Parent Newsletter December 2014 by The King John School

THE KING JOHN SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER NO: 59 - DECEMBER 2014

HERE IS THE WINTER TERM IN PICTURES!

MESSAGE BOARD

CONTENTS

Photos from Winter Term...............................pg 1

Message Board...............................................pg 2 School News.....................................................pg 3 Charity News..................................................pg 4 Parent Information & Important Dates.............pg 5 Year 7..................................................................pg 6 Year 8..................................................................pg 7 Year 9..................................................................pg 8 Year 10................................................................pg 9 Year 1 1..............................................................pg 1 0 Sixth Form...............................................pg 1 2-1 3 Trips.................................................................pg 14-15 Careers Education Information Advice &

Guidance...............................................................pg

16 Sports..................................................................pg 1 6 Modern Foreign Language..................pg 1 7 Performing Arts...........................................pg 1 8 The King John Academy of Arts...............pg 1 9

From Dr Margaret Wilson, Headteacher As you are aware the school is carrying out a lot of building work which is transforming the school and providing a marvellous environment for student learning. Students have fully settled in to and are, I hope, enjoying all the wonderful facilities our new Sixth Form has to offer. Remodelling and rebuilding is taking place on the former youth centre and this will open in January as our new Humanities block, housing 8 fantastic classrooms and a further reception area. Planning permission has now also been granted for a brand new assembly hall, which will comfortably accommodate our increased year group size in Year 7 and we plan to open this in September 2015. The school now has Teaching School status and is working with two other lead schools in the area to recruit new staff and provide training across the area to benefit students in all phases of education. A number of our Sixth Form students will be applying to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities this year. But, we are not just about academic achievement; I am delighted that our school is now in the top 1% of schools nationally for its sporting achievements with many of our students chosen to represent us at district, county and national level. This term the Senior Leadership Team and Governors held a parents’ forum and we would like to thank those who took the opportunity to attend. We listened to what you had to say particularly about improving communication between school and home. As a result of what you told us our new website will be going live early next year and a regular bulletin for students has been introduced containing important information, which is also available for parents to view on our website. From January we will be introducing a regular emailed bulletin for parents containing news and information on upcoming events. Our newsletter will still continue to be published half termly and will concentrate on the outstanding achievements of our students. The next parents’ forum will be held on Tuesday, 10 March 2015 between 4 pm and 6pm in our new Sixth Form Common Room which will give parents the chance to visit the new building. There is ample parking available and I hope to see many of you there. This is a ‘drop in’ event and is intended as an opportunity for you to tell us what we do well and what we could do better. It is not a forum to discuss individual concerns which you may have about your child. These should be discussed with the school as they arise through the usual channels. Finally it just remains for me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2015.

Fulton Paper sponsor the Parents Newsletter paper

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SCHOOL NEWS family learning week 2014

KJS remembrance day commemorations

Family Learning week provides the opportunity for families to learn together. The King John School hosted a wide variety of activities for families to take part in. National Family Learning Week is an annual awareness campaign promoting family learning events across the country. The week was a great success and there were over 35 events on offer for all age groups. We had very positive feedback from parents and students. They not only enjoyed the activities but liked coming into school and learning as a family. The week also enabled parents to learn how to support their child at home at all levels. The week is an annual event so we look forward to seeing you all next year!

FAMILY FUN IN CATERING

remembrance day poetry winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Remembrance Day poetry competition. The students wrote some amazing and moving poems making it a tough decision. Thank you to all that entered and well done to the winners and runners up! Year 7 Winner Esther Olwabusola Year 8 Winner Joshua Murphy-Rowe

FAMILY FUN WITH BADMINTON

Year 9 Winner Mia Wells Year 10 winner Ameila Cook Runners up

FAMILY FUN IN THE FITNESS SUITE

Year 7 Jack Croome Jasmine Harris and Sophie Bush Mya Chirag Pandya Year 8 Nyah Kauders Sophie Eastment Callum Saunders

FAMILY FUN IN HAIR & BEAUTY

Year 9 Holly Raymond

During November, students at the King John school commemorated Remembrance Day. Students bought and sold poppies around the school. Year 8 looked at World War One art and poetry and created a moving display. The Student Voice council, led by Miss Driscoll held assemblies for all year groups to talk about the meaning of remembrance and its significance in 2014, in which Harry Hollands a Year 11 pupil played the last post to all students preceeding a minute of silence and reflection. All students and staff in the school took part in a minute of silence at 11am on the 11th of November. Students wrote poems for a Remembrance Day competition, winning entries will be displayed around the school.

CHARITY NEWS

I am pleased to announce that the charities that each year group will be supporting this year are: Year 7 - Havens Hospices. Local hospices for children and adults.

Year 8 - Tree of Hope. Offers hope to the families of sick children in the United Kingdom and Ireland who need specialist medical surgery, treatment, therapy and equipment in order to free them from suffering, giving a better quality to their young lives. Year 9 - Motor Neurone Disease. Continued support and research for MND. Year 10 - Young Carer's Choice of Mind. This charity supports young carers who may look after a sick parent or relative or care for younger siblings because of a parental illness. Year 11 - Elizabeth Lowery Ward. Cancer ward at Southend University Hospital.

shoebox appeal

Once again the generosity of The King John students has been amazing. A total of 159 shoeboxes were donated by all the students, an increase of 40 boxes. As well as the boxes £89.00 was raised to help towards paying for the shipment with a large amount of students paying online so that they could track where the shoeboxes were being shipped. We received a phone call from The Samaritan Purse organisation to say how impressed they were with the generosity and quality of the items within the boxes. A big thank you to everyone who took part and contributed to the worthwhile charity as without you there would be 159 young people who would not receive a Christmas present. Merry Christmas! HANNAH COPELAND YEAR 13 CHARITY REPRESENTATIVE

Year 12/13 - Teens Unite for the Fight Against Cancer. Provides seriously ill and terminally ill children with opportunities to have days out, trips and opportunities to meet famous people.

year 7 winter disco

On Thursday 20th November, the Year 12 CoPE students organised a Winter Disco for Year 7. Music and fun was provided by DJTJ Discos with Toby the DJ putting on a special show. Magic card tricks, balloon animals and fire breathing were among some of the exciting and spectacular activities. The students had a fantastic time, while raising money for Little Havens Hospice from a sweet sale and a raffle.

year 7 christmas bazaar

MRS JEFFERY AND THE COPE TEAM

On Friday 5th December, the Year 7 students hosted the annual school bazaar to raise money for their chosen charity, Havens Hospices.

children in need For this year’s non-uniform day to raise money for Children in Need, the students and staff donated over £2,100!

The students made a fantastic effort with their stalls. There were sweet stalls, cake stalls, and games galore – even a ‘pin the beard on Santa’! They really went all out and even put on a show, complete with a saxophonist and a ballerina. A few of the students showed off their dj-ing skills as they mixed some tunes on the decks. It was extremely busy with students and staff getting involved in all the fun.

Year 7 student, Sophie-Jayne Bush, also did her bit for the charity by holding her own cake sale and completing a 12 hour sponsored silence! She raised £205.40! Sarah-Jayne is a regular fundraiser for various charities and sells home-made cakes down her street and to the school to raise money for the charity she feels passionate about at the time.

It was a brilliant way to kick off the festive season as well as raising a generous amount within 45 minutes.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION Car Parking

Friday 19th December

We are a busy, oversubscribed , vibrant school and alongside all of these positives sits parental access to the site and transport for your child. The school, like many others across the country, struggles to deal with the issue of students being dropped off at the start of the day and collected at the end of the day as well as the lack of available parking for visitors to the school.

On the last day of term, Friday

19th December 2014, the school will be holding a non-uniform day.

As a school we have a duty of care to every student. This includes road safety at our entrances/exits and visitors coming on to site having to be signed in and issued with clear identification.

All funds that are collected will be spent on purchasing vital school equipment for the benefit of all of our students.

We would also ask that parents park correctly in Shipwrights Drive, thus ensuring a safe arrival and departure from school for all our students. When dropping your child off or collecting them at any time of day please do not come on to the site but park a safe distance from the school. Do not park or stop on the clearly marked double yellow lines or the zigzag lines which will help to ensure that students’ view of the road is not obstructed.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Please also note that the last day of term will be shorter than usual with students leaving at 1pm.

The school has limited parking for visitors. If you are coming in for a meeting and there is no space available then we would ask that you park in the layby opposite the school which has a one hour waiting limit. This also applies to parents calling to drop something off for their child. Blocking other cars in or parking on double yellow lines prevents access for emergency vehicles.

