News Coombe Boys’ SPRING—SUMMER 2017 · 2017-07-20 · year groups. The competitions youngest...

Back to the front page…

www.coombeboysschool.org // www.coombesixthform.org // 020 8949 1537 // [email protected]

Year 11 Fun Day

www.coombeboysschool.org The latest news from Coombe Boys’ School and Sixth Form @Coombeboysnews

News Coombe Boys’

Coombe in Paris Music Competition

SPRING—SUMMER 2017

Coombe celebrates

https://twitter.com/#!/CoombeBoysNews


Dear Parents and Carers,

Unfortunately it is that time of year when we must say goodbye to some of our students and we are very

sad to see our Year 13 students leave. However we know that they have very bright futures and we hope that

they will all keep in contact. Whilst we are forced to wait until August for the Year 13 A level results, we do have the

Level 3 BTEC results, which were outstanding with 87% of students achieving distinction or * distinction, which is

absolutely wonderful. On the GCSE front we are very optimistic for the summer. Year 11 impressed us all with their

mature, dedicated approach to their examinations. I would also like to thank the staff for all of the extra support

that they provided students in the run up to the examinations.

Recently we have been very fortunate to have had two successful bids approved to improve our buildings. We were

successful in gaining funding to replace the windows in the Caxton building (which have been in a poor condition for

some time) and also funding to repair the roof in the Newton Building. In total we received over £600,000 for this

work. This will give parts of the school a new improved look for September.

This term have been a very busy one with an enormous number of events including the Year 7 Bushcraft Trip, Sports

Day, Enterprise Week, International Food Day, Diversity Day, Duke of Edinburgh trips, Arts Award events as well as

Year 10 Information, Advice and Guidance Day. Perhaps my favourites were the Federation Music Concert and the

Coombe Boys’ Rock Concert. At both events we were able to see to benefits of the boys’ and girls’ schools working

together to produce some very fine performances and I look forward to more next year.

I would like to thank the Chair of the PFA, Lucy Hatley for all her hard work in recent years and we will be sad to see

her “stand down” from the post. The PFA have raised a significant amount of money this year for the library, funding

a new security system, new furniture and of course new books. The borrowing rate from the library has improved

650% on last year and this is more than partly due the wonderful work that the PFA have undertaken for the school.

I would like to thank the staff at the school and governors for all their hard work and commitment to ensure that we

are continually improving and moving forward. I would like to thank parents for their support and involvement in

school events and most importantly I would like to thank the students for everything they do for the school

community and for helping make Coombe a wonderful place to study and work.

Wishing everyone a wonderful break.

David Smith

Headteacher

Welcome

News The Head’s

SPRING—SUMMER 2017


Coombe celebrates Thursday 13th July marked the occasion for the annual Coombe Boys’ School Prize Giving celebration.

This event invites pupils, parents and staff to celebrate and reward a wide-range of student (Year 7-11)

accomplishments. We were delighted to welcome Marion Webb, our Chair of Governors, as our guest

of honour to award prizes to our well-deserved prize winners.

We are grateful to the Coombe Boys’ band who providing the entertainment to welcome guests upon

arrival. Throughout the evening, fantastic performances from the musical Matilda filled the Barton Hall

with song and dance.

The evening was a great success and we are extremely proud of all of our students and their accom-

plishments this year.


Coombe Creative

Arts Update

Contents Drama Department News

- Gala Showcase

Music News

- Inter-House Music Competition

Art Department News

World Book Day 2017

Time to Talk 2017

Year 9 Aspirations Trip

Public Speaking Preparation

Year 10 Paris Trip

Voice Festival UK

Visiting London’s West End


NEW Catch up on this year’s

fantastic events—LOOK OUT

for the new edition of our

Performing Arts

brochure


On Wednesday 26th January, over 100 Coombe Boys’ students from all years stood nervously in the wings of the Rose Theatre, Kingston Upon Thames, ready and waiting to perform in the Coombe Boys’ School Gala Showcase. Our talented line-up included actors, musicians, singers, musical theatre. Excitement filled the air as the audience waited in anticipation for what was going to be an amazing evening of entertainment.

Introductions from our compares for the evening, Joe and Alex set the ball rolling and the boys did a terrific job keeping the audience entertained between acts.

The year 9 and 10 band began proceedings with two musical items followed by Emmanuel who wowed the audience with his rendition of, ‘If I ain’t got you’ by Alicia Keys.

Year 7 and 8 Drama Club’s performance of Roald Dahl’s “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” was marvelous and our final three musical theatre numbers drew the first half to a close on a high.

The senior ensemble opened the 2nd act with their production of Julius Caesar . It was super to see the Rose Theatre full of the family and friends of the cast and we appreciate your fabulous comments.

“Another fantastic performance by @CoombeBoysNews at the Rose - so much talent and so impressed. Well done @CoombeBoysDrama dept!”

