Blog week ending 18th March

At Wilmington Grammar School for Boys we marked British Science Week with a number of special competitions and practical lessons to help inspire and foster a love of science and to explore all the exciting places and careers it can take you.  Science week is a cross-subject celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths. 

Miss Tame is inviting all students in Years 7-9  to take part in a House competition to design a poster.  The theme of the British Science Week competition this year is ‘Growth’.   So, the poster might explore a tadpole’s journey into a fully-grown adult frog or the look at the ways in which population growth is affecting the planet.  Posters can be A4 or A3 but must be 2D as they need to be scanned and the work must be original and created by the student. All students are asked to submit their entries to their Form Tutor by the 28^th March.  Each form will then decide on the best poster in their form and these will be submitted to the House competition. All students who submit posters will receive house points. Staff will then vote on their top five posters and these will be sent on to the national competition.

• Posters will be judged on the following criteria:
• Creativity in approach – innovative angle on the content or creative interpretation of the theme
• Content – clear, accurate and informative about a STEM topic
• Effective communication – presented and communicated in an engaging way

Good luck everyone!

Our Year 10 students have been studying static electricity and this practical (and rather immersive!) lesson had first-hand experience regarding charged materials and the transference of electrons!  Using a Van de Graaff generator students took part in a number of demonstrations to illustrate repulsion and attraction of forces as well as observing how insulating materials can become charges .. and the transference of that charge!  In one activity (pictured below) students joined hands to see how far the charge travelled down the chain!

WG6 Chemists were investigating the rate of hydrolysis of different haloalkanes. To do this, they looked at the time taken for the haloalkanes to form solid precipitates.  Halogenated hydrocarbons have several commercial and industrial applications including as the active component in flame retardants, used as refrigerants and propellants.

WG6 Chemistry.  The aim of this practical was to synthesise and purify an organic liquid (a haloalkane). During this lesson students purified the substance they had made by distillation and calculate their yield before testing the product to confirm what they produced.

Year 9 Design and Technology students have been continuing their study of mechanisms with the design and build of their own cam mechanism toy.  The project is nearing completion with some brilliant and rather inventive toys!

Within our WGSB Alumni we have many aspirational and crucially, relatable role models for our students to take inspiration from including Max Finch (see item below) and James Washer who left WGSB to study racing engine design, engineering and motor sports at Oxford Brookes, his dedication to his studies and career have seen him rise to the role of Director of Electronic Systems and Controls at supercar manufacturer, Drako Motors.  Our Alumni have always played a valuable part in our career support delivering talks and demonstrations to give a tangible view of what pursuing studies and careers within the scientific field can offer.  Now that we are able to welcome guests back into school, Miss Tame is planning to invite more of our ex-students to visit school and deliver talks, answer questions and where possible, mentor our students.  Pictured left (James celebrating on the podium at Monza after a dominant 1,2 finish in GT Open, which was a welcome close to a 2-year development programme for the McLaren 720s GT3 car, which unsurprisingly is a highlight of his career!)

Please join me in congratulating Max Finch, WGSB and WG6 Alumnus who has successfully completed his intensive basic training (Phase one) with the RAF.  This week, Max starts his Phase two specialist studies in Aircraft Engineering.  We are all incredibly proud of Max, of his achievements and his continued study in pursuit of his dream career.  Upon completion of his Aircraft Engineering training Max will be posted to an RAF base – which potentially could be anywhere in the world!  Max developed a particular interest in pursuing a career within engineering whilst at WGSB and went on to develop his expertise and knowledge by studying Physics, Business Studies and DECC.  We all wish him continued success and look forward to catching up with him in due course.

Pictured, Max attending his passing out parade.

Junior Maths Challenge.  Good luck to all those students who will be taking part in the Junior Maths Challenge next month.  The challenge aims to promote a love of problem solving and encourages mathematical reasoning and precision to solve a range of interesting problems.  

 

Miss Williamson’s Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Year 8 students have been working on an environmental project to explore key issues and debate the responsibility of the individual, government and business to create positive action to counter global climate change.   Several students, including Max and Callum (pictured) undertook additional research (a ‘take it further task’ in their Knowledge Organisers) and produced a presentation which they shared with the class.  Their presentation was entitled “How Businesses can help improve the environment”.  Great work!

Year 11 were visited by professional boxer John Harding Jnr. This visit tied into the theme of this term's Life Programme for Year 11, which is 'Independence and making choices'. John's extremely inspirational talk took students and staff through his journey from involvement in gangs and drug crime in South London, which led to him serving three prison sentences, to his decision to turn his life around after a prison warden told him "Harding, you're a wasted talent."