Terms (inclusive dates) Spring 2015 Mon 5 Jan - Fri 27 Mar Summer 2015 Mon 13 Apr - Tues 21 Jul General Holidays (inclusive dates) Christmas 2014/15 Mon 22 Dec - Fri 2 Jan Spring 2015 Mon 30 Mar - Fri 10 Apr Summer 2015 Weds 22 Jul - 31st August Half Term Holidays (inclusive dates) Spring 2015 Mon 16 Feb - Fri 20 Feb Summer 2015 Mon 25 May - Fri 29 May Non-Student Days Monday 13 April 2015 Monday 20 July 2015 Tuesday 21 July 2015

Parent Bulletin

We do appreciate that the vast majority of our parents are very considerate. However, the school will never apologise for taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of our students at all times.

From January, the KJS will be emailing a regular Parent Bulletin. This will contain information regarding parent evening dates, events, fixture information and trip notifications.

We look forward to your full support to help us to make The King John School as safe as we possibly can for our students.

The first bulletin will be sent out on Friday 9th January 2015.

Level 3 Electrical Treatments

All facials are good for deep cleansing of the skin, they also help to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles giving skin youth and radiance. Visible results can be seen after a course of treatments. Cost per treatment £10

The cost will be £1.

An accident this half term has brought road safety to the fore. Although the student involved was not seriously hurt, she and the car driver involved in the collision were both badly shaken and the road had to be closed for a period of time. We would like to impress upon parents that students must be encouraged to use the crossings provided at all times.

Facial E lectrical Treatments Direct High F requency Galvanic Micro-Current Lymphatic Drainage

IMPORTANT DATES

Body Electrical Treatments: Galvanic Electro muscle stimulator Micro-Current Lymphatic Drainage

Looking to hire the KJS Facilities? The School can offer: Astroturf, Sports Hall, Gymnasium, Classrooms, Theatre, Dance Studio

All available to hire in the evening or on a Saturday If interested please contact Vicki Nelson 01702 558284 Visible results can be seen after a co urse of treatments. Cost of treatment £8.

YEAR 7

Remembrance Day Commemoration

britain’s got talent

Taking inspiration from the poppy installation at the Tower of London, students have made their own poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day. In English lessons students from different year groups have considered the importance of Remembrance Day and what it means to them. Each individual poppy is handmade and includes key words or phrases that symbolise Remembrance. Alongside making the poppies KS4 students responded to non-fiction articles and debated whether or not the poppies at the Tower of London should stay for a longer period of time, whilst Key Stage 3 students studied McCrae’s poem ‘Flanders Fields’.

My name is Phoebe Duggan and I am going to tell you about the things that I have achieved over the years; one of the things is that I joined a Jujitsu club (martial arts club), which is where you learn useful self - defence against people who might try to hurt you. I have achieved many belts and now I am working towards my orange/white belt.

“I have been very impressed with how maturely and sensitively students have talked about Remembrance and their display of over 100 poppies is a wonderful expression of this.” MISS MURRAY, ENGLISH

Another thing that I have done is I have written to the Queen twice; the first time I wrote I was protesting to keep Concord beach on Canvey open. The second time was concerning my primary school teacher Miss Toms. I said that she was a brilliant teacher and I wished that the Queen could say a special thankyou or send her a special letter. Unfortunately when I got my reply from her lady-in-waiting she said that the Queen could not write to her personally but she wished my class and I a very happy 2014.

On 29th November, I auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent. I’ve always liked singing so I just thought I’d give it a go. I was really nervous about it but excited at the same time.

In addition I won the Mayoress of Castle Point's art competition. We had to draw a picture of what Castle Point might be like in the future. My idea was to rebuild Hadleigh Castle with high-tech digital screens. I was joint winner with Emily-Janye Smith in 7-06. PHOEBE DUGGAN

Go Abbie-marie!

back to the future

My name is Abbie-Marie and I do cheerleading with Essex Stars. Last season I was in the youth team for cheer and pom. I got into cheerleading through my friend who showed me what it was about and some of the other teams. My favourite part of cheerleading is dancing with poms. I’ve recently moved up to the 11-16 year age group, and there are 15 people in my group. Sometimes you get boys doing cheer too but it’s only girls in our team.

Since joining Year 7 our English classes have been extremely exciting! Our topic has been time travel and we have been reading a book about going back in time to the Stone Age called ‘A Sound of Thunder’ by Ray Bradbury. Miss Murray set us a fun homework task, which was to create a time machine. Everyone in class was very excited and we were eager to discuss and plan our ideas in class. The following week, everyone brought in their unique, weird and wonderful designs including a clock with different pictures of past and future eras and a car made out of gummy bears with wheels that actually move!

Over the year we won two 1st places and one 5th place in pom. In cheer we won three 1st places, one 3rd and one 7th. Two of the 1st places also got Grand Champions. Out of over 100 teams we got the most points overall! In December we have a competition coming up called Winter Wonderland in Crystal Palace. I’m a little bit nervous but excited at the same time. ABBIE-MARIE PINDER, 7-12

BY MATILDA LYNCH

oh yes it is!

At the start of our new life at King John we had some brilliant English lessons. Our first fabulous topic was about time travel. After reading an excellent novel we were set the best project ever – to create a breath-taking time machine. The array of designs blew us away; there were so many imaginative designs including an underwater roller coaster among other wonderful projects.

Year 7 student Louis Reader and his sister Alex in Year 9 who perform with drama group, The Wednesday Players will be performing in The Pied Piper of Hamelin. The pantomime will be held at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff from 14th-18th January 2015 with tickets costing from £9.50 - £12.50. The brother and sister duo are no strangers to the stage performing with the drama group in this year’s summer cabaret. Louis started with The Wednesday Players earlier in the year after hearing about how brilliant it was from his sister, Alex, who has been with the group for the last two years. The pair have dedicated hours to rehearsing for their parts in the panto, attending practice twice a week. The cast is around 20 strong with Alex in the chorus and Louis playing the part of a little boy. To promote the show, the group had their own float which was in the Leigh Yuletide Procession on Friday 28th November.

BY DARCIE CLAYTON

isabel clifton: my filming experence for hetty feather I had to go through five auditions before I was told that I had the part and I was told on my birthday! I then went to where I would be filming for rehearsals and to get my hair dyed red. After that filming started for 10 weeks. I had to stay in a hotel nearby every night with the rest of the cast. It was really fun because everyone was so nice and friendly. At the end of filming there was a wrap party, which was really good fun. I didn’t want it to end!

“I’m very excited to be in my first pantomime for the group, I can’t wait! I hope loads of people come to see us.” LOUIS READER, 7-03

YEAR 8

lucky stars

Matthew Read, 8-03 & Callum Saunders, 8-05 have auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent. They’ve been successful in the first two rounds and are waiting to find out if they get through they go to the live show (which they should do in the New Year). We wish them both the best of luck!

ww1 100th anniversary art commemoration Tutuor group 8-03 spent the first half term of the year looking at the impact of World War One ahead of the 100th anniversary commemorations. In History they looked at the causes of war and what life was like for those living in the trenches. They used this information to write letters as if they were soldiers writing home from the front line. The students talked about what life was like and some of the different things the soldiers would have witnessed. For their homework project they made models of the trenches. In Art lessons students talked about how the war impacted on men and how some turned to art as a way to express what they were feeling and experiencing. Students then used these lessons and their knowledge from History lessons to produce their own pieces of art work. These were displayed in the theatre to coincide with Remembrance Week. The final display looked wonderful and the students should be very proud of the quality of work they produced throughout the half term. MS BASS AND MRS CAMERON-MCINTOSH

BUT….

well done josh ashman

On Saturday 8th November, Joshua Ashman of 8-01 took part in the Mens Artistic Gymnastics National Elite and Club Development Grades competition, which was held at the GMAC Birmingham. Josh was part of the East region team, made up of 5 gymnasts all competing at club development level. The team impressed the judges and won gold with Josh reaching an impressive 6th overall out of 41. Through this, he has won a place to attend a top gymnastics training camp for a week in December. Joshua, who took up gymnastics when he was 6 years old and attends the South Essex Gymnastics club in Basildon. He has been training very hard averaging around 14 hours every week! His parents are very proud of his achievement and the school wish him the best of luck with future competitions.

high flyers

When I see your face I begin to blush, Your eyes are as beautiful as the sun. You make my heart stop; my blood starts to rush, You are stunning, lovely, and you’re such fun. I like the fact you’re kind and generous, You always say such hilarious things. You’re great; your mind is so adventurous, When I see you my heart begins to sing. My love, you make me feel invincible, And I feel like a diamond in the sky. My love, you make me feel incredible, When I am with you, I feel I can fly. But, despite this, we can’t be together. I’m sorry this love won’t last forever.

