Issue 44
Working together to promote & celebrate achievement
Name & Tutor Group:
13 November 2015
Headlines by Rachel McGowan
School Dates Reminder
Date
Information
Thursday 19th November
Non-Student Day – Staff only
Friday 20th November
Non-Student Day – Staff only
Monday 30th November
Year 11 Mocks begin
Thursday 17th December
Year 11 Mocks end
Thursday 17th December
Christmas Musical Medley 4.30 – 6.30pm
Friday 18th December
Non-Uniform day & School finishes for Holidays at 12.35pm
Monday 4th January
Students return to school
Wednesday 13th January
Year 9 Parents’ Evening 4.15 – 7.15pm
Study
Whilst it would be wrong to say that everything we learn comes through studying it would be hard to
come to the view that studying was unimportant in learning. However, in my view it is a key area of
learning where we all need to make more progress if we are to become as successful as we can be. So
what stands in the way of us being more effective at studying?
One of the things I hear most frequently from our girls concerns their motivation to study. I still hear far
too often students say (often when being questioned about poor performance) that they are “ not
interested” in the topic or subject that we need them to study. Why is this an unsuccessful and thus
unacceptable approach?
I truly believe that there is no area of the curriculum that is uninteresting. I feel like this because I have
developed an attitude to the world around me that leaves me curious about the things I don’t fully
understand. Thus, if asked to study them, I am well placed to find the motivation to begin this process.
For all of you, a shift in mind-set when confronted with a topic or subject that you don’t immediately find
interesting can only help develop the motivation to study. Rather than quickly deciding that something is
“boring” everyone needs to ask themselves, “what can I find interesting about this? ” By taking the
active decision to find your point of interest, you’ll all find a step up in your desire to know and
understand more about any topic we cover in our different subjects. More motivated people are more
successful ones; they also tend to be happier at school too, so this looks like a win, win strategy.
Once we get that initial motivation to study, what then prevents us studying as deeply as we need to if
we are to be successful?
Especially in the case of Independent Study at home or outside lessons, but also in respect of some study
in class, students will too frequently tell me that they “get distracted ”. I have a problem with this
phrase. The passivity that underlines it seems to suggest that there is nothing the student can do about
Headlines by Rachel McGowan cont’d
their own ability to focus. Indeed, I’ve had many conversations where they have told me that they “don’t
find it easy to concentrate”. Clearly we know that for a small number of students they do face genuine
special educational needs that make concentration problematic. For most students, conversations I have
about poor concentration often reach an interesting point when we start discussing computer games, TV,
music or sport. I find in almost every case that learners who “get distracted ” when asked to study (often
something they have not found sufficient motivation to study) find little problem in concentrating for
hours on end when engaging in something they want to do.
As you find the motivation to study and confront the problem of how to keep your minds focused on the
topic they are studying, it will help once again to change mind-set. If you do become distracted (as we all
do) rather than using a passive phrase that suggests there is nothing you can do about this, try to think
“why am I allowing myself to be distracted?” By making your lack of focus a choice, it becomes a
choice you can change. If you can’t get your mind back to studying simply because you’re not interested
in the topic, remember where you find the motivation to keep going when you can’t reach the next level
in a computer game, or where you need more practice to master an instrument you’re learning or a sport
at which you’re trying to be better. By reminding yourself that you can focus, you’ll give yourself a much
better chance of tuning yourself back in to your studies than you ever will by simply using the excuse that
you “get distracted’”.
It is a certainty that this year, this term, this week, maybe even today you’ll find things that you are
studying bewilderingly difficult. Don’t see this as a reason to doubt your capacity to learn and as a result
undermine your motivation. Why is learning so important to me now? Well not just because I’m interested
in things. At my age you start to think about the things that can happen to you as you get old. As I watch
my grandmother struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most unpleasant illnesses you can get in
old age, I’ve discovered that keeping your brain active, trying to learn new things as you age, is one way
in which you can reduce the chance of getting this awful illness. So for me, my final motivation to
struggle and overcome new things concerns my desire to stave off an illness from which I may be,
genetically, more likely to suffer. Whilst I would not expect any of you to find your motivation from such a
source, you could think about the costs you might bear if you don’t push through the barriers that can
make studying so difficult – how about thinking about all those exams you’ll find so much easier because
you know more and understand more about the topics than those who have studied less purposefully
than you. Could that give you that extra push?
