Hayes School Race Night

Hayes School are trying to raise money for a new school rugby kit for each year group.We are hoping to raise £3,000.00 for this worthwhile cause especially as the school has recently been awarded the Rugby FootballUnion (RFU) Development Schools Award which highlights our commitment to teaching rugby at Hayes School.As part of the fundraising we are organising a Race Night at Hayes School on July 7th 2009 and we are enquiring at this stage as towhether your company would be interested in helping us raise this money in one of three ways:

• A donation of a generous prize that would be associated to a race.
• Sponsoring the whole evening for £300.00 where we would do everything possible to advertise and promote your company on the night.
• A donation of £500.00 that would purchase a rugby kit for one of our year groups with your company logo on the shirt.We would appreciate any support that your company could give us in raising this money.

If you wish to discuss this further please donot hesitate to contact me either by telephone or by e-mail M.Stamato@Hayes.bromley.sch.uk.

Year 11 & Year 13 Leaving

As the GCSE and A levels have now commenced Year 11 & 13 commenced their revision programme and thus officially marked their ‘leavingof Hayes’.Year 13 held a fantastic Prom at Solomon’s in Tunbridge Wells on Friday 15th May. The students looked wonderful, conducted themselvesbrilliantly and had a great time. A great year group who will be really missed.Year 11 held their final assembly on Wednesday 20th May. They have revision classes before all their exams, but this was an opportunityto mark the end of their compulsory education. Almost all will be continuing their education, most at Hayes. It is a testimony to them thatthey conducted themselves excellently during their last day.We wish both years great success with their exams.

Mr Osborne, Headteacher

Dance

In the last two weeks there have been two outstanding evening of Dance at Hayes.Chance 2 Dance on the 12th May show cased the fantastic talent across the school. Dance has come a long way at Hayes and there werenearly 100 performers including girls and boys of all years and even staff.On Tuesday 19th May it was the exam students’ opportunity to show their talents and abilities to the examiners and an appreciative andimpressed audience. The standard was unbelievably high.Well done to the students and the Dance department.

West Kent Athletics

Stephanie Deane, Jessica Jones, Isobel Ivy and Hannah Goodridge have all been selected to represent Bromley West Kent at the KentSchools Athletics Championships on 13th June. Their selection is a result of fantastic performances in the recent Bromley West KentCompetition at Norman Park. Congratulations and good luck in your events!

‘Rave on Air’ Event and Taster Broadcast Session

‘Rave on Air’ Event and Taster Broadcast SessionWednesday 3rd June 2009 11:30am -3:00pmAny 6th Formers interested in a career in the creative industries Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication are holding UK’slargest live student-broadcasting event on the above date. All interested students can attend demonstrations on either event on the abovedate from 11:30am to 3:00pm.Further information is available in the LRC, or to book a place please contact Emma Cooper on 020 8289 4920.

Hayes Students win Chemistry Salter’s Competition

Four Year 8 students took part in a Chemistry competition on Wednesday 13th May at the University of East London. The students had totake part in two competitions against other schools and they were judged for team work, safety, precision and accuracy.The first competition involved some forensic detective work in which they had to find the murderer from chemical testing a number ofsamples taken from suspects. The second competition involved some more analysis of athletes who were suspected of using drugs toenhance their performance. The ‘Hayes team’ had great detective skills and won the first competition. It was a pleasure to take the studentsto the event and they showed much enthusiasm for the day. Well done to Alfie Horwood 8HJ, Michael Barney 8HJ, Seth Hamilton 8HJ andKaty Hulm 8FD.

Mrs Semple, Head of Chemistry

Year 9 SATS Exams

I would like to congratulate all Year 9 students for their responsible andmature behavior when taking part in the exams last week. Well done.

