Issue 609 - 1st December 2017
Primary Head Teachers’ Lunch Page 4
My Learning Hub Page 9
C10 Table Tennis Page 5
Follow our Subject Teams on Twitter to see Learning in Action Page 6 www.honywoodschool.com | Tel : 01376 561231
Headlines By Simon Mason
Respecting Others At this time of the year our attention is consistently drawn to the impending Christmas celebrations. Music associated with the festival is played in every shop and everywhere we look on the high street, and on-line, is bedecked with Christmas decorations. I’d love to believe that the central message behind all this was about showing respect to others (a belief that underpins so many of our great world religions), but my feeling is that much of the messaging we see is simply about selling us things rather than igniting our better nature. So in counterpoint to this, in this week’s Gazette I’d like to highlight matters that I feel are central to respecting other people, as in my view this is a central Christmas message that is increasingly overlooked. An important disposition most of us need to work at if we are to truly respect others is to become more empathetic. Many learners find it hard to distinguish between empathy and sympathy. Sympathy (feeling for someone else, for example when they are facing a difficult challenge) is a positive human emotion that certainly shows some regard for others, but empathy requires a more active mind set and can be a much more challenging state of mind to achieve. To be empathetic, you really have to move away from your own view point and try to look through the eyes of someone else so that you can fully appreciate their perspective on things. Whilst this is reasonably easy to do when you are considering a view point that is close to your own, it is far harder to do when you disagree quite fundamentally with someone. So how can we all become more empathetic and as a result show more respect for the views of others? Firstly we need to try harder to be less judgemental. It is very easy to condemn someone for their point of view before fully considering it. When you are young this is especially difficult as you look to establish your views about the world around you. I can tell you all that as you get older and the mistakes you have made in your life accumulate, you realise
that judging others is something you are not really worthy of as others could easily judge you and find you lacking for past errors in your own life. When you are encountering people that are new to you, give yourself time to get to know them rather than judging them on first viewing. As you know people better it is often easier to see ‘where they are coming from’ and as a result have a better understanding of their views about things. If you are still uncomfortable about those views, expressing your opinion is, of course, fine, but having tried to be empathetic you are likely to express your disagreement far more respectfully than if you formed a quick judgement about the person and as a result showed no real empathy and no respect for their viewpoint. Secondly we need to be less concerned with fitting in with the viewpoint others might hold. Fifty years ago, the use of racist language was far more prevalent in our society and as a result was more widely accepted. However, many people at that time were uncomfortable with such language and the underlying thinking behind it, but because they wanted to fit in with the prevailing view, chose to continue being disrespectful even though they knew in their hearts that they were wrong to do so. How often do you find yourself not showing proper respect for someone else because you are trying to fit in with a particular group? This could, for example, be about someone’s taste in music or about the football team they support. Does this make your lack of respect OK? Nowadays, of course, racist language is not only hated by the vast majority of people it is also illegal and this change in society’s view has made it easier for all of us to show proper respect to people whose ethnicity and skin colour is different from our own. However, we have not made the same progress with views on a person’s sexuality. In spite of the fact that homophobia is regarded, in law, as being as bad a crime as racism, presently more people accept homophobic language than would accept expressions of racist views. Does this make homophobia acceptable and a respectful attitude to adopt? Of course it doesn’t! If you should find yourself showing a lack of respect by using homophobic language (the use of the word ‘gay’ as a term of abuse being a common failing)
perhaps you should think about who it is you are trying to fit in with. Most studies estimate that ten percent of our population are gay. Is it OK to show no respect to one person in every ten that you meet just because you are trying to fit in with others who are not prepared to be thoughtful about their language? The third issue I’d like you all to consider is how your ego leads you to a lack of respect for others. In my view it is human nature to want your own way! If you look at the behaviour of little children you can see this establishment of ego in its rawest form. As we grow up, of course, we learn that relationships with others will be far more fruitful if we adopt a bit of ‘give and take’ and show that we are prepared to be selfless from time to time, surrendering our ego so that others can take the lead. How often do you find yourself behaving poorly toward others just because you want your own way? Once the argument has ended, do you feel good, even when you’ve won? Does the fact that your selfishness has caused distress to someone else not trouble you? In my view when we reflect on these questions what we discover is that by being too selfish and only considering our own needs, we actually create losers all around us, including ourselves. Once again, as you get older, you appreciate that being too driven by your own ego tends to leave quite a mess behind you as you progress through life and often leads to a narrowing of friendship opportunities as people steer clear of you, fearful of being the next victim of your selfishness. We have worked incredibly hard to create an environment at Honywood where selfishness, ego and a lack of thought for others are considered as being totally unacceptable. Every one of us needs to keep trying hard to really see the world through the eyes of others, not allowing our egos to dominate and not allowing us to be swept along by views we know to be wrong if we are to keep this incredibly positive aspect of our school alive. We can all flourish in an environment where we feel respected by others. Make sure that you are trying as hard as you can, especially as we approach this key part of the Christian year, to contribute to this positive culture we have created at our school. Christmas Lunch On 18th December, for Cohorts 7 and 8 and 19th December for the rest of the school, our catering team are preparing a special Christmas lunch. Any learner who would like to enjoy this festive meal needs to ensure they have booked and paid for their lunch by Friday 8th December.
