Term 3 - Winter Edition
Contents
Find Another Gear - Mr Ferguson
Another Busy Term!
The Importance of Attendance
The Winter Showcase
New York, New York
Duke of Edinburgh Evening
Special Guests
What Great Looks Like
How to Find Out More
Second Hand Uniform
Dates for the Diary - Term 4
Find another gear
Dear Parent/Carer,
When I was interviewed for the post of Headteacher at The Lenham School, I finished my final presentation with the three words that have stuck with me the most throughout my career: ‘find another gear.’ I think they capture exactly how I feel about our school. So much of what we do is so wonderful, but how do we move the puzzle pieces around to find that next gear and do something even more wonderful? Someone put to me even more simply recently when they asked, ‘when do you stop doing good things that work, in order to do even better things?’ Our mission over the last term has been to try to do different things and bring new opportunities for your children. There are so many I could mention and I think you will enjoy seeing them in full as you read this newsletter, but two moments really have remained with me from this term and demonstrate what I mean by us looking to ‘find another gear’.
Duke of Edinburgh
The first of those events was our first Duke of Edinburgh Awards evening. 40 students collected awards for leading demanding expeditions in the Kent countryside, as well as completing significant charity work. These projects and expeditions are completed at weekends and demonstrate true commitment to service and challenge. It is humbling to think of students who have worked hard all week at school, pushing themselves in their free time to do even more.
Mid-Winter Concert
The second event has to be our first Mid-Winter Concert, which really was one of the most wonderful events I have ever attended. The hall was packed with an audience of over 200 and we had close to 100 different performers; it was a true celebration of dance and music. What made this evening so special is that the bands are new this year, with many children only starting to learn an instrument since September. The same is true for the Junior Choir and Senior Voices, both new this year, but already feeling like part of the fabric of our school.
The Future
These are just two examples of many I could share, but are clear demonstrations of everything I believe in as your Headteacher. We won’t ease up at The Lenham School. Instead, we look for opportunities to do something new and ask all of us to ‘find another gear’ in order to help the children here build the futures they deserve. Just because something is good, does not mean it will be good enough for me. We must always look for the best for the children in our community.
Mr Ferguson - Headteacher
another busy term!
As we come to the end of Term 3 it is hard to believe we are halfway through the school year. Once again, this has been a very busy term with lots of trips, performances, sporting achievements and great work being completed in lessons.
The importance of attendance
School attendance has been a big focus for the school this term. We are aware that there has been some illness going around and this has impacted the attendance of students. However, it is vitally important that students do come to school as there is a clear correlation between levels of attendance and student progress.
The winter showcase
The Winter Showcase was the standout event of the term. Students in all year groups participated in an evening of performance. More than 220 people attended the show and saw Lenham’s finest perform on the stage, whether it be part of the school band, senior and junior choir, or dancing. The show highlighted the amazing talent that we have as a school and for the many students involved it created a memory that will last them a lifetime. The school would like to thank the Performing Arts Department and in particular Mr. Fullerton (Teacher of Music) and Mr. Heaton (VIAT Director of Music) for making the evening possible. We do offer Vocal Lessons provided by Andrew Parry Music which can be booked via the following link: https://www.andrewparrymusic.com/apply.
New york, new york
Performing Arts Students in Year 11 and Sixth Form also had a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit New York and take part in a Broadway Workshop (which they then performed during the Winter Showcase) as well as being able to sample some of the delights that New York has to offer. During their visit, students went to Times Square, Ellen’s Stardust Diner, the 9/11 Memorial as well as trips to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
duke of edinburgh evening
Over the last 12 months the school has invested in launching and running the Duke of Edinburgh Award. During Term 3, participants from the first cohort were recognised for achieving the Bronze Award during an afterschool Awards Ceremony. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a fantastic opportunity for students to have fun, make friends, improve their self-esteem, and build confidence. By completing the programme, they gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team working, communication and drive. Thank you to Miss Mason and Mr Richardson for their hard work and dedication to support students through the Award.
special guests
This term we have been spoilt with the number of special visitors we have had at the school to help support our students. Year 8 students had the opportunity to work with ambassadors from Canterbury Christ Church University to explore future careers and higher education journeys. Year 9’s spent the day working with a group of business leaders and local employers to design, develop and pitch a business idea. We also had the pleasure of a visit from Lord Colgrain, who is a sitting member of the House of Lords. He met with over 100 students to talk about how they can get their voices heard. The students really enjoyed the session and asked a range of interesting questions.
what great looks like
Students have also been completing some amazing work in their lessons. Year 9 students in Geography worked together in small groups to design an eco-hotel for the Amazon Rainforest, students in Key Stage 3 have been busy baking cakes and cooking sausage rolls and pasties and we were really impressed with the work completed by a Year 7 student who made their own version of a Trebuchet as part of the History PLP.
How to Find Out More
Please feel free to join our Facebook Page The Lenham School | Maidstone | Facebook to keep up to date with all the exciting things that are happening both in and out of the classroom.
Second Hand Uniform
Details of how to access our second-hand uniform is available on our school website. With the continued rise in household costs, we hope this initiative can make a small difference by helping some of our families to access free uniform https://www.thelenham.viat.org.uk/1850/uniform.
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Dates for the Diary
19 Feb Start of Term 4
19-26 Feb Year 11 Pre-Public Exams
20 Feb Y13 Tate Modern Trip
21 Feb Y12 CCCU Event
22 Feb KS5 Drama Trip - Lyric Hammersmith
23 Feb Progress Reports (Y7-10) issued
23 Feb Staff Development Day (School Closed)
4 - 8 Mar World Book Day Week
4 Mar Y7 STEM Day
7 Mar Y9 Options Evening
8 Mar Y11 Apprenticeship Trip
13 Mar Year 8 Trip Portsmouth
14-15 Mar Y9-11 Vaccinations
18 Mar Y12 CCCU Event
20-21 Mar Year 10 Consultation Evenings
21 Mar Year 11 Rewards Trip
25 Mar Year 9 CCCU Event in school
26 Mar Year 10 Trip National History Museum
28 Mar Last Day of Term 4