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1 Issue No 19/2015-2016
Thetford Grammar School
The small, friendly school that gets results for individuals.
12th February 2016
Dear Parents and Pupils,
As we fast approach our half-term break, we have enjoyed yet another extremely busy and
positive week here at Thetford Grammar School. For your information, our Half Term
Reports are being sent out today with your children.
At the end of last week Pre-Prep and Preparatory School held their House Swimming Gala
at Breckland Leisure Centre. It was delightful to watch keen, active and talented
participants, and see all the children cheering on other swimmers irrespective of their House
colours. Well done to all the pupils with particular thanks to Mr Michael Hill, Gala
Coordinator, and all Preparatory School staff for their generous time and support.
Tuesday and Wednesday’s performances of Grimm Tales provided us with an amazingly
theatrical spectacle this week. The performance, I was fortunate to watch twice, had some
wonderfully professional, confident and entertaining acting with breath-taking stagecraft,
including sound and lighting. I was particularly pleased to see how our younger pupils and
older students interacted so positively and well together. My appreciation is extended to our
two dedicated Year 13 Directors, Emily Bell and Phineas Humphris and to Mrs Juliet Boyce,
Head of Drama, for all her hard work and effort.
Four pupils from Year 10, Henry Bittleston, Brynmor Jenkins, Max Elders and Toby Culling
attended a Maths Competition at St Benedict’s Catholic School in Bury St Edmunds on
Tuesday this week accompanied by Mrs Tania Beukes, Head of Mathematics. With fifteen
schools competing in an array of numerical and problem-solving challenges, the boys did
exceptionally well and received First Place in this tough county competition. Well done to all
four pupils.
Our Whole School Assembly in Williamson Hall this morning saw Endeavours Awards (in
Pre-Prep and Preparatory) and Commendations (in Senior School and Sixth Form) presented
to almost ninety pupils and students from across all phases. As always, hard work,
dedication and focus can ensure the best approach to school and maximise outcomes. Well
done to all pupils who received their certificates.
My fondest wishes to you all for a very happy and healthy half-term holiday. I shall look
forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for the second half of this term on Monday 22nd
February.
Mr Mark S. Bedford
Headmaster
2 Issue No 19/2015-2016
WEBSITE ISSUES
A number of you will be aware that we have experienced some technical issues with our
website recently. Scans of our whole network and Virtual Learning Environment show a
clean and secure system and we are working closely with MIUK to ensure that our website
is fully functional as soon as possible. We always advocate that all computer users should
ensure that antivirus software is running and up to date on their machines at home.
Mr Mark Foreman Thetford Grammar School
PREP SCHOOL HOUSE SWIMMING GALA
Well done to all the competitors in this year’s Swimming Gala. Pre-Prep pupils took part in
a variety of mini races and games in the learner pool whilst Prep School pupils participated
in 18 races in total including Relays, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle, Butterfly and even
a Kipper Sandwich race! The overall winners were Coles House, scoring an excellent 59
points, closely followed by Millingtons with 56. Reeds were third scoring 34 points and
Cronsheys were fourth with 32.
The staff were very impressed with the sportsmanship shown
on the day towards each other and the House Captains did a
great job making sure that everybody was ready for their races.
3 Issue No 19/2015-2016
Thank you to all staff who helped on the day and also behind the scenes in preparation for
our annual event.
Mr Michael Hill
PE Teacher
MATHS FEAST
On Tuesday 9th February four pupils, Max Elders,
Toby Culling, Henry Bittleston and Brynmor
Jenkins, participated in a “Maths Feast”
competition run by the Further Maths Support
Programme (FMSP) at St Benedict’s School in
Bury St Edmunds.
This is a national competition which combines
mathematical, communication and teamwork
skills and offers students another way to express
and develop their enjoyment of Mathematics. The
competition was considerable, with fourteen
other schools in total fighting for the coveted first place.
4 Issue No 19/2015-2016
The first round, their mathematical entrée, was a true or false round, pitting the boys’ wits
against challenging questions. In this round Brynmor took the lead by demonstrating his
mental agility, helping to bag the school 20 of the 24 points available in the round, coming in
top position for this section of the competition
The team moved onto a countdown style round, having to find one number, using six given,
in just a minute! Toby excelled in this round, using his mathematical prowess to earn yet
more points for the team.
Halfway through the competition, the staff declared Thetford to be in the top six. Spurred on
by this encouragement, the boys tackled the third round with great gusto, in which the boys
created a rectangle using unique pentomino shapes. Max Elders dominated in this round,
using his shape visualisation to construct complex shapes.
The penultimate round added immense pressure on the team, as the boys had to, under
timed conditions, learn algebraic notation on ‘imaginary numbers’. Henry came into his own
during this round, displaying his broad knowledge of Mathematics to score the boys 15 of
the 20 points, a score noted even by the invigilator!