Thanks To Boris Beechy (8CRs), Freya Britten (8KEg), Ethan Chapman (8PBl ), Abby Colairo (8KEg), Shafira Collins (8CRs), Marshall Crane (8PBl), Ben Crosdale (8PBl), Hannah Day (8DCa), James Deakin (8PBl), Daisy Donnelly (8AIs), Sommer Dowsett (8PBl), Isabella Dubbini (8HGi), Kaelin Dunne (8KGu), Adam Edwards (8CRs), Corey Edwards (8DCa), Keelan Ellis (8HGi), Phoebe Ellis (8AIs), Lauren Evans (8KEg), Luke Evans (8AIs), Florence Every (8KEg), Kirsten Farrell (8PBl), Luke Ferguson (8PBl), Phoebe Freeland (8HGi), Fred Frost (8PBl) and Rebecca Goodey (8AIs) for their support for interviews that took place at the school this week. To William Dubbini (9CHa) for his honesty and kindness this week. To Ryley Brazier (8CRs), Thomas Chard (8PBl), Lauren Evans (8KEg) and Emma Hornsby (8PBl) for their excellent support for a visit to the school by local Primary School Headteachers this week. Congratulations To Layla Al-Riyami (7RPh), Corey Bowers (7CTh), Louis Byrnes (7RPh), Emily Champion (7AGi), Beth Chapman (7AGi), Joshua Farrow (7AGi), Rose Forster (7JLa), Maddison Green (7MHa), Martha Haines (7RFl), Brodie Henrici-Fernandez (7RFl), Nia Jeffery (7AWe), Harry Jones (7CTh), Charlie Lunn (7RFl), Hollie Mclaren (7DPe), Oscar Meadows (7RPh), Sophie Morris (7RFl), Louis Mountague (7AWe), Maddison North (7JLa), Callum Osbourn (7DPe), Wilf Peeters (7RPh), Riley Perks (7MHa), James Powell (7RPh),Tillie Purvis (7MHa), Luca Shuffield (7CTh), Rosie Smith (7CTh), Marcia Swain (7DPe), Safia Tafajoul (7MHa), Lily Tilyard (7MHa), Lienke Viljoen (7DPe), Megan Walby (7JLa), Ruby Whillock (7AGi), Henry Whistler (7DPe), Evie Williams (7MHa), Andrew Wood (7MHa), Lana Woodward (7RPh) and Jessica Yendall (7MHa) for their superb engagement with Primary School Headteachers who visited us earlier this week.
