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Principal's Newsletter 15 November 2019    

A lovely week this week, with support for Anti-Bullying on Tuesday’s odd socks day, lots of fun during Children in Need day today, as you’ll read below, alongside a large number of exciting trips and sporting events.  

To end the week I very much look forward to seeing all those parents and staff who will be attending the PTA’s Gala Gatsby Ball at Hedingham Castle tomorrow, where I’m sure we will have a golden age of fun and raise a lot of money for our pupils. 


Children in Need   

There have been lots of Children in Need events running today, which has been a non-Uniform day for all pupils, including a large festival of fun activities during House Assembly time and the staff taking on Joe Wicks’ Burpee Challenge, with our three Heads of House, Ms Elliman, Ms Maddock and Mr Watts managing a combined total of 96 burpees in one minute, alongside some member of staff called Mr Martyn. If you would like to donate to support this fantastic achievement please do contact the School, or fill in the sponsorship form – maybe £1 per burpee! 

As you’ll read below, Ms Stewart made an extraordinary donation of her hair for the Little Princess Trust, and we drew the raffle for the amazing cakes donated to the School by Evie and Theo, alongside our cake sale for Senior and Prep pupils at break time, so thank you for supporting us with nut free cake donations and for purchasing cakes.  


Little Princess Trust  

We have been raising money for the Little Princess Trust this week. During our Children in Need House assembly time, Ms Stewart, Teacher of Chemistry in the Senior School kindly volunteered to cut her hair for the Little Princess Trust. Apparently she has been growing it just for this event, as she doesn’t like having long hair! Over 10 inches of hair was cut, which is a very kind donation. If you would like to make cash donations then these will be forwarded to the trust. Alternatively, if you would like to donate towards Miss Stewart’s Just Giving page, please see the link below: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/victoria-stewart6 


Anglian Water Trip   

Year 4 had a very informative day at Anglian Water on Wednesday 14 November. They discovered how dirty water and sewage was cleaned so it could be put back into rivers. The class looked at all the different things that were in waste water and discovered that flushable wipes were not biodegradable. Year 4 had a tour of the site to see how the water was cleaned using different filters and to learn about by-products such as gas and 'poo cake,' which is eventually used by some farmers.  

In the afternoon they looked at 'good' micro-organisms under a microscope, which were used to kill pathogens. The best one was a rotifer, which turns itself completely inside out. They modelled some micro-organisms with plasticine. They also discovered how important it was to conserve water and were shocked that it takes 2,500 litres of water to make 100g of chocolate. 


Year 1 Assembly 

If you are joining us for our Year 1 assembly, please note that it is our Cut Hedge Cross Country event later that morning. We would ask all visitors to leave promptly when the assembly finishes at 9.15 am to ensure that you do not get caught up in any traffic.  


Year 3 West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village Trip 

Year 3 visited West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village in Suffolk last Friday. Although it was rather wet, the children enjoyed exploring the reconstructed houses and the Great Hall. They gained an understanding of what it was like to live in this part of the country over 1,400 years ago and asked lots of questions about the houses. They discovered that we don't know exactly how the houses looked at the time but that each one was an experiment based upon archaeological evidence. The class also saw evidence of different trades such as woodworking, farming and weaving. They were curious about the lack of furniture inside the houses and the use of animal skins to keep people warm. 

Inside the museum the pupils were able to try on a replica of the helmet found at Sutton Hoo and look at and handle some actual Anglo-Saxon belongings. They had a fabulous day out which brought history alive.  


Tree Planting  

It's November, so it's tree planting season at Gosfield School. Since 2013 we have been re-wilding and planting on an area of the school land so that current and future pupils can continue to benefit from the opportunities that being outside can give. To date we have planted over 1500 saplings (donated by the Woodland Trust). Some have provided our resident deer and rabbits with a tasty meal or/and nibble; however, many have survived. We are beginning to witness the growth of a new woodland; nature's resilience showing the way. Almost every pupil and many adults who have been through the doors of Gosfield School in the past few years have had the opportunity to be part of this project by planting a tree for the future and they have left a living, permanent imprint at the school, wherever they move on after their time with us.   

We are in our 90th year and we continue to plant, the woodland continues to grow alongside the school, and our children continue to learn. As a mark of this milestone for the school there are 90 trees being held for families to adopt and plant in a designated area of the 'new' woodland. If you would like to adopt and plant a tree, please contact Mr Davies. 


PTA  

James Clarke-Wright, Chair of the PTA writes.... 

