P lumline The Newsletter of Plumstead Manor School Dates for the Diary Please visit the School Website: www.plumsteadmanor.com for more event dates success harmony excellence justice Dear Parents and Carers, At Plumstead Manor we are committed to providing an education that promotes excellence and justice for all our young people. High quality teaching, in a safe and friendly environment are the key to unlocking the potential that we believe all young people have. Our high aspirations for academic scholarship, alongside our high expectations for behaviour and personal development embody our commitment to seeing all our students flourish and succeed. This was very much a display at the heart of Royal Greenwich singing spectacular at Blackheath Halls where our acapella choir stole the show. This Newsletter celebrates some of the things we have achieved together this year. It is a record of our journey so far, and the stories, pictures and articles it contains celebrate excellence in our community. They provide an insight into many of the things that should make us all proud to be associated with Plumstead Manor School. Douglas Greig Head Teacher ISSUE 1 June 2016 Greenwich Science Challenge Day Nightline Police Cadets - Hargreaves Activity Centre Y10 Newcastle University Survival Guide residential 15 th 18 th 27-29 th Start of Term for Year 7 and 12 Whole school First day back 2 nd 5 th Sixth form Taster Week Induction day - new intake Y10 visit Oxford University Certificate ceremony Sports day 4-7 th 6 th 12 th 13 th 15 th June July August September The Visual and Performing Arts departments at Plumstead Manor are very excited to announce the arrival of our new Yamaha Grand Piano, which was researched and chosen by Mr Nguyen and the Music Department. The piano is special as it has some excellent, extra features. It allows silent practice using headphones and has a live recording feature. It has already made a huge difference to our music students; the sixth form pianists have been using it to practise for their solo performance exams in July and Year 10 GCSE students have been recording their performances and compositions. To celebrate both the new piano and Visual Arts at Plumstead Manor we will be holding a concert on Tuesday 5th July where the piano will be played publically for the first time. The show will tie together all the Visual and Performing Arts subjects in the school and display the amazing talents of our students. Grand Piano for Performing Arts and Music 18 th 25 th 25/26 th A’ Level Results GCSE Results Sixth Form enrolment
Transcript
PlumlineThe Newsletter of Plumstead Manor School
Dates for the DiaryPlease visit the School Website:www.plumsteadmanor.com
for more event dates
s u c c e s s h a r m o n y e x c e l l e n c e j u s t i c e
Dear Parents and Carers,At Plumstead Manor we are committed to providing an education that promotes excellence and justice for all our young people. High quality teaching, in a safe and friendly environment are the key to unlocking the potential that we believe all young people have. Our high aspirations for academic scholarship, alongside our high
expectations for behaviour and personal development embody our commitment to seeing all our students flourish and succeed.
This was very much a display at the heart of Royal Greenwich singing spectacular at Blackheath Halls where our acapella choir stole the show.
This Newsletter celebrates some of the things we have achieved together this year. It is a record of our journey so far, and the stories, pictures and articles it contains celebrate excellence in our community. They provide an insight into many of the things that should make us all proud to be associated with Plumstead Manor School.
Start of Term for Year 7 and 12Whole school First day back
2nd
5th
Sixth form Taster WeekInduction day - new intakeY10 visit Oxford UniversityCertificate ceremonySports day
4-7th
6th
12th
13th
15th
June
July
August
September
The Visual and Performing Arts departments at Plumstead Manor are very excited to announce the arrival of our new Yamaha Grand Piano, which was researched and chosen by Mr Nguyen and the Music Department. The piano is special as it has some excellent, extra features. It allows silent practice using headphones and has a live recording feature. It has already made a huge difference to our music students; the sixth form pianists have been using it to practise for their solo performance exams in July and Year 10 GCSE students have been recording their performances and compositions.
To celebrate both the new piano and Visual Arts at Plumstead Manor we will be holding a concert on Tuesday 5th July where the piano will be played publically for the first time. The show will tie together all the Visual and Performing Arts subjects in the school and display the amazing talents of our students.
