THE SHIELD
MICHAELMAS 2021
www.stdunstans.org.uk
WELCOME TO THE MICHAELMAS EDITION OF THE SHIELD 2021 Marking a new era with the opening of the Junior School, STEM Block & Sixth Form Centre Whole College Open Day
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fter last year’s small group events, the College hosted its first-ever whole school open day in September. We were thrilled to welcome more than 500 families who were interested in joining St Dunstan’s. Families were given the opportunity to plan their own tour using unique QR codes and a programme listing all the special events that were on show around the College.
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he College was delighted to officially open its new buildings on Friday 17 September in a special ceremony with parents, staff and Dunstonians. The new facilities, which were built over the last 18 months, were opened by special guests Nobel Prize winner Sir Martin Evans, and Chairman of Barclays, Nigel Higgins – both former pupils of the school. Speaking about the opening ceremony, St Dunstan’s Headmaster, Mr Nicholas Hewlett said: ‘It was a delight to host the formal opening of our new buildings; the culmination of years of planning. It represents the most fundamental redevelopment of our College site since
Champions of Inclusion
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hree Senior School students represented the College at a Lewisham Council event celebrating diversity and inclusion on Wednesday 1 December. The event was to raise awareness of inclusion, and students had the opportunityto get involved in a range of activities.
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THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021
1888, and to have achieved this within the context of the pandemic is testament to the creative zeal and tenacity of so many, not least our Bursar, Mrs Clair Wilkins.’ ‘I am most grateful to Sir Martin Evans OD, and Nobel Prize winner, for unveiling the plaque, and to Nigel Higgins OD, Chairman of Barclays, for his reflections on the school and its exciting trajectory. At such a milestone event, I am mindful of our Foundation and the wish of the Governors at the time that the school be ‘ahead of the current time’. A forward-thinking approach to education is in the DNA of St Dunstan’s, and these buildings do nothing but further promote our school in that regard.’
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Youth Mental Health Summit
Hello Yellow Day
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e were delighted to host our inaugural Youth Mental Health Summit on Friday 8 October, 2021. The summit, which was hosted in the College’s Great Hall, was attended by more than 100 students from schools across the country. Headmaster Nicholas Hewlett opened the summit, acknowledging the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health. He explained: ‘The world has been through one of the biggest shocks in the last 60 or 70 years, and with any great shock comes a fundamental change in society’s perceptions and values – and that’s what we are in the middle of right now. We understand that the world we live in today, for all of us, but in particular for young people is a very, very challenging one.’ Sir Anthony Seldon, former ViceChancellor of the University of Buckingham, and previous Deputy Head
of St Dunstan’s, opened the summit with the keynote ‘Enough talk: how does one improve student mental health in practice?’ St Dunstan’s Deputy Head Pastoral, Jade McLellan also led a keynote talk ‘Child and adolescent brain development,’ and Tom Telford, Head of Adventurous Activities, spoke about ‘Thriving in a stressful environment.’ Following the keynote talks, students then took part in a carousel of workshops. This included ‘Adaptability in a changing digital world’ hosted by Finalsite’s Lori Foster and Jak Blacwood; ‘Managing your stress container’ led by St Dunstan’s Head of Psychology, Lois Haddington; ‘Understanding thought processes’ with the College’s counsellors, Julia Gray and Fugen Hassan; and ‘Thriving in a stressful environment’ with Tom Telford. All of the Summit’s talks are available to watch on our YouTube channel.
e kicked off Mental Health Awareness week with Hello Yellow Day, where students around the College wore a piece of yellow clothing to raise awareness for Young Minds. The Junior School enjoyed a range of activities over the course of the week including mindfulness and meditation, and discussed the importance of speaking out about our feelings.
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REMEMBRANCE DAY T
he annual Service of Remembrance took place on Thursday 11 November. This year, the Headmaster, Bursar, Chaplain, Head of School and the Chapel Choir were joined in the Great Hall by Years 10 -13, whilst the rest of the College watched live from their classrooms. The service opened with a reflective performance of Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ by the St Dunstan’s Concert Band. Reverend Colin Boswell then delivered the opening prayer, reflecting on the loss of life during the First World War and other conflicts. He said: ‘We stand here to remember lives sacrificed in the service of our country and especially those who were members of our school community, those traumatised and those injured in conflict. ‘May we have such a devotion to justice and freedom, that the heroism of all who fought and still fight may continue to be remembered in a nation of service and in a world that longs for peace.’ The Headmaster, Bursar, Chaplain, Head of School and prefects then made their way out onto the front crescent for the twominute silence and laying of the wreaths. The ‘Last Post’ was performed by Nona on the bugle before the two-minute silence. During the First World War, more than 877 Dunstonians served in the forces, and St Dunstan’s suffered one of the highest percentage losses of any school in the country. Tragically 277 students and teachers lost their lives during the war. St Dunstan’s Rivers of Poppies display was once again installed at the front of the College featuring more than 750 poppies. The display is made up of two rivers of poppies hanging down the side of the front building and a giant three metre by three metre poppy, which was placed on the grass.
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Artist Kehinde Wiley
BLACK HISTORY MONTH Black History Month Art
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o celebrate Black History Month, pupils explored the work of New York artist, Kehinde Wiley. He is famous for his highly realistic portraits of African Americans. He even painted a picture of President Obama, so students recreated their version of this very famous piece. (picture top right)
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n Year 4, pupils dipped into the Benin Empire – creating chalk and charcoal reproductions of the Benin Ivory Queen mother pendant mask: Iyoba. They also went on to create cardboard relief versions. Many of these are now up on display in the Junior School for everyone to enjoy!