Miss Harrison, Year 9 Achievement Coordinator

Sainsburys Active Kids Vouchers

Don’t forget to collect your Sainsbury’s vouchers up to 3rd June and deliverto the collection box at Student Reception or in the PE office

Kent Netball

Congratulations to both Jo Rothery and Lois Holder who have both beenselected for the Kent Netball Under 14 Squad. The students had to benominated by the school and their club (Telstars) to attend the initial trials,which was well attended by players from all over the county.The girls have done fantastically well to be selected, and will now attendfurther training days which will decide which level squad they will be in.Both students have been working hard at both school practices and theirclub training sessions.Anyone interested in finding out more about Telstars Netball Club should see Mrs Paterson in the PE Department.

Hayes School Handball team qualifies for South East England

Last Wednesday 11 Year 10 students travelled to Maidstone GrammarSchool to play in the first qualifying round of the National HandballChampionships. The team have played friendly matches before, but thiswas the first time that they had played in a championship such as this. TheChief Executive of the British Handball Association was present along withother Handball coaches from around the country.The team performed fantastically in front of a very loud home crowd andbeat Maidstone Grammar School 8-1. This means they have now qualifiedfor the South East finals which will be held at a purpose built HandballArena in Leyton. After the match the team were given some expertcoaching from the coaches who were there. We were told that the teamshowed immense potential and they were impressed at how the Hayesteam played and conducted themselves.Congratulations to all the students in the squad.We now start training for the Finals!

Mr D Loomes

National Trampolining Success

Darren George has recently had a run of successes while representing the school in trampolining. Having won the London regional U15 elite boys competition, he then competed at the Southern Zonal U15 Elite Competition. Darren came third in this to reach the National competition. Darren put in a fantastic performance to finish ninth in the National finals, a great achievement considering the high standard of competition and he has only been competing for less than a year and a half. Well done and good luck with future competitions.

Holocaust Survivor Speaks to Students

On Tuesday 12th May 2009, Year 9 were visited by Mr Josef Perl, a survivor of the Holocaust. Mr Perl came in to talk to the students about his experiences during World War 2 and also to answer any questions that they have. All students found the talk extremely interesting and very emotional. The following are extracts from students’ letters to Mr Perl

“Thank you very much for the fascinating and also terrifying insight into your life experience. Before you had come and talked to us, Nazi Germany and Hitler seemed very hard to believe and understand- it was just something that we studied in class. Now I can appreciate that it was all real and that people like you went through an horrific ordeal just because of your beliefs.”

- Elaine Seow

“I admire your personality and how you don’t agree with staying angry at someone and I think that it is really great that you are able to forgive the soldiers.”

- Rebecca Davies

“The most moving part of your tale was when you told us you saw your own mother, sisters, nieces and nephews being shot before your eyes. I know that I myself would never be able to cope as well as you have.”

- Sophie Waeland

“I found it very inspirational when you said that the children are the future and that if we tried we could make a difference in the world and make the future better.”

- Hannah Murphy

“I personally am very interested in the Holocaust and to have someone talk to me first hand about what happened was so interesting and I consider myself and my school friends very lucky. I wish you and your family the best and thank you again.”

- Saffron Secker

Top Netballers

Congratulations to both Jo Rothery and Lois Holder who have both been selected for the Kent Netball Under 14 Squad. The students had to be nominated by the school and their club (Telstars) to attend the initial trials, which was well attended by players from all over the county. The girls have done fantastically well to be selected, and will now attend further training days which will decide which level squad they will be in. Both students have been working hard at both school practices and their club training sessions. Anyone interested in finding out more about Telstars Netball Club should see Mrs Paterson in the PE Department.

Athletics Success

Stephanie Deane, Jessica Jones, Isobel Ivy and Hannah Goodridge have all been selected to represent Bromley West Kent at the Kent Schools Athletics Championships on 13^th June. Their selection is a result of fantastic performances in the recent Bromley West Kent Competition at Norman Park. Congratulations and good luck in your events!

Drama Department goes to Milan!