UK’s Only all Female Cadet corp at Plumstead Manor
Last year we were approached by an organisation called Kings Warren Old Girls Association (KWSOGA) to see if we wanted to do something about the history of Plumstead Manor School. The Association is made up from girls, who are now adult women, who came to Kings Warren School which was on the site of our current school up until 1967. In that year three schools were merged together and Plumstead Manor as we know it today was born. We were very excited by this idea and have been working with the ‘old girls’ over the last year. The original notion has now evolved into a ’timeline
project’, sponsored by KWSOGA and the School. As a result we have just commissioned the installation of a timeline recording the history of Plumstead Manor on a large scale in images, text and artwork. This will be installed into the Harding Building later this year, and we are working closely with a designer called Edusign, and delving deep into the school’s archives - something the ladies of KWSOGA were keen for us to do. The whole project will be documented as we go along, so that we record as much information as we can about the history of the school and the local area. We felt
it important to invest in this kind of community activity so that we don’t forget the long history of the school, and we build bridges from the present to the past. In fact we hope that the timeline, once installed, will be a stimulus for lots of history lessons. We are very grateful to the Association for their ongoing support to the school. We will keep you updated in the months to come, so please keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages where we will share more information, images and potentially even video recordings of the project as it unfolds.
Since September 2015 we’ve been running a Police Cadet unit. This is the first all-female Cadet unit in the whole of the UK, and we have 20 girls attending regularly each week.
We were visited by a high ranking female officer to officially open the unit – Commander Alison Newcomb.
The corp is led by PC Brown, Ms Lazel and Ms Pleasance. It’s the kind of provision and offer that builds belonging and pride, gives
young people a centre of gravity around which to boost their self-esteem, as well as promoting all our Plumstead Manor qualities.
It is only one of a number of ways we can do it – and it exemplifies the direction we need to continue heading in as a school.
Places are still available, so if you fancy some drill, and are tempted by Ms Lazel’s natural ability as a drill sergeant, feel free to join in.
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Plumstead Manor Cadets help NurseryThe Plumstead Manor cadets were helping out with the nursery garden in their meeting on Monday with the plants obtained through funding from the school and Cadets. Cadets also lent a hand at the nursery school fete on Saturday 7th May. 7 cadets volunteered 4 hours manning the stalls, taking money and representing the school and cadets brilliantly.
The nursery fete managed to raise £1000 towards an outside play area for the nursery.
CASHCADE
Plumstead Manor Sixth Form - Lloyds Mentoring
Plumstead Manor School prides itself not only on academic success, but also on creating a school ethos with relationships and community at its heart. As part of this, we actively encourage all students to get involved in fundraising activities for both local and international charities. We realise that at the same time as raising money for others we’re reaping rich rewards as a school - our students develop a social conscience that we are extremely proud of. Cashcade is a case in point. It has become the central part of the Year 8 school year and it is heart-warming to see the enthusiasm and energy generated by this. It is a joy to see students transformed into entrepreneurs. Each year students come forward with their own fundraising ideas. This often involves lots of sugar and cakes (everything in moderation - we are a Healthy School!) but we see students grow in
confidence and begin to develop skills that will take them through school and into the workplace. Seeing their fundraising ideas through to fruition involves determination, planning, negotiation, hard work and risk taking. However, the elation students experience when they succeed and the pride they feel when they realise the impact they’ve made are palpable. Through this activity, we promote imagination, curiosity, collaboration, discipline and resilience.Well done to our Year 8 students for displaying compassion and kindness and for going that extra mile to change the world.A grand total of £768.40 was raised and shared among charities chosen by each Year 8 tutor group.
Beneficiaries included
£102.91 - Barnados£162.55 - Little Princess Trust£107.19 - Cancer Research
In January 2016, a group of students participated in Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out! Challenge”. In just one day, the students learnt the key ingredients of successful public speaking, then wrote and delivered a speech. The representative from Jack Petchey was so impressed
by the calibre at Plumstead Manor School that six students made it through to the assembly final, which made for an inspirational morning. Sundas Batool went on to represent us at the Greenwich Final and delivered an impassioned speech, boldly titled “I am Not a Terrorist”. Sundas did us proud and we can’t wait to repeat the process next year!
The other students involved in the assembly final were Erza Mustafaj, Akua Addo, Maryam Hussain, Nuha Sherif and Priya Panesar.
