NNeewwsslleetttteerrTTHHEE BBIILLLLEERRIICCAAYY SSCCHHOOOOLLSPRING 2018
School Road, Billericay, Essex, CM12 9LH Tel: 01277 655191 Fax: 01277 314414 www.billericay.essex.sch.uk E-mail: [email protected]
MESSAGE FROM MR MOHAMMEDDear Parents/Carers
The rich and varied range of activities that our youngsters are involved in is shared with you in thisnewsletter. The determination of our students to be involved and excel, supported by the membersof staff is a credit to all, reinforcing the principle that Billericay is one big family.
Alongside this, it gives me great pleasure to share with you that at the end of January, three of ourstudents, Louise Tribe [History], Matthew Thompson [History] and Jake Hillion [Maths andComputing] received offers of places at Cambridge University, with Chethana Krishna Rao[Medicine] offered a place at Nottingham University for September 2018.
Many congratulations to them; we await offers for other students. This is a credit to their hard workand perseverance. We are extremely proud of the achievements of all of our students.
Thank you to those parents who sent in emails and letters supporting the actions of the schoolwhilst the school had to close due to burst water pipes during the recent adverse weather. I verymuch appreciate your understanding.
My 'Thanks' to the many parents who also took time to write to the school expressing their gratitudefor the work of the school in showing them how to support their children in preparation for theirforthcoming GCSE examinations. A lot of staff time and effort goes into the organisation of theseevenings and your positive communications make it all worthwhile.
I hope that you are able to enjoy time with family and friends during the Easter break.
Ahson Mohammed
Aspiring to Work and Study In China?
In February, a group of Year 11 and Year 12 studentswere given an insight into study at university in Chinaby Tom Bailey, Principal of the Cambridge InternationalSchool in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Studentsgained an understanding of the changes taking placein the university system in China, examining theUniversity of Hong Kong, Shenzhen as a case study.There was also an opportunity for students to ask lotsof questions which students were eager to takeadvantage of.
There was much to interest all students present fromthose interested in the economic and technologicalchanges in the Chinese 'Silicon Valley' in Shenzhen, tothose whose academic interests lie in Maths, Scienceand Engineering. This was an opportunity to see howthis part of the world is surging ahead in terms ofresearch and development. Students taking Mandarinin our school were able to learn more about Chineseculture and its education system, and all present wereable to learn that university opportunities in China wereopen to all, as classes are delivered in English.
Overall the session proved of real benefit to allwho attended, with students appreciating thepresentation of such opportunities. Many of ourpast students spend periods of their adult livesstudying and working abroad, and opportunitiessuch as these can prove inspirational in makingstudents take an informed ‘can-do’ approach totheir future plans.
‘Wear Red for Your Head’
This Spring, the 6th form chose to wear red todraw attention to the ‘Wear Red for YourHead’ campaign promoted by Mind, aregistered charity helping people with mentalhealth problems, offering support, advice andservices and empowering them to gain abetter quality of life. Students came up withthe idea to promote the campaignthemselves, contacting Basildon Mind forinformation and literature to make studentsmore aware. The campaign was promoted inassembly with students discussing theimportance of attention to mental health in oursociety generally as well as in their own agegroup in particular. Students collectedmoney on the day, raising over £100 for thecharity.
Active community participation is one of ourkey values in the 6th form, and it washeartening to see so many students take theinitiative in drawing attention to such a worthycause.
HappyEaster
500 Word Story Competition
Year 7s and 8s took part in the 500 Word Story Competition, writing a short story on a topic of their
choice in 500 words exactly. Although there were some fantastic entries, the winner was Jessica
Maher 7CTNS with her story, ‘Travelling Through Time.’ The runners-up were Samuel Larsen
7EJLA with ‘The Promise’ and Joshua Hogg 7KRYS with ‘The House of Sisters.’
Well done!
WORLD BOOK DAY
Thursday 8 March saw our belated World Book Day celebrations.Due to the school being closed on the actual Word Book Day we postponed the event by a week.
This year we built on the success of last year’s events and once again ran a book-themed cake making/ decorating competition. Our Judge Mrs Berry, awarded first prize to Nikolas Hervey in Year 7.
