had to say. July 2014
The meetings have (and will continue) to be a really positive thing to be a part of and there something that I look forward too. Personally, I feel like the next step is making everybody aware of what feminism actually means; and eliminating all of the negative stereo-types. Mr Robertson writes: This term, the group has spent a lot of time linking the 'everyday sexism' they have witnessed or experienced to examples in wider society. They have been particularly outspoken about how women are represented in advertising, and the way reports of sexism are so casually dismissed or ridiculed. The group enjoyed a visit by Jessica Ringrose, a professor of Sociology at the Institute of Education, and she was left inspired by their passion and idealism. We already have lots of plans to continue the group next year, from learning about how to use social media in a really positive way, to encouraging boys to attend some meetings so they understand that feminism really is for everybody.
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ACCELERATED READERS
STAR SPELLERS
Ms McConville writes: I am delighted by the way Year 7s have embraced the Accelerated Reader programme. They have been beavering away all year, reading avidly and taking numerous quizzes with a high success rate.
Ms Wilson writes: Some awesome year 7 spellers to be congratulated - the following students made it to the elimination rounds: Rugal Ozdemir, Maddie Osborn, Sophia Doncheff, Olivia Birkett, Rosie Ashworth, Tyler Zaber, Jamie Muteba, Ollie Freeman, Grace Heron, Alisdair Ellis, Liliane Vettori, Jas Kumar, Agnes Szabo, Tyreek Heerali-Campbell, Stefan Avramov, Johan MirandaFranck and London Smith. The following students made it to the final: Elif Kisa, Tia Dyatt and Priscilla Nabisere representing Da Vinci; Louise Cole-Legate, Olivia Birkett and Liban Abdi representing Seacole; and Euan Escott, Charlotte Wheelan and Jack Thornton representing Edison. They spelled, or attempted to spell words such as accessible, bazaar, caterpillar, assassin and bonsai. Spellers were not given the word list in advance for the competitive rounds.
All students need to be congratulated, but particularly those below:
MOST BOOKS READ 7H
7E
Wesley Haynes (40) Priscilla Nabisere (22) Jamie Muteba (17)
Natalie Manoharan (43) Freya Dougan (30) Matilda Horton (26)
Most quizzes: Wesley Haynes (23)
Most quizzes: Natalie Manoharan (35)
7I
7W
Thomas Roberts (24) Aweys Aweys (22) Sezer Ganidagli (17)
Rico Fergus (37) Jasvinder Kumar (32) Sasha Shute (30)Most
Most quizzes: Thomas Roberts (22)
quizzes: Rico Fergus (34)
7G
7D
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Rebecca Manoharan (75) Zackhala Francis (22) Tia Dyett (63) Hugh Thomas (22) Nino Geliashvili (39) Eden Ferreira (21) Most quizzes: Tia Dyett (55)
Most quizzes: High Thomas (20)
7A
7S
Toby Seddon (88) Lydia Sheppard (42) Bruno Jakaupi (36)
Mia Knight (51) Kieran Thomas (30) Marcella Holt (25)
Most quizzes: Toby Seddon (88)
Most quizzes: Mia Knight (33)
7T Sophia Doncheff (40) Serhan Ercan (22) Asmaa Sharif (17) Most quizzes: Sophia Doncheff (36)
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HOUSE RANKINGS 1. SEACOLE 2. DA VINCI 3. EDISON
Ms Osborne writes: On 9th July, the student council were visited by guest speakers Councillors Adam Jogee and Claire West to discuss the successes of the year and to explore other opportunities for student leadership within the borough. Students were keen to learn about the roles our guests carry out and gained an insight into how systems within local government are similar to those within the School Council at school. They finished the morning with a celebration of the year and put forward some suggestion for next year. We look forward to working on their suggestions to improve life in September
July 2014
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD Ms Christodoulou writes: At Highgate Wood School we are proud of our long history in integrating global themes and international foci within our curriculum. This has been recognised by the British Council through the bestowment of International Schools Award in 2008 and 2011. This year we have been collating evidence to enable us to reaccredit for a further three years and are looking forward to hearing confirmation that we have once again successfully met the criteria. The International Schools Award formally recognises the partnerships we have with schools in the UK and around the world, and the work we do to teach our students about life in other countries and develop them as global citizens. We have carried out a formal audit of our curriculum to identify where each subject area addresses global themes, we have reviewed our