DIXIT
EDITION 54 24th May 2019
The weekly newsletter for the Holyport College family
Mr Hubbard has been accepted as a Google Innovator! The Google Certified Innovator Program is an elite community of more than 1,700 international educators who are trying to transform the world through education. The 12-month experience includes a mentorship, online learning activities and a three-day Innovation Academy where they will collaborate with other educators to launch a transformative project related to a challenge or opportunity they see needed in education. Each year, hundreds of educators apply to be accepted into the six to eight cohorts Google hosts around the world, but only 36 members are selected each time. Mr Hubbard recently applied to be a part of the London 2019 cohort of this program. The project he will spend the next year working on aims to promote ‘reading around a subject’ and to provide tools to enable students to do this more effectively and efficiently. “I studied Mathematics at university and, at that point, fell in love with the subject. I have now been teaching Mathematics for over 10 years and one of the passions that I now have is for the history of Mathematics. I read about this subject a great deal, broadening my understanding of Mathematicians and the cultures in which they worked. This in turn impacts upon the way I teach. In many subjects students are asked to 'read around' the topic they are studying. In my experience, teachers and lecturers can mean very different things when using this phrase. More problematic is the inability of students to do this in an effective and efficient way. At its best, reading around a subject encourages students to broaden their perspectives, encounter new and exciting material and to deepen their love for a subject. Students just need more support in doing so.” Mr. Hubbard also had to create a video as part of his application and he would like to thank those Sixth Form students that helped him to create it.
@holyportcollege
www.youtube.com/holyportal
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DIXIT 24th May 2019
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IN THIS EDITION
From the Academic Committee A Year 12 students tells us what he’s been reading/watching/listening to
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From the Sixth Form Sixth Form activities this week
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From KS3 News from Years 7, 8 and 9
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From the Sports Field Recent sporting achievements
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From the Music Rooms Music Department news
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From Music and Maths Further Music news and achievements in Maths
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From the Geography Department Field trips this week
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From the Science Department An update on the trip to Ecuador & Galapagos
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From the Calendar Upcoming events and dates for your diaries
@holyportcollege www.youtube.com/holyportal 2
FROM THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE
DIXIT 24th May 2019
What I’ve Been Reading/Watching/Listening To As an A-level Politics and English student, my reading, listening and overall leisurely research is primarily focused around these two of my three subjects. As with most other A-level subjects, personal study and extra-curricular research is vital in order to achieve the best you can within your classes. For myself, politics is consistently on my mind. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the past year or two within the House of Commons has been chaos and confusion, all revolving around the grand ‘Brexit’ debate. However, don’t fret, I do not seek to bore you all with a discussion about recent affairs, the Conservative Party and Theresa May - as I fear I would find myself writing pages upon pages. Instead, my point is to emphasize the importance of regular news-watching and (at least) weekly reading of the newspaper, in order to keep yourself up-to-date with the developing current affairs; the change and development happening within the UK, across Europe and throughout the world. The 10 o’clock news each night on BBC One is a must-watch. In addition, ‘Pienaar’s Politics’ on BBC Radio 5 Live is a valuable listen for any Politics students in the school - or indeed anyone in the school with an avid interest in Politics and current affairs - and I’m sure that Mr Hardee will be pleased to see that I have mentioned so. Furthermore, my point continues about the importance of background reading for anyone trying to supplement their written work and essays. For English students such as myself, ‘The British Library’ website offers endless links to useful resources for any piece of literature you may be studying in school. Gaining any kind of background/contextual knowledge about the text you are expected to write on will supplement your essays; also gaining you extra marks if you then show that you have a broad understanding of your text. To evaluate, I recommend for any students to regularly watch the news and keep up-to-date with newspapers, as you can never know too much about what is happening across the world each day. Also, you will find any further reading relevant to your subjects on the internet, my example being ‘The British Library’. Finally, on top of all that, if you’re looking for something other than your playlist on Spotify to listen to, BBC Sounds is a great app which hosts an endless collection of podcasts from all BBC Radio stations and about all sorts of topics. They provide a great intellectual debate and discussion between experts in each subject, and I recommend listening whilst completing your homework, if you are on any long journey or if you’re just looking to unwind.