Sadly very little that is worth having in life comes to us easily – many of you will recall my marshmallow
assembly. All of us face struggles as we try to understand more about the world around us. By adopting
the right mind-set, taking responsibility, believing in ourselves and showing the same
determination we show when we are truly having fun, all of us can be better at studying and as a result
more successful and happy in our school lives and our lives beyond Plashet. However successfully you’ve
developed your study habits so far, let’s all aim to be even more studious this year and reap the rewards
that being better learners will bring to us all.
Rachel McGowan
2
Newham Young Mayor Election
The annual Newham Young Mayor election took place on Tuesday 20th October and our candidate,
Eleanor Tranter 10T, gave an excellent account of herself throughout the process. She conducted a
purposeful campaign and was supported by a passionate team of Year 10 students in her endeavours.
With voting restricted to anyone under the age of 18, the Newham Young Mayor role is one that truly
offers an opportunity for young people to be heard. If elected, the successful candidate represents
Newham’s young people - regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, class or sexuality – and promote their
interests to the council, businesses, the wider community and other public service providers such as the
NHS.
The Young Mayor meets regularly with the Mayor, councillors and council officers. He or she is the visible
face of Newham’s young people – attending civic events, consultations and events outside the borough –
meeting people and giving speeches.
The Newham Young Mayor 2015 is Alex Jarrett, who attends Lister Community School, Plaistow. As
Young Mayor, she wants to provide young people with more opportunities for leisure and an advice and
counselling service for issues such as mental health.
If you would like to learn more about the Young Mayor, please visit, www.newham.gov.uk and search for
Young Mayor.
Whilst Eleanor was not successful in securing the position of Newham Young Mayor, we would like to
commend her for the passion and determination she showed throughout her campaign and the positive
way she represented our school.
Miss L Sanderson
Assistant Headteacher
Science Barbican Theatre Show - Review of The Stalker
On 13th October, 26 students chose to watch a
screening of the Stalker at the Barbican Centre and
it was an experience. There was a short discussion
led by J Doyne Farmer who is Complex Systems
Research Scientist at Cambridge University given
before and after the film explaining the background
of the film. The Stalker is of the sci-fi genre and it
was filmed in Russian (but of course there were
English subtitles) and it was made in 1979 by
Andrei Tarkovsky.
It was directed well because there were long shots
of the characters allowing viewers to mull over
what had just been said and allow for it to sink in.
There were occasionally long dialogues but there
was a lot of meaning behind them tying in with the
overall eeriness of the film.
During the discussion after the film it was obvious that different people interpreted the film in their own
way and no one seemed to have the overall answer as to what actually happened.
I would like to thank Ms Byrne, Ms Khanom and Ms Uddin for organising and accompanying us on this
trip.
By Kulsum Ismail 11S
3
The Secondary and Advanced Leaders Award for STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics
The Leaders Award for STEM is an Engineer Programme open to
students within STEM subjects. The award encourages students to
develop vital literacy and communication skills, and give them the
chance to speak directly to professionals from different fields in STEM.
To gain this award student could either receive:

Distinction-Highest Award

Merit-Second Highest Award

Pass
The
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
girls had to complete the following to complete the award:
All students had to complete an application form and obtain their parents’ consent.
Letter of application explaining why they would like to become a STEM Leader.
Interview at least three STEM professionals.
The students then planned an event where they invited several STEM professionals to a STEM Club
meeting so that they could be interviewed. Students interviewed at least three STEM professionals,
made notes during the interview and then turned their interview notes into a report of their
experience which had to be at least 650 words.
Results: Here are the grades for the 35 Leaders Award for STEM completed by ‘The STEM Club Girls’
of Plashet School earning 25 Merit level and 10 Distinction level awards – their names and grades
can be found below. All 35 STEM Club girls were entered for this award and all of them were
successful.
