Chestnut NewsDate: 17 Jan 2019 Issue No: 101

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! Although it seems like a long time ago now, I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and managed to spend some quality time with family and friends over the festive period. The start of term has gone well and we are all settled into the routine of the new year. As you will see from this newsletter there is lots going on in school and I would encourage you to take the time to read about all of the exciting projects that are happening.

Safeguarding Your child’s safety is of paramount concern to us. If you have any concerns over the personal development, behaviour or welfare of your child or any other child within Chestnut Grove Academy that cannot be resolved by the child’s teacher, tutor or RSL, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Ms Jackson on 0208 772 2510 or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Mikayla Jolley on 0208 772 2545. Should either of these be unavailable and you have an urgent safeguarding concern, please ask for the other Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, Mr Collins (KS3), Mr Bedford (KS4) or Mr Taylor (KS5).

Christian Kingsley, Headteacher

ATTENDANCE UPDATEI’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to improve students’ punctuality and attendance here at CGA. New research shows that overall absence and poor punctuality has a negative link to attainment. I’ve included some information which explains the impact that as little as 5 minutes late has on learning.

Thank you for your continued help and support. I believe together this can be achieved.

Ms Ramsay, Attendance Officer

The NHS Immunisation Team have informed us that they have had to re-schedule the upcoming session for all Year 9 students and it will now take place on Tuesday 21st January. Consent forms will be issued to all parents prior to the day, once you receive it, please complete the form as soon as possible and return it to the school office.

Ms Payen, Office Manager

YEAR 9 IMMUNISATIONS - DIPHTHERIA, TETANUS, POLIO AND MenACWY

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE LAUNCH

At the Year 10 Parents’ Evening on Thursday 9th January 2020, I delivered two talks across the evening explaining what Work Experience (WEX) is and why we are keen to see students benefit from a robust experience as part of our implementation of the Gatsby Benchmarks.

I can confirm that the presentation I delivered is now available on our website and that I have also uploaded the presentation delivered to Year 10 students in their Health lesson on Monday 13th January 2020 by our colleagues at Business & Education Succeeding Together (BEST), Wandsworth.

If you visit the Chestnut Grove Academy website, you will also notice that I have additionally uploaded the Student Instructions guide to making their choices on the BEST Veryan Website, and BEST’s Work Experience Own Placement Form which must be used if a student intends to find their own placement for their work experience.

NB. Please be advised that although Year 10 WEX is calendared for the period 6th July to 17th July 2020, the deadline for students to make their choices on the Best Webview website is Friday 14th February 2020, as it is for students to complete and return their Own Placement Forms to Mr Luke O’Neill, Year 10 WEX Coordinator, based in N.1.37.

Don’t delay in making your 5-6 choices as the BEST website is live and the most popular places will be in high demand. Don’t forget, you are competing against students from other schools as well as against the rest of your year group!

Follow:Home>Academic>Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance>Work Experience to access downloadable material. http://www.chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk/Work-Experience

Mr TaylorDeputy Headteacher

PE DEPARTMENT

Chestnut Grove Year 9 Netball Team vs Burntwood

This week the Chestnut Year 9 Netball team got their first league win of the season in a very exciting match against Burntwood School. The girls had been beaten by Graveney just before the Christmas holidays and had worked through some fundamental flaws such as crowding one side of the court and not spacing out to create space for runners.

This week the girls played with intelligence and determination after going down 9-4 in the first quarter, they came back with a dominant second quarter to lead 16-11 at the half time stage. Zoe and Isabella scored 12 points to Burntwood’s 2 in that quarter. An injured Rowan ran tirelessly at Centre creating a lot of our chances.

Esme and Megan made their mark in the third quarter creating space with smart positioning and running, and Jessica and Nikeira held strong in defence resulting in us extending our lead to 22-12 at the end of the third.Sophie, Victoria and Ralitsa played exceptionally well when on court and all the girls can be very proud of their win.

Final score 27-18 to Chestnut Grove.

A big thanks also to Mr Coulson who was umpire and also gave the girls wise words of advice at the intervals.