Two weeks ago, Miss Devaux and I were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to go to Italy to share teaching ideas with studentsat the prestigious Collegio San Carlo School, in the centre of Milan. Staff and students who have been at Hayes for more than five yearswill remember that Mrs Haralambous, an English teacher, used to work at Hayes School. She returned to Milan after her teacher trainingin England, and now works at the school, which has among its alumni Sylvio Berlusconi’s grandson and footballer Paolo Maldini’s son.Opposite the front door is a small chapel where Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ is painted. The school is over 1,000 years old and steepedin history.The purpose of our visit was to share the teaching experience and ideas we have in Drama with the staff and students at the school, inorder that they might be able to apply them not only English, but all other subjects as well. We began by giving a seminar to the staffand students on the cultural faculty, who have classes taught in Italian and English. We showed pictures and DVD’s of our school that hadbeen compiled by Mrs Harney. Then Miss Devaux and I taught three one-hour classes each to the equivalent of Year 7, 8 and 9. We ledthem through a number of drama skills that everyone at Hayes would be familiar with such as Still Images and Thought-tracking, thenrelated them to literacy and learning, specifically Romeo & Juliet (Year 9), ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth (Year 8) and ‘Nettles’ by VernonScanlon (Year 7). We were amazed at how quickly the students responded to the stimuli and skills we taught them. The highlight waswhen two students were hot-seated as Romeo then Juliet just after their first meeting at the Ball. All questions and improvised responseswere done in English!!The feedback we got after the classes from the teachers was very positive indeed. They thought that the students were far more engagedthan normal, and want to develop their plan to make all subjects accessible through drama techniques, from now on.We only stayed one full day, but had a wonderful time - apart from the weather, which was atrocious! The school wants to further linkswith Hayes, and will be visiting London next summer, so we hope that they will be able to come and visit and work with us.Thank you to Miss Devaux for her expertise on poetry and literacy, to Mrs Harney for all her hard work in the Media department, to Mr Osborne for permitting the visit and to Mrs Haralambous for organising all parts of our stay so efficiently.

Mr Eden, Teacher of Drama

Creative & Media Fashion Show

On May 1st after an intensive period of planning our Creative and Media Diploma students held a Fashion Show. The students were given the task of planning and producing an event as part of their assessment and produced an outstanding show. The audience was two Year 8 English classes who wrote a review of the event and interviewed the models and organisers.

Congratulations to Sian Marks, Lucy Hutchins and Lucy Reeves for organising the event and thanks to all the staff involved in helping them to make the event a roaring success. Special thanks also go to all of the brave models from the Sixth Form without who the event would not have been possible.

C4 Detentions

C4 detentions will now run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. Students should bring some work to the detention or they will be given worksheets to complete. The extra detention on Wednesday is to avoid a back log of detentions. The detention will run from 3pm-4pm in CGC.

In addition to students placed in detention for behaviour incidents it will now include students who have failed to attend an 8.00am detention. For example, a student that is late to school without reason or incurs two yellow slips for uniform issues during Monday is given an 8.00am detention for Tuesday. Should the student fail to attend this detention they will be given a C4 (one hour) detention for the Wednesday.

Plans for M block

Fantastic interest was shown by our students in our plans to build a new teaching block. After an invitation to view our plans for a new ‘M’ block on Friday afternoon, about 50 students arrived to scrutinise our plans to extend our facilities at Hayes. Much enthusiasm was shown with questions about sustainability, design, impact on subjects and the long term ambition of the school – a really positive atmosphere created by a really interested and positive group of students.

We hope to arrange for a display of the proposed building in the near future and will publish our plans on the web site. We look forward to more students, staff and parents taking an interest in the development of Hayes as a centre of excellence in education. All we need now is for Mr Osborne to find even more money!!