Congratulations to all the students
Ms English, SSAT Lead Practitioner for Science
Grades for the 35 students at Plashet School Leaders Award for STEM
Name
Award
Name
Award
Aminah Hussan
Distinction
Arundhathi Roy
Distinction
Eman Ali
Distinction
Naurin Hossain
Distinction
Samiyah Lunat
Distinction
Midunaa Jegatheeswaran
Distinction
Nisha Bamaniya
Distinction
Noshin Sadia
Distinction
Iqra Khan
Distinction
Zaynab Sharif
Distiction
Matilda Wells
Merit
Samira Hassan
Merit
Sazeda Khalil
Merit
Nadiira Mohamed Omar
Merit
Alina Imtiaz
Merit
Anika Rahman
Merit
Anisa Arif Patel
Merit
Fatima Zahra Lamina
Merit
Iram Farooqui
Merit
Khadija Saadia
Merit
Khushleen Kaur
Merit
Gull Noor Jan
Merit
Madhunesha Muruganandham
Merit
Maira Ibrar
Merit
Najula Beham Mohamed Najeem
Merit
Shobana Satchithananthan
Merit
Shimaa Majumdar
Merit
Roxana Cosma
Merit
Ubeydah Shah
Merit
Fatema Bushra
Merit
Syeda Zainab Naqvi
Merit
Taneen Hossain
Merit
Wahida Abdullah
Merit
Fazia Ahmed
Merit
Nilum Khaliq
Merit
Distinction-Highest Award
10 students
Merit-Second Highest Award
25 students
4
2015 STEMNET Awards ceremony at the House of Lords
Ms Chaudhri, Ms English and STEM Club students with BBC Journalist Steph McGovern at
the 2015 STEMNET Awards ceremony at the House of Lords
In September Plashet School STEM Club was shortlisted as STEMNET Awards Finalists for the ‘Most
Dedicated STEM Club of the Year’! We received formal invitations from Lord Sainsbury of Turville to
attend the Awards ceremony on 6th October at the House of Lords. Once again, the STEM Club girls
immediately reported for duty and began to create a variety of large posters to display some of the
projects that we had completed successfully.
On the day of the awards ceremony, the STEM team headed off to the House of Lords with Miss English
and Miss Chaudhri. We set up everything to showcase our work and the outcome of our hard work really
paid off! Members of Parliament, Engineers, Judges and STEM Ambassadors were intrigued by the various
projects we had done, not forgetting our eye-catching poster saying that Plashet STEM Club girls had won
the Great British Space Menu competition!
On the day I spoke to a judge from STEMNET who said that, “Females in the STEM sectors are in high
demand for companies like Google and Facebook, especially for posts in Engineering and Coding. She
continued to say that: “if we can somehow open paths to such careers using these types of clubs, we can
encourage girls to reach new heights and possibly advance in the STEM area.”
Once the questions were over, we entered the main hall for the results. We met Steph McGovern who
broadcasts the Business News on BBC Breakfast, and she was previously a winner of the ‘Young British
Engineer Award’. She now supports STEMNET and encourages girls to be involved in STEM. She took a
picture with us and posted it on Twitter!
We were one of three finalists and we worked really hard up to the last minute. …then came the results.
The atmosphere was tense and we all had this pulsating feeling inside as they took their time announcing
the winners. We were the winners of London and third in the UK! It was a privilege to even be nominated
and this could not have happened without our STEM Club Leader, Miss English, so this award is a token of
our gratitude. And who knows? Maybe we might get even further next year!
Nishat Basir, 8G
On 6th October 2015, four students including myself attended the Annual STEMNET Awards that were
held at the House of Lords. This once-in-a-lifetime event was an extraordinary opportunity for all of us
and the teachers as well. We were given the honour of being nominated as one of the ‘Most Dedicated
STEM Clubs’ in the UK. At this event we had to present our projects and challenges that had been
produced in STEM Club to judges and invited guests. Among all the guests was a secret judge that would
determine who was the most dedicated club. After our presentation was the actual awards ceremony.
