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2015 Spring 1 issue of the Highgate Wood School magazine
Citation preview
News from Highgate Wood School arts college
CONSIDERATION COOPERATION COURTESY CONTRIBUTION Issue No 22 February 2015
Issue 22. February 2015
2
Charles Wright, our Chair of
Governors, writes:
The clock seems to speed up at
this time of year, and not only the
lighter evenings but exams will
soon be upon us. I’m delighted
with the improvements in
academic performance that we’ve
made over the past period, thanks to all staff,
parents, and of course our students, and we continue
to look for further improvements. Getting those
grades really is an important passport to greater
opportunities, whether it’s going on to A levels,
university, college or employment, so get that
revision going, and good luck all!
Of course, a good school isn’t just about exam
results. I was honoured to welcome Noreen Ryan’s
family to Highgate Wood last week, after Noreen’s
funeral, and said then that the best schools are not
only places young people come for lessons – they are
communities, of teaching and non-teaching staff,
students and parents, present and past.
Our collective response to the sad news of Noreen’s
passing showed to me that Highgate Wood is that
sort of community, with clear values enabling us to
come together in difficult times, support each other
and emerge stronger.
Noreen served this school for 31 years, as one of our
unsung heroes, as the amazing tributes on the
website demonstrate, and really was a bedrock of our
school community. She will be very much missed, and
I’m proud that we were able to play our part in
marking her remarkable contribution.
A particular word of praise for our singers and
musicians who performed so movingly at Noreen’s
funeral. Well done all.
Cover picture: The cover features some aspects of Noreen Ryan’s Memorial Tree. Students and staff from across the school were invited to hang cards, decorations and any other items they felt were a fitting tribute. Perhaps the most poignant was the single custard cream. The gathering at the school after Noreen’s funeral had the theme of afternoon tea, thus the tea cup.
Chair of Governors:
Charles Wright (Community Governor)
Vice Chair:
Paul Bennett (Parent Governor)
Representative Governors:
Cllr Eddie Griffith • Oliver Blackaby • Brenda Allan •
Imogen Pennell
Parent Governors:
Diana Brown • Philip Cavendish • Elizabeth Hess • Chris
Tully • Rob White • Julia Chalfen • Paul Bennett
Community Governors:
Phil Cocksedge • Caroline Conlon • Violet Hazelwood-
Henry • Chris Parr •
Headteacher Governor:
Patrick Cozier
Staff Governors:
Emily Ford • Joe Demetriou
If you wish to contact the Governing Body please write to the
Chair of Governors, c/o Mrs K Ozturk, Highgate Wood School,
Montenotte Road, London N8 8RN ([email protected])
HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY
GOVERNING BODY UPDATE
Arabella Weir writes:
Please support the school when you shop on-line.
How it works is really simple. With Easyfundraising
you’ll be able to raise free donations when you shop
online, without it costing you a single penny extra.
If you're buying something, just remember to visit the
retailer (such as Amazon, John Lewis, M&S) via
easyfundraising.org.uk. Once you've ordered, the
retailer makes a donation to the Highgate Wood
School PSA. It's a great and easy way to give
something back for free!
Access Easyfundraising through the Fundraising link
on the Parents Tab on the school website, or go
directly to:
http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/hwspsa
Issue 22. February 2015
3
Welcome back to
successful learning
at Highgate Wood
School.
I wish to start this
edition of Insight
by taking this
opportunity to
wish you all a very
belated Happy New
Year! As always
however, time flies
and instead of reflecting on the festivities of
Christmas and the New Year celebrations, we have
already reached the spring half term break. It is
difficult to believe that we are already half way
through the school year. So much has been
accomplished, but as ever there is so much still to
do!
Tragic loss of two members of staff
You will now be aware from letters that I sent
home recently that we have faced the
unprecedented situation at Highgate Wood School
of two members of staff sadly passing away within
a short space of time.
On Monday 19th January we lost Noreen Ryan
following a short battle with cancer. Noreen made
a massive contribution to Highgate Wood School in
a variety of roles over a 31 year period. She will be
known mostly as the school’s smiling and joyful
face in the Wren reception. We are devastated by
this loss and the school has been in mourning ever
since we were informed by Noreen’s family.
However, we were able to be part of a fitting
tribute to Noreen last Friday 6th February at her
funeral and after event.
The church service at the St Peter-In-Chains RC
Church in Stroud Green was very well attended by
most of our current staff, numerous ex-staff and a
number of our current students. I was particularly
proud of our students who participated during the
church service. Through the emotion and the tears
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER they showed courage and strength in singing and
playing their hearts out in a way that was
outstanding. They were a credit to themselves and
the school and I am in no doubt that Noreen would
have been overwhelmed with appreciation and
gratitude for what they did.
Equally sad was the news that we received last
week that Austin Coyle, teacher of ECS had passed
away on Tuesday 3rd February. Mr Coyle was
absent from work for a prolonged period with
illness. We had very much hoped that he would
return to work shortly, but unfortunately it wasn’t
to be. At just 25 years old, Mr Coyle had so much to
look forward to and achieve in his career. We are
all deeply saddened to have lost a colleague so
young and so early in their contribution to the
school.
We will miss them both. Gone but never
forgotten… may they rest in peace.
Year 11 – Getting those grades
If you are the parent of a child in Year 11, you will
be aware that our students sat their Year 11 Mock
Exams before the Christmas break. Since we have
come back, they have received their Mock Exam
Results and as a result they all know on an
individual level how well they are achieving – and
what else they need to do to hit their personal
targets across each of their subjects. We are very
impressed with the work ethic and attitude of our
year 11s and this is reflected in the fantastic
progress that they have made since September. We
expect to see many of them over half term doing
extra study (in addition to the after school and
weekend sessions that many currently attend). It is
also a testament to dedication of the staff
members who are making themselves available to
help support our students.
What is pleasing for us as a school is that both
individually and collectively, our Year 11s are
broadly on target to achieve and exceed what we
believe they are capable of. A reminder of our
results for the last eleven years and our target for
2015 is shown overleaf.