Class 8ac have worked really hard to create a sonnet. It was really difficult to use a rhyming couplet and to use iambic pentameter (10 syllables in every line) just like Shakespeare does. Here is their poem about the perfect love, but there is a twist at the end!

super swimmer On 3rd and 4th January, I will be going to a regional swim camp. I have been selected to go because I came 1st in Essex for 200m fly, as well as being 2nd in the region and 21st in the country. ERIN LEE

Written by: Euan Alexander, Tyler Bateman, Hari Bhati, Alfie Cameron, Oliver Havis, Maicie Hill, Taylor-Lee Horton, David Philott-Williams, Vinnojan Niranjan, Grace Thipthorpe-Smith, Cole Vanner, Olivia Warrington, Sonny Wright.

singer Extraordinaire

On 27th November I took part in a music festival in Westcliff. I competed in the 11-13 years category and sung “Wouldn’t it be loverly” from My Fair Lady. I really enjoy singing and when my singing teacher told me about this opportunity I was keen to participate. I had never taken part in any festivals before this and thought it was a great experience. SOPHIA PIATTO

International connections The King John School is linked with EE Prof(a) Wanda Mascagni de Sa School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This year we are taking part in the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms project. This involves us working on projects with our partner school and having a teacher exchange. Our first project has been “Discovering Brazil and the UK” Students have picked key places in their country and created postcards about them. These were then posted. This is what 8-05 think about the project: We were very pleased to have postcards from our link school in Brazil delivered to us - it was really fun to read them. We were given them to look at in groups and we spoke about the place itself and whether we would want to visit the places in the future. Every single group was educated on different places in Brazil. We then swapped the postcards around and it was really great to hear the different views people had on the different places the Brazilian students had written about. The next project will be based around access to children’s rights in the two countries. The photos show our students and the Brazillian students recieving each other’s postcards.

In November, my parents and I climbed over The O2. It was 52 meters high from ground level! We started at base camp then we started our climb. It was easy to go up but coming back down was hard because of the 30 degree angle at the end. When we made it over the other side, we were given two photos which were taken at the start of the climb. The day was really fun! SONNY CRANE

the den The Den is about two societies at war set 100 years in the future. A group of children create a place where they hide out. This place is called…The Den. No adults come in and no adults leave. Stay young or die! I was part of The Den from 8th November – 14th November. Three of those days were spent outside at the location of the performance. The Den is a new project which is hoping to be funded by the Barbican Theatre to be fully produced next summer. I hope to be one of 300 people to be auditioned. I was one of the 20 selected to be part of the gripping performance. I’ve been very busy the last couple of weeks as I have also auditioned for a part in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the West End. MATT READ

YEAR 9

physics & ethics: spirited arts competition

reality babies

Friday 14th November was not only Children In Need, but also the day the year 10 Health and Social Care class took home their Reality Babies for the weekend. The babies were programmed to start at 4.00pm on the Friday afternoon and not switch off until Sunday evening. Many of the class were really excited about having the baby to look after and some brought in clothes to dress their baby in and blankets to keep them warm. The babies that arrived were of both genders, but the pupils could not choose if they had a girl or a boy. You don’t get a choice in real life! This is what some of the pupils said about the experience: “I coped well with the baby, it gave me an insight into what a real baby was like to look after and I now know how hard it can be to care for a new born” Francesca Hicks

During the final half term of the Summer term all of year 7 & 8 Philosophy & Ethics students took part in a Spirited Arts Competition. The NATRE Spirited Arts competition is a national competition, which meant that KJS students competed with students all over the country from primary to secondary level as well as colleges and sixth forms. The idea is to link key topics studied in Philosophy & Ethics and express this in the form of Art. Each school is allowed a maximum of 10 entries and the competition was very tough amongst our students; all of whom fully embraced the themes and created some excellent work giving Miss Coulman an incredibly difficult job in selecting just 10.

“The Friday night was the hardest she woke every hour for a feed, burp, change and another feed” Jillian Dimbleby “The baby didn’t just wake me up though, it woke my brother and my Mum, but it didn’t bother them. My whole family had a hold of the baby” Summer Stalham

Miss Coulman received a letter from the judges saying that despite our entries not winning this year they were recognised as being insightful and of a very high standard. There were over 20,000 entries to choose from with only 25 possible winners. All of the students that were entered received an official certificate and should be very proud of themselves!

“The baby’s constant need for attention only started to affect me half way through the weekend. I couldn’t eat dinner without the baby crying and found myself eating dinner and rocking the baby at the same time!” Elyse Larkins Ellie Lamb, Maisie Venturini and Olivia Mitchell all scored 100% in the care they gave their baby.

Below are the students who were entered and their year group (last year, so current Year 8 & 9): 1 Ellie Marsh & Evie Wylie 2 Jessica Miller, Freya Lagergren, Katie Gooding, Georgia Robinson & Othni Pachy 3 Sadie Brunt, Alina Gupta & Leilani Howlett 4 Molly Bates, Holly Banks & Lotty Wright 5 Emily Pearson 6 Mia Wells 7 Keira Hubbard & Rachel Jones 8 Charlotte Clubb & Nicole Rutter 9 Sophia Woodcock & Mildred Ruwona 10 Hollie Fisk & Megan Grant

Well done to all the girls that took part and thank you to the parents who helped with the baby’s care. MRS D COOPER

Year 8 Year 8 Year 7 Year 7 Year 8 Year 8 Year 7 Year 8 Year 7 Year 8

french correspondance A year 9 French class have started correspondence with a school just outside of Paris. Students have been paired up with a French students of the same age and letters have already been exchanged sharing information about family, hobbies and interests. Our students write in French and ask some questions in English about cultural queries and the French students write in English and ask some French questions at the end.

making mobiles Year 9 Health and Social Care pupils are learning about human growth and development in different life stages. While looking at development in infancy the pupils designed a mobile to be colourful and interesting to a young child. They look great hanging up in the classroom! Their work was excellent and all the class earned some Vivos!!

The class are enjoying reading the letters and some of the funny mistakes which are made. The favourite mistakes so far being: Your family I like it, you should not annoy you every day. I playing tennis and playing with doors. I love cook! I want become chef cook!

MS L NAUDI

YEAR 10

Uniform Shop Opening Times Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday For Parents: 09.30am-11am For Students: 2pm-2.20pm Term time only

food to go... Year 10 Food Technology students have been busy making products that would be suitable for their first controlled task – Food on the go. Below is a selection of their dishes.

reminder to all parents When your child is absent from school we would appreciate you calling Student Support to report their absence, but would like to remind you we still require you to send in a letter of explanation for the absence with your child on their return. Without this in writing, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and may result in the involvement of the Education Welfare Officer.

MRS J COPELAND STUDENT SUPPORT MANAGER

lost property

Jenny said the following about the GCSE Food Technology course: “It is interesting learning about what’s in your food and how it affects your daily life” Food by Cerys, Alana, Lucy, Jenny, Zoe, Evie, Charlie, Hollie, Emily and Jodie.

Each Thursday during morning registration the Year 10 tutor groups take part in a weekly fifteen mark quiz. Correct answers are turned to points and the points won in each weekly quiz go towards a league table. At the end of each half term the leading tutor group are awarded the exclusive and highly valued quiz trophy along with Vivo points. The winners for the first half of the autumn term were 10.03. The idea of the quiz is to test general knowledge along with subject knowledge including numeracy and literacy. Questions also cover current UK and world news stories which provoke discussion within tutor groups. The students and tutors look forward to the weekly quiz and enjoy the challenge and competitive spirit. Questions include: What is the definition for ‘Trapezium’? In the current news stories – Why did Labour's Emily Thornberry resign from the Labour Party? UK News: What is the Autumn Statement? What is the Haka? Football: Who knocked Concord Rangers out of the FA Cup? The current league table, with one quiz remaining, for Autumn Term 2 is......

Group Points 10.04 68 10.06 68 10.07 68 10.08 68 10.03 64 10.02 63 10.01 62 10.10 62 10.11 59 10.05 58 10.09 56

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS IN ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS.

borrowing money

quiz winners

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

LOST YOUR PE KIT, COAT, KING JOHN HOODIE, SHOES OR BAGS? Lost property for students to view will be on display at morning break by the main staircase on Thursday 18th December 2014 Please be aware that any property unclaimed will be donated to a local charity.

