Newsletters
Our latest newsletter is here with past newsletters can be found by clicking to the right.
E NEWSLETTER – 15 MAY 2012
HEADLINES…
vEXAM SEASON ON US
vTERRIFIC SPORTS SUCCESS – MEDALS AND SHIELDS!
vFRIENDS’ COMEDY NIGHT
vPARENT GOVERNOR ELECTIONS
This is the time of year when we start external exams. Year 11 and Year 13 have begun to complete final exams in Art, Drama, and Modern Foreign Languages. The local independent schools have sent their exam cohort students home. Our students are in school, working hard and purposefully, supported by the teachers. There is a sense of calm determination – a focus on success - for Year 11 and Year 13. Year 12 too are working hard at their AS level entry.
We do all we can in school to ensure that everyone with the potential goes to university. If you have any concerns about this please contact a member of the sixth form team. We have an extensive programme of work for Year 12s post AS levels to prepare them for university application.
The new funding arrangements for university come into place this year. Most universities are charging £9000 with the sector average at £8,393. It must be remembered that the new funding arrangements are not really a ‘loan’ – the arrangements are effectively a graduate tax. This means the impact of the fees on graduate income is initially less than the loan arrangements that existed previously. We are concerned that because the fees have been presented politically and in the media as a loan it will deter young people from seeking university places.
The exams that have practical and performance elements – Art, Drama, Music and Design Technology – enrich the school at this time. Thank you to all of you who came to see the drama performances. We are looking forward to putting up the final Art and DT exhibitions and inviting everyone in to view them. We have an ever growing number of pupils who will qualify for the English Baccalaureate measure; we are concerned the subjects that qualify for this measure are narrowly focussed and place no value on creativity, the expressive arts or technology. There is national interest in establishing a Technology Baccalaureate and a Creativity Baccalaureate and we would welcome those developments.
This half term is longer than usual to accommodate the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee. It means that we have lots of events in school coming up to half term. The Friends have been very busy. We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Comedy Night on Friday 18 May.
Mr Sheppard
YES THE COMEDY NIGHT IS THIS FRIDAY. It is the Friends’ biggest annual fundraiser and this year monies will go to providing more seating and equipment for the outside areas of the school so that all pupils can enjoy them. Tickets are priced £12 and are available to buy via Parent Pay or from Village Books in Calton Avenue. Full details on our website.
SIXTH FORM NEWS
v Exams have started for Year 12 and will soon start for Year 13. Classes run as normal and students are expected to attend. Where exams are in the morning, students are expected to attend their afternoon class as usual. For afternoon exams, study leave is granted for the morning.
v Year 12 classes resume after the Half Term (week commencing 11 June) and will run as normal until Friday 6 July.
v Ambition to Reality Week for Year 12 runs from 18 to 22 June – more details to follow by email closer to the time.
v Module 4 reports are due out soon. Year 12s will be given out in morning registration; Year 13s will be posted out. Parents will be sent a text when this is done.
v Year 11 pupils have been contacted regarding their application to The Charter College for entry in September. The taster programme runs on 17 and 18 July and all those invited are expected to attend in order to progress their application to the next stage.
A TABLE FROM THE SEA'S EDGE – Ten Year 12 Geographers visited PwC to learn about the company’s sustainability initiatives and their work with the Wildlife and Wetland Trust (WWT).
Students were given a tour of the building in More London, gaining an insight into how it earned the accolade of most environmentally friendly office space in the UK. Afterwards students were the guests of honour and were given a presentation about the WWT’s collaboration with PwC and its work with local and global initiatives.
The highlight of the trip was definitely sitting around the table constructed of recycled wood – a special piece of artwork by Silas Birtwistle, designed to raise awareness of environmental issues and promote conservation of the world's coastal and marine biodiversity. The Year 12s were pleased to know they had sat in the same chairs as Harrison Ford, Tony Blair and Boris Johnson to name a few!
MUSIC NEWS
Miranda Jarrett in Year 11 played beautifully for the Dulwich Festival Norman Lebrecht talk, held at the school last night. The Little Big Band will be performing at the Pod in Kingsdale School for the Festival Gala concert on Thursday evening.
Also a selection of Year 10 GCSE Music students will be taking their music to the Lively Minds club at the St. Faith’s Centre next Tuesday.
MENTORING PROGRAMME
Our mentoring programme for Year 10 upwards is going from strength to strength. Nearly 100 students and pupils have their own mentor. Thank you so much to all our mentors from SJ Berwin, PwC and IPC Media.
FANTASTIC SPORTS NEWS
Archie Mitchell in Year 11 won a gold medal in the 1500 metres freestyle at the UK School Games last week. He battled it out in the Olympic pool in front of a crowd of 10,000 cheering spectators and did his best ever time, 16.17.93, to win by just under a second.
This win ranks Archie top in the country for his event and also places him in a great position as he is now in Israel representing Great Britain in the European Open Water Championships. He received his kit on Thursday and will be taking part in the 10 km race alongside Britain’s Olympic medal hopefuls, Keri-Anne Payne and David Davies. Full details on the web.
