july newsletter - Aylesbury Grammar School

JULY NEWSLETTER
With just a few days left until the summer holidays, AGS continues to be exceptionally busy. We have
enjoyed our annual Junior Prize Giving and we were delighted to welcome Mr John Davison, Old
Aylesburian (Phillips 1978-85) and currently Global Head of SIG at RBS, as our Guest Speaker. As well as
a highly distinguished career, Mr Davison has represented Great Britain in shooting; winning gold medals at
the Olympics and World Championships. We also held our annual OA Sports Day recently where Old
Aylesburian cricketers and squash players joined us for an excellent afternoon’s sport and tea. For the first
time in recent years the OAs won both the cricket and the squash; well done to them, but watch out next
year! We have also held our inaugural 5-a-side football tournament and BBQ attended by over 100 staff,
students and many, many OAs.
On the sporting theme, we continue to be exceptionally proud of the achievements of our students. Our
Senior Tennis Team finished 12th in the country after competing in the Schools’ National Finals for the third
year running. Our U12 cricketers won a hard fought County Cup Final, defeating Dr Challoner’s, and went
on to finish 3rd in the National 8-a-side championships, whilst the U13s lost in the semi-final of the County
Cup but secured third place with a resounding victory that included an unbeaten century from Captain Max
Hutt (Pa8). The U14s made it to the semi-finals and we await the outcome of the U15 league, hopeful that
we have secured victory yet again. Our senior cricketers have also achieved much and finished the season
with a comprehensive win over a touring side from Wesley College, Australia, with outstanding
performances from Jonathan Burden (R12) and Captain centurion Will Sutcliffe (H12). Our athletes have
performed especially well, finishing 2nd in the district championships with Year 7 securing first place outright.
This victory was in no small part due to the incredible discus throwing of Alfred Mawdsley (Ph7) who is
placed 2nd in the country. A number of excellent performances, in all disciplines, helped Denson to win
House Athletics in the Brodie Trophy whilst in the Watson Cup, Ridley ran away with Junior Public
Speaking, adjudicated by Mr Peter Larkham, former Assistant Headteacher of AGS.
Over the last two weeks we have especially enjoyed having our friends from Malosa School, Malawi staying
with us. Seven students and a senior teacher have been with us in school and we have accompanied them
on a number of visits to a variety of places including Warwick Castle, MK Snow Dome, London and Oxford.
It has been wonderful seeing the students share common interests and also to see how our school and
England look through the eyes of people who have never been outside Malawi before. We wished them a
safe journey back to Malawi just as our friends from our German Exchange arrived, so it will be a genuinely
multicultural end to the term. Thank you again to all the staff who make these wonderful opportunities
possible.
I am delighted to be able to announce the appointments of next year’s most senior students, although the
Head Boy of School is yet to be decided. I offer my warm congratulations to Jacob Atkinson (R12), Dominic
Mears (Pa12) and Jake Reynolds (H12), who have been appointed Deputy Head Boys of School. I am also
very pleased to tell you that the following have been appointed Head Boy of their respective Houses: James
Tate (Denson), Ali Partner (Hampden), Jon Gausden (Lee), Will Costello (Paterson), Benedict Turner
(Phillips) and Jonathan Burden (Ridley). We are very confident that they, and all our Prefects, will serve the
school with distinction over the coming year.
I am also pleased to announce that the PTA this year has raised the record breaking amount of £33,500
which will go a long way to further improving facilities and supporting students’ learning. This fantastic
figure was raised through a variety of excellent events, including the Art and Craft Fair (£4,768), the
Summer Ball (£6,200) and the Summer fete (£4,535). Thank you to everyone on the PTA for all their hard work
throughout the year and to all those who have supported them. Please do continue to support them in any way
you can. Aside from achieving their target of £25,000 for the new PTA Science Laboratory, one of the main
contributions the PTA has made this year has been towards the major refurbishment of our new Health and
Fitness Suite above the Sports Hall. We are happy that this facility will be available for students to use for
lessons, in squad training sessions and for individual fitness work. The facility will also be available to staff and
other community users. We will be delighted to welcome Mr Joe Manley to the school as a Strength and
Conditioning Coach from September. Mr Manley has already been working with our basketball teams for a
while so he is well known to us. He will support student sessions in the Health and Fitness Suite, will offer
fitness classes to the community and he will also be able to offer 1-2-1 Strength and Conditioning training for
students, staff and others. This is an exciting development for the school so please do read the additional
information on this opportunity later in this Newsletter.
