25 January 2021
Noticeboard
Front cover art by: Dylan Young, Y11
Noticeboard For Years 7 & 8 (500 words – poetry, prose or drama) 1)
If you could have a superpower, what would you like it to be, and
how would you use it? 2)
Write a story beginning with the words: ‘It was exactly midnight. I sat peering through my bedroom window, wondering what the man in a black balaclava was doing, rifling through my neighbour’s dustbin.’
3)
Little White Lies
4)
Is a dog really Man’s Best Friend?
5)
The Train Journey
6)
An Old Biscuit Tin
For Years 9—11 (500 words – poetry, prose or drama) 1)
The Rescue
2)
Shot in the Dark
3)
The Boy in the Painting
4)
The Necklace
5)
A Stitch in Time
6)
Nothing Happened Today
7)
Mission to the Unknown
8)
Into the Light
Please speak to your English teacher for more information!
Noticeboard The English Department’s Shakespeare Broadcasts
The English Department has proudly acquired weekly tickets for an outstanding new event: Michael Morpurgo’s: Tales from Shakespeare. Celebrated author, Michael Morpurgo, has joined the RSC to create these stories. For five weeks, his
fresh retellings will be broadcast live for Key Stage 3 PPS students at 11.00am on Fridays. With a range of titles, these performances are suitable for all our key stage 3 students and feature Morpurgo himself, as well as members of the RSC Acting Company. The schedule is as follows:
Michael Morpurgo’s The Tempest Friday 15 January 11.00am Michael Morpurgo’s Romeo and Juliet Friday 22 January 11.00am Michael Morpurgo’s Macbeth Friday 29 January 11.00am Michael Morpurgo’s The Winter's Tale Friday 05 February 11.00am
Every Thursday, the English Department will send a link to every Year 7-9 student for the Friday broadcast via Firefly. Students will also be sent a separate link to access the show after it has been live-streamed, so they do not miss any scheduled lessons and still get to enjoy this opportunity. For any more information, contact your English teacher.
Noticeboard Extra Languages RUSSIAN
JAPANESE
ARABIC
CHINESE Mandarin
Wednesday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
3.45 on Zoom Ms Zalesny
3.45 on Zoom Ms Eren
3.45 on Zoom Ms Elshelmani
3.45 on Zoom Ms Huang
Harrison B-T Y6
Gabriel A Y8
Arad M Y7
Avi W Y7
Mia L Y6
Arjun L Y9
Kadi B Y7
Zaid Al-Q Y6
Iasmin M Y6
Zaid Al-Q Y6
Gene A-T Y9
Martin R Y7
Humphrey B Y6
Basma Al-Q Y6
Yaqoub B Y7
Mia L Y6
Sasha C Y8
Huxley N Y8
Harisson B-T Y6
Lloyd D Y9
Harry P Y9
German R Y8
Avi W Y7
Miyu A Y9
Rachel W Y8
Sam O Y8
Irene P-P Y10
Arabic class details now confirmed
Noticeboard Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEAM)
Noticeboard
Noticeboard Wellbeing A big thank you goes to Mrs Zalesny who found this great resource and shared it with us. During lockdown, it is easy for the students to get overwhelmed, therefore please encourage your child to try different ways to take a break and relax during the day. Thank you for your support. Mrs Zalesny & Miss Florea
Noticeboard Library It is Holocaust Memorial Day on Wednesday 27 January.
Noticeboard Library I will be in the school library next Thursday, as the post office close to the school is open right now, I should be in a position to post out a book to UK based students, on a trial basis. Books will be added to your child’s library account to keep track of them and they can be returned
when we return to school. If this is something that you would be interested in, email me on: belinda.carvalho@portland-place.co.uk before Thursday 28th, stating the genre of books that your child enjoys. Additionally, I’ve come across these book box subscriptions that might appeal to our students as a special treat and a break from screen time during the weeks: Little Box of Books – range of books especially chosen to reflect diverse values:
https://littleboxofbooks.co.uk/product/ages-8-11subscription/
Brave Girls Book Club – Best for young feminists: https://www.booksthatmatter.co.uk/brave-girls-book-club/
Click text below for inspirational poem read by young LA poet Amanda Gorman at Joe Biden’s inauguration this week: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/amanda-gorman-poem-biden-inaugurationtranscript Read more about the inauguration ceremony and current affairs this week on www.theday.co.uk Log in details on Firefly.
