We have had a fantastic week at TKA. Wednesday was a busy one with the Y6’s coming for their taster day. They were involved in Music, PE, Art and Science.
Wednesday also saw Sports Day for the whole school taking place at Kingsmeadow. Relay races, javelin, long jump and sprints were the focus of the day. The weather was kind to us as well, warm but not overly hot so not too many red faces at the end of the day. A huge thank you to all the participants and staff who supported through all the activities, logging all of the results and supervising the stands and administering first aid.
We also celebrated all things wonderful in the world of Art, DT and Media. "Reclaim" is the inaugural showcase of the creative work of so many talented students at TKA. Spanning across the disciplines of Art, Design Technology, Drama, Media and Music, it was an excellent opportunity to see creativity in all forms and exemplify the diversity in our curriculums. Most of all, it's a wonderful celebration of all the hard work of the students that have now left us! Thank you to everyone who attended.
Year 10 pupils had the opportunity to visit Whipsnade Zoo on Thursday as an end of year treat. You can read more about their experiences in the reports below.
The weekend brings with it some very hot weather. Please be advised that pupils are permitted to wear full TKA PE kit if they wish to during the last two weeks of term. Do remind your child to bring a disposable water bottle to school so they can stay well hydrated too!
Enjoy the weekend,
Mrs. Sophie Cavanagh
Head Teacher
Spotlight
We are very proud to announce our new Head Prefect as Ben R and Abrielle C for 2022-2023. They, along with the Senior Prefect Team, play an instrumental role in TKA life, supporting social, charity and open events.
They help referee football matches during lunch, lead assemblies, lead house events and support with reading and maths mentor mornings. They are the role models for TKA and we were so impressed with their manifestos and ideas. Their focus is on improving staff/pupil relationships, introducing more recycling bins, improving the wifi, better school facilities, reassessing the fairness of late detentions and merit systems and refining enrichment options.
We are looking forward to the beginning of the next academic year and their ideas coming to fruition.
Y11 Prom
A final farewell to our Year 11s as they celebrated in style on Friday 1st July, at our first ever TKA Year 11 Prom. A year of hard work and determination was put at the back of pupils' minds whilst they enjoyed dancing the night away, laughing at their teachers moves and being together one more time.
We have been immensely proud of the year group over the course of their time with us and couldn't have asked for a better way to send you off to your post 16 options.
A final reminder that leavers hoodies and yearbooks can be collected on GCSE results day (Thursday 25th August).
Enjoy your summer holiday, you've certainly earned it!
Report by Mr Lockett
Come From Away
Y7, 8, 10, 12 and 13 really enjoyed a trip on Monday night to see Come From Away - a musical all about a town in Canada who welcomed 7000 stranded passengers after the American airspace closed after 9/11. The show taught us all about the importance of human connection and the people around us. A great night was had by all.
Report by Ms Ruddick
Year 10 Trip to Whipsnade Zoo
The majority of year 10 went to Whipsnade Zoo on the 7th of July yesterday. We arrived there by coach after a 1h 30m trip each way. We arrived at around 10am and then split into our groups with our teachers. We made a plan on which animals we wanted to prioritise, though we did manage to see almost all of them, and then began walking around the zoo.
We first went to the Asian Elephants enclosure and while at first they weren’t outside we soon saw a large group of 3 adults and 1 baby elephant come out. We witnessed them walking around and cleaning themselves by throwing mud on their backs and eating food.
Some other major animals we saw were penguins, giraffes, and butterflies. Our group spent a lot of time around the penguin enclosure with us taking a lot of pictures of both us and them. We sadly missed their feeding time by a few minutes.
However, we did not miss the giraffe feeding. We watched them bend over and eat leaves off of the branches that some people were holding. The butterfly house was combined with the aquarium, the house included a large number of different species of fish and amphibians and an area with free flying butterflies that would sometimes land on peoples fingers.
Report by Izzi Parker
During yesterday’s school trip to Whipsnade Zoo, after a 1 ½ hour journey, we entered the large site with three different areas (Asia, Africa and Europe), one for each continent of which the animals from that location were available to see.
In the continent of Asia, we could see several elephants, and were able to understand and learn what they do, and why they do this (such as pouring sand on themselves using their trunk). As well as that, the continent of Asia contained Tigers, however they seemed to be unavailable at the time we passed the area.
As we visited Africa, we visited a large hippo, which supposedly stays underwater for several minutes at a time, before lifting itself two inches.
In contrast, Africa also contained lively giraffes, which ate long bamboo, and were a beauty to look at.