Student Support lend small amounts of money to students in emergencies only. A phone call home will be made to parents to confirm this is allowed. We would like to remind parents that if your child borrows money from Student Support it should be repaid the next day as we only have a small float to lend students. NB. This facility will be withdrawn from a student who has money outstanding.

Incidents Outside School Please be aware that any incidents which occur out of school hours, that you deem to be of a serious nature/or may jeopardise the safety of your child, should be reported to the police who will make a report. The school cannot be responsible for incidents which happen outside of school hours. If you require the Police Liaison Officer you should contact Rayleigh Police Station on 01268 775533

parents vle

The VLE provides you with access to the students’ area, which enables you to see the work being uploaded and used by your child. All letters sent home are available to view on the parent’s area on the VLE together with the Parent Newsletters, Extra Curricular Activities Booklets and KS3 Newsletters.

First half of Autumn Term Winners: 10-03

Please feel free to have a look.

YEAR 1 1

Sociology: Crime & Deviance conference

On Monday 3rd November 45 sociologists from Years 11, 12 and 13 attended the Newbridge Trust’s conference on crime and deviance. It was hosted by Professor David Wilson.

THE STUDENT CONFERENCE On Wednesday 5th November, 71 Year 11 students went on a student conference to the impressive Central Hall, Westminster. Central Hall has played host to a number of events of national and international importance over the years: The Suffragettes and United Nations both held historic meetings at the hall; Mahatma Gandhi spoke in the Lecture Hall in 1932; and Winston Churchill addressed the Conservative Party Conference in the Great Hall in 1945. Although our speakers were not quite as famous, the event was still incredibly useful! The day focused on how to get into top universities and featured speakers from Oxbridge and King's College London. Students received general advice about what makes a good university applicant, as well as answers to specific questions they had regarding their course choices. Year 11 students are currently considering their sixth form applications and the day allowed them to think ahead to ensure their choices in Year 12 would be beneficial for any further study they undertake. I would like to take this opportunity to remind students and parents that we are always available if you have any questions regarding choices for next year, or indeed guidance when looking ahead to university study. Students should talk to their tutors for advice in the first instance; if they cannot help, they will direct you to the person who can best support you. You may wish to talk to Connexions, and you can book an appointment through your tutor.

Routes into language:

MRS GOODWIN

Students gained an understanding of current trends in crime and statistics produced by the Police and the crime survey in England and Wales. Speakers at the conference covered aspects of policing, probation and parole and then we were able to hear the experiences of two ex-prisoners. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions. Well done to Hannah Copeland for asking Vicky Pryce, if she was treated more leniently because of who she was. (She was the ex-wife of MP Chris Huhne who both went to prison for perverting the course of justice when she accepted driving licence penalty points actually incurred by her husband.) Sergeant Jack Rowlands of the MET spoke about gang crime and how the police are engaging with youths to keep them on the straight and narrow. Bob Turney told us how because of being labelled ‘educationally subnormal’ he had drifted into crime and had been a prolific burglar in the 1970’s. It wasn’t until he received rehabilitation that he managed to turn himself around and finally worked as a probation officer. He highlighted the importance of a good education, without those foundations your life can be very different. We also heard from Noel Smith who is currently out on licence (he is serving a 33 year life sentence). He had been involved in copious armed robberies. He spoke about how prisons have hierarchy and how he spent 5 years in a rehabilitation prison. In turning his life around he learnt to read, started writing articles and now has a number of books under his belt. The conference generated a lot of discussion on the way home and I hope the day has given students some food for thought about the many complexities involved with crime in England today. MS J BROWN, SOCIOLOGY TEACHER & Y12 LEARNING COORDINATOR

The Modern Foreign Language department have taken part in a new initiative with Cambridge University. The ‘Adopt a Class’ project helps to bring language alive for the students and show them the relevance of learning languages and the wonderful opportunities they provide. The Adopt a Class project has been a fantastic way for the KJS to link directly to Oxbridge University exposing the upper year students to a high standard of Post-16 education. Through the project, the Year 11 students are able to follow the undergraduate’s exciting year abroad, learning about the language and culture of their chosen country. Rachel Temple-Fry, a third year student studying Spanish at Cambridge University visited the Year 11 Spanish class at the beginning and end of her placement year and blogged in English and Spanish about her experiences while also uploading photos and videos. Details of the project can be found here http://kingjohnmfl.wikispaces.com/ Our+links+around+the+world%21 The students enjoyed hearing about Rachel’s account of her year abroad. She shared some wonderful and amusing stories as well as photographs from each country that she visited. The majority of her presentation was given in Spanish which the class followed intently having fun working out the interesting facts about the different cultures that Rachel experienced. The project has been very successful and proves to be not only a fun way of learning but extremely effective to both the KJS and the university.

unicef school campaigner

Congratulations to Maisie Legg in year 11 for being chosen to be part of UNICEF’s School Campaigner Group. She is one of only 12 students across the country to be given this role and was chosen for her passion and commitment to children’s rights. It involves advising UNICEF on what format campaigns should take and helping to decide on what should go in the activity packs that go out to schools. Well Done!

A big well done! The senior cross country race is always tough and the team is filled with girls who don’t necessarily enjoy running but will do it as they are proud to represent the school! Niamh Smith from year 10 was the top finisher in 3rd, Kiera Tippett 6th, Emily Warren 7th and Sophie Jones in 11th. The team finished 1st! A huge well done to all of the other team members who battled through the horrible conditions – Jordan Clarkson, Abigail Taylor, Briony Findlay, Francesca Williams, Zoe Gutteridge and Jordan Castle.

KJ’s HAIR & BEAUTY SALON Paraffin Wax £7.25

EPILATION

EYEBROW & LASHES

Eyebrows £3.00

Eyebrow Tinting £3.50

Lip/Chin £3.00

Eyelash Tinting £4.50

Bikini £5.00

Eyebrow/Lash Tinting £4.50

Under Arm £5.00

FACIALS

Eyebrow Shaping (waxing) £3.95

Abdomen £3.00

Basic £6.50

Eyelash Perming £8.00

HAIR PRICE LIST

Prepared Masks £7.25

WAXING

Cut & Blow Dry/Set £6.00

Peel-Off Mask £7.25

Half Leg £5.25

Shampoo & Set £4.00

Dermalogica Facial £10.00

Three Quarter Leg £6.50

Blow Dry £4.00

ELECTRICAL FACIALS

Full Leg £8.00

Microcurrent £8.00

Bikini Line £3.95

Vacuum Suction Facial £8.00

Forearm (half) £4.50

Faradic Facial £8.00

Full Arm £4.75

Galvanic Facial £8.00

Under Arm £3.50

High Frequency £8.00

Abdomen £3.50

MANICURE

Lip & Chin £3.25

Basic £4,75

MASSAGE

Paraffin Wax £5.95

Full Body £10.00

Intensive Conditioning Treatments (below shoulder) £8.00

Prepared Masks £5.25

Back Massage £4.00

PERMING (without cut & finish)

Peel-Off Mask £6.95

Aromatherapy Full Body £12.00

Perm –£10.00*

BEAUTY PRICE LIST MAKE-UP Day £4.00 Evening £4.00 Special Occasion £4.00

Electric Mitts £7.25

Braids/Plaiting £4.00

French Manicure £6.00

Aromatherapy Back Massage £5.00

File & Polish Only £3.25

ELECTRICAL BODY TREATMENTS

PEDICURE

Faradic £7.00

Basic £5.25

Galvanic £7.00

Paraffin Wax £5.95

G5 £5.00

Electric Booties £7.25

Vacuum Suction £7.00

French Manicure £6.50

Microcurrent £7.00

Wet Cut £4.00 Intensive Conditioning Treatments (short) £5.00 Intensive Conditioning Treatments (shoulder length) £7.00

COLOURING (without cut & finish) Semi-Permanent or Temporary £10.00* Permanent £15.00/£20.00 Highlights/Wovens £20.00/£30.00 *long hair by quotation

File & Polish Only £3,25 The King John School. Shipwrights Drive, Thundersley, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 1RQ. www.thekjs.essex.sch.uk 01702 558284