Mr T W Scott, Deputy Head

Ski Trip 2009

As we, a group of Year 8, 9 and 10 students, saw the breathtaking white desert of snow that lay before us,we knew that the best ski trip ever to be experienced by Hayes School students was about to commence. We were finally here, in thebeautiful resort of La Plagne.From the beginners to the more experienced skiers, every day would involve new challenges for us all. Whether we were skiing down themountain, or rolling down it (teachers included), everyone was enjoying themselves throughout the six days of excitement on the slopes.And that wasn’t all; whether laughing at the teachers embarrassing themselves at karaoke, or winding-down to watch a humorous film, theevenings were always entertaining too!Although we were exhausted by the end, we were very sorry that another exhilarating wonderful ski trip had come to a close. Thank you tothe teachers who organised and ran the trip for us.

By Georges Vacharopoulos 10AS

Hayes PTA Prize Fund

Congratulations to Mrs Beverley Banerji this term's winner of the Hayes PTA Prize Fund of £200.00

AS and A2 Exam Performance

Year 12 & 13 will be performing their exam dance pieces on Tuesday 19th May at 5.45pm in the Main Hall. Tickets are £3 and money raisedwill contribute towards the Year 13 trip to New York next year. We would appreciate your support at this important event – Bring your ownsoft drinks and nibbles!

Many Thanks. Mrs Jefferies

PTA Event - Stephaneez Dance Craze

You've seen Chance to Dance, now it's YOUR Chance to Dance!

Have fun doing salsa, line dancing, country dancing and fun disco dances with your friends and family.

Friday 10th July 2009 8-11pm

Advance Ticket Prices Adult: £6, Child: £4 Family: £18Tickets will cost £2 extra on door.

Bring your own drinks and nibbles

Read More

Girls Ski Team County Champions

The senior Girls Ski team were crowned County Champions on Sunday when they successfully retained their title at Bromley Ski Slope. This was another fantastic achievement for the team who are regarded as one of the best teams in the country. The team was made up of Joanna Llewellyn, Georgia Luck, Amy Bryant and Ellie Steward. This was a particularly fitting way to end the season as it was Joanna and Amy’s last race for the school before they go to University. The Championship also marked the debut for a new boys team made up of Andrew Owens, Darren George, Tom Sutherland and Tom Bryant. The team also did fantastically well to finish 4th.

Once again thank you for the superb support of all parents.

D Loomes

Return Locker Keys

At this time of year we need to allocate lockers to students who will join Hayes School (Years 7 and 12) in September 2009 – some 500 in total. Consequently we need ALL Year 11 and Year 13 students to empty their lockers and return their keys to us. Any Year 11 Students who are joining the 6th Form will be able to apply for a new locker when they return in September. Their locker will be allocated in one of the 6th Form areas rather than where it is at present.

Students will be able to return their keys at Student Reception during break and lunchtime only on the dates listed below:

• Tuesday 9th June
• Friday 12th June
• Thursday 18th June
• Friday 19th June

If a locker key is not returned by the end of Friday 19th June, the locks will be changed and any contents will be disposed of.

24 Hour Table Tennis

On the 1st May, a 24 hour table tennis was held by 22 year eight students and 4 teachers. The students and teachers were,

• Vicky Rowedder


• Kim Buckland


• Ben Hollick


• Michael Barney


• Alfie Horwood


• Poppy Younger


• Ben Slocombe


• Charlie Firth


• Tom Marshall


• Becky Jones


• Hannah Buckle


• Alex Cripps


• Ellie Howarth


• Daniel Biggs


• Izzy Izzard


• Kirsten Allemand


• Chloe Graham


• Sophie Mcillmurry


• Max Broggio


• Kieran O’Brien


• Luke Busby


• Hollie Maides


• Miss Allman


• Miss West


• Miss Goschinski


• Mr Whittle

For the first couple of hours everyone was hyperactive and excited, but didn’t realise how tiring it would get as the hours went by. We found it very hard but at midnight when the teachers asked if we wanted to go to sleep, we refused and told them “we came to do a 24 hour table tennis” and that is what we did. We would like to congratulate the people who stayed up all night and also those who stayed for the whole 24 hours. But thank you to those who took part anyway.
We have received great sponsorship from everybody and thanks to everyone who sponsored us, but currently we do not know the exact amount that has been raised. We speak for everyone when we say, we had a great time and loads of fun. Our advice for you is that if you get the chance to do a 24 hour event, then never give up and keep going till the end as the feeling inside once you have finished is amazing (most likely the adrenalin).

