1 Issue No 28/2015-2016

Thetford Grammar School

The small, friendly school that gets results for individuals.

13th May 2016

Dear Pupils and Parents,

Once again this has been a very busy week at Thetford Grammar School with pupils and

students in the final few days before their important examinations at GCSE, AS and A2. I

have certainly seen a lot of young people who are worrying and apprehensive about the

formal start to the scheduled exams. Equally there are a number of young people

who appear to be well-prepared and ready to start. In so many ways, a positive state of

mind does go a long way so that higher outcomes can be realised in due course. Good luck

to all pupils over the coming weeks.

May I offer congratulations to all the Year 12s on their recent Sixth Form Senior Prefect

interviews, which were held last week in my study with Mr Stephen Spencer, Head of Sixth

Form, Mrs Linda Pearson, prospective Head of Sixth Form from September 2016, and I.

Particular congratulations to:

Head Boy William Honeywood

Head Girl Megan Curley

Deputy Head Boy Patrick Taylor

Deputy Head Girl Clemency Wood

All prospective Y13 applicants have been allocated specific responsibilities across the school

for the forthcoming academic year.

The highlight for this week, at least from my perspective, has been the Mayor Making event

that took place on Tuesday evening at the Guildhall. It was a pleasure to see so many

distinguished people from Thetford and beyond attend the mayoral ceremony. I particularly

enjoyed seeing the Thetford Grammar School’s Vocalease perform beautifully, once again,

under the guidance of Dr Marie Stoppard, Director of Music and Mrs Philippa Weyers,

Music Teacher. The appreciation from the Mayor Terry Jermy at the event resonates with my

own delight at attending the event.

I shall wish us all a very positive and healthy weekend break.

Mr Mark S. Bedford

Headmaster

2 Issue No 28/2015-2016

OVERVIEW

Y8 Houses of Parliament The Great British Dog Walk

Charity Assembly Nearly New Uniform Shop Opening Times

Peer Listening Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers

Mayor Making Congratulations

Year 4 & 5 Human Math Match Results

Pre-Prep Nasa Space Station Next Week’s Fixtures

Year 6 Design Technology Lost Property

Thetford Parkrun Attachments

Staff Coffee Morning Forthcoming letters/Letters sent home

Y8 HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT VISIT

On Friday 6th May our Y8 pupils had an enjoyable

and educational visit to the Houses of Parliament.

Following a guided tour they took part in a

Voting and Election workshop to educate them on

how our election process works. After lunch in

Victoria Park, adjacent to the Houses of

Parliament and overlooking the Thames, the

group then had a discovery flight on the London

Eye.

Below are some comments from the pupils

about their day:

‘We arrived in London at the Houses of

Parliament where we were split into two

groups and we each had a tour guide. First we

entered the House of Lords, which was very

ornate and grand. Then we walked through

Parliament to the House of Commons. It was a lot plainer. Our final room was Westminster

Hall. After the tours we had a workshop and our mini-election. It was fun but informative

too. We ate lunch behind Parliament in Victoria Park and at 1.30pm we were lucky enough

to go on the London Eye. My favourite part was the

election because it linked into our trip and was very hands

on.’

Elizabeth Wright

8M

3 Issue No 28/2015-2016

‘It was amazing to be there and I learnt that the Queen can go into

the House of Lords but not the House of Commons. I stood in

front of where the Prime Minister sits and learnt that the box in

front held religious items showing that he is in charge.’

Kate Shelton

8M

‘I learnt that in a free vote that MPs from any side can vote

for any side that they want. I also learnt how to make a

policy. It was fun.

George Nicklin

8M

‘I learnt that there is a viewing gallery where people can come free of charge and see debates

happen. Something that intrigued me was that on the TV you only see the chairs and the

MPs. When I went in there I noticed that there were lots of microphones hanging from the

ceiling. I also liked it when we went into the massive hall where Nelson Mandela and

President Obama made their speeches.’

Robbie Ackerman

8M

‘My favourite part was probably being able to stand in

the House of Commons and House of Lords. I thought

that it was a great experience and we were very lucky to

be allowed in! The most interesting thing that I learnt

was the fact that the doors entering the House of

Commons were purposely angled at 45˚ so that MPs can

only fit through one at a time.’

Lizzie Shelton

8M

‘It was really nice to hear the history of some of the

rooms, especially the House of Lords’ room.’

