Hello everyone! We are the Head Girl Team, bringing you this guest-edited Weekly News Round Up! We wanted to share with you a glimpse into the Sixth Form!
What the School Officers have been up to...
We work alongside the School Officer team to help enrich student life and contribute to the wider community. Here's what they have done so far!
We helped out at the Year 7 Taster Day; plans are in motion for a wellbeing group to support younger years so they have an older student that they can talk to. The Wellbeing Team: Jasmine, Sia, Heather, Helena and Minya.
I have been in communication with several charities including Age UK and the Aspens. By doing this I hope to give back to our local community. Head of Community Outreach: Emily.
We recently presented an assembly about recycling and what students can do to become more sustainable in school and at home. We are also in conversation about implementing new bins to improve the school's recycling. Head of Eco: Olivia and Eleanor.
We run House assemblies every term to strengthen the House spirit! We work on many events in school including Sports Day, House Music and Inter House matches, making sure everyone gets involved and has fun! House Captains: Poppy and Lucy (Celts), Tara and Milla (Saxons), Sophie and Kristina (Danes).
As Heads of Charity, we have researched the charities which the school now supports. We also ran Harvest Assembly, collecting necessary food supplies for the food bank. This was very successful! Also, we have raised the idea of using online payments for fundraising events, as it will be more efficient. Heads of Charity: Ping and Charlotte.
As the Boarding Team, we have organised many icebreaker games to welcome the new boarders and unite our boarding community. Such events include bench ball matches, water fights and a treasure hunt. Our annual Charity Ball is coming up soon, which will fundraise for the Aspens charity - it's always a night to remember - we're very much looking forward to it! Heads of Boarding: Ping, Jazmine and Sia.
The highly pressured job of choosing what biscuits we have in Tilley for the week is part of our role as Heads of Tilley! In addition, we organise our Pizza and Quiz night to bring the Sixth Form together. Heads of Tilley: Ottilie and Edie.
To celebrate Southeast Asian Heritage Month, we prepared an assembly in which multiple students of Asian Heritage shared some of their family's stories. We also held a bakesale competition for Pride Month, with cakes which were as much delicious as they were colourful! Heads of Equality and Diversity: Jazmine and Harley.
As Music Prefect, I helped organise House Music as well as a KS3 concert for younger students. There are also multiple choirs that students can join - everyone is welcome! Music Prefect: Grace.
As you may have seen in Miss Handford’s School Strategy presentation, the idea of Global Citizenship is central to the school’s development going forward. I have done a lot of research to define what Global Citizenship is, its benefits and how to implement it at KC. I have researched resources from global organisations such as UNESCO, as well as local charities like Edukid. A committee of enthusiastic staff has been formed to gradually integrate this project into every aspect of KC life. Next week, I have been invited to join the staff committee to look at the next steps to involve students in this initiative. I am so excited to see this project take flight!
Toilet Twinning
Growing up in Asia, I, (Rosie) have travelled to countries where toilets are a luxury that many of us take for granted here in England. 60% (4.5 billion) of the world does not have access to a proper toilet. I feel that as a school we have the ability to contribute and help those who don't have even the most basic facilities. We will be raising money for the cause over the next few weeks so that ultimately, every toilet in our school will be twinned with a toilet overseas, giving access to sanitation and health to a community or family, who would otherwise not have had it.
Student Voice
Together the three of us run Student Voice once every half term, where Form Captains can come and and be a voice for their form. Last term we discussed three main points: lunch clubs, academic lessons and social areas to congregate during break and lunch. These meetings are an effective way of ensuring all students feel they have a voice and that their concerns and ideas can be brought forward and dealt with.
Rosie, Loreto, Katie - Head Girl Team
Other news from around the school this week:
Diwali Celebrations
The Catering Team helped the school celebrate The Festival of Lights with some fantastic food on Monday and some lovely decorations in the Dining Hall.
Ypres Trip
On Thursday we left at 5am to go to Belgium. It was wet and rainy but it was a fun trip. We went through the Channel Tunnel and arrived in Belgium. The first stop was a Commonwealth cemetery. We learnt some interesting facts, for example there are only two women buried in WW1 graves in all of Belgium. The we went to the 'shot at dawn' cells where we also saw a trench. Once we had finished there, we went to Ypres and went to have some dinner and to the chocolate shop! Finishing our dinner, we walked over to the Menin Gate where we laid a wreath representing Kent College. The next morning, we got up early and went to a site were there had been bomb explosions in 1916. It was also quite sad to know how different German graves were to the Commonwealth graves. We then went to Tyne Cot where over 12,000 soldiers had been buried. Overall it was an experience I will never forget. Kiera, Year 9.