Matthew Hamilton On Sunday, 23rd of November, I was lucky enough to be one of just six athletes chosen to jet off to the exotic coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was picked as a representative of Team GB to compete in the 400m event along with 4 other track athletes and a field athlete. I felt super excited to get out there and experience this whole new atmosphere that comes with professional sport; there truly is nothing like flying off to another country free of both parents and school whilst accompanied by a mixture of great friends I’ve met over the years I’ve been running and some new faces that I was sure to get along with. The trip was an exchange as part of The Games’ legacy and we were to compete in the Paralimpiadas Escolares which is Brazil’s equivalent to the Sainsbury’s School Games. There were two days of competition for us, on Wednesday and Thursday. The first day was when I would find out how good I was in comparison to the amazing Brazilian athletes. There was a lot of pressure, especially when everyone before me in Team GB had won gold (3 out of the 6). I definitely had the sheer desire to succeed as my friends did. The electronic gun was replaying through my head in the call room, and then before I knew it I was waiting right next to the start line for a good 20 minutes; I can’t recall what words were actually said but all I knew was that the 2 words being said meant ‘set’ and then BANG. The rest followed really nicely and it all came together. I stayed in 3rd position where I felt comfortable and not too imposing and then when we reached the 200m to go mark, I kicked myself up a gear in to 2nd where once again I maintained my speed up until the final 100. That’s when the magic happened. I don’t know where it came from, I got this beautiful second wind and smashed the finish. I actually went on to win the race by around 20 metres after being in 2nd place with 100 to go. I had an amazing time and cannot wait until I get to experience a different culture and country before hopefully returning to Brazil in 2016.

unicef school campaigner Congratulations to Lucy Willis in year 13 for being chosen to be part of UNICEF’s School Campaigner Group. She is one of only 12 students across the country to be given this role and was chosen for her passion and commitment to children’s rights. It involves advising UNICEF on what format campaigns should take and helping to decide on what should go in the activity packs that go out to schools. Well Done!

SIXTH FORM Jack Petchey Outstanding Achievement Award

Year 12 student Aaron Mitchell has received fantastic recognition for his cricket skills as a wicket keeper. In November, Aaron received a letter and certificate from the Jack Petchey Foundation detailing his Outstanding Achievement Award and £200 that will go towards some new equipment for the club. He said “I was so surprised. It’s really exciting and a great feeling to be recognised for doing something that I really enjoy doing. I didn’t even know I’d been nominated by the club!” Aaron will be attending an awards event either at the end of December or early in the New Year, where he will receive a medal to commemorate his hard work. Aaron has been playing cricket at Benfleet Cricket Club for the past 7 years, so has been able to build up a fair amount of experience. He says of the sport “I enjoy playing, and have always played the position of wicket keeper. Sometimes it is a little bit annoying when you bat and you go out near the beginning because it means you have to sit out for the rest of the match. Quite a few other students from the King John School and Appleton go to Benfleet Cricket Club and we all get along which is good”.

young filmmaker of the year! I received an email mid-October that my film ‘Vöxtur’, which I was making from December 2013 till April 2014, was successful in the shortlist and nominated for the Young Filmmaker of the Year award at the Cinemagic film festival. The film is a 10 minute short about growth (the title is Icelandic), and I made it with a team of around 30 people over 4 months. I wrote, directed, edited and co-produced it with my friend Omer Abbas who was the First AD and production assistant on the shoot. It was more of an exploration film - I finally noticed how much I loved making little films as school projects and decided to do something bigger with it. The screenings and ceremony was held , and so I went there for 2 days in order to attend. There were 12 other shortlisted filmmakers all aged 16/17, and we were the shortlisted filmmakers out of 130. Although I did not come away with an award, it was really interesting to see what other people my age are making and how I can improve for my next projects. To view the film go to:- http://youtu.be/ fUXVvHGQ3-E FLORENCE HILL

Shhh!

To raise funds for the Year 13 BTEC Music show, Emily MCCabe spent 5.5 hours silent! Her sponsored silence raised £65 towards the show; this was among other various fundraising activities including cake sales. All of the money raised from the show goes to help the music department. “Spending the day at school in silence was a big challenge, especially since I’m such a chatterbox! The challenge is what made this experience even more rewarding. I felt like I really earned that sponsorship money. People were very surprised that I managed the whole day! I think it’s a really good way of raising money for all sorts of causes. I’d like to do this again for a charity.” The BTEC show will be held on Thursday 22nd January 2015 at Hadleigh Baptist Church and sounds like it will be spectacular. Emily will be singing Umbrella by Rihanna alongside Chloe Smith, Chloe Miller, Callum Brown, Emily Gordon and Sally Proctor; Pretender by the Foo Fighters with the same group plus Chloe Tyler as well as playing It will Rain by Bruno Mars on the piano accompanied by Sally Proctor on vocals. Emily will also be singing Love Song by Sarah Bareilles as a solo act. After the Christmas break, it will be all hands on deck to get the show on the road. Tickets are available for the public to attend this musical extravaganza.

jack petchey award winner... We are pleased to announce October’s Jack Petchey Award winner is Year 13 student Jack Kelly. Here are the reasons why Jack was nominated by Miss Fordyce. Since joining the school at sixth form Jack has taken on a range of roles and duties and is a senior prefect. He constantly strives to improve himself and others through his passion for his subjects and a mature manner around the school. He is always ready to help at a variety of events and supports students in lessons lower down in the school as well as being able to work with staff and support teachers. I think his attributes of resilience, organisation, good manners, reliability, professionalism and desire to exceed any targets - academic and social that come his way, should be rewarded. Jack Petchey Award winners not only receive some fantastic recognition for their hard work and determination, but are given £200 which is to go towards new facilities for the school. The money has been spent on six 7 inch touch screen tablets to use in the MFL department. MISS FORDYCE

chemistry in action

SIXTH FORM

A criminal asks, ”Is the whole of my DNA stored on the police data base?” “Are fingerprints on bullet casings still impossible to collect?” These are examples of two questions answered by a forensic scientist at the London Chemistry in Action day. Thirteen Year 12 & 13 Chemistry students joined over 950 other A level students for a day introducing them to how front line research is impacting lives now and in the future. Real Chemistry in Action! How are we going to solve the problem of diminishing Lithium resources and still have batteries? 3D glasses revealed the intricacies of atomic-scaling modelling used in designing future batteries. Are synthetic diamonds a girl’s best friend? Yes! They are just as ‘diamond’ as real diamonds. When antibiotics are no longer usable and how can medical devices still be used? New polymers to prevent microbial infection from medical devices such as hip replacement joints, stints, endoscopic tubes etc. from entering our bodies, were all opened up in a stimulating way. History was not forgotten. The day ended with a journey of how Chemistry has evolved through time from China to Europe, using smells, bangs and a violin duet! Liquid mercury was turned into a solid hammer using liquid nitrogen, simultaneously destroying the table because of the extreme coldness! An unforgettable experience! Students highlights of the day: “Seeing the way DNA and fingerprinting solve crimes, particularly the famous Pitchfork syndrome case.” “The evolution of Chemistry through the ages was very interesting” “The passion of the presenters for their subject” “Lithium batteries” “The mad scientist!” “Exploding Sprite bottles with liquid nitrogen!”

academic mentoring Our Year 12 and 13 students have been developing their enrichment opportunities by mentoring some of our most promising Year 11 students. Academic mentoring has been taking place every Tuesday morning before school. The Year 12 and 13 students have been guiding our Year 11 students through the IGCSE exams (whilst enjoying a breakfast!) focusing in particular reading and writing skills. The Year 11 students have found this a great opportunity to revise, as well as a chance to get know some of our sixth formers. We are hoping to expand the mentoring into other subjects after Christmas.

YEAR 13 FORENSIC SCIENCE TRIP

On Friday 17th October, the Year 13 forensics group went to visit Chelmsford police headquarters. When we arrived, we were given a talk by one of their own CSI members who had set up a mock crime scene for us to get involved in and work with each other to solve the crime. As well as this, the CSI officer informed us of what her specific job involves and what she is required to do when faced with a similar crime scene. We all found this interesting and rewarding and we managed to complete the tasks! Afterwards, we went along to the shoeprint and fingerprint analysis departments and were able to take part in different experiments teaching us how each system works. We also gained an insight on how to compare similar shoeprints and how to read and determine different fingerprints. We all found the trip extremely informative and it was such a great opportunity to be able to get an understanding of how everything runs in the headquarters. We were able to learn a lot more about the variety of job roles available in that field. I would definitely love to go there again! BY LAURA MURRAY

Excel skills fair

On Friday 20th November, 49 Year 13 students, who have chosen not to university were invited to attend the Skills London fair at the Excel centre. There were 35,000 jobs and apprenticeships available for our students to find out about more information. They were all given an information booklet and took along with them a number of C.Vs in case they found anything they were interested in. The fair was a great opportunity for students to research their career path and were encouraged to pick up information on a variety of employment sectors. One student quoted “I now know exactly what I want to do in the future. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.” Thanks to Mr Barry, Mrs Merry and Mrs Jones for accompanying the students.

maths challenge Congratulations to Ryan Argent (Year 13), Caleb Pawsey (Year 12), Zak Newton (Year 12) ,and Matthew Lau (Year 12), for competing in the regional finals of the Senior Team Maths Challenge Competition on 26th November. The team took part in three very challenging rounds and competed against 19 other sixth form colleges, most of which were private or grammar schools. They came 9th overall which was an excellent achievement!