Other activities included a school-wide treasure hunt; an extremely popular Very Very Short Storycompetition (where students had to write a story in 10 words or less); we also had a book stackingcompetition, a range of quizzes and a second-hand book sale.
All proceeds from the cake sale and second-hand book sale will go towards the school’s Readasaurusprogramme.
Winners of the competitions were as follows:
Book Tower Gamewith 75 books stacked was Jamie Lee Swan and Kaydee Blackburn
Wimpy Kid True/False GameJessica Grady and Maddie Pereira
Book Bonanza Quiz Jessica Dillon
Wimpy Kid word searchHarley Cowell
Characters QuizChloe Fowels
Harry Potter CompJessica Dillon
The Very Very Short Story CompetitionOlivia Merrell. Her body lay, lifeless; if only she’d opened the door!
UKMT MATHS
CHALLENGE
REGIONAL FINALS
On 6 March, Rishi Suresh, Christopher Lang,Michael Hlordzi and Hannah Cox were hand-picked by their teachers to take part in theUKMT Maths Challenge Regional Finals.They competed in a whole day of challenging,yet fun, maths tasks. Out of 27 schools,including regional grammar schools, theycame an impressive 11th place.
Well done!
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We continue to have amazing success withstudents taking exams in their homelanguages. Although these students do nothave formal lessons in these languages, theywork voluntarily with Mrs Bellers from ourModern Foreign Languages during theirlunchtimes. A huge thank you to Mrs Bellersfor supporting these students andcongratulations to them on their outstandingachievements.
If you feel you have the interest and ability totake a GSCE/IGCSE in your home language,we would like to discuss this possibility withyou. We have sample examination papers,which include all 4 skills: listening, speaking,reading and writing. You might also be able totake a GCSE paper in just listening andspeaking or reading and writing.
If you are interested in knowingmore, please contact Mrs V Bellers
(Modern Languages office).
EXAM DATES FOR SUMMER 2018
The above exam dates can also be found on the school website and in the students’ “Exams Handbooks”. It is vital that your child has their own copy
of this handbook before they take their first external exam this academic year as it contains important and useful exams information together with
regulations, which they have to abide by during GCSE and GCE examinations. If your child is in Year 10 - 13 and they have not yet received a copy,
please ask them to come to the Exams Office to request one. You can also find a copy on the “Exams” section of the school website.
If your child is taking GCSE exams in the summer, please would you ensure that you and your child are aware of the dates of each exam and when they
are scheduled. Individual examination timetables have been issued and a copy of this will also be sent via InTouch to parent/carers. If your child misses
their exam, there is nothing we can do to re-schedule it as dates are set by the examining boards, and unless there is a good reason (e.g. medical) for
their absence, you will be expected to pay for this exam as per the letter sent out recently by Mr Mohammed regarding “Public Examination Fees”.
Students have also received important information regarding attendance at examinations and advice if they are late arriving to an exam; this information
sheet is also posted on the school website.
Please also ensure that your child is properly equipped for each exam, especially Maths exams when calculators are required and are only replaced if
found to be faulty; a calculator will not be given to a student who forgets to bring their own (please see pages 12 and 13 of “Exams Handbook” for further
information).
We remind you that we do not authorise holiday absence other than in exceptional circumstances at any time of year. It is also vital that students in Years
10-13 are not absent during exam periods, which now stretch across much of the year. If you have any concerns, please contact the Exams Office in
the first instance.
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Edgar Guest, a Holocaust survivor living
locally, gave our year 12 students a moving
talk about his experiences as a child during
World War Two. He discussed his time
spent in the ghettos, his family’s
experiences and hardships endured,
including how difficult it was to secure extra
food. He enlightened all of us in helping us
appreciate similar situations thousands of
people faced during the 1940s, whilst also
leaving plenty of time for us to ask
questions. He answered all of these
questions fully and further extended our
understanding of his childhood and of this
period in history.
The experience was a once in a life time
opportunity, as we are one of the last
generations to be able to hear survivors’
stories of their past directly from them. Edgar’s
visit was truly moving and an experience we
will always value and remember.
Katie Smith
Year 12
Katie is one of our 6th Form students applying
to the Holocaust Education Trust’s visit to
Auschwitz, Poland this Spring.