Noticeboard Book of the Week Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson. Tracy is 10 years old. She lives in a children's home but would like a real home one day, with a real family. Read her story for FREE below and share her hopes for the future in this very funny tale, all told in Tracy's own words.
https:// library.thenational.academy/ spend-time-with-tracy-beakerand-jacqueline-wilson/
News Book Buzz Work Our Year 7 & 8s have been reading the books from the 2020/21 Book Buzz list and have been enjoying them immensely. Here are some pieces of work that they created inspired by their reading. Well done all, pupil reward points have been added!
Albert Thompson, Year 8, inspired by City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Lucas Parker, Year 8, inspired by Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick
News
Miguel Paniagua Peleteiro, Year 8, inspired by Little Bird Flies by Karen McCombie
News Science Luke Ahrens in Year 8 managed to do these two magnet tricks during our Science lesson!
News
Post 16 Noticeboard Post 16 Update I will be contacting any Year 11’s this week who I haven’t heard from to ask for an update about offers received from your Sixth Form applications. Many institutions on our list are still taking applications. If you need any further help with this process
please contact me directly on belinda.carvalho@portland-place.co.uk and we can arrange to speak over Teams.
I spoke to Brampton College this week and attach their prospectus here : https://www.bramptoncollege.com/admissions/prospectus/
Unifrog, a careers tool we subscribe to, have a Skills & Enterprise Week of webinars next week which might be interesting for students thinking about further career options. https://www.unifrog.org/webinars
News Art Year 7 were shading boxes in primary secondary colours each matching with complementary colour. These by Pierce Drennan, Hazuki Kita, Jake Gadney and Beckett Jenkinson Chamberlain
News Art Year 8 did a study of one of Redon’s pieces, one called Eye Balloon, the other The Guardian of the Sea. Redon fought in the Franco Prussian war and couldn’t use colour for years.
Samara Mayers
News
Miguel Peleteiro Paniagua
Anabella Longobardi
News
Miguel Peleteiro Paniagua
Amitis Jafari Park
News
News ‘My Lockdown Hero’ by PPS Virtual School
News We all know that lockdowns are difficult. So, who better to share some tips than our expert virtual learners? They were asked to use their own experience of remote learning and tell us about someone or something that made a difference to them during the lockdown: their lockdown heroes.
Connie: My Cat
My lockdown hero is definitely my cat. I don’t know how I would have survived with her not being here. She is absolutely crazy; all day she jumps around my house, even attacking our neighbours’ cats! She is so entertaining and I would have been bored out of my mind without her. Sonny: My Bike My lockdown hero is my bike. I have been on several bike rides over the course of the last 10 months. My most challenging one was to go to the Emirates Stadium, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and then Green Park. I had to lie down for the rest of the day after that one! The biting wind that you feel on a bike is thrilling and the feeling when you complete a good ride is unmatched. Cycling is probably my favourite form of exercise, and one day I’m going to attempt to cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats. I may need to do a few more bike rides before I get there, though. David: My Room My lockdown hero is my room. It has plenty of things in it which keep me entertained. For example, my computer and my books. My room is the place in which I spend the most time during the lockdown so I ensure I keep it tidy and a place where I can work and rest. It is MY OWN room!
News William: My Cat This is my lockdown hero… BUSTER…my cat! She is always there to help and support me. She sits on my desk and helps with my schoolwork and sometimes also sits on my keyboard – which is not very helpful! She purrs a lot and talks to me but best of all, she gives me cuddles, keeping me warm. Ariella: My Sister My lockdown hero is my sister. She always keeps me company and whenever we are bored, she makes me laugh – especially when I am not in a good mood. If you don’t have a sibling, watch a comedy channel to get the same effect! Anna: Food My lockdown hero is food. On free evenings, I cook some sweets with my family and find it very relaxing. It is great to eat too!
Paulina: Reading My lockdown hero is reading. In the beginning of lockdown, there was not a lot to do, so I decided to start reading some classical literature. I became engrossed in the different stories of each book and it really helped me stay calm when things were uncertain. As time went on, I started to pick up different types of reading: Russian literature and manga. Reading manga became one of my hobbies during lockdown and was one of the most enjoyable parts of these past months. Alex: My Parents My lockdown hero is not one person but two: my parents. They are my heroes due to their care and support for me. They hav constantly been there, keeping me entertained by playing, such as Trivial Pursuit and Articulate. Board games are a very good way to pass the time during a lockdown. That is why my parents are my lockdown heroes!