Year 12 Learner profile update This half term, Year 12 students have been developing their skills of knowledge as part of the learner profile development. They have been looking at the difference between having knowledge versus knowing how to learn, acquiring and generating knowledge, and discussing which is more useful. Class teachers have been awarding VIVOs, our new reward system to students for developing this essential skill. The more good things a student does, the greater the quantity and quality of rewards available to them. All Year 12 students have been given a unique Vivo log in and they can purchase a wide range of items from the online catalogue with the rewards received at school. Congratulations to the winners for each tutor group for this half term: 12-01 Connor O’Brien 12-02 Sam Campbell 12-03 Amber Milar-Chambers 12-04 Nathan Parlour 12-05 Rachel Smith 12-06 Billy Kemp-Thacker 12-07 Emma Temperton 12-08 Cameron McManus 12-09 Jade Hannan 12-10 Lewis Butcher Next term, students will be developing their skills of independence by following courses on www.futurelearn.com. The website is a great (free) resource for sixth form students to use to keep up-to-date on current topics. You can select a topic you are interested in and then take part in on-line sessions linked to this over a number of weeks. It is great to use on C.Vs to show that you have an up-to-date knowledge of your chosen field of interest. It may also be a useful point of interest to discuss in potential university interviews. For further information about theyear 12 learner profile program, see http://thekjstudent. wikispaces.com

TRIPS

dry ski slope As part of the annual ski trip, Mrs Cann and Mr Webb took 21 beginners to the Brentwood Dry Ski Centre to get to grips with the equipment that they'll be using when they travel on the school ski trip at February half term to Italy. The students started off with the basics and quickly progressed to skiing down the nursery slope. By the end of the two evenings most of the students were using the drag lifts and were able to turn and stop. This will hold them in good stead for the forthcoming trip and ensure that they have the best possible preparation. The students are now working hard in the fitness suite to gain their "ski legs". I'm sure the students are now very excited about the trip with only a few weeks left until they depart. Anybody interested in travelling on the school ski trip should speak to Mr Webb. Next year there will be 78 students travelling to Jay Peak in Vermont, USA.

Written by Charlotte Thompson, 7-10 On Wednesday 26th November, 120 Year 7 students went to visit Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Globe Theatre in London. This trip is run every year by the English department and is always very much enjoyed by our students. After a short coach journey, the students visited the exhibition to discover more about the background to the renowned theatre and Shakespeare himself. They followed a worksheet, which showed them to particular areas in the exhibition and enabled their learning to be more directed. A great deal was also learnt about London in the Elizabethan era and how the Globe was recreated as the building that now stands along the south of the River Thames. After lunch, students enjoyed a guided tour around the theatre and a drama workshop with a real theatre actor. They had a go at some warming up exercises before looking at an extract from A Midsummer Nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dream and engaging with it from many different angles, such as body language, movement and tone. I would like to thank the students who attended for their impeccable behaviour; I hope they are all able to use their learning of the theatre and Shakespeare in their future studies. MRS V MURRAY

TRI P S mersea island activity trip

texas football tour

hollywood, usa

On Saturday 25th October 2014, 30 Year 7 students went to the Essex Outdoors Centre on Mersea Island to take part in various team building activities. The students who went took part in 4 different sessions.

During October half term the Year 10 and 11 boys’ football team had the opportunity to go on a football tour to San Antonio, Texas, USA. This was the first sports tour outside of Europe for the KJS. The boys took the chance to show their skills to international opponents very seriously and showed determination and dedication by training every Tuesday morning at 7.40am. Leading up to the trip we organised a number of fundraising activities including a Texas Scramble Golf Day and a World Cup sweepstake as well as receiving generous donations from companies such as Waitrose and Virgin Trains. The team played five games in total throughout the week, winning three out of the five! The boys played the three winning games against local clubs, while also having the chance to play against Professional Academy youth teams. All of the games were competitive throughout and the boys acquitted themselves perfectly, both in their attitudes towards football and their behaviour, on and off the pitch. We really made the most of our time in the States. Highlights included a trip to SeaWorld, Austin and The Alamo, an historic symbol for Texas; Of course, no tour of Texas would be complete without going to see some American Football along with University NCAA Division I soccer. The team got to score some hoops playing basketball on a college basketball court, just like in the movies! As if the trip wasn’t terrific enough, they were able to interact with and receive coaching tips from professional coaches who came to see them play. We were all made to feel incredibly welcome by the opposition teams and families who we joined for several meals, sampling some true Texan BBQ food.

One of them was an adventure course but it had a difference, not only did you have to get the whole team over the course, they also had to carry a bucket of water without spilling any. It was lots of fun and a great way to make new friends. There was a zip wire where we had to jump off the top of a really high tower and zip down the line to the ground. It was very exciting. There were also go karts, where the whole group drove around and did lots of different time challenges. Even the teachers had a go. Last, but no means least, there was the team challenge where we had to do various team activities to pass to the next challenge. The day was jam packed and all the 30 children and 4 teachers had a great time and enjoyed themselves. I can’t wait to go again in the summer.

THOMAS, 7-09

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Well, this experience was bigger than most, and the pupils should be commended on being fine ambassadors of The King John School.

In the October half term we were part of the 40 media students who visited Hollywood in Los Angeles. The trip was very successful in terms of expanding our knowledge in media and getting to see how the other half lives. We had the amazing opportunity of touring three major film studios, Sony, Universal and Warner Brothers. In Sony we were able to see live working sets, which is where we met Adam Sandler, Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx! We also saw the set and props from many TV series like Breaking Bad. Our favourite part of the trip was at the Warner Brothers studio where we got to visit the Friends set. We even got to have a group picture on the couch at Central Perk. We also visited the Pretty Little Liars and Big Bang Theory set where we learnt how it usually takes one day to just film one scene! On the third day we visited the New York Film Academy and had the chance to take part in a cinematography workshop. Each of us got split up into groups where we were allowed to make short films with the professional equipment that they use in the industry. For instance there was a specialised piece of camera equipment called the ‘dolly’, which enabled us to take long pan shots. During the evenings we visited a wide range of popular restaurants, our favourite was the Hard Rock Café. We also had the chance to go shopping along the Universal Citywalk. Then one of the days we had the opportunity to go bowling and relax by the pool at the hotel. We became sightseers for the day when we took an outing to the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Here many of us took loads of pictures, especially of Michael Jackson’s star and Marylin Monroe’s handprint! Many of us managed to get the perfect shot with the famous Hollywood sign too when we walked around the Griffith Park Observatory. Overall the trip was not only a fantastic learning opportunity but also it was an amazing experience and a trip we will never forget! Thank you to all the teachers that made the trip possible and so special.

MR. EDWARDS Squad list: Daniel Warrens, Seb Mendes, Jamie Moxom, Adam Liddell, Joe Burton, Josh Hales, Albert Wilton, Oliver Frost, Tom Day, Charlie Brewster, Tom Taylor, Harry Morris, Tom Cotgrove, George Cox, Jordan Farrell, Jay Taylor, Charlie Saunders, Sam Hall.

BY MEGAN WHITE AND LEAH FORD

See the front cover for more photos!

SPORTS NEWS

CAREERS EDUCATION INFORMATION ADVICE & GUIDANCE

county netball rally

Sunday 16th November 2014

Employability for Life Charter All Year 11 tutor groups have now had a tutor session with Mrs Jeffery and are encouraged to attend lunch time workshops on a Tuesday and Wednesday in UD8. EFL portfolios must be completed by the end of February 2015 in order for them to be moderated in early March.

CONNEXIONS

Connexions Interviews take place every Wednesday and Thursday with Nick Chard. Students wishing to have an interview must contact Mrs Anderson via their tutor.

