Newsletter No 3 — October 2017

Dear Parents,

It has been a long half -term and students have been working extremely hard. I should think that all of our students and staff are now looking forward to a break! A big thank you to all parents who have supported us this term and have made sure that studen ts have come fully equipped and ready for lessons each day. This certainly helps us to maintain our focus on teaching and learning. We were very pleased with the number of parents and Y6 students who took time to visit the school and see students at wo rk this month. The comments we received from parents were very encouraging and it was great to see that students were real ly proud to show off their school! We are spending the INSET day on 30 th October with staff from other RET schools so that we can al l share ideas and resources and make sure there is consistency across all RET schools. The main focus for the day is to consider the Y12 and 13 offer in schools and to ensure that the Sixth Form in RET schools matches the high standards already achieved i n years 7-11. Remember students return to school on TUESDAY 31st OCTOBER at the normal t ime. For Y9 parents – please make sure you take time to read through the 2018 Options Booklet with your child over half term so you help them to think through their p referred choices for Y10. Please make sure the completed forms are then returned in the f irst week back after half term to allow us to provide as many students as possible with the subjects they would l ike to study. There are several important revision sessions over half -term for Year 11 students. A letter is on its way to outline the programme. Please encourage your child to attend as much as possible. Best wishes, Rob Ahearn Headteacher

St Andrew the Apostle

Greek Orthodox School

Deputy Headteacher – Mr Michael

Plans are wel l underway for the opening of

our 6th form in September 2018. You wil l be

able to learn about the excit ing courses we

wil l be offer ing at our open evening on

Thursday 16th November from 6:00 -8:00pm.

It is important for al l year 11 students to

attend along with their parent /carers.

In school, staff have been working behind the

scenes to ensure that we offer an excit ing,

attractive and engaging curriculum. Student

interviews have been carried out to ensure

Year 11 students are aware of what opt ions

they can choose to prepare them for

university and their future careers.

Construction is well under way for the 6th

form area in building 4. The areas designated

for 6th form wi l l provide students with

modern classrooms, a study area, social area

and access to the latest technology to

support their learning.

We have appointed a Year L eader for year 12,

Mr Marrero, who is working closely with the

current year 11 cohort prior to the opening

of the 6th form.

The open evening on the 16th November wil l

provide al l prospective students with a l l the

information they need to make informed

choices of their subjects.

I f you require any more information, please

email Mr Michael on the designated 6th form

email address:

6thform@standrewtheapostle.org.uk or

via admin@standrewtheapostle.org.uk

Deputy Headteacher and Head of

English – Mr Vassiliou

Year 11 Study Skills Seminar – Exam Magic

We were pleased to host a seminar for a l l

year 11 students on Wednesday 4th October

delivered by teacher and l i fe -coach, Mike

Warwick. Mike Warwick has been coaching

and leading students to examination success

for over 12 years now through his special ly

designed course – Exam Magic.

Exam Magic is a strategy for inspi ring

students to recognize that their GCSE success

is a consequence of the effort they put into

their approach to the f inal examinat ions. I t

helps students to not only raise their exam

grades, but also reduce exam stress and fulf i l

their potential . Students were provided with

a pract ical guide as well as suggested

solutions to many of the most common

problems encountered by young people

facing the pressures of exams, through an

individual copy of his own book written

specif ical ly for students as wel l as par ents.

Please do ask your son/daughter to share the

book with you. Students greatly appreciated

the session and we look forward to having

Mike Warwick back with us in the near

future.

Year 11 After School Intervention

classes

All parents, carers and guardians want their

children to achieve to the best of their abil ity

and do as well as they can in their exams.

Research shows that children whose parents

become involved in their educat ion are more

l ikely to perform better in exams. Exams can

be a stress ful t ime for students and parents

al ike, sometimes for the whole family .

However, there is a lot that we can do to

al leviate these pressures and help your chi ld

achieve success and perform to the best of

their abil ity. You may already appreciate and

understand the importance that your

contribution can make and are aware of al l

the processes involved and the chal lenges

that l ie ahead. Nevertheless, the value of a

common approach where parents, teachers

and the school al l share the same aims, can

only serve to strengthen and enhance the

support and guidance on offer. We shal l

endeavour to make every effort to ensure

that our pupi ls receive the best possible

preparation and advice before, dur ing and

after their examinations.

