Perkin Post Fifth Edition

26/05/2016

Intelligent engagement with the wider world.

Warm Words

Eesa (8N)

Hello! My name is Eesa and I am the editor for this Perkin Post. We have put some

special events into this edition. Look out for the Little Shop Of Horrors article and

Levis return with another comic strip for you. I hope you enjoy this edition. Have a

fun half term!

Founders Day was Out of This World! Following on from the Imperial Festival, this has been a big term for Science at William Perkin. The love we have for all things scientific was also demonstrated in the energy and anticipation which was shown at Founders Day on Friday 13th. This was William Perkins second annual founders day. Or third if you include the year the school was actually opened! The science department spent weeks planning the day which included a whole range of workshops culminating in a lecture from Monica Grady who we were

extremely lucky to be able to welcome to the school once again. Visitors from other schools as well as governors came to join us to be a part of the action. The day began with all students taking part in a range of workshops which all had a space theme. The workshops included planting seeds which have been into space, making and firing rockets made out of plastic bottles and creating planets with poems on them. Some lucky pupils also got to visit the planetarium which was set up in the LRC. In the lecture which took place at the end of the morning helped up to get to grips with the fascinating science of space. Monica Grady talked us through a number of

discoveries scientists have made about space and explained how these discoveries can be made without even leaving the laboratory. She also managed to convince Mr Smith that American astronauts did land on the moon by explaining that the dust they brought back has been proven to be the same as that which is found on asteroids which come to Earth after bouncing off the moon. The day was interactive and fun but also taught us a lot about space. Additionally, it was fun to see teachers from all subjects getting involved in science. A huge thank you to the whole science department and Mr Science himself,

Mr Miall, who organised such a great day for us. You can read more about Monica Gradys work with the Elite Scientists on page 4 of this edition.

Spirits not Dampened by Rain at NewtFest The addition of the fresh brains of the Year 7s to Newton Enterprise day, held on 29th April 2016, meant a whole host of new events were added to this years bill. NewtFest had been planned to be a sunny event taking place on the grass outside school. Unfortunately, the sudden downpour meant that was not to be and the event was moved to the LRC. However, spirits were not dampened and all the events still went off with a bang. Students were able to relax inside and eat their lunch while sitting on beanbags. Lush! There were also delicious sweet treats to buy, beautiful face-painting and even a stall where you could suggest a future word of the week (well done to Charbel in 7N we will all be using cataclysmic in Q4)! The day was rounded off with the event everyone had been waiting for; the dunking! The 9E girls raised so much money for their sponsored silence that they managed to save themselves and the boys. Which meant that the Year 7 and 8 Newtons were dunked along with their tutors, Miss Main and Mr Bhardwaj. It seemed that the majority of the water was saved for the teachers who were absolutely soaked, to the delight of the crowd which had gathered. Well done Newton, and thank you for a fun-packed day!

Miss OConnor, Maths Teacher How have you found your first few weeks at WP? They have been very enjoyable. The students and staff are lovely! Would you like to have your own form next year? I would love to have my own form next year. In my last school, I had a form for 3 years. Can you say anything in Irish Gaelic? Ispn agus subh. (Maybe you can look this one up!) Do you know any bad maths jokes? What do you call friends who love maths? Algebros! What is your favourite equation?

What is your favourite thing about teaching maths? My favourite thing about teaching maths is definitely that I get to do maths all day!

Terrific Teachers!

Miss Hamid, English Teacher Whats it like being a teacher at William Perkin? Rewarding, fulfilling and thoroughly enjoyable! I love being able to teach new and different topics which transcend myriad subjects. For example, in Year 8 our Gothic Adventure unit explores Science and Religion through our reading stories, such as, Frankenstein and The Tell Tale Heart. In addition, being able to create wonderful relationships with my classes is just lovely! What first attracted you to William Perkin? First and foremost it was WP's excellent reputation in the area. I could not believe that within two years of opening WP had become such a brilliant school. Secondly, the building (both inside and out) was outstanding. I'm certainly more used to it now, however, sometimes I do sneak out and have a quick wander to remind myself of how lucky I am. Why did you choose to teach English? I just love it. I love reading. I love writing. And so, I love teaching. What is your favourite book and why? A Little Piece of the Ground by Elizabeth Laird is one of my favourites. It's a story of three boys amidst the Palestinian Israeli conflict and despite being from different parts of the land and of different religions, they come together to become the best of friends. It's a beautiful story of courage and hope.

This week we have two terrific teacher interviews for you.

What is your favourite word and why? My favourite word is lush because it describes positive things in a short succinct manner. Unlike me, ha! If you werent a teacher, what would you be? I would be a journalist working and travelling to different parts of the world exploring and learning new things. And finally, whats your favourite song? My favourite song is Nothing Really Matters by Madonna because nothing except school really matters!