The final challenge, and the last chance to prove themselves, was a rapid relay round. The
boys felt the pressure mounting, with cracks becoming evident throughout the team. Easy
marks were often dropped, but despite this TGS pulled through, showing outstanding
teamwork, and securing their position in 1st place.
Overall, the event was an astounding success. A very well done to all the boys who
participated, as well as Mrs Beukes who helped organise the event.
Brynmor Jenkins, Toby Culling and Max Elders
Y10
SCHOOL COUNCIL
A huge thank you must go to the out-going
Y13 students of Omar El-Oakley, Emily Bell,
Robbie Heighton, Jacob Dunn, and Suzie
Hayden for their wonderful effort and
contribution to the Student Council.
We now welcome Y12 students Gus Altuccini,
Rachel Brown, Rebecca Grimmond, Harry
Mayall, Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay, Alfie Bloomfield, Edward Taylor-Grant and Clemency
Wood who will be leading the Student Council for the next three terms alongside
representatives from each form group. The Student Council continues to grow in strength
with a wide variety of issues and suggestions being tackled.
Mr Mark Glassbrook
Student Council Coordinator
5 Issue No 19/2015-2016
LAW REPORT
A mock trial organised by Mr Young, Head of
English, elicited some convincing performances
from budding lawyers in Y12 and Y13.
Presenting a case prepared by the Bar Council,
there were opportunities for students to play a
myriad of roles, including prosecution and
defence, witnesses and court officials. Y8
English pupils were subpoenaed to act as jury -
who found the accused guilty as charged.
Take him down!
Mr Stephen Spencer
Head of Sixth Form
JOHN INNES SCIENCE CAMP 2016
Huge congratulations to Toby Culling in Y10 who has just been accepted onto this annual
event giving gifted and talented pupils in Norfolk and Suffolk the chance to experience life
as a scientist at the John Innes Centre.
Pupils apply individually and have to complete an extensive application form covering their
favourite subject, what they would get out of the week and have to describe an experiment
they have enjoyed. This is then supported by a reference from myself.
The week-long structured training programme is held at the end of the summer term and
consists of interactive workshops, networking sessions, practical training and lab experience
placements. Well done Toby!
Mrs Tracy Granger
Head of Science
UKMT MATHS CHALLENGE
Our Y12 and Y13 students this year achieved 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze certificates. Over
8,200 students from across the UK returned their Maths scripts with only the top 10%
receiving Gold, the next 20% receiving Silver and the next 30% receiving Bronze.
Gold Robbie Heighton
Silver Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay
Thomas Dennis
Bronze Megan Curley
6 Issue No 19/2015-2016
Approximately 4,600 of the top students are invited to sit one of the next rounds and Robbie
Heighton was invited to take part in the Senior Kangaroo and received a certificate of
participation after achieving a score equal to the median score, which places Robbie in the
top 7,000 students out of 82,000 in the UK.
Mrs Tania Beukes
Head of Maths
PREP SCHOOL ASSEMBLY – UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING
LATIN
On Monday 8th February, pupils from Senior School attended
Prep School assembly. Jack and Tom Bercovici, Pippa and
Thomas Buckley and Laurie Hyde-Parker prepared and
delivered a presentation about the benefits of learning Latin
when pupils join Senior School. The presentation was
extremely informative and fun.
Jack Bercovici wrote: We
taught them, through role play with younger students,
how to say Hello (Salve), my name is...(nomen mihi) and
Goodbye (Vale). We hope it was enjoyed by all.
Alexis, Y4 said 'I really enjoyed the assembly. I liked
learning about Latin and some of the words that we
would learn'.
Following on from the Latin presentation, Jemimah
Bedford then spoke to the pupils about her
involvement with Thetford Library. Jemimah
explained that on Fridays after school, there is a group
that meets to talk and find out more about books. This
month's theme is 'Chocolate'! Children under the age
of 8 must be accompanied by an adult and children
over the age of 8 can attend unaccompanied.
Jiya, Y4, said that when she heard the word chocolate, she definitely wanted to attend!
Thank you to all of the pupils for well prepared and inspiring presentations.
Mrs Nicki Peace
Head of Prep School
7 Issue No 19/2015-2016
Y12 HIGHER EDUCATION EVENING
UCAS 2017
Y12 students and parents attended an
information evening in which Mr Bedford
outlined Higher Education opportunities in
general. Mr Spencer explained the specific
support provided by the TGS team and
encouraged all students to take advantage of
upcoming events. The first of these is a campus
visit to the University of Nottingham on
Tuesday 8th March, followed by a visit to TGS by a speaker from the University of Kent on
March 11th. On April 26th we will attend the UCAS Higher Education Convention at UEA,
Norwich. UCAS 2017 will go live in June, by which time our cohort will be very well-
informed indeed!