“Completely blown away by the talent of @CoombeBoysNews tonight @Rosetheatre. Amazing musical talent, and just wow for Julius Caesar”

“Fantastic evening watching @CoombeBoysNews at the @Rosetheatre tonight. multitalented indeed #cbsgalashowcase”

“Incredible evening enjoying great acting and musical talent at #cbsgalashowcase@CoombeBoysNews! Congrats to the performers and the staff!”

GALA SHOWCASE SPECTACULAR


Inter-House Music 2017 saw more boys than ever competing for their houses. Pupils were placed into

six categories gaining 10 points for entering, 25 for third place, 50 for second and 100 for first.

The opening category of the evening was the piano category with 8 entrants. The ensemble category

followed featuring a year 9 ensemble put together in music class, year 10 group playing Keane, a year

11 acoustic guitar trio and an electric guitar duo. To close the first half six vocalists took to the stage.

This category demonstrated the amazing vocal talent at Coombe over a variety of different genres and

year groups. The competition’s youngest entrance won 3rd prize, an emotional rendition of the 1975

‘Robbers’ won 2nd prize and the overall prize was awarded to a fabulous rat pack version of ‘My Funny

Valentine’ complete with trumpet solo.

In the interval the audience were treated to an array of refreshments from The Young Enterprise teams

and PFA. After the break, the new ‘composition’ category began with Cross Atlantic’s original track ‘You

Want Me to Believe’ complete with guitar solo and rap break. Alex then was able to project his

computing and music technology skills for the audience via the two screens in the Barton Hall. This was

a first for the competition and something that will hopefully stay as more pupils engage with music

technology at Coombe. A rap entry closed this category which demonstrated the power of the spoken

word and was a fitting extension from the class projects in year 8 this term.

INTER HOUSE MUSIC COMPETITION


Perhaps the hardest category to judge was up next, the instrumental solo category. All performances

were of a particularly high standard and all could have won a prize, from Matthew’s beautiful violin

playing to Mitch’s electric guitar this category was first class from beginning to end.

The final category was the battle of the bands. This year the Blues band won the prize at their last ever

Inter-House Music. The Blues band have been playing together since they were in year 7 and can look

back on their musical memories together fondly as they now move onto the next chapter in their lives.

The whole evening came to a close when the school’s vocal groups; Year 7 Voices and Vox wowed the

audience and the musical theatre company took over the stage with slick choreographed moves. Music

is definitely alive at Coombe and we look forward to the next event where these talented boys can

showcase their gifts.


During the Autumn term, the art department were fortunate to be given a grant by the Kingston Fine Art Society to run an advanced painting and drawing course for the first time. A total of 14 boys, from years 8 to 11, were invited to work after school for one and a half hours. Eager to learn, the boys started by taking photographs on their phones of objects around the art department trying to capture abstract viewpoints to represent the deep sea. We then discussed the importance of composition with a focus on light and perspective. They then had two demonstrations on painting and ended by experimenting with acrylic paint and with watercolours. The students’ first task was to take a photograph of a composition/ view that they would like to paint. Next week they were to start scaling up and drawing onto the canvases. A really successful and enjoyable start!

Advanced Drawing and Painting Course

The boys drew out circles onto a canvas and experimented with ways of applying acrylic paint to create shape, texture and tone.

Week 2 The boys all brought in photo-graphs that they had taken. After an introduction to the new equipment in the art room they started to scale-up the drawings onto A2 and A1 canvases. Towards the end of the session they watched a demonstration on how to use acrylic paint to create a sky.

Week 3 : This week the boys were

given the chance to use the new

easels. This made a dramatic

different to their working

environment. At first only one or

two took the opportunity.......

…then one or two more…..

By the end of the session they nearly

all had one!!!!!!


We would all like to thank the Kingston Fine Art Society for their support in this project.

We still have a number of students who are still finishing work so we aim to have an exhibition a little later in the year. This has been a fantastic

experience for everyone involved.

Advanced Drawing and Painting

Course Autumn 2016


As part of our World Book Day celebrations on Thursday 2nd March, students in Year 7 were treated to a workshop by local Illustrator Helen Lang.

Students were joined by their parents for an evening session which taught the boys the process of illustrating children’s books.

There was live drawing from Helen (who recently illustrated Woman in Black author Susan Hill’s children’s books) and a chance for everyone to design their own character based on a description in the book, as well as their very own book cover.

One Year 7 student said “I really enjoyed it, it was interesting to see how an artist takes descriptions from the book and turns them into characters. It was a great night.”

Miss Lang was extremely impressed by the creative efforts of those who attended, “I had a smashing evening with the students from Coombe, they’re a very talented and polite bunch of young men. It was an absolute pleasure working with them and seeing their fabulous ideas.” Well done boys!