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hroughout Black History Week students were encouraged to celebrate black culture with the theme of the month being ‘Proud to Be’.
Moon Lane Books
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local independent bookshop came in during Black History Week to give students across the College from Junior School to Sixth Form the opportunity to purchase books from a diverse range of authors.
Maths Clocks
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tudents in our Year 7 and 8 Maths Challenge Club had the opportunity to learn more about the work of Benjamin Banneker, creator of the striking clock, in October. They made their very own maths clocks as part of Black History Month.
Staff and students of black heritage shared their cultural background on College’s notice board. Deborah, Year 12, Yasmin, Year 10 and Danielle, Year 10, delivered assemblies to all of the sections of the school on their cultural heritage. In Art, students made art using Adinkra symbols with an expert, Kwame.
Each pupil in Year 5 was given an inspirational black figure and with these icons they created colourful, mixed media pictures, each including an inspirational quote. The children spent several weeks creating their individual pieces which collectively have made for motivating displays. During Michaelmas Exeat an optional art competition was set by Mrs Smith for Year 6 pupils to partake in to recognise the importance of Black History Month. The task was to create eyecatching pictures on A4 paper with a strong anti-racism message - the picture created was not allowed to contain any words. The winning picture, by Ayotunde (top left), was announced on Friday 12 November and has been framed and displayed in the Junior School. www.stdunstans.org.uk
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COP 26
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n support of COP26, the Sustainability Committee and College Parliament have been focusing on our environmental impact.
Science & discovery...
All year groups watched informative environmental films and took part in discussions about our carbon footprints. As a result, some fantastic ideas have already started to come through which we hope to action in the coming weeks and months.
MedSoc
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edSoc is led by Florence in Year 13 and Miss Jordon, Head of Science.
This term the Year 10-13 medics have been discussing the skills required to be a doctor, dentist or vet, exploring the different careers available in healthcare and during Black History Week they discussed the Mind the Gap Booklet. This was produced by a medical student at St Georges to help doctors identify different conditions on a range of skin colours.
In support of our sustainability theme, the Refectory’s Theatre Bar was stocked with an entirely plant-based menu for two weeks. This change was a huge success among our pupil body, with many recognising the environmental benefits. Due to the positive response received, we have decided to continue with this plant-based offering until the end of the year.
The students also undertook a First Aid Training course with Mr Telford and had the opportunity to speak 1-to-1 with a mentor, who is a practising doctor.
The Galen Programme
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We are proud of our whole College approach to sustainability but know we can always do more to raise awareness within our community and beyond. During COP 26, discussions took place in registration time about how we can change our behaviours to reduce our negative impact on the natural world.
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Sixth Form Chemistry
his term, Year 13 medics have been preparing for their future careers by completing and sending off their UCAS applications, practising BMAT questions ready for the exam they sat earlier this term, as well as preparing for their university interviews.
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Students also prepared and delivered presentations on the latest medical advances, ready to discuss at their interviews. We wish them the best of luck as they wait to hear from the universities they have applied to.
Year 13 have been continuing to delve into organic chemistry, learning about carboxylic acids, esters and acyl chlorides as well as modern analytical techniques where they got a chance to carry out thin layer chromatography to separate a mixture of amino acids.
THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021
ear 12 have been learning about Redox and they had a chance to grow some silver crystals and to burn magnesium ribbon with their special blue goggles.
Flatford Mill
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his term, Year 13 Biologists made their annual visit to Flatford Mill in Suffolk. They are pictured here sampling water invertebrates to estimate the degree of eutrophication in the Mill Pond. This is the setting for Constable’s famous painting ‘The Haywain’, which celebrates its 200year anniversary this year. They also learned how changes in climate and land use have caused the scene to differ from that originally depicted.
Scholars’ Symposium
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he Sixth Form Scholars’ Symposium took place Thursday 18 November to celebrate the superb final contributions of our Year 13 Scholars. Projects on display showed the huge diversity of intellectual output in this year group. We learned about the ‘Boys of Walthamstow’ and how photography reveals our internal thinking, and about the puzzle of Dark Matter and whether WIMPS, MACHOS or MONDS could effectively fight it out for true contenders for the missing weight of the universe. Well done to all involved – a credit to their ingenuity and hard work.
RAFT Workshop
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his term, a group of 12 children from the Junior School were extremely lucky to take part in a workshop lead by Harry Paticas from RAFT (Retrofit Action For Tomorrow). They spent time exploring and analysing our two wonderful, listed buildings; the main College building and the Refectory. The children were learning about the thermal performance of each building and then proposing retrofit measures to help reduce our heat loss and carbon footprint. The children presented their findings at the Lewisham Schools Assembly on Friday 12 November.
Scavenger Hunt
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n Friday 19 November, 45 Year 7 students went into Catford to complete a Scavenger Hunt as part of their Skills for the Future Stuart Curriculum lessons. This trip gave the students the opportunity to find out lots of useful information that will help them when they’re older - from how much a pint of milk costs and where to post a letter to finding contact details for a dentist and finding out about events in the local area!
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Lewisham Young Mayor
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SENIOR NEWS
n Tuesday 12 October, Senior school students had the opportunity to cast their votes to decide who will be the new Lewisham Young Mayor. Two of our students, Kyria and Alex, were candidates for the elections – a big well done to them both for all their efforts.