CAREERS SOFTWARE INFORMATION For KS3 options support Year 8 will be given a careers software session in the Spring term to assist with their option choices. All students will be able to access the programmes from home once they have been shown it in school. Students are given a code which can be used for up to 90 days. After that they will need to reset it in school. There are 2 software programme on the School VLE. Students must log onto the VLE and access the programme on the Home page and go to USEFUL LINKS

Under 16’s The under 16 team played some exceptional netball, winning all but one of their six group stage games. This meant that they qualified for the semi final where they faced Greensward. The game was a close match with King John going two goals up at one point, however the end result was to see Greensward progress. In all the team were fantastic, playing well for the whole day in some tough weather conditions! Well done to Adel Barrett, Maddie Dyer, Maddie Dickson, Poppy Douglas, Imogen Taylor, Jessica Lacey, Briony Taylor, Frankie Roast and Jordan Castle. Under 14’s In the group stages the team won all but one of their games and drew with Greensward. This meant that they went through to the semi final as group stage winners and were to play Southend Girls. This game was tough and some excellent defensive play saw us narrowly take the lead at half time. By the end of the game the girls had managed to edge a four goal lead to take them in to the final where they were to face Brentwood school and also secured their place in the next round (East Regional). Sadly the girls lost in the final by two goals, but are looking forward to the challenge of the next round on Saturday 31st January. Well done to Charlotte Clubb, Sophie Baker, Katie Rawlings, Gemma Purser, Elizabeth McGlynn, Nicole Cooksely, Victoria Tarr, Amelia Douglas and Gina Dickson.

district champions

Job Explorer Database (JED) No 7 How to use JED Click onto JED and several icons will appear in front of you. Suits Me Quiz – There are 2 quizzes. Select the big quiz and answer the questions sensibly. Do not answer with ‘I’m not bothered’ as the research for jobs for you will be limited. Case Studies – Shows Occupational Areas and 301 video clips. Top Ten – This shows the top ten jobs in a particular occupational area. World of Work – World of work map. Students click onto the buildings and it will go into specific occupational areas. Search Jobs – Look up a job by using the first letter e.g. N for nurse. My Jed – In this section you save jobs, Jed’s suggestion, my notes, jobs I looked at recently. Subject Search – Select 3 subjects you like and it will come up with jobs that match those subjects. Create a new account When students log in at school they can access the USE AT HOME code. They can: Create a new account and write the code into their diary or phone and they then have 90 day access to use in their leisure time. This will give them an ideal opportunity to shair with their family and to see what qualifications, skills and attributes, which are required for a specific job.

The annual district cross country championships took place on a very wet and muddy course! The Year 7 girls set off first and we had a fantastic finish of 1st, 2nd and 3rd! Sophie Wetheridge was victorious with Lucy Brewster very close behind and Hollie Rex closing in with 3rd place. Victoria Walsh Herranz completed finishing in 8th position. Niamh Donnelly, Lily Brewster, Evie Dorrington and Rebecca Lacey did very well, especially since this was their first time in the district championships. Overall, the team finished 1st. In the Year 8/9 race we had a strong pack of runners all within close distance of each other. Abby Rex was 3rd, Yasmin Robinson 4th, Charlotte George 7th and Genevieve Pate 9th. The team finished 1st. All runners performed brilliantly, especially the year 9s including Hannah Mickelburgh-Gardham, Jade Saliba, Chloe Wells, Nicole Rutter and Charlotte Clubb. The senior race is always tough and the team is filled with girls who don’t necessarily enjoy running but will do it as they are proud to represent the school! Niamh Smith from Year 10 was the top finisher in 3rd, Kiera Tippett 6th, Emily Warren 7th and Sophie Jones in 11th. Again, the team finished 1st! A huge well done to all of the other team members who battled through the horrible conditions – Jordan Clarkson, Abigail Taylor, Briony Findlay, Francesca Williams, Zoe Gutteridge and Jordan Castle. “This is the first year that we have won all three age group competitions! The girls were crowned overall district champions. All of the girls work so hard in training and are so committed. They are a pleasure to work with and deserve their success.” MRS CANN

RFU Grand Draw Support King John to raise funds for the PE Dept. For every ticket we sell we get a 90p donation from the RFU. Tickets are £1 each – they cannot be bought or sold by U16’s, but can be purchased by parents and friends.

All Year 8 students will have Mrs Jeffery for one session in Skills during January to learn how to access the JED. They will also be shown how to use higher ideas.

There are lots of prizes including: 1st prize £10,000 2nd and 3rd prizes of £1000

Write in your top up code so you Use this website to access from home: can go on this site at home.

www.careersoft.co.uk/homeuser

If you would like some tickets please see Mrs Radmore in the PE office.

Top up code: ……………….

Saracens will play Harlequins at Wembley on Saturday 28th March 2015, kick-off 15H15 but show starts at 14H00. Saracens return to the iconic venue for the twelfth time for an afternoon of high class Premiership Rugby and live spectacular entertainment. Pre match and half time entertainment includes Pixie Lott. Tickets for your school are priced from only £16.50 for adults and £5 for Junior (U16) Take advantage of this great promotional offer by booking online at www.saracens.com/wembley and at the same time earn cash back for your club. For every adult ticket sold the school will receive £5, and for every child ticket sold we will receive £1.50. All tickets purchased using your school code, before Saturday 28th February, will be seated together. How To Book: Once at www.saracens.com/wembley Click the tab “clubs and schools” then click on the box “Buy Tickets” on the right hand side or at the bottom of the blurb “Click here” - this takes you through to the online booking page: 1.

First you need to order your Adults tickets: a.

Select quantity required from left hand box

Enter your case sensitive (upper case) password in the box to the right of the ‘Price’ field – your school code is: KINGJOHN 2.

Repeat the above process for U16’s tickets

Click on ‘Find Tickets’ at the bottom

On the next screen enter the two words in the ‘Security Check’ page

Continue to checkout, enter payment details and finalise order* PLEASE NOTE YOUR TICKETS WILL BE SENT DIRECT TO YOUR HOME BEFORE SATURDAY 14th March

TWITTER: Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Saracens and let us know you’re coming to Wembley! #SaracensatWembley #derbyday Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require further information: theresabouchier@saracens.net We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards, Theresa Bouchier

*A one off booking fee per order applies

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE Students of the month!

virtual trip to paris Year 8 students with Miss Fordyce took a virtual tour to Paris, here is what they got up to! J’ai pris des photos, quand j’ai vu la Jocande - c’etait cool.

On a fait une balade en bateau-mouche qui était fabuleux! J’ai visité la Tour Eiffel

Spanish

Kerry King

Oliver Crancher

Callum Saunders

Emmanuel Onanuga

Emily Clayton

Harvey Aspinall

Poppy Douglas

George Legg

Alex Morely

12 13

Spanish

Louis Ilett

Molly Bates

Will Osbourne

Katy Fenner

Natalie Coombs

Allegra Webb

Megan White

Kieran Rand

Lewis Butcher

Billy Kemp-Thacker

Martha Forman

Rebecca Webber

Cameron Waldie

Maddi Lawrence

In October, tutor group 7-03 created some Pudsey Bear posters in French, whilst helping Children in Need at the same time. The class produced some brilliantly creative posters and their written French was excellent too. Congratulations to Florence May, Philip Keating and India Mason, whose posters were judged 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively by Ms Fordyce, our Head of Faculty.

Student successes!

French

wanted!!

Congratulations to the following students for being nominated by their peers or teachers as the student of the month in their class and year.

Year

MRS KAVANAGH

Emma Jarvis

Cameron McManus Ruby Stephenson Jack Kelly

Gregory Lawson

Well done!

NEED EXTRA HELP WITH YOUR FRENCH OR SPANISH HOMEWORK? WANT TO PRACTICE SOME SPEAKING? J UST WANT TO CHECK SOMETHING QUICKLY?

Congratulations to Year 11 linguists for showing dedication and resilience in the preparation for the speaking and writing assessments at the end of this term, there have been some outstanding work in French and Spanish. Well done!

Our Spanish and French assistants are available to help you each Tuesday. Drop in if you need any support with homework, coursework or just to find out about something French (UC3) or Spanish(UC10)

PERFORMING ARTS

upcoming year 8 trip to see wicked!

hook beware, it’s Peter Pan!