Edward Sadler The British Library - https://www.bl.uk BBC Sounds - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds
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DIXIT 24th May 2019
FROM THE SIXTH FORM
Holyport Lectures This weeks speaker was BA Captain Sara Britton who spoke about her journey to become a pilot of A319, A320 A321. She explained the competitive process but described the rewarding views, including the northern lights, and exciting challenges, such as deciding which family pets must remain behind at the airport. We were all intrigued to hear how they stay awake all night with only 45 minute naps during long haul flights. She also described how she balances her job with her husband and two children, 8 and 10. We learned about the challenges pilots faced on a daily basis and the many new relationships built just before the flights between the captain and her crew. It was interesting to hear about the challenges of being one of the 400 females out of the 2000 pilots at British Airways. She inspired many to fight for their rights and pursue their dream career regardless of the sexist remarks.
Ollie and Patrick Win Economics Development Challenge On Thursday this week we held the Final of the Lower Sixth Economics Development Challenge.
For the past three weeks, all Year 12 Economics students have been in teams of 2 or 3 and have been given a developing country to research and produce a 10 minute presentation on. They had to identify the Poverty and Development challenges facing that country and using key statistics suggest and evaluate a number of key solutions. After hotly contested semi-finals in class, the final was between Vietnam (Ollie and Patrick) and North Macedonia (Baba and Will). Governor Sue Dudley came to judge the final and was blown away by the level of knowledge and understanding and the fluency of the presentations. In the end Ollie and Patrick gave a very convincing argument as to why Vietnam needed to use monetary policy more effectively and open up their traditionally communist state-run industries to the private sector. But both teams in the final did Holyport proud. All students will be able to use the key terms and concepts as they move into the U6 Economics course next year. Carol Cornell and Frank Hardee
@HPCSixth 4
DIXIT
FROM KS3
24th May 2019
Year 7 Historians - Roman warfare tactics Year 7 have been enjoying learning about the Romans. Students were taken outside to apply what they had learnt about Roman battle tactics using lunch trays.
Year 8 Religious Education Year 8 have been learning about the Sikh religion and were lucky to have Mr Sohal come to teach them some extra details about his faith. Students gained a great deal from his lesson and some great discussion was had.
Year 9 Baking club This week our bakers learnt to bake Hobnob cookies.
@Holyport_Hums
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DIXIT
FROM THE SPORTS FIELD
24th May 2019
News from Sport Congratulations to the following athletes who have been selected to go through to the next round of the Berkshire County athletics selection being held on Saturday 8th June. Lilliana Burn - Hammer Throw Cara Terry - 1500 Josh Wright - Javelin Chris Kennedy - Triple Jump Havana Sale - Hurdles
Cara Terry in Year 9 has performed very well in the athletics season—she is currently ranked 20th in the UK for the 800m! In the 1500m – the time she ran last week would have put her in 10th in the UK . Well done Cara!
Inter Girls Athletics have qualified to go through to the next round for the chance to represent the South West region. This is the first time in the school’s history!
We had a very strong turn out for the U14 boys and girls tennis fixtures against LVS during the week and completely out played them but it was an enjoyable first fixture for the tennis squad
Year 7 Keira Morl has playing football since she was 5 and currently plays in Wargrave Women and Girls under 12’s top team. Last Saturday she had her club presentation day and was over the moon to win the Coaches Player of the Season award. Her trophy was given to her by her club president Theresa May!