5
2015 STEMNET Awards ceremony at the House of Lords cont’d
We met several inspiring people such as Lord Sainsbury of Turnville and Steph McGovern, a Journalist
from the BBC. We talked to other STEM Club Leaders from other schools and we suggested some
activities that they could try in their own STEM Club at their schools. Finally, the awards started to be
given out. At the end, our dedication and passion for STEM had won us the ‘Most Dedicated STEM Club in
London and runner-up in the U.K. This trip has been very beneficial for me as I am more confident and I
am able to converse with people. Overall, I thought that this trip was a fantastic experience and I hope
that I receive more opportunities like this in the future.
Noshin Saadia, 8N and Midunaa Jegatheeswaran 8L
On 6th October, Plashet's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Club was invited to attend
the 2015 STEMNET Annual Awards ceremony after being shortlisted for the ‘Most Dedicated STEM Club of
the Year’. Four STEM club members accompanied Ms English, STEM Club Leader, and Ms Chaudhri, Head
of Science, to attend this prestigious event held at the House of Lords. It was an opportunity for the
STEM club to showcase all their achievements. STEM club members got the chance to discuss their
involvement in the club with others who felt passionately about it.
Our STEM club was recognised as the’ Most Dedicated STEM Club in London’. After the ceremony, Plashet
School was asked to feature in a news story for London Live. Ms English and the STEM Club
representatives took part in an interview about the importance of STEM. We spoke about its’ impact in
driving girls into STEM careers and being the scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians of
tomorrow. "Seeing everything we accomplished over the past few years made me proud to be part of the
STEM Club at Plashet."
Aminah Hassan, President of STEM Club, 11P
6
World Space Week 2015
World Space Week is an international celebration of the contribution that Space Science and Technology
makes to the betterment of mankind. During World Space Week, events and educational programmes
related to space were held globally. World Space Week 2015 focussed on the great era of deep space
discovery that we are in. Space is all about discovery and we have never learnt as much of the universe
we live in as in the last decade. Space telescopes, deep space probes and several interplanetary satellites
have shown us the magic, wonders and opportunities of new worlds. Galaxies far away and close by,
landings on planets, moons, asteroids and comets teach us about where we humans have come from and
where we will go in the future. The theme this year for Space Week was ‘Discovery’.
KS3 students were asked to complete various tasks to get them interested in Space. They were asked to:
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
Design model Solar Systems
Write poems about Space
Home Learning Task: Imagine that ‘One Direction’ was going to live on the International Space
Station (ISS) for 3 months. Design a Space Station Lab where ‘One Direction’ could live, record
music, do experiments for educational purposes, and communicate with people back on Earth. They
were asked to use given questions as a guide their designs were peer assessed. This is what some
of the pupils’ came up with.
Ms A English, Lead Practioner
Poems about Space
Space
There are nine planets that we know
Round and round the Sun they go.
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are the closest to our Sun.
Followed by Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Which we cannot see too.
There are nine planets we know
Round and round the Sun they go.
By Saima Patel 8N
My Space Poem
5, 4,3,2,1… BLAST OFF!
We’re off to space, to see the wonderful grace.
Planets, Galaxies, Stars I see them floating across the blank space.
Eight planets that swirl around the sun, Mecury, Venus, Earth and Mars the four rocky planets just like us.
Neil Armstrong, was first to step foot to discover the silver ball, that appear at night and disappears in the
morning.
Then I travel through the emptiness saying hello to Jupiter, wink at Saturn, glare at Uranus and wave
goodbye to Neptune.
Shining stars and moaning moons that dance across the black sheet, lighting the skies like candles.
These all make up the universe including the golden sphere that stands in the middle, it was amazing to
take a glimpse at space, not empty space…. By Thanushika Mathivannan 8N
My Acrostic poem on Space
Space is huge and very wide.
Planets orbit the only Sun.
All around there are stars, planets and rocks.
Crammed with amazing interesting facts you can find out.
Earth is our planet, the one with life, it’s not the biggest, but it sure is special! By Sumaira Ahmed 8N
7
International Space Lab for One Direction - Home Learning
1.
How will ‘One Direction’ carry out the day-to-day tasks of living: eating, sleeping, washing, etc.?
