ALL THE NEWS FROM DARTFORD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE - JULY 2016

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

COMMUNITY DAY If you were to walk through Dartford today you would see a sea of maroon T-shirts! For the second year running we have had our Community Day and again it was a huge success. This year 540 students and 60 staff went out for the day on Wednesday 20th July to help our community.

All 45 placements were varied and spread all across Dartford. For example, some students went to Age UK Meadowside Day Centre, others painted the sea cadets’ hut, some even did Zumba in the Orchards Centre and lots and lots and lots more.

One exciting addition this year was working with the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS). The charity trained our Year 12 students in drowning awareness and they then went into some of our feeder primaries to teach the Year 6 students. For the charity this was a UK first and now it has been trialled it is planned that this will happen across the UK.

Students and staff all wore branded T-shirts which were very generously sponsored by Bluewater, Barton Willmore, Campanile Hotel, Rival Colour and Ergro. The equipment we used (such as the gardening tools, paint and other equipment) were sponsored by the Dartford KCC councillors after we applied and were accepted for a members grant. We also thank

the many businesses that donated paint, rollers and other decorating equipment. In total around £4,000 worth of goods were donated which was amazing. The Co-op also gave us 600 bottles of water and fruit for the day. We are also very grateful to the Mayor and Mayoress who went to many of the placements.

The day was a huge success but, more importantly, it meant that we could make a real, tangible difference to many charities and groups that struggle for funding and manpower. This will now be an annual event so keep an eye out for our next Community Day in 2017!

For more pictures and videos follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DSTCollege

We started the year with some great news, DSTC was the highest performing non selective school in North West Kent! 69% of students achieved 5 GCSE grade A* – Cs. Some of our most successful students included Ellen Collins (5 A*s, 2 As, 1 B), Eliane Patrick (1 A*s, 5 As and 3 Bs), Demi Darbey (4 A*s, 3 As, 2 Bs), Dimasha Perera (1 A*, 6 As and 3 Bs) and Gayani Perera (3 A*, 2 As, 3 Bs). However, particular congratulations go to Jordan Madge who achieved not only 7 As and 2 Bs but also an A grade in GCE A level Maths which she took two years early.

Many of our A level students secured places at their first choice university and we welcomed back many students into our successful sixth form.

Our staff have worked incredibly hard this year and I would like to thank them for the effort and additional time they have given up including after school, on Saturdays and in the holidays, all to ensure that the students are successful.

You will see in this edition of The Wire that DSTC is not just about academic achievement. We have tried to give our students a wide and enriching experience. Just this week the students have completed a community placement which for many demonstrated their organisation, communication and levels of resilience. They have also given something back to their community. We have also enjoyed many sporting events including interschool competitions, tournaments and Sports Day and celebrated our sporting stars in a Sports Awards afternoon. We have enjoyed welcoming visitors to DSTC including an author, Zoolab and many representatives from the NHS. They have all really brought the curriculum to life for many students. The students have also enjoyed many trips this year and I hope you enjoy reading about them.

Finally I would like to wish you all a wonderful summer break and wish you every success in September. Miss Chapman

THE CO-OPERATIVE VALUES:

Self-help Self-responsibility

Democracy Equality

Equity Solidarity

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

MUSIC DSTC Orchestra

The DSTC school orchestra has re-formed with many new

members. We have been particularly impressed with Jade

Down, Faye Benning, Katelin Ball and Josephine Coker

who all decided to learn brand new instruments for the

Summer Soiree. Our girls really can do anything that they

put their minds to. Well done!

Gospel Choir

I am delighted that the Year 11 Gospel Choir has

re-formed this term and the girls involved learned a new

repertoire for their performance at Darent Valley Hospital

on 20th July 2016. I would like to thank all of the students

involved for their dedication and enthusiasm as they give

up their lunchtimes to rehearse. Well done girls!

COOK WITH DAD Following on from the success of our Mothers Day cook, on Friday 17th June we had the pleasure of hosting 10 fathers and their daughters for our Fathers Day cook. We made lasagne and chocolate mousse and the whole evening was a great success.

One parent said, “Just a quick note to say thanks so much for organising this afternoon. Livia and I really enjoyed ourselves, and have just destroyed the food with her brother. Both lasagne and mousse were delicious. It’s great that the school organises experiences such as this and it’s very much appreciated. Livia has never been so co-operative in the kitchen before!”

THE SUMMER SOIREE

The Creative Arts Department this week held the final event of the school year – The Summer Soiree. This event allowed us to showcase some of the incredible art work and musical talent that we have here at DSTC.

LIBRARY

The Library at DSTC has had an overhaul this term. Sixth Formers Chelsea Jones and Georgia Slater have been assisting the Librarian as part of their enrichment programme. Old non-fiction books, which had not been borrowed for many years, have been withdrawn and sent to Better World Books UK. Our contribution of old Library stock will benefit organisations such as the National Literacy Trust. Chelsea and Georgia have also helped to re-arrange both the Library stock and the furniture. The students have been pleased with the new arrangement and the extra space created for their new fiction books.

