News from the Music Department
We kicked off the new school year in September with the launch of two brand new groups, Jamming and Belles. Jamming is an open session on a Thursday after school that is for any students who want to join or create their own band. We have drums, guitars and keyboards available and the first of the newly formed groups, The Scribbles, played at this year's Winter Concert.
Belles is a hand bell group that is all about timing. You may only have one or two notes each but if you play them at the wrong time, it all falls apart! No experience is necessary for either group so get involved in January if you missed out this time.
In October half term, we went on our annual Music Tour, finally getting back to going beyond Britain’s borders again! Our 4 day trip to Paris was absolutely jam packed with two concerts, a boat trip, a visit to the Montpernasse Tower, a walking tour to Notre Dame and the Pompidou Centre, Bingo, a quiz, and of course a full whopping 12 hours in the Disneyland Parks, ending with the fireworks. Not sure how I’m going to top that one for next year. All suggestions welcome!
From a Year 8 student…. Thank you so so much for all the hard work you have done to make this trip amazing, enjoyable and memorable! This has been the best trip ever and I'm so happy to be a part of LPGS music groups !
From a Year 9 student… Thank you so much for a wonderful trip to Paris, I had the best time.
Three of our Year 10 GCSE Music piano students were selected to perform at this year's masterclass with professional pianist Richard Meryick. They went through the understandably nervy process of performing to him then receiving brilliantly detailed feedback about their playing.
We took 50 students to watch ‘School of Rock’ at the Churchill Theatre for the first extra-curricular reward trip of the year, which was made all the more special because some of our very own from LPGS were starring in the show. Seeing them commanding the stage with such confidence was very exciting, especially as some of them have also been cast in our own production of Annie that will be taking place in July.
Our sell out Year 7 Mamma Mia concerts in November seem like a lifetime ago despite only being last month but all students involved absolutely outdid themselves this year. We switched to weekly curriculum time for Key Stage 3 in September which definitely helped boost their confidence and preparation for the big events. They raised the roof both nights and I am also very happy to report that all but one confetti cannons worked this time!
This term we have also had some excellent GCSE and A level recital performances which exam classes record after school each term in order to give them the best chance of capturing their very best. Year 7 came up trumps again in their end of term instrument scheme concert. The violin group even got as far as progressing beyond open strings which is really impressive and shows just how much progress they have made in 8 weeks. We hope some continue to learn an instrument and build on the foundations they have worked hard to lay. Application forms and certificates will be handed out before the holidays!
We ended this very busy term with our Winter Concert which sold out within 23 minutes despite tickets being limited per family. It just shows how much LPGS Extra-curricular Music has grown, it really is fantastic seeing so many students making Music in their own time, week in, week out. It's certainly never quiet in the department and long may it continue!
Have a wonderful holiday and we can’t wait to get cracking again in January!
Miss Sheppard and the Music Department
Visual Arts
Hawes Down Mural Project
Early in the Autumn term we were back at Hawes Down Primary School installing the wonderful Art work that Y6 students had made during the previous Summer Term.
This was a fantastic project all about looking, the environment, reflection and collaboration. The final mural is now on display in a main corridor at HDPS and is there for all to see and admire.
The project is set to continue this academic year with the present year 6 students making similar work to go on display in the Visual Art Department at LPGS.
Well done to all those involved, what a wonderful experience!!
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
This term we launched LPGS’ new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Parent Forum. Parents were invited to discuss our school’s approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, voice suggestions regarding EDI and network with like-minded parents. It was a fantastic event that we hope to grow in numbers going forward.
Our next meeting will take place on 6th March 16:45-17:45 in our library. If you have any questions, please contact Ms Chorley at rch@lpgs.bromley.sch.uk
Spanish Exchange
At the end of term we had our Spanish Exchange partner school, Colegio Cisneros Alter, come to stay from Tenerife. The Spanish Exchange has been running for over 20 years and is something we all look forward to. During the day, our partner school enjoyed seeing the sights of London at Christmas and especially liked ice skating and the Natural History Museum. In the evenings and at the weekend, the students spent time with their host family. On Thursday we spent the morning in school together. The Spanish students went to Langley Park Primary School to tell students about life in Tenerife and the children had lots of questions to ask them. They taught the children key vocabulary and they sang Feliz Navidad together. We then split into teams and did team building activities including typical British sports day activities like the three-legged race. In the afternoon we went together to see a matinee performance of Mrs Doubtfire. It was a fantastic experience for our students and their families and we can’t wait to go to Tenerife in March!
