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School Newsletter | December 2017 | Student Name:________________
Lealands High School, Sundon Park, Luton, LU3 3ALLealands High School, Sundon Park, Luton, LU3 3AL
Tel: 01582 611600Tel: 01582 611600 Fax: 01582 612227 Email: [email protected]: 01582 612227 Email: [email protected]
@Lealandshighschool@Lealandshighschool @LealandsHighLealandsHigh www.lealands.luton.sch.ukwww.lealands.luton.sch.uk
Aspire Believe AchieveAspire Believe Achieve
In this issue….In this issue….
Sports News & Results
Presentation Evening
Trips
Children In Need
2
Content Page
Introduction from Headteacher Mr Burridge 3-4
Dates for your Diary 4
Value of the Month 5
School Notices 6-7
Celebrating Success in Computing 7
Outstanding Achievements 8-9
Attendance 10
Gymnastics Club 11
Sports News & Results 12-14
Maths Puzzle 14
Student Voice 15
Student Leaders 16-17
Accelerated Reader Update 18-19
Book Review / Christmas Concert 20
Vote Level Trust / Facilities For Sale 21
Open Evening 22
Year 7 Science 23
Cake Sale For Macmillan 24
Duke of Edinburgh Awards 25
Presentation Evening 26-27
Lealands Remembers 28
WWI Battlefields Trip 29
Alton Towers Trip 30
Games Maker Conference 31
Children In Need 32
Girls Basketball Trip 33
Christmas At Lealands 34
Keep In Touch 35
In This Issue….In This Issue….
3
Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing this, having just come in from the gate at the end of another fantastic week. It is always great to see our students leaving happy at the end of a week of learning. Now we have reached December, it has turned very cold and today there have been mince pies, a tiny bit of snow and judging of the Christmas Tree topper competition! We have so much more to look forward to in December, including a number of theatre reward trips, the Christmas Concert and, of course, the school Christmas dinner. We will also be raising money for Save the Children on Christmas Jumper Day.
As we look back on 2017 it is with mixed feelings. We lost a couple of dearly loved and respected school staff this year and a number of our students have also suffered some immense losses. Our MacMillan Coffee Morning was such a poignant event as it had always been organised and run with such enthusiasm by Mrs Profeta (our School Receptionist) who sadly ended up a victim to cancer herself. We have added a rose bush in remembrance of Mrs Profeta at the front of the school. Mrs Kellet (art teacher) also lost her battle with cancer earlier this year and we are in the process of identifying an appropriate way to have a lasting memory of her in school. The coffee morning itself, was not quite the same without Mrs Profeta, but I think she would have approved of all the hard work and effort everyone put in and all the money raised.
This was also the year that we had a very successful inspection from Ofsted followed by some really fantastic results from our Year 11 students. We now know that our English results are among the best in the town and our maths results are fast catching up. We are pleased that the hard work of staff and students really paid off and it was great to celebrate this at our glittering Presentation Evening earlier this term. Our current Year 11 students are also doing really well, although starting to feel the stress from their first set of mock GCSEs.
This term has seen the school grow to full capacity which has been pleasing but has brought some challenges. We are looking at things that we can do to ease congestion and crowding at some points in the day which we are experiencing for the first time. One of the only occasions when we get the whole school together is for our Act of Remembrance and this year it was, as always, a moving and truly respectful event. The sheer number of students standing in silence really emphasised the increased size of our school population and the power of this act.
Our teachers have been continuing to develop their practice with lots of work to train them and enhance approaches in the classroom. We are fortunate to have many outstanding teachers in the school and they are supporting the further development of teaching and learning across the whole curriculum. We continue to promote a growth mindset and have been working with staff and students on the next stage of development with our school vision which is very exciting. We have also been undertaking work on our approaches to developing stronger attitudes to learning and staff have been working on their practice in marking and assessment so that this is increasingly consistent.
Introduction from Headteacher Mr Burridge
4
Dates For Your DiaryDates For Your Diary
Christmas Jumper Day - Friday 15th December 2017
Christmas Concert - Friday 15th December 2017
End of Autumn Term - Wednesday 20th December 2017 at 12.30pm
Staff Training Day - Wednesday 3rd January 2018
Spring Term Begins - Thursday 4th January 2018
Year 9 Parents Evening - Wednesday 17th January 2018
Lealands’ Careers Fair - Thursday 25th January 2018
Year 11 Parents Evening - Wednesday 31st January 2018
Staff Training Day - Monday 19th February 2018
Term Dates
Autumn Term Ends: Wednesday 20th December 2017 at 12.30pm
Spring Term Begins - Thursday 4th January 2018
Half-Term: Monday 12th February 2018 - Monday 19th February 2018
Training Days: Wednesday 3rd January 2018, Monday 19th February 2018.
