Charity Days - Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School

Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
Floyd Footnotes
www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
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Issue 17 | April 2014
This year we have had very exciting, unique and successful charity
days. We raised over £2750 and all of the money has gone towards
the Alfan Foundation, a charity set up by the parents of two of our
students in the school.The Foundation, a non-profit organisation
aims to improve the welfare of children in Ghana. We aim to keep a
strong connection with this charity so that we can build a
relationship between the Floyd and various schools and orphanages
in this West African country with a population of over 24 million.
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Charity Days
The two days were jam-packed with activities, from the raffle and bake sale (which sold
out within 15 minutes!) to gunge the teacher and the talent show. Everyone donated so
generously to make these events such a success. We also collected children’s books to
send out directly to Ghana via the Foundation. Lots of students and staff dressed up as
their favourite characters from children’s books for the mufti day on the final day of
term. The best dressed student prize was won by Anthony Reeve, 11M as Toad, whilst
the staff prize was jointly won by Mr and Mrs Merrow-Smith, who dressed up as Mary
Poppins and Bert.
Having the students of Pebble Brook School join in with the fun has been a wonderful
experience that has again connected the two schools. The Year 12’s intend to
strengthen this relationship in the next academic year.
We would like to thank everyone for their donations which have helped raise an
amazing total in just two days! Let’s keep this going and aim bigger for next year.
Thank you also to all those who helped both with the preparation and on the days
themselves.
Becky Sharp, 6A2 – Chair of the Charity Committee
Who’s Who
- The Trust & Governing Body
The school has always had a Governing
Body, and since gaining academy status
in July 2011 also a Board of Trustees.
In practice, except where legal requirements
preclude this the Governing Body take
responsibility for implementing the strategic
direction of the school, its financial affairs
and the appointment of senior staff, whilst
using its committees to monitor and advise
with regard to the areas of audit,
curriculum, finance, human resources,
premises and public relations.
The Governing Body can have a maximum
of 23 members, all bar the Headteacher
being appointed for a 4 year period under
the following categories:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A minimum of 7 Parents
3 Staff
Headteacher
Up to 8 Appointed
Up to 1 Local Authority
Up to 3 Co-Opted
The aim when appointing governors in the
appointed and co-opted categories is to
ensure a range of skills, such as legal,
financial, human resources, etc. are
available to call upon. We have recently
appointed a governor with a professional
background who is also an Old Floydian. I
am pleased to say that to date we have been
fortunate in having individuals with varied
experiences volunteer to work with the
school, often for more than one period of
office, and always giving freely, considerable
amounts of their time behind the scenes.
Should anyone have queries, concerns or a
contribution they would like to discuss, the
Governors can be contacted either directly
via the school or email at: [email protected], and a full list
of the current members of the Trust and
Governing Body are available on the school’s
website at all times at http://www.
sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk/
page/?title=Governors&pid=343
Gaynor Bull,
Chair of Trustees & Governing Body
The summer term is now under way and
for many students a serious set of
examinations are imminent. I am very
impressed by how hard our students are
working at the moment and at how
committed they are to all that the school is
doing. Parents will know that we regularly
acknowledge contributions to the school or
excellent work with “achievement awards”.
We also recognise episodes of poor work or
bad behaviour with “student concerns”.
Looking back over the past two terms we
have noted that our students have been
given 15255 achievement awards (15 per
student) and 1774 concerns (just under 2
per student). This very positive picture is a
reflection of just how much our students are
doing to make this such a flourishing
community of excellence.
Website refreshing
We are making some changes to our
website over the next few weeks. There will
be a redesign of the general appearance and
some improved changes to the functionality.
We have produced a new series of short
video clips as well. Many students helped
us out with the filming. The production
team shot hours of interviews and
background pictures but the final pieces will
be about five minutes long. We were
delighted that they were able to capture
some images of the beautiful blossom on
the trees in one of our courtyards.
Easter GCSE Revision classes
We ran a very comprehensive revision
programme over the Easter holidays with at
least one class taking place every day of the
holidays except Good Friday. Teachers
willingly gave up some of their break to
work with Year 11 students and the
students themselves turned up in large
numbers. It has been very encouraging to
see how hard our Year 11’s are working at
the moment. They have put themselves in a
strong position to get a very good set of
results in the summer.
Staff training
As part of our training day at the start of
term we participated in some workshops led
by the Teenage and Adolescent Mental
Health Team. We have found in recent years
that more and more teenagers are
developing a range of mental health
illnesses. It appears to be a national
phenomenon. We can all speculate on
possible reasons or causes but there does
not appear to be a single root cause. We
are doing all we can to support students
suffering these illnesses but we have to
recognise that we are educationalists, not
health experts. The best service that we can
offer is to direct our students to those who
are the experts in these areas. Our
workshops helped to establish relationships
with the health service and we also had
some training on helping young people
cope with examination stresses.
Examination season
Public examinations were under way almost
as soon as term began. International
Baccalaureate exams are first. All the
students’ coursework and Extended Essays
were completed on time and despatched to
various parts of the world for marking or
moderation. IB students get their final
results in July so they can start their summer
holidays without worrying about how well
they will do and whether or not they will get
the university place that they really want.
We are reminded of the international nature
of the IB when we have to arrange
invigilation for Bank Holiday Monday – the
organisation takes no account of such
things as national holidays.
GCSE examinations begin in the middle of
May and AS and A level exams follow on
soon after. This year for the first time there
have been no modular exams taken in
January. The consequence is that A level
and GCSE students are faced with having to
do more exams in the summer than
students in the recent past. We are
confident that they have been well prepared
and that the examination preparation
workshops they have experienced will leave
them well equipped for the extra revision
that will be required.
June timetable
We are planning to continue our tradition of
restructuring the school timetable after May
half term. This gives us an opportunity to
move Year 9 students onto their Year 10
programme a few weeks early. They can
drop the subjects that they have not chosen
to study at GCSE and can begin their GCSE
courses in the subjects that they have
chosen. A number of other lessons will
happen at different times in the week but
otherwise the programme for all other year
groups will remain the same.