Women in Tech Festival
Careers Convention
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n 8 November, the College welcomed students from Years 10 to 13 and 38 professional volunteers to our annual Careers and Higher Education Convention in the Great Hall. The evening commenced with a welcome from the Headmaster, Nicholas Hewlett, and the Director of Futures, Benjamin Ford, followed by an inspiring talk from Xin Shackleton, Head of School.
fascinated by delegates’ passion and industry knowledge, as well as the array of booklets and complimentary products on offer.
The room quickly became a buzzing hub of lively, happy discussion as students engaged with professionals from industries including Law, Performing Arts, Medicine, Engineering and many more. Describing the convention as ‘exciting’ and ‘epic,’ students were
Thank you to everyone who attended, and for the very helpful and positive feedback from parents, students, and volunteers. We look forward to next year’s convention where we aim to deliver an even wider array of industry representation and expertise.
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t Dunstan’s College was delighted to host its inaugural Women in Tech Festival on Friday 3 November. The festival, hosted in the school’s Learning Resource Centre, was aimed at breaking down the barriers and stigma surrounding women in tech roles, and demonstrating the variety of opportunities and pathways for students thinking about their future careers. St Dunstan’s Head of Digital Innovation, Ronan McStravick, who organised the event, explained: ‘I have seen first-hand how women are underrepresented in tech careers. There is a saying that “Diversity is being asked to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance”, so while we would all love for more girls to become interested in STEM, it’s not going to happen overnight. Policies, practices, and a positive working environment must be in place first, before we invite girls to be a part of that experience.’
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Odd Socks Day
Police Engagement Event
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n Monday 15 November 2021, the College celebrated Odd Socks Day as part of Anti-Bullying Week 2021. Students and staff alike wore odd socks to pledge their support and raise awareness of antibullying. As you can see from the photos, our school community really showed their support.
n Friday 1 October, St Dunstan’s College were delighted to welcome representatives from the Metropolitan Police at a student engagement event. Students from Nursery to Sixth Form enjoyed engaging with officers from the Met, British Transport Police, Police Cadets and Territorial Support Group along with volunteers from Fearless, London Village Network and Kooth mental health service. Highlights of the day included students trying on police uniforms and equipment and a visit from our two guests of honour, Police Horse X and Police Horse Y who put smiles on the faces of 5-year-olds and 50-yearolds alike. Several students were able to discuss career aspirations in policing and St Dunstan’s is now looking into the possibility of setting up our very own Police Cadets division. Watch this space!
Futures Day
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he College was delighted to welcome Year 7 and 12 students to the College Year 7 students were welcomed into the Great Hall by Mrs Davies, Head of Lower School, and Ms Money, Head of Year 7, where they heard more about what to expect in the next few weeks, as they begin their Senior School journey. Meanwhile, Year 12 students got to hear more about the St Dunstan’s Diploma and visit the Sixth Form Café and study areas.
ear 10 took part in their Futures Day, completing four informative workshops to better prepare them for the working world and to aid their understanding of what they want their like trajectories to be. The workshops ran for the majority of the afternoon, with the activities including practice interviews and techniques, and CV writing sessions.
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International Languages Week
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n September, the Modern Foreign Languages department ran a wonderful week celebrating International Languages throughout the whole College, creating eye-catching displays, running Forder culture clubs and assemblies themed with the importance of language and communication. There was a poignant theatre piece performed in middle school assembly - a recitation of Jacques Prevert’s famous poem ‘le petit dejeuner du matin’ enacted by Paddy, Jemima, Ralph and Iris and recited by Maina in French, with Ms Crivellari playing the melancholic Satie’s
Gnossienne as a backdrop. In September the Junior School pretty much travelled to all the corners of the world over the course of a morning! While some children learned about Brazil or Argentina and played some games, others did some Arabic dancing or some Cantonese writing. There were too many fantastic activities to name them all, but the children very much enjoyed finding out about the history of some countries, their food, their clothing and of course learning a few new words!
Cheese & Wine Evening
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he Friends of St Dunstan’s were pleased to hold their annual cheese and wine evening on Friday 10 September. Due to the pandemic, this was the first time in two years the Friends had been able to host the evening. This fantastic social event
UKMT Junior Maths Challenge
allowed our new parents, as well as our existing parents, to meet and socialise with one another. There were 300 parents in attendance this year, with all thoroughly enjoying the selection of ample cheeses, fine wines, beers and bhajis!
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he College was delighted to celebrate the success of our Year 8 and 9 Mathematicians in last year’s UKMT Junior Maths Challenge national competition. A true test of mathematical prowess and logical thinking, so congratulations to all 49 certificate winners and a particular well done to Isaac, Year 8 and Logan, Year 9, for scoring the highest marks in the school this year.
FinTech Talk
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he College was thrilled to welcome one of very own parents, Nic Lenz (FinTech Consultant and Start-Up Mentor), to speak with our Middle School and Sixth Form students. Students were on the edge of their seats, listening to Nic share his passion and journey into the world of banking and investments.
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Macmillan Tea Party
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n October, the College hosted a day of events in aid of Macmillan Cancer. This included a morning bake sale and an afternoon tea party in the Refectory. The day was a great success and we were thrilled to raise more than £580 for the charity. Thank you to everyone who baked the delicious cakes and joined the party.
CHARITY & COMMUNITY
Afghan Donations to Lewisham Donation Hub
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ollowing the awful events in Afghanistan, students brought in an array of everyday essentials from prams to toothbrushes to support those who have had to relocate. All items were collected for the Lewisham Donation Hub to assist those who have been relocated within the borough. Junior School pupils also wrote letters to introduce the new Afghan families into the local area.