The full term dates for the academic year 2017-2018 are available to download from our
website www.lealands.luton.sch.uk/termdates
Immunisations
Friday 12th January 2018 - Y8 Girls 1st HPV Immunisation
Monday 23rd April 2018 & Tuesday 24th April 2018 - Year 9 & Year 10 DTP/Men ACWY
Booster Immunisations - consent forms will be sent out at a future date
Monday 9th July 2018 - Y8 Girls 2nd HPV Immunisation
School will close on Wednesday 20th December
at 12.30pm for the Christmas period.
I have been really pleased to see the developments in our student leadership roles and programmes this year. We now have many thoroughly committed and hardworking student leaders and student voice ambassadors making such a difference to our school in many ways. We are very proud of them and really appreciate everything that they do.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our Christmas Concert and wish you a peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mr J Burridge
Headteacher
Introduction from Headteacher Mr Burridge
5
Value of the MonthValue of the Month
6
£ £ £ Online Payments£ £ £ Online Payments
Don’t forget you can pay online using the ‘Parents’ Payment’ link which now appears as a
£ sign on the slideshow of our website: www.lealands.luton.sch.uk.
If you do not have a link code to login, please contact the school Finance Office on
01582 611600. The following is currently available for payment online:
Events, Trips and Visits Voluntary Contributions Other
Netball Tour
Blue Peris
Annie
Technology Years 7,8,9
Resistant Materials Year 10 and 11
Music Lessons
School Ties
Revision Books
Art Equipment
The school also prefers for all school meals to be paid for online. This gives you the
flexibility to top up your child’s account at home using a debit or credit card rather than
having to use cash or cheque.
Further details and an online payments instruction manual can be found on our website:
www.lealands.luton.sch.uk under the ‘Parents’ Information’ section.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Please can we remind parents and carers that the school is unable to
provide change to students for the catering cash terminals.
Wherever possible, please can you ensure you provide your child
with the correct change before they come to school. Ideally all
payments should be made online and we discourage strongly
students from bringing cash into school.
School Ties and Learning DiariesSchool Ties and Learning Diaries
School ties can now be purchased for £6.00 using our online payments system. Once paid
for, they will be available for your child to collect from the school’s Finance Office.
If your child loses their Learning Diary, they will need to purchase a new one from the
school’s Finance Office at a cost of £4.25.
7
School Reception Opening HoursSchool Reception Opening Hours
Please can we remind you that it is extremely important that we have up to date contact
information for all students. If there are any changes to a student’s address, parental
contact telephone numbers or email addresses, please can you inform Mrs Lawes in the
Finance Office as soon as possible on 01582 611600 or email
We may need to contact home at short notice, plus, important information is sent home
via these methods and if contact details are incorrect, unfortunately, important
information may not get passed on.
Contact InformationContact Information
The school reception is open between the hours of 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday. We
have an answerphone service that will be checked each morning. If you are waiting to
collect a student after school please ensure these arrangements are set in advance as they
will need to wait outside of the school gate for collection.
To ensure students’ safety, we politely ask that parents do not park in the visitors parking
area unless previously agreed due to safety/mobility reasons.
Students are not allowed to wait in the school reception before or after school hours due
to the variety of visitors that may be in the area at any time. Again, please ensure
collection times are arranged in advance for outside of the school’s main gates.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Mrs Goslin, School Business Manager
Celebrating Success In ComputingCelebrating Success In Computing
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Computing Year 10
Computing Year 11
ICT Year 11
Kimathi Agyeman-Prempeh
Elizabeth Offeh
Candice Bent Nitin Verma Riana Shalom Lewis Draper
Harry Kyere Jack Kaufman Shanice Thompson
Wahhaj Sohail Stacey Terence Franni Elekes
Alice Nurse
Congratulations to the following students for their success in computing.
8
Outstanding Achievements Outstanding Achievements -- Making Us ProudMaking Us Proud
Millie in Year 8, took part in the Luton Short Course
Swimming Meet on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24
September 2017. Millie swam in various races and
came home with two gold medals and a bronze
medal. Her golds were won in the 400m freestyle and
800m freestyle. She won bronze in the 200m
butterfly.
