Dear Parents/Carers,
On Monday and Tuesday this week the Growing Against Violence (GAV) charity visited Woking High School to deliver a series of sessions to Year 7 to 10 students. GAV is a curriculum-based intervention for youth crime and exploitation prevention delivered in secondary schools across London and Surrey. Since its formation in 2008, the GAV curriculum has been delivered to over 120,000 students in 600 schools. The project's aim is to reduce gang involvement, exploitation and violent offending and to give students the information they need to make safe choices. This is a vital ingredient in our PSHE offer, the sessions were excellent and student feedback was incredibly positive.
Year 10 students have now completed their first indicative GCSE exams, sitting papers in Maths and English. Not only has this exam week given students chance to test and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired, but also they have been able to put into practice revision techniques and experience the rigours of sitting exams under JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) conditions, which apply to all public exams.
On Wednesday evening 23 students from all year groups gathered at the New Victoria theatre for a night at the Opera, for a production of Verdi’s La Traviata: Behind the Curtain, performed by Glyndebourne tours. GCSE Music and Drama students, plus musicians from KS3, discovered the magic of opera with this unique live performance, which included a behind-the-scenes exploration of how opera is staged. With a mixture of informative interviews and music, the audience learnt that over fifty thousand operas have been composed, but only fifty of the most popular operas are now performed on a regular basis throughout the worlds 120 opera houses. Leading operatic soloists also revealed just how much training the vocalists and musicians undertake to prepare for each production. Sat in the front two rows of the stalls and a whiskers throw from the orchestra, we were treated to a world class performance by Glyndebourne, who are recognised globally as one of the finest opera houses in the world. All students were exceptionally well behaved and attentive throughout quite a long programme, which concluded with a condensed performance of the opera in Act II. Year 10 student Charlotte Joos said ‘it was an entertaining way to learn how operas are put together and the English subtitles helped me to understand the story. I particularly enjoyed the vocal dual between a tenor and baritone; highlighting the difference between an aria and a recitative’.
Thursday welcomed our second Day 11 of the academic year. There were 200 students off site for the day! Year 10 GCSE Geography students completed a data collection exercise for their Geographical application module. This year’s study is based on an investigation into whether redevelopment has improved the environmental quality of Westfield Stratford City area. Following completion of the field study visit, students will be writing up their reports in Geography lessons. Year 10 GCSE Art students benefitted from a prolonged period of time to work on their pieces and were joined by Emma Hobbs Head of Art Woking College who ran personalised support and intervention workshops. The remaining Year 10s spent time focussing on study skills where they learnt about a range of techniques they could use and then had time to develop these further in Maths and English workshops along with some private revision time.
Meanwhile 45 Year 9 Computing students visited Microsoft HQ in Reading to to see the layout of the Microsoft Head Office, hear from numerous speakers from within the business, and to develop students understanding of careers in the technology industry. Year 8s took part in a Finance day, participating in sessions lead by the Citizens Advice Woking, on the topics of banking, life skills, aspirations and financial information. Year 7 Mandarin students experienced a series of workshops, delivered by the Woking Chinese Society, in Calligraphy and Kung Fu which enhance the work on Chinese culture that they have been completing in their lessons.
On Thursday afternoon six students from Woking High School (Ella Barber, Ellie Greenway, Hannah Jackson, Anthony Downer, Iina Kautovaara and Ava-Lynn Belcher) performed at the switching on of the Woking Christmas lights as part of the Summerscales Dance School. The students performed many different routines, including many group dances and their Christmas finale. The students loved performing at the Christmas lights event and put in a really great performance.
The Science department ran all day workshops in Science skills for Year 11, where students spent time in each of the subject areas and had time for revision and question practice in preparation for their indicative exams in December.
Today, representatives of Woking Rotary Club received 108 Christmas shoeboxes from members of Year 7. Students in Year 7 have been filling boxes with toys, toiletries, stationery and other small gifts, so that they can be distributed to children in need across Eastern Europe.
Friends of Woking High School would like to extend a huge thank you to West Byfleet Golf Club for their donation of £500 towards a replacement school mini bus. A special thank you to Jane Atkinson who has had 4 children pass through Woking High School and put us forward with the WBGC for the donation. It is much appreciated and we are now just over 75% of the way to our target of £10,000! Our fundraising target is a big challenge and would not be possible without generous donations from our community and businesses. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. The appeal will close at the end of December – we are currently only £2 per student away from achieving our target! If you would like to donate, please follow the link https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/schoolbus#
A reminder that you can support the Friends of Woking High School, when shopping online, by using the links below. A percentage of what is spent is donated to the school.
‘Give as you Live’ allows you to shop at over 4,000 stores, a % of your total shop is donated to Friends of Woking High School. http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/fowhs
‘Amazon Smile’ allows you to shop at Amazon, who then donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to Friends of Woking High School. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1053122-0
Exciting news from the Ridgeway Restaurant!! The restaurant will be will be hosting a Mini Christmas Food Market for one week from Monday 10th December. Food and drink stalls will include a wide variety of sweet and savoury treats for the students to enjoy. There will be a special ‘currency’ that students can pre-purchase via the restaurant from Monday 3rd December.
Ex-student George Loxton, is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro next September, with the University of Birmingham, where he is in his first term studying Maths. They are raising money for the Meningitis Research Foundation. The link to his sponsorship page is https://birmingham-kili-2019.everydayhero.com/uk/george-loxton-kilimanjaro-2019 if you would like to sponsor him.
Congratulations go to two students for success in their music exams:
Charlotte Joos, Year 10 - ABRSM Grade 5 Violin with Merit
Eugene Westaway, Year 11 – ABRSM Grade 5 Saxophone with Merit.
Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum have asked us to share the following information with you.
There is a Higher Education Information Evening taking place in Woking at the Parkview Community Centre, on 27th November from 5 p.m. The event, organised by Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum (SMEF) is held in partnership with the Higher Education Outreach Network (HEON) which aims to support students in Year 9 to 13. SMEF is a registered charity with a company status working with multi ethnic communities and has planned this FREE event for multi-ethnic young people and their families in Woking, to provide information and advice on all the programmes that are on offer. There will be three talks from HEON about student finance, a parent's guide to university and apprenticeships and university life and support at university. Refreshments will be provided as well as an opportunity for parents to ask questions and talk further with the partner officers from University for the Creative Arts, Guildford College Group and the University of Surrey. Please use the link to view the flyer.
Best wishes,
Jane Abbott
Headteacher