On 16th December 2014 the Drama department has arranged a trip to see a performance of the well-loved pantomime Peter Pan at the Cliffs Pavilion. 100 students and 10 members of staff will be preparing their loudest boo and hiss as they watch Pater Pan try to overcome David Hasselhoff as Captain Hook and Christopher Biggins as Smee, Captain Hook’s hapless first mate, in a sing song interactive extravaganza. Spaces filled up very quickly for this amazing opportunity, I dare say staff are just as excited as the students! We will leave school at 1pm from the Benfleet road car park and arrive back approximately 5.30pm to the Shipwrights Drive entrance to school. Students will need to be in school unform with a packed lunch and if they wish to purchase a program or refreshments they will need to bring additional money for this. We look forward to showing some wonderful photos and a write up of how the trip went in the next Newsletter Edition.

drama star this half term Jasmine Armfield has been selected as the Drama Star this half term! Jasmine is a Yr. 11 Drama student who has a superb attitude and works extremely hard. She is committed, focused and always willing to help others. Her communication skills and professionalism have enabled her to achieve extremely highly for both controlled assessments and is in line to achieve top marks for the practical exam. As well as being a diligent learner, Jasmine is currently entertaining the country through her television performances in Eastenders as Sonia’s daughter Rebecca. We wish Jasmine continued success in her professional career. Jasmine has applied to continue her studies on the BTEC Acting course at The King John School next year.

The Drama department has arranged a fantastic trip to see a matinee performance of Wicked at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria, London. This musical is a fantastic opportunity to see a modern, lively and engaging show. The play “tells the incredible story of an unlikely friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and The Wicked Witch of the West.” Date:25th February 2015 Depart Time: 12pm - Benfleet road car park. Return Time: Approximately 6:45pm at the Benfleet Road entrance. Dress Code: School Uniform must be worn. Cost: Only £19 which includes coach travel and the theatre ticket. Please make cheques payable to The King John School or you can pay through the Parent Pay system. Lunch: A packed lunch is required; this will be eaten when we arrive at the theatre. Optional money: Your child may wish to purchase a programme or refreshments.

KJS DANCE SHOW 2014

Performances on 3rd & 4th February 7.00pm. All dance clubs and GCSE dancers performing. Tickets on sale after Christmas.

Congratulations Jasmine – You are a Drama Star 2014!

year 7 drama club

Students in Year 7 Drama club have had a fun-filled time since the start of the school year. A large number of students have been attending every Tuesday lunchtime and earning themselves lots of Vivos. Before half term, students explored bullying - what it is, what can be done about it and how it affects others. Students worked very hard on a short anti-bullying play based on the idea of 'stopping bullying for all' and their work was filmed and shared with others during ‘thought for the week’. The plays were very thoughtful pieces. Since half term, students have been creating plays about Christmas, they were given the task to create an advert that would tell someone who has never experienced Christmas what it is all about. Students created amazing, funny and descriptive pieces and the Drama team have been so impressed with the dedication and energy from all pupils involved and we look forward to working with everyone again in the new year on a new project.

winners of the high school musical programme competition Well done to everyone at Art club for working so hard on their front covers for the High School Musical programme. Three were chosen out of all the entries. Congratulations! MISS RIDDELL

Caitlin McCarthy, 8-02

Becky Gypps, 8-08

Emily Pearson, 9-02

high school musical

The King John School’s production of High School Musical was an absolute honor for me to direct. The students had worked so hard rehearsing 3 nights a week after school until 5pm! Their commitment and effort was truly inspirational for me to work with. The performance evenings were ‘outstanding’ and the opportunity to perform the play twice to both halves of Year 7 was brilliant. Staff, parents and students alike have been extremely complimentary of the production. Mrs Perella said, “It was incredible. The work you guys must have put inphew! So lovely to see the students in that context. What an array of talents we have. My mouth actually ached from smiling the whole way through!”. Mrs Cann said, “Another fantastic show with so many kids involved. Everyone that I spoke to loved doing it and really enjoyed themselves. Making lasting memories of positive experiences at school is so important for them these days”. Can I just say a huge thank you to the tech team and Mrs Thomas, The front of house team and Mrs Homer, the backstage team and Ms Kitsou and Miss Cole. Mrs Shaw for her wonderful efforts with publicity and finally Ross Wittaker for his wonderful support with everything! Merry Christmas

MS KIRSTY GRENNAN

KING JOHN ACADEMY OF ARTS

The King John Arts Academy started in January 2012 and has gone from strength to strength. It is an Academy that focuses on meeting the needs and developing key artistic skills for the local community. Any profits made go directly into Arts provisions at The King John Academy. Vision - To provide an exciting, varied and Creative Arts programme - To provide engaging, inspiring and inclusive Arts based workshops - To create a fun and safe environment to enable every child to develop confidence, potential and life skills - To provide high quality Arts tuition from professional practitioners

Little Stars

Wednesdays 5.30-6.30pm - Ideal for: 7-12 years old - Develop in: Dance- Co-ordination, motor skills, music-rhythm, timing and sounds, Drama - Storytelling, roleplay and confidence Little Stars is for primary and young secondary students who want to develop key social and performance skills in a fun and safe environment. The Arts based skills that will be developed are all aimed at enhancing confidence, poise and self- esteem. Wednesdays: Intermediate A- 5.30pm Intermediate B- 6.30pm Advanced C- 6.30pm

ART SKILLS WITH INGRID ANDERSON

Wednesdays- 5.30-6.30pm 28th January 4th, 11th, 25th February 4th, 11th March - Ideal for: 10- 18 years old - Develops a variety of Art skills including the use of drawing, paint and pastels.

LAMDA Drama

- Ideal for: 10-18 years old - A LAMDA qualification is achieved - Develop acting skills - Develop confidence

We are proud to offer a fabulous opportunity for students to learn from Ingrid Anderson, Ingrid is a local Essex based professional artis who has exhibited across London and Essex. In 2010 she was awarded a place at the prestigious Cork Street Gallery London.

Following on from the huge success of last years exam- June 2014: 100% pass rate, 90% Merit/Distinction we are proud to offer LAMDA examination classes again. We have a class for everyone, from newcomers to Advanced. These classes will develop an understanding of text, an exploration of character and motivation as well as developing key life skills in a fun environment.

YOGA BOOTCAMP WITH EMILY MORRIS

WORK THOSE WELL-BEING MUSCLES & BECOME POPEY!

Dancewith Alexandra Crudgington

TARA STYLES, INTERNATIONAL YOGI

Fridays 5.30- 6.30pm - Ideal for: 10-18 years old - Develops rhythm, co-ordination, fitness, creativity, movement and teamwork skills

British Military Martial Arts with Rob Read

Wednesdays 5.30 - 6.30pm - Ideal for: 11- 18 years old - Develops self control, respect, perseverance, determination, balance, flexibility, co-ordination and endurance.

After all that Christmas indulgence, get back to being you. The aim - to feel great. Simple and awesome! The 10-week Ashtanga Yoga Bootcamp is designed to strengthen the body, get your heart pumping and cultivate a calm and focused mind. Great for both beginners and intermediate yogis alike. Don’t worry if you’ve never done yoga before or you’re not feeling at your best. Just go at your own pace. Where you are right now is the perfect place to start. Remember, yoga is about you and what feels good just for you.

Rob Read is an ex-military instructor who runs this military themed Martial Arts class.

Yoga Bootcamp explores fundamental principles of yoga combined with high-intensity cardiovascular and strength training. Each class will begin with a high-intensity full body warm-up designed to quickly heat up the body and build agility, followed by a themed flow, and finish with deep core work and a guided relaxation.

Kick Boxing

Wednesdays 5.30 - 6.30pm

Suitable for teens (under 15s need to be accompanied by an adult) and adults and fitness levels.

We are pleased to offer this new freestyle kickboxing class. This class will combine fun, fitness and structure through non-combat and light contact training. The Kata (sequence of movements) will concentrate on helping students to become self-disciplined while overcoming obstacles to achieve higher goals. This exciting and energetic class will encourage mental and physical development as well as help reduce and relieve stress. At the end of the 10 week course, students will have the opportunity to carry out a grade for the first belt. Pupils are encouraged to come along and train with a buddy to develop their key physical and wellbeing skills.

Every Tuesday 5.30pm-6.30pm in the Swayze Suite. To book your place on this 10 week yoga bootcamp course, please email Caroline Anderson on carolinea@thekjs.com.

Feel great for just £65, only £6.50 per class!

starting 13th jan 2015 king john academy of arts

Requirements: Loose fitting clothing, no footwear and water.

the king john school shipwrights drive, thundersley, benfleet, ss7 1rq 01702 558 284

Grading Cost: £10 (includes a certificate).

THE KJS WISHES

YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS &

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 21