Millie competes for Dunstable Swimming Club. During
their annual presentation evening, Millie was
presented with the Gold Senior Girls Skins, 12-13
years Girls Club Championship trophy and was
awarded girls senior vice captain.
Another outstanding achievement Millie. Well done
and keep up the hard work!
Laura in Year 11, has completed and passed her D+
horse riding exam.
She had to complete numerous tasks for example:
jumping, walking, trotting and canter among other
skills. An outstanding achievement Laura, well
done!
Oliver in Year 9, has been selected to represent the
U14 Beds County Football Team. This is an outstanding
achievement. Well done Oliver!
9
Outstanding Achievements Outstanding Achievements -- Making Us ProudMaking Us Proud
Meghan in Year 10, recently competed for Leighton Buzzard Swimming Club in the Club Championships at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre in Leighton Buzzard. Meghan won 8 medals in total in the following events: 200 IM - Gold 200 Free - Bronze 50 Back - Bronze 100 Back - Bronze 50 Breast - Bronze 100 Breast - Bronze 200 Fly - Bronze 400 IM - Bronze Well done Meghan! Another outstanding achievement, keep working hard!
Nicole in Year 10 has been selected to attend trials
for the England U15s girls’ football team. She is the
only girl in Bedfordshire to have been selected and 1
of only 32 in total. We all wish her the best of luck!
Nicole has also been selected to represent
Bedfordshire County Girls' Under 16 football this
season. Well done Nicole. This is an outstanding
achievement!
Tra and Menelik in Year 10 have both been selected
to represent Bedfordshire County Boys' Under 15
football this season. Well done boys. An outstanding
achievement!
10
Attendance ~ Medical AppointmentsAttendance ~ Medical Appointments
There has been a continuing increase in the number of pupils missing part of the school
day due to medical appointments.
Whilst we realise that some of these are unavoidable, please try to book appointments
outside school hours or during school holidays. If this is not possible, it is expected that
students are only out of school for the actual appointment and are therefore able to attend
before and/or after in order to allow minimum disruption to their lessons and attendance.
Students should not be taking the whole day off school to attend appointments.
Where appointments are necessary in school hours, please ensure your child’s absence is
reported at least 48 hours before to Student Services together with the appropriate
documents, e.g. an appointment card/letter to ensure the absence is authorised.
In the event of emergency appointments, can you please contact the school and report
your child’s absence and ensure supporting documentation is handed in when your child
arrives late to school.
For longer appointments (ie London hospitals), please speak to Matron direct as a longer
absence can be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
Parents/carers should be aware that if the school does not receive any official confirmation
of a medical appointment during school time, their child will be given an unauthorised
absence that will affect their attendance record. If attendance drops significantly as a
result, cases will be referred to the Educational Welfare Officer for investigation.
Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.
Miss A Maczugowska /Ms E Simpson
Matron & Attendance/Education Welfare Officer
11
Gymnastics ClubGymnastics Club
This half term, the students in gymnastics club
have been working extremely hard on
improving their individual skills. They
progressed onto working in pairs where they
performed balances and began putting
together short routines to music.
On the last practice before half term (& Mrs
Hyland’s maternity leave) they performed
brilliant routines showing off their creative and
gymnastic abilities.
Well done to all students for your fantastic
work over the last few weeks!
12
Sports News and ResultsSports News and Results
Sports Results from October and November 2017
Basketball
Year 7 Girls - Putteridge 12 - 8 Lealands
Year 7 Girls - Denbigh 0 - 26 Lealands
Year 7 Girls - Lealands 14 - 8 Challney Girls
Year 8 Girls - Cardinal Newman 32 - 34 Lealands
Year 8 Boys - Lealands 35 - 10 Putteridge
Year 9 Girls - Lealands 34 - 8 Icknield
Year 9 Girls - Lealands 45 - 14 Cardinal Newman
Year 9 Boys - Cardinal Newman 31-29 Lealands
Football
Year 7 Girls - 5 a side competition at Stopsley - 5th Place
Year 7 Boys - 5 a side competition at Stopsley - 2nd Place
Year 7 Boys - County Cup - Lealands 1 - 2 Etonbury (Match report on page 14)
Year 8 Boys - County Cup - Woodland 1 - 1 Lealands (Lealands win 4-3 penalties)
Year 8 Boys - Lealands 2 - 3 Icknield
Year 8 Girls - 6 a side tournament - quarter finalists
Year 9 Boys - Lealands 10 - 0 Biddenham
Year 9 Boys - County Cup - Lealands 9 - 1 Sandy
Year 11 Boys - District Cup Round 1 - Chalk Hills 1 - 4 Lealands (See match report below)
A great game with some fantastic goals. Jamie's first nearly broke the net from 30 yards
and the second from Lincoln was a thing of beauty. Lincoln missed a penalty but he more
than redeemed himself. Jamie scored one more and "Sharky" rounded off the scoring.