First and foremost, the band members from ‘One direction’ are neither educated nor skilled to explore space. An
astronaut is a respected professional who undergoes years of training in order to explore space. I would assume in
this case a trained astronaut will be with band members in order to assist the group in their task.
Dried foods are what astronauts eat; in order to make freeze-dried foods astronauts will squeeze water into the food
packages and then eat the food once it absorbs all the water. Hot water can be used in order to make the meals
tastier. Since astronauts are weightless, sleeping is not an issue. All the band members need to attach themselves to
a wall, a seat or a bed in order to prevent them from floating around. Going to the bathroom is also a simple task,
as the only difference will be the structure of the toilet as it will consist of a commode that holds solid waste and
urinals for liquid waste. A funnel is designed to fit around the private area that will allow both men and women to
urinate while standing up or sitting down. Since water does not flow in zero-gravity areas, the One Direction
members will have to clean their bodies using a wet towel and wash their hair using waterless shampoo.
2.
How will ‘One Direction’ record music?
Sound waves only travel through areas where there are molecules for it to travel through. On Earth sound travels to
your ears by vibrating air molecules. There isn’t any air in space so there won’t be any sound. So therefore,
recording music while floating around for a new ‘music video’ will be a failed attempt. However in pressurised
environment such as the space shuttles, sound will be able to travel through, so the band would be able to perform
music.
3.;
How will ‘One Direction’ communicate with their friends and family and take care of business on Earth?
Via Internet.
4.
How will ‘One Direction’ relax and have fun?
Sending people to space is an immensely expensive procedure (hence why India has been criticised of it). To spend
millions of dollars/pounds to send a band of unskilled ‘One Direction’ band members to space to ‘have fun and relax’
is beyond me. However according to NASA, astronauts common past times or methods to relax are often to watch
the view from their shuttle. The sights are breath-taking and truly an opportunity to relish; other past times are
playing cards, playing games amongst other workers, watching movies, reading or talking to their families.
5.
Why should ’One Direction’ go into space? How could they use their time in space to contribute to
the exploration and utilization of space?
I do not believe ‘One Direction’ should go to space, however for the sake of this assignment I will say that the ONLY
benefit I can see with sending unskilled people out into space is to promote the respected profession of astronauts
and the importance of science. Since the boy band members are a global sensation and they have a huge fan base,
they can use that to an advantage by teaching the young generation a little bit more about the outer atmosphere
and fascination of everything that has been discovered outside Earth. Discoveries in space are moving at a rapid rate
and if it could inspire a few intelligent young fans and make them aware that there is more to life than singing and
fame. In addition, they will come to realise that the exploration and utilisation of space is an area of interest not just
now but for the future. With that in mind, then maybe sending ‘One Direction’ to space is not such a bad idea.
Khalisah Syeeda, 8N
8
EAL Department Visit to New Vic Sixth Form College
On Wednesday 21st October 2015, we visited NewVic Sixth Form College with Ms Kirtley and Ms
Chamasova. It was a great experience as we were able to get lot of information about NewVic and its
achievements.
Firstly, we were given an introduction of NewVic in a short video clip; in which around 74 students got
into London’s top universities last year! Also, NewVic provides a lot of facilities and help for its hardworking students.
We were given visitor cards and taken on a tour around NewVic. Although the college looked small from
the outside, it was actually really big inside; the first thing that we came across was the exciting
construction work that will provide the students with even greater facilities by having a whole new
Library, Drama Studio and a second entrance. Next we were taken to see classrooms. The Maths
classroom was really colorful and bright, the Science lab had a lot of equipment and resources to support
students in their learning. The most inspiring and largest rooms were in the PE department where the
Sports Hall was twice as big as Plashet School’s South Hall, the PE teacher told us that there were many
different activities that people could join in including girls only sessions. In addition, the Gym had a lot of
exercise equipment so if you wanted to do further PE NewVic would be the best option as it is in the top
six in London for sport. Lastly we visited the LRC (Learning Resource Centre) in which there were 30
different resources that students could use; this shows the educational support that NewVic offers to its
students.