Issue 22. February 2015
4
As can be seen, we are rightly proud that over the
last four years we have taken Highgate Wood
School from being a 45% to 46% school to being a
70% school! On average, just under 60 students a
year additionally get five or more good passes at
A*-C (with English and maths); meaning that many
more students at Highgate Wood School are able
to study good A’ levels in the 6th form. Even more
importantly, we also know that students at
Highgate Wood School make better than expected
progress compared to their peers nationally based
on their year 7 starting points. The good news is we
believe that we can do better still!
We know what are students are capable of when
backed by our excellent staff and supportive
parents. Let’s ensure that we continue to work
together to help them achieve their best.
Pupil Premium Award for HWS
You may or may not be aware that for the last few
years the coalition government has provided
additional funding to schools for the specific
targeting of students who come from
disadvantaged backgrounds. This funding is known
as the Pupil Premium. The purpose of the Pupil
Premium is to address a national problem of
disadvantaged students performing less well than
their peers – commonly termed ‘closing the gap’.
We were delighted to recently receive a letter and
a certificate from the Schools’ Minister Rt. Hon.
David Laws MP congratulating us on our
achievements with the Pupil Premium. As a reward
for the excellent progress that our disadvantaged
students make, the school will received £5000. This
comes on top of the previous positive visit to the
school by the Deputy Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Nick
Clegg a while back to praise us and see first hand
how effectively we use the funding.
We are proud of this achievement as our work with
all of our students underpins our values that all are
entitled to the best possible education and that
everyone matters. I would like to thank all staff for
their hard work in making such a difference to the
lives and outcomes for our students from
disadvantaged backgrounds. I would also
specifically wish to thank Dawn Spence (Assistant
Headteacher) for leading our work in this area.
HWS Sixth Form proving to be very popular
I reported in the last edition of insight that our
sixth form numbers had grown from 170 students
in 2011 to over 250 in the last two years – a 55%
increase! Well, I am now very pleased to report
that the number of applications that we have
received for September 2015 remain very high, as
they have been for the last few years.
This is very good news for the school as it says that
students from within and outside of the school are
clear about what our sixth form can offer them.
However, it also means that competition for places
in the sixth form and particularly for popular
courses will be high. The message to our students
is that they make sure that they:
1. Work really hard between now and the
summer exams to secure the very challenging
grades necessary to gain access to our Post 16
courses
2. Understand that not everyone will
automatically be offered a place. The days of
Highgate Wood sixth form being a ‘reserve
option’ are long gone – a number of students
missed out on places on courses that they
wanted to enrol on through using us as a back-
up offer
3. Be committed to doing their absolute best in
the sixth form which includes taking full
responsibility for their learning, making
learning their first priority and ensuring
excellent attendance and punctuality to all
lessons/study sessions
5 A* - C (inc. English & Maths)
Issue 22. February 2015
5
4. Ensure that they continue to make a positive
contribution to HWS as a positive reference
from their tutor or their head of house is also a
pre-requisite for entry
We also recently held a Sixth Form Taster day on
Wednesday 7th January where our students had
the opportunity to be treated like a sixth former for
the day, including going to sixth form lessons and
having non-teaching periods. The initial feedback
has been very positive, and I hope that this will
help students make the best decisions in August
when we have our enrolment day.
Uniform – Maintaining High Expectations
Thanks to your support we have seen the most
impressive period of uniform wearing at Highgate
Wood School this academic year. The uniform is
designed to be smart formal wear and the
overwhelming majority of students are achieving
this. Top buttons are done up, shirts are tucked in,
skirts aren’t rolled up and formal leather shoes are
being worn. There remain a small number of
students who still find this challenging, but we are
addressing those situations with the support of
parents.
Please help us to maintain this by continuing to buy
your children clothes and footwear in accordance
with the school’s uniform dress code. If you are in
any doubt, contact your child’s Head of House to
clarify items before you purchase them.
Thank you as ever for your continued support!
Regards
Patrick Cozier
Headteacher
Mr Bomani writes: The final week of half term saw the first Inter House competition of the year take place in the football tournament. Year 7, 8 and 9 boys and girls took part in the tour-nament and represented their house with great effort, enthusiasm and determination making it a great start to the Inter Colour sports calendar (results to be published soon!). Throughout the rest of the year we are hoping to hold Inter House competitions in basketball, tennis, netball, table tennis and many more.
INTERHOUSE SPORT
Da Vinci
Seacole
Edison
Rudy Berman Caitlin Gillespie
Tom Hewett Gloria Kelly
Max Eatherdon Tyce Griffith
YEA
R 7
Da Vinci
Seacole
Edison
Dmitri Christou Kate Owen
Louis Ludlow Megan Boardman
Kelly Florence Holmes Scott Reidy Martin
YEA
R 9
Da Vinci
Seacole
Edison
Kevonte Willoughby Hope Selby
Louis Ludlow Megan Boardman
Callum De La Motte Natalie Monoharan
YEA
R 8
HOUSE CAPTAINS
Issue 22. February 2015
6
There are also many other useful resources
available to help with revision, particularly
MathsWatch and SAM Learning.
As happened last year, the PSA have generously
provided an incentive for GCSE students to use
SAM Learning. Those who make the best use of
this revision site will receive free tickets for
Celebration Evening.
To get onto Sam Learning you need to know that
the Centre ID is N8HW. Your username, which is
the same as your password, is a combination of
your date of birth and your initials. If, for example,
you were born on 3rd October 1998 and your
name is Patrick Cozier, your username and
password will both be 031098PC.
For MathsWatch you
need to visit
www.mathwatchvle.com.
For this site the Centre ID
is highgatewood. Your username and password is
exactly the same as your school login (your .309
name and password).
Both Sam Learning and Mathswatch have been set
up so that every member of Highgate Wood
School has an account.
If you have problems logging into Sam Learning
you can call 0845 130 4160. For help with all of the
school’s online systems, including Show My
Homework, Wisepay and Vivo you can also email:
Could all parents\carers please ensure they check
and sign their child’s School Planners at least once
a week.