‘For Time to Talk Day, Mr Clemence brought his three lovely hens in to our school to help raise awareness for people dealing with mental health issues.

Everyone was able to hold, feed, talk to, and generally connect to them in a special way. It was a very relaxing experience, and provided a breakaway from the stressful environments of school. It taught us about chickens while also helping children who were experiencing intense emotions to relax and take part in an activity that they enjoy.

We would like to thank Mr Clemence and Mr Beckett (Our Young People’s Health Link Worker) for helping to host this wonderful event.’ Yr 8 pupil

CELEBRATING WORLD BOOK DAY

TIME TO TALK


Year 9 Aspirations' group enjoyed spring-like weather for their visit to The Globe Theatre on Tuesday 7th March to watch a very enjoyable, lively and energetic performance of The Taming of the Shrew.

Our 2017 Public Speaking schedule began with the Speaker’s Trust training on 31st January. Our students fully embraced the training opportunity and got off to a great start enjoying the day immensely. We received great feedback as the trainer mentioned the boys were exceptionally bright, both gifted and motivated. He was impressed by our students’ ability to sustain attention, plan thoughtfully and perform to a very high standard which made the day a positive experience for all concerned. He mentioned that Coombe Boys’ School recognised the value of the training and there was tangible progress in the group moving forward, in both skills and confidence. Please find below comments following the day from a number of our year 10 pupils below:

‘Very good with excellent examples, I feel much more confident in my speaking now’. ‘The training was excellent. I made huge progress’

Today’s training was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their public speaking.’

‘Examples, training and tutor was excellent and gave personal training to each individual’. ‘It opened up my eyes and made me realise public speaking is not as scary as I thought,

in fact it is quite enjoyable’. The year 10 pupils are talented and therefore to be in the final three is a real honour.

PUBLIC SPEAKING PREPARATION BEGINS

ASPIRATIONS TRIP TO THE GLOBE THEATRE


On Friday 27th January, 30 boys from years 10 and 11 set off on the school's annual French residential trip. The journey to Paris took them via the Vimy Ridge War Memorial to fallen Canadian soldiers who served in WW1, where Canadian guides took them round original WW1 trenches and tunnels where they were able to appreciate what the men fighting the battle would have gone through. After leaving Vimy, the boys arrived at the Château de Grande Romaine on the outskirts of Paris in time for dinner and the evening entertainment: a photo rally around the grounds to familiarise themselves with the layout of what would be their home for the next three days.

Saturday saw an early breakfast ready for a trip into the city centre in order to climb one of the most iconic monuments in the world - the Eiffel Tower. After a good workout of taking the stairs to the first floor, the boys were able to admire the view across Paris, even able to spy their next destination in the distance - the Sacré Coeur Basilica in the Montmartre district. After descending the Tower, it was time to make their way to the Sacré Coeur via the Champs-Elysées, where boys were able to browse the luxury boutiques that line the world-renowned shopping street. The climb to the top of Montmartre was gentler than that of the Eiffel Tower, but the view from the top no less breath-taking, with the boys also free to explore the interior of the ornately decorated basilica. The evening saw a return to the Château and the making of that classic French snack - crêpes.

Sunday's excursion was to the nearby town of Fontainebleau in order to visit its Sunday market, where the boys were able to practise their French haggling skills, and the Château de Fontainebleau, a former royal palace and UNESCO world heritage site. Inside, they learnt about the reigns of France's monarchs from François I in the 16th century to Napoleon Bonaparte in the 19th through exploring a sequence of sumptuous galleries, bedchambers, chapels and salons. After Fontainebleau, it was time to return to the centre for a quick dinner before heading back into Paris for an evening night tour around the city, in order to take in all their illuminated glory, with their brains being picked by our on-coach guide and his quizzes about the history of the city.

Finally, as Monday arrived, it was time to say goodbye to the Château de Grande Romaine, with a brief stop in Arras to spend any last euros remaining and to buy some last

minute souvenirs for friends and family. The trip returned back to Coombe earlier than expected, with the boys and staff tired, but exhilarated by what they had seen over the past few days. Planning has already begun for the next trip and we hope to see as many people on it as possible! Mr Stewart would like to thank the boys for their behaviour and to thank all the staff who helped make the trip such a success: Miss Caputa, Mrs Newman, Mr Kirwan and Mr Whittington.

COOMBE IN PARIS


Members of the Coombe a cappella group were invited to take

part in a number of workshops and watch the youth and

university finals of the Voice Festival UK 2017.

All groups started with a warm up on the impressive Hammond

Theatre stage followed by a beatboxing class delivered by

Tobias Hug (ex Swingle Singer and beatbox genius). He started

by teaching the basics and used a loop pedal machine to show how you can create your own track live

with only one voice. A superb live loop was demonstrated with other volunteers from visiting university

groups. Next on the agenda was the choreography class with Kalvin Lamey, easily the most enthusiastic

and energetic guy we had ever met. Kevin has worked on X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and BBC’s Dance X

and currently works for Bedazzle. His exhausting routine meant we all had to have a rest in the sunshine

before watching the youth finals.