We were given the opportunity to ask about NewVic and we then left bag full of NewVic goodies.
I would like to thank Ms Chamasova and Ms Kirtley for giving us this wonderful opportunity.
Sara Shahid 10E
9
Year 11 Revision MADE Simple
On 20th October, our Year 11 students took part in the workshop Revision MADE Simple. This workshop
encourages the students to continue their learning at home and establish the best possible habits for
independent studying and revision. The workshop provides students with tools to be able to visualise and
memorise key information through the use of mnemonics and other techniques. The workshop was
delivered in a fun and engaging way and students left feeling more confident with their revision skills.
Ms S Mehmet-Ali
Assistant Year Coordinator for Year 11
Year 11 took part in an Exams Made East workshop before the half term. It was fun. The workshop
helped us adopt new and more effective revision techniques which would help us revise for the upcoming
exams. We learnt how to use mind maps, cue cards, mnemonics, use objects or images to recall
information, and how to use a benchmark to prioritise subjects and efforts to achieve the greatest results.
We also learnt how to plan the amount of time we have after school and after commitments, so we are
able to dedicate time to revise, homework and have some free time. All the students were participating
eagerly. Overall, the session was fun, informative and very interactive and gave us some fabulous
strategies and techniques to support our revision for our upcoming GCSEs!
Ayesha Patel and Saraswathi Ramachandran 11G
Coming Up! Music Tech Live Concert: Thursday 26th November 4.30-5.30pm, South
Hall
The Music Department won some funding for a project that
set out to experiment with technology in music making. With
the funding we bought four Vocal Performer foot pedals. This
piece of equipment allows a solo singer to harmonise herself,
record vocal ideas and loop them (think Ed Sheeran and his
loop pedal) and add effects to her voice during a live
performance.
To kick start this project we took a group of students to
Chobham Academy, where, along with students from Lister
School, spent the afternoon experimenting with different
pieces of music technology, using apps on iPads and DJ
equipment too.
Since then, all three schools have been
working separately during lunch time workshop sessions to
compose their own music ready for the Music Tech Live
Concert on Thursday 26th November 4.30-5.40pm in the South
Hall. Students from all three schools will be there, so come
and buy your ticket and come along and watch Music Tech
Live!
Tickets cost 50p and are available from Miss Carne or Mr Wong. Parents, Governors and
Staff are very welcome to come along.
Other Music news: The Christmas Concert will be held on Thursday 17th December 4.30-6.00pm.
Tickets will cost £2.50 and all funds will go to the Music Department instrument repair fund. Expect a mini
musical as part of the concert!
Miss L Carne , Subject Leader for Maths
10
Year 10 LionHeart Regional Challenge
On Friday 15th October 2015 the winning group from the LionHeart Enterprise challenge day held at
Plashet in June travelled across East London to Hackney Town Hall to take part in the Regional Final.
The day was challenging from the start - as soon as we arrived we were sorted out into our job roles and
given the challenge in the opening ceremony! We had to:
“conceptualise, design and create an exciting, highly effective concept for a social action project which will
deliver ground breaking impact for a chosen citizen group within your town or community”
Our idea involved a service for helping homeless people in East Ham. We had to research, market finance
and present our idea to a panel of judges from The Glasgow school of Art, Tesco’s, Arsenal Football Club
and The Borough of Hackney Metropolitan Police.
The presentations were of an incredibly high standard and the LionHeart organisers, kept mentioning that
we were all really well focussed and driven and that we were the strongest field of competitors that they
had had for a number of years. Imagine standing here and presenting to lots of people sitting in the
chairs!
We received the award for the Best Product idea. The students that took part were Hridya Manoj 10H,
Saira Bano 10N, Sanjana Akhter 10S, Sara Villani 10T, Muna Abdirahman 10T, Awa Seck 10A
and Deepali Patel 10G.
Mrs Clark
Head of Careers Information Advice and Guidance
11
BOSS Day (Building Opportunities Skills Seminars)
On Thursday 2nd October 2015, all of Year 11 were off timetable all day, and they concentrated on
learning about interview techniques, application forms, first impressions, body language and generally
how to present themselves for an interview, whether it be for a college or a job.
