Dear Parents/Carers
I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a Friday update for you as always.
A typically busy week here in school with lots going on for students across all year groups. Year 10 Digital and Fine Art GCSE students visited the Tate Modern this week to explore, analyse and investigate art that connects to the themes being studied in their lessons this term. There are some fantastic 'free' displays on there at the moment including huge hanging swathes of woven metallic fabric, in the Turbine Hall, by Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui that students were either bemused or fascinated by. As usual, when taking our students out, behaviour and attitude were very good and an exciting and productive day was had by all.
A group of Year 9 Classicists visited Tower Hill on Wednesday and became Roman Londoners in 82AD. 'Ultima Britannia' is a project run by Clio's Company situated in Walthamstow. Clio, in Greek mythology, stands for the muse of history. Students were given a unique opportunity to explore one of the oldest churches in the city of London, All Hallows by the Tower. This ancient Anglican church was the perfect venue for students to reimagine life in Londinium under Roman rule. Students were encouraged to think about the impact of war on the city and the people when Boudicca's uprising destroyed Colchester. It was fantastic to learn students used their knowledge and understanding of the period to bring the narrative to life, and make it relevant to modern viewers. Ms Ahmet will post updates on the Twitter account, @KelmClassDept, if anyone wishes to follow the project.
Our Year 10 Youth Health Champions were also out, twice this week, for training that forms part of the programme. This consisted of facilitated workshops culminating in an assessment for the RSPH Level 2 Certificate for Young Health Champions, which is equivalent to a GCSE (13 QCF credits). The Youth Health Champion model is designed to give young people the skills, knowledge and confidence to act as peer mentors, increasing awareness of healthy lifestyles and encouraging involvement in activities to promote good health. The Youth Health Champions offer support to their peers by providing confidential signposting to specialist health professionals, raising awareness of health issues through the delivery of health promotion campaigns, and acting as healthy role models in their school community. They will be working on their specialist campaigns over the next few weeks, ready to launch in January to the whole school.
On Wednesday, all of Year 7 enjoyed the Astrodome experience in the main hall, learning about space and the stars in a mobile planetarium. Students were taken on an imaginary space flight from Earth to the outer edges of our solar system, teaching the all-important movements that affect our everyday lives. Behaviour in and out of the dome was excellent. It was pleasing to see the students thoroughly enjoying this experience and challenging the presenter with their thought-provoking questioning.
Year 11 had their College Roadshow today; an opportunity for students to get important information about the various options available to them, and to support them in making well-informed decisions about their post-16 pathway. Post-16 providers set up stalls in the hall and students were able to ask questions about the options and opportunities they have on offer. Representatives from many of the local colleges and Sixth Forms were there to share information on the courses that students can study at their institutions. I hope this helped Year 11 further cement their possible Post-16 options for next year – important decisions afoot.
Details of some free festive-themed adult learning opportunities were shared with us this week. Lifelong learning is a trait we are working hard to instil in our students. Just in case any of these courses are of interest to you, as adults, please find more details here.
Some impressive news from a former Kelmscott student Michal Rosiak, who left us two years ago now. He has signed professional terms with Arsenal Football Club and is currently captaining the U18 team. I was pleased and proud to see him score the winning goal from a set piece at the weekend. Once Kelmscott, always Kelmscott.
Finally, congratulations to Simrah Hussain in 7S and Zabrina Canggat, also in 7S who shared the spoils at the top of the reward points chart last week – keep up the good work.
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher
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