Christan Eade

8B

4 Issue No 28/2015-2016

After the Houses of Parliament we took a trip on the

London Eye. This was my personal favourite part of

the trip as I got to see the whole of London and learn

about some of the key buildings that make London

what it is today.’

James Stevenson-Rutter

8B

‘My favourite part of the trip was going into the House of Commons and the House of Lords

at ground level because it is very rare for people to be able to do that.’

Shaswathan Sanjeevvijay

8B

CHARITY ASSEMBLY

Michael Rooney and Karen Burwin from ‘Break’ delivered

an engaging and informative presentation on the Norfolk-

based charity 'Break' today. Break is primarily concerned

with the provision of children's homes for Looked After

Children in their home Local Authority. Break also

provides support for young people leaving Break's care

by its in-house Moving On Team; and it also has a

children's home for young people with profound learning

and physical disabilities. This presentation marks the start

of what we hope is going to become a lasting relationship

between Thetford Grammar School and Break.

To begin our support, pupils in PrepSchool have each been provided with black bags to

bring home that they can fill with clothes, accessories, shoes, books and non-copied DVDs as

a donation; while each tutor group in the Senior School has been provided with a bag for

their form room to fill over the course of the next couple of weeks. If pupils and families

have clothes etc that are not suitable for donation, they can still donate these in a separate

bag for recycling! Bags can either be donated into Thetford's local branch of Break next to

Tesco Express, or could be brought into school by Friday 10th June for collection. We hope

that every Tutor Group can donate a bag between them - if not more!

Miss Daniella Dunsmore

Head of Charities

5 Issue No 28/2015-2016

PEER LISTENING

Last Thursday 5th May at 9.00am some Y12 students came

across to Prep School to introduce the Peer Listening

scheme to the Y6s which will be effective for them in Y7.

They were all engaged in

what was said and had some

interesting questions to ask.

They found a game of ‘Doctor

Doctor’ to be fun and helpful as they had to work together to

untangle themselves from the knot they had created.

Miss Kim Fitch

Teaching Assistant

MAYOR MAKING

Vocalease sang at the inauguration of the new

Mayor of Thetford at the annual 'Mayor-Making'

ceremony in the Large Court of the Guildhall in

Thetford on Tuesday evening. Well done to all those

involved for representing the school at such an

important local event.

The pupils and staff who performed were: Holly

Simpson, Henry Bittleston, Omar El Oakley, Finn

Humphris, Miranda Patalidis-Thomas, Amy Smith, Louise Macrow, Evangeline Bedford,

Jenni Kingsnorth, Tom Bercovici, Dr Stoppard, Mrs Weyers and Mrs Weeks.

YEAR 4 & 5 HUMAN MATHS

Children in Y4 and Y5 have been learning how to

manipulate numbers by multiplying and dividing with the

added complication of a decimal point being involved.

During our lesson we decided to carry out some 'Human

Maths' where the children became the numbers which made

everything much easier to understand! It was a really fun

lesson.

Mrs Nicki Peace

Head of Preparatory School

6 Issue No 28/2015-2016

PRE-PREP NASA SPACE STATION

Miss Blakemore and Miss Atkins took the Pre-

Prep pupils on a virtual tour of a NASA Space

Station. The pupils put on their 3D glasses and

watched in amazement as the astronauts floated

around in space carrying out scientific

experiments. This then led us to look at the first

Spaceman, Neil Armstrong, the first man to set

foot on the Moon.

Iris – ‘I want to go on holiday to the moon’.

Amelia – ‘I’d like to go to the moon’.

Miss Julie Blakemore

Pre-Prep Class Teacher

YEAR 6 DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

Last term Y6 designed and made motorised vehicles and this week the vehicles were entered

into the 2016 TGS Grand Prix.

First the girls raced and

Cathy’s car was victorious.

We had two heats amongst

the boys. Heat 1 was closely

fought by Sam S, Owen,

Freddie, and Joshua. These

four went through to the

final race. In heat 2 Sam B’s

car was a clear winner.

Unfortunately some of the

other cars could not withstand the gruelling race due to

technical faults. The final heat to decide the overall winner

was a resounding win by Sam Bercovici’s ice cream van.

Much pleasure was had by all on this thrilling occasion.

