Newsletter Easter 2015 - The Maplesden Noakes School

Newsletter
Easter 2015
Dear Parents and Students,
The past two terms have been extremely busy and you will see from the newsletter that a number of events
have taken place since January. This newsletter gives you an idea of some of those events plus additional
information and dates related to terms 5 and 6.
We have one member of the teaching staff leaving us at the end of April – Mr Dear (Maths) will be leaving
and Mrs Neeve (Head of Maths) will be returning after maternity leave.
School starts after the Easter break on Monday 20th April and it will be WEEK 2, Day 6 on the timetable.
Hopefully this will coincide with a change in the weather and we will have some much needed warmth and
sunshine for the remainder of the year!
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.
Best wishes,
Jane Prideaux
Turner Contemporary Award
The Art Department is incredibly proud to announce that Year 13 A
Level Art student, Lauren Moule has won the Turner Contemporary’s
‘This Is Me’ competition with her stunning self-portrait in oil. The
judges were very impressed with Lauren’s work and praised her
wonderful talent. Her painting will now be exhibited at the gallery as
part of the ‘Portfolio’ exhibition, which will run from 2nd April to 10th
May 2015. Congratulations, Lauren!
Attendance
We would like to introduce our new Attendance Officer, Miss Stacy-Jane Rodger. Stacy joined us last month
and is your new contact for student absences. Please can we remind parents that if your child is unwell, you
must contact Stacy first thing in the morning on each day of absence. Stacy can be contacted either via the
telephone 01622 759036 or via email at [email protected] Could we also ask that wherever
possible, medical appointments are made outside of school time. We appreciate that there are times where
urgent appointments in school time are the only option and if this is the case please contact Stacy (so that
the appointment can be authorised) with details of where the appointment is, together with the date and
time of appointment.
Attendance Facts:
10 minutes late to school each day = 33 hours lost in one academic year!
 90% attendance through school life is equal to a whole year of school being missed!
‘Move It’ Rewards Trip
Thirty of our dance and drama students visited ‘Move It’ – the huge dance exhibition held in London’s
Olympia. The students were invited on this exciting trip as a reward for their hard work and commitment in
both drama and dance. The group arrived at Olympia at 10.30am to watch live dance performances from
colleges and professional dance companies. Our students then went off to participate in three different
workshops which ranged from: girls’ commercial dance; disco; Fosse Jazz; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; and
‘Chicago’ inspired classes.
Dance teacher, Miss Gatt, said, “After the workshops, the
students had a chance to shop around the exhibition and
talk to teachers and students from Performing Arts
colleges. There was also time to get some lunch, watch
more performances and even meet some celebrities such
as contemporary dancer Lukas McFarlane – the
inspirational Canadian dancer who won ‘Got to Dance’ in
2013. Our students really enjoyed the day and left feeling
inspired and motivated.”
Fran Taylor, Year 9, summed up her day, “The workshops
were really fun, especially the class inspired by ‘Pricilla,
Queen of the Desert’ because it was challenging, fast and
energetic.” Harry Tapp, Year 7, found the whole day really thrilling, “I enjoyed the disco class because the
movement was so energetic.”
Year 9 Showcase
Our Year 9 Performing Arts Showcase hands the stage to
the new Year 9 talent coming through the GCSE and BTEC
Performing Arts in Dance, Drama and Music. This gives our
students a valuable opportunity to showcase their newfound or developed talent; giving the new exam groups the
opportunity to perform together on stage in front of a live
audience.
Year 9 is a pre-exam preparation course in which students
complete practice units for the course that begins properly
in Year 10. This allows students in Year 9 to experience
performing under exam conditions; giving the disciplines of Dance, Drama and Music a chance to come
together and become ‘Performing Arts’.
The Year 9 Dance BTEC group performed two pieces; a disco routine and a piece based on Matthew Bourne’s
Car Man. Our Drama students performed duologues and a poignant piece devised by the whole class, based
on the Thailand tsunami. Our Music students’ programme varied between band numbers, soloists and
singers and instrumentalists.