Kwabena "The Tiger" pulled off some great saves when the game was poised delicately at
1:1 and Joe picked up the MOM Award for an outstanding performance in midfield.
A really good team performance which deserves great praise. Next game is a home tie
against Putteridge.
Team: Kwabena, Karim, Leo, Michael, Charlie, Ellis, Josh, Seiya, Tolu, Sharky, Jamie, Lincoln,
Luca and Joe.
Netball
Year 7 Lealands 13 - 3 Icknield
Year 8 Lealands 13 - 3 Icknield
Year 9 Lealands 15 - 1 Chalk Hills
Year 9 Lealands 31 - 4 Challney Girls
Year 10/11 Lealands 12 - 2 Lea Manor
13
Sports News and ResultsSports News and Results
Year 7/8 Luton Schools’ Table Tennis
Tournament
On Monday 16th October, Lealands took
part in the annual Luton Schools’ table
tennis tournament, narrowly losing to
Stopsley in the final. The team finished
runners up.
Well done Isaac, Osei, Ellis and Alex.
Luton Sports Hall Athletics
On Wednesday 22nd November, Lealands had a very successful day at the Year 7 and 8
Sports Hall Athletics. Year 7 girls finished 2nd, Year 8 girls finished 2nd, Year 8 boys finished
2nd and Year 7 boys finished 5th. The Year 7 girls, Year 8 girls and Year 8 boys have all
qualified for the County Indoor Athletics.
14
Maths PuzzleMaths Puzzle
The correct answer can be found on page 33 of
this newsletter. Good luck!
Sports News and ResultsSports News and Results
On Wednesday 29th November, the Year 7 football team played their first real game for
the school, facing Etonbury School in the County Cup. Etonbury have been together since
Year 5 so this fixture was never going to be easy.
Right from the first whistle the boys were under the cosh but they defended really well as
a team and kept the scores level at 0:0. In the second half Etonbury managed to get two
scrappy goals to take a 2: 0 lead and to be fair they were the better side, but our boys
never gave up and pulled one back after a fine run and strike from Jahmari. They kept
pushing but could not grab the all important equaliser. As first games go, this was a superb
effort from all the lads and I look forward to seeing them develop over the coming months
and years. Well done!
Team: Matas, Max, Taylor S, Jeremy, Jahmari, Taylor A, Ngoni, Nyamhanga, Oliver, Jason,
Rahaan, Luke and Cyril.
15
Student VoiceStudent Voice
Student Voice is being re-launched this year and we are determined to make it an integral
part of Lealands school culture.
On Thursday 16th November all of the Student Voice Tutor Reps from Year 7 – 10, along
with our Senior Student Leadership Team from Year 11, took part in a workshop to discuss
the Lealands High School vision. The session was dedicated to getting the opinions of the
student body and trying to nail down what they want their school to become.
There were some heated debates and everyone present engaged fully in the discussions.
We will be meeting again before the end of term to start planning for a huge launch event
which will take place in the Summer of 2018.
16
Student LeadersStudent Leaders
Hi there. My name is Aryan, and I am a Student Leader. The reason why I chose to be a student
leader is because I was interested in helping with younger year groups getting settled in the
school, making it a safe community for them and giving advice. I also like to have responsibility,
for example, helping at parents evening and just to help the school. What I have done so far as a
student leader is help in parents evening, open evening, lunch time duties and had training for
helping in younger year’s tutor groups. So what do I want from being a Student Leader? I want to
gain experience by helping out others as well as gaining experience in a position of responsibility
to help me later in life. By Aryan, Year 10 Student Leader
My name is Charlina and I am a Year 10 Student Leader who wants to share their story as a
Student Leader.
When I applied for the role of Student Leader, I was unsure of how to write my application, as I
know I have not been the perfect student in the past. My attitude to learning was not the best,
which gave me less of a chance to receive a purple tie to those whose attitude was always great.