Mrs Renate Dimminger

Y6 DT Teacher

7 Issue No 28/2015-2016

THETFORD PARK RUN

On Saturday 30th April, a group of dedicated

Thetford Grammar School pupils and staff kicked

off the morning at 9.00am with a 5K run

beginning at the Priory ruins in Thetford. This

was a larger turnout than our previous efforts in

Brandon in September. In part, this was to raise

awareness of, and funds for, our twin school in Mogadishu; but also, we hope to continue to

raise awareness of the importance of an active lifestyle and community spirit. If you would

like to know about our twin school, or would like to donate, please follow the link below.

http://twins.org.uk/somalia/ (Information)

https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/twins/s1044401 (JustGiving)

Charles Lamport-Beale

Y13

STAFF COFFEE MORNING

On Thursday morning staff enjoyed cakes and coffee in

aid of 'Crohn's and Colitis UK'. We were able to raise

£60.27 for this important cause. Thank you to everyone

involved!

Miss Daniella Dunsmore

Head of Charities

THE GREAT BRITISH DOG WALK

On Sunday 22nd May Ickworth Park, Bury St Edmunds, is hosting The

Great British Dog Walk to raise funds for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

For an online entry fee of £10 per adult (children go free) you can choose

to take part in a 3km or 8km walk with your canine companion. Dogs

can be sponsored to help raise extra funds if you choose and there will

be a variety of stalls there on the day including a BBQ.

Pre-registered walkers will receive a limited edition bandana for their dog and there is a free

souvenir for the owners. There will also be the opportunity to meet some trained hearing

dogs and the adorable in-training puppies.

For more information visit www.greatbritishdogwalk.org or contact Rachel Clarke at

rachel.clarke@hearingdogs.org.uk 07769901291.

Mrs Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

8 Issue No 28/2015-2016

NEARLY NEW UNIFORM SHOP OPENING TIMES

We now have a fairly extensive range of uniform in the Nearly New Uniform

shop ranging from Blazers to PE kit being sold for up to half the

recommended selling price. If there is any uniform you need to replace then

come in and have a look. The shop will be open on Monday and Wednesday

afternoons from 3.45pm – 4.15pm manned by volunteers. If you feel you

could spare some time to help in the shop it would be very much appreciated.

Also if you have any unwanted uniform in good condition that you would like to sell on a

50/50 basis then please hand it in to me in the office and I will put it up for sale in the shop.

You can contact me on 01842 752840 or by email scsec@thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk

Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

SAINSBURY’S ACTIVE KIDS VOUCHERS

Just a reminder that if you have any Active Kids vouchers from any Sainsbury’s stores

please bring them into the school office or place in the Prep School foyer in the special box

provided. Last year we received some new sports equipment, games and cooking utensils

for the children to use during their break, lunchtimes and cookery lessons. Thank you for

your support in this venture.

Mrs Issy Cracknell

Prep School Secretary

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to the following pupils who received certificates from Mrs Peace in Monday

morning’s Preparatory School assembly:

MATCH RESULTS

Monday 9th May U11 Rounders v Sacred Heart Lost 11 ½ - 13

Thursday 12th May U16 Rounders v Fnborough Won 18 ½ - 17

Eryn Clinton Alexis Goodwin Fearn Bourne Flynn Clinton

Sophie Peace Gracie White Kit Beaven Amelia Worsley

Jiya Changela Annabella Ellis

9 Issue No 28/2015-2016

NEXT WEEK’S FIXTURES

Tuesday 17th May U15 Rounders v Sacred Heart (H) 4.30pm. Pick up 5.45pm

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Saturday 14th May D of E Bronze Qualifying

Sunday 15th May D of E Bronze Qualifying

Monday 16th May GCSE/AS Exams begin

Y12 Study Leave begins

Tuesday 17th May French Exchange outbound departs

Wednesday 18th May Salters’ Festival of Chemistry trip – 4 pupils Y7/8

Thursday 19th May Prep School Open Morning 9.15am – 10.30am

Friday 20th May Non-Uniform Day – Every Child Matters charity

Monday 23rd May Y11 Study Leave begins

LOST PROPERTY

Aria MacFarlane-Kubota Y8 V neck school jumper - named

ATTACHMENTS

None

FORTHCOMING LETTERS/LETTERS SENT HOME

Y11 Book Return Day letter

If you would like a printed copy of this newsletter please contact the office