Foodbank Advent Calendar Sleep out for Centrepoint
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he Headmaster, Bursar, along with other members of staff and Sixth Form students slept rough on the College site on Monday 13 December to raise money for Centrepoint UK. At the time of printing, the group had raised double their target. Thank you to everyone who donated for this worthy cause.
TWAM donations
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his term, our IT Team donated more than 50 screens and laptops to the TWAM charity. The team were keen to help the environment, whilst donating technical kit to people who may not have easy access to it. TWAM (Tools With A Mission) is a non-profit organisation that helps poorer communities within African countries, and have done so for nearly 30 years. Not only do they collect computer equipment but also trade tools, sewing machines and more, with the aim of helping people in those communities to gain valuable skills to earn a living.
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n the run-up to Christmas, the College has been collecting donations for the Lewisham Foodbank. Each day, a member of staff has been unveiling our special advent calendar which reveals another item the Foodbank is in need of. Thank you to everyone who has donated.
Harvest Festival
Movie night for Water Aid
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rep Pupils enjoyed their first in-person Harvest Festival for two years at St Laurence’s Church on Tuesday 12 October. Thank you to all the Junior School families who contributed to the Harvest collection, which we donated to Voluntary Services Lewisham. These donations will be given to those in need in our local community, alongside letters of friendship and hope written by our Prep school Creative Writers.
he Charity and Volunteering Committee hosted a movie night in the Great Hall on Wednesday 1 December to raise money for WaterAid. www.stdunstans.org.uk
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Reception Fire Lighting
Junior School News Nursery Celebration
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he Nursery children celebrated their first term at school by putting on a fantastic Christmas performance on Friday 3 December. They were so excited to sing for their families and it was a wonderful way to start off the festive season at St Dunstan’s.
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n Reception, students have been discussing fire safety and exploring light as part of our topic this term. Pupils all had a chance to start a fire with a flint and steel in the Woodland Classroom. This was a good way to build confidence amongst our pupils, as well as prepare us for when we have full fires in our Woodland Classroom. There was lots of discussion about how best to manage fires and move around them safely.
Reception & KS1 Christmas Performance
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eception, Year 1 and Year 2 worked incredibly hard to prepare for their fantastic Christmas performance of ‘The Big Little Nativity’ for Years 5 and 6, and the camera! Despite the nerves of being filmed as they performed, their confidence shone through as they delivered their lines and sang so beautifully. Although we were unable to perform to the rest of the school and our families, everyone was able to enjoy the recording and it well and truly got us into the Christmas spirit.
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Reception Wildlife Spotting
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n Reception, pupils have been using their time in the Woodland Classroom to think about how they should interact with wild animals. If we are quiet and still, the animals that exist in our city might trust us to stick around for long enough for us to observe their behaviour. They have spotted foxes, crows, baby newts and pigeons. Each animal behaved differently around us!
Year 1 Great Fire of London
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upils enjoyed a fantastic storytelling workshop all about the Great Fire of London. They used actions and props to retell different parts of the story and we particularly liked recreating a busy London Street and learning the words ‘Gardy loo’, which were shouted to warn pedestrians that chamber pots were about to be thrown out of the window!
Year 1 Freeze It!
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s part of their IPC topic, ‘Freeze It’ pupils learnt about the difference between a solid, a liquid and a gas. The children conducted a simple but fun experiment to help them recognise the different states of matter. First, they filled a plastic bottle (a solid) with water (a liquid). They then dropped in half a tablet of Alka-Seltzer (another solid) into the water and watched the carbon dioxide gas bubbles form. Pupils then added 2 more Alka-Seltzer tablets to the water and covered the opening with a balloon. Finally they were delighted to see the balloon blow up because of the gas created in the bottle.
Year 2 IPC Our World
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ear 2 ended their IPC topic ‘Our World’ on 15 October with a design project to both promote recycling and help the environment. The children worked together to repurpose used cartons from home into birdfeeders. They decorated them and placed them around the Woodland Classroom, then checked to see how popular they had been with the local wildlife a few weeks later. It is safe to say the local birds had some good suppers that week!
Year 2 Nature Walk
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n 4 October, Year 2 spent a morning exploring our school grounds hunting for microhabitats and minibeasts! We investigated pond life with our magnifying glasses and had a go at being tree detectives, attempting to identify the different species of trees in our local environment.
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Mr Telford Abseiling 4C were surprised to see the College’s Head of Adventurous Activities, Mr Telford abseiling outside their window during their maths lesson!
Nick Carter Explorer Visits
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n Thursday 18 November, Prep pupils were lucky enough to welcome back intrepid explorer, Nick Carter. We heard all about his adventures in the Amazon Rainforest and the remarkable team of individuals that worked alongside him.
Year 5 Greeks
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his term, Year 5 were transported to Ancient Greece with a visit from Portals To The Past. Our powerful Athenians and Spartans took on mathematical puzzles inspired by Archimedes, tested themselves with the strategy game, Petteia, and became the characters of elaborate ancient Greek myths. Our Greek warriors also enjoyed some competitive Olympic sports and explored weaponry and armour.
Making New Material
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ear 5 had a super ‘cool’ entry point for their new IPC topic, Making New Materials They explored blocks of ice, tried to free frozen toys and demonstrated fantastic enquiry skills when posing scientific questions. Why is the ice cloudy in the middle? How did those bubbles get in there? How long will this ice take to melt? Is there a way to make ice completely transparent?
