The Big Dig
We were thrilled to welcome so many prospective Year 7 students to our Big Dig event last weekend. Pupils from KC Prep and other primary and Prep schools took part in three activities: metal detecting to find parts of a WWII aircraft, code breaking in different locations to reveal clues and hidden messages and creating electrical circuits to send Morse Code signals - all under the watchful eye of Wing Officer Payne and Flight Commander Mossman. Huge thanks to our Sixth Form helpers who did an absolutely brilliant job!
The Great Debate
On Tuesday 23rd January, two of our students, Poppy in the Lower Sixth and Kateryna from Year 11, took part in the first round of the Great Debate at Cranbrook School. This involved them writing and preparing their own speeches on 'a historical place or person that requires greater recognition'.
They both should be incredibly proud of themselves for pushing out of their comfort zone and standing up in front of adults and peers alike to deliver their speeches. They did not advance to the second round unfortunately, as there was only one winner from the eight candidates. However, there was some amazing feedback from the judges that made Mrs Worsfold incredibly proud. Well done both of you!
Sports News
Gymnastics
On Sunday the U14 teams competed in the BSGA regional floor and vault competition at Abedour School in Burgh Heath.
The U14 regional team consisting of Isla, Lucy, Jessica and Chloe were competing for Kent College for the first time and won their competition!
The U14 national team comprising Zarina, Emily, Ava, Sofia and Amelia placed fourth in their competition. It was a very close competition with only 0.20 points between 1st and 3rd place. Mrs Cox is very proud of you all!
Hockey
The hockey term has started with a bang with some brilliant results for our Year 7 and 8 teams! We have seen matches against Burgess Hill, Croydon High and TWGGS with some pupils playing their first ever hockey matches. Lots of goals scored and cracking skills on show!
Netball
The senior 1s and 2s travelled to Bromley High this week and had two amazing games. The 2s won against a strong Bromley side with Player of the Match awarded to Matilda! The 1s lost narrowly and were incredibly resilient with some great passages of play! Player of the Match went to Laoise for her tenacity in defence.
Third in Kent!! WHAT A DAY!!! The U13 netball team performed amazingly to come third in the Kent Netball tournament yesterday! They played 11 matches in total, in a tournament of over 30 schools. The quarter final vs Sevenoaks school went into extra time and we won with a last minute goal. After an exhausting semi we progressed to the 3rd/4th place play off and the players worked incredibly hard to win 8-5.
Year 8 Art Club
Year 8 Art Club are beginning their ceramic project for the Music Department’s production of the 'Carnival of the Animals'. They will decorate their ceramic bowls with animals from the story, and will also make 3D ceramic animal sculptures during their Art Club time. These will be fired and glazed and hopefully on display in the theatre foyer in time for the production.
Boarders' Trip to the London Aquarium
On Saturday, Year 9 and 10 boarders travelled to London to visit the London Aquarium and have lunch on the South Bank.
The sun smiled on them and they had a lovely time seeing the huge variety of sea creatures including turtles, sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, a whole tank of Nemos and some surprising penguins!
We are fortunate to have some wonderful photos courtesy of Tina (Year 10) who captured a number of the creatures in a most beautiful way.
Dance BTEC
Sia is in the final stages of her Dance BTEC course and has been able to include arial hoop skills into her piece of choreography this term. Fusing the two disciplines of dance and arial work together has been physically and creatively challenging and Sia has been taking extra arial hoop classes to boost her strength. Sia will be performing this dance within the KC Dance Showcase which will be taking place on Monday 25th March at 7pm at the Countess of Wessex Theatre. Please come along and show your support.
UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge
On Wednesday 31st January, our top mathematicians from Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the United Kingdom Mathematical Trust Intermediate Challenge. This involved solving 25 thought provoking questions in one hour. It is aimed at the top third of pupils in these year groups, so some of the questions were rather challenging! We now await to their results.
Our students said:
“Taking part in Wednesday's Maths Challenge was a great experience, although the questions were a little difficult. The variety of problems in the challenge not only tested my maths skills but also encouraged my creative thinking. The Maths Challenge improved my problem solving skills and also benefited me.” Yana, Year 11
“I enjoyed the variety of different questions in both difficulty and style and the nature of the questions in the challenge, allowing me to develop my mental arithmetic skills and general problem-solving skills.” Emily, Year 11
“Participating in the Maths Challenge was a fulfilling experience as it tested my problem-solving and computational abilities, sparking a sense of accomplishment. The diverse range of problems, including geometry, arithmetic sequences, and word games, brought an exciting intellectual challenge. This event has enhanced both my mathematical skills and overall cognitive abilities. I really enjoyed the challenge.” Jenna, Year 11
“The Maths Challenge is always great fun, some of the questions are a trickier than others but that’s what makes it enjoyable!” Sarah, Year 10
“It was good but it was really hard.” Emily, Year 9
The Junior UKMT Mathematical Challenge for Years 7 and 8 takes place on Thursday 25th April 2024.
Use this following link for practice questions and have a go!
Year 7 Tug of War
This Friday morning the Year 7's were taking part in a tug of war team-building activity organised by Mr Beck. This was a excellent way to start the day as it had everyone working together, cheering on the teams and celebrating success. The final will be taking place next Friday when we will discover which Year 7 team is the champion! Watch this space!
Year 8 Textiles
Year 8 students have impressed us with their enthusiasm for designing and constructing shorts or skirts. Following a thorough product evaluation, they're now delving into marketing. They're brainstorming a brand name, defining their unique selling proposition (USP), and determining a retail price.
Alice, who designed customised shorts for her brother, is all set for launch after creating a brilliant poster!
Author Visit
We are delighted that Joseph Elliott will be visiting us as part of our Book Week celebrations on Monday 26th February. He will talk to Years 7 - 9 as well as giving creative writing workshops to selected AIMS students, and those doing GCSE and A Level Drama and Film Studies.
Books can be pre-ordered for signing using the QR codes below.
Edwin Drood Set Build
The set is built for our forthcoming production of Edwin Drood and the hard work has started to paint the walls and props. Under the expert guidance of Mr Hougham, the production is taking shape, as pupils actively contribute to the painting and prop-building process.
Flexi Boarding
The evenings in H&H, our junior boarding house, are full of fun activities that day pupils can get involved in with as part of our flexi-boarding offer. Join your friends in boarding for a movie night, sport and fitness evening or even a spot of pampering! If you are interested in giving flexi-boarding a try, please email handh@kentcollege.kent.sch.uk.
For our senior boarders in J&O, weekdays are often spent studying (their fun happens at the weekends) so if a night in boarding might help to get work done or focus on exams, then please get in touch with jando@kentcollege.kent.sch.uk.
Pupils can flexi-board from one to three nights a week on a regular or ad hoc basis, subject to availability. The cost for a full night of flexi-boarding is £60 (including supper and breakfast). Our new 'late arrival' flexi-boarding, after 9.00pm, is £40 (breakfast only).