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Schuss! The annual February half term
school trip for Year 9 and Year 12 students of
the Billericay ski gruppe went to the resort of
Nauders in the Austrian Tyrol this year. After
a smooth 24 hour journey by coach to the
resort, the group of 43 students and 7 staff
arrived on the Saturday morning to a week of
fresh snow and blue skies. The two beginners
groups made excellent progress throughout
the week, progressing on to red intermediate
pistes, while the intermediate and advanced
groups skied big mileage around the whole
resort, with the advanced group having the
opportunity to ski on an off piste trail across
the border into Italy. Away from the slopes,
the group went curling on a local ice rink,
drove into Italy to eat pizza and sang karaoke.
An excellent week was had by all. Next
year‘s trip will be to the Ziller Valley in
Southern Austria.
The advanced group on their
off piste ski safari.
Mr Berry, Ski Party Leader
EMILY BOUCHER – YEAR 8
Emily donated 12.5 inches of hair to The Little
Princess Trust in February half term to help
poorly children who have lost their own hair
because of cancer. She also raised £536 for
them through her JustGiving page. The Little
Princess Trust
provide real-hair
wigs free of
charge to children
who have lost
their own hair
through cancer
and other illnesses (it costs the charity £500
for each wig they provide).
WRISTBANDS
FOBS are once again offering you the
opportunity to purchase Southend Adventure
Island wristbands at greatly discounted
prices with substantial reductions compared
to the in-park price you would pay! FOBS are
able to generate a small profit for every band
sold, raising important funds for projects to
benefit the students within school. We value
your support in this simple yet effective
fundraising initiative!
Prices are: Big Adventure wristbands £16.50
(normal peak time in park price £30)
Junior/Mini wristbands £12.50(normal peak time in park price £25/£20)
Terms and conditions apply
see school website for full details
g y q p y---------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUIZ NIGHT BOOKING FORM
Name: ………………………………………………………... Contact no:…………………………………………………... Number of tickets : Adults ……… Children ……………... I enclose a cheque for £……… payable to FOBS Return to Main Office, F Block, marked for the attention of FOBS
FRIENDS OF THE BILLERICAY SCHOOL School Road, Billericay, Essex CM12 9LH
Registered Charity Number 1022965
SATURDAY 28th APRIL 2018 7.30PM-10.00PM
The Billericay School, Main School Hall Adults £5 Children £3
Do you fancy yourself as a budding Egghead ?
Do you always beat the Chaser ? …or do you just like a good night out ?
Then why not gather together some friends and join us at our Quiz Night
to raise funds to benefit the students at The Billericay School
Bring your own drink and nibbles (No hot food provided)
Teams of no more than 8 adults
To book your tickets just email: Sarah on [email protected] …details on how to pay will be emailed to you.
Alternatively, complete the slip below and return to the Main Office, F Block, The Billericay School, CM12 9LH
enclosing your cheque payable to FOBS.
U16 GIRLS NATIONAL BASKETBALL
The U16 girls were entered into the National basketball competition for the first time. They have
worked extremely hard and have trained tirelessly throughout the season. The team is a complete
mix of age ranges from Years 8-11. They reached the last 32 stage of the competition and
unfortunately were knocked out by Thurston Community College, narrowly losing by 4 points.
Students involved:
Anna Trett, Charlotte Redhead, Mia Riches, Emily Brown, Mariya Mishnova, Freya Fuller,
Olivia Connor, Grace Brooks, Caitlin Hughes, Lily Lucy, Naomi Greenaway,
Francesca Bittasi, Rebecca Brown, Alena Panaghiston
OLIVIA &
HARRISON
CONNOR
Olivia Connor, Year 9, competes in both
Basketball and Netball for the school and
also competes in a National League
Basketball team. We have featured Olivia’s
successes several times in our newsletters.
Brother Harrison, in Year 7, competed in the
Essex Swimming Gala, coming 5th in the 50
metres Butterfly and 6th in 50 metres
Backstroke and is on his way to the Eastern
region events.
Well done to both!
U15 GIRLS
BASKETBALL
The U15 Girls basketball team made the
Essex Cup finals again for the 4th year
running.