James HallsworthPE Teacher

OUTSTANDING CLASSWORK IN MFL

As part of our module last term, Year 9 Spanish have been learning about the importance of learning another language. Some of the posters that the students produced on the computers before Christmas were wonderful and made the whole MFL department extremely PROUD. It is great to see the students demonstrate their open mindedness and show their understanding of why learning a foreign language is so important for their futures and their understanding of other cultures. We look forward to them carrying this positivity forward and to record numbers of students choosing a language when they make their GCSE options in the Spring. Well done to the students whose work has been selected below.

Ms HoldingHead of MFL

Sixth Form Football: Chestnut Grove v Bolingbroke

The match on 9th January against Bolingbroke was just like any other in terms of results. However, at the start of the game we lacked urgency and composure; our passing was abysmal and some players weren’t disciplined particularly in the midfield, leaving us vulnerable in numerous counter attacks. Our players seemed tired and unmotivated in the first 25-30 minutes of the game. This led us to concede an unnecessary and clumsy penalty when Chisom (who was out of position) lunged into a ridiculous tackle. At this moment, the ‘Captain of the Day’ had to intervene and offer some motivation to his team mates. When we started playing with intent and energy, Daniel Ffrench opened the scoring with a composed and clinical finish in the bottom corner, which got us right back into the game. As a result of a spectacular ball from Emmanuel Kufoalor (the captain), Jeavarn Hendricks was able to get in behind the opposition back line and comfortably slotted the ball past the keeper on his bottom right corner. Jered Mills then got on the end of a loose ball round the danger zone and smashed one past the goalkeeper and into the top left corner with his weaker foot. This made the scoreline 3-1.

At the start of the second half, Emmanuel Kufoalor struck again with his sharp vision in the midfield and chipped a beauty of a pass in behind the opposition defence, Azriel with the help of his pace was able to get to the pass from the captain and give Yousuf Boutouilli a square ball. Yousuf was then able to keep his composure and put the ball at the back of the net. At this point, there was only one football team on the field. The game quickly turned into a training session when Azriel was able to dribble his way into getting his shot off at goal, the keeper spilled the save and Azriel was able to score on the rebound. The sixth goal came when the half time substitution Nicky put a delicious cross into the box but the centre back for the opposition could not position himself correctly for the clearance, which ended in him scoring an own goal. Things quickly turned from bad to worse for Bolingbroke. Emmanuel Kufoalor was fouled which led to the opposition conceding in a position that was perfect for an in-swinger free kick. Emmanuel then put a half decent cross into the box which made its way to Chisom. Chisom on a mission to make amends for giving away a penalty in the opening minutes, then took a beautiful first touch to set himself up and smashed the ball into the back of the net.

Final score Chestnut Grove 7 – Bolingbroke 1

Emmanuel Kufoalor Year 13 student

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN LANGUAGES

1.Increase brain power.Learning a language is a great way to keep your brain healthy and sharp.Being bilingual can improve a person’s multitasking skills, attention control, problem solving and creativity as it promotes outside-the-box thinking. It can also help improve your memory

2. Make travel easier and more enjoyable.Traveling is way more fun and easier when there isn’t a language barrier, you can have a more immersive and authentic experience. You’ll be able to talk directly with the locals and make more friends along the way. Knowing what food to order without pointing at pictures and asking for directions when you get lost is also a bonus.

3.Stay mentally stronger for longer.Recent studies reveal that bilingual people’s brains age more slowly and therefore they live longer and more satisfying lives. It is now widely recognized that being bilingual can delay neurological diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Gjuhë

línguasتاغللا

ਬੋਲੀਆਂ

limbi

языки

भाषाओं

4.Improve social life.Speaking a second language opens up a whole new range of social opportunities and can enhance your social skills and confidence. Put simply, the more languages you understand, the more people you can converse with

cànanantillari languages

5.You can better raise your kids bilingual.Raising your kids to be bilingual may help them acknowledge the importance of their culture and heritage, as well as develop a stronger personal identity. It’s a great gift to be able to pass on to your children especially if the home language is different to the language taught at school

izilimi

Aleah-9 Kapoor

ngôn ngữ

भाषाह'

语言

luqadaha

Γλώσσες

kalbomis

ภาษา

ভাষায়

Why should we study

languages?