This helps us all to keep on track with any home-
work set but also provides a quick and easy way
for parents and carers to keep in touch with their
child’s form tutor.
PLEASE CHECK SCHOOL PLANNERS
Major changes are happening to the school phone
system over the half-term break. There is a risk
that there may be some disruption to normal
service at the beginning of the new half-term.
SCHOOL PHONE SYSTEM
ON LINE REVISION SUPPORT
Mr Ashman writes:
To support students preparing for their summer
exams we are developing a new password protect
section to the school
website that will give
you access to useful
revision materials.
This is in addition to
the open access Exam
Preparation and Exam
timetable sections.
To access the new area go to the main school
website, and then click on Study Portal. It will ask
for a username and password. The username is
student, the password is hws2015
Over the coming few weeks this area is going to
get populated with information and resources to
help with revision and planning. Already it has
some material, as well as direct links to the
different exam board specifications and past
papers (where available).
Issue 22. February 2015
7
HOUSE LEAGUE TABLES
Top Vivo Earners
Rasheed Kamara (Yr 11)
Rawan Ataya (Yr 10)
Isobel Murray (Yr 9)
Grace Heron (Yr 8)
Lottie Ezer-Ahern (Yr 7)
Top Vivo Earners
Odeja Anderson (Yr 11)
Randal Harrison (Yr 10)
Mya Gomez (Yr 9)
Brandon Durand (Yr 8)
Freddie Ferszt (Yr 7)
Top Vivo Earners
Umer Khan (Yr 11)
Jordan Brown (Yr 10)
Elle-Mae Netherton (Yr 9)
Toby Wyckoff-Smith (Yr 8)
Louis Fletcher-Wheeler (Yr 7)
The best way to predict the future is to invent it
From caring comes courage
Success comes from perseverance
28,712 so far this year
29,615 so far this year
29,378 so far this year
Ms Spence writes:
We are delighted that
Highgate Wood School has
been recognised by the
Department for Education
for our success in raising
attainment and value-added
-progress of our
disadvantaged students in Key
Stage 4. We are the lucky
recipients of a £5,000 award in
the Pupil Premium Awards 2015.
David Laws, the Minister of State for Schools has
written to us confirming the award, giving
congratulations to our staff, governors, parents
and students. “‘The reason you have been selected
is that you are one of the most improved schools in
the country in terms of value-added progress of
your disadvantaged pupils since 2011” he writes.
“Thank you for your leadership in making such a
difference to the future success of your pupils.”
The prize money will come to the school at the end
of March and will be used to continue our work in
“closing the gap” in all areas of school attainment,
experience and outcomes.
PUPIL PREMIUM AWARD
Issue 22. February 2015
8
HOW TO STOP BEING LATE
Will Haringey prosecute students whose
attendance is a concern in their final year?
The table below indicates how frequent lateness
can add up to a considerable amount of learning
being lost. This can seriously disadvantage children
and disrupt the learning of others. Please help
children in your care to be punctual.
50 Lessons
100 Lessons
150 Lessons
200 Lessons
340 Lessons
290 Lessons
250 Lessons
Ms Christodoulou writes:
Are you tired of feeling like
you're always 10 minutes
behind yourself? You're not
alone. According to a
recent news article, 15 to
20 percent of people are
chronically late!
In addition to the negative impression it can send
out, being late for school can also lower your self-
esteem, because you're constantly apologising
and covering your tracks. And, of course, being
late for school also means your missing out on
learning - and that can have a big impact on your
future and your success.
Analyse
Improve your punctuality and attendance by
taking an honest look at how long it takes you to
get ready in the morning. People tend to
underestimate by 30 percent how long it takes
them to complete certain tasks. If you are often
late, it might be because you don’t have a realistic
idea of how much time it actually takes you to get
dressed and get to school. For a week or so, keep
a log of how long it takes you to complete each
preschool activity, getting dressed, eating your
breakfast to brushing your teeth, walking the
dog... Whatever your total, add 20 minutes. Or
make yourself believe your start time is really 20
minutes earlier than it is. That way you'll be on
time, even when you're late!
Preparation
Preparation is key when it comes to getting to
school on time. Make sure all your school clothes
are ready the night before, and get all your other
things sorted too: your Oyster card, school card,
keys, packed lunch, money and anything else you
will need.
If you bring a snack or packed lunch to school
make sure that will be ready as well.
Try and have everything you need ready to go,
rather than waiting until morning and then risking
a panic… and lost time!
Sleep Habits
Instead of getting up with just enough time to get
dressed, give yourself time to ease into your day.
Wake up with time to spare. Set your alarm that
little bit earlier, and try and avoid hitting the
snooze button.
To get adequate rest, go to bed earlier at night, and
limit stimulants like sugar and the bright lights of
TV and computer screens before bed.
Getting Ready
Follow one major tip to make getting out of the
house easier in the morning - put all of your
belongings in one place so you aren’t flying around
the house trying to gather things at the last minute.
Often the simplest solutions are the best, so pick
up an empty cardboard box from the supermarket
and use that to store your school books, bag and
equipment. You will then know where everything is
and won’t need to waste time searching for them.
Healthy Living and Time Management
Living healthily not only improves general well
being, it will also help your punctuality and
attendance. Eat right, exercise regularly, drink lots
of water and get to bed early will ensure that you
are as healthy as you can be, and will thus reduce
the number of days taken up with sickness, or of
lateness because you are feeling unwell.
There have been some suggestions that Haringey
Council will not take attendance concerns seriously
when a student is in their last few weeks or months
of schooling.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The Local
Authority can, and will, take enforcement action
for any absence when the student is still of
statutory school age.
These final weeks in Year 11 is an absolutely crucial
time for students as they finish coursework and
prepare for final exams. Attendance is more
important than ever.
