Glyn School is hoping that former students’ happy memories of days gone by can play a part in securing a bright future as the school’s building project continues to gain momentum.
A major new development, incorporating 18 classrooms, a Common Room, canteen and Learning Resource Centre is currently close to completion, and should be ready for use in time for the 2015 summer term. The building is part of a 10 year plan which will see some of the older buildings that are no longer fit for purpose being demolished, once the subject areas have moved into the new building. Although the building has been funded by a grant from the Department for Education, the school is appealing to stakeholders, parents and former students for further financial assistance to ensure the new rooms are equipped and kitted out to the highest specification, and that current and future students can get the best out of this new era for their school. “This is a massive opportunity for the school, so we’re really hoping that anyone connected with the school, in the past or the present, will be able to help us make the most out of it,” said Marion Meadows, who manages the schools Future First Alumni project. “This kind of chance comes along so rarely, the school really wants to maximise its chances of making a lasting difference for the current and future students at the school. Regular visitors have been able to watch the construction project progress, and now the building side is nearly done, our priority is sorting out the finishing touches.” Any financial help towards items such as IT equipment, fixtures and fittings would be welcome. Potential donors or anyone seeking further information can get in touch with Marion on meadowsm@glynschool.org
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Pupils at Cordwalles School received lessons in cyber safety last month as the school looked at the positives and negatives of life online.
Members of staff also received specialist training in how to deal with the potential problems of an increasingly online world, with Upper School phase leader Sam Alley-Mohindra in charge of the week's lessons. "With more and more aspects of our lives being online - and that being likely to increase further as our pupils grow up - it's vital that they learn the importance of being safe right from this early age," Ms Alley-Mohindra said. "We made the lessons appropriate to the different age groups. Year 3 were taught about personal identity issues, and the importance of not sharing this information, whilst Year 4 found out about 'safe surfing' and how to deal with attachments from unknown sources. Year 5 looked at how to deal with unsolicited content and pop-ups, whilst Year 6 focused on more legal things, such as data protection, privacy settings and internet copyright." With internet enabled devices being so ever-present in modern life, it is hard to control children's access to them, and Ms Alley-Mohindra said that made the variety of topics and themes covered in the school's E-safety week all the more necessary. "Pupils have different levels of access to this equipment and different levels of existing expertise, so it's the school's duty to make sure we equip them as best we can with the knowledge that they need to make the most of what the cyber world has to offer them, so they can enjoy it and benefit from it in safety and comfort." Pupils from Springfield Primary School in Sunbury got a taste of the showbiz lifestyle when they took part in a concert at London’s prestigious O2 Arena last month.
The Springfield Choir has proved hugely popular since being launched 18 months ago and on January 28, 30 of its members, under the guidance of music teacher Miss Gregson, took part in its most high-profile performance yet, at the Young Voices concert. Amongst the songs they performed were an Andrew Lloyd Webber medley, a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela and a version of the ever-popular Happy, by Pharell Williams. “There was over an hour of music to learn as well as dance routines,” said Miss Gregson. “The children were incredibly excited and I’m immensely proud of their achievements.” Since its inception, choir has become a hugely popular part of school life, so much so that an extra Key Stage 1 singing club has been set up and already attracted almost 20 members, and the choir already has further performances lined up. “Singing isn’t just seen as a ‘nice’ activity at Springfield, it’s really valued and taken seriously as a part of the curriculum,” explained Miss Gregson. “We’re hoping to achieve our first ‘Sing-Up’ award this summer, and before then some of the children will be taking part in an opera being staged at the Royal Albert Hall to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. The O2 Arena event was an amazing experience for the children - and fingers crossed, we might be able to make it a fixture on the school calendar.” Excitement is mounting over the latest addition to the Croydon family of schools later this year.