International Policy and identified areas for further development. To apply for the award we need to demonstrate how seven of the huge numbers of eligible activities we have been engaged in meet the strict criteria laid down by the British Council. Our projects for this year’s award are: Year 10 Food technology project with a partner school in India Year 7 Transition Curriculum – Internationalism Theme Model UN Year 9 Exploring Our Identities project with partner schools in Germany and Belgium Year 8 & 9 Safe Use of Social Media curriculum project with partner schools in Germany and Belgium Years 7-13 Celebrating the Cultural Heritage of our students, linking with feeder primary schools as part of the Crouch End Festival Year 10 French and PE cross-curricular project and ski trip July 2014
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COMENIUS VISIT TO BRUSSELS
On the final day, we went on a guided tour of Brussels, visiting the Kings Palace and many other famous landmarks like Manneken Pis, the famous statue of the unknown pissing boy. After the tour, we had a leaving party where we were presented with awards and chocolate. We finished our trip with a game of boys v girls basketball, Mr Russell joined in too but didn’t put in much effort. When it came to leaving, many tears started flowing.
Max Hartel and Anton Beka write:
SIXTH FORM SCHOLARS PROGRAMME
At the start of May eight Highgate Wood students travelled to the beautiful city of Brussels. We were part of a project called the Comenius project which aims to bring students from different countries together to complete project work. During this trip our brief was to brainstorm and consider what education will look like in the future. We also researched school systems of the past and explained to our European peers exactly how a school day in the UK worked. When we first set foot on Belgian soil, we went to our hotel, which wasn’t far from the Brussels North station and then set off on a tour of the city. We sampled food at a restaurant called the Cheese Cake Café, then went for desert at the House of Haagan Daas which everyone enjoyed! The next day we visited our Belgian host’s school located on the edge of Brussels - a suburb not too dissimilar from Haringey. There we met with the fellow Comenius students and gave our presentations on what school is and was like in England. Many of the presentations were very interesting as the students didn’t know about what life was like for students from the past or from other countries. On the third day the weather was perfect, almost 21°C and not a cloud to be seen, so we went to Gent, a former fishing town where we had a guided boat tour on one of the rivers running through the town. After the boat tour, we went shopping with the Belgian and German students. One thing we can say is that many sweets were bought!
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Ms Birnie writes: Twenty Four Highgate Wood Students visited Pembroke College, Oxford University in June, as part of the Scholars Programme. The scheme is a Haringey wide initiative to help students from non-selective schools to gain places at the Russell Group Universities, the top 30 Universities in the UK. On the day, students participated in undergraduate style tutorials led by PhD students, to introduce them to topics in Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities and STEM. Following on from this launch event, the PhD students are visiting Highgate Wood to continue with our students in tutorials of 4 or 5. At the end of the programme students will then be required to complete a 2,500 word undergraduate essay which will be marked at a University level. All those that complete the course will then attend a graduation ceremony to celebrate their early triumph as Higher Education students. This will give each and every one of them a fantastic opportunity to boast and demonstrate their skills and abilities on their UCAS Applications. July 2014
TRANSITION DAY
Maddy Baron writes: The 2014 transition day was a great success. The weather was good, the atmosphere exciting and the new students had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The peer mentors loved helping the new Year 7 students get familiar with Highgate Wood School and secondary school life in general, with many of us reminiscing about our first days at Highgate Wood. All the peer mentors did different jobs: some helped to set up and run the day from the sidelines, some integrated themselves in with the students and went round with them throughout the day. All the people involved and a great time and we are all look forwarding to seeing the new members of our school when they come here in September.