Issue 22. February 2015
9
SEND REFORMS - UPDATE
The table below indicates how frequent lateness
can add up to a considerable amount of learning
being lost. This can seriously disadvantage children
and disrupt the learning of others. Please help
children in your care to be punctual.
Mr Dobrashian writes:
Many thanks to all those parents and carers who
attended the Information Evening about the new
SEND reforms earlier this term.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with
the ideas and implications of the Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities Reforms
prompting lots of useful discussion.
The reforms are very significant and far-reaching
and we will be distributing more information
shortly.
Information is available on-line, both from the DfE
(visit http://bit.ly/hwssend) and also under the
Learning Tab of the Highgate Wood School website.
Mr Hartley writes:
Year 9 students and their families should know that
Options Evening on 5th March will be a very
important event.
Options Evening is the start of the process where
you will need to decide what subjects you wish to
take at Key Stage 4.
All students are required to study the “core”
subjects of English, Mathematics and Science as
well as RE, PE, PHSE and Citizenship. But you will
need to decide on those Option subjects that will
be best for you.
A few subjects, like Media Studies, Business Studies
and Sociology, will be ones you have not studied
before, but every single subject at Key Stage 4
develops from your learning at Key Stage 3 and
takes your progress to a different level.
You will be able to pick three option subjects and
so you will have to consider them carefully.
You will have two weeks in which to make your
decision, then your forms will need to be handed in
and the school will be able to start the process of
planning the timetable for September 2015.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Ms Martin writes:
Year 10 students should now be
ready for their Work Experience
week beginning Monday 2nd
March.
All students should know where
their work experience placement
is located and how to get there. It
is a good idea to use one day in the half-term break
to test out the journey so you can be confident that
you can get to work on time. In any case, all
students should telephone their work experience
placements over the break to confirm they will be
attending.
If there are any questions or queries please contact
me in the first instance: [email protected]
YEAR 9 OPTIONS
Issue 22. February 2015
10
Ms. McGurk writes:
Wednesday 4th February saw the launch of the
Arcadia Work Experience project at Highgate
School. A number of our Sixth Formers attended:
Year 12 students interested in taking part in the
scheme and Year 13 students who had been
awarded work placements at Arcadia last year.
They were welcomed by Adam Pettitt (Headteacher
at Highgate School) and later addressed by Sir
Philip Green. Simon Cowell made a guest
appearance to much excitement and was
interviewed on his early experiences at work and
the secrets of his success.
'The Arcadia Experience' was set up by Sir Philip
Green to offer work experience and master-classes
to talented Year 12 students across London. The
project enables students to partake in a series of
career-skills master-classes at Highgate School with
the opportunity to apply for one of a series of work
placements in the areas of Finance, Buying,
Merchandising & Sourcing, Retail & Property,
Digital, Social Media, Marketing and PR.
Current Year 13 students Sonia Martinelli, Choon
Fuller, Thea Sun, James Ramsden and Jake
Hamilton were all successful in being awarded
places on the Arcadia Work Experience scheme last
year, after having attended the workshops and
masterclasses delivered at Highgate School.
Masterclasses for current Year 12 students begin at
Highgate School on 26th February.
Contact Ms. McGurk for further details.
ARCADIA WORK EXPERIENCE JACK PETCHEY SPEAK OUT CHALLENGE
Ms Allaway writes:
This year’s Speak Out Challenge was a really
demanding activity through which students learnt
some of the skills and techniques, as well as
developing the self-confidence, to master the art
of public speaking.
More than fifty Year 10 students were involved,
working towards speaking for three minutes on a
topic of their choice to the assembled audience.
Jace and Sina became our finalists, representing us
at Heartlands School where the regional event
took place.
They both delivered extraordinarily good
performance and deserve our congratulations, as
does everyone involved in the challenge.
SPEAK OUT CHALLENGERS: Aoife Allen, Georgio Ardeleanu, Talvinder Bains, Amber
Bennett, Kimberly Bentley-Maselino, Andrea Bevilaqua, Lloyd
Bolton, Yassin Boukemal, Alice Bowen, Erdi Cavusoglu,
Margherita Cimatti, Daniel Dop, Sophia Dottore, Nikhil
Dumree, Dennisha Edwards, Charles Frase Allen, Sadie Goswell,
Jace Griffiths, Melissa Guvenier, Jake Hamilton, Bryony
Hillman, Tre Jackson, Ali Kacmaz, Tolga Kale, Herbie Lea
Bramble, Harvey Lea-Bramble, Alix Luka-Cain, Neve Maher,
Janice Makambu, Decan Malaj, Amber Mckenzie, Laura Moss,
Katy O’Neill, Tara O’Regan, Che Ove-Loncraine, Tommy Peglar,
Lily Roberts, Joshua Rodney, Caylan Samuel, Ned Scott, Olsi
Shehu,Kyle Smith, Fanni Somogyi, Teddy Spencer–Warnes,
Annie Stanford, Nathanial Stark, Bailey Starkey, Joe Thorpe
Crram, Ishmael Tikly Young, Amy Townsend-Lowlock, Joe Vinall
Smeeth, Gabe Weston and Michael Zenios.
Issue 22. February 2015
11
HARINGEY ACTIVIIES FOR STUDENTS AT HALF TERM
Haringey have again got a whole range of activities
and events happening over the half-term.
Their booklet February Half Term Fun is available on
Haringey council’s website or directly at
http://tinyurl.com/hwsfeb15
For most of the activities taking place you can just
turn up on the day, but for some activities you need
to register in advance.
Make sure you check the activity details and contact
the right person/organisation.
HWS PSA LOTTERY
Next half-term will bring some news about the
HWSPSA Lottery. In the meantime why don’t you
but a ticket? It will only cost you £1 a month and
you could win ££££s. For details please email
Arabella or Jane at [email protected].
Ms Copley writes:
In recent weeks we have
had a number of difficult
situations arising from
students contacting home
directly when they are
feeling poorly. In some cases
this has resulted in people
coming into school, expecting to meet with the
student immediately and escort them home. This
raises a number of safety issues that it is best to
avoid.