As we come to the end of this year we shall be saying farewell, thank you and good luck to a number of staff
who will be leaving AGS at the end of this academic year following valued service to the school:
Mrs J Reeks, School Librarian, is retiring after 21 years of wonderful service to the school. Mrs Reeks has
involved herself in the life of the school in so many ways from accompanying school visits, to leading success
in the Kids Lit Quiz and being a key member of our Health & Safety Committee. Mainly, however, she has
provided an invaluable knowledge, service and immense support to many thousands of students, not to
mention staff, over her years at the school.
Mrs M White is leaving AGS to take up the opportunity of becoming a foster parent. She leaves us after 14
years of very caring service to the school where she has taught English, been a long-standing Head of
Hampden House and has also been heavily involved with Malawi fundraising, especially co-ordinating the
weekly collections by boys. She has accompanied a huge number of school visits and it was perhaps
especially those to Malawi which really captured her heart.
Mr G Holmes is retiring at the end of a long career in education which has spanned the continents of Europe
and Africa. He has been with us for 10 years and has taught PE and Mathematics, been an inspirational cricket
and rugby coach and a very loyal Ridley House Tutor to our outgoing Ridley 13. He has led and accompanied
a large number of school visits, including sports tours to South Africa.
Mr PM Ross is leaving us after 8 years of dedication in our Business Studies and Economics Departments. He
has had responsibility for a very large number of exam classes in a growing curriculum area and was also a
Paterson House Tutor. He leaves us with our best wishes for his new role at Parmiter’s School.
Mr PR Toovey is leaving us after 3 years of teaching Biology and Science at AGS. Mr Toovey has brought a
great deal to the school, aside from his teaching, with his championing of the STEM Club, including rocket
launchers and BBQs, and has also made a highly valued contribution to coaching rugby and cricket. He has
also been a very supportive tutor to our outgoing Denson 13 and leaves us to take up the Head of Science role
at Adeyfield School.
Mrs C Morgan-Ellis is leaving us after 2 years of teaching Business Studies at AGS. She has made a valuable
contribution to Young Enterprise at the school and has also, over the last year, been involved with the work of
the Learning Support Department where she has completed a number of assessments. She leaves us for a
new role as Deputy SENCo at Denbigh School.
Mr L Hall is leaving us after nearly two years of working in the History, Geography and Philosophy of Religion
departments. He has accompanied a number of trips and has also been a tutor for a number of groups, most
recently to Phillips 10 and has certainly had a positive impact on the school. He leaves us to take up a
permanent post at Fort Hill Community School.
Mr B Kidner and Mr S Kilpin, former students of the school, have worked with us for year prior to embarking on
careers in medicine and teaching. Both Mr Kidner and Mr Kilpin have worked as Cover Supervisors but have
also taken every opportunity to get involved with and support the wider life of the school.
I know you will join me in thanking them all for their work within the school and wish them all the very best for
the future. More detailed tributes will appear in the Aylesburian which will be published next year.
It only remains for me to wish all students, staff, parents, governors and friends of AGS a very relaxing and
enjoyable summer. A special bon voyage and ‘come back safely’ to our 3 World Challenge teams which will be
travelling this week to Nicaragua. I very much look forward to see you in September and at the many future
school, PTA and Alumni events next year.
SR Lehec, Headmaster
“INSPIRED SQUASH FACILITIES” at
Aylesbury Grammar School Celebrates 40 Years of
Competitive Squash
On Friday 14th June over 120 Old Aylesburians, parents and friends joined together in the School Hall to
celebrate over 40 Years of Competitive Squash at Aylesbury Grammar School.
The evening was the idea of the Campaign Board and a number of Old Aylesburians including Dr David
Orchard (master in charge of Squash at AGS from 1982-2005), Iain Digby, Lee Cobley and Phil Yerby all of
whom still play squash today. Their idea was to encourage the squash legends from the last 40 years to
join together and to celebrate the many years of squash history and success at the school. For a majority
of the players the facilities during their time at the school inspired their passion for squash and racket
sports. It really was a fantastic celebration of 40 years of competitive squash at Aylesbury Grammar
School and there was a wonderful turnout of the best squash players in the county! The evening not only
showcased the passion and success for sport now and in years gone by,
but it also celebrated the forthcoming development of new Squash
facilities.