Above al l , we ask you to support us and

encourage your son / daughter to attend al l

of their after school intervention sessions i f

real impact is to be made.

Year 11 Study Skills Guide

Your son/daughter wil l shortly be receiving a

study sk i l ls booklet/guide packed with lots of

pract ical t ips and suggestions on how best to

prepare for exams, from devis ing a

personalised revision t imetable to note -

taking and mind-mapping sk i l ls as well as an

outl ine of each subject and its core

curr iculum requirements. Please look out for

this and do ask yo ur son/daughter to show

you.

M. Vass i l iou

GCSE English Masterclass

Students in Year 11, participated in a GCSE

Engl ish masterclass, delivered by senior GCSE

examiner, Mrs Helen Rees -Bidder. Mrs Rees-

Bidder, has been a senior GCSE English

examiner for a number of years, working

closely with the OCR as well as the Edexcel

exam boards, not only in assess ing students’

responses but a lso in writ ing examination

papers. She studied Engl ish Literature and

Educat ion at Homerton College, Cambridge

and has been a teacher for twenty-seven

years. She is a highly experienced assessor

across a range of specif icat ions. Her current

posts include Principal Examiner of IGCSE

First Language English, Principal Examiner of

O Level Engl ish, Princ ipal Moderator of GCSE

Engl ish and Senior Examiner of GCSE English

Literature.

On Tuesday 10th October, we were very

fortunate in having Mrs Rees -Bidder here in

school to del iver a seminar to al l of our Year

11 students on one of their L iterature

components – Jekyll and Hyde. She talked

them through the process of

answering/responding to a L iterature essay

quest ion in exam condit ions and explained to

them exactly what examiners are looking for

when marking scripts . Students were able to

view responses written by students the

previous year, famil iarise themselves with

the sorts of exam questions that might arise,

before going back to their classes and

undertaking a t imed exam quest ion which

was taken away and marked by Mrs Rees -

Bidder, a lmost as it was a real exam. We have

no doubt that such an opportunity wil l work

well in preparing our students for their f inal

exams in June.

Head of Science – Mr London

End-of-term assessments have now begun

and the results wi l l reflect the hard work

students have been putting in this f irst term.

With GCSEs approaching, Year 11 have been

extremely focused this term and are working

hard to ensure they are prepared for their

upcoming mock exams.

STEAM club is now in ful l operat ion with

some fantast ic activit ies that have engaged

Year 7 in the world of Science, Technology,

Engineering, Art and Maths. Below are some

of the images from the STEAM sessions. Mr

Thrasivoulou who is overseeing STEAM club

is working hard behind the scenes to bring in

some external agencies to work with our

students.

Head of Performing Arts – Mr

Lasithiotakis & Lead Teacher of

Drama – Miss McPhee

Between footbal l and bal let , your chi ld 's

schedule i s loaded with fun act iv it ies . I f you are

not sure about adding music c lasses to the l i s t ,

take note o f the benef it s that come with s igning

your chi ld up for vio l in or p iano lessons. He/she

wi l l p robab ly have an easier t ime learning math s ,

pract ic ing good manners ( inc luding pat ience! ) ,

and becoming a team player.

So what is the va lue of instrumental lessons?

They improve academic sk i l ls .

Music and maths are h igh ly intertwined. By

understand ing beat, rhythm, and sca les, ch i ld ren

are learning how to d ivide, create fract ions, and

recognize patterns.

They develop phys ica l sk i l l s .

Certa in inst ruments, such as percussion, he lp

chi ldren develop coordinat ion and motor sk i l l s ;

they require movement of the hands, a rms, and

feet .

They cul t ivate soc ia l sk i l l s .

Group c lasses requ ire peer interact ion and

communicat ion, wh ich encourage teamwork, as

chi ldren must col laborate to create a crescendo

or an accelerando.

They ref ine d isc ip l ine and pat ience.

P lay ing an inst rument teaches ch i ldren to

persevere through hours, months, and

somet imes years o f pract ice before they re ach

spec i f i c goals, such as per forming with a band or

memor iz ing a solo p iece.