Well that first week of half term flew by and here we are at the end of the second already, feeling the chill no doubt. Christmas will soon be upon us and with that in mind I wanted to highlight that the PTA Christmas Tree sale is on the horizon. Mr Phillips has kindly donated two Christmas Trees to the school, and you will be able to see how they look from Tuesday 19 November; one will be in the Prep School and the other in the Senior School. If you would like your own, then please place your order using the form below. Orders must be placed by Friday 22 November and you can return your forms to the school office or to Stuart at stuartphillips424@btinternet.com

Christmas Tree Form 

Continuing the Christmas theme, did you know that you can raise funds for the Gosfield PTA simply by doing your Christmas shopping online? ‘TheGivingMachine’ is a simple tool that enables online shoppers to give a small percentage of their purchase to the school at no extra cost. For more details, please visit www.thegivingmachine.co.uk and see the hundreds of stores that are included. Please remember to register and choose ‘Gosfield School PTA’ as your charity with the sign up code 265301.  

The PTA would like to help you with choosing Christmas presents for your Mum, Dad, Grandma, Grandad, or that special adult in your family. On Monday 9 December there will be presents available for you to purchase during the day. The presents will be on display and they will be wrapped up ready for you to label and place under the tree for your family. The presents are priced at £5 or £10 each and will be a choice of chocolates, bathroom gifts and general personal items that we think your family would enjoy. You will be able to choose which gift you would like for your family member on the day. Please could you complete the attached order form and return to the school office by Friday 22 November with your payment so that the presents can be purchased ready for you to choose on the Monday 9 December.  

Christmas Presents Form 

The Prep School Movie and Pizza Night flyers should have reached you by now so please complete and return the form with your payments as soon as possible, the deadline for this is Monday 18 November. Finally, any comments or questions for the PTA can be sent here: gosfieldpta@gmail.com. I wish you all a wonderful weekend and thank you for your continued support. 

Key dates:   

16 November  

PTA Ball 

22 November  

Prep School Movie and Pizza Night (helpers needed) 

27 November  

Cut hedge run (helpers needed)    

Formal PTA meeting  

6 December  

Prep Christmas Party 


Impressive achievements  


Darcy from Year 7 has been selected to play for the U13 Essex County Cricket Team. Well done, Darcy!  


Congratulations to Miley from Year 5, Emily from Year 5, Imogen from Year 6, Amelia from Year 7, Tanaka from Year 7 and Farai from Year 9 for their participation in the NSEA Grass Roots show jumping qualifier. 

50cm team - Miley, Emily and Farai came 3rd.  

Individual - Miley was 6th. 

60cm individual - Imogen 2nd and Amelia 6th. 

70cm team - Tanaka, Amelia, Ruby and Imogen won. 

Individuals - Amelia 2nd, Ruby 4th and Tanaka 6th. 

All of these results give the children qualification for the championship on December 8th. Well done to all! 


Harvey from Year 4 represented his Tennis Club for the first time in a competition at the weekend. He did very well as his opponent was 2 years older than him and much more experienced. Harvey won the 1st set but lost the 2nd and 3rd. Great effort Harvey! 


Sports News

Well done to all the girls who took part in the U9 netball game on Monday at St Nicholas School. The team are growing in confidence and produced a sound performance against a strong opponent. 

Alexis from Year 3 and Izzy from Year 4 linked up well in defence and stopped many goals being scored by the opposition. The mid court players, Florence from Year 3, Jemima from Year 3 and Ava from Year 3 worked hard to find space, and as the game progressed, managed to provide the attackers with shooting opportunities. Shindara from Year 3, Ella from Year 3 and Amy from Year 4 fought hard to receive the ball and eventually were rewarded with Ella shooting a fabulous goal for the team. The final score saw us miss out by 3 goals to 1.  

Congratulations to Amy who was voted player of the match and a special mention to Izzy and Florence for their wonderful improvements since the last game. All the Year 3 and 4 girls will be taking part in a training game at St Margaret’s School next Monday 18 November. The girls will have lunch before travelling by minibus. They will return to Gosfield at 4pm to either be collected or join their after-school activity.    


Well done to all the U11 girls who played hockey against St Mary's on Wednesday. The match took place at Braintree and Bocking Hockey club. The girls split into two teams and after a great warm up by the Year 6 Captains, Lily, Anna and Skye they started both matches strongly. The girls are starting to develop their awareness of space and playing positions, this was evident with the first goal when Anna crossed the ball into Imogen from Year 6 who slotted it home for our first goal. Lily had a great quarter as centre forward and scored two stunning goals which earned her the player of the match accolade.  

On the other pitch, Gosfield battled hard with excellent performances from Grace from Year 5 and Ava from Year 6 who courageously stopped many goals on the line. Ivy from Year 6 played well in the outfield and was voted the player of the match. Well done to all the girls that represented Gosfield.  

To finish the season, we are travelling to Bocking Hockey club on Wednesday 27 November for a coaching and training game against St Margaret’s.        