Health & Social Care News
It has been a busy term in the Health & Social Care department with lots of enrichment activities happening
to extend our students learning experiences.
Year 9
The Year 9 GCSE Child development students have been
busy completing a one day First Aid course and finding out
about pregnancy and new born babies. We were lucky
enough for Miss Noble to come in with baby Noah. The Year
9 BTEC Health and
Social Care students
have been learning
about
different
communication
skills and why are
they important in health and social care settings. A number of Year 9
and 10 students have completed their British Red Cross looking after
young children course to enable them to be competent babysitters.
They have also completed a one day first Aid course to allow them to
participate in some emergency First Aid as well.
Year 10
The Year 10 students have been researching and learning about health and social care values which has
helped them understand the importance of dignity and respect when working in health and social care. We
were fortunate enough to have Gavin Astor nursing home come in and work with our students and have
some young children coming in to support the students with their interactions.
Year 11 students
Some of our Year 11 health and social care students have recently participated in a non-smoking day
assembly on 9th March along with some professionals from Maidstone healthy schools. Four students gave
an assembly to Year 7 and 8 about the dangers of smoking.
Sixth Form
Both Health and Social Care sixth form classes have been working hard this term working towards their final
coursework grades. Some sixth form students have had the opportunity of working at Maidstone hospital
for 2 days to gain a valuable in-sight into different NHS job opportunities. Some trainee nurses have recently
come in to talk to the students about skills and qualities needed to work as a nurse.
Medea
On Friday 27th March, seven 6th form students and three staff attended the
production of Medea at Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford. The director of this
school production, Mr Paul Found stated ‘There is currently a national ‘push’ for
Classics to lose its elitist tag and for it to be introduced to state schools’, so this
seemed a great opportunity for a few students from The Maplesden Noakes school
to experience this ancient and traditional form of theatre, with a modern twist. The
play tells the macabre story of a mother who kills her two children to spite her
husband, who has run off with another woman. Students studying AS English
Literature enjoyed the chance to see a play that they may not have usually chosen
for their Friday night entertainment.
School Council
The School Council has recently welcomed two new members from year 7, Ella Luxon and Matt Elliott… and
Charlotte McLaughlin is Deputy Chair for the term.
The students are working hard to co-ordinate the litter project and are moving on to clear up chewing gum
and to tidy the school pond. They have recently conducted a survey finding out if students would like
Breakfast Club, they have spoken to the Restaurant Manager and presented the findings to the Senior
Leadership Team. They are also consulted on restaurant menus and provide valuable feedback.
School Council Members: Scott McLeod (Chair), Charlotte McLaughlin (Deputy Chair), Brad Duncan, Joe
Sparrowhawk, Tom Judd, Nicholas Keon, Nicholas Gibbons, Sean Trevillion, Rhys Lawrence, Brad Venn, Josh
Large, Charlotte Crouch, Georgia Chell, George Piskov, Ella Luxon, Matt Elliott.
Charity News
This year the school is supporting the Starfish Malawi charity and we have been twinned with Maganga
Secondary School. We have booked some space on a container ship which leaves for Malawi in May and we
are continuing to appeal for pairs of shoes that we can send out to the children in the school. Please have a
look in your wardrobes at home and send into school any pairs that you are able to donate, also stationary
and any small (non-electric) games e.g. blow-up balls etc.
Secondly, we are also looking
for donations of material
(heavy fabric preferably) and
also manually operated
sewing machines. This is to
help the GATEWAY (Girl’s
Access to Education) scheme.
Starfish Malawi are currently
out in Malawi training women how to produce sanitary packs so
girls are able to attend school.
So far our total stands at £1,034, some of this will fund the space on the container ship and any left over will
be used to buy much needed supplies.
The students efforts on Red-Nose day raised a total of £716.50, a special mention must go to Kerry Batt in
7L who organised and ran a cake sale which alone brought in £200. Thanks to all those parents that sent in
donations of cakes on the day and also to Charlie Holden in 8S who stepped in at the last moment to help
Kerry out on the stall. Many students also took part in a Sponsored Silence which also helped bring in more
money.