The proper procedure for any student who falls ill
or suffers an injury at school is for them to be
assessed initially by a member of the on-call team
and then, if appropriate, taken to the treatment
room.
Here either I or another trained member of staff
will carry out a proper assessment. If the best
PROCEDURES FOR CHILDREN WHO FEEL SICK WHEN AT SCHOOL
course of action is for the child to be sent home
we will make the phone call to the relevant parent
or carer and then make arrangements either for
the child to be collected or for them to get home
by some other means. (It is for this reason that we
ask that all parents and carers update the school
with any new contact information).
Following this system allows us to properly record
and manage any sickness or injury that might occur
in school and ensure that the best course of action
gets followed.
Please try and follow these guidelines
Issue 22. February 2015
12
In many ways Noreen Ryan was Highgate Wood
School. That sentiment is repeated time and time
again in the messages people have written in her
Books of Condolence.
Noreen’s cheerfulness, patience, friendliness and
enthusiasm, her kindness, grace, consideration for
others and calmness under pressure as well as her
solid dedication and unwavering commitment to
the well-being of everybody at the school
exemplifies the very best of what we all strive to
be.
The moment we made it possible for people to
voice their love for Noreen, and their sadness at
her passing, they started to respond. Within an
hour of launching an on-line memorial we were
receiving posts from former students and past
colleagues from all over the world. And these
tributes continue to pour in.
On this page we have reproduced a few of those
messages. The web-page itself will remain open for
some time and can be found at:
www.hws.haringey.sch.uk/main/noreen.htm
IN NOREEN’S MEMORY You were the kindest and most trustworthy person I knew at school. You would always help me out when I was in times of trouble.
She was such a warm and kind woman who tirelessly and selflessly eased the school days for both pupils and teachers alike and she was truly the beating heart of our school.
She was always a joy to talk to, a very selfless person, always smiling.
A rare person who always put others before herself. She will be missed by all
Noreen was the most lovely, kind and friendly woman. She was so caring and supportive of me and so many other students during our time at the school.
You always had a smile on you face every time I saw you. Will miss you with all our heart
Noreen was one in a million. Always one to be there for others and to make you feel better. She had a heart of gold and a great sense of humour.
She was always there with a kind word, a restorative biscuit and an amusing story to tell, and her presence was a source of comfort and stability to many who passed through the school.
She was selfless, vivacious and full of life, with an indomitable sense of spirit. There was no problem that could not be diminished through laughter, and there was no student too naughty or 'disruptive' to not be listened to.
Thank you Noreen for everything... And especially for taking the time to know my children.
She will never be forgotten and I feel truly blessed to have known her.
She went over and beyond for us all, helping us every opportunity she had whether it was to comfort us when ill or make us smile when we were sad or to simply get us out of trouble!
Issue 22. February 2015
13
Some people have asked if they
can make a donation to an
appropriate charity in Noreen's
memory. As many of you know,
Noreen trekked around the
world for The National Brain
Appeal - walking in Peru, China
and South Africa.
Students are now able to make a
contribution to The National
Brain Appeal by donating some of their Vivos to the
charity.
Information about the charity is available at
www.nationalbrainappeal.org
I feel blessed to have known such a lovely, warm hearted and kind woman who possessed a truly beautiful soul.
How lovely to see that simple kindness, warmth and humanity can have such an extraordinary and far reaching effect on so very many people.
Thank you for always making time for me and for all the help you gave me during my 7 years at HWS.
one of the nicest ladies i have ever met, the hustle and bustle of school never seemed to bother you and you were always smiling.
You always managed to make me laugh and smile every time I saw you.
She will be missed by everyone and remembered with nothing but love.
Noreen was one of the most inspirational people I have ever known. Apart from her huge heart and unfailing positivity she provided a pair of safe hands for everyone - students AND staff both
Thank you Noreen for your endless positivity and charisma. You were truly special and always brought the sunshine with you.
Oh Noreen, You were such an inspirational, confident, amazing woman. I was so lucky to meet you while I could and I'm so happy you watched me grow till Year 10.
Noreen. was everything I loved about our school- welcoming, kind and passionate.
The fact that she touched so many people only confirms the truly amazing, special and unique human being that Noreen was.
She really was 'One of a Kind' and will be missed terribly. What a real privilege to have known such a truly wonderful woman.
Noreen had that glow that most people don’t have. She truly was amazing.
Noreen was genuinely one of the loveliest, most caring people I've ever been lucky enough to meet.
You were special...one of life's "good ones" such a beautiful aura. Noreen it was such a pleasure to have met you.
Generous with her kindness, time and stellar sense of humour. My days at HWS were brighter for having Noreen in them.
She lit up her surroundings.
Noreen! She's the lady that made me realise my dreams!!
Thank you Noreen for making my life so much easier.
A wonderful person with an extraordinary heart.
I just hope that you knew how much you were loved and treasured by the staff, parents and of course the children.
You made the world a better place....
THE NATIONAL BRAIN APPEAL
Issue 22. February 2015
14
SEASON OF PLAYS
Mr Brown writes:
Drama students in Years 10, 11 and 13 have been
working hard on the staging of this year’s Season
of Plays.
Steven Berkoff’s take on Kafka’s Metamorphosis
will be performed by our Year 11 students, whilst
Year 10 will stage an adaptation of Antigone by
Sophocles. Our A Level students will be staging
devised performances of Angela Carters’ horror
masterpiece, The Blood Chamber and Edgar Allen
Poe’s William Wilson.
The productions will take place on Wednesday and
Thursday, 25th & 26th February.
Tickets are free but will need to be ordered from
Mrs Hassan in the Arts Office.
Last year’s Season of Plays was a huge success, and
also helped our students in preparing for their
examination work. We anticipate this year’s
productions to be even better.
Remember that the performances are in the first
week back so tickets will need to be ordered very
PREPARING FOR BBC SCHOOL REPORT
Ms O’Borne writes:
Michael Cosgrave, a BBC School Report mentor,
visited the school on Thursday 5th February to
meet our School Report team.