News Nihan: My Sister-in-law My sister in law is my best friend and was also my lockdown hero during the previous lockdown. She is very funny and has a very good personality. She always makes me laugh and is by my side when I’m lonely and sad. Everyone needs someone to talk to during a lockdown and it is important to take a break from the screen and talk to someone- even if it is over dinner or TV! Sasha: My Mum My lockdown hero is my mum. When I would wake up 10 minutes before lessons started, I obviously didn’t have time for breakfast. My mum would bring it up to my room every day to ensure I had something to eat and could focus on my studies. More than the food, it is knowing someone is there supporting you that really makes a difference. Volodymyr: My Computer My lockdown hero is my computer. It makes me feel happy every time I turn it on. It helps me with learning and allows me to spend time on it playing games too, keeping me entertained whilst I am at home. It is my hero!
Alexdrina: My Puppy My lockdown hero is my new puppy, Bambi, because she helped me through the tough situations to get me into good ones. During the lockdown, I was at my worst point because I had never stayed inside for so long as I have activities every day after school but then my Bam came along and helped me pull through and get to where I am today.
News Year 6 & 7 Assembly on Zoom
Sports report Land’s End to John O’Groats House Challenge Portland’s Year 6 & 7’s continue to forge ahead, completing more kilometres than any of the older years,
although Year 9 and 10’s top teams are closing the gap! Year 6 & 7 Cavendish top the field with an impressive 152.51km thanks to a group of about half a dozen pupils who are getting out most days and recording activity.
Here are the top performers by distance this week: Huxley Nayak (Year 9): Humphrey Boland (Year 6): Arthur Hales (Year 10): Jake Cossey (Year 10): Sid De Rozario (Year 9):
32.91km 31.75km 28.66km 26.38km 18.83km
Well done to all pupils who recorded any distance this week. You will be receiving positive points for your efforts. A few of you may be interested to know that an athlete like Mo Farah (multiple 5,000m and 10,000m world and Olympic champion would run about 215km a week at a pace of around 5.40km/hour, on aver-
age. Former Tour de France winner, cyclist Chris Froome completed some staggering distances in a week on Strava. In 2018, preparing for the season, he amassed over 1000km in 32 hours of cycling in a single week!
Sports report Here are the current year group house standings: Total Distance
Top Performers
152.51km
Susan Li: 12.76km
2 : Langham
91.45km
Humphrey Boland: 31.75km
3rd: Wigmore
70.4km
Arad Mohammadlou: 7.66km
58.22km
Tec Hennebry: 14.51km
House
Year 6 & 7
1st: Cavendish nd
th
4 : Devonshire
House
Total Distance
Top Performers
1 : Langham
55.21km
Sasha Cerna: 11.11km
2nd: Cavendish
54.02km
Isabella Calvert-Bull: 4.60km
3 : Devonshire
37.1km
Jude Boudry-Ruzgar: 14.3km
4th: Wigmore
16.8km
Luke Ahrens: 7.84km
Year 8 st
rd
Total Distance
Top Performers
st
House
99.62km
Huxley Nayak: 32.91km
nd
32.06km
Sid De Rozario: 18.83km
rd
16.06km
Jessy Fryer-Jacobs: 10.0km
th
4.98km
James Eadally: 3.93km
Total Distance
Top Performers
1 : Wigmore
98.68km
Arthur Hales: 28.66km
2nd: Cavendish
91.55km
Jake Cossey: 26.38km
3 : Langham
52.46km
Felix Lake: 17.25km
4th: Devonshire
13.22km
Josh Tucker: 7.95km
Year 9
1 : Devonshire 2 : Cavendish 3 : Langham 4 : Wigmore
House
Year 10 st
rd
Sports report Year 6 & 7 Crossfit Workouts and Plank Contest Last week the Year 6 & 7’s were set a crossfit style workout contest which included a choice of two workouts which they had to complete in as short a time as possible. Workout 2 was the more challenging option. They were also set a “plank” isometric hold test for which they had to provide video evidence. Well done to all who completed the workouts! Only two pupils opted for workout 2, with the vast majority choosing workout 1. Here are the top 5 times: Workout 1: 10 x Parallel Squats, 10 x Crunch (palms to knees), 10 x Burpee (no jump), 10 x Press-up (on knees if required). Must be performed in the order given and three rounds must be completed.