July 2014
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END OF KEY STAGE 3 CELEBRATION
SUBJECT AWARDS Subject Progress Prize
Leila Kikuchi-House and Bryony Hillman write: Year 9 Celebration Evening lived up to its name. The hall was filled with applause as people were recognised for their achievements. Every form went up to the front and every single student received a certificate for completing Key Stage 3. The peer mentors received medal and there were House Awards and Subject Awards. Even though some forms did not have 100% of their students present, it did not lower the mood. Parents and children alike were overjoyed with all the achievements and awards. We cannot wait for the end of Key Stage 4 Prom and Yearbook!
YEARBOOK COMMITTEE Congratulations to all those involved in making the Year 9 Celebration a success. Particular thanks must go to the Yearbook committee who managed to put together a creditable Yearbook in next to no time. Those on the committee included: Harry Ghose Coveney, Laura Gibbons, Ella Pollak-Fleming, Wilf Webb, Scarlett Monaighan, Olivia Bassett, Nikolaj Lerche, Lui Donaldson, Jake Hamilton, Anton Beka, Dennisha Edwards, Herbie Lea-Bramble, Phoebe Bennett, Phoebe Berman, Khadijo Nooh and Jace Griffiths.
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Effort Prize
Hannah Crabb-Krevine
Alfie Pine
Sina Nafissa
Tommy Escott
Nikhil Dumree
Laura Gibbons
Tolga Kale
Scarlett Monaighan
D'An Greaves
Jack Shaw
Stephanie Paixao
Finley Davis
HISTORY
Nikolaj Lerche
Ruby Neale
ICT
Eleanor Jones
Abel Kent
LANGUAGES
Barbara Bitar
Sadie May
MATHS
Fanni Somogyi
Phoebe Berman
MUSIC
Maddy Baron
Ha-Lim Chang
Lauren Page
Remy Beckford
George Simson
Joachim Harris
Ned Scott
Alex McLaren
ART CITIZENSHIP DRAMA ECS ENGLISH GEOGRAPHY
PE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
TUTOR AND HOUSE AWARDS HIG
DaVinci Head of House Award: Dennisha Edwards
Melissa Guvenler ATE
Lily Roberts
Seacole Head of House Award: Marcel Agyapong
Scarlett Monaighan Rafaella Stokes HIG
Sam Ayes
Tommy Pegler
Edison Head of House Award: Ruby Neal
Simeon Loizos
James Cooper
Sports Award:
Eleanor Jones
Tommy Escott, Julisa Tusha
Community Award: Madeleine Baron, Amelia Kirby, Caylan Samuels July 2014
CHANGES TO HOMEWORK: SEPT 2014 Mr Mansfield writes: During this academic year, we completed a review of how homework was supporting students’ learning and how we could improve it. We received lots of feedback from students, parents and teachers. As a result, starting from this September, there will be some changes. We hope that all of these will help students, teachers and parents to use homework as an even more effective learning tool. Full details will be posted on the website but, in summary: 1. Quality Homework across the year will be made up of a variety of different tasks, differentiated to stretch and challenge all students. 2. Frequency and quantity At Key Stage 3 Foundation Subjects will set one hour a fortnight, core subjects (English, Maths and Science) will set one hour a week At Key Stage 4 all subjects will set one hour a week of homework. At Post 16 three hours per subject per week will be set. A fortnightly homework timetable will be issued in September for all year groups. 3. Recording Homework From September we will be using an online homework system, Show My Homework, for students in Years 7, 10 and 12. This means their homework can be viewed on-line. Homework for all year groups should be recorded in the Student Planner. 4. Feedback and assessment For most subjects homework will be assessed within a fortnight of its submission date, and at least one piece of homework a half term will be assessed formatively by the teacher. We anticipate that these changes are going to have a really positive impact on learning and teaching at Highgate Wood School and welcome the support of students and parents to help make it happen. July 2014
WHITE WATER RAFTING
Mr Goldberg writes: On Wednesday the 9th July, eight Year 9 students travelled to the far reaches of Lea Valley to take part in a day’s experience of white water rafting. Accompanied by Mr Goldberg and Ms Howard, the eight students and Mr Goldberg donned the wet suits and buoyancy jackets to take to the roughest adrenaline inducing white water in all of North London. The early morning weather was overcast and on the cold side but once the pumps were turned on, glorious sunshine broke through to set scene to a raging torrent which, seconds before, resembled a river bed at the height of drought. With the sight of course slowly filling up, the hearts started to beat faster and the anticipation of a swim test and the first of three runs made for a thrilling morning. Once the rafting experience had finished, we had the opportunity to have a taste of cycling, volley ball, mini tennis and kayaking which adding to the morning, made the day a very enjoyable experience for all involved.
