Wednesday 13th May The World News I am sure that you are now aware of the latest Government measures that have been put in place regarding our return to school. Years 10 and 12 will be the first secondary students to return to school, although we are still waiting for more detailed plans - watch this space! Although I know that this is frustrating for those in other year groups, we must remember that these measures are essential in order to reduce the impact of this pandemic. It is still vital that we adhere to the advice that has been given to us and that we keep to the new rules set out by Boris Johnson. In our last newsletter, I shared some of the things that your teachers have been up to while being at home. As requested, some of our students have let me know how they have been spending their time at home - thank you. Evalyn (Year 11) has started to translate ‘Les Miserables’ from French to English, which is an amazing achievement. Miss Brandicourt is delighted with her work so far! Rhys (Year 10) has been busy, making some amazing items with scrap metal. He made the motorbike shown here himself using a variety of different materials. Freya (Year 11) has attempted to complete some of her Geography work, although her beautiful cat had other ideas and decided to take a nap on her Atlas! As I am a Geography teacher, she thought this was hilarious to share with me! Teachers normally hear lots of excuses, although it is rare to see photographic evidence! Chloe (Year 11) has been busy looking after her guinea pigs, Fudge and Rusty. She has said that they are both easy going and laid back, and they love to be cuddled. They have helped her to keep busy during her time in lockdown. 1
Transcript
Wednesday 13th May
The World News
I am sure that you are now aware of the latest Government measures that have been put in place regarding our return to school.
Years 10 and 12 will be the first secondary students to return to school, although we are still waiting for more detailed plans - watch this space! Although I know that this is frustrating for those in other year groups, we must remember that these measures are essential in order to reduce the impact of this pandemic. It is still vital that we adhere to the advice that has been given to us and that we keep to the new rules set out by Boris Johnson.
In our last newsletter, I shared some of the things that your teachers have been up to while being at home. As requested, some of our students have let me know how they have been spending their time at home - thank you.
Evalyn (Year 11) has started to translate ‘Les Miserables’ from French to English, which is an amazing achievement. Miss Brandicourt is delighted with her work so far!
Rhys (Year 10) has been busy, making some amazing items with scrap metal. He made the motorbike shown here himself using a variety of different materials.
Freya (Year 11) has attempted to complete some of her Geography work, although her beautiful cat had other ideas and decided to take a nap on her Atlas! As I am a Geography teacher, she thought this was hilarious to share with me! Teachers normally hear lots of excuses, although it is rare to see photographic evidence!
Chloe (Year 11) has been busy looking after
her guinea pigs, Fudge and Rusty. She has
said that they are both easy going and laid back, and they love to be
cuddled. They have helped her to keep busy during her time in lockdown.
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Wednesday 13th May
Alongside their planning and marking, your teachers have also been keeping themselves occupied whilst at home.
Miss Gale has been keeping busy by planting vegetable seeds, making coffee cakes and having a go at cross stitch. She has also had a go at being a hairdresser for her partner, but will not share the photos of the end results (she admits that she will not make it as a hairdresser!)
Miss Roberts has fostered 2 dogs, who have been rescued from the dog racing industry. Without her support, her dogs would have been put down. She has said that it is such a rewarding thing to do and has certainly made Lockdown more interesting!
Under normal circumstances, Mr Shepherd is a volunteer with ‘Kent Search and Rescue’. Through this role, he has been involved in delivering prescriptions over the past few weeks to people who cannot
leave their homes. He has also started building Star Wars models. These are made of metal and need joining together with pliers and they are very small and fiddly.
Mrs Johnstone is also training once again for a couple of Marathons. She is running 20 miles a week at present so that she is ready for the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 20th September and the Windermere Marathon on 1st November. These events will obviously only take place if present restrictions are lifted.
Thank a Teacher Day - 20th May
I am sure that some of you are missing being in school, and missing seeing some of your teachers. If you would like to say ‘Thank you’ to a particular teacher who has supported you, you may want to share a message via the website below, ideally as a video clip. The aim is to get as many messages of thanks to our teachers so they can be shared with the whole country on ‘National Thank a Teacher Day’ on May 20th.
I hope that you are all still keeping well. I cannot believe that we are now in our eighth week
of working from home – the time seems to be flying by so quickly!
I hope that you all managed to make the most of the long weekend and the VE Day celebrations. I have
been really impressed to see how many of you have been busy baking over recent weeks and trust that you
were able to prepare some fantastic picnics and garden parties in order to mark this momentous occasion.
In my message to you this week, I wanted to congratulate all of those who have so far been awarded
certificates in recognition of your hard work and achievements whilst you have been working from home. I
have also really enjoyed reading in the college newsletters about all of the different activities that you have
been undertaking and have been really impressed by your productiveness and ingenuity. Do maintain your
efforts, because all of the staff are very keen to recognise what you have been doing and to share and
celebrate your successes with you.