They boost sel f -esteem.

Lessons o f fer a forum where ch i ldren can learn

to accept and g ive construct ive cr it i c i sm. Turning

negat ive feedback into pos it ive change helps

bui ld sel f -conf idence. Group lessons, in

part icu lar , may help chi ldren understand that

nobody, inc luding themselves or their peers, i s

per fect , and that everyone has room for

improvement.

They introduce ch i ldren to other cultures.

By learn ing about and p lay ing a var iety o f

instruments, ch i ldren can d iscover how music

p lays a cr it ica l ro le in other cultures. For

instance, bongos and t imbales may introduce

chi ldren to Afr ican and Cuban sty les o f music .

What to Cons ider When Se lect ing an Instr ument

Ult imately , the inst rument you and your ch i ld

choose shou ld depend on a number of factors .

Here 's a l i st of quest ions to consider before

br inging home a new music maker:

Is your ch i ld exc ited about the instrument? Does

she l ike the way it sounds and fee ls?

Is the instrum ent too challenging or i s it not

challenging enough (for both you and your

chi ld)?

Does your ch i ld 's temperament m atch the

instrument?

Can you af ford the instrum ent and the

maintenance that comes with it?

As a parent , do you l ike the sound enough to

l isten to your chi ld pract ice i t for hours at

home?

Is your ch i ld spec i f ical ly in terested in a

part icu lar music sty le? I f so, factor that into

your instrument cho ice, as some spec if ica l ly

cater to certa in sty les . For instance, a v io l in

player wi l l have a har d t i me f itt ing in a jazz

ensemble .

Experts don 't a lways agree on which instruments

are best for o lder ch i ldren to learn, but many

music teachers do agree that i t ' s hard to go

wrong with the p iano, percussion ( l ike the drum

or xy lophone), recorder , gui tar , or v io l in .

I f you would l ike to apply for instrumental

lessons in our school , p lease col lect an

appl icat ion letter from the f inance of f ice by the

end of the f i r st week back a fter October hal f

term.

Year 7 Drama Club Tuesdays 3- 4pm

Come along and have fun!

Year 7 Drama club have been

making their own frightening

Drama’s - what happens when

‘Trick or Treat’ goes wrong ?

Drop in and bring your ideas

for making your own Drama.

7CB’s Ryan Mil ler and Max

Stricker are the STARS of the

week! An amazing

characterisation of an angry

Dad and a very sneaky

teenager. Great comic t iming,

impressive focus and use of pauses. You could cut the atmosphere with a

knife!

Compell ing viewing, we ll done boys.

National Confl ict Resolution Day

Confl ict

verb

1. to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash:

2. to fight or contend; do battle.

Confl ict makes really good d rama… good and evil , r ich and poor, l i fe and death,

but confl ict shouldn’t be part of our daily l ives. When we watch the news, that’s

all that seems to be broadcast . October 19th marks a day we promote peaceful

ways of resolving confl ict . Year 10 performed a thought provoking piece usi ng

physical theatre techniques by theatre company ‘Frantic Assembly’. Some

surpris ing and moving work. Keep it up year 10. How can you approach conf l ict

different ly today?

Head of PE Mr Callender

Gifted and Talented PE students

The Gifted and Talented cohort given the opportunity

of meeting professional footballer, Ricky Miller. Mr

Browell, who runs the More Able PE programme,

arranged for the newly signed Peterborough United

striker to come in to meet our young athletes. It was

Mr Browell’s hope that the students would be inspired

to hear about how Ricky managed to succeed in the

very competitive world of professional football. The

students were then given an opportunity to ask

questions about his training schedule, diet, motivation

and the sacrifices someone has to make in order to

succeed as a professional sportsman. The G&T PE

cohort will continue to meet once every half term, as

well as having designated PE mentors who will support

and guide them on how to deal with their demanding

sporting and academic schedules. We look forward to

the next G&T meeting which will focus on effective

‘active recovery’.