Jake Gadney: Daniil Vasilyev: Tec Hennebry: Arad Mohammadlou: Beckett Jenkinson Chamberlain:
4:21.0 5:00.0 5:54.7 6:05.1 7:09.0
Workout 2: 10 x Split Squats (knee to floor), 10 x Free Sit-Up, 10 x Burpee (with jump), 10 x Press-up (elbows 90 degrees). Must be performed in order and four rounds must be completed. Rafer Moge:
4:57.9
In the Plank challenge pupils had to video themselves holding the position for as long as they could. This is test of muscular endurance and core strength, as well as a test of staying power and determination. Well done to all that posted their efforts. Congratulations to Daniil Vasilyev in Year 6 who recorded 2:22 to take the win. Here are the top times:
Daniil Vasilyev: Jake Gadney: Tec Hennebry: Harrison Brudenell-Turpie: Arad Mohammadlou:
2:22 2:00 1:33.8 1:16 1:01.5 Daniil Vasilyev holds on for 2 minutes and 22 seconds!
Diary CLUBS 12:50-13:45
Monday
Chamber Choir - Room 1 - Miss Boyle
12:50—13:40
Y6-11 Table Tennis Club, PPS Hall
Friday
12:50—13:40
Y6-8 Drama Club, Drama Studio
12:50—13:50
GCSE Art Club, Miss Dever, H11
12:50—13:40
Y6-8 Book Club
12:50—13:40
Y6-11 Table Tennis Club, PPS Hall
12:50—13:40
Advanced Arabic, Ms Elshelmani, G41
12:50—13:40
Digital Theatre & Club, Drama Studio
12:50—13:40
Y11 GCSE Art Club, Ms Osborne, HH12 (invite only)
12:50—13:40
GCSE Spanish, Ms Magniez, G32
13:15—13:45
KS3 Science Journal & Book Club, H1
12:50—13:45
Vocal Ensemble, Ms Ryder, R1
12:55—13:40
UKMT Maths Challenge practice, G41
13:10—13:45
Y11 Science Revision (Biology), H1
Tuesday 12:50—13:35
Senior Weights Club (Y9-11), PPS Changing Rooms
12:50—13:45
GCSE French, Mr Lalande, G41
12:50—13:45
PPS Choir, Mr Hill & Miss Boyle, GPS Hall
13:00—13:45
Cyber Discovery (age 13+), Mr Whiteside, G34
13:15—13:45
KS3 STEM Club, Ms Robinson, H1
15:45—16:45
Japanese Club, Ms Eren, R36
15:45—16:45
Y11 GCSE Design Club, Ms Birtles, B1
15:50—17:00
Art Club, Ms Dever, H11
12:55—13:40
Look out for updated Club &R11 Enrichment PPS Y6-11 Fitness Training Club (HIIT/Circuit), Spring Term 2021 GCSE Computer Science (Y11), G34 info Term starts
13:00—13:45
Russian Club, Ms Zalesny, R24
Half term
13:10—13:45
Y11 Science Revision (Physics), H1
End of term
15:45—16:30
KS3 Maths Club (Y6-9), R24
Summer Term 2021
15:45—16:30
GCSE Statistics & Additional Maths, G33
Term starts
15:45—16:30
Arabic Club, Mrs Elshlmani, R36
Bank holiday
16:00—17:00
Fencing, PPS Hall, meet PPS changing rooms 15:45
Wednesday 12:50—13:40 12:50—13:40
Maths Puzzles, Mr Hill, G41
Thursday
Half term End of term
12:50—13:40
Y6-11 Dance Club, Rm 11
12:50—13:40
Y8-11 Creative Writing, Ms Baig/Ms O’Donnell
12:50—13:40
Mandarin Club, Ms Huang, PPS Hall
13:10—13:45
Y11 Science Revision (Chemistry), H1
15:45—16:30
TERM DATES
Monday 4 January Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb Thursday 1 April
Thursday 22 April Mon 3 May (school closed)
Mon 31 May – Fri 4 June Friday 9 July
Autumn Term 2021 Term starts
Monday 6 September
KS4 Maths Club (Y10-11), G33
Half term
Mon 18 Oct – Fri 29 Oct
15:45—16:45
KS2/3 Design Technology Club, Mr Bradford, B1
End of term
Friday 10 December
15:50—17:00
Art Club, H10 & H11
Thank you for reading