Michael discussed potential stories for Newsday on
March 19th and gave year 10 students advice on
how to make sure reporting is balanced and
contacting local celebrities.
Following on from the success of our School Report
last year, the current team are hoping to do even
better.
They have already had one practise day, and the
impressive results of that are available at http://
www.hws.haringey.sch.uk/schoolreport/
We will publicise the main even in March as it is
happening.
Issue 22. February 2015
15
IN HINDSIGHT PERFORM FOR SAFETY
Mr Ashman writes:
The young rock\pop band Insight performed for all
Year 7 students on Friday 30th January. It was a
performance that introduced our students to a
new and exciting musical talent, but also came with
an important message about keeping safe on-line.
Rosie, Isabel & Sylvie (7D) certainly enjoyed the
event, adding “additional to the fact that it was a
fun and spontaneous way to finish the week, they
helped get an important message through.”
Sissily and Nael (7D) were particularly impressed by
the band’s performance of Problem by Ariana
Grande to which many of the students sang along.
“Thank you Hindsight,” they said “you were
amazing”.
If anyone wants to find out more information
about the band visit their website at:
inhindsightlive.com
Let’s create a better i n t e r n e t t o g e t h e r
Mr Talbert writes:
Nancy Levy-Vegh & Rhea Patel have done it again
with their Water Works app.
Not content with progressing to the finals of the
Apps for Good and Appathon competition they have
been selected from thousands of entries as one of
the hundred teams to make it through to stage 2 of
the iDEA competition.
In January, the girls travelled to Barclay’s Bank
Headquarters in Canary Wharf where they
competed against 99 other teams to progress to the
next stage of the competition.
It was an intensive and educational day where the
girls gained some useful skills to help their idea and
future business to develop.
WATER WORKS HAS
Issue 22. February 2015
16
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY
Ms Burniston writes:
27th January, the day that Auschwitz was liberated,
is Holocaust Memorial Day. To mark this event we
ran a series of assemblies for all students , during
which they listened to the reflections of students
and staff who visited the site of the concentration
camp last November. These recollections formed
part of a longer film that we had put together for
the event and, without exception, all students
watched in absolute silence.
“The film was heart-breaking and allowed me to
think about the innocent people who died” said
Melissa Guvenler.
“It was an incredible, moving film which also makes
me want to visit the site to see for myself” says
Neve Maher.
“It was extraordinarily powerful,” says Khadija
Nooh, “It really made me reflect on what Ms.
Burniston said: that we should never, ever forget
what happened, and we must never ever allow
such a thing to happen again.”
FREE MONEY FOR YEAR 7
As part of Haringey’s commitment to supporting
the borough’s families and encouraging responsible
money management, the Local Authority have
joined with the London Capital Credit Union to
offer every Year 7 student in a Haringey secondary
school £20 for free when they open a savings
account with London Capital Credit Union.
The idea is that this will give youngsters the
opportunity to learn about different financial
options and how they will manage their money as
they get older; getting into the savings habit early
and learning about the pitfalls of risky and high-
interest borrowing in later life.
The “free” £20 will be ‘locked in’ for two years to
encourage pupils to add to their savings.
For more information visit the council’s website or
go direct to:
http://tinyurl.com/hwsmoney
Issue 22. February 2015
17
A DAY OUT AT WEST HAM
Mr Adams writes
Last month fifty-six of our students were lucky
enough to experience a premier league football
match and training day extravaganza at Boleyn
Ground.
The day was a huge success with every one of the
boys and girls thoroughly enjoying every second.
The spirits were high during the whole day, and
the atmosphere at West Hams stadium was
electric.
It was a special day, and something which will
remain in the memories of the students who
attended. Hopefully we will put on more events
like this in the near future.
NATIONAL GALLERY—MORE THAN JUST ART!
ARTISTIC CHEMISTRY
by Melissa Guvenler writes
On the 5th February a group of year 10s went to
the Royal Society of Chemistry's Burlington House
where we mixed both our chemistry and art skills
to create something almost magical. It was a
wonderful experience which we enjoyed very
much.
There were many different experiments that we
were able to do, for instance spin painting, where
we placed paints of different viscosities onto a
round piece of paper and span it to create a unique
picture. There was also UV (ultraviolet) art, where
we used UV light to create an image.
It was amazing, overall, but my favourite part was
the marbling, because we splattered different oil
paints onto the surface of water and printed them
onto paper. The pattern that came out was extra
ordinary and inspirational. I hope there will be
more exciting trips like this in the future.
Ms El-Damanawi writes:
A group of sixth form chemists toured the National gallery
looking at the chemistry behind some of the iconic paintings
in the gallery.
They learned of how the humidity created by people in the
gallery, affects paintings, and how a particular cold day caused
one of Constable's iconic landscape's to tragically rip. They
also learnt about how particular pigments, such as mercury
sulphide and gold, were used to signify both value and class.
The afternoon finished with a workshop where scientists
working in the conservation department shared the techniques they used to preserve, clean and date art
works and discovery forgeries!
Issue 22. February 2015
18
YOUTH CULTURE VIDEO PROJECT
Mr Grimmett writes:
After half term Mr Grim-
mett and Mrs Woodstock
will be launching a youth
culture video project with a
middle school in South Car-
olina, USA.
Sixteen lucky students from
Year 7 and Year 8 will be
videoing aspects of their lives including their time
in school, outside of school, their hobbies and even
slang words that they may use.
They will then swap videos and compare them to
discover how similar/dissimilar their lives are and
to find out whether their preconceptions of each
other hold true.
We plan to get everything up and running shortly
after the half-term break.
HIGHGATE CAMP REMEMBERED
Ms Jones writes:
Lucas Bolton (9S), Rawan Ataya (10I), Jordan
Brown (10D), Max Cowie (9S), Caleb Wyckoff-
Smith (9I), Jamie Crispin (9T), Bobby Cox (9A), and
Oskar Andgelic (9S) are all involved in what is
destined to be huge Multi-Sensory Exhibition at
Jacksons Lane. They will be taking photographs
and developing them, writing poetry and prose
and contributing in other ways to this community
project.