They faced Fitzwimarc School on Monday
26 March and became Essex Champions
for the third year running, winning 83-75 in a
thrilling game.
The event was hosted by Woodlands
School. DANNY BRAYBROOK YEAR 7
Danny Braybrook in Year 7 was selected to
attend an annual Basketball tour to Spain
which took place over the New Year holiday.
The tournament was in aid of the organiser’s
son who had died a few years earlier as a
child, and it was an honour to be selected to
play. All involved received a t-shirt as a
memento. Danny also had to the chance to
see the country and embrace the various
languages spoken by both players and
referees. He also had the opportunity to swim
in the hot springs. Danny is hoping to be
selected for the Lithuania Tour in Year 8.
U18 Sabre Bronze
Daniel Twine
U16 Epee Gold
Refe Tant
U14 Foil Bronze
Kyran Porter U14 Foil 5th
Jacob Lewis
U14 Epee Silver
Lucus Godfrey
U14 Epee Bronze
Kynan Treby
FencingFencingIn January we competed at the Eastern Region Youth Championships. Our results were better than ever with all below
qualifying for the British Youth Finals in Sheffield in May.
U12 Epee (Boys) Silver
Oscar SaxonU12 Epee (Girls) Silver
Meia Singh
U12 Epee (Girls) Bronze
Alex Lines
Sebastian Pallier's most notable result recently was 28th
in the European U20 Championships in Sochi, RussiaConnor Bell
Our Most improved
Congratulations to Daniel Twine, who is a much sort after British Fencing Referee.
He Refereed the Finals of the Public Schools Sabre and is refereeing at the U15 International in Poland.
SCHOOLS’
BIKEABILITY
Schools Bikeability Training will takeplace on local roads during June atThe Billericay School. Free trainingwill be given by Essex County Councilqualified instructors at Level 2 andLevel 3 and is scheduled to takeplace over two evenings (exact datesto be decided) at 3.15pm-4.45 pm.
Please register your son’s/daughter’sinterest with Mr Maguire in StudentServices as soon as possible and notlater than 20 April. The requisiteParental Authorisation Form will thenbe given to your son/daughter andshould be returned to Mr Maguire by30 April to secure a place.
Training sessions will have amaximum of 6 students per group; ifnumbers permit it may be possible torun additional groups.
To undertake the training yourson/daughter must have their bike,ensure it is mechanically sound, weara helmet and suggest wear casualclothing (including wet gear ifneeded).
Under The Billericay School Healthand Safety policy, students will onlybe permitted to ride their bikes toschool if they have successfullycompleted Bikeability training at Level3, and their bikes must bemechanically sound. In addition theymust be seen to be wearing helmetsand have completed parking permitswhich can be obtained from theschool.
For information, 27 of our studentssuccessfully completed Bikeabilitytraining on 27 November 2017.
More information is available from:Https://Bikeability.org.uk/ or
www.essexhighways.org>Transportand Roads>Getting Around>Cycling
BE PROUD OF OUR SCHOOL !We know the vast majority of our students
are proud to be members of The Billericay
School community and wear their uniforms
with pride.
The school works closely with many local
organisations such as the Friends of Lake
Meadows and the Mill Meadows Society.
We get many letters of commendation
informing us of students behaving in a
caring and charitable manner and being
excellent ambassadors for this school.
Unfortunately, occasionally we receive
feedback from members of the public who
feel our students are behaving in an inappropriate manner and bringing the school
into disrepute. Please can you express to your children how important it is to
present a good image of themselves both in and out of school.
SUMMER TERM DATES
Term begins: Monday 16 April 2018
May Day Bank Holiday: Monday 07 May 2018
Half Term: Monday 28 May to Friday 01 June 2018
Term ends: Friday 20 July 2018
Year 8 Parents Evening: Tuesday 12 June
Year 7 Parents Evening: Thursday 21 June
CELEBRATE YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS
We want to hear stories about our students’ successes both in and out of school. We
receive feedback from our PE Department and Fencing Club but know many
children participate in clubs and societies outside of school for which they don’t
receive recognition.
If your child would like to be featured in our newsletter, which goes home to parents
at the end of each term, then please let us have your articles/photos for inclusion.
These can be forwarded to our central email address [email protected]
We look forward to hearing from you.