Alongside his professional boxing career, John now visits schools across Kent, London and Essex to speak to young people about their potential and to inspire them to believe in themselves and make the right choices in order to achieve their goals. Rayan in Year 11 said "I enjoyed it a lot; it's amazing and inspirational to see how somebody can change their life for the better." 

John spoke passionately about the importance of self-belief and about surrounding yourself with people who share your values instead of those who will bring you down. At the end of his talk, John led a fantastic Q&A session which gave students the opportunity to ask him all kinds of questions, from how he made such an incredible change to his life to what his boxing record is.   We all found John's talk incredibly inspiring and hearing Year 11 shout "I believe" at the top of their voices was a brilliant moment to brighten a Wednesday morning! We are grateful to John and his agent Joseph for their time and hope to welcome them back to the school in the future.

Last word goes to Daniel from 11S:

I thought John's visit was truly inspiring; it acted as a real wake-up call. The main thing I took from his speech was "you are who your friends are" and that your environment really influences your mindset. He made me realise that some things which seem impossible really aren't and all I need to do is just "believe!"

Football District Cup Update.  After many fixtures this term between Years 7-10 the final tables have been announced and we have some good news to share. The Year 8, 9 and 10 football teams have all made it through to the District Cup semi-finals. We wish Mr Sage, Mr Hook and Mr Lynch’s sides’ success in these games next week and hopefully can have all three sides making it through to the finals. We would like to thank Mr Akhazzan from Nothfleet school who is the event organiser.

Football North Kent Cup Update.  This competition is for the teams in Years 7-9. There have also been many fixtures this term but I am pleased to say that the Year 8 and 9 teams have both made it through into the quarter finals of the competition. Both sides were unbeaten in their groups with the Year 9 side (pictured) finishing top in both the District and North Kent groups. We wish Mr Sage and Mr Hook’s sides success into the last eight of this competition. We would like to thank Mr Eldridge from St Columbus who is the event organiser.

Part time work opportunity at WGSB!  We are currently seeking Exam Invigilators to join our busy school.  You will be employed on a casual basis as and when required during the school year to supervise students taking public and internal exams.  The salary is paid on an hourly basis at a rate of £10.89 per hour (£9.51 per hour basic salary, plus £1.38 per hour representing payment in respect of annual leave entitlement)

Our ideal candidate will:

• have the ability to work under pressure in a busy environment
• have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• have the ability to issue instructions to a wide range of candidates in a confident manner
• have ability to keep calm under pressure or during unexpected circumstances
• have ability to work to predetermined instructions and to judge when a decision is not theirs to make
• be reliable, flexible and punctual

Our application form can be completed via our website here Recruitment (accessacloud.com). Closing date is Monday 28^th March

Forthcoming:

Year 10 Parents’ Evening 26^th & 28th April – We appreciate that you have not been able to meet with your sons’ teachers for quite some time, we hope that our online Parents’ Evening will be the next best thing.  The evening is split across two days by subject and will give you and your son the opportunity to have meaningful discussion with each of his teachers. 

Tuesday 26^th April is English, Geography, Computer Science, French, Spanish, Music, D&T, DECC, Food Technology and RS.

Thursday 28^th April is Maths, Science, History, Business, Art & Physical Education

For more information – and to book appointments please click here to read the full letter

PTA Update.   Support Wilmington Grammar School for Boys - Dartford by signing up to support us for FREE on  Smile Amazon and Easyfundraising. You can raise donations whenever you shop online with over 6,000 retailers including John Lewis & Partners, eBay, Argos, ASOS, M&S and more. Plus, we will get a bonus £5 donation when you do! Sign up today - this will make a BIG difference to us this year: Easyfundraising

Pre-Loved Uniform: Please do remember that you can donate your unwanted / outgrown good quality clean school uniform (blazers, jumpers, PE kit) to the PTA nearly new uniform shop. Just put them in a bag and drop off at the school office. A BIG thank you to all those who have kindly donated to our uniform shop.

If you would like to know what we have in stock, replace a lost piece of uniform or even pick up a spare please contact pta@wgsb.co.uk. and a member of the PTA will be in touch.  Watch this space for more information about our next pre-loved uniform sale!

Next PTA meeting - Virtual - Mon 25 Apr 2022 @ 7pm.  Meeting Details will be shared nearer meeting date. Please email pta@wgsb.co.uk for further information. Hope to see many of you virtually at the next meeting!

And finally,

Your PTA needs You! Together we can make a difference. Please contact pta@wgsb.co.uk  if you are able to support the PTA in any way. Thank You!

Best wishes,

Stuart Harrington

Head Teacher