Several of our students have been given the opportunity to take part in our Lloyds mentoring programme. Students are assigned a Lloyds volunteer who is matched as best as possible to their requirements and their subjects. Students are then encouraged to contact the mentor independently and arrange meetings at their Gresham Street Offices.
This independence encourages the students to develop their interpersonal skills away from school and also gives them experience of a business workplace. The content of
the meetings is structured around the individual student and their needs. These have ranged from revision techniques, cv writing, work experience, subject specific help and study skills. Many of our students have valued this experience. All the students involved have been given a week’s work experience in the summer which has provided them with invaluable skills that are transferable in any setting.
Lloyds are looking to extend the programme so that next year we take more students on towards
the end of their AS year. The Lloyds partnership is an excellent opportunity for students to work with corporate representatives on different initiatives throughout their time at Plumstead Manor. We are very excited about the next opportunity for our post 16 students which is happening during our UCAS week where we have over 15 volunteers coming in from Lloyds to run a speed interviewing event which will allow students to receive focused IAG on their own career paths.
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JP Speak Out
Take the Stage Our AS and BTEC students took to the ‘Donmar Stage’ in February as part of their Take the Stage project. They created a stunning original piece of theatre in response to the text and production of Les Liasons Dangereuses.
Plumstead Manor Praise and Reward System
Plumstead Manor IT update - iPads in School
At Plumstead Manor we set out to promote excellence in learning so that all our young people are provided with the essential skills and powerful knowledge that will see them develop and grow into independent adults who are equipped to change the world for the better. Learning is a process of mastering knowledge, and honing skills which can then be deployed to make sense of the world around us.
At the heart of learning at Plumstead Manor are a suite of qualities that underpin success and aspiration, which support young people in progressing and mastering the knowledge and understanding they need to be successful in their later lives.
These dispositions are displayed in our ‘skills rose’ pictured on this page. They are curiosity, collaboration, discipline, resilience, and imagination. These are a set of learning dispositions which help young people develop important knowledge and skills. They are the glue that binds together knowledge, understanding and skills from different subjects and they support the transfer of those things between different subjects at school, and into adult life. They are very much the ‘how’ of learning, and we are now using them to praise girls in Years 7 to 11, so as to encourage them to become independent and confident young
people. By rewarding ‘how we learn’ in our school, it helps us all to reflect on how we have learned, and not only what we have learned. People are much more likely to become better at things if we notice them doing things well – and we celebrate that with them.
So to support this we have developed a new praise and reward system around these qualities which has been recently launched with students.
Around school and in lessons, students in Years 7 to 11 will be awarded stickers for demonstrating one or more of the qualities by teaching and support staff; the stickers are coloured to match the qualities and the girls collect them in their planners. Collecting these over time allows them to get a range of
rewards, starting with certificates and working their way up to a ‘rose badge’.
The information below summarises the reward that goes with different numbers of stickers – and how girls can work as an individual but also as a team.
Individual Praise and Rewards
10 stickers of the same colour/quality = a certificate
20 stickers of the same colour/quality = a certificate and wrist band
30 stickers of the same colour/quality = a certificate and a
badge
Group Praise and Reward
Each tutor group has a Plumstead Manor qualities poster in their tutor
base. Group praise stickers are awarded to whole tutor groups. Tutor groups with the most praise will win ‘quality time’ off timetable together.
Individual excellence
Certificates are also awarded to students for ‘one off ’ acts of excellence.
We look forward to celebrating the achievements of girls all over the school with you so that we foster a culture in which all our young people can succeed.
We are committed to making IT an integral part of the fabric of learning at Plumstead Manor. However, too often we have thought of it as equipment that belongs in a particular room (an IT suite). As part of our vision to make the opportunities for girls to use IT more frequently and part of the norm, we are investing in class sets of iPads that are being based in different departments around the school. We are also installing a new and faster wireless network to allow us to use these devices around the school and to harness the power of our ‘cloud’
based email and software system Office 365. Our PE, Drama and Science Departments have taken delivery of the first sets and there are more on the way. We will be trialling them out with a view to expanding the estate across the school.