The stage was set for the battle as we witnessed groups from Hampton School, Putney High and other

schools perform a variety of repertoire. This was only

topped by the University Finals which featured groups

from Oxford, Kings College London, Exeter and Leeds.

The standard was extremely high as these groups left

everything on the stage. Whilst we waited for the

verdict a beatbox battle commenced demonstrating

the ridiculous talent in UK Universities.

The all-girl group ‘The Rolling Tones’ from Kings College London won the

big prize completing an excellent day of a cappella. The boys are now

buzzing to enter the competition next year and start arranging songs, bring

it on!

VOICE FESTIVAL UK

VISITING LONDON’S WEST END GCSE Music pupils were treated to a trip to see Wicked! The most

memorable song in the show ‘Defying Gravity’ is a GCSE set work that the

pupils have been studying and it was brilliant to see their faces as the

drama unfolded and the spectacular set design and choreography made the

show come alive. The following week the conductor came to visit the

school to unpick the music and give an insider’s view on the workings of the

show. It was an excellent opportunity for the boys to ask honest questions

and to be inspired to perhaps become a conductor in the future!

Performing Arts pupils from Year 9-13 went to see ‘Showstoppers’ the

improvised musical in the west end. The show is entirely made up on the

night from audience suggestions. Our jaws dropped as they wove popular

topics seamlessly into a narrative and harmonised songs effortlessly. It was a great night full of laughs and

very clever comedy; an excellent evening of entertainment!


Contents STEM Careers Evening

Primary School STEM

Days

Aspirations Project

Summer School at King’s

College

Junior Maths Challenge

Coombe Science, Technology &

Mathematics Update


What a fantastic turnout we had at our 4th annual STEM Careers evening. Over thirty volunteers from a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) professions spoke with passion and enthusiasm to pupils from Coombe Boys' and Coombe Girls' schools.

They explained what their job entails, the qualifications needed, the skills they use and the sometimes unusual paths they took to get where they are today. As always, the feedback was extremely positive from parents, pupils and the volunteers themselves who commented on what an articulate and confident set of pupils we have here.

"It really helped listening to people's first hand account of how they got to where they are because I wasn't sure. This has really helped" "Everyone was very friendly and approachable" "So good to talk to professionals"

During the week of Monday 6th February, Coombe Boys’ School once again invited pupils from local primary school in years 5 and 6 to take part in various STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. Corpus Christi, Knollmead and Malden Manor schools took part, with over 180 pupils between them attending. This is the 5th year that Coombe Boys’ has organised this event.

This was a great opportunity for pupils to learn about the importance of STEM subjects, and also to have a go themselves and experience a real science laboratory!

During each science session, the pupils not only witnessed various experiments carried out by our qualified laboratory assistant, including blowing up a hydrogen balloon (ear plugs and goggles compulsory!), but also were able to mix chemicals for themselves to make rainbow fizzes. They also learned about alkaline and acids, safety in a laboratory, and how to extract iron ore.

In the engineering/mathematics session, pupils were given the challenge of building the tallest tower purely using spaghetti and marshmallows. They first had to discuss and sketch their ideas; they had to think carefully first about their design, about the importance of a strong base, the most stable shapes, and how to make the most of the resources given to them (eating the marshmallows was not a good strategy!).

The feedback was wonderfully positive. We look forward to welcoming more of our primary school pupils next year.

STEM CAREERS EVENING

STEM PRIMARY DAYS


Once again over 120 boys from years 8 - 11 sat the UKMT Individual Intermediate Maths Challenge - a national competition designed to extend and enrich learning.

The UKMT Individual Maths Challenges are lively, intriguing multiple choice question papers, which stimulate interest in maths in large numbers of pupils. We are looking forward to hearing how well our boys have done against the other 250,000 entrants. We traditionally achieve a good number of bronze, silver and gold certificates with some going through to the follow on rounds which only about 2% achieve nationally. Good luck boys!

For the first time at Coombe Boys’ School, a number of Year 8 boys have the chance to engage in a national completion designed by Young Enterprise, the UK’s leading charity that empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills.

The task is a simple one. In teams of no more than five, they must turn a £10 loan into as much profit as possible in just 4 weeks. They will be competing against each other and against schools all over the country.

Young Enterprise visited Coombe Boys’ School to run a master class in what makes a successful business and to help the boys think of their exciting new business ideas. It was super to witness the entrepreneurial flair and team working skills that our year 8 boys possess. From the 27th February to the 24th March, the boys have been busy buying, making, marketing and selling their products and services.