IPC Scavengers and Settlers
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ear 3 enjoyed learning about Scavengers and Settlers in their IPC topic this term. It was fascinating to learn about Lucy, one of the first humans and gruesome to find about Otzi (his preserved body was discovered in a glacier). We created our own cave paintings, which we think are rather good! Year 5 had a brilliant time displaying their architectural finesse during the entry point for their new IPC topic, The Great, The Bold and The Brave. They impressed with their resourcefulness when creating replica ancient buildings from just paper, masking tape and art straws. Great attention to detail and fantastic collaboration by all.
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Year 6 Blitz Poetry
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ear 6 loved creating their own Blackout poems when learning about the Blitz. The children read various pages from the poem ‘My Friend the Enemy’ and used these to select powerful words and phrases in order to create imagery in the reader’s mind.
Year 5 Senior School Lab Visit
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oluble or insoluble? That is the question! Year 5 had a brilliant time visiting the Senior School Science Lab to carry out their investigation into the solubility of substances in water. How do you design a fair test? What will you change? What will you keep the same? What will you measure? Year 5 scientists are doing brilliantly.
Year 5 Visit to L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre
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n November, Year 5 were lucky enough to visit the L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre for a day as scientists. Dressed in lab coats and protective gloves, the children set out to create some of their very own bath bombs and lip balms using all the equipment of a working laboratory.
Prep School Drama
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here has been a lot of laughter in the drama lessons! We listened to the story of the Little Beggar; a funny tale of a character who chokes on a fish bone. A variety of local people think they have caused his murder only to find him alive and well after he coughs up the bone!
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MUSICAL NOTES Junior Highlights
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he Music Department are delighted to celebrate the wonderful news that Imogen (Year 6, bassoon) and Cecilia (Year 5, violin) have both been awarded a place in the National Children’s Orchestra Project Ensemble for Spring and Summer 2022.
The instrumental programme at St Dunstan’s has been steadily expanding over the last few years and we are so thrilled to see some of our students joining this national ensemble which receives well over 1000 applications each year.
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he Fletcher Memorial Band from Trinity College of Music visited St Dunstan’s on Thursday 30 September. This is a band made up of students and professionals from the conservatoire, performing classic Big Band Jazz in the early 20th century swing and dixieland styles.
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n Friday 17 September, our students in Year 4 and 7 enjoyed getting to know more about woodwind and brass instruments, with a wonderful showcase and instrumental demo organised by the music department.
An enormous congratulations to them on this considerable achievement. We look forward to hearing all about it!
Junior Rock School
Year 5 Samba
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group of our Year 5 and 6 pupils have thoroughly enjoyed their time in Rock School over the last couple of months. This has been a new Forder club for the Junior School this term and it has proved to be a hit! Stars in the making possibly?
Jazz Band
Music Maestros
ear 5 have been bringing carnival to Catford with their excellent Samba drumming in this term’s music lessons.
Prep Instrumental Concert
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ur Junior School Wind Band and a selection of soloists performed in a wonderful Prep Instrumental Concert in November. The pupils sounded amazing! We were very proud of their confidence and enthusiasm when performing.
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Year 3 Drums
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ear 3 have been learning to use the djembe drums in their music lessons this term. They enjoyed playing call and response phrases to each other.
Michaelmas Concert
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he Michaelmas Concert is our annual celebration of the musical talent that we have at the College. After an enforced and very challenging two-year hiatus without the opportunity to perform, we were delighted to be able to secure a spectacular venue worthy of the occasion; St Martin-in-the-Fields. It clearly wasn’t an event that only students were looking forward to, as we were joined by over 500 parents and Dunstonians, our biggest audience in recent memory and a real testament to the sense of community that continues to gather momentum.
Teatime Concert
It is almost impossible to pick out highlights, but honourable mentions must go to the Prep Choir for their rendition of Riversong, and the String Ensemble for their performance of the theme from James Bond, with a special appearance from the man himself! The performances from the Chapel Choir, the Jazz Ensemble and our Big Band, accompanied by soloist Ruby will all live long in the memory. The final word, however, can only go to our ever-growing College Orchestra, whose performance of the William Tell Overture provided the perfect note on which to finish. We are already looking forward to the next!
Tiny Desk Concert
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n Friday 5 November, the Music Department launched the inaugural recital of its ‘Tiny Desk’ recital series. This is an informal opportunity for talented musicians in the Senior School to perform to their peers and staff in our wonderful new Recital Room.
For this concert, we were treated to performances from our Senior School vocalists, performing an array of genres including musical theatre, jazz, pop, and folk. The performers performed with great confidence and sensitivity and were encouraged by an extremely supportive audience.
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or the first time since February 2020, the Music Department presented one of their Teatime Concerts. Students from across both the Junior School and Senior School performed a variety of pieces from contemporary pop classics to Mozart. As part of the College’s weeklong celebration of Black History Month, we were treated to a special performance by Tunde Dauda of ‘Rainbow’s End’ by American Composer Althea Talbot-Howard. www.stdunstans.org.uk
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CREATIVE PURSUITS Sixth Form Art
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ollowing the reopening of London’s art galleries, our Sixth Form art students were thrilled to visit the Hayward Gallery (above) and explore the ‘Mixing it Up: Painting Today’ exhibition.
