Dear Parents/Carers,
The autumn sporting calendar is in full flow and our students continue to excel. Over the past weekend, Year 9 Mackenzie Russell represented Surrey in the Inter Counties National Swimming Championships in Sheffield (40 Teams compete). In his individual race, the 12/13 year old 100m Freestyle, Mackenzie produced a wonderful swim, beating his personal best by over a second. This saw him touch first and win gold in a time of 56.02 seconds which ranks him first in Britain for his age. Mackenzie followed this swim up with two impressive swims in the relays with a second place in the 12/13 year old Medley relay and tenth in the Freestyle squadron relay.
We also had 13 students representing the school in the Ascot Schools Biathlon. This competition acts as a qualifier for the British Schools Championships. Our students were in fine form despite the horrendous running conditions. This will hopefully see many qualify for the National School Championships in March. Please see selected results below:
Ascot Schools Biathlon (Selected individual results top 6 places only):
Under 16 boys Lucas Salman 1st Place
Under 15 boys Joshua Thompson 1st Place
Under 13 boys Daniel Baldwin 1st Place
Under 15 boys Michael Young 4th Place
Under 13 girls Lizzie Chapman 4th Place
Under 15 boys Alexej Baldwin 5th Place
Under 15 boys Steven Wood 6th Place
Under 12 girls Bella Hornzee 6th Place
On Thursday our students were in action in Southampton, competing in the first round of the English Schools Cross Country. This round consisted of schools from all over Hampshire and NW Surrey. Our students performed really well. Please see team results and selected individuals below:
Inter boys 2nd Place
Inter girls 3rd Place
Junior girls 5th Place
Junior boys 13th Place
Selected individuals (top 10 only):
Inter boys Liam Stone 3rd Place
Inter girls Emma Harris 8th Place
Inter girls Jodie Bongartz 10th Place
Also over the weekend, 19 Year 10 students attended the University of Surrey for the first of a series of specially tailored sessions titled “Catastrophe on Campus”. Year 10 students will get a fantastic insight into what university life is all about. Mr Bunsell, Head of Year 10, was very proud of what a great first impression these students made on university staff. It was also wonderful to see so many parents and carers at the university supporting the students.
The “Catastrophe on Campus” programme allows students to take on the roles of experts in forensics, media, biomedical science, disaster management and more, to assist in the response and recovery of a suspicious biological hazard. Through working with the university, these students will get the chance to not only find out what university has to offer, but to develop new skills and find out what leading research is happening right now that could help them think about their future careers.
A further two Year 10s, Mana Komatsu and Toby Webb, were also at Surrey University on Saturday attending a training day for Young Ambassadors for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Year 7 assembly on Monday saw the launch of our Rotary Christmas Shoebox Appeal. This is an annual event for our Year 7 students. Last year 101 boxes were sent to children across the globe who are in dire need of support and kindness. We are hoping to match this in 2018. Please see the attached powerpoint for further details. All boxes must be received by 21st November. Although this is a Year 7 focus, members of any other year group are most welcome to contribute. During the assembly we also celebrated news of the Coin Race held last Wednesday. A wonderful total of £536.89 was raised towards our minibus appeal with additional matched giving a total of £736.89 which will be added to our fundraising. Congratulations to 7Y who raised the most and made the longest coin line with a total of £109.04. Thanks to all Year 7s and their families for their generosity, to Friends of Woking High School and to Year 8 students Amy Rolfe and Elliot Cross plus Lia Sutherland, who helped count the coins.
We were delighted to welcome Kay McLeod from the Mandarin Excellence Programme to Woking High School on Monday. Ms McLeod spent time with Miss Barfield and Mrs Abbott discussing the introduction of Mandarin to the school curriculum, observed a Year 7 Mandarin class and had the opportunity to hear the students practising their speaking skills. She was very impressed with the progress they have made and their confidence in speaking Mandarin.
Later that day, we welcomed visitors from Ubisoft – one of the leading computer games developers who are an international company. They met with senior staff and Mr Afana, Head of Computing, to discuss ways in which the company could help support our school and students. Suggestions ranged from a parents meeting on gaming safety, E-sport competitions and careers days. We look forward to working with them and Digital School House, in expanding the career opportunities available to our students.
Our two Open mornings this week (Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th) were exceptionally well attended. Our students and school received much praise, with visitors particularly highlighting:
“The tour guide was extremely polite and informative on our tour and I felt I got a real sense of the school.”
“The student in Year 9 who showed us around was wonderful. What a fantastic school and culture you have created.”
“Very helpful tour and great to see the school in its working day. Well done Woking High for welcoming us to our school.”
“It was a lovely tour by the girl that showed us around, tailored to our needs. Great to see such well-behaved children enjoying their learning.”
“It was nice being shown around by the pupils. We found the open evening and tours very welcoming. The open evening in particular was amazing.”
“The whole tour was fantastic. My tour guide showed a lot of knowledge and pride. Admissions were helpful and honest.”
On Tuesday evening I was delighted to attend the annual Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) presentation at Gordon’s School to award staff and students from the Arete Partnership their well-earned certificates. In total 19 students achieved their ILM2 award, 14 staff achieved ILM3 and 8 achieved ILM5. The partnership were also able to launch this year’s programme and excitingly share news of a coming ILM7 award.
On Wednesday, 13 Year 11 students, accompanied by Miss Powderly and Mrs King, participated in a visit to St Edmund Hall (Miss Powderly’s Alma Mater) and Merton College, two of the oldest colleges at Oxford University. The day involved talks from current students and tutors as well as tours of the colleges and some time to explore the city – a particular favourite being Blackwell’s Bookshop! The students asked excellent questions of both the staff and students at the university to gain a greater understanding of the collegiate system, the tutorial teaching method and the admissions process. It was a beautiful day to see the city with blue skies all day. The students were excellent ambassadors for the school throughout.
On Sunday 14th October, 30+ students will be participating in the Woking Rotary Swimathon.
There are 6 teams taking part representing all year groups. Please find the link to the sponsorship form if you would like to support our teams.
Best wishes,
Jane Abbott
Headteacher