Year 12 and 13 students were lucky

enough to secure tickets for

Wimbledon this year. They saw mixed

doubles, women’s doubles and men’s

doubles as well as enjoying the

atmosphere of Henman Hill.

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

SICILY The Geography department had a very successful trip to Sicily over the Easter break where the students were able to experience some of the varied sights, sounds and tastes of the largest island in the Mediterranean - the ice cream is to die for!!

We were blessed with good weather and visited some amazing places, including standing on top of Europe's tallest active volcano (Mt Etna) while it was smoking - a great way to bring Geography alive. We also walked through a Volcanic

gorge, went inside a lava cave, tried the hot sulphur mud pools (a bit smelly!) and visited some beautiful hilltop towns with both Roman and Greek sights.

We paid a visit to the nearby island of Vulcano which was great until the wind got up and the ferry had difficulty landing to collect us! (Just another geographical reminder how we are ultimately controlled by the forces of nature), but all was well in the end and we got back in time to make pizzas for dinner.

The students (a mixture of Years 10, 11 and 12) were fantastic and a good time was had by all.

ICELAND 2017

There are still a few places left on the school’s trip to Iceland planned for May 2017.

This is a unique opportunity for students studying GCSE or A level

Geography to experience one of the world’s truly remarkable

places. If you would like any more details or information please feel

free to contact the Humanities department.

(The pictures are from our very successful visit to Iceland in 2014).

ART AND DESIGN The year started with a record number of GCSE A-A*s awarded.

In October Moonisha Verma and Ayshe Davidson were shortlisted for the John Downton Award.

The school is currently exhibiting small artworks from Year 10 students at Darent Valley Hospital.

The Year 12 students have had visits from a professional photographer and enjoyed a day out visiting London’s smaller art galleries on Cork Street as well as enjoying free hospitality from Christies Auction House.

The school has now registered for the Gold Arts Mark Award, students will collaborate with Icon Theatre and The Bridge Project on a number of exciting events next year and this year with Dartford Arts Network.

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

GLEE

The search for the Glee Club performers in the UK has begun.

The Challenge is the largest youth Glee Club competition in the UK and is a music and dance education programme aimed at performers aged 11 to 25. It’s a flagship programme of the Jack Petchey Foundation inspired by the hugely successful and award winning Glee TV series.

Last year 15 of our students successfully sang and danced their way into the regional finals, to perform show stopping song and dance routines 'Glory' and 'Fight Medley' to a live audience at The Stag Theatre in Kent.

We were all so proud of the very talented performance group of students who represented DSTC. We are now rehearsing for the sixth annual Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge in 2017. Wish us luck!

DISTRICT SPORTS

The PE Department had a successful day out to District Sports with a group of excited girls from each year group. The weather was fabulous and the girls were a real asset to the school. They all put a huge amount of effort into their event and enjoyed the day supporting and cheering each other on. Notable performances were:

* The Year 8 team came 5th overall against around 16 schools. * Cary Kwaramba winning the 300m for Year 10. * Georgia Butler got into the 200m final against very fast girls from other schools. * Year 8 got into the 4x100m relay final (Onor Akpede, Josephine Coker, Naomi Delano-Lindo, Emily Scott). * Emily Scott came 5th in High Jump for Year 8. * Jamie-Anne Werrett came 4th in High Jump for Year 7. * Ava Webb-Birch came 4th in Shot-put for Year 7. * Humayra Ahmed came 5th in Javelin for Year 7. * Josephine Coker came 5th in Javelin for Year 8. Not only are these individual achievements awesome but 10 school records were broken!

ZOOLAB It is difficult to arrange for

our students to get a real

feel for some of the

amazing places we study in

Geography. So, as we

couldn’t organise a trip to

the Amazon Rainforest, we brought a selection

of animals from there in for Year 9 to study.

It was a great opportunity to get up close and

personal with some strange and wonderful

creatures and help

to understand how

they have adapted

to life in one of the

world’s greatest

ecosystems.

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

SPORTS DAY AND RACE FOR LIFE

DSTC’s annual Sports Day was held at Dartford Athletics Track on Monday 18th July. With temperatures soaring, the students did wonderfully to keep up the effort and athletic ability throughout the event.

There were some fine performances throughout the morning with numerous school records being broken. Cary Kwaramba now holds 3 in Year 10 and Kezia Noon won the Year 7 800m by almost half a lap.

The Sixth Form came to help this year and were a real asset to the school, they really helped the day run smoothly.

In the afternoon the second school Race for Life was held, temperatures were by then in the 30s so not ideal for distance running. The students however were in high spirits. The race was held over approximately 4km of the school grounds and students either ran or walked in memory of others. The girls really got involved in the event and were dressed in various pink outfits, some had heartfelt messages on their backs for who they were running for.