WATERPOLO SUCCESS
Both Robert Simpson (9R) and Henry Simpson (8A) were selected for the U14 Invicta Waterpolo Team to take part in the British Gas National Age Group Waterpolo Championships in Manchester in March. Invicta is a team made up from some of the best waterpolo players in Essex, Kent and Sussex specifically for National events. Traditionally teams from the North of England are very strong in this competition and so Invicta were not expected to proceed beyond the first round. However the team played magnificently, comprehensively beating five teams including the Welsh Wanderers, the City of Liverpool and the City of Manchester, getting all the way through, only to be narrowly defeated in the final. Their coach was delighted with Silver Medals for the boys. The girls went one better, winning gold in their competition, claiming the title of National Champions.
BOYS WIN SE FOOTBALL TROPHY
A group of eight Year 10 boys who form the mainstay of the South Bank Dynamo team won the U15 Tandridge League trophy last week 5 – 0. Having played together for nearly ten years it was their first title. Well done to Jack Robinson, Paddy Hawes, Matt Proctor, James Pagel, Ib Bah, Kaemun Fletcher-Josephs, Tom Ap Rees and Zinny Boswell.
MINI MARATHON
Both Daisy Cullen Close and Catrin Murphy represented Southwark in the mini marathon on 22 April; they both performed very well and achieved excellent results.
CYCLING COMPETITION
Last Saturday The Charter School competed in the Dulwich Inter-Schools Cycling Championships for the first time. It was hosted at the Herne Hill Velodrome by Dulwich College who put on an excellent event in beautiful weather.
Our two teams showed outstanding competiveness and school spirit, despite competing against older students from more experienced teams. It was a real credit to the six boys who competed and it shows that we have the start of an excellent cycling team at The Charter School.
Highlights included Rory Thomas getting through to the quarter final of the U16 match sprint competition, and Ben Allan managing to lap some of his opponents during the U16 points race. A big thank you to the students, parents, teachers and governors who came to show their support and everyone is looking forward to some further training and being able to show other schools what we are capable of.
PARENT GOVERNOR ELECTIONS
We very much hope you will consider putting your name forward for the position of Parent Governor; we would like our governing body to better reflect the cultural makeup of the school. The Governing Body would also encourage parents who have financial or tertiary education expertise to put their name forward. If there are more nominations than the one available place, a ballot will be held. The closing date for nominations is 12 midday Friday 25 May. After the closing date, the Clerk will contact nominees who should have prepared a short piece of no more than 200 words stating why they should be elected. Please read the full letter with nomination form that will be sent home.
LOST PROPERTY
We have a great deal of quality unnamed and unclaimed clothing that has accumulated in school. We do not have the capacity to store this and are advising parents that we will send unnamed and unclaimed clothing to charity. Students should speak to our reception team and view the lost property at the end of the school day
KEY EVENTS – SUMMER TERM 2012
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14 May
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Dulwich Festival event at School – Norman Lebrecht on Freud and Mahler
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By ticket via Dulwich Festival
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18 May
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Creative and Media Festival
Friends’ Comedy Night
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By Invite only
By Ticket only
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21 May
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SCHOOL CLOSES AT 1PM FOR YEAR 7 INTERVIEWS
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All pupils
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22 May
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Friends’ Committee Meeting at 7.00pm
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All welcome
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31 May
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Year 11 Leavers Assembly
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Year 11
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1 June
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School breaks up at 3pm for half term
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8 June
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DofE Bronze Navigation Day
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Year 10
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11 June
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School reopens at 8am for pupils including Year 12
Year 7 art prize winnings take place in planting for Olympics in Dulwich Park
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All pupils
Year 7
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15 June
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Friends’ Footie night – watch England vs. Sweden
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By ticket – details to follow
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18 – 20 June
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Ambition to Reality Week for Year 12
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Year 12
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19 June
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Information Evening on Jobs in City
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Parents and pupils – Year 12 and 13
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20 June
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Youth Philanthropy Gala Night
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Year 10 and parents
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21 - 22 June
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Year 9 trip to Brussels
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Year 9
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21 June
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Year 12 visit Sussex University
Friends’ Committee Meeting 6.30pm
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Year 12
All welcome
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22 June
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Mock interviews for Year 12
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Year 12
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25 – 28 June
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Year 10 practice exams
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Year 10
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29 June
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INSET DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR PUPILS
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All pupils
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28 June – 4 July
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Year 7 & 8 Practice exams
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Year 7 and 8
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30 June - 4 July
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Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Gold training camp
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Year 12
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29 June
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Year 13 leavers’ party at The Vintry
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Year 13
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1- 6 July
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Year 8 Cornwall Trip
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Year 8
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4 July
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Induction day for new Year 7s
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5 July
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New Parents Cheese and Wine Evening 5.45 – 7.30pm
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Parents of pupils starting in Year 7 in September
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6 July
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Last day for Year 12
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Year 12
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5 – 8 July
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Gold DofE Practice expedition
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Year 12
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9 -10 July
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Bronze DofE Practice expedition
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Year 10
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9 – 13 July
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Create Week in School
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All
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9 – 13 July
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AS Biology Field Trip to Devon
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Year 12
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12 July
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Careers Day for Year 10
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Year 10
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13 July
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Jazz Works Dance day
Year 11 evening Boat Party
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Year 10
Year 11 and staff
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16 and 18 July
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Enabling Enterprise Days sponsored by PwC
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Years 7, 8 or 9 – tbc
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17 – 18 July
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Bronze DofE Expedition
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Year 10
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20 July
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School breaks up at 1pm
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All pupils
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AND FUTURE NEWS
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16 August
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A level results
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Year 13
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23 August
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GCSE results
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Year 11
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Last Modified: 15/05/2012