When I wrote my letter I wanted to be true to myself so the reader could discover who I am and
find out why I am eligible for the role despite my past. I told the reader how I was not the
brightest individual. That’s why I became a maths leader; to help students who struggle in maths
as I know it can be a hard topic for some. I also said that I was a kind hearted person that cared
for all. I have been bullied in the past and still am bullied as I am sick. I said how I would not want
my fellow students to go through bullying because it is wrong and can break people emotionally
and how we should be able to come to a place like school to feel safe and not afraid and to be
able to work together in harmony. That is why I am an Anti-Bullying Ambassador. It is a real issue
that happens all over the world and needs to be stopped. I also said how I would be committed
when I do duties at lunchtime and I have always been on time. I also said how I wanted to help
out my school. I have so far helped out at the Year 7 Prospective Parents Evening in the Science
Department; demonstrating cool experiments and promoting our school to those who could be
future Lealands students. I also helped out in the Year 8 Parents’ Evening; signing parents in and
making a lot of teas and coffees for the very busy teachers.
I have stopped and helped out some of my fellow students if I see them hurt or upset as we
should not feel this way in school. I will also be helping out in a Year 8 tutor class, which I am
looking forward to.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff at Lealands for believing in me
and giving me the honour of Student Leader. I have always wanted to wear a purple tie even
before I was a student at Lealands and when I found out what it really was, I wanted it even more.
With wearing my purple tie around school I feel honoured to be representing my school in such a
positive way. By Charlina, Year 10 Student Leader
17
Student LeadersStudent Leaders
At the start of our new academic year at Lealands High School, Year 10 were given the opportunity
to apply and become Student Leaders. Many of the students within Year 10 had been waiting for
this opportunity for a long time now and people couldn’t wait to get their hands on a fresh, new,
purple tie. Our Head of Year, Mr Trevor, showed us the process of the application and told us only
forty lucky students would receive the tie. At first this seemed like a lot, however, the scale of the
applications was huge. Many students applied for the role in the school, and Mr Trevor kept his
word with only forty students making it through. The applicants were judged on achievement
points, behaviour points and the quality of the written application.
One day, all applicants were told to go to the cafeteria at tutor time and were told that those who
made it through would receive their purple tie and status as a Student Leader. Everyone
conversed about who they thought made it and wished each other luck, as our Pastoral Support
Manager, Miss Lawrence and Head of Year, Mr Trevor, read out the names one by one.
After the process, we volunteered for our duties and quickly began fulfilling them, as per our
timetables. Many quickly learned that with this respect and status of being a Student Leader came
responsibilities. Some duties of a Student Leader include; lunch time duties and helping Year 7
tutors. Lunch time duties have been eventful, and have given us the opportunity to help the
teachers during what can be an eventful 45 minutes. Nevertheless, this does not mean that they
are not enjoyable and many are, with new experiences that have helped us to develop
communication skills and also life skills as to how to deal with people in life. We are still yet to
begin our duties in helping Year 7 tutors, however, we have received training for it and should
begin this very soon.
Being a Student Leader has many advantages and is definitely a desirable role within the school.
One of the advantages is that we get lunch first on the days of our duties, and another, who I am
sure many will agree
with, is the respect you
receive from younger
years when they see you
with a purple tie. In
conclusion, it is an
amazing experience
being a Student Leader
and I am hoping to
develop further and
continue to support the
school.
By Nitin, Year 10
Student Leader
18
Accelerated Reader UpdateAccelerated Reader Update
Here are the latest Year 7 and Year 8 Accelerated Reader results! Can 73CR and 87HK keep
hold of the top spot, or will someone knock them off for this Christmas break?
Form Rank
73CR 1st
74JT 2nd
76CL 3rd
72IK 4th
78VM 5th
77MC 6th
75KH 7th
71SY 8th
19
Form Rank
87HK 1st
84LM 2nd
83ES 3rd
81AS 4th
88MR 5th
85HS 6th
86JM 7th
82SL 8th
20
Book ReviewBook Review
This is a fantastic book because it is about a girl called
George, but everyone thinks she is a boy. George wants
to prove to everyone who she is. She does this by
auditioning for the school play, with her best friend Kelly
helping her, but their plot is not as straight forward as it
seems! George must be brave to overcome her bullies
and become proud of who she is. This book makes you
really wonder who we are, and who you want to be.