Parent survey
I recently wrote to parents summarising the
comprehensive feedback that we received in
our biennial parent survey. I will not repeat
the analysis here but will point readers to
the section of our website where we record
letters that have been sent to parents. We
will make the complete report available
when we have replaced our “portal”.
An important date
We are holding our annual Prize Giving
event and our summer concert at The
Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury on the
afternoon and evening of July 10th. We will
therefore have about twelve hundred seats
available for both occasions. All parents will
be very welcome to join us for these
celebrations. Further details will follow.
Stephen Box, Headteacher
Cross Country
Experience
2014 saw the school take part in a Cross Country competition
at High Wycombe.
It was an interesting day. The minibus took off at around 11:15 holding the nervous and
eager Floydians who were to compete. We arrived in plenty of time, and were able to set up
camp in a nice little spot under a tree. Within five minutes the gazebo was up, the rain was
chucking it down and everyone was huddling together to try and keep warm. Unfortunately
it wasn’t our day because the gazebo almost blew away and broke. The team kept their
spirits high using their FLP (Floyd Learning Power) and collaborated and persevered through
it all. The only things protecting us from the elements were thick coats, the tree and big
black bin bags (which I found comfy to sit on).
You can probably imagine that as a result of the wet weather it was really muddy, so most
of us wore boots in the race, although a brave few decided spikes would be better suited
(not really). The course was 3.5km and there were a few hills, a river and a bridge which I
wasn’t expecting even though it is called ‘Cross Country’. Everyone did brilliantly, finishing
the race and surprising themselves. I finished 10th out of 120 and managed to qualify for
the next stage.
This next stage meant running for our County. The race was at Donnington Park, the course
was longer and tougher and there were over 40 counties competing. I managed to come
233rd out of about 340 junior boys. I was proud of that. Next year maybe we will see some
other Floydians finish in the top positions.
As a result of the experience I have been inspired to join the Milton Keynes Athletic Club
and I will be more prepared for next year’s competitions.
Corey Moore, 9A
SPORTS HALL OPENING
On Friday 28th March, James
Buckland officially opened
the Sports Hall in front of
students, staff, governors
and invited guests.
James, an Old Floydian who also has a child
in Year 7, is currently the forwards and
defence coach at London Scottish having
previously played at a professional level for
Leicester Tigers, London Wasps and London
Irish in the Aviva Premiership. In his playing
days James also represented England at
Under 21 and Saxons level.
During the opening ceremony, Stephen Box,
Headteacher reflected on the journey the
school has gone through in recent years
with regard to raising the funds to build the
new facility. James, unveiled a plaque
commemorating the occasion and spoke
about the important role that sport has in
developing character as well as maintaining
personal fitness.
Everyone was able to see the sports hall in
use with a group of sixth form students,
having donned their whites, demonstrating
their bowling and batting skills in the
cricket nets, whilst a PE class was also
underway using another area of the
available space.
The sports hall has been in use since late
February and apart from daily use in the PE
curriculum, it is also being used for
extra-curricular activities. Lunchtime
basketball, netball and badminton sessions
have been particularly popular with
students, whilst even the staff are getting in
on the act with five –a-side-football on a
Friday when students have headed home!
Ian Bryant, Assistant Head
Sport Relief
The sports ambassadors worked hard to raise
over £300 for Sports Relief on Friday 28th
March. There was a chance to beat the goalie,
putt a golf ball onto a £5 note and get as
many baskets in basketball as possible, all to
win an Easter egg. A few members of 8H ran a
mile and there was some three legged races
going around school too. Much fun was had
by all.
The
Netball
Season
There has been excellent attendance at
training this year much helped by the new
all weather surface and the addition of the
sports hall. All years have developed their
skills and started to play some really good
netball. Girls from Years 9 to 11 have been
actively involved in coaching of the lower
year teams and they have been able to use
this for their GCSE PE practical.
This season SHFGS netball teams have been
increasingly improving and climbing up the
tables, with each year group producing
good results in the District finals. This
tournament is one where all schools in
Aylesbury Vale gather to compete for first
place, and prior to this each team must play
one another in order to be placed in either
the A or B pool. This year has proved to be a
success with each of our year groups
placing well and winning most of their
matches.
YEAR 7 NETBALL
TOURNAMENT
After a shaky start to the netball season and
then playing some tough sides in the
league, the Year 7 netball squad (now 20+
strong) had been training hard and were
committed to entering two teams into the
end of season tournament. The ‘A team’
played some outstanding netball, really
starting to come together as a team. They
won all of their matches and drew with
Royal Latin; an excellent run through the
tournament. Overall, they finished second
in their pool (by only one goal for – they had
even drawn on goal difference); an excellent
result for a hard working team.
The ‘B team’ had not had so much
experience at playing together in the
league, however, they played really well,
setting good solid foundations for playing
together next season and came a
respectable third in their pool.
Congratulations to all the girls involved, I
was very proud of their hard work and
excellent sportsmanship, and look forward
to seeing them progress further in the
future.
PERSONAL SUCCESS
This season my team entered the England
National Club Competition (South Region).
After qualifying and then winning the
season, we came out as South Region
National Champions. The next stage after
winning the tournament is to travel to a
sports village in Sheffield where we will
compete against the top teams around the
country in order to be named the best team
in England for our age group.
Alongside this, I was chosen to go as a
player from North County Academy to play
at a Regional Festival in Chichester. This is
where a lot of scouts will be selecting
certain players to go forth and trial for
England’s regional teams.
I have also been selected to attend a
Residential Summer Camp, to experience a
high-intensity, high performance-training
environment, which will be run by Elly
Moore an England netball coach.
Sarah Flower, 9C
Mrs R Selby, Faculty Leader for PE
Sarah Flower, 9C
Notification of Results
Summer Examinations –
Student Authorisation
Remark & Access to
Script Requests
If you wish any other person (including
family members) to collect your results on
your behalf, you must give your written
authorisation to the Examinations Officer,
Mrs Damoo, before results day. Without a
signed letter from you we are not allowed to
release results to any third party (this
includes your parents/carers or relatives).