By Hannah Buckle, and Ellie Howarth

Kirkland Rowell Survey Results

94% of parents, 88% of students and 97% of staff rated Hayes School good or very good in our recent and first ever Kirkland Rowell survey which measures the perceptions of staff, students and parents and compares Hayes to schools nationally and to similar schools. This percentage is ‘outstanding’ according to Kirkland Rowell especially when compared to other schools. We are delighted with this recognition of our work as a school. It shows the commitment of students, staff, parents, governors and allassociated with the school. We all have much to be proud of and to celebrate as we continue to strive for excellence in all areas of the school from providing high quality education in the classroom to providing first-class opportunities for students to develop skills, talents and interests in sport, music and drama to name but a few. I have shared below the key findings from our staff, student and parent surveys. We are especially pleased with the response rate from all groups, which was particularly high in relation to other schools and indicates the shared commitment to Hayes being an outstanding school. 922 parents completed and returned the parent survey and over 1400 students responded to the student survey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the surveys. Both parents and school staff identified teaching quality and school discipline to be most important to them whilst also recognising thatthese are areas of strength for the school. 80% of parents judged the quality of teaching to be good or very good and this continues to be atop priority for teachers at the school. It was also encouraging to learn that 97% of parents felt the school met or exceeded their expectations of it. Over a third of parents feel that the school is better than they had expected it to be when their children first joined the school. Our arrangements for transfer from primary school were also praised by parents and the school’s reputation and academic standards at the school are key factors determining the decision of parents and students to join Hayes, rated above location. Our work to promote healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise was perceived by the overwhelming majority of parents and students to be good and in comparison with other similar schools is well developed. We do, however, wish to continue to look at ways to engage more students in healthy eating and physical activity through our healthy school provision and extensive range of extra-curricular activities. 35% of parents and 69% of staff recognised the progress the school has made in the past year identifying that the school has improved in the last year. Less than 3% felt the school had become worse in the last year. The quality of school management, range of extra-curricular activities and school communication were recognised as strengths of the school by parents and staff praised the respect students show each other and staff, student attitudes to learning (on the whole!) and the extent of support and knowledge of governors. The overwhelming response clearly demonstrates that in nearly every area Hayes School is meeting the needs and expectations of students, parents and staff, all of whom are proud of the school and the direction in which it is going. However, to improve all agree:
1. We need to maintain and continue to improve on our strengths e.g. school discipline, quality of teaching and learning, examination results
2. We need to address identified areas for development (perceived or actual) including careers guidance, the performance of some subjects and punctuality and attendance.
3. We need to continue to involve parents, students and staff in monitoring the school’s performance. We will therefore invite all to contribute to future surveys on an annual basis to allow us to measure improvements. More detailed information from the surveys can be found on the home page of the school website (www.hayes.bromley.sch.uk).

Thank you to all parents, students and staff for completing the surveys and for providing us with such valuable insights and information.

Mr Osborne, Headteacher

Art Work

Friday 15th May is the last and final opportunity for all current and ex GCSE, AS and A Level Art, Photography and Textiles students to collecttheir art work from last year from the Art department lock up. We are having the current metal shed demolished over the half term breaktherefore the shed must be cleared by next Friday 15th May of all folders, sculptures and canvases.If you do not wish your work to be demolished please come to the Art department as soon as possible to make arrangements to pick upyour work.I would appreciate it also if you could inform friends who attended Hayes last year and still have art work stored in the lock up that nextFriday 15th May is the FINAL, FINAL deadline.