All our students have a school email account that comes with 1TB of cloud storage, and the ability to install Microsoft Office Suite onto their home computer(s) for free. We will be running sessions for parents, carers and students about how to do this over the Summer and Autumn
terms. Please keep an eye out for the workshops as we expect high demand.
Going to watch Twelfth Night at an actual theatre (The Globe) was an amazing experience that I will never forget. The strong actions and language used by the actors were so impeccable that I almost forgot I was actually standing there watching it. I was very engrossed in how all the Shakespeare lines were remembered and acted so accordingly to the original play.
Even though The Globe is an open area and I was absolutely freezing, it gave me a sense of what it was like in the Shakespearian era, how the lower class people had to stand and the higher class could sit down. Even though the lower classes had to stand, this could be seen as an advantage because they were the closest to the stage and could really
get into all the action. This is exactly where I was, and I’ve got to admit it was fantastic!
Additionally, the lighting of the play was natural, which meant that the light was coming from broad daylight and could not be controlled. I benefitted from this because I knew exactly how the people from the Shakespearian era felt and how they managed to keep warm and focused.
The part I enjoyed most was when the characters would break the fourth wall and talk to the audience. This really made me feel like I was involved in the play. Furthermore, I had already read the play beforehand so I knew exactly what was going on, which was helpful as I actually understood the characters’ dialogues.
Alternatively, the part I disliked was the fact that the story was adapted to make it a bit more contemporary. The original song(s) were changed into modern ones, which made me feel uneasy because it changed from era to era. If the play had not been adapted like this, then I would feel the full-on experience of an Elizabethan theatre.
I never actually thought I would enjoy standing for two hours in the cold to watch a Shakespeare play. This whole experience made me interpret things in different ways and I understood that to every negative possibility there are always positive outcomes that override it.
Tasniyah Salik, 9DM
Twelfth Night - a Theatre Review
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International Women’s Day at Plumstead ManorAs a school we are committed to providing young people the chance to lead, to have their voice heard about issues that matter to them. On the 8th March this year we hosted a conference for girls from Plumstead Manor and two other schools (Thomas Tallis and Eltham Hill) to mark International Women’s Day.
Over 100 girls took part, and as a key part of the day they heard from inspirational women who have succeeded in their chosen field. Victoria Brittan the Former Associate Political Editor of the Guardian spoke about her life and work in journalism and her passion for uncovering the stories often left on the margins.
Dr Ceri Brenner spoke about her research as a physicist using lasers to tap into potential new sources of energy. Jo Tongue a football agent who runs her own media company explained with passion and zeal how she had succeeded in fields traditionally dominated by men. Wendy Whewell who works for Lloyds Bank explained her route into banking and how she now manages commercial accounts worth tens of millions of pounds. These keynote presentations were followed by a series of workshops on issues relating to gender inequality in which girls from all the schools collaborated and explored the ways in which we can promote greater equality and social
justice for women and girls all over the world.
The day was the brainchild of some students in Year 11 who spent many hours planning it, making contact with outside speakers. Theirs was a remarkable achievement and they did the school proud. They embody our commitment to helping young women become independent of thought, confident in communicating their views, so that they can go on to change the world for the better. Feedback from all the participants was very positive – and it’s clear that this will now become an annual event in Plumstead Manor’s Calendar.
The science department has been developing an exciting new partnership with the Institute of Physics (IOP). They have been working hard to bring the excitement back into what is stereotypically considered a challenging subject through practical work, end of year projects and a unique set of workshops and trips. As an all-girls school, this is a focus close to our hearts as it links in with our school-wide, goal to get girls engaged in science, technology, engineering and maths.
The science teachers have been working closely with a specialist from the IOP to develop innovative practical ideas to bring physics to life in the classroom. Some examples of this are the ‘jelly-baby wave’ demonstration and a variety of interactive models to overcome common misconceptions in topics about electricity. This is being further expanded through work with our local primary and secondary schools in the IOP network.
This year the Plumstead Manor
science team are also piloting a new scheme where after their end of year exams, all Key Stage 3 students will be participating in project based learning. This will involve science in the media, science in industry and inter-class competitions with exciting prizes.
