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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
[email protected] 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 [email protected] to Opt
In. General emails to [email protected] Follow us on our
Facebook page Friends of Chestnut Grove.
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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
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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)
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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
[email protected].
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.
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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.
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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
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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!
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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