The nominated person must produce some
form of ID on the day.
If after receiving your results you wish to
have a remark or request your script back
you must see the Examinations Officer as
soon as possible (within 5 days if your
university place is dependent). There are
deadlines involved in this process and late
applications will not be accepted.
If you want your results posted, please
provide a First Class stamped and
addressed envelope and hand it to Mrs
Damoo in the Examinations Office. If you
provide an A4 envelope please remember to
provide a large First Class stamp. If incorrect
postage is not attached we cannot forward
your results.
No results will be given out by telephone,
fax or email under any circumstance.
Non-priority requests will be dealt with on
our return to school in September.
GCE Results
Thursday 14th August 2014
• Year 13 only @ 9.00 a.m. in the Hall
• Year 12 @ 10.00 a.m. in the Hall
GCSE Results
Thursday 21st August 2014
• 10.00 a.m. in the Hall
Results that have not been collected
will be retained in school for collection
at a later date.
Cold War Berlin
On Thursday 20th March we arrived at school for 4:00 a.m. to catch a
coach to the airport. We’d all been excited for this trip for a very long
time, and the day had finally arrived. After the coach was packed full
of our luggage and ourselves, still half asleep, we set off for Luton
Airport to catch the plane to Berlin! We arrived in Berlin at about 10.00
a.m. and set off on our tour straight away. We were met by Andrew
and Philip, our tour guides from Anglia Tours, who had both served in
the armed forces in Berlin during the Cold War.
The first thing we did was to visit the Allied
Forces Museum in West Berlin, where they
have exhibitions on what life was like in that
part of Berlin when the Berlin Wall was up.
We learned about the music, hobbies and
lifestyles of the West Berliners. We then
visited Potsdam, where the Potsdam
Conference was held at the end of the war,
and the Glienicke Bridge where the East
traded prisoners of war and spies with the
West. Our tour guides told us about their
experiences as we sat by the river – we were
lucky that the weather was good! That
evening we visited the Reichstag, the
German Parliament. We went up to the
viewing gallery, which provides a great vista
of the whole of Berlin. It was very interesting
to see the divide between East and West, as
well as all the landmarks like the TV Tower
and Brandenburg Gate.
We finally got to the hostel, tired and
hungry from a day’s travelling and ate
dinner, before going to bed. We all tried to
get the best night’s sleep possible as we
knew the next day would be even more
jam-packed. After breakfast the next
morning, we set off by the S-Bahn over
ground train to start our walking tour of
Berlin. We visited the Soviet War Memorial,
Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, the
bunker area where Adolf Hitler spent his last
days, Checkpoint Charlie and many other
famous sites linked to the Cold War. It was
great to see the things we had been learning
about in class in real life, and it really helped
contribute to my knowledge of the topic.
After dinner that night, we went bowling,
which was a great, fun night out with
friends. When we returned to the hotel we
went straight to sleep, only then realising
how tired and worn out we were as we had
not stopped all day!
brilliant time filled with new knowledge and
had become so much closer to those that
we did not really know too well before the
trip. I had an amazing time thanks to Mrs
Pilkington, Mrs Kratt, Mr Bryant and our
Anglia Tour Guides. I am so, so glad that I
went.
Emma Thorpe, 10A
On the final day we checked out of the
hostel and boarded the bus for our last day
of activities. We visited a Stasi Prison, a
great eye-opener to the way that the East
treated their prisoners, and another
museum before shopping. After this we
went to the East Side Gallery – the largest,
intact stretch of the Berlin Wall that is still
standing. It is covered in great artwork by
artists, invited to decorate the wall after the
rest was demolished.
That evening, we boarded our flight home,
tired and exhausted. We had all had a
FIELD TRIP TO
Swanage
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside.....
but a lot of it has fallen into the sea!
The Year 12 Geography fieldtrip to
Swanage and the Jurassic coast is always
a popular trip because the coastal
scenery of this area is stunning but this
year evidence of the winter storms was
truly impressive.
On one morning we walked past some
engineering works stabilising the sea
front, saw some crushed beach huts and
guest houses perched precariously on
top of crumbling cliffs. The beach
transects and data collection all worked
well in the sunshine. In the afternoon
Studland sand dunes provided a chance
to use the clinometers, anemometers,
quadrants, soil probes and ranging poles.
All the soft sand had been stripped off
the beach, the embryo dunes had gone
and there was a sandy cliff where the sea
had been attacking the yellow dunes...will
the National Trust allow Studland beach
to disappear as the sea levels rise?
Hard Engineering was the theme for the
next morning as we travelled to
Weymouth and saw the award winning
Newton Cove coast protection scheme
and efforts to stop the sea breaching
Chesil Beach. Back to sketch Durdle Door,
Cliffside..
Stair Hole and Lulworth Cove in the
sunshine before fossil hunting in
Kimmeridge Bay.
A nearest neighbour analysis on the
following day in Swanage town centre
meant that this group are now very well
prepared for their AS skills paper and the
IB geographers for their Internal
Assessment.
‘We had a great fieldtrip and wanted to
thank Mr Buckley and Mrs Stonham for
taking us’
Oh we
YEAR 7
EXPERIENCING
SCIENCE
“I thought
the trip was
AMAZING!”
Eve, 7M
On Tuesday 7th January 2014
the Science Department took
151 Year 7 students to the
interactive science park that is
@Bristol. Here are comments
that were made by the students
on their return:
“I really enjoyed the outing. I learnt a lot
from the two shows, which were all about
space. All the exhibits were interactive, so it
was an especially fun way to learn…..it was a
shame we couldn’t stay longer.” Freya, 7C
“I enjoyed looking around the museum with
my friends because it was interactive and
fun. I also enjoyed the rocket presentation
because they got us involved.” Rosie, 7M
“I enjoyed the huge amount of freedom we
got because it meant we could go back and
look at something again and again.”
