Dear Parents, Guardians and Neighbours It was wonderful to witness all the events that took place in school last week to support Remembrance Day. Over the course of the day the school assembled an enormous poppy display in the Sixth Form and entrance area. Assemblies were held by Mr Pieroni and I focusing on the centenary of the bale of Passchendaele. We also had representaves from the army in to run history workshops with KS3 & 4 students. All of this culminated in a moving ceremony on Friday when The Last Post was read over the announcement system and the whole school read war poetry during Drop Everything and Read. These events were run in close associaon and with the support of the Brish Legion and I would like to thank them for supporng this am- bious event in school. It was also amazing to see how our partner schools in the East Dacorum Cooperave Learning Trust supported this programme with Chambersbury also having a wonderful poppy display. Year 11 last week took part in their first Mathemacs mock examinaon. I would like to commend all the students for their atude and applicaon during the examinaons. I hope they will have seen first-hand the challenges that the new style pa- pers present and will have learned a lot about the topics they need to cover and the nature of the quesons. Students will receive feedback in lessons from class teachers but I would like to remind all parents that Year 11 Parents’ Evening is on Tues- day 28 November 2017. I would like all parents to place this in their diary and ensure they aend this important event. The evening will enable parents to receive feedback on how their child is doing in lessons, where they need to focus their studies and what is likely to appear in the mock examinaons in January. We also have the school show coming to the theatre soon. This year we are pung on School of Rock over three nights on Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 December 2017. Ticket details will be coming soon but with this being the first event in our new theatre we expect it to sell out so book early to avoid disappointment. It will be a fantasc event and a good build up to Christmas. Also on the Christmas theme, Christmas lunch is on Thursday 14 December 2017. This will be a cket only event. I would like to use the final part of my arcle this week to request parental support in reinforcing the school expectaons around chewing gum. As the students and you are aware, gum is not allowed in school as we want to help preserve and pro- tect the great environment and decoraon that we have. Unfortunately, since September we have had a few incidents of gum being brought into school and then dropped and trodden into carpets. As a result the school have had to pay for addi- onal cleaning materials and hours to have these removed. In the worst case we had to pay to have some carpet les re- placed. Whilst this may not seem a major issue the costs we have had to pay equate to two sets of Maths text books for Year 11 students or two new laptops for Post 16. It would also have enabled us to buy a GCSE Science revision guide for all of Year 10 or a copy of Mice and Men for all Year 9 students. In short, having to pay for addional cleaning resources diverts money away from supporng the learning of the students. Mr Ratcliffe will be reinforcing this message in assemblies and we will con- nue to sancon students caught with gum. However, please can you take two minutes at home to reiterate to your child the importance of following this school rule. Thank you for your on-going support. Mr G Cunningham Headteacher Edion 6 17 November 2017 Headlines Longdean Link Important dates 20 November to 30 November -Year 11 Mock Interview Experience Tuesday 28 November—Year 11 Parents’ Evening (5.00pm) Tuesday 28 November—LSA Meeng (7.00pm) Saturday 9 December —Saturday Study Session
Transcript
Dear Parents, Guardians and Neighbours
It was wonderful to witness all the events that took place in school last week to support Remembrance Day. Over the course
of the day the school assembled an enormous poppy display in the Sixth Form and entrance area. Assemblies were held by
Mr Pieroni and I focusing on the centenary of the battle of Passchendaele. We also had representatives from the army in to
run history workshops with KS3 & 4 students. All of this culminated in a moving ceremony on Friday when The Last Post was
read over the announcement system and the whole school read war poetry during Drop Everything and Read. These events
were run in close association and with the support of the British Legion and I would like to thank them for supporting this am-
bitious event in school. It was also amazing to see how our partner schools in the East Dacorum Cooperative Learning Trust
supported this programme with Chambersbury also having a wonderful poppy display.
Year 11 last week took part in their first Mathematics mock examination. I would like to commend all the students for their
attitude and application during the examinations. I hope they will have seen first-hand the challenges that the new style pa-
pers present and will have learned a lot about the topics they need to cover and the nature of the questions. Students will
receive feedback in lessons from class teachers but I would like to remind all parents that Year 11 Parents’ Evening is on Tues-
day 28 November 2017. I would like all parents to place this in their diary and ensure they attend this important event. The
evening will enable parents to receive feedback on how their child is doing in lessons, where they need to focus their studies
and what is likely to appear in the mock examinations in January.