Alex Gough, the CEO of the Professional Squash Association and 1998
Commonwealth Games Gold medallist who, reached a career high
ranking of World Number 5 in 1998, was the guest speaker. The guest of
honour was a much loved and dedicated coach to generations of young
players during his time at AGS, Frank Delaney. Other notable guests
included Ron Howard-Birt and his wife Jackie who travelled from
Barnstaple for the evening. Ron was the squash coach at AGS from
1984-1997. Dr Dave Orchard also attended and he has been an
invaluable source of squash knowledge at AGS. We’d like to thank him
for creating his
incredible review and
detailed history of
squash at AGS and for
spending so much time
Stephen Lehec and Alex
identifying and
Gough
referencing squash
photos through the decades. If you would like a copy of
the review please contact the Development Office.
Of course, the timing of the dinner was particularly
pertinent as AGS has recently secured Olympic legacy
funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities fund to
refurbish our Squash and Racquetball facilities, which
will not only benefit our students but the wider Aylesbury
Vale Community.
Left to Right: Tom Carless, Phil Yerby,
David Evans and Andy McDonald
“INSPIRED SQUASH FACILITIES” at
David Orchard
Ron Howard-Birt and Frank Delaney
AGS Squash Players – Past and Present
Front Row: left to right – Ed Bottrill, Ben Thompson, Michael Ratnarajah, Will D’Arcy, Ben Turner
and Chris Backhouse.
Second Row: left to right – Phil Yerby, Frank Mulhall, Lee Hagan, Frank Delaney, Martin Kuper,
David Evans, Andy McDonald, Nigel Preston, Duncan Burd and Alex Gough.
Third Row: left to right – Ron Howard-Birt, Mark Welch, Lee Cobley, Rob Last, Obi Ejikeme, Craig
Bartlett, Martin Green and Neil Welch.
Top Row: left to right – Mike Joy, David Percival, Iain Digby, Chris Noakes, Tom Carless, Sean
Cannon, Craig Miskin and Shaun Delaney.
24 HOUR SQUASHATHON - FRIDAY 5TH - SATURDAY 6TH JULY
AGS Squash Players – tired but triumphant after 24 hours of Squash!
At 2.00 pm on Saturday 6th July, 40 tired but triumphant AGS Squash players finally put their rackets down
just after Stephen Lehec, Headmaster, hit the final ball that signified the end of a very long and extremely
hot 24 hour Squashathon to raise funds for the school.
24 hours earlier, at 2.00 pm on Friday 5th July, those same boys leapt in the air with their squash rackets to
mark the beginning of this fantastic fundraising event which is just one of the many initiatives underway to
support the match funding needed to support the essential refurbishment of the squash courts at the
school.
The event, kindly sponsored by Harrow,
was the idea of Year 10 student Will
Bickerdike to raise funds for “Inspired
Squash Facilities” at AGS. Three of the
four courts at the school were in
constant use for 24 hours. It was
definitely a test of endurance and
stamina during what was a particularly
warm night!
Headmaster, Stephen Lehec,
commented “These boys have
demonstrated incredible commitment to
the fundraising for the Squash courts
and it is their dedication, enthusiasm
and passion for the sport that makes the
task ahead all the more worthwhile. It is
estimated that they have raised over
Raring to go – 2.00 pm Friday 5th July
£8000 which will help tremendously
towards our goal of raising a further £100,000 over the next few months. What a
fantastic 24 hours for Squash at AGS.”
Jude Cornish, Year 7, sums up on his Just Giving page exactly why he decided to
get involved in raising money for his school. This is an extract from his fundraising
page:
Jude Cornish, Ha7,
at 11.00 am
Saturday morning.
Only three hours to
go and still smiling!
“Hello I'm Jude, my aim is to raise £200 for my school. If I do so I can participate in
a 24 hour squash marathon. The money that I raise will go towards refurbishing my
schools squash courts. At the moment they have mice scurrying above them in the
roof, the doors are falling off their hinges and there are many more decrepit
features including that the changing rooms flood every single time it rains! I had
never played squash before starting at AGS but I absolutely love it and enjoy it with
all my heart. I have a brilliant coach, Darren Withey, who encourages and inspires
us, not to mention the fact he holds a world record for the longest game of squash
ever! However if the school can't raise the required money to refurbish the court
then myself and my school friends may be forced to stop playing the sport we so
enjoy. I would be so grateful if you would be kind enough to sponsor my cause.