Continuing on, Europe had a lot to offer, such as Brown Bears, which were large, and interesting to look at, and also Wolverines. On the outskirts of Europe, there was a site where many penguins could be found. In the warm British weather, some penguins cooled down, and others enjoyed the sunshine.
Base camp was a large section of the site which was my personal favourite, and contained the butterfly house, which I personally enjoyed, however some people were surprised by them. The area also contained a colourful carousel, which some people enjoyed, but I rather stayed in the shade.
Report by Nico Papamichael
National Physics Laboratory - Work Experience
This week, we took part in the National Physical Laboratory Work Experience programme. By doing virtual simulations and practicals, we compared the strength of different materials by calculating their Young's modulus. We were really grateful for this experience as we developed our understanding of the importance of metrology and our skills in experimental science. Although there have been challenges and frustrations due to the demanding aspects of the task, we eventually overcame them with our perseverance and help from the teachers. and It was a great programme and we want to thank TKA, especially Ms Barnard and Dr Gopee, for making this fantastic opportunity possible for us!
By Yuquan Zhou and Eric Mai
Maths Drop in Clinics
At TKA, we as the Mathematics Department, offer our learners an array of choices to engage further with their Maths outside of classroom time. Whether learners are already loving Maths or if they need some persuasion on how to love Maths or if they just need some assistance with what went on in class today - there is something for everyone!
Please refer to the picture for detailed information as is available to our learners in KS3, KS4 and KS5. These clubs and drop-in clinics are already very popular but we are always keen to see additional new faces popping in!
PE and Sports Round Up
There is only one place to start this week and that is with the 2022 TKA Sports Day. We had over 1024 sporting performances on show over a huge variety of events. The day was split into two sessions and each session started with the inaugural opening ceremony and reading of the oaths. Well done to all the students who created amazing banners and posters to support their houses and the accessories were very creative.
Throughout the day we had many examples of lung bursting running, power throwing and jumping. One of the most pleasing aspects of the day was seeing all the support given to each student when they were competing by their fellow peers. It was a pleasure to see the whole TKA community working together to put on a great spectacle. Finally, a big well done to all medal winners and those who just missed out - set your goals for that elusive medal next year. I am pleased to announce Curie house were the overall winners on the day, so a big congratulations to all staff and students within the Curie house.
Please see the photos from Sports Day below.
Report by Mr Waters
Support for low level anxiety and/or low mood
Due to our membership of the Mental Health Support Team we are fortunate to have an Education Wellbeing Practitioner based in TKA one day each week, doing group work and supporting individual pupils who are experiencing low level anxiety and/or low mood. Click here for more information. If you think that this would be a helpful service for your child, please complete this referral form.
Talking to your child about online sexual harrassment: A Guide for Parents
The Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza DBE, has recently published a guidance document for parents/carers helping to support them to understand online sexual harassment.
The commissioner's team brought together a group of 16 - 21 year olds and asked them talk about what they think parents should know, and what they should say to their children when talking about sexualised bullying and the pressures of growing up online.
The report and poster 'The things I wish my parents had known…' can be downloaded here.
Parents/Carers of Year 10 and Year 11 Pupils
TKA has invested in the fantastic GCSEPod revision resource, for which all pupils in Years 10 and 11 have a log in.
GCSEPod are hosting a 1 hour parent/carer live event on multiple dates to explain how GCSEPod can help pupils and develop independent learning skills. Parents/carers can find more details here and register here.
Richmond Household Support Fund
Local families and individuals who are struggling financially and need support accessing food, paying energy bills or other household essentials, may be eligible to apply for financial help through the Household Support Fund. Grants are available to help with buying food, energy costs, children's clothing, essential equipment.
Up to £300 for households with 1+ adults
Up to £500 for households with 1+ child
Up to £600 for households with 2+ children
More information about the fund and applying is available on the Council's website here.
(Please note this funding is not just for people who currently receive benefits).
The Tween Tribe
Our mission is to "get tweens off screens and having fun in the real world"
Instead of the usual holiday club that this age group have grown out of - we host adventure days out in London such as: graffiti spray painting in Shoreditch, chocolate making in Covent Garden, riding the worlds biggest slide, trampolining, cable cars, splash fountains, bathbomb making in Oxford Street, swimming in the Olympic pool etc
Groups are small (10 children max) and leave from Kingston Upon Thames and London Waterloo. All details are on the website. www.thetweentribe.co.uk
Table Tennis England
Sessions are now being run on Saturdays from 12-2pm at Graham Spicer Table Tennis Club in New Malden. All girls aged 7 and above are welcome. Please see flyer below.
Organisations Offering Support to Families
Please click on the link to access a number of organisations for support.