George makes us question stereotypes and I thoroughly
enjoyed this book, and if you read it I’m sure you will too.
By Azaria Rose 72IK
Christmas ConcertChristmas Concert
21
Vote For Level TrustVote For Level Trust
Vote for Level Trust to win charity partnership with Luton Airport!
Level Trust, a local charity that supports children in our school, has been selected to become Luton Airport’s charity partner. The partnership will raise around £100,000 helping them to provide 5000 free school uniform items, 1500 pairs of free school shoes, 1000 free winter coats and 1500 free learning resource packs to children in Luton who need them most.
To vote for Level Trust to win the partnership, please visit:
www.london-luton.co.uk/charity-partners on any device.
It is really quick and easy to vote and you do not need to leave any personal details.
To find out more about Level Trust, you can visit their website, http://www.leveltrust.org
Thanks so much in advance for your support. Level Trust is a registered charity 1153936
Facilities For HireFacilities For Hire
22
Open EveningOpen Evening
In October, we opened our doors to prospective parents and their children. All of our
departments were a hive of activity, with some fantastic demonstrations of learning here at
Lealands. Thank you to everybody who
came and showed an interest in our school.
We hope you enjoyed the evening.
Thank you to our fantastic students who
facilitated the informative tours and
activities and to the staff for all their efforts
in making the event a success and a
celebration of Lealands High School.
23
Year 7 ScienceYear 7 Science
Following a week of learning all about animal and plant cells in science, Year 7 students were set homework to create realistic, 3D, labelled models of either cell to present in lesson.
Here are a few examples of the excellent models created by Mr Regan's class!
24
Cake Sale For MacmillanCake Sale For Macmillan
On Friday, 29 September, Lealands joined the ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ in aid of
Macmillan Cancer Support.
A cake sale was organised by students, with the help of catering teacher, Miss Selby and
Community Development Manager, Mr Payne. Students, staff and parents baked a huge
variety of cakes and cupcakes. As always, the generosity was overwhelming and with so
many to sell, the cake sale was continued over lunch time.
The school raised an impressive £500 for the charity. Headteacher, Mr Burridge, said “A
huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this
wonderful cause. To raise such a huge amount in one day
reflects how amazing our students are and how they
really care about others”.
The Macmillan cake sale has become an annual tradition
at Lealands. This year, was extra poignant, with the school
remembering receptionist, Mrs Profeta and art teacher,
Mrs Kellett
who sadly
passed away
earlier this
year.
25
Duke of Edinburgh AwardsDuke of Edinburgh Awards
On Monday 6th November, 14 Year 11 students were awarded their Duke of Edinburgh
Bronze Awards. Over the past two years, these students have worked extremely hard to
achieve this award and many are currently completing their Silver Awards at Lealands. Well
done!
Names from left to right: Melissa, Holly, Hannah, Daisy, Anais, Hua Li, Henry, Charlie,
Karim, Kirstie and Sophie.
The following students (not in picture) also received their awards: Zoe, Jessica-Anne and
Elli.
26
Presentation EveningPresentation Evening
The academic successes of Lealands High
School students were celebrated in style at
this year’s annual Presentation Evening.
Over 350 students, staff and parents filled
the beautifully decorated Sports Hall to
celebrate the fantastic achievements of
students from the previous academic year.
The school’s motto to ‘Aspire, Believe,
Achieve’ was fully demonstrated with
prizes and awards in a variety of categories
presented to over 100 students. These included; progress, certificates of excellence and
subject commendations.
Presenting the awards and guest speaker for the evening was Professor Stephen Sweeney,
who is a former student of Lealands and now the Professor of Physics and Head of
Department at the University of Surrey. In 1988, whilst attending Lealands High School,
Stephen was awarded with the school’s Peter Scott Award for Science at his final
Presentation Evening.
He said, “I was delighted to return to Lealands to celebrate the success and fantastic
achievements of its students and staff. It was also a pleasure to meet with current and
former staff, including some of my teachers from my time at the school. I was particularly
impressed with how the school has blossomed over the years into such a welcoming and
active learning environment.”
Students from each year group also stood up and presented a review of the past year and
their experiences at Lealands. This included the aspirations they have for the coming year
and the challenges they may face.
At the end of the evening, a selection of successful students who departed Lealands after
their GCSE exams this summer, were presented with our most prestigious awards. They
were invited back to receive individual trophies based on their own personal successes.
Their names will be forever engraved on the trophies and subsequently Lealands’ history.