A big thank you to all who attended the event.
Mr Stephen Spencer
Head of Sixth Form
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS
On Monday 8th February, Mrs Bullen and her niece Mi came
to visit Pre-Prep for a Chinese New Year celebration. The
pupils of Pre-Prep were treated to delicious food tasting,
trying on Ao Dai traditional dresses and even had a go at
learning some Vietnamese and Chinese words. Great fun
was had by pupils and teachers alike. A very special thank
you to Mrs Bullen for kindly visiting us with her wealth of
knowledge and a very Happy Chinese New Year to all.
Miss Franchesca Atkins
Teaching Assistant
8 Issue No 19/2015-2016
OLLY DAY ROAD SAFETY MAGIC SHOW
On Wednesday 10th
February, pupils in Prep
School were visited by the
Olly Day Road Safety
Magic Show. Olly Day
taught the pupils about
ways to stay safe whilst out
and about and combined
these important safety tips
with some magical treats.
Mrs Nicki Peace
Head of Preparatory School
WORLD BOOK DAY
Thursday 3rd March is World Book Day and we have a number of exciting events
organized for that week.
Monday 29th February Alex Scarrow – Author visit with Senior School pupils
‘A Pirate Adventure’ for Preparatory pupils
Thursday 3rd March Preparatory School Book Character Day and the ‘Story of Mary
Anning’
Friday 4th March Tasty Book Competition – cakes/cupcakes with a book theme
The attached poster tells all! There is also a separate notice about our Tasty Book Competition – I have been hearing about some great ideas! (but shh… don’t tell your friends – it’s a competition!)
Mrs Julie Settle
Librarian
‘TO BE OR NOT TO BE?’ A DANISH VISITOR WRITES…
I was very excited to visit this school and meet the students. They
have all been friendly and helpful, making a good first impression
and I thank them for that.
The school is in many ways different from my school in Løkken,
Jutland, but there are also similarities. I think that the teachers in
9 Issue No 19/2015-2016
Prep School do very well with the younger children, who learn to read at a young age
compared to Denmark, where we start school much later at the age of 6. I like your school
uniform because it looks smart and it reduces the risk of bullying.
The similarities are that we learn broadly the same subjects, like art, music, our native
language, a foreign language (English for us!), science, maths and history.
I must say that the pupils here are much more polite than those at my school and that is an
important lesson for us all. I am looking forward to seeing some of you again in Løkken.
Miss Anja Præstekær
Danish Student
BUMPER HOUSE BOOK QUIZ: GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS OFFICIAL ATTEMPT
We are excited that our students have the opportunity to
participate in a Guinness World Records official attempt to
have the most people taking part in simultaneous book
quizzes. This will take the form of a Bumper House Book
Quiz on Monday 22nd February from 2.00pm – 3.00 pm.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS: As part of
the evidence required to show that we have conformed to GWR
regulations we must submit a video of the event. The video will
only be used to send to GWR to verify our participation in the record attempt.
If you do not wish your child to be video recorded for this event then please contact us by email or
telephone by 9.00 am on Monday 22nd February. Thank you.
Mrs Julie Settle
Librarian
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the following pupils that received certificates from Mrs Peace in Monday
morning’s assembly.
Kit Beaven Sophie Codd Ethan Harris
Elliot Bedford Eleanor Culling
Also, well done to those pupils listed below who received endeavours certificates from Mr
Bedford in today’s main school assembly.
Freddie Bayne Arlo Greenwood Sophie Peace
Elliot Bedford Matthew Kendall Noah Sanders
Ryan Bourne Max Ladell
Jiya Changela Holly Mabbett
10 Issue No 19/2015-2016
The following pupils received commendations this term from Mr Bedford for their excellent
academic performance over the last half term.