Ever wondered what those Elite Scientist we hear so much about actually get up to? Heres your chance to find out with a

first hand account.

This year, elite scientists have been working with Professor Monica Grady. She has a PhD from the University of Durham and is the professor of planetary sciences at the Open University. Our work with her has been extremely exciting and has also helped us to understand a lot of complicated concepts. Our first meeting with her was very exciting for all of the students as we got to touch real rocks which had travelled to Earth from space. Our sessions were made up of a variety of different activities. For example, in our first session we were introduced to Ms. Kapila and given our books, she also told us what the essential items for our trip to Ivanhoe Beacon would be. Our second session was when we got to meet Monica Grady for the first time. We also looked at gases that were charged up with electrons and used diffraction grated spectacles to look at them. It was really interesting to learn how this is done.

During one of our sessions with Monica Grady, we made a comet from some sand/soil mixed with brown sugar and liquid nitrogen to make it freeze and turn solid. This created the effect of a trail (just like a real comet), because the dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) quickly turned to gas at room temperature. We then did things like blowing on it and tried mimicking the effects of a binary star system.

Royal Society Trip At the Carlton House Terrace (The Royal Society) there were a number of events including the project presentations. We were one of 12 schools who had been invited. Before our presentation, we were able to rehearse in a big room with lots of paintings of famous scientists. When we were ready, we went through to another room full of students from other high schools who had been working on projects of their own. All of the projects were really interesting; there was even one about robots! We were very nervous about having all those eyes watching us but it was a great environment and we completed our presentation without a hitch. There was a panel of five scientists at the front who talked to us about their lives and what had inspired them to become scientists. It was very interesting and we all listened intently to their stories. Afterwards we got to ask them questions and they answered all of them. The president of the Royal Society also gave an interesting talk. After the extremely educational and scientific presentations, we went into separate

rooms, where each of our posters were held up on a stand for all to see. Our job was to explain the poster to interested spectators who wanted to know more about our project. At first, we were hesitant to walk up to people wanting to know more about the meteorites, however, Ms Kapilas encouragement gave us the confidence to approach eager students and adults, explaining cheerfully how we achieved the aims of our project, and how we overcame the problems we faced. Thank you to Ms Kapila for this experience which we will benefit from for years to come.

Elite Scientists

WP Loves Literacy is Language Week We all know how much we love literacy at WP. But we also love lots of other subjects too. Like

MFL! To celebrate our love of MFL, the Summer term kicked off with Literacy is Language

week; just like last year, there was loads going on. Over the course of the week, tutor groups

were invited to take part in an MFL challenge which was organised by the fantastic MFL reps.

Additionally, each day, there was a different word of the day which was a word we have

adopted from another language. We now know what it means to eat your chilli con carne al

fresco en route home. There was also a literacy focus each day which reminded us of the

different classes of words like nouns, over the week, the examples built up to a full complex

sentence. Additionally, we got the opportunity to watch a French film at lunch time each day

it was called The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec and told an exciting fantasy

story while also helping us to improve our French. You can also see some of the amazing bakes

which were brought in for the MFL and Literacy cake competition on

the next page. The week was rounded off with the incredible speeches

given by the Year 8s which were both persuasive and inventive.

Khadijas word, slazing really epitomised a situation we have all been

in. Surely you can think of a time youve been peckish but just too lazy

to feed yourself; thats when youre slazing! The quality of the speeches was higher than ever, but in

the end there could only be one winner. You can read the hugely impressive speeches of winner,

Brahim and runner up, Veronica, below.

Weary. Im exhausted as Ive just arrived home from school and completed the mountains and mountains of prep I got today.

As Im flipping through the oodles of channels on the TV thinking boring, boring, boring, suddenly I see a show I havent

watched since I was 6; Spongebob! So I put it on thinking This should be nostalgic. After

laughing hysterically at Spongebobs insane laugh, he pulls something out of his pocket

and...bam! It hits me out if nowhere, everything Ive wanted since I was a kid a krabby patty.

Im excited, amazed, horrified. I-Im horrified. There isnt a word for it. I spent ages searching

for a word for it on google but I had no luck. Im scared. What if the English language was

made by aliens? Thankfully the word comes to me; hurtoon. When you are hungry for

something in a cartoon. I feel that I have just saved the Earth from World War 3. I think at

least 50% of the world needs this word. Dont you believe me?

- By Brahim Chedid, 8K

Who Hasnt Felt Pangs of Hurtoon?

The Exceptionally Useable FMM Dont you remember? This morning: its roughly 6:30am and youre exhausted from last nights phone time. Youre just so, extremely comfortable in your bed. The feelings of laziness, relaxation and complete comfort. A few vibrant rays of light peep from the curtains. Youre feeling warm and tingly from the very tip of your toes to the ends of your hairs.