Every little amount helps. I am also washing cars and doing a big car boot sale to
help raise funds”
Continued...
Thank you to all the students who participated:
Year 7: Harry Hewitt, Edward Mathews, Jude Cornish, Amaan Safdar, James Glover, Marcus Connor,
Cameron Skea, Farron Bishop, Tej Morjaria, Matthew Gate, Harshit Gupta and Dan Penaliggon.
Year 8: Usman Ali, Thomas Cay, Adam Woodage, Tom Ramsbottom, Luke Woodmansee, Ollie Cox, Josh
Mayhead and Alex Rice.
Year 9: Oscar Glenister, Harry Camfield, Ben Mirzoeff and Finlay Shedd.
Year 10: Will Bickerdike, Charlie Francis, Vivek Pandya, Harry Crichton, James Parry and Elliot Barbeary.
Year 11: Daniel Gibbs, Mrug Upadhyay and Trevor Lowe.
Year 12: Ed Bottrill, Benedict Turner, Daniel Legg and Oli O’Neill.
Year 13: Ben Thompson.
Tired, but triumphant. 2.00 pm Saturday 6th July
Sincere thanks also go to Mr
Withey and Sam Meuller who
coached and encouraged
throughout the night; Mr Datta for
playing, Mr Ramsbottom for
providing a delicious BBQ and
refreshments, and Ian and Linda
Bottrill for playing and providing
valuable physio support! Finally
thanks to our Old Aylesburians Iain
Digby, Lee Cobley, and especially
to Kian Guerzoni (ex Deputy Head
Boy of School) who stayed
throughout the night.
Our fundraising continues and we are well on our way to
reaching our target. For further details on the campaign or if
you would like to donate please contact any member of the
Campaign Board below or Alison Cox in the Development
Office [email protected] .
Ed Shedd
Vic Simms
Linda Bottrill
Anne Ratnarajah
Lee Cobley
Iain Digby
Phil Yerby
Darren Withey
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Achieving Greatness through Science
The Science Facility development programme, launched in 2010, is transforming our existing science
laboratories, which were built in the 1950s and 1970s, into 15 state-of-the-art, fully equipped, 21st Century
Science Laboratories. It will provide facilities for a burgeoning number of scientists. Our plan is well
underway, with four of the 15 Science rooms already fully refurbished and being used daily. We now have
three new state-of-the-art physics laboratories and one new biology laboratory together with a new physics
preparation room and new teaching and support staff areas.
The next phase of the development commenced on 29th April 2013 with foundations and steelwork being
laid throughout June and July. This phase will provide an increase in the overall footprint of the existing
building to create four new laboratories. The next phase will be to furbish these 4 laboratories and with the
continued fundraising, it is anticipated that the work to move this project to final completion will be taking
place in summer 2014, when we will refurbish the seven remaining laboratories.
For further information please contact Alison Cox, Development Director, 01296 484545 ext. 294 or email:
[email protected].
AGS ACHIEVE A FANTASTIC 6TH PLACE IN THE UKMT TEAM MATHS
CHALLENGE NATIONAL FINALS!
We are proud to announce that our team of four students who represented AGS at the recent UKMT
Team Maths Challenge National Finals achieved an impressive 6th place out of 1600 schools in the
competition.
The following is an account of the day by Michael Ng, Ri9
On Monday 17th June, Mrs Hughes took the team (Aaron Heighton (H8), Nathan Huntington (H8), Robert
Johnson (L9) and me) to the Royal Horticultural Halls in London to participate in the UKMT Team Maths
Challenge National Finals. Having come first in the Regional Final to qualify, we felt quite confident. It was a
long journey by train but eventually we got there on time to Lindley Hall. It was absolutely spectacular and
already very busy when we got there, as we were competing against 80 top schools who had either won or
come runner up with a high score in their Regional Finals. We were first told the schedule for the day, then
we launched into the first round.
The first round was the Poster Round, in which we
needed to create an A1 poster about Packing in
maths. This was independent to the actual
competition. We were allowed to do some
preparation on A4 sheets before the competition so
we had worked extremely diligently and frantically
over the entire weekend before! We were also given
three questions that we had to incorporate into our
poster’s design (to test us and prevent some from
preparing the entire poster before!) which we
solved. The third one was particularly difficult, but
we still managed to prove it, and within the 50
minutes that we were allotted, we had finished
everything.