Niah, 7M
“I liked the way the school let us have our
independence to look at what we find most
interesting.” Matthew, 7C
“I really enjoyed the trip because you got to
take part in things and you didn’t have to
just sit and read something.” Nishka, 7C
e do lik
e to be
“I enjoyed the Aardman animations…”
Finlay, 7C
“I really enjoyed the planetarium. I learnt a lot
but it was also really beautiful. I loved that we
could go and look at the exhibits on our own.
I also liked the rocket workshop because I
loved it when they blew things up! Basically.
I loved everything!” Amber, 7M
“There were lots of hands-on experiments
with water, such as a pump, a toilet flush,
even an Archimedes Screw. I really enjoyed
myself. Definitely recommended!”
Jonathan, 7C
“My favourite bit was the water contraption
where there was a massive hamster wheel
that powered the water!” Ellen, 7M
Some of these children had such fun pumping
the water by running in the hamster wheel
that I feel some of our parents should put this
system into use somehow at home, to
generate electricity perhaps!
Peter Merrow-Smith, Teacher of Biology
beside
the sea
side. .
S wa nag
e
“My favourite part was when we learned
about rocket science and how scientists
launch rockets….during the show there
were some extremely loud bangs when
hydrogen was lit but the whole thing
was very entertaining.” Keira, 7C
“I really enjoyed the interactive
exhibits, like the magnetic sand and
the shadow freezer. They were fun
to use and very original – and they
each had an explanation of how they
worked.” Hannah, 7M
E-Safety
Information
We were delighted to welcome back
representatives of McAfee International Ltd
and PC Graham Briggenshaw to our
second, annual online safety for parents’
event in the last week of the Spring term.
Cashless Catering
The new system, which has been running
since our return after February half term is
now well and truly established. It would be
fair to say that in the first few days both
students and staff found adjusting to the
new till equipment, thumb scanners and pin
pads a little strange. Gladly however, this
has been short lived.
The process of paying for purchases at
breakfast, morning break and lunch has
speeded up and that is reflected in a
gradual increase in the both the number of
students eating in the canteen and the
number of transactions recorded.
A typical week at this time shows us:
• 630+ students and staff using the service
• 3800+ transactions taking place
• +60% funded by online payments.
Apart from providing parents/carers the
opportunity to review what their offspring
are purchasing for consumption, the system
also enables us to monitor a range of
statistics that we can use to improve the
catering service in terms of the range of
products offered and meal deals that
provide a discount. We are also looking at
different equipment to improve our
presentation and fitting a free chilled water
dispenser in the dining area.
Ian Bryant,
Assistant Head (Support Operations)
EXTRA, EXTRA...
What do you at lunch time? For many it is a
time to eat some food, talk to friends and
generally relax prior to starting the next
part of a busy day. Here in school however
many students use a large part of the time
involved in extra-curricular activities.
Art, Chess, Choirs of different persuasions,
Dance of various types, Debating, Knitting,
Music across the full range of instruments,
Science, Ukulele, Warhammer 40K, etc. all
compete for participants with Athletics,
Badminton, Basketball, Boccia, Football,
Netball, Tennis, and of course additional
support sessions across all areas of the
curriculum.
Each year sees the range of opportunities
on offer develop as individuals with a
particular interest decide it is time to spread
this wider. Every club or activity relies on
time given freely by both staff and students.
One thing is certain, there is no time to be
bored!
After Mr Box’s welcome, the evening began
with a presentation on the dangers of so
called legal highs - synthetic euphoric
stimulants, often purchased online - to raise
awareness among parents of the prevalence,
dangers and availability of these substances.
Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Kathryn
Chapman, outlined the issues and advised
parents on the serious effects of these
substances.
McAfee’s safety experts then explained how
they deliver three key messages to children
on:
• Cyber security
• Safety
• Ethics
and how parents can support their children’s
safe online presence. Key messages included:
• Why we should ensure that our wifi is
secure;
• Why we should never browse the internet
from a computer’s admin enabled account;
• How to avoid keyloggers and what they are;
• What Botnet is and how to avoid this type
of hijack of your computer.
• Download ‘site advisor’ which lets you
know how safe a site is
If you don’t know what some or any of these
are then please follow the links below but
even more importantly, come along next year.
For all of us, the mantra should be:
‘Stop. Think. Connect.’
But we must only connect if we know
something is safe!
Below are some links that you may find
useful:
• http://blog.internetsafety.com/
• http://blogs.mcafee.com/family-safety
• http://www.mcafee.com/online-safety
• http://ww.siteadvisor.com
• http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
Jeanette Cochrane, Deputy Headteacher
Parents Society
Welcome back to the final term
of this year - and the busiest for
our students and their families!
This term is an important one
for the Society as we race
towards achieving our
fundraising target for the year of
£10,000.
We would like to thank everyone who has
supported our fundraising efforts so far this
year, which will certainly help us to achieve
this. Our Quiz Night held in March was the
major event for the Spring Term, and was
attended by 130 participants – so thank you
to all the parents, students and friends who
made the evening such fun. As well as some
fiendishly hot questions, the food provided
by the school catering team had a Mexican
theme, and the quiz team names also had
plenty of zing – the Wendover Wingers and
the Red Hot Chilli Quizzers to name but
two! The event was won in the end by the
Wingrave Washouts (who were anything but),
and the monies raised on the evening will
be donated towards the refurbishment of
the Library, which is planned for the coming
summer break.
As we shall be finalising our donations to the
various departments of the school this term,
we have a number of great events lined up,
and more details of these can be found on
the Parents Society page on the School web
site:
Girls’ Night Out: Friday 9th May, in the
Performing Arts Studio: – an evening of fun
and pampering open to all our female
students, their families and friends. Full
details will be sent out shortly with ticket
application forms on the school’s website.