The speeches from the teachers presenting the trophies were very emotional, and moved a
few students, staff and parents to tears.
27
Presentation EveningPresentation Evening
28
Lealands RemembersLealands Remembers
On Friday 10th November, students and staff from Lealands gathered together around the
school’s memorial garden for a service of remembrance. The service began with ‘The Last
Post’ played by maths teacher, Mr Patterson, followed by a two minute silence to honour
those who have given their lives during conflict.
Following the silence, Head Girl, Marium and Head Boy Henry, recited the poem ‘Taking a
Stand’, and Headteacher, Mr Burridge, laid a poppy wreath next to the Lealands memorial
tree. A representative from each tutor group stepped forward and planted poppies and
poppy crosses alongside the wreath.
Students were given access to the garden for the remainder of the day, if they wished to
lay their poppies privately.
Following the event, Headteacher, Mr Burridge said, “Our Remembrance service was a very
moving occasion. Our students and staff came together showing great respect and dignity
in remembering those who have and are still sacrificing so much for us. It was a real show
of unity among the whole school
community.”
In addition to the service of
remembrance, on Saturday 11th
November, Lealands’ Humanities
Department took students to visit
the WW1 Battlefields of France
and Belgium. This was a
wonderful opportunity for
students to learn the true
meaning behind Remembrance
Day.
Read the report from the trip on
the opposite page.
29
WWI Battlefields TripWWI Battlefields Trip
On Saturday 11th November, 43 students left Lealands at 03.45am to make their way to
Dover to visit the battlefields of WWI. The evening before was marred with panic after
being informed at 17.15 that the shuttle was closed and the trip
could only go ahead if we left an hour earlier. After lots of phone
calls and reassurances from parents, the trip went ahead
without any further hiccups.
The day began with a visit to Passchendaele Museum 1917,
where we got the chance to see real uniforms, artefacts and
weapons. We also got the chance to walk around trenches to
experience what it was like for the soldiers in WWI.
After this, we arrived at Essex Farm Cemetery in Ypres, where we
met our tour guide. We learnt about the soldiers buried in Essex
Farm Cemetery, many who are still unknown. We
then visited Langemark Cemetery, where German
soldiers were buried by the French and spent
some time reflecting on the stark contrast
between the two cemeteries.
Our tour guide then took us to a farm which was
located at the front line, where students got
another chance to walk through the trenches.
After spending a lot of time thinking about the
battles of WWI, this experience really hit home.
Before going home, we had time to go back into
Ypres and here we visited a chocolate shop, where
the students spent the last of their spending
money on gifts for family and friends.
Rather fittingly, we caught the ferry at Dunkirk
back to Dover, before embarking back home to
Lealands.
We had a lovely but sombre day which was made
more memorable and poignant with the trip
taking place on the 11th November.
Friendships and memories were made, but more
importantly, we reflected and we remembered.
Miss. Mann, Director of Humanities
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Alton Towers TripAlton Towers Trip
On Monday 16th October, our triple
science class took a trip to Alton Towers!
We had to be in school for around
6:30am. With such an early start we
were expecting a brilliant day… and it
met our expectations.
When we first arrived, Mr Morris and
Miss Cole went with us on some rides,
for example Oblivion. It was an amazing
ride and I’d recommend it. Most of the
class wanted to have a go at the Smiler but it was closed all day for maintenance.
After going on a few more rides we split into two teams and headed for the Sub Strain
experience. This is where our scientific detective skills came into play. We used forensic
science techniques such as finger prints and micro organisms match ups. Within our big
group of 15 we had split into 5 groups of 3. It was a challenge as to who would be fastest to
figure out the mystery and it came down to a close draw between my group and the boys
group. We won by 1 second as they were awarded a time penalty, however, the time
penalty turned out to be the organisers fault so we all got the prize; fast track tickets.
After that, we had lunch then split up again. Throughout the course of the day, we had the
chance to go on many of the other rides such as; 13, Rita, Nemesis, Galactica etc. Whilst
enjoying the rides, we were challenged to think about the science behind them, linking this
to kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy. We also took a trip on the sky ride - a
ride with a breath taking view.
On the way back to the meeting point, we took a 20 minute detour through beautiful
woodlands… well the boys (who were leading the way), called it a detour, personally I
would probably call it being lost!
At 3:30 we met at our meeting point and prepared for the trip home.