Visual Arts
Clare House Guernica Project
During Autumn Term 2, Impact Trust Art Curriculum Lead, Mr Fox Joyce, was invited to work on a collaborative project with Art Lead Ms Clent and Y6 teachers, Ms Fuller and Ms Crowle at Clare House Primary School.
Working collaboratively we developed a project based on the theme 'War', a subject that all Y6 cover in their curriculum. We decided to focus our attention on the painting, Guernica, by Pablo Picasso; a painting that captures the horrors of war and civil unrest and acts as a visual reference to remind us all about the evils of war and the unnecessary pain, destruction and displacement caused by war.
The Y6 children worked through a series of workshops every Friday for seven weeks covering aspects of research, observational drawing, mark-making, printmaking and evaluation. All their work was collated in their personal sketchbooks as a way of documenting and sharing their progress through the project.
As the project comes to a close this Autumn term at Clare House Primary it begins a new lease of life at Hawes Down Primary in the Spring term 2024 where we will again work with Y6 students and add elements of Drama and Languages, working in collaboration with our Drama CSL and CSL for MFL, to extend the children's experiences.
Senior Maths Challenge Success
On Tuesday 3rd October some of our A level Maths students signed up to sit the Senior Maths Challenge. This 90 minute multiple choice challenge provides stimulating problems for able mathematicians.
They achieved 11 Silver and 13 Bronze Certificates
Silver winners: Kaushigan N (Best in school), Emily A, Sophie L, Claire S, Jamie B, Sandra G, Anna M, James C, Natalie H, Hannah C, Elliot C.
Bronze winners: Yasmin W, Amy S, Shanelle P, Sofija A, Naomi M, Anastasia R, Karina K, Blessing U, Stella S, Rachel C, Prisha N, Joshua E, Christian H.
Well done to everyone who took part!
Sports Department News
Girls Football
An excellent start to the year for girls' football with lots of games being played across the year groups. Thank you to our coaches for KS3 football, Alice S and Claudia D, who are excellent and are fantastic role models to our younger students.
Under 12s Football
The U12s have made a fantastic start to their season. They have competed in the KSFA – a very close match against Crown Woods! They have also competed against local schools from the Borough. Despite the results their determination has been amazing. Amazing goalie work from Tayla and Thea saving countless goals and amazing defending from Beatriz, Macey, Bree, Holly. Maia was named player of the match in our KSFA round against Crown Woods! A special shout out to team captains Holly and Sienna for leading the team in their matches. A friendly match against Hayes has resulted in a rematch with both teams, results to follow! Well done to all of our students who have represented the school brilliantly in their matches.
Under 13s Football
The U13s have made an excellent start to their season in the Under 13 Alessia Russo Trophy (KSFA), with total focus on becoming Kent Champions again. They have won both their opening games, scoring 24 goals and conceding none. Captain Millie and fellow defenders, Maia, Olivia M, Saskia, Emily and Phoebe, have been outstanding at the back, showing excellent awareness, reading of the game and positioning to prevent our opposition from any goal scoring opportunities. Summer ends the year as top goal scorer with 7 goals, closely followed by Liv L on 4 goals. Big shoutout to Maia, Ava, Cecilia and Summer who have stepped up to go in goal across both of our games so far, great teamwork shown! Their Round 4 game was postponed due to the horrendous weather, but we look forward to playing this after Christmas, and continuing in both the Kent and Bromley competitions. In addition, they recently participated in a 7 a-side tournament at Charles Darwin, with Langley fielding two teams. Both teams finished top with 10 points, putting them through to the semi-finals. One team got knocked out and the other team went though to the final. A closely fought final against Bromley High with Liv L producing the winner in the last minute to become champions! Fantastic start to the year from the Year 8s!