District Football representation

The PE department are delighted to announce that

Rhodos Stylianou (Year 8), Georgio Stylianou and

Donnell Watt (Year 9) were selected for the District

Football Team in their respective age groups following

a rigorous trial process. We wish the boys luck in their

forthcoming fixtures and hope they do themselves and

the school proud. Egan Ntege (Year 7), CJ Forbes and

Anthony Chinwada-Munroe (Year 8) have also been

called up to District Squads due to their excellent

performances in school fixtures at the start of this

season. Well done to you all!!

TODD BENNETT TSS BURSARY FINANCIAL SUPPORT

AWARD

Todd Bennett, founding

partner of Team

Superschools (TSS),

visited hundreds of

schools up and down the

country to promote sport

to school children and

inspire them to be the

best that they can be and

enjoy the benefits of

sport. Through TSS school

visits thousands of

pounds has also been raised to fund school sport

resources.

Todd's greatest achievements, on track, was winning

silver in the 1984 Olympic Games in the 4x400m relay,

two times European 400m Indoor Champion, two

times Commonwealth Games Champion 4x400m relay

and he was also World Record holder Indoor 400m.

Sadly Todd lost his six-month battle with cancer on the

16 July 2013 at the age of 51. Todd was an amazing

athlete who dedicated his life to sport and gave up so

much time for others. His legacy will continue to live on

through TSS where bursary support awards are

available to support the next generation of young

people choosing sport to make a difference.

I am extremely proud to say that the PE department

nominated Se O’Toole (Year 8 Irish Dancer) for the

Bursary Award. His nomination was accepted and TSS

felt that his attitude. Application and commitment to

his sport made him a very suitable winner of the

award. The financial contribution will go towards

easing the financial pressures on his involvement in

travelling the world to take part in national and

international competitions.

Extra-curricular PE clubs attendance!

The start of this academic year has seen a boom in the

number of students attending after school PE clubs:

Monday - numbers for football has swelled to nearly 90

students across Years 7-10. With the greatest

improvement in attendance being seen in girls’ football

club with numbers nearing 20.

Tuesday - the girls are once again out in force – with

over 40 students across KS3 attending Netball

club. These students are also being supported by Duke

of Edinburgh and Sports Leadership students in Year

10/11 who are helping to coach the sessions.

Wednesday – Mr Browell has ensured the return of the

Inter-form competition, which has started with a very

competitive football tournament. Will the trophy

remain with the current holders? …only time will tell.

Thursday - PE run Year 7/8 basketball and KS3 cross-

country club – which have also been very well attended

(30+ students) in preparation for upcoming fixtures.

Fixtures in all of these clubs are already underway

across the Barnet Partnership for School Sport (BPSS)

and St Andrew’s teams are beginning to establish

themselves in the borough as a force to be reckoned

with.

The PE staff work tirelessly to ensure the students

receive the best teaching and coaching in both

curriculum PE and their chosen extra-curricular

sports. As Head of PE I would like to publicly thank my

team for all of their effort and hard work in the pursuit

of sporting success. Students: If you have not yet

attended a PE club after school it is never too

late! Please see the relevant teachers if you wish to be

involved.

Lead Teacher of PSHCE – Mrs Hewitt

PSHCE educat ion gives pupils the knowledge, ski l ls , and

attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and

safe and to prepare them for l i fe and work in modern

Brita in. Personal, Social, Health, Cit izenship and

Economic (PSHCE) education is a scho ol subject through

which pupils develop the knowledge, ski l ls and

attributes they need to manage their l ives, now and in

the future.

PSHE educat ion helps pupils to achieve their academic potent ial, and leave school equipped with

ski l ls they wi l l need throu ghout later l i fe.

This half term Year 7 have been learning about their emotions and how to deal with them in

everyday situations; such as confidence, respect, fears and anxiety. Year 8 have been learning

how to be f inancial ly successful . This has been a bi g eye opener for the pupi ls and has been

encouraging them to ask many quest ions about using debit and credit cards, the importance of

paying back loans and debt on t ime and how to budget your money correctly. Year 9 have been

learning about crime and punis hment. They have been involved in deep conversations to

understand the dangers we face every day and developing their awareness and the best actions

to take during certain situat ions.

