Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back for the Summer term.
During the Easter holiday Mr Beeson, Mr Dixon, Mrs Lang and Miss Bourne travelled to Iceland on the Geography tour of 2019. 29 fantastic Year 10 students saw the sights and sounds of Iceland including Geyser, Vik and the Blue Lagoon. They also had the fantastic opportunity to walk on the 3rd largest glacier in Iceland. This trip helped our students make real life connections to the GCSE course they are studying and staff were very proud with the way they conducted themselves in a new environment! Many thanks to all the staff and parents who supported this tour and made it so successful.
Three of our Year 10 students; Cyrus Howbrook, Tung Nguyen and Morgan Seymour competed in the Digital School House Esports Grand Final on the 10th of April at the GFinity Esports Arena. They triumphed against their first two opponents in the quarter and semi-finals, producing some excellent displays of communication and team work. Unfortunately, they were pipped at the post in the final by a very strong team who had not lost a map in the run to the final. Needless to say we are very proud of their achievement and look forward to them bringing home the trophy next year.
This week Peter Heeney (7E), Isabelle Garbett (7I) and Edward Robinson (7G), attended the regional competition for the Languages Spelling Bee which took place in one of the lecture theatre at Southampton University. Students from various schools in the Southeast region battled to spell as many Spanish or French words in one minute from a list of 150 words. Isabelle Garbett and Edward Robinson valiantly competed against other schools but unfortunately, they did not reach the final round. Peter Heeney spelled 12 words in the final round and came 3rd overall. He will now represent the whole Southeast Region in the National Competition which will take place in Cambridge on 1st July. Congratulations to all 3 participants and we wish Peter the best of luck.
Year 11s who study French, German and Spanish took their GCSE Speaking exam yesterday (their first official exam) and MFL teachers were very pleased with their performance. We wish them good luck for the rest of their GCSEs.
Author Bali Rai visited our Year 9 students on Thursday. He spoke to the students about his career as an author and some of the students were given the opportunity to attended creative writing workshops with Bali throughout the day. Bali’s unique style captivated our students, thereby inspiring them to see reading and writing in a completely new way.
Congratulations to two students from our creative writing club who have become published writers. Amelie Jaye Willson-Rivers and Jessica Chan had their poems published in Surrey’s Get Lost in Poetry Escape Book. This is such a great accomplishment, especially for young writers. The poems will be put up on the success display in the English department.
Also, congratulations to the following students, who have all successfully passed practical music examinations during the Spring term:
Y7 - Herbie Hunter – Grade 2 French horn – Merit
Y7 - Lara Milligan – Grade 2 Flute - Merit
Y8 - Adam Ahmed – Grade 5 Pianoforte – Pass
Y8 - Lorenzo Fantappie - Grade 1 Electric Guitar - Pass
Y9 - Kai Westaway – Grade 7 Piano – Merit
Y9 - Josh Ford - Grade 2 Acoustic Guitar - Pass
Y10 - Dora Savory – Grade 5 Pianoforte – Pass
Y10 - Emil Kautovaara – Grade 5 Trumpet – Pass
Y10 - Anaahita Lalljee – Grade 1 Pianoforte - Distinction
Y11 - Madeleine McClements – Grade 6 Clarinet – Merit
Y11 - Ben Koch - Grade 5 Bass Guitar - Merit
and alumni - Thomas Bates - Grade 8 Electric Guitar - Distinction
FRIENDS THAI EVENING
Saturday 18th May, 7.30 to midnight
Please remember to book your tickets for an evening of Thai food and dancing at the Somkid Thai restaurant, Weybridge. The cost of the night is £25.00 per head for a delicious Thai food buffet followed by a disco. We will also have a small raffle plus hopefully some other entertainment.
This will be a great opportunity to catch up over a relaxed evening out with some great food, while raising money for the Friends. Please see attached booking form for more details. We look forward to seeing you there. The Friends of Woking High School
Please note two letters that have been sent this week – one for Year 11 students who will be involved in an immersion timetable from 10th May and one for those students who will be participating in Ramadan.
Finally, can I please ask parents who drive children to school, to be very careful when dropping students at the gates. The traffic can be very busy at the beginning and end of the school day and the roads around the school do become congested at times. Please be vigilant about other cars and pedestrians. Parents’ cars should not come onto the school site unless they are dropping off VI students or those who need additional assistance. In these circumstances, if cars are on site, please drive extremely slowly.
Best wishes,
Jane Abbott
Headteacher