Finally, as a reward for Year 9 students the science department is in the midst of organising a trip to London Zoo (ZSL) to consolidate their end of term project on ‘David Attenborough and the Animals of the World’.
For our GCSE geography controlled assessment we travelled to Dorset to investigate coastal management.
We stayed in Swanage at the Townsend Centre; some of us had been there before with our primary schools, so it brought back lots of memories. We visited lots of places - Swanage Bay, Lulworth Cove and Studland Bay. We also got the opportunity to walk out to the cliff line and get a close up view of Old Harry Rocks - I enjoyed that.
I also enjoyed having free time to look around Swanage. My favourite place though was Old Harry Rocks because the view was beautiful and I have never had the chance to walk along a cliff like that before.
Studland Bay was interesting too, as it was natural and unspoilt.
We all enjoyed our trip and Ms Ford told us that we were the best group she has ever taken!
Chloe Parkin 10GN
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Outburst 15
Nightline
As a prefect team, we’ve decided to take part in a charity event that raises money for young people to be able to go on school journeys so that
they can develop their social skills such as confidence and team work. In order to raise the money for this we are doing a 50km walk during the night on 18th June. We’ll also be doing other activities throughout the school, for example a movie night. For us to do the 50km walk we’ve had to start training on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Depending on how much money we raise we will be able to take a number of students from different year groups to an activity centre. This has helped us learn to lead and has improved our resilience, discipline and skills in collaboration,
all of which show our commitment to our school. These are the qualities that we think make us successful. Although this has been a challenge, we are determined to represent these qualities and to be true role models for our community.
Lend your support and donate at to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/plumsteadmanorschool
Constantina Stratidaki, Eirini Stratidaki, Gresa Krasniqi and Ameesha Gurung Y10
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One hundred and one students delighted, excited and entertained family, friends and colleagues during the two performances of Outburst 15, on 10th & 11th February this year. Drawn from Years 7 to 13, the twenty-five dances included students’ own choreography, exam work of the highest
level choreographed by Dance Department staff, and Key Stage 3 Dance Club pieces choreographed by two ex-Plumstead Manor Dance & Performing Arts students, returning to work with us as guest professional choreographers; the mysterious, masked morality of Danielle Crompton’s UV Girls for Year 9, and the explosive & energetic sheer joy of Simeon Campbell’s Year 8 Hip Hop fest “What these girls have got!” (all twenty two of them!). Simeon also rounded off the show with the instrumental intricacy of Year 13’s Urban Curtain Call. This led into an ebullient finale with all 101 dancers onstage, including the thirty Year 7-13s Atoms of Rise Dance Company who had sent the audience out for the interval with food for thought from Miss Kusi’s powerful and compellingly
mesmeric mass of movement.
Shows like Outburst 15 cannot achieve the wonderful level they do onstage without the support of behind the scenes teams, and I really want to thank the following colleagues and students who worked with us in Production & Performance week, and in planning prior to that: Chris Mold, Sylvia Sampson, Rae Dawson, Debbie Osibodu, Saraffina Alexander & Sibel Ozkan, Mario Lisette and Vanda St Rose, Premises, Skye Beaumont, Hope Howard & Kirstyn Michalczyk, Clare Plowright & Abrafi Kusi, Suzanne Morris, Rhoda Kwakye, Carolyn Osterritter & Jane
Saturday SchoolIn the lead up to the exams, we have been running Saturday School as part of our comprehensive support for students to help them achieve in their GCSEs and A-levels. Students have been working incredibly hard and so far we have held over 100 revision sessions which equates to an impressive 1700 hours of additional learning for our girls. This support can only result in better outcomes for our students in their GCSE results and we look forward to celebrating their successes at results day in August.
To reward students for their attendance, perseverance and determination, they are collecting points on a passport to the Year 11 Prom.
Students who have attended enough sessions will receive a free prom ticket worth £20 and be entered into a prize draw for the opportunity to travel to the prom in a limousine.
This year’s prom, themed Hollywood Glam, will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Bexleyheath on 7th July.
Up-coming Trips/Events
Ecuador 2018
Sessions run between 9:30-2:30pm
Sign up by emailing or calling us to register today.
