Blog week ending 20th January

We are all incredibly proud of the endeavour and aptitude of our students in class.  Teachers and our senior leadership team work hard to ensure that we deliver all subject content in the most dynamic, relatable and immersive way to ensure students achieve their potential and crucially .. they enjoy, and are inspired by their learning.  The engagement of our parents and carers in our school curriculum and delivery cannot be underestimated; the involvement of parents/carers has been found to support positive classroom behaviour, ensure the completion of independent homework and can help students be more organised.  We value your support, involvement and feed-back greatly.  Our Year 9 students have begun the process of choosing their GCSE options, our Options Evening gives parents and carers the opportunity to explore our Year 10 and 11 subject choices and curriculum to support their children as they consider their future education and career aspirations.  It was a pleasure to be able to meet so many of you in person!  To view a digital copy of our Year 10 Options Booklet click here.  Our school curriculum, together with each subjects’ department vision can be viewed on our website by clicking here.  Year groups 7, 8 and 9 are provided with termly Knowledge Organisers to provide a framework to the topics being taught and support their independent learning and provide tools and strategies for their revision.  Each term the Knowledge Organisers are posted on our website and can be found here.  Our PTA are always keen to involve more of our families in their work, if you are able to spare any time (no matter how little!) please do consider joining our PTA whose work and fundraising efforts make such a positive impact on our whole school community.

We were delighted to receive the news this week that WGSB was in the top 10% of schools for attendance in the Autumn term. This accolade is testament to the hard work of the parents and carers, students and staff in ensuring that every lesson counts.

Please join me in welcoming Miss Ryder who joins us as Teacher of both Spanish and French in our MFL department.  Miss Ryder is an exceptional language practitioner who led the French department in her previous school.  “I have been impressed to see such a high level of engagement with learning languages here at WGSB.  Learning a second language is a valuable life skill that enhances career opportunities and life experiences when travelling for work or holidays, allowing a deeper connection with people and their culture.”

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Nelson Mandela

In the below photos Miss Ryder’s Year 8 Spanish students have been revising a completed topic with a quick-fire vocabulary Q & A session to check understanding before moving onto their next topic.

Sports Update.  Our Year 7 football team beat Hurstmere 4-2 in the quarter finals of the Kent Cup last week. They will face Rainham Mark Grammar School in the semi-finals. We wish them well in this upcoming fixture.  The Year 9 football team have progressed into the quarter finals of the North Kent Cup after a very convincing 6-0 win against King Henry School. We now have the Year 7, 9 and 10 sides into the quarter finals of the North Kent Cup.  Mr Lynch and the whole PE staff would like to congratulate every student that has represented the school and wish them well as they reach the later stages of the competition.

Mr Palmers’ Year 9 Music students have been learning how film makers use music to help tell the narrative and set the atmosphere for a scene or person.  Students began the session exploring how music makes us feel using their whiteboard to draw a picture to depict the music they were listening to (as you can probably guess by the drawings, they were listening to music from a horror movie!).  Students progressed to composing their own James Bond leitmotif – which is a repeating melodic phrase in music that is used to represent a character, emotion, or theme (like whenever the shark appears in Jaws, or James Bond is about to save the day!)

Miss Kemps’ Year 11 GCSE Physics students have been studying waves and the transfer of energy.  Using a slinky to demonstrate different types of waves, students were able to describe and identify the parts and behaviour of a range of waves.  Students went on to experiment with sound waves, monitoring the effect of different pitches and volumes on the behaviour of the wave.

Mr Owen’s Year 7 and 8 students both enjoyed practical Science lessons this week.  Our Year 7s are currently studying Food and Nutrition tests and in this practical lesson were exploring the energy content of a range of food samples – and specifically, setting fire to crisps to determine the energy content!

Our Year 8 Scientists have been studying undersea habitation and in this practical lesson are investigating the best way to prevent materials corroding in water.  Students used a range of samples either in their natural state or coating them with a potential protective layer.  The samples will be stored and re-visited for analysis in two weeks’ time.

On Monday 9^th January, the Year 12 Politics group visited the Houses of Parliament, as part of the course which focuses on how British Government and Politics operates. The day began with a tour around the Palace of Westminster, with visits to both the Houses of Commons and Lords. Following this the students attended a lively question and answer session with Mr Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford, who answered questions on a number of topics from his voting record to the participation crisis that exists within British Politics. After lunch, the students attended a debate within the House of Commons, with the ministers for Levelling Up answering questions on a wide range of subjects. The undoubted highlight for many of the students was seeing former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson ask a question.

WGSB PTA Blog Update.  Join the PTA: Together we can make a difference! Our PTA members are an integral part of our school culture and provide a variety of opportunities for involvement in our school community. The PTA brings together parents, carers and teachers to enhance the work of the school by running events and raising funds which directly benefit the students and enrich their school experience. Additionally, the PTA support and help at school functions and events. Everyone is welcome, regardless of how little spare time you may have - you can still make a BIG difference. Contact pta@wgsb.co.uk for more information on how you can support the PTA.

Match funding: is a simple way of maximising the fundraising efforts of individual PTA volunteers. It is an informal, albeit corporate, arrangement between a company and their employee. Not all companies offer matched funding but those that do will pledge a sum of money relating to the amount their employee has raised for or donated to the charity of their choice.  If you work for a company that offers match funding, and you volunteer to work at one of the stalls at our PTA event and profit made by the stall is £100, your employer will then match this amount with a further £100.  Some organisations will match fund on a pound for pound basis, while others will stipulate what they are prepared to give, or some may pledge time and resources instead of money, so enabling their employees to support a cause during their working week or offering a tangible service such as the opportunity to print posters, programmes, newsletters and so on. Alternatively, a parent/carer may opt to make a cash donation to the PTA, which again could be matched by their organisation.  Does your organisation support match funding? - then please do contact pta@wgsb.co.uk  or by calling the school office on 01322 223090. Match funding has great benefits for the organisation, the school and the individual!

Pre-Loved Uniform: Do you have unwanted / outgrown good quality clean school uniform (blazers, jumpers, PE kit)? You can donate these to the PTA nearly new uniform shop. Just put them in a bag and drop off at the school office. We particularly need donations of pre-loved lab coats. Thank You! 

Amazon Smile / Easyfundraising.  Support Wilmington Grammar School for Boys - Dartford by signing up to support us for FREE on  Smile Amazon and Easyfundraising . You can raise donations whenever you shop online with over 6,000 retailers including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Argos, ASOS, M&S and more. Plus, we will get a bonus £5 donation when you do! Sign up today - this will make a BIG difference to us this year: Easyfundraising

Forthcoming Dates;

PTA Meeting - Monday 6th Mar 6-7pm (virtual)

Year 11 Parents’ Evening – Tuesday 24^th January 4-7pm (in person)

Year 9 Parents’ Evening – Tuesday 31^st January & Thursday 2^nd February 4-7pm (online)

Snowsport Ski Information Evening Thursday 9^th February 5.30-6.30pm

 

Best wishes,

 

Stuart Harrington

Head Teacher