Pupils through to the ISA Nationals Swimming Finals 

We are delighted to announce that Chloe from Year 6, Sammy from Year 7 and Ella from Year 8 are all through to the ISA Nationals Swimming finals. Chloe will swim in the Individual Backstroke and has been selected for the Medley relay team. Sammy has also been selected for the same competitions as well as the Freestyle relay. Ella from Year 8 has qualified to swim in the Year 8 Freestyle relay team. Well done, Chloe, Sammy and Ella. The event will take place at the London Aquatics Centre on Saturday 30 November. All the regions will come together to compete for the national title, we wish all three pupils the best of luck!              


Parent Survey 

Each academic year we send out a parent survey to all families so that we can collect information regarding what you consider the School does well and what you think we can improve. This is a useful tool which informs decisions we make as we strive to improve our School. Previously we have sent this in the Spring term, however, this year to move in line with the ISI survey conducted last year, we have moved it to the Autumn term. Parents who were with us in the last academic year may feel that they have completed a Parent Survey recently, but rest assured this is the only one we will ask you to complete in the academic year 2019/2020. 

There are two surveys, one for Prep School and another for Senior and Sixth Form. If you have children in both Prep and Senior Schools you will receive two surveys. Please feel free to complete both if you wish, with your views on each School, as we recognise you may have different experiences. The surveys are completely anonymous, and we would be very grateful if you could spend a short amount of time providing us with this useful information.  

The Surveys will come via email early next week and the deadline for responses is Sunday 1 December at midnight.  


Braintree Badminton Academy Y7-13   

The LBC Badminton Club at Braintree Sport and Health Club are looking to launch a Badminton Academy with a qualified Badminton England Coach. This is supported by the club which is affiliated to Badminton England and Essex Badminton. The academy is currently aimed at Year 7- Year 13 but they are hoping to open this up to other year groups. They are running a free taster session on Wednesday 27 November 7pm-8pm at Tabor (see poster), with a launch in January.   


School Transport         

If your child uses School Transport, please can you let both the driver and the School know if they will not be on the bus or if they will be using a different stop to usual. This will minimise the need to wait for missing pupils and the unnecessary delays that this causes. 

Bus drivers can only wait for three minutes beyond the published time, again to avoid unnecessary delays. They are not able to return for pupils who are later than this.  

Drivers’ contact details can be found here: gosfieldschool.org.uk/school-transport-provisions 

Email bus@gosfieldschool.org.uk to update the passenger list. We appreciate your assistance with this while we endeavour to run a punctual and efficient service. 


Culinary Corner 

Pasta salad made by Amelia from Year 7   

This week Year 4 worked brilliantly to produce their scones, some plain and some fruit. Year 6 made panini pizza and looked at how our bodies digest them. 

7CLS made healthy pasta salads, 8LWS made cottage pie and both Year 9 groups made enchiladas.  

The Year 10 GCSE group rose to the challenge by making a healthy fast food meal for teenagers that met their dietary requirements. 

Next week (also on SMHW)  

7MFH pasta salad 

8MAS cottage pie 


Star of the Week 

Year 

Star 

Reason 

Nursery 

Sidney Perella 

For explaining the similarities and differences between 2D shapes. 

Reception 

Aria Thirkettle  

For an excellent attitude to all learning.  

Ilyas Lamas 

For using number facts to solve problems. 

Ethan Clarke 

Excellent effort in Maths this week.  

Shindara Ayo-Adeyemo 

Creativity, imagination and superb vocabulary choices in creative writing tasks. 

Harvey Clarke 

For working hard in Maths. 

George Marshall 

For excellent effort in all areas and improvement with cursive script. A kind and thoughtful member of the class as always.   

Max Griffin   

Enthusiastically sharing ideas during whole class learning 

Mr Davies’ Star of the Week 

Alain Onaindia 

 

Continuous enthusiasm during learning, overcoming language barriers with a smile and persevering with the task in hand. 

 


Dates for your Diary 

Monday 18 November 

Year 5 Trip to Colchester Castle 

U9 Netball vs St Margaret’s 

Tuesday 19 November 

U15 Rugby vs Finborough   

Wednesday 20 November  

U11 Rugby vs Colchester High School 

Prep Assembly – Year 2 

Thursday 21 November 

Cricket Scholarship Application Deadline  

Reception – Year 2 Swimming  

U12 & U13 Girls Hockey v Alec Hunter  

Friday 22 November 

Reception and Y1 Stansted Aerozone Trip 

Prep School Movie Night 

Sunday 24 November  

Christmas Carol Rehearsal  


And a reminder to everyone, next week is a Week 2 on our two-week timetable. Good luck to everyone with all their endeavours. As ever, my door is always open if you would like to book an appointment in advance via Mrs Bowles.         

Yours    

   

   

    

   

Guy Martyn   

PRINCIPAL | GOSFIELD SCHOOL   

   

 

 

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Gosfield School, Cut Hedge Park, Halstead Road
Gosfield, Halstead, Essex, CO9 1PF

Telephone: + 44 (0)1787 474040
Email: registrar@gosfieldschool.org.uk

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