@Holy_Sport
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FROM THE MUSIC ROOMS
DIXIT 24th May 2019
Music Departments News On Tuesday evening, Elite Choir Anima and Year 9 Vocal Sextet In Angelis performed for the Windsor and Maidenhead’s LPA Commander’s Commendation Awards Ceremony for Thames Valley Police, in the presence of the High Sheriff of Berkshire. They performed four items with aplomb and great flair, representing Holyport College brilliantly. Congratulations and thanks to Elizabeth Wales, Imogen Harrison, Chantelle Amusan, Anna Box, Cate Cowper, Jacqueline Green, Grace Allen, Teagan Pickering, Arte Sershi, Maisie Russell, Martha Pearce, Maite Alvargonzalez and Deborah Oyewole. We have professional photos taken with the Commander and High Sheriff coming in due course, but here is a brief snap:
End of Term Summer Music Festival On the last day of term, we will be having an open air Music Festival with a picnic lunch for the students out in the Quad. This is a non-auditioned event that everyone is welcome to sign up for - from beginners through to advanced, any instrument or voice, all are welcome. Groups, duets, solos - whatever the students want to perform is fine and they are in charge of music choices. The main Music ensembles will also be performing. I will be on hand to help with rehearsing if required and there will be open co-curricular sessions after half term if anyone would like any help. We will have the sound system and all instruments outside so there are no limits. If it rains - we move to the sports hall! Hopefully there won’t be a power cut this year!! The sign up sheet is on the music classroom door - please encourage your child to participate!
Year 7 Ukulele Project As is now a Holyport tradition, year 7 are learning to play the ukulele this term and the Quad has been filled with the joyous sound of 11 and 12 year olds mastering chords and performing their favourite songs! All students know that their Music trial in June will be the performance of their chosen song - with singing and playing and they are allowed to perform with friends - it doesn’t need to be a solo, although they can perform solo if they wish. As we only have 24 ukuleles, it isn’t possible for the entire year group to play all together. I know that lots of students each year like to purchase their own ukulele as they are relatively cheap and it then means they can practice whenever they wish. If you would like your child to have their own ukulele, there are many brilliant options available online - just ensure it is a soprano ukulele and ideally please also get a padded gig bag to protect it. The school ukuleles are Octopus make, but Mahala is another good brand that is around the £20 - £30 mark.
@HolyportExpArts
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DIXIT 24th May 2019
FROM MUSIC AND MATHS
Graded Music Exams - Advice for Parents We are awaiting confirmation from ABRSM, but it is highly likely that these will take place on Tuesday 9 July here at Holyport College. It’s a common misconception that you need to practice for an hour or more to be successful - experience shows that 15 - 45 minutes (depending on grade) every day, 5 days a week is much more effective as frequent repetition helps to reinforce muscle memory and longer than 30 minutes is counterproductive for young students. Prep Test - Grade 2 should practice for 15 - 20 minutes at a time, Grades 3 - 4 should practice for 20 - 30 minutes and Grade 5 and up around 30 - 45 minutes. Singers must always start their practice with a gentle warm up - use the exercises that you have been taught. Brass and wind players should start with long held notes, focussing on tone before progressing onto scales or other exercises recommended by your teacher. Pianists should start with scales. It’s important that when listening to your child practice that you don’t just let them play or sing the pieces through a few times - they should be working on the tricky bits and perfecting aspects such as phrasing, dynamics and articulation. All Grades involve an Aurals test and the ABRSM Aural Trainer app is a brilliant investment and will allow your child to pick up some vital marks that could be the difference between a Merit and a Distinction. It’s around £7.99 and worth every penny. https://gb.abrsm.org/en/exam-support/apps-and-practice-tools/ aural-trainer/ Mrs Bryant
Celebrating Success in the Maths Dept On 30th April 2019 35 pupils from years 7 and 8 took part in the UK Maths Trust’s Junior Mathematics Challenge. This is a national competition where pupils answer questions and solve problems in order to gain as many marks as possible. In the later stages incorrect answers receive negative marks! Only the top 40% of entrants in the Junior Maths Challenge receive certificates and only the top 7% achieve Gold. With this in mind the Maths Department would like to congratulate the following pupils for the excellent performance: Year 7
Year 8 Jed Pickering Liam O’Shea Samara Anderson Lillian Davidson Marcus Wiltshire Rosie Birchmore
Gold Best in School Silver Silver Silver Bronze Bronze
Theodore Damirchi Silver Best in Year Maita Murangandi Bronze Charlie Blakeley Hipwood Bronze
Certificates will be presented in an assembly after half term. Many thanks to Mrs. Ellis for organising the Maths Challenges at Holyport this year.