The second round was the Group Circus, which
gave us 5 minutes for each one of eight long questions with six marks on offer per question. We ploughed
through these, but one inevitably slipped through our grasp, giving us a total of 42 out of 48 marks. In fact,
many of these questions were those that we had already done in maths lessons (thank you to Mr Symington
and Mrs Hughes!) so these posed no problem to us. After this, we ate lunch. We were told that we were
currently in the top six, which prepared us for the rounds ahead.
After lunch, we started the third round; the Mini
Relay. We raced against time to do a set of sixteen
questions, split into four chunks. Unfortunately,
since each question’s answer led on to the next,
two small mistakes caused us to lose a harsh 9
and 12 marks, making the total 39 out of 60 marks.
Sadly, this meant that we were no longer at the top
of the leaderboard.
However, this only contributed to our
determination, and we drove through the
Crossnumber with a full 60 out of 60 marks and the
last round, the Relay Race, with 58 out of 60
marks. This amazing effort got us back into 6th
place overall out of 1600 schools who had
competed in the whole competition. Everyone got a
goody bag with a UKMT Packing mug, a keyring and a badge.
Continued..
Astonishingly, we came 2nd in the Poster Round
(so our efforts paid off!), and for that we were
awarded a powerful HP Graphical Calculator each
and a CD plus a book full of problems for the
school.
We all agree that it was an unforgettable
experience, not only because of the great result,
but also because it was a fantastic opportunity.
We would love to thank the Maths Department
teachers, since none of this would have been
possible without the great training, dedication, and
help that was given to us from them and
especially Mrs Hughes for taking us there. If
possible, I’m sure that everyone in the team would
love to go again next year!
Michael Ng, R9
OXFORD BROOKES LECTURE AND TRIP TO BUCKS NEW UNIVERSITY
On Thursday 20th June, Charlie Simpson (Senior Lecturer in Sports Science at Oxford Brookes University),
came to visit Year 10 and 12 students who are studying PE, and gave an insight into the many opportunities
that can result in studying PE at GCSE, A Level and beyond.
It was really interesting to get an expert’s opinion into
different areas of sport science, to find out that something as
simple as beetroot juice really can have a positive impact on
performance and that static stretches before exercise
actually has no proven positive effects, but rather it is just a
tradition. Sports Science looked like a fascinating course and
from what the lecturer said, it seemed to have lots of
practical based experiments, to put the theory learnt into a
real life situation.
On Thursday 4th July, we went to the Human Performance
Lab at Bucks New University. This lab is designed to support
Sports Science students in their learning and contained
many pieces of high tech equipment that we were able to
sample. Two of the tests that we did were measuring aerobic power, which consisted of cycling at increasing
intensities over 16 minutes and breathing into 4 large bags (Douglas Bags) which collected the air breathed
out and was used to test how much oxygen and carbon
dioxide there was in this air. After inputting data into a highly
technical computer, we were able to view, analyse and
discuss the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen. After this,
we then participated in the Wingate Anaerobic test, where
you had to pedal flat out for 30 seconds against a resistance
equivalent to 7.5% of your body weight. This was extremely
tiring and left most of us exhausted after such a large
exertion of energy. After every 5 seconds our pedal rate was
measured and the results were able to show peak power
output, mean power output and power decay. These two
tests were very useful as it clearly showed what we had been
learning about in the anatomy and physiology side of the
course. We were also showed some other high tech
equipment such as a bod pod, a machine used to test body
composition, but could easily be mistaken as some sort of equipment used to send a person to space!
Overall, it was a very informative and interesting trip and thank you to Mr Rooney for organising it.
Jake Higgs, R12
OPENING IN SEPTEMBER AT AGS - HEALTH AND FITNESS SUITE WITH
OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACHING
From September 2013 students from Years 9 to 13 and staff will have the opportunity to use our new Health
and Fitness Suite. Students will be able to use the facility during normal lessons and those in team squads
will also have access to it for training sessions. We anticipate that students who wish to use the suite
additionally for a personal gym work out (before school/lunchtimes) will be able to do so for the reasonable
membership of around £40 per year. Further details for this will be available in September.