It was a brilliant day and we got to learn a lot more about forensic science. I enjoyed every
second, even getting lost in the woods, as did everyone else in the class. It was an
experience we would give anything to repeat and one we aren’t likely to forget.
From our whole triple science class, we want to thank Miss Cole for arranging this trip and
for everything else you’ve done for us, including; motivating, believing in and supporting
us, as well as things like managing to make baking cupcakes into experiments and
rewarding us with pizza lunches and chocolate.
By Yasmine, Year 11.
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Games Maker ConferenceGames Maker Conference
On Monday 27th November, a group of Year 9 students, including myself, went to the
University of Bedfordshire to learn about multimedia and journalism. This included
interview skills and how to construct reports for news articles. Each group were set
different tasks. One of my tasks was to interview Team GB badminton player and Olympic
silver medallist, Gail Emms. She
gave us a review on our
interview with her and helped
us to construct our report.
By Louie-Morgan, Year 9
On Monday 27th November,
me and a group of Year 9
students who enjoy sports and
the idea of leadership went to
take part in a course on
multimedia at the University of
Bedfordshire.
At the beginning of the day, we
were put into groups and had
to work as a team to get the
tasks we were set done. My
group were challenged to show
the life of a school games
maker. We got the chance to
interview Gail Emms; the
former badminton Olympian and world champion. We also got the chance to interview
David Griffin; a level 3 basketball official.
Gail Emms gave a really strong message. She quoted “tomorrow is a new day”. This quote
stood out to me as it is a great way to look and think about life.
Coming to the end of the day, it was great to see the final product of each group’s task. I
enjoyed meeting new people and was delighted to see people I hadn’t seen in a long time!
It was a great day and it was very worthwhile.
By Saruna, Year 9.
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Children In NeedChildren In Need
On Friday 17th November, Lealands held a non-uniform day to
raise money for Children In Need.
The theme for this Non Uniform Day was ‘National Dress and
National Colours’. The theme was chosen in order to celebrate
our amazingly diverse community and students were able to
take the opportunity to recognise their family backgrounds and
cultures by dressing in colours or clothes that reflected their
family origins.
Students coming to school in non-school uniform were asked
to pay a minimum donation of £1, with all donations going to
Children In Need. At the time of printing, we do not have the
total figure raised, but so far we have totalled over £750, but
there is still
more to
count.
We will
update you
with the final
figure once we
have it.
Thanks to all
who donated!
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Girls Basketball TripGirls Basketball Trip Maths Chess Board Challenge answer: 204
On Friday 3rd November, our Year 8 and 9 girls basketball teams visited the Copper Box
Arena in London to watch professional
basketball teams, London Lions versus Glasgow
Rocks.
The London Lions took a quick lead and
managed to stay ahead through the whole
game. They dominated the court and at the
end of the fourth quarter, the final score was
London Lions 86 - 70 Glasgow Rocks.
It was a great opportunity for the girls to watch
a professional game and pick up some new
skills!
(Q1 25-17, Q2 48-32, Q3 70-50, Q4 86-70)
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Christmas At LealandsChristmas At Lealands
Our students have been busy bringing the festivities to Lealands with decorations for our
tree which they created at after school
club with Miss Cole. These included;
gingerbread decorations, paper chains and
tree toppers.
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Keep In TouchKeep In Touch
There are many ways to keep up to date with what is going on at Lealands High School. As
well as our half-termly newsletter, we have our school website, Facebook page and Twitter
pages. There will also be situations where we will provide updates and information via
email, text and letters home.
Website Visit our school website at www.lealands.luton.sch.uk for all the information you need
about Lealands, including: Latest News, upcoming events on the School Calendar, general
school information in Our School, online links to Parents Payments, Show My Homework,
Accelerated Reader etc.
Facebook and Twitter
Lealands has active Facebook and Twitter pages which are used as a resource to connect
with our community: sharing news, achievements, information, updates and photographs.
We would encourage parents/carers and students to ‘like’ our Facebook page and ‘follow’
us on Twitter as we use it as a tool for communication, sometimes at short notice.
Text and Email Lealands uses text and email to send reminders, updates and letters; sometimes this might
be at short notice. Please ensure the school has an up to date mobile telephone number
and email address for you so this information is not missed.
Letters Many important letters which are sent home are available to download from the ‘Letters to
Parents’ page of our website, www.lealands.luton.sch.uk/letters.
The next edition of Lealands News
will be available in February 2018.
We would like to wish you a very
Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year!
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