@HolyportExpArts
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FROM THE GEOGRAPHY DEPT
DIXIT 24th May 2019
Year 10 Geography Field Trips The Year 10 geographers have been investigating the River Wye that runs through High Wycombe this week… Thank you to Mrs Day, Miss Dunne and Mr Parsons for helping the Geography department with the trips this week and being fab honorary geographers!
Thank You! The Geography Department would like to say an extra special THANK YOU to Miss Oliver who has not only been an awesome and inspiring geography teacher but a really fantastic team player for the past year and a half, we’ve been really lucky to have her. We will miss her and wish her all the best in her new job! 9
DIXIT 24th May 2019
FROM THE SCIENCE DEPT
Holyport College Ecuador & Galapagos Expedition 10th-24th July 2020 UPDATE Following the launch email earlier this month, thanks to all students who have expressed an interest for this very exciting expedition to Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands. This will be a joint trip with students from Eton College and is open to any student who will be at Holyport in Years 11, 12 and 13 in the next academic year. The aim of this expedition is to develop and inspire students’ understanding of the ecology and geography of the region with a particular focus on conservation research and local schemes to preserve the pristine habitats of this ecologically vital area of our planet. Students will have an opportunity to visit the cloud forest of the Amazon and experience the culture of a city tour of Quito. We will then fly to the Galapagos Islands to look at its unique wildlife, following in the steps of Charles Darwin. Students will also have an opportunity to help Scientists with their research. Obviously this is an expensive trip but it is a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in Biology, Marine Biology, Geography and Conservation and in particular, those students considering taking their interest further and studying a related subject at university with a view to pursuing a career in this important area. Our tour company, GapForce are holding an introductory meeting for interested students and parents on Wednesday 12th June at 6pm in Mrs Dawson’s room, Science 3. Here they will explain more about the proposed itinerary and the logistics of the trip. They will also give guidance on how students might raise funds through conservation and environmental activities. Mrs Dawson will be emailing students who have already expressed their interest directly but it is still not too late to sign up or at least come to the meeting to find out more. If this is you, please refer to the launch email and let Mrs Dawson know via email to m.dawson@holyportcollege.org.uk 10
DIXIT
FROM THE CALENDAR
24th May 2019
Some Dates for Your Diaries Friday 24th May—half term starts Saturday 15th June—Holyport Village Fair Friday 21st June—Exeat weekend Thursday 13th June—GCSE and A Level Art Exhibition Monday 15th July—Sports Day Tuesday 16th July—end of term
Environmental Committee Help us receive funding and stop crisp packets from going into landfill! We have set up a collection box in the canteen for students to put their clean, empty crisp packets in to and these will be returned to Walkers/TerraCycle in exchange for money that the Environmental
Could we please remind parents, carers and students to fill in the questionnaire that Mrs Longstaff sent out last week: Student Questionnaire link - https://forms.gle/MBbzfwLcqa1jZh3b7 deadline Monday 3rd June
Parent Questionnaire link - https://forms.gle/6FDv71QjWbRuUmZP8 deadline Friday 7th June
Now that the weather has improved please will you send your child to school with sun cream which they should apply when spending time outside (break/ lunch/sports). At a recent Athletics event several students caught the sun. Staff are not able to administer sun cream in case of reaction.
Parents’ Evening Dates 2018/19
Reporting Dates
Year 7 and 8 parents’ evening: Monday 5th November 2018
Year 7/8/10 interim reports—18th January 2019
Year 11 parents’ evening: Wednesday 5th December 2018
Year 9 full reports—25th January 2019
Year 10 parents’ evening: Wednesday 6th February 2019
Year 11 mock exam reports—30th January 2019
Upper Sixth parents’ evening: Monday 25th February 2019
Year 13 mock reports—15th February 2019
Year 9 parents’ evening and GCSE options presentation: Wednesday 24th April 2019
Year 7-10 interim reports—8th March 2019
Lower Sixth parents’ evening: Wednesday
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Year 11 full reports—29th March 2019
May 2019
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