In addition from September, Advanced Personal Trainer Joe Manley from ProStart Personal Training, will be
working closely with students from all year groups providing strength and conditioning to teams and
individuals in the new health and fitness facility, as well as offering supervision and supporting students while
they train. Launching in September, there will be opportunities to join sport specific strength and conditioning
training. Look out for the sign up forms which will be coming out soon! Performers with the fundamentals of
their sport will benefit hugely from these sessions. Sessions for students (and staff/parents!) on a 1-2-1 basis
are also available. Joe will also be offering group sessions and classes which will be open to staff, parents,
their friends and the community. A timetable detailing the classes/groups will be available shortly.
This is an exciting new opportunity for everyone at AGS. Think YOU but STRONGER and FASTER!
Should you have any queries in the meantime, please contact Joe Manley on 07946 748582 or
[email protected].
PRIMARY LEARNING ENRICHMENT 2013
During the Summer Term, 15 of our most local Primary Schools were offered the opportunity to send groups
of Year 4/5 students to us for Learning enrichment sessions in a number of subject areas as determined by a
list of willing volunteers on the AGS teaching staff.
As a result we were able to offer a series of exciting Learning Enrichment sessions for over 200 students
from; Bearbrook, Bedgrove, Elmhurst and William Harding this time around. They enjoyed experiencing
English, Maths, Science, Food Technology and PE across 10 separate sessions throughout June and July.
I would like to thank all those staff who gave up a portion of their gained time over the past two months to
coordinate and deliver a range of fantastic enrichment sessions for our visiting students. The feedback from
the visiting staff has been excellent and they have been extremely grateful for being able to make full use of
this initiative and are all, without question, keen to be involved again should the opportunity arise for them.
Do please have a look at the information at the end of the newsletter to see how they got on!
Mr G Dallas, Assistant Headteacher
NOTICEBOARD
PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS RESULTS
AS and A2 results may be collected from the school on Thursday 15th August. A2 results may be
collected from 9.00 am. AS results may be collected from 12 noon. GCSE results will be available from
the school on Thursday 22nd August from 10.00 am.
If you can't collect your results in person you can either hand in a SAE (A5 size) to reception with your
candidate number in the bottom left hand corner or ask someone to collect your results on your
behalf. That person will need to bring in a signed letter from you authorising them to collect your
results. We are not able to give your results over the phone or by email.
If your results aren't what you expected you can ask for a remark. Forms will be available from Mrs
Ainsworth or the VLE - Exams - Post Results. Year 13 can ask for a Priority remark, for which the deadline
is 22nd August.
KEY DATES FOR DIARIES
15 July
16 July
17 July
18 July
19 July
2 Sept
3 Sept
4 Sept
5 Sept
9 Sept
10 Sept
11 Sept
13 Sept
Y7-10 Assessment Tutorial
Y8/9 trip to Normandy returns
World Challenge Build Up Day (Gps 1&2)
Y12 EPQ Library Visit
Y7-10 Rewards Day
Year 7 Science Day
Y10/12 German Exch. trip to Thorpe Park
World Challenge departs (Gps 1&2)
HOUSE TENNIS
World Challenge Build Up Day (Gp 3)
Y12 Ancient History visit to British Museum
World Challenge departs (Gp 3)
3.35 pm End of Summer Term
INSET DAY
INSET DAY
Transition Day
Term Starts
Tutor Group and Individual Photos
Y10/12 Coursework visit to Tate Modern
Y11 German oral CATs
Senior Prize Giving
Y7/12 Opro Gum Shield fitting
Y11 German oral CATs
GCSE ART
Due to the refurbishment of the hall, the Art Department
has not been able to exhibit the GCSE or A level work
created by the students this year. However, if anyone
would like to come and view the wonderful pieces
created they are welcome to view the selection which is
on display in the Art department.
RETURN TO SCHOOL DATES
FOR SEPTEMBER 2013
We would like to remind you of the details to the
start of next term. Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd
September are INSET days, although the School
Shop will be open, the school is closed to
students. On Wednesday 4th September the
school will be open to all Year 7, Year 12 and
Year 13 students. In order to achieve a smooth
start to the term we would like to complete all the
settling in and administrative tasks that are
associated with these year groups at the start of
the year. Any questions regarding this day
should be directed to Mrs Venning in the first
instance, [email protected].
SCHOOL UNIFORM SHOP
Should you require any items of uniform for next
term, an order form is available from the main
School Office or on our website
www.ags.bucks.sch.uk.