We also have the school show coming to the theatre soon. This year we are putting on School of Rock over three nights on
Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 December 2017. Ticket details will be coming soon but with this being the first
event in our new theatre we expect it to sell out so book early to avoid disappointment. It will be a fantastic event and a good
build up to Christmas. Also on the Christmas theme, Christmas lunch is on Thursday 14 December 2017. This will be a ticket
only event.
I would like to use the final part of my article this week to request parental support in reinforcing the school expectations
around chewing gum. As the students and you are aware, gum is not allowed in school as we want to help preserve and pro-
tect the great environment and decoration that we have. Unfortunately, since September we have had a few incidents of
gum being brought into school and then dropped and trodden into carpets. As a result the school have had to pay for addi-
tional cleaning materials and hours to have these removed. In the worst case we had to pay to have some carpet tiles re-
placed. Whilst this may not seem a major issue the costs we have had to pay equate to two sets of Maths text books for Year
11 students or two new laptops for Post 16. It would also have enabled us to buy a GCSE Science revision guide for all of Year
10 or a copy of Mice and Men for all Year 9 students. In short, having to pay for additional cleaning resources diverts money
away from supporting the learning of the students. Mr Ratcliffe will be reinforcing this message in assemblies and we will con-
tinue to sanction students caught with gum. However, please can you take two minutes at home to reiterate to your child the
importance of following this school rule.
Thank you for your on-going support.
Mr G Cunningham
Headteacher
Edition 6 17 November 2017 Headlines
Longdean Link
Important dates 20 November to 30 November -Year 11 Mock Interview Experience
Congratulations to the U13 girls team for winning the Girls in Football Week Tournament run by Watford Football Club. The girls represented the Netherlands and Sweden. Both teams played really well, with some brilliant team displays. This resulted in a Longdean vs Longdean final! The final was a great game and ended with the Netherlands winning the tournament. Well done girls you should all be very proud of yourselves.
Sports News
Literacy
The 10 November 1917 saw the final shots ring out in the Battle of Passchendaele; exactly 100 years later, the East
Dacorum Cooperative Learning Trust commemorated those that had fallen. The remembrance ceremony which
was held at Longdean School in association with the Hemel Hempstead branch of The Royal British Legion and
attended by Sir Mike Penning MP, Governors, Staff and Students, was the culmination of events that had been held
across the school between Monday 6 and Friday 10 November.
The commemorative events which involved Longdean, Adeyfield, Astley Cooper and Chambersbury Schools, began
with parents, staff and students making personalised poppies, individually dedicated to a soldier, traced using
www.everymanremembered.org. Many poppies were dedicated to ancestors and family members. The poppies
were then displayed throughout the atrium in Longdean’s new building along with commemorative wreaths and
other insignia designed by the Art department and attached using equipment provided by Hemel Hempstead’s lo-
cal Bunnings Store. Archive film footage from the Battle of Passchendaele had been played across the walls of the
atrium throughout the week using giant projectors sponsored by EPSON, which certainly helped bring the events
of the battle into focus. Many of the poppies and wreaths will be taken over to Belgium and laid at The Menin
Gate close to the site of the Battle, when the History department visit Ypres in the New Year.
Throughout the week all subjects linked their curriculum to World War One, whilst soldiers from the Royal British
Legion ran a series of workshops across all year groups to show students the true nature of Warfare. Assemblies
throughout the week were dedicated to educating students on the Battle of Passchendaele, whilst opportunities
for students to handle exhibits from World War One had been available at break and lunchtimes.
As events drew to an end on Friday 10 November, students across the schools read World War One poetry then
gathered at Longdean for the final Remembrance Ceremony. As the standards were lowered, the ‘Last Post’ was
sounded and the ‘Ode to Remembrance’ was read aloud to the whole school. At 11.00am a bell rang and as si-
lence filled the air, it became clear that those soldiers, who gave their lives in the Battle of Passchendaele, may
have fallen but they will never be forgotten.
Altogether, we raised a staggering £662.30.
Thank you for all your support.