Alexandra Ackerman Sophie Gornall George Rupp
Max Albury James Gornall Angus Russell
Cameron Anderson William Graham Shaswathan Sanjeevvijay
Evangeline Bedford William Hartley Elizabeth Shelton
Emily Bell Suzie Hayden Kate Shelton
Jack Bercovici Robbie Heighton Emma Sibley
Henry Bittleston Phineas Humphris Megan Sidery
James Blackman Gabrielle Hunter-Short Daisy Simons
Edward Briars Sophie Jacklin Amy Smith
Megan Brown Brynmor Jenkins Nathan Smith
Rachel Brown Samuel Jones Chloë Sorrel
Philippa Buckley Clarissa Katsikides Emily Stainsby
Mollie Carlyle Zoe Kendall Frank Summers
Rosabella Coleman Jenni Kingsnorth Patrick Taylor
Isabel Curley Charlotte Long Grace Tod
Daniel Connolly Ella Mason Isobel Tod
Toby Culling Minnie Molyneux Emily Tomkins
Patrick Davis Tomás Morgan Charlie Trowell
Thomas Dennis Charlotte Ogilvie Madeleine Trussell
Eleanor Dickens Miranda Patalidis-Thomas Cecily White
Omar El Oakley Oliver Peace Louise Wigglesworth
Franziska Elders Eleanor Pringle Alana Wilson
Maximillian Elders James Robertson Clemency Wood
Seb Floyd Ruby Robertson Elizabeth Wright
Kudzi Garikayi Kai Rourke Jacob Wright
Chloe Garrett Emma Ruddy
Also well done to the following pupils on their awards:
Jenni Kingsnorth Lamda Acting Grade 1 – Solo - Distinction
Franziska Elders Lamda Acting Grade 1 – Combined – Distinction
Madeleine Trussell Lamda Acting Grade 1 – Combined – Distinction
Robbie Ackerman Lamda Acting Grade 1 – Duo – Distinction
Elizabeth Wright Lamda Acting Grade 1 – Duo – Distinction
Emma Sibley Lamda Acting Grade 3 – Combined Merit
Grace Tod Lamda Acting Grade 3 – Combined – Merit
Rory White Lamda Acting Grade 4 – Duo – Merit
James Blackman Lamda Acting Grade 4 – Duo – Distinction
Andrew Forbes Lamda Acting Grade 4 – Solo – Merit
Katie Doyle Lamda Acting Grade 2 – Combined – Merit
Tilly Pettingale Lamda Acting Grade 2 – Combined – Merit
Maia Chalfen Sports Colours for Hockey U16 level
11 Issue No 19/2015-2016
Ella Perry Artist of the Month for Creative and Inspirational Artwork
Robert Heighton UKMT Gold Certificate
Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay UKMT Silver Certificate
Thomas Dennis UKMT Silver Certificate
Megan Curley UKMT Bronze Certificate
MATCH RESULTS
None
NEXT WEEK’S FIXTURES
Tuesday 23rd February U12 Netball v Thetford Academy (A) 4.15pm Pick up 5.30pm
U13 Netball v Thetford Academy (A) 4.15pm Pick up 5.30pm
Thursday 25th February U13 Area Netball Tournament @ Wayland School 4.00pm Pick up
5.45pm
Friday 26th February U11 Netball v Downham Prep (A) starts at 2.00pm. Pick up 4.00pm
from Old School
Friday 26th February U11 Football v Downham Prep (A) starts at 2.00pm. Pick up 4.00pm
from Old School
Saturday 27th February U11 Football Tournament (A) Finborough School
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Monday 22nd February Back to school
Guinness Book of World Records Bumper Book Quiz attempt
Y4-9 WH
Tuesday 23rd February 6.00pm – 8.30pm Y10 Parents’ Evening in Williamson Hall
Wednesday 24th February 9.00am – 3.30pm Y13 Geography trip – Cambridge
4.15pm – 5.15pm PSA Meeting H5. All welcome
Thursday 25th February 2.30pm – 4.30pm Senior School Open Afternoon
Monday 29th February Y7/8 Workshop with Alex Scarrow
Tuesday 1st March Charity Bake Sale for MS
Friday 4th March General Studies Talk Old School 11.00am – 12.00pm. Parents
welcome
12 Issue No 19/2015-2016
SIXTH FORM GENERAL STUDIES
Parents are invited to attend Sixth Form General Studies on Friday 4th March, when Dr Lee
Jarvis, Reader in International Security at UEA (and author of Anti-terrorism, Citizenship and
Security) will be our guest speaker. The event will take place in Old School from 11.00am-
12.00pm. Please register your interest through the school office.
BBC RADIO NORFOLK – EX PUPIL SUCCESS
Ex-pupil Callum Granger's rock and blues band 'Dog Fight' were played on the BBC
‘Introducing’ programme last Saturday. This is the link if you would like to hear their
original song – ‘Fool like me’. It is about the third tune into the programme.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03g3ts4
The energetic duo are playing a half hour slot at Norwich Arts Centre on Saturday 5th
March between 1.00pm and 4.00pm as part of the Arts Centre Sonic Youth programme. If
you can make it they would be really pleased to see you.
Mrs Tracy Granger
LOST PROPERTY
Ethan Harris ‘Patrick’ Rugby sock – named
Hamish Russell Blue Sondico Shinpad
Gabriel Galveias black gloves – they have a ‘star wars’ picture on each one.
If found please hand in to the office – thank you.
ATTACHMENTS
World Book Day Poster
Tasty Book Competition
FORTHCOMING LETTERS
EYFS – Y13 Reports home today
Pre-Prep – Y2 Visit to Church Farm, Bardolph
Prep-Prep – Y6 Open Morning
If you would like a printed copy of this newsletter please contact the office.