Mrs McKenna, Head of Art

Year 9 Exam Day Thursday 14th May in Sports Hall

On Thursday all Year 9 students will sit English, Maths and Science exams in the Sports Hall. These exams will be run formally to givestudents the experience of sitting exams as they will do in Key Stage 4.The times for the exams are as follows:9.00am-10.00am – Maths (line up in Street at 8.35am)11.15am-12.15pm – Science (line up in Street at 10.55am)1.45pm–3.00pm – English (line up in Street at 1.35pm)Students have all been given a number and are required to line up in number order in the Street before each exam. After the exam studentsshould return to their timetabled lesson as normal.In the exam Hall students must be in silence. Students should not bring bags or coats to the exam hall, these should be left in lockers.There will be no space for these in the PE Department. Mobile Phones are not allowed into the exam hall, these should be left at home or inlockers.Students should bring all necessary equipment with them: pens (black), pencils, protractor, compass, ruler, rubber, and calculator. Studentswill be registered in the Exam Hall for pm registration.

Mr Loomes, KS3 Coordinator

New CCTV Cameras Installed

As part of our determination to make Hayes School as safe and secure aspossible for our students, we have recently installed approximately 40 newCCTV cameras around our site. Areas now covered by CCTV include:• all entrances to the site• all entrances to buildings• areas where students meet at breaks and lunchtimes – the field, thestreet, Gadsden lawn, main corridors and the canteen• all corridors in all blocks• the LRC and common room• all toilets (monitoring entrances and sink areas only)• Both receptions in Gadsden• The bikesheds• The PE changing rooms corridorWe are confident that this will result in an even safer site. If any parentshave any concerns regarding this and wish to come in and view the system,please do contact me at school.

Mr L Preston

Teenage Cancer Trust

On Thursday 30th April 2009 a memorial concert was held in the school tocelebrate the life of Mason Gibbs. The event arranged and performed bystudents was a huge success and raised over £500 for the Teenage CancerTrust. We were all extremely pleased that Mason’s parents, sisters andother family members were able to come. The event included singing anddancing from students in all year groups and was a tribute to the immensetalent that we have at Hayes.

Special congratulations to the organising and principle performers:

Hannah Ekagha

Gyaabah Quartey

Chloe Ward

Raven Whitehorne

Glen Morrow

Ceyrone Dehaney Stokes

Harvey Bettsworth

Tom Tully

Healthy School Status

I am extremely pleased to announce that we have successfully met thecriteria to achieve Healthy School’s Status again. Congratulations to MsCarter who has led the work on healthy schools at Hayes. We will bereceiving our plaque in July at a ceremony run by the borough.

Swine Flu

We have recently received guidance from the Bromley authority on Swine Flu and the key message is for schools to operate normally and if the situation changes, further advice will be given. Symptoms are similar to seasonal flu and measures to prevent infection include
avoiding contact with people who are unwell, practice good hand hygiene e.g. wash hands with soap and water, cover nose and mouth when sneezing and dispose of tissues properly when used.
If you have recently travelled to Mexico or any other infected places could you please inform the school.

KS4/KS5 Actuary Lecture

Another Mathematics talk took place on 30th March. This time we invited Dan Bishop from RBS Insurance to talk about the ActuarialProfession. One of our students, James Cowley, wrote his impressions of the lecture:“When the Maths department says “Actuary Lecture” to a group of Year 11s and 6th Formers, one might expect a rather dreary hour tofollow – but after we all squeezed into a few dozen chairs beautifully arranged in the lecture hall (more commonly known as H1), thatprejudice had completely evaporated. An actual actuary (tongue-twister intended) took us comprehensively through the ‘ins and outs’ ofjust what one’s insurance premium goes to pay for, as well as explaining how as much as £18 million was paid out for a single accident.The talk managed to shed a fair amount of light on a somewhat mysterious profession and aroused more than a little interest, particularlywhen the wages an Actuary can earn were mentioned! Overall the lecture was an intriguing and informative hour of real-life Mathsapplied to real problems, which gave weight to the importance of our own studies”.