Longdean Remembers Passchendaele
Social Media Worksop
LSA Parents, the LSA needs you
We meet 6 times a year and would love to see more parents representing the various years. All funds raised go towards the school for the benefit of the students. This year we have donated a large sum of money to the school for the following new items which will all be in place by Christmas:
New Trophy Cabinet Two outside Table Tennis Tables A Glitter Ball, Wings and LED lighting
Next meeting: Mon 20 November 2017 - 7.00pm-8.30pm:
Mon 15 January 2018
Mon 5 March 2018
Mon 23 April 2018
Thurs 7 June 2018
Sadly, we fear that future fund raising efforts will be in jeopardy without further Parent volunteers. We would love to hear from any Parents/Guardians who may be interested in coming to a meeting to see what happens and for any suggestions/ideas of fundraising events you would like to see at Longdean School. Should you have any questions about the committee and what we do, please contact us via [email protected] or visit the website for more details: http://www.longdean.herts.sch.uk/index.php/parents/lsa.html#the-lsa
S. Gale
Treasurer
Please ensure that your child has a refillable water bottle with them everyday. There are water fountains around the
school where they can refill their bottles throughout the day if needed. This will keep them hydrated and may prevent
headaches.
Please Note: - If your child uses an inhaler, we now hold a central stock for emergency use only. However, in order for
your child to have access to one of these in an emergency, please complete a consent form which can be obtained
from either Mrs Wilkins, First Aid or from Student Services.
Mrs Wilkins
First Aider
Our new caterers, AIP, have now been operating for almost 3 months and would welcome feedback from the students. Please encourage your child to complete the online catering survey using the link below:
We are delighted to tell you that our recent non-uniform/ pyjama day raised £1125.43 for our partner school in Ghana, Bedomase Methodist Junior High School. This money will be used to support their project to build a senior school in the village. Currently students have to walk over 10km a day in order to attend the nearest high school, so this facility will provide increased access to education for young people in Bedomase and the surrounding villages.
Tuesday 19 December 2017 is “Christmas Jumper Day” at Longdean. Pupils
who pay £1.00 to their form rep by Friday 15 December 2017 (so that we can
send it to the charity before the end of term) will be allowed to wear non-
uniform on the final day of term, which should include something Christmassy
e.g. a Christmas jumper, some tinsel, or simply red and green clothes.
The money raised will go to Save the Children, who use the money to provide
health and nutrition, lifesaving treatment and healthcare and education for
children around the world.
If students do not wish to participate, they need to wear full school uniform
on the Christmas Jumper Day.
Christmas Jumper Day
Artwork of the Month
November Artwork of the Month
Personality Inspired Etching
By
Natalie Thong Year 13
Please ensure that your child has a coat to wear on the journey to school as the weather is now a little colder and hoodies are not allowed at school. Thank you. Mrs G Segal Deputy Headteacher Please be aware that there is a road closure between Woodhall Farm through to the Maylands Industrial Estate and adjust your travel time to school accordingly to ensure that students are not late to school. Mr G Cunningham Headteacher
Reminders
Independent Learning and Homework at Longdean Please remember to discuss your child’s Independent Learning and Homework set on Show My Homework using the app or the website https://longdean.showmyhomework.co.uk/school/homeworks/calendar where you can find the entire school’s homework and filter by subject, teacher, or class without logging in. For specific details about your child’s homework, please log in to this website or the app. We recommend half an hour a night, Monday through Thursday, on sites such as Sam Learning, GCSE Pod, BBC Bitesize, Linguascope and MyMaths. Links to these sites can be found on the Exam Support and Homework sections of the LLP. Mr R Muskett - Assistant Headteacher
http://www.gcsepod.com/parents for a parent's guide. www.samlearning.com Centre ID: HP3LS Username and password are in the format: DDMMYYII, for example Mr Muskett's would be 050582RM. www.mymaths.co.uk - students have an individual username and password from their
Maths Teacher.
MFL—Ask your Teacher for the username and password for Linguascope. Further e-learning links can be found at: https://moodle.longdean.herts.sch.uk/mod/tab/view.php?id=8888
Information
Reporting Absences from School - Contact Numbers
If, for any reason, your child is absent from school, please contact one of the following numbers as soon as possible. Any messages will be picked up at the beginning of the school day.
Da Vinci: 01442 205706
Franklin: 01442 205707
Gates: 01442 205760
Pascal: 01442 205703
Sixth Form: 01442 205720
Link Dates The Longdean Link is published every two weeks, via the Schoolcomms e-mail system to all those for whom we have an e-mail ad-dress, and on the LLP. Next issue: 1 December 2017
Recent Communication
Attendance
Franklin 91.6%
94.2% Pascal
Gates
94.3% Da Vinci
0% 100%
Whole School: 92.9%
93.2%
Letters that have been sent home recently:
All Years—Parent Questionnaire
Year 11— Mock Interviews Information Letter
Year 11—Parents’ Evening
All Years—Social Media Workshop Letter
History Option Groups 1 & 2—History Trip to Radlett Centre