On Friday 30th June, Year 8 students enjoyed the Coombe Learner Profile Day with an opportunity to look

at sport in a multi dimensional way. The day comprised of working with FFC and experiencing NFL for the

first time, as well as an enterprise challenge, sports nutrition, first aid and CPR and finally an induction of

strength training facilities.

MATHS CHALLENGE

YEAR 8 TAKE ON ONE TENNER OF A CHALLENGE!

YEAR 8 COOMBE LEARNER PROFILE DAY


Nine of our most talented mathematicians in year 10 have been selected to attend a five day Summer

School at the King’s College London Mathematics School.

During the week students attending will be exploring the algebra-geometry link – for example, how do

we define a circle geometrically, and how do we represent it algebraically? What happens if we plot all

the points that are equidistant from a given line and a given point? There will be some excursions into

the world of Further Mathematics (what's a matrix and what does it do?) and some opportunities to

problem solve and learn techniques for strategy games.

During the week there will also be talks from mathematicians working in particular fields - biology,

computer science, economics, social science - this should be an exciting, fun and invaluable week for

anyone planning to continue their mathematical studies in the sixth form and beyond!

At the end of April, 120 of our pupils from year 7 and 8 sat the UKMT (United Kingdom Mathematics

Trust) Individual Junior Maths Challenge.

The UKMT Individual Maths Challenges are lively, intriguing multiple choice question papers, which are

designed to stimulate interest in maths in large numbers of pupils. The three levels (Junior, Intermediate

and Senior) cover the secondary school range 11-18 and together they attract over 600,000 entries from

over 4,000 schools and colleges.

The top performing students nationally receive a gold, silver or bronze certificate. We are delighted to

announce our pupils won 23 bronze certificates, 11 silver certificates and 3 gold certificates.

MATHS SUMMER SCHOOL

AT KING’S COLLEGE

JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE


In early May, students from Coombe Boys’ School visited

King’s College School Wimbledon as part of the

Aspirations King’s Partnership.

Ten Year 10 boys spent the afternoon at KCS Wimbledon,

where they keenly listened to a presentation from a

NASA engineer who works on the Cassini Project, the

satellite orbiting Saturn.

Taking what they had

learned during the

presentation, students

were then invited to

test their knowledge in the four science workshops

which followed, exploring topics such as taking

measurements in space and forces.

Year 7 and 8 students took part in a Spanish cookery

workshop recently run by Canela Fina!

The boys learned about the benefits of the

Mediterranean diet and made four different dishes:

molletes (Spanish bread with olive oil, tomatoes and

Iberian ham); queso con membrillo (Manchego

cheese with quince jelly); gazpacho and Santiago

cake.

The students had an excellent time and the chefs

commented that the boys were a credit to the school.

Please see Mr. Dixon if you'd like a recipe book.

Many thanks to Canela Fina!

ASPIRATIONS PROJECT TAKE STUDENTS INTO SPACE!

COOKING UP SUMPTOUS SPANISH DISHES


Coombe

Sporting Update

Contents Six Keys to Success

Indoor Cricket League Winners!

School Athletics Championships


The 11th Coombe School Athletics championships took place at Kingsmeadow on Friday 16th June. In an excellent championship, with almost 400 different pupils taking part, it was fantastic to see a host of superb displays of speed, power and endurance on show. Students displayed great team play as well as solo performances. Faraday House were declared the overall winners, winning by 7 house points. Very well done to all! Overall placings: 1 Faraday 507 points 2 Wilberforce 500 points 3 Shaftesbury 482 points 4 Burns 428 points 5 Stephenson 424 points

SCHOOL ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS


We were very lucky to have Jon Boyton visit

Coombe Boys’ School as part of our annual, Sky

Sports mentor programme. Jon Boyton is a

Men’s K1 1000m and K2 1000m sprint kayaker

and is a member of the 2015 British senior team.

Twenty of our sportsmen in Year 9 spent the day

with our Athlete Mentor Jon as he took them

through the day discussing what it's like to be a

professional athlete. Students were able to gain

insight into the demands of training and the

dedication required to reach the top of your

sport. The boys also listened to tales of

disappointment before exploring strategies of

how to overcome such challenges and learn from

the experience to become better in the future.

During the afternoon, students were lead through a practical session which focused on Sky Sports six

keys to success. Here students were able to gain valuable skills that would not only help them in their

sporting endeavours but also the life.

It was a fantastic day and we really enjoyed welcoming Jon back to Coombe Boys’ and now look

forward to running a successful primary schools table tennis competition.

On Thursday 16th February, the Coombe combined Year 7 & 8 team played their final game of the

U13 Indoor Kingston Indoor Cricket League. The team went in to their last game against Kingston

Academy undefeated and top of the league - a win against Kingston Academy and Coombe would be

crowned champions!