In June we are welcoming Wales Duwe, the Headteacher from Maganaga Secondary School, he will be
experiencing the very different school life we have in Maplesden Noakes compared to Malawi.
Finally, if anyone would like to help out with our fund raising please contact either Miss Hillier or Miss
Kinnear.
Year 8 Careers Taster Day
In preparation for option choices Year 8 spent the day trying out different careers in practical hands on
sessions. The range of sectors covered were accounting, armed forces, science, catering, hair & beauty, art,
music, nursing & paramedics and engineering , with the Beat Project, BAE Systems and Pfizer running
inspirational challenge sessions.
The famous drum and bass MC Harry Shotta joined students during the Beat Project session to produce a
Maplesden Noakes rap. Harry has won three awards including Best Lyrical MC and has built up a massive
live presence all over the globe; he is now one of the most booked MCs in the UK and overseas, with shows
in Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Paris, Amsterdam, Russia and Barcelona.
Year 8 also spent time during the day with Money Matters who took them through what you earn in certain
careers, how to look after your money once you start work and how to avoid getting in debt. Money Matters
donated a prize for their session of an Amazon Kindle Fire and this was won by Tyla Winter of 8S. 92% of
the students said the day was brilliant and wanted it to last for a second day and despite a strong vote for
the Beat Project music session, MidKent College’s hair & beauty session was voted the most popular by both
boys and girls.
Fast Track to the Future
On 8th January the second half of Year 10 had their careers focus day; an earlier identical day had been run
in December 2014 for the first half of Year 10. Students enjoyed a full day of concentrated careers advice
to help them discover and understand all the pathways open to them at Post-16: sixth form studies, college
studies, moving on to further and higher education, apprenticeships and employment options.
There were in-depth presentations by the School’s own Sixth Form Forum and representatives from Kent
County Council were in attendance to enthuse students with the wide and growing range of Apprenticeships
currently available. The Job Centre provided a representative to talk students through the potential
minefield of Job Seeking in the Digital Age. Hadlow College provided representatives to present information
on the diverse courses of study available in this important local institution. Representatives from Mid Kent
College held introductory discussion sessions with videos and some fascinating hands-on
opportunities. Trust Careers ran sessions for the Year 10 students on the range of pathways and options
open to students after Year 11.
Spirits lifted, horizons widened and armed with all this new information, the students ended the day with a
really positive slant on what might lay ahead for them. As one student put it “This type of focus day is far
more interesting than others and I now know what to do for sure!”
Rachel Mannering, Events Officer for Mid Kent College
discusses potential course options while Katie Rowe, MKC
Student Union Representative (and former Maplesden
student) explains aspects of college life.
Sports Science
Year 12 Sports Science students took part in a visit to Canterbury Christ Church
University on 10th March. The A level PE and BTEC Sports students spent the
day in the university’s Physiology department taking part in sport science
based testing, which included both field and laboratory tests for a variety of
fitness components. Students gained an in depth understanding of the
reasons for fitness testing and how the results vary between indirect field tests
and direct laboratory analysis. Students were able to measure their own
fitness levels and specific students were also able to have their aerobic
capacity, anaerobic power and body composition measured using the
universities laboratory equipment.
Chartwell News
The days are finally becoming longer and recently we have had glimpses of sunshine; we all hope it is here
to stay! Chartwell, like the rest of the school, has had a very busy term. In particular years 11, 12 and 13 have
been working hard preparing for exams and completing coursework.
Changes to House staff
Mrs Palmer has taken on a new job role and is now working as Chartwell’s Student Manager and Head of
House. She has been doing a fantastic job and you can find her in the Student Manager’s office, which is her
new home! Also, Miss Bowes has also taken over as Head of Chartwell House for L side. They are both looking
forward to working with the students – after all, Chartwell is the best house at Maplesden!