By James Cowley 11VB

Schools Development Award 2009

Many congratulations to Mr Stamato & Mr Hurst whose hard work and effort for Hayes School Rugby has been recognised. The RFU believes that education continues to be a key focus for the RFU and the growth of the game and by achieving this award Hayes School has shown a significant high level of commitment and high levels of quality rugby training that has added to the development of Rugby Union for Hayes students. With this award Hayes students can now apply for refereeing and coaching qualifications that they can complete at school.

Hayes School Handball

Hayes School have been included on the British Handball Association website as a school trying to develop the game. A video that wasshown at the Sports Awards Evening of students taking part and giving a brief guide on the game has also been put onto the site. Have alook at www.britishhandball.com click on the ‘british handballty’ section on the right hand side to find Hayes School.

Mr Loomes

A Level Economics Trip

On 31st March five A level Economic students attended a debate at St Paul’s Cathedral. The theme for the debate was “My word is my
bond? Rebuilding trust - the G20 and beyond”. The debate was chaired by the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres. The Prime Minister was
joined on the platform by the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd.
Members of the public were invited to attend the debate and over 2000 people filled St Paul’s Cathedral. Representatives from many
city institutions, charities, universities, colleges and schools were joined by clergy and members of the public and questions from the
audience were put to the panel.
Students gained a valuable insight into the Prime Ministers’ thoughts on the outlook for the global economy and potential solutions to
the current crisis. This insight will hopefully be put to good use in their forthcoming summer examinations, particularly for the three Year
13 students who are continuing with their study of Economics at university.

Mr Robinson, Teacher of Economics

Multi Activity Adventure Trip 2009

A reminder that the parents question and answer evening for the Multi Activity Adventure trip to Hameau-Les-Ages, Dordogne is onWednesday 6th May at 6.00pm in the Main Hall. Students are also welcome to attend the evening to find out more information about thetrip. Please bring your child's passport and EHIC card with you. Any problems please contact Mr Healey or Miss Carter.

Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers

I am pleased to inform you that we are taking part in Sainsbury’s ActiveKids again this year. This represents an excellent opportunity for usto acquire lots of extra equipment and experiences that we may notusually be able to provide. Until 3rd June you will be able to receive oneSainsbury’s voucher for every £10 you spend at any Sainsbury’s stores. Youcan also earn vouchers at any Sainsbury’s petrol stations and convert yourNectar points into vouchers by visiting nector.com. Vouchers should beplaced in the collection box at Student Reception or in the PE office.

World Challenge Trip to Buxton

During the Easter holidays we, a group of Sixth Form adventurers, bravedthe elements and the rugged landscape of the Peak District. Exercises inleadership skills, trekking, cooking, budgeting, environmental care andemergency procedures were all performed in preparation for our WorldChallenge expedition to Kenya in the summer. There were not any maneatinglions, but the cooking and camping in bad weather was certainlyenough of a challenge!The trip gave us an insight into how we will have to work together as ateam in Kenya, and also it showed us some of the skills we will have tomaster. It was difficult at times, but a lot of fun, and now we are lookingforward to Kenya even more.

Stephen Fisher, Year 12

Music Tour to Croatia

With music usually confined to the classroom of CGF, the tour to Croatiawas certainly an eye-opener. After a rather arduous (but certainlyentertaining) coach journey, we arrived in the stunning country of Croatia,where the choir and band played in numerous beautiful and unusualvenues. Amongst these were the huge, glittering caverns of Slovenia,which certainly made a change from the school hall. Another day weperformed in botanical gardens, playing and singing out to the sea. Weperformed various numbers, the choir lighting the air with ‘Shine’ and theRazzy Dazzy band with ‘Carwash’.

Despite all the busy music-making, there was always time for shopping.After getting used to the somewhat confusing currency of Kuna, we wentround various towns, such as Opatija, to experience Croatian culture(and all the yummy food on offer). The weather was flawless throughoutthe trip, and I’m sure everyone was sorry to leave. It was an incredibleexperience, and I would urge anyone with a voice box to sign up to choirwith haste.

By Lily Beswick 11AM