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SOME SPORTS DAY HIGHLIGHTS
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July 2014
HOUSE LEAGUE TABLES
END OF THE SPORTS YEAR Mr Goldberg writes: Throughout the year each house has competed commendably and is shown in the final scores how competitive it was coming down to the final set of games. Included in the Highgate Wood School Sports Fortnight that culminated in a very exciting day of Athletics finals on Friday 11th of July were Badminton, Tennis, Rounders and Softball. The final standings for the Inter-House Games Champions are as follows. House
Girls
Boys
Total
DaVINCI
52
43
95
EDISON SEACOLE
53 31
41 46
94 77
125
EDISON
102
SEACOLE
this year Top Vivo Earners Esme Cavendish Louise Johnson Phoebe Berman Luke Gosling Amy Davis
Sports points
125
80
Across the course of the afternoon each race had its own story, its own exciting twists and turns which showed why, when it comes to Sports, Highgate Wood School does it right. On what was a beautiful day on top field, the smell of the World Challenge fund raising BBQ and the air of determination and drive, each participant tried their absolute best. Cheered on by the swathes of pupils that lined the track, all the motivation required was winning for the house. Da Vinci and Edison fought it out hard but the level of participation during qualifiers ensured Da Vinci had the pick of their very best. Edison likewise has exemplary involvement and the very best competitive spirit throughout the fortnight of sports. However, when it came to points, Da Vinci reigned supreme with the number of 1st place finishes across both track and field. Seacole were throughout the year unfortunately the least represented house. I however have no doubt that with the talent that was on display, Seacole’s house team and the lessons learnt this year far as the new inter house sports systems runs, Seacole will no doubt come back fighting and competing at the top as they did so well last year. July 2014
69,846
SEACOLE
The final Sports Day Totals are below: DaVINCI
DaVINCI
67,608 this year Top Vivo Earners Rahmat Ali Jordan Dowden Scarlett Monaighan Alexander Diaferia Freya Dougan
Sports points
80
EDISON
71,539 this year Top Vivo Earners Luke Quarry Florence Penfold Lucy Whelan Holly Conroy-House Euan Escott
Sports points
102
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School starts again on
Tuesday 2nd September 2014 at 10:35 am for new Year 7 who will go home at 1:10 At 2:10 pm for Years 8 to 11. AUTUMN 2014 Tuesday 2nd September
Term Starts
27th Oct - 31st Oct
Half term break
Friday 19th December
Term Ends
SPRING2015 Monday 5th January
Term Starts
16th—20th Feb
Half term break
Friday 27th March
Term Ends
SUMMER 2015 Tuesday 13th April
Term Starts
25th—29th May
Half term break
Monday 20th July
Term Ends
The school calendar is 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 Check the school’s opening status Call 02084087508 and give the school’s DfE code: 3094030
Insight is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com