Parents’ Time Members of the Leadership Team will be available to see parents without appointment: Monday 9.00am—9.45am Tuesday 7.15am—8.00am Wednesday 3.00pm—3.45pm Thursday 5.00pm—6.00pm Friday 7.15am—8.00am
Primary Head Teachers’ Lunch We welcomed to Honywood on Tuesday, 28 Primary Headteachers from all around the area, coming to visit their former learners now in Cohort 7. Prior to the visit, the Cohort 7 learners wrote their own letter to their primary Headteacher, inviting them to visit Honywood and to have lunch with them and, in some cases, youngsters grabbed the opportunity to visit their old school and hand deliver their letter! Whilst the youngsters involved were incredibly nervous leading up to the day, this emotion was quickly replaced with excitement as they met up with their old Headteacher and took them off for a tour of the school. After a good old catch up and an insight into the learning that the Cohort 7’s get up to at Honywood, the learners showed their guests to the drama studio where they tucked into a delicious buffet lunch, prepared by our wonderful catering team. They had a bit of time while they ate to showcase evidence of their learning in their books and on their iPads and, at the end of the lunch, the C7’s bid a fond farewell to their old Headteacher, having wowed them with the huge array of achievements they have made in such a short space of time. Well done to the Cohort 7’s for making the experience such a positive one. “I just want to let you know that Louis was a superstar. He was a great host. Very informative. Clearly enjoying Honywood and benefitting greatly from being there” Mr Garnett, North Primary School visiting Louis Mountague “I would like to say a big thank you to you and the rest of the staff for welcoming me to school this morning but mainly to the learners who all seemed to be very confident in talking to their old members of staff. Andy, who I visited, was certainly never short of a word and was very complimentary of your school” Mr Cumpstey, St Michaels Primary School visiting Andy Wood “It was so lovely to see Megan and pleasing to see how confident the Year 7 learners were. They are clearly enjoying their high school experience, enjoying the opportunity to engage with personalised learning” Mr Jones, Chipping Hill Primary School visiting Megan Walby
Cohort 11 Mock Exam Quotes “One thing I have learnt from these mock exams is that you should never be afraid to tell somebody if there is something wrong, for example, if you have a wobbly table, if your materials are not clearly printed or if you can’t hear the audio in a listening exam. You may feel a little embarrassed at the time but believe me it’s worth it in the long run, as it could mean that you will perform better, free from any possible distractions. Also, don’t stop at revising only what you think might be in the exam...revise every subject and topics as thoroughly as you can.” Tom Awad “The mocks have been a great chance to experience what our GCSE exams will be like. I feel this will make us better prepared for our real exams come next year.” Charlie York “Mocks have given myself and my peers an opportunity to deal with our issues of exam anxiety and have therefore been an invaluable experience.” Kassia Stevens-Moore “Thank you for the challenge of the mock examinations, they have given me the confidence to perform under pressure.” Annabelle Kitching “I have learnt loads about myself from the challenge that these mock exams have presented and I am looking forward to doing the real things in the summer!”- Holly Ager “They have been a valuable learning experience and although they are extremely challenging I am grateful they we have had this opportunity.” - Charlie Poynter
Cohort 10 Table Tennis Team Team: Alex Turner (Captain), Kian Roberts, Sam Halfpenny and Fred Barnett. Excellent perforance by our Cohort 10 boys Table Tennis team who represented the district in the Essex Championship held at Harlow Table Tennis Centre after winning the North West Essex under 16 tournament. The team drew their first game 2-2 and in a close second fixture lost 3-1,but it was an excellent performance and good experience against opponents who were a year older. Sam Halfpenny was the most successful player winning both his matches.
Cohort 11 Football Team Team: Harry Critchley, Jake Horlock, Rhyse Hudson, Hayden Matthews, Callum Pennock, Billy Seager, Nathan Seymour, Ethan Webster, Will Whitbread, Ben Whitehead Jack Whitehead and Matt Wooldridge Our Cohort 11 boys showed their outstanding team work and skills Wednesday evening as they played Hedingham away. After a lacklustre start the boys were 1-0 down in the first ten minutes finally equalising before half time. After a rather frank talk from their coach, Mr Bilton, they returned to the second half re-energised and scored another 9 goals! Final score 10-1 to Honywood. The Team now go on to face Tabor in the final on 11th December at Coggeshall FC for the District County Cup - a cup the boys have won every year so far from Cohort 7. Supporters welcome so put the date in your diary!
Follow our Subject Teams... Geography
@HonywoodGeog
English
@Honywood_Eng
Maths
@Honywood_Maths
Science
@Honywood_Sci
Art
@Honywood_Art
Expressive Arts
@Honywood_ExpArt
PE
@Honywood_PE
Computer Science
@Honywood_Comp
MFL
@HonywoodMFL
Business Studies
@Honywood_Bus
Technology
@Honywood_Tech
History
@HonywoodHist
Philosophy & Ethics
@Honywood_Philos
Media Studies
@Honywood_Media
SEND
@Honywood_SEND
Careers
@Honywoodcareers
Subject Teams on Twitter
Follow our Subject Teams on Twitter to see Learning in Action
Celebration of Learning Each month, learners who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to learning in and out of school are recognised through the Celebration of Learning Awards. Nominations can be made for circumstances where learners have demonstrated commitment to learning beyond expectation, exceptional progress in the development of one or more of their My Learning Attributes, represented the school or an outside organisation in a regional or national event, or completed a challenge. Each learner who is nominated for an award will be invited to the Celebration of Learning Evening, where they will be able to showcase the work they have been nominated for in the presence of friends and family. Our next evening is on Thursday 18th January. Nominations are made by any member of staff in the school and learners can also nominate themselves or their peers through their Learning Group Leader. Congratulations to the learners who have received a Celebration of Learning award in November.