Initially, Chestnut Park School will open in temporary accommodation, before moving into brand new purpose-built facilities at St James Road, but that has not stopped over 100 applications already being made for the new school. The school’s location was chosen based on local demand for primary school places, and it will operate a three-form entry system. Prospective parents have had a chance to learn what will be on offer at information events held at six venues across the borough and additional information events will be held throughout the spring term. Chestnut Park Primary School will be part of GLF Schools which currently comprises 12 schools across Surrey and Berkshire, from purpose-built primary schools to a long-established secondary school. GLF Schools uses a collaborative management style with individual Headteachers coming together as part of a Forum to share ideas and experiences. The group’s Head of Primary School Improvement, Richard Evans, has a strong connection with Croydon, having previously been Deputy Headteacher at two schools in the borough. Headteacher, Esther Brooks, also has an existing link to Croydon, having previously been Special Education Needs Co-ordinator at Purley Oaks School. Mrs Brooks is an experienced teacher having taught in the foundation stage, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two as well as in a Special Educational Needs centre and will be joining Chestnut Park from another GLF school, Hillcroft Primary in Caterham, where she has been Head of School and previously Deputy Headteacher. “The school’s mission will be to ‘Dream – Achieve – Inspire’” Mrs Brooks explained. “Our philosophy is simple; if children enjoy learning, they will set themselves aspirational goals or dreams. Within an exciting, challenging and creative environment, children will achieve these goals whilst inspiring each other and driving their learning forward. Our ‘Dream-Achieve-Inspire’ approach is all about helping children to enjoy their education and to set themselves aspirational goals’ "We will be focusing on the core skills such as literacy and numeracy, but we also want to encourage them to develop independent thought and enquiry based learning. "We will develop the curriculum through a themed approach, developing an irresistible curriculum that is tailored to the needs of the children– but most of all, we want to ensure that Chestnut Park is a place where children love to learn.” As Chestnut Park Primary School will be a brand new school the school community will play a vital role in getting it up and running, as well as interaction and involvement with parents.. “Collaboration is the key to success; as a new building, the school will have additional capacity, so we aim to use that for family learning and wider community activities, so the school can really establish roots in the local community,” Ms Brooks added. “We will be conducting home visits in the summer term, so even before the school is open, that process will have started.” GLF Schools and Croydon Borough Council have established a strong working relationship throughout the development of the school and look forward to welcoming our first cohort of 90 reception children in the Autumn Term. The British fitness modelling calendar should brace itself for a whole new injection of glamour when a new championship – Glifting 2015 – takes place in the @Bristol venue on Saturday 11 April. The competition and show, to celebrate the beauty of health – and vice versa – is the brainchild of fitness model, athlete, mother to two daughters, DJ, kick boxing instructor, personal trainer, nutritionist and local business woman Natalia Aisha. “The basic message is ‘fit is fashionable, and if you’re healthy on the inside, you’re healthy on the outside’, and that’s what Glifting aims to celebrate,” she explained. “Recently, going to the gym and keeping in shape have become fashionable like never before – people are proud to show off their fitness, it’s part of their beauty. Glifting is about showcasing that, and also rewarding people for their efforts.” The name Glifting comes from ‘Glam Girls That Lift,’ and was inspired by Natalia’s own experience after competing in the Fit Factor Bodypower competition 2014. Natalia prepped herself for the competition, eating extremely clean and spending five weeks in Thailand to further her career in martial arts - but she also found herself attending every training session available, to develop an overall lean physique. “Afterwards, I felt so good, and as much as the fitness side of things, it was down to the effort I’d made with my appearance, so I thought ‘this is something we can work on, to encourage other people to feel this good’, so that’s where the idea came from,” she explained. What for many people starts out as a hobby – going to the gym – can become a way of life, and for some, even a profession. Initially, these are the people that Glifting 2015 is hoping to attract. “Attract is the key word there – health and fitness look attractive, which is why top fitness models make a living out of it and get to travel the world; people want to be associated with a healthy, positive image, and that’s what we’re all about” she said. “We want to showcase the best – but also to say to other people ‘you can do this too, we can turn anybody, and in fact any body, into an athlete’” over a due course of time and experiences. Glifting 2015 is an entirely natural event – any kind of enhancements or substances are strictly forbidden. With judges including such big names in the fitness model world as Natasha Murray, Romane Lanceford, Veronique Rees and Ry Williams, and compered by tv host and model Charlayne Everhart, Glifting is sending out the message that it is here to stay – and Natalia already has plans for the event to get bigger and better. “The competitive categories will see people from similar backgrounds going up against one another - so for example there’ll be muscle shape rounds, a transformation round for people who’ve been over or underweight etc – and going forward, we want to bring in categories for amateurs too, and also people with disabilities,” she explained. Expansion into the disability category is particularly important for Natalia, as she wants to demonstrate how health and fitness can be an incentive for people who may be recovering from serious injury. Natalia herself was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a central nervous disorder and after much research decided she didn't want to go down the route of a life time of medication, Instead, strength and condition training, eating clean and a healthy lifestyle keeps her condition manageable. “We want Glifting 2015 to show people how good it feels to be fit and to look fit – clean living is the key to a longer, happier life,” she concluded. “As a competitor myself, I know how good it makes you feel to know that you look good on the outside. If you’re healthy on the outside, you’ll feel healthy on the inside too. Come along to Glifting 2015 and you’ll see the living proof.” Parents found themselves the ones paying attention to teacher when Ladybird
Class at Windmill Primary School played host to a Stay and Play session. Mums and Dads were invited into the classroom for the morning to be shown round by the children and given a taste of what they get up to every day in the classroom – and they also had the chance to take part in some activities and try their hand at the children’s lessons. Class teacher Miss Demi St Clair said it was an enjoyable morning for the children – and an important one for the parents. “Parents are always keen to find out what’s going on in the classroom, and what their children are getting up to – and what better way than to come in and see them at it,” she said. “The children take obvious pride in showing what they can do, and it really builds a connection between their homes lives and their school lives. “The feedback we’ve had so far from both children and parents has been extremely positive. It’s a really useful activity in which to take part.” A pupil at Hillcroft School in Caterham has been picked out as a science star of the future after winning a prize in a nationwide schools competition.