Midsummer Raffle Draw: Friday 20th June:
– we have some fantastic prizes lined up
for this year’s Raffle, such as a Champagne,
Wine and Chocolate hamper, and an iPhone,
and if anyone is able to help with donations
of prizes for this fundraiser we would be
most grateful.
Year 7 and 8 Disco Friday 27th June
7–9pm: - our final event of the year and a
true sugar rush for all involved, together
with an opportunity for some of our Dads to
showcase their skills at the BBQ. Full details
will follow soon together with ticket
application forms.
We would love everyone to come to all our
events, but realise this is impractical for
some people. However, you can still
contribute to our fundraising initiatives from
home by supporting our raffles, joining The
Floyd Flottery and shop via The Giving
Machine:
The Floyd Flottery: a monthly draw where
50% of the money goes to the school and
50% is paid out in prize money. Last year the
quarterly prize fund hit £300! More details
are on the Parents Society website page.
The Giving Machine: if you shop on the
internet through the Giving Machine,
retailers will pay a percentage of money
spent to a nominated beneficiary at no
additional cost to the buyer. So far we have
received commission of over £1080 paid
to SHFGS through The Giving Machine. Full
details are in the advert in this publication
and at www.thegivingmachine.co.uk
Fund Matching Schemes: do you work for
an employer who offers to match funds
raised by charity? Many employers enable
employees who have been involved with
charitable fundraising activities to apply for
a matching donation of up to £500. You
do not need to be a member of the Parents
Society Committee, just participating in the
event and a contribution in helping out is
enough in some cases. Please check with
your employer if they offer such a scheme –
every donation helps!
Everyone is welcome to attend our
Parents’ Society Committee Meetings, and
our meetings this term are on Mondays 28th
April and 16th June. If you can help in any
way with our events, or would like to join
the Society, please contact us by e-mail:
[email protected].
Or contact us via school reception on 01296
424781, and do have a look at our website
page!
Students showcased their Rock
Challenge entry
at the regional competition in Febr
uary prior to
the Premier Final in June.
.
Rock C hallenge
Wednesday 12th February saw the arrival of
the band ‘The Parades’ at SHFGS to perform,
inform, meet and greet our Year 9 and Year
10 students. The purpose was to spread a
drug awareness and anti-drugs message to
young people as part of a tour of schools in
the south east.
The band was warmly received and their
message was clear: drugs and alcohol pose
a threat to the happy and healthy lives of our
young people. Both the performance and
the message were a hit.
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Tech Team for an
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I was incredibly lucky to be offered a place
in this year’s CUSU (Cambridge University
Student Union) Shadowing Scheme. I went
in the first week, Thursday 23rd – Saturday
25th January. My mentor was a first year
undergraduate engineer. I stayed in her
room at her college, attended lectures with
her and did everything she did, including a
Burns Night Superhall which was a (mostly)
formal themed three-course meal. There
was a lot of Scottish dancing, singing and
overly melodramatic Scottish speeches but
it was all very good fun! I met all of her
friends and had a great time and enjoyed
the life of a Cambridge undergraduate for a
few days.
On the Thursday, we went to a formal event
at St. John’s College, which has a hall that
looks like it came straight out of Harry
Potter, and also met people from the
college I stayed at who were very honest
about things that they like and dislike about
being a Cambridge student. On Friday, I
attended two lectures: one on bendy
structures and another on linear circuits
and transformers. I also had a tour of the
Department of Architecture which featured
a “completely unnecessary” but very
exciting revolving wall-door to the lecture
hall. I also went to a lecture by Professor
Imre Leader at Trinity College which was
most inspiring.
I learnt a lot while there and, while half of
the lecture contents went straight over my
head, I feel I have come away knowing a lot
more about the university. For example,
there are a lot of common adages said by
all students like, “I’d rather go to Oxford
than to St. John’s” – St. John’s has a
reputation for being very posh and is
actually where Prince William is staying.
Cambridge is a very traditional place, and
there are many quirky things such as
college marriages, college families, “Shoes
Off” songs, and many other interesting
oddities.
Surprisingly, most of the students, with
some exceptions of course, are not
geniuses. Every day is a tiring struggle with
some college libraries open 24 hours every
day of the week so that students can work
overnight to finish everything. Not only do
they have so much work that they don’t find
time to have a part time job, but they also
have the mandatory social life. My mentor’s
friends told me that they, “Have to go out
and have a good time to keep themselves
sane enough to do the work”. Another
asked me if I went to a co-ed school and if
there were any boys I liked because,
“Talking about boys makes her feel normal”.
Also there is no lack of famous faces in
Cambridge, with a group of girls waiting by
Pierce Brosnan’s car all day to get a picture
with him, and the #WheresWilly hashtag to
keep tabs on Prince William. I happened to
be there the weekend that Jailbreak was on,
which meant many students were off in
pairs trying to get as far away from
Cambridge as possible for thirty-six hours
with no money. They were sponsored for
the distance that they managed to get away
from Cambridge with the money going to
ten charities chosen by RAG. Last year, one
team got to Australia and another to
Singapore!
My experience has taught me that
Cambridge is a highly academic place where
achievement is everything, but that doesn’t
mean that it isn’t also fun, different and
very exciting too.
Micheala Chan 6A3
Elevate Education UK
If you have a child in Year 11, 12 or 13 you
may have heard them talk about the study
skills seminars they have attended this year.
The presenters are young, engaging and
often Australian! They offer practical advice
on everything from note making, revision
timetables to memory skills.
Their website is a great resource for parents
and students so do check it out in the run
up to the examination season:
http://uk.elevateeducation.com/
Revision tips can be accessed via the Elevate
website with the following login
information:
• username: elevate
• password: pacco
Parents are you ever concerned about the
distraction of social media when your
child assures you they are revising? How
about this handy tip from Elevate?