Emily Champion 7AGI
William Riches 9KCO
Grace Divine 7AGI
Poppy Elemer 10KHO
Lucien Kinsman 7AGI
Louis Harris 10NPO
Luca Shuffield 7CTH
Emily Reeve 10KHO
Jonny Adams 8DCA
Amelia Richer 10KHO
Regan Camps 8CRS
Joshua Walker 10MWO
Rebecca Goodey 8AIS
Anjelina Fox 11CFR
Rory Taylor 8DCA
Annabelle Kitching 11CFR
Ruby Cosford 9KCO
Daniel Maher 11DBR
Oscar Crofts 9KCO
Ethan McCabe 11DBR
Mathilda Hartmann 9TGR
My Learning Hub The learners in the Hub on Thursday 30th November getting festive.
ÂŁ10 Challenge
Honywood School Presents
Wednesday 13th December Thursday 14th December Tickets on Sale in Learner Reception at Breaktime and Lunchtime only. Adults ÂŁ 6.00 Children ÂŁ4.00 Doors Open at 6.30pm for 7.00pm Start
Week 1 Main Course
Vegetarian Course
Monday Traditional Cottage Pie served with seasonal vegetables or beans Vegetarian Cottage Pie served with seasonal vegetables or beans
Dessert
Forest Fruit Crumble & Custard
Pasta Bake
BBQ Sausage Cheese Sauce Plain
Courtyard Cafe
Pizza Tugo Quad Special
Menu subject to change
Tuesday Roast Chicken with stuffing, roast potatoes & seasonal vegetables Golden Vegetable Loaf with roast potatoes & seasonal vegetables Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate Sauce Chicken Tikka Vegetable Tikka Plain Pizza Tugo Quad Special
Wednesday Beef Lasagne with green salad & garlic bread Vegetarian Lasagne with green salad & garlic bread
Keylime Pie
Thursday Sweet & Sour Chicken Noodles with spring roll & prawn crackers Sweet & Sour Vegetable Noodles with spring roll & prawn crackers
Friday Traditional Fish & Chips with peas or beans Tomato & Basil Quiche with chips & salad
Strawberry Mousse
Fresh Fruit Salad
Cheese Sauce Arrabbiata Tomato & Basil Sauce Plain Plain
Pasta Bake of the day
Pizza Tugo Quad Special
Pizza Tugo Quad Special
Pizza Tugo Quad Special
My Learning Choices Enterprise & Solutions MLCs this week are available to Cohort 7 and Cohort 8 learners that would like some extra help and advice on how best to present their project work and to develop the depth and detail of their written explanations. ‘How to construct an effective business pitch’ is also available, as learners look towards to their showcase weeks. Business Studies MLCs this week will be focused on revising for either the Cohort 11 mock exams or the Cohort 10 Influences on a Business end of unit assessment. Going through aspects of the course that you’re unsure of, creating useful and lasting revision resources and practising applying your knowledge across the various forms of GCSE questions will all be available.
Important Dates 12th Dec - Deadline for Lead Learner Applications 13th & 14th Dec - School Production 14th Dec - Textiles Showcase 18th Dec - Christmas Lunch C7 & C8 19th Dec - Christmas Lunch C9, C10 & C11 20th Dec - End of Term Variety Show 20th Dec - Early Finish for Christmas Holidays 3rd Jan - 2018 Back to School Week B 5th Jan - Cohort 11 Mock Results Day 9th Jan - Ambassador Assembly Launch 18th Jan - Celebration of Learning Evening 22nd Jan - Deadline for Abassador Applications 25th Jan - C7 MLA Evening for Families 29th Jan -2nd Feb Quintet Week
English How is your learning progressing in English so far this year? Take some time to review your learning: What have your most recent learning points been? What is it that you can do to improve? What’s holding you back from achieving your learning point? Are you getting the same errors highlighted in your work again and again? Don’t hesitate to book an MLC session today to ensure you move forward with your English learning.
Well done to our Cohort 8 Duty Receptionists Radvilas Venckus Christina Vince Charlie Warren Gabrielle Assuman Noah Bentley
MFL Cohorts 7 and 8, do you need some extra support with your learning in MFL following your Showcasing? Cohorts 9 and 10, would you like to develop your speaking and listening skills following on from your recent skills week assessments? If so, then book an MLC with a languages teacher today! Maths Please book your Maths MLC for extra support with your learning. Book for yourself, bring a friend, or if a small group of you need help with the same topic, book a session together.”
Family Learning Team
email FLT@honywoodschool.com If your youngster is absent please email attendance@honywoodschool.com