The team set off at a blistering pace and scored 40 off the first 4 overs, which put Coombe on a

projected total of 80 runs. Unfortunately, we gifted away a number of our wickets and the runs

slowed and set a total of 64 of the 8 overs; disappointing but a defendable total. Then it was the turn

of Kingston Academy to bat, they started well and got some early runs on the board and it was nip

and tuck on which way the game would go. It came down to the last ball of the game with Kingston

Academy needing 3 runs off the final ball; the fielders were on their toes as the ball came in and the

batsman hit the ball and began to run. Our fielders collected the ball and threw it at the stumps and

the batsman was out, or so we thought. Umpire's decision, not out! And that was the game.

However, all was not lost, due to our commanding performances in previous games Coombe were

still top of the league having collected bonus points, but it was now out of our hands. Kingston

Academy needed to win against Southborough Boys in order to win. Coombe stayed to watch the

tense game which ebbed and flowed and also came down to the last ball, and unbelievably

Southborough also needed 3 runs off the final delivery. The last batsman, facing his first ball, swung

the bat and the ball sailed to the back wall for 4 runs; Southborough had won the game and Coombe

had won the League!

INDOOR CRICKET LEAGUE WINNERS!

SIX KEYS TO SUCCESS


Coombe Other News

Contents

Snow Sports in Italy

Planning for the Future

Preparing for University

Life as a Sixth Former

Election Fever!

Year 11 Fun Day

Coombe Alumni

Woodland Adventure


During the Easter holiday, 90 pupils from Year 8-11 from Coombe Boys’ and Coombe Girls’ schools

departed from Coombe Boys' School for the annual Ski Trip to Artesina in the ski area of Prato-Nevoso; part

of the Italian Alps. We travelled by coach and ferry and eventually arrived in resort after a fun but

exhausting 20 hour coach trip! It was great to get to know each other on the coach including making new

friends with the girls.

We stayed in a fantastic hotel directly

opposite the ski lifts. The hotel served a wide variety of foods and had great facilities such as table football

and a disco room. Like every year, we again had great ski instructors and amazing slopes to develop our

skiing on for 5 hours every day! The snow this year was not always brilliant, as it had been very warm in the

resort. However, we were very lucky to have two snowfalls whilst we were there and so managed to ski

some brilliant slopes. Every evening we had an awards presentation with skier and ‘wipe-out’ of the day

which was always very funny. We also had activities in the evenings such as karaoke. We were never

bored!

I was lucky enough to go on last year and this year’s trip was just as amazing and I improved my skiing so

much from last year. The trip could never be possible without the staff from Coombe Boys' School and

Coombe Girls' School. Many thanks to: Mr. Taylor, Mr. Tanner, Mr Melligan, Mr Green and Mr. Jones. It is

the best school trip you can go on and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a new skill or just

have a great time away with your friends. I can’t wait for next year’s trip to La Masella in the Spanish

Pyrenees at February half term! Article submitted by Year 8 Coombe Boy’s School pupil.

SNOW SPORTS IN ITALY


On Friday 20th January, Year 9 pupils from both Coombe Boys’ and Coombe Girls’ schools enjoyed a

very successful IAG (Information and Guidance) Day, held at Coombe Boys’ School.

Scheduled to complement Option choices, pupils were given the opportunity to explore various pathways and encouraged to start considering their future. Knowledge about educational pathways, career options and an awareness of skills and qualifications required to best succeed in the ever changing market place, will help provide pupils with the tools to enable informed decisions and feel excited about their future.

Information, advice, guidance and challenge lay ahead as pupils embarked upon the day. Pupils were provided with the opportunity to work with new people and experience new skills by undertaking a host of tasks and exercises. Pupils were also encouraged to polish their team building skills and learn to adapt to new situations, as teams were challenged to build the tallest balloon tower before trying a range of circus skills, both of which were extremely popular!

To get a real feel for university life, we were delighted to welcome university students to school to speak to pupils about life as a student including topics such as courses, organising finances and living away from home for the first time. After listening intently to our guest speaker, pupils were also encouraged to challenge themselves and to be positive about trying new things. The day was a great success and we extend our thanks to our guests on the day for sharing their experiences and knowledge.

The day was a great success and we extend our thanks to our guests on the day for sharing their experiences and knowledge.

We are very happy to hear that our Year 13 students, who are studying for BTEC Level 3 qualifications, have successfully received conditional offers at many prestigious Universities. Students have offers for Civil Engineering (Portsmouth, Salford), Business/Accounting (UCL, Surrey, Royal Holloway, Kent), Law (Brunel, City), Drama (Kingston, Roehampton, AUB) , Film Production (Kent, Portsmouth), Primary Education (Brighton, Winchester, Canterbury Christ Church, Biomedical Science/Biochemistry (Surrey, Portsmouth) and Optometry (City, Plymouth). We are extremely proud of our students and wish them all the best for the future.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

PROGRESSING TO UNIVERSITY


On 27th February, Coombe Girls’ School was the venue for the federated Year 12 IAG Day with our A Level and BTEC students. Mrs Barns, Director of Sixth Form, introduced the day and this was followed by an inspiring talk from former journalist and local author Francis Cottam. The aim of the day was to give Year 12 students information on pathways after year 13 and equip them to start the decision making process.