“When all else fails: if Facebook and
Youtube are winning the battle for attention,
here is a handy little trick. In an effort to
help the students of the world a number of
app makers have developed some handy
little programs that temporarily remove
distractions from reach of students. For
those families using a Microsoft operating
system on their computers, download a
program called Cold Turkey
www.getcoldturkey.com
and for those using Apple, try a program
called Self Control
www.macupdate.com/app/mac/31289/
selfcontrolCached
These programs allow you to block certain
websites (e.g. Facebook) for a specified
period of time. In other words, you are not
blocking the sites forever, just when you
need to.”
We wish all our students every success in
their examinations (GCSE, A Levels and
IB) this summer.
Oxford &
Cambridge Student
Conference 2014
On 25th March 29 Year 12
students together with Mrs
Perrett and Mrs Chapman
travelled to Epsom Downs, not
for a day at the races but for
the annual Oxbridge
Conference for Students.
This event, which is run by Oxford and
Cambridge universities, is designed to give
students general information about making
a competitive Oxbridge application as well
as giving them an opportunity to attend
subject-specific talks, many of which
include short lecture taster sessions.
Current students were also on hand to
answer questions. Here are some
reflections:
“It made me really excited to go to uni
now! The sheer variety of lectures
offered was excellent as it allowed me to
experience and further my understanding
of the courses in which I am interested.”
“An inspirational day – very informative”.
“Very informative – enjoyed the master
class aspect”.
“A very interesting and inspiring day. It’s
made me even more determined to apply
to Oxbridge!”
“I feel that the day gave us a realistic
insight to what life at Oxford and
Cambridge would be like. Personally, I
have gained a lot from the information
provided today; I have finally decided
what I would like to study!”
Congratulations to the
following students who are
holding conditional offers:
Harvey Grant – Music (Organ scholarship),
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Naomi Heffer – Biomedical Sciences,
Keble College, Oxford
Aimee Hills – English,
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Liora Michlin – Biomedical Sciences,
New College, Oxford
Student Senior
Leadership Team
Hello! We are Jack Blue and Emmeline Downie,
the new Head Boy and Head Girl for
2014/2015.
Our team consists of four Deputies:
Kathryn Chapman, Assistant Head of Sixth Form
• Evie Aspinall, Sarah Bull, Ben Churchill
and Rishi Shah
and four Lead Prefects:
The Floyd Learning
Focus Group
(FLFG) Update
The group were busy working on
a number of projects last term.
We now have an advice booklet on
academic matters including studying in the
Sixth Form that is almost ready for
distribution to Year 10 students. Students in
Year 11 were canvassed for their ideas and
the year group below will get the benefit of
some received wisdom. Thanks go to Becky
Sharp and Xanthe Tunley-Stainton for
organising this work. The art group have
continued to work with Mr Collins on a
project that will be rolled out this term,
hopefully with at least one primary school.
The group have also worked with Mr Pettifer
and myself in considering how we can
improve on our methods of planning,
setting and assessing homework. The staff
on the Inset Day received feedback on our
students’ views: hundreds completed a
questionnaire on the school’s VLE giving us
a good idea on what is working well and
what could be improved. We know that
many aspects of our homework are good
and very valuable to students’ learning but
we are also aware that we need to ensure
that homework is interesting, challenging
and worthwhile every time it is set. And of
course, we are also keen to keep up to date
with advances in technology. A trial in using
electronic planners plus a pilot in setting
homework on line with a designated faculty
and year group could well be in the pipeline
this term!
I would like to thank members of the FLFG
for their enthusiasm and professionalism
and I look forward to our work this term.
Andria Hanham, Deputy Headteacher
• Seb Applewhite, Theo Keeping,
Felicity Nicholls and Alice O’Neill.
Collectively known as the Student Senior
Leadership Team (SSLT), we are anticipating a
year of ambitious and rewarding projects.
Currently, we are organising the Year 13’s
Leavers’ Lunch and have already started to
accumulate various ideas which we hope to
transform into a memorable farewell.
Harvey Grant and Laura Johnson have done an
excellent job in their roles of Head Boy and
Head Girl and the school is very grateful for
their contribution to school life. We look
forward to updating you of our progress in
the next edition!
Jack Blue, 6A2 and Emmeline Downie, 6W2
We are looking to develop our links with all Old
Floydians in the year ahead.
Apart from providing previous members of the school community
with an insight into how their old school has changed and developed
in the years since they left, we are also keen to engender closer links
with individuals in a number of ways, e.g.
• we can provide a venue for reunions, small or large at minimal or
no cost;
• we would like to invite the sharing of knowledge with our current
students so they gain a practical knowledge of particular careers
from people who have experienced them;
• we would be interested to hear about work experience,
attachments or internship opportunities for current students;
• we would be delighted to hear of any funding opportunities that
the school may apply for in order to develop the school further;
• we would be interested to hear of competitive commercial
services that you may think the school may wish to consider;
• and of course, if any individual Old Floydians wish to talk to us
about personal financial contributions we would be delighted to
speak to them.
All Old Floydians are emailed the termly Floyd Footnotes and can
follow us on the school’s Twitter feed plus we are looking to develop
our closer links on LinkedIn in the year ahead.
Finally, we are planning to hold an Open Event at the school in the
summer term of 2015 to which all Old Floydians will be cordially
invited and most welcome. Further details on this will be released in
the autumn. However, in outline, we envisage an evening of music,
refreshments and conversation with the opportunity to tour the site
and refresh fond memories of years spent at Sir Henry Floyd
Grammar School.
Old Floydians
This is not an article about the elderly,
but a reflection on the large number of
students who signed up in the autumn to
complete a Duke of Edinburgh award,
and this term undertook the first of their
three expeditions.
56 students are aiming to complete their
Bronze Award, and the number represents
over a third of the Year 10 cohort. As you
may imagine, their first expedition – a
training weekend based on the Dunstable
Downs – required both a number of external
experts and volunteer staff to be in
attendance, including a cold overnight on
the first weekend of March. They all
completed the weekend and can look
forward to warmer weather for their next
expeditions in late April and early July.
22 students gathered on the following
weekend at Green Park, to get their first
Silver Award expedition underway. Those
with previous Bronze Award experience
spent much of the first day on navigation
skills whilst others learnt camp craft. All
spent the second day trekking pre-planned
routes in the Wendover Woods area.