You might be aware that following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday evening the Department
of Education has published revised guidance outlining plans for the gradual and phased re-opening of
schools for more groups of students over the course of Term 6. I know that many of you will have lots of
questions and will no doubt be rather unsettled by what this will actually mean for us all at Homewood.
Whilst it is still too early for me to be in a position to say what we will be doing over these coming weeks,
rest assured that we will continue to act with the very best interests of all members of the school
community in mind. As always, everyone’s health and safety will be paramount. Please be aware that we
will be writing to all parents and carers with some further information in due course.
As I write this message to you, I am aware that today is International Nurses Day – a special day celebrated
each year on the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the founder of modern
nursing. The day is intended to mark the contributions that nurses make to society, so it obviously has a
particular poignancy this year as we continue to think about the amazing levels of care that nurses provide
everyone during these very demanding times. I am therefore sure that we will be giving all nurses (and
indeed other key workers as well) a particularly loud and resounding clap this coming Thursday evening!
I hope that you enjoy reading the rest of your college newsletter. Do continue to take good care of
yourselves.
Best wishes,
Mr Single
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Wednesday 13th May
Subject update - Modern Foreign Languages Weightlifting, but for your brain
I’m sure, like me, you’ve spent most of the time since school closed listening to everyone
telling each other “Look after yourself!” It’s becoming a bit meaningless, and it’s easy to ignore, but in these
weird times it’s not bad advice. Normally, we’ve got routines to keep us on track. We wake up and go to
school early in the morning, we eat at lunch time, take part in P.E. and after school clubs. We don’t
normally sit in front of the TV scoffing Jaffa Cakes all evening… right?
To “look after yourself” now all of those routines are taken away requires a
lot more motivation and self-control. We’ve all received lots of good advice
recently about getting outside, doing some exercise, and in general staying
fit, healthy and happy. It really doesn’t help that there are pictures of
people all over social media who are “livin’ their best lives” (ugh), but
there’s no need to be hard on yourself if you’re not yet “livin’ your best life”
(I will stop saying that…). Exercise should be personal to you and above all,
make you happy.
It does take a bit of effort and dedication to form a habit, though. You need a simple plan of what you’re
going to do, how often, for how long, and then you need to stick to it. If you manage that, the rewards are
enormous. Exercise releases endorphins, which improve your mood and leave you feeling good about
yourself. There’s also a huge sense of accomplishment when you beat a personal best or do something you
couldn’t before.
We all fall off the wagon from time to time (those Jaffa Cakes won’t eat themselves), but when you
remember how good the exercise made you feel, you’ll soon want to get back into it.
Learning a new language works in exactly the same way. The
bad news is that it requires a level of dedication and regular
practice. It can’t be crammed at the last minute. Ever seen a
marathon runner laze around until the day before the race
and then suddenly cram in a 100 mile run? Didn’t think so.
The good news, though, is that just like exercise, language
learning really pays off. You’ll have a huge sense of
accomplishment that first time you order in a foreign
restaurant (provided the right food comes!) or when you
experience something you couldn’t before, like visiting a new
country or making a new penfriend.
Your language teachers didn’t learn their languages because they just love verb conjugation so much,
although I know that must be hard for you to believe. It’s that sense of satisfaction from achieving
something that drove us all to keep improving. We want to pass that love of learning on to you.
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It’s not just your self-esteem you’ll boost, either. By learning a second language,
you’re actually improving how your brain works. According to a study in Sweden,
learning a language actually makes your brain grow! The researchers conducted
the study on two groups of scholars: one that studied languages and another that
studied equally rigorous non-linguistic subjects. The MRI scans showed that the
brains of the participants studying languages increased in size, while the brain sizes
of the other group remained the same. Language learning really is like weightlifting
for your brain!
There are cognitive scientists who have dedicated their working lives to understanding the benefits of
language learning on the brain, so I’ll list just a few here. All that vocabulary learning results in a better
working memory, meaning you can keep more information in your mind at one time. You’ll also become
better at multitasking, as your improved attention span gives you better concentration and makes you
harder to distract. You’ll score higher than your peers in reading, verbal fluency, and intelligence tests
according to a study by Edinburgh University. You’ll become more confident and a better communicator,
even in your mother tongue. It’s true, language students actually become better at English as a result of
their improved grammar understanding!
You’ll do all of this for longer, too. One surprising fact is that by learning a
language now, you can ensure you have a healthier brain right into old age.
In another study by Edinburgh University of 650 dementia patients, they
found people who spoke two or more languages experienced “a later onset
of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.”
There’s one last piece of research I need to mention: Morford and
Mayberry (2000, p. 111) note “individuals exposed to language at earlier
ages consistently outperform individuals exposed to language at older ages
for first and second languages of both signed and spoken languages.” Just like physical exercise again, it’s
easier when you’re younger. Time to put down those Jaffa Cakes, then.