Attitude to Learning
It is important to recognise the fantastic academic achievement of the students in our house; we do this by
rewarding the top students, a boy and a girl, from each year group for their attitude to learning. This is
determined by their attainment, focus in class, and the standard of their homework. We would like to
congratulate our top students, who are:
Year 7: Thomas Rudd (top in the year) & Sian Fearn
Year 8: Oliver Coleman & Shrishma Nembang
Year 9: Samuel Hooper & Charley Banfield
Year 10: Zak Allam & Emily Smith
Year 11: Fran Jordan (top in the year) & Brendan Collins
Keep up the brilliant work and a huge well done to you all.
We would also like to congratulate Ben Keaveney who has been selected to play District Football – what an
achievement!
Comic Relief
Students came together to ‘do something funny for money’. Mrs Palmer looked particularly fetching in her
bobble headband! We were thrilled to see so many students take part; the school really did look vibrant with
a vast array of wigs, painted faces and moustaches. It was also a little quieter, with some students taking
part in sponsored silences! Many of those who did not take part still contributed and all money raised was
split between Comic Relief and Starfish Malawi – both worthy causes.
Careers Fair
Ms Mortley took some of our year 10 students to the Detling Careers Fair; she has commented that they
were an absolute pleasure to be with, behaving impeccably and were excellent ambassadors for the school.
Well done! Emily Smith, Lucy Cox, Jack Batty, Charlotte Lines, Josh McNae, Lloyd Tucker, Anastasija
Konovalenoka, Courteney Costello, Jamie Davies, Michael Fuller, Ryan Venables, Morgan Lee, Christiaan
Very, Charley Jarrett, Luke Reeves, Chun Kong Chong, Ryan Jones and Kerry O’Flaherty
Easter egg hunt
In the final week of term we will be holding our annual Easter egg hunt. The hunt takes place during form
time and is always popular with the students. Unfortunately, the staff do not take part in the hunt but we
are sure the students won’t mind sharing theirs with us!
We hope you all enjoy your break; please have fun, but stay safe. If you have exams coming up, make sure
you study hard – we wish you all the luck in the world and know you will be brilliant.
The Chartwell House Team
Knole House
Time seems to have flown past this year, it only seems like yesterday when we were writing the Christmas
Newsletter and now suddenly Easter is upon us! Despite this there are a number of news items that we
would like to share with you.
Attitude to Learning
Firstly we would like to congratulate all the students that achieved high attitude to learning scores in Term
3 (Term 4 data is not yet in). These scores are taken from scores for classwork, class behaviour, homework
quality and punctuality. Our top performers in each Year group were:
Year 7 = Alex Gray 7S & Olivia Dearnaley 7S
Year 8 = Georgi Piskov 8M & Amy May Friend 8M
Year 9 = Amaan Boodhoo 9M & Ellie Buchan 9S
Year 10 = Haroon Mirza 10M & Sammi Ta 10M
Year 11 = Curtis Bailey 11M & Georgia Head 11S
Congratulations to these students who have worked incredibly hard across all their subjects, each one
received an Amazon voucher in recognition of their efforts
Top Reward Earners
Whilst we may not currently be the top House for reward points (there is still time!), we do have lots of
students who are regularly receiving reward points for good work, taking part in after school activities and
displaying good manners. Our top reward earners since Christmas are:
Top Year 7 – Ellie Tucker 7M
Top Year 8 – Charlotte Gooderham 8S
Top Year 9 – Chloe Marshall- Angus 9S
Top Year 10 – Connaugh Gill 10M
Top Year 11 – Harry Parker 11M
Again, we would like to congratulate them on all the positive contributions that they are making across the
school.
Valentine’s Delivery Service
This year Knole took over the reigns of the Valentine Delivery Service, which offered to deliver a card to a
person of your choice on Friday 13th February for the small fee of 50p, in keeping with tradition it was
completely anonymous. Altogether around 50 cards were delivered to surprised students and the event
raised some additional funds for the Starfish Malawi Charity which we are supporting in school.
Easter Egg Hunt
Students celebrated Easter with an Easter egg hunt on Monday 30th March.
Lots of prizes were to be won!
Well done to all the staff and students in Knole House who helped raise £716.50 for Comic Relief!