During the course of the day, students attended sessions on Applying to Competitive Courses, with a focus on the importance of extra and super-curricular experience to make a strong application, interactive sessions from Kingston University on Student Finance and a session with external speakers focusing on alternative pathways and apprenticeships hosted by Mrs Bentley, Progression Manager. The day ended with a tutor-led session and an opportunity for independent research and for every student to book a University of London taster day. These taster days allow students to try the university experience with lectures at prestigious universities including UCL, KCL and LSE, some of the most competitive in the country.

The day was a great success and will be followed by the Year 12 Futures Planning Day on 23 June where students will hear from a top university, apprenticeship providers, gap year options and look in more detail at UCAS personal statements and student finance.

As part of our school's IAG programme, nearly 100 Year 11 students went to Coombe Sixth Form to experience life as a Sixth Former! Students arrived in casual clothing looking forward to the day ahead and ready to experience a day of A-Level taster lessons. The sessions have been developed to give students an insight into life as a Coombe Sixth Former and to grant students the opportunity to experience, first-hand, what it would be like to study subjects they had chosen as potential A-Level subjects. The day was filled with team building activities as well as lessons old and new such as Economics, Psychology and Sociology. The day was very well received with students gathering a lot of information and taking much away from the experience. Below are some quotes from some of our students:

'The IAG day was useful as it gave me a feel for the lessons would be like for the subjects I want to study'

'The taster sessions were very useful as they helped me evaluate my 6th Form options, so I am more confident in my choices.'

'It was an interesting insight into 6th Form life' ‘It was also a good opportunity to socialise with new people and get a feeling what life

would be like in September'

FUTURE PATHWAYS

LIFE AS A SIXTH FORMER


As students reach the end of Year 11, the boys look forward to the now

infamous Year 11 Fun Day event!

The day began with a final assembly which included fun prizes and

speeches. Thereafter, with a host of outdoor challenges and

activities to try, students were keen to take part in the numerous

games on offer. From donning sumo wrestling suits to testing

their skills at giant inflatable table football and volleyball a great

day was had by all.

The day was rounded off with pizza and a ‘Class of 2017’ video

which included messages from staff and a look back at everyone’s

Year 7 school photo.

It was a lovely way to wish the Year 11s good luck in their exams as well as a well-earned short break

from revision. Mr Pellet, Mr Green, Mr Melligan and the tutor team wish all the boys good luck in their

exams and in the future.

On Thursday 8th June, the yr. 13 BTEC Business class hosted

the Coombe Sixth form, College Gardens Prize giving evening.

The Business class worked tirelessly throughout the year

planning and organising the Oscar themed event.

Their hard work paid off as it was a fantastic evening and the

students thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Head of year 12 and

13, Miss Hothy, remarked, “It was wonderful to see the

Business students working as a team to put on such a

spectacular experience for the sixth form students, everyone

had a great time and it was lovely to have the opportunity to

reward the sixth formers for everything they have achieved

this year.”

The evening involved students receiving pastoral and

curriculum rewards as well as some funny awards voted for by

the sixth formers themselves. There was an Oscar themed

quiz, which one of the teacher’s tables won alongside which

everyone enjoyed some pizza and nibbles.

Overall, it was incredibly successful and the feedback from the guests was very positive, it was the perfect

high to end the year on!

YEAR 11 FUN DAY

SIXTH FORM PRIZE GIVING CELEBRATION


It is always a pleasure to welcome back past students, no matter how long it has been since they left Coombe Boys' School. Recently we welcomed back Mr Smallbone who left in 1965. After leaving school he went onto a career in motorcycle racing. It was a pleasure to take Mr Smallbone on a tour around the school and the new buildings that have opened. He said, "It was most interesting and informative to see how the school has developed since I left in 1965. It made me smile to look through the old punishment book and find names from my class 3G." Mr Smallbone informed us that one of those names he remembers went on to run his own business, successfully making and installing very ornate wrought iron gates. He is now living in America and working on a replica of a Triumph Production racer that he used to race (see picture). We wish Mr Smallbone all the best in America and continue to look forward to welcoming back any past students of Coombe Boys' School or Beverly Boys'.

WELCOMING OUR ALUMNI BACK TO SCHOOL

In early June, our group of intrepid explorers keenly embarked upon what was set to be an unforgettable, fun-filled woodland adventure jam-packed full of new experiences and challenges.

Pupils set off in the mini-bus heading towards what would be their woodland base for the next three days and marking the beginning of their journey of self-discovery.