Year Five pupil Maddison Craig was one of hundreds of schoolchildren across the country who took part in the ‘I’m a scientist, get me out of here’ competition, run by the Wellcome Foundation. The online competition, based on the familiar reality television show format, involved children joining a ‘zone’ which also included six professional scientists as members, and engaging in science-related activities and chat, with regular ‘eviction’ votes taking place as the children pick their favourite scientist. At the end, the scientists pick their best student – and Maddison was named winner of her zone, taking away a £20 WH Smith book token and a certificate. “It’s no surprise the scientists chose Maddison as a winner,” said the school’s science leader Mr Holloway. “Her enthusiasm for science is truly infectious and, as a teacher, it’s wonderful to see.” Although it was Maddison herself who won the prize, Mr Holloway said her success was symptomatic of the general attitude towards science throughout the school. “Hillcroft is a science-mad school – the children love carrying out their own experiments and making discoveries,” he explained. “Maddison’s success shows our passion for the subject, and how committed Hillcroft is to creating the next generation of scientists.” Pupils in Butterfly Class at Windmill School had a history lesson with a
difference recently when they baked bread inspired by the Great Fire of London. The children have been studying all aspects of the life, history and stories of the capital this term, taking in projects as diverse as building their own bridges to find new ways across the Thames and having a visit from a London black cab to find out about their role in the city’s story. But it was the tale of the Great Fire of 1666 that particularly caught their imagination – and inspired them to go to the kitchens themselves. “London has proved to be a great topic to study, because there are so many different aspects to it, but this was probably the most fun one to do,” said class teacher Mrs Clare Scragg. “It wasn’t just about the food aspect, though – we discussed the sort of bread that people would have been likely to eat in those days, and the ingredients they would have used, so it was specific to the London topic.” Unsurprisingly for such a crowded place, the capital has proved to be full of themes and topics for lessons, but Mrs Scragg said it also gave staff an opportunity to widen the curriculum. “As well as being an enjoyable activity in its own right, activities like baking are also a way of introducing ideas like healthy eating into the curriculum, and making the children think about that. And the best thing about it was that, at the end of the day, everyone had something to take home for tea as well!” Year 1 children at Lime Tree Primary School can be forgiven for spending a lot of time looking up at the stars as they dream of zooming to the moon.
Space has been the theme of the term so far, with a visit to the planetarium and the reported crash landing of an alien craft being the starting point for their exciting learning. “The topic has really caught their imagination,” said class teacher Mrs Brown. “The children found the wreckage of the flying saucer and various other clues to help them discover what might have happened, but they’ve not yet found the aliens. In the meantime, they’ve written incident reports and filmed news reports about the incident.’’ “Our topics are completely cross curricular and there have been lots of opportunities to develop the children’s design and technology skills; building space buggies from junk and designing prototypes of lunar buggies to rival the best from NASA’’ “In February, we’re hosting a family learning event where the children and parents can experience star gazing and scientific investigations. The Fantastic finish to our topic is an exciting space race, including a race on– what else– space hoppers!,” Mrs Brown continued. "The children at Lime Tree are dazzling us with their knowledge and imagination . As Buzz Lightyear would say, to the classroom –and beyond.” Any pupils at Hillcroft School in Caterham caught staring out of the window in lessons could have the excuse that they are in fact thinking about school work after the school revealed plans to turn its grounds into an outdoor classroom.
Working in partnership with The Hawthorns school in nearby Bletchingley, plans are already well underway to create a new outdoor learning environment, with the building project itself being turned into an educational experience, involving the school’s gardening club, and with pupils literally getting their hands dirty in the preparation of the new area. As part of the initiative, parents and children were invited to a conservation morning at The Hawthorns on January 17 to get an idea of the projects that will be involved, and also to get some hands-on experience of the kind of work that will be involved. Over the coming months, Hawthorns pupils will be making weekly visits to Hillcroft to help students in Years 3 and 4 with the task of preparing weed beds and making log piles to help with the building work. “This is a really creative, clever project and one that I think will really capture the imagination of the children,” said head teacher Stephanine Scutter. “Having an outdoor classroom will help us make better use of the grounds, as well as making the process of learning so much fun, and along the way, the children will also have the advantage of acquiring new skills and discovering more about the world around them. It’s an exciting new chapter for our school and I can’t wait to watch it develop.” |
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