Thamesview School Spr ing Term 4

March 2008

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Headteacher’s Letter 2

The Cashless School 3

Term Dates 5

Sports News 6

Year 8 French Breakfast 6

Eco News 7

Y10 PSHE Conference 8

THAMES V IEWS

It’s arrived!! Thamesview has just opened a fantastic new Bicycle Barn, which can securely house up to 48 bicycles. This is a wonderful new addition to our school, not just because it will give students the opportunity to enjoy the freedom of cycling, but also because it will help set patterns of healthy lifestyles and environmental awareness that we hope will last a lifetime. All students will need to get a

parents permission form completed in order to gain a Thamesview Cycle Pass. Good cycling proficiency and safety awareness will be part of gaining the ‘Pass’, so too will wearing a helmet!

If you would like any further information regarding the use of the

Bike Barn, please come to see me or Mr. Morrell. Miss Ryan

PTFA Quiz The PTFA held a Quiz night on Friday 28th March. Almost a hundred parents, staff and friends of the

school turned up in earnest to pit their wits against the tough questions supplied by Thamesview’s very own mastermind, Mr. Aibangbee! Participants were challenged with rounds of questions which ranged from general knowledge to football stadia, to scrabble tiles! In a thrilling climax to the quiz, two teams had to be separated by a nervous tie-break question. I would announce which team emerged victorious.....but wouldn’t

want to be accused of rigging the result! A good night was had by all, with food served by the PTFA’s resident chef, Davina Jarvis. Thanks to all the

members of the PTFA for organising this event which raised in the region of £300. A special thank you must also go to Mr. Aibangbee, not only for his duties as quizmaster but also for all his efforts in re-establishing a PTFA at Thamesview School. We wish him all the best as he leaves Thamesview to take up a position at another school. The PTFA are now busy organising their next event, a Race Night on Friday 20th June. Make sure this date is in your diary!

Mr M Sorby

Win, win, win...see our competition on page 5!

Staff show off their sparkling wine prize (unopened)!

Commiserations to the losing loo brush team!

Dear Parents, Carers, Governors, Teachers, Students and Friends A thinner newsletter this Term with Easter holidays changing the length of the Terms. Many activities still taking place week on week, but just a taster of events are shown to keep you informed. It is always sad to say farewells to staff and you can see on page 4 who is off to pastures new and we wish them well with our thanks, but as one door closes, another opens, and we are looking forward to working alongside our new colleagues who are eager to join our Thamesview family, and these new appointments are given on page 7. We have had a shortage in the Maths department for some time, and please be assured that we are working creatively to help fill these vacancies, including me taking up the Maths book again. Our new school building is looking more and more like the finished product (on paper), with many of our

Students’ Conference 2008

On Thursday 28th February eleven students along with Mrs Edwards and Laetitia Calvayrac spent the day in the Emmanuelle Centre in London being tutored on the dos and don’ts of GCSE French. 6,000 students were there for what was certainly an intensive study day, and a few of our first eleven were bowled out by the afternoon. None the less there were some amusing interludes and the organisers provided all the students with very useful revision booklets.

The Emmanuelle Centre is not big on refreshments so all had to forage for lunch in the surrounding area, ably led by Noori Sikder, Year 11, who knew just where to go! Not as entertaining as last year’s student conference but very focused on exam content and overall, well worth it!

Mrs B Edwards

Year 11 Senior Students helping me choose carpet colours, wall paint hues and flooring textures; many interior designers and architects in the making I think! I was soon put in my place as I selected the ‘wrong’ shade of pink! I am delighted to share with you the

results of our voting for the new school Communities (Houses), and as of June we will have to say bon voyage to the

historic, traditional barge names of Cambria, Centaur, Mirosa and Vigilant as they make way for their new, Modern, futuristic successors Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour, and Enterprise. New names, new approaches, new colours too! House colours will now be maroon, pink, gold and blue. These colours will allow each Community to have their own identity, but will still very much be a part of the school as a whole with our traditional maroon, black, gold and white theme, as taken from our wonderful school badge. The fabric of the building will be far more vibrant, so do not expect to see a blank canvas of magnolia walls and

white tiles! We are of course still adding to the general décor within our existing school, as we believe that the students who are in our care at the moment deserve the best learning environments to enhance their creativity and potential, regardless of the age of our school buildings!