Design Engineering
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ear 12 Design Engineering Side Table Project. After an almost two-year hiatus from practical work, the Year 12 Design Engineering cohort were tasked with utilising recycled and sustainable materials to create a unique side table. In a short 8-week period from design to fruition, students embraced the Dunstonian vision to aim to be a carbon neutral institution by using the old science benches for timber. The African Hardwood Iroko is known for its rich colour and grain. After some dedicated planing and sanding to remove decades of varnish and wear, the timber was reinvigorated and brought back to its natural decorative state. The tabletops were individually cast from GFRC (or glass fibre reinforced concrete). The material, often viewed as brutal or crude has been elevated to a marble-esque finish through a specialist casting process and subsequent polishing and waxing. The outcomes: although varied in their style, all champion the idea that we must strive to elongate the life cycle of all material through innovation as designers.
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Senior School Art
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ear 7 have been learning to draw from observation, thinking about how we can make the shells look 3D. Great work Year 7! Our Year 8s did etchings of influential black people for Black History Month It has been full steam ahead for the Year 11s and their GCSE coursework (above).
Russian History Forder talk
Forder Pick & Mix Art Club
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n this Forder club, we have used various art techniques to create a different picture each week. We have used pointillism, made Leporello books and created our versions of a famous picture.
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uring a Forder session, the Middle School History Society welcomed Dr Robert Dale from the University of Newcastle for a talk on Russian History.
Forder Young Architects
CREATIVE FORDER
Students spent the previous term researching and investigating the power and design of Soviet propaganda, and Dr Dale’s talk covered his research and specialism on the period of late-Stalinism.
Diwali Lamps Skills for life Young Architects
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tudents in Year 8 made eye-catching lanterns for Diwali in Skills for Life. The lanterns were put up on display in the main lobby along with a range of small tealights, bringing a real sense of the Diwali celebration.
oung Architects is a fun Forder club for prospective architects of the future! We have looked at building across the world from different periods in history. We have studied lighthouses, Greek ruins, and skyscrapers. We have designed houses for the future and even a complete city.
Champions Theatre Forder Club
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t the Champions Theatre Arts Forder Club, students have spent the term exploring a variety of performance techniques within Dance, Story Telling and Musical Theatre, alongside character and performance development. The club is highly inclusive, with classes catered to all abilities, ensuring a safe and positive learning space for all. www.stdunstans.org.uk
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Dramatic highlights... It has been another busy Michaelmas term for the Drama department at St Dunstan’s College; from learning a diverse and exciting range of skills in the Forder programme to masterfully applying them within an ever-widening variety of performance mediums, the SDC drama students continue to go from strength to strength.
rguably one the of the most important moments of the calendar year for the Drama department, the opening of the Martin Preston studio did not disappoint. Named in loving memory of one of the College’s most memorable teachers, the students sought to devise a piece of work that embodied and symbolised the individuality and renaissance approach that Martin Preston
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his term has been an exciting one for those students involved in the KS3 & KS4 Tech clubs. Not only have we moved into our 3 new drama studios, but we have also been able to play with the wide variety of lighting and video equipment that the College has recently invested in.
so passionately stood for.
Our KS4 technicians have spent time learning how to livestream events using our multi-camera setup, with one student stating that ‘being in the driving seat to livestream events is both exciting and scary, as students are given the opportunity to select the correct camera shots and mix them together for broadcast, it’s a lot of responsibility!’
In exploring the true story of Matthew Shephard, the Laramie project was a collaborative project between actors, musicians and artists which sought to represent the desire of all College stakeholders to uphold equality in all areas of school life.
Meanwhile, our KS3 technicians have been introduced to the world of intelligent lighting and have taken up the array of opportunities to practise using the new moving head lights in the Martin Preston Studio.
The Laramie Project
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The Tech Team
THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021
An Introduction to Ballet
Romeo and Juliet
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his term, Students in Year 9 have been presenting their own interpretations of Romeo and Juliet, as part of their creative response to their study of the text. We saw modern-day political versions, featuring current MPs as Romeo and Benvolio; futuristic and sci-fi versions with cyber-punk styles; and some London gang wars set against a Beatles-inspired 1960s backdrop.
A particular mention must go to Matilda, Seth, Joe, and Theo who decorated their classroom to create the environment-themed backdrop of a Montague-Capulet feud rooted in a clash over climate change concerns: an outstanding effort and thoroughly worthy of celebration.
fter consistent requests from the student body, the Ballet Forder Club launched this term, with students working on a range of exercises at the barre, including plies, tendus, rond de jambes and grand battements. Students have also learnt some sequences in the centre, focusing on allegro and pirouettes. In conjunction with this, they have started to learn and choreograph a lyrical dance, with hopes to work on some classical ballet routines lined up for next term!
Acting with Words
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cting with Words is another new club that the Drama department have introduced to our Forder offering, with students given the opportunity to take a detailed look at some Shakespeare’s most famous works. In particular, students have explored how the rhythm, meaning, context and subtext all help to build a sense of character, thus allowing them to play with the infinite variety of possible interpretations and make informed artistic choices.
Black Box
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lack Box, designed to broaden students’ theatrical landscape continues at a pace within the College. It provides a creative outlet for students to give voice to meaningful and significant topical political issues and events. This term, students have been focusing on the demanding skill set needed to invent theatre using traditional Stanislavski methods to structure an engaging scene.
Jive and More
J Created a Monster
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ur ongoing partnership with Created a Monster has seen movement classes focusing on a playful, collaborative approach towards physical theatre and the creation of physical scores/worlds. Through partner work the group has greatly increased levels of engagement and listening, both to their exercise partners and to themselves. Focus on the breath and how it is a necessary motor/ charge for movement has increased levels of mindful self-awareness and sensitivity of movement.