Head of Modern Foreign Languages – Miss Fourcade

On Thursday 28th September, a group of Year 8

students vis ited the French Inst itute in South

Kensington, for a day of culture, exploration and

fun!

The French Institute is the centre for French

language and cultural studies in London. Both the

l ibrary and the cinema are open to the public with

screenings of popular f i lms for the whole family.

Why not support your child’s learning by going there

as a family?

The day consisted in a scavenger hunt in the l ibrary

to explore the world of comic books in France .

Students discovered the relevant vocabulary to

describe

comic

books as

well as a

range of

genres –

f ict ion

and

non-

fict ion, humorist ic or dramatic , for younger or older

children. After lunch, students had the luxury of a

nearly private c inema to watch t he popular French f i lm, Boule et Bi l l . This f i lm is based on the

famous comic book series of the same name and tel ls the story of a young boy, Boule, and his

spaniel, B i l l . Al l the students had a fantastic t ime at the French Institute and are eagerly wait i ng

for the next opportunity to go!

The French Inst itute have created an onl ine platform, www.culturetheque.com, where you access

thousands of books and f i lms for free. All you need to do is register, s it back a nd enjoy!

Media Studies – Mrs Danvers

Our Year 11 Media Studies students have been working very hard this half term to complete their

Media Indiv idual Portfolio which is worth 30% of their f inal grade. Our pupils researched and

analysed a wide variety of advertisements in order to understand how advertising professionals

target consumers to make products desirable. This enabled them to create their own

advertisements which they researched, planned and produced including a professional photo

shoot. They wil l start working on their next project next half term which wi l l involve producing

a f i lm trai ler.

Assistant Head teacher and Student Council Coordinator – Mrs Sampson

The f i rst whole School Council meeting of this year took place on 6th October. It gave our Student Council members the opportunity to get to know each other and discuss matters arising from the Year C ounci l meetings. The students conducted themselves in an extremely mature and professional manner during the meeting with Mr Ahearn and myself . We also went through how to set an agenda and record minutes. I was very pleased with the outcome of our f irst meeting this academic year. Below is an account of from Anastasia in Year 7.

The next meeting wil l be on Tuesday 31st October at 10:10am in the ICT room. Items on the next agenda include Careers Advice and Charity Work. The minutes of the meetings wil l be shared through the Year Council Meetings. We discussed a range of topics and it was really good to hear things from the students’ perspective. In December we wil l be holding elections for the President and Vice President of student council . The whole school wi l l have an opportunity to vote!

In the first school council meeting I had

a chance to share my opinions with

students in older year groups. I felt that

they respected and listened to my views

on the topics we discussed. We talked

about a number of issues and came up

with appropriate solutions. I am looking

forward to working with the school

council members in our next meeting

.

If you would like to attend

Please send the following Parent

Registration information to the email

below.

School Chaplain – Father John

Our school chaplain, Father John, wil l be coming into St Andrew the Apost le once a fortnight to get to know our students and to meet new members of staff . Father John met with our new year 7 students and spent break and lunchtime with the school last week. In future he wil l base himself in the chapel at lunchtime, sho uld any students/staff wish to go and see him.

Phones and Healthy Living

Without a proper amount of sleep nightly, it is very diff icult to learn eff icient ly and effectively. Neurotoxins, which build up during the day as we learn and experience things, can only be cleansed from our brains by sleep. The NHS s ite recommends chi ldren aged 12 and above get at least nine hours sleep a night . Those that don't are more l ikely to become overweight or obese. Persistent s leep-deprivation can also leave children overactive, seeking constant st imulation and unable to concentrate. Why not try a central charging point for al l phones in your household? Everyone agrees to place their phone on charge downstairs in one place so that everyone can see that al l the phones are there. Phones are left overnight and picked up in the morning. Children do not get tempted to use phones at night or text each other in the early hours. It does work!

Punctuality to School

Students are reminded that they need to be on site by 8:20am so that they can be in the c la ssroom ready to start their f i rs t lesson at 8.30am. If they are late on two or more occasions in a week they wil l have a detention with a member of SLT on Fr iday after school.

Future Events

HALF-TERM: Monday 23rd October to Friday 27th October

30th October: RET INSET day

31st October: Students return from half term