More and more is being offered to include our parents in the life-long

learning experience, so I hope you will take up the challenge of joining an evening class, after-school aerobics tuition, and PTFA quiz nights to enjoy our family partnership. Happy reading and best wishes for an enjoyable holiday! Rhiannon Hughes Headteacher

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The Year 11 Prom will take place on Friday 9th May at a secret location. All Year 11 students and staff are welcome. Look out for the photographs in the next edition! Mrs Dance

The Cashless School? We are considering adopting a way where you will be able to make payments for school trips by debit card from your computer in the safety of your home. The system available is called ParentPay and you can find out more at their website www.parentpay.com What is Parent Pay? Using a highly secure website, with a unique user ID and password, you could pay for school trips and events using your debit card at no additional charge to you. We are sure you will find ParentPay a more secure, convenient and reliable option for both you and your child. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it will give you the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like, whilst removing the risks associated with your child carrying cash to school. We would encourage as many parents as possible to use ParentPay and hope that you will support us in taking this important step towards creating a ‘cashless school’ (cash and cheque payment facilities will still be available). If you would be interested in paying by this method in the future please let us know by email to orders@thamesview.kent.sch.uk or by returning the slip below to the Finance Office. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Name____________________________ Students Name__________________________________ Form ____________ I would/would not be interested in making payments by debit card using ParentPay

Thamesview Vocational Centre – Success Again The Vocational Centre at Thamesview has been

awarded Hair and Beauty In 2008, the consortium of Gravesham 14-19 and the Kent Thamesside Consortium will be offering Construction and the Built Environment in the new Diplomas being introduced both at Pre and Post 16. However, in 2009 we have also been awarded Hair and Beauty and Society, Health and Development as well. Along with other areas like: Engineering Creative and Media Business Administration and Finance This means that Gravesham will be the leading areas in Kent for Diplomas developing and it is all happening at Thamesview. P. Blayney

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ATTENTION ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES

Thamesview are offering a unique opportunity to local businesses to support our school and our news-letter publications. Thames Views is expensive to produce and we have therefore decided to offer advertising space.

Call Mrs McGregor on 01474 538112 to discuss.

Only £50 + VAT!

All Safe for Technology Faculty

On Friday 1st February members of the Technology Faculty with some staff from the Canteen and other Gravesend schools undertook the Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate. The instructor Carolyn Lucas guided us through an intense day of theory and practice where everyone learnt how to do Risk Assessments in Food Preparation Areas. We were also shown how to check for dangers, learn how to prepare food to the current catering standards and the correct way to store food safely. At the end of the day we all sat an exam. It was a nervous wait but when the results came in we had all passed. So very well done to: Mrs Plummer, Mrs Fishenden, Mrs Turton, Mrs Blazeby, Mrs Jarvis, Mrs Pelham, Mrs Misciukaite (who works in our School Canteen) and Mr Cooper. M Cooper

New School Times for September 2008

Currently students have 30 x 50-minute lessons a week. We will be moving to 25 x 1-hour lessons a week from September. This will mean a different break time and lunch time. There will be no changes to the start and finish of the school day. The times will be: Event Time Registration 8.35am -8.55am Lesson 1 8.55 – 9.55 Lesson 2 9.55 – 10.55 Break 10.55 – 11.15 Lesson 3 11.15am - 12.15pm Lesson 4 12.15 - 1.15 Lunch 1.15 – 1.55 Lesson 5 1.55pm – 2.55pm Extra-curricular Clubs 2.55pm onwards The key reason for the change is to increase the amount of teaching and learning contact time your child has in their lesson. Less movement around the school will mean more time spent on learning! Miss R Hughes

Farewells We bid a sad farewell and send our best wishes to following staff who leave to take up new posts: Mr A Aibangbee Mrs M Pitt Mrs P Duncumb Mrs K Paterson Mrs S Goddard, Bursar

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Tear Off Slip—Competition— Win £10 CD/Book Token (all correct entries will go into a prize draw)

Your Name:…………………………………………………………………………..……. Form: …………….

‘Tear-off Slip’ and answers to: Mrs McGregor by Friday 25th April

Parent/Guardian Signature: ………………………………………………

Term Dates 5 21st April—23rd May 2008

6 2nd June—23rd July 2008 at 12.30pm

2008/9

1 2nd September—24th October

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Question Answers

What are the names of the new Communities?

What will the Community colours be?

When is the Year 11 Prom?

Which year groups have reached the semi-finals in football of

What is the Bengal tiger that we have adopted called?

Where did the Year 11 BTEC sports group go?

Thamesview School

Thong Lane Gravesend Kent DA12 4LF

Phone: 01474 566552 Headteacher Miss R Hughes

Other Important Dates 12th June 7.00pm Parents Forum 20th June 6.30pm PTFA Race Night

Last Term’s Winner: Lucy Dallimore 7T

Sports News

The Year 7, 9, and 10 football teams have reached the semi-finals of the Gravesham Cup. Unfortunately the year 9s lost to Meopham. The year 7s and 10s are playing soon. In the Basketball competition our year 9s reached the finals but lost by one basket to Northfleet Technology College. It was a great game and we were very unlucky to lose. After Easter there is a girls only football club after school on a Wednesday. Grass Roots Soccer will be coaching the sessions. See Mr Robinson for details.