Communicationis needed in nearly every job, which is why it is so important. Studying modern foreign languages enhances listening and memory skills, plus increases vocabulary skills.

hello

ciao

aloha

hola

bonjour

Why you should learn a second language

1. It can cause your brain to work more.

2.95% of the world doesn’t speak English as a first language.

3. It can increase your pay up to 20%.

4. It can increase your relationship chances.

5. You can possibly become more confident.

6. It can make your travelling way easier by learning a language.

SCIENCE MODELS OF THE HEART

Over Christmas, Year 9 were set homework to make a 3D model of the heart. There were some really creative and fantastic models made by the whole class, shown in the pictures below.

Of particular note was Kate Woods’ cake, which was not only delicious, but a very accurate representation of the heart. Joseph Sharpington and Ben Powell-Howard’s heart that was made using the design and technology equipment could actually beat as well!

Well done to everyone.

Ms Brooke and Ms HolmesScience teachers

YEAR 7 ART - UTOPIAN LANDSCAPES

Year 7s have been studying a project called ‘Utopian Landscapes’. Within this scheme of work students have studied the meaning, history and composition of Chinese ink drawings. Students started by painting the background with the lightest ink, followed by the slightly darker for the middle ground and finally the darkest ink for the foreground. Using these differing shades brings a feeling of depth and distance, in art we call this aerial perspective, which Year 7 will be able to tell you all about! Well done to Rosa Stern, Sasha Rog and Maja Kolterman for these fabulous examples below.

Sasha Rog - 7 Turner

Rosa Stern - 7 Da Vinci

Ms HorneArt Teacher

Maja Kolterman - 7 Kahlo

JACK PETCHY REWARD TRIP

On Monday 16th December I was lucky enough to get to take some very deserving students out to celebrate a receipt of a Jack Petchey award. Mr Giddings and I took Tilly Sheldon-Ralls, Josie Stern, Polly Pearn-Lewis, Maia Rizzolo-Blackman and Leila Mehanna to Sticks and Sushi in Covent Garden. We had a really lovely afternoon and – it might not look like it on the photo – ate a lot of sushi!

Ms Minall

CHESTNUT21

GRANT SUCCESS – we are pleased to announce that we have received a grant of £1,000 for new digital Chemistry equipment from the Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector (BMCS). This will enable us to enrich the teaching of practical chemistry for the students and give the students a taste of using current state of art equipment for experiments.

Ms NobleDevelopment Manager

FRIENDS OF CHESTNUT GROVE Quiz Night 6th February 2020:

Our next event is our quiz night which is open to all parents, family, friends and 6th formers (no year 7 to 11 students) to be held on the 6 February. Tickets are now on ParentPay at £10 per ticket (£5 for 6th formers) which includes chilli and rice. Vegetarian chilli available but you must email kathy40192@btinternet.com to reserve a veggie meal (once you have bought your ticket on ParentPay) as it will otherwise not be available for you. Food is served from 7pm to 7.45pm and the quiz will start at 7.45pm. Bar available on the night (cash or card accepted).

Easyfundraising

We have raised over £1,423 so far using this scheme and there is absolutely no cost to you! Please consider signing up to activate it for all of your online shopping (holidays, groceries, insurance, fashion, home, garden, presents and more). Once you have done so you will only need to click on the automatic pop-up whenever you browse these sites. The link is: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/chestnutgroveacademy If you would like to join our mailing list to hear about the events that we organise, please email us at friends@chestnutgrove.org.uk to Opt In. General emails to friends@chestnutgrove.org.uk Follow us on our Facebook page Friends of Chestnut Grove.

HEAD’S COMMENDATIONS

Headteacher’s commendations are given for students demonstrating the PROUD ethos, either through behaviour or exceptional pieces of work. Any student can be nominated by their teacher. Students who receive a commendation get a certificate from the Headteacher and also receive 100 Proud Points. The following students have received commendations in the past fortnight:

GeographyEmaan MohsinYohance VirtueNina SerrantJerry AthymartisEmma CoxEvandro PereiraBeatrice Isted-AggreyJem WhiteHarry MayhewBeatriz PaesDanae Perez-MurataJemima TimlinBineam TeferiJacob SharpingtonShane SprostonNaima Mrisho-HuntAlfred FieldElaina HolmesJake BrookesYash BablaFarah KennedyVictoria Fuentes VaskuezHannah AndersonOliver Foggarty

Contribution to the school communityJaden Ramos

ScienceJoseph SharpingtonBenjamin Powell-HowardKate Woods

ArtMaja KoltermanRosa SternSasha Rog

YEAR TEAMS

YEAR 7

It has been wonderful to welcome students back to school over the last two weeks and I have made it clear to the Year 7 students that expectations are starting to shift. Year 7 are no longer new; they should be feeling confident about knowing where everything is and how life at Chestnut Grove works. Following the most recent set of exam results and the Parents’ Evening, Year 7 students should also be working hard and focusing on making excellent progress in all of their lessons.