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

SCIENCE NEWS This year we have had a huge amount of good news and fun activities, here are some highlights of the year:

* Year 9 Chemistry Club entered the Talent 2030’s National Engineering Competition for Girls and were successfully placed runner up. The competition challenge was to solve the major challenges of the 21st century, to get creative, get thinking and most of all – have fun! As they placed runner-up, the girls were invited to the Big Bang Fair where they were given the opportunity to present their work. The girls designed a photo-bioreactor called ‘The Eco-Buddy’ which helped to

tackle the challenge of finding an alternative renewable energy source. The girls also presented their work to the entire school during Science Week and received great feedback. Once again, congratulations to Amel Hayat, April Reeves, Katie Donald, Amy Lambert and Muskan Kamran.

* Years 8 and 10 have worked hard this year to start up and maintain our onsite allotment. They planted several different seedlings such as cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries and pumpkins. Unfortunately quite a few of our plants have been lost along the way but the girls have remained focussed and fought hard to look after the plants that we have left. They are hoping that when we return after the summer break we may be able to harvest the world’s biggest pumpkin.

* Years 7 and 8 had the opportunity to take part in Science Week where we looked at ‘what would it be like in a world without pollinators?’ The students had the opportunity to look at bees under a stereoscope, touch an inactive hive and produce a lip balm from some of the products made by bees. The students learnt how much of an impact bees have on the world around us and how much it would change if they were no longer there.

We look forward to your participation next year to our STEM club. If you want to take part, make sure to see Ms Bhaiji.

BUSHCRAFT

Always wanting to try something new, Mr Dix arranged for Year 7 students to

have the opportunity to ‘get back to nature’ and spend a weekend under

canvas.

This Bushcraft trip allowed the girls to learn new skills including fire setting,

shelter building, first aid and camouflage as well as a variety of outdoor games and

activities. The camp was set within the beautiful grounds of Penshurst Place near Tonbridge and the good weather, great food and fantastic

on site instructors (tribe leaders) meant that both staff and students were able to experience and really enjoy this outdoor lifestyle.

INSPIRING EDUCATION, NURTURING SUCCESS

This is artwork from some Year 10, 11 and 6th Form students who have been successful in having their work displayed at Darent Valley Hospital.

The work can be found just inside the doors opposite A & E.

This has been successful through the hospital trust links and we look forward for more art work to be displayed in the coming year.

ENGLISH

Olivia Foster is a freelance editor and writer who currently works as a contributing editor for Look magazine as well as writing for titles such as Grazia, Fabulous, Heat and Marie Claire. She started her career six years ago after being discovered on Twitter, working across entertainment and features she has interviewed everyone from One Direction to Lady Gaga and Simon Cowell. She also co-hosts a weekly show on TalkRadio, covering entertainment and women's culture. Students were engaged and inspired by her sessions. One student said to Olivia that she has inspired her to be a writer. Other students were impressed by who Olivia has interviewed and the countries she has travelled to for work, from South Africa to Cannes. It was a very successful day with lots of positive feedback from the students.

MEDIEVAL DAY In April the Humanities department were happy to offer all of Year 7 the hands on opportunity to feel what it was like to live life in the middle ages. Some of the activities included spinning wool, playing the musical instruments, writing with a quill, and even minting their own coins. It was great fun to be able to get up close and personal and see how much has changed in the way we live our lives.

It really brought History alive.

DARTFORD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE

Heath Lane, Dartford, Kent DA1 2LY

01322 224309 email lucy.jarvis@dstc.kent.sch.uk

www.dstc.kent.sch.uk

EMPLOYABILITY Every year our 6th form students take part in two weeks work experience. This is an exciting opportunity for them to enhance both their vocational and transferable employability skills. We encourage the students to find their own placements, to promote their independence and ensure they get the most out of these two weeks.

This year the students went to a wide variety of employers, including Price Waterhouse Cooper, Barclays and Lloyds Banks, Wave Studios, Decca Records, Dynes Auto Services and the City of Westminster Archives – to name but a few. We received extremely positive feedback from the majority of employers and at least two students have been offered employment

Below is a small selection of some of the comments made by employers about our students:

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Chloe (Newton). The whole team were impressed with her enthusiasm and work ethic. She is a great ambassador for your Sixth Form.” Bexleyheath Library

“Ruby (Murrell) has been fabulous helping customers on her own in the banking hall and is an advocate for your school”. Barclays Bank, Bexleyheath

“Jennifer (White) is delightful! She is totally absorbed in any task and is engaging and wonderful with patients and able to hold intelligent conversations with them.” Linda Russell Foot Clinic

“Very conscientious and helpful. He was hands on and needed no prompting to get involved. My class loved him.” (Sam Rogerson) Dartford Primary Academy

Alyssa Engmann - our first ever

Sports Personality of the Year winner.

Amazing footballer, great attitude!

First day of term is Tuesday 6th September for Years 7 and 12 only. The rest of the school

return on Wednesday 7th September.