Languages aren’t just another school subject, they change your life and they change your brain. Whether
you have chosen a language for GCSE or not, reach out to me or any other teacher in the MFL department if
you want any help or guidance on how to learn or what resources to use.
Remember: Chinese Bao buns, French croissants and German sausages are all tastier than Jaffa Cakes
anyway, but they taste even better when ordered in the right language.
Look after yourself!
Mr Cafferty
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Wednesday 13th May
Where am I?
Last week, Mrs Bennett shared a photo of The Lake District. Congratulations once again to Mr Single for being the first person to email her with the correct answer. I think that you need to get your responses in quicker this week so that Mr Single is not the winner for the 3rd week!
This week, she has given a clue for the photo below:
This is a National Park in the UK
If you think you know where this is, please email Mrs Bennett:
Last week, I said I would introduce Mustard the rabbit to you. Mustard is a 6 yr old giant mini lop who we had agreed to rehome at school. Like all rabbits, Mustard needs lots of love, affection and exercise, in addition to being fed and given water every day. Here he is giving himself a wash. Meanwhile the baby guinea pigs are growing up fast. When guinea pig babies are born, they are fed by their Mum for about 2 weeks and then weaned from 3 weeks.
Have you got any pets you have been spending more time with at home. We would love to meet them and give them a spot in our pets corner. Send your photos me - [email protected] Mrs Johnstone
Mr Dang’s quiz Hello again and welcome to the weekly set of quiz questions. I hope you’ve been enjoying them and if you have quiz questions of your own that you’d like to share then do let me or Mrs Jones know. As usual, the answers are at the end of the newsletter. This week’s questions are:
1. What letter comes next in this sequence: a. W, L, C, N, I, T, _?
And how about this one: b. O, T, T, F, F, S, _?
And finally, this one: c. A, S, D, F, G, H, _?
2. Can you identify the phrase indicated in the following types of words: a. YOU JUST ME b. SALE SALE SALE SALE
c. d. BRO KEN e. TIMING TI-MING f. THE GORILLAS MIST g. R/E/A/D/I/N/G
3. What do the following words have in common: Assess Banana Dresser Grammar Revive Uneven Voodoo
Congratulations to all World College students who have been recognised for their impressive work over the past week.
English
Chloe (Year 10) For continued commitment to her English studies
Hayden (Year 10) For completing all English work to an incredibly high standard
Matthew (Year 10) For continually working hard on his independent study of Macbeth.
Millie (Year 10) For outstanding effort in English each week.
Jack (Year 9) For an excellent 'Space' diary entry.
Posie (Year 10) For thorough and consistent work.
Jamie (Year 10) For excellent, consistent and thorough work.
Jack (Year 10) For thorough and consistent work.
Ameilia (Year 10) For her excellent work.
Mary (Year 10) For thorough and consistent work.
Jake (Year 10) For consistent and thorough work.
Poppy (Year 10) For thorough and consistent work.
Drama
Annabel (Year 10) For an engaging and technically accomplished monologue recording.
Freya (Year 10) For an engaging and technically accomplished monologue recording.
Maths
Miranda (Year 9) For an excellent start to May on Mathswatch.
Amelie (Year 10) For an excellent start to May on Mathswatch.
Ethan (Year 10) For an excellent start to May on Mathswatch.
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Fine Art
Jenson (Year 9) For being consistent and dedicated to Fine Art. Some great work is being produced - well done!
Gina-Duveen (Year 10) For incredible colour blending.
Connor (Year 9) For a totally stunning tropical scene!
Art
Eloise (Year 10) For continuing to produce excellent work and completing all set tasks.
Dance
Rebecca (Year 9)
For gaining the highest mark in her class for her week 7 ‘safe practice’ test. Well
Done :)
Leah (Year 10)
For gaining the highest mark in her class and year for her week 7 ‘within her Eyes’
test. Well done :)
Science
Dylan (Year 10)
For hard work, dedication, and effort in all of the science home learning. Well
done! You are awesome!
Oliver (Year 10) For a great plant adaptation research project
Cameron (Year 10) For a great plant adaptation research project
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Wednesday 13th May
Answers to Mr Dang’s quiz questions: 1a. The first letters of the first six words in the sentence….
What Letter Comes Next In These Sequences so the next letter is S. 1b. This is the old classic One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, _ so the next letter is S (for Seven). 1c. A, S, D, F, G, H, _ is the order of letters on the middle row of a keyboard, so the next letter is J. 2a. Just between you and me. 2b. For Sale. 2c. I understand. 2d. Broken in half. 2e. Split second timing. 2f. Gorillas in the mist. 2g. Reading between the lines. 3. If you take the first letter of each word and move it to the rear, you get the same word when read backwards (try it for yourselves):