Our thanks as always go the staff who give
up their time (and comforts) to enable the
expeditions to take place. Without their
selfless approach it would not be possible
to offer the opportunity to so many
students. Having spent a cold night in my
sleeping bag I rose the next morning
thinking that perhaps I should be thinking
about signing up with the real over
seventies!
Ian Bryant, Assistant Head
Another photo for you to enjoy! This is the
staff photo taken in the Summer of 1991
and it includes the whole staff, both
teaching and support! This is less than
half the total we have now however, the
school was quite a lot smaller in terms of
student numbers back then. There was an
art technician, some science technicians, a
matron and two ladies to do the school
administration, including all the typing, all
the finances and one even acted as the
Head’s PA. Of course in those days the
County Council undertook much of the
work that is now delivered on site where
we operate independently.
Mr May was then the Headmaster and his
two deputies were Mr Myers and Mrs
Shepherd.
There are four members of staff in the
photo who still work at the school - can
you name and spot them?
Where Are
They Now?
Jane Palmer (nee Bentley)
of the class of ‘95
Dave Skillington, Alumni Link
I now help run a Rhino Conservation volunteer
programme in Zimbabwe, based on a game
park featured in an Animal Planet documentary
“There’s a Rhino in my House”.
Having spent 10 years working in marketing in
the UK, I decided to take a year off and go
travelling through South Africa. Having survived
many adventures throughout three countries, I
met my now-husband while I was waiting for a
new passport in Zimbabwe (penniless with
nowhere to go having had everything stolen).
Two years as a safari lodge manager followed
and I’m still here enjoying the sunshine of
Harare working to save the rhino!
At the Imire: Rhino & Wildlife Conservation
we take volunteers from overseas, many from
the UK. Why not look at our website,
www.imire.org
or the specific information about volunteering
at:
www.imirevolunteers.org/
wildlifeconservation.html
Senior Ski Trip
So popular was this year’s Senior Ski Trip
during February half term that Snowslippers
had to lay on an extra large coach! I don’t
know if you recall the weather leading up to
half term but our Channel crossing
coincided with some of the windiest
weather last winter. Our ferry was
consequently delayed for hours and we
spent a couple of hours marooned in Dover
harbour (not a great start). Thankfully there
were no further mishaps as we headed to
Austria.
It has not been the best of snow in the Alps
this year, but Alpendorf did not let us down.
Snow overnight on at least two occasions
resulted in wonderful fresh powder for
skiing the next day at altitude. It may have
been foggy in the valley but above the cloud
we had sparkling sunshine on several days!
The great thing about the Red White Red Ski
School is they cater for everyone from
absolute beginners to advanced skiers, and
also snowboarders. Beginners had so much
fun progressing from the nursery slopes to
their first chair lift and open pistes. The top
group were more inclined to see how far
they could travel in one day; they not only
explored the local red and black runs but
also made it to the nearby resorts of
Wagrain and Flachau, skiing the World Cup
Flying Mozart downhill course.
Apres ski included shopping in Sankt
Johann, Austrian bowling, the Thermal Spa
or just chilling out with friends or trying to
beat Mr Bryant at Chronology!
We have launched the 2015 trip (current
Years 10-12) and are now taking deposits
payable via Parent Mail. Please see the
launch letter on the school website or
contact myself: [email protected]
Sarah Williams, Assistant Headteacher
You can also follow us on Facebook,
https://www.facebook.com/imire.zimbabwe
“Putting up a tent blindfolded
was a challenge, though with
great leadership from Ryan and
Anisa - who weren’t blindfolded
- we overcame this with great
success... eventually.”
Raffaela Martuccio, 11M
Teamwork &
Leadership Skills
in Shropshire
On the first weekend in March a group
of students were invited to Condover
Hall, a former stately home set in acres
of parkland near Shrewsbury.They
were there to take part in a pilot
teamwork and leadership development
programme, along with students from
Tring School.All the students who
attended will be going on a World
Challenge expedition either this
summer to Ethiopia or in 2015 to
India.
A 7.00 a.m. start from Aylesbury resulted in
a 10.00 a.m. through to 10.00 p.m. day of
activities. Each team, including one made
up of the staff from the two schools, tackled
a range of outdoor challenges and
obstacles, including some where
participants wore blackout goggles and
took on trust direction from their leader.
The brief second day was then taken up
with high ropes, abseiling and zip-wire
activities. Feedback and summary sessions
were interspersed with the physical
exertions.
World Challenge are looking to use this
practical skills programme for all
participants in the first year of the
expedition programme, and will continue to
offer the training weekend in the autumn
before departure to their developing world
country.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the
experience as some of their comments
below indicate.
“It was a challenge making a fire and
especially keeping it going. However,
with help from my team and the leader,
we managed to make a cup of hot
chocolate in the Kelly Kettle.”
Anish Patel, 11C
Amongst the staff who accompanied the
students, Jo Whitfield, teacher of art
commented:
“I finally abseiled down a tower - those
that know me are aware that this is a life
time fear of heights that I have finally
overcome.”
We look forward to returning to Condover
Hall in future years with further groups of
students as part of their World Challenge
expedition preparations.
Ian Bryant, Assistant Head
“The food was good
and we played
football with the other
school during some
‘down time’.”
Will Dobie, 11C
World Challenge
On a Friday evening in March the
World Challenge Teams that are
heading for India South and
Rajasthan in July 2015 entertained
family and friends to raise group
funds for their expedition.
The planning had been going on for weeks
with students splitting into teams
responsible for logistics, entertainment,
food, ‘mocktails’ (soft drinks), a quiz, raffle,
preparing tickets and advertising. Many
hours of after school and lunchtime
meetings finally bore fruit and soon after
7.00 p.m. over 180 guests were seated in
the hall! The Asian food prepared by
students and parents was delicious (try out
the recipe below with nan bread, steamed
rice, cucumber raita and mango chutney)
and the entertainment was enjoyed by all.