Under 14s Football
The U14s have competed in both the ESFA and KSFA competitions this term, and despite the results, their performances have been fantastic and show great cohesion developing amongst them, bring on the Bromley Cup after Christmas. In the KSFA competition, they won their first match against Hayes 8-5 in a thrilling end-to-end game with numerous goal scorers, Rayne, Lissy, Emiko, Ava and Summer. Their next round match was against Darrick Wood, which proved to be a tough fixture against a well organised side and unfortunately saw them bow out of the KSFA competition. In the ESFA competition, they came up against Surbiton High, which unfortunately ended in defeat. Lots of progress has been made across their games though, and looking forward to more games after Christmas as they compete in the Bromley Cup.
Under 15s Football
The U15s went one step further than the 16s in the Kent Schools cup, by reaching the quarter finals. Unfortunately, they too were knocked out by a very impressive Bullers Wood side. Captain Lissy has led by example, by ending the year as the U15s top scorer with an impressive 9 goals in 5 games. Flo and Beth have been a great partnership defensively, preventing certain goals with Flo’s ability to read the game, and Beth’s pace/decision making. The addition of Tallulah halfway through the competition gave the team much needed energy, and aggressiveness which really helped us stay in the competition for as long as we did.
Under 16s Football
The Langley U16s football team have already had a very successful year, competing in both the English Schools Cup and Kent Schools Cup. Unfortunately, LPGS were knocked out of the Kent Schools in the last 16 by Bullers Wood who seem favourites to win the competition. LPGS are however still going strong in the English Schools Cup, travelling to Herne Bay for round 5 this Friday (15/12/23). The team are led by their captain Holly, who has had a great season so far, along with Evie, who has already pulled off 5 penalty saves in just 2 shootouts. Top goal scorer Nisa has already scored 8 goals with this year, with help from our playmaker Harvey, creating the most chances. We can look forward to the Bromley Cup after Christmas, hopefully alongside the English Schools Cup, providing we’re successful Friday.
Boys Football
Under 18s Football
It seemed to be a difficult start for us in the Kent Schools League, however the boys have really worked hard since their early losses and have narrowly missed out on wins against the top 4. Al-Ameen has been immense out on the wing with his directness and pace and finishes this year as top goal scorer. Centre-Back Harry has been labelled Harry Maguire (a compliment) by his teammates due to his love of defending and aggressive nature. His last-ditch tackles are always perfectly timed and he’s never afraid of a 50/50. Captain Paul has been the creative spark in the team, creating the most chances. We hope to start next year strongly to give us a chance of finishing in the top half of the table. Special shout out to the U18s manager Jeremiah, who has led warmups, training and team talks, you have been excellent, thank you!
Feminist Society - Barbie Fund Raiser
Feminist Society raised over £90 at the LPGS & LPBS Barbie screening, which will go to the women and girls of Morocco following the devastating earthquake. It was great to watch the film all together and discuss our favourite parts. Thank you to LPBS for hosting the event!
Often described as a philosophical, thought provoking masterpiece wrapped in glitter and sparkles, Barbie is that and so much more. At first glance Barbie may seem like a fun, light hearted movie but in actuality it’s so much more. In this movie Greta Gerwig not only highlights the importance of you choosing your own path, and valuing friendships that cause growth between one another; but she also shines light on the fact that sexism and patriarchy not only weighs heavily on women, but men too. This movie isn’t just for women, but for men as well. It’s fun, it’s beautiful, it’s a laugh, but it’s also real, relatable and relevant. It's a movie to watch with your best friend, your mum, your sister, whichever women you love dearly. Most of the critiques of Barbie have been centred around its lack of focus on intersectional feminism and focus on feminism in its simplest form. Whilst this is arguably true, Barbie is still able to shed light on some of the universal experiences of women, such as the aforementioned. Therefore, in relation to feminist media, whilst Barbie is not the destination, it is a stepping stone in the right direction.
Jahzarah M