The project is called 'Highgate Camp Remembered'
and investigates the lives of the men whose names
are on Highgate’s WW1 memorials.
The resulting exhibition and a memorial trail will
be on show in a special event at Jacksons Lane in
March 2015.
THE GAME OF LIFE
Ms Burniston writes:
Students in Key Stage 3 have been studying
Hinduism and have completed an extended project
by designing a “Game of Life” that illustrates
aspects of Hindu
philosophy and
thought.
Game designs
ranged from the
splendid Monkey
Tree Game by
Yasemin Ozalcin
(right) to more
traditional board
games and
variations. But all
of them shared
the same quality
of demonstrating
a good
understanding of
one of the world’s
great religions.
Ella Bullard and Lottie Ezer-Ahern write:
Our game was called 'Moksha Madness', a journey
of reincarnation, samsara and the winner achieving
moksha - or unity with the Gods.
Competitors could achieve moksha by rolling the
dice and finding good karma to travel up the board,
hopefully avoiding the bad karma on route to derail
the journey.
Issue 22. February 2015
19
HISTORY TRIP TO MUSEUM OF LONDON
Ms Harding writes:
Year 8 students have just begun studying African
civilization and, as a result, the History Department
took 30 of them to the Museum of London
Docklands where there is currently an exhibition
on London, Sugar and the Slave Trade which
crosses over well with their current studies.
A powerful part of this exhibition was a staged
performance about an American slave called and
Ellen Craft. She ran away with her husband from
their slave master.
Ellen Craft and her husband lived in London but
also in Liverpool for a period of time. They
returned to USA in 1865 when slavery was
abolished where Craft set up a school for ex-slaves
to be educated.
Year 8 students gained a huge amount from the
visit which will help them have a greater
understanding of the topic. They will be sharing
their knowledge with the rest of their form.
Thank you to the year 8 students and staff for a
worthy day out.
Isabel Pountney writes
Our trip was absolutely incredible. I really enjoyed
our warm welcome and even our relaxed short
tour before the monologue, I learnt so much
about our topic.
The monologue was lively, realistic and
captivating. It held the attention of every single
one of us. The silence during the performance is
one I have not experienced before with many of
the people there! And the actress delivering the
monologue was so believable I thought she was
American right until the end.
After the monologue we enjoyed the Sailor Town
experience and much more exploring.
Thanks so much to all the wonderful teachers who
organised this trip!
Issue 22. February 2015
20
STUDENT LEADERS
Ms Gribble writes
on Thursday 15 January, ten of our students joined
those from eight other Haringey schools for a
Leadership Day with Team London and Free the
Children UK.
The purpose of the day was to work together and
gain the skills needed to create positive change in
their local communities. The students listened to
motivational speeches by speakers from the two
organisations and took part in communications
and leadership workshops.
During these sessions our students discussed what
it means to be a good leader and also identified
what type of leader they were. They also chose a
social cause they were passionate about and made
an action plan to set out how they were going to
make a difference.
Everyone was a real credit to the school and had a
great time. Madeline Cormican said “it was so
inspiring that I've started an application to attend
a trip to India in order to spend three weeks
building a school.”
Well done to Milou-Mai Law (8I), William
Carmichael (7I), Eden Alaneme (7I), Gloria Kelly
(7A), Freddie Ferszt (7E), Brandon Durand (8T),
Tyreek Heerah-Campbell (8W), Madeline Cormican
(8D), Max Trafford (8W) and Evin Efe (8E)
MEDIEVAL CASTLE COMPETITION
Ms Harding writes:
Last term, year 7 History students studied
Medieval castles, and the students completed
some wonderful projects about this topic. The
history department also ran an optional castle
building competition for the students. The castles
could be made from any material, including edible
castles!
The History Department want to thank all those
students that took part, and for making such a
great effort. It was difficult for us to choose the
top three.
A decision was finally made, and we are pleased
to announce the winner, Adam Lloyd (7G), second
place, Shareef Garcia (7S), and joint third place
to , Sibylla Baron (7E) and Anya Seymour (7E) who
both made gingerbread castles!
Mrs Hassan writes:
Many congratulations to Robyn Cowie who has
managed to gain a Distinction in her Grade 8
singing exams.
SINGER OF DISTINCTION
Issue 22. February 2015
21
Rosa Tully writes:
On 14th March, Highgate Wood School is hosting its
eight annual North London Model United Nations
conference.
Model United Nations gives students the chance to
represent a country in simulation UN debates. This
conference will give you the opportunity to broaden
your knowledge on the oppression that women face
around the world and what options there are to
resolving these issues. This year the Highgate Wood
conference is on women around the world.
Women make up 52%
of the population yet,
around the world
women are being
persecuted for no
reason other than for
the gender they were
born into.
Women work 66% of the world’s hours, but earn
only 10% of the world’s income. Around 64% of the
world’s illiterate people are women and 31 million
girls of primary school age are not in school at all.
On average, only 22% of seats in national
parliaments are currently held by women MPs. The
topics for this conference vary from access to
education, to ending human trafficking and violence
against women and girls.
One of the great things about Highgate Wood
School is that they offer their students such a broad
range of extra-curricular activities which not only
can you enjoy, they also help you obtain valuable
knowledge and skills. Model United Nations is the
perfect example of this. It helped me build my
confidence, and taught me how to debate
effectively and converse constructively with others
to reach an effective solution. I initially found
Model United nations hard, often struggling to find
the confidence to speak in debate, but with the
support from teachers, my peers and my chairs in
committee, I soon found my feet. The topic this
year is extremely important as gender inequality is
a problem that effects every country in the world.
Model UN gives you the chance to debate this
pressing topic in detail and really explore what
problems are effecting millions of people around
the globe.