Lifting and falling exercises, balancing of the space, fixed point and chorus work has all begun a journey for the students into larger, more confident use of their bodies. Looking at contact with the ground and suspension has meant a higher level of presence and proprioception. Using Lecoq’s pedagogical approach towards the creation of qualities of movement (taken from the movement of the world around us: the elements, objects, animals and colours) and the creation of physical scores from text based on the work of Grotowski has opened up huge dramatic territories for our students and will enrich their potential for physical engagement in drama going forward.
ive and More, a new club for this term, has seen a group of dedicated and committed students learning a diverse range of dance styles. They have looked at solo strolls including the Charleston and Londoner, as well as starting work on the Shim Sham; a dance that includes tap breaks, crossovers and Tacky Annies.
LAMDA
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AMDA students have all had a brilliant start to the term! The Senior students are all now well underway with their own choice of monologues or duologues and have explored vocal techniques as well as forming a strong understanding of their character. Classes have included script analysis, hot seating character exploration, physical and vocal workshops and setting staging to their pieces. We very much look forward to seeing their performance pieces later in the year. www.stdunstans.org.uk
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RUGBY
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t Dunstan’s 1st XV played their first preseason match against The Cedars School on Wednesday 8 September. It was a great start to the season with 34 players representing the College and we look forward to the next fixture against Reigate on Saturday.
SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS
Match Highlights The U13s put together a standout performance to draw against St Olave’s after a successful Bath Tour. The match was full of outstanding set plays, tackling and break throughs. Senior Player Highlights Zachary Riley-Webster was selected for trials for Kent under 18s after outstanding performances for the College and Blackheath. Zaki Fall was selected for Saracen’s player development team under 16’s against Leicester Tigers, he received player of the match in his debut game. U15 Player Highlights Well done to Noah Caluori and Max Ronzeau-James who were selected for the Saracens Development Player Pathway U14 Player Highlights Congratulations to Matthew Witham & Mihren HamiltonRichards who were selected for the Saracen’s Development Player Pathway training programme. U12 Player Highlights Eddie Burrows and Ben Kelly represented their club, Blackheath in a match at Twickenham Stadium.
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THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021
Bath Rugby & Netball Tour
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uring the October Exeat, 48 students from Year 8 departed the College for the Netball and Rugby Sports Tour to Bath. The students experienced lots of high-quality training sessions and fixtures. In training the Netball students focused on preliminary movements in attack, defensive tactics, ball handling and decision making. The Netballers also had a fantastic training session led by Hannah Passmore and Lily Jones from Team Bath Netball at the Sports Training Village at Bath University. Whilst at the Sports Training Village, the Rugby students had an exciting opportunity to train with the Head of Bath Rugby, Aaron James, where they developed their ability to attack against drift defence, moving the ball into space and shutting down their opposition’s space. The Rugby players also had a visit from Russel Earnshaw, founder of the Magic Academy, to explore creativity, awareness, self-organisation and resilience throughout their session.
House Activities
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e started the school year with an extremely competitive half term of House Activities. We started with our Year 7 Silly Sports Day, to break the ice and form friendships quickly through various team building competitions and Stuart House emerged as champions. We moved then to our Heads of House Competition, in which each Head of House battled it out in a series of competitions, with a tie between Forder and Hecker House. Next were two games of Heads and Tails, with Stuart House winning for the Juniors and Forder House winning for the Sixth Form. Next was the eagerly anticipated House Cross Country, in which Year 7-10 all took part and represented their
Houses, with Stuart House taking the win. We concluded a fantastic half term with our Senior House Quiz, with Hecker defending their ultimate legacy, having won every year since inception. Hecker beat Forder in the first semi-final, and Stuart beat Usherwood in the other semi-final, ensuring Stuart became David in the battle vs the Hecker Goliath. The final was a tightly contested fixture and did not disappoint, with Stuart narrowly overturning the stalwarts of Hecker to take the win. As a result, Stuart House currently lead in the race for the School Cup. Well-done to all of those who have been involved in House Competitions this year so far!
Biathlon & Cross Country
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ell done to all students who represented Lewisham in the London Youth Games Cross Country, especially Nico Nunez in Year 10 who came 40th out of over 180 runners! During the Exeat break, Harry Hutchinson competed in the regional biathlon competition. He won the swim and came 43 overall. Harry was having to compete in a year group above his age due to where his birthday falls, well done! www.stdunstans.org.uk
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Cricket
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van N’Da Koffi was selected for the Surrey U12 Winter Cricket Squad.
Sam Coulson has been selected to represent Lewisham in the London Schools Cricket We have had record numbers at Junior Nets Training on Friday mornings. Excellent commitment from a vast number of boys and girls! Alec, Veronica and Evan were all selected into the ACE programme, a framework designed to increase cricketing opportunities for members of the black community.
Swimming
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he College now has more than 80 students making up the Swim Squad from Years 7–13, with some students committing to more than 20 hours a week in the pool. The introduction of our new Elite Swim Sqaud session has seen students improve in the technical aspects of each stroke. Stanley Reader, Evan Birrane, James Sugrue, Raffi Vignoli, Anyka Lin, Harry Hutchinson, Ava Holohan Stanley Colman and Thomas Holohan have all now received Kent County times and should be proud of their efforts. Our Year 7 and 8 swim team have also made it through to the London League finals which take place in January. Good luck to everyone involved!