Orders should be returned to the school as soon
as possible. Normal opening hours for the
shop are:
Wednesday 12.00 pm – 2.30 pm
Thursday 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
We are also open on Inset Days:
Monday 2nd September 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
Tuesday 3rd September 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
TERM DATES FOR 2013/2014
Autumn Term
Wednesday 4th September
Thursday 5th September
Monday 28th Oct – Friday 1st Nov
Friday 20th December
Transition Day for Years 7, 12 & 13 (8.40 am – 3.35 pm)
Term starts for Years 8 - 11
Half term
Autumn Term ends
Spring term
Tuesday 7th January
Monday 17th – Friday 21st Feb
Friday 4th April
Spring term starts
Half term
Spring term ends
Summer Term
Wednesday 23rd April
Monday 26th – Friday 30th May
Friday 18th July
Summer term starts
Half term
Summer term ends
Staff Training Days
Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd September, Friday 18th October 2013, Monday
6th January and Tuesday 22nd April 2014
AYLESBURY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
PRIMARY LEARNING ENRICHMENT 2013
Throughout the Summer Term 2013, Year 4 and 5 students from various local Primary Schools
have enjoyed visiting AGS to take part in a range of enrichment activities coordinated and
delivered by our staff. My thanks go out both to colleagues who gave up their precious time to
run the sessions and of course to the schools who all sent group after group of happy, inquisitive
and well-behaved students!
G. Dallas - Assistant Head Teacher
William Harding Combined School
Food Technology & Handball
In our purpose built Food Technology Room, students were able to learn the fundamentals
of healthy eating, preparing and of course tucking into, their own delicious lunch!
Brought to the world’s attention by the fabulous London Olympic Games of 2012, the high
energy sport of Handball provided great enjoyment for all involved. Students were keen to
learn about all things ‘fitness’ from our Year 12 Sports Leaders including the importance of
both warming up and down, not to mention the keenly fought 6 team Handball competition!
Bearbrook Combined School
English
In English, students worked in the field of journalism, creating and presenting their own
articles and reviews on a range of chosen subjects. The levels of knowledge and creativity
in the room were fantastic throughout!
Bedgrove Junior School
Science
Exploding balloons, fizzing chemicals and of course the infamous screaming jelly babies
were just some of the highlights the Science department concocted for our visitors. In a
series of hands on sessions, students were able to demonstrate their skills and pick up
new ones in an exciting laboratory environment!
Elmhurst School
Maths
Brains were certainly enhanced across the board as students learnt some valuable skills
and indeed the power of numbers in our everyday lives. In a series of challenging, but fun
tasks the groups were able to experience first hand why Maths is such an important
subject area, and not to be ignored!
July 2013
Dear Parent/Carer
The Department of Education has brought in new legislation regarding the use of biometrics
in schools. Previously, it was stated that parents should be made aware of the use of
biometrics within our school on an ‘opt-out’ basis. However, from 1st September 2013, the
new legislation states that we must have written permission from a parent/carer to allow your
child to continue using the biometric facility on the cashless catering system and library
system currently being used in the school.
AGS does not accept cash at our dining hall tills. Instead we ask all parents to use the
ParentPay system to credit an online account with funds for meal times. Students access
their account and pay for items at the till using a biometric recognition system (students
press their thumb against a digital reader at the till) which directly debits their account.
The biometric recognition system works by creating an algorithm based on a scan of a
thumb print which reads between fifty and one hundred and thirty points on the thumb. This
information is stored as a number and subsequently is not a fingerprint in any way, shape or
form and is of use only in the cashless system. The data cannot be reconverted into a
fingerprint or misused in any way.
In order to continuing using your son’s stored biometric data can you please
complete the form attached and return to the Finance Office by Friday 19th July 2013.
If however, you do not wish your son to use the fingerprint recognition system please
also return the form and AGS will respect that wish. The dining room staff will then
use your son’s name to search for their account.
Once the form is received your son(s) will be able to continue using their biometric account
currently registered on the cashless catering system.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Wilson
Finance Director
To: Aylesbury Grammar School
I confirm that I wish my son TO / NOT TO (please delete where applicable) continue using
Biometrics for the Cashless Catering System and Library System from 1st September 2013.
I understand that I may withdraw my son’s registration at any time in writing.
Son’s Name
Tutor Group
Name of Parent/Carer
(Delete as applicable)
Relationship to Child
Signature
Date