There are a few simple steps that I would like the year group to focus on:

1. Being on time to school and lessons,2. Having the correct equipment and being ready to learn,3. Completing all homework and handing it in on time,4. Attending school every day.

Tutors talk through these things regularly in tutor time and offer advice and support to students to help them succeed. Please review your child’s homework diary regularly to check what is being set and encourage them to attend homework club if they need help or a space to complete it. Homework club runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school in N.1.48 to provide access to computers and the internet. Homework club is available to all students and LSAs are on hand to provide support where necessary or students can just use the space to complete their work and stay organised.

In assembly this week I had the pleasure of handing out an incredible 22 Headteacher’s Commendations. These were awarded for outstanding effort in geography, outstanding Chinese ink drawings, outstanding geography homework and contribution to the school community. Well done to everyone who received an award, your achievements are an inspiration to the whole year group.

Miss C SweenyRaising Standards Leader Year 7

YEAR 9

Welcome back to the spring term for Year 9! I hope you had an enjoyable and restful Christmas holiday and are looking forward to every day being that bit brighter (see excessive graph on next page)

A few important things for the diary and for you to be aware of:

1. Tuesday 21st January, Year 9 have their immunisations for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio and MenACWY.

2. We will shortly be releasing Year 9 reports detailing their results of the November tests and their individualised next steps. These will be available on MCAS for you to see. If you have any issues accessing MCAS please contact us at mcas@chestnutgrove.wandsworth.sch.uk.

3. Year 9 will be using their reports to write next steps to address areas where progress is needed. These will be central to the focus of tutor conversations at our next Parents’ Evening.

4. During January and February, Heads of Department will be speaking toYear 9 to outline their subject content for GCSE options. Students have completed a preliminary sheet to indicate the subjects they wish to select.

5. Year 9 Options Evening is on Wednesday 4th March. This serves as both parents evening and is also when students are given their final options forms to complete.

6. The next set of exams is on Monday 9th March. This is the Diagnostic test week where students complete exams which will provide feedback on their next steps from the November tests and the improvements needed for the end of year exams.

Mr D O’KeeffeRaising Standards Leader Year 9

YEAR 10

It was wonderful to meet so many of you at Parents’ Evening last week. It seemed that there was a very positive atmosphere around the sports hall and lots of really productive conversations were taking place.

I hope, also, that you have been able to see your child’s recent report which is currently on MCAS. I have also printed a version for the students to look at in tutor time next week:

As you can see above, this includes a section for students to reflect on their progress and set their own goals. This will lead to conversations with their tutor who will then fill in a section on their sheet. These sheets will then be stuck in students’ planners. Please ask your child to show you this in their planner once it has been completed so you can discuss their progress and how they are feeling about their targets / predictions.

I’m very pleased to see how well the cohort is doing as a whole. Early indications suggest that they are making great progress and I am excited about continuing to support them in achieving their goals.

Mr G BedfordRaising Standards Leader Year 10

YEAR 11

Year 11 Parents’ EveningFurther to the Year 11 mock exams in December, we would like to invite you to attend the Year 11 Parents’ Evening which will be taking place on Thursday 23rd January from 5 - 7pm. With the increased academic rigour of the new GCSEs, this is an important evening for you to attend to understand how you can work closely with the school in supporting your child over the final few months they have before their GCSE exams.

This is a very important opportunity to meet with each of your child’s teachers and receive feedback based on your child’s progress and what is required of them in order to succeed in their GCSEs. Teachers will be sharing strategies with you that will maximize your child’s use of time, both inside and outside school, and advising you on techniques to optimise performance and recall at this critical time. It is also a useful opportunity to find out more regarding post 16 options should your child want to stay on at Chestnut Grove Academy for their A Levels or move further afield. It is crucial that you attend this evening as it is the final Parents’ Evening before your child sits their GCSE exams in the summer. As such we would very much encourage you to attend.

