Dear Parents/Carers
I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a Friday update for you as always, as we begin the month of December.
Some highlights for you, of opportunities students have been able to take advantage of this week include:
Our Year 7 girls’ football team were involved in a tournament on Monday playing three matches at the Peter May Sports Centre. Narrowly beaten in two of the matches and a draw in one. Congratulations to Yasmine and Marlene on scoring our two goals! We look forward to more games and watching as our team continues to develop. Well done to all the girls who have been training and playing games weekly.
Continuing the girls’ sport theme, some of our female sports leaders were invited to a primary school tournament on Tuesday supporting with the refereeing of 15 games. Using words of encouragement and showing over 350 girls aged between 9-11 how kind and supportive Kelmscott students are; our girls received many compliments. We are very proud of our sportswomen leaders who took part in this event, congratulations to you all.
A gentle reminder from our PE department that all students are encouraged to come to their PE lessons equipped for the current weather conditions. Please ensure students have appropriate PE clothing - long-sleeved PE top, hat and where appropriate, gloves.
Tuesday was also the culmination of the Ben Kinsella project that a group of Year 10 students have been taking part in. The group visited an anti-knife crime workshop in an immersive exhibition space. A space called 'Ben's room' allowed students to learn about Ben's life, watching him grow up through photos and clips. We are grateful to the Ben Kinsella Trust for their continued support.
Students from Years 9, 10 and 11 including drama GCSE learnt a great deal about theatre lighting in the workshop hosted by lighting professionals from the Old Vic on Tuesday, and then had the exciting opportunity to watch the brilliant lantern effect lighting in a performance of A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic Theatre on Wednesday.
The highlights of the performance for students were the bell-ringing actors in Victorian costumes, the snow machine, mince pies, satsumas and being able to launch parachuting brussel sprouts onto the stage!
It was lovely to see so many parents at the Year 9 Progress Evening yesterday. The evening marks the start of the options process, in many ways, as students and families begin to consider what four subjects, students might choose for their GCSEs, alongside the core subjects of English, Maths and Science. We will resume this conversation at the Options Evening in February. Thanks to all of you in attendance, these evenings really are critical to the ongoing development of your child.
The Reach Next Generation Summit for 11–15-year-old girls returns to London on Saturday 9th December 2023 at Kingsley Napley HQ in The City of London. Discussing topics including ambition, self-confidence, social media, money management and mental health; hearing from a range of successful women from all backgrounds and sectors. The Summit is FREE to attend and lunch and afternoon snacks are provided. For further details please see here.
BeeZee bodies, at the local authority, have asked us to share a very helpful flyer that provides some strategies for parents who may be struggling with a fussy eater in the family. If one of your children fits this bill, you may find the information here useful.
The Reverend Stephanie Njeru, from our neighbouring Lighthouse Methodist Church, has asked me to share with you that their next Children’s Pre-loved Clothes recycling project event will be this Thursday between 7-8pm. For more information about his project click here.
As mentioned in my last letter to you, last week Kelmscott School hosted a Big Climate Conversation event which was attended by the primary and secondary schools from across the borough. More than 40 of our students participated in, or supported, lively discussions on the impacts of climate change and natural solutions we can use to reduce the impacts. Our students delivered two outstanding presentations, on the actions they have taken at Kelmscott School to increase awareness and learning on issues relating to climate change and sustainability. Well done to everyone involved!
A gentle reminder to please complete the Autumn 2023 Parent/Carer Questionnaire, sent out on Monday; thanks to the many families who have already completed it, we always welcome and appreciate your feedback.
Although it is still a few weeks away, a few families have asked for confirmation of the date, day and time of the last day of this school term. I can confirm that our last day is Thursday 21st December, we will finish at 12.40pm on that day.
Finally, well done to Yan Lin Weng in 9O who topped the reward point charts this week with twenty-five. The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that this is the second week in a row that she has topped the reward point charts. This has never been done before, so a particular well done for this achievement Yan Lin – very impressive, keep up the good work.
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher
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