Claudia in Year 9 wrote a poem about her thoughts on the trip:
Gymnastics News
Darcey in Year 10 was crowned champion in the silver category at the Meapa Halloween invitational. She also had the highest floor score! Lucy in Year 8 came 4th in the Advanced category. This was the first time Lucy had performed a floor routine to music. Well done to both.
Then on Sunday, the U13 (Amelia, Sofia, Emily, Zarina and Ava) and U15 (Darcey, Georgie, Arabella and Lucy) teams competed in the ISGA qualifier at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree. Both teams came 5th overall and have qualified for the Premiership competition in 2024. Darcey in Year 10 was placed 2nd overall in the U15. Congratulations to everyone!
A Christmas Carol
Year 11 English pupils (along with a few Upper Sixth) went on a trip to the Old Vic to see A Christmas Carol, which they are studying as part of their GCSE curriculum. It was a fantastic production which got everyone in the Christmas spirit.
We travelled up to London to the Old Vic Theatre to see Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It starred Christopher Ecclestone playing the character of Scrooge, amongst other brilliant actors and singers. The play was heart warming at times, but quite downhearted at other times, which allowed the audience to sympathize with Scrooge and other characters. Not only were the actors and the singers brilliant, but so were the stage crew and music. There was an eerie and supernatural feel to the play by showing the three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, but also helped to emphasise on the times of Christmas joy and love. The set was also genius as they showed the scene of the families coming together for the Christmas meal by using huge slides made of a material to send down the food for the meal to the stage, including a gigantic turkey and sprouts sent down on parachutes! Overall the play gave a message of the importance of kindness and forgiveness at Christmas time, but also to highlight the importance of social responsibility and that we should all be fair to one another, otherwise society will break down. This play will definitely help those in Year 11 studying A Christmas Carol as it helped to convey the moral message of social responsibility and helped to form an image of the play. Hebe, Year 11.
Sixth Form Sociology Trip
Lower and Upper Sixth Sociology students attended a full day Sociology conference hosted by Education in Action at the Emmanuel Centre in London. The students joined over 500 pupils from a range of secondary schools to hear Prof Ann Oakley founder of UCL Social Science Research Unit, journalist and politician Lord Daniel Finkelstein, human rights barrister Dexter Dias KC, Prof Jason Arday University of Cambridge and Prof Simon Harding academic and government advisor. The speakers provided personal accounts of their experiences working with gangs, forging new frontiers in Sociology research and defending the most vulnerable in our society. The conference speakers encouraged the attendees to consider how they will contribute to the future, and we were left with the closing thoughts of Dexter Dias KC reminding us of the words of Edmund Burke: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' We left inspired to do more!
Year 11 Drama
On Tuesday our Year 11 GCSE Drama students performed their devised pieces as part of their exam. The students have been working incredibly hard in the build up to these performances. The creativity and team work shown was extremely admirable and we as a department are extremely proud.
West Kent ISSP Lecture
On Wednesday, the first West Kent ISSP lecture of this academic year took place in the KC theatre. Pupils from KC, along with Judd, Skinners' School, Skinners' Kent Academy and Mascalls Academy, heard from three Olympic athletes, rowers Emily Craig and Sara Parfett and gymnast Natalie Davies. They were asked questions by a panel of Sixth Formers from the schools in the partnership, which had been submitted by students attending in advance. Questions covered their background, inspiration, motivation and experiences of the Olympic Games. It was a fascinating insight into some very inspirational athletes.
Boarders' Activities
Our boarders enjoyed a fantastic trip to Ninja Warriors last weekend where they challenged themselves to get round the obstacle course. They have also been very focused on fitness this week, spending time in the Fitness Suite and also playing netball, where they were joined by Sienna who is captain of the netball A team.
Carol Service
This year's Carol Service will be held on Thursday 14th December at 7pm in the Old Sports Hall, followed by refreshments in the theatre foyer.
Please note this is a compulsory event for all Senior School students. Invitations and booking details will be sent out to parents next week by Mrs Payne.