We had 12 employers visit the school from various local businesses, including The Lord Mayor’s Office,
Keepmoat, Buoyugues, Mullaley, and BT and they guided the students through the seminars.
The day was given an extra fun element with performances by Actorshop, which is interactive theatre and
engaging and helps to consolidate the skills that the students are learning throughout the day.
The responses from the Year 11 students about the day were incredibly positive as follows:
“I can now prepare more effectively for an interview”
“Learning how to conduct yourself within an interview, also the actorshop workshops were extremely
useful”
“All of it, the entire day has been really informative about what employers look for & what a good
interview involves”.
And that they learnt:
“how to answer interviews questions properly” and
“what to do / not to do on a CV”
The employers that came in were very positive about the enthusiasm and engagement of our students!
Mrs Clark
Head of Careers Information Advice and Guidance
12
Year 10 Art Visit
On Wednesday 4th November we visited the Victoria and Albert
Museum as part of our gallery location visit for GCSE Art and
Design.
On entering the museum we were overwhelmed by the beautiful
chandelier that hangs in the entrance hall, made by the Glass
Artist Dale Chihuly. We explored many different areas of the
museum, trying to record as much information as possible on
our theme of timelines. The glass gallery had more Chihuly
pieces but also some really unusual modern pieces as well as
some pieces that were from Egyptian eras.
We took photographs and
sketched anything that
interested us. There were
many statues and beautiful
objects that inspired and
captivated
us.
Whilst
drawing several members
of the public came up and
peered over our shoulders.
It was daunting trying to
draw with lots of people
looking at us, but we received lots of compliments about our
drawings which made us feel really confident.
It was nice being able to walk around the galleries independently
and to explore. We stumbled across a wonderful new gallery all
about theatre and performance and found some inspiring costumes
and head pieces.
We particularly enjoyed our visit to the shop, which was far too
expensive, but contained some really beautiful jewellery.
‘The day was interesting, it gave me lots of ideas for my final piece, but I’m really exhausted, I really
liked the mix of old and new things. Perfect for the ‘timelines’ theme ‘ Afnaan Firthous 10E
On the journey home we were all so exhausted but pleased that it had been a really useful day.
Uzma Sharif, Saffiyah Sultana and Fatima Suleiman 10G
13
Peer Mediation
I would like to thank everyone from Year 9 who
applied to be a Peer Mediator. I received 63
applications, all of a good standard and had the
difficult task of shortlisting 31 to interview. In
agreement with Ms Cartney and Ms Aslam, the
21 students listed below were chosen to
become Peer Mediators. Factors taken into
consideration included excellent attendance,
good behaviour and a keen effort in the
application process.
They have now completed their six training
sessions and will begin their duties after half
term. This will include visiting their allocated
Year 7 and 8 form classes and weekly
lunchtime duties, where KS3 students can go to
speak to them in the North Library between
12.55pm and 1.25pm. They will carry out these
duties throughout Year 9 and on successful
completion will be assessed and may even
receive an AQA Award.
A huge congratulations to all the new Peer Mediators!
Peer Mediator
Lunch Duty
Form Duty
Iqra Khan 9P
Monday
7,8P
Raya Haroub 9A
7,8P
Sirin Yusuf 9G
7,8L
Sadia Rahman 9G
7,8L
Muqqaddas Shahzadi 9L
7,8L
Nadia Khaliq 9G
Tuesday
7,8A
Tabassum Rahman 9G
7,8A
Mooskan Gul 9G
7,8H
Fatima Mahmood 9G
7,8H
Bhanbanjot Kaur Mann 9S
Wednesday
7,8S
Arooj Nasir 9N
7,8S
Rabiya Aurfun 9N
7,8S
Saarah Ali 9G
Thursday
7,8G
Tasneem Ali 9G
7,8G
Zaynab Mohammodally 9N
7,8G
Aneesa Nazir 9G
7,8N
Faaiza Hafeji 9N
7,8N
Deborah Duke 9T
Friday
7,8T
Madhu Manda 9T
7,8T
Sajini Sivasothinarthan 9H
7,8E
Vaishnavi Ramamurthy 9E
7,8E
Ms A Adjaye
KS3 Learning Mentor
14
Eid Poems
RE
Event with Year 7
I recently took an RE class with 7G. In RE Year 7 have been looking at the idea of philosophical questions,
and the issue of different types of truth. I used this as an opportunity to explore the notion of lying, and
in particular the ethical issue of whether it can ever be OK to tell a lie. I asked students to think about
times in their lives they have ever told a lie, or been lied to. The poems that results were heartfelt, funny
and imaginative. I would like to share a few examples.