This included cakes sales, student v teacher challenges
and a staff v student Netball match.
Better luck next year students!!!
CONGRATULATIONS… TO TYLA WINTER!!!
Who won a Kindle Fire for her excellent effort on a Year 8 Focus Day!
Hever House
As Easter arrives again, it’s time to reflect on the events and achievements of the year since January. While
there have been many exams and mocks during this time, it has not been so easy to get the entire House
together to congratulate them publicly for all their efforts and hard work. Here are the highlights. Not
forgetting, of course, that Hever pupils are doing great things every day.
Form Tutor Nominations
The following pupils were all nominated by their Form Tutors for being an Outstanding Member of the Form:
7E: Oliver Hewett & Ana Nunes Gouveia
7P: Sydney Mutter & George Clarke
8E: Joshua Winchcombe & Charlotte Crouch
8P: Jordan Britton & Ellie Davies
9E: Harry Papworth & Sharleen Lemee
9P: Anna Baker & Joe Barker
10E: Leoni Gladdish & James Bromley
10P: Sarah Colyer & Michael Trumper Barnsley
11E: Amy Harvey & Sam Butler
11P: Scott McLeod & Abbey Lansdowne
Each pupil was recognised in the last house assembly, but there’s never a bad time to celebrate the
achievements of our pupils!
Top ATL
By the time we got to the February half-term holiday, the following pupils had all been recognised for their
outstanding Attitude to Learning across the school:
Carris Tyler 7E
William Hopkins 7P
Mia Probets 8E
Ellie Pereira 8P
Jamie Hayre 9E
Cameron Clay 9P
Charlie-May Loft 10E
Samuelis Kvedaravicius 10P
Amy Harvey 11E
Zander McPherson 11P
We are very proud that a number of students in the House are repeatedly attaining very high ATL scores of
4.9 and even 5 out of 5! Well done to you all and don’t forget that ATL changes every term so the new figures
will be available the next time the reports are issued.
REWARDS
Hever pupils are working extremely hard every day to obtain as many rewards as they can. The current house
total it 8284! This leaves us in second place behind Chartwell, but definitely not out of the race!
The form group with the highest total rewards points in the house is currently 7E with an astounding 1948
reward points! This is an outstanding achievement, not least because they have held the position of rewards
leaders since the beginning of the year! Well done to you all and to Miss Maycock for having such an
outstanding form!
It will be little surprise to discover that the point’s leaders for R1’s is also 7E. However, the picture for R2’s
is a little different. With a clear 11 points above 7E are 7P with a grand total of 936! R3’s see us return to 7E
(137) again as the leaders, but not far behind with 120 points are 9P! Well done guys, keep up the politeness
and helpfulness and you might just take the lead! Finally, R4’s, for afterschool clubs and extracurricular work.
This category sees 7P spring back into the lead with 142 points, showing their dedication and enthusiasm for
activities and clubs. Well done everyone who works hard every day to earn more rewards, you are fantastic
and we are very proud of you.
Attendance
Every term, the House recognises those pupils that have made it from the start to the finish without missing
a single day, attaining 100% attendance. This is not always as easy as it might sound, illnesses and such like
can get in the way and it can be rare that a pupil would last an entire year without a single absence. Imagine
how excited and impressed we were to discover that we have one pupil in Hever House who has managed
to maintain 100% attendance from the beginning of Year 7. She is now in YEAR 11! An amazing well done to
Abbey Lansdowne, who has become the happy recipient of a £50 voucher as our way of saying a huge well
done for such a massive achievement!
Easter Egg Hunt
We are currently getting very excited as our last day of the term is also the Hever House Easter Egg hunt! A
number of different stickers, small chicks (not live or real!) and one large golden ticket will be hidden around
the school site. On Wednesday morning, Hever pupils will have the chance to hunt across the school grounds
for their chance to win an Easter treat. We wish all our pupils the best of luck for Wednesday morning and
also best wishes for a Happy Easter too!
Have a great break and see you in the summer term!
The Hever Team