Access to the Parents’ Evening will be via the main entrance on Chestnut Grove between 5 and 5.30pm, and then from the side entrance on Boundaries Road. This will be clearly signposted on the evening. Please register in the canteen on arrival.

Appointments are first come, first served. All teachers will be located in the Sports Hall. Appointments last for no longer than 5 minutes with each teacher. A plan of the room will be on the wall to help you locate your child’s teachers, and we ask that you bring your child’s student planner as this has their full timetable in the front.

Please can you complete the reply slip attached to the letter your child received on the 10th January confirming your attendance at Parents’ Evening at your earliest convenience.

Support your child’s revision and information sharing Additionally, on Parents’ Evening on 23rd January, Mr Collins, Assistant Head, will be presenting to parents strategies you can use to support your child’s revision in preparation for their summer exams.

This will also be a useful opportunity to understand the timeline for the last term and see when key dates affect your child. Lastly, this is a crucial opportunity to ask questions and receive information pertaining to your child’s journey as we approach the final term.

This session will take place in the Theatre at 4.30pm in the South Block. All are welcome and attendance is strongly encouraged.

Upcoming Key Dates23rd January Year 11 Parents Evening23rd March Year 11 PPEs

Mr B McCarthyRaising Standards Leader Year 11

SIXTH FORMChestnut Grove Sixth Form welcomes back District JudgeOn Wednesday 8th January 2020 the Sixth Form welcomed former Hydeburn School student and District Judge, Shanti Mauger, back to her roots. Shanti is one of only 400 civil District Judges in the country.

Shanti, who sits as a District Judge in the Strand, approached her former school and volunteered a talk to Year 12 students on ‘The Rule of Law’, with Sixth Formers fascinated to engage in an interactive discussion of real life case law. In doing so, the Sixth Formers were introduced to the Equality Act 2010 via the ‘Dr Thomas Bower v Brewdog PLC’ case.

This got everyone talking, and there followed a broader discussion about the different types of law - criminal, family, employment, business, contract, Human Rights etc. – before some more specific questions and answers on becoming a lawyer, the independence of the judiciary, the Supreme Court and how much does a judge earn?

The session ended with Shanti explaining that, in her opinion, the most rewarding part about being a judge is being able to make a difference, while acknowledging that the most difficult cases are always those relating to children because you are trying to make the least bad decision for them.

The Sixth Form is grateful to Shanti for reaching out to her former school and wishes to establish and maintain a new link moving forward.

UCAS UpdateI am delighted to write that this year we have had a bumper crop of university applicants applying via UCAS for September 2020 entry.

The deadline for all entries to gain equal consideration was the 15th January in any wave of applications and this year 84 students have met this deadline, applying for a range of courses and institutions.

I am grateful to Ms Lee, Deputy Head of Sixth Form, and my team of Year 13 tutors for making this happen. Writing so many references, in quick succession, and making them bespoke to each candidate, reflecting their own unique qualities and person attributes, is no mean feat.

We wish all our students the best of luck!

Oxbridge SuccessI am delighted to announce that our Head Student, Sonia Zia, has been offered a place at Brasenose College, University of Oxford to read Spanish and Beginners’ German.

Sonia’s work ethic, drive and determination make her something of a force of nature, and her intellectual curiosity and zest for life is infectious. I couldn’t be more PROUD!

Well done Sonia!

Veterinary Medicine offer I am equally delighted to announce that Shannon Chaffey-Carter has received an offer to read Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Surrey. Shannon, who was interviewed on 10th January, wowed admissions tutors and received the good news on Tuesday 14th January.

To put this achievement into context, there are only 7 universities in England and two in Scotland that offer Veterinary degree courses. Competition for places is fierce, with ‘thestudentroom.co.uk’ claiming that most Vet schools attracted somewhere in the region of 1000 applications, of which maybe c.120 – c.400 may be interviewed and then c.100 offered a place.

Well done Shannon! I knew you could do it, and again I am so PROUD!

Mr J TaylorDeputy Head/Head of Sixth form