The much-loved excursion provided our adventurers with the opportunity to spend three days living outdoors, breathing-in the fresh air, exploring the delights of the forest and sleeping

under the stars (well, under canvas!). Bushcraft skills were accomplished as boys learned valuable knowledge about how to survive in the outdoors such as building a camp-fire and preparing home-cooked foods. A host of activities including archery and orienteering filled the days before the team settled down to an evening around the camp fire enjoying home-made pizza, fillets of salmon and toasted marshmallows. One of the tasks invited the boys to engineer and build their very own shelter. Students jumped at the chance to build what was to be their very own cover for the night. An outstanding job was made of the challenge and the boys slept soundly!

A wide-range of skills and abilities were developed throughout the duration of the excursion which built confidence as students recognised and polished both social and personal attributes – many surpassing their own goals. Team work, dedication and adventure were just some of the many skills highlighted over the 3 days, together with a real understanding and respect for nature.

ALL SET FOR A WOODLAND ADVENTURE


The SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) programme runs across the whole school, enabling students to explore and reflect on their own behaviour and beliefs and that of society and the world around them.

At we felt, with snap election being announced, it was the perfect opportunity to engage the students in how UK politics works and for our students to discover what it means to live in a democratic society as well as what the concept of democracy means.

To do this, students have been investigating what the different political parties stand for and their plans

for how they will improve the country if they were to be elected. Once they have been given all this

information they will have the opportunity to vote for the party they think should win the general

election. Once every Coombe boy’s student has made their decisions the votes will be counted. We will

announce the winner on twitter so watch this space!

Coombe Boys’ social media continues to be packed

with lots of exciting events, opportunities and lessons

that the students have been involved in. Our Facebook

page reaches over 1,200 people a month and we now

have over 1,100 followers on Twitter. These numbers

continue to increase, keeping our local community

abreast of latest news.

It is also great we continue to keep in touch with our

Alumni. We proudly welcome former students to

school to share their expertise with existing students as

well as tour the school to see the exciting new changes.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you are

Alumni or visit our Alumni group on LinkdIn.

News Social Media

COOMBE ELECTION 2017


The year got off to a fantastic start as we welcomed some enthusiastic new Year 7 parents to the committee – although don’t forget, our doors are always open and new members are welcome to join us at any point and to become involved as much or as little as they are able! As one of our new members remarked, “This is the friendliest and most fun PFA I’ve ever been part of.” So, with that glowing endorsement spurring us on, we kicked off a packed programme of fundraising and are proud to report that [at the time of writing: March 2017] we've already raised almost £3,800 for the school – a pot that looks set to grow with more events planned before the end of the year.

Many events were brought back by popular demand; The Magic Night in the Autumn term (which made a great profit thanks to the generous sponsorship of the American International University, Richmond) and the Comedy Night in March (with all the fabulous acts paid for by our loyal supporters, Drum Resourcing).

Both of these events were also boosted by “advertising boards” thanks to Foxtons Estate Agents.

We're also keen to reach out to all parents, carers and friends involved with the Coombe Community and to make sure there’s something for everyone – so, we were delighted to host another wreath making workshop in December and (new for 2017) a new flower arranging masterclass in the week leading up to Mothering Sunday was planned.

As ever, it was our pleasure to provide refreshments and raffle prizes for a range of events taking place during the CBS Calendar, including tutor evenings, Poetry Night, GCSE Drama Showcase, World Book Day and the annual Inter-house Music Competition.

But, where is the money going – and how will it benefit our boys?

This year, the PFA has been asked to focus on the exciting refurb of our “LRC” (aka, the Library!) and such a tangible target is really giving us all a great goal to aim for.

We're delighted to announce that (combined with some previous funds raised by the PFA) the green light has just been given for the installation of a state-of-the-art new security and “booking-in-booking-out” system for the LRC. Work on this first phase of the project is expected to start soon and once complete, the next stage of re-ordering the layout, replacing furniture and filling the space with LOADS of fabulous new books can begin.

This really will be an amazing resource for our boys and a wonderful legacy for PFA members and parents to be involved with. If anyone has further ideas of events or fundraising they’d like to see us organising in support of the LRC project - as well as access to grants, sponsorship or match-funding through your employer, then please do let us know. We'd love to hear from you!! [email protected]

So, finally, a huge thank you to all the parents, pupils, friends & staff (especially Tracy Newman, our fantastic Staff Representative on the committee) who have supported and helped out over the past year. We couldn't have done it without you!

COOMBE BOYS’ PFA NEWS

News Coombe Boys’ SPRING—SUMMER 2017 · 2017-07-20 · year groups. The competitions youngest...

Documents

Transcript of News Coombe Boys’ SPRING—SUMMER 2017 · 2017-07-20 · year groups. The competitions youngest...