'As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow' by Zoulfa Katouh.
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a novel about loss, love, war and new beginnings. The story takes place in Syria during the civil war and centres around a girl, Salama, who finds herself acting as a doctor for one of the last standing hospitals in her hometown. Throughout the novel, we see Salama fall unexpectedly in love and fight inner demons that beg her to leave the country in order to ensure herself and her unborn niece's safety. This book touched me deeply and made me simultaneously cry and smile. The author skilfully crafted and balanced the elements of disaster and hope to create a beautiful, yet heart-breaking and frustrating story. Though this book is fiction, in many ways it resembles reality through the sensitive topics it discusses, especially the violence and destruction of war that makes this book so heartfelt. The author delivered the story at a smooth and even pace that makes you angry at the world but also grateful for its wonders and the human ability to grow and move forward. I fell in love with the characters and with their kindness as well as their pain. This book is soul shattering and yet I was consumed by the relationships, the struggles and the internal battles the protagonist faced. If you want to open up your mind and your heart, read this. It is worth every tear and every thought. It is one of the most powerful tales I have ever read.
-Aasiyah Haider, Year 13
Y10 GCSE History Trip to Hampton Court
On Friday 7th June, 40 Year 10 History students had a fantastic day out to Hampton Court Palace. We explored the Tudor, Stuart and Georgian sections of the Palace, as well as having time to explore the grounds, including the maze. The students were fantastic, asking lots of really interesting questions and the whole day complimented our study of Elizabethan England at GCSE. Well done to all of the students and staff involved!
Diary Dates
- Thursday 20 June- Year 12 Consultation Evening
- Monday 24 June- Year 10 Computer Science Visit to Museum of Computing
- Wednesday 26 June- Year 11 Prom
- Friday 28 June- Sixth Form Induction Day
- Monday 1 July- Year 8 Exams Start
- Monday 1 July- Year 10 Geography Fieldwork
- Tuesday 2 July- Year 7 Induction Day
- Wednesday 3 July- Globe Players Visit
- Thursday 4 July- Year 10 Consultation Evening
- Thursday 4 July- Immunisation Catch Up Session
- Thursday 11 July- Sports Day
- Monday 15 July- Community Day
- Thursday 18 July- Enrichment Day
- Friday 19 July- Last Day of Term
BFI Film Academy Craft Skills
BREAK INTO FILM
BFI Film Academy offers opportunities for ambitious 16 to 19-year olds aiming to know more about film and how to make a career in the screen industries. Hands-on filmmaking courses builds knowledge and skills and shows the pathways into the industry for talented and committed young people, with an excellent track record of inspiring the next generation of filmmakers and crew.
We will be inviting a group of talented 16 to 19 year olds from across the UK to Edinburgh to take part in this amazing BFI opportunity from the 27th of July to the 3rd of August 2024. We will be hosting masterclasses from top industry professionals and giving an insight into the industry that so many young people seek.
Course Fee
We welcome applications from all talented young filmmakers no matter of background or previous experience. Fees range from zero to £250 for the course, with bursaries available for those who require financial aid to participate.
The deadline for applications is Monday 17th June 2024.
Congratulations!
We are so proud to announce that 2 of our Year 7 pupils, Ego and Mariam, qualified to represent Slough in the Berkshire Athletics Championship! Well done to you both, we are really impressed by your hard work and can't wait to hear all about it!
~Ms Hamilton and the PE Department
Thank you to Maheer for this revision article
1. Peer Mentoring at Baylis Court School
-Over the course of this term, the Baylis Court School peer mentoring team has significantly expanded to provide as many students as possible with organised peer support. Students can self-refer for a peer mentor and they are then paired up with an older student, who meets them during tutor time once a fortnight to have a friendly chat about how they are feeling. This initiative has proven to be hugely popular and successful and will be something we will continue into next academic year. Thank you to all of the peer mentors involved!
2.Mental Health and Wellbeing Surveys
All students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 will be invited to complete a mental health and wellbeing survey before the end of this academic year. It is really important that all students complete this so that we can see how our students are feeling and take action if needed. Any student who expresses concerns or problems will be spoken to by either their form tutor, Head of Learning, or Mrs Griffin following this survey.
Parents will also be invited to complete an accompanying survey about their child. We encourage all parents to complete it if possible as it provides us with useful feedback to improve our provision in school. Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.
3.Coping with exam stress
We are very aware as a school that exams can be stressful for our young people, and Years 11 and 13 are currently in the midst of their final exams. Year 10 have been taking part in their end of year assessments too, in exam style. Please follow the link below to useful information from Mind about understanding exam stress, and where to go for support:
Dear parents, carers and extended family members,
Free online information sessions for parents/carers – helping promote safety for your children
As a parent, carer or family member, do you wonder what is happening in your child’s life and worry about their safety, their ability to make the right choices for themselves?
Do you wish you knew more about some of the risks they may encounter, the influences they feel such as online harms or even exploitation by others?
Do you want to help your child feel comfortable to talk to you or to another trusted adult if they don’t feel safe or have a concern?
Join one of our free, online parent information sessions. There are still spaces on the remaining dates and we hope that you can spare the time to join these interesting and interactive sessions.
Run by the Ben Kinsella Trust, the leading national charity working to educate young people on the dangers of knife crime, the sessions are run by an expert trainer who has been working with parents across the country.
We want to help all parents to understand the facts behind issues such as:
- Personal safety
- Knife crime
- Exploitation
- Online harm and cyber-bullying
- Signs and symptoms that something is wrong
- How to have those challenging conversations
- Signposting to services that can help you and your children
Each session is held online in a safe and welcoming environment with other parents, with the training helping to build your understanding while also giving time for discussion and questions.
Registration is free – but must be completed in advance by clicking the links below:
Our new website, Stay True To You has been developed in response to what local young people have told us about their experiences and perceptions of violence, crime and their safety.
With the summer holidays approaching we all want young people to enjoy their free time and independence in safety. I hope that you will join us on one of these parent information sessions.