The guests amazed us with their generosity
and the grand total raised was £1,798. 00.
This will pay for the transport to the training
weekend Snowdonia in the autumn when the
teams will be honing their camping and
trekking skills, and learning how to stay safe
on expedition.
Sarah Williams, Assistant Headteacher
India
Chicken Jalfrezi
4 chicken breasts, 1 large chopped onion,
1 garlic clove crushed, 1 tsp ginger puree,
1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground
coriander, 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder,1 tsp
turmeric, juice of 1 small lemon, 400g
chopped tinned tomatoes, 1 garlic clove
chopped, 2 red chopped peppers, 1 red
chopped chilli, 1 tsp garam masala, 3 tbsp
oil, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of water.
Cut the chicken into little chunks and mix in
the lemon juice with a little salt and pepper.
Marinade in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan. Soften the
onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic and
ginger puree and fry for another couple of
minutes. Add the chilli powder, ground
cumin, ground coriander and turmeric and
fry for another couple of minutes. Add the
tomatoes, water and the chicken and stir
well. Bring up to a simmer and cook covered
on a medium heat for 25 minutes or until the
chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile get
another pan, heat the remaining tbsp of oil
and gently fry the chopped garlic for a
minute or two. Add the peppers, chilli and
garam masala and fry for another 5 minutes
or until the peppers have softened slightly.
Mix this with the rest of the curry, stir well
and take off the heat. Enjoy!
Fundraise While You Shop!
If you are shopping on the internet for wine, furniture, iTunes, gifts or even flights, please take a
moment to log onto The Giving Machine at www.thegivingmachine.co.uk. Register yourself and
select Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School as your nominated beneficiary. There are hundreds of
shopping sites accessible through The Giving Machine including Amazon, M&S, Tesco, Asda, BA,
Boden, Next, E-Bay, Argos, John Lewis and many more. The school will earn a percentage of the value
of items bought, which varies by retailer at no additional cost to the purchaser.
Think how much we could fundraise without any effort at all if everyone at school logged
onto The Giving Machine when shopping on the internet!
Please support your school and log onto www.thegivingmachine.co.uk
Dates for your Diary
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School | www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
April 2014
Tuesday 22nd
Inset – School closed to students
Saturday 21st
Rock Challenge Premier Final in Portsmouth
Wednesday 23rd – Tuesday 29th
Year 13 Trial A Level Examinations
Tuesday 24th
Sports Day
Thursday 24th
Year 9 GCSE Standards Evening at 7.00 p.m.
Thursday 26th
Sixth Form Induction Day
Saturday 26th – Sunday 27st
DoE Bronze Practice Expedition
Friday 27th
Parents Society Years 7 & 8 Disco at 6.30 p.m.
Monday 28th
Year 13 IB Students Study Leave starts
Wednesday 30th – Friday 2nd May
Year 9 Examinations
Saturday 28th – Monday 30th
DofE Silver Qualifying Expedition in the Peak District
Monday 28th
Parents Society meeting at 7.30 p.m.
Monday 30th
New Year 7 & 8 Parents Evening
May 2014
Y12 Birmingham University Visit
Year 12 Next Steps Day
July 2014
Thursday 1st
Junior Maths Challenge (Year 8)
Tuesday 1st
New Year 7 & 8 Students Induction Day
Friday 2nd
Year 10 Business Studies trip to Thorpe Park
Wednesday 2nd
Open Evening from 6.30-8.30pm
Saturday 3rd – Monday 5th
DoE Silver Practice Expedition in the Cotswolds
Friday 4th
Open Morning at 9.45am
Monday 6th
Bank Holiday – School Closed
Saturday 5th – Sunday 6th
DofE Bronze Qualifying Expedition
Monday 6th – Friday 16th May
International Baccalaureate examinations
Thursday 10th
Celebration of Achievement at 1.30 p.m
Wednesday 7th
Open Morning at 9.45am
Friday 9th
Parents Society Girls Night Out from 6.30 p.m.
Friday 11th – Thursday 17th
Activities Week
Monday 12th – Friday 27th June
GCSE & A Level Examinations
Saturday 11th – Monday 11th Aug
World Challenge Ethiopia
Monday 12th
Year 11 Study Leave starts
Friday 18th
Mufti Day
Monday 12th – Tuesday 3rd June
Year 12 AS Students Study Leave
Monday 21st – Friday 29th Aug
SUMMER HOLIDAY
Friday 16th
Charity Bake Sale
Monday 26th – Friday 30th
HALF TERM
June 2014
Summer Concert at 7.00 p.m.
September 2014
Monday 2nd
Inset – School closed to students
Monday 1st – Tuesday 2nd
Inset – School closed to students
Tuesday 3rd
Year 11 Study Leave starts
Wednesday 3rd
Years 7 & 8 (+ Year 10 Buddies) + Year 13 only in school
Tuesday 3rd – Friday 13th
Year 7 and Year 8 Examinations
Thursday 4th
All Year Groups in school
Wednesday 4th
Y12 return from Study Leave
Thursday 5th
Open Morning at 9.45am
Wednesday 11th – Sunday 15th
IB Biology Field Trip to Flatford Mill
Monday 16th
Parents Society meeting at 7.30 p.m.
Monday 16th – Friday 20th
Year 10 Examinations
Friday 20th
Parents Society Midsummer Raffle Draw
Year 12 Induction Day, including Wet ‘n Wild
Dates are liable to change. Please see the school website for
up to date information www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
Clark Howes Group
More than your ‘typical’ accountants
www.clarkhowes.com
At Clark Howes Accountants
we do much more than
just your books
[email protected]
+44 (0) 1296 769818
Business Structuring
Bookkeeping
Tax
Payroll
VAT
Year-end Accounts
Business Planning
Please see the school website for a complete set of
dates and events www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk
Support the Parents Society fundraising from home!
An application form is available on the Parents Society
page of the school website.
Quarterly prize fund of around £300!
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