Staff, Parents and carers aerobics got off to a great start on Friday 29th February. IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO LOOK GREAT FOR 2008!

Mr G Robinson

Year 8 French Breakfast

On Tuesday 18th March the teachers in the French department decided to let the children of Year 8 have a French breakfast. Nearly all the children took part. The students had to bring in their own ingredients, as follows: croissants, French stick/bread, butter, jam and some students chose to have chocolate spread. People even brought warm beverages! It was supposed to be coffee but for those who didn’t like coffee they chose hot chocolate. The morning was great and everyone enjoyed it, including the staff who came. In my opinion it was a very good way to start the day but I prefer my usual English breakfast of cereal—Shreddies and a glass of cold milk, but I really enjoyed trying something different.

Chelsie Carter, Year 8 We had pain-au-chocolat croissant, hot chocolate and bread stick. I usually have jam on toast with chocolate. I like my breakfast best because I think it tastes better. I think the dunking was disgusting, it made me feel sick. Bradley Bowden Coleman I had hot chocolate, croissants, French stick and loads of chocolate spread on the croissants. I usually have toast and milk. I prefer French breakfast because it was nicer but I thought the dunking tasted horrible as it made all the bread soggy. Sophie Williams I had hot chocolate and croissant and a bit of French bread stick. I usually have a bowl of cereal and some orange juice. I prefer English breakfast because it tastes nice. I did not dunk my bread because it looked horrible. Demi-Louise Holdren

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Technology Wizard

Just one of our talented Design Technology students, Ethan Butler in Year 8, who has designed and made this fabulous wishing well for the garden. Well done Ethan!

THAMESVIEW ’S TEAM SPIRIT !

House Name Points

Cambria 30

Vigilant 30

Centaur 28

Mirosa 36 Come on Centaur!

Thamesview Adopts

In 2007 our students started collecting old mobiles to be recycled safely. Funds raised from the collection reached nearly £85.00. We are now pleased to announce that Thamesview has adopted five Svalbard Polar Bears (the only five left on this Norwegian Island) and a Bengal Tiger called Malu Pothi. Another mobile phone challenge is under way. If you would like to support our students in this worthwhile cause then please donate your old mobile phones to our challenge. If you don’t have many at home then maybe you could ask the people where you work. As I know, like myself, we all have at least 3 or 4 lurking in drawers. Recycling old mobiles not only helps us to adopt endangered animals but it also ensures that phones are recycled safely, therefore protecting the environment. Also, for each batch of phones we send off, the recycling company plants a tree for the school in an area that has been subjected to heavy deforestation. Mrs Dean

Thames Views Page 7

Vocational Staff Pass Mini Bus Test

Congratulations to Mr John Assister and Mr Malcolm Machin who both recently passed their Mini Bus test and will

therefore be jetting around Gravesend and further afield with students from the Vocational Centre. P Blayney

Congratulations New Appointments

The new term will see three new members of staff starting at Thamesview Vocational Centre. Mr. Martin Francis has been appointed Deputy Centre Manager and Mr. Adrian Wilkinson has been appointed to the position of Construction Teacher. Mr Paul Henderson has been appointed as the Vocational Technician. Also, Mr A Razzak joins as a new Maths teacher and Numeracy Coordinator.

We all wish them all good luck in their new posts!

BTEC Sport Group Excel at Downe

The Year 11 BTEC Sport group completed a camping expedition at Downe Activity Centre as part of their course. During the trip they camped out, cooked their own food, completed night navigation tasks, orienteering, grass sledging as well as navigating their way through an 8km hike. The weather was very cold, but the students’ participation and achievements were excellent! Congratulations to all students who took part and a big thank you to Mr Frame and Mrs Duncumb who put the students through their paces. Mrs Paterson

Year 10 PSHE Conference Day The focus of this PSHE day was Careers Education. All Year 10 students came off timetable for the whole day. The day was split into two sessions, workshops in the morning followed by a theatre production in the afternoon. On arrival, students were briefed in the main hall before going into their respective workshops. Each of the four workshops had a particular focus: Wages and Taxes, Interviewing Techniques, Paying Your Way and Gender Stereotyping in the Workplace. After lunch, students watched a presentation from two organisations that work closely with Thamesview School: Connexions and Aim Higher. Both parties offer information, advice and guidance on all aspects of careers education. The day finished with a drama production called ‘The WEX-Factor’ (Work Experience), which proved to be highly entertaining. I would like to thank Mrs. Hennessy, Work Experience Co-ordinator, for organising this. Overall it was another excellent day in the diary of Year 10s. I would like to congratulate all students on their excellent Participation, business-like attire and behaviour throughout the day. Well done!

Miss Ryan

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