Rosa Tully (Secretary General, North London Model UN)
NORTH LONDON MODEL UN - 14th March
Blue Weiss writes:
Last year I had the
privilege of attending
LIMUN and aside from
immensely enjoying the
experience, I managed
to succeed in winning an
award. This February on
the back of that success, we will be competing at
top university standard, in predominately
intermediate and higher level committees.
It started in Year 9 in small beginner committees,
when I had little confidence and little skills in
reasoning and arguing, but I have climbed my way
up through higher level committees, to being a
chair and director, to 6th form conferences, to now
competing at Crisis committee at LIMUN, the
highest level Model United Nations committee.
It really is a testament to the staff, students, and
ethos of Highgate Wood School that we are
managing to bring so many students to a level of
Model UN that is unattainable for most university
students.
It is an incredible opportunity that we have earned
at Highgate Wood, one that so few others are able
to deliver, and one we are very lucky to have.
Blue Weiss (Director General, North London Model UN)
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UN
Issue 22. February 2015
22
Ms Ereira writes
Poet Paul Lyalls visited the LRC to give a poetry
workshop, fuelled by stacks of pizza.
Paul was last year’s Roald Dahl poet in residence at
the Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre, and has
worked with Michael Rosen, John Hegley and
Benjamin Zephaniah amongst many others. He
treated us to a performance before showing the
students how to write their own Urban Haikus.
Here’s a great example by Mya Josiah of 8I:
My sister doing her make up in the mirror Make up in the mirror.
Rubbing the blusher on her chubby cheeks. But she look perfect without.
POETRY AND PIZZA
A new lunchtime book group starts after half term
in the LRC. We will be reading and discussing the
books shortlisted for the Carnegie award.
Join us to discover new authors and chat about
books.
Interested? See Ms Ereira in the LRC.
CARNEGIE BOOK GROUP
KNIFE AWARENESS
Ms Christodoulou writes:
"Many people believe that knife crime is not their
problem and will never affect them. Sadly we know
this is not the case and we want to ensure that
everyone is aware of the threat that knife related
crime poses to our lives."
So says the Ben Kinsella Trust, the charity set up by
the family of the 16 year Islington boy who was
tragically murdered in 2008.
After half term Year 7 students will visit the Ben
Kinsella Exhibition to develop their understanding
of the issues around knife crime. This half term we
have approached the subject with older students in
Years 8 and 9 by a series of presentations run
jointly by the police and the Red Cross. Each tutor
group were involved in the programme, learning
not only about the realities of knife crime but also
about to keep themselves and their friends safe.
The talks were stimulating and thought provoking,
as well as providing students with the opportunity
to discuss and be informed about an important
issue.
Issue 22. February 2015
23
There are always new books
to discover in the LRC. We’d
like to introduce you to one
of them: Salvage by Keren
David
16-year-old Cass was adopt-
ed at an early age and has
grown up as the privileged
daughter of a government
minister. Her brother Aidan has had a very different
life, shuttled between foster care and children’s
homes. When he makes contact with her through
Facebook both lives are changed forever. Can a
broken family be salvaged?
This gripping book is shortlisted for the YA Book
Prize 2015, nominated for the Carnegie Medal, and
shortlisted for the North East Teen Award and the
Warwickshire Y9 book of the year.
Find it in the LRC!
Ms Ereira writes
Author Amanda Hemingway, who writes under the
name of Jan Siegel, visited the LRC to give a talk to
a full house of students from years 7 to 11. She
read from her latest book, The Devil’s Apprentice,
and encouraged any would-be writers to “read,
read and read”.
Amanda commented on how impressed she was by
the students’ engagement and the number of
questions.
Responses from the students themselves after the
event included, ‘It was inspiring and the extract she
read was amazing,’ and ‘It inspired me to write a
book myself one day.’
THE LRC RECOMMENDS
LRC AUTHOR VISIT LRC OPENING TIMES
The LRC is open before school from 8.15am
every school day except Mondays.
It is also open at break time, lunchtime and
after school until 4.30pm. The LRC will be closed for after-school clubs on
the following days:
Debate Mate: Wednesdays Week 1 and Week 2
Book Club: Mondays Week 1 and Week 2
HWS BOOKCLUB
If you would like to join add your name to the sign
-up sheet in Mr Gowen’s room (A25)
CHATTERBOOKS
Every Monday Week 2 After school in the LRC
Intellectual & fun discussions about books you love
and hate, film adaptations and a lot more.
For Years 9, 10 & 11
The school calendar is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com
Keep informed Find out what is going on at Highgate Wood School and keep up with our news
visit us at our website www.hws.uk.com
follow us on twitter twitter.com/highgatewood
Check the school’s opening status
Call 02084087508 and give the school’s DfE code: 3094030
Insight is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com
SPRING 2015
Mon 5th Jan
16th Feb– 20th Feb
Friday 27th March
Term Starts
Half term break
Term Ends
SUMMER 2015
Mon 13th April
25h—29th May
Friday 17th July
Term Starts
Half term break
Term Ends*
School begins again on
Monday 23rd February 2015
at 8:35am
It will be Week 2
* Term ends for students
Parent\Carer Evenings
Year 7 Wed. 20th May 2015
Year 8 Tues. 21st April 2015
Year 9 Tues. 24th Nov 2014
Year 10 Tues. 24th Feb 2015
Year 11 Thurs. 15th Jan 2015
Year 12 Tues. 27th Jan 2015
Year 13 Wed. 10th Feb 2015
Half term begins Monday 23rd February
Year 10 Parents’ Evening Tuesday 24th February
Coursework deadline for all courses Friday 20th March
Year 9 GCSE Options Deadline Monday 23rd March
Term Ends Friday 27th March
Season of Plays - Drama productions Wed\Thur 24th-26th Feb
Year 10 Work Experience Week 2nd—6th March
Year 9 Options Evening Thursday 5th March
North London Model UN Conference at HWS Saturday 14th March
Summer Term Begins Monday 13th April
Public Examinations start 11th May
Class of 2015 Celebration Evening 19th June
Mocks (2) Year 11 Mock Exams 16th—27th March