Chocolate by Zainab Yasin 7G
My sister asked if I ate her chocolate.
I said no, dad ate it.
So she ran to dad and said dad, have you eaten
my chocolate?
He said no, mum ate it.
So she ran to mum and said mum, have you
eaten my chocolate?
She said no, your sister ate it.
She ran to her sister.
Her sister ran away.
Who ate the chocolate?
Nobody knows.
They Told Me by Ameesha Thahir 7G
They told me she was fine,
that she’d gone on a little holiday,
I knew they were lying,
she wasn’t fine,
she was ill,
and there was nothing I could do about it.
I knew she wasn’t coming back,
but I would love her all the same.,
her large flappy ears,
her deep brown eyes,
I hope she will remember me,
I know I will remember her.
My Poem by Hafeeja Khanam7G
She told me about a place where fairies
roamed about.
“Beware the bad boy”, she used to scream
and shout.
She showed me a world with magic at
every corner
And about a girl with golden hands,
called Luna.
She spoke to me in a gentle voice so we
could not be found
For the bad boy was around and we
couldn’t make a sound.
She introduced me to the monsters that
fought in the rink
We couldn’t move when they were fighting,
we couldn’t even blink
She warned me about the ferocious lion
always on our trail
And the old witch with wrinkles
who sent us out to sail.
She lied to me about the world where
adventure lay in wait.
She closed for me all my dreams behind
a golden gate.
Now I remember all her stories, myths
and legends,
And when I think about it, that amazing
world is sent.
Mr J Seigal
Poet in Residence
15
Urdu Movie Night
On Tuesday 3nd November the Urdu Department hosted
“Urdu Movie Night”. There was a turnout of students from
Years 8, 9 and 10 who excitedly came to watch “Bajrangi
Bhaijaan”.
The film is about a little mute girl from a Pakistani village who
gets lost on her way back from a trip to India. The character
of Pavan is on a quest to unite the girl with her family against
all odds. Set against the backdrop of colourful Chandni
Chowk, the film travels from the heartland of Punjab, through
the deserts of Rajasthan, over the snow-capped mountains of
Kashmir.
“This is a really good film and it is a bit sad too. It shows both India and Pakistan and we were able to
hear the difference between the Urdu and Hindi languages.” Mustaneer Fatima, 10N
“In class many students mix Urdu words with Hindi and Punjabi
ones and as Salman Khan spoke really strong Hindi we could
clearly recognise the difference.” Mehvish Mahmood, 8T
Mrs Akhtar
Teacher of Languages
Year 9 Urdu Debate club
The Year 9 Urdu Debate club are having their first internal competition on Tuesday 17th November in G13.
We plan to begin at 3.45 and finish before 4.30pm. If you would like to be part of the audience and show
some support, please see me beforehand. The motion for the debate is “This House would introduce child
curfews after 8.00pm”.
Mrs Akhtar
Teacher of Languages
Library News
Saturday Sessions
As the mock GCSEs are approaching, we would like to remind students in Year 10 and 11 (and their
parents) that the South Library is open on Saturdays from 10.00am to 1.00pm to provide a calm, quiet
environment in which students can revise.
Those students who are planning to attend Saturday Sessions should make sure they have signed up in
the South Library before the end of school on Thursday. Sessions will only go ahead if we know students
will actually be coming!
Library staff are happy to answer any questions that parents/carers may have about Saturday Sessions.
Please feel free to contact the school if you would like any more information.
Ms A Clifford-Smith
Librarian/Resource Manager
16