True heaven

But suddenly, your mum storms up the stairs shouting and calling your name, roughly a hundred...a million times. You hear the echoing, booming sound gradually moving closer. You know whats coming!

The covers: the only thing thats keeping you from freezing to death. Its something that you cling on to for dear life. And what does your mum do? She takes that away from you as well! Surely you dont actually want to get out of bed? Can you really be bothered to go to school? However, what can you say? Wait, Ive got it...F double M!

Over 90% of people experience this traumatic scene. This simple phrase means five more minutes and can be used in multiple situations. For example, if youre texting your friends but then suddenly have to do something else. Simply text F double M and theyll understand. This flawless, impeccable word should definitely be in the dictionary, dont you think so too?

- By Veronica Ng, 8R

Year 7 Rounders Interform

A week after Watson reigned victorious in the Year 8 rounders interform,

Year 7 rounders interform was held. The day was overcast and everyone

was eager to grab a win for their house. Would Year 7 Watson live up to the

high standards set by their Year 8 counterparts? Unfortunately it was not to

be. Watson, Pascal, Rutherford and Kelvin had a great time but were

quickly knocked out by the skilled teams of Newton, Isambard and Einstein.

It then became a little complicated as the final consisted of three teams,

luckily we had the experienced PE teachers to guide us through the final

battle. While it was unclear who emerged victorious, all three played with

dedication and are winners in our eyes.

After heavy showers meant that Year 8 rounders interform had to be put on

hold, it finally took place on sunny Friday 13th May 2016. It was a beautifully

sunny day and everyone was in a good mood. Lots of teachers came out to

support their forms and spirits were high going into the first round. However,

after a couple of huge hits and some near misses with the catching, things

were tense. All the teams put in their all; hitting the ball as hard as they

could, running as fast as possible and (mostly) remembering not to drop the

bat. However, Friday 13th proved unlucky for Einstein who were knocked out

by Rutherford in round 1. Pascal also failed to last long as the mighty Watson

stormed to victory. Nevertheless, a sunny afternoon on the field did no-one

any harm and even those who were knocked out early enjoyed hanging out

in the warmth with their friends. Well done, Watson, and thank you to the PE

teachers for organising the event.

Watson Victorious at Year 8 Rounders Interform

The bake sale is always a highlight of Literacy is Language week and this year was no

exception. In fact, the high standard was raised even further by the introduction of

the element of competition. This year, students were challenged to bring in Literacy

and Language themed cakes as part of a competition. Miss

Neelands and Miss Hewett had a difficult time choosing the

winners from the wide selection of beautiful and delicious

bakes (no soggy bottoms here!). In the end, it was so

difficult to make a decision, that two winners were decided

upon. Anjana in Year 7 and Katya in Year 8 were both

deserving winners. You can admire their cakes in the picture.

Literacy is Language Week Bake Sale!

Little Shop of Horrors Review Little Shop of Horrors is a horror-comedy-rock-musical in which an

employee of a failing florists creates a new plant which is not as benign as it

first appears. While the new plant brings fame and fortune to the shop and

its employees, it also results in a number of suspicious disappearances. The

heroine, Audrey, was played brilliantly by the talented Sophia, whos solos

caused a collective shiver to run through the audience. The bumbling and

likeable Seymour was portrayed by Kiran whos comedy touches had the

audience in stitches. Ethan made an extremely sinister villain and really got

into character during the performances, incorporating new tics for his

character in each. Bhaskar played the owner of the shop itself and was able

to show us the full range of his acting ability in this varied role. There was

also an extended cast of talented singers and actors supporting the key

characters; the girls in the red dresses sang beautifully, the plants

absolutely nailed the blood-thirsty smiles and the agents were convincingly

efficient. Clearly Miss Cryers acting coaching and the musical direction of

Miss Cooper were exceptional. The staff band also provided the perfect

backing for the vocal talents of the cast. Everyone who watched this sell-out

show agreed that it was a phenomenal success.

Little Shop of Horrors

Anticipation Grips WP! On 18th and 19th May, William Perkins first school play

was opened to the public. After months of rehearsing

and memorising of lines the big night finally arrived.

Everyone agreed that is was an enormous success.

Having seen the bulletin notices and assembly videos,

we were all intrigued to see the actors themselves in

character. That opportunity arrived the week before the

play when the actors themselves came round during

tutor time to sell tickets. They did an impressive job of

remaining in character and giving us a taste of what was

to come in the play itself. Ethan stomped around as

Orin, barging other characters out of the way in the

corridor. The lead up to the opening night also saw miss

Cryer organise the first Great WP Bake Off. There was

so much delicious cake that we were eating for two

days! The standard was also so high

that Mr Sangha and Miss Smith had

a tough time choosing winners and

needed to create new categories. In

the end, Zahra in 7P won the

overall award for the student

category and Miss Hewett won it

for the teacher category.

By Levi Gordon-OHalloran 9I