Hockey
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he U15 hockey team are unbeaten this term with impressive wins against the likes of Royal Russell, Colfe’s and Blackheath High. Well done! Congratulations to Louis Wetherell, who was selected to play for Southwark in the LYG Hockey Tournament.
League of Legends
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eague of Legends has kicked off this year by entering into the National British e-Sports Championship. Sam, Captain of the Dunstonians’ team, is leading the students through the group qualifiers. Playing against schools and Colleges nationwide, there have been an exhilarating few matches so far!
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THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021
JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS Year 4 watch House Games
Year 4 enjoyed watching the Year 6 House Rugby matches, cheering on their houses and enjoying a thrilling display of running rugby!
Year 5 & Year 6 Cross Country
Strength & Conditioning
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ell done to all of the students taking part in Strength and Conditioning activities during Forder and before school sessions. There has been some fantastic dedication by Senior School students. Year 11 and 12 students have continued to progress on the improvements they made last year, training at least twice a week and additionally in the open gym sessions in their own time. Their training is focused on developing the athletic qualities required of their sport, which include, balance, multiplanar stability, force absorption and production, strength, flexibility, and mobility. They are now comfortable moving onto more technical aspects of Strength and Conditioning and are developing into great young athletes.
Eight pupils from Year 5 and 6 took part in a Cross Country Relay at Merton Court School. The stamina shown by our pupils was outstanding and this was reflected in our results. Year 5 Girls and Year 6 Girls both came 4th, whilst Year 5 Boys came 3rd and Year 6 Boys came 1st. It was great to see our pupils not only cheering on St Dunstan’s but showing support to all the other schools too. Huge congratulations to everyone involved!
Junior School Swimming
Tunde qualified as the fastest swimmer in 50m Breaststroke out of the 18 schools who competed in the London League qualifiers. He recorded an excellent time of 38.25.
Year 6 Mixed Netball
Winners of the Lewisham games U11 High-5 netball tournament. This team will go on to represent Lewisham in the London Youth Games 2022.
London Youth Games Cross Country
Luca came 7th in the U11 London Youth Games competition at Parliament Hill. There were 183 runners representing their boroughs in this event. Congratulations!
House Cross Country
After an exciting event this year with some super runners, the overall winners of House Cross Country for Years 3-6 were Forder. Well done, everyone!
Junior School House Results • • • •
Year 5 Rugby: 1st Stuart, 2nd Forder, 3rd Usherwood, 4th Hecker Year 5 Netball: 1st Forder, 2nd Usherwood, 3rd Stuart, 4th Hecker Year 6 Rugby: 1st Stuart, 2nd Forder, 3rd Hecker, 4th Usherwood Year 6 Netball: 1st Hecker, 2nd Forder, 3rd Stuart, 4th Usherwood
Well done everybody!
www.stdunstans.org.uk
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CCF Royal Naval Cadets
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ur Year 11 and 13 Royal Naval Cadets had the opportunity to get out on the Lake at Danson Park, taking part in some amazing team building and water sport activities. Each of our cadets went kayaking and paddle boarding, the latter also included
staying afloat on a 10-person giant board. Cadets had to work together as part of a team to coordinate many activities, which demonstrated great leadership skills along the way.
Remembrance Parade
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n Sunday 14 November St Dunstan’s College CCF took part in the Remembrance Parade in Lewisham. With over 60 cadets attending we were once again the largest unit taking part in the parade. After a quick uniform inspection, the cadets marched from Lewisham High Street to the War Memorial opposite Lewisham Hospital. The cadets represented the College at the highest level and both RSM Doddridge and Coxswain Noraika took command of their respective sections with great skill and professionalism.
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THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021
The Cadets were also successful at creating a human pyramid offshore. More practice at this pyramid is required on the water to avoid getting wet!
PADI Open Water Diving
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he final week of the summer holidays saw eleven CCF Naval Cadets, mostly in Year 10, complete the first phase of their PADI Open Water diving course. This included a two-day package in the pool, along with some theory, learning the basic skills and safety elements of diving. At the start of the new term, they completed the second part of their PADI Open Water Diving course with the Nemes Diving Academy. They travelled to Holborough Lakes in Kent to complete four lake dives over the weekend.
statues, and several fish such as perch and pike.
Each had the opportunity to navigate with a compass underwater and explore the ‘wreck’ area in the lake. They spotted a sunken bus, shipwrecks, underwater
The lake dives concluded with the cadets achieving a PADI qualification. This qualification will allow students to continue to dive at a maximum depth of 18 metres, which will hopefully begin a lifetime of diving adventures!
Year 9 Field Day
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hursday 2 December saw the first Army/Navy combined Field Exercise in 18 months with ninety Year 9 cadets (including some from our affiliated school – Platanos), on exercise at the Mereworth Wood Training Area near Sevenoaks in Kent. A very cold (3 degrees) but sunny day allowed the cadets a full and busy exercise with the Army cadets upskilling in field cooking, patrolling, observation, cam and concealment and bashas, and the Naval cadets similarly but with focus on assessment for their first promotion (ropework skills/drill) combined with some fun elements including field cooking and orienteering. The day was considered very successful, and we were proud of the Year 9 cohort and their resilience, commitment, spirit and purpose. Well done to both the staff and cadets on our long-awaited return to field training. www.stdunstans.org.uk
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Stanstead Road, London SE6 4TY Charity number: 312747 A co-educational, independent College for ages 3 to 18 www.stdunstans.org.uk 020 8516 7200
THE SHIELD I MICHAELMAS NEWSLETTER 2021